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What is crack lacking fellows thermonuclear a
efforts. I am Dan Favalley coming at

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you with a podcast about one of
the most fascinating teams in the NBA right

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now, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and
I am super excited to be joined by

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I get to now say a returning
guest, Kyle Tige from the Dane Moore

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NBA podcast as well as the Flagrant
Howls podcast over at Score North. They

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are both in my regular rotation for
any of our listeners who care, so

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go check them out. The links
that will be in the podcast and YouTube

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description. As always, follow Kyle
on Twitter at Kyle Tigi. That's at

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t h E. I g E
as the last name and Kyle spelled exactly

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as it sounds. Kyle. One, Welcome back, and two, how

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the heck are you doing? H
one? Thank you? As always,

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I told you before we hit record
that I love doing this pod and to

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more than anything, I appreciate you
letting me kick it down another day.

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I know we're going to try to
go Yesterday vibes Timberwolves fan base. Yesterday

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not great. Twenty four hours later
after what I think was a historic comeback,

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I think I saw that they were
the first team in like fifty five

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hundred games to be down twenty two
or more points and then win by twenty.

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So at halftime last night, vibes
are bad, a lot of fans

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wanted Kyle Anderson kind of excommunicated,
and twenty four to twenty eight minutes later,

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they're up by twenty and they got
a really, really, probably the

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most important win of the season against
the Clippers, team that they were kind

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of fighting for, maybe that three
spot in the West, depending on how

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okay See and Denver do. But
it was a really big game, not

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only for tie breakers, not only
for standings, but also just another win

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that they can show, hey,
until Carl comes back from that injury,

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we can kind of stem the tide. So really cool game. Always fun

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for a small market team to do
it on TNT, kind of get that

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national exposure. But I'm hung over
today because I celebrated that win, So

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let's get into it. Yeah,
that was just this I had mentioned this

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year before we started the progression of
social media sentiment, where I wasn't tweeting

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during the game, but I'd seen
the stuff that was out there, and

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not just about Kyle Anderson with the
Wolves, and I had had someone message

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me that said they thought the Wolves
were more likely to finish fifth or sixth

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instead of like in the top three, And like that win just flips everything

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on its head, and now it
has specific questions about it because it feels

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like maybe they unlocked some certain certain
things they can move forward with. But

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we did get the news before the
game that Krompty Towns undergo surgery to repair

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that meniscus, I believe, and
they're going to reevaluate him in four weeks.

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And it's always funny to see from
my perspective to see the reaction where

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it's like, oh, we are
so going to have him back before the

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playoffs. Where I look at it
and say, okay, what's his reevaluation?

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He doesn't say like he's going to
be back in five on five.

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At that point, what do you
do you have any sense or even just

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personally as to like what the hope
should be or a realistic timeline for when

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he comes back. Because the repair
recoveries, if I'm not mistaken, they're

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normally supposed to last. Like the
return to play is like it's supposed to

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take longer than if you have it
removed, and the fact that it seems

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like he had it repaired unless I'm
mistaken there too, Like even a six

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week timetable feels a little ambitious.
Yeah, it's it's the best spot to

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start with this team because it's the
biggest news. It's been I think one

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full week since they officially lost him. It was announced last Thursday that he

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had torn it right before that Indiana
Pacers game, which ended up being maybe

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the most fun game of the season
with Anthony Edwards just hitting his back on

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the on the backboard. But uh, I can't stop looking at that picture

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by the way of like him just
like hitting the rim. Just I need

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every angle of that, Like if
there's more that, like Zapruder film,

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I just kind of want to study
it because it was one of the most

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impressive athletic moments I've just seen.
It doesn't matter if I'm a Wolves fan

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or not. But uh, back
to Carl. Yeah, it's weird because

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the team with injuries. I mean
even just a year ago when Carl was

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doing with what ended up being a
really serious calf injury, it was like

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January, like I think he's supposed
to be back and he wasn't back in

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February, and we just didn't know. So with this one, especially with

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the meniscus tear like you said,
and doing the surgery. He had it

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performed out in LA yesterday, as
most surgeries do in sports. It went

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successful. But four weeks reevaluation.
I get it from a fans point,

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right, Like you want your players
to be back. You played, you

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know, maybe play video games.
You're like, Okay, this injury,

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he'll be back in four weeks or
whatever. Everybody as you start to you

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know, you cover the whole league, right Dan, like these players,

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everybody's different. So how he'll recover, how he'll rehab. I note this

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morning he tweeted out like a dragonball
z in the lab rehabbing photos, So

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I know he's already kind of on
the up and up. But yeah,

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they're gonna look at him in four
weeks and kind of figure it out.

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But in that four weeks, like
he's not getting any game, like not

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even minutes, right, He's obviously
not gonna play. But game shape and

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cardio shape are just completely different.
So when they reevaluate him in four weeks,

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that's I think eight on the schedule, So they'll still have a couple

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of regular season games left that they
can kind of work his way in,

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whether he's playing or just ramping up
his own cardio. But because again last

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night's win was so big, they
are distancing themselves like firmly from being a

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play in team. So they're gonna
have that week between the end of this

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regular season on Sunday to when the
playoffs start the following Saturday or Sunday.

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They'll probably start at home as a
top four seed knock on Wood. So

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there is about six six and a
half weeks here to kind of wiggle with

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to get Carl back without him.
I just don't it'll be matchup specific obviously,

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do they play the Suns, Dallas
whatever? Can they get through a

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game or two. But the one
that really matters to me is when you

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hear Chris Finch talk. Because Chris
Finch is like the most I mean,

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I'm a pro Chris Finch guy.
He might be the best head coach in

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Timberwolves's history, him or the late
great Flip Saunders, but he's not gonna

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lie to you most of the time. And he's been pretty like kind of

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upbeat about getting Carl back. So
the Vibes seemed to say that he will

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be back for the playoffs. But
for now, I think all this team

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can do is kind of just go
next man up, whether that be nas

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Reed, Nikhil, Alexander Walker.
You kind of have that card in your

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back pocket. You hope he recovers, You hope he can come back,

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because without him, they don't really
have a firm chance of advancing too far

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in the West. But if you've
seen what they've done since Carl went down,

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the Indiana game, the Cleveland game, the Lakers game was a little

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different, but then against the Clippers
last night, like they are capable with

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the guys they have of probably beating
almost anyone, especially like a five through

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eight seeds. So we'll hope Carl
comes back. We'll kind of watch and

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monitor his rehab, but for now, it's Anthony Edwards team for the most

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part, and they'll go as far
as that young twenty two year old kid

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can take them. Wild and he
was only twenty two. You know,

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I don't wish injury, So when
I say it, I don't mean it'll

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be okay if it happened to someone
else. But for Town specifically, all

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the iterations that he just lived through
with the timber Wolves, all the shit

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he's gone through on and off the
court, You just really want him to

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be one. You want the best
players to be on the court when you

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get to the playoffs anyway, especially
when we're talking about the best teams.

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But just like this is like the
culmination of everything of like his career has

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been building up to where they are. They have expectations where like they should

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be like in theory, should be
favored during their first round playoff series whatever

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they're going into. So I really
just like to see him back on the

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court and hope that he gets healthy
and then looking like Karl Anthony Towns,

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so just a bummer that like they're
this good and he's so integral to what

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they're doing while they're being this good, and then this happens and it's just

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like infuriating, and it was his
injury kind of came with the point too,

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where we're dealing with all this other
stuff, like there was Trey Young,

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and there's since been Sadik bay and
Al Prinching and Benedict Maathrin. Can

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we turn NBA injury mode off for
just a few months at this point,

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I mean, my god it and
you know, really because the Wolves had

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pretty easy schedule and they took advantage
of it. Right have been first placed

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in the West for like ninety percent
of the season, They've been the best

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defense by net rating. But when
they came back after All Star Break,

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they did have seven straight at home. But then it just kind of got

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super dicey with I don't think any
team had more back to backs than them.

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Their schedule was if you're from Minnesota
right now, like you know,

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the Spurs have their Rodeo road trip
where they have like leave for two or

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three weeks. Minnesota has like their
state basketball road trip where like boys and

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girls state basketball in the state of
Minnesota is played at Target Center. So

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the Wolves had to like leave for
ten to twelve days. And they have

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so many back to backs, and
you're starting to see these injuries pile up.

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I mean, Nase Reed had had
multiple ankles, Money Morris had a

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hamstring, where to Go Bear had
a hamstring, Kyle Anderson, and then

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the big one being Carl So they're
just kind of fighting where I think a

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lot of other teams have fought throughout. Their schedule is just a lot of

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games and a condensed amount of time. But to your point about all the

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injuries in general, it's just another
one of those things where it's like I

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would imagine before you and I die, Dan, and hopefully we have long

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lives, that this thing is cut
from eighty two games to like seventy two

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or maybe you know, sixty five
and just stretched out, because there's just

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even as a fan, I find
myself being, like we joked before we

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hit record, I'm taking a vacation
next week. I just don't want to

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think about the Wolves for a week. I just need a break from the

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NBA, because if your team is
good, you're probably gonna play until May

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or June, and ten months of
basketball is way too much basketball for me,

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even as a diehard fan, I
totally get that. So with Towns

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and I don't I want to make
clear, I don't think this is the

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sentiment like with people who follow and
cover the Wolves, But kind of outside

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that little bubble, do you think
there's still maybe a little bit of a

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disconnect of how valuable he actually is
to what they do, specifically looking at

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offenses, not just someone Yes,
we know what he could do as a

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floor space or open things up,
but as someone who can like actually attack

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through multiple layers of defense in a
way that Mike Conley or Jane McDaniels or

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nas reed certainly even camp, do
you think that there still might be a

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fundamental lack of appreciation for what Karl
Anthony Towns does? Even just looking at

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now, would Rudy Gobert have been
my All Star pick from the Wolves if

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I would have gotten one, he
would have. But like even just the

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reaction to Karl Anthony Town's making the
All Star Game, do you think that's

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still sort of a thing. One
hundred percent, And it's probably because of

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how intertwined we are or the league
is to like NBA Twitter, right,

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He's just he's one of the easier. He's an he's kind of socially different.

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He's very nice. I don't think
teammates ever have anything that's bad to

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say about him, But he just
gets kind of nitpicked for, you know,

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whatever people perceive the voice changes or
the funny things he says on podcasts,

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or some of the silly things he
said about you know, what they

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did in the play and being as
important or as you know, valuable as

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what the Nuggets did. He's just
kind of a goofy guy, but goofy

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gets handled really poorly, I think
in the NBA compared to other leagues.

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So he just you know, he
had a huge night against the Hornets right

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where he dropped like sixty and they
lose that game, and that's just you

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know, again like all classic Timberlves, classic Carnthay Towns. So you know,

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the thing you said about what poor
timing for his injury, that injury

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that does sideline him now for the
rest of the regular season probably came a

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week after he had to bury another
one of his friends, like his high

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school friends. That you know,
he has dealt with a lot of loss

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in his life, most notably his
mom and a lot of other people due

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to COVID. So he's just gone
through a lot. And I think that's

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I don't want to call a stigma
because a lot of us are really pro

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Carl, but around the league,
people just kind of use him as a

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punching bag. And those types of
athletes don't really get the respect until they

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start winning, and for Carl,
like he's winning now and I think that's

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why he made the All Star team. I've said that I think this is

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Carl's best season as a pro.
Statistically, it's not his biggest, but

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the fit that he's had with Rudy
Gobert and then, I mean, he

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was known around the league as like
just a bad defender. He's been serviceable,

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if not maybe good this year.
I mean all the stuff before he

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went out, like all the net
rating stuff, all the defense. He's

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really good, even when Rudy's off
the floor. So he is having a

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great year. I thought he deserved
to be an All Star. I'm with

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you. Rudy Gobert also probably deserved
to be an All Star. But Minnesota

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is never going to get three guys, you know, even though the Hawks

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that one year got five. So
my biggest comment on the state of the

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East that year, that's true,
that's true. I think I think his

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perception is just going to constantly be
what it is until he wins. And

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that's how a lot of players are
treated. And this team has the best

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chance to win a playoff series for
the first time. It's been twenty years

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Dan since they advanced past the first
round when Kevin Garnett was here. So

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yeah, that kind of tells you
how all of us, why we consume

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a lot of alcohol but uh,
this is the first chance of this team

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really has to advance, and they're
gonna need Carl to come back because with

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him they can lean into I mean, they have an identity, and I've

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covered this team for eight years,
They've never really had an identity before.

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They're big, they're physical, they're
long, and even against the Clippers last

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night without Carl, they just showed
that, like you put Jade McDaniels on

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an island against Paul George and he
can just shut him down. At had

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like the most viral moment last night
when Reggie Miller was like kind of slobbing

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all over him about being a dog
when he just didn't let Paul George get

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into the lane, stole the ball, went down and had a layup.

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So they need Carl back. I
think Carl's perception would benefit from a good

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playoff series, because even when he
is in the playoffs hasn't been great.

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But if they could win a first
round series, I think a lot of

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guys, they're Q scorers around the
league would go up. When you're looking

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at now how they've approached life without
Towns, They've decided with the starting five,

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I don't necessarily care who starts.
But I do think it like kind

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of clues you into like, oh, Chris Finch wants to really stabilize the

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defense still in those minutes out of
the gate by putting in Kyle Anderson,

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like in Karl Anthony Towns a spot. We did see some changes kind of

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though in the second half against the
Clippers, So could he go in a

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different direction? But what have you
thought though about the just the overarching decision

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to say, well, we're gonna
play Kyle Anderson and Rudy Gobert together without

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nas Reed on the court from the
jump, And do you now expect that

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to change after what happened with the
Clippers? And just to reiterate for our

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listeners, like the Timberwolves are not
like this super high volume three pointing team

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to begin with, and when you
remove Karl Anthony Towns from most core for

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other four starters, like their three
point a tenth rate is basically nothing like

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I don't know what it had it
marked down after it is the Clippers game,

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but like without Towns only thirty one
point they're shooting thirty one point three

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percent on twos like with that starting
lineup and under thirty percent of their shots

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are coming from three. That's a
very low number in today's NBA. And

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so what have you made of that
initial decision? And do you like kind

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of expect maybe not even the starting
five, but the way that he gets

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to certain lineups in games will change. Finch, that is change moving forward,

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I think. So I've kind of
stopped looking at various stats, just

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probably in denial still about the Carl
stuff over the last week. But prior

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to Carl's injury, I think the
Wolves were second in the league in three

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point percentage, but they were like
twenty fifth in the league and three points

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attempted, So like you can just
kind of look at that and be like,

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why don't you just take more?
And Carl was him or and the

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00:14:26,919 --> 00:14:31,120
highest volume guys on the on the
team with like out any competition. I

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mean a lot of times like said, Rudy's not taking threes, Kyle Anderson

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00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:37,879
has just stopped taking threes. They
don't have a lot of other volume guys.

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I mean, Jane McDaniels will get
three attempts a game, My Condact

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00:14:39,919 --> 00:14:45,480
get four to five. We can
talk about that. That is a topic

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that hurts my heart, but uh
yeah, the Kyle Anderson thing. Up

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until I would say for the first
thirty five years of my life, I

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was with you, Dan, like, up until March twelfth. We're recording

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this on March thirteenth. Up until
March twelfth, I was pretty much like,

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Yeah, I don't care who starts, I just who finishes. I

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think Kyle Henderson has and I like
Kyle has forced me to change that perspective

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because I don't think Kyle Henderson can
start anymore because I don't know how many

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other contending teams in the league,
or I don't know, top four or

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five teams in the league start two
non shooters, Like you just know Rudy's

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never going to shoot threes. That's
just like he is a traditional room protecting,

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rebounding center, so it's just so
bad when he's out there. And

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then the Jane McDaniels thing is a
part of this too. He was OH

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00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:30,879
for eight last night, had tremendous
defense again, but offensively hasn't been consistent

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and maybe has regressed a step.
I think a lot of it's just in

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his head. I don't really worry
about him. He did sign a big

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contract extension in October, so you
know, next year instead of three million,

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he's gonna be making like twenty So
he has to figure out that part

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of his game. But uh,
I would imagine, and you kind of

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saw it last night in the second
half. Again, for anyone who doesn't

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00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:52,919
follow this team a lot, Anthony
Edwards is awesome and is cool and is

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funny and his great at basketball,
but he doesn't show up on time all

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the time, like last night again
in the second half, like he he

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wasn't there, and a couple of
games ago he like didn't make it to

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the scorers table in time to start. But last night it was really interesting

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because they started a five man lineup
in the first half of Mike Conley,

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Anthony Edwards, Jane McDaniels, Kyle
Anderson at the four, and then Rudy

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Gobert. The second half, they
started Nikhel in place of Aunt because he

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was, I guess probably in the
bathroom, and then Kyle as well.

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But when Aunt came in twelve seconds
later, Dan he put him in for

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00:16:25,639 --> 00:16:29,279
Kyle, So that might be the
first kind of sign that maybe Chris Finch

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they have a couple of days off
the team's hanging out in LA which everyone

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00:16:32,519 --> 00:16:37,360
should do, but they play on
USTAH in Saturday, and I would imagine

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00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:41,240
that maybe he starts like a Mike
Conley, Nikiel, Alexander Walker, Aunt,

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00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:44,919
Jayden and Rudy just to have more
spacing out there. Nas Reed is

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like the guy and he's kind of
starting to get the fame that he deserves

283
00:16:48,519 --> 00:16:52,960
as being an undrafted kid out of
LSU who make a lot of money now

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and is one of the most exciting
I guess six Men of the Year and

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00:16:56,799 --> 00:16:59,519
might be the starter down the road. Who knows next to Rudy Gobert.

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00:16:59,519 --> 00:17:03,799
But uh like I like Naos off
the bench because I think he just gives

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00:17:03,799 --> 00:17:07,799
you that punch and he allows Chris
Finch to kind of adjust his rotations.

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I mean, they only have two
centers now, which is funny because they

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had three and everyone thought that was
too many, and all of a sudden

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they're down Carl and it's like they
don't have enough. But I would hope

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00:17:15,079 --> 00:17:18,279
that was a long winded way because
it's the most hot button topic right now

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in the fan base of a lot
of people. I think if they had

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the choice, would like to like
punch Kyle like Rudy did last year,

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because it's just been so stagnant.
But he does a lot of things still.

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00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:30,880
Man, he plays great defense.
You kind of look up and you're

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00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:33,400
like, Kyle was bad tonight,
and then he's like, oh, he

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00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:34,960
led the team in plus minus,
which I know is in the be all

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00:17:36,039 --> 00:17:38,359
end all, But Finch just trust
him. He's like the Swiss Army Knife,

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00:17:38,599 --> 00:17:44,599
the trusting you know, the Clippers
at like stretches. So yeah,

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I mean, I think I think
he had like ten seven and six last

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00:17:45,759 --> 00:17:48,839
night. But I still think Kyle
Anderson's good. I just think in different

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00:17:48,839 --> 00:17:52,880
lineups and maybe with less Rudy,
because I put this way in twenty twenty

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00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:56,599
four, you just don't play lineups
that have only three shooters, and sometimes

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00:17:56,599 --> 00:17:59,240
for the Wolves that's like two and
a half with Jayden or like a Jordan

305
00:17:59,279 --> 00:18:02,559
McLaughlin who's been hit or miss.
So I think they just need to find

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00:18:02,599 --> 00:18:03,880
ways to space out Kyle and Rudy
a little more. I mean, Kyle

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00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:07,880
Anderson can play five, like in
small ball lineups, So that would be

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00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:11,359
the hope moving forward. We're gonna
get a big, big kind of sample

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00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:17,039
size or view into what Chris Finch
thinks on Saturday Night against the Jazz because

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00:18:17,559 --> 00:18:21,240
they just need to surround ant.
This whole thing now revolves around that kid.

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00:18:21,359 --> 00:18:23,599
They need to surround him with as
much spacing as possible and guys that

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00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:26,559
can get out and transition and defend
a little more, because as you saw

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00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:30,160
last night in the second half,
when they have shooters and guys that can

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00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:33,599
defend out there, I don't know, man, even without Carl, I

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00:18:33,599 --> 00:18:37,680
don't know how many teams outside of
Boston and Denver can beat them. And

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00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:41,359
everything you just said kind of also
underscores the importance of Karl Anthony Towns to

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00:18:41,359 --> 00:18:44,119
wards. You want Nasri to come
off the bench, Yeah, you want

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00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:47,440
to have enough spacing around Anderson,
Like that's the luxury of having Karl Anthony

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00:18:47,440 --> 00:18:49,880
Towns, his ability to play the
forward where you don't run in to Yes,

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00:18:51,079 --> 00:18:52,799
we'll still have spacing conundrums in half
quarter a lot of times, but

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00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:59,240
they're not as just disastrous or exacerbated
when it's like Kyle Anderson, Rudy Gobert.

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00:19:00,039 --> 00:19:03,720
Having Towns, like you said,
it pulls that big that'spacing big and

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00:19:03,759 --> 00:19:06,880
just creates this whole other different issue, especially with you know the Monte Morris

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00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:10,200
now hit that hamstring injury, we'll
see if if that lingers, it feels

325
00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:12,480
like it might be easier just like
stagger the way they want maybe when he

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00:19:12,519 --> 00:19:15,200
comes back, because that's someone you
could trust as a floor space or two.

327
00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:18,000
Do you have any sense or how
would you go about like trying to

328
00:19:18,759 --> 00:19:22,079
like ensure that you're staggering Anderson and
Gobert, Like, how complicated is it

329
00:19:22,119 --> 00:19:26,119
to stagger those two as much as
possible without Karl Anthony Towns there right now?

330
00:19:26,359 --> 00:19:30,599
Yeah, it's complicated. It's funny
because Kyle Anderson won over the hearts

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00:19:30,599 --> 00:19:33,720
of many last year. I deemed
him the best free agent signing in Wolve's

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00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:37,960
franchise history. Again, don't if
you don't follow this team closely, you're

333
00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:41,960
probably thinking, wow, that's hyperbolok
No, Actually, the bar for this

334
00:19:41,039 --> 00:19:45,480
team on any sort of best ever
is pretty low. Go look at who

335
00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:48,000
they've signed. There's not a lot
of good free agent signings in the history

336
00:19:48,039 --> 00:19:51,559
of this team. But he was
great last year because, as I always

337
00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:55,200
joked, he spoke French like he
knew how to unlock Rudy Gobert when no

338
00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:59,319
one else on the team really did. And he was serviceable from three I

339
00:19:59,359 --> 00:20:03,400
think he had his best season of
his career just shooting from three. He

340
00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:06,680
doesn't even take him anymore, like
that's the concern. And he had a

341
00:20:06,759 --> 00:20:08,960
late injury in the season where he
got hit in the eye by Anthony Edwards,

342
00:20:10,039 --> 00:20:11,680
like in an elbow on a rebound
attempt. Had to get some pretty

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00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:15,279
serious surgery in the offseason, and
I don't know, no one really talks

344
00:20:15,279 --> 00:20:18,079
about it, no one really dives
into it. But I don't know if

345
00:20:18,119 --> 00:20:21,599
that's part of this whole mystery.
But he just doesn't shoot threes anymore,

346
00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:23,839
and it's become kind of an issue. So they needed Kyle last year,

347
00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:27,480
but now everyone else on the team
is at least somewhat fluent in French,

348
00:20:27,519 --> 00:20:30,240
like Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert are
one of the best I guess, pick

349
00:20:30,279 --> 00:20:34,000
and roll kind of threats in the
league. Ant's been better about finding him

350
00:20:34,079 --> 00:20:37,480
Jaden, even when they bring in
guys like you said, like Amani Morris,

351
00:20:37,519 --> 00:20:41,920
who is I think will be back
this weekend. He's was tweeting or

352
00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:45,200
instagramming that he was back with a
little Wolves emoji. So they need him

353
00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:49,039
because he's gonna spell Mike Conley in
those minutes. You don't want Mike Conley

354
00:20:49,079 --> 00:20:52,880
hit thirty six playing thirty minutes a
game in late March. But uh yeah,

355
00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:56,000
I just I think you can play
Kyle more with nas like a four

356
00:20:56,079 --> 00:21:00,279
or five, or maybe have Kyle
be a backup point guard for my while

357
00:21:00,319 --> 00:21:03,480
Moni Morris is out. It's just
the combination of that being your front court,

358
00:21:03,759 --> 00:21:07,559
two guys at the four or five. I know positions are a little

359
00:21:07,599 --> 00:21:11,039
more fluid in twenty twenty four,
but you can't have two guys on the

360
00:21:11,039 --> 00:21:15,640
court simply put that can't shoot the
ball because it just clogs everything for ANT

361
00:21:17,079 --> 00:21:18,799
and that's like the biggest fear is
having Ant just. I mean, there's

362
00:21:18,839 --> 00:21:23,119
some viral clips was like Anthony Edwards
is quadruple teams and he somehow scores and

363
00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:26,880
does it still, but like that's
not really a formula that's gonna work come

364
00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:30,680
playoff time. You imationed Jane McDaniel's
ray, so I want to go there

365
00:21:30,839 --> 00:21:36,640
for a second. Okay, his
season has felt incredibly unevening. You already

366
00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:40,440
mentioned the three point shooting. He's
an under thirty five percent on uncontested threes,

367
00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:42,160
which is bad, like I think
the league average on open and wide

368
00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:45,519
open threes. Is like in the
thirty eights this year, I from not

369
00:21:45,559 --> 00:21:48,480
mistake, it might even be higher. Are you noticing anything specific? Is

370
00:21:48,519 --> 00:21:52,039
there is part of it? Just
like could it be the way that the

371
00:21:52,079 --> 00:21:55,359
personnel structure around him? And then
how that also not just impacts the spacing

372
00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:59,920
but the role in the opportunity he
has on the offensive end? Is it?

373
00:22:00,079 --> 00:22:02,640
Is it mechanics on his jumper?
Like? What have you just noticed

374
00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:04,799
about? Well again, what is
I think the best word described his season

375
00:22:04,839 --> 00:22:08,759
is probably uneven, and perhaps that's
even putting it kindly. Yeah, so

376
00:22:10,079 --> 00:22:12,039
I kind of have an unofficial fan
base for him. I was kind of

377
00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:17,359
I've been wrong about a lot of
things in basketball analysis, but one of

378
00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:19,599
the things I was right on was
him coming out. I'm being out on

379
00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:22,640
the West Coast right. I went
to some of his college games when he

380
00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:25,400
was at University of Washington. I
just thought he kind of had this special

381
00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:27,480
skill set and was a dog defensively. You saw it again last night.

382
00:22:27,519 --> 00:22:30,599
There's like a twenty four second possession
where he just guards everyone on the Clippers,

383
00:22:30,599 --> 00:22:34,240
including ty Lou, And it was
exhausting to watch, but he was

384
00:22:34,319 --> 00:22:38,920
fantastic. He just guards PG,
switches on Norman Pile guards him, you

385
00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:42,319
know, cuts down to Jubotch just
he guards everyone on the team. But

386
00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:45,599
his shot is just super flat.
He was zero for eight last night.

387
00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:49,640
He did have a couple high you
know, scoring outputs a couple of weeks

388
00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:53,319
ago when they needed just another guy
to step up. But it's weird with

389
00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:57,759
him because he isn't he hasn't taken
the leap. His defense, to me

390
00:22:57,839 --> 00:23:03,119
is still pretty much there and he
will probably make or will get a lot

391
00:23:03,119 --> 00:23:06,359
of votes for one of the two
all defensive teams. Rie Goobert will win

392
00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:08,079
defensive part of the year, but
I think Jayden should also be on there.

393
00:23:08,319 --> 00:23:12,200
Ironically, I just learned this yesterday. Like Nikhil Alexander Walker, who

394
00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:17,000
also should probably get votes, I
don't think qualifies because not only is there

395
00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:18,079
a games you know, like the
new Award stuff, not only is there

396
00:23:18,119 --> 00:23:22,480
a game minimum, but there's like
a minutes minimum. So I don't think

397
00:23:23,079 --> 00:23:27,039
average per game. I think you
have to average twenty five, and Nikill

398
00:23:27,119 --> 00:23:30,960
coming off the bench, I don't. I think Nikiel is averaging like twenty

399
00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:33,359
two or something. So that's a
ramble for another day. But back to

400
00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:37,000
Jayden. Yeah, his shots just
flat, and it makes me think,

401
00:23:37,119 --> 00:23:41,880
right, like you exert so much
energy on defense, he oftentimes is just

402
00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:45,960
thrown out to guard a guy.
I mean, you've seen ants defensive highlights,

403
00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:48,039
but those are highlights like Jayden's kind
of doing it the whole game,

404
00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:51,960
like I don't know, like an
offensive lineman, right, So I don't

405
00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:55,880
know if he's just a conditioning thing. Also, and this one's tough for

406
00:23:55,920 --> 00:23:59,759
people because it's not on Basketball Reference, but half the team is having a

407
00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:03,880
kid like Nika, Alexander Walker,
Anthony Edwards, Jane McDaniels, like half

408
00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:07,680
the team is like having and I
just don't know sometimes how that affects a

409
00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:11,000
young player's mentality. I know it
sounds like like an excuse, but you

410
00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:15,799
know, maybe there's just things going
on and the pressure of he knows as

411
00:24:15,839 --> 00:24:18,319
well that I'm going from three.
I mean, he makes this year,

412
00:24:18,799 --> 00:24:22,039
I think it's the two hundred and
sixty ninth highest salary in the league.

413
00:24:22,119 --> 00:24:25,839
So he is a bargain at what
he's getting paid for a starter who can

414
00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:27,319
lock down any guy in the league. But next year he's gonna make twenty

415
00:24:27,359 --> 00:24:30,799
million. He's gonna jump up to
like sixty eighth, and he needs to

416
00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:36,519
just find more consistent offense because everyone's
focused on now and we should because this

417
00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:41,839
is the greatest Timberwolf season so far
in thirty five years, in the history

418
00:24:41,839 --> 00:24:44,440
of the team. But next year, you know, if they have to

419
00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:48,279
make a big trade because they're in
the second apron or financials and like,

420
00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:51,920
let's say you lose a Carl Jane
McDaniels has to average more than six points

421
00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:55,440
a game. So right now he's
making less than his own brother Jalen in

422
00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:59,279
Toronto, and Jayden's far better than
Jalen is. But the offensive stuff,

423
00:24:59,279 --> 00:25:00,640
whether it be in the mid or
just creating a little bit, or just

424
00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:06,000
having more opportunities. If he gets
more opportunities, which I've always clamored for,

425
00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:08,000
he has to start to deliver on
them, and so far he hasn't,

426
00:25:08,039 --> 00:25:11,920
and it's been really, really disappointing, and luckily it hasn't hurt the

427
00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:15,000
team their success, but it will
come playoff time if he can't. You

428
00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:17,920
know, if they're gonna treat him
like Rudy Gobert from the perimeter, that's

429
00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:22,400
a nightmare. It's yeah, I
can't stress enough how problematic is if teams

430
00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:26,680
feel comfortable putting their bigs on him. Yeah, disastrous. Yeah. Is

431
00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:30,440
there anything though, like aside from
the shooting that you might be watching during

432
00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:33,720
this catless stretch to where it's well
they ask him to do more, can

433
00:25:33,759 --> 00:25:37,079
he do more? Whether it's like
kind of just more driving kick stuff within

434
00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:38,200
certain lineups, or it's it's just
like, we just need this guy to

435
00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:41,559
hit his wide open threes right now. We'll worry about expansion later. He

436
00:25:42,039 --> 00:25:45,519
was one of the best cutters on
the team DAN for a couple of years,

437
00:25:45,519 --> 00:25:48,000
and that was before Rudy got there. But now it's a little tougher

438
00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:49,559
because Rudy's kind of always, you
know, in that dunker spot or is

439
00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:52,680
hovering around the rim, so it's
a little harder for Jaden to cut.

440
00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:56,359
But again, I don't want to
make excuses. I think his defense is

441
00:25:56,400 --> 00:26:00,200
still again top ten defensive player in
the league, but offensively, it really

442
00:26:00,319 --> 00:26:03,079
is just hitting some shots. Now. Nikil Alexander Walker is a great comp

443
00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:07,559
because he also is just like a
smaller version of Jaden. But last night

444
00:26:07,599 --> 00:26:11,400
he had I think twenty seven points, so he's getting to the rim a

445
00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:15,039
little more. He's hitting when Nikill
Alexander Walker takes a three, I just

446
00:26:15,119 --> 00:26:18,240
kind of close my eyes because I
know what's going in. I think he's

447
00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:21,559
shooting one hundred and ten percent from
three in big moments. It's just crazy.

448
00:26:21,799 --> 00:26:25,960
Like Nikkei, Alexander Walker was not
a prototypical shooting guard coming out of

449
00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:29,359
college, and he's just he has
weird mechanics too, but he's just refined

450
00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:32,160
them and he trusts his shots.
So that's what makes me think a lot

451
00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:36,279
of it for Jaden is just mental. But last night he had multiple just

452
00:26:36,519 --> 00:26:41,000
corner threes, open shots and he
missed them all. And I think until

453
00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:44,119
he can start hitting those, it's
gonna be really hard for him right to

454
00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:47,440
like then drive to the basket or
try to like pump fake and get to

455
00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:51,000
the rim, or create for others. He's always had pretty good chemistry with

456
00:26:51,079 --> 00:26:53,119
Rudy. I think last year he
was like one of the four highest assist

457
00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:56,480
totals to Rudy Gobert, but everyone
only had like six because no one knew

458
00:26:56,480 --> 00:27:00,839
how to play with them. So
there's more to his game. I know

459
00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:03,440
he has a lot of skill,
but right now he's just in a mental

460
00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:08,240
blender and he has to just basically
hit open shots. Because this offense,

461
00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:12,079
the way Finch designs this free flowing
offense, he gets shots, he gets

462
00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:15,519
opportunities. Last night, yet I
think five threes and not one of them

463
00:27:15,559 --> 00:27:19,680
even hit the back room. So
I'm hopeful I'll buy your stock if you're

464
00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:22,720
selling. But I also would be
lying if I said I wasn't a little

465
00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:30,680
concerned Anthony Edwards. But let me
ask this question because of how much I

466
00:27:30,759 --> 00:27:33,359
think Mike Comic gets a lot of
credit for, like bringing aspects of the

467
00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:37,799
Wolves offense together, his chemistry,
his synergy with Riegaubert. That's all important,

468
00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:41,920
But I also kind of feel like
it's overlooked at how valuable or critical

469
00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:45,839
Anthony Edwards is to this offense,
and that people don't they look down on

470
00:27:45,920 --> 00:27:48,279
him, but what he does gets
diminished in the eyes of people because the

471
00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:52,759
Wolves offense hasn't It's been fragile,
verging on not even close to elite.

472
00:27:52,759 --> 00:27:56,519
And then you dig into the data
and it's like, well, the Wolves

473
00:27:56,519 --> 00:27:59,279
are winning the minutes when he plays
without Mike Comley, and the offense has

474
00:27:59,279 --> 00:28:02,359
been lights out during those moments.
So eli I didn't throw this in The

475
00:28:02,359 --> 00:28:04,319
outline is they're like an under I'm
not gonna say everyone on the Wolves is

476
00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:08,319
underrated because I asked this about Towns, But was there an underappreciation for the

477
00:28:08,359 --> 00:28:17,240
workload that he's shouldering and ultimately executing
for this team offensively this year? Last

478
00:28:17,319 --> 00:28:19,359
night, during one possession, Tylu
threw a double team at him, I

479
00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:25,799
think it was maybe pg in Zubac
and Anthonyowards just somehow dribbled around it and

480
00:28:25,839 --> 00:28:29,720
still got to the room and dunked
it. Like what he's doing. It's

481
00:28:29,759 --> 00:28:33,079
not ideal right now? Again,
Karl Anthony Towns is you know, a

482
00:28:33,119 --> 00:28:36,160
hot button topic for many, But
at least you know that when Carl's out

483
00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:38,720
there spaced out, he is one
of the most you know, dangerous three

484
00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:42,000
point shooters in the league. And
that's going to give some gravity to give

485
00:28:42,039 --> 00:28:47,200
Ant Moore room without Carl, especially
in these Kyle lineups. I mean,

486
00:28:47,279 --> 00:28:52,319
he is just driving constantly into two
and three guys. I don't I promise

487
00:28:52,400 --> 00:28:56,119
myself I wouldn't talk about officiating today
because I think around the league it's bad.

488
00:28:56,519 --> 00:28:59,119
But he still kind of gets a
weird whistle. He probably thinks he

489
00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:03,599
deserves even more whistle, But uh
yeah, to answer your question simply,

490
00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:07,079
he deserves I think even more credit
than he's getting, and he's getting way

491
00:29:07,079 --> 00:29:11,680
more now locals nationally, but uh, he is putting up thirty five points

492
00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:15,599
with relative ease, and it's not
He'll have some games where it's like I

493
00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:18,519
have to take thirty shots again because
there's no Carl and you know, I

494
00:29:18,559 --> 00:29:22,440
don't know who else to really trust, if because Mike Conley was awesome against

495
00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:26,359
the Clippers, but he's been even
a little stagnant and had some old legs

496
00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:30,799
coming out of the brakes. So
I think it really is impressive because we

497
00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:34,440
this kid came out of Georgia as
eighteen year old in that twenty twenty kind

498
00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:37,400
of COVID draft, and you didn't
really know what to expect. And I'll

499
00:29:37,440 --> 00:29:41,160
watch a game now, Dan whole
thing start to finish. My yeah,

500
00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:42,359
not a great hand game tonight,
and then I'll look and it's like he

501
00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:48,279
had thirty two, eight and seven
and did it on like fifty percent efficiency.

502
00:29:48,359 --> 00:29:52,079
So the bar that we are setting
for him is incredibly high. I

503
00:29:52,079 --> 00:29:55,000
mean, all around all Star time, it was can he be the face

504
00:29:55,039 --> 00:29:59,000
of the league? I really think
he can because he's not only just an

505
00:29:59,119 --> 00:30:03,440
awesome off on awesome offensive player.
But you saw the block against Indiana,

506
00:30:03,759 --> 00:30:06,920
you saw what he did last night
to Paul George and then after the game

507
00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:08,160
too. If you talk about like
a face of the league, right,

508
00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:11,319
they interview him on TNT last night. He's taking his jersey off and they're

509
00:30:11,359 --> 00:30:14,680
like, what did you see out
there? And he goes just a bunch

510
00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:18,160
of mismatches. You don't really get
that type of truth and honesty from players

511
00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:22,799
in the league because they're so coached
on PR and he basically came out and

512
00:30:22,799 --> 00:30:23,960
said he's like, there's no one
on that team that can guard me.

513
00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:29,200
And that kind of is just the
all encompassing of why I think people love

514
00:30:29,279 --> 00:30:32,839
him so much is that he says
it right. He kind of talks that

515
00:30:32,880 --> 00:30:34,119
shit and then he backs it up
as well. And that's what you want

516
00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:37,839
from a guy, not only for
a cornerstone of your franchise, but kind

517
00:30:37,839 --> 00:30:42,279
of a cornerstone of like a professional
sports league. I find there's you even

518
00:30:42,359 --> 00:30:45,079
kind of alluded to this, like
the efficiency without kar Anthy Towns on the

519
00:30:45,079 --> 00:30:48,759
floor, we see kind of a
precipitous drop in his rim finishing, his

520
00:30:48,839 --> 00:30:53,000
overall effective field goal percentage, which
makes sense. I've always been impressed with.

521
00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:56,160
I guess you would call it his
mindset where it feels like he will

522
00:30:56,200 --> 00:31:00,839
just attack more to get to go
down him when conds is off the court.

523
00:31:00,319 --> 00:31:03,440
And then like the fact that he
can still put up the numbers he

524
00:31:03,519 --> 00:31:07,200
is and not see his efficiency absolutely
crater like you were talking about, he's

525
00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:08,759
seeing like three and four bodies and
he's always going to see at least two

526
00:31:08,759 --> 00:31:14,440
different lines of defenses at that point
because the floor is so finitely stretched.

527
00:31:14,799 --> 00:31:17,680
Is there anything like what he's doing
now is incredible? And the fact that

528
00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:19,480
he can do it is great?
Is there anything the Wolves can do?

529
00:31:19,599 --> 00:31:22,839
Is have we already talked about it
where it's pulling the Nikkei Alexander Walker instead

530
00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:26,920
of Kyli Anderson LeVert to make life
just a little bit easier on him,

531
00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:32,119
especially when he's going up against set
because they are they've always loaded up against

532
00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:34,480
him. But it's like it's getting
egregious at this point because they just don't

533
00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:38,200
care. One thing that has come
out recently, especially since Carl went out

534
00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:41,960
over a week ago, is Chris
Finch's, like many other coaches in the

535
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:45,079
league now right that they just kind
of really don't want you taking mid range

536
00:31:45,119 --> 00:31:48,880
shots, so it's all threes and
get into the rim and all that type

537
00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:52,759
of stuff. But Finch has been
pretty open about telling Aunt because Aunt loves

538
00:31:52,799 --> 00:31:56,559
to get to his mid range spots. One of the criticisms of Anthony Edwards

539
00:31:56,559 --> 00:31:59,519
so far is that he since he's
only twenty two, he doesn't really have

540
00:32:00,079 --> 00:32:02,160
that spot right, Like when I
watch KD late in games, you know

541
00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:06,440
exactly where Kevin Durant's gonna go to
get that shot. Same with like a

542
00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:08,839
Shay Gilders, Alexander or Luca donchas. Ant doesn't have that yet, and

543
00:32:08,920 --> 00:32:12,519
I think he would like it to
be in the mid range like so many

544
00:32:12,559 --> 00:32:15,400
of those other guys I just mentioned, But for the longest time he wasn't

545
00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:17,680
really given that freedom. I think
Finch saw the forest through the trees a

546
00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:21,319
little bit and was like with carl
Out, I just need Ant to feel

547
00:32:21,359 --> 00:32:23,839
comfortable wherever he can, wherever he
wants to shoot. And and as a

548
00:32:23,839 --> 00:32:28,599
hoops junkie, I know you know
this too, Like there's a real threat

549
00:32:28,799 --> 00:32:30,400
if you know, like the difference
between a two level score and a three

550
00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:35,880
level score is light years because if
Ant pumpsfakes from the three point line,

551
00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:37,640
the defender typically thought, Okay,
now he's going straight to the rim.

552
00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:40,480
I just have to recover all the
way back. But if if there's that

553
00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:44,319
threat that Ant's gonna pull up one
foot inside of the three point line or

554
00:32:44,319 --> 00:32:45,599
just hit that mid range, which
has become kind of his bread and butter,

555
00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:50,839
it makes him unguardable. So I
know that's not the exact answer to

556
00:32:50,880 --> 00:32:52,000
your point, but what he can
to do around him, I just think

557
00:32:52,559 --> 00:32:55,440
empowering him to be like, hey
man, at this point, this is

558
00:32:55,519 --> 00:32:59,119
kind of all about you, and
if you're gonna give that type of performance

559
00:32:59,119 --> 00:33:01,240
on defense and make these types of
plays, we're gonna let you kind of

560
00:33:01,279 --> 00:33:06,799
shoot as much as you want and
from wherever you want. Because again,

561
00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:09,440
Jaden Kyle, all these other guys
like nas is great, and the keels

562
00:33:09,440 --> 00:33:14,279
great, Mike's been better, But
the best option a lot of times is

563
00:33:14,319 --> 00:33:16,440
just Anthony Edwards taking the shot.
That's like the best offense right now.

564
00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:21,000
And it has worked, you know, mostly not only this last week but

565
00:33:21,039 --> 00:33:24,079
this whole season. So surrounding him
with more shooting would obviously be helpful because

566
00:33:24,079 --> 00:33:27,480
it just gets that gravity. He
does love to get to the rim.

567
00:33:27,559 --> 00:33:30,079
He does love to dunk on guys, and he's, you know, a

568
00:33:30,079 --> 00:33:32,759
really good free throw shooter, so
spacing is big. But he also just

569
00:33:32,799 --> 00:33:36,359
think saying, hey, man,
wherever you think the best shot is on

570
00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:39,839
this possession, go take it.
Do you think then that Towns' absence can

571
00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:44,680
sort of embolden him in a way
that it hasn't been before because I wouldn't

572
00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:46,759
call him an over deferential player,
but he does go through stretches where it

573
00:33:46,799 --> 00:33:50,720
feels like he can be overly deferential. And now it's like, well,

574
00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:52,319
dude, who are you deferring to? Like, I know my commy's good,

575
00:33:52,319 --> 00:33:54,880
Like they have good players on this
team, but there's no there's no

576
00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:58,839
real second option. If you looked
right now and said who's the termber was

577
00:33:58,839 --> 00:34:02,839
his second best scorer, there might
be nas reed mm hmm. It's that's

578
00:34:04,039 --> 00:34:06,799
You've asked a lot of good questions. That's the best question you've asked,

579
00:34:06,839 --> 00:34:09,480
and it's if you watch the last
week of Wolves game, So I'm talking

580
00:34:09,519 --> 00:34:15,440
Indiana, Cleveland, Lakers and Clippers, the most notable thing since Carl went

581
00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:17,400
out. And I don't know if
this is also just personal life related or

582
00:34:17,400 --> 00:34:22,119
what. Ant doesn't smile as much
and he's like like more not frowning,

583
00:34:22,159 --> 00:34:25,320
but like he just looks more locked
in, And like Reggie Miller said,

584
00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:30,079
that's not like real dog mentality.
We just haven't seen like after that Pacers

585
00:34:30,119 --> 00:34:32,480
game. People that cover the team, people that are around this kid every

586
00:34:32,519 --> 00:34:37,159
day, they haven't seen that level
of like emotional exertion. Like he is

587
00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:40,280
really locked in and like wants to
win. And I don't think Carl was

588
00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:44,960
holding him back. But those two
are really tight, and the deferential is

589
00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,039
like they both kind of you know
what movie is that with Will Ferrell?

590
00:34:47,039 --> 00:34:51,000
Will they just keep passing the ball
back and forth to each other pro yes,

591
00:34:51,119 --> 00:34:52,840
Like that's how Carl and Ant have
handled situations where it's like no,

592
00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:54,079
man, you take it, No, you take it, and they just

593
00:34:54,079 --> 00:34:58,679
passed back and forth. Now it's
a shot clock violation without Carl. Ant

594
00:34:58,760 --> 00:35:01,079
kind of knows. He probably knew
it was his team before Carl went down,

595
00:35:01,119 --> 00:35:05,519
but now he's like, this is
my team, and I think that

596
00:35:05,639 --> 00:35:08,119
allows him to just be He was
fearless when he entered the league in twenty

597
00:35:08,159 --> 00:35:14,679
twenty, but somehow he's become even
more fearless and not having to really defer

598
00:35:15,039 --> 00:35:16,360
or know in big spots like,
hey, it's just gonna be you.

599
00:35:16,480 --> 00:35:21,480
Like you said, every other player
on this roster right now is probably plus

600
00:35:21,599 --> 00:35:24,519
money to score twenty points. Nasried
would be the favorite, but like on

601
00:35:24,559 --> 00:35:28,360
any given night, I would not
bet my life that any other player on

602
00:35:28,400 --> 00:35:31,599
the team is gonna score twenty points. So and knowing that he just the

603
00:35:31,599 --> 00:35:35,440
burden is on him, and he
loves a challenge. He loves that type

604
00:35:35,440 --> 00:35:37,960
of stuff. Him and Finch have
such a cool relationship that, yeah,

605
00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:43,320
I think he just knows now his
best chance to win a title is probably

606
00:35:43,320 --> 00:35:46,760
with Karnt Towns on, you know, alongside him, but until Carl comes

607
00:35:46,760 --> 00:35:50,039
back. He's like, I can
do this. You're not by myself.

608
00:35:50,039 --> 00:35:52,119
I don't want to say it like
that, but I can do this with

609
00:35:52,159 --> 00:35:55,119
a larger load. And so far
he's kind of delivered on both sides of

610
00:35:55,159 --> 00:36:00,800
the floor. Nas Reed is Injing
Bolster Georg's book Coming a Household. They

611
00:36:00,840 --> 00:36:02,239
mean people who listen to this podcast, who listen to your two podcasts,

612
00:36:02,239 --> 00:36:06,599
they know who Nasried is. But
he's not like in the lexicon of just

613
00:36:06,679 --> 00:36:10,079
known NBA players. He's had a
couple of monster performances already, and Town's

614
00:36:10,079 --> 00:36:13,199
only been o. Was it four
games now, so he's already had like

615
00:36:13,239 --> 00:36:16,599
a couple of monster performances. What
has impressed you, either during that mini

616
00:36:16,639 --> 00:36:22,719
stretch or just in general about his
growth or continued development this season? Again

617
00:36:23,119 --> 00:36:27,679
hyperbolic to those who do not follow
the team on a daily basis, But

618
00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:31,119
Nasrid is the greatest developmental story in
the history of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and

619
00:36:31,159 --> 00:36:35,440
that one's nice more pending, right
Let yeah let him Miller Penny, thank

620
00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:37,519
you for bringing that up. I
appreciate you. He got some minutes last

621
00:36:37,599 --> 00:36:40,599
night. Uh, no, he
is. He was a highly touted high

622
00:36:40,599 --> 00:36:45,440
school prospect. He goes to LSU. H. He actually did a pretty

623
00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:47,639
fun interview with Worldwide wob so you
go check that out on Twitter. I

624
00:36:47,679 --> 00:36:52,000
thought it was actually no, the
NBA players in general don't do a lot

625
00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:53,679
of interviews right now unless'rying a
podcast, so to hear NAS's story a

626
00:36:53,719 --> 00:36:58,360
little more, It was cool,
but undrafted. I always joked that he

627
00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:00,440
couldn't jump over the free throw line. It's not that he couldn't jump from

628
00:37:00,440 --> 00:37:04,280
it, he couldn't jump over and
that thing's painted on the floor. He

629
00:37:04,400 --> 00:37:07,559
just was an athletic. He was
kind of a poor man's Conthley Towns when

630
00:37:07,599 --> 00:37:10,920
Gers and Rosas at that point that
you know, the president of the team

631
00:37:12,159 --> 00:37:15,960
brought him in. He has put
so much time into his body that not

632
00:37:15,039 --> 00:37:19,480
only I think he's shooting dan like
as of this morning, forty one forty

633
00:37:19,519 --> 00:37:22,800
two percent from three, So he
has hit that poor man's corinth A Town's

634
00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:28,360
part. But he's also gone from
being a I guess an undersized five to

635
00:37:29,199 --> 00:37:31,639
and again give me a little leeway
here because it's been early morning. But

636
00:37:32,199 --> 00:37:37,039
he's kind of like a Paula ban
Carro, like Carmaro Anthonic. He's just

637
00:37:37,039 --> 00:37:39,760
like a physical wing. Now he's
not nearly as good as either of those

638
00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:45,079
guys, but his ability, he
might have the best big man handle in

639
00:37:45,119 --> 00:37:47,000
the league. Like his ability to
kind of go in and out dribble.

640
00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:52,079
He loves to dunk on guys.
He is a six' ten, you

641
00:37:52,119 --> 00:37:57,360
know center, that's probably best position
is playing the three. So his developmental

642
00:37:57,400 --> 00:38:00,320
story, Carl goes out nas comes
in and merely gives you multiple twenty point

643
00:38:00,360 --> 00:38:05,320
games. He's physical, his defense
has gotten better. It's not all the

644
00:38:05,360 --> 00:38:07,119
way there yet, but he's only
I think twenty three or twenty four so

645
00:38:07,760 --> 00:38:12,119
he is a core part of this
franchise. And it was less than a

646
00:38:12,159 --> 00:38:15,360
year ago at this time when the
writing was kind of on the wall that

647
00:38:15,400 --> 00:38:17,280
the Wolves thought they might lose him
or the fan base thought they would lose

648
00:38:17,360 --> 00:38:22,880
him because of the financial situation.
You had two centers making one hundred million

649
00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:25,159
dollars. But Tim Connley got the
job done, signed him here, and

650
00:38:25,199 --> 00:38:29,320
I think Nasried will be here for
a long time. But he is despite

651
00:38:29,320 --> 00:38:31,320
what I just said about ant and
I basically crowned him president. I think

652
00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:36,840
Nasried is the highest Q score in
the fan base and everyone, I mean

653
00:38:36,840 --> 00:38:42,159
people name their cats after him,
like people love Nasried. Yeah, his

654
00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:45,599
You and I talked extensively actually leading
into the season about his floor game,

655
00:38:45,840 --> 00:38:47,159
which I actually think even though there
might be I mean, it's been kind

656
00:38:47,159 --> 00:38:50,800
of I think he' shooting like fifty
eight percent on drive since Carl k cont

657
00:38:50,800 --> 00:38:52,960
went down, but he's still at
like fifty four percent for the season,

658
00:38:53,039 --> 00:38:57,360
and they're they're like, to me, anecdotally, they look like more contested

659
00:38:57,440 --> 00:39:00,000
drives whereas you have to get through
maybe multiple light of defense now where you're

660
00:39:00,039 --> 00:39:05,320
not just attacking on closeouts and through
all this wide open space. That's huge.

661
00:39:05,360 --> 00:39:08,199
And then you mentioned the defense.
I actually I think he's a really

662
00:39:08,239 --> 00:39:12,000
good defender, like when you're six
ten and can move on the perimeter like

663
00:39:12,039 --> 00:39:14,599
he does. And I know he's
insulated a little bit in certain lineups,

664
00:39:14,599 --> 00:39:16,519
and the numbers when he is your
only big have not been great. Like

665
00:39:16,559 --> 00:39:21,920
he's even improved his like kind of
straight up rim protection when it comes to

666
00:39:21,960 --> 00:39:24,400
that. And so this is just
to get him on the contract that they

667
00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:28,079
did is a is a huge win. I wonder if, like him getting

668
00:39:28,119 --> 00:39:30,920
injured kind of lowered his price point
at all towards the end of last season,

669
00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:34,519
where that might have helped the Wolves
out. Not Nas, because saying

670
00:39:34,519 --> 00:39:37,239
he's on one of the best contracts
in the league is a compliment and an

671
00:39:37,239 --> 00:39:38,360
insult because he doesn't want to be
on one of the best contracts. He

672
00:39:38,599 --> 00:39:42,880
wants to be on a better one. But he has been so good and

673
00:39:42,920 --> 00:39:46,079
I almost wonder the way that he's
going to play during this last part of

674
00:39:46,079 --> 00:39:51,760
the season if it's just going to
fuel the whole, like Clarl Anthony pounds

675
00:39:51,800 --> 00:39:53,880
like trade discourse where it's like,
oh, it's gonna be fun watching NAS

676
00:39:53,920 --> 00:39:57,880
replay. But I felt like we
were finally well the trade deadline pass,

677
00:39:57,920 --> 00:40:00,519
for one, but we're kind of
finally removed from like that whole Even people

678
00:40:00,519 --> 00:40:04,039
have pulled back on the second apron
stuff, where it's all right, they'll

679
00:40:04,079 --> 00:40:07,400
eventually have to make a decision maybe, but is it really gonna come before

680
00:40:07,519 --> 00:40:08,880
next year's trade deadliner, before the
end of next season? And my answer

681
00:40:08,920 --> 00:40:12,960
has always been no for the most
part when asked about that. But he

682
00:40:13,079 --> 00:40:15,800
is so good that I think some
people are gonna take it and run with

683
00:40:15,840 --> 00:40:19,760
it that way, which again is
a compliment and then almost just like an

684
00:40:19,760 --> 00:40:22,760
exasperated oh, should we brace this
again? But I've been so impressed with

685
00:40:22,800 --> 00:40:25,760
what he's been able to do over
this mini stretch, but just all seasons

686
00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:29,920
where it almost feels like it's not
that it's flown under the radar, but

687
00:40:29,960 --> 00:40:32,440
because the story is this dual big
stuff with these two expensive bigs, Yeah,

688
00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:36,480
it has flown under the radar a
little bit. Yeah, And to

689
00:40:36,519 --> 00:40:38,760
your point, you're you're probably right. I think covering a team that has

690
00:40:38,960 --> 00:40:43,559
been the best defense by a mile
all season, I sometimes forget that,

691
00:40:43,599 --> 00:40:46,480
like my standards now for good defense
are higher than maybe most now is I

692
00:40:46,480 --> 00:40:50,000
didn't know the minutes thing about I
knew there was a minutes. I didn't

693
00:40:50,000 --> 00:40:51,679
know that he was so below it, and you were right, he's got

694
00:40:51,679 --> 00:40:53,320
like twenty three a game or whatever
it is. But like when we did

695
00:40:53,360 --> 00:40:55,920
our all defensive teams, I think
it was like a week or two ago.

696
00:40:57,239 --> 00:40:59,519
He didn't make it for either one
of my coast right, But like

697
00:40:59,559 --> 00:41:02,280
we mentioned, it's like, to
your point, the Wolves had Jade McDaniels

698
00:41:02,519 --> 00:41:06,519
and even we might have mentioned Affiy
Edwards and Rudy Gobert was there, and

699
00:41:06,519 --> 00:41:08,320
so it's like the fact that you're
just going down the ladder and you're mentioning

700
00:41:08,360 --> 00:41:12,039
I get where you're saying that about
your standards just being through there. It's

701
00:41:12,039 --> 00:41:14,400
like, yeah, it's like when
you'd watch MTV Cribs and someone would have

702
00:41:14,440 --> 00:41:16,039
like nine sweet cars in their garage. By the eighth car, you're like,

703
00:41:16,079 --> 00:41:17,960
yeah, yeah, that car is
cool too. It's like Nikiel's great

704
00:41:17,960 --> 00:41:21,760
at defense, but it's like I'm
holding it to Jade and Rudy standards.

705
00:41:21,840 --> 00:41:24,960
Note on nas, You're right,
I think the defense that I would like

706
00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:28,639
to see improved a little more is
I've I just said, he went from

707
00:41:28,639 --> 00:41:32,280
being an undersized five to like this
megaphysical three, and even had that really

708
00:41:32,320 --> 00:41:37,079
cool block to end regulation against Garland
against Cleveland when he was completely isoed.

709
00:41:37,280 --> 00:41:39,360
He knew what Garland was gonna do. I mean, how many times do

710
00:41:39,400 --> 00:41:43,239
you see a guy take a game
winning shot and get it blocked, and

711
00:41:43,360 --> 00:41:45,880
Nas just blocks Garland and they have
a chance, they run a dumb play,

712
00:41:45,920 --> 00:41:47,559
they lose a game. But uh
yeah, I think just having a

713
00:41:47,559 --> 00:41:52,000
little you know, he's decreased all
of his body fat, he's gotten small,

714
00:41:52,039 --> 00:41:52,960
he's become more of a wing,
so it is a little harder for

715
00:41:53,039 --> 00:41:58,000
him to guard real traditional fives or
even more traditional fours. But he's been

716
00:41:58,039 --> 00:42:00,800
great. I have never thought of
that what you just said, and I'm

717
00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:06,679
totally with you. He broke his
wrist about this time last year trying to

718
00:42:06,760 --> 00:42:10,039
again yam on someone in Phoenix,
and which forced him to miss the playoffs,

719
00:42:10,079 --> 00:42:14,000
and it might have been, unfortunately
for Nas, the best thing to

720
00:42:14,039 --> 00:42:16,039
happen to the Timberwolves, because they
basically could just kind of bubble wrap him

721
00:42:16,280 --> 00:42:21,039
and hide him in the closet.
They ended up getting an agreement done before

722
00:42:21,039 --> 00:42:24,440
they let Nas even test free agency. But he loves it here He has

723
00:42:24,519 --> 00:42:29,920
kind of been one of the impetuses
of guys staying in Minnesota in the summer

724
00:42:29,960 --> 00:42:34,280
to keep working out. So not
only do they have this cool core of

725
00:42:34,320 --> 00:42:36,880
like an Ant twenty two, Jane
twenty three, Nas twenty four, and

726
00:42:36,920 --> 00:42:39,000
a Kill twenty five, but those
guys like want to hang out and work

727
00:42:39,039 --> 00:42:43,000
out together in the summer. And
one thing if you knew about the Timberwolves

728
00:42:43,119 --> 00:42:45,280
is that as soon as the season
was done, all fifteen players would get

729
00:42:45,320 --> 00:42:49,800
as far away from Minnesota as they
could. So nas has just been like

730
00:42:49,880 --> 00:42:52,800
a cultural impact as well. I
know that sounds kind of cliche, but

731
00:42:52,239 --> 00:42:55,440
nas Read's impact on the court and
off the court has been massive. He's

732
00:42:55,480 --> 00:43:00,760
a fan favorite. And to your
other point about maybe being the replacement for

733
00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:04,639
Carl down the road, him and
Rudy were I think one of the two

734
00:43:04,800 --> 00:43:07,880
or three worst two man lineups when
you look at the stats last season and

735
00:43:07,920 --> 00:43:12,239
this year it's just completely flipped.
So the fact that he can also play

736
00:43:12,280 --> 00:43:15,440
with Rudy is big. Because of
what you just said, I'm not super

737
00:43:15,519 --> 00:43:19,119
concerned yet about second Apron stuff.
As of today, the Wolves are like

738
00:43:19,320 --> 00:43:22,639
close to the finish line on this
new ownership transition where Mark Laurie and Alex

739
00:43:22,719 --> 00:43:25,639
Rodriguez are due to pay their final
payment at the end of this month.

740
00:43:25,920 --> 00:43:29,960
It's like they would take over the
keys of the franchise and then they're gonna

741
00:43:29,960 --> 00:43:32,199
be faced with big tax bills.
But uh, yeah, I think he's

742
00:43:32,199 --> 00:43:36,760
shown you enough in a limited sample
this last week that if they decide they

743
00:43:36,800 --> 00:43:39,280
have to pivot off a big contract, he can step in and be a

744
00:43:39,320 --> 00:43:44,480
bona fide eighty two game starter.
And I'm rooy for them not to like

745
00:43:44,719 --> 00:43:46,880
view him as a replacement. And
I'm just I don't want to turn this

746
00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:50,599
into a tax discussion because they're so
good, But it's just they haven't ntil

747
00:43:50,599 --> 00:43:52,079
next season because they want to.
They're not going to get out of it.

748
00:43:52,119 --> 00:43:54,400
But if they want to save money, they have until the end of

749
00:43:54,440 --> 00:43:59,000
next season. And so if if
they're that concerned about it, unless something

750
00:43:59,039 --> 00:44:01,559
disastrous happens this year that's not injury
related and they're just so bad in the

751
00:44:01,559 --> 00:44:05,440
postseason, I'm all for you let
it roll and you just figure out the

752
00:44:05,480 --> 00:44:08,360
rest later, or at least just
stomach it for a year. But yeah,

753
00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:12,599
and you mentioned by the way the
lineup data, the only like and

754
00:44:12,639 --> 00:44:15,360
this is a testament to what Karl
Anthony Town's I think is done this year.

755
00:44:15,679 --> 00:44:17,559
The only like bad big man data
I think at this point is nas

756
00:44:17,559 --> 00:44:22,440
by himself if I'm not stake and
that's his things, He's Danny's become like

757
00:44:22,519 --> 00:44:24,280
he can't play just the five,
so that's like the only thing. But

758
00:44:24,360 --> 00:44:28,480
again, in a perfect world,
when you're paying one hundred million dollars to

759
00:44:28,519 --> 00:44:31,880
two players that have been all NBA
centers in Rudy Gobern Crnthy Town's, you

760
00:44:31,880 --> 00:44:36,159
don't really want Nods to be a
center, but it just so happens that

761
00:44:36,199 --> 00:44:38,840
now he kind of gets thrown into
that mold because they're down a big guy.

762
00:44:38,840 --> 00:44:43,559
But yeah, he can't really play
center anymore, which is fine because

763
00:44:43,559 --> 00:44:45,480
you have two really good ones.
But he's an awesome wing. And again

764
00:44:45,639 --> 00:44:51,159
I apologize to a Carmelo or Apollo
or even Lebron not comparing him to him,

765
00:44:51,159 --> 00:44:54,679
but just physically the way he can
move on the perimeter offensively and defensively,

766
00:44:55,119 --> 00:44:59,039
it's just something you don't really see
that often from a big guy.

767
00:45:00,199 --> 00:45:01,880
This is question just be feels like
it rings hollow. After Mike Conley goes

768
00:45:01,960 --> 00:45:06,039
kaboom, no, that's good.
No, you're good. But was there

769
00:45:06,079 --> 00:45:08,880
any concern he kind of has like
that rough stretch where he actually looks the

770
00:45:08,920 --> 00:45:13,360
age of thirty six. Is there
a level of long term concern there?

771
00:45:13,400 --> 00:45:15,320
Is it? Just? Well,
once Monte Morris is healthy and like we

772
00:45:15,360 --> 00:45:19,199
won't have to lean on maybe Mike
Conley as much. Just what did you

773
00:45:19,280 --> 00:45:21,360
kind of make or notice about that? Was like, I don't know,

774
00:45:21,360 --> 00:45:22,840
it's like seven or eight game just
coming out of the All Star break basically

775
00:45:22,840 --> 00:45:28,960
where he just looked so old.
It's a great question. He is thirty

776
00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:32,400
six. And my goal throughout the
season in preseason predictions and stuff was like,

777
00:45:32,400 --> 00:45:36,719
hey, I wonder if Nikia will
play more minutes total and average than

778
00:45:36,760 --> 00:45:39,480
Mike, because I thought back in
September and October, this team will just

779
00:45:39,519 --> 00:45:43,719
try to manage Mike's minutes, have
him play sixty ish games, and just

780
00:45:43,719 --> 00:45:46,239
try to keep them fresh for the
for the playoffs. What I've learned covering

781
00:45:46,320 --> 00:45:50,760
him and being around Mike a little
bit that he might be the most competitive

782
00:45:50,760 --> 00:45:52,360
player on the team. And I
don't know if that's an age thing because

783
00:45:52,400 --> 00:45:55,800
he sees the you know, the
end of the line for him compared to

784
00:45:55,840 --> 00:45:59,280
you know it's gonna be in the
league front of the fifteen years. Mike

785
00:45:59,360 --> 00:46:02,440
knows his time is limited and he
wants to add a ring to what could

786
00:46:02,480 --> 00:46:06,119
be a Hall of Fame career,
I mean just based on his longevity and

787
00:46:06,239 --> 00:46:09,760
how many good teams then like yeah, I mean I think the Basketball Hall

788
00:46:09,760 --> 00:46:13,559
of Fame you and I are getting
close to making it too. So but

789
00:46:13,760 --> 00:46:15,239
Mike, Mike's had a good case, but he wants to win. And

790
00:46:15,440 --> 00:46:20,280
a lot of times when it's you
know that that shoot around meeting between the

791
00:46:20,599 --> 00:46:23,800
medical staff and Mike and Chris Finch, two parties, Finch and the medical

792
00:46:23,800 --> 00:46:25,360
staff like, hey, Mike would
love you to sit tonight, and you

793
00:46:25,400 --> 00:46:28,679
know it's rest up. We can
we can fill your spot. And he's

794
00:46:28,719 --> 00:46:31,400
adamant about playing, like he wants
to play every game. So it's like

795
00:46:31,440 --> 00:46:35,320
a double edged sword, right,
Like you love that because Mike Conley is

796
00:46:35,559 --> 00:46:37,880
stable and a veteran and kind of
a floor general. But then it's like

797
00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:43,719
how many miles can you put on
the leg odometers. So he came out

798
00:46:43,760 --> 00:46:47,039
of All Star break, ironically when
you have that break, kind of stagnant

799
00:46:47,119 --> 00:46:51,159
and didn't really find his groove.
He had a couple of games where he

800
00:46:51,159 --> 00:46:52,920
did kind of get it, then
a couple of games where he fell off.

801
00:46:52,960 --> 00:46:55,400
I meven listen to Bill Simmons on
Sunday with Rossillo. They were like

802
00:46:55,440 --> 00:46:59,719
talking about how that might be one
of the worst trades, even though Mike

803
00:46:59,760 --> 00:47:01,920
Conley he took a fifty percent pay
cut moving forward for the team. And

804
00:47:01,960 --> 00:47:05,679
then last night, man, it's
like, what are you worried about?

805
00:47:05,760 --> 00:47:07,679
Look at him. He just hit
I think it was seven threes. Two

806
00:47:07,719 --> 00:47:10,960
of them were taken off the board
because they were long twos. But when

807
00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:15,639
he is going I'm not a big
left handed shooter fan. I'm just gonna

808
00:47:15,639 --> 00:47:19,000
admit that now. It always looks
aesthetically displeasing to me. But when he's

809
00:47:19,079 --> 00:47:23,039
cooking this offense, this sky is
the limit because that's just another guy that

810
00:47:23,320 --> 00:47:27,760
spaces the floor. And with the
way Nikkeel's shot, so you got Nikkeil

811
00:47:27,800 --> 00:47:30,119
on one end, you got Mike
on the other, and Andres has this

812
00:47:30,159 --> 00:47:32,840
clearly into the basket. The Mike
Conley thing, to me is the number

813
00:47:32,960 --> 00:47:37,400
one player. I want to know
how healthy he is or how productive he's

814
00:47:37,440 --> 00:47:42,480
going to be for the playoffs,
even more than Carl because without Mike jord

815
00:47:42,599 --> 00:47:45,519
McLoughlin off the bench has been great. Monti Morris will come back, but

816
00:47:45,719 --> 00:47:49,960
Mike Conley has been the straw that
stirs the drink all season, and without

817
00:47:50,039 --> 00:47:52,760
him, I do kind of think
they would be lost. Are there any

818
00:47:53,000 --> 00:47:55,480
we talked about this a little bit, but moving forward, Are there any

819
00:47:55,519 --> 00:48:00,599
lineups now without Towns that you're hoping
Finch will get to, Whether it's do

820
00:48:00,679 --> 00:48:01,320
we want to see We've seen a
little bit of it, but not a

821
00:48:01,320 --> 00:48:05,360
ton Kley Moore is playing together,
or now all of a sudden the whole,

822
00:48:05,559 --> 00:48:07,519
if Kyle Anderson's just our point guard
when Mike Comley might be off like

823
00:48:07,599 --> 00:48:10,480
during the non coll or just any
lineups that you would like to see more

824
00:48:10,519 --> 00:48:15,760
of or any of if we haven't
seen them yet. Yeah, I love

825
00:48:15,800 --> 00:48:17,280
Mike being out there and or I
love NAS. I should start with that.

826
00:48:17,320 --> 00:48:20,519
So I love NAS. Read any
lineup NAS is in as good,

827
00:48:20,519 --> 00:48:22,519
but I'm really excited to see and
I think maybe it'll be the starters on

828
00:48:22,519 --> 00:48:28,519
Saturday. Is like a Mike Nikhiel
Aunt Jaden Rudy lineup. You would think

829
00:48:28,599 --> 00:48:30,159
like, oh, Jaden at the
four hasn't been great. You're right,

830
00:48:30,239 --> 00:48:32,679
Jayden at the four has never been
great. He's not a great rebounder.

831
00:48:34,280 --> 00:48:37,800
But Anthony Edwards has been just guarding
centers recently, like he just loves to

832
00:48:37,840 --> 00:48:40,000
take the challenge. A couple of
games I kind of think of who it

833
00:48:40,079 --> 00:48:43,239
was, but he was just like, I'm just gonna guard that big guy,

834
00:48:43,639 --> 00:48:45,320
ah, and he did a great
job of like kind of shutting him

835
00:48:45,320 --> 00:48:51,000
down. So I think ant at
like the four almost with just his physicality

836
00:48:51,000 --> 00:48:53,760
and his way of playing defense,
would be awesome. But I really just

837
00:48:53,840 --> 00:48:58,760
want to see a team. The
biggest issue dan from the Wolves all season

838
00:48:58,760 --> 00:49:01,119
has been they are the best defense
in the league. That usually translates to

839
00:49:01,159 --> 00:49:05,880
the playoffs, but you kind of
got to be top tenish on both sides

840
00:49:05,880 --> 00:49:07,440
of the ball if you want to
be a contender, and the Wolves haven't

841
00:49:07,440 --> 00:49:12,599
even sniffed ten like at best.
They've been like fifteenth or sixteenth, So

842
00:49:12,960 --> 00:49:15,079
they have to find ways to be
more creative on offense. That's also on

843
00:49:15,400 --> 00:49:20,840
Chris Finch, who I love,
but like installing more structure sometimes rather than

844
00:49:20,880 --> 00:49:23,960
just free flowing. Everyone figure it
out. Because this team has vets Mike

845
00:49:24,000 --> 00:49:28,239
Conley, Kyle Hnderson, Rugbert,
but they have a lot of youth still,

846
00:49:28,320 --> 00:49:30,840
whether you like it or not,
Aunt and Jayden and Kill they haven't

847
00:49:30,840 --> 00:49:32,519
been in a lot of winning situations, so maybe instead of youth you call

848
00:49:32,559 --> 00:49:37,079
it inexperience. But I just want
to see them tinker and find as much

849
00:49:37,119 --> 00:49:42,800
shooting as they can on the perimeter
to give Ant the runway to kind of

850
00:49:42,840 --> 00:49:45,079
be a you know, come playoff
time. Man, you've seen this before,

851
00:49:45,159 --> 00:49:49,000
Like why couldn't Anthony Edwards average thirty
eight a game in the playoffs?

852
00:49:49,000 --> 00:49:52,280
Like that seems pretty normal now the
way you watch him play. So just

853
00:49:52,360 --> 00:49:57,760
any lineup that gives him more spacing, and probably any lineup that takes Kyle

854
00:49:57,800 --> 00:50:00,960
Anderson off the floor is kind of
where I've come to be at this point.

855
00:50:00,320 --> 00:50:04,119
That's it. When you mentioned simplifying
the offense, do you think there's

856
00:50:04,199 --> 00:50:07,719
room maybe then, like you can
get to certain lineups. Perhaps it's with

857
00:50:07,800 --> 00:50:09,360
you know, certainly when Kyle Anderson's
not on the court, where you can

858
00:50:09,440 --> 00:50:13,199
just run maybe more spread pick and
roll, because this isn't like a super

859
00:50:13,719 --> 00:50:15,800
even though they have Rudy Gobert,
this isn't just a super pick and roll

860
00:50:16,039 --> 00:50:19,519
heavy team. When you watch them
or when you dig into the data for

861
00:50:19,599 --> 00:50:22,280
it, and like Chris Finch like
doesn't want that, Like he does not.

862
00:50:22,559 --> 00:50:25,280
Chris Finch does not want to coach
the Classic like James Harden Rockets team

863
00:50:25,280 --> 00:50:29,000
that's just all pick and roll.
Like, I don't think Chris Finch would

864
00:50:29,000 --> 00:50:30,559
like to coach the Mavericks. I
don't think he wants to coach Luca.

865
00:50:30,639 --> 00:50:35,840
And just how heavy you know,
usage rate one player is or two players

866
00:50:35,920 --> 00:50:39,320
now, granted Ant's usage rate is
skyrocketing without Carl, but he still watches

867
00:50:39,360 --> 00:50:43,079
when you look at like the front
court touches since towns with that or just

868
00:50:43,159 --> 00:50:45,239
like I think they're infinity at this
point, but it's not a real number.

869
00:50:45,480 --> 00:50:49,559
So I do think Finch and you're
starting to see a little bit more.

870
00:50:49,599 --> 00:50:52,280
That's one of the criticisms that all
fans and people covering the team have

871
00:50:52,320 --> 00:50:58,079
had is Finch doesn't install enough structure
at times when the team probably needs it

872
00:50:58,119 --> 00:51:00,119
and gives him too much of a
leash to kind of kind of figure it

873
00:51:00,360 --> 00:51:04,320
out themselves. So I would hope
that Finch, to kind of answer your

874
00:51:04,360 --> 00:51:07,440
question, calls a little more plays
or has a little more sets that just

875
00:51:07,599 --> 00:51:14,199
get these guys either moving or cutting
just creating more chaos on offense because Ant

876
00:51:14,360 --> 00:51:16,840
has shown that he's pretty good in
chaos. But it'll be interesting to see

877
00:51:16,840 --> 00:51:21,000
what they do these last eighteen or
so games, because you don't want to

878
00:51:21,039 --> 00:51:23,400
show too many cards right for the
playoffs. But in the same vein,

879
00:51:23,960 --> 00:51:29,840
you've seen enough sample size now that
you have to do something different offensively because

880
00:51:30,039 --> 00:51:34,639
your defense could be all world come
playoff time. But it's still an offensive

881
00:51:34,719 --> 00:51:37,360
league even with the rule changes and
all that stuff going on right now,

882
00:51:37,400 --> 00:51:42,159
Like it's still can you outscore your
opponent in certain chunks of a game?

883
00:51:42,519 --> 00:51:45,800
And the Wolves still have that as
kind of their achilles heel right now.

884
00:51:46,360 --> 00:51:49,679
How So, when you're just kind
of looking at the rest of this season

885
00:51:49,719 --> 00:51:52,639
and you've probably dug way more into
the schedule for them than I have,

886
00:51:52,920 --> 00:51:54,639
and they do have I think they're
plus three games at home they have,

887
00:51:54,679 --> 00:51:59,000
they have three more home games and
away games moving forward. Just how much

888
00:51:59,000 --> 00:52:00,760
of a slog do you expect this
stretch to be? Do you expect them

889
00:52:00,760 --> 00:52:04,480
now, especially if that went over
the Clippers annoying the tiebreaker stuff, for

890
00:52:04,519 --> 00:52:07,760
them to maintain a top three spot. Do you see a scenario where they

891
00:52:07,800 --> 00:52:09,679
could drop the fourth or maybe you
know, even as we're recording this,

892
00:52:09,719 --> 00:52:14,480
like the Pelicans are surging and they're
technically only four losses behind the Wolves,

893
00:52:14,519 --> 00:52:16,559
Like what are you just you?
What are your gut feelings in that sense?

894
00:52:17,320 --> 00:52:20,960
Again, this is the beauty in
doing this on the thirteenth rather than

895
00:52:21,000 --> 00:52:24,000
the twelfth, because yesterday I was
pretty much on board with like, I

896
00:52:24,039 --> 00:52:28,880
feel like they're gonna fall the four
that space that they gave themselves. Now

897
00:52:28,920 --> 00:52:30,800
with the Clippers and some of these
tiebreakers too, I don't have them all

898
00:52:30,840 --> 00:52:34,760
on me. Not all of them
are solidified, but the Wolves are starting

899
00:52:34,800 --> 00:52:37,719
to like clinch the tiebreakers with various
teams in the standings as well, which

900
00:52:37,760 --> 00:52:42,400
will be beneficial. But yeah,
as we wake up today, they're zero

901
00:52:42,440 --> 00:52:45,199
point five games out of the one
seed. Okay, seeing Denver are tied

902
00:52:45,239 --> 00:52:47,440
in first and second, and the
Wolves are three three games up on the

903
00:52:47,480 --> 00:52:52,840
Clippers. I do see that.
I mean, they have three games left

904
00:52:52,880 --> 00:52:55,079
against Denver, and Denver is just
I mean, in my opinion, the

905
00:52:55,079 --> 00:52:58,199
best team in the West. Again, they've kind of turned it on and

906
00:52:58,239 --> 00:53:00,960
are unstoppable. But this road trip
they're on is a six game road trip

907
00:53:01,199 --> 00:53:06,199
for the games were really tough against
all playoff teams Indiana, Cleveland, Lakers,

908
00:53:06,239 --> 00:53:07,840
and Clippers, and now they go
play two in Utah, but they

909
00:53:07,840 --> 00:53:12,239
have a couple extra days off.
So I've watched enough Utah games just as

910
00:53:12,280 --> 00:53:15,280
a hater because of the connection between
them and Minnesota with Rudy Gobert and all

911
00:53:15,280 --> 00:53:19,159
the picks they owe. So I
love when Utah loses. Sorry Jazz fans,

912
00:53:19,159 --> 00:53:22,800
But uh, I think if they
can just give Utah Utah, that's

913
00:53:22,840 --> 00:53:25,320
true, that's true. I was
hoping they would go five hundred on this

914
00:53:25,400 --> 00:53:29,599
road trip. That's a six,
three and three. They're already now what

915
00:53:30,239 --> 00:53:32,480
two and two, So I think
they just got to get like steal one

916
00:53:32,480 --> 00:53:36,920
of these games in Utah. They
do then go home and have a second

917
00:53:37,039 --> 00:53:39,000
night of a back to back against
the Nuggets that I'm sure they'll drop.

918
00:53:39,039 --> 00:53:43,519
But uh, the schedule has enough
like kind of easier teams. I think

919
00:53:43,519 --> 00:53:45,760
they play the Rockets, the Bulls, and like the Wizards at home in

920
00:53:45,800 --> 00:53:50,800
a stretch they're I think the best
team in the league at home. Uh

921
00:53:50,960 --> 00:53:52,559
them are okay, see, I
think they're twenty three and eight at home.

922
00:53:52,599 --> 00:53:55,320
Target Center has been a really tough
place for opponents to play, So

923
00:53:57,159 --> 00:54:00,719
I'm not concerned about them anymore,
especially after your last night falling, because

924
00:54:00,719 --> 00:54:04,400
this team, this is kind of
the fans side of me, but they've

925
00:54:04,400 --> 00:54:07,480
shown so much heart. Again last
night, you're down twenty two in LA,

926
00:54:07,840 --> 00:54:08,920
you know you're gonna get to go
to the beach in the morning,

927
00:54:08,960 --> 00:54:12,000
Like, why not just let it
go? And they didn't let it go.

928
00:54:12,079 --> 00:54:15,280
They fought back and had maybe the
most statement win of the season.

929
00:54:15,360 --> 00:54:17,719
So I totally expect them to have
home court, which mean they have a

930
00:54:17,760 --> 00:54:22,920
top four seed, and I totally
expect them to flirt with one or two.

931
00:54:22,000 --> 00:54:24,639
But I would say that they're more
comfortably going to be the three seed

932
00:54:24,679 --> 00:54:28,440
now because Denver I think has the
easiest schedule in the league, and the

933
00:54:28,480 --> 00:54:31,639
Thunder a kind of this unprecedented wagon
that just every time you expect them to

934
00:54:31,679 --> 00:54:35,679
lose, they don't. So they're
better than the Clippers, They're better than

935
00:54:35,679 --> 00:54:39,199
the Pelicans. I think I've trusted
the Pelicans enough Dan that like just when

936
00:54:39,199 --> 00:54:42,920
you trust them, they let you
down. So for now, I see

937
00:54:42,920 --> 00:54:45,800
them finishing probably third in the West
and would make for a great matchup against

938
00:54:45,800 --> 00:54:50,000
the Kings or a Suns or whoever
kind of gets that six spot. The

939
00:54:50,079 --> 00:54:52,440
Pelicans are I've said it a few
times. If they are my kink,

940
00:54:52,880 --> 00:54:55,480
I just I think I can't quit
them. That's a good way to put

941
00:54:55,519 --> 00:54:58,960
it. They eventually feel like they
burn you. But that leads me in

942
00:54:59,039 --> 00:55:02,559
my that's quite When you're looking at
prospective matchups, maybe in the first round

943
00:55:02,639 --> 00:55:06,519
or just in general, if you're
trying to look deeper into the playoffs,

944
00:55:06,599 --> 00:55:10,400
are there any teams one or two
that in particular, and the obvious edwer

945
00:55:10,440 --> 00:55:13,920
just might be even though they did
play them really well, but like Denver

946
00:55:14,000 --> 00:55:15,519
for everybody still as well as the
Wolves might have played them last year.

947
00:55:16,119 --> 00:55:20,719
But is there like any just one
or two teams that you find maybe it's

948
00:55:20,760 --> 00:55:23,079
just compelling, or you think would
be a particularly difficult matchup for this team,

949
00:55:23,119 --> 00:55:25,800
And it could be you could frame
it as even if they have towns,

950
00:55:25,880 --> 00:55:29,440
or especially if they don't have towns. However you want to roll with

951
00:55:29,480 --> 00:55:32,000
it. I don't. Again,
I just want everyone who's listening to this

952
00:55:32,239 --> 00:55:36,119
is in the Timberwolves fan that might
be a fan of another Western Conference team.

953
00:55:36,199 --> 00:55:38,000
I don't pretend to watch near as
many of your games as I do

954
00:55:38,119 --> 00:55:42,559
my own. Teams, but uh, I think the Wolves are best matchup

955
00:55:42,880 --> 00:55:45,760
suited for a team that's kind of
heavy ISO. So not to say that

956
00:55:45,760 --> 00:55:50,880
the teams like the Suns or the
MAVs don't run plays, but we've seen

957
00:55:50,920 --> 00:55:52,599
before. I mean, there's a
viral clip of last year and Jane McDaniel's

958
00:55:52,599 --> 00:55:57,280
and aunt were just basically on an
island against Kyrie and Luca in a last

959
00:55:57,280 --> 00:56:00,480
second situation, all twenty four seconds
of the shot clock. They defended and

960
00:56:00,480 --> 00:56:01,719
they didn't get a shot off,
and they won the game. I think

961
00:56:01,760 --> 00:56:07,599
those types of teams not only that
a little more isocentric like a Phoenix maybe

962
00:56:07,880 --> 00:56:10,599
or Dallas, but also don't have
a ton of size. Like my concern

963
00:56:10,679 --> 00:56:14,320
for the Suns and they're a fun
team to watch is that like use of

964
00:56:14,400 --> 00:56:16,280
Nurkic gets one hundred and ten percent
of all their rebounds, and if you

965
00:56:16,280 --> 00:56:20,159
can just get him off the court, like you can probably crush that team

966
00:56:20,199 --> 00:56:22,480
and like just a rebounding advantage,
and that's something that the Wolves have lost

967
00:56:22,480 --> 00:56:27,840
playoff series against Memphis because they couldn't
rebound. So I kind of like the

968
00:56:27,880 --> 00:56:30,719
Suns. I know that sounds crazy
and I'll get made fun of down the

969
00:56:30,760 --> 00:56:32,119
road. But I like the Suns, I like the MAVs. I don't

970
00:56:32,159 --> 00:56:35,599
like the Pelicans. I know I
might have just taken a shot at them,

971
00:56:35,639 --> 00:56:37,599
but they are my kink as well, like when they're on. I

972
00:56:37,639 --> 00:56:40,199
don't know if there's a better team
in the West other than Denver. So

973
00:56:40,519 --> 00:56:44,000
and they're physical, and they have
shot makers, and they have guys that

974
00:56:44,000 --> 00:56:47,079
can defend in space. So give
me, like a Dallas Mavericks team that

975
00:56:47,159 --> 00:56:51,039
might be, you know, having
some issues or like maybe they're one of

976
00:56:51,039 --> 00:56:53,119
those teams that blows it up this
summer. Give me a Sun's team.

977
00:56:53,440 --> 00:56:58,920
Don't give me a Lakers team.
That's my biggest fear because I just it's

978
00:56:58,960 --> 00:57:02,480
the Lakers right from a Wolf.
My thing is, I want one of

979
00:57:02,519 --> 00:57:07,480
these, whether it's the Thunder,
whether it's the the Wolves, Like I

980
00:57:07,599 --> 00:57:09,960
just want one of these, like
sort of newer teams to just beat the

981
00:57:10,079 --> 00:57:14,199
Lakers of the Warriors handley, so
we could move on with the how yo

982
00:57:14,320 --> 00:57:15,199
the playoff run? Are they?
Yeah? Are they gonna make that?

983
00:57:15,239 --> 00:57:17,679
Look Lebron James, I think he's
a great basketball player of all time,

984
00:57:17,679 --> 00:57:21,880
one of my favorite players of all
time. But just like we gotta stop

985
00:57:22,079 --> 00:57:23,639
not you, but like we got
to stop pretending that like one of these

986
00:57:23,679 --> 00:57:28,199
teams can go on some hell fire
run. It's it's not happening. But

987
00:57:28,519 --> 00:57:30,800
no great point. Not only I'm
with you on the Lebron stuff, but

988
00:57:30,840 --> 00:57:36,599
the Lakers also do have like size
and not just Ad but like Lebron and

989
00:57:36,679 --> 00:57:38,760
Rue and like they have all these
big guys like the Wolves. I said,

990
00:57:38,760 --> 00:57:43,400
they have an identity of size.
It's kind of neutralized against a team

991
00:57:43,480 --> 00:57:46,280
like the Lakers. But then also
too, the greatest I've said the greatest

992
00:57:46,320 --> 00:57:49,800
thing so many times, but the
greatest trade, without a doubt, hands

993
00:57:49,800 --> 00:57:54,119
down in minnesot Timberlves history was thirteen
months ago when they traded D'Angel Russell from

994
00:57:54,159 --> 00:57:59,800
Mike Conley and Nikki Alexander Walker and
three second round picks, one of which

995
00:57:59,800 --> 00:58:04,400
they to get our best friend Leonard
Miller. So I don't need Droyd.

996
00:58:04,440 --> 00:58:06,920
I don't know if I told you
this during the preseason pod we did.

997
00:58:07,280 --> 00:58:09,920
I destroyed that trade from the Wolves's
perspective because I was such a believer in

998
00:58:10,000 --> 00:58:14,719
Delo and what he was doing interesting. That's fair. Oh I was clearly

999
00:58:14,760 --> 00:58:16,719
wrong. I've eaten crow for it
ten times. Over when Grant and I

1000
00:58:16,760 --> 00:58:21,480
talk about it, I absolutely that's
one of the bigger misses I've had.

1001
00:58:21,519 --> 00:58:23,440
I miss a lot, Kyle,
but that's one of the bigger misses I've

1002
00:58:23,440 --> 00:58:27,119
had over the best year. And
you know what, as fans of this

1003
00:58:27,199 --> 00:58:30,079
pod, like, I appreciate you
just being honest because I said I've missed

1004
00:58:30,119 --> 00:58:31,440
way more than I've made. It
was weird too, because at the time

1005
00:58:31,480 --> 00:58:34,920
it did seem like a weird trade. You're trading for a thirty five year

1006
00:58:34,920 --> 00:58:37,719
old Mike Conley and who's this Nikhil
kid, Like he was basically out of

1007
00:58:37,719 --> 00:58:40,800
the rotation in the Utah team that
was not trying to really win games.

1008
00:58:42,320 --> 00:58:45,000
But that trade worked out so well
and Dilo is having, to his credit,

1009
00:58:45,039 --> 00:58:49,400
a really great year for the Lakers. But there is just something about

1010
00:58:49,480 --> 00:58:52,239
the mentality of a Wolves fan having
to watch like Game six, Dilo has

1011
00:58:52,280 --> 00:58:55,079
thirty five and he's doing ice in
the veins and him and vand dapping it

1012
00:58:55,119 --> 00:59:00,239
up like there's too many former Timberwolves
on that Lakers team that just that's not

1013
00:59:00,360 --> 00:59:02,880
if I'm gonna lose, I want
to lose to like Luca who's putting up

1014
00:59:02,920 --> 00:59:07,440
sixty two points a game. It
can't be the Lakers, and it definitely

1015
00:59:07,480 --> 00:59:09,960
can't be the Warriors because they've got
Wiggins. That was the other trade,

1016
00:59:10,000 --> 00:59:14,159
right, Wiggins for Russell, And
then I just the Draymond angle. He

1017
00:59:14,239 --> 00:59:16,360
hates kind of all the Timberwolves,
like he hates Carl, he chokes Rudy.

1018
00:59:16,719 --> 00:59:20,760
Just don't want that either, so
let someone else sweep them. I'm

1019
00:59:20,800 --> 00:59:22,519
totally with you, like, let's
get those teams out of the playoffs asap,

1020
00:59:23,000 --> 00:59:28,800
but give me a lesser maybe smaller
market team for for my small market

1021
00:59:28,840 --> 00:59:30,840
team to go against. I would
say, there's I make fun of the

1022
00:59:30,880 --> 00:59:34,119
Warriors, but like they're between the
two of them, I wouldn't want to

1023
00:59:34,119 --> 00:59:37,280
face them. I'd rather face the
Lakers because it feels like the Warriors like

1024
00:59:37,320 --> 00:59:39,119
their peak if they can sustain it
for like a couple of weeks, would

1025
00:59:39,119 --> 00:59:43,000
be more dangerous. I agree with
you on the Pelicans, especially if they

1026
00:59:43,039 --> 00:59:45,800
don't have cat just looking at their
size and their length and their physicality.

1027
00:59:46,719 --> 00:59:50,679
So I can't remember what podcast I
was listening to and what am I missing

1028
00:59:50,719 --> 00:59:53,519
here, but someone said the Kings
that the Timberwolve shouldn't want to see,

1029
00:59:53,599 --> 00:59:57,559
and it wasn't a King's podcast,
the promise it wasn't a Kings podcast.

1030
00:59:58,440 --> 01:00:00,599
I wonder. I mean, I
think think the Kings the Wolves matchup pretty

1031
01:00:00,599 --> 01:00:04,800
well against the Kings again with the
size thing. The Kings obviously love to

1032
01:00:04,800 --> 01:00:07,440
get out in transition and the Wolves
are one of the slower paced teams.

1033
01:00:07,280 --> 01:00:10,079
They're kind of neutral to me.
To me, if I was looking at

1034
01:00:10,079 --> 01:00:15,360
a Western Conference like brother, they're
like along with the Wolves have never maybe

1035
01:00:15,360 --> 01:00:19,639
gotten the respect they get. They're
really fun smaller markets. So I think

1036
01:00:19,679 --> 01:00:22,239
it'd be a great series again,
back to my twenty years of pain and

1037
01:00:22,320 --> 01:00:25,760
misery. O three oh four was
the last time the Wolves won a playoff

1038
01:00:25,800 --> 01:00:30,000
series. They go to the Western
Conference Finals. They lose to that star

1039
01:00:30,039 --> 01:00:32,880
studed Laker team that's not just Kobe
and Shack but also Karl Malone and Gary

1040
01:00:32,920 --> 01:00:37,239
Payton. But that year they beat
who was pretty much their biggest rival,

1041
01:00:37,320 --> 01:00:42,840
that King's team with like Chris Weber
and Stariyakovicol's guys. So Wolves Kings again,

1042
01:00:43,199 --> 01:00:45,440
one team gets to finally advanced to
the second round. Would be a

1043
01:00:45,480 --> 01:00:47,679
great storyline. But I don't think
I'm I think I'm not neutral in them.

1044
01:00:47,719 --> 01:00:51,559
I'm not concerned. I'm not the
Pelicans again, Like, the Wolves

1045
01:00:51,599 --> 01:00:55,519
have all these great defenders Rudy Nikiel, jayden Ant, but no one they

1046
01:00:55,519 --> 01:01:00,239
can guard Zion. Like there's just
a weird kind of enigma that they don't

1047
01:01:00,239 --> 01:01:01,719
have a big guy that can guard
a Zion. Few do, but the

1048
01:01:01,719 --> 01:01:05,559
Wolves definitely don't. So I kind
of want to avoid the Pelicans, and

1049
01:01:05,559 --> 01:01:07,679
that's why I always keep coming back
to like a Suns team or a Mavericks

1050
01:01:07,679 --> 01:01:10,159
team. By the way, shout
out to the Clippers defense for making the

1051
01:01:10,159 --> 01:01:14,480
wolves transition offense look pretty potent.
They looked like they were running sprints last

1052
01:01:14,559 --> 01:01:17,920
night. That was impressive. James
Hardens having nightmares for sure. So assuming

1053
01:01:17,960 --> 01:01:22,639
Town's is out through round one,
I'm letting you pick the Wolves's opponent for

1054
01:01:22,679 --> 01:01:24,280
the first round. Who would who
would be your final pick then? For

1055
01:01:24,360 --> 01:01:29,199
that? I mean, god,
this is this podcast is popular enough that

1056
01:01:29,239 --> 01:01:32,320
people will pull these receipts and come
back to me. I think it's the

1057
01:01:32,360 --> 01:01:37,519
MAVs. I just don't really look
like I love Chris Finch, but I

1058
01:01:37,559 --> 01:01:39,559
think there are teams in the league
that are better coached. Probably like okay,

1059
01:01:39,559 --> 01:01:44,119
see right, Chris Finch is just
a way better basketball coach than Jason

1060
01:01:44,199 --> 01:01:46,360
Kidd, and I like the MAVs. I have mav friends, but he

1061
01:01:46,400 --> 01:01:51,480
would out coach Jason Kidd. And
then the MAVs would have the best player

1062
01:01:51,559 --> 01:01:53,639
in the series, which is always
like in football, right when there's a

1063
01:01:53,679 --> 01:01:57,119
game, who has the best quarterback? I'm just going to take them.

1064
01:01:57,440 --> 01:02:00,679
But from what two to like seven, maybe two to six. I don't

1065
01:02:00,679 --> 01:02:04,920
want to disrespect Kyrie Irving, but
the Wolves would have like the second through

1066
01:02:05,000 --> 01:02:07,880
six best players and then the size. I just don't know if the Wolves

1067
01:02:07,880 --> 01:02:12,159
would look at a Dallas team and
be that concerned and they would just basically

1068
01:02:12,199 --> 01:02:15,119
be like, we're gonna make every
other player beat us except for Lucas.

1069
01:02:15,159 --> 01:02:20,159
So that's kind of always been one
I've starred. But I also would be

1070
01:02:20,239 --> 01:02:23,519
kidding myself. And this depends on
where the Wolves finish themselves. But from

1071
01:02:23,559 --> 01:02:28,000
basketball junkies like ourselves, can you
imagine the seven, eight, nine to

1072
01:02:28,079 --> 01:02:31,719
ten. That's like Phoenix, Dallas, Lakers, and Warriors, and those

1073
01:02:31,719 --> 01:02:35,599
are the playing games like and two
of those teams aren't gonna make it.

1074
01:02:35,599 --> 01:02:37,159
It's the point of getting the one
or the two seed. At that point,

1075
01:02:37,639 --> 01:02:42,440
a little wit and that's that's why
again I'm probably coping as a guy

1076
01:02:42,480 --> 01:02:45,280
who covered a team that was in
first place for you know, a chunk

1077
01:02:45,280 --> 01:02:47,480
of this marathon. But I don't
think finishing third is bad. Now,

1078
01:02:47,519 --> 01:02:51,599
it's bad if you're trying to come
out of the West, because again you're

1079
01:02:51,599 --> 01:02:53,360
gonna have to go into Denver,
go into Oka See or whatever. But

1080
01:02:53,760 --> 01:02:57,719
I don't think I think three might
be like a sneaky spot to finish,

1081
01:02:57,800 --> 01:03:00,159
right, because you get to kind
of play a team that might be have

1082
01:03:00,199 --> 01:03:02,639
some issues, but you're not gonna
have to play one of these Again.

1083
01:03:02,960 --> 01:03:06,599
It's weird, right because the Mas
and Sons are just playing better basketball than

1084
01:03:06,639 --> 01:03:08,360
the Lakers are Warriors. But it's
the Lakers or Warriors, and until someone

1085
01:03:08,400 --> 01:03:13,719
stomps them out, there's always going
to be that kind of championship pedigrade that

1086
01:03:13,800 --> 01:03:15,360
makes you nervous. The benefit of
three, by the way, and I

1087
01:03:15,400 --> 01:03:19,480
almost got huge, like, you
know your playoff matchup at least a couple

1088
01:03:19,480 --> 01:03:22,519
of days earlier. I find that
so straat is that you're the one seed

1089
01:03:22,960 --> 01:03:24,159
and you're like, don't find out
your playoff match, and then if you're

1090
01:03:24,199 --> 01:03:27,760
the two seed, like, yeah, you narrow down the two teams,

1091
01:03:27,760 --> 01:03:30,480
but you're still kind of billing in
the wind for a minute. Yeah,

1092
01:03:30,559 --> 01:03:32,800
Chris. Chris Finch mentioned that last
year because this has been a play in

1093
01:03:32,920 --> 01:03:36,880
team, you know, for the
most couple of years. But how difficult

1094
01:03:36,880 --> 01:03:38,480
it is is a playing team to
just have less time to scout. And

1095
01:03:38,519 --> 01:03:40,559
I think if you're on the inverse
of that, and you're a top four

1096
01:03:40,599 --> 01:03:44,639
team or top three, you know, if three or four, knowing who

1097
01:03:44,639 --> 01:03:47,039
you're gonna play and having four extra
days to scout them is easier than trying

1098
01:03:47,039 --> 01:03:51,880
to scout you know, three or
four playing teams. Now, this isn't

1099
01:03:51,880 --> 01:03:54,119
a second apron, it's I guess
it's second apron adjacent question. But it's

1100
01:03:54,159 --> 01:03:58,159
also just a matter of when you
go all in on a rude Gobert trade,

1101
01:03:58,239 --> 01:04:00,400
when you trade for a Mike Conley, when you pay Karl Anthony Towns

1102
01:04:00,400 --> 01:04:03,800
where you paid them. This is
just a natural progression to hear there's urgency

1103
01:04:03,840 --> 01:04:09,159
to figure out how good this team
is in the postseason. Does that calculus

1104
01:04:09,880 --> 01:04:12,599
change at all following the Karl Anthony
Town's injury, whereas do they now have

1105
01:04:12,639 --> 01:04:15,920
a built in excuse if things go
ry in the playoffs or is this still

1106
01:04:15,960 --> 01:04:18,880
sort of well we have nas read
Anthony Edwards is ready now we made these

1107
01:04:18,880 --> 01:04:23,159
moves, like, we still have
to read into even if Towns doesn't come

1108
01:04:23,199 --> 01:04:27,239
back, we lose in round one, we still have to read deeply into

1109
01:04:27,280 --> 01:04:30,800
the results that take place during the
postseason. And it's the best point of

1110
01:04:30,840 --> 01:04:34,320
all the really good points you've made
so far, is that there's no real

1111
01:04:34,400 --> 01:04:38,960
reason to talk about the second Apron
stuff, not only because I don't think

1112
01:04:39,000 --> 01:04:42,800
the whole league understands it. Like, for example, there are seven teams

1113
01:04:42,800 --> 01:04:45,719
and they're all what pretty bad or
bottom tier teams that have cap space this

1114
01:04:45,760 --> 01:04:48,360
summer, like the Detroits, the
Charlotte's, the Spurs. They're going to

1115
01:04:48,400 --> 01:04:51,400
be competing to overpay Tobias Harris.
It's going to be right and someone will

1116
01:04:51,440 --> 01:04:55,280
yeah, and Tobias will. Tobias
is like the Kirk Cousins of the NBA

1117
01:04:55,320 --> 01:04:58,920
getting paid. But there's just there's
so many other teams that are gonna have

1118
01:04:58,960 --> 01:05:01,079
financial issues, right, There's just
there's not many teams. You're not gonna

1119
01:05:01,079 --> 01:05:04,039
see a team just trade for karl
on the Towns into their cap space.

1120
01:05:04,079 --> 01:05:10,360
But to the Second Apron conversation.
A lot of these teams think they know

1121
01:05:10,440 --> 01:05:12,719
what they have and have a five
year plan, and then they're gonna get

1122
01:05:12,719 --> 01:05:15,519
punched in the mouth in the playoffs
or have a really successful run, and

1123
01:05:15,559 --> 01:05:18,400
that will determine everything. So I
can't predict what the Wolves will do this

1124
01:05:18,440 --> 01:05:21,840
summer because I want to see what
they do in the playoffs. But for

1125
01:05:21,920 --> 01:05:26,199
a team, again that has never
made it out of the first round since

1126
01:05:26,280 --> 01:05:30,880
Kevin Garnett and O three four,
a first round playoff series win an advancement

1127
01:05:30,320 --> 01:05:33,599
is a big deal. And that's
silly to a Knicks fan or a Celtics

1128
01:05:33,599 --> 01:05:38,480
fan or whatever, but well maybe
not a Knicks fan, but you're a

1129
01:05:38,519 --> 01:05:40,920
Celtics fan. But like, that
is a big step for them, and

1130
01:05:40,920 --> 01:05:44,719
for this Rudy Gobert experiment to work, it's gonna involve multiple playoff runs.

1131
01:05:44,760 --> 01:05:46,199
And this will be a playoff run
and then you just kind of figure out,

1132
01:05:46,519 --> 01:05:49,239
you know who your second round matchup
is. If they get bounced out

1133
01:05:49,239 --> 01:05:55,159
of the first round and Carl doesn't
play, I'm an excuse maker, so

1134
01:05:55,239 --> 01:05:58,440
I would be like, you know
what, run it back. New ownership,

1135
01:05:58,519 --> 01:06:02,000
the team has gone like up one
billion dollars since the Layoway plans started

1136
01:06:02,000 --> 01:06:05,280
to twenty four months ago, they
can probably afford it. But I could

1137
01:06:05,320 --> 01:06:08,599
also see them being like, no, we want to run it back,

1138
01:06:08,880 --> 01:06:10,960
like or we want to change or
we want to run back. So there's

1139
01:06:10,960 --> 01:06:13,519
two paths of them to go.
I think it'll all determine what happens in

1140
01:06:13,599 --> 01:06:17,480
late April early May with it without
Carl. But their goal has to be,

1141
01:06:17,679 --> 01:06:20,360
especially with home court and being so
good at home, their goal has

1142
01:06:20,400 --> 01:06:25,480
to be winning one playoff series.
And then most people won't like this,

1143
01:06:25,519 --> 01:06:28,000
but then it is kind of house
money, like it's you know, what,

1144
01:06:28,000 --> 01:06:30,320
what can you do? You know
against a Denver against an Okac or

1145
01:06:30,360 --> 01:06:33,039
maybe maybe the Suns are good at
that point too, So it's going to

1146
01:06:33,079 --> 01:06:35,679
be really interesting. But for now, I don't really care about the financials

1147
01:06:35,719 --> 01:06:42,599
because the player. I don't think
fans they should recognize it, couldn't care

1148
01:06:42,599 --> 01:06:45,679
about That's not their job. I
will say if Karl Anthony Towns is back

1149
01:06:45,679 --> 01:06:47,719
and looks at anything like Karl Anthy
Towns, any team that they are playing

1150
01:06:47,760 --> 01:06:50,599
outside of Denver, like I'm going
to and okay see is tough. But

1151
01:06:50,639 --> 01:06:55,159
it's just like I have expectations for
this team because I was pretty high on

1152
01:06:55,199 --> 01:06:58,360
them. We loved the Rudy Gobert
trade on this podcast. We look like

1153
01:06:58,400 --> 01:07:00,239
idiot, good look at you.
Part of that, But the way that

1154
01:07:00,280 --> 01:07:03,320
they've played this year, even with
how shaky the offense has been, this

1155
01:07:03,400 --> 01:07:08,760
is a team at full strength that
I think should be held to that championship

1156
01:07:08,800 --> 01:07:12,800
contender standard. And so the Karl
Anthony Towns injury, that excuse is there.

1157
01:07:13,039 --> 01:07:15,159
But if you have like your full
supporting, if you have your full

1158
01:07:15,199 --> 01:07:17,800
cast, and Karlnthony Towns is even
seventy five percent of Karl Anthony Towns,

1159
01:07:17,800 --> 01:07:21,360
like, this is a team that, yes, there's that level of house

1160
01:07:21,360 --> 01:07:25,280
money, I agree from the fan
experience, but they are good enough for

1161
01:07:25,440 --> 01:07:29,440
us to expect more and to criticize
them accordingly if that happens to the postseason.

1162
01:07:29,480 --> 01:07:32,039
I will also say, though I
think relative to national consensus, I

1163
01:07:32,079 --> 01:07:35,039
am higher on what they can do
in the playoffs at full strength, where

1164
01:07:35,039 --> 01:07:38,880
everyone wants to focus on, well, how's this defense going to hold up

1165
01:07:38,880 --> 01:07:41,599
in the postseason? You know what, I'm not gonna say, the Rudy

1166
01:07:41,639 --> 01:07:45,360
Gobert storylines in the playoffs are a
myth, Like the defense is going to

1167
01:07:45,400 --> 01:07:48,639
be fine. Even during the worst
series of his playoff career, like that

1168
01:07:48,679 --> 01:07:53,480
Clippers Jazz series, they had figured
it out by the end of it.

1169
01:07:53,480 --> 01:07:56,039
It was the jazz Is offense that
kind of betrayed them there, unless I'm

1170
01:07:56,039 --> 01:08:00,159
misremembering correctly, and so I have
well, I should say I have a

1171
01:08:00,159 --> 01:08:02,079
lot of faith in this team.
It's just the Karl Anthony Towns injury changes

1172
01:08:02,119 --> 01:08:04,960
the complexion of everything for me,
because even if he does come back,

1173
01:08:05,039 --> 01:08:09,400
I just knowing it's like, how
important the meniscus is that part that he

1174
01:08:09,480 --> 01:08:12,519
injured, to the mobility and the
weight bearing exercise of it, and now

1175
01:08:12,559 --> 01:08:15,719
he's playing the four and has had
to defend different types of guys. What

1176
01:08:15,840 --> 01:08:17,039
does he look like when he comes
back. I think that's fair, But

1177
01:08:17,079 --> 01:08:19,640
this team is. And I don't
think anyone needs to hear this right now,

1178
01:08:19,640 --> 01:08:23,680
but if anybody does, they're fucking
incredible. Therefore, like they are

1179
01:08:23,880 --> 01:08:27,920
super dangerous and I am going to
hold them to a standard accordingly. And

1180
01:08:28,439 --> 01:08:31,039
I should say I was pretty like
apologetic. And again, if you're a

1181
01:08:31,079 --> 01:08:35,279
Timberwolds fan like myself, you're just
always building in coping mechanisms because it's March

1182
01:08:35,319 --> 01:08:38,840
thirteenth. Then I'm usually just on
Tanka Thon, Like I'm not used to

1183
01:08:38,920 --> 01:08:41,199
being like, what seed are they
going to get? Like on the top?

1184
01:08:41,239 --> 01:08:43,199
I'm more like what seed are they
going to get on the bottom.

1185
01:08:43,600 --> 01:08:46,960
But if they flame out in the
first round, regardless with Carl without,

1186
01:08:47,119 --> 01:08:50,399
they're going to be heavily criticized,
and they deserve to be heavily criticized,

1187
01:08:50,680 --> 01:08:55,479
because again, this has been the
best season so far, but it's not

1188
01:08:55,520 --> 01:08:59,039
going to really matter unless they can
finally break that ceiling and be like,

1189
01:08:59,119 --> 01:09:00,239
we want a playoff series. I
mean, it was a big deal for

1190
01:09:00,279 --> 01:09:02,880
them to make the playoffs a couple
of years ago, because like the Pat

1191
01:09:02,920 --> 01:09:06,960
BEV playing game celebration thing, it
was silly the most. But when you're

1192
01:09:06,960 --> 01:09:11,239
the team that, in all four
professional sports has had the longest playoff drought,

1193
01:09:11,399 --> 01:09:13,640
it's kind of nice to get off
that list. This would be the

1194
01:09:13,720 --> 01:09:15,439
next list for them to get off
of is like advancing to the second round,

1195
01:09:15,479 --> 01:09:18,680
however it may come, is a
really big deal, and it'll solidify

1196
01:09:19,239 --> 01:09:23,239
that the Gobert trade. You know, for some teams, if you're the

1197
01:09:23,279 --> 01:09:25,760
Celtics and you trade for Gobert and
you give up all that you're trying to

1198
01:09:25,760 --> 01:09:29,119
win multiple banners for the Wolves and
you give up that price. You're just

1199
01:09:29,159 --> 01:09:33,039
trying to be a conference Conference finals
team, like one out of four years.

1200
01:09:34,359 --> 01:09:38,399
Is there anything anyone else I didn't
ask you about that you think needs

1201
01:09:38,439 --> 01:09:41,479
to be discussed before I let you
go to Leonard Millard first ballot Hall of

1202
01:09:41,479 --> 01:09:44,840
Fame takes that you need to get
off. Since since we last spoke in

1203
01:09:44,880 --> 01:09:46,800
like October, Leonard Miller has had
kind of an up and down he You

1204
01:09:46,840 --> 01:09:49,279
know, I don't know how much
G League you watch. I do I've

1205
01:09:49,279 --> 01:09:53,119
seen Leonard Miller. Maybe they're retweeted
by you onto my feed, but like

1206
01:09:53,119 --> 01:09:56,920
I've seen Leonder Miller G League highlights
throughout the season. No, I think

1207
01:09:56,960 --> 01:10:00,720
Leonard Miller he's tied into like the
Josh Maynott thing. This team under Tim

1208
01:10:00,720 --> 01:10:02,600
Conley has made just some of the
best trades ever. Like you love the

1209
01:10:02,600 --> 01:10:06,720
Go Bear trade, it's clearly worked
out. The Nikhil Alexander Walker and Mike

1210
01:10:06,720 --> 01:10:10,600
Conley trade has worked out. He's
signed Nasried, he's signed Jade, and

1211
01:10:10,600 --> 01:10:14,920
he signed Ant. But the next
generation of what this team could look like

1212
01:10:14,960 --> 01:10:17,039
moving forward, they haven't really done
anything or gotten any production out of their

1213
01:10:17,079 --> 01:10:19,840
young guys. And I'm just interested
to kind of monitor that. That has

1214
01:10:19,880 --> 01:10:23,720
nothing to do with the hour probably
just did now, but it will be

1215
01:10:23,760 --> 01:10:25,920
interesting to see. You know,
you look around the league and like the

1216
01:10:26,000 --> 01:10:29,560
Nuggets or the Thunder. They the
Nuggets for example, like with Watson and

1217
01:10:29,600 --> 01:10:31,560
some of these guys, they kind
of integrate and fold in these young guys

1218
01:10:31,600 --> 01:10:34,880
to be part of their core and
their cheap contracts. That's been really good.

1219
01:10:35,039 --> 01:10:36,760
The Wolves are gonna have to find
a way to do that. They

1220
01:10:36,760 --> 01:10:41,039
won't give any of the young guys
minutes the rest of this season, whether

1221
01:10:41,079 --> 01:10:44,239
you agree with that or not.
But uh I'm already thinking and this is

1222
01:10:44,319 --> 01:10:46,640
just the sicko when me Dan,
I'm excited for summer League. I'm excited

1223
01:10:46,680 --> 01:10:49,279
to go watch like some of these
guys. Again, I just said I

1224
01:10:49,319 --> 01:10:51,239
need a break from basketball. Now
I'm like, hey, you know what,

1225
01:10:51,279 --> 01:10:54,920
Actually I can't wait to go to
Vegas for a week and watch these

1226
01:10:54,920 --> 01:10:58,319
guys. But uh no, I
think we hit on everyone. It's a

1227
01:10:58,359 --> 01:11:00,760
really fun season. I always appreciate
coming on. But if you're looking for

1228
01:11:00,800 --> 01:11:04,680
a team that is just you know, if you're just a general NBA fan.

1229
01:11:05,680 --> 01:11:09,319
It's a I'm biased, but it's
a pretty likable team, right,

1230
01:11:09,319 --> 01:11:12,920
Like it's a lot of guys they
really gel they're all having baby showers again

1231
01:11:12,920 --> 01:11:15,279
because like half the team is expecting
their first kid. No, you mentioned

1232
01:11:15,279 --> 01:11:17,319
that it's like sleep, it is
hard to come by. And I know

1233
01:11:17,359 --> 01:11:19,880
that players technically have more time on
their hands than most of us, But

1234
01:11:20,359 --> 01:11:23,920
when you're throwing a kid into the
equation, like the lack of sleep and

1235
01:11:23,920 --> 01:11:27,079
the recovery, that you shouldn't theory
need for this type of job. When

1236
01:11:27,119 --> 01:11:28,800
you mentioned that, I didn't think
you were crazy at all. It was

1237
01:11:28,840 --> 01:11:30,960
like I didn't know how many of
them were having kids. I'd like,

1238
01:11:30,039 --> 01:11:34,199
but that's certainly I would think a
factor. Some of my close friends that

1239
01:11:34,279 --> 01:11:38,039
cover the team were in Indiana for
that game the other night. That was

1240
01:11:38,119 --> 01:11:41,600
again just must watch turn the lights
down low, poor glass of wine and

1241
01:11:41,600 --> 01:11:44,239
watch what Ant does in the force. But uh, he has that crazy

1242
01:11:44,279 --> 01:11:47,279
game, crazy production offense, game
ceiling block and then they go into the

1243
01:11:47,279 --> 01:11:50,760
locker room and and could be overheard
on the phone talking to his girlfriend about

1244
01:11:50,800 --> 01:11:55,279
like how to position the car seat
in the car. And it's just like

1245
01:11:55,319 --> 01:11:57,960
that type of stuff right that we
don't really focus on. We don't really

1246
01:11:57,960 --> 01:12:00,439
have we're not privy too, but
it's yeah, he's Anthony Edwards was probably

1247
01:12:00,439 --> 01:12:04,800
the most popular athlete in the world
for an hour last Thursday and he was

1248
01:12:04,840 --> 01:12:09,399
just kind of consumed with his child
that's been around for two weeks. So

1249
01:12:09,680 --> 01:12:13,079
it's a really cool team that if
you're just looking for a bandwagon to hop

1250
01:12:13,119 --> 01:12:15,479
on, there's plenty of seats still, but it's a it's a cool team

1251
01:12:15,520 --> 01:12:20,279
that I'm hopeful as a fan can
make a little run because there's nothing I

1252
01:12:20,319 --> 01:12:25,159
believe more than like this fan base
has gotten the least ROI on their investment

1253
01:12:25,159 --> 01:12:28,600
for the last twenty years, and
no one deserves it, even in organizational

1254
01:12:28,600 --> 01:12:30,800
members of the players. No one
deserves having a fun April and May more

1255
01:12:30,800 --> 01:12:34,159
than Timberwolves fans. So it'll be
fun to watch coming down the stretch.

1256
01:12:34,920 --> 01:12:39,640
Kyle, thank you as always for
giving me seventy plus minutes anytime Wolves.

1257
01:12:39,720 --> 01:12:42,399
Are you able just to tell our
listeners where they can find you and all

1258
01:12:42,439 --> 01:12:46,520
the fantastic hashtag con tent that you
put out. Yeah, so I help

1259
01:12:46,960 --> 01:12:50,840
run Daane Moore's NBA podcast, which
is like the best bat like I think

1260
01:12:50,840 --> 01:12:55,800
the best team specific podcast of all
the teams. So if you want Timberwolves

1261
01:12:55,800 --> 01:12:58,560
stuff every day from on the Beat
writers Danemore and Bay Podcast to help produce

1262
01:12:58,560 --> 01:13:00,840
that, and then I do Flaggan
high over at Score North. It's kind

1263
01:13:00,840 --> 01:13:03,520
of fun. I know you're a
hoops junkie. So like Jim Peterson,

1264
01:13:03,560 --> 01:13:09,039
who is that That was really cool. He's kind of known as one of

1265
01:13:09,039 --> 01:13:11,720
the best broadcasters in the league,
him and Michael Grady. We have Jim

1266
01:13:11,760 --> 01:13:14,600
on every Thursday, and he played
in the league. He's from Minnesota.

1267
01:13:14,960 --> 01:13:18,399
He coached WNBA like four time links
championships, so he's a cool perspective to

1268
01:13:18,439 --> 01:13:20,479
have on. We just have a
lot of fun with it. So I'm

1269
01:13:20,520 --> 01:13:26,560
at Kyle's heige on Twitter that that
website continues to be interesting. But it's

1270
01:13:26,600 --> 01:13:30,439
just fun to produce content and try
to entertain people. Again, I always

1271
01:13:30,640 --> 01:13:33,960
have the utmost respect for how you
run this one and the thorough outline you

1272
01:13:33,960 --> 01:13:36,600
give me because it makes it a
lot easier. So if you don't listen

1273
01:13:36,640 --> 01:13:39,920
to this pod and you're a Timberls
fan, you should add this one to

1274
01:13:39,960 --> 01:13:43,800
the to the weekly collection as well, because it's really strong. I appreciate

1275
01:13:43,840 --> 01:13:45,960
all those kinn of words. They
mean the world to me, so generally,

1276
01:13:45,960 --> 01:13:47,479
thank you, And as you know
by now, I will be pastoring

1277
01:13:47,479 --> 01:13:50,199
you again in the future, so
thank you a little. When they make

1278
01:13:50,199 --> 01:13:53,319
the fun, I'll just have me
on and we'll just drink and talk with

1279
01:13:53,439 --> 01:13:55,079
the wolves.