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What is crack a Lack and fellow
thermonuclear a Eppers. I am Dana Valley

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coming at you with my certified fantabuloust
co host Grant Hugs very quickly. If

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you're checking us out for the first
time, subscribe wherever however, YouTube,

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Spotify, Apple Cross, Subscribe to
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retweet our promos, tell people about
us if you've done all those things,

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to that as in the podcast and YouTube

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description. Our social handles are as
well at Hardwood Knox on Twitter and TikTok

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at Hardwood Underscore Knox on Instagram.
Grant hughes, how the hell are you,

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man? I'm doing great. I'm
really enjoying the All Star break.

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I don't know how you feel about
that, but like, not every year

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has this been the case, but
this year particularly, I've like the like

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the breath we got to take.
Maybe you didn't take one, but I've

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enjoyed the handful of days off to
sort of like and we'll talk about this,

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like sort of recalibrate the season,
like t take a beat and sort

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of think about where we are,
like what the angles are going to be

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going forward? That's like, that's
kind of rare to get in the course

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of a year. So I feel
like I feel like this is this has

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been well timed. This, this
little handful of days off, Yeah,

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I needed it. And I think
as we've been in this business longer and

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longer, and this isn't oh woe. Always look at these sports writers and

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podcasters complaining what was me? But
like I viewed the All Star break rather

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than a chance to immerse myself in
the All Star break as a chance to

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like catch a breather. I watched
All Star Saturday night. I barely watched

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the All Star Game, like it
was just on in the background and I

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was paying like semi attentions. I
just didn't give a fuck and I just

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needed the time. And I think
players hut the same way. They need

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the time to just sort of recalibrate, get ready for the stretch run.

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It is funny, though, and
I have zero complaints about this for the

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most part. And I try to
remember that I ask people to come on

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this podcast, although I do try
and give them advanced notice. The radio

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and podcast interviews just start flooding my
dms and emails and phone as soon as

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the super Bowl's over, and I
get overwhelmed and I try to say yes

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to everyone, and I feel like
shit when I can't say yes. And

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so this is like that time of
year of juggling that I'll get better at

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being used to doing like you know, two to three guest spots a day

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at some point, or just like
investing so much more time in a week.

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But that throws a wrench into your
schedule. That again, I'm happy

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to do it, especially because karmically
we're asking people to come on this.

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We just had the Timeline podcast on
here this past week, so I but

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it's just it's an adjustment because no
one's talking to you, cares about you.

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Well, some people do, I
don't say, but there's like I'll

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get hits from producers I haven't heard
from in like months and just be like

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we're not even like hey, how
are you be? Like hey, can

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you come on the show today?
And it's just like the day of is

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tough for me now because my schedule
is so and this isn't a flex.

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You're the same way. I'm sure
your schedule so meticulously planned that it's just

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the day of re questions don't fly
for me anymore. I'm not trying to

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be an asshole by saying that.
I think I've probably inadvertently screwed you because

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a couple of years ago I started
saying no, like all the time to

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radio interviews except for like one or
two, and so now they've they've left

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me alone, and I think probably
what it turned to you too. I'm

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sure you already you said yes more
often than I did. But that's one

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of the things I've just when I
say no, I just give them your

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information that Grant is never doing anything. Yeah, go ahead, Yeah,

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no, he'd really love to talk
for like seven minutes, and the longer

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the better. Yeah right, Yeah, I've phased those out. Shout out

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to Tapeito. By the way,
hot guys watching from Italy, probably a

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reasonable hour to be watching us,
because we just continue to go live at

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two o'clock in the afternoon on a
weekday Eastern time, when no one's gonna

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be watching us. So shout out
to him, and shout out to Brent

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already said hello, So I wanted
to ask you before we dig into We've

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got a lot of mail, bad
questions. I wanted to ask you about

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the Hawks firing date millan and just
what do you make of that entire situation

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in Atlanta right now? I mean
it's bad, Like should we start there?

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That's what I make of it.
Well, so, I mean it's

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the second level that they could pull, right because they shook up management already

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that you know, Travish Link has
gone, Landry Fields is in charge,

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and there's just like, you know, the whole thing reeks of just nepotism

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and cronyism because Nick Wrestler is fun
and just like you know, he seems

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to have a pretty firm hand and
personnel decisions already, and you know,

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that's that's an issue that wold the
whole structure, the management structure that was

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changed. And now McMillan's gone,
and now your only other option after this

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unless there's like another you know,
twenty twenty one esque Final East Finals run

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in this team, which I doubt
is. You start looking at the roster,

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and that's tricky because like where do
you start. I mean, John

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Collins could not be traded again.
DeAndre Hunter his contract looks bad already,

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Trey Young Supermax is kicked in.
He was not an All Star for what

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the second time in the last three
years. So that's the next phase,

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is tinkering with the roster. And
I think the last you know, few

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months and really all of this year
have suggested that like that's not I mean,

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that's the last resort for a reason. It's you go management, you

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go coaching, because this is the
hardest thing to fix or mess with.

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So it's rough like there, you
know, Atlanta's on the shortlist of teams.

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I think that while the upside is
still there, there's like there's significant

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downside, right, I mean,
like catastrophe, like tear it all down

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potential. I know what you think, but that's how I've viewed it really

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since the latest months months ago,
Trey Young Nam McMillan strife, you know

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reports. Yeah, there's just too
much weirdness here at this point, and

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it's the travish lank dismissal or reassignment, whatever you want to call it.

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It was curious because why did you
let him It happened less than halfway through

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the schedule. Why did you let
him take you through the entire offseason and

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the draft even if he forfeited power, Because it sounds like he might not

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have been in favor of the reporting
of much of the dejan Day Murray trade.

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So again that decision is not indefensible
on its face, nor is this

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one. The timing is just weird
because it's like, I guess, you

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give yourself a chance to start your
search in earnest ahead of other teams that

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are going to make this change over
the off season, and the Nets have

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kind of already taken themselves out of
that equation by extending Jacques Vaughan. And

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so if you want Quinn Snyder,
if you want Kenny Atkinson, what's your

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two names? Just to get to
Pete those questions here, which are the

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coaching candidates and the recent reports the
most intriguing to you? I would immediately

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Kenny Atkinson and Quinn Snyder are the
ones. I think Quinn Snyder's more interesting

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from a immediacy perspective if you're looking
to win right now. And here's the

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thing though, and it's become there's
so many elephants in this room. It's

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just getting overcrowded. In Atlanta.
Their offense is underachieved this year. It's

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been better since January first, down
since February first, They've had a lot

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of different absences. Their shot profile
is an atrocity. From a basketball perspective,

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I know that Trey Young and I
know that de Jante Murray you're going

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to live in the mid range.
But like you need meet more three point

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volume and accuracy out of this team. Still you need better. I guess

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you don't need a better defensive infrastructure
when Clint Capela and Dejante Murray are on

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the floor. But can you flesh
out those lineups properly? And what is

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going on with John Collins, Like
you clearly don't want him. You say

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you've vee him as an asset.
You don't want him. He's on the

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verge of being sent to Phoenix before
the Kevin Durant trade, So you have

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to figure that out. Bodamdonovitch is
a free agent, he has a player

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option. You have to start thinking
about Murray's next deal because he's not going

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to sign an extension under the current
rules. Going to hit free agency in

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twenty and twenty four, you're about
to get and are kind of already mega

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expensive and not very good at the
moment. You're just hovering around. You're

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flitting around play in territory right now, and so I think, as you

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said, you pull this lever.
It's fine on its face, but what

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is the next move and was it
actually the coach? And that's what I'm

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throwing at you is the question here
to me is is this on Nate McMillan

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for a lack of invention, for
not getting buy in from Trey Young,

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probably because look, he's played off
the ball more but not in volume,

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and so was another coach going to
change that? Or is this on Trey

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because he had issues with Lloyd Pierce
he had now issues with Nate McMillan.

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There was the report from Sam a
mc earlier this year from the Athletic that

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most players on this team would surprise
would side excuse me with McMillan over Young,

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over that whole discrepancy. And that's
not territory of all. You needed

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to trade Trey Young, But when
you have executives already waiting for a Trey

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Young trade request and you've just made
this, it wasn't an all in play.

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When you look at the pickack wouldn't
be him it, but like a

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you aimed for a triple or double
whatever it was. They're just in this

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weird, unsettling, inscrutable space and
I don't even know what the primary issue

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necessarily is that's the most confounding aspect
of all this. To answer your question,

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I don't know if it was the
coach, because like now, this

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is two coaches that that have just
not worked out over you know, fairly

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short stints with with the same core
of this team. Lloyd Pierce was the

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first to go. McMillan I don't
think has ever had a reputation as like

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an innovator or like a you know, get you'd hear in Portland for example,

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that just his defensive schemes were very
basic. His offen you know,

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he wasn't He's not like a next
generation, you know, tactical type of

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head coach or at least that's the
reputation. So maybe that's part of it.

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But like maybe I don't know how
you feel about this, but I

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keep coming back to the players on
this roster, Like we've seen basically this

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same group minus Murray be one of
the best offenses in the league more than

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once, right, and so the
thinking that well we have that, let's

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add some defense. You know,
Murray is a good defender, Capella is

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a good defensive center when he's right. I mean, Hunter is basically like

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a lot of that money he got
was because he's been a good defensive wing.

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When he's healthy, Bogdanovitch can play. There's all these just up and

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down the roster. The talent seems
like it should be producing more results or

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better results, and it has like
less a less talented version of this Hawks

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team, I would argue, I
guess your mileage could vary on you know,

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Kevin Herder versus Dejon Tay Murray or
whatever other swaps you want to make,

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Like a lesser version of this team
has won a lot and one playoff

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series, and flukey as that run
may have been, like it was better

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than this, it's so like I
keep kind of I get hung up on

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the idea that like maybe it is
just you know, a vibe change,

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however short lived it is, will
kind of kickstart this and the talent will

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play up to its potential and we'll
see like the version of the Hawks that

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I'm sure Atlanta thought it was gonna
get all year, But again, like

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how many times can you just swap
the coach out or whatever and expect a

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boost like that? I think ultimately, like now the constants are young Collins.

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The constants are these players, and
I think Young probably certainly deserves most

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of the blame because he's the best
player and that's just how it works.

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But yeah, I it's almost annoying, like because where is the problem?

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Like how why isn't this working?
What is the issue? There's enough talent,

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So yeah, I don't know what
the problem is, I think,

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And honestly, I don't know that
we're going to get a great, like

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any better handle on it over these
next twenty whatever games. Like you know,

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maybe they'll urge, but like,
I don't know how much you're really

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going to learn. And there's an
interim coach now, so it's like,

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well, how much information are we
going to get before they hire the next

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guy, whoever it is, and
start next year with probably like the same

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personnel, right unless they go unless
like we just absolutely you know, nosedive

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the rest of this year and then
you have to in the offseason just change

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out a bunch of parts. But
yeah, I don't know. I So

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my final question to you is I
don't I don't have any answers here either.

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One. It's just interesting because they're
they're preferred starting five, they're best

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five men. Unit is slaughtering opponents. There are point six one hundred possessions

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on the season. Who is do
you is there any coach of the names

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I've been mentioned or one that sticks
out to you that you would like to

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see for Is it just I feel
like we're all at the faulting to Quinn

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Snyder here feels like the very obvious
answer. I think it is Snyder though,

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Like, and I guess the problem
for that is, you know Utah

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was you know, advantage creation offense
where you're running into handoffs and guys are

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moving and it wasn't really it was
pretty egalitarian. How's that work with Trey

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00:12:35,559 --> 00:12:41,519
Young? Like and let alone another
point guard in John Say Murray that you

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know, it just needs to be
on the ball too. So I mean,

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and really, I do think Snyder
is the best pick. I think

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he's the best coach that's available us
ties to the team. He's been an

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assistant there, but it's like the
things that he wants to do, I

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don't know if that is feasible with
Young on the rawster. So, I

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mean Atkinson, I feel like proved
in Brooklyn. He's a developmental coach,

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like he can you know, be
a culture setter like that type of thing

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that's with you know, mostly young
non star players. That's not going to

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be the situation he would walk into
here with with Trey. Yeah, I'm

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I'm probably totally with you on that
front. Do you want to finally dig

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into Not finally, but do you
want to dig into this mail bag?

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Which is h the headlining that I
use for the U for this actual like

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video, the full podcast everyone's watching
is I'm trying to find the question right

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now is basically contenders and pretenders?
H So where is that question? Why

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can't I find it? Which team? No? Which team of the conference

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is? Did you remember? Did
I make this question up myself? Was

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it a not Dan fora Valley special? No, no idea, But I'll

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find it. So let's let's get
to this first question then from Cole uh,

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how would you fix All Star Weekend? The game of garbage? And

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they didn't even find enough NBA players
wanted to do the dunk contest? I

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mean I think I would probably just
have Mac McClung participate in every event against

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you know, whoever else was available, Like, Yeah, I don't know,

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this is this really is the most
topical question we have because I don't

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know if you saw today, Uh, like the TV, insofar as they

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matter or can tell us anything.
The TV ratings were like, this was

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the least watched All Star Game and
something like thirty years, and obviously that

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it's just how everything is anymore.
But but that's a problem. So I

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guess, like I guess, I
like, I guess what. I didn't

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watch the All Star Game. I
watched the you know, the dunk contests

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and three point competition, but not
the All Star Game. To fix it,

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like, I just don't, I
don't know how how do you make

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the players care about it? That's
that's the question, right because that's you

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know, it's a pickup game where
there's no defense and nobody really gives a

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shit who wins. I think maybe
picking team you know in the winner that

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they've done it the last couple of
years helps, But unless you can find

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ways to incentivize, like maybe that's
money, I don't think it's a good

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idea to do, Like, well, you get home court advantage in the

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finals if your team would be disaster, you know, cats could value the

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regular season too much. I think, right, well, I think I

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think baseball did that. I think
that for a while I don't know if

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they still do, but but like
so that's that's a no go. I

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don't know. I don't know how
you is it, Like you know,

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the winning team gets twenty million dollars
to split up how they want, or

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like the MVP. I just I
don't know what you do to make the

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players care enough about it to have
it resemble like a real competitive game if

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I'm sure if the NBA had a
good answer for that, like it would

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have done it already. So so
I'm of no help. FK Retro said,

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But it was also in Utah with
wayless big stars there as well,

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so it's a combo of everything.
It makes sense it wasn't watched, so

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I will push back. I just
don't put as much stock into general TV

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ratings right now. I think when
you Dug deeper Stein had it that it

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was still the most watch event of
the night, and it's just like the

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conventional TV ratings, that audience is
just different. It's more dispersed, decentralized

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at this point, I do think
also said that was better than I expected.

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The dunk contest was a lot of
fun. I thought Traymer for the

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third I thought had a good run
in addition to Matt McClung and the three

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point Contest is always enjoyable. The
Skills Challenge is a fucking nightmare. That

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is just a disaster. It's too
now. It was too fucking confusing.

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Poor Kevin Harland trying to explain those
rules in real time. I don't know

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how you fix the game. I
saw Stan mcguddy just saying a million dollars

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per player payable immediately after the game. I'd go ahead, try it.

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I you know, what Shay said
was like kind of Shay kind of said,

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showed me the money while he was
wearing like a one hundred thousand dollars

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for a coat, which was very
weird because I don't I don't know what

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the answer is. I will say
this, and I think this might be

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an old man, even though that's
super old cranky person yells at Cloud's moment.

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There's this tendency to immediately side with
everything the players do and when it's

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in, when it's relative to worrying
about padding the bottom line for these billionaire

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owners. I am all about that. I will not applaud teams for ducking

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the luxury tax I don't care if
you're setting the repeater clock, I get

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the logistics. I'll acknowledge it if
you ended up acquiring a good player like

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what the Nuggets did with the Casey
p trade, whereas like, yeah,

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you shave some tax money, but
like that was a really good trade for

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00:17:25,119 --> 00:17:30,720
you. However, you are also
when it comes to load management, when

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it comes to the All Star product, you are devaluing the fans who this

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is actually all for, and that
is actually pro labor, because that's working

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class America. And I'm not like
there are still I don't not talking about

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like the racist shit heads who are
screaming from the stands treat these players like

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property. I don't even think Utah
was And like Brent saying in the chat,

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I don't think Utah was the issue. Charles Barkley had the funny quote,

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like these people here going to heaven. There's there's nothing to do here.

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Do I think that Utah appeals as
a market to the players, Absolutely

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not, absolutely not. But it's
not for the players, it's for the

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fans. And so if you want
to have all these warm weather climates sprinkled

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in on a rotating basis Miami,
La Phoenix, that will draw out more

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players but then like every third year, it's in these different like if you

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want to try something like that,
I sort of get it, but this

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isn't about where media members want to
go. This isn't about necessarily where players

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want to go. And I don't
think when they're again, these are humans,

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there's humanity to them. They shouldn't
play injured. I also I understand

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you know you look at KCP or
was it Desmond Bayane who I think was

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Basically I don't want to do the
three point contest this year. I get

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why you don't want to work during
your break, because the regular season so

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damn long. It brings up a
whole host of issues. I just think

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we're too quick to shield the players
from this. It's possible to give a

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damn about this game and play competitively. But I do also recognize that the

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risk profile outweighs the reward profile,
because you're not going to do the contest

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or play a bunch of defense in
the All Star Game lest you become a

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meme. What would John Morant have
gained from beating mac mcclough. Nothing.

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He would have lost a ship ton
by not beating macmclung, at least in

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terms of you know, reputation or
whatever. So I get the dilemma,

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and I'm not trying to oversimplify here. I will just say, like,

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this is not just the league has
ruined it. It's just it doesn't to

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me. It shouldn't have to.
We need to figure out a way to

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incentivize players to do this. And
again, part of the distancentive is the

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way that fandom is treated, the
rings culture, the meming, everyone,

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So I get that element, but
like, I'm also just like, we

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don't need to completely inoculate the players
here because they are getting paid a ship

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ton of money to play basketball,
and I don't think they need to have

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this incredible incentive to put on a
show for the real loyal fans or even

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the cash. I'm talking about non
detrimental fans, Like I'm not going to

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pay an abroad, but they are
fans that suck. We get that,

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But like for them not to feel
like they should want to be in the

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dunk contest to put on a show
for the fans like that kind of sucks.

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That's just that's just sort of where
I'm at at this point. Yeah,

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no, I agree. I mean, maybe it's just an unbiased Pistons

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00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:08,880
fans says, I get the feeling
that this is what's going to happen with

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a mid season tournament. Good point
like that, that, well, it

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is tricky anytime these aren't regular season
games account towards your record, and there

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isn't a reward that is worth getting. Sorry I pulled it off of there,

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but but yeah, like let's let's
just go off that. Do you

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00:20:23,119 --> 00:20:29,480
think what do you think the differences
might be or the similarities in a mid

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00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:32,720
season tournament as it's sort of been
laid out, Like, do you think

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00:20:32,839 --> 00:20:37,880
that runs the risk of being a
little All Star game ish? What is?

316
00:20:37,279 --> 00:20:40,920
What are they getting? It's just
a trophy bait, like your mid

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00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:44,000
season tournament. That's all I've seen. That's the only that I've seen.

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I haven't seen anything that would impact
sort of the you know, like the

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00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:52,240
playoff odds or like where they like
do you get to pick your opponent if

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00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:55,319
you finished? So, yeah,
I'm very curious because like players, if

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they're injured, not again, I
wouldn't expect them to, but like,

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00:20:57,240 --> 00:21:02,240
we have reached a problem where you
can't buy a ticket months in advance before

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00:21:02,279 --> 00:21:06,319
the season expect to see Steph Curry
as an example, playing is only msget

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appearance, and it's again there's real
injuries. But I do think the mid

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00:21:10,039 --> 00:21:14,839
season tournament runs the risk of becoming
this all star gaming thing. I think

326
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what helps is that the pool is
just going to be so much bigger,

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00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:21,200
and so maybe there's a chance that
like these like let's use the Kings as

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00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:23,680
an example, who are clearly invested
not so much in winning a playoff series

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but just getting there too. If
you're the Hornets and you're able to win

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the mid season tournament, that's gonna
matter, and so perhaps that creates some

331
00:21:30,319 --> 00:21:34,440
sort of entertainment. But I do
think it runs the risk because I haven't

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00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:37,160
seen a benefit that would be think, well, the players are really going

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00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:41,279
to be all about this, and
I don't even know if I don't know

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00:21:41,319 --> 00:21:44,480
if you're fund of like stanmon Gundy
saying give the players, let's apply it

335
00:21:44,519 --> 00:21:47,759
to the mid season torment. Everyone
gets a million dollar bonus. I think

336
00:21:47,759 --> 00:21:49,240
the mid season tournament that might work
because you've got in the bottom of the

337
00:21:49,319 --> 00:21:53,279
roster there really aren't making much more
than that, so that would help.

338
00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:56,480
But like for the All Star Game, when the what is the median salary,

339
00:21:56,519 --> 00:22:00,759
even if you're factoring in rookies counted
at the All Star Game in five

340
00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:03,960
million probably or something crazy like that. But maybe just because it's such a

341
00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:08,200
lump sum and you're getting it immediately, like, yeah, we have to

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00:22:08,279 --> 00:22:11,839
do we really have to pad the
pockets and the like, let's make it

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00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:15,039
tax free and they don't have to
like pay their agents a cut of it,

344
00:22:15,279 --> 00:22:18,000
like and let's give it to them
all in my singles or something immediately.

345
00:22:18,079 --> 00:22:21,480
I don't, I honestly don't have
a solution, because I do think

346
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that it part of it is in
the fabric of how the game has come

347
00:22:25,119 --> 00:22:27,599
to be viewed by the players,
and so I'm not a signing total blame

348
00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:30,359
to them, but their approach to
the All Star Game I think is definitely

349
00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:33,880
a part of this. Yeah,
all right, I'm gonna throw you this.

350
00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:37,039
We're gonna get back to. Actually, I found the defining question of

351
00:22:37,079 --> 00:22:40,359
the mail bag if okay, let's
do that. Let's do that, then

352
00:22:40,400 --> 00:22:44,680
before I ask you about this parody
question. Uh, well, let's let's

353
00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:47,920
go parody post me. Let's keep
let's tease everyone, hang around. We're

354
00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:51,279
getting to contenders or pretenders soon.
Good job, good job by you a

355
00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:55,119
tease excellent? All right, this
from HP Bergye. How long will this

356
00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:57,720
parody in the in the league?
Last? I got to think that some

357
00:22:57,759 --> 00:23:00,880
of these middling teams will start selling
over the next few years, but you

358
00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:03,279
never know. Hope it doesn't go
away, because in eight one and seven

359
00:23:03,319 --> 00:23:07,039
two upset in the playoffs. Actually
feeling possible makes those series a lot more

360
00:23:07,079 --> 00:23:11,599
fun. Yeah, Like, I
mean, I I'll throw to you first.

361
00:23:11,640 --> 00:23:15,079
I'm all about it, but I
want to hear what you think.

362
00:23:15,039 --> 00:23:19,240
So do I think it's temporary?
I don't because we can say that some

363
00:23:19,279 --> 00:23:23,000
of these middling teams will punt.
But I think two things. Teams like

364
00:23:23,039 --> 00:23:26,039
the Hornets and the Wizards exist like
they're in the bulls. They're just going

365
00:23:26,079 --> 00:23:30,440
to trick themselves in the thinking they
could be competitive. I also think that

366
00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:33,160
because there's less player movement in free
agency at the moment, it's harder to

367
00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:38,640
see these superstar talent consolidations because even
if you're getting multiple stars, it's coming

368
00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:41,720
at an opportunity cost that allows other
teams we saw it with the Jazz,

369
00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:45,200
to acquire actual talent and assets and
be good right off the bat. I

370
00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:49,960
also think the league is just really
deep with talented players right now, and

371
00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:55,519
so maybe if we eventually get to
the point where we have two more expansion

372
00:23:55,519 --> 00:23:59,039
teams, that that dilutes the talent
pool a little bit. But I really

373
00:23:59,079 --> 00:24:03,039
just believe, like when you say
something like a top thirty five player,

374
00:24:03,079 --> 00:24:06,519
it feels like an insult, but
that's a potential All Star at this point,

375
00:24:06,559 --> 00:24:11,119
and on some team probably like I
think about like the Knicks or the

376
00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:15,079
Bulls having two All Star candidates,
like those teams are not I mean,

377
00:24:15,119 --> 00:24:17,839
like the Knicks are fine, they're
fun, they're not, oh, they

378
00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:21,279
have two all stars, potential All
Stars like Jalon Bronston could have been an

379
00:24:21,279 --> 00:24:27,680
All Star. So I don't think
it's going anywhere, especially because the mid

380
00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:33,839
season tournament incentivizes you to chase a
ten seed and back your way and say,

381
00:24:33,839 --> 00:24:34,440
hey, maybe I can get to
the playoffs. And so they were

382
00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:37,519
gonna be two types of teams that
want that. A team like the Lakers,

383
00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:41,000
who are supposed to be contenders are
operating on this urgent window that need

384
00:24:41,359 --> 00:24:45,440
to give a damn about it,
or just teams like who are vested in

385
00:24:45,839 --> 00:24:48,240
playing beyond their final game of the
regular season. Like a wizards, like

386
00:24:48,319 --> 00:24:52,119
a bulls like the hornets, even
though they're not even in that conversation right

387
00:24:52,119 --> 00:24:56,079
now. So I don't think it's
temporary. I'm one, I'm one.

388
00:24:56,319 --> 00:25:00,440
I want to hear what you think. But I also if you agree,

389
00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:07,359
what would be something that derails this
parity feasibly? Yeah, I keep thinking

390
00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:11,160
that it's it's pretty closely tied to
the flattened lottery odds, And that might

391
00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:14,839
just be me making like a you
know, a conflating two things, but

392
00:25:15,519 --> 00:25:21,680
it does just at a very basic
level, if there are ten quote unquote

393
00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:25,319
playoff spots instead of eight in each
conference, it's just a lot easier for

394
00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:30,240
all but the absolute very worst teams
to decide we're going to remain competitive.

395
00:25:30,319 --> 00:25:33,200
Now, like that's usually an end
of year thing, when when you really

396
00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:37,119
start getting some separation. But like
I do think that, you know,

397
00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:41,920
we joke about Chicago and Washington and
these in Charlotte and these other teams that

398
00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:44,799
are like happy in the middle,
or maybe they're not happy, but they

399
00:25:45,279 --> 00:25:48,880
seem to operate as if being a
middling team or slightly better than that is

400
00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:52,640
a goal of some kind. I
kind of just think it makes more sense

401
00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:56,359
to run a team that way now
than it did before, Whereas, like,

402
00:25:56,839 --> 00:25:59,119
you know, when the lottery odds
were the way they used to be,

403
00:25:59,599 --> 00:26:03,640
Like it's just even finishing eighth or
seventh in a conference was like death

404
00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:06,880
because you're gonna get smoked in the
first round and you're not going to get

405
00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:10,319
the player in the draft that might, you know, up your ceiling over

406
00:26:10,359 --> 00:26:14,759
the next half decade or whatever.
So you'd be more apt to start tanking

407
00:26:15,079 --> 00:26:17,920
if you were ninth, or you
know, anything, depending on the situation.

408
00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:19,599
Like some teams just want to make
the playoffs, but I just think

409
00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:23,480
having more spots and an easier route
to call yourself a playoff team, even

410
00:26:23,519 --> 00:26:29,480
if the play in is different,
has really had the effect of like discouraging

411
00:26:30,039 --> 00:26:34,799
just you know, shutting it down
or I was searching for it too.

412
00:26:36,359 --> 00:26:40,200
Completing is the word of the day. I'm not sure use it right,

413
00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:42,240
but we're gonna I was gonna say
false equivalency, but I think that's more

414
00:26:42,319 --> 00:26:48,799
wrong now that's the phrase of the
day. But yeah, so is it

415
00:26:48,839 --> 00:26:52,319
gonna change. I mean, the
lottery odds stay how they are based on

416
00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:56,200
the case I just laid out.
Maybe not. I still think that eight

417
00:26:56,319 --> 00:27:03,079
verses one or seven verses two upsets
might remain as improbable as it has been.

418
00:27:03,559 --> 00:27:07,519
But I but I don't know.
I guess that. I guess that

419
00:27:07,559 --> 00:27:12,960
could change. I mean, look, if let's say hypothetically Memphis finishes second

420
00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:18,839
and the Warriors emerge from the play
as a seventh seed, like that particular

421
00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:22,440
matchup, I'm not feeling great about
if I'm Memphis, or maybe because I'm

422
00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:26,279
Memphis, I feel great about everything, but I'm They're fine. Yeah,

423
00:27:26,319 --> 00:27:29,920
I don't know. Yeah, Parody
may be here to stay. I guess,

424
00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:32,119
and I feel like that's a good
thing. And I didn't even touch

425
00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:33,480
on the just the depth of talent
in the league, which you did,

426
00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:37,000
which I think is a huge,
a huge reason behind all this too.

427
00:27:37,599 --> 00:27:42,079
Thank you Jacob for the commentary on
completion in the chat. Great you used

428
00:27:42,119 --> 00:27:47,680
it correctly excellently. Kudos to you. Let's so here it is the long

429
00:27:47,759 --> 00:27:52,720
awaited question. I hopefully it did
not de highlight which team that Nikola chev

430
00:27:52,039 --> 00:27:56,240
excuse me, I'm sorry, nicol
Chekolov. I apologize if I'm butchering the

431
00:27:56,240 --> 00:28:00,200
hall of that. Which team that
legit thinks they can win a championship is

432
00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:07,519
an absolute fraud, if fraud,
I am thinking the East three and then

433
00:28:07,559 --> 00:28:11,559
the Nuggets, grizz Clips, Sons, Dallas and the Warriors, not as

434
00:28:11,559 --> 00:28:15,559
potential frauds. He was listing.
They were listing who they think all the

435
00:28:15,599 --> 00:28:19,440
contenders are. And so I have
no qualms about answering this question. I

436
00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:22,559
want to see what you're answered to. The question is, though, well,

437
00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:26,279
so if I got to pick a
fraud from I guess we're talking Boston,

438
00:28:26,319 --> 00:28:32,279
Milwaukee, Philadelphia would be the three
East teams and Nuggets, grizz Clip

439
00:28:32,319 --> 00:28:38,000
Sons Man's work. Doesn't Dallas have
to be the fraud just because they got

440
00:28:38,039 --> 00:28:42,119
worse defensively, they added Irving.
We've talked ednas even about like the combustibility

441
00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:48,200
and the risk and the gamble and
the downside of all that. Fraud is

442
00:28:48,279 --> 00:28:52,759
tough. But of those teams,
I say, Dallas is by far the

443
00:28:52,799 --> 00:28:56,880
farthest from what I consider like a
legit. I don't put I don't consider.

444
00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:00,079
Oh boy, Jacob's not going to
be happy. I don't know he's

445
00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:03,079
Jacob's gonna be fine. Look,
it's the Grizzlies. It's not Memphis.

446
00:29:03,119 --> 00:29:06,039
They said they are finding the West. That's Jacob in the chat, it's

447
00:29:06,039 --> 00:29:08,000
the Grizzlies. But I don't fancy
the Mavericks contenders. I don't think they

448
00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:11,880
can look at their roster and say
we're a contender. I think they're looped

449
00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:15,160
in that discussion because Luca don chich
is very, very good and they made

450
00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:18,319
the conference finals last year. I
don't know how they look within themselves at

451
00:29:18,319 --> 00:29:22,119
this roster and think, well,
we're gonna generate enough defense to win a

452
00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:27,519
playoff series, even if Maxi Kleiba
comes back. It's the Grizzlies. I'm

453
00:29:27,559 --> 00:29:33,519
sorry this is this might be another
cranky rant, and also Grizzlies fans should

454
00:29:33,519 --> 00:29:36,359
feel bad about it because this would
I'm about to be wrong for the Grizzlies

455
00:29:36,359 --> 00:29:41,400
for a fourth season. Running your
half court offense borders on dogshit at points

456
00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:45,359
you're still in the bottom ten.
Too much of your model is let's generate

457
00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:49,920
points off our own misses, which
you can't do as efficiently. If Steven

458
00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:53,480
Adams isn't in the game and they
were going to be games in the playoffs

459
00:29:53,559 --> 00:29:59,079
where we saw it last year that
Steven Adams can't be in the game,

460
00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:02,480
and I'm not gonna say he's gonna
get playing off the four in every matchup,

461
00:30:02,519 --> 00:30:04,079
but they're gonna be match four.
It doesn't make sense. Can you

462
00:30:04,119 --> 00:30:07,960
trust Jaren Jackson Junior? Not the
foul he's fouling at a rate of almost

463
00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:11,759
five per thirty six minutes since the
Stephen Adams injury, which is up.

464
00:30:11,799 --> 00:30:14,359
I think he was at four point
three before end, and four point three

465
00:30:14,440 --> 00:30:17,759
is still pretty high. So,
yeah, you're talented, but like,

466
00:30:17,839 --> 00:30:22,359
who is generating you the from scratch
looks in the half court when you can't

467
00:30:22,359 --> 00:30:25,799
get out in transition, when you're
not cleaning up your own missus aside from

468
00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:30,119
John Morant and Desmond Bane and your
answer to all of this, to this

469
00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:34,839
long standing flaw that was exposed in
the playoffs, was to train for Luke

470
00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:40,880
Kenard. I understand that Luke Konnard
is probably underrated when it comes to functional

471
00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:45,640
shooting and what you could do if
you actually put the ball in his hands.

472
00:30:45,319 --> 00:30:48,599
He's sort of like remember what we
all thought Landry Shammitt might be as

473
00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:52,920
a rookie with the Clippers. That's
who Luke Nard actually is because there's more

474
00:30:52,119 --> 00:30:56,480
more on ball depth there. Yeah, what swing piece are you trusting?

475
00:30:56,599 --> 00:31:00,359
It doesn't feel like it's gonna be
Zyar Williams. At this point, you're

476
00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:07,440
sort of just you have like this
like hyperbolic faith in yourself that doesn't make

477
00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:10,720
any sense at this point because you're
carrying the burden of expectations, and so

478
00:31:10,799 --> 00:31:14,839
there's this like there's this bomb bass
that feels like more pomp than promise for

479
00:31:14,839 --> 00:31:19,240
them at this point I and I
also don't like and that's would bother not

480
00:31:19,279 --> 00:31:22,599
bother me. But everyone's saying,
oh, what if they and Jacob mentions

481
00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:25,640
it in the chat, if the
Grizzlies had gotten Og or Michaal, then

482
00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:27,000
that might change. But they were
easily the biggest frauds is right now,

483
00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:30,480
someone agrees with me that's fun Og
was a terrible fit for them because he's

484
00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:33,440
not giving you anything for the half
court offense. Michael bridges Hell, Yes,

485
00:31:34,079 --> 00:31:37,799
and there are some other suggestions on
teams that are frauds. I'll throw

486
00:31:37,799 --> 00:31:40,519
it up there after I hear from
you, but it's it's the Grizzlies.

487
00:31:40,559 --> 00:31:42,559
I know they're not second in the
West by accident, but this is very

488
00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:48,079
much what feels like a regular season
team that you might feel when you get

489
00:31:48,079 --> 00:31:49,920
to them in the playoffs. But
like I'm just gonna throw this out there,

490
00:31:52,119 --> 00:31:55,920
full strength Lakers versus the Grizzlies in
round one. Let's say the Lakers

491
00:31:55,960 --> 00:32:00,240
just get out of the play and
are you are you convinced the Grizzlies are

492
00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:02,839
winning that in five? Like,
are you are you okay? No?

493
00:32:04,119 --> 00:32:07,039
I think I mean I just gave
the Warriors example. I think it's kind

494
00:32:07,039 --> 00:32:09,880
of a similar thing. So I
want to make two points about about Memphis,

495
00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:16,240
and the first is that like it's
still I guess if you're gonna go

496
00:32:16,279 --> 00:32:19,599
of the top three in each conference, they have to be the fraud pick.

497
00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:22,880
Although I mean his Sacramento is still
third. They are, but they're

498
00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:30,039
not in this conversations, so like
not even including that's so mean, but

499
00:32:30,039 --> 00:32:32,039
but but we're they have like the
third or fourth hardest schedule the rest of

500
00:32:32,039 --> 00:32:36,759
the way to the Kings anyway,
So the Grizzlies, like it's still pretty

501
00:32:36,759 --> 00:32:39,720
early, you know, in the
arc of this team, you know,

502
00:32:39,759 --> 00:32:45,359
and Marant is still young. Baine
Jackson like the pieces. I feel like

503
00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:50,720
it's easy to get down on them, especially since as as unbiased Pistons fan

504
00:32:50,759 --> 00:32:52,440
notes, you know, John Morant
says things like we're fine in the West

505
00:32:52,519 --> 00:32:58,240
and sticks to it, and they're
seventeen and sixteen in the conference. It's

506
00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:00,359
easy to get down on the Grizzlies, and like, I definitely am feeling

507
00:33:00,359 --> 00:33:05,440
down on them now, but I
don't want to write them off as like,

508
00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:07,839
well, this isn't gonna work in
the next like two three years.

509
00:33:07,880 --> 00:33:10,519
I think for right now, it's
pretty it's a little fraudy. But the

510
00:33:10,559 --> 00:33:15,000
other point I want to make is
one of my biggest regrets of this season

511
00:33:15,279 --> 00:33:19,839
is that I really thought Memphis was
poised to just be the best team in

512
00:33:19,839 --> 00:33:22,000
the West, like a month ago, and it's almost like to the second

513
00:33:22,079 --> 00:33:27,440
I said that, they just kind
of everything changed, So huge regret they're

514
00:33:27,480 --> 00:33:30,599
not that team. I think there's
still potential because their flaws are so obvious

515
00:33:30,599 --> 00:33:34,960
that it's like there's no question about
what they need to address, and they

516
00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:37,480
still have some of the means to
do it. There might be to them,

517
00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:42,519
maybe I don't know. You can't
look at your just they have cleaning

518
00:33:42,599 --> 00:33:45,880
glass, right, that's the most
basic publicly available I think can figure it

519
00:33:45,880 --> 00:33:50,480
out. I'm sure their internal numbers
also say they're halfware OFFENSI ups. But

520
00:33:50,519 --> 00:33:53,079
anyway, sorry about believing in the
Grizzlies. Spicy take from Peto. If

521
00:33:53,079 --> 00:33:55,880
the grizz and the Wolves face off
again this year, the Wolves would come

522
00:33:55,920 --> 00:34:00,640
out on top. I mean that's
a hot one because the Wolves, well,

523
00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:04,640
the Wolves I think are fifteen and
nine going into the break of their

524
00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:08,119
last twenty four games, so you
know, not the worst. Yeah,

525
00:34:08,199 --> 00:34:13,039
Memphis is tough. I don't know, here's anything else to say about them.

526
00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:17,519
What do you think about? This
is from FK Retro. Nuggets are

527
00:34:17,559 --> 00:34:21,960
the frauds. They always have a
good regular season, but playoffs, I

528
00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:24,679
don't know. Can we rely on
MPJ and Murray be ready to go and

529
00:34:24,719 --> 00:34:31,039
help Yokich all the way for you
that, well, this isn't for you

530
00:34:31,079 --> 00:34:35,519
because you've been on You've stayed true
to your Nuggets title pick forever. I

531
00:34:35,519 --> 00:34:39,639
mean that is the question, Like
I think, I think until Yokich and

532
00:34:39,840 --> 00:34:44,440
the supporting cast prove that, like
this is a team that can be in

533
00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:47,599
the finals, that can survive defensively, that has enough you know, reliable

534
00:34:47,599 --> 00:34:54,199
guys around him to just beat the
best defenses, to handle the best offenses

535
00:34:54,280 --> 00:34:59,719
over series that are going to require
adjustments. I just need to see it

536
00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:01,280
first. Like that's the category they're
in for me, like, Okay,

537
00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:05,840
great season, a lot of positive
signs. I think Yokis is gonna win

538
00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:09,320
MVP again deservedly. But let's see
like this, the playoffs are just this

539
00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:13,199
other thing, and I need to
see it first, because like all the

540
00:35:13,239 --> 00:35:15,039
doubts are there, they're not like
they're not complicated. We just haven't seen

541
00:35:15,079 --> 00:35:19,719
the defense be good enough. We
haven't seen the supporting casts be good enough.

542
00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:22,920
Some of that because they got hurt, but like that just is what

543
00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:27,719
it is. So it's it's I
don't know if they're not frauds, it's

544
00:35:27,719 --> 00:35:30,519
just they haven't proved it yet.
That's that's kind of a different thing for

545
00:35:30,599 --> 00:35:34,239
me. I have no concerns about
the offense, regardless of what you think

546
00:35:34,239 --> 00:35:37,559
about the durability of MPJA, and
like Jamal Murray's actually been pretty good over

547
00:35:37,599 --> 00:35:40,199
the past couple of months. They
were good, Like they were fine offensively

548
00:35:40,199 --> 00:35:43,920
without like both those guys in the
playoffs last year. On the court,

549
00:35:45,239 --> 00:35:49,440
the defense is a concern. They
are eighth in points allowed per possession since

550
00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:52,360
December first, that's a huge chunk
of the season. They've also gotten lucky.

551
00:35:52,599 --> 00:35:57,360
They have like a top five opponent
free throw defense and news flash,

552
00:35:57,400 --> 00:36:00,199
you're not, like, you know, defending opponent free. They've also gotten

553
00:36:00,280 --> 00:36:06,239
lucky. They've also gotten lucky with
opponent three point shooting during that span,

554
00:36:06,440 --> 00:36:07,760
but the reprotection has also been awful. And so I think when you look

555
00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:12,960
at their top end lineups, I'm
inclined to think they're more authentic than fraudy.

556
00:36:13,079 --> 00:36:15,360
But I think when Nuggets fans get
mad at us that this podcast included

557
00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:19,480
saying they need to prove it in
the playoffs, they do. It's not

558
00:36:19,519 --> 00:36:22,639
an offensive question. It's not a
question in their dominance in the regular season.

559
00:36:22,039 --> 00:36:25,079
But as a lot of people,
smart people pointed out, playoff basketball

560
00:36:25,119 --> 00:36:30,679
is never diverged more from regular season
basketball, at least since I can remember.

561
00:36:30,960 --> 00:36:35,920
So it's fair to just question them. And I like, they're a

562
00:36:35,920 --> 00:36:37,639
team that's under a lot of pressure
because if you do flame out in the

563
00:36:37,639 --> 00:36:42,840
playoffs and you're relatively healthy at that
point, like what do you do?

564
00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:47,079
Like you have to start asking some
really difficult questions. Yeah, yeah,

565
00:36:47,079 --> 00:36:52,840
this is we have this comment that
jobs with a question we have, So

566
00:36:52,880 --> 00:36:54,519
if you want to read with Corey
Elliott said, I'll find that question.

567
00:36:54,920 --> 00:37:00,960
Yeah, said, I think Cleveland
regret, will regret parting ways with Kevin

568
00:37:00,039 --> 00:37:05,840
Love. Stevens and Wade don't bring
what Kevin Love did offensively. Yeah,

569
00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:08,719
so kill Hoss had also asked Cleveland
buys out Kevin Love, who heads over

570
00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:12,880
Miami. Do you think that move
has a legit chance of haunting Cleveland in

571
00:37:12,920 --> 00:37:15,480
the playoffs? So I will throw
that to you. I don't. I

572
00:37:15,480 --> 00:37:17,239
don't think it's gonna haunt Cleveland.
I mean, it's just the cows have

573
00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:22,119
decided that he wasn't gonna play,
and actually after the fact, it sounded

574
00:37:22,159 --> 00:37:27,199
like he was, you know,
maybe not super happy about that behind the

575
00:37:27,199 --> 00:37:30,199
scenes. So I think, you
know, and like as a playoff piece

576
00:37:30,719 --> 00:37:34,599
on that roster, I don't know. I mean, he did finish second

577
00:37:34,639 --> 00:37:37,400
and six man voting last year,
so it's not like he was just without

578
00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:40,480
uses altogether. But I mean,
I don't think it's gonna bother them.

579
00:37:40,519 --> 00:37:43,840
I do think, and this is
getting into a question I was gonna ask

580
00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:46,239
you later, but I do think
he can help the eat. But I

581
00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:50,440
think it's more of a benefit for
the heat than a detriments of the calves.

582
00:37:50,519 --> 00:37:53,079
I guess it is how I would
frame it. Yeah, I don't

583
00:37:53,119 --> 00:37:55,719
see like because the Cats just weren't
even using him at this point, They're

584
00:37:55,719 --> 00:37:59,400
gonna be more inclined to go with
like Dean Wade at the backup for than

585
00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:02,239
they were Kevin Love. And so
I also don't know how much he helps

586
00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:07,239
Miami. Maybe they can insulate him
defensively. Where does he logs him back

587
00:38:07,280 --> 00:38:08,159
up five minutes? I don't know
that. I even love the fit with

588
00:38:08,239 --> 00:38:12,360
him and Bam in the front court, and it sounds like he has the

589
00:38:13,159 --> 00:38:15,280
chance to start or at least play
a lot of minutes in Miami. So

590
00:38:15,320 --> 00:38:17,280
I think this was more just sort
of if he was unhappy there and people

591
00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:20,840
were getting fed up with him,
and he also wasn't playing, send him

592
00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:22,800
somewhere where he's gonna not send him, but allow him to go somewhere where

593
00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:27,800
he hasn't materially impact your title chances, but he's going to play and beyond

594
00:38:28,159 --> 00:38:31,519
beyond a good team. Yeah,
that's fair. Did you want to pick

595
00:38:31,559 --> 00:38:37,440
a question that we have? Yeah, let's do Let's just do this real

596
00:38:37,519 --> 00:38:40,519
quick because it's topical demos. Cool
ass. Why why does Mack mcclong not

597
00:38:40,599 --> 00:38:47,639
have a proper NBA contracts somewhere?
I mean, the short answer is that

598
00:38:47,679 --> 00:38:52,639
he's twenty four years old and he's
a small guard that has not proved he

599
00:38:52,639 --> 00:38:55,280
can shoot or defend or run an
offense at the NBA level, Like he's

600
00:38:55,280 --> 00:39:00,360
had several you know, summer league
and and you know basically you know,

601
00:39:00,800 --> 00:39:05,039
camp invites that just haven't panned out. I think he had a shot at

602
00:39:05,119 --> 00:39:07,719
least with the Warriors this year.
He was on their summer league roster.

603
00:39:08,760 --> 00:39:12,880
It's just like, that's just I
don't know, is it shitty to say

604
00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:16,039
he's just not quite good enough as
like a full basketball player to have an

605
00:39:16,159 --> 00:39:19,360
NBA contract. I don't know.
I don't know if you have some something

606
00:39:19,360 --> 00:39:22,639
more revealing than that to offer.
I'm just like, how much are you

607
00:39:22,679 --> 00:39:25,599
like he's gonna have to have the
ball in his hands to dunk like he

608
00:39:25,639 --> 00:39:29,159
has shown him. I guess he's
shown that he can be like this microwave

609
00:39:29,639 --> 00:39:35,400
scorer. But I'm with everything you
said there. It's I'm glad he happened

610
00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:37,239
to be on a two way contract
when the dunk contest rolled around, because

611
00:39:37,239 --> 00:39:40,719
I thought was a pretty bad look
that they were tapping into the to the

612
00:39:40,760 --> 00:39:44,679
G league. But I mean I'm
all for like one of these bad teams

613
00:39:44,679 --> 00:39:45,960
and the Sixers, aren't it?
Like I would like to see him just

614
00:39:45,960 --> 00:39:49,159
sign mac mclump for the ball in
his hands and see what he could actually

615
00:39:49,199 --> 00:39:51,400
do on offense. But I just
can't imagine that he's going to give you

616
00:39:51,519 --> 00:39:57,760
much defensively or that your offense is
going to be particularly efficient. This question

617
00:39:57,800 --> 00:40:00,920
from Brett Burnett, who are the
dark horse teams that can play spoiler?

618
00:40:00,119 --> 00:40:02,800
Is there one for you that's like
sort of flying under the radar that you

619
00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:08,559
think could fit that mold? It's
so hard because I just I mean,

620
00:40:08,679 --> 00:40:13,679
I think it's a West team probably, but that's just everybody so jumbled up.

621
00:40:15,159 --> 00:40:17,719
How about this, because this feels
like it will be potentially unpopular.

622
00:40:19,519 --> 00:40:22,639
I think Toronto might be a team
that, if it gets through the play

623
00:40:22,679 --> 00:40:27,920
in, could potentially I mean,
I don't know if it's it's so tough

624
00:40:27,960 --> 00:40:30,760
because then you're looking at either Boston
or Milwaukee probably as a first round matchup,

625
00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:34,639
so I don't know what you're spoiling
there. But I do think Toronto

626
00:40:34,679 --> 00:40:38,000
could knock out Like say the Knicks
or Miami are in the playing round,

627
00:40:38,320 --> 00:40:42,280
I could see Toronto knocking one or
the other out and that would be kind

628
00:40:42,280 --> 00:40:45,159
of spoilery. I just still feel
like, you know, Fred van Vleet

629
00:40:45,239 --> 00:40:52,280
is generally looked more like himself over
the last what like certainly the last month,

630
00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:55,199
last six weeks. He was pretty
good in January, shot it well

631
00:40:55,239 --> 00:40:59,519
in January, not so hot in
February, and then on the thinking that

632
00:40:59,559 --> 00:41:04,400
Pearl does just sort of help solve
their interior defense and rebounding issues, like

633
00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:07,239
and this is still a team that
won forty eight games last year. There's

634
00:41:07,239 --> 00:41:10,599
a little bit of the Atlanta effect
where it's like, white, isn't this

635
00:41:10,639 --> 00:41:15,880
working? Like why aren't the Why
isn't the talent producing what we've seen it

636
00:41:15,960 --> 00:41:22,119
produced before? Basically, But I
just think Toronto profiles as a pretty dangerous

637
00:41:22,119 --> 00:41:28,039
team, you know, against all
but the really like the very best teams

638
00:41:28,039 --> 00:41:30,159
in the East. I don't know
that they can spoil like they're not gonna

639
00:41:30,199 --> 00:41:34,400
knock Boston out or knock Milwaukee out. I wouldn't think is it am I

640
00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:39,760
off base to still say the Pelicans
just like if Zion actually gets healthy with

641
00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:45,360
this, what is it an open
ended timeline whatever he has if they're on

642
00:41:45,400 --> 00:41:49,719
the even if they're in the play
in, is there anyone that you'd be

643
00:41:49,760 --> 00:41:52,760
willing to say they absolutely cannot beat
over the course for sevent years series.

644
00:41:52,840 --> 00:41:58,079
Maybe the Sun's with Kevin Durant,
but like they just feel like we saw

645
00:41:58,119 --> 00:42:01,280
them hit the top of the Western
Conference light per minute, and they've cratered

646
00:42:01,280 --> 00:42:05,239
since then, and they should be
better even without Zion than they have been,

647
00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:07,880
especially since getting Brandon Ingram back.
But they feel like they could be

648
00:42:07,920 --> 00:42:14,039
a team that has the potential to
play massive spoiler because they're gonna wind up

649
00:42:14,079 --> 00:42:16,679
being with this lower seated playoff birth
maybe even in the play in and like

650
00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:20,440
they could you talk about like if
you're Memphis, if you're Denver, that's

651
00:42:20,440 --> 00:42:22,880
not a team I want to face
in the first round. Well to that

652
00:42:22,960 --> 00:42:25,360
point, I mean, in addition
to just like what do we if you're

653
00:42:25,360 --> 00:42:28,920
an opposing team, Like what do
we do with Zion if he's healthy?

654
00:42:28,960 --> 00:42:32,239
That's a massive if. But so
I mean, the Pelicans were I think

655
00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:36,559
third in the West as late as
like the last week of January, and

656
00:42:36,559 --> 00:42:39,880
they were first step points in December. The other the other thing is like

657
00:42:39,920 --> 00:42:44,840
we have proof of concept because it's
it's a tiny sample. It's like three

658
00:42:44,920 --> 00:42:49,960
hundred and forty five or four hundred
possessions on the year that McCallum, Ingram

659
00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:52,960
and Zion have played together, so
not a lot. And those lineups are

660
00:42:52,960 --> 00:42:57,480
plus nineteen point five per one hundred, which is just like just the best.

661
00:42:57,719 --> 00:43:00,519
You know, it's just an insane
if you if you play that you

662
00:43:00,519 --> 00:43:04,920
win sixty five games or seventy games
in a year or whatever it's. You

663
00:43:04,920 --> 00:43:07,639
know, obviously they aren't going to
be on the floor for forty eight minutes

664
00:43:07,679 --> 00:43:09,639
or for Zion like maybe at all
for the rest of the year. But

665
00:43:09,719 --> 00:43:15,280
like there is we've seen the upside, Like we've talked about it a lot

666
00:43:15,320 --> 00:43:17,400
with how good this team looks,
and it's always well once everybody's healthy,

667
00:43:17,559 --> 00:43:22,760
or even when they weren't healthy,
they were great. That's a super scary

668
00:43:22,800 --> 00:43:25,920
team. I just think, like, what are the chances, what's what's

669
00:43:25,920 --> 00:43:30,519
the over under on regular season games
Zion plays the rest of this year.

670
00:43:30,599 --> 00:43:34,880
It's like, yeah, I have
no idea. And they've lost already per

671
00:43:34,920 --> 00:43:37,800
man games, lost more value to
injury than any other team. And that's

672
00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:42,159
also kind of like ups their intrigue
factor because it's well with all the time

673
00:43:42,199 --> 00:43:45,480
b I missed and Zion and even
herb missing some time. It's like,

674
00:43:45,519 --> 00:43:46,960
well, what could like, what
could they actually be at full strength?

675
00:43:46,960 --> 00:43:51,039
It's just will we ever get to
see it? All right, I'm gonna

676
00:43:51,039 --> 00:43:52,679
find a question for you. I
should have done this? Well you were

677
00:43:52,760 --> 00:43:58,719
talking okay about this? This is
from unbiased Pistons fans. What legit contend

678
00:43:58,840 --> 00:44:00,880
or blows everything up? If they
have a disappointing end of the season like

679
00:44:00,920 --> 00:44:05,199
the Jazz last year. It's hard
to find a team right now that would

680
00:44:05,199 --> 00:44:07,000
do it. But maybe there's just
one out there that kind of jumps out

681
00:44:07,000 --> 00:44:10,920
to you. Oh that's tough,
is it? So? I feel like

682
00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:15,800
the answer that I wanted to give
them too cowardly to give it. But

683
00:44:15,960 --> 00:44:22,000
is it just like and maybe it's
not by like by choice, but could

684
00:44:22,039 --> 00:44:25,159
it be Philly? Like do you
put any stake in the James Hardener Houston

685
00:44:25,280 --> 00:44:30,400
rumors? Or just like maybe they
don't want to give him the contract he

686
00:44:30,440 --> 00:44:35,760
wants, so like, uh,
it's them, or it's like is it

687
00:44:35,800 --> 00:44:38,079
the Clippers, like if they if
you, you know, you look like

688
00:44:38,119 --> 00:44:40,599
you've sort of been I mean,
you signed Russell Westbrook, which is just

689
00:44:40,639 --> 00:44:46,400
a very curious decision. Curious,
yeah, curious, the most charitable way

690
00:44:46,440 --> 00:44:51,599
I could put it, But I
could see the Clippers by choice saying well,

691
00:44:51,639 --> 00:44:52,920
like, hey, it's like this
is a half decade of PG and

692
00:44:52,960 --> 00:44:55,719
Quaid just not cutting it like we
need to. What are we doing here?

693
00:44:55,840 --> 00:44:59,639
Is it pivoting into a rebuild or
is it just sort of retinkering with

694
00:44:59,639 --> 00:45:04,440
the raw? But I think if
I had to choose between them and Philly,

695
00:45:04,440 --> 00:45:07,239
because it feels like it wouldn't be
Philly's choice if very much comes down,

696
00:45:07,320 --> 00:45:09,199
or maybe even would it be.
Let's say James Harden is willing to

697
00:45:09,199 --> 00:45:15,159
stay, maybe Joel Embiid wants out, and so I'll say Philly just because

698
00:45:15,159 --> 00:45:20,159
there's so much noise and discomfort there
and the Clippers just don't really have it.

699
00:45:20,199 --> 00:45:22,480
Seems like Kawai and PG want to
be there, and so I don't

700
00:45:22,519 --> 00:45:23,679
know why you get rid of them, But those are the two teams that

701
00:45:23,719 --> 00:45:28,039
stand out to me. What about
you? No, like we're really limiting

702
00:45:28,039 --> 00:45:31,679
ourselves if we're talking legit contenders,
because there are just relatively few of those.

703
00:45:32,480 --> 00:45:37,920
Philly was the first team that came
to mind. It has to I

704
00:45:37,920 --> 00:45:40,039
think it is the Clippers, though
even more so just because what is this

705
00:45:40,119 --> 00:45:45,920
the fourth year now of the of
Paul, George and Quiet together, and

706
00:45:45,480 --> 00:45:49,519
Peter says, Philly blows it up
hard into the rockets and the Pelicans give

707
00:45:49,599 --> 00:45:52,480
up the treasure chest for and bad. That's that's that's what they need,

708
00:45:52,599 --> 00:46:00,400
is having a zion NMB's health bill
roster. But the Clippers, like other

709
00:46:00,440 --> 00:46:05,599
I guess, like Kawai's unavailability and
missing a year are huge factors there.

710
00:46:06,119 --> 00:46:08,960
But we've got like a long time
to sort of try to build the right

711
00:46:09,639 --> 00:46:15,079
kind of contending roster around those two
guys. And I guess they've come close,

712
00:46:15,159 --> 00:46:19,440
like there was a conference finals,
I think when the the I can't

713
00:46:19,440 --> 00:46:22,880
even remember now. It's like ancient
history of the bubble and anything around that.

714
00:46:23,119 --> 00:46:27,960
But I guess it's just it's been
longer, Like the hard and Embid

715
00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:32,400
thing is like, you know,
it's what barely a year old, and

716
00:46:32,559 --> 00:46:37,199
there's every reason to believe that that
is a pairing that sort of could work

717
00:46:37,199 --> 00:46:38,679
with the right pieces. The Clippers
have kind of messed around with a lot

718
00:46:38,719 --> 00:46:44,039
of different approaches and haven't quite landed
on it yet. And just the length

719
00:46:44,079 --> 00:46:46,320
of time like that, four years
is a long time for a core to

720
00:46:46,400 --> 00:46:51,400
stay together, especially if their goals
are what the Clippers are and to not

721
00:46:51,519 --> 00:46:53,760
meet them. I guess maybe that
that. But then again, like,

722
00:46:53,960 --> 00:46:57,360
instead of blowing it up, won't
they just throw more money at it and

723
00:46:57,400 --> 00:47:00,800
just find more ways to go sign
guys and just pay a bit five dollars

724
00:47:00,800 --> 00:47:06,320
in tax I think the other thing
is too is that they'll be able to

725
00:47:06,360 --> 00:47:09,000
trade two first round picks this summer
a twenty twenty eight and twenty thirty.

726
00:47:09,119 --> 00:47:14,000
That's gonna be some team is trading
at twenty thirty first round pick over the

727
00:47:14,039 --> 00:47:16,679
summer and it's gonna be weird.
What do you think about this? From

728
00:47:16,800 --> 00:47:20,239
brand? The Warriors need to blow
it up too much. Pride will hold

729
00:47:20,280 --> 00:47:22,440
on to their prize pieces for way
too long. I can't believe how much

730
00:47:22,480 --> 00:47:25,920
Warriors are paying in the tax I
mean, maybe not wrong, but how

731
00:47:25,960 --> 00:47:30,519
do you blow it up? Like? Who what are you using to get

732
00:47:30,559 --> 00:47:32,239
off of Clay Thompson's contracts? Yeah? I don't think you blow it up

733
00:47:32,280 --> 00:47:37,159
so much as you just investigate trading
for Jordan Pool at that team. You

734
00:47:37,199 --> 00:47:39,800
really trade the roster with a player
who not only plays defense but makes more

735
00:47:39,840 --> 00:47:44,320
sense for what your core is around
steath. Yeah, I think there's a

736
00:47:44,360 --> 00:47:49,119
distinct possibility that happens once we're out
of poison Pill territory with him. Yeah,

737
00:47:49,159 --> 00:47:52,079
I just think I think the Warriors, well, there's just the two

738
00:47:52,119 --> 00:47:54,000
factors that one of the practicalities of
it are, like, how how do

739
00:47:54,039 --> 00:47:58,079
you get off some of these contracts? And it's not like they have a

740
00:47:58,119 --> 00:48:00,920
million picks to throw in there,
and the picks they have should not be

741
00:48:00,039 --> 00:48:05,599
used to get off of money because
then what are you building? And then

742
00:48:05,599 --> 00:48:09,039
it's just the whole I don't know
what the not that they owe it to

743
00:48:09,119 --> 00:48:14,199
the core, to the championship guys, But it's almost like I think there

744
00:48:14,280 --> 00:48:19,440
is a concern that I'd say there's
a preference from the Warrior's perspective probably that

745
00:48:19,519 --> 00:48:22,039
like it would just be nice if
Draymond were to opt out, Like if

746
00:48:22,039 --> 00:48:25,400
this has to get pulled apart,
it would be better if the players were

747
00:48:25,400 --> 00:48:30,599
the ones deciding to do it,
as opposed to ownership and management, just

748
00:48:30,719 --> 00:48:34,000
because of the optics of that.
I feel like fans would be more annoyed

749
00:48:34,079 --> 00:48:37,000
or bothered by that. So but
yeah, I don't know how they take

750
00:48:37,039 --> 00:48:39,280
it apart. We have about ten
minutes left here, so let's see how

751
00:48:39,320 --> 00:48:44,239
many questions that we can still get
to. This one's from Jake from State

752
00:48:44,239 --> 00:48:49,159
Farm. Do the NBA Awards,
but only for rookies, So that leaves

753
00:48:49,239 --> 00:48:51,920
us with like, because we're not
going to do Rookie of the Year for

754
00:48:51,960 --> 00:48:57,239
the rookies. That's basically NBA leaves
just with four categories. And so let's

755
00:48:57,280 --> 00:48:59,519
flip PLoP here. I'll throw this
one to you first six Man of the

756
00:48:59,599 --> 00:49:04,159
Year. I mean, that's a
lot could apply to a lot of rookies

757
00:49:04,159 --> 00:49:07,079
because a lot of them are coming
off the bench. It's probably Mathering though,

758
00:49:07,159 --> 00:49:09,039
right, Like, I mean,
he started the year out on pace

759
00:49:09,159 --> 00:49:13,480
to be like one of the most
efficient high volume scorers at his age of

760
00:49:13,480 --> 00:49:16,880
all time and has leveled off,
but is still like a no questions asked,

761
00:49:16,920 --> 00:49:21,280
like top four rookie that has been
mostly coming off the bench. So

762
00:49:21,320 --> 00:49:22,599
I think it's just Mather and I
don't know who else is even in the

763
00:49:22,679 --> 00:49:25,840
running for that. Yeah, I
don't. I don't really, I couldn't

764
00:49:25,880 --> 00:49:30,320
come up with a big one,
especially because like Walker Castler came off the

765
00:49:30,320 --> 00:49:31,320
bench for a minute, but that's
not going to be a thing anymore.

766
00:49:31,800 --> 00:49:36,280
So most improved, I'll take this
one. I have Jaylen Williams of the

767
00:49:36,320 --> 00:49:39,039
Thunder just feels like he's been good
all year, but there's like an increasing

768
00:49:39,119 --> 00:49:43,599
feel to how his game is.
But I also I think my actual pick

769
00:49:43,960 --> 00:49:47,639
might be Jeremy Selling, just because
Dave just put so much more on his

770
00:49:47,679 --> 00:49:52,639
shoulders as the season has gone on, and like there's doing so much on

771
00:49:52,760 --> 00:49:55,559
ball stuff on offense, and then
he's basically all not all the time,

772
00:49:55,599 --> 00:50:00,320
but he's frequently guarded just the other
team's best player, and I think that

773
00:50:00,320 --> 00:50:05,920
he's actually looked really good well.
And also like if most improved shouldn't just

774
00:50:05,960 --> 00:50:08,000
be like a guy that gets older
and gradually better, it should be someone

775
00:50:08,079 --> 00:50:14,199
that adds an actual skill, Like
dude just started shooting free throws one handed

776
00:50:14,239 --> 00:50:19,719
and made like made like none more
yeah while doing that or something. Yeah,

777
00:50:19,800 --> 00:50:22,119
that's and he has the best hair, as Jacob notes, Yes,

778
00:50:22,440 --> 00:50:25,360
no, no dispute. Let's see, I got Defensive Player of the Year.

779
00:50:25,840 --> 00:50:29,639
Although I would say for Jaleen Williams
going back to most improved if you

780
00:50:29,719 --> 00:50:34,000
just track like his arc from you
know, eighteen months ago when he's at

781
00:50:34,039 --> 00:50:37,519
Santa Clara, like in the West
Coast Conference on a team that's not even

782
00:50:37,559 --> 00:50:43,280
really that good against that level of
competition, to like rocketing up the draft

783
00:50:43,320 --> 00:50:47,079
board, to making the thunder,
to you know, becoming a starter,

784
00:50:47,199 --> 00:50:52,000
to becoming like the first guy you
mentioned after SGA. Probably like since Sheth

785
00:50:52,039 --> 00:50:57,119
Holmer is not playing like that's that's
quite the trajectory for him. Uh,

786
00:50:57,360 --> 00:51:00,840
Kessler's Defensive Player of the Year.
He is one of the best defensive centers

787
00:51:00,960 --> 00:51:05,079
rim protectors in the league as it
is. He can't do anything in space

788
00:51:05,800 --> 00:51:08,400
and maybe that'll change and maybe not, but like he's just you know,

789
00:51:08,440 --> 00:51:13,039
we've spent a bunch of time on
another pod talking about how like the comparison

790
00:51:13,079 --> 00:51:16,400
between Gobert and Kessler is alarmingly similar
in terms of their rim protection stuff.

791
00:51:16,440 --> 00:51:20,039
So yeah, he's got to be
the pick there. Who's MVP? Do

792
00:51:20,199 --> 00:51:22,760
you want the easiest one on the
platform, Palo Bank, Carol, he'd

793
00:51:22,800 --> 00:51:24,880
be a Rookie of the Year for
me. Who being your runner up for

794
00:51:24,920 --> 00:51:29,800
Defensive Player of the Year Probably Dison
Daniels or tari Ethan Right, Yeah,

795
00:51:29,880 --> 00:51:32,519
I think Easton probably. We'll look
there it as Petos as we have seen

796
00:51:32,519 --> 00:51:36,320
some of him, But my opinion
dis and Daniels is DPO I mentioned potentially.

797
00:51:36,400 --> 00:51:39,760
I think if you said, like
Eason is kind of a weird type

798
00:51:39,760 --> 00:51:44,360
of player, but can't you just
see Daniels like over the next like three

799
00:51:44,480 --> 00:51:46,639
five years, Like, that's the
type of defender you want, because he

800
00:51:46,639 --> 00:51:50,239
can move, he can be point
of attack, he can help, he's

801
00:51:50,280 --> 00:51:53,199
long enough to switch. Like,
I think Daniels has about as much defensive

802
00:51:53,199 --> 00:51:58,039
potential as you know, anybody in
their first couple of years in the league

803
00:51:58,079 --> 00:52:00,039
right now, exclude rookies. I
think he just could be like a total

804
00:52:00,079 --> 00:52:05,639
game record. Peto asked, are
the Orlando Magic the next team coming like

805
00:52:05,760 --> 00:52:08,719
Memphis did? That is a lofty
coming unless you think that Memphis Grizzies are

806
00:52:08,719 --> 00:52:13,559
frauds, like like Grant, Yeah, I've really flip fluffed on them.

807
00:52:13,679 --> 00:52:15,280
I mean Orlando and Okay, see
right, those are the two. Those

808
00:52:15,320 --> 00:52:19,920
are the two teams that have been
really hot and had just like played winning

809
00:52:19,960 --> 00:52:22,159
basketball for you know, the better
part of the last couple of months.

810
00:52:23,079 --> 00:52:28,760
Yeah, Orlando has probably a really
good bulls pit come in this summer too,

811
00:52:28,800 --> 00:52:31,519
in addition to its own. In
addition to Bank, Harrow and Wagner

812
00:52:31,599 --> 00:52:36,719
and Wendell Carter and Markel Foltz has
been good, Like, that's that's a

813
00:52:36,840 --> 00:52:40,440
thing. So yeah, that Orlando's
You'd be hard pressed to find a team

814
00:52:40,480 --> 00:52:45,719
that has like a what a higher
floor over the next few years than Orlando.

815
00:52:45,760 --> 00:52:49,800
I don't know what the ceiling is, but I just there's no way

816
00:52:49,800 --> 00:52:53,039
to me that Orlando is not challenging
for a playoff birth like next year,

817
00:52:53,280 --> 00:52:57,760
right, I mean I think that's
totally realistic. And then just the arrows

818
00:52:57,840 --> 00:53:01,000
up from there? What else you
got? You got one you like while

819
00:53:01,039 --> 00:53:04,920
I scroll through here? Yeah,
let's you want to do the one from

820
00:53:05,000 --> 00:53:07,840
Darkwing Duck. I like this one? Which team in each conference right one

821
00:53:07,880 --> 00:53:13,599
to six will fall into the plane
and which team replaces them? I mean,

822
00:53:13,679 --> 00:53:15,719
the East is easy, right,
Brooklyn falls out, don't you think?

823
00:53:15,719 --> 00:53:20,000
And Miami jumps in? Like that? Another good one that feels that

824
00:53:20,039 --> 00:53:22,480
feels like the although like is that
short changing Brooklyn? Are we are we

825
00:53:22,519 --> 00:53:27,440
overlooking the nets since they have like
seventy five have like kind of a defensive

826
00:53:27,440 --> 00:53:30,519
healthfire build going on, So what's
possible if they just stick there? Yeah?

827
00:53:30,599 --> 00:53:34,519
Yeah, no, I think that's
that's the first one that jumps to

828
00:53:34,559 --> 00:53:37,880
mind for me there in the and
like I said Miami could jump in there.

829
00:53:37,280 --> 00:53:40,719
Toronto is a little too far back
to make that realistic, I think.

830
00:53:43,800 --> 00:53:45,639
And additionally, so that was the
East, What did you have for

831
00:53:45,719 --> 00:53:52,199
the West or no that, Yeah, the West would be I feel like

832
00:53:52,199 --> 00:53:55,400
if you say the Kings do it, no, no, no, I

833
00:53:55,440 --> 00:54:00,000
would probably say the Mavericks, I
could just and I would put the Pelicans

834
00:54:00,000 --> 00:54:02,559
are the Warriors? Is the team
that kind of replaces them? Just there's

835
00:54:02,559 --> 00:54:06,960
a lot of combustibility in Dallas with
the addition of Kyrie iring as they try

836
00:54:07,000 --> 00:54:09,119
and figure it out. Yeah,
yeah, there's real downside there. Kings

837
00:54:09,159 --> 00:54:15,360
though, I mean three back from
seventh, like that's not and there are

838
00:54:15,400 --> 00:54:19,800
like okay, how about this?
Oh boy, just come I know we're

839
00:54:19,800 --> 00:54:22,360
trying to get out of here fast, but just take the Kings and compare

840
00:54:22,400 --> 00:54:25,960
them to New Orleans, Minnesota,
Golden State, and Oklahoma City right now,

841
00:54:27,039 --> 00:54:30,920
those are seven through ten, Like
are you sure? Like, what

842
00:54:30,000 --> 00:54:34,920
are how many of those teams finished
this season from this point on with better

843
00:54:34,960 --> 00:54:37,280
records than the King's Post From this
point on, It's gotta be two or

844
00:54:37,280 --> 00:54:42,119
three of them, don't you think? Maybe? Yeah, I mean it's

845
00:54:42,159 --> 00:54:47,360
a schedule thing partly the King's schedule
is really hard. And look there their

846
00:54:47,440 --> 00:54:52,280
differential as plus two point three just
looking at ESPN standings. That's not you

847
00:54:52,320 --> 00:54:55,239
know, a world beating number.
You've got Oklahoma City at one point seven,

848
00:54:55,320 --> 00:54:59,679
so right there and have just been
better over the last month. You've

849
00:54:59,719 --> 00:55:01,519
got the Pelicans at one point four
if they get Zion back at all,

850
00:55:01,599 --> 00:55:05,840
like I just man, and then
the fun I mean, I mean the

851
00:55:05,840 --> 00:55:09,239
Warriors. That's that's tough. That's
real tough. Good luck Kings. What

852
00:55:09,400 --> 00:55:13,559
is the second part of this question
is which seven to ten team in each

853
00:55:13,559 --> 00:55:16,440
conference is most likely to fall out
and who's replacing them. I'll take let

854
00:55:16,440 --> 00:55:22,280
me take the East this time.
I think the Wizards are most likely in

855
00:55:22,320 --> 00:55:25,119
the East to fall out, and
I would say that I guess the Bulls

856
00:55:25,119 --> 00:55:29,760
are most likely to replace them.
I would probably argue that the ten teams

857
00:55:29,760 --> 00:55:31,079
we see right now in the East, like those are the ten teams that

858
00:55:31,119 --> 00:55:36,159
make the plan. I could also
maybe see the Pacers just a Miles Turner

859
00:55:36,159 --> 00:55:37,519
and Tyrese Halibert and they're both going
to be healthy. I could see them

860
00:55:37,559 --> 00:55:44,280
sort of leap frogging the Also the
excuse me, the Wizards, I guess

861
00:55:44,280 --> 00:55:45,840
we could say the Raptors, but
I just feel like they have Yaka Peartle.

862
00:55:46,159 --> 00:55:49,519
You mentioned Fred van Fleet's been playing
better, Seakam has been in the

863
00:55:49,519 --> 00:55:52,679
All NBA discussion. That's just Scottie
Barness been better with the way they've been

864
00:55:52,719 --> 00:55:54,920
using him. I think that they'll
probably make it. Yeah, I think.

865
00:55:55,199 --> 00:55:59,559
I think the ten teams in the
East are how they look now is

866
00:55:59,559 --> 00:56:00,719
how it's going to finish, more
or less like those will be the ten.

867
00:56:00,760 --> 00:56:04,480
I don't know what the order is
going to be for the West.

868
00:56:05,159 --> 00:56:07,559
I hate doing this, but I
feel like the Lakers are the most likely

869
00:56:07,639 --> 00:56:12,400
team to climb in, even though
they're They're only two games out of tenth

870
00:56:12,480 --> 00:56:16,000
right now as we're recording this on
Wednesday. I think the Lakers are They

871
00:56:16,000 --> 00:56:19,719
have to be my pick to get
into it if I have to choose one.

872
00:56:20,440 --> 00:56:23,400
And even though I just pumped them
up the Thunder just unless the Pelicans

873
00:56:23,400 --> 00:56:28,079
get no Zion all year, I
think New Orleans and Oklahoma City are the

874
00:56:28,119 --> 00:56:30,039
two candidates to fall out because I
don't think the Warriors and Wolves, just

875
00:56:30,119 --> 00:56:35,639
like this season, it matters more
to them, especially Minnesota. Like if

876
00:56:35,639 --> 00:56:37,880
Minnesota fell out of the plane after
what it did in the offseason. Can

877
00:56:37,880 --> 00:56:45,960
you imagine like that's just unbelievable chaotic. Yeah, did you have a question

878
00:56:45,079 --> 00:56:47,360
highlighted that you wanted to get to
next or do you want me to pick

879
00:56:47,440 --> 00:56:52,280
it? Just pick it? If
you have one, Let's do this one

880
00:56:52,320 --> 00:56:54,719
from t Bloom one one seven.
The Nets are in a very interesting spot

881
00:56:55,320 --> 00:57:00,719
this summer. They can't tank because
Houston owns their picks, but they aren't

882
00:57:00,719 --> 00:57:04,599
contenders without a one A superstar that
you have draft afsets now along with some

883
00:57:04,679 --> 00:57:07,880
young interesting players. How do you
expect the team to operate this summer and

884
00:57:07,920 --> 00:57:13,400
how would you operate if you were
Sean Marks. I mean, I kind

885
00:57:13,440 --> 00:57:19,159
of feel like we're back at whatever
at the Kenny Atkinson phase of development,

886
00:57:19,159 --> 00:57:23,360
which I think I had Spencer Dinwitty
involved in that too, where you're just

887
00:57:23,440 --> 00:57:28,039
kind of back now to operating like
a normal NBA team, and so far

888
00:57:28,079 --> 00:57:30,199
as you can do that with Ben
Simmons on the roster, like I don't

889
00:57:31,000 --> 00:57:35,519
you know most of the contracts that
they have, You know, Seth Curry

890
00:57:35,559 --> 00:57:37,039
is going to be an understakered free
agent, Cam Johnson, they'll have that

891
00:57:37,119 --> 00:57:42,599
restricted free agency presumably they'll bring him
back, you know, meeting or beating

892
00:57:42,599 --> 00:57:45,519
whatever the market rates are, and
then otherwise, like the roster's kind of

893
00:57:45,559 --> 00:57:52,199
locked in, So I wouldn't expect
a bunch of trades, although like I

894
00:57:52,239 --> 00:57:54,960
would definitely explore what I could get
for some of my three and D wings.

895
00:57:55,480 --> 00:58:00,400
I don't think you can trade Ben
Simmons without giving up some of the

896
00:58:00,480 --> 00:58:05,519
assets you have that you would you
would you trade him just to if a

897
00:58:05,559 --> 00:58:07,440
team is giving you an expiring contract
or even said we'll take him into cap

898
00:58:07,440 --> 00:58:10,159
space. Would you do that deal? And I don't have to give up

899
00:58:10,199 --> 00:58:14,519
picks, it's just you're taken back
and expire, Like let's just Goordon ay

900
00:58:14,639 --> 00:58:19,199
Ord for Ben Simmons or something.
I would I would do that if I'm

901
00:58:19,199 --> 00:58:21,079
the Hornets, by the way,
I would take if I'm the Spirds,

902
00:58:21,079 --> 00:58:23,840
I'd take Ben Simmons too. Trying
to rehabilitate his value. I suppose that,

903
00:58:23,920 --> 00:58:28,280
like it's a it's a possibility that
you could get a pick from the

904
00:58:28,360 --> 00:58:30,320
right team for him. I don't
know if it would be a good one.

905
00:58:30,039 --> 00:58:32,639
You mentioned the Spurs, like or
just something like that. But if

906
00:58:32,639 --> 00:58:37,119
I could just trade him for someone
else's bad money, that was going to

907
00:58:37,199 --> 00:58:38,920
come off a year earlier. I
would absolutely do it. I just you'll

908
00:58:39,119 --> 00:58:43,519
you'll be fucking wild. I think
there need to be more money involved,

909
00:58:43,519 --> 00:58:49,199
but like Nurkic plus money for Ben
Simmons and then you do what play him

910
00:58:49,199 --> 00:58:52,920
at center? Well no, but
just like you can go sign a set

911
00:58:52,960 --> 00:58:54,599
like Bismoc biambo is on a mini
moment, he's the best room protector in

912
00:58:54,599 --> 00:58:58,559
the league statistically, you go do
something that you go sign Neurlands. No,

913
00:58:58,639 --> 00:59:02,199
well yeah, it's crappy. Yeah, I mean I find if you're

914
00:59:02,719 --> 00:59:07,159
is it crazy for an NBA team
to think that we can like we'll be

915
00:59:07,239 --> 00:59:12,639
the place that it works out with
Ben Simmons. Like, so compare you

916
00:59:12,719 --> 00:59:15,800
just mentioned Mark el Foltz. This
is a great an out Like he kind

917
00:59:15,800 --> 00:59:17,960
of went to a granted it was
on the first try, but like going

918
00:59:19,000 --> 00:59:22,679
to a market where the expectations are
lower and the exposure is just not as

919
00:59:22,440 --> 00:59:27,320
high might do him. Like if
you went to Charlotte or San Antonio and

920
00:59:27,360 --> 00:59:30,480
maybe even Portland. I know Dame
is there, but like it's the coverage

921
00:59:30,519 --> 00:59:35,079
just isn't the same. I think
it can't hurt. I'll say that I

922
00:59:35,119 --> 00:59:37,960
still think like the difference with Simmons
is he's gonna make thirty eight million next

923
00:59:38,000 --> 00:59:42,199
year and forty after that, and
it's just like, you can't have a

924
00:59:42,239 --> 00:59:46,280
guy that you that you can't play
at the end of games that's making that

925
00:59:46,360 --> 00:59:50,719
much money. It's just like poison. You can't construct a real roster that

926
00:59:50,760 --> 00:59:53,079
way. It's crazy. I'm laughing, not at Ben Simms. I'm laughing

927
00:59:53,079 --> 00:59:57,239
and I'm bias Pistons saying the most
obvious thing is the Pistons getting another big

928
00:59:57,440 --> 01:00:02,000
that flamed out Simmons, Bailey and
Wiseman. The Ben Simmons stuff is sad

929
01:00:02,159 --> 01:00:06,000
because he was so good and so
I'm not laughing at Ben Simmons. I

930
01:00:06,039 --> 01:00:08,519
would like to see him somewhere where
he's not gonna have such a quick hook

931
01:00:08,599 --> 01:00:12,320
like the Nets have given him,
and they've just clearly decided that, like

932
01:00:12,760 --> 01:00:15,159
his utility is limited. And I
get it in terms of how they're going

933
01:00:15,239 --> 01:00:19,480
to operate, because I feel like
I threw us off on a tangent here.

934
01:00:19,920 --> 01:00:22,960
I don't think they're gonna consolidate,
but I also I think they're gonna

935
01:00:23,000 --> 01:00:28,280
try and straddle this in between line
to where I would expect Michael Bridges to

936
01:00:28,320 --> 01:00:30,800
be there. I would expect Nick
Claxton to be there, but maybe you're

937
01:00:30,880 --> 01:00:35,159
kind of shopping almost anyone else,
like if someone really wants Royce O'Neill.

938
01:00:35,559 --> 01:00:37,719
We've seen though, that they're not
going to be afraid to operate as if

939
01:00:37,760 --> 01:00:42,039
they do have picks, because when
they didn't have picks after the KG Paul

940
01:00:42,079 --> 01:00:45,000
Pierce trade, when Sean Marks came
in, they just they obliterated it.

941
01:00:45,239 --> 01:00:49,719
I think it was different because the
talent here is clearly better that they have

942
01:00:49,840 --> 01:00:52,599
in place. I think they'll probably
tow a line in between, and so

943
01:00:52,679 --> 01:00:54,840
if I had to guess, Michael
Bridges will not get traded over the summer.

944
01:00:54,840 --> 01:00:58,559
We see these reports of four first
round picks, but those four first

945
01:00:58,639 --> 01:01:02,039
round picks might suck. They're just
like these low twenties offers or these picks

946
01:01:02,039 --> 01:01:09,159
that aren't guaranteed to convey. So
I think that what they'll be most aggressive

947
01:01:09,199 --> 01:01:13,519
in doing is maybe looking to reroute
Ben Simmons to try and open up the

948
01:01:13,519 --> 01:01:15,760
rest of the roster. But I
wouldn't if I had to pick one.

949
01:01:15,199 --> 01:01:19,960
Are they more likely to rebuild or
are they more likely to kind of consolidate

950
01:01:20,000 --> 01:01:23,199
some of these assets into a let's
say a B plus superstar or one B

951
01:01:23,360 --> 01:01:25,880
Superstar and they're like, oh,
well, mchaal Bridges can be like our

952
01:01:25,920 --> 01:01:29,760
second best player on a really good
team. I think they're actually more likely

953
01:01:29,840 --> 01:01:31,679
to do that. I just don't
know that. I think Joe SI would

954
01:01:31,679 --> 01:01:36,559
still push to go that route knowing
that so much of their draft is owed

955
01:01:37,280 --> 01:01:40,079
to Houston over the next four years. Yeah, that's fair. Do you

956
01:01:40,079 --> 01:01:44,119
want to get to one more here
from JC Alexander before we go? This

957
01:01:44,159 --> 01:01:47,480
one's kind of jumped out to me
absolutely so. Just the second half basically

958
01:01:47,480 --> 01:01:51,679
which which players are you hoping has
the biggest post All Star leap? Like

959
01:01:51,760 --> 01:01:54,480
Anthony Edwards last year is the example. We've got, like who who do

960
01:01:54,519 --> 01:01:58,119
you I get? And I guess
it's it's you're hoping has the best,

961
01:01:58,159 --> 01:02:00,239
not who do you predict will?
But like what would be the most fun

962
01:02:00,280 --> 01:02:05,960
to see player X you know really
start to like pop and get you know,

963
01:02:07,039 --> 01:02:10,559
sort of start the path that Edwards
has continued this year where he's like

964
01:02:10,599 --> 01:02:15,679
he's an All Star now and the
whole like franchise cornerstone thing is like pretty

965
01:02:15,679 --> 01:02:17,800
clearly in place, Like is there
someone else out there that you would say

966
01:02:19,039 --> 01:02:21,880
if they had a run in him, you know, down this stretch of

967
01:02:21,880 --> 01:02:25,679
the season, that would profile is
like an Edwards type I would want.

968
01:02:25,719 --> 01:02:29,400
I want to say Devin Missell,
but I have no clue when he's returning

969
01:02:29,599 --> 01:02:34,400
from Jacobs's Ben Simmons, So this
is fucked up. So I feel like

970
01:02:34,400 --> 01:02:37,679
Michael Bridges is probably a cop out
answer here, but I could see it

971
01:02:37,719 --> 01:02:42,639
being Michael Bridges just because the opportunity
he's going to have in Brooklyn, it's

972
01:02:42,679 --> 01:02:45,599
going to resemble what was happening in
Phoenix when they were kind of shorthanded,

973
01:02:45,639 --> 01:02:49,239
but it's going to be like tenfold
different where there's just going to be so

974
01:02:49,360 --> 01:02:52,360
much like volume, and he's going
to have more agency than ever over the

975
01:02:52,400 --> 01:02:57,239
offense. And so I think he's
an interesting pick. I don't know if

976
01:02:57,239 --> 01:03:01,480
we're talking about getting to the level
of an at the Edwards that seems mega

977
01:03:01,559 --> 01:03:06,880
difficult. I might be like more
inclined to even say, could we just

978
01:03:06,920 --> 01:03:09,159
see that from Lamello over the second
half of the year, If the Hornets

979
01:03:09,159 --> 01:03:14,039
put together just some sort of stretch, they're gonna have that new starting five

980
01:03:14,199 --> 01:03:17,320
that can't defend anybody with PJ.
Washington and Mark Williams and Gordon Hayward and

981
01:03:17,400 --> 01:03:22,519
Terry Rozier, but also makes a
ton of sense offensively. I think he

982
01:03:22,559 --> 01:03:24,039
would just be my pick when kind
of looking at the top end name that

983
01:03:24,079 --> 01:03:28,679
I would expect to play really and
he hasn't been when he's been healthy.

984
01:03:28,719 --> 01:03:32,000
By the way, he hasn't been
bad this season and since since February first,

985
01:03:32,039 --> 01:03:36,440
like he's shooting almost thirty nine percent
on ten three point attempts per game,

986
01:03:36,760 --> 01:03:39,320
averaging twenty four points, So like
maybe it's kind of already started,

987
01:03:39,440 --> 01:03:42,840
like he's just gonna what if he
would just shock you if he's just gonna

988
01:03:42,840 --> 01:03:45,920
continue average twenty four and nine and
at thirty nine percent of his three is

989
01:03:45,960 --> 01:03:47,599
the rest of the way, So
I think that would be That's just my

990
01:03:47,679 --> 01:03:52,559
pick because he's kind of already a
Markey name, but like Edwards was already

991
01:03:52,559 --> 01:03:54,079
a Markie name when he sort of
made that job. I mean, what

992
01:03:54,159 --> 01:03:59,000
if could it just be Edwards again? Could he just be Could he just

993
01:03:59,039 --> 01:04:00,639
say like now I'm on all,
I'm a permanent all NBA fixed Ye,

994
01:04:00,760 --> 01:04:04,039
that would be fun. I think
for me, it's Evan Mobley, which

995
01:04:04,079 --> 01:04:09,599
is even the Edwards vein of like
everyone sort of agrees that he's gonna be

996
01:04:09,639 --> 01:04:14,239
great, but like, let's really
see it. Let's see the scoring go

997
01:04:14,320 --> 01:04:17,039
up. Let's see, you know, let's see like a forty point night,

998
01:04:17,199 --> 01:04:19,519
Like let's see just one of these, you know he hits like three

999
01:04:19,599 --> 01:04:24,760
or four threes even or he you
know, is just dominating on the offensive

1000
01:04:24,800 --> 01:04:29,199
glass and just really kind of looks
more like the version of him we think

1001
01:04:29,239 --> 01:04:31,960
we'll get all the time in like
twenty twenty five, just like give us

1002
01:04:32,000 --> 01:04:36,400
the little glimpses now, and then
next year, year three, just you

1003
01:04:36,440 --> 01:04:41,239
know, becoming like a no questions
asked all star, even to the level

1004
01:04:41,280 --> 01:04:45,599
even above whatever is at this year. That would be for someone that has

1005
01:04:45,880 --> 01:04:48,559
used invoked Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan's
names a little too much when talking about

1006
01:04:48,559 --> 01:04:54,679
Evan Mobley, I would personally really
I also invoked him Kevin Durrett and LaMarcus

1007
01:04:54,719 --> 01:04:57,800
Aldridge and Janness when talking about even
Bobwis. So he's just like this,

1008
01:04:58,199 --> 01:05:01,400
would you do you think Scottie Barnes
as a chance. I think he needs

1009
01:05:01,400 --> 01:05:04,400
it right just for the public perception
side. I think I just don't think

1010
01:05:04,400 --> 01:05:08,239
they're going to give him like the
same control, because it seems like they're

1011
01:05:08,280 --> 01:05:11,320
trying to really make that and like
they've sort of used him as it feels

1012
01:05:11,360 --> 01:05:14,000
like more we've seem like a bunch
of point center stuff. But it feels

1013
01:05:14,000 --> 01:05:18,000
like they could try to like how
does Yako Peartle's arrival impact that? What

1014
01:05:18,039 --> 01:05:23,519
does the Scottie Barnes like post break
you know, breakout even look like is

1015
01:05:23,519 --> 01:05:26,599
it playing like point guard all the
time or is it, oh, look

1016
01:05:26,599 --> 01:05:30,440
he's making a bunch of shots now, like from outside seven feet like that.

1017
01:05:30,559 --> 01:05:32,559
I just you know it would it
would he would have to look like

1018
01:05:32,559 --> 01:05:39,039
a completely different player to really hit
that level. But what he needs it.

1019
01:05:39,039 --> 01:05:41,719
It's been like the year of everyone
shit on Scotty Barnes, Right,

1020
01:05:41,760 --> 01:05:45,400
that's tough first time. I'm still
pretty bullish, but I think I might

1021
01:05:45,400 --> 01:05:48,239
have had him ranked above Evan Mobley
last year and that's just not I do

1022
01:05:48,320 --> 01:05:50,480
think he still deserved to be Rookie
of the Year. I want to make

1023
01:05:50,519 --> 01:05:55,360
that clear, but right now it's
just like I probably assigned too much value

1024
01:05:55,400 --> 01:05:58,559
to that rookie season. Yeah,
you weren't alone if you bought if you

1025
01:05:58,559 --> 01:06:01,920
bought himTo Scottie Barnes last this was
fantastic. We apologize to any questions we

1026
01:06:02,000 --> 01:06:04,639
did not get to. But Grant, did you want to take us out?

1027
01:06:04,719 --> 01:06:09,679
And be sure everyone to join us
next week? I think we'll still

1028
01:06:09,800 --> 01:06:12,159
you know, throw this up there
at this time, even though it's not

1029
01:06:12,280 --> 01:06:15,360
generating a ton of views, it's
you're here, you're asking questions. We

1030
01:06:15,519 --> 01:06:17,639
appreciate it. Yeah, market on
your calendars, everybody. Just the most

1031
01:06:17,679 --> 01:06:21,880
inopportune time to live stream way is
a two pm easter even Hey, if

1032
01:06:21,880 --> 01:06:26,400
you're in Italy like Peto, it
seems like so that's that's about eight pm.

1033
01:06:26,440 --> 01:06:28,400
That's like fair. So we're doing
it for like, you know,

1034
01:06:28,480 --> 01:06:30,800
our European brethren, for sure,
spread the word in the European markets.

1035
01:06:30,800 --> 01:06:34,719
There's a lot of growth potential out
there for us. But yes, as

1036
01:06:34,760 --> 01:06:40,159
always, thanks everybody. Make sure
if you have not already, to subscribe

1037
01:06:40,159 --> 01:06:44,400
to us literally everywhere that it is
possible, you know, YouTube, follow

1038
01:06:44,480 --> 01:06:46,880
us on our socials, join our
discord. The ways to do that and

1039
01:06:46,920 --> 01:06:51,039
the links are all in the podcast
description. Go to iTunes, give us

1040
01:06:51,079 --> 01:06:55,360
five stars, rate and review us, Tell your friends, tell your enemies,

1041
01:06:55,760 --> 01:06:59,039
and keep showing up to these things
so it makes more sense for us

1042
01:06:59,039 --> 01:07:02,280
to do them, and yes,
as always, we close with a shout

1043
01:07:02,280 --> 01:07:06,000
out to the one and only bring
Milking and apologies to Evan Mobley's uh,

1044
01:07:06,719 --> 01:07:09,320
not quite as good teammate jeried Alli.