# The NBA Just Flipped Upside Down: Why the Hornets Won, Giannis Changed Everything & ESPN Still Won't Stop Protecting LeBron

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/on-the-ball-with-ric-bucher-711886/the-nba-just-flipped-upside-down-why-the-hornets-won-giannis-changed-everything-espn-still-won-t-stop-protecting-lebron
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/on-the-ball-with-ric-bucher-711886/the-nba-just-flipped-upside-down-why-the-hornets-won-giannis-changed-everything-espn-still-won-t-stop-protecting-lebron.md
Podcast: [On The Ball with Ric Bucher](https://stenobird.com/podcast/on-the-ball-with-ric-bucher-711886)
Published: 2026-06-27T08:23:27+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/bucher-and-friends/episodes/the-nba-just-flipped-upside-down-why-the-hornets-won-giannis
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/f66edc52-c9ac-4e17-bf90-6f1121579b75/e/6a3f887f6b6690f46a2a6c50/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/on-the-ball-with-ric-bucher-711886/episodes/the-nba-just-flipped-upside-down-why-the-hornets-won-giannis-changed-everything-espn-still-won-t-stop-protecting-lebron
Duration seconds: 1376

## Resource

The NBA Draft delivered far more than new faces—it reshaped the league. In this episode of On The Ball , Ric Bucher explains why the Charlotte Hornets may have quietly assembled one of the smartest rosters in basketball while the Minnesota Timberwolves may have doubled down on talent without solving their biggest problem. Ric also breaks down the blockbuster trade sending Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat, what it means for Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra and Heat Culture, why the Washington Wizards may be sabotaging top draft pick AJ Dybantsa before he even plays a game, what really happened inside the Golden State Warriors draft room, and why the national media continues to frame LeBron James differently than everyone else. Time Stamps 00:00 – Intro: The NBA Draft changes the league overnight 01:35 – Why the Hornets may have had the best offseason in the NBA 03:25 – Why Minnesota's LaMelo Ball gamble feels desperate 06:20 – Giannis Antetokounmpo heads to Miami: What really happened 08:20 – Why Giannis' exit from Milwaukee wasn't ugly 09:20 – Heat Culture vs. Giannis' way of doing things 10:40 – Winners and losers from the Giannis trade 11:20 – Milwaukee's draft concerns and evaluating Nate Ament 12:40 – Why AJ Dybantsa isn't walking into an ideal situation in Washington 16:10 – The truth behind Joe Lacob's viral draft room exchange 17:35 – Why the Warriors may finally be preparing for life after Draymond Green 19:10 – ESPN, LeBron James and the double standard Ric can't ignore 21:20 – Final thoughts #NBA #NBADraft #Giannis #MiamiHeat #Hornets #Timberwolves #LaMeloBall #Warriors #LeBronJames #NBATrades #OnTheBall #RicBucher #UnitedWeCast Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/bucher-and-friends . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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