What is krack alacin, Fellow thermonuclear affors, I am Madan fa Valley,
coming at you with my certified fanab you as co host, mister Grant Hughes.
We're onto the awards part of our preseason podcast series. I don't know
what number this will be, but we are very close to the end of
our thirty three part series where we do a pot on every single team plus
over unders one per conference, and this awards podcast. That's a lot of
content, So subscribe if you haven't already. YouTube, Spotify, Apple and
ratings and reviews. Help a lot written reviews along with your ratings on Apple
that means the world to us. Follow us on the socials. Join our
discords link that's in the podcast YouTube description. Also join our discord because you
compete. You can compete against Grant and I in the over under competition,
and I set it up so you can input exact records, but you're just
going over under pasting the red or the green into which teams will go over
under. So go join our discord so that you can partake in that and
buy our merch If you'd like to help support the show. The link that
is in the podcast and YouTube description as well. Grant, how the heck
are you doing? I'm very well. You just mentioned to me this over
under competition, which excites me a great deal. Have we set the stakes
like do if someone I mean not if when someone beats us? What do
they get to host the podcast for an episode? And then do we refuse
a peaceful transfer of power and just say the votes were wrong? I'm thinking
the winner amongst the listeners and if they beat us that if you beat both
Grant and I, you can choose the subject matter, but the winner of
the over under will get to come on the podcast. Perfect. That's something
that they are interested in. So another reason to go join our discord the
link? Where is it, Grant? I mean, it's in the YouTube
and podcast descriptions. It's very And where is discord Dan? It's on the
internet. That's something I do. It's out there. Can you just can
you call Apple to confirm that? Yeah, it's like the series of tubes
that make up the Internet aren't working. Yeah. No, I'm excited about
that. That that's a cool idea. And hopefully, well we finished in
the top I just hope we finished in the top fiftieth percent. Tile of
submissions. Otherwise it's a bad look. Can I tell you something, I'm
not confident. I'm really I'm not confident. I'm I'm so confident, I'm
not confident of it. Before we get started, I would like to address
this very quickly. The Rockets traded Kevin Porter Junior some seconds to the Oklahoma
City Thunder for Victor Oladipo and Jeremiah Robinson earl it Is, as well as
reported a bookkeeping move. The charges against Kevin Porter Junior were also dropped,
I think the Manhattan District Attorney announced recently. My thoughts on this are I.
I don't think the Rockets they should have had to live with this mistake.
The contract was the contract. It was structured in the way that it
was because they knew he was a wild card. The reason they were able
to acquire him in the first place was because of questionable behavior. Per the
report from Clutch Fans, they enabled a lot of that behavior behind the scenes.
And there are people in my mentions right now and I conveyed it.
I think it's cringey as shit, but I conveyed it as this is my
opinion. I'm not speaking for Grant, but I didn't want to not note
the transaction itself. I don't think one that the Rockets should have just been
allowed to undo this mistake, and I believe they're saving money in the process
because Oladipo and Jeremiah Robinson Earl do not make as much as Kevin Porter Junior
this season for the Thunder. I don't know why you would want this player
associated with your franchise just so you can get clearsome roster spots and get a
second round pick. The people that are saying he was going to get paid
anyway, then he should have gotten paid by the Rockets who gave him that
contract, knowing what an off court risk he was. And I just I
find it cringey that I don't want to see people. It's okay to criticize
the team that you root for. I promise you it is okay. We
will compliment the Thunder for other things, just like we've complimented them in the
past for other things. Moving forward, it's okay to just say no,
they shouldn't have done this, And it's not just about operating as a business.
Yes, the NBA is a business, but this opportunity would not have
been available through the Thunder if the intimate partner violence incident did not happen with
Kevin Porter Junior. Conversely, would the Rockets have been looking to make this
deal, this exact deal, if that incident didn't happen. No, and
so I'm not a fan of instances as extreme as this, saying the NBA
its teams get to operate as business as usual because this is a business.
No, it's okay to just say no, this shouldn't have happened, and
the Rockets should have eaten their mistake. I know, per the CBA,
they probably couldn't have disciplined him. They could have outright waived him, or
they could have waited until the investigation by the league and themselves was complete.
That's just where I land on it. I'm sure if Grant you want to
add anything to it, I would be more than happy to. No,
I think, I mean, I think the main thing I don't take issue
with anything you said. It is cringey, it is, you know.
But the only outcome I think that wouldn't have been create is just waving him,
you know, which, which I would have Well, I think that
probably would have been the right decision. I think, I'm I don't have
a lot to add other than to say, I'm just glad we'd like I
don't feel like we're gonna need to talk or think about him for a while.
And that's cool. So I'm ready. I'm ready to just not have
that taking up any any brain cells for a while. Yeah, And I
the only the final thing I'll just say is I just don't understand the need
to defend the Thunder or the Rockets in the sense of this. They needed
to get off his deal. No they didn't. They shouldn't have offered him
the contract if that was money. And the other thing this is real,
Galaxy brain, is that the Thunder deserved to be commended for facilitating his removal
from the league. It was happening. It was happening anyway, and so
there. And you know what, the Thunder probably had other opportunities this offseason
to make these types of moves where they could have cleared up roster spots and
elected to wait. So we say nice things about the Thunder all the time.
This is not gonna be one of them. But we are free to
move on. I just didn't want it to go unnoted. How do we
I'm gonna you're gonna control this. How do we want to how do we
want to go about this? Where do we want to begin? Were in
charge? So I think I think it's just start up, that we should
start with MVP. Let's start at the top. And I don't know,
I think we can it can be kind of loose because the problem. I
don't know how you approach this, but the process for me was kind of
let me make a list of like fifteen guys and kind of start coming up
with reasons why they won't win it, and then you get down that's it,
because I just want to make this. Maybe it's lame, like some
of these takes and picks are a little hotter than others, but I kind
of went with the approach of like trying to get this right. So I
need to just pick the person that I have the fewest uncertainties about. I
don't know how you approach it, but so I start with a big list
and we can just we can go through like who we ruled out and why,
or we can just name our guy and then go down the list and
say this one, these three are out for this reason. This guy's out
for this reason. So that that's kind of how I went about it.
Did you do an actual ballot though, Like, do you have like a
top five for this winner? I got a guy in green as my winner,
and then there's not a uniform number of guys I'd put down the ballot,
but there's like a yellow who are sort of like in the in in
the finalist area. So I didn't actually do a full ballot, but it's
kind of like the guy and then a couple others that I think have a
chance, but I'm not picking him, and then a bunch more that it's
like I ruled him out. So it's probably just best to go. We'll
reveal our winners and then the I did five, like I have, I
have ten guys listed for MVP. I think because it was tough. I
did rank my MVP because if your top five on your MVP ballot is not
also your first team all NBA, I don't there's no positions anymore, so
I don't know what what that point would be, So it's probably just best
to work through our winners in any like you know, the cream of the
crop. Honorable mentions that we went with, and I will I will say
it was hard this year. I don't know why. Maybe it the parody
in the league contributes to parody and awards. But I factored in the sixty
five game minimum we have to keep in the back of our head, and
so that impacted, well, how much of a chance was I willing to
take on in Anthony Davis or a Kawhi if I was talking about all NBA
teams. So that made it a little bit more challenging as well. Yeah,
that is, and we should maybe just put some of this out up
front. The sixty five game minimum is actually kind of a it's a little
looser than that to be considered for awards, because there's a way you can
play sixty two or sixty three, and then if the other two games are
you know, you played at least twenty minutes. It's just like, but
we're just I when I was doing this, I just I didn't get into
the weeds too far. It's just is this guy gonna play sixty five games?
And if the answer was probably yeah, then I considered them that.
I kept it pretty pretty simple in that regard. And these are who we
are predicting. It's not who we think necessarily will win. I think I
did who I think is gonna win it, So you want that I went
for I guess it's at this point that's the same thing where it's like,
so, but our ballots aren't necessarily meant to reflect, like I don't I
think Nicole Jokic was both of our MVPs this past year, was it not?
So that's more of a mid season thing where it's we're picking who we
would pick, not who we think is gonna win. So right now it's
both who we'd pick and who we think is gonna win. So you are
you are correct? I don't know. All right, that's enough preamble.
I'll tell you just let's just start. I picked Jokic for MVP again,
and I don't know, like how much justification do we really need, Like
there's a great argument he should be trying to get his fourth in a row
right now. I just it came down to there is an element of team
success for MVP, Like it's undeniable. It's really hard to win MVP if
your team is not top three, top two in the conference. And Denver
I think just I have the fewest questions about Denver being in you know,
team success. I think check Jokic's centrality to that success, Like massive check,
biggest check of anybody in the league, because all the numbers we know
they're just aren't good when he doesn't play. So if Denver is really good,
it will only be because Jokic is really good. So you know that
those two things aren't in place for a lot of other guys. He's going
to have the individual production, like he'll just walk into twenty five, ten
and nine or whatever easily. And then health, I mean, of the
best play in the league. I have the fewest questions about him staying healthy
and getting over the sixty five games. So that's why he was the pick
for me. It's like it's very un sexy because I think it's he's fairly
close to the consensus just the best in the league and whatever. But yeah,
we can talk. We'll get into more of like other considerations, But
who did you have. I'm Nikolaijokic as well, and dovetails with a lot
of what you say. I would re emphasize. I mean, despite what
Calvin Booth thinks about Peyton Watson's Hall of Fame chances, the bench is not
great this year, I would argue, just because I know they didn't lean
on Christian Brown during the regular season a ton last year. So I mean
last year during the regular season, you had six guys that you trusted to
log these heavy minutes. It's the same case again, only I think now
once you get beyond those six guys, and maybe even including those six guys,
just because Brown's only a sophomore, I know he's older, a proven
winner. You're rolling the dice, and if all of those dice rolls or
some of those dice rolls don't pan out, the importance of Nikoliokic only increases,
and so he wins from every angle. It's when you're trying to pick
your MVP, it's who kind of is on a team that's good enough,
is having like a large enough indispensable impact, and then like there has to
be the narrative element of look what he's doing, how he uplifts them,
And I think Nicole Jokicic checks every possible box. There my only concern for
picking him, and I try not to let this factor in For me,
They're still going to be the voter fatigue because he won two in a row.
It was between him and Joel Embiid really last year, and I mean,
even just thebid Giannis Jokic MVP debate feels like it's it's never ending,
and so does that hurt him? I don't think it will. I think
people, what could actually and before I throw it back to you go through
your ahms, what can actually really help him is, Oh, he's coming
off a really long playoff run, even though they dominated in the playoffs,
and yet he's still this good. There's no championship hangover, He's still this
important. And the Nuggets don't seem to be treating this like the stuff coming
out of camp. I know it's training camp in preseason and whatever, but
they seem very serious about this regular season to where now they're bearing the burden
of pressure where people have expectations for them. And I'm very interested to just
see how Yoki response to that, because I think that he's going to be
just as spectacular as ever. Yeah, I think I agree with that.
So I'll go further down. I don't have a I was gonna say,
down the ballot, So the next like chunk, I guess there are four
conveniently that I that I considered, and that they all I'll give you the
argument like why I don't think they're on Yokic's level as consideration, So I
have Yiannis, but I just think Dame is going to kind of cannibalize some
of that vote. I think Lillard will be really good there, and it'll
be difficult to say who. I mean. I think Giannest will have more
to do with the Buck success, but it might be like a you know,
a fifty five to forty five split or something or something close to that,
where you have who do we credit for this? Neither of these guys
are on my ballot or I have be honest on my ballot, like maybe
overlap. I have honest too. Yeah, And I actually think I agree
with Dame kind of cannibalizing his consideration. But I also look at it as
because of the concessions the buk have made on defense and with some of their
depth, that Giannis is so much more valuable to them on defense now than
he was last year that I think that could actually inflate his MVP case again
He's I have him too, And it's also just the Bucks are going to
be really good and they might churn out would they win last year? Was
it fifty eight or fifty seven? And it kind of just like that could
happen again. If health breaks right, they just might be so good.
It's well, we have to take the best player from that team, and
that's clearly gonna be him. Yeah, I would say he's probably my too,
is the first guy I mentioned. I would say he's probably next on
the list. I think that's a great point. He really has an opportunity
to to and we'll get to this later too, like defensively prove that he
can be you know, he's got all this extra energy because he's not tasked
with so much offensive stuff. He might really pop there. I have himbiid
like, I don't know. I guess he's third, but I have real
questions about are the sixers gonna win the fifty plus games? I think we
both went under or we didn't think they'd win quite that many. And then
the again the health ish, like, you know, he's relatively healthy for
him, but that sixty five game threshold looks kind of kind of tough to
me. And the vibes are bad with the hardened quagmire thing. So did
you have m being on there too? He was number six. Just I
don't know if he's going to reach the games played threshold and that, by
the way, we both went over on the sixers. We did what was
it like forty It was forty seven and a half. I could double jack
really quick. It was forty seven and a half, and I think we
went with or was forty eight and a half and we went with forty nine.
Okay, that's that feels like too few wins, don't you think like
even if they hit forty nine, I mean, it'd be close, But
I feel a lot better about my MVP candidate if they're over that, like
magical fifty game march. I think it's also I could envision the East being
a Saria where it's like fifty two games is the one seed type team.
Yeah, that's true. I could be all right. So I don't feel
good about either of these next two guys. I have Steph and Jason Tatum.
Curry hasn't played sixty five games since eighteen nineteen, so like that we
do that might just end it there. Uh. And then Tatum I have
written in my notes like he will need to take a big step forward,
like I think he he's you know, most people would say he's top ten
in terms of like where he sits in the league or somewhere around there.
You really got to be like in the top five, you know category,
and the Celtics will have to win a ton of games. That's the other
thing is I think Boston's gonna win a shitload of games, so and he'll
probably be the most significant reason for that. I like some of my omissions
honestly better and think they're better players, but I don't think their teams are
going to be good enough. So I'll throw it back to you there.
So I had step third because it's a gamble. But this whole thing is
just a gamble. Like you said, he hasn't played in sixty five games
in a while, or like, but he only needs to get to sixty
two. But yeah, really it's there. Feels like there's a sense of
urgency with the Warriors, just based off I actually think the Jordan Poole move
was also a bookkeeping move. But when you swap out someone that young,
who is so integral to your two timeline structure, for Chris Paul, who's
on this such a media track where you're not going to have them for more
than this season, maybe not even the entirety of this season. I talked
to this about Samus Findiari, and this also swayed me towards it is that
the Warriors understand the urgency behind this window to the extent that where it feels
like Bob Meyers maybe wouldn't have reflipped CP three in the middle of the season
if the right trade came along, Mike Dunleavy Junior and Kirk lacub might and
so just the urgency, I think that leads me to believe that Steph is
gonna be on. They're all trying to just put what happened last season behind
them, and I think what could hurt his MVP cases if they start really
doing well in the minutes without him because of Chris Paul running the offense.
But he is just it's kind of shocking. I saw someone and I don't
really get in the team propaganda, but the fact that Steph is never ranked
higher than like fourth in ESPN's Top one hundred or something like that over the
past like whatever years ever since his first title is been kind of weird to
me. He was kind of like an early favorite before he got hurt last
year. He was playing so well, and so just if things break right,
I think he'll be like, he'll definitely be in the top five or
top three whatever. So I have him there. I have Jason Tatum number
seven. I think his case was a lot stronger before the Drew Holiday trade.
I'm worried, you know, are we going to see as much of
a playmaking improvement or playmaking reliance on him with Drew Holliday there. Peyton Pritchard's
still there. It could, it totally could happen. But now Drew Holliday
is going to even alleviate some of the defensive burden from him. I think
it's better for the Celtics and all the wrong run. I just think when
you have so much talent Jalen Brown, Drew Holliday, Christos porzingis now that
could dilute his case a little bit, even though none of those guys are
on the MVP level. So he was seven. I had Luka, Doncic
and Devin Booker were both in my top five. I'm really bullish on the
Devin Booker stuff. I think a lot of it's gonna have to come down
to know. His stat lines are not as gaudy as as Lucas or maybe
even maybe even they could be as gaudy as tatums pretty easily, but he
is going to be He's the most critical piece of that team to making the
three star combination. We don't have a real point guard work. He is
their best passer now. I don't think I'm overlooking anybody there, and I
think that we're gonna see as as assist total skyrocket. I think the way
he can move and play without the ball is gonna be important to kind of
optimizing KD and Bradley beal at points and so just given that role and that
importance and how much one he's improved defensively, but two that they're gonna need
to lean on him defensively this season, I think it's set up well for
him to crack the top five. And Lucas just Luca. My issue with
him is just I don't know if the MAVs are gonna be good enough to
wear this could like and he's not gonna get the Shay Gilders Alexander bump where
it's oh, your team wasn't great, but you were just so great,
we're gonna throw you in there. He has Kyrie, there's immediate expectations there.
I feel very uncomfortable putting him in my top five, but just some
other names that I considered to round out my top ten. I have SGA
at eight, Duran at nine, and just Lebron at ten. I really
wanted to throw SGA further up there. I just Sam Presty has preached patients
with this team and how they may have borrowed some wins from the future.
So I question one whether the Thunder will win enough, and then there's just
the other There could be some pole back for SGA. Two, when you
want to expand the roles for Josh Giddy, you have chet Holmgrid there maybe
even expansion for Jalen Williams. Could that eat into some of how central he
was to their offense? Yeah, no, I agree with all that.
So the three guys that were the toughest emissions for me were SGA, Luca,
and Booker. I think Luca will just have an MVP statistical case for
sure, but we agree like I don't. I don't like Dallas to win,
you know, forty five games, let alone fifty necessarily SGA same thing.
I think he could put up the exact same stats as last year,
and if the Thunder don't add a bunch more wins. I don't think he's
a realistic competitor. Booker. I feel the worst about the reason I went
away from him as like a serious, you know threat to Jokic, which
I mean he is, because we're talking about four and fifty players and we're
you know, limiting our conversation like ten. So obviously he's a threat to
win it. But he looked so good against Portland in the preseason bit that
I watched last night. We're recording this on Tuesday. Did you also bet
on preseason basketball as well? No, but I did feel like I needed
to watch the Suns a little bit. And he comes out, Booker and
hits like four threes in the first quarter and is like getting steals by like
fighting through posts from behind in the post and like triggering breaks, And I
was like, God, damn it, this gup? Why did I not
put this guy higher on my MVP. I think Durant is gonna cannibalize some
of the vote, even though I don't think Durant's gonna play sixty five games.
I think it'll be another situation where it's like who do we credit for
this? But I agree that Booker is the one who probably deserves and will
deserve the most credit. I had a couple other down ballots. I had
Dame Like down the ballot quite a ways. And I also had Darren Fox
down a little bit, just because I think he's not it's not ridiculous to
throw him in there. This year, I was gonna ask you, who
do you if you had to pick a player that had like the sgaesque rise
up the MVP ballot to where he could be in top five? What were
some of the names that you would think of? And darn Fox certainly.
I mean, he just made an All NBA team, so it wouldn't come
out of me. It's not like some huge thing. I mean, if
you're Fox, Fox stands out in that group quite a bit to me.
I think Tyre's halliber And is probably another, ironically former teammates, is another
guy that, like the Pacers, will not win anywhere close enough games for
him to be an MVP, but like he's someone that might get you know,
he might get thrown like a third you know, down ballot vote at
some point because his numbers will be great and it'll be very clear that he's
the reason the Pacers are as good as they are however, good that is
trying to think who else I might I'm looking at like my all NBA stuff,
and most of the guys I have on third team I don't think have
a realistic MVP shot. I think in terms of the SGA question, Anthony
Edwards would probably be a possible answer for that. I think break right in
Minnesota. I don't know if Pascal Siakam would really qualify, but like he's
never finished super high in the MVP ballot, and then the other one,
this is like he's been round for a minute. But Trey Young just I
hate, I hate that you picked him because I think kind of the same
way. Yeah, I like, I like, I'm kind of bullish on
the Trey Young twenty three to twenty four season right now. So we should
also say the guys that I just kind of threw out because of the games
thing. Who Otherwise you're like, where is this? So KD, I
don't think it's gonna play enough, Kawhi, Paul George. I actually have
Lebron in that group, I don't, I mean sixty five games he made.
That's why I put him. Because the MVP bount's only five names deep.
So like if you're in the top ten. It's just sort of like
a nod to I would consider you, and that might have maybe that's the
better way. Who else do we need to say? A D I think
is like, is Fringe MVP good enough most of the time, but he's
not gonna play jaw Kyrie z Ion, Jimmy Butler, I think is not
gonna do what happens if the Sixers are really good and Beads availability as wonky
and James Harden is the driving force of us. There's there are so many
hypotheticals you just listed, like layered on top of each other that are not
going to happen that I'm not prepared to entertain that possibility. Harden as a
friend, I mean no, I'm not ready to go down that road of
having to think about Harden as an MVP. I this would be like way
too galaxy brain. But I was just like, if they do, we
need to talk about anyone in Cleveland. So I have Mitchell like on a
Mitchell's gonna make an All NBA team for me, So I guess he's the
one. And actually I have a second cav on an All NBA team,
not to tease it, too much. But this guy he also I think
it could be Darius Carden might be their best player this season. That is
certain. H they have three guys that I think you can reasonably say in
Mobley Garland and Donovan Mitchell you think that could be their best player of the
season. I don't think any other team has that type of hierarchy where it's
I guess, would you say the Suns come closest to where it would probably
floor me if Bradley Beal was their best player this year? Yeah? Yeah,
outside the realm of and I mean in a good way, not like,
well, the Wizards have like eight guys who could be right right right
right, Yeah. Yeah, it's not always great if you can't identify a
team as best player. So sometimes it is, but sometimes it's not.
Okay, Yeah, so we both have Jokic and our but we're not that
far apart on any of this. Do we forget anybody we named like probably
thirty guys altogether here? You let's just throw I mean, if the Magic
are good, bank Cao, I mean, don't give me. Can you
stop like putting it on a tee for me to offend Magic fans? Okay,
what happens, if what happens if the Hornets win forty six games or
something mellow. Making the of that conversation, Yeah, I think I could
see him getting because I don't know how you felt, but getting to All
NBA Third Team, I was thinking, like, like forty different people at
that point. We literally made honorable mentions of our teams. I could have
made ten All nbaights, right, Yeah, Yeah, No, I think
that's an interesting one. I'm trying to think who else. I guess,
like, if the Heat have the best defense in the league, maybe Bam
is someone that gets like, you know, finishes top ten ish and MVP
voting or something like that. I guess ruled out Jimmy for for games played
reasons. Yeah, that's about all I got. I don't I don't think
anybody else is. We haven't. I mean, we haven't really like deeply
snubbed anybody here. You want to do Defensive Player of the Year, Yeah,
so kind of similar here. I I there's a lot, there's probably
I think there are really like four or five really good options here. I
had to go Evan Mobley. I know you had him last year as your
guy. It still I'm sorry to interrupt, it's already spoilers. I've been
Mobley again. Of course you do. You had him last year in his
second year. You can't not pick him for his third. I did not.
He was not I would have to look. I'm pretty sure he was
not my preseason no, no, no, no. But by the time
at the end of the year, he's he was your guy, right,
Oh, yeah, he was my guy. But I just did not expect
you to pick him. No. I well, so I I here's the
reasons. So the other considerations for me, the serious ones. Jared Jackson,
I don't have a great argument against him winning it except voter fatigue maybe,
and he might miss time because he tends to do that. I have
Giannis, and I have Draymond, and I have questions about both of those
guys. Draymond the game limit, he's already probably gonna miss a couple maybe
with the ankle. Uh. And I you know, he's getting up there.
I think he slipped a little bit last year. Although you hear some
people had Draymond as like the best permanent defensive guy in the league last year,
So he's in consideration. Who'd I say, Jackson, Jannis, Draymond,
oh uh. I don't know how I elevate this guy above a lot
of others, But I think Nick Claxton might be really good this I like,
I think Nick Claxton is a really good defender, but I think I
think this could be like a leap defensive year. But I don't know how
you're gonna credit him with like a lot of other good really defense, really
good defensive players on that team, like Bridgers will probably get consideration. Part
of it, too, is it's we're not at the point where people are
looking only at the minutes those players are on the court. They're like,
oh, well, like, if the Nets are four teams in defense,
how is Nick Claxton going to win Defensive Player of the Year. Yeah,
Nick claston might make an appears on one of my all defense teams. I
only went five deep or three deep on this ballot, but no I went
five deep, So I have Evan Normley at one. I have Draymond it
too. Again, I'm really buying into the rebirth of the Warriors, and
I do think that he had a case as the best permanent defender last year.
Jared Jackson Junior was just overwhelming, and Evan Mobley played so many minutes.
My case, Revin Mobley, by the way, I think a lot
of people will say, well, he's playing with Jared Allen. Here's the
thing, he's kind of in the this role is different. But when you're
looking at the rim stuff, where Jannis ends up contesting more shots at the
rim than you think, it's the same for Evan Mobley, who I think
was in like the top five or whatever of shots because he played so much,
and then he differentiates from Giannis. Where Jiannice is sort of this chaos
creator away from the ball. I think Evan Mobley can do that. He's
more of the guy where it's like, no, you got to go check
these other people. And so I'm not saying there's more value in that one
way or the other, but to do those like it's a little bit easier
to be when there's another big on the court. I'm really not trying to
devalue Yannis here. I think Giannis is no worse than the third best player
alive right now. I just think Evan Mobley's defense like it's if you're having
to check specific assignments and you're not the primary rim protector, it could be
harder to make an impact as a rim protector, and I know a lot
of that is probably Evan Mobley's gonna get minutes as the primary big more so
than Giannis. That's gonna be part of this value too. I will say
when we get to all defense, that's the one change without positions that will
benefit big men, which I think is fair because guards are gonna rule the
day, probably in the All NBA stuff. So that's my case for Mobiley,
and I'm trying to get out in front of how people will discredit him.
He also just might be the best defend They're on the league's best defense,
and we don't have to overthink like it's okay to go that route.
I mean, it's you get to a point where you know when it's done
by so much committee. But when you're the best defense and three of the
players and your most used lineup for borderline liabilities, then there starts to be
something too. Oh, if that's the best player, best defensive player,
it matters. I already mentioned Draymond Giannis again, I think for the Bucks
to be really good and maintain their level of top ten defensive type, it's
gonna come down to him more than Brook Lopez without truality there, and I
just think he's I think he's fully capable of doing that. And then Mike,
I think you mentioned them already that I had as like my five mentions.
Bam Adebayo on Jaron Jackson Junior, I don't know that. I partly
just doesn't trust the heat defensively a little bit. We saw some pullback last
year, and because BAM's not that traditional rim protector, I wonder if that
hurts his case a little bit. I don't know what to do with Jaron
Jackson Junior. The game's played stuff or total minutes played. I feel like
he could eventually lose ground to guys that are just on the court more even
if he reaches the games played threshold, but he could certainly win again.
I've also wondered, I think I believe Marcus Mart's a defensive upgrade over Dylan
Brooks just because positionally, even if you think Dylan Brooks is just that better
one on one guy, and does that dilute his case at all, because
Dylan Brooks was never in the conversation as dpoy even when he was doing the
all defense. So the Grizzlies are good on defense, is well well he
is Steven Adams and now Marcus Smart, So I maybe I was overthinking that
element of it too, And I couldn't get to Nick Claxton for defensive Player
of the Year. But I'm a Nick Claxton sicco. So I appreciate you.
Yeah, I mean, yeah, I think I have him like a
loose fifth, which is, you know, the guy that I have like
twelve is probably pretty close. But like the Jackson thing is interesting because I
think I think Memphis is going to be very very good, at least certainly
to start the year on defense, because you're not going to mean, yeah,
the first twenty five games, give or take I'm not sure why.
Uh, And and because like if Adams is healthy and you got Smart and
like that, defense should be really good and there might just be I don't
think the narrative gets like calcified quite that early, but I think he'll have
a lot of very early momentum, not that he wasn't gonna otherwise, but
a couple other guys I thought about. I think Brook Lopez deserves a mention,
Anthony Davis obviously, Walker Kessler I think deserves a mention here. I'm
trying, like og probably your need to sell me on this is it just
like it's the Brook Lopez case of just like look at that rim protection.
It's it's one hundred percent that is that is all it is. Like he
was an elite rim protector as a rookie, and I think he can just
be a little bit better in space. And the thing is, I don't
know how much it's gonna like Utah, Utah just probably won't have a defense
that's good enough to produce a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in a serious
way. I'm just you know, I'm just throwing. We've mentioned like fifteen
is there, And I apologize if I missed the name that you said.
If you had to pick a predominantly perimeter defender that could win DPOY this year,
who would you throw? And I mean Evan Mobley counts. So let's
exclude exclude him. Well, then then that's easy. I think there's a
couple I think like og is someone I don't know if yeah, he's a
perimeter defender even though he's like seventy five positions, which I think is yeah
that count. Perimeter is a position that you can defend. So he's in
there. I'm trying to think who else the littler guards like Holiday Caruso.
I don't think that's that's realistically gonna happen. Michail Bridges maybe, but I
feel like his offensive role is a little too big to get, you know,
serious consideration. Who am I forgetting besides after Og as a perimeter guy
you have? Do you think this might be this might be a little too
much? But like Jade McDaniels, can he get in there? Or is
Edwards and Rudy Gobert too much? Now I could see that. I think
that's a good one. I think I had one more of that now I
can't remember who it was. So here's something I wanted. I will I'll
wait until we get to something because this is not going to be this,
so I'll save it. But yeah, I don't The perimeter one's tough because
it's like Drew Holliday, Derek White hurt like could have Herb Jones. That's
it was, Yeah White, could Herb Jones get in there? Maybe?
I mean he kind of do do you feel like fair or not? I
think the the evaluation if his second year would be one of like most people
think it was disappointing right a little bit for Herb Jones because he was such
a like so as a rookie and they're like, oh, where the Pelicans
got this guy? You know late way later in the draft that you should
be able to get one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. And
then he was kind of similar to that year, but just like didn't really
improve that much offensively and now now maybe it's time for him to really pop
and and you know it'll catch people on unawares. I don't know, we've
cannibalized a lot of our All Defensive team top that was the first the first
teams of all NBA and all defense like and even rookie like when you're it's
just yeah, I will the one name and I can't remember if you mentioned
him, but I just couldn't get there with the games played, and he
is he is the guy that I think could upend everything we just said,
even more than a generator like Anthony Davis. For sure. Yeah, it
feels like the guy that could just upend all of this. If he plays
sixty five games, I think he probably finishes no lower than third in voting.
Would would you agree? Like? I think I just that's really where
he is. I just I can't get there. I just like know,
like he can're not going to play sixty five games. He hasn't played,
and so I guess the equivalent of the pandemic season, he played sixty two,
so that would be the equivalent of sixty five. But like otherwise he
hasn't even even if you're pro rating in twenty twenty, twenty twenty one,
he has not gotten to sixty five since twenty seventeen two eighteen the equivalent,
and so it's happened once since then. It's just that's just where I'm at.
Yep, No, I think that's again, Like it's not a question
of ability, it's it's availability. You have to Rookie of the year just
because I feel like that'll be they'll be cool to have that next Like,
so I really think Brandon Miller is getting I mean, like, what do
we need to talk about here? Is it? Is it Wenby or the
field? If you had to pick Wembin Yama versus the field, who would
you pick? Look, the field is always the safer pick. But I'm
just looking at like, who is the guy that you think is going to
have the chance to have like maybe Wemby Wenby's going to have the opportunity in
so many different fats of the game, you have the impact. Maybe he's
bad, he will not be, which is maybe he is. Who else
is going to have the same scale of opportunity aside from Scoot Henderson because Chet
Holmgren might should be one of the three best rookies, Like his offensive responsibility
isn't going to be the same even his defensive responsibility. Yes, he's important
to the rebounding, the protection, but when you look at who is in
front of him, like Sga had a bounce back year, Lou dort Jyalen
Williams, I mean, poku Ushman Jang like talk about it. No,
that's a great point. It's it's not even well you probably saw this putting
the rookie teams together. It's like there's the three guys. There's Wemby,
Scoot and Chet that are clearly and Chet, I mean it's really Wemby and
Scoot. If you're talking about just opportunity to get tons of numbers. Chet
I think is is easily in that group of three in terms of like,
well, he has a shot, but he's not gonna have the nearly as
big a role, certainly Scoot probably in terms of like who's tasked with doing
the most, he probably is gonna have to do more than women Yama defensively
for sure. Yeah, I guess maybe just by virtue of his position defensively,
but if he's playing with Tybow and Sharp, he should They probably move
around. I was gonna ask you this, and it's putting you on the
spot. Who is then, like if you're even if you want to include
home Green Web, like, who is the rookie that's gonna have that next
biggest opportunity, like the biggest role, like to where they could not just
minutes played, but like where we're talking about Andrew Nemhard last year, who
should have made an All Rookie team, but where it's like he will also
have that role where the stats go along with it, like Andrew Nemhard's role
was not stats based. I don't know that I have in answer. I
just don't know if it's a good one I have. I wonder if we're
gonna have the same guy. But so, I mean I kind of ruled
out both of the Thompson's just because I think a star might start. I
mean he's been starting over Jade and Ivy in preseason, and I don't know
how much you read into that, but like he's just gonna be. He's
gonna have the defensive highlight reel a mile long, and then I don't know
what else is gonna happen. Like the offense is a real question mark.
I think I'm in is kind of the same way. But he's behind some
other young guys. So that's why I think, like I mean, Brandon
Miller probably probably should get a lot of reps. But but I don't think
either of us are in love with him. Is it Keyante George? How
is the guy? Because and this was it's I think it's live now.
So the look ahead with the jazz. Tony Jones came out and said he
would not be I think he said he would start him opening night, but
he thinks that before long, Count De George will be starting. And that's
just I mean, I still he's not gonna I wouldn't pick him to be
Holmegren, Wemby or Smooth, which, by the way, should we just
our order. I'm gonna get your order is the same as mine. Wemby,
Scoot Holmgren, Yeah, and I would, by the way, take
Wemby over the field. I think it's I'm prepared to do it, but
it's not the actual smart move. The smart move is painting in the field.
But we are smitten, and I think, look, I know I
keep referencing this, but we came away, you and I from his worst
game in Summer League thinking that he was gonna be one of the best players.
Yeah. Well, and like I love Scoot, I think Scoot's gonna
be really good. And Holmgren looked awesome when when I've seen him in preseason,
So like those two are both. Scoot is going to turn the Bowl
over a ton, I think just because he's playing with a bunch of young
guys a lot, and and he's just being asked to do quite a bit.
So he might not have a great statistical season. I still think he's
gonna get some counting numbers and he's gonna have flashes where it's pretty undeniable that
he's gonna be just a great lead guard for a long time. But Wemby
is just every game there's like five things that it's just no one else does,
and and we're just scratching the circle, like do we really need.
Just how many calories do we need to burn talking about how great women ya
is gonna be? Is that necessary? Well? So I want to I
want to see your opinion this. I just had to do an article where
I had to predict his complete stat line as wow, would you like to
see what I came up with? And again, so a lot of this
comes down to how are they gonna use him? How many minutes is he
gonna play? This is where I ended up with, We'll go we'll go
stat by stat, and you could tell me if you think it's too high,
too low, whatever. So I have him at thirty two point six
minutes a game. I was I hope, I was hoping that was gonna
be points per game until until you said okay I could. I would go,
that's a good over under, is what I'd say. That feels about
right now, And when it commers day is scoring. I want to point
out that over the past ten years or three players in their age twenty season
or younger have averaged more than twenty points. So it's not that common,
but it's Luca Zion and Palo Bancaro. With that said, I have Victor
Wimenyama at twenty point nine points per game, No problem with that, and
on fifty three point two percent two point shooting okay, thirty one point four
percent three point shooting, and seventy three point nine percent free throw shooting.
I think the the two point shooting has the biggest because I'd be a little
bit surprised if he's super efficient from three. Yeah, but like if they
use him a little bit more as a play finisher, I could see that
number going up. But based off what I've seen from preseason, they're gonna
give him the runway to experiment, and so I think that ends up bringing
his Some of the shots he's gonna take inherently will drive his two point percentage
down, would be my Yeah, that that's an interesting one. I I
just envisioned him getting four dunks a game in transition or on offensive rebounds or
whatever. So it's just you could take four more bad twos and you're still
shooting fifty percent on your twos. So I think I think, if anything,
the two point percentage seems a little low, okay, but that feels
about right. And I do like that you went low thirties on his three
pointers because he's gonna take some bad ones, and like, that's just it's
that that I don't think is gonna quite be there yet. So I like
that, what did you do rebounds and blocks and stuff? Oh yeah,
I did rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals, So rebounds, this
was tough for me. We know he has like a ninety foot standing reach
and that you don't need to be super strong to grab rebounds. However,
and I know he averaged double digits with the Metropolitans ninety two in the preseason,
he was under eight per thirty six, And I do think the way
they're gonna use him defensively where he's not the primary big teams will look to
pull him out of those low spots. And so unless the Spurs are just
committed to leaving him there, or maybe they play zone or something, I
went him with eight point four rebounds per game. I think that's I think
that if I might go under, if I had to go over under,
because it is gonna be a little bit more of a Jaron Jackson like Miles
Turner type of thing where he's gonna be away from the basket like kind of
a lot on both ends, I think potentially, And it's just the opportunities
may not be there, but yeah, I like that. What about blocks
and steals, that's kind of the most interesting part. Let me do this
just really quick. I went over under three point seven. I think he
has the ball in his hands enough. Wow, there'll be turnovers. But
the Spurs don't have they have Trey Jones as like your creator. And then
it's right, well, let's try Jeremy Sohan maybe played Devonte Graham. We'll
give Devin Vessel some some ball reps. I think I'd go under only because
and like, I think he also among the awesome things he does every game
we see him is like there's always a pass or two that he's on the
move and he quickly finds someone. Like it's a little like tic tac toe,
like short passes around the basket. So like, I think potentially he
could be a really good passer. Three point sevens a lot for a big
guy. But is he he's also just maybe like a small forward. Then
we don't know it yet, so I don't. I don't know. Uh,
Steels was tough because he doesn't get a lot of them. I think
because when you're someone who's going to be used in the way of Okay,
well you're protecting the rim or looking for blocks, and then I don't know,
he doesn't seem super aggressive looking for those on the ball, And I
don't think the Spurs are gonna have him party crashing passing lanes. I think
it's gonna be Oh, someone's driving, their back is turned to the three
point line. They they're throwing a kick out, but they forgot that one.
But Y'ama has this huge wingspan. He grabs it or he just reaches
in and pokes like wide. I went with one point one steals. Okay,
I could see that. I do think you're right, Like he's gonna
have steels where it's guys just not being accustomed to having to throw a pass
like even further outside or over or like he's just gonna get steals that no
one else has ever gotten. So he'll like bank a bunch of those because
guys are unready. Uh blocks, you gotta you have to have gone over
two and a half. Oh I did, but here, so I went
with before you say it too. I went with three point two. Okay,
now here's every rookie in league history who has hit three or more.
You had Sean Bradley hit three, as did to Ken Matumbo. Sean Bradley
did it, by the way, in only twenty eight point three minutes per
game, Alonzo Morning and Shaq had three and a half. David Robinson has
the NBA record at three point nine. I don't think Wemby's gonna get to
three point nine. David Robinson average like thirty nine like minutes per game or
his reviiear or it was thirty seven whatever it was. And then even Shack
he played more than I think Wemby will, he was closer to I think
he was at thirty seven point nine minutes, but Tumbo was at thirty eight
point three. But I just look at Wemby and I'm like, none of
the guys I just mentioned could block jumpers right the way that went like,
and even just these like mid range jumpers from the corner off of inbounds or
these floater shots that they'll come in. It would if I had to pick
the over the under on this, I would just take the over because he
is I've never seen anybody like him before. But I also wonder, okay,
do we need to pull back here. He's never gone through an eighty
two game season. How many minutes. Will the Spurs play him? Part
of me thinks I went too high, but I'm just I just I'm excited.
Yeah, I think if there's one stat that you sort of how about
this, I think that I think the block stat is the one where he
is most likely to do something statistically that we like all have to look at
each other and say, we need to like reevaluate what good defense is now
because he just averaged like four point nine blocks per game as a or something,
you know like that, I think, you know, he's not going
to average thirty points, he's not going to average nineteen boards, but like
he might block five shots a game like that's not he's gonna get too,
like by accident basically because he just happens to be there and like bats a
floater from twelve feet away or something. So yeah, I love the block
thing. You know what we what this is revealing to me is we didn't
mention him as like a down ballot defensive Player of the Year candidate, and
that's really stupid to have mentioned him. I will this is That's what I
was saving. I said, I thought, dpo, why because the Spurs
are gonna be awful on defense? Probably could he make an All defense team,
though, And so I was gonna give you the rookies that have made
all defense, okay, which is Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Manout Bowl,
Hakeem and Kareem abdul Jabar. And so it's just like that's it.
That on record is the only since I think all defensive teams are made,
those are the only rookies who have made it. The oldest rookie of the
bunch or youngest, I'm sorry, was Tim Duncan. That was his age
twenty one season. This will be Wenby's nineteen. Now it's his age twenty
season. He turns twenty in January. It's an awful lot to ask for
him to get there. And I don't know that the Spurs one will be
good enough defensively for him to get the shine even if he's on the floor.
Maybe they are. And then two, I just I'm not saying this
will happen. I want to reiterate that there could still be some late season
shenanigans in San Antonio, like they are not. They've made it. They
telegraphed that they're not operating on any sort with any sort of urgency, just
changed my first team all defense. By the way, while you're talking,
it'll be a big surprise to what I did. All right, what next
award? Do you want to take us? To? Six man? This
one's hard. I so my my green, my my pick is Boston guy.
I So I guess I'm taking two for one here. It's either Derek
White or it's Drew Holliday whoever doesn't start. If Al Horford is there,
possibly Drew Holliday doesn't start. They did that in the first preseason game.
To be honest, I haven't read up enough to see what the chatter has
been, but that is at least as of you know, a few days
ago, like that was on the table as a consideration. I think that
would be the wrong decision to bring Holiday off the bench. I think Derek
White is just like the no brainer for that. And if Derek White comes
off the bench as the Celtic six man, I think he wins six Man
of the Year. And I'm like not concerned about it. So maybe I
should just say Derek White, assuming Holiday is gonna start. But I just
yeah, I think you know, is gonna win a ton of games,
in my opinion, And I think either whoever is there, six man is
just going to be a really good, safe consideration. So I'll pick Derek
White. If I have to pick somebody, well, you because this is
a predictions, Oh for Boston coming off the bench. I thought you meant
like, if I have to pick a six man in the year, I'll
pike. Yeah, I was trying to get away with Boston guy. But
if you're going to really hold my feet to the fire, I guess I'll
go Derek White. Before you get further around, I went with Derek White
as well, and it might be I want to I feel like we need
to change the way we evaluate six men of the year. If you are
a bench player but you wind up with a bunch of starts because there were
injuries, isn't that part of the six man role. I don't have a
problem with the guy that eventually starts a bunch of games. There's a there's
a criteria in place, right, You've got to start a certain you got
to come off the bench in a certain percentage of games to qualify if it's
what we're starting up, like if it's like more than fifty percent five,
but if it's, oh, you need to come off the bench in like
eighty percent of your games. Well, part of being a sixth man is
to fill in when the fifth man can, right, Yeah, And there's
also more value in well if you can come in and it's oh, christophs
Porzingis is injured, but we can still start a guard and Derek White like,
there's value in that. Yeah, So he he is my one.
I think he should probably just be the favorite to win it now based on
the structure of Boston. It was very hard to come up with the rest
of my ballot. So I have my top three, I round it out
with, and then I have a bunch of names, and I'm sure you
do, so I'll wait for your bunches. But my top other three were
Malik Monk in Sacramento, so I think he plays a bunch of minutes.
The chemistry with the bonus is great. He was good last year. And
then number three is Josh Hart for me, oh, I like that one.
I didn't go very as deep down the ballot on this one. I
like both those. I also had Monk on my short list. I have
quickly there too, again just because I mean, what was his second last
year and a lot of people thought he should have won it. I also
have brogged in just because I assume wherever he goes, he's not gonna start
if he's if he stays in Portland for any length of time, forget all
this. Chris Paul, we talk about Chris, He's He's on my list
as well. Yeah, it feels too obvious, but that's as much as
I got. So Monk brogged and Paul quickly, and then Derek White as
like my easy feels like the quote unquote easy pick. Here are some other
names I have. I've Kyle Anderson, Norman Powell, I have Christian Brown
feels like a good, sneaky one. But is this like are we bones
high landing in this where it's like we're too high on him too soon?
I don't know if this guy will play in enough games. But bogged on
Bogdanovic, he's a good one. I think Gary Trent Junior could do it.
And here's the one that I'm bullish on. And if I thought he
wasn't gonna start. You hate him? I hate him? Yeah? Jal
Who do I hate? Jalen sucks? Ah? You know it's really bad?
Is that's who I was gonna guess Grant does not hate Jalen Sucks.
By the way, I don't hate Jalen Suggs. I just say the magic
guards are bad all the time, and he's a magic guard, so you
know, but I don't hate him for it. So I'm pretty bullish on
him. I just I feel like he should start. Maybe they go with
the Gary Harris route or something else there. But if he's coming off the
bench, well, he have the traditional scoring metrics, but looking at the
defensive impact, he has his shooting set, shooting turned a corner last year,
and then he will be I would think if he's defending as well as
he did last year in some high stakes closing units, and that would definitely
drum up his six Man of the Year case. Yeah no, that's fair.
I don't. I don't you know what. I don't hate that pick.
How about that? That was pretty quick though. It's like, Derek
White's an award to lose. I don't you could fill out. You could
tell me so many different orders of this award, don't. I'd be like,
yeah, sure, I'm not gonna art. People might get mad for
us to do me to mention you tell me who you want to win it.
And I'll just believe you. That's fine, right, I'm very excited
for most improved Player. Do you want to try to guess why pick on
this spot? Oh my, you're not picking Joonathan Kaminga, are you?
No? But he is on the he is on my list. You have
to put him on the list. Have you seen this preseason stuff like he's
not on my list? And also I tend to think that working from such
a god awful baseline should not well, I mean, you know, still
okay, So you're gonna hate this. You're gonna hate my actual pick even
more for so many reasons because you're an anti second year guy, which I
which is a defensible position to take, because you know, here's the thing,
here's what you're not taking into account. I'm gonna tell you why this
not. This anti second year take is uh oh no no. Or Orlando
Magic fans get ready to be angry. You can just like, I don't
know how long I'm gonna go on this, but you can hit the thirty
second skip like a handful of times if you want to. The most improved
player this year Dan is going to be one. Jalen Williams for the Oklahoma
City Thunder. And I know that might sound strange because I've already decided that
he is more God than man and it's hard to improve from that level.
But I'm convinced, maybe if you've listened to this at all, I'm convinced
that Jayalen Williams is going to be really, really good. And I think
you're gonna see a huge jump statistically this year because we saw it in the
second half of last year where he went to like eighteen five and four and
with like a fifty forty eighty something like he just was really great for the
second half of last year after his eye was healed and he could see the
basket when he shot the ball, so that so I'm just imagining the question
you have to ask yourself is what can Jalen Williams do with two eyes?
And I answer the like pretty easily. No, that is my pick.
That really is my pick because there's so many like there's more than any other
or this is just like, I don't know, pick a bunch of second
year guys, pick a bunch of third year guys. There's just like it's
so there's so many guys. I think we'll just get better. I also
hate some of the ones that are high odds guys. By the way,
we can get to that. But yeah, it's Jalen for me. I
imagine we share a lot of the further down ballot guys. And I will
not be offended if you don't have him on your list at all, because
I know your stance on Most Improved so Soccer. I do not have a
second year player on my list. Okay, so yeah, I just let's
let's say I do. I'm willing to include a second year player. What
is the pathway to his role meaningfully expanding this year? When you have Shay
and Giddy and Holm Grin they did draft Case and Wallace, they brought over
me Sich. They still have lou Dort, who they would like to do
less on offense, but he's still gonna eat up minutes you have. I
think they're gonna view Ushman Jang. We make jokes about Poku, but I
think they view Usman Jang is a real core piece here. I'm just I
think he might have to learn how to sort of not reinvent, but play
a little bit differently this year rather than just looking at all this extra usage.
I think the case the case is you're not wrong, like there Chet
is suddenly there and you've got to feed Chet and SGA is high usage and
all, and Giddy probably needs to have the ball a lot to just be
the you know, the best use of Giddy is not like as a spot
up threat. Like that's pretty clear. So I think the case is just
that Williams the way, the way I describe him a lot as kind of
dumbfounded is like what's he bad at? I just asked, like, what
is he not good at already? And it's like kind of hard to come
up with anything. So I think if the if the idea is well,
he's gonna have to sort of get in where he fits in and find ways
to contribute. If that's as a secondary playmaker, because mech like isn't as
you know, can't hold up defensively and isn't gonna be a good enough shot
creator. Like maybe he's on the ball a little more as as a true
secondary creator. I think defensively he has the frame and the ability to be
really good. I think he's gonna be a super efficient offensive player. I
think he's gonna read. I just think he's gonna be able. I don't
know, like I think he walks on water, so like I think he's
gonna figure out how to win Most Improved, I guess is my take.
Sorry if that's not gonna include enough stats for you, Yeah, that it
it's hard to be there, but sometimes you gotta follow your heart. It's
hard, it's hard to make a truly rational case. But what would you
so if he finishes this his second year averaging like say nineteen on, you
know, well above league average true shooting, and is you know, not
an all defense level guy, but is a is a plus defender that can
guard you know, two through four, certainly maybe one through four. I
mean that's improvement. That like, that's that's pretty durn good for a second
year guy. But I take a point, well, he should get better.
So how you've picked the right player in the sense that I'd be more
open to than most secondar player. Is Pale Bankaro winning the award because he's
working from such a high baseline, right, And it's the same for Jalen
Williams. And I think it was the thing with the Iaron Fox. So
I actually picked I believe to move when Most Improved when he was a sophomore,
and that was when I kind of changed my stance where it's yeah,
is that really fair? I'm not saying I'm right or wrong. I just
I'm trying to be a little bit consistent, so I will not pick a
second year player. That's where I'm at. Uh, you're trying to be
rational, which I respect. I just think I had to pick a second
year player. You picked one of the correct two. Okays, feel better
about it. You didn't have to do that. You could have just said
you're an idiot and you're biased. Then we can move. Who's your pick?
By the way, honest they thought you were just gonna be like your
case was. See he went to Santa Clara and no, I mean that
helps. But so my pick is Evan Mobley. We've already seen it defensively,
and is this the year that he gets stronger on the glass, maybe
against certain matchups. Is this the year he does more offensively? It could
be tough to imagine him doing more offensively when you have Donovan Mitchell and Darius
Garland. But Ricky Rubio is not there right now as he's dealing with his
mental health and they were already working in just like, oh, he's gonna
lead the break here, we're gonna run some stuff at the elbows for him,
or he's gonna run it from the top. I think we could see
more. I think we'll see at the very least more of his outside the
restricted area expansion. Well, I don't know if he's gonna get all these
post ups, like we'll see more he's operating going downhill and gonna throw up
some some floaters, or maybe we'll see some more face ups. Maybe they
sprinkle in some more three point volume as well. I think it's going to
click offensively for him, even if it's a matter of Alwa's gonna take some
of those fadeaways or his hook shots fall at a clip. And so if
this is someone who at the end of the season is averaging I don't know,
twenty plus points four plus assists per game, I'm not I'm just not
ruling that out. And he was at last year sixteen points two point eight
assist per game. So maybe even I'm selling them short on the passing.
I also had this discussion with Justin Rowan, who I just I'm a little
bit higher on mobili not than Justin long term, but I already think that
he's a transcendent passer that just hasn't been unlocked yet, and so I'm gonna
take the risk there. My other two, I came very close to picking
both these guys to win it. By the way, Devin Vessel, I'm
wondering how much better he'll actually be than his forty something game sample sized last
year. And then also the WEMBI of it all, Yeah, how did
that impact his usage? And then Franz Wagner, I've also wondered, Okay,
is there going to be opportunity for him to expand his game? They
kind of might need him too if they want to be competitive, But if
they're fully invested in development and they want to give Anthony Black a ton of
reps on the ball, I think that could harm his case a little bit.
But those are my top three. I also did two that I mentioned
and one I mentioned him because I find it hard to believe that it'll win.
I don't know what Anthony Edwards needs to do after having a friends all
NBA season to do it, but I think nationally he'll get a lot of
love and maybe he'll deserve it. Maybe it's the passing and the defense just
improved by so much and then this. He's technically a second year player,
so maybe he'll appreciate this, but Kay Cunningham could be someone that definitely enters
this company. Yeah make so. Uh, I was gonna say about Mobili
before I ask you about Kid. I think, don't you think it's really
he may not need it, but I think it is helpful for Mobili that
the most recent memory a lot of people have of him has more to do
with what he couldn't do right, like, with what his weaknesses were than
what his strengths were that playoff series just like, oh, he can't finish
over you know, contests, and he's not finding the guy and he's just
like his role stats were absurdly bad in terms of a points per play value.
So like I don't know, like he's just gonna be better. But
I think the fact that everybody is kind of not down on him, but
all we all we've we've talked about it a lot of like what he really
did kind of fail and it's not all on him. The Knicks played it
right and the Cavs had limitations. But I think it helps that like people
might view him as like if he does just showcase like an incredible passing package
this year because they have better spacing partly, and if he finishes better over
you know, tough contests or is just a better short roller, like everybody
will think like, oh my god, the strides he's made. He just
really addressed every weakness he had. I think, like narratively, that really
plays well for him. But so a couple others that I had, Oh
wait, tell me about kid, because like I saw Caid really high up
on the on the odds, I think he's like third or something, and
all these guys that have the highest odds seem crazy to me because I just
don't people agree that Caid already proved that he's like very He's like, how
much better does Caid have to get the efficiency from the perimeter, Yeah,
would be a big deal. And then Kenny Shoulder a little bit more basically
that. Yeah, so there's that there's Kenny Shoulder heavy defensive workload, and
I think the other thing, depending on how they run their rotations, how
well does he just fit into these dual big lineups that they're still gonna run
even though it won't be Wiseman badly anymore, And how well does he fit
like if they're playing Jay n Ivy and Arsol Thompson with him at the same
time. How well does he do to elevate those lineups or play off those
guys, And so I think his strongest case would be an efficiency bump,
and we see like a diver a diversification of his offensive portfolio. Yeah,
I think that, you know, that's that's that makes more sense than I
was given it credit for. I think, like, can you imagine him
winning it and everybody being like, yeah, no shit, he was the
first pick and he just proved he's really good. He got a lot better,
like I could. I could see that that shaking out a couple other
guys, and all of these guys kind of fall into I don't know how
much better they're actually gonna be, but I think their numbers will probably be
a lot better. And sometimes if you're trying to predict who's gonna win most
improved, that's a good way to start. I think Austin reeves, like,
I don't think he's gonna get a ton better, but he's just gonna
have a bigger role and he's and he's earned it. I think Kaminga is
gonna have much better numbers. I don't know how much better he's actually gonna
be. He's not gonna win it. I think Alpern Sangoun is kind of
that way too. I think his numbers could be a lot better. Who
else am I missing? What about Scotty Barnes. What if Scotty Barnes has
the year three jump that everyone expected in year two and we're just finally grabbed.
Could I just don't think the circumstances are set up for him to succeed.
I know I'm interested that you said Alpern Shangun because I just don't think
the Rockets are invested in him to that degree to where he would actually I'm
not even trying to be like in a hole yea there. I just I
just think, like I've always loved how intuitive he is offensively, and I
just hope that now that they have Van Fleet as a point guard and maybe
the young other young guys just get better. He seems he strikes me as
a type of offensive player that really benefits from being surrounded by very good offensive
players because of his passing and his vision and how he sees the game.
And maybe that's that's as much of the argument as anything is shan Gun will
look better as the guys around him get better, and maybe that's where the
numbers come from. Do you know who the top two most improved candidates are
in terms of overall odds right now? Neither of them make any sense to
me. I'm gonna say with Anthony Edwards one of them, no, But
so it's Mikhale Bridges is one on the one I'm looking at, and Tyrese
Maxy is two. Tyres MAXI to have him is like the odds on one
of the two odds on favorites. It's a little bit weird. But if
you trade James Harden for not a star, right, that's certainly like he'll
have. He might have that juice. The path for him is that's exactly
what happens, and he averages like twenty five and eight and as just a
different type of player. So I get it. But like Tyres, everyone
agrees Tyres Maxie is already really good, right, and he's like that seems
and Bridges Bridges also everyone agrees if Bridges was gonna win it, he should
have won it last year or did he win it last year? I can't
remember who Vowie market. When I left actually thought it should have been SGA.
It's just I think you could look at it and say, Okay,
if he maintains that type of high usage star turn for entire year, I
get it. But it's just like, how do you it's so tough.
It's it's the Anthy Edwards case, just maybe in miniature, where it's how
do you like? What is that? What is he? And maybe he
just gets if he's average thirty points a game, then yeah, sure,
addition now five assists or whatever. But yeah, it's that's a that's interesting
that there. And you know who else I wanted to consider for this award.
I just didn't think that, uh, he's gonna get the offensive opportunity.
Jane McDaniels. Yeah, could be a sneaky candidate here, but I
would I might bet on him before i'd bet on Anthony Edwards to win Most
Improves. Just just for the record, as we're looking down these odds,
I think Jalen Williams is like eleventh or twelfth. He's right behind Paula Bankaro.
Why don't you put your money where your belief is. Those aren't good
odds? Maybe I should. Yeah, this is a wild list. Just
looking down the guys with the with the Anthony Edwards does appear though, by
the way, okay, that's enough on most improved, I think, why
don't you tell me your coach of the year. Did you pick one or
did a coach like mention I have or sixteen names dotted down. I'm not
going to go through them all. I'll tell you who I have winning.
And this might be counterintuitive to well, no, it's not counter too.
I've Quinn Schneider as my coach of the Year. I think he's gonna give
the Hawks a bump. I think that the bones of this team are better
than they showed last year, and that a lot of the controversy behind the
teams overshadowed that. I would expect the Trey Young, Jean de Murray fit
to be cleaner. I think the minutes without Tree Young and Jean Murray playing
will be better, in part because I think Quinn Cyrel'll be more creative with
his rotations. And I think you could see just developmental bumps from players that
improve this team where it's them leaning on Jalen Johnson. Maybe they give them
Yaka Kungu a little bit more responsibility. I don't know. How to feel
about aj Griffin. I feel like he could get buried pretty quickly, but
I just have faith, like, this is a team that has real talent,
and you've given them one of the best head coaches in the league,
and I think that you could have a material bump from that to where it's
do they win, Like, like, maybe they only win forty six or
forty seven games, but that's gonna be enough to put him right there.
The other two names that I'm like really considered, and I considered so many.
I thought about Erics Poelstra. I just wonder if the Heat are gonna
win enough regular season games. But even if they don't, technic like,
if they win forty four to forty five forty six games, the fact that
they just lost two of their top six rotation members from the playoffs, or
if you want to say, well Hero was healthy, so too of their
top seven, And if they're better somehow in the regular season this year,
that's good. I think he's the best coach in the league, so he
deserves to mention there. And I didn't know what to do with this because
I think the hype surrounding this team might just be ahead of where they viewed
themselves. Mark Dagnault deserves to be here if the thunder kind of just even
if they're only rack up as many wins, if you do that in the
West and you're getting like real development from your players, that ends up being
a big deal. But I just there's not an order that you could like,
I'm I even have, like, you know, I think some of
the teams where it's like, oh, Michael Malone, the Nuggets are just
gonna be so good? Would anyone vote for him? Frank Vogel, how
much credit does he actually get for what happens with the Suns? I suppose
if they're a really good defensive team, ty Lou, the Clippers stay healthy,
Chris Finch, if the Timberwolves turn around. What if the Spurs are
just better with Wemby and Pop sneaks in there again, the Celtics will win
a bunch of regular season games, so Joe Mizzoula will be in there.
And then there's kind of the these two coaches, what if they're kind of
remedying flawed situations Darko Royakovic in Toronto and then Nick Nurse, the former Raptors
coach in Philly, And that's not even like my entire list, So like,
I don't know who you ended up with, but they're like Jamal Mosley.
If the the Magic make the turn, it makes Jazz if they're better
than expected. Again with will Hardy. So you picked Snyder, that was
your that was your pick. I think I think I didn't have him second
after my number one pick, but I think I think he probably should be
because the case is so easy, right, Like he will be credited with
the Hawks playing differently on offense, and that's what everybody's complaint has been among
the main complaints, and it's just so easy to draw a line directly from
him to like what got better about the Hawks, and he does, and
on that same idea, like Adrian Griffin, just anytime there's a new coach
taking over a team that's already good, I think that has like a huge
potential to just win the guy the Award. My pick, though, is
Joe Mizula, and it's not because I think he's the best coach in the
league. I think I keep saying I think the Celtics. I picked them
for the highest win total. I think there are some challenges I guess to
like sort of figure out how to play a lot differently with Porzingis and Holiday
now and instead of the like four rotation guys they got rid of. I
think it'll just come down to like he was. I think mostly like I
don't know, not maligned, but like he caught a lot of heat for
how he you know, didn't didn't use timeouts, and the Celtics may be
underachieved last year. I think with a training camp which he didn't really get
last season, and with a team that's just set to win a lot,
it'll be pretty easy to credit him. So that's more like who I think
the pick will be, maybe more so than I think we'll deserve it.
I had dag Nault there, I just don't think, Okay, so he's
gonna win enough games for him to have a real chance. And then Taylor
Jenkins is the other one. I think narrative boost for him. If they're
just so good without John, then Josh is back and they're just as good
or better. That's it. That is exactly the argument is that you could,
well, we got to credit somebody. Let's credit the coach that overcame
the loss of a superstar. Not to say he's not a good coach,
but I just think it's all narrative. It seems like for this as much
as any other award. So what what if what the Calves finished with the
one seed? JB. Bickerstaff or I couldn't get there because I just actually
don't think he's like a top half coach, just subjectively. But yeah,
that we love the Calves and they're gonna win fifty whatever, so he's got
to be in there too. Should we quickly go through our all tams,
we've probably spoiled most of them. Uh yeah, I think that could be
more of a quickening exercise. So all right, you want to start off
with your first team? Yeah, so my first team is is Jokic,
Luca, Joel, embiid Sga and Giannis. And they're positionless now, by
the way, much to rejoice about. Yes, And also we had to
I don't know how proud of this we should be, but we had to
figure out whether all defense was still positioning itause neither Grant or I knew for
sure. As far as we know, it is positionless. So when we
get to all defense, that'll be why my first team to say, as
my top five I MVP ballot Steph Curry Luka Ancics, Devin Booker, Jannis
Tantakumbo, and Nicole jokicch okay, give me your second team. My second
team is Shay gil Just, Alexander Trey Young, Jason Tatum, Joel Embiid.
And this is this has proven tough. I didn't think I was gonna
go there, but I think I might go there anyway. Do we do
it? Do it? Do I do it? Do it? Do I
do it? You who say, Wow, you did that. That is
not what I thought you were gonna do. I have the guys that I
was worried about them playing. There are people that I left off entirely because
I just don't trust them to reach the game's threshold, which is why I
kind of feel like an a hole picking Kawhi. But he Alsodden came back
and they're like no limitations after his knee procedures, So you know what,
I'll be a little optimistic. Yeah, So I don't want you to well,
well, so do you have Durant as a third teamer? So you
went with Kawhi as the injury risk guy that you're throwing on all NBA and
not KD Or do you have KD on your third team. We will get
to that one. Okay, all right, all right, right, my
second team, I think we have a lot, quite a bit of overlap
so far. But my second team is Tatum, Booker Curry, all of
whom you had on either first or second. I have dearon Fox as a
second team, and I also have Tyre's Halberd as a second team. So
no, wait, so who was your first team Jokich Luca embiid s.
I didn't hear Embiid. I was like, so he didn't even put him
on second team? No, I got him on first team. Yeah.
Fox and Haliburton feel like could be a year early for both, But I
mean Fox made third team last year, so it's not crazy. And Haliburton
I think had a chance had he not missed a decent amount of time.
So there we go. Uh, let me you want Why don't you give
me your third team here? Since we've almost spoiled it already. H I
don't know. So I've d Aaron Fox on my third team and they go'll
make it again this year. I have Damian Lillard on my third team.
I know he's on a new team, but he just turned in the best
season of his career and now it should get easier for him on offense.
I think, so he's there. I have Evan Mobley on my third team,
going to lean into the Evan Mobley stuff, and then I also have
I considered putting three Cavaliers on this list of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell.
I don't know if that's actually ever happened before, though, I don't think
so I went with I went with Donovan Mitchell. I don't feel great about
it, and did not go with Darius Garland there, and I'm rounding it
out and this is a game's played risk. I went with Lebron. I
also considered Anthony Edwards, Pascal Siakam. I mentioned Darius Garland, Anthony Davis,
and Tyrese Haliburton were my my toughest like exclusions here. Okay, we're
pretty close because I also have Mitchell and Mobley on my third team. I
have Lillard and then the last two on my third team are our Trey Young
who you had second team, so we had some overlap there, and I
have Anthony Edwards making third team. Anthony Edwards one was I feel bad about
it. I'm sorry, like if I wasn't inclined to take there if I
wasn't all in on the Evan Mobley experience and how good I think he's gonna
be. Like, that's the spot that I probably should consider futzing around with.
But you didn't have Dame on any of your teams. I did.
I have Dame on third team third So my third team is Lillard, Mitchell,
Mobley, Trey and Edwards. Yeah, so who did we have?
So you have? I had Halliburton. I don't think you have Halliburton.
I think, honestly, I think people are underestimating how much Indiana is still
rebuilding and that I'm probably one of them. So wait, you must have
had someone that I didn't. You had Lebron. I didn't have Lebron.
Yeah, And that's it's like, I mean I have left him, like
did you? Just like are you supposed to leave off A D. Durant?
And I know that that's inconsistent logic, but we're not. We haven't
played the games yet, and so I'm gonna bet on any one of like
the four playing in enough games. I think it will be Lebron. But
I think Kawhi of the four still just has the highest single season ceiling.
It's like Durant a D Lebron. Yeah, I just punted because my first
four omissions KD Kawhi Lebron A D like those were my Those were the cuts
I felt bad about, just because if they do play like, of course
they're gonna belong. You know, I think probably not having Jimmy too,
I feel like I'm gonna end up we're not I'll end up regretting. But
that couldn't look agree just works like the safe route could go with this,
to be honest, would have been, let me take off Guy and Lebron
and I'm gonna put in Anthony Edwards and Jimmy Butler is probably what I would
have done. But hey, preseason, do you want to take us through
your first team all defense? Sure? Sure, sure, I was gonna
say, though, like, if if the game's played, we're not a
question. Isn't Zion almost like a lock for all NBA at something like just
because just like do we trust the games played? It's just so And I
know, look, it's counter too intuitive to I mean, Lebron's not too
counterintuitive. I know it's been a minute, but it's Lebron. Yeah,
yeah, no, I don't have a problem with Lebron on there. I
just I'm trying to think we you We've mentioned a million guys. Jalen Brunson
thought about it. Sabonis thought about it, Bam thought about it. I
don't I think that's it. Jamal Murray thought thought about it. Jalen Williams,
Oh did I not? But you you made first team? All right?
All defense? So uh we spoiled a lot of this in DP O
Y. But uh so I went with uh Mobley, Draymond, Jared Jackson,
o G and I put on the first team after we talked about him
blocking five shots again, Wait, did you actually yeah? Yeah right,
I was not brave enough to do that. I did. My first team
is Giannis, Draymond, Jaron Jackson, Junior, Evan Mobley, and Bam
out of bio. Okay, I took Bam off. He was the casualty
for Wemby. But like, look, if you're telling me, if you're
saying it's never been done, like no rookies ever made first team, then
maybe I have had some hesitation. But you never told me it's just a
keea. It's just like, yeah, a large one. Yeah. So
Tim Duncan did it. Oh he ever won a Defensive Player of the Year.
Easy, Yeah, it's not unprecedented, just like the best guys ever
did it, so of course is gonna do it. Uh, second team,
who do you got? I think we're gonna have. We might have
some differentiation. Oh, Jianna will be who you are on your first team?
Right, yep? I also have Jade McDaniels, Herb Jones, Nick
Claxton, and Derek White. That that might be a risk this year with
Drew Holliday there, but I still think he was their best like non he
was their best defender last year period actually, and he was a chance to
do that again. Yeah. I don't love my second team yearly as much
as my first. So I have Claxton, who I think you had,
I have Giannis, I have These last three are so it could be like
anybody. So my last three are Alex Caruso probably not gonna play enough,
but I put him there, Walker Kessler a little bit of a hot take,
Andrew Holliday just because, and it could be Derek White for sure,
but I don't know. I just Drew Holiday is a great defender, so
I wanted to put him there. The other thing is like I have two
guards. There is it's possible that like just ten ten bigs make all defense
if we're not I think so I was actually gonna get into that, so
I had I also considered Drew Holliday and Alex Caruso. But it's just like
between Embiid, Brook Lopez and Anthony Davis, who were also on my considerations
of all those guys, And I'm not saying they I didn't eve Embiid,
I'm being and Andy Dames. I left off a little Andy Dames Allottle strictly
because of the appearances thing. Kind of ditto with Embiid, But like there's
a very much just like those three guys could just you could insert them there.
I also the other names that I had considered, uh, Marcus Smart
and Jimmy Butler and McHale Bridges, yeah, I have Bridges. I thought
about Aaron Gordon. I feel like maybe we'll start to see like a ground
swell of this guy's wat Yeah, well too bad. Yeah, Peyton Watson's
gonna cannibalize all those minutes. Sorry. Easton is kind of like my like
way out of left field, just like they just might get Reggie Bulock to
replace him, Isn't that? All I know is he was like ninetieth percentile
or better among forwards and block rate, steel raid, offensive rebound rate,
not that that's defense and something else. And he had like more def recovered
more loose balls than anyone in the league last year despite not playing a ton
of minutes. So I don't know. And by the way, neither of
us mentioned Dylan Brooks. No I did. Yeah, so correct, But
also we're going to go a brook of any kind. Brook Lopez deserves mentioned
there. Joshally want to know if talk about inconsistent logic. I only just
thought of this, having Kawhi second team All NBA and not making All Defense
team. What type of season did he have on that? I just don't
think that's not crazy. Yeah, I think they'll do things to insulate him
more when you look at kind of their They have Paul George as well,
and he also just even if he's taking on the toughest assignments, he's very
just judicious, judicious, and how much effort he is expending on defensive possessions.
Yeah, and let's see Bridges I had as a like down ballot guy
and Herb Jones, so we had a fair amount of overlap there Jaalen Williams.
I should mention just lou Dort. I just feel like his role might
be like restricted a little bit this year when you look at the players coming
in on the team. Yeah, I mean I could. Can you I
can imagine Chet getting some consideration if he blocks a bunch, you know,
like not We're not talking about a guy who's definitely gonna make the team,
but you could. I'm not crazy to imagine we're halfway through the year and
he's, you know, top five in blocks and gets. Here's one if
he gets elevated into the starting lineup by way of a James Harden trade.
But the Anthony Melton, Yeah, I love Melton. Got that guy can
guard. I really like him. That's a good one. If he's gonna
be hurt by the positions. A lot of these guys are gonna be hurt
by the position thing. All right, all rookie which is definitely positionless,
We're sure. Yes, I'm I'm so mad that I had to leave off
because we wrote about all rookies way back when, but now that we know
a little bit more about their roles. Yeah, so mad. I had
to leave someone off of all right, I'll give you I'll give you mind
the start. I mean, Wenby Scoot Chat one, two, three,
pretty easy. Yeah, I don't have any of them on my first tea.
Yeah, you're outside the box after that, it's so ridiculous. So
I just went with both Thompson's, which is kind of lame, and it
like feels like Brandon Miller should probably be first team. I just I mean,
yeah, I don't have a great defense for it. I just love
how I love that lettism, I love like the everything, but the shooting
about both of those guys, and I think Asar in particular is going to
play like a fair amount right away, it seems like, and so I
don't know, I'm sure, I'm there's no way both of them actually make
it. I just didn't want to make a decision, so I put them
both on first team. Yeah, so my first team does not include either
Thompson brother. I'm just not sure what Asar's role on offense will look like.
And I also like, I also don't know what Amen's role in general
is going to look like, even if he sees that, Like, there's
just so many veterans that are like the Rockets rotation is just so logjammy.
But they both did make my second team. But this is not second team,
this is first team. I have Wemby chet Holmgren, Scoot Henderson.
I have Kiante George because I think his role is going to be huge in
Utah, And then I have a lot of cool of BALI that dude is
going to play. I think he's Yes, he's raw, but I think
he's going to have more of an offensive impact than we credit. And I
think just sort of the tools that he'll be able to bring on defense,
maybe it'll be a mess and it'll just be it'll be chaos sprinkled in with
some good stretches of highlight reels. But the opportunity that he should have in
Washington sold me. Yeah. If he spends any time in the G League,
which like under normal circumstances, he probably should, I will be very
upset because there's no reason to not just just turn him loose and just like,
don't care about what he does offensively, just let him be a terror
on defense and figure out the rest. Like if yeah, no league for
him, Okay, Yeah, I like both of those picks. So no
Miller on the first team. For either of us though, by the way,
yeah, is that right? Yeah? Okay, So Miller's on my
second team. I also have Kante George Conte George probably should be first team,
but I'll leave him there. Uh. Couliballe also on my second team.
The last two I have are Cam Whitmore and Jarris Walker, and a
lot of that's just kind of like by default because I wanted to put Taylor
Hendricks just because I love him the one, but didn't put him on mine.
The Jazz aren't gonna play him, and he's gonna get G League minutes,
which is like, I mean, do you know who Tony Jones compared
him to in our look Ahead? Who he thinks that he could be the
next Jared Jackson Junior? What like level defense? Here's the thing, I
don't think that's like, I don't think that's far off. Well, the
Jazz sure is held don't agree because if that were the case, there's no
chance you you bury him in the G League. Well, they weren't giving
Jared Jackson Junior's offensive agency has changed a lot over his career, and I
think that's I struggled to see the ball skills from taller Hendrix. Yeah,
like two or three years ago, I struggled to see the ball skills from
Jared Jackson junior. Yeah, okay, so you left Hendricks off. Who
are your lad Who is your second team? We have Asar and Aman Thompson
and then I also have Brandon Miller on there, so we have over up
there. I have Chris Murray in Portland. He's supposed to be NBA ready,
and it's why wouldn't Portland play him at the stage they're at? Is
because he helps them win games? Is that what I'm just I found it
fascinating. I know they have Jeremy Grant with t Sybel, but like this
is a team that they should He might need to be more of a pure
four than Keegan who can mocks and wing minutes, but like Portland can find
minutes for him. You don't need to play Jabari Walker over Chris Murray.
I would argue Chris Murray is a little bit more important to your future.
Yeah. At this point, I have a big ass, gigantic blank spot
in my final all rookie, and I think I'm gonna default to Jaris Walker.
He's don't trust it, but it seems like there's going to be an
opportunity there. Even if yelk Obi Toppin and maybe Jalen Smith plays some four.
He's predominantly used the backup five, but they're gonna use him a bunch.
The defensive impact might be high. They can carve out enough space and
get him to do some stuff in the short role. I think that's the
right pick. What was weird is I did not consider I wanted to pick
Olivia max Sens prosper after Kurt Henderson really got me higher on him, but
I feel like it could work against him playing on a Mavericks team where if
they give him too much too soon, it looks awful or he just gets
buried eventually on a team that has immediate aspirations. I did not even consider
Anthony Black. No, I realized at the end of this, And I
don't think that's wrong. I think like Grady Dick was higher on my list
than Anthony Black. Yeah, well Grady Dick didn't play a bunch in the
in the Raptors last preseason. Yeah. I opportunity. I mean this is
an opportunity award as much as anything, right, So that's why Walker.
I don't I don't love Jarris Walker. But he made my second team because
I think, like the only guy in this way really is Obie topping And
I don't think Toppin is gonna play forty minutes a night, so Walker is
gonna get the reps. I'm trying to think of anyone else we we admitted
that deserves. I mean, this is this is the biggest scrapshoot of all
craps. Would like us to mention some of the players that I mean,
he picked up Jail and Picket Hunter Tyson. Those are guys that he probably
expects to play and think are going to be generational talents. But yeah,
coolball is gonna be really interesting. I may regret him and Keyante George,
I think I like your first team better than mine. Well that's all right,
I'm gonna I'm gonna see you could make it. You can't to build
your first no positions, nothing, Williams on all rookie is that allowed is
gonna be the first player to ever sweep every major award? Yes or no?
Yeah, He'll get Defensive Player of the Year, Executive of the Year,
and most improved Yeah, teammate, Yeah, just all of it.
That's it, right, that's all I prepared. I hope you didn't expect
me to go Executive of the Year because I haven't thought about it. No.
I mean, it feels like there's Joe Cronin. Yeah, there's Brad
Stevens. Took a lot of risk, but he could wind up being the
pick. There's Will Dawkins, Will Will Dawkins, Michael Winger, whoever gets
in Washington. They might actually be my pick. They definitely had a heart.
They had the hard job that I think we both respect the most because
it was overdue and it was the right thing, the right thing, you
know, let's tear it down. I'm trying to think, I mean,
what about what about the Rob Polenka. I think a lot of people are
gonna like the body of work with the Lakers. I mean they didn't all
the all their we liked all the contracts they signed. Really, I mean,
Ruey is a little like three for fifty one might be a little too
much for him. But getting the no trade Clausewave Ford lo was like,
that's that's just a good smart move. The Reeves deal we love. Yeah,
I think he's got to be in the conversation. You know, this
might be people uncomfortable. There's like a chance, a non zero chance it
ends up being Nico Harrison, Right, You're gonna have to talk to me
about how that's I mean, sure it's non zero, but like, what's
the scene unless Derek Lively and Olivia Max has prosper go bust immediately because they're
playing so much, and or Kyrie Irving disappears halfway through the season. They
had a really solid offseason, Like, if they're just better defensively, then
we spect while maintaining the level of offense. I'm not super high on the
Magic, but uh, the magic the Mavericks, but there's just I think
it's a higher percentage chance he wins it than I would have predicted like before
the offseason. Yeah, I think definitely. And they were the maps were
operating from like a pretty tough spot, right, like, because you got
Kyrie and you got to figure out what the number in years, you know,
the dollars in years need to be for this to be not completely insane,
And I think they did about as you know, three and what.
I don't remember the numbers, but they didn't go all the way out as
far as they could have. So yeah, I think I think that's not
that's not what about them to get John Horn getting game? Yeah yeah,
taking the notebook though, So I don't really think that helps. Oh we
didn't even mention James Jones pulling off to Bradley trading them. If they just
rip off like fifty nine victories, you don't think that he wins it.
That just the owner saying do whatever it takes and then it's like, okay,
I guess we'll trade everything like that. But it was Bradley Beal chose
the Suns and that enabled them to do. But you were able to get
Bradley Beal for just like what would that package objectively, if you just put
it on the market have gotten you. I have no idea that I mean
like that because it was such a strange. Well, you know, we
got to credit him for the minimum signings, right I think, Or maybe
we just credit the presence of Booker, Durant and Belle for the minimum signings
that the Sun's made. Yeah, I think, yeah, right, I
mean you would right, like maybe if they make another mid season trade,
but like I guess, if they're like the best team in the West or
something, you just have to point to the the Jordan Poole stuff and getting
Chris Paul would be I guess Houston. I'm not gonna, I mean,
I'm gonna like gonna disqualify them based off one very very notable move alone.
But they did do enough to improve the bottom like bottom line wins of their
team with Dylan Brooks, Red van Fleet, Reggie Block. I still don't
understand why he picked Houston. Well, didn't he get part of the biannual
or something? So it's just a minimum. It was just a minimum.
I'll double check that now. But I assume that he was gonna get like
I thought they had their room exception. But he should be on Milwaukee if
it's if you're taking minimums, why is he not on the Bucks? That's
crazy? And you know what I realized too, if Milwaukee could have brought
back with West Matthews, we've got to Kerry Stotts, West Matthews, Damian
Lilla, Robin Lopez while back on the same team again. Yeah, he's
the spot track has him as a minimum. Okay, yeah, no,
that's that's good business. I don't know why you uns certainly, I mean
this, Maybe Houston's gonna try to win forty games. Maybe that's just what
this is all about. Yeah, they're not gonna I think that's it.
I don't think Indie didn't do anything too drastic. We like their offseason,
but it's just the Bruce Brown move basically, right, and then it's I'm
like, the Timberwolves didn't do anything like that would be a retroactive We can
not give the Timberwolves a positive What about Zach Kleman of Memphis for the Marcus
Smart move? Did they do anything else or not? I mean, they
signed Derek Rose, it's not really like a big deal. Not enough there
extension though if that ends up looking incredible. Yeah, we're a ways that.
We're a ways down though, Like there's definitely four or five guys that
clearly I think have a better shot at it than than the guys we're talking
about. Now. Well, then that's it. That's enough stalling. Yeah,
it is stat padding time. Grant. Can you start us off?
All right? Dan, I would like you to tell me who had more
double double sorry, who had who has the most? I was gonna do
more double doubles and I blew it. Dan, who has the most career
ten assist games? I'm gonna give you two choices, Russ Westbrook or Region
Rondo. I'm gonna say it has to be Russ Westbrook. It is four
o three to three thirty six. Baron Davis or Ricky Rubio. Ooh,
I'm gonna say, Ricky Rubio, you're close, but you're incorrect. Baron
Davis options, You're gonna be close on all of these. The right answer
will never be worse than your second choice, all right, Trey Young or
Kyle Lowry. Trey Young. It is Kyle Lowry. I feel like I
use Lowry on all these at some point, Caia, you know that,
right? What's who? Lowry didn't go to Santa Clara, Right, you
don't need to use him. He's just always like, way higher up on
these all time lists than you think because he's been around forever. He keeps
making it in Okay, more tennis sist games in their career. Nicola Jokic
or Jerry West. Jerry West, that is correct, not close. One
eighty three to one forty seven, Alan Iverson or Steph Curry. Steph Curry,
that's right. One thirty three to one twenty seven. Dame or Larry
Bird. Ooh, Larry Bird, it is Dame. I had to make
it the first guy I had three in a row or the second guy,
So factor that into this last one. Kicking guy Dwayne Wade or Luka,
Doncic, Dwayne Wade incorrect, it is Luca one O four to ninety.
That's all I got for that one. We we should go to this one
because I have one that's similar. Okay, dovetails with it nicely in so
far as people care about themes. Well, there it's a four prong.
There's gonna be four different questions that are along the same lines. But I
split him up and said, there's two different ways that we're gonna approach this.
All right, So the approach pro this multiple choice just like you did.
All right? You ready? Yes? Which NBA player has more career
games with at least twenty five points in tennis? Sis Steph Curry, Luka,
Doncic, Alan Iverson or Steve Nash. I'm gonna go ooh, I
almost said one. I'm just gonna say Luca that is incorrect. He is
second. Alan Iverson is first. That was my first guest. Dan,
damn it, all right, you were gonna say it, and I was
gonna be very impressed. Overthought it which NBA player has more career games with
at least twenty five points in Tennisis Kobe Bryant, Baron Davis, Michael Jordan
or Jason Kidd Michael Jordan. That is correct. I didn't think you were
gonna get that one. He has also Jordan on there and have it be
the right answer, because that's always well, it can't be Jordan. That's
too easy. Now this is where I think it gets harder, but very
Just see how you do. Okay, rank these NBA players by who has
the most career games of at least twenty five points in tennisis okay? D'aron
Fox, Drew Holliday, Kyrie Irving, Kyle Lowry, And if anyone can't
catch on, I try to just list them in alphabetical order so that there's
a randomization, hopefully to the answers. But all right, I'm gonna go
Lowry one, Kyrie two. Who are my other two guys? Uh,
d'aron Fox and Drew Holliday Fox, then Holiday? Okay, so recap for
me, Lowry, Kyrie, Fox, Holiday. You got a couple spots,
right, but that's incorrect. Drew Holliday is one reason I had him
last, Kyrie Irving at two thirty, Darn Fox at three twenty five,
and Kyle Lowry at four twenty. All right, so I got Lowry right
at first, and then it all went to shit. Okay, that's a
good one. Now, Oh no, I did not. Drew was number
one. That's unbeievable. Now, same thing. Ranked these NBA players by
who has the most career games of at least twenty five points and tennis sists
Jannis, Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and John Morant twenty five and ten,
Jannice, Booker, Jaw and Durant. Oh geezh okay, just said geez,
by the way, you're causing me to use profanity, not say shucks
shit, Golly, I'm gonna say he's like it's Jannics Booker, KD.
I'll just say Jaw one. I just saw all these guys. Are they
getting ten assists even though jaw has been in the league for like ten minutes.
I'll go Jaw, Durant, Janice Booker. You got Jannice and Booker,
right, So Kevin Durant is at one with twenty five. Wow,
Jannice is at two with twenty four, So you actually got him wrong.
I apologie. It's like four, is what you're saying. John Moran is
at third with twenty three. Devin Booker's fourth at eighteen. All I knew
was a Booker was last on that list. Good job by me. Those
were hard. I thought that was an interesting way of doing it was hard.
Okay, all right, So I have a which one doesn't belong for
you? This is you're gonna need to tell me. I'm gonna list you
four players, and you need to tell me who did not win Rookie of
the Year. Thank you for doing four and not five because five was so
hard to cut up and they got cut off on the screen. Socials.
Thank you for doing four. It wasn't intentional, but you're very welcome.
All right. Your first group, you need to tell me who did not
win Rookie of the Year. Damian Lillard, Andrew Wiggins, Brandon Roy,
Anthony Edwards who did not win Rookie of the Year. Brandon Roy, Anthony
Edwards did not win Rookie of the Year. Can you remember who who got
it over? Anthony Edwards? Bonus question Wamello correct? All right, next
grew one Anthony Davis, Tyreek Evans, Chris Paul, Grant Hill, who
did not win Rookie of the Year. Oh my god, Chris Paul.
Chris Paul did win Rookie of the Year. Anthony Davis did not win Rookie
of the Year. Can you remember who won Rookie of the Year over Anthony
Davis? No, it wasn't, proudly beal. It's Dame the same dram
class. That one threw me because I that feels like they're different ages.
But but yeah, so Dame that I should. I tried to keep most
of these pretty recent. They're all like after two thousand, So all right,
who did not win Rookie of the Year? John Wall, Derrick Rose,
Kevin Durant, Jason Kidd? Who is it? John Wall, Kevin
Durant, John Wall, and Derrick Rose. You know Derrick Rose want it,
so if you can roll him out, I know John Wall want it
too. So I'm gonna say, Jason Kidd, do you Dan? Do
you know that John Wall want it? Did he not win? You didn't
whin it? Blake Griffin got him, which was the weird one because Blake
missed his whole first season. He kind of Ben Simmons it, uh,
and was a because he won it as like a red shirt rookie. I
have to do you have another one of it? Two more? Okay,
I was gonna say, if I go oh for, we absolutely need to
cut this up just to shame me. So I've realized I kind of screwed
this one up because one of the options is Blake Griffin, and I just
told you he did win Rookie of the Year. So uh, next four
Blake Griffin, Scottie Barnes, LaMarcus, Aldridge, Elton Brand who did not
win Rookie of the Year. I know Scotty wanted to people bad about that,
and you know Blake won. So is it Aldridge or Elton Brand that
did not win Rookie of the Year. I'm gonna say, Aldridge you got
it. You got it. Brandon Roy won it that year over Aldridge.
Elton Brand was a tie. Ties you, by the way, Chris Paul,
I mean Jason Kidd and Grant Hill were also a tie. So there's
getting extra Rookies of the Year in here, all right. Last one who
did not win Rookie of the Year a Mecca okaphor Dwight Howard, Steve Francis
or Mike Miller, we're reaching a little farther back on this one. Dwight
Howard, Mike Miller, Steve Francis or Mecca okafoor Oka four incorrect. Oka
four did win it over Dwight Howard, which is like I look back at
the numbers and Oka four was like I think fourteen and ten and Dwight was
like not quite that good, and I think Dwight was maybe even third.
I can't remember what the voting was that year, but that was like that
blew my mind because in my head, Dwight Howard was just a freak,
like immediately but one to five that might be our lowest hit rate of all
time. I think that's an indictment on me picking one that's just too hard,
because no, I think that's an indictment on my knowledge of this.
I didn't do much better on the other one. Okay, you got got
some for me. I have a couple others for you. Uh yeah,
so I have loved student. I have three for you that fall into the
same category. Which NBA player has made the most half court or deeper shots
for their career? Okay, Denny Avdia, Daniel House Junior, Lebron James
or Kyle Lowry. It is obviously Kyle Lowry because he always shoots those.
It is Denny Avdya with everyone else had too Hey respect, though I think
it might be wrong. Lowerry might be one of the guys that always just
eats it and doesn't shoot those on purpose. Maybe I'm not thinking of the
right guy. Good for Abdia way to get him up. Which NBA player
has made the most half court or deeper shots Ray Allen, Jason Kidd,
Zach Randolph or Dwayne Wade. I'm gonna say Wade. He is tied for
second with Kid with four. Zach Randolph has five, right three, so
it's Zebo. Five is a lot okay. Which NBA player has made the
most half court or deeper shots Jordan Clarkson, Paul George, Kyrie Irving or
Kyle Kuzma. This is just such a crap shoot. I keep picking the
last guy you list, and it hasn't been right so far. So I'm
gonna say Kyle Kuzma just to stick with it and hope that I got you.
You are correct? Is Kyle Kuzma with four, Paul George has two,
Clarkson and Kyrie have one. Sometimes you gotta play the man, you
can't play the game. I just I had to go in. Honestly,
I thought Zebo was gonna be the one that you got because he was just
kind of like, oh, Zebo in with the guys. Well, but
that could be read Harry Well how it's in the first one, because I
was like, I can't include a bunch of stars and Denny avia because Grant's
immediately gonna go, oh, it's Danny Aviya. The psychology of these games
there's really reaching new levels where we're trying to try to outsmart the guesser.
Okay, do you want to go or do you want to do a couple
from me? Let's do a couple from you? All right, Dan,
your life is on the line. I don't want to do this one.
Opting out is not allowed. Life on the line. The shot must be
made Stephen Curry left handed free throw or DeAndre Jordan free throw? Do you
want DeAndre? Well, I don't know, because so basically DeAndre would be
roughly a coin flip. So if you think Steph is making more than half
of his lefty free throws, which is probably a safe bet, I think
that's the correct answer. Yeah, that's that's the I think that's an easily
correct answer. Okay, Uh, Dan, your life is on the line.
The shot must be made a contested Giannis corner three or a doubly contested
Dame logo three. Ooh, doubly contested Dame logo three. That's the only
answer, right, Especially I should have said it was you know the clock
was running out too, and then then you definitely go Dan that time.
All right, let's see. I don't know how I credit this as a
life on the line, but you okay, whatever life on the line to
kill me. This just a question. I'm just trying to add some stakes.
Okay, how about this. Your life's not on the line, but
you are the lead executive of a fictitious NBA team and you're putting together your
coaching staff. Uh do you put Tom Thibodeau in charge of load management or
Joe Miszula in charge of timeout usage? You must choose. I'm gonna put
Oh man, I'm gonna put Joe Miszula in charge of timeout usage because that's
something given how early he isn't to his head coaching career, that you can
learn. It's very clear how Tom Dibodow is going to operate his You know
what you're getting into at the first one. There's there's improvement possible in the
Missoula. Okay, that's all my life on the lines for you. I
have some. I have an over under that's really quick. But if you've
got some, I'll take them. I have a couple more. Why don't
we wrap up yours? Okay? Over under eight point five twenty five point
per game seasons for Victor Wembinyama. So will he have nine of those?
Or will he have eight or fewer? And I will give you some context.
There have been eleven players that have nine or more twenty five point per
game or more seasons. Okay. That list of those eleven is lebron kd
Kobe, Karmelone, Michael Jordan, Jerry West, Allen Iverson, Shaq,
Dominique Wilkins, Kareem and Oscar Robertson. Does wem Benyama join that group as
a guy with nine plus twenty five point per game seasons, I'll take the
over. I just feel like, if you're gonna go all in on Wemby,
you gotta go all in on Wemby. I don't know what's boulder.
Are you saying that or me putting him all defensive first team? Either way,
we've really covered the basis of web Beinyama exuberance. So I think what
would I say? I think I'd go over to or else? Why am
I asking this question? I think I'd go over It's like twenty five isn't
what it used to be. If he's ever just an okay three point shooter,
you know what I mean? Like he's like an easy basket factory too,
just if they you know, as he gets stronger, he's just gonna
there'll be so many more of those offensive rebounds where he just doesn't jump but
has the ball on top of everyone and just puts it in. Like you
get ten ten points a game on that stuff alone. So yeah, all
right, we think Wemby's gonna be good. That's that's a revelation. What
do you What do you got for me? Uh So, here's an open
ended one. Okay, you can erase throughout NBA history, one player's injury
track record. Who are you going with? Oh? It's open ended?
Holy shit? Uh So the question really is who who do I want to
see play their full career that did not get a chance. Oh okay,
I think this may not be I didn't maybe think about this enough and go
back far enough. But what about Greg Odin because like number one pick over
Durant, like as a prospect, arguably the best defensive big guy coming in
in a really long time, and just never got off the ground. I
think that's the first thing that occurs to me, trying to think who else?
Maybe Derek Rose. Wouldn't that have been fun? You know, if
if we'd gotten a full like athletically he probably would have deteriorated and that would
have been But just give me the natural athletic decline instead of the ACL right
away? Would do you have anybody that comes to mind? I had to
Grant Hill might go down as one of the greatest players of all time if
he's never injured, and the other one, I know we ended up playing
eight seasons, but I just would have been fascinated dealt with a lot of
lower body stuff. Yeah, ming, yeah, he never gets injured.
Would have been someone I would have been curtsy his career and unfortunately, feel
like we might be tracking in this direction with Zione. Yeah, what about
I mean, going way back Bill Walton was just like his back was ruined
pretty early, and he was he was argued, I mean, unbelievable offensive
player. He was just good at everything and then just couldn't stay healthy trying
to There's gotta be some other ones. Yeah, that's a good question.
Yeah, I bet I'd be curious discord everybody in discord. If you're still
listening for some reason, throw them in there. Brandon Roy is another one,
but he's not on the level of most of the guys we mentioned.
Uh So, four NBA players all in the prime of their ball handling skill
set. One of them, one of their handles has to go. So
you're getting rid of one of them, you'll know it was. It's a
race from the NBA Lexicon, Okay, Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving, Alan
Iverson, Chris Paul. So, is this like a question of what so
if I, let's say I'm not saying I'm gonna do this, say I
take away Chris Paul's handle? Is it like a question of how good is
he still? Or like what happens to him or what happens to the NBA
as it has evolved, Like what am I? What am I doing here?
I know this isn't the point of these quick hitter by yourself time.
No, I just don't understand what's happening. You're taking away somebody's handle.
Hey, Like, so here's okay, who would be we could frame it
this way? I'll rephrase it. Who would be the best player from these
four if you took away their handles? Steph Curry, Alan Iverson, Chris
Paul or Kyrie Irving. It's got to be Steph just because he still has
a premium skill left. I think if he can't dribble at all, basically
he can still be the best off ball shooting threat that the world has ever
known. So I think I would I wouldn't want to do this, but
I think I got to take it from him. I'd probably agree with you,
given the phrasing of that question that I was not planning on framing it
as you didn't think you're going to be forced in a quick hitter situation.
But he've never done the one of these has to go. It's Steph Curry's,
Chris Paul's, Alan Iverson's or Tyrie Irving's handles. Well, it's like
you're asking, like, okay, you have to chop off the hand of
one NBA like what, like, what how do I don't know nobody.
I don't want to take their handles away. I think, so I have
one more for you before we get into the guest that players that we have,
and I think I just lost it. So I might have I might
have zero for you. I don't have any guests that players for you today.
That's fine because those embarrassed me. Oh, here we are. And
this is inspired by something I saw on Twitter. All six of these NBA
players are in their prime. Who is coming off the bench, Okay,
Anthony Davis, Paul George, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Nikola Jokic or
Derreck Rose. Ooh, my first thought was Paul George because you can use
him for anything if you wanted to. Okay, give me the names again,
because Jokic is starting a d is starting well, George, James Harden,
Kyrie, Derrek Rose. Oh. You know what, I think we're
too small if we have Kyrie and Derek Rose in the backcourt together. So
I'm gonna bring I'm gonna bring in their primes. You know what, I'm
gonna put Kyrie on the bench. I changed my mind. I changed my
mind. We have to pick one of the small guards, so Kyrie's on
the bench. So my lineup is Rose, George, Jokich, Ad and
I forget the fifth guy. Can we do? Do you have your award
still pulled up so we could do quick fire those just in case y quick
fire NBA twenty four Awards picks Coach of the Year. My Coach of the
Year is Joe Missoula. I'm going with Quinn Schnyder in Atlanta. Rookie of
the Year. Rookie of the Year is Wemby. Easy Easy Wemby as well,
sixth Man of the Year. Uh, you made me pick one,
so I'm gonna go Derek White over Drew Holliday. I'm gonna go with Derek
White over the field and not for Holiday. Most Improved Player, the one
and only Jalen Williams going with Evan Mobley Defensive Player of the Year. I'm
going with Evan Mobley for this one. I'm also going with Evan Mobley for
this one. Finally, who wins MVP. It's boring, but it's Jokic.
I just feel that's the safest pick. It's Yolkis for me as well.
Okay, let me bring up Rubik scals. Guess that players will do
only a couple because we've gone for so long today and we'll have plenty in
the bank if we do that. So I am looking at many of these
for the first time, so this will be interesting, all right, Grant,
Are you ready? Nope? Go ahead, okay. Clue number one,
I am the only player to have led NC DOUBLEA Division one in rebounding
for three consecutive years. Clue number two. I was drafted forty seventh overall
by the Utah Jazz and led all rookies in double doubles that year with six.
Clue number three. I have played for five NBA teams, the Jazz
Team X, the Nuggets, NETS, and seventy six ers, but I've
only ever been traded once. What does TAMX suppose the signal to me?
Uh? It was too easy of a giveaway. That's why it's Oh what,
okay? All right? Got any more? Yeah? Clue number four,
I've made the conference finals three times with the Jazz TX and the Nuggets,
losing once to Tim Duncan and twice to Lebron The Jazz. I'm gonna
give you TX on this one. Okay, I have four, Paul mi
it is Paul millsapp Nice job. I almost had it at the rebounding one
because I weirdly remembered that. Okay, The other clues were I have four
consecutive All Star selections, all for tex and then you would have gotten it
if I included team Atlanta Hawks when I'm beaten for an entire month and they're
starting five was named Conference player of the morning. Okay, Oh, we
got there. That was a good one. Ready for the next one,
yep? Uh. Clue Number one. I have led the league in three
point percentage once, and I hold the NBA single season record for three throw
percentage ninety eight point one percent. Nobody else has even made ninety six percent
of their free throws in a season. Is this abdul ro roof? Uh?
No, it's not so clode Number two. Surprisingly, I don't have
the longest streak of made free throws without a miss. I'm second on the
list with eighty seven made free throws. The record is ninety seven. Oh
uh is this Jose Calderon correct? Nice? Yeah? This one looks like
a quick ones. Let's do one more. You up for it? I'm
hot right now, Let's go from Rubik's galleon Discord random trivia question. Only
fourteen players have won greater than seventy percent of their regular season games that they
have played in minimum of five hundred games played. They have all played for
one of these three dynasties except one guy the Showtime Lakers, Magic Johnson and
Michael Cooper. Two the Bill Russell era Celtics had Casey Jones, Tom Tommy
Heinzone, Bill Russell, Sam Jones, Frank Ramsey, Jim Lusketoff. And
three the Tim Duncan Eerspurs had Manu, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Kawhi
Leonard and Danny Green. Who is the only player with a career win percentage
greater than seventy who hasn't played for the Duncan Eraspurs, the Showtime Lakers or
the Bill Russell Celtics. Holy cow, that's impossible. So won a ton
of games? What was never in any of those dynasties? He I'll give
you two more clues that aren't in there, but they're in the answer.
Played in eight hundred and ninety seven career games. Okay, winning percentage of
seventy three point six percent. Wow. I will also give you another club
because I feel like this is way too hard, but I love it.
I will The franchise that he was on is one of those three franchises that
we just went through, Lakers, Spurs or Celtics. Okay, huh so
who played a ton of games, probably for like the one of the Lakers
three peat seasons? Is it? Oh? God? Is it? Is
it? Derek Fisher? If I told you he was a Celtic, just
won a ton of games as a Celtic, but wasn't in any of those?
Well? Is it? Bird? Okay? Okay? Yeah? The
games was tough because I didn't know how many he was hurt. A surprised
he had that many games, to be honest, Yeah, that that was
what I wasn't. I mean, it had to be him if it was
going to be a Celtic, I guess unless like like Antoine Walker snuck in
there somehow. No. Okay, oh, those were good ones. Thank
you again, scal We have a bunch more from her that we will get
to as time goes on. Grant, I hope everyone enjoys two hour podcasts.
Hey, you know, it's it's the this is the getting down to
the end of the preseason content, so pretty soon we'll just have more topical
stuff to do. But everyone who made it this far, thank you for
doing so. Thank all of you in advance for stuffing the ballot box for
every award so Jalen Williams wins them all. I'm just like, I'm gonna
stop being rational about any of this, not that I ever started. I
just think he walks on water is the best justification ever. He's more God
than man. So thanks again. If you have not already rated, reviewed,
subscribed, followed, please do all that stuff with the written reviews.
As Dan said, really help us out. Make sure you tell your friends,
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be exciting, so continue to stick with us as we get into in season
content. We close, as always with a shout out to the one only
Franklin Lakeina and an apology to Jared Allen