What is krak Alacin. Fellow thermonuclear affors, I am Danpa Valley, coming
at you as always with my certified fantabulous thermonuclear af co host, mister Grant
Hughes. To close out the twenty twenty three calendar year, we are doing
every NBA team's Biggest Regret from twenty and twenty three. We are beginning with
every single Eastern Conference team. The Western Conference will go up later this week
before we get started. The usual housekeeping notes though, please if this is
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you can join our discord. I would strongly encourage you to do that.
There are incredibly awesome discussions, including super deep dives on the anatomical geography of
Zion Williamson's tattoo right now. So that's the type of stuff you're getting in
our discord, the linked that is in the podcast on YouTube descriptions. And
finally, but perhaps most importantly, happy New Year to everybody, depending on
when you're listening to this, if you are celebrating it, please I hope
you're I hope it's a safe one. I hope it's a happy one.
Wishing everyone a better twenty twenty four than twenty twenty three. And as I
would like to add, Grant and I are super appreciative of all the support
we continue to get. I just told him before we hopped on this was
we did split it between two companies, but this was a record year for
total downloads for us. We hit for the first time. I know this
doesn't mean a lot to a lot of people on YouTube. We surpassed one
million views on YouTube in a single year for the first time, which is
good. This is really only the second year that we've invested heavily in doing
YouTube, and it's the first year really where I like we granted, I've
been like pumping out the shorts content. So thank you to everyone. Who
has watched who was shared. Once again, we're grateful for every single one
of you. Grant, how the heck are you doing? I wish I
had seen the discord conversation about Zion's tattoo. Can I guess? Because I
haven't, can I guess what the discussion was about. I have seen the
photos of it. You've seen the tattoo. Okay, yeah, go ahead
and get it. It's off center, right? Is that the main thrust
of the conversation. But the discussion was that it's anatomically correct when looking at
the actual place of his heart. Okay, so that's the defense of it.
I did kind of have that thought of like, because it's clearly not
centered up esthetically. I think people want it to be centered across your chest,
but apparently it's like spot on to where his actual heart would be.
Look, when it comes to tattoos, I'm very much to each their own
whatever they whatever they want to do with someone who just has tattoos. And
I have tattoos on my chest that are not centered like I have them on
each what do they call that, like each peck? Yeah, just the
one that says Frank and the one that says Mila Kina across you know one
let right that I was gonna put that across my neck, but I just
figured like, let's let's make let's put on my chest my neck yet,
maybe that'll be reserved for Chris Bouchet. I don't know. Probably probably.
His tattoo is interesting though, because it's like across with a lion in it.
Like I couldn't really tell based on the picture at first, but it's
I'm looking at it right now. Yeah, there's like a or is it
a bear? I don't know what it is, it's not honestly, the
detailing it's pretty good. If you look at the I can't know what animal
it is. It almost looks like it could be a Wookie from a Star
Wars two, but probably it. That's probably it. That's why you should
go on our discord though. Those are the discussions that are happening with our
esteemed awesomely Thermonuclear AF members. Are you ready to do this exercise though,
and do you have any insight into how you approached it though before we get
into it. Yeah, I am one. I am ready, I think
so, although I'm gonna have to Yeah, I'm gonna ease off on some
of the statistics in it, because this is gonna run several days after certainly
I wrote it or you know, put it together, and so some of
that will be off. But I think the larger points stan I just thought
of it, you know, because each team's biggest regret for twenty twenty three
could mean a million things, and I'm sure that each fan base is gonna
have and this hopefully this will be what we get out of this discussion.
Like but also, you know, after I give what I think is a
big regret, I'm sure you'll think of something sometimes that'll you know, probably
warrants mentioned in the discussion. So anyway, I just thought of it as
like more from the team perspective or maybe even like a fan perspective of like
this thing was a mistake that produced ripple effects, and like the more consequential
and far reaching those ripple effects, then the bigger the regret is to me.
So you know a lot of times they'll be like a really great,
you know, attentive fan. We'll say like, well, there was this
third quarter procession in April, you know, April fourteenth, it was a
Tuesday, and you know, so and so didn't screen it's like, that's
not going to be what we're doing here. This is a much a much
more zoomed out view, I guess, So yeah, should we just start
We're gonna got kick off the East, I guess. I think the only
thing I would add is, and I think you kind of mentioned this is
a lot of the stuff focused on more for me, roster building or transactions,
yeah, rather than just like these moments of times and games. Because
I think when you regret certain things in games, if it's like you can't
regret it, you can regret every injury is regrettable. There's just like no
unless it's self inflicted where spoiler alert, like Jaden McDaniel's going up against the
wall and losing. But just like even if you're saying they should have won
this game, or you're you know, if you're looking at the Kings Warriors
playoff series and trying to cop together regret with the Kings, I think that
tends to underestimate the role that the other team plays in sort of manifesting that
regret, which is why I generally steered clear to that. I don't know
how where you ended up with that. No, that's a great point I'm
glad you made it. I think I didn't consciously think that way, but
I ended up in the same place basically, like I wanted to avoid,
you know stuff I was trying to think as you were saying that though,
like there's got to be for a couple of these, like a really ill
advised like late game shot that someone took, or like actually for my bucks
one. You know, budenholes are not calling a time out a couple of
times in that playoff. Upset was like part of it, but it's not
the regret for example. So yeah, I definitely went more roster building,
like you know, personnel decision guys that were were not traded at the right
time, or signings, you know, hirings, firings like that kind that
kind of thing. Basically, please start us off, we're gonna go.
We're gonna dare to roll with the alphabet this time, since we didn't talk
about doing it a weirder way or you were more inventive way, So take
us off. Yeah, we didn't want to fly too close to the sun
with our creativity and divving these up. So to me, the Atlanta Hawk's
biggest regret and these are all by what we should go without saying in the
calendar year of twenty twenty three, so like, so it encapsulates part of
last season what we've seen this season to date as of December twenty seven,
twenty three. Yeah, there you go. So the biggest regret I think
they should have, which is really sort of how I'm framing all these,
is just believing in the core, which is to say, you know,
they re upped with the Johntay Murray, which I think made sense in a
vacuum. I think we both thought that extension was one like unlikely to happen
in the first place, and two totally reasonable. But the results so far,
based on the thinking that Quinn Snyder will just take this team as is
and turn it into something else, was not the case. So they're worst
defensively the stats when I did this, they were twenty first last year.
That's still true, twenty six this year. I think that's actually true as
we're recording this. In defensive efficiency. The offense got better, but the
result ultimately is like this was a five hundred ish team last year and they're
twelve and eighteen as we're recording this. Now. They have a positive point
differential but they are where they are in the standings, and it's basically the
same guys that they relied on last year that they assumed would just improve with
new coaching with I don't know, like rotation tweaks with better health from guys
like Bogdanovic. And this is even with Jalen Johnson being I think pretty clearly.
I don't know where you'd rank him on like this team's list of keepers,
but he's certainly higher than he was a year ago. So that's all.
It is, just trusting the corps. I think it turns out that
this corps doesn't fit together all that great, doesn't have a good enough combo
forward that can defend We've talked about that plenty, and now you're just looking
at well de Jante Murray may or may not be on the trade block,
and we've got to ask now, like how do you build a winner around
Trey Young? Like none of those questions have been answered because they trusted the
same group and it hasn't worked out. Yeah, I think I probably agree
with you there. I guess my one question would be like what would the
alternative have been right for them? And I wonder if it's just like could
they would they be in a much of a situation if they didn't hold on
to John Collins for so long that that's encapsulating more than twenty twenty three for
sure, though Yeah, I think I did mention that, not speaking,
but in the bit that I wrote up on it of like it's you want
to say, it's it's blowing the John Collins trade value, right, like
by just the longer they kept in, the lower it got. But that
like you're right, like that's been going on for like two plus years.
It's not just twenty three were ready to move on to the Boston Celtics.
Yeah, go ahead. So this is a team with that regrets. Basically,
I would love it if you would come up with one for me.
But so this is gonna be this will be the case for some several of
the better teams in the league. Like it's just nitpicking, so possible candidates
not bringing back Grant Williams. I think they're fine without him, I think
you could say. And what I ultimately went with was they don't they maybe
needed to add like one more wing. And this is more of like a
twenty twenty three offseason situation, I guess, because like Sam Hauser, I
think as a seventh man is like pretty darn good. Like a lot of
teams would be ecstatic to have a forty percent plus three point shooter who's better
than you think on defense. But like Oshaeper Sat Dellan o'banton, like,
neither of those guys have played very much. Neither of them figure to,
you know, take more minutes from Tatum and Brown as the games matter more
in the playoffs. So I guess like you could do some revisionist history and
say, like what about minimum guys like what about Derek Jones Junior? What
about the Leak Beasley, what about Lonnie Walker the fourth all these guys that
were you know, gettable, Why not one of them? Again, that's
a nitpick because the Celtics are the best team in the league, I think
for my money, and that's there aren't a lot of regrets out there as
far as I can see. Yeah, there's definitely not a lot. I
do wonder if you mentioned Grant Williams not being there. I totally get that's
not something that you need to regret, but just sort of not doing anything
to address the rim pressure element of the team where like, yeah, they're
still incredible, but it's not going to be a weakness that hurts them in
the playoffs especially, it's definitely a weakness that hurts them with their crunch time
offense now and should they have done more to maybe get a better organizer in
there. It was not going to be Marcus Smart. They have Drew Holliday,
like, it's not sort of him. Could they have done that with
the tools that they had would be of course the the other question. So
it's they seem like if you had to pick who the best team in the
league is right now, not who's gonna win the title, I feel like
it's pretty clearly or close to the Celtics them the Timberwolves are the Nuggets for
me right now. It's just that they feel that it feels like their stock.
The Timberwolves might be here too, but they definitely feel more house of
cards to me in the playoffs than like than the Nuggets for example. Yeah,
I think what's interesting for the Celtics too, is that, like some
of the moves that at the time you might have thought had the potential to
be regrettable, like, oh my god, they traded Marcus Smart, like
he's the heart and soul he was a Defensive Player of the Year two years
ago. That oh, that's gonna hurt him. Not really like that turned
out pretty well. They got away from him at the right time. Really,
same thing with RW three, same thing with Brogden. Obviously you're making
the Drew Holiday trade, you know, all the no matter what. But
like some of the stuff that hypothetically like oh, they really needed Williams to
shore up the defense potentially, like that didn't really come to pass. So,
you know, the things that you might have thought they would regret,
they just really haven't so far. That takes us to the Brooklyn Nets.
This is a little more niche. Do you remember this would have been last
At the twenty twenty three trade deadline. Shortly after they got him, there
was talk. This is Brian Lewis of The New York Post reporting that multiple
teams were offering up to two first round picks for Dorian Finney Smith, and
the Nets held on to Dorian Finny Smith, who they had just gotten in
the Kyrie Irving trade. I don't think they're going to get two first round
pick offers for him anymore this year. Maybe they will, but maybe those
will be like a first rounder that's protected, like unless there's a full moon
and mercury is in retrograde, and if it isn't, then it turns into
two seconds, like it might be worse seconds. But I think it's a
small regret. But I think failing to move him when his market value was
exceptionally high was maybe something they're going to want back, although, like you
never know as we get down to the deadline, and maybe Anonobi's not going
anywhere, Maybe all these other three indie guys don't go anywhere, and maybe
Phinney Smith just becomes the best guy you can get if you're looking to acquire
someone like that. Sou But at the moment, I think to first for
him would have been a sweet deal to jump on when they had the opportunity,
and they didn't. Uh, that's interesting. I guess it's just if
you have immediate aspirations of doing something, though would like would would it make
sense to have moved him? No? I think maybe they well, but
like it was un I guess they decided last year that they were just gonna
kind of see enjoy the lack of chaos and kind of see how good the
team was gonna be. That we're gonna blow it up again, so that
could have been some of the motivation. I just don't think you're getting too
first for him anymore, you know, That's that's all. It's hard for
me to imagine that. No, I think I think that's absolutely fair if
it's in terms of maximizing your assets and you know that, hey, this
team probably isn't even gonna win a playoff series this year, even though they
can be kind of frisky. I do wonder if there's something to like because
they have done anything about the Simmons situation. There was no way to,
you know, like get off of him during the I guess it's just that
would have cost equity or not because it's just a bummer with the bat which
is beyond his control. I guess he's just probably one of the hardest contracts
in the league to move until you until he's expiring, which will be this
summer. Yeah, I was trying to find a way to do the Simmons
thing, But basically what you just said is like, I just don't think
you can trade him for positive value that takes us to the Charlotte Hornets.
This is I mean, this will show you how kind of wide ranging these
things are gonna get I think it's just, uh, it was. It
would be easy to say taking Brandon Miller over Scoot I said it probably fifty
times after the draft, But I'm not gonna say that because Miller has just
won anymore. Not easy anymore. It's like at least a debate now.
I think I think we both agree Scoot still has the higher upside, but
like Brandon, Miller has just been more productive, more available, looked generally
better across the sample of this season. So not saying that, uh,
this is even lower hanging fruit. Continuing your involvement with Miles Bridges, like
bringing him back at all was a mistake, and then just pretending, you
know, saying they were comfortable with the allegations of the his violation of the
domestic Violence Protective Order. Uh you know this this, this is another incident
of the same type. Like we've talked. We've talked plenty about Miles Bridges
on this podcast, Like I think you just need to have cut ties with
him by now, and the fact that the Hornets haven't. I don't know
if they're going to regret it, but it's something they should find regrettable.
Yeah, they absolutely should they handle the situation It seems like, especially after
the you know, the I don't want to call them secondary allegations, but
the subsequent allegations or issues that he's dealing with, they handled that situation and
incredibly poorly. And I don't understand why he's still on this team. So
I don't even think there's a there's not even especially if we're dealing with and
you want to say matters of purely just on the court, which is always
just an uncomfortable disclaimer. That's when you can get into something else to where's
Oh, should they have been more proactive and just trying to like you can't
even say trying to bottom out this year because just with la Mellow's injury and
some of the other injuries they've dealt with, they're just going to end up
with a flat, a glitzier pick anyway. And so like this is the
I'm sure, did you consider any alternatives for this? I guess would be
my like, does make me rambling to ask you about? No? I
think, well, the Miller scoot thing I thought about, I thought,
I mean, someone will probably say maxing out LaMelo now that he's got another
injury and like, oh my god, this guy's following he's never gonna be
healthy. I think that's a little hasty. I wouldn't say. I can
imagine a Charlotte fan or someone that's not a big LaMelo guy saying that that
was a little early for that max out. But like everybody in his position
that he's been an All Star once already, guys, guys that have done
what he's done this early in their careers just are going to get that extension,
it seems like. So, and then where are you if you don't
have, like how where is this franchise without him? Because at least he's
kind of like still the I don't know, not the North Star, but
he's at least like something you can think about building around. Whereas if he's
not there, then Mike Miller's not that guy. So and if you're not
going to do that, it has to be something like smaller scales. And
why did you not bring then? I'm know Frankilakina supposed to be the goat,
but he's injured, and so they really could have used backup point guard
play and a defensive pulse and just like to let Dennis Smith Junior leave for
the minimum with the nets that was that was strange. Yeah, that is
I agree with that. I agree with that. So the Chicago Bulls,
to me, the biggest regret is standing pat at the twenty twenty three trade
deadline because I think, you know, you're all wes trock down and just
trade some future picks. Yeah, you know, just see see if you
can go get the next Vucevich for some future first, because they're like,
no, no, no, we're just going to keep the original, re
sign him and he will get the news maybe in the next pot I guess,
but uh, he's he's now injured, got a growing injury. Seven
to ten. Ye talk about I'm sorry, this is talking about people behind
the curt I totally forgot I put together our news doc. I guess it's
going up on the That's fine, it only be a day later. That
is Wow, what a whiff on my end. That's all right. Look,
that's that's your biggest regret at the moment. It's got to be mean
with the long paper for my, for my it's got to be it's got
to be well if we have to confine it to twenty twenty three, because
the bullsh have regrettable decisions going back that are all kind of related over the
last several years. But I think you could have got more for Lavine had
you trade them then. I think you could have got more for DeRozan.
I think you could have gotten Vutvich off your books as an expiring and brought
back something. And now these guys are all still here and it doesn't seem
like any of their market values are higher than they were, although, like
the Bulls are just winning a bunch of games now, which is hilarious as
their most expensive players just play less. Uh. But yeah, I think
last trade deadline was the time. I mean, no time, you know,
better late than ever, but that was the moment I think when if
you're gonna reorient this franchise and like be realistic about rebuilding, it should have
happened at the twenty twenty three trade deadline. And it did not. Yeah,
I mean yeah, I just I'd be curious because of the discourse kind
of surrounding Zach Lavine right now, like could you've gotten more for him at
last year's trade deadline than you are going to now? And I think the
answer is unequivocally yes, yeah, because that stretches into the you mentioned the
trade deadline, but you can because it's still twenty twenty three, not as
the word you're using. Reorienting at all in this calendar year because it's not
happening is an issue. And I say this, Look, they're nine and
four without Zach Lavine as we record this. That's great, but it's also
if I'm a Bulls fan, I'm enjoying it, it's also a little terrifying
because, like, well, what is this going to embolden the franchise to
do at this year's trade deadline? If it's just move on from Levine and
they're not gonna seek starting over, there will be disagreements locally and nationally on
that we can already see it. But like that's at least a little bit
more knock us or logical, then like, can we trade like it's gonna
be Zack Lvine and picks to get player x I. I think the you
meant that's the scariest aspect of this is the Bulls viewing their improved play without
Levine as as the reason to not trade him. I mean, the reason
to not trade him is because its value is like the adjectives that are being
used to describe his trade market are just increasingly hilarious. Baron is the latest
one that I just like chuckle every time I read it. Uh, but
yeah, I just if they, if they, if the Bulls view this
as as a reason to keep the band together, Like once we reinject Zach
Lavine into this team that has figured it out without him, we're really gone
somewhere. I just I don't know what to tell you. I can't,
I can't get behind that got a kind of a niche one for the Cavaliers.
I bet I wouldn't be surprised if you could think of a bigger picture
one, but this one just jumped out to me. Waving Kevin Love last
year and then he goes on to start a bunch of games and play meaningful
roles and make a bunch of threes for the Miami Heat who make the freaking
finals, And I just like, I don't know how much he would have
helped avoid the first round out that Cleveland suffered, but like, I don't
because because it would have required the Cavs that just play very differently. And
the reason Love that was given was JB. Bickerstaff just didn't trust him defensively
and Love hadn't shot it like great enough to justify the poor defense that he
had been playing last year. But like, I don't know, if Kevin
Love is spacing the floor against the Knicks in that series, maybe you don't
have Evan Mobley trying to finish over two big guys and there's nobody to kick
it out too, Like maybe the Knicks have to play defense a little differently.
It's hypothetical, but it's just like you wave the guy and then he
goes on to play a huge role for a team that makes the finals in
your conference, Like that's that's a mistake, I would say, at the
very least, especially considering how much much Love kind of has meant to that
franchise. Like these you know, franchise legend is maybe a little strong,
but like he was there for a title, so that's that's a big deal.
It's also that I agree with your pick, and I'm trying to think
of, well, what would be the alternative here? And I do believe
some people will say, well that they should have already looked to be trading
Donovan Michell and she's like they just got him, like let's just and he
hasn't requested out. So I just don't even understand necessarily why that would be
a talking point. I mean I thought about it just because it's something if
it's so, but maybe it's like, it's not not yet. It'd be
the type of thing we could frame as a regret when it's over and he's
gone, presumably because depending on what they do or don't accomplish between now and
then. But yeah, it felt it felt a little hasty. It felt
a little like, I don't know, not like attention seeking, but a
little bit a little bit. I know that you're I know that you're from
experiencing you are quite the attention seeker too. I just love it. Can't
get an let's pay attention to the Detroit Pistons. I mean, where what
should? This was like one of the hardest ones because it's kind of like
where do you where do you start? Ultimately, can you tell me?
Please tell me you picked the James Wiseman trade. No, that's not it.
I mean that's bad. That's bad. But like I like, that's
not that's not killing them, that's not the you know, is that one
of the things that's wrong with this team? Before you get to it,
then I don't know that. I I don't want to say it. I
don't want to be too cool about this, but I don't care that he
is not actively submarining your league worst team right now. Like that's not a
compliment to say, Like, look, wise is not the primary issue right
now. It's like I'm kind of seen. It's like, oh, he's
shown like these little flickers and flashes. Yeah for a team that hasn't won
in a decade. Right. No, I'm not gonna sit here and say
James Wiseman is like helpful. You literally try to just defend the trade is
one of the best moves that Troy Reaver has made, and you might be
right is it might hold on? Though? What so that was? I
can't even remember it. So they basically gave up Sadik Bay and like a
multi team trade, right, did they did it cost them anything else to
get Wiseman or was it mainly Bay? It was mainly Bay. I don't
think they were the one that sent out like a crap ton of second round
picks. I'll double check that very quickly. Maybe one of the more curious
things was, I guess if you're the Warriors, you would still have you
would still rather have GP two over Sadik Bay. That's an interesting I mean,
that's debatable, but yeah, probably, But so what I as you're
looking that up, what I did go with, I don't feel great about
it, But it's hiring Monty Williams and hiring him for the amount they paid
him and for the length of that contract. And this is all based on
like Troy Weaver is gonna be gone. I think I just don't know what
chain of events would have to occur for Troy Weaver to make it through this
season, just like you have a record losing streak, the guy that puts
the team together and has been putting it together for several years, like that's
just that's where the buck's gonna stop. And it's it's not just that Williams
got this massive contract for a long time. It's also that like, once
Weaver's gone, now you're gonna be in a position where a new executive comes
in and this is not the coach he picked. So you're at risk potentially
of injecting further just chaos and disorganization into this franchise by this new executive maybe
saying like, well, we're gonna need a new voice and sorry, Tom
Gores, but that seventy eight million dollars that you gave money Williams, Like,
you're gonna give him that money to not coach now, and you're gonna
pay somebody else, and it'll probably have to be somebody cheap because you don't
want to be paying a ton to two coaches. So, like, I
feel like that is the move that they like. They may regret it now,
but they have they will continue to regret it as it affects further decisions
while this team kind of unravels and tries to figure itself out. Did you
see the I think that's a fair one. Just the circumstances under which they
had to keep offering him money basically so that he would take the job probably
a red flag. Probably a red flag. And like I mean, things
in Phoenix kind of came unglued in a not great way, and some of
those playoff losses they had really made it. I mean, maybe it was
just DeAndre Ayton and like monniy Williams didn't get along with him, and that,
you know, is not representative of how he was handling the rest of
the team. But like, I don't know, I didn't you didn't get
a good feeling about Monty Williams based on how that team kind of came apart,
like on the court and off it. I think so that, you
know, that's yeah, we don't need to pile on money Williams, but
it's just that's part of it. No, who seems like a genuinely good
and like he worked out in Phoenix, like he did a lot there,
so I think I have they given credit for that. But yeah, the
ending was very weird, like his relationship with DeAndre and although it seems like
the entire team was because Deandret didn't last after Monty Williams and Chris Paul left.
Yeah, and like the classic you know, if Devin Booker and Kevin
Durant had really wanted Monty Williams to say the coach, he would still be
the coach like that, Like, you know, I don't know how true
that always is, but it you know, it's not It's not an irrational
thing to say if their two best players had had wanted the guy, he'd
still be there. Did you see the interview that Tom Gores gave to select
media members. I read the one that was published at The Athletic, which
is one of the outlets that were present there where it was when you look
at the progression of what he said where he puts it on himself, then
it's him and Troy, and then it's like Troy and I and it's like,
oh, that was a journey in fifteen seconds. He really really you
could see him like as he was going through it kind of like I don't
know, I can do it. It's like, how do I how do
I like just sly, It's like if him and Troy Weaver have been standing
next to each other on the podium, which they weren't, but like he
would just be gradually moving farther and farther away from him, and he's like
off stage and just saying sorry, it's my fault, and Troy Weaver's left
up there just in front of the press. That was I do physical look
of what he was saying as someone in a market with James Dolan, and
I know Knicks fans get annoyed by this. I just appreciate him talking to
the media at all, even if it felt like a bunch of I think
you had a read between the lines for a lot of it, and some
of it was it basically was the in terms of plans. We have no
plans, is what the like that meme is what it felt like. He's
like, yeah, we're gonna we're gonna make changes, but he's not really
talking about what's wrong. He's just emphasizing flexibility and youth and the fact that
they've they've made mistakes, and so it's it's empty. But at least you
faced the music and like even answered a question about how do you feel about
sell the team chance. I did appreciate that since we just dumped on the
pistons for five minutes. I did appreciate that element of what he did.
Up. Yeah, and look nowhere to go but up. So speaking up,
speaking of up, we have the Indiana Pacers next. Unless I botched
the alphabet no, you're good. So, like, there's no sure way
to look stupid than to judge a draft that is like a couple months old
basically, or a draft class that is a couple months old, But I'm
gonna do it anyway. I think it was a mistake for the trade number
seven for number eight in a couple future second rounders, because number seven could
have been below Coulibali and number eight is Jaris Walker, and Kolibali is a
really exciting rookie that like just has sort of met and also defied expectations in
all the best ways based on the type of player he was supposed to be
coming into the draft. And Walker just hasn't been a factor for a team
that you know, like could use a theoretically versatile defensive forward that could make
some plays like Walker. The idea of Walker should be contributing right now,
but he is not, and Koulibally is and they were picked one spot apart.
So like, that's pretty pretty easy for me because and this is another
it's another way of saying, like that the Pacers didn't make a whole lot
of regrettable moves. So this is the one I've landed on. Talk me
out of it, because it's always stupid just to judge a draft this early.
So it, yes, I think you're probably I don't want to say
it's stupid, but I think this kind of steps on the toes of what
the alternati would be anyway, which is, we now have evidence, years
worth of evidence that this team needs a properly sized like three four someone of
that melth I know Pascal Siakam has mentioned as a trade target and he couldn't
theory fit. But it needs to be more of the here's the name coming
Chris push og Ananobi type and like to continuously not do that, and it's
yes, you got Bruce Brown, but like, as an individual defender,
Bruce Brown has never been super lockdown sometimes from the point of attack against smaller
players, and I think he's a very instinctive defender overall, and I think
we've seen a lot of flashes of that this year. But to just say
like, no, we're gonna we have Bruce Brown and like we have Aaronie
Smith and like that's just okay, and it's just like no, it's it's
really not like we have Andrew Nemhart. So I guess that's sort of because
you mentioned bla cool of BALI. It's just sort of like, well,
yeah, would he be playing for them right now? Though? Is my
thing? And so if they were always gonna treat because jars Walker was considered
a project, but Bally was considered sort of his blanks. Jars Walker is
considered more of a project on the offensive end. And this team is different
from Washington that since it as immediate aspiration and so I think I would lean
more towards not being more aggressive in free agency or on the trade market,
specifically last offseason, because if we watched the data points from last year to
fill that spot, and I think that's fine to focus on the rookie because
you could say, well, one, could they have drafted someone who might
be that rookie. I just don't know if they ever would have played that
guy. The more the bigger issue for me would be like, should you
have dangled that, Like if that pick would have gotten you, if that
pick and stuff would have gotten you Ojan Andoby, the move should have been
like if it was Benedict Mathern and that pick and even something else for Ogannaoby.
I know Patrischan's probably would have been annoyed or angry in the moment.
That's absolutely a trade that you should have made. I'm not saying it was
on the table, but that pick. I would sum it up this way.
I probably would have went with I would have went with something different,
But I think you could frame it as that pick should have been used on
something to address an immediate need. That right, it's kind of the same.
It's kind of the I guess we both just agree that there's this positional
hole that they have not filled, and like this is totally with the benefit
of hindsight because Walker in theory made it was like that's the correct pick,
right, Like that is the guy that the Pacers need, and they got
him. This is on draft night. But then like it, I think,
I don't know. I think kolibally would have been like kind of undeniable
if if you get him out there and he's running the floor and just finishing
athletically like he's I don't know how you would keep him off the floor if
you gave him half of a chance like in practice or whatever with this particular
team. But yeah, I think we could zoom it, we could expand
it, I guess, and just say, like what you're saying, shouldn't
you just got to have somebody at that three four spot with size that can
defend, and they just don't have that guy. Maybe Kolibali will fill out.
He's like six' eight, sneaky, six' eight could have been him.
Has he grown? Don't he say like sixty five or six six?
Going in the draft remindments remembering, I mean he could grow. Yeah,
that's how I thought of him. But then I was looking at all the
measurables and he was like six' eight with a seven to two wingspan,
So I don't know that's what I'm going with. So Miami Heater up next.
This is a super basic one, but missing out on Damian Lillard,
Okay, I thought, do you know what I thought? I didn't think
you were going to go with this, but what I think letting Max Strewson
gave Vincent leave for nothing, and it's kind of just like, well,
the gay Vincent stuff. You would have known about this had I actually done
the news that we were supposed to. He's just gonna be out for another
six eight weeks, and it's all right, you kind of miss Max Streuce,
but the Duncan Robins, Robinson Renaissance Post, the Highay Hawk as minutes,
it's just like, do we miss Max. I was struggling. I
was wondering what you were gonna pick because I knew you wouldn't pick those,
is my point. So I'm giving you credit. And I mean, like
in criticizing the Heats off season, which which I definitely have done whenever I've
been asked to evaluate it, the Streus and Vincent pieces are part of it.
I think. I think like it's it's the Vincent thing makes it difficult
because he's just been hurt. And then the Strews like, yeah, they
don't because he just find you know, Hakez and Robinson and like he did
this manufacturer guys, they backfill better than anybody. But like those two guys
getting away as part of an off season plan that I think was built around
the assumption that we're getting Lillard, it's still like kind of a I don't
know if you could say it was mismanaged because maybe they offer just wasn't good
enough, but or maybe making it so conspicuously obvious that like Dame wants to
come here, we want Dame that Portland just kind of decided, well,
we have a say in this too, and we're not dealing him to you.
Maybe that's the regret. I don't know, but like you just look
at where it is now. Not only is Dame not in Miami, he's
in Milwaukee, which is a team you're gonna have to probably go through.
And then as a result of Dame being in Milwaukee, Drew Holidays in Boston,
which is another team that the Heat are gonna have to go through so
the missing out on him kind of it was more than just not getting the
guy. It was the guy going somewhere you really shouldn't have wanted him to
go, and then another guy going something else you shouldn't have wanted him to
go to just build you know, bigger obstacles for the Heat to get.
You know, I don't know deeper into the playoffs, so I don't know
that felt like the obvious one to me. Yeah, they probably have,
surprisingly very they might be a team that'd be hashtag no regrets, like they
would say that, I'm sure externally. I don't know if they would say
something else internally, but I'm with you on what the what the regret should
be. Yeah, let's see. So for the Milwaukee Bucks, I mean,
they got Lillard, so I'm not that was good. There's I guess
like in that sense, any regret you pick for them, like presumes that
they could be in a better position had things gone differently, And they're in
such a seemingly strong position now that it's a little weird to say, well
what about this? But so for them, it's Game five against the Heat,
which, specifically down the stretch, this was one of the biggest playoff
upsets in a long time. It was like embarrassing. Nobody cares or remembers
that Giannis was hurt in that series. That's just lost to history, and
all we think about is how disappointing the Bucks were, which like, so
the fourth quarter, I kind of went back to the specific game. They're
up sixteen going into the fourth. If they lose, they're eliminated. They
go three for nineteen from the field, Giannis can't make a free throw.
They botch multiple situations with like substitutes, They don't have brook Lopez in the
game to defend that Jimmy Butler lob basically with not quite at the buzzer that
ties it to send it to overtime. They don't use their timeouts to get
an extra possession late in that game. Budenholzer gets fired as a result of
this. But then like Giannis extends because you got dame and you acted really
you know, proactively to re you know, get change your fortunes. So
like it's a regret that game was embarrassing. It's kind of a stain on
the one versus eight rough look like the Bucks are fine, things turned out
pretty well, but that was a rough game, and like, hey,
if Adrian Griffin turns out to be like just not the guy, which there
have been some indications that he's a little iffy as a first year head coach,
and maybe this is a bigger regret because he replaces Buttonholzer. But as
it is, like, it's just that just jumped out to me as something
they probably wish they could have back the Bucks, So I that's actually the
right pick. I'm not gonna lie. But the other thing I would have
thought of, and I think I might have mentioned this to you, was
the fact that they kept Drew Holliday's name out of the trade sweepstakes like they
wanted it to be a secret. The report came out, and by doing
that, they couldn't dictate where he went, and so he ends up on
their biggest threat to coming out of the Eastern Conference. That's kind of a
sneaky big deal, and it'll be an even bigger deal if they wind up
losing to the Celtics in the playoffs. And I think most people right now
I haven't dug into really thinking about it, but if it was Buck Celtics
in a seven game series, right now, I think most people are picking
Boston in six or five games. Yeah, I think that's right. But
like I want to unpack the holiday thing because I remember you mentioning that.
So, like the thinking is that if you go to Holiday and say where
would you like to end up? Then because they don't. Once he's in
Portland, they don't have any the bucks and I have control over where he's
going, right, and Portland's just going to make the best deal it can
using Holiday, which is so like part Look, so if the part of
the stipulation on their negotiations was Drew Holliday can't know he's in this trade.
And also just like just sort of how Portland was dictating to Phoenix, we
don't know who we're going to send you before problems you you'll like him and
they probably do it. Also definitely Grayson Allen by the way, right,
but if you were you knew that Portland was going to reroute him, you
could have If Drew Oldy's name was more public, you could have tried to.
I think you made the right pick because if they end up beating the
Heat, they could they could have won another title like that could have happen.
I wouldn't picked them to beat the Nuggets if they came out of the
East. But that could have happened. I just you could have come up
with the three four team trading works where Drew Holliday ends up literally anywhere but
Boston. But like you could have put on the sixers and maybe that still
would have been the second like least ideal. But it like and even him
in Miami, but like him on Boston feels like the worst case outcome for
you by getting rid of him while getting Dame, maybe their regrets should have
been just not doing everything possible to send Drew Holliday to like Washington or just
like some get him, get him as far away from a contender as possible,
because that's right, like it did, like it does diminish getting Dame,
like in some way because you know, you lost a guy that you
know, like is I mean, Dame is a better player, but it's
it's Drew Holliday is a really good point, Like he's gonna be a factor
in the East playoff race, like in a huge way. And it just
takes a little bit away from from the Buck side of it. All Right,
we are going into your wheelhouse now, uh, And this wasn't one
you suggested to me, So I'm gonna mention it and then like, feel
free to cook. The Knix's biggest regret of twenty twenty three is failing to
extend it manual quickly. Now I had a hard time like hammering out what
if any terms really were ever on the table, because you there were reports
that Quickly was going to want, you know, nine figures on a four
year deal, so you know, twenty five million per There was another one
that said the Knicks offered closer to eighteen million a year. There was another
one that said there was like some non guarantees and team options thrown out there.
I think that was that was Ian Bagley. I mentioned something to that
effect, and then you got to report I think that Quickly never really put
a number out there like he just, which is like ridiculous. If your
agent is negotiating with the team, you're going to have a number that you
want. So the Knicks have leverage still he could so this isn't like,
oh, they didn't extend him, so he's gone. The vibes are kind
of not the best in this situation, though not every team is in the
situation, like with the Sixers and Tyrese MAXI where it's like you're getting the
Max. We all understand it. We're just going to put it off so
we can get you another star to play with in free agency. That's not
the situation the Knicks are in, or at least it's not the one they're
selling. So it would have made sense to lock down quickly if you think
he's going to be a piece of you know, not necessarily the starting lineup,
but certainly the core going forward. Didn't happen. And now I don't
know what the odds are of him staying versus leaving, but I mean there
probably there is probably a better chance he leaves than than you would expect for
someone with his track record to this point in his career. Right like that,
that is a it's a greater risk now than otherwise. So please please
explain to me why I'm correct and saying not extending quickly is their biggest regret.
Well, what what was my proposal to you? That feels like the
right call? That was your proposal? So and so did you? I
thought you. I thought when you set it up you said you're gonna go
with something different. So no, no, I trust you implicitly on the
Knicks, I'm not going to question. Yeah, look, it's your point
at the end, is really sailing it because you paid Dante Devincenzo, you
have Josh Hart, You've paid R. J. Barrett, and it's like,
are you gonna pay You paid John Brunson, who's going to be extension
eligable this summer, You're really gonna pay Emmanuel quickly too. I default towards
and there's a chance, more so than most other organizations, they will agree
pay him now, figure it out later. Because for everything you could say
about the Knicks, the front office, James Dolan, they have spent when
it's required, but they're not in the business of cutting you know, payroll
costs on most seasons. But I think just the season he has had,
it's been up and down with some playing time, but like that's just what
the market's gonna dictate. I think, even given how reticent teams are to
go after restricted free agents right now quickly, is a name that I think
some teams might actually view as if it's Orlando a finishing piece. That's a
team like the Spurs where it's like, let's just get some coherence in here.
Someone who fits won't cannibalize stuff on offense, makes it easier, we'll
defend his butt off. So I do think you put yourself at risk there.
The only other alternative I think you could go to is not getting that
properly sized wing and you've called it. I cited you when I went on
the ALU podcast with Ryan Blackburn. You call it the upgrade button to RJ
Barrett. I don't know if that was available to them though, so that
would be the only regret, and it's just that is more about the market.
They didn't have the cap space to go out and get that guy in
so far as he was even available. So I think you picked the right
one. And there's the only other one that you could think about is wasn't
Julius Randall extension eligible this past summer, so they've tried to get that done
so they might not be on the hook of like making another All NBA team
and being extension eligible. Oh my god. Yeah, Well, I didn't
even think about any of those, like trying to get out in front of
a guy potentially achieving something that is going to drive his contract way up,
like try to lock him into a non you know, max gin deal.
Yeah, maybe Okay, Orlando is next. So whatever the pick was going
to be, I feel like it had to be around their guard rotation.
But I'm gonna do it again then, and I'm gonna make a draft proclamation
that the Magic should regret the twenty twenty three draft. I think Anthony Black
and Jet Howard like just and Anthony Black had a pretty good game the other
night. I think he had twenty. He was he made some threes.
He's still like a low thirties guy from three that just does not have a
shot form that he doesn't get it off quickly. It's not versatile. Teams
are not threatened by it. I don't really know what the theory of Anthony
Black is supposed to be, like, how does he fit with this team?
He feels like a connector to me, which is like, again,
we're a few months into this guy's professional career. This could all change.
But just at the moment, if you go look like we can go down
some of the names that were available, like Howard, I feel like is
less defensible. Black is at least it's like, oh, he's a big
guard that if we get him to shoot, then we really have something because
defensively has huge potential. But Kolibali was there at seven, Black went sixth,
Howard went eleventh. I want to say, yeah, eleven, so
Kulibali's there, Cason Wallace at ten, Keyante George at sixteen. There were
guards there and wings there if you wanted to actual and actual, real point
guards. In the case of George, that I think would have been better
picks, Like you could have gone Jordan Hawkins if you wanted a shoot her,
you could have got him at the number eleven spot instead of Howard.
Jimi hawk Is obviously is there. Brandon Pagemski would look pretty good in the
magic backboard right now. So there were better options. That's not to say
that, like, yeah, hawk Is and Pajemski slipped for you know,
further into the first round for reasons, but there were a lot of better
options. And it's hard for me to see Black and certainly Howard being like
yet now we lump them in with Wagner and Pallo and to I don't know,
I guess Sugs and Carter too, is like these are our guys.
I'm not seeing the fit there, so I think they'd want that twenty three
first round back if they had it to do over again. That's interesting because
I guess I just don't know who they can't miss guy for them would have
been unless you're you know, I know he's Case and Wallace and can't they
George's because I don't think Jim Hawkes or Pods were even sort of listed like
in the realm of anything that like those teams, like in the top ten
were gonna do. Yeah, that's why draft stuff is stupid, because I
just couldn't think of a whole lot else that I really didn't like about Orlando's
last year or so, because they're very much like on the Rise and so
that by definition things have gone pretty well for them. We got a bunch
of guys on good contracts. I don't I don't really, I just you
could just say, like not going out there and signing, or you know,
going and getting Tyas Jones via trade, or like going and getting someone
to run the offense that type of thing, or just make threes b someone
were just like like Joe Ingles when he was healthy, like gave them some
good minutes. But I probably would have just default, and this might have
been more of a cop out. You were definitely more specific was the needed
to upgrade the shooting and floor spacing in the half court immediately in higher volume,
and you just didn't do that because Joe Ingles when healthy isn't gonna play
a crap ton of minutes. You already mentioned, like Jet Howard's just not
like a like a huge factor for them. I don't mind the Anthony Black
pick as much though, just because that dude is a menace on the defensive
end. I don't love his fit in Orlando long term. The jumper is
a big one with him, he looks a little bit more confident. The
percentages don't necessarily wind up with it, but he looks a little bit more
confident with it. He has been better. Yeah, for sure, this
is maybe the hardest one for me. We have the I have the Philadelphia
seventy six ers next, like, because you need to go back a little
farther to like outside of twenty three. I think to to do sort of
like big picture stuff. So I ultimately went with their kind of free agency
holding pattern, which I don't even love because they got Kelly Ubray for the
minimum. They got Patrick Beverley for the minimum, but they did as they're
trying to figure out what to do with the James Harden trade demand they did
lose and shake Milton and who's the third guy that I never remember, Jalen
McDaniels, who they had just traded for. They lost all three of those
guys, and it seemed like it was at least related to this holding pattern
they were kind of in while they decided like okay, what how what's our
roster going to look? Like? What do we do? I don't know
how much any of those guys other than McDaniels would have really helped, And
with Uber on the back on the floor and looking like one of the better
minimum signings, like maybe not at all, But I just struggled to find
a big regret for a team that like moved off James Harden for decent value.
Is one of the only two teams that has a plus ten net rating
in the league right now. Like the Sixers are looking pretty good, Maxi's
blown up, So that just fixed everything that you know, maybe they're not
going to have enough offensive boom farround o embiid so like that's the best I
got. I don't I don't see a ton of obvious regrets there for for
the Sixers. Yeah, I don't even know how you would like reframe the
James Harden stuff either, Like would they could we just settle on should they
have moved fork on cork Maas already even to trade him? It's for like
how many how many days since trade man? Like because you could say,
could say you can't go ahead. Can you say they should have fired Doc
Rivers like in the middle of last last season. I mean probably not because
then Nick Nurse isn't available and he's been great for them, so because then
you don't get Nurse. So I don't think it can be that you could
say, like again, it goes back too far. Just do something different
with the hardened uh whatever. You know, he's going to take a haircut
deal, so you can go get PJ. Tucker and Daniel Aus like something
surrounding that, just like making any kind of unclear agreement with Harden, because
that spiraled out of control and you had the lire comments and all that stuff.
But like in the end, that's fine. That turned out fine because
you did you were able to trade him, You were able to get a
couple first, you were able to get the expiring salary that you like I
don't know that that as crazy as it sounds, like all that kind of
worked out, which seemed impossible for a long time, but it sort of
did. So I didn't know what to do with that one. Yeah,
they were a tough team, which is weird because it's just like, I
guess you could I don't know, I mean, so what did you actually
end up settling on? I'm sorry, just like the free agency holding pattern,
you know, which, yeah, you know, just like and then
what does that do aside from you should have played better when you went up
on the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, just like that, you know what
I mean? Yeah, right right, Yeah, we could have. I
could have. I'm sure I could have found a game like Joel Embiid tweaked
his knee in the playoffs, Like they regret that we should have benched James
Harden for Game seven and maybe they would have won or something. Yeah,
only played him a couple of good games, all right. Toronto Raptors are
easier again several, I mean in the sense that there's plenty to choose from
its narrow down. No, that is the first one, because like we
let's go through the ones. I didn't pick letting Fred van Vliet go for
nothing. I didn't pick that. I didn't pick not trading Fred van Vleet
when they should have could have picked that, could have picked not trading Gary
Trent Junior before he like shockingly opted in. I don't know if you saw
that coming. It didn't seem to You could pick not trading Anonobi or Pascal
Siaka at last year's deadline if you wanted to, based on some of the
offers that were available. Then I went like simpler because I feel like it's
indicative of just like the whole like what are you doing vibe of the raptors,
which is the Yaka Pearl trade, which is related to then paying Yaka
Pearl eighty million over four years after you traded is a top it's top six
protected first rounder to the Spurs for him. That just made no sense to
me. This idea that I guess the thinking was last year, Pearl will
get us out of this whole like size thing. He's going to defend the
rim. He's a decent facilitator, which all of which is true, like
Pearl is a pretty solid starting center. But to give up a first for
him and then have to pay him to keep him now on a team that
is, you know, one of the worst teams in the East outside of
like the absolute Tankers. Uh, it just it doesn't. It didn't make
sense. Then it was indicative of a general lack of direction and like inscrutable
like roster planning. So I went with that. But there's like a half
dozen other ones you could just nominate and they'd be They would clearly be several
other team's biggest regrets the Raptors have like more than their share. Well,
here's the real question. There's no your pick isn't arguable. I think will
we be sitting here this time next year saying the same thing about Pascal Siakamroji
Ananobi, like that they let them go for nothing? One of them go
for nothing. I mean there's a decent chance, right, Like I just
you can't though you can't. You can't after Van Fleet because we never got
a good explanation for why that happened, the van letting van Fleet go,
Like, I just do they not? Are they not talking to these guys
like leading into like how are you feeling? Do you want to be here?
It's like I don't understand how you know because this happens all the time,
where I overreact to a guy being on an expiring deal and the team's
risk of him of getting nothing for him, and you always correctly point out
like you can sign and trade him, like that's just that's that's what teams
do. It's what the Celtics did with Grant Williams. It's it happens all
the time, Max Struce happens all the time. You don't always get great
returns with that, you get something, But to let Van Vleet go for
nothing, I just like, I'm never gonna understand it. I'll never understand
it. And it's I don't buy the whole we wanted to do right by
Fred van Vliet thing. That's you know, age eighty nine, Kyle Lowry
wasn't gonna net you a ton fine. Fred van Fleet would have gotten you
at least one first round pick, of course. And if you're gonna you
know what, if you're gonna be if you're gonna be down one first round
pick because you decide to overpay for Yaka pertl which I want that would have
been, that's gonna go down as just I don't know, man, that's
gonna go down as one of the like worst trades in Raptors history, I
think, or just one of the worst trades in the last ten years.
It just made I know, he sort of filled a need, but it
just made absolutely no sense relatives to where they were. It's just such a
high price. It's such a it was, that's honestly, it's that trade
that makes Fred Vanfleet leaving for nothing to pick though, because you don't trade
give up real value for Yaka Pertle and then yet, excuse me, let
his most valuable offensive partner leave for nothing, Right, Yeah, it's all
it could just be like all of twenty twenty three should be in the Toronto's
biggest regret, like every single thing that happened, I haven't done yet.
Like we're right, there's several days still to come. Okay, let's close
out the East here with the Washington Wizards, and I guess let's let's frame
it as a question, Dan, would you rather have Jordan Poole on the
contract he's on right now, Chris Paul just playing basketball for your team with
a non guarantee for next year, or a giant like thirty. I don't
know how you would do this, but somehow just have that cap space sitting
there that would have gone to Paul, Like maybe you flip him into do
something else, like call it, call it a I don't know other.
I'm gonna choose how many answers did you three? I'm gonna choose answer D.
Could you give me three options? Right? Uh huh, I'm gonna
go with D. I would rather have all of the above and or just
dead money of Chris Paul for this year than Jordan Poole. Yeah, I
just I was never about the flyer. I understood it and it is.
And also, by the way, I want to say this, because Jordan
Poole had some good moments though for the Wizards, and he's just become this
meme and sort of just the face of them being the joke of the league.
And it's not just him, Like this roster's kind of built for intentional
comedy and badness, and so I think he gets an unfair shake to that.
It's just he's not the player that the Golden State Warrior store he was.
I don't know if the Draymond Green punch broke him, I honestly,
but like, just looking at what we see this season and how much he's
on the book for over the next three years. You can tell me I'd
rather have Ben Simmons on this team, and you're just to give myself the
extra flexibility. That's not Look, that's not a shot at Jordan Poole the
person. I'm glad that he got paid like good for it. He probably
got a few extra million dollars out of that Draymond Green punch. By the
way, Yeah, like that's he got. He got extra generational wealth because
Draymond Green punched him. I'm not saying I would take that. Maybe Draymond
Green kills me though I'm tired, that's also fine. I could use a
nap. So just like, I don't need to dump all over Jordan Poole
because he's not the only issue in Washington and why they're here. They're here
in large part by design. But like I don't, I do think in
retrospect you look at it and say, okay, well, the better use
of assets would have been either just getting off of his mund like not taking
on his money and then using CP three as do we try and get him
to play and build his trade value and flip him. Could we have immediately
flipped him and had this huge trade exception or just additional customers, or do
we just buy him out and we deal with this cap hit for this year
and like that's it. We just move on. Yeah. I mean so
it's it's hard because it's also hard because the biggest of big pictures, the
Wizards, are doing the right things, and like you alluded to it,
you know, bringing on Pool, it's hard to say he's like, uh,
I don't know, like he's a he's got an asset with upside,
you know, because he had a brutal year with the Warriors and all that
stuff. It's like, the contract is what it is. You're gonna pay
him this money and if he hits like his highest you know tier of like
what's possible for him, Like maybe he's worth one hundred and twenty three million
over four years. Like maybe, but as a flyer, like I sort
of get it. It's just now that we've seen that he's basically worse even
than last year, certainly in terms of a scoring efficiency standpoint, Like it's
just he's not I think maybe it's maybe this is what it is. Even
if he were you know, the two years ago version of himself. I'm
not sure that he's a great type of player to have in an organization that's
trying to develop like multiple young talents, because I don't know how much better
he makes guys. I don't know how much of a positive influence he is
on, just like a team's commitment to defense, for example, or just
general like all the all the Warriors would never shut up about how hard Jordan
Pool works and how much time he's in the gym, But that's different than
like just not competing on one end of the floor all the time. So
like as a tone setter, I think it's become clear that like maybe not
ideal. Also, in addition to the money, so fairly easy one for
the Wizards to close it out, Yeah, I think it is there.
What would be the alternative because it's not the rally build, no trade clause
just like that predates this exercise, and you absolutely you don't regret entering the
rebuild at all. This was none overdue. You don't regretserating deal. You
don't You probably don't even regret the Kuzma deal because theoretically that's one of the
better contracts in the league right now. I would argue that's the only big
thing they did really after the other than Bill and the CP three pool kind
of swad. It's like, you don't even At first, I was like,
maybe they should just held on to Monte Morris and only took a second
round pick to get him. And now it's oh, Monte Morris, I'll
not played this season? Right, So right? Yeah, sorry, Jordan
Poole. It had it had to be you. Wow, we're on to
stat padding. This one will be guess a player? Did you want to
kick us off? Grant? You said you had a couple? I got
two for you, all right, Dan, I don't know, I never
I want to phrase this in the first person. That's kind of fun.
I think I'll do that, Dan. I was the number nine pick in
the two thousand and two NBA draft. I know we're going a little further
back than you're comfortable, but I think we're okay here. I played for
just two teams from two oh three, my rookie year to twenty thirteen fourteen.
The first was in the West and the second was in the East.
After twenty fourteen, I bounced around quite a bit Dallas, Miami and then
play internationally kind of multiple places. Career averages eighteen point nine points, seven
point eight rebounds, fifty three point seven percent from the field, not a
three point shooter twenty three point six percent, never tried more than thirty one
threes in a season, six time All Star. This is this is where
you'll start to get it. All but one of those. With the Phoenix
Suns. I made two Western Conference finals, but never the finals. The
Western Conference Finals were in two thousand and five and two thousand and ten.
Mary Starmeyer, correct, good job, I thought I had it after the
threes. Really, structure here was weird. I was like waiting for a
pause in between, and the hits just kept coming, and so I was
like, all right, what's happening here? I didn't. I didn't really
divvy up my clues super specifically the next ones you would have. Would you
have gotten in when I said I went to five different high schools, No,
I did not know that that was a big notable thing. If you
look at this basketball reference page, there's no college obviously, but as high
school it's just gone forever. I would arguably one of the best big man
athletes ever fifteen and ninety three career, doing so many of which were facilities
by my Hall of Fame point guard. I feel like he would have got
it by then. Yeah, that one, that one I would have gotten,
all right, maybe much harder one also, maybe one that you're gonna
get like right away. I'm not sure which way this is going to go.
Okay, this has this has an unusual framing, so you have to
pay attention. My brother was the number forty five pick in two thousand and
eight. He played nine hundred and forty six games over fifteen seasons. He
was I'm sorry he was the number. My brother was the number forty five
pick in two thousand and eight, played nine hundred and forty six games over
fifteen seasons. This is this player's brother. My brother started his career in
Phoenix, then went to Houston, then back to Phoenix, then Miami,
Toronto, Brooklyn, Chicago, Milwaukee. My brother made one All Star Game
at age thirty one while a member of the Heat. He was better the
year before, when he averaged point three points per game for the same Heat
team. I feel like I should know this. You're gonna get it quickly.
You want another clue? Yeah, my brother got ruthlessly dunked on by
Derrick Rose. I mean that's so many guys before two thousand and nine.
This is my favorite, Derek Rose Dunk. This is me interjecting, this
is Grant. This is not this guy's brother. Uh, my brother is
left handed. Last clue, my brother's first name rhymes with my name.
And we were traded from the Suns to the Heat together in twenty fifteen.
We were traded from the Suns to the Heat. Is it Goran Dragic,
Well that's his brother, So yeah, Zoran Dravich, who played like ten
NBA games in his career, So that's like, I totally as you said
that, like the track record of like the teams that he was on,
I was like, wait, is that gored? Like that was the time
that was like, no, wait, that can't be it. And clearly,
well they all had to be clues about gore On Dravis because well,
sixteen games in his career for Zoran Drags uh just never played. Uh.
But congratulations, you've gotten the most obscure guests a player we've ever done,
because I guarantee whoever we picked before has played more than Zoron Drag, which
is sixteen career games. So good job. You're in the record books most
obscure successful guest player. Thank you. I appreciate that. But that's all
I have got more. Nope, that's it all right. I got a
few from We have some from Rubikscal, one from be Rich, and we
have a bunch from Mike Kurnishing in a doc he set up for me.
So that was very nice of him. Let's do a couple from Mike Kurnishing.
First, shout out to him Happy birthday. I think it was recently
or he's in Vegas celebrating it right now, So shout out to you,
Happy birthday, Happy birthday. Okay, So do you like that set up?
Do you just want me to keep reading until you get it? Or
do you like the pauses like CLU one CLU two? What I like?
I like the pauses? I think clue number one. I was picked number
twenty seven in my draft. Okay, do it for you? Nope,
clue number two. At the time of my selection, the fans of the
team I was drafted by thought that the front office confused me with a different
player in the draft, leading to a somewhat unfair nickname. Ooh, that's
that's triggering some alarm bells. Go ahead, I'm not going. Okay,
go ahead. Clue number three. Notable not so good players taken in front
of me were Don mccerr, Gershan Jabouceli, Wade Baldwin, Denzel Valentin,
and Malachi Richardson. Okay, those guys were taken ahead of so this guy's
probably pretty good if we're oh wait, so oh that's that draft class.
He's given it away, all right, go ahead. I'd be like,
you want me to give you the draft class, because yeah, give me
those players again. I was and thinking in those terms of what year that'd
be, so Gershon Yabuceli, Wade, Baldwin, and it was I mean,
this might be very it's the twenty twenty six draft class. Does that
do it better for you? Twenty sixteen? Yeah? Okay, uh yeah,
okay, yeah, I got it. Clue number four. I'm the
second most decorated player of all the players selected in my draft class. Oh
wow, twenty seventh. Big, it's not Desmond Bane. That's too early.
Go ahead, yeah, Clue number five. I have an incredibly bad
self anointed nickname, so it's confused for someone else on draft night and a
bad self anointed nickname. I don't know. That's not helping me. Clue
number six, I have a Tabasco sauce flavor and a McDonald's mcflurry named after
me in the city that I play. What. Oh, I don't know
that one. If it's any consolation, I don't think I would have gotten
this yet either. How many clues do I have left? Too? And
I think you'll get it after this one? Oh boy? I clude number
seven. I won Most Improved Player in twenty nineteen, along with an NBA
title, uh twenty nineteen. Toronto won it in nineteen. Who the hell
is on? I just want to go through the twenty nineteen Raptors Most Improved.
Oh it's uh, it's Siakam, Yes it is. I was wondering
why TOOKI somped again. I don't I just forgot. I don't know why
I've blanked on Most Improved. I think I think I'm slipping and guess the
player. I feel like I used to be better at this. H Look,
it's the week. It's like the last week of the year. I'm
just going to chalk it up to that. Okay, Uh, next one.
Clue number one. I was drafted by the Sonics and then traded to
the Magic for Horace Grant. Hmm s Magic for Horace Grant. Uh.
I got a couple guesses. You'd care to venture some of them? But
wait? So I was traded from the Sonics to the Magic and then traded
to the Magic for Horace Grant. I don't remember Horace Grant ever being on
the Sonics, so that's not a great start. Go ahead, Clue number
two. I was immediately traded again after my rookie year. Oh boy,
okay, Clue number three. I was part of a fun, up and
coming trio of youngsters for the team I was traded to, where I played
for the next eight years. So you go drafted by the Sonics, goes
to the Magic, ends up on a third team with two other exciting players.
This has got to be like late nineties, early two thousands, all
right, Clue number four. I then signed a mega deal with Grant's beloved
Warriors, where I was largely uninspired. Okay, well, I have to
get it now. Who the hell Sonics to the Magic to the Warriors in
the early two thousands signed a mega deal. The word is megadeal. The
word is megadeal. All right, I don't have it. I probably should
have it. Clue five, You're second to last one. I was so
bad for Golden State that the locals gave me a nickname to describe my play
style that is not suitable for younger audiences. I don't know what that is.
Uh, I don't know it either, So I'd like to know what
this nickname is. What's the last clue? Clue six? My more well
known nickname is based off the similarity between my last name and canned pasta,
the can pasta. If you don't have it, I'll give you the can
pasta name. Was it like chef Boyarde? No? Oh? What other
canpasta is there? Oh? Yeah, yeah, Corey mcgetty, Corey Mcgeeyah,
there you go. Do you know this not suitable for younger audiences?
Nickname that he had? Because I don't, I did. Nothing comes to
mind. I'm trying to think who. I wonder who the the the three
young players that he like got It was an excited like, who is that
Clippers team with like Darius Miles and lamar odom or out In brand or no
am I missed from it could have been I could have been. I didn't
remember. The mcgetty was drafted by the Sonics. Interesting, where is his
basketball reference page? Let's see if that was the I feel like maybe I
feel like I do feel like he was the Clippers. So he started out
Orlando, Yeah, and then he was with the Clippers, So it must
have been Darius Miles was definitely one of the exciting young players. And then
I'm guessing Corey mcghetty and it was lamar Odom, or it could have been
Michael Olo Wakandi at that point. You know Richard was on that team too.
Was young Sean Livingston there yet? Or is he later with Percy And
I'm looking at just the first season, which was two thousand and one,
he was not. It had to be just looking at the ages, it
was Darius Miles, Corey mcghetty, and then well, Quentin Richardson and Lamar
Odom were both twenty one or younger, so it could have been a quartette
of Now I'm just I'm trying to see you know, you look like mcgetty.
I wish I wish it had the clue been I committed one of the
most egregious travels of all time, I would have probably gotten it sooner because
there's the travels like eight times in one play. Uh do you want to
know how for his career, Corey mcgetty took thirty one point one percent of
his shots from sixteen to twenty three feet. That's real bad. Nobody allow
anymore. Daryl Mburdy's somewhere shaking with rage. DeMar de Ro's wishes he could
get that many. All right, okay, give me another one. All
right, let's do. We'll wrap up this one from Mike Age and then
move on to the others that we have. Clue number one. This is
a short one six clues, so pressures on. My older brother was somewhat
seen as the better draft prospect, despite him being out of the league by
the time I came into the league. Oh my older brother. Okay,
okay, um, so let me just I want to double check because the
draft class isn't listed here, and I feel like you should at least get
that. I was drafted twentieth in twenty fifteen Sandwich between a bunch of guys
no one remembers, and his older brother was regarded as the better prospect.
Correct. I feel like I should get it right away. Okay, what's
the next one. I was part of a loaded bench unit for a team
that was the number one seed in the conference early on in my career,
where I was still playing alongside one of my college teammates twenty fifteen draft class.
Okay, don't have it, clue four, said college teammate and I
were traded within six months of each other to teams in the same division,
and I haven't been the same player since then, despite being a decent backup
point guard. Point guard. Uh hmm, don't you have it? I
don't. I almost thought I've had a little spark happen, but then I
don't. I don't have a decent backup point guard with a brother who was
regarded as the better prospect. It's not like it's way too late to be
one of the Tigus. It's not like Marquise Tigue or Jeff Tigue or anything
like that. No, Okay, what's the next clue? I've been traded
for Marcasohl, Trevor Ariza, and current professional wrestler Satinum sing in my career.
Marcus Ol, Trevor, I mean, everybody's been traded for Trevor Resa.
Okay, what's the next one? Final clue? I'm currently trapped on
the Terra offul Washington Wizards. Oh uh, it's not Delanne right, it
is right. I thought his brother. I thought the clue was that his
brother was in the same draft class, because Durrell right was way before that.
No, I said his older brother. It was who had an older
brother in the same draft class that was regarded as better than him. Okay,
all right, well we got it. Uh, let's do let me
get to help if I had the messages open, let's get to be Rich's
weekly one. Are you ready? Yes, I think so. Although he
we have to get into the mindset what do you call it, of got
to get in the mind of a psychopath. He he did text me saying
I might have submitted one that you've already done, or I might not have.
So now I'm on tilt because I don't know if I need to think
about players that I've already done A guess a player for fun story. He
sent me this without the answer, and I should have known it, but
I had to look it up and I was so mad at myself. Okay,
so it's so it's some you feel like you should have gotten Yes,
Okay, Clue number one. I was drafted the mid first round twenty fifteen
after spending one year in college at a storied program. All right, Clue
two, I've had a negative net rating via cleaning the glass every year of
my career except in a twelve hundred minute sample with the Phoenix Suns. Twenty
you said twenty fifteen. Mm hmm, middle of the first round basically shitty,
except for when you're a good, perfectly shitty middle of the first round
to the Suns. I feel like that should that should be enough, But
I don't have it yet. So what's the next one? Clue three,
I've been traded four times so far, involving NBA luminaries such as Chris Paul,
Trevor Ariza, Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, and Tim Hardaway Junior.
For the rationale behind me being traded so often, go back to clue number
two that he has a negative net rating all the time. Uh, I'm
so bad when it's like I was traded for this guy. I just I
never remember Chris Paul. One. If you don't get this is gonna be
the one that you kick and scream about that he was traded for, because,
like you said, everyone's been traded for Trevor Reza. Yeah, A
prestigious, a middle a middle of the first round pick from a what was
the what was the descriptor for the college? A prestigious, storied pro story.
So we're like in the Duke Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina situation area
here and it was good with the Suns. All right, can go ahead
for a sense of what type of player I am. One of my nicknames
is shot. I shoot often and I rarely passed. As such, the
highest assist to usage ranking of my career is the fifteenth percentile. I've had
three years so far ranking either in the first percentile or zero eight percent.
So just a chucker? Is it? Landry Shammitt? No, I don't
know why. I don't know what college he went to, but it just
he seems like a chucker to me. The Chris so I should get it
based on the Chris Paul thing is what you're telling me, that's the one
you should get it. This is what's the next clue, gonna be clue
number five. You will get it after clue number five. Okay, Uh,
it's just hard to figure out, like which Chris Paul trade we're talking
about. There's just been a few. There's been a few, but he
also has traded for Trevor Reza, So we gotta go. It can't be
like the I wouldn't think it'd be the one to Phoenix. It's certainly not
the one to Washington or Golden State. So we're talking about like someone in
the Houston, maybe the thunder. All right, you're gonna have to just
give me a clue five. This is gonna be dead air of me thinking
a lanky lefty I dropped forty for the Warriors against the MAVs in twenty twenty
one, A lefty who dropped forty against the MAVs for the Warriors and twenty
twenty one. Dude, Oh, I just I'm telling you, I'm getting
worse at these I don't know what's happening. Why can't I think of a
left hander? I mean, I want to You will get it after the
next clue, because I didn't even read the next clue before I googled it.
I don't know if there was like a show more option in Discord I
didn't see. But I didn't even notice this clue when I first went through
it. This is insane to me that I can't think of a left handed
player on the Warriors that got forty points within the last two years. Honestly,
whether or not you get it after the final clue, be Rich needs
to pour himself a glass of his favorite adult beverage. Now, yeah,
I feel like the angrier I get that, I can't guess. It just
is the greater, the more successful the guess a player is basically all right,
Okay, I mean I could just sit here and think about I could.
I think I should be able to get it based on the lefty scoring
forty You should? Yes? Why can't I go ahead? You want to
take a stab? Or do you want the finals? Nothing comes to mind.
I can't think of a left handed person. I don't know why.
For the word Andre spi Adrench, It's probably not him. No, it's
it's definitely not him. Uh Okay the final clue, I may or may
not have been struck in a hit and run accident in November of this season.
Okay, yeah, Kelly oubre Kelly Abridgejr. You're wrong, No,
I meant his. I meant senior little known fact. Uh yeah, okay,
his exact his exact words to me where Grant should get it on the
lanky lefty clue with the latest wrong. That's where you're wrong. Uh,
let's see now I'm looking back. Okay, he went to Kansas, all
right, God damn, I'm slipping, all right. I don't know how
I'm going to redeem myself after that one. Well, we have one from
rubik'scal So are you ready to redeem yourself with that one? I'm gonna do
my best. Clue one. I wasn't highly recruited out of high school,
and I got only one scholarship offer from a Division two college. C J.
McCollum. No was lehigh at Division two college. No, I just,
I just I just remember him not being recruited. Basically, you don't
end up the Patriot League. You don't end up with the Patriot League if
you're highly recruited. Clue two, I committed to a D three college instead.
In my one year with them, I led them to a twenty eight
and five record with seventeen point one points per game and six point five rebounds
per game. Derek White, no thought I had it. Clue three.
My groundbreaking season attracted many D one teams. College X offered to only sign
me as a walk on, but eventually they relented. Making me the first
D three player to make a transition to D one on a full scholarship.
I have a couple Okay, we don't have any dates at all here,
so I'm gonna go I have two guesses. The first is Stephen Jackson.
That is incorrect. The second is Jimmy Butler. That is also incorrect.
You're getting warmer though. Ooh interesting. Clue number four. In my senior
year at College X, I sent a text to Ringer sports journalist Mark Titus
to find out more about life as a sports writer. But contrary to popular
belief, it wasn't because I thought I didn't have a future in basketball.
It was just part of a college course assignment. Oh that rings so many
bells, the Mark Titus thing. All right, I h okay, go
ahead. Clue five. I was named Big ten six Man of the Year
in my senior year, but I went unsigned in the draft. No one
wanted to take a chance on a four year college player who started in a
D three college. Finally, this team offered me a two way contract.
So it can't be Tucker because that's too long ago, is it? It's
not Jay Crowder? Is it? No? No? But you are naming
current and past teammates of his. Well, I mean everybody's played with those
guys. Go current, interesting a current Jay Crowder teammate. No, I
said you are naming. I didn't especial by which one was the current teammate.
Oh well, all right, so I gotta maybe gotta start. His
current teamate is not Derek White. His current teammate is not Derek White.
No, and he's never played with Derek White. All right, Yeah,
I don't need another clue. You have two more clue. Six. I'm
the fastest player to reach two hundred, three hundred, four hundred, five
hundred, six hundred, seven hundred, eight hundred and nine hundred made threes,
marketing was the fastest to reach one hundred made threes. In case you
were wondering, Duncan Robinson correct, what a bunch like? Such a thorough
one from Rubik's gal God damn it. That's a perfect clue because it just
totally orients you, like, Oh, okay, there's a player type that
I am just not anywhere close to me. So he played with Jake Crowder
and Jimmy Butler, obviously that was fine. Yeah, I did not know
about the Mark tightest text message yus sent it to me. I was reading,
I was like, that's so wild. Yeah, read the text message.
Sure, hey Mark, my name is Duncan Robinson and I'm a senior
on the men's basketball team at Michigan. I'm reaching out to you because for
one of my classes, we are asked to connect with somebody in the industry
that we are interested. I'm a big fan of The Ringer and specifically your
work. Was wondering if you would have some time to connect so I could
potentially learn more about your role as a staff writer and the Ringer in general.
Hope, hope all's well with you? How nice? A nice what
a nice little message. Future podcaster Duncan Robinson. Yeah, okay, all
right, that's a good one. I sort of like there's just too many
guys that had the like not recruited, went to like a D two,
D three, But then I mean the guy he made it to friggin' Michigan,
so he was eventually everybody caught on the negotiation process like where it's will
let you be a walk on, but then it just pivots to a full
scholarship, Like that's quite the jump. Well, and who looks at like
a light out shooter that's like six' nine or whatever he is. And
I mean you, I guess like you just assume he can't do anything else.
But Duncan Robinson has does nothing but but prove that narrative wrong. For
the last like eighteen months. Basically he had like eight separate renaissances and reinventions.
Yeah, because like I remember, it probably was this time last year
where he just like wasn't playing anymore and it was like, oh my god,
this is one of the worst contracts in all of a sudden, I
think when he was playing well in the playoffs. It is why the Max
Shruce departure was viewed as so critical because it's always Duncan Robinson really back and
he had there. Yeah, Duncan Robinson's really back and better, very much
back. This will be the final one. It's from Rubikscal as well,
and they have some trivia that they she sent us that if we have time,
we'll get to on the next one. Clue number one. I was
drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays and played for them for three years between nineteen
seventy nine and nineteen eighty one, making two hundred eleven appearances and hitting two
twenty with two home runs and one hundred and forty six hits. I was
the youngest player ever to score a home run for the Blue Jays, a
record that stood for eighteen years. Danny Ainge, correct, Holy shit,
I did not know that at all. Well, I feel better about this
whole enterprise now that I that is. Wow. Take us, We're done,
Take us out of here. Close. On that note, I just
want to thank Danny Ainge and my weird knowledge of two sport athletes. Just
feel really good about it. Thank all of you for if you count being
like the almost trade Wizard, the almost trade Wizard really good GM so Ruby,
scal Be, Rich, Mike, thank you for all of your contributions
and for your support and everybody else who is supporting us. The ways to
do that as always, to rate, review, subscribe thumbs up, like
give us positive comments. Wherever you're watching or listening to this, follow us
on our socials, join our discord so you can get involved in the discussion,
and you can find the links for that in the YouTube and podcast description,
which is also where the way to get merch which Dan is right now,
I'm drinking from a cup right here, Hardinnox cup. Yeah. I
think that's it. Thanks everybody. Thanks Danny Ainge, Happy New Year.
Shout out to the one only Frank Milla Keene. Apologies to Jared Allen