1 00:00:14,519 --> 00:00:19,480 What is krak Oak and Harvard Knocks listeners. I am a Dampa Valley coming 2 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:24,320 out of the first time in a full week because we had dual cancelations while 3 00:00:24,359 --> 00:00:27,839 you're with guests last week, so you only had one pot. We apologize, 4 00:00:27,879 --> 00:00:30,000 but you'll have two this week and I'll try and squeeze in a third 5 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:33,840 one at some point in the coming week so that the average days for everybody. 6 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:37,600 I'm here without Adam Prommel, who also had to cancel last minute at 7 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:41,799 this point because he was extremely sick on Monday. I'm recording this in the 8 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:46,079 very wee hours of Tuesday morning. We hope he's feeling better. We do 9 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:48,960 not begrudge him for not being able to be here either, because we were 10 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:53,679 going to record on Sunday for Monday, but I am absolutely drowning in work 11 00:00:53,719 --> 00:00:58,000 and obligations at the moment, so I needed to kick the can for that 12 00:00:58,039 --> 00:01:00,119 one. We push on anyway, though. We'll have our next pot for 13 00:01:00,159 --> 00:01:03,039 you on Friday. This is our Tuesday mailbag. Have a ton of great 14 00:01:03,119 --> 00:01:07,159 questions from the discord to get to as well as some Twitter questions. First 15 00:01:07,159 --> 00:01:10,120 and foremost, though, need to remind you to pretty pretty pretty please with 16 00:01:10,159 --> 00:01:14,200 Sugar on top. Rate, review and subscribe to this podcast wherever you consume 17 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:18,079 your podcast, downloading you every episode, throw us some ratings and reviews on 18 00:01:18,079 --> 00:01:21,760 Spotify and iTunes. We had a couple of down votes in recent weeks telling 19 00:01:21,799 --> 00:01:23,319 us to stick to sports, so help us juice those numbers up. That 20 00:01:23,359 --> 00:01:27,239 helps a ton and the other single biggest thing that you can do to really 21 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:32,159 help us out is retweet our promos on Twitter or just tell people who you 22 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:36,319 know like Hoops, Slash, the NBA about this podcast and encourage them to 23 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:38,319 check it out or recommend your favorite episode. Also, be sure to follow 24 00:01:38,439 --> 00:01:42,560 us on Twitter at Hardwoo Knox. We were on YouTube YouTube dot Com search 25 00:01:42,599 --> 00:01:46,239 Hardwooknox we will come up. Please subscribe to us there and also follow us 26 00:01:46,239 --> 00:01:49,799 on Instagram at Hardwood Underscore Knox. All our personal socials are in the podcast 27 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:55,000 description as well. Lastly, remember to join the Discord That is also just 28 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:59,560 something we're looking to build out in the coming months weeks. There's been a 29 00:01:59,599 --> 00:02:01,719 lot of chatre and they're already we do have roles for each team. Some 30 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:07,080 of them have already been given out, but they are the executive vice president 31 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:10,319 of Discord operations, so you can claim that for a team. If we 32 00:02:10,319 --> 00:02:14,360 don't have it already, we might hand out multiples anyway. But come join 33 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:16,280 the discord. The link is in the podcast description. We have a bunch 34 00:02:16,759 --> 00:02:21,639 of great conversations there. We're gonna be running some fun stuff. We already 35 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:23,560 have live game camp fires, and I think I'll start doing something where I 36 00:02:23,599 --> 00:02:27,520 commit to sitting down to a game and I'll be there and we can all 37 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:30,560 talk. You can ask me questions that won't turn into a podcast or even 38 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:32,759 a chat, just we'll be there, we'll wrap, it'll be loads of 39 00:02:32,759 --> 00:02:37,400 fun. That's all I got. So let's dive into this mailbag. We'll 40 00:02:37,439 --> 00:02:40,120 begin with our discord questions, since those people took the extra step to come 41 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:45,680 chat with us. Darkwing Duck asked, what's the closest distance between the number 42 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:50,080 one and eight seed in a conference's history? So I went back to nineteen 43 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:53,039 eighty four here, just because that's when the NBA sort of not sort of, 44 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:58,719 they did switch to the eight teams per conference playoff format. I believe 45 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:01,400 is when that happened. And I also believe the impetus for this question is 46 00:03:01,439 --> 00:03:05,560 we look at the East right now in the eighth place Nets or nine games 47 00:03:05,599 --> 00:03:08,400 back of the first place Heat, and that's a fair that's fairly anomalous. 48 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:12,240 You look at last year, there was a big difference in that in the 49 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:15,280 Eastern Conference, we've seen a lot bigger like there have been instances. I 50 00:03:15,319 --> 00:03:16,759 mean, look at this year in the West. The Clippers are eighteen games 51 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:21,360 back of the first place Suns in the West as the eighth place team, 52 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:23,759 and so you look sort of at the East and even with the ten place 53 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:28,759 Hawks being only eleven games out of first and really, you know, kind 54 00:03:28,759 --> 00:03:30,599 of diverting from this question, there are also only six games in the lost 55 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:35,280 comback of the fourth place Cavaliers. There's a lot of tightly contested races going 56 00:03:35,319 --> 00:03:38,639 on here. But so I went through I found three of the seasons that 57 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:40,840 stood out the most to me. I did bounce the ninety eight ninety nine 58 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:45,879 campaign from consideration. I didn't need because it was lockout truncated. I didn't 59 00:03:45,879 --> 00:03:49,680 need to bounce the two eleven twenty twelve Crusade off the record because they didn't 60 00:03:49,719 --> 00:03:53,719 qualify. There was only a six game difference in the Eastern Conference of the 61 00:03:53,759 --> 00:03:57,639 Western Conference. I can't remember since I closed it out between the eighth and 62 00:03:57,639 --> 00:04:00,639 the first set, but again that was across a fifty game season, so 63 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:04,319 that didn't feel worth including two thousand nine, two ten is the winner here. 64 00:04:04,439 --> 00:04:09,599 Technically, the eighth seeded Oklahoma City Thunder were fifty and thirty two and 65 00:04:09,759 --> 00:04:13,680 seven games back of the first place Los Angeles Lakers. The Spurs and the 66 00:04:13,719 --> 00:04:18,800 Blazers were also tied with win losses to the Colahoma City Thunder, so those 67 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,800 three teams six, seven, and eight were all seven games back. That's 68 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:27,399 a wildly close margin when you're going that deep into the to the Western Conference. 69 00:04:27,639 --> 00:04:30,199 There was also the two eighteen twenty nineteen season, more recently, the 70 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:34,879 eighth place Los Angeles Clippers and also the seventh place Spurs since they were both 71 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:39,319 forty eight and thirty four, they were nine games back of the first place 72 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:44,560 Warriors there, and then the two thousand and two two thousand three season we 73 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:47,279 were in the Eastern Conference. This time the Bucks were in seventh place and 74 00:04:47,319 --> 00:04:50,319 the Magic were in eighth place. Both at forty two and forty they were 75 00:04:50,319 --> 00:04:56,680 only eight games back of the then first place Detroit Pistons. So two thousand 76 00:04:56,759 --> 00:04:59,639 nine twenty ten that is the closest one on record where there was only a 77 00:04:59,639 --> 00:05:02,560 seven game discrepancy from the eighth to the first seed, and it's it's wild 78 00:05:02,879 --> 00:05:06,439 when you contextualize it this way. It's still the same distance, but the 79 00:05:06,519 --> 00:05:11,879 Lakers winning fifty seven games as the one seed and then the Thunder winning fifty 80 00:05:11,879 --> 00:05:15,399 games is the eighth seed. That is just so darn close. And then 81 00:05:15,399 --> 00:05:17,959 of course there's that huge drop off because the Thunder in eighth place were in 82 00:05:18,079 --> 00:05:21,879 eight games better than the ninth place Houston Rockets. So that was a fun 83 00:05:21,959 --> 00:05:27,759 question. I guess it'd be interesting to see whether the East could kind of 84 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:30,199 come close to beating that. The Rappers are in seventh place and there are 85 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:33,480 seven games back of the first place Miami Heat the Nets, as I already 86 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:38,759 mentioned, their nine games back. It's possible that they could close that gap, 87 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:42,560 just because if Kevin Durant comes back soon, if Kyrie Iring's eventually able 88 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:45,000 to play in every game, do we know when Ben Simmons is going to 89 00:05:45,079 --> 00:05:48,319 play, just what they look like, I wouldn't put it past this season 90 00:05:48,439 --> 00:05:53,439 becoming sort of the new Touchsdowe for you know, a small gap, but 91 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:56,399 the smallest gap between the one and the eighth seed, and even if the 92 00:05:56,439 --> 00:05:59,680 records don't kind of show it, you just based off knowing what the Nets 93 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:00,920 could look like at full strength, you could probably make the leap and say 94 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:05,519 this is one of the most tightly contested Eastern Conference playoff races in history. 95 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:10,720 Either way, though, even just going by that raw games back in the 96 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:14,000 standing sol this has a chance to really beat that two thousand nine, two 97 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:16,519 ten marks. This can even be a situation technically where we're looking at it 98 00:06:16,519 --> 00:06:19,160 like it was ninety eight ninety nine, when there's only six games separating the 99 00:06:19,199 --> 00:06:23,279 eight seed from the one seed. I don't know if we'll get to that 100 00:06:23,319 --> 00:06:27,319 point, but it's making for one hell of a close to the season, 101 00:06:27,439 --> 00:06:30,519 and it's just, you know, I'm more fascinated. I'm fascinating with every 102 00:06:30,519 --> 00:06:33,199 aspect of the Eastern Conference race just because there's no seed that's just locked down 103 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:39,480 at this point. You also just have the tenth place Atlanta Hawks being you 104 00:06:39,519 --> 00:06:43,120 know, six losses behind the fourth place Cleveland Cavaliers, and there are just 105 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:46,360 caveats abounding everywhere. The Bucks are in fifth, are they actually going to 106 00:06:46,399 --> 00:06:47,560 stay there? And they have the same record as the Calves. When does 107 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:50,079 Brook Lopez play. What does some of their new editions look like? But 108 00:06:50,199 --> 00:06:54,319 Cleveland is dealing with a banged up Cares Labert and Darius Garland, not to 109 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:58,519 mention Colin Sexton's out for the season. The bullstofts some injuries in Caruso and 110 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:02,240 Lonzo ball Zach Levine is playing through a knee injury. The Heat are great 111 00:07:02,319 --> 00:07:05,639 and they're finally like sort of, they're the healthiest they've been all season. 112 00:07:06,319 --> 00:07:09,879 Where the Nets look like when they're healthier. Can the Raptors sort of they're 113 00:07:09,879 --> 00:07:13,519 dealing with some stuff with OG and FTV right now. But are they too 114 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:15,680 top heavy or are they a team that could fall off? But I do 115 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:19,959 look at these top eight teams specifically, and I don't think you can assume 116 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:23,240 that one is really good to plunge and you really have to go deeper. 117 00:07:23,319 --> 00:07:26,720 Probably you have to look at the Raptors or the Nets. Just because the 118 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:29,959 Celtics are in sixth and they're five and a half games back but first place, 119 00:07:29,959 --> 00:07:30,839 and so I know, like I'm throwing a bunch of numbers here, 120 00:07:30,879 --> 00:07:34,959 but the Raptors and Nets are the two furthest teams at seven and nine games 121 00:07:34,959 --> 00:07:40,319 respectively, off the first place pace, and there's like a real chance that 122 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:43,720 both those teams, if they're healthy enough, are going to be good enough 123 00:07:43,839 --> 00:07:47,720 get wins from enough good teams they can bridge the gap to where they are 124 00:07:47,759 --> 00:07:50,279 only five or six games back of first I haven't looked at the schedule, 125 00:07:50,319 --> 00:07:54,680 so I don't know if the wind distribution can technically work out that way. 126 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:58,079 But the East is a bloodbath right now. You can argue that the two 127 00:07:58,079 --> 00:08:01,959 most serious title contenders lie in West, with Phoenix and Golden State. As 128 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:03,720 much as they're slumping, I think some people would make the leap and say 129 00:08:03,879 --> 00:08:09,600 Memphis might belong in that discussion. They're only one game back of second place 130 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:15,360 in the West by the way entering March. That's fucking absurd. But this 131 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:18,680 just underscores sort of how hot and heavy the East has been. Even if 132 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:22,040 you like the top of the West better, there's just there's more parody in 133 00:08:22,079 --> 00:08:24,759 the East right now, and the Grizzlies are a perfect case in point. 134 00:08:26,519 --> 00:08:28,759 There's seven games back of the Suns, who are in first place, and 135 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:31,279 that speaks more to the Suns, but that's part of the top heaviness. 136 00:08:31,639 --> 00:08:35,960 And meanwhile, we're talking about a Raptors team in seventh place is only seven 137 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:39,519 games back of the first place heat, so this race has a chance to 138 00:08:39,519 --> 00:08:43,360 go down when you're looking at one through right again, specifically has a chance 139 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:46,639 to go down as the closest during the sixteen team playoff format. I'm going 140 00:08:46,639 --> 00:08:52,720 to be very intrigued to see how it unfolds. Jake g asked, what 141 00:08:52,759 --> 00:08:56,120 are your reactions on the embiid and hard and pairing after one game? Should 142 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:56,960 the rest of the league just give up? Now there have been two games 143 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:01,200 since this question was asked, Again, the podcast need to be delayed. 144 00:09:01,399 --> 00:09:03,679 He also adds, based on a bead saying that was probably the most wide 145 00:09:03,679 --> 00:09:07,000 open I've ever been in my career. I'd be nervous if I had to 146 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,759 play them in a seven game series. I mean less I'm a Hornets than 147 00:09:09,759 --> 00:09:13,200 you just a lead point god Mason plumbly and sweep the series. Yeah. 148 00:09:13,279 --> 00:09:18,759 So you know, I've been impressed with how easy it seems like Embid and 149 00:09:18,799 --> 00:09:22,960 Hardener fitting together. And I've not looked at purposely, and I did not 150 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:26,440 look at any on off numbers or get into the nitty gritty data. I 151 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:31,879 just watched every action from the two games and involving those two. You can 152 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:35,559 run high screen and rolls to death with them, and I think that that's 153 00:09:35,559 --> 00:09:39,320 going to be devastating. There's going to clearly be maybe an adjustment with how 154 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:41,960 hard it needs to pass to someone who's not a lob catcher. There was 155 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:45,240 one instance, I think it was the was it the Knicks game, where 156 00:09:45,240 --> 00:09:46,960 he just threw a pass that you know Ebiad's not gonna finish it to catch 157 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:50,320 it and come back down, but he scored anyway. I also think it's 158 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:54,759 going to help that having the pick and pop weapon at the five with Mbiad. 159 00:09:54,799 --> 00:09:58,159 I don't Harden didn't look uncomfortable throwing him passes, and I think it 160 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:03,120 forces the defense is to think more just because no Joel Embiid is not this 161 00:10:03,159 --> 00:10:07,120 traditional Roman threat, but because he has so many ball skills and can stop 162 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:11,559 on a dime and shoot, there are more things that they have to plan 163 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:15,919 against even if you're not worried about him finishing lobs, and I think we 164 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:18,399 saw that to an extent. I don't really want to use the Knicks game 165 00:10:18,399 --> 00:10:22,399 as an example because they're fucking clueless. They've just some of the watching them 166 00:10:22,399 --> 00:10:26,159 trying to defend Harden Ebid picking rolls with Julius Randall and Mitchell Robinson the court 167 00:10:26,159 --> 00:10:30,360 at the same time was actually painful. My eyes are still sort of bleeding 168 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:31,679 from it. But you look at sort of the Timberwolves game, and there 169 00:10:31,679 --> 00:10:35,559 were a couple spots where Harden was able to probably deliver the ball a little 170 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:39,200 bit earlier to Embid than he would with other bigs, because you can trust, 171 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:41,600 again, he's either going to pause and shoot or he can put the 172 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:45,039 ball on the floor. That's not something that Clink Capella or Dwight Howard, 173 00:10:45,399 --> 00:10:50,320 at least the Dwight Howard in Houston was ever going to do. And I 174 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:54,720 don't want to say spares hardened energy, but if he's able to deliver the 175 00:10:54,759 --> 00:10:56,639 ball earlier, it doesn't even have to get going downhill before he's throwing some 176 00:10:56,679 --> 00:11:01,440 of these passes to Embiid. It makes his job a lot easier than it's 177 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:03,840 ever been. I think that this is more of an organic pairing than people 178 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:07,240 were crediting. And Bee's already done a good job of sort of tethering himself 179 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:11,279 to Harden when Harden's bringing the ball up, and so perhaps you're not seeing 180 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:15,480 moving forward as many from scratch touches from Embid when he's on the court with 181 00:11:15,519 --> 00:11:18,759 Harden, That's ultimately fine. The workload that Ebid had to carry for most 182 00:11:18,759 --> 00:11:22,639 of this year was arguably too heavy anyway. He was the fulcrum of both 183 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:24,519 the offense and the defense for Philly. You're still gonna have minutes where you 184 00:11:24,559 --> 00:11:28,320 only have one of them on the court to begin with, so he's still 185 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:31,480 going to get those types of touches. I like the way that this pairing 186 00:11:31,519 --> 00:11:37,000 has looked though so far, and I think matist Table might be the teammate 187 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:39,679 in Philly that benefits the most from this, just the way defenses have been 188 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:43,360 losing him when he's hanging around the dunker spot or if he can cut to 189 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:46,879 the basket. Tyrese Maxie will probably benefit as well with some leakouts in transition. 190 00:11:46,919 --> 00:11:50,679 You could say the same for Tyble, and I've been kind of impressed. 191 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:52,960 I would need to check like the average possession time numbers on this. 192 00:11:54,279 --> 00:11:56,440 I've been impressed with a number of leakouts at least that Philly has tried, 193 00:11:56,600 --> 00:12:01,440 or that they don't seem that they're bogging down too much in the open floor. 194 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:03,440 After missus they're not looking to blitz it, but like, this isn't 195 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:09,000 something that's coming to a slow grinding pause. I will say that the free 196 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,759 throw parade is real, and it might be at times unwatchable. It's going 197 00:12:11,799 --> 00:12:16,279 to be incredibly effective though. And so when you look at sort of the 198 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:20,159 landscape of the Eastern Conference, I don't know where you should put Philly in 199 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:24,399 the pecking order of title contenders. There are just there's so many things that 200 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:28,639 matter here, really two games at this recording into the hard and embiid era 201 00:12:28,759 --> 00:12:33,919 together, So I don't want to make any just profound conclusions. They're there, 202 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:35,000 though, and I would put them ahead of the nets in the title 203 00:12:35,039 --> 00:12:39,159 hart hierarchy. I don't know that I trust the Bulls and the playoffs just 204 00:12:39,240 --> 00:12:41,399 yet. I need to see it. And there are people done great breakdowns 205 00:12:41,399 --> 00:12:45,039 of the Bulls, what the Martin Rosen has done, what their defense can 206 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:46,639 be like at full strength. I would assume most been huge from them. 207 00:12:46,759 --> 00:12:52,120 Zach Lavine is just his offense is so scalable when he's on. I just 208 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:54,960 there's something about them. It just makes me wonder whether their offense is dynamic 209 00:12:56,080 --> 00:13:00,559 enough to whether the storm of the playoffs maybe Vujevich is sort of you know, 210 00:13:00,639 --> 00:13:03,279 connective pastor for them goes a long way, and he's quietly played a 211 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:05,360 lot better over the past on a month and a half or whatever it's been. 212 00:13:07,159 --> 00:13:09,879 But I would put the Sixers ahead of them. I'd still take the 213 00:13:09,919 --> 00:13:13,879 Bucks over Philly. I take I take Philly over the Nets Miami. I'd 214 00:13:13,879 --> 00:13:16,600 probably take over Philly at this point. Those are the two teams though that 215 00:13:16,639 --> 00:13:20,879 I'm I'm only guaranteed to take over Philly right now. If you're looking at 216 00:13:20,879 --> 00:13:24,279 Toronto, Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, those are all up in the air. 217 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:28,200 So and Brooklyn I'm just ready depends out of the title contemporary. We 218 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:30,600 can use the ifs and ifs and ifs, if this happens, if Kevin 219 00:13:30,639 --> 00:13:33,559 Duran's healthy, if Kyrie Irving's playing every game, if and when Ben Simmons 220 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:35,679 plays at some point. There's too many ifs here. There's just too many 221 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:39,159 uncertains, and they have to start not they're not going to tank, but 222 00:13:39,399 --> 00:13:43,399 they don't have they don't control their own pick this year. But you do 223 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:46,159 have to start thinking, Okay, this is more of a two twenty two, 224 00:13:46,159 --> 00:13:50,159 two twenty three team. If that because what happens with Kyrie Irving's free 225 00:13:50,159 --> 00:13:52,759 agency because he has a player option. Overall, though I really do like 226 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:58,159 would Embed and Harden seem like they're going to become and I do think that 227 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:01,440 the whole Ken Harden, except that this is in bids team and it's sort 228 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:05,080 of just a lateral move from his status in Brooklyn where that was already going 229 00:14:05,159 --> 00:14:09,600 to be Kevin Durant's team, or people comparing it to Kevin Durant arriving in 230 00:14:09,679 --> 00:14:13,480 Golden State and finding that he was never going to be as popular as Steph 231 00:14:13,519 --> 00:14:16,720 Curry. I don't think Harden was under the illusion that this was ever going 232 00:14:16,759 --> 00:14:20,120 to be his team. I actually fully believe. I don't care what people 233 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:24,799 say because there might have still been problems and awkwardness behind the scenes. Maybe 234 00:14:24,879 --> 00:14:28,559 James Harden Kyrie Irving just never vibe, including from last season. I could. 235 00:14:28,639 --> 00:14:31,200 I could buy into that if Kyrie Irving plays this year, is available 236 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:35,519 to play every single game, we're probably not talking about James Harden becoming a 237 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:39,080 mount content and so he remains the one to me his up ended Brooklyn season 238 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:46,679 more than than anyone else. This next question comes from Bondam thirty four. 239 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:50,360 What was the worst trade you couldn't remember that didn't involve a star. I 240 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:52,759 was thinking the King's six Ers captain in twenty fifteen. I believe might be 241 00:14:52,759 --> 00:14:56,519 mine, But I don't know if there's some forgetting I've racked my brain for 242 00:14:56,559 --> 00:15:00,360 these. That one is, of course a good one that Kings had in 243 00:15:00,399 --> 00:15:03,200 twenty fifteen. I'm just clearing all this cap space and signing big names, 244 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:09,240 and they ended up with Rondo was like the highlight of that summer for them. 245 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:11,519 That certainly has to be a candidate. I think you can go back 246 00:15:11,559 --> 00:15:16,879 to the twenty thirteen I think it was, yeah, a trade for Bonniani 247 00:15:16,919 --> 00:15:18,519 where the Knicks give up a first round pick. It ends up becoming Yaka 248 00:15:18,559 --> 00:15:22,039 Purtle, who was a pretty damn good basketball player. But that was just 249 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:26,080 sort of a signal that New York didn't really know how to handle the success 250 00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:31,519 of the twenty twelve twenty thirteen season prior where it was, Hey, let's 251 00:15:31,559 --> 00:15:35,360 put a ton of spacing around mellow and veterans who allow him to sort of 252 00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:37,639 just go about his business. They optimize his offensive skill set, don't ask 253 00:15:37,679 --> 00:15:41,120 him to do too much defensively or even as a leader and the Knicks just 254 00:15:41,399 --> 00:15:46,000 I don't really know what they were thinking in that one sneaky candidate, and 255 00:15:46,039 --> 00:15:48,440 I don't know if this is recency bias creeping in. We might look back 256 00:15:48,519 --> 00:15:56,240 upon the Celtics essentially trading the pick that became Desmond Baine just to skirt the 257 00:15:56,320 --> 00:15:58,960 luxury tax to get off Enis Canner, Enis Freedom, whatever the fuck he's 258 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:03,360 calling himself these days. That might go down is just one of the worst 259 00:16:03,399 --> 00:16:08,399 non star trades ever. It'll be even worse if Desmond Bain grows in to 260 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:14,519 a star, and so there's so many caveats there because other teams passed on 261 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:17,879 him. The number thirty pick isn't necessarily supposed to turn into anything then, 262 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:21,240 But that just the optics of that just looks so terrible because in the theory, 263 00:16:21,279 --> 00:16:23,320 that was also a type of player that Boston needed at the time and 264 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:27,320 could clearly still need now he's a lot like just looking at his ball skills, 265 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:30,360 like that was someone who could have definitely helped the earlier version of this 266 00:16:30,399 --> 00:16:33,639 team, even before they traded for Derek White. That just might be when 267 00:16:33,639 --> 00:16:37,039 we look at and go, holy crap, it was just Desmond Baine the 268 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:41,120 pick that became doesn't mean was traded as part of a salary though, But 269 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:42,320 those are the two that really sprang to mind for me. That might be 270 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:47,639 my Knicks bias creeping in, but the Barnani deal was just awful. And 271 00:16:47,679 --> 00:16:51,720 what makes this exercise tough is I think when you're looking at it through the 272 00:16:51,759 --> 00:16:55,000 non star lens, those are the trade that you might just remember the least 273 00:16:55,080 --> 00:17:00,679 because they're normally inconsequential, even if they do have some longer term consequences. 274 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:04,480 And then even just the for the Kings specifically, that's a great candidate that 275 00:17:04,599 --> 00:17:11,880 trade. But when you're moving deals like four cap space is it in? 276 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:15,400 You know, how much do you penalize teams for doing that? Like how 277 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:18,400 bad does it look if you don't sign stars because of how much of a 278 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:22,920 crapshoot for agency could be. I do lean toward that. It's still knowing 279 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:26,119 the back channels of the NBA teams have a lot of information, and so 280 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:30,160 if you're the Kings and making that decision without having knowledge that you're getting the 281 00:17:30,160 --> 00:17:33,839 players you were targeting first and foremost, then yeah, that just looks terrible 282 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:38,160 in the moment. And then of course even years later down the line, 283 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:41,400 and just to I mean, the scale of draft equity they gave up to 284 00:17:41,759 --> 00:17:47,680 was just absolutely blasphemous. So it's certainly candidate, but it's interesting too to 285 00:17:47,799 --> 00:17:52,440 think about those those types of trades you begrudge. When the Knicks acquired Tracy 286 00:17:52,480 --> 00:17:56,400 McGrady gave up assets because they were trying to make the run at Lebron James 287 00:17:56,440 --> 00:17:57,920 in twenty and ten, and this was not prime team Mac. It was, 288 00:17:59,039 --> 00:18:00,839 you know, like Hobbel team Mac, who I think did win his 289 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:04,279 first game at the Garden. I actually attended it, I believe, But 290 00:18:04,839 --> 00:18:08,839 like that even the Knicks again when they did it with Christaps porzingis because they 291 00:18:08,839 --> 00:18:12,839 thought Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant were coming, only to see them go over 292 00:18:12,839 --> 00:18:17,480 to Brooklyn. That's a man that franchise has tried way too many times to 293 00:18:17,519 --> 00:18:19,559 get other teams as players, only to fall through. And I know that 294 00:18:19,599 --> 00:18:25,200 they're always tangentially mentioned as like preferred destinations. When was the last time that 295 00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:27,920 players actively wanted to go to the Knicks even when they were agitating their way 296 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:33,119 out? Mellow wasn't the last one, because I'm pretty sure CP three really 297 00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:36,359 wanted to go to New York, but they chose the path of amnestein Chauncey 298 00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:40,599 Billups, signing Tyson Chandler and then therefore just limiting their flexibility to go after 299 00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:42,480 CP three while having stat on the books as well with Chandler and Melow. 300 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:48,720 But it just it hasn't happened in forever, and the team still operates like 301 00:18:48,839 --> 00:18:52,440 they're that type of destination. And if Zion's really unhappy New Orleans and they 302 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:55,720 think they've positioned themselves because they have r J and they could have the whole 303 00:18:55,759 --> 00:18:59,799 Duke reunion with Cam Reddish, that is a detour that we don't a rabbit 304 00:18:59,839 --> 00:19:02,319 hole. We don't need to go down right now. And I tweeted this 305 00:19:02,359 --> 00:19:06,440 out the other night in the wee hours of the night, just like when 306 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:11,039 I'm recording this, I'm getting ready to say some pretty recklessly optimistic things about 307 00:19:11,079 --> 00:19:15,680 a Pelicans team that has Zion in it. Very Look, look, Willie 308 00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:18,880 Green has done a good job sort of coaxing defense out of this team and 309 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:23,359 especially limiting opponents in transition. Ever since the Pelicans dropped to was a six 310 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:27,079 and eighteen whatever it was like the low point of their season, and CJ 311 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:30,519 mccoumus had some really high moments for them. Their offense is going to be 312 00:19:30,839 --> 00:19:34,920 taf thermonuclear as fuck, as we say around here. Once it can be 313 00:19:36,039 --> 00:19:37,759 that already. But if Zion plays this season, or if they just have 314 00:19:37,839 --> 00:19:41,559 them for next year, and this is largely the same cast that's in place, 315 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:44,839 good luck stopping them. I am. If you give me a Pelicans 316 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:48,440 team at full strength, I'm ready to say some stuff, is all I 317 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:55,880 could hint that Hoop Informatics had two questions and he said favorite and least favorite 318 00:19:55,960 --> 00:20:02,079 player to watch. So favorite if we're looking at stars, I really do 319 00:20:02,319 --> 00:20:07,640 enjoy Steph Jannis, Devin Booker, probably just a job of course, Like 320 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:11,359 are the most entertaining high names for me? When you look at higher profile 321 00:20:11,480 --> 00:20:14,960 least favorite players to watch, I do not enjoy watching. And also Westbrook 322 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:19,480 anymore, Like that's because that's become sort of a chore for me when you're 323 00:20:19,519 --> 00:20:26,079 looking at sort of less heralded guys. If we're trying to, you know, 324 00:20:26,079 --> 00:20:29,519 do the basketball nerd flex and I'm honestly not trying to go like too 325 00:20:29,519 --> 00:20:33,079 far awful link here. I really enjoy watching o Shaber set in Indiana. 326 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:37,359 He's one of those guys that makes you want to watch what happens away from 327 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:40,720 the ball and the work he puts into it. I'll also say he's a 328 00:20:40,759 --> 00:20:42,119 rookie, so I don't want to necessarily throw him into this already. I 329 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:45,440 would assume he has been a joy to watch this year because he plays with 330 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:51,799 this like frenetic energy yet is still under control. So that's incredible. I 331 00:20:51,799 --> 00:20:56,200 don't know if there's like a least favorite like player to watch that's sort of 332 00:20:56,240 --> 00:21:03,519 a not like on that at scale, because I guess I can't generate or 333 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:07,240 muster strong feelings about those players. Westbrook might be my least enjoyable NBA player 334 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:11,960 to watch this season there though, And there's also the there can be times 335 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:14,839 where it's when we're looking at higher profile guys like, yeah, it absolutely 336 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:18,160 is difficult to watch James Harden for stretches if he's you know, pounding the 337 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:22,200 ball too much, and the free throw parades in Philly that are bound to 338 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:25,960 come, how does that slow down sort of the pace of the game. 339 00:21:26,359 --> 00:21:30,240 So there's certainly that to consider. I'm really trying to think of if there's 340 00:21:30,279 --> 00:21:33,759 like a you know, I don't really feel like dumping on a non star, 341 00:21:33,839 --> 00:21:36,319 not that I want to dump on a star anyway, but just like 342 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:41,319 someone who's on a lower scale that I really don't enjoy watching. I used 343 00:21:41,359 --> 00:21:42,799 to not enjoy watching Andre Drummond, but I feel like the past three or 344 00:21:42,799 --> 00:21:48,880 four years he has like these guilty pleasure moments that I'm definitely all about. 345 00:21:48,039 --> 00:21:52,400 So you could, you could certainly throw him out. I wouldn't put him 346 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:56,359 in consideration for this, but he's certainly not one of my favorite players to 347 00:21:56,440 --> 00:22:00,039 watch. I mean, yeah, I honestly don't know. That's maybe I 348 00:22:00,039 --> 00:22:03,319 should have given that one more thought. I guess I just don't have like 349 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:08,359 strong feelings on players who aren't these marquee contributors I could. I could probably 350 00:22:08,359 --> 00:22:11,640 do with that Malik Beasley, if that matters to anybody, or this season's 351 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:17,680 version of Malik Beasley. There are moments where Jordan Wara is painful to watch, 352 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:21,920 but I sort of enjoy the adventure behind it all for him, So 353 00:22:22,079 --> 00:22:25,119 just going through those, I don't really want to. I'm not going to 354 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:27,359 name a nick and just say Julius Randall, but he's been he's been tough 355 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:32,720 to watch for a lot of this season. Yeah, I think That's the 356 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:37,039 closest you're gonna get out of me, is saying those types of players. 357 00:22:37,079 --> 00:22:38,880 I think Garrett Temple has been a rough watch this season too. I haven't 358 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:42,839 caught the past. I caught the Lakers Pelicans game, and I don't think 359 00:22:42,839 --> 00:22:47,319 he really played in that one, So they're sort of a breath of fresh 360 00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:49,680 air. I did think about, No, that's that's not even a good 361 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,759 one. But yeah, that's the closest you're gonna come for me to sort 362 00:22:52,799 --> 00:22:56,960 of dumping on players that maybe shouldn't be there. If anyone has their own 363 00:22:56,960 --> 00:23:00,680 suggestions, feel free to get me on that one. Whoop Informatics also asked 364 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:04,400 or poses this scenario. Pretend Andrew Wiggins and Julius Randolds swap places. How 365 00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:07,519 do we think of those two if Julius Randol was with the Warriors and Andrew 366 00:23:07,519 --> 00:23:12,000 Wiggins was with the Knicks. That's an interesting question because of some of the 367 00:23:12,079 --> 00:23:18,200 wing development we've seen under Tibbs in New York, so Wiggins's role might be 368 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:22,160 more complicated. But given what we've seen in you know, the minutes from 369 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:25,440 Quentin Grimes before his injury, and then of course RJ. Barrett, does 370 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:29,480 he sort of have a quasi breakout. If he's in New York and he 371 00:23:29,519 --> 00:23:32,759 has really competed on defense, what would he have looked like if he was 372 00:23:32,799 --> 00:23:36,000 on the Knicks last year. I tend to think that Julius Randolo would look 373 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:40,160 way better in Golden State than Wiggins would look in New York, just because 374 00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:45,720 part of the part of the draw or part of Wiggins's effectiveness in Golden State 375 00:23:47,240 --> 00:23:49,680 is the way his role has been streamlined at both ends of the floor. 376 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:52,240 When you've asked him to do too much, Yeah, there's been times where 377 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:55,960 he's delivered, but we've also seen of late when you are too dependent on 378 00:23:56,039 --> 00:23:59,119 him, Like there are gonna be really rough stretches where he bails out before 379 00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:02,200 the rim way too often. It doesn't give you any sort of pressure when 380 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:04,680 he's putting the ball on the floor. I don't know why his role would 381 00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:07,640 be any easier in New York. They might actually need more, if you 382 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:10,960 know, would they insert him into like sort of some of the RJ. 383 00:24:11,079 --> 00:24:15,000 Barrett touches because Julius Randall is such a high usage player for them, and 384 00:24:15,039 --> 00:24:18,119 Derrick Rose has been injured. Kema Walker doesn't work out, Andrew Wiggins probably 385 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:21,319 ends up having to be a pretty high usage player in New York, and 386 00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:25,799 I don't think that's his anything near his forte and the other thing. I 387 00:24:25,839 --> 00:24:30,279 think his Golden State has created this defensive ecosystem around him, behind him, 388 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:33,000 in front of him, just like having all this sort of different talent to 389 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:36,519 where he's been allowed to succeed. I don't know that the Knicks, I 390 00:24:36,559 --> 00:24:37,599 don't It's nothing I don't know. I don't think the Knicks have the same 391 00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:41,839 level of comfort there, whereas with Julius Randall. Steph is so plug and 392 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:47,640 play. I think he can work alongside anyone. There could be some iffiness 393 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:51,359 with the Draymond Green Julius Randall fit, but again, Randall has at least 394 00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:55,400 been willing to shoot threes even when they don't go down, and Green has 395 00:24:55,440 --> 00:24:59,839 found ways to work with Kavan Looney offensively, so I can't imagine that would 396 00:24:59,839 --> 00:25:03,160 be too much of a thorny fit. I guess because Julie's Gonna likes to 397 00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:07,000 have the ball so much more than a Looney or even a Wiggins, that 398 00:25:07,039 --> 00:25:11,319 could create some redundancy, But he also gives Golden State a ball handler for 399 00:25:11,599 --> 00:25:15,759 minutes where step and Curry is off the court, and that could wind up 400 00:25:15,799 --> 00:25:21,240 really helping the Warriors. I don't know how much of a defensive expenditure it 401 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:23,839 comes at, though we've already seen the Warriors start to struggle after treading water 402 00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:27,480 without Raymond Green, and Randall's not going to help you there. The last 403 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:30,039 season version of Randall that was really just locked in, but this year where 404 00:25:30,039 --> 00:25:34,119 he's just letting dudes get behind him left and right. Probably not. I 405 00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:38,279 would say that we view Andrew Wiggins was never going to be an All Star 406 00:25:38,319 --> 00:25:41,440 starter or never should have been an All Star starter, but I think we 407 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:44,240 would end up viewing him a lot more negatively if he was with the Knicks 408 00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:47,359 and Randall. I don't know if he ever I doubt he ever has his 409 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:52,039 second team All NBA campaign with the Warriors, but he's probably a player that 410 00:25:52,079 --> 00:25:53,279 we could look at and say, oh, we turned into this blue guy, 411 00:25:53,359 --> 00:25:56,759 or it's working out for the Warriors. Even if I wouldn't predict that, 412 00:25:56,839 --> 00:26:00,400 I think it's pretty safe to say that Randall on the Warriors would be 413 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:04,839 a much better player and or fit than a Wiggins on the Knicks. And 414 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:10,440 I don't think that that's like a ridiculous thing to point out Ian forty two, 415 00:26:10,519 --> 00:26:12,599 ask Portland seems interested in training for Jeremy Grant in the offseason. People 416 00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:15,640 in Portland seem to think he's awesome. Can you please explain what he does 417 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:18,839 or doesn't do that makes him worth twenty million dollars a year. Look, 418 00:26:18,839 --> 00:26:22,559 what he does is he is someone that you can say, go guard the 419 00:26:22,599 --> 00:26:26,559 other team's best player who's basically not a point guard, and he can do 420 00:26:26,599 --> 00:26:29,359 it and hold up a lot. There's a ton of value in that. 421 00:26:29,839 --> 00:26:32,680 There's the element of three and D to his game where even if he's a 422 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:37,519 below league average on threes, he's normally going to be right around the overall 423 00:26:37,599 --> 00:26:40,119 league average. Maybe not necessarily on catch and shoot opportunities, but you can 424 00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:42,400 count him to hit open catch and shoot threes. What's been really interesting in 425 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:47,480 Detroit for stretches is he clearly has more ball skills when you're looking at him 426 00:26:47,519 --> 00:26:49,920 not just attacking an open space, but going at it in ISO and it's 427 00:26:51,079 --> 00:26:52,799 not the most efficient play, it's not something you can lean on, but 428 00:26:52,839 --> 00:26:57,960 it's an extra layer to his game that he didn't plum in Denver or Philly 429 00:26:59,359 --> 00:27:03,160 or Okay see and knowing that it's there. I don't want him as my 430 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:07,119 number two, but if you get into a situation where he's your number three 431 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:11,039 or number four, he might be more dynamic than the average. I'll say 432 00:27:11,119 --> 00:27:15,480 number the average, number three or number four. I think even number three 433 00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:18,119 you can go down, because not every team's number three is Chris middle tenor 434 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:22,759 or Drew Holiday. Do I think he's worth the four year, one hundred 435 00:27:22,759 --> 00:27:26,039 twelve million dollar extension that a team who acquires him will have to give up. 436 00:27:26,559 --> 00:27:30,880 I'd probably skew towards know what the league is hot for guys that do 437 00:27:30,039 --> 00:27:34,720 even the most complimentary version of what Jeremy Grant does, where he if he 438 00:27:34,759 --> 00:27:38,039 doesn't soak up possessions on the offensive end and then defends his butt off and 439 00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:44,640 is spacing the floor hitting stand still threes on the other side. So I 440 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:48,880 get the appeal, but this is a fair inquiry about Portland where I think 441 00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:51,880 Joe Cronin deserves. I don't know if it's the benefit of the doubt, 442 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:53,680 but this team deserves time to see what they're going to do with its flexibility, 443 00:27:53,759 --> 00:27:56,799 what direction they're taking in. Are they rebuilding around Dame? Is this 444 00:27:56,839 --> 00:28:02,079 supposed to be a quick retool. I struggle to see the long term vision. 445 00:28:02,119 --> 00:28:03,920 And maybe that's the idea is they believe that they can take so many 446 00:28:04,000 --> 00:28:07,559 different forms, have so many different options. That's why they've set themselves up 447 00:28:07,599 --> 00:28:11,319 this way. But if you're looking at going into next season with Dame, 448 00:28:11,519 --> 00:28:18,200 this year's lottery pick Anthony Simons, do you resign Nirk? You've you've explored 449 00:28:18,319 --> 00:28:22,000 like some of the other youngsters on your roster, Plus you could also maybe 450 00:28:22,079 --> 00:28:26,359 have a for once healthier nos little you have Josh Hart saw a guy you've 451 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:32,279 You've seen good minutes from Greg Brown at points trend and Wofford has given you 452 00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:36,319 some interesting minutes too. What does Kean Johnson turn into. I don't know 453 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:38,279 that that's a much better situation than the Blazers had. If it's a better 454 00:28:38,319 --> 00:28:44,440 situation at all pre CJ and Norman Powell Trede. And it's not even just 455 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:49,640 about being slightly better. You want to have a clearly higher range of outcomes 456 00:28:51,079 --> 00:28:52,880 once you're moving on, if you're trying for the instant turnaround, I don't 457 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:56,599 think that scenario really gives you that they could have other moves up their sleeve 458 00:28:56,880 --> 00:29:00,440 though, of course, and so we have to see what they do with 459 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:03,000 this year's first round pick, assuming that they're going to keep it, which 460 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:04,559 I would predict that they do, even though they've you know, they've already 461 00:29:04,559 --> 00:29:07,839 shut down Nerk. We know Dame is out and we're probably gonna get to 462 00:29:07,839 --> 00:29:11,039 a mover that you show down Anfrey Simon's if they don't lose enough enough games. 463 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:15,079 So I this is this is a really fair question if I'm Portland, 464 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:19,400 like Jeremy Grant is not the answer to maximizing whatever they're trying to do in 465 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:22,519 the post CJ, post Norm Powell era. I think if you want a 466 00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:26,160 number two on your team for Dame to contend, I would argue they have 467 00:29:26,279 --> 00:29:32,279 to be better than Simons and Jeremy Grant, Like those those two are your 468 00:29:32,359 --> 00:29:33,839 third and fourth best players. Now you're really working with something, and Josh 469 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:37,000 Hart's like your fifth best player or Nerk is you know, there's it's cool 470 00:29:37,039 --> 00:29:41,119 that if you keep Nerk around and he's playing the way he was before his 471 00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:45,680 injury, you there might be blurry lines between a Grant, Simons and Nerk 472 00:29:45,880 --> 00:29:48,960 on who's your second, third, and fourth best player on any given night. 473 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:52,839 So there's value in that sort of depth, but I think you need 474 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:57,680 a higher end number two then CJ. McCollum or an Anthony Simons or Jeremy 475 00:29:57,759 --> 00:30:00,640 Grant. And if you were going to, oh this nuclear route and you're 476 00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:04,279 keeping Damian Lillard, which you know he has not said anything, and I'm 477 00:30:04,279 --> 00:30:08,319 just going to default towards He'll stay in Portland until or Portland will keep him 478 00:30:08,359 --> 00:30:11,359 until he says he doesn't want to be there anymore, which he is yet 479 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:15,759 to do. I would not be inspired if Jeremy Grant ends up being the 480 00:30:17,279 --> 00:30:22,680 most marquee newcomer from this entire operation, Jeremy Grant plus this year's lottery pick. 481 00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:25,000 And I think that's fair to say. So that's a great question. 482 00:30:25,039 --> 00:30:29,000 Ian lukea. J thirty seven. Do you think the Calves success is sustainable 483 00:30:29,039 --> 00:30:33,279 this year or they do for a regression similar to the Knicks from last season. 484 00:30:33,519 --> 00:30:37,279 Yeah, that's something that's interesting to think about. What I think is 485 00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:44,200 different about the Calves is they're having this success while also missing their leading scorer 486 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:47,880 from last season and Colin Sexton, who Zach Low has said this might just 487 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:52,279 be the most disrespected twenty four points per game score in NBA history, just 488 00:30:52,359 --> 00:30:56,039 because it came on pretty good efficiency, and people are so dismissive of him 489 00:30:56,039 --> 00:30:59,960 and thought the Calves not everyone but thought the Calves should trade him while he 490 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:03,519 was injured and rather than even think about bringing back in free agency. Maybe 491 00:31:03,559 --> 00:31:06,880 you're not crazy, maybe you're not in love with the carus leavert fit beyond 492 00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:11,599 this season. But Darius Garland younger than Julius Randall and has already made like 493 00:31:11,680 --> 00:31:18,559 the All Star rise. Evan Mobley is a transcendent defender already, and you 494 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:22,160 watch him on offense, there's like, I don't know if he can necessarily 495 00:31:22,359 --> 00:31:26,480 isn't think the game that quickly yet, but there's like a fluidity and also 496 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:29,480 a complexity to some of the things he does with the ball in his hands, 497 00:31:29,559 --> 00:31:33,240 especially when he's around the basket. And as a passer. You have 498 00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:36,319 Jared Allen, who even if you think that Pascal Siakam should have been named 499 00:31:36,319 --> 00:31:38,119 to the East All Star Team over him, this is someone who's a defensive 500 00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:41,720 difference maker has improved on offense. I think that's what separates the Cows from 501 00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:45,359 the Knicks more than anything. This doesn't feel like as big of a flash 502 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:49,880 in the pan because you have a lot of players who can grow from these 503 00:31:51,839 --> 00:31:55,000 career high points, Whereas when you look at Julius Randall, there was almost 504 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,880 nowhere for him to go but down from that second team all MBA appearance and 505 00:31:59,079 --> 00:32:02,119 getting such a high impact season from Derrick Rose maybe not an anomaly, but 506 00:32:02,359 --> 00:32:06,720 his availability post trade last year probably was. And we're seeing that now when 507 00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:09,119 you used to have yet another procedure while he was still trying to work his 508 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:15,160 way back from his latest injury. So I don't think they're the next version 509 00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:19,480 of the Knicks. I do think some people fear they've rushed the process a 510 00:32:19,519 --> 00:32:22,519 little bit by giving up this year's first and that Houston second round er to 511 00:32:22,599 --> 00:32:25,400 get Caro Silbert. I don't mind that as much because there's a chance that 512 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:29,079 Lavert really ends up working out. Now you've given yourself a bunch of different 513 00:32:29,119 --> 00:32:32,559 options with contexton if he's too expensive, you can let him walk, if 514 00:32:32,559 --> 00:32:35,599 there's a lot of interest in him, maybe you look at sign in trades, 515 00:32:35,839 --> 00:32:37,920 or also maybe just knowing how good your defense has been this year and 516 00:32:38,119 --> 00:32:42,559 how much you've struggled to generate offense at points in the half court, and 517 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:47,559 knowing that you don't have a ton of just knocked down shooters around your primary 518 00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:52,440 ballhander, the Darius Garland, or just period having Colin Sexton who showed that 519 00:32:52,519 --> 00:32:55,079 he can hit threes in addition to Darius Garland. Like that still works with 520 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:59,079 Carol Silvert. I don't know if you'd ever play those three together, but 521 00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:02,079 it does sort of. It deepens your offense, and so I don't think 522 00:33:02,119 --> 00:33:07,279 that's the best spot to be in. And you also just have more intriguing 523 00:33:07,359 --> 00:33:10,039 trade assets at this point that you would actually give up than the Knicks do, 524 00:33:10,519 --> 00:33:14,480 because are you married to Isaac okorro Our team is going to be able 525 00:33:14,519 --> 00:33:16,519 to talk themselves into Larry Mark in his contract. Kevin Love is in the 526 00:33:16,559 --> 00:33:20,920 sixth man of the year discussion right now, but he'll be on nixspiring contract 527 00:33:21,279 --> 00:33:23,279 next season. Is their stuff you can attach to him, or a contract 528 00:33:23,319 --> 00:33:27,599 you can take back that other teams might not necessarily want. They have more 529 00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:30,480 avenue is worth exploring. But beyond that, I just think when you look 530 00:33:30,519 --> 00:33:35,880 at the core of their roster, none of them, even though they might 531 00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:39,240 be operating at career peaks in a Jared Allen, a Darius Garland than this 532 00:33:39,359 --> 00:33:45,240 is of course Evan Mobley's debut NBA season. That's not going to be their 533 00:33:45,279 --> 00:33:47,960 actual apexes. I mean maybe it could be, but they're young enough to 534 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:51,480 where you can envision them getting a lot better. And with the Knicks last 535 00:33:51,559 --> 00:33:53,519 year it was okay, maybe I can grow a little bit, but you're 536 00:33:53,519 --> 00:33:57,799 gonna need to trust him and give him a different role and give him a 537 00:33:57,839 --> 00:34:00,480 long rope, which the Knicks have generally not done. This season. You 538 00:34:00,519 --> 00:34:02,319 could have been visioned Obe Topping being better, which he has been, but 539 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:06,640 his role is not grown. You can visioned r J. Barrett being better 540 00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:08,559 at moments he has looked up, looked great, and you know, going 541 00:34:08,599 --> 00:34:13,440 back and watching that forty six point performance he had last week. If I 542 00:34:13,519 --> 00:34:15,400 were the Knicks, that's the direction how it goes, I would strip it 543 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:17,320 down. Yeah, keep someone like the youth to Quentin Grimes, the manual 544 00:34:17,400 --> 00:34:21,800 quickly, the Obie Topping, and just start to rebuild around r. J. 545 00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:24,280 Barrett because you're not going anywhere with this court. It's stagnant. And 546 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:28,199 they read, They clearly read, just like so much of us, including 547 00:34:28,559 --> 00:34:30,880 this podcast. We did talk ourselves in the Julius Round extension. We thought 548 00:34:30,920 --> 00:34:34,440 the Knicks were more for real than not. We'll own up to that. 549 00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:37,719 Those people who thought that some more stronger than us, some maybe a little 550 00:34:37,719 --> 00:34:42,360 bit weaker than us, we're all fucking wrong about it. I don't think 551 00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:45,960 the Calves are going to follow that similar trajectory, and just knowing how gut 552 00:34:45,199 --> 00:34:49,239 gutsy they've been on defense, their help to play right now, and the 553 00:34:49,280 --> 00:34:52,480 fact they're still contending for a top four spot in the East when it's as 554 00:34:52,559 --> 00:34:55,000 competitive as it is, when they're dealing with as many key absences as they've 555 00:34:55,039 --> 00:34:59,320 had to deal with, specifically no Colin Sexton for most of this year, 556 00:34:59,559 --> 00:35:01,519 losing Rubio at one point, let's not forget about that, and now Darius 557 00:35:01,599 --> 00:35:07,440 Garlands banged up and as is Caius Lavert. Maybe they're not the fourth best 558 00:35:07,440 --> 00:35:09,239 team the East this year, but progress isn't linear. And we said that 559 00:35:09,239 --> 00:35:12,639 about the Knicks leading into the season. They could have had a worse record, 560 00:35:13,039 --> 00:35:15,719 they could have finished eighth, tenth in the East, but there could 561 00:35:15,719 --> 00:35:20,239 have been real progress because of development from the youngsters, or maybe something you 562 00:35:20,360 --> 00:35:24,360 noticed about their identity identity sustaining on defense, or Julius Randall's defensive improvement holding 563 00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:29,440 where Mitchell Robinson taking a step forward where he's more of a consistent presence. 564 00:35:29,519 --> 00:35:35,519 But they've just regressed from last year, and it's shown that the product the 565 00:35:35,599 --> 00:35:38,119 team that they were fielding was a nomalous whereas with these calves. Just to 566 00:35:38,199 --> 00:35:43,360 reiterate it, I think it's clear that there's time for them to marinate and 567 00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:46,480 get even better from this, even if it's not happening right away. Jt 568 00:35:46,679 --> 00:35:50,719 Alexander asked, do you think it's time for the NBA to adopt an elim 569 00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:53,239 ending on a full time basis to all games? We've seen it improve the 570 00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:57,559 past two All Star Games, and the Lakers Clippers game from Friday night took 571 00:35:57,559 --> 00:36:00,000 twenty minutes to finish the last thirty seconds, which really killed the momentum. 572 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:02,320 Do you think it is ever likely to happen? It wouldn't improve the ending 573 00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:06,599 of games. I don't want to cop out here and say I don't know, 574 00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:08,000 but I honestly don't know. We can know the NBA is going to 575 00:36:08,039 --> 00:36:12,719 think about it if the elim ending becomes the standard ending across an entire G 576 00:36:12,880 --> 00:36:15,760 league season, and maybe they measure how that works out for anyone who's not 577 00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:21,039 familiar with it. The way it's going to work is at least as when 578 00:36:21,079 --> 00:36:23,639 you're using it for the basketball tournament. Specifically, it calls for the game 579 00:36:23,719 --> 00:36:27,960 clock to be shut off at the first dead ball with under four minutes in 580 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:30,840 the fourth quarter, and a target score will then be established to finish the 581 00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:35,800 game by adding eight points to the leading team's score. The thought process here 582 00:36:35,920 --> 00:36:37,559 is, yeah, maybe the game is still not close, but every game 583 00:36:37,639 --> 00:36:44,079 theoretically then concludes with a game winner. What also happens is when it is 584 00:36:44,159 --> 00:36:47,360 close, it does change the way when the clocks turned off, how you 585 00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:53,440 defend, because you could get to a point where where one you're not fouling 586 00:36:53,679 --> 00:36:58,000 to ensure that time stops. But there's also going to points where you can't 587 00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:00,960 foul because that could put someone at the line to just end the game if 588 00:37:00,960 --> 00:37:05,320 they're going to hit the target score on one of those two free throws. 589 00:37:05,360 --> 00:37:09,199 And so I think there is some validity to that thinking. I am curious 590 00:37:09,440 --> 00:37:15,920 as to how it could impact just certain records that the NBA might be married 591 00:37:15,960 --> 00:37:20,039 to, or how you measure trunch time. I guess it would just be 592 00:37:20,159 --> 00:37:22,800 from when the target score is added. I'd be curious with the Players Association 593 00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:25,079 thinks about this. I don't really know that we've heard from them on the 594 00:37:25,119 --> 00:37:30,360 subject. I haven't read anything. At least my gut says that it won't 595 00:37:30,440 --> 00:37:36,000 happen anytime soon sweepingly, but we'll know if they decide to use it across 596 00:37:36,239 --> 00:37:39,960 a G League season. There's a there's a real chance then that it's going 597 00:37:40,039 --> 00:37:44,199 to come to the NBA students, since they do use the G League for 598 00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:46,519 a ton of experimental purposes and normally when it's at I don't want to say 599 00:37:46,519 --> 00:37:50,320 that, you know, let's not the deal zone if Brian Winvers might call 600 00:37:50,360 --> 00:37:54,800 it, but that's sort of been their guinea pig operation. I honestly don't 601 00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:57,480 know how I feel about it, though I wish I could tell you that 602 00:37:57,480 --> 00:38:00,639 I felt strongly one way or the other. The end of that Late Cuse 603 00:38:00,639 --> 00:38:02,960 Clippers game was brutal. I was watching it. My god, it just 604 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:07,519 wouldn't end. So I totally understand that. But you're also going to have 605 00:38:07,639 --> 00:38:10,719 to that might be that one Specifically, it's more about can we change the 606 00:38:10,840 --> 00:38:14,719 instant replay rules. There's got to be a way to speed that up. 607 00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:17,519 Those won't necessarily go away unless they also change those rules. As part of 608 00:38:17,559 --> 00:38:21,000 the elim ending. I do think it should be on the table, just 609 00:38:21,079 --> 00:38:22,719 because it's been interchanged for the All Star Game. And again, even if 610 00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:29,000 these games aren't close, there's something fun about contest ending on a on a 611 00:38:29,079 --> 00:38:30,639 made shot. Do you get to a point though, where it doesn't matter 612 00:38:30,760 --> 00:38:35,119 if they're blowouts because teams are just gonna stop trying and they'll let parades to 613 00:38:35,199 --> 00:38:38,559 the to like a layup line go through. I honestly don't know, but 614 00:38:38,599 --> 00:38:42,800 I do think it's it's valid enough to think to think about JT. I 615 00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:45,800 just don't know if it would make it better. I think if the NBA 616 00:38:45,800 --> 00:38:50,199 doesn't want to go that route, there definitely needs to be changes to instant 617 00:38:50,199 --> 00:38:52,519 replay, and there needs to be changes to that regardless of whether the NBA 618 00:38:52,599 --> 00:38:57,719 adopts the elim ending across all games, you know, the regular season, 619 00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:01,400 specifically, Jay Dobbs of the Pacers, Pistons, Magic and Rockets. Who 620 00:39:01,480 --> 00:39:06,159 has the best chance of winning a playoff series in the next three years? 621 00:39:06,719 --> 00:39:09,719 Holy shit, this is a great question. Adam would definitely pick the Magic 622 00:39:09,840 --> 00:39:15,000 because he's just somehow in luge love with their mishmash of non stars. There 623 00:39:15,760 --> 00:39:19,480 I think you could argue I'm going to say that, I'm gonna say the 624 00:39:19,559 --> 00:39:23,840 Pacers just because they have Miles Turner and Malcolm Brogden still there, and if 625 00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:27,840 you decide to keep them, go forward with Tyrese Haliburton, who is really 626 00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:30,440 good. You have Christa war Day, you bring back t. J. 627 00:39:30,559 --> 00:39:32,960 Warren if he's healthy, plus this year's pick, which could be like top 628 00:39:34,039 --> 00:39:37,119 five, top seven, whatever, I'm gonna say them. I think after 629 00:39:37,280 --> 00:39:42,400 that there'd be a case for the Pistons, just because there's a chance that 630 00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:46,480 they end up having as soon as next season the best player among these four 631 00:39:46,559 --> 00:39:50,840 teams in Kid cutting him. I really think that he's that good. I 632 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:53,639 might pick the Magic next then, or even consider them over the Pistons just 633 00:39:53,679 --> 00:39:57,920 by virtue of them being in the Eastern Conference. If Jonathan Isaac is healthy 634 00:39:57,960 --> 00:40:00,840 next year, they did just get marked l folks back. What if Jalen 635 00:40:00,880 --> 00:40:06,239 Suggs hits friends Wagner looks spectacular, so they could be in the discussion for 636 00:40:06,360 --> 00:40:08,400 number two. I'm gonna say the Pacers. They can clearly trade their way 637 00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:12,880 out of this, But as of right now, entering March first, twenty 638 00:40:13,199 --> 00:40:15,360 twenty two, I would expect the Pacers to win a playoff series before the 639 00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:19,639 Pistons, Magic or Rockets, the ladder of whom just has a tough go 640 00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:24,199 of it in the West and they don't necessarily have the tent pole prospect. 641 00:40:24,320 --> 00:40:30,719 We know that the Pacers have it in Tyrese Haliburton plus really good above replacement 642 00:40:30,760 --> 00:40:35,119 level players, fringe All Stars and Malcolm Brogden and Miles Turner plus the topic 643 00:40:35,280 --> 00:40:39,840 this year. I guess the Magic they're a hodgepodge as well. And you 644 00:40:39,880 --> 00:40:42,400 know, if you're going to say, oh, well, they have Jalen 645 00:40:42,440 --> 00:40:45,840 Suggs, Yeah, but the Rockets have Jalen Green and who was playing pretty 646 00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:50,920 well leading into the All Star break. So it's just the West is so 647 00:40:51,119 --> 00:40:53,880 tough, and I think the Magic are a little bit deeper where you're looking 648 00:40:53,880 --> 00:40:59,000 at their immediate optionality of the outcomes may not be as high long term. 649 00:40:59,039 --> 00:41:00,719 I think that really just depend on what you think the ceiling of Sugs is 650 00:41:01,679 --> 00:41:05,360 or what you think Isaac can turn into on offense. Maybe I'm just miss 651 00:41:07,400 --> 00:41:09,960 mistaking Like friends Wagner's peak is this someone who could be a lot better than 652 00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:15,480 even he's shown so far. Houston feels like it has more flyers with Changoon, 653 00:41:15,760 --> 00:41:17,480 Christian Wood, Jalen Green, even it was mont Gruba still sort of 654 00:41:17,480 --> 00:41:21,400 an unknown, and then all those picks moving forward for themselves. But the 655 00:41:21,480 --> 00:41:23,920 Magic it also feels some urgency. Maybe before the Rockets took out and get 656 00:41:23,960 --> 00:41:27,840 some window talent. I might just a fault to the Pistons at the second 657 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:30,079 best because I'm that in love with Kake Cunningham and they're gonna have another top 658 00:41:30,159 --> 00:41:34,960 pick to add there. Though they could wind up trading Jeremy Grant this season, 659 00:41:35,079 --> 00:41:37,360 I still think the Rockets are going to be fourth for me, if 660 00:41:37,400 --> 00:41:43,199 only by virtue of them playing in the Western Conference. This will be our 661 00:41:43,599 --> 00:41:45,320 Oh that is our last discord questions, So now we can move on to 662 00:41:45,440 --> 00:41:50,840 the Twitter questions. Had had a bunch of good ones here. First one 663 00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:55,960 comes from NBA stat nerd which rookie has the highest PR on a team currently 664 00:41:57,079 --> 00:42:01,199 in the playoffs or playing spot I set if you want to look at just 665 00:42:01,360 --> 00:42:07,360 not having any qualifiers, you have basically Jaden Springer in Philly twenty six point 666 00:42:07,400 --> 00:42:12,920 seven PR. But I wanted people who had played like semi actual minutes, 667 00:42:13,239 --> 00:42:20,400 so I set the benchmark at rookies this season who qualified for the or played 668 00:42:20,400 --> 00:42:23,320 at least five hundred minutes excuse me, swored them by pr Umar Your seven 669 00:42:23,519 --> 00:42:27,440 came up. He's at eighteen point four, alpertn Shane goudas two at sixteen 670 00:42:27,480 --> 00:42:30,360 point three, followed by Scottie Barnes at fifteen point nine, and Evan Mobley 671 00:42:30,440 --> 00:42:36,000 at fifteen point seven. Jonathan Cominga is five at fourteen point seven, and 672 00:42:36,159 --> 00:42:39,519 Franz Wagner is right behind him at fourteen point seven as well. I decided 673 00:42:39,559 --> 00:42:46,280 to also look at the value over replacement player of rookies who have played at 674 00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:51,119 least five hundred minutes again this season. Or did I haven't qualified for the 675 00:42:51,159 --> 00:42:58,039 minutes per game leaderboard. Yeah, since they don't five minimum five hundred minutes. 676 00:42:58,159 --> 00:43:01,679 So Evan Mobley leads the pack here with one point three. Scottie Barnes 677 00:43:01,719 --> 00:43:07,280 is two at one, Herbert Jones is third at point six, and so 678 00:43:07,480 --> 00:43:09,679 those three they come from potential playoff teams. The Helicans are still in the 679 00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:14,559 race out east, but Mobile and Barns are clearly you know, they're right 680 00:43:14,639 --> 00:43:17,119 there in the thick of rotations for actual playoff teams. And then if you're 681 00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:21,320 looking at it, though PR for playoff teams, it's it's you're at seven 682 00:43:21,480 --> 00:43:24,039 comes in because he's actually played six hundred and eleven minutes for the Heat has 683 00:43:24,039 --> 00:43:29,559 shown some stuff around the basket from the stuff that I have seen of him, 684 00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:32,639 and they've also needed him more at points this season because of all the 685 00:43:32,719 --> 00:43:37,639 injuries that they were dealing with. I don't expect him to be like someone 686 00:43:37,679 --> 00:43:39,440 who's on the floor in the playoffs. Scottie Barnes though, would be the 687 00:43:39,559 --> 00:43:43,840 next and Mobile they're right there. They rank third and fourth overall and rookie 688 00:43:43,880 --> 00:43:46,320 PR of a minimum five hundred minutes played. But they're also both just coming 689 00:43:46,440 --> 00:43:51,000 from bona fide playoff teams and really prominent parts of their rotation. And it's 690 00:43:51,039 --> 00:43:54,840 pretty wild that Jonathan Cominga who is still under below average at fourteen point seven 691 00:43:54,960 --> 00:43:59,719 with average considered fifteen and still pretty high for rookie, and he's playing now 692 00:44:00,039 --> 00:44:02,840 regular role for a team and the Warriors that as of right now is I 693 00:44:02,920 --> 00:44:08,280 still think the second most serious contender in the Western Conference. Next question comes 694 00:44:08,320 --> 00:44:12,840 from Daniel Tye fall excuse me, Mitchell Harris. Daniel Types Fan Club is 695 00:44:12,920 --> 00:44:15,440 next. Mitchell Harris asked to Westbrook's triple doubles actually help his teams or is 696 00:44:15,480 --> 00:44:19,440 it that his team wins more when his teammates shoot better, which is when 697 00:44:19,440 --> 00:44:22,039 he gets triple doubles. I always wonder this because it always seems assists is 698 00:44:22,079 --> 00:44:27,599 the hardest part for him. So lifetime, Russell Westbrooks teams are one forty 699 00:44:27,639 --> 00:44:30,679 two and fifty one. When he records a triple double, it's a seventy 700 00:44:30,719 --> 00:44:32,639 three point six win percentage, which is super high. I think we've seen 701 00:44:32,679 --> 00:44:37,000 the limitations of this though in recent years since leaving Oklahoma City, his teams 702 00:44:37,039 --> 00:44:40,360 were thirty two and twenty three when he records a triple double, which is 703 00:44:40,400 --> 00:44:44,519 a fifty eight point two winning percentage. You're still above five hundred there, 704 00:44:44,559 --> 00:44:49,920 but it's noticeably lower. I don't necessarily know what value to ascribe to triple 705 00:44:49,960 --> 00:44:54,639 doubles other than I don't necessarily know that there are a reflection of winning contributions. 706 00:44:55,159 --> 00:44:59,199 They're more volume than they think. They're impressive volume, especially when you're 707 00:44:59,199 --> 00:45:01,800 averaging over the course of an entire season. But I think when it comes 708 00:45:01,840 --> 00:45:06,079 to Russell Westbrook, how is he getting those triple doubles? Are they coming 709 00:45:06,119 --> 00:45:08,840 within the flow of an offense. No, they're coming because he dominates an 710 00:45:08,880 --> 00:45:13,320 offense more often than not, Like, forget about the rebound chasing, but 711 00:45:13,400 --> 00:45:15,639 the assists, Like, this is not someone who's going to just whip the 712 00:45:15,719 --> 00:45:20,920 ball around and throw these touch passes after playing off the ball himself a ton, 713 00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:25,079 Like he needs to dominate the action and try and collapse defenses and attack 714 00:45:25,159 --> 00:45:29,440 the basket. And that changes the way that players around him need to play. 715 00:45:29,679 --> 00:45:34,159 And if you insert him into ecosystems where there are other alpha ball handlers, 716 00:45:34,199 --> 00:45:37,840 scores, offensive players, whatever, I think you're more likely to struggle 717 00:45:37,960 --> 00:45:40,039 even if he is getting a triple double. And we've seen that in Houston, 718 00:45:40,320 --> 00:45:44,960 we've seen it in Washington, and now we've seen it with the Lakers. 719 00:45:45,159 --> 00:45:49,559 So when he is your lone star and is he a star if you 720 00:45:49,599 --> 00:45:53,559 put him on a team where he is just the center of everything and you 721 00:45:53,639 --> 00:45:58,079 have like actual competent role players around him, like, this isn't someone who 722 00:45:58,239 --> 00:46:02,159 can lift up a fringe contender. I guess like he kind of did in 723 00:46:02,199 --> 00:46:06,239 two thousand and sixty thousand, seventy post KD. This isn't a you know, 724 00:46:06,320 --> 00:46:08,440 he couldn't have if you gave him the nugget supporting cast would be my 725 00:46:08,519 --> 00:46:10,840 point. They're not gonna have the same type of season that they've had with 726 00:46:10,960 --> 00:46:15,360 Nicole Yokich, sans Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. But if you did 727 00:46:15,440 --> 00:46:20,320 put him just around him with shooting in a five, who can set screens 728 00:46:20,360 --> 00:46:22,239 like we saw with a Steven Adams doesn't necessarily need to space the floor. 729 00:46:22,840 --> 00:46:27,119 I do think that team could be better than this current Lakers team. But 730 00:46:27,239 --> 00:46:31,280 he is no longer good enough to want to dictate the terms of your roster 731 00:46:31,679 --> 00:46:36,039 to that degree, and that's where it becomes difficult. And the context of 732 00:46:36,159 --> 00:46:39,119 his triple doubles are just they came because he had a monopoly over the offense 733 00:46:39,159 --> 00:46:44,440 specifically, and he is no longer good enough to do that, or even 734 00:46:44,440 --> 00:46:46,000 if you think he is, there are going to be limitations to how good 735 00:46:46,039 --> 00:46:51,039 your team can be if that's the route you're taking. And as of right 736 00:46:51,079 --> 00:46:52,480 now, if you're asking me whether I think a Russell Westbrook cripple double is 737 00:46:52,519 --> 00:46:55,840 a harbinger of whether his team is winning or losing, I just don't think 738 00:46:55,840 --> 00:47:00,960 it's be indicative of anything other than what his role is on that team or 739 00:47:00,079 --> 00:47:04,800 any given night was Lebron out and that's why he's taking control. But if 740 00:47:04,840 --> 00:47:07,239 I was forced to choose now, I don't think that Russell Westbrook having a 741 00:47:07,280 --> 00:47:09,559 triple double necessarily ensures that your team is a better chance of winning. It's 742 00:47:09,599 --> 00:47:13,280 like Mitchell also said here, a lot of it could just come down to 743 00:47:13,400 --> 00:47:15,760 his teammates hitting shots. It's also not on him if they if they miss 744 00:47:15,760 --> 00:47:20,920 shots. I think it's really though Again, the context of his role on 745 00:47:21,039 --> 00:47:23,000 the office is what matters more than anything, and when he can't be the 746 00:47:23,559 --> 00:47:27,519 all everything, he is going to struggle. And I think we've reached the 747 00:47:27,519 --> 00:47:30,400 point in his career where even if he is the all everything, you have 748 00:47:30,519 --> 00:47:34,239 to still surround him with very high end plug in play talent for you to 749 00:47:34,400 --> 00:47:39,840 even be a noticeably above average NBA roster. Daniel Tys Fan Club asked what 750 00:47:39,920 --> 00:47:44,519 percentage Robert Williams has finishes around the ram or alley oops and putbacks. So 751 00:47:44,880 --> 00:47:47,400 Robert Williams, as of this recording has finished, has taken two hundred and 752 00:47:47,400 --> 00:47:51,119 fifty nine shot attempts of some form at the rim. He has made two 753 00:47:51,199 --> 00:47:55,000 hundred and two of them. So shooting seventy eight percent there, So of 754 00:47:55,159 --> 00:48:00,800 those two hundred and two mates, eighty three eighty six come off of alley 755 00:48:00,800 --> 00:48:04,559 oops, so that ends up being forty two point six percent of all his 756 00:48:04,679 --> 00:48:07,920 makes come as the finisher on an alley loop. And then sixty one of 757 00:48:08,000 --> 00:48:12,039 his two hundred and two makes at the rim are on putbacks, so that 758 00:48:12,119 --> 00:48:15,559 comes out the twenty three point six percent of his looks around the rim. 759 00:48:16,360 --> 00:48:20,960 So that's you know, almost two thirds, maybe more than two about it's 760 00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:27,199 more than two thirds of his offensive scoring or as rim attempts come or rim 761 00:48:27,320 --> 00:48:31,159 makes come as alley ope finishes or or putbacks. So there you go. 762 00:48:31,360 --> 00:48:36,480 Dan Ties Fan Club Alex asked, how does points per game relate to players 763 00:48:36,519 --> 00:48:40,320 as usage rate so uses percentage. I don't want to go through the read 764 00:48:40,360 --> 00:48:45,360 out the calculation of the way that it is calculated. It's just too complex 765 00:48:45,480 --> 00:48:50,360 to read through on this. But it's accounting for field goal attempts, free 766 00:48:50,400 --> 00:48:53,639 throw attempts, turnovers. It's supposed to be an estimate of the percentage of 767 00:48:53,679 --> 00:48:55,920 team plays used by a player while he's on the floor, and when so 768 00:48:55,960 --> 00:49:00,880 many team plays are going to end in a shottempt or free throw attempts specifically, 769 00:49:01,000 --> 00:49:05,039 never mind the turnovers, and then there's the minute plate element. But 770 00:49:05,159 --> 00:49:08,719 when it's those shot attempts, the more shots you take in fury, the 771 00:49:09,840 --> 00:49:15,440 more points you're going to score, and so the higher your shot attempts, 772 00:49:15,880 --> 00:49:19,599 the higher your usage rate is going to be. So there is that in 773 00:49:19,679 --> 00:49:22,519 free throw attempts obviously too, So there is that corollary. And unless you're 774 00:49:22,599 --> 00:49:25,119 just like one of the worst scores of all time, it doesn't have to 775 00:49:25,199 --> 00:49:30,360 be this direct correlation between usage rate and how many points per game you're scoring. 776 00:49:30,480 --> 00:49:34,960 But you're probably only taking shots finishing plays in the first place because you 777 00:49:35,079 --> 00:49:37,880 are a valuable score. So if your points per game are higher, the 778 00:49:38,000 --> 00:49:42,880 chances are that you are going to have a higher usage rate. There are, 779 00:49:42,880 --> 00:49:45,000 of course, things that can factor in that. If you're not getting 780 00:49:45,039 --> 00:49:49,840 to the foul line because you're exclusively just sort of a catch and shoot guy, 781 00:49:50,519 --> 00:49:52,719 if you're someone who doesn't have a ton of prol of the offense, 782 00:49:52,800 --> 00:49:58,159 so you're not even necessarily committing turnovers, you're just passing the ball to someone 783 00:49:58,199 --> 00:50:00,199 else, which this you know, the most basic form of usage is not 784 00:50:00,320 --> 00:50:04,599 accounting for assist that you go out yeah, in theory, you could have 785 00:50:05,239 --> 00:50:07,880 a lower usage rate, and just there are guys that have averaged a ton 786 00:50:07,920 --> 00:50:13,719 of points in the past that don't have these super high usage rates, especially 787 00:50:13,840 --> 00:50:16,000 if they're you know, when you're looking at the Also the other thing, 788 00:50:16,039 --> 00:50:20,280 when you're looking at the calculation for usage rate, like it's not making any 789 00:50:20,360 --> 00:50:24,639 delineation between threes and two point attempts. You can take fewer shot attempts while 790 00:50:24,639 --> 00:50:30,320 having a higher usage a lower usage rate if you're just taking a ton of 791 00:50:30,400 --> 00:50:34,199 threes, and like, you know, think of like a Joe Harris last 792 00:50:34,280 --> 00:50:38,039 year, he's averaging over fourteen points per game, and like his usage is 793 00:50:38,400 --> 00:50:43,920 a hair over eighteen, which is just like not super duper high. So 794 00:50:44,360 --> 00:50:47,400 there's that context there. But I would think generally there's going to be a 795 00:50:47,440 --> 00:50:52,519 correlation between like the more you're scoring, the higher usage rate is going to 796 00:50:52,559 --> 00:50:57,280 be because in theory, you're just finishing a higher percentage of your team's plays. 797 00:50:57,360 --> 00:51:00,599 That was sort of a stumbling explanation, but that's really the gist of 798 00:51:00,719 --> 00:51:07,880 it. This question comes from truth. He asked why do casuals hate stats? 799 00:51:07,000 --> 00:51:13,239 Basketball fans? Mostly because stats are facts? Nerds? Nerd invented basketball. 800 00:51:13,519 --> 00:51:16,400 When the haters of stats argue about their players, they don't hesitate to 801 00:51:16,519 --> 00:51:21,639 use them nerd haters or casual highlights kids even if their favorite player coach or 802 00:51:21,719 --> 00:51:28,960 using those stats. So I don't I don't like using the word casual as 803 00:51:30,360 --> 00:51:34,360 like a denigration. There are casual basketball fans because it's not their favorite sport, 804 00:51:34,719 --> 00:51:37,719 or they don't pay Super CLO's attention to the NBA and left the Super 805 00:51:37,760 --> 00:51:39,480 Bowl or something, or maybe they only pay attention in the playoffs, maybe 806 00:51:39,480 --> 00:51:43,599 they only follow one team, or maybe they're just not into the mini gritty. 807 00:51:43,719 --> 00:51:45,199 So I don't want to promote, like not promote. I don't want 808 00:51:45,199 --> 00:51:50,360 to like label someone a casual ass as an insult. And I don't even 809 00:51:50,400 --> 00:51:54,280 know that all casuals hate stats as basketball like the basketball stats excuse me. 810 00:51:55,239 --> 00:52:02,559 I really just think that there's been a poor job in many instances of communicating 811 00:52:02,679 --> 00:52:06,599 what these stats mean and how to portray them. So we see the misuse 812 00:52:07,159 --> 00:52:10,960 or neglected altogether. But there's a way to marry the eye tests and numbers, 813 00:52:12,000 --> 00:52:14,920 and it's been done by many people for a really long time. There 814 00:52:15,000 --> 00:52:20,079 can be it still feels like the stats world can be too gatekeeper or condescending 815 00:52:20,119 --> 00:52:22,800 at one point, and some people do use them as balls. Some people 816 00:52:22,920 --> 00:52:25,960 just misportray them entirely, especially when you're looking at kitchen sink metrics, or 817 00:52:27,000 --> 00:52:30,639 if you just value points per game over everything else. But I don't really 818 00:52:30,760 --> 00:52:35,079 think that if you're a casual fan you necessarily hate stats. If you're just 819 00:52:35,280 --> 00:52:37,599 someone who is more invested in the eye test, you might not place as 820 00:52:37,679 --> 00:52:43,880 much stock in stats. I don't know whether that's right or wrong. Neither 821 00:52:44,000 --> 00:52:45,079 one to me is the end all be all. You need to tether them 822 00:52:45,199 --> 00:52:52,199 together. It's a marriage of both cubone x x zs and we'll finish here. 823 00:52:52,599 --> 00:52:57,280 Which MVP candidate has the worst supporting cast The answer, without going into 824 00:52:57,320 --> 00:53:00,800 any detail, I think would just be Nicole Yokich. He's missing the two 825 00:53:01,679 --> 00:53:06,519 two of the three best players on a team in Michael Porter Junior and Jamal 826 00:53:06,639 --> 00:53:10,440 Murray. His second best player this season has been Aaron Gordon. Maybe it's 827 00:53:10,440 --> 00:53:14,840 been Will Barton. At points, you can try and look at more scientific 828 00:53:14,920 --> 00:53:17,320 ways of this. I did try to look at which MVP candidates had the 829 00:53:17,400 --> 00:53:22,239 fewest number of teammates who qualified for the minutes per game leaderboard while also ranking 830 00:53:23,079 --> 00:53:28,719 or checking in with an above average VORP, and that really wasn't too effective. 831 00:53:28,719 --> 00:53:30,719 You could look at if you averaged out the value over replacement players of 832 00:53:30,760 --> 00:53:36,039 their supporting casts among qualified players who qualified at the minutes for game, that 833 00:53:36,119 --> 00:53:39,079 might be more more useful. But there's like a tie here basically where most 834 00:53:39,119 --> 00:53:44,440 of these guys have six or seven or eight or nine teammates who have qualified 835 00:53:44,519 --> 00:53:46,400 for the minutes per game lead aboard and have an above average VARp. Just 836 00:53:46,599 --> 00:53:51,159 to try, and this is not the way I would do it, but 837 00:53:51,280 --> 00:53:53,320 if you looked at the net ratings of teams when these stars are off the 838 00:53:53,360 --> 00:53:57,880 court, Nicole Yokich is also going to win that the Nuggets are getting outscored 839 00:53:57,880 --> 00:54:00,000 by twelve points per one hundred possessions when he's on the floor. There are 840 00:54:00,000 --> 00:54:04,119 obviously other influencers here, like who are they playing without him? Are there 841 00:54:04,239 --> 00:54:07,320 certain players that they're just tethering to Nicole Yokich's minutes almost exclusively who could really 842 00:54:07,360 --> 00:54:09,719 help out in the times that he's off the court. Yes, that's absolutely 843 00:54:09,760 --> 00:54:14,320 a possibility. But when he just comes up so much, even when you 844 00:54:14,360 --> 00:54:16,920 look at net ratings, swing the Nuggets are I think twenty two point four 845 00:54:17,000 --> 00:54:21,679 points better per one hundred possessions when Yokich is on the court. That is 846 00:54:21,719 --> 00:54:23,760 the single highest net rating swing in the league. So that keeps coming up. 847 00:54:24,079 --> 00:54:29,440 Steph actually happens to be number two when looking at higher volume players, 848 00:54:29,480 --> 00:54:32,559 and I'm not even you don't even need to go by higher volume players specifically. 849 00:54:32,599 --> 00:54:36,920 It's just among anyone who has logged at least two hundred and fifty minutes 850 00:54:37,280 --> 00:54:42,559 this year, Nicole Yokich has the single highest net rating swing in the league. 851 00:54:42,800 --> 00:54:47,159 And again that's not an end all be all necessarily, but it's twenty 852 00:54:47,199 --> 00:54:51,840 two point five points is no joke. And then you have, like I 853 00:54:51,920 --> 00:54:54,880 said, Steph checks in it number two at sixteen point seven. There's like 854 00:54:54,920 --> 00:54:58,920 a huge gap there. When you're also just looking at the net ratings with 855 00:54:59,039 --> 00:55:02,599 players off Steph's the Warriors are minus five point two. That's the second lowest 856 00:55:02,679 --> 00:55:07,760 mark. Again, there's a huge gap there though, between the Curry and 857 00:55:07,880 --> 00:55:10,599 Yokis minutes, and that's kind of impressive knowing that Draymond Green plays so or 858 00:55:10,639 --> 00:55:15,039 played so many of his minutes with Steph. So the Warriors have I don't 859 00:55:15,039 --> 00:55:21,559 want to say, hamstrung themselves during certain stretches there, but it's not they 860 00:55:21,639 --> 00:55:23,199 haven't put there. There are other things I think they could have done better 861 00:55:23,280 --> 00:55:27,320 to try and survive. The death minutes is when I'm getting at pre Clay 862 00:55:27,400 --> 00:55:31,199 Thompson's return, pleach, pre Draymond green back injury. The Bulls are minus 863 00:55:31,280 --> 00:55:35,519 five with the Rosen off the floor, and so that's the third highest mark 864 00:55:35,559 --> 00:55:37,719 even Lebron like the Lakers, they're minus three point six per one hundred when 865 00:55:37,719 --> 00:55:40,400 he's off the court. So Yo the Nuggets, the yokich Is. Even 866 00:55:40,639 --> 00:55:45,239 the yokichless minutes for the Nuggets are even worse than that. That's not a 867 00:55:45,320 --> 00:55:49,280 perfect comparison because you're getting into a point where you're comparing minutes from all these 868 00:55:49,280 --> 00:55:52,039 different rosters where stars even on the court. I do think it's among the 869 00:55:52,119 --> 00:55:59,360 foremost MVP candidates. I think you have to say it's it is Yokis though, 870 00:55:59,400 --> 00:56:02,000 because Steph maybe comes pretty close. But you're discrediting a lot of what 871 00:56:02,199 --> 00:56:05,880 Raymond did then the rest of the season. Even just looking at number two 872 00:56:05,920 --> 00:56:09,079 options specifically this year, it would have to be by fault or the second 873 00:56:09,119 --> 00:56:13,639 best player. Let's say I think it's still Yokis like Damario Rosen has, 874 00:56:13,719 --> 00:56:16,360 Zach Lavine, Lebron is Ampty Davis even if he's not available. Like I 875 00:56:16,400 --> 00:56:20,599 said after that, there's the huge drop off. Joel Embiide is interesting. 876 00:56:20,679 --> 00:56:22,639 The Sixers are a minus three pro one hundred possessions when he's off the court, 877 00:56:22,679 --> 00:56:28,079 and the second best teammate has been Tyrres Maxie this year instead of Ben 878 00:56:28,159 --> 00:56:30,119 Simmons. Maxie was really good though, But if you wanted to make a 879 00:56:30,199 --> 00:56:34,480 case for that, you can't anymore because James Harden's there. Let's not forget 880 00:56:34,519 --> 00:56:37,360 Seth Curry was there too. Are either of those two players Maxe Curry? 881 00:56:37,360 --> 00:56:43,440 Would you prefer them to Aaron Gordon or Will Barton? Maybe I wouldn't blame 882 00:56:43,480 --> 00:56:45,119 you if you did. I wouldn't blame if you didn't. Janie. You 883 00:56:45,159 --> 00:56:49,280 know, having Drew and Chris Middleton, the bucks are shallow, but those 884 00:56:49,320 --> 00:56:51,440 two guys at the top, that's a luxury that not a lot of other 885 00:56:51,519 --> 00:56:53,320 guys have. Chris Paul is Devin Booker and just a deep roster, and 886 00:56:53,360 --> 00:56:57,079 hey, Devin Booker has Chris Paul. Even Chris Paul is currently injured and 887 00:56:57,119 --> 00:56:59,519 the rest of the Sun's roster as well. I guess there could be a 888 00:56:59,599 --> 00:57:01,840 case Luca, but the mass are actually winning the minutes three point seven points 889 00:57:01,840 --> 00:57:06,800 per one hundred possessions when he's off the court this year. That actually shocked 890 00:57:06,880 --> 00:57:09,360 me. It's not Jimmy Butler, it's not rudygo Berrodonovan Mitchell, It's definitely 891 00:57:09,400 --> 00:57:15,239 not John Morant. I think it would have to be between Yokich, Curry, 892 00:57:15,199 --> 00:57:19,519 and maybe Embed but like you kind of remove him now. If you 893 00:57:19,559 --> 00:57:22,079 have a different answer, feel free to get at me. But I'm almost 894 00:57:22,119 --> 00:57:24,400 positive that Yokich is the MVP candidate with the worst supporting cast, and I 895 00:57:24,400 --> 00:57:30,079 think that's gonna give him a lot of MVP when it comes to the arguments. 896 00:57:30,159 --> 00:57:31,719 I don't know that's not wrong, but I do think we need to 897 00:57:31,760 --> 00:57:37,039 be careful not to necessarily discredit players who have a better supporting cast, are 898 00:57:37,079 --> 00:57:42,519 healthier supporting cast. It's not their fault that they're not working with West. 899 00:57:42,960 --> 00:57:45,760 So Yokich is doing is impressive. He would be my MVP pick if the 900 00:57:45,800 --> 00:57:50,800 season ended today. But there are a lot of justifiable candidates. I think 901 00:57:50,880 --> 00:57:53,320 at least four, maybe five, perhaps even six at this point, and 902 00:57:53,360 --> 00:57:59,400 I'm not someone who is all participation trophy like here that just wants to hand 903 00:57:59,440 --> 00:58:02,079 the MVP word to everybody. Thank you for sticking with me. If you've 904 00:58:02,119 --> 00:58:07,079 made it this long, we will be back for another podcast this Friday if 905 00:58:07,119 --> 00:58:08,440 you If you have made it this far, though, please remember to rate, 906 00:58:08,480 --> 00:58:12,519 review and subscribe to us wherever you get your iTunes. Wherever you get 907 00:58:12,519 --> 00:58:15,840 your podcasts, we asked you do head over iTunes and throw us five star 908 00:58:15,960 --> 00:58:19,440 ratings and reviews. Written reviews in addition to those five star ratings help a 909 00:58:19,480 --> 00:58:22,639 ton, even if you're not using iTunes. Follow us on YouTube YouTube dot 910 00:58:22,639 --> 00:58:28,159 com hard Knox join our discord links into podcast description along with the YouTube channel 911 00:58:28,239 --> 00:58:30,440 link. And until next time, I'll leave you all the shout out Build 912 00:58:30,440 --> 00:58:32,800 one the Only Frank neil Te