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Coors Brewing Company, Golden Colorado. What's up, 11 00:00:42,719 --> 00:00:46,320 y'all is Drusky and I've teamed up with Mountain Dew to produce a hilarious new 12 00:00:46,359 --> 00:00:50,520 basketball podcast called The Douzone. With Drusky, learn the backstories of your favorite 13 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:53,880 balls and celebrities like Jamal Murray. Did you have like a favorite team? 14 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:56,960 Was it the Raptors at the time or no, was the Raptors even started 15 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:00,600 around the top? Come on, Brod, like I'm Vivity, Taylor Rose, 16 00:01:00,679 --> 00:01:03,079 Asian Wilson, and any more. You won't want to miss this. 17 00:01:03,319 --> 00:01:07,519 Listen to The Dudes One with Drewski on Apple Podcast, Spotify and wherever you 18 00:01:07,519 --> 00:01:19,480 listen to podcasts. What is krak Olakin Hardware Knox listeners. I am Dan 19 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,640 Valley coming at you, this time without my co host Adam Bromwell. I 20 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:27,040 am, however, super excited as always to be joined by a frequent guest 21 00:01:27,079 --> 00:01:32,159 and friend of the podcast, Christian Winfield of the New York Daily News. 22 00:01:32,239 --> 00:01:36,920 He covers the Nets and the NBA at Large for them. Follow him on 23 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:42,400 Twitter at Chris Blashed. That's at kr I sp l A s h e 24 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:46,200 D. He's a fantastic follow, great writer. As you can tell, 25 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:49,519 we're going to be talking Brooklyn Nets today. A lot of stuff has happened. 26 00:01:49,799 --> 00:01:53,680 We did record this before Blake Griffin officially signed with Brooklyn, but we 27 00:01:53,719 --> 00:01:57,000 recorded it as if Blake Griffin was going to sign with the Nets. So 28 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:00,400 it all worked out, and this is a nice little deep die coming out 29 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:02,799 of the All Star break. Of the concerns are we've seen so far from 30 00:02:02,799 --> 00:02:07,199 Brooklyn? What to watch for moving forward? Some trade deadline stuff as well, 31 00:02:07,319 --> 00:02:10,400 great podcast as always, Before we get started, just a couple of 32 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:17,599 housekeeping notes, a reminder to continue subscribing and downloading every episode of Hardwood Knox 33 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:22,240 wherever you get your podcasts, and regardless of where you get your podcasts, 34 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,560 please head over to iTunes search hardwood NOx. Throw us that five star rating 35 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:30,960 and writer review cannot overstate enough how much does help us. Go to YouTube 36 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:34,159 search Hardwood Knox, subscribe to our channel there as well, where our podcast 37 00:02:34,199 --> 00:02:38,039 will be appearing. And finally, we will still be doing our live mail 38 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:42,400 bags every Sunday at four pm on the locker Room App. Download the locker 39 00:02:42,479 --> 00:02:45,319 Room App. You can follow me or Addam on there. Since we'll be 40 00:02:45,319 --> 00:02:47,879 the ones hosting. I'm at Deeva Valley two zero three three, He's at 41 00:02:47,879 --> 00:02:52,759 frommel zero nine. We did have some feedback from the first one. It 42 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:57,479 was mostly positive. Had a couple complaints that we let the live guests speak 43 00:02:57,599 --> 00:03:00,719 too long. We will address that moving forward. But we are to making 44 00:03:00,719 --> 00:03:02,919 this work because why do we want to interact with you guys more we're listening 45 00:03:02,919 --> 00:03:07,000 to this podcast now, but also we want to open it up to other 46 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:09,719 people who might just be using the locker Room map and discover us there. 47 00:03:09,759 --> 00:03:13,319 So please bear with us as we figure it out, but we will hone 48 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:15,879 it again. Well, we'll try and make sure that we're limiting the length 49 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:20,560 of questions for that we're giving people, or the length of time we're giving 50 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:23,000 them to speak excuse me, and we will always include some of your Twitter 51 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:28,280 questions whenever you guys respond it really, it really is great and we always 52 00:03:28,319 --> 00:03:32,599 appreciate that. Without further delay, though, let's talk a lot of Brooklyn 53 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:38,199 Nets with Christian Winfield of the New York Daily News. Christian, welcome back 54 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:42,199 to the Hardwood Knox podcast. Thank you so much for giving me more of 55 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:46,319 your time amid a firestorm of I guess it's not a firestorm. It's a 56 00:03:46,319 --> 00:03:50,520 mini storm of basketball news related to the Brooklyn Nets. But first and foremost, 57 00:03:50,639 --> 00:03:52,919 how are you doing? You know, I'm good? Well, no, 58 00:03:53,159 --> 00:03:54,360 you know I'm not good. You know why because I went on the 59 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:58,280 West Coast ship with the nets and we had some well I went on. 60 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:01,719 I went to Phoenix in LA with them and amazing sunlight, you know, 61 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:05,759 beautiful weather. And then I get back here and it's twenty eight degrees outside 62 00:04:05,759 --> 00:04:10,159 and it feels like twelve and I'm looking outside and it's sunny, and I 63 00:04:10,199 --> 00:04:13,280 just know as soon as I step out the door, I'm gonna get hit 64 00:04:13,319 --> 00:04:15,480 by some wind in the face and it's gonna freeze my cheekbones off. So 65 00:04:15,519 --> 00:04:18,040 when you ask me how I'm doing, I'm not okay, man, I'm 66 00:04:18,079 --> 00:04:23,639 freezing. I'm cold, man. I want some warmth as someone who needs 67 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:29,160 to make the grueling commute from the house to the upstairs office I built for 68 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:30,839 myself and built that I have above the garage. I can't build shit. 69 00:04:30,959 --> 00:04:36,199 Excuse me, I can't confirm that it is incredibly freezing and windy outside in 70 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:40,600 New York, so I would bundle up and enjoy those cheeks while you have 71 00:04:40,639 --> 00:04:44,399 them. It's annoying, man, but I mean, at least I get 72 00:04:44,439 --> 00:04:48,920 to be cold while I'm covering the nets. Man. They're just it's crazy 73 00:04:48,959 --> 00:04:51,920 to see how this team is kind of transformed over the last two years to 74 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:56,519 where now I'm covering superstars or teams on a roll. Kim and the rest 75 00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:59,680 not even playing. The team might get Blake Griffin and who god knows who 76 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:02,600 else. I mean, it's ridiculous right, like out of nowhere. It's 77 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:06,680 like I'm covering the mon Stars. It's ridiculous, Yeah, from where they 78 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:11,079 were even less than two seasons ago at this point, because when they just 79 00:05:11,079 --> 00:05:14,800 didn't have even when they were kind of good, but they didn't have Kyrie 80 00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,079 and Kate, Like, it's just night and day and let's just start there. 81 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:20,160 Since I feel like by the time this goes live, it feels like 82 00:05:20,199 --> 00:05:25,199 all the reporting is pointing toward Blake Griffin becoming a member of the Nets. 83 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:29,680 One hand, it's like, could you imagine if set like saying this and 84 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:32,040 let's say twenty fifteen, twenty sixteen, that k D, Kyrie, DeAndre 85 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:34,399 Jordan, and Blake Griffin we're all going to be on the same team. 86 00:05:34,439 --> 00:05:39,680 But the actual question is where do you view his role? If should he 87 00:05:39,759 --> 00:05:42,000 end up in Brooklyn, how does he how does he help this team? 88 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:46,279 Does he help this team? A man? I mean when you think about 89 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:48,879 the years when the Nets we're winning twenty games, I mean, it was 90 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:51,959 hard to imagine them getting to twenty five, right, they getting the thirty 91 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:57,759 they getting thirty five, and now we've got them potentially being probably gonna end 92 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:00,120 up being the number one seed in the East by the time this year is 93 00:06:00,120 --> 00:06:02,600 over, and then maybe maybe actually being NBA champions. Right, it's kind 94 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:05,480 of wild how this whole thing has happened, and because of the nature of 95 00:06:05,519 --> 00:06:09,560 which had happened, I've been getting kind of mixed reviews from NETS fans, 96 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:11,920 right, mixed feelings because on one end, it's like, hey, man, 97 00:06:12,399 --> 00:06:15,360 we've got a really good team that's gonna go to the NBA Finals. 98 00:06:15,399 --> 00:06:16,360 But on the other hand, it's like, hey, we didn't build this. 99 00:06:16,399 --> 00:06:18,480 We kind of bought it, right, Like, it's not like you 100 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:23,240 developed D'Angelo Russell into an All Star and watched Carrison very grow into an All 101 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:25,680 Star and had Jared down Wan to come with Defensive Player of the Year. 102 00:06:25,959 --> 00:06:30,560 You kind of sold those parts and you sold everything for a championship. So 103 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:33,480 it's kind of like butt not built, you know. And I mean, 104 00:06:33,519 --> 00:06:38,839 obviously every NETS fan in existence is happy that the team is actually relevant and 105 00:06:38,879 --> 00:06:42,600 more than relevant right there the story of the NBA and probably won't say probably 106 00:06:42,879 --> 00:06:46,560 potentially could be a championship team at the end of the season. But it's 107 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,439 just been interesting to see how it all unfolds. Right. It's kind of 108 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:53,120 like, man, you're breaking basketball, right, Like, remember we were 109 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:55,360 having this conversation. We'll not you and I, but just in general, 110 00:06:55,399 --> 00:07:00,199 we're talking about when the Warriors had Steph Clay, k d Draymond Igodala these 111 00:07:00,199 --> 00:07:02,240 other guys, and people were like, hey man, this team iss unfair. 112 00:07:02,319 --> 00:07:05,240 Right, It's like you can't even use him in two K without without 113 00:07:05,399 --> 00:07:09,240 being called a cheater. And now that you're trying to pick the nets in 114 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:11,639 in a video game, right, Like it's already a video game, and 115 00:07:11,639 --> 00:07:14,800 now you're gonna go get a team that has five stars. And then I 116 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:16,439 mean, look, Spencer Denwood's probably gonna come back to and he's a guy 117 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:19,279 who could be an All Star at some point in his career. So it's 118 00:07:19,279 --> 00:07:25,439 been a lot of fun to cover, and it's just been it's it's refreshing 119 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:28,240 to watch high level basketball, I'll tell you that, right, because you've 120 00:07:28,279 --> 00:07:30,319 got guys out there who make the game. And this is what everybody on 121 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:32,680 the team is saying, right Like, when you've got James harden Coome, 122 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:36,519 he just comes in and makes the game easier for everybody in ways that they 123 00:07:36,519 --> 00:07:40,639 didn't even know if possible. He's said, he sees the floor like and 124 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:44,920 I and I'm victim to this, right, I did not have the proper 125 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:48,600 understanding or appreciation for James Harden's game until I got a chance to watch him 126 00:07:48,639 --> 00:07:53,199 compete on a day to day basis, and the manage to special man, 127 00:07:53,519 --> 00:07:57,399 just how he's able to find guys, how he's able to kind of manipulate 128 00:07:57,439 --> 00:07:59,959 a defense to his will. He's not as bad a defender as I want 129 00:08:00,199 --> 00:08:03,560 thought. You know, he actually tries out there and he can Actually he's 130 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:05,560 a smart defender, you know, and you get you get a chance to 131 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:07,439 see it when you watch him on the day to day. So it's just 132 00:08:07,519 --> 00:08:11,360 been fun watching this team. And they're not even at full strength. I 133 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:13,959 mean, Kevin Dura hasn't played what the last ten games or so, they 134 00:08:13,959 --> 00:08:16,800 only I think the three of them have only played seven games together. Yeah, 135 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:20,040 I mean seven if you count the game that Kevin was pulled from, 136 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:22,759 right, well, he didn't even get test start, right and then he 137 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:26,480 plays nineteen minutes and then gets pulled. So it's really six and a half 138 00:08:26,519 --> 00:08:28,160 games. And I mean, look at them, they're they're rolling right now 139 00:08:28,199 --> 00:08:31,720 without I mean, when healthy, one of the NBA's three best players, 140 00:08:31,759 --> 00:08:35,279 I don't know where you have Kevin durant on your powerball on your power records, 141 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:41,039 but I'd assume it's something like Lebron Jannis k d or something in that 142 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:43,120 order somehow, some way. So, I mean, this team is special, 143 00:08:43,399 --> 00:08:48,080 especially with cover mixed reactions from Nets fans, But at the end of 144 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:50,320 the day, they're all happy because I mean they think about those years when 145 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:52,679 theyre at the bottom of the standings. Man, they would laughing stock of 146 00:08:52,720 --> 00:08:56,519 the team coming of the league, right like, it didn't get worse than 147 00:08:56,559 --> 00:08:58,720 being the Brooklyn Nets for a little while, and now it honestly doesn't get 148 00:08:58,759 --> 00:09:03,360 better than being the Brooklyn Nets right now. Yeah, the thought of having 149 00:09:03,399 --> 00:09:05,960 to beat them four times and seven tries is daunting and I, oh, 150 00:09:05,039 --> 00:09:09,399 it's impossible, it's not happening. How do you do it? How do 151 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:13,720 you stop James Harden, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving. You got to account 152 00:09:13,759 --> 00:09:16,480 for Joe Harris, who probably won't ever miss an open three if you leave 153 00:09:16,519 --> 00:09:20,039 him one. And then you've got lobb threts like DeAndre Jordan. Nick Klaxson 154 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:22,879 is a threat now and if you add Blake Griffin to that mix, and 155 00:09:22,919 --> 00:09:26,360 I don't want to hear that, Oh he's out of shape, he's uninterested. 156 00:09:26,399 --> 00:09:28,440 No guys get into shape and get very interested once they join a contender. 157 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,360 Look at James Harden, right, So how do you beat that? 158 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:35,840 You don't beat this team. It's bad, It's very bad. And I'm 159 00:09:35,879 --> 00:09:39,840 waiting for the nets broke basketball chance to break out because it's gonna come because 160 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:43,759 this team is just entirely too good. It's the anti parody team, right 161 00:09:43,799 --> 00:09:46,080 like they were. They found a way to get all the talent in Brooklyn, 162 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:52,720 and uh, it's kind of ridiculous. Honestly, I think there's I 163 00:09:52,759 --> 00:09:54,600 agree with you that that that thought as daunting being them four times and seven 164 00:09:54,639 --> 00:09:58,559 tries, But I still feel like if they want to be viewed, it's 165 00:09:58,559 --> 00:10:01,440 just like the four gone favorites, there's there needs to be a move beyond 166 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:05,399 Blake Griffin. And I think you know he'll be He'll be in shape. 167 00:10:05,639 --> 00:10:07,840 He was, he was probably in shape with Detroit. It's just how much 168 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:11,360 does he have to offer and what he's going to offer you though, is 169 00:10:11,399 --> 00:10:13,200 I assume they just view him as a backup five at this point, which 170 00:10:13,279 --> 00:10:16,279 is smart. And if he's hitting his threes and maybe he can give you 171 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:18,919 some downhill juice, he just he doesn't really get to the rim anymore, 172 00:10:18,919 --> 00:10:22,320 but the Nets can space the floor like basically no other team in the league 173 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:26,399 almost right now. So I have no doubt that he's going to be should 174 00:10:26,399 --> 00:10:30,799 he be healthy, just a really good offensive fit. But this team defensively 175 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:33,600 still makes me nervous. And that's with the you know, Nick Klassen has 176 00:10:33,639 --> 00:10:35,840 been you know, talk about he's like a switchable firecracker. It just does 177 00:10:37,159 --> 00:10:39,559 so much else and it'd be nice if you could grab more rebounds, I 178 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:43,399 suppose. I just don't know that. It just feels like they're one body 179 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:46,840 short, not a high end body, but of just being those they could 180 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:50,120 win it right now like just as is. But defensively it feels like they're 181 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:54,360 they're they're players short if they want to be. You know, I still 182 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:56,080 think if they went into a seven game series with whether it's the Sixers, 183 00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:58,120 the Bucks, or you get to the finals with the Lakers, maybe it's 184 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:01,639 the Clippers, still feel like maybe they would be only slight favorites and that 185 00:11:01,639 --> 00:11:07,720 there's still distance between them becoming heavy favorites in setups like that. You know 186 00:11:07,879 --> 00:11:09,879 that and you say they're one body short, they are a and this is 187 00:11:09,919 --> 00:11:13,759 the prototype of a player that I think the Nets really needed that they weren't 188 00:11:13,799 --> 00:11:18,120 able to get in the offices, and they're they're a Dorian Phinney Smith short 189 00:11:18,759 --> 00:11:22,240 of really being able to to solidify themselves as contenders. They're that one tough 190 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:26,279 interchangement. And maybe that's like you can say, maybe that's kind of like 191 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:31,360 a younger And I don't even think Jeff Green was the Dorian Phinney Smith type 192 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:33,480 mold, but Doran Phinny So there's a guy who could really defend a lot 193 00:11:33,519 --> 00:11:37,799 of positions. And it's just really tough, right and they and they need 194 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:39,240 that toughness in the front court. I don't think they get it and that 195 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:43,720 versatility that he has. That said, though, I mean, Philly is 196 00:11:43,799 --> 00:11:46,120 tough. When you look at Philly Joel Embiid, I mean decided to give 197 00:11:46,159 --> 00:11:50,320 him if I number one, if I ever had an MVP vote, and 198 00:11:50,519 --> 00:11:52,120 number two if I was if I was voting on some of these awards, 199 00:11:52,159 --> 00:11:54,960 Defensive Player of the Year. I mean, I think, if you if 200 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:58,240 there's a year to give a guy both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, 201 00:11:58,519 --> 00:12:00,679 why not this year give it to Joe and Bid? I mean, 202 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:03,799 what he's been able to do it two years, and I would love it. 203 00:12:03,879 --> 00:12:07,720 Yeah, I would love it, honestly because Embed is just so good 204 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:11,600 and when we're just seeing him take his game to another level just in terms 205 00:12:11,639 --> 00:12:16,000 of his in terms of just his his her dombiness, in terms of how 206 00:12:16,039 --> 00:12:18,679 he's been efficient from three point range, what he's been able to do on 207 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:20,799 both ends of the floor. And this is coming from somebody who hasn't really 208 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:24,120 been able to watch much Sixers basketball because come knee deep in Nets basketball every 209 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:28,399 day. The Sixers are a team. I think that's kind of I won't 210 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:31,039 say Taylor made to stop the Nets because I don't think there is a team 211 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:35,120 that's tailor made to stop them, but they are. They pose the biggest 212 00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:37,720 threat to them because of their size, because of that five, right Like 213 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:41,039 the Nets have no answer for Joel Embi. I don't think anybody has an 214 00:12:41,039 --> 00:12:43,399 answer. But if you thought DeAndre Jor was gonna stop him, you thought 215 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:48,000 round Nick Lacks, then will get eaten alive. It's gonna be tough for 216 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:52,320 Bruce Brown. I don't think he's gonna play five in that match. It's 217 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:54,320 just tough. And then you look at the Sixers roster. I mean, 218 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:58,720 Ben Simmons can defend anybody on the Nets. Tobias Harris is playing better this 219 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:01,039 year year. I love, I love what he's doing. And they just 220 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:05,559 have a team that makes sense. And Doc Rivers is tested right like SEVENS 221 00:13:05,679 --> 00:13:07,679 is still the first time they coach. Doc Rivers is a guy who's won 222 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:11,440 a championship already, So you know, I think that's that's gonna be a 223 00:13:11,519 --> 00:13:13,639 good matchup for them. But I also don't think, you know, somehow, 224 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:16,720 some way, the Nets are gonna find ways to add I think we're 225 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:20,120 gonna see teams. We're gonna see players just leave teams trying to get contract 226 00:13:20,159 --> 00:13:24,600 buyouts just in hopes of joining the Nets. Right like that happens every time 227 00:13:24,639 --> 00:13:28,039 there's a team that's a favorite championship consender. So even though we were seeing 228 00:13:28,039 --> 00:13:31,159 Blake Griffin news, I think there's going to be some smaller move that might 229 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:35,559 happen. The Nets have a couple of guys on ten day contracts. I 230 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:41,320 think that's chump Andre Robertson and Tyler Cook, who came up from the J 231 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:43,919 League by honestly, he never really had a chance to crack the roster. 232 00:13:43,279 --> 00:13:46,080 I think they're going to free up some of those spots because you've got guys 233 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:50,600 like a Blake or like maybe inn Andre Drummond. We're gonna get buyouts and 234 00:13:50,759 --> 00:13:52,000 A're gonna look to join this team. It's gonna be ridiculous, man. 235 00:13:52,039 --> 00:13:54,519 I mean, I'm not sure we're gonna have seen by the time this season 236 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:58,159 is over. I'm not sure we're gonna have seen this much talent on one 237 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:01,440 team. Maybe in NBA history. I know people are pointing to the Warriors. 238 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:05,240 Oh, they had Steph Clay, Draymond, k d Igodala. Yes, 239 00:14:05,639 --> 00:14:09,519 but when you've got Kyrie k d, James Horn, if you can 240 00:14:09,559 --> 00:14:11,480 add Blake Griffin, if you can, and you've got DeAndre Jordan, you 241 00:14:11,519 --> 00:14:15,840 still have Spencer Dinwiddy, You've got Joe Harris. I mean, the depth 242 00:14:15,879 --> 00:14:18,240 on this team is already crazy, and then you're talking about adding other stars. 243 00:14:18,279 --> 00:14:20,480 I mean, it's it's it's I mean, I was gonna say it's 244 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:24,039 bordering on unfair. It's not bordering, it is unfair. At this point, 245 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:26,919 I would laugh. 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And Harris Irving 270 00:16:03,879 --> 00:16:06,480 Durant, it's just not and hard and it's not happening. They're probably not 271 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:11,000 You're not gonna move DeAndre Jordan because he's tight with Kadi and Kyrie. And 272 00:16:11,039 --> 00:16:14,919 so Spencer Timothy's name has hit the rumor mill. Now do you respect that 273 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:17,639 they will wind up moving him this season or do you think that they might 274 00:16:17,679 --> 00:16:21,240 see value in one and trying to bring him back next year? Or maybe 275 00:16:21,279 --> 00:16:22,679 is it even thinking the long long game where it's like, you know, 276 00:16:22,679 --> 00:16:26,200 if we resign him, maybe he becomes more valuable as a healthy trade ship 277 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:32,000 on a longer contract. You know, that's a tough question. Here's one 278 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,120 thing I do know. I know that Sean Marks at the beginning of the 279 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:41,559 year basically told everyone that's not KD, Kyrie, DJ, Jeff Green, 280 00:16:41,799 --> 00:16:44,879 everyone's available, right Like he's like he told everybody, oh, you know, 281 00:16:44,919 --> 00:16:47,720 there's going to be trade rumors and we're going to do whatever is best 282 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:51,039 to improve this teams. I mean, when you look at this roster, 283 00:16:51,399 --> 00:16:53,159 you've already got two point guards. Now you've got James Harden, who's going 284 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:56,960 to play the majority now, And that was the thing earlier in this season, 285 00:16:56,000 --> 00:17:00,720 before the next traded for James Harden is Okay, they're gonna need Spencer 286 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:06,680 to play that backup one because Carris is a two and he can play the 287 00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:08,519 one, but he's not somebody who you put the ball in his hands and 288 00:17:08,519 --> 00:17:12,640 say, okay, generate offense time and time again. Spencer can shoulder that 289 00:17:12,680 --> 00:17:17,680 load. But now you've got James and Kyrie, both of whom are capable 290 00:17:18,039 --> 00:17:22,319 of playing that one, both not even both of whom are all star caliber 291 00:17:22,559 --> 00:17:25,799 offense initiators. Right, So where does Spencer fit in. I mean when 292 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:27,039 in the first few games of the season we saw him playing a little bit 293 00:17:27,079 --> 00:17:30,720 more off the ball. But even on top of that, he's ramping up 294 00:17:30,759 --> 00:17:33,839 to get his a cl right and then he's gonna have to get into game 295 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:37,880 shape. We don't know how far along he is in terms of the timeline. 296 00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:40,720 I mean, it's tough. And then on top of that, the 297 00:17:40,799 --> 00:17:42,720 nuts are aren't very forthcoming, and what they tell the media in the first 298 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:45,079 place, that's the taste of injuries, and I'm not sure any team is. 299 00:17:45,440 --> 00:17:49,599 But where does he fit in, you know? And honestly, he 300 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:52,880 fits in on the outside right, because number one, he's got to catch 301 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:56,400 up to learning what it's like to play with these guys to find in the 302 00:17:56,440 --> 00:18:00,359 positioning. Number Two, he's never really been the best spot up shooter, 303 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:03,440 and if you're going to play with guys like KD, Kyrie and James, 304 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:06,799 you gotta be a knockdown shooter at least. And then third, you know, 305 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:11,079 he's coming back off of a partial acl tail right, and he wants 306 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:12,799 to downplay how significant the injury is, and I get it. You know, 307 00:18:12,839 --> 00:18:15,119 if you think you're iron Man and you can you can power through and 308 00:18:15,119 --> 00:18:18,440 come back to the floor of this season, then by all means, go 309 00:18:18,519 --> 00:18:22,680 for it. But how much pressure can you actually put on that knee right 310 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:26,240 before that thing caves again? And not that I'm trying to speak that into 311 00:18:26,319 --> 00:18:29,759 existence, but there's just a lot of factors going on here. So and 312 00:18:29,839 --> 00:18:32,039 on top of that, he's going to be he could be a free agent 313 00:18:32,039 --> 00:18:33,039 next year. Right, you got a player option that he could even turn 314 00:18:33,079 --> 00:18:37,640 down or except there's a lot of factors that play. I'm not sure which 315 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:40,240 direction it goes. But if I'm the Nets, I'm looking at ways to 316 00:18:40,279 --> 00:18:44,119 improve the roster because as of right now, it's precidentity hasn't really giving you 317 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:47,200 anything because you know, availability is your best ability, and he hasn't been 318 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:52,039 available. So if you can flip spencedentity into one of those role player type 319 00:18:52,039 --> 00:18:55,160 of guys, I'm not sure necessarily. Maybe I think I saw a long 320 00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:57,359 report time to maybe a trade back to Detroit. I'm not sure what that 321 00:18:57,359 --> 00:19:00,119 looks like with who you get in return. But if you can get some 322 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:03,160 depths, if you can get a wing that can defend and then and hit 323 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:06,240 threes, right, that's that's the other thing, Right, You've got Andre 324 00:19:06,319 --> 00:19:07,680 Roverson, who can defend but he can't shoot threes. You've got em On 325 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:11,440 Schopper, who hasn't been healthy, can defend but also can't shoot threes. 326 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:15,240 Can you get a wing actual three and d wing in in exchange for Dinwoody? 327 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:18,119 Maybe? Probably, honestly, because Spencer is a great player in this 328 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:22,000 league. So if I was Shawn Marks, I would look at that. 329 00:19:22,279 --> 00:19:26,880 But also I think it's also another part of the story, which is Spencer 330 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:30,720 played a role in getting Kyrie to come to Brooklyn, right, and Kyrie 331 00:19:30,759 --> 00:19:33,839 brought Katie with him. Katie brings DJ. These guys get James Harden and 332 00:19:33,880 --> 00:19:37,000 now you might get Blake Griffin. You really don't want to have that. 333 00:19:37,119 --> 00:19:41,319 And then on top of that, it's you kick Kenny Atkinson to the curb, 334 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:45,359 kick Damsel Rust to the cave, kick Carros Lavert and Jared Allen to 335 00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:48,680 the Carrol Are you about to clear house and just kick Spencer Dinweed to the 336 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:49,880 curb? Next? And then what does that mean for Joe Harris would be 337 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:53,640 the last end? Then that? I mean, there's so many different storylines 338 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:59,000 that play with the Denwoody thing, But honestly, I couldn't tell you I 339 00:19:59,039 --> 00:20:02,680 have no idea whether he ends up on this roster in the playoffs or whether 340 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:07,000 he gets traded for a role play. Yeah, there's I think to move 341 00:20:07,079 --> 00:20:11,480 him realistically, you either need him to agree to opt in to next year's 342 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:15,759 contract, which I don't think he'll do because twelve point three million dollars player 343 00:20:15,799 --> 00:20:18,759 option. You just look at the free agency landscape now and if you write 344 00:20:18,839 --> 00:20:21,279 off, you know, assume Drew Holiday is going to sign an extension with 345 00:20:21,279 --> 00:20:25,039 the Bucks and Quiet stays with the Clippers. Like, there's just Spencer Dimity 346 00:20:25,119 --> 00:20:27,240 might still be a top five free agent and so he's going to get paid. 347 00:20:27,519 --> 00:20:30,720 And so what you need in that case is a team that doesn't have 348 00:20:30,799 --> 00:20:34,839 cap space this summer who wants Spencer Dimity's bird rights, because that becomes what 349 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:38,160 you're trading for if you're assuming he's not playing for this season. And it's 350 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:41,599 tough to find. I think there are teams that could talk themselves into it, 351 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:44,240 but like some of them are also slated to have cap space, and 352 00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:45,599 so I was like, well, why would you give up value? The 353 00:20:45,599 --> 00:20:48,680 team I keep coming back to is Orlando is. Yeah. I was something 354 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:52,440 around with sorry go ahead, no, no, no, no, you 355 00:20:52,519 --> 00:20:55,400 go ahead. I'm listening to you. I was just gonna say, is 356 00:20:55,440 --> 00:20:56,680 there something to be done with Aaron Gordon? There? I think you and 357 00:20:56,720 --> 00:21:00,799 I have identified would be a really good fit for this roster in previous conversations. 358 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:03,519 I don't know what you need to attach because you're not getting him straight 359 00:21:03,599 --> 00:21:07,720 up, but you do have Landry Shammitt. I think Nets fans have become 360 00:21:07,799 --> 00:21:11,519 very attached to Nick Claxton based off me, you know, suggesting a somewhat 361 00:21:11,519 --> 00:21:15,400 deal on this and something I was writing. They were pretty heated that Nick 362 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:18,640 Claxton was being traded for Aaron Gordon. But you do have things that I 363 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:22,759 think could actually make the deal worthwhile for Orlando in the sense that they're a 364 00:21:22,759 --> 00:21:25,759 team that I don't think is ready to start over. But they're clearly going 365 00:21:25,799 --> 00:21:29,240 nowhere this year because Gordon's injured right now, but he's expected to come back 366 00:21:29,279 --> 00:21:32,240 soon. Jonathan ISAC's out for the year, Faults is out for the year. 367 00:21:32,480 --> 00:21:34,480 You just don't have wings or shooting or enough ball handling, and Spencer 368 00:21:34,519 --> 00:21:37,559 Dimity takes care of a lot of the ball handling and shooting for you next 369 00:21:37,599 --> 00:21:41,319 year, and he's a great fit next to faults. So that's the team 370 00:21:41,359 --> 00:21:44,359 that I've looked at and said, maybe there's something could be done. But 371 00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:48,039 you also don't just want to move Spencer Dinwoody for the sake of moving Spencer 372 00:21:48,079 --> 00:21:51,640 Dinwoody. I would rather maybe roll the dice and pay him even you know, 373 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:53,759 you know, let's see does Joe Side care how much does roster costs? 374 00:21:53,759 --> 00:21:56,400 If he actually doesn't, you know, it's not gonna Yeah, it's 375 00:21:56,400 --> 00:22:00,359 an overkill. But just as you just mentioned before that you think people overthought 376 00:22:00,359 --> 00:22:04,440 the addition of James Harden, Like, let's not overthink having a fringe All 377 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:08,119 star player on this roster who can create his own shot, create some shots 378 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:11,240 for others, and yeah, his efficiency can be wonky from the outside, 379 00:22:11,279 --> 00:22:15,359 but Spencer dinwy he is a is a fringe All Star, So I think 380 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:18,000 you still need value in return. It's just that the market for him. 381 00:22:18,039 --> 00:22:21,400 I think there might be a deal there, but it feels like it's just 382 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:25,599 going to be so finite because it's just such a specific set of circumstances right 383 00:22:25,599 --> 00:22:29,319 now, not just because his injury, but with that upcoming free agency. 384 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:30,720 Yeah, you know, and on top of that, to your point about 385 00:22:30,759 --> 00:22:34,440 like potentially trading Nick Claxton. I mean, look, I do not put 386 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:37,559 it past this this front, all of us to do that. You know, 387 00:22:37,599 --> 00:22:40,440 if the right deal presents itself, I don't put it. You know, 388 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:44,039 you have to make the deal that makes your team, that puts your 389 00:22:44,079 --> 00:22:47,839 team in the best position to win now. And while Claxton has a bright 390 00:22:47,880 --> 00:22:51,799 future, yes and is it's breaking out now, he's also playing twenty games. 391 00:22:51,839 --> 00:22:53,480 I don't even mean to do. You know, this is not his 392 00:22:53,519 --> 00:22:57,640 timeline. They're completely different. Yeah, they are, And but I mean, 393 00:22:59,319 --> 00:23:00,640 like I mentioned, you know, this team has parted ways with other 394 00:23:00,680 --> 00:23:04,920 guys who have had more ties to the team, to the organization, who 395 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:08,880 have actually broken out into All Stars, right, Like, we've seen this 396 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:11,160 team trade guys and the Ba's why I was like, yo, you can't 397 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:15,039 put it past this team to trade Joe Harris, to trade to trade Spencer 398 00:23:15,079 --> 00:23:17,720 Denwit, to trade Nick Klasson, to trade anybody, right, because if 399 00:23:17,759 --> 00:23:21,119 the right deal presents itself, they've got to pull the trigger because it's what's 400 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:23,519 best for them. That said, you know, I'm still not sure what 401 00:23:23,599 --> 00:23:27,039 the right deal is. And I'm also not sure, like I was mentioned, 402 00:23:27,079 --> 00:23:30,519 I'm not sure where the Denwitty Fit is on this team where James Harden 403 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:34,480 is playing forty minutes a game at the point guard position, Kyrie is playing 404 00:23:34,519 --> 00:23:38,839 another thirty five minutes a game. That's what's that eight plus thirteen, that's 405 00:23:38,839 --> 00:23:41,559 twenty one minutes a game that you give for Spencer, which I mean it's 406 00:23:41,599 --> 00:23:45,839 fine, but then what's the value in having a guy playing twenty one minutes 407 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:48,359 and you're paying him this money as a contract essentially coming up, but he's 408 00:23:48,359 --> 00:23:52,880 not really didn't be able to Showlder the load that is supposed to come with 409 00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:53,559 the contract number that you know what I'm saying. I'm like, and I 410 00:23:53,599 --> 00:23:56,480 think at a certain point, Spencer also has pride and he wants to be 411 00:23:56,519 --> 00:24:00,200 like, hey, you know, I can show teams that I can win, 412 00:24:00,279 --> 00:24:02,400 I can I can run a team. You know, we've seen him 413 00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:03,759 do it. We watched him do it. Was that last year when Kyrie 414 00:24:03,839 --> 00:24:07,960 and Karis both went down for that stretch and Spencer basically put the team on 415 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,519 his back. It was the only reason they made the playoffs. Like, 416 00:24:11,559 --> 00:24:15,000 I mean, he's a guy who's capable of doing that and his fit and 417 00:24:15,039 --> 00:24:17,680 this team is still I wouldn't say it's questionable, right, because he's a 418 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:19,960 guy who can adapt to any situation. All these guys can. I think 419 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:23,160 his game is kind of tailor made for adapting, right. He can defend 420 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:26,519 a couple of different positions. He can play the one or the two, 421 00:24:26,599 --> 00:24:30,559 and I guess maybe in this NBA he could possibly play the three, I 422 00:24:30,599 --> 00:24:33,480 think. And he's an aggressive score. He can get down hill, you 423 00:24:33,519 --> 00:24:36,119 can do a lot of different things. He can make plays for his teammates. 424 00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:38,640 But you have to think, I mean, a guy with that skill 425 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:41,640 set deserves an elevated role, right, And as you mentioned, he was 426 00:24:41,759 --> 00:24:45,839 a fringe off star in past season, so all of the last season at 427 00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:49,039 least, So you know, I'm not sure that's one of the question marks 428 00:24:49,079 --> 00:24:52,200 of the season. Does this team keep Spencer Dinwitty? Do they trade him? 429 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:55,839 Does he even make a return this year? Right? Like, as 430 00:24:55,920 --> 00:24:59,359 much as he wants to come back, it's it's ultimately going to be up 431 00:24:59,359 --> 00:25:02,079 to the train and staff and to the doctors and to the performance team, 432 00:25:02,119 --> 00:25:04,720 into the head coach and really to the organization. So and if he's not 433 00:25:04,759 --> 00:25:07,319 going to make them return this year, right, then do you keep a 434 00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:11,680 guy on your roster knowing he's not going to play at all, or do 435 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:15,160 you honestly do what the logical thing is and trade him for someone who can 436 00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:18,160 play. It's a tough situation, so you know, I mean that's kind 437 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:19,960 of why Shawn Marks is in the in the chair and I'm not right, 438 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:22,960 Like he's got to make he's got to pull the trigger on that deal. 439 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:25,599 But if I was him, you know, I look at the deal that 440 00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:29,880 can get me back, maybe a three four combo that can shoot and defend, 441 00:25:30,279 --> 00:25:34,240 and maybe a veteran backup point guard. I'm not sure what team has 442 00:25:34,319 --> 00:25:37,960 that. But if you can get those two things for Spencer Dinwoody, who's 443 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:41,200 clearly worth the who's worth the trade when he's healthy, I don't see why 444 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:45,119 you don't do it. Yeah, I guess the problem would be everyone is 445 00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:48,279 probably looking for the first player you described, like that three four combo who 446 00:25:48,279 --> 00:25:51,480 could try. But I mean you brought up a great point, and really 447 00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:53,720 think about it. Spencer Dinwoody at some point, not only he's gonna want 448 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:56,880 to get paid, but like he's gonna want to play, and so maybe 449 00:25:56,880 --> 00:25:59,880 this end up being like a mutual thing where they can trade him somewhere where 450 00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:02,759 he might get the opportunity to play this season or knows it will have a 451 00:26:02,799 --> 00:26:07,119 larger role in his next contract. Is there. So I think what's interesting 452 00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:10,720 about this team is when you look outside their top four players and Harden, 453 00:26:10,759 --> 00:26:14,920 Irving Durant and Joe Harris, there's a bunch of different players that they kind 454 00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:18,400 of need to rely on that maybe other teams wouldn't, or just such wild 455 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:22,160 cards, or they're among let's say the non stars or non core pieces. 456 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:26,319 Who has impressed you the most this season? I'm Brooklyn. That's a great 457 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:30,880 question. So the non core pieces, right, let's go down loads. 458 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:33,559 I mean number one will be Jeff Green. He got hurt, but number 459 00:26:33,559 --> 00:26:37,880 one. I feel like once guys start getting older, start getting older, 460 00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:41,079 we start to think that their athleticism is diminishing. And Jeff Green is basically 461 00:26:41,079 --> 00:26:44,920 trying to dunk everything and has been doing so successfully. And then he's just 462 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:47,359 shooting lights out and say, lights, I'll be shooting a very high clip 463 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:51,240 from three. And then on top of that, guys are just crediting him 464 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:56,079 with just being a vent and then having that knowledge and just passing information down 465 00:26:56,319 --> 00:26:57,960 from what he sees from the sidelines. He's been out with the shoulder injury. 466 00:26:59,599 --> 00:27:03,200 So number one, I think he's been a very key piece to this 467 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:06,279 team's success. But beyond that, when you start to look at this team 468 00:27:06,279 --> 00:27:08,519 and the guys they rely on on that second unit, it's really a three 469 00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:12,920 person unit, right Tim and say, Lui Cabo Row, It's Landry Shammon, 470 00:27:14,319 --> 00:27:17,519 and it's Bruce Brown. That's three, and the fourth would be Tyler 471 00:27:17,559 --> 00:27:21,599 Johnson. One. Bruce Brown has been great and he's really inserted. He's 472 00:27:21,599 --> 00:27:23,799 been starting more often than not. It feels like he's playing a huge role. 473 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:26,519 And it's crazy because at the beginning of the season he was getting no 474 00:27:26,599 --> 00:27:29,799 burn. And I would ask Steve. I'm like, hey, Steve, 475 00:27:29,839 --> 00:27:33,480 you know, Bruce is a starter for two years in Detroit and can't get 476 00:27:33,519 --> 00:27:34,920 off the bench here in Brooklyn. Why not you know? He's like, 477 00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:37,599 Oh, he's got to developed as a playmaker, as a as a three 478 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:41,680 point shooter, YadA, YadA, YadA. And then you know, I, 479 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:45,799 personally, I can't say that I take credit for Nash actually putting Bruce 480 00:27:45,799 --> 00:27:49,480 Brown in the game, right Like, I'm not going to be that delusional 481 00:27:49,519 --> 00:27:53,359 to think that I have that much of an impact on what it coach does. 482 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:57,599 But you know, I first, Christian is responsible for all of Bruce 483 00:27:57,599 --> 00:28:02,000 Brown. Listen, listen. I asked him every game, Hey, you're 484 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:03,720 gonna play Bruce. Hey, you know DMP for Bruce, you gonna play. 485 00:28:03,839 --> 00:28:06,880 Hey, Bruce was a starter for two years and it's still it's not 486 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:10,400 getting what's going on the coach and you can ask all the nets runners is 487 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:12,000 I hounded him about this was Bruce Brown in the game. First game, 488 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:15,839 he's the reason they win, and then he never he never comes out of 489 00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:18,839 the rotation since then, and we've kind of just seen his growth. Now 490 00:28:18,839 --> 00:28:21,319 they've got him using him, they're using him as a roller. He's setting 491 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:25,160 screens, rolling to the basket and making plays. He's hitting floaters, he's 492 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:26,480 playing d He brings an energy to the team. It's kind of like a 493 00:28:26,559 --> 00:28:30,960 chump like energy, a schump like contagiousness on that defensive end. And he's 494 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:34,200 just he's just been great. Man. It's been great to see him his 495 00:28:34,279 --> 00:28:37,640 success here. And I think he's the number one I know, I said 496 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:41,880 Jeff Green first with Bruce Brown is probably the number one other guy outside of 497 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:48,000 KD, Kyrie, James and Joe that's really been able to make an impact. 498 00:28:48,279 --> 00:28:51,680 But other than that, now when we start getting to the second unit, 499 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:55,400 now we're looking at guys like Tyler Johnson, Landry Sammon, and TLC. 500 00:28:55,519 --> 00:28:57,519 And those guys have been largely inconsistent, right, I mean, Landry 501 00:28:57,519 --> 00:29:02,119 Shaman couldn't buy a basket to start the season, and then February starts shooting 502 00:29:02,119 --> 00:29:04,880 forty percent and then he kind of falls off and hasn't been in and it's 503 00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:07,160 kind of been the theme, right, And honestly, these are why these 504 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:10,680 guys are role players, are not starters, right, because if you're consistent 505 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:12,160 every day and hitting threes, then you probably end up being a starter. 506 00:29:12,519 --> 00:29:15,640 And if you're not consistent hitting those threes, then probably end up being a 507 00:29:15,680 --> 00:29:18,400 reserve guy. Somebody needs to come in off the bench and provide a spark. 508 00:29:18,519 --> 00:29:22,359 So those are guys that the team has been I guess in a way 509 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:25,759 and relying on that's helped them win some games, but also hasn't done them 510 00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:27,839 any favors and other games. And those are areas of the team has to 511 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:30,519 improve, right. If you want to win championships, you've got to be 512 00:29:30,599 --> 00:29:33,359 able to rely on your guys that you're gonna play one to ten, one 513 00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:36,680 to eleven, one and nine. However many deep that you're gonna go. 514 00:29:37,079 --> 00:29:40,279 And right now I think Nash has settled on a good ten man rotation. 515 00:29:40,359 --> 00:29:47,640 Right We've got Irving Durant, James, Joe, DeAndre, Jeff, Bruce 516 00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:51,039 right that seven and then it starts to get a little murky after that. 517 00:29:51,079 --> 00:29:52,759 It's like, Okay, well maybe today we'll go with TLC, or maybe 518 00:29:52,799 --> 00:29:56,960 today we'll go with Landry. Maybe today is Tyler's day. And those three 519 00:29:56,960 --> 00:29:59,759 have kind of been interchangeable. So those are the three guys that kind of 520 00:29:59,759 --> 00:30:03,119 needs to be a little bit more consistent for this team to really realize that. 521 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:04,960 And I won't say for this team to realize right because at the end 522 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:08,119 of the day, what they do is gonna lay on James, k d 523 00:30:08,319 --> 00:30:14,720 Kyrie, Joe, DeAndre, Jeff and Bruce. But those three guys are 524 00:30:14,759 --> 00:30:18,079 really when the when the starters don't have it going, they really turned to 525 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:21,519 that second unit, and those three guards are the ones that can either keep 526 00:30:21,559 --> 00:30:25,319 that team afloat or that's when people like me start right in the next second 527 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:29,240 unit. Man, it's not getting it done. The other thing I was 528 00:30:29,279 --> 00:30:30,599 gonna ask you too, and you kind of alluded to it already, is 529 00:30:30,839 --> 00:30:37,319 there have been times where TLC has usurped Landry Shammont in the rotation, and 530 00:30:37,599 --> 00:30:40,160 I was just wondering, who do you think is more important to this team 531 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:41,920 just immediately because they do, you know, there's the shooting for both of 532 00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:45,599 them. I think Landry Shammon's is a little bit when he's on, more 533 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:48,119 functional and he could probably do more the ball in his hands. But TLC 534 00:30:48,759 --> 00:30:52,119 what a find by them. By the way, Yeah, he's played really 535 00:30:52,119 --> 00:30:53,480 well for them, but he's gonna give you more defensively just by virtue of 536 00:30:53,519 --> 00:30:56,720 being six seven, and he's shown that. I mean sometimes he gets super 537 00:30:56,759 --> 00:31:00,880 hot too, and like that. That's been to watch. I'm just curious 538 00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:03,440 as to who you think is more important to them this season between TLC and 539 00:31:04,079 --> 00:31:10,000 Landry Shammon. Honestly, I think Landry is more important to Shawn Monks because 540 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:12,279 he had to trade that pick to get him, right, he traded the 541 00:31:12,319 --> 00:31:18,680 nineteenth pick in last year's draft to the Clippers for Landry Shammon, who then 542 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:22,240 traded that pick to the Pistons for Luke Kennard. Right, So there was 543 00:31:22,279 --> 00:31:26,440 a whole like so now it's by the way, man, that's not looking 544 00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:30,480 so great that yeah, right, And I think just as a byproduct of 545 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:34,839 having to have given up something to get Landry versus finding TLC, it's signing 546 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:37,920 him to a non guaranteed deal, him exceeding it, and then you kind 547 00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:41,119 of locking him in for that second year. I think he only makes one 548 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:44,440 like a million one point eight million this year or something like that. I 549 00:31:44,480 --> 00:31:48,799 think there's there's just a natural need for Landry to to kind of validate the 550 00:31:48,839 --> 00:31:52,039 trade that that landed him here in the first place. But TLC, I 551 00:31:52,039 --> 00:31:56,440 mean just when you look at size, right, and just his ability to 552 00:31:56,480 --> 00:32:00,680 defend multiple positions versus Landry, who's a little bit smaller still is a tough 553 00:32:00,680 --> 00:32:04,359 defender, but doesn't have that size right Like last year in the bubble we 554 00:32:04,359 --> 00:32:07,640 were watching TLC played small ball four right, and that just gives you a 555 00:32:07,640 --> 00:32:10,720 little bit of versatility and which we've seen TLC developed this year in his playmaking. 556 00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:14,079 I've seen him make pocket passes. I've never seen him make a pocket 557 00:32:14,079 --> 00:32:16,400 past before this year, but now he's setting hitting the roller with a bouts 558 00:32:16,440 --> 00:32:20,079 pass. I'm like, wait, is this the same TLC that I've seen 559 00:32:20,119 --> 00:32:22,960 it in Beast saw last year, and the answer is no, it's not 560 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,839 the same player. But he's also inconsistent from three, Right, He's got 561 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:29,240 games where he'll go four for four games and he'll go one for seven. 562 00:32:29,559 --> 00:32:34,119 So it's it's and that's just been the issue with all the NETS reserve guys. 563 00:32:34,119 --> 00:32:37,960 You know, it's it's not being consistent from three on a team where 564 00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:43,680 you've got three primary playmaking and playmaking scorers who when they pass you that ball, 565 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:46,000 you better be ready to shoot it. And some games these guys are 566 00:32:46,039 --> 00:32:49,599 ready to shoot it. Other games that not. So you know, I 567 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:52,519 look at Landry as a guy who has a history playing with superstars in the 568 00:32:52,519 --> 00:32:55,839 past, right, whether it be Joel and Bide or Ben Simmons, whether 569 00:32:55,880 --> 00:33:00,559 it be Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, or whether it be how Kyrie, 570 00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:04,960 k d And and James. You know, he has history playing on playoff 571 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:07,200 teams, versus TLC being a guy who's kind of new to this situation. 572 00:33:07,759 --> 00:33:13,000 So I'm looking at Landry, But I mean TLC's versatility also is a plus. 573 00:33:13,039 --> 00:33:15,160 If he can hit those shots. If he can't hit those shots, 574 00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:17,160 you know, I think I'd rather land would be on the floor. What 575 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:21,880 do you think happens with and I guess it's if they're going to add Blake 576 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:24,599 Griffin, it sort of changes the calculus of it. How does the let's 577 00:33:24,599 --> 00:33:28,039 say they add Griffin and then Kevin Durant comes back, Like, what does 578 00:33:28,039 --> 00:33:31,839 this center rotation look like? Are they just completely deciding that they'll never go 579 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:36,920 to Katie at the five arrangements and it'll basically be, you know, committee 580 00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:40,720 at center with DeAndre Jordan, Nick Claxton, Blake Griffin at that point Jeff 581 00:33:40,720 --> 00:33:44,440 Green as well. Or do you think if Blake Griffin's there, that probably 582 00:33:44,440 --> 00:33:49,039 means that Nick Claxton is going to play less. It's still very even if 583 00:33:49,039 --> 00:33:52,079 they add Blake Griffin, it's still very confusing to look at their big met 584 00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:54,400 rotation and kind of figure out what's going to happen. The fact that we're 585 00:33:54,440 --> 00:33:58,839 just going ahead and assuming that they're going to add Blake Griffin is crazy because 586 00:33:58,839 --> 00:34:02,480 it's a fair assumption that they currently these guys might actually get Blake Griffin after 587 00:34:02,559 --> 00:34:07,640 you already got James Harden, after you got Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and 588 00:34:07,759 --> 00:34:09,800 and DeAndre Juran. It's kind of mind boggling. There's still lots of process. 589 00:34:12,079 --> 00:34:15,599 I still think that you you go with the center who can do the 590 00:34:15,639 --> 00:34:21,280 most for you on the floor, right, And by that I mean I 591 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:23,519 mean DeAndre has been good in spurts, but he can only give you but 592 00:34:23,719 --> 00:34:28,960 so many minutes before you're getting a diminishing return on the minutes that he continues 593 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:31,760 to play. Jeff Green has been great for the team at center, but 594 00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:34,920 he's dealing with an injury. I mean, he's a guy who' spaces the 595 00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:37,719 floor and still can defend multiple positions, But how do you trust him in 596 00:34:37,719 --> 00:34:40,559 a game against a guy like Joel Embiid? Can you play him at the 597 00:34:40,559 --> 00:34:44,360 five against him? Probably not, because I mean, but that's also I 598 00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:46,440 mean I feel like Joel Embiad is an unfair baseline, right because there are 599 00:34:46,599 --> 00:34:49,960 not every center is going to be an embi right, Not every center is 600 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:52,239 going to be able to dominate you in certain ways. So I mean it 601 00:34:52,280 --> 00:34:55,559 gives the Nets a bunch of different options. I still think they go with 602 00:34:55,719 --> 00:35:00,800 Djor or Jeff Green. But and still you can run Blake Griffin at the 603 00:35:00,840 --> 00:35:04,599 five and put Jeff Green at the four. You can probably still run Blake 604 00:35:04,679 --> 00:35:07,280 at the four and put DJ at the five and run Lob City back. 605 00:35:07,360 --> 00:35:10,639 Right, you can probably still do that in a world, right they still 606 00:35:10,679 --> 00:35:15,360 have. I mean that that chemistry that they had once a bill probably hasn't 607 00:35:15,360 --> 00:35:19,239 completely disappeared, right, So I mean there's there's options, you know. 608 00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:22,199 I still think DJ ends up playing the line share of those minutes. I 609 00:35:22,239 --> 00:35:24,159 still think Jeff Green ends up playing a lot of those minutes. I think 610 00:35:24,159 --> 00:35:29,920 we still see Blake Griffin play some minutes at the four. But it's just 611 00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:31,320 a lot, man, how do you split those minutes out? You probably 612 00:35:31,360 --> 00:35:35,480 end up I don't even know what you do with this seam if you end 613 00:35:35,559 --> 00:35:37,599 up getting Blake Griffin on this same I think they end up starting. And 614 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:40,599 this is the thing that I've seen in New York, well in New York 615 00:35:40,639 --> 00:35:45,079 and Brooklyn. It's just you know, they're going to put their best players 616 00:35:45,079 --> 00:35:46,840 out there, right, So it's gonna be I think, and if you 617 00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:50,480 end up getting Blake, you end up running with your best five, which 618 00:35:50,519 --> 00:35:52,199 is probably gonna end up moving Joe Harris to the bench. You're gonna start 619 00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:58,960 Kadi Kyrie, James, Blake and DJ and but also, but also, 620 00:35:59,039 --> 00:36:01,239 can you just throw a guy like Blake into the starting lineup when he has 621 00:36:01,320 --> 00:36:06,039 no institutional knowledge of what this team wants to do, when he hasn't been 622 00:36:06,079 --> 00:36:08,199 playing basketball because he's been trying to get himself out the game. So we 623 00:36:08,239 --> 00:36:10,679 don't know how to Detroit. So we don't know where it's conditioning is. 624 00:36:10,920 --> 00:36:14,239 And that's been big in Brooklyn, right Stephen. At anytime the Net sign 625 00:36:14,239 --> 00:36:15,719 a new player, it's, oh, well, we want to see where 626 00:36:15,760 --> 00:36:17,800 he's conditioning is before we actually play him, and then boom, they end 627 00:36:17,840 --> 00:36:21,559 up waiting a couple of weeks before they actually play him, and then we've 628 00:36:21,599 --> 00:36:23,079 got to see where his game is. Right? Can he play? And 629 00:36:23,440 --> 00:36:27,280 can he switch defensively? Right? Can he space the floor? Is he 630 00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:30,000 still what you know people used to think Blake Griffin is or is he a 631 00:36:30,039 --> 00:36:34,480 shell of himself and can only provide? But so much so, I think 632 00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:37,719 a lot of it falls on what type of Blake Griffin the Nets are gonna 633 00:36:37,760 --> 00:36:42,199 end up getting. If you're getting a lob City version of the Blake Griffin, 634 00:36:42,239 --> 00:36:45,639 then go ahead and start him. If you're getting a fifteen points and 635 00:36:45,679 --> 00:36:50,719 six rebounds version of Blake Griffin, then maybe let somebody bring off the bench. 636 00:36:50,760 --> 00:36:52,599 I'm not sure, but I do know that this is a team that 637 00:36:52,639 --> 00:36:57,599 has kind of catered to its superstars whim and obviously there's a totem pole here 638 00:36:57,639 --> 00:37:02,199 that goes KDS probably now James, than Kyrie, than DJ and then Blake 639 00:37:02,239 --> 00:37:07,840 Griffin will probably fall in on somewhere after that. But it's gonna be I 640 00:37:07,840 --> 00:37:09,239 won't say it's gonna be tough, right because it's at this point it's probably 641 00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:13,400 a rich person's problem, right, his first world problems. Right, You've 642 00:37:13,400 --> 00:37:15,159 got all this talent, what do you do with it? But I think 643 00:37:15,239 --> 00:37:19,199 ultimately they end up if you get Blake Grifford, I think you end up 644 00:37:19,199 --> 00:37:22,119 starting. Wow. I did not expect that. I always just thought it 645 00:37:22,199 --> 00:37:24,679 would make more sense. You could get by defensively better with him coming off 646 00:37:24,679 --> 00:37:28,679 the bench, and then I'm assuming you know, it's it's so hard to 647 00:37:28,719 --> 00:37:31,119 like kind of I envision how the nets will play at full strength, just 648 00:37:31,159 --> 00:37:36,480 because they've spent so little time at full strength when you look at Superstar specifically, 649 00:37:36,480 --> 00:37:37,920 but it feels like James Harden is going to be the one that'll that 650 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:42,000 will play the most solo time, like sort of get out Katie and Kyrie 651 00:37:42,039 --> 00:37:45,000 so if you run those minutes with with Blake Griffin, that also makes his 652 00:37:45,079 --> 00:37:47,559 job easier on offense. And maybe there's a lot of bench players around him. 653 00:37:47,559 --> 00:37:51,760 I actually did not consider the notion that maybe they would they would start 654 00:37:51,880 --> 00:37:54,320 him. That would be wild, and I would if I was them, 655 00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:58,079 I probably wouldn't do it. But again, you have you just have way 656 00:37:58,079 --> 00:38:00,719 more insight into this team than I do. Man, you know, I 657 00:38:00,719 --> 00:38:04,119 mean, I mean, think about it, if you sign it, if 658 00:38:04,119 --> 00:38:07,519 you had five I guess we'll call them stars on your team, right, 659 00:38:07,559 --> 00:38:09,320 I mean, you probably end up starting them, right, and then you 660 00:38:09,360 --> 00:38:14,519 figure out, okay, well three minutes go by, take Blake Griffin output, 661 00:38:14,639 --> 00:38:19,039 Jeff green In, take Kyrie output, Joe Harrison right, and then 662 00:38:19,079 --> 00:38:21,000 I mean, that's just the beauty of it. Right then, Nets have 663 00:38:21,039 --> 00:38:24,719 so many different players that they've been tinkering with their rotations this whole time, 664 00:38:24,760 --> 00:38:29,239 and adding Blake Griffin only adds another level to that tinkering, right, Like, 665 00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:30,280 and I think, and now that I'm thinking about it, I mean, 666 00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:35,199 imagine having that James Harden Blake Griffin on the floor with a bunch of 667 00:38:35,239 --> 00:38:37,119 shooters in between them. I mean, you put you put up a lineup 668 00:38:37,159 --> 00:38:42,280 like James Harden's, Landry Shammit, Joe Harris, Jeff Green, Blake Griffin 669 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:45,599 at the five. I mean, that's gonna be tough to stop because but 670 00:38:45,800 --> 00:38:47,280 that's also going to be how are you going to stop the paint? How 671 00:38:47,320 --> 00:38:51,960 are you going to defend the interior? You've got like a forty eight minute 672 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:54,039 problem for the next Yeah, yeah, that's not that's not that's not a 673 00:38:54,039 --> 00:38:58,480 ten minutes judgment of problem. That's definitely a whole game. But I mean, 674 00:38:58,679 --> 00:39:02,920 either way, their defensive problems aren't necessarily going to be too terrible because 675 00:39:04,159 --> 00:39:07,000 I mean, at the end of the day, this is really bordering when 676 00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:08,480 a team that's going to be able to score two hundred points in the game, 677 00:39:09,320 --> 00:39:15,239 and I think it's just ridiculous that would say this much talent assemble in 678 00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:19,360 one team there And so maybe the better question for them is and there's no 679 00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:21,519 one size fits all, but I think once you get to the postseason, 680 00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:23,840 you want to have sort of the go to crunch time lineup, like if 681 00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:28,159 you get into a close game, and I think I would my opinion be 682 00:39:28,159 --> 00:39:31,360 they have four of those spots locked up with Harris Harden, Kyrie and KD. 683 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:36,039 Who do you think would be the most common fifth alongside those four unless 684 00:39:36,039 --> 00:39:37,760 you and if you disagree that maybe they you know, three of them are 685 00:39:37,760 --> 00:39:39,880 locked up like we know that. Maybe you don't think Joe Harris will be 686 00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:43,360 in all those closing units. I'm just curious what you would think on how 687 00:39:43,360 --> 00:39:47,960 they round out the rest of those crunch time units. I think it could. 688 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:51,719 I think it's a game the game thing, right, Like Joe Harris 689 00:39:51,719 --> 00:39:54,199 could be one game, Bruce Brown could be the next, right depending on 690 00:39:54,280 --> 00:39:58,559 the matchup. DeAndre Jordan could be one game, Jeff Green could be the 691 00:39:58,599 --> 00:40:00,039 next. You know, Nick Klaxton could have it going and you give it 692 00:40:00,159 --> 00:40:04,199 and you play him INDs. And that's one thing that Steve Nash hasn't been 693 00:40:04,239 --> 00:40:07,320 afraid to do, is just tinker with rotations. Right, see who's who's 694 00:40:07,320 --> 00:40:09,280 the hot hand, who's got it going today? Who is the opponent playing? 695 00:40:09,320 --> 00:40:12,320 I think that's one thing that Steve Nash has also been trying to do, 696 00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:15,719 is just match one guy's minutes with another guy on another team's right. 697 00:40:15,719 --> 00:40:17,960 So, if you're in a series against Philly and DeAndre Jordan is your best 698 00:40:19,039 --> 00:40:22,880 chance at stopping Joel EMBIID probably match their minutes, right, and I think 699 00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:24,159 that's how it's gonna end up going. Right, then it's I don't think 700 00:40:24,199 --> 00:40:30,159 there's gonna be any one size fits all rotation that's going to close games for 701 00:40:30,159 --> 00:40:31,960 them. I think it's okay, Well, maybe we're playing the Lakers and 702 00:40:31,960 --> 00:40:37,320 they've got a D today and Nick Klaxton happens to be the best profile for 703 00:40:37,360 --> 00:40:38,960 a guy who can defend him. Or maybe it's KD. Right, maybe 704 00:40:39,199 --> 00:40:43,119 maybe in a matchup against the Lakers, if ads at the five, maybe 705 00:40:43,119 --> 00:40:45,199 you're running KD at the five and you're putting a bunch of shooters on the 706 00:40:45,199 --> 00:40:50,760 floor next to him with KD, with James and Kyrie. You know, 707 00:40:51,159 --> 00:40:53,239 I'm not sure that there's I'll tell you one thing. I think that their 708 00:40:53,280 --> 00:40:59,719 best closing lineup it's going to be James, KD, Kyrie honestly at this 709 00:40:59,760 --> 00:41:01,400 point. And what I've seen, you put Bruce on the floor, and 710 00:41:01,400 --> 00:41:04,920 you also put Joe Harris on the floor, all right, and if you 711 00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:07,199 can, and if you can, if you can find a way to get 712 00:41:07,239 --> 00:41:12,280 away with Kadi at the five and Bruce at the four and Joe and Joe 713 00:41:12,320 --> 00:41:15,639 at the three, Kyrie at the two and James at the one then didn't 714 00:41:15,639 --> 00:41:17,280 do it right. But we also, like I said, you know, 715 00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:20,840 that boils down to who you're playing against. You're not gonna play KD at 716 00:41:20,880 --> 00:41:22,599 the five if you're playing the Sixers, right, You're not gonna play KD 717 00:41:22,679 --> 00:41:25,039 at the five. If you're playing I don't know, if you're playing the 718 00:41:25,039 --> 00:41:28,239 Bucks maybe right, Like, I don't know how that's gonna work. Well, 719 00:41:28,239 --> 00:41:30,519 maybe you can get away with Kadi at the five you're playing the Bucks 720 00:41:30,519 --> 00:41:32,639 on he has taken at the five. But then it's like who on this 721 00:41:32,679 --> 00:41:36,559 team is defending honest? If you have Bruce b like you trust him to 722 00:41:36,599 --> 00:41:37,440 do that, that's a yeah. I mean, first of all, who 723 00:41:37,920 --> 00:41:43,199 So, yeah, that's a that's it's probably it probably end up being Jeff 724 00:41:43,239 --> 00:41:45,079 Green guarding your honest, I think. And I think that's why he's gonna 725 00:41:45,159 --> 00:41:47,880 end up playing a lot of minutes of the five, because he's their most 726 00:41:47,960 --> 00:41:52,280 versatile defender at the five. Well, no, that's that's fy. I 727 00:41:52,320 --> 00:41:54,079 think Nick Laxon is the most versatile defender, but he's just so young, 728 00:41:54,199 --> 00:41:57,599 and he's his body isn't filled out yet, and he has a ways to 729 00:41:57,599 --> 00:42:00,280 go in terms of IQ that it just makes sense to that Jeff Green is 730 00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:04,320 your best, I guess, front court defender in a way, and then 731 00:42:04,320 --> 00:42:07,440 there's still Kevin Durant, right, Like Kevin Durant is is an incredible defender 732 00:42:07,440 --> 00:42:12,039 when he's healthy. It's just do you want him getting trucked by honest every 733 00:42:12,119 --> 00:42:14,960 day? Do you want him to try to defend Joe Ellenbid? Probably not. 734 00:42:15,280 --> 00:42:17,239 You know, he'd rather have him on like Tobias Harris or Christmas Yeah 735 00:42:17,280 --> 00:42:22,119 exactly, those guys, Yeah exactly. So it's it's I think the Nets 736 00:42:22,119 --> 00:42:23,760 are in a situation where they're just gonna mix and match and try to match 737 00:42:23,840 --> 00:42:28,360 up with whatever the opponents put out there. But in terms of the lineup 738 00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:30,599 that I think makes the most sense. I love the the KD, Kyrie, 739 00:42:30,760 --> 00:42:34,719 Joe, Bruce and James line up. I think that makes a lot 740 00:42:34,760 --> 00:42:37,159 of sense. What I need to see, assuming they don't move him by 741 00:42:37,199 --> 00:42:40,239 the time this podcast publishes, is Nick Klaxton crunch time and it's in the 742 00:42:40,320 --> 00:42:45,239 finals. I just need to see happen. Yeah, No, that'd be 743 00:42:45,280 --> 00:42:47,960 amazing. I don't think that actually happens unless well, I mean, and 744 00:42:49,039 --> 00:42:52,039 let me say that I don't think that happens because you know, he's been 745 00:42:52,079 --> 00:42:53,679 playing well these last few games, right. I mean, you look at 746 00:42:53,719 --> 00:42:57,760 these last two games and he has a career high seventeen and seventeen miss. 747 00:42:57,760 --> 00:43:00,599 The next game he comes out and put sixteen and eight up in in sixteen 748 00:43:00,639 --> 00:43:02,639 minutes. Right, So it's a guy who clearly can play. Everyone knows 749 00:43:02,639 --> 00:43:06,199 how talented he is, right, Like, you can see it on both 750 00:43:06,280 --> 00:43:07,960 ends of the floor. You know, he's talking about shooting threes, but 751 00:43:07,960 --> 00:43:10,679 he's all talking about you know, he doesn't really need to shoot threes because 752 00:43:10,719 --> 00:43:14,159 of how these guys play, right, Like, if you're the five and 753 00:43:14,159 --> 00:43:16,280 you're playing with James Harden, you better be in that dunker spot, be 754 00:43:16,400 --> 00:43:19,840 ready to catch the ball, and you're ready to score. Right. So 755 00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:22,559 his role really is to is to pick role and to be around the basket 756 00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:25,480 and really to defend. And he's been able to do that. But for 757 00:43:25,559 --> 00:43:28,639 him, a lot of it. You know, he hasn't played basketball and 758 00:43:28,880 --> 00:43:30,360 basically a year, right because he didn't play in the Orlando bubble, had 759 00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:34,480 knat tender nights, didn't play this entire year up until the last three games. 760 00:43:34,679 --> 00:43:36,800 So he's still working his way into game shape, and then he plays 761 00:43:36,840 --> 00:43:37,760 three games. He's getting his way in the game shape. And now he's 762 00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:40,320 got a week off because of the All Star break, so he's kind of 763 00:43:40,320 --> 00:43:44,280 got to get himself. He's got to get his win back. But I 764 00:43:44,400 --> 00:43:46,400 love Nick now. I love what he's been able to add, love what 765 00:43:46,519 --> 00:43:50,719 he brings. He works hard. You know, you get guys talking about 766 00:43:50,719 --> 00:43:53,360 it, and he's a guy who wants to you know, as much as 767 00:43:53,360 --> 00:43:57,079 he says that, you know, this team doesn't really require him to shoot 768 00:43:57,119 --> 00:43:59,760 threes, he really wants to get that three ball off because he has confidence 769 00:43:59,800 --> 00:44:01,920 in it. I need to you know, I'll believe it when I see 770 00:44:01,920 --> 00:44:06,239 it. But he he talks a good talk about his three ball and about 771 00:44:06,280 --> 00:44:07,639 the work he puts in. And if you can add that to his game 772 00:44:08,239 --> 00:44:13,840 along with being a capable defender and a great roller and finisher, I think 773 00:44:13,840 --> 00:44:15,920 he's gonna have a bright future. That's another reason why, you know, 774 00:44:15,599 --> 00:44:19,239 you know, we made a lot about the Jared Allen trade, you know, 775 00:44:19,480 --> 00:44:21,639 and rightfully so. I mean, I don't know if you saw the 776 00:44:21,679 --> 00:44:23,920 highlights coming out of Cleveland, but but Jared is starting to look like Janni's 777 00:44:23,960 --> 00:44:28,079 out there going full court with the ball, and I mean he's got like 778 00:44:28,119 --> 00:44:31,239 the like he can pass a little bit better too, and yeah, he's 779 00:44:31,280 --> 00:44:35,480 gonna be good. He's great, And that's part of the reason why a 780 00:44:35,559 --> 00:44:37,719 lot of Nets fans and myself as well. You know, I'm looking at 781 00:44:37,760 --> 00:44:39,880 the James Harns, I'm like, man, there's no way you could get 782 00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:44,519 hardened without giving up Alan And obviously danswers, no, right, you keep 783 00:44:44,599 --> 00:44:50,639 jacking, right, but yeah, but he's even still. Yeah, but 784 00:44:50,639 --> 00:44:52,800 when you look at a guy like Nick and what he brings, I mean 785 00:44:52,119 --> 00:44:58,039 Nick is probably two years away from being able to start in place of DeAndre 786 00:44:58,239 --> 00:45:00,800 Jordan, right, and and think about how gary that is. If you 787 00:45:00,800 --> 00:45:05,559 could have KD Kyrie James probably two years older at that point. And then 788 00:45:05,639 --> 00:45:07,800 Nick Klaxson, who is now shooting three's, probably has filled out his body 789 00:45:07,840 --> 00:45:14,559 a little more as smarter can defend four positions and as a ferocious finisher at 790 00:45:14,559 --> 00:45:16,639 the rim. I mean, he's got a bright future ahead of him. 791 00:45:16,679 --> 00:45:20,440 It's just a matter of whether the future is in Brooklyn or whether it's somewhere 792 00:45:20,480 --> 00:45:23,599 else. You know, the origin of why he has the Slim Reaper nickname 793 00:45:23,639 --> 00:45:28,239 on basketball Reference, then KD just decide I want people to stop calling me 794 00:45:28,280 --> 00:45:30,880 that. So you have it? Is that what happened? I did not 795 00:45:30,039 --> 00:45:34,199 know that was a thing. I didn't know the thing either. I stumbled 796 00:45:34,199 --> 00:45:37,840 across it, and it makes men. Did they really? I'm no, 797 00:45:37,880 --> 00:45:40,840 I gotta ask Kevin. I'm like, how you know Kevin on Basketball Reference? 798 00:45:40,920 --> 00:45:45,000 You know Nick's nickname is the slim Reaper. Did you do something to 799 00:45:45,000 --> 00:45:46,239 make that that's currazy? I didn't know if that was the thing? Yes, 800 00:45:46,320 --> 00:45:50,320 if possible. I'm goldn't need the genesis of that, so I need 801 00:45:50,599 --> 00:45:53,000 at least feature or something on it. See, I'll see what I can 802 00:45:53,079 --> 00:45:55,079 do. I don't know if the Daily News will let me write twenty five 803 00:45:55,159 --> 00:45:59,000 hundred words about anything, but I can try to get you five. I 804 00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:04,400 can try to get you five. So I don't want to shift this back 805 00:46:04,440 --> 00:46:07,280 to the James Harden trade, and there's still a lot to see about this 806 00:46:07,320 --> 00:46:10,320 team at full strength, but there's a level of vindication already for booking with 807 00:46:10,400 --> 00:46:14,920 the trade right, not just because of how well Harden has played, but 808 00:46:14,960 --> 00:46:19,840 the thought process here was, he's another player who can literally uplift whatever's around 809 00:46:19,920 --> 00:46:22,760 him. Where if you have James Harden and combative basketball players, you're just 810 00:46:22,840 --> 00:46:24,760 a fifty win team. And now that Kad has missed so much time, 811 00:46:24,960 --> 00:46:29,119 it sort of adds value to the thought, like, oh, maybe I 812 00:46:29,159 --> 00:46:30,599 know the season's weird, and he was an at least health and safety protocols 813 00:46:30,599 --> 00:46:34,199 for a while, but he's dealing with a hamstring injury right now. And 814 00:46:34,320 --> 00:46:37,280 Kyrie Irving is hardly a billboard for good, good physical health when you look 815 00:46:37,320 --> 00:46:40,000 at his injury track record, even if he's not dealing with anything chronic. 816 00:46:40,320 --> 00:46:45,760 So it almost like we were seeing the value of James Harden unfold immediately, 817 00:46:45,840 --> 00:46:50,119 not just because again of how he's playing, but of how the availability of 818 00:46:50,400 --> 00:46:53,360 the stars in general have just shaken out. You know, I got a 819 00:46:53,440 --> 00:46:57,000 chance to watch that happen because, like I said, you know, I 820 00:46:57,039 --> 00:46:59,920 was in Phoenix for the Sun's game, and that was a game Kyrie didn't 821 00:47:00,079 --> 00:47:04,519 laying obviously Katie didn't play in. And the Suns are up twenty four in 822 00:47:04,559 --> 00:47:07,800 the second quarter, and James Harden just goes nuclear, goes for a thirty 823 00:47:07,840 --> 00:47:12,760 eight point eleven as his game hits a step back three in the last second 824 00:47:12,800 --> 00:47:15,719 to the fourth quarter and wins that game for you, for them, right, 825 00:47:15,880 --> 00:47:17,280 So at that point, it's like, WHOA, You've got a guy 826 00:47:17,320 --> 00:47:22,360 who can win you a game against a team where honestly the Nets are supposed 827 00:47:22,400 --> 00:47:23,599 to lose that game. The Suns are good. Right, You've got Devin 828 00:47:23,599 --> 00:47:27,920 Booker, You've got Yeah, you've got Devin Booker, You've got Chris Paul, 829 00:47:27,960 --> 00:47:30,519 You've got all these other pieces of DeAndre and all these guys. And 830 00:47:30,559 --> 00:47:35,239 they find they somehow lose that game because James Harden goes crazy. And this 831 00:47:35,360 --> 00:47:38,000 is kind of the value that you add in a season where guys are getting 832 00:47:38,079 --> 00:47:43,280 hurt, right, because honestly, my take on it is, I think 833 00:47:43,280 --> 00:47:45,360 guys are getting hurt because they had so much time off. If you didn't 834 00:47:45,360 --> 00:47:49,960 go to the Orlando Bubble, you had that time off, and then for 835 00:47:50,039 --> 00:47:52,039 things to just ramp up so fast, I'll barely get a week of training 836 00:47:52,079 --> 00:47:57,079 camp in and then be asked to play real minutes of basketball when you haven't 837 00:47:57,079 --> 00:48:00,320 really been playing all year, I think obviously you're going to get injured that 838 00:48:00,360 --> 00:48:04,480 come across. And then obviously the health and protocol, the health and safety 839 00:48:04,480 --> 00:48:07,760 protocol, you're gonna have guys in and out of the rotation for a bunch 840 00:48:07,800 --> 00:48:10,800 of different reasons. So you want to kind of stat guys that can do 841 00:48:12,000 --> 00:48:15,280 as much as possible, and James Harden is a guy who can do that. 842 00:48:15,360 --> 00:48:19,440 And it's crazy because, like I said earlier, you know, I 843 00:48:19,440 --> 00:48:22,360 didn't really have the level of appreciation for his game when he was in Houston 844 00:48:22,440 --> 00:48:23,800 that I probably should have. You know, I was one of those guys 845 00:48:23,800 --> 00:48:27,000 who was like, oh, James Harden is not not good in clutch. 846 00:48:27,840 --> 00:48:30,400 I a ball. You know, I'm saying, dribble, dribble shoots, 847 00:48:30,400 --> 00:48:32,920 step backshoot, bailout passes at the end of the shot clock. These are 848 00:48:32,960 --> 00:48:36,960 all things that I've either thought to myself or I've tweeted, or I've wrote. 849 00:48:37,079 --> 00:48:37,920 I've written, and now I'm looking at it, I'm like, WHOA. 850 00:48:38,480 --> 00:48:42,880 This is a guy who literally can bend the defense to his will, 851 00:48:42,960 --> 00:48:45,800 knows what the defense is going to do before it actually does it, knows 852 00:48:45,800 --> 00:48:47,800 where his teammates are, makes the right decision more times often than not, 853 00:48:49,159 --> 00:48:52,079 and his turnovers only come from trying. His turnovers don't come from from really 854 00:48:52,119 --> 00:48:57,039 like doing dumb things on the floor he's trying to. The turnos are coming 855 00:48:57,079 --> 00:49:00,960 from him trying to feed guys that sometimes aren't ready for the feed, and 856 00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:02,840 he is just going to end up getting that turnover because he made the past 857 00:49:02,960 --> 00:49:07,480 versus the ball bouncing off of somebody's foot or bouncing off of somebody's hands because 858 00:49:07,480 --> 00:49:10,239 they weren't ready for the past. He's really just been amazing. I honestly 859 00:49:10,239 --> 00:49:15,320 think he's an MVP candidate, But if I had to vote, I'd probably 860 00:49:15,360 --> 00:49:17,239 give it to Joel and be it again because of just how dominant has been 861 00:49:17,239 --> 00:49:21,079 able to be. But I mean just the fact that he's in the MVP 862 00:49:21,280 --> 00:49:24,840 conversation at all again this season, after how things played out in Houston, 863 00:49:24,960 --> 00:49:30,320 come into a new situation and just basically taking over testament to his game how 864 00:49:30,320 --> 00:49:35,239 far has come. And I honestly, I think for him this is nothing 865 00:49:35,320 --> 00:49:37,039 new, Right, It's what do we get from James Harden in the playoffs 866 00:49:37,039 --> 00:49:39,119 that we've got that we've got to look into, right, Like, what 867 00:49:39,159 --> 00:49:43,280 are we gonna get from James hard when the games on the line in crunch 868 00:49:43,320 --> 00:49:45,199 time? Is he going to make the shots? Is he's going to make 869 00:49:45,199 --> 00:49:47,039 the right decisions? And honestly, at this point he doesn't have to because 870 00:49:47,039 --> 00:49:52,400 you've got guys like KD and Kyrie, right, so to win win situations 871 00:49:52,400 --> 00:49:54,000 for him, man, I think he's he can win an MVP this year 872 00:49:54,360 --> 00:50:00,679 and then only have to score twenty points in the playoffs for the Nets to 873 00:50:00,719 --> 00:50:01,679 win it, all right, And that's kind of crazy. You've got a 874 00:50:01,719 --> 00:50:06,320 guy who's making forty something million dollars in a year and always got to do 875 00:50:06,360 --> 00:50:08,440 is give you twenty points and ten assist in the game and you're good. 876 00:50:08,519 --> 00:50:12,920 It's it's the Nets are in a great place, man, It's it's ridiculous 877 00:50:12,920 --> 00:50:16,000 and it's been fun to watch. It's interesting to wonder where James Harden would 878 00:50:16,000 --> 00:50:20,519 be in the MVP discussion had he been traded, either before the season or 879 00:50:20,559 --> 00:50:22,840 even just like a month or something earlier, like a few weeks earlier. 880 00:50:22,880 --> 00:50:27,639 Because for me, and I'm sure this might be maybe I'm just getting too 881 00:50:27,679 --> 00:50:30,440 old and I'm yelling at Clouds here, but like, I can't vote someone 882 00:50:30,480 --> 00:50:34,079 for MVP when he's sort of just undermined the beginning of his own team season. 883 00:50:34,320 --> 00:50:37,119 And I think the bigger thing there is too you know that first however 884 00:50:37,159 --> 00:50:40,880 many games it happened, And the margin in the MVP discussion right now is 885 00:50:40,920 --> 00:50:45,199 so thin that you're gonna have to split microscopic hairs where you have to. 886 00:50:45,320 --> 00:50:47,360 And that's just one of the things that I think, you know, when 887 00:50:47,360 --> 00:50:52,360 you look at Yokich or Lebron or b or even a case like if Steph 888 00:50:52,360 --> 00:50:54,000 and Damon Janis are going to be in it, I just feel like that's 889 00:50:54,000 --> 00:50:58,280 what's going to end up pulling him out of the discussion. However, think 890 00:50:58,320 --> 00:51:01,280 about how wild the MVP disc be right now had he begun or you know, 891 00:51:01,320 --> 00:51:06,119 been traded to Brooklyn five games into the season or something. That's interesting. 892 00:51:06,199 --> 00:51:07,239 I kind of looked at the other way around, you know, before 893 00:51:07,320 --> 00:51:12,239 Harding came to Brooklyn, I mean that team was kind of in shambles defensively, 894 00:51:12,599 --> 00:51:15,840 you know, offensively, they were still all over the place. You 895 00:51:15,920 --> 00:51:17,920 have guys in and out of the lineup, and kind of guys being in 896 00:51:17,960 --> 00:51:22,440 and out of the lineup still. While James Harden has been constant, helps 897 00:51:22,480 --> 00:51:25,079 his MVP conversation in a way, right, because he's been healthy, right, 898 00:51:25,119 --> 00:51:28,880 he's been constant for the team, and he's been kind of the rest 899 00:51:28,920 --> 00:51:30,960 of the reason why the team has been able to win a lot of games. 900 00:51:30,960 --> 00:51:32,440 If you take James Harden out of the equation, and Kevin Durant still 901 00:51:32,440 --> 00:51:37,039 misses all these games with the hamstring, I highly doubt this team goes forget 902 00:51:37,039 --> 00:51:39,920 an eight game winning Street, forget winning ten of the last eleven. I 903 00:51:39,920 --> 00:51:44,039 mean, I don't even think they win four, let alone five of those 904 00:51:44,079 --> 00:51:46,320 games if it's not for James Harden. Right, and now, this team 905 00:51:46,400 --> 00:51:50,360 is second in the East, probably the best team, And I mean, 906 00:51:51,159 --> 00:51:52,679 I don't think it's unfair to call him the best team in basketball when you 907 00:51:52,679 --> 00:51:54,679 look at how much talent they've got, when you look at how hot they 908 00:51:54,679 --> 00:51:58,679 are getting into the All Star break, and when you look at who hasn't 909 00:51:58,719 --> 00:52:01,119 been playing, right, Kevin duran hasn't played what ten of the last eleven 910 00:52:01,119 --> 00:52:06,679 games, or so I think, James Harden I think, and I can't. 911 00:52:06,679 --> 00:52:07,559 I don't know how many more times we're gonna say this, but I 912 00:52:07,599 --> 00:52:10,400 mean, he's just been amazing, right, everything that he's been able to 913 00:52:10,440 --> 00:52:15,079 do in Brooklyn. While also and I think I won't say it flies under 914 00:52:15,119 --> 00:52:17,119 the radar, but I mean, look at what he did for people in 915 00:52:17,159 --> 00:52:21,719 Houston when that snowstorm hit, right, just giving meals back meals to the 916 00:52:21,719 --> 00:52:23,280 community, help and rebuild Homes. I mean, he's a really good guy 917 00:52:23,360 --> 00:52:30,159 in general and then also somehow an even better basketball player. I think he 918 00:52:30,199 --> 00:52:36,239 does have a legitimate case for MVP. I just know me personally, the 919 00:52:36,239 --> 00:52:37,599 way Embiad is playing that, I don't know what it is with me. 920 00:52:37,679 --> 00:52:42,920 I think I just have a a thing for just like other dominance, right, 921 00:52:42,960 --> 00:52:45,920 just being able to impose your will on someone else. And I think 922 00:52:45,960 --> 00:52:47,639 Joel Embid is probably the closest thing we've said, I don't want to say 923 00:52:47,679 --> 00:52:52,039 the closest thing we've seen to Shack because they have kind of two separate games 924 00:52:52,239 --> 00:52:55,239 and when I pull up three point first, yeah, right, but just 925 00:52:55,320 --> 00:53:00,840 in terms of that low post dominance and defending the at and just the he 926 00:53:00,920 --> 00:53:04,280 just brings a different level of excitement to the game, right. Like I 927 00:53:04,320 --> 00:53:07,719 remember having a conversation with somebody else before like who's more marketable, Devin Booker 928 00:53:07,760 --> 00:53:09,280 or Joel Embiid, And I was like, you know, I think Booker 929 00:53:09,360 --> 00:53:12,639 is going to be great and all, but I think in Bead is the 930 00:53:12,639 --> 00:53:15,159 most marketable big man we've seen since probably since Dwight Howard. Right when Dwight 931 00:53:15,199 --> 00:53:19,599 Howard was was in Orlando, and he was also a personality down there in 932 00:53:19,719 --> 00:53:22,679 Orlando. I think it beat is really just something else, so he'd be 933 00:53:22,719 --> 00:53:25,440 he'd get my vote for MVP if I had one. But it can't be 934 00:53:25,480 --> 00:53:29,679 mad at anyone that votes for James Harden because he's just he's basically just come 935 00:53:29,800 --> 00:53:34,760 to Brooklyn and give them giving them a steady really just a steady diet of 936 00:53:35,159 --> 00:53:37,400 winning. Right. And that's something that that DeAndre Jordan said once so long. 937 00:53:37,440 --> 00:53:39,800 He said, James just does whatever it takes to win, right, 938 00:53:40,000 --> 00:53:43,199 and you've got somebody, a team that you can rely on to get you 939 00:53:43,280 --> 00:53:45,519 that win. Yeah, it's funny how it just discourse changes when a player 940 00:53:45,639 --> 00:53:49,559 requests the trade. It's totally unfair. And yeah, I think there are 941 00:53:49,639 --> 00:53:52,400 legit questions. You brought up the playoffs stuff, and I know ESP and 942 00:53:52,480 --> 00:53:55,159 Zach Loo did like a deep dive into there are genuine questions about James Harden's 943 00:53:55,159 --> 00:53:59,039 playoff performance. That's just a non issue in Brooklyn. But the larger thing 944 00:53:59,079 --> 00:54:00,239 to me is, yes, I also think it was fair to question, 945 00:54:00,360 --> 00:54:04,400 like, Okay, he had issues with Dwight Howard and then Chris Paul. 946 00:54:04,679 --> 00:54:07,679 It seems like the Russell Westbrook stuff ended amicably he just didn't want to be 947 00:54:07,679 --> 00:54:09,159 in Houston anymore. So that's fine. So those are fair questions. But 948 00:54:09,199 --> 00:54:13,599 like we can't pretend that James Harden was also un hated by all of his 949 00:54:13,679 --> 00:54:16,599 teammates or that he was a terrible teammate or something just because he requested out 950 00:54:16,599 --> 00:54:20,760 of Houston or players who hadn't you know, DeMarcus Cousins comes into Houston, 951 00:54:20,920 --> 00:54:22,639 hadn't really played with him, and he's frustrated at the situation, which he 952 00:54:22,639 --> 00:54:25,960 had every right to be. But like that's just the dynamic that wasn't established. 953 00:54:27,000 --> 00:54:30,599 So it's it is frustrating how the discourse and perception of players change when 954 00:54:30,679 --> 00:54:32,760 the trade demand comes into play, and that, you know, it should 955 00:54:32,760 --> 00:54:37,599 be separate from whether you think the trade demand is fair or not, because 956 00:54:37,639 --> 00:54:39,880 like James Harden is not. Yes, he's had problems getting along. We're 957 00:54:39,920 --> 00:54:43,760 fitting, it seems like with certain co stars, but he's just never been 958 00:54:43,800 --> 00:54:45,719 built. It's just this terrible teammate and he's also you know, and I 959 00:54:45,760 --> 00:54:49,280 think I got caught up into this aspect of it. The cost and that's 960 00:54:49,280 --> 00:54:52,079 paid. He's just he's a top five player and perennial just an MVP candidate, 961 00:54:52,119 --> 00:54:55,119 like, you can't overthink these things sometimes, yeah, yeah, you 962 00:54:55,159 --> 00:54:59,519 know, and it would have just been I think it just would have been 963 00:54:59,519 --> 00:55:02,360 a disaster. Strips the nets. Let the Sixers get James Harden. Imagine 964 00:55:02,360 --> 00:55:07,079 the Sixers end up getting James Harden and keeping Joe well embiid I did that 965 00:55:07,119 --> 00:55:09,199 situation would have just been disastrous for Brooklyn. But I don't think that was 966 00:55:09,239 --> 00:55:14,880 ever on the table, you know. And it's funny just to watch how 967 00:55:15,599 --> 00:55:17,800 I won't even say I won't even say, I'll say it like this. 968 00:55:17,840 --> 00:55:21,639 You know, Harden even said himself, you know, he wishes some of 969 00:55:21,639 --> 00:55:23,639 the things that he did in Houston to get out of there. You know, 970 00:55:23,639 --> 00:55:25,360 he wished he didn't have to do it. But at the end of 971 00:55:25,400 --> 00:55:29,519 the day, you know, they probably wouldn't have traded him as soon as 972 00:55:29,760 --> 00:55:31,960 as they did had he not done what he did in terms of saying, 973 00:55:31,960 --> 00:55:35,239 you know, I was in the situations can be fixed and whatever else he 974 00:55:35,320 --> 00:55:37,880 said at that situation was wild. I was like, oh nah, they 975 00:55:37,960 --> 00:55:40,119 got to get him out of here now. But I mean, you've got 976 00:55:40,119 --> 00:55:42,920 to do what you gotta do to get traded, right, Like, if 977 00:55:42,920 --> 00:55:45,159 he doesn't do that, we might still be he might still be in Houston 978 00:55:45,239 --> 00:55:49,280 now right like, you never know, So you know, I think that 979 00:55:49,360 --> 00:55:53,039 he I think him owning up to it is as well and not shying away 980 00:55:53,079 --> 00:55:57,960 from that conversation helped him a little bit because he was like, you know 981 00:55:58,039 --> 00:56:00,000 what, like he had to do what he had to do to get out. 982 00:56:00,000 --> 00:56:01,639 And at the end of the day, you know, some of these 983 00:56:01,639 --> 00:56:06,000 teams just aren't gonna move on your timeline unless you force them to. So 984 00:56:06,320 --> 00:56:07,519 I had to do what you had to do, and I get it. 985 00:56:07,559 --> 00:56:12,239 But at the same time, I mean, just look at look at I 986 00:56:12,239 --> 00:56:15,960 don't think there's ever a version of the James of the of the Kyrie, 987 00:56:15,079 --> 00:56:21,079 KD carros LeVert, Spencer Denwitty, Jared Allen, Brooklyn Nets that do what 988 00:56:21,159 --> 00:56:23,000 this the rendition of this Brooklyn Nets team is doing right now, because I 989 00:56:23,000 --> 00:56:27,360 mean, this team just looks special. They have talent out the ass and 990 00:56:27,440 --> 00:56:31,000 back and it's just like I said before, it's just been fun to cover 991 00:56:31,079 --> 00:56:34,920 this team. And I just can't wait for people to start calling them the 992 00:56:34,960 --> 00:56:37,639 villains because if they get Blake Griffin, I mean, I mean they're yeah, 993 00:56:37,639 --> 00:56:39,719 I mean, they are the villains, and it's gonna get worse if 994 00:56:39,719 --> 00:56:43,679 they get Blake Griffin. It's gonna be even worse when they sign whenever they 995 00:56:43,760 --> 00:56:46,039 use whatever I guess they might trade Spencer den Waity to get somebody else, 996 00:56:46,280 --> 00:56:50,079 and they're gonna have they still have another exception they can use to get like 997 00:56:50,280 --> 00:56:53,679 they have different mechanisms. You know, they did what Danny Ainge was supposed 998 00:56:53,719 --> 00:56:58,119 to do with the Celtics, right, Like the Celtics were supposed to siphon 999 00:56:58,159 --> 00:57:01,280 off those assets and build around James, Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They 1000 00:57:01,360 --> 00:57:06,239 failed to do that. And now you've got Brad Stevens looking like Kenny Atkinson 1001 00:57:06,360 --> 00:57:08,639 had he had all his draft things like it's bad, and yet you've got 1002 00:57:08,679 --> 00:57:14,320 in Brooklyn, you know, guys who have turned not having assets into now 1003 00:57:14,360 --> 00:57:17,519 having a super team pretty much. And it's just been crazy to see how 1004 00:57:17,519 --> 00:57:22,880 it's all transpired. Two very quick questions before I get you out of here. 1005 00:57:23,119 --> 00:57:25,320 We haven't talked about him much on this pod, which is wild. 1006 00:57:25,480 --> 00:57:30,480 Kyrie Irving just averaging twenty seven and six, basically slashing, you know, 1007 00:57:30,559 --> 00:57:36,039 fifty one forty eighty six. What has been your impressions of his fit with 1008 00:57:36,039 --> 00:57:38,800 with James Harden. So far, it's been you know, I'll say this, 1009 00:57:38,880 --> 00:57:44,199 it wasn't the most seamless fit because you've got a guy in Kyrie who's 1010 00:57:44,199 --> 00:57:46,239 going to be an aggressive scorer, right like, he's going to get his 1011 00:57:46,280 --> 00:57:49,480 shots right one way or another. He wants to leave his impact on the 1012 00:57:49,519 --> 00:57:52,239 game and for good reasons. One of the most gifit scores that we have 1013 00:57:52,320 --> 00:57:54,840 in this league. And he's just fun to watch, right Like you're paying 1014 00:57:54,920 --> 00:57:59,239 him, was it four years, one forty six spend one hundred and forty 1015 00:57:59,239 --> 00:58:01,119 six million, Not just be because he gets twenty seven points. Because of 1016 00:58:01,159 --> 00:58:04,079 how he gets that twenty seven points. I mean, he can break a 1017 00:58:04,079 --> 00:58:07,000 guy's ankles, go up in one arm, come up with the under, 1018 00:58:07,079 --> 00:58:09,320 go under, come up with the other hand, throw it off the high 1019 00:58:09,400 --> 00:58:13,559 right side of the backboard, spinning off that he gets you the foul and 1020 00:58:13,679 --> 00:58:16,480 one right like it's just crazy. But I think that relationship took time because 1021 00:58:16,480 --> 00:58:19,400 they had to kind of figure out Okay, well, all right, well, 1022 00:58:19,440 --> 00:58:22,760 let's let James play the one because it's clearly a gifted passer and let 1023 00:58:22,840 --> 00:58:25,239 Kyrie play the two because it's clearly a gifted score. And ever since they 1024 00:58:25,320 --> 00:58:30,760 kind of made that transition and kind of assigned roles from the top down. 1025 00:58:30,840 --> 00:58:34,719 It's kind of been better since then. You know, like James, James 1026 00:58:34,719 --> 00:58:37,400 sent himself his job is just to make everybody's life easier, and he makes 1027 00:58:37,400 --> 00:58:40,000 that. He makes Kyrie's life easier because he knows when to get on the 1028 00:58:40,039 --> 00:58:44,239 ball, he knows when to get everybody else involved, and Kyrie knows when 1029 00:58:44,239 --> 00:58:45,519 to shoot because whenever he's got the ball in his hand, it's going to 1030 00:58:45,599 --> 00:58:49,920 try to make a play. So I think now versus at the beginning of 1031 00:58:49,920 --> 00:58:51,960 the year when they were trying to figure it out, it's a lot better. 1032 00:58:52,480 --> 00:58:54,400 And I think that that assigning the roles of having James is the one 1033 00:58:54,440 --> 00:58:59,519 in Kyrie is the two really helped them a lot. And my final question 1034 00:58:59,559 --> 00:59:02,199 would be, so removing Spencer Denwitty from the equation, who's the most likely 1035 00:59:02,280 --> 00:59:06,519 player on this team to get traded if the Nets make him over to deadline? 1036 00:59:06,880 --> 00:59:12,599 Whoa she? Part of me, I'm always going to be a conspiracy 1037 00:59:12,599 --> 00:59:15,719 theorist, So part of me thinks, Okay, well, are you just 1038 00:59:15,840 --> 00:59:19,880 playing Nick to drum up his value to get him traded somewhere? Right? 1039 00:59:19,960 --> 00:59:22,800 Like, are you going to package him with Den Witty to get somebody back, 1040 00:59:22,960 --> 00:59:25,639 like I don't know liking that, Probably not Aaron Gordon. I don't 1041 00:59:25,639 --> 00:59:28,880 know who you would do that for, do that with. But I mean 1042 00:59:29,119 --> 00:59:30,440 you've got guys at the end of the bench, right, Like you've got 1043 00:59:30,480 --> 00:59:36,880 guys like TLC, Shammon and and Tyler. I don't even know if you 1044 00:59:36,880 --> 00:59:37,639 want to trade. You know, this is a team where it's like, 1045 00:59:37,679 --> 00:59:40,559 well, you're not going to trade your top five. You're not gonna trade 1046 00:59:40,559 --> 00:59:43,679 any of your five starters, right, let's just call those out. You're 1047 00:59:43,679 --> 00:59:46,199 not you're probably not trading Kyrie K. Well, you're not not. Probably 1048 00:59:46,199 --> 00:59:52,280 you're not trading Kyrie k D James DeAndre. You can't trade because he's friends 1049 00:59:52,320 --> 00:59:54,159 with those three, and honestly, his trade value isn't that high for his 1050 00:59:54,239 --> 00:59:59,519 salary. And I mean you could trade Joe, but what are you getting 1051 00:59:59,559 --> 01:00:01,800 in return? Right, Like, what are you getting that valid He's trading 1052 01:00:02,480 --> 01:00:07,159 one of the NBA's best shooters, right, Probably not something that's going to 1053 01:00:07,519 --> 01:00:09,039 You're not going to get an equal value back. So then you go down 1054 01:00:09,079 --> 01:00:12,519 the line, Okay, well are you going to trade Bruce Brown? Probably 1055 01:00:12,599 --> 01:00:15,760 not, he's not making enough money to where the player that you get back 1056 01:00:15,760 --> 01:00:20,519 in return would would replace the value that that goes out for him, right. 1057 01:00:20,519 --> 01:00:22,679 I think he's only making like three million dollars this year, So what 1058 01:00:22,719 --> 01:00:24,760 other three million dollars or four million dollars player are you going to get in 1059 01:00:24,800 --> 01:00:29,400 return that gives you equal or greater value than you're getting from Bruce? Right, 1060 01:00:29,440 --> 01:00:30,519 So you're probably not trading him. Let's go down the line, You're 1061 01:00:30,519 --> 01:00:36,119 not trading Jeff Green, and then who else do you even have? Then 1062 01:00:36,280 --> 01:00:40,840 then you get down to Nick Klaxton, Christiosa, Tyler Johnson TLC, and 1063 01:00:40,960 --> 01:00:45,880 Landry Shammon. Right, honestly, don't really see those well. I mean, 1064 01:00:45,920 --> 01:00:50,639 you could theoretically try to package those last three, those those reserve shooters 1065 01:00:50,679 --> 01:00:53,199 that we were talking about earlier that aren't very consistent and try to get one 1066 01:00:53,480 --> 01:00:58,719 that is a consistent shooter, right, But like where those consistent shooters are 1067 01:00:58,719 --> 01:01:00,519 hard to find, right, And if you on one, teams probably aren't 1068 01:01:00,519 --> 01:01:05,119 trying to trade them unless you find one that's on a losing team, right 1069 01:01:05,119 --> 01:01:07,239 and they need some draft assets, right. So but then Nets also don't 1070 01:01:07,239 --> 01:01:09,840 have any draft assets to give up because he traded on them to get James 1071 01:01:09,840 --> 01:01:14,519 hard and so it's tough. I think that if they do make a trade, 1072 01:01:14,719 --> 01:01:16,960 that they're only attractive assets at this point are Spencer, Denity and Nick 1073 01:01:17,000 --> 01:01:22,239 Claxton and with you. I mean, that's an attractive draft package, right, 1074 01:01:22,239 --> 01:01:23,519 I mean, that's that's an attractive trade package. Right. You put 1075 01:01:23,519 --> 01:01:28,079 Spencer deal with here Nick Claxton together. I mean in two K that's probably 1076 01:01:28,119 --> 01:01:30,639 going to get you back with like a three and a half to four star 1077 01:01:30,719 --> 01:01:34,159 player and return right, Like, that's that's probably how that works, right, 1078 01:01:34,159 --> 01:01:36,800 So what three you had a half to four star player can you get 1079 01:01:36,840 --> 01:01:40,079 in return for trading to Dinwoodie and a Clackson And then you could even throw 1080 01:01:40,119 --> 01:01:44,480 in a TLC or a Shamment or you know. So I think that's probably 1081 01:01:44,519 --> 01:01:46,159 where we look, right, and you look at those five players at the 1082 01:01:46,159 --> 01:01:50,000 bottom of the rotation, Well not really at the bottom, right because Nick 1083 01:01:50,000 --> 01:01:52,960 Clackson is making his way up there. But if I had to bank on 1084 01:01:52,039 --> 01:01:55,880 someone getting traded, it's either going to be a combination of Spencer and Claxton 1085 01:01:57,000 --> 01:01:59,280 for a like I said, at three and a half to four star player, 1086 01:01:59,559 --> 01:02:01,079 or you start tinkering with some of those other guys with some of those 1087 01:02:01,119 --> 01:02:07,360 TLC Shammitt or Tyler Johnson guys, And honestly, at this point, I 1088 01:02:07,400 --> 01:02:09,039 don't think you get much in return for them, so I don't even see 1089 01:02:09,079 --> 01:02:14,679 a trade happening there. I guess would actually be shamm it just because you 1090 01:02:14,840 --> 01:02:16,559 have TLC and you have Joe Harris and all this other offense. And so 1091 01:02:16,599 --> 01:02:20,440 if you do sham It, who has another year in his rookie scale plus 1092 01:02:20,719 --> 01:02:22,320 Dinwitty and maybe it's you know, I think you have to do a bigger 1093 01:02:22,360 --> 01:02:27,280 return, like an Aaron Gordon type player or someone close to it that it 1094 01:02:27,360 --> 01:02:29,880 just feels like at this point that's the only move that the Nets can actually 1095 01:02:29,880 --> 01:02:32,760 make is like a medium size swing where they don't have the really the the 1096 01:02:34,280 --> 01:02:37,440 small time salary fieler to make those like smaller moves or a player who's like, 1097 01:02:37,679 --> 01:02:39,320 you know, six or seven million dollars unless they're looking at cut payroll 1098 01:02:39,320 --> 01:02:43,840 and moving din Witty anyway, but they're going to be fascinating regardless of what 1099 01:02:43,880 --> 01:02:45,920 happens with with Blake at the Trade dead Vine, Christian, thank you so 1100 01:02:46,000 --> 01:02:50,280 much for giving me your time. As usual, everyone, you need to 1101 01:02:50,280 --> 01:02:52,800 follow him on Twitter if you're not already at CRISP Slash, that's at kr 1102 01:02:52,880 --> 01:02:57,800 I sp l A s h e Ed. He does a great job moving 1103 01:02:57,920 --> 01:03:01,199 the nets and the NBA for the New York daleen Is TV star Christian went 1104 01:03:01,679 --> 01:03:07,039 A Man, appreciate you for having me, man anytime you need anything, 1105 01:03:07,280 --> 01:03:09,159 Nets, Nicks, NBA, kim me. Well, no, honestly, 1106 01:03:09,159 --> 01:03:13,599 I don't even know the Knicks as much as I used to because I'm knee 1107 01:03:13,599 --> 01:03:16,159 deep in nets stuff. I don't even have time to watch them. Is 1108 01:03:16,199 --> 01:03:21,679 that Frankie Lakina is a stud And that's right. He's a shooter. Now 1109 01:03:21,719 --> 01:03:24,400 he's a shooting boy. Who is he shooting sixty percent from three in his 1110 01:03:24,480 --> 01:03:28,280 last eight games? I'm getting look at him. It's sustainable too, It's 1111 01:03:28,280 --> 01:03:37,159 just perfectly sustainable. My god, thanks for having me man anytime. Sugar 1112 01:03:37,239 --> 01:03:43,000 Ray, Leonard, Roberto Duran, Marvelous, Marvin Hagler, and Thomas Hearns 1113 01:03:43,559 --> 01:03:47,400 legends whose four way rivalry define one of the greatest errors in boxing history, 1114 01:03:47,880 --> 01:03:52,719 relive their decade of dominance in the new Showtime Sports documentary The Kings, a 1115 01:03:52,760 --> 01:03:57,360 four parts series premiering Sunday, June sixth, only on showtime,