NBA trade season is here. And big moves are already to being madeālike DeMarcus Cousins going to the Pelicansāas teams get ready for the second half of the season. When it comes to NBA trade madness, nobody knows the game better than Chris Broussard of Fox Sports. Formerly of ESPN, BroussardĀ has taken his talents to Fox and is working in a different sphere.
Removed from the sources game, Broussard is now sharing his opinion more than he ever has before on air. And not just about the NBA, but every major sport. BroussardĀ launched his brand new "In the Zone With Chris Broussard" podcast recently where he breaks down the sports world's biggest stories in fun and interesting ways. With his new ventures underway, Complex had the opportunity to speak with Broussard about his new gig, the podcast, and his feelings about the upcoming trade deadline.Ā
(This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.)
With the NBA getting into trade season right now, what is the most interesting storyline?
I think itās obviously Carmelo Anthony, and where he ends up if itās not New York. Obviously theyāre only talking to three teamsāBoston, Cleveland, the Clippers. I would love to see Melo go to either Cleveland or the Clippers, as long as those two teams can keep their big three. Like if Cleveland can keep Kevin Loveāobviously theyāre not moving LeBron or Kyrieāor if the Clippers can keep Blake Griffin and Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan.
If you get Melo, it changes things. Now, on paper, youāre like, āOkay, theyāre both pretty much even.ā So, I would love to see that, or Melo go to the Clippers. I donāt think the Clippers would beat Golden State, but it gets them closer.Ā
With the Knicks, what do you think brought it to this point?
Ultimately, it was the losing. Thatās really what it boils down to, and you canāt blame that all on Carmelo Anthony. They obviously went into this season not thinking theyād beat Cleveland, but, thinking theyād be a good team, thinking they could be as good as anybody else in the East, and then you take your chances against Cleveland.
And it just hasnāt worked out that way, and you can say from the get go, with Derrick Rose having to miss time early in the season because of his trial, there were a lot of things that factored into them getting off to the start that they did and not being the team that they are. The bottom line is it hasnāt worked out, so, if youāre the Knicks you say weāre not going anywhere now, hasnāt workout out for us, letās go young. We have a potential star in Kristaps Porzingis, letās build around him, and thatās where it comes to you being willing and ready and dying to move Carmelo Anthony. Ā
Best of NBA All-Star Weekend: John Wall, Shaq, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jidenna & more #InTheZonehttps://t.co/Vdlv8EKgpS
Do you think that there are any unexpected names out there, like someone who could be a surprise guy who gets put on the market?
Well, with Paul Millsap, his name was out there earlier, then the Hawks took him off the marketāand theyāve been playing pretty well, so they make keep himābut the issue with the Hawks is Millsapās gonna want max money. There was a feeling when he signed with them, that when it was time for him to get paid, under the new contract, the salary cap, he would get max money. Now the Hawks arenāt so sure; so thatās what they have to weigh: if weāre not gonna max him, then we lose him in free agency this summer, do we move him now? Or, even though weāre not a contender, weāre still a pretty good team. Weāre still going to win close to 50, if not 50 games. We still have a shot to go as deep in the playoffs as anybody other than Cleveland. Do we play this out, and bring Millsap back and go this route? Heās a guy that, you know, you need to watch for.
Ā "I thinkĀ LeBronĀ is a few things. heās always been his own man. He doesnāt like when anybody tries to say he has a place."
LeBronās never one to hold his tongue but youāve never seen him be as candid as he has recently, it seems like heās tired.
Heās usually been more politically correct. Heās usually taken the highroad. I have no problem with him going at Barkley, and some people say he got personal, and he did. He did get personal. Barkley kept it to basketball, LeBron got personal, but you know what, I donāt think itās great, as a societal thing, but thatās our society now. The president gets personal like that. Unfortunately, nothingās off limits anymore.Ā But, LeBron, I do think he is being a little more outspoken. He went at Phil Jackson, saying he doesnāt have any respect for him anymore. He didnāt say it in those words, but that basically was the implication. I think LeBron is a few things. One, heās always been his own man. He doesnāt like when anybody tries to say he has a place. Like, you shouldnāt say that; and Barkley was kind of like, you, a player, you donāt need to be getting involved in all that.
Heās always been his own man and outspoken like that, and now I think heās just like, āHey, ima say what ima say.ā Look, LeBron knows the history of the game. He knows legacy. He probably knowsāhe wouldnāt admit this and he hasnāt said it to me or anything, he may know heās not going to catch Jordan with six rings. Thatās the goal, but heās 3-4 in the finals, and thatās why heās looking at it like, āWe gotta get more.ā Because he donāt wanna be 3 and 5, you donāt want to lose in the Finals period, but when you look at it, it could be 3-5, could be 3-6, heck, could be 3-7, you know what Iām saying? The way the Warriors look set up, and the way the Cavs look set up, there could be a lot of Ls, and that could harm a legacy. Even though you could say, āWell, he got to the finals 7, 8, 9 straight times.ā If you lose those, it could harm you, and Iām sure thatās a part of his thinking too, at least I believe it is. Thatās why you're getting what youāre getting out of him.
Now that youāre at Fox Sports now, what was the transition like going from ESPN to Fox?
It was a tough decision. I had been at ESPN for 12 years; had written for ESPN Magazine, obviously I had done television as a news reporter, as a sideline reporter, on the countdown show with Magic Johnson. I had done a lot of different things there, and even, at points, I had done personality and opinion. I had been on First Take as a regular with Skip Bayless, and some other shows. PTI filling in...but, the doors werenāt really opening for me to walk into that space on a bigger scale. They wanted to keep me as a news reporter and news breaker, and Fox Sports 1 was looking at me as more an opinion and personality. Thatās really why I made the move, because I liked that role better. Itās the difference between being like a beat writer and a columnist.
.@Chris_Broussard: I'm not saying Embiid can't go to the Meek Mill concert, but he doesn't need to be on stage running around like a maniac. pic.twitter.com/UhJwhNrqNN
You talk about basically everything in sports now. Howās that been?
I mean, obviously, I know the NBA better than other sports, but, I was always, growing up, even as a young sports writer, I was into all the sports. I just happened to end up covering the NBA, and this is true for probably most sports writers, because thatās where the break came. As a young sports writer I covered all sports. Then, my break to cover the pros was with the Cleveland Cavaliers when I was working for the Akron Beacon Journal in 1995. If it had been with the Browns, or Cleveland Indians, maybe I would have gone that route. I did do a lot of Indians reporting when they went to the World Series in 1995. So I like all the sports, and I follow all the sports as a fan, but obviously I donāt have the intimate knowledge that I have of the NBA, after being a reporter for the NBA for so long. But itās a lot of fun because it allows you to branch out and show that you know other things, and I get it, I understand, that for a while Iāll be pigeon-holed into the NBA, and thatās fine, because that is, right now, what I do best. I donāt have any problem with that, but, you want to show that you can talk other sports as well.
It seems like when youāre talking about the NBA it really brings out that heat in you.
[Laughs.] Well, the NBA, more than any of the other sports, lends itself to individuality, and you know the players better than any other sport. Thatās why, even though itās second, or maybe third, the third biggest sport behind college football, I think we can say itās passed baseball, certainly with the younger generation. But still, those NBA players are still more well known than any other professional athletes in the country, or in the world. Thatās because, you know, the individuality of the gameāthey donāt wear helmets, the fans are right up on the courtāand thatās why so many of them have endorsement deals. You get to know the players better, and they can share their personalities and be colorful if thatās who they are, so that lends itself to more debate.Ā
"I think Isaiah Thomas is starting to move up. Now, heās not much of a defender either, but, you know what itās about, man? Itās about impact."
You have the podcast nowāwhat was the driving force behind that?
It's called āIn the Zone with Chris Broussard,ā and really, again, with Fox...and ESPN tried to brand me, and did brand me, and brand a lot of their talent as well, but Fox, they wanted to help me move into this other space. Because if you notice, at Fox Sports 1, weāre not really trying to report and break news. Weāre opinion, and personality, and debate, and things like that. They recognized that my space had been reporting, so they wanna move me, and help me move into that different space and to brand me in that way, versus the way Iām basically branded now as an NBA reporter. Thatās really what it came down to, and right now itās been NBA. Itāll be mostly NBA, but we will, at times, talk other sports, even if thereās big social issues going on that are relevant to the sports. Weāll deal with that too. We may have some actors, some rappers. We just had Michael Rapaport, but we may have others on the podcast as well. Iām enjoying it. Itās a little different than your typical podcast; we didnāt want to make it just based on interviews. Again, weāll have some of those, but we didnāt want that it has to be based on an interview. We mix, as youāve heard, we mix in a lot of hip hop elements, which I think makes it fun. Itās not only informative, but entertaining as well.
Last question: NBA MVP. James Hardenās to lose? Or do you think someone can catch up?
Well, he can definitely be caught. I said on my podcast, it may have even been on my first one, that Harden was the MVP, now that was five weeks ago, a lot has changed. Houstonās losing a lot more games. Theyāre still on pace to win 56 or 57, OKC is on pace to win about 46 or 47, and thatās a big part of it, because neither of them have like an All-Star ensemble around them. Right now, I would give the slight edge to Harden, but if they dip closer to 50 and Westbrook and OKC are getting closer to 50 on the lower end, then I think, I mean, I donāt know how you can deny a triple double. I know when Oscar Robertson got it he didnāt win it, but it was a different day and time. Their team only won 43 games. Wilt averaged 50 points that year and still didnāt get the MVP himself; he was second, Oscar was third, and Bill Russell won it I believe.Ā
Also, I think Isaiah Thomas is starting to move up. Now, heās not much of a defender either, but, you know what itās about, man? Itās about impact. This guy, without any All-Star teammates, has them second in the East, heās the leading fourth quarter scorer, the last two months heās averaged about 30, 31 points a game, only on 48, 49% shooting, I mean, the dude is playing out of his mind. So, I think he has to be in consideration. I think itās really up in the air right now. Again, Hardenās slightly ahead right now, but we obviously have the whole second half of the season left.Ā