Michael Pina

New York

Senior Staff Writer at The Ringer

Senior staff writer, @Ringer. I enjoy NBA basketball, books, horror movies, and cookie monster. [email protected]

Featured in: Favicon

theringer.com Favicon

msn.com

nytimes.com Favicon

foxnews.com Favicon

washingtonpost.com Favicon

vice.com

yahoo.com

thestar.com Favicon

flipboard.com Favicon

si.com + 83 more

Articles

Michael Pina Discusses KAT’s Impact on the Knicks, Rodgers Wants to Stay a Jet, and the Latest on Juan Soto

Nov 27, 2024 | theringer.com | John Jastremski |Michael Pina

Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images (3:29) — JETS: The Jets assign a committee featuring former GM Mike Tannenbaum to help find their new GM and head coach. Aaron Rodgers wants to return for next season, and the Jets host the Seahawks on Sunday. (9:00) — GIANTS: Tommy DeVito has been limited in practice this week. Will Drew Lock replace him for the Giants’ Thanksgiving showdown versus the Cowboys? (12:24) — SOTO: JJ discusses the latest on the bidding war for Juan Soto.
Ime Udoka on What’s Fueling the Houston Rockets’ Surprising Start

Nov 25, 2024 | theringer.com | Michael Pina

AP Images/Getty Images/Ringer illustration Shortly before this season started, I wrote a column that characterized the Houston Rockets—with all their depth, trade assets, and blue-chip prospects—as the NBA’s most fascinating team. Now, after watching them pummel everything in front of them for about a month, it’s officially accurate to call them this season’s most pleasant surprise.
The Knicks Already Have a Karl-Anthony Towns Problem

Nov 18, 2024 | theringer.com | Michael Pina

Getty Images/Ringer illustration We’re nearly one month into Karl-Anthony Towns’s first season with the New York Knicks, and so far the results are an extreme microcosm of his entire career. Towns has been unstoppable on offense and is getting exposed on defense, with tangible impact on both sides of the ball that illustrate just how contradictory his presence can be. On the heels of their splashy summer, the Knicks are off to a 7-6 start.
Tatum’s Place Among the NBA’s Best With Michael Pina

Nov 14, 2024 | theringer.com | Brian Barrett |Michael Pina

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images Brian chats with The Ringer’s Michael Pina about the Celtics’ start to the season, Jayson Tatum’s place among the top players in the NBA, the incredible 3-point shooting from the C’s, their biggest rivals in the East, and more (0:30). Then, Brian and Jamie give out their top picks for Week 11 (47:15). We want to hear from you! Leave Brian a message on the listener line at 617-396-7172. Or send us your questions for our mailbag at [email protected].
NBA Stock Watch: Giannis Trade Rumors, Cavs as Contenders, and More

Nov 11, 2024 | theringer.com | Michael Pina

Getty/AP/Ringer Illustration We’re now a few weeks into the NBA season. Sample sizes still aren’t big enough to provide too many firm conclusions—and injuries to Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, Aaron Gordon, Chet Holmgren, Kevin Durant, Paolo Banchero, Tyrese Maxey, and a few others have cast a pall over the action—but enough time has passed to warrant a good old-fashioned stock watch.
Is RJ Barrett’s Start to This Season Fool’s Gold?

Nov 8, 2024 | theringer.com | Michael Pina

Getty Images/Ringer illustration It’s fair to view RJ Barrett’s stunning start to this season as a mirage. We’re talking about a six-game sample size that’s more likely to spit out random nebulosity than substantive development. Injuries to Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley have also created a circumstance for the Toronto Raptors where necessity is now the mother of Barrett’s evolution.
It’s a Make-or-Break Season for Zion Williamson’s Superstar Status

Nov 4, 2024 | theringer.com | Michael Pina

Getty Images/AP Images/Ringer illustration Let’s start in a place of truth and vulnerability: I have no idea what to make of Zion Williamson. Six years into a career that was once destined to redefine the laws of gravity, disappointment and dominance are inextricably linked in ways that overshadow each other, depending on the day. Half a decade of highs and lows—he’s missed 208 games in his career, including Sunday’s loss to the Hawks—have formed a messy juxtaposition that’s hard to untangle.
Giannis, Dame, and Bucks Woes. Plus, Joe Mazzulla Wants … Fighting?

Nov 1, 2024 | theringer.com | Howard Beck |Raja Bell |Michael Pina

Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images Howard Beck and Raja Bell fire up the mics with Ringer senior NBA writer Michael Pina to kick off the show with the current disaster that is the Milwaukee Bucks and how other teams are preparing for a potential Giannis trade demand (6:45). Then, they get into Michael Pina’s piece on the Ringer dot com, Six Overreactions to the First Week of the NBA Season, pointing out the one Michael regrets most and the one Raja loves (27:32).
Six Overreactions to the First Week of the NBA Season

Oct 29, 2024 | theringer.com | Michael Pina

Getty Images/AP Images/Ringer illustration The first week of every NBA season is a perfect time to feast on overreactions and hyperbole. If there’s any more appropriate way to enjoy this annual tradition, please don’t tell me what it is. Tempered analysis will have its day, but after watching almost every team play at least one game, here are some observations (big and small) that may or may not look ridiculous a couple months from now. 1. Jayson Tatum will win MVP.
22 Increasingly Bold Predictions for the 2024-25 NBA Season

Oct 20, 2024 | theringer.com | Michael Pina

Getty Images/Ringer illustration At its onset, the NBA’s 2024-25 season is, even more than usual, a beacon of mystery, chock-full of big-picture trends moving in an undetermined direction. Are we entrenched in an age of parity? Or does one team still stand head and shoulders above the rest? Has the offensive evolution peaked? Or will the 3-point shot’s mushroom cloud continue to spread? Are we at the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning?