1 00:00:15,359 --> 00:00:18,679 Let's get into Celtic six ers. I think it's to start right, I 2 00:00:18,719 --> 00:00:21,079 think we need to start here before game one. So throw it up on 3 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:26,120 the screen for anyone watching James Harden throwing up quite the flex in this outfit. 4 00:00:26,199 --> 00:00:28,519 What are you? What is? What is Grant Hugh's his fashion look? 5 00:00:28,519 --> 00:00:31,160 He dropped forty five after so I say, and I have something to 6 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:34,799 throw up after this? I say, make the pants bigger. But you're 7 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:38,600 seeing Draymond Green. This is someone who walks in knowing he's about to just 8 00:00:38,719 --> 00:00:40,960 kill it from mid range and beyond. That's how I view this. You 9 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:44,079 can't just I know it was the met Gallen Knight, which just like you 10 00:00:44,079 --> 00:00:47,880 don't wear this to the game where what looked like freaking you know, Jinko 11 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:51,880 jeans from the from the nineties, without knowing you're about to drop a forty 12 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,759 piece. You have to you have to know that the confidence of a man. 13 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:58,280 So here's the thing. Can we let's let's zoom out a little bit, 14 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:00,560 not literally on the picture, because the jeans amazingly do fit in the 15 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:07,359 picture without having a zoom out. The huge jeans thing one of the least 16 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:14,640 foreseeable fashion recycle moves that I could have ever imagined. Because you mentioned Jenko. 17 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:17,799 I'm glad that shows we grew up at relatively at the same time. 18 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:21,840 The Jinko jeans thing was not one that I thought would come back. But 19 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:23,920 here we are. This is what this is what pants are now, Dan, 20 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:26,120 I don't I don't, I don't know how I feel about it. 21 00:01:26,159 --> 00:01:30,239 I don't know if anyone should give half a shit about my opinion about anything 22 00:01:30,239 --> 00:01:33,680 to do with clothes, because I'm old. Didn't see that coming. But 23 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:38,200 if you do wear those pants, you know you're gonna have to upset a 24 00:01:38,239 --> 00:01:42,239 potential title favorite to get there. There they are. Look at those I'm 25 00:01:42,239 --> 00:01:45,000 back in. Blod might be cool, but it'll never be as cool as 26 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:51,400 one wearing Jinko jeans and ninety nine amazing. I'm just such a flex I'm 27 00:01:51,439 --> 00:01:55,840 James Harden, but he needs I think now you you have to make the 28 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:59,239 pants bigger, and so I'm gonna throw this up there. Let me see 29 00:01:59,239 --> 00:02:02,719 if I could find it did make the pants bigger on James Harden's behalf stally, 30 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:06,159 how do you do it? How do you make jeans? There? 31 00:02:06,159 --> 00:02:10,639 It is? You have to bring them up because wasn't there a point where 32 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:16,719 the basically chest high pants we're getting like coming back in vogue and so you 33 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,280 know a wall or if they were ever like in to begin with. So 34 00:02:20,319 --> 00:02:22,879 you just have to You're gonna have to like strap him up. Maybe he's 35 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:25,240 got some suspenders on under the coat that are they're holding those up. You 36 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:29,680 have to you have to at least they have to be as big as Game 37 00:02:29,759 --> 00:02:32,439 one because you just dropped for it was the best performance of James Harden's career. 38 00:02:32,439 --> 00:02:36,240 We can actually talk about actually best one now, but my biggest takeaway 39 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:38,719 from Game one is the pants need to be even bigger. Well just real 40 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:43,400 quick now, I'm not done talking about the pants because you think we gotta 41 00:02:43,439 --> 00:02:46,159 stay on the pants. So maybe he was so good because you know how 42 00:02:46,199 --> 00:02:49,840 like in the on deck circle of batter is gonna put the batting donut on 43 00:02:49,879 --> 00:02:52,159 there to take his practice wings, and then you take it off and you 44 00:02:52,159 --> 00:02:53,400 go up to the plate. It feels like you got a toothpick in your 45 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:57,800 hand and there's nothing. What do you think those jeans way look gotta be 46 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:00,879 like twenty pounds, you know, it's like walking around in a weight vest. 47 00:03:00,919 --> 00:03:05,800 And then you take it off. So maybe maybe going bigger with the 48 00:03:05,879 --> 00:03:08,960 jeans and adding more weight for that walk down the tunnel before you you know, 49 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:13,439 change that's the key, because you take those off and you feel, 50 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:15,680 you know, you feel like you can jump through the roof because they're lost 51 00:03:15,680 --> 00:03:21,199 twenty five pounds? Is there a risk of tripping at some point? Though? 52 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:23,879 I never wore these, like so the Jinko stuff, Like I wore 53 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:28,840 the Jinko jean shorts at one point those were baggy. Where like it makes 54 00:03:28,879 --> 00:03:31,120 my legs look like toothpicks or spaghetti noodles even more than they already do. 55 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:36,240 Like, there isn't there like a tripping risk here and he's already dealing with 56 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:38,520 some Achilles stuff? Does it make you look the path need to be bigger? 57 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:38,960 I want to make that clear. But you need to be a little 58 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:44,000 cautious. I think too. I think for several reasons. You know how 59 00:03:44,039 --> 00:03:46,919 players can't write like mopeds and stuff in the off season or I don't know, 60 00:03:47,039 --> 00:03:51,120 go big game hunting or whatever else like you might teams might want to 61 00:03:51,159 --> 00:03:55,280 write into contracts like gene size limitations for that reason because they seem hazardous to 62 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:58,560 me. I think, well, we can't if you can't now because James 63 00:03:58,639 --> 00:04:01,840 aren't just dropped forty five, and to remove the possibility that it's a thorny 64 00:04:01,879 --> 00:04:03,960 issue, maybe the next, you know what, the next time there's a 65 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:06,680 workstoppage, it's going to be over this issue. This will be the one. 66 00:04:06,719 --> 00:04:10,360 It won't be a hard cap, it won't be anything else. It's 67 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:14,479 just going to be Gene sizes that the players and the owners can't agree on 68 00:04:15,439 --> 00:04:20,120 basketball. Biggest overarching basketball thoughts coming out of Game one between the Sixers and 69 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:25,079 the Celtics. So we talked about this a little bit last time. I 70 00:04:25,079 --> 00:04:29,560 sort of asked you it was an open ended question, why we focus more 71 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:31,360 on the team that like did the wrong thing than the team that did the 72 00:04:31,439 --> 00:04:36,600 right thing after a game and I left that game, the game one of 73 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:41,519 six or Celtics, thinking like that was just disappointing by Boston, which is 74 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:44,800 crazy because Harden was amazing. He looked like Houston James Harden for a lot 75 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:46,199 of that game, and I feel like that should get the focus. But 76 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:50,600 ultimately I just kind of thought the Celtics, you know, whatever you want 77 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:54,519 to use, let one get away. Laid an egg just didn't show up. 78 00:04:55,759 --> 00:04:57,800 I don't know how fair that is, but that was my takeaway is 79 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:01,360 that Boston, just like Joel Embid, didn't play. How do you lose 80 00:05:01,399 --> 00:05:03,879 that game at home? I don't understand. I mean, you know, 81 00:05:04,439 --> 00:05:10,040 there should be things you can do defensively to either let Harden do this and 82 00:05:10,079 --> 00:05:14,759 then nobody else does anything, or throw everything at Harden and force everyone else 83 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:18,439 on this, you know, super starless roster without Embi to try to beat 84 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:20,759 you. It seemed like there was just there were ways of the Celtics, 85 00:05:20,759 --> 00:05:25,720 if they were really the team we think they are, to just capitalize and 86 00:05:25,759 --> 00:05:29,040 it didn't happen. So that was my main takeaways. I couldn't believe Boston 87 00:05:29,519 --> 00:05:32,120 lost this game the way that it did. What were your thoughts? Yeah, 88 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:38,160 I mean, look one, Boston shot two of eleven on wide open 89 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,519 jumpers with defenders six more feet away, So that's that's how you lose it. 90 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:44,319 In particular, they didn't get killed at the freeze on line though. 91 00:05:44,319 --> 00:05:47,360 Shout out to be ball Paul for just making we make four qush free grows, 92 00:05:47,399 --> 00:05:49,920 Like that's that's not easy, Like as a big man too, like 93 00:05:49,959 --> 00:05:54,360 you're kind of dealing with like shooting a tennis ball. Basically couldn't feel like 94 00:05:54,399 --> 00:05:57,160 for some of these guys, But shout out to him putting those question free 95 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:00,759 throwers. Jared Dubin had this up and I was just surprised that the Celtics 96 00:06:00,759 --> 00:06:04,439 didn't adjust more. But Jared Dupan had this up on Twitter. But when 97 00:06:04,439 --> 00:06:09,639 Harden ran pick and rolls at Horford, there were sixteen direct picks that led 98 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:14,079 to twenty eight points, so one point seven five points per possession in those 99 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:18,600 situations. That is thermonuclear as fuck times too, And even on the final 100 00:06:18,639 --> 00:06:21,439 possession for the Sixers, I was almost gonna be moan the way that they 101 00:06:21,439 --> 00:06:25,399 did it. I know the Sixers play slow, but they like they didn't 102 00:06:25,399 --> 00:06:28,120 call time out right, so then they're just waltzing the ball off the court. 103 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:30,399 It's not like they're trying to get in s. James Harden's draining the 104 00:06:30,439 --> 00:06:32,800 clock. They went out of their way, and they did this all game 105 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:36,560 to get especially in the second half, to just get the Horford switch. 106 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:41,360 There was one possession where they set like it felt like eight ball screens for 107 00:06:41,399 --> 00:06:45,240 Harden just to get Horford onto Harden. And then the final shot, it's 108 00:06:45,279 --> 00:06:46,639 just like it's a step back through me and yes, I know he had 109 00:06:46,639 --> 00:06:48,839 a cook and all game, but I'm like, that's just what we're saying, 110 00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:51,319 and then it goes in. Of course, I was just surprised we 111 00:06:51,319 --> 00:06:57,319 didn't see more adjustments from the Celtics, But maybe do you not adjust more 112 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:00,079 to where it's like, is it really mission critical to throw two at the 113 00:07:00,079 --> 00:07:04,360 ball in this like in these instances when you don't have Joel Embiid and it's 114 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:08,000 like, let's make the role players beat us, like Tobias Harris hits a 115 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:11,680 big three in the fourth, Tyres Maxie hit some really big shots inside the 116 00:07:11,759 --> 00:07:15,600 arc. He didn't look great after he had that that injury. I just, 117 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:20,360 you know, I was I feel like it was inexcusable on Boston's behalf 118 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:24,680 to lose. And I come out of this game though, wondering, like, 119 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:28,360 I guess you beat you would be less liberal with how you're gonna have 120 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:31,360 Horford on an island against James Harden is the one big adjustment here, But 121 00:07:31,399 --> 00:07:36,399 aside from hopefully Derek White is more aggressive on offense, Hopefully they shoot like 122 00:07:36,439 --> 00:07:40,199 and they shot thirty eight percent from three, so hopefully you're knocking down more 123 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:44,000 of your your wide open jumpers. I just don't necessarily know, like what 124 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:47,360 is the what do you think is the counter here for them? Like if 125 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:51,360 the primary counter is it just the horford on aren't hardened stuff? And then 126 00:07:51,879 --> 00:07:57,600 my father question be let's say, be does play again? Did you feel 127 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:01,879 less confident in the Celtics? I mean you, yeah, you have? 128 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:05,160 Well, I mean, depending on what version of mbi'd we get, it 129 00:08:05,199 --> 00:08:07,800 sounds like he, you know, him getting up and down the floor might 130 00:08:07,839 --> 00:08:09,600 be a real challenge, which like if the Celtics just get a lot of 131 00:08:09,639 --> 00:08:13,920 five on fours or you know, four on threes, that's tough, doesn't 132 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:18,480 doesn't the solve have to be or at least your first attempt at it doesn't 133 00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:22,879 have to be Boston just putting two on Harden and just saying somebody else do 134 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:26,319 something, And as long as it's not Maxie, you feel pretty good about 135 00:08:26,319 --> 00:08:31,000 it, because like PJ. Tucker played thirty seven minutes, did not attempt 136 00:08:31,039 --> 00:08:35,759 the field goal, not one and was large sectacular, right, But like, 137 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:41,000 just put two on the ball and if you can game it so that 138 00:08:41,039 --> 00:08:45,559 the first outlet is not Maxie and then you can deny him and somehow make 139 00:08:45,639 --> 00:08:48,559 Tucker do what he does not want to do, which is like shoot the 140 00:08:48,559 --> 00:08:52,240 ball, do something, you know, pull his defender way off if he's 141 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:54,000 going to be in the corner. They moved him around a little. The 142 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:56,159 Sixers did a little more than you know, normal. It is sort of 143 00:08:56,159 --> 00:09:00,279 a caricature of of Pja Tucker to say he just stands in the corner. 144 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:03,200 That's not really true. But that's where all of his shots come from when 145 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:07,000 he does shoot. So I don't know what I mean, you probably if 146 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,919 you're the Celtics, you say, Harden can't do that again. And probably 147 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:13,519 the Anti Mountain won't shoot five or six on three. It'll be five and 148 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:16,960 six for sure. And and like if you're the Celtics, also, that 149 00:09:16,039 --> 00:09:20,039 first quarter was a layup parade. I think they were, but they didn't. 150 00:09:20,039 --> 00:09:22,639 They start like thirteen or fourteen or something, and they just like it 151 00:09:22,679 --> 00:09:26,440 was lobs, it was layups, it was you know, half court transition. 152 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:30,879 The Celtics shot fifty eight per percent for the game, right, Like 153 00:09:31,039 --> 00:09:35,120 that's just I mean, they're gonna score. I think if a B does 154 00:09:35,159 --> 00:09:37,720 not play Boston once. They scored one hundred fifteen points in Game one and 155 00:09:37,919 --> 00:09:43,039 the loss. I mean that's the floor, like they they should be able 156 00:09:43,039 --> 00:09:46,120 to score and get whatever they want at the basket. So I think maybe 157 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:50,480 it's an overreaction. And I know THEE coming into the series, there was 158 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:54,279 all this talk about Boston's does not like to double They they they're happy to 159 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:56,600 switch, they're happy to you know, just play and drop. They're happy, 160 00:09:56,720 --> 00:10:01,360 but they don't want to scramble. They don't want to double team. 161 00:10:01,399 --> 00:10:05,320 I think in this situation where one guy just lit you up so thoroughly and 162 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:09,519 you're not convinced that the other teammates of his can generate consistent offense, you 163 00:10:09,559 --> 00:10:11,720 gotta just get it out of it. Just get it out of his hands. 164 00:10:11,799 --> 00:10:16,279 Just make the rest of the sixers prove that they can combine to go 165 00:10:16,399 --> 00:10:20,159 seventeen of thirty for forty five points. Like, just let's see if that's 166 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:22,919 possible. If I'm Boston, I think that has to be what I do. 167 00:10:22,279 --> 00:10:26,200 I'm wondering though, if they're boldened at all, because he made two 168 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:31,320 shots. He only attempted two shots at the rim, five of eight from 169 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:35,240 two on two's outside the paint, and then seven to fourteen from three and 170 00:10:35,279 --> 00:10:37,679 so he was only three or six. He was only in total only. 171 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:41,879 I mean, the clip was absurd, But he gets eight shots in the 172 00:10:41,879 --> 00:10:43,639 paint and he's five of eight. Is there, like, is there a 173 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:46,919 chance that they kind of just live with them like how they were rolling this 174 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:50,519 time, Like, well, James Harn's not there's gonna be variability in his 175 00:10:50,519 --> 00:10:54,039 performance because clearly, you know the fact that he could do damage from the 176 00:10:54,039 --> 00:10:56,519 midrange is huge. But if he's not going to get to the bucket more 177 00:10:56,960 --> 00:11:00,159 and generate as many shooting fouls, maybe it's because something is off with that 178 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:03,320 Achilles. It's not just an insult, but you just they needed all forty 179 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:07,720 five of James Harden's points to win, and so Boston doesn't play a great 180 00:11:07,759 --> 00:11:13,399 game by any measure here, And like I mean, and also the other 181 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:18,039 thing, sixteen to six in turnovers, like that's that's been a kind of 182 00:11:18,039 --> 00:11:22,559 an Achilles heal for Boston speaking of Achilles all season and even dating back to 183 00:11:22,679 --> 00:11:28,440 last year. And so there are maybe some low hanging fruit like batches that 184 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:31,120 you would be able to gobble up in this series a little bit to where 185 00:11:31,159 --> 00:11:35,039 you don't have to change your fundamental principle. But I would think especially if 186 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:37,639 and my other question is gonna be Do you think it makes it even if 187 00:11:37,639 --> 00:11:39,399 he was I don't know what Joel and beats status is, but you think 188 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:43,200 this win made it less likely he plays in game two. Oh, that's 189 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:46,440 interesting because they got the one they needed if if if they need to split 190 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:50,639 these first two in Boston, maybe, I mean it sounds like he so 191 00:11:50,759 --> 00:11:54,000 what I read was that it's it's worse than a grade one, Yes, 192 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:58,200 sprains, so like you're usually talking weeks if you're grade to anything, generally 193 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:01,720 speaking, so like to come back in game two would feel like pushing it 194 00:12:01,759 --> 00:12:05,080 to come back in this series. Honestly, Like if this were the regular 195 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:07,639 season, I think and Beide would be shelved for a very long time, 196 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:11,600 just based on you know, how long guys tend to be out with Grade 197 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:15,480 two anythings or Grade one point five, whatever you want to call it. 198 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:20,519 So that that isn't I haven't thought about that. Yeah, I don't know. 199 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:22,159 I don't know what. I don't know what that makes me think. 200 00:12:22,399 --> 00:12:24,360 If he's halfway ready to play, you probably just got a plan, because 201 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:28,120 if you get steal game two, then you're really in business. I just 202 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:33,919 think I think if you're the Celtics. It's really disappointing that you have to 203 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:41,240 be thinking about making concessions or like saying we're just gonna try again because you 204 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:43,039 don't have to, you know. I don't feel like the Celtics are in 205 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:50,639 a position where they even they need to even gamble that Harden can't do this 206 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:52,960 again, because they could just make sure he doesn't. They really like, 207 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:58,279 they really can just say somebody else win this game for the Sixers. And 208 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:01,320 I know, like maybe it's uncomfortable to deviate from the way you've played defense 209 00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:05,799 all year, but like the playoffs are just different, you can't. So 210 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:09,159 let's say, if Harden does do this again and the Celtics don't switch up, 211 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:15,320 I feel like the criticism gets real loud, and I feel like it's 212 00:13:15,399 --> 00:13:22,200 it's it's it's really risky to sort of bet that Harden can't dominate again. 213 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:26,919 So I don't know, maybe it's over and it's an overreaction, but I 214 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:31,399 just would say, Tyres Maxie, you get forty five, well, well 215 00:13:31,440 --> 00:13:35,039 let's see you know that. That would be kind of my approach to it. 216 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:37,960 Yeah, And look, there's I don't know what aside from cutting down 217 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:41,360 the turnovers, which we could say after probably every other Boston sell this game 218 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:43,960 like day, do you know what they shot at the rim in this one 219 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:50,279 without embeed, say again, twenty two of twenty six right at the rim. 220 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:52,679 So it's just like the offense was there and they hit their threes. 221 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:56,320 So yeah, I guess I'm with you. I'm I'll expect to see more 222 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:58,279 aggressive against James Harrner, But maybe you judge it by the pants, like 223 00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:01,919 what he shows up been forgetting. Depending on the size of the pant legs, 224 00:14:03,279 --> 00:14:05,919 you decide whether you need to throw two at the ball. Yeah, 225 00:14:05,919 --> 00:14:09,679 if he shows up with skinny jeans, it's like, oh, we're definitely 226 00:14:09,679 --> 00:14:11,120 not gonna W. You're gonna have to prove you can. You have to 227 00:14:11,159 --> 00:14:15,960 prove your pants versatility, you know before we w. But yeah, big 228 00:14:16,039 --> 00:14:20,559 jeans again. Watch out the other series Nuggets for well, we're not talking 229 00:14:20,639 --> 00:14:26,120 Nick's heat. I apologize to everybody put the Nuggets Suns series. What are 230 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:28,159 you thinking about coming out two games two? Oh, I think I had 231 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:31,559 as someone who had Nuggets and six, I believe I picked. I'm even 232 00:14:31,559 --> 00:14:35,360 shocked that they won the first two, that the way they did in game 233 00:14:35,559 --> 00:14:37,440 two was closed for it was. I mean it was closed through and through 234 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:41,200 really, but it felt like a little bit non competitive towards towards the end. 235 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:45,320 Are what are your just biggest thoughts, Oh, I have to say, 236 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:50,519 biggest overarching thoughts coming out of this series so far? I think, 237 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:56,000 well, so, I guess it's sort of a reinforcement of what we talked 238 00:14:56,039 --> 00:15:00,320 about when we were previewing the series, which is to say that it was 239 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:05,679 easier for us to imagine the Nuggets giving the Sun's offense problems than the alternative, 240 00:15:07,879 --> 00:15:11,120 and that's kind of been born out. I just think after games like 241 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:15,799 for the Nuggets to win a game by double digits where Jamal Murray was three 242 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:18,519 for fifteen, like that's got to give. That's got to concern you as 243 00:15:18,559 --> 00:15:24,279 the Suns, because like it was clear that the game plan was to make 244 00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:26,679 Yoka score a lot in game two, which is a little different than game 245 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:33,480 one, and he obliged at thirty nine on seventeen or thirty just was much 246 00:15:33,519 --> 00:15:37,159 more willing to go to work in the post and even the midpost against DeAndre 247 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:43,840 Aten. But yeah, I think so this is the rare series where not 248 00:15:43,919 --> 00:15:48,720 a lot of what I thought going in has changed, which is so the 249 00:15:48,759 --> 00:15:52,679 Suns just don't have enough depth, Like their whole bench was a negative. 250 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:56,960 You know, Chris Paul broke down that was a concern going in, like 251 00:15:56,000 --> 00:16:00,960 can can this thin star heavy roster that has injury history with Durant and Paul 252 00:16:02,039 --> 00:16:07,279 hold up so far? No two is not more than three? Like that 253 00:16:07,360 --> 00:16:10,559 was another angle coming in. That's really been the story, certainly after game 254 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:15,879 one. So I'm not surprised that the results are what they are or that 255 00:16:15,919 --> 00:16:22,159 they were arrived at by the process that they were arrived at. So it's 256 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:26,639 just kind of gone the way that if you were forecasting a Nuggets win, 257 00:16:26,799 --> 00:16:27,799 this is sort of what it would look like, right, Like, I 258 00:16:27,799 --> 00:16:30,879 don't is there anything that surprised you? I guess would be the way to 259 00:16:30,879 --> 00:16:36,720 flip it. He I don't know if he was tired that Kevin Durant game 260 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:40,240 was just I never would have predict two of twelve on threes and looked to 261 00:16:40,279 --> 00:16:45,039 the Sun's credit, they jacked thirty plus threes, and I think what Kevin 262 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:48,679 Durant took. Kevin Durant took twelve of them, and didn't Devin Booker that 263 00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:52,600 he took eight of them. So he had the right guys hoisting up those 264 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:56,080 threes. Was josh Akogi only only attempted to. I mean he missed them 265 00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:57,519 a hall. I mean, first of all, Kevin Durant were the only 266 00:16:57,519 --> 00:17:00,960 players on the team to make threes. You point that out already, I 267 00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:03,120 apologize, no, no, but they made it's a sixth total, So 268 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:04,720 you account when you said two of twelve and four of eight that was it. 269 00:17:06,279 --> 00:17:08,559 And so I think if you're the Sons, you lean on the fact 270 00:17:08,680 --> 00:17:12,240 that, Okay, Kevin Durand's not gonna play like this again. Yeah, 271 00:17:12,279 --> 00:17:18,480 but that's like kind of the like their shot profile does start to wear if 272 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:22,000 they're not going to hit a bunch more threes, because they're dead last in 273 00:17:22,119 --> 00:17:25,839 both the share of this includes playing teams for the playoffs. They're dead last 274 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:29,160 in both rim frequency and three point of tenth three. And I get it. 275 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:33,000 The talent they have between CP three if he's going up against drop or 276 00:17:33,039 --> 00:17:34,359 just Kevin Durand and Devin Booker being able to take whatever they want in the 277 00:17:34,359 --> 00:17:37,519 mid range, and they did show. Devin Booker and Kevin Duranding gat to 278 00:17:37,519 --> 00:17:41,000 their credit, they varied up their shot profile enough to take more threason in 279 00:17:41,079 --> 00:17:45,680 game two they're gonna need to continue to do that. But the Chris Paul 280 00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:48,599 injury looms large here because then all of a sudden, if he's it's good 281 00:17:48,599 --> 00:17:52,160 that they don't play again till Friday for the Suns. We don't know how 282 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:55,119 severe the groin strain is right now, but it's severe enough for him not 283 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:57,599 to come back in a game that was very winnable for Phoenix, which is 284 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:03,279 concerning. And if you're not gonna have him, you become incredibly reliant on 285 00:18:03,359 --> 00:18:06,079 Campaign, who's just going to be a wild card. And it doesn't seem 286 00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:10,240 like I don't know if this is a trust thing with Monty Williams. And 287 00:18:10,839 --> 00:18:14,279 Campaign did play seventeen minutes in game two, but he was one to seven 288 00:18:14,319 --> 00:18:17,039 from the floor, four from three. He didn't play all that much in 289 00:18:17,079 --> 00:18:19,960 game one, which everyone was class is it because Campaign is still dealing with 290 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:23,440 the ill effects from his injury, and so that puts more of a burden 291 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:27,759 on Kadi and Devin Booker. And I think you can latch onto the fact 292 00:18:27,759 --> 00:18:32,920 that Kevin Durant will shoot better, but the matchups are starting to make me 293 00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:37,480 even more uncomfortable for Phoenix than I initially thought I would have to look at 294 00:18:37,519 --> 00:18:40,400 the data on this, and maybe I was facing out too much, Like 295 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:44,839 it's a problem when you just don't feel the need to throw help. Aaron 296 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:51,039 Gordon's way on Kevin Durant like that, that's a big issue. And Durant 297 00:18:49,559 --> 00:18:52,839 great in Game two. He was great. He had several strips, like 298 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:56,640 just was a force it, like he was really totally that's a problem. 299 00:18:56,680 --> 00:19:00,680 I have a mini rant here. I posted a video of it. Was 300 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:04,039 Bruce Brown blocked Kevin Durant's jump shot, like straight up blocked his jump shot. 301 00:19:04,119 --> 00:19:07,920 Aaron Gordon was there too, and people were in my mention saying, 302 00:19:07,119 --> 00:19:10,400 well, if the playoffs running, I said, this is really hard to 303 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:11,440 do. It's the Kevin Durant jump shot. They're like, well not this 304 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:15,640 postseason. The blocks that Russell Westbrook and most of the other Clippers on like 305 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:18,759 Kevin Durant, they were either like strips he's on his way up, or 306 00:19:18,799 --> 00:19:25,279 they came from behind blocking Kevin Durant jump shot at the apex of the actual 307 00:19:25,319 --> 00:19:26,640 four. It's hard. I don't care if he doesn't have the same lift. 308 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:33,079 It's hard. It's well, actually, everything, especially when it's not 309 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:37,680 this incendiary take, but yeah, so Aaron Doran spectacular And I mentioned this 310 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:41,240 on Twitter. He always looks like he's dribbling a medicine ball in transition and 311 00:19:41,279 --> 00:19:45,119 it just works out. So he's been massive. You mentioned the fact that 312 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:47,880 Murray doesn't have a good game, still hits like two big shots by the 313 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:51,839 way down the stretch. I liked what Michael Malone said in his I don't 314 00:19:51,839 --> 00:19:53,640 know if he saw the fourth quarter interview where he's just like he's thinking too 315 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:56,799 much. He's just like empowering Murray and like, does he think Murray's gonna 316 00:19:56,799 --> 00:19:59,559 go back and watch this later. I'm sure he told him the same thing 317 00:19:59,559 --> 00:20:00,960 in the huddle. I respected it, but there were points where I was 318 00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:03,559 just like, no, like Murray's gotta he was killing him, like some 319 00:20:03,599 --> 00:20:07,640 of the turnovers that he had too, but like they were able to pull 320 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:11,599 these different levers where it's like, Okay, we at this point, we 321 00:20:11,599 --> 00:20:15,720 know we're gonna play through Yokich, who doesn't have his most efficient game. 322 00:20:15,759 --> 00:20:18,759 And I would argue this is the least lethal version of the Nuggets where you 323 00:20:18,799 --> 00:20:22,319 need him to score that many points and be that aggressive because you know, 324 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:25,480 okay, I get it. You want to milk the one on one coverage 325 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:29,200 with Eton and other bigs. But it's also because Jamal Murray wasn't giving you 326 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:32,480 anything, and Porter was off, and then even just most of the supporting 327 00:20:32,519 --> 00:20:36,880 cast until KCP got hot, was off. The fact that they're able to 328 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:38,039 win this game is huge. But also look at one of the things they 329 00:20:38,039 --> 00:20:41,079 did was Okay, well we're gonna go like the Bruce Brown route instead of 330 00:20:41,119 --> 00:20:45,799 Michael Porter Jr. Because we need Bruce Brown gives you more creativity on the 331 00:20:45,839 --> 00:20:49,880 ball, probably which is we're gonna pull that defensive lever more and put more 332 00:20:49,880 --> 00:20:55,599 pressure on the Suns that way. And so I'm I think people kind of 333 00:20:55,599 --> 00:20:59,359 and I saw people talking about it on Twitter during Game two, like we 334 00:20:59,559 --> 00:21:02,160 all, this is someone who picked them to win the title might have just 335 00:21:02,319 --> 00:21:07,920 underestimated like how versatile their defensive personnelities or the lineups that they can run. 336 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:11,799 And I've even mentioned it on this this pod, like I've said, the 337 00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:15,200 Nuggets, when you look at their top six or seven guys, they have 338 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:21,839 a bunch of different versatile chords to like lean on or pull whatever strum chords 339 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:26,079 to strum any like that. Glutar or whatever. So I even underestimated that, 340 00:21:26,119 --> 00:21:30,200 and part, you know, part of the underestimation is Christian Brown's and 341 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:34,000 motherfucker, he's tough. He's really just like he had a bunch of good 342 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:38,960 plays, took some charges last night. I mean that's he absolutely uh, 343 00:21:40,759 --> 00:21:44,599 like he's a rookie, but defensively, that's a guy you can throw out 344 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:48,200 there and trust just full stop. Like whatever he gives you offensively is whatever. 345 00:21:48,319 --> 00:21:52,960 But like that's value just compared to like when when Monty Williams goes looking 346 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:55,519 down the bench for like I just need someone to get out here and guard 347 00:21:55,559 --> 00:21:59,200 or I need someone. There's just nobody there that like the you know, 348 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:02,880 there's no there's no guys. I mean, I don't know what's happened to 349 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:03,920 t J. Warren. I don't know if I honestly don't know if he's 350 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:08,680 hurt or not, or like what the situation is. But the Suns just 351 00:22:08,799 --> 00:22:11,559 don't have someone that they can throw out there and say well this, you 352 00:22:11,559 --> 00:22:15,480 know, they went to they Damien Lee I think played twenty six minutes last 353 00:22:15,519 --> 00:22:18,240 night, and he kind of he kind of has to. Especially they didn't 354 00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:22,759 push Hitt or Ross either An additional Warren. They're they're just they don't have 355 00:22:22,039 --> 00:22:26,640 they don't I think honestly, Uh, it's easy to feel this way now 356 00:22:26,680 --> 00:22:29,759 because the Suns are in a hole. But like, I think one of 357 00:22:29,799 --> 00:22:33,400 the things we overlooked or didn't focus on enough because the playoffs this doesn't tend 358 00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:37,559 to matter as much, was just they just don't have enough guys. They 359 00:22:37,599 --> 00:22:40,920 just don't have, you know, forget, And that was arguing the case 360 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:42,559 to begin with, by the way, right because it's not like they gave 361 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:47,160 up this bounty of bodies. Jay Crowder wasn't playing for them, right, 362 00:22:48,279 --> 00:22:52,119 So yeah, I'm not playing for the bucks either, but pay for anybody. 363 00:22:52,799 --> 00:22:55,200 Also, it's a good thing that the Sun's don't that Game three is 364 00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:59,119 not so Friday because you had forty four more minutes for Durant and forty five 365 00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:02,359 for Booker on purpose though, because you know it's not till Friday. At 366 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:04,519 least, that's not something that was incidental, I get. I'm just saying, 367 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:07,079 like, if I'm gonna bring it up for the Lakers, like the 368 00:23:07,119 --> 00:23:11,720 stars wearing down, you know, that was an issue going into this series 369 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:15,279 because they were playing tons of minutes in the first round. Two. So 370 00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:18,160 yeah, yeah, that's that's helpful. You gotta get Game three. If 371 00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:21,799 you're the Suns, you gotta get oh you think, yeah, if you're 372 00:23:21,799 --> 00:23:23,799 the Suns, you wouldn't want to go behind three oh So historically, Dan, 373 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:27,960 you want to avoid the three hole. That's just you know, I 374 00:23:29,039 --> 00:23:30,960 know people get tired of stats and they don't want to hear it. Just 375 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:34,799 watch the game's nerd. You just really want to avoid the three ohole if 376 00:23:34,799 --> 00:23:38,039 you can. I don't want to get too big picture here, but when 377 00:23:38,039 --> 00:23:41,960 I said this about the Calves and some of it holds true to Phoenix, 378 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,680 is that sometimes, and I would argue even more so, when you make 379 00:23:44,759 --> 00:23:48,039 a trade like this mid season, it takes some time to balance out the 380 00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:52,559 roster. The reason it feels so much more dire for Phoenix is because you're 381 00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:56,799 dealing with players in Chris Paul, who's now injured. We don't know what 382 00:23:56,799 --> 00:24:00,759 it's gonna have been, that growing strain, and Kevin Durant age thirty four 383 00:24:00,799 --> 00:24:06,000 with a pretty checkered injury pass at this point, who don't have the window 384 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:08,680 that a Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, Jared Allen do and 385 00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:12,519 that's why there's more urgency for this core. But if we're being if we're 386 00:24:12,519 --> 00:24:15,960 being honest, or if we're being reasonable, and I know the Suns were 387 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:18,559 favored to win this series, right or is everyone just picking them to win 388 00:24:18,559 --> 00:24:21,839 this series? I don't even know if I caught the series prices, you 389 00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:26,240 can't remember. But if we're being reasonable, it's not so much that continuity 390 00:24:26,279 --> 00:24:29,359 matters, Like you should just like we shouldn't have expected them to win this 391 00:24:29,359 --> 00:24:32,240 series because Kevin Durant and Devin Booker exists. That's why we expect them to 392 00:24:32,279 --> 00:24:33,599 win this series. So I don't want to get two big picture on that, 393 00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:36,720 but like we have to be a little bit fair in the sense of, 394 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:38,440 well, they kind of deserve I know they're not young, but after 395 00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:42,039 a shakeup like this, you might need an off season. I get inherently 396 00:24:42,079 --> 00:24:47,039 you can't view it like that, but this maybe shouldn't shock us. The 397 00:24:47,079 --> 00:24:49,279 other thing I will say, and he started off the game and he had 398 00:24:49,319 --> 00:24:55,920 some really thunderous dunks in DeAndre Ayton amazing dunked right, And there's no one 399 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:59,960 who's going to there's no one who's going to just win the NICOLEA. Yoki 400 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:03,000 battle. It's it's not happening, and this is not Again. I had 401 00:25:03,079 --> 00:25:07,319 less of an issue with DeAndre Ayton's Game two performance, and I did his 402 00:25:07,319 --> 00:25:08,680 Game one performance. I don't even have an issue with You'd like it to 403 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:12,319 be more aggressive on offense still, but like the Suns aren't necessarily running, 404 00:25:14,119 --> 00:25:17,160 Django says in the chat. Holding the Suns under ninety was big. Yeah, 405 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:19,119 I mean this was not. I never would have picked this to be 406 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:22,160 the series in which the winning team had fewer than a hundred points. By 407 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:26,640 the way, I never would have never would have forecasted that. But when 408 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:30,279 you start to look at the roster construction, you can't deandret and can't be 409 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:34,160 this player and also be making max money on the Suns. I'm not saying 410 00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:37,920 he doesn't say he the mark, his market was his market. Good for 411 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:41,440 him for getting paid unless something even I would argue, even if they unless 412 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:44,759 they just dominate from here on out, don't lose and win the title. 413 00:25:45,039 --> 00:25:48,160 You can't have DeAndre Aton on this team at his pay grade because you need 414 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:52,960 to allocate those funds elsewhere to where look you're gonna I'm not saying Landale or 415 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:56,079 Beyambo's the answer. And Beyonmbo got cooked when he first came on the floor. 416 00:25:56,279 --> 00:25:59,160 Like, you're just gonna be able to approximate big man value a play, 417 00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:04,480 finishing big man on offense easier than you can wing defense or looking for 418 00:26:04,799 --> 00:26:08,680 secondary floor generals or ball handlers or shooters at this point, And I don't 419 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:11,640 want to go there just yet. I'm open to considering it won't be this 420 00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:15,880 way. But because we have like two years is worth of evidence at this 421 00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:22,000 point of how topsy turvy deandreton is, you can't have him on this roster 422 00:26:22,119 --> 00:26:26,680 making what he does after especially after that Derantri. We don't have other trade 423 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:30,400 chips to play. Yeah, he needs to turn into like three guys, 424 00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:33,839 you know, at least one starter, but three guys that the Suns can 425 00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:37,799 feel good about having out there in a series like this. That that's totally 426 00:26:37,839 --> 00:26:40,039 right. I mean, what is he? You know, at full strength? 427 00:26:40,039 --> 00:26:41,319 He is the fourth option, right, I mean, I mean, 428 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:44,799 Chris Paul, I don't know how what kind of option you consider him, 429 00:26:44,799 --> 00:26:47,799 but he's certainly gonna have the ball more than he is. So you're you're 430 00:26:47,839 --> 00:26:53,559 a fourth option on offense who you know sometimes looks good defensively sometimes not sometimes 431 00:26:53,599 --> 00:26:56,759 gets you know, really exposed on the board. Sometimes it's just yeah, 432 00:26:56,839 --> 00:27:00,200 you're right, he's got to be. You have to flip him in too. 433 00:27:00,839 --> 00:27:03,000 You don't even need like a star at another position. It's just got 434 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:07,400 to be like, you know, higher you know, high end rotation, 435 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:11,920 slash starter guys that can complement what the Suns have on the star front. 436 00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:17,319 Basically is you had Suns in seven? Has your prediction chased it off? 437 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:18,480 You know, I thought I picked Nuggets in seven? Oh? Did you 438 00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:22,480 pick nuggets in seven? All right? What's that? Are you nuggets in 439 00:27:22,519 --> 00:27:26,559 four? Now? Is that? Oh? Yeah? So that maybe we 440 00:27:26,559 --> 00:27:30,519 should reevaluate how many I mean, obviously, you know, we have two 441 00:27:30,519 --> 00:27:33,519 warring cliches here. One is the series doesn't start till the till the home 442 00:27:34,319 --> 00:27:40,160 team loses, So this series hasn't technically started by that logic. But two 443 00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:44,039 oh is two oh. So if you're reevaluating it, now, how many 444 00:27:44,079 --> 00:27:47,200 games do the Suns win in this series? Assuming the Nuggets are going to 445 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:51,119 win it they get I think I'll stick with my prediction because the Suns are 446 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:52,640 just missed. And you know who's been a big part of this, Kevin 447 00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:57,920 Durant. They missed so many like relatively open jumpers in this series so far. 448 00:27:59,079 --> 00:28:02,480 They are. Yeah, they have an effective field goal percentage of under 449 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:07,279 forty seven on open and wide open jumpers combined. So that's when defenders are 450 00:28:07,279 --> 00:28:10,440 four more feet away from you. And the fact that Kevin Duran has been 451 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:12,640 a part of that just leads me to believe that, Okay, there's gonna 452 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:15,839 be I would expect him to win Game three, to be honest, and 453 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:18,960 I guess you could say, well, you can't. Look, I think 454 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:21,839 Tory Craig and like some of the stuff they're throwing at Josh, like using 455 00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:23,839 Josh Kobe that they're throwing at Jamal Murray. He had tough shots in game 456 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:26,519 one, he missed tough shots in game two, and then also made some 457 00:28:26,559 --> 00:28:30,680 really bad decisions. I'm not saying he's going to be that bad every single 458 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:34,160 game, but like Phoenix showed that they could really and that was without like 459 00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:40,039 throwing all these bodies at Yokis. Necessarily that Nuggets offense was ugly, So 460 00:28:40,079 --> 00:28:42,559 it's like they've shown they can ugly that up. And I think that their 461 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:47,160 offense is inherently ricketty, just because it doesn't feel like there's a lot of 462 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:51,599 creativity there, and I would expect We saw Monty Williams try this, I 463 00:28:51,640 --> 00:28:52,759 think the first half of Game one and then the first half of Game two, 464 00:28:52,799 --> 00:28:56,240 like it's you gotta be done. I know he's not winning the Yokich 465 00:28:56,279 --> 00:29:00,279 minutes, but you can't do the deandreaton against the Nuggets bench line up. 466 00:29:00,359 --> 00:29:03,799 There's just not enough there offensively to me that eightan's providing you. If that 467 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:07,079 changes, maybe you're even more inclined to go that route without Chris Paul. 468 00:29:07,119 --> 00:29:11,119 If he's not available, I'd probably ditched those though, So I would expect 469 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:14,680 them to almost win games three. My prediction hasn't changed on this. I 470 00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:18,480 think we have a tendency to just sort of we're so reactionary. It's like 471 00:29:18,519 --> 00:29:22,759 they didn't get the doors they played. Their offensive process was not great in 472 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:26,480 game and they missed some e quality shots. It was not great in Game 473 00:29:26,519 --> 00:29:29,599 two, and it wasn't great in Game one either, and they were in 474 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:32,680 a position to like where they could have won. They had an eight point 475 00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:34,880 lead right when Chris Paul went down, and so I don't think that it 476 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:37,920 got away from a little bit. In the end. They lose by ten, 477 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:41,279 but I would expect them to win Game three. I don't expect them 478 00:29:41,279 --> 00:29:42,119 to win this series, like I said, because it just feels like they 479 00:29:42,119 --> 00:29:45,319 don't have You mentioned it during the preview more than I did. They don't 480 00:29:45,319 --> 00:29:49,799 have enough bodies, which at once feels like an oversimplification, but it's also 481 00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:56,039 just the god's honest truth. Yeah, and look, then Chris Paul is 482 00:29:56,039 --> 00:29:59,400 a plus eight in the game his team lost by ten. So, like, 483 00:30:00,039 --> 00:30:03,960 I mean, sometimes I get annoyed by the way that Paul plays and 484 00:30:03,319 --> 00:30:07,880 just the shots that he seems to want to take. But like, I 485 00:30:10,039 --> 00:30:12,160 just don't know where you go for easy shots if you're the Sons, if 486 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:15,839 one of your best generators of the shots you want to take, even if 487 00:30:15,839 --> 00:30:21,440 they're bad, math is not out there and not able to get you into 488 00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:25,160 your offense. So yeah, I'm pretty sure I picked nuggets in seven. 489 00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:26,880 I can't even remember now, But like I might come down from that, 490 00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:30,680 I might say a fewer games now I know what I might need to look 491 00:30:30,680 --> 00:30:33,720 if Chris Paul's not gonna play again or let's not get too o, my 492 00:30:33,759 --> 00:30:37,240 prediction hasn't changed. If we think CP three plays again before we get Daddle 493 00:30:37,279 --> 00:30:41,599 here, let's spend a couple of minutes on some of the playoff exits that 494 00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:45,799 we haven't tackled. The Grizzlies. We already talked about them, by the 495 00:30:45,839 --> 00:30:48,839 way, seemingly kind of with the verbiage there, like you're kind of making 496 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:52,640 Dylan Brooks the scapegoat. And I'm not gonna all of a sudden be pro 497 00:30:52,799 --> 00:30:55,960 Dylan Brooks. But Samus fin Jari had pointed this out on Twitter, the 498 00:30:55,960 --> 00:30:59,240 Grizzling kind of turned Dyl Brooks into a sympathetic figure a little bit by making 499 00:30:59,559 --> 00:31:03,319 like this is how you after everything that's happened in Memphis this season, Like 500 00:31:03,359 --> 00:31:07,200 you're putting me the way that this just comes out so early under it unless 501 00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:11,960 there's something truly damaging that happened behind the scenes. But like, yeah, 502 00:31:11,119 --> 00:31:15,079 I'm just that makes me uncomfortable. But so the Grizzlies offseason, we all 503 00:31:15,119 --> 00:31:18,000 know what they need. I'm gonna tell you what they don't. I guess 504 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:22,599 this. I've been a very big advocate of they don't need og and and 505 00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:26,359 Obi because they need more on ball juice in the half court. If Dylan 506 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:30,000 Brooks is returning, is it returning under any circumstances. Does that change. 507 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:34,279 You're gonna need a big wing that can guard like that's that's kind of a 508 00:31:34,359 --> 00:31:38,559 must. And if he can make shots at better than like a forty nine 509 00:31:38,599 --> 00:31:42,599 percent you know, true shooting clip, all the better. Yeah, So 510 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:48,160 is this I think we sort of viewed them. You have to remind me 511 00:31:48,359 --> 00:31:52,680 as sort of a disappointing offseason team last summer because they had they had the 512 00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:56,160 ability right to go get a guy then whoever that was gonna be Jalen Brown 513 00:31:56,279 --> 00:32:00,880 or og or whatever, and they really didn't. They still have a lot 514 00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:05,480 of those same assets. They're more expensive now in terms of I mean, 515 00:32:05,519 --> 00:32:08,200 they're their cap sheet is a little more clogged up now than it was. 516 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:13,920 But like, is this a big swing summer or is it just let's get 517 00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:17,119 a small forward that is ready to play and we get you know, Clark 518 00:32:17,359 --> 00:32:22,680 and Adams back and we just we just try again, Like is it I 519 00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:25,240 think it's probably gonna be something in between that I don't think you're getting a 520 00:32:25,279 --> 00:32:29,279 star. But they have they got the AMMO right, they still have the 521 00:32:29,319 --> 00:32:31,720 draft picks, they still have you know, matching salaries they can throw out 522 00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:36,079 there, which is another reason I thought they'd just resigned Brooks and try to 523 00:32:36,119 --> 00:32:38,839 trade them potentially at some point, but yeah, they gotta get wings. 524 00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:44,039 And you know, other than that, like grow up. I guess like 525 00:32:44,079 --> 00:32:45,960 that's those are the two. Those are your two action items for the summer. 526 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:51,440 I think I will just say, like, unless you're just so bullish 527 00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:58,799 on Desmond Baine, you've lost your best defensive player other than Jaren Jackson Jr. 528 00:32:59,319 --> 00:33:02,559 And so like what do you do from here? And I don't know 529 00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:07,960 that this is a decision you can make without knowing that you're going to land 530 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:10,160 a bigger name. And I'm talking about like we've now graduated from if you 531 00:33:10,279 --> 00:33:15,079 thought like Royce O'Neill was gonna cut it or Dowyan Phinney Smith for this roster, 532 00:33:15,119 --> 00:33:17,599 you're kind of at the point where it needs to be an og or 533 00:33:17,759 --> 00:33:22,799 McHale Bridges. I don't even think them doing a sign and trade for Harrison 534 00:33:22,839 --> 00:33:24,680 Barnes. And we'll get into the Kings in a minute, Like that's not 535 00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:28,839 going to like move the need for what they need. And I'm trying to 536 00:33:28,839 --> 00:33:32,519 think of just like other names that even could theoretically become available, and I 537 00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:37,519 just don't see it, And so they obviously have more intel than I do. 538 00:33:37,599 --> 00:33:42,000 But this just again, I just found it so fascinating because of how 539 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:46,440 important he is to them defensively that they made this decision so definitively so early 540 00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:51,799 and then made it public, Like it's just like they could go out and 541 00:33:51,839 --> 00:33:54,440 trade, like they maybe they trade for Alex Caruso. Okay, great, 542 00:33:54,920 --> 00:34:00,759 that's just not like you're kind of you're letting someone who only Arsley fills a 543 00:34:00,759 --> 00:34:05,279 whole go and then it creates this bigger one though that does it become it 544 00:34:05,319 --> 00:34:08,400 becomes harder, like you can't I'll phrase this way. They're less likely to 545 00:34:08,599 --> 00:34:13,880 look like the real deal next season if they don't acquire let's say, a 546 00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:19,039 fringe star by letting Dylan Brooks Walks jump, because I do think it hurts 547 00:34:19,079 --> 00:34:22,079 their defensive vibe. I know, Jared Jackson Junior spectacular in the way that 548 00:34:22,119 --> 00:34:24,519 they could throw up on the front line. Unless you think Desmond baine is 549 00:34:24,519 --> 00:34:29,800 is close to that level of stopper, and maybe maybe he is, but 550 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:32,360 like he's not, like he doesn't even negative wings band, like he's even 551 00:34:32,360 --> 00:34:36,920 solid on defensive most part, but like you don't want him tackling the Lebron's 552 00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:40,280 of the world. It's just a lot to ask as much as anything from 553 00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:43,960 him because you're gonna need him. I mean, I would. I mean 554 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:46,239 not that it's a bad thing overall for the Grizzlies offense that some of Dylan 555 00:34:46,239 --> 00:34:50,480 Brooks's shots now just get transferred over to Desmond Baine. Like that's a that's 556 00:34:50,480 --> 00:34:52,039 a good thing, I think, But it's gonna be a heavier lift, 557 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:55,239 and you don't want It's just there's not a lot of guys that can, 558 00:34:55,360 --> 00:35:00,000 over a full season and a playoff run basically half to guard the other team 559 00:35:00,159 --> 00:35:02,719 his best wing or guard because you have to hide John Morant in a lot 560 00:35:02,760 --> 00:35:07,119 of situations too. So Baine is already probably you know, he's always getting 561 00:35:07,119 --> 00:35:12,280 the most dangerous guard generally speaking. So now it's you add small forward to 562 00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:15,880 that too. That's a lot. So just looking down the roster like they 563 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:17,360 do have, you know, I don't know, I don't know if they 564 00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:22,119 want to trade Luke Kennard or if you know that's fifteen million there. Clark 565 00:35:22,199 --> 00:35:27,000 makes twelve and a half, Adams makes twelve. Six Achilles injury too, 566 00:35:27,119 --> 00:35:30,079 missing all of next year complicates him. I hate doing it. And that 567 00:35:30,480 --> 00:35:34,079 put it like it complicates one his his trade value. Now it's like always 568 00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:37,159 Xavier Tilman super important to this roster if they want to continue to run the 569 00:35:37,159 --> 00:35:40,039 types of front courts that they do, or you do have Santi Aldamo David 570 00:35:40,119 --> 00:35:43,840 Roddy, So they're options. I was gonna say that those are two guys 571 00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:46,440 that you would bank on them getting better, but they don't really fill the 572 00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:50,599 Brooks role, like not, you know, they don't really. I mean 573 00:35:50,639 --> 00:35:53,280 maybe Roddy can guard you know, some wings, I don't know, I 574 00:35:53,880 --> 00:35:57,320 don't know if you want to, you're not going to start him. I 575 00:35:57,320 --> 00:36:00,599 wouldn't think with the intention like Zarie Williams. Can he find only be the 576 00:36:00,639 --> 00:36:04,760 guy we've picked as like an X factor two years running? That is that 577 00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:07,760 viable? I don't know. And how much of it was just injuries to 578 00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:09,400 start the season and then he was never able to regain because he just never 579 00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:14,880 became a part of the rotation. And it's just put you know, you 580 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:17,559 have up in the exit interviews talking they're talking about, well we can't just 581 00:36:17,599 --> 00:36:22,360 bank on youth anymore, and so r Williams would be like a perfect example 582 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:24,800 of that, right right, Yeah, they gotta go get somebody. This 583 00:36:24,840 --> 00:36:28,239 page problem is not great. So I don't know. I don't know how 584 00:36:28,239 --> 00:36:30,920 you. I don't know who the target is, Like they don't have the 585 00:36:30,960 --> 00:36:32,960 money to go sign anybody of consequence, Like you're not in the Cam Johnson 586 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:37,159 restrict your free agency sweep stakes. You have nothing close to the cap space 587 00:36:37,199 --> 00:36:38,840 to get involved in stuff like that either. So it's got to be a 588 00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:42,719 trade. It just has to be, unless there's like a sign in trade 589 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:45,480 option with Middleton. But I don't know what you're giving the Bucks that would 590 00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:47,440 make them want They can't like Chris Middleton walk In my opinions, I'm just 591 00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:52,599 throwing nonsense out there, and to me, we know they have the ample 592 00:36:52,679 --> 00:36:55,159 to do this. But I don't think the Clippers aren't making Paul Georgia quaietailable. 593 00:36:55,159 --> 00:36:58,440 If they did, you, yeah, you sprint. If you're the 594 00:36:58,440 --> 00:37:02,119 Grizzlies, their best bet does seem like an og or? I would say 595 00:37:02,159 --> 00:37:07,000 Michael Bridges, But do you even view him as like especially gettable. I 596 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:10,000 don't think he's clearly not untouchable. Let's not go off the rails here, 597 00:37:10,039 --> 00:37:15,039 but do you even consider I think if I'd framed the TV this way, 598 00:37:15,519 --> 00:37:21,920 are the Brooklyn Nets more likely to trade Michael Bridges or keep Michael Bridges and 599 00:37:21,960 --> 00:37:25,440 make a consolidation maybe star trade of their own option two. I think that's 600 00:37:25,480 --> 00:37:30,199 way more likely because the Nets have this isn't a Nets section, but like 601 00:37:30,559 --> 00:37:35,199 they have a million expiring guys next year where they can just lump those together. 602 00:37:35,679 --> 00:37:37,840 You know, they still have They got those Phoenix picks they can throw 603 00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:42,320 out there, like they could. They could do a lot of things consolidationwise. 604 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:45,119 But I don't think Bridges is going to be involved in that. I 605 00:37:45,119 --> 00:37:50,079 think suddenly Bridges as someone you're adding pieces around in their view, as opposed 606 00:37:50,119 --> 00:37:52,840 to like let's throw him and Dorian Finney Smith and Joe Harris together and we 607 00:37:52,840 --> 00:37:54,960 get a Max played Like that's not I don't. I think you throw everybody 608 00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:58,679 else together and you hang under Bridges and Clackson and see what you got. 609 00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:02,440 Maybe Portland will be open assign and trade for Jeremy Grant. Does that do 610 00:38:02,519 --> 00:38:06,920 it for you at all? Grant Jackson Front Court would be kind of fun? 611 00:38:07,360 --> 00:38:12,960 Yeah? Yeah, No, I just I'm trying to think of is 612 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:15,679 like Toog is too obvious and too easy, Like that's just he's an't not 613 00:38:15,800 --> 00:38:20,159 the answer anymore, because I mean, well, I shouldn't say that he's 614 00:38:20,199 --> 00:38:22,000 more of the answer than he was before to me. But I just okay, 615 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:24,000 he gives you some three point volume. I just don't think he gives 616 00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:28,039 you a lot else on offense right now. And we're at the point where 617 00:38:28,039 --> 00:38:30,039 it's hey, we're talking about his third contract. It's time to stop envisioning 618 00:38:30,119 --> 00:38:32,519 him as this like on ball creator. Just no, he's not that. 619 00:38:34,239 --> 00:38:37,599 But I think that's okay. If Moran gets a little better, if Bain 620 00:38:37,719 --> 00:38:40,079 stays at this level, and Jackson plays off, you know, offensively like 621 00:38:40,119 --> 00:38:44,239 he did down the stretch this season, I think you might have enough spacing 622 00:38:44,239 --> 00:38:46,840 an offense and shock creation within from those three. Well, you throw Adams 623 00:38:46,880 --> 00:38:51,239 back out there and things kind of clog up a little bit. I don't 624 00:38:51,280 --> 00:38:54,000 know. I don't need a ton of offense from whoever is Brooks. You 625 00:38:54,079 --> 00:38:57,719 just seed more than Brooks offered, which was like zero. So yes, 626 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:00,480 I don't mean to overinflate the importance of Dylan Brooks on offense. I want 627 00:39:00,480 --> 00:39:02,400 to make that clear. My whole point is why I didn't think was a 628 00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:06,320 great fit. Well, I think Memphis Chan's probably be like, oh, 629 00:39:06,440 --> 00:39:08,800 go, Pulse are moving because they're talking about we probably made fun of Dylan 630 00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:12,239 Brooks. I thought it was great theater. I thought it was a damaging 631 00:39:12,280 --> 00:39:15,840 offensive player who's really good on defense, who was a great character just to 632 00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:20,079 follow. I don't think it's damning. I just I find this decision curious 633 00:39:20,199 --> 00:39:22,480 and unsettling. And now I'm just wondering. And I would have been wondering 634 00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:27,760 this anyways. Who's the worst player that they could acquire that really elevates them? 635 00:39:27,840 --> 00:39:31,039 And I still think the answer Brooks are not. It's like an uncomfortably 636 00:39:31,760 --> 00:39:35,880 high end player to where I don't think if you told me it was og, 637 00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:39,159 I just don't think they would be there. So it needs to be 638 00:39:39,199 --> 00:39:43,679 like if it was Jeremy Grant, I don't think it would be there. 639 00:39:43,719 --> 00:39:46,000 It needs to be like I might say, Mchaal Bridges, which is a 640 00:39:46,039 --> 00:39:52,360 pretty lofty year. And maybe I'm underestimating how good the Grizzlies actually are. 641 00:39:52,519 --> 00:39:53,880 Maybe I'm mad because I picked him to win in five and they lost in 642 00:39:53,960 --> 00:39:59,400 six. Uh well, first of all, I want to ask you at 643 00:39:59,440 --> 00:40:01,280 the King's very qu but we know how this ends, right. They trade 644 00:40:01,320 --> 00:40:05,519 for Jay Shantaid and Boyan madonovitchoud call it like an offseason, like that's like 645 00:40:05,559 --> 00:40:07,199 their big solution, right, I'd be all right, I wouldn't be mad 646 00:40:07,239 --> 00:40:15,360 at that. Let's talk Kings though, Like so Harrison Barnes free agency is 647 00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:20,800 looming. Other than that, what else do we have of consequence? I 648 00:40:20,800 --> 00:40:25,119 don't have their I have two questions for you that fascinate me is and let's 649 00:40:25,119 --> 00:40:30,559 start here because I think this one's a little ridiculous, the Sabonus discourse after 650 00:40:30,639 --> 00:40:37,119 the series against the Warriors. Do you really view it as they can't build, 651 00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:39,800 like get to the next level with him as their centerpiece because of how 652 00:40:39,880 --> 00:40:45,840 far off of him the Warriors were playing. My natural sponsor would be if 653 00:40:45,320 --> 00:40:49,639 like Kevin Herder and even I had to hit more threes. Maybe it's just 654 00:40:49,679 --> 00:40:55,840 a different defensive scheme. So I definitely like walked back from it a little 655 00:40:55,840 --> 00:41:00,199 bit or a lot during this season. But I thought for a long time 656 00:41:00,239 --> 00:41:06,559 that Sabonis just his limitations, his specific limitations, this lack of spacing, 657 00:41:06,559 --> 00:41:10,039 the lack of defensive He was way more mobile defensively than in this against the 658 00:41:10,039 --> 00:41:14,320 Warriors than I thought he would be. But he's not you know, he's 659 00:41:14,360 --> 00:41:17,800 not shuttling all over the floor and able to switch or anything, and his 660 00:41:19,159 --> 00:41:22,760 bad rim protection, the way that he can be like dominated on the glass 661 00:41:22,840 --> 00:41:28,199 by a guy making you know, very little money compared to him Kavan Luny's 662 00:41:28,239 --> 00:41:31,920 generational though playoffs generations. But what I'm saying is, if you were a 663 00:41:31,960 --> 00:41:37,519 Sabonis skeptic, you did see a lot in that first round series that validated 664 00:41:37,559 --> 00:41:40,079 that skepticism in a lot of specific ways. Like he's a he's a very 665 00:41:40,119 --> 00:41:44,719 good regular season player that has a lot of defensive shortcomings and does not space 666 00:41:44,800 --> 00:41:49,400 the floor with his shot. The Kings used him about as well as you 667 00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:52,159 can use his skill set, like they emphasize all the things he's really good 668 00:41:52,159 --> 00:41:54,239 at, and there are a lot of those things. Not to just dump 669 00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:59,079 on the guy. But so I mean, maybe it's a little bit of 670 00:41:59,119 --> 00:42:01,880 an overstatement to say you cannot build, you know, a team that can 671 00:42:01,920 --> 00:42:06,039 make the second round with him, because like there were you know, a 672 00:42:06,039 --> 00:42:08,000 couple of bounces away from making the second round, like they went to Game 673 00:42:08,039 --> 00:42:12,760 seven, Like that's that's very close. Against a different team they probably would 674 00:42:12,760 --> 00:42:15,679 have, you know, so anyway, but having said that, I do 675 00:42:15,760 --> 00:42:20,039 think he just if you have some bonus as a key piece of your team, 676 00:42:20,920 --> 00:42:22,239 you get a lot of good and you get a lot of you know 677 00:42:23,159 --> 00:42:28,719 caps, I think on how good you can be. The bonus is he's 678 00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:30,760 making twenty million dollars. It's not like this guy is maxed out. It's 679 00:42:30,800 --> 00:42:35,880 not like you've committed Rudy Gobert resources to him. So I mean, I 680 00:42:36,199 --> 00:42:42,199 think I think they'll almost definitely extend him. Uh well, if that's a 681 00:42:42,360 --> 00:42:44,719 that's an interesting That's the thing is how much do you pay him in his 682 00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:47,880 next deal? If you are worried about those is it? Is it enough? 683 00:42:49,320 --> 00:42:51,599 Is because now you can get him for one hundred and forty percent of 684 00:42:51,599 --> 00:42:53,760 his salary, is that enough for him to extend early and not hit free 685 00:42:53,800 --> 00:42:57,599 agency? I don't know. I don't know what other What is one forty 686 00:42:57,639 --> 00:43:01,280 off of what's his number next season? Twenty point seven? So that's gonna 687 00:43:01,320 --> 00:43:05,519 be let's I'm not doing quick math. I'm typing it into my calculator. 688 00:43:05,679 --> 00:43:08,159 Yeah, it's like twenty nine minute. I think that's a fair number for 689 00:43:08,239 --> 00:43:12,880 him. I'm just wondering if that is he gonna sign that. My guests 690 00:43:12,920 --> 00:43:17,000 would be probably not. I'd offer it because I don't think I'm damaging money 691 00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:21,480 by any stretch. Do you think he signed it? I would say no, 692 00:43:21,920 --> 00:43:25,559 probably because he's unhappy and Sacramento, but because he just probably has more 693 00:43:25,639 --> 00:43:28,760 leverage when he's an actual free agent, I would think, And there's a 694 00:43:28,760 --> 00:43:31,079 decent chance he makes all NBA this year, Like, do you're gonna sign 695 00:43:31,119 --> 00:43:34,400 for less than the max? If you're coming off and all him, you're 696 00:43:34,440 --> 00:43:37,360 gonna lock in an extension that much less than the max? But like we're 697 00:43:37,360 --> 00:43:42,559 talking like fourteen million dollars for him. Yeah, so yeah, I don't 698 00:43:42,559 --> 00:43:45,400 know. But anyway, the discourse did get a little wild, but not 699 00:43:45,519 --> 00:43:51,000 like if you were some bonus doubter, you got you didn't necessarily have to 700 00:43:51,079 --> 00:43:53,400 change your opinion after this series. I think that's fair. I would My 701 00:43:53,440 --> 00:43:55,519 two counters would be, and you already made one of them. Look at 702 00:43:55,559 --> 00:44:00,280 well Sacramento buying large defended throughout the series and the fact that they were able 703 00:44:00,280 --> 00:44:01,960 to do that with him on the court. And I would argue, with 704 00:44:02,280 --> 00:44:06,840 an imperfect batch of defensive personnel to begin like they leaned on Davy on Mitchell 705 00:44:06,840 --> 00:44:08,719 a Ton, and I thought Fox really had some good moments defensive lead in 706 00:44:08,760 --> 00:44:12,840 this series. Yeah, I don't know. So if you're looking at the 707 00:44:12,880 --> 00:44:15,320 Kings, what else or did you have another question before I just straight up 708 00:44:15,320 --> 00:44:17,119 ask you like he was gonna lead into that. I think the last of 709 00:44:17,159 --> 00:44:21,840 bonus thing I was gonna say is I refused to believe defensively he is what 710 00:44:21,840 --> 00:44:24,400 he is. But someone who doesn't turn twenty seven until tomorrow, he's May 711 00:44:24,400 --> 00:44:28,960 third, happy birthday, early birthday, So don'ts a bonus like I could. 712 00:44:29,079 --> 00:44:30,400 I'm not going to say that he can't branch out his offense to where 713 00:44:30,599 --> 00:44:34,559 can he make defenses pay? They're gonna say that way up. Maybe it's 714 00:44:34,559 --> 00:44:37,599 not a jump shot. Maybe it's him putting the ball on the floor and 715 00:44:37,599 --> 00:44:40,119 not trying to back down, like just attacking from face uffs more. I 716 00:44:40,119 --> 00:44:44,159 just refuse to believe that he can't get better, and I think that the 717 00:44:44,239 --> 00:44:45,440 Kings and this will lead into that. I think you're gonna get to And 718 00:44:45,480 --> 00:44:50,599 it wasn't my second question. There's at least a sustainable path forward to where 719 00:44:51,000 --> 00:44:53,559 you have the skeleton of whether you think it's a regular season, like they 720 00:44:53,599 --> 00:44:57,400 pushed the Warriors to seven games. I know the Warriors were the lower seed, 721 00:44:57,440 --> 00:45:00,920 but everyone was picking them to just win that series. There's a path 722 00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:05,360 forward here. You're not completely picked Barron. But I do think what is 723 00:45:05,639 --> 00:45:08,440 does this series complicate what you think their biggest need is at all? Because 724 00:45:08,440 --> 00:45:12,960 of how well they defended? Defend? Like how well they defended or is 725 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:15,360 it no it needs to be the A plus wing defender. And what do 726 00:45:15,360 --> 00:45:20,000 you do with Harrison Barnes, Like, I don't think you can afford to 727 00:45:20,000 --> 00:45:23,400 lose him for nothing, and yet bringing him back sort of feels like man, 728 00:45:23,719 --> 00:45:27,679 but it's like you did kind of need him. Keegan Murray wasn't spectacular 729 00:45:27,760 --> 00:45:31,119 for the I don't know more than half of this series, and so I 730 00:45:31,159 --> 00:45:34,840 don't know what you do with Harrison Barnes. I guess is might like he's 731 00:45:34,880 --> 00:45:37,440 going to be fascinating to me. His free agency well, and we've struggled 732 00:45:37,480 --> 00:45:40,400 so much to come up with, like who teams that need you know, 733 00:45:40,440 --> 00:45:44,599 combo forwards or wings that can sort of hold up on both ends. There 734 00:45:44,719 --> 00:45:47,239 just aren't a lot of those guys. I think that benefits Harrison Barnes because 735 00:45:47,239 --> 00:45:51,679 he's going to hit the market and be someone that maybe gets overpaid because there's 736 00:45:51,719 --> 00:45:53,840 just aren't a lot of alternatives to him. I think the King's really value 737 00:45:54,000 --> 00:45:59,880 his locker room presidence, his maturity, like his whole demeanor means a lot 738 00:46:00,079 --> 00:46:04,199 to them. I think if you're the Kings, you hope that Keegan Murray 739 00:46:04,320 --> 00:46:07,760 gets a little more aggressive offensively and just is the guy that that can handle 740 00:46:07,800 --> 00:46:12,480 that role next year and you don't have to go either give Barnes twenty five 741 00:46:12,519 --> 00:46:15,519 million a year or whatever it is, or go find someone else. You 742 00:46:15,639 --> 00:46:19,239 give up assets to get that guy that still kind of leaves you. You 743 00:46:19,280 --> 00:46:22,480 know you got Trey. Lyles is going to hit free agency too, and 744 00:46:22,519 --> 00:46:25,920 I think if we learn anything, the King's backup option has got to be 745 00:46:27,159 --> 00:46:30,800 a stretch guy because Alex lenn just made it makes it too easy for teams 746 00:46:30,800 --> 00:46:35,599 to pick him apart defensively and to get to the rim, and just that's 747 00:46:36,360 --> 00:46:39,559 I think so Lyles. You could argue Lyles is as big a retention priority 748 00:46:39,599 --> 00:46:44,679 as Barnes, just because you need that change up. And Murray played some 749 00:46:45,119 --> 00:46:46,960 center in college. He's just not big enough to do that, I don't 750 00:46:46,960 --> 00:46:51,519 think, and hasn't shown the ability to really bang around on the boards and 751 00:46:51,559 --> 00:46:53,840 fill that role. I think Murray covers your Barnes situation. And then you're 752 00:46:53,880 --> 00:46:59,760 just again you're looking for someone to guard, you know, to do the 753 00:46:59,760 --> 00:47:02,519 Wiggins thing, like you know, the Warriors could put Wiggans on Fox and 754 00:47:02,559 --> 00:47:06,480 he's gonna guard Lebron in the next round. Like there's just you know, 755 00:47:06,519 --> 00:47:09,039 those guys are really hard to find. But I think that's the that is 756 00:47:09,119 --> 00:47:15,159 the obvious type that the Kings need to add. I just don't know where 757 00:47:15,159 --> 00:47:19,199 they're going to find that guy. If Murphy, I have thought, I 758 00:47:19,239 --> 00:47:22,280 think og and and Obi is does more for them than he does for Memphis 759 00:47:22,400 --> 00:47:27,000 quite frank, I guess if Memphis is losing Dylan Brooks that changes. And 760 00:47:27,199 --> 00:47:30,440 I've wondered one they have that first round pick odo Atlanta next year, but 761 00:47:30,480 --> 00:47:32,519 they'll have their own this year after they use it, and then they could 762 00:47:32,519 --> 00:47:37,880 trade additional first out does something like and I don't know what the Raptors timeline 763 00:47:37,880 --> 00:47:40,079 is going to be. Do they have interested at all? If you would 764 00:47:40,159 --> 00:47:44,840 use Harrison Barnes and assign and trade for Og with picks or is two first 765 00:47:44,920 --> 00:47:47,440 round picks plus salary. Let's not even say it's Harrison Barnes does that get 766 00:47:47,480 --> 00:47:52,039 you into the og business, especially knowing that he's headed into the final year 767 00:47:52,280 --> 00:47:57,400 of his deal. I think two firsts and salary might do it. I 768 00:47:57,400 --> 00:48:00,119 mean, it's hard to know because it seemed like three we're sort of bandied 769 00:48:00,119 --> 00:48:04,199 around at the deadline as a possibility, and that that never happened. So 770 00:48:04,280 --> 00:48:07,599 maybe there were three fake first rounders or you know, I think that's the 771 00:48:07,639 --> 00:48:13,079 path I prefer if I'm the Kings, because you believe it or not, 772 00:48:13,119 --> 00:48:15,840 Like now, the Kings are in a position where trading first rounders is probably 773 00:48:15,880 --> 00:48:19,559 okay because I think they're gonna be another you know, I think they could 774 00:48:19,559 --> 00:48:22,159 easily win as many games next year as they did this year. So I 775 00:48:22,159 --> 00:48:23,920 will say, though, like having a trade, let's say first allowable twenty 776 00:48:23,960 --> 00:48:28,119 twenty six, and then if you have to trade twenty twenty eight like that. 777 00:48:29,800 --> 00:48:31,719 Yeah, you know what, though, I think the main takeaway for 778 00:48:31,760 --> 00:48:36,519 Sacramento from this series is that Fox. I think Fox is that guy. 779 00:48:36,599 --> 00:48:39,960 I think Fox finally we can say like he I think he might make an 780 00:48:39,960 --> 00:48:43,800 All NBA team this year and I'd be fine with it. And I think, 781 00:48:44,039 --> 00:48:46,400 just wow, what a ringing endorsement. Incremental. I mean, there's 782 00:48:46,400 --> 00:48:51,480 a lot of good guards, incremental improvement as a shooter, and just a 783 00:48:51,480 --> 00:48:55,960 little bit more consistent defense. I think he can be. I was very 784 00:48:57,000 --> 00:49:00,079 impressed with Fox, and I think everybody that watched that series should feel the 785 00:49:00,119 --> 00:49:04,559 same way. So maybe that makes it easier for you to trade future firsts 786 00:49:04,599 --> 00:49:07,960 because you've got your sort of your your guy that's going to keep the floor 787 00:49:08,039 --> 00:49:13,079 pretty high. So yeah, I don't know. Yeah, OG would be 788 00:49:13,119 --> 00:49:19,280 phenomenal, just because if you go into next year, who I mean, 789 00:49:19,280 --> 00:49:22,039 it was a problem this year, like who is guarding the best guy on 790 00:49:22,079 --> 00:49:27,000 the other team, like right, and then you just hope he makes one 791 00:49:27,079 --> 00:49:29,679 or two three so he can stay on the floor, because I mean, 792 00:49:29,679 --> 00:49:32,239 it's really hard to have a point guard undersized point guard they can't shoot, 793 00:49:32,320 --> 00:49:36,639 or that defenses don't care about shooting. That's like that's a tough thing to 794 00:49:36,719 --> 00:49:39,519 overcome, I will say. And we didn't spend a lot of time on 795 00:49:39,519 --> 00:49:43,639 this with Memphis because I think they need more offensive creation, which you're probably 796 00:49:43,679 --> 00:49:45,840 not going to get with the mid level. The Kings if they get into 797 00:49:45,880 --> 00:49:52,239 like the business of Tory Craig or Bruce Brown with their mid level, does 798 00:49:52,280 --> 00:49:55,119 that make you feel like exponentially better about what they would be capable earlier. 799 00:49:55,199 --> 00:50:00,079 They could be They could be a Dylan Brooks team. No, oh man, 800 00:50:02,440 --> 00:50:06,559 that I mean he solves a lot of problems for them. I hate 801 00:50:06,599 --> 00:50:09,360 that. That's like a really interesting idea. So actually, I mean Tory 802 00:50:09,400 --> 00:50:13,679 Craig is you know, all those fungible you lump them all together. I 803 00:50:13,679 --> 00:50:15,079 know Ross O'Neil is not a free agent, but you know, you throw 804 00:50:15,119 --> 00:50:20,239 all those guys best. If there's trades that they could swing, maybe like 805 00:50:20,280 --> 00:50:23,360 a bigger trade for both of those guys, that would be like again, 806 00:50:23,440 --> 00:50:29,400 I think they this would be my hot take. Maybe it's probably too spisy. 807 00:50:29,480 --> 00:50:35,079 I think the Kings have an easier path to reaching that next level next 808 00:50:35,079 --> 00:50:39,960 season than the Memphis Grizzlies do, like finishing, you know, finishing higher 809 00:50:40,000 --> 00:50:45,480 than Memphis. I feel like Memphis needs a higher caliber player then. And 810 00:50:45,519 --> 00:50:49,519 maybe I'm just overvaluing some bonus in this discussion. Look, Jaw Triple J 811 00:50:49,679 --> 00:50:53,000 and Desmond Bane's a hell of a corps. But it just feels like because 812 00:50:53,039 --> 00:50:55,960 of what we know the Kings can already do offensively and how we've actually seen 813 00:50:57,000 --> 00:50:59,719 that translate to the playoffs, but then they did ratchet up defensively, where 814 00:50:59,719 --> 00:51:02,960 it's of like reverse a lot of the time for Memphis. I would I 815 00:51:04,000 --> 00:51:07,079 think that at least for next season. Long term, it's a different story. 816 00:51:07,400 --> 00:51:10,599 I think the Kings have a chance to reach that next tier, that 817 00:51:12,320 --> 00:51:15,360 the path forward for them to get their next season feels easier than it is 818 00:51:15,400 --> 00:51:19,360 for Memphis. I think a lot of that has to do with the Kings 819 00:51:19,440 --> 00:51:22,760 know what kind of team they are and what kind of team they want to 820 00:51:22,760 --> 00:51:25,079 be and how they want to play, and identity is like a real fuzzy 821 00:51:25,199 --> 00:51:30,039 term. But I think now only the Grizzlies are only now going to try 822 00:51:30,039 --> 00:51:34,320 to figure that out, I think. And so I think it's easier to 823 00:51:34,400 --> 00:51:38,639 sort of plug in someone. You could take the same player and plug him 824 00:51:38,639 --> 00:51:42,159 into the Kings, and I think it'll be a lot easier for him to 825 00:51:42,280 --> 00:51:45,760 just fill the role that they want than it will be for Memphis, because 826 00:51:45,920 --> 00:51:49,400 the Grizzlies just feel unsettled to me. So that, yeah, that's that's 827 00:51:49,440 --> 00:51:52,000 interesting. Keep thinking about Tory Craig, Like Tory Craig would be okay, 828 00:51:52,039 --> 00:51:54,639 you know, if you're not aiming high. I want to be clear, 829 00:51:54,679 --> 00:51:57,800 but that's first of all, I want to be clear Tory Craigs and not 830 00:51:57,840 --> 00:52:00,840 make them a contenders. I want I wasn't saying that, and I know 831 00:52:00,880 --> 00:52:02,880 you know I wasn't saying that. But that is also the like who's the 832 00:52:02,920 --> 00:52:06,639 best guy you're getting with the mid level? I mean it's like even Jay 833 00:52:06,679 --> 00:52:09,599 Crowder is not going to be attractive at that number, Like going through the 834 00:52:09,800 --> 00:52:14,159 like the combo forwards and wings that are available, you're not going to be 835 00:52:14,639 --> 00:52:15,480 I don't know if he's the best PIP, like it would have to be 836 00:52:15,480 --> 00:52:20,599 assigned and trade for Jeremy Grant, Kyle Kuzmas. I don't even know if 837 00:52:20,639 --> 00:52:22,320 that does it. He's certainly not going to be in the mid level. 838 00:52:22,480 --> 00:52:27,039 You'll be really funny they signed and traded for Draymond Green series that might be 839 00:52:27,119 --> 00:52:29,880 wonders for their defense. I don't know. It doesn't ever respect for someone. 840 00:52:30,039 --> 00:52:32,440 I was thinking like if the Warriors are just never going to play Jonathan 841 00:52:32,480 --> 00:52:37,199 Cominga, and we know the King's love to have anything that used to belong 842 00:52:37,239 --> 00:52:42,480 to the Warriors, whether it's like owners or players or trainers or assistant coaches 843 00:52:42,639 --> 00:52:45,079 or head coaches. Kamiga would be the guy that you could just say, 844 00:52:45,119 --> 00:52:47,280 you guard the best player every night, that's your job, and then you 845 00:52:47,360 --> 00:52:51,119 run up and down the floor because we're good at that and you're good at 846 00:52:51,119 --> 00:52:52,639 that. I just don't know what the Warriors would want back in that trade, 847 00:52:52,679 --> 00:52:55,679 or if they would ever consider trading and Commiga anyway, because they held 848 00:52:55,719 --> 00:53:00,199 onto him through the two timelines, so I'm not sure they do anything now. 849 00:53:00,239 --> 00:53:05,199 But someone a super athletic combo forward that can guard like that's that would 850 00:53:05,199 --> 00:53:09,920 do it. Oh that's all of them. Do you want to take us 851 00:53:09,920 --> 00:53:14,000 out of here? I do? I mean I don't, but I will. 852 00:53:14,760 --> 00:53:16,599 Everybody. Thank you for listening, thanks for your questions, for chiming 853 00:53:16,599 --> 00:53:24,239 in, for following with us live, and if you have not already subscribe, 854 00:53:24,360 --> 00:53:28,599 rated, reviewed, told, friends, told, enemies, apologize to 855 00:53:28,679 --> 00:53:31,000 all the players we apologize to on our behalf. Please do all those things, 856 00:53:31,440 --> 00:53:35,960 and if you haven't, we will do that now. And let's see, 857 00:53:36,000 --> 00:53:38,199 I'm gonna shout out Frank Nilikina like usual, and I will again not 858 00:53:38,320 --> 00:53:44,039 apologize to Jared Allen, but transfer that apology to Mitchell Robinson and wishing makes 859 00:53:44,119 --> 00:53:47,719 media recovery from whatever closes hip. Something's wrong with him, he's great. 860 00:53:47,920 --> 00:53:51,920 We love we love Mitchell Robinson now so apologize to him from not all of 861 00:53:51,920 --> 00:53:52,280 this stuff.