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What is crack lacing fellow Thermo nuclear
aff as, I am Dana Valley coming

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at you with my certified fantabulous Thermonuclear
AF co host. Mister Grant cues.

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We are starting our every team mail
bag where we asked for questions from every

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team and we got them. Shout
out to our members on Discord, Shout

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out to the people on Twitter who
responded to my tweet. We don't really

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know how this is gonna go.
We're gonna begin with the Eastern Conference,

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and our goal was to do both
the East and the West. Almost put

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them up with the two pause,
but it is Grant and I and so

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if the East ends up being like
forever, I will put that into two

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pods and we will get to the
West next week. That's just that's how

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these things go. We plan on
the fly. Grant, how the heck

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are you doing? I'm doing well. I feel like you were. I

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was gonna say, before you even
finished talking that this is gonna be a

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pod where I'm doing a lot of
like side to side chair action for anyone

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that's watching this is which is gonna
be very few people. I'm in by

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a bollicle right now. Actually,
like you're some sort of like evil genius

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project. Leaning back, I feel
comfortable, and your intro was I felt

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like it was real. It was
pretty smooth, like you're you know,

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there was good energy, but I
feel like you're a little bit like there

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was some relaxation to it, which
is the correct way to approach. However,

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many questions we get to although,
is a relaxed approach the best idea

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for trying to get through thirty teams
with a bunch of questions, not not

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for our pacing. Probably, Hey, look we're to we're here to have

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fun. I did come very close
to taking it edible before this podcast,

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because I am it's good that you
think I'm gon last because I'm stressed to

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the nines right now, so that's
great that I can project this air of

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calm. You fooled me. So
we'll begin with the East and we'll go.

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I would say it's normally dangerous,
but I have it broken up,

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meaning me and Grant put together.
It's a forty five hundred word document.

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So you think that we don't put
notes together for these questions. We could

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have just off the cuff this,
but we didn't so well with some of

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it. I don't have notes for
we don't have notes for every question,

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but we'll begin with My point is
about what you're saying. I think we

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have the alphabet covered this time,
because they're literally right in front of our

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faces. Famous last words we'll see. So we begin with the Atlanta Hawks,

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and flex Luthor asked, and I
guess I'll start us off to you,

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Grant. I keep hearing this chatter
that the Hawks are better without Trey.

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This seems really dumb to me.
What am I missing? I mean,

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there's a few ways to go with
this one, so I will get

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to some of the stats that sort
of put the lie to this idea.

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I guess I could just give a
couple now before I go into kind of

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what I think about this. The
Hawks have won the Tray Trey On,

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Desontay Murphy, de Jontay Murphy,
He's good. Start a minutes. You

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know why I did it, because
Trey Murphy is a person, and we

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said Trey and then and then Murray
was the next name. Anyway, they're

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plus two point nine per one hundred
with Trey on and de Jontay Murray off

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flip that they're plus one point zero
Murray on tray off. So like in

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theory, you know, the problem
for years with the Hawks was, oh,

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what do we do when Trey's not
on the floor? Kind of problem

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solved to some extent. I think
though, that this isn't a ridiculous position

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to take. So whatever the chatter
is out there, I'm sort of more

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receptive to the idea that like just
overall right, like put the numbers aside.

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If you have a ball dominant,
you know, leading scorer who has

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a history of not defending and has
a history of not doing a ton off

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the ball when he doesn't have it, like it's harder for the other guys

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to be invested to play their best
on both ends. Like that's such coach

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speaks stuff. There's no numbers to
that. That's just like a gut thing.

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I kind of feel like if you
go six years and you kind of

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see some of the same stuff,
great offense, if he defense, role

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players kind of cycling through seeming to
underperform, we can go down the list

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of those guys. I don't know, maybe there's something to the idea that

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like, if Trey is your guy, he's the player you have built this

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thing around, and he had an
interview with Taylorrooks really recently, where he

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sounds committed right, like he's saying
all the right things about wanting to be

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in Atlanta. I just think sometimes
maybe that doesn't work, Like Damian Lillard

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in Portland, not a total like
one to one analogy, but kind of

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a similar thing where he's not contributing
on defense. He's a much better leader

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than Trey I think that's probably something
we should talk about, But I don't

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know. I don't think it's crazy
to say that there's a version of the

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Hawks. It's not like you take
Trey away and they get better. That's

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wrong. But it's like there's a
version of the Hawks I think that could

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ultimately have more success that is not
built around Trey Young. And maybe that

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feels like the same thing, but
to me, there's kind of a distinction

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there. What do you think about
And there is a difference because it's like

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you're not moving forward and building a
team around de Jontay Murray. And I

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probably feel more strongly about this than
you do in the sense that I actually

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think this is dumb to think that
the Hawks should get rid of Tray Young,

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because if you're getting rid of Trey
Young. The idea is, well,

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we're going to rebuild. Then it's
not We're going to reorient our team

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around de Jontay Murray. That's not
de Jean de Murry is a good player.

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He's not Trey Young. Yes,
maybe he's two bald dominant. He's

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taken more catch and shoot threes this
year. I do think that his defense

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has been over romanticized. The fact
that he is trying the past year and

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a half that is great. He's
still a net negative defender, and I

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think what that does is and we
kind of have a question on this,

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so I'll throw it in here as
well because I think it'll lead to the

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same talking points. Was carter landis
three asks? How do you fix the

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hawks defensive problem? Scheme, personnel, talent and so there's a bunch of

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points that we can hit on here. But have the Hawks done a good

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enough job actually building a winner around
Trey because I take issue with their I

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don't know how to fix when I
look at this roster, I don't know

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how to fix, you know,
their defensive issues right now, there's just

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like, yeah, you could,
there's some low hanging where it's It would

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be nice if they tried to match
up better in transition. But when you're

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looking at you have Trey Young and
you know what his weaknesses are. You

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also know he is one of the
best on ball manipulators in the game.

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The way that he can score at
every level. The abruptness that he has

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in the lane is both a passer
and like a floater or extraordinaire. And

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you've decided, Okay, we're gonna
continue to surround him with Clint Capella and

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never really transition to the Onyekakunguever.
You finally have Jalen Johnson out there,

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but you feel like you're wing deficient
at this point, where it's because you

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have Dejonte Murray. He's now oversaddled
with a defensive responsibility. He was probably

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never meant to play. He might
have been over romanticized as a defender too,

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And now you're gonna have stretches where
Bogda Magdonovitch has to play a three

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and that's just not gonna work.
But at the same time, if you

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have Bay or even Hunter, it's
just not a premier wing defender. And

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so you've now said, like all
these guys that you have in these roles

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Capella's kind of aged out of the
role they need him to play, where

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Capella is still solid, but he's
just not gonna anchor this back line.

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And no, I don't think you
need a terrific backline have a great defense,

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look at the Pelicans, look at
the Rockets. However, then you

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do need to have like a good
deal of perimeter pressure length size. I

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still think Murray's a good defender.
He's not especially big, so he has

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like the length, But like,
what are you getting from Hunter and Bey

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and Bogdanovich to some of these other
perimeter players. This feels like a roster

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flaw to me, and a front
office flaw dating back to the previous regime

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as well. And so I do
think you mentioned Trey's leadership. There's definitely

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something there. He's had issues with
multiple coaches behind the scenes, and there's

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been multiple reports there has to be
some validity to them. But to me,

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the entire point is finding a player
as good as Trey Young where it's

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flaws and all. He gives you
a north star. If you're trading Tray

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Young, I think that's fine if
you want to go that route, but

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you can't spin it as this team
is better off. You have to believe

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that in the big picture, it
makes more sense to start over than to

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have Trey Young. I don't think
it's there's a there's a and you mentioned

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this. I don't see any scenario
in which they trade Trey Young get better.

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So they're gonna trade Tree Young and
prioritize players over picks. That seems

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like a massive mistake. Yeah,
I think that's right. I just because

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if you look at this roster,
a lot of the things that you would

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want in theory, right in building
a team around Trey Young that could succeed

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or are kind of there, like, except all of the pieces aren't quite

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as good at what they need to
be good at. Like Clint Capella is

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a you know, a good rebounder
who has had years where he's defended the

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rim well, and like, sure
we need that. Right. If Trey

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Young is gonna be a turnstyle and
he's you're gonna be you know, giving

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up size basically against whoever he plays, that we got to have that back

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line guy. You kind of have
that guy. And then you talked about

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a kong Wu. The theory of
a kong Wu is like, well,

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he's kind of that too, but
he's also switchable. That's great, Like

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we got that DeAndre Hunter is like
a big wing slash combo for that can

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go like go down the list,
oh, bogdan Bogdanovic can come in and

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play with Young without him Murray can
play with him without But then it's just

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like, well, then what's wrong? Like why why isn't this working?

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And I think it's if you want
to say, like I was kind of

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nudging up against that, you know, I maybe that this is run its

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course and you just you need to
try something different that doesn't involve Trey.

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The much easier solution, I think
is just like, well, all these

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other guys around them just need to
be better than they are, and if

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that means there needs to be organic
improvement, that's one way. And the

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other way is we start swapping out
some parts, right like we look again

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at moving Murray, we look again
at what can we get for Hunter.

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Jalen Johnson. I don't think you
trade, but like everybody else, I

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think you might just try to try
to see if you can do a little

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better, because maybe that's all it
is, you know, that's the that's

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the difference between where the Hawks are
now and being a conference finals team,

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which which they were. Like that's
part of the other thing is everybody got

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a little high on the Hawks supply. I think seeing them be a conference

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finalist, that Trey have like some
of the kids say some pretty yeah,

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some pretty you know, like poignant
playoff moments where we thought like, oh

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this is a thing. Now you
know, he's the villain of New York.

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That's great, and that just that's
that hasn't been the story since then,

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and so I think that hurts this
whole thing too, is like everybody

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there's a sense of like, well
you did it, so, like what's

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going on now? Why isn't this
working anymore? You know? And there's

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not an easy answer. I do
think it's it feels like malpracticed that both

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Capella and Kungou have been on the
team together for some of all it does

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right one or the other, you'd
think because we've taught I'm sure we've I

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mean, how many fake trades have
we put together over the years involving Capella

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just to it's a Kong Wu's time? Right? Maybe a Kong is just

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not maybe he's not that guy either
though, right, Like it's smaller,

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but it's like he's smaller, but
Copela's not get younger. What I would

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like to see them do, and
this might get to more of Cardilanis's answer.

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I hope flex Luthor is whether he
disagrees with it or not. That's

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our answer is I think you're more
open to moving young than I am.

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You can move young to me if
you're willing to start over. I just

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don't see a scenario where you improve
in the next like one to three years.

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Materially, I would like to see
them. I think what they need

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to do is upgrade the five and
whether that happens by getting rid of both

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the Kongo Capella or time to just
transition into the Kung Wu Johnson lineups,

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which have been like fine this year
in the burst that we've seen them.

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And then what I think you need
to do is start changing out the parts

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on the perimeter. I don't think
I like the idea of de Jeante Murray

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and Trey Young in Fury if you
have better options to also defend alongside them,

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and so it's to me it's upgrade
the big spot. Again. Maybe

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that's done internally the big spot,
but the wing stuff I absolutely think they

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need to get on the market,
and it's like, I don't know what

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trade They probably don't have enough to
go after mckail Bridges, who's regressed defensively

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anyway, But like, does lou
Dort become available this summer, Like they

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need to go out and get like
a really just a plus plus guy on

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the perimeter and then also upgrade the
five. And I think that's if you

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want to keep Trey Young. I
think those are the two parts that I

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look at and say, Okay,
well this needs to happen immediately. Otherwise

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what's the point of all this?
Yeah, I'm good with that. I

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think that's that's that's the right approach. Ready to go on to the nets?

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Oh do we have to? No, I'm just kidding. Go ahead,

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all right? This is from d
Nitz. What's the best realistic trade

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package from It's funny enough just talking
about him. What teams can use him?

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He says, Rockets or Grizzlies.
Yeah, I don't know what a

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mch Brikealprich' has been fine this season. I don't think he's leveled up at

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all. He's still just a very
useful offensive player who's probably better off is

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Like I still think he could be
a two on the right team, but

202
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maybe better off as a third option. Then that would help him kind of

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maintain his defensive motor. His trade
value I do think, though, was

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a little bit more complicated than people
credit. There's like, oh, he's

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gonna get like five first round picks. He's owed forty eight point two million

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dollars over the next two seasons.
That's great, but he's probably not going

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to extend off that number. And
so if you're a team giving up a

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ton of value for him, you
do go into this saying, well,

209
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okay, three summers from now,
two summers from now, whatever it is,

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he will hit free agency. Whether
his resignings of formality is different,

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I think that will be part of
the calculus. I think what he could

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get if you moved him this summer
is kind of the equivalent of five first

213
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round picks, where it's you get
two like loosely protected or unprotected ones,

214
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maybe two mid end ones, and
then one like whatever selection it's late first

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or or you're doubling up on first
in the same draft, kind of like

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we saw with like the Raptors getting
for Siakam at one point, even though

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they ended up moving one of those
picks. I do think though, And

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this is where the wildcard comes in. Is the calculus changes if you're targeting

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as the nets like actual players,
and so I'm wondering, and I'll throw

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this to you. I'll throw some
names. If you're the Detroit Pistons and

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there's just a package to be had
where it's a Sar Thompson for Mkale Bridges,

222
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are you doing it? And if
I'm the Pistons, am I doing

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this? Well? You can put
yourself in Troy re receipt kind of knowing.

224
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But we're gonna get to him.
Believe we're gonna. But it's like,

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if that's a team that feels like
they need to accelerate their timeline,

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if you're the Pistons, would you
consider I don't know if they need what

227
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else needs to be available? But
like Asar Thompson for McHale Bridges, is

228
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that a type of player that you
could get from Mikale? I mean yeah,

229
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I think so. And like,
look, we love Thompson, but

230
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like so at his absolute peak value, I mean, how much better is

231
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Thompson likely to be than Bridges?
I don't know. And it's that's gonna

232
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it's gonna be a while, right, and like there's a lot of downside

233
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potentially for Thompson if the shot just
never happens. But yeah, I think

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00:14:11,759 --> 00:14:16,240
that makes sense. I I it's
it's interesting, like any any Bridges question

235
00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:20,320
has to sort of start with the
concession that, like every team should want

236
00:14:20,399 --> 00:14:24,240
him because he fits everywhere and his
contract is awesome. Now you bring up

237
00:14:24,279 --> 00:14:28,639
the great point of like the fact
that he like he I don't think there's

238
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any chance he extends off this number. I think he's like destined for free

239
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agency, right, so you have
to you have to price that into your

240
00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:39,200
offer of like, well if if
if Detroit trades for him hypothetically not saying

241
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that's gonna happen, the Knicks are
just looming in free agency a couple of

242
00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:46,360
years from now, or whoever you
want to throw out there, assuming New

243
00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:48,559
York is still just going to go
all Villanova all the time and the fifth

244
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right there, Like, so I
think like for me a team that the

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Pistons, Yeah, sure, like
I would trade Thompson. I think the

246
00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:01,960
Pistons could justify I should say trading
to Bridges. Could I throw a couple

247
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other scenarios you're the Jazz. Would
you trade Taylor Hendricks and Kante George?

248
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Well, this will hurt your feelings
because I know you're You're well, I'm

249
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kind of in the bag for George, You're in the bag for Hendricks.

250
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I think that's tough because you kind
of have two cracks at like a cornerstone

251
00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:22,000
type player there, and Utah probably
would struggle to resign him. I think

252
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that's that's a little iffier. I
think I probably would still do it though,

253
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because then I like, trade either
one of them if it was a

254
00:15:26,879 --> 00:15:30,679
one plus pick scenario, Yeah,
I think I would. I think I

255
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would because you got market in there, right, and he's in the He's

256
00:15:31,799 --> 00:15:35,399
in his prime. Like, what
are we doing if we're not gonna surround

257
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with Here's interesting what everyone talks about
the Nets getting back their own picks and

258
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Jalen Green. Would you trade Amen
Thompson for mcal Bridges. I mean,

259
00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:52,080
I don't view him all that differently
from Asar Rare, but he's probably more

260
00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:54,440
expendable to the Rockets than the Stars
to Detroit because if you're Houston and I

261
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know, try Easton's injured right now, but in theory next year you have

262
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Dylan Brooks and Tari Easton and like
Jayshawn Tate is still there and so it's

263
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yeah, we can trade them and
then you have McHale Bridges coming in anyway,

264
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Yeah, well in Houston, I
think too, if Houston doesn't feel

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that far away, especially with the
way Shangoon is playing, like these last

266
00:16:12,799 --> 00:16:15,600
two games of his have been he
was great, great again tonight and a

267
00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:19,039
loss. But I think I think
Houston is the team that, like if

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they got Bridges, you know,
I think I throw the Pacers in there

269
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too, like now or the Knicks
would be another one like Okay, this

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is this is a level up move
for sure, and I think Houston is

271
00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:34,159
very much looking to be like we're
we're leveling up next year. I think

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is the way the Rockets are operating
before we get to like the list of

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teams. So if you're the Nets
and you are trading McKale bridges, knowing

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your and let's assume he's not going
well even if he is going to the

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Rockets, like what are you I
guess it's two different question. If he's

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going to the Rockets, are you
prioritizing just getting back your own picks?

277
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Like do you want any of their
blue chip players. And then in general,

278
00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:56,080
let's say you're trading mckel bridges to
a non Houston team, so you

279
00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:59,919
under, Okay, it's well,
our picks are still going to Houston.

280
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Are you still prioritizing picks in that
trade or are you looking for kind of

281
00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:07,079
the Toronto Raptors route with og but
you want a higher end of that where

282
00:17:07,079 --> 00:17:11,359
they got RJ. Barrett IQ and
a pick, but it was very player

283
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centric. I mean, really,
either way is fine. Really like,

284
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although if you're in the nets in
your trading bridges, I'm not sure what

285
00:17:18,599 --> 00:17:21,480
if, like what's left that you
feel really great about, Like Clackson is

286
00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:23,559
going to be a free agent.
You don't really know what's like Cam Johnson

287
00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:29,720
is and what is your core.
So I think maybe if you're trading bridges

288
00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:33,599
and you can get that five five
ish first round, you know, pickpackage,

289
00:17:33,599 --> 00:17:36,680
I think I probably would just go
picks. And I really like,

290
00:17:37,359 --> 00:17:40,839
I don't know why I think this
way, but the concept of getting your

291
00:17:40,839 --> 00:17:44,240
picks back from Houston just really appeals
to me because then you're just back in

292
00:17:44,319 --> 00:17:48,039
control of like your whole operation.
This is why I couldn't run any tea

293
00:17:48,039 --> 00:17:51,759
because I look at it as like
there's got to be something somewhat humiliating,

294
00:17:51,839 --> 00:17:56,079
demoralizing of just when we gave up
this really good top thirty five forty player

295
00:17:56,119 --> 00:18:00,000
and alls we did was get our
own draft equity back. Yeah, that's

296
00:18:00,039 --> 00:18:03,400
the type of move. Like I
think it seems like Sean Marx is never

297
00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:07,640
gonna lose that job, But like
the next it got head executive could could

298
00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:10,799
be more easily justified because like I
didn't do it, look like, hey,

299
00:18:10,799 --> 00:18:12,200
I got him back, right,
I wasn't responsible for losing them.

300
00:18:12,599 --> 00:18:15,799
I also think why Houston's intriguing is
not because they just have those Net picks.

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But I ultimately think that if you're
the Nets, you try and strat

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00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:22,519
on the line where we want picks
plus, Like this blue chip guy on

303
00:18:22,559 --> 00:18:25,279
his rookie scale probably not jail and
green at this point, even though he's

304
00:18:25,279 --> 00:18:29,160
had a couple offensive detonations. You
just you're worrying about that, forget about

305
00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:32,039
the struggles from this year. You're
just worrying about that next contract already.

306
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And so when you think about teams
for him, I look at ones that

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00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:37,039
can they strike a balance where it's
like, let's say the Nets, the

308
00:18:37,079 --> 00:18:40,400
Knicks, finally decided to do.
But which, by the way, the

309
00:18:40,440 --> 00:18:42,880
fucking stupidest thing in the world.
These two teams have no real history,

310
00:18:44,359 --> 00:18:47,839
like a meaningful history against but they
don't want to like fucking trade, Like

311
00:18:47,839 --> 00:18:49,319
if you need to trade with each
other, just do it. Like the

312
00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:52,160
Knicks, it would have to be
very pick based. They don't have any

313
00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:57,000
of those prospects, even the like
uh as a d Nit said, like,

314
00:18:57,079 --> 00:19:00,680
yeah, the Grizzlies would make a
lot of sense. That's a package

315
00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:03,839
that all of a sudden after the
Grizzlies had all these Oh look at these

316
00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:07,279
dudes. It it has to be
all pick based at this point unless you're

317
00:19:07,279 --> 00:19:11,319
trading Desmond Bane, which I don't
think you would, that would be my

318
00:19:11,359 --> 00:19:14,359
guess. And so it's like I'm
looking at teams and even the Pacers.

319
00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:17,400
It's maybe the Pacers. Do they
have enough to get Mikal Bridges because they

320
00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:19,640
have Jaris, they have Benn mcmathrin, and they can still trade like a

321
00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:23,039
bunch of first after this year.
They're only out after the twenty four draft

322
00:19:23,319 --> 00:19:26,160
one of their own first round picks. Yeah, I think it's interesting.

323
00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:30,720
We should probably thank the Raptors for
this. But like there weren't a lot

324
00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:33,440
of times in the past where we
were, you know, oh, let's

325
00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:37,119
trade this guy for a bunch of
picks, or let's trade this star for

326
00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:40,279
another star. Not since the Raptors
kind of like did it both ways,

327
00:19:40,359 --> 00:19:44,319
where you know, they got picks
and one of their trades for Siakam mainly

328
00:19:44,359 --> 00:19:47,240
picks, and then they got young
players in the Knixt trade, it's kind

329
00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:48,920
of like yeah, you go,
oh yeah, right, you can kind

330
00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:51,720
of do both, like you don't
have to just you know, trade a

331
00:19:51,759 --> 00:19:53,920
guy for a bunch of lottery tickets
or not trade them at all. Like

332
00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:57,279
there's ways you can. You can
sort of like have your cake and eat

333
00:19:57,279 --> 00:20:02,039
it too. If only the Raptors
that also known that there's ways to trade

334
00:20:02,079 --> 00:20:04,359
guys before their months out from free
agents, well, look, you know

335
00:20:04,599 --> 00:20:07,640
they can't. They can't learn all
the lessons at once. They probably know

336
00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:11,240
that now. I hope they know
that now. That's scary if they don't,

337
00:20:11,799 --> 00:20:15,440
any do you think I guess that
the Sixers can't really strike that balance

338
00:20:15,599 --> 00:20:18,160
because like who, they don't have
the they're not trading Maxie in that they

339
00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:21,400
do, they can trade anything five
first this summer though, so like all

340
00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:25,599
those are on the table. That
probably gets you to think we mentioned the

341
00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:30,599
Knicks, So I think, well, all right, so we already mentioned

342
00:20:30,599 --> 00:20:33,319
Detroit. If you're okayc like you
just look at this because you have like

343
00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:37,599
I mean, but like you have
Jaylen Williams and Sga and chet Holmgren,

344
00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:38,839
and it's like, well, those
are the only dudes who are like,

345
00:20:40,079 --> 00:20:41,880
I know, we have Dort and
he's a better defender than chel Bridges,

346
00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:45,240
but those are the only three dudes
that are locked in. And if you

347
00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:48,240
have the pick equity, it's kind
of like we play small to begin with,

348
00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:52,400
so why not I would absolutely go
after mckel bridges. Oh yeah,

349
00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:56,319
Like imagine if the giddy spot is
just I mean in case coming, but

350
00:20:56,319 --> 00:21:00,480
if the gidda spot is suddenly mckel
Bridges like okay, like I mean the

351
00:21:00,519 --> 00:21:04,680
thunder win five titles, probably six, I don't know. I just don't

352
00:21:04,680 --> 00:21:07,000
know if they have enough. And
I'm gonna say this or I think I'm

353
00:21:07,039 --> 00:21:12,440
gonna probably anger some of them,
but I the Kings feel like when you're

354
00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:18,799
looking at teams, who does McHale
Bridges take from fringe contender faux contender to

355
00:21:18,839 --> 00:21:22,359
actual contender. We don't mention Okac
because they are a contender, so that's

356
00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:23,480
why they're not in this. For
me, I look at the Knicks,

357
00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:27,599
I look at the Sixers, but
I'm like looking at the Kings and I'm

358
00:21:27,599 --> 00:21:32,000
like, if they just put every
like, I would absolutely trade. I

359
00:21:32,039 --> 00:21:34,079
know he's come a long way Defensively, I'm absolutely trading Keegan Murray. It

360
00:21:34,119 --> 00:21:38,279
means getting Michael Bridges. Your your
window is the bonus and Fox and Mchael

361
00:21:38,319 --> 00:21:42,880
Bridges compliments them better on the defensive
end than Keegan Murray does at this point.

362
00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:45,880
So if you were putting Picks and
Keegan Murray on the table, there's

363
00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:49,119
some overlap there with Cam Johnson,
but if you're rebuilding or you even keeping

364
00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:52,880
him, that's the team where it's
like, if you ask me, who

365
00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:55,839
do I want to see? Well, the Knicks, let's be honest,

366
00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:57,799
but who do I want to see? McHale Bridges kind of on I love

367
00:21:57,839 --> 00:22:02,759
this fit on Memphis Houston, Indiana. Like McHale bridge is going to the

368
00:22:02,839 --> 00:22:07,599
Kings feels like super meaningful in a
way that it might because even the Sixers,

369
00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:11,359
it's like, well, we have
Joel Embiid and like, I think

370
00:22:11,359 --> 00:22:14,960
the Knicks it's arguably just. But
like the Pacers have this first team all

371
00:22:15,039 --> 00:22:18,000
NBA guy in Halliburton, the Knicks
might have a second like to all NBA

372
00:22:18,039 --> 00:22:21,640
caliber guys been in how you feel
about Randall? And I know the Kings

373
00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:25,079
have the same way, But it's
like a team that's still kind of entrenched

374
00:22:25,079 --> 00:22:27,519
in the middle of their conference.
It feels like mckal bridges would make this

375
00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:32,400
huge difference for Sacramento. I'm just
I question whether just Keithan Murray and picks.

376
00:22:32,759 --> 00:22:34,720
I think that's you know, it's
a player that the Knicks don't have.

377
00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:37,839
It's a player that the Sixers don't
have. You're not gonna outbid,

378
00:22:38,279 --> 00:22:41,559
Okay, see, I don't think
you could outbid New Orleans. But I

379
00:22:41,559 --> 00:22:44,880
don't. I don't know why you
would. Are you putting Trey Murphy on

380
00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:48,720
the table for mchal Bridges. That's
the team that I look at where I

381
00:22:48,759 --> 00:22:52,839
would like to see them make like
monster type offers from McHale this summer certainly

382
00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:56,880
fills a huge need there, I
do think. Correct me if I'm wrong,

383
00:22:56,880 --> 00:23:00,279
but I'm pretty sure. And the
city situation is slightly different because of

384
00:23:00,319 --> 00:23:04,240
the contract status. But like Murray
was not on the table for Anonobe right,

385
00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:08,200
or maybe it was Siakam, But
I do know that they were rarely

386
00:23:08,279 --> 00:23:12,119
not linked to Annanobe enough right,
And it's like they didn't want to give

387
00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:15,400
him k Murray. That's fine,
but the interest in Skam over Anobe makes

388
00:23:15,480 --> 00:23:18,880
me think, oh, they knew
he was going to New York or he

389
00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:22,000
said he didn't want to be in
Sacramento. Yeah, I mean that's another

390
00:23:22,039 --> 00:23:26,079
factor. I I think I might
be too close to the situation living where

391
00:23:26,079 --> 00:23:30,480
I live. But like, I
really think that if you pulled Kings fans

392
00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:33,920
and said we have a trade,
Keegan Murray's going out, mckail bridge is

393
00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:40,319
coming back, there would be a
huge percentage that would say no way,

394
00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:45,519
Wow. Keegan Murray is like beyond
beloved, Like it's in every fan base

395
00:23:45,599 --> 00:23:48,240
like overvalues their own young players.
It's just like it's it's a fact across

396
00:23:48,279 --> 00:23:52,680
the board. But the Keegan Murray. I like Keegan Murray, but like,

397
00:23:52,799 --> 00:23:55,640
is Keith and Murray ever going to
be as good as mckail bridges already?

398
00:23:55,759 --> 00:23:59,920
Like already I could see it being
offensively but defensively, and he is,

399
00:24:00,559 --> 00:24:03,119
He's been way better when you look
at some of the assignments. He's

400
00:24:03,119 --> 00:24:07,440
had a shoulder too, But I
I just is there even a scenario where

401
00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:10,799
he's as good as peak mckal bridges
on defense, I don't know. No,

402
00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:12,880
mckail Bridges was a legit defensive player
of the year. You I mean

403
00:24:15,559 --> 00:24:18,079
it wasn't last year. Was the
year before he finished in Phoenix. I

404
00:24:18,119 --> 00:24:19,480
think I picked him as my defensive
player of the year. Will not be

405
00:24:19,559 --> 00:24:22,240
that good on defense, Like I
feel comfortable saying Murray is not going to

406
00:24:22,319 --> 00:24:26,640
be like a short list defensive player
of the year guy, Like WHOA take

407
00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:32,400
again this people? There are Kings
fans that would be like, come on,

408
00:24:32,599 --> 00:24:34,839
like you can't say yeah, I
can say that. And so if

409
00:24:34,839 --> 00:24:40,759
offensively Murray ever becomes what Bridges is
now, I think I'd be surprised at

410
00:24:40,759 --> 00:24:45,200
that too. So like but but
with Murray and Murray, it's a bonus

411
00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:48,720
you mentioned, like the fit with
the bonus in mckel bridges in particular,

412
00:24:48,759 --> 00:24:53,160
it just is like steroid level amazing. That's a great spot for him for

413
00:24:53,160 --> 00:24:56,720
sure. But again, he is
the he remains the universal plug and play

414
00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:00,400
guy, Like I think, I
think that's just what he is. Let's

415
00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:03,920
get another one here, from Denitz
a little more of a niche question.

416
00:25:04,079 --> 00:25:07,799
I'm so fascinated because we haven't really
talked about this guy, you and I

417
00:25:07,839 --> 00:25:11,680
that much. What's cam Thomas's most
likely ninety percent sealing outcome and his one

418
00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:17,000
hundred percent? So basically this question
is like, how good can Cam Thomas

419
00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:21,759
be? Like maybe realistically and then
unrealistically, like you know, viewing him

420
00:25:22,680 --> 00:25:26,079
as a guy that just like hits
his absolute peak potential. I think realistic,

421
00:25:26,319 --> 00:25:30,319
his best case outcome could be like
a CJ. McCollum type, even

422
00:25:30,319 --> 00:25:33,480
though you think he has more pop
to him, needs to improve the three

423
00:25:33,519 --> 00:25:37,559
ball, which he's done a little
bit. But I could see that archetype

424
00:25:37,559 --> 00:25:40,279
of player where it's never close to
being a number one option flawed. As

425
00:25:40,279 --> 00:25:41,759
a number two can do stuff with
the ball in his hands, you can

426
00:25:41,799 --> 00:25:47,039
do stuff without the ball. I
feel like, is it over selling it

427
00:25:47,039 --> 00:25:48,880
to say DeMar de Rosen was the
other name I had here where it's like,

428
00:25:48,920 --> 00:25:52,960
if that's his best case and I
mean this the version of Demart Rosen

429
00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:56,319
that became a playmaker, where it's
oh, he's a little bit limited if

430
00:25:56,319 --> 00:25:59,559
you're looking at him off the ball
and as a three point shooter, but

431
00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:03,000
like this he can do on the
ball and from mid range and hitting these

432
00:26:03,039 --> 00:26:07,200
tough jumpers, Like if you get
like if Cam Thomas, is that the

433
00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:11,519
best version of Cam Thomas that you
could envision or is there another player or

434
00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:15,039
archetype that comes on. He's just
he's had a really good season. I

435
00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:18,759
just he's still such a flawed player. He's made I don't want to even

436
00:26:18,839 --> 00:26:22,680
use the word strides if feels way
too strongly to say that he's made incremental

437
00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:26,519
improvement as a passer. But like
even when I mentioned the CJ. McCollum

438
00:26:26,559 --> 00:26:29,599
type player, I'm like, is
he ever going to be a good enough

439
00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:34,680
passer to actualize that type of a
of a comparison. So I'm glad you

440
00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:40,119
I'm glad we don't disagree too much
on this because Cam Thomas is a player

441
00:26:40,119 --> 00:26:41,480
type that I just like, don't
like. It's just I don't think.

442
00:26:41,599 --> 00:26:45,720
I don't think he win with guys
like him. I don't know what his

443
00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:48,480
like. I sure de Martin Rosen
seems like a lot because I think Derozen

444
00:26:48,519 --> 00:26:51,960
made like has made like a half
dozen All Star games. I don't think

445
00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:53,440
Thomas is going to be an All
Star ever, well, I so I

446
00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:56,680
would agree with that. But the
stuff, the playmaking thing, dem Martin

447
00:26:56,720 --> 00:27:00,400
Roson never used to be a playmaker
like in those early days. He was

448
00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:03,359
like this pick and roll maestro.
Mm hmm, yeah, I agree with

449
00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:07,759
that. I just look at Thomas
and it's just like six Man, like

450
00:27:07,839 --> 00:27:11,000
the six man alarm and siren just
keeps going off, like and that's valuable.

451
00:27:11,119 --> 00:27:15,680
Like you know, I would say
someone like Jordan Clarkson is probably I

452
00:27:17,079 --> 00:27:19,279
view as a better overall player than
Thomas, even though Clarkson I don't think

453
00:27:19,319 --> 00:27:25,279
has the volume, so like you
view that as his like ninetieth percentile outcome

454
00:27:25,279 --> 00:27:30,200
as a Jordan Clarkson, Well,
based on the information we have, like

455
00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:33,680
if you're saying in a DeRozan way, or like we talked about Jimmy Butler

456
00:27:33,759 --> 00:27:36,680
last week, like if he just
yeah, sure, I guess Cam Thomas's

457
00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:41,799
one hundredth percentile outcome includes like the
development of skills he like has not remotely

458
00:27:41,839 --> 00:27:45,400
shown yet, right, like but
if he's too, if he sure,

459
00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:49,599
but he's I mean he is what
he this is what he's been forever,

460
00:27:49,759 --> 00:27:53,079
right, I think he set like
the what he's like one of the leading

461
00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:57,359
high school scorers in the league.
I think he was the leading scorer as

462
00:27:57,359 --> 00:28:03,160
a freshman in college. Like he
just like he gets buckets and like that's

463
00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:07,200
awesome, that that's a skill,
but he has never done anything else.

464
00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:11,039
And so like unless you're you're unless
I'm convinced that he's going to add a

465
00:28:11,079 --> 00:28:15,079
ton of new layers to his game, which I suppose is possible. Like

466
00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:18,160
I just see him as a high
volume scorer that kind of takes stuff off

467
00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:22,240
the table almost everywhere else I guess, like the facilitation point is legit,

468
00:28:22,319 --> 00:28:26,920
Like he's he's I think in like
the top last I looked top quartile,

469
00:28:26,119 --> 00:28:30,200
like you know, assist rate for
his position, So like, yeah,

470
00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:33,400
he can, he can pass the
ball. I just don't see how a

471
00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:38,759
guy who's averaging twenty on way below
league average true shooting, like is going

472
00:28:38,839 --> 00:28:41,839
to be more than than a six
man, you know, gunner off the

473
00:28:41,839 --> 00:28:47,079
bench type ultimately, like maybe if
he's if he's a league average scorer,

474
00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:49,480
like in terms of efficiency, and
he can ever get twenty five a game,

475
00:28:49,839 --> 00:28:55,799
Like I'm not sure who that is
exactly, but like that's certainly that's

476
00:28:55,799 --> 00:29:02,400
a useful player. Yeahs out like
smaller Carmelo, Anthony. I mean melockl

477
00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:07,079
still rebound. Melanis was a better
three point shooter. I think what also

478
00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:11,240
when you look at Mellow and maybe
even with Derozen, but like like Derozen

479
00:29:11,279 --> 00:29:15,359
at the four is just that it's
weird. But Melo gave you more positional

480
00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:18,440
options, where Cam Thomas very locked
into. This kind of guy has to

481
00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:22,599
be like a peer two and those
types of players I generally don't like.

482
00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:26,359
But there is value in his bucket
getting and he's at least not you know,

483
00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:27,839
and part of this is because I
still think he probably doesn't pass enough.

484
00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:33,160
He still has that like his assists
feel like last resorts rather than part

485
00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:36,559
of the plan, if that makes
any sense. But I have this note

486
00:29:36,559 --> 00:29:40,240
in here. It's just here are
the players who have scored thirty plus points

487
00:29:40,279 --> 00:29:44,880
per one hundred posessions while matching cam
Thomas's turnover eight before their twenty third birthday,

488
00:29:45,119 --> 00:29:47,519
Anthony Davis and Christops. I don't
really know what to make of that

489
00:29:47,599 --> 00:29:52,440
other than like cam Thomas gets buckets
and isn't at least wasting possessions with turnovers.

490
00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:55,000
He might be wasting them with some
of his shot attewn. Yeah,

491
00:29:55,039 --> 00:29:57,480
his turnovers are bad shots like that
is a real player type. That is

492
00:29:57,480 --> 00:30:00,799
a thing with that type of player. So I guess this one hundred percentile

493
00:30:00,839 --> 00:30:06,519
outcome is Anthony Davis or or Porzingis
he's he's in for a growth spurt.

494
00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:10,319
Yeah, well okay, so if
he becomes seven feet then we really got

495
00:30:10,319 --> 00:30:11,880
to start talking about it. Uh, let's let's move on. You want

496
00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:15,640
to get I think it's your turn
to read me some Celtics questions? Yes,

497
00:30:15,839 --> 00:30:19,559
uh p d buckets. Is Jason
Tatum ready to be the best player

498
00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:26,200
on a title team? That's the
only questions that matters. Sure, he

499
00:30:26,279 --> 00:30:32,319
might be right now, then you
move on. Well, no, so

500
00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:34,440
divisive, Whereas I got a lot
of by the way, and I don't

501
00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:37,759
know if you you probably don't know
this because you're not on Twitter, and

502
00:30:37,759 --> 00:30:41,519
I don't know if you read the
discord. There was some people disagreed with

503
00:30:41,559 --> 00:30:44,359
me having Donald Mitchell first team that's
gonna be a watch because it looks like

504
00:30:44,359 --> 00:30:47,839
he's not gonna qualify it for that. That Yeah, I ended up pivoting

505
00:30:47,839 --> 00:30:51,559
to putting Kwhi Leonard first team before
the Donovan Mitchell injury, just because it

506
00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:53,759
was like, that's how these things
work. But why is he such a

507
00:30:53,799 --> 00:31:00,799
divisive Do you think he actually is
underappreciated? Is it like, are we

508
00:31:00,920 --> 00:31:03,839
just the Celtics are so good?
He's the best player, and could he

509
00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:07,799
be a little bit inflated? Like
what is what makes him such a divisive

510
00:31:07,079 --> 00:31:11,079
figure? It feels like, I
mean, well, part of it is

511
00:31:11,119 --> 00:31:15,559
that just because of the way social
media works, there have to be incredibly

512
00:31:15,599 --> 00:31:18,920
strong opinions on one side or the
other and there's no nuance for anything,

513
00:31:18,039 --> 00:31:22,119
So everything's divisive. That's part of
it. Like I think so I was

514
00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:27,680
talking about this on the radio today
that the question was basically like it used

515
00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:32,000
to be that the best player on
the best team had like an inside track

516
00:31:32,039 --> 00:31:36,839
to MVP Jason Tatum is that he's
the best player on the best team in

517
00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:38,960
the league, at least in terms
of regular season We could talk about Denver

518
00:31:40,039 --> 00:31:45,559
separately, So what gives? And
my answer was, just like, I

519
00:31:45,599 --> 00:31:48,039
guess it's because Boston's like second,
third, fourth, fifth, and sixth

520
00:31:48,039 --> 00:31:52,519
players are also really awesome and Tatum
like just doesn't have to play at the

521
00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:56,799
level that certain other guys do.
And frankly, like Tatum in a vacuum

522
00:31:56,920 --> 00:32:00,440
is not as good as you know, whoever you're else you're gonna put on

523
00:32:00,440 --> 00:32:02,920
your All NBA first team, I
don't, I mean, at least most

524
00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:06,119
of them. He's not Luca,
he's not you honest, he's not Yokic,

525
00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:08,599
he's not Sga. But he's a
I mean, he's right there.

526
00:32:09,039 --> 00:32:13,640
And I think I think, like, is he is he ready to be

527
00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:15,599
the best player on his house team? You have to say yes, because

528
00:32:16,079 --> 00:32:19,880
the best player on a team that
was two wins away from winning a title.

529
00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:22,440
That's and so that's what I was
gonna get back to. I think

530
00:32:22,480 --> 00:32:24,599
the problem people have with him is
they've seen him get close and not do

531
00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:28,799
it. And so that is the
lingering image of Jason Tatum of like,

532
00:32:29,279 --> 00:32:31,519
you know, he this is a
guy who's had monster game sevens, Like

533
00:32:31,519 --> 00:32:35,119
do you have fifty in a game
seven? Like I think he has the

534
00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:37,359
high the high total in a game
seven in the playoffs, like he's had

535
00:32:37,480 --> 00:32:42,200
major you know, playoff games.
He's just been close and not quite done

536
00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:45,039
it. And so that is what
people will think of him until he does

537
00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:47,960
the thing like which could happen this
year, and then I would be fascinated

538
00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:52,839
to revisit like what what will the
narratives be if the Celtics win the title

539
00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:59,319
and Tatum probably would be final Whit'll
be right, Yeah, he's gonna Derek

540
00:32:59,319 --> 00:33:05,799
whit'snna get his Andrea Goodalla Finals MVP. But like you can imagine going into

541
00:33:05,839 --> 00:33:08,559
next season with the Celtics having won
a title and Tatum having been awesome in

542
00:33:08,599 --> 00:33:12,759
the finals, just like, oh
yeah, this is this guy's a he's

543
00:33:12,799 --> 00:33:15,960
a top three player. Now we
just suddenly everything will change. If I

544
00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:20,119
had to like pinpoint an actual because
I hate and I'm not saying that you're

545
00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:22,839
doing this, I kind of understand
that reasoning where's he hasn't done it yet,

546
00:33:23,039 --> 00:33:27,400
But like then we're just talking about, like so Joel Lebi can't be

547
00:33:27,440 --> 00:33:31,119
the best player if I had a
pinpoint like a thing about his game,

548
00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:35,359
and when I was talking about the
LNBA stuff, his pull up jumper,

549
00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:37,880
it's come along. Like his off
the dribble jumper, which is his signature

550
00:33:37,920 --> 00:33:39,920
skill, has not been going into
a high clip the past two seasons.

551
00:33:39,920 --> 00:33:43,640
It's on the come up right now. But like it's a testament to how

552
00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:47,119
much better he's gotten as drawing fouls, getting to the basket, even as

553
00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:51,039
a playmaker. He's not doing as
much of that this year, I think

554
00:33:51,079 --> 00:33:53,440
because you mentioned the personnel around him, so he's expanded his game. But

555
00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:57,599
if I'm looking at his game,
it does feel like, is this someone

556
00:33:57,680 --> 00:34:02,160
you trust to run the offense or
make the right decisions in crunch time?

557
00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:07,119
And I would say like eighty five
percent of the time probably people bemoan him

558
00:34:07,119 --> 00:34:09,159
trying to get to you know,
his escape triple step back, but like

559
00:34:09,599 --> 00:34:13,199
that's a pretty big weapon in crunch
time. And I also think it depends

560
00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:16,280
on the circumstances there. And so
I kind of wonder, is that if

561
00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:20,760
you're taking issue with, well,
is he the guy that can get you

562
00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:22,639
over the top in those moments,
not commit a turnover or not take the

563
00:34:23,119 --> 00:34:25,920
wrong shot or set up his teammates. Is that actually a flaw of him

564
00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:29,599
or is it just well, he's
not that archetype of player. And so

565
00:34:29,719 --> 00:34:32,159
now we're saying because Giannis isn't that
guy either, to be quite frank,

566
00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:35,440
like, he's not you're not gonna
set him up runn like the fact that

567
00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:38,039
Tatum can the offense can be necessarily
run through him and he doesn't always need

568
00:34:38,079 --> 00:34:42,719
to get downhill Giannis kind of needs
that momentum. I know he has counters

569
00:34:42,760 --> 00:34:45,480
once he gets inside the arc,
Like you don't want a Giannis escape cripple

570
00:34:45,559 --> 00:34:49,159
jumper from beyond the arc to try
and win the game, And I just

571
00:34:49,239 --> 00:34:51,880
I can't. I do think it's
a fair to say because we've seen Look

572
00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:53,800
the Celtic's just blue. Oh is
it a ninety point lead in the fourth

573
00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:58,920
quarter against a short handed Cavs team. So there are flaws there when you

574
00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:00,960
they feel like they deviate from some
of their core principles or that they're really

575
00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:06,920
missing a floor general or like raw
rim pressure type or someone who blends those

576
00:35:06,960 --> 00:35:09,800
together. But I'm just like,
if you're saying that he can't be the

577
00:35:09,840 --> 00:35:14,159
best player on a title team,
then you're saying there are probably fewer than

578
00:35:14,199 --> 00:35:16,559
ten guys right now who can,
oh for sure, because he's in that

579
00:35:16,599 --> 00:35:21,320
top ten and comfortably in that top
ten, closer to top five really probably.

580
00:35:21,639 --> 00:35:23,800
I think, like I just looking
up some of the shot data,

581
00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:30,400
like do you remember the concern coming
into the league with him was like,

582
00:35:30,639 --> 00:35:34,880
I don't know, He's kind of
just really good at generating like tough twos.

583
00:35:35,079 --> 00:35:37,519
There's like a little mellow in him. Do you remember that as like

584
00:35:37,519 --> 00:35:39,880
a scouting report rap on that really
stuck bigger Cam Thomas in him. I

585
00:35:39,920 --> 00:35:45,599
got it's but like, I think
there's some validity to that. You said

586
00:35:45,599 --> 00:35:49,920
it, like he's a jump shooting
player, like and in some ways,

587
00:35:49,960 --> 00:35:53,079
like what can go wrong with him
also goes wrong with the Celtics, which

588
00:35:53,079 --> 00:35:55,639
is like when the threes don't fall, and we've seen it in the playoffs,

589
00:35:55,679 --> 00:36:00,760
and we freaking saw it last night
as we're recording this bustin, Like

590
00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:04,639
it looks bad when when the when
the jumpers aren't going when the shot will

591
00:36:04,679 --> 00:36:07,840
go in, the offense doesn't look
right and nobody likes it when all the

592
00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:10,559
shots that aren't going in are jumpers
as opposed to as opposed to lay ups,

593
00:36:10,639 --> 00:36:14,920
especially if they were born before nineteen
eight, seventy eight or whatever it

594
00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:17,880
is. I don't know what this
means necessarily, but you you on on

595
00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:22,880
Basketball Reference, you can just sort
by, like what's the average shot distance

596
00:36:22,079 --> 00:36:25,159
for this for this player. It's
fifteen and a half feet for Tatum this

597
00:36:25,239 --> 00:36:28,840
year. That's the longest he's ever
had. So, like, if your

598
00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:30,639
criticism of Tatum is that, like, oh, these jumpers are it's just

599
00:36:30,679 --> 00:36:34,800
you know, two high variants or
whatever. He's doing more of that this

600
00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:37,159
year than ever, Like he is, he's farther from the basket on average

601
00:36:37,199 --> 00:36:40,679
on his on his field goal attempts
than he's ever been so but that's just

602
00:36:40,679 --> 00:36:45,639
his game, like he he's fashioned
like a downhill game, you know,

603
00:36:45,719 --> 00:36:47,079
from what was a real weak point. I think early in his career.

604
00:36:47,320 --> 00:36:51,400
Still does the off arm shove way
too often. That's going to get legislated

605
00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:57,119
out hard by the way next year. I'm calling it now, so like

606
00:36:57,239 --> 00:37:00,880
that that is an issue. It's
just like I don't know, I think

607
00:37:00,039 --> 00:37:04,559
you remember the first bullet point you
had on the Trey Young thing of like

608
00:37:05,039 --> 00:37:07,559
why do people say the Hawks are
better without him? It's because people are

609
00:37:07,599 --> 00:37:10,360
stupid. It's like people are stupid
if they say that Jason Datum can't be

610
00:37:10,360 --> 00:37:14,320
the best player on a title team
like he's he basically is. He just

611
00:37:14,400 --> 00:37:17,239
like hasn't officially been that yet.
All right, A second Celtics question here,

612
00:37:17,320 --> 00:37:22,840
this one from Rubikscal. Can you
have a look at the Celtics schedule

613
00:37:22,880 --> 00:37:24,400
and tell me how many more losses
you see between now and the end of

614
00:37:24,400 --> 00:37:28,400
the season. I don't see him
losing more than four unless they choose to

615
00:37:28,440 --> 00:37:30,599
rest multiple stars. I mean,
what are the Celtics right now? I

616
00:37:30,639 --> 00:37:34,039
don't know what their record is.
I know they're like eight games up on

617
00:37:34,519 --> 00:37:37,920
everybody. Yeah, I think that
that's the calculats and all this is.

618
00:37:37,199 --> 00:37:42,199
I did go through their schedule,
but they have such a huge lead on

619
00:37:42,559 --> 00:37:45,880
first place that once they clinch it, like what, like, are you

620
00:37:45,960 --> 00:37:47,239
going to are the last two weeks
just going to be a free for all

621
00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:51,760
of just like, oh, hey, Xavier Tillman is playing forty five minutes

622
00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:55,320
or something like that. So I
do think just very quickly the games that

623
00:37:55,360 --> 00:37:59,159
I have circled. So they're on
the road at Denver March seventh, so

624
00:37:59,199 --> 00:38:01,119
that'll be Thursday when this podcast goes
up. I could see them losing in

625
00:38:01,119 --> 00:38:06,840
Phoenix on Saturday, March ninth.
They're in Milwaukee on April ninth. They

626
00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:09,679
just have three back to backs left
on the season as well, And while

627
00:38:09,719 --> 00:38:14,519
the matchups are pretty favorable, are
they really just gonna go six and?

628
00:38:14,559 --> 00:38:15,559
Oh? There? So I would
say, oh, okay, they're gonna

629
00:38:15,559 --> 00:38:21,199
lose one of those six games,
which brings us to what's that four potential

630
00:38:21,239 --> 00:38:23,480
ones, and then they do have
home games left against the Bucks March twentieth

631
00:38:23,519 --> 00:38:29,039
and the Thunder on April third.
So if you're setting me over under a

632
00:38:29,079 --> 00:38:31,039
four more Celtics losses, I think
I'm going to take the over in large

633
00:38:31,079 --> 00:38:36,559
part because of the way that the
seeding's working out. Yeah, what's so?

634
00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:38,039
I think that's about right? What's
that get them? Too? So

635
00:38:38,079 --> 00:38:42,440
if they got twenty one left,
if you're going say they lose six,

636
00:38:43,159 --> 00:38:50,039
so that's fifteen more wins, that's
sixty three and just ridiculous, that's a

637
00:38:50,039 --> 00:38:54,480
lot of wins. Yeah, I
mean, I think like the coasting to

638
00:38:54,519 --> 00:38:59,079
the finish thing seems legit to me, Like that's like why wouldn't you?

639
00:38:59,639 --> 00:39:01,480
I guess it's like there's sealed argument
of like do you want to try to

640
00:39:01,519 --> 00:39:05,280
keep the knife sharp or do you
want to you know, take it easy.

641
00:39:06,159 --> 00:39:07,840
They've got knowing, like there's no
scenario where they don't finish with the

642
00:39:08,199 --> 00:39:13,000
top seed. So like I if
anybody is going to throttle back, I

643
00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:15,960
feel like it should be them,
because you know, they are a six

644
00:39:15,039 --> 00:39:19,039
man team basically, like they're you
know, they've got seven, eight,

645
00:39:19,199 --> 00:39:22,199
nine guys, but like that top
six needs to be healthy and at like

646
00:39:22,239 --> 00:39:23,800
al Horford's one hundred years old,
you can't be like running them into the

647
00:39:23,800 --> 00:39:28,199
ground trying to chase sixty wins.
Yeah, so I'll tay, I'll go

648
00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:30,519
over four. I think i'd go
over five as well if I think I

649
00:39:30,559 --> 00:39:35,559
would too. We have one question
for the Hornets. So Hornets fans,

650
00:39:35,559 --> 00:39:37,360
if you're not following us, get
in our discords that you can ask questions

651
00:39:37,480 --> 00:39:39,639
or because I don't always put it
on Twitter, even though this time I

652
00:39:39,679 --> 00:39:43,280
did, so, just follow us. If you're a Hornets fan, shout

653
00:39:43,280 --> 00:39:45,239
out to HP Burgie by the way, because look, I'm just gonna say

654
00:39:45,239 --> 00:39:50,480
this very quickly. It doesn't seem
like anyone cares about the hornets the nets,

655
00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:52,880
and so shout out to the nets
or the wizards. And HP Burgie

656
00:39:52,920 --> 00:39:55,599
had questions for the hornets and the
wizards when we get to them, so

657
00:39:55,639 --> 00:40:00,440
shout out to him coming through them. Excuse me, H question grant,

658
00:40:00,679 --> 00:40:05,880
who is worth keeping on the Hornets
when you're looking at rebuilding personally, I

659
00:40:05,920 --> 00:40:10,000
think it's just LaMelo, Brendon Miller
and Mark Williams. Well, all things

660
00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:14,800
are relative, so like Mark Williams
might not be a keeper on another team,

661
00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:16,840
But I think he should be viewed
as one on the Hornets, right,

662
00:40:16,880 --> 00:40:21,519
Like what, like what you don't
have anything better? So I think

663
00:40:21,760 --> 00:40:24,119
and he's young, and he's shown
you know, flashes of maybe this is

664
00:40:24,199 --> 00:40:27,920
like a rim protecting, you know, dive to the basket guy, Like

665
00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:31,639
that's valuable, especially when you get
LaMelo back. But it's it's really the

666
00:40:31,719 --> 00:40:36,440
number one pick you're drafting Alexander Saw. You're not going to be like,

667
00:40:36,559 --> 00:40:38,719
oh, I'm Mark Williams, so
we're going to trade this pick. Well,

668
00:40:38,840 --> 00:40:44,360
like if if there were a point
well that the Hornets just proved that

669
00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:49,000
if there were a highly touted point
guard prospect, they would not draft that

670
00:40:49,039 --> 00:40:53,840
guy. So but I think now
there is it's a little different because the

671
00:40:53,840 --> 00:40:57,639
center position is so fungible, especially
like Williams is not going to be a

672
00:40:57,679 --> 00:41:00,679
guy that is going to shoot seven
or eight threes a game and you know

673
00:41:00,760 --> 00:41:06,199
switch like that's just he's a we
know what archetype of a center Williams is.

674
00:41:06,239 --> 00:41:07,519
At least we have a pretty good
idea. I don't know if I

675
00:41:07,559 --> 00:41:10,880
go much beyond that, Like I
think these are all like deeper cuts.

676
00:41:10,880 --> 00:41:14,960
But like Trey Mann is someone I
think they should be interested in seeing how

677
00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:16,920
he fits, like with LaMelo,
if that ever comes to pass. But

678
00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:24,800
like Hoku, obviously not sure.
Obviously, I mean Cody Martin, he's

679
00:41:25,079 --> 00:41:27,880
if he's going to be healthy,
you could look at it, look at

680
00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:30,119
that contract sort of this connector gap
filler, then he's a keeper. But

681
00:41:30,599 --> 00:41:34,760
when you're when you're looking at building
blocks, I honestly think they only have

682
00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:37,880
two. I just I don't know
that the mark if the expansion of he

683
00:41:37,960 --> 00:41:43,239
has this kind of like floor game
or perimeter game that we saw busted out

684
00:41:43,280 --> 00:41:45,400
a little bit, and we'll assume
it'll be healthier. Okay, you can

685
00:41:45,480 --> 00:41:49,599
get me on board, But I
just don't know that his archetype. Like

686
00:41:49,639 --> 00:41:52,119
even Jalen durn Detroit, I'm kind
of like that, do you consider that

687
00:41:52,119 --> 00:41:58,760
guy a building block? I mean, that's that type of player has to

688
00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:04,079
be so good at the like limited
things that they're supposed to do that it's

689
00:42:04,159 --> 00:42:07,960
just like there's only a handful right
of that type of center that that has

690
00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:09,920
like, oh yeah, for sure, we're keeping him. Like I actually,

691
00:42:10,199 --> 00:42:15,800
who even is that guy who is
the like Jared Allen. That's the

692
00:42:15,920 --> 00:42:17,960
kind of the case, right,
maybe we're not the ones to OPI in

693
00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:22,159
on this type of player. Maybe
maybe we should. I'm gonna sit I'm

694
00:42:22,159 --> 00:42:24,199
gonna sit out from now I'm gonna
make a resolution. I'm gonna sit these

695
00:42:24,239 --> 00:42:28,760
out from now on. So we've
been very wrong on Jared Allen. But

696
00:42:28,840 --> 00:42:30,440
yeah, I think it's Miller and
it's LaMelo in some order. I don't

697
00:42:30,440 --> 00:42:34,039
know what I mean. That would
be an interesting question really too, is

698
00:42:34,039 --> 00:42:37,440
like I was gonna ask you too, was there was the stuff floating around

699
00:42:37,440 --> 00:42:38,760
like a week or two ago where
it was I think it was Tony Jones,

700
00:42:38,840 --> 00:42:42,400
the athletic who's been on this podcast. I love him. Uh,

701
00:42:42,679 --> 00:42:45,719
things that they should trade LaMelo and
rebuild around Brandon Miller, And that's kind

702
00:42:45,719 --> 00:42:50,840
of like, I don't necessarily understand
that logic. And if you're gonna say

703
00:42:51,079 --> 00:42:52,199
Melo's injured all the time, it's
like, well, guess who else knows

704
00:42:52,199 --> 00:42:55,079
that Mel's injured all the time,
whoever's training for him? What type of

705
00:42:55,159 --> 00:42:59,880
value you're gonna get for that?
I do like you can. It's so

706
00:43:00,159 --> 00:43:02,400
twofold. One would you keep both
these guys together? And two do you

707
00:43:02,480 --> 00:43:06,159
view Brett and Miller as kind of
more important? Than LaMelo. Now I

708
00:43:06,199 --> 00:43:10,400
still don't, but I would one
hundred percent keep them together. I read

709
00:43:10,400 --> 00:43:15,480
that same thing. My thought initially
was like, so, how old's Miller

710
00:43:15,519 --> 00:43:17,519
twenty one? I think it's his
age twenty. Yeah, it's his age

711
00:43:17,519 --> 00:43:21,360
twenty one season, and he like
he's gonna be all rookie first team.

712
00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:24,039
That's awesome. LaMelo was a fucking
All Star at twenty. So it's like,

713
00:43:24,239 --> 00:43:30,119
let's not forget where the real like
LaMelo, the injuries have clouded I

714
00:43:30,119 --> 00:43:32,119
think the perception of him and like
sort of some of the like he's not

715
00:43:32,199 --> 00:43:36,400
viewed as like a real serious guy
or whatever, and maybe that's a problem

716
00:43:36,480 --> 00:43:39,719
for in a leadership position going forward. But like LaMelo has already achieved way

717
00:43:39,719 --> 00:43:43,559
more than Miller has. That's not
to say that Miller won't be a great

718
00:43:43,559 --> 00:43:45,960
player. I think we both think
he's gonna be really good. But they're

719
00:43:45,960 --> 00:43:50,360
not like overlapping in any way to
me, Like, I don't think I

720
00:43:50,360 --> 00:43:53,519
think they could actually like augment each
other, Like, you know, I

721
00:43:53,519 --> 00:43:57,599
don't think there's any reason to start
talking about an either or thing with them.

722
00:43:58,000 --> 00:44:01,679
Yeah, it really feels like that
LaMelo can a Lamello can carry the

723
00:44:01,719 --> 00:44:07,320
load offensively that Miller isn't meant to. And so if you have LaMelo breaking

724
00:44:07,360 --> 00:44:09,639
down the defenses in the half court
in transition, imagine what that does to

725
00:44:09,679 --> 00:44:13,599
Miller is kind of the number two, who's look, I've been impressed with

726
00:44:13,719 --> 00:44:16,280
just kind of his passing an overall
self creation this year. Make that your

727
00:44:16,360 --> 00:44:21,800
number two and like how much more
like where the Paul George comps are right

728
00:44:21,840 --> 00:44:23,639
there? But it's even like the
it's with Kawhi Leonard as well. He

729
00:44:24,119 --> 00:44:29,840
feels more dangerous when he doesn't have
to be the number one scorer and table

730
00:44:29,880 --> 00:44:31,519
setter. And what LaMelo ensures is
that you will never have to be the

731
00:44:31,599 --> 00:44:36,000
number one table setter, which I
don't think Miller just like Paul George,

732
00:44:36,159 --> 00:44:38,800
just even like Kawi or Kevin Durant, Like I don't think they're in full

733
00:44:38,840 --> 00:44:42,400
lineups. Again, like I don't
know that you want them to be your

734
00:44:42,440 --> 00:44:45,840
primary passers and LaMelo can be that
guy. I know there's things that are

735
00:44:45,880 --> 00:44:49,920
fundamentally wrong when they slow things down, like we've kind of seen it in

736
00:44:49,920 --> 00:44:52,079
the half court where he's still super
dangerous with his off the dribble jumper,

737
00:44:52,119 --> 00:44:55,199
and it's will he ever become a
better finisher at the ram I get it,

738
00:44:55,320 --> 00:44:59,840
but like he can carry that load, and I just don't see Miller

739
00:44:59,840 --> 00:45:02,559
as someone who can. And even
if you do the stuff that they you

740
00:45:02,639 --> 00:45:07,079
said it already, they're not redundant
to be in any shape or form,

741
00:45:07,320 --> 00:45:12,400
I think too. Like, let's
suppose that Miller like exceeds the Paul George

742
00:45:12,440 --> 00:45:14,960
thing, because Paul George, I
feel like, is just the quintessential like

743
00:45:15,039 --> 00:45:17,719
one b you know that that's just
like what he's gonna go down as in

744
00:45:17,719 --> 00:45:22,000
the league, probably in his uh, you know, Wikipedia entry when he's

745
00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:25,519
all done. Let's say Miller is
better than that, and it is the

746
00:45:25,559 --> 00:45:29,360
guy you throw it to, you
know, at the end of a playoff

747
00:45:29,400 --> 00:45:34,079
game, it's like we need we
need a basket like phenomenal because LaMelo isn't

748
00:45:34,119 --> 00:45:36,639
that guy. LaMelo is like very
much. You know, he can run

749
00:45:36,679 --> 00:45:38,639
the pick and roll and he's a
connector and like he sees the floor brilliantly,

750
00:45:38,679 --> 00:45:43,280
but he's not like break his guy
down and create a shot out of

751
00:45:43,320 --> 00:45:46,360
nothing like that isn't what he is. So just we're just kind of saying

752
00:45:46,360 --> 00:45:50,679
the same thing over and over again. But like these guys should work really

753
00:45:50,719 --> 00:45:54,039
well together. And that's that's if
Miller is what we think he's probably gonna

754
00:45:54,039 --> 00:45:58,119
be. And that's still true if
Miller is way better than we think he's

755
00:45:58,119 --> 00:46:01,480
gonna be. Like, there's no
I don't see the scenario where anything happens

756
00:46:01,519 --> 00:46:05,159
where they overlap. So yeah,
keep them both. And yeah, Mark

757
00:46:05,159 --> 00:46:07,360
Williams, why not throw them a
bone, Let's keep them too. So

758
00:46:07,840 --> 00:46:10,119
I wouldn't mention this, even though
it's your turn to lead us through the

759
00:46:10,159 --> 00:46:14,159
Chicago Bulls. Is that we have
four I think it's three or four questions

760
00:46:14,159 --> 00:46:16,840
that you're going to read. They're
looped together because they're all kind of basically

761
00:46:16,880 --> 00:46:21,519
what the fuck bulls? But raise
different what I'm ready? Okay? From

762
00:46:21,559 --> 00:46:29,079
Matti l Bulls question mark question mark
question mark from Ziggy Zach Bulls Bullsfront Office.

763
00:46:29,320 --> 00:46:34,519
How is a first round exit ceiling
competitive? Competitive? In quotations because

764
00:46:34,559 --> 00:46:37,639
that's what our cherist Cornersilvis was talking
about. We want to be a competitive

765
00:46:37,639 --> 00:46:40,239
team. From Trek Sauce to the
bullsfront office. Why are you the way

766
00:46:40,280 --> 00:46:45,440
that you are? From French Bulls
fan define being competitive? Uh yeah,

767
00:46:45,760 --> 00:46:51,639
Look, if you listen to us
at all, we're on board. We

768
00:46:51,760 --> 00:46:54,599
agree the Bulls are doing stupid things
and everyone seems to know it. But

769
00:46:54,679 --> 00:46:59,519
then so, either they've really got
it figured out. Well, there's three

770
00:46:59,559 --> 00:47:01,719
options. They've really got it figured
out, they don't know what they're doing,

771
00:47:02,239 --> 00:47:08,159
or they're really comfortable being a forty
two win team when things go right

772
00:47:08,280 --> 00:47:12,079
and that's what they want, which
is like some teams are that way.

773
00:47:12,320 --> 00:47:15,159
A major market team like the Bulls, with a rich history and a rabid

774
00:47:15,199 --> 00:47:20,079
fan base should not be one of
those teams that's gunning for the middle like

775
00:47:20,119 --> 00:47:22,360
that. But that's on the board. That has to be a possibility,

776
00:47:22,400 --> 00:47:25,599
now, right. What do you
make of though Karnisovach saying that he has

777
00:47:25,639 --> 00:47:29,400
the license to rebuild and chose them
Like, that's worse, like if this

778
00:47:29,559 --> 00:47:31,480
was a mandate from ownership and it's
kind of all he's just look, his

779
00:47:31,480 --> 00:47:35,480
hands were tired. If he actively
chose not to rebuild, do you know

780
00:47:35,519 --> 00:47:38,039
what's gonna end up happening when they
do trade Caruso. It's not gonna be

781
00:47:38,119 --> 00:47:42,880
for multiple first round picks that they
could have gotten at this deadline. They're

782
00:47:42,920 --> 00:47:45,639
not gonna be able to train de
Rosen because he might mean for nothing like

783
00:47:45,679 --> 00:47:46,920
those are scenarios that are on the
table. What are you So are you

784
00:47:46,960 --> 00:47:52,400
just gonna pay Patrick Williams twenty million
dollars a year or something to like and

785
00:47:52,480 --> 00:47:57,159
look the Iotasumu and I had that
written in the notes under all these things,

786
00:47:57,159 --> 00:47:59,599
like Iota Zumu might be on one
of the best contracts in the league.

787
00:47:59,599 --> 00:48:01,559
That is all unless Kobe White is
like Kobe White might be on that.

788
00:48:01,679 --> 00:48:06,880
Like so you've done that. You
have these random heroics and crunch time

789
00:48:06,960 --> 00:48:09,280
still and they've been their defense is
not good this year, but like you

790
00:48:09,280 --> 00:48:13,039
can get the lineups that are just
super pressure filled. This is just like

791
00:48:13,519 --> 00:48:15,239
I don't even want to call it
aimless because we know what they're trying to

792
00:48:15,239 --> 00:48:19,320
do, and that's to be the
bottom of the middle. It's so diss

793
00:48:19,400 --> 00:48:23,280
like even though the Nicola Vucevic Contractors
is like a perfect microcosm of everything where

794
00:48:23,280 --> 00:48:28,079
it's it's not terrible, it's not
great, and it does nothing for you,

795
00:48:28,119 --> 00:48:30,840
and it's kind of evolved into something
that might be bad to be honest,

796
00:48:30,920 --> 00:48:36,400
but to where you envision getting it
out, and the whole thing is

797
00:48:36,400 --> 00:48:39,119
is LaMelo is Lonzo, like this
we're not waiting on Lonzo to come back

798
00:48:39,159 --> 00:48:45,280
anymore. I just I don't have
answers to these questions other than I think

799
00:48:45,320 --> 00:48:47,039
we're at the point where we're probably
you know, no more than a year

800
00:48:47,039 --> 00:48:52,800
away from us talking about a different
iteration of the bullstront Office. Oh,

801
00:48:52,039 --> 00:48:55,880
let's hope so, because if it's
the same thing and the results continue to

802
00:48:55,920 --> 00:49:00,880
be what they are, it's like
how depressing and blae is Like, imagine

803
00:49:00,880 --> 00:49:05,039
the questions, the series of questions
will get this time next year. I

804
00:49:05,119 --> 00:49:09,960
just think, like it's hard to
understand. I mean, you laid out

805
00:49:09,960 --> 00:49:14,239
the tooth like we just made fun
of the raptors for not figuring out,

806
00:49:14,280 --> 00:49:16,480
Like you gotta make some moves before
it's too late and the value diminishes,

807
00:49:16,559 --> 00:49:22,599
and like the DeRozan thing is definitely
headed that way. Caruso, if if

808
00:49:22,639 --> 00:49:24,679
you could have gotten a good first
for Cruso at this past trade Inadline,

809
00:49:24,719 --> 00:49:30,039
you didn't do it Like that to
me is just malpractice. It's insane,

810
00:49:30,599 --> 00:49:36,239
It doesn't make any sense, and
it's just, you know, I don't

811
00:49:36,239 --> 00:49:37,199
know what to do with the bulls. I feel like I've said it a

812
00:49:37,199 --> 00:49:40,840
million We've said it a million times. There's like there's no it's indefensible.

813
00:49:40,880 --> 00:49:47,280
Can we say it's indefensible what they're
doing because the best car, the best

814
00:49:47,280 --> 00:49:52,840
case scenario, Lonzo comes back,
DeRozan comes back for because no one will

815
00:49:52,840 --> 00:49:55,199
pay him more than the Bulls are
gonna pay him. Free agency or whatever

816
00:49:55,320 --> 00:50:00,360
Lavine gets healthy. Vucevich is your
center, I guess, or or Andre

817
00:50:00,440 --> 00:50:04,519
Drummond comes back. You've got Cruso, You've got White, You've got to

818
00:50:04,639 --> 00:50:07,360
Sumu. Where's that team finishing in
the East. It's not in the top

819
00:50:07,400 --> 00:50:12,760
four, like and so it's probably
not the top six. I don't know.

820
00:50:13,320 --> 00:50:17,320
So I just the absolute best if
everything goes right. This still is

821
00:50:17,400 --> 00:50:22,239
not a good situation and everything will
not go right. So yeah, the

822
00:50:22,280 --> 00:50:24,039
Bulls wire you the way that you
are. I don't know. I don't

823
00:50:24,199 --> 00:50:30,039
the only I'm not crafting a defense
here, but free agency it's already kind

824
00:50:30,079 --> 00:50:32,719
of imploded. And we'll see if
that changed with the new CBA. But

825
00:50:32,760 --> 00:50:37,039
you look at this summer and even
just like Kelly Olynik getting his extension,

826
00:50:37,039 --> 00:50:38,480
which I think, by the way, that makes the Raptors trade from just

827
00:50:38,519 --> 00:50:40,679
a lot better in general is knowing
that, oh, you're able to get

828
00:50:40,760 --> 00:50:45,559
him at this number. Uh,
it kind of just shows oh, like

829
00:50:45,559 --> 00:50:47,800
it's like Andre Drummon is one of
the three best centers that are gonna be

830
00:50:47,800 --> 00:50:52,920
available in free agency, and so
were they viewing it as teams will be

831
00:50:52,960 --> 00:50:55,480
more aggressive with trades, so they'll
still be able to get just as much,

832
00:50:55,519 --> 00:51:00,679
if not more, for Caruso or
maybe even they're looking at as trades

833
00:51:00,840 --> 00:51:04,840
for Patrick Williams, for Demarta Rosen
will be on the table. They'll be

834
00:51:04,880 --> 00:51:07,519
able to capitalize in ways that they
wouldn't have been able to at the trade

835
00:51:07,519 --> 00:51:10,840
deadline. I don't think they will
be. I want to make that abundantly

836
00:51:10,880 --> 00:51:15,639
clear, But that is the only
train of thought I have. Running it

837
00:51:15,679 --> 00:51:20,280
back is just so mind melting the
stupid though, And yet that's probably what

838
00:51:20,320 --> 00:51:24,039
you have to expect happens. Do
you earing get concern in situations like this

839
00:51:24,360 --> 00:51:30,760
because the people making decisions for the
bulls have been very successful at their chosen

840
00:51:30,880 --> 00:51:34,880
lines of work and have more information
than anybody else does about the bulls.

841
00:51:35,159 --> 00:51:37,199
And it always sometimes when it seems
so clear, like we're both like,

842
00:51:37,280 --> 00:51:40,079
this is nuts. They don't know
what they're doing, These all these choices

843
00:51:40,079 --> 00:51:44,039
are wrong. It makes me think, like I need to walk this back

844
00:51:44,079 --> 00:51:46,800
because these are smart, capable people
that are making these decisions. So it

845
00:51:46,880 --> 00:51:52,440
must be me, Like I must
not be seeing something because I'm I don't

846
00:51:52,480 --> 00:51:54,360
run an NBA team. There's a
reason for that, Like I'm not qualified.

847
00:51:54,400 --> 00:51:58,599
These people are qualified to do it. Actually you're in this case,

848
00:51:58,599 --> 00:52:02,039
you might be overqualified. Well that's
the thing. Like I'm just like it

849
00:52:02,119 --> 00:52:06,519
makes I want to know. I
want to know what I don't know because

850
00:52:06,559 --> 00:52:08,960
it must there must be a lot
because it seems like from all the information

851
00:52:09,079 --> 00:52:14,239
we have, nothing the Bulls are
doing is defensible. So uh, that's

852
00:52:14,280 --> 00:52:16,840
my way of like if the Bulls
won the title next year, at least

853
00:52:16,840 --> 00:52:22,159
we'll have this like thirty second snippet
of me hedging. Okay, that's all

854
00:52:22,199 --> 00:52:24,440
that was. I'm sorry. They
are the twenty four to seven, three

855
00:52:24,519 --> 00:52:30,280
sixty five living embodiment of the Russell
Westbrook to the Lakers trade where everyone knew

856
00:52:30,280 --> 00:52:34,000
it was going to be a disaster
as soon as it went down, and

857
00:52:34,000 --> 00:52:37,599
what was it a disaster except the
Bulls. It's just like it's even more

858
00:52:37,639 --> 00:52:40,880
reoccurring because it's every single damn day
and every year, and they don't I

859
00:52:40,880 --> 00:52:45,760
guess they haven't doubled down on it
because the Boots trade, even though it

860
00:52:45,840 --> 00:52:47,639
was a win for everybody involved,
grant, it scared them out of these

861
00:52:47,639 --> 00:52:52,760
mega transactions apparently. Uh, but
like I just this treadmill of it's not

862
00:52:52,800 --> 00:52:58,440
even mediocrity, it's like sub mediocrity. So it's even more discouraging. Let's

863
00:52:58,559 --> 00:53:01,400
let's move on to it slightly and
cocouraging. Bull's question from Rashaun Robinson nineteen

864
00:53:01,440 --> 00:53:05,519
ninety nine. Now that Scotty Barnes
is out in definitely, would Kobe White

865
00:53:05,519 --> 00:53:09,320
get the bump to number one?
Who's referring to our most Improved awards that

866
00:53:09,360 --> 00:53:14,199
we handed out. I mean he
was number two for both of us,

867
00:53:14,239 --> 00:53:15,960
So, like, technically, I
guess the start of has to be unless

868
00:53:16,000 --> 00:53:20,440
you just want to leave Barnes up
there because we saw the improvements he made.

869
00:53:20,679 --> 00:53:22,719
I don't know. If he doesn't
reach, he has to play in

870
00:53:22,800 --> 00:53:25,679
five more games this season otherwise he
can't. I'm going to make an exception,

871
00:53:27,199 --> 00:53:29,079
but I don't have that power.
Yeah, I think it's probably.

872
00:53:30,239 --> 00:53:32,000
I think it has to be White, doesn't it. I Mean, we

873
00:53:32,039 --> 00:53:36,400
made all the arguments, like he
just became a legit point guard. Do

874
00:53:36,440 --> 00:53:39,079
you. So I think Shane Good
could end up factoring in a little bit.

875
00:53:39,119 --> 00:53:42,760
The thing I didn't realize we both
I think we only had him as

876
00:53:42,800 --> 00:53:45,519
honorable mention. I don't think Cam
Thomas is eligible to win this award.

877
00:53:45,559 --> 00:53:47,719
I wouldn't pick him. We didn't
pick him. I want to make that

878
00:53:47,760 --> 00:53:51,239
clear, but he was that I
have to look at how many games played

879
00:53:51,320 --> 00:53:53,119
he has, but I think he
was at like forty nine, so that

880
00:53:53,199 --> 00:53:57,519
seems low. Right. So he's
at forty eight, so he's been out

881
00:53:57,559 --> 00:54:00,960
with that ankle injury or he's dealing
with an ankle injury, so I'm pretty

882
00:54:00,960 --> 00:54:05,320
sure he is tracking to like.
So there's Shane Goon and White, and

883
00:54:05,360 --> 00:54:07,239
I do think White leads the league
in total minutes played, so I'd assume

884
00:54:07,280 --> 00:54:12,559
that would help him. I do
think those Scotty Barnes is ineligible. The

885
00:54:12,599 --> 00:54:15,440
two players I mentioned, Shangun and
White, it probably opens the door for

886
00:54:15,480 --> 00:54:17,320
them most. I think it also
opens the door for Maxi, who is

887
00:54:17,360 --> 00:54:20,599
the betting favorite at one point.
I don't know if he still is or

888
00:54:20,639 --> 00:54:22,639
close to it. And then I
just wonder if we get more like Ja

889
00:54:22,800 --> 00:54:28,760
doub Love because he's leading the league
and off the dribble jumper percentage and leads

890
00:54:28,760 --> 00:54:31,639
the thunder and fourth quarter scoring.
There there was a Dan Devine had a

891
00:54:31,679 --> 00:54:36,440
good ride up on him today.
For for Yahoo, it's just like just

892
00:54:36,440 --> 00:54:38,280
just put it in my veins,
put it put just give it to me

893
00:54:38,360 --> 00:54:43,000
directly. All the Scotty Barnes is
ineligible. You would go with Kobe White.

894
00:54:44,239 --> 00:54:47,039
I don't think enough has changed.
Well what has changes? I watched

895
00:54:47,000 --> 00:54:51,800
Sangoon just give it to wim bin
Yama the other night, and that really

896
00:54:51,920 --> 00:54:54,639
was It was an eye opening experience
for me. Did you see the video

897
00:54:54,639 --> 00:55:00,440
that was posted where it said the
new Hakeem versus was it David ro Dobbinson

898
00:55:00,559 --> 00:55:04,079
just dropped. Yeah, I did
see that. It was. I mean,

899
00:55:05,239 --> 00:55:08,039
I felt lucky that I just happened
to flip that game on when I

900
00:55:08,039 --> 00:55:12,480
did, because shan Gun was just
like he put winm been Yama in the

901
00:55:12,519 --> 00:55:15,280
basket more than once, like took
him down underneath and just overpowered him and

902
00:55:15,320 --> 00:55:20,000
weighs it like oh. Everyone thought
like, oh the whole league is just

903
00:55:20,000 --> 00:55:22,800
gonna body win Bin Yamen like nobody
can. And Shangun just did. He

904
00:55:22,880 --> 00:55:28,239
was he was on one that was
phenomenal. I like Shangun better than Kobe

905
00:55:28,239 --> 00:55:31,039
White. I just think Kobe White
sort of became a different player and Shan

906
00:55:31,079 --> 00:55:35,199
Gun just became a really great version
of what he sort of already was.

907
00:55:35,280 --> 00:55:40,480
So he kind of like the perfect
case of his opportunity increased rather than the

908
00:55:40,480 --> 00:55:44,800
functionality of his game, and he
did make improvements, like functionally, I

909
00:55:44,840 --> 00:55:49,000
think defensively for sure. You did
have j Dub number three though, so

910
00:55:49,039 --> 00:55:52,960
this feels like it might open the
door for him. I mean, between

911
00:55:52,000 --> 00:55:55,840
Shangun and Jada, like, that's
there's two of my favorite young guys in

912
00:55:55,880 --> 00:55:59,440
the league. Let's get how about
this. We haven't done this in a

913
00:55:59,480 --> 00:56:01,719
while. Co Most Improved Player of
the Year, give it to both of

914
00:56:01,760 --> 00:56:06,519
those guys. Kobe White, That's
what I've decided. So you literally just

915
00:56:06,559 --> 00:56:09,239
took who you had second, bumped
him, kicked him out, kicked him

916
00:56:09,280 --> 00:56:12,639
out. It's a full season,
or Dan, that's what you always say.

917
00:56:12,800 --> 00:56:17,199
Seven days changed a law. Yeah, uh so let's move that was

918
00:56:17,239 --> 00:56:20,599
it on the Bulls, But yeah, Kobe White's probably in a pretty good

919
00:56:20,599 --> 00:56:23,400
shape. If Scottie Barnes ineligible,
let's move on to the Calves. This

920
00:56:23,519 --> 00:56:27,960
was initially anonymous, but then Dan
said, I could use his name to

921
00:56:28,079 --> 00:56:30,079
it. So Dan, this is
not me, by the way, this

922
00:56:30,159 --> 00:56:32,800
is another Dan said, JB is
a fine coach, love him personally,

923
00:56:32,800 --> 00:56:37,000
but his lineups don't make any sense
sometimes at his two minute drill at the

924
00:56:37,039 --> 00:56:39,079
end of game is one of the
worst I've ever seen. Think Mike Budenholzer

925
00:56:39,119 --> 00:56:45,400
might be a fit in Cleveland.
Do you think I do think Buttonholes is

926
00:56:45,440 --> 00:56:47,840
going to get another job, especially
since like the Bucks, clearly he was

927
00:56:47,920 --> 00:56:52,039
not the problem in Milwaukee. It
seems like so uh yeah, I don't

928
00:56:52,079 --> 00:56:55,079
know. I like, I'm just
looking at their lineups now. I think,

929
00:56:55,159 --> 00:56:59,679
generally speaking, like it's kind of
hard to be super critical of bigger

930
00:56:59,679 --> 00:57:02,320
staffs lineups just because so many key
guys have been out of it. Is

931
00:57:02,360 --> 00:57:06,639
that, and they're about the Evan
Mobley ankle issue out definitely, And then

932
00:57:06,679 --> 00:57:08,760
donmin Mitchell just got that he's another
one he might be eligible for depending on

933
00:57:08,800 --> 00:57:13,360
how much time he misses for the
year end honors. Yeah, I mean,

934
00:57:13,719 --> 00:57:16,079
I think I don't know how far
I can like, I I will

935
00:57:16,079 --> 00:57:21,480
say, before last year, I
don't think anybody thought Bickerstaff was a great

936
00:57:21,480 --> 00:57:24,519
coach, like the the Houston tenure
wasn't like Bowl you over h and I

937
00:57:24,559 --> 00:57:28,519
think you know, coaches can improve
too. I think he's probably he's improved.

938
00:57:29,079 --> 00:57:32,320
I just I can't judge the lineup
decisions, you know, super harshly,

939
00:57:32,400 --> 00:57:35,800
just because like, what do you
want him to do when he's missing

940
00:57:35,800 --> 00:57:38,320
two three of the of their four
best players? For like, I don't

941
00:57:38,320 --> 00:57:42,519
know what percentage of the season has
been, but a lot like so that's

942
00:57:42,840 --> 00:57:45,000
that's tricky. Either integrating Max Strews
into a major role. You know,

943
00:57:45,000 --> 00:57:51,079
he's a new guy there. I
don't know, Like I can't get there

944
00:57:51,199 --> 00:57:54,360
super critical I have, I actually
have some qualms. I feel like he

945
00:57:54,480 --> 00:58:00,239
is not inclined to take chances enough
to where it's like, we don't want

946
00:58:00,239 --> 00:58:04,280
Sam Merrill on the court because he's
gonna get targeted defensively, So we're gonna

947
00:58:04,320 --> 00:58:07,760
put Isaaca Corro back in the game, and then our offense is gonna suffer.

948
00:58:07,000 --> 00:58:10,199
And the fact that the other thing
is and this is not I will

949
00:58:10,239 --> 00:58:14,000
say this, I don't know how
to view this one. So it's probably

950
00:58:14,039 --> 00:58:16,039
time to just not play George and
Yang. As much Dean Wade has been

951
00:58:16,039 --> 00:58:20,719
better, I'd rather see more of
Isaaca corral, Sam Merrill, like Max

952
00:58:20,760 --> 00:58:22,599
Trews out, like short, shrink
the rotation if you have to. That's

953
00:58:22,639 --> 00:58:27,559
a call that seems kind of obvious. What's less obvious and very complicated this

954
00:58:27,679 --> 00:58:30,199
team. And I don't think that
these are bad players. They are so

955
00:58:31,280 --> 00:58:35,960
very clearly much better on offense with
one big, Like I'm just there.

956
00:58:36,000 --> 00:58:37,719
I know Evan Mobley was taking more
three yes before his ankle injury, but

957
00:58:37,800 --> 00:58:42,000
like, unless he's gonna I said
this to Dan in the when he messaged

958
00:58:42,000 --> 00:58:45,039
me, unless he's gonna have like
kind of the brook Lopez trajectory where he

959
00:58:45,119 --> 00:58:46,800
just all of a sudden it starts
jacking him up at volume. Even brook

960
00:58:46,800 --> 00:58:51,880
Lopez is a five though he's not
playing a four, and so like this

961
00:58:52,039 --> 00:58:54,519
is I'm not saying trade one of
the bigs necessarily, because one of the

962
00:58:54,519 --> 00:58:58,440
other problems here, by the way, is like Darius Garland three pointers coming

963
00:58:58,480 --> 00:59:00,400
around, does he take enough of
them? The minutes without Mitchell have been

964
00:59:00,840 --> 00:59:05,159
They're still winning them, but the
offense has been dogshit in those times,

965
00:59:05,199 --> 00:59:07,920
and then he still can't finish around
the rim. He's at I think fifty

966
00:59:07,920 --> 00:59:10,480
eight percent for the season. Once
again, I don't like there's so many

967
00:59:10,480 --> 00:59:14,840
issues that feel like they could be
outside of Bickerstaff's control, but he does

968
00:59:14,880 --> 00:59:19,239
feel inclined to make the politically correct
decision where it's, well, no,

969
00:59:19,320 --> 00:59:22,119
we have to roll. They stagger
there, two bigs a bunch, and

970
00:59:22,159 --> 00:59:24,320
like we've seen some kind of crunch
time stuff where it's all right, there's

971
00:59:24,320 --> 00:59:29,400
one big there. But at this
point, when you're playing at this level

972
00:59:29,760 --> 00:59:32,480
and you're supposed to be this contender
or close to it, it's time to

973
00:59:32,480 --> 00:59:37,519
start making some of the hard decisions
to shrink a rotation that has a ton

974
00:59:37,559 --> 00:59:39,960
of depth. And I don't know
that he has done enough of that to

975
00:59:39,960 --> 00:59:44,320
where he's been willing to take those
chances when they're on the rare occasions there

976
00:59:44,320 --> 00:59:46,880
at full strength. It feels like
these injuries in some way have been a

977
00:59:46,880 --> 00:59:52,559
blessing in disguise because they've forced him
to get to lineups that should become core

978
00:59:52,639 --> 00:59:57,800
combinations. And I understand it's a
very difficult decision to make when you're heavily

979
00:59:57,840 --> 01:00:00,960
invested in an X type of model, But you know what, the Cavs

980
01:00:01,039 --> 01:00:05,280
are below average defensive rebounding team.
Whatevan Mobile and Jared Allen are on the

981
01:00:05,320 --> 01:00:07,880
court, and if you're gonna play
those two together, then you kind of

982
01:00:07,880 --> 01:00:12,639
need to have guards and wings who
are optimal to like above average rebounders.

983
01:00:12,920 --> 01:00:16,480
They don't really have that. I
don't know who's their best out non big

984
01:00:16,519 --> 01:00:21,199
rebounder on the team, like it's
is it? Like? Is it Donovan

985
01:00:21,199 --> 01:00:23,400
Mitchell? Is it like who?
Like who? There's just no one when

986
01:00:23,400 --> 01:00:28,400
you're looking at that screen, right, there's no one who screams above app

987
01:00:28,519 --> 01:00:30,280
like super above average. And when
you look at some of these other teams

988
01:00:31,480 --> 01:00:35,679
like they they would normally have that. And so I don't know how much

989
01:00:35,679 --> 01:00:37,719
of that falls on Jamie Bickerstaff,
but I will say when they have been

990
01:00:37,760 --> 01:00:42,400
at full strength, I think and
I know that you kind of have to

991
01:00:42,400 --> 01:00:45,719
make it work and find out like
this is, these are our top five

992
01:00:45,719 --> 01:00:47,800
guys, We're gonna play them more. We're more invested in Isaaca cor than

993
01:00:47,880 --> 01:00:52,360
Sam Merrill. At the same time, like your window still is now,

994
01:00:52,639 --> 01:00:55,760
And so I think you could criticize
JB for that, And then the offense

995
01:00:55,800 --> 01:01:00,719
does feel like it just devolves sometimes
late in game, But again, how

996
01:01:00,800 --> 01:01:04,320
much do you ascribe to that to
Jamie Bickerstaff? And the final thing I'll

997
01:01:04,320 --> 01:01:07,639
say here is Mike Buttenholzer. What
was one of the biggest criticisms of his

998
01:01:07,800 --> 01:01:10,880
in Atlanta in Milwaukee, he doesn't
make enough adjustments, and so like,

999
01:01:10,920 --> 01:01:14,679
if you're looking for someone to be
a little bit more flexible with their substitution

1000
01:01:14,800 --> 01:01:17,159
patterns, I don't know if Mike
Budenholzer is the guy, well, but

1001
01:01:17,239 --> 01:01:22,559
surely he's learned after losing two jobs
he was more flexible. Yeah, like

1002
01:01:22,719 --> 01:01:27,159
during the year that cost his job
in Milwaukee, Like he didn't that was

1003
01:01:27,159 --> 01:01:29,519
not a good playoff run for them. I'm not saying he coached a good

1004
01:01:29,519 --> 01:01:34,039
series against Miami. I'm just maybe
Butenholzer would help. I just feel like

1005
01:01:35,719 --> 01:01:39,559
there's the Cavs probably need more time
together with their top four guys specifically to

1006
01:01:39,559 --> 01:01:44,559
figure out a way to make it
work. But like, I'm just increasingly

1007
01:01:45,239 --> 01:01:47,960
not optimistic and I've kind of see
your clear it. They just looked so

1008
01:01:49,079 --> 01:01:52,400
much better and more threatening with one
big and they stagger them enough to where

1009
01:01:52,760 --> 01:01:57,880
I guess that'd be fine when you're
full strength, but if you're also I

1010
01:01:58,039 --> 01:02:00,519
just this team confuses the fuck out
of me. I'm not gonna lie.

1011
01:02:00,679 --> 01:02:07,480
I I think it's I think it's
it shouldn't be that complicated. Here's the

1012
01:02:07,519 --> 01:02:12,559
issue. I understand wanting to and
maybe there's a mandate too or not considering

1013
01:02:12,599 --> 01:02:16,679
this to play mobiley Allen Garland Mitchell
like you know, the one big and

1014
01:02:16,760 --> 01:02:19,639
Garland and Mitchell like, yeah,
of course that makes sense. But to

1015
01:02:19,639 --> 01:02:23,719
play Mobile and Allen together. I
understand the inclination to do that because the

1016
01:02:23,719 --> 01:02:29,960
theory of this team is like those
two guys are you know, if we're

1017
01:02:30,000 --> 01:02:32,320
ever gonna the best version of the
Calves has both those guys on the floor.

1018
01:02:32,440 --> 01:02:37,559
Now the problem is one of them, and this is Mobiley is gonna

1019
01:02:37,599 --> 01:02:40,719
have to stretch. Like that's just
because all the things you're talking about.

1020
01:02:42,079 --> 01:02:45,000
You know, plenty of teams play
more than one big, I don't.

1021
01:02:45,239 --> 01:02:47,920
I mean almost nobody plays two bigs, and neither of them shoots with any

1022
01:02:49,000 --> 01:02:52,000
volume from deep right. That's just
like it's that's like two thousand, it's

1023
01:02:52,039 --> 01:02:57,559
twenty twelve. Again, who is
the closest what's the closest approximation? Right

1024
01:02:57,599 --> 01:03:00,559
now? I was thinking of is
it New Orleans? Just because I know

1025
01:03:00,639 --> 01:03:05,280
Jonas Salentunas has some stretch, But
it's not like I mean, it's depends

1026
01:03:05,280 --> 01:03:07,159
for thirty six minutes from deep type. True. Yeah, him and Zion

1027
01:03:07,199 --> 01:03:09,599
I guess there are a lot of
stretch between your four and your five.

1028
01:03:09,719 --> 01:03:13,840
I mean, if the Warriors don't
do this anymore, but Kevon Looney and

1029
01:03:13,880 --> 01:03:15,960
Draymond Green, I mean, but
that's a totally different thing because Green is

1030
01:03:16,280 --> 01:03:20,480
on the ball so much and Mobley
hasn't developed that part of his game to

1031
01:03:20,480 --> 01:03:23,840
where he's like a legit hub partly
because like you have Donovan Mitchell and Darius

1032
01:03:23,840 --> 01:03:27,360
Garland, why would you, right, And the Dubs only ever had like

1033
01:03:27,400 --> 01:03:30,400
the one guy at that guard spot. It was never like the two of

1034
01:03:30,440 --> 01:03:34,199
them right there. It's it's an
out unless it changes, and the change

1035
01:03:34,239 --> 01:03:37,280
will be mobiley developing, which has
always been for as long as he's been

1036
01:03:37,320 --> 01:03:40,440
there. It's always been like,
well, the Cavs ceiling is just whatever

1037
01:03:40,480 --> 01:03:44,639
Evan Mobley becomes. It's still that's
still true, and it's true for this

1038
01:03:45,000 --> 01:03:49,239
for the lineup now that don't work, which to your point, like pulling

1039
01:03:49,239 --> 01:03:52,559
it up if you have one or
the other on the floor of the offense,

1040
01:03:52,719 --> 01:03:55,400
just like skyrockets, it's absurd.
Uh So, Like just especially the

1041
01:03:55,480 --> 01:04:00,239
Mitchell, Allen and I know again
this was during the injury stretch or some

1042
01:04:00,360 --> 01:04:03,159
lock up, but like the Mitchell
Allen minutes without Lobi or Garland have just

1043
01:04:03,199 --> 01:04:09,239
been absolutely annihilatory. It's like,
really a really good on ball scoring guard

1044
01:04:09,360 --> 01:04:12,519
that can make a pocket pass,
a good roller and then three shooters.

1045
01:04:12,519 --> 01:04:15,719
It's like it's not rocket science,
like that's that is what most teams do,

1046
01:04:15,880 --> 01:04:17,440
really, if you just drill all
the way down into it. So

1047
01:04:17,559 --> 01:04:23,599
until unless, and until Mobili becomes
a way better facilitator to create sort of

1048
01:04:23,679 --> 01:04:27,039
like some kind of gravity with that, or becomes a high volume three point

1049
01:04:27,079 --> 01:04:30,039
shooter, I'm pretty sure. But
until those things happen, you're just gonna

1050
01:04:30,039 --> 01:04:33,679
have trouble with with this front line
and with this lineup in general. I

1051
01:04:33,679 --> 01:04:39,480
think Mobile is shooting fewer threes than
last year this season, which is just

1052
01:04:39,519 --> 01:04:45,119
like he did ratchet it up when
he came back though from his injury.

1053
01:04:45,320 --> 01:04:49,199
Yeah, I want to make sure
I'm not crazy, so yeah, point

1054
01:04:49,320 --> 01:04:53,440
nine three attempts three point attempts per
game in thirty one point one minutes.

1055
01:04:53,639 --> 01:04:57,599
He's playing three fewer minutes, so
per hundred possessions, one point five three

1056
01:04:57,599 --> 01:05:00,239
point attempts per hundred possessions for mobile. He at one point nine last year

1057
01:05:00,239 --> 01:05:03,320
and two point zero is a rookie, Like all those numbers suck, Like

1058
01:05:03,360 --> 01:05:08,000
the two point zero is ridiculously low. Just he's he's got to shoot more.

1059
01:05:08,079 --> 01:05:10,960
That's just like that's what it is. Or they got to move him

1060
01:05:11,000 --> 01:05:14,159
or Jared Allen like it seems like
that's those are your fixes. I don't

1061
01:05:14,199 --> 01:05:16,280
feel like so to circle all the
way back to the actual question. U.

1062
01:05:16,800 --> 01:05:20,679
I bicker Staff isn't the solution,
but I'm not sure he's the specific

1063
01:05:20,760 --> 01:05:26,719
problem with what looks kind of clunky
with Cleveland. Yeah, they're they're gonna

1064
01:05:26,760 --> 01:05:30,119
be fascinating after to watch after this
season and I mean for the rest of

1065
01:05:30,159 --> 01:05:34,159
this season if they ever get healthy. Yeah. Piston's questions here from Unbiased

1066
01:05:34,159 --> 01:05:39,480
Pistons fan. What is the benefit
of cutting or waving five to six players

1067
01:05:39,480 --> 01:05:41,960
in two weeks? Is it having
two roster spots for two ways or G

1068
01:05:42,119 --> 01:05:45,159
League call ups? I don't know, so. I think a big part

1069
01:05:45,159 --> 01:05:48,639
of it was there's when you're waving
the end of bench things, you're either

1070
01:05:48,639 --> 01:05:53,280
trying to do them asilid or make
sure that they're playoff eligible for other teams.

1071
01:05:53,880 --> 01:05:56,519
That's a big one. And then
March fourth is the deadline for two

1072
01:05:56,599 --> 01:05:59,480
way contracts, which is why I
think we saw so many of them being

1073
01:05:59,559 --> 01:06:01,960
signed. Teams are trying to turn
through their extra two way spots, and

1074
01:06:02,000 --> 01:06:04,719
that I don't know if you would
call it a benefit, but I do

1075
01:06:04,719 --> 01:06:09,239
think that that's why, like that's
a function of those deadlines, is why

1076
01:06:09,239 --> 01:06:13,519
we see the increase kind of UH
in the roster churn, specifically at the

1077
01:06:13,639 --> 01:06:16,400
end of the depth chart. I'm
gonna loo, I'm gonna lump these three

1078
01:06:16,480 --> 01:06:20,519
questions together here. From Pistons,
touit? Why on God's green Earth is

1079
01:06:20,599 --> 01:06:24,360
Troy Weaver still the GM of my
Detroit Pistons. I guess there's only two.

1080
01:06:24,400 --> 01:06:27,599
And from Im Brewster, could the
Pistons compete for an NBL championship?

1081
01:06:27,800 --> 01:06:30,679
That's nasty shit, that's real.
That's rough. I don't know enough about

1082
01:06:30,679 --> 01:06:32,920
the NBL, though I might be
under sell. I don't want to understand

1083
01:06:32,920 --> 01:06:38,280
the NBL. I don't I don't
know. I do know that Kate Cunningham

1084
01:06:38,400 --> 01:06:41,440
is shooting the ship out. The
ball has gotten better, going downhill to

1085
01:06:41,480 --> 01:06:44,599
turnovers, the now under control.
I still think he's gonna be that dude,

1086
01:06:45,280 --> 01:06:47,800
I could probably do. Like I
got to a point this season.

1087
01:06:47,800 --> 01:06:53,239
I don't know how long ago it
was like with less Jayleen Duran offensive experimentation.

1088
01:06:53,320 --> 01:06:57,400
They felt like he just had too
much agency at some point. But

1089
01:06:57,480 --> 01:06:59,679
yeah, where do you land on
the I mean, like, I'm not

1090
01:06:59,719 --> 01:07:02,360
as down on the Pistons future.
They still have a bunch of these interesting

1091
01:07:02,360 --> 01:07:05,480
guys and are gonna have another high
draft pick. Do I think Do I

1092
01:07:05,480 --> 01:07:09,519
think they could win the NBL Championship? I'm gonna say no, just probably

1093
01:07:09,519 --> 01:07:12,000
because like those a lot of those
teams have probably been together longer and have

1094
01:07:12,039 --> 01:07:16,039
better chemistry and more established players.
In terms of Troy Weaver, uh,

1095
01:07:16,079 --> 01:07:20,519
like do you like do you think
he should be gone? And what does

1096
01:07:20,559 --> 01:07:24,920
that say getting rid of him after
allowing him to sign Monty Williams. I

1097
01:07:24,960 --> 01:07:28,039
know that Gores probably played a role
in that as well. You did just

1098
01:07:28,079 --> 01:07:34,360
let him choose a very expensive and
very long term head coach. I struggle

1099
01:07:34,480 --> 01:07:39,199
to think of. Like, so
overall the product is terrible, but it's

1100
01:07:39,239 --> 01:07:44,199
like Kid Cunningham defensible pick, Jade
and Ivy defensible pick. Asar Thompson.

1101
01:07:44,239 --> 01:07:48,000
We love Asar Thompson Duran defensible Draft
Day trade, I guess technically to get

1102
01:07:48,079 --> 01:07:51,840
him so like the Killian Hayes pick
was a miss. I can't even remember

1103
01:07:51,840 --> 01:07:55,639
if that was a weave remove or
not. But like certainly keeping Hayes and

1104
01:07:55,719 --> 01:07:59,119
keeping him in a major role for
as long as they did Manty Williams.

1105
01:08:00,119 --> 01:08:02,440
Yeah, like empowering money Williams to
let him to do that is nuts.

1106
01:08:04,000 --> 01:08:09,280
I wonder if just like so in
terms of like building a team through the

1107
01:08:09,360 --> 01:08:13,039
draft, like I don't know,
the picks have been fine to slash like

1108
01:08:13,280 --> 01:08:16,800
good, right, it just seems
more like these fits and starts with like

1109
01:08:17,079 --> 01:08:23,039
let's bring veterans in, let's you
know, I think maybe hiring Monty Williams

1110
01:08:23,039 --> 01:08:25,880
could go down as like the biggest
mistake. It's starting to look like but

1111
01:08:25,920 --> 01:08:28,239
it's like, yeah, look,
I'm not going to defend Troy Weaver.

1112
01:08:28,319 --> 01:08:30,319
It's just like I guess I'm saying, I sort of don't understand like why

1113
01:08:30,359 --> 01:08:34,079
this went so wrong. It's just, you know, teams are bad when

1114
01:08:34,119 --> 01:08:38,319
they rebuild the Pistons. The problem
with the Pistons too, is they've been

1115
01:08:38,359 --> 01:08:43,039
bad for like damn near twenty years
with like a couple of exceptions since since

1116
01:08:43,079 --> 01:08:45,039
the you know, they made what
was a four straight conference finals or whatever

1117
01:08:45,079 --> 01:08:48,840
that was, uh in the early
two thousands. I don't know, Like

1118
01:08:49,479 --> 01:08:54,319
I guess he's got a job because
Tom I wants him to continue to have

1119
01:08:54,359 --> 01:08:58,720
one. It's just I haven't liked
a lot of what he's done. But

1120
01:08:58,800 --> 01:09:00,840
when you go through the raw and
it's like you mentioned the top end players,

1121
01:09:01,720 --> 01:09:04,039
you mentioned the TOMEN players that are
super insotally be like, Okay,

1122
01:09:04,279 --> 01:09:09,479
Quentin Grimes is on this roster.
Now Marcus Sasser has been like sneaky good

1123
01:09:09,479 --> 01:09:12,840
and like is gonna give you a
level floor spacing you want? And now

1124
01:09:12,880 --> 01:09:15,439
finally and as part of this because
you got rid of some of his other

1125
01:09:15,479 --> 01:09:17,600
tools where they're finally a mandate.
The results have not been great. I

1126
01:09:17,600 --> 01:09:20,199
mean they've been good defensive, Like
we're final, We've finally seen like their

1127
01:09:20,239 --> 01:09:26,079
four most important players long term play
together with Ivy, Cunningham, Thompson and

1128
01:09:26,239 --> 01:09:28,800
duran If. I think they're up
to six hundred and twenty five possessions as

1129
01:09:28,840 --> 01:09:30,640
we record this, Uh, they're
losing those minutes. They're in the seventy

1130
01:09:30,680 --> 01:09:35,600
six percentile defensively, is some of
that opponent shooting luck? Eh? Not

1131
01:09:35,720 --> 01:09:40,399
really like opponents are shooting. They're
over thirty seven percent from three in those

1132
01:09:40,439 --> 01:09:45,239
minutes. So I just I think
this offseason is going to be an inflection

1133
01:09:45,319 --> 01:09:47,119
point for them. And if he's
gonna go out there and he's given contracts

1134
01:09:47,159 --> 01:09:50,640
to Tobias Harris, and that's what
you have to watch for. And I

1135
01:09:50,680 --> 01:09:56,239
think the other thing is are you
okay? Like, so if you're what

1136
01:09:56,399 --> 01:10:00,279
is the acceptable course for Troy Let's
say he's keeping his job is And I'm

1137
01:10:00,319 --> 01:10:03,800
not saying there's only one way to
do this, but is there? Is

1138
01:10:03,840 --> 01:10:10,199
it using your cap space to try
and acquire impact players via trade? Is

1139
01:10:10,239 --> 01:10:14,199
there any free agents that particularly your
fancy or would you even be okay moving

1140
01:10:14,239 --> 01:10:17,520
on from one of your I'll say
non take Cunningham core players in some sort

1141
01:10:17,520 --> 01:10:21,199
of a consolidation trade to get a
lot better quickly. There's danger in that,

1142
01:10:21,239 --> 01:10:25,279
but it's also well, we've been
doing this for how many years now,

1143
01:10:25,600 --> 01:10:29,600
like basically a half decade. I
don't even know what the acceptable course

1144
01:10:30,239 --> 01:10:32,279
is. I think their trade deadline
was mostly fine. I didn't have like

1145
01:10:32,319 --> 01:10:36,359
any huge issues, But is that
that's not the most ringing endorsement you're ever

1146
01:10:36,399 --> 01:10:41,199
gonna hear so it was mostly fine. I mean, mostly fine is a

1147
01:10:41,199 --> 01:10:43,520
pretty solid step up. Well,
I didn't do anything that was bad.

1148
01:10:43,560 --> 01:10:45,800
I was surprised that, Yeah,
Monte Morris went so cheaply, but he

1149
01:10:45,800 --> 01:10:48,640
had barely played for them and was
injured and apparently I'm assuming he didn't want

1150
01:10:48,680 --> 01:10:51,680
to be there or they didn't want
to resign him. I just I kind

1151
01:10:51,680 --> 01:10:55,159
of need to see what they do
this summer to get a feel for what

1152
01:10:55,199 --> 01:10:58,199
they're actually trying to do long term, because right now there still feels like

1153
01:10:58,279 --> 01:11:02,479
a lack of long term rhyme and
reason. I think that's right, I

1154
01:11:02,479 --> 01:11:05,119
think, I mean, the criticism
you could make about their core guys,

1155
01:11:05,159 --> 01:11:10,039
there's like the fit is not ideal, it's not great. But then like

1156
01:11:10,239 --> 01:11:12,159
all we ever do, or all
I ever do, is say, like,

1157
01:11:12,199 --> 01:11:14,720
don't draft for fit if you're bad, just draft the best guy.

1158
01:11:14,800 --> 01:11:17,039
And I think they mostly have done
come pretty close to drafting the best guy

1159
01:11:17,079 --> 01:11:20,960
they could get, you know,
with where they were picking. So I

1160
01:11:20,960 --> 01:11:25,760
think it would be tempting to go
try to use your cap space to try

1161
01:11:25,800 --> 01:11:29,159
to sign a veteran again, but
like it's just like kind of a no

1162
01:11:29,199 --> 01:11:32,319
win situation because free agency is so
just there's nothing. It's barren, right,

1163
01:11:32,359 --> 01:11:36,479
Like Tobias Harris is the name you
through out there, like that just

1164
01:11:36,520 --> 01:11:39,840
doesn't do anything for me. I
don't. I don't. It's not gonna

1165
01:11:39,840 --> 01:11:42,520
do anything for the Pistons other than
like piss people off. I think I'll

1166
01:11:42,760 --> 01:11:45,880
like us. So I think you
just developed, let the young guys play

1167
01:11:45,880 --> 01:11:47,800
together, hope they figure it out. If they don't try, weavers you

1168
01:11:47,840 --> 01:11:50,840
know, getting fired anyway. So
like I don't think. I don't think

1169
01:11:50,880 --> 01:11:55,239
signing Tobias Harris for example, or
throwing the bag at the marta rozen or

1170
01:11:55,239 --> 01:11:59,840
whoever you want to pick, is
like that's not gonna solve anything, right,

1171
01:11:59,880 --> 01:12:02,319
Like, I can't. That's not
gonna they have nine wins. It's

1172
01:12:02,359 --> 01:12:05,680
not gonna turn them into a forty
win team overnight. And look, they

1173
01:12:05,680 --> 01:12:10,199
can still get to what I will
say about cap space and this Keith Smith

1174
01:12:10,239 --> 01:12:12,359
of spow Track's been driving us home. You don't need to use it in

1175
01:12:12,399 --> 01:12:15,399
free agency. They can use it
via trade. So that's how you want

1176
01:12:15,399 --> 01:12:17,560
to get veterans. But you're kind
of in the because you're looking at their

1177
01:12:18,800 --> 01:12:21,840
just looking at their core forwards.
Who are you okay giving up on?

1178
01:12:23,359 --> 01:12:27,159
Right now I know Jay and Ivey's
been shooting like negative three percent from three

1179
01:12:27,760 --> 01:12:31,119
since the trade deadline? Basically,
like, are you okay giving up on

1180
01:12:31,199 --> 01:12:33,439
him? Is that someone you'd be
willing to move in a trade for?

1181
01:12:33,520 --> 01:12:36,720
Just sort of a veteran he's I
think he was, But he's hit like

1182
01:12:36,840 --> 01:12:40,720
thirty four point of his pull up
threes, and that's a really good number

1183
01:12:40,720 --> 01:12:44,159
to be Yet if you're I just
I don't have a feel for what the

1184
01:12:44,159 --> 01:12:46,079
pisses necessarily should do other than well, let's let this develop. And I

1185
01:12:46,079 --> 01:12:49,479
think that kid Cunningham, even what
we've seen from Masar Thompson, that jumper

1186
01:12:49,520 --> 01:12:55,319
is broken though, that's just like
it is broken. Yeah, it's it's

1187
01:12:55,600 --> 01:13:00,520
I don't know how about this?
What do you think? Think? Like,

1188
01:13:00,760 --> 01:13:05,119
would you be surprised, Like how
surprised would you be if Thompson ever

1189
01:13:05,239 --> 01:13:11,800
shot thirty six percent from three on? Like any kind of volume? What's

1190
01:13:11,840 --> 01:13:17,399
the volume? It's like two attempts
per game four that seems unattainable, is

1191
01:13:17,399 --> 01:13:20,479
the point I'm making. Basic I'll
give it like a thirty three percent chance

1192
01:13:20,479 --> 01:13:24,640
of happening. Yeah, I just
And by the way, I to eat

1193
01:13:24,640 --> 01:13:27,199
crow myself when he was coming in, I was like, oh, Hill,

1194
01:13:27,439 --> 01:13:30,600
it'll be fine. Like there just
wasn't a hesitation there. The form

1195
01:13:30,680 --> 01:13:32,000
was janky, and it's still kind
of yanky, and it looks like buffering

1196
01:13:32,079 --> 01:13:36,079
Internet when he's trying to get it
off sometimes. But I'm less confident than

1197
01:13:36,119 --> 01:13:40,800
I was entering the season. Deepuss
is that it always blows my mind when

1198
01:13:40,840 --> 01:13:45,319
guys like him that are just like
nuclear athletes, like just just can do

1199
01:13:45,399 --> 01:13:48,399
things physically that no one else can
do, just can't figure out the mechanics

1200
01:13:48,399 --> 01:13:50,920
of a shot. Like it seems
like, if you have the ability to

1201
01:13:50,920 --> 01:13:54,119
do all these other amazing things,
that shouldn't be that hard. But he

1202
01:13:54,239 --> 01:13:57,920
started to surround them about shooting to
where it's okay, maybe you could work

1203
01:13:57,920 --> 01:14:00,079
around it. But having Duran and
Tom's and an Ivy on the court at

1204
01:14:00,079 --> 01:14:03,000
the same time now though, like
there's a lot of shrinkage going on there.

1205
01:14:03,159 --> 01:14:06,399
Yeah, all right, we can
move on. What do we got

1206
01:14:06,399 --> 01:14:13,039
here? Pacers? Pacers? So
Rubik scal Asks, does the post buddy

1207
01:14:13,119 --> 01:14:16,560
heeled Pacers offense have a problem against
zone defense because coach post video guys definitely

1208
01:14:16,560 --> 01:14:20,159
took notes from their game against the
Pelicans. Well, first of all.

1209
01:14:20,760 --> 01:14:27,199
I have not looked up what the
Pacers are doing post pre and post Buddy

1210
01:14:27,239 --> 01:14:30,439
Hill trade against zone defenses. I
do know that the Heat like to use

1211
01:14:30,479 --> 01:14:32,439
them a lot. I mean,
like there's a lot of different factors.

1212
01:14:32,479 --> 01:14:38,600
You could point to Haliburton being a
little slower managing that hamstring. I don't

1213
01:14:38,600 --> 01:14:42,479
think he's on his minutes limit anymore, but like it's still all still when

1214
01:14:42,479 --> 01:14:46,039
you look at just their average possession
time, it has lengthened ever since his

1215
01:14:46,159 --> 01:14:50,720
injury and since the Siakham trade.
And it's wondering if it's hard to play

1216
01:14:50,760 --> 01:14:56,239
that fast at a like sustained right, Like there's a reason that teams don't

1217
01:14:56,920 --> 01:15:00,319
historically go, you know, get
up and down as much much as the

1218
01:15:00,319 --> 01:15:02,800
Pacers do and sustain it and score
as much as they were earlier this year.

1219
01:15:02,840 --> 01:15:05,000
It's just like a lot of things
have got to go right, and

1220
01:15:05,039 --> 01:15:09,239
everybody's got to be in good shape
to do that. I think, and

1221
01:15:09,399 --> 01:15:12,000
like this is I'm not going to
hide it, Like these are notes that

1222
01:15:12,000 --> 01:15:15,319
you've put together. I think these
are dead right. Like Haliburton looks like

1223
01:15:15,359 --> 01:15:18,079
he's seeing just more guys in the
lane since heal is no longer there because

1224
01:15:18,319 --> 01:15:23,239
he really was, Like Heald's on
the short list of guys that are like

1225
01:15:23,840 --> 01:15:26,960
know where he is at all times, never leave his body, and he

1226
01:15:27,079 --> 01:15:30,479
moves too. He's not a standstill
guy. He would move off the ball

1227
01:15:30,800 --> 01:15:32,319
and command a lot of attention.
So you remove that from the lineup.

1228
01:15:32,319 --> 01:15:35,239
I don't think it's a surprise that, Like, it's just it's easier to

1229
01:15:35,239 --> 01:15:40,600
clog the lane, It's easier to
take away the driving kick stuff that Haliburton

1230
01:15:40,680 --> 01:15:44,800
is so good at. So I
think unless more of his shots are just

1231
01:15:44,880 --> 01:15:49,039
coming from like the in between and
the perimeter levels than they were before Buddy

1232
01:15:49,039 --> 01:15:53,800
Heel, because you mentioned no one
else on this roster, it doesn't even

1233
01:15:53,840 --> 01:15:57,439
matter how well I mean Miles Turner
did towards the Mavericks, but like Dallas

1234
01:15:57,479 --> 01:16:00,520
was content for much of that game, just leaving him helping off of him

1235
01:16:00,560 --> 01:16:03,800
completely alone. And so who is
your best shooter without Buddy Healed? Is

1236
01:16:03,840 --> 01:16:08,479
it a Nie Smith, Is it
a Miles Turner? Is it aside from

1237
01:16:08,479 --> 01:16:11,800
Haliburton? Yeah? The point.
The point is there's nobody that you treat

1238
01:16:11,920 --> 01:16:15,359
remotely similarly to how you treat Healed, And so that's just I mean that

1239
01:16:15,439 --> 01:16:17,359
happens expectation. It was just like
you move, you take heeled out of

1240
01:16:17,399 --> 01:16:21,439
the rotation. It's just around off
the team, things change and I don't

1241
01:16:21,479 --> 01:16:26,439
know like the data on the zone
stuff specifically, but I would say that,

1242
01:16:26,680 --> 01:16:29,920
especially with this version of Haliburton,
it does feel like that could be

1243
01:16:29,960 --> 01:16:33,479
a good default to go to against
this Pacers team, unless can they figure

1244
01:16:33,479 --> 01:16:38,239
out a way to bust it up
with the Sakham Halliburton two man game.

1245
01:16:38,439 --> 01:16:41,239
I just don't are they going to
have the like the time to develop that

1246
01:16:41,439 --> 01:16:44,399
level of chemistry. I don't know, you know who? We forgot to

1247
01:16:44,439 --> 01:16:47,720
mention my guy, Jalen Smith forty
four. I mean a Nie Smith is

1248
01:16:47,800 --> 01:16:53,520
shooting just a tick under forty five
percent, But it's just it's not a

1249
01:16:53,680 --> 01:16:56,960
volume and he's not the same type
of shooter, so it's just it's different.

1250
01:16:57,840 --> 01:17:01,000
Uh yeah, So uh we have
Pacers questions though, fold these two

1251
01:17:01,000 --> 01:17:04,079
together because I feel like they're in
the same vein. Austin asked, there's

1252
01:17:04,079 --> 01:17:10,119
a clear desire to be better,
while also some lack of pieces slash piece

1253
01:17:10,800 --> 01:17:14,000
to overcome this. What is the
best path forward? Is it? Hope

1254
01:17:14,000 --> 01:17:16,800
Mathrin and Jaris Walker can make a
huge jump trade some of the many solid

1255
01:17:16,800 --> 01:17:20,159
but not great depth pieces away.
If it's a trade, who is out

1256
01:17:20,159 --> 01:17:24,840
the door and for what? McConnell, ob Jalen Smith, Ernie Smith,

1257
01:17:24,880 --> 01:17:28,239
Andrew Nemhard, Mathrin Walker are all
pretty good, but none are amazing.

1258
01:17:28,279 --> 01:17:30,760
So who is out? And then
we have from at PD underscore Pete,

1259
01:17:30,880 --> 01:17:33,479
what is the move this summer that
the Pacers can make to put them into

1260
01:17:34,079 --> 01:17:39,840
legit contender conversation? And so we'll
start with the Austin part of it.

1261
01:17:39,920 --> 01:17:45,479
Do you think there's any path where
the Pacers don't make another outside move to

1262
01:17:45,600 --> 01:17:48,760
reach title? Like is it just
could you envision them getting there? With?

1263
01:17:49,039 --> 01:17:53,159
Okay, we'll Siakam, they resigned
him and him and Hallie get to

1264
01:17:53,199 --> 01:17:57,720
go through a training camp together,
and you bank on development for Mathrin actual

1265
01:17:57,760 --> 01:18:01,560
more core time from Jaris Walker,
maybe fill in the gaps in free agency

1266
01:18:01,680 --> 01:18:05,560
with exceptions and just bringing in some
more like can you get a functional shooter

1267
01:18:05,840 --> 01:18:10,680
that gives you not Buddy Heel level
gravity, but enough gravity to where you're

1268
01:18:10,720 --> 01:18:14,720
still very unpredictable and tougher to guard
in the half court? Or do you

1269
01:18:14,720 --> 01:18:17,319
think it needs to be more of
a closer to a cap lock or maybe

1270
01:18:17,359 --> 01:18:23,199
to in Italics outside move or trade. I mean, I think there is

1271
01:18:23,239 --> 01:18:27,279
a chance that, Like I think
Matherin's another guy that I view as as

1272
01:18:27,680 --> 01:18:30,319
probably a six man on a really
good version of the Pacers. I've kind

1273
01:18:30,319 --> 01:18:34,800
of I haven't come off that position
from his rookie year. Walker is an

1274
01:18:34,800 --> 01:18:39,439
interesting piece. I don't really I
mean, we haven't seen nearly enough of

1275
01:18:39,520 --> 01:18:43,359
him to make a great, you
know, judgment on him, but you

1276
01:18:43,399 --> 01:18:46,760
could imagine him being he's a little
bigger than you'd want than the type of

1277
01:18:46,760 --> 01:18:49,920
player I'm thinking about, like a
you know, a true combo Ford that's

1278
01:18:49,960 --> 01:18:55,239
really gonna guard and be a knockdown
shooter. Like you know, I don't

1279
01:18:55,319 --> 01:19:00,560
know if that's he doesn't quite fit
that that that description to me, Like

1280
01:19:00,680 --> 01:19:03,079
between those two guys, they're both
extremely talented and super young. So like

1281
01:19:03,600 --> 01:19:08,159
I do, I don't hate the
organic growth path for the Pacers here,

1282
01:19:08,239 --> 01:19:13,319
especially like you note here, once
they pay Sakham, like your options for

1283
01:19:13,439 --> 01:19:16,239
bringing an outside talent with cap space
are pretty much gone, right, Like

1284
01:19:16,319 --> 01:19:19,319
that's you're not going to be able
to go sign guys, so it would

1285
01:19:19,359 --> 01:19:23,520
have to be via trade and so
you know, we can go through all

1286
01:19:23,520 --> 01:19:26,960
the usual suspects, your bridges,
your dorts, your you know, Jeremy

1287
01:19:26,960 --> 01:19:31,439
Grant, the Dorts of the world. It just feels like I really like

1288
01:19:31,520 --> 01:19:34,760
Niesmith. I like him a lot
more than he doesn't have to play power

1289
01:19:34,760 --> 01:19:39,199
forward, which he doesn't anymore with
Siakam there, But like, I want

1290
01:19:39,199 --> 01:19:44,239
a bigger, combo forward wing type
that skews defense. And but you know,

1291
01:19:44,279 --> 01:19:46,680
we just spent several minutes talking about
how they miss Buddy healed, so

1292
01:19:46,720 --> 01:19:49,600
you sort of also need someone that's
going to be a movement shooter. It's

1293
01:19:49,680 --> 01:19:55,039
just like now we're talking about really
unattainable talent levels, and you kind of

1294
01:19:55,079 --> 01:19:58,439
need the wing to be more two
three at this point than three. Because

1295
01:19:58,520 --> 01:20:00,560
Jeremy Grant I so kind of like
for the team, but him and Turner

1296
01:20:01,319 --> 01:20:05,600
is just weird. It's a little
I mean, well, who's the guy

1297
01:20:05,720 --> 01:20:12,640
that neither Grant nor could guard you
know, out of like, do you

1298
01:20:12,760 --> 01:20:16,119
I feel okay with Grant on someone
like I don't know, like Paul George.

1299
01:20:16,279 --> 01:20:19,600
I wouldn't like him on on more
of a two, but I think

1300
01:20:19,680 --> 01:20:23,800
those two as fours would be okay. I don't know, maybe I'm not

1301
01:20:23,800 --> 01:20:27,800
thinking of the right thing is that
are you still getting enough space in me

1302
01:20:27,920 --> 01:20:30,640
or then that increases the importance of
having gravity at your two spot. Yeah,

1303
01:20:31,239 --> 01:20:34,560
just because like and Grant and Turner
can all hit threes, but they're

1304
01:20:34,560 --> 01:20:40,039
not shooters. That defense is fear. You're right, they're not scaring anybody,

1305
01:20:40,119 --> 01:20:42,880
so then you still have the healed
problem. So what you need is

1306
01:20:42,880 --> 01:20:45,600
is you're right. I think maybe
it is a two to three or a

1307
01:20:45,199 --> 01:20:48,640
player of your version of Buddy Heel. Is that out there? I mean,

1308
01:20:48,680 --> 01:20:53,239
really, it's like high volume Bridges. That's a higher volume three point

1309
01:20:53,239 --> 01:20:58,239
shooting Bridges is what we're talking about, or or an Ananobe type with Ananobe

1310
01:20:58,279 --> 01:21:00,000
would need to shoot more. Probably
it's a really fit what we're asking for.

1311
01:21:00,319 --> 01:21:03,479
But I think that's him. Bridges
can do like the cutting stuff,

1312
01:21:03,479 --> 01:21:06,399
which would help too. So it's
like maybe it's a different type of motion

1313
01:21:06,479 --> 01:21:11,399
at points, but there's like no
other because I don't nob he's not gonna

1314
01:21:11,399 --> 01:21:14,159
be available. He's a free agent. He'll resign with the Knicks. I

1315
01:21:14,239 --> 01:21:16,199
just can't even what were the names
I put. I'm not looking at a

1316
01:21:16,239 --> 01:21:20,720
document I had, Like, Okay, so there's Matisse Thible. But again

1317
01:21:20,760 --> 01:21:24,840
then you're running into the gravity question. You do the same thing with Dort.

1318
01:21:25,079 --> 01:21:27,720
Does this team have enough? I
don't know. We kind of mentioned

1319
01:21:27,720 --> 01:21:31,239
them tangentially. If mckel Bridges becomes
available, you have your you have one

1320
01:21:31,279 --> 01:21:34,640
outgoing first round pick, So between
Walker, Mathrin and the other first round

1321
01:21:34,640 --> 01:21:39,239
picks, I guess that's a competitive
offer for Michael Bridges. Yeah. Maybe,

1322
01:21:39,319 --> 01:21:42,479
I think. I don't know how
Matherin's viewed around the league, But

1323
01:21:42,520 --> 01:21:46,000
like I think, I think,
because you're clearly built around Haliburton, I

1324
01:21:46,079 --> 01:21:49,319
don't know how much sense it would
ever make to have Matherin be like the

1325
01:21:49,359 --> 01:21:53,239
guy at the two next to him, because you just need someone who's gonna

1326
01:21:53,239 --> 01:21:58,640
be able to just shut down a
one or two and really like enjoy shooting

1327
01:21:58,760 --> 01:22:01,520
catch and shoot three and shots,
which Matheren certainly coming into the year that

1328
01:22:01,560 --> 01:22:04,800
was a concern. He's just more
of an on ball guy. Yeah,

1329
01:22:04,880 --> 01:22:08,319
and they work out a signing trade
for Paul George. You'd be a great

1330
01:22:08,359 --> 01:22:10,960
fit here. Oh God, bring
him back, let's close it out,

1331
01:22:11,039 --> 01:22:15,199
let's bookend this thing. Yeah.
I mean, unfortunately for the Pacers,

1332
01:22:15,239 --> 01:22:17,399
they need the type of guy that
is really hard to find you know what

1333
01:22:17,479 --> 01:22:20,000
they and I don't think he's gonna
come available. And if he did,

1334
01:22:20,039 --> 01:22:25,359
it be in a consolidation trade that
the Pacers they're not gonna be selling Trey

1335
01:22:25,399 --> 01:22:30,880
Murphy like kind of that type of
a guy. I had Jane McDaniels here.

1336
01:22:30,920 --> 01:22:32,800
What if he became the Wolves looked
at his offense this season and said,

1337
01:22:32,800 --> 01:22:35,520
eh, and like we're gonna cut
costs where everyone thinks is gonna be

1338
01:22:35,560 --> 01:22:39,159
Nasara or Karlathony Towns. They're probably
right, it'll be like if they're gonna

1339
01:22:39,159 --> 01:22:43,720
cook a but he's even defensively,
absolutely, but then you're still running into

1340
01:22:43,760 --> 01:22:47,359
the like you're not gonna replicate the
buddy heel with Jane McDaniels. That's just

1341
01:22:47,359 --> 01:22:50,560
not happening. It's not. Yeah, I mean there's so few guys Klay

1342
01:22:50,640 --> 01:22:54,640
Thompson. Go sign Klay Thompson.
I mean, he's not gonna guard anybody

1343
01:22:54,640 --> 01:22:57,439
anymore. But there's your guy who's
gonna run around and shoot it whenever he

1344
01:22:57,520 --> 01:23:00,880
touches it. He's I mean,
that's a pretty ill desk Wars just like

1345
01:23:00,920 --> 01:23:06,359
Bye, No, you know,
I can't I can't imagine that that's tough.

1346
01:23:06,680 --> 01:23:11,880
Is officially time to call it.
Thank you for everyone that participated,

1347
01:23:12,319 --> 01:23:15,359
Thanks for your questions. We will
get to the west next week. We'll

1348
01:23:15,399 --> 01:23:18,520
maybe do three more hours. Who
can say thanks for the guests of players.

1349
01:23:19,319 --> 01:23:24,399
Please remember rate, review, subscribe, tell your friends, be involved

1350
01:23:24,439 --> 01:23:28,039
in the process, get it,
get on our discord if you are interested

1351
01:23:28,079 --> 01:23:31,800
in merch and or joining our discord
so you can participate. Like everybody that

1352
01:23:32,680 --> 01:23:36,319
got a got a word in this
week, the links for that or in

1353
01:23:36,359 --> 01:23:41,239
the YouTube and podcast description, I
think that's going to cover it. We

1354
01:23:41,359 --> 01:23:45,479
close, as always, with a
shout out to the one only Frank Milakina

1355
01:23:45,520 --> 01:23:46,000
and an apology to Jared Allen.