House of Strauss

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comWe’ve got a great House of Glass for you today. Just look at the docket. You have to subscribe, just so you can hear how Ryan pronounces “Thierry Henry.” Topics! Include!* (2:00) Tim Bontemps to the…Hawks?! Why would someone voluntarily leave ESPN for an NBA front office?* (7:00) Could “take artists” be more valuable than analytics exp…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comDunc’d On Founder and co-host of my new favorite YouTube channel Nate Duncan, everybody. * How huge is this Finals?* Wembanyama temp check: Nate loves Wemby, but how does the public feel?* Does Wembanyama’s unprecedented physical advantage make him more compelling—or less entertaining—to watch?* Is Wembanyama actually a dirty player, or is he simply dealing with the challenges of being 7-foot-5?* Should playoff basketball be officiated differently than regular-season basketball?* Does today’s NBA Finals atmosphere compare to the league’s peak popularity during the 2016 Warriors–Cavs era?* Does James Dolan care what anyone thinks?* Why does Steve Kerr have a growing coaching tree?* Did OG Anunoby’s chase-down block deserve more appreciation than De’Aaron Fox’s mistake deserved blame?* Why does Nate view skiing as a more legitimate passion than golf?* Effects of parents actually spending more time with their children than previous generations.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comWow, do Ryan and I have much to discuss with all this Knicks-Spurs NBA Finals buzz. Topics! Include!* Why the NBA Finals suddenly feel like a major cultural event again* Glass man gives a tepid defense of New York’s most hated man (James Dolan)* The controversy surrounding Trump’s appearance at the Finals* Conflicting explanations for moving a Knicks watch party* Whether sports media applies political standards consistently (No!)* Adam Silver’s balancing act between politics and sports* Why NBA players are less vocal about politics than before* Victor Wembanyama’s growing dirty-player reputation* How officiating and league priorities can shape playoff series* Glasspiegel explains, with precision, why Pat McAfee got a $60 million payday

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.houseofstrauss.comWe love Neil Paine, our analytics-forward friend. He covers seemingly every sport with a data-driven zeal. Today we took at look at whether the foul-bait backlash to the Thunder is rooted in reality. Does this populist basketball anger result from a real difference between this team and all the others? Topics! Include!* Thunder Derangement Syndrome is real (H/T Kevin O’Connor)* Why SGA became the NBA’s villain* The Internet’s obsession with “ethical hoops”* That Tom Haberstroh article about how often SGA falls* Why SGA is secretly a basketball teacher* NBA discourse clip economy as confirmation bias warfare* How social media manufactures sports outrage* Draftism and Jalen Brunson disrespect* Why stats lose to narratives in modern sports debates* The NBA’s new era of fragile dynasties

I visited the friendly confines of Basketball Illuminati, only to be at a severe rhetorical disadvantage versus Amin Elhassan. He was strongly anti Luke Kornet’s criticism of now cancelled Magic City Night, and argued that case with energy. I was more understanding of Kornet’s position, but wasn’t inclined to vigorously defend it. Still a great talk that included, but wasn’t limited to, Adrian Wojnarowski’s troubles in college basketball, and Pablo Torre vs. Adam Silver. Enjoy!House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

This audio article is up. Happy Friday, folks. House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe

Mike Pesca wrote a fine piece for the Free Press on how oddly not controversial the supposedly very controversial Eileen Gu is. She’s from the United States, but competes for China, and yet receives…mostly glowing mainstream American coverage? What’s with that? And beyond Gu, what’s the elite American consensus on China? But before the topics are introduced…Per the new Substack/Polymarket partnership, I’m posting an Eileen Gu involved competition. As someone incapable of accurately pricing Winter Olympics events, I’m interested in whether bettors reflect Gu’s true odds for winning the Ski Halfpipe. As of this writing, Polymarket has her favored to triumph. Fame halo effect, or accurate probability? And onto the Pesca pod topics…* Would we bet that Chuck Klosterman has a secret North Dakota accent?* Eileen Gu is certainly beautiful, but does she also look a little terrifying? * Is the lack of elite anger towards China rooted in corporate considerations?* America is less patriotic now, especially among the young. Bad thing?* Is the United States the best country?* Per the Jeremy Carl congressional dustup, is there such a thing as White American culture? * Stuffwhitepeoplelike was a great website* Is there such a thing as a “white guy basketball assist”? * Is it plausible that Spike Lee’s All-Star Game Palestine outfit had nothing to do with Deni Avdija? House of Strauss is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.houseofstrauss.com/subscribe