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we are almost down to the final four teams in the twenty twenty NBA Playoffs.
The Eastern Conference Finals is already set between the Miami Heat and the Boston
Celtics in a battle that feels like it's almost destined to go the distance,
and we really have no idea how it's going to turn out. I think
that both Dan and I are struggling to come up with any firm predictions and
are kind of going to talk our way through that and attempt to come to
a final determination. We all have Game seven of the surprisingly excellent series between
the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers coming up, so we will give our
Game seven preview for that series and avoid talking about the Western Conference Finals as
the Lakers await their eventual opponent before we dive into either of those two series.
Though Dan How's it going. I am doing well better than the buck
slash Rockets slash Clippers apparently at this point. How are you doing? I
am also doing pretty well. It's a you know, we're recording this on
a Monday morning, after one of the busiest sports weeks I can ever remember.
I feel like it's one of the first times in my life where I've
honestly felt like there were too much sports. Between baseball being in full swing
down the stretch run, and the NHL Playoffs going on, and the NBA
Playoffs going on, and the NFL kicking off and college football kicking off in
the US Open, it's been like too much to follow. It's it's on
Sunday. In particular, by the time Sunday night football rolling around, I'd
like forgotten that the fantastic Game six of the Clippers Nuggets series had happened that
morning. Yeah, it feels like it's probably it has to be harder for
you because you're editing everything for Bleacher Report, like you edit whatever sports.
For me, I'm zeroing in on the NBA. I've tried to sprinkle in
as much w NBA as possible, and then I tried to follow the US
Open. I really only caught the final with team that was fantastic, by
the way, that men's US Open final, which is absolutely great. But
I totally feel you. It's there's just and it's just so unprecedented too,
because all of these things are just happening at once, and normally there's some
staggering with minimal overlap. But it's just like, you know, the NFL
regular season is always a bear, and like to have it or pull whatever
you want to call it, and then to have it where like the NBA
playoffs are still going on, and the NHL playoffs are still going on,
the w NBA is still going on, Like that's just absolutely why, Like
you're always used to the MLB overlap of you're attacking so much else on And
thank you for mentioning the w NBA, because I did mean to include that
in my list at the top and totally forgot. But I've been trying to
tweet a little bit more about the w NBA and there are so many fantastic
players who are about to start in the playoffs. I've really enjoyed watching Crystal
Dangerfield in particular WNBA like the players on the teams, it's done a great
job of just like and I know their bubble has been suboptimal compared to the
NBA's, but the content coming out from the players on social media, it's
absolutely fantabulous. That's a great call it right, let's start. This is
the NBA podcast for us. Let's start with Nuggets Clippers. What is your
without? I don't want before any analysis who's winning Game seven, I'm gonna
go with the Nuggets. So I'm gonna stick with the Nuggets too. And
it's funny because I wrote a prediction for a staff piece at Bleacher Report where
I'm pretty sure they misinterpreted my prediction. I tried to make a stream of
conscious and they said that I picked the Clippers. I was really picking the
Nuggets, saying that the Clippers had to be favored because they're the Clippers.
But it just feels like the Nuggets are like, have the momentum, and
just this season has been so weird. I think logistically I would p the
Clippers, though, just the Nuggets have to be exhausted, and the Clippers
have Kauai, they have Paul George, and they've only been playing well in
spurts and still almost winning these games, are actually winning some games, but
the Nuggets were in my championship pick at the beginning of the season, so
I'm obvious I've looked there this close, like, don't want picked them to
win this series. I wouldn't have picked them to win this series, but
the only thing that matters is the preseason title pick. At this very moment,
in my opinion, we didn't pick them to win this series like we
previewed it, and both of us were struggling to come up with explanations for
how this series was going to go longer than four or five games, and
here we are. It is baffling, and I you know, it's It's
a weird position to be in because I feel like we've both been such supporters
of the Nuggets and of Nicolai Yokich and of so many of their players throughout
not just this season, but the last couple of years. But then we
doubted them in the playoffs, and they keep proving us wrong. So I'm
like veering in the opposite direction now, and it's tough to provide objective reasoning
for why I think they're gonna win Game seven, except I'm done doubting them.
Well, look, the Clippers seem like, excuse me, they have
to make an adjustment with just some of their rotations. I mean, I
know a lot has been made of the mantras Harrold stuff versus Nicole Yokich,
and I agree, but like it's one. I don't think Zubots has been
terrific against him. He's been definitely better. It feels like Zubots has just
been better for them offensively. And also Zach Loan mentioned this on his podcast,
like Zubots is like fully stretched out, like when you look at his
minutes, like he wasn't playing around thirty and year the regular season and now
he is, And so what are you? What is the alternative too,
Harold? I actually think there are plenty of alternatives if you don't want to
play Marcus Morris at the five, which I think you can do because we're
already seeing spurts where Paul George is defending Yoki. So if you're not afraid
to do that, Marcus Moore's at the five should be fine. But you
have to Michael Green, who's had his moments during this series too. But
the matchup actually is on some level of problem because I was looking before we
did this and when Mantras, Harrold has guarded nicolea Yokitchen. It's broken down
by partial possessions on NBA dot Com. The Nuggets is a team in those
situations have an offensive rating of one hundred and thirty three. It's slightly higher
than one hundred and thirty three. That's really high. One point three three
points per possession is very high, So you definitely need to do something about
that. And look, you might have to consider playing Lou Williams least two,
I would think, just because they are targeting him on defense and they're
gonna be able to get stuff with him on the floor if they can go
at him with pretty much anyone. And I will say, what's also helped,
which is something else that is annoying because I wouldn't say I thought I'd
be the only person that noticed it. But Zach Low just covers everything.
Was having Gary Harris back to where Michael Porter juniors just doesn't have to spend
as much time against these like main wing assignments has been absolutely huge for the
Nuggets and they're like definitively winning the minutes with MPJA on the court now,
which is really surprising given the Clippers personnel. Yeah, you would think that
they and look they can still there are if you go down the stretch and
you're having Michael Porter Junior on the floor, like, there are still situations
where he could really be targeted. But having Harris absolutely helps them with that.
And in the minutes that they've played together this series plus fourteen and fifty
seven minutes when Harris and Porter Junior are on the floor, and so that
that's a really big guilt. The team is shooting almost forty nine percent from
three in those minutes too. The fact that the Nuggets now have that third
player, which which I feel like is why you can feel good about them.
It feels like they have a third player who can hit big shots with
Michael Porter Junior there, So it's murt It's Jamal Murray, Nicole Yokich and
Michael Peter Fourth. You're forgetting about Monte Morris. Yeah, excuse me,
Monte Morris. Who would dare you? Fantastic game six for Monte Morris.
He had a great game six enough that you shout at him out on Twitter
while tagging me, which I appreciate it. It's funny too, because I
think people interpret it to me that I never liked Monte Morris, whereas I
really liked Monte Morris says, you are so high on Monte Morris. That's
absolutely absurd, but less absurd after Game six, Right, Look, Monte
Morris at the baseline is apparently one of the most terrifying things for the Clippers
defense. Yeah, but you know, as good as as Morris has played,
as well as Michael Porter Junior has played, it's still is going to
come down to Yokich And it's sort of a weird position to be in now,
where you know, we've we've called him a top ten player for a
while. Now are we selling him short based on what he did in the
last and last year's playoffs? Based on what he's doing in this year's playoffs.
I mean, during this season, during this this particular series, he's
averaging twenty five point eight points, twelve rebounds, five point five assists,
one point two blocks. He's shooting fifty three percent from the field forty four
point one percent from three. He has been phenomenal. And you know,
as as you hinted at with the Zooboch discussion, there has been no answer
to him because if he's he's operating as a scorer. You know, the
amount of confidence it takes to kind of just like waltz your way into these
one legged fade away fall away jumpers that almost touch the ceiling and somehow fall
through the net like that. That just means that he is totally locked in.
But if they're sending extra bodies in his way, he's always making the
right decision and it's making things so easy for everyone else around him. Like,
I just I think that's the biggest reason why I'm sticking with are changing
too a Nuggets pick but sticking with it now is that I just I don't
know that there is an answer to him. Given how he's playing. He
is in complete control of this series and somehow has emerged in a matchup with
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as the obvious best player on the court. Yeah,
and look, if he's gonna hit like the Somber shuffle looks too Like
there's nothing you're not putting anyone on him that's really going to no going to
change that. I mean, you could go more aggressively at him when they're
running the pick and pops, but then if you're sending you know, if
it's zoobots, or if it's like if you're going to have someone just really
go after him on the perimeter, like he's gonna get around them too,
because he's just this season especially, it's been something he could do. Like
the way that he could just put the ball on the floor from so far
away from the basket in the half court, not even in transition and just
just attack is incredible, And I don't, you know, it feels again,
I feel like with my brain, I should still be picking the Clippers
just because you know, Pat Bev probably won't fall out while playing seventeen minutes
next time. And I don't know if they's been particularly good this series,
and I would think that they probably would cut down Harold's minutes if it really
just isn't isn't working out for them. But something just feels off about the
Clippers right now, and it doesn't really necessarily make much sense. Like even
Kwhi Leonard in in Game six, like you know, twenty five points,
five assists, but it just felt like, I don't know, just the
feeling was just just off. And even look you have in that game too,
you could Paul George hit like a few big threes there and so to
still lose that as like almost disheartening. I'm just if you're the Clippers,
what is your answer, like going into game seven, Like, what is
there something you're doing differently, a lineup that you're rolling out. Is there
someone that you're identifying saying either he needs to play better or we're going to
play him more? Like what is the you know, like, what is
the move here for the Clippers or is it just as simple as like like
you need to be locked in at least on defense more so for a full
forty eight minutes. I think it's the latter. I'm not sure there's any
like tactical or lineup switch that they're going to make for this particular game.
Maybe, as you mentioned, you give fewer minutes to lou Williams, but
even then, like you're sacrificing offense that you're going to need. So I
think it's I think it's more a matter of trusting what got you here and
just trying to flip that switch earlier in the game because ultimately, like there
is no significant deviation you can make from what you've been doing that that's going
to make a huge difference during this game. It's just a matter of executing.
Maybe that's a cop out answer, but it feels like, you know,
we've seen for spurts just how dominant this Clippers team can be. But
then the foot comes off the gas and you allow a nineteen oh run from
the Nuggets that brings them right back into the game. And that's what can't
happen. But I don't think that there's like a tactical switch that you make
to prevent that so much as a mentality shift. Yeah, I think that
at the beginning of the series at least, and I wrote about this,
the Clippers felt like they were just flipping a defensive switch in the second half
and that really hasn't been there. Look credit to the Nuggets because Jamal Murray
Game six hits some difficult looks. We've already talked about Nicole Yokich, but
like they're not as I know, Michael Porter Junior's tall and can chewt over
anyone, but like they're not on some of his jumpers in Game six,
like they just they could have had a body closer to them. And so
I don't know how much of that is. I don't think Pat Bev deserved
to make All defense this year. But I don't know how much of this
is. Also, like you know, he's still not all the way back
from his calf strain, and so you know, you could say, like,
oh, he won't fell out in seventeen minutes in game seven, but
like I don't necessarily even know that he's helped them a bunch anyway this series.
So you probably need if I don't identified one thing, like you need
a third I don't want to say detonation, but you just need like like
a third guy on offense in game seven two because you know, Paul George
not the most efficient version of himself, but like he's been playing better this
year. He's looked a lot better as the season's gone on, right,
going on four of nine from three in game six specifically, And then Kauai
is Kawai and he'll actually probably be better than eight of eighteen from the floor
if we're being being honest. But like, who is the third person?
You know? I would say, look, Lou Williams, if you're gonna
play him twenty five minutes, like you're probably gonna need this sound stupid,
You're gonna need more than fourteen points out of him? Then, like it's
just yeah, I like better than five of eleven from the It just sounds
so counterintuitive, So I don't If I were them, I would probably look
at giving more minutes to Ja Michael Green at the five, and he did
play above when they were I think they were destroyed while he was on the
floor during that time. But I would probably if you're gonna go away from
Zubots at the five, I might try. And you know you're already playing
Harold. What did he play in game six? It's like sixteen seventeen minutes.
I'm not on the paper anymore. Yeah, I don't know how much
more you can cut it, but maybe getting more Ja Michael Green and they
were going full missmatch with Morris at the five, but he played thirty minutes
in game six, so I don't know where the extra bandwidth is. He
is someone that I think you could look at clearly and be like, you
know what, they're gonna need more out of offense from him in game seven,
Like that might be the one player you could look at and say,
well, there's a ton of room there Zoobots as well, But he's not
reliant like when you're looking at he's not going to space the floor, and
then he's also not going to create his own look. So so maybe it's
it's Morris there, but it's it's weird to feel like, oh, the
Clippers should win this game, but then not be able to look at anything
they've done and be like, well, they need to do this a ton
differently, and it's just like, you know, again we're harping on the
Harold match up, but like he played under I'm looking at it now,
it's under sixteen minutes in game six? How much more to he was the
six man of the year. How much more do you cut that? Right?
Yeah? What what gives me pause here is that we have not seen
the Clippers in this situation. I mean, they won the first round series
against Lucadante and the Dallas Mavericks four two, and yet it always felt like
they were in control of that series. You know, even when it was
tied, it still felt like, you know, the Clippers are going to
win this one. Don chich is going to have a tremendous amount of difficulty
keeping up his level of performance. How much more can Dallas elevate? And
there wasn't that like back against the wall feeling for the Clippers and it's been
kind of the same this series. You know, they went up with a
three one lead, and you know they lost the next two games. But
this is the first time where it's felt like this particular unit is in that
do or die situation. We just don't know how the team is going to
respond. Kawai has a good history in those situations. But we're also talking
about a Denver team that's now in a game seven for the fourth straight playoff
series. Granted, that leads to wear and tear, it leads to fatigue,
but they've been here before. They've already come back from one, three
to one deficit in these playoffs, and they know what they need to do.
And in a series that has seemed so deadlocked with the exception of Game
one, it's that mentality change. I think that gives me more confidence in
the Nuggets being able to do it one more time, rather than the Clippers
kind of venturing into this uncharted territory for them and trying to get off the
historical franchise bugaboo where they have not yet won a game that would put them
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Offers valid through September thirtieth, which is my birthday, So you know it's
good. There's more pressure on the Clippers to win, and I do think
they'll be actual ramifications if they lose. Like this is probably where you take
a look at the center rotation and say, well we might we might need
a monster upgrade. And that's you know, how much are we going to
end up paying Harold? And if they lose, I don't think they're paying
him to come back. Yeah, and look, there's there aren't teams out
there with cap space. You can count them on one hand, and there
might be a few more. I you know, I'll be shocked if you
might even be able to Here's the thing, the teams that have cap space.
I don't know which teams would talk themselves into paying Harold's gonna be Atlanta.
It shouldn't be the Knicks, but they have a thing for Biggs,
paying Biggs when they don't need to pay Bigs. So maybe it's them.
Could Charlotte talk themselves into doing it. Could Detroit when they have Blake.
I just don't see that, and so it gives the Clippers leverage. But
I'm just we've talked about on the podcast before and it's uncomfortable because he's a
really good player, But I don't know how much it hurts if if they
lose him. And I think people point this out too, that he's definitely
cost himself at least some money in the bubble, and I know he wasn't
he was dealing with the death of his grandmother and that he wasn't in the
bubble for a long time, so like that could potentially be impacting him.
But like this was a series that people looked at and said, like,
maybe he could play better in it, even if the Yokich wasn't the best
matchup for him. So I'm very interested to see if they lose what ends
up happening. It's not, you know, a doomsday fallout. But Paul
George and Quai Leonard are free agents in twenty twenty one. They have the
player options and I would default too. They picked to be with the Clippers.
But when you look at Paul George specifically, he hasn't won a championship,
and so like, maybe Kauai might be okay with just you know,
floating this for long term, but he could be someone who could have a
wandering on Miami with cap space if they've already won a title during this window.
Because they're they're still in it. Does he look does he talk to
Jannis, Like, you know, these guys can create SuperTeams. We just
saw it with the Clippers this past summer. If if they want to,
and I would still think that they'd stay if the Clippers don't win a championship
over the next two years. But if you flame out in the second round,
like you don't know what's going to happen next year when the Warriors are
back, when the Lakers are still gonna be the Lakers might even be better.
So there's a ton of pressure on it. I think there will be
actual fallout, not with Paul George and Kawhi Leonards specifically, but like maybe
they look at not just you know, do they consider letting Harold walk,
but maybe they look at trying to make a trade where it's you know,
oh, you didn't think they would look at moving Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams
necessarily, but maybe they will, Like those are salaries that can be moved,
and if you can bring back I don't know what you're looking for.
Is it a big is it another wing, is it a better point guard?
There are things that they could to do, and so if they lose.
I'm officially more interested in the fallout for them than I would be for
Denver because we talked about that, we were free to back that off.
Now, just because after this showing pushing the Clippers to seven games, I
think you've you know, you monitor the trade market because you do have that
mpjpiece, but maybe you're able to make a move not involving him. Still,
with how important Gary Harris has been to you defensively, you can just
stand pat and feel really good about going into next season by saying Jamal Murray
probably gets better. Nicole Yokich is top five, top seven, that's you
know you're talking about that we need to change about how we talk about him.
I don't know if it's the discussion of is he better than Anthony Davis?
Like, is that still debate that's being had. Is he better than
Embid? Maybe you can make an argument if Embid had better availability, you'd
rather have him, But the fact of the matter is he does it like
Yokich is better than Ebide now because availability is a skill, and so it's
just I'm not willing to entertain it anymore until Embiad's playing an entire season I'd
put Yokich above Anthony Davis just because I'm gonna I'm gonna wait offense more than
I do defense. But that was already the discussion to me, so I
don't think it changed. But having that player top five to seven anyway,
Jamal Murray getting better, Michael Porter Jr. Getting better, you'll have the
mid level exception. You should at least bring back Jeremy Grant as the player
option like you, if you sign someone, if you make like a smaller
time trade, this team might look exponentially better or just might have enough now,
which is something even I was contemplating that they didn't before the series started.
If coming out of these playoffs and previewing the twenty twenty one NBA season,
you don't have the Nuggets as a legitimate contender, I think you're just
doing it wrong at this point. And we're talking about a team now that
has finished second and third in the Western Conference over the last two years and
then validated that in the playoffs both times, even if there were tough series
along the way. And as you mentioned, there are so many young pieces
who are going to be up and coming, and we've talked about how they
can turn some of that depth and maybe a draft pick into an even better
piece, you know, a Drew Holiday or if he becomes available at Bradley
Beal. But even as currently construc did, this is a contending team.
And you know, the the Nuggets fans who feel disrespected by by national media
refusing to pick them and refusing to largely talk about them, they should be
a little validated right now. Yeah, for sure, I'm totally with you.
So our picks are I feel like I copped out the most. I
I feel like the Clippers are going to win, But my pick is the
Nuggets, if that makes any sense? Like I and maybe it's not.
I feel like the Clippers are gonna win, but just happen? Isn't it
usually my job to sit on the fence? I know? Given't that my
rasing? Just how much energy they've needed to expend? Look, first of
all, Mike Boonenholzer is probably like just sweating looking at Nakole Yoki's minutes to
past four games, right around forty minutes each time. I just coming,
that's so much energy is expended. Like and even when you look at their
transition defense in Game six in particular, They've just expended so much energy.
I'm like, the Clippers are gonna win. They're the Clippers. But it's
it's maybe I just I maybe it's I feel like the Nuggets are gonna win,
but the Clippers are probably gonna win. Maybe that's what is My pick
is My pick is Nuggets, but I just don't feel great about it.
All right, So Dan's picking both teams to win. I'm gonna stick with
it with the Nuggets pick. Isn't it that situation? Though I appreciate you
being so definitive. I'm going to pick the Nuggets because they were my preseason
title pick. So I mean, I don't I don't feel particularly definitive about
it either, And I don't about the next conversation, which is the Miami
Heat and the Boston Celtics. You know, if you ask me to make
a pick at the top before we analyze it at all, like I don't,
I don't know what I would say because I'm so on the fence on
this series. I'm surprised that you're still on the I think between the two
teams, maybe I'm on the fence. My pick is gonna be Celtics in
seven, but it also wouldn't surprise me if they end up kind of running
away with this. I think what's gonna end up being different is so that
if you look at Boston's best players, like they're going to be more comfortable
taking the shots that my Amy's defense is going to allow. And even just
Tatum has been killing defenses from every level. Now getting to the basket more
because so good. It's so and look, he was showing flashes of making
like the less obvious passes during the regular season, but now it's just like
his default. So that makes them harder to guard. But in Milwaukee,
it's yes, there were some players that were hitting these jumpers efficiently throughout the
season, but it was after you know, Chris Middleton, like you didn't
have that reliable pull up threat. And like the Nuggets are the Celtics.
You have Kema Walker, you have Jason Tatum, you have Marcus Smart is
comfortable taking those shots. You don't necessarily want Jalen Brown taking those shots,
but you have him. And so it just feels like the top of where
Milwaukee was deeper, like Boston is deeper at the top, Like their best
players just stretch a little bit deeper than Milwaukee's does and the fact that you
have I'm gonna say at least two guys that you're comfortable creating something out of
nothing on the perimeter, and Milwaukee couldn't even say that because is Jannie is
up Jumper going to carry And even if you want to say, look,
give them the two guys there, like Boston has a third between Jayalen Brown
and if look if Hayward comes back in this series, and then also but
again with the comfort of Marcus Smart operating off the dribble, I think that
they're going to break Miami's defense more than Milwaukee did, where Miami might just
be built to really take away any one given player. And then maybe if
you stretch, you know that that second option, you're gonna make life tough
on Chris Middleton with whoever you're going to throw it. I'm there, like
you had the luxury of putting Jimmy Butler on him, you don't like you
can't do that in this series because Boston's best player isn't a big so like,
how does bam Matabayo help you neutralize Jason Tatum or a Jayalen Brown,
I honestly don't know. And the fact that there's only one of Jimmy Butler.
Like I just I think Boston ends up being a much tougher cover for
Miami than Milwaukee was. Yeah, and on the other end of the court,
I think that's where my biggest concern is for Miami and kind of I
feel like the X factor is how well they shoot threes, because against against
Milwaukee, they shot thirty seven point three percent. As a team, Jimmy
Butler and Kelly Olynnock both went five of eleven from downtown. Jay Crowder took
fifty one threes, made forty three point one percent of them, Tyler Hero
forty two point four percent. Duncan Robinson's shot was still missing, but he
did make twelve threes. And Milwaukee's defense by design, allows more three point
opportunities than Boston does. You know, Boston makes a living contesting the hell
out of every shot, and I think, like, the more I think
about it, and I was originally leaning towards Miami, but you know,
the more I think about this, I am worried about those guys not having
as clean looks from downtown and just not quite being able to generate enough offense
against this Boston team. I think that's my biggest concern for Miami is what
happens when Jimmy Butler isn't knocking down three pointers, when Boston's going under screens
against him and using that to contest everyone else's shots. If those aren't falling,
where are the points going to come from? Yeah, and you mentioned
Jay Crowder in there somewhere. Two might be the X factor in this series
from Miami, just because is he the guy that you're putting on Tatum because
maybe you're gonna want Jimmy Butler to chase around Kemba. I feel like that's
where I'm at. I'm not entirely sure how Miami's going to approach it.
Maybe you could get away with minutes using BAM. I don't I honestly this
it's weird. Defensively, I'm stumbling through my way. I think we're gonna
see more Igodala in this series too, just because you do need even more
wing defense against this Boston team between Kemba's creation, between Jaylen Brown and Jason
Tatum. If Gordon Hayward plays, which seems to at least be a possibility.
Igodola only played eighty one minutes over the five games in the Milwaukee series,
and I think we're gonna see that number rise rather significantly. Yeah,
No, that's that's a good point. Not even something that I consider.
You're gonna have to see a lot of Jimmy Butler, Jake Crowd or Andre
Goodala minutes, just because when you're looking at Kemba, Jason Tatum, Kemba
Walker, like that's those are the three players that you probably want on him.
I know Bam is versatile as hell, but I don't know if you
even want him on. I would say the less versatile of those three would
be Jaylen Brown. Obviously having a healthy Gordon Hayward or semi healthy Gordon Hayward
throw some weird wrenches into the equation. But the thing I just look at
is and to me, these shots are big in the playoffs. Is that
so during the regular season, among everyone who attempted at least one hundred pull
up three pointers, Boston had both Jason Tatum and Marcus mart In the top
five of conversion rates there. And that's like just not even considering Kemba Walker,
who hit thirty six point five percent of his pull up three's during the
regular season. Just having so many of those off the dribble threats, where
Milwaukee doesn't have that after Giannis and Chris Middleton, and one of those two
options is so flawed off the dribble because he doesn't have the same perimeter capacity.
That's where I think Miami runs into issues. But they're look I've underestimated
them at every turn clearly this season. I am at least giving them seven,
but I leaning towards Celtics in seven because I think they at least match
up just as well with Miami defensively as Miami matches up with them. And
when you're going through the pecking order for the heat, like they just don't
have you. I'm making these comparisons to the Bucks, but like, let's
just look at the heat, like after Jimmy Butler, who's been hitting threes
at a higher clip during the playoffs, they don't necessarily have that. From
scratch core, there's Gore on Dragic, and then like the offensive pecking orders
kind of falling off, like you're gonna be relying more on off ball movement,
getting role players looks or bam at a bio creating looks for even his
stars. I don't know that Miami has as easy a time doing that in
this series, and they even have an easy time doing that against the Bucks.
We saw it in the games where Jannest wasn't even on the court.
Their offense struggled at times in the half court. And so if that's without
Milwaukee's best defender on the court, like Boston's gonna give you like some similar
issues with the matchups. The other thing is I think that it benefits Boston
that it just went through Toronto as opposed to the Heat playing the Bucks,
especially a Bucks team that either had a missing Yannis or an injured on Us
for part of this series. Like Milwaukee is a fantastic team that is rigid
in its style and in its rotations, and Toronto is anything. But you
know, we saw how many different looks and tactical adjustments Nick Nurse made throughout
that series, how many different bodies they could throw at Jason Tatum. Well,
the Heat are going to do the same exact thing. And I think
that having gone through a tough series like that already puts them in better position
to adapt on the fly than a Miami team that was fairly set in its
ways against Milwaukee, Because it could be. Yeah, that's something to consider
as well. So what's your pick? I have Celtics and seven. You
have, Yeah, I'm gonna go Celtics and seven. I hope we get
I've talked myself into that now. I hope I'm always rooting for seven because
I love kay Austin Game sevens. But if I had a pick between the
potential Western Conference Finals matchups getting seven games or the Eastern Conference Finals getting seven
games, I think I want the East getting seven games. I know Lakers
Clippers is interesting, and even the like the Nuggets just coming within whether they
went or not one game of making the NBA Finals. Also, the NBA
ratings police will riot if it's Denver Miami like that in the finals. Could
you imagine that that would be? That would be spectacular for those memes.
But I want every series to go seven. But I'm I'm just I don't
think I have a great feel for this series, and that's why I'm so
tantalized by it. I'm right there with you. It feels like there are
so many different directions it could go. But I think that the variants tends
to favor Boston for the most part. But we could even say, look,
maybe it favors Miami because having Bam is like you can just get away,
like you don't. Do you need Kelly Olenick or Myers Leonard as much
in this series against Probably not, No, you don't. Before we get
out of here, I wanted to ask you really quickly, since we'll be
doing deeper dives into them with the Rockets and the Raptors out and we haven't
recorded, since who are you more worried about? Looking immediately? And this
is I say this knowing it'd be easier to say the Rockets. But if
we're looking at next season stock, Toronto just has a ton of free agents
Fred Vanfleet abaka Gassoul And so who is like who is just the who are
you more concerned about or who do you expect a more active off season from?
And I know it's definitely Toronto for me. Yeah, I mean I
wouldn't be surprised if we see even bigger blow it up moves, you know,
like potentially looking to see what they can get for like Kyle Lowry,
as sacrilegious as that might sound, knowing that this is an aging roster,
granted with some intriguing young pieces like og Nnobe, but it feels like as
high as the floor is for the franchise, I'm not sure the ceiling is
that much higher, and they were kind of like playing above their capabilities during
that seven game Boston series. Coupled that with all of the impending free agents
who are going to get money somewhere, I think for Van Vleet in particular,
that's the one. I feel like that loss alone could prompt bigger changes
longer term. Definitely more concerned about the Rockets, but they can't really do
anything with their roster. If they find a taker for Russell Westbrook and Eric
Gordon, wow, that's impressive. I'd be curious to see what they had
to give up in that deal. But I mean, you know my stance
that I would like to see Houston run it back, which I think gets
a little bit more unlikely now that Mike D'Antoni is gone, because he did
stylistically fit what the roster wants to do, but because they're like kind of
locked into their ways, because those are some tough to move pieces. I
think that, as you said, and I think said, well, short
term concern is more Toronto, long term concern is more Houston. I think
you probably need to get rid of one of Eric Gordon and Russell Westbrook.
That would be instead of running back, just to give yourself some flexibility moving
forward, like to react to this team better. I still he will come
back to the idea that Westbrook, when he was healthy before the hiatus,
was playing so well. And it's like right after they moved to Capella and
really committed to these microball ideas, it felt like it was clicking for him.
He wasn't taking jumpers, he was getting to the ram and I just
I wonder how hurt he was during these playoffs and he had COVID, so
there's that plus the what was it a quad injury? But I'm saying,
look, Eric Gordon was not good this year. Ic Gordon has been bad
for a while. The better. I feel like his defensive value might have
surpassed his offensive value this season, and that's not a compliment. But for
the Rafters, I think short term, you just by the sheer number of
free agents, you are more concerned about them. And the one that I
looked too, I think you could get Abaka and Gasol to come back on
inflated one year deals. Just looking at the points of their career to come
back. Yeah, he was not necessarily playable in that Boston series. I'd
still welcoming back because if this were like a Heat series, I actually think
he's pretty valuable against the Heat. Against the Bucks, he's certainly valuable still.
But Fred van Fleet is the one because if his max is twenty seven
point three million, I'm not paying And that's against this year salary captain I've
just been using as the projection for moving forward. I'm definitely not paying him
that. I'm not paying him anywhere near that, even if it's twenty million
dollars a year. Over a long term, I'm getting a little itchy.
And the one part I disagree with you is I don't actually think Toronto played
up to its ceiling in this series. Just Pascal Siakam was so bad and
he's better than this, even though he's going through the motions. I think
this ends up being a valuable experience for him as a primary ball handler because
he was just hemorrhaging turnovers and just wasn't like, couldn't get by anybody,
And so I think this ends up being great long term for him with Kyle
Lowry. If Jannie doesn't sign a supermax or because he has until next season
to sign it if signs point to him. Not inking that SuperMac should keep
Kyle Lowry because I think he ends up being a valuable piece to have.
He's entering free agency next year, obviously, but if you're recruiting Yannest have
Siakam and Og and Lowry, I think that's a huge base. I'm more
interested just in their free agents, and I would name Abaca and van Fleet
is the two that I'm zeroing in on more because it feels like those are
the guys we know. Van Fleet probably getting offers from Detroit, probably getting
offers from New York. People have mentioned Phoenix because they have a path to
clearing cap space. Yeah, it's people don't talk about Atlanta, if I
guess, because that's a small backcourt with Young and van Fleet if you play
them together. And then even Dallas, like I don't know if toront will
be interested in the sign in trade scenarios that they could offer, but Dallas,
if they can dump a salary or two, might have cap space,
So so that'd be something that I'd look at. But I'm we'll have deeper
dives on these teams moving forward. But I think Toronto's offseason, even with
the Antoni leaving Houston, even with people dragging the Rockets for Westbrook, even
knowing how Darren Moorey is, I think Toronto's offseason ends up being more interesting,
if only because it might be more telltale. I that'll do it for
this joint Adam and Dan portion of the pod. We're going to talk some
Hornet Hornet's next with dime up Roses and lockdown Hornets is Kannada Edwards until next
time, though on behalf of the two of us. We will still leave
you with the shout out to the one the only, the game changing still
even though he didn't play for most of this year, Andre Adala, the
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You're online sports book experts. Hello, Kannada, Thank you for coming back
on, by the way, after it's been quite a while. I spoke
with you earlier this year for a piece that I was working on, but
you have not been on the podcast in over a year now. I probably
would have pestered you earlier had there been a regular season schedule, but that
one out the window. And I know this is a loaded question during these
times, but how are you doing? I am actually doing kind of well.
The Hornets have had what I would call a interesting offseason. Radio guy
gets fired second time in second two years. Like if we set off air.
It almost became a defense again again. They've become the Hogwarts defense against
dark arts teacher position at this point, new uniforms, the swarm to vote.
Like, the Hornets have had some interesting stuff go on. The only
thing that kind of bums me out. No Lie is going to be that
the Hornets aren't going to be drafting at least till mid November. Now,
so Thanksgiving Turkey and draft picks. That's what we're looking forward to right now.
Well, yeah, yeah, that's you know, this wasn't even on
the questions that I gave you, but we were talking about it off air.
Is you say that the Hornets have had a busy offseason and like for
a lot of people, the off season doesn't technically start until like I guess
you could say the draft lottery, but maybe even the draft, and like
that's not happening till mid November at the earliest at this point, and so
you're looking at a huge layoff for Charlotte. And I know that the NBA
came up with, you know, these in market models, but how much
is just someone who's covering a specific team who was not part of the bubble
restart in any format? Like how big of a disadvantage do you think that
this puts them at where they're not going to play you know, forget about
whatever they're able to do as a team within themselves, but they're not going
to be able to play real competitive basketball again until they're saying maybe Christmas right
now. But you and I both agree that it'll probably be closer to Martin
Luther King Day if not later. Yeah. Like, this is the crazy
part to this whole thing. Like you're talking about almost ten months off.
You're talking about a development curve, especially for a younger team like Charlotte that
needs the consistency of playing. And the scary thing is like these guys are
gonna go find places to play, whether the NBA likes it or not.
And that's the scary part for me is that if we're gonna start, if
they're gonna start doing this, they're gonna start going to gyms. They're going
to start Trey younging it. And we all remember Trey Young going to that
gym in Oklahoma is not a bigger deal. I'm sorry to interrupt. How
is that not a bigger deal when that video care? I don't understand why
it's not a bigger deal either, Dan, Like, that's the thing,
Like you had Trey Young out there with not a mask in sight, and
there was no pearl clutching. I was clutching my pearls. I was getting
the Pharrell out. Dan. I was scared from my life because it's like,
dude, what are you doing out there? You're worth over one hundred
and something million at least wait till you get to the like, wait till
you get to your rookie max contract. Before you do that. Don't go
out there taking risk because all Willie Nilly went no man for nothing, like
because especially after Michael Beasley testing, and I think Beasley testing probably put like
everybody on notice because I think Beasley was like the guy that was going to
be in the bubble and then it turns out he can't be in the bubble
and the fact that that happened, and I think that changed how a lot
of people started looking at Okay, these open gym runs can't happen, or
these secret runs can't happen, because I know we talked about Lebron having those
Lebron Lakers having those, but like, I think that started the trend of
okay, like Beasley doing it and then Trey Young being out there, like
there was a lot of this that thankfully got curbed after Beasley tested positive.
Yeah, I still just looking back at it, maybe at first of all,
that feels like at least three years ago exactly. It's surprising to me
that it wasn't made a bigger deal of though. I did bring you on
though to to pester you about about the Hornets, and that obviously means a
lot of draft and free agency stuff, But I kind of wanted to start
with the rookies from this year. PJ. Washington, Cody Martin, Cale
Martin, Jalen McDaniels. What were your impressions of them? You can skip
around obviously, as I'm most intrigued, and I think most would be most
intrigued by PJ. Washington, who was just far more plug and play than
I expected on offense. Seems like he might be someone who's going to develop
a nice little post game as well. But just looking at these four,
you know, prospects, just what are your what were your takeaways for them?
Were the biggest ones? Just moving forward? Honestly, the label for
this year's Hornets rookies were is going to be better than expected. All of
them came better than expected. PJ. Washington, I think we talked when
we talked last year was not on my radar. I was much more of
a Kevin Porter junior guy. I thought the wing made more sense. And
then PJ in hits seven open threes in the first game and looks like a
All Rookie first teamer. The only thing that you start worrying about him is
I actually worry about him on a defensive level. I do worry that bigger
guy like he gets, he gets tends, he tends to get pushed out
of the block a little bit under like there's a shot of five nine it
bodying him for a rebound that just cannot happen, And that happened. And
the rebounding, the defending was some of the stuff that I worried the most
about with PJ. Washington going forward. But he's again, if we're going
to talk about building blocks for Charlotte, him and Devonte Graham are probably the
two that you list that you listen. We'll get into Devonte Graham later,
but when we start talking about guys like that, PJ. Washington was awesome.
Cody Martin was a surprise because I was kind of on the Daniel Gafford
plane of we need to send we need a center, we need a center.
Turns out they didn't get a center this year, and they got Cody
Martin, who, for all intents and purposes, was a non factor for
I. Want to say, the first two months of the season, and
then he started hitting shots more and more. I am also like, again,
you start talking about Caleb Martin, who was again undrafted free agent rookie
and was supposed to be the guy that could legitimately just score better than his
brother Cody, and then he turned out to be much more than that.
He turned out to be a better shooter. Neither of them could shoot,
and then they ended up being legitimate not legitimate threats, but at least they
know defenses had to at least factor in that they could hit one. And
I'm not going to say they're going to be starters this year. I'm not
going to say they're going to but I can see Cody Martin and maybe a
little less so Caleb Martin, and it won't be here if it is,
but I can see them being rotational guys on really good playoff teams because you
always need that one guy that that can just got that dog in them to
where they can take your best player and take them out for a little bit.
They're not going to be the starters, but they're going to be guys
that can make anywhere from nine to fourteen million dollars a year in the league
depending on what like a Daniel House type and again Daniel House obviously some sensitive
subject right now, but they can be a Daniel one. Yeah, Daniel
House. Yeah, that Daniel House type players so like, I like them,
and I think the biggest surprise was McDaniels because Jaalen McDaniel, I didn't
have any expectation being said he was the fifty something pick in the draft can
shoot at San Diego State and then ends up shooting from three exactly like he
was the guy that ended up surprising me the most because he became a and
he's a better defender than I think people give him credit for. The only
problem is like if and again we'll get it into it later, but if
you draft a forward here, if you draft a forward like that forward group
is going to be a little crowded with Bridges, PJ. Washington, McDaniels,
like who gets pushed out if they go a certain way. I am
of the mind that again, if that comes down to it, Bridges is
the odd man out because I think he's the one. I think McDaniels is
going to end up being the one guy that they're going to stick to because
I think he's Yeah, I think he's got he's got length that I think
the other two really don't at that position. And I think McDaniels is going
to be good enough to play the three, and if he can play the
three a little bit, be your big three. Like I'll I would say,
of all the rookies that are probably going to get that are not going
to be here in two years, I'd say it's Caleb, followed by Cody
Martin. Like the Martin Twins are probably destined for other positions as salary filler
or as sweetener in trades. But that's like again, but that's the thing,
Like this was a better draft than they had any right to have,
and it creates some interesting dynamics in terms of guys that will stay on the
roster. More importantly, all of these guys, well again let's so PJ.
Washington, but the other three definitely There's a guy, Nick Freedman,
who works before the Greensboro Swarm, and he's the guy that is going to
garner a lot of name recognition the longer this goes, because I think he's
gonna be and he's gonna end up being someone like a Nick nurse that a
guy that developed just knows how to develop talent. And when that comes again,
when we start having those conversations of who are the next coach is going
to be, You're gonna hear a lot of Nick Freedman in the next two
or three years. Well, that's that's certainly good to know. I will
say, Cody Martin just seems like someone who might just revel in the dirty
work, and that you you feel his presence even if he's not making his
shots or scoring at all. Was a from the stuff I watched over the
past forty eight hours, just a really good passer and like I said,
seems to revel in the dirty work. I will say it was a small
sample size the stuff I was watching of Caleb Martin. I went and I
looked it up, and he officially has my favorite shooting split perhaps of all
time, where he shoots thirty six point two percent on two's and fifty four
point one percent on threes, an incredibly small sample. We're talking a three
hundred and seventeen minutes sub fifty shots in each case. But the finishing around
the rim was not was not or around the basket was just not there,
and so I definitely feel like I see what you're saying, where if you're
picking between the two and wondering whether either will stick long term with the Hornets,
it'll be Cody. But it's also I think, like you said,
it's a huge accomplience if you end up finding guys who can, even if
they're small sweeteners, while they're still on these incredibly tiny, cost effective deals,
if they can glitz up a trade to any degree, that's a huge
win for you. Exactly, it's a massive win. But also the funny
thing about that thirty six percent, that thirty six percent is like slightly deflated
in a Labelt and LaMelo ballway because Caleb Caleb Martin has no fear. Caleb
Martin would attack the rim with no fear specially, and he would try to
dunk on you. And a lot of those were those type of plays where
it's like if he just flushed that that would have changed the entire They were
momentum changing type plays where he would attack the room with no fear, try
to dunk on somebody, fail miserably. But if he just learned to float
or something like that instead of trying to dunk on it, I think that
becomes like almost a forty percent from the field type thing where he's gonna shoot
forty forty one percent if he learns how to control that aggression a little bit.
That's the crazy thing about Caleb Martin. So I think he's like I
said, I think they're going to be good. I think they're going to
be real guys. The fact that you've got four guys that could be rotation
good in when you're drafting twelve thirty seven and in the fifties, and then
you get a UDFA that can also contribute, Like, that's a great draft
class no matter how you slice it. Quite honestly, you mentioned Miles Bridges,
who in my notes that I sent to you, he is kind of
a siren song for me, just because I look at some of the things
he does and I just feel like he could be really good. But watching
him a little bit more in prep for this items like he can't play I
don't want to say under control, but can't slow down. And so I'm
watching him and now I'm wondering, is have you seen anything that makes you
think he might be a more methodical score. I do think one of the
red flags and maybe I'm oversimplifying this is that his coach, James REGOs even
said, I think he's a four in this league and then you just have
to go and roll him out at the three for most of the time this
year. I understand that positions are inherently sketchy now, like they might not
mean as much if you're gonna say that, and then the end result is,
hey, he's playing the three like there are still different, Like there
is that little bit of a jump when you're going from the three to the
four, Like you're still not playing these pure wings at the four, whereas
at the three you are going defensively and even when you're on offense having to
go up against you're going to go up against those pure wing types. The
It's funny you mentioned that because Brego. James Brego did an interview I want
to say, like two months ago with my partner Walker Mail of Lockdown Hornets,
and the crazy part was that he wanted to see James James Brego wanted
to see what a four to five lineup was going to be with Miles at
the four and PJ at the five, and it would have gone disastrously,
but I would grab a single rebound is the no, no, not a
single rebound, not one. Now, granted it would have been scrappy because
I have an idea what that lineup would have looked like. It would have
been at Davante, Cody Martin, Caleb Martin, and then you fill out
with PJ and PJ and Miles, and rebounds would have been at a premium
and often like again, there would have been a lot of offensive rebounds given
up at the time. The crazy part to it is, and this is
why I keep saying, I think Miles is the odd guy out. I
continually tend to think that Miles is going to be the odd guy out because
I think PJ is, Like I said, if you're going to say you
have a foundational building block on this team, right now, you have two.
You have DeVante Graham, After that you have PJ. Washington. Miles
does not do nearly enough for me at the three to say that he's a
foundational building block. And I don't think he's good enough to replicate the scoring
that PJ. Washington has for you at the four. And this is where
it gets crazy, because again the draft is going to be and Mitch is
said, we're drafting best player and fit doesn't necessarily matter. I don't fully
believe him on that, But at the same time, I think that they
really are going to go best fit. And if it's a Denny Avia or
again, and I will let you know now in preview for the other one,
I don't think they draft o Obi Toppin. But if they draft Obie
top and at three, just file again, just such a tweet notifications I
will be done with this team. Just set them now, just set them
down. You're gonna go off if it happens as opposed to oh no,
no, no, no no no no no no, no, no no,
it's gonna be bad. It's gonna be bad. I I say this
to say there are draft ways that can basically tell if you think Miles Bridges
is going to be a part of this future of the future going forward.
Drafting a Denny Avia is kind of one, Drafting an Obi Toppin is another.
But I think Miles Bridges is going to be good. I think it's
just going have to be on another team. And that's the thing. And
that's where I think, like and when we get back to the drafting of
him, because everyone likes to bring up the you could have had she Gild
Alexander, or you could have had a Michael Porter Jr. Which looks prescient
at this point. I think we have to realize that Mitch drafted Miles Bridges
as part of the mandate to make the playoffs by ownership at that time,
and they were going to maximize the last year of kemball Walker. So when
you start thinking about it, you have to start thinking about Miles as I'm
not going to say as a relic, because being twenty two years old and
a relic is two different things. But he was meant to fill a gap
in the previous iteration of the Hornets, not necessarily this one. So when
we start having conversations about him, you have to start thinking he's probably going
to be better as a four. He's probably going to help you a lot
more as a four. It's just not necessarily going to be a part of
this team going forward. You know. Yeah, and you went more death
than I did when I wrote something at the beginning, I don't even like
the unscheduled offseason. I'll call it about you know, just maybe under the
radar trade targets. I listened my House Bridges just because one I love Myles
Bridges. But two, I think it was one of the core issues that
you have PJ Washington, you have Myles Bridges, and there just doesn't feel
like a clear path for them to play together, even independent of this draft.
And so that was something that stuck with me. And it seems like
there's I didn't even you know, now that they have the number three pick
or whatever they do with it, I didn't even factor that into the equation
at the time until it becomes that much more complicated, and it feels like
he's Miles Bridge has been in the league for about a decade. This was
only a year two, and so yeah, exactly, if I'm a team,
I am trying to scoop him up because I do feel like there's a
at least a solid complimentary like even if it's just maybe he's playing in shorter
bursts long term or something, but he still very much intrigues me. I
think he's a starter. I think he's a starter in this league. I
do think he's a starter, But again, he's a starter at the four.
He's not a three. And I think we've seen enough evidence as just
as too much where he's going to be a great, great four, he's
going to be one of those guys that you put it on a closing lineup
to defend three zen fours and help with your help your defense get a little
switchy. So if we're going to go like I think he's good, I
think he's a starter, I just don't know if he's better than PJ long
term. And that's the thing that I worry about. You had mentioned the
draft, which I'll get to really quickly, but I want us touch on
DeVante Graham as well. I think the sort of even though he was even
though he was still mentioned in the most Improved Player discussion, people seem to
be increasingly low on him as the year one on. I felt like just
because they looked at his efficiency and all that, it really dipped. But
when you watch or when you even look at the numbers, just of the
not just the on off splits for the Hornets offense in general, but some
of the shooting splits for the guys that he played with, including Terry Rosiere
for that matter. The idea of him off the dribble and his just attack
mode off the dribble, like it matters to the to the Hornets offense,
and he was Look, he wasn't part of the bubble restart. Again,
I want to emphasize this, and he still finished sixth in assist thrown at
the rim and that's a that's a big deal. And now I'm just curious
because he has one year left on his deal at a cut rate, even
bet like even lower than a cut rate. And I'm just curious to know,
in your opinion, how important you think he is to this team,
not necessarily just next season, but even beyond that, as you have to
start weighing his next contract. He is a building block, but there's only
there their contingencies, because when I start thinking about DeVante Graham, you have
to start thinking about if he's going to be dealt. Where the mark markets
that he could potentially be dealt. Does Philly really have anything that the Hornets
want? The answer is probably no, especially again Debis Harris or off Horford.
Ironically, I would here's the crazy thing, Dan depending on the price,
and the price cannot include DeVante Graham. Tobias Harris is very interesting to
me, Al Horford is much less so. Yes, Tobias Harris has played
for a number of teams that makes you think that he might be in his
mid thirties. But he only I think just turned twenty seven this year.
He still do exactly twenty eight excuse me, he turned twenty angely exactly,
But if it depending on the price for that like Philly again, but again
we're talking about Philly. We're talking about maybe Milwaukee. We're talking about maybe
la like the Lakers, like the Knicks that need a point guard. When
we start talking about the teams that might need a point guard, think about
the market like none of them really while you or have the assets to where
it makes sense for any kind of DeVante grand deal. So I'm always going
to say anyone can be dealt because this is remember we have to remember this
is year one of the rebuild after Kemba. This is year one. It
may feel like year three, year four, but this is only year one,
and they were ahead of schedule in year one of this rebuild. You
have to factor that in. And the crazy part is for me with DeVante
and he's going to be a free agent, and I think there's a part
of me that says, wait until what we see what the salary cap is
going to look. Because you follow me enough, Dan, you know you've
seen enough of my tweets to know that I don't know. Again, I
want to see what this new financial structure is going to be, because they're
clearly both going to opt out, both the players and the owners are going
to opt out of the CBA. What I want to know is at this
point, what does the financial structure look like? Because if this like dampens
down what the point guards get, then sign him now and sign him to
what I would say is a four for forty eight deal similar to what Kemba
got. Give him the Kemba deal now and see if he takes it and
not he wants to gamble on himself. Cool, because you still have that
ability. You're still gonna have some of the most cap space in the league,
and it will be worth it if he does better. But even if
he does bet on himself, there's a potential that he could have worse numbers
next year and still improve as a player. And I think, and again
I think we've had this conversation before where necessary growth is not necessarily linear,
and as long as we don't look at as linear growth, as long as
there's some fundamentals that he got better at. Let's say he finishes better at
the Rim but shoots less from three. I'm still going to give him.
I'm not gonna give him the rookie Max. I'm going to feel okay with
it and we can go from there, you know. Yeah, I mean,
look that if he's going to finish better at the rim, you might
be looking at more free throws and so definitely ways to replace that type of
production. I would think, even because you look at his two point percent
is this year under forty, I do think that people that ended up lower
on him. But if you were able to lock him up for forty eight,
to me, I think that that's like I would say, better than
fair value for the Hornets because I could see him we need to see the
financial structure. But there are a lot of teams that I feel like are
gonna feel spurned in twenty twenty one free agency, no matter what the salary
cap ends up looking like, and so I could see him getting a loftier
offer, and which is why I would expect him to probably bet on himself
unless he's just really down on the financial outlook of the team. But I
do think you look you're if you're saying it, like, I think it
matters that people need to realize he is kind of like he is a building
block for this team. It's not just someone that would turn into this nice
like temporary stop gap. And maybe they're looking to move or or just gonna
let walk because you know, perhaps his timeline doesn't just because he's coming up
for a new deal, it doesn't perfectly align with a gradual rebuild. But
he's just so important to their offense. I can't imagine them, you know,
letting him go without being sort of wowed with the trade offer. Then
that's the other thing, Like we also have to remember that this it's only
been a year since the Kemba Walker debacle. It's only been a year,
guys, So they're not necessarily going to let another great, another at least
what looks to be great point guard go without getting something in return and then
this time get more than Terry Rozier. Because you gotta remember about this,
Like you have to like think people got to remember when we have these conversations,
they didn't see this kind of Devonte Graham coming. If they did,
I think there wouldn't have been a Terry Rosier deal. They would have done
something with Kemba Walker, or they would have said, Kemba Walker, let
go go out there and sign somebody else. I don't think anybody saw this
DeVante Graham explosion coming, least of all the team. So I feel like,
exactly, exactly Terry Rozier is not here if they saw this coming,
And I think people need to factor that in when they start bashing the Terry
Rosier contract, which for me is not that bad. It's not as nearly
as bad as it could be, and considering what he gave off the ball
and how he's helped them, like, it's actually a better contract than people
really want to give it credit for. I think I killed it at the
time. I still think the whole Kemba Walker situation was a disaster, but
I think the contract has aged definitely better than those initial optics. And a
big part of it, for me at least, is like what you said,
what he was able to do off the ball offensively for them when you
were just looking at his you know, catch and shoot percentage, like he
was just absolute money when DeVante Graham was on the floor with him exactly.
And that's the one thing DeVante I'm not gonna say he has again. We
all joke about Steph Curry gravity. I'm not saying that Davante has that kind
of gravity, not yet. But I saw a lot of people defending the
DeVante like they defended Kemba the year before, and that that's some reverence there.
That's some reverence. And we're seeing what Kemba does with one on ones
right now now, granted not so great against Toronto, but considering what's gonna
happen next, this is gonna get interesting. But when we start talking about,
like when we start talking about what DeVante does and what Terry does,
like the thing that I want to like reiterate and I want people to understand
going into next year with the Charlotte Hornets, Terry Rozier might not be here
at the trade deadline. Terry Rozier might play himself into a place where people
are like, I got a half a year left and then one year at
seventeen million dollars and he might be my sixth man. That's not the worst
thing in the world. Again, think about a team like Philly that needs
an a ball handler that can that can hit shots. Terry Rozier sounds really
good, depending on how you want to package it. Compare for Al Horford
right, Yeah, like if you're Philly, like I thought that La was
going to make a play for him at some point. I still think that's
a possibility. Like Terry Rozier as a trade piece at some point is going
to sound really really good to somebody, and it's going to end. That
contract is going to be a lubricant to it a further deal rather than it's
going to be a hindrance. It's not the Nick Batum contract. I think
we do it at disservice treating it like that. Well, it's shorter.
Look, three years, it's shorter than five years. That's that's important note.
And then it also helps that like their books are just crystal clear when
you move on, like after next season, they have under guarantee contract.
And I'm sure you know if if Cody Martin and Kayla Martin and Janleen Tennis
was stilling this roster, their salaries will be guaranteed. Obviously the PJ Washington
team WASSH will be picked up, But the only guaranteed money on their twenty
twenty one books right now is Terry Rosier. And even if you want to
just assume the options are going to be picked up, the salaries guaranteed,
you have a total of six players under under guaranteed contracts for like sub fifty
million dollars I believe sub forty million dollars, excuse me, just as plus
the pick. Again, when you start thinking about then you throw on the
draft pick this year like sub forty million dollars, seven guys, and you're
probably and this all depends again, as we said on the CBA, but
their capsuet to take on bad deals is ridiculous. So when we start talking
about the draft and starting to buy picks, which I'm not sure they do
this year, or at least if they're going to do it, they're not
going to do it till the trade deadline to take on a whole bunch of
bad deals. Again, their ability to take on bad deals and load up
for the twenty twenty one draft, which is what I think they're going to
do. I think it's going to get really interesting. This offseason is going
to be a lot more interesting on the trade front than the free agency front.
And I can't wait to see what that looks like. Yeah, I
think, And I actually won't even say that because we're going to talk about
it too, and I want to ask you about the draft first to set
this up. So number three, great outcome for them. They jumped five
spots, can't be can't be mad about that? Do you have a preferred
player that they take it that spot or a preferred move if you like wanting
you'd rather see them trade down. I think the position they're in, and
maybe i'm as someone who is I'll say like ankle deep in draft prep right
now, where normally I should have, you know, obviously already been forehead
deep, since it should have already happened. I feel like they're in a
beneficial position to where it's there. Feels like there's three consensus top three picks
and two of them are already going to be gone, so you can default
to a choice and at least not get killed for it, but also want
a draft like this where maybe nothing feels consensus like it also kind of opens
the door for all these just wonky possibilities where it's well, maybe we'll just
reach or maybe we'll try and trade down and still get the guy that we
like best. The guy I want the most is LaMelo Ball, the guy
I feel very very confident that is not going to be there at three happens
to be LaMelo ball. If again, if I'm going to say what the
Hornet's draft board probably is, it's probably I would put a LaMelo ball there.
I'm not sure there is high on Anthony Edwards as everybody else. So
right after that, I put Denny Avia. And I know that the building,
I know the Charlotte Hornets loved Denny Avia, and I am again that's
if I was going to tell you who I thought the building was going to
pick, Mitch was going to pick, it's Denny Avia. I would feel,
but like literally, there's a lot of this that I'm not sure.
I think it's Ball. I think it's Avvia, and I think it's Haze
that's there, that's their top three and their draft board. I don't think
Wiseman is there, and I think they think Wiseman is slow. I think
and slow on a defensive from a defensive capability, and as we're seeing bigs
that can't really defend are guys that can easily be played off the floor.
And that's what Yes, yes, exactly. Kevin Durant has pointed that out
repeatedly in the last don't I would say thirty six hours, Yeah, I
would say this though, like if we're gonna have we're gonna have this conversation,
like I don't again if and I hate to say center has become the
new running back position, but center is kind of the new running back,
and they're not the type of guys that you draft with top ten picks.
That being said, if there was a way you could draft down, get
some more assets for twenty twenty one, maybe take on a bad contract on
top of that, and get a twenty one. Like I said, get
twenty twenty one first pick, first round pick. I like a Congo.
Like if I'm going to say there's a center that might attract me, I
think it's a Congo because I think the way you're gonna have to go when
we have these teams, when you're building a defense and you're having a guy
that can defend at the rim and switch at the picket and roll, I
think a Congo was the perfect center. I just would not draft him with
a top three pick. I just you just can't. You can't justify it
at all because he doesn't have the offensive game to justify doing that. But
if you're gonna tell me I have to draft a big, it's okongru for
Wiseman and it's even then I can't even say the Russian kid, Alex sayko
f I'm not even gonna try it anymore. But but the Russian kid is
the other other big I'm definitely afraid of Wiseman. I think, oh,
go ahead, sorry, not not like I'm I'm definitely afraid of James Wiseman.
And after that, like and people are gonna bring Obie topping up.
And I will say this now, if you were going to draft and I
think you've seen me tweet this, if you're going to draft Obi Toppin,
he better be like Phoenix amar reincardinated And I'm not sure he's Sayre yet.
I'm with you on James Wiseman. I just don't see it on defense.
And again I've no one should take my word for it. Just with the
amount of stuff that I've watched, I don't see it on defense with him,
Like, I just don't see the switchability there. And like you said,
it feels like he's slow. I could definitely see him developing into more
of a versatile offensive weapon where it just feels like he has a good feel
for the game with the ball in his hands and could do some face up
stuff. And if you're able to expand your jumper, that's absolutely huge.
But it's like you said, if you can't, you know, switch to
pick and roll at the bare minimum, I would say, like you can
become a defensive liability. If not during the regular season then most certainly.
Yeah. And so if I'm if the horders are at number three and he's
still and it goes you know, edwards and then balls off the border whatever
order it is, and Wiseman's still there, I think in that situation,
like you can definitely justify taking Denny avia there. But if it's anyone else,
that's I think when you have to start look at trading down. Yeah,
and I think that the problem becomes if Ball's gone and you trade down,
who's actually trading up? Like that's the thing, like, is that
how how worthwhile is that pick? Because I'm not sure people, I'm not
sure teams are all that enthused with Wiseman either. There's not enough tape on
it, right, It might be that's going to be a situation where they're
probably more willing to trade up if it's LaMelo Ball who's available, which then
defeats the purpose. If Charlotte is really that high on the meloball, I
think they're higher. I think they're a higher on them. I also think,
like I said, I think Killian Hayes has a sneaky spot, has
a sneaky chance of getting in there at three because I think, hey,
I think they like Hayes a lot more than people think. And I also
think Hayes when we start talking about developing young guys and Nick Friedman and the
Charlotte Hornets, I think they can develop a young guard. I also think
that they believe that wing is a much more of a bigger deal than drafting
a big. I think they realize that drafting a big maybe at thirty two
or maybe again, or a drafting a big at thirty two and then potentially
drafting a project big at fifty eight is what they're probably going to do,
like in a touru there at oric or like literally just I think they end
up drafting a big at thirty two or moving up to draft one of the
Lake first round bigs there. I think that I think that's a good You're
gonna know the team more to the night, but I think that's a good
stance to take and it's like you said, you don't want to go as
far as saying that center is the new running back. But when you're looking
at a top three pick, and especially in this draft that who's available,
I just don't know that you want to go that route with with third overall.
And but it is an interesting question of who's going to want to trade
up to take said big and you look at the teams that are after them,
and it's like maybe Washington at number nine, and then you're getting into
some one, what is Washington giving you an addition, they should not be
trading twenty twenty one pick at all. And then you're also getting into if
the territory whereas you know Denny's definitely gonna be off the board at number nine,
killing Hayes if the Knicks were smart taking a chance on him. So
then you know, that's a dicey prop position, Dan, that's a dicey
prop position. The Knicks being smart, that's an extremely dicey prop position.
So that's like there's also the feel of, you know, what would be
too to trade down because you don't want to necessarily miss on someone. So
what you're saying is then there's really not there's more so a consensus top two,
and it's going to be absolute anarchy at the three. Yeah, exactly.
And I think, like I think, they can't draft. I do
not believe they can draft lower than five to get the guy they want,
because I don't think. I think also think Denny, depending on who's the
coach over there in Chicago, and we haven't, we have no idea who
that is yet, depending on who the coach is, I think drafts Denny
at for no matter what. And I think Denny if if again, I
think I would throw this name out there who he reminds me a little bit
off. But andres NOCIONI a guy that came in there, gave you about
before his bat gave out, gave you a good thirteen and four and again
became a really good role player. And if you can get a really good
role player in a dicey draft like this, I think you can take it
and run, quite honestly, and then at the same time prepare for twenty
to twenty one and prepare for that draft and that loaded draft full of stars.
Kind of quite honestly, Now, would you the last draft related maybe
not the last draft re question, but the actual draft specific question not I'll
ask you is if given the opportunity to move up to A two or one,
and let's say it's a situation where you can guarantee that you get to
take LaMelo Ball in that instance, are you giving up Miles Bridges for that
small of a jump? Is that how much you believe? Yes? Yes,
absolutely, and I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't think twice. I
really would not think twice because I think what what LaMelo ball does for this
franchise is it opens up. I think it does one of two things.
You can go smaller, go ball Rocheer and Graham have that filled out,
you still have you still have PJ. Washington and as long as you still
have that thirty two pick to pick up pick up a center and then ride
out a ride out of Bismack Beyond but on a one year, one or
two year deal for little money, or and you have your you have your
rotation basically set. Because the way that this goes, if LaMelo Ball is
a part of this team going forward, as much as I would miss the
lob threat from a Miles Bridges and a LaMelo Ball, I really want LaMelo
Ball here because I think he can be. I think he is the star
of this draft. As much as I like Anthony Edwards and his physical gifts,
LaMelo Ball's a real star of this draft. LaMelo Ball scares me.
I mean, ay, this fellow draft scares me at the top where it's
Anthony Edwards, where shot selection was so bad and the percentages aren't great,
which is the ease with which he gets to a step back. I'm like,
oh that and treats me. LaMelo Ball just terrifies me off based the
minimal things that I've I've seen from him, I'm wondering if he'll ever be
more of an efficient score in the NBA level. And I'm wondering what you
what ends up happening to him on defense in the NBA too. I think
the one thing about LaMelo Ball for me at least, is I think him
being again, say what you want about Charlotte, it's relative obscurity whatever.
I think the obscurity helps him. I think the ability to just go to
work. I think the structure that they Charlotte Hornets have put in place I
trusted. Remember we had this conversation last year, Dan and I didn't trust
any of it. At that point, I trust the structure they've put in
place without Kemba. I think that they've done a lot of steps to work
with young players and develop young talent. We just saw it with four guys
and they were there were a couple of those that were a getting. Three
of those picks were really really dicey, right, So I trust them to
develop guys with dicey stuff, now, mind you getting. And also,
this is the other thing. If this coaching staff could get Terry Rogier,
a guy that was a known malcontent in Boston, to play ball, I
am not going to be worried about LaMelo ball at all. At all.
I'm not because Terry Rosier could have pitched a fit, could have said I
came down here to be the man. I came down here again to get
away from Kyrie, to get away from Boston, to get away from being
the scapegoat, and instead became a really great teammate, went off ball and
allowed for DeVante Graham to grow. I really do believe that this team is
really good at communicating what's best for the team. So I think that's why
that's why I don't worry about the shot selection. That's why I don't worry
about a lot of this stuff with a guy like LaMelo Ball. Also,
remember we got the best of the league Monk before the unfortunate drug suspension too.
So when we have these conversations of are they going to fit in?
I trust the locker room to police its own and I trust that they're again,
whoever's going to be drafted here is going to fit in kind of par
perfectly. Were you making a sales pitch for the NIXT to continue trying to
trade for for Malik Monk there felt like a nice little convenience not to see
the thing. I still believe in Malik Monk too, though, Like that's
the crazy part to this. I still believe in him. I really,
really really believe in Lak Monk, and I think we were going to see
the best of him, and he wasn't going to be the starter, but
if he could be, lou Williams, I think he was. I think
he's still gotta believe it or not. And I believe Mitch cup Check when
he says this. I think they really do believe him in him in that
building, and I think they believe in the growth as a person that he
makes. So I really do think he's still going to be on this roster.
And I think the other thing is he's kind of tanked his stock to
the point where he's probably Yeah, he's tanked his stock to the point where
I think he's going to be just fine with a solid five. Again.
I'm not going to say vet minimum, but i'd say five seven million dollars
and it's going to end up being one of those contracts that becomes a steal
later on. I feel that good about it. Wow, I'm gonna so
everyone can mark that down. We'll come back to this as receipts. Yeah.
So I want to ask you about the Hornets free agency approach and how
you think they should handle this. I we don't know what the cap is
going to be. I've just been using the one on nine point one million
from this season as my placeholder, and with where they landed in the draft
and kind of just I wouldn't call it guesswork. I'd call it common sense
work of who they're going to renounce. I have them at kind of a
shade under nineteen million dollars in room, which is more than I would say
twenty five other teams at least in the NBA, and probably even more than
that when you look at what Miami's doing. I don't know how they Renown's
Crowder or Dragic after this postseason? What do you want to see them do?
Are there any players that stand out to you or you've already mentioned that
you'd rather see them be what you know Lazarus Jackson of the Detroit who covers
the Detroit Pistons called sin eaters where they eat these bad contracts. You've already
mentioned that, Is that the focus you want to see them have? Or
are there actual players that you want to see them go after with this money
that they're going to have. I want to see what the market for Yaka
Podal looks like. Interesting, I kind of want I want to see what
the market for Yaka Podal looks like because I would love to see what someone
would bid for him. And if san Antonio matches, I'm not saying you
give him the full nineteen, but if you offered I don't know, seventy
five four, I'm sorry, you can't even do that. It's like sixty
four over like again, sixty for four years. I would kind of be
okay with that. Wow, And if then you sign again if not,
you sign a Bismac Beyondbo for literally the Vetman, because I think he'll come
back for that, because I don't think his market will be anything like it
was the last time he was a free agent. So you're saying his bird
rights are not important coming off his seventeen million dollars salary. Yeah, yeah,
they're They're not very important. They're not very important at all, like
if you offered him the minimum for three years or again. Bis mac biambo
had probably his second best season as a pro this year and it probably went
unnoticed by a lot of people. And the biggest thing he might have done
was the vet leader that Marvin couldn't be because he moved on. Like that's
the biggest thing he did. So when we start talking about guys that made
contributions deeper than the stat sheet, and I hate that cliche, but Bis
mac biambo kind of filled it out, and considering that, I don't think
that Cody Zeller is going to be on the roster for much longer, and
I don't again, Nick Batoum's going to be on the roster, but he's
not going to be very vocal and he's going to be wearing some of those
really fancy French suits more than he's actually going to be wearing an actual ze.
Like you're gonna need somebody as a vet, a vet that's actually playing.
So I kind of need, like I said, I need. I
think they're going to need that vet that's always been there for continuity purposes.
And I really do think Bismack Bionbo is going to be on the roster.
But i'd love to see Potal here. I'd love to see Potal here.
And if they sit, if they eat a bad contractor too, I would
not be surprised. I just think they do it via trade. And I
do think that they do have two contracts. One's going to be easier to
do to take on a bad contract in Cody Zeller. The other one if
they take on that again, also get your notification set for me. If
they take on that Horford contract and they use the tune to do it,
oh boy. That yeah. I don't even know what Philly's incentive is in
that deal that they could give up for for it to be viewed as okay
for Charlotte, because I don't think that they're going to give up Matis tible
in that deal, and then you're looking at exactly first rounder and then Zaire
Smith. I don't think that that i'd look And I actually the way you
feel about Harris, which I don't disagree with, I kind of still feel
a little bit about Horford. He had, you know, he had injuries
this year and then was on a team that really just wouldn't let him pick
him pop and was trying to shoehorn him into a roll to force. So
I think he could still be really good, but for it has to be
the right team, and the Hornets are not. I wouldn't pay them as
the right team right now because they're not looking to win, and so there's
that element there exactly. I just don't know what you sweeten it. If
they offered Tible, I think I would do it if I was Charlotte,
just because he does seem like he's going to end up being a borderline transcendent
defender, even if the kind of low volume okay shooting we saw was an
abarition. The only thing that I worry about in any type of thing is
what does the backcourt look like? Because if we've talked again, as we
talked about if they get LaMelo ball, this Tyble makes sense with Graham and
I'm not even yeah Graham and LaMelo ball, Does Tyble make sense in that
background, in that backcourt, because then you're worried about shooting, you know
what I mean? Yeah, And you're not going to have him at the
four if you're trying to run with those three. Although I guess you couldn't
hyper small lineups, but you could in hyper small lineups. But at the
same time, it's one of those things like also, it really does depend
on who you draft. If also, if they don't draft the center,
they go all wings, they're basically telegraphing that they're going to deal with Philly.
I feel like I feel that confident if they go wing wing. And
again, Desmond Baine is the guy that I read the article, the Athletic
article by Sambassini and he put Desmond Baine on my on my radar, and
Dan, when you look at this kid, you're gonna wonder how he makes
the thirty two, because that's the thing like this all like the draft is
going to telegraph a lot of what they're going to do because if they don't,
if they go wing wing, project big in this draft, and I
think there's a there's a real possibility of them doing that. I am one
of those that believes that. Again, they're going to telegraph that that Horford
deal, and for me, they need at least two. They need two
first rounders. They need two first rounders and none of them this year.
I need a twenty twenty one first rounder period. I need one one of
those, at least one of those to be that. And then Zaire Smith
and Tyble are basically overlapping players. But give me tible, Like literally,
it's got to be a really sweetheart, godfather. I can't say no almost
and I want to say almost borderline Russell West, Chris Paul like like I
don't need okay, see amount of picks for for Chris Paul, but I
kind of need at least two, maybe three or a prospect type deal.
Yeah, exactly, I need a lot. I would need a lot to
take on that deal that goes on for three years. How do you feel
about the sticking with the free ency favoring do you feel about the I think
the most popular target for them list that has been Christian would How do you
feel about that potential pursuit? It makes sense, but what's the price tag
like I mean, if you're willing to give Yaka Peartle four in sixty,
I would think Christian was gonna get substantially more. I'm not I think Yaka
Peartle is good. I just we've yet to see him really in a more
expanded role, and even just watching him try to take on some more minutes
in the bubble and then getting into foul trouble so often concerns me. He's
definitely young enough where you can eye that stuff out. But you know,
I don't know what the price sad in Christian would be, but I would
think he costs you more to me, at least than Yaka Peartle would.
The only other thing about Christian would that makes me think that Charlotte is not
a destination is that. Remember he's been in this building before. Granted it's
different than his last experience here, but I also think that he was not
here under the best circumstances. He got his he got his minute jerked around,
and I know that he wasn't necessarily happy with his experience. I'm not
sure he's willing to sign up for more just because it's more money. I
have it, I have my doubts and also that like as much as I
like Christian Wood, and again, it's one of those things I hate to
throw a good player, bad team on him. But but it's like it's
almost like I kind of worry about those stats being inflated more than they actually
again that they're a little inflated because it was on a bad team. That's
certainly fair enough. He's I'm definitely gonna be worry about that. I legitimately
worry about that one. I feel like I'm higher on him than you are.
I kind of just like it feels like he gives you so much optionality
on the on the offensive end, and he can play alongside a different big.
But I hadn't really considered that he'd been in the building before for Charlotte
specifically, and that's definitely something that's that's worth considering. And then you know
you're looking at it for him or even what you were willing to pay Yaka
Purdle, like that's most, if not all, of Charlotte's cap space.
And so, like you said, you still have the Nicholas Batun deal and
the cody's Ller deal if you're looking to take back bad money. But part
of the appeal of some of those situations also might just be if Charlotte's able
to save some room at the top where they have an extra four or five
million dollars of wiggle room to work with in those perspective, trades you kind
of already touched on this, or maybe it was more so the polar opposite
of what I was asking you here. When you're saying you don't want to
see them go after Al Horford, have you given any consideration of maybe situations
where there are bad contracts that you would want to take on because you think
the team would be willing to give up something sweet, or maybe just even
trade targets that you want to see the Hornets go after because you think that
they just might be good long term fits. It's funny because, again,
while I'm not that high on this draft, buying a pick in the twenties
and taking on a bad contract, I know that it's been brought up to
take the touring and Prince contract for like nineteen. That makes a lot of
sense. Even if that means Torreon Prince is wearing street clothes more than anything
else, I will say that would mean a terrible look for the Nets if
immediately after giving him that two year extension, they turn around and they need
a first round pick to get off him. It would be a terrible look,
but it would you rather have the terrible look? Or would you rather
lose Joe Harris? Yeah? I don't know what for them, I don't
know what they're you know, team governors are willing to pay in luxury attacks.
I would think that you would be. You know, from the outside,
you just say, well, just pay it, but when dollars and
cents get involved, you don't really know what to expect from Kyrie and KD.
I do think that's that's a I wouldn't even call it a fair stance
to take on behalf of the Nets, but it feels like it might be
a possibility they would do something like that. I would think they'd prefer to
use him as part of a larger deal. But if you can take on
a pick for him or just another contract, and you're the hornets in kind
of the late teens in early twenties, and I don't know where he's gonna
go. I've seen mocked all over the place, but Patrick Williams is going
to end up being my siren song for this draft, and so if you
end up in Patrick Williams territory, I would take on probably more than most
other teams would take on for a chance to draft Pat Patrick Williams. Patrick
Williams is one of them. Tilman is another. Tilman is another one where
again just the amount of as a big drafting, drafting that big that can
potentially fill the cody's Ll role of being the really good screener and then being
a smart guy that hits the hits the shooter right in the pocket. I
again like him and Tilman, Like Tilman is another one. Like there's a
lot of these young project bigs then in the nineteen through thirty range that I
wouldn't mind buying a pick from And if it cost you getting a Torrean prints
or if it costs you I don't know, if twenty six is available,
if they want, if Boston wants to get off that money, then hey,
I'm kind of down to do that. And if it costs you bringing
on enis Canter who does not want to be here, And I know that
for a fact I would do that, Like there are there are methods of
just buying picks that I think they can do, and I think that's what
we're gonna do, like buying picks late and taking on bad contracts for picks
late. For and again this is just me like seeing what worked in Greensboro,
and again, if Greensboro is going to be a thing, or if
that training staff is going to stay in house in Charlotte, because we have
no idea if if the G League is actually going to be up and firing
by the time next season comes. Like I trust the development staff that much
that if they bought a pick and it turned out that we had to use
enus Canter for twenty seven games and you cut them in December or you cut
them before the again, it becomes one of those waver Wire claims that might
help, might or might not help you on a team go into the championship.
Like, if that happens, I'm more of buying. I'm in buy
pick mode. I'm in sin eater buying pick mode. And like I said,
Patrick Williams Tillman, a lot of these guys I like in the in
the later later part of this draft that can legitimately help a team, and
I would love that team to be the Charlotte Hornets. Frons, It's funny
because looking at the financial landscape of the NBA and all the revenue they lost
this season, all the revenue they're probably gonna lose next season, I would
default towards saying there's gonna be teams out there that are willing to give up
bad money contracts with sweeteners attached, just like thinking about it that way.
And then I go through the teams and their rosters and their contract situations,
and I find it very hard to identify, like squads outside of Philly that
I could really see doing that. I hadn't really considered the Torium Prince one.
That's interesting if Brooklyn gets super pocket shy when looking at Joe Harris's next
deal, just because they're they're a tax team either way, and so all
the money they spend, you're just paying further into the tax. But when
I go through and look, and I've done this for stuff that I've been
writing, it's just so hard for me to identified situations where that would be
the case. I think a lot of people will point out Houston, Houston
just isn't going to give one give you any equity, excuse me, in
this draft, And I don't even know what they're going to give you.
In general, there's nothing, there's nothing of value. There's nothing of value,
like the only thing I would do, quite honestly, like like Covington's
the most popular aspect asset, and they're not going to give him up for
cheap. And that's even if Morey's there or not. Like, Houston doesn't
make any sense to me. And again, if you're Charlotte, what does
Houston have that you actually want? And that doesn't include James Hard think about
that very very carefully. And unless James Hard, unless unless Tillman Furtita is
that deep in the red, they're not going to sell James Harden for pennies
on the dollar. And if he, if they do, then he should
be forced to sell. Quite honestly, Yeah, I mean so, I
hopefully don't think it'll get that drastic, but I'm with you there. That
would be franchise mal practice if it came to that, it would. And
like that's thing like if you're the Hornet's the only guy that ever really you
would consider is Robert Covington. That's it, And that's not a guy to
be dumped because that's a guy that you know, they could actually probably get
value for exactly so that's the only guy of value maybe in Eric Gordon that
you would take on, and I stress maybe, but again, what are
they Are you taking Daniel House for Eric Gordon? Like, if Daniel House
is the sweetener, are you taking that for Eric Gordon? Taking him for
Eric Gordon? Excuse me, ironically everything aside, Yes, yes, yes,
I mean it contract is nice. I'll say that. It's just I
don't know if you know, like, is that is that enough to take
on Eric Gordon's deal? Would be would just be my stance. I like
Danuel House. I just don't know if that's enough in a vacuum. I
guess Horne's in a situation where they can view it as enough. But that
that Gordon extension is really long. That's a really long deal. It's a
really long deal. And actually, now that I think about it, no,
you don't do that. Thank you for pointing that out. Thank you,
because because the whole time I'm thinking about that, it's like, you
have Daniel House, but you may end up developing too Danniel Houses in the
Martin Twins and that becomes they again house, It becomes redundant at that point.
So yeah, not, You're right. The more I think about it,
the more you're not taking on an Eric Gordon contract despite how clean your
books look right now at this point, because that personally, like I say,
there's gonna be hard to deal that Nick Betune contract, But at the
same time, there's gonna be someone who's gonna try. I feel confident in
saying someone's gonna want that twenty seven million dollars in savings, and it's going
to be But at the same time, considering what we know about the NBA
financials right now, how valuable is that expiring contract of twenty seven million dollars.
It might be as a third party facilitator. And so the situation that
I'd be thinking of specifically would be like the Bucks and the Thunder are trying
to hash out a Chris Paul deal, but you're looking at the poop poop
ladder of things that Milwaukee's gonna give up, and those are all multi year
contracts. And so if they can send the tumb to the Thunder and the
Hornets and want to take back some combination of in Eric bledsoe, you have
depending on who else is involved in there, you know there's and I'm assuming
in any Bledsoe deal, that means they get roach year's got to go in
that case, right, I guess it would. It would so there's so
much money in the air there that that he might have to go, But
they also might in that scenario they might not have to trade him. Maybe
that's something they view independently. But I'm wondering, if you know, Milwaukee
has Dante di Vincenzo, they you know, if you could get a distant
Milwaukee first round picks since they've traded there as I believe through twenty twenty two,
that would just be something that enticed if you're gonna help, I think
that would be the I think my point is that would be where Batumbs contracts
and most valuable on a deal like that, where a team like the Thunders
giving up a monster salary itself but isn't really interested in you know, Eric
Bletzo is a good regular season player, but they don't want the two years
that he's guaranteed after this one. And even if it's a you know Urson
and Lasova and Robin Lopez, yes they're expiring, but they don't really jibe
with what the Thunder trying to do. And even if you end up getting
a George Hill or a Book Lopez in that scenario, which I think Milwaukee
would sweeten the hell out of the deal to try and avoid giving up either
one of them. But if you're talking about those players, those are good
players. I'm not crazy about the brook Lopez contract when you look at it
going down the line, but they're still not guys who fit Rocoma said he's
trying to do. And so maybe as Charlotte, you can come in.
You're giving up a tomb and then you're getting depending on what you're getting back.
Dante Divincenzo's in the air. There's probably a first round pick involved,
and like that's what you're getting for your troubles. They would just depend on
obviously the level of contracts that you're taking back. Its Eric bletso maybe the
converensation is a little bit higher just because he has to guarantee years left.
I would actually need more compensation for the brook Lopez deal, which might be
you know, on popular take there, but if it's not, it's not,
yeah, but it's like, you know, go ahead, all you
like, I completely understand, I completely agree with you. Like legitimately,
brook Lopez is gonna have to require a lot because he's still functional piece and
it will remain a functional offensive piece for a long time because he has that
long distance shot right there. And he's become surprisingly a ridiculously good defender,
which is something I don't think anybody was going to say five years ago,
much less his reputation five years ago compared to what it is now, where
it's like, oh, he's really someone who could just get you points in
the post, but he isn't much of a defender and he's not going to
space the floor too much. And now he's like this exclusive three point shucker
who made it all defense team. Yeah, Like it's crazy, it's absolutely
crazy, the just reputation that it changes. But again, back to the
Battoon contract, Like I think someone, I think someone's going to ask about
it because I think the financials and what the Llary cap is going to look
like are going to be really really interesting going forward, I think again,
But also as I told you, I think most likely the guy that's going
to get Delta as a Cody Zeller, and I think I know Vissini has
said it'd be the last possible option, but Cody Zeller being being drafted and
traded up to number two to Golden State and again granted using that trade traded
player exception and only getting Cody Zeller out of it feels like a failure,
but at the same time, at the same time, he kind of fits
what they want to do. And that's the crazy part to all of this
on off split Superhero Cody Zeller two when he's healthy point yes, exactly.
The final thing I was going to ask you here is what's the most undercovered
or misrepresented thing about this team moving forward or just something that I didn't ask
you about. The most undercovered thing probably is going to be I want to
see what people again, and we talked about it a little bit. But
the development staff here, because I think they developed four they've they've drafted,
they discovered, they developed at least four rotational guys. How where they are
in the rotation. I'm not going to say, I'm not sure they're starters,
but I think there they can contribute in the NBA. I think this
team is better than this team overachieved. I will say this now. I
truly believe that James Barrego overachieved with this team, getting them to twenty to
twenty three wins before the stoppage happened. I do think that this team is
going to be worse next year. This team will finish with less wins,
but I think they'll be better in aspects and as again, as I said
before, growth is not linear. Growth can again, you can get better
and still have unfortunate circumstances. They won five games with it again after having
that stat that was thrown at their heads all year during the last Campa year
about being able to finish close games. Kemba can't finish close games. That's
that and the third and they ended up winning five of those games this year.
I think a lot of this is I think a lot of this is
going to be really really interesting, And I guess the thing is the Charlotte
Hornets are not as far away from being a relevant playoff team then we think
they are. If they just have to unfortunately nail this third pick, and
I'm not necessarily sure you can do it in this draft quite honestly. Yeah,
that's a great point, Kanada though, thank you for talking so much
Hornets with me. I really appreciate you. Coming on. I'm sure I'll
be pestering you again in the future. If you guys are not following him
on Twitter, he's at not a describe that's at NA TAA thh E s
c R I b E and I look forward to reading your Twitter feed once
the Hornets select Obi toppin at number three or after trading down. Don't don't,
don't don't curse me. Don't curse me like that. Man. We
we've done this for an hour plus now and now you're just gonna curse me
like that? Why why I had to slip it in there, But seriously,
thank you so much for your time. This was a lot of fun.
As always, dude, is always my pleasure. Mount Seriously, Sugar
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