1 00:00:00,840 --> 00:00:04,120 What's up, y'all is Drewski and I've teamed up with Mountain Dew to produce 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:08,679 a hilarious new basketball podcast called The Due Zone with Drewski. Learn the backstories 3 00:00:08,679 --> 00:00:11,880 of your favorite balls and celebrities like Jamal Murray. Did you have like a 4 00:00:11,919 --> 00:00:14,720 favorite team? Wasn't the Rappers at the time? Or no, was the 5 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:18,800 Rappers even started on the topic? Come on, bro Hi, tell you 6 00:00:18,839 --> 00:00:21,839 like I'm Vifty, Taylor Rogues, Azan Wilson, and many more. You 7 00:00:21,879 --> 00:00:24,800 won't want to miss this. Listen to The Due Zone with Drewski on Apple, 8 00:00:24,839 --> 00:00:32,320 Podcast, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts. This is Greg 9 00:00:32,359 --> 00:00:36,119 Olsen inviting you to check out my new Blue Wire podcast t E one, 10 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:40,560 where I interview tight ends throughout the history of the NFL who have helped revolutionize 11 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:45,240 the position. TE one is presented by this Chevy Silverado. The Silverado was 12 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:49,640 all about grit. It's strong and dependable, exactly like playing tight end, 13 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:53,759 Just like the incredible players we sit down with on the podcast. The Chevy 14 00:00:53,799 --> 00:00:58,200 Silverado is in a league of its own, Strong, advanced, and dependable. 15 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:15,760 Download TE one today wherever you listen to podcasts. What is cracking hardwa 16 00:01:15,879 --> 00:01:19,280 knocks listeners. I am Dan Favalley coming at you without my co host Adam 17 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:23,599 Fromwell Today. Still have a loaded podcast for you, though, I'm gonna 18 00:01:23,599 --> 00:01:27,319 do a solo mailbag since we solicited your questions and Adam can't be here for 19 00:01:27,439 --> 00:01:30,959 it. I'm gonna get into both the Celtics and Nuggets being down three to 20 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,920 one, using some questions as an impetus to talk about what they'll need to 21 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:38,439 do ahead of their game fives, and then there will be obviously other mail 22 00:01:38,439 --> 00:01:41,719 back questions, and then we get into our Milwaukee Box look ahead. Just 23 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:46,560 a fascinating team this offseason. I've brought in thy Windish of the Eurostep podcast, 24 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,560 also of the Blue Wire Network. You can follow him on Twitter at 25 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:56,079 thy Windish. That's at t I W I N D I s c H. 26 00:01:56,439 --> 00:02:00,000 There's a great conversation. It runs long, but I've been throwing times 27 00:02:00,079 --> 00:02:01,840 dance up there for everybody. So I hope you've been enjoying these Hope you 28 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:07,000 enjoy these team look aheads. To that point, please subscribe and download all 29 00:02:07,039 --> 00:02:10,000 of our episodes if you're listening to us, that's the biggest way to help 30 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:14,120 us. The second biggest way to help us, and that has kind of 31 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:16,719 stalled a little bit. We would implore you to head over to iTunes, 32 00:02:16,719 --> 00:02:20,439 whether you use it or not, search Hardwood Knox and throw us a five 33 00:02:20,439 --> 00:02:23,240 star rating right review. That helps us out a ton as well, and 34 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:25,879 then of course word of mouth. Recommend us to your friends, family, 35 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:31,240 frenemies, anybody you know. Steal people's phones. If you're properly socially distancing 36 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:36,800 and can steal people's phones and subscribe them to Hardwood Knox on their behalf, 37 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,800 you can do it and they will thank you later. Last, but certainly 38 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:44,639 not least, though, shout out to our sponsors this week who make this 39 00:02:44,719 --> 00:02:49,240 podcast possible ben Online and indeed you'll be hearing from them throughout this podcast. 40 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:53,360 And really, before we get started, just remember to follow us to this 41 00:02:53,479 --> 00:02:57,639 podcast at Hardwood Knox on Twitter, head over YouTube dot com search Hardwood Knox 42 00:02:57,879 --> 00:03:00,800 subscribe there like our videos. That helps a bunch too. But look, 43 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:04,560 hey, let's get into this mailbag. I feel kind of weird doing a 44 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:07,800 podcast alone. It's been a minute and a half since that really happened. 45 00:03:08,159 --> 00:03:14,120 We'll get started with the do why don't we why don't we get going with 46 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:17,960 the Celtics here since their series could end against the Miami Heat. As you're 47 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:23,159 listening to this, this question comes from Jeff Nicholas, who actually has two 48 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:25,639 questions in this episode because they were so good, and I actually commenteered one 49 00:03:25,719 --> 00:03:30,639 from him, but he says, I keep hearing media folks referring to Miami 50 00:03:30,759 --> 00:03:34,599 zone as simple a high school D or even a junk D. Could you 51 00:03:34,599 --> 00:03:38,479 guys talk about the things Miami is doing that differentiate their zone from the ones 52 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:43,759 people learned about at the boys Club? So I have not seen anyone call 53 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:46,240 it a junk D, particularly when it's been so effective. And look, 54 00:03:46,319 --> 00:03:51,159 I'm not this xs and Os Savant. I wish that I could watch and 55 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:54,599 see and think the game the way that so many others ken. That's just 56 00:03:54,680 --> 00:04:00,759 not that's not my brand. But that being said, Boston to struggle against 57 00:04:00,759 --> 00:04:02,759 the zone all years statistically, and so it's kind of no surprise that they've 58 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:08,960 also grappled with what Miami's doing. I think some of the things that I've 59 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:14,280 noticed and read about that seems to differentiate Miami is if they're gonna go in 60 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:16,920 a two three zone, they don't really seem scared about putting their two best 61 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:21,120 wing defenders like just upfront, and then you know you could plant your two 62 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:25,759 weaker defenders but behind them, and you're going to try and just Coake's action 63 00:04:25,839 --> 00:04:30,519 then to let's assume bam At a Baio is on the court and they'll direct 64 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:35,079 offenses to him that way, and that's worked for them, it seems in 65 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:39,040 the times that they have gone to it. And it also I mean when 66 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:42,399 you have Jay Crowder and Jimmy Butler up at the top there, it feels 67 00:04:42,439 --> 00:04:46,000 like you can force Boston into a ton of more turnovers and then just really 68 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,639 get some nice contests in there where you're not going to give up as many 69 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:53,120 let's, I don't want to say wide open threes, but easier threes. 70 00:04:53,639 --> 00:04:56,079 And that has been the case. If you look at what's been going on 71 00:04:56,160 --> 00:05:00,480 in this series, they're forcing turnovers on sixteen point point five percent of Boston's 72 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:04,920 possessions right now. That is up from Boston during the regular season where they 73 00:05:04,959 --> 00:05:10,920 were excuse me, they were right around I think thirteen point one percent was 74 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:14,079 where they land thirteen point six percent, excuse me, So so that numbers 75 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:16,480 up. Then if you look at just the types of threes that they're taking 76 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:23,560 in this series, ten point ten percent flat of Boston's attempts have gone have 77 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:27,879 gone straight contested from beyond the arc, not heavily contested, it's with a 78 00:05:27,959 --> 00:05:31,360 defender between two and four feet away. That is basically double just the percentage 79 00:05:31,399 --> 00:05:35,279 that they had going during the regular season. And so the other thing that 80 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:41,639 you notice when you watch Miami is that they just like they work depending on 81 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:44,480 who's on the floor, but there their rotations can be on point, and 82 00:05:44,519 --> 00:05:48,199 so they're going to force the Celtics to work late into the shot clock and 83 00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:51,959 that might account for some of these lower percentage looks that they're then getting, 84 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:56,240 and not every defense is going to be built to do that. And so 85 00:05:56,519 --> 00:05:59,439 your the ball ball movement for Boston at points two, it's like kind of 86 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:00,920 been good on some of these possessions, but you just turn around and like 87 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:04,920 Jay Crowder's right there or Jimmy Butler's right there, and it ends up being 88 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:10,240 a huge deal. So I think more so than anything, the heats personnel 89 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:13,560 is kind of allowed them to maximize the times that they've gone to Zone D. 90 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:15,079 And then they also don't necessarily need to use it as a Crutch if 91 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:19,560 Boston busted up the way that it kind of did at points in in Game 92 00:06:19,639 --> 00:06:24,079 three, and I think that's really helped them. And this question kind of 93 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:27,120 dovetails nicely with Wood. Boston kind of has to do the win this series, 94 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:30,240 and that's they got to solve the zone defense somehow, and maybe that's 95 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:33,279 that's not the way to go because or that's not something that we can expect 96 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:36,720 from them, just because they've struggled against it all season. You would help 97 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:42,040 hope that having Gordon Hayward back would maybe help. At the same time, 98 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:45,079 like they're still not teaming with guys who are going to put a ton of 99 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:47,279 pressure on the rim. Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum are probably are two best 100 00:06:47,319 --> 00:06:50,079 options, and it does doesn't look like Kemba Walker has the juice to do 101 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:55,879 that right now. Marcus Smart not necessarily not necessarily someone you can rely on 102 00:06:55,959 --> 00:06:59,279 to do that so frequently, and that's kind of always been not a huge 103 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:01,560 knock against the Celtics, but it was definitely something people focused on. With 104 00:07:01,639 --> 00:07:04,759 Jason Tatum's game, he's gotten better at it. But when you're just looking 105 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:09,600 at what Miami is putting out out there, if you're gonna have Jimmy Butler 106 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:12,720 and Jake Crowder just as that first line of defense against guys who were going 107 00:07:12,759 --> 00:07:15,160 to try and attack the basket, like that's going to get difficult, and 108 00:07:15,759 --> 00:07:19,759 failing that, then you're just going to have to hit just your jump shots 109 00:07:19,839 --> 00:07:24,319 at these higher clips. And so you look at we can look at this 110 00:07:24,399 --> 00:07:28,720 series in some but if you look at Game four specifically, which is a 111 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:31,160 game that Boston by the way, could have won, they're going fourteen or 112 00:07:31,199 --> 00:07:35,439 forty from three and like, that's fine, but you're probably gonna need to 113 00:07:36,319 --> 00:07:41,160 hit more than that going up against this if you're going to take forty three 114 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:44,480 pointers would be my point. So you're only a plus twelve from beyond the 115 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:47,279 arc against Miami in that game, which was ten of thirty seven themselves. 116 00:07:47,319 --> 00:07:50,040 And you know, look, Boston's defense was good in that game. If 117 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:53,279 you're looking for sort of adjustments, I thought they did all right. And 118 00:07:53,319 --> 00:07:59,199 Tyler Hero just hit a bunch of difficult shots. So Gordon Gordan joggers and 119 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:01,560 not have his best game of the series. Jimmy Butler was just so so 120 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:05,519 as well when you're looking at their efficiency, so that Boston seems to. 121 00:08:05,519 --> 00:08:09,000 I don't want to say figured out Miami there, but they're they're definitely okay. 122 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:15,319 It's that they're gonna have to get just more consistent offensively, and I 123 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:18,000 don't know if they have what it takes off Miami is going to continue to 124 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:20,480 lean on this zone, which it seems like they will. I don't know 125 00:08:20,519 --> 00:08:26,680 if they necessarily have the personnel right now to break it. Let's move on 126 00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:30,639 to the Nuggets Lakers series, though this one's gonna come from Jordan's Scott. 127 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:35,600 He asked thoughts on this, which is a tweet that says Monte Morris is 128 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:41,440 slashing sixty five sixty eighty four in this series. LMAO, WTF that is 129 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:46,000 the appropriate reaction, and after Game four, Monte Morris is now slashing about 130 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:50,480 sixty three, forty three, seventy seven. We'll get deeper into this series. 131 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:52,799 I'm just using this question as a launching point. It's the only Nuggets 132 00:08:52,879 --> 00:08:58,600 Lakers question we had. Monte Morris is in the conversation, probably subtly because 133 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:01,840 I don't feel like he's not talked about Nash but as the best backup point 134 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:05,200 guard in the NBA, and it probably helps a little bit that you can't 135 00:09:05,200 --> 00:09:09,960 really consider Mark It's Smart or Fred van Fleet that guy anymore. They were 136 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:15,120 predominantly starters this year. The other names in the conversation, maybe Dennis Shrewder, 137 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:18,360 Spencer Dimwoody could be right up there as well. But you just look 138 00:09:18,399 --> 00:09:20,960 at what Monte Morris is able to do. He does have usually great command 139 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:24,440 of a game. A lot is made of how he just doesn't turn the 140 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:26,799 ball over, and that's absolutely huge. He's someone who's going to be an 141 00:09:26,799 --> 00:09:30,440 efficient three point shooter, doesn't necessarily need the ball in his hands. But 142 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:35,039 he also has like this disarming sort of an attack to him, where like 143 00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:39,159 he's not super explosive, like he's going to take these little like push shots 144 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:41,480 floaters in the lane and he'll get by guys. He's not afraid to go 145 00:09:41,559 --> 00:09:48,080 up against contact. And he just does all these things so smartly. And 146 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:52,840 you know that amounts to just a super effective, interesting player. You could 147 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:56,200 get away with minutes of him Jamal Murray playing together, especially because of how 148 00:09:56,399 --> 00:10:00,240 Jamal mur has been competing on defense. I really like him. I don't 149 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:01,559 want to, you know, get too far into the weeds here, but 150 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:05,799 he's going to be a free agent after next season, and his next contract 151 00:10:05,879 --> 00:10:09,279 is going to be just fascinating. I don't know what he would end up 152 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:13,080 landing, but it's certainly going to be more than the pennies on the dollar 153 00:10:13,159 --> 00:10:16,320 he's making in Denver. He is he's at one point seven million non guaranteed 154 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:20,600 for next year. They were absolutely going to guarantee that though. But so 155 00:10:20,919 --> 00:10:26,080 Game four for the Nuggets was I don't know if you would call it a 156 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:31,639 disaster because they only lose by six and definitely a winnable game for them one 157 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:35,559 And we've said that a bunch this series. The things that I think stand 158 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:41,960 out most and you could say having Paul millsapp and nicoleo kitchen foul trouble at 159 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:43,360 points definitely didn't help. And then even when Yo Kitch was on the floor 160 00:10:43,399 --> 00:10:46,080 for a bunch of this game but didn't feel like he was being too aggressive, 161 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:52,519 that's that's like something the bigger things to me. And it's even more 162 00:10:52,519 --> 00:10:56,399 so than than saying you can't against this Lakers team like you have to win 163 00:10:56,440 --> 00:10:58,519 the three point battle. That's just how I come in looking at this. 164 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,440 So, yes, they were ten of eight thirty five point seven percent. 165 00:11:01,519 --> 00:11:05,120 That's Denver. But La was a ton of thirty. And so when you 166 00:11:05,159 --> 00:11:07,480 know that LA is going to generate extra possessions on the offensive class and just 167 00:11:07,519 --> 00:11:11,559 because they're gonna get out and transition to bunch, you have to win the 168 00:11:11,559 --> 00:11:15,720 three point battle because the Denver just very clearly has better shooting personnel on their 169 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:18,799 team, I would say, but you also have to look, I think 170 00:11:18,799 --> 00:11:22,360 at this one at the second chance points. The Lakers outscored Denver twenty five 171 00:11:22,399 --> 00:11:26,879 to six in second chance points in a six point game. And then just 172 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:31,200 on top of that, like the Lakers were plus eight at the foul line. 173 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:37,480 That's absolutely a killer. I mean, like you're giving up basically twenty 174 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:41,200 seven points right there while tying them in the three point category. That's not 175 00:11:41,360 --> 00:11:46,879 going to be a great recipe to win. I don't necessarily know how they 176 00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:50,919 can control the glass a little bit better. It felt like, you know, 177 00:11:50,159 --> 00:11:54,279 especially late in the game, like they weren't expecting shots earlier in the 178 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:56,320 shot clock from the Lakers, and then gods just weren't in imposition. But 179 00:11:56,440 --> 00:12:03,840 there's no reason Rondo should be grabbing in offensive rebound. So they the Nuggets 180 00:12:03,919 --> 00:12:07,679 have to do a better job of keeping the Lakers off the last specifically Dwight 181 00:12:07,679 --> 00:12:09,799 Howard just in small burks. Look, Anthy Davis had one offensive rebound in 182 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:15,200 this game and only five rebounds overall, so it's not even him that was 183 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:18,279 necessarily killing them, Like they're just getting out muscled and out hustled by Dwight 184 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:24,519 Howard, and then the offensive rebounds is just they're coming like in miniature from 185 00:12:24,519 --> 00:12:28,200 everywhere where Lebron has one, I mentioned Anthy Davis has one, KCP has 186 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:33,200 one, Danny Green has one, Rondo has two. Like that that shouldn't 187 00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:35,840 be an actual thing. And so you're definitely going to have to tone that 188 00:12:35,919 --> 00:12:39,320 down leading into Game five if you want there to be a Game six. 189 00:12:39,360 --> 00:12:41,720 And look, the Nuggets have been here before. The jokes are going to 190 00:12:41,759 --> 00:12:45,519 be made. I made one on Twitter that said the Nuggets are now up 191 00:12:45,559 --> 00:12:48,799 one to three on the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. We've seen that 192 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:52,240 this is a mentally tough Denver team and that a bad performance that puts them 193 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:56,039 on the ropes does not just qualify them from really just coming out and punching 194 00:12:56,080 --> 00:13:01,480 back. I would expect Game five, hopefully to be a close one that 195 00:13:01,519 --> 00:13:03,360 wasn't necessarily convincing but just based off what we're seeing, Yeah, there's the 196 00:13:03,399 --> 00:13:07,840 chance that the Nuggets are just exhausted, exhausting, but in a game where 197 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:11,080 they like far from executed perfectly from where they were, they were all these 198 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:16,679 foul calls on Joo Kitchen millsap when they were guarding Lebron specifically, like they 199 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:20,919 were still in it. And look, if Lebron James doesn't make the switch 200 00:13:20,919 --> 00:13:24,039 to Jamal Murray defensively later in the game and put the screws to him, 201 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:28,039 are we talking about a Denver victory? Am I still watching this game? 202 00:13:28,039 --> 00:13:31,159 Because it went into overtime. It did seem like Lebron got away with some 203 00:13:31,039 --> 00:13:35,039 we'll call it light hacking that should have been called. But the fact that 204 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:37,720 he was able to hang on that assignment Layton the game, like Jamal Murray 205 00:13:37,799 --> 00:13:43,799 was just absolutely on a tear in this one. Thirty two points eight assists 206 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:48,200 just been really just turned perception for me of him completely in these playoffs, 207 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:50,840 where I still viewed him as this up and down player who maybe didn't necessarily 208 00:13:50,879 --> 00:13:54,679 peak, but I wasn't sure if he was bankable. I think he's bankable 209 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:56,639 now and if he's just going to be more valuable in the playoffs, as 210 00:13:56,639 --> 00:14:00,879 we've talked about on this podcast and the regular season. I mean, that's 211 00:14:00,919 --> 00:14:03,759 absolutely fine. And maybe another thing you can point to from Denver's like, 212 00:14:03,799 --> 00:14:07,799 you're gonna just have to get better wing minutes here. Jeremy Grant had to 213 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:11,279 go forty three deep in this one, in part again because millsap and even 214 00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:13,039 Yokich a little bit like those two having them in foul trouble hurts. But 215 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:18,039 Gary Harris is giving you nothing on offense, and so he's playing sub twenty 216 00:14:18,039 --> 00:14:20,960 minutes in this one. Tory Craig, you just can't trust to shooting one 217 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:24,360 of four from beyond the arc? Can you get away with playing him for 218 00:14:24,399 --> 00:14:28,120 more than twenty minutes? And then it seems like head coach Mike Malone was 219 00:14:28,159 --> 00:14:31,080 really throwing shade at Michael Porter Junior for his defense in this one. He 220 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:35,000 was relatively efficient in the minutes. He played five of eight from the floor, 221 00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:39,120 three of six from three, including this like awesome step back. It 222 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:43,080 was earlier in the game. I don't know where they're going to look to 223 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:46,720 aside from Grant to get more consistent wing minutes. And look, Grant wasn't 224 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:50,279 even like great offensively, but he is at least like the energy is there 225 00:14:50,279 --> 00:14:52,879 and he's attacking and he's probably you know, you're not going to count him 226 00:14:52,879 --> 00:14:56,720 to shoot too well from three all the time, but he's been thirty nine 227 00:14:56,759 --> 00:15:00,120 plus percent for the past two seasons coming off a huge game there. But 228 00:15:00,159 --> 00:15:03,120 you need it, you need to Harris game to pop, or you need 229 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:07,919 to Michael Porter Jr. Just be better with his rotations, and if you 230 00:15:07,919 --> 00:15:09,960 can get one of those things, it's it's that more likely. Or just 231 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:11,399 get a Tory Craig Hits three's game, Like, I don't really know, 232 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:15,120 that's where I'm at. Maybe you go to p J. Dogier more. 233 00:15:15,679 --> 00:15:18,600 That's probably another option, which we are that we're talking about them potentially doing 234 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:22,720 that, And you have to look, you have to hope that both your 235 00:15:22,159 --> 00:15:26,559 two of your three primary bigs in Yokich and mill Stap aren't in this much 236 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:28,639 foul trouble because I don't this doesn't feel like I'm Mason Plumby series right now. 237 00:15:28,639 --> 00:15:33,000 I'm just not going along. I'm minus seven and in thirteen almost fourteen 238 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:37,759 minutes for him. But of these two series, though, if I had 239 00:15:37,799 --> 00:15:41,120 to guess where we're most likely to see a Game five, this is going 240 00:15:41,159 --> 00:15:46,279 to crush my soul. I think it's Boston Miami who feel more evenly matched, 241 00:15:46,279 --> 00:15:48,440 and that goes against everything we've seen from the Nuggets. I picked the 242 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:50,720 Nuggets in seven in this series. That was mostly out of sheer stubbornness, 243 00:15:50,759 --> 00:15:54,759 though something about I don't know that the Lakers have necessarily figured out the Nuggets, 244 00:15:54,759 --> 00:16:00,720 but Anthony Davis has just been absolutely world beating in series. Like the 245 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:04,039 shots he's hitting. I talk a lot about how he's so good offensively because 246 00:16:04,120 --> 00:16:07,679 so much of his scoring comes within the flow of everything. He is the 247 00:16:07,679 --> 00:16:11,960 flow for pointing us, like hitting these ridiculously difficult jumpers. We saw his 248 00:16:11,039 --> 00:16:17,440 game winner in Game two. It was and then like you look at his 249 00:16:17,519 --> 00:16:22,799 fourth quarter efficiency in this series. This comes from the Fast Break Breakfast podcast 250 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:26,840 ninety two point five tru shooting in the fourth quarter of this series. I 251 00:16:26,840 --> 00:16:30,960 mean, like, that's just melting my mind right now even thinking about it. 252 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:34,799 And you don't necessarily have an answer for him, and the Nuggets is 253 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:37,799 a team have been absolutely carved up. As we mentioned on the last podcast, 254 00:16:37,799 --> 00:16:41,200 whenever Yokich is his primary defender, and it doesn't even matter if Davis 255 00:16:41,279 --> 00:16:47,080 is finishing the play. The Lakers have just absolutely brutalized them in those those 256 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:49,600 situations. So a lot of things that are not tilting Denver's favor. I 257 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:53,360 would say that the factors that they can control is you can be way more 258 00:16:53,399 --> 00:17:00,000 aggressive on the defensive glass. And I can't even say that they can control 259 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:03,320 the wing minutes. I think it's can you shoot better from beyond the arc, 260 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:06,759 like better than the Lakers? Those seem like more controllable things here. 261 00:17:06,799 --> 00:17:08,240 And I can't even say stay out of foul trouble as a controllable thing, 262 00:17:08,279 --> 00:17:11,799 just because if Lebron gets going downhill, and even with Anthony Davis like those 263 00:17:11,839 --> 00:17:15,720 are those are incredibly tough covers. So they're going to need some of the 264 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:18,839 stuff. Feels like it's beyond their control. But definitely the second chest point, 265 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:22,359 second chance points have to be limited for them to have a legitimate shot 266 00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:26,759 at making this third three to one come back. And if they do that, 267 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:30,079 I don't even I don't even know. I think Twitter would just implode. 268 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:33,759 Even though sports had a break, your business didn't. 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Offers ballot through 284 00:18:29,599 --> 00:18:33,480 September thirtieth, which is my birthday, so you know it's good anyway. 285 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:37,799 Moving on to just around the League, I guess, although I think we 286 00:18:37,839 --> 00:18:41,839 will touch on the Nuggets again once more. This is the second question from 287 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:45,279 Jeff Nicholas. He asks, is it just me or is hiring a coach 288 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:48,839 for the free agent he might be able to attract several years a bad idea 289 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:53,119 before even getting to Harden and d Antony never making the finals and having multiple 290 00:18:53,519 --> 00:19:00,160 ugly flame mats. So this is because of the report that said the Sixers 291 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:03,839 are at least partially intrigued by Mike D'Antonio as their coach because they believe that 292 00:19:03,839 --> 00:19:08,440 he could war James Harden there in a couple of years. That is, 293 00:19:10,119 --> 00:19:12,720 you know, that is something I don't really know how else to say it. 294 00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:17,880 It definitely can't be the primary reason that you hire a Mike d Antoni 295 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:23,599 because James Harden is not scheduled for free agency, I believe until two twenty 296 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:30,039 three, and at that point we're talking about in James Harden, who is 297 00:19:30,039 --> 00:19:33,000 going to be thirty four at that point, having just wrapped up his age 298 00:19:33,079 --> 00:19:36,119 thirty three season. I'm actually gonna double check his contract to make sure there 299 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:38,960 wasn't a player option on it. But I don't know why you're banking that 300 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:42,079 far into the future. I guess there's the aspect of the trade because the 301 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:47,960 Rockets do feel very combustible, So you're going to hire a coach based on 302 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:51,119 the fact that he might help you trade for a player, Like you don't 303 00:19:51,119 --> 00:19:53,319 need Mike D'Antoni to trade for James Harden insofar as he ever gets on the 304 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:56,720 chopping block, and so I missed book. He does have the player option 305 00:19:56,559 --> 00:19:59,960 in twenty twenty two, so there's two years at that point, and then 306 00:20:00,039 --> 00:20:03,720 he will be thirty three coming off his age thirty two season. You can't 307 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:07,720 make the decision to hire Mike D'Antoni solely because of hard It just doesn't make 308 00:20:07,759 --> 00:20:10,839 any sense. I will say it does feel like, you know, Jeff 309 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:14,160 pointed to Houston not having the best playoff success, It does really feel like 310 00:20:14,839 --> 00:20:17,759 Harden and Mike D'Antoni had a good relationship, though, like this didn't seem 311 00:20:17,759 --> 00:20:22,400 like a byproduct of a failure between them. D'Antoni leaving Houston that felt more 312 00:20:22,759 --> 00:20:25,759 organizational. I don't know if maybe he didn't support the Westbrook trade or he 313 00:20:25,839 --> 00:20:29,680 was just really turned off by the way Tilman Force either handled those those contract 314 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:33,359 extensions over the offseason. So no, that is not a vowd reason to 315 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:37,400 hire a coach. And look, I'm fairly intrigued by Mike D'Antoni in Philly, 316 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:40,359 not just because he was, you know, there for a minute previously. 317 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:41,440 A lot of people are just gonna say, well, that's just not 318 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:45,240 the type of team that he's going to coach. And I do think that 319 00:20:45,359 --> 00:20:48,079 Mike D'Antoni deserves a little bit more credit for being adaptable, like this isn't 320 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:53,440 Tom Thibodeau here, where the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that he's stubborn and rigid and 321 00:20:53,680 --> 00:20:57,440 just inflexible. Look at what he's done in Houston. Did you ever envision 322 00:20:57,559 --> 00:21:02,000 him as yes, could you said, getting away from a team with those 323 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:04,039 traditional center shure a team that's going to take like a zillion three pointers every 324 00:21:04,079 --> 00:21:08,359 game? Absolutely, But a team that's super iso heavy like that was never 325 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:12,240 D'Antoni stick. And so there are things that he runs too when you're looking 326 00:21:12,279 --> 00:21:15,920 at Houston's off ball screening and some other stuff that was pointed out by Caitlin 327 00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:19,279 Cooper of Indie corn Rows. Since he's in the running through the Pacers job 328 00:21:19,319 --> 00:21:23,200 as well, like he can kind of work with finite spacing, and he 329 00:21:23,279 --> 00:21:26,519 had to for a big part of the season because you had Russell Westbrook and 330 00:21:26,519 --> 00:21:30,160 Clint Capella logging some minutes together, even though that wasn't when the Rockets were 331 00:21:30,599 --> 00:21:33,440 at their best. And I don't know that I would necessarily he would be 332 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:37,799 my first choice for Philly. I think grading coaches is just so hard. 333 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:42,160 I would probably like someone who's going to I guess be I don't even know 334 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:45,359 it, but maybe Mike D'Antoni is the best fit. You could say that 335 00:21:45,359 --> 00:21:48,400 you want someone who is going to optimize their offense with the personnel they have, 336 00:21:48,519 --> 00:21:52,400 but I'm really not sure who that is. You know, it's Kenny 337 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:55,480 Atkinson, like he'll give them the shot profile, like he's the coach most 338 00:21:55,519 --> 00:22:00,440 likely to force Ben Simmons to take threes. But I don't necessarily know what 339 00:22:00,519 --> 00:22:03,559 that translates to. I don't I doubt that they're willing to go the you 340 00:22:03,559 --> 00:22:07,240 know, first time head coach route. I don't know that they're going to 341 00:22:07,319 --> 00:22:11,079 necessarily be looking for a defense first guy either. Tyler feels like he would 342 00:22:11,079 --> 00:22:14,119 make sense there just as someone who would hold them accountable, and he's also 343 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:17,759 a pretty good offensive mind. When you're looking at his track record, so 344 00:22:17,839 --> 00:22:22,200 he'd probably be my top pick. I don't know where D'Antoni necessarily lands though, 345 00:22:22,759 --> 00:22:26,079 beyond that, but that's a that's a good question because it's topical. 346 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:29,720 But no team should not be hiring a coach because he might help them get 347 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:32,839 a player they don't need him to get down the line who might not necessarily 348 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:37,319 even become available. Just bizarre reasoning. If that is even ten percent of 349 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:41,359 why they're not ten percent, But like if it's why, like twenty percent 350 00:22:41,359 --> 00:22:45,759 of the reason you're hiring Mike d'antoni's because he might give you a chance at 351 00:22:45,839 --> 00:22:49,559 landing in an elder James Harden in free agency. You know, I'm not 352 00:22:51,039 --> 00:22:52,400 no, there's a chance that. Look that if the Rockets are really going 353 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:56,279 to implode and James Harden gets that itch to leave in twenty twenty two, 354 00:22:56,440 --> 00:23:00,599 he becomes available via trade, perhaps depending on how the Rockets wrap up next 355 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:04,720 season, obviously, and Philly's gonna have Yammo unless they make a ton of 356 00:23:04,759 --> 00:23:08,720 moves before then to go after him, and you don't need Mike D'Antoni for 357 00:23:10,599 --> 00:23:15,480 that. Next question comes from Avid Indoorsman, which is a great Twitter name 358 00:23:15,880 --> 00:23:21,119 right now during these times? Is Jalen Brown going to be worth his contract? 359 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:26,119 I believe he's at four years and one hundred and seven million dollars, 360 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:30,559 which includes guarantees and then likely incentives, and then he has about eight million 361 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:33,519 and unlikely incentives, so it could come up to one hundred and fifteen million. 362 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:37,839 I'm going to say yes, and I don't know that it's much of 363 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:42,240 a debate for me. He is, like we've seen him branch out on 364 00:23:42,319 --> 00:23:45,400 offense where he can take like dribble into these jumpers and he can put pressure 365 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:48,559 on the rim if he's gonna put the ball on the floor. But he's 366 00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:52,599 very plug and play on offense. Otherwise, if you're looking for him to 367 00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:56,319 make the what seems like Jayson Tatum is done like that size of an improvement 368 00:23:56,319 --> 00:23:59,680 as a passer, it doesn't feel like it's going to come. He's never 369 00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:03,039 shown that knack for making the less obvious passes, and he does feel like 370 00:24:03,039 --> 00:24:06,440 he gets tunnel vision still when he does put the ball on the floor. 371 00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:07,680 But the fact that he you know, he can take him We've seen it 372 00:24:07,759 --> 00:24:11,960 during the playoffs too, like these side dribble jumpers, Like that's huge, 373 00:24:12,319 --> 00:24:15,799 But to have him just be plug and play there someone who's gonna give you, 374 00:24:15,119 --> 00:24:18,680 like this season basically twenty points per game on super above average thirty points 375 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:22,880 shooting. That's monstrous in large part because of what he does on the other 376 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:26,480 end, and Marcus Smart's going to be the guy who gets all defense honors. 377 00:24:27,079 --> 00:24:30,519 I feel like people talk about what Tatum does defensively more, maybe because 378 00:24:30,519 --> 00:24:33,519 he breaks up it feels like more plays when he's allowed to do more off 379 00:24:33,559 --> 00:24:38,920 the ball. But Jalen Brown really makes this defense hum it's because of it's 380 00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:45,279 because of him at at least partially that they can play smaller at points since 381 00:24:45,279 --> 00:24:48,920 he will match up against bigger guys and he's he's a pretty good presence on 382 00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:51,839 the glass. The other thing is is that he's going to be the one 383 00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:56,440 that spends collectively the most time against the top options. Like you're you're definitely 384 00:24:56,480 --> 00:25:02,440 going to have Marcus Smart in that conversation, and you know, you can 385 00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:07,160 definitely make a case that he is maybe they're most first tile defender. But 386 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:12,039 when you look at this, this is per Krishna Narsu of Basketball Index, 387 00:25:12,519 --> 00:25:17,640 be Ball Index. Excuse me, Jalen Brown spent more time on both number 388 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:22,880 one and number two options than any other player on the Celtics this season. 389 00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:27,920 And that's like when you have that type of defender, I don't know how, 390 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:33,079 like, yeah, I don't even know how to necessarily quantify that, 391 00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:37,440 but he allows he allows Boston to just do so many different things. And 392 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:41,640 I'm I'm miss speaking again. He spent the second most amount of time on 393 00:25:41,039 --> 00:25:44,880 number one and number two options because it was Marcus Smart. I was double 394 00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:48,200 checking that because it didn't look right when I was looking at my notes there. 395 00:25:48,279 --> 00:25:49,839 So having someone who can do that while also going up against like the 396 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:53,079 bigger guys, like those actual fours, where he's going to probably give up 397 00:25:53,119 --> 00:25:57,079 at points, maybe some size, maybe definitely some some pounds. I don't 398 00:25:57,079 --> 00:26:00,359 have a problem with that contract at all. And I think what also helps 399 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:03,440 is that Boston's in a different position where they're not necessarily even looking for him 400 00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:07,799 to be their number two. They have that with Tatum and Walker. They 401 00:26:07,799 --> 00:26:11,799 can let him settle into that number three, number four role on some nights 402 00:26:11,839 --> 00:26:15,359 if you're going to keep Gordon Hayward around, and the fact that they're paying 403 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:18,039 him on purpose to be their number three, not that they're paying him to 404 00:26:18,079 --> 00:26:19,680 be their number two, and then he just ends up being you know, 405 00:26:19,839 --> 00:26:23,839 in Evan Formia or something like that on offense I'm talking about. I think 406 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:26,319 that gives him the luxury to give him that money, and look just what 407 00:26:26,359 --> 00:26:30,880 he does on defense. It's just I think it far and away exceeds perception 408 00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:33,640 of what he does on defense, at least nationally. I'm sure Boston fans 409 00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:38,079 are well aware of how good he is there. Next question comes from I 410 00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:44,680 apologize for mispronouncing this in advance Inoshima, Don Massy. What was the worst 411 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:48,680 contract Tobias Harris, al Horford, timofey Moskov or Eddie Curry. So, 412 00:26:49,119 --> 00:26:53,160 Eddie Curry just as a Refreshers signed a six years, sixty million dollars deal 413 00:26:53,200 --> 00:26:56,240 with the Knicks in two thousand and five. I think that was a sign 414 00:26:56,279 --> 00:27:00,319 in trade. That was when you go back to the salary cap, that 415 00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:03,359 was a ton of money, and then the sixty years is scary. Timof 416 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:06,720 ay Moskov signed four years, sixty four million in the summer of twenty and 417 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:10,640 sixteen. It was the Lakers that gave him that contract. Shout out Mitch, 418 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:15,720 Mitch Cupcheck and and the and busts. God, well, I didn't 419 00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:18,519 forget his name already already forgot the bus brother's name, but shout out to 420 00:27:18,519 --> 00:27:22,880 them for handing out that that contract. Then you have Tobias Harris who got 421 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:26,200 five years one eighty this summer, and then Al Hoefer got four years one 422 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:30,039 hundred and nine, but only ninety seven of it is guaranteed. When you 423 00:27:30,039 --> 00:27:33,960 look at the balance of theirs. Moskovs was technically expiring this year, but 424 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:40,880 didn't even spend him play in the NBA this year. Debias Harris has like 425 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:44,119 four years in one hundred and forty two point three or something like that left 426 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:47,200 on his deal, and then Al Horfer is at three years and eighty one 427 00:27:47,240 --> 00:27:52,680 million dollars sixty nine million guaranteed. This actually wasn't a hard question to answer 428 00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:56,480 for me. It's Timofey moskov just because at least look the Horford and Harris 429 00:27:56,559 --> 00:28:00,960 contracts. If you kept Jimmy Butler, I don't think they Harris contract looks 430 00:28:00,039 --> 00:28:03,240 as bad. And for Horford, like maybe he's worth this money or close 431 00:28:03,319 --> 00:28:07,039 to it, but for a different team. And Harris is one hundred and 432 00:28:07,079 --> 00:28:08,759 forty seven point three, not one hundred and forty two point three over the 433 00:28:08,839 --> 00:28:15,480 next four years and then with Curry. So he signs that deal just before 434 00:28:15,599 --> 00:28:19,519 his age twenty three season, Like, that's not ridiculous to do when he 435 00:28:19,599 --> 00:28:25,559 was coming off sixteen points five boards a game. I think you always definitely 436 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:26,920 he had his conditioning problems. You knew that he wasn't going to be this 437 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:30,920 great defender, but it was at least a worthwhile gamble in the sense that 438 00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:33,920 he was young and he was gettable, and so why not give him that 439 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:38,480 money, Like that contract finished before his age thirty season. That's not it 440 00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:41,079 doesn't make it turned out to be a terrible deal, But that doesn't make 441 00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:45,240 it a terrible investments. Moscov just never showed any sort of volume on the 442 00:28:45,279 --> 00:28:49,240 offensive end, and like he proved to be semi valuable defensively. You know, 443 00:28:49,279 --> 00:28:52,079 you look at the Cavs title in twenty and sixteen what he was able 444 00:28:52,119 --> 00:28:56,920 to do. But just the direction that the league was headed even at that 445 00:28:56,000 --> 00:29:00,680 time, like they were, it was moving away from these more plotting, 446 00:29:00,759 --> 00:29:03,839 lumbering bigs. And so even if you weren't counting on him to give you 447 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:07,519 anything offensively, which you couldn't, really, you had to at least have 448 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:11,240 like some zements of thought that this wasn't even Bismack Biumbo when you're looking at 449 00:29:11,279 --> 00:29:15,119 his mobility, like how much of an asset is he going to be to 450 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:18,200 you defensively, and look at that point he was about to go into his 451 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:22,240 age thirty season, like he wasn't even that young. So I think it's 452 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:25,839 Timothy Moskov by far and away. If I had to rank these, I'd 453 00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:29,559 probably go mosgov was the worst. Curry would be the second worst of the 454 00:29:29,599 --> 00:29:33,079 bunch. I go back and forth on the horseor Harris deals when you look 455 00:29:33,079 --> 00:29:37,920 at the situations specifically, the Horford deal was probably more egregious. But Harris 456 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:41,240 four years in one hundred and forty seven point three million left five and one 457 00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:45,799 eighty for a guy who's probably best suited as your number three, provided your 458 00:29:45,359 --> 00:29:52,079 first two guys aren't essentially non shooters or like you know, An I'm beat 459 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:56,119 and a Simmons like you need to have another top tier wing or top tier 460 00:29:56,160 --> 00:30:00,440 shot creator next to him. I don't know I'm gonna I will say, 461 00:30:00,519 --> 00:30:03,000 I want to say Harris, and then I want to say Harris's was better 462 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:07,240 than Horford's. So mos Gobs was the worst of these four then Eddie Curry, 463 00:30:07,799 --> 00:30:11,319 then Horford than Harris. I mean, at least he's still like on 464 00:30:11,359 --> 00:30:14,599 the younger side. That's the other thing that people forget and including myself, 465 00:30:14,640 --> 00:30:17,440 like I look at it too, is Tobias Harris has been on a zillion 466 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:19,519 teams. Feels like he's been around forever. He just turned twenty eight. 467 00:30:19,599 --> 00:30:22,240 This pastoral live though, So this contract, this is gonna take him like 468 00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:29,640 into his twilight years. The wait is finally over. Football is back. 469 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:33,279 You might not be at a game this year, but you can still be 470 00:30:33,319 --> 00:30:36,799 in on the action at bet online. That Online is going the extra mile 471 00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:40,039 to make sure you can get in on every possible chance to win this season. 472 00:30:40,440 --> 00:30:44,359 From game spreads and totals to team player and coaching props. That Online 473 00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:48,039 gives you more options to wager on than anywhere else. You can get in 474 00:30:48,079 --> 00:30:52,720 on their season opening bonuses today and start off wagering on wins, vision odds, 475 00:30:52,799 --> 00:30:56,119 and championship futures all day every day. Head to bet online today and 476 00:30:56,160 --> 00:31:00,759 take advantage of all the great sign on bonuses. Don't get to use promo 477 00:31:00,799 --> 00:31:04,359 code blue wire all one word at that online dot ag that's blue Wire all 478 00:31:04,359 --> 00:31:10,720 one word that online you're online sports book experts. Wrapping up with I think 479 00:31:10,759 --> 00:31:14,240 the final two questions that we're getting into, what kind of oh this comes 480 00:31:14,279 --> 00:31:18,119 from at Galaxy Brain with an E at the end of that, what kind 481 00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:21,839 of money will Boogie Cousins signed for? And where would he be a good 482 00:31:21,839 --> 00:31:26,079 fit? Please say the Nuggets. I could see it. You have Millsap 483 00:31:26,319 --> 00:31:30,599 and Plumbly your free agents this summer. Maybe if you resign Jeremy grand was 484 00:31:30,599 --> 00:31:32,759 a player option as well, and you want him to soak up more backup 485 00:31:32,799 --> 00:31:37,039 five minutes and you go with him and bow Bowl behind Nicole Yokich, that 486 00:31:37,079 --> 00:31:40,359 would be fine. But if you can get Boogie on the cheap, like 487 00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:44,119 having him take on half of plum Lee's minutes and then you experiment more with 488 00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:47,599 bow Bowl and maybe Millstap's back, who knows, But there's room for a 489 00:31:47,599 --> 00:31:51,640 big in Denver's what i'd say, unless you're gonna just all out go into 490 00:31:51,680 --> 00:31:53,440 bow Bowl next year, which I would be kind of surprised if they did 491 00:31:53,440 --> 00:31:56,960 that. You know, Mason plum Lee, Let's just assume he leaves like 492 00:31:57,000 --> 00:32:00,880 he's leaving seventeen minutes a game behind, and so that's not going to be 493 00:32:00,880 --> 00:32:05,400 made up by more Jeremy Grant at the five minutes if they even go there 494 00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:07,599 and Bull Bowl, even if you bring mill Stap back like they would still 495 00:32:07,640 --> 00:32:12,160 be you would think like they could float fifteen minutes around because mill STAPs minutes 496 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:15,599 shouldn't even really be expanding since he's going to be going into I believe his 497 00:32:15,680 --> 00:32:22,960 age thirty six seasons. So Denver is a potential fit after that, I 498 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,759 could see Dallas if it's cheap enough, because they don't have Dwight Powell and 499 00:32:27,559 --> 00:32:30,559 they do seem reticent to want to build. Christophs Porzingis is a five. 500 00:32:30,599 --> 00:32:32,920 He has his own injuries to deal with, but even in the minutes when 501 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:36,279 he's not on the court, like they might just need another center. I 502 00:32:36,319 --> 00:32:40,440 don't know how far Bobon gets you. Will they bring Willie calli Stein back. 503 00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:45,799 He was one of the players who opted out of the bubble for them, 504 00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:49,160 and he has a player option for two point three million dollars. Well, 505 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:52,400 if he picks it up, maybe that makes a big less important for 506 00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:55,960 them to get. Some people float around the fact that he would return to 507 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:00,000 Golden State. I don't really see that happening. Maybe Houston wanted to have 508 00:33:00,039 --> 00:33:02,480 one big on the roster they were actually gonna play, depending on who they 509 00:33:02,519 --> 00:33:07,079 hire as a head coach, that's a possibility. I thought about maybe the 510 00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:12,920 Los Angeles Clippers, just because a lot of people think Noah might end up 511 00:33:12,920 --> 00:33:15,839 in Chicago now is sort of a mentor for the Billy Donovan higher which quick 512 00:33:15,839 --> 00:33:20,759 comment on that four years, twenty four million dollar deal. I think a 513 00:33:20,759 --> 00:33:23,680 lot of people were puzzled when they looked at him leaving Oklahoma City for Chicago, 514 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:27,119 and they thought he wanted to be in a more win now situation, 515 00:33:27,279 --> 00:33:29,960 My guests would be a lot of it has to do with the guaranteed years, 516 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:32,359 where there's a two year extension on the table for the Thunder. He 517 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:36,119 gets a four year deal from the Bulls, and he might just like their 518 00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:39,480 roster a little bit better because the Thunder's future is like theoretical. Because Dennis 519 00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:43,519 Shrewder, Steven Adams come off the books next year, Gallanar might leave in 520 00:33:43,559 --> 00:33:45,759 free agency this year. They're probably gonna trade Chris Paul. So you have 521 00:33:45,759 --> 00:33:49,839 shake Giljis Alexander, you have lou Dort. Of course, can't forget about 522 00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:52,519 him. And Darius Baisley. But then you're just dealing with all these picks 523 00:33:52,519 --> 00:33:57,839 and so at least you're trafficking in more known quantities. With Chicago, maybe 524 00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:00,480 they're not the best, but if you really like Kobe White and then Zach 525 00:34:00,519 --> 00:34:02,759 Levine is a good tough shot maker, I'm probably better off if he can 526 00:34:02,799 --> 00:34:07,160 be the number two, if not number three, Wendell Carter Junior has to 527 00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:13,159 intrigue. Billy Donovan is sort of this baby Al Horford type player. People 528 00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:15,159 like Larry Marketing and like he can still looks he's a good stretch for I 529 00:34:15,159 --> 00:34:19,840 just don't know that what we've seen him add anymore depth to his offensive bag. 530 00:34:19,880 --> 00:34:22,920 Part of that's on Jim Boylan, for you know, last season was 531 00:34:22,960 --> 00:34:24,159 throwing him too many grenades late in the shock, locking in the post, 532 00:34:24,159 --> 00:34:27,840 and then this year he just didn't feel all that involved. So I do 533 00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:31,000 see the reasoning for Billy Donovan going from Oklahoma City to Chicago. Nice little 534 00:34:31,039 --> 00:34:36,119 tangent there. But with the Clippers, like you know, Patrick Hatterson's probably 535 00:34:36,119 --> 00:34:38,400 con with Michael green Leaves in free agency. He's a player option they have 536 00:34:39,119 --> 00:34:43,400 of eacha Zubots, but Montraz Harrell would be like, kind of the name 537 00:34:43,400 --> 00:34:45,039 I'm looking at here is like, what if he leaves in free agency, 538 00:34:45,079 --> 00:34:49,559 because he definitely costs himself money with his performance in the bubble, there aren't 539 00:34:49,599 --> 00:34:52,400 a ton of teams with cap space. But maybe as Charlotte just comes calling 540 00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:55,480 and it doesn't take that much to get him out of Los Angeles because the 541 00:34:55,480 --> 00:35:00,320 Clippers realize, well, we want to pay Marcus Morris and he's just gonna 542 00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:02,920 give us more positional flexibility, and maybe they have to think about even giving 543 00:35:02,960 --> 00:35:06,679 your Michael Green a little bit of raise should he opt out, So just 544 00:35:06,880 --> 00:35:09,159 Tres become collateral damage of that, and maybe you know, Boogie makes some 545 00:35:09,199 --> 00:35:13,760 sense there. Miami would be kind of interesting, like if you're talking about 546 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:15,639 and you need to rehab his career, would he be able to, you 547 00:35:15,679 --> 00:35:22,480 know, get through the high conditioning threshold that they set after so many injuries 548 00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:28,039 but having him backup BAM. I don't know if they necessarily need those type 549 00:35:28,079 --> 00:35:30,840 of minutes. But Myers Leonards a free agent this year, and who knows 550 00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:32,039 how much they actually wanted to play if they bring him back next year, 551 00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:36,679 Donna's HASLM doesn't play and it's probably gonna retire, Kelly Olynic could opt out, 552 00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:39,599 probably won't decline his player option, but also you know Kelly Olynic minutes 553 00:35:39,679 --> 00:35:45,679 or their roller Coastery or Touch and Go somewhere along those lines. Other teams 554 00:35:45,719 --> 00:35:51,719 that could use him. Just thinking like really quickly, it gets kind of 555 00:35:51,719 --> 00:35:55,119 tough, like I think I would probably end that there. There's if Portland 556 00:35:55,199 --> 00:35:58,440 is looking for a backup big, but you have Zach Collins and use of 557 00:35:58,519 --> 00:36:04,320 Nurkics there even if his on Whiteside leaves. Would the Toronto Raptors be interested 558 00:36:04,639 --> 00:36:07,199 if you know they lose Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka and who knows what happens 559 00:36:07,199 --> 00:36:10,920 with Chris Bruche. They still have Pascal siakam at the five arrangements that I 560 00:36:10,920 --> 00:36:15,079 think they should explore more frequently, but they could end up getting it big. 561 00:36:15,119 --> 00:36:17,280 And then there's of course Washington where just he has the ties to the 562 00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:21,880 John Wall and they have Mo Wagner, they have Thomas Bryant, but like 563 00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:23,760 that's not enough. You shouldn't be playing Davis Parton's at center if you're hoping 564 00:36:23,800 --> 00:36:30,159 to get any stops. Now that DeMarcus Cousins will be much better, He'll 565 00:36:30,199 --> 00:36:31,880 still be much better, but he's just he's never been this great defender, 566 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:35,800 and now when you're looking at you know, the Achilles, the ACL injury, 567 00:36:35,800 --> 00:36:37,239 like that's just going to be tough to come back from. As far 568 00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:42,119 as his cost, I would be shocked if he gets even the taxpayersman level 569 00:36:42,159 --> 00:36:45,480 at this point, which would be a hero over five million. I would 570 00:36:45,519 --> 00:36:47,239 think more on the lines of the bi annual exception wouldn't make sense for him. 571 00:36:47,239 --> 00:36:51,360 Maybe he even ends somewhere if he wants to just play for a concrete 572 00:36:51,400 --> 00:36:55,639 winner like a Clippers team and his promised minutes there that he would sign for 573 00:36:55,639 --> 00:37:00,559 the veterans minimum, trying to reboot his value. But if he gets I'll 574 00:37:00,599 --> 00:37:04,039 be I'll be shocked if he gets more than the taxpayer has been level exception, 575 00:37:04,039 --> 00:37:07,039 and so that basically puts him within range of everybody in the league if 576 00:37:07,039 --> 00:37:14,480 he does fall into into that price point. I believe we have one more 577 00:37:14,559 --> 00:37:19,119 question left. This one comes from Adam Polio. How does pipm work Player 578 00:37:19,159 --> 00:37:22,559 impact plus minus Hero scored lots of points in game FOURM assuming and the eye 579 00:37:22,559 --> 00:37:27,639 test says he's playing well, but the box metrics box metrics mark him as 580 00:37:27,679 --> 00:37:30,199 a negative point four player, which is good for a rookie but not for 581 00:37:30,239 --> 00:37:36,960 a player. Is there a paper describing its method NBA math Adam from will 582 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:38,280 me, we have nothing to do with player impact plus minus, so I 583 00:37:38,320 --> 00:37:42,119 don't want to riff on it for them. Jacob Goldstein would be the person 584 00:37:42,199 --> 00:37:45,679 to ask about this. What I'll do is, though, like, let's 585 00:37:45,679 --> 00:37:52,679 look at game four against Boston specifically, where Hero just absolutely like goes off. 586 00:37:52,719 --> 00:37:57,400 He has fourteen. He has thirty seven points on fourteen of twenty one 587 00:37:57,400 --> 00:38:00,519 shooting, also added in three assists, and yet he was a four. 588 00:38:00,880 --> 00:38:05,599 So people that are citing this, if they are citing it like minus four 589 00:38:05,599 --> 00:38:08,320 in a three point game is not that big of a deal. Like if 590 00:38:08,360 --> 00:38:13,239 it was minus twelve in a three point game or something like, that's when 591 00:38:13,239 --> 00:38:15,599 you start to get like the red alarm fire. And so what I'm kind 592 00:38:15,599 --> 00:38:19,519 of do is I like to then poke around the lineups that he was in 593 00:38:20,199 --> 00:38:22,719 to see, like maybe where those struggles came from. And so you look 594 00:38:22,760 --> 00:38:27,360 at that with Tyler Hero in game four, he spent the most amount of 595 00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:31,960 time playing with bam Adebayo and then Andre Gadala, and he was a minus 596 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:36,679 four during his minutes with Andre Gadala. But the thing that stands out to 597 00:38:36,719 --> 00:38:40,480 me is in nineteen minutes with Jay Crowder on the court and Tyler Hero that 598 00:38:40,559 --> 00:38:45,440 he were a minus thirteen. So you start to poke around those lineups and 599 00:38:45,480 --> 00:38:49,719 see, well, like, who who were they kind of playing with and 600 00:38:50,360 --> 00:38:52,199 they spent some time with the you know, the one that stands out to 601 00:38:52,239 --> 00:38:58,239 me here is the Igodala Tyler Hero Jay Crowder combination was a minus nine in 602 00:38:58,280 --> 00:39:00,800 ten minutes. And then at a Baio at a Bio Hero and Crowder was 603 00:39:00,800 --> 00:39:07,039 a minus eight in twelve minutes. And then the Butler Crowder Hero trio minus 604 00:39:07,079 --> 00:39:09,559 eight and fifteen minutes. So some of these trios are being combined together. 605 00:39:09,599 --> 00:39:14,400 And if you look at Heroes most used lineup in Game four, it's Iggy 606 00:39:14,519 --> 00:39:17,559 Drag, Butler, at a Bio and then Hero himself. They were a 607 00:39:17,559 --> 00:39:21,679 plus three and twelve minutes. His second most use lineup was a minus four 608 00:39:21,719 --> 00:39:24,599 in just six minutes that had Robinson, Iggy, Butler, Crowder and Hero 609 00:39:24,679 --> 00:39:28,239 himself in there as well. What I'm basically getting at is I think you 610 00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:30,960 need to dig deeper into the lineups, especially when you're working with a smaller 611 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:35,400 sample size in the playoffs, and particularly when you're working with a rookie, 612 00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:38,559 those lineups are going to matter. And so when you're looking at the context 613 00:39:38,679 --> 00:39:43,039 of Miami's lineup specifically, you probably need to go back and watch and say, 614 00:39:43,039 --> 00:39:45,199 well, who are these lineups going against when you just look at the 615 00:39:45,239 --> 00:39:47,880 players that were on the court with him, like they're going up against Boston's 616 00:39:49,239 --> 00:39:52,519 starters. And so when the Celtics had a cooking in Game four specifically, 617 00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:55,280 like that would just be a bad time to go on the floor. And 618 00:39:57,079 --> 00:40:00,960 so you can have those sort of finite stretches even if you win, where 619 00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:05,239 you get torched, and that could totally up end a players plus minus, 620 00:40:05,320 --> 00:40:08,559 Like it's so dependent on who they play around to what extent player impact plus 621 00:40:08,559 --> 00:40:14,440 minus is affected by that. I honestly just I honestly don't know. Those 622 00:40:14,519 --> 00:40:19,360 catch on metrics usually try to take into account personnel that's around them, but 623 00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:22,880 I think you have to look at the context of the game more specifically, 624 00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:24,599 and I always just go back to the lineups. Who were they on the 625 00:40:24,639 --> 00:40:28,519 court with, what were the results in some of their most used combinations, 626 00:40:28,639 --> 00:40:30,840 or in this case, were there sort of these more sparingly used ones where 627 00:40:30,880 --> 00:40:36,400 they were just absolutely torched for some reason. That's gonna do it for me 628 00:40:36,440 --> 00:40:38,559 though. Let's you know, as always, please before we get into this 629 00:40:38,559 --> 00:40:42,760 Bucks interview, as always, please remember to rate, review and subscribe to 630 00:40:42,880 --> 00:40:45,519 us wherever you're getting your podcast, download every episode, and whether or not 631 00:40:45,519 --> 00:40:47,639 you're in iTunes, just once more and want to throw it out there, 632 00:40:47,679 --> 00:40:52,440 please throw us a rating five stars only right review. It helps us out 633 00:40:52,440 --> 00:40:55,559 of town. We appreciate every single one of you. But now let's talk 634 00:40:55,599 --> 00:41:02,440 some Milwaukee Bucks with the euro steps tie winded Ti, Welcome to your first 635 00:41:02,480 --> 00:41:07,320 appearance on the Hardwood Knox Podcast. It's been It's taken me too long to 636 00:41:07,360 --> 00:41:09,840 ask you to come on, so I thank you for gracing me with your 637 00:41:09,880 --> 00:41:15,360 presence and in advance your insight on the Milwaukee Bucks. How are you doing 638 00:41:15,400 --> 00:41:20,400 tonight? I'm great? You know what I think the weight and you know 639 00:41:20,440 --> 00:41:22,920 every day I've woken up thinking is this the day I'm going to get the 640 00:41:22,960 --> 00:41:28,000 Hardwood Knox invite? Is today the day? Hector? The Weight made it 641 00:41:28,119 --> 00:41:30,440 all the sweeter? I'm on cloud nine right now. I'm doing great. 642 00:41:30,760 --> 00:41:36,000 I'm somehow happy to talk Bucks. Even in the Year of Our Lord twenty 643 00:41:36,079 --> 00:41:38,480 twenty, the latter part of it. At least, I'm doing well though 644 00:41:38,480 --> 00:41:40,920 I'm ready to go. Thank you so much for having me. Well, 645 00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:44,719 please, thank you for coming on. I can't confirm that you're the first 646 00:41:44,719 --> 00:41:46,519 person that would ever be excited to come on this podcast, So you are 647 00:41:46,559 --> 00:41:51,119 doing me the favor. And look, let's get right into the bucks here. 648 00:41:51,159 --> 00:41:53,239 So I don't want to like rehash which just happens. I'm too much 649 00:41:53,280 --> 00:41:59,320 with them. But given the way the playoffs ended, like what is just 650 00:41:59,480 --> 00:42:02,679 your gen role impression of this team or maybe how it ended, or you 651 00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:06,920 even you know, maybe more surprised that I know there was some stuff trying 652 00:42:06,920 --> 00:42:09,000 to be drummed up in the media, but it doesn't seem like internally there 653 00:42:09,079 --> 00:42:15,199 was this red alarm fallout necessarily aside from the honest meeting with you know, 654 00:42:15,360 --> 00:42:19,159 the the Upper Brass, which isn't really I would expect that to happen anyway. 655 00:42:19,679 --> 00:42:22,199 Mike Budenholzer was still there. The reports are that he's safe. Are 656 00:42:22,239 --> 00:42:24,159 you at all surprised there wasn't more of a reaction or is this kind of 657 00:42:24,199 --> 00:42:29,239 just what you expected? And maybe you're you are just a little bit numb 658 00:42:29,239 --> 00:42:31,280 to to how the season ended, because it seems like you, looking at 659 00:42:31,280 --> 00:42:35,920 people who cover the Bucks specifically, sort of saw it coming out at least 660 00:42:35,920 --> 00:42:38,960 at the beginning of the second round, if not earlier. Yeah, I 661 00:42:39,000 --> 00:42:45,840 mean, I would say I think I am still very underwhelmed by the Bucks 662 00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:49,800 response to this, and both like from what I've read and like what's been 663 00:42:49,840 --> 00:42:52,599 out there in the Athletic and ESPN and the Milwaukee General Sentinel and all the 664 00:42:52,639 --> 00:42:57,960 other great work what I've heard too, and some conversations, you know, 665 00:42:58,039 --> 00:43:02,000 with some folks regarding Bucks and how their front office and their brain trust is 666 00:43:02,039 --> 00:43:07,000 looking at this. I think I think the team is putting a lot of 667 00:43:07,039 --> 00:43:12,519 stock in like bubble weirdness and in the fact that there were so many things 668 00:43:12,679 --> 00:43:16,079 off, and I know specifically like not having home court is something they look 669 00:43:16,119 --> 00:43:20,760 at a big, big way, Like I think Aaron Rodgers tweeted this, 670 00:43:20,840 --> 00:43:23,800 and he is technically a Bucks minority owner, so this technically is Bucks ownership, 671 00:43:23,840 --> 00:43:28,239 although that's not not this is not all I'm referring to as his tweet, 672 00:43:28,280 --> 00:43:30,920 but he said there's no way they're losing, you know, in five 673 00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:36,639 if they play these games in five servant. Look, are they inherently wrong 674 00:43:36,840 --> 00:43:38,880 about the weirdness probably not being good for them? No, I don't think 675 00:43:38,920 --> 00:43:43,400 they're wrong. I actually did think the break was going to help the Bucks 676 00:43:43,440 --> 00:43:47,280 who were beat up and sputtering heading into it. Clearly it didn't, But 677 00:43:49,079 --> 00:43:52,239 I don't think it's I think it's just too easy and too convenient to hand 678 00:43:52,280 --> 00:43:57,239 wave it and go, no, bud is fine and the roster is largely 679 00:43:57,280 --> 00:43:59,639 final. Though it looks like they're not saying that, and I know we'll 680 00:43:59,639 --> 00:44:04,559 get into that later, but I do think there's a bit too much hand 681 00:44:04,639 --> 00:44:07,039 waving and just saying like, you know, oh, it's the bubble, 682 00:44:07,119 --> 00:44:12,039 because like other teams are performing in the bubble, like Tenver and in LA 683 00:44:12,159 --> 00:44:15,320 and Boston and obviously Miami. You know they were able to come and execute, 684 00:44:15,320 --> 00:44:17,199 and you know, the Bucks are old, but some of these other 685 00:44:17,280 --> 00:44:22,000 rosters are old too. With the level of talent the Bucks have, they 686 00:44:22,079 --> 00:44:25,159 certainly should not have gone what did they go? Five and five in the 687 00:44:25,159 --> 00:44:30,480 bubble like and they obviously lost in the second round. I think it's like 688 00:44:30,519 --> 00:44:31,719 the more I talk about it and think about it, like I'm starting to 689 00:44:31,719 --> 00:44:37,679 get quietly upset over it, just it shouldn't be acceptable. Like I think 690 00:44:37,719 --> 00:44:42,320 there should be some very broad changes, and we might get them still, 691 00:44:42,360 --> 00:44:45,280 but I do think that there's a little bit too much calmness. Although it 692 00:44:45,360 --> 00:44:50,320 sounds like Jannie is working with the Bucks going forward, so maybe they're not 693 00:44:50,400 --> 00:44:54,000 being too too calm, But still I would be a little bit more reactive 694 00:44:54,239 --> 00:44:58,840 and react a little more strongly to this if it was up to me, 695 00:44:59,119 --> 00:45:01,159 because I just think what happened, and I know we don't want to rehash 696 00:45:01,159 --> 00:45:05,480 it entirely, but from a Bucks person, I'll put it plainly. It 697 00:45:05,519 --> 00:45:08,119 was embarrassing and it was a failure, and it's the kind of thing that 698 00:45:08,280 --> 00:45:12,400 you thought they didn't have a chance to do this and maybe keep be honest, 699 00:45:12,599 --> 00:45:15,559 now it seems like maybe they do. You certainly can't do it twice, 700 00:45:15,599 --> 00:45:19,239 so you really you cannot afford on their flame out like this in the 701 00:45:19,280 --> 00:45:23,119 postseason, No, you can't. And I'm I hate criticizing coaches, probably 702 00:45:23,199 --> 00:45:28,800 unless their name was Jim Boylan because like they're just every coach it's just so 703 00:45:28,880 --> 00:45:30,719 much smarter than me and can think and see the game in ways that I 704 00:45:30,760 --> 00:45:36,239 can only dream of thinking and seeing it. But some of what was happening 705 00:45:36,239 --> 00:45:37,960 in the playoff series just seems like too obvious. Like I try not to 706 00:45:38,159 --> 00:45:40,639 unless I'm making a joke, Like I try not to really buy into just 707 00:45:40,719 --> 00:45:45,119 like the you know, the Twitter heard talk, whatever you want to call 708 00:45:45,119 --> 00:45:46,840 it. But it did seem simple at the beginning, you know, before 709 00:45:46,880 --> 00:45:51,800 Jannie's ankle injury, you know, play Middleton and Yannis more and don't ever 710 00:45:51,880 --> 00:45:54,599 let there be a second, a second where both of them are on the 711 00:45:54,599 --> 00:46:00,639 bench most certainly, and stuff like that just feels like these more basics because 712 00:46:00,639 --> 00:46:02,719 those are things that were easily controllable. You know, Look, if Jannis 713 00:46:02,760 --> 00:46:07,159 gets injured regardless, like that gives you a built an excuse. But because 714 00:46:07,159 --> 00:46:09,599 it seems like there were so many things you didn't do before that, you're 715 00:46:09,679 --> 00:46:14,519 kind of suffering the fallout from that. But the other thing I would add 716 00:46:14,840 --> 00:46:16,599 is I don't know that I don't know if you would be a proponent of 717 00:46:17,400 --> 00:46:21,679 getting rid of him. I just don't know where the necessary necessarily the upgrade 718 00:46:21,800 --> 00:46:23,400 is. Maybe you could point to anyone who would say, well, any 719 00:46:23,440 --> 00:46:27,320 coach that's willing to just make you know, shape shift more if you want 720 00:46:27,360 --> 00:46:29,519 to call it that. In the playoffs might being upgrade, but I don't 721 00:46:29,559 --> 00:46:31,639 know that you go out there and any of the free agent coaches, whether 722 00:46:31,679 --> 00:46:35,320 it's you know, a trendy assistant name of first time head coach or one 723 00:46:35,320 --> 00:46:38,079 of the big wigs like a Tyler or Mike D'Antoni, necessarily gets you that 724 00:46:38,159 --> 00:46:42,679 much Further, it seems like this might be more of the way the roster 725 00:46:43,239 --> 00:46:45,599 is built type of thing than necessarily the coaching, even though again I do 726 00:46:45,679 --> 00:46:51,320 think in parts of this playoffs the coaching was definitely a huge problem. Yeah, 727 00:46:51,320 --> 00:46:52,599 I don't disagree. I do think, and this is something that was 728 00:46:52,599 --> 00:46:55,920 pointed out to me because I am still I don't think. I'm at the 729 00:46:55,920 --> 00:47:00,880 point where I really don't think it's going to happen, and less Honest kind 730 00:47:00,880 --> 00:47:06,039 of in his own way suggest it, which I can't honestly see him doing. 731 00:47:06,039 --> 00:47:08,360 I mean, this is something people bring up all the time when there's 732 00:47:08,440 --> 00:47:13,920 kid rumors, and this will be brought up against Bucks fans who rightfully go 733 00:47:14,079 --> 00:47:16,079 that guy is a terrible head coach. They go, well, be honest, 734 00:47:16,119 --> 00:47:19,039 loved him, be honest, didn't when we fired. Be honest, 735 00:47:19,079 --> 00:47:23,440 also loved Larry Drew honest, Also currently loves Mike Budenholzer, Jhannest loved Michael 736 00:47:23,440 --> 00:47:28,280 Carter Williams. The list of people be honest loves on the Bucks it's pretty 737 00:47:28,320 --> 00:47:30,400 much the whole team. I mean, it's the guy gets along with people. 738 00:47:30,440 --> 00:47:35,280 He's extremely loyal. That's just who he is. So I'm worried we're 739 00:47:35,280 --> 00:47:38,000 probably stuck with at least one more year of Bud. I don't think he's 740 00:47:38,039 --> 00:47:43,719 a bad coach. I certainly don't think he's stupid. I do think he's 741 00:47:43,840 --> 00:47:45,599 so and then that trust me, there are people who are the I don't 742 00:47:45,599 --> 00:47:50,360 know if you remember hashtag fire kid on Bucks Twitter, but it was like 743 00:47:50,400 --> 00:47:53,519 everyone had the same abbey and it's spread and every reply to everybody, Yeah, 744 00:47:53,519 --> 00:47:57,239 so it's it's it's Firebud is a thing. Now that the Abbeys are 745 00:47:57,280 --> 00:48:00,760 out there, they've been commissioned that they exist there in the wild. I 746 00:48:00,760 --> 00:48:04,519 think they're going to grow. But I just think there's, like, like 747 00:48:04,559 --> 00:48:07,239 you said, the rigidness, the lack of fluidity. There's such he has 748 00:48:07,280 --> 00:48:13,599 such a firm belief in his system and how well it works, and you 749 00:48:13,599 --> 00:48:17,559 know, playing everybody on the freaking roster who's active every night and not over 750 00:48:17,599 --> 00:48:21,599 taxing Giannis and not you know, just running a bunch of play calls, 751 00:48:21,599 --> 00:48:24,800 but going with this motion offense and everything else. And the issue is, 752 00:48:25,679 --> 00:48:30,440 you know, he was the Coach's poll Coach of the Year and a I 753 00:48:30,480 --> 00:48:32,719 think runner up to the actual Coach of the Year award, and the Bucks 754 00:48:32,800 --> 00:48:37,360 led the regular season and wins again, and all of these things are regular 755 00:48:37,360 --> 00:48:40,920 season accolades because that's where those things pay off the most Hawks. And now 756 00:48:40,960 --> 00:48:45,000 you see it with the Bucks, and we know what happens every year when 757 00:48:45,159 --> 00:48:51,400 Mike Budenholzer goes up against the team slightly less talented or equally talented or more 758 00:48:51,400 --> 00:48:54,480 talented, with a coach who is willing to adapt and coaching the playoffs the 759 00:48:54,519 --> 00:48:58,639 way you know most coaches do. It doesn't go well for the Bucks. 760 00:48:58,639 --> 00:49:00,880 The series starts off and maybe there's a couple punches thrown either way. The 761 00:49:00,880 --> 00:49:06,360 Miami series, we didn't even get that, and then the other team adjusts 762 00:49:06,360 --> 00:49:08,320 and Budd really doesn't, and then you know, you give up four straight 763 00:49:08,320 --> 00:49:13,079 wins and it's it's rough, and that's just how it's gone. So I 764 00:49:13,119 --> 00:49:15,280 do think they need a replacement. I think Tyler would be great. I 765 00:49:15,320 --> 00:49:20,480 think some of the promising assistance would be good. I know some people on 766 00:49:20,519 --> 00:49:23,519 Buck's Land have pointed out like Nick Nurse was a first time head coach, 767 00:49:23,599 --> 00:49:27,239 Steve Kerr was a first time head coach, although he had been in the 768 00:49:27,239 --> 00:49:30,559 front office, and those are maybe pie in the sky, but I do 769 00:49:30,679 --> 00:49:35,800 see the vision and the idea of like it shouldn't be that hard to figure 770 00:49:35,800 --> 00:49:38,679 out how to use this roster, and it's just not being used right well 771 00:49:38,719 --> 00:49:42,199 in the postseason. And I just want to touch on one more thing. 772 00:49:42,239 --> 00:49:44,239 I'm talking a ton. I'm sorry, No, I love it. Keep 773 00:49:44,239 --> 00:49:49,079 going. So there's like there's a little blowback on the Honest. Not only 774 00:49:49,199 --> 00:49:52,039 even say blowback, but Bucks people will tell you and they're not wrong, 775 00:49:52,079 --> 00:49:54,480 They're they're correct. I agree, the Honest does get like really tired. 776 00:49:54,519 --> 00:49:58,559 And I think part of it might be because you know, he plays twenty 777 00:49:58,639 --> 00:50:00,760 nine minutes a game in the regular season and still puts up all these stats. 778 00:50:00,760 --> 00:50:05,800 But whatever, there's maybe it's they if they ramped his minutes up earlier, 779 00:50:05,800 --> 00:50:07,679 he would be able to play forty plus in the playoffs. Right now 780 00:50:07,760 --> 00:50:13,440 he can't. Fine, even so Chris Middleton can Chris Milton's always been able 781 00:50:13,480 --> 00:50:16,920 to. So like Chris not playing forty two to forty four minutes a night 782 00:50:17,360 --> 00:50:22,760 is just foolishness. It's just foolishness. And then obviously it's very easy to 783 00:50:22,920 --> 00:50:24,480 as you mentioned, Stagger, there are minutes. If Chris plays almost the 784 00:50:24,480 --> 00:50:28,440 whole game, just make sure YA plays the other six minutes in your cupboard. 785 00:50:28,519 --> 00:50:31,000 So like, this is not that. And again I don't want to 786 00:50:31,000 --> 00:50:34,239 make it sound like I'm smarter than Mike Budenholzer. I am not. But 787 00:50:34,280 --> 00:50:39,079 this is not that complicated. Like his commitment to doing bud stuff is just 788 00:50:39,239 --> 00:50:44,280 too great and it's not conducive to winning. Fool me once, shame on 789 00:50:44,320 --> 00:50:45,920 you, fool me twice, I don't know. Shame on Bud Like, 790 00:50:46,280 --> 00:50:50,039 I don't know. I just both of my hands are on my head. 791 00:50:50,079 --> 00:50:52,119 Now, this is where we're at in covering this. But yeah, I 792 00:50:52,320 --> 00:50:55,079 do think they should have gone for another coach. But I also think they 793 00:50:55,079 --> 00:50:58,840 have roster issues as well. I don't think it's a magic fixed on which 794 00:50:58,880 --> 00:51:00,880 I think as well. I was going to say when I started this, 795 00:51:00,920 --> 00:51:04,360 but I got side checked by Bud stuff, which happens. The one thing 796 00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:06,559 I'll say here and I do think the Bucks are part of this, the 797 00:51:06,559 --> 00:51:09,760 Clippers might be. The other evidence for me right now is I'm just prepared 798 00:51:10,119 --> 00:51:15,840 more than ever to buy into postseason results compared to regular season, like more 799 00:51:15,880 --> 00:51:17,719 so than I ever would, and not to the point where it's like, 800 00:51:17,760 --> 00:51:22,960 well the Clippers need to trade Paul George now, but where that team clearly 801 00:51:22,000 --> 00:51:28,039 needs, like an infusion of playmaking and infusion of locker room stability. If 802 00:51:28,039 --> 00:51:30,880 it's not going to be Kauai's voice, Like I don't know if a Pat 803 00:51:30,920 --> 00:51:34,480 Bev Lou William slash tres who those guys are gonna want to go eighty two 804 00:51:34,480 --> 00:51:37,519 and oer and they'll know they'll be that loudly, which is great. I 805 00:51:37,519 --> 00:51:39,440 don't know if that's the right fit for those teams. And I think you 806 00:51:39,480 --> 00:51:42,960 could say the same with the Bucks now, and it probably helps that now 807 00:51:42,960 --> 00:51:45,679 we have post seasons is worth of evidence for it. But that's just where 808 00:51:45,719 --> 00:51:50,519 I'm at, where I'm more so prepared, even post bubble. I know 809 00:51:50,599 --> 00:51:53,559 that these are just unprecedented circumstances, and I know that they dealt with the 810 00:51:53,599 --> 00:51:58,400 Jannis injury, but just looking at what's happened between this playoffs and last playoffs. 811 00:51:58,559 --> 00:52:00,719 Yes, it's such a small samples compared to their regular season dominance, 812 00:52:01,000 --> 00:52:07,559 but there's clearly a difference, and it transparently matters now. And it feels 813 00:52:07,599 --> 00:52:09,639 like this roster. You know, you don't get rid of your honest you 814 00:52:09,639 --> 00:52:14,000 don't get rid of Chris Middleton, but it almost feels like anything other than 815 00:52:14,039 --> 00:52:17,719 that should be on the table. This is gonna sound wild to anyone who's 816 00:52:17,760 --> 00:52:21,960 who may have followed me on Twitter or wherever for any amount of time, 817 00:52:22,199 --> 00:52:27,360 because I deeply, deeply love the man's game. If the right offer is 818 00:52:27,360 --> 00:52:30,599 out there, I am not closed to trading Chris Middleton at this point. 819 00:52:30,719 --> 00:52:34,360 No, we're gonna have words. We might have to. I just I 820 00:52:34,400 --> 00:52:37,000 love Chris, I really do, And I think I think it's most likely 821 00:52:37,000 --> 00:52:40,440 that they don't just because I don't think there's going to be an upgrade out 822 00:52:40,519 --> 00:52:45,719 there that is like enough of an upgrade to make it worthwhile. But if 823 00:52:45,800 --> 00:52:50,719 somehow, some way there was like a truly elite player and like especially a 824 00:52:50,719 --> 00:52:54,039 truly elite offense initiator out there, I think you kind of have to do 825 00:52:54,079 --> 00:52:57,840 it. Like, like I said, this is like this, they should 826 00:52:57,880 --> 00:53:02,559 be in a controlled Nick mode, like the circumstances that have gotten them here 827 00:53:02,559 --> 00:53:08,400 are unacceptable. I don't think it should be tenable to mostly run it back, 828 00:53:08,480 --> 00:53:12,840 so and it hurts me to say I would much rather keep him. 829 00:53:12,880 --> 00:53:15,800 And we're talking like players who I don't think will be available, Like if 830 00:53:15,880 --> 00:53:20,800 brad Beal, for whatever reason, is available, but the asking price is 831 00:53:20,840 --> 00:53:23,360 Chris Middleton, I think I go for it at this point, And again 832 00:53:23,880 --> 00:53:28,840 pains me to say that, And I don't think brad Beal is available anyway, 833 00:53:28,880 --> 00:53:31,960 but just like a player who can initiate offense and be that perfect pick 834 00:53:32,000 --> 00:53:36,559 and roll partner with a better handle than Chris, which is really his one 835 00:53:36,639 --> 00:53:38,960 shortcoming, at this point, I would go for it just because I feel 836 00:53:39,000 --> 00:53:43,920 like you're you need to be in that Let's just try something else that might 837 00:53:44,039 --> 00:53:46,960 work mode. I guess if you could tell me Bradley Beale was gonna defend 838 00:53:46,960 --> 00:53:50,280 like he did three or four years ago, maybe I would do that. 839 00:53:50,400 --> 00:53:52,880 I'm just super bullish on Chris Milton. I had him as a top ten 840 00:53:52,960 --> 00:53:58,239 guy this past regular season. That obviously doesn't happen in a normal year, 841 00:53:58,280 --> 00:54:01,519 where Kevan rant stephan Or even pulled George and Joel and be just just play 842 00:54:01,559 --> 00:54:07,559 more and all the points you just make are fair. But I almost feel 843 00:54:07,599 --> 00:54:10,800 like that if there's an issue with him being the number two, part of 844 00:54:10,840 --> 00:54:15,760 it at least stems from the fact of how Jannis can be limited in the 845 00:54:15,760 --> 00:54:17,559 playoffs, and maybe it also relates the other way, where well, Yannis 846 00:54:17,559 --> 00:54:22,679 can be limited because Chris Middleton is his number two, but when Jannie doesn't 847 00:54:22,679 --> 00:54:24,760 even yet have enough counters, even though it seems like he's or it doesn't 848 00:54:24,760 --> 00:54:28,559 seem he's clearly just looking at the numbers in the volume. He's more comfortable 849 00:54:28,599 --> 00:54:31,280 dribbling into threes just when he brings them up the quarter. He has those, 850 00:54:31,639 --> 00:54:35,519 you know, he'll pull up from mid range, or he'll hit these, 851 00:54:35,559 --> 00:54:37,320 he'll shoot these, excuse me, these turnarounds, but there clearly aren't 852 00:54:37,400 --> 00:54:45,320 enough efficient counters for him against defenses to where he's made life easier on the 853 00:54:45,320 --> 00:54:46,679 rest of his teams in a way that you would necessarily expect. And so 854 00:54:46,719 --> 00:54:50,599 it definitely works both ways, but I feel like there does seem to be 855 00:54:50,639 --> 00:54:54,559 a little bit of disconnect in how Chris Middleton is viewed in that number two 856 00:54:54,599 --> 00:54:59,119 discussion, Because if you want, you know, Stephen Curry to be honest 857 00:54:59,119 --> 00:55:01,559 attended couple's number. You want you honest to have a number one as his 858 00:55:01,679 --> 00:55:06,559 number two. Like that's just where I kind of land with it. That's 859 00:55:06,639 --> 00:55:10,159 totally fair, I think, honestly, I think their limitations really hurt each 860 00:55:10,199 --> 00:55:15,920 other in painful ways. Like I think if he honest does have and like 861 00:55:15,000 --> 00:55:17,360 I'll throw a Kawhi out there as an example, I mean, tell us 862 00:55:17,400 --> 00:55:22,679 he's never gonna have Kawai jumper. But if he had some sort of semblance 863 00:55:22,800 --> 00:55:27,599 of true three levels scoring, like you know, thirty percent worse from anywhere 864 00:55:27,719 --> 00:55:29,960 but the rim, but as good as he is now at the rim, 865 00:55:30,639 --> 00:55:34,079 then it probably doesn't matter that much. If Chris Middleton does not have that 866 00:55:34,239 --> 00:55:37,159 elite handle, then it's like, okay, fine, it doesn't matter. 867 00:55:37,280 --> 00:55:38,880 He's just gonna be playing off ball. He's gonna be in that. I 868 00:55:38,920 --> 00:55:43,440 mean, I guess I shouldn't use this it failed so badly, But in 869 00:55:43,559 --> 00:55:46,400 that Paul George sort of role, like he's like catching the ball against a 870 00:55:46,440 --> 00:55:50,480 compromise defense and he can go to work and it's easy for him and he 871 00:55:50,480 --> 00:55:52,000 gets a lot of spot up shots. I think, yeah, he'd be 872 00:55:52,079 --> 00:55:55,719 just fine. But I think the fact that Jannest can't do those things, 873 00:55:55,840 --> 00:55:59,599 or at least like was not comfortable and not able to do those things in 874 00:55:59,639 --> 00:56:02,280 the play else mean that his role becomes so much harder. I mean, 875 00:56:02,360 --> 00:56:06,079 you really you need to find smart ways to post him up, which the 876 00:56:06,119 --> 00:56:08,159 Bucks aren't good at. You need to run him as the roleman and pick 877 00:56:08,239 --> 00:56:12,960 and roll, which the Bucks don't do enough of. And I have a 878 00:56:13,039 --> 00:56:15,920 take on this, but I'm gonna hold on to it for now, or 879 00:56:15,000 --> 00:56:19,119 you need to like just have him charge at five defenders, which is like 880 00:56:19,239 --> 00:56:22,039 the thing he does way way too often and it makes my head hurt. 881 00:56:22,320 --> 00:56:24,000 And it works sometimes because he's honest, but it doesn't work a lot because 882 00:56:24,000 --> 00:56:30,239 it's five guys. And I just think like that's the part where like you 883 00:56:30,320 --> 00:56:35,880 can maximize the honest even as is even without you know, some hopeful of 884 00:56:36,039 --> 00:56:38,760 his own game adaptations that he will make to break down this wall, which 885 00:56:38,760 --> 00:56:43,079 it was disappointing and and a failure on his part that he wasn't more ready 886 00:56:43,159 --> 00:56:45,280 to do this. He doesn't skate through all criticisms that, I mean, 887 00:56:45,320 --> 00:56:50,239 he knew what defenses were going to do until the very early part of the 888 00:56:50,360 --> 00:56:52,840 last game he was not able to sort of counter that, so that that's 889 00:56:52,880 --> 00:56:58,039 a disappointment for him too. He does not escape without blame. But but 890 00:56:58,159 --> 00:57:00,400 like Chris, is not a great pick and roll ball handle. He's good. 891 00:57:00,679 --> 00:57:05,280 The pick and roll with Chris and Honest works well and the Bucks should 892 00:57:05,400 --> 00:57:08,480 use more of it. But he is not like a Kyrie or Beal or 893 00:57:08,559 --> 00:57:14,199 Staff or whoever with the ball like He's not gonna just like completely break down 894 00:57:14,239 --> 00:57:16,320 a defender or like dribble through a lot of traps. He can pull up 895 00:57:16,400 --> 00:57:20,239 from anywhere. He has that in this game, but he just can't get 896 00:57:20,320 --> 00:57:22,000 all over the court comfortably. And if he were able to do that, 897 00:57:22,400 --> 00:57:25,199 then the Honest offt ball it becomes a whole another set of problems. So 898 00:57:25,239 --> 00:57:30,800 I do think their limitations play into each other, which is why what if 899 00:57:30,239 --> 00:57:34,519 a real elite ball handler is available. It's not that I think they're that 900 00:57:34,679 --> 00:57:37,679 much better than Chris, so I think they might be a better fit to 901 00:57:37,000 --> 00:57:40,440 sort of mesh with the Honest a little bit better. I think I can 902 00:57:40,480 --> 00:57:44,400 buy it to that if my biggest client with him has long been like his 903 00:57:44,519 --> 00:57:46,039 game feels like it stalls out before the rim. But if you're gonna factor 904 00:57:46,159 --> 00:57:50,159 in the ball handling as well, then that's not really something that I gave 905 00:57:50,320 --> 00:57:52,159 as much consideration too. This is the question. I'm not sure if you're 906 00:57:52,199 --> 00:57:55,079 tired of answering it yet. You said you weren't when we first talked about 907 00:57:55,119 --> 00:57:59,679 this podcast. But let's start with the short part of it. The honest 908 00:57:59,760 --> 00:58:01,880 is to Max, do you think he's signing it before next season? Yes? 909 00:58:02,000 --> 00:58:07,280 Or no? I actually do now, I actually do, and I 910 00:58:07,440 --> 00:58:10,440 don't think it means a lot of people in Bristol are really upset with his 911 00:58:10,519 --> 00:58:14,440 answer right now. I'm just throwing that out there to you. I totally 912 00:58:14,559 --> 00:58:17,760 get that I don't feel for them at all, but I totally get that 913 00:58:20,559 --> 00:58:24,239 I think he does at this point, just because I think we like clearly 914 00:58:24,320 --> 00:58:28,039 he's not all the way out right, like he already met with the Bucks, 915 00:58:28,239 --> 00:58:30,280 and I think if there was bad news at that visit, I think 916 00:58:30,280 --> 00:58:32,800 we'd have some sort of an idea of it by now. And he plans 917 00:58:32,840 --> 00:58:37,000 to meet with them again after his vacation, which who knows, maybe changed 918 00:58:37,039 --> 00:58:39,119 his mind and he's gone. But it doesn't seem to me like he's out. 919 00:58:39,199 --> 00:58:43,360 It seems to me like and this is his public quotes and the reporting 920 00:58:43,440 --> 00:58:46,599 on this meeting from like a thousand different sources that he wants to work with 921 00:58:46,679 --> 00:58:50,280 the Bucks to improve, and he wants to get better. He wants to 922 00:58:50,320 --> 00:58:53,679 win in Milwaukee at least for one more year. Why I think he resigns. 923 00:58:54,800 --> 00:59:00,079 I don't think he wants those folks in Bristol to have this kind on 924 00:59:00,199 --> 00:59:06,559 ten every single game, every single media availability. He everyone knows, everyone 925 00:59:06,639 --> 00:59:09,519 involved knows there's gonna be so many questions, where are you going, why 926 00:59:09,639 --> 00:59:13,960 haven't you signed? Blah blah blah blah blah blah, It'll be endless. 927 00:59:14,079 --> 00:59:16,840 The Honest hates that stuff. Manhannes is a quiet dude. H Honest's camp 928 00:59:17,360 --> 00:59:22,639 is silent all the time. I remember one time the Honest was on TMZ 929 00:59:22,800 --> 00:59:25,760 and he looks so bothered about the guy following him and asking him questions, 930 00:59:27,119 --> 00:59:29,559 and it was like Bucks Twitter had a field day. We were like, 931 00:59:29,599 --> 00:59:31,119 we're never gonna lose him. No one, No one does that to him 932 00:59:31,159 --> 00:59:35,599 here. People just like quietly gaun at him when he's in restaurants because that's 933 00:59:35,599 --> 00:59:42,119 how Midwesterners do business. So I do think that it would make sense then 934 00:59:42,199 --> 00:59:44,719 on that front, and obviously the Bucks have obvious reason. I don't want 935 00:59:44,719 --> 00:59:46,519 to get this done, so y honest can get all that goes away. 936 00:59:46,599 --> 00:59:50,639 You know, he literally can't be traded for a year. It seems like 937 00:59:50,760 --> 00:59:53,440 he's committed for the long haul the Bucks, they become less interesting, which 938 00:59:53,480 --> 00:59:58,880 kind of works for you, honest. However, I don't think he's going 939 00:59:59,000 --> 01:00:01,360 to say, you know, I for sure I'm going to be a Buck 940 01:00:01,480 --> 01:00:06,159 for the next six years, just based on how poorly they did in this 941 01:00:06,280 --> 01:00:09,880 postseason, how few assets they have going forward. So my idea and I 942 01:00:09,960 --> 01:00:15,679 wrote about this today, what if there's just kind of a quiet understanding between 943 01:00:15,719 --> 01:00:17,320 both sides, like I'm gonna sign it now, I'm gonna get my money 944 01:00:17,400 --> 01:00:21,559 locked up. We're gonna be in a long term deal. But in one 945 01:00:21,639 --> 01:00:24,119 year, two years, if we're not going where I think we should be 946 01:00:24,199 --> 01:00:27,280 going, if I'm not happy, if we're not winning, and that's his 947 01:00:27,400 --> 01:00:30,679 number one thing, he wants to win more than all else, then like, 948 01:00:30,920 --> 01:00:32,800 even with four or five years left on my deal, which this never 949 01:00:32,920 --> 01:00:37,320 happens, but even with all those years left, you're gonna trade me, 950 01:00:37,519 --> 01:00:39,320 Like, just trade me if I want out. We'll work together, we'll 951 01:00:39,360 --> 01:00:43,679 find the right place, like let me get out early. So I think 952 01:00:44,079 --> 01:00:45,800 it would be like a little shady, And I mean, like I don't 953 01:00:45,840 --> 01:00:50,320 know if this is like legal under the CBA, but news flash to anyone 954 01:00:50,400 --> 01:00:53,840 listening. Teams and players don't listen to the CBA, and almost almost all 955 01:00:53,840 --> 01:00:58,079 accounts, no, what you just mentioned is probably one of the least shady 956 01:00:58,159 --> 01:01:00,760 things that could possibly happen this. Yeah. I mean we haven't even got 957 01:01:00,840 --> 01:01:07,039 into like if he's gonna have like shares of ex company or whatever. I 958 01:01:07,119 --> 01:01:08,920 think Dirk worked for the Mavericks when he was a player with the Mavericks, 959 01:01:09,000 --> 01:01:13,760 Like the stuff happens. Stuff happens, folks, they woke. But yeah, 960 01:01:13,840 --> 01:01:15,159 but I could absolutely see that being the case where there's sort of a 961 01:01:15,239 --> 01:01:20,760 mutual understanding that like we're not gonna hardball you and not trade you if you 962 01:01:20,880 --> 01:01:23,400 ask out after a year like between seasons, which I think is how he 963 01:01:23,440 --> 01:01:29,119 would handle it, and the no trade part would expire by the point where 964 01:01:29,159 --> 01:01:31,159 he said he wanted to stay through his current contract anyway. So I just 965 01:01:31,239 --> 01:01:36,079 think that sort of like nod, nod, wink wink. Let's get the 966 01:01:36,119 --> 01:01:39,119 media off our backs. Let's look more attractive to players we want to recruit 967 01:01:39,400 --> 01:01:43,679 and get to play here because you know, maybe a Brad Beale. And 968 01:01:43,679 --> 01:01:45,400 I don't want to keep using that name. I don't want to make it 969 01:01:45,400 --> 01:01:47,320 seem like I think that's possible. But that's just like the example me. 970 01:01:47,840 --> 01:01:51,599 I think that play is a lot more likely to come to Milwaukee if you 971 01:01:51,719 --> 01:01:55,440 honest is under contract for six years as opposed to one, and there's constant 972 01:01:55,519 --> 01:02:00,360 questions about if he's leaving. So I think he signs it very long way 973 01:02:00,400 --> 01:02:01,679 to say, I think he signs it, but I don't know if that 974 01:02:01,880 --> 01:02:07,360 means he's actually going to be a Buck until twenty twenty six. That would 975 01:02:07,400 --> 01:02:09,480 not surprise me if that's a scenario, and we've talked about on this podcast. 976 01:02:10,000 --> 01:02:13,880 He has leverage no matter how many years he has left on his deal. 977 01:02:14,360 --> 01:02:15,639 We just saw Paul George get out of Oklahoma City when he had to 978 01:02:15,760 --> 01:02:20,440 guarantee years could have been three if he picked up that player option. Stars 979 01:02:20,480 --> 01:02:22,960 are going to have leverage in that way. You don't want a disgruntled star 980 01:02:22,119 --> 01:02:25,280 on your team, and if he's under contracts for long term, you can 981 01:02:25,400 --> 01:02:28,880 maximize your value there. So if he comes to you look, if Colinthy 982 01:02:28,920 --> 01:02:30,599 Towns went to the Minnesota Tom Moves tomorrow and said he wants out, maybe 983 01:02:30,599 --> 01:02:35,159 it's a little bit different because he's on just his second contract, but like 984 01:02:35,320 --> 01:02:37,719 Janice is going to be on his third, and so there's just a different 985 01:02:37,800 --> 01:02:39,400 level of clout that you have, and also the team just knowing like, 986 01:02:39,880 --> 01:02:44,519 well, there's only so many different avenues that we can explore at this point, 987 01:02:44,559 --> 01:02:47,679 and so he doesn't lose that leverage by resigning the thing that I said 988 01:02:47,960 --> 01:02:52,360 he should do. And it's been pointed out to me what you just mentioned. 989 01:02:52,400 --> 01:02:54,320 He doesn't really like the speculation, so he wouldn't prefer this. But 990 01:02:54,440 --> 01:02:58,639 if I were honest, I would not sign the Supermax, even if I 991 01:02:58,719 --> 01:03:01,400 was intending to go back to Malau, because then it really just screws with 992 01:03:01,599 --> 01:03:07,280 two of your biggest Eastern Conference competitors in Toronto and Miami, who presumably are 993 01:03:07,320 --> 01:03:09,119 going to remain a little bit in lurch for the next year while they're waiting 994 01:03:09,119 --> 01:03:13,480 for Giannis Is free agency, and so you weaken them a little bit while 995 01:03:13,519 --> 01:03:15,880 still keeping some pressure on the franchise. The other argument I've made is like 996 01:03:16,239 --> 01:03:20,159 you have a bigger hold on what the salary cap is going to be long 997 01:03:20,320 --> 01:03:23,320 term, so maybe you decide to sign a shorter term deal because you know 998 01:03:23,400 --> 01:03:27,599 there's going to be like another huge cat spike and you can get more money 999 01:03:28,280 --> 01:03:30,880 that way. And then also it still keeps pressure on the franchise. People 1000 01:03:30,920 --> 01:03:34,199 point it out that then you open yourselves up to what if he gets injured, 1001 01:03:34,280 --> 01:03:37,320 YadA, YadA, YadA. Yiannis could suffer the most devastating injury that 1002 01:03:37,400 --> 01:03:39,719 you can name, and he's going to get the MAX from Milwaukee next summer 1003 01:03:39,760 --> 01:03:43,800 if he waits or whatever next offseason happens. I shouldn't say next summer. 1004 01:03:44,079 --> 01:03:46,039 So yeah, I was a proponent of that, but as you pointed out, 1005 01:03:46,119 --> 01:03:49,599 and as others have too, he doesn't like the speculation, and so 1006 01:03:49,679 --> 01:03:52,880 if you go without the contract, you have that speculation. So my one 1007 01:03:52,920 --> 01:03:54,320 question would be, wouldn't that be kind of hysterical though, if that's the 1008 01:03:54,360 --> 01:03:58,039 approach that any player ever took, like, let me kind of screw with 1009 01:03:58,079 --> 01:04:00,079 these teams that think they have a shot with me. But my real question 1010 01:04:00,199 --> 01:04:03,760 is, let's say he doesn't sign it, you're still not trading him, 1011 01:04:03,800 --> 01:04:08,079 like you're you're obligated to play next season out right, unless he requests her 1012 01:04:08,079 --> 01:04:10,840 out, which, as you've kind of alluded to with the he's not going 1013 01:04:10,920 --> 01:04:14,000 to ask for a new head coach, he seems like maybe the least likely 1014 01:04:14,159 --> 01:04:17,159 player in the NBA to request the trade. Yeah, and he's the one 1015 01:04:17,239 --> 01:04:20,440 thing he's really went to say pub besides supporting his teammates and all that. 1016 01:04:20,840 --> 01:04:24,599 The one thing you said is like some people see a wall and go around 1017 01:04:24,639 --> 01:04:30,199 it, I want to go through the wall, which unfortunate analogy based on 1018 01:04:30,280 --> 01:04:32,719 the way he played in the Semis. But yeah, I don't think he 1019 01:04:32,760 --> 01:04:40,079 asks out and I definitely don't think like unless he firmly says like I'm leaving 1020 01:04:40,119 --> 01:04:43,840 and I don't even really want to play this year in Milwaukee, Like I 1021 01:04:43,920 --> 01:04:46,480 think even if like he's leaning leaving, but he's still and I think you 1022 01:04:46,599 --> 01:04:49,320 honest, I just think he's gonna go one hundred percent all the time. 1023 01:04:49,960 --> 01:04:54,159 I don't think you can ever trade him unless he makes you trade him. 1024 01:04:54,159 --> 01:04:58,079 I don't think there's any like, there's no package to me that's worth it, 1025 01:04:58,199 --> 01:05:00,800 no realistic one. I mean, you're not gonna get like Lebron Kauai 1026 01:05:01,159 --> 01:05:04,880 k D and Steph and a crazy six team deal. You know you're gonna 1027 01:05:04,960 --> 01:05:10,159 get like some fun young guys, some salary filler and some picks, and 1028 01:05:10,199 --> 01:05:14,400 it's like, okay, you know you look at like, like, what's 1029 01:05:14,400 --> 01:05:16,679 like a team that did really well in quotes like the Pelicans, right, 1030 01:05:16,719 --> 01:05:23,280 everyone says the Pelicans did so so well. They got Jackson Hayes. Naw, 1031 01:05:24,000 --> 01:05:27,079 naw, I'm not gonna I always feel like I'm gonna get one part 1032 01:05:27,119 --> 01:05:30,400 of his name wrong. So Keil Alexander Walker, who is every draft I 1033 01:05:30,639 --> 01:05:32,079 as someone who's not a draft expert at zero in on like one or two 1034 01:05:32,119 --> 01:05:36,440 players, and he was one of two last drafts. So I apologized to 1035 01:05:36,480 --> 01:05:43,280 his career trajectory in advance. That was the first one. So Nikil Alexander 1036 01:05:43,320 --> 01:05:45,639 Walker got it for me this draft. It's my one is Maxim. I'm 1037 01:05:45,679 --> 01:05:48,119 all in on Maxie, but I might be. I thought it was gonna 1038 01:05:48,119 --> 01:05:51,039 be Sadique Bay, but I'm pretty sure it's gonna be Patrick Williams. So 1039 01:05:51,119 --> 01:05:56,159 I apologize to Patrick Williams's career in advance as well. Yeah, I was 1040 01:05:56,199 --> 01:05:59,000 a big Denzel Valentine guy, so I think I have the same affliction. 1041 01:06:00,000 --> 01:06:03,119 But they got so they get naw, they get Jackson Hayes, they get 1042 01:06:03,199 --> 01:06:08,039 a guy who I think they're hoping comes from Australia next year, and I 1043 01:06:08,159 --> 01:06:11,440 think, like two more picks and a pick swap or two. You know, 1044 01:06:11,599 --> 01:06:14,000 does that package give you a better chance to win a title than the 1045 01:06:14,039 --> 01:06:15,400 honest to have a kompo for one year? I don't think so. No. 1046 01:06:15,599 --> 01:06:19,519 I don't think eight years of Jackson Hayes, naw, seven years of 1047 01:06:19,679 --> 01:06:25,719 some guy in Australia and you know, four moderately good to pretty bad picks 1048 01:06:26,159 --> 01:06:29,440 is going to get you closer to a title than a two time reigning MVP, 1049 01:06:30,159 --> 01:06:32,719 also a reigning MVP slash dpoy. And I think your goal in the 1050 01:06:32,840 --> 01:06:35,800 NBA should be to win a championship. I think if you're close, you 1051 01:06:35,960 --> 01:06:39,880 just have to go for it. So I think, no, there's no 1052 01:06:40,199 --> 01:06:45,960 realistic package out there that can justify moving a guy like Jannis again, unless 1053 01:06:45,000 --> 01:06:49,920 he absolutely says trade me, in which case yes, you begrudgingly take all 1054 01:06:49,960 --> 01:06:54,840 the picks and bad, flawed young players and whatever else comes. You're like, 1055 01:06:55,039 --> 01:06:56,920 that would be the shock though to me, Like, it wouldn't surprise 1056 01:06:56,960 --> 01:06:59,119 me if he signs a super massis wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't, it 1057 01:06:59,159 --> 01:07:01,400 would surprise me. If he doesn't and then request a trade like that would 1058 01:07:01,400 --> 01:07:05,400 be the outcome that really surprises me. Yeah, same here. I don't 1059 01:07:05,440 --> 01:07:09,480 think it would make much sense at all. It would be such a sudden 1060 01:07:09,559 --> 01:07:13,639 heel turn from him, and I think it would probably be like the one 1061 01:07:13,800 --> 01:07:16,199 outcome that could make people immediately dislike. Yeah, I don't even know if 1062 01:07:16,199 --> 01:07:18,400 they would. I think some people would probably get it. I mean, 1063 01:07:18,480 --> 01:07:24,360 this semis lost pretty damn awful. But after saying I think that he was 1064 01:07:24,400 --> 01:07:28,159 so dedicated and everything, if he then turned around and came back from vacation 1065 01:07:28,239 --> 01:07:31,559 and got traded like a month or two after that very firm quote, I 1066 01:07:31,599 --> 01:07:33,719 think it would be kind of a bad look. I guess it also depends 1067 01:07:33,719 --> 01:07:38,360 where it goes. But yeah, I don't see it either. I'd be 1068 01:07:38,440 --> 01:07:42,760 pretty surprised. I think I think he's either leaving in twenty twenty one or 1069 01:07:43,280 --> 01:07:45,239 I don't know. I guess like I met, like I laid out earlier, 1070 01:07:45,320 --> 01:07:47,239 maybe any year after that, and we just won't know. I think 1071 01:07:47,360 --> 01:07:50,199 the crux is on the Bucks to remain good. That's what matters. I 1072 01:07:50,320 --> 01:07:54,039 think it's good. I'm glad I'm glad that pressure is on them. I 1073 01:07:54,159 --> 01:07:57,679 think some front offices maybe need a little bit of a kick in the pants 1074 01:07:57,760 --> 01:08:01,280 to not get complacent. And the honest has certainly done that. Yeah, 1075 01:08:01,320 --> 01:08:03,159 and look, you live with that if he leaves in twenty twenty one. 1076 01:08:03,159 --> 01:08:06,079 I think if you ask the thunder when it happened with Katie in twenty sixteen, 1077 01:08:06,360 --> 01:08:10,760 you ask the calves both time, both times, like when they played 1078 01:08:10,760 --> 01:08:13,440 it out with Lebron, like you live with it. Because Janice is on 1079 01:08:13,599 --> 01:08:15,439 that level of player. There are other players that you don't do it with. 1080 01:08:15,560 --> 01:08:17,399 I think, like you know, Paul George might be a good cut 1081 01:08:17,439 --> 01:08:19,800 off if you know, like the Pacers, if you know he's gonna leave, 1082 01:08:20,119 --> 01:08:21,920 or think he's gonna leave, you know, you get rid of him. 1083 01:08:23,239 --> 01:08:25,640 But if it's a Kauai, unless he asked her out like he did 1084 01:08:25,680 --> 01:08:29,800 in San Antonio, and then look Jannest Katie Lebron like those ilk of players. 1085 01:08:30,199 --> 01:08:30,880 Now, I want to move on here first, and it's gonna seem 1086 01:08:30,880 --> 01:08:33,319 like a random pivot, but it sets up what we're gonna talk about, 1087 01:08:33,439 --> 01:08:38,199 which you know, but I'm just giving the preface to our listeners. Dante 1088 01:08:38,319 --> 01:08:42,359 de Vincenzo. I know johannest is free agency to Donte de Vincenzo. What 1089 01:08:42,520 --> 01:08:45,760 a segue. He's there when you look at that roster, he's like their 1090 01:08:45,800 --> 01:08:51,199 one potential swing piece or high end trade chip perhaps unless you're looking at one 1091 01:08:51,239 --> 01:08:56,039 of their future first if they put it unprotected and and in play. I'm 1092 01:08:56,079 --> 01:08:59,079 wondering when we were doing six Men of the Year boots, I had him 1093 01:08:59,159 --> 01:09:00,840 third. I would have probably had him higher if he played a little bit 1094 01:09:00,920 --> 01:09:03,560 more, but he just did so much for the Bucks, Like his hands 1095 01:09:03,600 --> 01:09:06,479 are everywhere on defense, he ran point guard a little bit for them. 1096 01:09:06,560 --> 01:09:10,079 He's not really that great of a shooter, but he can move off the 1097 01:09:10,119 --> 01:09:13,199 ball. Okay, So I really liked him, But then the bubble comes 1098 01:09:13,199 --> 01:09:15,920 around and just to feel like his offense wasn't there. Have your impressions of 1099 01:09:16,039 --> 01:09:18,640 him changed it all? Or what is your impression of him? What do 1100 01:09:18,680 --> 01:09:21,359 you see his ceiling? As we kind of had a you know, a 1101 01:09:23,119 --> 01:09:26,880 behind the scenes discussion about this when I was doing in a fantasy league exercise 1102 01:09:26,920 --> 01:09:30,039 for Bleacher Reports app about how some Bucks fans consider him an all star, 1103 01:09:30,119 --> 01:09:34,359 which as someone who's high on double D I did not anticipate at all. 1104 01:09:34,840 --> 01:09:39,319 But I'm just curious what you view him as, particularly after what happened in 1105 01:09:39,399 --> 01:09:44,920 the bubble in the playoffs. So he actually ended the playoffs fairly well. 1106 01:09:45,199 --> 01:09:48,199 He was one of their best few players and about the last two games of 1107 01:09:48,239 --> 01:09:51,399 the year. And I think that I think what I think what happened? 1108 01:09:51,640 --> 01:09:55,319 Why he I mean I said, I said they shouldn't even play him once 1109 01:09:55,359 --> 01:09:58,840 the playoffs. He was that bad in the seating games. I can't wait 1110 01:09:58,920 --> 01:10:01,000 till that's a term we never to use again for the rest of our lives. 1111 01:10:01,840 --> 01:10:05,079 But he was so bad in those seating games that I was like, 1112 01:10:05,199 --> 01:10:09,600 don't even put him in the rotation. Of course he played anyway because but 1113 01:10:09,800 --> 01:10:12,600 and that's the one thing that worked out. He got it together by the 1114 01:10:12,680 --> 01:10:15,279 end of the run. But I think he hit a delayed rookie wall. 1115 01:10:15,319 --> 01:10:18,039 And I know he's in his second year, but an injury pretty much took 1116 01:10:18,079 --> 01:10:20,920 him out of his first year, and he never played as much as he 1117 01:10:21,000 --> 01:10:25,960 got to play this season, and I think the break plus that really caught 1118 01:10:26,039 --> 01:10:30,560 up to him. But I'm glad that he kept his sort of his intensity, 1119 01:10:30,680 --> 01:10:31,960 which is I think one of the best parts of his game. He 1120 01:10:32,079 --> 01:10:35,479 really does. He really plays like he is an all Star, which I 1121 01:10:35,520 --> 01:10:40,640 think is why people say that, like he takes some truly audacious shots and 1122 01:10:40,960 --> 01:10:43,800 a lot of them missed because he is not that. But I don't mind 1123 01:10:43,840 --> 01:10:48,479 that he takes most of the time. But I'm decently high on him. 1124 01:10:48,479 --> 01:10:53,039 I would prefer not to move him. I don't like anyone else on the 1125 01:10:53,159 --> 01:10:57,000 roster except be honest, I don't look at him as untradeable. I would 1126 01:10:57,039 --> 01:10:59,840 prefer not to because, like you said, I mean, he is the 1127 01:11:00,079 --> 01:11:03,479 young core. I think like the next youngest player beside him who actually plays 1128 01:11:03,640 --> 01:11:08,439 is probably honest. Bucks do not have a lot of draft They blew a 1129 01:11:08,479 --> 01:11:11,720 lot of draft picks. Man, pretty brutal if you look at there, 1130 01:11:12,359 --> 01:11:15,880 like literally, outside of the honest from twenty thirteen onward, there is not 1131 01:11:16,199 --> 01:11:20,119 much there except of course, Malcolm Brogden, who I'm contractually obligated to never 1132 01:11:20,199 --> 01:11:28,560 talk about as a member of Bucks twitter as bad. But yeah, I 1133 01:11:28,640 --> 01:11:31,640 think Dante is good. I think he's pretty good. I think it's one 1134 01:11:31,680 --> 01:11:35,319 of those where as much as you feel like you have to go all in 1135 01:11:35,439 --> 01:11:39,640 and through the Bucks on this next year to impress the honest, which is 1136 01:11:39,640 --> 01:11:44,520 also I think how they felt about this year. Hope anyway you would Yeah, 1137 01:11:44,560 --> 01:11:46,560 maybe maybe not, but you would, you would hope. So maybe 1138 01:11:46,640 --> 01:11:50,359 that's how I felt. Maybe that's not how the Bucks felt. You also 1139 01:11:50,439 --> 01:11:54,960 have to think about like three years from now, because like again, if 1140 01:11:55,000 --> 01:11:59,920 you're terrible around the honest in twenty twenty three, you're probably not going to 1141 01:12:00,079 --> 01:12:01,159 keeping that much longer. Like, that's not what he's trying to do. 1142 01:12:01,239 --> 01:12:03,600 I mean, he wants to be when it all is said and done, 1143 01:12:03,800 --> 01:12:05,880 he wants to be seen as one of the greats. I mean, he 1144 01:12:06,000 --> 01:12:10,520 idolized Kobe Bryant. He met with Kobe, he brought a notebook to literally 1145 01:12:10,600 --> 01:12:13,560 take notes from Kobe Bryant. And the honest is not a guy who works 1146 01:12:13,600 --> 01:12:15,119 out with a lot of people, but he had that much respect for Kobe. 1147 01:12:15,199 --> 01:12:18,600 And I think, like if Lebron had recently retired, I think it'd 1148 01:12:18,600 --> 01:12:21,479 be the same. I think he just has respect for greatness like that, 1149 01:12:23,640 --> 01:12:26,720 And I think he wants to be up there in that pantheon and he knows, 1150 01:12:27,359 --> 01:12:30,279 you know, these regular season stuff is great. He knows what you 1151 01:12:30,359 --> 01:12:31,920 need to do to be looked at as one of those all time greats. 1152 01:12:31,920 --> 01:12:36,279 You gotta win championships, and the Bucks can't fail to do that around him. 1153 01:12:36,319 --> 01:12:40,319 So that's why the Dante thing is tough, because as much as like 1154 01:12:40,479 --> 01:12:44,720 what if he's the breaking point and trying to outbid Philly for Chris Paul, 1155 01:12:44,760 --> 01:12:46,199 who I guess the Bucks might not be interested in, but whatever, Like 1156 01:12:46,640 --> 01:12:49,920 do you include him to get that much better next year? But maybe you 1157 01:12:50,039 --> 01:12:54,600 lose one of your few guys who saw in a rookie contract and seems promising. 1158 01:12:54,720 --> 01:12:57,239 So I would prefer to keep him. I don't think it's a must, 1159 01:12:57,439 --> 01:12:59,880 but I think he's good and I think he adds a nice little bit 1160 01:12:59,920 --> 01:13:03,279 of aggressiveness to them that they really need. So I would be all for 1161 01:13:03,399 --> 01:13:05,840 it if they found a way to keep him, as long as they don't 1162 01:13:05,920 --> 01:13:10,399 keep like everybody else too. Yeah, I mean to me, it's just 1163 01:13:10,520 --> 01:13:14,119 tough to Chris Paul is a different and I'm obviously going to ask you about 1164 01:13:14,119 --> 01:13:16,319 that. He's like a different cacious because he makes so much money that you 1165 01:13:16,399 --> 01:13:19,479 know, part of the asset is still as good as he is being willing 1166 01:13:19,560 --> 01:13:23,319 to take on his contract. But like if you're going for an actual like 1167 01:13:23,359 --> 01:13:26,560 if you're getting Drew Holiday. I don't know we're trying to get him. 1168 01:13:26,560 --> 01:13:30,199 I don't know how you even start without including Stefan Cenzo. And I've long 1169 01:13:30,319 --> 01:13:33,760 been a proponent of distant first round picks can be really valuable to a franchise. 1170 01:13:33,800 --> 01:13:36,840 I've talked about, you know, the Pelicans having the Lakers twenty twenty 1171 01:13:36,840 --> 01:13:41,600 four first round pick with the ability to defer till twenty twenty five, Like 1172 01:13:41,760 --> 01:13:44,159 that could be. You don't know where Lebron's going to be at in his 1173 01:13:44,239 --> 01:13:45,520 career, and yes, she's still Anthony Davis, but who's around him? 1174 01:13:45,720 --> 01:13:49,279 Like that could be a really valuable first round pick. However, gms can't 1175 01:13:49,279 --> 01:13:53,039 necessarily think that far down the line, not only because of how often the 1176 01:13:53,159 --> 01:13:57,479 NBA landscape changes, but because of their lack of job security in general. 1177 01:13:57,640 --> 01:14:00,920 And so you know, taking on a pick in two thoury twenty six, 1178 01:14:00,960 --> 01:14:03,560 that's not necessarily the smartest move for for your career. And so in the 1179 01:14:03,600 --> 01:14:09,319 Bucks's case, then that leaves de Vincenzo. So I would if you're getting 1180 01:14:09,319 --> 01:14:11,920 a real player, like I think, you have to give him up unless 1181 01:14:12,359 --> 01:14:14,800 you know you're also giving up a you know, you talked about a Chris 1182 01:14:14,880 --> 01:14:16,520 Middleton, So maybe there are ways around that, but if you're trying to 1183 01:14:16,600 --> 01:14:20,800 keep you honest and Chris, I don't really see how you get a player, 1184 01:14:21,239 --> 01:14:26,039 like a high impact player without giving up Dante de Vincenzo in this case, 1185 01:14:26,079 --> 01:14:28,039 and like, I feel like your best hope is actually sell him to 1186 01:14:28,079 --> 01:14:31,239 another team as this high upside prospect play. Yeah, I think you have 1187 01:14:31,319 --> 01:14:33,680 to, and you have to kind of hope they don't look too close to 1188 01:14:33,720 --> 01:14:38,319 the fact that he's twenty three already. But yeah, no, I agree 1189 01:14:38,319 --> 01:14:41,239 with you. I think that's why that was the appeal of a CP three, 1190 01:14:41,439 --> 01:14:45,159 was that he seems gettable without with keeping the powder dry on both Dante 1191 01:14:45,319 --> 01:14:51,359 and Chris. And I don't think many players that good, probably any other 1192 01:14:51,439 --> 01:14:57,000 players that good are going to be obtainable without losing one or both of those 1193 01:14:57,079 --> 01:14:59,399 guys. So I think, yeah, I mean absolutely, if if you 1194 01:14:59,479 --> 01:15:02,359 can get Drew Holiday and not give up Chris Middleton for Dante, then I 1195 01:15:02,439 --> 01:15:04,640 think you won't. You pretty much have to do it. Like that's one 1196 01:15:04,680 --> 01:15:10,359 where I've always said, like, if you can add that third guy without 1197 01:15:10,479 --> 01:15:15,199 giving up Chris, then you're really cooking. Then you're really then you really 1198 01:15:15,319 --> 01:15:17,640 have something, I think, and so then I think, yeah done, 1199 01:15:17,680 --> 01:15:21,359 Trading Dante becomes a lot more palatable. The Bucks, first, by the 1200 01:15:21,399 --> 01:15:25,960 way, really just garbage picks that they have to offer. They have the 1201 01:15:26,520 --> 01:15:30,920 twenty fourth overall in this weird draft, and then they can't move on until 1202 01:15:30,960 --> 01:15:33,720 either twenty twenty four or twenty twenty five, and the way the picks on 1203 01:15:33,800 --> 01:15:36,960 the pick that they currently oh Cleveland are set up, it could defer. 1204 01:15:38,399 --> 01:15:42,359 So I think like the best they could offer of their own picks is a 1205 01:15:42,439 --> 01:15:45,359 twenty twenty four that might have to defer till twenty twenty five based on the 1206 01:15:45,399 --> 01:15:48,119 Cleveland draft. And like you pointed out, this is a point I've been 1207 01:15:48,159 --> 01:15:54,880 trying to make too folks as well, Like unprotected first after Giannest could be 1208 01:15:54,920 --> 01:15:59,359 long gone sounds great. But if you're trading an impact player and all you 1209 01:15:59,439 --> 01:16:03,439 have to show for it is a bad late late first rounder in this admittedly 1210 01:16:03,520 --> 01:16:09,760 pretty bad draft, someone like Dante DiVincenzo or Eric Bledsoe and a pick that 1211 01:16:10,000 --> 01:16:14,800 might not show up for five years, that's very bad for your That's very 1212 01:16:14,880 --> 01:16:17,239 bad for your prospects of getting to actually use that pick. I mean, 1213 01:16:17,319 --> 01:16:20,760 it's imagine you're watching somebody put up thirty points next to you, honest, 1214 01:16:20,800 --> 01:16:26,880 and you've got like a nice prospect and a pick that's going to convey four 1215 01:16:27,039 --> 01:16:30,279 years a full election and change from now. It's it's you're not likely. 1216 01:16:30,880 --> 01:16:35,119 Gms are not looking at that like salivating openly. It's it's not great for 1217 01:16:35,239 --> 01:16:39,239 them to do that. If it was Chris Paul, I think Oklahoma City 1218 01:16:39,279 --> 01:16:42,439 could talk to himselves into Witch just because he's only under contract for two years 1219 01:16:42,479 --> 01:16:44,880 and so old. But yeah, you also have to think about, you 1220 01:16:44,920 --> 01:16:48,520 know, who's actually coming back like that. That's definitely part like going to 1221 01:16:48,600 --> 01:16:51,600 the bucks in that scenario. I'll skip around here a bit then, since 1222 01:16:51,840 --> 01:16:56,760 we're kind of like already touching upon it. Now the Chris Paul stuff, 1223 01:16:56,840 --> 01:16:59,640 where there was the rumor earlier on in the year that he wanted to go 1224 01:16:59,720 --> 01:17:03,039 to the hockey his I don't know if you saw like the Twitter video that 1225 01:17:03,079 --> 01:17:08,199 he posted after the thunder were eliminated by the Rockets, but it felt final 1226 01:17:08,279 --> 01:17:11,000 like he was just gone. Then Billy Donovan, now head coach of the 1227 01:17:11,039 --> 01:17:13,720 Bulls, he leaves Oklahoma City, it feels like they're going to enter that 1228 01:17:13,840 --> 01:17:17,680 rebuild they were supposed to enter when they traded Paul George and Russell Westbrook. 1229 01:17:18,079 --> 01:17:24,960 Now I know they were the report from the Athletic that the sources who with 1230 01:17:25,079 --> 01:17:28,640 knowledge of the Bucks thinking don't see them going that route. What do you 1231 01:17:29,000 --> 01:17:32,840 sort of make of that? Like, do you believe the thing? Like? 1232 01:17:32,920 --> 01:17:35,520 Do you believe that the Bucks aren't really going to look at Chris Paul? 1233 01:17:35,600 --> 01:17:39,479 Is that more of a posture play? Because I do think money is 1234 01:17:39,520 --> 01:17:42,039 gonna have to come into it there too. Two years and eighty five point 1235 01:17:42,079 --> 01:17:44,880 six million dollars a ton of money. He is coming off a second team 1236 01:17:44,880 --> 01:17:46,239 All NBA season. But you have to look at it as so we're gonna 1237 01:17:46,239 --> 01:17:49,319 have to give up stuff to bring this much money on our books. And 1238 01:17:49,439 --> 01:17:53,399 I'm look, players need to get paid. I'm for all the money that 1239 01:17:53,439 --> 01:17:57,079 they can get. I'm never gonna try and save billionaires cash. I will 1240 01:17:57,119 --> 01:18:00,319 never absolutely do that. But this is just the way teams are going to 1241 01:18:00,399 --> 01:18:02,640 think. And so I do think that there's a distinct possibility the Bucks are 1242 01:18:02,680 --> 01:18:05,279 like, even if they have the opportunity to get Chris Paul, that they 1243 01:18:05,359 --> 01:18:10,800 might just pass on it. Yeah, which is deeply frustrating and I agree 1244 01:18:10,840 --> 01:18:16,359 with you on the billionaires part entirely. So the report that they were not 1245 01:18:16,760 --> 01:18:19,800 in fact going to pursue Chris Paul, which certainly could be you know, 1246 01:18:19,880 --> 01:18:24,279 a little bit of chicanery. It could be a smoke screen or whatever else 1247 01:18:24,279 --> 01:18:28,039 because there are probably other teams involved, although it really seems like Philly, 1248 01:18:28,680 --> 01:18:31,279 who's like you might have to blurp this, so I apologize in advance. 1249 01:18:31,359 --> 01:18:34,239 But it seems like the seventy six ers at every turn find a way to 1250 01:18:34,279 --> 01:18:39,119 punch themselves in the dick very aggressively. It feels like they're going to somehow 1251 01:18:39,199 --> 01:18:42,680 end up with Russell Westbrook and Ben Simmons and Joel Embreed, which is just 1252 01:18:42,800 --> 01:18:46,119 like such a nightmare for whoever they end up having his head coach. But 1253 01:18:47,319 --> 01:18:50,520 aside from that, but Philly could get involved like that, They could the 1254 01:18:50,560 --> 01:18:54,039 Bucks could be trying to you know, drive down the price or whatever. 1255 01:18:54,119 --> 01:18:57,479 Who knows. But what was cited in that Athletic report, I believe that 1256 01:18:57,640 --> 01:19:02,199 was Eric name and Sam Yeah, am, I'm not gonna see if I 1257 01:19:02,319 --> 01:19:04,520 used to be bad with names, I thought I got better this pod. 1258 01:19:04,560 --> 01:19:06,800 People are gonna come away and say he still doesn't know names. I don't 1259 01:19:06,800 --> 01:19:10,840 know if someone who has like a borderline speech impediment here, don't do not 1260 01:19:11,000 --> 01:19:14,840 Even this podcast started, I always apologized profusely, So don't worry about it. 1261 01:19:15,760 --> 01:19:17,199 All right, at least at least I'm in good company or maybe bad 1262 01:19:17,279 --> 01:19:25,800 companies. But the the unfortunate thing about Chris Paul is the cost was cited, 1263 01:19:26,159 --> 01:19:30,880 and then right after it said Milwaukee was worried about the cost, like 1264 01:19:30,000 --> 01:19:34,119 the contract numbers were there, not like anything about assets, but just how 1265 01:19:34,239 --> 01:19:38,680 much money he literally costs. And if you look at like the deals that 1266 01:19:39,079 --> 01:19:43,119 you know, we've drawn up on Eurostep and every other people have like bled 1267 01:19:43,199 --> 01:19:48,560 so Hill and ersan Iliasova get you there in like CBA salary matching, and 1268 01:19:48,600 --> 01:19:53,159 then like for the trade to actually make real sense, like probably blood So 1269 01:19:53,319 --> 01:19:57,960 goes somewhere else, and like this team sends an asset and something to Oklahoma 1270 01:19:58,039 --> 01:20:01,199 City, like there's one where like either the Knicks or the Pistons get Bledsoe 1271 01:20:01,560 --> 01:20:05,680 and they send like either I think like Tony Snell or like in the NIXT 1272 01:20:05,720 --> 01:20:10,000 case, it's like two bad expirings. You can take your pick and like 1273 01:20:10,159 --> 01:20:12,960 some crappy pick or whatever. So they get like a nice point guard who 1274 01:20:13,159 --> 01:20:15,520 won't have to worry about the playoffs and who will help raise their floors, 1275 01:20:15,960 --> 01:20:19,039 and you know, the thunder get even more stuff and less money on their 1276 01:20:19,079 --> 01:20:23,039 books. But but that deal, that main deal is like just looking at 1277 01:20:23,079 --> 01:20:26,439 the Milwaukee part Chris Paul, for those three guys, the Bucks take on 1278 01:20:26,600 --> 01:20:30,199 nine point seven more million dollars on their books this year, so like it's 1279 01:20:30,279 --> 01:20:34,039 salary matching and CBA parlance, but it's not an exact match. So that's 1280 01:20:34,079 --> 01:20:36,560 the thing where like that could put them up into the tax this year. 1281 01:20:36,640 --> 01:20:41,199 I think it almost certainly would, unless they made some other drastic moves, 1282 01:20:41,239 --> 01:20:45,399 which maybe they would. But again, like supposedly the Bucks just affirmed the 1283 01:20:45,479 --> 01:20:47,920 Eyes that they're fine with paying the tax. But then like basically at the 1284 01:20:48,039 --> 01:20:53,399 same time, we're getting this report that Chris Paul's too expensive. So I 1285 01:20:53,439 --> 01:20:56,000 don't know, I don't get it. I think he is if you don't 1286 01:20:56,039 --> 01:21:00,359 have to give up any real future assets, Like if you can get it 1287 01:21:00,399 --> 01:21:01,239 done, I don't know if you can. If you can get it done 1288 01:21:01,279 --> 01:21:04,800 for like a few second round picks, and those guys, I just don't 1289 01:21:04,880 --> 01:21:10,279 see how you don't do it it seems like such a low cost gamble to 1290 01:21:10,439 --> 01:21:15,319 make, especially considering how useless Bloods was in the playoffs, and George Hill 1291 01:21:15,439 --> 01:21:17,680 was low key bad in the playoffs this year as well. I think you 1292 01:21:17,800 --> 01:21:20,640 kind of have to go for it. But frustratingly, it does sound like 1293 01:21:20,720 --> 01:21:25,159 they're not as interested in that, which, again I don't know where else 1294 01:21:25,239 --> 01:21:30,159 the path to improvement is necessarily, especially on that level, but that's where 1295 01:21:30,199 --> 01:21:32,640 it sounds like the blocks are at, unless it's a smokescreen, which fingers 1296 01:21:32,680 --> 01:21:36,520 crossed. Yeah, look, so I'll gladly spend the billionaire's money you get 1297 01:21:36,680 --> 01:21:40,039 Chris Paul. I think a bigger issue for me, and this would be 1298 01:21:40,079 --> 01:21:42,640 the valid concern, is that a lot of people have said that it's like 1299 01:21:42,720 --> 01:21:45,319 sort of easy to build the framework of a deal with Okaysey and I tend 1300 01:21:45,359 --> 01:21:48,600 to disagree, because if you're giving up, let's say it's Bledso Lopez and 1301 01:21:48,600 --> 01:21:53,800 George Hill, like those are three as bad as Hill, and its particularly 1302 01:21:53,840 --> 01:21:59,079 Bledso the past three playoffs have like were this past postseason, there are three 1303 01:21:59,399 --> 01:22:02,000 major players for you, and so Chris Paul's thirty five, he might be 1304 01:22:02,600 --> 01:22:05,600 an upgrade if you're giving up two of them, but like he's not soaking 1305 01:22:05,720 --> 01:22:10,479 up all those minutes, maybe you believe that you can approximate the value of 1306 01:22:10,520 --> 01:22:13,760 Brook Lopez a little bit better just because of how centers are used on the 1307 01:22:13,840 --> 01:22:15,560 cheap and free agency. I don't know that I'm not a big fan of 1308 01:22:15,640 --> 01:22:18,720 how Rolo's deal is going to age, but I also think for what he 1309 01:22:18,840 --> 01:22:23,720 does for you defensively now and then combined with his three point volume, not 1310 01:22:23,800 --> 01:22:28,239 necessarily always his efficiency unless he's in Disney World apparently this year, I don't 1311 01:22:28,279 --> 01:22:30,119 know that I would buy into that, And so to me it becomes a 1312 01:22:30,159 --> 01:22:34,239 matter of can you build a deal where you're sort of it's a poop poop 1313 01:22:34,279 --> 01:22:39,960 ladder, where it's you know, it's Eric Bledsoe, there's Erson Aliasova, 1314 01:22:40,159 --> 01:22:43,239 There's Robin Lopez, assuming he picks up his player option, there's DJ Wilson, 1315 01:22:43,680 --> 01:22:45,760 And that money gets you there to being able to take back Chris Paul. 1316 01:22:46,359 --> 01:22:48,680 What can you sweeten it with? And I think one of the biggest 1317 01:22:48,720 --> 01:22:51,760 ones, like you know, Dante DiVincenzo obviously, but now you get into 1318 01:22:51,760 --> 01:22:56,439 a situation where it's five for one. The roster spot game is too difficult, 1319 01:22:56,479 --> 01:22:58,920 and if you're Okay, see, unless you believe that you can flip 1320 01:22:59,000 --> 01:23:00,279 some of those guys, the fact that they're not of immediate use to you, 1321 01:23:00,800 --> 01:23:04,760 especially Bletso who has two more guaranteed years left on his contract, that 1322 01:23:04,840 --> 01:23:09,520 becomes a hang up. And so one of the biggest sugar coatings that you 1323 01:23:09,560 --> 01:23:12,319 could add to this, let's say, would be, can you reroute Eric 1324 01:23:12,359 --> 01:23:16,760 Bletso somewhere to either into someone's cap space or for an actual asset and a 1325 01:23:16,800 --> 01:23:19,039 team that I've you know, you name some teams, but another team I've 1326 01:23:19,119 --> 01:23:23,880 come back to they have the most cap space in the NBA. Atlanta feels 1327 01:23:23,880 --> 01:23:27,399 like they could use and Eric Bletso to play alongside a Trey Young. You 1328 01:23:27,479 --> 01:23:30,760 have someone automatically, you can just cover every other team's opposing point guard and 1329 01:23:30,800 --> 01:23:34,279 then even shooting guards if there's an opportunity to stash Tray out of point guard, 1330 01:23:34,279 --> 01:23:38,000 which you feel like they're almost never is. I don't know if they 1331 01:23:38,000 --> 01:23:40,680 would need something to do that because they're kind of building up the bucks in 1332 01:23:40,720 --> 01:23:42,880 the process. I don't know if they would give up. They're not going 1333 01:23:42,920 --> 01:23:44,720 to give up one of their your own wins for him. But that's just 1334 01:23:44,800 --> 01:23:46,520 a suggestion. I have. If you can build something like that, that 1335 01:23:46,640 --> 01:23:50,119 should be the goal. And if you're worried about giving up three of your 1336 01:23:50,159 --> 01:23:55,720 most used players during the regular season for Chris Paul, I actually understand that 1337 01:23:55,960 --> 01:23:59,479 stands. The money is just something I won't like. It's insofar as it's 1338 01:23:59,479 --> 01:24:01,479 ever excuse and if you have a contender, it's never going to be for 1339 01:24:01,600 --> 01:24:05,640 me. But this is Jannie's for now contract year, like, it's just 1340 01:24:06,239 --> 01:24:10,159 it's and even if it's not, if he's signing the supermacs, that's a 1341 01:24:10,239 --> 01:24:13,640 vote of faith in you. And you're obligated to just leap into the tax 1342 01:24:13,760 --> 01:24:15,760 this season. And so that's really the only if you're trying, if you 1343 01:24:15,880 --> 01:24:19,119 have to give up Bletso Lopez, George Hill for Chris Paul, that's the 1344 01:24:19,239 --> 01:24:24,079 one that would give me pause. Yeah, I mean, I think if 1345 01:24:24,119 --> 01:24:28,159 you can do it like the Sunbucks fans. Actually, this is just a 1346 01:24:28,239 --> 01:24:31,720 side note in our euro Group discord for the listeners of the euro Step. 1347 01:24:32,199 --> 01:24:36,439 One idea that's been circuling that I find actually kind of intriguing is like if 1348 01:24:36,520 --> 01:24:41,000 Houston is tearing down and bringing in a new coach, who might actually want 1349 01:24:41,039 --> 01:24:44,319 a center, Like if you can get the Chris Paul deal done without trading 1350 01:24:44,359 --> 01:24:47,840 Brook Lopez. Maybe you swing Lopez over to Houston and pick up like some 1351 01:24:48,039 --> 01:24:51,840 wing help from them, whether it's a Covington or maybe you buy really low 1352 01:24:51,920 --> 01:24:56,640 on Eric Gordon or something like that, which I think that is interesting too, 1353 01:24:56,760 --> 01:24:59,279 just to stock up the wings and kind of get more depth, Like 1354 01:24:59,319 --> 01:25:02,560 I think today I looked at like Eric Gordon and Ben McLamore would work. 1355 01:25:02,640 --> 01:25:05,920 I think McLamore is expiring next year, so something like that, just to 1356 01:25:05,960 --> 01:25:09,720 talk about the depth a little bit. I agree, these like three four 1357 01:25:09,800 --> 01:25:13,079 or five for one deals get super super tricky. But I think like if 1358 01:25:13,119 --> 01:25:17,760 you can do like bledsow Hill, maybe even that indie first maybe maybe Okay 1359 01:25:17,800 --> 01:25:21,199 see has some interest in that, who knows, but Bledsoe hill Erson who 1360 01:25:21,279 --> 01:25:26,760 Erson is like out of the rotation. So you basically consolidate your two Okay 1361 01:25:26,840 --> 01:25:30,760 point guards into one very good point guard, especially in the playoffs, for 1362 01:25:30,840 --> 01:25:33,640 the cost of a pick and Urson salary, then I think that becomes definitely 1363 01:25:33,840 --> 01:25:35,920 a no brainer. And again I don't know if it's that easy or not, 1364 01:25:36,359 --> 01:25:41,399 but if, like I don't think Atlanta might have a bad first coming 1365 01:25:41,439 --> 01:25:43,960 in in order. Detroit doesn't. But they have like all their seconds, 1366 01:25:44,319 --> 01:25:48,039 even if okay Se can like facilitate Bloodsta somewhere for like two seconds, even 1367 01:25:48,039 --> 01:25:53,199 if they're sort of protected. Like what bad team really I think Eric bledsoll 1368 01:25:53,279 --> 01:25:56,319 is looked at now is this big negative asset. I don't think that's true. 1369 01:25:56,439 --> 01:25:59,920 I think a GM of a team like that who was like they would 1370 01:26:00,039 --> 01:26:01,960 like to win some games and keep their jobs. As we already mentioned, 1371 01:26:02,000 --> 01:26:05,520 this dynamic people tend to overlook a lot, like we can just get Eric 1372 01:26:05,560 --> 01:26:11,000 Bledsoe for bad seconds. He might be a top fifty regular season player, 1373 01:26:11,119 --> 01:26:14,800 which is a really good player, All Defense, second team All Defense this 1374 01:26:14,920 --> 01:26:16,319 year. Like he can play, and he's gonna he's gonna help raise your 1375 01:26:16,359 --> 01:26:19,119 floor a bit, especially for some of these teams. I mean, he's 1376 01:26:19,159 --> 01:26:21,880 not like a great distributor, but he can pass a little bit. He 1377 01:26:21,960 --> 01:26:26,760 can certainly play like with a ball dominant guy, Like if the Bulls didn't 1378 01:26:26,800 --> 01:26:29,600 have Kobe White, I think he'd be a good lavine fit. Maybe they'll 1379 01:26:29,600 --> 01:26:31,199 get rid of lavine and he can play next to Kobe White. But like 1380 01:26:31,279 --> 01:26:35,479 these bad teams who need defense and really want to win at least a little 1381 01:26:35,520 --> 01:26:39,039 bit. I think Blood so makes a lot of sense. I think you're 1382 01:26:39,079 --> 01:26:41,760 gonna find like, I don't think that's going to be an impediment to the 1383 01:26:41,840 --> 01:26:45,199 deal. I do think personally, I think the Bucks would be able to 1384 01:26:45,239 --> 01:26:47,319 get it done. I think Okay s would like to send Chris Paul to 1385 01:26:47,439 --> 01:26:51,359 somewhere he wants to go, like Milwaukee. I think OKAYC likes being looked 1386 01:26:51,399 --> 01:26:55,720 at as one of those franchises to kind of make people forget the whole Hardened 1387 01:26:55,800 --> 01:26:59,119 thing. But yeah, I don't know if really, if it comes down 1388 01:26:59,159 --> 01:27:01,319 to it, and like Chris Paul gets traded for nothing but salary filler, 1389 01:27:01,600 --> 01:27:04,520 and it's pretty obvious the Bucks could have gotten in there, it will be 1390 01:27:04,640 --> 01:27:11,000 like the latest and probably most disappointing chapter and the Bucks did something for X 1391 01:27:11,159 --> 01:27:14,119 reason that also happened to save them quite a bit of money. That is 1392 01:27:14,199 --> 01:27:16,359 something I did not consider that if Chris Paul gets sent somewhere for like a 1393 01:27:16,479 --> 01:27:21,119 reasonable asking price that the Bucks like could have met without really feeling it, 1394 01:27:21,359 --> 01:27:27,079 that the optics on that would be absolutely terrible. Like if like if it's 1395 01:27:27,119 --> 01:27:30,600 like a somehow like the like Okay, see, I don't think this would 1396 01:27:30,600 --> 01:27:33,000 happen. Here's the example i'd give you. Not to interject, but like 1397 01:27:33,000 --> 01:27:36,520 if Philly gets him while giving up Al Horford, like the Buck's done fucked 1398 01:27:36,560 --> 01:27:41,159 up somewhere. Probably yep, No, absolutely, I was thinking Tobias at 1399 01:27:41,199 --> 01:27:44,680 first, but I get but I think Tobias, like, I think Tobias 1400 01:27:44,720 --> 01:27:46,840 can play, Honestly, Like, if Tobias got rerouted to the Bucks somehow, 1401 01:27:46,880 --> 01:27:50,399 I probably wouldn't hate it. I don't think there's any way. And 1402 01:27:51,079 --> 01:27:54,479 and him, like I think he can play. I think he's fine. 1403 01:27:54,520 --> 01:27:57,880 He's just not a max thirty million dollars a year guy. He's like a 1404 01:27:58,439 --> 01:28:00,159 seventeen point per game guy, and that's fine. There's something against him, 1405 01:28:00,199 --> 01:28:04,720 but they just saw him as something else for whatever reason. But yeah, 1406 01:28:04,760 --> 01:28:10,439 the Horford, like if it's Horford and like who's the stretch for? Why 1407 01:28:10,439 --> 01:28:14,840 am I blanking on his name? Whoever? If it's Horford and stuff, 1408 01:28:14,920 --> 01:28:18,119 Horford one of the words from Philly like Mike Scott or something that I was 1409 01:28:18,199 --> 01:28:21,560 gonna say Mike Evans, I was like, it's a football. But yeah, 1410 01:28:21,600 --> 01:28:25,560 if it's like Mike Scott and Horford and no picks, then yeah, 1411 01:28:25,600 --> 01:28:29,119 I mean I think like the Deer district might just be engulfed in flames after 1412 01:28:29,199 --> 01:28:32,399 that. Have you given thought to any other trade targets that you could see 1413 01:28:32,640 --> 01:28:38,520 or you think the Bucks should pursue. There's actually another okay see point guard 1414 01:28:38,840 --> 01:28:42,119 who I am interested in, and I think, again, I have no 1415 01:28:42,199 --> 01:28:44,560 idea what asking prices are going to be or if they would even want to 1416 01:28:44,600 --> 01:28:47,399 move this player. Dann Shrewder really impressed me in the playoffs, and he's 1417 01:28:47,439 --> 01:28:50,279 a little bit younger. I think he's twenty seven. I think he's expiring 1418 01:28:50,680 --> 01:28:55,800 this next season. I'm like fourteen and fifteen million per Again, I feel 1419 01:28:55,840 --> 01:28:57,640 like, okay, C is kind of in a place where it's just like, 1420 01:28:57,760 --> 01:29:00,159 we'll take all your picks and you can have these players if he's gettable 1421 01:29:00,239 --> 01:29:03,880 for like Bledsoe and stuff, which again probably not, but who knows. 1422 01:29:04,760 --> 01:29:10,239 I would like that. I think like the real desperation play, like I 1423 01:29:10,359 --> 01:29:14,960 mentioned earlier, I think any team could probably get Aaron or Eric Gordon excuse 1424 01:29:15,039 --> 01:29:17,760 me for basically like nothing right now from the Rockets. I just I don't 1425 01:29:17,840 --> 01:29:23,119 think like they signed this really big extension and then just played really really poorly. 1426 01:29:23,640 --> 01:29:25,680 You could try to roll the dice and saying, you know, we're 1427 01:29:25,720 --> 01:29:28,239 gonna buy low we think he's the player he has been in the past. 1428 01:29:28,680 --> 01:29:32,279 That's like your desperation option. I throughout some other I throughout some names that 1429 01:29:32,319 --> 01:29:36,000 really made Bucks Twitter upset. Now I feel like I'm basically you just look 1430 01:29:36,039 --> 01:29:40,439 at like the list of like who's either like I'm a bad team that doesn't 1431 01:29:40,479 --> 01:29:43,680 really mind being bad for a year or two, or who is like just 1432 01:29:43,920 --> 01:29:46,119 grossly overpaid, and those are pretty much the guys, because again, the 1433 01:29:46,199 --> 01:29:49,720 Bucks cabinet in terms of assets is pretty bare. I mean, like Drew 1434 01:29:49,760 --> 01:29:53,880 Holiday would be great. I wouldn't want to give up Chris Middleton to do 1435 01:29:54,000 --> 01:29:56,800 it. I don't think he's enough of upgrade, and I don't know if 1436 01:29:56,840 --> 01:30:00,479 they can get him without doing that. You also run into the I don't 1437 01:30:00,479 --> 01:30:02,159 know how many teams are going to think like this, but some of them 1438 01:30:02,199 --> 01:30:05,720 aren't gonna want to help out the Bucks if they think is still in play. 1439 01:30:06,399 --> 01:30:10,000 Lowry would be awesome, but I don't think there's any way that the 1440 01:30:10,119 --> 01:30:13,640 Raptors ever unless it's for you. Honest, I don't think the Raptors are 1441 01:30:13,680 --> 01:30:15,479 going to trade Kyle Lowry to the Milwaukee Bucks. And this is something I 1442 01:30:15,600 --> 01:30:19,479 floated before this year because I remember there was this I feel stupid now for 1443 01:30:19,520 --> 01:30:21,720 saying it, but there was some thought they might just tear it down and 1444 01:30:21,800 --> 01:30:25,960 said they just decided to be very good, which I think more teams should 1445 01:30:25,960 --> 01:30:29,760 decide to do that. But I remember floating on Twitter like, oh man, 1446 01:30:29,840 --> 01:30:31,039 if they tear it down, I won if the Bucks could get Lowry 1447 01:30:31,359 --> 01:30:36,239 and Anthony Doyle. Of course, on a Kyle Lowry and Jannie related issues 1448 01:30:36,319 --> 01:30:41,399 slides in immediately and goes I don't think the Raptors are going to try and 1449 01:30:41,399 --> 01:30:43,479 help out the Bucks. I was like, you know what fair points So 1450 01:30:43,560 --> 01:30:47,640 yeah, like Miami, Dallas, Toronto, et cetera. Maybe the Lakers, 1451 01:30:47,720 --> 01:30:50,520 the Warriors. I don't think they're going to be jumping out of their 1452 01:30:50,560 --> 01:30:54,520 seats to say, here, this will help you contend and keep you honest 1453 01:30:54,600 --> 01:30:58,279 forever. I am. I'm with you on that one. I have I 1454 01:30:58,359 --> 01:31:01,439 have three names for you, and they rain from super ambitious to medium ambitious 1455 01:31:01,479 --> 01:31:04,800 to on the lower end. So I'll start from the bottom work my way 1456 01:31:04,880 --> 01:31:09,159 up. I don't really know what's going on in Chicago after the Billy Donovan 1457 01:31:09,239 --> 01:31:12,640 higher that seems like maybe like they might have more immediate ambitions than I thought. 1458 01:31:13,119 --> 01:31:15,319 But a And didn't have the best year. But I'm inclined to also 1459 01:31:15,520 --> 01:31:19,279 blame that a little bit on bulls being the bulls. But Thomas had Ranski 1460 01:31:19,399 --> 01:31:21,560 feels like someone who might be able to help them. When you look at 1461 01:31:21,560 --> 01:31:25,479 the playoffs, you know, at first of all you're gonna say, like, 1462 01:31:25,600 --> 01:31:27,720 your low end was Zach Lavina. I was like, oh, my 1463 01:31:27,840 --> 01:31:30,800 goodness, and you're an eternal optimist. Yeah, sad, it would be 1464 01:31:30,880 --> 01:31:33,800 fine. It's one of those where, like, you know, I almost 1465 01:31:33,840 --> 01:31:36,439 feel bad because I've liked Saddle for a while. I think he's a good 1466 01:31:36,479 --> 01:31:41,800 player. I think if like, if that's the guy you get after this 1467 01:31:41,960 --> 01:31:45,279 horrible like you don't make a coaching change, well, the player you bring 1468 01:31:45,359 --> 01:31:46,399 in his saddle, that's tough. But I do, like, I think 1469 01:31:46,439 --> 01:31:50,039 he could be a certainly illogical target, especially if they end up drafting and 1470 01:31:50,119 --> 01:31:54,560 get another guard. Yeah. My thought process there was like, if you 1471 01:31:55,079 --> 01:31:58,600 that's someone maybe you could get for your salary filler that doesn't include bloods, 1472 01:31:58,840 --> 01:32:01,039 and then like picks like it's I probably wouldn't give up a first end, 1473 01:32:01,039 --> 01:32:02,760 but if it's a second or if you could, you know, if they 1474 01:32:02,840 --> 01:32:06,399 really like DJ Wilson for some reason, so that you keep The idea would 1475 01:32:06,399 --> 01:32:12,079 be to keep Letzo Middleton and Jannis Hill and Lopez and then add a Saddo 1476 01:32:13,000 --> 01:32:15,039 the other name even or even like if you trade everybody else, like bring 1477 01:32:15,159 --> 01:32:17,520 him in as like a rotation guy. Okay, No, I like that. 1478 01:32:17,600 --> 01:32:19,960 I like that. I would give up two seconds for Sato, the 1479 01:32:20,199 --> 01:32:24,119 medium guy that I had suggested he might be on the ambitious end, just 1480 01:32:24,239 --> 01:32:27,079 given how important he is to his team right now. But DeVante Graham, 1481 01:32:27,520 --> 01:32:30,800 knowing that he's gonna hit twenty twenty one free agency, if Charlotte feels like 1482 01:32:30,800 --> 01:32:32,720 they can capitalize on his value, and in that scenario, you're probably giving 1483 01:32:32,800 --> 01:32:36,439 up a pick and prospect or two picks. But just what he can do 1484 01:32:36,520 --> 01:32:41,439 off the dribble, how defense has clapped around him in Charlotte, I would 1485 01:32:41,439 --> 01:32:45,239 be a big fan of him. In Milwaukee, I would too. I 1486 01:32:45,720 --> 01:32:48,119 assume I just feel like Charlotte wouldn't give him up. But I also I 1487 01:32:48,119 --> 01:32:51,680 guess i'd put the thought the same with Kemba Walker. So maybe maybe maybe 1488 01:32:51,720 --> 01:32:54,800 there's a chance that I would. That would be a lot of fun. 1489 01:32:54,880 --> 01:32:58,239 I think his game has some holes, but his pull up three point shooting, 1490 01:32:58,840 --> 01:33:00,880 if it's sustainable. Bit the way, if you're the Bucks, you 1491 01:33:00,960 --> 01:33:02,439 kind of have to rull your dice on ifs right now, it would be 1492 01:33:02,560 --> 01:33:05,640 great with the honest I just remember the name that made Bucks Twitter hate me, 1493 01:33:06,000 --> 01:33:11,319 his teammate and backcourt mate, Terry Rogier, who feels eminently available and 1494 01:33:11,359 --> 01:33:15,000 who quietly hit forty percent of his threes this year. But he's always kind 1495 01:33:15,000 --> 01:33:16,560 of been like a good off ball player too, And so if you put 1496 01:33:16,600 --> 01:33:19,079 I don't know if he's what like, I feel like he might give you 1497 01:33:19,279 --> 01:33:25,119 less off the dribble creation than Sato, which is been an issue. But 1498 01:33:25,159 --> 01:33:29,600 if you're just looking for pure spacing where I don't know that you know, 1499 01:33:29,880 --> 01:33:30,800 if you want to give up Eric Bletzo for him, if you're that loan 1500 01:33:30,800 --> 01:33:33,119 in his contract, sure, but if you can replace like some of the 1501 01:33:33,279 --> 01:33:36,640 Eric Bletze minutes, he gives you another half court outlet. For sure. 1502 01:33:36,680 --> 01:33:41,079 He would definitely help Milwaukee. Yeah, I'd like basically def to throw him 1503 01:33:41,119 --> 01:33:43,840 in the West Matthews role. He's not going to run thirty pick and rolls 1504 01:33:43,880 --> 01:33:45,840 a game with anybody, but he can spot up a bit and cut and 1505 01:33:45,920 --> 01:33:48,600 create off the ball. Yeah, it's but they wouldn't hate that either. 1506 01:33:48,640 --> 01:33:54,000 But again, I really hope the Bucks aren't touting Terry Rogier is their big 1507 01:33:54,039 --> 01:33:57,399 addition. But DeVante Graham that would be that would be more intriguing, be 1508 01:33:57,520 --> 01:34:00,119 more ambitious one. And I actually you mentioned zackly like, I don't know 1509 01:34:00,279 --> 01:34:03,720 what you if, like it's Dante di Vincenzo and a future pick, like 1510 01:34:03,840 --> 01:34:08,239 if they're willing to sell that low on like if they like maybe Chicago just 1511 01:34:08,279 --> 01:34:10,640 because it's a new front office regime and they're like, well, you know, 1512 01:34:10,720 --> 01:34:13,960 we're gonna be here like for at least four years or something like, 1513 01:34:14,119 --> 01:34:18,199 maybe we have interest in an incredibly loosely protected pick in twenty twenty four or 1514 01:34:18,319 --> 01:34:20,920 twenty with the option to defer to twenty twenty five or something like that, 1515 01:34:21,640 --> 01:34:24,840 And maybe you could suss out a third team. Again, it might send 1516 01:34:25,000 --> 01:34:29,199 something to them for Feric Butzo zak Lavine wouldn't be a bad fit in Milwaukee. 1517 01:34:29,319 --> 01:34:31,600 But the name is plural that I was thinking of is can you latch 1518 01:34:31,680 --> 01:34:35,479 on as a third team in a deal where Brooklyn's trying to get its third 1519 01:34:35,560 --> 01:34:39,800 star? Because I actually think Brooklyn has some really attractive trade packages. But 1520 01:34:39,880 --> 01:34:43,199 if you're going after I don't know who the guy is. If it's in 1521 01:34:43,640 --> 01:34:45,239 you know, if it's a Bradby Beal, you would think that the Washington 1522 01:34:45,359 --> 01:34:49,640 wants to get younger than a Lavert and a Dinwoody. So can Milwaukee kind 1523 01:34:49,640 --> 01:34:54,520 of joined that deal to send stuff to a Washington or whatever team Brooklyn's dealing 1524 01:34:54,520 --> 01:34:58,319 with where they're gonna end up getting back Lavert or even Spencer Dinwoody because those 1525 01:34:58,399 --> 01:35:01,479 two players help them agree eight deal. Another name that that's gonna go after 1526 01:35:01,600 --> 01:35:05,760 is Oladipo. I'm sure the Pacers would probably be more okay with Lavert and 1527 01:35:05,920 --> 01:35:10,439 or Dinwoody in that situation. So I'm not necessarily sure what the third star 1528 01:35:10,479 --> 01:35:13,920 would be that Brooklyn is targeting, but that might be a deal to join 1529 01:35:14,000 --> 01:35:17,279 because the Bucks can offer picks Dante DiVincenzo to the team that's giving up a 1530 01:35:18,000 --> 01:35:21,199 higher and like maybe it's Orlando. If if Brooklyn is like really high on 1531 01:35:21,279 --> 01:35:25,439 Aaron Gordon and they're giving up Spencer Dinwoody, either of those two players, 1532 01:35:25,439 --> 01:35:28,720 whether it's Lavert or Dimwity, would just be fantastic gets for Milwaukee. It 1533 01:35:28,800 --> 01:35:32,840 probably would require them unloading the clip of cost control the assets that they have 1534 01:35:32,920 --> 01:35:38,960 at their disposal, though, I would unload the clip for both of those 1535 01:35:39,000 --> 01:35:43,119 guys, which I don't know if that's feasible, but like Dinwoody and Lavert 1536 01:35:43,239 --> 01:35:45,279 just seems totally. That seems all of a sudden and I assuming that you're 1537 01:35:45,359 --> 01:35:48,359 keeping Chris as well. Yeah, and it was like, whichever one of 1538 01:35:48,399 --> 01:35:50,760 them you can get, because you obviously don't have enough stuff to get both, 1539 01:35:51,720 --> 01:35:55,039 but whatever one you can get, I think it's just an instant fit. 1540 01:35:55,960 --> 01:35:59,199 Yeah, I do as well. I'm like Lavert shooting a little bit 1541 01:35:59,279 --> 01:36:01,159 concerns me from three, but there is a lot of upside there. I 1542 01:36:01,239 --> 01:36:04,640 think Denwoody is just good. I think, like again, not probably a 1543 01:36:04,760 --> 01:36:09,359 splashy, but a much much better fit at the point guard position. And 1544 01:36:09,479 --> 01:36:12,439 maybe, I mean, he's taken leaps before from you know, a fringe 1545 01:36:12,560 --> 01:36:15,600 NBA player to a solid starter. Maybe in this perfect situation for him, 1546 01:36:15,600 --> 01:36:18,319 he'd be set up to take another leap. He can you know, his 1547 01:36:18,520 --> 01:36:23,880 crypto and his game will take off at the same time. See. But 1548 01:36:24,079 --> 01:36:27,960 like, definitely din Witty, I think I would like dinn Witty or Lavert. 1549 01:36:28,000 --> 01:36:30,680 I would I think Laverte is probably seen as the more attractive. I'm 1550 01:36:30,680 --> 01:36:34,239 almost more inclined to give up the clip for Dinwoody and definitely like Chicago, 1551 01:36:34,359 --> 01:36:38,600 take your pick of anything besides Chris and be honest that that we have available 1552 01:36:38,920 --> 01:36:42,920 for Lavine. I mean that like Lavine Chris and the honest would just be 1553 01:36:43,119 --> 01:36:45,520 incredible. But I don't know if that's possible. You never know. Yeah, 1554 01:36:46,399 --> 01:36:48,600 that's definitely on the ambitious end of the spectrum. And I think I 1555 01:36:48,600 --> 01:36:53,239 agree with you that dim what He's probably just more scalable than Lavert. He's 1556 01:36:53,239 --> 01:36:56,880 one of those guys that feels like he's gonna hit like or feel more comfortable, 1557 01:36:57,000 --> 01:36:59,680 you know, pulling up from three off the dribble than rather spotting up, 1558 01:36:59,760 --> 01:37:03,079 which could be the issue there. Sort of moving on though here. 1559 01:37:03,119 --> 01:37:05,600 So one of the things that's probably not being talked about enough, at least 1560 01:37:05,640 --> 01:37:09,920 nationally is the Bucks have a ton of free agents themselves, and so looking 1561 01:37:09,960 --> 01:37:14,680 at Sterling Brown, restricted free agent Pat Connaughton, Robin Lopez has a player 1562 01:37:14,720 --> 01:37:17,399 option which I think he would exercise. There's Kyle Korver, Wesley Matthews has 1563 01:37:17,479 --> 01:37:20,920 a player option, who do you see leaving, who do you see coming 1564 01:37:20,920 --> 01:37:24,239 back? Is there at least one of those guys that you can identify as 1565 01:37:24,359 --> 01:37:27,359 must keep from Milwaukee, because it does seem like, yeah, they need 1566 01:37:27,399 --> 01:37:29,840 to try and improve the roster, but at least to some degree, they 1567 01:37:29,840 --> 01:37:31,880 do have to take care of their own because at least I'm looking at West 1568 01:37:31,960 --> 01:37:33,920 Matthews as the guy for me that I'm like, well, he needs to 1569 01:37:34,000 --> 01:37:38,039 come back. No, you you took the words right out of my mouth 1570 01:37:38,079 --> 01:37:41,479 there with West Matthews. I think he needs to be out of this corps 1571 01:37:41,520 --> 01:37:45,960 of players the number one priority. I know from some talking to some folks 1572 01:37:45,079 --> 01:37:47,640 around the league. I don't like saying league sources. I like saying folks 1573 01:37:47,680 --> 01:37:50,920 around the league. From talking to some folks around the league, I know 1574 01:37:51,039 --> 01:37:56,119 the Bucks are interested in keeping him. I don't know if they necessarily have 1575 01:37:56,479 --> 01:37:59,920 the best idea of what he's going to do. They can't go over the 1576 01:38:00,199 --> 01:38:02,560 cap to keep him without burning one of their cap exceptions. I believe they 1577 01:38:02,640 --> 01:38:06,000 have the bi annual and the mid level. I don't know if they would 1578 01:38:06,039 --> 01:38:09,399 use the mid level for a West. I guess we'll see how the rest 1579 01:38:09,439 --> 01:38:12,199 of free agency shakes out. I don't know if he would want to take 1580 01:38:12,199 --> 01:38:15,520 another vetman or not. Maybe another one and one that keeps some flexibility and 1581 01:38:15,600 --> 01:38:19,079 then kind of sign a nod nod, a nudge, nudge, wink wink 1582 01:38:19,159 --> 01:38:24,359 deal two years from now and the Bucks have his early bird rights. Basically, 1583 01:38:24,399 --> 01:38:26,000 just tell him, you know, no matter what, if you want 1584 01:38:26,000 --> 01:38:28,920 to come back again, we'll sign you for a little, probably more than 1585 01:38:28,960 --> 01:38:31,199 your market. Is a thirty six year old swing man off of acl I 1586 01:38:31,279 --> 01:38:34,159 believe, or an Achilles, I believe. But yeah, I think he 1587 01:38:34,279 --> 01:38:36,319 needs to be the first priority. I think he got to figure it out 1588 01:38:36,359 --> 01:38:41,720 whether he's your fifth starter on a more loaded starting five or your best bench 1589 01:38:41,840 --> 01:38:45,239 wing. I just think he should be a priority. His defense, he 1590 01:38:45,520 --> 01:38:48,199 was deserving of the one or two or whatever votes Chris Middleton got for all 1591 01:38:48,279 --> 01:38:51,159 defense. I think I put him on my fake ballot just to give him 1592 01:38:51,199 --> 01:38:55,560 the nod, But I think he should have gotten a voted to he was 1593 01:38:55,640 --> 01:38:58,479 that good. He defended the best wing players the Bucks page. He definitely 1594 01:38:58,479 --> 01:39:03,279 should have gotten more fourth quarter minutes of playoffs. Do you know what's funny 1595 01:39:03,479 --> 01:39:06,800 is that's so tied to one of their other big issues of like you know, 1596 01:39:06,800 --> 01:39:09,880 you could say, oh, Chris couldn't play more minutes and some of 1597 01:39:09,920 --> 01:39:12,880 these games because of foul trouble. He picked up so many fouls, and 1598 01:39:12,880 --> 01:39:15,199 I think it was like Game one in three or Game one and four because 1599 01:39:15,359 --> 01:39:19,199 he was guarding Jimmy Butler the whole fourth quarter, and Jimmy Butler had his 1600 01:39:19,199 --> 01:39:23,479 two best quarters of the playoffs going against Chris and not Wes Matthews, who 1601 01:39:23,520 --> 01:39:27,079 did tremendous on him. So it would have worked out better for literally everything 1602 01:39:27,159 --> 01:39:30,159 if if Wes played those minutes. But well, so, I think, 1603 01:39:30,359 --> 01:39:33,159 honestly, like my initial thoughts for like an off season plan for the Bucks 1604 01:39:33,319 --> 01:39:36,840 right after Game five was like, get the new coach in there, which 1605 01:39:38,079 --> 01:39:40,880 I don't know if that's happening now, and sit down with West and say, 1606 01:39:40,920 --> 01:39:43,520 listen, we're actually gonna play you in fourth quarters this time. Don't 1607 01:39:43,560 --> 01:39:46,199 worry. So maybe he's less inclined to come back. Who knows, I 1608 01:39:46,239 --> 01:39:48,680 don't. I don't have any insight there, but I think he's the priority. 1609 01:39:49,119 --> 01:39:51,600 I think Sterling Brown's gonna leave, and I think the Bucks are gonna 1610 01:39:51,640 --> 01:39:57,520 be fine with that. There's not like bad Blood. They just never really 1611 01:39:57,680 --> 01:40:00,479 played him consistently and they didn't send him to Oshkosh to play with the Herd 1612 01:40:00,520 --> 01:40:05,640 consistently. I mean, I think really like kind of a failure on the 1613 01:40:05,680 --> 01:40:10,039 Bucks part of and maybe these guys just aren't any good. Him and DJ 1614 01:40:10,199 --> 01:40:13,479 Wilson, the two in particular, I think they both have a chance to 1615 01:40:13,520 --> 01:40:17,239 be like rotational wing players in different ways, but they just have never played. 1616 01:40:17,279 --> 01:40:20,159 They just have not gotten rep So I think he's gonna go somewhere else 1617 01:40:20,239 --> 01:40:24,359 and look for minutes. I think Pat Condident is going to be in the 1618 01:40:24,439 --> 01:40:28,840 Delhi situation where like, if there's nothing really there, he probably comes back. 1619 01:40:29,239 --> 01:40:31,680 But if some team for whatever reason, Saucelan they liked and offered him 1620 01:40:31,760 --> 01:40:34,720 like eight million dollars a year, you're honest, is gonna send one of 1621 01:40:34,760 --> 01:40:39,880 those Lebron tweets like the minute the offer sheet is first signed, when the 1622 01:40:39,920 --> 01:40:43,640 Bucks could still match and just be like have fun, Pat, good luck. 1623 01:40:44,039 --> 01:40:45,960 I don't even know if he might not be restricted, but if he 1624 01:40:46,039 --> 01:40:48,720 gets an offer, I don't think the Bucks will go and pay him. 1625 01:40:48,760 --> 01:40:53,439 But I could be wrong. Yeah, I don't think any but yeah that's 1626 01:40:53,479 --> 01:40:55,560 like I don't I don't think you look at him and like, oh, 1627 01:40:55,600 --> 01:40:58,359 we need to have him back. I would hope not. I mean, 1628 01:40:58,439 --> 01:41:00,720 the Bucks like playing a lot, but I don't think he's intrigled to what 1629 01:41:00,800 --> 01:41:03,119 they do and anything like that. So I think, yeah, I think 1630 01:41:03,159 --> 01:41:05,720 if somebody pays him, he's gone. Otherwise, sure, I mean bringing 1631 01:41:05,800 --> 01:41:10,239 back is the eleventh guy. That's fine. Robin Lopez, I can't tell. 1632 01:41:10,279 --> 01:41:13,119 I don't know how he feels about not really playing in the playoffs at 1633 01:41:13,159 --> 01:41:17,000 all. Probably not great. But who knows. He's leaving him five million 1634 01:41:17,039 --> 01:41:20,680 though, would be my counter even if he wants to leave. Yeah, 1635 01:41:20,680 --> 01:41:24,720 And it's a deep center class. I mean, I've got rankings for all 1636 01:41:24,840 --> 01:41:28,640 the positions, and like there's a lot of centers who I think are gonna 1637 01:41:28,720 --> 01:41:31,560 end up making vet men like I did, Like I give them on numbers. 1638 01:41:31,600 --> 01:41:35,640 So I had Robin Lopez as the fourteenth best center. Like nineteenth is 1639 01:41:35,680 --> 01:41:40,880 a guy like John Henson. Twenty sixth is like Jan Mahimi who's like not 1640 01:41:41,000 --> 01:41:44,920 exciting, but like an NBA player like Bismack Biombos. In the twenties, 1641 01:41:45,319 --> 01:41:48,279 there's a lot of centers hitting free agency. It's like the twenty sixteen centers 1642 01:41:48,319 --> 01:41:53,680 coming off those contracts. There's a lot of them. Man, Hassan Whiteside's 1643 01:41:53,680 --> 01:41:57,680 getting out here, Tristan Thompson's getting out here, big money, big money 1644 01:41:57,760 --> 01:42:00,279 guys, and they're not gonna get that again. But I think he might 1645 01:42:00,399 --> 01:42:03,560 just opt in just for that reason, although he could just be trade collateral. 1646 01:42:03,640 --> 01:42:08,920 Did I miss anybody? There's Kyle Korver, which he might be a 1647 01:42:09,000 --> 01:42:13,399 retirement candidate at this point too. Yeah, he's either going to retire or 1648 01:42:13,479 --> 01:42:15,720 Bud's gonna play him way way too often. Whatever, he will be starting 1649 01:42:15,840 --> 01:42:19,800 at the two spot from oh please don't speak that in the universe. Uh. 1650 01:42:19,960 --> 01:42:24,520 This is so kind of two questions rolled into one because obviously we all 1651 01:42:24,560 --> 01:42:27,279 know what the Bucks could really use. And there's like if they're gonna let 1652 01:42:27,319 --> 01:42:29,680 other free agents walk, I think, like you know, their their wing 1653 01:42:29,800 --> 01:42:33,000 depth after Janie and Chris Middleton has never actually been too great, which is 1654 01:42:33,039 --> 01:42:35,960 something that I don't think he's been talked about enough they should have. Like 1655 01:42:36,039 --> 01:42:40,960 the math on them is really tight. Like if you assume that they bring 1656 01:42:41,079 --> 01:42:45,479 back Urson Eliasova, and maybe they don't, but Robin Lopez exercised this player 1657 01:42:45,520 --> 01:42:48,640 option even if you just pencil in Wesley Wesley Matthews's player option, the number 1658 01:42:48,680 --> 01:42:54,239 twenty four, pick hold and then just cancel everybody else. Like they are 1659 01:42:55,159 --> 01:42:58,960 like basically right up against the tax, like they have wiggle room under it. 1660 01:42:59,079 --> 01:43:00,640 But it's like I have them at sub two million if we're using this 1661 01:43:00,760 --> 01:43:08,560 year's cat projections into next year, and so that should give them the flexibility 1662 01:43:08,600 --> 01:43:12,760 necessary to spend the entire big mL E while staying under the apron. But 1663 01:43:12,800 --> 01:43:15,840 you still have to go into the tax. And so we know that Mark 1664 01:43:15,960 --> 01:43:18,840 Lasbery said that they'll go into the tax. One, are you buying that? 1665 01:43:19,119 --> 01:43:21,840 Like, do you think that actually happens? And then two, based 1666 01:43:21,880 --> 01:43:27,640 off what you think there are there any free agents that you're looking at in 1667 01:43:27,800 --> 01:43:30,680 that mL E range that you really would like to see Milwaukee go after. 1668 01:43:32,439 --> 01:43:34,439 I'll believe it when I see it at this point, I mean, I 1669 01:43:34,520 --> 01:43:39,000 mean definitely where I'm at with you. Yeah, excuse me, Yeah, 1670 01:43:39,079 --> 01:43:42,760 I mean it's just like we've heard all this talk and the Bucks have been 1671 01:43:42,800 --> 01:43:47,079 steadfast like when the time is right, which I mean sometimes they've it's sounded 1672 01:43:47,119 --> 01:43:51,479 more like when Jannie's extension actually kicks in, which wouldn't be for a whole 1673 01:43:51,560 --> 01:43:55,640 nothering here but like, when the time is right, we will totally do 1674 01:43:55,800 --> 01:43:59,439 it. But then, like you know, I think Malcolm Brogden would have 1675 01:43:59,439 --> 01:44:03,399 helped more in the bubble than a twenty twenty bad first and two future seconds. 1676 01:44:03,520 --> 01:44:06,960 But we are where we are, and like you know, I think 1677 01:44:08,039 --> 01:44:11,359 some of these players the Bucks could have acquired. I mean we stirred, 1678 01:44:12,720 --> 01:44:15,840 you know, okay, see was shopping Danilo Gallinari and he didn't completely deal 1679 01:44:15,880 --> 01:44:18,399 with the heat or they didn't complete to deal with the heat because he wouldn't 1680 01:44:18,439 --> 01:44:23,640 sign an extension, so he was available if you would guarantee him more years. 1681 01:44:23,760 --> 01:44:27,000 The Bucks are the one team in the league not looking to clear cap 1682 01:44:27,039 --> 01:44:30,239 space for twenty twenty one to sign the honest maybe they could have gotten in 1683 01:44:30,279 --> 01:44:32,520 there, but I'm sure it would have required taking on some extra money because 1684 01:44:32,520 --> 01:44:35,800 Gallinari is very well paid and future money. And also I mean they didn't 1685 01:44:35,800 --> 01:44:40,560 want to disrupt as much mid season, which sure, but also that I 1686 01:44:40,600 --> 01:44:42,560 mean, there's like all these moves, I mean, you even look at 1687 01:44:42,600 --> 01:44:45,079 you want to get real minuscule. I know you do. I do. 1688 01:44:45,359 --> 01:44:50,840 I'm here for so Sterling Brown hitting free agency, thus an expiring contract this 1689 01:44:51,079 --> 01:44:56,359 year, the Bucks knew they could sign Marvin Williams as a buyout guy for 1690 01:44:56,600 --> 01:44:59,680 of course a scaled minimum, which is standard. I mean, there's nothing 1691 01:44:59,760 --> 01:45:03,520 nothing about that this first play. So they could have just cut Sterling Brown, 1692 01:45:03,560 --> 01:45:08,279 who never plays and never plays in Oshkosh and does not figure to be 1693 01:45:08,319 --> 01:45:11,880 a part of the team's long term future, and eat his cap hit of 1694 01:45:12,760 --> 01:45:15,800 four million whatever. It is not very much not very much money, and 1695 01:45:15,880 --> 01:45:18,399 he's a second round pick on the last year of his rookie deal. Instead, 1696 01:45:18,720 --> 01:45:23,159 they cut Dragon Bender, who, and this will sound completely inconsequential, 1697 01:45:23,520 --> 01:45:26,680 Dragon Beender is like for the first time in his career learning how to play 1698 01:45:26,720 --> 01:45:30,239 center with the Wisconsin Herd as a fifteenth guy in the Bucks roster. Like 1699 01:45:30,800 --> 01:45:34,640 kind of like the very blurry poor Man's Like you can see the outlines of 1700 01:45:34,680 --> 01:45:38,960 a Brook Lopez kind of player, like a big guy who can go vertical, 1701 01:45:39,000 --> 01:45:42,359 who can definitely shoot threes. He hit him both in Oshkosh and in 1702 01:45:42,439 --> 01:45:45,079 Milwaukee last year, and like everybody was excited about the way he was playing, 1703 01:45:45,119 --> 01:45:48,720 like he was actually coming along and learning the center skills. It still 1704 01:45:48,720 --> 01:45:51,960 followed too much, but like he was looking promising. It was looking like 1705 01:45:53,039 --> 01:45:56,720 the Bucks that found another young, good big man like Christian Wood. They 1706 01:45:56,800 --> 01:46:00,680 cut Dragonbender because his contract wasn't guaranteed, so it'd save like two or three 1707 01:46:00,720 --> 01:46:03,159 million dollars to cut dragon Bender and not stealing Brown selling. Brown goes on 1708 01:46:03,279 --> 01:46:06,960 to have one of the worst seeding game runs of any possible player because they 1709 01:46:08,000 --> 01:46:10,439 were down a few guys need to play point guard. He just couldn't do 1710 01:46:10,520 --> 01:46:12,960 it, and then he didn't play at all in the games that mattered, 1711 01:46:13,000 --> 01:46:16,119 and now he will leave. So very small thing, but it's like one 1712 01:46:16,159 --> 01:46:19,720 of those things where at every possible turn, like the thing that has saved 1713 01:46:19,800 --> 01:46:23,279 money is just so happened to be the thing that was done, and this 1714 01:46:23,399 --> 01:46:27,079 year now it doesn't happen yet. But what we've seen from Chris Paul, 1715 01:46:27,159 --> 01:46:30,760 the stumbling block is his dollar amount, which is more of an issue for 1716 01:46:30,960 --> 01:46:34,000 like the back end the financials than it is for actually the team building in 1717 01:46:34,119 --> 01:46:35,960 some ways. I mean, it's kind of an issue for both, but 1718 01:46:36,399 --> 01:46:41,119 the way it was reported, so I think it was intentional. The literal 1719 01:46:41,279 --> 01:46:44,399 cost of him, which I don't think should be that much of a factor, 1720 01:46:44,520 --> 01:46:46,079 so I'll believe it when I see it. In terms of options, 1721 01:46:47,039 --> 01:46:49,079 I don't know. I don't know who's going to be available. I feel 1722 01:46:49,079 --> 01:46:51,439 like it's going to be a very weird summer. I know one guy that 1723 01:46:53,359 --> 01:46:56,840 sort of like indie Bucks Twitter is all about is DJ Augustine. Well. 1724 01:46:56,840 --> 01:46:59,720 I think it's like a good point guard. I think he could be available 1725 01:46:59,760 --> 01:47:02,920 if the Magic want to shift to more markl faults. I think like there's 1726 01:47:02,920 --> 01:47:05,880 a few There's not a ton of good guard titting free agency, but there's 1727 01:47:05,920 --> 01:47:11,840 like enough where I think he could fly under the radar. Malik Beasley. 1728 01:47:11,840 --> 01:47:14,319 I think it's probably going to be too expensive for an MLI, but if 1729 01:47:14,319 --> 01:47:15,760 he wants to go to a really good team, that would probably give him 1730 01:47:15,760 --> 01:47:18,199 a good amount of touches. I would love that. I think he's going 1731 01:47:18,239 --> 01:47:21,680 to be too expensive. I think he's legit good and probably not leaving Minnesota, 1732 01:47:23,079 --> 01:47:26,039 but that would be a lot of fun. In terms of forwards, 1733 01:47:26,079 --> 01:47:29,479 I'm not really sure. Like I've had Dario Sarich ambitions for a while, 1734 01:47:29,600 --> 01:47:34,039 but that position just feels so low on their list of needs. Paying Jay 1735 01:47:34,159 --> 01:47:39,039 Crowder would be such a Bucks thing after he torts them, but I don't 1736 01:47:39,079 --> 01:47:41,439 even think that'll happen. But if they did, I don't know if I 1737 01:47:41,479 --> 01:47:45,319 would particularly look forward to it, because again sort of a need but not 1738 01:47:45,520 --> 01:47:48,520 really And I could just totally see him shooting like twenty four percent from deep 1739 01:47:48,560 --> 01:47:53,960 and next year that just feels like a super bad Bucks to move what who 1740 01:47:54,000 --> 01:47:56,800 knows. I feel like he and Rogics are going to get like record one 1741 01:47:56,880 --> 01:47:59,399 year deals from the Heat as they plan for twenty twenty one free agency. 1742 01:47:59,479 --> 01:48:02,560 But if you give Jake Garantchee Jay Crowder four years at the mL E and 1743 01:48:02,680 --> 01:48:06,079 Miami's not offering him a long longer term deal than one year, like maybe 1744 01:48:06,159 --> 01:48:10,279 that gets him. I actually would like him for the Bucks because he does 1745 01:48:10,319 --> 01:48:13,000 fancy himself like someone who could do stuff off the dribble, but like those 1746 01:48:13,079 --> 01:48:16,239 are that's just like an adventure that maybe they don't have the bandwidth for on 1747 01:48:16,399 --> 01:48:19,359 offense. And the guy, the other guy you mentioned drag like, I 1748 01:48:19,359 --> 01:48:21,880 don't think he's attainable for that, which is why I didn't. I didn't 1749 01:48:21,880 --> 01:48:25,359 even think about him for the Bucks just because they have him Bloozell already and 1750 01:48:25,359 --> 01:48:29,000 I know Dradgers would help, but he I can't imagine if he's available at 1751 01:48:29,000 --> 01:48:30,119 the MLLE of course, but now at this point, I feel like he's 1752 01:48:30,159 --> 01:48:33,239 priced himself out of that range. Yeah, I agree as well. And 1753 01:48:33,279 --> 01:48:36,680 then there's like a bunch of player option guys like Mike Conley, DeMar Derozen, 1754 01:48:36,800 --> 01:48:42,399 Tim Hardaway Junior, even Fournier. I think they all probably opt in 1755 01:48:42,560 --> 01:48:44,800 and this weird, weird ass year, and if they don't, I don't 1756 01:48:44,840 --> 01:48:47,720 think they signed for the mL E. I've almost talked myself into trading for 1757 01:48:47,800 --> 01:48:53,399 DeMar Derozen just because don't care. Yeah, we're here, We're here here. 1758 01:48:54,640 --> 01:48:57,600 I did say almost, But I don't think they're gonna be able to 1759 01:48:57,600 --> 01:49:00,680 sign anybody like that. See, so the names that I even think of, 1760 01:49:00,800 --> 01:49:02,920 so Evan Fournie was my highest end one. I'd also kicked around Sarhich 1761 01:49:02,960 --> 01:49:05,159 as well. But it's like you said, I don't know that he that 1762 01:49:05,319 --> 01:49:10,119 He definitely did more from a creation perspective when he was coming off the bench 1763 01:49:10,159 --> 01:49:13,399 with Phoenix in the bubble, But just positionally, I just feel like he's 1764 01:49:13,399 --> 01:49:15,039 he's best off at the four and that's clearly not what the Bucks need. 1765 01:49:15,760 --> 01:49:19,359 You could think lower end Justin Holliday would be a great fit basically everywhere. 1766 01:49:19,359 --> 01:49:21,960 He played a lot of backup four for Indiana this year, but he can 1767 01:49:23,039 --> 01:49:25,840 play the two and the three as well, and then not someone you could 1768 01:49:25,840 --> 01:49:29,239 look at to create, but he'll hit threes in transition, and and he'll 1769 01:49:29,319 --> 01:49:31,960 hit spot up threes and they half court as well. And Alec Burks if 1770 01:49:31,960 --> 01:49:35,840 you're looking for some like lower end guy who could create his own shot. 1771 01:49:36,159 --> 01:49:39,600 But Evan Fournier, if you were trying to aim a little bit higher, 1772 01:49:39,800 --> 01:49:43,439 should he opt out because he wants to play the longer term game like Orlando 1773 01:49:43,560 --> 01:49:45,880 might be a team that's willing to talk signing trade scenarios with you, which 1774 01:49:45,920 --> 01:49:48,760 of course hardcap you at that point, but maybe the Bucks prefer that because 1775 01:49:48,800 --> 01:49:53,520 it gives them like a built an excuse. But anyway, so I don't 1776 01:49:53,560 --> 01:49:56,039 know what you would have to give up, but maybe that's something that they 1777 01:49:56,039 --> 01:49:59,279 would consider, because he would be in triguing Milwaukee because all of a sudden, 1778 01:49:59,279 --> 01:50:01,479 he's like something like their third or fourth option, which is probably the 1779 01:50:01,600 --> 01:50:04,720 role that he's best suited for as opposed to the pseudo number one, number 1780 01:50:04,760 --> 01:50:09,239 two that he's been in Orlando for so long. Yeah, I'm a little 1781 01:50:09,279 --> 01:50:12,319 worried, like if somehow you swap bloeds and stuff, for him because he's 1782 01:50:12,319 --> 01:50:15,199 been kind of a playoff pumpkin performer as well. But I do like if 1783 01:50:15,279 --> 01:50:19,119 you can get him for a minimal cost, I think it's a good gamble 1784 01:50:19,199 --> 01:50:21,479 and probably one of the best ones you'd be able to take. Yeah, 1785 01:50:21,520 --> 01:50:26,319 my thoughts were like expirings and like maybe the indie first or something like if 1786 01:50:26,359 --> 01:50:29,960 that, if Orlando is just gonna lose him and Jonathan Isaac isn't playing next 1787 01:50:30,039 --> 01:50:32,640 year, umao Keke is gonna be like his you know, the red shirt 1788 01:50:32,720 --> 01:50:35,159 year that he's coming off or from his injury. Maybe they're kind of leaning 1789 01:50:35,159 --> 01:50:38,439 towards the rebuild a little bit. I don't know, but if they're willing 1790 01:50:38,479 --> 01:50:41,840 to do something like that where oh we gotta pick for him, that would 1791 01:50:41,880 --> 01:50:45,760 be intriguing to me if I'm Milwaukee. Not a no brainer though for them, 1792 01:50:45,840 --> 01:50:48,960 but just something that if you were trying to be aggressive, it definitely 1793 01:50:48,960 --> 01:50:53,039 has the potential backfire. As you mentioned, Hey, I think that'd be 1794 01:50:53,119 --> 01:50:56,680 like the first up your sleeve deal, right like you you take it, 1795 01:50:56,760 --> 01:50:59,520 you say, okay, we'll think about this. You look around for like 1796 01:50:59,640 --> 01:51:01,720 some real home run swings, but that's probably the first one you go back 1797 01:51:01,760 --> 01:51:05,000 to. If nothing else ends up materializing. I liked that idea a lot. 1798 01:51:05,800 --> 01:51:09,119 Uh, the last thing I'll ask you, I've kept you longer than 1799 01:51:09,159 --> 01:51:13,840 I anticipated. But what's the most undercovered thing about this team? Misunderstood thing 1800 01:51:13,880 --> 01:51:15,560 about this team? Is there something that I didn't ask? Do you want 1801 01:51:15,560 --> 01:51:18,720 to talk about? We already really got on the Chris Middleton soapbox, and 1802 01:51:18,760 --> 01:51:24,159 I am sad to say that I was there alone. Apparently, Oh I 1803 01:51:24,239 --> 01:51:27,479 had him miss second Team All NBA this year. Let's so you had one 1804 01:51:27,520 --> 01:51:30,239 foot on the Chris Middleton soapbox. Who should have been third Team All NBA. 1805 01:51:30,760 --> 01:51:33,600 I thought, I know a lot of the way that players are eligible 1806 01:51:33,600 --> 01:51:36,319 positionally, but there are still a way to finagle it. Where he was 1807 01:51:36,399 --> 01:51:40,319 on instead of Russell Westbrook when you look at where players are eligible. That 1808 01:51:40,479 --> 01:51:44,000 surprised me a little bit. But that's that's a that's a different conversation. 1809 01:51:45,239 --> 01:51:47,159 We could do a whole podcast on just this one issue. Like Chris Midlton 1810 01:51:47,239 --> 01:51:51,520 literally got guard votes and forward votes and had more total votes than either of 1811 01:51:51,600 --> 01:51:57,000 the third team guards. But I guess because he didn't have more guard votes 1812 01:51:57,039 --> 01:52:00,720 than players who were only eligible already missed out that seems like a very a 1813 01:52:00,840 --> 01:52:04,680 very broken way to do it and not like not actually helping with your rethinking 1814 01:52:04,760 --> 01:52:09,960 of positions League office. So work on that one. And really I'm only 1815 01:52:10,000 --> 01:52:12,199 fired up because, like I don't know how many more shots I mean you 1816 01:52:12,279 --> 01:52:15,560 said, like you mentioned you've covered, You've done terrific for knowing the bucks 1817 01:52:15,600 --> 01:52:18,520 on this podcast. There's so many guys out this year that it's like a 1818 01:52:18,600 --> 01:52:21,760 lot easier to call someone top ten. I don't know how many all NBA 1819 01:52:21,880 --> 01:52:25,680 chances Chris Middleton will have. This may have been his best shot. I 1820 01:52:25,720 --> 01:52:28,840 would have really liked for him to have gotten one of them. But regardless, 1821 01:52:29,840 --> 01:52:31,239 one under the radar thing. And I think this is something I've thought 1822 01:52:31,239 --> 01:52:36,479 about more and more and more as we went through the bubble. So like 1823 01:52:38,079 --> 01:52:41,840 people, and this is something I think Sam is Fandari first brought this up 1824 01:52:41,840 --> 01:52:44,119 to me as a question. I've thought about it ever since. Sam's a 1825 01:52:44,159 --> 01:52:46,359 brilliant man. What position is he honest? Right? Like? Is he 1826 01:52:46,479 --> 01:52:49,960 honest a big or is honest a big wing? Like is he a big 1827 01:52:50,039 --> 01:52:53,680 who doos wing stuff for a wing and does big stuff? And at first 1828 01:52:53,720 --> 01:52:55,960 I kind of was like this, does it really matter? Like who cares 1829 01:52:56,000 --> 01:52:59,840 skill sets or skill sets, But I do think there's something to the idea 1830 01:53:00,079 --> 01:53:04,560 of like the Bucks need to probably find a way to make him play like 1831 01:53:04,640 --> 01:53:10,880 a big more unless he does suddenly develop this three level scoring. Maybe maybe 1832 01:53:10,920 --> 01:53:13,399 this becomes a non issue by next season. I don't think that will be 1833 01:53:13,479 --> 01:53:15,840 the case. I'm a Wisconsin sports fan. We're not taught to believe in 1834 01:53:15,880 --> 01:53:21,319 the unbelievable, at least the unbelievable good. But like so, if he's 1835 01:53:21,399 --> 01:53:24,560 largely the same player, you know, it takes some more threes, but 1836 01:53:24,680 --> 01:53:28,960 largely, you know clearly at his best getting to the rim, and every 1837 01:53:29,039 --> 01:53:31,279 player is even better getting to the rim off of an action than they are 1838 01:53:31,399 --> 01:53:36,239 by themselves. You kind of at some point need to have a pretty hard 1839 01:53:36,279 --> 01:53:40,960 conversation with the honest to get him off of the ball more, which I 1840 01:53:41,000 --> 01:53:45,840 think optimizes him and optimizes the Bucks. No player is interested in doing that. 1841 01:53:45,920 --> 01:53:49,680 I mean, this is the thing Dwight Howard for however long, like 1842 01:53:49,800 --> 01:53:54,039 he wanted this is a different slightly like tilted. Things are different now, 1843 01:53:54,159 --> 01:53:57,720 but he wanted to post up, which is like the equivalent of the Honest 1844 01:53:57,840 --> 01:54:01,000 always handling the ball like he wants to have the ball and control his own 1845 01:54:01,079 --> 01:54:05,279 possessions. And when Dwight Howard played really good defense and ran a bunch of 1846 01:54:05,319 --> 01:54:09,159 pick and rolls, he was like maybe the best player in the league for 1847 01:54:09,319 --> 01:54:12,399 a hot second there, one of the best five players for a while there. 1848 01:54:12,720 --> 01:54:14,720 Let me not get too spicy. I don't care that much about the 1849 01:54:14,800 --> 01:54:17,319 Dwight Howard debate, but the point remains, and that like, you really 1850 01:54:17,399 --> 01:54:20,000 needed him to do something a little bit different, and it was really hard 1851 01:54:20,000 --> 01:54:23,920 to get him to do that. And I think because the honest is generally 1852 01:54:24,319 --> 01:54:26,720 when he's not being called, you know, a guy with no skills or 1853 01:54:26,760 --> 01:54:30,640 whatever, he's generally looked at fondly across the league, especially personality wise, 1854 01:54:30,880 --> 01:54:33,359 I don't think he gets the same criticisms. I do think the Bucks are 1855 01:54:33,399 --> 01:54:38,359 gonna have to have some hard conversations about like you need to have the ball 1856 01:54:38,439 --> 01:54:41,159 a little bit less on the top of the key, and you need to 1857 01:54:41,199 --> 01:54:44,760 have it a little bit more like after you set a screen and roll to 1858 01:54:44,840 --> 01:54:46,840 the rim, or after you cut, or after you like post up on 1859 01:54:46,920 --> 01:54:50,640 the baseline right next to the rim while something else is happening. And I 1860 01:54:50,720 --> 01:54:54,439 think that becomes a lot easier if you get a player like Chris Paul than 1861 01:54:54,479 --> 01:54:59,199 it does with like Eric Bludso out there. But that's like it's like a 1862 01:54:59,279 --> 01:55:01,680 little like it's like not their number one or number two problem might not even 1863 01:55:01,720 --> 01:55:05,880 be top five, But I think it's gonna be like maybe long term Yannis. 1864 01:55:06,319 --> 01:55:10,720 One of the two most interesting things with the terms of his career is 1865 01:55:10,800 --> 01:55:15,359 like, a will he ever become a good enough perimeter player to justify all 1866 01:55:15,399 --> 01:55:19,039 the touches he has and be if not, how does he reckon with that? 1867 01:55:19,359 --> 01:55:24,840 How does he reckon with being the two time reigning MVP. And also 1868 01:55:25,199 --> 01:55:29,399 like a team maybe telling him we can't have you having the ball this much 1869 01:55:29,600 --> 01:55:31,920 in the playoffs. It's a very tricky thing and I think it almost sounds 1870 01:55:31,960 --> 01:55:38,119 like overthinking it. But also like watch how good Miami and Toronto were at 1871 01:55:38,319 --> 01:55:43,359 neutralizing him largely for large parts of those series. It's like no one really 1872 01:55:43,439 --> 01:55:45,840 talks about it. Again, the Bucks have other stuff on the table, 1873 01:55:45,359 --> 01:55:47,560 Like I don't know how much of that is the Bucks failing the scheme. 1874 01:55:47,560 --> 01:55:51,199 I don't know how much of that is honest not really wanting to be Dwight 1875 01:55:51,319 --> 01:55:54,920 Howard out there, you know, running a bunch of pick and rolls over 1876 01:55:55,000 --> 01:55:57,720 and over. I don't know, it's interesting, it's something to look at. 1877 01:55:58,119 --> 01:56:00,439 No one's really talking about it, but it might end up being hugely 1878 01:56:00,520 --> 01:56:05,319 important for both team and player. That's a really fascinating conversation to have, 1879 01:56:05,479 --> 01:56:09,640 and it's you already sort of mentioned this, But it's an easier conversation to 1880 01:56:09,680 --> 01:56:12,720 have if you have a better ball handler around him, if you want him 1881 01:56:12,720 --> 01:56:15,680 to do more roleman stuff. And I think I didn't really go to it 1882 01:56:15,880 --> 01:56:17,920 often enough, probably, but the Heat were really able to like derail the 1883 01:56:17,960 --> 01:56:21,560 Middleton Jannis pick and roll. That's probably a lot harder to do if it's 1884 01:56:21,560 --> 01:56:25,760 a Chris Paul Jannis pick and roll. You also, I think in that 1885 01:56:25,840 --> 01:56:29,239 scenario, I'm not like you need to probably commit to more minutes of Yannis 1886 01:56:29,319 --> 01:56:31,520 just straight out at the five too. I know he logged a career high 1887 01:56:31,600 --> 01:56:33,960 in possessions at the five this year, but you gotta go even more than 1888 01:56:34,199 --> 01:56:36,319 I think he was at like around five hundred for the season. That's just 1889 01:56:36,359 --> 01:56:40,760 not anywhere near enough. It's not And like even just going off that, 1890 01:56:40,960 --> 01:56:44,840 like there's a lot of times when he's quote unquote at the five and like 1891 01:56:45,159 --> 01:56:48,720 Urson Ilia Silva is playing drop coverage as the nominal center on defense, like 1892 01:56:49,399 --> 01:56:53,720 they need to play with him more the way the Heat used Bam out of 1893 01:56:53,760 --> 01:56:57,960 Bio Like that is like I can't, Like I keep reading and about Bam 1894 01:56:58,039 --> 01:57:00,319 and watching Bam and how the Heat to utilize him, and I just keep 1895 01:57:00,399 --> 01:57:05,039 thinking like Yannis in that role would be truly phenomenal. It's a hard cell 1896 01:57:05,159 --> 01:57:09,079 be honest to be bamed out of Bio when he's already honest to the Kumbo 1897 01:57:09,720 --> 01:57:11,920 right. No, for sure, one hundred percent, But that is something 1898 01:57:12,000 --> 01:57:15,079 interesting to monitor moving forward. But like you said, what they do this 1899 01:57:15,159 --> 01:57:18,119 off season kind of informs that and then would simplify that process. And look, 1900 01:57:18,119 --> 01:57:20,720 you can probably get it without even changing depending on who you get this 1901 01:57:20,760 --> 01:57:25,760 off season, without even changing Jannie's role, you can probably drastically improve a 1902 01:57:25,840 --> 01:57:28,159 lot of this. Though. Seems like, as you already mentioned too, 1903 01:57:28,359 --> 01:57:30,279 just based off the reporting from the Athletic, that this is still going to 1904 01:57:30,319 --> 01:57:34,000 be a money thing, and probably I won't say more so than ever, 1905 01:57:34,119 --> 01:57:36,800 but if it wasn't going to be at one point following the pandemic, the 1906 01:57:36,880 --> 01:57:42,079 gate revenue lost specifically this season the gate revenue that's probably going to be lost 1907 01:57:42,399 --> 01:57:45,399 next season. That might make them reticent to go after a Chris Paul or 1908 01:57:45,439 --> 01:57:49,920 even just go after like spending the entire MLI and I don't think we've mentioned 1909 01:57:49,960 --> 01:57:51,800 it already a bunch of times, but I don't think you can get away 1910 01:57:51,840 --> 01:57:55,079 with that. You arguably shouldn't have gotten away with it already, but you 1911 01:57:55,119 --> 01:57:58,640 can't get away with it anymore. I mean, if they if they do 1912 01:57:58,840 --> 01:58:02,199 some some checks to get under the tax at this point, that's just like 1913 01:58:02,600 --> 01:58:05,520 an incredibly bad look in mine. And I think that's the kind of thing 1914 01:58:05,640 --> 01:58:11,319 that, like, if there's any way that Jannis ends up getting out unexpectedly, 1915 01:58:11,439 --> 01:58:13,640 I think it would be a situation like that. So we'll see. 1916 01:58:13,680 --> 01:58:15,600 I'm not saying they will do that. I don't think they will do that, 1917 01:58:15,720 --> 01:58:17,600 but we will see. It's it's one of those things where my official 1918 01:58:17,680 --> 01:58:21,239 position right now is let's wait and see what happens, because I'm not just 1919 01:58:21,319 --> 01:58:27,640 gonna take, you know, the word of like you're just gonna believe someone's 1920 01:58:27,640 --> 01:58:30,760 gonna change after they've done X thing for X amount of time. I guess 1921 01:58:30,800 --> 01:58:33,600 that's like deeper and maybe sadder than it really should be for a basketball podcast, 1922 01:58:33,720 --> 01:58:38,319 but you gotta see the change to believe it. Ti, thank you 1923 01:58:38,439 --> 01:58:41,880 for giving me basically ninety minutes of your time, way long as I expected 1924 01:58:41,920 --> 01:58:45,439 to keep. No Bucks are gonna have one of the most fascinating off seasons, 1925 01:58:45,680 --> 01:58:47,840 and it almost kind of has nothing to do with Joanna's contract decision in 1926 01:58:47,920 --> 01:58:51,479 my opinion, just because he's gonna be on the Bucks next year. Guys, 1927 01:58:51,520 --> 01:58:55,960 if you do not follow Tie on Twitter, please remedy that immediately at 1928 01:58:56,039 --> 01:59:00,159 thy windosh T I W I N D I S c H. His content 1929 01:59:00,319 --> 01:59:03,439 is great out there. Please listen to his podcast. As we mentioned at 1930 01:59:03,479 --> 01:59:08,119 the top of this podcast, Ty, I'm sure I'll be pesturing you again 1931 01:59:08,560 --> 01:59:11,520 in the future, maybe the near future if the Bucks do something seize mix. 1932 01:59:11,640 --> 01:59:14,760 So thanks again for your time, and I will definitely be talking to 1933 01:59:14,800 --> 01:59:16,279 you soon, whether or not you want to be talking to me soon. 1934 01:59:17,279 --> 01:59:20,279 Trust me, man, this was a pleasure for me. I will try 1935 01:59:20,359 --> 01:59:26,239 to not somehow answer like a very simple question with a fifteen minute diatribe about 1936 01:59:26,520 --> 01:59:30,560 coach Bud or whatever else I get into talking about. But thank you so 1937 01:59:30,680 --> 01:59:32,960 much for having me. I would love to come back whenever, And yeah, 1938 01:59:33,039 --> 01:59:38,239 I think no matter what happens, literally any outcome, the bucks are 1939 01:59:38,279 --> 01:59:40,920 going to be fascinating the Sunner, which you can't always say even with the 1940 01:59:41,039 --> 02:00:17,199 honest team. So yeah, this will this will be something. Nobody builds 1941 02:00:17,239 --> 02:00:21,399 five G like Verizon builds five G because we're the engineers who built the most 1942 02:00:21,479 --> 02:00:25,840 reliable network in America. And the more you do with five G, the 1943 02:00:25,920 --> 02:00:29,960 more building it right matters, the more your network matters, the more Verizon 1944 02:00:30,039 --> 02:00:34,600 engineers going the extra mile matters. It's us pushing us. It's Verizon versus 1945 02:00:34,680 --> 02:00:40,720 Verizon. Five G built right from America's most reliable network, most reliable based 1946 02:00:40,720 --> 02:00:44,319 on rankings Promoved Metrics second half twenty twenty US report of three mobile networks. 1947 02:00:44,359 --> 02:00:45,199 Results may vary. Award is not an endorsement