What's up, y'all is Drewski and I've teamed up with Mountain Dew to produce
a hilarious new basketball podcast called The due Zone with Drewski. Learned the backstories
of your favorite balls and celebrities like Jamal Murray. Did you have like a
favorite team? Was it the Raptors at the time or no? Was the
Raptors even started on the topic? Come on, bro, I had that.
He's talking like I'm vifty, Taylor Rogues, Asian Wilson, and many
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Drewski on Apple Podcast, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts what is Crackaback
and hardwarnas listeners, I am Dan Belly coming at you with Alex my fantabulous
co host Adam Bromo. I am, however, pleased to be joined to
buy regular guest good friend, longtime colleague Grant Hughes. Follow him on Twitter
at gt Underscore Hughes. A quick note before we get started, an apology
to anyone who downloaded the last podcast and only heard me coming out of the
left ear. I was going solo because Adam had to cancel and it turns
out my microphone on the program that I was using to record it, which
I never used to record it, only records that particular microphone in stereo,
which in turn only comes out of the left ear, So that will not
happen again. But just apologies to the people that reached out and said that
I was only coming out of your left earphone, So apologies once again,
Grant. How are you doing? Can you hear me coming out of both
of your AirPods right now? Yeah? I just maybe wonder if you have
a disproportionate percentage of your listenership that has a right ear hearing trouble, Like,
how are we sure that's not the problem. One of my friends reached
out, and I thought he was bonkers. I was like, did you
check to see if your headphone was working? But then I try it and
it actually happened. I was only coming out of the left ear. So
I blame Adam because he had to get his second COVID shot and he wasn't
feeling too well, so he had to cancel. So it's obviously his fault
because if he were there this never I never would have used that program.
It's never would have happened. I would like to preemptively blame any bad takes
that I'm about to have on Adam just IF's if that's what we're going to
do, Like I think he would, he would, he'd be okay with
that. Yeah, And I think that goes without saying on the podcast that
anything wrong is Adam Fromo's fault at Promo Zer or nine if you need to
yell at him. I brought you on to do a really complicated topic.
We're gonna do some factor fiction, I know, very high bress stuff here.
We were just talking though that it's hard to discuss anything at this point
when the games still matter, but like there's no EBB and flow to what's
happening based on injuries, availability, what all these different teams are doing,
and the awards discussion has been just talked about to no end, especially on
the MVP front, And so I wanted to get a little bit topical or
big pictures as while there were no holes bars on this, no limitations,
and just go factor fiction with statements. And I actually have one that I
think might cut your soul a little bit. So I am I was excited
about this. Yeah, sorry you preface We were texting to set this up,
and you did threaten to cut my soul, and so I tried to
think about what it could possibly be. I have you I'm gonna guess.
I won't try to guess. I just want to hear from me before so
I can just take the cut, you know, without getting ready. I
do have to ask you first, do you have any thoughts, opinions,
musings on whatever the hell is going on in Indiana at the moment? I
mean, would just with respect to all the Yorker and stuff, did you
see the clip of Goga going at Foster? Yeah, Greg Foster? Yeah,
No, I didn't see that. I just read about it in amid
all the Yorker and stuff that's come out the last couple of days. I
guess like the overall takeaway is and Jake Fisher for for br head at some
of this of like, how do you not talk to enough people that could
have told you that the guy are about to hire after like a search that
involved twenty some OD candidates or something like that. How do you not talk
to the right people that would have told you that you might be in for
the type of toxic culture where stuff like this is going to happen at the
end of the season, Like, that's wild to me. I just I
don't I want to know who they Yeah, I don't know. The thing
that blew me away was reportedly the Pacers did not talk to TJ. Warren,
who played for Yorker and when he was an assistant with Phoenix, and
then Warren supposedly requested a trade because he's like he couldn't play. I just
was like, man, you gotta at least talk to him. What happened?
Who did they talk to? Right? And if they spoke with Nick
Nurse and he endorsed him, Like, there's some subterfuge going on here,
right, he was trying to sabotage the patients from the outside. How are
you What would be the point of it? Because what would be the point
of endorsing him when this was apparently known stuff throughout the G League, throughout
his past teams dating back to Phoenix. How are you then this stuff was
happening in Toronto, is my point? Apparently where he was acting that my
favorite aside from the War World, my favorite adult was like he had to
be the vessel through which communication was run between players and the head coach.
They couldn't talk to one another, so that stuff was happening. What is
Nick? Was Nick Nurse like get him the fuck out of here? Or
was he like, you know, they're in the East. We don't know
what's gonna happen next year, so I'm just gonna sab atops them from afar.
I don't I don't get it. So that's so so I this is
why I feel like really naive now, because when I read that part off,
like they talked to nurse a lot, and nurse obviously, I mean
if I just assumed that it's just like a it's an unwritten rule that like
if one of your assistance is up for a head coaching job, you just
have to support him no matter what. But the alternative is a little more
plausible now seeing seeing how badly it's gone. Like now, like the next
team that hires a nurse assistant and asks the nurse's opinion will just have to
be like, I don't know, dude, this last one didn't goes so
good. I think maybe you're gonna need to be a little more forthrighting with
us this time, because I can't imagine what he would have said. He
clearly didn't say any of this stuff, so so yeah, yeah, I
don't know me and this is this is wild and just to have this spiral
so fast, like it just a year. Usually it takes a while for
you know, for whatever true colors to come out, or for players to
get sick of coaches, like the Pacers got sick of McMillan. You know,
the players kind of tuned him out towards the end, but that took
a while. This is like fast track. Yeah, there's there's no way
that he's going to beat in yeah and next season, right, like,
there's just none I can't imagine. I cannot imagine. This is and this
is worse than the Igorka Koshkov stuff in Phoenix, right, this definitely exceeds
that. Oh that's another one. Yeah, that's another one. Yeah,
because I don't this feels like I mean, it's almost like cartoonish some of
the things that are being described with how he flies off the handle if like
a ball rack is in the wrong place, or I mean it's it's it's
wild. It's like it's like bad you know, community college type of coach
stuff where he's just like, I don't know. I first of all,
I will say is I cannot wait for more stuff to come out, because
now when you get this kind of a couple of reports like this coming out,
you know that there's going to be more because now the floodgates are open,
and I need to know who he pissed off recently that that this came
out now, because there's no value add to the organization at this point.
You're not going to get rid of the change is going to come over the
off season. And even if you did get rid of him, I don't
know, you know what it's going to do. So did something just happen
that triggered all of this? Yeah, I don't know. I'd be curious
to know, like, you know, all of the comments that have just
come out, how how long the reporting goes back that source those you know,
like if this if some of the comments in like Jake's piece, for
example, or from two months ago or something like that, and who knows,
we'll find out. I think we're gonna the ship has hit the fan,
and now the fan is like just got flipped from medium to high.
So it's really gonna it's really good everywhere everyone is over. I didn't want
to get quite that deep into it. I got halfway into that metaphor and
decided I was going to going to back out. But thanks for taking a
song. Did you want me to start with the factor fiction that I think
will be gutting for you? Do you want to finish with that? I
feel like we should start with Noo, I want to start with it.
I'm curious now, Okay, fact or fiction? Stephen Curry is more likely
to force his way out of Golden State than Damian Lillard is to do so
with Portland fiction. I thought you're gonna have to fight about that a little
more. This was obviously in reference I don't look the Chris haynesbi's which clearly
wasn't like him. I know he has a relationship with Dame, but he
clearly was not saying Dame said like f this, f that, all this
happening, And then the Knicks, like you know, Mark Burmer the post.
I took it and ran with it. Oh, the Knicks would be
interested in Damian Lillard. Well, obviously they and twenty eight others. Yeah,
yeah, yeah, no, That's that's the reason why I was so
quick to to to say fiction, because, like one, I guess to
start with the step thing. I don't think it's impossible like that he could
come to management and say, like, guys were stuck. I can't do
any more than I'm doing. You got a year to sort of he wouldn't
phrase it this way, but you got another We got another year. And
if if this is the same result, if we're like if I'm killing myself
to make us five hundred, we got to work something out like that seems
plausible to me. Unlikely but plausible. But with when a report like that
comes out, and I have the same thought too. Haines has connections to
Portland, like he's been dialed in, plugged in there for a really long
time. I think he started there, like on the Blazers beat. Maybe
I could be wrong about that, but that is the type of thing that
comes out. You know, the sourcing is Lillard or his camp, because
that's not coming from the Blazers, I don't think so. It seems like
that is sort of what's the that's just sort of paving the way for if
the guy that has professed loyalty forever and by all accounts is loyal and dame
like is just unimpeachable. But like now there's now there's like sort of we're
easing into a scenario where like suddenly it wouldn't be this world altering shock if
if if Dame started to show up in like trade conversations or something like that,
or he angled, he changed his stance a little bit on I'm going
to stay here forever. Like, I think this was just the little nudge
and it was very calculated, so that's what makes it seem more likely to
me. But even that is still hard to imagine. I think they'll try
to do like everything else first, like McCollum would go, uh, stots,
obviously he's getting fired. It seems like that riding is very much on
the wall. But yeah, I think I think it's it's it's like it's
it would not surprise me at all if we're if if Dame was the next
guy you know that suddenly became available that we didn't think ever would. I
want to be spicy and say fact on my statement, but I think I
agree with you. I do feel like you. And it's funny how we
sort of flipped roles here because you were low around the Warriors going into the
season than I am. I feel like we might be underestimating the raging incompetence
of Golden States like Powers that Be. I don't think that they like I
know, their flexibility was limited this past offseason, and you can't the Clay
injuries nobody's fault at the same time, like they're that roster around stuff felt
like it was built without a rhyme or reason, like even the pieces on
the margins. Yes, I like the brad Wanamaker acquisition at the time,
and he turned out to be like one of the worst players in basketball during
his stretch there. Yeah, I Kelly Uber Junior thing was always questionable because
it was another play finisher who didn't really space the floor. So I he
is Curry is extension all this summer, but he could enter free agency in
twenty twenty two. I mean, you throw the you try and extend him.
He's worth whatever age thirty three. The fact that he's playing at this
level, I don't I don't care. And he's not the type of player
to force his way out. And we have not seen this Dame type story
where where it's been oh it's not from Steff, but maybe it's from Steff.
And the fact that he's won three championships obviously helps here, but like,
if you are Steph free agency, is that close? You're at least
entering the final year year deal. As the end of this season, you'll
be talking about an extension. Whatever. How do you not think about it?
Because you have to look at this roster and say, we get Clay
back, we still lack another shot creator, like Clay has just never been
that guy, or what does Clay look like coming off Achilles and acl tears.
I honestly, if Golden State gets the Timberwolves pick and like won't move
it, and James wise move that player and James Wiseman for I won't even
say Bradley Beal, just whatever, like higher profile name or names become available.
I think that could be a tipping point. Or the other tipping point
would be the Timberwolves keeping their pick and then the Warriors have James Wiseman,
who he's not damaged goods, but like insofar as he has a trade value,
you know, tearing your meniscus after not having the best rookie season and
probably not being deployed in the best way for most of it. What are
you getting with James Wiseman as the centerpiece? Or are the twenty twenty two
Wolves pick, which, yes, he is unprotected, but the Wolves kind
of sort of might not suck at that point when you're looking at Edwards,
Cat Delo, healthy, Mollie Beasley and then another high pick from this year,
and so I'm just wondering, there has to be a limit to Curry's
allegiance, right, there has to be. So this is something I've flipped
on over the course of the years I was I was. I defended the
Wiseman pick. I thought it was the right pick at the time, just
because to me, it seemed like he gave them the biggest lottery ticket towards
Like this is the guy that has Steph Twinds down. He becomes our Anthony
Davis, and like we get a sort of Spurs Kauai transition of power type
of thing from the Duncan Jenovli Parker era. But Wiseman, like he just
he didn't have it. Like it's so early, and it's so crazy to
say all this stuff about a guy that you know in three college games,
blah blah blah. Stuck into a situation where like this is the great failing
of the season where the Warriors sort of tried to do both. They try
to develop him, and they tried to win, and they tried to like
involve him in the winning, and he just wasn't ready to do that and
it ruined his confidence. He has a major like he can't catch the ball.
He's totally lost on both ends. So I don't see like superstardom in
his future, which again, like it's ridiculous to say this this early in
his career. But if they don't trade him and this pick or the whichever
iteration of the Wolves pick they have, if they don't do that, I
think it's a mistake. Like I think even though I also don't know that
there's a trade out there that puts them into the contender class, Like I
don't, like we've talked about this before. I don't know if that Beale
puts them in the contender class, Like I'm skeptical about that. But if
but they got to do it now, right, Like there's fact that,
like there's no question they have to make that move that like Steph is too
good and like the point you just praised of, like the door will be
open soon. So if you care about him staying, you have to the
trade. Wiseman has to be moved and that pick has to be part.
Like that's just it seems simple to me. Now ask me again in like
three months. But that's how it looks to me right now. Would you
do And this is because if Dame isn't available and Bradley Beale isn't available,
and I'm trying to think of, would there be even another star that you
could have? Is the next one Karl Anthony Towns feels at least a year
away from that becoming a problem. Would you give up the pick and Wiseman
for and whatever other salary you need to. I think it gets weird because
these two players, Wiseman and this year's pick would make so much money but
it's not a ton of money. But like you can't attach Andrew Wiggins,
but the framework would be Wiseman and the pick for Malcolm Brogden and Miles Turner.
Oh Man, I wouldn't dismiss that out of hand. I think that
might be what it so unless the next star, the next non Dame star
to sort of set be to take over Bill's spot and the guy we speculate
over forever. I think that's like what they might have to settle for and
like, really they'd get that would make them so much better than it would
be like that that could make a huge difference because you get, Yeah,
I like that trade a lot. I would think hard about that, I
really would. But that so you But so I guess what then you're saying,
and I think i'm an agree with you, is that they're probably at
the point where they need to settle for the non star scenario incoming because Turning
and Broaden at their peak fringe all stars. Well, yeah, I mean,
you can't make the trade for the player that's not available, So like
if you're stuck in a position where you've got to pull the trigger, you
just sort of aim at whatever's in front of you, Like you can't conjure
up a target that isn't you know. So yeah, like that's that's totally
plausible that that's what they're stuck doing. And yeah, I would suck if
you know that pick. It depends on where I would feel a lot better
if that pick like was eighth or ninth or something, but if it was
like four or five, then I would really hesitate because yeah, I don't
know, I don't know, but yeah, I think that's the type of
thing they might have to be ready to settle for because you can't. I
forget who I was talking to the other day, but like, oh,
but Clay is going to be back. It's like, Okay, what's he
gonna look like? How like how can you even price him in as like
a yeah, I mean, like is he a positive I assume he's a
positive player, But there's like no chance he's going to be an All Star,
right, Like that's I mean, he'll be better than Wiggins and Ubre
I guess, but like, I just I don't know. You can't.
That's like not an argument to me. It's like, oh, well,
Clay will be back, so they have their seconds. No, it's not,
he's not You can't pry. You can't count on him as a second
star, even the version, even pre injury. Clay. I don't know
if he alone would have made the Warriors contenders, definitely would have brought them
closer. But just what this team needs. Their offense craters by almost sixteen
points per one hundred possessions without Steph and Curry, and Steph is like only
lifting them up to a league average offense when he's on the court. It's
not like their lights out and then they're dropping down to league average without him.
It's, oh, this is an NBA offense versus you're probably facing something
some variation of this at the Why when you go play pick up without him?
Yeah? They, I mean they, It's we're talking about stuff that's
two years old now, But like the necessity of guys like Iguadala and Sean
Livingston is now like being felt because you know, they've had their flaws,
but they understood like not only how to maximize Steph, but how to play
off of him and get easy buckets for themselves, where just like Wiggins doesn't
have that feel to that level, Ubras definitely doesn't have that feel to that
level, and like no one else on the roster really does. So it's
just like if Steph isn't you know, doing what he's doing, Like you
said that off the offense is like a G League offense basically, if he's
not out there, this is a quick side at I toote. But did
you see the thing I think it was on Reddit about Andrew Wiggins. I
think they were responding to someone saying Wiggins doesn't show commitment to the game,
and I would argue with just the way he's defended this year, that's not
actually true. And some people just all right, you know, they're not
as like viscerly like energetic. But I don't know, like I've never heard
of oh his demeanor. He clearly doesn't care unless you know, unless it's
Kevin Love, you know, fair damn bunder ball, then yeah. But
he they were using it as evidence to justify as quitman by saying he had
his girlfriend, and I'm they collected. I'm hoping we may collectively decided she
was going into labor, and they waited to induce until after the game because
he wanted to play in the game. And I would argue that unless his
girlfriend insisted on that happening, you should not be using that as evidence of
anything positive. And it's certainly not a positive reflection of Andrew Wiggins. There
would be a positive reflection of the mother of his child, of his girlfriend.
Like, I could not believe that that was just it was out there.
I'll send you the link to it afterwards, But I did. I
didn't understand, Like, why would anyone use this as a means to prop
up Andrew Wiggins. You gotta get off Reddit, I guess I don't everyone
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Do you want one? Do you have another? Factor fiction that you've been
sitting on? Should I try? Should I hit you with one? If
you have one, feel free to hit me with one. I'm a little
disappointed it didn't seem to sear your soul as much. I'm happy to trade.
Proposal at least got you thinking a little bit. Yeah, and usually
I dismissed those out of hand. But no, that's like it's sad that
that's actually a pretty Then really, I don't know what I would do.
I think I think I would probably do that. And yeah, the me
of a few months ago would have definitely said no, Okay, this is
a big picture one and it's just one and it seems convenient now based on
how these two teams are performed over the last like a week or so.
But I swear I thought this, I don't know, like a month ago
or started coming around to this, and it's sort of a it's two of
them, so you can take them in whatever order you want. One factor
fiction, the Suns are the most likely West Rep in the NBA Finals and
the Bucks are the most likely East Rep. In the NBA Finals. You're
talking to the right person about the Suns. If you want someone to say
fat, there, I have to credit you. Sorry, I'm gonna cut
you off and say you were in on the Sun's way before I was,
but I'm a thousand percent in now you were there first. Though I've mostly
defaulted to unless you tell me that Lebron is not going to be playing for
the Lakers. They're the team that you have to go with. I am
probably leaning towards fact on that being the West thing. When you look at
Denver without Jamal Murray, now the Clippers like they're kind of frisky, but
they just they have these losses or these moments where it's just like, holy
crap, what is going on there. I don't want to say I think
the Jazz are paper Tiger, but they feel sort of a very specific archetype
of player. Short, if that makes any sense, I'll say fiction with
the Bucks because one that allows me to board the Nets bandwagon a little bit.
And I think the Sixers are actually my pick to come out. I
think they probably pose the tougher defensive matchup for Brooklyn. And that's how I've
been viewing the context of coming out of the East. Because you have Tieball,
you have Green, you have Ben Simmons, who you can't stop these
guys, but if there's any perimeter defender that can just delete one of them
from the planet, it's him, Like that's what he functions as a lot
of time. And then you have Joel ebide on the back line. Will
they generate enough offense? Is fair? The Brooklyn's defense is not going to
be you know, maybe it throws off Philly with all their switching. I
don't know, but so I'll call fiction there. I'll say fact on the
suns. Where are you landing on that? So I similarly feel better and
better about the Suns and being going fact on that I do. I keep
coming back to the Clippers because with all the other teams, like, yeah,
Utah, they can only play drop coverage in the pick and roll.
Teams always solve that, Like it's just they're so limited in what they do
and what makes the Jazz great and what works for them just isn't what works
in the playoffs. So that easy dismissal Right, the Lakers, Lebron and
Davis, if they're not fully healthy, can dismiss the Nuggets. Yokich is
by himself crazy, is dismiss nobody else is really serious. But it's like
for the Clippers, I find myself just kind of not having a great,
like logical explanation for why I don't believe in them, And it's I hate
being like, well, they've collapsed once, so they're you know, they
don't have it, but like, I don't know, that's something, and
they depend on jump shots and they maybe like Serge Ibaka is super important.
If he's not healthy, they have to play zobots and then you can only
play drop coverage with him. So I don't know, there's there's there's stuff
there. But but yeah, So with the Bucks, the reason I was
coming around to the Bucks is like I do think that I agree the Sixers
are very well equipped to guard the nets. I'm much more skeptical that they're
going to be able to score with them because one like we just haven't seen.
I just think Simmons is too much of a exploitable but critical piece,
Like if you have to have him out there for defense, which you do,
I think the offensive stuff it's all the same stuff we've always talked about.
It's just sort of tough to make that work. And if you can
put a bunch of bodies on embiid and say like Danny Green Seth Curry beat
us from three, you know and be, it still turns it over a
lot. Like there are ways there, so I'm less. I just feel
like the Bucks Middleton Holiday, Honest, that's pretty solid three guys to defend.
And I think I just kind of feel like the Bucks were the team
that this year's They spent the year like sort of figuring out, like,
here's how we should play like in a series where we have to be flexible
and all that stuff, because that was the big criticism that they weren't flexible,
And I just kind of think they seem like they have the combo that
none of these other teams have, of like here's our base style that we
know will work against like the crappy first round teams we're gonna play, but
then now we can sort of do this other stuff that we couldn't before.
So I kind of just like the feel of and plus the continuity, plus
the like big time something to prove. I like all the all the you
know, the hackeying head aspect. I feel better about the Suns than I
do about the Bucks, so I'd probably go fact on both, but I
feel better about the Sun's half of it, for sure. The Clippers are
interesting because I think my main knock against them would be jump shooting teams can
clearly win championships, but they were just so perimeter dependent. They've been about
and I was looking this up while you were talking. I didn't realize it.
Since the Rondo trade, they've been about league average in the frequency with
which they take their shots from the rim and their free throw attempt rate.
And if they're going to hover around league average in both those categories, they
might be the I don't want to say a sleeping giant, but sort of
how the Bucks have been overlooked in the East. I feel like because of
Brooklyn and Philly, they might be that powerhouse in the West that hasn't been
and maybe people writing them off because Paul George became a meme. They've dealt
with injuries and then the perhaps last year I have So I have two for
you, and this is a good segue. It's Suns. It's the Suns.
One factor. Fiction. Devin Booker is just as important to the Suns
as Chris Paul. I'm gonna say. I'm gonna say fiction, I think
Paul is more important. But the thing you just talked about we were talking
about the Clippers kind of made me think about it a little bit more,
which is that so when you like the Clippers just have Kawhi and Paul George,
they have two big wings that are just hard to handle, and Bookers
not that Obviously. Defensively, he's not where they are, And I mean,
I guess offensively he probably is about as good, but he's not as
big as either of those guys. But you need like that kind of guy,
I think, to get you the bad shots and make the bad shots
at the end of possessions where the good playoff defense has prevented you from getting
what you're trying to get, like the first five things you were trying to
get. So he has a ton of value. He might be more valuable
in the playoffs in the regular season for that reason. But I still think
I think the statistical case for Paul is like pretty ironclad, Like it's just
your the you know, box plus minus and the you know whatever catch all
stuff you look at it. I know, box plus minus you significantly better.
The on off stuff is kind of hinky. I think Booker's actually been
better if you look at cleaning glasses on off than Paul. I don't know.
That's not super persuasive to me. But the thing that I think Paul
again, we'll do like a talking head take on this, but I think
it matters, Like Paul just transformed the team. Like, I don't think
whatever whatever intangibles he brought, I think have been significant. And it's it's
like the leadership, it's the experience, it's the attitude, it's that type
of thing. But it's also like we can just run pick and rolls to
death, and I'm gonna make ten foot leaning jumpers from just inside the right
elbow when we need one every time, Like, I don't know that's valuable
too, So I think it's Paul. But but Bookers had a great I
think Bookers actually, you know, Booker's year maybe hasn't been as good as
some people think, but he's very valuable. Just Paul. Paul's done too
much for that team, I think. See I think I call it uh
fat. And if you took Chris Paul off this team, they're substantially worse.
But if he took Devin Booker off this team, I think they're just
as worse, if not more so. And I've argued this on the pot
before a lot of it comes out, that he might be more valuable in
the playoffs. CP three's has a good playoff resume, you know, the
only one Western Conference Finals appearance. Flip be damned Booker having that, you
know he doesn't have the experience, but just because he is bigger and he
is going to have a better time getting off what should be tougher shots.
But also when you look this season, and I hate to like repeat this
staff because I had it on, I think the last podcast that I recorded
is while Chris Paul draws more double teams per game, the percentage of his
possessions on which he draws double teams is actually higher for Devin Booker and the
Suns are their offenses lights out whenever it happens for either of them. They're
averaging one point one nine points per possession when Booker's double teams and one point
one eight when Chris Paul's double teams. I think when it matters, most
you're going to see teams are gravitating towards book or more but cut because he's
bigger, and they might view as some one person's gonna be able to not
lock down but be more of a nuisance to Chris Paul. That's gonna be
for Booker. And I just also don't think that we appreciate how much Booker
has improved. I think he's better defensively this year. And it's most noticeable
off the ball, but his offense, the way he can manipulate defenses when
he's going downhill. He's a really good passer. And my other thing that
I keep coming back to, and I think I've really become This has been
a stronger opinion for me ever since Chris Paul was inserted to the periphery of
the MVP discussion, because that's what it is. It's the race for contingency
consideration. Yokis is gonna win it and runaway as he should, like did
the bubble not happen last year? And more to the point, did all
the other moves not happen over the like Jay Crowder was a great addition for
this team. Having a healthy Dario Scharitz as your backup five has worked for
a lot of the year. I understand that Chris Paul has probably elevated DeAndre
Ayton. DeAndre Ayton also has not been this billboard for consistency either, and
he had shown a bunch of improvement on defense last year. Specifically moves like
having Tory Craig. I think they would be significantly worse because Chris Paul is
just so much better than Rubio and Kelly Bridge Junior in a vacuum. But
like Wen, I just feel like we're looking at it too much of Oh,
the Suns were bad and now they have Chris Paul and they're good,
when they clearly were at least tracking in a better direction before he ever arrived,
and that was probably a big reason why he wanted to come to Phoenix
in the first place. That's a good point. I don't think it's right
to say that, you know, Paul is responsible for you know, Booker
making the improvements that he's made, or you know whatever whatever else entirely Like
I mean, even like Cam Johnson and Campaigne, like you saw flashes and
I think Payne was pretty good in the bubble, so like coming out of
nowhere last year too, those guys were just better than you thought they would
be. Imagine this team with Tyrese Haliburton too, by the way, if
they'd gotten that right. It's amazing how this is a national podcast and the
Tyrese Haliburton pick has come up way too often where its imagine how good they
would be with him? And I also feel that way about the Knicks.
I know they have a manuel quickly, but for a team that's been on
the hunt for like a high end guard point guard forever. Why not just
take Tyree's Halibert. I'm not saying Obie Toppin's gonna suck, and he's played
better in recent weeks. I just the Knicks and the Suns of the two
teams, I'm like, yeah, he's doing great, Halbert's doing great on
the Kings, But how do you pass him up if you're the Knicks.
But also he would have gotten to learn under Chris Paul and Phoenix. That
is just wild. Yeah. No. The other thing that's interesting about the
Suns, since we're just talking about them, is that, like I was
doing some work on I forget like maybe a weakness of theirs for something I
wrote a week or so ago, and like Paul and Booker are like ninety
six and ninety fifth percentile in mid range jump shop frequency and especially like short
mid rangers, which if you just picture the Sun's playing, you can see
Paul shooting that shot a million times and Booker just gets a guy on his
backpedaling a touch and pulls up and shoots over him all the time. But
like it started, that seems like a weakness. You shoot a lot of
mid ringers. But then it's like if playoff defense is whole deal is to
run you off the three point line and stay attached to the role guy,
and they're going to concede exactly those kinds of shots. Are the Sun's just
gonna make like seventy percent of their two point jumpers and just win every game
by twenty points. Like they're like they're weirdly equipped to make all the bad
the quote unquote I'm doing air quotes bad shots that playoff defenses are like conditioned
to surrender, because what's the alternative? Like you dive out at Chris Paul
as he's shooting from fourteen feet and then like Eighten dunks twenty five times a
game. I don't know what the fix is. I mean, Eten has
to want a dunk, and that that could be if he get true.
That's terrible. I think the biggest knock is probably for Booker has been that
he's like Chris Paul has been easily better in the clutch. Bookers nine of
thirty one in the final two minutes of one possession games. That's twenty nine
percent overall, two of ten from three. I just think he becomes more
valuable in those situations for the playoffs. And I'm totally with you on the
Sun's If they're taking the shots, defenses will probably give them. That's huge.
They're good defensively like they and they can run out a bunch of different
ways. I don't know how well the Sharks at the five units will hold
up in the playoffs, but I would say DeAndre Aton is more likely to
get played off the floor on offense that he is on defense. And they
also can go to this. They've gone to it a little bit. They
have like this Tory Craig Jake Crowder front court that they can just run out
because you have these other bigger wings too with mcal Bridges fantastic by the way,
and Cam Johnson, so they can go that route as well. I
think they're people are harping to me too much on the well, no one
aside from Crowder and Paul really has postseason experience. I do think that matters,
but I think it's become like too heavy of a talking point. Yeah,
I agree with that. I think, Yeah, I don't know,
We're both we're just can this be the Sun's Bandwagon podcast? Is that you
have you looked into getting branded well, so the Timeline podcast, which is
the Suns podcast under the bluelyar umbrella as well. I had the two hosts
on when I did Phoenix's outlook for the season, and I was higher on
the Suns than them, and so on their part specifically, I've been branded
as the national Suns homer, so that you're on the right podcast for you
for that terrific. This is the other one that had for you. Factor
fiction. Denver without Jamal Murray is more likely to come out of the West
than the Utah Jazz. Oh that's a good one, Dan. What did
they go like nine and one in the first ten games? Murray missed something
like that. I think they're ten and two or ten and three overall.
Okay, so in the in the ballpark, I think that's gotta be fiction
as much as great as yokichs Uh I do think, and we did.
We have kind of ship on the Jazz, like indirectly only really said bad
things about them so far, but like that's still a really good team that
I think actually can I cop out and like look at the matchups to just
see what the what they who knows what they're gonna be? Yeah, I
don't know. So you're looking at if the three six happened right now,
it's Denver Lakers. I'd be a little worried about that. If I were
the Nuggets and then the Jazz are gonna get probably the Warriors or Blazers.
I don't know. Yeah, I just I think the Jazz. I think
the Jazz could be a conference finalist, which is like pretty low praise for
the top seed and like the best team all year by a lot of metrics.
I just don't see Denver as having that ceiling, assuming you can sort
of make Yokich, like, you know, twenty percent less effective than regular
season. I just unless Michael Porter Junior is going to average like thirty eight
points a game for a full series, I just feel like there are going
to be at a major talent disadvantage against almost anybody they play. I'm in
agreement with you, but I think it's after watching the Nuggets, I think
it's closer just because how good Yokich is. We're there. I'm so I'm
trying to be like, oh, I'm the five contenders in the West.
They have to be fifth now without Jamal Murray, and I do think they'll
miss the element of what he brings in postseason crunch time, just because Michael
Porter Jr. Isn't used to creating for himself that much. They're also dealing
with a crap ton of other injuries Mante Morris, while Barton PJ. Dozier
is gonna be out a while. They're playing Austin Rivers and Shack like they
need Shack Harrison and Austin Rivers right now, which is always a problem.
So I had to fall to that, do you others or do you want
me to keep rattling them off for you? I have a quick one,
since we already sort of hit the Blazers factor. Fiction. Terry Stotts is
the main problem in Portland and firing him will make the Blazers better. I'm
gonna say fiction. I know people talk about he hasn't been inventive enough defensively,
but the numbers with use of Nurkis on the floor have been fine.
They're above average on defense when Nurkis plays, and without Nurkis, Like,
what else are you supposed to have done? Is it? Because he's relegated
Derek Jones Junior too out of the rotation and Melow's still in it. Melow's
been good on offense this year. The opinions are always going to be split
on him, but you can average, he can score and he's shooting a
good clip from three. I understand why you would play him. So I
feel like this, and I was higher on their defense coming into the season.
I thought the Roco pickup was gonna end up being huge, and having
DJJ I thought that was gonna be huge too. I just looking back,
it's like they don't really have that individual defender. I think if you would
have inserted Aaron Gordon here as opposed to Roco or even DJ, Like if
you had Roco and Aaron Gordon and this defense was shitty, I get it.
But like Aaron Gordon, even though he's not the best one on one
defender, he gives you more juice there than I think Robert Covington does.
Who he's a little bit slighter, and I think he's just more disruptive as
a team defender. And that's not a he's a great defender. I don't
think they have that lynchpin aside from Nur Kitchen when he's gonna miss as much
time as he has, Like, what else are you supposed to do.
And I know they're kind of at the point where it's you have to change
the coach. What else are you're supposed to change? So I get that
coach is coming in here and immediately improving their defense. Yeah, So I
just think it's it's a personnel thing. You know. Nurkis has been fine,
but basically any other center they play, the defense kind of just doesn't
work. Cancer obviously is a prime example. I just was thinking, like
the coaches you've heard rumored, you know, there are retread options like Dave
Yager, who I think is a good coach that's just run into personality clashes.
It's kind of too often for it to be an anomaly. And we're
like, I think I saw Brent Barry, who's in the Spurs front office,
is another candidate, and like, I love I love me some Brent
Barry, like as a very very skinny, white shooting guard as a young
as a kid, like Brent Barry was kind of right up my alley.
It was. It was a figure I idolized, But I mean, like
he's got the defensive fix. And again, like you said, the personnel
sort of seems like it should work. It got too defensive minded forwards,
like it was heartless and Amnu all over again, but like seeming better and
it didn't work. So yeah, I don't think a change is gonna change
of the head coach is gonna meaningfully alter what the Blazers can do with the
personnel they have. I also think they've been like top ten or top twelve
in defense since Nurka's return. I'll have to double check that, but like
their defense has not been completely incapable. There might just be. I think
there's a talent deficit after Dame and CJ. McCollum for the rest of the
ROSSA relative to these teams that they do have to go up against. I
have this one is I think it's tough fact or fiction. The two teams
that will come out of the East play in tournament are it'll either be Miami
or Boston because I have no idea which one of them is gonna make it,
and then Washington. So I read something before I'm gonna I'm gonna be
wishy washy for a second. I've read some stuff about Charlotte that's very encouraging
for its playoff fate, like that it might be able to punch above its
weight a little bit, got some switchable personnel. They shoot a lot of
threes, Terry Rogier can do some cool stuff at the end of games.
Like there's just sort of a decent this team might be a little better in
the playoffs in the regular season thing happening with them. But the Wizards are
just like they're just so hot and they have They're gonna have the best player
in the playing game that they play. I mean, maybe even if they
play Miami, like I mean, I don't some have shakes out that way,
because they'll have Bal and Westbrook sort of undeniable that he's been good lately.
You know, I've always I think we both have probably been dismissive of
the counting stats, you know that he puts up for a while as not
being totally indicative of how helpful he is. But yeah, I think it's
I think it's fact. I think for sure, Miami Boston, whichever of
those is seven. But I think Washington's got the momentum and I think they
have the talent, And like, I don't know if Westbrook's just going to
keep doing this and Bal is gonna get you thirty, Like, yeah,
I think they're better than the Pacers. I think they're and the Pacers are
coming on glued. We've talked about that, so I think I'm kind of
into that. Yeah, it's a fact for me as well. I think
the Miami, if they're in the play in is a given to me.
Just I would expect them to beat the Hornets in a in the first game.
Even though their offense has been not so great this year. I think
I'm buying into Washington now. And it's more so the fact that they've had
a top ten defense while they've been going on this current tear and seth part
now for The Athletic wrote about this. They were really unlucky on opponent and
three point shooting at the start of the year, and that's kind of started
to normalize. So it's like teams are over the stretcher shooting slightly blow thirty
six percent on above the break threes. Now that's not first of all,
that's not unsustainably low, and it's sort of a trade off where it's just
correcting when teams were shooting like forty percent against them above the break in the
beginning of the year. And the other thing is the rim protection has been
better, which also kind of makes sense because of how Daniel Gaffer has been
playing, and now instead of having Moe Wagners like the primary big instead of
Robin Lopez, there's also there's Daniel Gafford so and Alex Lynn for that matter,
who's been pretty good for them. And what I keep coming back to
is, unless you are playing the Heat, not only you have the best
player of who you're going up against, but you probably have the two best
players of the other three teams in the playing tournament. Right if you're looking
at Indiana and Charlotte as the other two teams. Excuse me because I think
Butler is probably the best player of the four right now, but of Charlotte,
Indiana, and Washington, Bell and Westbrook are probably the top two players
from that three from those three teams, right, Yeah, I think so.
The only pushback I give is that I've just always been reluctant to give
Westbrook full credit. But yeah, I mean, like he's better than Sabonus.
I think he's better than whatever else, whoever else you'd list for The
Pacers and the Hornets are just kind of a bunch of guys. I mean,
there's not like a top line star I Hayward, I guess, but
I mean you don't really know what you're going to get there. Yeah,
I think that's interesting. I do think two. I was writing about this
the other day, the Whizz It's potentially getting the Nets in the first round
as the eight one matchup would be a lot of fun because russ might just
like literally explode with competitive rage trying to beat Durant and Harden and just beat,
you know, knock off this giant. I think that would be one
of my most anticipated series if we ever, if we could get it,
I think we might need Washington to like, can they get to seven?
That's not even possible. Must they get to the top eight? Right?
Yeah? So I think it might need to be the two seven. Yeah,
Brooklyn's three losses behind the Sixers for first place. Yeah, and we're
at the point now where that matters. Like I had been dismissive of the
of like those top three teams and that how many games back anybody was,
But then the end of the season really snuck up on me. So I
think those deficits actually kind of matter now. I have a quick one that
sort of related to that. For you, unless you have another one that
you've thought harder about. No, I'm ready all right own factor fiction.
Only one of the Nets Sixers Bucks trifecta will appear in the East in conference
finals, which means that two of those get eliminated prior to the conference finals.
I'm gonna say fiction, just and you must feel that it's going to
be Philly in Brooklyn because you have the Bucks coming out of the East.
Anything that's gonna happen. I just they're not going to face a real threat
in the first round, is anybody I guess whoever gets Miami? Is that
the or all Boston too. I'm discounting, but right now Milwaukee would be
matching up with Boston, so it would really depend on matchups. I guess
there are some mine like there's some mine fields here because of Boston and Miami
being now. But Boston is just you don't know unless Kemba's gonna be Kemba.
You don't know who their third best player is going to be on a
night tonight basis on offense. And that's a problem I Miami, I do
we trust their up. Maybe they'll have that sort of postseason bump like they
did last year in the bubble. I'm gonna say fiction. I think we
get two of those teams in the Eastern Conference Finals. But if you're predicting
a Knicks, you know, Sixers or Knicks Bucks Conference Finals, I'm totally
here for it's it's fiction. It would have been a better like is there
a thirty percent chance or like or you know, twenty five percent. And
it's just based on my overarching thing with this season, which is that the
regular season is like worthless in terms of predictive value, and so I would
just almost treat going into the playoffs with like some exceptions, as if this
were the beginning of the regular season and you're asking me to pick like conference
finalists. I think my amire in Boston would be like much facilities, and
so uh yeah, the standings would have to kind of get a little wonky
for this to even be possible. But I just think Boston and Miami are
much more dangerous than the regular season play shows. And I think it's possible
that the Sixers and really all three of those, the Sixers, Bucks,
and Nets are less dangerous than the regular season shows. So I think they're
all actually closer than and then the standings would indicate in terms of like their
playoff, I don't know seeing things or they're what they could do. So
that's just kind of the basis for that. But yeah, I think it's
fiction too. Those those three teams at the top are have a lot fewer
question marks than anybody else in that conference. I think I have a good
one for you, fact or fiction. Chris stops Porzingis is not on the
Dallas Mavericks to start next season, So you're saying they're gonna trade him for
what cap space? Yeah, to go get that second star they need.
I'm gonna say fiction. But I really like where this question is coming from
because I was just say, we haven't mentioned Ricks like once this whole time,
and I think it's because we maybe just I don't think view them as
like a real serious I was just gonna say, I think they're one to
one point five players away from a title right now, which is why we're
just not mentioning them. And there's the level of I guess if it looked
like christophs was gonna beat the series against the Clippers, then he was injured
last year, so he gives the meaningful contributions and stays healthy now maybe that
changes the trajectory, and I think we have enough evidence just given what they
still need, that he's not He could be on this team and be one
of the three or four best players. I don't know if he could be
that number two. My main issue with saying fact here, my reticence would
be, well, who's trading for Christoph's Porzingis right now? I just know
Charlotte would be interesting, But what are you giving Dallas to make that?
What they like, you know, Terry Rosy or and what are they going
to be interested in? That? Is Dallas going to be interested in that?
There's you run into. I can't think of obvious suitors for KP.
Yeah, I think he feels I think it's I think it's fiction because I
think Dallas would like to get that third guy in free agency and sort to
see what it looks like with Porzingis, maybe like as a two A and
two B situation, or even third if they got like, I don't know
who, if they got Kyle Lowry or something like that. But Porzingis is
the type of guy that you know, how like how Miles Turner comes up
all the time of like you know, who'd really fit well? On this
team. It's like the guy who's defend I mean, Turner is a different
level of defender than Porzingis is, but like the big guy that stretches and
kin block shots like I think Porzingis is. Market is pretty vast. But
but yeah, like it's a different salary bracket than Turner. But I think
it won't be hard to trade him as long as he's like semi healthy.
But I don't think that's going to happen unless next year is disappointing and like
he's part of it. That would that would be my guest. Although I
don't know how much longer his contract runs. I didn't pull that up while
you're talking after this one, Okay, Yeah, so that's that's plausible that
after next year, if they don't like how it's gone, that he could
move in. But I think he'll be on the roster to start this coming
season. I have two very quick ones for you. Fact or fiction.
The Toronto Raptors will be one of the top three contenders in the Eastern Conference
of Kyle Lowry returns next season. I think that is fiction. I love
you know, I love Kyle Lowry, and I like I think Siakaman and
and Obi and Van Fleet. That's like those four guys pretty darned good.
I don't know if the next year, one year older version of Lowry without
more help on that roster gets them up to the level of the Brooklyn's and
Phillies and Milwaukee's. Do you think, I mean, was that factor fiction
for you? It'd be a fact for me, and you kind of outlined
it because they've actually destroyed people in the minutes those four have played together.
You'll probably bring Gary Trent Junior back, and they've had They just haven't played
their best players together season. Part of that has been injuries in COVID and
then over the post trade deadline or maybe a little bit after that, it's
been on purpose. It feels like basically they also now it doesn't look like
I picked them to get into the plane and win it a few weeks ago,
which was clearly stupid. They're gonna have a lottery pick. Now,
what if you know if they jump into the top lords would be over.
I guess the real factor fiction would be will Kyle Lowry be back? And
I hope that their decision not to move him at the trade deadline applies more
of a commitment to keeping him because I think that there's still something like,
you're not in a position to necessarily rebuild. You have Van Fleet, you
have Siakam, you haven't a Nobi. You're about to pay Gary Trent Junior.
You can be really good, And so I think if he stays,
they'll be in the top three. And I'm hoping he does stay because I
like Kyle Lowry on the Raptors. But I guess the real factor fiction is
will Kyle Lowry still be in Toronto? I just I don't know the teams
that they were dealing with to trade. The Lakers and Sixers don't have cap
space. The Heat will and there can always be signed in trades. Somethink.
It's the most ridiculous thing in the world that people thought the Raptors passed
on this incredible offer from the Lakers because of Tucker and Dennis Shrewder. It's
like, I mean, you're gonna have to pay Dennis and then Town Horton.
Tucker's this nice mystery box who you also have to pay at the end
of the season. I don't think you missed out on anything that the Lakers
were offering you. Yeah, I think I think it's probably fiction that Lowry
will be back. I hope that's wrong. But the only reason I feel
that way is it does seem like they were open to the possibility of trading
him at the deadline, and like, yeah, I could have just signed
him in free agency after that, but he seemed to be negotiating his next
deal with whoever he was going to sign with, So I think if they
were open to moving him, which seems true, and he was looking to
sign a new deal basically ahead of time with wherever he went, which seems
true. I don't know it augurs towards him not coming back, but I
think they theoretically they could be. They could be very good without him.
I just yeah, it would be. It would be gratifying if that.
I love that course so much. I did the same thing. I kept
picking them to make the play in like against all evidence that they were not
trying to win every game. But I'm with you now. I think I
think the lottery pick could make a difference, and that's probably worth more to
them at this point than like just giving a top seat to run in the
first round my last one, because I know you have to get out of
here. Fact or fiction. The Chicago Bulls are screwed unless they jump into
the top four of the draft. Well they lose the pick, right,
Yeah, top four protective unless they jump into the top four. How about
just take off the second half of that factor fiction, Chicagos are screwed.
I like fact, big fact. Uh It's I feel like I've been too
harsh on them writing about them, but like, I just think you sort
of gave away two first rounders for like the ceiling that the Magic used to
have, which is like overly simplistic and harsh. But it's like Muchevich puts
a cap on what you can do. He's like, that's just that's just
how it is. And Zach Lavine, I think as great, as as
much better as he's been this year, I still think that he's like the
empty calories are still there and they're those are the cornerstones. And maybe Patrick
Williams becomes like a guy that offsets some of their defensive weakness. Yeah,
Like, I just I hate how that team is built now. And both
of Vukovic and Lavine their contracts are not ridiculous at all, Like they're reasonably
paid and movable and but you gotta think about Lavine's next deal. Yeah,
they're screwed, I think. I mean, if those picks, if those
picks convey, like, oh my god, like that's just it's that's brutal.
They're in they're in a tough spot. Conversely, they could be in
a good one if the pick doesn't convey, because it means that you they
have like a thirty as of now, would be like a thirty one point
nine percent chance of getting a top four pick, which if you add that
to having Vouch and Lavine, Patrick Williams, Kobe White keep Daddy as Young
around, that gets interesting really quickly. The other thing is, unless I'm
reading this wrong, the expiration after this year's just gone, like they don't
have this doesn't defer. If it doesn't convey, it's just top four,
and if they keep it, they also the top four protective pick. In
twenty twenty three, there's like no deferral's listed and I'm looking at the real
GM pick commitments. So you went in a number of ways. There's a
chance that missing the play in which they're obviously going to do ends up helping
them. But it's now this very precarious position. More so, than before
where you acquired voots because you thought you were going to be one of those
play in teams. You're not. And that's look that Zach Lavine having to
go in the least health and safety protocols. That's not something you could have
predicted. It's something you could have planned around. I'm sure by not making
this trade, like where you go from here, now, you've obliterated most
of your cap space unless you want to get rid of Fat and Saturanski who
have those partially guaranteed deals. I don't think Lavine signs an extension because he's
capped at a twenty percent raise, and that's like a difference of based off
thirty percent of the cap in twenty twenty two, it's a difference of like
ten million dollars a year. And now you don't maybe you will. Do
you have the cap space to renegotiate and extend him to max him out immediately
starting next season. If you don't do that, I'm not saying Levine doesn't
want to be in Chicago, but if you go through next year, don't
make the playoffs or just get annihilated in the first round or the play in
or whatever happens. He has to start looking at other places, So there
was always a risk involved here. It just feels much worse and to the
point that we're not even talking about it enough now that they're not going to
make the play in and I feel like they have a lot more at stake
in the draft lottery than has really been discussed right now, unless they have
sort of sort of air tight commitment behind the scenes from him, which I
think you have to know he at least is opened the staying. Otherwise,
why I make this trade? You can't. This isn't Kevin Durant. You
don't go all in to make sure that you keep zach Lavine in twenty twenty
two. But you know, if he said, oh I might leave,
you don't make this trade, right. I agree. I think they've They've
got two players that they've sort of are treating like cornerstones that I think are
just like not the cornerstones of the type of team that you should be aspiring
to be. So yeah, that's I. Yeah, they're screwed for lots
of reasons. I think I have I have a quick one for you to
go out on, which and it's really dumb, but I just want to
see what your reaction is if you don't have a if you don't have a
good one for me, I am I'm fresh out of good ones. I'm
not sure I had a good one to begin with, but now I'm fresh
out of the ones. I thought, oh you had, you had great
ones, So this would be better as an over under and the numbers should
be like one point five. But I'll have to do factor fiction for it.
Factor fiction. Kevin Porter Jr. Will make at least two All Star
Games during his career. I'm just gonna say fiction. I don't he does
he have the license to fire away that he has right now on a better
version of any team, and obviously the Rockets being chief among them. Like,
Okay, I just wanted to talk about Kevin Porter Junior because he's one
of my favorite like late season stories right now, just because of all the
Cavs stuff, and then he got fifty at age twenty and the guys that
have done that, I'm sure you've seen. Lebron did it twice, Brandon
Jennings and Devin Booker. So Devin Booker made two All Star Games, Lebron
made a million. Brandon Jennings did not make an All Star Game and was
out of the league had a torn achilles, but was out of the league
before he turned thirty. So you got a real broad spectrum of what happens
the guys that can score fifty when they're twenty. So that's kind of fun.
But yeah, the as a as a long suffering Warriors fan who lived
through just that, I can remember when Tony Delk scored fifty points, and
I can remember like getting excited about Fontego Cummings like having nineteen points, or
just like when you're a fan of a really bad team, which the Rockets
very much are, you see some weird stuff and you think it means something
and it never means anything. I'm not saying that's Kevin Porter, because he's
clearly talented, but like, that's a wild thing that Kevin. We're talking
a lot about Kevin Porter Jr. At the end of a season that has
been super weird, and I'm just here for it. I'm enjoying like all
of the craziness of that whole situation. I just like he's sub thirty two
percent on three sub thirty percent of us. There's like that, you know,
this isn't quite rookie of the year. Michael, No, I'm not
even gonna say that because that's so rude. I just don't know. For
him to make an All Star team, there has to be a year where
he's the best player on like a bulls level team. Looking at Levigne,
I just I don't know. If he gets to that point, I would
be I would be astounded if he gets there. I thought you were going
to say that he'll never touch fifty point finds again, which is actually I
bet you you will get another. I don't know, man, we talked
too much about Kevin Porter Junior. Should we wrap it up? Yeah?
I'm with it. Thank you for coming on, guys. Follow Grant on
Twitter if you've not already at GT Underscore Hughes, remember a rate review and
subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcast if you've not already, I
hope that this audio is coming out of both your your your phones too as
well. Until next time, leave you with a shout out to the one
the only future All Star all in a runaway MVP in honor of Grant Hugh's
Kevin Porter Jr. Sugar Ray, Leonard, Roberto Duran, Marvelous, Marvin
Hagler and Thomas Hearns, legends whose four way rivalry define one of the greatest
errors in boxing history, relive their decade of dominance in the new Showtime Sports
documentary The Kings, a four parts series premiering Sunday, June sixth, only on Showtime