An NBA Scandal, the WembyCorn, a Three-Day Power Poll, and NFL Week 8 Picks With Joe House

What It Covers

Bill Simmons and Joe House analyze the NBA gambling scandal involving Jontay Porter and Chauncey Billups, discuss Victor Wembanyama's historic 50-point performance against Dallas, evaluate early season NBA power rankings, and make NFL Week 8 picks.

Key Questions Answered

• •NBA Gambling Regulation: Player prop betting should be restricted to star players only, eliminating props on bench players like Quentin Post or Al Horford under threes. This reduces insider trading risk where equipment managers, trainers, or security personnel can exploit nonpublic injury information before official reports.
• •Wembanyama's Ceiling: Victor Wembanyama's 50-point performance against Dallas represents a once-in-a-generation athletic display comparable only to young Shaq, Kareem's skyhook, or prime LeBron's speed. His seven-foot frame combined with guard skills and three-point range creates matchup problems that have never existed in basketball history.
• •Houston Rockets Contention: Houston emerges as legitimate title contender with Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson forming elite frontcourt pairing. Their defense ranks third in DVOA allowing just 14.7 points per game, but they need to acquire a legitimate point guard to avoid Matt Maloney situations where playoff series are lost due to guard mismatches.
• •NBA Schedule Intensity: The league's biggest problem is unsustainable player workload, evidenced by Amen Thompson getting pulled for cramps in the OKC game despite being a top-five athlete. Players run excessive mileage at game speed 82 times plus playoffs, requiring teams to carefully monitor sprint data and rest schedules.
• •Chauncey Billups Investigation: If allegations prove true that Billups tipped off gamblers about sitting Dame Lillard in February 2023 before official injury reports, this represents the darkest NBA scandal since Tim Donaghy. The incident occurred during Portland's tank for the Scoot Henderson pick, giving nonpublic information material betting advantage.