What do it do, Hardwoodknox listeners, I am Damp Valley coming at you
with another mailbag, super humbled and appreciative that we can we're at I'm at
the point where we can do two mail bags a week if we wanted to,
assuming that time allows. Where we have our discord members who will get
priority on the questions, especially because they tend to explain there's more. And
then we do a YouTube and Twitter one. That might be the goal for
me during the off seas off season. Again, I don't know how much
content I'm going to continue pumping out. We've been a daily podcast though for
like the past two months, which is wild, but the response has been
great. I enjoy doing this, so let's keep going. The quick reminders
though the usual house keeping notes. Please please throw us the permanent subscription wherever
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well. All our social handles are on the screen or in the podcast and
YouTube descriptions. Finally, join the Discord. We are closing in on one
hundred members. It's not like this huge group. I know the localized coverage
podcasts tend to get a ship ton more, but the group in there is
absolutely spectacular. It's a very small portion of our audience. But the response
again has been great. I'm able to do an entire mailbag episode based off
the questions that they are asking, so I appreciate every single one of you
on Discord shouts out to you. Link is in the podcasters podcast description and
below on the YouTube video as well. Without further delay though, and this
was almost a two minute delay, probably more than that when you factor in
the introduction. Let's get to the discord questions had a whole bunch that were
All of them were really I mean, all our questions are really good,
but a lot of these were just super interesting to think about. We'll start
with straps. I'm just going in the order that they came in. Dan
Favalley has a vial of truth serum that he can use to ask one GM
player, coach whatever in the NBA. One question that will be truth really
answered. Who do you ask and what question are you asking them? I
mean, selfishly, I'm gonna go with something Nick's related here, and I
think the question right now would be I want to ask Tibbs, why can't
you play Julius random Obi Toppin together. I also want to ask Leon Rose,
was she jiljis Alexander or Tyrese Haliburton even on your radar? Those are
the questions selfishly as a fan that I probably want to ask, but push
comes to shove, I'd love to ask, Like I'm just gonna go through
some of the ringers here. I'd love to ask Sam Presty, just what
are your thing? Are you tanking right now? Like just to hear GM
tell me that they were actually tanking. I don't think the thunder or tanking
this season. To be clear, I would also love to ask Adam Silver
just a whole bunch of questions, just sort of like, well, what
do you really think about, you know, Robert Sarver, Why haven't we
reached the end of that you know, hostile workplace investigation, which is probably
the actual kindest way to put it. That's probably we went through the GM
coach and commissioner or whatever. If I could ask one player a question,
this is just something I'd probably been thought about a ton. I want to
ask Kawhi like if he was ever even really close to going back to Toronto,
just because I feel like that's almost a dynasty that was derailed. Maybe
I'm being like too recent with that. I'd probably ask Frankie Lak, you
know, what he wants his nickname to be, since he hates the Frankie
Smokes and the French Prince apparently. I'd want to ask Rudy Gobert and or
Donovan Mitchell, like, on a scale of one to one hundred, how
much they actually hated each other? Where did that all go wrong? Those
were just some of the questions, Like boring a hole in my brain.
I'd probably want to ask Danny Ainge, how close he ever came to You
know, we make jokes about his almost I don't think people sort of missing
this is a fucking stupid tangent. But here we go. Anyway, people
misinterpret like the Danny Ainge jokes that he never made moves, and no,
we know he made moves. Like they traded for Kyrie, they made the
Isaiah Thomas trade in the first place, you signed Gordon Hayward, you signed
Al Horford like that. That is a team that made moves. But it
was like always the leaks about the almost Oh they were this close on so
and so that were coming out. Oh, they offered ninety first round picks
for Jesse's Winslow. So that is where just sort of the jokes spawned from.
We know that he I mean he did the Paul Peterson k Gardnet trade
and just really slam the Brooklyn Nets his future into the ground. So we
know they made moves. But this is more about the nature of just like
all those almost always leaking, I would say, more so than any other
team. I would like to know, speaking of that, what the second
best offer was for Rudy Gobert. I think the Timberwolves came just from the
top rope and probably beat anyone far and away. I'm just curious if anyone
was ever close. I definitely want to ask Kevin Durant if he actually loves
Kyrie Irving this month, if he regrets going to Brooklyn at all and tethering
his livelihood to such an enigma. I would go as far as saying a
detriment to his team. I'd also ask James Harden like, did you like
what was that? Like? Did you leave specifically because of Kyrie? I
guess that's not really a mystery to answer that. I'd probably ask, you
know, Joe Ellenbad some really honest questions about Ben Simmons, and then vice
versa. Man if any player, coach, GM executive agent wants to come
on this podcast and just get super honest, I'm willing to ask the very
difficult questions. I just and I was just having this conversation while I was
making an appearance with the on the Young Contest podcast. L Blue Wire pod
covers the thunder Go check them out. I don't really pursue like the higher
profile interviews, and I've leaned on the solo format as we go daily,
mostly because I know that we're going to have a ship ton of look ahead
content off season grades where it's gonna be guests after guest after guest, and
as you all know your regular listeners, I hate intruding upon people's existences.
But also just like we've done, we had a player on years ago,
I don't want to single their name out. Maybe longtime listeners remember we've had
like we've had guests on from bigger outlets. We've had on I don't even
want to get into the details because I feel like we've had on very few
of them that you're gonna know who it is. Those conversations are fun.
I enjoy them. Some of the best ship gets talking about off the record,
And so that's why I don't pursue like the player former executive type stuff
because they're trying to be too diplomatic or I don't want to say, afraid
to say things. But that's just the nature of how it is. Even
on a lot of this player driven content, like yeah, they get deep
on like Draymond's podcast or jj red podcasts, and so you can tune into
those, but that's why I prefer listening to like analysts talking to analysts or
these you know hopefully you enjoyed this solo podcast. One of the best solo
podcasters in the business, by the way, who I must have I haven't
listened to and just a little bit, and I'm sad that the Detroit Pistons
Versus Everybody podcast doesn't look like it's up and running anymore. Las Jackson if
you don't follow him on Twitter at Last Chance, that's at L A z
H A n C. He was one of the best. He is one
of the best solo podcast I've ever listened to. Also, Keith Parrish,
we know him from Fast Break Breakfast and we've been on each other pose a
couple of times. But he also has the Grit and Grinds podcast, the
Memphis Grizzlies podcast that he's a lot of the time solo, and those two
just do a fantastic job whenever they've done solo episodes together, So shout out
to them. I don't know if that was anywhere near the answer that you
were looking for, Strops, but there was my tangent cosmic raccoon love that
discord name says, I'd love to hear a theory of the case for how
the Timberwolves defense is going to work with Cat at the four. He struggled
on the perimeters of five and fast fours will blow right by him. And
since Gobert can't punish wings on either side of the court, teams can still
put the five on Cat. So it isn't as if the mismatch on defense
of Cat as a four will be an advantage on offense. I know they'll
staggle their minutes, but to start, and like we finished the game with
Kat trying to be a four defensively seems like it's going to be bit a
big issue for them even in the regular season, let alone the playoffs.
First and foremost, this is a question I think everyone is pondering a ton.
Shout out to the best like content I've consumed where they've discussed or written
about it. Day More of the Day Moore podcast did a great job and
sort of a deep dive it was. It wasn't his initial reaction to the
pot. I don't think I think he did a follow up one. You
should go check that out. Also. Nakayas Duncan wrote a great piece at
Basketball news dot Com about the fit, the concerns, the highs, the
lows, everything about Rudy Gobert crom Anthony Towns. So I don't think a
lot changes for the Wolves defensively right away because they had Karl Anthony Towns,
Like they didn't always use him as a four necessarily on defense, but they
had him coming up high and being really super aggressive. Now you get to
do that, and then just Rudy Gobert is behind you, and they had
like Jared Vanderbilt last season. That's just you know, Rudy Gobert is a
different animal there, and animals and bed Term, they're a different beast there.
So like, I just feel you can give Towns more free reign.
And Rudy has spent the past the better past the half decade covering up for
a ton of perimeter issues with the Utah Jazz. And when you have guys
like Dade McDaniels or Kyle Anderson plus Anthy Edwards, who I don't really know
how I feel about him necessarily as a consistent on ball defender, but he
can just be disruptive away from the ball or when it comes to making plays
forcing turnovers. That's an upgrade over what he was working with in Utah.
Collectively, maybe maybe you think Royce O'Neil is better than Auntie Edwards overall defensively,
that might actually be a debate this past season. Shout out to Royce
O'Neil, though he's been overcast for way too long on the defensive end in
Utah. Excited to see what he does in Brooklyn or his next team,
depending on what the Nets do. Yeah, where was I? But you
have Jane McDaniels and Kyle Anderson. That's just two solid guys in front of
you. So I'm not too worried about the aspect of how do you go
about it? For you know, forty to forty four minutes of the game,
there'll be plenty of staggering, like Cos mccrack quin said, if you
can let Towns be a little bit more aggressive, also having like someone who
is just the single best Rinen protector maybe the NBA has ever seen. And
we're actually gonna get into Rudy Gobert a little bit later with another question to
where I think that our question asker whom I appreciate and love dearly obviously because
I love everyone dearly, and Discord might be underrating Rudy Gobert speed, Like
if is there a chance that Carlytowns could just learn and take cues from Rudy
Gobert, where maybe he's even more interesting when he's playing the five, or
he can look Rudy Gobert. Maybe he's not like the most explosive or quick
laterally, but he is someone who is able to get downhill if he's like
kind of going east west and his body's turned, or knows how to use
lanks in space to his advantage when he's defending outside the basket. I'm not
saying that the Symberbowl was brought in Rudy Gobert to you know, Tutor karn
Anthy Towns. Karthy Towns is just underwhelmed defensively a lot. I just think
now you're sort of giving him more of a license on defense without there being
a potential drawback where I do think and cosmic rat cosmic raccoon touches upon this.
It becomes an issue is in crunch time, are you making the tough
decisions of, oh, we're only going to close with Gobert and we'd rather
have like a Kyle Anderson and Jada McDaniels set up on the front line.
No, because you just supermaxed Karl Anthony Towns. Not that it kicks in,
but like you have all this money invested in Gobert and Karl Anthony Towns,
they're going to play together down the stretch of big games. And that's
where against maybe just more athletic ball handlers at the four, or if teams
were able to create mismatches, they still have to worry if they get inside
about Rudy Gobert, but pulling up over Towns or getting you know, just
creating space, whether it's with step backs or or scape dribble threes, maybe
just coming up on popping from the mid range, which we know that that's
you know, part of the appeal of having Rudy Gobert there is he's such
as the term people will pull up from mid range. But if you're getting
by behind Towns, he's not the type of player who's going to come up
and dismantle that player that shot attempt from behind. And so I do think
there's a real concern there. I'm just not worried about it overall. In
the regular season, I feel like the Wolves have a chance to be like
a top three or four seed in the West. I don't know if I
would put them in like, and I didn't when I power rank to my
contenders in the top seven or eight contenders in the league. Right now,
I think it's a real issue in crunch time, and I don't know how
it's going to work, or if it's going to work in crunch time or
the postseason overall until we actually see it in action. But I think that
the Wolves have adequately covered up for Towns. Now, whether it's an issue
that you had to cover up for someone that you just decided to supermax roomates
to be seen. Karlathy Towns is one of the most valuable offensive players in
the NBA, especially at his position, but just just overall, and I
think that his pairing ends up being on both ends of the floor. Just
looking at Gobert's rim running, I think it's end screening. I think it's
gonna end up being way more dominant than people think, at least for the
regular season. But there's gonna have to be an improvement from Towns or is
it just Rudy Gobert papers over so much it doesn't matter. We're gonna see
him, you know, And that could be part of it too. It's
just like having Jane McDaniels specifically on the court, even at the edwards,
like if Rudy Gobert needs to come up higher once Towns gets beat, you
have guys behind you who you can trust to make those secondary stops of players
who cut to the basket, or even if the ball handler still continues to
get through. So Rudy Gobert covers so much space that I just don't think
the concerns about the Town's fit matter as much. For like I said,
forty to forty five minutes of a game. At this point, we'll have
to see if teams were able to pick them apart more meticulously over the course
of the best of seven series. Though next question comes from Muckle, and
I'm trying to do video are one question. I'm hoping for a Friday,
just depending on the news cycle and how much time I have on Colin Sexton
specifically, maybe he signs with Cleveland and that that's all. That's also kind
of why I've been holding off. I'm afraid to do anything that could get
dated really quickly on one question anyway, But Muckle said I was actually going
to ask a Colin Sexton question too, assuming the Calves resign him do you
like him starting next to Darius Garland or coming off the bench to the sixth
man. I won't go two into detail into the numbers and stuff just behind
this, because I've already started mapping out my little soliloquy in notes there,
just in case you thought that this was a random podcast with no forethought.
You're mostly right, but I think I like Colin Sexton's fit next to Darius
Garland more than I like it for Cara Stelvert, who's just so much better
on ball. I do think when you look at the setup now of the
Cavs current roster with Ricky Rubio coming back, a lot's going to depend on
when he plays. I want Colin Sexton coming off the bench just because that
means he's probably gonna end up spending more minutes alongside Ricky Rubio, and he's
the cleaner fit there. You're also Ricky Rubio is going to cover up more
for him defensively than a Darius Garland would. And I still have hope for
Sexton as an on ball defender. Justin Rowan from the Chase Down Pod and
I talked about this in a podcast I think we talked about just before it
was after the lottery, So I think that's the smartest move right now,
where you could there might be room for flexibilities if Cleveland no longer wants to
go the three big so to speak route. We know Alan and Mobley will
be starting, we know Garland we'll be starting, and then the other two
slots are kind of up in the air. If you're going with market In,
Yeah, there's only that one available if you're willing to start like Lavert
and Sexton like just really kind of drown the opposition and offense. I don't
I would like to see that three guard combination just a little bit more.
And Karislav is big enough to where he can get away with him at the
three for a little bit. But because he's so like good or I don't
want to say good, but better on the ball than off I don't want
him spending a ton of time with Ricky Rubio. Colin Sexton next to Rubio
makes more sense, and so him being the sixth or seventh man, maybe
they're co sixth men type situation. Once Rubio is healthy, that's the route
I think you should go, But again it's only I'm just assuming they're still
gonna start marketing, in which case you are choosing between Lavert or Darius Garland.
Theoretically you could throw Isaaca Coro in there. I just think you might
as well lean into the like the shifty defensive model on the bench at this
point, like you have Rolnett, though, you have Ricky Rubio, you
have oh my god, you have Isaaco Coros. Like throw those guys out
there, and then you have Kevin Love and Colin. Sexton's a sort of
anchor, like your primary offense in those situations. And do we see ak
Bashi? Does he does he crack the rotation? I'm really curious to see
how he fits in with the team. So I think that's the route I
would go. Muckle. It's again, I really need to know what the
Cavs were planning on doing at the three, if it's marketing or if it's
a Coro, it's I'm bringing Sexton off the bench if you're getting to a
point where they're willing, if the possibility of starting both Lavert and Sexton is
on the table, I would at least consider it. I still think i'd
probably bring Sexton off the bench, stagger him from Lavert and Garland a little
bit more, what will be interesting to see is how they close games three
of the closing spots again also up Mobili, Allen and Garland. We didn't
see enough of Sexton last year, know how he factors into the crunch time
units. But could they go the three guard route for crunch time or is
that gonna is marketing gonna have a line share of those minutes? Do you
lean defense with Isaac okorro Is that going to be a situational decision. I'm
sure to some extent it will be, But that rotation question is fascinating.
Even if again Sex is coming off the bench, I'm gonna really be looking
at and this is when he goes back to Cleveland, by the way,
I'm really going to be looking at how they tell or they're closing units,
and even just what their second unit ends up looking like, whether it's being
willing to change. I would also argue what happens if the Vert gets traded.
He's extension knowledgeable, and if you bring Sexton back, maybe you're looking
to trade Lavert where I don't know if a team really wants him. Anyone
that could use this a little a little bit more on ball offensive juice,
like do the Mavericks try and get involved, and then are they compensating you
to take on a Tim Hardaway Junior. I don't think they would give up
Reggie Bullock for him, although Reggie Block would be a perfect fit. That's
just one team that brings to mind anyway. So if a team that's looking
for on ball offense or you just using him as your primary salary fodder for
something, if you really want to go after I mean, like, what
would a Carross Avert for Duncan Robinson trade look like if the Heat willing to
give you a pick in that scenario, because Robinson's a really good fit there
just to get more off ball shooting for Cleveland. So that would also change
the context of my answer. If there's no Lavert, let's just say,
am I still bringing Colin Sexton off the bench? Yes? I think because
Marketing starting, I'd rather have a Coro there. Defensively, was Marketing's defense
sort of a flash in the pan last year. They were able to manipulate
his matchups a ton, so he wasn't necessarily going up against these true wings.
He was still moving a lot better than I thought he would. And
you'll always have Mobili and Jared Allen to paper over a lot of stuff.
But at that point I might still lean bringing sex and off the bench because
you want to surround Rubio with as much shooting as possible when he's healthy.
And then also just like if he's not healthy, who's your other creator of
Sexton's immediately starting and Lavert is gone? I guess potentially you could be getting
someone then who's who's a creator? But I would imagine that if you're moving
Lavert, it's to get like sort of a truer three, in which case
you might want that three to start. And so I do think bringing Sexton
off the bench is smartest, and it does seem like based on their contract
offer, that's how the Calves are are viewing Sexton at this point. Glad
ass in three years time, who do you think is better RJ Barrett or
Devin Vassell? While I think RJ is the better player right now, if
the Nicks get Donovan Mitchell, RJ becomes the fourth option behind Donovan, Brunson
and Randall unless they move Randall. Even so the option, he won't necessarily
get all the leeway opportunities that he should get to develop into the star.
Vassel on the other hand, is going to be the second could become the
first option on the Spurs and have more than apple opportunity to develop and become
a really good player. Also, I'm higher on Vassell's defensive ability than r
J, even though its defense is underrated. What are your thoughts, because
I know you're high on both. Yeah, this was like almost mean question,
Glad talk about. I threw in the Thanos meme saying me having to
choose between Devin Vassell and RJ Barrett long term, the hardest choices require the
strongest of wills. So the issue here, I would frame it this way.
I think RJ Barrett is going to be the better NBA player. I
think Devin Vassell could end up being the I don't want to say it could
be more impactful, but the more sought after or easier to fit in NBA
player. And so let's break this down. The difference in their games right
now is self creation. The Spurs have not given and Vassell a ton of
that opportunity. It did feel like, and I keep saying I need to
look up the date on this and then don't, but it did feel like
from what I was watching that they were throwing more ball screens Devin Vassell's way
so that he could dribble into his his MIDI I don't know that he's going
to be anyone whoever like orchestrates these slow, methodical picking rolls in the half
court. RJ. Barrett's already done that. About fifty four percent of his
shots came off assists last year. About eighty percent of a cell shots came
off assists last year. RJ Barrett's rim volume, He's taking like forty plus
percent of his looks at the rim. Vaceell is only taking fewer than twenty
percent there. Now, Vassell is the more efficient player, He's the better
cutter and finisher at the rim right now. His opportunities are higher end too,
because again a lot of those are coming off passes. He was the
more accurate three point shooter last year. Again, he probably got a higher
quality of looks, but RJ also wasn't chucking these off the dribble threes necessarily
either, And so I do kind of feel like their roles are gonna be
polar opposite long term. And I know Glad mentions that Vassell could be this
bond option on the spurs. I really do think that San Antonio is gonna
probably have like a Premo Keldon Johnson at the top of their pecking order,
and maybe they might be willing to give like Malchai Brandham a little bit more
run on ball where they're always gonna view for Sell to me to some extent
as complimentary if they're willing to plumb the depths of his on ball skills where
he is let's just say their second option, whether you think that Premo's number
one or Kelton Johnson's gonna wind up being number one, And after they extended
Kelton Johnson, I'm assuming that they're going to try and groom him more.
I need to see more from the sell there before I'm prepared to say that
their self creation to his game. With all that said, r J.
Barrett has been inefficient relative to the league average, shot under sixty percent at
the rim last year. The fact that he got there frequently is a big
deal, but he needs to turn those opportunities into efficient opportunities, which he's
just again he got better, but it remains to be seen and what it's
also working against him. If we're looking at these players within the confines of
their current team, Glad points out Barrett's getting nudged down the pecking order once
again, just as he kind of got nudged down the pecking orders start last
season with the players that the Knicks head signed and must not forget, like
they might not trade Derrick Rose as part of the Mitchell deal, and so
how attached as TIBs to running stuff through quickly if he stays or Derek Rose
if if he's still there. So what I will say is that inconsistency of
role type could be harmful to how RJ. Barrett is developed. What I
do think helps him is he's a pretty good set three point shooter already,
and I think he can be more plug in play than a lot of people
are crediting him. And I think that his defense is not just underrated but
actively good. I like Devin Vassell as a team defender more as someone who's
going to disrupt. I think I like RJ. Barrett a little bit more
to go up against the physical, bigger wings if you need him to.
Those are different kinds of defense, and the way I frame it is I
just believe that Vassell You'll look at him and you'll be able to say that
guy fits anyway, sort of like a McHale Bridges not saying that they're the
exact same player. His skill set is so shout out tywindish, don't forget
to drink for this, his mcal Bridges his skill set. Devin was sell
skill set is so scalable you put him anywhere, and so that might make
him equally, if not more, valued asset player around the league. But
with RJ, it's still to me feels like there's a path to where he
is your number one or two option on offense while also being maybe your second
or third best defender on the team, and that being an okay outcome.
The two things that I think will be the turning points is what does Devin
Vassell do if he gets more on ball scoring volume, And then what happens
with RJ Barrett this season? Does he get more efficient in whatever role he
has, and what does that role look like? You're gonna at least give
him the license to run more bench heavy units, which they've had some success
doing. A lot of that depends on whether they trade for Mitchell, what
they do with Randall after that. I do think while having Donovan Brunson and
Randall on the same roster would stunt r ball development. I do believe he's
more pluggin play than people are crediting. So I lean RJ. Barrett,
apparently because I'm a fucking homer, but kind of only slightly. There's just
a lot that remains to be seen between these two. And I'm trying to
think of like a good just like mirror comparison to this, where it's like,
look like DeMar. I think you could look at as like a DeMar
de Rosen type scenario, or even a Jimmy Butler type scenario where it's,
well, Jimmy Butler's like way too good on defense and De Rosen's not good
enough on defense that compared to RJ. But De Rosen is harder to build
an offense or fit into an offense in which he's not one of the two
vocal points, just because he's so limited away from the ball. I don't
think RJ's on that scale. But you would rather have De Rosa as an
engine for the offense than say like Michael Bridges for instance, would be a
good example and maybe even more than a Middleton, which is looking at their
difference in passing. Middleton's really good on offense, that might not be and
he's a better three point shooter, so that could that could end up being
the difference. I just don't know right now that I'd be comfortable saying the
gap between RJ and his skill set on offense is a comparative of a cell
is as large as that between de Rosen and Bridges, who's a very efficient
player but also very complimentary, And it might just come down to a matter
of preference. I think we saw this A lot of people were up in
arms about Seth part Now's player tears at the Athletic and he mapped out his
criteria and he was talking about sort of the Brandon Ingram versus Dorian Phinney Smith
debate. Do I agree with it, No, But I understood where who
was coming from, the sense that if you're trying to win basketball games,
it's easier to fit Dorian Finney Smith into any version of any team than it
would be for Brandon Ingram, who does need to have more on ball volume,
and on ball volume can be a burden both for the player and the
team because it suggests these like prescribed already allocated touches, and if the player
in question is not necessarily worth that it really does complicate matters and there's still
I'm not saying bus potential with RJ, but there's like there are swing developments
that are gonna sway his trajectory one way or the other. And when you
kind of take in that, it feels like his type of usage can be
inconsistent. I really need to see how the Knicks are going to deploy him
next season, which will also rest on what they actually look like. That
was my long ass way of saying, I lean r J, but I'm
willing to definitely entertain the outcome that it's Devin Vassell, and my initial framing
just might be the best way for me to do it. RJ is the
better basketball player, and Devin Vassell just fits and can make an impact in
more situations. Stupid Jerk asked what is the right way to think about the
various events of the off season. Seems like there's a consensus to take summer
league performances, training camp anecdotes, and preseason with various sized grains of salt.
What do you look for that you think has real predictive value of empty
calories? That's an interesting question. My first let's start with summer League.
I've learned to watch Summer League through the lens of what does this tell me
about a player skill set that I didn't already know? And in a lot
of cases it's everything because I didn't know something in the first place. But
I lead a lot on is there more cell creation there than we thought?
Because not all of these guys are going to have those types of on ball
touches once they get to the to the big clubs, to the regular season,
if they make the rosters, or they're even some of the top prospects,
and so you want to try and project forward and see, oh,
there's gonna be more for Team X to plumb from player why long term,
whether he's a rookie or let's use Desmond Baine's case in twenty twenty one,
where he really showed a lot more on ball juice and they gave him that
license. He wasn't running things. He still to play his complimentary role,
but you saw hints of it in summer league, a more expansive, a
broader offensive skill set he busted out during the regular season. And then I
also think it works the other way ken players who are known as ball dominant,
like how do they look moving away from the ball, or if that's
how their role projects to be in the NBA. Let's just Keegan Murray as
an example. Yeah, it would have been really easy to give him a
ton of from scratch touches with the Kings in Summer Lea, but they still
had him kind of floating around and trying to find his spaces and relocations,
and he did really well doing that, And so knowing that's what he's supposed
to be strong with, I think that matters. But then there's also Benedic
Mathren. I did not realize had maybe some people did, had all this
on ball juice. He had some really difficult jumpers for the Pacers. That
shows me that for a team that's rebuilding, they should probably give him more
of a chance to work on ball. I tend to throw negative performances out
the window unless they're like, you know, is it year two, is
it year three? We know the Hawks kind of made a decision on Sharif
Cooper based off how much he struggled. I don't view I try to throw
efficiency and like a learning I try to account for a major learning curve.
If players are in the first two years of their career, even the third
if it's a vastly different type of usage. And so my thinking is I'm
more inclined to lean toward reserved optimism for the bright spots in Summer League than
I am to read too deeply into struggles or you know, go over the
top when it comes to positivity. I did. I went off the rails
when I saw Desmond Baine last year. But like you know, those instances,
I don't actually think that chet home Grin is like Kevin Duran and Joan's
attend to Coopo and Karl Anthony Towns and Dur combined into one player. Like,
But that's what Summer League taught us at moments. So that's how I
view Summer League training camp anecdotes. I just I don't take I don't describe
any value too. I don't I know NBA practices are hashtag built different.
I don't care it's you can't simulate game speed. I don't care like that
every player has somehow lost ten pounds and is single digit body fat but actually
got stronger over the offseason. How they gained twenty pounds of muscle while losing
you know, five pounds overall from their body weight in a span of like
ten to twelve weeks is not possible. Can you look at players and see
if they look like they're in better shape than they were last season? Sure,
you can definitely take that away. And then preseason I kind of view
it through the same lens as Summer League, where except like I'm going to
throw it out the window for veterans are struggling in preseason, I'm just not
gonna care if their track record is that they're just really good during the regular
season. I think it's just another extension for Can we look at the fringe
rotation battles and see like who's winning out there? And that's mostly gonna be
done when you're looking probably at like rookies and sophomores and third year players,
or you know, is it something in Milwaukee where you're kind of wondering,
like, you know, who's gonna get their final rotation spot? Or we
know that Joe Ingles is injured, Chris Middleton's injured, did mar Jean bow
Champ play well enough like he did in summer League to warrant some immediate minutes?
And then just position battles, like how are the Magic going to structure?
Their front court. That's less of a pivotal question now that we know
that Joan Is probably won't even be ready to start the season. My god.
So I if I had to rank the meaningfulness of those three, I'm
gonna put training camp, anecdotes, practices, scrimmages, whatever dead last.
I'm gonna put preseason in second. And I still view Summer League is just
it seems like there's the most structure, the most level of competition there as
well, like they have an MVP trophy to give out and there's a Summer
League championship. So that's most tell tale to me. And then at the
top of everything, of course, is offseason workout videos. Shout out n
Simmons. Good question, though, stupid jerk. Next question comes from JT
Alexander, more of a broad question for you, Dan, what thing annoys
you the most about watching the NBA team slash players? And on the flip
side, what's the best thing about covering the whole league. I'll start with
the best thing about covering the whole league is it's very much easier to come
up with content because I'm able to zoom out and man. During the COVID
shutdown, I don't know how localized podcasts we're able to get through. Like
just hats off to Nick Film School and the Timeline podcast and Dishes and Dimes
who they delve more into league wide coverage. The Young Contested the Euro Step,
like all the great team podcasts to have to go in day in and
day out when there's not always stuff to talk about. Yeah, during the
season there's game previews and there's game reactions, and then like to start the
off season, draft prep and rumors and free agency. But like once you
get to on a normal timeline, it's been all kinds of fucked up over
the past couple of years. Once you get to like the middle of July
summer league has settled down, and you're you know, being held hostage by
the Kevin Durant Dono Mitchell trade rumors. That's just toss to cope with content.
I'm even struggling now. I tend to cater. I like to cater
to the audience, which why I love mail bags. I guess it could
be a sign of laziness, but I want people to want to come back
and listen and if new questions, if new potentially new listeners ask a question
on Twitter or YouTube, and it makes them more likely to come back.
I just I enjoy that and I think it, you know, it makes
me think about things I wouldn't necessarily talk about on my own. I'm certainly
not gonna ask myself what's the best thing about covering the league? And I
also, from my perspective, covering the entire MBA like it does allow me
to sort of roll with the urgency. And I do get sort of that
adrenaline rush and endorphin rush when I'm under a tight deadline where I have to
react to like this big game, this big news rumor, or I'm writing
about, you know, maybe a team that's not getting enough shine or a
team that's in strife and getting too much shine. And I love being able
to zoom out and write and talk about every team, focus on singular ones
when I can, and then it's always just fresh for me. When I'm
covering the whole league. The sacrifice I am making and not like high is
mighty sacrifice. The concession I personally am making is I can't distill the game
in real time or even watching back inslow motion like a Kitlyn Cooper, like
a mo Tequil, like an akaias Duncan like a Zach Low, and what
they are able to do on a national scale is so incredible because they're able
to recognize all these different pet plays and blown assignments again in real time.
And I have to go back, I have to do my own reading and
look up stuff. And I'm I'm so I'm conceding that to begin with,
I'd probably be better at it if I'm looking at you know, if I
is covering just the the Cleveland Cavaliers, for example, I probably better.
But I'm now also committing to I'm not going to know as much about the
Orlando Magic as people that cover that team intimately. And I do sometimes lament
that when you hear these podcasts and they're able to talk very in depth about
the substitution patterns, and for me to come up with that research, I'm
either citing someone who said it or I have to like dig into the weeds
to find it. And and I think it takes a commitment to watching games
when they're not happening. And yes, there are people that watch the same
game over and over. That's not something I'm doing if I'm working on a
piece in particular, Like yeah, possession by possession breakdowns are super valuable after
the fact. I'm also look the sausages made the way the sausage just made.
My job at Bleach Report is extremely collaborative. They pitch me, I
pitched them. I able. I have carte blanche essentially over what I write.
The headlines are not always my choice. But if I try to change
something or don't want to write something like I've never people think we're forced something,
that we're purposely being inflammatory. That's not what I'm doing. But to
also go about it that way, I recognize that there's also going to be
like sort of a a disdain there among fans that I think are reasonably distrustful
of the national media or writers or podcasters. And I think that's fair one
because localized coverage is so good, and there is some just like lowbrow coverage,
or detrimental coverage, or just very not even surface level. They're not
even scratching the surface with their now sis. They're relying on tropes that are
outdated, trends that are outdated, or just the same old thing over and
over and over again. I don't ever want to be that person. I
try to be the least insufferable national writer and podcast that I can be.
And I like that challenge. I like challenging myself. I hate my sleep
schedule. I hate that I work so much. I hate that I just
really I plan to have free time and then I don't. But I also
like, I need to have that drive, that push to achieved for something,
and I like, I think that covering the entire league challenges me on
this broader scale to where I can I can sustain that drive over a long
period of time. And I've been covering this league now for for over a
decade at large, and I've had adapt away, I've covered, I've I've
learned a lot, and I really do appreciate that. Like I said,
though, there is a part of me that's like one which is I was
either just as smart and talented as a Caitlyn Cooper just as like an example
there or Zach Low, Like you know, when you're looking for the combination
of writing skills, film analysis, the ability to actually talk about perspective,
perspective fits or transactions. In zach Low's case, they're able to He's able
to report at points and then he's gonna dig deep into the salary cap with
Kaitlyn Cooper can like tell you like really more specific plays about teams that she's
not even technically covering. She does cover the entire league, so and she
can like she can do that like on a whim. And then she what
I really think that she's great at And this is going off the raility here
again projecting team fits in this technical way, and yet it's so accessible because
even I can understand it. Maybe I have to go back and reread it
because it's too high level for me at points, but it's so accessible.
The way that she's able to write without it coming off is drab's and she's
actually just one of the best writers in the business. That's like I appreciate
it, just like I appreciate all the indepthness of the localized coverage. There's
a level of MV there that also contributes to my drive though, is that
as younger people are coming into this business who I don't I'm not saying I
view them as how don't I put this than I I'm trying to make the
most humble way to put this is I get very warm and fuzzy inside when
people ask me for advice, But I'm not saying I consider myself on the
same level of some of the younger people who are way smarter when it comes
to covering the exidos in the game. But seeing a younger generation coming in
invest so much time, that's gonna push me to continue to go harder and
harder and either be more creative or at least, like I said, be
a little bit more diligent. So that's what I love about covering the league
is that I can bemoan the adaptive nature sometime. And there's definitely times where
I feel like I do get an unfair rap because I'm not covering a single
team, and it's like I'm willing to have a discourse with anyone. I
will be hostile back to you on Twitter if you're hostile to me, either
out of like just fucking nowhere where because I comment on Leon Rose you're telling
me on pro domestic violence, Yea, I will go off. Normally,
I'll try and give even people who are rude, like one or two responses
of hey, like, I'm not inferring anything about you as a human based
off this interaction. Why are you doing that for me? But it does
I'm not gonna lie it grades on me, And so I'm not saying it's
easier for people who cover a single team. I know for a fact that
people who are covering a singular team, they get too much shit from fans
who only want positive coverage or covers that aligns with their own views of the
team. And if you say anything dissenting or that diverges from the prevailing prevailing
thought, yeah, you're just absolutely crucified for it. So like there's an
eye look white male here, no struggle here in the industr. There are
people that have it way worse than I do. But sometimes what I love
about the league is also what I hate about it is it's not the constant
adaptation. But when you are a national writer and you're not the top one
one percentile, and at least you're not trying to be disingenuous about it,
Like I'm not purposely saying something wrong or inflammatory. But if you're not in
that click, or if you're not a certain person, if it's a Zach
Low or Nakais Duncan, they're gonna assume you're wrong or that you have these
ill intentions, Which is why I said some of the biggest honors I get
is people ask me to come on their localized podcasts they're covering a singular team,
because in my view, it's like, hey, you don't suck so
much that they don't want you to come on this podcast. If I actually
had an annoying thing about annoys me most about watching NBA games is nationally,
I feel like we can miss the plot too much, where all of a
sudden, these broadcasts are talking about not only outdated information, but things that
aren't even related to the game, other teams, players up coming for agency.
I get it if it turns into a barn burner, but it would
be cool, and there are a lot of nastal broadcasts that do it right.
It'd be cool to see more focus on the game that's happening in front
of you, and if you're gonna go big picture implications, maybe focus on
the characters that are actually on the court or that you're watching. And I
think I've started to The final thing that annoys me is I don't like the
absolutism when it sometimes comes to covering the league, where people believe that there's
a right way or a wrong way to do it, and that their way
is more virtuous than others. And they don't come right out and say it,
but they sort of hint at it because they have to either over celebrate
everything or because I'm not on this podcast, like talking about the substitution pattern
of the you know, the Sacramento Kings on the second night of a back
to back in Thursday in January, when Daron Fox is already seven of seventeen
from the floor or whatever it is, or I'm not on here. I
can't. I just I can't. I won't even try to do it.
I'll read up on it when you guys have questions. I'm not gonna sit
here and try to like break down horns or like floppy action. Do you
know how long it took me to be able to recognize like SCRAMs switches in
real time? And so like you don't like you don't want that ship for
me, and I have sometimes felt the valued because I can't speak that way
or don't even want to. If I invested the time, I do think
that I'm confident I could go that route. But I like incorporating all different
elements of the league, the games, the extracurricular stuff, the rumors,
the transactions including trades and free agency, the salary cap nusha of it all,
and then yeah, I'm going to dig into like x's and nose or
at least like the basis of skill sets and how teams are playing. I
love it all, and so that's another concession. It's not a sacrifice in
the sense like I am holier than now I've made this sacrifice. It's it's
one that you just concede, like I'm not going to be able to be
an expert in anything, and so now you're just rambling on and on about
nothing. So I'm just not a fan of thinking that there's only one way
to cover the game, or that there's even right or wrong way. I
know there is such a thing as detrimental coverage, and I went on a
rant last week, i think, even on the Uncontested podcast again about how
we sometimes or too often treat smaller markets as these prospective farm systems for more
glamor markets or flagship teams like that stuff's detrimental because the whole idea of this
is every organization should think that if they build their team the right way or
aggressive enough, get the right players, that they can win a championship.
If we're out here talking about Shane Kilojos, Alexander leaving Okay see or the
day that ze On decides to leave New Orleans, or what's just been happening
with Dovid Mitchell that it's other teams but including the Knicks, like they've been
slobbering over him since he basically came into the MBA because of his New York
roots. It's like disingenuous and it hurts the product, or the at least
the coverage of the product, in the sense that I don't think it helps
educate people about how the game actually works. And then two, it creates
this I don't know if it's even a false like it's not false, but
it creates like this idea that there are only a handful of teams that can
win championships, and you can't have a league like that, especially one with
the NBA where there's so much talent that there's plenty of room for parody.
And right now it feels like we're in a great spot when you look at
the teams and how they stack up in either conference, where I went through
seven or eight teams on the last podcast that I thought I could viably win
a title next year. I didn't. I forgot to include the heat on
it. They should have been an honorable mention right off the bat. But
like you could also throw if you want to throw the Raptors in there,
I'll listen to the argument. You want to throw the Timberwolves in there,
or the Lakers in there, I'll listen to the argument. So there is
such a thing as detrimental coverage, but people enjoying the game through different lenses
and in different ways and covering it in different ways that that isn't anything that's
bad, and we need to stop the extreme mistakes of like this is the
right way to cover a league, or shame people who don't necessarily agree with
Again, if they have a detrimental opinion, and they're telling you, they're
being rude, they're telling you to fuck off, they're using misogynistic and racist
language, or they're accusing you of being pro domestic violence because you think the
nick should have media at what would normally be media events. Yeah, totally,
Like that's detrimental criticism. But there's a bunch of different ways to enjoy
the league. Enjoy it how you want, don't feel embarrassed or pressure to
enjoy it in the same way. You don't need to gaslight anyone, don't
need to be faux virtuous about it. That's where I'm at. Look Oldish
man out here yelling at clouds, I'm indoors. Demos Quol asked what's the
plan for Atlanta with de Jante Murray and Trey and offense? The de Gante
removed significant usage from Trey. Maybe Trey play some more off the ball because
from two he's the only capable of doing that, and Demons caused another question
about KD. So, yeah, this is gonna be fascinating because we've been
talking about this idea, like, imagine if you got Trey Young off the
ball, moving around like Steph Curry would Trey Young cans can't screen like Steph
Curry ken, And so there's that. We've also I'm not going to rule
out him being effective off the ball, but we can't just assume that he
will be, mostly because we've just never really seen it. And so these
numbers are they're they're good at sound accurate when you hear them, but they're
actually kind of wild. Over eighty three percent of Trey Young's baskets when unassisted
last season. That was the fourth largest share among ninety six players who averaged
thirty or more minutes per game. He also ranked fourth under the same criteria
in twenty twenty one, sixth in that criteria in twenty nineteen, twenty and
twenty, and ninth in twenty eighteen twenty nineteen. Assuming that Trey will see
an agency over a chunk of possessions and has zero issue inciting mayhem away from
the ball, are we sure with absolute certainty Murray is the creator who can
take advantage of it. I don't know. He's improved his mid range game,
he's improved as a passer. I've never gotten this absolutist floor general feel
from him. Having a different type personnel around him. Sure that will help
playing Murray and Capella at the same time, though, Like things can get
a little squishy in the half court depending on who you're You have Trey,
and then is Collins on the court, is Bogdomandanovitch on the floor? Is
it DeAndre Hunter? Like they're sort of a chance. Yeah, if it's
Collins, Young and Bogdanovitch, those are three above average shooters around those two.
If it's DeAndre Hunter at this point, like maybe he's an above average
shooter. So I don't know if he's the type of ball handler to do
that for Young, but to Demo's close questions, you absolutely need to try
it if if you want this to work, because I do think Murray can
do a little bit more off the ball. It wouldn't shock me if his
stand still three point percentage ticks up a notch or eight in Atlanta, and
you could get him moving off the ball a little bit as well, not
to come around screens and hit jumpers. We'll get going towards the basket,
because he could finish there pretty well. But again, that's a lot harder
to do if Capella is on the court at the same time as him.
And then where's John depends on where John Collins is standing. He was already
uncomfortable, not uncomfortable, but he was already had a lot of corner by
stand or his duty and look to his credit, he did well in that
role. But those are going to be questions they have to answer. I
think you're probably just more comfortable staggering them now. And so where the Hawks
started to figure out some of the non Trey Young minutes last year, like
you just have a different way of going about it now, the idea of
Bogdanovich and Dejan Day Murray running these units without Trey Young. Maybe if John
Collins is some of those units, like maybe you just don't fall off a
beat at all, or you're really good defensively, if Onika Kung who is
going to play a prominent role. So I think it opens there are a
higher range of outcomes for the Hawks now and there's more ways for them to
reach those range of outcomes than there were before. And I think the offense
will still be really good, but there's a chance, there's not a chance.
I do believe one of these players in Murray or Trey is going to
have to I don't want to say be appreciably different and how they go about
their business, but there's going to be a noticeable tweak in their usage when
they're on the court together. And I think ultimately the thing that's going to
be easier to explore and just probably have a hier end impact is can Tray
play a little bit more off the ball just to throw some wrinkles into the
offense, and also because you know he can in theory do things like fly
around screens and hit those off balance threes or quick fire threes that you're not
going to get from de Jontay Murray. Demos Cool also asked if the Celtics
don't succeed in trading for KD, does that mean they have broken their relationship
with Jalen Brown in the process. Should they go for Donovan Mitchell as a
second option. I did respond to him that he that he chose chaos and
I respect it. The Jem Brown stuff, Yeah, I think I don't
know if you've burned a bridge. This is a business and players understand how
it works, especially someone as smart as Jalen Brown. At the same time,
if depending on how aggressive you actually are and going about this, you
don't stand and just sort of exclude him or rankle him if you start throwing
Marcus Smart's name in there, or Robert Williams, the third who I haven't
heard mentioned as part of a trade package just yet. Yeah, things get
iffy if then you're expecting to run it back. I do think it helps
that Jason Tayte already came out and said I'm happy with our team, and
in the end, like maybe it's different because Brad Stevens was coaching Brown at
not too long ago, and at one point for most of Jalen's career,
before all of Jaln's career, excuse me before this season. But you're there
for the players and the coaches mostly, and unless you know that there are
players who were begging for you to leave allah like Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert
having a falling out there, James Harden, Kyrie irving there, I think
you can overcome it a little bit more. Yes, it gets interesting when
we're talking about contract talks. We know he's not going to extend because one
hundred and twenty percent raise off his salary doesn't get him anywhere near or the
max that he could have when he when he hits the open market twenty twenty
four. I think it makes it more likely that he would leave if you
don't trade him now, depending on how far talks got, and they happened
weeks ago, if it was just a preliminary call, and maybe it was
the nets who asked about it, have you communicated that the Jayon Brown him
waking up to the news and tweeting it suggest that he wasn't happy about it.
But I do think players understand and ultimately, yeah, they want to
be. It's about location, it's about being happy, it's about maximizing your
role, it's about your family. But I would say probably at the bottom
of the list. No, you don't want to play for this shitty organization,
but like you're there for your teammates more than you are the front office,
I guess, is my point. If the Celtics are still going to
go ahead and maxim when he hits free agency, they're fine. Should the
Celtics go for Donovan Mitchell is a different type question. They do need a
shot creator on that level. But I could also argue, like, does
he even he's an upgrade as a passer over Jalon Brown, that's who you
still have to give up as part of this deal, especially with the way
your pick structure is there. I probably wouldn't do it. I just feel
like Jalen Brown's game has been described as robotic and I think by Zach Lowe,
and I guess I would agree offensively anyway. But Donovan Mitchell, he's
really good off the balls. You could play him with Tatum rather easily.
Man, that's such an instring question. I wouldn't give up Jalen Brown for
him, though. I just feel like the Celtics have kind of built their
roster on players who, if they're not higher end on offense, they're complimentary
and then just like defensive disruptors, that does mean that you can sprinkle in
something like Donovan Mitchell, who has not had a ton of defensive highlights over
the past two or three years. But it also kind of runs contrary to
how you've even developed your team, and like, do you all of a
sudden have to reshape your roster a little bit because you have Smart and Malcolm
Brogden and Derek White at this point or one of them also going out and
Donovan Mitchell deal. And this is me saying, I don't think you get
Donovan Mitchell unless you're giving up Joleen Brown, and I just wouldn't do it,
especially because you know, Kevin Durant wants out of Brooklyn right now,
has four years left on his deal. Donovan Mitchell's at the point where would
he angle for a trade in a year because he still wants to go to
New York. That's an interesting that's an interesting fit though. And if you
believe, if you're the Celtics and you believe Jalon Brown's gone in two years.
Getting Donovan Mitchell with three years left on his deal could absolutely make some
sense. Is it a straight up trade there? Though? I think in
theory come playoff time, Dono Mitgel's offense is way more valuable. But what
Jalon Brown can give you as a defender that's super valuable as well. I
guess because you have Smart and White and even brogged In to some extent,
you're more comfortable doing it. But then you also all of a sudden get
like small on the wings because you have Grant Williams and Horford Robin Williams the
third those are all just very four or five players. I guess you can
consider brogged in and White and Smart like you get small forward facts emilies out
of there, but like Daniel Gallinari's not a wing anymore. You've assembled your
team around just these two primary wings. So I think all of a sudden
you would need to fill a true wing role because you have Smart can be
positionless on defense, doesn't really have a wings offensive game deal for Derek White
and definitely Malcolm Brogden, So I don't think I would if I'm Boston.
I think the appeal of Kevin Durant is that He is another wing like,
combo forward type player just on absolute Nitris and one of the ten to fifteen
greatest players of all time. Our next question, oh, also came from
this is topical. Probably should have put it on the top of this podcast.
There's no Glad says, there's no way Golden State gives Draymond a MAX.
Right. There's also no way another team trades for him or gives him
the MAX in free agency. Love Draymond, but that value just ain't there.
I can't imagine Draymond on another team. Yeah, I can't imagine.
That was a great piece from Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson at The Athletic published
on Wednesday, talking about the four extension eligible players in Jordan Pool, Andrew
Wiggins, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson. I can't picture Klay, dray
or Steph in another uniform. But if I had to pick one, I
think it would be Draymond because he's been very open about wanting to get paid
in the past, and good for him. Do I think that he gets
a MAX. No, Ultimately, I don't think he gets a max MAX.
And if he signs an extension this summer, He's definitely not They're not
giving him the max. That being said, we need like the conver station
for him. Seems like it might have veered too far from reality. He
had some rough moments in the playoffs, some rough moments in the finals,
especially on offense, that did not define his entire series. His entire season
before he got injured, he was the defensive Player of the Year favorite.
And you combine that with his short role passing and just the havoc he can
create when you actually get him going downhill. The Celtics found unique ways to
really bump him out of his element. That's something you need to concern yourself
with. But if I'm the Warriors, I'm not looking as you know.
Yeah, Draymond Green's next contract, it could take him through like what is
he now? Is he It would take him through his age thirty seventh season.
Is he really that that old? So you have to consider that for
sure. At the same time, yeah, because he had two years with
him free agency, that would be he's gonna be age thirty two next year,
age thirty three the year after, So his next deal could feasibly take
him through age thirty four, thirty five, thirty six thirty seven or age
thirty, depending on what he signs the extension. I think this is a
situation where you just wait see what he looks like next season, and there's
gonna be no harm, no foul. Uh if you decide to wait to
pay him. I think the infrastructure in Golden State is strong enough, and
he can also view it as if the best offer from them. Oh and
he's a player option for twenty three, so it's the it's the one year
that next deal. Though you're getting into his mid to late thirties. Why
didn't I realize he has a player option. That's a that's a miss on
my behalf. But if he's gonna opt out, he's with Quatch Sports.
They're gonna know that they have an offer from another team. And do you
really think a contender wouldn't just throw the bag at Draymond even if over there,
you know, if it's a two or three year max, they're like
almost half the league could have a ton of cap space next year. I
also think that's why I wouldn't rule out like a near max pay day,
just because the UH salary cap is projected to go up and up and up,
and if an average is a ten million dollars jump per year. Draymond's
max now is not going to be like as detrimental moving forward. No,
you're not going to give him the you know, the forty Like, are
you do you want to pay Draymond Green forty million dollars a year? And
he answer to that is just no, no, And he's gonna be eligible
after next season, he'll be He's at the ten year max right now.
So his theoretical his max salary starting in his next deal, if he opts
out of his contract next season, that could start at forty six point five
million. Forty six point six excuse me, a million dollars. I'm not
giving that for Draymond Green. And I don't think the Warriors, they know
they have to pay Thompson and Pool and Wiggins, are that they're on the
hook potentially for paying those guys. They're probably gonna want something that's closer to
his current salary right now, if there's that gully between them, I don't
think Draymond's gonna have a problem playing out next year because he has that player
options, a safeguard, and maybe he ups his value by winning Defensive Player
of the Year this is still one of the two or three most transcendent defensive
players in basketball, and he can be a very valuable offensive player. When
you look at Golden States extension candidates, in some it wouldn't shock me if
none of them get extensions. I know Marcus Thompson and Anthy Slater said Andrew
Wiggins has a really good chance of getting an extension, probably because you don't
want him hitting unrestricted free agency next summer. Jordan Pools are restricted free agent,
I think to maintain flexibility. If he's asking for the max when anywhere
near it, you just say, you played really good this year, go
out and do it again, and we'll pay you. We won't even you
know, make you go to the open market to find your max offer.
But if he has sort of a down year, they want to make sure
what they've seen last year is real and not for nothing. But the Golden
State offense without Steph Curry still not good no matter how you sort of shape
the lineups with Jordan pool when he's playing with Draymond and play at the same
time, that was a super small sample size, whether he's playing alone,
whether he's playing with Wiggins, like the Warriors, offense, Watt was better
last year when Steph was off the court than it has been than it was
the past, you know, than it was in twenty twenty twenty one.
Still below average if you're gonna invest Max money, and someone like Jordan Pool,
who was, let me make this clear, absolutely fantastic last season,
especially towards the tail end when he had just he was just on like an
absolute scorcher. I don't think he's this no brainer Max candidate, and so
I would bet against him getting an extension. Clay just like has to guarantee
years left on his deal. They'll revisit it maybe next summer, after they
see what he looks like. It wouldn't shock me if I'm not advocating for
this, but he likes Steph, wants to be in Golden State and so
so bad, and he likes Steph. Didn't get like. But he might
just be more willing to take a pay cut than a Steph Gerry. He's
just where I would be at this point. He's a lesser player, he
might be worth less in general, and so he's willing to sign a smaller
deal. Do they flip flop where like Draymond gets the Clay type extension that
Clay has now, and then Clay gets the Draymond type extension. I don't
know how this is all going to end. I would bet against all four
players being in Golden State beyond next season. I would say if we set
the over under at two point five being Golden State beyond next season, I
might take the at least one of them will be gone, is my point.
Long term. And finally, if you're the Warriors, you want to
see how these other youngsters progress. I think that Wiseman and Comingo's development could
say a lot about how much you're willing to pay Draymond Green. Moses Moody's
development probably says how much you're willing to pay for Klay Thompson. I don't
think it's gonna be like, hey, we got Moody, so Clay just
get out of here, or we have Comingga Drey leave. Jordan Pool's probably
the most Maybe maybe Wiggins is the most valuable long term just because like they
don't have another bigger wing defender on the roster. Perhaps Cominga fills that role,
maybe they view him as that too, So Pool's probably like the most
valuable long term. As thinking Okay, Steph Curry ages out, we need
the primary shock creator. Is that cominga right now? We know it's not
Clay, It's not going to be Draymond, so him probably followed by Andrew
Wiggins. Just he's been tackling the toughest wing assignments for them, But it
wouldn't shock me to see them let all of this ride until the offseason.
I guess I agree Wiggins would be the most likely to extend, just because
you want to keep him out of free agency. But if you want to
maintain flexibility, reevaluate this at the end of the season, after you know
what you have in Looney cominga Moody and even Pool to an extent, the
look can Wiggins repeat this? He was just voted in the All Star Game,
didn't deserve it, was fantastic in the finals their third best player,
if not their second best player during that series, then like do it again
would basically be the messaging. So if I had to bet, let's set
an over under on the number of players getting an extension at one point five.
I'm gonna take the under here. But no, I don't think Draymond
gets the max, and I think you ask for the moon, and then
you settle for your market value. Do I think if he hits the open
market and plays really well next year that there would be a team willing to
give him the short term max. I don't have one off the top of
my head, but maybe, like I mean, look at a team.
Would Detroit They could have sixty million dollars in room almost next year, but
they throw him the max. I mean a lot of the teams are gonna
have cap space or just not really trying to compete again, So there's that
to consider. Would Charlotte throw him the max? They can kind of get
there. I don't like Indiana. Indiana like they could have a crap ton
of cap space without all their free agent holes. That is, Houston can
have a ship ton of cap space. There might be teams are just like
hey, two years, three years, yeah, And if the Warriors aren't
even willing to do that, they might prefer the short term route though,
So I don't think he gets the max. I do think there will be
teams unless he gets the max. From let's fame this way, I think
there will be teams that would pay Draymond more. If he hits the open
market, then the Warriors would ultimately give him to stay. That's that's my
bet there. I don't know if that makes it more likely that he leaves
or if that's just an uncle comfortable thing to admit. But I also think
we need to remember that he is still one of the most transcendent defenders of
all time, and still one of the two or three most transcendent defenders right
now. And if you told me he played, let's just draymondre If he
told me he played in between sixty seven and seventy two games next year,
I am gonna pick him to win Defensive Player of the Year. I think,
uh Demost Cole asked us will be our last question. How do you
guys see how do you guys see Kessler? Is he Is he the next
defensive anchor? Or what he's I'm just laughing at something that I was reading
in the chat, so I apologize to everyone there. But he's talking about,
of course Walker Kessler, who went to Utah as part of that trade
with Minnesota, and he is a big man, He's a shot blocking fiend.
I said this in the chat, and I did watch more of him,
and I think I don't really think my opinion is has changed. Demos
Cole says he's pretty mobile for his length. He was switchable as well.
If Gobert could do it, I think Kessler can do it as well.
He seems well coordinated personally. I have him take as a future DPO Y
candidate, but maybe it's just me, so I don't know. I think
Kessler needs to be in like really heavy drop coverage for the most part,
And like I said before, Gobert sort of has this like angled east west
speed that I haven't seen from Kessler seems way more reliant on his length than
the combination of that and his footwork. Maybe he just gets a lot better
in the NBA, but I wilt look, you've seen like bigs and drop
coverags like a brook Lopez be really good. And if let's just say,
like if and I didn't see this from him and what I was watching,
but like if he just really gets load of the ground and knows how to
use his length and then the space in front of him his advantage. Brook
Lopez held up really well in space as sort of a drop big as well,
and he was garnering not two years ago now Defensive Player of the Year
the Year praise so do I think that that's Edwards is ceiling a monster shot
blocking team. But I would be flabbergasted if we're talking about him as a
defensive Player of the Year candidate, just because I don't know if he's ever
going to have the playing time is what it is. I think maybe he
could be a long term NBA player. He seems like the type of big
that's not going to wind up playing the thirty plus minutes per game consistently enough
to enter that discussion. Maybe maybe I'm actually wrong here though, but he's
gonna need to definitely like broaden his offensive game. There was some excuse me,
there was just some encouraging signs with his touch away from the basket,
and you don't, to be clear, you don't need that to be a
dpoy guy, but you need like a pretty expansive offensive skill set to stay
on the floor. And so how horrible he set screens in the NBA kenn
he finished through NBA level contact. Those are my questions there. His length
though, absolutely spectacular, and he will cover up for a lot of any
speed deficiencies if he ends up having them with that length. I just when
if we're going to compare him to Gobert, I just don't even think it's
close, and I don't see that I'll come for him. But look,
demos Coole has been right on a lot of stuff that I have not been.
He was the one that spotted. He was talking to me about Donovan
Mitchell before The Magic to the Magic, before I even thought about it.
So I think that he's going to be an extremely valuable defensive player. I
just I don't see the Gobert mold, and I just think I guess that
Gobert is just a little bit faster or a lot faster, and to replicate
what Gobert has done when Nuking plays in space, Yeah, length can help
you there. But just from what I was watching, when guys get by
Kessler like he was so reliant on his life, and they're gonna be guys
in the NBA who are faster and are better at finishing those tough angled shots
around the rim. What Gobet really did wasn't still the sense of fear that
you had to bail out in the mid range. I didn't see that from
what I watch of Ketchler Kessler too much. So he should get the opportunity
in Utah like They're not really their center rotation right now is him and Jared
Vanderbilt. I guess like would be how you think they're gonna structure there their
center lineup. This was great fun mail bag went much longer than I thought
I was going to over an hour shocker because it's me and I and Drew
bos. Thank everyone for listening and watching. Please remember to subscribe to us
wherever you get your podcast and on YouTube, both of which would be in
the world to me. Until next time, and as always, I leave
with the shout out to one the only, the actual future Defensive Player of
the Year candidate that no one even asked me about for this mail bag,
but we do know he's officially good enough to have his own Lakers jersey photoshop.
Frank kila ka