The Bill Simmons Podcast The Mailbag: Dangerous NBA Teams, Lottery Tweaks, the KD Files, The Oscars, and Cruise vs. Pacino | With Chris Ryan and Joe House
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Feb 18, 2026 
Joe House, sports writer and bettor, breaks down NBA futures and smart post–All-Star bets. Chris Ryan, film writer and pop-culture commentator, riffs on Oscars, movie tributes, and Michael Mann motifs. They also spar over tanking, the KD burner scandal, lottery-ping-pong tweaks, trade-value ideas, and goofy mailbag hypotheticals.
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Tanking Debate Lacks One True Fix
- Tanking solutions generate endless hot takes but no single fix fits all stakeholders.
- Chris Ryan argues different stakeholders (owners, fans) have misaligned incentives, which fuels the debate.
Wilt Would've Been A Burner-Account King
- Bill Simmons recalls Wilt Chamberlain's blunt magazine pieces trashing teammates and coaches.
- He says Wilt would absolutely have used burner accounts to air grievances if social media existed.
Public Friction, Private Loyalty
- Kevin Durant's locker-room reputation differs from his public controversies because teammates rarely bad-mouth him.
- Simmons notes Durant's teams often avoid publicly throwing him under the bus despite friction.