What is crack lacing fellow Thermo nuclear aff as, I am Dana Valley coming
at you with my certified fantabulous Thermonuclear AF co host. Mister Grant cues.
We are starting our every team mail bag where we asked for questions from every
team and we got them. Shout out to our members on Discord, Shout
out to the people on Twitter who responded to my tweet. We don't really
know how this is gonna go. We're gonna begin with the Eastern Conference,
and our goal was to do both the East and the West. Almost put
them up with the two pause, but it is Grant and I and so
if the East ends up being like forever, I will put that into two
pods and we will get to the West next week. That's just that's how
these things go. We plan on the fly. Grant, how the heck
are you doing? I'm doing well. I feel like you were. I
was gonna say, before you even finished talking that this is gonna be a
pod where I'm doing a lot of like side to side chair action for anyone
that's watching this is which is gonna be very few people. I'm in by
a bollicle right now. Actually, like you're some sort of like evil genius
project. Leaning back, I feel comfortable, and your intro was I felt
like it was real. It was pretty smooth, like you're you know,
there was good energy, but I feel like you're a little bit like there
was some relaxation to it, which is the correct way to approach. However,
many questions we get to although, is a relaxed approach the best idea
for trying to get through thirty teams with a bunch of questions, not not
for our pacing. Probably, Hey, look we're to we're here to have
fun. I did come very close to taking it edible before this podcast,
because I am it's good that you think I'm gon last because I'm stressed to
the nines right now, so that's great that I can project this air of
calm. You fooled me. So we'll begin with the East and we'll go.
I would say it's normally dangerous, but I have it broken up,
meaning me and Grant put together. It's a forty five hundred word document.
So you think that we don't put notes together for these questions. We could
have just off the cuff this, but we didn't so well with some of
it. I don't have notes for we don't have notes for every question,
but we'll begin with My point is about what you're saying. I think we
have the alphabet covered this time, because they're literally right in front of our
faces. Famous last words we'll see. So we begin with the Atlanta Hawks,
and flex Luthor asked, and I guess I'll start us off to you,
Grant. I keep hearing this chatter that the Hawks are better without Trey.
This seems really dumb to me. What am I missing? I mean,
there's a few ways to go with this one, so I will get
to some of the stats that sort of put the lie to this idea.
I guess I could just give a couple now before I go into kind of
what I think about this. The Hawks have won the Tray Trey On,
Desontay Murphy, de Jontay Murphy, He's good. Start a minutes. You
know why I did it, because Trey Murphy is a person, and we
said Trey and then and then Murray was the next name. Anyway, they're
plus two point nine per one hundred with Trey on and de Jontay Murray off
flip that they're plus one point zero Murray on tray off. So like in
theory, you know, the problem for years with the Hawks was, oh,
what do we do when Trey's not on the floor? Kind of problem
solved to some extent. I think though, that this isn't a ridiculous position
to take. So whatever the chatter is out there, I'm sort of more
receptive to the idea that like just overall right, like put the numbers aside.
If you have a ball dominant, you know, leading scorer who has
a history of not defending and has a history of not doing a ton off
the ball when he doesn't have it, like it's harder for the other guys
to be invested to play their best on both ends. Like that's such coach
speaks stuff. There's no numbers to that. That's just like a gut thing.
I kind of feel like if you go six years and you kind of
see some of the same stuff, great offense, if he defense, role
players kind of cycling through seeming to underperform, we can go down the list
of those guys. I don't know, maybe there's something to the idea that
like, if Trey is your guy, he's the player you have built this
thing around, and he had an interview with Taylorrooks really recently, where he
sounds committed right, like he's saying all the right things about wanting to be
in Atlanta. I just think sometimes maybe that doesn't work, Like Damian Lillard
in Portland, not a total like one to one analogy, but kind of
a similar thing where he's not contributing on defense. He's a much better leader
than Trey I think that's probably something we should talk about, But I don't
know. I don't think it's crazy to say that there's a version of the
Hawks. It's not like you take Trey away and they get better. That's
wrong. But it's like there's a version of the Hawks I think that could
ultimately have more success that is not built around Trey Young. And maybe that
feels like the same thing, but to me, there's kind of a distinction
there. What do you think about And there is a difference because it's like
you're not moving forward and building a team around de Jontay Murray. And I
probably feel more strongly about this than you do in the sense that I actually
think this is dumb to think that the Hawks should get rid of Tray Young,
because if you're getting rid of Trey Young. The idea is, well,
we're going to rebuild. Then it's not We're going to reorient our team
around de Jontay Murray. That's not de Jean de Murry is a good player.
He's not Trey Young. Yes, maybe he's two bald dominant. He's
taken more catch and shoot threes this year. I do think that his defense
has been over romanticized. The fact that he is trying the past year and
a half that is great. He's still a net negative defender, and I
think what that does is and we kind of have a question on this,
so I'll throw it in here as well because I think it'll lead to the
same talking points. Was carter landis three asks? How do you fix the
hawks defensive problem? Scheme, personnel, talent and so there's a bunch of
points that we can hit on here. But have the Hawks done a good
enough job actually building a winner around Trey because I take issue with their I
don't know how to fix when I look at this roster, I don't know
how to fix, you know, their defensive issues right now, there's just
like, yeah, you could, there's some low hanging where it's It would
be nice if they tried to match up better in transition. But when you're
looking at you have Trey Young and you know what his weaknesses are. You
also know he is one of the best on ball manipulators in the game.
The way that he can score at every level. The abruptness that he has
in the lane is both a passer and like a floater or extraordinaire. And
you've decided, Okay, we're gonna continue to surround him with Clint Capella and
never really transition to the Onyekakunguever. You finally have Jalen Johnson out there,
but you feel like you're wing deficient at this point, where it's because you
have Dejonte Murray. He's now oversaddled with a defensive responsibility. He was probably
never meant to play. He might have been over romanticized as a defender too,
And now you're gonna have stretches where Bogda Magdonovitch has to play a three
and that's just not gonna work. But at the same time, if you
have Bay or even Hunter, it's just not a premier wing defender. And
so you've now said, like all these guys that you have in these roles
Capella's kind of aged out of the role they need him to play, where
Capella is still solid, but he's just not gonna anchor this back line.
And no, I don't think you need a terrific backline have a great defense,
look at the Pelicans, look at the Rockets. However, then you
do need to have like a good deal of perimeter pressure length size. I
still think Murray's a good defender. He's not especially big, so he has
like the length, But like, what are you getting from Hunter and Bey
and Bogdanovich to some of these other perimeter players. This feels like a roster
flaw to me, and a front office flaw dating back to the previous regime
as well. And so I do think you mentioned Trey's leadership. There's definitely
something there. He's had issues with multiple coaches behind the scenes, and there's
been multiple reports there has to be some validity to them. But to me,
the entire point is finding a player as good as Trey Young where it's
flaws and all. He gives you a north star. If you're trading Tray
Young, I think that's fine if you want to go that route, but
you can't spin it as this team is better off. You have to believe
that in the big picture, it makes more sense to start over than to
have Trey Young. I don't think it's there's a there's a and you mentioned
this. I don't see any scenario in which they trade Trey Young get better.
So they're gonna trade Tree Young and prioritize players over picks. That seems
like a massive mistake. Yeah, I think that's right. I just because
if you look at this roster, a lot of the things that you would
want in theory, right in building a team around Trey Young that could succeed
or are kind of there, like, except all of the pieces aren't quite
as good at what they need to be good at. Like Clint Capella is
a you know, a good rebounder who has had years where he's defended the
rim well, and like, sure we need that. Right. If Trey
Young is gonna be a turnstyle and he's you're gonna be you know, giving
up size basically against whoever he plays, that we got to have that back
line guy. You kind of have that guy. And then you talked about
a kong Wu. The theory of a kong Wu is like, well,
he's kind of that too, but he's also switchable. That's great, Like
we got that DeAndre Hunter is like a big wing slash combo for that can
go like go down the list, oh, bogdan Bogdanovic can come in and
play with Young without him Murray can play with him without But then it's just
like, well, then what's wrong? Like why why isn't this working?
And I think it's if you want to say, like I was kind of
nudging up against that, you know, I maybe that this is run its
course and you just you need to try something different that doesn't involve Trey.
The much easier solution, I think is just like, well, all these
other guys around them just need to be better than they are, and if
that means there needs to be organic improvement, that's one way. And the
other way is we start swapping out some parts, right like we look again
at moving Murray, we look again at what can we get for Hunter.
Jalen Johnson. I don't think you trade, but like everybody else, I
think you might just try to try to see if you can do a little
better, because maybe that's all it is, you know, that's the that's
the difference between where the Hawks are now and being a conference finals team,
which which they were. Like that's part of the other thing is everybody got
a little high on the Hawks supply. I think seeing them be a conference
finalist, that Trey have like some of the kids say some pretty yeah,
some pretty you know, like poignant playoff moments where we thought like, oh
this is a thing. Now you know, he's the villain of New York.
That's great, and that just that's that hasn't been the story since then,
and so I think that hurts this whole thing too, is like everybody
there's a sense of like, well you did it, so, like what's
going on now? Why isn't this working anymore? You know? And there's
not an easy answer. I do think it's it feels like malpracticed that both
Capella and Kungou have been on the team together for some of all it does
right one or the other, you'd think because we've taught I'm sure we've I
mean, how many fake trades have we put together over the years involving Capella
just to it's a Kong Wu's time? Right? Maybe a Kong is just
not maybe he's not that guy either though, right, Like it's smaller,
but it's like he's smaller, but Copela's not get younger. What I would
like to see them do, and this might get to more of Cardilanis's answer.
I hope flex Luthor is whether he disagrees with it or not. That's
our answer is I think you're more open to moving young than I am.
You can move young to me if you're willing to start over. I just
don't see a scenario where you improve in the next like one to three years.
Materially, I would like to see them. I think what they need
to do is upgrade the five and whether that happens by getting rid of both
the Kongo Capella or time to just transition into the Kung Wu Johnson lineups,
which have been like fine this year in the burst that we've seen them.
And then what I think you need to do is start changing out the parts
on the perimeter. I don't think I like the idea of de Jeante Murray
and Trey Young in Fury if you have better options to also defend alongside them,
and so it's to me it's upgrade the big spot. Again. Maybe
that's done internally the big spot, but the wing stuff I absolutely think they
need to get on the market, and it's like, I don't know what
trade They probably don't have enough to go after mckail Bridges, who's regressed defensively
anyway, But like, does lou Dort become available this summer, Like they
need to go out and get like a really just a plus plus guy on
the perimeter and then also upgrade the five. And I think that's if you
want to keep Trey Young. I think those are the two parts that I
look at and say, Okay, well this needs to happen immediately. Otherwise
what's the point of all this? Yeah, I'm good with that. I
think that's that's that's the right approach. Ready to go on to the nets?
Oh do we have to? No, I'm just kidding. Go ahead,
all right? This is from d Nitz. What's the best realistic trade
package from It's funny enough just talking about him. What teams can use him?
He says, Rockets or Grizzlies. Yeah, I don't know what a
mch Brikealprich' has been fine this season. I don't think he's leveled up at
all. He's still just a very useful offensive player who's probably better off is
Like I still think he could be a two on the right team, but
maybe better off as a third option. Then that would help him kind of
maintain his defensive motor. His trade value I do think, though, was
a little bit more complicated than people credit. There's like, oh, he's
gonna get like five first round picks. He's owed forty eight point two million
dollars over the next two seasons. That's great, but he's probably not going
to extend off that number. And so if you're a team giving up a
ton of value for him, you do go into this saying, well,
okay, three summers from now, two summers from now, whatever it is,
he will hit free agency. Whether his resignings of formality is different,
I think that will be part of the calculus. I think what he could
get if you moved him this summer is kind of the equivalent of five first
round picks, where it's you get two like loosely protected or unprotected ones,
maybe two mid end ones, and then one like whatever selection it's late first
or or you're doubling up on first in the same draft, kind of like
we saw with like the Raptors getting for Siakam at one point, even though
they ended up moving one of those picks. I do think though, And
this is where the wildcard comes in. Is the calculus changes if you're targeting
as the nets like actual players, and so I'm wondering, and I'll throw
this to you. I'll throw some names. If you're the Detroit Pistons and
there's just a package to be had where it's a Sar Thompson for Mkale Bridges,
are you doing it? And if I'm the Pistons, am I doing
this? Well? You can put yourself in Troy re receipt kind of knowing.
But we're gonna get to him. Believe we're gonna. But it's like,
if that's a team that feels like they need to accelerate their timeline,
if you're the Pistons, would you consider I don't know if they need what
else needs to be available? But like Asar Thompson for McHale Bridges, is
that a type of player that you could get from Mikale? I mean yeah,
I think so. And like, look, we love Thompson, but
like so at his absolute peak value, I mean, how much better is
Thompson likely to be than Bridges? I don't know. And it's that's gonna
it's gonna be a while, right, and like there's a lot of downside
potentially for Thompson if the shot just never happens. But yeah, I think
that makes sense. I I it's it's interesting, like any any Bridges question
has to sort of start with the concession that, like every team should want
him because he fits everywhere and his contract is awesome. Now you bring up
the great point of like the fact that he like he I don't think there's
any chance he extends off this number. I think he's like destined for free
agency, right, so you have to you have to price that into your
offer of like, well if if if Detroit trades for him hypothetically not saying
that's gonna happen, the Knicks are just looming in free agency a couple of
years from now, or whoever you want to throw out there, assuming New
York is still just going to go all Villanova all the time and the fifth
right there, Like, so I think like for me a team that the
Pistons, Yeah, sure, like I would trade Thompson. I think the
Pistons could justify I should say trading to Bridges. Could I throw a couple
other scenarios you're the Jazz. Would you trade Taylor Hendricks and Kante George?
Well, this will hurt your feelings because I know you're You're well, I'm
kind of in the bag for George, You're in the bag for Hendricks.
I think that's tough because you kind of have two cracks at like a cornerstone
type player there, and Utah probably would struggle to resign him. I think
that's that's a little iffier. I think I probably would still do it though,
because then I like, trade either one of them if it was a
one plus pick scenario, Yeah, I think I would. I think I
would because you got market in there, right, and he's in the He's
in his prime. Like, what are we doing if we're not gonna surround
with Here's interesting what everyone talks about the Nets getting back their own picks and
Jalen Green. Would you trade Amen Thompson for mcal Bridges. I mean,
I don't view him all that differently from Asar Rare, but he's probably more
expendable to the Rockets than the Stars to Detroit because if you're Houston and I
know, try Easton's injured right now, but in theory next year you have
Dylan Brooks and Tari Easton and like Jayshawn Tate is still there and so it's
yeah, we can trade them and then you have McHale Bridges coming in anyway,
Yeah, well in Houston, I think too, if Houston doesn't feel
that far away, especially with the way Shangoon is playing, like these last
two games of his have been he was great, great again tonight and a
loss. But I think I think Houston is the team that, like if
they got Bridges, you know, I think I throw the Pacers in there
too, like now or the Knicks would be another one like Okay, this
is this is a level up move for sure, and I think Houston is
very much looking to be like we're we're leveling up next year. I think
is the way the Rockets are operating before we get to like the list of
teams. So if you're the Nets and you are trading McKale bridges, knowing
your and let's assume he's not going well even if he is going to the
Rockets, like what are you I guess it's two different question. If he's
going to the Rockets, are you prioritizing just getting back your own picks?
Like do you want any of their blue chip players. And then in general,
let's say you're trading mckel bridges to a non Houston team, so you
under, Okay, it's well, our picks are still going to Houston.
Are you still prioritizing picks in that trade or are you looking for kind of
the Toronto Raptors route with og but you want a higher end of that where
they got RJ. Barrett IQ and a pick, but it was very player
centric. I mean, really, either way is fine. Really like,
although if you're in the nets in your trading bridges, I'm not sure what
if, like what's left that you feel really great about, Like Clackson is
going to be a free agent. You don't really know what's like Cam Johnson
is and what is your core. So I think maybe if you're trading bridges
and you can get that five five ish first round, you know, pickpackage,
I think I probably would just go picks. And I really like,
I don't know why I think this way, but the concept of getting your
picks back from Houston just really appeals to me because then you're just back in
control of like your whole operation. This is why I couldn't run any tea
because I look at it as like there's got to be something somewhat humiliating,
demoralizing of just when we gave up this really good top thirty five forty player
and alls we did was get our own draft equity back. Yeah, that's
the type of move. Like I think it seems like Sean Marx is never
gonna lose that job, But like the next it got head executive could could
be more easily justified because like I didn't do it, look like, hey,
I got him back, right, I wasn't responsible for losing them.
I also think why Houston's intriguing is not because they just have those Net picks.
But I ultimately think that if you're the Nets, you try and strat
on the line where we want picks plus, Like this blue chip guy on
his rookie scale probably not jail and green at this point, even though he's
had a couple offensive detonations. You just you're worrying about that, forget about
the struggles from this year. You're just worrying about that next contract already.
And so when you think about teams for him, I look at ones that
can they strike a balance where it's like, let's say the Nets, the
Knicks, finally decided to do. But which, by the way, the
fucking stupidest thing in the world. These two teams have no real history,
like a meaningful history against but they don't want to like fucking trade, Like
if you need to trade with each other, just do it. Like the
Knicks, it would have to be very pick based. They don't have any
of those prospects, even the like uh as a d Nit said, like,
yeah, the Grizzlies would make a lot of sense. That's a package
that all of a sudden after the Grizzlies had all these Oh look at these
dudes. It it has to be all pick based at this point unless you're
trading Desmond Bane, which I don't think you would, that would be my
guess. And so it's like I'm looking at teams and even the Pacers.
It's maybe the Pacers. Do they have enough to get Mikal Bridges because they
have Jaris, they have Benn mcmathrin, and they can still trade like a
bunch of first after this year. They're only out after the twenty four draft
one of their own first round picks. Yeah, I think it's interesting.
We should probably thank the Raptors for this. But like there weren't a lot
of times in the past where we were, you know, oh, let's
trade this guy for a bunch of picks, or let's trade this star for
another star. Not since the Raptors kind of like did it both ways,
where you know, they got picks and one of their trades for Siakam mainly
picks, and then they got young players in the Knixt trade, it's kind
of like yeah, you go, oh yeah, right, you can kind
of do both, like you don't have to just you know, trade a
guy for a bunch of lottery tickets or not trade them at all. Like
there's ways you can. You can sort of like have your cake and eat
it too. If only the Raptors that also known that there's ways to trade
guys before their months out from free agents, well, look, you know
they can't. They can't learn all the lessons at once. They probably know
that now. I hope they know that now. That's scary if they don't,
any do you think I guess that the Sixers can't really strike that balance
because like who, they don't have the they're not trading Maxie in that they
do, they can trade anything five first this summer though, so like all
those are on the table. That probably gets you to think we mentioned the
Knicks, So I think, well, all right, so we already mentioned
Detroit. If you're okayc like you just look at this because you have like
I mean, but like you have Jaylen Williams and Sga and chet Holmgren,
and it's like, well, those are the only dudes who are like,
I know, we have Dort and he's a better defender than chel Bridges,
but those are the only three dudes that are locked in. And if you
have the pick equity, it's kind of like we play small to begin with,
so why not I would absolutely go after mckel bridges. Oh yeah,
Like imagine if the giddy spot is just I mean in case coming, but
if the gidda spot is suddenly mckel Bridges like okay, like I mean the
thunder win five titles, probably six, I don't know. I just don't
know if they have enough. And I'm gonna say this or I think I'm
gonna probably anger some of them, but I the Kings feel like when you're
looking at teams, who does McHale Bridges take from fringe contender faux contender to
actual contender. We don't mention Okac because they are a contender, so that's
why they're not in this. For me, I look at the Knicks,
I look at the Sixers, but I'm like looking at the Kings and I'm
like, if they just put every like, I would absolutely trade. I
know he's come a long way Defensively, I'm absolutely trading Keegan Murray. It
means getting Michael Bridges. Your your window is the bonus and Fox and Mchael
Bridges compliments them better on the defensive end than Keegan Murray does at this point.
So if you were putting Picks and Keegan Murray on the table, there's
some overlap there with Cam Johnson, but if you're rebuilding or you even keeping
him, that's the team where it's like, if you ask me, who
do I want to see? Well, the Knicks, let's be honest,
but who do I want to see? McHale Bridges kind of on I love
this fit on Memphis Houston, Indiana. Like McHale bridge is going to the
Kings feels like super meaningful in a way that it might because even the Sixers,
it's like, well, we have Joel Embiid and like, I think
the Knicks it's arguably just. But like the Pacers have this first team all
NBA guy in Halliburton, the Knicks might have a second like to all NBA
caliber guys been in how you feel about Randall? And I know the Kings
have the same way, But it's like a team that's still kind of entrenched
in the middle of their conference. It feels like mckal bridges would make this
huge difference for Sacramento. I'm just I question whether just Keithan Murray and picks.
I think that's you know, it's a player that the Knicks don't have.
It's a player that the Sixers don't have. You're not gonna outbid,
Okay, see, I don't think you could outbid New Orleans. But I
don't. I don't know why you would. Are you putting Trey Murphy on
the table for mchal Bridges. That's the team that I look at where I
would like to see them make like monster type offers from McHale this summer certainly
fills a huge need there, I do think. Correct me if I'm wrong,
but I'm pretty sure. And the city situation is slightly different because of
the contract status. But like Murray was not on the table for Anonobe right,
or maybe it was Siakam, But I do know that they were rarely
not linked to Annanobe enough right, And it's like they didn't want to give
him k Murray. That's fine, but the interest in Skam over Anobe makes
me think, oh, they knew he was going to New York or he
said he didn't want to be in Sacramento. Yeah, I mean that's another
factor. I I think I might be too close to the situation living where
I live. But like, I really think that if you pulled Kings fans
and said we have a trade, Keegan Murray's going out, mckail bridge is
coming back, there would be a huge percentage that would say no way,
Wow. Keegan Murray is like beyond beloved, Like it's in every fan base
like overvalues their own young players. It's just like it's it's a fact across
the board. But the Keegan Murray. I like Keegan Murray, but like,
is Keith and Murray ever going to be as good as mckail bridges already?
Like already I could see it being offensively but defensively, and he is,
He's been way better when you look at some of the assignments. He's
had a shoulder too, But I I just is there even a scenario where
he's as good as peak mckal bridges on defense, I don't know. No,
mckail Bridges was a legit defensive player of the year. You I mean
it wasn't last year. Was the year before he finished in Phoenix. I
think I picked him as my defensive player of the year. Will not be
that good on defense, Like I feel comfortable saying Murray is not going to
be like a short list defensive player of the year guy, Like WHOA take
again this people? There are Kings fans that would be like, come on,
like you can't say yeah, I can say that. And so if
offensively Murray ever becomes what Bridges is now, I think I'd be surprised at
that too. So like but but with Murray and Murray, it's a bonus
you mentioned, like the fit with the bonus in mckel bridges in particular,
it just is like steroid level amazing. That's a great spot for him for
sure. But again, he is the he remains the universal plug and play
guy, Like I think, I think that's just what he is. Let's
get another one here, from Denitz a little more of a niche question.
I'm so fascinated because we haven't really talked about this guy, you and I
that much. What's cam Thomas's most likely ninety percent sealing outcome and his one
hundred percent? So basically this question is like, how good can Cam Thomas
be? Like maybe realistically and then unrealistically, like you know, viewing him
as a guy that just like hits his absolute peak potential. I think realistic,
his best case outcome could be like a CJ. McCollum type, even
though you think he has more pop to him, needs to improve the three
ball, which he's done a little bit. But I could see that archetype
of player where it's never close to being a number one option flawed. As
a number two can do stuff with the ball in his hands, you can
do stuff without the ball. I feel like, is it over selling it
to say DeMar de Rosen was the other name I had here where it's like,
if that's his best case and I mean this the version of Demart Rosen
that became a playmaker, where it's oh, he's a little bit limited if
you're looking at him off the ball and as a three point shooter, but
like this he can do on the ball and from mid range and hitting these
tough jumpers, Like if you get like if Cam Thomas, is that the
best version of Cam Thomas that you could envision or is there another player or
archetype that comes on. He's just he's had a really good season. I
just he's still such a flawed player. He's made I don't want to even
use the word strides if feels way too strongly to say that he's made incremental
improvement as a passer. But like even when I mentioned the CJ. McCollum
type player, I'm like, is he ever going to be a good enough
passer to actualize that type of a of a comparison. So I'm glad you
I'm glad we don't disagree too much on this because Cam Thomas is a player
type that I just like, don't like. It's just I don't think.
I don't think he win with guys like him. I don't know what his
like. I sure de Martin Rosen seems like a lot because I think Derozen
made like has made like a half dozen All Star games. I don't think
Thomas is going to be an All Star ever, well, I so I
would agree with that. But the stuff, the playmaking thing, dem Martin
Roson never used to be a playmaker like in those early days. He was
like this pick and roll maestro. Mm hmm, yeah, I agree with
that. I just look at Thomas and it's just like six Man, like
the six man alarm and siren just keeps going off, like and that's valuable.
Like you know, I would say someone like Jordan Clarkson is probably I
view as a better overall player than Thomas, even though Clarkson I don't think
has the volume, so like you view that as his like ninetieth percentile outcome
as a Jordan Clarkson, Well, based on the information we have, like
if you're saying in a DeRozan way, or like we talked about Jimmy Butler
last week, like if he just yeah, sure, I guess Cam Thomas's
one hundredth percentile outcome includes like the development of skills he like has not remotely
shown yet, right, like but if he's too, if he sure,
but he's I mean he is what he this is what he's been forever,
right, I think he set like the what he's like one of the leading
high school scorers in the league. I think he was the leading scorer as
a freshman in college. Like he just like he gets buckets and like that's
awesome, that that's a skill, but he has never done anything else.
And so like unless you're you're unless I'm convinced that he's going to add a
ton of new layers to his game, which I suppose is possible. Like
I just see him as a high volume scorer that kind of takes stuff off
the table almost everywhere else I guess, like the facilitation point is legit,
Like he's he's I think in like the top last I looked top quartile,
like you know, assist rate for his position, So like, yeah,
he can, he can pass the ball. I just don't see how a
guy who's averaging twenty on way below league average true shooting, like is going
to be more than than a six man, you know, gunner off the
bench type ultimately, like maybe if he's if he's a league average scorer,
like in terms of efficiency, and he can ever get twenty five a game,
Like I'm not sure who that is exactly, but like that's certainly that's
a useful player. Yeahs out like smaller Carmelo, Anthony. I mean melockl
still rebound. Melanis was a better three point shooter. I think what also
when you look at Mellow and maybe even with Derozen, but like like Derozen
at the four is just that it's weird. But Melo gave you more positional
options, where Cam Thomas very locked into. This kind of guy has to
be like a peer two and those types of players I generally don't like.
But there is value in his bucket getting and he's at least not you know,
and part of this is because I still think he probably doesn't pass enough.
He still has that like his assists feel like last resorts rather than part
of the plan, if that makes any sense. But I have this note
in here. It's just here are the players who have scored thirty plus points
per one hundred posessions while matching cam Thomas's turnover eight before their twenty third birthday,
Anthony Davis and Christops. I don't really know what to make of that
other than like cam Thomas gets buckets and isn't at least wasting possessions with turnovers.
He might be wasting them with some of his shot attewn. Yeah,
his turnovers are bad shots like that is a real player type. That is
a thing with that type of player. So I guess this one hundred percentile
outcome is Anthony Davis or or Porzingis he's he's in for a growth spurt.
Yeah, well okay, so if he becomes seven feet then we really got
to start talking about it. Uh, let's let's move on. You want
to get I think it's your turn to read me some Celtics questions? Yes,
uh p d buckets. Is Jason Tatum ready to be the best player
on a title team? That's the only questions that matters. Sure, he
might be right now, then you move on. Well, no, so
divisive, Whereas I got a lot of by the way, and I don't
know if you you probably don't know this because you're not on Twitter, and
I don't know if you read the discord. There was some people disagreed with
me having Donald Mitchell first team that's gonna be a watch because it looks like
he's not gonna qualify it for that. That Yeah, I ended up pivoting
to putting Kwhi Leonard first team before the Donovan Mitchell injury, just because it
was like, that's how these things work. But why is he such a
divisive Do you think he actually is underappreciated? Is it like, are we
just the Celtics are so good? He's the best player, and could he
be a little bit inflated? Like what is what makes him such a divisive
figure? It feels like, I mean, well, part of it is
that just because of the way social media works, there have to be incredibly
strong opinions on one side or the other and there's no nuance for anything,
So everything's divisive. That's part of it. Like I think so I was
talking about this on the radio today that the question was basically like it used
to be that the best player on the best team had like an inside track
to MVP Jason Tatum is that he's the best player on the best team in
the league, at least in terms of regular season We could talk about Denver
separately, So what gives? And my answer was, just like, I
guess it's because Boston's like second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth
players are also really awesome and Tatum like just doesn't have to play at the
level that certain other guys do. And frankly, like Tatum in a vacuum
is not as good as you know, whoever you're else you're gonna put on
your All NBA first team, I don't, I mean, at least most
of them. He's not Luca, he's not you honest, he's not Yokic,
he's not Sga. But he's a I mean, he's right there.
And I think I think, like, is he is he ready to be
the best player on his house team? You have to say yes, because
the best player on a team that was two wins away from winning a title.
That's and so that's what I was gonna get back to. I think
the problem people have with him is they've seen him get close and not do
it. And so that is the lingering image of Jason Tatum of like,
you know, he this is a guy who's had monster game sevens, Like
do you have fifty in a game seven? Like I think he has the
high the high total in a game seven in the playoffs, like he's had
major you know, playoff games. He's just been close and not quite done
it. And so that is what people will think of him until he does
the thing like which could happen this year, and then I would be fascinated
to revisit like what what will the narratives be if the Celtics win the title
and Tatum probably would be final Whit'll be right, Yeah, he's gonna Derek
whit'snna get his Andrea Goodalla Finals MVP. But like you can imagine going into
next season with the Celtics having won a title and Tatum having been awesome in
the finals, just like, oh yeah, this is this guy's a he's
a top three player. Now we just suddenly everything will change. If I
had to like pinpoint an actual because I hate and I'm not saying that you're
doing this, I kind of understand that reasoning where's he hasn't done it yet,
But like then we're just talking about, like so Joel Lebi can't be
the best player if I had a pinpoint like a thing about his game,
and when I was talking about the LNBA stuff, his pull up jumper,
it's come along. Like his off the dribble jumper, which is his signature
skill, has not been going into a high clip the past two seasons.
It's on the come up right now. But like it's a testament to how
much better he's gotten as drawing fouls, getting to the basket, even as
a playmaker. He's not doing as much of that this year, I think
because you mentioned the personnel around him, so he's expanded his game. But
if I'm looking at his game, it does feel like, is this someone
you trust to run the offense or make the right decisions in crunch time?
And I would say like eighty five percent of the time probably people bemoan him
trying to get to you know, his escape triple step back, but like
that's a pretty big weapon in crunch time. And I also think it depends
on the circumstances there. And so I kind of wonder, is that if
you're taking issue with, well, is he the guy that can get you
over the top in those moments, not commit a turnover or not take the
wrong shot or set up his teammates. Is that actually a flaw of him
or is it just well, he's not that archetype of player. And so
now we're saying because Giannis isn't that guy either, to be quite frank,
like, he's not you're not gonna set him up runn like the fact that
Tatum can the offense can be necessarily run through him and he doesn't always need
to get downhill Giannis kind of needs that momentum. I know he has counters
once he gets inside the arc, Like you don't want a Giannis escape cripple
jumper from beyond the arc to try and win the game, And I just
I can't. I do think it's a fair to say because we've seen Look
the Celtic's just blue. Oh is it a ninety point lead in the fourth
quarter against a short handed Cavs team. So there are flaws there when you
they feel like they deviate from some of their core principles or that they're really
missing a floor general or like raw rim pressure type or someone who blends those
together. But I'm just like, if you're saying that he can't be the
best player on a title team, then you're saying there are probably fewer than
ten guys right now who can, oh for sure, because he's in that
top ten and comfortably in that top ten, closer to top five really probably.
I think, like I just looking up some of the shot data,
like do you remember the concern coming into the league with him was like,
I don't know, He's kind of just really good at generating like tough twos.
There's like a little mellow in him. Do you remember that as like
a scouting report rap on that really stuck bigger Cam Thomas in him. I
got it's but like, I think there's some validity to that. You said
it, like he's a jump shooting player, like and in some ways,
like what can go wrong with him also goes wrong with the Celtics, which
is like when the threes don't fall, and we've seen it in the playoffs,
and we freaking saw it last night as we're recording this bustin, Like
it looks bad when when the when the jumpers aren't going when the shot will
go in, the offense doesn't look right and nobody likes it when all the
shots that aren't going in are jumpers as opposed to as opposed to lay ups,
especially if they were born before nineteen eight, seventy eight or whatever it
is. I don't know what this means necessarily, but you you on on
Basketball Reference, you can just sort by, like what's the average shot distance
for this for this player. It's fifteen and a half feet for Tatum this
year. That's the longest he's ever had. So, like, if your
criticism of Tatum is that, like, oh, these jumpers are it's just
you know, two high variants or whatever. He's doing more of that this
year than ever, Like he is, he's farther from the basket on average
on his on his field goal attempts than he's ever been so but that's just
his game, like he he's fashioned like a downhill game, you know,
from what was a real weak point. I think early in his career.
Still does the off arm shove way too often. That's going to get legislated
out hard by the way next year. I'm calling it now, so like
that that is an issue. It's just like I don't know, I think
you remember the first bullet point you had on the Trey Young thing of like
why do people say the Hawks are better without him? It's because people are
stupid. It's like people are stupid if they say that Jason Datum can't be
the best player on a title team like he's he basically is. He just
like hasn't officially been that yet. All right, A second Celtics question here,
this one from Rubikscal. Can you have a look at the Celtics schedule
and tell me how many more losses you see between now and the end of
the season. I don't see him losing more than four unless they choose to
rest multiple stars. I mean, what are the Celtics right now? I
don't know what their record is. I know they're like eight games up on
everybody. Yeah, I think that that's the calculats and all this is.
I did go through their schedule, but they have such a huge lead on
first place that once they clinch it, like what, like, are you
going to are the last two weeks just going to be a free for all
of just like, oh, hey, Xavier Tillman is playing forty five minutes
or something like that. So I do think just very quickly the games that
I have circled. So they're on the road at Denver March seventh, so
that'll be Thursday when this podcast goes up. I could see them losing in
Phoenix on Saturday, March ninth. They're in Milwaukee on April ninth. They
just have three back to backs left on the season as well, And while
the matchups are pretty favorable, are they really just gonna go six and?
Oh? There? So I would say, oh, okay, they're gonna
lose one of those six games, which brings us to what's that four potential
ones, and then they do have home games left against the Bucks March twentieth
and the Thunder on April third. So if you're setting me over under a
four more Celtics losses, I think I'm going to take the over in large
part because of the way that the seeding's working out. Yeah, what's so?
I think that's about right? What's that get them? Too? So
if they got twenty one left, if you're going say they lose six,
so that's fifteen more wins, that's sixty three and just ridiculous, that's a
lot of wins. Yeah, I mean, I think like the coasting to
the finish thing seems legit to me, Like that's like why wouldn't you?
I guess it's like there's sealed argument of like do you want to try to
keep the knife sharp or do you want to you know, take it easy.
They've got knowing, like there's no scenario where they don't finish with the
top seed. So like I if anybody is going to throttle back, I
feel like it should be them, because you know, they are a six
man team basically, like they're you know, they've got seven, eight,
nine guys, but like that top six needs to be healthy and at like
al Horford's one hundred years old, you can't be like running them into the
ground trying to chase sixty wins. Yeah, so I'll tay, I'll go
over four. I think i'd go over five as well if I think I
would too. We have one question for the Hornets. So Hornets fans,
if you're not following us, get in our discords that you can ask questions
or because I don't always put it on Twitter, even though this time I
did, so, just follow us. If you're a Hornets fan, shout
out to HP Burgie by the way, because look, I'm just gonna say
this very quickly. It doesn't seem like anyone cares about the hornets the nets,
and so shout out to the nets or the wizards. And HP Burgie
had questions for the hornets and the wizards when we get to them, so
shout out to him coming through them. Excuse me, H question grant,
who is worth keeping on the Hornets when you're looking at rebuilding personally, I
think it's just LaMelo, Brendon Miller and Mark Williams. Well, all things
are relative, so like Mark Williams might not be a keeper on another team,
But I think he should be viewed as one on the Hornets, right,
Like what, like what you don't have anything better? So I think
and he's young, and he's shown you know, flashes of maybe this is
like a rim protecting, you know, dive to the basket guy, Like
that's valuable, especially when you get LaMelo back. But it's it's really the
number one pick you're drafting Alexander Saw. You're not going to be like,
oh, I'm Mark Williams, so we're going to trade this pick. Well,
like if if there were a point well that the Hornets just proved that
if there were a highly touted point guard prospect, they would not draft that
guy. So but I think now there is it's a little different because the
center position is so fungible, especially like Williams is not going to be a
guy that is going to shoot seven or eight threes a game and you know
switch like that's just he's a we know what archetype of a center Williams is.
At least we have a pretty good idea. I don't know if I
go much beyond that, Like I think these are all like deeper cuts.
But like Trey Mann is someone I think they should be interested in seeing how
he fits, like with LaMelo, if that ever comes to pass. But
like Hoku, obviously not sure. Obviously, I mean Cody Martin, he's
if he's going to be healthy, you could look at it, look at
that contract sort of this connector gap filler, then he's a keeper. But
when you're when you're looking at building blocks, I honestly think they only have
two. I just I don't know that the mark if the expansion of he
has this kind of like floor game or perimeter game that we saw busted out
a little bit, and we'll assume it'll be healthier. Okay, you can
get me on board, But I just don't know that his archetype. Like
even Jalen durn Detroit, I'm kind of like that, do you consider that
guy a building block? I mean, that's that type of player has to
be so good at the like limited things that they're supposed to do that it's
just like there's only a handful right of that type of center that that has
like, oh yeah, for sure, we're keeping him. Like I actually,
who even is that guy who is the like Jared Allen. That's the
kind of the case, right, maybe we're not the ones to OPI in
on this type of player. Maybe maybe we should. I'm gonna sit I'm
gonna sit out from now I'm gonna make a resolution. I'm gonna sit these
out from now on. So we've been very wrong on Jared Allen. But
yeah, I think it's Miller and it's LaMelo in some order. I don't
know what I mean. That would be an interesting question really too, is
like I was gonna ask you too, was there was the stuff floating around
like a week or two ago where it was I think it was Tony Jones,
the athletic who's been on this podcast. I love him. Uh,
things that they should trade LaMelo and rebuild around Brandon Miller, And that's kind
of like, I don't necessarily understand that logic. And if you're gonna say
Melo's injured all the time, it's like, well, guess who else knows
that Mel's injured all the time, whoever's training for him? What type of
value you're gonna get for that? I do like you can. It's so
twofold. One would you keep both these guys together? And two do you
view Brett and Miller as kind of more important? Than LaMelo. Now I
still don't, but I would one hundred percent keep them together. I read
that same thing. My thought initially was like, so, how old's Miller
twenty one? I think it's his age twenty. Yeah, it's his age
twenty one season, and he like he's gonna be all rookie first team.
That's awesome. LaMelo was a fucking All Star at twenty. So it's like,
let's not forget where the real like LaMelo, the injuries have clouded I
think the perception of him and like sort of some of the like he's not
viewed as like a real serious guy or whatever, and maybe that's a problem
for in a leadership position going forward. But like LaMelo has already achieved way
more than Miller has. That's not to say that Miller won't be a great
player. I think we both think he's gonna be really good. But they're
not like overlapping in any way to me, Like, I don't think I
think they could actually like augment each other, Like, you know, I
don't think there's any reason to start talking about an either or thing with them.
Yeah, it really feels like that LaMelo can a Lamello can carry the
load offensively that Miller isn't meant to. And so if you have LaMelo breaking
down the defenses in the half court in transition, imagine what that does to
Miller is kind of the number two, who's look, I've been impressed with
just kind of his passing an overall self creation this year. Make that your
number two and like how much more like where the Paul George comps are right
there? But it's even like the it's with Kawhi Leonard as well. He
feels more dangerous when he doesn't have to be the number one scorer and table
setter. And what LaMelo ensures is that you will never have to be the
number one table setter, which I don't think Miller just like Paul George,
just even like Kawi or Kevin Durant, Like I don't think they're in full
lineups. Again, like I don't know that you want them to be your
primary passers and LaMelo can be that guy. I know there's things that are
fundamentally wrong when they slow things down, like we've kind of seen it in
the half court where he's still super dangerous with his off the dribble jumper,
and it's will he ever become a better finisher at the ram I get it,
but like he can carry that load, and I just don't see Miller
as someone who can. And even if you do the stuff that they you
said it already, they're not redundant to be in any shape or form,
I think too. Like, let's suppose that Miller like exceeds the Paul George
thing, because Paul George, I feel like, is just the quintessential like
one b you know that that's just like what he's gonna go down as in
the league, probably in his uh, you know, Wikipedia entry when he's
all done. Let's say Miller is better than that, and it is the
guy you throw it to, you know, at the end of a playoff
game, it's like we need we need a basket like phenomenal because LaMelo isn't
that guy. LaMelo is like very much. You know, he can run
the pick and roll and he's a connector and like he sees the floor brilliantly,
but he's not like break his guy down and create a shot out of
nothing like that isn't what he is. So just we're just kind of saying
the same thing over and over again. But like these guys should work really
well together. And that's that's if Miller is what we think he's probably gonna
be. And that's still true if Miller is way better than we think he's
gonna be. Like, there's no I don't see the scenario where anything happens
where they overlap. So yeah, keep them both. And yeah, Mark
Williams, why not throw them a bone, Let's keep them too. So
I wouldn't mention this, even though it's your turn to lead us through the
Chicago Bulls. Is that we have four I think it's three or four questions
that you're going to read. They're looped together because they're all kind of basically
what the fuck bulls? But raise different what I'm ready? Okay? From
Matti l Bulls question mark question mark question mark from Ziggy Zach Bulls Bullsfront Office.
How is a first round exit ceiling competitive? Competitive? In quotations because
that's what our cherist Cornersilvis was talking about. We want to be a competitive
team. From Trek Sauce to the bullsfront office. Why are you the way
that you are? From French Bulls fan define being competitive? Uh yeah,
Look, if you listen to us at all, we're on board. We
agree the Bulls are doing stupid things and everyone seems to know it. But
then so, either they've really got it figured out. Well, there's three
options. They've really got it figured out, they don't know what they're doing,
or they're really comfortable being a forty two win team when things go right
and that's what they want, which is like some teams are that way.
A major market team like the Bulls, with a rich history and a rabid
fan base should not be one of those teams that's gunning for the middle like
that. But that's on the board. That has to be a possibility,
now, right. What do you make of though Karnisovach saying that he has
the license to rebuild and chose them Like, that's worse, like if this
was a mandate from ownership and it's kind of all he's just look, his
hands were tired. If he actively chose not to rebuild, do you know
what's gonna end up happening when they do trade Caruso. It's not gonna be
for multiple first round picks that they could have gotten at this deadline. They're
not gonna be able to train de Rosen because he might mean for nothing like
those are scenarios that are on the table. What are you So are you
just gonna pay Patrick Williams twenty million dollars a year or something to like and
look the Iotasumu and I had that written in the notes under all these things,
like Iota Zumu might be on one of the best contracts in the league.
That is all unless Kobe White is like Kobe White might be on that.
Like so you've done that. You have these random heroics and crunch time
still and they've been their defense is not good this year, but like you
can get the lineups that are just super pressure filled. This is just like
I don't even want to call it aimless because we know what they're trying to
do, and that's to be the bottom of the middle. It's so diss
like even though the Nicola Vucevic Contractors is like a perfect microcosm of everything where
it's it's not terrible, it's not great, and it does nothing for you,
and it's kind of evolved into something that might be bad to be honest,
but to where you envision getting it out, and the whole thing is
is LaMelo is Lonzo, like this we're not waiting on Lonzo to come back
anymore. I just I don't have answers to these questions other than I think
we're at the point where we're probably you know, no more than a year
away from us talking about a different iteration of the bullstront Office. Oh,
let's hope so, because if it's the same thing and the results continue to
be what they are, it's like how depressing and blae is Like, imagine
the questions, the series of questions will get this time next year. I
just think, like it's hard to understand. I mean, you laid out
the tooth like we just made fun of the raptors for not figuring out,
Like you gotta make some moves before it's too late and the value diminishes,
and like the DeRozan thing is definitely headed that way. Caruso, if if
you could have gotten a good first for Cruso at this past trade Inadline,
you didn't do it Like that to me is just malpractice. It's insane,
It doesn't make any sense, and it's just, you know, I don't
know what to do with the bulls. I feel like I've said it a
million We've said it a million times. There's like there's no it's indefensible.
Can we say it's indefensible what they're doing because the best car, the best
case scenario, Lonzo comes back, DeRozan comes back for because no one will
pay him more than the Bulls are gonna pay him. Free agency or whatever
Lavine gets healthy. Vucevich is your center, I guess, or or Andre
Drummond comes back. You've got Cruso, You've got White, You've got to
Sumu. Where's that team finishing in the East. It's not in the top
four, like and so it's probably not the top six. I don't know.
So I just the absolute best if everything goes right. This still is
not a good situation and everything will not go right. So yeah, the
Bulls wire you the way that you are. I don't know. I don't
the only I'm not crafting a defense here, but free agency it's already kind
of imploded. And we'll see if that changed with the new CBA. But
you look at this summer and even just like Kelly Olynik getting his extension,
which I think, by the way, that makes the Raptors trade from just
a lot better in general is knowing that, oh, you're able to get
him at this number. Uh, it kind of just shows oh, like
it's like Andre Drummon is one of the three best centers that are gonna be
available in free agency, and so were they viewing it as teams will be
more aggressive with trades, so they'll still be able to get just as much,
if not more, for Caruso or maybe even they're looking at as trades
for Patrick Williams, for Demarta Rosen will be on the table. They'll be
able to capitalize in ways that they wouldn't have been able to at the trade
deadline. I don't think they will be. I want to make that abundantly
clear, But that is the only train of thought I have. Running it
back is just so mind melting the stupid though, And yet that's probably what
you have to expect happens. Do you earing get concern in situations like this
because the people making decisions for the bulls have been very successful at their chosen
lines of work and have more information than anybody else does about the bulls.
And it always sometimes when it seems so clear, like we're both like,
this is nuts. They don't know what they're doing, These all these choices
are wrong. It makes me think, like I need to walk this back
because these are smart, capable people that are making these decisions. So it
must be me, Like I must not be seeing something because I'm I don't
run an NBA team. There's a reason for that, Like I'm not qualified.
These people are qualified to do it. Actually you're in this case,
you might be overqualified. Well that's the thing. Like I'm just like it
makes I want to know. I want to know what I don't know because
it must there must be a lot because it seems like from all the information
we have, nothing the Bulls are doing is defensible. So uh, that's
my way of like if the Bulls won the title next year, at least
we'll have this like thirty second snippet of me hedging. Okay, that's all
that was. I'm sorry. They are the twenty four to seven, three
sixty five living embodiment of the Russell Westbrook to the Lakers trade where everyone knew
it was going to be a disaster as soon as it went down, and
what was it a disaster except the Bulls. It's just like it's even more
reoccurring because it's every single damn day and every year, and they don't I
guess they haven't doubled down on it because the Boots trade, even though it
was a win for everybody involved, grant, it scared them out of these
mega transactions apparently. Uh, but like I just this treadmill of it's not
even mediocrity, it's like sub mediocrity. So it's even more discouraging. Let's
let's move on to it slightly and cocouraging. Bull's question from Rashaun Robinson nineteen
ninety nine. Now that Scotty Barnes is out in definitely, would Kobe White
get the bump to number one? Who's referring to our most Improved awards that
we handed out. I mean he was number two for both of us,
So, like, technically, I guess the start of has to be unless
you just want to leave Barnes up there because we saw the improvements he made.
I don't know. If he doesn't reach, he has to play in
five more games this season otherwise he can't. I'm going to make an exception,
but I don't have that power. Yeah, I think it's probably.
I think it has to be White, doesn't it. I Mean, we
made all the arguments, like he just became a legit point guard. Do
you. So I think Shane Good could end up factoring in a little bit.
The thing I didn't realize we both I think we only had him as
honorable mention. I don't think Cam Thomas is eligible to win this award.
I wouldn't pick him. We didn't pick him. I want to make that
clear, but he was that I have to look at how many games played
he has, but I think he was at like forty nine, so that
seems low. Right. So he's at forty eight, so he's been out
with that ankle injury or he's dealing with an ankle injury, so I'm pretty
sure he is tracking to like. So there's Shane Goon and White, and
I do think White leads the league in total minutes played, so I'd assume
that would help him. I do think those Scotty Barnes is ineligible. The
two players I mentioned, Shangun and White, it probably opens the door for
them most. I think it also opens the door for Maxi, who is
the betting favorite at one point. I don't know if he still is or
close to it. And then I just wonder if we get more like Ja
doub Love because he's leading the league and off the dribble jumper percentage and leads
the thunder and fourth quarter scoring. There there was a Dan Devine had a
good ride up on him today. For for Yahoo, it's just like just
just put it in my veins, put it put just give it to me
directly. All the Scotty Barnes is ineligible. You would go with Kobe White.
I don't think enough has changed. Well what has changes? I watched
Sangoon just give it to wim bin Yama the other night, and that really
was It was an eye opening experience for me. Did you see the video
that was posted where it said the new Hakeem versus was it David ro Dobbinson
just dropped. Yeah, I did see that. It was. I mean,
I felt lucky that I just happened to flip that game on when I
did, because shan Gun was just like he put winm been Yama in the
basket more than once, like took him down underneath and just overpowered him and
weighs it like oh. Everyone thought like, oh the whole league is just
gonna body win Bin Yamen like nobody can. And Shangun just did. He
was he was on one that was phenomenal. I like Shangun better than Kobe
White. I just think Kobe White sort of became a different player and Shan
Gun just became a really great version of what he sort of already was.
So he kind of like the perfect case of his opportunity increased rather than the
functionality of his game, and he did make improvements, like functionally, I
think defensively for sure. You did have j Dub number three though, so
this feels like it might open the door for him. I mean, between
Shangun and Jada, like, that's there's two of my favorite young guys in
the league. Let's get how about this. We haven't done this in a
while. Co Most Improved Player of the Year, give it to both of
those guys. Kobe White, That's what I've decided. So you literally just
took who you had second, bumped him, kicked him out, kicked him
out. It's a full season, or Dan, that's what you always say.
Seven days changed a law. Yeah, uh so let's move that was
it on the Bulls, But yeah, Kobe White's probably in a pretty good
shape. If Scottie Barnes ineligible, let's move on to the Calves. This
was initially anonymous, but then Dan said, I could use his name to
it. So Dan, this is not me, by the way, this
is another Dan said, JB is a fine coach, love him personally,
but his lineups don't make any sense sometimes at his two minute drill at the
end of game is one of the worst I've ever seen. Think Mike Budenholzer
might be a fit in Cleveland. Do you think I do think Buttonholes is
going to get another job, especially since like the Bucks, clearly he was
not the problem in Milwaukee. It seems like so uh yeah, I don't
know. I like, I'm just looking at their lineups now. I think,
generally speaking, like it's kind of hard to be super critical of bigger
staffs lineups just because so many key guys have been out of it. Is
that, and they're about the Evan Mobley ankle issue out definitely, And then
donmin Mitchell just got that he's another one he might be eligible for depending on
how much time he misses for the year end honors. Yeah, I mean,
I think I don't know how far I can like, I I will
say, before last year, I don't think anybody thought Bickerstaff was a great
coach, like the the Houston tenure wasn't like Bowl you over h and I
think you know, coaches can improve too. I think he's probably he's improved.
I just I can't judge the lineup decisions, you know, super harshly,
just because like, what do you want him to do when he's missing
two three of the of their four best players? For like, I don't
know what percentage of the season has been, but a lot like so that's
that's tricky. Either integrating Max Strews into a major role. You know,
he's a new guy there. I don't know, Like I can't get there
super critical I have, I actually have some qualms. I feel like he
is not inclined to take chances enough to where it's like, we don't want
Sam Merrill on the court because he's gonna get targeted defensively, So we're gonna
put Isaaca Corro back in the game, and then our offense is gonna suffer.
And the fact that the other thing is and this is not I will
say this, I don't know how to view this one. So it's probably
time to just not play George and Yang. As much Dean Wade has been
better, I'd rather see more of Isaaca corral, Sam Merrill, like Max
Trews out, like short, shrink the rotation if you have to. That's
a call that seems kind of obvious. What's less obvious and very complicated this
team. And I don't think that these are bad players. They are so
very clearly much better on offense with one big, Like I'm just there.
I know Evan Mobley was taking more three yes before his ankle injury, but
like, unless he's gonna I said this to Dan in the when he messaged
me, unless he's gonna have like kind of the brook Lopez trajectory where he
just all of a sudden it starts jacking him up at volume. Even brook
Lopez is a five though he's not playing a four, and so like this
is I'm not saying trade one of the bigs necessarily, because one of the
other problems here, by the way, is like Darius Garland three pointers coming
around, does he take enough of them? The minutes without Mitchell have been
They're still winning them, but the offense has been dogshit in those times,
and then he still can't finish around the rim. He's at I think fifty
eight percent for the season. Once again, I don't like there's so many
issues that feel like they could be outside of Bickerstaff's control, but he does
feel inclined to make the politically correct decision where it's, well, no,
we have to roll. They stagger there, two bigs a bunch, and
like we've seen some kind of crunch time stuff where it's all right, there's
one big there. But at this point, when you're playing at this level
and you're supposed to be this contender or close to it, it's time to
start making some of the hard decisions to shrink a rotation that has a ton
of depth. And I don't know that he has done enough of that to
where he's been willing to take those chances when they're on the rare occasions there
at full strength. It feels like these injuries in some way have been a
blessing in disguise because they've forced him to get to lineups that should become core
combinations. And I understand it's a very difficult decision to make when you're heavily
invested in an X type of model, But you know what, the Cavs
are below average defensive rebounding team. Whatevan Mobile and Jared Allen are on the
court, and if you're gonna play those two together, then you kind of
need to have guards and wings who are optimal to like above average rebounders.
They don't really have that. I don't know who's their best out non big
rebounder on the team, like it's is it? Like? Is it Donovan
Mitchell? Is it like who? Like who? There's just no one when
you're looking at that screen, right, there's no one who screams above app
like super above average. And when you look at some of these other teams
like they they would normally have that. And so I don't know how much
of that falls on Jamie Bickerstaff, but I will say when they have been
at full strength, I think and I know that you kind of have to
make it work and find out like this is, these are our top five
guys, We're gonna play them more. We're more invested in Isaaca cor than
Sam Merrill. At the same time, like your window still is now,
And so I think you could criticize JB for that, And then the offense
does feel like it just devolves sometimes late in game, But again, how
much do you ascribe to that to Jamie Bickerstaff? And the final thing I'll
say here is Mike Buttenholzer. What was one of the biggest criticisms of his
in Atlanta in Milwaukee, he doesn't make enough adjustments, and so like,
if you're looking for someone to be a little bit more flexible with their substitution
patterns, I don't know if Mike Budenholzer is the guy, well, but
surely he's learned after losing two jobs he was more flexible. Yeah, like
during the year that cost his job in Milwaukee, Like he didn't that was
not a good playoff run for them. I'm not saying he coached a good
series against Miami. I'm just maybe Butenholzer would help. I just feel like
there's the Cavs probably need more time together with their top four guys specifically to
figure out a way to make it work. But like, I'm just increasingly
not optimistic and I've kind of see your clear it. They just looked so
much better and more threatening with one big and they stagger them enough to where
I guess that'd be fine when you're full strength, but if you're also I
just this team confuses the fuck out of me. I'm not gonna lie.
I I think it's I think it's it shouldn't be that complicated. Here's the
issue. I understand wanting to and maybe there's a mandate too or not considering
this to play mobiley Allen Garland Mitchell like you know, the one big and
Garland and Mitchell like, yeah, of course that makes sense. But to
play Mobile and Allen together. I understand the inclination to do that because the
theory of this team is like those two guys are you know, if we're
ever gonna the best version of the Calves has both those guys on the floor.
Now the problem is one of them, and this is Mobiley is gonna
have to stretch. Like that's just because all the things you're talking about.
You know, plenty of teams play more than one big, I don't.
I mean almost nobody plays two bigs, and neither of them shoots with any
volume from deep right. That's just like it's that's like two thousand, it's
twenty twelve. Again, who is the closest what's the closest approximation? Right
now? I was thinking of is it New Orleans? Just because I know
Jonas Salentunas has some stretch, But it's not like I mean, it's depends
for thirty six minutes from deep type. True. Yeah, him and Zion
I guess there are a lot of stretch between your four and your five.
I mean, if the Warriors don't do this anymore, but Kevon Looney and
Draymond Green, I mean, but that's a totally different thing because Green is
on the ball so much and Mobley hasn't developed that part of his game to
where he's like a legit hub partly because like you have Donovan Mitchell and Darius
Garland, why would you, right, And the Dubs only ever had like
the one guy at that guard spot. It was never like the two of
them right there. It's it's an out unless it changes, and the change
will be mobiley developing, which has always been for as long as he's been
there. It's always been like, well, the Cavs ceiling is just whatever
Evan Mobley becomes. It's still that's still true, and it's true for this
for the lineup now that don't work, which to your point, like pulling
it up if you have one or the other on the floor of the offense,
just like skyrockets, it's absurd. Uh So, Like just especially the
Mitchell, Allen and I know again this was during the injury stretch or some
lock up, but like the Mitchell Allen minutes without Lobi or Garland have just
been absolutely annihilatory. It's like, really a really good on ball scoring guard
that can make a pocket pass, a good roller and then three shooters.
It's like it's not rocket science, like that's that is what most teams do,
really, if you just drill all the way down into it. So
until unless, and until Mobili becomes a way better facilitator to create sort of
like some kind of gravity with that, or becomes a high volume three point
shooter, I'm pretty sure. But until those things happen, you're just gonna
have trouble with with this front line and with this lineup in general. I
think Mobile is shooting fewer threes than last year this season, which is just
like he did ratchet it up when he came back though from his injury.
Yeah, I want to make sure I'm not crazy, so yeah, point
nine three attempts three point attempts per game in thirty one point one minutes.
He's playing three fewer minutes, so per hundred possessions, one point five three
point attempts per hundred possessions for mobile. He at one point nine last year
and two point zero is a rookie, Like all those numbers suck, Like
the two point zero is ridiculously low. Just he's he's got to shoot more.
That's just like that's what it is. Or they got to move him
or Jared Allen like it seems like that's those are your fixes. I don't
feel like so to circle all the way back to the actual question. U.
I bicker Staff isn't the solution, but I'm not sure he's the specific
problem with what looks kind of clunky with Cleveland. Yeah, they're they're gonna
be fascinating after to watch after this season and I mean for the rest of
this season if they ever get healthy. Yeah. Piston's questions here from Unbiased
Pistons fan. What is the benefit of cutting or waving five to six players
in two weeks? Is it having two roster spots for two ways or G
League call ups? I don't know, so. I think a big part
of it was there's when you're waving the end of bench things, you're either
trying to do them asilid or make sure that they're playoff eligible for other teams.
That's a big one. And then March fourth is the deadline for two
way contracts, which is why I think we saw so many of them being
signed. Teams are trying to turn through their extra two way spots, and
that I don't know if you would call it a benefit, but I do
think that that's why, like that's a function of those deadlines, is why
we see the increase kind of UH in the roster churn, specifically at the
end of the depth chart. I'm gonna loo, I'm gonna lump these three
questions together here. From Pistons, touit? Why on God's green Earth is
Troy Weaver still the GM of my Detroit Pistons. I guess there's only two.
And from Im Brewster, could the Pistons compete for an NBL championship?
That's nasty shit, that's real. That's rough. I don't know enough about
the NBL, though I might be under sell. I don't want to understand
the NBL. I don't I don't know. I do know that Kate Cunningham
is shooting the ship out. The ball has gotten better, going downhill to
turnovers, the now under control. I still think he's gonna be that dude,
I could probably do. Like I got to a point this season.
I don't know how long ago it was like with less Jayleen Duran offensive experimentation.
They felt like he just had too much agency at some point. But
yeah, where do you land on the I mean, like, I'm not
as down on the Pistons future. They still have a bunch of these interesting
guys and are gonna have another high draft pick. Do I think Do I
think they could win the NBL Championship? I'm gonna say no, just probably
because like those a lot of those teams have probably been together longer and have
better chemistry and more established players. In terms of Troy Weaver, uh,
like do you like do you think he should be gone? And what does
that say getting rid of him after allowing him to sign Monty Williams. I
know that Gores probably played a role in that as well. You did just
let him choose a very expensive and very long term head coach. I struggle
to think of. Like, so overall the product is terrible, but it's
like Kid Cunningham defensible pick, Jade and Ivy defensible pick. Asar Thompson.
We love Asar Thompson Duran defensible Draft Day trade, I guess technically to get
him so like the Killian Hayes pick was a miss. I can't even remember
if that was a weave remove or not. But like certainly keeping Hayes and
keeping him in a major role for as long as they did Manty Williams.
Yeah, like empowering money Williams to let him to do that is nuts.
I wonder if just like so in terms of like building a team through the
draft, like I don't know, the picks have been fine to slash like
good, right, it just seems more like these fits and starts with like
let's bring veterans in, let's you know, I think maybe hiring Monty Williams
could go down as like the biggest mistake. It's starting to look like but
it's like, yeah, look, I'm not going to defend Troy Weaver.
It's just like I guess I'm saying, I sort of don't understand like why
this went so wrong. It's just, you know, teams are bad when
they rebuild the Pistons. The problem with the Pistons too, is they've been
bad for like damn near twenty years with like a couple of exceptions since since
the you know, they made what was a four straight conference finals or whatever
that was, uh in the early two thousands. I don't know, Like
I guess he's got a job because Tom I wants him to continue to have
one. It's just I haven't liked a lot of what he's done. But
when you go through the raw and it's like you mentioned the top end players,
you mentioned the TOMEN players that are super insotally be like, Okay,
Quentin Grimes is on this roster. Now Marcus Sasser has been like sneaky good
and like is gonna give you a level floor spacing you want? And now
finally and as part of this because you got rid of some of his other
tools where they're finally a mandate. The results have not been great. I
mean they've been good defensive, Like we're final, We've finally seen like their
four most important players long term play together with Ivy, Cunningham, Thompson and
duran If. I think they're up to six hundred and twenty five possessions as
we record this, Uh, they're losing those minutes. They're in the seventy
six percentile defensively, is some of that opponent shooting luck? Eh? Not
really like opponents are shooting. They're over thirty seven percent from three in those
minutes. So I just I think this offseason is going to be an inflection
point for them. And if he's gonna go out there and he's given contracts
to Tobias Harris, and that's what you have to watch for. And I
think the other thing is are you okay? Like, so if you're what
is the acceptable course for Troy Let's say he's keeping his job is And I'm
not saying there's only one way to do this, but is there? Is
it using your cap space to try and acquire impact players via trade? Is
there any free agents that particularly your fancy or would you even be okay moving
on from one of your I'll say non take Cunningham core players in some sort
of a consolidation trade to get a lot better quickly. There's danger in that,
but it's also well, we've been doing this for how many years now,
like basically a half decade. I don't even know what the acceptable course
is. I think their trade deadline was mostly fine. I didn't have like
any huge issues, But is that that's not the most ringing endorsement you're ever
gonna hear so it was mostly fine. I mean, mostly fine is a
pretty solid step up. Well, I didn't do anything that was bad.
I was surprised that, Yeah, Monte Morris went so cheaply, but he
had barely played for them and was injured and apparently I'm assuming he didn't want
to be there or they didn't want to resign him. I just I kind
of need to see what they do this summer to get a feel for what
they're actually trying to do long term, because right now there still feels like
a lack of long term rhyme and reason. I think that's right, I
think, I mean, the criticism you could make about their core guys,
there's like the fit is not ideal, it's not great. But then like
all we ever do, or all I ever do, is say, like,
don't draft for fit if you're bad, just draft the best guy.
And I think they mostly have done come pretty close to drafting the best guy
they could get, you know, with where they were picking. So I
think it would be tempting to go try to use your cap space to try
to sign a veteran again, but like it's just like kind of a no
win situation because free agency is so just there's nothing. It's barren, right,
Like Tobias Harris is the name you through out there, like that just
doesn't do anything for me. I don't. I don't. It's not gonna
do anything for the Pistons other than like piss people off. I think I'll
like us. So I think you just developed, let the young guys play
together, hope they figure it out. If they don't try, weavers you
know, getting fired anyway. So like I don't think. I don't think
signing Tobias Harris for example, or throwing the bag at the marta rozen or
whoever you want to pick, is like that's not gonna solve anything, right,
Like, I can't. That's not gonna they have nine wins. It's
not gonna turn them into a forty win team overnight. And look, they
can still get to what I will say about cap space and this Keith Smith
of spow Track's been driving us home. You don't need to use it in
free agency. They can use it via trade. So that's how you want
to get veterans. But you're kind of in the because you're looking at their
just looking at their core forwards. Who are you okay giving up on?
Right now I know Jay and Ivey's been shooting like negative three percent from three
since the trade deadline? Basically, like, are you okay giving up on
him? Is that someone you'd be willing to move in a trade for?
Just sort of a veteran he's I think he was, But he's hit like
thirty four point of his pull up threes, and that's a really good number
to be Yet if you're I just I don't have a feel for what the
pisses necessarily should do other than well, let's let this develop. And I
think that kid Cunningham, even what we've seen from Masar Thompson, that jumper
is broken though, that's just like it is broken. Yeah, it's it's
I don't know how about this? What do you think? Think? Like,
would you be surprised, Like how surprised would you be if Thompson ever
shot thirty six percent from three on? Like any kind of volume? What's
the volume? It's like two attempts per game four that seems unattainable, is
the point I'm making. Basic I'll give it like a thirty three percent chance
of happening. Yeah, I just And by the way, I to eat
crow myself when he was coming in, I was like, oh, Hill,
it'll be fine. Like there just wasn't a hesitation there. The form
was janky, and it's still kind of yanky, and it looks like buffering
Internet when he's trying to get it off sometimes. But I'm less confident than
I was entering the season. Deepuss is that it always blows my mind when
guys like him that are just like nuclear athletes, like just just can do
things physically that no one else can do, just can't figure out the mechanics
of a shot. Like it seems like, if you have the ability to
do all these other amazing things, that shouldn't be that hard. But he
started to surround them about shooting to where it's okay, maybe you could work
around it. But having Duran and Tom's and an Ivy on the court at
the same time now though, like there's a lot of shrinkage going on there.
Yeah, all right, we can move on. What do we got
here? Pacers? Pacers? So Rubik scal Asks, does the post buddy
heeled Pacers offense have a problem against zone defense because coach post video guys definitely
took notes from their game against the Pelicans. Well, first of all.
I have not looked up what the Pacers are doing post pre and post Buddy
Hill trade against zone defenses. I do know that the Heat like to use
them a lot. I mean, like there's a lot of different factors.
You could point to Haliburton being a little slower managing that hamstring. I don't
think he's on his minutes limit anymore, but like it's still all still when
you look at just their average possession time, it has lengthened ever since his
injury and since the Siakham trade. And it's wondering if it's hard to play
that fast at a like sustained right, Like there's a reason that teams don't
historically go, you know, get up and down as much much as the
Pacers do and sustain it and score as much as they were earlier this year.
It's just like a lot of things have got to go right, and
everybody's got to be in good shape to do that. I think, and
like this is I'm not going to hide it, Like these are notes that
you've put together. I think these are dead right. Like Haliburton looks like
he's seeing just more guys in the lane since heal is no longer there because
he really was, Like Heald's on the short list of guys that are like
know where he is at all times, never leave his body, and he
moves too. He's not a standstill guy. He would move off the ball
and command a lot of attention. So you remove that from the lineup.
I don't think it's a surprise that, Like, it's just it's easier to
clog the lane, It's easier to take away the driving kick stuff that Haliburton
is so good at. So I think unless more of his shots are just
coming from like the in between and the perimeter levels than they were before Buddy
Heel, because you mentioned no one else on this roster, it doesn't even
matter how well I mean Miles Turner did towards the Mavericks, but like Dallas
was content for much of that game, just leaving him helping off of him
completely alone. And so who is your best shooter without Buddy Healed? Is
it a Nie Smith, Is it a Miles Turner? Is it aside from
Haliburton? Yeah? The point. The point is there's nobody that you treat
remotely similarly to how you treat Healed, And so that's just I mean that
happens expectation. It was just like you move, you take heeled out of
the rotation. It's just around off the team, things change and I don't
know like the data on the zone stuff specifically, but I would say that,
especially with this version of Haliburton, it does feel like that could be
a good default to go to against this Pacers team, unless can they figure
out a way to bust it up with the Sakham Halliburton two man game.
I just don't are they going to have the like the time to develop that
level of chemistry. I don't know, you know who? We forgot to
mention my guy, Jalen Smith forty four. I mean a Nie Smith is
shooting just a tick under forty five percent, But it's just it's not a
volume and he's not the same type of shooter, so it's just it's different.
Uh yeah, So uh we have Pacers questions though, fold these two
together because I feel like they're in the same vein. Austin asked, there's
a clear desire to be better, while also some lack of pieces slash piece
to overcome this. What is the best path forward? Is it? Hope
Mathrin and Jaris Walker can make a huge jump trade some of the many solid
but not great depth pieces away. If it's a trade, who is out
the door and for what? McConnell, ob Jalen Smith, Ernie Smith,
Andrew Nemhard, Mathrin Walker are all pretty good, but none are amazing.
So who is out? And then we have from at PD underscore Pete,
what is the move this summer that the Pacers can make to put them into
legit contender conversation? And so we'll start with the Austin part of it.
Do you think there's any path where the Pacers don't make another outside move to
reach title? Like is it just could you envision them getting there? With?
Okay, we'll Siakam, they resigned him and him and Hallie get to
go through a training camp together, and you bank on development for Mathrin actual
more core time from Jaris Walker, maybe fill in the gaps in free agency
with exceptions and just bringing in some more like can you get a functional shooter
that gives you not Buddy Heel level gravity, but enough gravity to where you're
still very unpredictable and tougher to guard in the half court? Or do you
think it needs to be more of a closer to a cap lock or maybe
to in Italics outside move or trade. I mean, I think there is
a chance that, Like I think Matherin's another guy that I view as as
probably a six man on a really good version of the Pacers. I've kind
of I haven't come off that position from his rookie year. Walker is an
interesting piece. I don't really I mean, we haven't seen nearly enough of
him to make a great, you know, judgment on him, but you
could imagine him being he's a little bigger than you'd want than the type of
player I'm thinking about, like a you know, a true combo Ford that's
really gonna guard and be a knockdown shooter. Like you know, I don't
know if that's he doesn't quite fit that that that description to me, Like
between those two guys, they're both extremely talented and super young. So like
I do, I don't hate the organic growth path for the Pacers here,
especially like you note here, once they pay Sakham, like your options for
bringing an outside talent with cap space are pretty much gone, right, Like
that's you're not going to be able to go sign guys, so it would
have to be via trade and so you know, we can go through all
the usual suspects, your bridges, your dorts, your you know, Jeremy
Grant, the Dorts of the world. It just feels like I really like
Niesmith. I like him a lot more than he doesn't have to play power
forward, which he doesn't anymore with Siakam there, But like, I want
a bigger, combo forward wing type that skews defense. And but you know,
we just spent several minutes talking about how they miss Buddy healed, so
you sort of also need someone that's going to be a movement shooter. It's
just like now we're talking about really unattainable talent levels, and you kind of
need the wing to be more two three at this point than three. Because
Jeremy Grant I so kind of like for the team, but him and Turner
is just weird. It's a little I mean, well, who's the guy
that neither Grant nor could guard you know, out of like, do you
I feel okay with Grant on someone like I don't know, like Paul George.
I wouldn't like him on on more of a two, but I think
those two as fours would be okay. I don't know, maybe I'm not
thinking of the right thing is that are you still getting enough space in me
or then that increases the importance of having gravity at your two spot. Yeah,
just because like and Grant and Turner can all hit threes, but they're
not shooters. That defense is fear. You're right, they're not scaring anybody,
so then you still have the healed problem. So what you need is
is you're right. I think maybe it is a two to three or a
player of your version of Buddy Heel. Is that out there? I mean,
really, it's like high volume Bridges. That's a higher volume three point
shooting Bridges is what we're talking about, or or an Ananobe type with Ananobe
would need to shoot more. Probably it's a really fit what we're asking for.
But I think that's him. Bridges can do like the cutting stuff,
which would help too. So it's like maybe it's a different type of motion
at points, but there's like no other because I don't nob he's not gonna
be available. He's a free agent. He'll resign with the Knicks. I
just can't even what were the names I put. I'm not looking at a
document I had, Like, Okay, so there's Matisse Thible. But again
then you're running into the gravity question. You do the same thing with Dort.
Does this team have enough? I don't know. We kind of mentioned
them tangentially. If mckel Bridges becomes available, you have your you have one
outgoing first round pick, So between Walker, Mathrin and the other first round
picks, I guess that's a competitive offer for Michael Bridges. Yeah. Maybe,
I think. I don't know how Matherin's viewed around the league, But
like I think, I think, because you're clearly built around Haliburton, I
don't know how much sense it would ever make to have Matherin be like the
guy at the two next to him, because you just need someone who's gonna
be able to just shut down a one or two and really like enjoy shooting
catch and shoot three and shots, which Matheren certainly coming into the year that
was a concern. He's just more of an on ball guy. Yeah,
and they work out a signing trade for Paul George. You'd be a great
fit here. Oh God, bring him back, let's close it out,
let's bookend this thing. Yeah. I mean, unfortunately for the Pacers,
they need the type of guy that is really hard to find you know what
they and I don't think he's gonna come available. And if he did,
it be in a consolidation trade that the Pacers they're not gonna be selling Trey
Murphy like kind of that type of a guy. I had Jane McDaniels here.
What if he became the Wolves looked at his offense this season and said,
eh, and like we're gonna cut costs where everyone thinks is gonna be
Nasara or Karlathony Towns. They're probably right, it'll be like if they're gonna
cook a but he's even defensively, absolutely, but then you're still running into
the like you're not gonna replicate the buddy heel with Jane McDaniels. That's just
not happening. It's not. Yeah, I mean there's so few guys Klay
Thompson. Go sign Klay Thompson. I mean, he's not gonna guard anybody
anymore. But there's your guy who's gonna run around and shoot it whenever he
touches it. He's I mean, that's a pretty ill desk Wars just like
Bye, No, you know, I can't I can't imagine that that's tough.
Is officially time to call it. Thank you for everyone that participated,
Thanks for your questions. We will get to the west next week. We'll
maybe do three more hours. Who can say thanks for the guests of players.
Please remember rate, review, subscribe, tell your friends, be involved
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close, as always, with a shout out to the one only Frank Milakina
and an apology to Jared Allen.