1
00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:12,599
What is krack olack in Hardwood Knocks
listeners, I am Dan fa Valley coming

2
00:00:12,679 --> 00:00:17,640
at you without my fantabulous co host
Adam Brammel. I am, however,

3
00:00:17,719 --> 00:00:21,239
going to be excited to talk some
Nick's with you. We have the folks

4
00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:26,079
over from Nick's Film School, Andrew
Claudio and John MacCray are going to hop

5
00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:29,600
on in a little bit, but
first we kind of have to talk about

6
00:00:30,039 --> 00:00:34,119
the NBA Draft lottery. I'm just
gonna go through my biggest questions that i

7
00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:37,479
have or things to watch post lottery
to see what happens leading into the draft

8
00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:41,600
or or after it. Giving the
order that happened. Quick shout out to

9
00:00:41,799 --> 00:00:46,759
that Phoenix Suns Los Angeles Clippers game
in Game two. Aside from the replays

10
00:00:46,799 --> 00:00:50,520
which took thirty minutes to finish the
final ninety seconds of the game, it

11
00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:55,679
was a riveting performance that inbounds play
that won the Suns the game. Holy

12
00:00:55,719 --> 00:01:00,479
crap. Series is fantastic. Excited
to continue watching. It looks CP three

13
00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:03,840
is gonna come back in Game three
as well. This feels like the Suns

14
00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:07,200
are really gonna win. I know
the Clippers have already erased a pair of

15
00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:11,319
two to zero deficits, but they're
probably not gonna get Kwai Leander back,

16
00:01:11,359 --> 00:01:17,040
so I don't really know what the
path is for them winning if CP three

17
00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:19,079
returns, and then if they're not
going to get Kwai, and you're at

18
00:01:19,079 --> 00:01:25,799
a point where Reggie Jackson or Nick
Batoum or Marcus Morris or Blue Kennard has

19
00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:29,519
to be like your second and third
best player on any given night, behind

20
00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:34,120
Paul George, who continues to make
a meme of himself after missing too clutch

21
00:01:34,719 --> 00:01:37,879
free throws in a row during Game
two. That's not why we're here.

22
00:01:37,879 --> 00:01:41,519
That'll talk about that series. Will
delve in deeper during our locker room session,

23
00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:46,920
probably on this Sunday. We are
moving the schedule based around the games,

24
00:01:47,079 --> 00:01:49,480
so we'll take a look at that, and we'll always have the promo

25
00:01:49,519 --> 00:01:53,359
tweets on Twitter. Come join us
for locker room. It's a good time.

26
00:01:53,439 --> 00:01:57,120
We have a few reoccurring listeners who
come roll through the last questions in

27
00:01:57,159 --> 00:02:00,840
the chat. They'll come on and
speak. It helps us out a lot

28
00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:04,040
when you guys come join us live
and then you can download and listen to

29
00:02:04,079 --> 00:02:06,599
it again later, or at least
just download it to reduce those numbers.

30
00:02:07,079 --> 00:02:10,319
If this is your first time listening, please rate reviews, subscribe to Hardwood

31
00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:14,759
Knox wherever you get your podcast,
but especially on iTunes. Whether or not

32
00:02:14,879 --> 00:02:16,919
you like it, I'm not asked
for it in a while, so maybe

33
00:02:17,039 --> 00:02:20,319
if this is your first time,
or if you're listening to this podcast and

34
00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:23,719
you haven't done it yet, head
over and do that. Follow us on

35
00:02:23,719 --> 00:02:27,520
Twitter as well at hardwoo Knox.
We can also be found on YouTube,

36
00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:30,840
a channel that is growing, and
I swear probably some point over the offseason

37
00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:37,400
we'll actually have video with mine and
Adam's faces gleaming on it. Let's talk

38
00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:42,360
about me. A draft lottery though
Pistons win the first pick they get Kick

39
00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:44,879
Cunningham. I know there's already a
report that it's not a done deal.

40
00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:49,080
Kike Cunningham is going to the Detroit
Pistons. That is a no brainer at

41
00:02:49,159 --> 00:02:53,000
this point. Rolling through the auto
really quickly. Two is Houston, Three

42
00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:57,319
is Cleveland, four is Toronto,
five is Orlando, six is Oklahoma City,

43
00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:01,000
Thunder seven is Golden State. Eight
is Orlando that comes via the Bulls.

44
00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:07,159
Nine is Sacramento, ten is New
Orleans, eleven is Charlotte, twelve

45
00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:12,319
is San Antonio, thirteen is Indiana
and fourteen is again Golden State, and

46
00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:16,639
remember the seventh pick from Golden State
that came via the Timberwolves. Immediately,

47
00:03:17,039 --> 00:03:20,680
a bunch of things stand out,
and I'm not going to ask questions only

48
00:03:20,719 --> 00:03:25,919
about necessarily the lottery, but that's
really where there's geared towards the Raptors jumping

49
00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:30,000
up the four not this huge leap. I believe they have the seventh best

50
00:03:30,039 --> 00:03:34,639
odds going into the lottery. What
are they going to do with that pick?

51
00:03:35,039 --> 00:03:38,680
And you can look at prospects.
That's I have not delved deep enough

52
00:03:38,719 --> 00:03:45,240
into my draft prep work to say, oh, they should target this player.

53
00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:51,759
I'm just much more curious as to
what this will do to inform their

54
00:03:51,759 --> 00:03:55,039
direction. I'm assuming they're going to
end up with Jalen Suggs seems to be

55
00:03:55,080 --> 00:04:00,439
the consensus number four him or Jalen
Green. I think a lot of people

56
00:04:00,439 --> 00:04:02,759
have Evan Mobley mostly going two or
three, and so I would guess that

57
00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:06,719
Jawn Green or John Sucks falls to
Toronto. My gut would say, you

58
00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:12,879
keep that pick, which is fine, but are you keeping that pick bringing

59
00:04:12,919 --> 00:04:17,920
in that bring in John Green or
John Suggs and keeping Pascal Siakam and Fred

60
00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,879
van Fleet and o Gana Noby and
just being good enough to win now maybe

61
00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:27,920
because that's the setup that you're in. I still just sort of wonder if

62
00:04:27,959 --> 00:04:33,920
this could potentially push the Raptors towards
more of a gradual rebuild. I would

63
00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:39,720
like to see them bring Kyle Awery
back if he's willing to return, and

64
00:04:39,879 --> 00:04:43,720
assuming they're going to play in Toronto
next season, because I think they could

65
00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:46,360
be super competitive of bringing along a
top four pick. This isn't a Golden

66
00:04:46,439 --> 00:04:51,079
Warrior, a Golden State Warrior situation
where they're just kind of barren after they're

67
00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:54,600
top guys. There's real depth there. If you look at a healthy Chris

68
00:04:54,600 --> 00:05:00,120
Bouche, Malakai Flynn looks really good
towards the end of the year. They

69
00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:02,560
also have we already mentioned Siakam out
of Noby, Fred van Fleet, that

70
00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:09,560
team is just it's deeper and we
I think that they could straddle those two

71
00:05:09,759 --> 00:05:13,879
timelines if they really wanted to.
The other scenario would be do you go

72
00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:18,600
nuclear and maybe dangle that fourth pick
in a trade. Because this is considered

73
00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:23,560
like a four star potential draft.
It sounds like right now, I ken'tive.

74
00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:26,120
I didn't even just mention Gary Changing. It was also a restricted free

75
00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:29,560
agent, and so just all those
pieces together. And then even like Utah

76
00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:33,920
Watanabe showed just a ton during the
regular season, could you dangle that pick?

77
00:05:34,079 --> 00:05:38,600
Would you be willing to trade number
four in this draft for Bradley Beale

78
00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:41,759
if you think he's going to resign? I mean there's other moving parts that

79
00:05:41,759 --> 00:05:46,759
deal. You're probably looking at Bradley
Beale and number four maybe another pick twenty

80
00:05:46,079 --> 00:05:51,279
twenty three could because of post dates
as of now his free agency. If

81
00:05:51,319 --> 00:05:55,839
Washington says yes to that, and
Beal says that he's going to resign or

82
00:05:55,839 --> 00:05:59,079
he's willing to resign, you could
bring back Kyle Awey. Fred Van Fleet

83
00:05:59,199 --> 00:06:01,439
is big time for the Raptors.
Making no mistake, he probably could have

84
00:06:01,439 --> 00:06:04,279
made all defense this year. He
definitely should have gotten more all defense consideration.

85
00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:06,680
I did not have him on one
of my two teams, but he

86
00:06:06,759 --> 00:06:11,319
definitely he was among my honorable mentions, So losing him as big he was

87
00:06:11,319 --> 00:06:14,800
also there lottery representatives. I guess
that's kind of weird, but if you

88
00:06:14,879 --> 00:06:15,959
wanted to, that is a route
you could go. Now with the fourth

89
00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:19,199
pick, and so I think it
just opens up these different avenues where it's

90
00:06:19,199 --> 00:06:21,839
a high enough pick where you could
look at it as essentially the future of

91
00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:26,160
your franchise, and maybe you're not
as inclined to move. You know,

92
00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:30,600
Fred van Fleet still twenty six,
you could look at him as young enough

93
00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:34,160
to do a quasi reset. Excuse
me, Fred Vanfley turned twenty seven,

94
00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:36,680
that's my mistake. You have o
Gianna would be definitely young enough there.

95
00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:41,720
Do you maybe look at shopping Pascal
Siakam at that point because you're the number

96
00:06:41,759 --> 00:06:45,959
four pick. You're not drafting someone
in all likelihood that you think is going

97
00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:48,560
to end up replacing him, and
he at twenty seven as well, like

98
00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:53,560
isn't super old. It's just I
feel like before, if they were going

99
00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,920
to end up in seventh and you
were not going to have one of these

100
00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:00,639
top four picks, it was more
cut and dry where right, just bring

101
00:07:00,639 --> 00:07:03,120
in the prospect and then it's not
going to be determining. You probably have

102
00:07:03,319 --> 00:07:06,720
him, try and groom him,
bring him along slowly, tread water.

103
00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:12,680
Somewhere in the middle, it feels
like there could be three more significant decisions

104
00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:15,759
where it's let's let's bring me back
Kyle Lowry, and we could be and

105
00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:18,680
Gary Trencher and be a lot better
than expected if we were keeping the band

106
00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:23,600
together because we have this higher upside
rookie. Do we use this pick would

107
00:07:23,639 --> 00:07:26,879
be the second would be the other
another option to try and bring in some

108
00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:30,279
wind now talent. We don't know
which stars are going to be available.

109
00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:32,879
There's always ones that pop up.
I think with a top four pick,

110
00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:36,519
though in this year's draft, i'd
give it up for Zach Lavine. Personally,

111
00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:40,120
I don't know if I'm doing that. Yeah, i'd probably do it

112
00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:42,600
if I'm the Raptors. I'm not
giving up as much for him as I

113
00:07:42,639 --> 00:07:47,439
would for Bradley Beal. But those
are two guys that feel like they have

114
00:07:47,519 --> 00:07:51,920
feasible paths to being on the auction
block. I'm sure the star market will

115
00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:56,639
develop beyond that. Or the third
scenario would be, do you look at

116
00:07:56,639 --> 00:07:59,759
this and say, all right,
we have like a real building block here

117
00:07:59,839 --> 00:08:01,639
now, and maybe it's better if
we go through a more gradual rebuild and

118
00:08:01,639 --> 00:08:07,839
we're gonna be willing to shop some
of our older guys. Let Kyle Lowry

119
00:08:07,839 --> 00:08:11,000
walk, maybe look at Siakaman,
Fred van Fleet Trades and consider the core

120
00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:15,879
you whoever it may be to them, is it Malachai Flynn? But it's

121
00:08:15,879 --> 00:08:18,639
definitely o Gian and Obi. And
then again in my estimation of Jail and

122
00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:22,639
Suggs or a Jail and Green,
maybe Ben Gary Trent Jr. Who is

123
00:08:22,639 --> 00:08:28,120
twenty three. My next question obviously
would be what's gonna happen with the Golden

124
00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:31,279
State Warriors number seven and fourteen?
Like, those are good picks to have.

125
00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:35,559
You have Stephen Curry, you have
Clay Thompson coming back, you have

126
00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:41,679
Draymond Green, you have Andrew Wiggins. Your window is now, and I

127
00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:46,000
think you have an obligation to continue
trying to win so long as Stephen Curry

128
00:08:46,039 --> 00:08:50,960
exists. You need to shop these
picks. And I think the problem with

129
00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:54,120
not jumping in with even one of
these selections into the top four. And

130
00:08:54,159 --> 00:08:58,279
they only could have kept Minnesota's pick
if it was fourth because it was top

131
00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:01,639
three protected who had a GHNA higher
it was dated with Minnesota, But not

132
00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:05,840
having that top four pick really hurts
them in trade talks because I don't think

133
00:09:05,879 --> 00:09:09,159
if you want to get Zach Levine
or if you want to get a Brabby

134
00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:11,759
Beal and I'm not saying those are
the only guys out there. I just

135
00:09:13,879 --> 00:09:18,600
they seem like they are most likely
to be available. You're gonna also have

136
00:09:18,639 --> 00:09:20,799
to attach James Wiseman and then other
stuff as well. And then now you're

137
00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:26,200
also in this issue of because the
salary the cap holds are lower on these

138
00:09:26,279 --> 00:09:31,120
rookies than they would have been had
they been in the top four, you're

139
00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:35,720
gonna have to include other salary in
these bigger deals. The Warriors don't have.

140
00:09:37,159 --> 00:09:41,120
Excuse me, I'm exhausted. I'm
recording this at four to forty in

141
00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:46,519
the morning, Eastern time, but
the Warriors do not have those mid end

142
00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:52,440
salaries to attach into these trades.
They have Steph is making forty five point

143
00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:56,960
eight. If we're looking at next
year's salary, Clay is at thirty thirty

144
00:09:56,000 --> 00:10:00,799
eight, about Andrew Wiggins is at
thirty one point six, Raymond is at

145
00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:05,360
a cool twenty four, and then
it drops off from there where James Wiseman

146
00:10:05,519 --> 00:10:09,039
as of right now, is actually
their fifth highest paid player at nine point

147
00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:13,279
two. Cavan Looney is six at
five point two. It's a he has

148
00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:16,000
a player option. So a lot
of the things they do if it's a

149
00:10:16,039 --> 00:10:20,679
bal trade just because beal salary next
season is thirty four point five. You're

150
00:10:20,679 --> 00:10:24,879
either looking at okay, Andrew Wiggins
has to be included, or we're doing

151
00:10:24,960 --> 00:10:26,759
an ubre sign and trade. If
you were going after a Zach Lavine,

152
00:10:26,759 --> 00:10:30,039
who I maintain is a good fit
for this roster, a little bit more

153
00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:35,000
workable just because you have his nineteen
point five million dollars salary which is super

154
00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:39,600
low, so you can get away
with Wiseman Looney than using this the number

155
00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:43,440
fourteen pick, and you also have
the number seven pick. Like using those

156
00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:46,159
as actual salaries, trading them you
can come to an agreement whenever we know

157
00:10:46,159 --> 00:10:50,279
all this works. But trading them
thirty days after they sign their contract and

158
00:10:50,279 --> 00:10:52,600
then other stuff, I just feel
like the other stuff has to be more

159
00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:58,320
significant now because you didn't jump in
the lottery. I honestly don't know what

160
00:10:58,879 --> 00:11:03,000
the Warriors will do. My guests
would be that they probably don't make any

161
00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:07,039
significant splashes just because they's going to
be very confident in their ability to develop

162
00:11:07,320 --> 00:11:13,480
these players. I don't know that
they can do that while also juggling the

163
00:11:13,519 --> 00:11:18,960
attempt to reopen their title window.
But they also have a low maintenance superstar

164
00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:22,200
and Steph where he has his three
titles, he has his two MVPs.

165
00:11:22,559 --> 00:11:26,120
It's not that he doesn't want to
compete, but he might be okay with

166
00:11:26,399 --> 00:11:28,039
I want to be a Warrior's lifer, and he's not going to try and

167
00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:33,879
force their hand by using the threat
of his free agency in two twenty two.

168
00:11:33,919 --> 00:11:37,240
By the way, his extension owns
will now, so he could say

169
00:11:37,279 --> 00:11:39,960
he won't sign one and that he'll
leave. That would be wildly out of

170
00:11:41,039 --> 00:11:46,559
character and that would just be absurd. So I don't know what players would

171
00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:48,720
be available again though, That's what
this comes back to. And it's sort

172
00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:54,559
of the same question with the with
the Raptors too. Although the Warriors there's

173
00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:58,399
more urgency there, it feels like
there's more doors open for the Raptors because

174
00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:01,919
they don't have that five player right
now. You have, you know,

175
00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:05,799
Siakam or Fred van Fleet, like, those are guys that I think Sam

176
00:12:05,279 --> 00:12:09,000
probably peaks is like, or already
has peaked, is like at that top

177
00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,799
twenty top twenty five guy, and
then last season he sort of dropped off

178
00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:18,320
after that. But for the Warriors
specifically shot the pick plural and other stuff,

179
00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:20,159
and you have to I think now
you're more likely what does that other

180
00:12:20,159 --> 00:12:24,759
stuff look like? James Wiseman and
number seven would be my guests or probably

181
00:12:24,799 --> 00:12:28,240
the two main attractions that are included
in an ideal, Whereas if you had

182
00:12:28,240 --> 00:12:31,039
a top four pick, maybe you
get away with not including number fourteen or

183
00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:35,399
not including Wiseman or not giving up
as many future picks. And look,

184
00:12:35,399 --> 00:12:37,960
if I'm a team, I know
front offices don't think this big picture because

185
00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:41,600
they don't have that type of job
security. But if I'm a team,

186
00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:46,279
I'm looking at the Warrior's long term
future, the age Klay Thompson, Stephen

187
00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:50,039
Curry, Drammard green All on the
wrong side of thirty. Yes, you

188
00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:52,080
could be sending them a really good
player now, but unless you're sending them

189
00:12:52,159 --> 00:12:56,720
someone like who's super young, like
Kasha Gildas Alexander, who was a trade

190
00:12:56,720 --> 00:13:01,759
target I suggested for the Warriors,
or if Colinth the Towns the side he

191
00:13:01,799 --> 00:13:03,919
went out of Minnesota. Again,
I'm not saying he would, but something's

192
00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:07,840
like twenty five or younger, you
start looking down the line. Golden State

193
00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:11,639
owns a twenty twenty four pick to
Memphis. It's loosely protected, assuming it

194
00:13:11,679 --> 00:13:16,440
conveys you go out to twenty twenty
six two twenty seven, shorten their future

195
00:13:16,519 --> 00:13:20,240
is not the dumbest decision in the
world, because there's a chance that they

196
00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:24,240
might just be bad by that point. So if you can get some looser

197
00:13:24,279 --> 00:13:26,600
protections on that and you're in a
position where you're gonna make a move anyway,

198
00:13:28,039 --> 00:13:31,440
I don't think that's a bad asset. And what the Warriors can also

199
00:13:31,480 --> 00:13:35,159
do is by waiting to complete deals
before the end of this draft, you

200
00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:41,960
can get this year's picks from them
and then also two twenty two, so

201
00:13:41,039 --> 00:13:43,759
that helps as well. And look, we've seen teams. You look at

202
00:13:43,919 --> 00:13:50,440
New Orleans with Drew Holiday, at
New Orleans with Anthony Davis, and Houston

203
00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:54,399
with James Harden. They've taken these
far out future picks. It feels like

204
00:13:54,559 --> 00:14:00,279
these halls for top let's say twenty
five guys. Drew Holiday's probably right on

205
00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:03,679
the fringes of that. They're getting
bigger, and it's a lot, you

206
00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:07,120
know, a lot of it is
because these are contenders that are going after

207
00:14:07,159 --> 00:14:09,480
these bigger names. The Warriors are
in a similar boat where, yeah,

208
00:14:09,519 --> 00:14:13,480
if they got a Bradley Beal,
I don't know that they're as threatening as

209
00:14:13,519 --> 00:14:16,759
the big three in Brooklyn. Overall, though, you expect them to be

210
00:14:16,799 --> 00:14:22,360
good in the intern and so those
future picks and yes, the immediate ones

211
00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:26,639
because they have lottery in this case, which Milwaukee didn't. The Lakers did

212
00:14:26,639 --> 00:14:30,360
have a lottery picked them jumping up
into that DeAndre Hunter territory ended up helping

213
00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:35,600
out their trade package. A great
deal that helps the Warriors immediacy. But

214
00:14:35,679 --> 00:14:37,919
you're you do have to look at
that down the line value and I'm just

215
00:14:39,039 --> 00:14:43,120
very curious to see what winds up
happening with their off season. I'm also

216
00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:48,759
looking at teams that are I don't
I probably say this every year, so

217
00:14:48,759 --> 00:14:52,080
I do not want to say that
I think there are teams with more accelerated

218
00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:54,600
windows that are in the lottery.
It's just that's probably a thing I could

219
00:14:54,639 --> 00:15:00,559
say every single season. But you
look at like Sacramento at nine, even

220
00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:03,200
New Orleans at ten, Charlotte at
eleven, the Spurs at twelve, and

221
00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:09,759
the Pacers at thirteen, like those
are five teams that I would assume have

222
00:15:09,799 --> 00:15:15,600
semi immediate aspirations. The Spurs I
think are the wildest card there just because

223
00:15:15,639 --> 00:15:18,799
Greg Popovic is seventy two and as
long as he's in San Antonio. White

224
00:15:18,799 --> 00:15:22,200
gush would be that they don't go
full tilt into a rebuild. They did

225
00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:28,360
hand out second contracts to Jean Day
Murray and Derek White already at the same

226
00:15:28,399 --> 00:15:33,320
time, they're at that natural reset
point where you have Demard Rozen, Patty

227
00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:37,279
Mills and Rudy Gay and entering free
agency. You already got rid of LaMarcus

228
00:15:37,279 --> 00:15:41,080
Aldridge, you have you can get. I think I have them pegged it

229
00:15:41,279 --> 00:15:46,240
nearly fifty million dollars in cap space
if they want to max it out.

230
00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:52,159
So like, that's a ton of
money that you don't want in this year's

231
00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:54,120
market, and so do maybe prioritize
taking on bad contracts that are going to

232
00:15:54,159 --> 00:15:58,080
be attached to other picks. Is
that market even gonna be booming when teams

233
00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:02,759
aren't trying to clear necessarily for this
summer, or do you go the other

234
00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:04,639
out and say, well, we
have this money, we're going to spend

235
00:16:04,639 --> 00:16:08,519
big on free agents. My point
being it would be uncharacteristic for the Spurs

236
00:16:08,559 --> 00:16:15,360
to make a trade or move out
of number twelve. But if there's still

237
00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:18,039
that push to make the playoffs,
like could that be in play? The

238
00:16:18,159 --> 00:16:23,440
Kings are another wild card because it
feels like they're sort of in crap or

239
00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:27,559
get off the pot mode right now. They're so stuck in the sub middle

240
00:16:27,679 --> 00:16:30,639
of the NBA that they need to
pick a direction. Do you look at

241
00:16:30,759 --> 00:16:37,559
selling off Harrison Barnes, Buddy Healed. How much does Rashaun holmes is price

242
00:16:37,639 --> 00:16:40,840
tag factor into that decision? They
have only early bird rights on him and

243
00:16:40,919 --> 00:16:45,080
so effectively not to I don't want
to lose anybody in the salary cap minusha.

244
00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:49,879
They can pay him either round the
league average salary or they have to

245
00:16:49,879 --> 00:16:53,320
dip into cap space. And so
my guests would be that he goes for

246
00:16:53,399 --> 00:16:56,080
more than between ten or eleven million
dollars, which is what they would be

247
00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:59,960
allowed to pay him before dipping into
cap space. They don't have cap space

248
00:17:00,159 --> 00:17:02,200
right now, so you need to
clear money. And if he leaves your

249
00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:06,359
substantially worst team because he was there
on balance, I would say second best

250
00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:10,240
player overall last year behind Daron Fox, like that was the only one that

251
00:17:10,240 --> 00:17:11,680
I look at. It was better
maybe Tyrese Halbert and has stretches of more

252
00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:15,599
impact. So do you lean into
a rebuild and say, hey, we're

253
00:17:15,599 --> 00:17:21,119
just gonna rejigger this around Fox Tyrese
Halibert, and we'll see who we get

254
00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:26,359
at number nine as well. Maybe
they know Marvin Bagley showed hints of like

255
00:17:26,839 --> 00:17:30,720
outside shooting again last year and sort
of perked up at points. Do they

256
00:17:30,799 --> 00:17:33,240
view him as part of the corps
or do you maybe move number nine and

257
00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:37,640
try and make that all of shin
play that we've seen Phoenix make when they

258
00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:41,160
went after Chris Paul. It wasn't
They didn't give up like this huge ransom.

259
00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:45,559
It was a matter of great opportunity
for them. But if you want

260
00:17:45,559 --> 00:17:49,599
to be competitive and Key Harris and
Barnes don't want to get rid of Buddy

261
00:17:49,599 --> 00:17:52,519
Heeled. If you actually want to
be a playoff threat in the West,

262
00:17:52,559 --> 00:17:55,200
like you got to stop existing in
this sub middle, you have to pick

263
00:17:55,279 --> 00:17:59,039
one way or the other. And
so of these five, we're looking at

264
00:17:59,079 --> 00:18:02,359
Indiana, San Antonio, Charlotte,
New Orleans, and Sacramento. My guests

265
00:18:02,359 --> 00:18:04,119
would be Sacramento is the most likely
to move the pick. I've eve them

266
00:18:04,119 --> 00:18:07,000
as a little bit less of a
wild card for san Antonio because I can

267
00:18:07,039 --> 00:18:12,079
never read san Antonio and most league
insiders can't read san Antonio either. They

268
00:18:12,119 --> 00:18:18,759
just operate in total mysterity. I
would be curious to see what Sacramento could

269
00:18:18,799 --> 00:18:22,000
build with the number nine pick.
I don't view Marvin Bagley necessarily as a

270
00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:23,880
net positive asset right now, but
if you're intrigued by what he can do

271
00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:27,440
in the open floor surrounded with enough
spacing, he does have an interesting floor

272
00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:32,960
game. If you do believe that
he can knock down stand still jumpers on

273
00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:36,720
long twos and even from three,
then yeah, as value butches up a

274
00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:44,039
bit, could be something like let's
say number nine Marvin Bagley, Robert Woodard,

275
00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:48,279
and then a LOTO protected twenty twenty
two first for Jonathan Isaac. Like,

276
00:18:48,359 --> 00:18:51,920
I think that level of player would
be who they're looking at. I

277
00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:53,920
don't know that they can get into
a big wig conversation, nor do I

278
00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:59,200
know that they need to. What
is Bradley Bell doing for the league's worst

279
00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:02,559
defense last season? They have the
Aaron Fox, they have Tyrese Albert,

280
00:19:02,599 --> 00:19:03,920
and yeah, I really really up
to your offense. I mean if if

281
00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:07,039
Bradley Bill said he wanted to come
to Sacramento via trade, but I don't

282
00:19:07,039 --> 00:19:10,359
know that they would be a team
where I say Toronto or going and Staghoud

283
00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:12,680
go after Zach Lavine. While Lavine
is very good, I don't know that

284
00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:15,920
I would encourage Sacramento to do that. I think they either needed to target

285
00:19:17,519 --> 00:19:22,559
guys that are more two way impact
players or who really just moved the defensive

286
00:19:22,599 --> 00:19:25,279
needle, like a Jonathan Isaac where
Orlando is just ushered in the rebuild.

287
00:19:25,319 --> 00:19:30,480
And yes, they have the Chicago's
pick at number eight in addition to their

288
00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:36,359
own at number five they landed at. Would they be willing to take on

289
00:19:36,359 --> 00:19:38,000
a third? Can they move nine
and eight or nine and five or eight

290
00:19:38,039 --> 00:19:41,319
and five to try and move up
which teams in the top four, or

291
00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:44,640
even consider moving out of their spots. I don't know that any of them

292
00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:49,799
would, So there's there's moving parts
there. I am curious to see what

293
00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:55,680
the Pelicans entertained doing. They probably
just end up keeping this pick, but

294
00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:59,119
they do have some money that could
stand to be moved off their books if

295
00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:03,200
they want to keep lines Josh Hart
and dangling number ten to get off of

296
00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:07,920
Steven Adams or Eric Bledsoe. While
bad form on its own, maybe that's

297
00:20:08,119 --> 00:20:12,519
the ticket to building deals. We're
actually bringing back positive value or impact players,

298
00:20:12,559 --> 00:20:18,559
and you're not just washing off money
Indiana again, a team that feels

299
00:20:18,559 --> 00:20:21,279
like they should want to win soon. There. You know, you look

300
00:20:21,319 --> 00:20:25,759
at that potential five man lineup of
Turners of Bonus, Warren, Caro Silverton,

301
00:20:25,799 --> 00:20:29,160
Malcolm Brogden didn't lock a single minute
together this past season. They could

302
00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:33,119
be really impactful. That's a nice, well balanced team. It doesn't feel

303
00:20:33,119 --> 00:20:36,160
like there's going to be some roster
turnover there. Whereas this the offseason they

304
00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:37,400
find me break up the big man
due of sa Bonus and Turner, and

305
00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:41,680
I guess would be that they trade
Turner. Are you packaging him? How

306
00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:45,119
are you viewing that deal? Are
you trying to divest him into multiple maybe

307
00:20:45,279 --> 00:20:48,559
role players and while lessening your payroll
so that you can afford to bring back

308
00:20:48,599 --> 00:20:52,200
t J. McConnell and Doug McDermott
without dipping into the tacks, or are

309
00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:55,920
you gonna lean the other way?
And is it you know, Miles Turner

310
00:20:56,000 --> 00:21:00,319
and throwing number thirteen out there and
seeing what that can get you maybe addition

311
00:21:00,359 --> 00:21:03,559
to some other stuff, you do
have Aaron Holiday, Jeremy Lamb's salary makes

312
00:21:03,559 --> 00:21:07,960
for a good South matching fodder.
So I'm so fascinated with a lot of

313
00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:14,920
those end of lottery teams, and
one of my overarching questions for the draft

314
00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:18,599
this year is, well, oh, let's start here. Let's get one

315
00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:21,079
more team specific question before the look
at the bigger picture, or maybe even

316
00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:25,759
two more. Chicago, this was
a disaster for them. They had the

317
00:21:25,799 --> 00:21:29,200
top four protective pick. They owd
Orlando. It's obviously conveying because it's going

318
00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:32,319
to number eight. You make that
deal. I don't want to hear that

319
00:21:32,359 --> 00:21:36,200
this was about kind of moving past
this season. You make that deal this

320
00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:38,839
season because you wanted to make the
play in tournament. I know missing Zach

321
00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:41,400
Lavine. I can't remember the moment. I think he had COVID, but

322
00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:45,640
he missed a couple of weeks that
ended up hurting you. I understand that

323
00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:49,839
happened, But you missed the play
in and then you sent out the eighth

324
00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:53,880
pick to Orlando. Yeah, you
still have Vooch, but you didn't need

325
00:21:55,359 --> 00:21:57,279
him towards the end of the season
because you didn't make the plan. That

326
00:21:57,319 --> 00:22:03,119
was the whole point of that trade. And now what's your avenue towards improving

327
00:22:03,599 --> 00:22:06,640
this roster. You can get some
cap space, but you're not gonna have

328
00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:12,839
a ton unless you wave the guaranteed
deals of Thomas said Eranski, who's partially

329
00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:15,920
guaranteed five million, and then that
he is young, who's partially guaranteed six

330
00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:18,240
million. And I don't know why
you'd want to get pay that he's young

331
00:22:18,359 --> 00:22:22,640
to go away when he can still
be an impact defender for you and even

332
00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:26,799
Thomas Saderanski to provide you with some
secondary ball handling. And if you do

333
00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:32,039
carve out cap space, are you
going to look at renegotiating and extending zach

334
00:22:32,119 --> 00:22:34,799
Lavine before you look at trying to
add talent. Yes, you can wait

335
00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:38,799
until one he's not signing an extension
is going to be a renegotiating extend where

336
00:22:38,799 --> 00:22:42,519
he can immediately increase his salary next
season what you need cap space to do,

337
00:22:44,079 --> 00:22:47,200
or he's gonna wait twenty twenty two
free agency where he will have max

338
00:22:47,279 --> 00:22:49,839
offers. And that's why you're not
going to sign an extension that can only

339
00:22:49,839 --> 00:22:53,960
give him one hundred and twenty percent
rays off of that nineteen point five million

340
00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:57,240
dollar number next year, because he
has the ability to make more than ten

341
00:22:57,279 --> 00:23:03,519
million dollars more than that as a
starting salary and in free agency, and

342
00:23:03,559 --> 00:23:07,880
if you don't renegotiate and extend him
with your cap space, you risk losing

343
00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:11,000
him for nothing in twenty twenty two
free agency. It's really just that simple,

344
00:23:11,039 --> 00:23:15,799
assuming you keep him, because there's
a chance you make the playoffs that

345
00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:18,480
east is still open in that way. There's also a chance that you flame

346
00:23:18,519 --> 00:23:22,720
out during those playoffs or you don't
make those playoffs at all, and he

347
00:23:22,839 --> 00:23:26,960
just has eyes for another franchise that
will be teams with max room, teams

348
00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:30,440
that are better closer to competing for
a title or just going deeper into the

349
00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:36,400
playoffs. You really need to have
a feel for what he's thinking. You

350
00:23:36,519 --> 00:23:40,319
also need to weigh the cost of
renegotiating and extending him now, because if

351
00:23:40,319 --> 00:23:42,880
you clear cap space to do that, that's your move. You haven't brought

352
00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:47,920
back lowry marketing unless you somehow just
cut a ton of money elsewhere. You're

353
00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:51,319
not making any of these other big
time moves. You're not using cap space

354
00:23:51,359 --> 00:23:55,559
to sign guys who really help you. You're limited then to using the room

355
00:23:55,599 --> 00:23:59,400
exception as opposed to the mid level
exception, and so you're losing that spending

356
00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:02,079
tool or the ability to operate as
an over the cap team. If you

357
00:24:02,119 --> 00:24:07,119
need cap space to renegotiate and sign
Leavine. Is this Bulls team, as

358
00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:14,400
presently constituted with a healthy Zach,
Klaven and Rooch, are they guaranteed to

359
00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:17,559
make the playoffs? And in that
scenario, I'm assuming if you renegotiate an

360
00:24:17,599 --> 00:24:22,079
extend Zach Lavine and Larry market is
not back. I just honestly don't know.

361
00:24:22,319 --> 00:24:26,319
And so that's a team to watch, just because I don't think this

362
00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:29,759
has to be a matter of Zach
Lavine asking for out. I think the

363
00:24:29,799 --> 00:24:34,559
Bulls after that Voods trade, are
now confronting awkward realities following their failure to

364
00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:37,359
make the play in tournament, and
maybe this is all. Maybe they go

365
00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:41,200
the other direction too. You still
have Kobe White, you have future draft

366
00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:45,519
equity if you're willing to trade out
beyond your twenty twenty three pick, pending

367
00:24:45,559 --> 00:24:48,640
that obligation to Orlando. You have
Patrick Williams, who I would not suggest

368
00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:53,400
a moving I thought he was spectacular
and it ended up providing good value for

369
00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:59,039
someone who was drafted at fourth basically
out of nowhere. Everyone was shocked by

370
00:24:59,039 --> 00:25:03,400
that pick. Do you try and
package those together to take another swing?

371
00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:06,359
Again, I don't know who the
player is that you're going after, but

372
00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:10,000
you are sort of pot committed to
this core in the sense that you already

373
00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:15,039
tried to win. Now, the
other thing for me, the final team

374
00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:19,119
specific question is the Oklahoma City Thunder. So they went into this with like

375
00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:23,480
a fairly good chance of having two
top four picks, and you left with

376
00:25:23,559 --> 00:25:27,680
zero top four picks. You still
have three first round picks, but six,

377
00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:32,559
sixteen, and eighteen just aren't as
sexy. I feel like they're going

378
00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:37,200
to be active on draft night.
Do they use sixteen and eighteen to move

379
00:25:37,279 --> 00:25:41,599
up? What can they move from
there? Like? What is the team

380
00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:45,079
that's looking to divest into two picks? Like, is Indiana so concerned at

381
00:25:45,079 --> 00:25:48,559
their tax bill they would give you
thirteen for sixteen and eighteen? Is that

382
00:25:48,599 --> 00:25:52,319
even worth it? If you're Oklahoma
City, they have so many picks from

383
00:25:52,359 --> 00:25:59,559
moving forward, they're going to have
some roster spot issues and they might want

384
00:25:59,559 --> 00:26:02,759
to add via free agency. I
would I think you have to bet against

385
00:26:02,759 --> 00:26:04,400
that just looking at how many players
they're already going to have projected to be

386
00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:10,880
on the roster next year. But
it feels kind of unlikely that they're going

387
00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:12,400
to keep all three of those picks. Maybe one of them or two of

388
00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:15,440
them even as a draft in stash, that's always a possibility. But they're

389
00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:19,039
just a team to watch at this
point, and they're projected to have a

390
00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:26,400
boatload of cap space this summer.
Still the Kemba Walker trade impacted that a

391
00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:29,559
little bit, but like, this
is a team where if they want,

392
00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:33,480
if you're announcing all your own free
agents, and this is while keeping like

393
00:26:33,559 --> 00:26:41,559
non guaranteed deals for Kendrick Williams,
Gabriel Deck and lu Dort, you can

394
00:26:41,599 --> 00:26:45,240
still get thirty seven plus million dollars
in cap space, so they if they

395
00:26:45,279 --> 00:26:49,319
want to take on money, they
can do that. I've also wondered how

396
00:26:49,319 --> 00:26:55,000
they're going to handle the shake guilt
to Alexander extension situation. It's either maxim

397
00:26:55,039 --> 00:27:00,200
now maximum restricted free agency, or
do you think about maybe trading him to

398
00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:03,039
see what he can fetch. And
the fact that you don't have those two

399
00:27:03,519 --> 00:27:07,319
high end first round picks, now, does that make it more likely because

400
00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:12,000
you could look at some of those
other teams and while you know the Raptors

401
00:27:12,119 --> 00:27:18,920
among the top four squads are the
only ones that can be billed as when

402
00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:23,640
now, I don't know, Detroit
not interested in Shay Houston. Our guess

403
00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:27,039
is an interested in Shay Cleveland having
sex, and in Garland they're probably not

404
00:27:27,079 --> 00:27:34,319
interested in Shay. But Toronto Born
Orlando, it's just or even look Golden

405
00:27:34,359 --> 00:27:38,799
State using seven and just throwing them
that you use seven and Wiseman like,

406
00:27:38,839 --> 00:27:42,319
does that get you? In the
conversation for Schekula ch Axander knowing he's extension

407
00:27:42,319 --> 00:27:47,079
eligible, is that something that the
thunder do. I'm not saying that they

408
00:27:47,079 --> 00:27:49,519
should. I would pay makes it. I would pay Sekula Joxander. I

409
00:27:49,599 --> 00:27:53,440
think he is a monster, and
you just look at the improvement he made

410
00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:56,359
this season as being the primary engine
of an offense and the efficiency that he

411
00:27:56,440 --> 00:28:00,880
carried, and he was almost ninety
percent of his looks went unassisted, one

412
00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:06,359
of the highest shares in the league. So he is special. But he

413
00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:12,240
does have that plant or fascia issue. And while I'm not advocating for teams

414
00:28:12,279 --> 00:28:15,799
to save money maxing out someone when
you're still kind of so early in this

415
00:28:15,839 --> 00:28:21,079
rebuilding process, it can get a
little bit awkward. Shay Gila Alexander is

416
00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:26,279
probably so young that it maybe doesn't
matter to them. He is twenty two.

417
00:28:26,359 --> 00:28:30,359
He turns twenty three. In July. So, but the Thunderer just

418
00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:33,039
always teams to watch. At this
point, they already traded for for Kema

419
00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:37,160
Walker. Finally, overall, the
question would just be like what type of

420
00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:41,240
trade activity are we're going to see
on Draft night? As I already mentioned,

421
00:28:41,319 --> 00:28:45,519
Oklahoma City has three first round picks. The Houston Rockets have three first

422
00:28:45,599 --> 00:28:48,799
round picks. Sort of the product
of these superstar trades is it feels like

423
00:28:48,839 --> 00:28:52,519
these draft picks have been condensed and
there are teams that need to win now

424
00:28:52,599 --> 00:28:56,640
where you know they could agree to
trades on Draft night and then push the

425
00:28:56,680 --> 00:29:00,640
deal through when they're no longer future
picks. So the Clippers can trade number

426
00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:04,880
twenty five, the Nuggets can trade
number twenty six, you know, the

427
00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:08,839
Sixers number twenty eight broken n Tuckilly
trade number twenty seven, you talk and

428
00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:12,799
trade number thirty. Are there We're
going to see contenders be like sort of

429
00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:18,160
aggressive because I already mentioned like those
back end of the lottery teams, where

430
00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:21,720
are they going to do the Lakers
number twenty two, that feels like a

431
00:29:21,759 --> 00:29:25,799
potential chip that could be used where
if they're trying to land a bigger name

432
00:29:26,240 --> 00:29:30,240
or even help themselves complete in eventual
sign and trade, but that's not something

433
00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:34,319
you could figure out until free agency
starts legally. Anyway, the Knicks have

434
00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:40,640
two first round picks, number nineteen
and number twenty one from Dallas. Is

435
00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:42,160
there a way to move up with
those two? How many spots are you

436
00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:47,480
jumping up? Like? Is Washington
giving you fifteen for nineteen and twenty one?

437
00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:49,279
Is that even worth it? And
if you're the Knicks, you also

438
00:29:49,279 --> 00:29:52,599
have the way you know, having
two first round picks might not be just

439
00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:56,000
a bad idea because yeah, you're
good, You're really good this season.

440
00:29:56,960 --> 00:29:59,640
You still have to we'll talk about
this in a few moments. There's the

441
00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:03,119
issue sustainability there, and you do
need to still be in talent acquisition mode.

442
00:30:04,119 --> 00:30:08,839
Maybe you get lucky and find you
an e manual quickly type impact player

443
00:30:10,079 --> 00:30:12,240
in one of those picks. You're
giving yourself two bites at that middle to

444
00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:17,160
the end of the first round apple
to nab someone who could be part of

445
00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:21,200
next season's rotation, which is important. You're not looking for a ten polestar

446
00:30:21,359 --> 00:30:26,440
prospect. They don't have one of
those. RJ. Barrett comes pretty close.

447
00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:27,680
He's their best chance at having one. I do think he's a legitimate

448
00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:30,279
option there. We just need to
see what he looks like with more on

449
00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:34,920
ball reps, as a creator for
himself on off the dribble jumpers, and

450
00:30:36,279 --> 00:30:38,960
as an initiator for others. But
there feels like we could be set up

451
00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:42,839
to see a bunch of action on
Draft night towards the latter end of the

452
00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:45,319
draft. I don't know, looking
at the top, if we'll see as

453
00:30:45,359 --> 00:30:48,200
much. It really that might just
tinge on the Warriors and how aggressive they're

454
00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:51,400
going to be on the trade market, and maybe that's just not something we've

455
00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:55,000
even see until later on in the
off season that develops. But those you

456
00:30:55,039 --> 00:30:56,400
know, at number seven, it's
less of a consensus there, so you

457
00:30:56,400 --> 00:31:00,960
probably want to be making sure that
you're picking for the team you're eventually completing

458
00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:06,319
a trade with. But just teams
that have those multiple first Oklahoma City with

459
00:31:06,359 --> 00:31:11,000
three total, two outside the lottery, the Nicks with two outside the lottery,

460
00:31:11,039 --> 00:31:12,839
the Rockets with three in total and
two outside the lottery, and then

461
00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:17,440
just those contenders, feels like we
might be set up to see a lot

462
00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:19,119
of movement on Draft night, the
type of you can't really see coming,

463
00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:23,160
the deals that are going to come
out of the woodwork. I have talked

464
00:31:23,279 --> 00:31:26,480
enough about this though. If you
have any thoughts about the NBA lottery,

465
00:31:26,519 --> 00:31:30,480
feel three to throw them at Hardwood
Knox on Twitter. I'm at Dana Valley

466
00:31:30,559 --> 00:31:36,000
fav alle Without further delay, though, let's get to talking some New York

467
00:31:36,119 --> 00:31:41,240
Nickabocker's basketball. We're looking at their
off season, talking a little bit about

468
00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:45,079
this season and whether the view of
it has changed after they flamed out unceremoniously

469
00:31:45,119 --> 00:31:51,480
against the Atlanta Hawks in Round one
free agency targets. We're talking a whole

470
00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:53,160
bunch of stuff. RJ. Barretts, Development, Mitchell Robbins, and Julius

471
00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:57,359
Randall. It was really fun.
So let's get to Jonathan MacRae and Andrew

472
00:31:57,400 --> 00:32:04,440
Claudio of Nick's Film School. What
is krack olakin Hardwood Knox listeners, I

473
00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:07,799
am Dan Valley coming at you without
my treacherous co host Adam frommel. I

474
00:32:07,839 --> 00:32:14,480
am, however, super pleased and
excited to be joined by the folks from

475
00:32:14,599 --> 00:32:19,720
Nick's Film School. We have Andrew
Claudio and Jonathan MacRae. You have heard

476
00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:22,799
their Twitter handles in the intro that
I just recorded before we actually dropped this

477
00:32:22,839 --> 00:32:27,440
podcast, So check them out.
On Twitter, and be sure to check

478
00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,680
out the Knicks Film School podcast that
spectacular. I was on it once for

479
00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:34,119
some reason. I think they were
slumming it that day, but it was

480
00:32:34,119 --> 00:32:37,359
a lot of fun. So check
them out YouTube where all your podcast players

481
00:32:37,359 --> 00:32:39,359
are. They have the Nicks Film
School Letter. It is dope as f

482
00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:45,359
gentlemen, How are you doing today? John? You go first, because

483
00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:47,480
this is this is actually pretty funny. I got top billing on this and

484
00:32:47,559 --> 00:32:52,240
John is like the face of the
Knicks Film School podcast. So I mean

485
00:32:52,359 --> 00:32:57,759
I go alphabetical order, like I
have notes here. So Andrew's been coming

486
00:32:57,799 --> 00:33:00,200
for the throne for a while.
I know it's part of his and master

487
00:33:00,319 --> 00:33:06,039
plan. Listen, you watch Stringer
bell I am Marlowe, and that is

488
00:33:06,039 --> 00:33:10,000
a reference. You don't know because
you've never seen the wire. I've read

489
00:33:10,079 --> 00:33:15,440
enough Bill Subman's columns over the over
the years to get the reference. I'm

490
00:33:15,480 --> 00:33:21,279
well, I'm enjoying the off season. It's it's weird that we're so we're

491
00:33:21,319 --> 00:33:23,799
recording this on Lottery Night. It's
very strange for me to sit here and

492
00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:28,480
be like, I don't really care
what happens. But it's it's a good

493
00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:31,400
It's a good. Strange, I'll
say that top billing, Andrew, how

494
00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:36,039
are you doing? I'm good,
I'm good. I echo about lottery night.

495
00:33:36,279 --> 00:33:40,680
That for once I haven't cared whether, like what time is the lottery?

496
00:33:40,720 --> 00:33:45,759
We're not planning any content around the
lottery tonight. You know we're from

497
00:33:45,799 --> 00:33:51,200
two years ago we pretty much shut
down a bar in midtown Manhattan with the

498
00:33:51,319 --> 00:33:55,039
largest capacity crowd that ESPN came because
it was the Zion draft, and just

499
00:33:55,119 --> 00:33:59,759
two years later it I might not
even watch it. It might be driving

500
00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:04,279
all it happens. I'm sure I'll
have interest in it, but it's it's

501
00:34:04,359 --> 00:34:10,119
weirdly an optimistic time for Knicks fans. Among the three to seven listeners we

502
00:34:10,159 --> 00:34:14,440
have, I think two of them
do know that I am like a deatingly

503
00:34:14,519 --> 00:34:16,559
disenchanted Knicks fan. Is how I
classify myself. I do cover the league

504
00:34:16,559 --> 00:34:21,199
at large for a living, but
it's nice to not have any sort of

505
00:34:21,199 --> 00:34:23,760
emotional investment in what happens, because
I like to root for chaos. But

506
00:34:23,760 --> 00:34:27,320
when the Knicks are involved, like, yeah, you want them to get

507
00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:29,199
little Good, you want them to
get Zion, And there's a part of

508
00:34:29,199 --> 00:34:31,519
you that dies inside a little bit
each time when when they don't. So

509
00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:36,880
I'm still gonna watch because I have
to, and also it's fun and I'm

510
00:34:36,920 --> 00:34:39,039
ready for like the scenarios of one
four two teams having like two the top

511
00:34:39,079 --> 00:34:43,440
four picks. Maybe, but I'm
with you two. It's exciting that they're

512
00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:47,480
not in the lottery, but you
know, I feel like there are still

513
00:34:47,519 --> 00:34:52,920
so many questions about their future despite
them like really blowing expectations out of the

514
00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:54,920
water. Where for me personally,
I don't know how you guys feel about

515
00:34:54,920 --> 00:35:00,280
this. The Cinderella nois of this
past season has kind of faded for me

516
00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:04,360
where I think they aren't a much
better position and it feels like there was

517
00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:07,639
this real cultural shift, But I'm
also not fully confident that they're going to

518
00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:12,000
keep bringing this thing in the right
direction. And I'm just curious as to

519
00:35:12,039 --> 00:35:15,440
where you two stand Following everything the
regular season, what happened in the postseason?

520
00:35:15,880 --> 00:35:19,360
Did that the way they flamed out
against the Hawks, the way that

521
00:35:19,440 --> 00:35:22,440
Julius Randall played that changed the way
you feel at all about either one this

522
00:35:22,519 --> 00:35:28,159
season or two their their outlook.
I mean, the Cinderella inness to me

523
00:35:28,320 --> 00:35:36,679
of it was most relevant because as
as the you know, older respect to

524
00:35:36,719 --> 00:35:39,239
the Timberwolves and trying to think,
I guess the Suns for large portions of

525
00:35:39,519 --> 00:35:43,920
the last twenty years, like the
Knicks have been the laughing stock of the

526
00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:50,480
league for two decades, and that
level of stink takes many a shower to

527
00:35:51,280 --> 00:35:55,199
wash off, and this season washed
it off. But that only matters if

528
00:35:55,320 --> 00:36:00,920
you nail the next steps, which
is where we're right now. I think

529
00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:04,920
the the other part of it that
the playoff series kind of dullted, is

530
00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:07,800
like, you know, so,
why do you need to wash off the

531
00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:09,159
stink? You need to wash off
the stink so good players want to come

532
00:36:09,199 --> 00:36:14,119
play for your team, right,
Okay, well that's that's helpful. Not

533
00:36:14,159 --> 00:36:19,360
a great free agent class. Then
you turn to Julius Randall because he's the

534
00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:22,320
one player that I think emerged this
season as like, okay, maybe we

535
00:36:22,440 --> 00:36:25,440
already have that really good player.
And then he went out and over the

536
00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:30,880
course of five games against the Hawks
didn't look so hot. So I think

537
00:36:30,280 --> 00:36:35,119
I don't, like, it hasn't
washed off for me yet, but there's

538
00:36:35,159 --> 00:36:38,719
definitely a possibility that I'm sitting here, what is it, It's end of

539
00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:43,880
June, like two months from now, and like depending on what they do

540
00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:46,239
and free agency, depending on if
they make any big trades. It might

541
00:36:46,280 --> 00:36:52,000
be like not that last season has
like disappeared, but that the long term

542
00:36:52,079 --> 00:36:57,639
ramifications are are maybe more muted than
we felt they would be. Well,

543
00:36:57,639 --> 00:36:59,880
it was happening, probably the best
way I could I could say it.

544
00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:06,760
So it's I'm similar to John and
that I'm curious what they do next,

545
00:37:06,800 --> 00:37:12,320
and that will determine how special this
season was, how much of a change

546
00:37:12,559 --> 00:37:15,719
there actually was, and how permanent
that change is. I just look at

547
00:37:15,719 --> 00:37:21,559
what the Hawks have done over the
past two rounds, and I feel personally

548
00:37:21,679 --> 00:37:24,960
much better that we got a game
in against them. You know, at

549
00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:30,119
a certain point, you know you
have to accept that what the Hawks have

550
00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:36,239
built is actually a model that you
know, you're like a good offseason away

551
00:37:36,480 --> 00:37:39,719
and a few correct draft choices away. And if you look at some of

552
00:37:39,719 --> 00:37:44,719
the other teams with their questions,
the Mavericks, the Sixers, like I

553
00:37:44,719 --> 00:37:50,159
would rather have the Knicks problems of
acquiring stars than we have a guy on

554
00:37:50,199 --> 00:37:52,960
a max contract already that we don't
know what to do with at the moment.

555
00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:58,199
So the Knicks and their flexibility forever
all I've ever wanted them to be,

556
00:37:58,239 --> 00:38:01,360
and John, this has been one
of your calling cards since the beginning.

557
00:38:01,599 --> 00:38:05,239
We just want them to be normal. We don't need them to be

558
00:38:05,559 --> 00:38:09,440
like extraordinary at first. Just have
a season where you're normal and with the

559
00:38:09,480 --> 00:38:14,960
lowest possible payroll. They they were
a fourth seed in the Eastern Conference,

560
00:38:15,039 --> 00:38:21,119
So now you become this free agent
destination just because you're normal. And I

561
00:38:21,159 --> 00:38:25,559
think that'll that'll stem from the success
they had this season and who will want

562
00:38:25,559 --> 00:38:31,840
to be part of that success going
forward. I agree with everything you said,

563
00:38:31,840 --> 00:38:36,199
except I'd probably rather still have Dallases
and the Sixers problems. I'd just

564
00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:39,760
rather have Joel Embiid or Luke Dants. But that's not a problem, is

565
00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:43,599
what I'm saying. But like the
Knicks, with the questions, you still

566
00:38:43,639 --> 00:38:47,039
have to answer. The Knicks at
least have the flexibility that they don't have,

567
00:38:47,239 --> 00:38:51,920
like a glaring problem that you don't
know the solution too. With the

568
00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:54,840
Knicks there are options, whereas your
options are limited when you have a limited

569
00:38:55,480 --> 00:38:59,800
health. And I have no idea
what to call Ben Simmon's problem right now,

570
00:39:00,400 --> 00:39:02,760
like I don't know how to fix
those problems just yet other than prayer,

571
00:39:04,199 --> 00:39:07,719
you know, no, But I
mean, I get what you're saying

572
00:39:07,760 --> 00:39:12,280
then, and I'm kind of with
you because, well, maybe I should

573
00:39:12,280 --> 00:39:15,760
say, despite what we've seen this
postseason, it's still Superstars League. Actually,

574
00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:17,159
no, it's it's not. Despite
what we've seen, Trey Young has

575
00:39:17,199 --> 00:39:22,000
revealed himself to be a superstar.
Jannis, for all of his faults,

576
00:39:22,039 --> 00:39:25,320
is still the two time reigning MVP. Paul George is reminding us that,

577
00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:28,960
hey, he's pretty damn good when
he gets out of his own head.

578
00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:32,039
And then you know Phoenix as booker, and you know Paul will hopefully be

579
00:39:32,039 --> 00:39:35,920
back. But like, it's still
Stars League. All those players I mentioned

580
00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:37,800
or still have a higher ceiling than
anybody on the Knicks right now. They

581
00:39:37,840 --> 00:39:42,039
need to get that guy. It's
just it's easier now for them to get

582
00:39:42,079 --> 00:39:45,960
that guy than it would have been
a year ago. But they still need

583
00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:49,880
to go and do it, you
know. And I think that's probably their

584
00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:54,280
real test in looking at to see
how much they've changed, because this summer

585
00:39:54,519 --> 00:39:59,039
free agency, you're not getting that
guy because he does not exist. Even

586
00:39:59,079 --> 00:40:01,360
if Kawhi Leonard wanted I leave LA, we don't know what that ACL injury

587
00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:05,280
is is right now at this recording
and there's a chance that a good chunk

588
00:40:05,320 --> 00:40:07,440
of his season next year it could
be in jeopardy. And now he's just

589
00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:12,239
had a lot of problems with that
right leg. And are you going to

590
00:40:12,320 --> 00:40:15,480
go out and either maintain your cap
flexibility or you're going to throw these like

591
00:40:15,599 --> 00:40:20,960
largees, you know, offers at
other free agents that are you know,

592
00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:22,559
at second tier at best, but
you get to the third tier of free

593
00:40:22,559 --> 00:40:27,719
agents pretty quickly. And so I'm
jumping around a bit from the outline I

594
00:40:27,719 --> 00:40:30,360
set you, but like what is
like, what do you expect them or

595
00:40:30,440 --> 00:40:34,159
want them to do in free agency? Do you think that this is going

596
00:40:34,239 --> 00:40:37,880
to be a team that's linked to
the sexiest names that are out there,

597
00:40:37,880 --> 00:40:40,000
which is I think Lonzo Ball is
the one that's been linked to them since

598
00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:44,079
before the trade deadline. Or do
you think that they're going to be really

599
00:40:44,119 --> 00:40:47,440
about preserving their powder for twenty twenty
two free agency, which you know that'll

600
00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:51,599
be the last summer before if RJ
signs an extension, that you're working with

601
00:40:51,679 --> 00:40:55,039
a smaller cap hold with him,
and then presumably you have Julius Randall on

602
00:40:55,119 --> 00:41:00,760
his next deal after that summer as
well. I mean, I think they're

603
00:41:00,760 --> 00:41:04,360
gonna I think they will not to
jump to another one of your questions in

604
00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:07,199
the in that line, I think
they're going to sign someone to a multi

605
00:41:07,280 --> 00:41:10,519
year deal this summer, and I
think that that player is going to be

606
00:41:12,440 --> 00:41:16,159
you know, a name guy?
What is a name? Like? There

607
00:41:16,199 --> 00:41:22,079
are names that are out there if
you're at like, here's the thing.

608
00:41:22,159 --> 00:41:25,119
There are so many different ways I
could see them coming out of the summer

609
00:41:25,840 --> 00:41:34,000
improved and improved in a way that
I find palatable. And several of those

610
00:41:34,039 --> 00:41:37,280
ways have nothing to do with one
another. For instance, is there a

611
00:41:37,320 --> 00:41:44,519
world where if they got you know, Kyle Lowry and DeMar de Rosen right

612
00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:49,599
to both accept let's say fair deals, let's say two year deals, right,

613
00:41:49,800 --> 00:41:52,440
maybe a little bit more money than
you'd like to pay, and you

614
00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:55,039
could at least talk yourself into okay, we got two more shock creators on

615
00:41:55,079 --> 00:41:59,199
the roster, including one of them
in a position that we desperately need.

616
00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:05,159
You know, we can maybe score
around and talk ourselves into getting top four

617
00:42:05,199 --> 00:42:08,800
again next year and putting a scary
into somebody and then that being a step

618
00:42:08,920 --> 00:42:13,159
towards like okay, you know,
when the next person requests a trade,

619
00:42:13,400 --> 00:42:15,519
we're more appealing for them to maybe
want to come here and think that they're

620
00:42:15,559 --> 00:42:20,000
like the missing piece. Yeah,
I could talk myself into that. I

621
00:42:20,039 --> 00:42:22,360
could also just again I'm getting added
myself. I could also talk to myself

622
00:42:22,400 --> 00:42:25,119
with the Lonzo Ball despite the fact
that I think Lonzo Ball is the is

623
00:42:25,119 --> 00:42:31,360
the very definition of like a quite
nice players. He's a he's a good,

624
00:42:31,480 --> 00:42:35,920
solid basketball player. Right. Is
he going to change anything for this

625
00:42:35,960 --> 00:42:38,039
franchise? Absolutely not. But he's
young, he could do some stuff.

626
00:42:38,079 --> 00:42:42,519
Maybe he could get better. Is
that a sexy move in my mind?

627
00:42:42,679 --> 00:42:45,559
No? You know, Josh Hart
is another name that, like, you

628
00:42:45,559 --> 00:42:47,119
know, he's got the CIA connection, the whole thing. Like, there

629
00:42:47,119 --> 00:42:51,960
are different ways that they could go. I just think it's really important for

630
00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:55,119
them to not And I've been saying
this for years, well before this season,

631
00:42:55,679 --> 00:43:00,079
don't sign any contracts that box you
win, you know, don't you

632
00:43:00,199 --> 00:43:02,079
the next person to sign that.
I don't know that there is really necessarily

633
00:43:02,079 --> 00:43:06,880
a Kemba Walker contract to be signed
this offseason, or an Al Harford contract

634
00:43:06,960 --> 00:43:08,920
or like some of these terrible deals
we've seen signed, Like, don't sign

635
00:43:08,960 --> 00:43:12,360
that deal. As long as you
don't as long as you don't sign that

636
00:43:12,440 --> 00:43:15,440
deal, I could live with almost
famous last words, I could live with

637
00:43:15,519 --> 00:43:21,920
almost anything else that they did.
One thing that I think we've preached a

638
00:43:21,960 --> 00:43:27,039
lot on our pot is just like
whoever you sign, if it's not like

639
00:43:27,079 --> 00:43:31,639
a Lowry or a Derosian or someone
that you know is is here for like

640
00:43:31,679 --> 00:43:37,239
a win now temporary thing is like
like in Lonzo's case, as long as

641
00:43:37,280 --> 00:43:43,840
the contract is tradeable, then I
can't really argue that it's a bad contract.

642
00:43:43,920 --> 00:43:47,519
It's it's the reports out there of
like four for a hundred that were

643
00:43:47,639 --> 00:43:53,000
ridiculous that I would that would be
a bad move. And I this might

644
00:43:53,039 --> 00:43:58,920
just be from going I mean,
Dan, you're a Knicks fan, so

645
00:43:59,079 --> 00:44:04,039
you'll understand this. But also as
a Mets fan, I understand what incompetence

646
00:44:04,079 --> 00:44:07,280
looks like. Just having a front
office that seems to know what they're doing

647
00:44:07,440 --> 00:44:12,880
and walked away from Gordon Hayward when
the price got too high, walked away

648
00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:16,719
from other potential trades or free agent
signings, but when the cost got too

649
00:44:16,760 --> 00:44:22,880
high, like having the structure in
place. They kind of have my full

650
00:44:23,159 --> 00:44:28,079
trust on this, And like John
said, if it was Lowry and de

651
00:44:28,199 --> 00:44:31,000
Rosen and we're just getting the twenty
seventeen Raptors back together. Awesome if they

652
00:44:31,039 --> 00:44:36,639
do pull the trigger on a superstar
thing and go after Dame or one of

653
00:44:36,679 --> 00:44:39,440
these other big stars, that forces
their way to the Knicks. And that's

654
00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:45,480
that's an element of this that I've
been thinking of as far as like do

655
00:44:45,679 --> 00:44:50,360
I see whether it fits or not. The Heat had no cap space and

656
00:44:50,480 --> 00:44:53,760
no ways to acquire a star,
and Jimmy Butler just found his way to

657
00:44:53,920 --> 00:44:57,480
the Miami Heat. If a guy
wants to come play in New York,

658
00:44:57,639 --> 00:45:00,679
he will end up on the Knicks. Like that is as how this league

659
00:45:00,679 --> 00:45:05,360
works. The players control everything,
and it's why I have much more confidence

660
00:45:05,400 --> 00:45:08,079
now that they have this front office
in place, especially more than I did

661
00:45:08,159 --> 00:45:12,400
two years ago, the last time
we had a big off season full of

662
00:45:12,480 --> 00:45:19,320
stars moving places. I agree with
the I'm a big fan of create cap

663
00:45:19,320 --> 00:45:22,119
space when you need it, like
you know, especially if you're a team

664
00:45:22,159 --> 00:45:23,960
that still wants to be good.
Where I might waiver on the faith in

665
00:45:23,960 --> 00:45:27,880
the front office is if you like
the decisions they made last summer and the

666
00:45:27,920 --> 00:45:30,679
extent to which they were involved with
Gordon Hayward was worrisome to me to begin

667
00:45:30,719 --> 00:45:34,440
with, but they did walk away. Think it's a lot easier to do

668
00:45:34,480 --> 00:45:37,239
that when you're coming off a season
in which you won at a you know,

669
00:45:37,599 --> 00:45:42,039
twenty five wind pace versus a forty
seven wind pace or eight forty eight

670
00:45:42,039 --> 00:45:44,519
win Page wherever they were at this
year, they've had that like taste of

671
00:45:44,519 --> 00:45:49,000
success, and I worry about TIBs
like barking in the front office's ear about

672
00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:52,039
wanting more talent there. That being
said, I think it's I would spend

673
00:45:52,119 --> 00:45:54,840
multi year money on a guy like
a Josh Hart, whether it's plug in

674
00:45:54,920 --> 00:45:59,159
play, helps you on defense,
helps you space the floor. I do

675
00:45:59,239 --> 00:46:01,400
want to ask you about quick before
I ask what would be your ideal targets

676
00:46:01,480 --> 00:46:06,199
for outside of Alonzo? What is
like the you mentioned four in a hundred.

677
00:46:06,559 --> 00:46:09,000
I think he's very likely going to
get at least four and like eighty

678
00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:12,599
four. I feel like he's he
going to be his minimum. Is that

679
00:46:12,639 --> 00:46:15,880
money you're willing to give him?
Knowing what you know, I think he's

680
00:46:15,880 --> 00:46:19,119
become more plug and play on offense
than people give him credit for. I

681
00:46:19,159 --> 00:46:22,639
don't see the ability for him to
drive in actual offense. He just doesn't

682
00:46:22,719 --> 00:46:24,960
have that half court. I don't
want to say feel, but that attack

683
00:46:25,000 --> 00:46:29,639
mode. He's just can't shoot on
drives. He's not going to run pick

684
00:46:29,679 --> 00:46:32,119
and roll, and this team needs
that. We saw how important Derek Rose

685
00:46:32,280 --> 00:46:36,800
was to them this season, which
look fantastic. But the fact that you

686
00:46:36,880 --> 00:46:39,960
needed Derek Rose to be that good
in the year of twenty twenty one,

687
00:46:40,119 --> 00:46:43,079
you know, that scares the hell
out of me. And so I'm just

688
00:46:43,079 --> 00:46:45,880
curious as to what would be your
walk away price with Alonzo Ball or do

689
00:46:45,920 --> 00:46:47,679
you just not even if you had
your drugs, do you just not even

690
00:46:47,679 --> 00:46:52,599
think that that should be someone who's
close to the top of their free agency

691
00:46:52,599 --> 00:46:58,880
list. It's such a tough question
to answer because if he's not at the

692
00:46:58,920 --> 00:47:02,719
top of their free agents list,
who should be? And if you're gonna

693
00:47:02,760 --> 00:47:07,079
and then you're gonna ask, okay, well, if it's somebody else,

694
00:47:07,119 --> 00:47:09,880
well what are they getting. It's
like, all things being equal, would

695
00:47:09,880 --> 00:47:15,320
I rather spend four years and eighty
four million dollars on lonz of Ball or

696
00:47:15,440 --> 00:47:19,960
Spencer Dinwoody four years and eighty four
million on and not saying that these guys

697
00:47:19,960 --> 00:47:22,719
are necessarily in the same price range, but like, you know, Norm

698
00:47:22,760 --> 00:47:25,679
Powell is another guy, And then
you talk about some of the older guys,

699
00:47:25,679 --> 00:47:30,639
Like, I completely agree with everything
you said on Lonzo. We're completely

700
00:47:30,679 --> 00:47:34,960
on the same page as what kind
of player he is. I think there

701
00:47:35,079 --> 00:47:42,400
is still maybe some shooting upside there, and I wonder if there's a little

702
00:47:42,400 --> 00:47:45,599
bit of pick and roll upside as
well. I mean, it's funny to

703
00:47:45,599 --> 00:47:49,400
say that about a player who is
now entering his fifth season, like you

704
00:47:49,440 --> 00:47:53,119
should know what this player is already. At the same time, he spent

705
00:47:53,199 --> 00:47:55,719
a second year in the league on
the same team as Lebron James, and

706
00:47:55,719 --> 00:47:59,400
he spent his last few years in
the league on the same team as Brandon

707
00:47:59,519 --> 00:48:02,960
Ingram and Zion Williamson. And obviously
he was with Ingram, you know before

708
00:48:04,000 --> 00:48:08,280
that in LA. I guess if
if some coach like Tibbs came to him

709
00:48:08,320 --> 00:48:13,639
and like, look, I need
you to do more stuff, Like what

710
00:48:14,239 --> 00:48:17,840
can he do it? I don't
I at while I while I on one

711
00:48:17,880 --> 00:48:22,119
hand feel like maybe that's not necessarily
what he wants to do, I'm also

712
00:48:22,199 --> 00:48:27,360
not willing to say that he can't
do a little bit more So I guess

713
00:48:27,840 --> 00:48:30,440
it's funny, man, I'm not
in love Alonzo, And at the same

714
00:48:30,480 --> 00:48:32,400
time, I'm like I like Dinwitty, like Didnwitt, He's kind of always

715
00:48:32,400 --> 00:48:36,239
been my guy. I have a
big fantas mencra Denwitty. The injury is

716
00:48:36,239 --> 00:48:38,360
what the injury is. You know, hopefully he'll be all right. But

717
00:48:38,440 --> 00:48:43,480
again it's like, Okay, you're
gonna sign a guard who we know can't

718
00:48:43,480 --> 00:48:46,039
really shoot. That's great for the
regular I think they'd be fine in the

719
00:48:46,079 --> 00:48:50,000
regular season with Spencer Dinwitty and maybe
even a little bit in the playoffs.

720
00:48:50,000 --> 00:48:52,199
But I think we're seeing that in
the playoffs. It's like defenses will figure

721
00:48:52,199 --> 00:48:55,960
out a way to make that weakness, you know, like exploit it in

722
00:48:57,039 --> 00:49:00,400
a large way. So how many
years do you do you give that guy?

723
00:49:00,480 --> 00:49:06,719
How contracted, how how tradable is
that contract, like the at least

724
00:49:06,719 --> 00:49:08,880
one? So I know, if
we sign him, I'm pretty sure he's

725
00:49:08,880 --> 00:49:12,599
always going to be an asset as
long as it's not too much higher than

726
00:49:12,599 --> 00:49:15,760
the number you said. So that's
kind of my take on my lukewarm take

727
00:49:15,800 --> 00:49:20,639
on Lonzo. So there's two sides
to this for me. One is the

728
00:49:20,679 --> 00:49:24,599
restricted free agency part of this,
and the recent article in The Athletic I

729
00:49:25,400 --> 00:49:29,239
four for eighty four. Yeah,
I think i'd learned to live with it.

730
00:49:29,320 --> 00:49:34,039
I'd talked myself into like I talked
to myself in such a ringing endorsement.

731
00:49:35,119 --> 00:49:37,159
If he's productive, then I'll like
I'll figure out a way to be

732
00:49:37,239 --> 00:49:42,440
like Okay, Like, who else
are they gonna pay they improved the team.

733
00:49:42,559 --> 00:49:45,159
I just think they're going to have
to overpay for him because of what

734
00:49:46,159 --> 00:49:50,599
Zion has said, Like they're gonna
need to try and keep him happy while

735
00:49:50,599 --> 00:49:52,719
he's in New Orleans, and by
all accounts, he would like to have

736
00:49:52,800 --> 00:49:57,480
Lonzo Ball on the team. So
if four for eighty four ends up being

737
00:49:57,480 --> 00:50:01,440
the number and they get him for
that, I'll live with I there's a

738
00:50:01,480 --> 00:50:07,599
second part of this that like the
worst thing that happened to the Knicks in

739
00:50:07,639 --> 00:50:12,519
the playoffs was like seeing how Reggie
Bullock couldn't take advantage of Trey Young.

740
00:50:12,920 --> 00:50:15,559
And now every Knicks fan is like, we need a guy that could take

741
00:50:15,559 --> 00:50:16,800
elated for Trey Young, we need
a guy that could dribble. And it's

742
00:50:16,840 --> 00:50:21,760
like, or you play a different
team in the playoffs next year, and

743
00:50:21,880 --> 00:50:25,400
Lonzo's actually helpful in that series.
You shouldn't just look to beat that one

744
00:50:25,519 --> 00:50:30,360
team and that every year you're gonna
have the same type of playoff series.

745
00:50:30,400 --> 00:50:34,480
And I think Lonzo, if you
look at him as a replacement for Bullock

746
00:50:34,519 --> 00:50:37,480
and not your point guard of the
future, that's actually a productive Like he's

747
00:50:37,519 --> 00:50:43,480
a solid perimeter defender, he's a
solid passer if you're looking at him as

748
00:50:43,679 --> 00:50:46,239
of somewhat of a combo of what
you got from Alec Burks. So I

749
00:50:46,239 --> 00:50:51,800
think Alec Burks is much more dynamic
offensively, and then a replacement for Reggie

750
00:50:51,840 --> 00:50:54,800
Buller as a shooter like Lonzo's up
the thirty eight percent from three, I

751
00:50:54,800 --> 00:50:58,639
don't see how that's a problem.
And then you can still go shopping for

752
00:50:58,719 --> 00:51:01,360
a point guard. So I'm as
far as the number is concerned with Lonzo,

753
00:51:02,440 --> 00:51:06,960
I think whatever the Knicks offer,
the Pelicans will match anyway just to

754
00:51:07,039 --> 00:51:10,960
keep him happy happy, unless they
get ridiculous with it. So four for

755
00:51:12,079 --> 00:51:15,440
eighty four, to get back to
answering your question, would be the number.

756
00:51:15,719 --> 00:51:19,920
And I'm curious to see if that
even gets it done. Yeah,

757
00:51:20,000 --> 00:51:22,760
I'm anyone who listens to this podcast
knows I'm like a big fan of sabotaging

758
00:51:22,840 --> 00:51:25,800
other teams, So I would if
you think the Pelicans are gonna match you

759
00:51:25,840 --> 00:51:30,480
throw out like the close to max
offer sheet and you just you fuck with

760
00:51:30,519 --> 00:51:32,159
their cap sheet. That's a big
fan of doing that. I love that

761
00:51:32,239 --> 00:51:36,960
Jannis waited for every team to go
through the free agency process last year before

762
00:51:36,960 --> 00:51:39,800
signing a Supermax and that really screwed
over Miami. Love it. I love

763
00:51:39,840 --> 00:51:45,320
that type of gamesmanship Lonzo. I
think though, for them at I like

764
00:51:45,400 --> 00:51:47,559
what Tims could do with him defensively, because I don't think right now you

765
00:51:47,599 --> 00:51:51,239
look at him as the one,
like a good one on one defender and

766
00:51:51,360 --> 00:51:54,159
just like kind of looking at what
happened with Randall and how like much smarter

767
00:51:54,320 --> 00:51:57,840
RJ. Barrett seemed in your two
as a defender, and even what they

768
00:51:57,880 --> 00:52:00,360
got out of Bullock, like the
breadth of it assignments that Bullock covered this

769
00:52:00,440 --> 00:52:05,800
year was just incredible. I would
be excited to see Lonzo ball defensively.

770
00:52:05,880 --> 00:52:09,199
I don't think he's a good fit
for the offense unless you think signing him

771
00:52:09,400 --> 00:52:13,599
infers that the Knicks are actually going
to run, because that's where Lonzo ball,

772
00:52:13,639 --> 00:52:15,360
and that's why you can maybe get
excited about it. But because of

773
00:52:15,440 --> 00:52:19,760
this, like I don't know that
the dynamics are perfect or that we could

774
00:52:19,760 --> 00:52:22,719
read into what his signing would mean
if it goes beyond what I think it's

775
00:52:22,760 --> 00:52:27,760
going to be like that average annual
twenty one million dollars a year. That's

776
00:52:27,800 --> 00:52:30,679
my walk away point as a fan. I want Lonzo Ball to get all

777
00:52:30,719 --> 00:52:32,320
the money in the world. Big
fans of players getting paid that seems his

778
00:52:32,400 --> 00:52:37,159
expense. I don't care about billionaire
pockets, but for the Knicks offense specifically,

779
00:52:37,159 --> 00:52:39,159
there are too many questions about his
fit. Aside from the shooting.

780
00:52:39,159 --> 00:52:43,639
It's it's wild. You know,
John mentioned this, what his shooting's up

781
00:52:43,639 --> 00:52:45,639
to five years into his career.
What the biggest concern was for him coming

782
00:52:45,639 --> 00:52:50,239
in was that jumper. I don't
even care about that. It's whatever you

783
00:52:50,239 --> 00:52:52,960
want to say about the form,
how much has changed, how wanky it

784
00:52:52,000 --> 00:52:55,119
still looks. His shooting is not
the issue. It's when you put the

785
00:52:55,119 --> 00:52:58,400
ball in his hands, or if
you need to put the ball in his

786
00:52:58,480 --> 00:53:00,960
hands. I don't know enough about
how the Knicks will adjust their offense with

787
00:53:01,039 --> 00:53:04,760
him to think, yeah, you
know what, just go in and be

788
00:53:04,840 --> 00:53:07,320
the team with the most aggressive offers
sheep, because he will help you.

789
00:53:07,159 --> 00:53:12,559
I also want to see if they
do sign if he's a guy like he's

790
00:53:12,599 --> 00:53:15,880
a really smart basketball player. He's
a smart cutter. He finds cutters,

791
00:53:15,880 --> 00:53:17,840
Like that's a nice thing. Like
you have RJ Barrett already. R J

792
00:53:19,000 --> 00:53:22,000
Barrett. I feel like not he's
been wasted for two years. But he's

793
00:53:22,000 --> 00:53:25,159
a guy that like likes the duck
in for for cuts and whatnot. And

794
00:53:25,280 --> 00:53:30,000
I feel like they have not at
all built a team that is good at

795
00:53:30,039 --> 00:53:34,400
like that type of stuff. So
if you get Lonzo and he's one more

796
00:53:34,480 --> 00:53:36,719
piece, like do you like because
you have a lot of money to spend,

797
00:53:36,800 --> 00:53:39,639
you get another guy in the offense
who could maybe facilitate that that sort

798
00:53:39,639 --> 00:53:44,360
of you know, I don't know
what you'd want to call that, smarter

799
00:53:44,519 --> 00:53:47,400
offense, opportunistic offense, but that's
just not how they played it all this

800
00:53:47,480 --> 00:53:51,079
year. So, like to your
point, it's just tough to it's tough

801
00:53:51,119 --> 00:53:53,559
to see how it would it would
look on the Knicks next year. It

802
00:53:53,599 --> 00:53:58,039
all goes back to me for who
the point guard is. I think Lonzo

803
00:53:59,000 --> 00:54:04,719
next to brand to Eric Bledsoe looked
average, which is you know, props

804
00:54:04,719 --> 00:54:07,079
to him or even being able to
look at everage. I think if you

805
00:54:07,119 --> 00:54:10,719
put him next to a better point
guard that I mean you sent. You

806
00:54:10,760 --> 00:54:15,079
mentioned how Lonzo looks looks in the
offense with the Knicks. I have no

807
00:54:15,119 --> 00:54:16,960
idea what the Knicks offense is.
A lot of it was just Randall do

808
00:54:17,119 --> 00:54:21,239
stuff, Derek Rose do stuff.
Hit a bunch of threes, and for

809
00:54:21,320 --> 00:54:23,920
like two months they did. So
that's how they ended up as the four

810
00:54:24,000 --> 00:54:28,400
seed. I'm curious to see who
the point guard is next to Lonzo,

811
00:54:28,559 --> 00:54:32,840
and I'm trusting that the higher the
powers that be that are much smarter than

812
00:54:32,880 --> 00:54:37,039
me also see that when it comes
to evaluating what he is. If they

813
00:54:37,039 --> 00:54:39,400
were to try and ad him to
this roster, I guess that's where I

814
00:54:39,440 --> 00:54:43,840
diverge is if you have to pay
him that much money and still need a

815
00:54:43,840 --> 00:54:45,480
point guard, like you're just not
set up to pay him right now.

816
00:54:45,559 --> 00:54:49,800
There's there are certain there are certain
teams, fine, but I think are

817
00:54:50,480 --> 00:54:54,159
is there And I'll preface this with
mine. I think it's been people I've

818
00:54:54,199 --> 00:54:57,599
talked to. They think it's a
wildly unpopular theory. But I'm a big

819
00:54:57,639 --> 00:55:00,440
fan of keeping things fluid in New
York because I don't know, you know,

820
00:55:00,440 --> 00:55:02,079
if you give out four year deals
to a guy like Lonzo I don't

821
00:55:02,119 --> 00:55:05,800
think it's the end of the world, but I just don't know enough about

822
00:55:05,800 --> 00:55:08,559
what these knicks are gonna do long
term. I'd like to see them just

823
00:55:08,639 --> 00:55:12,719
throw a two year max at Kyle
Lowry and see what happens two years.

824
00:55:12,800 --> 00:55:15,159
I think it's like a little bit
over eighty MILLIONED amounts too. That's a

825
00:55:15,159 --> 00:55:20,480
ton of money that he's not doing
it. Maybe someone gives him three ninety,

826
00:55:20,920 --> 00:55:27,519
but I just think that this is
I'm sorry, weird notifications just popped

827
00:55:27,599 --> 00:55:29,800
up on my screen. That's tripped
me up. But that would be the

828
00:55:29,880 --> 00:55:31,280
route I'd like to see them go
because it's an overpay, but it's such

829
00:55:31,280 --> 00:55:36,559
a smart player who gives you a
lot of what you need and you do

830
00:55:36,679 --> 00:55:38,719
keep things fluid. Where in two
years, when RJ. Barrett's next contract

831
00:55:38,760 --> 00:55:42,960
starts, when Randall's in you know, year two or year one of his

832
00:55:43,000 --> 00:55:45,039
next contract, whatever it's gonna be, you still in position to change up

833
00:55:45,119 --> 00:55:49,679
some things where I do think if
you went aggressively after a Alonzo ball,

834
00:55:49,760 --> 00:55:52,519
or maybe they just don't want to
go aggressively after anyone, you might be

835
00:55:52,559 --> 00:55:55,360
pigeonholed into something else. But I'm
just curious is to alternatively, what's your

836
00:55:55,480 --> 00:55:58,440
you know, one or two free
agents? And I'll start with you.

837
00:55:58,559 --> 00:56:00,320
Let's start with to Andrew first.
This time, is there like a guy

838
00:56:00,400 --> 00:56:04,800
out there that you're really hoping to
see them go after? You said the

839
00:56:04,840 --> 00:56:07,639
guy Lowry, I don't know about
two for eighty. You wouldn't just give

840
00:56:07,679 --> 00:56:12,679
him a two year max? And
it's like, then that's your move though,

841
00:56:12,719 --> 00:56:15,519
because then what else are you doing
to improve the team? Like the

842
00:56:15,639 --> 00:56:19,119
roster you want is not one that
just is going to be the four seed.

843
00:56:19,159 --> 00:56:22,199
You want to be able to see
a path for this team to get

844
00:56:22,199 --> 00:56:25,840
better. There's also and this is
where him getting two for like sixty two

845
00:56:25,840 --> 00:56:31,199
for fifty even would be the path
because you'd like to think that like r

846
00:56:31,239 --> 00:56:34,880
J. Barrett's gonna take a step, and Manuel quickly is gonna take a

847
00:56:34,920 --> 00:56:38,440
step. You want like the perfect
scenario for me is Derek Rose comes back,

848
00:56:38,559 --> 00:56:43,719
Lucaville does is the real deal and
then quickly takes more of a more

849
00:56:43,719 --> 00:56:46,159
prominent role in the offense. I
have no idea if Tims would ever trust

850
00:56:46,159 --> 00:56:50,920
the keys to the car to a
twenty two year old like that, but

851
00:56:52,719 --> 00:56:55,800
if are you is that what you're
thinking Lowry will command like two for eighty

852
00:56:55,840 --> 00:56:59,880
over two years or that what you
think the Nick should do. I think

853
00:57:00,039 --> 00:57:01,840
try and for him to go to
a team US here. I think for

854
00:57:01,920 --> 00:57:06,079
him to go to a team that's
a fringe contender, not an actual contender.

855
00:57:06,719 --> 00:57:08,639
I think that's the type like you
need to blow other if it doesn't

856
00:57:08,639 --> 00:57:12,320
take that much, no it don't
give it. But if you you know,

857
00:57:12,320 --> 00:57:15,000
if he prefers the heat or sign
and trade with the Sixers, and

858
00:57:15,000 --> 00:57:19,239
they're probably gonna be teams that are
dangling the third year, which is I

859
00:57:19,239 --> 00:57:23,199
guess at a lower average annual value
is fine, but like then you're in

860
00:57:23,239 --> 00:57:28,000
the process of if they're offering let's
say three and seventy five or three and

861
00:57:28,039 --> 00:57:30,639
eighty, because I do think that
he could get to I think he's gonna

862
00:57:30,639 --> 00:57:31,920
take at least twenty million a year. You don't have to blow those offers

863
00:57:31,920 --> 00:57:36,039
out of the water. And I'd
rather deal with a two year max cap

864
00:57:36,079 --> 00:57:38,280
it. If I'm the Knicks,
then like a three year one at twenty

865
00:57:38,280 --> 00:57:42,639
five or more million dollars. Then
I don't know how popular this is,

866
00:57:42,760 --> 00:57:46,480
but especially after the injury concerns we've
seen in the playoffs, but if you're

867
00:57:46,519 --> 00:57:51,039
gonna throw forty million a year at
somebody and that's the plan, it's Chris

868
00:57:51,039 --> 00:57:54,079
Paul. Like, I'd rather bring
the point guide in here and have him

869
00:57:54,119 --> 00:57:59,199
play in New York with his former
agents. And that's like, why can't

870
00:57:59,199 --> 00:58:01,239
the Knicks be what the Suns were
this year? Probably because Devin Booker isn't

871
00:58:01,239 --> 00:58:05,960
on the Knicks, But the point
is, why can't he elevate the ceiling

872
00:58:06,039 --> 00:58:08,000
of the Knicks? Is the way
he's done every single team he's ever been

873
00:58:08,039 --> 00:58:13,679
on. I almost wonder, Oh, look, I'm not saying Kyle Lowry

874
00:58:13,760 --> 00:58:16,360
is Chris Paul, but I do
think this past year, with what happened

875
00:58:16,400 --> 00:58:21,920
to the Raptors, I mean I
don't. I felt like I personally didn't

876
00:58:21,960 --> 00:58:25,280
pay enough attention to the fact that
they were playing in a city that was

877
00:58:25,360 --> 00:58:29,719
how many whatever in Tampa, Yeah, two thousand miles away or whatever it

878
00:58:29,760 --> 00:58:32,360
is from from a thousand I don't. My geography is stterable, but like,

879
00:58:32,800 --> 00:58:37,480
they clearly had the season from hell, and if you look at how

880
00:58:37,480 --> 00:58:42,079
they operated down the stretch of their
season, they're organizationally they were fine with

881
00:58:42,199 --> 00:58:44,639
like, let's we're just gonna like
try to get as good a pick as

882
00:58:44,639 --> 00:58:47,239
we can and wipe our hands of
this thing. I think it's caused us

883
00:58:47,239 --> 00:58:52,599
to maybe not not forget what Kyle
Lowry is. But like if you would

884
00:58:52,599 --> 00:58:57,039
have said before the season, if
you would have asked the like Chris Paul

885
00:58:57,199 --> 00:59:01,039
or Kyle Lowry question for you know, who would you rather give, you

886
00:59:01,079 --> 00:59:06,840
know, three guaranteed years to following
this season? I think, you know,

887
00:59:07,079 --> 00:59:08,559
based on maybe some of the injury
stuff with Paul, you would have

888
00:59:08,559 --> 00:59:12,639
at least thought, like had had
a discussion with yourself in your head,

889
00:59:12,639 --> 00:59:15,679
you probably still pick Paul. And
now obviously Paul has led the Sons to

890
00:59:15,679 --> 00:59:17,599
the conference finals and Lowry didn't even
make the playoffs. Like, if I

891
00:59:17,639 --> 00:59:21,960
could get Lowry for for two for
like fifty five, which is what personally

892
00:59:22,000 --> 00:59:27,519
I think you can get him for
in New York, maybe two for sixty,

893
00:59:27,559 --> 00:59:32,400
that that elevates your ceiling I think, so much more than any other

894
00:59:32,519 --> 00:59:37,960
single free agent signing you could make
this summer. And then if you could

895
00:59:37,960 --> 00:59:44,800
just add like one more semi dynamic
piece, even if it's like maybe potentially

896
00:59:44,840 --> 00:59:46,639
through the draft. I don't know
who that other piece is. Maybe it's

897
00:59:46,719 --> 00:59:52,960
Josh Hartt, you know, speaking
of things that were recently set on podcasts,

898
00:59:52,880 --> 00:59:55,119
But like, yeah, i'd be
cool with Kyle Larry. I love

899
00:59:55,159 --> 00:59:58,880
Kyle Lowry. Kayle Lowry, Like
how many times last year we're re all

900
00:59:58,920 --> 01:00:01,079
sitting here and we're like, if
the Knicks had a real point guard,

901
01:00:01,119 --> 01:00:05,800
they'd be a fifty win team.
That's the thing about Lonzo that I think

902
01:00:05,840 --> 01:00:10,280
also gets lost is literally, anybody
but number six is an upgrade over what

903
01:00:10,320 --> 01:00:15,760
the Knicks have. So as a
result, I think Lonzo for four for

904
01:00:15,840 --> 01:00:19,760
eighty four, it's like, well
he's not number six, can't be the

905
01:00:19,760 --> 01:00:23,000
evaluation of why you do it,
because like John isn't number six, And

906
01:00:23,000 --> 01:00:25,639
there were moments where I think you
could have put up, if not better,

907
01:00:25,679 --> 01:00:31,440
at least the same production as number
six last year. Yeah, when

908
01:00:31,440 --> 01:00:35,239
you look at their own free agents, and I think this is probably something

909
01:00:35,280 --> 01:00:38,079
that's just undercovered about them. Everyone
assumes they have all this cap space and

910
01:00:38,239 --> 01:00:42,199
like they do, and the cap
holds on these guys aren't huge, but

911
01:00:42,239 --> 01:00:45,239
you do have I would say,
two fairly important free agents in Alec Burks

912
01:00:45,239 --> 01:00:47,920
and Norlands. No, well you
don't have bird rights on It's like that's

913
01:00:47,960 --> 01:00:51,519
going up based off what they were
paid this year. It's gonna probably take

914
01:00:51,519 --> 01:00:54,400
cap space if you want to resign
them. You also have Reggie bullocky of

915
01:00:54,440 --> 01:00:59,599
early bird rights on him. I
think he gets the full MLI from somebody,

916
01:00:59,639 --> 01:01:01,039
which then lead me to believe that
they're gonna have to use cap space

917
01:01:01,119 --> 01:01:05,599
to resign him too. You do
have Derek Rose, which he's gonna command

918
01:01:05,679 --> 01:01:09,960
less than his cap hold or maybe
right around his cap hold. But is

919
01:01:10,000 --> 01:01:14,599
there of that group of their own
free agents, who do you, John

920
01:01:14,719 --> 01:01:21,519
View, is the most must keep. I will preface this answer by saying

921
01:01:21,679 --> 01:01:27,000
it obviously it depends on what else
they do, but on on the surface,

922
01:01:27,000 --> 01:01:30,079
it's it's obviously Derek Rose. He
was If they didn't have Derek Rose

923
01:01:30,119 --> 01:01:34,800
in these playoffs, they would have
gotten swept and with an average margin of

924
01:01:34,880 --> 01:01:37,039
defeat by I don't know, twenty
points. He was the only thing that

925
01:01:37,079 --> 01:01:40,960
was keeping them in all out of
those games and he was there. I

926
01:01:40,960 --> 01:01:44,000
mean, if you look at the
on off numbers, he had the best

927
01:01:44,039 --> 01:01:51,000
on off numbers of of you know
last year. He is so important to

928
01:01:51,039 --> 01:01:54,559
everything they that they did in terms
of juicing the offense, like the difference

929
01:01:54,599 --> 01:01:59,239
between the first half of the season
and the second half of the season was

930
01:02:00,079 --> 01:02:02,639
they like there were so many times, you know, over the first like

931
01:02:02,679 --> 01:02:07,159
forty games or so where you just
like, how is this team scoring another

932
01:02:07,239 --> 01:02:10,800
bucket? Like with all the respect
to Julius Randol, and then Rose kind

933
01:02:10,840 --> 01:02:16,400
of helps solve that problem. That
said, if they signed Kyle Lowry,

934
01:02:17,519 --> 01:02:22,360
does Derek Rose become as essential?
Well, Lowry plays thirty minutes at night,

935
01:02:22,400 --> 01:02:25,199
you figure Emmanuel quickly they're going to
give him maybe a little bit more

936
01:02:25,599 --> 01:02:30,480
ball handling duties. Like, so
Derek Rose is is the answer right now?

937
01:02:30,599 --> 01:02:35,239
I think between Burkes and Bullock,
I'm also a Bullock guy first and

938
01:02:35,239 --> 01:02:37,719
foremost. I think there's a lot
of fans out there who feel like Burks

939
01:02:37,719 --> 01:02:39,280
is more important because he could put
the ball on the floor, he could

940
01:02:39,280 --> 01:02:45,840
play point guard on a pinch.
But I am not reading too much into

941
01:02:45,880 --> 01:02:50,559
the Atlanta series. I like Reggie
Bullock was massively important to this team this

942
01:02:50,639 --> 01:02:53,800
year. And his shooting and it's
not just like you look at a shooting

943
01:02:53,840 --> 01:03:00,280
percentage and whatever it is. It's
like it's a quick release and he's not

944
01:03:00,280 --> 01:03:04,960
a movement shooter, but he also
relocates and he's like he's he really when

945
01:03:05,000 --> 01:03:08,159
he was going, that's what brought
their offense to another level, almost as

946
01:03:08,199 --> 01:03:12,920
much as anybody else on the team. Noell, I don't think they need

947
01:03:12,960 --> 01:03:15,960
to bring back, to be honest
with you. You know, Perks will

948
01:03:15,960 --> 01:03:17,480
see what else they do. But
like I thought Burks was really important for

949
01:03:17,519 --> 01:03:22,639
them too. But will yeah Rose
than than Bullet. It's the easy answer

950
01:03:22,719 --> 01:03:30,119
is that I think I'm just not
interested in telling me how irreplaceable a center

951
01:03:30,559 --> 01:03:34,679
is in twenty twenty one. I
think Mitchell Robinson coming back is an option

952
01:03:34,760 --> 01:03:38,199
Tosh Gibson, I honestly put as
a more important free agent than oh Tash.

953
01:03:38,480 --> 01:03:44,320
Yes, I would rather have him
back as the backup center or is

954
01:03:44,559 --> 01:03:47,239
in like the third center on this
team. And who knows what they do

955
01:03:47,239 --> 01:03:52,559
in the draft, if it's you
know, getting someone that can be a

956
01:03:52,639 --> 01:03:57,599
backup center to Mitchell Robinson, who
will inevitably end up playing important minutes because

957
01:03:57,639 --> 01:04:04,159
Mitchell Robinson just cannot stay on court
unfortunately. I would hope that Emmanuel quickly

958
01:04:04,199 --> 01:04:11,000
evolves into what we got from Alec
Burke's this year. Your hope is that

959
01:04:11,159 --> 01:04:15,719
he's your spark off the bench that
gives you that type of instant offense.

960
01:04:15,760 --> 01:04:24,079
We'll see if these new rules about
unnatural shooting motions affects Quickly's production next year.

961
01:04:24,159 --> 01:04:30,800
But yeah, I Derek ros of
those four or five is clearly number

962
01:04:30,840 --> 01:04:34,920
one. Plus you want to talk
about affordable contracts, I think if Tibbs

963
01:04:34,960 --> 01:04:39,719
came to him and said one hundred
grand, but like you get to play

964
01:04:39,760 --> 01:04:43,480
with me, he would consider it
at least. So as far as I'm

965
01:04:43,519 --> 01:04:48,679
concerned, Derrick Rose one Bullock two
just defensively and how hot streaky he was

966
01:04:48,719 --> 01:04:53,559
throughout the season, you want him
back. And then like the other part

967
01:04:53,559 --> 01:04:58,519
of nos Noel is And this might
just be wishful thinking for me, I

968
01:04:58,519 --> 01:05:00,599
would like to see Obe Top play
some minutes at the five, So that's

969
01:05:00,599 --> 01:05:05,480
another person that can replace Neurland's Noel
in the rotation if As as far as

970
01:05:05,920 --> 01:05:12,320
options for the NIXT going forward,
I agree that centers are eminently replaceable.

971
01:05:12,400 --> 01:05:15,400
But given the injury Mitchell Robinson's coming
back from, and I'd be curious to

972
01:05:15,440 --> 01:05:19,079
see what topping at the five lineups
like, look like, who's your four

973
01:05:19,599 --> 01:05:24,559
in that situation? Like That's the
tough part is I'm also don't trust tips

974
01:05:24,599 --> 01:05:28,679
to actually play topping at the five. I'm just hoping there's a world where

975
01:05:28,679 --> 01:05:30,559
he's like, oh wow, our
most athletic player in the playoffs. We

976
01:05:30,599 --> 01:05:33,760
should have him on the court more
often than he isn't. Yeah, I

977
01:05:33,760 --> 01:05:36,679
mean, look, he played night
and day when you look like the last

978
01:05:36,840 --> 01:05:39,679
like, I don't know, a
few weeks months of the season, like

979
01:05:39,679 --> 01:05:42,400
he just looked like a player who
understood how to play in the NBA.

980
01:05:42,519 --> 01:05:45,840
So I hope he gets more minutes
of them. I just knew a point

981
01:05:45,840 --> 01:05:47,199
guard with him. He finally had
a point guard with him. You know,

982
01:05:47,679 --> 01:05:49,599
I don't view know well as the
most important rason want to make the

983
01:05:49,599 --> 01:05:53,360
player. I just think he's a
little bit more important, especially because one

984
01:05:53,440 --> 01:05:56,480
the Mitchell Robinson injury, and we
did at least see like Mitchell Robinson's foal

985
01:05:56,559 --> 01:06:00,280
rate was down a lot this year
before he got injured, So that does

986
01:06:00,320 --> 01:06:03,400
concern me. Mine's actually Bullock is
the most important free agent to me because

987
01:06:03,480 --> 01:06:08,519
I view him as a fit for
whatever iteration of this team comes next.

988
01:06:08,599 --> 01:06:11,840
And you guys already mentioned with the
defense and the thing that about is shooting,

989
01:06:11,880 --> 01:06:14,559
and there was kind of like a
turn towards the middle of the year

990
01:06:14,880 --> 01:06:17,679
where like the volume just went through
the roof, and I think that's important

991
01:06:17,679 --> 01:06:21,199
for a team that I think needed
to shoot more threes. And I also

992
01:06:21,199 --> 01:06:25,360
don't want to be in a position
and again this all depends on if you

993
01:06:25,400 --> 01:06:29,119
don't resign Bullock, you made other
moves, but like, if that move

994
01:06:29,159 --> 01:06:31,159
is Lonzo and Bullock is part of
the collateral damage, all of a sudden,

995
01:06:31,159 --> 01:06:35,199
it's RJ. Barrett like has to
cover like probably the toughest wing defensive

996
01:06:35,199 --> 01:06:39,800
assignments on a more consistent basis,
which would worry me. So I just

997
01:06:39,920 --> 01:06:43,280
view everything he did is as so
important and I think he's the He's like

998
01:06:43,320 --> 01:06:45,360
the one guy that they of their
main guys that I think they need to

999
01:06:45,360 --> 01:06:49,039
bring back the most. Well,
I'm shocked, Dan that you didn't mention

1000
01:06:49,119 --> 01:06:57,039
another potential free agent. That's look, I know my thoughts on Frankie Lakina

1001
01:06:57,159 --> 01:07:01,360
are not shared on this three person
group, let alone the rest of the

1002
01:07:02,000 --> 01:07:06,760
Knicks or NBA like intelligensa, I
will say, if Frankie Lakina is good

1003
01:07:06,840 --> 01:07:11,480
enough defensively to where you want to
put him in after not playing for most

1004
01:07:11,519 --> 01:07:15,079
of the game, entre Young and
then just be if you need him in

1005
01:07:15,119 --> 01:07:17,559
that situation. And I'm not gonna
blame him for that gaff because he played

1006
01:07:17,599 --> 01:07:20,480
like what three seconds in the first
half or whatever. It was something stupid

1007
01:07:20,519 --> 01:07:24,880
like that. Maybe he should have
been in the rotation. I do think

1008
01:07:24,880 --> 01:07:30,039
there was just some politics at play
because a certain somebody was fired as his

1009
01:07:30,119 --> 01:07:32,480
agent back in the day. I
would love to see Frankie Lakina be back.

1010
01:07:32,480 --> 01:07:34,760
I want to see him somewhere he
he could play. But so he's

1011
01:07:34,840 --> 01:07:38,679
number one in my heart, but
I think functionally, Reggie Bullock is their

1012
01:07:38,679 --> 01:07:42,639
most important free agent, and I
think Alec Burks is probably number two for

1013
01:07:42,679 --> 01:07:44,400
me for all the reasons. Just
he put the ball on the floor.

1014
01:07:44,440 --> 01:07:47,159
He made some really big shots down
the stretch of close games this year.

1015
01:07:47,199 --> 01:07:51,840
He was their most important fourth quarter
player this season if you take into account

1016
01:07:51,880 --> 01:07:57,559
everything he did from Game one to
even you know, game one of the

1017
01:07:57,559 --> 01:08:00,920
regular season, the game one of
the playoffs, which was only good playoff

1018
01:08:00,960 --> 01:08:02,800
game. But like again, they
wouldn't have been in that game without Parks.

1019
01:08:03,519 --> 01:08:06,559
To be clear, I'm not as
anti frank as I've let on I

1020
01:08:08,239 --> 01:08:11,519
I do, I do wish my
like I'm going into the playoffs. It

1021
01:08:11,599 --> 01:08:15,520
was please bench number six, and
it was anybody else like to play Frank

1022
01:08:15,560 --> 01:08:20,159
not to go with eight people Like
I was hoping that the minutes that were

1023
01:08:20,199 --> 01:08:26,079
dedicated to him would then go to
a much smarter, much more productive defender

1024
01:08:26,119 --> 01:08:29,800
of the shop forty seven percent from
three this year. So like, I'm

1025
01:08:29,840 --> 01:08:33,359
with you on I'm if anything my
hopes for Frank and we can close out

1026
01:08:33,439 --> 01:08:40,319
the Frank nigan A part of this, this is part excuse me. I

1027
01:08:40,359 --> 01:08:44,039
would like to see Frank just go
somewhere and play so we can know once

1028
01:08:44,079 --> 01:08:46,640
and for all if he actually is, like if it was just a Knicks

1029
01:08:46,680 --> 01:08:50,159
thing that he like, the Knicks
couldn't figure out a way to use him,

1030
01:08:50,319 --> 01:08:54,199
or if he goes somewhere and it's
Trevor Rees or was like, oh,

1031
01:08:54,319 --> 01:08:58,000
he's on a team that is contributing
toward winning. You know, I

1032
01:08:58,000 --> 01:09:00,359
think it's pretty clear. And I
will say this is probably the version of

1033
01:09:00,399 --> 01:09:04,760
the Knicks that came closest to using
him this way. Frankie Laikina's best bet

1034
01:09:04,800 --> 01:09:08,680
at having success in the NBA's as
a three and D wing essentially, don't

1035
01:09:08,680 --> 01:09:11,159
put the ball in his hands ever, ask him the space the floor,

1036
01:09:11,520 --> 01:09:13,760
Can he get the volume up there
on offense, and if he's able to

1037
01:09:13,840 --> 01:09:16,840
hit threes at that type of clip
with higher volume, that's a you know,

1038
01:09:17,000 --> 01:09:20,039
that's a top five NBA player.
There's like three weeks this year.

1039
01:09:21,119 --> 01:09:26,960
There was like three weeks this year
where Derrick Rose had was struggled with was

1040
01:09:27,000 --> 01:09:30,880
with COVID Alec Burke Smiths some time
because he was in protocols. Reggie Bullock

1041
01:09:30,880 --> 01:09:35,000
would miss a game or two and
frank got an opportunity and was used the

1042
01:09:35,000 --> 01:09:40,319
way you just suggested. I would
hope that a team would be able to

1043
01:09:40,479 --> 01:09:43,800
use him that way. Plus,
we're about to see him go dominate the

1044
01:09:43,840 --> 01:09:46,880
Olympics like we did the last time
we had an international tournament, and the

1045
01:09:46,960 --> 01:09:54,880
Knicks will somehow get laughed at because
Frankie Lakina looked productive somewhere else. I

1046
01:09:54,920 --> 01:09:58,560
was laughing at them when he was
playing well with the national team the last

1047
01:09:58,600 --> 01:10:02,000
time. Then it was laughing.
It was laughing at Steve Mills and Scott

1048
01:10:02,000 --> 01:10:04,600
Perry and all of them. So
yeah, it was a little bit better.

1049
01:10:04,640 --> 01:10:09,319
Look, at least they can cite
patriotism for benching him in those big

1050
01:10:09,319 --> 01:10:12,680
moments this year. You go,
that's that's what we want is the Knicks

1051
01:10:12,880 --> 01:10:18,520
don't play international players. That's definitely. I'll loop these two together since we

1052
01:10:18,560 --> 01:10:25,319
are pressed for time, Randall Kinside
and extension this year, John has what

1053
01:10:25,359 --> 01:10:29,640
happened in the playoffs give you any
reticence about what you would want to give

1054
01:10:29,720 --> 01:10:31,439
him. I think the number that
was thrown out like publicly and then even

1055
01:10:31,479 --> 01:10:34,560
behind the scenes was just four year
and one hundred seems four years and a

1056
01:10:34,640 --> 01:10:38,359
hundred million seems fair. Is that, you know, a twenty five million

1057
01:10:38,359 --> 01:10:41,840
dollars year price point something you're comfortable
with. And there's also Mitchell Robinson's team

1058
01:10:41,840 --> 01:10:45,319
option, which I think is even
more interesting following his injury, because if

1059
01:10:45,319 --> 01:10:47,720
you want to preserve flexibility, it's
pick up the team option. Yes,

1060
01:10:47,800 --> 01:10:50,520
he goes to unrestricted free agency next
year, but the cap hold is so

1061
01:10:50,600 --> 01:10:54,960
small you could still pay more if
you need to. At the same time,

1062
01:10:55,159 --> 01:10:58,399
centers are cheaper to begin with,
and he's coming off an injury.

1063
01:10:58,520 --> 01:11:00,600
There might be and I'm not trying, you know, deflate his price point

1064
01:11:00,600 --> 01:11:03,720
on his behalf, but from the
team's perspective, he might be willing to

1065
01:11:03,760 --> 01:11:08,119
take long term security at at a
cheaper rate. Now as a restricted free

1066
01:11:08,159 --> 01:11:12,760
agent coming off this fracture right foot. Yeah, I mean the random question

1067
01:11:12,840 --> 01:11:16,520
isn't really a question to me because
they they're captive, as you just mentioned

1068
01:11:16,520 --> 01:11:21,079
their captive. What they could pay
him because it's it's one hundred and twenty

1069
01:11:21,119 --> 01:11:24,600
percent of what his salary is going
to be next year, which is the

1070
01:11:24,640 --> 01:11:29,199
top side of like twenty six million, if you factor in the bonuses that

1071
01:11:29,199 --> 01:11:32,560
he got, which I as might
as I read the CBA. They they

1072
01:11:32,600 --> 01:11:38,000
should. That is what they can
do. Like if you okay, so

1073
01:11:38,039 --> 01:11:41,560
he gets paid, you know,
for for whatever something in the one teams,

1074
01:11:42,039 --> 01:11:45,039
you know, that makes him what's
gonna wind up after like some other

1075
01:11:45,039 --> 01:11:49,119
extensions are signed this summer. It's
gonna make him like a borderline top fifty

1076
01:11:49,159 --> 01:11:55,159
player in terms of pay scale in
the league. Even the version of Julius

1077
01:11:55,199 --> 01:11:58,800
Randall that we saw against the Hawks, he's worthy of being the you know,

1078
01:11:58,880 --> 01:12:01,680
forties seven highest paid player in basketball. So that's if he wants to

1079
01:12:01,720 --> 01:12:04,079
accept an extension, whether it's two
years, three years, four years,

1080
01:12:04,159 --> 01:12:06,479
option, no option, whatever,
give them all the money you can.

1081
01:12:08,760 --> 01:12:11,720
The Mitch question is more interesting to
me because the one thing that you didn't

1082
01:12:11,720 --> 01:12:15,159
mention that's a possibility is they pick
up the team option, so he plays

1083
01:12:15,199 --> 01:12:19,479
next year for them for one point
eight million dollars. But then they could

1084
01:12:19,479 --> 01:12:26,039
still negotiate an extension with him.
It's only the most that they could offer

1085
01:12:26,119 --> 01:12:29,520
him. Different rule than the random
rule, but still there's a limit.

1086
01:12:29,680 --> 01:12:32,880
Is a numbers starting that I believe
about twelve million dollars a year. If

1087
01:12:32,920 --> 01:12:38,319
I'm Mitchell Robinson and I just fractured
my foot or whatever the hell happened,

1088
01:12:39,039 --> 01:12:43,760
and I'm seven feet tall and I've
made thus far five million dollars in my

1089
01:12:43,840 --> 01:12:46,560
NBA career whatever, and I've had
to hand that over some of that to

1090
01:12:46,600 --> 01:12:50,159
how many different agents. I know
he's not handing per agent, but like

1091
01:12:50,159 --> 01:12:55,000
you get the point, like,
I don't know if the Knicks are willing

1092
01:12:55,039 --> 01:12:57,960
to give me three years that the
most they could give me, or even

1093
01:12:57,960 --> 01:13:00,479
four years of the most they give
me, I sure think about that.

1094
01:13:00,880 --> 01:13:04,880
And then what I like about it
is the Knicks could play hardball. And

1095
01:13:04,920 --> 01:13:08,920
again I'm not trying to just like
you, you want players to get paid.

1096
01:13:08,960 --> 01:13:12,600
I too want players to get paid. But I also recognize the fact

1097
01:13:12,600 --> 01:13:15,520
that, as you said, investing
a lot of money in a center who

1098
01:13:16,039 --> 01:13:19,000
has not really shown you much on
offense. I mean, obviously he's a

1099
01:13:19,000 --> 01:13:23,239
devastating lob thread, but like he
hasn't added anything else to his game,

1100
01:13:23,520 --> 01:13:29,079
at least outside of like mixtapes.
Like they have Norland's Nowell, who they

1101
01:13:29,119 --> 01:13:31,640
can negotiate with. They know Taj
Gibson could play twenty five minutes a night.

1102
01:13:31,800 --> 01:13:35,239
There are good centers in this draft
where they're picking. We have seen

1103
01:13:35,359 --> 01:13:40,600
teams of late. Look at Beef
stew on the Pistons last year. That

1104
01:13:40,680 --> 01:13:44,359
dude walked right into the Pistons lineup
and was like contributing almost from day one.

1105
01:13:45,079 --> 01:13:48,760
Like they have so many options,
they don't need to feel like,

1106
01:13:48,800 --> 01:13:54,000
oh my god, if Mitchell Robinson
leaves and understrict the free agency a year

1107
01:13:54,039 --> 01:13:57,159
from now, we're screwed. So
I say pay him one point eight million.

1108
01:13:57,159 --> 01:14:00,800
If you can negotiate an extension,
great, If not, you can't.

1109
01:14:02,199 --> 01:14:08,760
So as far as Randall goes,
I'm big on sample size, and

1110
01:14:09,319 --> 01:14:13,079
like there were stretches this year where
like I'm looking at his game log now

1111
01:14:13,199 --> 01:14:15,960
to find a specific one on the
fly, but I would just tell you

1112
01:14:15,000 --> 01:14:18,760
there were stretches this year where he
had moments like he did or like five

1113
01:14:18,800 --> 01:14:23,000
game stretches where he couldn't make a
lot of shots, and because the Knicks

1114
01:14:23,000 --> 01:14:26,279
were so I so heavy, it
was tough for him to really get going.

1115
01:14:27,319 --> 01:14:30,680
I do not My thoughts on him
just haven't changed because of five games.

1116
01:14:30,720 --> 01:14:34,560
That's just how I operate. The
much larger sample size of the regular

1117
01:14:34,600 --> 01:14:39,920
season tell me that this is a
guy getting better. This is a guy

1118
01:14:39,960 --> 01:14:43,960
that likes to work on himself,
working on his game. And my trust

1119
01:14:44,079 --> 01:14:47,399
is more that the Knicks see that
and we'll look to find better pieces around

1120
01:14:47,439 --> 01:14:50,159
him that compliment him, will help
him get better. That way, if

1121
01:14:50,199 --> 01:14:54,680
he will take the extension that we
talked about, I absolutely give it to

1122
01:14:54,760 --> 01:14:57,720
him. I don't think he will, which is, you know, a

1123
01:14:57,720 --> 01:15:03,640
bigger conversation Mitchell Robinson, I'm John
said everything I would have said. I

1124
01:15:03,880 --> 01:15:10,680
think having him come back and then
talking to him about an extension is the

1125
01:15:10,720 --> 01:15:15,880
option U having that value at one
point eight million is I think one of

1126
01:15:15,880 --> 01:15:19,640
the more valuable contracts in the NBA. If he stays healthy, which it

1127
01:15:19,720 --> 01:15:24,479
just takes one season for him to
stay healthy, and then all of a

1128
01:15:24,520 --> 01:15:29,520
sudden you have like one of the
better defensive like Mitch isn't like Rudy Gobert,

1129
01:15:29,520 --> 01:15:32,279
which that's a duck, you know, but like it's not. But

1130
01:15:32,319 --> 01:15:35,760
it's not like he's like trust a
rim protect protector. He's a guy that

1131
01:15:35,800 --> 01:15:40,119
can get out on the wing.
Like, riddle me this, batman,

1132
01:15:40,560 --> 01:15:44,239
What did Jazz have rather had Rudy
Gobert down the stretch or a healthy Mitchell

1133
01:15:44,319 --> 01:15:50,319
Robinson while the the Clippers were playing
three point shootout? Okay, we're playing

1134
01:15:50,840 --> 01:15:54,880
a three point contest down the stretch
of the second half of that game.

1135
01:15:55,399 --> 01:16:00,359
There's your hot take, and I
think it's a bad one. What I

1136
01:16:00,439 --> 01:16:03,439
think is, second, look at
that Robinson is able to guard their wing

1137
01:16:03,640 --> 01:16:06,800
like he has all most of it
the promise that the Jazz Wings can't guard

1138
01:16:06,880 --> 01:16:10,239
the wings, and that was the
bigger issue in the Clipper series. So

1139
01:16:10,239 --> 01:16:13,279
if you had they were targeting him
in Game six though, is my point.

1140
01:16:13,319 --> 01:16:15,640
But if you had Mitch, they
would have just been there. Still

1141
01:16:15,640 --> 01:16:17,600
would have just been ways around it
because the Jazz Wing defensive talent, there's

1142
01:16:17,640 --> 01:16:20,920
a there's a talent drain there and
unless you're gonna go bullyball like in one

1143
01:16:20,960 --> 01:16:26,079
on one situations, whether it's Mitch, whether it's Rudy Gobert, like any

1144
01:16:26,079 --> 01:16:29,840
big man who wasn't like an actual
wing would have been a liability even if

1145
01:16:29,840 --> 01:16:31,239
you had wing, Even if you
had like a lockdown wing. In that

1146
01:16:31,520 --> 01:16:36,079
scenario, Utah was vulnerable at enough
points on the perimeter there would have just

1147
01:16:36,119 --> 01:16:40,960
been more holes there. And so
I feel like your mister big sample size

1148
01:16:41,000 --> 01:16:45,319
overheads a lot into a small sample
size performance. But I asked about the

1149
01:16:45,359 --> 01:16:48,079
one game sample size performance. That's
all I'm not saying over an eighty two

1150
01:16:48,119 --> 01:16:51,720
game season, would you rather have
the defensive play of the year Mitchell Robinson.

1151
01:16:53,000 --> 01:16:56,399
This was only credit to what Mitchell
Robinson can give you, and that

1152
01:16:56,479 --> 01:17:00,760
it's not just rim protection as everybody
applies to centers. This is a guy

1153
01:17:00,800 --> 01:17:03,760
that can cover a lot of ground
from corner to corner, because I've seen

1154
01:17:03,840 --> 01:17:08,680
it. His only issue is health. He's gotten his fouls down. He's

1155
01:17:08,760 --> 01:17:11,920
a I mean the pick and roll
that killed them in the playoffs because they

1156
01:17:11,920 --> 01:17:15,359
couldn't stop it. Imagine Mitchell Robinson
stepping in against Trey Young and Clint Capella.

1157
01:17:15,439 --> 01:17:19,359
I think if you get one healthy
season out of miss Robinson, it's

1158
01:17:19,359 --> 01:17:24,560
it's gonna be a positive more than
a negative. I think you might have

1159
01:17:24,600 --> 01:17:30,159
just turned me against Mitchell Robinson.
By the Mitchell Robinson there was like more

1160
01:17:30,279 --> 01:17:33,159
controlled arna anarchy to his game this
year, which I really like. It

1161
01:17:33,199 --> 01:17:38,960
was just that more under control,
moving on quickly since we are pressed for

1162
01:17:39,000 --> 01:17:43,239
time. I think this was last
year. I think the national discourse was

1163
01:17:43,600 --> 01:17:47,560
Mitchell Robinson's the most important Nicks prospect. Now it's shifted to Julius Randall's the

1164
01:17:47,560 --> 01:17:50,720
single most important player in the organization. I think part of that is also

1165
01:17:51,000 --> 01:17:55,079
a lot of people probably expected this
year's draft pick to be the single most

1166
01:17:55,119 --> 01:18:00,520
important part of the organization. Yeah, my stance is I think our Barrett

1167
01:18:00,600 --> 01:18:02,640
is the single most important player of
this organization because he is. I think

1168
01:18:02,920 --> 01:18:08,720
what we've seen from Randall second team
All NBA, that is Randall at his

1169
01:18:08,760 --> 01:18:11,680
peak. That is Randall at his
peak. We still don't necessarily know what

1170
01:18:11,760 --> 01:18:14,600
r J can become and what he
showed defensively this year, and I know

1171
01:18:14,720 --> 01:18:17,800
is shooting improved. I think I
mentioned this on your part. I'm marveled

1172
01:18:17,960 --> 01:18:20,239
at just what he was doing.
It was on the ball, but just

1173
01:18:20,279 --> 01:18:24,439
like the reads he was making away
from the ball too. How do you

1174
01:18:24,479 --> 01:18:28,640
guys view him and his ceiling long
term. Have you seen enough from him

1175
01:18:28,640 --> 01:18:33,119
where you think that he deserves or
will get more initiation responsibility or hit more

1176
01:18:33,159 --> 01:18:38,840
of like those unassisted jumpers. Andrew's
laughing at me, right, you know,

1177
01:18:39,239 --> 01:18:44,319
do you know the history of one
Jonathan MacCray and RJ Barrett? Well,

1178
01:18:44,359 --> 01:18:47,880
I could, I could say it
briefly if you want. I'm not

1179
01:18:48,439 --> 01:18:57,760
to it, Okay, it was
we recorded a mailbag POD's six games into

1180
01:18:57,800 --> 01:18:59,560
the year. Six games in year. I want to say it was more

1181
01:18:59,600 --> 01:19:01,399
like seven or eight, but whatever
it is, whatever it was, RJ

1182
01:19:01,720 --> 01:19:05,720
was had not hit a three since
the first game of the year, or

1183
01:19:05,720 --> 01:19:10,680
maybe he was on his second one
or the one for twenty one as opposed

1184
01:19:10,680 --> 01:19:15,680
to be over twenty one, two
different streaks. So in my defense,

1185
01:19:15,800 --> 01:19:18,079
like he couldn't hit the far side
of a barn. He was forcing up

1186
01:19:18,079 --> 01:19:23,159
really like a lot of garbage at
the rim. And I was asked to

1187
01:19:23,239 --> 01:19:26,600
rank the Knicks trade assets, and
I put him fifth, and I put

1188
01:19:26,640 --> 01:19:31,119
him after Randall, topping the next
two years of the next two years first

1189
01:19:31,199 --> 01:19:35,279
round draft picks, and then from
that point essentially for the rest of the

1190
01:19:35,319 --> 01:19:39,479
season, though he kind of slumped
a little bit in the middle there for

1191
01:19:40,159 --> 01:19:42,800
a couple of panfuls of games and
then towards the end, like he was

1192
01:19:42,840 --> 01:19:46,199
a different player. And if you
look at his affective field goal percentage from

1193
01:19:46,239 --> 01:19:49,159
I think it was literally from the
day that I recorded that pod until the

1194
01:19:49,239 --> 01:19:53,479
end of the year. And then
you factored in his points, his rebounds

1195
01:19:53,479 --> 01:19:56,319
and assists, like he you know, he was up there with all of

1196
01:19:56,359 --> 01:20:00,239
like the guys in the league.
I completely agree with your take. Then

1197
01:20:00,399 --> 01:20:05,000
I think there is a chance that
by the end of next season we are

1198
01:20:05,479 --> 01:20:09,760
looking at RJ Barrett and we're saying
he's the best player in the Knicks and

1199
01:20:09,840 --> 01:20:14,039
that it's not close. And that
is with all due respect to Julius Randall,

1200
01:20:14,079 --> 01:20:17,920
who was amazing this year, and
I've fought vociferously for or argued vociferously

1201
01:20:17,960 --> 01:20:20,720
for in terms of he should get
m V people. It's all MBA,

1202
01:20:20,840 --> 01:20:29,760
the whole thing. But like r
J is a consistent like pull up mid

1203
01:20:29,920 --> 01:20:33,000
ranger away, not just that it's
the pull at mid ranger, and it's

1204
01:20:33,079 --> 01:20:39,399
like he needs to get five percent
better at the rim, not ten or

1205
01:20:39,439 --> 01:20:43,640
fifteen percent. Five percent better at
the rim, like one or two of

1206
01:20:43,680 --> 01:20:46,319
those shots that he takes every game
like they don't need to go, Like

1207
01:20:46,800 --> 01:20:49,840
he just needs to eliminate those couple
of shots every game that just have no

1208
01:20:49,920 --> 01:20:54,239
chance of going in and that are
forced attempts. And guess what he has

1209
01:20:54,279 --> 01:20:57,680
said already, or his trainer said
in an article that came out a few

1210
01:20:57,680 --> 01:21:00,159
weeks ago, that that's the plan
for him to work on the next two

1211
01:21:00,199 --> 01:21:02,520
summers. His wiggle in the lane, getting to the to the rim,

1212
01:21:02,600 --> 01:21:06,000
you know, in a place where
he can in a way that he can

1213
01:21:06,039 --> 01:21:11,279
get up better shots, and then
actually hitting more of those shots. And

1214
01:21:11,319 --> 01:21:14,960
then the thirty like we didn't see
any again like Threese off movement, no

1215
01:21:15,159 --> 01:21:16,920
threes off the dribble. No,
but like you know, you saw some

1216
01:21:17,000 --> 01:21:21,279
side step there, you know where
he's doing a little stuff Like it's there,

1217
01:21:21,479 --> 01:21:25,680
It's all there. He just needs
to put it together. I'm so

1218
01:21:25,720 --> 01:21:28,880
excited to see what he is next
year. And then just since this that

1219
01:21:28,960 --> 01:21:30,920
was our I think our last question. I just want to say, because

1220
01:21:30,920 --> 01:21:33,720
we haven't mentioned his name, Obi
Toppin, I can't other than r J.

1221
01:21:34,199 --> 01:21:36,479
He's the guy I'm most excited about
see you next year. He's another

1222
01:21:36,520 --> 01:21:40,680
guy I think could take a big
leap between between now and next season.

1223
01:21:40,960 --> 01:21:45,520
Yeah, I echo everything John said. I just wanted to the hilarity of

1224
01:21:45,039 --> 01:21:49,520
the ship John had to go through
once he dropped that mailbackpot and in the

1225
01:21:49,560 --> 01:21:54,760
moment I remember editing it being like, either he's really right and this is

1226
01:21:54,760 --> 01:21:58,000
depressing, or this is gonna come
back to bite him. And then later

1227
01:21:58,079 --> 01:22:00,760
in the year when he was asked
to re rank them, he was like,

1228
01:22:00,000 --> 01:22:03,840
I never said he was that low. And I intentionally put into the

1229
01:22:03,880 --> 01:22:12,640
clip that we posted on social like
recorded on January this John had to live

1230
01:22:12,680 --> 01:22:15,760
it down. R J. Barrett
has done nothing but improved since he got

1231
01:22:15,760 --> 01:22:20,760
into the NBA, and a lot
of his rookie season struggles I contribute to

1232
01:22:21,000 --> 01:22:26,079
or attribute to the fact that David
Fitzdale was here, that there was seven

1233
01:22:26,119 --> 01:22:29,039
power forwards on the team that needed
the ball and he was just has to

1234
01:22:29,079 --> 01:22:30,199
stay in the corner. And this
year he showed that when he has the

1235
01:22:30,199 --> 01:22:33,039
ball in his hands and when he
stays in the corner, he can be

1236
01:22:33,239 --> 01:22:38,920
productive. And I, as John
mentioned, I'm excited to see what that

1237
01:22:39,000 --> 01:22:43,760
next level of improvement looks like next
season. The sidestep a few side step

1238
01:22:43,800 --> 01:22:45,880
threes that he hit made me excited. I'm more when you look at the

1239
01:22:45,880 --> 01:22:47,319
cadence of his game with the Bomba's
hands, I think there's a chance he

1240
01:22:47,359 --> 01:22:51,199
becomes a really, really good playmaker
for others if you give him the opportunity

1241
01:22:51,239 --> 01:22:55,720
to do it. This was great, guys. I know you have to

1242
01:22:55,720 --> 01:22:58,760
get out of here, so folks
follow them on Twitter if you're not already.

1243
01:22:58,880 --> 01:23:03,079
Andrew Claudio can be at Andrew J. Claudio underscore spelled exactly as it

1244
01:23:03,119 --> 01:23:08,840
sounds. Check out John at j
C Macri NBA. That's at j C

1245
01:23:09,319 --> 01:23:13,840
m A c ri i NBA.
And also follow Nick's Film School on Twitter,

1246
01:23:13,880 --> 01:23:17,319
which is spelled exactly as it doesn't
sound at Nick film s k o

1247
01:23:17,560 --> 01:23:21,399
o L. Thank you guys so
much again for coming on the podcast.

1248
01:23:21,399 --> 01:23:26,159
Rest assured I will be bothering you
again in the future. Absolutely, Dan,

1249
01:23:26,279 --> 01:23:28,319
thank you. Can't wait. Dan. I appreciate you. I was