What is krack alacking Hardwood Knocks listeners, I am but Dan fa Valley coming
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We have some straggler mail, bad questions. I didn't send out a solicitation.
We got them anyway, So thank you everyone. As as always,
I believe it's on me anyway to start us off. And this one comes
from kill Hoss. Are the heat going anywhere? Is it time for them
to retool or are their contracts to terrible? Holy shit? Well, the
heat are kind of hanging. Well, just to keep a topical, the
heat are going to the foul line. Did you see who? They made
forty out of forty last night and Butler's last one was the game winner.
Just make your free throws, kids. That was low average and free throw
attempt rate to entering that game. But playing the thunder who are just like
they play so hard, but there's just like there's an anarchy to the way
that they defend that is annoy Some of the calls were like bullshit too.
It got a little bit annoying there. But well, the last the one
that got Butler the game winning free throws, it was he had Jalen Williams
on him and he got him down to the block and it was like the
play was over. There was like no scenario where he wasn't going to foul
him, and it was an and one, and that was it, Like
there was just that's that's too much for any rookie to bite off having Butler
down there. But the answer the question, so here's why I think the
Heat are actually potentially going somewhere or at least not just like, what's that
like to the lottery? Yeah, no, here's the thing. So that
so you got, uh, I'm looking at their lineups here and if you
can get Lowery, Hero, Struce, Martin and Bam on the floor,
there plus six point one, Lowry, Struce, Martin, Butler and Bam
there plus sixteen point six. And then in that scenario of you have Hero
leading the second unit, this is per one hundred. So like if the
he could just get everybody out there, they're one of the best teams in
the East. Just when they have their best players out there. They've had
a bunch of you know, Butler's missed a ton of time, Bam has
been out, Lowry hasn't been good. They still have enough forwards like,
yeah, we were aware of all that, but when their best players are
on the floor, they're really good. And so and then they're so far
their best high uses lineup heroes. I think clearly what the Heat's third best
player, Like, there's not really a conversation around that or no worse than
that. So if you have and then the question for the playoff heat at
the last several years was, well, if heroes off the floor, do
they have enough shot creation? Well, now, like you can play a
really good lineup and then have Hero kind of runs second units. He's leveled
up. He's much better than he was last year, certainly the year before.
There's like a theory of the case for the Heat just this is the
stupidest like if healthy, because everybody is. If healthy, their high end,
like their high level is as high as it needs to be. I
think it's just can they can they get those guys out there often enough to
reach it. I'd be curious whether their high level is actually high enough,
Like let's just say they remainfully on. I think look, Bam has been
a bear this season, and he's probably not being talked about enough in gen
for just how well he's done at both ends of the floor. You already
mentioned Tyler. Hero has been spectacular. Jimmy Butler is like kind of the
player who, yeah, he misses all this time, but when he plays
he might be released one of the ten or twelve best players in the game.
There's still just weird stuff with their half court offense, like they they
need more rim pressure, I would say, and like, I think that
you need to excuse me, like the bench has been maybe it's not as
big a concern in the playoffs, but also maybe it is because you're always
banged up and always seems like you're missing somebody. They're in the bottom seven
of bench point differential on the season, I believe, and so like that's
something to monitor. And it still just feels like some of their top end
lineups are really good. But you do to me, still need some more
front court diversification, And so I would argue you need to go one way
or the other kind of where it's like, well, can we get someone
to replace like the PJ. Tucker minutes or can we just get some more
rim pressure from the outside in. I think it helps that Victor Ladipo has
been good. Max Drews I think has been absolutely fine. I've been like
one of the most inconsistent undefined roles in the league right now. So I
will say, like, yeah, it feels like we're exaggerating how bad.
Their contracts are. Who's on a bad contract where he has one year in
twenty nine seven million left, not a great contract, but it's one year.
And then you have Duncan Robinson with three years left at you know,
under sixty million dollars, and now that he's injured, he's even less valuable.
And there was some stuff like when he did play, like oh,
he'd kind of gotten like the floating range a little bit more than we were
used to, but it was just nothing spectacular. I do feel like,
I'll phrase it this way, I think they're obligated, like I'm not really
trying to see this season through like you need to. And I know Yovich
is injured injured right now, but between picks and Jovich, like what can
you get if you attach those to Duncan Robinson? Like that is the move.
And I think this team is not good enough to opt against exploring that
scenario. I think that's fair. I think the other thing is, you
know, we do this a lot with like defending champs and you know,
dynastic type teams that have uneven regular season, but maybe we should apply it
to the heat because like just the idea that yeah, they kind of do
have a gear that they don't really mess around with until the playoffs. And
you know, I mean they made the finals in the bubble. They weren't
so hot the year after that, but they were still forty and thirty two,
and last year they went to game seven of the conference finals. Like,
this is a team I think that might have good reason to believe.
Just get us in there and then we'll turn it up. And Butler is
a perfect example of that, because that guy just in the playoffs, he's
a different I mean, you say he's top ten, twelve, like sometimes
he looks like a top five guy. In the playoffs, he just wins
them games. So is it smart to rely on that? I don't know,
give him the health, but like I do think they deserve a little
benefit of the doubt, you know, excluding all the like oh heat culture
and all this stuff, Like they're super well coached. They do, you
know, they do everything you should do defensively. There's kind of just like
I guess I give them a little more leeway than I wil a lot of
teams when things don't look great. All right, this is from Chris Curtis.
If you got to if you got to choose the five best not most
valuable players in the West, regardless of position, who would they be?
And also, could you make a case that at least four of those players
are guards? And this is getting into the idea that the guard rotation in
the West is going to be brutal. Injuries might take care of that,
but point taking, so, who are your five best players in the West
and how many of them? Regards Steph and Luca are definitely there? So
there are two guards, Yo, Kitchen is there for me? So he's
not a guard? Trying to think here, I guess I'm like now because
it was mentioned, I'm trying to focus hyper focus on actual guards. Can
I give you a prompt that gave me pause? Here? What do you
if it's best players? Is Anthony Davis in that list? Just based on
like he was in like what we saw from him before he got hurt this
year? I think he's in the conversation, It would just be really tough
for me to flat out it, like because at that point, is okay,
is what we're seeing from Kawhi Leonard right now? Like does he need
to be put there? Well? I don't know, because with Davis,
you've got like what's third and Raptor and like six thin EPM and all these
all in addition to the counting stats and stuff like he had it. He
was objectively, you know, an MVP shortlist guy before he got hurt.
So are we talking about who are the five best players right been this season
in the West. It's like we're using if we're using what's happened so far,
I don't think Anthony Davis makes it. That's how I took it.
So that's why I do have Davis in that list, just because all the
other guards just bled together for me. And that's the point of this question,
is how hard it is to be like, which two or three make
it on this list? I think it's Steph for me, Steph, Luca,
Yokich, Shay and Jaw, which would be four guards would probably be
the way that I go. I look, the one that's giving me pause?
Has he played enough? Is Zion? Oh? Interesting? I didn't
even think about him. I would probably put him above Jaw. So I
so of that big group because if we just if I have a d in
there, which I guess I do just for because it makes conversation more interesting,
and I have to pick one of those guys. Jaw was the first
name I put down, but quietly, Dame Lillard has had like a ridiculous
year. He's basically the same Dame Lillard. And then it's like, what
do you do with Yeah, he's had a good year, he's like kind
of pulled back lately, which is what gave me pause on that too.
Devin Booker would I think Devin Booker has been better than him? What do
you do with Booker? And then there's like the PG Kawhi Lebron, like
they're in the conversation at least if we're talking top five in the West.
I don't know what to do with that. I think I probably go job.
But Zion messes it all up because if you're just talking about like who
has been the best at their best when they're healthy, I mean, he's
kind of you probably can't pick Zion if you're not gonna pick Davis. So
for my perspectives, like I don't really have the option to picking zie On,
so I'd have to stick with the guards. I would consider putting like
Lebron instead of Shay or Jaw would be the one that harps I don't Paul
George it's been great, but like that doesn't I don't think that sways me
so like my top six, like Lebron would I be six. But I
think there's really there's a case to put him over shay Or because like the
Lakers have been you know, they're five, they're recent five game winning streets,
notwithstanding like they've been like kind of sad and a lot of the time.
But he's been he's been really good. I think the takeaway is that
it's I mean, this is this will sound bad if without context, but
it's almost a good thing that at least one or two of these guards in
the West are not gonna will require injury alternates in the All Star Game,
because then you can just kind of shoehorn in all these extra guys because otherwise,
like there is a real scenario where like Devin Booker is not an All
Star or something like that. I mean, the injuries that's gonna be a
factor for him, but he's absolutely an All Star just you know, passing
the smell test. So it's these guys will get in because like Booker might
not play, Steph might just oh I have a you know, ankle or
something I can't play, even if he's healthy, I feel like we'll get
a lot of that to at least keep keep the controversy to a minimum.
Maybe I say this is every year, but it does feel like injury have
just like warped. How am I looking at the league and the players and
All Stars and all NBA discussions and the landscape more than usual? It just
feels like I don't know if it's just because I'm like over sensitive to it,
but it feels like we've just been inundated with all these injuries and like
to the extremes where it's not like just load management where it's like no,
like shit was going on with Kauai for a while, and like I thought
about the other day they said Anthony Davis is like ramping up for his return.
It's like, oh, he hasn't played since acts. I'm like,
holy shit, it's been that long. Since been a month late? Well,
I was thinking today working on something like, you know, the high
profile injuries the Durants and when Steph was out in ad like sure, what
if Lonzo Ball had started the season healthy, Like how differently do we view
the Bulls this year because they were twenty seven and thirteen before he got hurt
last year and everybody was, you know, it felt a little paper tigery,
but like they were very good and on top of the East for a
long time, and they went I think it was like nineteen and twenty three
down the stretch after he got hurt, and they're like nineteen and twenty two
now. So you're just below five hundred without Ball and you're a top seed
in the East with him. Exaggeration, but like there's there's that kind of
thing all over the league where guys we don't even think about haven't had huge
impacts that like that might be the reason the Bulls blow it up. If
they blow it up, it's because they just didn't have a healthy Lonzo Ball
and everybody got pissed at each other like that. It's it's unbelievable. And
we're also at the point where it's like, as my dogs are coming in
to make their cammy up south with my office door open, it's like Clink
Capella hasn't played in like the better part of a month, and we're just
like no one's talking, no one's talking about it because there's all these other
higher profile injuries going on out there. Yeah, it's it's it's wild.
It sucks. It sucks. It makes it unfun to watch games because you're
like, what am I gonna get from this? They don't have like a
Sun's game. Where are you gonna watch a Sun's game? Like, there's
just they're missing four starters. I'm happy I only had. I decided to
do extra work and have Sun's Warriors on in the background on Tuesday night.
I'm glad I did because it was just like it was kind of a funny
barn burner. Maybe not so much for you. There's just I quit in
the third quarter. I was so angry, and then the fourth quarter that
actually the Warriors actually tried and kind of made it semi interesting. I'm gonna
skip ahead to this one because we about Blazers one, but I don't want
to put the responsibility of you reading this one. Put it on foisted on
you. I should say, comes from Ante Matisse, thyble dpoy. I
hear so much about what to do with a heliocentric guy and how to build
around them in a way that lets that guy go insane while being good enough
overall to get to the finals. Most people say the answer is second All
Star or four three and D guys or get the best rim protector. Pretty
much since the twenty sixteen finals, my mindset switched between those three. But
it can't be just four three and D guys and a bunch of bums,
or just have one amazing rim protector and a bunch of bums, or just
another all star bunch of bums. But after the Brunson deal, I think
I have a new strategy that never seems to be an offseason priority or an
on court strategy. I've heard why don't teams pursue a system plus ISO specialist
more and just as a reference point, Like Matisse Stybel gave Lebron Kyrie twenty
sixteen, Lebron full time high usage point god. Kyrie is good enough on
offense to be both a part of the system but also unstoppable even against great
defenses, making him like a top eight finals talent, even if he's maybe
a top five regular season talent. Twenty sixteen to twenty nineteen, the Warriors
in KD ridiculous system offense, but oh yeah, Katie can go get forty
points in isolation on twenty shots against great d am. I expecting too much
from players to even replicate seventy to eighty percent of situations like that. Okay,
so there's a lot to unpack with that question. I think here's how
I would look at it. I think the idea of heliocentrism and like it's
such a hot topic right now and we've discussed its flaws as much as its
features, stems from the fact that there is a consensus that in team building,
if the goal is to win a championship, you need someone that is
capable of being at the center of a heal centric team, offense, whatever,
like, you have to have that guy. And then the thing that
gets underrated, and this is what the question gets to is like what do
you do after that? And that's harder than it seems because there's just are
a lot of options, and so the ideal version and so then you get
situations like the hardened Rockets, you know, the good version of Trey and
the Hawks, or even now, even though the story is not written all
the way of Luca and the MAVs, Like, what do you do around
that guy? I think I think this is going to be an oversimplification,
but like the goal should be that you have a system that accommodates a heliocentric
star who also happens to be capable of like just scoring when they need to.
The Warriors are a fucked up example just because that's a collection of talent
and system and everything that you're just not going to see the KD Warriors specifically
I'm talking about. But I think in a perfect world it looks kind of
something like what the Nuggets have with Yokich, where he touches the ball more
than anybody on the roster. Like I think he leads the league and touches,
but his touch time is like a fraction of what in terms of how
long he has the ball is a fraction of what Hard and Luca, Sga
all these other guys have. So he is sort of a heliocentric star and
he can go get forty, but he's also the guy that like defines what
everybody else gets to do. So you need the shortest answer is you need
everything to win a championship, to like build a championship roster, a guy
that can facilitate in a system and be your tough bucket getter in the playoffs.
But but yeah, like I don't know, I don't know, so
I guess I don't know what the if what's being proposed here is really any
different or any new type of variation on how to build a team, because
you just need the guy that can score in isolation and guy that can be
at the center of a elocentric offense, and a bunch of other guys and
they have to like each other and they have to buy in, and you
have to have a good coach. There's just all these hands. So I
don't know how new of an idea this feels like, I don't know if
you feel differently, like does this feel like a distinct thing that's being suggested,
or like how do you view it? So one, the Yokich way
that you frame that I think was perfect and not something that necessarily thought of,
But two I almost interpreted as like and it made it seem implausible to
me, was do you have the isospecialist who is not informing everything else that
you're doing, And so it would be like, so it's Jordan Clarkson or
something just just something someone along like a bucket getter juiced up Lou Williams,
And I don't think that's feasible because like you, I don't know that you
would lean on that person enough and then you're deviating from your model in certain
situations. And there's a reason why those guys aren't like the primary alpha's on
teams to begin with. So maybe I was interpting the question because if you're
just looking for an ISO specialist star who can exist as part of a larger
ecosystem, well, yeah, I think that that's been that's what teams are
looking for. Those players are just incredibly rare, and like if we're looking
at so it's a player who can dictate everything that you do and how everyone
else operates, but also fit into the larger scheme. Like who are the
actual best players on a I don't want to you want to say contender best
players on a really good team? Who would fit that mold? Like both
sides defense, there's Steph, there's Yokich, Like who like Kevin Durant?
I think for sure, Yeah, is there healthy? I is kind of
that guy, like he's it's kind of the guy that So we're tweaking the
question, but it like the ideal because I think the point being made here
is like you need little Lebron and the Kyrie, like you need those to
be two different people. But I think maybe what's most valuable is the guy
like Tatum is a little bit that way, but like someone that can toggle
between I'm part of the system and everything's cool and we're playing a certain style,
and then when we don't have an advantage and we can't create you know,
space with switches or just like the system is kind of failing, then
that guy can also be the guy that's like, I'm gonna get an eighteen
footer or I'm gonna get fouled and I'm going to carry us for like five
possessions in a row. Butler feels a little bit that way too. But
that's like all that saying is you just need one of the five or ten
best players in the league, because that's what sort of makes someone great.
It could also be, but it's like they added this Brunton is a six
foot point guard and it's a guarantee your defense will suffer. But he relives
so much pressure on the one superstar to have brunts and get twenty a game
on good efficiency against playoff d even if Reggie Bullock is technically a better quote
unquote two way player, but he's like an eight points per game, scoring
below average efficiency in the playoffs, and so I'm wondering if it's sort of
reframing it as you don't need that second guy to be a star. He
can be a fringe star. And that almost is like we saw that like
Dallas, could they have won the title if Luca's your best player and Jalen
Brunson is your second best player. Jalen Brunson clearly didn't want that, like
that's part of the reason why he left the mass definitely botched how they handled
that. But that like he didn't want to be that type of player.
So there might be something to that. And it's almost like, think of
peak Kyle Lowry could probably fit into like the Steph Yokich category of never on
the same level, but someone who could inform and instruct everything that you and
everyone else do, but doesn't need to. He's gonna fit alongside Kauai who
was the best player, or he's gonna fit alongside Siakam. So I think
it's, yeah, there might be something too, well, you don't need
to obsess over. In the Knicks' case, it's let's not get caught up
in finding you know, let's use Donovan Mitchell's trade as an example, I
was hyper focused on, well, if you trade for Donovan Mitchell, you
now need to go out and find the Donovan Mitchell equal or superior to be
a real contender. And maybe what Mattie's tye with dpoy is saying, if
you have a player who's on the level of even a Donovan Mitchell, you
don't need that next player to be their equal or superior. I mean,
I think it all depends because and again this is there's no right answer,
but it's like, who are the other four guys? If it's you know,
you could absolutely construct a team I think that could win a championship if
Donovan Mitchell, like is your quote unquote superstar, it's just the other four
guys have to be creat you know, some combination of four great defensive players
or rim protector good, you know, all this other stuff. It's just
they have to be super high level. I think, really is I always
come back to the I forget what year he said it, and it's not
like attributable to him specifically. It's just kind of logical. But when Bob
Meyers was asked, like, what do you need to win in the playoffs
paraphrasing, it was basically, like you need as many guys that cannot be
exploited or schemed off the floor for some tiny reason as you can possibly get,
Like you just so to to sort of tie it to this that isolation
scoring star. It can't be someone that defenses target like, so it's got
to just it's got to be that, and it's got to be there can't
be some obvious shortcoming that a playoff series will exposed, like because it just
you just look at the championship teams that have you know that that we think
that in the last handful of years, what they end up doing is just
playing the guys that can't get attacked and that can you know, find some
level of success offensively against whatever defense is being played. Like, so there's
a there's definitely like a balance component you don't necessarily need, Like this guy
can get you twenty five, this guy can create a mid range jumper at
all time. You just really need superstars. Sure, but then guys that
will not provide opportunities for a really smart opposing team to like create advantages on
either end. So I mean, and that's why it's so hard, like
you just those guys are not obvious and and in short, supply, is
it possible to win a title with someone who deviates from this archetype as your
best player? Then, like and this has sort of changed, and so
I'll frame it this way. Is it more likely that Anthony Edwards is the
best player on a championship team or LaMelo Ball is the best player on a
championship team? Like and is it or And I'm not saying to pop like
we saw it kind of with I'm thinking of the like the last teams that
wouldn't have had the Lebron STEPH KD level type town the twenty fourteen Spurs,
I guess the twenty eleven Mavericks would be in that. We know that Pistons
teams for sure, but like we're talking about like every seventh champion at that
point or whatever game. So you mean like the player type like LaMelo Ball
is like the more of a ball mover or just like a passer. He's
more of like the connective guy because like, yeah, he can distribute,
but like he's not the half or at least at this point in his career,
and he doesn't look like he profiles has that player long term, but
the from scratch like create in the half court for himself go up against like
create the something out of nothing. And again I'm not saying you needs to
be at the Steph KD Lebron type of level, but even at the Yannest
level where there's and that's not to diminish what like, there's limitations to what
he can do in the half court where it's he's almost a lot of his
best stuff during that finals run. It is like, oh, it's happening
in the two man game where maybe he's not starting off with the ball in
the initial action. So it's a little bit of a tweak on the Myers
thing. I think I would say Edwards only because and I don't know that
either of these guys is at this stage yet. Certainly Ball isn't. Edwards
has shown flashes, But I would lean towards the guy that if you're the
opposing defense, he makes you say, shit, we gotta change, we
gotta change something, Like he's he's beating his guy, he's creating advantages,
he's putting us at in positions we don't want to be in. I don't
know what LaMelo does necessarily, like great passer, is a good spot up
shooter, shoots it from like, but that's not the same to me as
well, one guy can't stay in front of Edwards, like, so we
gotta do we gotta do something, Like I think it's the guy that forces
a defense to do stuff that it either hoped it wouldn't have to do or
like didn't imagine it would it would have to, you know what I mean?
Like, it's he's the guy that compromises something in the game plan that
a defense was hoping it wouldn't have to compromise. That's a great answer.
This was a this is a very interesting question. Hopefully we didn't interpret it
completely incorrectly. At the very least, it was a good a good springboard
into conversation. You want to do these who says knows? Or you want
to save them? Do you want to ask the Blazer's question? Yeah,
I said I was gonna do that. Sure, Okay. This is from
Nicholas Hopson, Blazers fan admitted right upfront, Uh, love Aunt Simmons,
but wondering what kind of trade value he has come January fifteenth, twenty is
eligible to be moved. Who are some players who could really you could realistically
see coming back to the Blazers for him, and what are some teams that
would love to have his services? This is an interesting question. I think
somebody about Sticker Shock when he signed at four years and one hundred million,
that just feels like a good contracted to I mean when you kind of look
at you know, let's phrase it this way, versus RJ. Barrett,
Tyler hero On, Jordan Pool the money that they got, and then versus
with Anthony Simon's got who are you betting on having the best contract of those
four different they're at different stages. Like Afrey Time's already on his I think
there might be a case for Tyler hero at this point. I think he's
leader right now. I might pick Anthony Simons just because it's a little bit
cheaper. So and Simon's has been good this year. He's sitting over thirty
six percent. It was off the dribble triples. His catch and shoots are
still about thirty seven percent. You're probably normally those used to being higher fifty
three percent shooting on drives this year, and you know the Blazers have not
They've done better when Damian Lillard's playing without Simon's and Simon's without Lillard. There
gonna be a ton of noise in there. Damian Lillard missed a ton of
time time, so we're seeing Simons go up against more starting units in those
minutes. The Blazers bench is also just like completely cratered after a hotter start.
They have like a bottom five point bench point differential since they started the
season ten and four. Anthony Simon's is value around the league, I think
would be pretty high, is my point here. Super young, someone who
could get his own shot, has shown some diversification on where he's getting those
shots, how he's getting those shots, and just as a passer overall,
not super complicated, but like, yeah, he could be the steward in
those minutes where if you don't have your actual primary playmaker around him. When
you look at teams that would want him, and so I'm doing this from
my perspective, and one of them that just yo stands out to me the
most would be Toronto because he just brings sort of everything that they're lacking.
And so is that someone where I'm not in favor of them giving up Ogianna
Nobi? Like is Anthony Simon's an asset where okay, well, then all
of a sudden, you're pairing him with Fred van Fleet. You know what
you did this small guard thing already. I know Simon's doesn't defend like Lowry,
but his shock creation is just so like who is the best The best
shooter on the Raptors right now is Gary tren Jr? And like is their
most important for space or with the way that Fred van Fleet's been shooting for
most of the season, So just like is that enough? Or even if
the Raptors decide to blow it up where I don't know what that looks like
we need to have a separate pot on the Raptors or something or get into
like that with like the trade deadline primer. It's just like if you were
the conventional way to blow things up is you trade your oldest best player and
recruit draft equity or a high end prospect. Simon's has already been paid,
but he's young enough to wear Like is that how you like kind of get
a Siakam deal done or something? I also think a team that should look
at him. They're not at this point in their development, but like the
Spurs could really use someone like him, And it's I don't know what you're
willing to give up there, like if it's if it's draft equity or whatever.
But that's a team that I thought of. And if you have teams
that you wanted to throw out there, I've a I've one that's like mean,
it's not mean, but it's just like, you know, the Suns
could really use him, and so it's like, I don't know who you're
giving them, Like are you giving up Michael Bridges, fran Frey Simons,
because then you all of a sudden you have CP three for another maybe you
get rid of a CP three after this season, but that's like because the
Blazers don't look like they're gonna be sellers and so you're not moving Simons as
part of a cell job. But like Simon's on the Suns could theoretically make
a lot of sense. Simon's on the Magic and then I know this one
won't be popular and they can't really get to the money matching right now,
But like Simon's on, the Thunder would make a lot of sense, even
with Giddy and Shay Gilraz Alexander. They are just curious, like if you
had I have other teams, but did you have any teams? Yeah?
So again I think my number one, so I want if I'm getting Simon's
right, I'm just trying to think of like trade partners for the Blazers on
this. I gotta be a team that has like a surplus of length and
defense, because I think he just defensively, he's been really bad. I'm
concerned that this is the type of thing where that's just how he's what he's
gonna be. That puts like a sub you know, elite number one option
ceiling on him, which is fine because you're not paying him like one of
those guys. You're paying him at rates where it's like he's a quality star
a little bit better than that. So that's fine. So my very first
team was Toronto. I just don't know what the package looks like, for
all the reasons you said, not the least of which being I think if
you're getting an Andobie back, which everybody should want, and he fits particularly
well on the Blazers, like the Blazers have this pick encumbrance going to the
Bulls is first through fourteen, protected through like twenty seven, so you've got
to get the protections amended on that. You gotta figure out how you convinced
Toronto, that it makes sense to give up An Andobie for Simons, and
that probably they're assuming that both van Fleet and Trent are not coming back,
so that it's a weird fit, Like it's both a perfect fit and like
almost impossible to execute. The other two that I had were Orlando. I
feel like you could put stuff together that you know, gives the Blazers back,
Like maybe you've used Jonathan Isaac who finally might be ready to play basketball
and could, theoretically if help, be a huge defensive boost to a team
that, again, surprise, surprise, needs a defensive boost. Maybe you're
talking about like folks and sugs or something. I don't know what all you'd
need to do to sort of put the pieces together. The other team is
the Clippers to me, just because like I think Wall has faded and Reggie
Jackson basically isn't going to play anymore. It looks like for a while like
he fell out of the rotation. Luke Kennard is an option at the point,
but he's a flawed one and he's in and out of the lineup,
I think with a calf. The problem is, like, are the Blazers
interested in you know, some combination of like Marcus Morris and Batoomb or Robert
Covington and like a twenty twenty eight first rounder twenty nine twenty seven swap like
the Clippers draft is you know, tied up for several more years, so
you'd have to be it's a weird move for the Blazers, Like why Like
I don't know how much those guys help, And then like why do you
care about first rounds that are seven years six years away? I don't know.
But teams that need a point guard or a scoring guard that can give
up length basically was what I was looking at. And it's like Dallas would
make a ton of sense. But like even if we're waiting to the off
season where they can give out like the picks package special, it's sort of
just like why is why is Portland interested in that? And that's where it
makes it harder. But one I was going to ask you about on this
what about Memphis? So you're basically upgrading the Tiess Jones spot more or less
in the rotation, But it's like, what do you get because you're not
training Bain and you're not training Jaron Jackson Junior. At that point, it's
like to the Blazers. Yeah, they're not rebuilding. It's that that just
makes it like a super tough fit here. I mean you could say,
I mean if the Blazers were high on Zayre Williams or thought Brandon Clark could
do more than kind of play, you know, twenty five minutes at center
type of thing. I mean you could put in and then the grizz I
have a bunch of pis Like I think the Grizzlies could put a package together.
It would be you know, so asset rich. Potentially it would be
hard to turn down. But yeah, I don't. It's tough because it's
hard to find like a win Now piece that upgrades Simon's and also is not
doesn't have to be like buttressed by picks, which I don't think Portland would
care that much about. So it's I mean, it'd be nice that they
could get them to open up their own trade possibly, but you want players
like yeah, sort of when you when you sign Dames to the extension,
you sort of like you kind of like incoming first round picks are kind of
like, we're not planning to work that way. For a while, it
was the message I think, well you know what technically could work is the
Wizards. They have Obvia, they have Kuzma Monte Morris, and then like
if they're willing to trade conditional picks because the obligation to the Knicks, like
is how much you're Like because Bradley Beal, I think Bradley Beale and Simon's
work and they don't work defensively, Like that's just not going to be the
thing. But like that's almost a perfect where Simon's is not your point guards,
Like it allows Beals to run things, but like Simons can run things
as well, and they need they need more variable cadence from like their their
non Bradley Beal guard spots at this point. So that would be a team
I think Toronto or even the Spurs, just because if they wanted to and
you're the Blazers, like if they're gonna put Kelvin Johnson or Devis Sell on
the table, like that's that can make a ton of sense for you in
addition to other I don't even know if there would be other stuff involved,
just like that's what's tough about Simon's where you know the Raptors, Like yeah,
there's or like if it's OGNAOBI for Simons, like and that's the framework
of a deal, there'd be more money involved. Who's given up more like?
Is that that might be the closest thing to like, the straight up
sensible one. But if you're looking for sort of to divest, let's say
Simons into picks and immediate help, the Wizards might be a partner. I
did I want to leave the who says no, But we have a who
says no for the Blazers from Ian that has this the Jazz received if Anthony
Simon's Josh Hart and a first round pick, the Blazers receive lowry market and
Jordan Clarkson and Jared Vanderbilt. I think the Jazz say no. They're just
because I think marking in is. I mean, the first and Heart are
great sweeteners, but like I really like, I still really like Vanderbilt,
and I think I think I mean marking into me is. I don't know
that Simons will ever reach the level marketing In is at right now, and
it's not like marketing is old, so I'm hesitant to trade market and unless
I'm getting back like someone that is probably gonna be an all star. Like
now, Heart's interesting because it gives you like sort of an authentic wing but
like now you're and Simon's is just like okay, well he's younger than Clark,
saying Clarkson's up for a new deal too, but like you already have
sexed in there, Conley still on the roster, and like Malik Beasley's there,
you have to pay heart after this season. I think it's an interesting
concept. But if you're gonna pry lowry marketing from the Jazz, my guess
is they're getting two first round, two first round picks, picks picks,
and I'm not saying they're unprotected. Maybe this season's is unprotected. We probably
get two first round picks and something else. Simons is better to me than
that. But when Utah's like, I don't even want to say it's their
weakness. Isn't guard play right now? Like they get a ton of dribble
penetration from everywhere, I don't. I think that this probably falls short for
them. I agree. I think Marken in just the fact that you know,
we talk about this with like the magic hypothetically, but the fact that
Marken and can be a guy that can score on the ball and then can
run around off of it at a big forward position just makes it so that
like your guards don't have to be you know, you don't need a guy
that gets into the paint all the time. That like it just downgrades the
requirements from your backcourt spots when you have a big guy that can, you
know, you bend the defense just by sort of being out there. So,
yeah, Simon's is a good player. I just don't know that he
improves the Jazz enough without tons of stuff to justify like Marking, and I
don't if there's no way they trade market in right, like just full stop.
I can't imagine the Jazz would do that unless they're getting like a gober
size size agra for him. Who is Okay, here's a good one.
Who's more likely to get traded mid season? I'm gonna have to timestamp this
because I'm like, I think this is such a great question. Mid season,
Yeah, not offseason. Who's more likely to get traded mid season?
Larry Marketing or Pascal Siakam talking about before this year's deadline? Yeah, Siakam,
I just I just don't. I don't, Well, it's a combination
of things, Like you know, certainly we talked about well the Jazz are
going to trade all these guys or because you know, but that was when
we were saying like, well, because they're gonna win too much and all
that other stuff. But nobody foresaw market and being this good at this age.
Toronto is also in that like what are they gonna do? We'll do
a pod. I'm sure, like he said, I could see the reasoning
for Toronto doing it, trading Siakham more so than I can imagine a jazz
team that is thinking about the next five years trading a mid twenties I don't
know. I have twenty age twenty five in my head for market, and
I don't know how old he is exactly, but like a guy that's just
starting his prime and is not on a you know, max deal, that
is going to be an All star or should be an All star, Like
I don't know how you trade that guy. I just I don't see it.
Like it's not like he's not as untouchable as like well the well the
Bucks trade honest or you know, the world wars like whatever. The level
below the this guy's gonna have a statue is is like marketing to me feels
like that level because Pulus also last thing on this when you feel like you
just got like you pulled off a heist, like you lucked into this guy
that was way better than you thought he would be, Like, I feel
like there's some sort of like pot committed, you know, analog to that
where it's like we're never getting We're like, we just found all this money,
We're never going to give it up. That's a good point there too.
This final segment is going to be super quick. I'm not even sure
I'm gonna put it in the podcast. It's gonna be a short, but
we're going to do and we'll do more in depth like trade deadline previews buy
seller Hold for every team in the league. That's gonna amount to hopefully two
minutes or less so that our video clip editor Ian doesn't have too much work
to do to chop it down. We're gonna start. You want to start
with the with the West. I'll name him off to you go for it,
all, right, So we are onto the Western Conference. This is
again by seller Hold entering the NBA trade deadline. Dallas Mavericks by Denver Nuggets
by Golden State Warriors, Bye Houston Rockets, sell LA Clippers by Los Angeles
Lakers hold loser, Memphis Grizzlies by Minnesota Timberwolves give a hold, okayc thunder
sell bye, Phoenix Suns hold on. You forgot you forgot the Pelicans.
Oh sorry, New Orleans Pelicans there by, Phoenix Suns sell, Portland Trailblazers
by Sacramento Kings hold. San Antonio Spurs sell Utah Jazz sell. That wasn't
spicy enough for me. But you did it under a minute too. And
that's with me forgetting the Pelicans. As I one of my favorite exercises just
to write out all the NBA teams like I'll see if I can remember.
I remember them in alphabetic order in reverse. I forgot the Pelicans this time,
who are one of my favorite teams to watch. I always remember what
number slide If I get to the Knicks, I'm on the twentieth slide or
something or whatever I think it is for a thirty team. Or my quick
reaction to yours is your coward. When it comes to the thunder the Lakers
should at least do a mini by like a second year, right. I'm
just sticking in my stupid and I respect the Phoenix Suns cell let's go all
in on Wemby at this point. Unless you're getting it all starts, it's
Wenby time. Yeah, they're done. We got we could do a plot
about them. And how about how fast windows close? All right, I'm
gonna give you the East teams. You're ready, uh, not even a
little bit, but yeah, I'm ready. All right. Atlanta Hawks well,
Boston Celtics I, Brooklyn nets By, Charlotte Hornets sell if they have
anything to sell. Chicago Bulls sell, love it, we agree, Cleveland
Cavaliers by, Detroit Pistons sell, maybe hold, but sell, Indiana Pacers
by do it Pacers, Miami Heat Bye, Milwaukee Bucks bye, please buy.
New York Knicks sell, sell, sell, sell, sell. I
can't believe you're tired of Jalen Brunson already. Orlando Magic hold, Philadelphia seventy
six Ers hold, just because, don't trade Tyree's Maxie please, like you're
not getting it, don't do it. Toronto Raptors sell. I've said bye,
sell, it's time. It's keeps siakam OG's Goatti and that's it.
Everybody was the hardest one in the league. Washington Wizards sell, please,
for the love of God, fucking sell already Wizards, So thank you.
It's kind of fun not having to give a justification for anything. I like
it. I like it. I don't want to be held accountable. I
don't want to. I don't want to put logic behind it. Are you
ready to? That's it unless you have anything else you want to get off
your chest here. This was a very This isn't going to all be put
out in the sub hour thirty minute like we did like eighty five minutes.
It felt like very frenetic or hectic in a refreshing way. I agree.
I think that worked. Well, we'll have to do it again. Less
preparation is better. It turns out all right, Well, I'm gonna take
us out. You're ready for me to take us out? I think we've
done all the damage we can do. Yeah, we're I'm ready to I'm
ready to buy you taking us out. I wouldn't sell you. I'm ready.
I'm ready to sell me. Remembering all the things I usually say.
But anyway, thank you everybody for listening. Uh please, as Dan said
at the top, remember to rate, review, subscribe, get all those
knicks downboats out of out of the ware. I don't know how you do
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allows you to do that, as we do every time. I would like
to give a shout out on Dan's behalf and also sort of mind to the
one and only rank Nella Keenan, and also apologize to Jared Allen who got
no mentions at all from this whole part