1 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:20,679 What is up, fellow thermonuclear A efforts. I am Davin Valley coming at 2 00:00:20,679 --> 00:00:26,000 you with Bleacher reports and Hardwood knoxes Grant's hughes. We are back with more 3 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:31,839 offseason report cards, this time for the Southwest Division. Before we canon ball 4 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:34,200 into them, though, we have to ask, we need to ask, 5 00:00:34,799 --> 00:00:37,679 Grant, how are you doing since the five minutes ago that we last just 6 00:00:37,719 --> 00:00:41,679 spoke. I'm really terrible. I just had an awful conversation for an hour. 7 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:45,359 The host was a dick, and I don't want to borrow you with 8 00:00:45,399 --> 00:00:48,439 it, but it just I really feel like a lesser person. No, 9 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:53,479 I feel great. I'm excited we are doing a new division, and I'm 10 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:57,880 excited to hear you go in on at least one two of these teams. 11 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:00,479 So that that's that's got my day looking really good right now. Yes, 12 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,879 and before we go there as a brief reminder, we laid it out on 13 00:01:03,959 --> 00:01:10,040 the Central Division podcast, the full criteria, but a C is passing here, 14 00:01:10,079 --> 00:01:11,879 so that's not an insult. And even like a C minus those are 15 00:01:11,879 --> 00:01:15,120 passing. So if you see cs like, we're not being overly critical. 16 00:01:15,519 --> 00:01:19,040 And as Grant and I've mentioned time and time again, we are grading teams 17 00:01:19,079 --> 00:01:23,959 relative to the tools that were at their disposal and what they could have done 18 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:27,040 with. That said, though, let's get to the offseason vitals of the 19 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:32,239 Dallas Mavericks. To kick off the Southwest Division. Notable moves, they acquired 20 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:36,200 Christian Wood for Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Marquis Chris Boban Marjanovitch, and 21 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:38,640 the number twenty six pick, which turned into Wendell Moore Junior. They signed 22 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:44,599 theo Pins into a one year deal. They signed Jayden Harvey Hardy the number 23 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,040 thirty seven pick, to a three year, four point eight million dollars deal 24 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:49,480 that was part of their MINIMLI. They used the rest of the MINIMLI on 25 00:01:49,599 --> 00:01:53,920 JaVale McGee for a three year I have this is a four point eight million 26 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:57,200 dollars deal in my notes, that is clearly wrong. A three year, 27 00:01:57,359 --> 00:02:01,799 oh my god, nineteen million dollars deal with two twenty five player option. 28 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:07,560 And they also signed Tyler Dorsey to a two May contract. Notable exits and 29 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:12,879 I would say this is a pretty damn big notable exit. Dalen Brunton left 30 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:15,759 for the Knicks on a four year, one hundred four million dollars contract. 31 00:02:16,159 --> 00:02:22,280 Grant what grade did you give the Dallas Mavericks for their off season? And 32 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:23,360 wait, I need to correct myself again. It was a three year, 33 00:02:23,439 --> 00:02:28,680 seventeen point two million dollars contract for JaVale McGee. If anyone doesn't believe me, 34 00:02:28,719 --> 00:02:30,120 there's a Google doc with twelve hundred words in it that I sent to 35 00:02:30,199 --> 00:02:34,800 Grant and I have javal McGee listened as three years and four point eight million. 36 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:37,560 Please explain that one for me, Grant, that would be a pretty 37 00:02:37,599 --> 00:02:40,680 good deal. My grade would be higher, I think, oh, marginally. 38 00:02:40,879 --> 00:02:46,280 So I gave Dallas a C minus, which is going to seem high 39 00:02:46,319 --> 00:02:52,520 based on consensus and based on what I know about you. I'll start with 40 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:53,800 us. I'll start with the good. The good is I think the Christian 41 00:02:53,800 --> 00:03:00,680 Wood trade makes sense. I think they're It feels like the kind of move 42 00:03:00,879 --> 00:03:05,599 that you're getting a very talented player that has mostly been on bad teams, 43 00:03:05,759 --> 00:03:09,639 who I think probably has a has had no small part in building a reputation 44 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:13,439 as a guy that's kind of out for his numbers and maybe is not super 45 00:03:13,439 --> 00:03:17,000 helpful to a winner. I think playing in Dallas is really the first chance 46 00:03:17,039 --> 00:03:22,599 he's going to have with a few years under his belt to really like matter, 47 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:24,479 and so I think there's a scenario, maybe it's just being optimistic, 48 00:03:24,479 --> 00:03:29,639 there's a scenario where he really helps them, Like he becomes a second option 49 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:31,919 that's like at least as good as Brunson, potentially, like a guy that 50 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:37,840 just really scores it, really stretches the defense, really matters, takes the 51 00:03:37,879 --> 00:03:40,840 load off of Luca, which has been the issue forever there in kind of 52 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:45,840 a different way than getting like a true point guard or whatever. So I 53 00:03:45,879 --> 00:03:49,120 think there's upside there, and I think the price was totally reasonable to pay 54 00:03:49,199 --> 00:03:52,919 to get a player as talented as him. Maybe he kills their defense, 55 00:03:53,319 --> 00:03:55,199 maybe it doesn't work. I just like I like the gamble. So that's 56 00:03:55,240 --> 00:04:00,360 the good. The bad is kind of everything else except another reason in that 57 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:03,159 the C minus is in there for me and not something worse is I don't 58 00:04:03,199 --> 00:04:10,319 feel like I have a handle yet on what exactly the circumstances were of Brunson's 59 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:15,240 free agency. Now you can certainly penalize the maps for the low ball the 60 00:04:15,479 --> 00:04:18,319 extension stuff earlier, not getting it done sooner, maybe pissing him off, 61 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:20,839 But at the same time, you know they had it. They had the 62 00:04:20,879 --> 00:04:25,879 opportunity to offer the fifth year and more money. I guess that didn't happen. 63 00:04:26,319 --> 00:04:29,399 I don't know if they got a real shot to make that offer. 64 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:33,920 I heard reports either way. I think I think if that were the situation, 65 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:39,439 if they just decided that we're not going over one hundred and four million 66 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:43,199 or whatever over any number of years, then that's a mistake in their great 67 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:45,519 needs to be in the d range. I just don't know that to be 68 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:46,720 true. Maybe you can correct me. I don't know if you know that 69 00:04:46,759 --> 00:04:50,879 either. But so it's a C minus now because I think losing Brunson hurts. 70 00:04:50,879 --> 00:04:54,399 If they lost him for the worst kind of reasons, which is just 71 00:04:54,759 --> 00:05:00,160 cheapness or whatever, that's bad. But I do think it's you know, 72 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:02,240 Spencer Dinwiddie, I think has played a bigger role in the past. He 73 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:06,839 was actually pretty good, really good for stretches for Dallas last year except for 74 00:05:06,879 --> 00:05:14,680 no matter most but please continue. The loss of Brunson can sort of be 75 00:05:14,759 --> 00:05:18,639 backfilled, especially if wood works you know better than most think, or as 76 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:24,160 well as maybe I think, as possible, just to sort of canvas the 77 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:28,879 whole rest of the thing. The McGee signing. I just he's not going 78 00:05:28,959 --> 00:05:32,600 to close games. I don't feel apparently, well, yeah, he'll be 79 00:05:32,639 --> 00:05:36,720 the ceremonial starter. That's that's fine. I just I just feel like that 80 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:41,920 was a reaction to, man, we really can't defend the room against the 81 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:45,920 Warriors and the conference semi or conference final what was the conference finals? I 82 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:48,279 can't even remember now, this was so long ago. Conference finals. So 83 00:05:48,319 --> 00:05:51,360 they had stretches where with Clebo as the lone big like it just didn't work, 84 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:54,680 and they're like, let's get a tall range you guy to block shots. 85 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:56,680 Like he's not going to be on the court at the end of games. 86 00:05:56,680 --> 00:05:59,439 So you kind of just I don't know, maybe you want to preserve 87 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:03,160 Cleband dur in the year because he tends to break down, But like McGee 88 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:05,879 doesn't make sense on this team, especially with Wood on the roster. So 89 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:13,319 it's a C minus for me. Knowing the particulars of the Brunson situation could 90 00:06:13,399 --> 00:06:18,319 move that down substantially. So let me get to what I liked about Dallas 91 00:06:18,319 --> 00:06:24,199 is offseason and we're done. No. I like the Christian Wood trade overall. 92 00:06:24,199 --> 00:06:26,279 I think people are too low on him, and I think we'll probably 93 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:29,480 se him play better defense. On a team that matters. I also, 94 00:06:30,079 --> 00:06:33,519 I like the Jadeen Hardy pick. I don't the people and the contract. 95 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:35,879 If he pans out that's gonna look really good for the Mavericks, then you're 96 00:06:35,879 --> 00:06:39,519 gonna get mad at Jaden Hardy's agent, Like that's how this whole thing works. 97 00:06:39,879 --> 00:06:42,759 I just the people that think he's gonna play like a role as a 98 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:46,879 ball handlering year one. That's a if that needs to happen. First of 99 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:49,000 all, trade Frank neil a Keena to a team. I'll actually use him 100 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:51,360 then, But in all, Ash Valley's just that's not a situation that you 101 00:06:51,399 --> 00:06:57,079 want to be in. So I like both the Jayden Hardy pick seems like 102 00:06:57,079 --> 00:07:00,959 a good one, and the Christian Wood trade actually was supportve of that. 103 00:07:00,959 --> 00:07:02,920 I don't like the idea of him and Javal McGee starting together, but one 104 00:07:02,959 --> 00:07:05,199 that can change in two as you noted, like that's something that could be 105 00:07:05,199 --> 00:07:11,160 ceremonial and that you just stagger moving forward. I hate the Javal McGee contract. 106 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:15,600 I would have preferred, like, just like, why not Hassan Whiteside 107 00:07:15,639 --> 00:07:18,839 at the minimum. Honestly, why did his number? What's that? Why 108 00:07:18,839 --> 00:07:24,000 not Drummond his number drumming. Did his number h DeAndre Jordan? Definitely? 109 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:27,639 Why not de Wayne Deadman even at the number you gave to Javal McGee. 110 00:07:27,839 --> 00:07:31,480 So I hated that. And then a player option entering his age thirty seventh 111 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:36,279 season what and this is someone mentioned this, I can't remember who it was. 112 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:40,279 I was this a circumstance where this deal was already done and then they 113 00:07:40,319 --> 00:07:43,000 didn't know they were going to have be able to get Christian Wood for the 114 00:07:43,199 --> 00:07:46,560 you know, the song that they acquired him for, and that's still ding 115 00:07:46,639 --> 00:07:49,360 them for like you can't even tamper correctly. That doesn't make it better. 116 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:55,439 So there's I didn't I don't love the strug if it was even if it 117 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:58,920 was a two like a team option, like I just I'd feel a little 118 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:01,240 bit better about that. I also just don't love the player fit because now 119 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:05,839 you have would and White Powell and you also have Maxi Kleiba. So and 120 00:08:05,839 --> 00:08:09,879 it's also just like every minute that you're playing with two bigs, like where 121 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:13,680 Kleiba's your four, Dorian Phinney Smith is not your four, and I think 122 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:16,279 he unlocks you unlock some of your best lineups where Phinney Smith and block around 123 00:08:16,279 --> 00:08:20,439 the court at the same time. But the big one here for me is 124 00:08:20,759 --> 00:08:26,360 the jail and Brunson signing. So we know Perl mark Stein that the Maverick 125 00:08:26,439 --> 00:08:28,480 could have had him on that four year, fifty five point six million dollars 126 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:33,360 extension twice, he was willing to sign it twice. They elected to keep 127 00:08:33,399 --> 00:08:39,080 their flexibility open for trades, which to me was always stupid because a player 128 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:43,159 who is entering free agency who also isn't making a ship ton of money isn't 129 00:08:43,159 --> 00:08:46,679 going to help you a lot in trades because teams have to one factor in 130 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:50,840 that they're going to pay him, and then two, he doesn't even work 131 00:08:50,879 --> 00:08:52,960 as like a salary matching tool because he was so cheap. He would have 132 00:08:54,039 --> 00:09:00,519 been inextricably more valuable on his next deal leading into or during next season. 133 00:09:00,679 --> 00:09:03,279 And the other thing was just that if you thought that wasn't overpay, did 134 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:09,399 you not consider what is going to happen to the cap climate as we're moving 135 00:09:09,399 --> 00:09:13,759 forward and you were uncomfortable with paying Jalen Brunson an average annual value of what 136 00:09:13,879 --> 00:09:18,879 that would have been like seventeen million a year at four years and fifty five 137 00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:22,600 that's a terrible math was that fourteen million a year, let's say, but 138 00:09:22,639 --> 00:09:28,519 you were totally comfortable giving Javal McGee like six what no like? Explain that 139 00:09:28,519 --> 00:09:31,039 to me the other thing, and I think it's fair to ding them for 140 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:33,039 that. Even though the extension talks didn't happen over the off season, and 141 00:09:33,279 --> 00:09:37,200 there were reports and my reports, we know that Mark Cuban said that Dallas 142 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:41,279 didn't really have a chance to present their deal to Brunson. Well, the 143 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:43,440 reports were also that they were willing to go five years, one hundred and 144 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:48,799 ten million dollars, So they were basically willing to give Jalen Brunson about as 145 00:09:48,879 --> 00:09:52,519 much as over five as the Knicks gave him over four. Yeah, and 146 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:58,440 you're a team that can justify paying more because you have Luca Donchez already and 147 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:01,120 Brunson was really good. And when you look at this exact contract he signed, 148 00:10:01,399 --> 00:10:03,600 I don't think the Knicks should have signed him, but I think that's 149 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:07,480 more about their organizational direction, the fit of the players around him. Where 150 00:10:07,519 --> 00:10:11,240 I think is going to be their inability to create enough space so that he 151 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:16,000 is as lethal inside the arc. But you could have paid him, and 152 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:20,159 he is also as of right now projects the fifteenth highest paid point guard in 153 00:10:20,159 --> 00:10:22,919 the league last year. I know you have up next year. I know 154 00:10:22,919 --> 00:10:26,360 you have Luka Doncic. You were good enough, having just made a conference 155 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:28,600 finals appearance. That was not a fluke. This was not the Blazers making 156 00:10:28,639 --> 00:10:31,759 the conference finals because of all those injuries. Yes, the Clippers weren't involved, 157 00:10:31,759 --> 00:10:35,080 the Nuggets weren't healthy, but you beat the fucking Suns and you embarrass 158 00:10:35,159 --> 00:10:39,960 them in Game seven to not even have an offer that would have come close 159 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:45,639 or I don't want to say close, but like relatively respectable offer in comparison 160 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:48,840 to what the Knicks were prepared to give him. Why did you value this 161 00:10:48,879 --> 00:10:52,799 player so lowly and you have Luka done? What is just what is the 162 00:10:52,879 --> 00:10:56,559 plan here to get better? You don't you like you don't have any blue 163 00:10:56,600 --> 00:11:01,759 chip prospects to trade at this point. This to me was an instance of 164 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:05,039 you signed Jalen Brunson and then if you want to move him, figure that 165 00:11:05,039 --> 00:11:07,960 out later. Because his number where he would have been the yo, he's 166 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:11,440 the fourteen highest paid point guard. Excuse me. If he was like the 167 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,960 around that number as well for Dallas, like you would have been able to 168 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:20,080 move him eventually if you needed to. So I think that they deserve to 169 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:22,960 be absolutely crucified for the way that they handled Jalen Brunson from the middle of 170 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:26,679 the year right on through this situation. And if they didn't get a chance 171 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:30,919 to present their deal, I guess that's like a feather in their cap. 172 00:11:30,919 --> 00:11:33,519 But what does that say that your own player, who enjoyed the best beastball 173 00:11:33,559 --> 00:11:37,600 of his career this past season en route to the conference finals wouldn't even give 174 00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:41,480 you the time of day to present your deal. It says too much about 175 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:43,559 how you handled him in the past or about what your offer was going to 176 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:48,120 be. So I think it's fair. I said, I liked the jail 177 00:11:48,759 --> 00:11:52,039 the Christian would trade. Excuse me, that's like really the only bright spot 178 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:56,679 for me of them this offseason. Yeah, I think. So, I'm 179 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:58,879 not going to penalize him. Obviously, not signing him for four or fifty 180 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:03,000 five is acidine, Like that's a huge mistake. I'm just not gonna I'm 181 00:12:03,039 --> 00:12:07,320 not gonna penalize him for that because it's not technically the off season maybe, 182 00:12:07,519 --> 00:12:11,919 and which is kind of like disingenuous because like obviously it affected how he felt 183 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:16,320 about lawyer in the off season. I'm just saying, but from the rule, 184 00:12:18,039 --> 00:12:20,480 if it right, I'm just I'm just a rule follower. I'm just 185 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:24,519 trying to follow from rules. If Dallas had the ability to go five for 186 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:30,600 what could what was the most could they have gone like one twenty somethings him 187 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:33,279 out if they wanted to. I'm not saying like that was the right if 188 00:12:33,279 --> 00:12:35,840 they have the ability to pay him, because he's getting what twenty six a 189 00:12:35,919 --> 00:12:39,240 year now the front loaded it. But yeah, his average is out to 190 00:12:39,279 --> 00:12:43,080 about twenty six million dollars a year, average annual value of twenty six if 191 00:12:43,159 --> 00:12:48,440 like if the maps had the ability to do five years at twenty nine per 192 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:52,200 just averaging it all out, or even thirty like, I think it is 193 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:56,559 a huge, horrible mistake and they deserve to have their grade for me lowered 194 00:12:56,600 --> 00:12:58,759 down probably to where you're at, which I don't know. Did you say 195 00:12:58,799 --> 00:13:01,559 what you gave them? I gave him a D minus. I don't know 196 00:13:01,519 --> 00:13:03,519 if I gave him. I gave him. I gave them as a D 197 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:09,039 minus. It was implied based on just you know, so I would I 198 00:13:09,039 --> 00:13:13,440 could get that low. I just still feel like it was just done the 199 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:16,519 whole NIXT thing was just done, and it may have been done the second 200 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:22,720 that they didn't extend him earlier. But I just I just don't I don't 201 00:13:22,759 --> 00:13:24,960 know, there's too many even though I know you laid it out. I 202 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:31,080 feel like, if if it's the case that they could have given him five 203 00:13:31,159 --> 00:13:33,080 for you know, twenty nine million a year, I don't know what, 204 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:37,720 So what is your like reticence that they couldn't have there? His max salary 205 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:41,240 was like thirty seven and a half million, right, twenty five percent of 206 00:13:41,279 --> 00:13:43,600 the one fifty cap. So I just feel like there's well, I don't 207 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:45,600 think they would have gone that. I just I feel like there's just a 208 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:48,519 bunch of bullshit on both sides. And I feel like the CIA and NIXT 209 00:13:48,559 --> 00:13:52,559 stuff makes it makes it plausible that the four one oh four has been done 210 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:56,799 for a long time and they hired his dad. I know he's Rick Bruns. 211 00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:00,000 I know he's like worked in the league a bunch of times, especial 212 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:05,000 the under Tom Thibeau before, But first of all, the audacity to not 213 00:14:05,159 --> 00:14:09,039 wait to hire him until like like after this is all over. It's just 214 00:14:09,639 --> 00:14:15,120 my notthing. No, I'm sticking with my number. Uh, because I 215 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:18,039 have a sense that anything the MAVs could have done it was like too late 216 00:14:18,639 --> 00:14:22,399 once the offseason hit. And I guess just because I'm just gonna follow the 217 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:26,919 rule that I don't know, why then why not win the press conference by 218 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:31,399 saying by throwing it if it was done by going five just even including the 219 00:14:31,399 --> 00:14:37,320 fifth year at the same average annual value, So five years and one million, 220 00:14:37,639 --> 00:14:41,120 right, Yeah, it's it's almost it's like unforgivable if that was a 221 00:14:41,159 --> 00:14:43,080 real option and that could have and he wasn't. Just I'm already gone. 222 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:48,320 I don't care what you offer. But it doesn't even Yeah, Like so 223 00:14:48,519 --> 00:14:52,639 they didn't even like win. They want nothing. Yeah, they want they 224 00:14:52,639 --> 00:14:56,799 want no aspect of breast. Agree that moves us to the Houston Rockets. 225 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:01,879 Uh. Their notable moves include they draft Jabari Smith junior at number three. 226 00:15:01,679 --> 00:15:05,639 They drafted Terry Easton at number seventeen. They traded Christian Wood to the Mavericks 227 00:15:05,639 --> 00:15:09,039 for Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Marky's Chris bobad Marianovic, and the number 228 00:15:09,039 --> 00:15:11,960 twenty six pick, which became one toe More junior. They also created a 229 00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:16,679 three point nine million dollars traded player exception as part of that grant. Fun 230 00:15:16,759 --> 00:15:18,279 fact, did you know that? As a right now? Unless I'm completely 231 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:22,000 wrong, which is possible, there's not a traded player exception in the league 232 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:26,279 worth ten million dollars or more at the moment. Wow, right, amazing, 233 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:33,039 But I'm going to make about that all year exactly so. They also 234 00:15:33,159 --> 00:15:37,240 the Rockets, sorry for that little detour. They acquired ty Ty Washington the 235 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:41,480 number twenty nine pick, Mini's twenty twenty five and twenty twenty seven seconds, 236 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:45,600 both unprotected for the number twenty seven pick, which was Wendell Moore junior that 237 00:15:45,639 --> 00:15:48,679 they had gotten in the Mavericks trade. They signed Jay Shawn Tait to a 238 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:50,879 three year, twenty two point one million dollar deal with a team option on 239 00:15:50,919 --> 00:15:54,519 the final season. They did that after declining his initial team option. They 240 00:15:54,519 --> 00:15:58,240 agreed to a buyout with John Wall. He gave back six and a half 241 00:15:58,320 --> 00:16:02,120 million dollars. They resigned from Fernando to an exhibiten deal, and they signed 242 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:07,440 Trevor Hudgins to a two way contract. Their notable exits include Trevelin, MVP 243 00:16:07,679 --> 00:16:10,919 of the Jail and Brunton League Queen. He signed a two year deal with 244 00:16:10,919 --> 00:16:15,480 the Sixers and then Dennis Shrewder. As of this recording remains unsigned. What 245 00:16:15,559 --> 00:16:18,279 did you give the Rockets? And I bet the thing that I'm going to 246 00:16:18,399 --> 00:16:22,879 harp on is the move that you cannot guess that I'm going to harp on. 247 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:27,440 Oh, I've now, I'm intrigued. I gave the Rockets an A. 248 00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:33,200 This is one of my only flat a's and just working big to small 249 00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:37,559 again, he could talk me into an A minus. So working big to 250 00:16:37,639 --> 00:16:41,279 small. I think their draft, like again, there's some some component of 251 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:45,919 luck. I think I think Smith was just the right guy for them had 252 00:16:45,919 --> 00:16:48,679 they been at sort of anywhere in the top five, just like I think 253 00:16:48,679 --> 00:16:52,039 he's the fit. So I like that. I like Eason and Washington. 254 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:55,720 I think both of those guys make sense. Eason especially, I think is 255 00:16:55,759 --> 00:17:00,600 pretty interesting getting the first for Wood, getting the wall buyout. That's just 256 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:03,960 I just love a little about me. I'm a big fan of just like 257 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:07,720 getting rid of stuff, like so I'll go out in my garage and just 258 00:17:07,799 --> 00:17:11,400 like therapeutically, it's like this has got to go and it doesn't even matter 259 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:12,839 like I might I might need it in six months. I just wanted on 260 00:17:12,920 --> 00:17:15,400 because I feel like it complicates my life. I don't want a bunch of 261 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:19,599 stuff and moving on John Walls like you have cleaned the garage out, like 262 00:17:21,079 --> 00:17:23,440 because I'm still there, but there's still time to trade him. Uh, 263 00:17:23,759 --> 00:17:29,160 you've just removed like this, this thing that doesn't fit that that's gotta go. 264 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:30,880 Eventually you've done it. It sucks, you got to buy him out 265 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:36,160 whatever, and then then Jason Field. I think that's I think everyone's comparing 266 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:40,440 it to the contract that Lou Dort got. Not fair, but just like 267 00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:45,519 if the sticker shock of being like total value worth a quarter of what Dort 268 00:17:45,599 --> 00:17:48,200 is getting is very appealing to me and for a sort of similar player. 269 00:17:49,319 --> 00:17:55,640 So just in terms of draft like it free agency, I don't know that 270 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:57,519 you know, it didn't really do anything, but getting rid of John Wall 271 00:17:57,599 --> 00:18:02,200 kind of counts trades like the Wood trade, signings like the Tate signing. 272 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:06,839 So just like as I go down the list, there's not really anything other 273 00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:10,000 than not getting something great for Eric Gordon, which they can do at the 274 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:15,000 deadline or whatever. I just kind of like everything they did. There aren't 275 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:18,960 necessarily any home runs here unless you're really big on Smith, but everything just 276 00:18:19,039 --> 00:18:22,559 kind of worked and based on the assets they had, the flexibility they had, 277 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:26,319 the flexibility they created. I think they did about as well as they 278 00:18:26,319 --> 00:18:30,200 could realistically do. And I would love to hear what this move is that 279 00:18:30,359 --> 00:18:33,680 you hate so much? No, no love, oh love so much? 280 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:37,440 Great, let's hear it. So the only thing I really didn't like about 281 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:42,319 their off season was there's just like a lack of a pure properly sized wing. 282 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:47,759 Terry Easton is it? I would say, Jay Shawn Tate a little 283 00:18:47,759 --> 00:18:49,240 smaller at six four. I know we can guard up, but I'm talking 284 00:18:49,240 --> 00:18:52,279 more of like the three in D caliber. Easton is like, is either 285 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:56,680 only option there? I mean, do you Jalen Green not a wing? 286 00:18:56,079 --> 00:19:00,799 Josh Christopher not really away? I guess Eric Gordon afies. They still have 287 00:19:00,799 --> 00:19:03,880 Sterling Brown and David Nawaba, but I would have liked to have seen them 288 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:07,119 sort of reallocate some of their Like they have these you know, they're like 289 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:11,000 combo forwards or bigs where you're looking at at kJ Martin uh, and then 290 00:19:11,119 --> 00:19:14,920 like they just make the signing of Willie cauley Stein was weird where it's like, 291 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:17,119 well why not, I'd rather you take a flyer on Utah wants an 292 00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:19,200 abe at this point, something along those lines. So I dung them a 293 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:22,279 little for that. This is all to say I gave them an a minus. 294 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:23,480 Okay, good, I just thought you were getting way down there. 295 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:26,359 It's like, who cares if they don't have a wing. This team is 296 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:30,839 trying to win like fourteen games this year. Well, still like just balance 297 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:33,839 to the roster a little bit as it is, though, like they're gonna 298 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:36,359 have a hard time carving out playing time for all these guys. kJ Martin 299 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:41,000 already requested a trade. Oh wild, Yeah, you gotta have some reels. 300 00:19:41,319 --> 00:19:44,799 I envy the level of self confidence that he has to ask for a 301 00:19:44,839 --> 00:19:47,680 trade off the team. My spicy take would be like, if I were 302 00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:49,160 the Heat, I would trade my first round pick this year for him. 303 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:52,480 Oh interesting, Yeah, do you think that's what his value is around the 304 00:19:52,559 --> 00:19:55,720 league? Or you just like no, not even, not even. I 305 00:19:55,759 --> 00:19:59,119 think he probably would have been traded already if that was his value around the 306 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:02,440 league. Also, one of the things that the Christian would trade, I 307 00:20:02,519 --> 00:20:06,200 wasn't super impressed with the value, and people took that to mean, well, 308 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:07,279 you didn't watch Christian would play this season, And I was like, 309 00:20:07,559 --> 00:20:10,519 no, I just thought that they were going to be able to get like 310 00:20:10,559 --> 00:20:12,680 a little bit more than a bottom five. First for him, I think 311 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:15,680 the untold value in that it's just you open up a ton of minutes in 312 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:21,920 your front court. Alpren Shanggun Jabari Smith Junior, Usman Garubus should hopefully get 313 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:25,599 him run this year. I also think I came away from Summer League lower 314 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:29,720 than I was on Jabari Smith's offense and way higher on his defense. That's 315 00:20:29,759 --> 00:20:32,599 the thing. He's not the kind of player he was necessarily billed as. 316 00:20:32,839 --> 00:20:34,319 I mean, the defense was part of the package, but I think that's 317 00:20:34,359 --> 00:20:38,119 his path to like mattering as a rookie is defensively. First, I was 318 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:42,720 asked for one of the mailbags that we did, I don't know at this 319 00:20:42,720 --> 00:20:47,559 point, like a month ago, to give the hyperbolic like player comparison, 320 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:52,240 And so I did hybrid melds and I said, Jabari Smith Junior's apex reminds 321 00:20:52,279 --> 00:20:59,759 me of like if Kevin Garnett had sex with Chris Middleton. Think about that, 322 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:03,079 come the spawn. Why do you have to get to your hybrid that 323 00:21:03,119 --> 00:21:04,880 way? Like can we just do it in a lab or something like? 324 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:11,799 Okay, the spawn of like crossing the DNA of Kevin Garnett and Chris Middleton. 325 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:14,960 That sounds like a pretty good player. I feel like he'll turn out 326 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:17,200 all right, Yeah, he might be good. I think there were a 327 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:18,720 couple of rocket Stons that were mad. I used Chris Middleton's said of Kevin 328 00:21:18,759 --> 00:21:22,920 Durant. But what do you so the move that I loved because I don't 329 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:25,720 really have anything to add to what you said other than I think this was 330 00:21:25,759 --> 00:21:27,519 just a I like Eason, I even like ty Ty Washington. I think 331 00:21:27,519 --> 00:21:32,519 if they're willing to not invest so much equity and I'm not as hot and 332 00:21:32,599 --> 00:21:34,400 Kevin Porter Junior as everybody, I'd like to see what ty Ty Washington could 333 00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:38,559 do in some of the floor general minutes, or even as the microwave guy 334 00:21:38,599 --> 00:21:41,319 off the bench, but not as the microwave guy, more as the Tias 335 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:48,079 Jones of the bench than the Kevin Porter Jr. But like they when you 336 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:51,880 look at that deal they made with the Timberwolves, and I triple check this, 337 00:21:51,920 --> 00:21:56,920 so unless I still have something wrong, you traded number twenty six for 338 00:21:56,000 --> 00:22:00,880 twenty nine and then two Minnesota second that are unprotected in twenty five and twenty 339 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:03,799 seven when we're not even sure that Minnesota is going to be really good. 340 00:22:04,759 --> 00:22:08,079 What a trade? I'm sorry, I've an incredible trade by by the Rockets, 341 00:22:08,079 --> 00:22:11,839 Like I think ty tight Washington. Yeah he's small, but he plays 342 00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:15,640 so much bigger to me on the defensive end. I was like, going 343 00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:18,000 through the details of that trade, I was just in awe and so I 344 00:22:18,039 --> 00:22:19,519 liked pretty much everything about their off season. I would have liked to have 345 00:22:19,559 --> 00:22:23,839 seen like more of a wing emphasis where it's not who is the best pure 346 00:22:23,839 --> 00:22:27,559 wing on this team? Yeah, I don't like it's probably eacent. I 347 00:22:27,599 --> 00:22:30,240 probably want someone a little bit more better than that. Who's not Eric Gordon, 348 00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:33,359 who's bigger than Eric Gordon, who's bigger than Jay Shawn Tait, who's 349 00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:37,960 not Sterling Brown, who's not David Nwaba. It's just it's just it's too 350 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:41,880 Hodgepodge is all. But I gave them an a minus. Yeah, that's 351 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:45,119 fair. I mean really worst case on that. I love that you've got 352 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:48,440 so deep in the weeds. You're praising a trade that brought back two seconds, 353 00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:51,400 but at worst that's two three seconds, because the difference between twenty six 354 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:53,680 and twenty nine is just like, I mean, who cares right, Like, 355 00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:56,920 it just doesn't make there's there's nothing you're getting. Maybe those picture in 356 00:22:56,920 --> 00:23:00,839 the fifties if everything were, but maybe they're in the thirties. I thought 357 00:23:00,839 --> 00:23:04,359 it was like a really good Probably at the time it looked better because the 358 00:23:04,359 --> 00:23:08,119 Gobert trade had not happened at that point. I believe, right that happened 359 00:23:08,119 --> 00:23:11,319 post draft, Yes, it happened right before. Yeah, it happened in 360 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:15,160 July. What is time anyway, So like it probably looked a lot better, 361 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:18,400 but like just who's just the track record suggests that Minnesota might not be 362 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:22,759 elite, And so that twenty twenty seven second we're talking about an older Rudy 363 00:23:22,799 --> 00:23:25,920 Gobert, is that that might be his free agent, like after he's a 364 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:29,759 free agent in when he picks up his player option. He will be a 365 00:23:29,759 --> 00:23:33,640 free agent in twenty six, so it's the year after that. So I 366 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:37,480 just thought that was just this small trade that was made a lot of sense. 367 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:41,039 So a minus for me on the Rockets, all right, that's what 368 00:23:41,079 --> 00:23:45,319 the people come for that level of detail. The Memphis Grizzlies notable moves include 369 00:23:45,759 --> 00:23:49,240 they signed Tire Showings to a two year, twenty nine million dollars deal. 370 00:23:49,359 --> 00:23:55,359 They sign John Morant to a five year designated rookie extension one ninety two point 371 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:56,839 nine million. It will be thirty percent of the cap. If he makes 372 00:23:56,880 --> 00:24:00,799 all MBA that could escalate two. Then two hundred and thirty one million, 373 00:24:00,839 --> 00:24:03,960 I believe is the number we settled on. Yeah, two hundred thirty one 374 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:08,000 million as of now with the cat projections. They acquired point guard Kennedy Chandler 375 00:24:08,079 --> 00:24:11,960 number thirty eight from the Spurs for the Lakers is twenty twenty four second round 376 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:15,640 pick and one million dollars in cash. They then signed. They then signed 377 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:19,519 Kennedy Chanler to a two year contract. They signed coach Taylor Jenkins to a 378 00:24:19,519 --> 00:24:25,319 two year contract extension. They acquired Jake Lerabia the number nineteen pick for Walker 379 00:24:25,400 --> 00:24:27,839 Kessler the number twenty two pick and ty Ty Washington number twenty nine, So 380 00:24:29,119 --> 00:24:33,079 they traded twenty two and twenty nine for number nineteen. They acquired David Roddy 381 00:24:33,279 --> 00:24:37,960 number twenty three and Danny Green from the Sixers for Danthony Melton, who had 382 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:41,240 two years, sixteen point three million dollars left on his deal. They signed 383 00:24:41,319 --> 00:24:45,279 John Contardo a three year, nineteen point million dollars extension fully guaranteed. They 384 00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:48,720 drafted Vincent Williams junior at number forty seven and then signed him to a two 385 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:52,440 way contract, and they signed Kenny Lofton to a two way contract. Notable 386 00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:56,920 exits. Jared Culver remains unsigned. They waved Tyrol Arry and Kyle Anderson signed 387 00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:00,640 with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Grant, what did you give the Memphis Grizzlies? 388 00:25:02,119 --> 00:25:07,480 So I gave him a flat sea and I think a lot of that again 389 00:25:07,599 --> 00:25:11,519 going big to small, like there was, there was never really any doubt. 390 00:25:11,559 --> 00:25:15,480 But getting Morant lockdown great, I think. And normally you'd say, 391 00:25:15,519 --> 00:25:18,680 well, that's awesome because they did a straight five. There's no player option. 392 00:25:18,759 --> 00:25:22,400 I'm pretty sure I think you said that, so like you've got your 393 00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:27,279 cornerstone. Of course, like there aren't a lot of guys his age that 394 00:25:27,319 --> 00:25:30,640 are as accomplished as him that are scarier to be committed to long term just 395 00:25:30,640 --> 00:25:36,480 because of the injury risk and what's already happened injury wise, the style of 396 00:25:36,519 --> 00:25:41,519 play obviously contributing to that, but whatever, that's that's all hypothetical. The 397 00:25:41,559 --> 00:25:44,759 other thing I really loved that they did was getting back I feel like, 398 00:25:44,799 --> 00:25:45,920 we spent a lot of this season talking about how, like, man, 399 00:25:47,039 --> 00:25:49,480 somebody is gonna pay Tis Jones because there just aren't any point guards, Like 400 00:25:49,519 --> 00:25:52,720 you know, the Knicks are going to give him twenty million a year or 401 00:25:52,039 --> 00:25:56,160 what you know, Just it seemed like there was a chance where he was 402 00:25:56,160 --> 00:26:00,799 going to be among the most sought after players like full stop and certainly among 403 00:26:00,799 --> 00:26:03,799 the most thought after point guards. So getting him back for two years at 404 00:26:03,839 --> 00:26:07,599 like reasonable money, especially since, like if last year's indication, he's going 405 00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:11,839 to start a whole bunch of games for them, So like that, that's 406 00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:15,599 that works for me. Then to the stuff, I'm not as much of 407 00:26:15,599 --> 00:26:22,160 a fan of losing Melton. I think hurts and you sort of I think 408 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:23,599 I assume when we get there, we're going to look at what the Sixers 409 00:26:23,759 --> 00:26:26,279 did in the offseason and say, like, God, they got Melton for 410 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:30,920 what, like he's gonna maybe close games for them or at least be a 411 00:26:30,079 --> 00:26:33,640 for sure rotation guy. So if you're gonna think that way, you have 412 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:37,440 to look at what the Grizzlies did and giving him up for Danny Green, 413 00:26:37,519 --> 00:26:42,359 who I assume is not going to play for the vast majority of the season 414 00:26:42,519 --> 00:26:45,359 if at all ever, I just you know, and that twenty three pick, 415 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:48,880 I you know, I don't know, that doesn't really do it for 416 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:53,279 me. Losing Kyle Anderson for nothing reasonable minds could disagree on how useful he 417 00:26:53,319 --> 00:26:56,000 is, especially going forward. But now that Jaren Jackson's gonna miss a bunch 418 00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:59,839 of time, maybe Kyle Anderson was gonna matter a little more in your rotation. 419 00:26:59,839 --> 00:27:03,359 I don't know, I just it evens out for me. The thing 420 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:07,720 that I I think maybe some people will fault the Grizzlies for that I don't 421 00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:12,240 necessarily is we came into this offseason with like, watch out because Memphis has 422 00:27:14,119 --> 00:27:17,559 potential to do something with cap space and they're gonna need to do it now 423 00:27:17,559 --> 00:27:21,920 because Morant's big number will hit down the line and your cap space won't be 424 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:23,680 there. They've got all these picks they've got, They're just like watch out 425 00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:26,839 for them as a big and they just didn't. They didn't do anything consequential, 426 00:27:27,599 --> 00:27:33,160 which I think looking at how far they advanced last year and the uncertainty 427 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:37,599 surrounding Morant, like staying healthy kind of might have been time to do something 428 00:27:37,720 --> 00:27:42,559 if you're really aggressive minded about like we gotta jump through this window because it's 429 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:47,160 open a crack, and that might be all the wider it ever is open. 430 00:27:48,519 --> 00:27:52,359 I'm still not going to penalize them because they just still have a ton 431 00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:55,839 of talent. Like I think it's okay to be a little more deliberate. 432 00:27:56,480 --> 00:28:00,319 It does suck to lose two guys that you know, we're helpful for a 433 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:03,559 return that I didn't like a ton for talking about Melton and Anderson. So 434 00:28:03,559 --> 00:28:06,599 it's just an average grade. It's kind of a cop out. I am 435 00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:11,480 receptive to people being lower than that, though. Yeah, so I gave 436 00:28:11,519 --> 00:28:15,559 them a C minus so I was riding locks up with you. The bulk 437 00:28:15,599 --> 00:28:18,799 of this grade is because they signed John Morant to that extension and there's no 438 00:28:18,839 --> 00:28:22,039 player options, so that gives them the ultimate control over his future and their 439 00:28:22,039 --> 00:28:26,319 own. Really there then too, I did not like and I liked the 440 00:28:26,319 --> 00:28:29,799 Tias Jones deal. Just it's a two year deal. If you think it's 441 00:28:29,799 --> 00:28:33,480 a slight overpay at almost fifteen million dollars a year, just whatever, that's 442 00:28:33,519 --> 00:28:36,440 the cap is going up, and he was incredibly doesn't turn the ball over 443 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:38,920 if he's hitting enough of his threes. And then just the defensive peskiness he 444 00:28:38,920 --> 00:28:42,319 gives you. There's just that's quality game managing from him, and just based 445 00:28:42,359 --> 00:28:45,799 off some of the time Urant has missed over the past few years, you're 446 00:28:45,799 --> 00:28:48,240 gonna need to use him, which is also why I was kind of like, 447 00:28:48,279 --> 00:28:51,960 oh, you just gave the anty melting the way I like, you 448 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:55,880 could still fold Danny Green's salary into a different trade. He would help you 449 00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:56,599 if he was going to be healthy, but we don't know if he would 450 00:28:56,599 --> 00:29:03,079 be ready at all this season. So I think what makes me most uncomfortable 451 00:29:03,079 --> 00:29:04,400 about their off season. It's not even that they didn't take a big swing, 452 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:07,519 because who are they taking him big swing on? Who would you have 453 00:29:07,559 --> 00:29:10,519 liked them to sign him free agency? That's part of all this. But 454 00:29:10,559 --> 00:29:15,599 they are banking, to me way too much on not just internal development, 455 00:29:15,839 --> 00:29:18,519 but some of the new like the new rookies making an impact right away, 456 00:29:18,559 --> 00:29:22,880 Like I enjoy the idea of, oh, could David Roddy be Like sort 457 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:26,680 of this undersize big for them. Who's stretching the floor based off how many 458 00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:30,359 of his threes he hit during his final season at Colorado State? I mean, 459 00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:34,519 maybe, but he's also six five and he had shot under twenty eight 460 00:29:34,559 --> 00:29:38,519 percent from three through his first two seasons at Colorado State. His freed row 461 00:29:38,559 --> 00:29:42,680 percentage actually dipped below seventy percent in his third season at Colorado State while he 462 00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:45,960 was hitting forty three point eight percent of his threes. This is all sort 463 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:49,759 of happening on not negligible volume, but it wasn't super high volume either. 464 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:55,319 So were you banking on him in the ravea to make these impacts right away? 465 00:29:55,359 --> 00:29:57,000 Or are you banking on that does been made to be only as good 466 00:29:57,000 --> 00:30:02,160 as he was last year even better? And now I became very high on 467 00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:06,559 Zeyer Williams, but you've kind of decided with what you did this obviously that 468 00:30:06,599 --> 00:30:10,720 he's just ready to be. And that's also this is happening with Jaren Jackson 469 00:30:10,759 --> 00:30:14,240 Junior is probably gonna miss some time to start the season based off the timeline 470 00:30:14,519 --> 00:30:18,359 for his return, and so to not diversify the front court rotation a little 471 00:30:18,400 --> 00:30:22,839 bit more, especially knowing Look, I know Steven Adams wasn't played off the 472 00:30:22,839 --> 00:30:26,839 floor the entire playoffs, but like knowing the issue it became against the Timberwolves, 473 00:30:26,279 --> 00:30:30,440 it probably would have made more It made more sense to me to go 474 00:30:30,519 --> 00:30:34,119 after someone who wasn't like just more diverse than Adams or Xavier Tilmann or Brandon 475 00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:38,720 Clark. And knowing that Jaren Jackson Junior is dealt with injuries now in the 476 00:30:38,759 --> 00:30:44,880 past and is currently dealing with one, I feel like last season was not 477 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:47,759 a flash in the pan. And I've also been lower on the Grizzlies for 478 00:30:47,759 --> 00:30:51,279 three years running than consensus, and they've just made me look like a fucking 479 00:30:51,319 --> 00:30:53,000 idiot each and every time. So maybe this will happen for a fourth year 480 00:30:53,079 --> 00:30:56,119 running. But they're not. I don't look at them and say, well, 481 00:30:56,119 --> 00:30:59,480 they're a team that's going to contend for the second best record in the 482 00:30:59,519 --> 00:31:02,400 NBA in you have the Clippers, who are going to be healthier, The 483 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:06,440 Nuggets should be healthier, the Pelicans should be healthier. The Wolves got better. 484 00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:10,480 What if the Lakers just don't suck? Portland should be healthier and they 485 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:14,960 have an interesting team. I see a scenario where Memphis is not guaranteed one 486 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:17,519 of those top six spots in the West. I'm not even sure if we 487 00:31:17,519 --> 00:31:18,799 went through it right now off the cuff, and I don't want to do 488 00:31:18,799 --> 00:31:22,039 it because I'll piss people off. I don't know that I would have them 489 00:31:22,079 --> 00:31:26,599 in my top six just yet. And I'm not saying that they should have 490 00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:30,720 been more aggressive than in trying to make a win now trade, but like 491 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:34,640 something along the lines of getting rid of the Anthony Melton was that one hundred 492 00:31:34,799 --> 00:31:41,799 percent necessary or even safe? And could you also have done something like like 493 00:31:41,359 --> 00:31:45,680 it's very much hypocritical for me to say all this and then not have names 494 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:48,920 that are standing out, but like you couldn't have been the team that because 495 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:52,079 you had your mid level like couldn't have taken a look at Isaiah Hartenstein to 496 00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:56,000 diverse, diverse how your front comtrotation. I know you have a lot invested 497 00:31:56,039 --> 00:32:00,880 in Jared Jackson Junior and Steven Adams Adams during an expiring contract and if not 498 00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:05,119 that, like, you're definitely a team that I think could have stepped on 499 00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:07,400 the toes of some of these, you know, wing debates, like why 500 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:10,039 weren't you? I would have loved to have seen them attached to either of 501 00:32:10,079 --> 00:32:14,880 the Martin twins. Would have worked for them. They weren't even like they 502 00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:17,039 weren't linked to Otto Porter Junior might maybe he's more four than wing. That's 503 00:32:17,079 --> 00:32:22,839 fine too, uh, you know, like even when bringing back Kyle Anderson 504 00:32:22,839 --> 00:32:25,720 have made some sense, especially with this Jaren Jackson junior Andreyels and space or 505 00:32:25,759 --> 00:32:29,799 floor, but he gives you some ball handling in the front court as well. 506 00:32:30,519 --> 00:32:36,359 I'm just not like, I'm not on board with them being this trusting 507 00:32:36,440 --> 00:32:40,039 or having this much faith in their ability to I guess, not even just 508 00:32:40,119 --> 00:32:45,160 develop, but like it seems like have at least one of their rookies primary 509 00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:49,440 rookies make an impact. I mean even just like something like why weren't you 510 00:32:49,440 --> 00:32:54,000 even like, couldn't you combine youth and flyer and inexperience with some entrenched like 511 00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:58,079 a mere coffee? Is just my example here he signed a three year, 512 00:32:58,079 --> 00:33:00,039 eleven million dollars deal with the Clippers. Not terrible experience, but just like 513 00:33:00,119 --> 00:33:05,519 having a secondary wing type guy that you know can already play, rather than 514 00:33:05,839 --> 00:33:09,480 hedging so many of your I guess so much of your immediacy to like what 515 00:33:09,559 --> 00:33:14,440 are still bets because Desmond Bane is only in his third year, Ziah Williams 516 00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:16,559 is a sophomore, John Morand is really good, But how many games might 517 00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:20,400 John Morand miss? And yet you still get rid of Melton. I think 518 00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:22,799 there's a chance this team could be just as good, if not a little 519 00:33:22,839 --> 00:33:25,279 better, and maybe they wind up winning fewer games. I just feel like 520 00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:30,960 the likelihood of them actually being better than they were last season throw win loss 521 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:34,200 record, standing in the West out the window. I just feel like it's 522 00:33:34,720 --> 00:33:37,200 lower than it should be after going through this offseason. I agree with that. 523 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:43,160 I think there's a there's two guys that I think a ton is riding 524 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:47,759 on and at Williams you mentioned because even if even if it does feel like 525 00:33:47,799 --> 00:33:52,880 they're pretty comfortable with him being ready, but like ready in this case means 526 00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:59,319 like not just now, but this is the guy that when when Jackson is 527 00:33:59,359 --> 00:34:04,440 back and were talking maybe even two three years from now, like Baine and 528 00:34:04,680 --> 00:34:07,800 Williams, like it's a conversation between who is like our third most important player 529 00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:14,159 assuming Jackson continue is healthy and continues on, you know some at some point, 530 00:34:14,199 --> 00:34:16,400 Mary's like a high three point percentage with all the shop blocking and defense, 531 00:34:16,440 --> 00:34:21,639 like he hasn't quite put that full season together. I don't know if 532 00:34:21,639 --> 00:34:23,840 Williams is that good. I think it's a possibility. I don't think he's 533 00:34:23,880 --> 00:34:30,480 gonna be better than like a solid starter this year, right Like that would 534 00:34:30,519 --> 00:34:35,719 be very impressive and then Brandon Clark's the other guy because now Noe Anderson Jackson's 535 00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:39,159 out, he's kind of the only guy that I mean, I don't know, 536 00:34:39,199 --> 00:34:44,440 maybe Roddy is going to be that trustworthy. But like even if Jackson 537 00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:47,719 is getting major minutes, like you're losing the stretch that Jackson gave you at 538 00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:52,679 least in theory, like you're it's a hard combination with with Steven Adams, 539 00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:55,079 and there are just I think maybe there's gonna be a lot of minutes there, 540 00:34:55,119 --> 00:35:00,159 maybe you play, maybe Clark plays a lot more center and they I 541 00:35:00,159 --> 00:35:01,960 don't know, there's so he's got a suddenly much more important role. And 542 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:07,599 this is someone that like has never really felt like a core like you know, 543 00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:09,960 I think he's extension eligible and it doesn't seem like anything is in a 544 00:35:10,039 --> 00:35:14,239 rush to get done on that front. So those two guys, Williams and 545 00:35:14,519 --> 00:35:17,079 Clark are in like maybe a little more important roles than they ought to be. 546 00:35:19,039 --> 00:35:23,679 So I don't know, I just think it might not even be their 547 00:35:23,719 --> 00:35:28,719 fault, but that that that the rest of the West got better. Uh. 548 00:35:29,079 --> 00:35:32,800 But I agree that like there's a scenario where Memphis is like a fifty 549 00:35:32,920 --> 00:35:37,840 win team, Uh, and they're fighting for you know, the seventh spot 550 00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:40,840 or something like that, or you know the sixth spot. But also, 551 00:35:40,960 --> 00:35:45,920 like the downsides are real because for sure, because think of like how they've 552 00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:50,159 handled Jackson injuries in the past, like the tormeniscus kept them out for like 553 00:35:50,199 --> 00:35:53,119 longer than anyone's ever been out with the tormeniscus, and just add that injury, 554 00:35:53,159 --> 00:35:55,840 add this injury to the pile, like that's the more you get, 555 00:35:55,880 --> 00:35:59,559 the worst it is. And what are the odds they win as many games 556 00:35:59,559 --> 00:36:02,960 they do as they did last year when Morant missus twenty games or however many, 557 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:06,440 It is like they're not going to do that. They're not going to 558 00:36:06,519 --> 00:36:08,559 do the eighteen and two or whatever. It ended up being at its high 559 00:36:08,559 --> 00:36:13,360 point as good as Jones is. So yeah, the downside risk is very 560 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:19,199 real, and moving Melton does not mitigate that risk. That exacerbates the risk 561 00:36:19,239 --> 00:36:22,920 because you're just thinner at a position that it was already tough. So yeah, 562 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:25,519 it's I still go and see. But yeah, I feel the C 563 00:36:25,679 --> 00:36:30,639 minus for sure. I can respect that the John Moran contract really saved them, 564 00:36:30,639 --> 00:36:32,400 and I do like the idea of Roddy and even la Ravia a little 565 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:37,039 bit too just it feels like maybe one of them can't be brought along as 566 00:36:37,039 --> 00:36:39,000 slowly as maybe they need to be. But this could be a flex by 567 00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:43,599 the Grizzlies that works out. We'll have to see the next team. This 568 00:36:43,639 --> 00:36:45,400 is a really easy team because they didn't do much. The New Orleans Pelicans. 569 00:36:45,639 --> 00:36:50,559 Their notable moves include drafting Tyson Daniels at number eight. They drafted EJ. 570 00:36:50,679 --> 00:36:52,519 Liddell at number forty one. He did tear his ACL though. Then 571 00:36:52,559 --> 00:36:57,719 they signed Zion Wings into a five year designated rookie extension one hundred ninety two 572 00:36:57,760 --> 00:37:00,719 point nine million dollars. It can be as much as one hundred thirty one 573 00:37:00,719 --> 00:37:04,119 million dollars if he makes an All NBA team. There are protections on a 574 00:37:04,199 --> 00:37:07,000 year to year basis. I have yet to see here read about what the 575 00:37:07,079 --> 00:37:13,519 specific like dollar amount protections are. But there apparently is a cause in his 576 00:37:13,559 --> 00:37:17,199 contract that his weight and body fat percentage must total under two hundred and ninety 577 00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:22,360 five. I don't know what how often that's going to be checked. I 578 00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:27,039 don't know if there's an injury forgiveness there to where is it realistic to expect 579 00:37:27,119 --> 00:37:29,599 him to keep his weight in body fat percentage down if he's injured and can't 580 00:37:29,599 --> 00:37:32,320 work out at full bore. But that is they signs Im Williamson and he 581 00:37:32,400 --> 00:37:36,960 is h There's no player option in that either, by the way, so 582 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:39,840 that's that's huge for them. And then they're only notable exit and i'll put 583 00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:45,039 exit in air quotes. Is that Tony Snell remains unsigned at the moment, 584 00:37:45,079 --> 00:37:50,679 So grant, what did you give the Pelicans? So this, if I 585 00:37:50,719 --> 00:37:54,800 could give an incomplete I would just because I want to know everything about the 586 00:37:54,920 --> 00:38:00,159 language in Zionce contract. I'm giving him a B and if you want to 587 00:38:00,199 --> 00:38:02,679 give if someone gave him a flat A, because like, hey, the 588 00:38:02,719 --> 00:38:07,039 biggest question mark hanging over this franchise, which was is Zion going to stay 589 00:38:07,239 --> 00:38:12,119 even though we've seen players ask out with years left on their contracts. That's 590 00:38:12,119 --> 00:38:15,679 a thing. You've got him under contract, so so that's big, Like 591 00:38:15,719 --> 00:38:20,719 you've eliminated the big uncertainty, the big like speculation, you know, the 592 00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:23,480 point of speculation that has been hanging around for like two years now, that's 593 00:38:23,519 --> 00:38:28,119 big. I don't have a strong opinion on Dyson Daniels yet, I think 594 00:38:28,119 --> 00:38:31,719 he's someone who because EJ. Liddell's hurt, but Daniels is someone who I 595 00:38:31,719 --> 00:38:35,840 think could swing the grade like a full letter, depending on what you think 596 00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:37,800 about him. I like the idea of him. I just you know, 597 00:38:37,840 --> 00:38:42,800 maybe maybe he'll be the latest to get get a shot fixed up and then 598 00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:46,000 suddenly he's like a versatile defender who has great court sense and can move the 599 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:49,599 ball and he's a wing and that's super valuable. I don't know yet, 600 00:38:49,639 --> 00:38:57,119 We'll see. I guess i'd say if Williamson meets that two ninety five weight 601 00:38:57,159 --> 00:39:00,719 plus body fat percentage, like if if he because that's like I mean, 602 00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:04,480 I don't know what he was walking around at for even in his healthy year, 603 00:39:04,519 --> 00:39:07,559 but it can't have been much less than like two eighty five. I 604 00:39:07,559 --> 00:39:12,880 don't think he's gonna be pretty like he's gonna be a monster if if he 605 00:39:12,920 --> 00:39:15,320 meets that criteria, which feels like a tough bar to meet for him not 606 00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:20,559 knowing exactly what he weighed, but just kind of eyeballing it. I think 607 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:24,320 the upsides massive. This could just be an a if Zion is fully healthy 608 00:39:24,360 --> 00:39:29,519 and meets all the criteria and is great, because he would look ridiculous because 609 00:39:29,519 --> 00:39:31,199 they lock down a guy who suddenly is like maybe a top ten player, 610 00:39:31,400 --> 00:39:35,159 you know, as soon as next year. I don't know, But I 611 00:39:35,199 --> 00:39:37,480 just don't know enough to go any higher than a B right now. Yeah, 612 00:39:37,480 --> 00:39:42,039 you're a Debbie Downer here, man. I want a minus, so 613 00:39:42,119 --> 00:39:45,000 not terribly higher than yours. I think I'll start with the only thing that 614 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:47,840 you can really quibble over, and I think I'm in the minority with this. 615 00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:53,199 I would have been more proactive in diversifying the front court around Zion already. 616 00:39:53,239 --> 00:39:57,280 I don't want to see Jackson, Hayes, Joan his Valanciunist get a 617 00:39:57,280 --> 00:39:59,639 ton of minutes. And I don't think that they're going to trust the Larry 618 00:39:59,719 --> 00:40:02,840 nanc Junior, zie On Williamson lineups up front enough. And I definitely don't 619 00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:07,599 think they're gonna trust like Herb Jones, Trey Murphy's eye on front line with 620 00:40:07,639 --> 00:40:09,280 maybe Ingram and McCullum go point guardless, I want to see them. I 621 00:40:09,280 --> 00:40:12,519 don't know how much of a staple they're gonna be. I would have been 622 00:40:12,519 --> 00:40:15,760 more proactive addressing that. At the same time, they didn't use their mid 623 00:40:15,880 --> 00:40:19,079 level I don't know who they were going to spend it on. When you 624 00:40:19,079 --> 00:40:21,800 look at how deep this roster is right now, and even knowing like, 625 00:40:21,840 --> 00:40:23,519 hey, they're gonna get Kyra Lewis back, and I think Dyson Daniels should 626 00:40:23,519 --> 00:40:27,119 actually play. I'm in love with that pick, by the way, everything 627 00:40:27,159 --> 00:40:30,239 you mentioned, plus I'm going to cake in his potential getting to work with 628 00:40:30,239 --> 00:40:34,480 fred Vincent, where it's like, if you have Fred Vincent and Chip England, 629 00:40:34,559 --> 00:40:37,760 like as you're shooting coaches, one of those two they could be a 630 00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:40,159 shot doctor. And so I think that he has the potential to hit more 631 00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:44,440 of his jumpers than he did while he was at school. And I liked 632 00:40:44,840 --> 00:40:47,920 the fact that they have Zion under team control for five years, And even 633 00:40:47,960 --> 00:40:52,960 if it's loosely protected sort of like the Joel Embia contract where his career would 634 00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:57,559 have essentially needed to end for the Pelicans to be washed of his money, 635 00:40:57,559 --> 00:41:00,960 like that doesn't really actually matter because even if you like, what changes if 636 00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:04,639 you take Zion wims In off this team because of injuries, they suck, 637 00:41:04,920 --> 00:41:07,880 So you're not gonna need the like the money anyway. And so if the 638 00:41:07,920 --> 00:41:10,800 fact that you just have him under teams control for that long, we know 639 00:41:10,880 --> 00:41:15,239 what he is at his peak as a sophomore that was an All NBA player, 640 00:41:15,320 --> 00:41:16,199 Like that was just the way he was playing. He was an All 641 00:41:16,280 --> 00:41:20,920 NBA player. So I think that's a home run for them, like I 642 00:41:20,960 --> 00:41:22,400 said, and I think Tyson Daniels was the right pick. I was very 643 00:41:22,440 --> 00:41:25,360 intrigued by EJ. Liddell and I thought that, oh, is this like 644 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:29,960 another sort of just value they found. This is a team for me that 645 00:41:30,159 --> 00:41:32,000 I've said it, And I don't think I'm getting ready to say some pretty 646 00:41:32,039 --> 00:41:36,199 recklessly optimistic things about the Pelt because I think I've said them already, so 647 00:41:36,239 --> 00:41:37,719 I might just be a lot higher on them. It was just an a 648 00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:40,639 minus for me, and I would have been more aggressive in I'm not saying 649 00:41:40,639 --> 00:41:44,360 they needed to go out and get Miles Turner, but was there a way 650 00:41:44,360 --> 00:41:46,039 to just make different moves And like, even if it was a Chris Bouchet 651 00:41:46,280 --> 00:41:50,719 instead of having Jackson Hayes on this roster, I'm not saying that exact player, 652 00:41:51,039 --> 00:41:53,320 that scale of a move I think is gonna better serve them to me 653 00:41:53,559 --> 00:41:59,519 long term than trying to get Zion to work with either Jackson Hayes or Jonah 654 00:41:59,559 --> 00:42:02,559 valent Show and yes, Pelicans fans, I know that Jonis vound Junis takes 655 00:42:02,599 --> 00:42:07,519 threes. I'm very much aware that that is a thing. Yeah, you 656 00:42:07,559 --> 00:42:09,440 can't bring up. I wish they just had a little more stretched without or 657 00:42:09,519 --> 00:42:14,280 without that. Oh no, no, no, no. The greatest upfaker 658 00:42:14,320 --> 00:42:19,440 in the world currently does take what two three a game, something like that. 659 00:42:19,679 --> 00:42:24,039 I don't know. I think my favorite offseason trade that I used a 660 00:42:24,119 --> 00:42:29,960 million times, which in hindsight now seems ridiculous, was like Jackson Hayes and 661 00:42:30,079 --> 00:42:35,239 DeVante Graham and eight to the Pistons for Jeremy Grant, which would have blown 662 00:42:35,280 --> 00:42:38,360 away the offer that Pistons got for Grant ultimately, because I just liked the 663 00:42:38,400 --> 00:42:44,440 idea of Jeremy Grant and the closing five on this team that doesn't that sort 664 00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:46,920 of moves the log jam or clears the log jam by getting rid of Hayes. 665 00:42:47,239 --> 00:42:52,079 But that turned out that would have been a significant overpay giving up eight. 666 00:42:52,639 --> 00:42:57,119 I just so back just on Zion real quick, because I do feel 667 00:42:57,159 --> 00:43:00,320 like an asshole for just looking at the downside of this. I think I 668 00:43:00,320 --> 00:43:06,800 am anchored to the idea of I remember seeing him at Duke like before. 669 00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:09,559 I think he'd already had one knee injury, but just and then athletically thinking 670 00:43:09,599 --> 00:43:13,840 like, this guy is the greatest athlete like we've ever seen. This is 671 00:43:13,880 --> 00:43:17,840 like Lawrence Taylor. That's just like he's a different level. And then even 672 00:43:17,880 --> 00:43:22,800 before you know, well, then he missed a chunk of his rookie year 673 00:43:22,360 --> 00:43:25,400 and coming back, it just never was there. And I just decided then 674 00:43:25,440 --> 00:43:30,280 that like with the weight issues and the conditioning issues and the injuries piling up, 675 00:43:30,320 --> 00:43:32,360 we've already seen like the best of this guy. Now that looked real 676 00:43:32,400 --> 00:43:37,360 bad when he was putting up twenty seven on sixty one percent shooting, but 677 00:43:37,360 --> 00:43:39,800 then he got hurt again, and so I'm still anchored. I'm just the 678 00:43:39,840 --> 00:43:45,440 pessimistic side of this, to me is like there is a legit world where 679 00:43:45,880 --> 00:43:50,360 two years from now the worst happens, and we're thinking, like, can 680 00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:53,400 you fucking believe they gave a five year deal to this guy and now the 681 00:43:53,440 --> 00:43:58,320 protections could change that we just don't really know what the dollar amounts are. 682 00:43:58,920 --> 00:44:01,199 There's just a scenario where I can imagine us talking like, man, that 683 00:44:01,320 --> 00:44:07,400 was really one of the worst kind of max contracts given out considering all of 684 00:44:07,400 --> 00:44:10,239 the time he's missed and the way the unique weight issues for a player this 685 00:44:10,320 --> 00:44:15,039 athletic too. It's like it's it's just there's a lot of uncertainty. What 686 00:44:15,199 --> 00:44:19,800 makes this so different from the Joel and Beat stuff? Then though not not 687 00:44:19,880 --> 00:44:22,440 a lot, Like that's the thing that's the upside. But like you said, 688 00:44:22,519 --> 00:44:24,400 like there was a way that the Sixers were just going to get out 689 00:44:24,440 --> 00:44:28,159 from under, like all of that. If I knew that about this deal, 690 00:44:29,360 --> 00:44:31,320 then great, Like then I would feel much. I would imagine it 691 00:44:31,320 --> 00:44:34,679 has to be the same. But you're basically only getting out from under if 692 00:44:34,719 --> 00:44:37,159 his career is over. And my point was though, is do you even 693 00:44:37,320 --> 00:44:43,599 doesn't matter how much money you're paying him if whether you're saving that yes financially 694 00:44:43,840 --> 00:44:47,400 sure, Like yeah, I get it. But if you have Zion Williamson 695 00:44:47,440 --> 00:44:52,880 as a MAX number that's not contributing or less than a MAX player, if 696 00:44:52,920 --> 00:44:55,760 you just removed him from the books and then removed his money, you're in 697 00:44:55,800 --> 00:45:00,079 the same spot functionally. See, I feel differently because I think what the 698 00:45:00,079 --> 00:45:06,000 Pelicans started to do last year suggest that, like, you know, bring 699 00:45:06,039 --> 00:45:09,280 that team back. It says Zion doesn't play. I'm still looking at them 700 00:45:09,280 --> 00:45:13,400 as like they might be a top sixty like they I'd give them nearly as 701 00:45:13,400 --> 00:45:15,400 good a shot as Memphis to to like be in the mix for one of 702 00:45:15,400 --> 00:45:19,880 the you know five to six, seven eight range of a play. Are 703 00:45:19,880 --> 00:45:23,199 they trying to be the Kings though, Like, well that's not the Kings 704 00:45:23,199 --> 00:45:27,639 are trying to finish well. By the way, if the Kings can't get 705 00:45:27,639 --> 00:45:30,440 in the play in this year, because there's there's like four other teams in 706 00:45:30,440 --> 00:45:32,480 the West that have that are not going to try and I have them as 707 00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:35,880 one of them, but it we'll get you. No. I think Zion 708 00:45:35,960 --> 00:45:37,639 is the piece that you add it to the roster they had last year and 709 00:45:37,679 --> 00:45:42,000 it's like, well shit, like this team is a threat to anybody, 710 00:45:42,039 --> 00:45:45,480 like they could really their their ceiling is super high, so I think there's 711 00:45:45,519 --> 00:45:51,199 still I think that makes it more dangerous because you're taking that ceiling down. 712 00:45:51,320 --> 00:45:53,960 They're still pretty good and you're like just regretting. I don't know, I'm 713 00:45:54,000 --> 00:45:58,559 talking to myself, way way too far down. Zion deal. It's a 714 00:45:58,559 --> 00:46:00,599 small market team that locked up on number one pick that wasn't a lock to 715 00:46:00,639 --> 00:46:04,599 want to stay. So we should just I should shut up and just look. 716 00:46:04,599 --> 00:46:07,559 The other thing is just my whole point is that, yes, presumably 717 00:46:07,599 --> 00:46:10,159 if everything goes disastrous with Zion and you're still paying him, you're tearing it 718 00:46:10,199 --> 00:46:14,800 down whether you're paying him or not, because of everything you just said that 719 00:46:14,840 --> 00:46:19,719 you're seeing is what is you without Zion Williamson being twenty and twenty two, 720 00:46:20,079 --> 00:46:22,519 twenty one, Zion Williamson? What is your pathway to title contention? It's 721 00:46:22,519 --> 00:46:25,840 stripping it down and starting over, right, Yeah, you don't have it 722 00:46:25,920 --> 00:46:30,039 unless like, yeah, there there is no unless you don't have it. 723 00:46:30,079 --> 00:46:32,480 You don't have it. Ingram Ingram's not the guy. Even if I'm gonna 724 00:46:32,480 --> 00:46:37,000 put you for an A plus plus plus plus, you have believe as I 725 00:46:37,039 --> 00:46:40,840 just can't. I can't get away from my Zion fears. The final team 726 00:46:40,920 --> 00:46:45,360 in the Southwest Division, the San Antonio Spurs. Notable moves include they traded 727 00:46:45,360 --> 00:46:49,280 to Jean Day Murray and Jacques Landale to the Hawks for Danilo Gallinari, who 728 00:46:49,280 --> 00:46:52,119 they waived Charlotte twenty and twenty three. First, it's top sixteen protected next 729 00:46:52,159 --> 00:46:57,320 year, then lottery protected the following two seasons before does that just extinguish or 730 00:46:57,320 --> 00:46:59,760 does it become two seconds? I really looked that up, but that's the 731 00:47:00,039 --> 00:47:02,559 sections on it. They also acquired in Atlanta's two thousand and twenty five first 732 00:47:02,639 --> 00:47:07,039 round pick unprotected. They have a swap rights with Atlanta and twenty six unprotected, 733 00:47:07,079 --> 00:47:12,239 and then Atlanta's twenty twenty seven first round pick unprotected. They drafted Jeremy 734 00:47:12,239 --> 00:47:15,599 Son at number nine, drafted Malachi Brandim at number twenty, drafted Blake Wesley 735 00:47:15,599 --> 00:47:19,559 at number twenty five. They signed Kelton Johnson to a four year, seventy 736 00:47:19,559 --> 00:47:22,360 four million dollars extension. There's one point five million dollars per year and unlikely 737 00:47:22,559 --> 00:47:25,480 incentives that could bring that up to a four year, eighty million dollars deal. 738 00:47:25,679 --> 00:47:30,559 They claimed Isaiah Roby off waivers, and they traded the number thirty eight 739 00:47:30,559 --> 00:47:32,719 pick, which was Kennedy Chandler to the Grizzlies for the Lakers twenty twenty four 740 00:47:32,760 --> 00:47:37,559 second round pick and one million dollars in cash. Should I go in depth 741 00:47:37,559 --> 00:47:39,760 and why I like that Kennedy Chandler trade because who knows what the Lakers look 742 00:47:39,800 --> 00:47:43,239 like in twenty and twenty four that could be at number thirty one pig? 743 00:47:43,480 --> 00:47:46,079 No, we agree on that the and then they are notable. Oh, 744 00:47:46,119 --> 00:47:50,159 they signed Dominic Barlow to a two way contract and signed Jordan Hall to a 745 00:47:50,159 --> 00:47:53,119 two way contract. Notable exits aside from Murray obviously, Lonnie Walker, the 746 00:47:53,159 --> 00:47:57,719 fourth signed with the Lakers. Grant, what did you give the Spurs? 747 00:47:58,360 --> 00:48:00,679 This is a flat A. I've not given a pluses. This is as 748 00:48:00,719 --> 00:48:06,199 high as I go. The only way I could imagine someone maybe and maybe 749 00:48:06,199 --> 00:48:08,920 you'll prove me wrong thinking this is anything less than like an A minus is 750 00:48:08,920 --> 00:48:14,440 if you're just really can't get over not having Lonnie Walker back for another year, 751 00:48:14,599 --> 00:48:17,320 to like tantalize for a minute and then be bad for three weeks. 752 00:48:19,920 --> 00:48:22,800 The Murray trade, Like, I get it. It sucks if you're a 753 00:48:22,840 --> 00:48:27,000 Spurs fan on some fronts because like, this is your best player. He's 754 00:48:27,119 --> 00:48:30,320 coming off just a ridiculous season. Probably if you're only a fantasy player, 755 00:48:30,360 --> 00:48:35,639 you're like, how could they possibly trade? But to do it at the 756 00:48:35,719 --> 00:48:38,639 right time, because they the logic of an extension didn't make sense, so 757 00:48:38,679 --> 00:48:42,800 we was going to get to unrestricted free agency, and then you're facing this 758 00:48:42,840 --> 00:48:45,840 is granted, like this is down the road a little bit two years, 759 00:48:45,880 --> 00:48:47,760 but you're talking about maxing him out. I like him a lot. I 760 00:48:47,800 --> 00:48:52,079 don't know if that would have made sense. So to get this haul of 761 00:48:52,119 --> 00:48:58,400 picks awesome to get Kelton Johnson locked down to that number, especially like I 762 00:48:58,400 --> 00:49:00,679 mean with the cap going even if cap we're saying flat, that's just like 763 00:49:00,920 --> 00:49:09,719 a absolute phenomenal, phenomenal signing or phenomenal extension. Uh with it. I 764 00:49:09,760 --> 00:49:15,559 couldn't believe it's a joke. I just don't understand how you were able to 765 00:49:15,639 --> 00:49:19,039 keep him for so little. And like the biggest big picture thing, I 766 00:49:19,079 --> 00:49:21,800 like, I like Sohan a lot. The big picture thing is now like 767 00:49:21,920 --> 00:49:25,159 you're in the Victor Wimmen Yama pole position or you have the ability whole position 768 00:49:25,599 --> 00:49:30,960 Like that is like you have you are in position to suck worse than any 769 00:49:30,960 --> 00:49:32,320 other team, or at least you're in the mix. You can be. 770 00:49:32,440 --> 00:49:36,679 They gotta be one of those bottom three teams I think, or bottom four, 771 00:49:37,159 --> 00:49:42,079 And like that's just how you flip this around. So and credit to 772 00:49:42,119 --> 00:49:44,719 the Spurs, because the Spurs historically, I'm not done this, like and 773 00:49:44,760 --> 00:49:46,679 the last time they really did it, it yielded Tim Duncan and it required 774 00:49:46,719 --> 00:49:51,119 some luck, but like that's this is the time to do it. I'm 775 00:49:51,159 --> 00:49:54,280 glad they finally did it. It hurts to lose Murray, but like this, 776 00:49:54,440 --> 00:50:00,320 like macro micro micro, anyway you want to look at this. I 777 00:50:00,360 --> 00:50:04,159 think they just did the right stuff. Yeah, they got a for me 778 00:50:04,199 --> 00:50:06,639 too. I don't know what you would dislike about their off season, like 779 00:50:06,639 --> 00:50:08,599 I said, unless you think so they've taken someone else at twenty and twenty 780 00:50:08,639 --> 00:50:12,719 five or even at number nine. I really like the Jeremy Swan pick. 781 00:50:13,280 --> 00:50:15,400 I do think it looks a little bit worse now that Chip Angland's not there 782 00:50:15,519 --> 00:50:19,079 anymore. I was counting on him to help with the jump shop. But 783 00:50:19,199 --> 00:50:22,159 just as someone who's a ball mover connective tissue on offense and can defend a 784 00:50:22,159 --> 00:50:24,960 whole bunch of different spots on defense, I love the theory of him. 785 00:50:25,960 --> 00:50:30,880 And there's just even let's say the Hawks it works out for Atlanta, and 786 00:50:30,880 --> 00:50:34,199 it might because Jeans Murray and Trey Young and clink Upell and John Collins, 787 00:50:34,239 --> 00:50:37,960 and that's a ship ton of talent. But you have all those pick commitments 788 00:50:37,239 --> 00:50:43,239 scaling past to Jeante Murray's current contract. That is big. And the other 789 00:50:43,280 --> 00:50:46,800 thing is just like they will be valuable in subsequent trades just as a concept 790 00:50:47,039 --> 00:50:52,239 before that, even convey and I think the bigger value here is you clarified 791 00:50:52,239 --> 00:50:57,760 your direction and you're not in that submiddle middle part of the NBA anymore. 792 00:50:58,000 --> 00:51:01,079 And to me, I understand that teams are run as a business and that 793 00:51:01,119 --> 00:51:06,000 it's not championship or bust for everybody. But if I'm a fan, this 794 00:51:06,039 --> 00:51:07,000 is how I would root for teams. Is how I do root for my 795 00:51:07,039 --> 00:51:09,840 teams. That is my goal. I don't care what market I'm in, 796 00:51:09,920 --> 00:51:13,599 like, I want to see them building towards something. And this is why 797 00:51:13,679 --> 00:51:16,119 as a Knicks fan, as a Belieguer Nicks fan, I would rather see 798 00:51:16,159 --> 00:51:22,119 them take the long, not circuitous path, but like a long semidirect route 799 00:51:22,119 --> 00:51:23,639 where it's like, oh, they're trying to build something. The Spurs are 800 00:51:23,639 --> 00:51:28,599 now clearly doing that. And even if you don't think that their next poll 801 00:51:28,679 --> 00:51:32,039 star is on this team, and let's be honest of Devin Vassell, Kelvin 802 00:51:32,079 --> 00:51:36,280 Johnson, Jeremy Sowen or Josh Primo or probably the top candidates for that, 803 00:51:36,719 --> 00:51:39,159 they're best chance at acquiring a poll star is probably in the future with one 804 00:51:39,159 --> 00:51:43,559 of their draft picks. That's fine because now your draft stock is going to 805 00:51:43,599 --> 00:51:47,199 be high enough. Now you're in the cornerstone territory and you're not constantly relying 806 00:51:47,199 --> 00:51:51,639 on these mid to late lottery picks or just mid to late first rounders in 807 00:51:51,679 --> 00:51:54,559 general. And the other thing here is just like, maybe you feel differently 808 00:51:54,599 --> 00:52:00,159 if Dejante Murray was willing to sign an extension, but he wasn't, as 809 00:52:00,159 --> 00:52:01,039 you had him on a steal of a deal in the first place, that 810 00:52:01,079 --> 00:52:05,840 one hundred and twenty percent raise in advance of what his max salary would have 811 00:52:05,840 --> 00:52:07,880 been, there was no chance he was going to sign a deal. And 812 00:52:07,880 --> 00:52:10,719 then you get yourself you have to start thinking, oh, well, we're 813 00:52:10,719 --> 00:52:15,199 gonna pay him all this money, you're kind of capping your ceiling. If 814 00:52:15,199 --> 00:52:19,800 you weren't able to find that actual like you, what you needed was Dejante 815 00:52:19,880 --> 00:52:22,519 Murray's functional superior, not even his equal. I think when you get into 816 00:52:22,840 --> 00:52:27,719 a conversation about the Wizards with Beal or maybe even the Balls with zach Lavine, 817 00:52:27,840 --> 00:52:30,280 you're not necessarily looking or whatever team winds up with Donovan Mitchell, You're 818 00:52:30,320 --> 00:52:34,599 not necessarily looking for a player better better than any of them. You want 819 00:52:34,599 --> 00:52:37,199 their equal. In the Spurs case, with de Jeante Murray, they needed 820 00:52:37,199 --> 00:52:39,920 someone who was better than to really chart that championship course. And so I 821 00:52:40,000 --> 00:52:45,000 like everything that they did here. And though they have not played all the 822 00:52:45,159 --> 00:52:49,199 arrows in their quiver just yet, they could be a sneaky Russell Westbrook destination 823 00:52:49,239 --> 00:52:52,599 if they have cap space. They have Josh Richardson Doug McDermott. If you're 824 00:52:52,599 --> 00:52:55,039 the Lakers, look about how much money you save. Would you give up 825 00:52:55,079 --> 00:52:59,079 two first round picks for that type of a deal and you're still conserving your 826 00:52:59,079 --> 00:53:02,079 cap space for twenty twenty three for the most part, even though Doug McDermott 827 00:53:02,079 --> 00:53:06,239 would be on the books. But I like that the Spurs finally chose a 828 00:53:06,280 --> 00:53:08,679 direction. I think the one thing you could look at and say, well, 829 00:53:08,679 --> 00:53:12,639 it really feels like this is gonna be Greg Popovich's last year. Now 830 00:53:12,639 --> 00:53:15,679 he though he's not going to be feeling a competitive team, there's like some 831 00:53:15,760 --> 00:53:19,840 uh, you know, regret there. At the same time, he appears 832 00:53:19,880 --> 00:53:22,920 reinvigorated by coaching orcers. He seems to be loving it. And two, 833 00:53:23,400 --> 00:53:27,519 unless you were gonna go all in for Mitchell or be the team that went 834 00:53:27,519 --> 00:53:31,119 after Durant, you weren't going to have this team that was worthy of Greg 835 00:53:31,159 --> 00:53:36,039 Popovich's last year necessarily no, and it's his decision, right, like he 836 00:53:36,159 --> 00:53:37,920 you know, he must have signed off on all this and that's fine. 837 00:53:38,239 --> 00:53:43,480 The other thing is too like the goal, the goal, and I think 838 00:53:43,519 --> 00:53:45,639 the way they've set themselves up is to be bad, right, But I 839 00:53:45,679 --> 00:53:50,159 think, like you've still got just not that this is necessarily a factor in 840 00:53:50,199 --> 00:53:52,760 the grade. It's just something I would be concerned about if my team did 841 00:53:52,800 --> 00:53:57,199 this. I'm still gonna watch because I really want to see what Josh Primo 842 00:53:57,320 --> 00:53:59,639 does with a chance to kind of explore the space. I want to see 843 00:53:59,639 --> 00:54:01,280 if kel Johnson takes another step. I want to see if the cell looks 844 00:54:01,320 --> 00:54:05,360 like a real three and d like this is going to be a guy, 845 00:54:05,880 --> 00:54:08,800 you know on the next really great Spurs team. There's so many good so 846 00:54:08,840 --> 00:54:14,159 many how what kind of a defender is so I'm going to be against NBA 847 00:54:14,199 --> 00:54:15,760 players like, is he gonna be as good as that? Is he another 848 00:54:15,800 --> 00:54:20,760 piece that's gonna be there when when ban Yama is your number one guy and 849 00:54:20,760 --> 00:54:22,360 you've you've got all these guys around him, is he gonna so? Like 850 00:54:22,480 --> 00:54:27,880 there's tons of reasons to stay invested, which is like almost never the case 851 00:54:27,920 --> 00:54:30,840 in a rebuild that's as thorough as this one looks like it's gonna be, 852 00:54:30,960 --> 00:54:34,880 or it looks like it already sort of is, because they just like they're 853 00:54:34,960 --> 00:54:37,880 they're set now, like they even if they don't do anything with all that 854 00:54:37,920 --> 00:54:40,039 cap space, which I assume they will, like this is a solid if 855 00:54:40,039 --> 00:54:45,519 we started grading like foundations or like paths forward or like five years away, 856 00:54:45,800 --> 00:54:49,199 power rankings or asset pools, like the Spurs are right there there. This 857 00:54:49,280 --> 00:54:53,519 is this is a sweet position to be in. So even one of the 858 00:54:53,559 --> 00:54:58,519 worst aspects of this situation, which is normally like an unwatchable product, is 859 00:54:58,519 --> 00:55:02,400 not is just not play right now. So yeah, I think it's an 860 00:55:02,400 --> 00:55:06,079 A, and like I would love to hear the case for less than an 861 00:55:06,079 --> 00:55:08,840 A if somebody had one. Maybe like it ain't minus because oh they didn't 862 00:55:08,840 --> 00:55:15,199 trade Yacca peurtle or something, but like they could still do that and probably 863 00:55:15,199 --> 00:55:17,280 will, although maybe he ends up being really cheap and they just keep him. 864 00:55:17,639 --> 00:55:21,559 But I'm I'm enamored with wherever they go from here, and I think 865 00:55:21,719 --> 00:55:23,719 to your point, they're gonna be fun to watch. They were last year 866 00:55:24,039 --> 00:55:28,360 they had the fastest average offensive possession time in the league. I will say 867 00:55:28,400 --> 00:55:30,280 it wasn't always pretty, but like they're kind of built to play with more 868 00:55:30,320 --> 00:55:34,079 speed. Now. I don't think Jean day Murray slowed them down by any 869 00:55:34,079 --> 00:55:37,880 stretch, but they're like complete anarchy when you look at their pecking order, 870 00:55:37,159 --> 00:55:40,280 like it's Josh Primo they threw. They gave more ball screens to Devin Vessel 871 00:55:40,360 --> 00:55:44,440 after the Derek White trade. They really might try and plumb him as a 872 00:55:44,440 --> 00:55:46,360 half court creator. Now, Jeremy Sowin, I'm assuming gets a lot of 873 00:55:46,400 --> 00:55:52,159 playing time, and he also I think Malachi Brandham should wind up getting more 874 00:55:52,159 --> 00:55:54,400 playing time than Blake Wesley. I don't know between them, but Malakai Branham's 875 00:55:54,440 --> 00:55:59,559 like sort of that swing prospect where everything could go wrong and he'll look awful, 876 00:55:59,599 --> 00:56:02,800 but that someone who could probably put up points and tough shots in a 877 00:56:02,880 --> 00:56:07,239 hurry. I'm just fascinated by by what they're doing now. I think it 878 00:56:07,320 --> 00:56:10,920 was I think it was probably the overdue call to make, but they made 879 00:56:10,920 --> 00:56:14,880 it, and it's important that they did. And maybe it's timed right because 880 00:56:14,920 --> 00:56:19,199 maybe when Yama really is that is what is as advertising. Maybe this is 881 00:56:19,199 --> 00:56:21,920 the year to take your shot. The last thing is I think two with 882 00:56:22,320 --> 00:56:29,760 Marie, like he was good enough to where you did have to make considerations 883 00:56:29,760 --> 00:56:32,400 about the pieces you put around him because of his shooting limitations, and just 884 00:56:32,480 --> 00:56:37,119 like he's a different he's an unusually uncommon player, like a primary ball handler 885 00:56:37,159 --> 00:56:42,280 that's still just the suspect shooter off the catch and off the bounce especially, 886 00:56:43,000 --> 00:56:47,880 but he's an all star. So to sort of clean the slate by saying, 887 00:56:47,920 --> 00:56:52,199 like we are no longer having to consider, well, do all these 888 00:56:52,199 --> 00:56:59,280 other positions have enough shooting to compensate for our primary ball handler being sketchy in 889 00:56:59,320 --> 00:57:02,719 that area, Like now you're just best player available all the time. Like 890 00:57:02,800 --> 00:57:06,840 that's just you can just get away with that. So I also like that 891 00:57:06,920 --> 00:57:10,360 freedom grant. This was great. Can you tell our listeners where they can 892 00:57:10,400 --> 00:57:15,039 find you if they're not watching and can't see your handle or haven't already seen 893 00:57:15,039 --> 00:57:17,800 your work. Yeah, work on your reading comprehension guys. If you can't, 894 00:57:19,039 --> 00:57:22,639 it's GT Underscore Hughes on Twitter. And we'll be doing I don't know 895 00:57:22,679 --> 00:57:23,719 what order you're going to release these in, but we'll be doing a few 896 00:57:23,719 --> 00:57:29,960 more of these and keep it going on Hardwood Knox throughout the obstacle. Grant, 897 00:57:29,960 --> 00:57:31,639 thank you so much. As always, if no one has rated, 898 00:57:31,679 --> 00:57:35,920 review or subscribe to us and their podcast players who subscribe on YouTube, please 899 00:57:35,960 --> 00:57:38,519 hurry off to go do that immediately. Until next time, and as always, 900 00:57:38,519 --> 00:57:42,039 Grant and I leave you with a shout out the one, the only, 901 00:57:42,559 --> 00:57:45,480 the real corner stone in Dallas, Frank nil Keenan