The Knicks (and a Crowded East) With Zach Lowe, Plus Anthony Jeselnik on Book Clubs, Roasts, and Stand-Up Comedy in 2026

Simmons was writing too much and trapped in the blog cycle, needing to focus on meaningful content and start a podcast.

NBA championship runs are likely limited to about four years due to player fatigue and salary cap pressures.

The Knicks have a two-year window left before their core ages and the team declines.

Tim Duncan is indisputably a top-ten player due to his durability, consistency, and unselfishness.

Duncan's peak years involved enormous playoff minutes that took a physical toll, but he remained elite.

OG Anunoby's fame skyrocketed more than any player's in a two-minute span due to his iconic playoff tip-in.

Anunoby was likely the Knicks' best player for the first part of the playoffs and his health was a major factor.

Ray Allen's shot is the greatest NBA play, and Anunoby's tip is second in terms of swinging championship odds.

The 2002 Kings lacked a reliable closer beyond Mike Bibby, which cost them the series against the Lakers.

Basketball fundamentally changed after the 2010 Finals, with a new era of spacing and tactics emerging.

Rick Adelman is the most tactically underrated coach in NBA history for his spacing and floor inversion.

Charlotte and Atlanta are the most likely Eastern Conference teams to miss the playoffs.

Orlando is the third team most likely to miss the playoffs due to offensive questions and roster uncertainty.

Miami's Giannis-Bam pairing raises offensive fit questions, but their depth and coaching could keep them competitive.

Paying Jalen Duren $40M+ annually is a mistake unless he's on Jokic's level.

The Pistons should consider trading Duren if they can't secure a better fit, but his chemistry with Cade complicates things.

The Jeselnik Book Club podcast will launch on The Ringer on September 30, with a 250-page limit for year one.

The book club will help get men reading again and features a mix of celebrity guests and Ringer staff.

Fiction provides more empathy and immersion than nonfiction, making it more valuable for personal growth.

Nonfiction, especially sports and historical books, is more valuable because it provides factual knowledge and analysis.

Stand-up comedy has a shelf life, and he may transition to book writing in his 50s due to the grind of touring.

Comedians, like athletes, often retire because of the offseason grind rather than the performance itself.

Jeff Ross is essential to modern roasts, and Comedy Central's editing made the classic roasts successful.

Netflix's unedited live roasts have diminished the format's quality compared to Comedy Central's curated versions.

Podcasting hurts stand-up as an art form by allowing comedians to bypass the grind of developing tight hours.

The next generation of comedians is chasing viral clips rather than focusing on craft and audience connection.

Actors rarely succeed in stand-up because the skills required are fundamentally different from acting.

Tom Hanks in Punchline is the best example of an actor successfully portraying a stand-up comedian.

The documentary Comedian changed his life by demonstrating that failure and persistence are essential to stand-up success.

The documentary is now difficult to stream due to Harvey Weinstein's legal issues, making physical copies valuable.