1 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:20,440 Well, what is a fellow Thermonuclear AF for. As I am Dan Valley 2 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:27,280 coming at you with my certified fantabulous dripping with fantabulousness, Thermonuclear AF co host 3 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:32,520 of the number one NBA podcast in the business, Hardwood Knox. He is 4 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:37,759 mister Grant Hughes. The reviews are in. No podcast is more personable or 5 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:42,240 thorough. We were the only podcast to do a postseason preview look ahead. 6 00:00:42,399 --> 00:00:47,000 That's real shits. Podcasts are just so great. We are here the long 7 00:00:47,039 --> 00:00:50,399 awaited teaser. As I mentioned, we are gonna do playoff content. We're 8 00:00:50,399 --> 00:00:54,479 gonna do an analysis later this week, but you are going to be inundated 9 00:00:54,479 --> 00:00:57,079 with that. So we're gonna do some big picture stuff too. And so 10 00:00:57,159 --> 00:01:00,200 Grant and I are going to take a look back at one thing each of 11 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:04,079 us got wrong for every NBA team. He has the Western Conference. I 12 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:07,599 have the Eastern Conference. We will be chiming in wherever you know appropriate, 13 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:10,719 like me on the West, him on the East, of course. But 14 00:01:10,719 --> 00:01:11,920 we're excited to do this. We've been teasing it for a while. I'm 15 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:15,640 excited. I have energy recording during the day. That's fucking weird. But 16 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:19,879 the question that people actually want to know the answer to Grant as the co 17 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:23,480 host of the number one NBA podcast in the business, that is just dripping 18 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,400 teaming with self belief at the moment, how the heck are you? I 19 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:30,920 I didn't hear. I didn't know the numbers were in. I'm not surprised, 20 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:34,920 but I didn't hear about the numbers. Honestly, we broke the metric 21 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,280 gauge because they basically email me, say thet they don't have the capacity to 22 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:42,799 count that high because we don't do it for recognition. We do it for 23 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:46,040 the love. And it's you know, like I'm in this for the cloud 24 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:51,439 she's got. We've got like we've got like dozens of people who are downloading 25 00:01:51,439 --> 00:01:53,319 this episode right now. I'm over the cloud. I think you should make 26 00:01:55,239 --> 00:01:57,760 like ridiculous claims like that part of the intro, just as a staple, 27 00:01:59,079 --> 00:02:01,719 just the word number one, number one and whatever, and just like eventually, 28 00:02:02,359 --> 00:02:06,040 we live in a world where you can like make anything, so if 29 00:02:06,079 --> 00:02:08,599 you say it enough, like right, like truth is very flimsy these days, 30 00:02:08,599 --> 00:02:10,919 so you could just say, I think if I want to be part 31 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:16,800 of advancing, you're just riding the wave. Like that's just it works. 32 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:23,960 This did make me think very quickly I said something that in retrospect was I 33 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:27,879 mean, by our standards, it was kind of arrogant. They want people 34 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:30,879 wanted to see the full results of our like over unders. But I had 35 00:02:30,879 --> 00:02:32,759 said and I don't know if it was in discord if I said it, 36 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:36,120 and I might have said it multiple times when someone DMed me, and I 37 00:02:36,159 --> 00:02:38,000 was just like, I didn't want to publish the full results because I don't 38 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:42,680 want to put the person who had the worst record on blast to just thousands 39 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:45,520 of people. And I was just like, now I'm thinking about was like, 40 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:47,039 that was really arrogant. Why is that arrogant? What are you talking 41 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:52,879 about? You don't want to relative to other podcasts maybe do tens of thousands 42 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:55,240 or whatever. But it's just like that was just such a weird like from 43 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:59,479 all right, how about this from the way that we frame this podcast is 44 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:02,639 like more so depreciating or not like seriously unserious for me to just be like, 45 00:03:02,719 --> 00:03:06,520 yeah, like we didn't want like the thousands of people like that mass 46 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:10,280 amount of crowds downloading that episode to know that so and so went, you 47 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:14,439 know, eight games, like was just eight games under five hundred and the 48 00:03:14,439 --> 00:03:17,919 the win lost totals that well one, I mean, neither of us did 49 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:21,400 all that well, so the second to work. I was tired for the 50 00:03:21,879 --> 00:03:24,199 second last. No, you're coming at that from a good place, like 51 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:28,719 that's that's not wanting to unnecessarily make someone feel bad. What's wrong that? 52 00:03:28,759 --> 00:03:31,240 It was the phrasing whereas like oh, like sorry, my goal shoes like 53 00:03:31,319 --> 00:03:36,000 really tight. That was like, by my standards, that was because yeah, 54 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:39,039 yeah, no, I mean when you're that a podcast pulled over an 55 00:03:39,039 --> 00:03:45,680 eighty million dollar contract on the last episode, our discord members were I rate 56 00:03:45,879 --> 00:03:49,840 that you were making more than that to record that podcast. You know whatever, 57 00:03:49,879 --> 00:03:53,080 man, uh, you get what you're worth. All right, we 58 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:58,759 should start, Uh, we're gonna go alphabetically because we couldn't decide on a 59 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:01,400 better route, so we're gonna jumping back and forth between conferences. But whatever, 60 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:05,960 anything, any further preamble notes or should we just get this is just 61 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:12,000 like what happened that we did not expect, Like when railed for me, 62 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:14,960 it was and by the way, we tried to make this two things we 63 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:17,160 did this not up. We're prepped, but like this is not like Dan 64 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,879 and Grant wrote monologues on every single team. It's a lightning ground. We 65 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:24,720 have three minutes per team. I'm sure we will go over at some point. 66 00:04:24,759 --> 00:04:27,600 Maybe we'll go under for certain ones. And then I also framed as 67 00:04:27,639 --> 00:04:30,279 like if there were things that I actively know that I said or wrote and 68 00:04:30,319 --> 00:04:33,959 we're just completely off base. Uh so some of these there are receipts for 69 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:39,279 if anyone cares to try and go find them. I'm sure there are receipts 70 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:42,319 for mine, and I did not look them up because I don't like to 71 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:44,879 live it. Okay, I have. I have receipts on all thirty team. 72 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:46,560 You were wrong about every single team, and I have all the receipts. 73 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:50,639 Odds are probably like just from a sheer volume perspective, I'm sure I 74 00:04:50,639 --> 00:04:55,120 said some multiple wrong things about everything. It's one of the long paper memes 75 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:58,920 you ever seen the SpongeBob gip gifts where he like unrolls the unfurls the paper 76 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:00,319 and it's like going and going. Like that would be if we went back 77 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:04,480 and revisited all our takes from the season. Imagine like we've probably adjusted our 78 00:05:04,519 --> 00:05:08,680 priors and initial takes without ever acknowledging so many of them. I know, 79 00:05:09,959 --> 00:05:13,560 yeah about to We're about to do some you know, sort of pay the 80 00:05:13,600 --> 00:05:16,319 piper in here. But there's just so many things that we've just like said 81 00:05:16,319 --> 00:05:19,639 that what are you gonna do? We're all just trying to figure out, 82 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:24,079 guys, to the tens of millions of people. Isn't it just sorry all 83 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:29,079 you guys. You know we'll do we'll do better. Okay, So anything 84 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:32,199 else or are we to get off now? I think that was poor phrasing. 85 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:35,759 Uh, let's go to the Atlanta Hawks. We're already off to a 86 00:05:35,759 --> 00:05:41,319 great start with the alphabet, so I hit there over. This is just 87 00:05:41,879 --> 00:05:44,439 this is my way of saying I thought the Hawks are going to be better. 88 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:48,560 And I thought specifically that we were going to see a much different version 89 00:05:48,959 --> 00:05:53,480 of Trey Young. And I know that he moved away from the ball a 90 00:05:53,519 --> 00:05:55,680 little bit more. You could dig into it and look at the share of 91 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:59,920 his shots that went assistant. They were higher than they were in recent season, 92 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:02,360 but not by like a great deal. And he still wasn't like finishing 93 00:06:02,399 --> 00:06:05,560 plays as a cutter or kind of flying around screens off the ball. And 94 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:11,879 I thought once Quinn Snyder was installed and that he had had a training camp 95 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:15,800 in an offseason to like with this team, I really expected them. They 96 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:19,319 did look different, but it's still it still felt like Dejonte Murray and Trey 97 00:06:19,399 --> 00:06:25,240 Young were too often operating independent of each other, and I just expected this 98 00:06:25,399 --> 00:06:29,279 date's back. I was I don't know if I celebrated the trade when they 99 00:06:29,319 --> 00:06:30,800 made it, but like I was okay with what they gave up to get 100 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:34,279 to Jantey Murray. I thought it could work. They were minus six point 101 00:06:34,319 --> 00:06:38,160 three points or whatever it was perne hundred posessions with those two on the floor, 102 00:06:38,439 --> 00:06:40,879 one of them has to be traded. For me, it would be 103 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:44,240 Murray. We differ on sort of the Tray Young aspect of it. Like 104 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:46,879 this just clearly isn't gonna work, and I had hope that it would. 105 00:06:46,879 --> 00:06:50,040 And even I'm at the point where it's I do think, you know, 106 00:06:50,079 --> 00:06:53,319 there were some injuries of Yuka kong Wu dealt with a bunch, and I 107 00:06:53,319 --> 00:06:57,519 think this roster is definitely imperfect for what you need around those two. Even 108 00:06:57,560 --> 00:07:00,399 by those standards, it's just clear that it's not happening, and it does 109 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:04,839 raise the question of you know, and this is as someone who is I 110 00:07:05,040 --> 00:07:10,079 think I would keep Tray Young, but it's can he actually play materially different 111 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:15,240 enough to make any sort of pairing with another star actually work? Yeah, 112 00:07:15,279 --> 00:07:18,319 I don't have a lot. I would just echo that. I I was 113 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:23,360 on board with the thinking that we're gonna get a full year with Quinn Snyder 114 00:07:23,879 --> 00:07:27,680 running his system, which we liked so much in Utah offensively, like some 115 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:30,079 really good offenses in Utah with like some fairly limited personnel, So like, 116 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:34,800 surely with Trey Young, this is this thing's gonna work. It just it 117 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:41,560 felt like maybe now going forward, you say, like the Hawks don't have 118 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:45,800 the benefit of the doubt necessarily, like with oh it'll it'll all all the 119 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:47,240 pieces will fit together. It's like we've seen Trey Young play a certain way 120 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:50,480 for long enough that it's like, so now now what, Yeah, we 121 00:07:50,519 --> 00:07:53,639 don't need to get into it. But like I'm more of the mind like 122 00:07:53,639 --> 00:07:57,360 you should trade Trey Young. I think I'm more comfortable with that. But 123 00:07:58,199 --> 00:08:00,600 yeah, I just thought that the Quinn Snyder thing was like, well, 124 00:08:00,639 --> 00:08:01,879 he's a really good coach. He had a ton of success with the Jazz 125 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:05,160 first full season, and the Hawks are gonna win like forty seven forty eight 126 00:08:05,199 --> 00:08:07,720 games, or something, and it just was way off. He was my 127 00:08:07,759 --> 00:08:11,600 Coach of the Year pick, So I was wrong about that preseason and the 128 00:08:11,639 --> 00:08:13,800 other thing just very quickly. Does the way that Luka Doncic has played with 129 00:08:13,879 --> 00:08:18,959 Kyrie Irving and kind of increased his pace as well, does that lend itself 130 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:22,000 to like giving you home even like seeing kind of hardened for part of the 131 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:26,879 season, Like with the Clippers anyway they made it feels like more wholesale shifts 132 00:08:28,319 --> 00:08:31,440 in their functionalities. Does that give you hope or make you less confident that 133 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:35,360 Trey Young is gonna be Like just because James Harden's this late into his career 134 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:39,000 and was able to do it, Yeah, I mean like Harden didn't do 135 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:41,200 it till he had to. I feel like, so that's kind of a 136 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:45,399 different yes, okatuation And yeah, no, I don't know. I guess 137 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:48,200 I really just thought it was gonna happen this year where we were gonna see 138 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:52,519 a different look, and it didn't really like in a meaningful way. So 139 00:08:52,639 --> 00:08:56,360 now I'm you're gonna need I'm not going to go into next year expecting the 140 00:08:56,399 --> 00:09:00,600 same the things that I did this year. Right now, it's gonna be 141 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:05,440 I'll be wrong. If Quinn Snyder finally gets the system installed and Trey Young 142 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:07,679 and de Jontay Murray and the rest of the roster like work well together, 143 00:09:09,039 --> 00:09:11,759 I'll just go in saying that will not happen, and then I'll be wrong 144 00:09:11,799 --> 00:09:16,720 if it does. I've like flipped my baseline a little bit. There are 145 00:09:16,759 --> 00:09:20,799 definitely receipts on this one for the Boston Celtics from me, and I was 146 00:09:22,159 --> 00:09:26,440 not high on the Christops Porzingis trade at all. And I did recognize once 147 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:28,480 you got through holiday that had changed the calculus a little bit. I did 148 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:33,639 not adjust my prior on that nearly enough. That has been just this roster 149 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:39,399 looks utterly dominant, and I think even the offensive concerns are just mostly overblown. 150 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:43,639 They are bottom ten team in one possession games in the final three minutes 151 00:09:43,679 --> 00:09:46,720 where it's ahead or tiede so things do bog down. But like the top 152 00:09:46,799 --> 00:09:50,120 six on this roster, and like you could throw Sam Howsard giving them good 153 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:54,799 minutes, Peyton Pritchard, they've done some. They are so good. They 154 00:09:54,799 --> 00:09:58,360 are so dominant that you're at the point where if they don't come out of 155 00:09:58,399 --> 00:10:01,360 the East, it's a disciplin opointment. That's how good they are. And 156 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:03,279 Christaps Porzingis was that good of a fit. I thought he did a good 157 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:07,559 job on the court of blending in but then also taking opportunities to punish mismatches, 158 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:11,480 which is really like the Wizards were throwing him the ball and asking him 159 00:10:11,519 --> 00:10:13,360 to create more and feeding him his even when he didn't have mismatches, And 160 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:16,320 with the Celtics, it's like, no, like that's the only time that 161 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:18,159 you're going to do that. So he's come in healthier for the most part 162 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:22,200 than I expected, even though he wound up not a qualifying for any of 163 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:26,519 the awards ballots. But he's perfect fit on offense, playing fantastic defense, 164 00:10:26,519 --> 00:10:28,000 where I think, you know, had he played more, he might have 165 00:10:28,039 --> 00:10:33,240 made some all defense ballots as well. So I was worried that one the 166 00:10:33,279 --> 00:10:37,000 health perspective and that he wouldn't be just He's coming off this career year on 167 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:39,639 the Wizards, who were just so nondescript and irrelevant. I was like, 168 00:10:39,679 --> 00:10:43,639 well, is that going to translate to a really good team? It did, 169 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:46,600 and then just I was arguing there was still going to be this playmaking 170 00:10:46,639 --> 00:10:52,480 deficit in Boston even after getting Drew Holliday and look in some moments, I 171 00:10:52,519 --> 00:10:56,360 think you can feel it. But between Drew Holiday, Jason Tatum, Derek 172 00:10:56,399 --> 00:11:00,799 White and just the Jalen Brown counters on offense, not the passing, and 173 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:03,080 even just Al Horford Johns like they have enough. And so this is a 174 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:07,399 team that if they go up against the Nuggets, I'm picking the Nuggets. 175 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:11,960 If they go up against anybody else, you pick them. I just don't 176 00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:15,440 know how you pick against them if they're facing any team other than the Nuggets. 177 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:18,399 Is where I'm at. And so I missed on I hit there under 178 00:11:18,639 --> 00:11:20,799 they slaughtered that. So I was just way off on this team. Well, 179 00:11:20,879 --> 00:11:24,120 I would say, like I think going in again, I don't have 180 00:11:24,159 --> 00:11:28,960 their receipts, but I think I said, like, this trade raises the 181 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:33,240 floor and lowers the ceiling because you're pricing in porzingis injury risk, You're pricing 182 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:37,440 in like the whole like he's the best post up player against switches and we're 183 00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:39,840 gonna hunt that and make that a staple of our offense, and it's like 184 00:11:39,919 --> 00:11:45,360 unsolvable. It didn't see that coming necessarily, But yeah, I think like 185 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:48,440 they just hit the ceiling right because they had pretty good health across the board. 186 00:11:48,759 --> 00:11:52,799 The piece is fit the bench guys did, you know, probably better 187 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:58,039 than most people expected, and like they didn't none of the floor stuff, 188 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:01,519 none of the low floor things happen, Like Drew huh Holiday didn't suddenly look 189 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:03,240 like someone in his mid thirties and like get way worse, like his role 190 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:07,120 diminished. But it was like kind of by design and Porzingis didn't really get 191 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:09,480 hurt in a way that like compromised the whole season, and Al Horford held 192 00:12:09,559 --> 00:12:13,399 up decently enough, and like all the all the ceiling stuff happened and none 193 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:16,399 of the floor stuff happened in a big way. So it's like that was 194 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:20,000 kind of my outlook on it. I just it looks better for me because 195 00:12:20,039 --> 00:12:24,240 I thought, like the ceilings high, like this could really work, and 196 00:12:24,279 --> 00:12:26,799 it did. But I don't think I was confident that like this is without 197 00:12:26,919 --> 00:12:31,759 risk, Like the risk factors were just higher changing last year's team in the 198 00:12:31,799 --> 00:12:33,879 way they did, you know, four rotation guys for two basically, So 199 00:12:35,159 --> 00:12:39,679 you know, I'll take a small victory lap there, but I'll take you 200 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:43,600 were definitely closer to on the right side of history with the Celtics that yeah, 201 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:48,279 Brooklyn's next. What do you got for Brooklyn? They're speaking of nondescript. 202 00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:52,799 Probably one of the least enjoyable teams to follow this season, and they 203 00:12:52,799 --> 00:12:56,639 have a lot of players that I love. I expected their defense to be 204 00:12:56,639 --> 00:13:01,799 better. It was basically bottom ten in points loud per possession. I expected 205 00:13:01,799 --> 00:13:03,240 specifically, I thought, I did not think that this was a team that 206 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:07,679 was going to get let's say, blasted when it came to a transition defense, 207 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:11,639 and like they did and like opponents were just able to run on them 208 00:13:11,639 --> 00:13:15,679 off of live rebounds, and that becomes a real problem because they weren't some 209 00:13:15,759 --> 00:13:20,879 world beating defensive rebounding team. They finished around league average in that I thought 210 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:24,440 we were going to see more of elite from mcal Bridges. I do think 211 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:28,120 between some of the injuries, the secondary creation setup you look at, I 212 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:31,600 think he still had a really good season, but like not feeling him as 213 00:13:31,679 --> 00:13:35,879 much defensively? Is that a byproduct of the offensive workload? And I would 214 00:13:35,919 --> 00:13:39,399 argue, look, the offensive workload was heavy, but it wasn't astronomical this 215 00:13:39,480 --> 00:13:45,000 season, And so what does that do to adjust your briers on what mcal 216 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:48,720 Bridges can be in a situation where he's not your third or fourth best player, 217 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:50,039 but you need him to be your first or your top one of your 218 00:13:50,039 --> 00:13:54,440 top two. The ship on him being the best player on a really good 219 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:56,120 team a sale that's over with it was the door was opened a little bit. 220 00:13:58,559 --> 00:14:01,600 I don't know about number two. I'd probably lean towards No, he 221 00:14:01,759 --> 00:14:03,120 just can't. And that's not a problem. I'm just saying I thought he 222 00:14:03,159 --> 00:14:05,559 could be. I was on this podcast and said, yeah, with the 223 00:14:05,559 --> 00:14:09,039 efficiency issues in the playoffs last year, was like, no, like this, 224 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:11,519 dude, is it? I was wrong on that and the other thing 225 00:14:11,559 --> 00:14:13,399 I was wrong on because I got so much wrong with this team is I 226 00:14:13,519 --> 00:14:20,799 really thought that they would have the foresight to make moves geared towards the future 227 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:26,679 irrespective of their draft pick situation being owed to Houston, and they clearly didn't. 228 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:28,480 Not only they not do that, but they had the opportunity to get 229 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:30,720 some of their picks back, and I don't know what I would do that. 230 00:14:31,159 --> 00:14:33,200 I want to be honest, the optics of just trading McHale Bridges to 231 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:37,080 get Jalen Green and most of your own picks back just doesn't like do it 232 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:41,840 for me? And now I question like with what Sean Marx has said, 233 00:14:41,879 --> 00:14:45,799 Like he just said like some really twenty ten era nick shit at a press 234 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:48,240 conference where it was stars want to come here, Like you don't rebuild through 235 00:14:48,279 --> 00:14:52,960 free agency, motherfucker anymore. That's how that happens. And so if you're 236 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:56,279 not gonna get stars in free agency, which one, they need to clean 237 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:58,440 up their books if they want to do that. So are they going to 238 00:14:58,559 --> 00:15:01,039 be a team that like goes all in to get Trey Young? And then 239 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:03,840 it's, well, where does Trey Young and mckel bridges get you? Are 240 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:07,360 you better than this year's version of the Atlanta Hawks? I don't know. 241 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:11,039 I had higher hopes for individuals for their defense, for McHale Bridges, who 242 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:15,919 I'm not disappointed in, but I missed on him, But the overarching direction 243 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:20,279 of the Nets, it just feels like they lack either a self awareness of 244 00:15:20,279 --> 00:15:24,799 where they are or they're just so don't want to go through the process of 245 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,200 like we don't have our own pit We can't do this again, un unless 246 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:30,600 we're flipping chaal Bridges for our own picks. What's the point? Yeah, 247 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:33,720 I thought mainly that this defense was going to be really good, Like I 248 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:35,840 thought Claxton would be better. You got Dennis Smith Junior. I thought Ben 249 00:15:35,879 --> 00:15:39,279 Simmons would if he was going to play, he would at least be helpful 250 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:43,879 defensively. There was a scenario where you could have just the longest, rangiest 251 00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:48,879 like most active five man groups out there. Those never materialized, Like you 252 00:15:48,919 --> 00:15:50,679 know, Cam Johnson wasn't quite as good as I was hoping he'd be in 253 00:15:52,159 --> 00:15:54,399 with Cam at least thinking it was very much injury sure, like all the 254 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:58,279 hamstring stuff. But I mean that ties into just like you know, if 255 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:02,879 you could put these rangy defensive lineups on there, and also you have you 256 00:16:02,919 --> 00:16:07,559 know, Johnson out there hidden threes and not sacrificing any size or switchability like 257 00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:11,159 there was I don't know even now as I'm talking about it's like, oh 258 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:12,720 man, how are they that should have worked or at least at least that 259 00:16:12,720 --> 00:16:15,679 should have worked a little bit defensively. And then I thought, you know, 260 00:16:15,799 --> 00:16:18,639 if things don't go well, you're gonna get something for Dorian Finney Smith 261 00:16:18,679 --> 00:16:22,639 because he you know, I'm still hung up on Dallas dfs and like how 262 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:25,919 valuable he was, and that's not who is anymore? Like oh, you 263 00:16:25,919 --> 00:16:27,679 could flip you know so, and I thought Lonnie Walker was a great sign. 264 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:30,559 You know, there's all these all these things that just didn't quite break 265 00:16:30,639 --> 00:16:34,639 right for them, the Charlotte Hornets, I know, this is a this 266 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:38,559 is a joint. We were wrong, and we're sorry. We thought taking 267 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:42,879 Brendon Miller was an all time misstep by then, and it wasn't even because 268 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:47,320 we didn't think Scoot and Lamello could operate together, though maybe that would have 269 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:48,600 been a conversation you need to have down the line. People are trying to 270 00:16:48,639 --> 00:16:52,960 make that conversation happen with Miller and LaMelo, and I'm just I can't get 271 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:56,320 there. Yeah, brend And Miller was the right choice at number two, 272 00:16:56,440 --> 00:16:59,919 and he's not gonna finish number two and Rookie of the Year because chet who's 273 00:17:00,039 --> 00:17:03,360 to remember this draft class will get it. He absolutely deserves to be number 274 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:07,480 three. I think the workload he shouldered. I know what Heimhawk is and 275 00:17:07,559 --> 00:17:11,359 Pods and Case and Wallace did, but like you look at Brandon Miller, 276 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:15,359 the mid range jumper was like forty seven percent on pull up twos. That's 277 00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:18,359 a great number for a rookie hitting his catch and shoot threes at basically a 278 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:22,359 forty percent clip. They tried to because they needed to explore his depth as 279 00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:26,079 a playmaker. I don't really know what that's gonna look like, but you 280 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:27,720 know what, he was able to create better separation and get to his spots 281 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:33,039 as a scorer than I expected. And then defensively wasn't just there was difficult 282 00:17:33,039 --> 00:17:37,000 assignments, but like and he could fall asleep off the ball, Like there 283 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:41,440 are low lights that you go look at, but if he's defending someone who's 284 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:44,559 gonna be involved in the primary action, his work begins before they ever get 285 00:17:44,599 --> 00:17:45,680 the ball, and he will fight to deny it to them. He will 286 00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:48,599 fight once he's on it. I also think he did some really good stuff 287 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:52,400 as a rotator as a low man. I think I told you this. 288 00:17:52,799 --> 00:17:56,880 He finished in the top thirty or top thirty five of total shots contested at 289 00:17:56,880 --> 00:18:00,720 the rim this year. That is that's stands out because like that's something where 290 00:18:00,759 --> 00:18:04,599 it's like you're just in among the trees and like some of these smaller ball 291 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:08,480 fives, I look at him. Maybe Scoot still winds up having the better 292 00:18:08,559 --> 00:18:14,720 career, but like that was not that clearly was not the no brainer that 293 00:18:14,799 --> 00:18:18,720 everybody thought it wasn't, but including us, Yeah, right, I think 294 00:18:18,759 --> 00:18:22,640 and Miller too, Like, imagine if this wasn't because normally, if a 295 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:26,680 rookie defensively isn't like tripping on his shoelaces and like you know, falling into 296 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:30,960 the stands for no reason defensively, Like that's pretty good. But like this 297 00:18:30,079 --> 00:18:34,000 year we had incredible defensive performances by a bunch of rookies. If this were 298 00:18:34,039 --> 00:18:37,519 a normal year and Miller had defended this way, it'd be like, is 299 00:18:37,599 --> 00:18:41,039 this the best wing defender we've ever seen in a rookie class? Like you 300 00:18:41,079 --> 00:18:45,880 know, that's hYP hyperbole, but like he has done a disservice by the 301 00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:48,519 fact that there just also happened to be a bunch of other rare, really 302 00:18:48,559 --> 00:18:52,599 good defensive rookies. So yeah he was. He looks like the right pick 303 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:56,000 now. I still am not giving up on Scoot, but like we run 304 00:18:56,160 --> 00:19:00,799 way too far in the other direction of like this is mal pres Like what 305 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:03,799 is happening? How do you just like I think the takeaway for me, 306 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:07,519 I don't know you want to change your behavior, but I'm just not gonna 307 00:19:07,559 --> 00:19:11,000 have strong takes on draft picks anymore. Like there's no upside in it, 308 00:19:11,119 --> 00:19:15,599 right, Like you're just we can't know enough until we see like a full 309 00:19:15,599 --> 00:19:18,440 season. Just because I want our millions of listeners to know right now that 310 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:22,880 we're still gonna have strong takes. You have to skew them positive, just 311 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:26,279 where people throughout these offhanded comments that this is probably something you said, J 312 00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:30,720 Dubb is a top ten player, but they won't rank the players because they've 313 00:19:30,799 --> 00:19:33,079 named fifteen top ten players in the league. Right now, That's just what 314 00:19:33,119 --> 00:19:36,559 you need to That's just what you need to do. And look, it's 315 00:19:36,640 --> 00:19:38,799 I think here's where this is the best way I think to frame it is 316 00:19:38,839 --> 00:19:42,279 that we're fast fast forward a year and based off what happened is rookies. 317 00:19:44,039 --> 00:19:45,359 You could say, if you want to take a risk with Scoot at number 318 00:19:45,359 --> 00:19:48,599 two now in a redraft because you want to bet on the long drop side, 319 00:19:48,599 --> 00:19:52,640 I get it. There is no argument for taking him over Brandon Miller 320 00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:55,599 based off what happened this season, and that is not something like yes, 321 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:57,359 I thought we'd end up in No, not at all. That's a good 322 00:19:57,359 --> 00:20:00,599 way to frame it, all Right, Chicago, we got another still me 323 00:20:00,839 --> 00:20:06,039 for some reason, the Chicago Bulls. So I'm gonna do a quick victory 324 00:20:06,079 --> 00:20:07,720 lap year. The Bulls are exactly who I thought they were, And it's 325 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:11,079 like they didn't blow it up even though I wanted them to. They weren't 326 00:20:11,079 --> 00:20:14,759 good enough to really make any noise that Martin Rozen was still doing things. 327 00:20:14,799 --> 00:20:17,640 He was probably a little bit better in the clutch than I expected. But 328 00:20:17,759 --> 00:20:21,720 I was clearly wrong, and I'm assuming everybody was that Kobe White was going 329 00:20:21,759 --> 00:20:25,039 to enter the most improved player discussion. It's even if you sort of taken 330 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:26,920 you know, you knew ones I wasn't gonna play. Did we think Zach 331 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:30,759 Lvine was gonna miss most of the year? Like you did you ever think 332 00:20:30,799 --> 00:20:33,839 the opportunity would be available for him to do that? But then the improvement 333 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:37,680 that he actually made as a passer, kind of a game manager, someone 334 00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:41,000 creating off the dribble and then still being this massive threat as a catch and 335 00:20:41,039 --> 00:20:45,720 shoot guy. I never thought when they signed him to that contract last year, 336 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:48,799 I thought it was fine. It was not like it was kind of 337 00:20:48,839 --> 00:20:52,319 along the lines of it's not the same trajectory. But you remember when Steph 338 00:20:52,359 --> 00:20:56,480 signed his extension, was it like four years and forty four million? People 339 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:59,119 were like, whoa that might have been too much, and when Kobe White 340 00:20:59,119 --> 00:21:00,759 was different where it was, oh that's fine. But now it's just turned 341 00:21:00,759 --> 00:21:04,839 into one of the best bargains in the league. And I could not have 342 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:10,000 projected that coming. And I would also argue, this is definitely what I 343 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:12,599 didn't see coming. There's a chance, there's a chance, and I would 344 00:21:12,599 --> 00:21:15,960 have said there's a zero percent chance. So that's what I was run about. 345 00:21:15,039 --> 00:21:18,960 That the Bulls just have their back court of the future with or at 346 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:22,119 least their back court to sit on for a while if they want to be 347 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:25,319 good or not fuck things up with Kobe White and iow to soon MoU, 348 00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:26,720 who you knew I was high in Iowa to sum MoU, but like he 349 00:21:26,839 --> 00:21:30,839 even kind of after some of the injuries, they forced him to level up 350 00:21:30,839 --> 00:21:33,480 as a score. I think that's gonna serve him well long term. That's 351 00:21:33,519 --> 00:21:38,119 a bright spot for this team that probably doesn't necessarily deserve them. If you're 352 00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:41,279 a fan, I think you almost latch onto the idea, like, Okay, 353 00:21:41,279 --> 00:21:42,960 I'm glad they didn't make it out of the plan because maybe this just 354 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:47,119 forces them, with the Roseen hitting free agency, to kind of take a 355 00:21:47,119 --> 00:21:51,519 look in the mirror that can now we're finally gonna start pulling back tearing this 356 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:53,559 down. They're not gonna do that because it's the Bulls. But yeah, 357 00:21:53,759 --> 00:21:57,880 I definitely thought coming into the season it was one of the most hopeless situations 358 00:21:57,880 --> 00:22:00,319 in the league for all the reasons you laid out, like they just refuse 359 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:03,960 to pick it, you know, to not try to win forty two games 360 00:22:04,039 --> 00:22:08,640 or whatever it is. And that's still mostly true. But because White and 361 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:12,519 assum Wu did what they did, like I don't know if you call them 362 00:22:12,559 --> 00:22:15,119 outs, like I don't know if either of those guys is good enough to 363 00:22:15,119 --> 00:22:18,079 where it's like, oh, well, at least they have like they'll be 364 00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:22,680 they'll be very good because they have these guys. It's like you do have 365 00:22:22,799 --> 00:22:29,160 young, cost controlled, bargain starting caliber guards, which is like that's a 366 00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:33,440 lot more flexibility than I thought this team was gonna have. Like it's not 367 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:36,720 like it's still pretty cloudy, like the outlook is gray, but it's not 368 00:22:37,279 --> 00:22:41,640 nearly It's not hopeless to me anymore, because you know, you're really if 369 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:45,839 depending on how they operate this offseason, like Lavigne and Vucevic are are bad 370 00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:49,079 contracts, probably, but it's not you know, you just having those two 371 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:53,599 other young guys on cheap deals to offset that just changes the overall complexion of 372 00:22:53,599 --> 00:22:56,079 the roster. That is something I was wrong about, by the way, 373 00:22:56,319 --> 00:23:00,160 just legitimately wrong about. I thought they signed Woods to a three year, 374 00:23:00,279 --> 00:23:03,720 eighty million dollars deal when it happened, and I I was like, what 375 00:23:03,799 --> 00:23:06,799 the hell? And then once I realized that I misread and it was sixty, 376 00:23:07,039 --> 00:23:08,359 I was like, oh, I like, talk myself into it. 377 00:23:08,359 --> 00:23:11,400 It says a lot bad. It says a lot about this team though that 378 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:15,759 I think with for most teams, this isn't we were wrong bio mission, 379 00:23:17,039 --> 00:23:18,559 because that's what this is. With Kobe Weise, like we just didn't say 380 00:23:18,599 --> 00:23:22,240 this or see it coming right, It wasn't we had this strong take against 381 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:26,039 or about and that just comes it up with the bulls in general. Right 382 00:23:26,119 --> 00:23:32,559 right, Hey, it's still me. Yeah, the Cleveland Cavaliers. So 383 00:23:32,759 --> 00:23:36,039 this is going to be one of my spicier ones, and we know that. 384 00:23:36,119 --> 00:23:40,079 I think I've been at least when we've talked about this, I've been 385 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:42,359 more on board of playing it out and thinking they can still get there. 386 00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:47,000 Maybe they can. And I'm not saying you absolutely do this the playoffs are 387 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:49,440 happening, They're they're beating up on the magic as we record this, they're 388 00:23:49,519 --> 00:23:56,759 up to Oho. This Core four isn't gonna work. It's it's not a 389 00:23:56,160 --> 00:24:00,319 they need to trade Jared Allen. It's not even if they need to trade 390 00:24:00,599 --> 00:24:03,599 Donal Mitchell because he wants out. It's not they need to trade Evan Mobley 391 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:07,240 or look at Darius Garland. It's even when they're at their best, there's 392 00:24:07,279 --> 00:24:11,720 one there's the risk of the offense sticking. And it's good that Evan Mobley's 393 00:24:11,759 --> 00:24:14,759 explored some of the three point stuff. It's good that you can run stuff 394 00:24:14,759 --> 00:24:18,720 with him and Jared Allen. The problem is whether you're catering to that or 395 00:24:18,759 --> 00:24:22,759 you're still running most of the stuff through one of your premier guards, where 396 00:24:22,799 --> 00:24:26,640 okay, that's gonna leave one of them to space the floor, and then 397 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:29,119 you're gonna have one of the bigs that you can use as the primary screener. 398 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:32,799 Someone's always gonna be marginalized or left out in the cold here. And 399 00:24:32,839 --> 00:24:34,880 the more I see the Cavs offense, the more I believe that even on 400 00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:38,400 some of the good nights, because it's again, it's not just people focus 401 00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:41,240 on the two big stuff. But if you're gonna do stuff with Evan Mobley 402 00:24:41,279 --> 00:24:45,119 and Jared Allen, well, then like you're marginalizing both or at least one 403 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:48,079 of your guards as part of that action. And I just don't for what 404 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:51,640 they need to It's no, like there needs to be more of a wing 405 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:53,480 here. It's great that they found Max screwz Isazagacorro had a good year. 406 00:24:53,599 --> 00:24:57,119 Karaslvert was in the six Man of the Year conversation this team. Dean Wade, 407 00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:00,960 before he was dealing with me stuff, was like a really good, 408 00:25:00,079 --> 00:25:03,240 like big wing defender and was hitting his threes, and we kind of forgot 409 00:25:03,279 --> 00:25:06,480 about him, like he dealt with shoulder stuff last year and we were like, 410 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:07,519 oh, look at what happened to Dean Wade. He's done. I 411 00:25:07,519 --> 00:25:12,240 don't I don't think we said that, but they like and I maybe it's 412 00:25:12,279 --> 00:25:15,960 even if you want to make it less about well, what can this core 413 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:18,880 four do together? And it's no, we still kind of need to get 414 00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:23,200 this functional equilibrium with an actual wing that is just doesn't have as many limitations 415 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:27,519 or question marks as an Isaaca Corro or even just a Max Max Strews It's 416 00:25:27,559 --> 00:25:30,839 like, I'm kind of sitting here wondering, and I don't, like, 417 00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:33,079 I want to see how the postseason goes. But I'm gonna phrase it this 418 00:25:33,119 --> 00:25:37,960 way. I was dead set on this team, being like they're next up 419 00:25:37,279 --> 00:25:41,359 in the East, like after the Celtics, and I'm so confident in this 420 00:25:41,359 --> 00:25:44,559 this core four, I'm not as confident anymore to where depending on how the 421 00:25:44,559 --> 00:25:48,599 playoffs end, I'd entertain doing something dramatic where it's like, what if you 422 00:25:48,599 --> 00:25:53,119 could get Honestly, what if you could get McHale Bridges for Darius Garland or 423 00:25:53,119 --> 00:25:56,920 Evan Mobley and maybe you're getting other stuff if you're giving up Mobile for Michal 424 00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:02,839 Bridges doesn't Like, isn't that something because this is the guy they decided with 425 00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:06,319 Mobili that wasn't supposed to enter this discussion, and I still wouldn't move him. 426 00:26:06,319 --> 00:26:07,960 Want to make that clear. I'm just saying I think this is a 427 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:11,240 really good team, as though high hopes for them, but my confidence level 428 00:26:11,839 --> 00:26:15,920 has been sufficiently shaken. Yeah, I think that's fair. I just like 429 00:26:17,319 --> 00:26:18,559 I was trying to think about, like, well, what did I think 430 00:26:18,599 --> 00:26:23,000 coming into the season. That's definitely wrong now and it's like, did you 431 00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:26,599 did you have having Mobiley's your defensive player of the Year pick that? Then 432 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:29,119 No, I might, I mean I probably had him high up there. 433 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:32,119 But it's just like the injuries and the lack of playing time with all four 434 00:26:32,119 --> 00:26:34,799 of those guys together gives me, like, I'm I I definitely take your 435 00:26:34,839 --> 00:26:40,000 point that it's a lot harder to buy this core for now than it was 436 00:26:40,079 --> 00:26:41,799 this time. Well, I mean they were in the process of getting smoked 437 00:26:41,799 --> 00:26:45,559 in the first round this time a year ago, so uh, maybe that's 438 00:26:45,599 --> 00:26:48,240 not the best way to frame it, but like, I think the injuries 439 00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:52,079 have to be a factor. Although like, but you know, Gary's Garland 440 00:26:52,079 --> 00:26:53,519 when he was healthy this year was he wasn't just wasn't healthy. He was 441 00:26:53,519 --> 00:26:56,759 getting hit in the phase every five seconds, but he was. He was 442 00:26:56,799 --> 00:26:59,559 all over the place, And it's is he ever going to be a good 443 00:26:59,559 --> 00:27:03,000 finisher And that's not gonna get any easier while playing with these two bigs. 444 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:07,640 Yeah, I was just thinking, like as you were talking, assuming they're 445 00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:11,400 gonna lose Mitchell at some point, like doesn't someone like KCP, just like 446 00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:15,480 if you had KCP and like Mitchell's spot, like that's what you're talking about 447 00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:18,359 of like someone whose skills aren't like really redundant to Garland, and like, 448 00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:21,920 I don't know if you want to hit your wagon to Garland now necessarily, 449 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:25,039 but just the way that things shake out. Don't tell me if you feel 450 00:27:25,079 --> 00:27:30,240 like this is wrong. I think the most likely guy of the four to 451 00:27:30,319 --> 00:27:34,319 leave is probably Mitchell, followed by Jared Allen, followed by Garland, followed 452 00:27:34,319 --> 00:27:37,720 by Mobley. So if you assume like this is really gonna be Garland Mobley 453 00:27:38,039 --> 00:27:41,000 like two or three years from now, and you'll have changed up the rest 454 00:27:41,079 --> 00:27:45,799 of it, Like I don't know, maybe maybe you do start thinking about, 455 00:27:45,839 --> 00:27:48,400 like who's the two that we need, because if you if it were 456 00:27:48,519 --> 00:27:52,000 Garland's on the move and Mitchell's there, you might still go for a true 457 00:27:52,039 --> 00:27:53,200 point guard. I don't know. It just feels like a real two and 458 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:56,839 a real three with Garland and Mobley would get you pretty far. Would you 459 00:27:56,880 --> 00:28:00,839 give up your and this will be the team that apparently one of the teams 460 00:28:00,839 --> 00:28:02,880 to go longer on? Would you give up? I'm just gonna throw a 461 00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:06,599 couple of scenarios at you if it, would you give up Darius Garland? 462 00:28:06,799 --> 00:28:08,720 I'm not saying the other teams would do this, but would you do Darius 463 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:11,960 Garland for Devin Vessel. There's other framework that might need to be involved. 464 00:28:11,960 --> 00:28:17,480 But is that something you're considering? Man right, and you do have to 465 00:28:17,519 --> 00:28:21,200 factor in, well, what is happening with Mitchell right that well, that 466 00:28:21,200 --> 00:28:26,079 that would be the reason I probably wouldn't because then you says he's staying Yeah, 467 00:28:26,079 --> 00:28:29,759 then I would be more open to that. The idea would be that 468 00:28:29,799 --> 00:28:33,200 Mitchell is now your point guard essentially, and and Viselle is kind of like 469 00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:37,440 your I don't know, secondary playmaker as who's also Devin Velle becomes your what 470 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:41,960 if Chris Middleton and Devin Booker had a baby? Sure, I always I 471 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:48,279 always forget. That's exactly how you described Devansell. Yeah, I guess I 472 00:28:48,279 --> 00:28:51,799 would. I mean like Vassell didn't Vassell got a little better, like under 473 00:28:51,799 --> 00:28:53,680 the radar this year. Garland had a terrible year, So you might be 474 00:28:53,759 --> 00:28:59,359 kind of trading from a position of of like seems strong because Garland's numbers are 475 00:28:59,359 --> 00:29:02,480 fine, but just it wasn't impressed and I know the injuries in there. 476 00:29:02,759 --> 00:29:04,680 The other one was I don't know how I feel about this for the other 477 00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:07,480 team, I know their fan base loves them. But Jared Allen and I'm 478 00:29:07,519 --> 00:29:11,640 assuming what it might take here. Let's just say Jared Allen for Herb Jones, 479 00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:15,960 Oh wow, I don't know if New Orleans would do that because the 480 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:18,960 money doesn't match. There has to be other stuff in there. But like 481 00:29:18,039 --> 00:29:22,440 so if Cleveland said they they could trade a first round pick by the way 482 00:29:22,599 --> 00:29:26,640 this summer, if Cleveland said, okay, Jared Allen A first, I 483 00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:30,240 mean the Calves. I think the Calves should do that. I think it's 484 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:32,839 I wouldn't do it if I'm the Pelicans either, But with Trey Murphy there 485 00:29:33,359 --> 00:29:37,519 only know what's happening with Ingram. Yeah, so Herb is like perfect, 486 00:29:37,559 --> 00:29:41,279 He's exactly what you're talking about. For would you do if you're the Calves 487 00:29:41,279 --> 00:29:48,880 though, some type of framework Garland for McHale Bridges, I mean, yeah 488 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:52,799 maybe, but this is all here. Let me if only if I know 489 00:29:52,880 --> 00:29:56,640 Mitchell Staying, which like I just you know, Mitchell Staying, are you 490 00:29:56,759 --> 00:30:00,920 doing mobiley? Would you rather trade? And you're probably getting more like the 491 00:30:03,119 --> 00:30:06,359 context of the Pactores would look different, but based off this Cavs team and 492 00:30:06,359 --> 00:30:10,119 what they need and maybe your questions about the dual biggs. Would you rather 493 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:14,200 trade Mobili or Darius Garland for McHale Bridges? I guess I'm really just basically, 494 00:30:14,279 --> 00:30:18,200 do you have more faith in the two guards working out or with a 495 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:19,640 wing, a different type of wing, or the two bigs working out with 496 00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:22,839 a different type And look, this is they're in the playoffs, They're they're 497 00:30:22,839 --> 00:30:26,000 probably gonna win a playoff series. And Max Shruz was phenomenal for them this 498 00:30:26,079 --> 00:30:30,640 year. Isaaca Court a great year. I'm talking about the highest level because 499 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:33,680 that's what this team is built to do. My confidence has been sufficiently shook. 500 00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:37,960 I think that I haven't really thought of it the way you're framing it 501 00:30:38,039 --> 00:30:41,839 now, and we should move on after this. But I would rather go 502 00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:47,240 forward with Mobley and Allen than Garland and Mitchell because the two small guards thing, 503 00:30:47,319 --> 00:30:51,160 like, I just don't I trust more in Mobili eventually developing in all 504 00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:53,200 the ways that we hope he does, as like as just a floor spacer, 505 00:30:53,279 --> 00:30:56,839 a guy that can do more offensively so that the fit with the non 506 00:30:56,880 --> 00:31:00,599 spacing big works. I just like, you can't make Mitchell and Garland turn 507 00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:03,359 into good defenders and grow like that's your your ceiling. Is what it is 508 00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:07,359 with those two guys. I just feel Likenchel's been I'd probably lean towards the 509 00:31:07,359 --> 00:31:10,720 two guards, to be honest, I think betting up intensively, and just 510 00:31:10,799 --> 00:31:15,359 like I'm gonna I want that outside in shop making tea. All right, 511 00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:19,480 hey, guess whose turn it is? You're off the hook. I have 512 00:31:19,519 --> 00:31:25,559 the Dallas Mavericks and a couple of things. Uh, I'm because this is 513 00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:30,559 what I've been doing since the Kyrie Irving trade is just catastrophizing. I thought 514 00:31:30,599 --> 00:31:37,640 that there were immense downside like catastrophic disaster potential for the MAVs if if and 515 00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:45,200 when Kyrie had some distraction off the court issue suspension, ill timed comments like 516 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:49,759 general misbehavior of one kind or another. I didn't even really Everybody's like, 517 00:31:49,759 --> 00:31:52,480 oh, look at the fit, how well they've played together this year. 518 00:31:52,519 --> 00:31:56,640 It's like, I don't. That never really struck me as a huge like 519 00:31:56,279 --> 00:32:00,960 stumbling block. I just like Kyrie is so good and Luca is so good 520 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:04,759 that I wasn't like concerned. I don't think about them working on the court. 521 00:32:04,839 --> 00:32:07,839 It was more just Kyrie's gonna do something that messes U up, and 522 00:32:07,920 --> 00:32:13,039 Luca is gonna say, get me out of here asap, and like, 523 00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:15,599 congratulations, this is what you did to yourself by trading for Kyrie Irving. 524 00:32:15,799 --> 00:32:20,519 None of that happened. They were awesome on the floor. Kyrie was by 525 00:32:20,559 --> 00:32:23,079 his standards like a boy scout this year, like no, no, a 526 00:32:23,119 --> 00:32:28,680 couple issues, like a fan thing in Utah. Maybe that comes to mind. 527 00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:32,599 Otherwise, like healthy like played the longest streak of games without interruption than 528 00:32:32,759 --> 00:32:38,160 since like I don't know, twenty sixteen or something ridiculous like that up into 529 00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:42,000 the thirties. I think that streak got where he like broke his old record 530 00:32:42,039 --> 00:32:45,599 when he hit like twenty one I think without missing a game, So that 531 00:32:45,680 --> 00:32:49,119 worked great. I was wrong about that. I think the other thing I 532 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:52,200 was wrong about was I thought, like Grant Williams and even Seth Curry were 533 00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:57,319 gonna be like juice for this offense, just with like high volume three point 534 00:32:57,359 --> 00:33:00,240 shooting like Stan still make shots, and that was gonna matter. I did 535 00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:02,799 actually look back at like what I was thinking, like off season grades I 536 00:33:02,839 --> 00:33:07,319 think, or like free agent signing stuff, and I was I thought both 537 00:33:07,319 --> 00:33:09,920 of those would work and that there would be enough role playing defenders on the 538 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:15,519 wings, like obviously not anticipating Dante exem doing what he did, but that 539 00:33:15,599 --> 00:33:19,880 didn't work, and the MAVs recognized that immediately and pivoted and all these trades 540 00:33:19,920 --> 00:33:22,759 of reform the roster and put them on this huge run now in the playoffs. 541 00:33:23,279 --> 00:33:27,519 It's interesting to be having this discussion now after Dallas flopped so hard in 542 00:33:27,519 --> 00:33:30,039 Game one. Game two will be after we record this, But yeah, 543 00:33:30,079 --> 00:33:35,839 I was wrong about the Kyrie thing, and definitely was wrong about the moves 544 00:33:35,839 --> 00:33:39,160 that Dallas made initially kind of being helpful for from a role playing perspective, 545 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:44,480 and then they kind of solved that at great cost by doing the Washington and 546 00:33:44,519 --> 00:33:47,160 Gafford deals. But kind of been off on the MAVs all year. Also 547 00:33:47,440 --> 00:33:52,160 picked them to win the series against the Clippers, and they're down one oh, 548 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:53,839 and we're down thirty at halftime in Game one. So I clearly don't 549 00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:58,920 have a good feel for this team. I got the a Grant william I 550 00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:01,359 got everything wrong that you except I wasn't against the Grant Williams signing, and 551 00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:04,880 part of that was because of the I didn't like giving up the pick swap, 552 00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:07,240 but was the framing of just like we got our wing defender and I 553 00:34:07,279 --> 00:34:09,199 was like, you did the Man's Watch, Grant Williams playing all years in 554 00:34:09,239 --> 00:34:13,599 Boss and so. But I was definitely I missed on the trade deadline stuff 555 00:34:13,599 --> 00:34:15,320 and the other thing as so far, I missed on this is a small 556 00:34:15,320 --> 00:34:19,480 note. I was so in on Olivia Maxen's prosper having an impact as a 557 00:34:19,559 --> 00:34:22,119 rookie. Ye, so that was just just a small detail. Well, 558 00:34:22,119 --> 00:34:25,360 I think, yeah, I would probably say like I would not have expected 559 00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:29,440 Derek Lively to have such an impact at least early in the year. Certainly 560 00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:31,519 didn't see X probably didn't see Derek Jones Junior doing what it like all the 561 00:34:31,679 --> 00:34:35,559 those are like bio mission. I was actually on O Max. I was 562 00:34:35,599 --> 00:34:39,599 like the Kings. I was like, I think I was like lampooting the 563 00:34:39,719 --> 00:34:44,960 Kings for like not probably not the worst position to being all right, this 564 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,199 will be a quick one here. Denver is next, Like there wasn't a 565 00:34:47,239 --> 00:34:51,840 lot to choose from. I thought they might miss Bruce Brown Junior a little 566 00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:55,320 bit. Uh. Definitely we were lower on the Reggie Jackson signing than I 567 00:34:55,519 --> 00:35:00,599 was. That it wasn't it wasn't a disaster. It was fine, like 568 00:35:00,599 --> 00:35:04,760 he shot you know, just under thirty seven percent from three average ten a 569 00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:07,679 game. The non Jokich minutes still sucked, but Reggie Jackson was never gonna 570 00:35:07,679 --> 00:35:12,840 solve that on his own. So like, really, Denver was kind of 571 00:35:12,840 --> 00:35:16,280 who we thought they were all season, and I don't know, other than 572 00:35:16,320 --> 00:35:21,320 like some tiny marginal stuff, what if anything happened that was like a real 573 00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:23,400 big surprise from the Nuggets this year. Do you have anything, because it's 574 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:27,960 kind of like they were just were they were just who they were all year. 575 00:35:28,559 --> 00:35:32,079 I was probably lower on Peyton, like I just didn't think the relying 576 00:35:32,159 --> 00:35:36,360 so much, and not that they necessarily had another choice. I think they 577 00:35:36,360 --> 00:35:38,679 could have used some of their assets to go get a veteran, but like 578 00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:42,599 I, I probably would have been more on board with that and advocated for 579 00:35:42,679 --> 00:35:45,440 it rather than doing I don't want to necessarily call it a two timelines thing, 580 00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:46,760 but it's a little bit of what they're doing. But I missed on 581 00:35:47,119 --> 00:35:50,199 I think Reggie Jackson, I don't know if he was good enough to warran 582 00:35:50,239 --> 00:35:53,880 a player option, but just like that was one of my most egregious takes 583 00:35:54,199 --> 00:35:57,519 recently. Well we're just like, oh, the regilated one of the worst 584 00:35:57,559 --> 00:35:59,920 deals of the offseason, and so it was all right, it's the minim, 585 00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:02,760 like you need to chill here, man. Yeah, No, Denver's 586 00:36:02,760 --> 00:36:07,400 really good. We knew it. We've got Golden State next, No, 587 00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:12,440 we have Detroit Grant. Wow, look who had So this is thirty five 588 00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:15,800 minutes into the pod. First alphabet mistake because I was looking at my Western 589 00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:21,719 conference only Detroit. So yeah, man, what did I not miss out 590 00:36:21,760 --> 00:36:24,239 with? No? I did I expect him to suck this bad? Probably 591 00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:28,199 not. I think the thing I was most wrong about when it came to 592 00:36:28,239 --> 00:36:31,639 them was I thought, I feel and he still will be really good. 593 00:36:31,719 --> 00:36:35,880 I really thought Jalen Duran was gonna be a lot better as a sophomore, 594 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:37,159 and I felt like he almost regressed as the year went on, and I 595 00:36:37,199 --> 00:36:42,480 went from appreciating the offensive experimentation they were doing with him, where it's always 596 00:36:42,719 --> 00:36:44,960 that him bringing the ball up the floor is let him trying to create off 597 00:36:44,960 --> 00:36:47,519 the dribble to like doing the exact interess like no, do not put the 598 00:36:47,559 --> 00:36:52,079 ball on the floor, just stop. And I'm just wondering have they done 599 00:36:52,119 --> 00:36:55,039 his development a disc service at all by one not having enough spacing, not 600 00:36:55,119 --> 00:37:00,880 having a clear cut hierarchy out there and like just the noise. By the 601 00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:02,280 way, the thing I was probably most wrong about. I loved the Monty 602 00:37:02,280 --> 00:37:06,840 Williams higher in the moment. I'm always a fan of team spending on coaches, 603 00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:09,280 and then like the Killian Hayes stuff was just so fucking weird. And 604 00:37:09,320 --> 00:37:14,280 then it's then this is necessarily almost wrong about, like it's something worth talk 605 00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:17,320 about. I never would have predicted that, Like why if if Troy Reaver 606 00:37:17,519 --> 00:37:22,360 was on such thin ice, why was he cassed with like going through the 607 00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:27,639 deadline hiring Monty Williams. And I know Tom Gores was a fan of Monty 608 00:37:27,679 --> 00:37:29,840 Williams and played a crucial role in getting him. So maybe that, But 609 00:37:29,920 --> 00:37:31,840 like now you're this is more of an organizational thing where it's well, now 610 00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:36,360 you've decided your next league lead executive, excuse me, is going to be 611 00:37:36,400 --> 00:37:39,039 tied to this head coach you just gave a boatload of money who didn't want 612 00:37:39,119 --> 00:37:42,119 to come to you. Don't give him so much money. He was like, 613 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:45,840 fuck, I can't, I can't turn this down. So I'm happy 614 00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:47,480 I was right about Kay Cunningham because people were out on him at the beginning 615 00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:50,800 of the year. That's my small victory lap for the Clippers. I was 616 00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:53,719 also wrong. I said I was gonna trust I saw Thompson's jump shot over 617 00:37:53,719 --> 00:37:59,480 Ahman Thompson's jump shot. I no longer feel that way. I was also 618 00:37:59,519 --> 00:38:01,480 wrong about that. Yeah, I was just generally, I mean, like 619 00:38:01,559 --> 00:38:06,000 everything went wrong, so like I thought a few things would not go wrong 620 00:38:06,079 --> 00:38:08,239 with the Pistons other like Kay Cunningham is the exception, because I think you're 621 00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:12,440 probably generally higher on him than me, and I might be lower than consensus, 622 00:38:13,079 --> 00:38:15,360 but he was good, and like that was the kind of progressive step 623 00:38:15,400 --> 00:38:19,679 you would want for a guy with like he's got more years of experience than 624 00:38:19,679 --> 00:38:22,159 actual games because of the injuries. So it's like where he's at in terms 625 00:38:22,199 --> 00:38:27,000 of like where he should be developmentally, I think is at least you're happier 626 00:38:27,039 --> 00:38:29,960 with where he is than you are about almost any other Pistons prospect, like 627 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:32,199 I Ivy's another guy. I thought Ivy would have, you know, closer 628 00:38:32,239 --> 00:38:35,920 to a leap this year, and it didn't really happen. I don't know 629 00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:39,400 how you hold the failure to develop against any of the players like Duran falls 630 00:38:39,440 --> 00:38:43,840 into this category two just because the environment sucks. They played the wrong guys 631 00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:47,039 all year. Clearly there's like management that is just you know, Troy Weaver's 632 00:38:47,079 --> 00:38:51,239 like trying to save his job, and so maybe he's not pushing back on 633 00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:53,360 ownership enough when he's like, you have to give Monny Williams this deal to 634 00:38:53,400 --> 00:38:58,119 coach a team he already said no to, Like that's all beyond the players. 635 00:38:58,119 --> 00:39:02,599 So like I guess like maybe didn't foresee that the managerial structure and coaching 636 00:39:02,599 --> 00:39:07,039 staff would be as much of a hindrance to that development as I thought as 637 00:39:07,079 --> 00:39:09,679 it turned out to be. But yeah, I mean the Pistons kind of 638 00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:15,599 the snake bit for sure. Now it's it's time for the Golden State Warriors. 639 00:39:15,920 --> 00:39:22,119 Specific one here, I thought coming into this year that the starting five 640 00:39:22,199 --> 00:39:25,719 that won the title was going to be like very good, slash great again 641 00:39:27,119 --> 00:39:29,480 and then you go, okay, well, then Chris Paul solves the non 642 00:39:29,519 --> 00:39:34,119 Curry minutes just as a backup, which kind of like that actually did sort 643 00:39:34,119 --> 00:39:37,000 of come to fruition a little bit, like he was helpful on second units 644 00:39:37,039 --> 00:39:40,079 and other than you know, he got hurd obviously, but like that part 645 00:39:40,079 --> 00:39:43,679 of it was okay. It was just like the starting unit, which was 646 00:39:43,679 --> 00:39:47,239 plus twenty two in seven hundred possessions two years ago, was minus seven and 647 00:39:47,280 --> 00:39:52,119 two ninety three this year, and there would have been more possessions except Steve 648 00:39:52,199 --> 00:39:57,719 Kurr eventually just stopped playing that five together. I mean, Looney was out 649 00:39:57,760 --> 00:40:00,960 of the rotation for long stretch. I never would have that's a prediction of 650 00:40:00,039 --> 00:40:06,039 omission, whereas I did not see the Cavan Looney evolving into a relevant He 651 00:40:06,119 --> 00:40:09,440 really took a huge step back. And then that was true of basically every 652 00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:13,840 other starter, like Curry was a little worse. Not that that's not foreseeable, 653 00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:16,519 but you would have assumed that that starting five that won a championship, 654 00:40:16,840 --> 00:40:21,239 and like Looney really mattered, and Wiggins really mattered, and Thompson really mattered, 655 00:40:21,599 --> 00:40:23,559 like you would assume they'd be like plus ten or something like. That's 656 00:40:23,599 --> 00:40:28,719 not like a huge ask like cut in half what their their net rating swing 657 00:40:28,920 --> 00:40:31,679 was from two years ago. That didn't happen. So then all the tinkering 658 00:40:31,719 --> 00:40:36,280 had had to happen, some of which was positive because you saw some rookies 659 00:40:36,280 --> 00:40:38,440 play well, but that was the main thing. Is just like that unit 660 00:40:38,519 --> 00:40:43,320 was a given and then it wasn't like that that was just the baseline you 661 00:40:43,320 --> 00:40:46,960 were starting from was not there. Yeah, this team is so weird. 662 00:40:46,960 --> 00:40:50,480 We just if anyone didn't check it out. We did record an entire podcasts 663 00:40:50,480 --> 00:40:52,599 and try to figure out where they go from here. And the answer kind 664 00:40:52,599 --> 00:40:55,079 of is like the shrug emoji. There's just so many different things they can 665 00:40:55,119 --> 00:40:58,480 do, and I don't know if any of it's going to be enough, 666 00:40:58,639 --> 00:41:00,480 and so there's a lot. I didn't have any faith really and Andrew Wiggins 667 00:41:00,559 --> 00:41:05,039 rebounding, because I feel like both his rebounding and him just playing better in 668 00:41:05,119 --> 00:41:07,480 general, but because we have so much of these priors where it says Andrew 669 00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:12,199 Wiggins is not the second best player on a championship team, and that when 670 00:41:12,280 --> 00:41:15,360 he was the second or third best player, it was more of an outlier. 671 00:41:15,440 --> 00:41:20,000 But I just I get, like, I think what shocked me most 672 00:41:20,159 --> 00:41:22,039 was most wrong about the teams. I never would have thought they would have 673 00:41:22,039 --> 00:41:23,760 spent the whole year searching. Yeah, like even with the injuries, the 674 00:41:23,760 --> 00:41:28,480 suspensions of Draymond Green, the time he missed, like it just this rotation 675 00:41:28,639 --> 00:41:32,000 never felt settled and I want to know what is going on, Like what 676 00:41:32,039 --> 00:41:37,079 do they have on Moses Moody that he's not allowed to play well, Like 677 00:41:37,159 --> 00:41:40,239 I know, I think that's that's really well framed, like it they just 678 00:41:40,280 --> 00:41:44,719 never found it all year, and like that. Moody was very much affected 679 00:41:44,760 --> 00:41:46,920 by that because it's like, well, okay, so now okay, Gary 680 00:41:46,960 --> 00:41:50,599 Payton's healthy and so he's got to play well. Chris Paul's got to play 681 00:41:50,599 --> 00:41:53,280 well. Kaminga's taken over, like he needs to start now and play And 682 00:41:53,320 --> 00:41:58,119 it's just like anytime there was a minutes crunch, Moody was on the short 683 00:41:58,199 --> 00:42:00,920 end of it, and like, and it's because that first unit was in 684 00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:05,559 disarray like immediately, and then you're plugging holes and it was who should start 685 00:42:05,599 --> 00:42:07,719 instead, And there's trickle downs to the rest of the rotation and then like 686 00:42:08,360 --> 00:42:13,360 your second round almost end of the draft, rookie like is starting for you 687 00:42:13,480 --> 00:42:15,880 trace Jackson Davis by the end of the year. Like that's just there were 688 00:42:15,920 --> 00:42:20,920 I mean, some of that's positive again, but like total disarray because those 689 00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:25,760 veteran starters just weren't good, Like it just collectively they just didn't do it 690 00:42:27,320 --> 00:42:30,360 all right. So we've got the rockets next. This one's like I think 691 00:42:30,440 --> 00:42:36,280 because the rockets probably exceed well, I don't know. I think like the 692 00:42:36,360 --> 00:42:38,440 Van Fleet signing, I think we're both okay with that. I was okay 693 00:42:38,440 --> 00:42:42,840 with it because it's a short term deal and like he played well, he 694 00:42:42,920 --> 00:42:45,639 was important to. Like we were not okay with it for the Raptors, 695 00:42:45,800 --> 00:42:47,719 that's right. Yeah, to be clear, we've not been okay with a 696 00:42:47,719 --> 00:42:52,400 lot of the things the Raptors have done up to this year. Uh So, 697 00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:54,880 I guess like for me, at the beginning of last season, if 698 00:42:54,880 --> 00:42:59,960 you'd said, uh, just say, put the bridges for Jalen Green frame 699 00:43:00,079 --> 00:43:01,719 work on the table, I'd have been, like, get Jalen Green out 700 00:43:01,719 --> 00:43:06,039 of here, Like, this guy is never amounting to anything. He's he's 701 00:43:06,159 --> 00:43:09,599 undersized as a two. He's like a garbage stats guy. Like I don't 702 00:43:09,599 --> 00:43:13,599 trust him defensively, I don't think he's serious. Like all I would have 703 00:43:13,880 --> 00:43:15,199 I would have been out, which is a dumb position to be in on 704 00:43:15,239 --> 00:43:20,320 anyone that's in their early twenties, no matter how they play. But I 705 00:43:20,320 --> 00:43:22,400 would have been all the way out on Jalen Green. I don't know if 706 00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:25,480 I'm all the way in now, but I'm like, I'm more convinced that 707 00:43:25,519 --> 00:43:30,280 his run at the end of this year actually matters than I was when he's 708 00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:32,960 because he's kind of done it before, but it was when the Rockets weren't 709 00:43:34,000 --> 00:43:37,360 like winning one or and weren't playing Yeah, he stakes at all. So 710 00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:42,199 my turnbout on Jalen Green is probably like, I don't know. Yeah, 711 00:43:42,199 --> 00:43:45,440 it's definitely the biggest like surprise to me and the biggest thing I got wrong 712 00:43:45,480 --> 00:43:47,920 going into the season because I would have I would have just been like, 713 00:43:47,920 --> 00:43:51,880 I'm not in the jailing Green business. I want no part of an extension 714 00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:53,760 for him, Like I would have been just dead wrong on all that because 715 00:43:53,880 --> 00:43:59,239 at the very least he's like he's pretty interesting now, like you've got a 716 00:43:59,239 --> 00:44:01,920 lot more like, well, maybe he is a core piece thoughts. The 717 00:44:01,920 --> 00:44:06,000 only thing is I'll definitely want not see him having a top five defense just 718 00:44:06,039 --> 00:44:08,719 when you were going to play Alprin Shanghu and even Jabari Smith Junior who improved 719 00:44:08,719 --> 00:44:12,559 a bunch as well in the middle, and then you're looking at their backup 720 00:44:12,559 --> 00:44:15,320 bigs is Jeff Green and Jock Land. It was just iod, this can't 721 00:44:15,320 --> 00:44:19,840 be a top five defense, and it was it was like it was a 722 00:44:19,920 --> 00:44:22,800 legit. It wasn't just like yeo Okay, they got some opponent shooting noise 723 00:44:22,840 --> 00:44:27,800 in there. You're not top five by mistake. That doesn't know And you 724 00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:30,400 would have even if you had gone out and said, well, they're going 725 00:44:30,440 --> 00:44:31,159 to be a top ten defense, you would have said, well, let's 726 00:44:31,159 --> 00:44:35,840 Gus Tarry Easton's going to be first team All defense and play seventy five games 727 00:44:35,880 --> 00:44:38,159 and just be incredible. And like he barely played all year. So like 728 00:44:38,199 --> 00:44:42,519 they got there in ways that you would never have expected, even if you 729 00:44:42,559 --> 00:44:47,320 were somehow optimistic on their overall outlook defensively, the Indiana Pacers, for me, 730 00:44:47,400 --> 00:44:51,920 I'll take a quick eat some crow here, because it's obviously not like 731 00:44:52,119 --> 00:44:55,280 settled just yet. I was. I did not think that Jarres Walker was 732 00:44:55,320 --> 00:44:59,199 going to be this good on defense, like immediately, in the fact that 733 00:44:59,199 --> 00:45:00,840 he didn't play a huge over most of the year. But they gave him 734 00:45:00,880 --> 00:45:04,840 some of these like wing type reps by the end of the season, and 735 00:45:04,880 --> 00:45:07,440 I became a little bit more of a believer. I still don't love his 736 00:45:07,519 --> 00:45:10,360 offensive fit on this team, especially Postiacam trade, which leads me to what 737 00:45:10,400 --> 00:45:15,559 I was actually wrong about. I never thought the Pacers would have the gall 738 00:45:15,239 --> 00:45:20,280 to go out and make a move like that. I like the og Anobe 739 00:45:20,320 --> 00:45:22,639 sweep stakes, the Pascal Siakam sweep stakes. I just thought that they were 740 00:45:22,639 --> 00:45:25,719 going to be a team that didn't want to remain trapped in this rebuild, 741 00:45:25,719 --> 00:45:30,119 but they didn't want to give up that much equity for a player who accelerates 742 00:45:30,119 --> 00:45:35,960 their timeline, and especially a player who acceleraates their timeline is headed towards free 743 00:45:36,000 --> 00:45:38,000 agency, and so yes, you have to assume they have this information. 744 00:45:38,079 --> 00:45:42,719 I know Pascal Siakam is going to come back, but I honestly think there's 745 00:45:42,719 --> 00:45:45,840 been a lot of weirdness there with them trying to figure stuff out on the 746 00:45:45,840 --> 00:45:49,960 fly. But even you kind of saw against Milwaukee in Game one where they 747 00:45:50,039 --> 00:45:52,559 just got the doors blowing off of them. Having that steadying presence of Seakam 748 00:45:52,639 --> 00:45:55,039 is going to benefit them in the long run, assuming he stays, which 749 00:45:55,079 --> 00:45:59,119 he will. So to give up even though I feel like of the three 750 00:45:59,119 --> 00:46:02,079 first round picks they up, there's like one semi risky one right there, 751 00:46:02,440 --> 00:46:07,079 but it makes me more encouraged for the future where it's like they still have 752 00:46:07,199 --> 00:46:09,519 stuff. You include Jars Walker, Ben mcmathn. They can trade first round 753 00:46:09,559 --> 00:46:14,039 picks like it they if they really believe that there's a wing out there that 754 00:46:14,079 --> 00:46:16,000 makes sense for them, they can go out and they could probably if you're 755 00:46:16,000 --> 00:46:20,079 willing to put most of your stuff on the table. I don't know if 756 00:46:20,119 --> 00:46:22,719 they would have the best offer. They'd have a competitive offer for Mikale Bridges 757 00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:25,480 if he becomes available. So and now I have confidence that, hey, 758 00:46:25,480 --> 00:46:29,960 maybe they would actually consider it. So. I know that's not necessarily related 759 00:46:29,960 --> 00:46:31,639 to what's happening on the court, but that was not even if we thought 760 00:46:32,000 --> 00:46:35,840 that Pascal Siakam was a great fit for Indy, which we did. I 761 00:46:35,920 --> 00:46:37,880 just did not think they were gonna be the team that went out and got 762 00:46:37,960 --> 00:46:42,079 him. And I tipped my cap to them, and maybe Tyrese Halburton kind 763 00:46:42,079 --> 00:46:44,760 of forced their hand a little bit by being not not only injured, but 764 00:46:44,920 --> 00:46:46,880 just so transcendent for that first part of the season. It doesn't matter like 765 00:46:46,960 --> 00:46:50,840 to look at it and say, no, we're gonna put this guy alongside 766 00:46:50,840 --> 00:46:54,559 another legitimate coastar and we're gonna pony up to get him. I give kudos 767 00:46:54,559 --> 00:46:59,800 to that front office for doing that. I had to buy out giving up 768 00:47:00,280 --> 00:47:02,920 either one of your blue chip prospects. I know we're probably lower on Benedickmathren 769 00:47:04,199 --> 00:47:07,960 compared to consensus, but Jarres Walker still kind of has this mystique about him, 770 00:47:07,119 --> 00:47:10,840 and like Benedic Mather is more appealing now even post injury, than he 771 00:47:10,960 --> 00:47:14,800 was to me at the end of his rookie season. Interesting. Yeah, 772 00:47:14,800 --> 00:47:16,440 I don't know where I'm at on Mather, and it's kind of it's harder 773 00:47:16,440 --> 00:47:20,400 to judge it. He doesn't seem as essential to the roster as he once 774 00:47:20,440 --> 00:47:22,719 did, which I guess I view as a good thing. Uh, we're 775 00:47:22,719 --> 00:47:27,840 all yeah, McConnell's ISO scoring too. Yeah, well that's you got bank 776 00:47:28,000 --> 00:47:30,119 except in the playoffs, which we forget every year. That doesn't work in 777 00:47:30,119 --> 00:47:34,280 the playoffs. Yeah, that's good for the past. So I have the 778 00:47:34,280 --> 00:47:37,039 Clippers next. I mean, like where to start, Like I think at 779 00:47:37,920 --> 00:47:42,800 the things I got wrong were like the obvious ones. I don't know if 780 00:47:42,800 --> 00:47:45,840 that makes it better or worse. Like didn't think Kawhi Leonard would stay healthy. 781 00:47:45,039 --> 00:47:49,440 I can't imagine why, and he really did until now when he's missing 782 00:47:49,519 --> 00:47:52,960 playoff. Yeah, I don't know how that shakes out. I had no 783 00:47:53,000 --> 00:47:55,599 faith that the hardened trade was gonna work out. I know that's not like 784 00:47:55,599 --> 00:47:59,679 a preseason thing, but it was early enough in the year to where you 785 00:47:59,719 --> 00:48:02,840 know, it was the Clippers were still like not formed yet, and the 786 00:48:02,960 --> 00:48:06,840 jury's even out on that one. He was awesome in Game one. It's 787 00:48:06,880 --> 00:48:08,920 not the first time he's been really good for a short handed team early in 788 00:48:08,960 --> 00:48:13,400 a playoff series, but he had great stretches. He was integral to this 789 00:48:13,480 --> 00:48:15,960 team having an awesome run that we keep referring to in the middle of the 790 00:48:16,039 --> 00:48:20,239 year. So that worked out, I mean, in conjunction with like Russell 791 00:48:20,239 --> 00:48:22,159 Westbrook going to the bench and becoming kind of a different type of player. 792 00:48:22,199 --> 00:48:27,039 I would not have foreseen that as likely. But yeah, it's mainly the 793 00:48:27,079 --> 00:48:29,480 health. It's like I think I had them at forty one wins, and 794 00:48:29,519 --> 00:48:30,800 it was just on the idea that like, well, Kawhi is going to 795 00:48:30,880 --> 00:48:35,480 play somewhere between thirty and fifty games and Paul George is gonna be there too, 796 00:48:35,519 --> 00:48:37,039 and the hardened thing won't help, and you know, that's just how 797 00:48:37,039 --> 00:48:40,920 you get there. So you know, I think it's still very possible that 798 00:48:40,920 --> 00:48:45,960 this season ends with significant disappointment. But like in terms of the regular season, 799 00:48:46,000 --> 00:48:50,440 they just hit they all of the most foreseeable, like go wrong. 800 00:48:50,519 --> 00:48:55,280 Things didn't go wrong as seriously as the risks suggested they could. Yeah, 801 00:48:55,360 --> 00:48:59,360 I thought, I mean, we'll have to see how this plays out, 802 00:48:59,360 --> 00:49:01,280 because I feel like there I never would have expected there, But I didn't 803 00:49:01,280 --> 00:49:04,719 predicted their transition defense to be so bad. But the other thing was, 804 00:49:04,719 --> 00:49:08,480 I do think in the macro, like the James Harden fit proved more seamless 805 00:49:08,480 --> 00:49:12,519 than I ever thought it would have, especially after remember they started was at 806 00:49:12,599 --> 00:49:15,159 zero to five with him in the lineup or whatever it was. Yeah, 807 00:49:15,239 --> 00:49:17,880 that was it was just like, oh, here we go, like see, 808 00:49:17,920 --> 00:49:21,519 this is why he can't change. This is just you got the guy 809 00:49:21,559 --> 00:49:23,599 at the wrong time. We have the other LA team, the Lakers here. 810 00:49:24,159 --> 00:49:29,800 I mean, I think one really obvious one is I thought D'Angel Russell 811 00:49:29,800 --> 00:49:32,559 signed that contract and it would definitely be traded because the way it was structured, 812 00:49:32,559 --> 00:49:36,800 the way they got him to basically waive the implicit note trade was just 813 00:49:36,840 --> 00:49:40,039 like he's just on the roster as a salary slot and they're going to exchange 814 00:49:40,079 --> 00:49:44,800 him for someone that makes more sense. And that didn't happen. And really 815 00:49:45,159 --> 00:49:49,119 what's kind of wild is that it didn't happen. And Gabe Vincent was hurt 816 00:49:49,119 --> 00:49:52,400 all year. You would think that like that would have inspired some desperation, 817 00:49:52,519 --> 00:49:55,480 like we got to turn this into this this del salary slot into someone that 818 00:49:55,519 --> 00:49:59,880 can help us on both ends to the extent that's possible with the Baron trade 819 00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:02,039 market and being what it was. But Russell was so good and so valuable 820 00:50:02,079 --> 00:50:05,800 offensively that they just like couldn't. I don't think, and maybe the no 821 00:50:05,920 --> 00:50:07,559 deal was out there, but I thought for sure, like, do you 822 00:50:07,840 --> 00:50:10,840 asked me to bet on a player to be traded during the season, I 823 00:50:10,960 --> 00:50:15,639 might have just picked Russell first. And that didn't even really seem to get 824 00:50:15,639 --> 00:50:22,800 close to that James Harden was calling his general manager wire. Uh. Yeah. 825 00:50:22,880 --> 00:50:25,159 The thing I got most wrong about them, I probably would have called 826 00:50:25,199 --> 00:50:29,639 the Ruy Hotchimortial one of the worst contracts in the league. The offense is 827 00:50:29,679 --> 00:50:32,599 just like legit with him apparently in LA. So I still don't necessarily maybe 828 00:50:32,599 --> 00:50:37,719 love the price point and where is it getting you, but like the lineup 829 00:50:37,760 --> 00:50:40,320 with him, Lebron de Lo, Austin Reeves and ad like that. That 830 00:50:40,440 --> 00:50:44,800 group killed and I think Ruey Hochemoorty hit his threes this year and there was 831 00:50:44,800 --> 00:50:46,559 some volume there not a ton, and like the stuff he's able to do 832 00:50:46,559 --> 00:50:50,719 when he gets to his spots and he'll hold up like he's at least not 833 00:50:50,760 --> 00:50:53,320 part of the Lakers defensive regression over that second part of the season. So 834 00:50:53,639 --> 00:50:57,239 that was a that was actually a pretty big because everyone was like, oh, 835 00:50:57,239 --> 00:51:00,960 that's a fine, We're talking about the same player he had that kind 836 00:51:00,960 --> 00:51:02,519 of like he just couldn't miss a shot in the playoffs, and we just 837 00:51:02,559 --> 00:51:07,039 decided, oh, he's good now. And it was really like one series 838 00:51:07,079 --> 00:51:09,480 where it was like six of nine from three or something. It's like, 839 00:51:09,519 --> 00:51:13,440 oh my god, this guy's like a fifty eight percent three point shooter. 840 00:51:13,559 --> 00:51:15,679 And I was like, did they pre negotiate this once? Darvinham called them 841 00:51:15,679 --> 00:51:19,880 the Jokic stopper and it was just like they agreed to these terms and couldn't 842 00:51:19,920 --> 00:51:22,559 go back on them once pre agency. Actually, okay, that guy. 843 00:51:22,920 --> 00:51:24,760 I don't know what a Yokic stopper is worth, but it's a lot. 844 00:51:25,159 --> 00:51:29,800 All right. Memphis is next here. I mean, we didn't think the 845 00:51:29,960 --> 00:51:32,119 entire roster would get hurt and they'd play like forty guys over the course of 846 00:51:32,119 --> 00:51:36,159 the season. I mean, that's the easy one. I think the main 847 00:51:36,199 --> 00:51:38,280 thing for me that I was really wrong about, well, it's like he 848 00:51:38,320 --> 00:51:43,639 didn't play enough to be like definitive. But the Marcus Smart thing did not 849 00:51:43,840 --> 00:51:47,679 look very good. I thought, something you liked that well, So no, 850 00:51:47,920 --> 00:51:51,840 I didn't. I didn't think it was gonna be great, But I 851 00:51:51,960 --> 00:51:55,559 was sold on the idea that, like he's not perfect, but considering what 852 00:51:55,639 --> 00:52:00,400 Memphis needs, you have to replace Dylan Brooks's wing defense, you're gonna need 853 00:52:00,559 --> 00:52:07,000 a point guard. Point guard is ish guy because you're gonna have John Morant 854 00:52:07,039 --> 00:52:08,639 on the sidelines for the first twenty five games, Like he can kind of 855 00:52:08,679 --> 00:52:13,960 fill all those all those niches potentially, and maybe he could have done a 856 00:52:14,000 --> 00:52:15,920 decent job had he and the rest of the roster stayed healthy, but he 857 00:52:16,000 --> 00:52:20,920 was immediately stretched way too thin, and like Boston may have just gotten off 858 00:52:21,000 --> 00:52:23,119 of his contract at a time when like they knew he didn't have a lot 859 00:52:23,199 --> 00:52:28,400 left. But I thought, while it was like very risky, I didn't 860 00:52:28,440 --> 00:52:34,960 love any of the broader asset management that the Grizzlies have exhibited over the last 861 00:52:35,000 --> 00:52:37,000 couple of years. Like we've talked about that before. How someone has a 862 00:52:37,000 --> 00:52:40,559 tweet out there of like, here's the assets Memphis had, Here's what it 863 00:52:40,679 --> 00:52:45,519 ended up at great breakfast. Yeah, it's like okay, like how were 864 00:52:45,559 --> 00:52:49,719 they had? Gunpoint? Like is that what happened? That they went from 865 00:52:49,760 --> 00:52:52,039 A to B? And it's so much worse now. Yeah, I just 866 00:52:52,039 --> 00:52:55,320 thought Smart would be okay. He wasn't. But like in the grand scheme 867 00:52:55,320 --> 00:52:59,800 of Grizzlies problems like that was maybe in the top ten this year. So 868 00:52:59,840 --> 00:53:01,400 I don't know what to do with that. I did not have any strong 869 00:53:01,440 --> 00:53:05,599 takes on Gigi Jackson and now i'd probably take him in the lottery if we 870 00:53:05,599 --> 00:53:07,559 were doing a rerecual. Oh, but I will for anyone on YouTube. 871 00:53:07,840 --> 00:53:13,519 So Grant on the Grizzlies is basically saying whatever I just threw up on screen? 872 00:53:15,840 --> 00:53:20,280 Uh so that leaves him eye up? Now is it my turn? 873 00:53:21,280 --> 00:53:24,039 It's you? You got the heat? Oh? This is so this is 874 00:53:24,960 --> 00:53:28,320 not really exciting. I don't know why I was about to use that word. 875 00:53:28,559 --> 00:53:31,920 I didn't think that they would give up a first round pick for a 876 00:53:32,000 --> 00:53:37,320 non star. And I hope Terry Rozier is gonna end up being okay with 877 00:53:37,440 --> 00:53:40,480 his neck injury. But like, I just you know, now, there, 878 00:53:40,519 --> 00:53:43,679 did you even see you did you see the report too where it's like, 879 00:53:43,679 --> 00:53:45,000 oh, the Miami he planned to go star hunting again this summer, 880 00:53:45,039 --> 00:53:50,000 and it's how he just I know, it's only lottery protected, but then 881 00:53:50,000 --> 00:53:52,960 it turns into like, in it's immediate, isn't it immediately unprotected? In 882 00:53:52,960 --> 00:53:57,119 twenty twenty eight, I never thought they'd give up that type of a pick 883 00:53:57,599 --> 00:54:02,719 for for like a non star or even just someone who is like, would 884 00:54:02,760 --> 00:54:07,079 you guarantee that Terrier's year if he's healthy and the heat or humming is a 885 00:54:07,119 --> 00:54:09,559 part of every single one of their closing units. I guess you're just saying, 886 00:54:09,599 --> 00:54:13,599 like, would you have him close over Tyler Hero? Is that a 887 00:54:13,639 --> 00:54:15,559 given? And I just know because you have him Hawkes, you have bam 888 00:54:15,559 --> 00:54:19,639 Adebayo, you have Jimmy Butler's healthy. Like, there's those three, and 889 00:54:19,679 --> 00:54:22,400 I don'd argue if you're gonna keep Caleb Martin, he has to be in 890 00:54:22,440 --> 00:54:24,599 the discussion. There's also Duncan Robinson, you know, Terry Rozier, Tyler 891 00:54:24,639 --> 00:54:30,039 Hero into that equation, and I'm just very curious as to where they're going 892 00:54:30,079 --> 00:54:31,920 from here. And the reason I felt this way is just like I know 893 00:54:32,000 --> 00:54:36,559 Jimmy Butler is opening a big face coffee shop in Miami, so he's unlikely 894 00:54:36,559 --> 00:54:39,119 to request the trade. But he turns thirty five in September, he's going 895 00:54:39,159 --> 00:54:43,000 to be extension eligible. Are you gonna give him that extension? If you 896 00:54:43,039 --> 00:54:45,159 don't, what is that gonna mean for him? It's just, I know, 897 00:54:45,239 --> 00:54:47,400 you just made the finals. There's been alien shit going on since twenty 898 00:54:47,480 --> 00:54:51,480 twenty. When you get to the postseason with this team, we'll see if 899 00:54:51,480 --> 00:54:54,519 they have any of that magic left spoiler alert they don't. But I just 900 00:54:54,679 --> 00:55:00,840 like it's very uninspiring and everyone's just kind of operated on this assumption that the 901 00:55:00,880 --> 00:55:02,480 Heat will figure it out because they're the Heat, and maybe they will, 902 00:55:02,519 --> 00:55:07,079 but I just don't if they ever want players that you actually have to get 903 00:55:07,119 --> 00:55:09,320 and forget about the Dame stuff like that was you know, I really feel 904 00:55:09,360 --> 00:55:13,840 like their offer was real, but it was a matter of preference, and 905 00:55:14,079 --> 00:55:16,679 I get why you would prefer what you ultimately got from the Bucks. My 906 00:55:16,760 --> 00:55:21,880 whole thing is just if they actually get into trade talks where they need to 907 00:55:21,920 --> 00:55:25,280 outbid or beat out another team, they can't like it. Just it's I 908 00:55:25,280 --> 00:55:29,440 mean, him Hawkes is kind of that trounce card at this point maybe, 909 00:55:29,559 --> 00:55:32,079 but if you're training him Hawkes, like, how much better is your team? 910 00:55:32,119 --> 00:55:37,159 Who's coming in that's making your team that much better? Yeah? I 911 00:55:37,159 --> 00:55:40,559 think for me, I viewed the decisions they made on Gabe Vincent and Max 912 00:55:40,559 --> 00:55:45,199 Struz as like part of the Lillard like thought process, like we're we're gonna 913 00:55:45,199 --> 00:55:47,599 get him, so it's not as if we don't need to overpay or whatever 914 00:55:49,159 --> 00:55:52,079 try to keep either of these two guys. I don't know if that's actually 915 00:55:52,079 --> 00:55:53,840 like the right way to look at it, but I thought, well, 916 00:55:53,960 --> 00:55:58,039 you let two guys go that really mattered in your playoff rotation, one of 917 00:55:58,039 --> 00:56:01,599 which offensively you had to offense anyway last year, and you're losing a guy 918 00:56:01,599 --> 00:56:07,719 that really was key to like the times when your offense was functional and you 919 00:56:07,760 --> 00:56:09,800 didn't replace them with it. Like, not only did you not get Lillard, 920 00:56:09,880 --> 00:56:14,960 you let two guys go that you did so in anticipation of getting Lillard. 921 00:56:15,000 --> 00:56:17,440 So it's like, well, now an offense that was iffy before is 922 00:56:17,440 --> 00:56:21,000 gonna be even worse. And it's like I was really low on the heat 923 00:56:21,119 --> 00:56:24,320 even while acknowledging all the normal heat stuff that you have to their offense was 924 00:56:24,360 --> 00:56:28,920 better this year. So it's like, I guess that's hokeas I guess that's 925 00:56:28,960 --> 00:56:31,159 Bam like doing a little more. I guess that's Hero for when he was 926 00:56:31,199 --> 00:56:36,719 healthy, which was not that often. So I was wrong that like letting 927 00:56:36,760 --> 00:56:39,559 those two guys go and not getting Dame was just gonna be fatal. It's 928 00:56:39,559 --> 00:56:44,000 still like not great because you still don't have Dame and you can't score. 929 00:56:44,400 --> 00:56:47,679 But like it didn't. It didn't like synk them by any stretch because actually 930 00:56:47,719 --> 00:56:51,960 what the they won too few. They won two more games like than they 931 00:56:51,960 --> 00:56:54,039 did last year, So I like they didn't fall apart like I thought it 932 00:56:54,079 --> 00:57:00,480 was possible one of the bucks. So there's receipts on this. I think 933 00:57:00,519 --> 00:57:04,639 on the podcast and in written I said they were going to have it might 934 00:57:04,639 --> 00:57:06,840 have been I'll say top five, but it could have I might have said 935 00:57:06,880 --> 00:57:08,719 top seven. I said they were gonna be at least top seven. On 936 00:57:08,840 --> 00:57:13,679 both sides of the floor. They were sixth in points scored per possession. 937 00:57:13,880 --> 00:57:16,119 They did him nineteenth in points of lat pro possession, which is an improvement 938 00:57:16,440 --> 00:57:21,280 over where they started this season. I really just bet on the fact that 939 00:57:21,320 --> 00:57:24,880 Giannis and Brook, those core lineups were gonna be so good that it wouldn't 940 00:57:24,880 --> 00:57:31,599 matter. They were not, in part because the Dame Jannis Line dynamic. 941 00:57:31,719 --> 00:57:35,360 You've seen it when it's at its best, and it can be deadly, 942 00:57:35,400 --> 00:57:38,199 but it never just clicked. And I don't know if that's just the feeling 943 00:57:38,199 --> 00:57:42,119 out process. This will be better next year, assuming that this roster is 944 00:57:42,119 --> 00:57:45,119 still intact. But when you're looking at the defense specifically, I was. 945 00:57:45,280 --> 00:57:50,320 I thought Andre Jackson, Junior, Marjron Bochamp, Jay Crowder, all those 946 00:57:50,320 --> 00:57:52,119 guys. Two of those guys, the first guys, I thought they would 947 00:57:52,159 --> 00:57:54,199 play a role and be good. I thought Pat Content would be better. 948 00:57:54,239 --> 00:57:58,079 I thought Jay Crowder would have been better than he was. I didn't think 949 00:57:58,159 --> 00:58:00,880 Chris Middleton. We always knew the injury there. I didn't think he would 950 00:58:00,880 --> 00:58:05,199 look this much of a liability so often on the defensive end. I was 951 00:58:05,239 --> 00:58:07,719 just wrong about that. And look the other thing that I definitely missed on, 952 00:58:07,760 --> 00:58:09,239 and this isn't necessarily I said he wouldn't be the problem. But if 953 00:58:09,280 --> 00:58:13,800 you would have told me that Giannis was kind of part of the transition issues 954 00:58:14,159 --> 00:58:16,079 early on, I would have been like, fuck you, there's no way. 955 00:58:16,320 --> 00:58:21,559 And so I really missed on how much I guess they were going to 956 00:58:21,679 --> 00:58:24,639 miss Drew Holliday's defense. I thought they were gonna have at least enough to 957 00:58:25,480 --> 00:58:30,840 offset it, like semi a semi amount, and it's just to hover around 958 00:58:30,880 --> 00:58:35,679 the bottom ten and points aloud per possession. You need to be capslock elite 959 00:58:35,760 --> 00:58:37,480 on the offensive end, which they can be. But when your two best 960 00:58:37,519 --> 00:58:42,400 players are just I don't know what the word is. It feels like there's 961 00:58:42,400 --> 00:58:46,639 a fluctuation there with how they work together. Yeah, I think I thought 962 00:58:46,760 --> 00:58:52,559 that the Lillard essentially the holiday swapping holiday for Lillard, would address like, 963 00:58:52,559 --> 00:58:55,280 well, the Bucks can't score in late games, and like this will fix 964 00:58:55,320 --> 00:59:00,199 that, but you're giving back some defensive integrity and some intangibles like well, 965 00:59:00,239 --> 00:59:02,480 it's not the reason for all the defensive issues, Like it's very much like 966 00:59:02,559 --> 00:59:07,039 a it's a collective effort, especially with transition stuff. It's not like a 967 00:59:07,079 --> 00:59:10,559 point guard is not integral to your transition defense unless he's just like never running 968 00:59:10,599 --> 00:59:15,320 back and even then so it's not that wasn't really right. The other thing 969 00:59:15,360 --> 00:59:20,000 that I think I just didn't foresee happening is like you're gonna fight. I 970 00:59:20,000 --> 00:59:23,119 get it. You had to move on from Budenholzer because like it was losing 971 00:59:23,159 --> 00:59:28,679 to to the eighth seed the way they did, even with Giannis missing some 972 00:59:28,719 --> 00:59:30,960 of those games, like the whole like it's run its course thing, It 973 00:59:31,000 --> 00:59:35,880 felt like I get it, but like to get that first hire so wrong 974 00:59:36,920 --> 00:59:39,000 was a surprise to me. And then frankly to get like the second higher 975 00:59:39,440 --> 00:59:45,920 feels to me wrong because the at least so it's just like it's it's you 976 00:59:45,960 --> 00:59:49,559 know, I don't know what the alternate course of action should have been, 977 00:59:49,639 --> 00:59:53,159 because like again I get it, like it just sometimes time just runs out 978 00:59:53,159 --> 00:59:57,639 on a coach for a team, and it felt like the circumstances were such 979 00:59:57,639 --> 01:00:00,920 that like that's where they were with Buttonholzer. But like you gotta it's the 980 01:00:01,280 --> 01:00:05,840 easy decision is moving on. The hard part is like getting the right person 981 01:00:05,920 --> 01:00:07,960 to lead them, and the stakes are pretty high because this team is older 982 01:00:08,000 --> 01:00:12,320 and Giannis is always someone that like everyone's got in the back of their mind 983 01:00:12,320 --> 01:00:15,760 as a flight risk, and they just got like two coaching hires wrong. 984 01:00:15,880 --> 01:00:19,280 It feels like, uh so I did not see that coming. You'll be 985 01:00:19,320 --> 01:00:24,599 an interesting challenge. Trade Damian Lillard for Jimmy Butler let's see what would I 986 01:00:24,599 --> 01:00:29,360 I would rather, I mean, I'd rather have Jimmy Butler. I think 987 01:00:29,679 --> 01:00:31,320 I didn't get a vacuum. Yeah, but Damian Lillard feels like what he 988 01:00:31,360 --> 01:00:35,840 does best is going to age better than what Jimmy Butler does best, which 989 01:00:35,880 --> 01:00:38,360 is play like a cycle path. Right right, and well right now that's 990 01:00:38,679 --> 01:00:43,719 bearing out That takes us to the Minnesota Timberwolves. We were both high on 991 01:00:43,719 --> 01:00:47,400 this team, which I'll just move on. Let's say we have no notes 992 01:00:47,400 --> 01:00:51,400 for ourselves on this. The main one for me, or the first one 993 01:00:51,400 --> 01:00:53,559 that came to mind anyway, was like, so Jane mccannals gets a new 994 01:00:53,599 --> 01:00:58,039 deal, we both love him, break out him in it Like he's gonna 995 01:00:58,199 --> 01:01:02,280 continue making threes, he's gonna be first team All defense. He didn't have 996 01:01:02,360 --> 01:01:07,960 like a objectively disappointing year, but he wasn't as good on offense as I 997 01:01:07,960 --> 01:01:09,440 thought he would be, and he wasn't as good on defense as I thought 998 01:01:09,440 --> 01:01:13,480 he'd be. Now, if he's great in the playoffs, then who cares? 999 01:01:13,840 --> 01:01:16,320 But he's been great in the playoffs thus far, so who cares? 1000 01:01:16,559 --> 01:01:22,280 And it like that just maybe I'm just like searching because like what other than 1001 01:01:22,360 --> 01:01:25,239 like, I guess I'm not going to get me to say Nikhil Alexander Walker 1002 01:01:25,280 --> 01:01:29,039 wasn't someone I was high on, and he I didn't think he was gonna 1003 01:01:29,039 --> 01:01:30,320 be. He's probably gonna get some All Defense votes and he deserves them. 1004 01:01:30,360 --> 01:01:34,480 Now I'm gonna take it. This is normally I feel like you're better at 1005 01:01:34,480 --> 01:01:39,000 being more definitive and maybe sometimes inflammatory than I am. You're not like the 1006 01:01:39,079 --> 01:01:44,559 Jayden McDaniel season is border line disastrous for them with that deal because it's just 1007 01:01:44,599 --> 01:01:49,000 like what he looked like on offense this year. Well, I think I 1008 01:01:49,079 --> 01:01:52,320 heard someone called his like three point shooting streaky this year. No, it 1009 01:01:52,480 --> 01:01:55,119 sucked for most of the year. It sucked, and the volume was hardly 1010 01:01:55,159 --> 01:01:59,880 ever there. It sucked. Kay, mcdam's a very good basketball player, 1011 01:02:00,079 --> 01:02:01,559 but you signed him to a deal that we thought was a bargain. But 1012 01:02:01,599 --> 01:02:06,039 if you just don't have that reliability on the offensive end, this is where 1013 01:02:06,079 --> 01:02:08,599 I'm at. The defense is still top tier, and it's the fact that 1014 01:02:08,599 --> 01:02:10,280 it holds up in the playoffs and you can just say, you know what, 1015 01:02:10,360 --> 01:02:15,679 go a race Devin Booker from existence that's phenomenal. And I still he's 1016 01:02:15,719 --> 01:02:17,039 young, I have hope for him. I don't know if he's ever going 1017 01:02:17,079 --> 01:02:20,760 to figure it out offensively on this team. He probably needs more space, 1018 01:02:21,079 --> 01:02:24,719 more agency. You cannot convince me though, and the Keil Alexander Walker is 1019 01:02:24,719 --> 01:02:29,280 part of this, that if the Wolves get into this financial crunch, it 1020 01:02:29,320 --> 01:02:30,960 this summer, which is by the way, if they say it's this summer 1021 01:02:31,039 --> 01:02:34,880 that's made up, don't listen to that. It's made up. It's because 1022 01:02:34,880 --> 01:02:37,920 they're cheap. Yeah, but it is at the deadline, if it's at 1023 01:02:37,920 --> 01:02:40,880 the end of next year. You can't convince me right now that Jade McDaniels 1024 01:02:40,920 --> 01:02:45,280 is more important or more workable for this team's future than Karl Anthony Towns. 1025 01:02:45,559 --> 01:02:49,119 And I didn't think that I would be saying that come this close. So 1026 01:02:49,400 --> 01:02:52,960 that is I think that's my second Just like top rope rope take of the 1027 01:02:53,000 --> 01:02:57,599 podcast. Compared to you, you were even more tepping on the calves than 1028 01:02:57,639 --> 01:03:02,159 I was. But don't you think that even on that moving on, don't 1029 01:03:02,199 --> 01:03:07,639 you think that even on this deal, McDaniels is the type of player and 1030 01:03:07,679 --> 01:03:12,199 he's at the age where it's like, you're not talking fifty million a year 1031 01:03:12,280 --> 01:03:15,519 in that range, like you are with Towns and like of dubious, like 1032 01:03:15,679 --> 01:03:20,280 big stage winning capabilities, even though he was like part of the reason that 1033 01:03:20,320 --> 01:03:22,519 they did so well in Game one against the Suns. Like I feel like 1034 01:03:22,599 --> 01:03:27,679 McDaniels is still well, we don't need him to do a ton offensively. 1035 01:03:27,800 --> 01:03:30,199 If he can just hit a reasonable rate of threes and defend like this, 1036 01:03:30,320 --> 01:03:35,159 then like, I don't know that's worth close to what he's making. He's 1037 01:03:35,199 --> 01:03:37,960 movable, I guess is, and maybe I'm not disagreeing with you, Like 1038 01:03:37,000 --> 01:03:40,480 he's movable on that deal in ways that Towns is maybe not. So I 1039 01:03:40,480 --> 01:03:44,360 guess the best way your frame it is if you think he's more important to 1040 01:03:44,400 --> 01:03:46,559 their future, it's because he makes half as much. Sure, Yeah, 1041 01:03:47,320 --> 01:03:51,920 I don't think you can look at him on and I want to make it 1042 01:03:51,960 --> 01:03:53,679 clear that matters, But I don't think you could look at some of their 1043 01:03:53,679 --> 01:03:59,679 biggest offensive struggles and even how hard stuff can be on ads sometimes and see 1044 01:03:59,719 --> 01:04:01,880 what you saw from Jane McDaniels this season and say, you know what he's 1045 01:04:01,920 --> 01:04:05,800 gonna have the dynamism to and look, maybe I'm gonna be wrong. Yeah, 1046 01:04:06,519 --> 01:04:10,159 Daniels was no. No, because I was wrong. I went on 1047 01:04:10,239 --> 01:04:12,000 here if he said the extension, I was like, people are gonna have 1048 01:04:12,000 --> 01:04:14,400 sticker shock. This is gonna end up being one of the best deals in 1049 01:04:14,440 --> 01:04:16,880 the league. And it doesn't look like a bad deal. But just like 1050 01:04:17,039 --> 01:04:21,599 kind of the parallel of so the Pelicans got Herb Jones for what and Jade 1051 01:04:21,679 --> 01:04:27,840 McDaniels cost what, and Herb Jones is just objectively better at everything, right, 1052 01:04:27,960 --> 01:04:30,719 Like, I don't know what McDaniels is better than herb Jones at. 1053 01:04:30,800 --> 01:04:33,119 I can't. I like, there's no clear skill. I mean, it's 1054 01:04:33,119 --> 01:04:35,800 definitely offensively. Herb Jones is just better now. And I remember there are 1055 01:04:35,800 --> 01:04:39,679 people and I normally agree with Shimid Dua on a lot of things, and 1056 01:04:39,719 --> 01:04:43,519 he's even come out I'm not trolling him saying he was wrong that they he 1057 01:04:43,519 --> 01:04:45,760 thought they should have preserved their flexibility and not signed herb Jones. They should 1058 01:04:45,880 --> 01:04:48,480 kick the can, and I was, I was, And I think the 1059 01:04:48,559 --> 01:04:50,440 dunked on guys felt that way. There a lot of people felt like, 1060 01:04:50,480 --> 01:04:51,920 yeah, why would you use now? And I was like, well, 1061 01:04:53,039 --> 01:04:57,920 that turned into one of the best, which was that Herb is one of 1062 01:04:57,960 --> 01:05:00,400 the best. That was his max like for them, unless there was gonna 1063 01:05:00,440 --> 01:05:02,760 be some poison pill stuff involved, which you don't decline the team. Yeah, 1064 01:05:02,800 --> 01:05:05,800 YadA ya YadA. So all right, that takes us to New Orleans. 1065 01:05:06,559 --> 01:05:10,679 I mean, the main thing for me for them was just it's kind 1066 01:05:10,679 --> 01:05:14,960 of like it's the obvious stuff, kind of like the Clippers where agreed that 1067 01:05:15,000 --> 01:05:16,760 the ceiling was high, Like there was a ton of potential, a ton 1068 01:05:16,800 --> 01:05:19,800 of depth. I didn't think Zion would stay healthy. I didn't think Ingram 1069 01:05:19,800 --> 01:05:24,280 would stay healthy. And I didn't think McCollum was like enough of a needle 1070 01:05:24,280 --> 01:05:29,039 mover at that position. Certainly, the first two issues the health of the 1071 01:05:29,079 --> 01:05:32,639 main guys on this team I was wrong about. Although, like what's weird 1072 01:05:32,719 --> 01:05:35,519 is you know, there's all the lineup data that says like it's really this 1073 01:05:35,559 --> 01:05:40,519 team's depth that is its strength, and you know, Zion Ingram lineups aren't 1074 01:05:40,559 --> 01:05:44,800 as good as as Zion alone or Ingram alone or what like. It wasn't 1075 01:05:44,840 --> 01:05:48,519 necessarily that, you know, oh, they stayed healthy and they dominated. 1076 01:05:48,800 --> 01:05:53,079 It might have been they stayed healthy and played against first units. So so 1077 01:05:53,119 --> 01:05:57,519 a bunch of really overqualified backups could just kick ass against the other teams backups 1078 01:05:57,519 --> 01:06:00,360 that weren't nearly that good, So I guess there's kind of a workaround, 1079 01:06:00,400 --> 01:06:03,079 but I just didn't I think generally I was lower on New Orleans and a 1080 01:06:03,119 --> 01:06:06,079 lot of a lot of people, And the main thing was like I just 1081 01:06:06,119 --> 01:06:10,559 did not trust the main guys to stay healthy and contribute, and they did 1082 01:06:10,599 --> 01:06:12,639 and I was wrong about that, and they had a better season than next 1083 01:06:12,679 --> 01:06:16,400 one. Well, you were wrong, but you're on Zion's out now, 1084 01:06:16,480 --> 01:06:19,760 so that's and that's that's what I was. I don't know, this wouldn't 1085 01:06:19,760 --> 01:06:23,039 be something I was wrong about because I wanted to see it. But the 1086 01:06:23,079 --> 01:06:26,239 fact that now I think we're just not gonna see it is sort of just 1087 01:06:26,280 --> 01:06:29,079 like there needs to be a different path. I would have been all in 1088 01:06:29,119 --> 01:06:30,920 on Zion at point guard, and like, if you're keeping the roster relatively 1089 01:06:30,960 --> 01:06:33,920 the same, or you're not gonna make this big time move, I'm that 1090 01:06:34,079 --> 01:06:38,039 is the path you travel. But you just it's not that he's not good 1091 01:06:38,159 --> 01:06:42,239 enough. It's just that something's apparently always gonna go off the rails with his 1092 01:06:42,280 --> 01:06:45,440 body at some point, and so you now need to recalibrate where it's you 1093 01:06:45,480 --> 01:06:46,199 know, I think a lot of people were looking at if they were gonna 1094 01:06:46,280 --> 01:06:47,880 upgrade. It was, well, they have to trade Jonness, how on 1095 01:06:47,880 --> 01:06:50,960 Tuedness is expiring contract or you move CG. McCullum. And I'm at the 1096 01:06:51,000 --> 01:06:54,599 point where it's well, Yannis is a free agent. We'll see what happens 1097 01:06:54,639 --> 01:06:58,320 with that. But it's like Ingram just makes as the odd man. It's 1098 01:06:58,440 --> 01:07:01,239 Ingram wore Zion almost on picking Zion on that because I think he's probably easier 1099 01:07:01,320 --> 01:07:04,119 to fit in based off what he in theory could do if he has the 1100 01:07:04,199 --> 01:07:09,679 ball slightly less with more of a floor general than Brandon Ingram is. Do 1101 01:07:09,760 --> 01:07:13,880 you think it's unfair to say that Ingram's signature skill, which is valuable certainly 1102 01:07:13,920 --> 01:07:16,840 in the playoffs, is the ability to make like bad shots or like really 1103 01:07:16,920 --> 01:07:20,679 difficult shots. That's been overwhelmingly clear to me through the plan and the first 1104 01:07:20,719 --> 01:07:24,400 game of the first YEA. His signature skill for sure. And there's other 1105 01:07:24,480 --> 01:07:27,519 stuff he does well. I think I don't want to call it a refusal, 1106 01:07:27,639 --> 01:07:30,239 but like the inability to stick with his three point volume where his ball 1107 01:07:30,320 --> 01:07:33,119 volume where it's and look, Zion, I'm wondering how much of it is 1108 01:07:33,239 --> 01:07:36,320 just okay, Well, you get into a groove playing like this with Zion, 1109 01:07:36,440 --> 01:07:39,840 but then Zion's gone and so now you're asked to do different things, 1110 01:07:39,840 --> 01:07:42,440 and so you fall into these different habits. But like, dude, we're 1111 01:07:42,480 --> 01:07:44,880 in a year. What is this like three or four? Just like you 1112 01:07:45,000 --> 01:07:48,639 need to jack up more threes, like that is the baseline. Just forget 1113 01:07:48,679 --> 01:07:51,920 about the functionality of it all, how they're coming, how much jack up 1114 01:07:53,000 --> 01:07:57,400 more threes and it's just that number is not nudged nearly enough. That's why 1115 01:07:57,440 --> 01:07:59,559 he is the guy to I agree with you, he's the guy to move 1116 01:07:59,719 --> 01:08:02,440 now because I think he's really good by the way. I think so too, 1117 01:08:02,639 --> 01:08:08,920 But I think there's a real the ability to make difficult shots is not 1118 01:08:09,119 --> 01:08:13,719 something you build your team around, unless unless he also is shooting high volume 1119 01:08:13,760 --> 01:08:16,760 open threes and is like facilitating really regularly. Because then it's just like, 1120 01:08:17,039 --> 01:08:23,600 I don't know, Demarto Rosen is a flawed player, but it's like he's 1121 01:08:24,199 --> 01:08:27,880 he is probably better at that than Ingram is, and he is the best 1122 01:08:27,920 --> 01:08:30,079 player pastor, which helps him. Yeah, so do all that stuff. 1123 01:08:30,199 --> 01:08:34,439 I just I I was taking. I was blown away by how good Ingram 1124 01:08:34,600 --> 01:08:38,920 is, especially in these high stakes games with like really intense defense and just 1125 01:08:39,000 --> 01:08:44,479 making ridiculously contested, difficult individual shots. And then it's like, at the 1126 01:08:44,520 --> 01:08:46,439 same time, I'm thinking, like, this is not a sustainable model, 1127 01:08:46,560 --> 01:08:49,640 like we can't smitten. It was before he got injured towards the end of 1128 01:08:49,640 --> 01:08:53,239 the regular season, he was playing really well off of Zion. They weren't 1129 01:08:53,279 --> 01:08:56,920 necessarily directly involved with every action together, but he was off the ball taking 1130 01:08:57,000 --> 01:09:00,359 threes. It just made more sense. And but that invariably goes away and 1131 01:09:00,479 --> 01:09:06,159 so very quickly brandon Ingram Dyson Daniels. Maybe a pick for Trey Young. 1132 01:09:08,159 --> 01:09:12,000 Oh, you're just I think I'm gonna shot on all your Tray Young trades 1133 01:09:12,000 --> 01:09:15,399 because I just don't want Trey Young on the receiving team, like just in 1134 01:09:15,560 --> 01:09:18,840 general, just so be ready for a full off season and being like, 1135 01:09:18,960 --> 01:09:23,000 I don't think I want Trey Young. That's a great trade for the Hawks. 1136 01:09:23,119 --> 01:09:25,560 The Hawk should do that. How about that? I like that side 1137 01:09:25,600 --> 01:09:30,399 of it. To the Oklahoma Zindy, No, I will not, because 1138 01:09:30,439 --> 01:09:34,039 you have to do The New York Knicks now are in alphabet? Are all 1139 01:09:34,159 --> 01:09:40,359 right? I think this is another team kind of like we said this about 1140 01:09:40,920 --> 01:09:43,840 what was the team we said this? Oh, the Bulls where it's our 1141 01:09:43,920 --> 01:09:46,439 sins of omission rather than anything we had to So the Knicks we hit there 1142 01:09:46,479 --> 01:09:49,880 over we thought they were gonna be really good. You can't denigrate us for 1143 01:09:50,039 --> 01:09:54,199 saying for not saying that Jail Broo' is gonna be a top five MVP candidate. 1144 01:09:54,920 --> 01:09:58,680 The thing that I got wrong because I remember saying the Dante DiVincenzo signing 1145 01:09:59,239 --> 01:10:04,880 was good, it's not going to do nearly enough to help solve or increase 1146 01:10:05,439 --> 01:10:12,399 the Knicks's spacing lo and Behold, turns out, I think Evencenzo just turned 1147 01:10:12,439 --> 01:10:16,319 into one of the most efficient, high volume three point shooters of all time. 1148 01:10:16,680 --> 01:10:19,720 So Grant, I'm gonna give you a stat for this. This is 1149 01:10:19,760 --> 01:10:24,039 what I know because I wrote about it, and it's just it's I've noted 1150 01:10:24,039 --> 01:10:26,319 about it for a while, just because this is what he was tracking towards. 1151 01:10:26,800 --> 01:10:30,159 Here's the list of every player who has had a season where they lobbed 1152 01:10:30,479 --> 01:10:36,560 two thousand plus minutes, attempted fifteen plus three pointers, permanent hundred possessions, 1153 01:10:36,920 --> 01:10:43,000 and nailed them at a clip of at least forty percent. Dante DiVincenzo, 1154 01:10:43,960 --> 01:10:48,800 Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, end of list. It's pretty good, pretty 1155 01:10:48,800 --> 01:10:53,199 good list of Beyond regarding anything to do with three point problems, I don't 1156 01:10:53,199 --> 01:10:56,279 know that I have anything to add. There's stuff that's surprising me with this 1157 01:10:56,399 --> 01:10:59,079 team, where it's I don't think I don't think they wouldn't. I didn't 1158 01:10:59,079 --> 01:11:00,960 think they were going to navigate. If you told me they had all these 1159 01:11:00,000 --> 01:11:02,800 injuries, including the OG, they would have been the two seed in the 1160 01:11:02,880 --> 01:11:06,840 East. The you know, the like we all kind of knew how good 1161 01:11:06,840 --> 01:11:11,039 Isaiah Hartnstein was, but like him playing it at all defense level that takes 1162 01:11:11,039 --> 01:11:14,079 you out, Like Duce McBride just coming in and again those are all just 1163 01:11:14,199 --> 01:11:18,079 kind of the mistakes of omission, like not foreseeing those. So this team, 1164 01:11:18,840 --> 01:11:24,600 Danta Devincenzo just has unlocked a birth like he had. Like the fact 1165 01:11:24,600 --> 01:11:27,800 that a Tim's team was third in three point of ten trade after the All 1166 01:11:27,840 --> 01:11:31,840 Star break. That's fucking wild in twenty four. No, that has to 1167 01:11:31,920 --> 01:11:34,720 be Devincenzo. If you got a zero on a player specifically, I think 1168 01:11:35,039 --> 01:11:38,840 I don't remember this, don't check three seats, but I bet I was 1169 01:11:38,880 --> 01:11:42,760 suspicious of like what worked so well for the Knicks last year, which is 1170 01:11:42,800 --> 01:11:44,960 like, oh, they get every offensive rebound and kick it out and make 1171 01:11:45,000 --> 01:11:47,079 threes, like that's not gonna happen again. It's like pretty much like why 1172 01:11:47,159 --> 01:11:50,920 they're still good. Uh So, I mean Brunson leveling up to like an 1173 01:11:50,920 --> 01:11:55,880 All NBA and you can't anyone who has receipts. You can't get me on 1174 01:11:56,039 --> 01:12:00,319 not liking the Josh Hart trade anymore because I took my come up and off 1175 01:12:00,359 --> 01:12:04,079 season, I said, Contenson was fine. So we're on the other side 1176 01:12:04,079 --> 01:12:06,039 of that one. They were, Look, we're not spent a lot of 1177 01:12:06,039 --> 01:12:09,159 time in it's just because I think that one was that is. That's a 1178 01:12:09,279 --> 01:12:15,039 monster season, just like like volume of efficiency really great. Now we will 1179 01:12:15,079 --> 01:12:17,960 move to the home city Thunder Dan, I bought Sam Presty's. Uh we 1180 01:12:18,000 --> 01:12:24,239 got to finish our breakfast preseason headfake like hook line and sinker. I thought, 1181 01:12:25,079 --> 01:12:27,359 oh, I already used that thumbnail. I used it. I remember 1182 01:12:27,399 --> 01:12:30,000 I made the Sam Presty's a liar thumbnail for a Thunder video. Yeah, 1183 01:12:30,279 --> 01:12:34,079 he tricked us. He tricked us again. I thought a small step forward 1184 01:12:34,159 --> 01:12:38,199 was possible or even like a little regression. Just you had him at forty 1185 01:12:38,239 --> 01:12:42,840 one wins. I had him at forty four, they were, what's that 1186 01:12:43,319 --> 01:12:45,479 more than that? We'll just go more than that? More than that? 1187 01:12:46,079 --> 01:12:51,520 Uh. And so like just all of the thunder young players getting better, 1188 01:12:51,760 --> 01:12:58,600 even ones like SGA who was like fringy MVP last year. I just yeah, 1189 01:12:58,640 --> 01:13:00,039 I mean, this is the most positive missed I think we have. 1190 01:13:00,239 --> 01:13:02,800 Right, It's like we just didn't see the leap, and the leap happened, 1191 01:13:02,960 --> 01:13:05,640 right, That's the simplest way to put it. I don't know if 1192 01:13:05,680 --> 01:13:09,239 you want to zero in on anybody else in particular, but oh yeah, 1193 01:13:09,439 --> 01:13:12,079 here here's what I was wrong about what you got. Do you remember? 1194 01:13:12,159 --> 01:13:17,159 I think the word I used was uncar or phrasing was uncharacteristically uninspiring when they 1195 01:13:17,199 --> 01:13:20,680 made the case and Wallace Trade, who ended up being First team All Rookie 1196 01:13:20,720 --> 01:13:25,079 for me, is defending his ass off in the playoffs. Yeah, tracked 1197 01:13:25,119 --> 01:13:29,600 the rotation of a title contender as a rookie regularly, he's been it fluctuated 1198 01:13:29,640 --> 01:13:31,600 a little bit, that is. And I was just like they couldn't have 1199 01:13:31,680 --> 01:13:35,640 gotten like all that, just like move up like they did that the Damas 1200 01:13:35,680 --> 01:13:39,640 Bretons deals, like it feels like they should have been able to get more 1201 01:13:40,079 --> 01:13:43,119 out of that. It doesn't fucking matter like Cason Wallace is going to be 1202 01:13:43,199 --> 01:13:45,520 a stud. And do you know what I probably would have if you get 1203 01:13:45,600 --> 01:13:48,239 I wasn't considering this scenario, but if you would have said, well, 1204 01:13:48,279 --> 01:13:51,079 who's more important to their future? Case and Wallace or just Giddy? I 1205 01:13:51,159 --> 01:13:54,960 might have picked Giddy just solely because I thought he would have more trade value. 1206 01:13:55,359 --> 01:13:58,439 And it's just like I'm the giddy stuff. You said, every young 1207 01:13:58,479 --> 01:14:00,319 player got better, he had his moments. This he's about him. That 1208 01:14:00,399 --> 01:14:05,680 dude's gotta for this roster to be optimized. I don't he's gotta go. 1209 01:14:05,960 --> 01:14:09,520 I'm not like this is I'm not saying he's the worst player of all time. 1210 01:14:09,920 --> 01:14:12,920 I just don't. I don't see it. Rather, first of all, 1211 01:14:12,920 --> 01:14:15,119 I don't, And you're standing in the way of Case and Wallas to 1212 01:14:15,239 --> 01:14:17,119 some extent. Well, and even if it's not Wallace, like just that 1213 01:14:17,319 --> 01:14:21,399 spot in the lineup is like just begging for somebody. Are you ready for 1214 01:14:21,479 --> 01:14:27,920 another trade to love always Josh Giddy plus X amount of picks for Dennioffia, 1215 01:14:28,640 --> 01:14:31,479 Oh do it? Yeah? Absolutely one of them? What about the Wizards? 1216 01:14:33,159 --> 01:14:36,039 If I'm getting like I'm gonna need at least first, would you need 1217 01:14:36,079 --> 01:14:40,159 to attach to the extension of the well Josh Giddy to get Denny Avdya, 1218 01:14:40,239 --> 01:14:43,439 who, by the way, might be on well, he's definitely on one 1219 01:14:43,439 --> 01:14:45,439 of the best contracts in the league. Now, I think you gotta give 1220 01:14:45,479 --> 01:14:51,039 me two, and one of them needs to be like legit minimum because stress 1221 01:14:51,239 --> 01:14:56,600 voodoo, like top twenty four protected. No, none of that. I 1222 01:14:56,640 --> 01:14:58,960 want a real one. Don't give me any of these phony picks. All 1223 01:14:59,039 --> 01:15:01,159 right, Yeah, the Thunder great. We were wrong about them not being 1224 01:15:01,199 --> 01:15:04,479 super great. Immediately, I think you are still up. You got two 1225 01:15:04,520 --> 01:15:09,560 in a row coming here. Yes, we are on too. The what 1226 01:15:09,720 --> 01:15:14,000 comes after the letter? Oh the other letter? Did you see? I 1227 01:15:14,039 --> 01:15:16,800 was buying myself time. I was like, we're not forgetting list in front 1228 01:15:16,840 --> 01:15:20,039 of us, but it's not that fun to do it that way. So 1229 01:15:20,399 --> 01:15:25,439 the magic they were probably that they were okay, No, I didn't expect 1230 01:15:25,479 --> 01:15:29,239 them to be contending for home court advantage spot in the playoffs. That's missed 1231 01:15:29,279 --> 01:15:31,399 on that again. That's more like they were. The Thunder were super ahead 1232 01:15:31,399 --> 01:15:33,479 of schedule. Store of the magic. We knew their defense was gonna be 1233 01:15:33,479 --> 01:15:38,159 awesome, especially after what we saw following there was a five and twenty start 1234 01:15:38,520 --> 01:15:43,439 last year. As someone who was higher on him than you, and I 1235 01:15:43,479 --> 01:15:49,079 think consensus most people were Jalen Suggs just we knew what he could do. 1236 01:15:49,159 --> 01:15:54,319 Defensively, I will say the offensive improvement has not answered their playmaking question. 1237 01:15:54,720 --> 01:15:57,359 He's gotten better as a playmaker, He's gotten way better as a shooter, 1238 01:15:57,600 --> 01:16:00,520 as a decision maker going downhill and then all of that while going on defense. 1239 01:16:01,399 --> 01:16:03,520 If you would have, even as someone who was holding out hope for 1240 01:16:03,600 --> 01:16:05,920 him, if you were have told me that he's someone they they have to 1241 01:16:06,039 --> 01:16:10,319 extend this summer because if they let it get the restricted free agency, that 1242 01:16:10,399 --> 01:16:13,399 might cost them max money from just the team building perspective. Or if you 1243 01:16:13,560 --> 01:16:17,199 told me, like Jalen Suggs might get the Jayden McDaniels extension this year the 1244 01:16:17,279 --> 01:16:20,439 equivalent of it, I'd be like, no, he might. He's that 1245 01:16:20,560 --> 01:16:24,119 good, He's that important to what they're doing. So what I mean, 1246 01:16:24,359 --> 01:16:27,199 there's other stuff, but I think this would be more mistakes of omission. 1247 01:16:27,319 --> 01:16:30,920 Just oh, Jonathan Isaac would have been a did not qualify, but like 1248 01:16:30,199 --> 01:16:33,079 played enough to where you're like, oh, he's the best permanent defender in 1249 01:16:33,119 --> 01:16:36,640 the league or something along those. I never would have gone with that something 1250 01:16:36,680 --> 01:16:41,720 I'd be a little bit more negative, like that Franz Wagner's shooting this year 1251 01:16:41,800 --> 01:16:45,520 experience. But again that's not something I just I didn't have a strong take 1252 01:16:45,560 --> 01:16:48,159 against Jalen Sugs but I did not think we were gonna he made my first 1253 01:16:48,199 --> 01:16:50,560 team on defense. I called him one of the five best defenders in the 1254 01:16:50,680 --> 01:16:54,760 NBA. So like, that's just not I was not high enough on Jalen 1255 01:16:54,800 --> 01:16:59,279 Suggs. Was my was my sin? I got a Adam Silver might say, 1256 01:16:59,760 --> 01:17:03,520 did you gamble on him? I gotta stop like giving, because I 1257 01:17:03,520 --> 01:17:08,560 don't know if you have suffered from this. But like I there's so much 1258 01:17:08,640 --> 01:17:11,640 to know about the NBA. There's so many like competing thoughts you have to 1259 01:17:11,760 --> 01:17:15,119 keep in your head. There's like just about players and like who do I 1260 01:17:15,199 --> 01:17:17,000 need to pay attention to most, like who's got this potential? Who's got 1261 01:17:17,039 --> 01:17:19,880 that I find easy? Our jobs for them? And it was just understanding 1262 01:17:19,960 --> 01:17:26,279 cap sheets. Yeah that's what the NBA was. It So like, tell 1263 01:17:26,319 --> 01:17:30,079 me if you do this, I'm like in a rush to be like this 1264 01:17:30,239 --> 01:17:33,159 guy either has like I think we did this probably with Evan Mobley on the 1265 01:17:33,239 --> 01:17:38,199 positive side, like this guy is gonna be whatever, Like he's gonna be 1266 01:17:38,199 --> 01:17:40,560 great, he's gonna be one of the best defenders in the league. He's 1267 01:17:40,600 --> 01:17:43,920 gonna be historically good. Like I want to just get that down. So 1268 01:17:44,039 --> 01:17:47,319 like that's my take on Evan Mobley, and I will assess everything he does, 1269 01:17:47,439 --> 01:17:50,000 like through that lens and I go the other way. I went that 1270 01:17:50,079 --> 01:17:54,319 way on Jalen Green of like I'm out, I'm not interested. I don't 1271 01:17:54,319 --> 01:17:56,800 think he's got it. I went that way on Jalen Sucks. It was 1272 01:17:56,880 --> 01:18:00,840 like, if you can't shoot and you can't pass and your guard, there's 1273 01:18:00,960 --> 01:18:03,520 just no future for you. I don't care how good you are on defense. 1274 01:18:03,640 --> 01:18:06,560 Like I so I was like I'm out on Jalen Suggs, which is 1275 01:18:06,800 --> 01:18:10,880 like I just have to stop doing this because guys can get better, Like 1276 01:18:10,960 --> 01:18:14,159 he can he he can't do He still isn't a good ball handler, isn't 1277 01:18:14,159 --> 01:18:18,039 a good passer, can shoot it now and is even better defensively than Like 1278 01:18:18,359 --> 01:18:21,159 at some point, if you can't do anything, but you're a top five 1279 01:18:21,319 --> 01:18:25,520 at something in the NBA, like then it doesn't matter if you're not that 1280 01:18:25,640 --> 01:18:28,600 great at other stuff. You have a future. I got to stop writing 1281 01:18:28,680 --> 01:18:30,760 guys off or like putting him in a box, so I sort of have 1282 01:18:30,840 --> 01:18:33,000 to stop, don't have to think about them as hard anymore because there's like 1283 01:18:33,119 --> 01:18:38,159 just not enough mental bandwidth for everybody. I wonder how much you get. 1284 01:18:38,640 --> 01:18:42,840 Everybody near gets impacted by like, well they could have had like Scottie Barnes 1285 01:18:43,039 --> 01:18:45,399 or something he picked he was he was picked before Scotty. I remember thinking 1286 01:18:45,479 --> 01:18:49,800 Toronto should have taken Suggs. So oh yeah, that's what you know, 1287 01:18:49,880 --> 01:18:54,239 what you actually need though, because it happened to me and maybe you've had 1288 01:18:54,279 --> 01:18:56,880 it. You're not online enough, and I'm not talking about you need to 1289 01:18:56,920 --> 01:18:59,640 be more in tune with like masturbatory, NBA Twitter. It's like just team 1290 01:18:59,680 --> 01:19:01,920 want their anyone games and they were fucking awesome because they can't say, we 1291 01:19:01,960 --> 01:19:05,279 can't say we can't criticize people or teams. It's just not allowed anymore. 1292 01:19:05,840 --> 01:19:10,960 Uh. I've had There been entire Reddit threads done when younger in my career 1293 01:19:11,000 --> 01:19:14,359 where I was less inclined to push back against things that were pitched to me 1294 01:19:14,920 --> 01:19:18,800 at our you know, parent company, And now I will push back but 1295 01:19:18,960 --> 01:19:23,279 like I wrote some stuff that I probably didn't fully believe, and like they 1296 01:19:23,319 --> 01:19:26,079 were Reddit threads made and you go, I went, this is like years 1297 01:19:26,119 --> 01:19:27,640 ago now, and you went back and you looked, and I was, 1298 01:19:27,680 --> 01:19:30,239 like that kind of opened my eyes to being. You know, you can 1299 01:19:30,359 --> 01:19:32,000 let the hook be what the editors wanted to be. If you agree on 1300 01:19:32,039 --> 01:19:35,399 a pitch, like your text needs to reflect your actual view. You don't 1301 01:19:35,439 --> 01:19:40,760 need to be as hedging is okay, or acknowledging that this is like not 1302 01:19:41,159 --> 01:19:44,880 fully resolved just yet is okay. But you're not gonna have that moment because 1303 01:19:44,880 --> 01:19:48,680 you are a healthy human being who's not nearly online and or your friends aren't 1304 01:19:48,720 --> 01:19:54,760 sending you the Reddit stuff that's written about you. So I shoulder to think 1305 01:19:55,039 --> 01:19:57,880 how I would feel if I ever sought any of that out, which I 1306 01:19:58,079 --> 01:20:00,239 which I will. Look you want a little go booz here. Kenny Beacham, 1307 01:20:00,439 --> 01:20:02,640 who's I don't know if you know who he is is just like he's 1308 01:20:02,680 --> 01:20:09,239 a basketball content genius as a huge following gave you kudos for your article where 1309 01:20:09,239 --> 01:20:12,720 you gave out teams for every single award. I also garue that the views 1310 01:20:12,760 --> 01:20:15,039 he got going through your article did did better than your actual article did, 1311 01:20:15,640 --> 01:20:19,880 like by the fact that probably of course it did so. But yeah, 1312 01:20:19,920 --> 01:20:23,760 so like you, you do good work, but it's like maybe you need 1313 01:20:23,880 --> 01:20:27,520 that. You're just not online. You're too healthy. Grant you don't hate 1314 01:20:27,560 --> 01:20:34,479 yourself more. That's why I'm not online, all right you still Yeah, 1315 01:20:34,760 --> 01:20:39,520 So look, I don't really know what I was wrong about with this team, 1316 01:20:39,600 --> 01:20:44,039 other than I didn't see them being so good without James Harden. I 1317 01:20:44,119 --> 01:20:47,000 had this is pre and beat injury. I smashed their under on the win 1318 01:20:47,119 --> 01:20:49,960 totals, and I guess, if you're gonna look at it, I'm gonna 1319 01:20:49,960 --> 01:20:55,640 say and this feels weird to say because of how poorly they played without Joe 1320 01:20:55,680 --> 01:20:58,960 Embiid. They won the minutes Tyre's Maxley played without Dwell Embiid this year, 1321 01:20:59,000 --> 01:21:02,399 And so I guess what I was wrong is I didn't see Tyres Maxi's leap 1322 01:21:02,720 --> 01:21:06,399 as an all NBA player coming, all NBA type player coming, and I 1323 01:21:06,479 --> 01:21:10,319 think the biggest level in proven he did. I do think this will under 1324 01:21:10,359 --> 01:21:12,720 Raider a little bit. I think he's been a little bit better defensively this 1325 01:21:12,880 --> 01:21:15,199 year, and I think he's always been. I don't know if it's underrated 1326 01:21:15,239 --> 01:21:19,119 or underappreciated or just miss portrayed. Was like that dude fights on defense for 1327 01:21:19,159 --> 01:21:23,479 the most part, but like you look at his you still don't necessarily trust 1328 01:21:23,600 --> 01:21:27,119 him if you need to be in this slowed down situation of Okay, we'll 1329 01:21:27,199 --> 01:21:30,239 run the offense from this dead stop, Like there's a down shifting to the 1330 01:21:30,279 --> 01:21:32,840 way that he gets about going downhill when he gets to the floater, gets 1331 01:21:32,880 --> 01:21:38,000 defenders on his hip, and his decision making has evolved from there, and 1332 01:21:38,159 --> 01:21:42,079 that's that's a big time to like be a team where if Joell eb never 1333 01:21:42,119 --> 01:21:44,520 gets hurt, which I know is a massive caveat, but to be a 1334 01:21:44,560 --> 01:21:49,079 team that prioritized cat flexibility in the James Harden trade essentially, and then you 1335 01:21:49,359 --> 01:21:53,880 just would there have been if Joel Embiid stays healthy, any real drop off 1336 01:21:53,960 --> 01:21:57,600 from Philly's title stock relative to last season. I guess in theory because you 1337 01:21:57,680 --> 01:22:01,119 went from having Maxie and Harden and to be just having Embiid and hard Embiid 1338 01:22:01,159 --> 01:22:05,279 in Maxie and this version of Tobias Harris. So like I guess I just 1339 01:22:05,359 --> 01:22:11,800 didn't realize how close or how how much even having Harden and Embiad was a 1340 01:22:11,840 --> 01:22:13,920 clip saying what Tyres Maxie could do. I just looked atim, like, 1341 01:22:14,079 --> 01:22:15,239 well, it's really great, Like look what he was able to do without 1342 01:22:15,640 --> 01:22:18,239 the Ben Simmons during that stretch. But it's like, now he's able to 1343 01:22:18,239 --> 01:22:24,760 fit alongside James Harden. Rip him away from the James Harden like partnership, 1344 01:22:24,800 --> 01:22:27,279 and it's just, oh, he might be one of the twenty best players 1345 01:22:27,319 --> 01:22:31,199 in the NBA. Now that's I think. I just thought that. I 1346 01:22:31,279 --> 01:22:34,560 mean, some of this is preseason, because I guess them the noise was 1347 01:22:34,640 --> 01:22:39,119 already happening then, but some of it was in season. I just thought, 1348 01:22:39,159 --> 01:22:42,039 like, there's no scenario where they get out of this James Harden situation 1349 01:22:42,199 --> 01:22:45,479 like looking better, just because he has always got no trade value. It's 1350 01:22:45,520 --> 01:22:47,279 a huge distraction. So you're gonna bring him back and he's gonna play and 1351 01:22:47,319 --> 01:22:50,239 then like now, the best case scenario is he plays for you, and 1352 01:22:50,319 --> 01:22:53,760 then you have to deal with like what am I paying him next time on 1353 01:22:53,880 --> 01:22:57,920 his next deal this summer when he's due again. So the fact that the 1354 01:22:57,960 --> 01:23:01,119 Sixers like didn't miss him, are in better position now because of what they 1355 01:23:01,119 --> 01:23:04,319 got from the Clippers than they were with Harden. Part of that's MAXI doing 1356 01:23:04,680 --> 01:23:09,720 what you said. I just thought like, oh my god. So again 1357 01:23:09,760 --> 01:23:12,880 it's almost like the Dallas catastrophizing thing of like, well, now I'm Bead's 1358 01:23:12,920 --> 01:23:15,640 going to ask out because this thing is shit and they like got no outs 1359 01:23:15,680 --> 01:23:16,920 and they got all this cap space, who knows what they're going to do 1360 01:23:17,000 --> 01:23:20,600 with it, and they got assets for Harden. I just didn't think there 1361 01:23:20,680 --> 01:23:27,319 was a way out of that that was like a positive landing spot Phoenix Sons. 1362 01:23:28,399 --> 01:23:31,600 One thought Keta Bates Jiop was going to be the fifth closer not on 1363 01:23:31,680 --> 01:23:40,119 the team anymore. Two thought Bonus thought Yusuf Nurkic would be incredibly unhelpful specifically 1364 01:23:40,279 --> 01:23:43,479 with this team because he's such a bad finisher. And I thought that the 1365 01:23:43,520 --> 01:23:46,159 way the roster was constructed with all these offensive guys together, he was going 1366 01:23:46,239 --> 01:23:48,920 to be put in a position where he was just going to be dared to 1367 01:23:49,079 --> 01:23:55,439 like finish inside against contests, and that hasn't really happened. And I underrated 1368 01:23:55,479 --> 01:23:58,079 his ability to pass the ball as a roller, like I knew that was 1369 01:23:58,119 --> 01:24:00,279 a thing. I didn't think that that would make if teams just said like 1370 01:24:00,479 --> 01:24:04,000 nope, you got to make laps because they can't make laps. They've worked 1371 01:24:04,039 --> 01:24:08,119 around that, just fine. I don't know, like if I hope you 1372 01:24:08,159 --> 01:24:11,800 have like more of a macro take on the Suns because mine were pretty narrow 1373 01:24:12,000 --> 01:24:15,199 and I they kind of finished around like where I thought they would be. 1374 01:24:15,279 --> 01:24:19,920 I wasn't super high on the three offensive stars together working out uh as somewhere, 1375 01:24:20,279 --> 01:24:23,680 but like I just have like smaller things. I don't. I don't 1376 01:24:23,720 --> 01:24:26,640 know that the Sons are in a vastly different position now than I would have 1377 01:24:26,840 --> 01:24:31,319 guessed. Uh So, I remember saying that twenty nine other NBA teams should 1378 01:24:31,319 --> 01:24:34,000 be sued for allowing to s wants to get you to want to nobby on 1379 01:24:34,399 --> 01:24:40,720 the minimum, and I think the macro take is I and you. I 1380 01:24:40,880 --> 01:24:45,439 know that you got cadabahd up wrong, but you induced more skeptical or viewed 1381 01:24:45,479 --> 01:24:48,000 it with more skepticism their minimum signings, I was all over. I was 1382 01:24:48,039 --> 01:24:50,319 still high on them, to be fair, but I was like, I 1383 01:24:50,359 --> 01:24:53,520 don't know why people were so worried. Like they have Eric Gordon, they 1384 01:24:53,560 --> 01:24:55,560 have Josh and Kobe, they have catabaits d op. They if you don't 1385 01:24:55,560 --> 01:24:58,520 want to nobby, they have all these different they they killed it and they 1386 01:24:58,600 --> 01:25:03,680 still did fine. But when your margin for error is just fought like like 1387 01:25:03,840 --> 01:25:08,000 so slim, you can't be just fine. You need to hit on more 1388 01:25:08,039 --> 01:25:11,079 of these than you did. I thought, NOAs little was actually going to 1389 01:25:11,119 --> 01:25:15,720 be a good productive edition for that missed on that I did not see. 1390 01:25:15,800 --> 01:25:18,359 But again this becomes a state like Grace and Allen turning into the league's best 1391 01:25:18,399 --> 01:25:21,680 three point shooter. And then also like he part of this was he didn't 1392 01:25:21,680 --> 01:25:27,000 have a choice, like he handled a lot defensively for them. I will, 1393 01:25:27,119 --> 01:25:30,439 in retrospect wonder because if you have a problem with where the Suns are 1394 01:25:30,520 --> 01:25:32,520 now, I still think you your initial problems with the Kevin Durant trade, 1395 01:25:32,560 --> 01:25:35,960 not the Bradley Beal trade. But it is kind of interesting of like like 1396 01:25:36,039 --> 01:25:40,600 should they have actually gone down that route still? And I think you ultimately 1397 01:25:40,680 --> 01:25:44,479 have to just because of the assets you gave up to get him are just 1398 01:25:44,560 --> 01:25:46,840 you never would have gotten that caliber player with them. Part of the problem 1399 01:25:46,880 --> 01:25:49,199 with that is he has no trade cloth. That's why he was available for 1400 01:25:49,279 --> 01:25:54,840 that price. And this is now you're heading into next season, which did 1401 01:25:54,880 --> 01:25:57,039 I say this you already? And I don't. I definitely didn't realize it 1402 01:25:57,119 --> 01:26:00,720 until it was something I saw. You have three of the sevenhighest paid players 1403 01:26:00,720 --> 01:26:03,239 in the NBA on your payroll. That is, you want to talk about, 1404 01:26:03,239 --> 01:26:05,079 well, how many stars can you fit on your roster in this new 1405 01:26:05,119 --> 01:26:09,279 CBA. It can't be three of the seven highest paid players, Like, 1406 01:26:09,399 --> 01:26:13,840 it can't be these guys who are on there, like third max is basically, 1407 01:26:13,920 --> 01:26:15,880 which is what the sons are kind of looking at, and or third 1408 01:26:15,960 --> 01:26:19,079 third deals, fourth deals, whatever ends up being. It's you need the 1409 01:26:19,159 --> 01:26:23,640 twenty five or thirty percent max sprinkled in there at some point, which they 1410 01:26:23,680 --> 01:26:26,560 don't have. But yeah, I think it's just I was way too high 1411 01:26:27,039 --> 01:26:29,319 on the work they did. They still did when you look at it. 1412 01:26:29,680 --> 01:26:32,039 The board's also are we impacted by the fact that, well, these dudes 1413 01:26:32,039 --> 01:26:35,560 are playing, but would they actually be playing on all these other teams? 1414 01:26:35,600 --> 01:26:39,199 And it's like some of them are playing. Drew Eubanks is playing out of 1415 01:26:39,239 --> 01:26:42,199 necessity, and maybe some would argue he's not, but like, so what 1416 01:26:42,279 --> 01:26:44,520 do you be playing on all these other on the court? He's been on 1417 01:26:44,600 --> 01:26:47,439 the court. So I was way too high on their minimum signings. Yeah, 1418 01:26:47,479 --> 01:26:50,279 that's fair. I think it was. It's easy to look at them 1419 01:26:50,319 --> 01:26:55,399 and say, like, those guys seem across the board like better than your 1420 01:26:55,520 --> 01:27:00,960 typical minimum signings. But that's not the same thing as saying like, therefore 1421 01:27:01,479 --> 01:27:04,359 they're totally adequate as like six, seventh, eighth, ninth guys. It's 1422 01:27:04,439 --> 01:27:08,800 like maybe they're you know, tenth, eleventh, twelve guys, and that 1423 01:27:09,039 --> 01:27:12,479 is you know, that turned out to be more of the case. I 1424 01:27:12,560 --> 01:27:15,800 do think it's interesting that like, whatever you thought about the Suns, you 1425 01:27:15,960 --> 01:27:20,279 got a piece of like the best outlook and the worst this year, Like 1426 01:27:20,520 --> 01:27:24,239 you saw some moments where like, oh my god, these guys cannot be 1427 01:27:24,319 --> 01:27:28,279 stopped, and then you saw and we will I think continue to see in 1428 01:27:28,279 --> 01:27:30,279 the playoffs, like the depth isn't here. If the talent's redundant, you're 1429 01:27:30,319 --> 01:27:33,920 super fucked long term, Like there's just nowhere to go from this, right, 1430 01:27:34,000 --> 01:27:36,399 Like you're saying three of the seven highest paid guys, like what, 1431 01:27:36,840 --> 01:27:40,680 so, who are you trading? Like and when? Because this isn't like 1432 01:27:40,800 --> 01:27:44,119 this isn't good enough and they're all getting Okay, what are we about? 1433 01:27:44,279 --> 01:27:46,680 Isn't it Kevin Durant trade request o'clock too? Right? It's been. How 1434 01:27:46,720 --> 01:27:50,720 many months has it been, like ten eleven? Whatever it is. You're 1435 01:27:50,720 --> 01:27:53,960 about to go on a little bit of a mini streak here I am. 1436 01:27:54,279 --> 01:27:57,279 We'll start with this. I mean this. We addressed this with Charlotte. 1437 01:27:57,520 --> 01:28:02,279 Portland is next Scoot Henderson was was wrong about Scoot being the best point guard 1438 01:28:02,359 --> 01:28:06,600 prospect since like whatever, Russell Westbrook, Dereck Rose, all those names and 1439 01:28:06,680 --> 01:28:11,119 others were thrown out there. I drank the kool aid. I saw him 1440 01:28:11,399 --> 01:28:15,520 and whatever that was that he just drink it. You made it well. 1441 01:28:15,560 --> 01:28:17,560 I was like, I just I just mainlined the powder. I didn't even 1442 01:28:17,600 --> 01:28:23,039 mix it with Lakewood. I just dry scooped it, dry scooped the kool 1443 01:28:23,079 --> 01:28:27,960 aid. Can you imagine it's Look, I'm with you. I'm not giving 1444 01:28:28,039 --> 01:28:31,439 up on the idea that Henderson can be like a really good player of franchise, 1445 01:28:31,520 --> 01:28:35,399 Cornerstone, whatever you want to say this. He was terrible this year, 1446 01:28:35,680 --> 01:28:41,239 just the least efficient, high volume shooter in the NBA. He ticked 1447 01:28:41,319 --> 01:28:44,720 up a little bit towards the end of the year when nobody was paying attention, 1448 01:28:44,800 --> 01:28:46,319 which is what Portland players do. They have these runs at the end 1449 01:28:46,359 --> 01:28:50,439 of dead seasons where it's like, oh, what about next year, so 1450 01:28:50,680 --> 01:28:55,000 you bite your tongue. Ryan Repeer is the real deal, right, Yeah. 1451 01:28:57,119 --> 01:29:00,359 I still like Shadon Sharp and he did this last year. And Anthony 1452 01:29:00,439 --> 01:29:02,880 Simons broke out two years ago and I like him too, But yeah, 1453 01:29:02,920 --> 01:29:06,039 the Scoot thing is just number one. I guess, like it's all of 1454 01:29:06,119 --> 01:29:10,159 a piece with the way the Lillard thing went down. But like, I 1455 01:29:10,199 --> 01:29:15,000 don't know what I necessarily got wrong about the Lillard thing. I think I 1456 01:29:15,079 --> 01:29:17,399 mean, the trade assets they got back in those exchanges ultimately look worse now 1457 01:29:17,399 --> 01:29:21,479 because Robert Williams didn't stay healthy and Brogden didn't stay healthy and like eight and 1458 01:29:21,520 --> 01:29:25,560 it's been terrible, So that's fall part of it. But like those were 1459 01:29:26,319 --> 01:29:30,600 like easy to easy to spot risks at the time, but just Scoot not 1460 01:29:30,720 --> 01:29:34,239 being what I thought. Look, in DeAndre Jordans' defense, he got better 1461 01:29:34,359 --> 01:29:39,560 once he stopped sleeping on a bed made of moncala beans and gravel. Sure 1462 01:29:39,720 --> 01:29:43,880 that helps. Nobody could get him on hips to like you need a decent 1463 01:29:43,960 --> 01:29:46,960 bed before that. That was not the blizzard stuff. I understand why people 1464 01:29:46,960 --> 01:29:48,840 think that's higher, Like that's a real one. The bed thing is one 1465 01:29:48,840 --> 01:29:53,560 of the stupidest things I've ever like that just should not have been an issue. 1466 01:29:53,720 --> 01:29:56,359 It defies belief. It's gotta be scooped for you, right, Like, 1467 01:29:56,439 --> 01:29:58,800 I mean, there's we could go other directions. I'm definitely more encouraged 1468 01:29:58,800 --> 01:30:00,680 by his clothes to the season. For sure. I did think I saw 1469 01:30:00,760 --> 01:30:03,800 like more stuff from Mattis Staible on offense than I thought I was ever really 1470 01:30:03,840 --> 01:30:06,279 gonna see. But I don't know if that's like the product of the environs 1471 01:30:06,359 --> 01:30:10,640 or if this is actually real because his three point shot was up and then 1472 01:30:10,720 --> 01:30:13,359 he kind of did the inverse where like fell off later in the season for 1473 01:30:13,359 --> 01:30:15,800 a Portland player. But yeah, I'm with you all right to money Kamara 1474 01:30:15,960 --> 01:30:18,920 was good. But if you paid any attention to Sun's Twitter before he was 1475 01:30:18,960 --> 01:30:23,479 traded. Every time the hot guys came on here during our look at it 1476 01:30:23,479 --> 01:30:26,840 and they were gutted that he was included in the in the bread that was 1477 01:30:26,880 --> 01:30:29,439 the eight and trade. Excuse me, yeah, all right, we got 1478 01:30:29,479 --> 01:30:31,960 the Kings next. I don't know, like what went. I'm trying to 1479 01:30:32,039 --> 01:30:35,079 think. This was a hard one for me because they were kind of similar. 1480 01:30:35,279 --> 01:30:38,600 Their offense was a little worse, their defense was a little better. 1481 01:30:39,279 --> 01:30:43,560 Uh, I guess like and Keegan Murray took a step like everybody kind of 1482 01:30:43,640 --> 01:30:48,560 hoped he would leap, Yeah, leap. What's between like he took a 1483 01:30:49,279 --> 01:30:57,079 took, he bounded. I don't know. Okay, I think I think 1484 01:30:57,479 --> 01:31:00,880 one. I think maybe we both I like this wrong. This clearly wasn't 1485 01:31:00,920 --> 01:31:03,319 the year and norm was last season the off season for them to go make 1486 01:31:03,399 --> 01:31:06,520 the all in like type of play where we said, why how could you 1487 01:31:06,640 --> 01:31:12,199 not go into this season more aggressively addressing some of your perimeter defensive concerns is 1488 01:31:12,279 --> 01:31:14,800 the answer, because they kind of understood like, well, maybe our offense 1489 01:31:14,880 --> 01:31:16,079 is on a little bit shit. Not that they could have seen the Kevin 1490 01:31:16,119 --> 01:31:20,159 Herder regression coming, but like, you know, the King and Murray defensive 1491 01:31:20,239 --> 01:31:25,039 bound that we're calling it the bound, sure jump, the spike, the 1492 01:31:25,119 --> 01:31:28,880 uptick. Uh, that's huge for them. And now the emergence of Kean 1493 01:31:28,920 --> 01:31:30,520 Ellis I think that kind of changes with it where it's like, oh, 1494 01:31:30,640 --> 01:31:32,279 maybe it doesn't need to make it all in, but like, can we 1495 01:31:32,319 --> 01:31:35,039 get a Caruso? Can we get a I mean, Michail Bridges would be 1496 01:31:35,039 --> 01:31:39,399 great for this team, doesn't Jeremy Grant make sense, but they clearly just 1497 01:31:39,840 --> 01:31:43,479 like they weren't there and now that you have more information on Keegan Murray, 1498 01:31:43,840 --> 01:31:49,119 maybe it'll help you get there. But like they're an interesting team because progress 1499 01:31:49,199 --> 01:31:53,960 isn't linear. But I would argue that while they have more information on what 1500 01:31:54,039 --> 01:31:57,399 they are, they didn't actually make a ton of progress. Yeah. I 1501 01:31:57,479 --> 01:32:00,359 think I said this about the Pelicans the other day when we record of like, 1502 01:32:00,399 --> 01:32:04,119 you know, you know a little bit more about the team now, 1503 01:32:04,239 --> 01:32:08,439 but you're kind of ultimately in the same spot you were with some of the 1504 01:32:08,479 --> 01:32:12,760 same questions like three years ago, And the way I feel about the Kings 1505 01:32:12,840 --> 01:32:15,920 right now today is a lot like how I felt about them at the end 1506 01:32:15,960 --> 01:32:18,600 of last year. And so it's just like, I don't know, Murray 1507 01:32:18,640 --> 01:32:25,239 getting better is huge, but like Sibonus having another underwhelming like performance as a 1508 01:32:25,319 --> 01:32:28,000 top guy with all the double doubles and all the numbers, just like and 1509 01:32:28,079 --> 01:32:31,279 you don't make the playoffs. Fox was Fox does this every year where like 1510 01:32:31,359 --> 01:32:34,319 he's better at a few things but worse at others, and it's just like 1511 01:32:34,399 --> 01:32:38,920 he can't he never makes like the full maybe he's already made the full leap, 1512 01:32:39,000 --> 01:32:43,680 but like it's just I don't like what's different today than a year ago 1513 01:32:43,760 --> 01:32:45,560 in terms of like how I would say I probably thought their defense this season 1514 01:32:45,600 --> 01:32:48,079 would be a lot worse in the macro, and I was even telling to 1515 01:32:48,119 --> 01:32:50,159 point out, like, well, look at how good they are getting set 1516 01:32:50,560 --> 01:32:55,479 on defense and like taking their opponents out of transition. So it's like a 1517 01:32:55,560 --> 01:32:58,319 weird space to be and where I'm not low on their future, but I 1518 01:32:58,800 --> 01:33:01,399 was. Remember I went on, I definitely destroyed them for the demoness I'm 1519 01:33:01,479 --> 01:33:05,439 and I'm higher someone who likes the bonus as the center talk about destroyed I. 1520 01:33:05,640 --> 01:33:10,520 I That's been my probably most number one thing I've caught and he caught 1521 01:33:10,560 --> 01:33:14,159 heat for is calling Sabonis the most overrated player in the league. That and 1522 01:33:14,239 --> 01:33:17,319 anything you say about the Pelicans. I feel like, but like I killed 1523 01:33:17,319 --> 01:33:20,520 the renegotiating extent and I'm going back in time, but I still do it. 1524 01:33:20,560 --> 01:33:23,920 And then just the use of cap space, but it was like they 1525 01:33:24,159 --> 01:33:27,159 maybe they just understood that not that this would be a gap year, but 1526 01:33:27,199 --> 01:33:30,720 this needed to be another information gathering season of will prove that internally we can 1527 01:33:30,800 --> 01:33:34,880 get better, which they did in something defensively and having the key on Ellis 1528 01:33:34,880 --> 01:33:42,359 stuff, the Keegan Murray bounding on better fo Yeah, and then like even 1529 01:33:42,399 --> 01:33:45,600 the Keegan Murray, just the different types of shot making he can do now 1530 01:33:45,680 --> 01:33:48,199 where his he does feel a little bit more turbulent, where it's I mean, 1531 01:33:48,319 --> 01:33:50,800 the play in was a perfect example where it's so in the first playing 1532 01:33:50,800 --> 01:33:54,640 game, where's he hit like twenty threes and then he he has a down 1533 01:33:55,039 --> 01:33:59,199 game the next So but that happens with three point variants his offensive portfolio. 1534 01:33:59,600 --> 01:34:00,960 It kind of it didn't do the whole Oh look what he did in summer 1535 01:34:01,000 --> 01:34:03,199 League in the desmon Vane is all of a sudden like a primary initiator. 1536 01:34:03,239 --> 01:34:08,800 It wasn't that, but he's having that is huge. But like I feel 1537 01:34:09,720 --> 01:34:13,039 if I'm like if I was in charge of this team, where I'm almost 1538 01:34:13,079 --> 01:34:15,399 relieved that they didn't go out at the deadline or over the offseason to make 1539 01:34:15,640 --> 01:34:18,359 this kind of big time swing relative to the rest of the West, but 1540 01:34:18,399 --> 01:34:21,720 also just where they are now, you kind of know, maybe you don't 1541 01:34:21,720 --> 01:34:25,680 even know the type of player that you need, but at least by waiting, 1542 01:34:25,720 --> 01:34:29,439 I think you've increased your well of options that you can go to. 1543 01:34:29,680 --> 01:34:31,600 And now you kind of understand, all right, well, Malik Monk had 1544 01:34:31,640 --> 01:34:34,119 this breakout season, we have his early bird rights, but is he gonna 1545 01:34:34,119 --> 01:34:36,560 get more than four and seventy eight and are we even going to be the 1546 01:34:36,600 --> 01:34:41,319 team that wants to pay him that much? That Kevin Herder regression pre shoulder 1547 01:34:41,359 --> 01:34:44,920 injury was real, is he someone who's less expensive? So you just have 1548 01:34:45,479 --> 01:34:47,079 more of this information, not that last season was a blow like this team 1549 01:34:47,159 --> 01:34:50,279 won when they went forty seven forty six games, like that's a legit that's 1550 01:34:50,319 --> 01:34:55,520 a legit team, but it's it's I oddly feel like they're in a more 1551 01:34:55,560 --> 01:34:59,840 complicated situation, probably because of the strength of the West in general moving forward, 1552 01:35:00,039 --> 01:35:02,600 But I think I guess where I'm at now is where I thought they 1553 01:35:02,600 --> 01:35:05,640 really need to consolidate into that one dude, it's like, you know what, 1554 01:35:05,760 --> 01:35:10,239 by maybe holding your powder and you have your pick now because you didn't 1555 01:35:10,279 --> 01:35:14,479 anticipate finishing in the lottery, so that Piciota Atlanta doesn't cumber things. Maybe 1556 01:35:14,560 --> 01:35:17,439 it's a series of trying to hit like singles and doubles on the trade market 1557 01:35:17,479 --> 01:35:20,479 where it's you know now, it's not you don't need just a wing defender 1558 01:35:20,520 --> 01:35:23,960 because you have Kegan Murray and Keaton Alis to help you out with that. 1559 01:35:24,359 --> 01:35:27,039 Could you get someone like an Alex Caruso who would have gotten anyway? I 1560 01:35:27,039 --> 01:35:29,359 want to be clear, because he could defend some fours, but you can, 1561 01:35:29,640 --> 01:35:31,760 you can try these different things and there's value in that. I just 1562 01:35:31,840 --> 01:35:35,119 don't know if that counts as enough progress, if that makes any weird sense. 1563 01:35:36,000 --> 01:35:40,520 Yeah, no, I think I just the Monk thing is. I 1564 01:35:40,640 --> 01:35:42,159 was going to ask you, like, well, they won I think they 1565 01:35:42,199 --> 01:35:44,720 won forty eight two years ago, in forty six. This year, like 1566 01:35:44,960 --> 01:35:47,760 I like four West is just like yeah, like forty seven feels about right 1567 01:35:47,840 --> 01:35:51,359 for next year, like they're gonna be in that range again, except I 1568 01:35:53,159 --> 01:35:56,840 think Monk really matters to this team. Uh. And I think they would 1569 01:35:56,840 --> 01:35:59,439 pay him that four for seventy eight, like in a heartbeat, and would 1570 01:35:59,439 --> 01:36:01,479 go way higher if they could. And I think I think someone else is 1571 01:36:01,520 --> 01:36:04,359 gonna pay them pay him more. And now, in addition to some of 1572 01:36:04,359 --> 01:36:08,880 the other issues you mentioned, like maybe the defense is sort of sturdier with 1573 01:36:09,119 --> 01:36:12,920 Ellis emerging and Murray getting better, but now it's like, oh shit, 1574 01:36:13,359 --> 01:36:16,039 we don't have shot creators after Fox and sabonus, Like, what so now 1575 01:36:16,079 --> 01:36:18,560 we got a new issue to solve. If you lose Monk, I think 1576 01:36:18,680 --> 01:36:23,399 Murray can. He's not gonna be the drive and kick stuff or driving past 1577 01:36:23,399 --> 01:36:26,800 stuff that drive and dish that Monk does. That's not really his thing. 1578 01:36:26,840 --> 01:36:30,000 But I think he can like offset some of the shot creation that you're good 1579 01:36:30,039 --> 01:36:33,159 not only just like missing from Monk, but if this is just the new 1580 01:36:33,239 --> 01:36:36,479 Kevin Herder, that's something to consider. So like you need Murray there. 1581 01:36:38,399 --> 01:36:40,560 It's a weird spot. I would still, I know, I said, 1582 01:36:40,600 --> 01:36:43,359 like maybe you don't consolidate, but like I'm putting everything I have on the 1583 01:36:43,399 --> 01:36:45,840 table absent Keegan Murray. Of course, the fact that you and the mckal 1584 01:36:45,880 --> 01:36:51,840 bridges discut maybe I think Murray, like if if you could get the like 1585 01:36:53,439 --> 01:36:56,159 say he played eighty two games, I don't know how many exactly he played, 1586 01:36:56,399 --> 01:36:59,520 but like whatever the top seven, like the top twenty one of those, 1587 01:36:59,640 --> 01:37:01,479 like the top quarter in terms of his like usage rate and like general 1588 01:37:01,560 --> 01:37:04,600 involvement in the offense, if that could be the baseline going forward, Like 1589 01:37:04,800 --> 01:37:09,119 he's gonna get more shots, he's gonna have the ball more, he's gonna 1590 01:37:09,119 --> 01:37:13,000 be involved in actions that are designed to like make him free, freed up 1591 01:37:13,039 --> 01:37:15,319 to do stuff like that. Like he doesn't even need to get better. 1592 01:37:15,399 --> 01:37:19,279 I think just the way that he's used like just needs to be the dials 1593 01:37:19,359 --> 01:37:23,800 got to turn up, because like, I think I would be almost more 1594 01:37:23,880 --> 01:37:28,479 encouraged if his three point percentage went down next year because he's taking like four 1595 01:37:28,560 --> 01:37:30,239 more threes a game or something like that. I think I think that's a 1596 01:37:30,279 --> 01:37:32,560 way to solve some of the monk stuff, assuming you lose him. But 1597 01:37:32,680 --> 01:37:36,159 yeah, I just will pick the Kings to be right around this good again 1598 01:37:36,239 --> 01:37:40,720 next year unless something drastic changes, and like now we know maybe that's good 1599 01:37:40,760 --> 01:37:43,399 enough for the playoffs and maybe it's not. Like so that's that's that's a 1600 01:37:43,439 --> 01:37:46,000 little underwhelming. We've spent a lot of time there, San Antonio. Uh 1601 01:37:46,920 --> 01:37:50,880 So I'm gonna try to stay away from the like didn't know Wemby would be 1602 01:37:51,239 --> 01:37:56,079 the greatest thing of all time, Kevin I will say, Kuros were saying, 1603 01:37:56,279 --> 01:37:59,800 remember everyone watches summ League performances and we're like, there's look at how 1604 01:37:59,800 --> 01:38:01,199 bad he was, And I came away for like this might be one of 1605 01:38:01,239 --> 01:38:04,560 the best players I've ever watched. Well, I distinctly remember because I was 1606 01:38:04,640 --> 01:38:08,319 like, Dan, you've got to like, this is the craziest thing you've 1607 01:38:08,319 --> 01:38:11,359 ever seen. And You're like, I didn't see his good game? Do 1608 01:38:11,399 --> 01:38:14,840 you remember this? Yeah? And I still agree with all that. I 1609 01:38:14,880 --> 01:38:16,880 saw a bad game and I left convinced that he was going to be the 1610 01:38:16,880 --> 01:38:20,000 greatest player of all time. So correct on that. How about this, 1611 01:38:20,119 --> 01:38:27,520 though, I think some of what I don't know maybe fueled some women Yama 1612 01:38:27,560 --> 01:38:30,600 optimism in terms of like the big, big picture is that all the Spurs 1613 01:38:30,680 --> 01:38:34,560 are the optimal environment for him, Like they're just they're run better than any 1614 01:38:34,600 --> 01:38:39,239 other organization. They've got this culture of winning, they're perfectly coached, they 1615 01:38:39,319 --> 01:38:42,119 make all the right decisions, they get the most out of everybody. And 1616 01:38:42,239 --> 01:38:45,359 some of the decisions we saw this organization make this year, like just put 1617 01:38:45,399 --> 01:38:49,479 the lie to that stance on them because the point guard stuff, the Swen 1618 01:38:49,560 --> 01:38:53,439 experiment, which we endorsed at the time, like why not, Well why 1619 01:38:53,520 --> 01:38:56,600 not is you should have had somebody there that was capable that you knew could 1620 01:38:56,640 --> 01:39:00,840 handle that position. They didn't put the they put the wrong They played him 1621 01:39:00,840 --> 01:39:02,920 at the wrong position to start the season. Zach Collins now looks like a 1622 01:39:03,000 --> 01:39:05,800 horrible fit and he just I think, is gonna have surgery again. I've 1623 01:39:05,960 --> 01:39:11,039 torn Laborham what don't quote me on the nature of the injury, but it's 1624 01:39:11,079 --> 01:39:14,079 like bad to worse, bad fit, bad contract. Now he's hurt. 1625 01:39:15,720 --> 01:39:18,159 I was wrong that I thought, like the Spurs are gonna set him up 1626 01:39:18,199 --> 01:39:21,359 to succeed better than any other franchise possibly could have. And just some of 1627 01:39:21,399 --> 01:39:26,520 those decisions where like they just they actively like got in the way of when 1628 01:39:26,600 --> 01:39:30,239 mien Yama being the best version of himself culturally, why like in terms of 1629 01:39:30,359 --> 01:39:33,520 like the organizational culture and like the no nonsense and like get over yourself stuff. 1630 01:39:33,560 --> 01:39:36,199 I think that's all still there. So that's great, but just like 1631 01:39:36,520 --> 01:39:41,159 tactically, a lot left to be desired this year that I didn't see there. 1632 01:39:41,319 --> 01:39:43,880 That's the thing that I missed out. I thought the Jeremy seller and 1633 01:39:43,960 --> 01:39:45,600 experiment at Point Guard, even if it wasn't the answer, I thought it 1634 01:39:45,680 --> 01:39:49,359 was going to work, and then it was just awful, and they stuck 1635 01:39:49,399 --> 01:39:53,640 with it for so long. They're gonna be tested on their willingness to pivot 1636 01:39:53,680 --> 01:39:56,880 because when min Yama is one of the fifteen that he's gonna be one of 1637 01:39:56,920 --> 01:39:59,840 the ten to fifteen best players in the league next year. You're now obligated 1638 01:39:59,840 --> 01:40:01,920 to operate on a more immediate timeline. And are they going to be willing 1639 01:40:01,960 --> 01:40:04,680 to do that? Their their kind of ability to, like I said, 1640 01:40:04,720 --> 01:40:08,479 pivot, and what you're sort of saying is, yeah, okay, culture, 1641 01:40:08,560 --> 01:40:11,600 this stuff is still there. But do they recognize that they have this 1642 01:40:11,760 --> 01:40:15,319 alien who might be one of the best players of all time, is in 1643 01:40:15,399 --> 01:40:17,560 his prime right now, like we're like ready to win right now. How 1644 01:40:17,640 --> 01:40:20,800 they react to that is gonna is like a question I have and you shouldn't. 1645 01:40:20,840 --> 01:40:24,560 We always would have had that because of how conservative the Spurs tend to 1646 01:40:24,600 --> 01:40:28,840 play it. But I feel less easy about that conservatism than I ever have. 1647 01:40:29,359 --> 01:40:31,239 Yeah, I think that's fair. All right, your turn the Toronto 1648 01:40:31,359 --> 01:40:36,199 Raptors. I want to talk about whether the pick should convey or not, 1649 01:40:36,279 --> 01:40:40,199 if they should have wanted the pick to convey Our discord members will get what 1650 01:40:40,279 --> 01:40:43,199 that's what that's about. I want to talk about Yakam Pearl trade. No, 1651 01:40:43,279 --> 01:40:45,760 I'm just that they'll get what that's about. So I'll do two things, 1652 01:40:45,800 --> 01:40:47,880 because they're both sort of quick. I never thought that they would trade 1653 01:40:47,880 --> 01:40:51,319 both og and Obi and Pascal Siakham. I probably was, I guess the 1654 01:40:51,399 --> 01:40:55,640 right call. I'm looking at their roster now and like man og would look 1655 01:40:55,720 --> 01:40:59,079 really nice on this team, but he wouldn't have gotten RJ and emanual quickly 1656 01:40:59,119 --> 01:41:01,079 if you don't give up og at Anobi. I was surprised. I thought 1657 01:41:01,079 --> 01:41:03,760 they would have gotten more for Siakam. I just never thought they would have 1658 01:41:04,000 --> 01:41:08,840 moved both of them. Part of that maybe I was overcorrecting for how they 1659 01:41:08,880 --> 01:41:13,479 handled Kyle Lowry Fred Van Vliet. But so I think making that decision ripping 1660 01:41:13,520 --> 01:41:15,039 off the band aid, did they handle it perfectly? Absolutely not. They 1661 01:41:15,039 --> 01:41:18,840 should have made those decisions sooner. Probably the other thing that I got wrong 1662 01:41:19,520 --> 01:41:21,880 RJ Barrett. I was never out on him. You know, I flip 1663 01:41:21,920 --> 01:41:27,279 flopped a lot. He's finishing at the rim in Toronto. It feels real 1664 01:41:27,399 --> 01:41:29,840 because I never would have Here's what I would have gotten wrong. If you 1665 01:41:29,880 --> 01:41:32,000 told me that he was shooting seventy two percent at the rim over a thirty 1666 01:41:32,000 --> 01:41:35,920 two game sample size, which by the way, is like fifteen percent above 1667 01:41:36,000 --> 01:41:41,560 his career average for me to believe that it was real, and you had 1668 01:41:41,600 --> 01:41:43,640 to tell me the team that he was on, the Raptors wouldn't have been 1669 01:41:43,680 --> 01:41:45,760 in my top ten guesses just because the way their spacing works. They did 1670 01:41:45,800 --> 01:41:51,000 a great job of getting him kind of acting with momentum, with intention before 1671 01:41:51,039 --> 01:41:54,920 he ever got the ball, and giving him sort of those head starts, 1672 01:41:55,119 --> 01:41:57,680 and I think he was able to shine in that, and it makes me 1673 01:41:58,119 --> 01:42:00,279 believe that, well, if he was able to do this, send in 1674 01:42:00,319 --> 01:42:02,880 some lineups that still weren't great with floor spacing, like the floor balance, 1675 01:42:03,119 --> 01:42:06,000 what is he gonna do when they eventually open it even more as I assertainly 1676 01:42:06,039 --> 01:42:11,880 will as time goes on. So I am a believer in the utility that 1677 01:42:12,039 --> 01:42:15,079 Barrett has on this Raptor squad. I don't think the three point shooting is 1678 01:42:15,119 --> 01:42:17,000 necessarily get a hold. That's a bid they are seeing that movie. But 1679 01:42:17,119 --> 01:42:20,880 I'm definitely was not as high as I should have been on his offensive fit. 1680 01:42:21,520 --> 01:42:26,920 My favorite thing I one of my favorite things I read this year was 1681 01:42:27,000 --> 01:42:30,720 about how like it wasn't even like an article, It was just someone referencing 1682 01:42:30,880 --> 01:42:33,720 like, maybe RJ. Barrett is just better because there aren't like three to 1683 01:42:33,840 --> 01:42:36,680 four other left handed players on the court with him all the time, and 1684 01:42:36,880 --> 01:42:41,359 like he did. The driving lanes he wants are not occupied by guys trying 1685 01:42:41,359 --> 01:42:44,279 to go to the same spot. I don't think there's really anything to that, 1686 01:42:44,399 --> 01:42:46,079 but that's my fun thing of like, you can't have too many lefties 1687 01:42:46,159 --> 01:42:49,640 or nothing works, they all suffer. There's probably some validity, but I 1688 01:42:49,760 --> 01:42:53,840 think it really to me just based off what I saw and there people probably 1689 01:42:53,840 --> 01:42:57,760 watched them more than I did. The momentum away from the ball feels like, 1690 01:42:57,880 --> 01:42:59,840 yeah, right, I had. The movement away from the ball made 1691 01:42:59,840 --> 01:43:01,239 it made all the difference in the way. It's more that, But it's 1692 01:43:01,279 --> 01:43:04,159 just funny to me to think, like there might be executives out there thinking 1693 01:43:04,199 --> 01:43:06,520 like, well, shit, we already got two left handed players on the 1694 01:43:06,600 --> 01:43:10,039 roster. This guy's really good, but we just can't act. We can't 1695 01:43:10,079 --> 01:43:12,720 do it. We all have too many lefties, all right, I have 1696 01:43:12,800 --> 01:43:15,800 the Utah Jazz next. I think the main thing is I'm not sure I 1697 01:43:15,920 --> 01:43:19,359 saw such a purposeful tank coming towards the end of the year, because they 1698 01:43:19,800 --> 01:43:24,479 the narrative last year was they they waited too long and maybe cost themselves when 1699 01:43:24,520 --> 01:43:28,600 min Yama and like just weren't in. Maybe didn't make the right assessment of 1700 01:43:28,680 --> 01:43:31,439 the roster and then didn't pivot quickly enough when it turned out that the team 1701 01:43:31,560 --> 01:43:34,520 was just better than they thought it was. This year was much more like 1702 01:43:35,159 --> 01:43:39,279 the leash was way shorter on you guys are allowed to compete and then we're 1703 01:43:39,279 --> 01:43:42,439 gonna hamstring you. And injuries had a hand to play in that too, 1704 01:43:42,520 --> 01:43:45,000 But like I think I thought they would just do the same thing where it's 1705 01:43:45,000 --> 01:43:47,479 like, we'll see how good the team is and then you know, whatever 1706 01:43:47,520 --> 01:43:51,199 happens happens, and we'll tank late if we need to. It happened earlier 1707 01:43:51,239 --> 01:43:56,840 this year. The other small thing I really thought last year one of my 1708 01:43:56,880 --> 01:44:01,560 favorite things to go to in just in discussing like how potentially disastrous the Rudy 1709 01:44:01,600 --> 01:44:05,119 Gobert trade was for the Wolves, is that, like Walker Kessler was one 1710 01:44:05,159 --> 01:44:08,479 of the pieces they gave up, and like there were a bunch of numbers 1711 01:44:08,479 --> 01:44:12,560 that showed Kessler was from a defensive impact standpoint, yeah, pretty close to 1712 01:44:12,640 --> 01:44:15,880 as good as Gobert. Don't trust tiny samples. Kessler, I do think 1713 01:44:15,920 --> 01:44:18,439 still is one of the better defensive bigs in the league. Has a super 1714 01:44:18,920 --> 01:44:23,159 bright future in that regard. He just wasn't nearly as good, was not 1715 01:44:23,399 --> 01:44:26,960 like anywhere near. That just comes down to how they like limited his use 1716 01:44:27,279 --> 01:44:30,880 though. Yeah, really one of the most valuable rim protectors statistically in the 1717 01:44:30,960 --> 01:44:33,960 league. Yeah, he just but he wasn't like his I think he was 1718 01:44:34,079 --> 01:44:40,000 ninety fourth in defensive estimated plus mind ninety fourth percentile in DPM last year he's 1719 01:44:40,039 --> 01:44:43,640 like top quartile. Still he's like seventy eighth this year. His block rate 1720 01:44:43,720 --> 01:44:45,239 actually went up to your point, So like they just didn't use him as 1721 01:44:45,359 --> 01:44:49,560 much. I thought Kessler had the chance to be like no questions asked defensive 1722 01:44:49,600 --> 01:44:55,159 cornerstone is one of those like if you have him, your top seven defensively 1723 01:44:55,359 --> 01:44:59,319 with anybody else may still get there. But didn't didn't do that this year. 1724 01:45:00,000 --> 01:45:01,479 I think I remember, and I think I was talking to you about 1725 01:45:01,479 --> 01:45:04,960 it. Whereas we need to brace ourselves for like lowry markin market inefficiency to 1726 01:45:05,000 --> 01:45:08,119 fall off. And I was citing some of the stuff that happened after the 1727 01:45:08,159 --> 01:45:11,720 trade deadline last year, and like they're not going to have this traditional organizer 1728 01:45:12,239 --> 01:45:14,920 and they still didn't like it was Comin Sexton, it was Jordan Clarkson, 1729 01:45:14,960 --> 01:45:16,640 it was Keante George, it was like Chris don was getting minutes. It 1730 01:45:16,760 --> 01:45:19,279 was just like, no, like he's just gonna spit out another season of 1731 01:45:19,479 --> 01:45:23,840 shooting an astronomical clip from deep pitting fifty five plus percent of his twos. 1732 01:45:24,079 --> 01:45:27,319 He's this blend of like kind of a play finisher but also a wing and 1733 01:45:27,479 --> 01:45:30,439 give you a little bit of creation, and he could play the three or 1734 01:45:30,479 --> 01:45:33,239 the four. And it was we both recognized that he he deserved to win. 1735 01:45:33,399 --> 01:45:35,920 I had Sga my most improved player last year, but he didn't not 1736 01:45:36,159 --> 01:45:40,840 deserve to win it. So I was I was just wrong, Like, 1737 01:45:40,880 --> 01:45:43,880 oh no, this is just going to translate to a situation that I think 1738 01:45:43,920 --> 01:45:46,680 you could argue relative to how he started last year. And what we saw 1739 01:45:46,760 --> 01:45:53,119 last year was definitely not as ideal. Yep. Yeah, our final team, 1740 01:45:53,600 --> 01:45:58,199 our favorite team, the Washington Wizards. What was I wrong about with 1741 01:45:58,359 --> 01:46:00,800 them? This is one that I struggled on and I think I have to 1742 01:46:00,920 --> 01:46:04,159 go here, even though it's not gonna be I thought Jordan Bole was gonna 1743 01:46:04,159 --> 01:46:06,680 be awful. There. You held out hope. You're like, you're like, 1744 01:46:06,840 --> 01:46:09,840 oh, he's gonna make an All Star team. Don't trade him for 1745 01:46:09,960 --> 01:46:16,319 SGA, Like where's he going with this? I don't think I even understood 1746 01:46:16,319 --> 01:46:20,239 as someone who was higher on him than a consensus. How good their two 1747 01:46:20,319 --> 01:46:25,720 most important players are actually gonna be. And that's Blaakool Bali and Denny Aubdia. 1748 01:46:25,720 --> 01:46:30,560 And you know I was entranced by blackcool Bali coming in the defensive Polish 1749 01:46:30,680 --> 01:46:33,079 is just there. He is disruptive, he fights. He's not like super 1750 01:46:33,119 --> 01:46:36,359 strong looking, but he will handle some some of like these bigger, burlier 1751 01:46:36,439 --> 01:46:41,199 covers if he needs to. I like his motor in transition, and I 1752 01:46:41,279 --> 01:46:44,039 think that he shot the three ball well enough to make me believe that, 1753 01:46:44,600 --> 01:46:45,880 you know, the driving room is gonna open up and he'll get his hand 1754 01:46:45,880 --> 01:46:48,279 a little bit more under control. And then the thing that I might have 1755 01:46:48,319 --> 01:46:53,439 been even more wrong about Dennyavia And you know I love Denny Avia. I 1756 01:46:53,439 --> 01:46:55,520 said he was one of the most underrated players in the league. He was 1757 01:46:55,520 --> 01:46:59,079 easily their most underrated player. He aftered the most improved player discussion, and 1758 01:46:59,159 --> 01:47:01,439 there was more a great from him inside the arc. Better playmaking in those 1759 01:47:01,439 --> 01:47:04,800 situations. Still doesn't take as many threes as you want. He's hitting them 1760 01:47:04,840 --> 01:47:06,640 at a better clip, though, And it's also kind of who the fuck 1761 01:47:06,680 --> 01:47:11,560 cares when he's doing everything else. And he even kind of like quietly ratcheted 1762 01:47:11,680 --> 01:47:15,840 up his defensive workload and his performance this season. And so had they given 1763 01:47:15,920 --> 01:47:18,960 him more offensive responsibility or this level offensive responsibility from the jump, and I 1764 01:47:19,000 --> 01:47:21,479 probably should Maybe I'm speaking out of a turn. I really should have dug 1765 01:47:21,560 --> 01:47:25,920 into the touches and usage numbers, but I just don't. I didn't really 1766 01:47:25,920 --> 01:47:28,199 see that shifts from him until more so in the middle of the year. 1767 01:47:28,600 --> 01:47:31,479 He might have won Most Improved Player. Maybe maybe the Wizards wouldn't have been 1768 01:47:31,520 --> 01:47:35,479 good enough, but just looking at when Jalen Johnson and Scottie Barnes weren't eligible, 1769 01:47:35,720 --> 01:47:39,720 maybe he always would have gravitated towards Tyrese Maxie, who seems like he's 1770 01:47:39,720 --> 01:47:42,720 gonna win it. Kobe White comes on, Albert Shangun is there, But 1771 01:47:42,840 --> 01:47:45,239 he played like this for like another ten or fifteen or twenty games, like 1772 01:47:45,279 --> 01:47:48,279 he might have been my pick. Yeah, no, I think he made 1773 01:47:48,319 --> 01:47:51,239 a jump that was kind of like, it's not quite the Kobe White, 1774 01:47:51,359 --> 01:47:55,119 like, is he a rotation guy on a decent team to like, Oh 1775 01:47:55,199 --> 01:47:58,000 no, he's a starter on a He can be a starter on a good 1776 01:47:58,000 --> 01:48:00,960 team. Like I think Avdia went from like we like a lot of the 1777 01:48:00,000 --> 01:48:04,600 defense. We still have some questions too. He's at least a rotation guy 1778 01:48:04,640 --> 01:48:08,960 on a good team, and this trending towards like you would start him almost 1779 01:48:09,000 --> 01:48:11,760 any place, which is like that. Maybe that's all. I don't know 1780 01:48:11,760 --> 01:48:14,319 if that's a harderly, but it's it's the size is about the same. 1781 01:48:14,960 --> 01:48:17,920 For me, it was cool, I like real quick, like I knew, 1782 01:48:18,319 --> 01:48:21,319 I knew he would be inefficient. I just thought, like he's getting 1783 01:48:21,359 --> 01:48:25,399 you twenty seven, He's just gonna go off. He's gonna take the most, 1784 01:48:25,439 --> 01:48:28,479 he might take the most shots in the league. He's gonna shoot you 1785 01:48:28,520 --> 01:48:31,039 know, thirty three percent from three and like forty two percent from the field. 1786 01:48:31,039 --> 01:48:34,800 He would be like a like a vintage like iverson season minus the free 1787 01:48:34,800 --> 01:48:39,000 throw attempts where it's like he's getting he's averaging how much and he's like, 1788 01:48:39,119 --> 01:48:42,159 you know, true shooting percent and it is like way below the league average. 1789 01:48:42,439 --> 01:48:44,399 We just got all the bad and none of the good. Like the 1790 01:48:44,520 --> 01:48:46,600 volume wasn't there, and the efficiency sure as hell wasn't there, and the 1791 01:48:46,680 --> 01:48:51,680 defense was like criminal basically. So there's there's also by the way I would 1792 01:48:51,680 --> 01:48:54,880 have bet this is this. I guess this is really the thing we got 1793 01:48:54,920 --> 01:48:56,600 wrong. I can't believe it didn't have that. I would have bet an 1794 01:48:56,640 --> 01:49:00,439 o'bseeening amount of money that not all three of Jordan Pool, Kyle Kuzma, 1795 01:49:00,600 --> 01:49:06,079 and Tias Jones finished the season as Wizards, especially the Kuzma Tias Jones won 1796 01:49:06,119 --> 01:49:09,600 the Pool. I've looked at that contract and like, okay, all of 1797 01:49:09,680 --> 01:49:13,319 them finishing is wild. And then very quickly Tristian Vuksovich, I feel like 1798 01:49:13,359 --> 01:49:15,760 he's gonna be good being wrong about that because I do nothing about him until 1799 01:49:15,800 --> 01:49:18,720 he really came into the league and started logging. Said it's just like, 1800 01:49:18,840 --> 01:49:21,239 I don't know, look at some of the spacing, some of the passing, 1801 01:49:21,319 --> 01:49:24,720 even some nice hands and slidding his feet on defense. I don't know, 1802 01:49:24,840 --> 01:49:28,720 man, the center of the future. That's why you traded Daniel Gafford. 1803 01:49:28,720 --> 01:49:30,760 You knew you had Vuksovic and Marviy Magley, who people are trying to 1804 01:49:30,760 --> 01:49:32,880 talk to themselves into by the end of the year for the Wizards. Don't 1805 01:49:32,920 --> 01:49:36,439 do that. It will only bring you pain. Yeah, that's it, 1806 01:49:36,600 --> 01:49:39,760 right, we did you want to you want to take us out of here. 1807 01:49:39,880 --> 01:49:43,119 Sure, everybody, Thanks thanks for bearing with us as we meeta culpland 1808 01:49:43,199 --> 01:49:46,239 for close to two hours. Uh, you know we're gonna what are we 1809 01:49:46,319 --> 01:49:51,359 if not accountable? We've we've we've just seed NBA. We're number one sports 1810 01:49:51,399 --> 01:49:56,600 podcasts on the charts right now. And especially if you if you filter it 1811 01:49:56,800 --> 01:50:01,000 to accountability and willingness to admit mistake, we're like whatever's above one, that's 1812 01:50:01,000 --> 01:50:04,680 where we're like, we're off the charts. If you filter it by like 1813 01:50:04,800 --> 01:50:09,079 personability and charisma too, write well, it's like kind of across the bard. 1814 01:50:09,159 --> 01:50:12,880 It gets kind of boring to say how many different categories were first in. 1815 01:50:13,439 --> 01:50:15,880 But thanks for getting us there, everybody. And if you don't believe 1816 01:50:15,920 --> 01:50:17,319 any of that, then you need to tell your friends and enemies to listen 1817 01:50:17,359 --> 01:50:20,600 to this podcast, rate review, subscribe, support us. However, you 1818 01:50:20,720 --> 01:50:26,960 can join our Discord links for that YouTube and podcast subscription, same with our 1819 01:50:27,000 --> 01:50:30,800 merch I think that's going to cover it, shouts Frank Milatina. Apologies, Jared Allen