What is Krackwack and ourar Knox listeners, I am Dan Fellig, coming at
you without my fan Daggers co host Adam Cromwell this time. I am,
however, super pleased to be joined by recurring guest and friend of the pod,
Sabrina Merchant writes a lot about basketball for Espnation. She also just recently
became the women's basketball director for SPI Nation and over at Swiss Appeal. There
she's now covering women's basketball full time. And we're doing a little bit of
a different podcast format here. I hope that you can appreciate it. We've
wanted to pepper in and figure out how we can offer more w NBA coverage
on this podcast. I myself have not been religiously into it. I was
getting more into it right for the pandemic, and then at that point there
was some overlap with NBA scheduling, but also I just became over employed.
That's a ship ton of excuses. I'm not trying to say that I probably
couldn't have carved out more time to do it. It is a focus now
after a wild free agency period and start to the offseason for them, and
we get into a lot of that with Sabrina Merchant for anyone who's just more
interested in following the WMBA more intimately, and I think it's a great idea
to do so not just to show support, but to actually just take in
the product, which is, you know, having worked in social media consulting
industry until recently, like I was part of doing you know, women's March
Madness, some of the WNBA covered, and so you watch these games,
see these highlights. It's incredible and it's fun. And I think that there
are you know, there's there's great websites out there that are it's cool to
see, you know, Espionation investing in a full time person to help cover
women's basketball, and there are sites out there, you know her her hoop
stats, the next subscribe to their newsletter. There are a lot of good
writers and people out there doing great work. I also have to shout out
the dunker Spot podcast does a good job. I think of at least choppering
in to talk about the w NBA and mixing it in with their NBA coverage.
We would like to do something similar. We don't get as nuts and
bolts and x's and o's as the awesome awesome, awesome Steve Jones and Nikai
Is Duncan over there, but we would like to try and roll these out.
I don't know how regular it will be, but like I said,
I'm getting more into it. We know people who cover the WNBA, maybe
not exclusively, but more thoroughly than us, and so this might be something
that again hopefully you can enjoy and appreciate, try and get into, and
that we will roll out every once in a while before we dive in.
I also want to know if there's plenty of NBA talk on this at the
end of the podcast or after talking about w NBA free agency, we get
into our biggest questions post All Star break for the Western Conference, I'm gonna
have probably an Eastern Conference podcast specifically for this topic, where we might even
have more questions for the East. It just feels like that race is more
unsettled than what's happening in the West for the most part. Finally, the
usual housekeeping notes, and this time it's a plea. We had someone one
star us on iTunes, so please and write a review saying we talked for
thirty minutes about COVID on the last pod, which wherever you land of the
Kyrie Irving stuff. I clocked at it maybe seven minutes and change, and
I'm pretty sure that was including an intro that wasn't all about Kyrie Irving.
So please help us out. Go over to iTunes if you haven't already.
Don't care if you use it as long as you have access to it.
Throw us a five star rating and also write reviews so that we can nudge
the one star off of there and help our average out. So subscribe to
us, rate and review us wherever you're getting your podcast. If they allow
you, Spotify, lets you throw in ratings now five stars only. Write
reviews. Helps us out a ton. Follow us on Twitter at Hardwood Knox.
Follow us on YouTube that can help us out a ton and our quest
to get up there to a thousand followers. YouTube dot com Searchardwoo Knox will
come up. The link is in our podcast to script and as is the
link to our discord. Come join us. We have a lot of fun
in there. That's where a lion's share of our mail bad questions are coming
from. At this point, we really want to help build up that community
and it was it was great leading into the trade deadline. We still have
people talking now, especially when when games are on. So yeah, dive
right in there, come in there, hang out, talk about what's going
on an All Star weekend, unless you're listening to this after All Star weekend,
in which case just go subscribe to Discord. Anyway, However, that's
enough of me rambling on. Let's talk to Sabrina Merchant, who just does
such a fantastic job covered basketball at large Respionation, like I said, is
now the women's basketball director for Spnation. Follow her on Twitter is a fantastic
follow gets into really the granular stuff of the w NBA even the NBA still,
which is why we talk about the Western Conference. She's again on Twitter
at Sabrina JM. That's at s A b R E n A j M.
Apologies for this long intro that is still fewer than thirty minutes long,
but yeah, that's enough. Let's go talk lots and lots of hoops with
Sabrina. Sabrina, welcome back to the Hardwood Knox Podcast. Thank you so
much for joining us as usual, First and foremost, before we even ask
you how you're doing, congratulations on your new gig covering women's basketball at Espionation.
That's really spectacular, and I'm elated that you agreed to come on for
out this podcast, first time stepping into the waters of WNBA coverage, so
I'm very appreciative of it. But also just major congrats and congrats to Espionation.
We got to do a better job of that, Like, let's graduate
the companies were making the smart hires rather than making it look like, oh,
you're so fortunate to have landed with this company. Esbionation is lucky to
have you. Thank you, thank you. That's very kind of you.
And yeah, when I got to Asmonation, one of the things that I
wanted to do more of was Zomen's basketball, and because of just like the
crazy pandemic schedules, it was not possible while I was covering NBA. So
it's kind of cool that now I get to focus on just this one thing
particular. And like you mentioned, I love talking to w NVA, so
I'm very happy to be on the show to talk about free agency. I
did when you announced it, I saw that you had mentioned or maybe it
wasn't the piece you wrote about it that you came to realize that was what
you wanted to do. Was to focus on the women's out the game.
Was that like a gradual process and epiphany? When did this sort of like
when did that become clear for you? Because you've written a lot about like
you've been on the podcast before to talk about them, You've written a lot
about the NBA. Yeah, you know, It's it's interesting because you know,
another thing I mentioned in that piece when I wrote about the new gig
was that there's I was a little just uh trepidacious, let's say, of
being pigeonholed into women's basketball coverage just because I'm a women. I'm a woman
writing about sports, and I didn't want to be just put in that box
of hey, you should also write about women. But the longer I've been
in this and like, I don't get me wrong, I love talking about
the NBA. I loved Flippers, Lakers. It's been great like thing for
me in my career, and I'm very happy. Yeah, I'm very happy
that I've had the opportunity to cover both of those teams, you know,
and the sacrament of Kings too. But just seeing the depth of coverage that
men get and just the chasm that exists between men's sports coverage and women's sports
coverage, Like there's no reason that that should exist. And I love watching
basketball, so just to have an opportunity to cover basketball and you know,
in space that deserves more coverage and a league that I think would people would
really like to watch. So I'm just happy to be a part of WNBA
coverage, and you know, it's it's just another fun opportunity for me.
Right, Like there's there's so much saturation in the men's basketball space, and
not to say that that's a bad thing, Like we get some really good
coverage, but I just want that to exist for women as well, and
there's no reason why it shouldn't. So you know, one small step here,
well that's dope as hell. I'm excited to see you kill it.
And I know we're like kind of a little bit removed from the peak of
free agency for the w NBA, but like this was kind of a good
offseason where if the NBA like draws all this interest because of the transaction game,
it seemed like w NBA free agency was like out of like control this
offseason, Like it was busier than usual, or at least the some of
the moves that were made were bigger than usual. Yeah, I would say
the last three seasons. Ever since the new collective bargaining agreement was established,
there's just been an astronomical increase in player movement. And I was worried that
it was going to just be limited to that first year when there was a
capspake, like sort of like what we saw on the NBA in twenty sixteen,
but like, thankfully, it's just continued ever since. And this ability
for you know, players in the w to finally have real player movement,
it is just awesome because, like you said, to create so much more
interest, and I think it's just better for the teams because you have to
work harder to keep you your best players and there's just this continuous arms race,
which is awesome. One of the teams that stood out to me from
free agency was the Mercury, who went seems like very much all in,
Like you just don't see a team as good as the Mercury were last season,
then just go add the leading score, ye, Charles, So what
did you kind of think about between getting Charles the Shields? What did you
think about their decision to go that much all in, especially when you look
at they did give up a twenty twenty three first rounder. I think for
the Shields, did you agree with, like, I know you have Diana
Tarassi your windows now, but did you agree with, like the the aggression
with which they approached the off season this year? Absolutely, like you said,
you know Diana Tarrazzi, I don't know if it's her last year or
not, but this is the last year for a contract, and you just
can't expect her to continue playing, especially at the level that she has been
for that much longer. So as long as you have you know what the
w NBA collectively recognized as the goat on here team, you just you have
to go all And I don't think there's any qualms about giving up a first
round pick in an upcoming season, like and frankly, the Mercury have been
operating on this type of hicble for like several years. They haven't selected in
the first round since maybe eighteen twenty nineteen, so this is this is just
what they do. You know, they get veterans and they just go all
in as best as possible. And I think it's the right move because they
just needed some extra offensive firepower and like like you said, adding the league's
leading score from a year ago, who can actually play next to your best
players, is a pretty good way of going about it. Like, I
understand, it's going to make some changes, so they're starting line up because
Branda Turner, who is a fantastic defensive player, probably won't be starting for
them and Tina Charles will be taking her place. But when you can upgrade
like semi average post player into Tina Charles, one of like the greatest of
all time at her position, and are reigning Olympian and scoring champion, and
really like, yeah, you gave up a pick, but who cares in
the grand scheme of things, I think it's a slam doc move. The
the Shields trade, I was a little less high on. It fills a
positionally because they're starting small forward for this season. Tory cl during last ye
playoffs, so it's gonna be really hard for her to come back this season,
so you just needed someone to fill that spot. So logically I get
it because all they gave up was a point guard who really wasn't playing for
them much last season, so just fit wise, it makes a lot of
sense. But Deshield has been I don't know, a lot more potential than
actual production. For the last three years, and there's a reason why Chicago,
the defending champions, was like, yeah, we can let her go.
Do we see? So I guess based off what you said, we're
going to see a lot of Tina Charles and Brittany Grinder play together. And
how does that like, Is there any concerns there or is this just like
the pure upside when looking at those two and how they compliment one another.
I would think it's mostly upside. So Tina Charles was on the Olympic team,
like I said, as was Brittan Grinder. They didn't directly played together.
Britney played mostly next to Asia Wilson and Tina Charles played mostly next to
Soviet fouls. But Charles was the four on that Olympic team, and she
expanded her range significantly last year, like a shot thirty five plus percent from
threes as a member of the Mystics, So she has the shooting range to
compliment Brittany and Grinder can also step out and hit that mid ranger two.
So both of them are just such versatile offensive players that I don't think it's
gonna be an issue at all having the two of them on the court together.
Especially when you consider that Charles will be replacing Turner, who really her
only function on offense is like offensive rebounding and a lab threat, So it's
not like they were they had great spacing before this. Anyway, Do they
have the I was strolling through like the projected starting lineups for each team?
Do they have the best starting five in the league. That's a good question.
You know, Connecticut had the best record in the league last year,
and they returned four of those five starters, along with Courtney Williams, who
has been on Connecticut before. So I think they're right up there. Chicago
did just win the title, and if they bring back Ali quickly, they'll
be able to bring back last year's starting lineup. So there's a lot of
teams in contention. I haven't even mentioned Seattle, who I think has the
best player in the league in France Stewart. So the fact that we can
have this discussion just tells you how hard every team is going for the twenty
twenty two w NBA title. I don't really know who it is yet.
You could say that it's Phoenix, and I wouldn't argue with you, but
you could say it's four other teams and I'd be like, yeah, sure,
And I guess the other thing is like do we what do you know
or expect from like having the new head coach in Vanessa and I guard there.
Yeah, that's kind of the underrated part of the Phoenix off season because
Sandy Brondelo. I think it's an awesome head coach and the fact that they
just decided it was time to move on from her, Like, I get
it's been eight years, but it's not like it was an unsuccessful eight years.
Like she made the playoffs every single season, you know, made it
to the finals a couple of times, the semi finals multiple times. Just
because the Mercury haven't won a title since twenty fourteen doesn't mean I think that
they were underachieving by any means. Like I think the fact that this team
made it to the finals last year is a real testament to Brundell's coaching and
the way they were able to adapt, especially in that series against Vegas.
So losing here is a really, really big loss, And I think New
York is going to benefit quite a bit from having hired Sandy. We just
don't know anything about Venis and Igard, like her main claim to fame is
that she was a high school coach in southern California and like a really great
high school program. Let's let's not like discount that, but like it's not
the w NBA. So she was an assistant coach last year for Vegas incidentally,
the team that lost to Vanix in the playoffs. So I just don't
know what what to think of her. It's it's really big shoes to feel
like it's an incredibly difficult assignment to step into right away. I don't know,
kind of like analogous to like what Steve Crow is stepping into with the
Warriors, were like even more pressure because it's not like, you know,
Stephen Curry was at the end of his career when Steve Grew stepped into that
job or coming off the Finals appearance? Was Steve or coming off the Finals
appearance? Right, Yeah, So I think like there's just so much unknown
there and do you don't I don't know, you don't have to see like
coaches just immediately come in and have success in the W like you do in
the NBA. I mean there's been a lot of first time I had coaches
that just immediately wanted title, like three in the last six seasons, I
think. But ah, that's the That's why I major concern about the Mercury.
Honestly, it's not anything with the roster. It's just I have no
idea what to expect for Vanessa, and they obviously hired her for a reason.
You know, this is not an organization that is like pinching pennies or
not going to get the best coach possible. But it's it's a question mark,
say, Lewis, what is it? You know you mentioned Brondel leaving,
and I think it was framed from the reporting I saw that it was
mutual, which probably means that it wasn't mutual. Was it just a stay
on this? They're like, what was it? I know Broundella is still
coaching, but it's like, what was the reasoning? You just I get
the ten years long, but you just came off and you were two wins
away due It's not like you just got obliterated necessarily, like you were two
wins away, you know. So her contract was up, so it's not
like they fired her by any means, like they just decide not to bring
her back. I think it was just a time for something new. You
know, and that's that's fair. I guess it's just to go for a
rookie head coach is interesting to me, you know, it's not It's not
what I would done. I think Broundella is like one of the top three
coaches in the league. So for her to move on is it's a big
win for the Liberty So don't want to say this next team full disclosure.
The only thing that I actually cared about this offseason was that Sue Bird was
going to play again next year and super is going to play again next year.
But did did Seattle like do enough when you look at Yeah, they
predominantly kept their own free agents. Like, is that a team that we
need to watch? What do we expect from you know, you met shethan
Bronna Stu. It's the best player in the league. What do we expect
from her coming off that achilles injury? She's just going to be ready for
the start of the year. Yeah, that that's the main question to me,
because when I talked to her back in December, she said that there
was no real timeline for her to come back because she wanted to play for
her Russian team before started the stub NBA season. And that hasn't happened yet,
so that's a little concerning. She was at the USA camp for their
World Cup qualifiers, but she wasn't on the team that actually played in the
qualifiers. So just little things that don't make you entirely excited about what Brianna
store is going to be capable of this year. But if I've learned anything,
it's just not to bet against Stewie unless she's like, you know,
in a boot on the sideline, and she's not in a boot anymore,
so that's a good thing. I think Seattle had a pretty i don't know,
like fine offseason. You know, the majority was keeping their three star
free agents, which Super, Juel, Lloyd, Brianna are all back.
We could talk about the link of those contracts some other time because next year
is going to be equally challenging for the Storm. As far as the off
season goes, I think they did a good job by getting Brianne January and
just like another nice defensive guard who can help compliment Super who also spaces the
floor, which just wasn't the case with Jordan Canada. They're like defensive minded
guard from a year ago. I thought the trade for Gabby Williams was a
little weird, just like another ball handler who doesn't shoot. It seems like
they got rid of one in Canada and then brought another one back and Gabby
Williams and I I feel like the Seattle offense just works best when there's as
much space and like driving Cake as much as possible. So that was a
weird move to me. But yeah, like this was a team that I
thought was going to win another title before still we got hurt and they have
those key pieces back, and so long as she and Lloyd and Bird play
together like that team is is damn near impossible to be. So I was
looking at juwe Lloyd's clutch stats from last season and they were just absolutely through
the roof. She might have been the clutchest player in the w NBA last
I mean, they don't call her the Gold Mama for nothing. So you
would build them as like would you build them as a as a real threat.
So when at all last years there's very much justly okay, even like
with the uncertainty with Stewart. Yeah, because until she says that she's not
ready to play the season, which was not the vibe at all in her
free agency press conference last week, then i'd expect to be back, you
know, in May and ready to go them. I guess you. I
don't know what you could have expected them to do after they just won.
But like the Chicago Skuy cut, like I think only a few days before
recording this, Courtney Vanderslute is like officially coming back, and that was I
don't know if it was up in the air or if it was just like
you know, fake drama that was always going to play out and she was
always returning. Do you think that they're still unless I'm mistaken, they're basically
bringing back most of the same team, Like are they gonna be able to
put up a viable title defense? And also just given when you go back
and look at the past champions, how hard it's proven over the past decade
and a half to actually defend your title or two decades basically at this point.
Yeah, So the last team to successfully defend a title in the w
NBA was the Lost Angeles Sparks back two thousand three, two two thousand and
three. So it's it's been a minute. It's not a thing that happens
all that often in the w NBA. Two thousand and two. Sorry,
they want an O one and O two. So yeah, it'll it's been
twenty years since the team repeated at the w NBA, so it's it's challenge.
Showed my age by saying like a decade, because two thousand, yeah,
like maybe a decade decade happen. It's really two decades. It's really
two decades. The thing with Chicago, and it kind of reminds me about
Phoenix that I should have mentioned earlier, is that the way they played in
the playoffs was so markedly better than the way they played during the regular season
that it's you don't really know which team you're getting when it comes to like
May seventh, when the season tips off. And that might actually be another
reason why Staney Broundella was let go because for as well as they performed in
the playoffs, like they were perennially disappointing regular season team, Phoenix marker wear
and they had to win a lot of like single elimination games just to stay
alive in the playoffs, and it's great that they were able to. We
don't want to always put yourself in that position. So that's kind of the
thing with Chicago too, is that like, these were the five and six
seeds out of twelve teams during the regular season. And yeah, it's great
that Chicago looks so dominant on their playoff run, but they were sixteen and
sixteen during the regular season and that's not exactly like screaming title contenders. So
they did bring back the majority of the rotation during the title run. Stephanie
Jolson is gone, but they replaced her somewhat with Mme Seman, who's just
a phenomenal pastor Finals MVP in twenty nineteen. Great score, Like, I
think that's an upgrade, with all due respect to Dolson, like in every
sense of the word. The salute thing there was just like a little bit
of drama because her Russian team was offering to pay her to sit out this
season in order to spend more time with the EuroLeague club. And thankfully for
all the w NBA fans, that did not happen. And it's not like
unprecedented. I don't know if you remember, but Diana Torazzi was paid back
in twenty fifteen to sit out the entire season and she did because it was
substantially more than her MBA contract. So it's just a good thing for the
w NBA that one of their best players, I think the best point guard
in the league is not going to be said out because that would just suck
for everyone involved. The only thing Chicago is really waiting on is Corny Vanderson's
wife alive. Quickly they're starting shooting guard if she chooses to retire or come
back, because I don't think she's playing anywhere else so if quickly comes back,
which I'm assuming she will. Like this is a team that I've one
projected to can beat for a title last year, and even though the regular
season was a little underwhelming, you can kind of chalk that up to injuries.
I think they found something during the playoffs and that rotation is back relying
on like Candas Parker's health once again, which you know, it's just just
getting up there, like it's it's not a given that she's gonna be playing
like eighty percent of year games anymore. So. I think Chicago is another
team where maybe the regular season doesn't look super smooth, but so long as
they have all of their pieces in place, like I trust them to look
just as good as they did in the playoffs as they did a year ago.
I will say I would kill to have an age was it thirty five
season? Like Candas Parker just did. No complaints from me there. That's
actually leaves me a question that I didn't send you. Now, how many
of these players are like still playing year round in this league. That's a
good question. I would say everyone, like most players who are like pre
thirty play year round and then it starts to drop off after that. You'll
see some situations where they still go play overseas, but it's not for the
entire overseaseason, Like they'll take a break up until January and then head over
to start playing for their European team or Australia, Israel or wherever they happen
to be playing. The bigger names who can afford it, you know,
start taking off like handis Parker obviously like Moonlights as an analyst instead of going
to play overseas a very good one, glorious. I would say among the
youngest stars, Asia Wilson's the only one who doesn't play, or Jewel Lloyd
as well as Wilson Joeloyd are the only ones don't play overseas. Everyone else
pretty much does. And then they get to the point where they're like thirty
ish and they decide to stop because they've banked enough money or they're you know,
got the endorsement fields and it just doesn't make sense for their bodies to
have to play overseas that much. But the not so big stars, like
they still play overseas their entire careers even as they get older. Like we're
talking about Brion January earlier with a Seattle storm. I think she is still
playing overseas this season even though she is thirty five and she's already announced this
is her last year in the w NBA. So that's just an idea of
like the the dual gigs that they're still forced to do the La Sparks specifically
misapplyoffs the first time in half a decade. Did they do enough? I
know, you know Liz Kambage, like that was the big one. Kennedy
Carter, who I knew nothing about really and I went back and was watching
just film on her, and I know she playing eleven games for the Dream
last year, and like she did not shoot the ball well, but there's
like film of her like really just like stroking it like it is. It
is incredible. Did they do enough to like to re enter the playoff discussion
or are they still sort of just on the lower end of or the the
contender discussion. Are they sort of on the lower end of that room.
I wouldn't put the Sparks in the contender discussion yet. I think the goal
this season was to get back in the playoff hunt, because, like you
mentioned, they missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade actually since
twenty eleven was the last time they missed the playoffs, So it was it
was a nice successful run for them, But like you know, kenn Sparker
overlaps are allotted that so that what about's going to do with it. Kenny's
warker necka was not healthy for a good chunk of last season as well.
So I like what they did this offseason quite a bit because it seemed like
they were hamstrung financially by all of the contracts they handed out in twenty twenty
one, and they did a good job of getting out of a couple of
those to turn Erica Wheeler into Kennedy Carter, even if it cost them a
first round pick, which might be a heavy price, But like you kind
of can convince yourself that Kennedy's that first round pick because she is incredibly explosive
in the half court, like she can stroke it. Her handle is maybe
the best in the WNBA, Like it's outstanding. Her rookie season highlights from
the Bubble are truly, truly suctacular. There's a reason why she was available
from the Atlanta Dream, and it's because she has had some locker room troubles
with Dream and uh, you know the Dream or not. That's not an
isolated instant on the Dream, to be fair to Kennedy Carter. Like there
there was a video that surfaced of two players on the Dream getting into fight
outside of food truck, you know, earlier this year, and one of
their best players who was an All Star and the Dream said that they were
not bringing her back because of you know, team values that they were trying
to create. So I don't know how much of it to place on the
Atlanta droom culture versus Kennedy Carter as a Sparks fan, I'm going to put
all of it on the culture or not Kennedy Carter. But like there is
there's gonna be some managing for Derek Fisher and the veterans in the Sparks locker
room next year. Like, I don't think they would have done any of
these moves, said Echo Boomicky not signed off on them. So for them
to bring in Liz Cambaige, who is, you know, one of the
more outspoken stars in the w NBA. She's very willing to say things all
the time and that are not the most complimentary obviously, and then to bring
in Kennedy Carter, two extremely talented players who are way better than what the
Sparks were having at their position a year ago. But it's going to be
tricky just to manage all of those egos and personalities together. It's gonna be
freaking fascinating to watch on the basketball court, because just to have a guard
who can actually shoot and get to the rim the way Kennedy Carter can,
and to have a post who commands just attention the way Liza's who can play
next to neck too, just elevates this team's offensive ceiling far beyond what they
were capable of a year ago. I do think just the uncertainty and like
having to fit all these new pieces together prevents me from putting them on the
same level as those teams we talked about earlier, but definitely like this team
only finished one game out of playoffs year ago, it wasn't that far back,
and that was I think mainly because they were missing their their best players
for most of the season, like for injuries. So I put them in
that playoff consideration fairly comfortably, but still I think a step away from top
tier contender. Did they do enough to sort of and like you said,
there were injuries last year, but point nine two three points per possession on
offense last shot, it's awful, and it was. It was the worst
offense by like a pretty cosmic margin. Even sometimes you look at the numbers
and you think it doesn't really stack up with what you watched, Like that
number feels charitable considering what the Sparks offense look like. So did they do
enough to sort of be like, do we expect Kennedy Carter get a real
shot to play a role then? If knowing that, if that was like
their baseline, even if they're healthier, it seems like they need like a
lot of help. And also, how does Jordan they did have to their
credit, what were they in defense? I had it right up here.
They were the third best defense in the league, like feels like ends up
really bolstering that which is maybe not necessarily something that they needed. Yeah,
I think they're going to have a good defense regardless. Like I think they've
been top three every year since Derrick Fisher game, which coincidentally is when Letitia
Chamnel, their assistant coordinator who runs defense, also came. So I'm not
worried about the Sparks defense one bit. Like you could swap out a lot
of the talent. I feel like I'm talking about the Lakers at this point.
You can swap out a lot of the defensive talent and I trust them
to foax, uh, you know, an above average defense in the league.
Liz is just an awesome offensive player. And adding Katie Lou Samilson too,
just like a little bit of floor spacing that they really did not have
a year ago. I think it's going to help quite a bit if they
could just keep Chrissy Tolliver healthy, honestly, Like she played nineteen out of
the thirty two games last year, and they were ten and nine in those
games, and I want to say, like one and eleven or one and
twelve when she didn't play, like it was really bad when she didn't play.
So just having like two shooters on the court at all times, like
if they start you know Canada Tolliver, Samuelsnecka and Campaige. Like that is
a real life, functional spacing lineup which just did not exist on the Sparks
or Ago. So you're saying Derek Fisher did a good job over the off
season. I think this is a really good offseason. I mean we're going
to be checking out the status of that twenty twenty three first rounder for most
of the year. Like the Sparks miss the playoffs, that's a catastrophe,
but I don't think they will, in which case, like to give up
a non lotto pick for Kennedy Carter. Good decision. Last year's two best
regular season teams, the Sun and the Aces, had I guess like final
I mean, you keep John Quyle Jones, you win the off season in
some respect if you're the Sun. But should we expect either of those teams
to take a step back? And the one I'm kind of just looking at
the coaching change with Becky Hammond coming in. Does that signal like sort of
a different direction or do you expect both of these teams to sort of be
near the top of the league again. Yea, So let's start with the
Sun. It was such a weird end to their regular season because they had,
you know, just blitzed through the regular season with their top five and
you know, minor contributions off the bench. Kurt Miller runs one of the
shortest rotations in the league, and it's hilarious because, like you'd think a
team that's that good would just be able to throw in their bench players more
often. But he likes his seven players, and he six was the Sven
players. But then with the reintroduction of Elisa Thomas, it was real challenge
for them to navigate the front court minutes with John quill Jones, Allis Thomas,
and Brue Jones. And I would hope that they have a better understanding
of how to navigate those three together this upcoming season, because it was very
clear that like the Connecticut Son played one way during the playoffs, and then
Allissa Thomas came in and played another way, and that was a really hard
balance districtor in the postseason, and they ended up not being able to So
I think the main challenge this offseason is just figuring out how to work all
those there players together, because you cannot play all three of them at the
same time like that as it possible, but just figuring out how to keep
the style of play a little more cohesive is the main challenge. They have
enough talent where I think they're gonna be great during the regular season, and
then I think Courtney Williams provides a nice little just offensive joelt that they didn't
have. Like their perimeter players are excellent defenders, but it's just a little
bit redundant when like everybody on the roster is a good defender, if you
don't need two ball stoppers at you know, at the point of attack.
So bringing Courtey Williams, who can like actually create our own shot, which
is something bryand January could not do, I think is going to help quite
a bit. And also like someone who can deliver an entry pass to John
will Jones, which proved surprisingly challenging against Chicago's defense for the playoffs. That's
that's a huge child. So I think I think they're gonna be just as
good during the regular season. I remain I'm not gonna say unconvinced, but
I have some questions about their playoff ops side. Still I'm just not sure
that they have quite enough offense to get over the hump. But that's a
question for like, you know, six months down the line. As far
as the Aces, you know, losing Campaigees is not nothing. But they
have so much front court depth, like you just start Deer Hamby next to
Asia Wilson, and I think they're going to be just fine during the regular
season. And there's always sort of been like a clunky fit between Asia and
Liz because neither of them, you know, I want to space out that
much. And I think this is where the Becky Hammond hiring is really going
to show itself, because Bill Ambier loves his two big lineups, hates taking
threes. Like everything that you've known about Bill amber for the last fifty years
still applies as head go to the Lost Angeles I sorry, Las Vegas Aces
in twenty twenty one. So just modernizing that offense a little bit I think
will help quite a bit. I am still just befuddled as to what happened
to the Aces in the playoffs, Like this is a team that was racking
everybody else during the regular season. They're only problems are when they got hit
with COVID and I still have no idea what happened to them during that series
against Phoenix, how they lost, How like Liz camp Bagel out or self
be blocked by Diana Tarassi. How they were just allowing open threes on atos.
They needed a change, like something needed to give and to bring in
a head coach who has the promise of Becky Hammon, who by all accounts
is just whip smart and super ready to take control of our own team.
We could be looking back at that is the most important change of the offseason,
even after all of the player things we already talked about. Does at
to your point about lmb or They averaged sixteen point two three point attempts per
one hundred possessions last year, which is basically five three point attempts over the
second to last team and Yana five few or three point attempts in the second
Yeah, Yanda Fever. I'm assuming they have good shooters like Personna Williams good
shooter. Yeah, yeah, only the storm I'm looking at it only have
to higher three per I'm thinking that number will go up with Becky Hammon.
Yeah, We'll go up. What are they losing anything? I think the
one I'm in to hear you mention was Angel mccautrey. Did they lose anything
substantial in her? Like? What is that like? Does that create any
sort of avoid or is that just a non issue? So Angel was out
the entire season last year with the tornycl and they did just fine without her.
I mean, I think they could have used her during the playoffs,
mostly for that just veteran common presence that she ended up being during the twenty
twenty playoffs, but I think they'll be okay without her. I do wonder
if they have like a real three on this roster, like Jackie Young,
I guess is their small forward. She's not quite the jump shooter that Angel
mccatriy is, but she's gotten so much better every single season, and even
without being a three point shooter, which I imagine Becky Hammon will coax her
to being a bit more of a shooter than Bill Mbier ever tried. So
the development in Becky Hammon's offensive game, sorry not the development in Jackie Young's
offensive game has been pretty consistent over the last three years, even if she
hasn't turned into like a knockdown jump shooter, So I think she can handle
that that small forward role just fine even without Angel presence, And I imagine
they're just going to run a little bit more small lineups with like Kelsey Plumber,
Quonda Willams, Chelsea Great together and just force teams to run up and
down with them because they're so good in transition, and like, if you
don't have Liz, you can run five out lineups and like Asia Wilson at
the center and just be devastatingly hard to guard. Having not watched much of
them last season, it sounds like that would be a stark contrast to how
they played last season if that's what they're going to do. The thing is,
it's like, even with Billy and Beer, they were still a good
transition team. It's just they never pushed the pace as much as you'd want
to. And I just hope that that's what Beckhamon does because their roster like
screams running gun. Who would you pick is the better like MVP bet right
now it would be Asia Wilson or John qll Johnes. It's a great question,
So I guess John quill is a defending MVP Asia one in twenty twenty.
I do wonder if we're going to just have like another name come out
of nowhere, like because no one was really picking John Quill at the start
of last season. I probably go Asia just because there's some kind of voter
fatigue, you know when a team does really well in the regular season and
craps out in the playoffs and you don't want to exactly reward them again for
doing well in the regular season. Yeah, so I do like that.
I do like when you go through like the MVP winners, there's just like
so much more parody and like who was selected compared to the like, even
though there's more teams the NBA than the NBA winners, it feels like there's
more room for I like the unknown, like going into stuff like that.
So and then with a w NBA, there's like a really consistent run of
oh, best player on best team wins MVP, like I think the last
last five years, last six years, maybe like the top seed has produced
the MVP or maybe like the top two seeds. So it really comes down
to which of these teams you think is gonna have best toiler season and just
pick the best player on that team. And I think Vegas is going to
come out really hot because they're going to be incorporating a new system and they're
gonna have to try hard, like it's they underachieved the year ago, and
like I think they just feel like they have allowed to prove. So I'd
probably go Asia as a stronger breath of Johnquell, but like, I'm not
even sure that I would think that she's a great bet, just a better
one than JJ at this way. Do you like the ideas the and I
just could apply to so many different sports of the MVP award having that sort
of even though it's not set criteria, you just know that it's going to
go to the best player on one of the two best teams. Or do
you like the idea of it being so open for interpretation to the point that
it just becomes like this divisive debate if there's anything other than a formality.
I kind of like that it comes from the best team, because, in
my opinion, value comes from wins, and that's the most wins come on
the top teams, Right, So, I mean the NBA pretty much has
this too, right, like the top three seeds always win an MVP,
I mean, other than Russell Westbrook, but that it is an anomalous situation,
So yeah, I like it. I it bum it bugs the crap
out of me in baseball when you have a player who doesn't make the playoffs
and wins MVP and then it's only really bugs me because it happened a lot
when like Marry Bonds is winning MVPs and like the Dodgers were winning the division
and not collecting I mean I baseball at me, I wouldn't even be able
to figure out because I don't think there's like any one player that can make
like that much of a of a difference. So we already talked about some
of the new coaches, but of the there were four new hires I think
over the offseason, Becky Hammond and Las Vegas or and we had sorry whereon
uh Sandy Brundelo is with the Liberty And why am I missing this list?
Maybe I'm and Vanessa and Eye Garden Vanessa and I Garden Phoenix and then Tanisia
right in Atlanta, Denisa right in Atlanta. Which one of them do you
see making like having the biggest impact on their during new team? Probably Sandy
or Becky. Maybe Sandy just because Becky already has such a high standard like
that the Aces have lived out to already. But the thing is like wins
losses wise, I don't think Becky's gonna affect the Aces that much because they
were already winning so much, like I said, but she could dramatically affect
the style of play that Las Vegas plays, which would be far more significant
than you know, the Liberty winning eight more games, because you change the
style of play like you weaponize Asa Wilson all of a sudden, like I
think that's much more important than a team like moving from the eighth to the
four seed. So I just I'm low to give like a rookie head coach
this much credit before seeing what they are capable of doing, even though I
think it's going to happen. I'd go Sandy Brondela just tod dr beats because
I know she's a good coacher. And I'm just assuming that Vanessa and Igar
is going to be under the brightest spotlight because of the city. Oh my
gosh, I like they might as well have hired Diane's Rozzie as a player
coach because she is going to be yelling at everyone to get things and and
we'll see what happens there. Wanted to get your thoughts on some quick hitters
here, Which team, whether we discussed them or day or not, do
you think had just the best offseason so far? In some It's funny we're
doing like a round table on this very question for switching people later, and
I've been going back and forth between like seventies. I'm gonna be a super
homer here and say the Los Angeles Sparks had the best offseason, because the
cardinal sin of the twenty twenty one Los Angeles Sparks was not that they're bad,
that they are boring, and they are no longer boring and healthier.
I guess yeah. I mean they can carry a full twelve player roster this
year with the salary cap machinations, so that's gonna help quite a bit.
Is there a team that had like an underrated off season that we just didn't
talk about when I was asking you the questions? So I already mentioned like
everyone underrated off season. You know, I think Chicago is getting a lot
of level already. You know, Indian is interesting because it's like they waved
their lottery pick from a year ago, and I don't think anyone's expecting them
to do much of anything this year, but I think they finally picked a
direction, Like they they got three first rounders in this year's draft. They
moved on from two Ki catchings GM, which, as much as that sucks
from like a fan perspective because she is the Indiana Fever, I think they're
making just like smart, measured decisions to actually, you know, rebuild and
move forward, which they have been reluctant to do for the last five years.
So even if it doesn't pay off immediately, I think that there is
a sign of good things to come for the Fever. I am sort of
wondering if the Mystics just by virtue of them coming out and promising that Eleanta
del Don's is going to play in more than three combined games over the next
two years, if that's just like one of the biggest editions of the offseason.
When Alanta Deladon plays, the Mystics look like just it's it is night
and day between when she does play and when she doesn't play. And you
know, I mean, I keep bringing up the Sparks, like the Sparks
had the mis fortune of being in one of the three games that Atlanta Talaton
played this season, and they were down by like thirty at the end of
the first quarter, Like it was so incredible the level of ball movement and
just player movement that happens when Edd's on the court. I never know she's
gonna be healthy, So if she is, then like I am highly underrating
the Washington Domestics, but I'm just a little a little shell shocked after what's
happened last years. Is there a bigger loser or a team that had a
disappointing offseason so far, it's you. I kind of hope that the Dallas
Wings would make some sort of consolidation trade. They have such a deep roster
and not everyone gets to play, and they're all like good young players and
you could see them developing into stars. But I kind of think there was
an opportunity for them to go after a big fish, even if it meant
sacrificing two of their smaller players, and it just didn't happen. And so
we're basically going to see the same team this year as we did a year
ago. And yeah, maybe they'll like make enough internal improvements where it doesn't
matter, But I think there was there was more to be done that didn't
happen. For the Wings. They did. When I was going through all
the different articles I had like winners from WNBA free agency or free agency grades,
they were the team that was most mentioned as like no grade or TBD
incomplete. Right. Yeah, you seem like in lockstep with with those thoughts.
Uh. Which offense should we, especially me, be most excited to
watch next season? Oh? Good question. I'm excited to watch the Aces
just because I think that they could look dramatically different than a year ago.
Uh. And then I'm always excited to watch Seattle because super duel Lloyd and
Stewie and like three man actions is is magic. It's just magic. Uh.
The last year's team, the Aces, they played it like a blistering
pace too, right, They were just super fast, so that I'll definitely
can Do you think the Liberty are going to slow it down under Brundella or
what? Should they still be a team that's going to be playing it like
a higher octane to I think they'll try to keep the pace up. And
like who do they bring in the office? And they brought in Dolson,
who is perfectly capable of like running running up and down like she played like
three on three and she's a good trail three three point set or so yeah,
my guess is that their their core is best suited to planning fast.
So which team do you think is going to make the biggest take the biggest
step back compared to last season? And which team would you have is going
to make the biggest step forward? And you kind of already mentioned the problems
with this where how do you define going from like very low wind totals to
like medium winds wherever you want to, like, you know, interpret it.
What's crazy is I don't think any team in the league got worse in
the top ten. Okay, well, which is which is a lot of
the teams in the NBA winder, There are twelve tears, so I don't
think any of the top ten teams got worse. So that kind of makes
it hard to pick an overall loser because Indiana Atlanta didn't want a ton of
games last year, So that's that's so tricky. I guess only because Nafisa
Collier is pregnant, Like Minnesota could take a step back because I think she
was their second best player a year ago, like better at some things than
Sylvia Valles, but not nearly as important to Sylvia fALS and yeah, they
signed Angel mccatrey, but angels on the latter half of her career and I
don't see her being nearly as impactful as Nafissa was in twenty twenty one.
So if a team like it was actually good last year has to take a
step back, I would say it's Minnesota and that sucks because I freaking Adorse
shell Reeve and like so many players in Minnesota are so great to watch.
But Collier is awesome and for her not to be around is just sucks.
And then as far as a step forward, I would say the sky all
right, I would say the sky, yeah, because they considering that and
I don't think there are five hundreds of team like I think they're much better
team, which obviously the playoffs showed. So yeah, regular season wins,
why I'm gonna say them it's gonna take a step back, Chicago take a
step forward. Delivery have a chance on a Brundella to take that huge step
like do we see like incredible things or maybe Sabrina Youannsku. I would love
for Subre gonna take a big step forward because I mean, obviously a big
fan, you know, for the obvious reasons. But yeah, I thought
they were gonna make a bigger splashing free agency. They had so much catform
to work with, and I think they're big swings just like went like unfulfilled.
Like I know they wanted. They had the meetings with like Stewie and
Jewel Lloyd, and I'm sure they made an effort to go after like mashanz
Allen and I'm amusement, and those just didn't pan out. So I do
think there's gonna be substantial internal improvement. They're like I think Sabrina's gonna be
much better than she was these last few years. But I just think Chicago
has too much talent, Like for that that team to have been a five
hundred team is like ridiculous. It's it's so I think that's where the biggest
one jump is going to come from. Is there anything else anybody else anything
about this off season? I didn't ask you about that you think we need
to hit on? And maybe any Draft day storylines that you're monitoring, which
I still can't get used to, like that there's still on a date for
the draft because I know that they have to Everything happens after the March madness
tournament, I'm assuming, so I still can't. That's not something I can
wrap my head around, to be honest with you. You know, usually
they've had the draft pretty consistently, like the Wednesday after March Madness, so
I'm surprised that they haven't settled on that date yet. I know the last
two years they haven't had any person draft, so maybe it's just getting back
to a person that's leading to that delay. I don't I don't really have
any big draft takes this year or the good classes are coming in twenty three
and twenty four, so that's why it's so interesting, not even now,
like a Leo Boston and Haley Jones next year, so the big names are
coming in the next couple of years. This one is going to be I
think a little bit of a tamer class, which is why it was so
interesting to see somebody twenty twenty three picks Chang Chance because I think that's gonna
be really good, really good draft this season and next season. Then with
those draft classes in me so the the WNBA lottery actually takes into account the
last two seasons, So even tanking for one year doesn't entirely help, because
you know, you have to count the wins from the year before, but
Indiana and Atlanta, it's definitely prepping for like a really good fix in the
twenty twenty three draft. Well, thank you for steering me through all this.
It was great to pick your brain about it. Did you have a
few minutes to answer some patented NBA Western Conference questions before I let Yeah,
let's do it. Let's do it. I say you a bunch just to
deal with the west of things that I'm like curious about and monitoring post All
Star break. Feel free to throw your own in there, but I'll throw
the first one at you, is like, is this sort of a make
or break year for the Utah Jazz And if it is, why weren't they
more aggressive in doing something other than clearing tax room, taking a flyer on
GNAW and keeping Daniel House at the trade deadline? Just all the noise.
I can't I'm not going to shake the idea that Donov, Mitchell Y Golbert
just don't like each other, Like there's just been too much smoke for there
not to be some sort of fire here. And if you, I know,
they've had excuses over the past two postseasons, but like sure, losing
to a Clippers team that had no like the Terran's Man led Clippers, like,
that's also not okay. Yeah, for all the excuses that Utah had
last year, I'd argue that the Clippers had a much bigger one, and
I think they had excuses like Rudy Gobert could not jump. By the end
of that series. He literally lost the tips at the start of games five
and six, which never happens. The Clippers never win the tip, especially
when they're starting a centerless lineup, so and then you know, Donovan Mitchell's
ankle was a huge concern as well, but I would say them being able
to play is still better than Kahi Leonard not being able to fly. So
yeah, those excuses don't really hold a lot of water in my opinion.
I would have said this was to make or break here for the Utah Jazz.
And then Joe Ingles got hurt and it was just sort of not that
he's, like, you know, the third most important player even on the
Jazz, but it just felt like, I don't know, like part of
their collective soul had broken, and like I just don't expect anything from them
now he was there. I just don't trust best passer, which is and
he was pretty bad this year, so like it is, the fact that
he was their third most important playmaker, though, is like kind of scary
because now it's not ideal. It's not ideal if it's Jordan Clarkson. Now,
like that's a problem. You probably trust invest in to kill Alexander Walker,
I guess also also a problem. So you if let's just assume they
get bounced early in the playoffs, which I think is fairly reasonable, you
wouldn't expect there to be like any core changes here, you would. You
would think it's more likely they just run it back. Yeah, I think
they were just running back. I mean, what are they gonna do,
Like, everybody's still under contract. It's not like they have big decisions to
make in the off season, so I don't know, just try to find
a wing, you know, through out some of those late later picks that
are now available to you. But yeah, I mean, the Chazz are
just kind of disappointing to me. Now I had such high hopes for them,
and now it just feels like their window has already shot. Honestly,
we did. Their offense is taf which we coined as thermonucle or as fuck
on this podcast which they were banged up. But I would I normally agree
with you. I'm convinced like they're trading Rudy Gobert's ask if theyn't win this
year. I don't think it's his fault that they haven't. But you can't
get rid of Donovan Mitchell even if you think he's unhappy, because I do
think just his role in the playoffs is more important operating from the point of
attack and the shots he hits. I kind of expect more wholesale changes if
they if they flame out, and if they decide to go all in on
a Jeremy Grant or Harrison Barnes has become available by making those later first rounders
available. Why didn't you do that at the trade deadline when those players were
in fact available, didn't get moved. Would be my art friends, just
perpetually available. He can't now if he wants to sabonus Fox bearing to work.
I feel like you have to keep extend Harrison Barnes for Yeah, they
really should extend him. We're going into a last year of his contract.
Oh man, is there anything that you want to throw out there like that?
You're very You mentioned this on your outline, but do you understand what
the Mavericks are doing. I have no fucking idea. I get. The
only way I can justify it, and it has nothing to do with on
the court is they broke up. They were so out on Chris stops,
which is which is fine. He was better defensively this year, but he
thinks he's like needs touches from mid range and in the post, and it's
like, dude, no h. So you have those smaller contracts, but
Spencer Dinwoody is having his worst year in quite some time. Couldn't operate next
to Bradley Beale, and I know Jason Kidd has been willing to try,
probably for worse different things on offense, where Lucas not on the ball,
but Lucas not any more like less ball dominant than Bradley Beale is. And
Dinwoody wants, upon a time, would give you the rim pressure you don't
have. He is getting to the rim at a career low clip this season.
So you've broken it up into smaller contracts, which leads me to believe
you think there might be something to do over the off season, and that's
your flexibility. It's not even cap space, which doesn't mean a damn thing
in Dallas anyway, Like they just they correct. They're the kings of missing,
like Danny Aingel's been ging of almost when it comes on making moves.
So I have no idea if this works out from a bat like Davis Burton's.
I know he's had knee stuff. I know there was the COVID h
he had COVID last year, and he seems like he never recovered. He
wasn't even he was. He's being paid like fifteen million a year to be
the Wizard's like twelfth Man at one point. I just don't And maybe they
help on offense because Dallas's offense is sol vanilla, But you did trade your
best rim protector when you've had the most surprising defense in the league, I
think, and I know it was predicated on or is on keeping opponents out
of transition. And then I think we're probably not talking enough about how they've
gotten lucky on opponent three point shooting from deep. It was just I don't
know. The potential payoff here doesn't feel worth not even selling low on Chris
Stops just it feels like he still gave you the immediate higher ceiling and you
didn't give yourself enough outs to me in that trade. Yeah, I don't
see how this makes sallus better now or in the future. And like if
neither of those two times, then when I understand moving on from Chris stops,
I get it. It's just you have to get something back. And
like I was just super high on Davis Burtime's back in nineteen twenty when he
was like king of my fantasy team and I was winning through point category every
week, but like, what does he do for you? I don't understand,
Like you can't play him defensively. Spencer Dinity, I've never understood the
draw with I don't know why teams were clamoring to like get him a year
ago, but I just I don't understand it. I hope for better for
Luca because he is so awesome, and I just want him to be surrounded
by good players, and the Mavericks seeming capable of doing so maybe it'll be
addition by subtraction because you don't have like the ego of personality offense, so
it's like you can distribute to touches differently, but Gamin and it's like,
was this supposed to inoculate you against Jiland Brunson getting paid too much? This
make Field Brunson feel better that you've brought in another point guard as its potential
replacement. Like, I'm all for a vibes clearing trade. I get that.
I just don't think Spencer Dinwoody is the guy you bring in when you're
making a vibes clearing trade when everyone on Washington is so happy that he's gone.
Yeah, it was Bill asked. I said this on trade Day.
Bill asked for Sibonis, the Wizards gave him Porzingis and got rid of Dinwoody's
pep talks instead, which is like that's a fun that's fair, that's fair.
That quote is like it's gonna be tattooed to memory where we're doing,
Like, yeah, I tried to be a leader in talk, but they
were really about what I had to say. Uh. The other one of
the biggest questions I had, which I think was answered before we recorded this
podcast, is will Zion wi him play this season? And word is he
needs a second foot surgery. So I'm gonna go ahead and say no,
I'm curious where you're at with that. That makes me so sad. I
don't know if people who are listening the show, no, but I am
a ducalum and I love Zion deeply, deeply, and he's just another player
who's tremendously fun to watch, and I worry that we're getting Greg Oden type
situation from him, and it's it's such a bummer, especially because I think
New Orleans is like finally doing some things right. Like I liked the moves
that they made at this trade deadline, and I don't know, like brandon
Ingram and Zion should be awesome. That should be a duo that we're talking
about, like in the same breath as like John Mary and Jerran Jackson Junior.
And yet you know the Pelicans are just fighting for the ten see,
like that's it's lame. It sucks. If he did come back, though,
that's like a team all of a sudden with CJ. McCollum, and
I don't know, they'd played better defensively for a huge portion of the year.
You had some like five good players, honestly, right, if you
add CJ and Zion, I imagine that wouldn't continue. But that wouldn't be
a team. No, I wouldn't pick them to beat the Warriors, Like
I wouldn't want to face a Pelicans team with Zion with Brandon Ingram playing like
this and then just having CJ. Mccullums bucket getting experience like in the playoffs.
That's what I think has always been under appreciating his game is it's scaled
to the postseason for the most part. That's not a team that I would
want to face. But I guess there's not a lot of teams I'd want
to face in the West, unless it's like do you want to face Yeah,
I'll get you out of here with this one. How do you sort
of see the play in spots shaking out one through six teams set like Dallas,
Denver, Memphis, Utah, Golden State, Phoenix. Right now you
have teams that are trying to get to ten, like one of those final
four spots, and the Wolves, Kings, Pelicans, Clippers, I would
say, and Lakers. And there are two teams in Portland and San Antonio
that the way they've played since the deadline or Portlandson's Dame's injury might fall ass
backwards into that. So if I forced you to choose your four play in
teams who would you roll with? How want to be super boring and just
pick the four that are actually trying to win, So Minnesota, the Pelicans,
and the LA teams. I wouldn't expect the Clippers to be in this,
but Dave, like Tylo has to be in the coach of the year
discussion at this point right, Like what makes him such a great coach?
So you know how I was talking about the Chicago skyrolier and how like you
watch them and that's not a five hundred team, Like I watched the Clippers
on a good night, like you cannot have them. How this team is
under five hundred. Like they've played so hard, they try so many unique
things on defense, like they're always prepared. They just don't have enough offensive
juice, I guess. But tylu I think one. Like people just adore
him and he's just great personality. People are willing to like run through walls
for him. So that's a big part of it. He's so whip smart
with his adjustments, like the things that he's able to fix mid game.
Like most coaches, it takes them like you know, half time or like
you'd have to like call time out and actually fix it. I know,
Chauncey was saying this from Portland. Came to play like the Clippers that like
Ty just fixes it on the fly and like while you're thinking about are like,
Okay, how am I going to adjust it? As like Ties,
he's already gotten to it. And the fact that the Clippers can actually execute
on his adjustments like in the middle of a game is I think attestament to
how one they have so many good veteran friends, but like, just what
a great job the coaching staff has done of making their players flexible. It's
a it's a damn shame that Kawai is not going to come back this year
because I think this Clipper team could be just generationally good honestly if Kawhi were
healthy. But yeah, I don't. I don't think it's a team that
like went to the conference finals and now is fighting for the plan boasts your
typical coach of the year resume. So that's probably why Tie is not going
to get in there. But like if you talk to people around the league,
I think there's a consensus to Tie is like a top three coach at
worst, and so for him to never be in a position where he's actually
gonna win Coach of the Year is kind of silly, but that's just how
these this award works. Yeah, he's he's awesome, like just just really
really good. Can you imagine if the Lakers had just like ponied up and
given him money. Look, the Lakers are cry poverty at every turn.
They need they need a federal government loan program that helps them with luxury tax
payments. They gave it back. They didn't want to take on the Dave
mcmdman reporting coming to the deadline where he's where the Lakers said they were in
lockstep with A D and Lebron that they were fine not making moves, and
then mcmannon's like, sources told me that's bad, not true, and a
D and Lebron wattered the Lakers to make moves there. They're a disaster.
But the Clippers are the fact that they're even I know they had Paul George
for a while, and like they do have defensive talent, Like this isn't
shouldn't be like a top five defensive team even when you're looking, Yeah,
it doesn't seem like it. Yeah, And I also would like to learn
Nicholas Batoums like catches it over his head but shoots it in the same motion.
Like he has to be shooting at least on those specific catch and shoot
looks at least seventy five percent, because I don't think I've seen him miss
one of those. Off season. If you go to a Clipper shoot around
that, it is literally all of a tomb dies is just high release threes
over and over again. That's that's all he's working on, which is great.
I mean, like I remember growing up and like constantly hearing about crew
of Adult bar teaching the Laker bigs like keep the wall high, keep the
ball high, and like that was my favorite thing about Pawcasol was that,
like he would get an entry and like keep the ball high. Nick Patoon
just takes that to like an absolutely different level. You don't need to keep
the ball high, I don't know, three point range. When his his
releases, it's insane. It's so cool. His like renaissance in LA just
in general. We talked about this leading into the season, that he led
them in total minutes last year has been maybe feel good as a Hornets fan,
but like it's been really fun to watch. But have lost Niko,
but Tuman Malik monk in back to back off seasons for minimum contracts past a
second, if you lost Monks in the minimum though, that's that's on you.
You clearly didn't want him, and so like that's, yeah, that's
gotta be a little good. I don't understand why they didn't want or is
the bar for the Lakers just that low. I mean he's been good.
I think Monk is good. I think Monk is good, and he'll leave
after the off season because they don't have Bird right, Yeah, he will
have priced himself out. I did, unless he is so happy with his
rumored new girlfriend Diggy as Alien in Los Angeles that he wants to stay here
he's dating. I did not know that he is following the Nick Young blueprint
to a freaking tea. Uh well, let's let's hope not to a freaking
tea, because that didn't end so well for me. Young was one step
that I would hope from a leak fund to avoid, and it probably includes
hanging out with DeAngelo Russell or anyone who's specially you could also just be faithful
would be the alternative, but throwing out both options the Clippers. Lastly,
I'm hoping they bring back Roco and are able to keep Patum. I think
he still has a player option for next year. Yeah, you have so
many interesting now with if Kawai's healthy, Pg's healthy. We also didn't talk
about like they might not have Norman Powell now for the rest of the season
all of a sudden, like what the hell? They have so many like
no guard small ball lineups that I would just love to see them trot out
if you bring all those guys back. And so that's why I'm hoping they're
still pretty much. I know people are like, oh, Roco might just
be a rental because they want to make the playoffs. I'm like, fuck,
no, bring him back like Portland was trying him at the five and
you're specifically built to play that way. Yeah. I will say that the
no guard all wing lineups don't work nearly as well when none of your guards
are primary ball handlers. I mean, none of your wings are primary ball
handlers. Like the Clippers without Reggie Jackson on the floor are a disaster at
the moment because they don't have a backup point guard. And I get like,
if you have to include Eric Klitz, it was matching salary and Norman
Palatrod you'd do it like one hundred times out of one hundred. But if
this team like actually wants to be good in a playoff series, and you
know, Paul George and Foil Leonard are unavailable, like I do think,
I do think there's a way that the Clippers could be a real nuisance to
the Warriors or the Suns in a playoff series even without their two stars.
Like I don't think they would win said series, but I think they could
be really, really uncomfortable for them. You gotta get some sort of point
guard off the buy out market though, in order for that to happen,
because Reggie Jackson is having to play like forty minutes and it's a disaster when
he's off the court. Hashtag get a shooter hash I don't know what other
plays yeah available for them. I mean, Sammy Osuly is just you know,
sitting in a roster spot, no real need for him. Would you
so the Clippers without Kauai or the Nuggets without Jamal Murray slash Michael Porter Junior,
who would pose a bigger threat in a Warrior's if they're going up against
the Warrior the Sun, you would take it as the Clippers just because of
how they defend. I would think the Clippers because of how they defend.
Yeah, yeah, because they're just gonna attack, like the Warriors, just
gonna attack your over and over again. It is a podcast with us on
it, though, so I do feel obligated to ask you have any Sterling
Brown or de Laan Wright takes that you need to uncork before we are are
Sterling Round and Delan Right these days. It's one of the good the not
good players that surrounds Luka Don Chitch and Delauan Right is still in Atlanta hanging
out with old friend lou willis for them too. Yeah, I've always been
intrigued by the theory of Delan Right. That Utah scene with him and Kyle
Kuzma and Yaka Fertile. That was a good college team. Uh. And
he just even like looking back at his time in Toronto, like he ran
some really feisty bench units when they're primary. Yeah, that's right. He
was part of those Kyle Lowry plus bench units. Right. Yeah, Sabrina,
this was awesome. As usual, You're able to tell our listeners where
they can find you on social media and all the great work that you do.
Yeah. So I'm on social on Twitter at Sabrina and JM and you
can find all my work covering women's basketball at switchpeel dot com. To do
follow her, She's a fantastic follow up, great basketball mine. Thank you
so much again for giving me a bunch of your time, and I hope,
as you know by now, I'm going to be pestering you down the
road, so I will be talking to you soon. Yeah. Even having
moved out of the NBA, you still found a way to get me back.
Yeah. And you were able to uplift the podcasts like you always eat.
I found a way for you to bury the podcast even more than normal.