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INSTATCRT Celebrate responsibly. Coors Brewing Company, Golden, Colorado. Welcome to another

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episode of the Hard One Knox podcast. Is a live locker room. Addition,

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we are going to be getting into
for people who are just entering the

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room. We're going to be getting
into some NBA trade ideas. Who says

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no since we have the deadline coming
up on March twenty five, and then

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they will be in to ask me
anything. We already have questions lined up

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a bunch came in from Twitter.
But if you're in the room and listening

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and you're rolling with us, we
hope you all stay. We're gonna answer

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your questions. You can ask us
anything basketball, no showstock brands that you

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need recommendations for. We're all game
for it. But first, Adam,

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my fantabulous co host, how are
you doing. I'm doing well. I'm

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just hoping we have fewer technical difficulties
this time around, since we were struggling

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to figure out the locker room map
on our first live episode last week.

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But now there's just a new source
of havocs since I have over a foot

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of snow in my backyard right now, and the power is flickering and you

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could be on your own before too
long. Here. Let's hope it doesn't

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come to that, because I would
feel terrible for our listeners. But look,

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I came up with a few NBA
trade ideas, many of which were

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focused on the Rockets because they seem
like they are the only team that's like

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very much selling at the moment.
So can I throw them at you and

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see what you think before we get
into our ask me anything? Absolutely,

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though I do want to follow up
and the only team that feels like it's

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going to be selling. Do you
expect to stay that way or do we

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think that, like the Thunder are
going to enter that mix with like George

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Hill and Trevor Ariza who hasn't yet
played this season, or anyone else,

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So there's their death. The Thunder
are already definitely selling, But the problem

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with them is, like beyond George
Hill, who hasn't played after having right

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thumb surgery, I think it was
right sub surgery, I don't know who

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wants Trevor Ariza at twelve point eight
million when he hasn't played this year,

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unless you're taking back a bad deal, which I'm sure they're also willing to

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do. At the same time,
they just don't have, like the Rockets

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just have a bunch of players to
sell that are interesting, which is also

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weird to say, because if these
players are so good, why do the

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Rockets absolutely suck? Right, let's
just say it injured. But it feels

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like such a weird deadline in general
too, both because we have ten teams

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who are going to be competing for
those play in spots and just even those

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teams at the bottom of the standings. It's hard to actually pinpoint explicit sellers

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because it's it's like the Kings don't
really want to. The Timberwolves are doing

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the opposite, Like we heard the
rumors the other day that they were interested

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in adding John Collins. The Pistons
don't really have anyone of interest left.

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The Wizards are more competitive now,
the Calves are more competitive now. The

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Magic are never going to sell because
they're the Magic. So yeah, I

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mean like it does feel like it's
only the only the Rockets right now.

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I'm just and they're going to be
the team that just makes it a ton

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of moves. Like that's also the
team that you look at because they have

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so many different pieces and so and
the contenders are going to be the one

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that's are like sort of vulturing on
them and trying to pick up those players.

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So the first one want to throw
to you involves the Nets and the

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Rockets. I have the Nets getting
Daniel House and PJ. Tucker. The

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Rockets receive Spencer Dinwoodie, and the
play there is he will opt out and

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he will own his bird rights.
Now before that you could try and reground

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him to another team, but they
also get twenty twenty one second round pick

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which comes via Atlanta, which you
know, surprise surprise, could be mid

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mid thirties low forties at this point, and then at twenty twenty five second

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round pick from Golden State. It
seems realistic to me. I can see

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why the Nets would want both House
and Tucker. I can definitely see why

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the Rockets would be intrigued by acquiring
Dinwoodie's bird rights, even if he's not

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going to make an impact this season, which kind of goes without saying.

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I don't want it to happen though, Like I feel like the Nets should

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just lean so fully into this offense
first model because it's gonna work. Like

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we've we've seen how quickly James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant have

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managed to coalesce around on one another
on the few opportunities they've even been on

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the court together to this point,
and like, yeah, Tucker kind of

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fills that void as the small ball
five who can guard every position on the

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floor, even if his three point
shot is no longer as reliable at this

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stage of his career. But I
just I don't know that I want it

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to happen because I'd rather just see
them just lean all the way into this

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offense over everything mindset. You are
currently sharing that mindset with someone who was

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in the Bleacherport comments section said he
would rather them lean into offense and trade

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for Wayne Ellington, who would play
more than PJ Tucker. And I think

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PJ. Tucker brings just so much
more of what they need. And even

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if Kevin Durant not going to be
healthy, I don't like, I just

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don't know why you would focus on
offense if you're if you're Brooklyn at this

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point, I mean, yeah,
I don't know that they can really go

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wrong if Jen Witty is being used
as to trade piece, because ultimately,

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like they're probably not going to resign
him this offseason. I would think if

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he's not traded just because there's so
much money allocated toward the Big three and

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you don't need that like redundant luxury
piece as good as didn't what he is,

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that's that's what he would be on
this team. So like, whether

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they're acquiring wore offensive firepower or a
defensive versatile wing slash forward, slash small

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ball big man like Tucker, Like, I don't know that there's a bad

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decision if they do want to move
Dinwity. It's tough because Dimity is so

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good that the idea of getting a
thirty five year old PJ Tucker and then

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Daniel House, who does have a
year left on his deal and can guard

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bigger wings, is not necessarily ideal. But at the same time, he's

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injured and I don't know, you
can't pay him? Would be my you

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know, no you can't. But
yeah, so that's why it's like,

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I think, from Brooklyn's perspective,
I'm probably just gonna say yes, like,

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regardless of what they're getting back for
Dinwity, just given the situation.

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But I think, like, I
don't know that I would prefer Ellington to

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Tucker for this team, but I
like the idea of just leaning even more

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into the offensive exploits. I definitely
disagree, but yeah, let's get to

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the next one. So this one
involves the Nuggets. I have them getting

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Aaron Gordon from the Magic for Will
Barton, PJ Dozer and a twenty twenty

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three second round pick. Yeah,
I mean, I'm I'm in if the

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stock on Gordon has fallen to that
extent, like, can't you still get

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this this super exciting high upside do
all sorts of things, just none of

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them extremely well forward and Aaron Gordon
and I would love to see like the

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two man Big Game with him and
Yokis together, Like that still sounds so

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fun. Well, two things,
Is it really that low? Because Will

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Barton has not been as prolific as
he was las season, but he can

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still generate his own offense help table
set for others. And I guess I

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would view him as a value,
not a value, but good value.

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If he picks up his it's like
a fourteen seven million dollar player option where

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he gets less valuable to the Magic
because look, the Magic need that that

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guy I just described. They need
as many of those guys as they can

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get right now. And so I
didn't think I actually wasn't trying to undervalue

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Gordon here, even though he's been
dealing with that sprained ankle for I think

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since the beginning of February. Basically
they need a guy like Barton. If

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they don't want to resign him,
then it becomes a matter of yes,

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Dozer is good shooting like thirty eight
thirty nine percent from three this year,

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and he's taking on some really good
defensive responsibilities. My question is, let's

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say Barton is going to opt out. The Magic realize that and they say,

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we want your twenty twenty one first
instead of the twenty twenty three second.

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Are you if you're Denver, Are
you're still doing this? I don't

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think so. For the exact reason
that Jeremy Brenner and I apologize if I

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am mispronouncing. That just set in
our discussion on the locker room map,

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which is that Gordon might be two
injury prone. For a contender to take

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that kind of risk, like at
the price of a second round pick,

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and will Barton and p J Dojer, I think that's a risk I'm willing

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to take just because the fit does
look so good on both ends of the

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floor. But if we're talking about
a first round pick, then that might

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be where I draw the line and
start looking at other targets who I know

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that I can count on a little
bit more Like, ultimately the floor is

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going to be a little low for
Gordon. I kind of agree if you

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can still work it where maybe you're
keeping Dozer and then you're giving up your

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first round pick instead. If the
Magic don't want him, which I think

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they should absolutely want him, and
I agree with Jeremy sentiments too that he

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might be a little injury prone.
Also, some of the questions that I

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received on Twitter was, how does
that work because you have Millsap and Jamichael

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Green and then Yokich. I think
Gordon is not a three to me,

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but in Denver he could be.
And there's also Michael Porter Junior there.

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Those two could be interchangeable. But
if Gordon's playing off the ball, he

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can be a three because it doesn't
matter what he's doing off the ball,

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and we know he can defend three
through five. I would say definitely three

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and four. I know he's not
a lockdown defender when you're looking at one

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on one situations, but I do
think he helps and I think it also

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allows you to downsize further in those
non Yokis minutes where you know, I

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don't know if you want Millsap and
Green or Green as the only big.

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I don't know if you want them
as the two bigs. But with Gordon

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there things get interesting and so look, and Denver's defense has been hot lately,

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by the way, they're top seven
in defense over their past fourteen games.

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Opponents aren't shooting well from three sub
thirty three percent so that's going to

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normalize. I like the Gordon pick
up for them. He has a year

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left on his deal too, and
it's still relatively young, so the fact

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that he kind of aligns with the
Yokich Murray timeline too. I actually would

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if if Orlando came back and said
we want the first Endosier, I actually

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might consider it, especially if Wilbarton
is going to opt out. Now,

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I think that's on the custom of
that. Yeah, I think my only

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outstanding concern there would just be the
fit within Denver's defensive system, just because

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Mike Malloe never has that defense gamble
too much. It tends to be a

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try to stay between your man and
the basket instead of like selling out for

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those steals and transition opportunities, which
isn't always how Gordon has liked to play

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on the defensive end. So it
might not be like a super ideal fit,

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but the value could still supersede that. I'm going to respond to Jeremy

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to see or if he's listening.
Jeremy says the Rockets might outbid the Nuggets

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of that's the offer intriguing. If
you want to drop in the chat,

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what you think the Rocket's offer would
be that would beat it. I would

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be fascinated. Oh I didn't consider
Houston acting as like a quasi buyer here.

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But I'll move on to the next
one really quick. Let's alternate.

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Let's go back to a Rockets trade. This one is going to break people's

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brains because it's such a blockbuster.
The Clippers receive Sterling Brown, the Rockets

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receive Fiandukab and Jelly, and twenty
twenty three second round pick comes via Portland.

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Now, the justification here is Sterling
Brown has been really good this year.

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He is shooting. I think he's
at thirty nine point seven percent from

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three. But the bigger thing here
for me is that the Clippers need someone

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who's not Patrick Beverly to kind of
check point guards, and Sterling Brown can

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do that. And he's also run
a little point guard. He's not getting

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the playmaking that the Clippers might necessarily
want, but they're saving like a you

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00:11:50,879 --> 00:11:52,480
know, a million bucks here or
something like that, which gives a more

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wiggle room under the hardcap to use
on the buyout market. And if you're

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Houston, you're getting the second round
pick for sign a player that you're not

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going to keep who you picked up
for free, essentially in free agency.

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So this was when I looked at
the comments section of where I published this

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00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:11,720
trade, people were kind of making
fun of it, but I actually really

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like it as sort of a look. The Clippers are hardcap, they don't

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have a ton of assets, and
I think this really at least it improves

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their depth for sure, and I
think gives them options at how they're defending

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point guards, which has been a
problem for them this season. I like

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it if for no other reason than
giving Fiandukab and Jelly a chance to actually

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plays like he was the first round
I'm sorry. We never see first round

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guys have their third year team option
declined when they're that cheap, right,

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right, But I mean, this
guy was a first round pick in twenty

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nineteen. He has like three and
D upside as a six nine big man

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like he is a very intriguing mold
in today's NBA. But he played five

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point three minutes per game and twelve
appearances as a rookie and has played eighty

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six total minutes this season, And
I again like I like it if for

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no other reason then getting him some
sort of opportunity to play minutes for an

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NBA team. I do think you
can get more for Sterling Brown given how

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he's playing right now, but I
was gonna That's what Jeremy pointed out.

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And the Clippers do have three Detroit
Pistons second rounders in twenty twenty, twenty

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twenty five, and twenty twenty six, And if I was Houston, I

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would absolutely I think I would accept
twenty twenty four because are the Pistons.

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I mean, you could go deeper
and expect the Pistons to be bad,

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but take the closest one and there's
a chance the pistons aren't good. And

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that's like mid thirties. I think
for Sterling Brown, I don't know that

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you're going to get better than that. Yeah, I think I'm with you

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there, Sterling Brown. For Troy
Brown, that'd be interest. That's from

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Jeremy Brenner as well. The Wizards
could use someone like Sterling Brown two,

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or basically anyone who plays consistent defense
for them. Sugar Ray, Leonard,

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Roberto Duran, Marvelous, Marvin Hagler, and Thomas Hearns, legends whose four

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way rivalry define one of the greatest
errors in boxing history. Relive their decade

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of dominance in the new Showtime sports
documentary The Kings, a four parts series

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premiering Sunday, June sixth, only
on Showtime. Non I'm gonna try and

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alternate here, Non Rockets trade because
I have so many Lakers receive Garrett Temple.

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Bulls receive West Matthews, Alphonso McKinney, and two second round picks twenty

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twenty three and twenty twenty four.
Yeah, I'm good with that one as

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well. I like the idea of
Temple in La. I feel like his

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season has flown a little bit under
the radar just because he's playing for the

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Bulls, but he's been a pretty
steady option, and ultimately like the more

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depth the Lakers can acquire, the
better for them. Yeah. West Masters

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have been bad for them, by
the way, to twenty seven percent from

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three since January fifteenth. And if
you're Chicago, they just moved veterans into

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the starting lineup, So I don't
know that they should sell. I'm not

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saying they need to trade Zach Lavine, but Daddy is young, Garrett Temple.

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I'm gonna look at Larry Market and
trades if i'm them, you see

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what to see what you can get
because you're this isn't the season, is

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my point. And Garrett Temple especially, you don't have bird rights on him.

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You don't really need them at as
four point seven million dollars salary.

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Still, maybe you keep West Matthews, who's not going to give you the

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same positional optionality on defense or the
same ball handling on offense. But if

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you want to plug him into your
lineup, he can take Temple's minutes,

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or you can maybe try and move
him for another second round pick, because

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I do think that, you know, it seem like Boston just needs wing

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depth in general beyond Jason Tatum and
John Brown. Right now, it does

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feel like Chicago should sell all the
pieces. I just don't know if it's

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going to happen, which is such
a weird situation because you would think that

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r RS Cardosovis would like want to
move forward into getting towards his guys rather

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than these holdovers from the previous regime. But it does feel like, as

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as obvious as it seems, a
thaddious young trade should be in particular that

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I just I don't know if it's
going to happen. It's so easy,

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it's so easy for these lower to
your teams this season to convince themselves that

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they're still in the off picture because
of that play in situation. I'm gonna

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go to a chat question because it's
related as Jack Kennedy. Ask any potential

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Warriors trades at the trade deadline with
them, and I'll be the first one

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to answer it. This is very
much to me. I don't want to

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say all or nothing, but unless
they can get a Bradley Beal or a

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Karl Anthony Towns, which they can't, I want to make that clear,

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or maybe a Zach Lavine, and
I don't even think they would do it

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for zach Lavine. They're just not
going to move they don't have. You

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know, you can use Kelly Woodbridge
junior, but Kellyhooberd junior and what to

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get who improves your team. I
think you're looking at James Wiseman. You're

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looking at that Minnesota pick top three
protected this year, and they currently have

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the worst record in the league.
I believe I think they're still behind the

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Pistons in that regard. I don't
know that they have a medium sized move

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in them, and so I don't
know that I think they should go all

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in. If they could get Zach
Lavine, if they could get Bradley Beal,

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I'm throwing Minnesota's pick on the table. If it's Bradley, I'm not

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gonna blink twice about giving up James
Wiseman as well. But I my gut

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says they're not going to do anything, and I think part of it is

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because they overestimate their own ability to
like get production or develop guys, and

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they missed on a lot of Look. Late first round picks are hard.

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All first round picks are hard.
But while they were really good, they

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weren't really hitting on these you know, the Jordan Pools of the world.

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And now they're in this weird position
where the offense is just absolute. It's

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terrible when steps off the floor there
they're shot. Selection with Stephen Curry off

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the court would make people from nineteen
ninety three blush. It's bad. I

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agree with you on the star level
trades, unless it's Beal or Lavine or

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someone who we just haven't even heard
floated at this point who surprisingly becomes available

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just before the deadline. I don't
think that there's a move out there that's

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going to involve the Minnesota pick and
or James Wiseman, I do still think

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we're going to see some sort of
periphery move, just deal a second round

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pick for a fringe rotation guy who
can give Steve Kerr someone new to work

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with, who can inject a little
bit of fresh air into the rotation.

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I don't think it's going to be
like this playoff altering acquisition or anything.

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And I don't really know even what
kind of move it's going to be.

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But just given the way Steve Kerr
has talked about the need for help,

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given the way that Steph in particular
has reacted to his teammates shortcomings lately,

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I think that we're going to see
something. I would be pretty surprised if

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there's no move whatsoever by the deadline, But because there's no blockbuster just teed

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up and waiting for them. I
don't think it's going to be a mid

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level movie either, because that wouldn't
make sense today. If all days we're

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recording this, Stephen Curry turns thirty
three underscores how I think they're blowing,

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and look, they won three titles
with him. I get it, But

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you have a top five player still
in his prime, and you decided at

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least to you know, poorly build
the supporting cast around him, and I

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know they didn't have a ton of
options, and I thought the Wanta Maker

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pickup was actually good. But you
know, the Ubre thing was always questionable

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because it's like, oh, let's
just surround you know, do you already

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have Wiggins and Dre, Let's surround
them with more sub sub average shooters.

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Never made sense to me, and
Ubre's played pretty well since his a Troch's

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beginning. I'm with you in every
sense, I guess, except for the

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fact that I'm not convinced that they'll
make him over the time because I don't

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know what it is. But I'll
close on this. Anyone who can handle

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the ball or at least run the
offense for a little bit without step would

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be huge. Can you guess where
their offensive rating ranks when Steph isn't is?

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When Steph is on the bench,
Oh terribly. So it's gonna be

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like third percentile, zero with percentile
and I'm not even sure if it's zero

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with percentiles a thing, but that's
how it's listed on Cleaning the Glass.

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I do think Jeremy's question is intriguing, though, If Clay was there,

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where would they be in the standings. So, like I assume that we're

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just inserting him into the mix with
the current rotation. So the Warriors are

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already nineteen and nineteen at the time
we're recording this, which puts them in

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a tie with the Memphis Grizzlies,
who have admittedly played four fewer games,

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for ninth place in the Western Conference. I think with a healthy Clay,

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even if it's like post Achilles injury, post acl injury, that we're still

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looking at a top four team in
the West. Probably. I feel like

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he makes that much of a difference. Just the spacing that creates so much

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easier paths to the basket for Wiggins, that creates more space on the interior

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for Wiseman, that takes more defensive
pressure away from Steph. And the stat

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that Dan just mentioned with the zero
percentile when Steph is off the floor,

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that doesn't happen because you can at
least mitigate that decline somewhat by having Clay

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and his gravity still on the floor. I think that I think his presence

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can easily be worth five plus wins
at the stage of the season already.

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I'd probably agree with you, and
maybe you're incentivized to play Draymond a little

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bit more without Steph because you have
more spacing around him, because right now

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they just mirror those two minutes together, which is fine because you want to

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maximize the minutes that you're playing with
your stars. I would probably say,

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look there, I think they're gonna
be eight, nine or ten in the

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West would be my gut, they're
gonna be in the play in. I

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don't know that Clay gets them out
of that territory. Like I still think

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they'd be seven, eight nine ten
with him. Maybe they're just more likely

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to be seven than they are ten. This one was interesting and I ran

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it by Suns people. FYI,
Phoenix Suns PJ. Tucker for Javon Carter

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each one more at a twenty twenty
three second round pick. And the one

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thing I'll say that I think the
Rockets would haggle over is why not abdel

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00:21:27,039 --> 00:21:30,039
Nador? He's playing too well,
and I think Houston has lost all sort

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of leverage with Pja Tucker because he's
not with the team anymore. He also

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has not played well, and so
in this scenario, you're getting Javon Carter,

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who is not playing for the Suns. But he's a defensive bulldog.

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You play him and Jashn Tate at
the same time. He even play him

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next to John Wall If you want
to two with those three, you might

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be able to do some real things
defensively. I believe if he plays more,

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00:21:48,799 --> 00:21:52,359
his three point shot will round into
form, because he was lights out

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00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:56,359
last year, even before he went
to the bubble. And I don't know

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if each want more helps you,
but you're just not. You know,

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00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:00,799
Nader would be good, and if
you could get him, if it's Jevon

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00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:03,000
Carter and Nader, I don't know
if you would need to include second round

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pick. But the twenty twenty three
second is interesting if you're Houston because that's

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the first year that Chris Paul won't
be on this contract. Is he's still

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in Phoenix? Maybe, but he
might not be. And do you have

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00:22:15,359 --> 00:22:18,599
confidence in the Suns to rebuild in
the absence of Chris Paul to sort of

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00:22:18,599 --> 00:22:22,559
retool on the fly? There would
I would take this deal if I was

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Houston. I actually like it a
little bit better for them than I do

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for Phoenix. But for Phoenix's rationale. Dario Sarge at the five lineups are

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00:22:30,759 --> 00:22:36,079
destroying opponents at both ends, and
Dario is defending really well. He's closed

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00:22:36,119 --> 00:22:38,240
some games at the five because Aton's
been so inconsistent. You know, I'm

347
00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:42,559
a big DeAndre Atan fan, but
if you have to deal with his inconsistency,

348
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and now you're a point where you
might want to close games with Dario,

349
00:22:45,079 --> 00:22:48,359
I don't know if that works against
every team. A Lakers team with

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Anthony Davis, a Jazz team with
Rudy Gobert, Nuggets with Jokis for sure,

351
00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:56,559
and PJ Tucker. I don't know
that he's a much better match for

352
00:22:56,680 --> 00:23:02,759
Gobert, or he's definitely a match
for Davis, then Sarich, Dario Sharitz,

353
00:23:02,839 --> 00:23:04,119
I don't know. You know,
when you get into the Gobets and

354
00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:07,160
Yokich, I still think he's going
to be better than Sharts in those scenarios.

355
00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:11,839
And so now you've allowed yourself to
sort of diversify your your closing unit

356
00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:15,359
option. So that's where I was
coming from with this. All I really

357
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have to add there, because I
can hear you again is as soon as

358
00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:23,000
you mentioned that trade idea, my
head just started thinking about a potential lineup

359
00:23:23,039 --> 00:23:26,720
with Javon Carter Chris, Paul mckhill, Bridges, PJ. Tucker, and

360
00:23:26,799 --> 00:23:30,480
Dario Sharitch. And I don't know
how you score on that. I would

361
00:23:30,519 --> 00:23:33,640
just that would be so much fun
and so rangey and so switchable, and

362
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I want to see it now.
Yeah, So the Suns are good.

363
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I can. I will still make
the case that I think they're the biggest

364
00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:45,039
threat to the the LA teams in
the least. And maybe people don't even

365
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think the Clippers belong in that conversation
at this point themselves. I am.

366
00:23:48,839 --> 00:23:55,160
I'm just fascinated by it. And
Jeremy Brenner says he proposed that exact trade

367
00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:59,480
on dream Shake on Spnation. Jeremy, I can promise you that I did

368
00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:03,000
not steal it, because I did
propose it in an earlier variation where they

369
00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:07,319
were getting abdiel Nader. But that
is I guess, great minds like minded.

370
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But I think that that's an interesting
one for both teams to consider a

371
00:24:12,559 --> 00:24:15,720
non Rockets trade. Now is what
we're doing for this one is so Joel

372
00:24:15,759 --> 00:24:18,160
Embid and we have a question about
him later and we're wrapping up here on

373
00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:22,559
the trades out for at least two
weeks. It's probably gonna be closer to

374
00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:26,519
a month because he's gonna be re
evaluating two weeks with the bone bruise in

375
00:24:26,599 --> 00:24:30,799
his left me and I don't think
you know, the Sixers have Dwhite Howard,

376
00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:34,119
they have Tony Bradley, they have
Mike Scott. I think that they

377
00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:37,559
could use just they need another big
and if he can shoot. You know,

378
00:24:37,559 --> 00:24:40,319
they've already been linked Tonmania be Elitza
and no, I'm not talking about

379
00:24:40,319 --> 00:24:44,200
twenty eighteen when he signed with them, only to Reneague and then signed with

380
00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:48,000
the Kings. Of all teams,
but they Sham Shrannia said they have been

381
00:24:48,039 --> 00:24:51,279
interested in him this year and he's
not shooting well in Sacramento, but he's

382
00:24:51,319 --> 00:24:56,720
a career thirty nine percent shooter since
entering the NBA. I think in Philly

383
00:24:56,720 --> 00:25:00,440
he'll get better shots, more consistent
playing time. The trade here as Philly

384
00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:06,440
gets Nomania Beelitza for Terrence Ferguson,
Vincent Poier and a twenty twenty three second

385
00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:11,000
round pick. It's the more favorable
between Atlanta, Brooklyn, Charlotte and Philadelphia.

386
00:25:11,079 --> 00:25:15,319
I'm gonna let you continue to justify
this because I'm only hearing every other

387
00:25:15,359 --> 00:25:18,440
word. It's fine by me.
So look, if you're the Kings,

388
00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:22,119
you're not getting anything of real value
for Beelitza in at least in my opinion,

389
00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:25,400
and who I don't run an NBA
team, so I'll have to see

390
00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:30,160
how that goes. That being said, that second, you know, even

391
00:25:30,160 --> 00:25:33,720
if they top thirty two protected or
something. You know, Atlanta Charlotte are

392
00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:37,720
those teams that you think are going
to be good in twenty twenty three.

393
00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:41,319
Maybe in Atlanta, but Charlotte,
yes, they have LaMelo Ball and look

394
00:25:41,319 --> 00:25:45,920
there's also Brooklyn here. I would
short their futures just now. I'm not

395
00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:48,200
saying they will be bad, but
one of those three teams could be sending

396
00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:52,000
you a second round pick in the
thirties. And if it's for a player

397
00:25:52,079 --> 00:25:53,480
that you're not really playing now,
you don't really need. He's not gonna

398
00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:56,000
be with you after next season.
And the other thing is you don't need

399
00:25:56,039 --> 00:26:00,519
Poier. But Terrence Ferguson, you
don't really have wings. You waived Gwyn

400
00:26:00,599 --> 00:26:03,480
Robinson. He's worth stabbing the dark
minutes. To me, he was a

401
00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:07,079
first round pick for a reason.
An athletic dude, I really can't shoot.

402
00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:10,519
But the Kings, if I were
them, you could at least try

403
00:26:10,559 --> 00:26:15,960
them out and if Adam is still
Jeremy Brenner says, and or Jeremy Brenner

404
00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:18,759
says, Daryl Morey Monty McNair have
the report to make a trade like that

405
00:26:18,799 --> 00:26:23,559
happened for Beelita. I definitely agree
there, Logan Logan Alton says, was

406
00:26:23,559 --> 00:26:26,440
it Belly that almost signed with Philly
and pulled out the last second? Was

407
00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:30,759
that a bridge burner? It was
Belly got did that and then he signed

408
00:26:30,759 --> 00:26:33,559
with the Kings of all teams,
and might point out, so I feel

409
00:26:33,559 --> 00:26:36,599
like he's been punished enough because he's
been on the Kings for the last two

410
00:26:36,599 --> 00:26:38,920
plus seasons. But I mentioned this
earlier. Logan maybe didn't hear it.

411
00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:44,559
Philly has reportedly been interested in this
season, and it's a different front office

412
00:26:44,599 --> 00:26:47,880
regime because Darren Moorey's running it.
So I don't think that they're going to

413
00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:49,839
hold a grudge, but you know, if they are, I mean,

414
00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:52,160
look, he left Philly for the
Kings, like you know, maybe that's

415
00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:56,079
unforgivable, and that and that unforgivability, if you will, is ingrained into

416
00:26:56,119 --> 00:27:00,880
the organization or something. I have
two more trade as to throw out here

417
00:27:00,920 --> 00:27:03,440
while we're waiting for Adam to get
back up and row. He is back

418
00:27:03,519 --> 00:27:07,079
up and running. So what did
you think of my blockbuster be elites a

419
00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:11,160
deal? What little I heard of
it sounded great. All right, We're

420
00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:14,799
just gonna comes back for a fence
sitting answer, because I had no idea

421
00:27:14,839 --> 00:27:18,839
what the details were. So this
trade is for the is for the nerds

422
00:27:18,839 --> 00:27:22,920
out there, and it is the
Milwaukee Bucks receive Austin Rivers from the New

423
00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:27,039
York Knicks in exchange for DJ Wilson
and a twenty three second twenty twenty three

424
00:27:27,079 --> 00:27:32,039
second round pick. The rationale here, and this is not sexy, but

425
00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:34,680
the Bucks are saving a little over
a million bucks. That'll give them more

426
00:27:34,759 --> 00:27:37,880
wiggle room under the hardcap to use
on the buyout market, because they are

427
00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:42,720
I think they're sub will sub one
million dollars under the hardcap when you factor

428
00:27:42,759 --> 00:27:47,799
in Drew Holidays on his incentives,
which are like clost to four million this

429
00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:51,960
year. But if you're the Bucks
and you're also cheap, you could if

430
00:27:52,039 --> 00:27:56,680
Drew Holiday's incentives don't hit, you're
very close then the ducking the tacks entirely

431
00:27:56,839 --> 00:28:00,799
after making this deal. That's something
you can consider beyond that, however,

432
00:28:00,839 --> 00:28:03,799
I think Rivers actually helps the Bucks. He's fallowing completely on the nixt rotation,

433
00:28:03,839 --> 00:28:07,440
but he was knocking down forty two
point six percent of his threes through

434
00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:11,920
his first thirteen games. And he
gives you someone with better size than DJ

435
00:28:11,039 --> 00:28:15,160
Augustine or Bryn Forbes who can create
off the dribble. And we also saw

436
00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:21,319
Houston get away defensively using him on
some bigger guards and wings rolling the dice

437
00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:22,960
on him too. It's not just
zero risks for me, it's also high

438
00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:27,559
reward because he has two fully non
guaranteed years after this two years I think

439
00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:33,440
six point seven million dollars or six
six point five million. Actually, you

440
00:28:33,519 --> 00:28:36,000
can if it works out now you
have a cheap player that's helping you.

441
00:28:36,079 --> 00:28:38,039
If it doesn't, you can say
goodbye, no no cost, no foul

442
00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:41,039
there. And the other thing is, I don't this would be a question

443
00:28:41,079 --> 00:28:45,119
for you, Adam, if you
have Austin Rivers and just knowing how I

444
00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:48,559
know what Dj Augustine can infury do
on the ball, but knowing how poorly

445
00:28:48,559 --> 00:28:53,759
he shot does it at all?
In Bolden, you too, maybe look

446
00:28:53,799 --> 00:28:59,920
at Augustine plus seconds to try and
get PJ. Tucker then on the Bucks,

447
00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:03,160
it would be a fantastic fit.
It does. I think that he

448
00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:07,519
would be a good fit. But
I like this deal, the one that

449
00:29:07,559 --> 00:29:11,839
you originally proposed here, just because
the self creating ability that Rivers brings is

450
00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:17,119
important, even if it hasn't been
enough for him to stay in Tom Thibodeau's

451
00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:19,839
rotation in New York. Like,
he can create shots off the bounce,

452
00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:23,279
whether he's attacking the rim, whether
he's taking three pointers. They don't always

453
00:29:23,319 --> 00:29:29,880
go in, of course, but
in the playoffs we've seen each last two

454
00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:33,319
years how Malaga's offense has stalled,
and I think that the ability to have

455
00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:37,319
that extra ball handler, especially in
lineups where you have to have both Jannis

456
00:29:37,359 --> 00:29:42,279
and Chris Middleton off the floor,
does matter. Yeah, And look,

457
00:29:42,319 --> 00:29:45,920
I don't think he's going to be
the difference between them winning a title or

458
00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:48,559
not. But if you can save
salary and get you know, I don't

459
00:29:48,599 --> 00:29:51,279
know, I honestly don't even know
why as Rivers isn't the next rotation.

460
00:29:51,319 --> 00:29:53,680
He was playing so bad. But
at the same time, it's like they

461
00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:57,039
have rows, they have MVP Frankie
Lakina, so I kind of get it.

462
00:29:57,079 --> 00:30:02,279
But I'm surprised that that starter Neil
Keena. Now, yeah, well

463
00:30:02,319 --> 00:30:06,039
at least for at least for a
game. There the last trade here,

464
00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:08,759
and this is just this is just
another barn Burner over trade. It's really

465
00:30:08,799 --> 00:30:12,160
not. But it's actually might be
my favorite one. And it's our final

466
00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:18,160
Rockets trade. So congratulations, we've
made it. The Jazz received Daniel House

467
00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:25,279
and then the Rockets receive Udoka as
a bookie and Elijah Hughes. And just

468
00:30:25,319 --> 00:30:27,480
for anyone who doesn't know, as
a book he was at number twenty seven

469
00:30:27,519 --> 00:30:32,400
pick in the twenty twenty draft,
and Elijah Hughes, a RANGEI wing,

470
00:30:32,680 --> 00:30:36,599
was number thirty nine. The Jazz
can include a second but if you're getting

471
00:30:36,839 --> 00:30:41,000
someone who was a first round pick
to maybe give some center minutes to in

472
00:30:41,119 --> 00:30:44,359
Houston, I don't know that you
would necessarily needed it. And Elijah Hughes

473
00:30:44,359 --> 00:30:47,480
is even interesting because he's on a
really cheap salary for next year. But

474
00:30:47,559 --> 00:30:51,119
you can throw a second round pick
in for in this to give up Daniel

475
00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:53,440
House. I don't know if Houston
wants a move Daniel House just because his

476
00:30:53,519 --> 00:30:56,880
value has probably never been lower.
He's dealing with a knee. Andrea at

477
00:30:56,880 --> 00:31:00,240
the moment not shot well from three. He'll shoot better from three in the

478
00:31:00,319 --> 00:31:03,920
Jazz system because everyone shoots better from
three in the Jazz off sense the system.

479
00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:07,359
But this seems like the I know
they signed orson Aliasova, but they

480
00:31:07,759 --> 00:31:10,599
like a house type defender is what
they need. We've seen him guard some

481
00:31:10,680 --> 00:31:12,839
fives, but a lot of fours
and threes in Houston over the past couple

482
00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:15,519
of years. I look, the
season is not taking place in the bubble,

483
00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:19,960
so he's probably gonna help your team
instead of hurting. Yeah, I'll

484
00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:23,319
take it from the opposite perspective here, and I feel similar to this one

485
00:31:23,480 --> 00:31:26,559
as I did about the Cab and
Jelly trade. You proposed where I would

486
00:31:26,559 --> 00:31:30,319
like to see as a bookie get
a chance in a rotation on with a

487
00:31:30,319 --> 00:31:33,480
team that's really going to play him, which which Houston would be in a

488
00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:38,119
position to do. I still don't
think that the Jazz were just blowing smoke

489
00:31:38,279 --> 00:31:41,079
when they said how high they had
as a bookie on their board. I

490
00:31:41,079 --> 00:31:45,759
wish I remembered the exact number coming
out of the twenty twenty draft, but

491
00:31:45,799 --> 00:31:48,680
I feel like it was it was
something like they had him like top five

492
00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:52,319
on their board. Or something.
And in a lot of the ways though

493
00:31:52,359 --> 00:31:56,799
they were taking like you know,
right, so right maybe, and they

494
00:31:56,839 --> 00:32:00,200
never really specified that. But I
do think like the the idea that he

495
00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:07,160
could be like a Rudy Gobert simulacrum, just another rangey guy who's good at

496
00:32:07,160 --> 00:32:10,359
protecting the basket, who's good at
showing and recovering when he's defending the pick

497
00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:15,079
and roll, like he can be
a legitimate difference maker on the defensive end

498
00:32:15,119 --> 00:32:19,200
at the five, and just giving
him the opportunity to do that makes sense.

499
00:32:20,319 --> 00:32:23,319
And they the Jazz don't need him
because they signed Derek Favors and they

500
00:32:23,799 --> 00:32:27,279
extended Rudy Gobert. The other thing
I'll say the move would be if the

501
00:32:27,319 --> 00:32:30,000
Jazz wanted to do something, I
don't know what it is, but you

502
00:32:30,079 --> 00:32:35,279
move Derek Favors because he's playing like
seventeen minutes a game, and do you

503
00:32:35,319 --> 00:32:37,720
downsize or something like that if you
want it. But I think what they

504
00:32:37,759 --> 00:32:42,680
need is like in theory, a
guy like House. If Jazz don't need

505
00:32:42,799 --> 00:32:49,559
who as a bookie that was Quay
Wavy. So let's get into if if

506
00:32:49,599 --> 00:32:53,160
anyone actually wants to speak and Adam
is managing it, We're will a lot

507
00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:57,599
thirty seconds worth of questions or statements
that will respond to, but we also

508
00:32:57,680 --> 00:33:01,079
have a bunch of pent up questions
will will answer as well that I'll go

509
00:33:01,160 --> 00:33:04,920
through. So if you have questions, want to speak, please do that

510
00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:07,240
now I'm ping and we'll get to
you. I will say Logan Alton and

511
00:33:07,279 --> 00:33:09,720
the chat said, would you tah
be able to keep one of the rooks

512
00:33:09,759 --> 00:33:15,440
and swap Nay George Yang in.
I think they would want to keep him

513
00:33:15,440 --> 00:33:17,160
because right now he might be one
of the guys that has to go up

514
00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:22,880
if they don't make changes, it's
gonna be him or O'Neill or I guess

515
00:33:22,039 --> 00:33:27,200
Ingles. They might even throw Ony
in there, like those are the and

516
00:33:27,319 --> 00:33:30,359
Yang I'm George and Yang Sorry I
always mispronounce his name. Those are gonna

517
00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:35,160
be the guys that they use against
the bigger Wings right now. And if

518
00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:38,359
I was Houston actually and I can
get as a bookie and Yang, I

519
00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:42,480
might prefer that. Even though Yang's
about to be a free agent. N

520
00:33:42,559 --> 00:33:46,039
Yang has played pretty well lately too. I feel like they're just consistently winning

521
00:33:46,039 --> 00:33:49,519
the minutes that he's on the court, no matter who he's playing. With

522
00:33:49,599 --> 00:33:53,160
lately, just the defensive activity,
the ability to move the ball, he's

523
00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:57,559
knocking down his threes, like,
I've been pretty impressed with how he's been

524
00:33:57,599 --> 00:34:01,519
performing lately. We have a question
from the chat, so why don't we

525
00:34:01,599 --> 00:34:06,480
go from that quay Wavy. I
hope I'm not mispronouncing as a q wavy.

526
00:34:06,480 --> 00:34:07,360
You could let me know in the
chat, who do you guys have

527
00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:12,920
winning MVP? Now that Inmbied most
likely won't get it due to missing many

528
00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:16,280
games. I will combine that with
the other Imbied question that we had,

529
00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:22,519
which came from longtime listener Mioslav Shook. Does Joe Ellenbid's injury stop his MVP

530
00:34:22,719 --> 00:34:27,480
candidacy? I will let you answer, but I will say two weeks is

531
00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:30,760
going to be about eight games,
and that's when he's reevaluated. He's already

532
00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:35,199
seventy ninth in the league in total
minutes played, where Yokich is number two

533
00:34:35,599 --> 00:34:40,719
and lebron Age thirty six year eighteen
coming off the shortest sports season sports offseason

534
00:34:40,840 --> 00:34:47,519
in history is tenth. So what
do you think? I do think that

535
00:34:47,559 --> 00:34:52,400
it's going to make it awfully difficult
for Embid to win. This was not

536
00:34:52,559 --> 00:34:58,159
just from purely from a narrative perspective, this is not great timing for him

537
00:34:58,199 --> 00:35:01,599
to miss a minimum of two weeks
just because the focus is shifting to that

538
00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:06,920
MVP conversation. I feel like on
Twitter we're seeing daily debates about it,

539
00:35:06,960 --> 00:35:10,000
whether Lebron is ascended to the top, the Yoki vers MB debate, etc.

540
00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:14,960
Etc. So missing two weeks right
now, I don't think it's an

541
00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:19,519
absolute death knell for his MVP candidacy. If he comes back and the Sixers

542
00:35:19,559 --> 00:35:23,000
absolutely take off and he continues playing
like he was prior to the injury,

543
00:35:23,079 --> 00:35:27,280
it is going to be a significant
hurdle. The only thing I'm really certain

544
00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:30,320
of in the MVP race right now
is that no one should be certain like

545
00:35:31,159 --> 00:35:37,719
Yoki I think should be the front
runner right now if you're okay with an

546
00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:39,800
MVP coming from a sixth seed in
the West, which is what the Nuggets

547
00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:45,960
are right now, everyone has differing
opinions on that, and without a pre

548
00:35:45,159 --> 00:35:52,480
ordained, defined set of criteria for
MVP candidacy, there's no way to say

549
00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:55,239
that definitively, Like if you want
to put Lebron up there for the work

550
00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:59,840
that he's doing in this age thirty
six eighteenth season in the NBA. Like

551
00:36:00,159 --> 00:36:04,119
all means, I don't think that
he would be at the top of mine

552
00:36:04,199 --> 00:36:08,119
right now, given how much the
Lakers have struggled to remain on that same

553
00:36:08,199 --> 00:36:14,559
level without Anthony Davis in the lineup. If you're moving James Harden backup,

554
00:36:14,599 --> 00:36:17,239
given how well he's played with the
nets, if you're right now, you

555
00:36:17,280 --> 00:36:22,199
can't shore circuit a team season for
like nine games. And I'm with you.

556
00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:24,360
This is not my personal ballot.
I'm just laying out the options here,

557
00:36:24,599 --> 00:36:28,360
you know. I think that that
Jannis should be gaining a little bit

558
00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:31,159
of momentum right now. He's arguably
playing better right now than he did at

559
00:36:31,159 --> 00:36:37,159
any point last season. The Bucks
are climbing towards that number one seed in

560
00:36:37,239 --> 00:36:39,400
the East. It might be easier
for them to get it now that Embiat

561
00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:44,840
is out for two weeks. And
if we're not considering the voter fatigue that

562
00:36:44,920 --> 00:36:47,840
is surely to play a part in
this conversation, Like Jannis deserves a lot

563
00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:51,599
of a lot of credit as well. So there are so many options,

564
00:36:51,840 --> 00:36:54,639
and I don't think that there's enough
of a clear cut front runner that we

565
00:36:54,719 --> 00:36:59,440
should have any definitive opinions because so
much is going to depend on the second

566
00:36:59,440 --> 00:37:01,519
half of the season. A couple
of comments on this before we get to

567
00:37:01,559 --> 00:37:05,920
a question from Fred, and then
after Fred we'll get to yours and Nilio

568
00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:09,840
Silfa. Thank you both for asking
them. Jeremy Brenner ports out the Sixers

569
00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:13,559
are bad over the two weeks that
might help his campaign a little bit.

570
00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:15,800
I'd probably agree. I just don't
know how many voters look at the quality

571
00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:21,840
of a player's minutes when they're missing
that much time versus a Lebron or a

572
00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:24,239
Yogis who's going to play so much
more often? And the other thing is

573
00:37:24,280 --> 00:37:28,199
if it was only going to be
two weeks, I might agree, But

574
00:37:28,239 --> 00:37:32,400
we also know the Sixers are dogshit
without him already, and if he misses

575
00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:35,599
a month like that probably ends up. And I think it's going to be

576
00:37:35,639 --> 00:37:38,079
closer to a month and at least
three weeks because he's being reevaluated in two

577
00:37:38,119 --> 00:37:42,559
weeks. I would think that this
is going to end up hurting his case

578
00:37:42,599 --> 00:37:47,880
more than anything. Yeah, if
the Sixers could play poorly and still end

579
00:37:47,960 --> 00:37:52,159
up in the number one seed in
the East, I think I would agree

580
00:37:52,159 --> 00:37:57,280
more. But because part of his
candidacy is going to depend on the Sixers

581
00:37:57,360 --> 00:38:00,559
having the best record in the East. If they fall out of that spot,

582
00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:06,159
I'm not sure that taking away that
is going to be negated by how

583
00:38:06,199 --> 00:38:09,199
bad they've looked without that. And
in response to another comment in the chat

584
00:38:10,559 --> 00:38:14,639
where the last player to win MVP
three years in a row was Bird,

585
00:38:15,800 --> 00:38:20,239
Yeah, like, I think that
that does end up playing a part in

586
00:38:20,280 --> 00:38:23,239
the MVP conversation, the voter fatigue
element. It's why we saw Lebron win

587
00:38:23,280 --> 00:38:27,920
fewer MVPs during the true prime of
his career as opposed to the s extended

588
00:38:27,920 --> 00:38:30,679
prime. I guess then he probably
should have Personally, I don't like to

589
00:38:30,719 --> 00:38:35,679
take that into account because MVP should
be a single season award, not like

590
00:38:35,679 --> 00:38:38,760
a legacy thing or not depending on
what happened in the past or what might

591
00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:43,320
happen in the future. Like if
we're evaluating seasons independently, I think that

592
00:38:43,360 --> 00:38:46,719
Jannis is developing more and more of
a legitimate case for the twenty twenty twenty

593
00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:51,159
one season in particular. But yeah, that probably will have an impact in

594
00:38:51,199 --> 00:38:54,719
the actual race. Before I move
on to the RJ. Barrett question from

595
00:38:54,719 --> 00:38:59,920
Fred Jeremy Pretterson has made me laugh. Christian, what is the real MP

596
00:39:00,119 --> 00:39:02,559
the Rockets have it once since he
went down nearly six weeks ago. I

597
00:39:02,559 --> 00:39:07,239
mean those that's an actual fact.
So look, Adam, I think this

598
00:39:07,320 --> 00:39:12,599
question was for you and only you. Fred As is RJ. Barrett's recent

599
00:39:12,679 --> 00:39:16,440
play simply a good streak or more
indicative of significant progress in year two?

600
00:39:17,760 --> 00:39:22,519
I want to say significant progress.
I've been impressed with the turn he's taken

601
00:39:22,559 --> 00:39:25,280
recently. We're recording this a day
after he had thirty one points, a

602
00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:32,000
career high thirty one points during their
their Saturday afternoon game. Throughout this season,

603
00:39:32,159 --> 00:39:37,639
the quality of shots he's been taking
have been significantly better than the ones

604
00:39:37,679 --> 00:39:40,760
he took during his rookie season.
They just haven't all been falling, and

605
00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:45,719
it feels like something has clicked for
him lately, Like not only is he

606
00:39:45,159 --> 00:39:51,079
playing smarter offensive basketball, but his
teammates have looked more willing to get him

607
00:39:51,119 --> 00:39:53,880
the ball. They've shown that they
have more confidence in him. We're actually

608
00:39:53,920 --> 00:39:59,320
finding the net instead instead of the
side of the rim. Like I want

609
00:39:59,400 --> 00:40:02,800
to buy in, I'm hesitant because
I was bought in before the season started.

610
00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:07,760
Dan is still making fun of me
for having him at number three on

611
00:40:07,800 --> 00:40:10,760
my most improved player ballot priory season
starting not anymore. I'm not. I'll

612
00:40:10,840 --> 00:40:15,159
let you know that right now.
I appreciate that that's the first time I'm

613
00:40:15,199 --> 00:40:19,079
hearing that, and I love it. I want more of the Maya culpas.

614
00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:22,519
But yeah, like I think maybe
I'm a little biased here because I

615
00:40:22,559 --> 00:40:27,519
want it to fulfill that preseason prediction. But it feels like this is more

616
00:40:27,559 --> 00:40:31,239
of a legit upswing and than just
some flash in the pan. Yeah,

617
00:40:31,239 --> 00:40:34,679
and look, he's shooting. At
some point, we're gonna have to accept

618
00:40:34,679 --> 00:40:38,199
his three point shooting, his fact
forty eight point one percent since January fifteenth,

619
00:40:38,199 --> 00:40:43,079
which is more than half the season
at that point. And the one

620
00:40:43,119 --> 00:40:47,000
thing I think that's probably not being
talked about enough is his defense has been

621
00:40:47,119 --> 00:40:52,559
solid, and I don't know that
people also credit that he's I think he's

622
00:40:52,599 --> 00:40:54,519
listened at six six. I'm pretty
sure I've seen somewhere that he was six

623
00:40:54,639 --> 00:40:59,559
seven, and that's really going to
help him cover certain matchups, and they

624
00:40:59,639 --> 00:41:04,159
have Tom Thibodeau hasn't been shy about
putting him on, you know, tough

625
00:41:04,199 --> 00:41:07,400
assignments. You know he's not normally
covering. That's gonna be bullock a lot

626
00:41:07,400 --> 00:41:08,920
of the time. But he you
know, he's had to get reps against

627
00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:14,639
When they were playing the Jazz,
he defended on Boyo Bodanovitch a bunch,

628
00:41:15,599 --> 00:41:17,280
so he's he's he defended Kwaie Leonard
a little bit, I think when they

629
00:41:17,280 --> 00:41:21,559
were playing the Clippers, and so
I think he can be more disruptive as

630
00:41:21,559 --> 00:41:22,880
time goes on. There. My
concerns for him are still this. I

631
00:41:22,960 --> 00:41:25,880
don't know. I'd like to see
the free throw a temph rate tick up.

632
00:41:25,920 --> 00:41:29,360
The percentage is headed in the right
direction, but to do that,

633
00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:31,239
he probably needs to operate on the
ball a little bit more. And his

634
00:41:31,320 --> 00:41:35,760
feel out of the pick and roll
it seems off, but I think it's

635
00:41:35,760 --> 00:41:38,559
because he's not running them enough,
only about five per game, and it's

636
00:41:38,599 --> 00:41:42,000
working right now. So you don't
want to you know, if it's not

637
00:41:42,079 --> 00:41:45,320
broke, don't necessarily fix it.
But if if the Knicks want him to

638
00:41:45,320 --> 00:41:46,079
be, you know, when you
look at the Knicks, I think the

639
00:41:46,199 --> 00:41:50,559
question is and I think some Knicks
fans do take this as an insult.

640
00:41:50,599 --> 00:41:53,280
It's do they have the blue chip
cornerstone who can be the best player on

641
00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:57,840
a really good team. Julius rynolds
A fantastic story. I just long,

642
00:41:57,920 --> 00:42:00,480
long term. I don't know if
he's that player, it's RJ Barrett or

643
00:42:00,519 --> 00:42:04,440
nothing to me at this point because
Mitchell Robinson's really good. You don't want

644
00:42:04,440 --> 00:42:07,159
to put quickly in that conversation.
What's I don't know if I look,

645
00:42:07,280 --> 00:42:10,599
he's only a rookie, so maybe
his offensive game is tantalizing, the floater,

646
00:42:12,119 --> 00:42:14,280
the three point shooting, and he's
gonna be able to hit some stuff

647
00:42:14,280 --> 00:42:16,320
off the dribbles. So maybe him. But I think RJ. Barrett your

648
00:42:16,320 --> 00:42:21,719
best chance at getting there. I
think it's worth a reminder too that RJ.

649
00:42:21,880 --> 00:42:25,159
Barrett turns twenty one in June.
In the middle of June, like

650
00:42:25,199 --> 00:42:30,079
he is still a twenty year old
player adjusting to the NBA and coming from

651
00:42:30,119 --> 00:42:36,320
a situation at Duke where he played
a lot more ISO basketball than he's going

652
00:42:36,360 --> 00:42:39,079
to on the next Like, he
is still figuring out how to operate in

653
00:42:39,119 --> 00:42:43,280
the pick and roll. He's still
figuring out how to thrive in these off

654
00:42:43,280 --> 00:42:47,400
ball situations when Julius Randall's handling out
of the post. This is this is

655
00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:52,519
a constant learning experience for him,
which makes me even more willing to buy

656
00:42:52,559 --> 00:42:54,920
into the improvements that we're seeing really
quickly, and you don't even have to

657
00:42:54,960 --> 00:43:00,000
elaborate. RJ. Barrett, Is
he gonna end up having a better career

658
00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:06,800
than DeMar Derozen? No, okay, No, that's speak very highly of

659
00:43:06,840 --> 00:43:08,239
Demard Rosen, because I think Arja
Bart's a chance of being an actually good

660
00:43:08,239 --> 00:43:13,159
defender. I do too, but
I think that the body of work for

661
00:43:13,239 --> 00:43:15,599
Derozen at this point, Like,
you can say what you want to about

662
00:43:15,719 --> 00:43:20,360
the on off splits throughout his career, but that guy is a proven scorer.

663
00:43:20,480 --> 00:43:24,239
He has consistently made positive changes to
his game, like even if it's

664
00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:29,199
not resulting in an inordinate number of
wins with the Spurs right now, like

665
00:43:29,239 --> 00:43:32,280
he's having the best facilitation facilitating season
of his career in his thirties, Like

666
00:43:32,480 --> 00:43:37,400
he has been an offensive powerhouse for
a long time. I think Barrett could

667
00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:40,639
have a higher apex than Derozen has
had, But in general, like I'm

668
00:43:40,639 --> 00:43:44,639
going to bet on the guy who's
had multiple All Star seasons and even more

669
00:43:44,719 --> 00:43:50,079
All Star caliber ones. This question
is from Annio Silfa, and I apologize

670
00:43:50,079 --> 00:43:53,159
if I pushered the pronunciation there,
but he asks, what do you guys

671
00:43:53,159 --> 00:43:57,840
think about Oklahoma City's moves lately,
I'm assuming he unless I missed one.

672
00:43:58,159 --> 00:44:01,559
It's just a trade. They trade
Habitu Diallo for twenty twenty seven second round

673
00:44:01,599 --> 00:44:05,480
pick from Detroit, which is just
that's just interesting whenever you get a second

674
00:44:05,519 --> 00:44:08,159
round pick from a perennial not great
team that far in the distance, and

675
00:44:08,159 --> 00:44:14,400
then she may Luke spi Is.
He's a better shooter than he's shown this

676
00:44:14,519 --> 00:44:19,079
year, and he can he can
shoot like he's functional shooting. So I

677
00:44:19,119 --> 00:44:23,320
think he's gonna have great functional shooting
in EuroLeague. That was wow. It's

678
00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:28,400
almost mean, but he's I think
he's at least someone they could test out.

679
00:44:28,679 --> 00:44:30,400
I also thought he was a better
defender last season than people were giving

680
00:44:30,480 --> 00:44:35,239
him credit for. I think that's
a nice flyer. If you're intend to

681
00:44:35,239 --> 00:44:37,360
to keep him. He is only
twenty three and he's six seven. That's

682
00:44:37,360 --> 00:44:39,920
another guy. I don't think people
realize how big he is, and then

683
00:44:39,960 --> 00:44:44,000
getting the secon round pick is a
nice piece of business. Diallo. It

684
00:44:44,039 --> 00:44:46,000
was probably smart to move him because
he might have gotten like one of those

685
00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:52,239
flyer contracts in free agency this summer
just because he was running some point for

686
00:44:52,119 --> 00:44:57,320
Oklahoma City. People love guys who
can really just smash the hell out of

687
00:44:57,360 --> 00:45:00,480
the rim. And if you didn't
want to give him money, you're probably

688
00:45:00,480 --> 00:45:02,079
gonna have to max out Shay on
an extension this year that will kick in

689
00:45:02,199 --> 00:45:06,440
during his fifth season. I totally
get it. So a nice piece of

690
00:45:06,440 --> 00:45:08,800
business there. I'm interested to see
what they do at the deadline, and

691
00:45:08,880 --> 00:45:13,760
we talked about this briefly, but
Areza, George Hill and even Al Horford.

692
00:45:13,800 --> 00:45:15,480
Look, if I was a team, I would trade for Al Horford.

693
00:45:15,480 --> 00:45:20,360
And my spiciest take is that the
Blazers would be better off, a

694
00:45:20,400 --> 00:45:24,039
better team if they traded Yusef Nurki
and Rodney Hood for Al Horford. There

695
00:45:24,079 --> 00:45:28,960
might need to be another salary in
there, but that is pretty spicy.

696
00:45:29,159 --> 00:45:35,119
I think how good Nurk has looked
between injuries. I'm trying, but Al

697
00:45:35,159 --> 00:45:37,400
Horford is really good. It's the
conc Look if throw the Conford has been

698
00:45:37,440 --> 00:45:43,559
fantastic lately, Like throwing aside the
fact that he is not permitted to play

699
00:45:43,559 --> 00:45:45,880
in the second half of back to
backs. When he's been on the court

700
00:45:45,960 --> 00:45:50,119
lately, he's looked way better than
anything we could have expected coming off that

701
00:45:50,199 --> 00:45:57,199
disaster with the seventy six ers.
I'm gonna stand by it, and I

702
00:45:57,239 --> 00:46:01,840
hope Tarra Bone Biggs isn't listening to
this and I hate me. You're burning

703
00:46:01,840 --> 00:46:07,719
some bridges here. Our editor at
least report BK. Knox, my boss

704
00:46:07,719 --> 00:46:10,679
at least report was was no,
let's say he just wasn't a fan of

705
00:46:10,719 --> 00:46:16,320
the take when I when I approached, we did have a question from Logan

706
00:46:16,320 --> 00:46:20,280
Alton who asked, what about r
J. Barrett or Anthony Edwards? And

707
00:46:20,440 --> 00:46:23,400
Dan, do you want to give
my answer for me? Yeah, I

708
00:46:23,400 --> 00:46:28,840
mean it's RJ. Barrett. I
don't know, like, I'm not out

709
00:46:28,920 --> 00:46:32,599
on Anthony Edwards just yet. And
we had another question which was why is

710
00:46:32,719 --> 00:46:37,639
Anthy Edwards last in the league in
total points added? And is that a

711
00:46:37,639 --> 00:46:40,920
bad harbinger for his future? Can
can we plead he's a rookie? I

712
00:46:40,920 --> 00:46:43,760
know you're not exactly. No,
no, no, no, no,

713
00:46:43,840 --> 00:46:45,719
That's what I was gonna say,
the same thing Colin Sexton was last in

714
00:46:45,800 --> 00:46:49,599
TPA during his rookie season, because
that's just what we see when we have

715
00:46:50,000 --> 00:46:54,239
inexperienced players who are suddenly tasked with
filling monumentally large offensive roles. Ultimately,

716
00:46:54,599 --> 00:46:59,719
Anthony Edwards is a nineteen year old
who's taking fifteen point two shots per game.

717
00:47:00,039 --> 00:47:01,679
He doesn't get to the free throw
line much, he isn't an advanced

718
00:47:01,719 --> 00:47:06,760
passer. He's playing poor defense on
one of the worst, if not the

719
00:47:06,840 --> 00:47:09,880
worst defensive teams in basketball. Like, that's just not a recipe for statistical

720
00:47:09,960 --> 00:47:14,800
success. I think that if you're
watching Anthony Edwards during his rookie season,

721
00:47:15,239 --> 00:47:17,079
regardless of whether you were super high
on him and thought he should be the

722
00:47:17,159 --> 00:47:21,079
number one pick, or like me, thought that he was going to veer

723
00:47:21,239 --> 00:47:25,519
further into bus territory, which remains
painful as a University of Georgia alum,

724
00:47:27,400 --> 00:47:30,559
you want to be watching for what
he can do, not what he is

725
00:47:30,599 --> 00:47:37,519
doing. Like, ultimately, view
whatever is happening this season as necessary speedbumps,

726
00:47:37,559 --> 00:47:42,440
as necessary roadblocks that he's going to
have to get by at some point,

727
00:47:42,800 --> 00:47:45,400
and he's working his way through them. Right now. You can already

728
00:47:45,480 --> 00:47:49,119
see that his feel for the game
is improving on both ends of the floor,

729
00:47:49,440 --> 00:47:53,760
Like he's making sharper, quicker rotations
on defense. They're not always correct,

730
00:47:53,880 --> 00:47:59,079
but he looks more confident. He
looks like he knows what the play

731
00:47:59,119 --> 00:48:02,280
calls are. He has a better
sense for where to be off the ball

732
00:48:02,320 --> 00:48:06,800
and when to cut and when to
move into space and how to anticipate space.

733
00:48:07,239 --> 00:48:10,719
Like you can very easily watch a
couple of minutes of Anthony Edwards playing

734
00:48:10,880 --> 00:48:15,239
right now, compare it to his
first few games in the league and see

735
00:48:15,320 --> 00:48:19,599
noticeable improvement, even if he's still
going to be trending down in metrics because

736
00:48:19,599 --> 00:48:22,960
of the situation he's in, Like
that is by no means a harbinger of

737
00:48:23,199 --> 00:48:29,800
a one hundred percent bust career as
a number one pick. I still have

738
00:48:29,880 --> 00:48:36,119
questions about his upside, but like, I'm not discouraged by what he's done

739
00:48:36,119 --> 00:48:39,559
as a rookie. I'm gonna throw
this back at Logan, assuming he's still

740
00:48:39,599 --> 00:48:43,800
listening. Would you have Anthy Edwards
over r J? Barrett? I know

741
00:48:43,880 --> 00:48:46,480
you cover the Timberwolves, That's why
I'm asking, And you know, are

742
00:48:46,519 --> 00:48:51,480
you higher on Anthy Edwards? Like
I want to know what the Timberwolves fan's

743
00:48:51,519 --> 00:48:54,599
perception is of Anthony Edwards at this
point, because there are I get asked

744
00:48:54,639 --> 00:49:00,000
more about Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid
at this point than I do about Anthony

745
00:49:00,159 --> 00:49:04,880
Edwards. So that's just been something
that's interesting, and that was I mentioned

746
00:49:04,920 --> 00:49:07,880
that we had another anti Edwards question. I think that was from Andrew Blake

747
00:49:07,960 --> 00:49:10,880
was one who asked it. And
now we have two Nets questions. This

748
00:49:12,039 --> 00:49:15,800
one comes from q Wavy. Is
there a team that can truly compete with

749
00:49:15,840 --> 00:49:20,599
Brooklyn and all the talent they have? But Meyer roth Bomb also asked could

750
00:49:20,599 --> 00:49:24,000
the Nets still win the East Slash
title without Kevin Durant? I think QUS

751
00:49:24,039 --> 00:49:30,559
one is a good place to start. Do you think that the Nets should

752
00:49:30,559 --> 00:49:35,199
be prohibitive title favorites with a healthy
Kevin Durant Adam, I don't think so,

753
00:49:35,599 --> 00:49:40,159
just because when you're building a one
way team in the playoffs, one

754
00:49:40,239 --> 00:49:44,280
cold spell when you're done, Like, the Nets are not going to win

755
00:49:44,400 --> 00:49:46,119
games on the defensive end. That's
just a fact. At this point,

756
00:49:46,320 --> 00:49:52,239
their offense is so ridiculously potent that
they could very easily still win a title

757
00:49:52,320 --> 00:49:57,920
in spite of that weakness. But
I don't think it's by any means a

758
00:49:58,000 --> 00:50:02,599
guarantee, especially during the season where
it feels like there are so many teams

759
00:50:02,599 --> 00:50:06,440
that are capable of winning that title. I mean, Dan, would you

760
00:50:06,519 --> 00:50:09,880
be would you be surprised if the
Utah Jazz has what it takes this season?

761
00:50:10,079 --> 00:50:14,280
Just one word answers for me?
Now, yeah, I mean,

762
00:50:14,280 --> 00:50:16,960
would you be surprised if Chris Paul
finally gets over the hump and wins a

763
00:50:17,000 --> 00:50:20,760
title with this Sun's team? There's
gonna be more than one word answer.

764
00:50:20,760 --> 00:50:22,480
I'm angry didn't start with the Suns, but no, it wouldn't surprise me.

765
00:50:22,599 --> 00:50:25,360
I'm just going down the standings right
now. Would you be surprised when

766
00:50:25,400 --> 00:50:29,440
Anthony Davis is healthy if he and
Lebron James could go back to back?

767
00:50:30,840 --> 00:50:34,079
That wouldn't surprise me. They could
definitely go back to back? All right?

768
00:50:34,119 --> 00:50:37,840
What about if Kawhi Leonard and Paul
George just catch fire? Can they

769
00:50:37,840 --> 00:50:40,800
carry the Clippers to a title this
season? They can? Do you think

770
00:50:40,800 --> 00:50:44,519
the Nuggets are good enough to win
one? I do not. I'm just

771
00:50:44,599 --> 00:50:47,000
kidding they are. They are.
I was going to follow up on that

772
00:50:47,039 --> 00:50:50,719
one, but all right, So
now Sixers they're healthy, with him beating

773
00:50:50,760 --> 00:50:53,880
Ben Simmons, is it possible?
For sure? Can Yannis get get over

774
00:50:53,920 --> 00:50:59,039
the hump this year? For sure? The real question is do you think

775
00:50:59,360 --> 00:51:01,639
the Bucks or the Sixers or another
team that these are good enough to beat?

776
00:51:01,719 --> 00:51:06,159
The Nets, because that's the first
that's the first roadblock, is getting

777
00:51:06,199 --> 00:51:08,199
out of the East. Yeah,
I think so. I think that what

778
00:51:08,280 --> 00:51:13,039
we're seeing right now, I think
the Bucks might be my pick in the

779
00:51:13,079 --> 00:51:19,480
East just because they're they're flying,
they do, they have the defensive pieces

780
00:51:19,519 --> 00:51:24,599
to counter Brooklyn's best offensive scores,
and they're finally doing what we wanted them

781
00:51:24,599 --> 00:51:29,719
to do throughout the regular season,
which is not just proved that they can

782
00:51:29,760 --> 00:51:32,679
win more games than anyone else in
the East. It's experimenting. It's trying

783
00:51:32,719 --> 00:51:37,519
new rotations, it's trying new ways
of getting honest the ball and getting other

784
00:51:37,559 --> 00:51:40,440
players involved that are eventually going to
pan out in the postseason. This feels

785
00:51:40,519 --> 00:51:45,440
like a very different team from the
ones that have flamed out the last two

786
00:51:45,519 --> 00:51:50,559
years because they ran into you know, a Heat team and a Raptors team

787
00:51:50,639 --> 00:51:52,639
or a six or seam and I'm
trying to remember who who beat them in

788
00:51:52,639 --> 00:51:58,320
twenty nineteen and blanking. But yeah, this is this is not the same

789
00:51:58,360 --> 00:52:01,519
team. Just a note, A
Christian will be getting to your question after

790
00:52:01,559 --> 00:52:05,679
we finish this Nets question up.
I'm totally with everything you said. I

791
00:52:05,760 --> 00:52:09,559
might like the Sixers better than against
the Nets. Than I do the Bucks,

792
00:52:10,360 --> 00:52:15,199
because you have Ben Simmons can defend
any one of Brooklyn's three stars,

793
00:52:15,360 --> 00:52:19,320
and then you have Fatis Siebel who
can probably do the same. Maybe I

794
00:52:19,280 --> 00:52:22,239
don't want him going up against James
Harden just because he's so strong. You

795
00:52:22,280 --> 00:52:23,440
also have Danny Green, so those
are three, and then you have you

796
00:52:23,480 --> 00:52:27,440
have Joel Embid if he's healthy,
just on the back line, messing up

797
00:52:27,480 --> 00:52:30,400
floaters and stuff. There's no way
to absolutely. Here's my follow up on

798
00:52:30,480 --> 00:52:35,760
that. You said that Ben Simmons
can reasonably defend any of Brooklyn's three stars,

799
00:52:35,760 --> 00:52:42,079
and I agree, can Yannis?
Will Yannis? Look at how the

800
00:52:42,079 --> 00:52:45,199
Bucks defend They've been switching more so
maybe they would, But we yo Yannis.

801
00:52:46,199 --> 00:52:51,480
I feel like he's seeing more individual
tough reps. But he's best when

802
00:52:51,519 --> 00:52:54,480
he's able to just kind of like
break up plays from everywhere. I don't

803
00:52:54,519 --> 00:52:59,559
know that Brooklyn will give him the
opportunity to do that. Oh really,

804
00:52:59,559 --> 00:53:02,159
So I had opposite take where I
think that that kind of defensive ability is

805
00:53:02,639 --> 00:53:07,960
more important against Brooklyn because you don't
know where the offense is going to come

806
00:53:07,960 --> 00:53:13,440
from on any given possession, especially
how unselfishly hardened is playing like even when

807
00:53:13,440 --> 00:53:15,719
he's operating in these ISOs, like
we saw the beautiful example of the two

808
00:53:15,760 --> 00:53:19,920
man game with him and DeAndre Jordan
the other night, where he's breaking down

809
00:53:20,000 --> 00:53:22,760
defenders with these through the legs dribbles
at the top of the key, gets

810
00:53:22,800 --> 00:53:24,639
past him, throws it, gets
it back, throws an alley oub like.

811
00:53:24,840 --> 00:53:30,800
I think that with the unselfishness with
which the Nets have been playing lately,

812
00:53:31,079 --> 00:53:35,480
that I think I would rather have
that like free safety element in my

813
00:53:35,559 --> 00:53:39,079
defense. All right, So then
here would be my counter. I don't

814
00:53:39,079 --> 00:53:42,679
know that Chris Middleton is a good
matchup for any of those guys. He

815
00:53:42,800 --> 00:53:45,480
is okay defensively, He's not great. Drew Holliday can defend, probably,

816
00:53:45,880 --> 00:53:49,280
I don't think you want him against
Kevin Durant. We've seen him to defend

817
00:53:49,360 --> 00:53:51,360
Kevin Urant in the past. I
don't know if you want him. Brook

818
00:53:51,400 --> 00:53:53,000
Lopez is getting played off the floor
in that series this season with the way

819
00:53:53,000 --> 00:53:57,000
that he's been moving, and Joe
Ellenbid if he's healthy, is not but

820
00:53:57,079 --> 00:53:59,840
this would be This was the second
part of that. The Nets question was

821
00:54:00,280 --> 00:54:02,320
can they still win the title of
the East if Kevin Durant is unhealthy,

822
00:54:02,360 --> 00:54:06,440
which I don't want to assume that, but this hamstring stuff is, you

823
00:54:06,440 --> 00:54:08,440
know, it's getting to the point
where it's like, oh, this is

824
00:54:08,480 --> 00:54:13,119
a little concerning. Maybe I think
it's I think it plays into the first

825
00:54:13,119 --> 00:54:16,760
part of my answer to the first
question, which is that yes, they

826
00:54:16,840 --> 00:54:22,119
would still be good enough to do
so, but you're already working with a

827
00:54:22,159 --> 00:54:27,079
smaller margin for error, and if
you're now taking Durant out of that equation,

828
00:54:27,559 --> 00:54:30,199
it's not like taking Durant out as
improving the defense. You're still attempting

829
00:54:30,199 --> 00:54:35,800
to overcome that weakness. And I
think that it's that much harder to string

830
00:54:35,840 --> 00:54:40,760
together good offensive performance after good offensive
performance when you're relying on the two stars

831
00:54:40,880 --> 00:54:45,159
rather than the three. So I
think that yes, it's still possible,

832
00:54:45,880 --> 00:54:50,760
but it is significantly more unlikely.
How's that for an obvious answer that I

833
00:54:50,800 --> 00:54:53,760
backed my way into a can the
Nets win without Kevin Durant question? Yeah,

834
00:54:53,760 --> 00:54:58,800
that was the biggest age that the
answer is going to be no to

835
00:54:58,920 --> 00:55:00,840
me. They need the way that
they built their roster. Maybe they make

836
00:55:00,840 --> 00:55:06,119
an acquisition where I've floated, does
how much does Orlando liked in Witty Because

837
00:55:06,119 --> 00:55:07,840
we know they've been issued him in
the past, and if they want to

838
00:55:07,920 --> 00:55:10,280
keep competing after the season, A
healthy didn't what He's exactly who they need.

839
00:55:10,320 --> 00:55:13,719
They don't have calf space, so
as bird rights are valuable, you

840
00:55:13,800 --> 00:55:16,760
throw Shammitt in there with dim Witty
all the seconds that you can. At

841
00:55:16,760 --> 00:55:21,519
this point, I guess you could
throw Nick Claxon in there, but Orlando

842
00:55:21,599 --> 00:55:23,559
doesn't need him, even though Nick
Laxson's interesting. So I would say,

843
00:55:23,559 --> 00:55:27,480
all the seconds and you get an
Aaron Gordon, then come talk to me.

844
00:55:27,480 --> 00:55:30,639
You trade for PJ. Tucker and
Kevin Durand's unhealthy. Maybe without Kevin

845
00:55:30,719 --> 00:55:34,800
Durant, I would just say no, because he's actually important to what they

846
00:55:34,880 --> 00:55:37,559
want to accomplish defensively. Forget they're
gonna be fine on offense. You take

847
00:55:37,920 --> 00:55:40,480
you take Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant
off the nets. Hey guess what,

848
00:55:40,599 --> 00:55:45,400
They're still gonna be a top ten
offensive team At this point. The defense

849
00:55:45,480 --> 00:55:46,760
really does concern me, even when
they have the Knights where it looks like

850
00:55:46,800 --> 00:55:51,119
they're getting stops, and I'll say
I will say this, we know what

851
00:55:51,239 --> 00:55:53,639
James Hardon can do in the post. James Harden's one on one defense in

852
00:55:53,719 --> 00:55:59,280
Brooklyn has not been bad. I'm
just that's it wasn't always bad in Houston.

853
00:56:00,320 --> 00:56:04,159
I'm talking about outside the post.
James Harden's one on one defense has

854
00:56:04,239 --> 00:56:07,639
not been bad. I just like
that. Maybe I'm not watching enough nets,

855
00:56:07,760 --> 00:56:13,079
but that's that's where I'm at.
Logan said a great response to uh

856
00:56:13,599 --> 00:56:15,599
and I turned the tables on him. He had Maxie as his highest rated

857
00:56:15,599 --> 00:56:22,599
shooting guard in the draft. I
love it with you. Hey, the

858
00:56:22,639 --> 00:56:24,079
Sixers feel good about that take.
Although it, let's be real, like

859
00:56:24,159 --> 00:56:28,639
Grant Riller was probably my number one. How's that working out? Still still

860
00:56:28,639 --> 00:56:34,559
hasn't missed a shot in the NBA. Oh so, Jeremy says, to

861
00:56:34,599 --> 00:56:37,199
the hard stuff and James Harden's defense
hasn't been bad for three years. It's

862
00:56:37,199 --> 00:56:42,440
a tire narrative. I do not
a I'm not gonna say I disagree with

863
00:56:42,480 --> 00:56:44,800
someone who's gonna watch the Rockets more
than me. This is that type of

864
00:56:44,840 --> 00:56:47,159
podcast. I cover the NBA at
national level. Someone who covers the Rockets

865
00:56:47,320 --> 00:56:52,559
is going to see more of James
Harden. I think they went to greater

866
00:56:52,719 --> 00:56:55,760
lengths to stash him and go after
favorable matchups for him. I've seen less

867
00:56:55,800 --> 00:57:00,199
of that happen in Brooklyn. There's
still of switching, and it feels like

868
00:57:00,239 --> 00:57:04,840
he's done the switching a little bit
better in Brooklyn too. Maybe also the

869
00:57:04,880 --> 00:57:08,400
first whatever games of this season aren't
grained into my brain. Logan added on

870
00:57:08,480 --> 00:57:13,400
the front of the draft, by
the way, that ants he's been excited

871
00:57:13,440 --> 00:57:16,800
to see how much more improves more
on ball when you have Delo and Malik

872
00:57:16,840 --> 00:57:22,719
Beasley out, And he does say
that he's seen flashes of playmaking from him

873
00:57:22,760 --> 00:57:24,960
and look, he's scary when he
gets going downhill. It's it's not always

874
00:57:25,000 --> 00:57:28,320
going to end well, but it's
gonna be exciting. And if he ever

875
00:57:28,360 --> 00:57:30,840
gets more composed when he's doing that. And I do think the jumper will

876
00:57:30,840 --> 00:57:32,800
be a swing skill for him,
though. Can he hit it off the

877
00:57:32,880 --> 00:57:37,719
dribble? Can he hit set jumpers? But we'll see. I'm not I

878
00:57:37,920 --> 00:57:39,599
was higher on him than Adam was, and Adams said a lot of kind

879
00:57:39,679 --> 00:57:44,519
things with him earlier in the podcast. So I think that's a win on

880
00:57:44,639 --> 00:57:46,960
the hardened defensive front. I,
Jeremy, I do ultimately agree with you

881
00:57:47,159 --> 00:57:51,440
that he hasn't been bad for a
few years now, and it's a tired

882
00:57:51,480 --> 00:57:54,599
narrative. I'd just definitely be hesitant
to site site the steel stats just because

883
00:57:54,599 --> 00:57:59,880
I'm looking at Monte Ellis, who
was seven time top ten steels guy.

884
00:58:00,760 --> 00:58:05,719
But again, James Hart has been
a very good post defender, and when

885
00:58:05,800 --> 00:58:10,119
Houston was switching, it made him
more serviceable. So when not forget that

886
00:58:10,199 --> 00:58:15,119
rebounding is part of defense and he's
really good at that, and true and

887
00:58:15,280 --> 00:58:16,440
the other thing, I'll say,
it didn't help that Tilman for Tito went

888
00:58:16,480 --> 00:58:19,559
on first take or whatever. It
was like, James Harden's one of the

889
00:58:19,599 --> 00:58:22,599
best like defenders in the NBA,
and it was like, all right,

890
00:58:22,639 --> 00:58:24,880
we know what you need to shill, but no one likes you already,

891
00:58:25,159 --> 00:58:30,480
and you had to say that,
And I think that causes this incandescent response

892
00:58:30,519 --> 00:58:32,639
and then people harp on it.
Are you really getting to a Hornets question?

893
00:58:32,679 --> 00:58:37,920
Though, Adam, absolutely this one
comes from Christian Bowen. I hope

894
00:58:37,960 --> 00:58:42,280
I'm pronouncing that at least semi correctly. I'm a huge Hornets fan. I

895
00:58:42,360 --> 00:58:46,239
want Boismack Bimbo gone so that they
could resign him again this summer. That

896
00:58:46,239 --> 00:58:50,159
would be my response. But do
you think even after seeing him attempt to

897
00:58:50,199 --> 00:58:54,239
isolate on offense recently. Do you
think we could potentially snag Marvin Bagley from

898
00:58:54,239 --> 00:58:59,360
the Kings for Bismack and a first
rounder. Yes, and I would caution

899
00:58:59,400 --> 00:59:01,320
you against doing something. Yes,
Please don't please don't give up a first

900
00:59:01,400 --> 00:59:05,159
rounder in that deal. That sounds
like a bad idea. I think the

901
00:59:05,599 --> 00:59:07,280
goal should be and I know he's
played really well. If you want to

902
00:59:07,320 --> 00:59:10,840
protect the hell out of that first
round pick because you think that the Hornets

903
00:59:10,840 --> 00:59:15,559
are gonna make the playoffs and you
want to say top twenty for a few

904
00:59:15,679 --> 00:59:19,679
years and then it's two second rounders
or top it has to be top twenty

905
00:59:19,679 --> 00:59:22,760
two for me. But are you
gonna pay Molik Monk this summer? And

906
00:59:22,920 --> 00:59:25,000
it's not. I think if you
had to choose between the League Monk and

907
00:59:25,039 --> 00:59:29,880
DeVante Graham at this point, it's
it's Molik Monk And I'm a huge DeVante

908
00:59:29,960 --> 00:59:31,719
Grampan will That hurts, But he
can't finish around the basket even when his

909
00:59:31,840 --> 00:59:36,000
three point shooting is has picked up, and he has like low key injury

910
00:59:36,000 --> 00:59:37,920
concerns too. Anyway, I digress. If you don't want to pay the

911
00:59:38,000 --> 00:59:40,880
League Monk, because you're still kind
of like, yeah, you have Lamello,

912
00:59:42,039 --> 00:59:45,280
But is this like an immediate timeline. Maybe your word, he's going

913
00:59:45,360 --> 00:59:47,239
to be more than mid level exception
money, and once you get into that

914
00:59:47,400 --> 00:59:52,639
territory, the books get iffy.
I would consider doing Molik Monk and then

915
00:59:52,199 --> 00:59:54,920
Bismack Bimbo. I think maybe the
Hornets have enough cap space to get it

916
00:59:54,960 --> 01:00:00,280
done. But I think Monk and
Bismack Bimbo for Marvin Badley might be more

917
01:00:00,360 --> 01:00:04,079
intriguing to me. I like that
idea a lot more. If you're that

918
01:00:04,239 --> 01:00:08,400
high on Malik Monk, because you
want the proven commodity now one hundred percent

919
01:00:08,840 --> 01:00:13,320
get it, and I would if
you could get time, I wouldn't.

920
01:00:14,519 --> 01:00:16,519
I'm like talking to myself out of
a top twenty two protected first rounding for

921
01:00:16,679 --> 01:00:21,960
Marvin Bagley right now, it's hard
to evaluate him, as it is with

922
01:00:22,119 --> 01:00:24,559
basically anyone on the Kings at this
stage. Logan said in our chat,

923
01:00:24,599 --> 01:00:29,280
wait the horn Cats are running bizios. I'm here for that, and I

924
01:00:29,320 --> 01:00:37,000
would say that it's more Bismack Biambo
ran a biz the Hornets did, and

925
01:00:37,039 --> 01:00:39,280
it wasn't this a while ago.
I don't know that I saw it.

926
01:00:40,000 --> 01:00:43,320
I think there was. I feel
like I saw one the other day.

927
01:00:43,719 --> 01:00:45,400
I have not seen in the past
two Hornets games I have watched, I've

928
01:00:45,440 --> 01:00:50,760
not seen a Bismac Bionbo iso to
my recollection. If the next the next

929
01:00:50,920 --> 01:00:54,159
evolution of the Hornets is going to
be reverse pick and rolls with Bismack Bionbo

930
01:00:54,199 --> 01:00:59,480
and LaMelo Ball. We do have
questions about Meloball. But I want to

931
01:00:59,480 --> 01:01:04,280
throw this too. If Christian is
still listening. If they're gonna go after

932
01:01:04,360 --> 01:01:07,559
a King's big and they're gonna give
up a first round pick, Rashon Holmes

933
01:01:07,599 --> 01:01:09,360
would be the guy for me.
I know he's gonna be a free agent,

934
01:01:09,360 --> 01:01:14,400
but imagine him running the floor with
LaMelo Ball. I like, I

935
01:01:14,519 --> 01:01:17,679
have goosebumps just talking about it.
That sounds really fun. I'm in on

936
01:01:17,760 --> 01:01:22,480
that one too. We do have
two LaMelo Ball questions. I got DM

937
01:01:22,639 --> 01:01:23,679
this one. We have questions all
over the place. I love when people.

938
01:01:23,800 --> 01:01:29,280
I'm still I'm still waiting for my
first d M question. At from

939
01:01:29,360 --> 01:01:34,280
All zero nine on Twitter, guys
go DM him Patrick asked how unsustainable or

940
01:01:34,320 --> 01:01:37,320
how sustainable did you think LaMelo's three
point percentages? They're flying in, but

941
01:01:37,400 --> 01:01:45,320
the form looks a little uncomfortable.
We also had this question from at Well,

942
01:01:45,320 --> 01:01:49,000
I'll just go with the name Vaish. Why is Lonzo so bad?

943
01:01:49,800 --> 01:01:52,000
That always the wrong ball brother?
So excuse me, church all A,

944
01:01:52,039 --> 01:01:54,719
Lonzo's not bad. I'll cover that
one very quickly. Lonzo ball has been

945
01:01:54,880 --> 01:01:58,760
on fire. Not a guy you
can count on to half court create that

946
01:01:58,880 --> 01:02:02,159
is LaMelo who three point shooting.
By the way, I understand the concerns

947
01:02:02,159 --> 01:02:05,719
about the form. This is where. This is just where I'm at on

948
01:02:05,800 --> 01:02:08,840
it. Since he's been inserted into
the Hornets starting lineup for good forty nine

949
01:02:08,880 --> 01:02:13,519
point three percent on catch and shoot
threes, forty percent on off the dribble

950
01:02:13,559 --> 01:02:16,760
threes. I don't care how the
sausage is being made when it's that damn

951
01:02:16,840 --> 01:02:20,480
good. I don't. I don't
care, and I'm not you know,

952
01:02:20,559 --> 01:02:22,480
I'm not. I can't be the
super technical guy when it comes to basketball

953
01:02:22,480 --> 01:02:24,679
on the way. So maybe you
have more thoughts on that. I'm gonna

954
01:02:24,679 --> 01:02:28,800
push back on that one when you're
done. I have one more thing to

955
01:02:28,880 --> 01:02:31,360
say is that they're not a lot
of them are wide open, and so

956
01:02:31,480 --> 01:02:37,039
that's something he's gonna have to adjust
to. And I think it's more if

957
01:02:37,119 --> 01:02:40,199
he can finish better around the rim. That's gonna like defenses aren't gonna be

958
01:02:40,199 --> 01:02:45,199
able to eventually play him up beyond
the arc that like they're going to eventually

959
01:02:45,239 --> 01:02:47,800
play him when they have deeper scouting
reports on him, and so that would

960
01:02:47,800 --> 01:02:52,199
be my concern. I do think
it's sustainable where No, I don't think

961
01:02:52,239 --> 01:02:55,000
he's gonna hit forty plus percent of
his off the dribble threes. I think

962
01:02:55,039 --> 01:03:00,039
we're looking at someone who can shoot
thirty seven percent off the dribblety percent off

963
01:03:00,079 --> 01:03:05,719
the catch. Yeah, I agree
that he can get there. In general,

964
01:03:05,800 --> 01:03:07,679
he's making thirty eight point seven percent
of his three so far this season

965
01:03:07,719 --> 01:03:12,920
on five point four attempts per game, which is really impressive. His free

966
01:03:12,960 --> 01:03:15,639
throw percentage seems to back up the
idea that he is a good shooter as

967
01:03:15,679 --> 01:03:20,800
well, And I think what I
would take away from that this rookie season

968
01:03:20,960 --> 01:03:24,199
is that the baseline for his shooting
ability is better than I would have thought

969
01:03:24,360 --> 01:03:29,400
coming in. But I'm not going
to bet on him repeating that and not

970
01:03:29,599 --> 01:03:34,880
going through some prolonged cold spell until
his form is more replicable, because ultimately,

971
01:03:35,000 --> 01:03:37,480
like yes, it's going in,
it looks pretty uncomfortable for him.

972
01:03:37,480 --> 01:03:43,199
It looks very uncomfortable for viewers,
and like we've seen unorthodox shooting for him

973
01:03:43,360 --> 01:03:46,519
succeed in the past, Like I'm
thinking Sean Marian with his catapult release,

974
01:03:46,559 --> 01:03:51,440
I'm thinking Kevin Martin with his quick, short armed delivery. But all of

975
01:03:51,519 --> 01:03:55,639
those were consistent and the same mechanics
were repeated time and again, which is

976
01:03:55,719 --> 01:04:00,840
what matters more than anything else.
So with LaMelo Ball, where he's kind

977
01:04:00,840 --> 01:04:05,719
of like twisting his feet in some
willy nilly fashion and it's not consistent,

978
01:04:06,239 --> 01:04:10,840
that's what concerns me. Like,
yeah, it's still working, but when

979
01:04:10,880 --> 01:04:13,519
you don't know which way he's going
to twist the lower half of his body

980
01:04:13,639 --> 01:04:15,760
or how much it's going to rotate, like, that's when it gets hard

981
01:04:16,199 --> 01:04:19,920
to bet on it being sustainable.
But I think that he's showed enough this

982
01:04:20,079 --> 01:04:26,719
season and has proved that he has
the touch necessary to become a consistent shooter.

983
01:04:26,920 --> 01:04:29,719
Just with that offseason of work.
It wouldn't surprise me at all.

984
01:04:29,800 --> 01:04:32,199
I Mean, we saw a Lonzo
Ball retool his chumper in the past,

985
01:04:32,320 --> 01:04:35,679
and he's shot better this year,
and it wouldn't surprise me at all to

986
01:04:35,840 --> 01:04:42,400
see something similar happen with LaMelo where
he comes back for the twenty two season

987
01:04:42,719 --> 01:04:45,559
with a revamped jumper and it immediately
works because he does have the touch.

988
01:04:45,880 --> 01:04:48,920
He just needs to be coached up. So you think there needs to be

989
01:04:48,960 --> 01:04:51,320
a change, basically, yeah,
I do. I do, But I

990
01:04:51,400 --> 01:04:56,559
think that like he's he's proven to
me that the baseline for his shooting is

991
01:04:56,639 --> 01:05:00,320
high enough that he's not gonna he's
not gonna risk just messing everything up by

992
01:05:00,400 --> 01:05:03,719
tinkering with it, because like he's
making it work with atrocious shooting. For

993
01:05:06,760 --> 01:05:10,719
I'm gonna go one last question here
that we already have. If anyone who

994
01:05:10,760 --> 01:05:13,000
remains in the room. I know
a lot of people just left, and

995
01:05:13,039 --> 01:05:15,360
once I get a question in now
would be the time because we are going

996
01:05:15,440 --> 01:05:17,519
to wrap up. But I'll cover
this one actually quickly. It'll be two.

997
01:05:17,880 --> 01:05:21,159
Do my beloved Nuggets need to make
any trades? And if so,

998
01:05:21,239 --> 01:05:25,159
who would they target? This is
from of the Painter of the Painter I'm

999
01:05:25,199 --> 01:05:29,199
gonna I'll just refer you to the
beginning of this podcast. I suggested Will

1000
01:05:29,280 --> 01:05:32,760
Barton, PJ. Dozer and a
second round pick, maybe this year's first

1001
01:05:32,840 --> 01:05:38,039
round pick, if Orlando Delant demands
it. For Aaron Gordon the final question.

1002
01:05:38,119 --> 01:05:40,480
We have bank that I'll get to
because we have a ton more bank.

1003
01:05:40,559 --> 01:05:45,880
Actually, twenty twenty three Hornets NBA
Champions asked who's the most electric team

1004
01:05:45,960 --> 01:05:49,000
in the NBA and why is it? The Hornets? I now challenge you

1005
01:05:49,079 --> 01:05:51,559
to pick a non Hornets team.
Yeah, I mean I would go with

1006
01:05:51,599 --> 01:05:56,920
the twenty twenty three Charlotte Hornets.
Oh, the twenty twenty three Charlotte Hornets.

1007
01:05:56,960 --> 01:06:03,199
Absolutely with that retool jumper. Do
you have an actual other pick?

1008
01:06:04,440 --> 01:06:09,880
It should have been the Hawks?
It's not the Hawks should have been I

1009
01:06:09,960 --> 01:06:14,159
think the Hornets are Greek pick just
because LaMelo Ball has suddenly transformed like a

1010
01:06:14,280 --> 01:06:17,320
franchise that no one really wanted to
watch and too musty television most nights.

1011
01:06:17,360 --> 01:06:20,559
But I mean it's Is it bad
if I pick the Nets right now?

1012
01:06:20,719 --> 01:06:26,000
Just because what they're doing on offense
is so scintillating? No, I don't

1013
01:06:26,039 --> 01:06:27,960
think it is. Is that a
cop out answer? Like? Can I

1014
01:06:28,039 --> 01:06:30,119
say that? Uh? No,
I think you can. And I don't

1015
01:06:30,159 --> 01:06:35,000
know if this is electric. I
am endlessly fascinated by watching the Phoenix Suns,

1016
01:06:35,199 --> 01:06:40,360
just the poise with which Chris Paul
and Devin Booker operate forcing teams to

1017
01:06:40,360 --> 01:06:44,519
play at their own pace. They're
they're recent loss. Not notwithstanding, Micaal

1018
01:06:44,599 --> 01:06:47,159
Bridges is a defensive monster. He
is on mile and be all defense team

1019
01:06:47,239 --> 01:06:50,079
this year. It is happening that
dude is going to get paid in his

1020
01:06:50,159 --> 01:06:55,360
extension. Jay Crowder is just a
force of nature. Dario Starch has been

1021
01:06:55,920 --> 01:07:00,599
We mentioned this already too, annihilating
people, just annihilating people this year.

1022
01:07:00,239 --> 01:07:03,000
They're a fun team and I think
they're a serious team. They're second in

1023
01:07:03,079 --> 01:07:05,320
the West, and I do feel
like people still look at it as,

1024
01:07:05,400 --> 01:07:09,440
oh, this is quaint, this
is cool, it's real, and I

1025
01:07:09,480 --> 01:07:12,519
think they're probably gonna pee because they
had closer to the postseason. The one

1026
01:07:12,639 --> 01:07:16,000
question I would have though, is
is there something to all these guys don't

1027
01:07:16,039 --> 01:07:20,199
have playoff experience aside from CP three, Really, you know Aighton Booker,

1028
01:07:21,159 --> 01:07:26,119
mcal Bridges, Cameron Johnson who's been
defending. He's been defending better than he's

1029
01:07:26,119 --> 01:07:28,960
shooting this year, which is just
wild to me. I think it helps

1030
01:07:28,960 --> 01:07:32,159
to have CP three. Jay Crowder, sorry's has probably been to the playoffs

1031
01:07:32,159 --> 01:07:33,719
for a minute. I don't know
if he made the playoffs, and he

1032
01:07:33,760 --> 01:07:39,599
definitely didn't make them a Minnesota.
We can we can know that, so,

1033
01:07:39,800 --> 01:07:42,679
but he's not like rich with experience
there. That's where you're gonna lean

1034
01:07:42,719 --> 01:07:45,760
on Crowder. That's where Tucker might
help you if you trade for a Tucker.

1035
01:07:45,960 --> 01:07:48,280
So that's the team. The Nets, I think are the ones that

1036
01:07:48,320 --> 01:07:50,960
I'm gravitated towards. And they're not
even at full strength yet though, and

1037
01:07:51,000 --> 01:07:55,360
it's probably too popular for a pick. And Phoenix might be too popular at

1038
01:07:55,400 --> 01:07:58,000
this point because their second in the
West, but still I still feel like

1039
01:07:58,000 --> 01:08:00,440
they're being slept on somehow. I
feel like Utah is a fun pick too,

1040
01:08:00,679 --> 01:08:05,719
just because that Mike Conley and Donovan
Mitchell offensive combination has been so electric

1041
01:08:05,800 --> 01:08:11,360
to watch. And I really enjoy
watching Gobert play defense like it's a different

1042
01:08:11,480 --> 01:08:15,239
kind of exciting, but just watching
a true master at the craft. We

1043
01:08:15,399 --> 01:08:19,359
have our final question from Logan,
going back to trade ideas. If you

1044
01:08:19,479 --> 01:08:23,960
had to bet on a top fifty
player being traded at the deadline, who

1045
01:08:24,000 --> 01:08:30,039
would it be and what does that
trade look like? Wow, I just

1046
01:08:30,199 --> 01:08:33,119
we're gonna assume that Victor Oladipo is
no longer considered a top fifty player.

1047
01:08:33,560 --> 01:08:38,560
I don't know that I have any
that really come to mind, like Oladipo's

1048
01:08:38,560 --> 01:08:42,079
outside, that Aaron Gordon's outside,
that Bradley Bill and Zach Lavine aren't going

1049
01:08:42,119 --> 01:08:47,039
to get moved. Kyle Lowry,
he would be the most likely one.

1050
01:08:47,439 --> 01:08:51,600
I just don't see a viable trade
partner aside from Philly. Philly. Yeah,

1051
01:08:51,760 --> 01:08:58,119
that's the only thing to make sense
that if I had to bet on

1052
01:08:58,199 --> 01:09:01,560
it, that's probably my pick is
betting on Lowry going to Philly for draft

1053
01:09:01,640 --> 01:09:06,760
picks and matching cap and Toronto selling
really low Yeah, and I think,

1054
01:09:06,840 --> 01:09:11,720
yeah, it's it's Maxie a pick, Danny Green and then other salary to

1055
01:09:11,800 --> 01:09:15,520
make it work. So I'll throw
this out there though, just to get

1056
01:09:15,560 --> 01:09:18,840
off the beaten path in the name
to Lonzo Ball because he's going to be

1057
01:09:18,920 --> 01:09:23,479
in restrict the free. Agnzo Ball
isn't a top fifty player. He's been

1058
01:09:23,560 --> 01:09:29,159
close. No, No, I
strongly disagree with that. I'd have him

1059
01:09:29,199 --> 01:09:31,319
more in that like ninety two hundred
range. So has Shawn Hull has been

1060
01:09:31,319 --> 01:09:36,960
a top fifty player this year?
Closer Damar de Rosen. Yeah, but

1061
01:09:38,079 --> 01:09:41,079
he's is he gonna get moved?
I don't think he will. I'm just

1062
01:09:41,359 --> 01:09:44,119
the best top fifty player with the
best chance of getting moving. You think

1063
01:09:44,119 --> 01:09:45,800
outside of the box here at him, Logan says John Collins, which is

1064
01:09:45,840 --> 01:09:48,600
another interesting answer. I don't.
I don't know that he's been in that

1065
01:09:48,720 --> 01:09:55,439
top fifty this year based on track
record. Probably, I'm still not convinced

1066
01:09:55,439 --> 01:09:58,840
to lenn actually trades him, especially
because it's it's four ano since Nate McMillan

1067
01:09:58,880 --> 01:10:01,840
took over. I will say he's
not top fifty, but a fascinating name

1068
01:10:01,840 --> 01:10:04,920
that I would at least look at
if I'm this team. Based off talking

1069
01:10:05,000 --> 01:10:08,960
with people who cover the Suns,
if they don't seem to have as much

1070
01:10:09,039 --> 01:10:13,199
faith in DeAndre Ayten as it seems
now's the time to move them, it's

1071
01:10:13,239 --> 01:10:15,840
I know his value isn't superhibe.
He still kind of has like the sheen

1072
01:10:15,199 --> 01:10:18,000
of the number one pick who people
think is really good on defense, because

1073
01:10:18,000 --> 01:10:21,439
I do think he can be better
if you to pick the biggest name,

1074
01:10:21,479 --> 01:10:26,039
though, the biggest name, let's
throw the top fifty out. Who is

1075
01:10:26,039 --> 01:10:29,760
the best chance of being traded.
I think it's still Lowry. Yeah,

1076
01:10:29,880 --> 01:10:32,159
that's I think I'm with you,
and I hate saying that just because it's

1077
01:10:32,359 --> 01:10:38,159
it's frustrating anytime the best player in
franchise history gets traded, and which is

1078
01:10:38,199 --> 01:10:41,640
what he is. Yeah, he
is. But what's tough with John Collins,

1079
01:10:41,680 --> 01:10:44,119
and I'm throwing Linson in there because
he's been really good, is how

1080
01:10:44,159 --> 01:10:47,039
do you value having someone's bird rights
and restricted free agency because what you're doing

1081
01:10:47,199 --> 01:10:50,880
is paying for the right to pay
them, and that's weird. I still,

1082
01:10:51,279 --> 01:10:54,880
I still push back on the idea
that John Collins is going to get

1083
01:10:54,920 --> 01:11:00,439
moves just because Atlanta knows that it
bet on this core. To some extented

1084
01:11:00,560 --> 01:11:04,720
least, it has performed better since
McMillan took over. The talent is there.

1085
01:11:05,239 --> 01:11:09,640
They're in a playoff position right there
as they got healthier. Shocking,

1086
01:11:09,800 --> 01:11:15,199
right right, So I think that
there's still enough realistic faith in what was

1087
01:11:15,279 --> 01:11:17,960
done over the off season to avoid
having to make that decision. Now,

1088
01:11:19,439 --> 01:11:23,359
Adam, how about you do the
close? Since I hijacked your opening without

1089
01:11:24,119 --> 01:11:27,000
it's still all yours. I just
I enjoy sitting back and listening to who

1090
01:11:27,039 --> 01:11:30,239
the shout out it's going to be
for. Thank you for everyone who joined

1091
01:11:30,279 --> 01:11:31,399
us, and for the people Jeremy
and Logan. I think you were with

1092
01:11:31,560 --> 01:11:34,920
us the entire hour plus here this
was fun. We'll probably do another one

1093
01:11:34,960 --> 01:11:40,359
of these exact types of trade idea
things before the deadline next week. Please

1094
01:11:40,439 --> 01:11:43,000
please, if you have not already, remember to rate, review, and

1095
01:11:43,039 --> 01:11:46,359
subscribe to Hardwoo Knox wherever you're getting
your podcasts. Until next time, we

1096
01:11:46,520 --> 01:11:50,319
leave you with the shout out to
the one, the only. He is

1097
01:11:50,399 --> 01:11:57,039
a top fifty player in this season, A Lonzo Ball. What is up,

1098
01:11:57,079 --> 01:12:01,039
Hardwoodknox listeners? I am Dan Favalley
super pleased this time as I am

1099
01:12:01,159 --> 01:12:05,199
always to be joined by Salmon A. Lee. He covers the Houston Rockets

1100
01:12:05,239 --> 01:12:10,680
for ESPN ninety seven point five and
he's also the host of the Red Nation

1101
01:12:10,880 --> 01:12:15,359
Hoops podcast. Follow him on Twitter
at s A L M A n A

1102
01:12:15,640 --> 01:12:18,199
l I N b A. As
you can tell, we're probably going to

1103
01:12:18,239 --> 01:12:21,039
talk some Rockets right now, because
I don't know if anyone's been paying attention,

1104
01:12:21,159 --> 01:12:25,680
but they've been super boring this season
and we haven't talked about them at

1105
01:12:25,680 --> 01:12:28,560
all, and I figured it was
just long overdue to have Salomon back on

1106
01:12:28,760 --> 01:12:30,640
for clearly the first time and at
least, you know, two years,

1107
01:12:30,680 --> 01:12:33,640
I guess at this point to talk
about Houston. So how are you doing

1108
01:12:33,680 --> 01:12:38,039
today, Salmon, I'm doing all
right. I think I still cover an

1109
01:12:38,159 --> 01:12:43,960
NBA team. I don't know,
like has the NBA considered relegation, like

1110
01:12:44,479 --> 01:12:47,000
really put some thought behind that,
because it'd be a nice time to just

1111
01:12:47,279 --> 01:12:49,920
look around the league. I feel
like there's some candidates for that right now

1112
01:12:50,600 --> 01:12:55,239
there. I would be curious to
know how many podcasts you and I specifically

1113
01:12:55,319 --> 01:12:59,359
have recorded about the Rockets since,
like, you know, let's say since

1114
01:12:59,399 --> 01:13:01,239
it close like everything shut down like
March, or let's say since the end

1115
01:13:01,279 --> 01:13:04,399
of last season. I think I
might set the over under at seven right

1116
01:13:04,479 --> 01:13:10,000
now because of everything that was just
going on. This team never fails.

1117
01:13:10,640 --> 01:13:14,439
In the Tilman Fatida er specifically,
it feels like it never fails to break

1118
01:13:14,600 --> 01:13:15,920
news, and it always feels like
it might be the wrong kind of news.

1119
01:13:16,399 --> 01:13:18,920
You think it's you know, maybe
they'll start selling on their own terms.

1120
01:13:18,960 --> 01:13:21,720
Then PJ. Tucker leaves the team. So what has it been like,

1121
01:13:23,079 --> 01:13:25,680
Like, what is just the you
like, what has it been like

1122
01:13:25,760 --> 01:13:30,720
covering this team where everything feels just
so transient? Well for me, it's

1123
01:13:30,800 --> 01:13:34,279
like, yeah, you expected this
to be a little bumpy, but it

1124
01:13:34,399 --> 01:13:40,600
feels like every possible possible, you
know, area where it could be bumpy.

1125
01:13:40,720 --> 01:13:43,960
It was like the maximum level of
bumpy. Like we go in,

1126
01:13:44,079 --> 01:13:46,680
we go into training camp, obviously
it's gonna be a little awkward between James

1127
01:13:46,760 --> 01:13:50,800
and the Rockets, right, But
for James to just not show up at

1128
01:13:50,880 --> 01:13:54,720
training camp and then to find out, oh, not only is he not

1129
01:13:54,880 --> 01:13:59,439
at training camp, he's actually in
Atlanta, in Las Vegas in and just

1130
01:13:59,560 --> 01:14:02,720
partying without a mask, and it's
like it'd be every and this PJ Tucker

1131
01:14:02,800 --> 01:14:06,000
thing. This did not have to
be this messy, Like this could have

1132
01:14:06,039 --> 01:14:11,880
been just PJ. Tucker plays out
his contract until the trade deadline, the

1133
01:14:12,000 --> 01:14:14,680
Rockets find you home for him,
Bam, We're done. That's it.

1134
01:14:15,199 --> 01:14:16,800
It could be just that easy.
But every single step of the way,

1135
01:14:17,039 --> 01:14:24,039
it's been maximum levels of messiness.
Yeah, and it's look before we even

1136
01:14:24,119 --> 01:14:26,920
get into the trade stuff, which
I'm sure is what on a national level,

1137
01:14:26,920 --> 01:14:30,000
I'm sure fans really want to hear. Do you look at this team

1138
01:14:30,119 --> 01:14:32,640
and see anyone that you and I
think there are two obvious answers, but

1139
01:14:32,720 --> 01:14:36,079
is there anyone that intrigues you long
term for the team that you look at

1140
01:14:36,119 --> 01:14:41,319
and say, there's a reason to
watch this player on the Rockets right now

1141
01:14:41,399 --> 01:14:45,560
because he will still be or should
still be on the Rockets next season or

1142
01:14:45,600 --> 01:14:47,199
even beyond next season, because that's
what this team lacks. And you and

1143
01:14:47,239 --> 01:14:51,279
I were talking about it before the
podcast, is if I think even Rockets

1144
01:14:51,359 --> 01:14:55,079
fans you said, might not want
to tune in for every game or at

1145
01:14:55,119 --> 01:14:57,960
least pay that much attention because how
attached are you going to get to these

1146
01:14:58,000 --> 01:15:00,319
players or how much are you going
to take away from a team that feels

1147
01:15:00,319 --> 01:15:03,479
like it's just going to overhaul itself
in a couple of weeks, right And

1148
01:15:03,840 --> 01:15:08,239
I think the diehard fans are still
watching every game, but but as you

1149
01:15:08,279 --> 01:15:12,000
said, there's really only two players
to really watch right now, and that's

1150
01:15:12,039 --> 01:15:15,600
obviously Christian Would and he's injured,
so you can't really watch that. They

1151
01:15:15,640 --> 01:15:18,119
can't get without Christian Would though that's
a fact that's been proven. Yeah,

1152
01:15:18,439 --> 01:15:21,520
yeah, it's uh, the Christian
Wood is definitely the only problem on this

1153
01:15:21,600 --> 01:15:27,359
team. It is and Kevin Porter
Jr. Who just came up from the

1154
01:15:27,439 --> 01:15:30,319
G League, which just shows how
dire it is like that fans have gotten

1155
01:15:30,359 --> 01:15:34,439
themselves so excited to see Kevin Porter
Junior. Not to say that he hasn't

1156
01:15:34,479 --> 01:15:39,520
been impressive in the G League and
his NBA debut, obviously, he's he's

1157
01:15:40,039 --> 01:15:43,960
he's definitely turned some heads. But
like we're talking about a twenty year old

1158
01:15:44,000 --> 01:15:47,960
and a twenty five year old who
you know aren't cornerstone pieces on a championship

1159
01:15:48,000 --> 01:15:51,680
team right now, or at least
haven't shown themselves to be that. So

1160
01:15:53,359 --> 01:15:57,079
yeah, it's it's it's pretty ugly. And I think I think right now,

1161
01:15:57,359 --> 01:16:00,840
as as someone covering the team,
I have shifted my my attention to

1162
01:16:00,000 --> 01:16:03,560
covering the big the broad strokes,
right the trade deadline, free agency,

1163
01:16:03,720 --> 01:16:09,800
draft lottery. I think that's where
your average Rockets fan is paying attention.

1164
01:16:10,520 --> 01:16:14,520
Just recently, we did a trade
deadline podcast for Nation Oops, and that's

1165
01:16:14,560 --> 01:16:18,479
probably gonna get like a bunch of
downloads. And that's that's because Rockets fans

1166
01:16:18,520 --> 01:16:23,520
are really tuned into the transactional game
right now, and I think that's probably

1167
01:16:23,800 --> 01:16:26,560
the right move. If I were
a fan, I'd i'd paid each of

1168
01:16:26,600 --> 01:16:31,439
that stuff too, because the encore
product is uh not not pretty. Yeah,

1169
01:16:31,479 --> 01:16:35,800
it's amazing how you slap trades on
anything and it feels like it does

1170
01:16:36,119 --> 01:16:41,239
numbers. And this season, I
love the Transactional Game. I do think

1171
01:16:41,319 --> 01:16:45,560
it's you know, there's a lot
of media that or you know, writers,

1172
01:16:45,600 --> 01:16:48,119
bloggers that and I among them,
that complains that there's like focus taken

1173
01:16:48,159 --> 01:16:51,159
away, it's too much on the
transaction game, and there's all this surface

1174
01:16:51,239 --> 01:16:57,520
level analysis on TV, which I
all completely agree with. But even in

1175
01:16:57,560 --> 01:17:00,079
a season like this where I feel
like there's the rockets or the only there's

1176
01:17:00,319 --> 01:17:03,359
let's say there's there's sub three teams
right now that you look at and say,

1177
01:17:03,399 --> 01:17:06,239
okay, you know what, they're
gonna really overturn the roster by the

1178
01:17:06,279 --> 01:17:12,560
trade deadlines, like the Transactional Game
post James Harton really shouldn't be taking center

1179
01:17:12,640 --> 01:17:15,960
stage to that extent, and yet
you put trades on anything still when there's

1180
01:17:15,000 --> 01:17:18,159
nothing going on, and even someone
like myself who loves trades, it's tough

1181
01:17:18,239 --> 01:17:20,880
to talk about them, to write
about them this year because there's so few

1182
01:17:20,920 --> 01:17:25,800
scenarios going on where it's, hey, let's look at what moves contenders could

1183
01:17:25,840 --> 01:17:27,680
make, And then I find that
I'm just like coming up with all these

1184
01:17:27,760 --> 01:17:32,000
hypothetical rockets players trades, because like
that's just how stagnant it feels like the

1185
01:17:32,039 --> 01:17:35,680
trade market might be and maybe more
stuff and materialize as we get closer,

1186
01:17:35,760 --> 01:17:40,199
teams can make different decisions. Trades
always catch us off guard as well.

1187
01:17:40,640 --> 01:17:45,319
But it's it's still amazing that the
transaction game hits so hard as it does.

1188
01:17:45,119 --> 01:17:49,000
Yeah, and as you're painting that
picture about that fan who hates talking

1189
01:17:49,039 --> 01:17:54,000
about the transactions and and and hates
the surface level analysis on TV, I

1190
01:17:54,119 --> 01:17:58,920
just found myself relating so much because
that is me, especially covering or a

1191
01:17:58,960 --> 01:18:02,199
contender. I feel like so many
people pay attention to these, you know,

1192
01:18:02,479 --> 01:18:05,960
these marginal moves at the deadline where
you know, sometimes don't matter,

1193
01:18:06,079 --> 01:18:09,760
but most of the time they're you
know, they're just marginal moves. They

1194
01:18:10,319 --> 01:18:14,119
help you one maybe two percent on
the margins, and they you know,

1195
01:18:14,760 --> 01:18:15,880
you can get better at the trade
daylight. That's not it's not, don't

1196
01:18:15,920 --> 01:18:21,479
get me wrong, That's definitely possible. We've seen general managers UH really overhaul

1197
01:18:21,760 --> 01:18:26,199
their teams of the deadline. Darryl
Moray is an example of that, right

1198
01:18:26,279 --> 01:18:30,680
former Rockets GM. But I feel
like for teams like this, right,

1199
01:18:30,800 --> 01:18:35,520
like teams that aren't in the contendership
conversation are far from it. This is

1200
01:18:35,600 --> 01:18:42,039
where it gets interesting because every transaction
they make is actually magnified because all the

1201
01:18:42,119 --> 01:18:46,399
assets that they get back are super
important towards their cause in rebuilding, whereas

1202
01:18:46,720 --> 01:18:50,720
every transaction or contender makes you know, those assets that they're giving away really

1203
01:18:50,760 --> 01:18:54,840
aren't aren't worth much to them.
They don't care. And I think that

1204
01:18:55,000 --> 01:18:57,720
that's why I think there's gonna be
a lot of focused on this stuff.

1205
01:18:57,720 --> 01:19:00,199
And I think, you know,
I think it's justified. Like I would

1206
01:19:00,239 --> 01:19:05,560
not blame I would not blame anyone
for tuning into only the transactions. Yeah,

1207
01:19:05,640 --> 01:19:10,279
look, even if it's a contender, I'm still I'm going to get

1208
01:19:10,319 --> 01:19:13,000
lost in the whirlwind, like the
week leading up to it. But this

1209
01:19:13,039 --> 01:19:15,359
season is specifically where it's like there's
and the rockets are different because there's been

1210
01:19:15,479 --> 01:19:19,680
something happening every day. But it's
even you know, when we do mailbags

1211
01:19:19,720 --> 01:19:23,760
on this podcast and we get so
many questions and we do one in you

1212
01:19:23,800 --> 01:19:26,199
know, this season, Let's say
we did one in the post James Harden

1213
01:19:26,279 --> 01:19:29,359
trade or something, and there's not
really a lot of rumors in the ether,

1214
01:19:29,479 --> 01:19:32,079
we still get so many questions about
trades. It's just amazing how fascinated

1215
01:19:32,520 --> 01:19:34,840
people aren't. I don't know,
if that's you know, I wouldn't say

1216
01:19:34,840 --> 01:19:39,479
it's I don't know if I could
say it's damaging to the game. Maybe

1217
01:19:39,479 --> 01:19:41,720
there's too much of a focus on
it. But for the Rockets specifically,

1218
01:19:43,000 --> 01:19:45,600
you have to focus on it like
that's just been even before the James Harden

1219
01:19:45,640 --> 01:19:48,199
trade, even before the Russell Westbrook
trade, just when you sort of sense

1220
01:19:48,279 --> 01:19:53,520
the undercurrent of this team might be
coming apart at the seams, that's been

1221
01:19:53,920 --> 01:19:58,039
the sole focus. And so let's
let's dive into it and let's throw it

1222
01:19:58,119 --> 01:20:00,760
here. Are they going to find
a trade for PJ. Tucker or is

1223
01:20:00,800 --> 01:20:04,239
this a team's try and push them
to the edgine? Is this is this

1224
01:20:04,359 --> 01:20:09,560
a potential buyout situation? Oh?
I think I think a PJ. Tucker

1225
01:20:09,640 --> 01:20:13,640
trade was going to happen as far
back as like two months ago. I

1226
01:20:13,720 --> 01:20:16,640
mean, as soon as James Harden
was doubt PJ. Tucker was going to

1227
01:20:16,680 --> 01:20:19,960
follow suit. It was just a
matter of when, not if. And

1228
01:20:20,199 --> 01:20:24,439
I think there are going to be
teams that are interested in trading for him.

1229
01:20:24,600 --> 01:20:26,720
I don't think it's going to result
in a buy out. I think

1230
01:20:27,359 --> 01:20:30,960
his market value is probably less than
what the Rockets are asking for. But

1231
01:20:31,560 --> 01:20:34,880
they get What we're really looking at
is if you're a content, if you're

1232
01:20:34,880 --> 01:20:40,399
a contender trading for PJ Tucker,
you are probably bargain hunting, right You

1233
01:20:40,439 --> 01:20:44,199
are not trading for the premium assets
on the market. But you can find

1234
01:20:44,319 --> 01:20:47,279
someone here in PJA Tucker where you
can snack for like two second round picks,

1235
01:20:47,439 --> 01:20:51,399
which really isn't much considering you can
buy into second round picks every year,

1236
01:20:51,560 --> 01:20:55,840
right, So I think that's kind
of the price you're looking at for

1237
01:20:55,920 --> 01:21:00,279
PJ Tucker. Perhaps an expiring contract. Who knows, Well, what's really

1238
01:21:00,359 --> 01:21:05,039
interesting is the stuff that they could
do alongside PJA Tucker, Right, Like,

1239
01:21:05,119 --> 01:21:10,720
if the Rockets really wanted to shake
stuff up, they could combine PJA

1240
01:21:10,840 --> 01:21:15,439
Tucker's contract with other contracts on the
rosters. Perhaps you know Eric Gordon was

1241
01:21:15,479 --> 01:21:18,439
a candidate before you got hurt,
right, right, Eric Gordon? If

1242
01:21:18,479 --> 01:21:21,840
you if you combine pg Tucker and
Eric Gordon, you know you could get

1243
01:21:21,920 --> 01:21:28,199
back a serious player, right for
for your long term rebuilding plan. I

1244
01:21:28,279 --> 01:21:30,560
don't think they can do that anymore, but that was where I was really

1245
01:21:30,600 --> 01:21:33,680
starting to pay attention to. Now, I think you're probably gonna get more

1246
01:21:33,680 --> 01:21:39,239
of a conventional trade deadline. You're
probably gonna get your two second round picks

1247
01:21:39,520 --> 01:21:42,800
back for PJA Tucker or maybe one
in a protected second, who knows.

1248
01:21:43,359 --> 01:21:46,000
Yeah, the their ask of a
young and there's been reports of ass all

1249
01:21:46,039 --> 01:21:49,760
over the place. First it was
they wanted three seconds or a young player.

1250
01:21:49,800 --> 01:21:51,880
I saw something that said they just
want someone who could play for them

1251
01:21:51,920 --> 01:21:56,560
now. But it seems like the
common denominator has been they want a young

1252
01:21:56,680 --> 01:22:00,680
player, and I just don't see
them getting at least not a good young

1253
01:22:00,800 --> 01:22:03,119
player for PJ Tucker at age thirty
five, and given the way he's played,

1254
01:22:03,159 --> 01:22:06,520
he's not helped his trade value with
you know, the defense just doesn't

1255
01:22:06,520 --> 01:22:10,239
feel the same, and then the
shooting on wide open threes this year has

1256
01:22:10,279 --> 01:22:14,880
been pretty abysmal for him. By
his head, it's funny. One aspect,

1257
01:22:15,359 --> 01:22:17,039
you know, everything has changed for
the Rockets, but one aspect that

1258
01:22:17,119 --> 01:22:25,720
hasn't changed is the sorry, excuse
me? Is the posturing that hasn't changed.

1259
01:22:26,079 --> 01:22:29,880
Like like everything, the front office
has changed, the coaching staff has

1260
01:22:30,000 --> 01:22:33,640
changed, the players have changed,
but the posturing still exist. And it's

1261
01:22:33,680 --> 01:22:38,680
funny. It's existed all all season, going back to the James Harden trade.

1262
01:22:38,680 --> 01:22:41,359
They're asking for a blue chip prospect. They ever got it back.

1263
01:22:41,720 --> 01:22:44,960
They're asking for a treasure trove of
picks. They did get that back,

1264
01:22:45,399 --> 01:22:49,279
But they've say consistently continue to posture
in the media, and I think they

1265
01:22:49,720 --> 01:22:54,600
understand that they're not probably not going
to get what they're asking for in the

1266
01:22:54,680 --> 01:22:59,560
media. But I think this is
just part of the game, and it's

1267
01:22:59,600 --> 01:23:01,920
going to be interesting to see if
they do other stuff around the margins,

1268
01:23:01,960 --> 01:23:06,640
because I think PJ. Tucker mentally, I've already just just shipped them out

1269
01:23:06,680 --> 01:23:11,760
of Houston. I think he's probably
already gonna like, like there are probably

1270
01:23:11,800 --> 01:23:15,119
already three or four teams. I
mean, it's already been reported. You

1271
01:23:15,159 --> 01:23:18,159
know, there are already teams that
were in serious conversations for Tucker. But

1272
01:23:18,399 --> 01:23:23,079
I think the players on the margins, you know, you're Sterling Browns,

1273
01:23:23,119 --> 01:23:26,600
you're David Nawabas. I think it's
gonna be interesting to see if those kinds

1274
01:23:26,600 --> 01:23:30,119
of players are also you know,
doubt at the deadline and what it's gonna

1275
01:23:30,119 --> 01:23:33,880
be a fire sale, fire sale, but it's really how broad is a

1276
01:23:33,960 --> 01:23:39,039
fire sale going to get? How
much of how much of their current roster

1277
01:23:39,199 --> 01:23:41,399
is going to turn over. I
think that's what's gonna be interesting about this

1278
01:23:41,439 --> 01:23:45,399
trade deadline. I'm wondering too if
because the teams that have been predominantly interested

1279
01:23:45,439 --> 01:23:47,439
in Tucker, you look at them
and it's some of them, most of

1280
01:23:47,479 --> 01:23:50,760
them, it's really tough to find
like salary matching, so you're most in

1281
01:23:50,840 --> 01:23:54,640
most cases looking at Okay, you're
gonna have to take two contracts back,

1282
01:23:55,640 --> 01:23:58,279
which when they're aspiring is fine,
but it creates a bit of a roster

1283
01:23:58,359 --> 01:24:00,880
crunch. But then that couldn't necessitate
other moves on the margins. And I

1284
01:24:01,000 --> 01:24:05,399
think you know, Sterling Brown was
a name that that interests me, just

1285
01:24:05,479 --> 01:24:10,359
someone was shot fairly well from three
and been defending all different sorts of you

1286
01:24:10,399 --> 01:24:14,800
know players this year. And you
know, a team like I identified as

1287
01:24:14,840 --> 01:24:16,640
like the Clippers, like if you
can get him for a second round pick,

1288
01:24:17,119 --> 01:24:20,199
and you're gonna have to send out
com measure its salary at that point,

1289
01:24:21,279 --> 01:24:25,600
I think they have super small deals
like that feels like one of as

1290
01:24:25,600 --> 01:24:27,800
you already mentioned, one of the
under radar names I could actually help a

1291
01:24:27,840 --> 01:24:30,680
contender where it's I'm not sure Nuwaba
would be in everyone's rotation because of the

1292
01:24:30,720 --> 01:24:32,760
shooting, how much can you stay
on the floor. But if Brown's going

1293
01:24:32,800 --> 01:24:36,680
to shoot like he has for most
of the season from deep, uh,

1294
01:24:38,159 --> 01:24:41,399
he feels like someone that could actually
nudge the needle in the right direction for

1295
01:24:41,600 --> 01:24:45,840
for a good team that maybe has
finite spots already in its rotation. Yeah,

1296
01:24:45,880 --> 01:24:47,880
and considering that you got him for
free basically in Freden see, right,

1297
01:24:47,880 --> 01:24:51,199
you only paid for his contract.
That's a good deal of business for

1298
01:24:51,279 --> 01:24:56,000
Houston just to just get an asset
back for a minimum salary player. And

1299
01:24:56,359 --> 01:25:00,760
and that's a consistent trend with our
entire roster. They were gearing up before

1300
01:25:00,760 --> 01:25:03,479
the season for a title chase,
right, And a lot of these players

1301
01:25:03,680 --> 01:25:08,119
because of that are on bargain basement
deals, right. Daniel House is another

1302
01:25:08,199 --> 01:25:12,079
example of that great contract, getting
paid dirt cheap, not having the best

1303
01:25:12,119 --> 01:25:16,199
season, right. And but I
could easily see a team deciding, you

1304
01:25:16,279 --> 01:25:19,840
know, we think there's more here. We've seen Daniel House be a playoff

1305
01:25:19,880 --> 01:25:24,319
player before, so you know,
I could see players like that getting dealt

1306
01:25:24,359 --> 01:25:27,680
as well. Right, Like,
because just there's if you're a team,

1307
01:25:27,760 --> 01:25:31,279
if you're a contender, that's going
bargain basement shopping, right Like the Rockets

1308
01:25:31,359 --> 01:25:34,159
are in art for sale right now. I mean, you look at the

1309
01:25:34,279 --> 01:25:39,479
roster, so many of these players
are making almost nothing, right. There's

1310
01:25:39,560 --> 01:25:42,640
the only bad contract on the books
right now, it's probably John Wall.

1311
01:25:42,880 --> 01:25:46,880
Everyone else is making a reasonable sum
of money, even Victoria Deepo expiring contract,

1312
01:25:47,039 --> 01:25:49,840
right So it's it's one of those
things where, like you can if

1313
01:25:49,880 --> 01:25:54,680
you're Houston has gotten calls on pretty
much every single one of these players,

1314
01:25:55,119 --> 01:25:58,279
and it's a matter of how broad
do they want to make this sale.

1315
01:25:58,560 --> 01:26:02,319
I think I think there are gonna
be players on this team that are moved

1316
01:26:02,359 --> 01:26:06,359
that you know, Rockets fans weren't
expecting to get moved. And it's just

1317
01:26:06,680 --> 01:26:12,199
it's one of those things where it's
this is truly a tear down, and

1318
01:26:12,520 --> 01:26:15,159
I think it's gonna get I think
it's gonna be really interesting. Well we'll

1319
01:26:15,159 --> 01:26:18,319
see. So what excuse me,
let's shop coughing now too. It's apparently

1320
01:26:18,720 --> 01:26:24,239
infectious and we're recording over a computer, so how's that happening? But so

1321
01:26:24,600 --> 01:26:26,600
let's try and go through some of
these names, and I'm gonna ask you

1322
01:26:26,680 --> 01:26:30,000
whether you think they're gonna still be
with the Rockets, whether they'll get dealt

1323
01:26:30,039 --> 01:26:31,640
or won't get del pas trade deadline. Maybe we can get into what ass

1324
01:26:31,720 --> 01:26:33,920
would be there. So PJ.
Tuck, we've already covered. We both

1325
01:26:33,960 --> 01:26:42,760
agree that he's just gone right,
Yeah, Sterling Brown, I'll say I'll

1326
01:26:42,800 --> 01:26:47,359
say no right now, I think
I think there's a possibility. But I'll

1327
01:26:47,399 --> 01:26:51,159
say I'll say for right now,
I think they keep him. And so

1328
01:26:51,359 --> 01:26:54,960
you don't think a second round pick
then would be enough to just get that

1329
01:26:55,039 --> 01:26:57,520
done? Like if a contender comes
in with a second round pick in the

1330
01:26:57,600 --> 01:27:00,079
future, well, I don't know
how how many teams are going to come

1331
01:27:00,119 --> 01:27:02,800
in like that. Well we'll see
it would it would? I would,

1332
01:27:02,840 --> 01:27:05,359
It would not surprise me if he
gets doubt. I just got to get

1333
01:27:05,399 --> 01:27:09,439
the feeling that he's not going to
command a second round pick, and if

1334
01:27:09,479 --> 01:27:13,079
he does, I think it'd probably
be protected. Yeah. The idea,

1335
01:27:13,600 --> 01:27:15,720
like I was thinking, like a
team like the Clippers with you know,

1336
01:27:15,760 --> 01:27:19,279
they could come in with BEYONDU cap
and Jelly where the salaries basically line up

1337
01:27:19,319 --> 01:27:24,560
and then at twenty twenty three second
round pick which comes via Portland's that you

1338
01:27:24,680 --> 01:27:27,680
do. That's the that's the type
of team that you profile. That'd be

1339
01:27:27,760 --> 01:27:30,199
perfect, right, because they are
out a lot of second a lot of

1340
01:27:30,239 --> 01:27:34,000
first round picks, and they could
definitely go bargain basement shopping another team.

1341
01:27:34,119 --> 01:27:38,720
The Brooken Nets, I think are
going to be I think there's going to

1342
01:27:38,760 --> 01:27:43,239
be a deal here. Specifically,
I think PJ. Tucker is a is

1343
01:27:43,319 --> 01:27:47,720
a great target for them because again
you're out of first round picks until twenty

1344
01:27:47,800 --> 01:27:51,760
twenty eight, I think, and
I think PJ. Tucker can be got

1345
01:27:51,840 --> 01:27:57,000
for second round picks, as we
said, and they need defense, they

1346
01:27:57,079 --> 01:28:00,520
need rotational players that can play at
the end of big game, and I

1347
01:28:00,560 --> 01:28:02,920
think PJ. Tucker is definitely,
you know, a perfect fit for them.

1348
01:28:03,079 --> 01:28:08,479
And he's played alongside James Harden before. There's a connection there. I

1349
01:28:08,600 --> 01:28:13,680
think, you know, Mike D'Antoni
obviously assistant coach in Brooklyn, played played

1350
01:28:13,880 --> 01:28:18,359
coming coach PJ. Tucker. Obviously
a connection there, so it'd be a

1351
01:28:18,479 --> 01:28:21,760
natural fit there. I think PJ. Tucker in Brooklyn is something I'd watch

1352
01:28:21,840 --> 01:28:26,840
for. The thing with that is
so he makes what is it seven in

1353
01:28:27,000 --> 01:28:30,359
change this season, he's at seven
nine around just about eight year he said

1354
01:28:30,359 --> 01:28:33,479
eight million. They like, you
have to take Spencer Dinwoodie back in that

1355
01:28:33,640 --> 01:28:38,479
deal. Which I guess Houston wouldn't
care about. But I'm wondering if if

1356
01:28:38,520 --> 01:28:41,840
I'm Brooklyn, I might prefer to
have the bird rights on Spencer Dinwoody just

1357
01:28:41,840 --> 01:28:45,439
because he's younger and what he does
obviously he's excessive there. I'd be wondering

1358
01:28:45,479 --> 01:28:48,800
if that a situation where you can
because Spencer Dinwity also makes more money.

1359
01:28:48,880 --> 01:28:53,560
Like, is that a PJ.
Tucker and like Daniel House situation that they

1360
01:28:53,600 --> 01:28:58,720
could justify doing. Wouldn't surprise me. And if that's the case, I

1361
01:28:58,800 --> 01:29:01,239
think you probably get, you know, be a third second round pick out

1362
01:29:01,279 --> 01:29:05,880
of it. And I here's the
thing with the annual House. The reason

1363
01:29:06,039 --> 01:29:10,720
I am skeptical that they will get
get a deal done for Danuel House is

1364
01:29:10,800 --> 01:29:15,039
because his value is just at rock
bottom right now. I don't think this

1365
01:29:15,159 --> 01:29:18,840
is the type of front office that
likes selling when when they're when they're players

1366
01:29:18,880 --> 01:29:24,960
are at rock bottom price value.
We'll see, but combining contracts like that

1367
01:29:25,079 --> 01:29:28,760
could be a clever way to kind
of for Brooklyn to retain the bird rights

1368
01:29:28,800 --> 01:29:31,239
of dim Woody and also get that
deal done for Tucker and get two players

1369
01:29:31,359 --> 01:29:35,680
that can actually help you for a
long playoff run. I think I think

1370
01:29:35,720 --> 01:29:39,560
both those guys would be rotation players
for Brooklyn. Yeah, I think.

1371
01:29:39,600 --> 01:29:43,399
Look, if they it really depends
on what Houston would think of Dinwoody because

1372
01:29:43,439 --> 01:29:45,840
you need his bird rights to be
an asset or a third team. Like

1373
01:29:46,039 --> 01:29:48,800
the team I've always come back to
was just Orlando because we know we've intersted

1374
01:29:48,880 --> 01:29:51,279
them in the past. They won't
have cap space and they always seem like

1375
01:29:51,319 --> 01:29:55,600
they want to live in the middle. But you know, the Nets do

1376
01:29:55,720 --> 01:29:59,279
have Atlanta's second round pick this year, which doesn't isn't necessarily going to be

1377
01:29:59,359 --> 01:30:02,279
terrible. They have a a reverse
protected Indiana pick in the second round this

1378
01:30:02,399 --> 01:30:05,720
year, which is you know,
it conveys if it's in the top fifteen

1379
01:30:05,800 --> 01:30:10,479
of the second round as opposed to
the bottom fifteen. Where wouldn't they have.

1380
01:30:11,279 --> 01:30:13,960
And then they have a Golden State
twenty twenty five second round pick,

1381
01:30:14,000 --> 01:30:15,640
which if you want a short Golden
State's future at this point and you're a

1382
01:30:15,680 --> 01:30:19,399
different team, like, that's totally
fine. They even have they have a

1383
01:30:19,479 --> 01:30:23,119
Phoenix second round pick this year,
but that's not going to convey so something

1384
01:30:23,239 --> 01:30:27,640
like you know, Spencer Dinwoody,
the Atlanta second rounder, and the Golden

1385
01:30:27,720 --> 01:30:30,800
State second rounder for PJ. Tucker
and Daniel House. That seems like it

1386
01:30:30,920 --> 01:30:36,800
might be a justifiable deal for both
sides. Yeah, that sounds like a

1387
01:30:36,840 --> 01:30:41,840
logical deal, which is wild to
say about Spencer Dinwitty by the way,

1388
01:30:41,880 --> 01:30:45,359
just because it's like the trading him
with an injury is just so difficult.

1389
01:30:45,640 --> 01:30:47,279
But he has a player option anyway, and so he could just leave for

1390
01:30:47,359 --> 01:30:49,039
nothing, is how you have to
view it. But he was a fringe

1391
01:30:49,079 --> 01:30:53,079
All Star and then all of a
sudden you're trading him for Daniel House and

1392
01:30:53,119 --> 01:30:56,119
PJ. Tucker. This is just
like a whirlwind of a year. I

1393
01:30:56,159 --> 01:30:58,920
guess. Look, Daniel House would
be the next logical place to start.

1394
01:30:58,920 --> 01:31:01,119
Then you said your skeptical they they
get a deal done because you know,

1395
01:31:01,199 --> 01:31:05,239
specifically he just hasn't shot the ball
that well this year, but we've seen

1396
01:31:05,399 --> 01:31:10,520
like they've toyed in the past,
like he's even guarded some fives for them,

1397
01:31:10,640 --> 01:31:14,800
So like he has real defensive portability
for you, and with that second

1398
01:31:14,880 --> 01:31:17,279
year left on his deal, if
I'm a contender, like I'm trying to

1399
01:31:17,640 --> 01:31:21,199
get him just as a bigger wing
defender and then you bank on hopefully the

1400
01:31:21,279 --> 01:31:25,399
jump shot just ends up panning out
because we've seen him hit you know,

1401
01:31:25,520 --> 01:31:29,239
higher clips for longer stretches before and
so, but your guests would be that

1402
01:31:29,319 --> 01:31:32,960
he's still in Houston. My guess
is, especially because there's years remaining on

1403
01:31:33,039 --> 01:31:35,319
that contract, you know, you
can trade him next year if you really

1404
01:31:35,359 --> 01:31:39,039
want to, and I think you
can probably get better value back. And

1405
01:31:39,159 --> 01:31:43,399
my guess is that he probably remains. But if they combine contracts with Pja

1406
01:31:43,520 --> 01:31:45,520
Tucker like that, it would not
surprise me if he does get shipped out.

1407
01:31:45,720 --> 01:31:51,119
But I'm probably more I'm more likely
to believe that he gets chipped out

1408
01:31:51,119 --> 01:31:55,600
than Stirling Brown. I'll say that
that's interesting. I'd be so curious to

1409
01:31:55,640 --> 01:31:58,520
see what he just goes for on
his own because he's cheap. But he

1410
01:31:58,560 --> 01:32:00,720
has that second year, and so
it's like, do you maybe get you

1411
01:32:00,760 --> 01:32:03,960
know, one of the prospects that
were drafted at the end of the last

1412
01:32:04,079 --> 01:32:06,800
round of the twenty twenty draft,
and then a second with that, like

1413
01:32:06,880 --> 01:32:11,560
because that's probably a good like a
good enough haul, I would think where

1414
01:32:11,600 --> 01:32:13,319
it's yeah, I don't, I
don't even know. I'm trying to think

1415
01:32:13,319 --> 01:32:15,199
of who was drafted at the end
of you know, the Jazz could come

1416
01:32:15,239 --> 01:32:18,159
in with you know, Duka as
a bookie and then a second round pick,

1417
01:32:18,199 --> 01:32:20,319
and it's like, okay, well
we still have the cachet of as

1418
01:32:20,359 --> 01:32:24,880
a bookie was drafted number twenty seven
overall, and you know the Jazz do

1419
01:32:25,039 --> 01:32:28,439
need up with the Jazz excuse me, The Rockets do have room on their

1420
01:32:28,479 --> 01:32:31,000
front line, especially if they end
up trading PJ. Tucker eventually. So

1421
01:32:31,239 --> 01:32:34,279
I would just be curious on his
own what he would net, because I

1422
01:32:34,319 --> 01:32:38,319
do agree that if you combined him
with PJ. Tucker like that's how maybe

1423
01:32:38,359 --> 01:32:40,920
you up the return a little bit. But on his own I would be

1424
01:32:40,960 --> 01:32:44,640
fascinated to see what he commands.
Yeah, and if I could make a

1425
01:32:44,720 --> 01:32:46,840
quick addendum, I change my mind. I think Sterling Brown's gonna get traded.

1426
01:32:47,000 --> 01:32:53,399
I think I think because you're not
going to get an opportunity back to

1427
01:32:53,840 --> 01:32:57,079
trade him, like you you will
get another opportunity to trade Daniel House.

1428
01:32:57,439 --> 01:33:00,279
I think Sterling Brown, it just
makes a lot of sense for a team

1429
01:33:00,359 --> 01:33:01,960
to just you know, as you
said that the Clippers would be a nice

1430
01:33:02,000 --> 01:33:05,600
spot, right, And I think
I think Stirling Brown gets traded. Yeah,

1431
01:33:05,960 --> 01:33:09,600
that would be my prediction for him
as well. I don't think Daniel

1432
01:33:09,640 --> 01:33:13,039
House is gonna get traded. I
think he should, but because I think

1433
01:33:13,119 --> 01:33:15,760
just having a season, let's go
a season and a half, a season

1434
01:33:15,800 --> 01:33:17,680
and a quarter of Daniel House,
like, there's a little bit extra value

1435
01:33:17,720 --> 01:33:19,760
I think that you could glean.
Whereas if you move him over the off

1436
01:33:19,800 --> 01:33:24,239
season or in the middle of next
season, like you're probably getting a not

1437
01:33:24,479 --> 01:33:30,960
so sexy second round pick. And
that's it right where Oh Ben Maclamore,

1438
01:33:31,039 --> 01:33:33,600
Sorry, I was trying to scroll
over my fingers. What ends up happening

1439
01:33:33,600 --> 01:33:36,000
with him? Do you think he's
still with Houston or no? No,

1440
01:33:36,399 --> 01:33:40,079
I think he gets started too.
I mean again, like a lot of

1441
01:33:40,119 --> 01:33:45,239
these guys are vet guys who would
probably help a playoff contender, and you

1442
01:33:45,319 --> 01:33:48,319
can get them for fairly cheap.
I don't think Ben maclamore is going to

1443
01:33:48,399 --> 01:33:54,239
demand a first round pick by any
means. And if you're Houston, like

1444
01:33:54,439 --> 01:33:57,000
you just want as many bites at
the apple as you can, even if

1445
01:33:57,039 --> 01:34:00,880
they're second round picks. You know, second round picks are are cheap contracts

1446
01:34:00,920 --> 01:34:03,199
down the road for you know,
fairly good players that we've seen, like

1447
01:34:03,439 --> 01:34:06,960
Brooklyn has done a really good job
at you know, taking you know,

1448
01:34:08,039 --> 01:34:11,439
taking advantage of second round picks in
the draft. And I think Houston,

1449
01:34:11,920 --> 01:34:15,279
you know, you have a very
limited young player pool right now. It's

1450
01:34:15,279 --> 01:34:19,239
pretty much Kevin Porter junior and like
Christian Wood and Jayshawn Tate, like that's

1451
01:34:19,319 --> 01:34:24,239
it. You need to refill these
coffers. So I think second round picks

1452
01:34:24,279 --> 01:34:27,319
could be valuable for them. I
just don't know who's going to give up

1453
01:34:27,439 --> 01:34:30,840
that anything for Mett mckimore. At
this point, he's shooting over his past

1454
01:34:30,880 --> 01:34:32,760
twenty games, he's shooting twenty three
point five percent from three, and so

1455
01:34:33,000 --> 01:34:36,119
it could be a bad second I
guess. I'm just trying to figure out

1456
01:34:36,119 --> 01:34:40,079
the team that would because he's shooting
in theory, I guess. But if

1457
01:34:40,079 --> 01:34:44,039
you're worried about how his season has
unfolded, I don't know what you necessarily

1458
01:34:44,119 --> 01:34:46,800
give up for him. Yeah.
It's one of those things where like you're

1459
01:34:46,840 --> 01:34:50,359
banking on what you saw from him
last season, right where he fit in

1460
01:34:50,520 --> 01:34:54,920
that Gerald Green roll for Houston like
a glove. Right, he was just

1461
01:34:55,439 --> 01:35:00,159
not a spot up shooter for Houston
off the bench. They weren't depending on

1462
01:35:00,279 --> 01:35:02,880
him for defense. He probably's probably
not going to play much in the playoffs.

1463
01:35:02,960 --> 01:35:05,840
If you're trading for him, you're
probably trading for him for a regular

1464
01:35:05,880 --> 01:35:10,159
season stretch run. You know,
you could see a lot of these eight

1465
01:35:10,239 --> 01:35:13,359
seed teams or like a team trying
to make a play in tournament try trading

1466
01:35:13,399 --> 01:35:16,359
for Ben McLamore because usually those teams
aren't really you know, eyeing defense as

1467
01:35:16,359 --> 01:35:20,479
a priority. Right, So,
so that could be a nice an icelanding

1468
01:35:20,520 --> 01:35:24,119
spot for him, a team that's
just on the edge of the playoffs or

1469
01:35:24,279 --> 01:35:28,960
right you know, right there,
because again, like he can contribute.

1470
01:35:29,039 --> 01:35:30,960
I think he can just be a
nice spot up shooter that can play fifteen

1471
01:35:30,960 --> 01:35:34,000
to twenty minutes a game for you
and knock down like three three pointners.

1472
01:35:36,800 --> 01:35:40,800
Eric Gordon, so he's injured and
I think we both I actually wrote about

1473
01:35:40,800 --> 01:35:44,520
how I thought he would be an
interesting trade candidate. There's people probably over

1474
01:35:44,560 --> 01:35:47,119
analyze his three point clip this year, but he also takes them from a

1475
01:35:47,199 --> 01:35:50,600
distance far enough where that's just going
to help. And then he's been absurd

1476
01:35:50,680 --> 01:35:56,319
inside the arc this year, sixty
point two percent on drives. So do

1477
01:35:56,439 --> 01:35:59,880
you think there's still a chance that
a team might take a gamble on him

1478
01:36:00,079 --> 01:36:02,159
knowing that well, he's supposed to
come back in four to six weeks or

1479
01:36:02,239 --> 01:36:04,199
is that completely out of the question. Or let's say, you know,

1480
01:36:04,399 --> 01:36:08,520
if you can just get off of
his money right now, is that something

1481
01:36:08,560 --> 01:36:12,560
that Houston's even willing to do,
because I doubt, particularly why he's while

1482
01:36:12,600 --> 01:36:15,159
he's injured, that there's gonna be
a team that's going to also give you

1483
01:36:15,319 --> 01:36:17,960
value for Gordon, because that was
probably an iffy proposition to begin with.

1484
01:36:18,640 --> 01:36:21,560
I actually don't think his contract is
that bad because if you look at the

1485
01:36:21,600 --> 01:36:25,640
incent it was on the deal,
it's like, okay, so he has

1486
01:36:25,720 --> 01:36:29,800
to make an All Star team,
or you have to win the championship if

1487
01:36:30,079 --> 01:36:33,399
for that last year to get guaranteed, and that's not like if any of

1488
01:36:33,439 --> 01:36:36,880
those things happen, you're really happy
with the contract at that boat right You're

1489
01:36:38,079 --> 01:36:41,720
you're more than happy paying it.
And really you're looking at like after this

1490
01:36:41,800 --> 01:36:45,760
season, two more seasons for Eric
Gordon, so and if you look at

1491
01:36:45,800 --> 01:36:48,199
the value, it's it's really not
that bad. I think I think if

1492
01:36:48,239 --> 01:36:51,760
they traded him this year, they
actually might have gotten pretty decent value for

1493
01:36:51,840 --> 01:36:55,399
him. But I don't think I
think the injury complicates it. I think

1494
01:36:55,760 --> 01:36:58,039
as at this moment, I don't
think he's going to be traded anymore.

1495
01:36:58,039 --> 01:37:00,640
If you ask me this question literally
a week ago, I think he would

1496
01:37:00,640 --> 01:37:03,800
have gotten traded, I thought,
because he would have been the surprise player

1497
01:37:03,960 --> 01:37:08,199
I think. I don't think a
lot of people would have expected Eric Gordon

1498
01:37:08,199 --> 01:37:12,079
to be on the market, But
I think he definitely is off the market

1499
01:37:12,119 --> 01:37:15,960
now because I don't think Houston wants
to capitalize on this trading him at his

1500
01:37:15,079 --> 01:37:18,720
lowest moment. Yeah, I will
say even when he was playing well two

1501
01:37:18,800 --> 01:37:23,199
years and thirty seven point eight million
for him in the two years coming,

1502
01:37:23,359 --> 01:37:27,000
and obviously we can throw out the
basically the third year just because as you

1503
01:37:27,039 --> 01:37:30,880
said, those incentives, it still
felt steep for him. Just looking at

1504
01:37:30,000 --> 01:37:34,000
his injury history, how his three
point percentage has dipped over the past few

1505
01:37:34,079 --> 01:37:39,039
years and then but mostly the injury
stuffed for me. But he's just a

1506
01:37:39,159 --> 01:37:43,760
guy you can play in crunch time
moments and you feel comfortable on both ends

1507
01:37:43,800 --> 01:37:45,479
of the floor right like he is
not. He's going to be a positive

1508
01:37:45,479 --> 01:37:49,000
defender for you in playoff games like
we've seen that from Eric Gordon, excuse

1509
01:37:49,079 --> 01:37:55,159
me, and he will help you
spacing the floor even if he's not shooting

1510
01:37:55,159 --> 01:37:57,840
the ball at a high clip,
teams still defend him out there, which

1511
01:37:57,920 --> 01:38:00,880
is crazy, but they do.
And I think, I think that's the

1512
01:38:01,000 --> 01:38:04,399
kind of player where like you don't
mind having him for the next two or

1513
01:38:04,439 --> 01:38:09,079
three seasons. I think he would
help a lot of teams deep in their

1514
01:38:09,079 --> 01:38:12,600
guard rotation. The problem is again
the injury, and I don't think a

1515
01:38:12,680 --> 01:38:15,520
lot of teams. I think at
this moment a team would rather trade for

1516
01:38:15,520 --> 01:38:18,960
a low depot than him. The
other problem is, too, when you're

1517
01:38:18,960 --> 01:38:23,920
looking at the actual contenders, there's
just so few of them have like the

1518
01:38:24,119 --> 01:38:28,720
mid end too, Like in an
Eric Gordon trade, there's very few contenders

1519
01:38:28,800 --> 01:38:30,479
that can do it with one or
two contracts. It would be all these

1520
01:38:30,560 --> 01:38:34,960
three for one scenarios, and those
are really tricky to pull off in the

1521
01:38:35,039 --> 01:38:39,119
middle of the year. And then
obviously can be you know, one for

1522
01:38:39,199 --> 01:38:41,640
one or two for one if they're
a contender is going to give up a

1523
01:38:41,680 --> 01:38:44,439
key player where you know, like
let's use the Lakers as an example,

1524
01:38:44,479 --> 01:38:47,560
like if they wanted to use Dennish
Shrewder's expiring salary as the anchor and that

1525
01:38:47,640 --> 01:38:51,279
deal and part of the return is
oh Houston is like the books are just

1526
01:38:51,359 --> 01:38:54,800
getting cleared after this season, or
maybe they like Dennis Shrewder, who knows

1527
01:38:54,840 --> 01:38:57,760
whatever, there's other stuff attached.
But then it's like, well, Dennis

1528
01:38:57,800 --> 01:39:00,199
Hreuwder's actually really important to what they're
doing right now. And so as you

1529
01:39:00,279 --> 01:39:02,680
go down that list, it just
gets really hard to find teams that can

1530
01:39:02,720 --> 01:39:08,399
cobble something together, especially when so
many of them are hardcapped this year and

1531
01:39:08,520 --> 01:39:13,279
just working with finite resources to find
a deal that's workable mid season, where

1532
01:39:13,279 --> 01:39:15,960
it feels like a lot of these
destinations might make more sense over the off

1533
01:39:15,000 --> 01:39:19,760
season when everyone has more roster flexibility. I think an off season Eric Gordon

1534
01:39:19,800 --> 01:39:24,439
trade definitely makes more sense. But
again, like I think, I think

1535
01:39:24,479 --> 01:39:27,439
he is a long term hold kind
of player, like he will help you

1536
01:39:27,560 --> 01:39:30,520
for the years years to come,
right. I don't think he's one of

1537
01:39:30,560 --> 01:39:32,840
those players where like you trade him
for the stretch run and that's it.

1538
01:39:33,279 --> 01:39:35,880
He can help you for the next
coming years. I think he's he's a

1539
01:39:35,880 --> 01:39:39,760
good enough player where like I don't
think the numbers are that bad. I

1540
01:39:39,840 --> 01:39:43,119
mean, you know, you may
have a different opinion on this. I

1541
01:39:43,439 --> 01:39:48,239
actually think it's not a matter of
if Eric Gordon gets traded, it's a

1542
01:39:48,279 --> 01:39:50,880
matter of when. He's probably not
going to get traded at this deadline,

1543
01:39:50,920 --> 01:39:54,840
but I think, you know,
the coming off season or the or the

1544
01:39:54,880 --> 01:39:58,680
following deadline, I would definitely keep
my keep my eyes out for Eric Gordon

1545
01:39:58,720 --> 01:40:01,760
trades. I would probably have still
said no before his injury, but now

1546
01:40:01,840 --> 01:40:04,520
I'm just like a I would be
shocked if he was moved because of his

1547
01:40:04,600 --> 01:40:08,239
injury. Just I don't even know, you know, four to six weeks,

1548
01:40:08,279 --> 01:40:11,399
what does that turn into? And
then it's like the phrasing was moderate

1549
01:40:11,479 --> 01:40:14,359
groin strain, which was just weird. And so yeah, you're you're acquiring

1550
01:40:14,439 --> 01:40:15,359
him for long term, but if
you're a contender, you do have to

1551
01:40:15,359 --> 01:40:18,039
worry about now. So I definitely
agree that if anything happens, it'll probably

1552
01:40:18,039 --> 01:40:23,199
be over the offseason. The name
that I think gets bandied about the most

1553
01:40:23,319 --> 01:40:28,560
on this team is Victor Oladipo,
and I think they would be out of

1554
01:40:28,720 --> 01:40:31,359
that. They would be foolish not
to move him by the trade deadline.

1555
01:40:32,000 --> 01:40:35,840
So here's my question for you,
what is Victor Elodipo's value right now?

1556
01:40:36,319 --> 01:40:40,439
I'm sorry, this is my podcast, and that was my question for you,

1557
01:40:42,520 --> 01:40:45,680
Yeah, because I actually don't think
he has much of a market because

1558
01:40:45,680 --> 01:40:50,359
he shot the ball so poorly and
ever since he got hurt, Like,

1559
01:40:50,640 --> 01:40:56,920
have you seen a really impressive stretch
of Victor Oladipo games, Like maybe you

1560
01:40:56,960 --> 01:41:00,920
could say at the beginning of this
season, like like, but like ever

1561
01:41:00,039 --> 01:41:05,119
since, he has not had a
long consistent stretch of like really impressive games

1562
01:41:05,159 --> 01:41:10,239
to where you feel comfortable trading for
him, and not only comfortable trading from

1563
01:41:10,279 --> 01:41:13,920
comfortable that he will fit into a
new role because he is definitely not going

1564
01:41:13,960 --> 01:41:16,039
to shoot twenty shots a game as
his new team if he gets traded,

1565
01:41:16,520 --> 01:41:19,439
and I don't if I'm Houston,
Like, first of all, it's really

1566
01:41:19,520 --> 01:41:24,359
hard to construct deals for twenty million
dollar players, right, And second of

1567
01:41:24,399 --> 01:41:29,560
all, you're probably gonna have to
take back deals that extend beyond this season

1568
01:41:29,560 --> 01:41:33,520
because you're probably trading for a bad
contract. Right it's at this moment because

1569
01:41:33,560 --> 01:41:38,439
of his value, if you're trading
Victor Odepo, you're probably gonna get you're

1570
01:41:38,439 --> 01:41:42,359
probably gonna have to pay for the
following seasons in addition to maybe a draft

1571
01:41:42,399 --> 01:41:46,439
pick. And if I'm Houston,
the calculation I do is like, would

1572
01:41:46,439 --> 01:41:51,760
I rather have that space or would
I rather have that draft pick? I

1573
01:41:51,840 --> 01:41:56,439
would rather have that space. Honestly, they haven't had space in a long

1574
01:41:56,560 --> 01:42:00,159
time to play with. You know, a twenty million dollars is not has

1575
01:42:00,199 --> 01:42:02,039
nothing to sneeze at. I mean, look at what they did with the

1576
01:42:02,159 --> 01:42:08,439
Christian would right, like they they
can get really creative with that kind of

1577
01:42:08,520 --> 01:42:12,960
space. And for a rebuilding team, like, you don't want cumbersome contracts

1578
01:42:13,199 --> 01:42:17,479
bocking down your books, you just
don't. I think this is closer to

1579
01:42:17,560 --> 01:42:21,399
a toss up at the deadline than
most people say. Most people think the

1580
01:42:21,520 --> 01:42:25,720
other thing, and this doesn't.
I don't It could matter to them though,

1581
01:42:25,880 --> 01:42:28,640
if they're, like, maybe they
consider resigning him anyway, if he's

1582
01:42:28,680 --> 01:42:31,159
just coming back for the best dollar
available, do they view it at all

1583
01:42:31,199 --> 01:42:34,680
as well? We could have had
Caris Lavert and our twenty twenty three second

1584
01:42:34,720 --> 01:42:38,680
round pick. I think it was, and now we're gonna end up with

1585
01:42:38,800 --> 01:42:41,520
nothing. We're just gonna end up
with cap space instead. And I think

1586
01:42:41,560 --> 01:42:45,279
you can objectively say that Carris Lavert
is a even you know, we haven't

1587
01:42:45,319 --> 01:42:46,359
seen him play since they found the
mass on his tumor, and I think

1588
01:42:46,399 --> 01:42:49,279
he's coming back. We're recording this
on a Saturday. It won't go live

1589
01:42:49,359 --> 01:42:53,000
until Monday, so he's coming back, I think the night that we're recording

1590
01:42:53,039 --> 01:42:56,680
this. But Caris Lavert taking him
on seems like it would have been the

1591
01:42:56,760 --> 01:43:00,920
better decision right now. But I
think this is kind of why I think

1592
01:43:00,000 --> 01:43:05,640
that there's a possibility that they just
let his contract expire, because why otherwise,

1593
01:43:05,720 --> 01:43:09,960
why would they not just take on
Lavert? Like where when you look

1594
01:43:10,000 --> 01:43:13,720
at that trade in the moment,
like, what was your initial reasoning as

1595
01:43:13,760 --> 01:43:15,479
to why they didn't just take back
Lavert? Because like I thought, like

1596
01:43:15,680 --> 01:43:21,159
Lavert was probably like as good or
possibly even a better player though, but

1597
01:43:21,239 --> 01:43:26,560
even at that moment, so the
only reason I could I could concoct was

1598
01:43:26,640 --> 01:43:30,119
like, Okay, so they they
see that as a malluable contract, right

1599
01:43:30,159 --> 01:43:33,640
they can they think that they can
get space back in free agency or that

1600
01:43:33,720 --> 01:43:36,520
they can get him back to a
reasonable deal. And I don't think they're

1601
01:43:36,520 --> 01:43:40,680
going to get him back for a
reason video It seems like Oladipo wants a

1602
01:43:40,760 --> 01:43:44,119
lot of money and he's probably going
to get that because you know, there's

1603
01:43:44,119 --> 01:43:46,239
a lot of space out there and
you just never know would free agency,

1604
01:43:46,359 --> 01:43:48,840
like, look at what Gordon Hayward
got paid the summer, right Like,

1605
01:43:49,199 --> 01:43:56,239
I never I've given up on predicting
contracts like this, And if I'm Houston

1606
01:43:56,399 --> 01:44:00,239
like, I think that's probably why
they didn't do it. I think they

1607
01:44:00,319 --> 01:44:05,279
probably did this trade for the space. My gut reaction was that they thought,

1608
01:44:05,279 --> 01:44:11,479
because I do think a peak Victor
Oladipo has a higher apex then Caris

1609
01:44:11,520 --> 01:44:15,319
Lavert. Sure, I thought that
maybe they were barking that they could get

1610
01:44:15,399 --> 01:44:18,359
more than Carris Lavert and a second
for Victor Oladipo at the trade deadline,

1611
01:44:18,680 --> 01:44:24,479
which if that was the thinking,
imploded that that blew up in their faces.

1612
01:44:25,039 --> 01:44:28,720
Well, as you mentioned, you
know, we've done like seven podcasts

1613
01:44:28,840 --> 01:44:31,520
this season this year, right like, and a lot of these podcasts have

1614
01:44:31,640 --> 01:44:35,159
been speculating what the Rockets were going
to get back for James Harden right,

1615
01:44:35,600 --> 01:44:40,239
and I believe we talked a lot
about Brooklyn as a possible landing space.

1616
01:44:40,359 --> 01:44:44,039
And what I kept saying throughout those
podcasts is that deal was never going to

1617
01:44:44,079 --> 01:44:45,600
be about the players that come back
in the deal. Rockets fans that were

1618
01:44:45,640 --> 01:44:49,880
panicking about the players coming back on
that deal really need to focus the draft

1619
01:44:49,920 --> 01:44:54,840
picks because that is where that is
the only insective for Houston to get a

1620
01:44:54,880 --> 01:44:58,079
deal Odell in Brooklyn. Right,
they thought they can get a king's ransom

1621
01:44:58,479 --> 01:45:00,479
from Brooklyn back on a deal,
and they did. And I think that's

1622
01:45:00,800 --> 01:45:04,159
that's when you when you analyze the
James Harden trade, you really have to

1623
01:45:04,199 --> 01:45:08,319
pay attention to the picks because it's
it's never it was never going to be

1624
01:45:08,359 --> 01:45:11,479
about the players, even if you
got Lavert back, Like Lavert was going

1625
01:45:11,600 --> 01:45:15,119
to be at the most an extra
pick down the line, right, I

1626
01:45:15,279 --> 01:45:16,800
think I don't think you was going
to be a part of their long term

1627
01:45:16,880 --> 01:45:21,439
future. And I think it's probably
more reasonable to view this as like,

1628
01:45:21,600 --> 01:45:26,720
Okay, they wanted to clear space
and they wanted draft picks. Yeah,

1629
01:45:27,039 --> 01:45:30,319
it's tough. I could understand a
fans perspective, because you would like to

1630
01:45:30,399 --> 01:45:33,880
see your team have something tangible in
return, and the best value that's going

1631
01:45:33,920 --> 01:45:38,159
to come from this Brooklyn trade is
so far off too. It's going to

1632
01:45:38,199 --> 01:45:41,760
be on those later picks and swaps, and so now you don't if you

1633
01:45:41,880 --> 01:45:45,720
let Victoriality but waf walk for nothing, you just don't have anything. You

1634
01:45:45,800 --> 01:45:47,359
know, they didn't even take on
Jared Allen like that was they just opted

1635
01:45:47,399 --> 01:45:50,600
basically like we're not going to take
any players if they get older. And

1636
01:45:50,640 --> 01:45:54,199
I'm not saying that that was necessarily
the wrong approach. We have to wait

1637
01:45:54,279 --> 01:45:57,600
and see this bear out for the
next you know, six seven years and

1638
01:45:57,800 --> 01:46:00,399
even longer than that, when you're
looking at the picks turning into actual players

1639
01:46:00,439 --> 01:46:04,560
and seeing how those players careers fan
out. Still, I can understand why

1640
01:46:04,560 --> 01:46:08,640
that's tough to grapple. I'm just
curious, if you know, so,

1641
01:46:08,840 --> 01:46:13,039
are you at the point where,
like if teams just through expiring contracts still

1642
01:46:13,079 --> 01:46:15,760
where you're still going to get that
money and they're attached to seconds or the

1643
01:46:15,840 --> 01:46:20,000
one that I've thought about and I've
been like scared to say it because I

1644
01:46:20,039 --> 01:46:24,800
don't want to get destroyed, is
like what if the Lakers just decided to

1645
01:46:24,880 --> 01:46:30,199
piece like step ladder it with expiring
contracts and gave you talent Horton Tucker,

1646
01:46:30,279 --> 01:46:32,239
who's also an expiring contract themselves.
Like, is that a deal that you

1647
01:46:32,399 --> 01:46:38,079
just do at this point? If
Houston really wants that space, yeah,

1648
01:46:38,119 --> 01:46:42,279
I guess. I mean, like
I really do think that if they get

1649
01:46:42,319 --> 01:46:45,079
a deal done, I think I
think the reason they trade for Ladipo was

1650
01:46:45,279 --> 01:46:48,399
they wanted the flexibility of having that
cap space. So I think if they

1651
01:46:48,399 --> 01:46:53,960
were to get a trade done with
Ladipo, I think they probably want expirings

1652
01:46:54,000 --> 01:46:56,319
back. That's my best guess,
right, Like, I could be wrong

1653
01:46:56,359 --> 01:47:00,600
on this. I could they could
trade back for a really bad full contract

1654
01:47:00,680 --> 01:47:03,399
in a first round pick, who
knows, right, But my suspicion is

1655
01:47:03,479 --> 01:47:06,880
that they want expirings back. So
if they can get an asset back along

1656
01:47:06,960 --> 01:47:11,119
with expirings, yeah, maybe.
My question is, like, do the

1657
01:47:11,199 --> 01:47:14,680
Lakers really value all the depots bird
rights like that? Because you are you

1658
01:47:14,760 --> 01:47:17,479
are essentially, in addition to trading
for him to help you in the stretch

1659
01:47:17,560 --> 01:47:21,000
run, you're also trading for his
bird rights and the right to resign him.

1660
01:47:21,399 --> 01:47:26,640
I'm not sure a team like the
Lakers wants to pay Oladipot what he's

1661
01:47:26,680 --> 01:47:29,399
going to get this summer. I
mean, when you watch the minutes they

1662
01:47:29,439 --> 01:47:34,600
play without Lebron James, you could
probably pretty easily talk yourself individual depot Perhaps,

1663
01:47:34,760 --> 01:47:40,399
Yeah, I mean maybe, I
guess. I guess the logic in

1664
01:47:40,479 --> 01:47:44,159
that is, like we view him
as a long term core piece that along

1665
01:47:44,279 --> 01:47:46,720
with just being someone who can help
us in the stretch run. And maybe

1666
01:47:46,800 --> 01:47:51,399
maybe teams view him like that as
at this moment because of how poorly he's

1667
01:47:51,439 --> 01:47:56,079
played, I'd be hesitant to view
him like that because I just don't I'm

1668
01:47:56,119 --> 01:47:59,840
not sure how he can fit into
a different role when he's so used to

1669
01:48:00,079 --> 01:48:05,079
taking this many shots, Like he
is literally taking possessions for Houston like it

1670
01:48:05,239 --> 01:48:08,920
is, it is insanely. He's
doing that for the Pacers in the bubble

1671
01:48:09,000 --> 01:48:12,800
too. It felt like, yeah, it is, he's just chucking and

1672
01:48:12,960 --> 01:48:15,920
and you know, credit to him, Like there is a part of me

1673
01:48:15,039 --> 01:48:19,840
that just that finds this hilarious,
right, Like he's just taking every opportunity

1674
01:48:19,960 --> 01:48:24,680
he can to show that he's worth
whatever contract he's gonna get this summer.

1675
01:48:25,279 --> 01:48:28,359
And the poor guy just can't hit
a shot, just can. You just

1676
01:48:28,479 --> 01:48:31,880
cannot. He cannot, especially his
three pointers, which he's always been pretty

1677
01:48:31,920 --> 01:48:34,680
good at those, and he just
can't hit them this season. It's very

1678
01:48:34,760 --> 01:48:40,279
strange and if our a team might
be very you know, alarmed by that.

1679
01:48:40,479 --> 01:48:43,840
But again, like I still think
it's a it's a coin flip,

1680
01:48:43,960 --> 01:48:45,600
Like if you're if you were asking
me, like, do I think Ohadebo

1681
01:48:45,640 --> 01:48:53,159
gets traded, I don't know.
I I probably would would assume that because

1682
01:48:53,399 --> 01:48:58,319
because they traded for him instead of
Kara's LeVert that he probably doesn't and I

1683
01:48:58,359 --> 01:49:00,840
have a hard time finding his market. But at the same time, I

1684
01:49:00,880 --> 01:49:04,560
could easily see a team selling themselves
on the depot. My question is what

1685
01:49:04,760 --> 01:49:08,159
team is that going to be?
Because like I was actually looking at a

1686
01:49:08,199 --> 01:49:13,319
team like Boston and the question what
I kept running into is like what minutes

1687
01:49:13,359 --> 01:49:15,359
is he gonna take away from?
Right, Like because when Marcus Smirk comes

1688
01:49:15,399 --> 01:49:18,119
back, like where is he going
to play in the rotation? There?

1689
01:49:19,199 --> 01:49:23,239
You know, Miami is another logical
option, but like, again, you're

1690
01:49:23,279 --> 01:49:27,159
playing at that point. If you're
Miami, you're playing really small, right,

1691
01:49:27,239 --> 01:49:30,720
You're you're your lineup is going to
be like what Jimmy Butler at power

1692
01:49:30,840 --> 01:49:35,159
forward? Right, Like, like
it's it's it's tough. It's tough to

1693
01:49:35,560 --> 01:49:41,159
find a logical landing spot for him. So I would probably say, gun

1694
01:49:41,319 --> 01:49:44,600
to my head, I don't think
a Victor Oladibo deal gets done, But

1695
01:49:45,800 --> 01:49:50,000
and you don't think he's back with
Houston next season? Yeah, that's just

1696
01:49:50,119 --> 01:49:54,880
I guess it's that's I guess if
you don't want to have the money on

1697
01:49:54,920 --> 01:49:58,239
your books, then that's the smart
scenario for them. I would just see

1698
01:49:58,279 --> 01:50:01,079
then, is there, like will
teams give us expiring with something anything,

1699
01:50:01,119 --> 01:50:05,920
a second round pick just to let
him walk after what you gave up essentially

1700
01:50:05,960 --> 01:50:10,000
to get him, or at least
what you could have had in Lavert.

1701
01:50:10,279 --> 01:50:13,560
It's just mind melting to me again, Like, this is not me.

1702
01:50:13,760 --> 01:50:15,119
This is not saying this is what
I would do, right, This is

1703
01:50:15,199 --> 01:50:23,039
just me trying to find their logic
from taking back Oladipo over Lavert and tracing

1704
01:50:23,079 --> 01:50:25,279
it back to the present day,
right, Like this is just me,

1705
01:50:25,960 --> 01:50:30,439
you know, putting the puzzle pieces
together and assuming that's what they're thinking.

1706
01:50:30,319 --> 01:50:34,800
I don't know if I would I
would do that. I might be someone

1707
01:50:34,920 --> 01:50:39,439
who just take back bad years on
a contract and try to get a first

1708
01:50:39,520 --> 01:50:44,720
round pick. But if they really
like that space enough to where they took

1709
01:50:44,840 --> 01:50:49,520
Lavert over him, it follows logically
that they might continue that thinking into Mark

1710
01:50:49,560 --> 01:50:54,880
twenty fifth. If that was there
thinking, there's got to be like the

1711
01:50:54,960 --> 01:51:00,359
Mavericks have to be willing to do
James Johnson and then like Josh Green or

1712
01:51:00,520 --> 01:51:03,880
Tyrol Arry for him and those are
both cheap players who are will be intriguing

1713
01:51:03,920 --> 01:51:06,479
to monitor in the next couple of
years. And you haven't, you know,

1714
01:51:06,560 --> 01:51:10,520
added anything to your long term payroll, but you've at least gotten someone

1715
01:51:11,239 --> 01:51:16,239
for the you know, for housing
Oladipo, for for leasing letting letting him

1716
01:51:16,279 --> 01:51:19,520
lease space, Like on your caption, I don't I don't even know how

1717
01:51:19,560 --> 01:51:23,920
to phrase that. I can't.
I don't necessarily disagree with you that that's

1718
01:51:23,960 --> 01:51:27,439
what they're gonna do. I just
can't talk myself into that being a good

1719
01:51:27,479 --> 01:51:30,399
piece of business for the team.
And the thing here's old people, is

1720
01:51:30,439 --> 01:51:33,600
going to be an unrestricted free agent, so he could Houston could want to

1721
01:51:33,680 --> 01:51:35,840
keep him. He already turned down
an extension, but that was kind of

1722
01:51:35,840 --> 01:51:40,279
fade to complete from the beginning.
He could go wherever he wants, And

1723
01:51:40,359 --> 01:51:43,359
so I don't know what a team
is gonna Maybe that'd be really like Oladipo

1724
01:51:43,399 --> 01:51:45,760
and are willing to pay Alladipo,
but he just still goes and signs in

1725
01:51:45,800 --> 01:51:50,600
Miami anyway. Yeah, I mean
again, like it's it's I don't think

1726
01:51:50,720 --> 01:51:55,800
Houston intends to give him the contracts
you wants this summer. I just like,

1727
01:51:56,000 --> 01:52:00,760
why like like why if they do
that, are just openly telling the

1728
01:52:00,840 --> 01:52:06,159
world that we are not a good
front office anymore, And like it makes

1729
01:52:06,239 --> 01:52:09,920
no sense. He doesn't stand in
their timeline. You don't want that tape

1730
01:52:09,920 --> 01:52:14,239
of money on your books, so
the only other option is just let him

1731
01:52:14,279 --> 01:52:19,039
walk. And letting him walk it
seems like a really stupid thing to do,

1732
01:52:19,199 --> 01:52:21,880
right, But if you look at
the guys that have graduated from the

1733
01:52:21,960 --> 01:52:26,079
Rockets front office, they do that
a lot. Like Darryl Moorey let Chandler

1734
01:52:26,159 --> 01:52:30,840
Parsons walk, Monty McNair at the
Kings he let Buddy not Buddy Hill.

1735
01:52:30,840 --> 01:52:36,399
I'm sorry, I'm sorry whom I
think Danovitch walk right, And a lot

1736
01:52:36,399 --> 01:52:40,359
of people criticized him at the time, And like this is just something that

1737
01:52:40,439 --> 01:52:44,439
they do, Like they really value
the flexibility and cap room, and they

1738
01:52:44,760 --> 01:52:48,560
they when they're in rebuilding mode specifically, like the way they look at dollars

1739
01:52:48,640 --> 01:52:51,960
and cents is like, we only
want to spend big money, is it

1740
01:52:53,439 --> 01:52:58,239
if that is a franchise cornerstone type
of player, like even Christian Wood they

1741
01:52:58,239 --> 01:53:00,680
didn't give that type of money to, right, Like they seem to kind

1742
01:53:00,760 --> 01:53:05,680
of look at players like if they
if they aren't a cornerstone piece, we

1743
01:53:05,760 --> 01:53:11,680
aren't giving them that cornerstone money.
And Alodipo I don't view in twenty twenty

1744
01:53:11,720 --> 01:53:15,439
one as a cornerstone piece. So
my assumption is they don't want to give

1745
01:53:15,520 --> 01:53:20,279
him cornerstone money, which that part
of it makes sense, which I just

1746
01:53:20,319 --> 01:53:24,399
don't understand why you acquire him then
in the first place. The cap space

1747
01:53:24,439 --> 01:53:26,760
to me, isn't that important because
I don't know who's gonna want to go

1748
01:53:26,920 --> 01:53:30,000
there. And I also just you
look at salaries now around the league.

1749
01:53:30,680 --> 01:53:32,840
Unless you're gonna take back a Westbrook
or a wall who you already have,

1750
01:53:33,600 --> 01:53:38,840
these contracts are so short that it
don't that whole salary dumping game. Yeah,

1751
01:53:38,840 --> 01:53:41,199
it might exist, but you know, are you going to get a

1752
01:53:41,279 --> 01:53:45,079
first round pick for taking on Dwight
Powell over the summer? And if you

1753
01:53:45,159 --> 01:53:47,159
are, you know you didn't need
all the cap space in the world to

1754
01:53:47,199 --> 01:53:50,479
do that anyway, because he's making
twelve million dollars or whatever it is.

1755
01:53:51,039 --> 01:53:55,640
Well, maybe they don't even see
themselves as a place to salary dump,

1756
01:53:55,760 --> 01:53:59,279
right, Maybe they just like to
Maybe they just want to use the space

1757
01:54:00,239 --> 01:54:02,880
like which is like I agree,
like who are you going to spend money

1758
01:54:02,960 --> 01:54:08,680
on? I don't know, but
like this, I just you know from

1759
01:54:08,720 --> 01:54:11,960
studying this front office over the last
ten years, they really like when they're

1760
01:54:11,960 --> 01:54:14,520
in rebuilding mode, right, Like, when they're a contender, they seem

1761
01:54:14,560 --> 01:54:16,720
to spend money. I'm as in, like they tend to give up,

1762
01:54:16,880 --> 01:54:19,600
you know, a worst contract,
right. Like I'm not saying they're they

1763
01:54:19,760 --> 01:54:24,560
go crazy when they're contended, right, It's obviously not the case, but

1764
01:54:25,199 --> 01:54:28,920
we've seen them give out bad contracts
as contenders, right Like Ryan Anderson,

1765
01:54:29,199 --> 01:54:30,720
right, is a great example of
that. Like they just gave him eighty

1766
01:54:30,760 --> 01:54:34,880
million dollars over four years. Eric
Gordon right, another good example that did

1767
01:54:34,920 --> 01:54:40,319
they gave him a huge sum of
cash over the past six seasons. Right.

1768
01:54:40,479 --> 01:54:43,520
It is one of those things where
like once they get to that point,

1769
01:54:43,600 --> 01:54:46,319
they are willing to spend, once
they have that cornerstone piece in office,

1770
01:54:46,479 --> 01:54:49,960
they will spend. But once when
they're in rebuilding mode, they don't

1771
01:54:50,039 --> 01:54:53,880
team, they don't tend to spend
that much, and they tend to value

1772
01:54:53,920 --> 01:54:57,439
the space like crazy, which is
I don't know, We'll see, we'll

1773
01:54:57,439 --> 01:55:00,439
see what they do with it.
I am surprised that you that up that

1774
01:55:00,520 --> 01:55:03,399
Daryl Morey didn't extend PJ. Tucker
and then bounce. I was convinced that's

1775
01:55:03,399 --> 01:55:09,479
how everything was always gonna gonna end. So here's a name that I don't

1776
01:55:09,479 --> 01:55:11,640
think it's being tough enough because I
assume they want to keep him. But

1777
01:55:11,680 --> 01:55:13,600
I also don't know that you can
look him and be like, well,

1778
01:55:13,640 --> 01:55:16,000
we have to keep him. But
I'm sure they're getting calls on Jay Shawn

1779
01:55:16,039 --> 01:55:19,880
Tate, who is can just be
a monster. Defensively. We don't know

1780
01:55:20,039 --> 01:55:23,439
if he's gonna be able to hit
threes long term, but he can do

1781
01:55:23,640 --> 01:55:27,600
some physical stuff. I'm with the
ball in his hands too. On offense.

1782
01:55:27,920 --> 01:55:30,199
Do you think they'd be open to
moving him or is this You look

1783
01:55:30,239 --> 01:55:31,720
at him and it's like, okay, well he has two more team controlled

1784
01:55:31,800 --> 01:55:36,520
years at under three point five million
total, he's not going anywhere. Yeah,

1785
01:55:36,720 --> 01:55:40,560
I think they'd be open to trading
or trading him like again, like

1786
01:55:40,720 --> 01:55:45,039
that, he is not a he. I don't think anyone on this franchise

1787
01:55:45,479 --> 01:55:48,359
is untouchable, even even Christian would
I think he's gonna be My next question.

1788
01:55:48,920 --> 01:55:51,520
I saw that they weren't willing to
entertain offers on Christian Wood, and

1789
01:55:51,520 --> 01:55:55,399
I was like, oh, are
they planning on being good in one of

1790
01:55:55,439 --> 01:55:59,680
the next two years? Like yeah, Like I think I think everybody has

1791
01:55:59,720 --> 01:56:02,920
a it's just just a matter of
like what that price is for Jayshawn Tate.

1792
01:56:03,279 --> 01:56:08,079
I imagine they want a first rounder
back right like, and it probably

1793
01:56:08,119 --> 01:56:11,880
a good first rounder. I don't
think he gets moved at this deadline,

1794
01:56:11,920 --> 01:56:15,399
but I don't think he's untouchable.
No, for sure. For sure,

1795
01:56:15,439 --> 01:56:18,720
He's definitely someone to watch over the
next couple of years. Do you what

1796
01:56:18,800 --> 01:56:21,560
do you have you enjoyed like watching
Hims? You view him as someone who

1797
01:56:21,600 --> 01:56:25,840
can contribute at a fairly high level
to a really good team. And I

1798
01:56:25,920 --> 01:56:29,720
think, look, I think you've
talked about this with Jonathan Fagan on your

1799
01:56:29,720 --> 01:56:31,239
podcast, which I listened to before
we do this, was that if the

1800
01:56:31,359 --> 01:56:34,600
Rockets have all these like kind of
good players, why aren't they better?

1801
01:56:34,880 --> 01:56:38,279
And it was sort of a fair
question. I know they've been banged up,

1802
01:56:38,319 --> 01:56:40,640
but I look at this roster.
I'm like, yeah, he can

1803
01:56:40,720 --> 01:56:42,399
help, and yeah you could,
he could help, and it's like,

1804
01:56:42,479 --> 01:56:45,920
oh, the Rockets have lost one
trillion games in a row. But for

1805
01:56:45,039 --> 01:56:48,039
jay Shawn Tate, specifically, do
you see him being someone who can contribute

1806
01:56:48,319 --> 01:56:51,520
at a high level and you know, a semi significant role to a really

1807
01:56:51,560 --> 01:56:58,000
good team, perhaps off the bench. The problem is, like these coaches

1808
01:56:58,079 --> 01:57:00,960
do not like playing young players in
big playoff games, right like. And

1809
01:57:01,079 --> 01:57:04,479
I'm not just talking about like a
specific kind of coach, this is the

1810
01:57:04,680 --> 01:57:09,439
extends to all kinds of all coaches. They don't like playing twenty year olds

1811
01:57:09,479 --> 01:57:14,279
in the playoffs. Right But I
do think that he can play fifteen to

1812
01:57:14,359 --> 01:57:17,439
twenty minutes at this stage of his
career in a big playoff game because he's

1813
01:57:17,960 --> 01:57:24,159
shown that kind of I don't want
to say intensity, but that type of

1814
01:57:24,520 --> 01:57:28,720
those type of smarts defensively, right
Like, he is really intelligent for a

1815
01:57:28,760 --> 01:57:31,000
twenty year old. He knows where
to be on the floor, and I

1816
01:57:31,159 --> 01:57:36,079
think, I think that kind of
stuff is valuable. But I would if

1817
01:57:36,119 --> 01:57:40,800
I were a contender, I'd be
more likely to trade a first round pick

1818
01:57:40,880 --> 01:57:44,159
for him. Uh, if he's
a year or two older than as of

1819
01:57:44,319 --> 01:57:47,079
right now. It's just I just
it's trading up, trading a first round

1820
01:57:47,079 --> 01:57:51,000
over Jason right now, even with
the team controlled years. It's just it

1821
01:57:51,119 --> 01:57:56,199
seems like a lot it seems like
especially because this guy was playing in Australia

1822
01:57:56,279 --> 01:58:00,960
last year, right like this is
uh he he is shown that he's probably

1823
01:58:00,359 --> 01:58:05,119
worthy of an NBA rotation spot on
a good team. But I would be

1824
01:58:05,279 --> 01:58:10,000
really really scared about giving up the
first round pick I've bandied about where it's

1825
01:58:10,079 --> 01:58:14,319
like, you know what if it's
the Nuggets, like who really and maybe

1826
01:58:14,359 --> 01:58:16,039
takes a little bit too small for
them, but he could defend really big.

1827
01:58:17,279 --> 01:58:19,439
But like, if they're giving up
their first round pick, that's a

1828
01:58:19,479 --> 01:58:21,840
team. But you talk about not
wanting to play twenty year olds in the

1829
01:58:21,840 --> 01:58:25,159
playoffs. I don't think Mike Mullen
wants to play twenty year olds ever.

1830
01:58:25,640 --> 01:58:29,439
So that's where that's sort of that's
where that sort of falls apart. But

1831
01:58:29,600 --> 01:58:31,159
that was like a team where I
thought like, yeah, you guys will

1832
01:58:31,159 --> 01:58:34,279
just roll the dice or maybe not
because you do bring up some good points.

1833
01:58:34,279 --> 01:58:36,279
You want someone who's gonna help you
in the playoffs and do you trust

1834
01:58:38,000 --> 01:58:40,159
a twenty year old to do that
for you? I honestly don't know.

1835
01:58:40,239 --> 01:58:45,359
And him specifically, again, he's
really good, a defensive monster, I

1836
01:58:45,359 --> 01:58:47,279
would call him, but at six
four, it's do you trust him?

1837
01:58:47,359 --> 01:58:53,159
Guarding like the biggest of the big
wings. Yeah, and at some point

1838
01:58:53,359 --> 01:58:56,640
Denver is going to need to find
their Paul Miller stop replacement, right like,

1839
01:58:56,800 --> 01:59:00,159
they just they cannot they cannot expect
him to play as much, which

1840
01:59:00,279 --> 01:59:02,920
is that they've had him play over
the past few years. But yeah,

1841
01:59:03,880 --> 01:59:06,479
he is. He is really impressive. You're right, uh, and I

1842
01:59:06,760 --> 01:59:11,479
it's one of those things where like, uh, it's it's just I'd want

1843
01:59:11,520 --> 01:59:14,920
to see more of a resume before
I trade for him, you know,

1844
01:59:15,039 --> 01:59:17,520
because this could just be like a
one off type of year, even though

1845
01:59:18,039 --> 01:59:20,880
he was really impressive in Australia.
It's one of those things where I just

1846
01:59:21,000 --> 01:59:25,840
I still would want to see more
of a resume for I trade first round

1847
01:59:25,880 --> 01:59:30,479
pick for him. Yeah, that's
that's definitely fair, I would say Christian

1848
01:59:30,520 --> 01:59:34,479
would then what would it take to
even get the Rockets to consider it at

1849
01:59:34,520 --> 01:59:39,279
this point? Is it like he's
in two first round pick range? Yeah,

1850
01:59:39,479 --> 01:59:42,760
two to three, and I think
one of those first round picks have

1851
01:59:42,880 --> 01:59:45,880
to be really good, I think, yeah, I mean, because he

1852
01:59:45,359 --> 01:59:49,800
is his production is crazy, man, Like he was putting up twenty in

1853
01:59:49,840 --> 01:59:55,359
tens pretty regularly for the Rockets and
like that kind of player is like really

1854
01:59:55,479 --> 02:00:00,279
valuable, And I don't think he's
like the second best players Championship t but

1855
02:00:00,000 --> 02:00:02,960
it's possibly he could be the third
best player of championship team. Like he's

1856
02:00:03,520 --> 02:00:08,199
he's that talented. Like he defensively, he has a long way to go,

1857
02:00:08,560 --> 02:00:13,239
I should say that. Like defensively, you know, he's shown some

1858
02:00:13,560 --> 02:00:18,319
strides. He can really move,
but it's it's like incoherent movement where there's

1859
02:00:18,359 --> 02:00:20,920
like not a necessarily always a rhyme
or reason to what he's but he can

1860
02:00:21,000 --> 02:00:26,359
cover a lot of grounds. Yeah, and specifically in an era we're we're

1861
02:00:26,439 --> 02:00:30,760
really going back to a drop back
defense, like switching is it's it's still

1862
02:00:30,800 --> 02:00:32,760
prevalent, right, Like the Bucks
are doing a lot more switching the season,

1863
02:00:33,199 --> 02:00:38,880
but like we're as the NBA overall, like there seems to be a

1864
02:00:38,960 --> 02:00:43,319
trend back to more traditional drop back
defenses, and he is just not good

1865
02:00:43,479 --> 02:00:46,439
as a try to drop back defense. Like he you know, he showed

1866
02:00:46,520 --> 02:00:50,079
some moments before he got hurt,
but up until that that week or still

1867
02:00:50,319 --> 02:00:55,439
playing like he was not, he
couldnt seem to grasp that concept. But

1868
02:00:56,720 --> 02:01:00,520
yeah, to two first round picks
is definitely what what I would say if

1869
02:01:00,560 --> 02:01:02,880
I were rafel Stone, that would
be my asking price. For sure,

1870
02:01:03,039 --> 02:01:06,960
that'd be like the floor, But
I would I would want to hold on

1871
02:01:08,000 --> 02:01:10,880
to him a little bit longer to
see what he could become. You're at

1872
02:01:10,880 --> 02:01:13,680
the issue of two that I think
the teams that should be most interested in

1873
02:01:13,800 --> 02:01:15,399
him, I'm not sure they're not
very good now, and I don't know

1874
02:01:15,439 --> 02:01:18,520
that you can justify giving up that
type of equity for Christian would. And

1875
02:01:18,560 --> 02:01:20,399
then yeah, there are teams that
are good now where you could say,

1876
02:01:20,399 --> 02:01:24,560
hey, yeah, give two first
round picks or a pick and a young

1877
02:01:24,680 --> 02:01:28,680
player. But whatever picks or young
players that they have because they're so good

1878
02:01:28,840 --> 02:01:30,960
just might not be good. You
know, Boston could maybe use Christian would

1879
02:01:31,000 --> 02:01:33,680
or they maybe they want more of
a defensive backbone. But that would just

1880
02:01:33,720 --> 02:01:36,039
be an example. Like a team
that yeah, has all the draft picks,

1881
02:01:36,079 --> 02:01:39,359
has some young guys, but like, who are you actually getting from

1882
02:01:39,399 --> 02:01:42,920
them that's going or what even when
looking at the picks that's actually going to

1883
02:01:43,000 --> 02:01:45,319
excite you. It would have to
be first round picks. And but the

1884
02:01:45,399 --> 02:01:49,119
problem is, like their first round
picks aren't that good, right, Like,

1885
02:01:49,600 --> 02:01:53,680
so you'd have to ask for probably
three at that point, right,

1886
02:01:54,159 --> 02:01:56,159
I think you would have to be
like a young player, like can you

1887
02:01:56,239 --> 02:02:00,119
get Naysmith and two first round picks
something like that? Smith might be yeah,

1888
02:02:00,399 --> 02:02:03,319
if you if you throw on a
young player like that and two first

1889
02:02:03,439 --> 02:02:08,159
round picks, maybe yeah, I
don't know. I don't think he's necessarily

1890
02:02:08,199 --> 02:02:11,319
the big man that Boston needs,
but he would certainly be be interesting.

1891
02:02:11,359 --> 02:02:15,399
There would be more likely than this
season that Christian would gets traded or that

1892
02:02:15,479 --> 02:02:21,039
John Wall gets traded. That you're
exacting that question when you jumped on this

1893
02:02:21,119 --> 02:02:25,600
podcast. Yeah, I don't think
it's likely either of them gets traded up.

1894
02:02:25,840 --> 02:02:28,880
I guess would because there's more of
a market for him right now,

1895
02:02:29,119 --> 02:02:32,000
right, Yeah, what have you
thought about John Wall so far this season?

1896
02:02:34,359 --> 02:02:40,079
He's fine, He's listen, like
like, he's coming off a pretty

1897
02:02:40,119 --> 02:02:42,359
significant injury, so I want to
give him some slack, but like,

1898
02:02:42,560 --> 02:02:46,000
yeah, he's he is still a
starting point guard in this league, and

1899
02:02:46,479 --> 02:02:50,239
I think a good starting point guard
in this league. I just he's coming

1900
02:02:50,279 --> 02:02:54,920
off a pretty significant injury. Defensively, he still has his moments, but

1901
02:02:56,439 --> 02:02:59,840
this is just a tough spot for
him. He's having to carry a really,

1902
02:03:00,239 --> 02:03:03,960
really bad basketball teams. He can
still move really well with the ball

1903
02:03:04,000 --> 02:03:06,600
in his hands. I don't know
what I was necessarily expecting because we haven't

1904
02:03:06,600 --> 02:03:11,159
seen him play basketball in like two
decades or whatever. It's been in pandemic

1905
02:03:11,239 --> 02:03:16,239
time. But he's moved a lot
better than I thought. But his contract

1906
02:03:16,319 --> 02:03:19,479
is still from a team's perspective,
is obviously not going to look that great.

1907
02:03:19,880 --> 02:03:23,159
But yeah, look, the Rockets
are going to be fascinating. I

1908
02:03:23,319 --> 02:03:26,800
think we're both in agreement, and
it matters your opinion matters more that this

1909
02:03:26,920 --> 02:03:30,399
team is going to be the single
busiest team at the trade deadline this year.

1910
02:03:30,399 --> 02:03:35,800
Yeah, it's certainly possible. It's
certainly possible. He's fascinating is a

1911
02:03:35,880 --> 02:03:42,159
word. It's definitely a word.
But uh, like here's my problem.

1912
02:03:42,159 --> 02:03:45,640
When you say fascinating, it's like, okay, so fascinating in the transaction

1913
02:03:45,720 --> 02:03:47,119
game. I agree, But I
have to watch this team every night.

1914
02:03:47,199 --> 02:03:50,159
It's it's not fascinating for me at
all. I do have a feeling that

1915
02:03:50,239 --> 02:03:55,079
the end product is not going to
be fascinating to watch, even less than

1916
02:03:55,119 --> 02:03:58,399
it is now, because like we
went over with a lot of these players,

1917
02:03:58,960 --> 02:04:02,680
You're probably mean, you're doing this
just to you know, move guys

1918
02:04:02,720 --> 02:04:05,640
that are going to leave this year
anyway, and so you're not even necessarily

1919
02:04:05,680 --> 02:04:10,880
getting guys that you want to see
back uh to on the court. You're

1920
02:04:11,039 --> 02:04:14,720
doing this for second rounders or if
you can, you know, for Spencer

1921
02:04:14,760 --> 02:04:16,720
Jimmie's bird rights. But like that
type of thing, those are the moves

1922
02:04:16,720 --> 02:04:20,600
that you're making, and so that
could make the product. They're more of

1923
02:04:20,640 --> 02:04:24,840
an adventure, I guess would be
to call it and imagine just it's like

1924
02:04:24,920 --> 02:04:28,640
John Walla, Victor Ladipo, and
I guess they still have Christian would if

1925
02:04:28,680 --> 02:04:30,039
those three are going to stick around
and Gordon will be healthy again, so

1926
02:04:30,119 --> 02:04:34,359
they won't be like totally barren.
But I don't I don't think it's gonna

1927
02:04:34,359 --> 02:04:40,520
be pretty. No, it's it's
not. It's it hasn't been pretty now.

1928
02:04:40,560 --> 02:04:43,479
To be fair, they've had injuries, so I want to give them

1929
02:04:43,600 --> 02:04:47,960
some some slack there, but it's
it's been a pretty dreadful product for the

1930
02:04:48,079 --> 02:04:51,960
most part. By the way,
we haven't even talked about their pick situation.

1931
02:04:53,119 --> 02:04:57,680
Like the reason they're tearing it down
is because they pretty much have no

1932
02:04:57,800 --> 02:05:01,880
other option but to go for the
top four spot, right, and you

1933
02:05:01,960 --> 02:05:05,199
know, even just as as far
as last year, right, like Cleveland

1934
02:05:05,239 --> 02:05:11,079
and Atlanta both fell out of the
top five of the top four, right,

1935
02:05:11,239 --> 02:05:14,520
and like, there's a pretty good
chance that they're doing all of this

1936
02:05:14,720 --> 02:05:17,720
losing for nothing. They might end
up with Miami's pick. And if you're

1937
02:05:17,720 --> 02:05:20,520
a Rockets fan watching that on lottery
day, oh my god, Like,

1938
02:05:21,000 --> 02:05:25,920
like I just I would feel so
bad. It would be such a punch

1939
02:05:26,039 --> 02:05:29,239
to the gut to do what was
it, fourteen games in a row they've

1940
02:05:29,279 --> 02:05:31,239
lost right now, And there's gonna
be stretches like this throughout the season.

1941
02:05:31,279 --> 02:05:34,520
Maybe not this big, but they're
gonna lose like like nine games in a

1942
02:05:34,640 --> 02:05:39,920
row at another point this season,
and they're doing all this losing for possibly

1943
02:05:40,000 --> 02:05:43,239
nothing. If they don't, if
they don't keep that pick, it could

1944
02:05:43,239 --> 02:05:47,079
be really pretty ugly. Yeah,
Because so if you finish with a it's

1945
02:05:47,079 --> 02:05:49,680
safe to assume that they're going to
finish with a bottom three record. There's

1946
02:05:49,720 --> 02:05:53,800
really only as of now, Detroit
at Minnesota that's going to compete with them.

1947
02:05:54,079 --> 02:05:58,520
It looks like, so if you
finish with a bottom three record,

1948
02:05:58,800 --> 02:06:02,039
you have less than a fifty percent
chance of landing in the top four.

1949
02:06:03,520 --> 02:06:08,720
Yeah, Like listen, if I'm
raphel Stone, like I'm trading or getting

1950
02:06:08,840 --> 02:06:11,920
rid of anybody that helps me win
basketball games, because it seems like there's

1951
02:06:11,960 --> 02:06:15,520
no way I can be good.
Like if if if I see someone make

1952
02:06:15,560 --> 02:06:17,560
a layup in practice, he's getting
traded the next business day. If I

1953
02:06:17,680 --> 02:06:23,880
see I see Stephen Silas crumple up
a piece of paper and thrown to the

1954
02:06:23,920 --> 02:06:28,199
trash can, he's fired too.
Anybody who's trying any he's making any effort

1955
02:06:28,239 --> 02:06:30,439
to be good, they're gone.
They're gone. And my math was off.

1956
02:06:30,479 --> 02:06:34,079
You have a fifty two point one
percent chance of landing in the top

1957
02:06:34,159 --> 02:06:39,359
four if you have a BOT four
coin toss. A coin toss like that

1958
02:06:39,560 --> 02:06:42,039
is nuts. You have to do
it, though, What is their other

1959
02:06:42,119 --> 02:06:45,039
avenue? No, there isn't,
There isn't. It's it's just it's it's

1960
02:06:45,079 --> 02:06:50,079
remarkable how screwed they are this.
Yeah, and but and this is the

1961
02:06:50,159 --> 02:06:53,560
season to do it. I think, Well, they own their own twenty

1962
02:06:53,600 --> 02:06:56,560
twenty two pick correct, So yeah, they could do it the next two

1963
02:06:56,600 --> 02:06:59,520
seasons, Like there's this two year
window for them. Oh, they owned

1964
02:06:59,520 --> 02:07:02,159
twenty twenty three as well, don't
they. Yes, they own twenty twenty

1965
02:07:02,199 --> 02:07:04,800
three, twenty twenty, and so's
it's almost like you need to get the

1966
02:07:04,840 --> 02:07:10,840
gut punches over with now, because
when you start conveying picks to Oklahoma City

1967
02:07:11,239 --> 02:07:15,600
in twenty twenty four, you know, that's like you're knock. You don't

1968
02:07:15,600 --> 02:07:18,159
know, it's just in twenty twenty
four and twenty twenty six you just don't

1969
02:07:18,199 --> 02:07:20,880
have You can't tank in twenty twenty
five. That's so far down and it's

1970
02:07:20,920 --> 02:07:26,079
only one year. So you need
like it's now like this is your window

1971
02:07:26,159 --> 02:07:30,239
because you actually have a multiple year
window to be bad and hopefully accumulate your

1972
02:07:30,279 --> 02:07:32,000
own draft equity, you know,
draft high, and then develop a player

1973
02:07:32,079 --> 02:07:35,800
because in all likelihood, like when
you're looking at the nets picks and swaps

1974
02:07:35,840 --> 02:07:41,600
that they're getting, I would say
like twenty twenty five is the first one

1975
02:07:41,640 --> 02:07:44,680
that I pinpoint as, hey,
maybe that could be really good. I

1976
02:07:44,760 --> 02:07:48,319
guess twenty twenty four, but you
need Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Kevin

1977
02:07:48,399 --> 02:07:51,560
Durant. I'm two of them to
fall off a cliff or I'm two of

1978
02:07:51,600 --> 02:07:55,840
them to leave, and so I
just don't know at that And so this

1979
02:07:56,000 --> 02:07:59,039
is the so I think they're doing
what's necessary, but I'm with you.

1980
02:07:59,159 --> 02:08:01,960
If you're watching that and you know
you have a fifty two point one percent

1981
02:08:03,079 --> 02:08:05,760
chance of getting a top four pick
and you get fifth or something, that's

1982
02:08:05,760 --> 02:08:09,680
gonna sting. The lottery is going
to be so fun. It's gonna be

1983
02:08:09,800 --> 02:08:13,199
so fun for me. I don't
think it's gonna be fun for everybody,

1984
02:08:13,199 --> 02:08:18,039
but it's gonna be definitely really fun
to see if they if they pulled this

1985
02:08:18,159 --> 02:08:20,840
off, and if they can actually
keep their pick again. Two teams that

1986
02:08:20,920 --> 02:08:24,359
had bottom four records last year fell
out of the bottom four. Right.

1987
02:08:24,600 --> 02:08:28,479
The lottery has flattened to it to
an extent to where even if you have

1988
02:08:28,640 --> 02:08:33,760
a dreadful record, you may not
keep a top four pick. And yeah,

1989
02:08:33,880 --> 02:08:37,119
if you just look at the teams
and the fans that are gonna be

1990
02:08:37,880 --> 02:08:39,760
enthralled by the lottery this year.
You have Oklahoma City is clearly going to

1991
02:08:39,800 --> 02:08:43,399
be watching it, maybe for their
own reasons, but also because of the

1992
02:08:43,439 --> 02:08:46,880
Houston pick. Houston obviously Minnesota,
but then also Golden States fan because of

1993
02:08:48,439 --> 02:08:52,640
Minnesota. Maybe. Yeah, very
high States lottery this year. Yeah,

1994
02:08:54,159 --> 02:08:58,560
it's because you didn't expect this many
teams to you didn't a three team swap

1995
02:09:00,199 --> 02:09:07,000
like it's wow, it's it's it's
it's it's Grand entertainment. Salmon, thank

1996
02:09:07,000 --> 02:09:09,520
you as always for doing this and
coming on give me so much of your

1997
02:09:09,560 --> 02:09:11,239
time. Once more. If you
guys aren't following him on Twitter, Twitter

1998
02:09:11,359 --> 02:09:16,960
remedied at immediately, he's at Salmon
Ali NBA. That's at s A L

1999
02:09:16,520 --> 02:09:20,359
M A n A l I n
BA. He covers the Rockets for ESPN

2000
02:09:20,439 --> 02:09:26,159
ninety seven point five and hosts the
Red Nation Hoops podcasts as well. Once

2001
02:09:26,239 --> 02:09:28,640
more, Thanks against Salmon, and
I'm sure, as you know, and

2002
02:09:28,720 --> 02:09:31,319
it might be soon I'm gonna be
pestering you again. Yeah. Sure,

2003
02:09:31,560 --> 02:09:35,279
Just don't watch the Rockets on League
Past Preece. Just just just just don't

2004
02:09:35,319 --> 02:09:48,000
do that. Sugar Ray, Leonard, Roberto Duran, Marvelous, Marvin Hagler,

2005
02:09:48,079 --> 02:09:52,239
and Thomas Hearns, legends whose four
way rivalry define one of the greatest

2006
02:09:52,399 --> 02:09:58,359
errors in boxing history, relive their
decade of dominance in the new Showtime Sports

2007
02:09:58,439 --> 02:10:03,800
documentary The Kings, a four part
series premiering Sunday, June sixth, only on Showtime