1 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:20,120 What is track lack and philoped Hermo new Pierre after I am Dan Favalley coming 2 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:23,719 at you with a very brief intro before we get to a longer podcast. 3 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,480 I'm putting out a conversation I had with Andrew Claudio of Knicks Film School where 4 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:30,440 we actually bounced around the entire NBA. Didn't just talk about the Nicks. 5 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:34,359 I went on their show. Go check them out Nixt Film School if you're 6 00:00:34,359 --> 00:00:38,359 not subscribed already, Apple, Spotify YouTube. They are a machine. Andrew 7 00:00:38,399 --> 00:00:43,799 Claudio is one of the ogi homies for me in the industry. I remember 8 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:47,960 meeting him man like, I don't know how many years ago at this point, 9 00:00:48,079 --> 00:00:51,920 and he was kind of just starting out. And now they Nix Film 10 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:54,399 School. I don't think Nixt Film School he was with them at the time, 11 00:00:54,399 --> 00:00:58,640 but now they're a behemoth. He's one of the two primary brainchilds behind 12 00:00:58,679 --> 00:01:02,159 that thing, and they do they fantastic work. So go subscribe to Nick's 13 00:01:02,159 --> 00:01:06,599 Film School if you haven't already. I'm putting up this conversation in part because 14 00:01:06,719 --> 00:01:08,200 instead of solo mail bag, which is normally what we kind of have for 15 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:11,879 Mondays, because my voice is only just getting back to Norman and I need 16 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:15,719 to try and conserve it for just you know, future podcast because it was 17 00:01:15,719 --> 00:01:21,040 starting to sound pretty rough for a minute. Please remember though, just the 18 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:25,359 usual house. Can we note subscribe Spotify, Apple YouTube hit the sub button 19 00:01:25,359 --> 00:01:29,239 if you haven't already like comment on the videos. That's always nice to see. 20 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:30,760 Follow us on the socials, join our discord. The links in the 21 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:34,560 podcast and YouTube description, and if you want to support us by buying merch 22 00:01:34,599 --> 00:01:38,239 the links are in the podcast YouTube description as well. And as always, 23 00:01:38,239 --> 00:01:44,480 thank everybody for all their support. Grant and I are genuinely appreciative of each 24 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:48,159 and every one of you for all the support that you continue to show this 25 00:01:48,239 --> 00:01:51,560 show. And so I believe is the week of Thanksgiving. So Grant and 26 00:01:51,599 --> 00:01:56,000 I will have a pot out Wednesday and Friday for you sort of like an 27 00:01:56,079 --> 00:01:59,640 optimistic pod since we just sort of did a concern for every NBA team, 28 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:01,840 and I might have another podcast, a deeper Dive on the Rockets, up 29 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:06,200 for you all on Tuesday, and so that'll give you plenty of content to 30 00:02:06,799 --> 00:02:09,039 travel to or just if you have some downtime this week, check it out. 31 00:02:09,039 --> 00:02:13,080 I think I think we'll end up having four full length episodes up for 32 00:02:13,159 --> 00:02:15,039 you, which is you know, that's pretty sweet if I'm a podcast listener 33 00:02:15,039 --> 00:02:19,319 and I see one of my podcasts that I enjoy listening to us four episodes 34 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:23,400 out. So yes, let's get to this conversation with the homie Andrew Claudio 35 00:02:23,479 --> 00:02:27,479 and just want to reiterate, hurry up and go subscribe to NIXT Film School 36 00:02:27,479 --> 00:02:30,039 if you have not already. I can't say enough about the work that they 37 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:32,360 do over there. Joining me now if you're in the next Film School pregame 38 00:02:32,439 --> 00:02:38,759 show with the NIXT taking on the Charlotte Hornets again for the second time in 39 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:44,039 six days, I'm not talking about the Hornets again. Much love to my 40 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:47,000 friends at the Buzzbeat podcast, Richie Randall and all of my friends down in 41 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:52,400 Charlotte. If you want a full preview of the Hornets and their season and 42 00:02:52,439 --> 00:02:55,000 what's going on, just go back six days and check out the pregame pod 43 00:02:55,039 --> 00:02:59,560 that I did with them there. Instead, I want to talk about the 44 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:04,120 league, and so let's talk about all things NBA with friend of the pod, 45 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:09,639 returning guests and one half of the Hardwood Knocks podcast as well as I 46 00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:14,439 don't know if he's a hero or a villain to Knicks fans over at Bleacher 47 00:03:14,479 --> 00:03:19,400 Report, mister Dan Favallei, Dan, welcome back. Oh it's good to 48 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:21,240 be back. Thank you so much for having me. Claudio, how are 49 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:24,439 you doing. I'm good. And I'll take people a little behind the scenes 50 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:32,039 that this is your game five in Utah Game Podcast, because I'm appreciative Dan 51 00:03:32,159 --> 00:03:37,280 is a little under the weather today and he's still made time to talk Nix 52 00:03:37,319 --> 00:03:39,560 and to talk about the NBA with me. So I always appreciate someone that 53 00:03:39,639 --> 00:03:45,680 goes that extra mile to come on this podcast. I want to talk about 54 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:49,240 the league at large, and I'll say we'll go save Nick's talks for the 55 00:03:49,439 --> 00:03:53,879 end. And just a very simple question to start. So eleven games, 56 00:03:53,960 --> 00:04:00,080 just about for every team, what's one early trend that surprised you in a 57 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:04,120 good way? The Rockets being good? Yeah, I know. I know 58 00:04:04,199 --> 00:04:08,879 that they acquired some like solid Town and Dylan Brooks, Fred van Fleet over 59 00:04:08,919 --> 00:04:12,439 the offseason, even Jeff Green. I just didn't trust that they would. 60 00:04:12,599 --> 00:04:15,040 Again, they're nine games into the season, so these caveats apply, but 61 00:04:16,319 --> 00:04:21,040 they have co laced into like this actual force and I really respect what they 62 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:26,160 did offensively after like the first game or two, it just became clear, 63 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:29,720 oh, no, things need to run through and four al Prin Schangun. 64 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:32,759 They've made that switch and they haven't looked back. I think Fred van Fleet, 65 00:04:32,959 --> 00:04:36,079 the efficiency inside, the arkist all over the place, the attention he 66 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:40,360 commands just opened things up for everybody. The connection he has with al Prin 67 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:44,560 Schangoun's already awesome. I think Shangoon has probably been one of the ten most 68 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:47,600 entertaining players to watch this year. Not best players, which is entertaining where 69 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:50,040 it's what is this guy going to do next? And part of that is 70 00:04:50,079 --> 00:04:56,040 because you don't fully understand it because he wasn't playing enough in seasons past and 71 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:58,720 even just there. Yeah, there are some things that won't sustain. Opponents 72 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:01,399 are shooting poorly from three, like really poorly. I believe Dylan Brooks has 73 00:05:01,399 --> 00:05:05,360 not missed the three this season apparently, but there's a real difference in the 74 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:11,639 style they're playing where Dylan Brooks is no longer taking these junkie jankey off the 75 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:15,720 dribble jumpers. They between Bret van Fleet and Dylan Brooks, Am and Thompson, 76 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:18,720 even when he was healthy, getting Tarry Easton back some of the minutes 77 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:23,720 jay Sean Tate has given you. Even Jabari Smith Junior, there's been real 78 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:28,439 like defensive cohesion there for them. Jeff Green has provided a steady and presence 79 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:31,480 off the bench. Jalen Green rough beginning, he's really starting to level off, 80 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:34,399 though, and they've run some units, or I should frame it this 81 00:05:34,439 --> 00:05:38,680 way. When you watch them, they're more inclined to have Jalen Green run 82 00:05:38,759 --> 00:05:42,639 his independent units from Shangun than Fred van Fleet, where they've decided FEV is 83 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:45,920 going to be tethered to Shangoon and we're going to let Jalen Green kind of 84 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:48,959 be more independent in the reserve heavier units. A lot of those units are 85 00:05:48,959 --> 00:05:54,560 actually playing pretty well, and so they've been one of the most entertaining teams 86 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:57,279 for me this year. And I will add you included this in your notes. 87 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:00,920 The Timberwolves defense is for real, and it's just entirely unexpected. Even 88 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:03,360 if you thought Rudy Gobaert and Anthony Edwards and Jade McDaniels are gonna be this 89 00:06:03,439 --> 00:06:06,800 good. I've never seen nas Reed defend better. He used to just be 90 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:11,279 ultra switchable and now he's like, oh, he's a back line stopper as 91 00:06:11,319 --> 00:06:15,759 well. And Karl Anthony Towns still very slow footed, can still get caught, 92 00:06:15,879 --> 00:06:18,680 you know, in Nowheresville in space. He's been good defensively too, 93 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:21,959 And so that's a team where they can kind of figure out their offense, 94 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:25,839 get their three point volume up a little bit, accuracy up a little bit, 95 00:06:25,879 --> 00:06:29,439 and that comes down to Kat. They might be like the second or 96 00:06:29,439 --> 00:06:32,279 third best team in the West. They just the low key just recreated the 97 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:38,199 Jazz, right, except Anthony Edwards is better than Donovan Mitchell and Keer is 98 00:06:38,759 --> 00:06:44,879 well bigger, and Kat's obviously better offensively than Bogie or whatever for Victorian Prince 99 00:06:44,959 --> 00:06:47,480 or whoever they used to have in Utah, right right. I think the 100 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:51,519 bigger difference too is that Utah. And this is why I could never understand 101 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:57,120 Jazz fans. Then even some national fans is growing disdain for Royce O'Neill when 102 00:06:57,160 --> 00:06:58,560 he was at the end of his term. It's like, oh, he's 103 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:00,959 cooked defensively, and it's no, he's not cooked defensively. It's that he's 104 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:05,040 not Jade McDaniels, who will literally erase anyone you want him to. And 105 00:07:05,079 --> 00:07:09,720 that is the bigger difference of And of course they're playing dual bigs, which 106 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:13,120 isn't something you Todd did, Like they got away from that eventually, and 107 00:07:13,199 --> 00:07:15,879 so having just so many, I mean, when you look at their starting 108 00:07:15,879 --> 00:07:19,759 five right now, I'd say Kat is probably still below average defender. But 109 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:23,720 if he's your worst defender, this version of him right now, you have 110 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:27,759 four above average defenders, even including Mike Conley, who's like older, but 111 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:30,319 he's just super smart. And so they've proven to be a force already. 112 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:33,519 They gave the Nuggets a run for their money to open the playoffs last year, 113 00:07:33,519 --> 00:07:36,639 and we saw they really rankled Denver with the way they're like, well, 114 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:40,160 Kat, you guard Jokich and then we're gonna have you Rudy clean up 115 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:43,800 stuff behind you. There's not really another team right now that can do that. 116 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:46,519 And so you know, if you're Knicks fans, I get well, 117 00:07:46,519 --> 00:07:48,360 you might not be super interested in the Timberwolves, but that's like those are 118 00:07:48,439 --> 00:07:51,519 one of the teams that they could really pop. Where we're talking about them 119 00:07:51,519 --> 00:07:57,040 in the vein of oh did they just win to playoff series? So it's 120 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:01,759 funny you say our Knicks fans not interested. They've come up a ton because 121 00:08:01,879 --> 00:08:05,839 of the cat of it all and like we'll get to Knicks thoughts later and 122 00:08:05,839 --> 00:08:11,800 how internal growth might just make superstar talk go away completely, but like Cat 123 00:08:11,839 --> 00:08:16,439 is always going to be on the Knicks radar, and seeing the growth of 124 00:08:16,519 --> 00:08:20,680 nas Reed and seeing how much better the Timberwolves are defensively, specifically with Reid 125 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:26,279 on the floor for Cat and going with the Gobert Naz Reid lineups that that 126 00:08:26,399 --> 00:08:30,439 stood out. I will say that as far as the Rockets are concerned, 127 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:35,799 I how sustainable do you think that is? You mentioned the three point luck 128 00:08:35,799 --> 00:08:39,799 that they're getting and whether they're going to be ninth in offense and third and 129 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,519 defense. I don't think so, But I mean I have their over for 130 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:46,360 a prediction this season. I felt they would more than thirty one games. 131 00:08:46,759 --> 00:08:50,559 This hit that under. I also have been finishing twelfth in the conference. 132 00:08:50,559 --> 00:08:54,879 I figured this is like a thirty three win team. But are we now 133 00:08:56,360 --> 00:09:01,120 readjusting and this is like closer to forty I want to say yes. But 134 00:09:01,159 --> 00:09:05,360 the things to kind of look are fred van Fleet's offense. His shooting specifically 135 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:09,120 might normalize a little bit inside the arc, but like what happens with Shannghun 136 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:13,200 playing this role over a more extended period of time something he hasn't done. 137 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,840 What happens when aman Thompson comes back to where it's He's been a part of 138 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:20,559 some really good defensive units, but he's a rookie. So are you going 139 00:09:20,639 --> 00:09:24,120 to get into a dilemma where you want to get him run but you're so 140 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:26,399 much worse off on the floor. You kind of have to decide is his 141 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:30,360 development coming at the expensive wins. There's also gonna be a point where the 142 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:33,399 Rockets his own three pointers are gonna stop falling, and is that gonna embolden 143 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:37,799 Dylan Brooks to take more off the dribble looks once his three pointer stops falling. 144 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:41,519 I don't think that I'd be shocked if they finished fourth in the West. 145 00:09:41,559 --> 00:09:43,879 That would be even right now. But I do think we need to 146 00:09:43,879 --> 00:09:48,039 recalibrate. And I think I said this leading into the offseason. The only 147 00:09:48,039 --> 00:09:50,679 teams I were sure or leading into the regular season, the only teams in 148 00:09:50,679 --> 00:09:54,679 the West I was positive were gonna be worse than the Rockets were the Blazers. 149 00:09:54,879 --> 00:09:56,879 And I said maybe the Spurs, And now it's okay, Well, 150 00:09:56,919 --> 00:10:01,159 it's definitely the Blazers is definitely the Now it's time to start talking about the 151 00:10:01,279 --> 00:10:07,399 Jazz and the Pelicans in that same conversation. If you're you know, if 152 00:10:07,399 --> 00:10:09,840 you're not a believer in whatever the Clippers are doing, I understand, so 153 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:13,559 you could throw them in there too. So let's I need you to mention 154 00:10:13,639 --> 00:10:16,559 an offense that you either are excited by or the early trend. Because if 155 00:10:16,559 --> 00:10:20,639 there's the Dallas offense's obviously the Indiana offense, the Hawks, like the Knicks 156 00:10:20,639 --> 00:10:24,440 just saw it the other night, They've seen it twice this year where they've 157 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:28,000 really had to outscore the Hawks. So which offense is standing out to you 158 00:10:28,039 --> 00:10:31,919 the most? I mean, the Rockets are still fun to watch an offense 159 00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:35,159 I make. The Pacers are just they are the best show on offense in 160 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:39,039 basketball right now. There is the best way I can describe it is they 161 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:43,679 are accessible to everyone who likes basketball. You will be entertained, but you 162 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:46,799 cannot multitask when you watch them, because if you put your head down to 163 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:50,200 tweet something or look at something, there's a chance that Tyre's Halliburton has just 164 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:52,879 done something else where. It's like they are gonna run off makes, They're 165 00:10:52,879 --> 00:10:56,240 gonna run off missus. They're gonna run off steals and all the different things 166 00:10:56,279 --> 00:10:58,840 Tyre's Haliburton is doing. I think Caitlon Cooper was talking about this a couple 167 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:01,759 of days ago. They even have him doing more off the ball, and 168 00:11:01,799 --> 00:11:03,480 so I was like, oh my god, you got to defend this guy 169 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:07,039 off the ball now too. In addition to him kind of flicking up these 170 00:11:07,039 --> 00:11:09,279 off the dribble, looks these tough angled layups. The way he throws these 171 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:13,279 lobs, these hit aheads, it's just it's non stop and they are so 172 00:11:15,159 --> 00:11:18,879 uninhibited when it comes to some of the lineups they're running. And it's been 173 00:11:18,879 --> 00:11:22,600 a joy to see Obi toppin where it's transition whatever, like he can do 174 00:11:22,639 --> 00:11:26,799 some stuff there. He's probably underachieved. You watched them in a half court. 175 00:11:26,399 --> 00:11:31,639 The dude is just never not moving. It's like he's a pinball, 176 00:11:31,799 --> 00:11:35,200 is what he's become. And it's so cool to see. And the Pacers 177 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:39,200 have the ability to run their offense that way and open up the floor for 178 00:11:39,279 --> 00:11:41,639 him in way that the Knicks did not. And he also doesn't have a 179 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:45,039 two time All NBA power forward in front of him, which also helps. 180 00:11:45,639 --> 00:11:48,440 They're just fun. I don't know if they're gonna be Caps lot good because 181 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:52,360 the defense is like, the defensive issues are real. They like to play 182 00:11:52,399 --> 00:11:56,320 small teams will hunt Halliburton and like aside from Bruce Brown, and it depends 183 00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:58,679 on how much you play Andrew Nemhard and of course you have Myles Turner. 184 00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:03,279 There feels like they need a sturdier combo wing to really bring that all together. 185 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:07,799 But it's watching the Pacers counts as cardio like. It's just it's not 186 00:12:07,919 --> 00:12:13,720 exhilarating. I hate it because of the Nick Pacer rivalry that still exists to 187 00:12:13,759 --> 00:12:18,720 me at least, and maybe this rejuvenates it. Listen, I have my 188 00:12:18,840 --> 00:12:20,519 rivalries that I hold on to. It came back last year when the Knicks 189 00:12:20,519 --> 00:12:24,000 played the Heat in the playoffs and I got to relive some of the late 190 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:28,240 nineties series. But you know, we'll see if we get like a four 191 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:31,399 or five or you know, who knows where both of these teams end up 192 00:12:31,399 --> 00:12:37,159 in the future. I've been reluctant to jump on the Pacers, not bandwagon, 193 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:41,440 but the show before the season, I had them sixth in my predictions. 194 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:45,720 I had them finishing sixth and then higher than me then, So there's 195 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:48,799 here's the problem. Though, the day before we released our predictions, I 196 00:12:48,799 --> 00:12:50,559 got spooked. I was like, you know what, that's a young team, 197 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:54,080 and I pushed them the eighth and I switched them with Atlanta. And 198 00:12:54,519 --> 00:12:58,879 from what I've seen from Atlanta this year and then what I've seen from the 199 00:12:58,919 --> 00:13:01,679 Pacer is like I fight stuck with that, I'd look so much smarter, 200 00:13:01,759 --> 00:13:05,559 which like whatever whatever that means. But I'm glad the offense is what I 201 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:09,679 thought it would be, and like you said, it's a really fun league 202 00:13:09,679 --> 00:13:11,799 pass team, which well we'll talk about in a bit. And look, 203 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:18,120 the Obie of it all. I hate when it becomes especially when Randall was 204 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:20,159 struggling in the beginning and it was like, see, we could have had 205 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:24,200 Obi. It's like, yeah, but we don't have Haliburton. So I 206 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:28,120 don't know if it was ever gonna matter. It's my take when the trade 207 00:13:28,159 --> 00:13:31,320 happened was like, He's gonna look great there and the Knicks will probably be 208 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:35,919 fine, you know, And I think that's what has happened. And I 209 00:13:35,919 --> 00:13:37,639 think it's really cool that he can look great there and the Knicks are kind 210 00:13:37,639 --> 00:13:41,360 of fine without him. I think there should be a mutual appreciation for the 211 00:13:41,399 --> 00:13:45,559 situations where it's just like, but that's it. There's no world. There's 212 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:48,360 no world for mutual nuances. I think it's gonna be frustrated by anything. 213 00:13:48,399 --> 00:13:50,960 You could say that they may be held on to Obi Topping for too long. 214 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:54,399 It would have been better for them just to make the decision to move 215 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:58,120 him sooner because of the compensation that got back. But it's well, it's 216 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:03,799 yes, but the only reason, like he didn't show out enough in New 217 00:14:03,879 --> 00:14:05,879 York because the minutes just weren't there because you have Julius Randall was a very 218 00:14:05,919 --> 00:14:09,720 good basketball player in front of him, and so you needed you also based 219 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:13,039 off what the Knicks were doing, kind of needed something different out of the 220 00:14:13,039 --> 00:14:16,600 players you were bringing off the bench than Obi Topping, And so when there 221 00:14:16,679 --> 00:14:20,679 was a higher mestique around him, like they probably should have been a little 222 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:22,799 bit more. And this is tough because of knowing how Julius Randall played, 223 00:14:22,799 --> 00:14:26,799 but like after his second year is probably when they should have been a little 224 00:14:26,799 --> 00:14:30,879 bit more open to like seeing how much better would the compensation have been in 225 00:14:30,919 --> 00:14:35,039 that moment. So two counterpoints. One, they tried to trade him for 226 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:37,799 Donovan Mitchell, So it's not like they didn't try to trade him. They 227 00:14:37,879 --> 00:14:41,320 just there's a deal. There's a difference between including him in a star package 228 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:43,240 and then sending him to Indiana for seconds stuff. You're right, but the 229 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:48,080 when did they finally send them the second the Indiana for two seconds? When 230 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:50,919 they had Josh Hart. Once they finally had what they viewed as a suitable 231 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:56,600 backup four, they moved on and then A delegated those minutes to the Vincenzo, 232 00:14:56,679 --> 00:15:01,200 which fits what Obi's role is a corner three point shooter. You know. 233 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:03,240 Just here's the thing, though, is because when you found that in 234 00:15:03,320 --> 00:15:07,399 Josh Hart, that just proves that how different what you needed off the bench 235 00:15:07,559 --> 00:15:11,559 was than in Obie. And so, like you, I don't think those 236 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:13,480 two decisions needed to be tethered together. Where was if you wanted to move 237 00:15:13,519 --> 00:15:16,879 Obi a little bit sooner or didn't have to wait until you had the ideal 238 00:15:18,279 --> 00:15:22,240 backup for option one? Last counterpoint in the playoffs, when Julius hurt his 239 00:15:22,279 --> 00:15:28,600 ankle Game four against the Cavs, Obi played that entire fourth quarter because Julius 240 00:15:28,639 --> 00:15:31,480 was still figuring life out with this ankle. If you're just in a world 241 00:15:31,519 --> 00:15:35,960 where putting the transaction of vacuum, I agree with you. They did not 242 00:15:35,039 --> 00:15:39,639 get him at his highest value point, and they didn't trade him at that 243 00:15:39,679 --> 00:15:43,399 point. They were still in the business of trying to win basketball games, 244 00:15:43,519 --> 00:15:48,639 and the Knicks were best option for backup power forward at the time. Was 245 00:15:48,639 --> 00:15:50,600 Obie Topping in a role he's not suited to be in. I agree with 246 00:15:50,639 --> 00:15:54,360 you, Like they probably could have gotten more for Obie Top and at a 247 00:15:54,360 --> 00:15:58,279 different point, they probably could have just held on to Obi and like waited 248 00:15:58,279 --> 00:16:00,879 this year and see what happens. See if at the deadline this year it 249 00:16:00,919 --> 00:16:04,759 made more sense after sing I would have no. I'm just my point is, 250 00:16:04,799 --> 00:16:07,480 like the fact that they've when he's been on the court, like the 251 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:11,120 RJ units that they've been able to get to. I don't know that Obi 252 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:14,320 would have allowed those to happen. So send him to Indiana for no picks 253 00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:15,639 at that point, if it means that we get to see these lineups this 254 00:16:15,679 --> 00:16:19,600 season that we got, yeah, I look, I love like o'be finally 255 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,720 breaking out against the Sixers was was cool to see. And I think that 256 00:16:22,879 --> 00:16:27,120 was the moment that the Indiana thing kind of became real to me. Like 257 00:16:27,159 --> 00:16:32,360 I thought they were scoring these points against really poor defenses and doing what the 258 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:36,200 trick that net rating and offensive rating does with us each year. It's like, 259 00:16:36,279 --> 00:16:38,240 yeah, they're they're beating up on bad teams, and then when they 260 00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:42,000 play the good teams, they are kind of kind of stifled. And you 261 00:16:42,039 --> 00:16:45,159 look at what they did to Philly and I was like, oh, okay, 262 00:16:45,799 --> 00:16:48,799 that's a little different. That's it. That's Joe l Emp. That's 263 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:53,159 a decent enough defenses. Why I'm curious when they play a Minnesota or the 264 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:56,919 Celtics, which they did play the Celtics without Haliburton and lost by one hundred 265 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:00,679 thousand, But like, I'm curious to see when this like when they play 266 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:04,519 the Knicks, I'm curious what they do when the rim is just unavailable. 267 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:08,759 I do think just the space that they create, so the different angles at 268 00:17:08,759 --> 00:17:12,359 which you can go and attack, even teams that are able to really protect 269 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:15,839 or dis Way looks at the rim. Well, that's something that Obie never 270 00:17:15,839 --> 00:17:18,119 would have had in you because he's still not hit in his threes or taken 271 00:17:18,240 --> 00:17:21,920 enough of them by volume. Like that's the thing that's still happening in Indiana. 272 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:25,359 The difference is just that it's not just giving him the freedom to roam. 273 00:17:25,359 --> 00:17:27,640 It's also giving him the room to like actually roam in the half court, 274 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:32,079 and the Knicks just aren't built that way. And so it's just I 275 00:17:32,079 --> 00:17:36,440 think that's why there's a mutual appreciation where he's in a better situation and the 276 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:40,799 Knicks just you. I the discourse around Julius Randall is so divisive, but 277 00:17:40,839 --> 00:17:44,279 you can't obi was never good enough to justify, well, this is the 278 00:17:44,359 --> 00:17:47,119 reason we need to move on from Julius Randall, Like that was just that 279 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:48,680 never could have been a thing. And so I find it easy to very 280 00:17:48,759 --> 00:17:52,839 much. Yeah, we can disagree on I might have moved him a little 281 00:17:52,839 --> 00:17:53,920 bit sooner. Maybe the offers weren't that much better. Maybe it was like 282 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:57,559 a top twenty first and at that point it's eh, whatever. But just 283 00:17:57,559 --> 00:18:02,000 the fact that he's in a better situation, you do still have your depth. 284 00:18:02,039 --> 00:18:06,759 It's not like you totally obliterated your your backup four options. And as 285 00:18:06,759 --> 00:18:08,440 you said, you did wait until Josh Hart was there. So there's just 286 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:11,759 a I don't know, it's not a both sides one trade, But I 287 00:18:11,799 --> 00:18:15,640 think it's easy to look at it and understand the process of events and just 288 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:18,559 be happy that. Okay, Obi has found his fit. I also, 289 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:22,359 I wonder if we went behind the scenes, which will never get to see 290 00:18:22,359 --> 00:18:29,359 because of it's the Knicks. If there was like a push and pull in 291 00:18:29,599 --> 00:18:34,480 the little leon Ro's brain trust of Julius All NBA Julius versus the following the 292 00:18:34,559 --> 00:18:38,440 year after he won All he won Most Improved Player, and if it was 293 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:41,920 like, we need to see that this Julius thing is real, Right, 294 00:18:41,319 --> 00:18:45,359 that's a point. Yeah. If there may have been a version where it's 295 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:48,799 like, okay, this twenty this first year of Jalen Brunson is kind of 296 00:18:48,799 --> 00:18:52,200 a wait and see for Julius too, And then when he returned to all 297 00:18:52,319 --> 00:18:56,200 NBA levels, that's when you know they were like, okay, now we 298 00:18:56,279 --> 00:19:00,480 can Now we can start to move on from you really want. I get 299 00:19:00,559 --> 00:19:03,519 mad, and this is something I'm not still mad at. But it was 300 00:19:03,599 --> 00:19:06,680 because I'm so often wrong that the fact that I was right, I so 301 00:19:06,759 --> 00:19:11,599 bad. They wanted the Knicks to take Haliburton and yeah, you go ahead 302 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:15,440 and doing that rather than what Obi's doing in Indiana, which again I had 303 00:19:15,519 --> 00:19:22,200 no idea what Julius Randall's gonna be that season on Draft night when the Knicks 304 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:26,160 got Obi. There was a lot of like a local kid from the from 305 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:32,279 New York. He's so Mari two point zero. They're Julius Randall on the 306 00:19:32,319 --> 00:19:37,160 trade block. Here we go and we're gonna win twelve games. Randall goes 307 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:40,359 out and wins most Improved Player and they're the four seed, and it's like, 308 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:44,759 oh, so this is awkward. So I always wonder behind the scenes, 309 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:48,599 like if they thought that Obi was going there to be the point, 310 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:52,400 the powerful over the future, and Julius Randall just became an All NBA player 311 00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:56,799 as a result. I agree there should be a mutual appreciation where we can 312 00:19:56,920 --> 00:20:02,000 enjoy both what this NIXT team is post Obi and what Obi Top has become 313 00:20:02,079 --> 00:20:06,160 in Indiana despite it being for a bitter rival. I agree with you. 314 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:11,680 The Pacers show has been fun to watch. I'm very curious what happens when 315 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:15,839 they have to play defense. Let's go to the negative, like, what 316 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:19,599 is one early thing that has stood out to you that is in a negative 317 00:20:19,599 --> 00:20:23,359 way, something that has been disappointing, that has regressed. If you want 318 00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:27,960 to make this an anti Clippers conversation, we can. I've I've been I 319 00:20:29,319 --> 00:20:32,160 was bullish and when they first made the trade, and I was like, 320 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:34,079 all right, I think this will work out because it's the it's the the 321 00:20:34,119 --> 00:20:38,079 small ball rockets on steroids. But what it's looked like so far is like, 322 00:20:38,079 --> 00:20:41,000 oh, you know what you might need out there a rebounder? So 323 00:20:41,319 --> 00:20:45,440 what about what do you think? I really? I mean, the Clippers 324 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:48,839 are disappointment, but I still think they kind of figure it out, and 325 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:52,880 Russ volunteering to come off the bench as a legitimate big deal. And it's 326 00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:56,960 also you know, we don't need to pile on the Clippers. It's a 327 00:20:56,039 --> 00:21:00,160 it's a disaster right now. I think they showed some progress in that game 328 00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:04,319 against the Nuggets, except the caveat being weld. The Nuggets didn't have Jamal 329 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:07,319 Murray and like they couldn't figure out how to get to their best lineups to 330 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:11,000 defen Jokic, and even when they did, they went away from them. 331 00:21:11,079 --> 00:21:12,519 The Clippers have been a disappointment, but there's still a chance that they just 332 00:21:12,559 --> 00:21:17,119 figured it out. I think a lot of people look at Phoenix's availability. 333 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:18,559 Bradley Beal gonna be out in another three weeks. If I would have told 334 00:21:18,599 --> 00:21:23,759 you in August when James Harden was still a sixer that by Christmas, the 335 00:21:23,759 --> 00:21:27,319 Clippers would have played more minutes with Paul George Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. 336 00:21:27,359 --> 00:21:30,279 Then the Sons played with Bial, Durant and Booker. You probably would have 337 00:21:30,319 --> 00:21:34,960 thought I was bonkers. Kevin Durant went to Phoenix and they recreated the nets. 338 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:38,279 They're just never gonna play their three best players together, and they were 339 00:21:38,319 --> 00:21:41,400 all gonna be like, yeah, but if they play together, it'll look 340 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:42,680 great. Yeah, when are they going to play together? It's the exact 341 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:47,680 same situation. I'm still gonna This is the I So we're talking about this 342 00:21:47,759 --> 00:21:52,680 on our podcast that goes live on Saturday, that you need Devin Booker and 343 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:55,720 Kevin Durant, that if Bradley Beal is injured, it's kind of okay, 344 00:21:55,839 --> 00:21:57,319 and I think it'll be fine. But like the Devin Booker absence and now 345 00:21:57,319 --> 00:22:02,279 that he's back, now is when start to evaluate them even without bilmore thoroughly. 346 00:22:02,599 --> 00:22:06,839 The actual disappointment for me, and anyone who's listened to me over the 347 00:22:06,839 --> 00:22:10,640 past couple years knows that I can't quit the Pelicans. I'm very close to 348 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:17,240 quitting the Pelicans when you there. Their issues have always been being able to 349 00:22:17,279 --> 00:22:18,920 stay healthy. It's never been the ability. Now all of a sudden, 350 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:23,400 it's both because you're still not healthy. CJ's out, Jose Alvarado's out, 351 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:27,079 Trey Murphy's out, HERB Jones missed some time, Brandan Ingram missed some time, 352 00:22:27,480 --> 00:22:30,680 like say Larry Nance. Yet, like the injuries just go up and 353 00:22:30,759 --> 00:22:33,720 up and up. However, the minutes with their best players on the court 354 00:22:33,759 --> 00:22:38,440 should still be good. They are getting trucked when Zion and Brandon Ingram play 355 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:42,440 together. And it's not that they're getting torched by unlucky opponent three point shooting 356 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:47,440 either. It's Schmid Dua had wrote about this in the Know. The ball 357 00:22:47,519 --> 00:22:49,559 is sticking with Ingram to the point where like Zion doesn't really know what to 358 00:22:49,599 --> 00:22:52,599 do, and he kind of threw shade. I don't know if you saw 359 00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:55,480 his comments a few days ago, where it was he's trying to fit in 360 00:22:55,519 --> 00:23:00,000 and figure it out, and it's, uh, he is quite a little 361 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:03,720 the future of your franchise, and you've gotten away from the point Zion stuff. 362 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:06,960 He's definitely not as explosive as he's been in years past. You're talking 363 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:08,079 about the real quick you're talking about the comments or he was like I need 364 00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:11,039 to I'm still trying to buy in or figuring out if I want to buy 365 00:23:11,079 --> 00:23:14,720 in. Right, it was that, but it was more of like he 366 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:18,079 didn't kind of understand what he was buying into. And that's a whether you 367 00:23:18,119 --> 00:23:21,960 want to criticize Zion for that. The fact that he doesn't necessarily understand what 368 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:26,799 he's buying into is a massive criticism of the organization. And to be losing 369 00:23:26,839 --> 00:23:30,960 the minutes those two play together both of them are also the Pelicans are losing 370 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:33,160 the minutes in which one of them plays without the other, and they're actually 371 00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:37,680 a net positive when both of them are off the floor. And so again, 372 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:41,079 the injuries contribute to this, but guess what injuries are The Pelicans default 373 00:23:41,359 --> 00:23:45,839 and I don't care how like the defensive fundamentals can still be there. The 374 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:49,039 offense is just too broken for long stretches. And I don't know what the 375 00:23:49,079 --> 00:23:52,440 answer is for them. They have the assets to go and make a trade. 376 00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:55,960 But if you're gonna be one dealing with the health issues and two, 377 00:23:56,359 --> 00:23:57,960 like, what are you doing with Zion right now? If you're committed to 378 00:23:59,559 --> 00:24:03,039 playing him? Is kind of your point Thingam a Bob? Why is brandon 379 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:07,680 Ingram getting just kind of the agency that he is or why is he playing 380 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:11,680 the way that he is? And he's too talented to just be like there's 381 00:24:11,759 --> 00:24:15,440 there's very It'd be very difficult to trade brandon Ingram and theoretically get better on 382 00:24:15,559 --> 00:24:18,279 paper because even if you attach picks to him, like, what is the 383 00:24:18,319 --> 00:24:22,960 team that is sending you the player that wants brandon Ingram When he's gonna be 384 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:26,799 making a ton more money soon even though he's relatively young, that's going to 385 00:24:26,839 --> 00:24:30,480 elevate you to the next level. And so I don't know, these next 386 00:24:30,559 --> 00:24:33,920 like month worth of games or so for them are gonna be huge because there's 387 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:37,599 been not as many highs as there should be, even when you measure it 388 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:41,400 against the injuries that they've been dealing with. So first of all, I'm 389 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:45,839 on cleaning the glass and I wanted to make sure to miss that they added 390 00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:51,839 Bob as a positional designation, so it didn't not yet, So get up? 391 00:24:52,079 --> 00:24:53,960 Can he email Ben? Was that Ben Glass? Does that last? 392 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:59,680 Yeah? Yeah, so we'll we'll make sure that we give you an inventor 393 00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:06,519 credit on that for that. Dan for Valley Special of Positional Designation of think 394 00:25:06,559 --> 00:25:10,920 I'm a bob. I'm staring at this lineup data. Now, They're minus 395 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:15,240 seven with Zion and Ingram on. They're minus ten with Zion on, Ingram 396 00:25:15,279 --> 00:25:21,279 off. They're minus twelve with Ingram on Zion off, and plus three with 397 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:23,599 both of them off the floor. That is, I didn't notice that yet. 398 00:25:23,599 --> 00:25:26,960 I had talked to Mason Ginsberg a couple of weeks ago when the Knicks 399 00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:29,759 played the Pelicans and they were off to a one to oh start, so 400 00:25:29,799 --> 00:25:32,559 I was like, oh, things are looking up, and things have not 401 00:25:32,839 --> 00:25:37,440 gone that way since then. It was obviously pre CJ McCollum injury. Uh 402 00:25:37,519 --> 00:25:41,720 man, I don't want to talk with fabric. That shouldn't make everything fall 403 00:25:41,759 --> 00:25:45,480 apart though, as the thing is, like the units with him and Herb 404 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:48,359 and then spacing were killer and like you had Herb was Herb. Jones had 405 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:51,759 really turned a corner because he had more space to work and they were putting 406 00:25:51,799 --> 00:25:55,599 him on ball like he ran like there was this one in like back to 407 00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:56,720 back possessions. I think I was watching round. I got pick and rolls 408 00:25:56,720 --> 00:26:00,160 like I don't think I've ever seen that ever from him, and those were 409 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:04,480 killer, but like you can't run your offense the same way when both Zion 410 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:11,720 and Ingram are available, and it just feels like there is warring functionalities at 411 00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:14,200 play in New Orleans right now. Might be the best way for me to 412 00:26:14,240 --> 00:26:17,519 frame it. I don't want to talk about transactions yet with them, because 413 00:26:17,559 --> 00:26:19,359 I feel like they're a team that gets thrown into trade machine a ton, 414 00:26:19,519 --> 00:26:26,039 whether it be uncertainty with either Brandon Ingram with his looming free agency or Zion 415 00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:30,359 and his I mean, I feel like since he's been drafted, it's been 416 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:32,559 like, how can he go to the Knicks? And I don't know if 417 00:26:32,599 --> 00:26:34,000 the Knicks want him at this point. I don't know if that's an upgrade 418 00:26:34,039 --> 00:26:41,039 because of the availability concerns from like him to Julius Randall. However, it 419 00:26:41,079 --> 00:26:44,920 does seem like they're a team that is going to do this one more season 420 00:26:45,039 --> 00:26:48,319 and then wholesale changes are going to have to be made. Yeah, And 421 00:26:48,519 --> 00:26:51,759 I think, look right now, the saving grace is if you go back 422 00:26:51,759 --> 00:26:55,079 and look at the data from last year, they killed opponents when Zion and 423 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:56,759 Ingram are on the court, It's like the recipe is still sort of there. 424 00:26:57,079 --> 00:27:00,200 But if you don't trust Zion to be I guess as explosive or you 425 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:04,079 don't want to put the ball in his hands as often. That does change 426 00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:07,799 the context of what's happening. And so they're just a team I'm watching because 427 00:27:07,799 --> 00:27:11,759 something, aside from injuries, just feels off. There. Any other team 428 00:27:11,880 --> 00:27:18,279 stands out to you as a disappointment. Yeah, man, I go from 429 00:27:18,319 --> 00:27:22,400 my preseason picks like the Bucks defense is a thing, but I'm not. 430 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:26,079 I would like to slitely push back on that, just because ever since they've 431 00:27:26,079 --> 00:27:32,599 switched Brook back to a drop, they're like fifth in half and like they're 432 00:27:32,599 --> 00:27:34,559 the best room protecting team in the league. I think their issue is going 433 00:27:34,599 --> 00:27:37,680 to be, which I do agree with you on with this, would be 434 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:41,759 they've been weird in transition, Like they've even gotten better in the half court, 435 00:27:41,799 --> 00:27:45,720 where yeah, Damian Lillard still gets behind plays, but playing Andre Jackson 436 00:27:45,759 --> 00:27:48,359 a little bit more I think has helped their defense. We'll see how losing 437 00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:52,000 Jay Crowder hurts. It's too easy to get out in transition on them. 438 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:55,920 Teams get behind their guards. Malie Beasley game a lot, even Giannis a 439 00:27:55,960 --> 00:28:00,319 little bit when he takes shots that are outside of the restricted air. Yeah, 440 00:28:00,319 --> 00:28:03,119 he's like kind of watching them and then like when he's missing his three 441 00:28:03,119 --> 00:28:04,839 pointers so badly, like teams were able to run off of that. And 442 00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:07,599 so that's one thing I'm watching with them. But I think they're I've been 443 00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:11,759 surprised at how hard people have been where they think that it's sort of doomsday 444 00:28:11,759 --> 00:28:15,480 there and oh they're so thin, and when Chris Middleton play more minutes and 445 00:28:15,519 --> 00:28:19,240 it's we have these same questions about every contender except the Nuggets essentially right now. 446 00:28:19,759 --> 00:28:23,160 Yeah, I the only pushback I'll give to your pushback, sir, 447 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:27,640 is there's some there's a hint of who they're playing, like some opponent luck 448 00:28:27,799 --> 00:28:32,200 in that some of the some of the offenses that they're playing, Like what 449 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:34,440 started, I get it what you're saying with Brooke going back to a drop 450 00:28:34,519 --> 00:28:41,119 and them leaning back into their rim protection that started in the tournament game against 451 00:28:41,119 --> 00:28:45,680 the Knicks where Julie RJ was out and Julius Randall, my goodness, might 452 00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:49,839 have had the might have gone to his official low in New York with with 453 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:53,480 how bad he was that game, and they were just the way they were 454 00:28:53,519 --> 00:28:57,319 at the rim. They were playing a Knicks team that just could not buy 455 00:28:57,319 --> 00:29:00,319 a basket, and like it was a night to Jaylen Brunson had forty five 456 00:29:00,359 --> 00:29:04,599 points and the Knicks had like one hundred and five, So like that started 457 00:29:04,599 --> 00:29:11,400 it. Then you have these really rough half court offenses in Chicago and Toronto 458 00:29:11,799 --> 00:29:18,240 and uh Orlando, and the one game that sticks out in that stretch that 459 00:29:18,279 --> 00:29:21,880 they lost was Indiana. So I want, like, I do agree with 460 00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:25,759 you. I never thought that they were gonna be bottom five in defense, 461 00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:30,160 and like the small sample size was nothing to fully buy into as this is 462 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:33,880 like this is the Bucks are in trouble. They got rid of their defense 463 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:37,640 so that way they can get Dame. I do have a question long term 464 00:29:37,799 --> 00:29:41,640 about their point of attack because I just don't know what they're gonna do on 465 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:47,319 the perimeter in the playoffs when you have to face these teams that have guys 466 00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:49,240 on the wing that, yes, fine, the rim has been taken away. 467 00:29:49,279 --> 00:29:53,119 What are you doing with Jason Tatum. I do I think Marjon Bochamber 468 00:29:53,319 --> 00:29:56,240 Andre Jackson could end up being an answer. I don't. I agree with 469 00:29:56,279 --> 00:29:59,000 you in the sense that you don't want them to be the answer in the 470 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:02,240 playoffs, and so that's they're gonna have to be on the floor for important 471 00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:04,000 minutes then can they be you know, I know, like the game the 472 00:30:04,039 --> 00:30:07,880 Knicks played against them bow champ Pit like five threes and it was like, 473 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:12,079 oh, okay, if that verse exists, fine, you know, yeah, 474 00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:15,920 look, it's a fair question to have with them, and they don't 475 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:18,880 have the assets to just go make a move. They might be able to 476 00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:22,160 reacquire like Javon Carter, who they let walk in free agency when the Bulls 477 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:25,680 tear it down. I wonder if they have enough to get Io to soon. 478 00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:26,799 Everyone wants them to get Alex Caruso. They just don't have enough. 479 00:30:26,839 --> 00:30:29,799 They don't have a first round pick to trade, and I don't think mar 480 00:30:29,839 --> 00:30:33,920 John does it plus salary maybe tweak. By the way you saw that the 481 00:30:34,039 --> 00:30:38,440 I forget if it was Haynes or whoever it was that brought up Caruso to 482 00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:41,400 the Bucks and how like Caruso would be a great addition to that team, 483 00:30:41,839 --> 00:30:45,240 was whoever the source was, And I was like, that applies to twenty 484 00:30:45,319 --> 00:30:49,119 nine teams. Man, like Alex Cruso would fit on literally every team right 485 00:30:49,119 --> 00:30:52,359 now. I just wonder, like, yeah, and it rings hollow when 486 00:30:52,359 --> 00:30:55,519 it's a team that doesn't have the assets to get him. We're sort of 487 00:30:55,519 --> 00:30:57,160 like, oh, the Lakers would like to acquire Zaq Lavine. It's like, 488 00:30:57,240 --> 00:31:02,200 okay, cool with what and they do have the salary in the clutch 489 00:31:02,240 --> 00:31:07,359 connection. I agree with you. They don't want to trade Austin Reeves and 490 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:11,200 they can only give up one yea, what are we doing here? Really 491 00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:17,920 quickly? Another sort of disappointment, and please he's played a little bit better 492 00:31:18,039 --> 00:31:22,680 over the past couple games. Josh Giddy just has me uncomfortable right now. 493 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:26,119 He did such a good job of kind of fitting into the larger picture of 494 00:31:26,119 --> 00:31:29,400 what Oklahoma City was doing. Last year, He's shooting about twenty percent on 495 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:33,359 catch and shoot threes this year about thirty three percent on floaters. The Thunder 496 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:40,519 have been more inclined to let j Dub wing Jayalen Williams run units without Shae 497 00:31:40,559 --> 00:31:44,079 and Giddy than to let Giddy run units without Shay and Jay Dubb, which 498 00:31:44,079 --> 00:31:48,559 I think is just weird. Giddy's two point percentage is falling off a cliff 499 00:31:48,839 --> 00:31:52,720 without Shay, and so the fact that defenses are able to ignore him to 500 00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:56,359 the extent that he literally needs the gravity of both Shay and Holmegrid on the 501 00:31:56,400 --> 00:32:00,759 court at the same time to be kind of a scoring through. Is just 502 00:32:00,839 --> 00:32:04,039 something I'm monitoring, and it's not look, I don't mean to make this 503 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:07,400 transactions transactions transactions, but like he's gonna be Extension Leville this summer, and 504 00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:12,039 so it's a very real with Cason Wallace there playing well as a rookie, 505 00:32:12,039 --> 00:32:15,279 it's a very real thing that they kind of have to like monitor and look 506 00:32:15,319 --> 00:32:19,200 at. And the other thing I will be watching. I know that opponents 507 00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:21,720 have burned them from three, and the sample size isn't huge because of all 508 00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:27,039 the time, but the Cleveland starting five has a very like they've been bad 509 00:32:27,519 --> 00:32:30,279 defensively and Jared Allen hasn't looked the same at points. Again, a lot 510 00:32:30,279 --> 00:32:34,960 of it's opponent three point shooting, and also Darius Garland's off to a slow 511 00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:37,559 shooting start himself. I think that normalizes He's at like twenty seven percent on 512 00:32:37,599 --> 00:32:42,519 wide open threes or whatever it is. That is just something I'm watching because 513 00:32:43,119 --> 00:32:45,559 Cavs fans don't like to talk about this, and I get it because it's 514 00:32:45,559 --> 00:32:49,200 the lazy you know, we're not going to in depth here, but you 515 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:52,599 know, the dual big stuff matters offensively Forevan Mobile. They want him to 516 00:32:52,599 --> 00:32:54,319 do a lot of stuff in the center of the floor that's not available when 517 00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:58,519 Jared Allen's on the court, and so like, if that defense is an 518 00:32:58,559 --> 00:33:04,240 elite capslock bold text italics elite, when those two are like in that starting 519 00:33:04,279 --> 00:33:07,960 five, it's something just to just a question. I think that one is 520 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:12,640 more likely to normalize than my Josh Getty concern. Though, well so, 521 00:33:12,759 --> 00:33:15,519 I I wonder what the Cleveland things. So the Knicks when they played this 522 00:33:15,599 --> 00:33:21,160 weird back to back five games into the season against the Calves, the Calves 523 00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:25,119 didn't have Alan for either one and they only had LeVert for one of them, 524 00:33:25,759 --> 00:33:29,839 and it was like you're playing a beat up Calves team. It's funny 525 00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:32,599 because of what happened in the playoffs last year. Evan Mobley went into that 526 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:37,160 back to back thinking, oh, we owe them some payback, and then 527 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:39,720 Mitchell Robinson just kind of picked up where he left off, and it was 528 00:33:40,039 --> 00:33:45,559 unfortunate for Mobile, who I have high projections for that you still looked like 529 00:33:45,599 --> 00:33:49,559 you were not able to physically match up against this new version of Mitchell Robinson. 530 00:33:49,599 --> 00:33:52,839 That's just like Dennis Rodman plus Tim Duncan when it comes to the rebounds, 531 00:33:54,279 --> 00:33:57,839 looking at their lineup data. Well, I wish I would have gotten 532 00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:01,000 a chance to talk to Justin about from the chain is like they made the 533 00:34:01,079 --> 00:34:07,280 switch from a Korro to Max Struce in the starting five and the drop off 534 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:12,960 in defense to have a respectable shooter there. I mean, their offense has 535 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:15,880 gone up, but their defense is really what carried them last year. This 536 00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:20,760 team was second in net rating last year, and I wonder if that concession 537 00:34:21,199 --> 00:34:25,000 is a little bit more drastic now, Like you said, the transactional stuff 538 00:34:25,039 --> 00:34:29,920 and the Mitchell thing hovering over this, I wonder how much anxiety that's adding. 539 00:34:30,599 --> 00:34:35,000 But man, the early sample size of the Calves and I had them 540 00:34:35,039 --> 00:34:39,079 finishing third in the conference. Philly might change that. And I'm waiting for 541 00:34:39,119 --> 00:34:43,639 the bump to eventually show up for them. Maybe they get healthy and that 542 00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:47,559 changes everything. But like, what point should the panic meter start with the 543 00:34:47,599 --> 00:34:52,280 Calves. I can't if they probably deserve another month at least, just because 544 00:34:52,320 --> 00:34:57,039 of how small the sample size is when everyone's available, and like, look 545 00:34:57,280 --> 00:35:00,480 that lineup that I was talking about, They're still winning those minut It's it's 546 00:35:00,559 --> 00:35:06,000 just that the the defense is not as line talking about. There isn't the 547 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:09,239 strue lineup was a net plus on the season. I thought minus two point 548 00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:14,760 two at the right maybe maybe, but like that's that's how small the samples 549 00:35:14,760 --> 00:35:17,119 are. It's one hundred and twenty five possessions, you know, Yeah, 550 00:35:17,159 --> 00:35:22,280 And so I'm just I would expect that I would expect them to be fine. 551 00:35:22,519 --> 00:35:24,280 Uh, but it's still something that's like, oh, okay, well 552 00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:28,039 this is this is sort of weird. And if one of these things don't 553 00:35:28,079 --> 00:35:32,320 turn where it's ohs Darius Garland start shooting better? Does the does the dual 554 00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:36,880 big minutes get better? Defensively, like opponent's still going to be hitting threes 555 00:35:36,920 --> 00:35:38,440 at a pretty high clip. Like if one of those things just don't start 556 00:35:38,440 --> 00:35:42,079 to sort of shift, then it's, oh, okay, what's happening? 557 00:35:42,119 --> 00:35:45,280 Because they've had a lot of averts been good. Isaaca Corro's been good. 558 00:35:45,559 --> 00:35:47,320 Sometimes there's too much Donovan Mitchell, but he's been good. And also their 559 00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:52,599 offense is like it's faster than last season, which makes them more dangerous. 560 00:35:52,599 --> 00:35:54,320 So I look at those I'm kind of clinging to those bright spots and even 561 00:35:54,360 --> 00:35:58,719 some of the mobiley without Allen units, not maybe the ones that he was 562 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:01,480 they were rolling out when Allen wasn't starting. But it feels like there's a 563 00:36:01,519 --> 00:36:07,440 pathway to them to kill some of the opposing like opposing teams, and you're 564 00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:10,360 gonna run those mobile plus like bench and one or two starter line. I'm 565 00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:15,519 said, don't have Allen Well, speaking of offenses that look faster this year, 566 00:36:15,519 --> 00:36:17,880 I don't know if you agree, but this Knicks offense has looked a 567 00:36:17,960 --> 00:36:22,360 hint better. There's not as much there's still the same amount of isolation, 568 00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:25,239 there's a hint more ball movement, especially with RJ on the floor. This 569 00:36:25,280 --> 00:36:29,320 is where I want to get your thoughts on the basketball team that I cover 570 00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:31,920 full time and the basketball team of your childhood, Dan, that you once 571 00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:36,159 had an affection before it, but start before you started calling for them to 572 00:36:36,199 --> 00:36:39,639 fire the head coach in your day job, wondering how long does it take 573 00:36:39,679 --> 00:36:43,280 for that to come up? Listen, it's gonna come up every single time 574 00:36:43,320 --> 00:36:45,440 we talked DD. Your thoughts on the Knicks in this early start. What 575 00:36:45,519 --> 00:36:49,360 are you buying? What are you waiting to see if you want to buy 576 00:36:49,400 --> 00:36:52,960 in, whether it be Mitch on the offensive boards or this this revelation of 577 00:36:53,079 --> 00:36:58,599 RJ Barrett or even like the disappointing ones with but Jalen Brunson like taking a 578 00:36:58,639 --> 00:37:04,239 step back from unreach in from two point range to just kind of average from 579 00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:07,760 two point range, or this back and forth Julia season that we've had. 580 00:37:07,280 --> 00:37:12,800 Yeah, so the things I'll be buying with them, I'm bought in to 581 00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:16,199 the defense for the most part. The stuff that Mitchell Robinson is doing is 582 00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:21,159 absolutely incredible, and I know, like when you dig into some of the 583 00:37:21,199 --> 00:37:25,360 individual rim numbers, the data is wonky and it just doesn't match anything that 584 00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:30,119 you're seeing because he's covering so much ground from the outside end for the Nick 585 00:37:30,159 --> 00:37:35,199 simultaneously and it's just kind of everywhere, and there's a real deterrence to what 586 00:37:35,239 --> 00:37:37,360 he's doing. We're like, okay, opponents are kind of shooting good well 587 00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:40,000 against him at the rim, But a lot of that stuff can happen when 588 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:42,960 it's like, oh, they're coming in from the corners and then Nicks were 589 00:37:42,960 --> 00:37:45,679 a little bit late on their rotations. The looks that he is just a 590 00:37:45,800 --> 00:37:49,519 racing before they ever happen is mind blowing to me. You mentioned the offense 591 00:37:49,559 --> 00:37:52,960 of the stuff he's doing on the offensive glass. It feels like he's getting 592 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:55,239 this is anecdotal, it feels like he's just getting into more fifty to fifty 593 00:37:55,239 --> 00:37:59,360 balls than I've ever seen in my entire life. And the ability for him 594 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:02,719 to just sort of cover and get to the basket on the offensive end after 595 00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:07,920 a shot goes up. It helps your defense because if he's getting the offensive 596 00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:09,559 rebound and he's either going back up with it and scoring, or he's passing 597 00:38:09,639 --> 00:38:14,119 it to someone who hits a wide open jumper or or is cutting, it 598 00:38:14,159 --> 00:38:15,679 allows you to get your defense set. And I feel like that's an element 599 00:38:15,679 --> 00:38:20,119 that we kind of undersell, is like him being on the offensive glass increases 600 00:38:20,119 --> 00:38:22,960 your efficiency on the offensive end with then allowed, which then allows you to 601 00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:25,719 get your defense set, which should improve the state of your defense. He 602 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:30,400 is I haven't gone through my all defensive teams, but he's probably been one 603 00:38:30,400 --> 00:38:34,960 of the ten best defenders in basketball so far. And I think it's tough 604 00:38:34,960 --> 00:38:38,559 because of the EMBID and it's positional and the embid go bear hold that that 605 00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:43,400 and then obviously brook Lopez hold that exists. It's gonna be tough for mich 606 00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:45,400 to get there. But I agree he's he's in the conversation for what he's 607 00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:49,880 been this year so far, and then getting rid of positions helps Biggs more 608 00:38:49,880 --> 00:38:52,360 than anyone, including that's official the defense, all defense teams as well, 609 00:38:52,360 --> 00:38:57,000 aren't. So mich has a shot then, Okay, yeah, we when 610 00:38:57,039 --> 00:38:59,960 we were doing our awards podcast, we like looked into it to make sure. 611 00:39:00,119 --> 00:39:01,480 So we might have been given the wrong information, have been wrong, 612 00:39:01,519 --> 00:39:07,360 but I'm pretty sure this is the year that all defenses position Dan for Valley 613 00:39:07,400 --> 00:39:15,840 reports that we just couldn't find it. So yeah, I'm buying into him. 614 00:39:15,920 --> 00:39:21,119 Excuse me, I'm buying into r. J. Barrett's turn. There 615 00:39:21,159 --> 00:39:23,000 are when you just kind of look at his efficiency from the floor, it 616 00:39:23,039 --> 00:39:28,400 doesn't wow you aside from three, but he's just gotten so much better as 617 00:39:28,440 --> 00:39:30,440 a decision maker. And the thing that I look to the most, Yeah, 618 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:32,920 there's the three point percentage for sure, Like that is huge. It 619 00:39:32,960 --> 00:39:37,960 opens up the floor. But like he is so much smarter on his drives 620 00:39:37,119 --> 00:39:40,519 when it's oh, let's get defenders on my hip or the passes that he's 621 00:39:40,559 --> 00:39:43,760 gonna throw off of those drives, and when you dig into the data on 622 00:39:43,800 --> 00:39:47,719 how much more effective those passes are off these drives, it's absolutely huge. 623 00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:51,360 And now we're kind of back to it being okay when he's playing independent of 624 00:39:51,360 --> 00:39:53,599 the starters, this is super fun. That's how you sort of inject even 625 00:39:53,599 --> 00:39:58,440 more pace into an offense that, look, the ball might be moving faster, 626 00:39:58,519 --> 00:40:00,639 they might be playing a little bit faster. There's still thirtieth in average 627 00:40:00,639 --> 00:40:05,239 offensive possession time, I believe, and so like giving that injecting that pace 628 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:08,320 with the the RJ plus lots of bench players units has been great. And 629 00:40:08,599 --> 00:40:13,000 I am still very curious to see, like, can this be someone who 630 00:40:13,079 --> 00:40:15,519 develops a more efficient in between game or if you're going to lower your volume 631 00:40:15,519 --> 00:40:19,360 at the rim like he's done, can you be a more efficient finisher than 632 00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:22,440 being like shooting like sixty or sixty one percent? And a lot of that 633 00:40:22,599 --> 00:40:25,119 is I do still think it's some spacing concerns around him at times, but 634 00:40:25,159 --> 00:40:29,199 a lot of the other stuff is his takeoff points around the basket can be 635 00:40:29,239 --> 00:40:32,960 super weird. But he is just so much more of a cerebral player this 636 00:40:34,079 --> 00:40:37,880 year, and he just feels at both ends really more complimentary. Kind of 637 00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:43,679 like was that year two when we were just all really excited about how complimentary 638 00:40:43,679 --> 00:40:46,519 he was being. I think that was the second year and he shot in 639 00:40:46,559 --> 00:40:50,360 the open gym. Yeah, yeah, and so and so, like it 640 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:53,199 feels you have more like that feeling, but because of the circumstances under which 641 00:40:53,199 --> 00:40:57,480 it's coming where it's, oh, he's still playing a bunch with Julius Randall 642 00:40:57,519 --> 00:41:00,360 and Jalen Brunson this time, but then he's like has some independent units. 643 00:41:00,559 --> 00:41:05,719 It feels not just that it's more sustainable, but it feels more important than 644 00:41:05,760 --> 00:41:08,079 we've ever than it's ever felt to me. The point I made yesterday on 645 00:41:08,159 --> 00:41:13,639 a pregame pod because I'm getting I'm just flat out gonna get asked about his 646 00:41:13,920 --> 00:41:17,000 shooting while he's shooting fifty percent from three. I'm this is like, is 647 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:22,119 this a thing now? And his shot looks better from my whatever untrained eye 648 00:41:22,239 --> 00:41:27,280 about whether shots look better or not, Like, I'm not I'm not wincing 649 00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:29,760 on it. R J threes. I'm now at the point as a fan 650 00:41:30,239 --> 00:41:32,920 expecting them to go in. So like, we'll see when the regression comes 651 00:41:32,960 --> 00:41:37,960 how far it aggresses. But you're right on the decision making. And the 652 00:41:37,199 --> 00:41:42,880 point I made yesterday was that this is the first year he's really gone from 653 00:41:43,079 --> 00:41:47,079 season to season with continuity in role, where year one it was I'm with 654 00:41:47,159 --> 00:41:51,719 Julius and all these other power forwards my rookie year, and I have no 655 00:41:51,800 --> 00:41:55,599 idea when I'm going to have an unimpeded path to the rim. Year two, 656 00:41:55,719 --> 00:41:59,960 he was just a corner three point shooter and they ran the offense through 657 00:42:00,119 --> 00:42:04,880 Julius and Derrick Rose and other people, and like he got his his his 658 00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:07,239 cuts and his drives to the rim. And then year three, with whatever 659 00:42:07,360 --> 00:42:10,639 was going on with Julius and the uncertainty with the team, he got a 660 00:42:10,719 --> 00:42:15,840 thirty usage the second half of that year, and you didn't know if this 661 00:42:15,119 --> 00:42:19,920 was like a thing with RJ or if he was, you know, just 662 00:42:19,960 --> 00:42:22,199 boosting his trade value. And then last year, his worst year is a 663 00:42:22,239 --> 00:42:25,679 pro so far, he was like caught in this middle ground of like I 664 00:42:25,760 --> 00:42:30,559 run the second unit, but quickly's taking a leap and then I'm next to 665 00:42:30,639 --> 00:42:36,199 Julius. But it's really Jalen Brunson's team. And this year he's actually settled 666 00:42:36,239 --> 00:42:39,519 into like third best guy that takes over as the second guy from time to 667 00:42:39,559 --> 00:42:43,920 time, and you know, he runs a second unit that he now has 668 00:42:43,920 --> 00:42:47,119 some chemistry with, and these two lineups that they have with RJ on the 669 00:42:47,159 --> 00:42:51,599 floor, their starters here are plus seventeen, their bench there plus seven, 670 00:42:51,800 --> 00:42:55,159 and everything's a positive when RJ. Barrett's factored in. Yeah, the only 671 00:42:55,199 --> 00:42:58,840 thing that I'm like wondering about when I watch him if it will sustain. 672 00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:01,400 Like I'm not sold. I actually kind of am sold on the three point 673 00:43:01,400 --> 00:43:07,320 efficiency. Not this high, not gonna be Doug McDermott. You're right, 674 00:43:07,480 --> 00:43:12,480 right, He's no Dylan Brooks. You know he's Yeah, he's not gonna 675 00:43:12,719 --> 00:43:15,679 exactly exactly. It's so I think right now, the last time I checked 676 00:43:15,719 --> 00:43:19,800 and he didn't play against the Hawks, he was eight of fifteen on floaters, 677 00:43:19,960 --> 00:43:22,559 and it's like he like that's like a real tool in his belt. 678 00:43:22,880 --> 00:43:28,960 And can that efficiency sustain because it turns him into like a multi level score 679 00:43:29,159 --> 00:43:31,199 in a way that when you look at kind of the pull up numbers on 680 00:43:31,239 --> 00:43:35,559 a lot of his jumpers, like that's not like that's not there yet. 681 00:43:35,639 --> 00:43:37,440 It may never be at a high enough clip to trust him to do that. 682 00:43:37,480 --> 00:43:39,880 And when you know that he's never gonna be that type of off the 683 00:43:39,960 --> 00:43:44,280 dribble shooter from beyond the arc anyway, I wouldn't think like to have that 684 00:43:44,719 --> 00:43:45,719 just sort of as a weapon makes him that much harder to defend. And 685 00:43:45,719 --> 00:43:50,000 then look, maybe it ends up with if he's knocking down that consistently in 686 00:43:50,039 --> 00:43:53,760 addition of the passing improvement that we've seen and just like getting better at having 687 00:43:53,840 --> 00:43:58,360 defenders on his hip, do we see his free throw attempt rate at some 688 00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:01,880 point just absolutely explode and that's just another way for him to get some easy 689 00:44:01,920 --> 00:44:06,000 points, especially if he can shoot better than seventy one percent at the vulne 690 00:44:06,440 --> 00:44:08,280 Yeah, I think you as far as the other stuff that I mentioned about 691 00:44:08,280 --> 00:44:12,119 the Knicks, I think you kind of mentioned the Julius of it all that 692 00:44:12,800 --> 00:44:15,800 I'm glad you are on the record on this pod saying, like, Julius 693 00:44:15,840 --> 00:44:19,079 Randall is a good basketball player. That's what we should evaluate him as. 694 00:44:19,079 --> 00:44:23,000 There are questions come playoffs that he's gonna eventually have to answer. But like 695 00:44:23,199 --> 00:44:27,920 you win a lot of regular season games with a guy as your first or 696 00:44:27,960 --> 00:44:31,360 second option or high usage option, that probably means you're a good basketball player. 697 00:44:32,119 --> 00:44:35,159 Yeah, for sure. And I think look, it was kind of 698 00:44:35,199 --> 00:44:37,639 at the start of the season, it felt like there were moments where his 699 00:44:37,719 --> 00:44:39,519 process was a lot better, then he would completely get away from it. 700 00:44:39,760 --> 00:44:43,599 Now it feels like over the past two or three games or whatever, that 701 00:44:43,639 --> 00:44:46,039 he's gotten a little bit better. I did not see their most recent game 702 00:44:46,159 --> 00:44:50,360 against the Hawks, but like the previous two, it just felt like so 703 00:44:50,440 --> 00:44:53,159 even when the shots weren't going in, like this wasn't someone who was hijacking 704 00:44:53,159 --> 00:44:58,559 the offense or taking these inexplicable shots, And like when he is making smart 705 00:44:58,559 --> 00:45:00,599 decisions as a passer, where it's he's reacting to the double teams or even 706 00:45:00,639 --> 00:45:07,000 beating them sometimes with his playmaking. That's a fully optimized version of the Knicks, 707 00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:09,320 even when he's not super efficient on the offensive end. I think, 708 00:45:09,639 --> 00:45:14,159 you know, if you want to be concerned about anything, it's his three 709 00:45:14,199 --> 00:45:16,840 point volume last year was so important to what they were doing, and so 710 00:45:17,000 --> 00:45:20,920 it's I'm seeing right now he went three or five against the Hawks. That's 711 00:45:20,920 --> 00:45:23,679 great. It's almost more important to me that he took eight three pointers against 712 00:45:23,679 --> 00:45:30,280 the Celtics, because it's like that volume helps open up the floor and the 713 00:45:30,360 --> 00:45:32,800 Knicks do need that as part of their half court offense in part because and 714 00:45:32,800 --> 00:45:36,599 I'm assuming we're going to talk about him in a second, of the struggles 715 00:45:36,599 --> 00:45:40,639 that Jalen Brunson is facing right now where there are times where he has not 716 00:45:40,800 --> 00:45:45,480 looked the same when he's getting inside the arc. But I will blame basically 717 00:45:45,519 --> 00:45:49,880 everyone else other than Jalen Bruntson for like the difficulty of some of the looks 718 00:45:50,199 --> 00:45:53,679 he needed to take. Where the biggest difference is he's not hitting some of 719 00:45:53,760 --> 00:45:58,760 the ridiculously tough shots he was last year. He is shooting thirty six percent 720 00:45:59,159 --> 00:46:02,519 on contested heavily contested twos. He was shooting like forty seven forty eight percent 721 00:46:02,840 --> 00:46:05,599 on the way does he at the rim? Do you have it near? 722 00:46:05,880 --> 00:46:07,159 What is he at the rim? Because that was the thing that stood out 723 00:46:07,199 --> 00:46:13,559 in the Hawks game most recently that he just like it wasn't even rim protection 724 00:46:13,800 --> 00:46:16,599 like that the Clint Capella was deterring shots or whoever was guarding him was making 725 00:46:16,639 --> 00:46:21,199 the shots difficult. He just was missing bunnies at the rim that he, 726 00:46:21,360 --> 00:46:23,519 like you said, was making last season. Yeah, I mean as of 727 00:46:23,559 --> 00:46:28,239 right now, he's shooting forty seven percent at the rim. So there's that 728 00:46:28,400 --> 00:46:30,880 regression that I think a lot of Knicks fans are waiting for. That It 729 00:46:31,039 --> 00:46:35,559 also like shots start to fall and I'm saying he feels like if I have 730 00:46:35,599 --> 00:46:37,559 the numbers in front of me, Why don't I just toggle to the window 731 00:46:37,599 --> 00:46:38,960 that can confirm it. Yeah, And look, I was gonna say, 732 00:46:38,960 --> 00:46:40,920 it feels like he's getting in the rim a lot less. He's getting in 733 00:46:40,960 --> 00:46:44,440 the rim a lot Like twenty one percent of his shots came with the rim 734 00:46:44,559 --> 00:46:46,480 last year. That's not a lot to begin with, down to sixteen this 735 00:46:46,559 --> 00:46:49,360 year. I do think a lot of that, though, has to do 736 00:46:49,400 --> 00:46:52,519 with the way that defenses are able to guard the knicks, and Barrett playing 737 00:46:52,559 --> 00:46:57,239 the way that he has and Julius Randall hiking up some of the volume or 738 00:46:57,280 --> 00:47:00,679 the passing. I think that can improve it. And the fact Jalen Brunson 739 00:47:00,719 --> 00:47:02,760 has still been like some of the threes he's hit in this year, like 740 00:47:02,760 --> 00:47:06,400 those are really tough looks and he's almost I wonder if that's why he's not 741 00:47:06,400 --> 00:47:07,960 getting in the basket as much. He's like, these shots aren't going in. 742 00:47:08,039 --> 00:47:10,639 I have to work so hard from here. I'm gonna fire this one 743 00:47:10,719 --> 00:47:15,639 up off the dribble. That's something I'm watching where I would just bank on 744 00:47:15,760 --> 00:47:19,079 Jalen Brunson is going to be a more efficient basketball player by year's end inside 745 00:47:19,079 --> 00:47:22,960 the arc. But it is you know this late into the season, it's 746 00:47:22,039 --> 00:47:24,559 kind of like, all right, I'm a little bit uneasy because the Knicks 747 00:47:24,639 --> 00:47:29,320 are the best version of the Knicks is going to include one or both of 748 00:47:29,400 --> 00:47:35,440 Julius Randall and Jalen Brunson being a ridiculous shot maker inside the ark. Yeah, 749 00:47:35,480 --> 00:47:37,840 and I look, I think the two point regression to the mean is 750 00:47:37,920 --> 00:47:43,280 coming. I think he just set a ridiculous standard for himself last year that 751 00:47:43,320 --> 00:47:47,079 we're coming to expect not too much of him, but like we're like any 752 00:47:47,079 --> 00:47:51,599 concerns we have are like, oh no, he's he's averaging, you know 753 00:47:51,760 --> 00:47:54,760 this inside the arc this early in the season. I do think they've made 754 00:47:54,800 --> 00:48:00,079 an effort to play him off ball more, which with RJ being what he 755 00:48:00,119 --> 00:48:04,320 is so far this year and looking to pass on his drives more and hit 756 00:48:04,400 --> 00:48:07,920 the weak side open three point shooter that's been Jalen Brunson a lot of times. 757 00:48:08,039 --> 00:48:13,119 And that's where like these this play in the most recent game for the 758 00:48:13,199 --> 00:48:17,440 nixt that Mitchell Robinson makes this huge offensive rebound and it's a catch and shoot 759 00:48:17,440 --> 00:48:21,800 for Jalen Brunson. Later on in the in the fourth quarter, it's another 760 00:48:21,920 --> 00:48:24,679 catch and shoot in the corner for Jalen Brunson where he's playing off ball rather 761 00:48:24,760 --> 00:48:29,440 than you know, him having to depend on pull up threes like he did 762 00:48:29,559 --> 00:48:31,960 last year so much. Yeah, I mean, and that's like, that's 763 00:48:32,039 --> 00:48:35,559 the fact that he's fully you know, there were questions about whether he could 764 00:48:35,599 --> 00:48:38,119 do stuff like that earlier on in Dallas to where do you trust him to 765 00:48:38,199 --> 00:48:42,360 hit forty five and a half percent of his catching shoot threes all season? 766 00:48:42,360 --> 00:48:45,519 I'd probably bet on that number. Pulling back a little bit. He's a 767 00:48:45,639 --> 00:48:49,280 viable threat as like in that type of role, so viable threat, and 768 00:48:49,320 --> 00:48:52,360 it allows you to play quickly like then quickly can run the offense and be 769 00:48:52,400 --> 00:48:54,920 a primary ball handler, and you have a forty five percent three point shooter 770 00:48:55,000 --> 00:49:00,719 off the ball. So you know, I like, I'm very happy with 771 00:49:00,719 --> 00:49:04,239 worth. Like the only thing that's frustrated me so far in nickx Land is 772 00:49:04,320 --> 00:49:07,320 availability, like RJ. Getwell soon, like shout out to the pumping full 773 00:49:07,360 --> 00:49:13,239 of them, you know, exactly whatever it takes to get this Migraine gun 774 00:49:13,320 --> 00:49:17,079 the four games, J Water and Bear that's what I'm recommending. And Bear, 775 00:49:17,320 --> 00:49:23,360 Oh okay, I thought I heard bear like a bear like a maybe 776 00:49:23,360 --> 00:49:28,480 that's what. Yeah, the maybe that's the three essentials. I know their 777 00:49:28,519 --> 00:49:31,280 record is not super impressive, but when you just dig into where they rank 778 00:49:31,280 --> 00:49:34,639 in offense and defense, and the bigger thing is, I don't know what 779 00:49:34,719 --> 00:49:37,039 their strength of schedule has been, but it had to be one of the 780 00:49:37,039 --> 00:49:39,119 seven or eight hardest in the league. And so to come out of that 781 00:49:39,239 --> 00:49:44,800 above five hundred, when you've been dealing with this level of jay On Brunson, 782 00:49:44,880 --> 00:49:47,760 this level of Julius Randol for a lot of this season, that's like, 783 00:49:47,960 --> 00:49:50,960 that's actually a pretty good place to be in. Like, you're not, 784 00:49:51,639 --> 00:49:53,599 you very not. I won't. This is an extreme but and they're 785 00:49:53,639 --> 00:49:57,840 missing a more important player. But look at what is happening to the Grizzlies, 786 00:49:58,239 --> 00:50:00,639 or you can look at what's happening to Yeah, we have faith that 787 00:50:00,719 --> 00:50:04,639 the Suns are going to rebound. You can't give up ground too quickly early 788 00:50:04,719 --> 00:50:07,159 on, and like the Grizzlies, their season is just over already. And 789 00:50:07,480 --> 00:50:10,719 again more injuries, jaw's not there, YadA, YadA, YadA. But 790 00:50:10,760 --> 00:50:15,119 the Knicks like navigating some struggles from the collective against the difficult schedule, even 791 00:50:15,119 --> 00:50:19,599 though they weren't playing some of the teams that were also not full strength. 792 00:50:20,320 --> 00:50:23,079 I count that as an absolute win for this team. Listen, I echo 793 00:50:23,360 --> 00:50:27,800 my brother Don at the MACRI that was like, I'll take five and five 794 00:50:27,840 --> 00:50:30,239 through the first ten, and I do have a bit higher prediction for the 795 00:50:30,280 --> 00:50:35,159 next nine. Like we're basically trying to get to the end season tournament in 796 00:50:35,280 --> 00:50:39,280 one piece. But like we're doing this podcast, like I switched to in 797 00:50:39,440 --> 00:50:45,239 All Things NBA format for this episode. Because this is the fourth back to 798 00:50:45,320 --> 00:50:50,320 back that the Knicks have played in their first twelve games this season, or 799 00:50:50,400 --> 00:50:54,920 thirst fourteen games this season, it's actually pretty ridiculous that they're already playing this 800 00:50:55,000 --> 00:50:59,360 many back to this many games in this short amount of time. They've played 801 00:50:59,400 --> 00:51:04,039 the Celtics twice, They've already played the Bucks, They've played the Cavaliers twice. 802 00:51:04,119 --> 00:51:07,320 They played some pretty good teams so far. And to your point about 803 00:51:07,360 --> 00:51:12,039 strength of schedule, the dad is out there that their schedule gets lighter, 804 00:51:12,599 --> 00:51:15,000 and we'll see what these two games against teams they're better than should should be 805 00:51:15,239 --> 00:51:17,480 this weekend. You know, not want to say their schedule gets a little 806 00:51:17,519 --> 00:51:21,679 easier, because that's the effect of playing the Hornets twice. The Wizards and 807 00:51:21,719 --> 00:51:24,599 the Pistons before November closes out. So listen, I'll take it. When 808 00:51:24,639 --> 00:51:30,400 we start off this season and the first five are Boston and then the Hawks 809 00:51:30,400 --> 00:51:34,440 on the road, back to back in New Orleans the next night, then 810 00:51:34,480 --> 00:51:37,880 the back to back in Cleveland, and then Milwaukee, and then they get 811 00:51:37,880 --> 00:51:40,760 a respite and they play the new look Clippers. Like there was a stretch 812 00:51:40,760 --> 00:51:45,119 where I wondered if just every game the Knicks weren't gonna be favored going into 813 00:51:45,159 --> 00:51:47,159 this year. Honestly, playing the new Loah Clippers is probably a pretty good 814 00:51:47,159 --> 00:51:51,239 pull. We didn't know that at the time though. Da Going into that 815 00:51:51,280 --> 00:51:52,440 game, I was like, oh great, we need to go back home 816 00:51:52,800 --> 00:51:57,119 and we get to play this Clippers that just added a Hall of Famer. 817 00:51:57,599 --> 00:51:59,800 Last thing before we get out of here, I've been doing the thing where 818 00:51:59,800 --> 00:52:04,360 I do a route mount Rushmore of rivals here on the pregame pod. You're 819 00:52:04,400 --> 00:52:07,320 obviously not you don't have a team that you cover specifically, So what I'll 820 00:52:07,320 --> 00:52:12,519 get is your mount Rushmore of league pass teams. One of the four teams 821 00:52:12,559 --> 00:52:15,960 you look forward to the most. I think already know that the Pacers are 822 00:52:15,000 --> 00:52:21,000 on this, but the four teams that you're like circleing this on the calendar 823 00:52:21,039 --> 00:52:24,079 because these four teams are playing. I'm gonna not include the Knicks here for 824 00:52:24,119 --> 00:52:29,960 any expanse I get mad in part because this is a Nick podcast and so 825 00:52:30,000 --> 00:52:32,079 they've been talking about enough. The Pacers, for sure, have probably been 826 00:52:32,760 --> 00:52:37,039 the most entertaining watch this year. Uh No, So I'm gonna rank them 827 00:52:37,079 --> 00:52:42,679 to Nuggets one, Okay, s Papers two, Oklahoma City three. Mmm, 828 00:52:43,039 --> 00:52:50,400 it's probably too early. It's probably honestly Wolves four, though the Aaron 829 00:52:50,440 --> 00:52:52,840 Fox has mitched too much time. But like the the Aaron Fox games are 830 00:52:52,960 --> 00:52:55,480 rivoting if like, if you haven't checked out the Kings just yet, and 831 00:52:55,519 --> 00:52:59,880 they are when he's not on the floor, it's the opposite of rivoting. 832 00:53:00,000 --> 00:53:04,519 So we'll go with Minnesota. So Minnesota at four, Okay, see at 833 00:53:04,559 --> 00:53:07,519 three, Pacers at two, Denver Nuggets at one. So two ends of 834 00:53:07,519 --> 00:53:12,000 the spectrum that we didn't talk about. Are you buying the Dallas start to 835 00:53:12,039 --> 00:53:16,960 the season. We'll start there, yes, but it still feels like their 836 00:53:17,000 --> 00:53:22,840 achilles heel will be their playoff undoing, which is just sort of the defense 837 00:53:22,920 --> 00:53:24,559 and when they cater towards too much of it, like Derek Jones Junior has 838 00:53:24,559 --> 00:53:28,280 been really good for them. Their starting lineup tho it is actually a net 839 00:53:28,280 --> 00:53:30,679 negative on the season and a lot of that again fluky shooting from opponents, 840 00:53:30,760 --> 00:53:34,480 YadA, YadA, YadA. They need to go out there and find like 841 00:53:34,559 --> 00:53:38,119 kind of another wing who is not as offensively limited. Even though Derek Jones 842 00:53:38,199 --> 00:53:40,760 Junior has been good for them, and I'm just curious to see. Okay, 843 00:53:40,760 --> 00:53:44,920 they're relying on Derek Lively a lot and he's been great. He's been 844 00:53:45,199 --> 00:53:47,519 great for them, what happens if he hits a rookie wall as we tend 845 00:53:47,519 --> 00:53:52,199 to see with a lot of the kids. So I buy it, but 846 00:53:52,280 --> 00:53:54,199 like, the defense is still not good enough for me to be well, 847 00:53:54,239 --> 00:53:58,559 they're at the same time kind of who we thought they are. I will 848 00:53:58,559 --> 00:54:02,679 say one of the most pleasant early season trends Luca not complaining as much and 849 00:54:02,719 --> 00:54:07,440 he's played better defense. There you go. And then the other thing. 850 00:54:07,119 --> 00:54:10,639 The team with the longest winning streak at the NBA are the hated Miami Heat. 851 00:54:12,880 --> 00:54:15,800 They have not won any of these games by double figures and they've been 852 00:54:15,840 --> 00:54:19,239 playing the bottom of the league throughout this winning streak. Are they just gonna 853 00:54:19,239 --> 00:54:22,320 do this? To us again where they just kind of win every close game 854 00:54:22,360 --> 00:54:25,000 that exists, and even when even if they end up with like forty one 855 00:54:25,039 --> 00:54:28,679 wins, it's like, yeah, but every game that you're gonna have to 856 00:54:28,679 --> 00:54:30,880 beat them by is by five or six points. Yeah, I just default 857 00:54:30,880 --> 00:54:36,519 towards there's alien stuff going on in Miami. I don't trust them when I 858 00:54:36,519 --> 00:54:39,639 look at them on paper. But it's just Jimmy Butler starts the season injured, 859 00:54:39,840 --> 00:54:44,880 looks terrible start like shooting fifty percent from three. Now Bamana Bayo is 860 00:54:44,920 --> 00:54:47,400 definitely leveled up. They have Kayla Martin back. They're kind of doing it 861 00:54:47,440 --> 00:54:52,519 again where it's they're finding guys to contribute with. Hayward high Smith and Jim 862 00:54:52,639 --> 00:54:55,679 Hawk has has been pretty good for them a though he's not hitting his threes. 863 00:54:57,159 --> 00:54:59,840 Kyle Lowry's been super low usage, but he's hitting his threes. They 864 00:55:00,159 --> 00:55:01,800 just seem to figure it out. And so I look at them and I 865 00:55:01,840 --> 00:55:05,480 say, no, like, this is not a real threat. But I 866 00:55:05,519 --> 00:55:08,079 have to default to being wrong about that because we've now what are we in 867 00:55:08,159 --> 00:55:13,440 year like twelve of this happening where it's just they're gonna find a way, 868 00:55:13,440 --> 00:55:15,000 And I do think the single biggest development for them, though, might be 869 00:55:15,360 --> 00:55:20,239 the past two years. Bam Adebayo has really leveled up his offense. He 870 00:55:20,320 --> 00:55:22,440 has he has. This team's been outscored this year. Well, not like 871 00:55:22,519 --> 00:55:25,960 point differential totally, but in per one hundred possessions. They're eighteenth in that 872 00:55:27,079 --> 00:55:30,079 rating and it's a minus. And they they they're just winning games. They 873 00:55:30,159 --> 00:55:34,320 wont seven in a row and I don't line up data, but like Tyler 874 00:55:34,360 --> 00:55:37,000 Hero has been out right now, Kayleb Martin has played in two games, 875 00:55:37,039 --> 00:55:40,199 so they probably haven't had their best four man lineup ever a five man lineup, 876 00:55:40,239 --> 00:55:44,760 excuse me, ever on the court this season and you look and it's 877 00:55:44,800 --> 00:55:45,760 like, what were they at one point one and four or something? And 878 00:55:45,760 --> 00:55:49,360 then you look up and they're like, oh, it's eight in a row. 879 00:55:49,440 --> 00:55:52,159 Later they've just won game. So I've given up on trying to understand 880 00:55:52,239 --> 00:55:57,679 or explain Miami. I look, Knicks fans don't want to hear it because 881 00:55:57,719 --> 00:56:01,280 there's a there's a need and a desired dismissed them and I was ready to 882 00:56:01,679 --> 00:56:04,880 dance on the grave at one and four, but I was like, I'm 883 00:56:04,880 --> 00:56:08,000 still gonna be terrified when they're a thirty five win ten seed and it's like, 884 00:56:08,119 --> 00:56:10,559 yeah, I still would probably pick them to win the East, you 885 00:56:10,559 --> 00:56:15,800 know, but now they're at least gonna be in the com it seems like 886 00:56:15,840 --> 00:56:19,320 in the conversation. Yet it's still gonna be the same conversation of yeah, 887 00:56:19,400 --> 00:56:22,559 they're they're they're like a seven or eight seed. I probably picked them to 888 00:56:22,599 --> 00:56:25,840 win every playoff game that they play. I still push comes to Shovel'll probably 889 00:56:25,880 --> 00:56:31,239 marry the idea like they need a pretty significant acquisition to change to like really 890 00:56:31,280 --> 00:56:34,599 be like, Okay, they come out of the East and they're just gonna 891 00:56:34,599 --> 00:56:37,719 get trucked by Denver again is what's gonna happen. So I will die on 892 00:56:37,719 --> 00:56:40,840 that hill. And I also I picked the Milwaukee to come out of the 893 00:56:40,880 --> 00:56:45,880 East. But as someone who doubted the Celtics, Mike more so before the 894 00:56:45,960 --> 00:56:51,440 Drew Holiday trade after the trail, was like, they scare the shit out 895 00:56:51,440 --> 00:56:53,119 of me. And it's just even watching the Nicks trying to defend them sometimes 896 00:56:53,159 --> 00:56:57,840 stresses me out as someone who tries to just be this like heartless observer. 897 00:56:58,199 --> 00:57:01,280 And I'll watch it and why and it's not just the Knicks. It's like 898 00:57:01,360 --> 00:57:05,840 it stresses me. Their offense isn't even like special at a lot of points 899 00:57:05,880 --> 00:57:08,360 because the ball movement isn't there and they don't have the same type of play 900 00:57:08,400 --> 00:57:13,400 making. But they stretch you to the point of absolutely breaking you. And 901 00:57:13,519 --> 00:57:17,239 christophs Porzingis is a much smarter player than he was two or three years ago. 902 00:57:17,280 --> 00:57:20,760 And it's if they're healthy, which is the cave out for every team. 903 00:57:20,760 --> 00:57:22,800 But you look at kind of the top of this roster man, was 904 00:57:22,840 --> 00:57:27,559 I wrong about the Celtics. The craziest thing about the Celtics for me, 905 00:57:27,760 --> 00:57:30,280 and like, the Knicks have played them twice, so they've gotten two looks 906 00:57:30,280 --> 00:57:32,360 at this. One of them was without RJ. So you take with a 907 00:57:32,360 --> 00:57:37,840 great assault. But my goodness, they they have so many things that you 908 00:57:37,920 --> 00:57:40,960 have to take into account when you're defending them. And even like they started 909 00:57:42,000 --> 00:57:45,880 pressing in the in the third quarter of the game that it's played on Monday, 910 00:57:45,320 --> 00:57:49,280 and the Knicks we're getting into their offense with like twelve seconds on the 911 00:57:49,280 --> 00:57:52,320 shot clock, and it just led to these inefficient shots in the third quarter. 912 00:57:52,400 --> 00:57:54,440 And while you're a Knicks fan, you're like, why can't you be 913 00:57:54,440 --> 00:57:57,760 better? It's like, actually, just look across the aisle, like the 914 00:57:57,800 --> 00:58:00,480 other team is pressing eleven games into the season and they can because this is 915 00:58:00,519 --> 00:58:05,320 how many weapons that they have, and you try to shut one thing down, 916 00:58:05,360 --> 00:58:07,519 like, oh, Jaylen Brown's having an off night, Tatum's having an 917 00:58:07,559 --> 00:58:09,920 off night, Chris Tops is missing. Oh, but they're Sam Houser hitting 918 00:58:10,000 --> 00:58:14,280 like six threes and you're kind of screwed. And look, there's eighty three 919 00:58:14,360 --> 00:58:17,719 year old Alt Horford holding up in space again. And my biggest compliment to 920 00:58:17,800 --> 00:58:22,400 their offense, though, is that Mitchell Robinson needs to do peak Anthony Davis 921 00:58:22,440 --> 00:58:28,599 against the Warriors things to salvage a lot of defensive possessions because of just how 922 00:58:29,199 --> 00:58:31,239 again the word is just how far out the Celtics stretch you. And the 923 00:58:31,280 --> 00:58:35,679 fact that we saw him do him on some possessions is pretty pretty big deal. 924 00:58:35,719 --> 00:58:40,400 But they are their offense, and the way the way it's spaced induces 925 00:58:40,519 --> 00:58:45,480 anxiety for me as a boss stander. Yeah yeah, someone said it in 926 00:58:45,519 --> 00:58:50,000 the post game the other night, like Mitter Robinson is dominating every team in 927 00:58:50,039 --> 00:58:52,800 the NBA except one, Like against twenty eight other teams in the NBA, 928 00:58:52,920 --> 00:58:57,519 he's been a dominant force, but when he plays the Celtics. That's just 929 00:58:57,519 --> 00:59:01,039 like the one team that you wonder Kenny stand the court and it's because he 930 00:59:01,119 --> 00:59:06,719 needs to do so much and honestly, what is the alternative, like because 931 00:59:06,760 --> 00:59:08,320 he has to stay on the court, because what are you going to in 932 00:59:08,360 --> 00:59:10,679 that moment? You don't like, we know the Knicks are not going to 933 00:59:10,760 --> 00:59:15,559 go center list like we just know. And Isaiah hart Andstein, okay, 934 00:59:15,559 --> 00:59:17,599 like he's not gonna be much different for you, Like Mitchell Robinson is better 935 00:59:17,599 --> 00:59:23,920 than Isaiah heart Hot take the robin to Isaiah inside. So I again, 936 00:59:24,119 --> 00:59:28,639 their their offenses and it all comes down to the floor balance because when you 937 00:59:28,719 --> 00:59:32,880 watch it, it's not it's absurd shot making and just spacing and like smart 938 00:59:34,079 --> 00:59:37,119 like kind of like the way all Horford and Christos porzing Is know how to 939 00:59:37,159 --> 00:59:39,679 work off the ball and you know kind of like toggle and flip their screens. 940 00:59:39,719 --> 00:59:43,280 It's I was I was wrong. I mean, I'm wrong. You 941 00:59:43,280 --> 00:59:45,639 know I'm wrong all the time, but I was. I was pretty damn 942 00:59:45,679 --> 00:59:51,199 wrong about the Celtics. I think my my biggest early season conclusion is that 943 00:59:51,320 --> 00:59:53,280 the Celtics are healthy. I think they're winning the title. That is the 944 00:59:53,280 --> 00:59:59,159 most unstoppable thing I've seen this year is that starting five. See, I 945 00:59:59,440 --> 01:00:00,800 might people go as far as they're gonna win the East, but I like 946 01:00:00,880 --> 01:00:07,559 Denver is honestly is a is just a is an annihilator of worlds, And 947 01:00:08,039 --> 01:00:13,199 you're right, that's actually I give the Celtics a not because there's a defensive 948 01:00:13,719 --> 01:00:16,599 ceiling that they can get to that I wonder if it can match what any 949 01:00:16,679 --> 01:00:21,400 dominant thing Denver can do. I should get the champs more credit than that. 950 01:00:21,440 --> 01:00:24,519 I think we're getting a Celtics Celtics in the finals against Denver and that, 951 01:00:24,599 --> 01:00:28,760 look, that'd be a good test of Denver's defense has been really good 952 01:00:28,760 --> 01:00:31,880 this year, and like a huge part of that has been Michael Porter Junior. 953 01:00:31,920 --> 01:00:34,920 I mean, Yoka has been better, too, but Michael Porter Junior 954 01:00:34,920 --> 01:00:37,559 has improved a lot as a rebounder and defender. So I would love just 955 01:00:37,599 --> 01:00:40,760 like match up. It doesn't have to be like if the Celtics and the 956 01:00:40,800 --> 01:00:44,599 Nuggets are fully healthy. I hope that when they face each other this year 957 01:00:44,599 --> 01:00:47,159 that they go full or in the regular season, because I do think those 958 01:00:47,159 --> 01:00:52,360 are pretty clearly the two best teams in the league, and there's a chance 959 01:00:52,960 --> 01:00:57,920 Milwaukee could sneak in there if they're healthy enough. But they feel you mentioned 960 01:00:57,960 --> 01:01:00,719 you're concerns about their defense then like Dame's been all over the place with it 961 01:01:00,800 --> 01:01:04,239 shooting too so far, and look that could change and maybe in a small 962 01:01:04,280 --> 01:01:09,039 sample. I just every answer for every everything that the Bucks could potentially do, 963 01:01:09,079 --> 01:01:13,159 the Celtics have an answer for. Yeah, And I don't know if 964 01:01:13,159 --> 01:01:15,960 the Bucks are able to respond with like okay, well we can respond and 965 01:01:16,079 --> 01:01:21,760 answer with this, you know, the Celtics just what they're doing to teams 966 01:01:21,840 --> 01:01:24,400 right now. And look the Knicks, like I said this on the pregame 967 01:01:24,400 --> 01:01:29,519 pod with the with Jack Simone the other day about the way you beat the 968 01:01:29,519 --> 01:01:32,639 Celtics early on is like hope they miss, like hope they miss their threes. 969 01:01:32,679 --> 01:01:37,760 They're three like near losses this year. They almost lost the Knicks game, 970 01:01:37,000 --> 01:01:43,400 and they lost two games against the Timberwolves and the against the Sixers. 971 01:01:43,519 --> 01:01:46,119 Are there three worst three points for shoot three point performances this year? It's 972 01:01:46,159 --> 01:01:50,400 like the games that they shoot thirty and under from three, you got a 973 01:01:50,440 --> 01:01:54,239 shot if they're at thirty four thirty five percent from three, just like good 974 01:01:54,360 --> 01:02:00,719 night Irene. And that I think is where I'm I'm success yfully spooked by 975 01:02:00,880 --> 01:02:05,960 any illusions that like the Knicks could upset them in the playoffs. I do 976 01:02:06,039 --> 01:02:07,760 think they could get a game or two. And look, this could all 977 01:02:07,760 --> 01:02:12,719 be mute because RJ Barrett is going to continue to take the sleep and they 978 01:02:12,760 --> 01:02:15,760 almost beat the Celtics with RJ, and they didn't have RJ for the second 979 01:02:15,760 --> 01:02:21,880 one, so who knows. I'm successfully bought into what the Celtics can be 980 01:02:22,239 --> 01:02:24,679 and I will be rooting very hard against it because it's in my New York 981 01:02:24,760 --> 01:02:30,119 DNA as it should be, as it should be exactly, Dan as always, 982 01:02:30,159 --> 01:02:31,360 thank you for joining me. We went a little longer than I said 983 01:02:31,400 --> 01:02:35,239 you would. I know you got to run before you go. Tell the 984 01:02:35,239 --> 01:02:38,239 fine folks at home where they can find you. And Hardwood Knocks specifically on 985 01:02:38,320 --> 01:02:42,599 the socials where you do, in my opinion, some of your best work. 986 01:02:43,239 --> 01:02:45,280 Yeah, go check out hard one Knox. It's wherever you're you get 987 01:02:45,360 --> 01:02:50,440 your podcast YouTube, Spotify, Apple, We post on TikTok as well at 988 01:02:50,440 --> 01:02:53,760 hardwind Knocks and all the socials are at hardwind Knocks and we post these shorts 989 01:02:54,000 --> 01:02:58,679 where they are quizzes where they're you know, start bench cut these NBA things 990 01:02:58,679 --> 01:03:00,840 that you removed, so it's look, we call it stat padding because we're 991 01:03:00,840 --> 01:03:04,320 not trying to hide what we're doing. We try to get a little creative 992 01:03:04,320 --> 01:03:07,440 with it, like which player would you clone and build a or do which 993 01:03:07,480 --> 01:03:10,079 team wins five Blu Dorts or five Jordan Poole. So that's the type of 994 01:03:10,079 --> 01:03:15,519 technical basketball analysis that we provide. But we strive to be the least insufferable 995 01:03:15,960 --> 01:03:19,000 national NBA podcast out there, and I think we do a pretty damn good 996 01:03:19,039 --> 01:03:22,639 job. So go check us out again. Hardwood Knocks spelled exactly as it 997 01:03:22,679 --> 01:03:25,519 sounds. Wherever you listen to any of your basketball content. I co signed 998 01:03:25,519 --> 01:03:30,199 everything he said, both the quality of the podcast with Grant Hughes and how 999 01:03:30,239 --> 01:03:34,000 often I enjoy it, like I'm someone that tries to reach out to every 1000 01:03:34,000 --> 01:03:37,760 single team to or every single a fan of someone who covers every single team. 1001 01:03:38,039 --> 01:03:43,199 You got tognize it with the pregame pods that you just want notwithstanding because 1002 01:03:43,239 --> 01:03:45,719 you just want to win, but the pregame shows that you do forever. 1003 01:03:45,960 --> 01:03:52,719 That's just like that's a special type of commitment and nuance. So you know 1004 01:03:52,760 --> 01:03:54,639 where I get a lot of my ideas for guests. They went on for 1005 01:03:54,719 --> 01:03:58,880 the look Ahead before the season at Hardwood KNOCKX. I just go through your 1006 01:03:58,960 --> 01:04:01,159 rolodex and I'm like, oh, Dan fa Valley had this person out. 1007 01:04:01,239 --> 01:04:06,320 I can reach out to them. So it takes takes one inspiration to know 1008 01:04:06,360 --> 01:04:11,360 another. You know, well, I appreciate that invite you so much as 1009 01:04:11,440 --> 01:04:14,039 usual for having the August. Of course, man welcome anytime.