What is kraklacin fellow Thermonuclear A efforts. I am a thoroughly hungry Dan Favalley,
and we'll probably be saying that a lot over the next month around these
parts. Joined by, as always, my certified fantabulous Thermonuclear AF podcast hosts
mister Grant Hughes, we are here to talk about every NBA team's holiday wish
list in advance of or because we're in the midst of the holiday season.
Very quick reminders, please subscribe if you have not already, hit the sub
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in the YouTube and podcast description as well. And just very quickly I mentioned
it the last podcast, but this is releasing on the Friday before the real
well the before Christmas. So if you are traveling, if you were gathering
those loved ones, if you were celebrating Christmas, if you were planning on
celebrating New Year's We wish you a very safe, happy, healthy celebration,
and as always, thank you to every single one of you for the support
and engagement that you give this podcast. It truly is. Even when Grant
and I aren't responding to as many messages as we typically do, it does
mean the world that you're rocking with us here, which quietly I didn't mention
this because I didn't have time to do something special. Hardware knocks and they're
not all up because of where it started, like there might be some deep
like there might be some deep state episodes buried, like at the beginning that
we're only on YouTube. Hardward Knox is more than one thousand episodes old.
Oh my god, that's so many episodes, and it's very bad that we
only have three thousand YouTube subscribers, one thousand episodes with three thousand you tube
subscribers. But we're here. We love you all. Thank you for being
with us. Grant, how the heck are you doing? I'm just blown
away that. I mean, I don't know how many I've been on,
probably not one hundred, but oh you've been on you think maybe it's pertundred,
but a thousand episodes. That's you've been on the best hundred. Yeah,
right, well that I knew, Uh yeah, all the top one
if we ranked them, just I'm on every last month, just one through
ninety nine. Uh, and then Adam might be on one in there.
Maybe I don't know, somewhere in the eighties. Maybe the ones that will
be at the bottom will be the ones I record by myself, those are
my least favorite episodes every single time. I mean, that's true. You
do you do juice the juice the total numbers by doing the occasional twenty two
minute Draymond Green soliloquy. So but I mean, hey, you're gonna say
you do juice the numbers by doing the team look aheads every year. I'm
gonna flip you off for saying that. No, that is that is a
the only thing that's I'm trying to think how to frame that. That's the
only thing that's juicing is your path to an early grave. Because of the
stress and the difficulty of doing those. Yeah, I mean, we got
to get rid of those. If we're still about like, I got to
get rid of those because I just don't do anything for us. We should
do them in the format we're gonna undertake today and that we did last week
lightning round it. We're lightning rounding this thing, which is just you know,
really is a testament to well, you know, it's really an indictment
of our long windedness and our other because they're not really that much less informative
than when we spend like twenty minutes per teen doesn't seem like to me.
I even do an like the eight to nine minute deep dives per team,
But those will come back because just you and I have worked on some stuff
and we might as well collab on it for the podcast as well. Look,
this is topical. Christmas is right around the corner. Yeah, I
before we do, we'll do two minutes per team on average, so I
have the timer here to keep us paced. How did you approach this as
because I wanted to do and I know you wanted to differentiate from when we
talked about every team's biggest need heading into the trade deadline. I kind of
try to approach it from a fans perspective of like what they should wish for,
but also the team should wish for, and there's definitely overlap, like
some of the stuff you did for the trade deadline because I had so I
spearheaded the West, you spearheaded the east. We we like, that's what
we're doing for this podcast. We flip flop for the previous one. I
try to approach it that way, and if there was an instance where I
was like, it should probably be the same thing, but I'm not going
to make it the same thing. I switched it up. I'll pull back
the curtain. I think basically my approach to stuff like this a lot of
the time is how do I package an overarching thought about this team that I
have that I maybe haven't articulated to fit the conceit of the assignment. So
like, yeah, these are wish lists, So I'm gonna frame it as
the maybe maybe maybe the thing I want to talk about is how the this
team should be wishing for a three and D forward or whatever. That's the
case sometimes, but other times it's like the Bulls need clarity or something like
that. I'd like to talk about that, so it still like fits into
the this is what I guess the fan base perspective is a good way to
think about it, Like what should you what? What do you hope your
team is like? Seeking or what what does your team? What should your
team want to get? You know, under this this sort of setup.
But we're also authoritarians and so we're we're approaching it as this is what you
should want. We're not trying to guess what you actually want. Yeah.
Really, this podcast, all thousand episodes have been leading up to us just
admitting our affinity for fascism and just wanting to tell people what they should want.
So that might get I don't know, that might gain us some good
Facebook right now. Yeah, we could. We could definitely trend the algorithm
does. Maybe that's a problem. We haven't had enough authoritarian talk to really
catch the attention of the algorithm. That's very quickly. You want to where
I thought you were going with your explainer when you said I'll pull back the
curtain. I tried to figure out how to get every team and I thought
you were gonna say, O, that would be a fun Uh we should
just at some point would you listen to let us know in the comments or
just would you listen to a podcast where we pick one trade target and what
would every NBA team give up the trade for Oganobi? You know what,
we just really stepped on what should be the April first episode of this podcast.
Like just in April Fools, it's like, Hey, we're gonna do
a deep dive on every team's trade needs, and then we just do all
thirty teams need ogob April first is so weird. I guess some team seasons
are like kind of over by that point, but the regular season is still
going on and the trade deadlines passed, so I think they catch on.
Maybe I don't know. We can frame it as free agency every team's top
free agent target. Yeah, we should start thinking now about what our April
Fools pod will be, although well we should probably we should cut this,
cut this. We don't want anyone to know what we're gonna do. Uh,
So we'll start Grant and I will just be doing the teams that we
were tasked with handling. We're gooda because we're we're trying to live on the
edge here. We're gonna go in reverse alphabetical order. How exciting is that?
But we also have our slideshow to go off of, so we hopefully
won't screw it up. I'm actually just gonna read my first couple of paragraphs
because I was happy with them for the Washington Wizards. What they're the top.
It's not the top of their wish list. Their wishless item is more
fireworks. The Bradley Beal trade, which triggered abroad and long overdue tear down.
I'm not gonna do this for everyone, meant the Washington Wizards. We're
gonna lose a ton of games this season. Failure wasn't just the expectation.
It was the draft pick focused, rebuild juicing goal. It would have been
nice if Washington could have racked up l's in an entertaining way, though that
has just not been the case. This team is not good. They're not
good in a super fun way. Jordan Poole's falling down a lot. That's
interesting. Sometimes they throw alliups to each other, him and Kyle Kuzma off
the backboard. That's cool too. But outside of bilaal Kolabali, who we
are both firmly in the bag for, this has just not been like an
exciting Oh, Kuzma has got forty and Pool's got forty and the Wizards are
still down by forty. Like, it hasn't been that kind of season.
So whatever form that takes, I just wish that the rebuild great needed to
do it. I thought maybe that this season would be kind of fun in
a like nobody cares, we're doing the right thing. We can lose badly
and still have some entertaining basketball be played. It just hasn't been that.
So they need some fireworks. They need Jordan Poole to kind of find his
form of a couple of years ago. They need Coolibalay to just play a
ton and keep doing amazing athletic stuff every so often to just make the product
a little more exciting. Because the the Els have been coming and will continue
to come. Will they come at Pistons level though? Is the real real
question. I will say, because we have like thirty seconds left on them,
we are going to do every team's biggest regret from the last calendar years
we get into the new year, is there's trading for Like you don't want
to undo the restart of the rebuild, but is trading for Jordan Pool up
there? Like wouldn't you have rather even if you had to buy out CP
three or try to keep him for like part of the season and flip him
to a contender. Yeah, I mean I thought that that was gonna be
one. I maybe I'm trying to think, like I still haven't done all
the research, Like, did they do the Beal extension in twenty twenty three?
I don't think so, I think twenty two. Yeah. Okay,
So, like I said, haven't done all the research. But yeah,
it might be. It might be just not handling the Chris Paul acquisition slash
slash flip quite the right way. But that's that's gonna be another podcast to
pull back the curtain a little more. Let's see Utah Jazz for you.
Yes, so I have veteran floor general. I think you could probably also
go a little bit with clarity here because you have all these names in the
trade rumor mill, and I think having veterans around is fine, but the
lowry market and stuff, specifically, if you're actually thinking about trading him or
don't want to pay him, let's move on and it actually start. But
I don't think they want to move on from him, so that's why I
didn't pick that. I think Kiante George is going to be really good.
He's injured right now, but he showed no talked about his passing and just
game management like the way that he's displayed it in the NBA when he was
coming out of the draft. Clearly there's still bottom five offense, though they've
had some right moments with him. Jordan Clarson is your second best passer.
That is, he's actually made some leaps when he's been healthy. Dealing with
a th issue right now, and we've gotten these electric performances sometimes from Tylon
Horton, Tucker or Colin Sexton. Go out there, get a veteran.
I'm not saying it needs to be someone who's a long term piece, but
I'm not opposed to this team. We talked about this previously with them.
Why don't you look at Jean Deay Murray or if you really want to like
Tias Jones as just some sort of a step stop gap. I think that
their offense needs it because it helps streamline the development of Okay, we know
what Larry market it is, but we could, you know, pull some
of the weight off Caante's shoulders, pull some of the weight off if Clarson's
still around, make life easier on Walker Tesler, maybe someone who does a
better job sorting through our front court rotation. And also I have to presume
Taylor Hendrix is going to get more playing time at some point, and so
I just want to see them get a more veteran offensive steward and unlike a
team where if it's the Spurs, I know they have Wemby, I wouldn't
be like, go trade for well, they already had to Jean say Murray,
but don't go trade for this veteran point guard. I'm okay because the
Jazz have so many extra First, if someone becomes available that isn't really on
their timeline but helps optimize their young talent. I'm all for them just getting
after it. Yeah, I agree, just the the underlying things don't get
in the way of George. You know, it doesn't have to be a
long term it's just yeah, I agree. I think it's just someone to
just organize it because like to be Tray young, like that type of ball
dominant, not at all, not at all, just you know, I
mean like Mike Conley, Like I mean, Mike Conley's even a higher end
guy than they need. I'm joking because he was there. What about someone
I don't know why he's on Maybe one of the best based off the way
he's playing. Like Kobe White, Oh my god. Maybe Kobe White's just
kind of might is he just a keeper now for the bulls. That's what
I'm saying. It's just like that's maybe unrealistic, so like it could they
could literally run the gamut of point guard targets. Yeah, so I got
the Toronto Raptors next. It's kind of the same position essentially, So you
could go a couple different ways. I think the emergence of Scottie Barnes as
someone that you feel a little bit you know, increasingly good, increasingly I
guess confident in as someone who can have the ball make some decisions with it.
It gives you this leeway. This is kind of a sort of loose
relationship with what the Magic have with Benkaro and Wagner. Is like you're gonna
get a lot of your shock creation there, so that opens up opportunities at
the point so you don't need like a pick and roll spammer at that spot.
Dennis Shruder has been a good acquisition, I think, but I would
like someone that, in addition to being able to guard, you know,
maybe more than just the point guard spot, is gonna get threes up without
hesitation and scare the defense. Maybe run a second side pick and roll attack
weeks that you don't need just like the the Jazz need a floor general the
Raptors, that's not what they should be after because I think you can get
some playmaking from other positions. So like again, de Jontay Murray, this
version of Johntay Murray that's like an offense first player. Now I think makes
sense there. But you could just give me, give me anyone that can
play the combo guard spot that isn't necessarily a top option like facilitator, but
can do that a little bit. But I think as much as anything will
be like a high volume you know, three point shooter that can spread the
floor around like this weird or forwards? Are the playmakers kind of set up?
Would you be willing to give up stuff to get that player or do
you want it as part of the what we just traded Siakam or og and
this is yeah, I mean that's the thing, like if you because some
of some of what the wish list item depends on is the sort of odd
forward heavy construction of the rest of the roster. So it's like, if
you're going for de Jontay Murray, that's probably gonna have to be Siakam right,
or I mean I would assume something like that Anonobe is the easier fit,
But I don't know. I don't know how have we ever settled on,
like what Siakam's market is. If you say, hey, he hey,
Hawks, give us Murray in a package Foram, Like, is that
just not gonna happen? That shouldn't be a deal breaker for them, because
how many ball dominant players do you do you want? Yeah? Right,
No, I don't know. I just think I'm trying to think who else.
I had a couple other lower end options, like Malcolm Brogden would be
someone I don't know if you get the three point volume there, but the
combo guard size Terry Rogier or Spencer Dinwiddie so you just got here would be
a really good one. That that's like a stop gappy a little bit,
I guess, but that you know, that type of player you don't need.
I'm trying to think of who's likely to they don't even really exist anymore.
Is the pick and roll spamming point guard you don't need, like twenty
fourteen Chris Paul, Like, you don't need that kind of type of player.
We are odd to the San Antonio Spurs and I have I don't know
if you've seen this already, but Trey Jones starts or or the acquisition of
a primary initiator, I don't. I understand what the Spurs are trying to
do with experimenting, and there's value in that, but I think you need
to focus on optimizing your most important player, especially when you know that Devin
Missell is just gonna get and make his tough shots. The lineup you're running
out now with Malachi Brandham in the starting five and Wemby is your center,
I like the idea of Wemby is your starting center, Like you still just
don't have enough from scratch creation in the half court. And just also I'm
not saying it needs to be Trey Jones, but like Victor Wembenyama's effective field
goal percentage improves by about ten points with Trey Jones on the court, and
he's shooting like sixty percent on twos versus forty six percent on twos. Like
that's the discrepancy there, that's fucking wild. So start Trey Jones, or
go out there and trade for for Tias Jones. Don't reacquire Jente Murray,
but like, go get another just someone who could kind of sort of organize
your offense, Like it needs to be someone better than a Javon Carter who's
like more of a playmaker there. But like let's just get a name in
there, and it doesn't have to be like I don't think if you need
to give up a like maybe you have to go that fake Charlotte first to
get them. They will be someone out there. But I think you can
look at in that realm and the Spurs need it to optimize their most important
player. Again, if they're just against for some reason, like why not
just take a shot then on Killian Hayes, Like just at least prove to
me that you're trying to put someone who plays the point guard spot in there.
And even like if Montey Morris gets healthy in Detroit, I'd like to
see them do something like that. The point guard thing with the Spurs,
Like I think we were both pretty on board with like let's what the hell,
let's try Jeremy Son at the point what you got to lose And then
like while acknowledging people that were saying, yeah, but it's kind of getting
in the way of the development of like literally everyone else that is on the
floor at the same time. Right now, it feels almost like like what
is the thinking, Like why, well, like why why mess around to
this degree with with especially with respect to wimbin Yama, who, like you've
you've cited the numbers, like it's not just like a theoretical thing that life
gets easier for him than others when you have a real point guard on the
floor. It's getting strange. I don't have a great explanation for it.
Our next team up is the Sacramento Kings, which is also me, wow,
we need to pace it up here, really screwing up already, Shaker
all right, it's wing defense or at least no Zach Lavine trade. I
saw it. Kings fans gave pushback to the wing defense argument because you have
Keegan Murray. That's fine. You need someone else other than Keegan Murray,
even someone else other than the Aaron Fox who's defended well this year. I
think that this is we've talked about the og Anobi team, but they could
go after a A. J. Shawn Taate, like that type of player
where it doesn't need to be a Capslock star or someone who's star adjacent,
Like you can look at that and I think they would make a meaningful difference.
Maybe if it's even someone who maybe don't you're not closing games with them,
which is someone you're using situationally, situationally to improve your first forty three
minutes of basketball, you go thermonuclear with your offense to close. I will
say, though, if you're not going to go out and acquire a wing
defender, do not go out and acquire Zach Lvine or even passcal Siakam.
I don't want to see someone who doesn't stretch the floor consistently in the front
court with some bonus. And I also don't want to see you give up
assets for someone like Zack Lavine doesn't address your biggest need, and then it
cost you stuff that you could have then used to try and address that biggest
need later on. Yeah, Zach Lavine, Ain't it not for this team?
Heavy? You've got so many West teams in a row here. Yeah,
time stamping, this is gonna be a bear. Try to just have
to work off memory. The Portland Trailblazers, so for them, this one's
kind of tough, But I think they need to clear the runway for the
kids now that they're sort of healthier. I think we're seeing that there's going
to be times where I don't know if it's an issue of, well,
this is how Joe Cronin built the roster, or Chauncey Billups just isn't getting
the message from the front office, like we shouldn't see Malcolm Brogden playing more
minutes than Scoot Henderson maybe ever, and when you are playing Malcolm Brogden,
we've seen kind of Shadan Sharp's usage and utility and offensive role fluctuate. I'm
Jeremy Grant has played really well for them, and I'm mostly fine with what
he's doing. But when you have the sum of it being well, Jeremy
Grant is getting minutes and we're still gonna DeAndre Ay and since Robert Williams the
third is injured, we don't really have a long term center to evaluate unless
you think Dwop Wreath is that kind of answer. I just need to see
you clear the deck more specifically for Scoot Henderson and Shadon Sharp. That comes
back to Brogden, but could also involve Jeremy Grant a little bit if you're
not going to move Brogden. And so I don't know who to blame for
this, but I do think that that fourth quarter we saw against Golden State
on December seventeenth typifies the problem where Brogden's playing the entire corner and too much
is just running sort of through him, and he again even Grant on certain
nights. I'd like to see them just clear the runway more for Scoot and
Sharp specifically nothing. I think you're right, it's always great when you're when
you're in agreement. Our next team up is the Phoenix Suns. Actual Big
three minutes would be nice, and maybe a few fewer turnovers because they are
twenty fourth in turnover rate and only the Utah Jazz turn the ball over more
in fourth quarters. Now, I think this it comes back to two issues.
Do they have an offensive organizer that you trust to bring that turnover rate
down? Yes, the answer is Devin Booker, even if he's not having
some of his best performances. I also think just getting Bradley Beal back having
the Big three simplifies your decision making tree when you look at some of the
turnovers that have been committed by their big men their lower usage wings, just
having Bradley Beal available takes the ball out of their hands for certain amounts of
time or possessions. And we've already mentioned this. The Big Three is played
twenty four minutes together across two appearances. That's not going to change before twenty
twenty four because the Bradley Beal back injury. And I still have confidence in
this team when you get into their lineup data and just based off kind of
what we've seen in the very sparing minutes with all three on the court,
they will be fine. You need them all to be healthy, and that's
not really a guarantee at this point. So you need to wish that it
will be come playoff time because you don't honestly, you don't have the trade
ammo to go out there and make a meaningful acquisition. Could you get a
backup big? Could you get another wing? I like the fact that Suns
fans are just lusting after Sadik Bay and it's kind of like, all right,
so Debay's not it, guys, Like it's just it's not, you
know, like the deep Bays. Not if you think he's an upgrade over
nas or Josha koge I get it, Like, it's not. He's not
the answer. All right, I'm gonna power us through to the six or
se of some time to go back in timestamp. If you need to actually
have kind of two items one I one I actually wrote about and one I
thought of more recently. Uh when I heard the so the the afterthought is
they need more double agents. Because I heard someone explain, I'm sorry,
I forget who it was. This idea that Nick Nurse's raptors relentlessly double joyl
Embiid and gave him just hell he was, you know, turned it over.
That was always regarded as the weakest part of his game. And now
that Nick Nurse is the head coach of the Philadelphia seventy six ers, for
whom Joel Embid plays, he's handling double teams exceptionally well relative to how he
used to, and he's averaging your career high and assists. So like they
brought over the coach that gave him the hardest time, and they just it's
like, well, so, uh, here's that's what I used to do.
Here's how you can combat that, And it's sort of like they fixed
Joel Andbiad's biggest weakness. Counterpoint. They did try doing that once with Al
Horford, and it didn't go so well, that's true, so you gotta
be careful which double agents you pick. But the other the broader thing is
they just they're they're wishless. Should have better market conditions on it, because
this is a team, Darryl Morey said, and I'm quoting. What we're
attempting to do is have the best team possible this year, but also have
the ability that if we get into next season situation to be very unique,
to be a very unique team with the most cap space of a team that's
as good as us. That was comments game like over the summer talking about
the James Harden trade. This is a team with fifty five million in cap
space, legitimate trade assets, and like Zach Lavine's available, so cool,
and you know you could go for og and and Obi, Pascal Siakam,
all the usual suspects, or you could just sign those raptors double agents.
Though, like, don't you kind of want to say it might be too
many double agents? That's true if you like, is it like negative numbers
where they cancel each other out or become poled. Oh I've been just like,
if you want all these double agents, should they come from separate teams
so that you have different intel. I see broaden the broaden the this this
scope of your double agents that you know what. That's why that's why I'm
glad I podcast with you, because you come up with things I don't think
of. Uh, Basically, it's tricky now because the Sixers have like all
of the various avenues to improvement that Darryl Morey wanted and like kind of miraculously
was able to accumulate. And it's like the guys that they could go get
right now just don't feel like a big enough difference maker to justify the effort
or the expenditure. And they also don't want to compromise long term cap space.
They don't want to have to give up a bunch. So I just
wish they should wish that there were more options on the market to go get
that third star or to make the move that could really put the Sixers from
like the one A tier of contenders into just the full on, you know,
upper level. I'm with you. I think that's a great need for
them. It's just I don't know who the player is. If I even
said I wish this player was available for them, that's the thing I want
to see them I want to see them get with like Kawhi and Paul George
over the summer. Would be really funny. If those two don't sign an
extension, that's right, I'd just say it should be og Anobi and move
on, since that's always the answer. So I have the Orlando Magic next
three point shooting. This is this team We've I talked a little bit about
them in the context of the Raptors, Like the fours do a lot of
the playmaking, which means your guards really kind of a lot of time just
need to space the floor and be threats. They're dead last as a team
in percentage of shots that come from three, and they make them at a
clip that ranks twenty six. So they don't get up enough threes the Magic
and they don't make enough threes, and that's with like Joe Ingles is over
forty percent, Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, and Ban Carol all over thirty
seven percent. None of them get up more than five threes a game.
So like, I guess if you scale up those guys volume, maybe your
percentage goes down, and that's not so super helpful. I think I would
honestly, like I would just prefer we just see what happens if Jalen Suggs
took eight threes a game or something like that before you go out look for
someone because I like so much of what the guys I just mentioned. You
really come full circle on Jael and Suggs. Look, if he's gonna make
threes at like high volume, I I mean, I'm always he's not a
good passer, he's not a conventional point guard. That's that's just what it's
gonna be. But like he is useful if he's gonna make threes. But
again, the Magic don't shoot. They shoot fewer than anybody in the league
in terms of percentage of their freed goal attempts. Like that's just you're leaving
money on the table when you have forwards that can just you know, be
your primary initiators, get to the basket, playmake that kind of thing.
So this is like maybe one of the most basic wishless items we can have
because the need is so obvious. Uh, they should look at in free
agency and aer on the trademarket, what does it cost to get them a
manual quickly eleven point two to three point attempts per one hundred possession and he's
hitting them at a thirty seven percent Cluich. Yet them up and we are
on too. The Oklahoma City Thunder. Now there's a bunch of different ways
I could have gone here. I think a lot of fans will wish that
Josh Getty will play better. I have flip flopped on Gidey, but that
just emboldens me to believe that on the court he is basically his like their
version of RJ. Barrett, where there's just gonna be these ups and downs,
flickers and flashes of promise. Is it ever gonna sustain? It's not
gonna probably work out unless you tailor the roster perfectly to his skill set.
So I just didn't feel like, I just don't he might have good stretches.
I didn't want to waste my wish on that thunderfan. The other thing
is can you acquire shooting or some front court hefter bounce my issue? There
is absolutely wish for that, But recognize that because you have Dort, because
you have SGA, because you have Check, because you have Jaylen Williams,
that's top four of your spots gone, and it's like what we have Isaiah
Joe and ken Rich Williams, and so now you start getting into this fact
like, well, we need someone who's gonna crack the top six or seven.
That's a pretty tall order from a team that has been pretty big trade
averse, other than to tear it down or when they made the Paul George
acquisition. So I settled on maybe some more victories. Again, good teams.
They did have that overtime win over the Nuggets. I think that was
on what was that Saturday or Sunday. I was watching that they have that
level. But they're four and six against teams in the West with a winning
record, and so it's just you're there, You're contending for a top two
seed. You are one of the best teams in the league by your vitals,
top five point differential, Like, let's rack up more of those victories
so that you can make your arrival come beyond a shadow of a doubt.
And I'm saying this mostly because I don't expect their core to make a material
change that would account for the other wishes that I could have just outlined.
I mean, it's just it's nice at least that we have a knock to
level to level against the thunder can't say bad thing about the thunder on the
court. It just gets very ard. Yeah, it's like their starting lineups
offense can be a little squishy, But that goes back to Gudey. I
think, well, yeah, three years ahead of schedule, we gotta find
a knit to pick. So for the Knicks, I I mean, now
you might say they need some centers because they're all hurt, but that I
know a guy you get it. Where's why haven't you programmed the Chris Bouchet
button like you could even in the video like make his face pop? Oh?
Did you? I was thought about Noah? I know a guy,
Noah who von Leah? A guy you think he's coming back? Timms went
to the Taj Gibson, Well why not? So for the Knicks, I
think I think their wishless should include an upgrade button for RJ. Barrett,
or maybe a button that allows him to be playable in fourth quarters, because
that's not happening very much anymore. That's a little bit distressing. You have
spoken many times and with great knowledge and passion about how like his whole developmental
arc is just so confounding talking about Barrett because sometimes the three point shootings there
sometimes the defense looks like it's there. Sometimes it's just impossible to imagine him
fitting on a good team because he's such a weird, niche player. So
I'm just gonna press that the Meme upgrade button and make him into a big
wing slash combo forward who can defend opposing top options at multiple positions and can
consistently make a bunch of threes and threatened defenses from out there. I am
describing Og and Andobi. I feel like, and if so, drink everybody.
I guess is the game I know about Chris Bouchet for what it's well,
you always think that it's all you hear when when anyone talks, is
Chris Bouchet's name being repeated over and over. We have a few seconds.
I imagine, where are you on the RJ. Barrett experience right now today?
I mean, if I have to pick out or if it always seemed
like it was gonna come down to a choice between him or Randall, and
at this point, like I am ready to choose Julius Randall, and I've
been on the probably choose RJ. Og would be perfect for them. It
just seems like they need to set their sights on someone else, because I
don't know that they would have the best offer if he does. Yeah.
But the other thing we always have to talk about, and this is the
point you raised and I repeat it all the time. They still kind of
need someone who's better than everyone they have, Right, if you really want
to get down to it, like or at least as good as Jalen Brunson,
maybe you've downgraded to that, right, I think you know who might
be interesting and his pay grade is just so bad and I can't be done
to the office like Jalen Brown, Oh yeah, do anything for you.
He's someone that's like, well, I don't know that he's as good as
Jalen Brunson. I think he doesn't meet the credits comparable though he's close,
like you simplify his offense like Julius Randall and Jalen Brunton. Would they be
the two of the three best passers on the Celtics, Probably, right,
I guess. I mean I think so, I don't know who's who is
the best passer on the Celtics. It's Drew Holliday or Tatum. I mean,
I guess prettured, how do you but he's not playing like huge minutes.
White. Yeah, Derek White can do anything as far as I'm concerned.
Uh oh my next up, My bad, the New Orleans Pelicans.
I have more threes, please, And I'm pretty disappointed because Trey Murphy's jacking
them up and they are still twenty They were twenty seventh and three point in
tenth rate when Trey Murphy the third came back. They are twenty seventh and
three point in tenph rate since he returned. That's disappointing to me. They
are there are three point in temp rate increases by like seven percent when he's
on the court. But like, they need to take more threes, I
think, especially because the way that they've just been inconsistent with how they use
zion And if you're not always going to be a good rim protecting or defensive
team on a given night, like you need to kind of just give yourself
a larger cushion for error getting up more threes and making them could do that.
Now here's the issue. They run into the same thing as the thunder.
If you're saying go acquire this guy, and also if you want to
a rim protector who also spaces the floor either with his screens or actually shoots.
It has to be a player who is going to be better then like
being there, even being in their top seven is hard because they have like
the Jonah Allen Chunas is good. You have Zion, you have seen Yay,
you have brandon Ingram, you have Herb Jones, you have Trey Murphy.
So it's like, at minimum you need their next gut to be better
than Jose Alvarado, Dyson, Daniel Dyson Daniels, a healthy Larry Nance Junior.
I'm looking at the roster and this is probably just a roundabout way of
me calling out brandon Ingram just because Jonas is not going to take more threes.
He's hitting them. But even if he takes more, I don't think
defense has taken them seriously. Zion is a non shooter. I could probably
be talked into Herb Jones juicing up his volume, but like CJ and Trey
are already over ten attempts per one hundred posessions, brandon Ingram is at basically
six per one hundred. That ranks seventy fifth out of one hundred and five
players who are having usage rate above twenty. And so the fact that he's
taking under six attempts per thirty per one hundred possessions. It just needs to
change. And take this Pelicans fans, if you're angry about it as me
nitpicking, because I think this team went healthy, has the potential to be
so good. Like we all know that I ride or die with the Pelicans.
I did come close to dying earlier this season, or at least jumping
off the bandwagon, but I held on and I'm happy I did. I
just I think their offense needs that different volume level of scoring. Yeah,
I think that's right. It's just like, I don't know what the explanation
for Ingram not taking more threes is, Like he just his first, second
and third thought are always just like get to the elbow and rise up more
or less, and it's just like that that can't be it. Especially if
you're playing with Zion. That can't be it. Oh my godness, it's
still me. I'm really just not paying attention to the alphabet right now.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, speaking of nitpicking, because there's just not much to say
about this team. Maybe better off court decision making from Anthony Edwards, that's
fair game, But I think they need backup point guard type who preferably will
juice up their three point volume. We've seen them be shaky on offense at
times. The non at minutes are disaster. Even when Mike Conley's on the
floor. Can they get some even if they're not a facilitator, because I
think you can get the points where it's well, we have the ability to
stagger Conley. We can put Kyle Anderson on the court. He's a good
passer. So just get someone who's gonna come in, get up threes and
can maybe handle the ball a little bit. I've cited Javon Carter. A
bunch Alec Burks would make a lot of sense for this team. And you
can, in theory get to the money for either of those guys that I
just mentioned without giving up. I'll call it your core seven. Where you're
looking at Nasreed Anderson coming off the bench. You have Troy Brown Junior's money.
You have Shake Milton. That gets you to about eight millions. You
can take it back a little bit more than that. I don't know if
that quite gets you to Burkes, but that's enough for Javon Carter, right.
I think you actually only need you might need Shake and a smaller salary
for Javon Carter, you have some seconds that you could give up that type
of acquisition. I don't know if it makes you if you're out on the
Timberwolves as a contender because of the dual big setup and you don't think it'll
fare well and playoff matchups, there's nothing that could be done for them on
the trade market because they're not breaking up. This court's been so good,
and I happen to believe in them their playoff stock. So I just think
this type of tweak and even if it's not going to be a backup point
guard, if it's someone who can come in and be in the top seven
eight of your rotation and get up threes, I think that really opens up
your offense. Yeah, we've I don't know if we coined it, but
we've definitely had a few. I have no notes teams over the years.
You know, it used to be the Bucks, might be the Celtics right
now. I think as far as the regular season goes, I think I
have no notes for the Timberwolves other than like, well, if Mike Conley
gets hurt, they're they're in trouble there. But like, I don't know,
is that a note like, oh if some if a starter gets hurt,
Like, yeah, of course that's true for every team, So right,
I was very curious to see what you have the correct item here.
I think they're weird in the sense that if you, I know, they
have depth, but it feels like a lot of regular season depth, and
so they're weird in the sense like if you take away any one of their
starters, almost like if you took away go Bear, if you took away
Calmly, if you took away Edwards, and I think long term, if
you like took away Jane McDaniels from it, and I know he's missed timely.
Ye're like, it feels like they're almost fucked. I do know which
is a weird thing say about what's been the best team in the league and
which feels deep on paper? Maybe I went one player too far, but
certainly losing Calmly or Gobert feels like it would verge on dire. Yeah.
Right, it changes everything about what they're doing. And I'm not showing Karl
Anthony Towns, which is that they have nos reed and so it's just you're
fine, Yeah, I mean that is the spot where NAS reed is like
very much. I don't know if you I guess you have to say,
is the poor man's cat, but like he does a lot of the same
stuff. I have. The Milwaukee bock Bucks coming up next. Their wish
list includes a head start and this is all in reference to their transition defense
being like inexplicably confoundedly terrible. So my theory for them, or my suggestion
is just like, if you think it's time to run back, it's already
too late, So just like dial that back like three seconds before you think
it's time to run back. On defense, Like, it's so bizarre to
that this team does not offensive rebounds, so it's not like they're throwing all
their bodies at the glass and that's why they're not getting back. The stat
that blew me away opponents get transition opportunities on forty point seven percent of live
rebounds. For some context, the second most generous team in that stat is
the seventy six Ers. They allow runouts on thirty four point nine percent of
live rebounds. That's closer to the middle of the pack than it is to
the Bucks. So it's like the gap between Milwaukee and everyone else in this
on on just like how often teams get out on the break on a live
rebound is like, it's just it's staggering. And it's not like this is
a young team. It's not like this is a lazy team. Like Giannis
plays really hard and that sets the tone for them. It's not. It
can't just be Dame. Like if it were one guy, we would have
isolated it and said like, hey, Dame, just stay at the logo,
like and just start the you know, if you shoot it from there,
just stay there and then backpedal a little bit. So I don't have
an answer. I just it's such a glaring weakness that it could only be
this for their wishless item. Just the ability to get back if you want
to not be like quite as cute about it. Two things on that though,
And I don't I'm not sure the numbers have changed. They've actually been
an above average transition defense when you look at points a lot per possession.
But because opponents get out so frequently, I just, how do you I
think playing Andre Jackson Junior Moore is a good thing. Play marj On Bouchamp
Moore, the fans that are lusting after Alex Caruso. I don't even think
if you did Connatant and Bouchamp in seconds, that's going to be anywhere close
to the best offer for Caruso. No, I don't. And it's and
like the bulls guard you probably could get is a reunion with Javon, Carter
or Io. Assume it would still be interesting on this team. Yeah,
just let's pluck all the bulls. I just like, I just get picked
one. What if you just said bulls, give us like one of them.
Just don't tell us which we'll give you. Marj On Beauchamp, just
just surprise us and you help me up Boachamp for Carter or Disuno. I
don't think, No, probably not. I just like I don't understand how
a veteran team like I want to put it on Adrian Griffin somehow like this
must be your fault. I don't know how. I don't know why,
but it's just because I don't have a better explanation, you know what.
Honestly this is, this is so divergent and it's gonna be longer, and
this should probably be their biggest regret. I know, I think we're giving
you the East. They should have told and informed Drew Holliday about the Damian
Lillard trade, because then they could have probably controlled where he went and it
wouldn't have been Boston. Yeah right, And like that's kind of impacted their
transition defense just as much as not having like their championship, just as much
as not having Drew Holiday. You send him to your biggest threat or didn't
send him, but he ended up on the biggest threat to your conference.
Yeah right, there's it's like a compounding error, basically, It's like what
it's it's it just makes the one thing even worse than it would have been
had you just lost him. For not like if you just sent Drew Holiday
like into the ether, that's bad, but it's like doubly bad that he's
on the team that's probably gonna beat you in a playoff series. I have
the Heat next, so just this as evidence that this will just not always
be a we need a three and D wing our point guard. The Heat's
wishless item is New City edition jerseys, because these Heat culture jerseys are trash
and I hate them. Uh, and worse than that, because this isn't
just a fashion podcast. Uh, it like the idea that you're putting culture
underneath heat on these jerseys. I'm sure everybody's seen these, and it's bigger
than the word heat. It's so antithetical to like what heat culture sort of
is supposed to be, which is like, you know, they used to
have the hype video during the heatles era, which is like the most anti
heat culture thing ever, but where it's like there's flames and they're all training
and they're like hitting tires with sledgehammers and like they're carrying big links of chain
while they do like push the sled and they're working harder than everybody. And
Jimmy Butler now is in the gym at four am and all this stuff,
like we concoct role players out of nothing because we just like beat them senseless
at workouts and all that. You know, we were more professional, we
work hard or we treat all this stuff. And it's like and now we're
advertising it now, it's branding now. It's like so cheapened and sullied by
this stupid heat culture jersey. And they have like the mantra that they put
in the lane on their on their nd season tournament court, Like I just
hate it. It feels like you're the heat are great, like they do
do all this stuff. I just hate that in a world where everyone is
marketing their brand like the heat of taken this thing that's really awesome about themselves
and cheapened it by just being like, here's our here's our brand identity.
Check it out. Don't like it. Get New City jerseys that don't say
culture on it. That's all go off. I'm not gonna add anything to
that. We're just gonna go to the Memphis Grizzlies h full strength availability,
or I should say fullish strength, because you're not gonna get Steven Adams or
Brand and Clark back this season in all likelihood. John Moran is already back.
That's great. Marcus Smart's apparently coming back from a footage injury soon.
Lukenard's missed a bunch of time most of the season. Actually, he's still
dealing with that bone bruise in his knee and he's dealt with like knee both
like ten knights in both his knees. I believe that's something to watch.
You're just I still tend to believe what they did to the Pelicans on Tuesday
Night. That was a fun game. I know Pelicans stands are really ticked
off at the refs. You're just grant. They're like six games out of
the play in in the lost column right now. That's just so many to
make up even this point of the season, and it's like, well,
which team are you leap frogging. I guess the Rockets could fall off a
bunch, but the Warriors probably won't continue to plunge, So this season feels
gone. I'm more about like, hey, let's see, can you get
a sample off which to judge Triple J Marcus Smart, John Morant, and
Desmond Main together to see what you have, Because what you really want to
wish for is you still need the wing of the future unless you think it's
the He's been great, but he's undersized Vince Williams, and it's not Zyier
Williams as much as we want it to be or wanted it to be.
So I just you want to get healthier to see without us doing anything,
can we make the play in make a run or can we at least know
whether this works or not? Because if you get like so, let's say
Smart is back by January, now, you feel like a month if you
need this. If you decide, hey, this really isn't working. You
can still move Smart around the deadline and see if you can get back any
of the value that you gave up to get him. I caught myself in
the exuberance of John Rant's game winner, thinking like, all right, maybe
Memphis is gonna get up to something. And then I saw the stat or
the explanation that, like, to get to forty one and forty one,
they need to play at a fifty win pace immediately and for the rest of
the season. And it's like, no, Adam, no clerk, not
impossible, but it's impossible. That's a tall order, Like I mean,
especially if you assume Smart is you know, gonna be this not quite the
same, or we'll continue to decline or get hurt again. I think I'm
just very interesting what he was bad on offense, just turning them. He
can't be like even your second ball handler. And so now that he's your
third, maybe that changes things. Uh. We are on to the Los
Angeles Lakers. This is gonna surprise no one. They need another offensive outlet.
I fall short of saying a star just because I like Zack Lavine for
this team I think more than their fans do. But I think their fans
are also married to Ruy hot Chimore and it basically your offer has to be
Dlo, Ruby and stuff to get this done. The non Lebron minutes are
bad, and there are just moments even when he's on the court where they
look clumpy inside the half court and you need more three point volume. They're
hovering around the bottom five of both three point attempt rate and efficiency grant.
That is not good and so like you're too dependent on Lebron being superhuman?
Will Anthony Davis go off even if it's not his jumper? Like is he
gonna finish as frequently as he has been at certain points? I liked what
I saw a lot from d Lo during this like two to three week stretch,
and I'm not out on him, but it's okay. I understand why
his contract is structured the way it is. Again, I did this last
year, by the way, I won't learn I really killed the Wolves for
the comedy traitsuse I thought Dlo was it, and so I like to own
up to my mistakes. That was one of my more egregious ones. But
it doesn't have to I like Zack Levine, but it can be. Uh,
I don't I'm not talking tomar Derozen he doesn't nudge up your three point
volume enough. I know they're obsessed with getting back Alice Caruso. He doesn't
nudge up your three point volume enough. Bogdan Bodonovich, Bollyon Bogdanovich, or
am I out of Bogdanovic's What else is there you're not gonna have for Larry
marketIn? Would you have a I don't think Kyle Kuzma gives you enough of
the volume, but like, and it needs to probably come at that position.
I guess they can be a guard. You have a lot of you
have a lot of size, so it can be like it can come probably
at the like anywhere between the one or the four. Yeah, I guess
if you wanted a four spacing five a good defend next to Davis. But
I just described like who like nobody in the league right now, So I
think that's what they need. It couldn't even be as simple as like do
they take a flyer on Gary Trent Junior who's not been good this year?
And does getting off of Russell's money? Dude, I don't think they give
up Ruy for uh Gary Trent Junior. Fi I'm not crazy about that contract,
but they just need to increase their you know, it doesn't have to
be an offensive lifeline. There needs to be another offensive outlet here. Yeah,
I mean, I think they missed the boat on him. But Buddy
Heal does the exact player type that Emily from Buddy Heeld requests trade to his
Buddy Heeld not is he gonna resign Indiana at this point? Like what now?
It's fun to be a pacer, so nobody wants to leave. Oh
my god, it's still sorry, it's still me the Clippers. They exactly
what's happening now. I'm not adding anything to the equation. The stuff that
they could do on the trade market, or maybe they should lower certain players
is playing time or certain units? Is playing time? No? This what
we're watching right now. The Clippers have basically just never lost since they won
lost those immediate five games. Since the James Harden sweepstakes, they are actually
during that time, they've won nine of their I think one nine straight and
fourteen of their last seventeen. Their top five in offensive defense during that span.
Kawhi Leonard looks like an MVP candidate. James Harden is meshing Gelling working
off the ball, has great chemistry with each a Zubos Zubox has been great
for them, by the way, Norman Powell has been great to sort of
amplify the stars. Terrence Man is still good. I love this team as
it is healthy. But we mentioned this on our News and Update podcast Paul
Georgia Whiletter missed a combined one game that seems to suggest, based off the
previous track record, they are operating on borrowed time. I hope, if
you're a fan, hope that they're not, because this team, exact team
right now, if they're healthy, they don't have to win fourteen of seventeen
all the time. They are one of the most dangerous contenders in the league.
That is what they look like right now. The only thing that could
derail them. It's not even James Harden's playoff track record, because this is
insulation unlike he's never had, never had it in Brooklyn, just because they
weren't available, This exact team right here, right now, as healthy as
they aren't, I don't even need Mason Plumb me back Whish for exactly more
of what you're seeing. I mean, this is proof of concept in a
lot of ways, like and it's not and it's also not surprising. I
mean, what's surprising is that everybody has stayed healthy enough for this to work.
But this was the theory of the team. We just have. We
get these two guys, we've put the right pieces around them, and then
this is we're gonna be great, and they are great. This is a
we've talked about this before in a different way. This is also still a
wake me up in April team, but in like a different way, like,
let's just this is cool to see how many if everybody's still standing by
the time we get there. I do hope that our comments post trade align
with what you just said. I don't think we were one of the podcasts
that dumped all over it. We probably recognized that. I hope we recognized
there was risk but understood it. I'd be curious to know what we said
already forgot. But chances are I probably should all over the hard and trade,
But I don't know. Maybe I maybe I some shade it Jae and
Suggs and Magic fans. While you're probably I hope I equivocated. I do
tend to do that. I'm going to give you a break because we're onto
an Eastern Conference scene. But just for a second, I hope you're ramping
up. You have a marathon to close this part. I know, I'm
it's good on a big run here to close it. So the Indiana Pacers
wish list a moment to reflect and just appreciate that you have what I think
is a generational offensive like culture set or floor whatever, floor raiser, whatever
you want to call it, in Tyrese Haliburton, and granted, like things
have not been so great since the n season tournament. I'm definitely riding the
high of how the Pacers played leading into the tournament and during it. But
it's also just a you know, Haliburton is not It's not like he's just
had like a hot couple of weeks, like this is what he's done this
season, this is what he was hinting at the year before. I think,
you know, you try to go through and think about guys who completely
change, like how an organization is viewed, how it plays that make everybody
better, Like you you know, there's you could talk about the stats like
Pacers offense is nine per one hundred better when he's on the floor. This
year, it was seven point one better last year. Those are both ninetieth
percentile. You know on off split impacts, he's elite. The stats show
it as an offensive like again tonesetter, floor raiser or what do you want
to call it, But like guys like this are super rare, and so
Pacers fans just like, yeah, your team can't defend. Yeah, you're
several pieces away from really being a legit, like we're gonna win some playoff
rounds. But like the guys that do what Haliburton has done, you can
count him on one hand, Like there just aren't like this is Nash in
Phoenix, this is Jokic, now, this is Curry a few like years
ago in a different way because he's not like a past first player per se.
But like there's just something special. We should all just enjoy it.
Like I just think if you're not seeing the parallels between Haliburton and like past
you know, culture changing offensive grades, like you're missing it because I think
he just does have that like hard to quantify it, even though I just
give you numbers that kind of quantify what he does offensively. Here's the problem
in the one hundred and twenty seconds you just took to talk about that the
Pacers just allowed another team to get to the rim or knocked out a shot
from Florida range. And so that's why you can't think a moment to reflect
because your defense doesn't have any time, not a defensive culture center. To
be clear, the Rockets they need Jalen Green to not suck basically, and
we've seen some numbers. I don't want to go through them here, it'll
take too long, and you can go read the piece for more of them.
But just like his efficiency inside and beyond the arc is down, this
is not someone he is gone. I disagree that Jalen Green can't be better
because we've seen him go basically in each of his first two years in the
league. There's that latter half of the season he just goes on these scorchers
where he is super efficient on these off the dribble jumpers. So there's that
element of he can be better, but he seems displaced from this offense.
They've taken out a lot of the two man stuff he ran without prinching gun
in favor of Okay, now Fred van Fleet is there, Like Fred van
Fleet isn't someone who conventionally infringes upon what others are doing, and Jalen Green
has been unable to assimilate properly. The efficiency's not there. He's not giving
it to you on defense. I think in part by the way because he
is small, like he's six' four, and a lot of people forget
that. I think just when I look at him, I feel like there
should be a complimentary player there, someone who's not sort of has to be
the bones of your entire offense. But even if he is that player needs
to be the bones of your entire offense, he's not good enough. And
so if you're a Rockets fan, you're wishing for him to be better,
more complimentary, or for the Rockets to reach a revelation of some sort very
soon so that you could potentially still capitalize on his trade value. Because right
now, when you look at the for all the options the Rockets have,
if I ask you, who are the foundational can't move have to keep pieces
for this team, there's Alprin Shang Gun. That might be. It might
be, and that's maybe you just haven't seen Aman Thompson. So the draft
equity implies, no, you can't get rid of him or Green or Jabari
Smith Junior. But now that shit's starting to add up and compound upon each
other, and so you need more answers from Jalen Green. I actually do
believe he could be better. I just don't know if he needs to have
more agency over the offense to be better. I don't necessarily think that's going
to be his best role. I do see someone who could not doesn't have
the same level of athleticism, but like someone who could be a zach Lavine
like Theo's some of the best elements of zack Lavine on offense. I could
see him being that. I think that's right. I wonder sometimes if he
if Green is like, hey, here's what happens when your first two years
in the league are in like a lawless, unstructured environment where it's like the
Rockets, they just got to do whatever they wanted, turn it over,
you know, thirty times a game. Cool, that's what you know?
That that I want. And he's kind of he's not the last holdover from
that, but like he's definitely representative of how guys just were not developing because
there was no structure or like accountability at all, and he just hasn't.
Like he's still young, he's twenty one still, which is crazy, but
like this is year three. You can't be having your points per shot attempt
declining every year since you were a rookie and your usage rate going up.
Like that's just like this isn't isn't gonna cut it. Let's see Golden State
Warriors better play at the time, which could technically be inaccurate if you consider
that Trace Jackson Davis is now their second best player, Like you don't really
need any better play for him. But aside from Steph Curry, the starting
lineup guys have been should be starting lineup guys. I know there's been changes,
have been a disaster. Klayt Thompson is shooting better, but he can
still look like he's pressing on offense. He's never gonna be the same on
defense. I don't think he's like an atrocity. I actually think a lot
of this season you've watched more of the Warriors than I have, Like Andrew
Wiggins has probably been more detrimental to them. Thompson, no question, it's
not clothes speaking of which, so when you look at Draymond Green, I
think he's still transformative on defense and he's hitting threes this year. I can't
I can't explain it. They're above the breakthrees too. However, he needs
to stay on the court. But it's just we're already working through. He's
gonna be suspended. There's a chance that he ends up being suspended for more
games than John Morant this year. Like that is on the table. So
those two. So with Draymond, it's okay if he comes back, he
should be better as long as he's playing Klay Thompson thirty three, just like
Draymond and his game is just like what you need him to do on defense,
never going to be the same. Andrew Wiggins, he's twenty seven,
twenty eight around there. Yeah, he's not in the back end of his
prime. But we actually have basically a decade's worth of evidence that he is
not the guy that the Warriors thought that they resigned. So that's a problem.
Cavon Looney looks like he's tending to a cinder block garden this year.
Just I don't know what's up with him. And then like that's those are
big issues because this was supposed to be or it was one of the most
effective five man units in the league last year. Yes, you can make
changes to the starting five, but now you're taking away from a bench that
has been your bright spot there And so the Warriors have to ask themselves,
are these age related declines, orge related declines or aggressions in Andrew Wiggins's case
to the normal that can't be reversed or will they be reversed? And if
the answer is no, they can't be reversed, do you have the guts
the gall to go out there and make a trade for someone who will give
you better play at the top of your rotation. Because that's going to require
not just giving up assets, but probably it's going to require making one,
if not too awkward decisions. And I think a lot of people will be
well, they won't have a problem moving Andrew Wiggins or Chris Paul. You
can make the case that they're gonna be a lot worse if they move Chris
Paul. When you're looking at someone you want to manage the game. So
I hope, because I love Steph Curry and he is still a transformative player,
that they do go out and make a trade, because I don't think
this could be reversed. I understand the emotional complexities of getting into Klay Thompson
and Draymond Green trade scenarios at this point, but like you should absolutely have
Andrew Wiggins then and stuff on the table to go out and improve the top
of your roster. Yeah. I would just say the one thing that was
not a foreseeable or within the organization like issue for the team this year was
the starting five not being good and like and that as well, all of
them just all separate stuff just sort of imploding. Yeah, like that And
in hindsight, like maybe that's irrational because like Looney is someone like he had,
He's got the longest active games played streak after Jack. When I watch
him, I'm just like, because he used to be injured all the time
and then he just became his iron man. I'm like that dude, looks
like he needed some time off. He needs a couple weeks off. I
think that's right. And then yeah, like Clay of course was gonna regress.
Like maybe this should have been a little more foreseeable. You're not going
to change your off season roster construction plans around it. But this was not
the thing that they thought would uh would be an issue. I have the
Detroit Pistons, Dan, do you want to guess what their wish list item
is. It's the simplest one on the board. They need a win.
There's a decent chance that this sounds ridiculous because they might beat the Jazz in
their next game and you might hear this podcast after that happens. I'm banking
on multiple wins. How about let's mean more specific, what are they right
now? What's their record? Two in something, two in a shitload of
losses? You want them to get to You want them to get nine or
ten more wins, just so you're not the worst team in NBA history.
Sure, I mean let's start with one. Though maybe that would be cool,
and that doesn't that's not going to change any of the Like, I
don't know, mounting signs that this is a grossly mismanaged organization that has a
coach that is maybe not the right coach, and they paid a million paid
paid, you know, seventy eight millions for him. I was gonna say
paid a million dollars, Like when I say this guy scored a million points
to be hyperbolic, non, No, seventy eight millions, seventy and a
half. I mean, who's counting? That's an ND season tournament, the
victory fee right there, that half million, it's not going to change.
You know, Kid Cunningham maybe isn't a top option, which isn't great.
It's not going to change that. Jade and Ivy remains marginalized. Is not
going to change that. Killian Hayes looks like a miss even though they continue
to plan. It's not going to change all this other structural stuff, all
this ideological stuff, like it's not going to change the fact that you've been
rebuilding for the better part of a half decade and you might just need to
start all the way over again. That's but you got to get a win,
Like, get a win. Let's start there, Maybe get a couple
more, and we can if nothing else, if they get a win,
at least we're not just constantly talking about them as like how long is it
gonna go on? Because then we can lump them back in with the San
Antonios and Washington's and whoever else really slides the rest of the way, because
right now it's like Detroit is just singularly bad and you just don't want to
be that the Denver Nuggets. So since we already talked about this, I'll
go a different way. But I think you want Aaron Gordon to continue hitting
his free throws and his threes. You'd like him to. I'd wish for
him to nudge up that three point volume, basically under two attempts per thirty
six minutes while he's been hitting them over his past five games. I would
also say it'd be nice if they could get sort of a different backup big
option from what Kaziknagy we know, is not it DeAndre Jordan. You can't
rely on for big minutes anyway. Playing small isn't necessarily an option with the
way that this team is built. We mentioned a lot about you know,
Bismock Biamba was doing nothing. This should have been a team that probably looked
at Bismock byumb but we know he's not huge. I know he doesn't necessary
play their play their style. Can they get if Memphis decides to kind of
sell Xavier Tillman not really their style anyway, but just someone who could eat
some regular season innings. That's what I would wish for, because I'm very
much we mentioned this in a previous probable I'm so unconcerned about the Nuggets not
being the best team in the West, but I'm just like, to me,
they are my title pick. They remade my team to be. I've
seen nothing from them that makes me think that they just won't be there at
the forefront of everything when it matters most. And a lot of the issues
that we're gonna harp on the same from last season. But they apply to
so many teams where it's like, well, they're really relying on their five
best players. Yeah, no fucking shit. I guess who's gonna be on
the floor when they're trying to win a title. Those guys, they should
rely on them. Peyton Watson's not gonna be closing games for them over kN
Davis, call of Pope or Michael Porter June. I guess maybe. But
Peyton Watson did get a TV commercial with NICOLEA. Jokis. Did you see
this? They're walking a pony through A definitely negotiated that for him. Oh
yeah, great, great agent by Peyton Watson's Asian. Good job. Uh,
this is the Dallas Mavericks they need or should wish for. Excuse me
more two way supporting cast members. And I would say maybe the answer could
be on the roster. We just haven't seen a lot of MAXI Kleiba,
but I feel like we say that every season. We haven't seen a lot
of Maxi Kleiba. Grant Williams has stopped titting threes, and I think MAVs
fans are now finding out that, oh, he's not a wing stopper on
defense, even though that's how the free agency signing was. He's just someone
who can switch. Awesome, you have Derek Jones Junior. He is starting
to come back to solid ground when you look at his three point shooting.
We talked about Dante Exen previously. He has been a mega mega bright spot.
The driving kicks are good, he can attack in space, his threes
are falling. Defenses don't give a shit, and you need you need defense.
You need someone a two way. So basically, you need someone who
defenses give a shit about on offense, who will nudge up your own defense
perfectly. You can defend the point of attack, or at least some wing
guys. It's tough for them because they can only trade one tan like one
real first round pick U. They're not going to be in an og at
Anobie sweepstakes. Could they be in a Jay Shawn Tate sweepstakes? As someone
on that level. Perhaps does that even like, could they get like a
Naji Marshall? Is that even what is that? Even someone who fixes what
ails them? You just want to find more two way supporting cast members for
this team. Uh, they're also just like injuries again have skewed some of
it and Kyrie Irving has missed a bunch of time. Lucas playing spectacular right
now, but you're almost like threatening to run him aground with how much you're
leaning on him. So this could be Look, it doesn't need to be
like a megasplash, but like, this is a team that should be calling
about Marcus Smart. They should be calling about Jeremy Grant. I don't know
if Kyle cou I did mention Kyle Kuzma for them on another podcast like that,
they they probably have the amo to get that done. If those teams
are looking for one first round pick in return, Yeah, I like it
all right, are you ready? It's just gonna be a dead So this
is this is what it wants to me because the alphabet for some reason exkews
Eastern Conference towards the beginning of it. The alphabetical list of teams the Cleveland
Cavaliers need a break and not like a break as in Darius Carland's jaw,
which as part of the reason he's going to be out at least a month
Evan Mobley surgery. We talked about this on previous POT sixty eight weeks on
his left knee. This starting lineup that we love so much, with the
addition of Max Strus just right smack in there between the Mitchell mobile, Mitchell,
Garland backcourt mobile, Allen front court made all a sense in the world.
Three hundred and four possessions for those guys, and that number will not
be climbing for a considerable amount of time. I was looking for this report
on when we were talking earlier. This is from Shams and Joe Varden of
the Athletic. If the Cavs season is to be derailed by these two lengths
the injuries to key players, the rest of the league will immediately turn towards
the shores of Lake Arie to see if Mitchell is available even earlier. That's
like a bump, bump, bum, You know. I didn't see that.
When did they tweet that? I was, I don't know, long
enough ago that I put it in our piece, and so I was wondering
I missed that because I was wondering why you were talking about Donovan Mitchell trades
on our last pot. I was like, I didn't think Grant was gonna
be the one that went this route. But no, no, you know
me, I don't want to start talking about trades unless we absolutely have to
planning podcast. You just want to do trades, it's all you want to
talk about. It's just my life. Uh So it feels to me like
the vultures are circling and like, yeah, it's just because some team,
you know, or several teams come in with like these predatory Hey you know
it. And I know that Donovan Mitchell doesn't want to be there. Everyone's
been clear on that from the moment you traded for him. Let me take
them off your hands now for you know, sixty cents on the dollar for
what you gave up to get him. Like, just because that may happen
doesn't mean the Calves have to just acquiesce and do it. But like it
sucks that that's where we are already, and it's because injuries have like raised
this like aura of like vulnerability around this team all of a sudden. It
didn't help them. Man, you're turning some nice phrases to me and late
Dan, I think I'm saf dummy brained right now. But it doesn't help
that, Like the team itself just wasn't performing well regardless of who's on the
floor for most of this year. But the Cavs just need some better luck.
Maybe that's a faster recovery timeline. Maybe that's Donovan Mitchell come out out
and saying like I'm committed even though nobody will believe him, but just something
that there's been no indicasion that he wants out. It's all assumptions, but
it's like it's been loud and consistent enough for as far as the speculation goes
that it's like it's not nothing that he wants to be in New York,
right, Like there's some foundation to that. I think he doesn't go to
Villanova, so he has no chance of ending up in New York. He
should get like a like a like an honorary masters or something, or get
like a graduate degree so that he can fit in with the nick there's Kaggo
Bulls. Their wish list is headed by the need for a clarity of purpose,
which is just to say, like do the right thing, fellas,
like see acknowledge where you are, create all your veterans. Stop this nonsense
about like, well, we're interested in, you know, guys that can
help us win now and if we get picks that are useful down the road
for Zach Lavine, all the better. It's like no, no, no,
you know you could. Good job. Kobe White's deal looks good.
Dis Soon Moves deal looks good. Javon Carter looks good. Alex Truso,
he's valuable. Like if you want to keep White, you want to keep
the Soon Move. That's cool. They can be role players, maybe fringy
starters in White's case going forward, everybody else like Droz and Vucevic, Cruzo,
Levine, they got to go. You can't like you can't. This
is not a core that you supplement to see like how many more wins can
we squeeze out of it this year? That's been the mo for going on
like three years with this iteration of the team this is this does not work
like that. There needs to be just a sober analysis of where this team
is and where it can go and where it can go if they have all
their guys healthy. Is like forty three wins, forty four wins, what
like that pace? Whatever? Like we've said this from I mean, it
feels like we've only said one thing about this team for like the last two
years. And I know that gets annoying. But if the narrative doesn't change,
like our analysis of what's happening is not going to change, and the
Bulls just need to look at the situation rationally, move off all these veterans
and just started over. And the way they're talking consistently just feels like they're
not ready to acknowledge that. And so a little clarity is what they need
here. And it doesn't help that they're winning, right, because you don't
know which way that cuts. It should tell you that we don't need Levine
and we should trade him, but it might tell it might make them think
what happens when Levine comes back will just be better. Look at all these
wins we got, Now now we're really rolling, not not the correct lesson
from this story. The Charlotte Hornets are next a healthy Lamello ball, that'd
be nice. We've talked about this before. It's it's when it's someone like
him on a team like this, which is to say you know we like
Brandon Miller. I think I'm not ready to say I was dead wrong on
Brandon Miller. He's been better than I thought he was. Ball is still
just like the only surefire. This is a cornerstone type guy. They've already
maxed him out. He's hurt. This team doesn't have much of anything else
in terms of its like long you know, big picture outlook to judge.
But if he's not available, like you can't really gauge you know, which
center fits best or which wing? What types of wings do we need?
What's the best type of player type for the other guard with him? Like
what things do we need? You know what works, what doesn't work?
You have some information on that. It's not like he's a rookie. You
know, you won forty three games with him as arguably your best player not
that long ago. But if he's not there, it just delays a lot
of the decisions that a team like this needs to make, and it just
withholds information that you need to make those decisions. So we didn't do too
many of these, like a healthy so and so, But I think this
is kind of the right one for the wish list. So they need a
healthy LaMelo ball badly. Yeah, rapid firing to the Brooklyn nets. This
is one of my favorite ones because it still just baffles me. They need
a little chaos. That is the wish list item that they should be hoping
for. This is a roster with like just you could stop whenever. But
it's like mckail bridge is, Dorian Finney, Smith, Royce so O'Neil,
Nick Claxton, Ben Simmons, Dennis Smith Junior. Now, several of those
guys have missed time, but the through line for all of them is these
guys are disruptive, rangy active defensive players. Cam Johnson even ninety fifth percentile
and steel rate in twenty five games with Brooklyn last year nowhere close to that
this year. And so Brooklyn now is dead last in steals and opponent turnover
percentage despite this collection of players. I don't know. This is another just
like the Milwaukee transition defense thing. I don't understand it. I don't get
how you have these guys and you get this result. Defensively, they they're
bottom ten in deflections twentieth and loose balls recovered. They're twenty first in defensive
efficiency as of a couple days ago. Like that's you know, the overall
defensive rating. Like I get at Claxton missed some time. He's important,
But like the fact that they just don't like cause problems for the opposing offense
is like mystifying to me. So I don't know, I guess like try
harder, guys, Like maybe is that it sorry harder? Remember all of
you guys have like seven foot three wingspans and are agile and just go get
some steals. Anything to add on that before we blaze through to the Celtics.
Nope, got nothing, And so I segued myself, the Celtics need
to blaze through this season. Their wishlessteum as a fast forward button. It's
not quite as easy to say this after watching them just decide that the way
forward against the Warriors the other night is to shoot almost sixty threes and just
not go to the basket and not get Steph Curry fouled out when he had
five fouls, you know, midway through the third. The knock on the
Celtics for a long time has been not that they're a jump shooting team,
but that like they kind of bail you out as a defense if they're you
know, Jason Tatum in particular, just wants to shoot threes over mismatches a
little too often. Sometimes. That said, they need a fast forward button
because they just need to get to the playoffs because this top six is absurd.
Sam Hauser is like, I can't get behind being worried that he's your
seventh guy. That's good enough to me upgrade the eighth player if you don't
like Peyton Pritchard or I can't even think about who I'm forgetting to mention there.
Maybe you need a bulky third big, but like, let's just move
on. The Celtics are good enough as they are. We don't need to
play this regular season. Let's fast forward. I do think they need to
do something about the crunch time. Offense is still too sticky. That might
come back to their willing to settle and bail out defenses, but something just
to increase and they have this base to really increase their room pressure too,
But that would be I'd probably wish for that. You'd think, like with
Porzingis out there, it's a full five out and even really with Horford,
all their best lineups are just straight up five out lineup. For some reason,
defenses just don't treat Al Horford the same way just because he's old until
maybe that's part of it. Yeah, I think that's fair, all right,
last one we were zooming through just because I don't want to. I
can't believe I'm talking about six East teams in a row. The Atlanta Hawks
could go a couple of ways here. I think they need to defensively dominant
forward and like maybe that was supposed to be DeAndre Hunter, maybe it could
be Jalen Johnson once he's healthy. But we've talked about it ad nauseum.
This team is, you know, routinely a bottom ten defensive team. They're
twenty fifth this year. I think last check they were twenty first a year
ago. This offense is legit, like it's a top five offense. I
think that has real staying power. They just don't have someone that. Like,
there are a lot of fires to put out with Trey Young and and
Clint Capella who can't really switch anymore. So you're asking a lot of your
three or or four. And de Jontay Murray's not the same defender he was.
He's a better offensive player than he's ever been. But you just so
that just by default that means you need a versatile wing slash forward that can
you know, cover multiple positions, guard the point of attack, be a
decent rotator, and help situations down near the basket. Like. That's a
lot to ask. It's kind of supposed to be hunter and it's not.
So that's you know, it's a positional wish list item. But I think
it's a pretty glare one for them. Back to stat padding as we hope
that Dan's weird ass microphone issues are gonna hold up for it. Do you
wanna you wanna start us off? Yeah, I have a rapid fire one.
It's not really statistically involved for you, and I hope I didn't.
I didn't prep you that I was gonna do this, so I I'm gonna
put you on the spot like a lot, so just be prepared for that.
This is called trade destinations, and I'm gonna give you a player,
and I'm gonna give you two teams or other. You just have to real
quickly say where you want where you want this player to go, and if
it's other, very quickly. I won't do this now. I had the
same thing for you, except it was just pick your favorite destination for these
guys, which I will now not do because that just steps on it too
much. But better you than me, because you'll be better at this than
I would have been, all right, uh Dan Pascal Siakam, Trade Destination
Pacers, Hawks or other other? Oh? Should I give the Should I
give you if you got one? Or you could just say those two you
suggested are terrible, grant get rid of them. No, I mean the
the Pacers at me at least at least makes some semblance of sense. I
just don't think he's the player that they need. Finding a fit for him
is like incredibly difficult. Here's what Here's what I'm gonna do going forward.
I'm gonna remove other and you just have to choose one of the two teams
I love, give me other. I'll probably have designations from him. I'll
say, for Siakam, that's Chicago, zach Way off the board, uh
og Ananobi King's Thunder or other other Knicks, zach Lavine Lakers, Knicks or
other zach Lavine Lakers. Yeah, DeMar Deroz and Heat Lakers or other other.
And I don't have a team for him. It needs to be one
that's just gonna generate the space necessary. Around him and could preferably insulate him
defensively. I don't know who that is, and his money is so big
that you just can't like come in and get DeMar de rose in. Uh.
I'm trying to think of teams that would have like the expiring contracts and
like he's a rental two yeah, which makes it like double tough. Yeah,
I got I do not have a yo what utah? Oh that's fun,
I said, get a veteran for general, all right, A couple
more Alex Caruso, MAVs, Thunder other other give me him on the Kings.
Oh that's fine. I like that buddy healed magic sixers other magic Kelly
Linnok, we're digging deep now heat rockets or other other Pelicans. Okay,
let's see we got the steph'spreak broken real quick, hey, Dan. Rank
these players by age Anthony Edwards, Tyrese, Haliburton, Chet Holmgren, Alprin
Shangoon. You can start youngest if you want, and move to oldest.
The youngest is Anthony Edwards incorrect. The youngest is Albert Shangun correct. The
second youngest is Anthony Edwards incorrect. He's so old, is he No,
he's twenty two. What was the so halle Anthony Edwards and who uh chet?
Oh? So the second youngest is Haliburton. Nope, Cat's the second
youngest. Edwards is the third youngest. Haliburton's the oldest. Alberton's the oldest
by like a lot. He's a full year so Chet and sh Shangoon are
both twenty one. Shangoon's like, I don't know, a few months younger.
Edwards is twenty two. He's basically a little almost a year older than
Shangoon, and Halliburton is over a full year older than Edwards, almost a
year and a half. I should have known he was the oldest, and
I kind of did, but I was all turned around because I was getting
everything wrong. I didn't get a single spot right. Those are always the
hardest ones, because once you mess up one of the ranks, you're just
like on till afterwards. I have some more just random stuff, unless you
want to throw me some No, I keep going through yours and then I'll
get to mind. All right. So we're talking about players that have a
lot of games with ten or more assists and zero turnovers, and we're only
doing active players. Okay, so there are six players that are active right
now that have at least ten career games with ten or more assists and zero
turnovers. I'll give you three strikes. Can you name all six? No,
but give a shot. Chris Paul correct number one by a mile.
Tyres Halburton correct number three. Is Demart Rosen on this list, He's not.
That's a good guess. I think he had he didn't have ten,
but he was on there. He had some active players with that. You
said they have at least ten games of this or they just have the most.
All these guys have at least. I cut it off at ten,
but I do have them listed as like, Chris Paul's the most. He
has fifty eight. Tyrese Haliburtn has thirteen, and he's in third on this
list active players. Is Tias Jones on here? No, he's he's He
was also on the list, but he didn't he wasn't over ten. Trey
Young, No, a couple of ways to strike three. I only got
two. That's bad, all right. I'll give you a couple of hints.
The longevity aspect is like a factor here, So think guys that have
played like, say twenty years Lebron, Yeah, he's got eleven. And
then just I mean, like two of the most veteran point guards that are
still like actually playing, uh dame, No one of them plays for the
best team in the West. Oh my god. Mike Conley, Yeah,
he's second with fourteen. And then I'll just give you so Kyle Lowry has
eleven. Oh, and then Jokic has ten. He's the he's got the
he's the other guy with ten. So can you read them off for me
in case I cut them up? Chris Paul fifty eight, Mike Conley fourteen,
Tyres Halbert in thirteen, Kyle Lowry eleven, Lebron James eleven, Nicolea.
Jokic ten. Wow, I should have gotten more of those. We're
gonna go completely the other way now. Most career games with zero assists and
at least five turnovers, Okay, I just want to see if you can
get like a few of them. All these guys have at least six.
The leader among active players has ten such games. Fucking know. Zach Vian
No, I think big guys for a couple of them at least five turnovers
and Zeros Clin Capella, Oh no, that's a good guess, though I'm
surprised he's not on here. Rudy Gobayer, Nope, James Wiseman. It
wouldn't it be funny if it was Chance Wiseman. Most career games, I'll
give you one. Number one is Andre Drummond with ten such games. He's
had ten games in his career with zero sists and at least five turnovers.
Who's another center. No, but you're really on You're on the right track,
like another center that is maybe infamous for making mistakes. And Shaq has
a whole bit about Yeah, he's got eight of these games. Let's see.
I can't give you any more clues. Kevin Durant has eight such games.
Believe wow, crazy Rudy Rudy game, Eric Gordon brook Lopez, and
Jonas Valanciunas each have six such games. Why don't you take a breather and
give me some This was not a good category I came up. Those are
too hard to just come up with off the top. Oh my, yeah,
that was so hard. I'm a little bit annoyed with you. No,
I'm just kidding. I'm not actually annoyed, but okay, So,
which NBA player has more triple doubles with at least ten blocks. You got
that a triple double with at least ten blocks? I correct, I've got
it, Okay, Paquimo LaJuan or David Robinson. David Robinson, Nope,
Pakima LaJuan. Ten to nine, I knew it. Kareem Abdul Jabbar or
to ken Ba Mtumbo. I'll say Matumbo because maybe they didn't keep blocks for
all of Kareem's career. Ten to seven in favor of Matumbo, you are
correct. Shaquille O'Neill or Marcus Camby, Ooh, I don't think cam you
ever got oh did he? Do you need the rebab? I'll say Camby
sneaky yes, three to one on Shack Bam, Matdebaio or Anthony Davis Davis
that is correct. One to zero. Ma Newt Bowl or Hassan Whiteside.
I'll save a new Bowl. No Hassan white Side, four to one.
Wow, Raymond Green or Andre Carolinko Kierlenko correct one to zero. Sean Bradley
or Tree Rollins, Tree Rollins, No, Sean Bradley six to four.
Dwight Howard or Ben Wallace Ben Wallace correct two to one. Al Horford or
Javal McGee, McGee correct one to zero, Mark Eaton or Robert Parrish Mark
Eaton, Yeah, not even close. Six to one. Larry Nance Junior
or Larry Nance Senior. Oh, Larry Nance Senior correct one to zero.
Clint Capella or Rudy Gobert Gobert No, Clint Capella one to zero. Wow.
So this one sort of related. Which NBA player has multiple triple doubles
with at least ten steals? Okay, Clyde Drexler, Michael Jordan, Draymond
Green or Fat Lever. I have to say fat Lever because otherwise why is
he in here? It's not Fat Lever. He had one, Draymond Green
had one, Michael Jordan had zero, Clyd Drexler had two. Wow.
Good for good for Clyde. Okay, I just want to back up and
note that you've put Tree Rollins in a in a either or and it wasn't
Tree Ron's. I don't know if I'm ever gonna forgive you for that that
in Fat Lever, I'm just always gonna pick the like, why is Dan
putting this person in this? It has to be there that Leaver shows up
in like all the wild statistical like assortments, and so I get why you
would pick him. I had to. I'll do it again. Here's here's
an open ended one for you. There is never there's never been a quadruple
double in NBA history on record. At least pick one active player who would
be most likely to get a quadruple double. Oh, that's a great.
Let's see. So obviously the blocks and steel, well, I mean it's
got to be Wimby. I think I think I have to say Wemby just
because I could see him getting the blocks or the steals really at some point
may not happen this year, but I think that's that has to be the
pick. I don't know who else do you have. I would go with
Jokic just because you know he'll get the rebounds, assists and points, and
then he's kind of sneaky with his hands when it comes to steals, and
he's big enough to get the blocks, and I don't think Wemby's just like
he's gonna have to check rebound, steals, locks and points and it's infinitely
harder to have to do steals and blocks than it would be to do one
of those categories. I'll bet you he'll get some ten assist games though he's
a good I mean, he's flashes of being a good passer. I like
Wimby because he has you get more cracks at it, because he might do
it in any of five categories. I guess Jokich is kind of that way
too. Surprise Dream did well. Draymond had it without points that one time.
Remember that? Yeah, I mean, what a missed opportunity there?
Really got it? I just his career span is gonna be so short from
here on. It's just got to play the odds. That's true. I
can't pick him now. You got any more? I do have more?
But did you want to wrap up yours? I'm trying to think, like,
how if these are all just too cruel based on the the assistant turnovers
thing? All right, how about this Dan who has the most career games
with at least thirty points and zero assists, Rudy Gay, Klay Thompson,
Kristaps Porzingis or Anthony Davis. I'm gonna say Klay Thompson close, He's second.
It's Anthony Davis has sixteen games with at least thirty points and zero assists.
Clay has ten porzingis nine, Rudy Gay eight. That was a good
one. I have another one. Most thirty point games with zero assists DeMar
DeRozan, Carl Anthony Towns, Kevin Durant or Kelly Ubre. I'm gonna say
Kevin Durant close again, he has seven, DeMar Derozen has eight, Cat
has five, Oubre three. That's wild. Let's see here, I think
I had one more. I just need to make sure. All right,
Okay, we're gonna we're gonna ratchet it up a little bit here. So
one of these, one of these four players has a game with fifty plus
points and zero assists. Who is it? Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson,
Steph Curry, Jannis, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Steph Curry, Jannis,
Kevin Rant, Klay Thompson, Steph Curry. All right, so I've
narrowed it down to two. I'm gonna say, Klay Thompson, you are
correct, same question. Fifty points or fifty plus points no assists, Kevin
Love, Kyrie Irving, Buddy Healed, Joel Embiid fifty plus points no assists,
No Buddy Heal, Joel Embiid who are the other to? Uh,
Kyrie Kevin Love? Is it Kyrie? It's Kevin Love. I'm like twenty
eleven, going way back. Wow, I don't remember that. Kyrie just
felt like he couldn't be the answer, so I was like, it's gotta
be here. Last one, same question. Fifty points or more? No
assists, Demart Rosen, Brandon Jenning, Zach Lavine, Nikola Vucevich. Apparently
this is the Bulls edition because three of the four are bulls. Yeah,
who is the non bull Jennings? You know he had fifty five in a
game. Did he have an assist in that game? I'm gonna say,
Demarta Rozen it is Levine, Zacklyvin. I think Levine might have done it
this year. I can't remember. I was surprised you didn have mellow on
there? Didn't he drop like sixty without? And I said, would you?
Did you know? I was gonna know that one unless you happened I
didn't come across. I don't think he did that. I was sorted for
fifty plus with no assists unless I blew it on the research. No,
you might be right. Maybe he did have an assist that game by accident.
Probably anything else I want to That's that's all I got. Okay,
Which NBA player has never recorded a fifty point triple double? Kareem Abdul Jabbar,
Elgin Baylor, James Harden or Michael Jordan never recorded a fifty point triple
double? Correct. I'm I'm gonna go completely counter to all logic and say
Michael Jordan has never registered a fifty point triple double. That is correct.
Sometimes you gotta play the question. Which NBA player has never recorded a fifty
point triple double? Wilt Chamberlain, Luka, Doncic, Lebron James or Russell
Westbrook. I'm gonna say Lebron that is correct. Again, nice shot figured
these out? Okay, Which NBA player never had a forty point triple double?
Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan or Lebron James. I'm gonna
say Larry Bird that is incorrect. He had two. Lebron and Michael Jordan
each had five. Kobe had zero. Wow, Okay, that was the
one I thought you were gonna get. By the way, isn't that weird?
Well? I just I galaxy brain that one. I think. Okay,
ready, ready, this is the is this my last. Yeah,
it's a long block though. There's fifteen of which of these players? So
do you need to like take a breath? Nope, I'm just diving in
which NBA player has more forty point triple doubles for their career? Oscar Robinson
or James Harden. I gotta say Oscar Robertson that is correct? Is not
even close? Twenty two to sixteen. Wilt Chamberlain or Russell Westbrook. I
have to say Wilt, but I'm worried that they didn't track all the stats
right on record. It's Russell Westbrook thirteen to seven. Okay, Luka Doncic
or Lebron James forty point triple doubles? Lebron no Luca eight to five.
Wow. Michael Jordan or Isaiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons. It's gotta be
Michael Jordan that is correct three to one. I just wanted to tie those
two together. It's only three. Nicole j Okid or Jerry west Jokich that
is correct five to one. DeMarcus Cousins or David Robinson. I wanna say
Cousins no, David Robinson two to one. Damn it. Joel Embiid or
bam Adebayo Embiid correct one to zero. Bradby Beale or Damian Lillard. Oh,
I'll say Beal that is correct, two to zero. He just Brady
Beale turns up on all these scoring ones. It's amazing. Yeah, those
couple of years in Washington, he really got up to some things. Larry
Bird or Magic Johnson Magic. No, Larry Bird two to one. Oh.
Paul George or Kawhi Leonard. I'll say Kawhi Nope, Paul George one
to zero. Jason Kidd or Pete Maravich. I'll say Maravich, he scored
more yep, three to zero. Karl Malone or Chris Webber, I'll say
Chris, that's correct. You know I'd never picked terrible human being car alone
as an answer anyway. DeMar de Rosen or Tracy McGrady. McGrady that is
correct. One to zero, Elgin Baylor or Bernard King. Bernard King,
No, Elgin Baylor three to one. Ouch, you did really well.
I'd have to go back out of the fifteen, but I think you got
more than half. I feel like I got like maybe eight or nine of
them. Feel good about that. Yeah, some of those were tough.
A lot of forty point trip although, like I say, a lot of
them, but like this, three to one, two to one, one
to zero, with all those names, it's kind of amazing. There were
so so few. Were you mad? I sprinkled in some players that had
none in there? No, it's all fair. I just gave you.
I just asked what did I ask you? The guys with zero system five
turnover? I mean, if anybody's mad, it can't be me. Did
you want to do the trade exercise on your end? Hell movie, I'm
terrible at these. I'll never come up with a good team. There was,
though, one player that you didn't mention that I could give you.
You know what, give me give me your three favorite ones. Let's do
it that way, Okay, give me the best trade destination for these top
NBA trade targets. Og had Anobi. I think I've said like five different
teams for him. I want most for Og and Anobe to be on the
Sacramento Kings Lowry marketing. Can we get him on the Thunder even if that's
not necessarily what they need. That's a lot of fun. Pascal Siakam,
this is a we've said it several times. I don't know where you send
him. Let's put him on the Pacers. How about that? I think
he at least functionally can fit there. He's so he's so good, but
he's so tough to fit. Yeah, yeah, you wouldn't. Would you
want him in San Antonio with Wemby? Not really? I mean, like,
I think I don't know what he does for your He's certainly not like
a long term fit there. You know, it's not I don't know what
he I don't know how he like, what does he do that helps Wemby
like be the best Wemby? You know, knowing that they have a couple
of their ball handlers entering free agency and they have a big contract they could
send back attached to stuff. What do you think about Siakam in Brooklyn?
Brooklyn is low key, a like a sensible trade destination for so many guys.
I do, I do think he would fill in need there. How
do you like him as the four with Claxton at the five? Do you?
I don't. It's better than Ben Simmons in Quaeston. That's yeah,
there's a lot of things that be better than Ben Simmons. Yeah, you
get more spacing with Siakam, but I mean this year, Sakra's three point
shot has kind of abandoned him. I keep thinking of them as because I
forget where I heard it, but like as a Donovan Mitchell destination in Brooklyn.
You know what, Oh, here's what I can't believe we didn't talk
about this already. If you send Mitchell to Brooklyn, which is like,
okay, that's fine, but you send back like you probably can can't get
bridges, but if you could get Bridges to Cleveland, I feel like that
just fits so perfectly. Now. I think you'd probably be willing to trade
Evan Mobley to make that happen. You think you don't think Mitchell and stuff
gets you bridges? No, well what is the stuff? They don't have
stuff? Uh, you get Mitchell and wait? Are you trading Mitchell with
picks to get bridges? That feels like that feels bizarre to me. Well,
you said Mitchell and stuff. Well because that's because you didn't like Mitchell
for Bridges as a starting point. Well, because it's like, if you're
the Nets, it's so different. You have to augment what you have,
and so you're basically saying, like Donovan Mitchell and then it's okay, I
guess we keep Nick Claxton and we roll forward. Well, it's it's wild
that we live in a world now where Michel Bridges is theoretically a more valuable
asset than Donovan Mitchell. But I guess part of that is, like,
if you're the Nets, you're just hoping that Mitchell's like, well, it's
New York. That's cool. At least it's not the Knicks. But yeah,
I think I don't know. I can't get past the idea that like
you'd have to give up Mitchell with something to get Bridges. I guess maybe
that's true, but I don't know. We should crowdsource this somehow, we
have to, Well we could, we should do an entire episode where we
just go through the list of mega trade targets and pick our favorite destonation for
them. But he do a couple more that weren't on your list, just
to see where you are. You obviously had O G and Pascal on yours.
Yes, Bogdan Bogdanovich, Oh, who needs like a stretchy for I
feel like we've talked about where he should go and I can't remember what.
I think you have a favorite one. I don't know if it's like on
course with what they would do, but I would love him on the Lakers.
Yeah, I think that that could work. I mean, like Dallas
would be one. I wouldn't mind. Just do you think Dallas could be
a sneaky Pascal Siakham destination hmm yeah, I'm I mean, like if you
knew that Kleibo was gonna be back and healthy and Grant Williams was gonna,
you know, be more like the first four weeks of the season, Grant
Williams, you might not go after it, but Dallas, like, I
mean, they went and got Kyrie, so like anything's on the table.
I if that's But if you do that, you have to keep Siakam,
and so now your core is Luca, Kyrie and Siakam. I'm not sure
like that, actually I don't. I don't hate that fit. But Sakam
would just need to make more threes because he's just his role will be different.
Yeah, more screen and rolling for sure, But then then he's gonna
play Derek Lively. I don't know if he's going out in that trade.
That's true, Yeah, I mean yeah, because maybe the optimal version of
Siakam is he plays like a fair amount of center and if you really believe
in Lively, like maybe he was closed with Siakam at center. Some I
could see that in like a playoff scenario, but I don't know if I
love it. I so the teams I have listed for Bogdan and you can
tell me if you don't like any of them. I have New Orleans.
Yeah that's like okay, Oklahoma City just in the giddy spot basically someone that
can get giddy out of there. Yeah, he's coming off the beat or
just bog Don in the closing like that closing five. I guess you're still
small but the offensive juice. Yeah, Orlando, I do like Orlando.
I thought about that as like as just saying that for for his my favorite
destination. It's just like, how are you fitting him with Bankro and Franz,
Like is he playing is he playing three? Is he playing the two?
Like he's just well just because those two can run your offense, like
you could play Suggs, bog Dying, Palo Franz and Wendell Carter Jr.
Yeah, that's true. You that's kind of a what a big I mean
that defense would be fine, like you have no problems there. Uh yeah,
that's a big lineup too, biggest Philadelphia. Yeah, Philadelphia makes a
lot of sense, just as like, although is he is he just in
the Tobias hair spot? Basically I think he's. I mean, I can
do a lot of mixing and matching depending on do you want to play smaller
with Melton than Maxi on the court, and then you have Bogdanovich with Joel
indeed, and you can still have to Buias Harris on the court or is
Nicholas Patoum on the floor. A lot of different stuff you can do.
Man, they suddenly would just be loaded with with wings and forwards because you
still got oubre right like, and you got Covington's kicking around there still I
have I have three more teams because I think he fits in so many places.
Okay, let's hear it. So just if they're not gonna pivot into
starting over, he makes a lot of sense Toronto, if they decidedly want
to move forward with this corps. I mean he's if only because he's so
different from like all of the players that they already have. He's like a
skill based like shooter, slasher, passer like that just they just don't have
that guy. Uh. And then the other one was I know he doesn't
necessarily fit with their timeline, but san Antonio just as like in a like
a pressure relief valve basically like on offense. Well, they're not gonna play
Start trade Jones anyway, Start Budonovich and have him run point for all I
care. Yeah, that works any either Bogdanovich. Really it's funny like anywhere
strangely, if bogged on fits, Boon fits, and it's I don't know
why they're different players at different positions, but if you like one, you
like the other at that spot I think. Uh. And then the final
player that I'll stop with that wasn't on your list a Manuel quickly man,
I just like, well, okay, so who I mean Toronto, just
go be the lead guard? Maybe would they pay him? So now you're
gonna pay well guy, we could lose, probably be part of the O
G trade. But he definitely works with Barnes. Trying to think where else
I would like him. I have I probably have three actual did you mention
Minnesota already? No? I just don't think they have the asset glitz to
get them. Probably not. Yeah, what are your which one do you
like? Utah, he can play with sorry I'm naming wines. Play with
Bordeaux. You can he can play with Bordeaux. Bugdanovitch, that's the third
Bogdanovich. Uh, san Antonio, they just have. This was tip to
I was talking about this with mort from the NBA pod. Uh like an
interesting trade. I don't know if the Knicks would do it, but if
you gave up that Raptors first for Manual quickly, and then just like you're
he's just this is our guy probably, which is like not the craziest thing
to do if you're if you're the Spurs, as just keep him around.
I think it's absurd by Spurs standards right to give up a first that might
be like the number seven pick because it's top not even that, but just
like, oh, we're gonna trade for this guy who we immediately have to
pay a bunch of money. Well, right, yeah, they always they
tend to operate from like we want to have guys that we have leverage over.
I mean, what I thought you were gonna get? Actually I probably
have two more. We'll just name them for everybody. But like he makes
some sense in the giddy spot. You know who wouldn't At this point,
he gets up threes, he defends, he can pass a little bit,
does more. He's gonna be more of a threat for me in between.
Finally, I think this might be my favorite one. Orlando. Yeah yeah,
I mean, like, would you say he's getting up eleven threes per
thirty six or something like that, or eleven per one hundred per one hundred,
Yeah, just like if on the thinking that just get someone in there
in the back court that like as soon as he touches it, the defense
is like, oh shit, it's going up like that. That is the
type of player I think that could really unlock some things for them. I
like that a lot. I'm gonna do This isn't really a spoiler because you
won't know the order. I'm gonna do one where it's a whole bunch of
trade targets and you have to pick your favorite destination, but you can't reuse
it. So once you pick the team, if a better one comes up,
you can't pick them. Yea't burn it. I feel like that's like
you need to strategize that maybe that entire podcast, we just pick our top
thirty trade targets, organize them. Maybe one of us organized that. You
could do that to me, reorganize them, or I can do it to
you and then but you can't reuse it. So it's just like without knowing
who comes next. So so at some point it'll be like, yeah,
I think, uh, I don't know, Gordon Hayward has to go to
the Pistons, Like there's some That was a bad hypothetical. I was trying
to think of the wrong team and I came with a good one. This
is why I'm not good at the trade stuff. Honestly, name a team
at Gordon Hayward just because you're on expiring contract, just like wouldn't make it.
I guess the Celtics because oh they have to give up Chris Stops to
get a basic right yere somewhere where you just because of the salaries, you
would just be worse for having him. But yeah, they're like the player
type fits everywhere, just a big forward or combo forward. They can pass
basically. God, I love staff heading so much fun, except for when
I give you a ten assistants zero turnover. Oh that was it was.
It was a fun kind of frustrating because it makes me feel so shitty about
myself. Oh so that's the goal. I mean, that's the whole point,
is that adding? Uh we good? You want to take us out
here? Yeah, we just get it. Look, we just dropped like
four hours of content me too with the interview I did on top of Alex
Squadron. Like, we we got content up, so much pod content for
everyone's holiday enjoyment. This is our gift to you. I hope it was
on your wish list to just circle all the way back. Wow, way
to be topical. Yeah, we're on fire tonight with the turns of phrases
and I really it's it's I'm so tired that like it's almost midnight your time.
I feel bad if you if you asked me tomorrow like, hey,
what was the pod about? I could I'm just really going to struggle to
remember what we talked about, which is which is great because then it's all
new to me every time we talk. Uh, everybody that has made it
this far. Oh I say it like, you're also listening to this close
to midnight and you're I was tired as were it's probably like nine am wherever
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