Forgotten Seasons All The Smoke Productions

The 17-Foot Assassin, David West, joins the show to relive the rise of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets in the mid-2000's.

West was drafted to the Hornets 18th overall in the legendary 2003 NBA Draft, joining the team for their first season in New Orleans. But just two years after West and the Hornets' arrival in New Orleans from Charlotte, they needed to move again due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Just a month before the 2005/06 season tipped off, it was determined that Oklahoma City - who had no other major sports teams - would be the Hornets temporary home until New Orleans was rebuilt (enough).

From 2005-2007, the Hornets played nearly all of their home games in Oklahoma City. And to their surprise, Oklahoma City welcomed them with rabid support. This successful foster parent-like relationship laid the groundwork for the city being able to swipe the Sonics from Seattle just a few years later.

Coinciding with the Hornets temporary move to Oklahoma City was the emergence of the team, led by West and the young point god, Chris Paul. In 2008, the Hornets were back in New Orleans and won a franchise-record 56 games. They would fall to the Spurs in 7 games in the West Semis, and according to West, his injured back was the only thing that kept the Hornets from making the NBA Finals.

West details the rapid ascension of his team, reveals the origin to his signature mid-range jump shot, gives his opinion to why the Hornets eventually fell apart and much more.

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Tony Allen arrived in Memphis in 2010 and tried to establish a similar culture of his last team, the Boston Celtics. Allen won a ring with the Celtics in 2008 and observed the work ethic of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, James Posey, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.

Before Allen got there, the Grizzlies had a grand total of zero playoff wins as a franchise in their 15+ years of existence. Most players on the team, besides Allen, had no playoff experience. Pretty soon after his arrival, Allen's influence rubbed off on the rest of the team, and Grit 'N' Grind was born. The Grizzlies made the playoffs as the 8-seed and beat the 1-seed Spurs in six games. In Round 2, they took the eventual Western Conference champs to 7 games but lost.

In this week's episode, Allen relives his journey from Boston to Memphis, explains how he implemented a culture, breaks down his chemistry with Zach Randolph and goes in depth on his perimeter matchups with Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

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Mike Bibby and the 2002 Sacramento Kings had one of the most heartbreaking playoff series of all-time versus the Shaq and Kobe Lakers. We dive deep with Bibby on handling that devastating loss, his views on today's player development philosophies, and the underrated players from his era that don't get enough credit.

The former point guard doesn't hold back, providing raw insight into the controversial officiating conspiracies that clouded that iconic 2002 Western Conference Finals. Bibby reflects on the lasting impact and what-ifs from that crushing defeat.
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Paul Pierce's journey is something out of a movie. In September, 2000, Pierce was stabbed 11 times in a nightclub and came millimeters away from dying. He nearly became the third Celtics forward in less than 20 years to tragically die. Not only did Pierce survive, he became one of the greatest Celtics of all time.

In this week's episode, Pierce takes us through his journey returning to the court a month after the stabbing incident. In the 2000/01 season, Pierce played all 82 games and was coined "The Truth" by Shaquille O'Neal after dropping 42 points on the Lakers. Following his breakout 2001 campaign, Pierce leveled up in 2002, earning his first All-Star selection and bringing the Celtics just two games away from the NBA Finals.

Plus, he explains how he developed his patented mid-post game, talks "Club Shiznit" and much more.

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Amin Elhassan peels back the curtain and brings us inside Phoenix's front office during times of great change. Elhassan spent six years inside Phoenix's front office from 2005-2012 and had a front row seat to glory and turbulence.

He provides detailed recounts of several unanswered questions from his tenure. Why couldn't they get past San Antonio? Why did Steve Kerr trade Shawn Marion for Shaq? Why did the Suns players rebel against Terry Porter? Was Shaq really a child movie star?

All and more is revealed on this week's episode.

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Matt Barnes is a fighter. From 2003-2010, he signed six one-year contracts with six different teams. In this week's episode, we hone in on Phoenix in 2009, where the Suns were entering a new phase. Mike D'Antoni, the architect of the '7 Seconds or Less' Suns, fled to New York, and Terry Porter took the helm as head coach.

Porter was quick to dismiss D'Antoni's run-and-gun offense. "If you look at the history of the game, no team that has played that running style has had much success,” said Porter before the season. Porter's defense-first approach did not go well, and he was fired before the trade deadline. Phoenix finished 46-36 but missed the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference. It's one of the highest win totals in NBA history for a team that missed the playoffs.

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