What is krack Alac and fellow Thermo nuclear A efforts. I am damn Favalley
coming at you with my certified, fantabulous goos. Grant Hughes, who just
not beat up on mall security guards or finish line employees. He respects all
of them. We are going to talk about our most interesting teams for the
rest of this season. Before we get started, the very quick reminder to
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YouTube description, and follow us on the socials at Hardwood Knox on Twitter and
TikTok at Hardwood Underscore Knox on Instagram. Grant, how the heck are you
doing? I'm doing good. I just want to clarify I confine my violence
to roller rinks and foot locker, just not malls. And we've got the
employees there. Yeah, yeah, they're all they're fair game. I just
want to specify that. I'm like, we should talk about what we're talking
about. Everyone's Yeah, there's a report from WOPO that there's two I guess
previously uncided police reports about Morant. I just I haven't read it yet.
I don't really want to get into it. I've only read parts because it
came out while were recording. But Molly Hensley Clancy of the Washington Post publishing
article NBA star John Morant was accused of violent or threatening behavior and two police
reports, including previously unknown allegations that Morant threatened the mall security guard. Four
days later, a teenager told Morant told police that Morant punched him repeatedly.
And apparently this is someone like pulled quoted it from it. John Morant's mother
called him after having an argument with a finished line employee, and he came
to the mall deep and told them all security guard. Let me find out
what time he gets off. I just I don't I don't know. I
need to dig into the article. But just like the initial impressions is just
like, dude, what are you doing. It's a bad look at worst,
right, And it's just even though you mentioned that he apparently punched or
tried to punch someone during a pickup game, that is in the story,
and it says that the teenager through the ball at him, which is just
like, are you asking for it at that point? So it's just like,
there's gotta be more to this, and I'm just not. Look.
Dmrant is twenty three years old. He has spent now twenty to twenty five
percent of his life as a rich human. Like you need to be better
than this, like this, you should be able to detach yourself from these
situations. That's just that's where I'm at. But I'm not even the Grizzlies
aren't on my list of the most interesting teams for the rest of the season
because I just don't trust them. So I don't know about you, but
well, should they be? I don't know. I don't know. Maybe
who's which team we'll try and get through like three each year? Which team?
Uh, what are one of the teams that you find it's interesting for
the rest of the year. All right, Well, I'm going to start
with my agenda and bias and say the Warriors because we just just as we
saw this Marin thing come out. Curry's supposed to be back at some point
next week, and we're so that changes everything right in theory. I mean,
the Warriors haven't. The Warriors haven't been as good with him on the
floor this year as in the past. I think the number I saw was
twenty and eighteen. Don't quote me on that. Usually it's you know,
wildly superior to that. But I mean, the Warriors are kind of interesting
down the stretch even if he's you know, not there or missus more time.
Just because of the zoom out situation of your defending champion. You brought
back five starters and six of your seven you know, highest minute players from
last season. The young guys were supposed to step in for the players you
lost. You also added Dante de Vincenzo, who's been awesome in a small
role, best three point shooting of his career by a ridiculous margin. You're
getting good play from two way guys, which is crazy. And you're still
as we're recording the thirty two and thirty and probably you know, as likely
to finish tenth as fourth, maybe more likely to finish tenth and fourth.
So just like, what when is the run coming, Is it coming?
We've spent all years saying you're, you know, giving them deference because of
their history, which I think is deserved. But at the same time,
like we're now through three quarters of the season, we just haven't seen more
than a couple of blips, interestingly against Memphis, a couple of times of
the Warriors kind of being the Capitol w Warriors. So they're really interesting to
me, just because like this also feels like a little bit of a last
gasp because of the age of the cores, because of the cost of the
team, because of Draymond Green's player option. So yeah, they're my number
one, but I will readily admit to that being a severe case of Homerism
kind of affecting that opinion. Well, they are polarizing though, because you
mentioned Steph coming back, and they've hung around now the fifth as we're recording
this in the last and if they're gonna get step back, that's a great
spot to be in. It's just the season has been so weird because I
didn't envision enough being in March, and Warriors fans are pissed because Patrick Waldron
Junior isn't getting enough minutes and that just makes me inherently uneasy. Dante DiVincenzo
has been great for them. I think we've seen a lot of stuff from
Kaminga I just and Draymond Green I think would probably be in the defensive Player
of the Year conversation, even though maybe he's not the same level of dominant.
If the Warriors were just any better in the aggregate on defense, I
haven't seen though. We've seen flickers and flits and moments and maybe mini stretches,
but we've never seen like the sustainable, longer stretch of them just turning
it on and looking like this title contender. And they I think with Steph
yeah, they still have that level. Lay Thomps has been great on offense.
Andrew Wiggins kind of in look right. He had a couple of good
games before leaving the team, but like didn't look right since he's coming back
from injury. There's just so many question marks even when they're at full strength,
and it's just like you're asking if the run is coming. It's not
coming during the regular season is almost over. I was like, dude,
to come during the regular season. Probably not. It's gonna have to come
in the playoffs. I just don't know. When I look at them and
I they are like they would make if we were to go like five six
teams deepeats, they would make my list. I'm not going to name them
now because you did, but like, who like against the Nuggets against the
Suns, Like those are the teams and I think they need to beat.
Would you pick them against the Clippers at this point? I don't like,
so I would pick them to beat the Grizzlies. I'd probably beat the Kings.
I'm not picking them to beat the Nuggets of the Sun right now.
I'll tell you that I don't know if i'd pick them to beat the Clippers.
Maybe I would, but like, and I guess that's a compliment.
I just they're so I feel like I don't have a great feel for what
the peak of this Warrior's team is is. I think that's where I'm at.
That's why this is they're so confounding, because we actually do have a
great feel for what the peak is because it happened in June. It's like
we've we saw it, like that was the peak. It feels like Jordan
Pool's worse. He's way yeah, he's worse, And I think there are
numbers you can point to, like what's going on if the turnovers are absurd,
they're they're so careless with the ball, they foul too much, they
don't get to the free throw line. So they're just kind of losing the
possession game and the math game every night in terms of like they just have
to be better per possession than the opposition to such a ridiculous degree because they
waste so many. But like, sure, that's part of it, but
I think what's hardest to figure out is that there isn't like a the numbers
don't quite capture it. And it feels like what's happening is they played a
hundred game season, they felt really good about sort of quote unquote validating the
dynasty with a championship nobody thought that they could win, and it feels like
they just can't get back the same edge or the same competitive urgency or whatever.
And that's just such a shitty explanation because there's just no like substance to
it. It's just kind of like, well, they don't quite seem to
be as good or trying as hard or whatever. So that's really unsatisfying and
and so but that's also part of the reason that I think you and I
both if they ran off, like if they if they did beat Denver or
did beat Phoenix in a playoff series, it wouldn't be like stop the presses.
It would be Oh, the Warriors just like are what they were last
year? All of a sudden, it came late, but it came like
that. That wouldn't you know. So that's why they're just so you know,
depending on where you sit on the fan side of things like frustrating or
confusing or whatever, who's your team unless you got more on the Warriors.
No, My one of my teams is the Minnesota Timberwolves. They so Carlo
think Hans the way they spun the report is like it was positive that he
might come back with almost fifteen games left in the regular season. It's like,
Okay, well, what the fuck that's not I don't really know how
much like a bonus that is, and in theory he should help, but
like, man, this team could we talk about just they needed to trade
what were Regardless of where you feel about Daniel Russell or whether you think the
Wolves wanted to pay him, which I think it's clear that they probably didn't,
or a least he didn't want to be there, which is why you
move him for value in the first place. But they traded DiAngelo Russell in
the midst of the best stretch of his career for Mike Conley, who's coming
in averaging single digits, basically for the offense, because you needed to make
sure that, like Gobert was properly situated, and like, this is the
degree to which you've now you tried to account for Karl Anthony Towns's weaknesses,
but now you've needed to account for, like, well, how can we
optimize Rudy Gobert too. They're twenty third in offense since the trade deadline.
They had the good win over the Clippers and Anthi Edwards. It's fantastic.
Kyle Anderson kind of been a little bit up and down over the past month,
but he was one of the asign from Jalen Brunson. Was there better
free agency signing than Kyle Anderson. I honestly, I don't know what why
are you laughing? Just I mean, that's that's a that's an amazing I
don't nobody comes to mind, but holy shit, Kyle Anderson. I agree,
he's been great. He's been great, nas read really good. But
like I've tho, I'm nas Reid, I'm a start free agent. Why
am I going back to the Wolves? They can techally pay me more.
My role there, if both Gobert and Towns are healthy, is not going
to be all that large. It's like that's weird, but like, so
Towns is gonna come back. The offense has been really bad this year when
he plays with Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, and now you have no time
to acclimate it. And I just I don't know what this team is.
They showed before the leading into the trade deadline, it looked like they had
turned a corner, and it's why I thought they ultimately weren't going to trade
Russell. I might have pivoted back against that like the week before or whatever,
just based off the noise. I just what are they? And like
they've been really good defensively with Gobert on the court, he has not been
as good as he is offensively, like normally, I don't know if that's
like Mike Conley there, Okay, how does that actually help? But now
you've you've windowed down your shock creation by getting rid of D'Angelo Russell. And
the other thing here is like Gobert has not been They've been good defensively within
the court, but he's not the same level of rim protector that he was
in Utah. Maybe part of that is just okay, new situation and what's
happening around him. But you also probably have Antie Edwards and Jane McDaniels would
have been Utah's two best perimeter dependers at least the last two years in Utah,
and again Edwards has been great. And so I see the top end
outcome for this team getting the playoffs, and maybe if they face the Grizzlies
and you told me they beat the Grizzlies and they fuck shit up that way,
no, I wouldn't be shocked at all. But you could also tell
me that they don't make it out of the play in against the Lakers team,
they lose in the play into a Lakers team that doesn't have Lebron,
I also wouldn't be shocked. So are what are the Grizzlies And does Karlathy
Town's coming back? Hell, I don't want to say it hurts them,
does it help their situation? I'm gonna lean towards that because Karlathy Towns is
I really somehow underrated now? But does it complicate their situation an offense that
has been turned over to Auntie Edwards is trying to figure out how to best
optimize Gobert and we're struggling in the minutes that those three played Edwards, Gobert
and Towns before his injury. And you could say, well, the sample
size wasn't big. Okay, they don't have any more familiarity playing with each
other now, and the sample size isn't gonna be big before the play in
Slash playoffs start. Yeah, you said, it's not a question of if
that's good or bad Town's coming back. It's a question of does it complicate
or simplify? And it definitely complicates. And it's already like kind of it's
complicated as it is because of everything you just mentioned. So yeah, they're
gonna be really interesting to watch. I want to go to an East team,
but I can't yet because one of my teams is Dallas. And it's
not because I think, you know, both of these teams we've talked about
already are kind of like sort of higher variants. You know. It's oh,
you know, Minnesota could win a playoff series, or the Warriors could
make it to the finals, or they could both miss the plane or whatever.
Dallas, I don't think has the upside. It definitely has the downside.
But the downside is what's so fascinating to me because of the stakes.
Right, So let's just we didn't prepare this. But like, do you
think Kyrie Irving is on the Mavericks next year? Just like, holy shit,
we need to cut this up and make this like it's on equip.
Do I think Kyrie Irving is on the Mavericks next year? I'm gonna say
yes, because I think the money matters to him. Just why. And
it was smart to force Juwanna Brooklyn get your bird rights onto a different team.
And I think that the MAVs are just pock committed. You have to
pay him. You don't give up Dorian Fernie Smith Spencer Dinuity in an unprotected
pick that conveys seven drafts from now in addition to two seconds. Right,
just to rent this player. You could say that you'll play the cap space
game. You're not to get to the castles that you would need to even
get a Fred van Fleet or Chris Middleton and that's just like a weird consolation
prize. I think things will eventually go sideways for them, but you have
to I think the money will matter for him and the Lakers bugaboo Sons buggaboo.
I guess I do. The Sons won Kevin Durants there, and so
like, there are trades you could build, like those two teams staying under
the hard cap and a Kyrie Irving sign and trade when you have Anthony Davis
and Lebron in La and then Booker Durant's money on the books and Phoenix.
That's just two top So I'm gonna say he is in Dallas out of convenience.
Okay, So I don't I don't know if I agree with that.
But the follow up too, do you think Kyrie Irving will be on the
Mavericks next year? Is do you feel good about that? Like, as
an observer of the Mavericks who theoretically wants the best for them and every team,
you don't feel good about that? Right? No? Why would you?
So here's a problem that's the best case scenario scenario you don't feel good
about because the worst case scenario and look, they've lost. I think it's
four out of five. Now that don Chich and Kyrie have both played,
they blew a massively to the to the Lakers. They couldn't fact now,
I can't remember who they played last night. I think it might have Who
did they lose to? Anyway, they lost last night or Tuesday night.
And Kyrie missed the potential game winner and Luca did not touch the ball.
Luca said he was cool with that. It was a good shot. It
was not a good shot. It was a contestant three off the dribble.
Kyrie got a shot blocked a million times. Down the stretch of that game.
The offense did not look good except when Luca was hitting really difficult shots.
So like, if this goes badly and if Kyrie leaves, which I
think is it's got to be like sixty forty or fifty fifty, or maybe
it's even worse than that. I don't know. I just know where does
it go? That's the thing. So I don't know. But the Pacers,
by the way, we're like a they're a legit team. But I
don't want him anywhere near Terris halibert let let. I meant they lost the
base, that's yeah, you know why because Terris Haliburton blocked several of the
shots and was just better. So I'm fascinated to see how this plays out
over the last nineteen games. I think they have left, and I'm fascinated
to see the real big picture fall out of the potential for Kyrie to leave.
And it's not just Dallas having nothing. It's Dallas having given up two
really good players and a first round pick, and Luca then saying what are
we doing? Uh like, and we've we've talked about, you know,
him just being the next guy. I don't think it's likely. I don't
think he's gonna demand a trade in the next year or whatever. But like,
this going badly and Kyrie leaving them with nothing except like lost assets is
catastrophic. And so I want to see if maybe we get a ten game
stretch, you know, before the end of the season, where like they
just the offense is totally unstoppable, and there's like at least a theory of
how this team might function going forward because the defense is awful. They have
no rim protection. Maxi Kleba, You've mentioned several guys, is like,
oh, this guy might be the most important defensive player in the league down
the stretch, like eighton is someone that comes up, MAXI Cleban might be
in the short join the list of that. And he's just back from a
torn hamstring like way sooner than anybody thought was humanly possible. And he was
on a little bit of a pitch count last night too, So like,
I just don't know how they I just want to see if there is some
faint hope of, oh, this is how it's gonna work, Like I
see it now. I can see how these two guys with role players around
them could form a team that I would take seriously to like be a top
six in the West team or make the playoffs or you know, win a
playoff series. Because like the result of not seeing that is like Dallas is
just on fire for like the next five years. So I just can't turn
away from the Mavericks right now. The thing that's interesting is they have handedly
won the minutes that Kyrie and Donche's played together. They are plus ten proe
andred, but that events is a concern. Poponents are shooting seventy percent at
the rim when those two are on the floor, and also they've gotten lucky
on opponent at three point shooting so far opponents shooting under thirty percent on threes.
When those two are on the floor, I think they're gonna get gobsmacked
in the playoffs defensively, when teams are gonna hunt more. And just like
the MAVs have not done this a ton, like yeah we've seen it,
but like it's been okay, we're gonna play like it has to be Dhite
Powell or Maxi Kleiba as just your center there. We can't even get into
the to the theory of a like, well, what if it's like do
we play these two with Christian Wood at the same time. It's just not
in high volume. You probably can't. You can't. I mean it used
to be a little Dorian Finney Smith would be like the break class in case
of emergency small ball five. That's not there anymore. Like Josh Green,
I don't know, I really like Josh Green. That's just not the answer
to too we have three shitty defender is on the floor, Like Josh Green's
not fixing that, you know, Reggie Bullock's not fixing that. Cleveland's not
fixing that. So yeah, it's gonna be fascinating. Who do you have
is your next team is it a West team four? So I'm gonna pick
an East team, but I'm not gonna pick one of the East teams I
have because I'm convinced that you will have this East team so we will get
a chance to talk about them. I'm on with the New York Knicks.
They are like they're probably not gonna finish fourth in the Eastern Conference, but
like there's a chance, and I might even predict it at this point that
they're gonna finish ahead of Miami, so like they'll be in the top six
and then they'll have the five spot. And I guess you could, you
know, you would you rather face let's say, Philly or Cleveland in the
first round? You could, Yeah, I don't necessarily know. I think
I'd probably rather face Cleveland just because it's sort of the lack of experience there.
But they've been really good for a while now. I know people talk
about, oh, well, look with what they've done with Josh Hart.
Ever since they're five game losing street so it's basically since basically since January first,
but since December thirty first, they're eighteen and nine. They've the least
fifth best net rating, they're fourth in offense, twelfth in defense, and
they've gotten like Mitchell Robinson missed a crap ton of time during this stretch,
Like you've you've had great basketball being played by Jalen Brunson and Julius Randall and
Emmanuel Quickly not so much RJ. Barrett and even Quentin Grimes on offense,
Like you had those two really struggle. Josh Hart has come in been great.
Now you do have Mitchell Robinson back. Is this a team that can
really? This is gonna be a term funck shit up in the playoffs?
And by that it's do you expect them to be if they go if it's
Cleveland versus New York in the first round, would you pick the Knicks to
win that? And like what is their ceiling? Is? Could their ceiling
in the East, like if they like if they don't have to play Boston
or Milwaukee until the conference finals, Like would they And I guess that is
that physically impossible? So that's physically impossible, But just like can they win
a playoff series? And just like could they give an elite team if it's
a if they meet a Philly, if they meet a boss that they meet
a Milwaukee, Can they give that team a run for their money? And
then just overall, should we be higher on the long term I've defaulted towards
I was wrong about the mode of operations and signing Jalon Brunston in general.
I never thought the money was an issue. I just didn't necessarily understand the
vision. I get the vision now more than ever. I still feel like
if you're about their long term ceiling, but I'm also wondering, that's not
really fair, is it? Or is it? I'm just like, well,
Julius Randall burned us once after when he most improved player could another down
year being in the cards. They are fascinating and I don't I think people
are talking about them, and I think Emmanuel Quickly might be my pick for
six Men of the Year right now. I really need to go dig into
the details for it. But just like short and long term, I'm fascinated
by them all of a sudden, Yeah, I don't know. I was
trying to think of, like, who would I favor them against, say
Cleveland or Philly, and I my gut is like, oh no, of
course, not right. But that's that's looking at just you know, the
full season numbers, and the fact is, over the last month plus,
the Knicks have been better than both of those teams, right, And so
I just think it's really easy to dismiss the Knicks just because of the history
and how it's just bizarre that this is an offensive team as much as anything.
Like I don't that doesn't like compute for me, And so I guess
I guess I'm answering your question. I don't think I would, but I
would have to think about it. I might change my mind. Like I
just I think they've been so good lately, and it's see in a way
that feels legitimate because you know, because guys like Brunson and like Mitchell Robinson
really is just a good defensive center that is like a net positive guy.
I was always out on him. I thought he was overrated. I don't
think that's the case anymore. I don't even think that contract is that bad.
Remember I definitely should on that contract, but started showing apologies to Mitchell
rob Mitchell, you know there's only one center I apologize to. But but
yeah, I think the Knicks are a good pick. So I have to
stay in the East, and this is probably I assume this is the team
you expected me to pick, and it's Atlanta just because of the sheer novelty
of Hey, we got a new coach with like twenty games left, and
he's we both agree, a really good coach. But I don't know what
that means for twenty games when you haven't implemented any of your stuff and you
don't even know half the guys on the roster other than having scouted them as
an opponent. So and look, just you know, snapshot Atlanta as we're
recording, this is eighth in the East at thirty one and thirty one looking
pretty good to make the play in because I think, you know, starting
with the Bulls at eleven, I don't feel good about any of the teams
below that climbing in. So okay, cool, Atlanta is gonna make a
plaan. But like, thinking about this, what they invested for j Janta
Murray and how little they've gotten in terms of improvement in the standings. It's
a high ten, high tension environment. It's been a high tension environment.
There's the Trey Young is he a leader? Can we build around him?
Question that has arisen this year with coach number two leaving and some some sort
of if he slash kind of immature decisions he's made about like press availability and
how he's handled different you know, just kind of doesn't want to be asked
to be accountable, it seems like in a lot of cases. So there's
that, and then there's also the fact that, like, is this team
broken because they're they're most used five man unit, which is you know,
young Murray Hunter Collins who still can't make a three and Capella plus eleven plus
eleven point two, Like that's ridiculous, and they're better than they're good on
both ends. It's not just like, oh Trey is you know, making
them a number one level offense. And the other amazing thing is swap out
Capella for a Kong Wu plus six point six. Those are the two most
used lineups. They're both awesome, So like, is there something here?
And that's why the Snyder edition is so fascinating, because like there really is
a case to be made that if you just kind of figure out how to
get like one more guy maybe two more in the rotation in ways that work,
you're looking at a team that should be like a fifty win pace basically,
but we don't know. And so we're gonna maybe get some information on
that down the stretch. But with all this other shit hanging over it about
the future of the team, what they invested, the ownership and management upheaval,
it's just like there's every single aspect of the Hawks will warrant watching for
the next month plus. Yeah, they're and I'm just curious, like how
much of an imprint can Quinsider even leave coming in the middle of the season
with inside of twenty games to play. But I do want to watch,
Like it's Trey I'm gonna be used differently. Also, it basically seems like
if John Collins isn't gonna be hitting threes and we know he's like recovering from
that finger thing still, that he might just not that Jalen Johnson might be
more like Quinsider praises the Jalen Johnson and so what like I'm with you,
I will say to make it beyond this season, people have just sort of
written it as the Hawks are stuck. They can trade they have Collins,
they think j Griffin, who has been good for them, and they could
trade up the three first round picks this year, Like if Michal Bridges ro
Gianna Know and DeAndre Hunter, by the way, which has been fine this
year. You could trade some combination with that, Like I think that gets
you into Michael Bridges or o Ganna Nobe. And that's the exact type of
player that they need to in my espace for this team. And I kind
of I'm higher on the Snyder fit as well, and so I don't think
they're stuck as people think, But this is sort of just a well what
can we do with this roster? Because I'm with you, some of their
top end lineups's just been absolutely killer at both ends, and just like look
since the turn of the calendar, they're fourteen to nine when Trey Young plays,
and he's been playing better during that stretch. But I think the thing
I'm watching for most is, well, I guess the two things is we
want to know with the top end outcomings for them, but like, do
we actually see anything materially different in the way that they are going to play
during this short stretch with Queen Snyder. My next team is the Philadelphia seventy
six ers because there's just there's too much hard in the Houston noise. Now,
there's too much we have to and so It's like, is it fay
to complete or can they actually if they go on, if they make it
to the conference finals, or if they make the NBA Finals, or if
they win the championship, does that make it more or less likely that he
stays and do they have the ability to get there? I think that.
Look, Doc Rivers has actually been more fungible as a coach this year than
people want to admit. Move Tyrese Maxey to the bench. He tried some
different stuff at center of the rosters. Just still flawed. They have a
ton of really good pieces. I'm starting to get really concerned watching I think
it was a game against Boston where it's like I loved Anthony Melton as a
regular season player. Now I'm kind of like, is he going to be
someone who's just like not very good for them in the playoffs? And then
there's also just hardened in big games, Like he just did not play well
against the Celtics. But he's been fantastic this year. Joelby has been a
beast, but he's talking about how he's not healthy. I'm just I think
if we're naming contenders and we were really trying to shrink, like the field
I have Denver, Milwaukee, and Boston as my certifiable contenders. If I
had to include a fourth team in there, I think it's Philly. But
then I also don't feel too great about that. There's still some noise with
like their defense at times, but PJ. Tuckers also looked better lately.
Then it's like, oh, you're backup center. Minutes can still be pretty
bad. Whether it's Paul Reid, whether it's Tres I just don't know.
I don't have a great feel I guess, or whether they're true contender or
not. I default towards yes, because I think in a league that has
this much parody right now, there has to be more than three legitimate contenders,
and I just trust them more any other team in the West. Let's
let's say any other team. I guess Phoenix belongs in there too, so
I really should throw Phoenix, but Philly would be there as well. But
like, what is what are they actually? It's not just is this team
contending for a title and that if it doesn't get there, can they futs
and fiddle? It's are they sort of fighting to keep this cord together?
Or is it already? Is it Donezo the James Harder, Houston noise is
just rooming over everything with them moving forward. Yeah, nothing, nothing adds
to the intrigue, like the potential of not knowing how the results of the
season will affect a guy staying or going. And that's like, that's the
hardened situation because I hadn't even thought about that of like if they if they
want it, is that just like that's my Okay, I'm James Harden.
That's my crowning achievement. I have my MVP, i have my title.
I'm going back to Houston to just by the way, and you get nothing
for him. It's not a sign in trade. He's out. He's just
out. Yeah, just out. And then Joel beat is gone at that
point, right, I don't know. Maybe that's the thing. So yeah,
great pick no argument there. I have to go in the other conference
for the like are they a contender and pick Phoenix And for my just for
my money, we've talked about this off air. I'm picking the Sons to
make the finals. I'm not picking them to win it because I think the
title winner is coming from the East. It's gonna be Boston or Milwaukee.
I think I take Boston right now. Took Milwaukee early in the year.
It's hard to get off of Milwaukee now that they've just have stopped losing.
Basically they just never lose. It's been sixteen now, I think, or
fifteen whatever it is in a row. But I gotta go Sons and it's
it's it's just the sheer unknown. It's because in theory you just add Kevin
Durant to what they have and it's like, well, yeah, I mean
I don't I would they have. It's not like a puncher's chance. It's
like they have a legitimate chance to just beat everyone. But that's assuming a
ton. It's assuming DeAndre Ayton is going to be there like competitively, which
has not been consistently the case. It's assuming Duran is held like fully healthy
and back to oh this guy is you know, short of embead and yo
Kitchen Luca is like in the MVP conversation and would probably win the pole of
like who's actually, let's get serious, who's actually the best player in the
world, like he was he fronts that list all the time when he's healthy.
That assumes he's healthy. I don't know that assumes Chris Paul at his
age is gonna not like have a total disaster of a couple games in the
playoffs and be good. As assumes Devin Booker's hamstring doesn't come back. It
assumes that the depth doesn't matter. It assumes a ton But it's just like,
I don't know. The deeper you get into the season, the more
simplified the thinking gets for me. And it's just it's Kevin Durant, It's
Devin Booker. It's I'm not terrified of anyone else in the West, Like
I think they could be great, And it's not like they have the same
stakes as say Philly who might just lose Harden or Dallas who might just lose
everything. Uh. But like then in the off season, are we talking
about Chris Paul somewhere else? Are we talking about a big trade? Like
what what's what's what's gonna what's that gonna look like? Is fran Van Fleet
gonna end up here somehow? After all? So there's like real fallout,
But mostly it's just can a team with no ramp up integrate a super duperstar
and win a title like that? That is a fascinating thing to me.
I am with you, and the only thing that I would just add,
is because there are repercussions from it? Is this gonna be? I think
on paper it will be. But is this more like when the Nets were
healthy as soon as they got hard and they could have won the title that
yet, and so the transition going to be that easy for Phoenix? Or
is it because you have that sort of fourth mouth defeat in eighten and the
wild card in Aden where it was at least Kyrie kd and James harn Roll
known commodities on the court aside from their health, or you could you could
bang on what they were gonna do. Does that add complication to the mix?
But I'm just like I think on paper they should just immediately be a
contender because of how scalable their stars are, just like they're deeper than credited,
Like they've just coppled together some really punchy bench units from them. So
our final team here, I went with the Pelicans and it's just they have
been absolute dogshit since Zion Williamson last paid played twenty sixth in net rating.
They're just all over the place. I don't know. I don't think Willie
Green is done. I'm reticent to like Yo, especially when you're dealing with
key injuries. Brand Ingram didn't play for a huge part of this stretch,
but just I'm very uninspired when I watched the Pelic games. I don't know
why Josh Richardson's already getting minutes over Trey Murphy the third down, the stretch
of games, Herb Jones, the events just don't care about him anymore.
From beyond the art, So I think you have to start asking yourself some
tough questions. No matter what happens this season, but what's gonna happen with
this season is Zion'm gonna play again and he's dealing with this littany of body
injuries. He's dealt with littany of lower body injuries already, His timeline is
already been pushed back. I think it makes sense to be cautious with him.
But if he doesn't come back, like the season's over. If he
does come back, what's the type of ramp up? This team was first
in the West for a hot minute. They were tied for second going into
the new year. Basically, I believe so like, can they get back
to that and sustain it, because then they could really muck stuff up in
the playoffs, but can they sustain it? And it's just if Zion doesn't
play again this year, what are the questions you're asking yourself in the off
season, because I already think you need to start making some Like when you're
looking at Thights and Daniels and Trey and her bones, it's like and then
the CG. McCall and Brandon Ingram it might be time to sort of bust.
There's depth, but it's just like, is it ever gonna coalace or
be available enough to understand what it is or can be at full strength?
And is that even top end outcome for them what we thought it was a
few months ago. I am not down on the Pelicans. I still think
if Zion comes back, they could be really good. But if he doesn't
come back, now you have to you already had your ass yourself this question.
But it's okay, Zion is a forty game year player or something.
It might not always be available for the playoffs. What the fuck do we
do? Yeah? And can we play? They should be That's the other
thing I'll throw it to you here. They should be better without Zion than
they are right now. They're not a bottom five. They shouldn't be a
bottom five offense, can't take enough, three ease, can't hit enough,
like they shouldn't be that bad. No, I agree with that. I
think the Zion health thing relative to like how it affects his team near and
long term is like one of the most foundational concerns that there is in the
league, just because of what you said, like he's like the he's like
the bottom. He's one of the bottom blocks in like a jinga tower,
Like it doesn't matter how tall it is, it doesn't matter what it looks
like. It's just like you pull that out and the whole thing just is
a pile of rubble, like it doesn't nothing work, nothing matters, Like,
oh it's cool, Oh you know ingram Ingram's healthy. Oh McCollum is
playing well, like Dyson Daniels and Herb Jones are great defensive pieces. Like
good, But if Zion is gonna, like you said, just maybe be
there, maybe not or when he is there now that we're accumulating these injuries,
just not the same guy, then like what do you do with that?
Because he and their failure to just sort of like diversify the big man,
like I like Larry dance junior, but like the their failure just to
do anything differently after watching what happened to Joan's found un just in the playoffs
last year, which is sort of like what the fuck? Dead last?
An opponent field goal percentage at the room seventy one point nine percent, dead
last in the league. And it's just like we talk about the Raptors and
some other teams as this, there's just this glaring problem that has carried over
from one year to the next and you did nothing about it, Like it's
it's a it's a episode tradition. We have to talk about Miles Turner.
He's not going anywhere, but like Miles Turner thing, go get that guy,
go get someone that read for crying out out is whatever they have will
be better because their last they're the worst. Like just get anyone and you'll
be better, like by default. So there's that, But yeah, the
Zion thing is just you know, it's gonna be like how many seasons will
it be over the next five where we where we go into the preseason saying
like what are your what are your things to watch or what are like your
biggest X factors or concerns like Zion healthy. Just pencil it like put it
down in like sharpie. That is going to be something we discussed before every
season. Unfortunately, I think it's gonna be something we discussed during every season.
So it's just I don't know what we're going to learn the rest of
the way about Zion, because I think we both agree he's probably more likely
to not play than play. But the Pelicans are just like the ceiling is
so high, we saw it. The ceiling is there, and then the
floor is solo because we're just living it right now. So I think that's
a good a good spot to stop for For yes, I will say there
was Frisbee Dog at a Louisville college basketball game took a dump on the court
the other night. It was very apropos that it came at a Louisville game
because that is what the Pelicans have just been doing nightly since the Zion.
Can you please take us out? I can't. I can't with I mean,
I don't have a transition from that. But all over the basketball it
stands alone. It's it's it doesn't need long. Everybody, thank you for
listening. If you have not done it already, please follow us. On
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shout out to Frank Latina and an apology to the One and Le Charity