Speaker 1: What is up? Fellas it goes? I am Damn Valley
coming at you with more Jensen of NBA, the NBA Podcast,
Name of the Actors, Sports Fame, of Sports Fame, and
of Omni Dans Celebrity. We are here to take a
break from talking about the playoffs because the NBA Draft
Lottery is coming up more and so we have a
really complex, scientific data backed question that we are going
to ask and then use it to talk about all
these teams that will be in the running for the lottery.
That question, everybody, buckle up, strap in if you haven't
already mm hm which.
Speaker 2: Wait wait wait wait wait wait you built you need
to build up some more. Come on, come on, you
need to build it up even more than that. Look,
this is the question. This is This has to be
life changing to everyone listening in. You're you're already on track, Like,
just just bring it home, Dan.
Speaker 1: The answer to this question will quite literally determine whether
the NBA exists in the next five years.
Speaker 3: Right, the fate of the universe.
Speaker 1: Actually, which NBA Draft Lottery team more needs Cooper flag
the most on question? Number one, top prospect, He's going
number one. I know everyone's probably just that they can't
even wrap their heads around how mind melting that question was.
So we're gonna go through each of these teams and
just talk about it. We'll deliver our verdict at the end.
Is the one team we're kind of just looking at.
I don't know if there's any note you want to
have before we dig in here, but we're just looking
at the setup of the team where it's not where
necessarily I guess it. I'm factoring in everything when I
looked at this and prep for it, it's yeah, okay,
the Cooper flag fit, but like, do they have any
other blue chip cornerstones on the roster, Like I'm gonna
a team like let's use this burs as an example.
They win the lottery and have Cooper Flag, that kind
of feels like cheating, Like they don't need Cooper Flag, Like, yeah,
he might be fun as hell there, but the need
level of Cooper Flag is not as high for a
team that might not have let's say, the face of
its future or a candidate for that spot in place.
Speaker 2: I love how you look at it through that prison
because I have it attacked it from a different approach.
I'm gonna I'm looking at the state of a franchise,
not in terms of like roster construction, but like how
sad is your franchise? Really? That's that's like.
Speaker 1: The same thing, is it?
Speaker 2: Though?
Speaker 1: Well, because the Spurs aren't gonna ran high on your
sadness scale?
Speaker 3: Are they correct? They're not just proved.
Speaker 1: I just proved that point, then that's.
Speaker 2: True, but like there are other situations there and also
like goodwill. Like sometimes it's like before exam, do I
want to reward the Philadelphia seventy six ers with this?
Speaker 3: Do I want to give them a bailout option here?
Speaker 1: But I don't. Again, they're a team that has cornerstone
options in place already, though, so I feel like we
might be We're tackling it from different perspectives, but I
feel like we're gonna end up with close to this.
I bet you I could pick which team I could
narrow down to one or two, two or three teams
that I know you're gonna select is but neither. But
let's go through this exercise rather than spoil it. We
begin speaking of sad franceranchises with the Charlotte Hornets. They
have a fourteen percent chance of winning the lottery one
of three teams that have a fourteen percent chance. When
you look at this is now, this is the team
that I could see ourselves disagreeing on, that's for sure.
When you look at what they have in place where
it feels like the base of their core is Brandon
Miller LaMelo ball and that's it. Like you can't throw
t John Salon in there, and you definitely can't throw
Mark Williams in there when they tried to trade him.
So that's that's just it. Like you want to like
who else you want to kJ Simpson? You want to
throw him in there more?
Speaker 3: What like K Simpson?
Speaker 1: I mean it'd be nice if he passed every once
in a while.
Speaker 3: But anyway, that'd be nice.
Speaker 1: Yes, here's my thing. But like let's ask I guess
this question on a scale of sort of one to ten,
Like what is their need level for the Cooper Flag experience? Oh?
Speaker 2: Their need is is up there? Like what is that
like eight? Eight and a half? Okay, of course, I mean, look,
this is a this is a franchise has been.
Speaker 3: Just irrelevant for so long injury.
Speaker 2: Plague, have a guy on the roster who shouldn't even
play in the NBA, So it leaves everyone with a
sour taste in their mouth whenever he plays, so like
everything is just bad. They need something good. Yeah, absolutely,
the Hornets fans to serve something nice, something they can
root for, and a local product in that way. Well
I say local. I know he's from Maine, but like
he played a duke. You know that's that counts.
Speaker 1: They drink Poland's bring in Charlotte tame different.
Speaker 3: Yeah, the go there you go.
Speaker 1: What's interesting about that is I agree, I feel like
Charlotte Hornets fans deserve like a product that is one
not injury prone and then two actively good to root for.
I do think the level of need you assigned, like
needing the to win the lottery, it really does depend on, well,
how do you feel about LaMelo ball and or Brandon Miller,
because this team has at least shown, at least so
far under this front office that they're not going to
short circuit the process. But if you don't think that
between the Melo and Brandon Miller you can assemble a
sustainable playoff contender around them, then that need for Cooper
flag is high. Because I do think there are some
teams on this where you look at them and say
oh they have like that's the Wemby is the like
they have the guy in place, or even if you
don't like the guy, like if the Hawks could win
the lottery, which they cannot, well they can win the pickle.
Just go to San Antonio. You may not like Trey Young,
but you know that you can build a team around
him that will get to the playoffs. With Charlotte, there's
not a ton of proof of concept here, and injuries
have really, you know, short circuited that. For sure. I
tend to be higher on LaMelo than consensus, and so
I don't think they need you. I don't think they
need him as much to where it's this franchise will
not be stuck in the desert if they don't have
Cooper Flag and they have to start looking at some
of the other prospects on the board.
Speaker 2: You do realize that if the Hornets do get Cooper Flagg,
you and I the biggest spousal debate, You and I.
We have that dies like you and I will be
friends again immediately, because I've said repeatedly that I don't
think LaMelo is like the number one guy on a
good team, Like I don't think he's got that. But
and you're sort of disagreeing with me on that because
you're saying, if he's healthy, and I get it, but
that whole conversation just goes out the window because if
Cooper Flag is there, he's gonna be number one.
Speaker 3: He's gonna be the primary.
Speaker 1: I agree, I want to make I don't disagree with
any sense. Do you think LaMelo is capable of scaling
down to being like the number two or number one,
b whatever you want to say?
Speaker 2: That is a really good question that I don't have
the answer for. I hope so. But given that he
makes a lot of questionable decisions. Uh and and isn't
necessarily a guy who with to to to use a
Captain America phrase, will lay down on fire for his soldiers.
Speaker 3: I don't know. I don't know. I hope that I'm wrong.
Speaker 2: I hope that LaMelo, because he'll beat twenty four later
this year, kind of matures a little bit and goes, oh,
you know what, this guy's the real deal.
Speaker 3: Let's just ride that wave.
Speaker 2: Because I've been sort of on irrelevant teams ever since
I made it here. You know, winning is the priority
in the NBA, and if LaMelo insists upon individual glory
over teams success. I'd be worried as fuck.
Speaker 1: I don't think he'd have There might be an adjustment period.
I think he can scale down. I would be curious
to see, though, if the team does start looking at well,
what if they have Cooper Flagg? Do we look at
moving LaMelo And I probably wouldn't like I at least
want to see it in action, but you would run
the risk of Okay, his value is probably not too
high right now strictly because of the injury. There's the
inefficiency stuff some people don't like to play style. That
would become an interesting exercise. I will say, if they
could just get a good defensive center in Charlotte, yeah,
I would pay absurd amounts of money to watch that
center defend with Brandon Miller and Cooper Flag on the court,
because that, like Cooper Flag and Brandon Miller as like
a base defense, like not your you know, back line,
like that has the chance to be insane.
Speaker 2: Which I don't want to go too far on this
because we're already over our allocated time limit on each team.
But I know that I'm I'm in the minority on
this one. I still think there could be a solid
defensive center in Mark Williams kending health. He's only twenty three.
We know Biggs take some time, we know that he's
had some issues there. I'm not gonna sit here and
sugarcoat it and say he's a good defensive player.
Speaker 3: Although I do think he has moments. I think that's
fair to say.
Speaker 2: I don't think he is like a complete nonsense player defensively.
Speaker 3: I don't think that would be fair whatsoever.
Speaker 2: The rebounding alone as well is elite, and that helps
that kind of finishes off defensive possessions. So I think
there's something there. But again, you need him to be healthy.
You also need him to be motivated. And I'm sort
of at that mind that Mark Williams potentially could be
looking around the league after having that deal rescinded, and
maybe this is also not the best situation for him
to develop. So it's like I feel as though with
Cooper Flag, if he gets there, it just resets everything
that's that allows him to say, Okay, culture reset from
here on out. The guys we don't like the work
ethic of some players that we don't like, everyone is
now expendable. Outside of Cooper Flag. It just resets everything
I think.
Speaker 1: I still I don't know that I would call Miller
LaMelo expendable in that scenario, but I get it, like
I understand the sentiment. I probably want to see them
all together, though before I got that far. Our next
team is the also has a fourteen percent chance of
winning the lottery, the Utah Jazs. They just extended Will Hardy,
who there were murmurings around the league that the Spurs
are making run at him, and he signs a six
year extension. I wonder this is totally tangential, but I
wonder how much was Oh the Spurs maybe checked in
before going with Mitch Johnson and that like Will Hardy
maybe use that as leverage to get the extension. But
they had picked up his option like for twenty twenty six,
twenty seven this past year, so I think this was
always headed there. I think you could make the case
though and miss when you get to talk to need
about Cooper flagmoret. I think you can make the case
that right now, Will Hardy is this team's best building block,
and that's problematic when you're looking at how many years
seasons removed we now are from the Rudy Gobert and
Donovan Mitchell trades, and look, part of that might be
will Hardy's fault. He's definitely a really good coach on offense,
and the Jazz were better than expected for the first
half of the previous two seasons. Now they've finally tanked
a full year. Unless you, I guess the only way
that you could disagree that they're sort of at like
def Con one. In terms of looking for a face
of the futures, you either have to believe that it's
Isaiah Collier, Keyante George or that you have that high
high of an opinion of lowry marketing.
Speaker 3: John Collins slander.
Speaker 1: No, I'm kidding, Yes, Cody Williams is gonna happen.
Speaker 2: Williams my big board last year. I mean, look, there's
something so funny about the idea of them winning Cooper
Flag because marketing to me still a four. John Collins
only a four, Kenyan Martin Junior best as a four,
Taylor Hendricks best as a four, Kyle Philipowski strictly a four,
and Cooper Flag obviously also to me, projects way more
as a four than the three. So it's like, all right,
maybe this is just like the new age Jazz, let's
start three.
Speaker 3: Or four screw it, four power forwards?
Speaker 2: Why not?
Speaker 1: What would that be relative to Houston to where it's
like And we've had some discussioners that discord that people
think Tari Easton does a lot of the big man stuff,
which is fair. But they're playing Jabbari, Shangun and Adams
together withinn Atari Easton. But it's like those are two
centers plus a four five and then a three four
And if the Jazz are running out all.
Speaker 2: Fours, all force, all force, I mean look and look
the T shirts alone, all four on, all fours.
Speaker 3: There we go.
Speaker 2: It'd be fantastic. But yeah, look from from a franchise perspective,
let's just let's.
Speaker 3: Not beat around the bush here.
Speaker 2: From a franchise perspective, getting a white superstar in Utah,
yeah yeah, but perfect just no notes that is that
would be huge for both the league and for them
because we all know that that is something that has
been an issue for a long time.
Speaker 3: I would say perfect fit.
Speaker 2: But in terms of the need, I don't know, because
I don't know what the fuck this roster.
Speaker 1: Is, but that's what. Yeah, that increased the need because
what is their guiding force right now?
Speaker 3: Who is the more that that is?
Speaker 1: That's but that's then that's a problem and Larry Marketing, Look,
you could make him and Cooper flag work if you're
trying to be competitive. Soon you can't all the all
the pieces around them become instantly fungible. I think, not
only are you looking at a roster that's bereft of
that number one guy of the future, but you're looking
at an impatient fan base because of how many seasons.
What are we like, we're three years, three summers removed
from Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell being shipped elsewhere? Is that?
What was that twenty twenty two that it was? We're
about to go to summer four?
Speaker 3: Then, I like, so this is his third year.
Speaker 1: Don Mitchell been in Cleveland for what's third year?
Speaker 3: Right, But we're gonna have.
Speaker 1: To double check that. I don't know what is time
anyway more? But yeah, so don Mitchell just wrapped up
his third season Cleveland, so trade him in the summer
of two thousand or like that off season. So now
you've gone through this will be your fourth off season
since technically kicking off the rebuild, and or third excuse me,
I'm sorry, I can't do math. And to not have
like even someone that you would stand there and identifies, well,
this might be someone who can become. And there's a
lot of like I think sometimes it's you know, it's
oversimplified as to why they're here. I think a lot
of the reason they're here is for good things like
Larry markin in turning into a borderline all NBA player
like and then some of the veterans just for contributing
longer in that first season at a higher level than
you'd expected. With all that said, you can't sit here
after getting all those picks moving so much, like just
blowing it up, and to not even have like even
on teams if you don't believe that they're number one
options in place, you can only say no, like that
might be the dude, if we're fastening three or four years,
like you could see, you could see a plausive there
is no one and I don't even know who has
the best chance of being that. Like if you even
had to say, oh, it's gonna be one of the
players on the roster that will be the pole star
around whom they build everything in three to four years,
who fucked who are you picking? Is it? Is it Collier?
Is it Kiante George?
Speaker 3: Like, honestly, oh god, that's depressing problem.
Speaker 1: Taylor Hendrix, because I love that dude.
Speaker 2: All right, you know what you couldnvince me so the
need for them because of their situation. That's probably like
a solid nine nine point five maybe even.
Speaker 1: And it's you could go higher. But I do think
then you get to the point of, like, I don't
hate all the youth on Utah, Like I think Kyle
Philipowski and Klier had like two of the more underrated rookie.
Especially Philipowski. I think he like he was Yeah, what
he did on offense this year was just nasty. But
it does come what you also say, Man, the roster
gets tricky because of all the fours.
Speaker 3: Right right, So that that is very high.
Speaker 2: Actually, so right now we have Utah in the lead,
all right, Yeah.
Speaker 1: We're to the Washington Wizards also a fourteen percent They
are in a round out are fourteen percenters, And generally speaking,
you would expect the teams that have the highest chance
of winning lottery to need to win the lottery the most.
This one's interesting though, because I think they have two
options when it comes to if you were wondering who
is their guiding force in black, Kula Bali and even
Alex saw Sar did not have the most efficient offensive season,
but like he showed some stretch, showed some defensive disruption.
I think the passing, that's not something that I knew
that he was going to be able to do right
out of the gate. Here, As he gets stronger, I
think he will become a better post defender, a better
finisher around the basket. And I just love Koula Bali.
Like that dude came into the league just ready to
defend anyone and he's still kind of there. I think
the swing skill for him will be the shooting. Yeah,
the shooting. I kind of dabbled in, oh can this
person create for others a bunch? But I think I
might rather see him as if you could just get
a set jump and then if you want him to
make plays off the catch wheres maybe out of the
short role that might be for what and for all
he can do on defense. I think that's enough. So
they do have two options here, and then they also
have I like bub Garrington a lot like the Poison,
which you could play on ball, and I really love
Keishaw George. I don't think you call him a cornerstone,
but as someone who can do I think, if the
shot comes around, do a little bit of everything right.
So I think some people might be surprised. If we're
going on a scale of one to ten, I don't
know where you're gonna land. I'm probably at like if
five is average, they clearly need it more than just
the average team because they're here at all. But I
don't know a six.
Speaker 2: Six, eleven, twelve, And I'll tell you why, because you
look at it from a ross perspective.
Speaker 3: That's totally fair.
Speaker 2: This is a franchise where people don't care anymore, like
at all. This is a franchise that might be one
of the most, if not the most irrelevant in the
entire NBA.
Speaker 3: It is. I was there.
Speaker 2: I was in Washington over Christmas in twenty fourteen. This
was at the height of the John Wall Bradley Beal era.
Nobody gave a fuck. Nobody gave a fuck except the hardcourse.
And funny enough, by the way, Brian was there. We
didn't know at that point in time.
Speaker 1: Are two games out there for the thousands of people listening,
who have no idea who Brian is.
Speaker 2: Brian Suporikar coming friend or a mutual friend. So he
was there and that, and like I actually asked him
later on, like is this normal? He was like, yeah, Washington,
It's like, okay, let's get some excitement back to the
Wizards because the last time they won a championship was
in nineteen seventy eight, and they've only like sparingly been
in the playoffs ever since, like no first round loss
here and there, like maybe made it to the second round.
It's just it's been it's it's been really bad. It's
been really bad. This is an organization, this is a
fan base. This is everything that needs something else, that
needs a that needs hope, that needs a light. It's
not just about the roster how it's currently constructed. It's
not about their cap sheet, it's not about their direction.
This is about a team that needs a reason to
exist ten eleven, twelve in terms of need.
Speaker 1: That's an interesting way to look at it. I just
don't know is the hype around Cooper flag enough, Like
has he reached Wemby or Zion levels of hype coming
out of college that if you're viewing this from sort
of an like, you're looking at this as an existential crisis.
Is that going to be enough to, like, I don't know,
change public your your opinion of how much the public
cares about the Wizards. I don't If you could make look,
I'm sorry, you could make a case that like New
Orleans has zion and that hasn't necessarily raised the pel
because or at least hasn't convinced ownership to invest competently
in the organization. So I I just it's tough for
me to look at it from a non basketball perspective
because I think if you're to look at it from
a basketball perspective, do you still assign so much value
to them needing Cooper.
Speaker 2: Flag because he's Cooper Flag and he's an organizational star
presumably of what we know that is the.
Speaker 3: The spectrum of which we analyze this through.
Speaker 2: Yes, because there's going to be a ripple effect if
he is that Tier one superstar. More stars are gonna
let sean, They're gonna build a competitive product. It's not
gonna be John Wall and Bradley Beal. It's going to
be something better, something that can capture the imagination of
which Wizards fans. When is the last time we've ever
been able to say that.
Speaker 1: Here's my thing with that, though, Well, I think it's
fair to look at it that way. You're basically saying
that what they have in place can't Ever the outcome
of that is zero, then, is what you're saying If
you're saying they need Cooper flag because you're not that
you're saying that, Alex r. Because part of this has
this is about basketball captioning the imagined, captioning the imagination.
So like by you putting them at an eleven and
the Jazz at a nine, you're saying to me that
there's more of a chance that the Utah cole aces
in something.
Speaker 2: Okay, I understand why you look at it like that.
That's no. I think I'm basically putting more of an
onus on. This is a team that's gone nowhere at
least at least Utah has had moments during like Darren Williams,
Carlos Boos or ever era where they made it to
the Western Conference finals. Right, they made it to the
finals back to back in ninety seven ninety eight, right,
So like they've had playoffs success, They've been to the playoffs.
They made it pretty far. They've had like, you know,
consistent playoff appearances where we can sort of pencil them
in as the top five sometimes top four seed.
Speaker 3: We can't say that about the Wizards, not really.
Speaker 2: I think the entire story narrative, whatever you want to
call it, around the franchise is where I differ between
the two of them. So, while I understand your point
from a roster perspective, I do think more highly of
how the Wizards are building right now than I do
the Jazz. It's it's a feeling. It's the feeling dan
of where those organizations are presently.
Speaker 1: And look, I'm all for ejecting like the emotional component
into this too. And I think part of the reason
I would have the Wizards I have them lower is
also because I trust the direction that the front office
is headed in to where it's. Okay, now, let's look
at it this way. Let's say they don't get Cooper Flag.
The previous front office regime is probably going out there
and giving up everything they have to trade for I
don't know, like Kyle Kuzma again or something, and this one,
you know, like, no, they're gonna continue to bill gradually
and if that Cooper flag isn't already in place, that
Pole Star, They're going to give themselves enough bites at
the draft Apple to ensure that they go. And I
also trust them more to develop what's already in place.
And so that's why it's tough for me to say.
From an interest perspective, I think there are a ton
of teams that could fit, you know, like the a
Cooper flag comes in and it gives you this polarizing
presence around which to rally the fan base while you're
still bad. I agree with you that Cooper flag probably
does that for Washington more than Kulabali or alex Are
for sure. Our next team has a twelve and a
half percent, speaking of irrelevant franchises, by the way, as
a twelve and a half and I'm allowed to say
that because I was so high on the Pelicans too
many times only for them to, you know, blow my
brains out. They have a twelve and a half percent
chance of winning lottery. David Griffin gone, Joe dumars in.
There's still talent on this roster. Yeah, I just have
no idea what the fuck they're doing. And that's the
I think Zion Williamson's a borderline top ten player when
he's available. Yeah, I don't get to available is the
key word. I mean, you worry whose durability You're worried
about more Zions or Lamello. It's it's probably Zons at
this point. So so you're worried about well, so you
want Melow to be unavailable, is what you're saying. That's
that's kind of a cheap shot. I don't like, I
feel like they need Cooper Flag, Like I would put
them around an eight to where it's okay, you have Zion,
so you still have a chance that if he's healthy,
this is the guy. But I don't know that. You
could say you're closer to having the guy than Charlotte.
You could say it than Utah, just because there's at
least someone with that level of talent. However, when you
look at the direction of the franchise and maybe you disagree,
like maybe the Army would be no, Like, they don't
need Cooper Flags because nothing here is gonna change. Like,
if you got Cooper Flag, I feel like it steers
you in a very clear direction. Whereas kind of right now,
regardless of who they end up with, if it's not
Cooper Flag. You're still sort of just billowing in the wind, right,
So where do we put them on a number? So
the rankings right now, well, I guess we have different rankings,
but like they're definitely for me, which so I guess
you're assuming are they higher or lower for you than
the Wizards? Would be the question?
Speaker 2: No, I see, yeah, I think they're I think they're lower.
I think again this we're talking about the Wizards for me,
where I'm like, does this team have a reason to exist?
So I think that's why it's so crucial. I'm not
quite there with the Pelicans. Also because the Science Factory
is still there, it's still alive for as long as
it is.
Speaker 3: We'll see what happens this summer six and a half.
Speaker 2: And also if they do pivot off Scion after getting
the Cooper flag pick.
Speaker 1: Is that what you do if you're them?
Speaker 2: By the way, I'm not saying no, no, I'm not saying
that that's what they should do. No, I mean if
they do, what if they get something in there that
actually sets it up to flag long term, wouldn't be
the worst thing in the world.
Speaker 1: Well, that's what I was almost assuming was that just
gives them a clear direction as let's just rebuild everything
around him. Because, by the way, if you're worried about
Cooper Flag playing with Lowry Market, and you certainly need
to be worried with him playing next to Zion Williams
and no.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, no, no.
Speaker 2: The Yarket type of Flag and Sion are eerially similar,
like sketchy long range shooters, although Flag projects.
Speaker 3: To be better, but both playmaking force.
Speaker 2: Flag obviously defensively far better on that end, where I
think Sion offensively has by far the edge at least
right now. But yeah, positional overlap times too, right, It's
not as as it reaches as Bradley Beale Devin Booker,
But we're up there.
Speaker 1: So do you like? I still think of all the
teams we've talked about, this will be the best way
for him. I still have Utah at the top of
my list of they we need to plague the most,
because the Zion component here is just so tough to
reconcile if you don't. And it doesn't seem like you know,
Schmidt Douwa just published another like sort of info dump
on the Pelican situation. It doesn't seem like there was
actually a prerequisite of Jumar's taking the job that he
had to trade Zion. But that's just sort of kind
of out there. Zion even happy there? Do the Pelicans
even want him? And how good? And how also, how
do you build a team where you don't know if
this okay an all NBA Top ten type player, you
don't know whether he's going to be available, So how
do you go about building your team? It seems like
one of David Griffin's cardinal sins was he tried to
build a team that could thrive or at least be
good without Zion, and then it deviated too far away
of optimizing Zion. But how do you justify what we
need to optimize Zion if Zion's not gonna play in
sixty five games every year?
Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's and that's where the need comes in,
because we can seize her and talk about, well do
they really need him if Sion is there? But you're right,
if Sigon plays twenty five, twenty seven games per year,
what the fuck does it matter?
Speaker 3: Then he's not there? No, you're right.
Speaker 2: You know what did I say? Six point five? I'm
gonna up it. You're right, it's not up to my
my Washington levels though I'm probably gonna go up to
seven point five.
Speaker 1: So moret has the Wizards is number one so far
and I have to do Yeah still too, Let's see
if this next team can be throne either of them.
They have a ten point five percent chance of winning
the lottery. More the Philadelphia seventy six Ers with over
a ten percent chance of winning the lottery, just like
we all predicted at the start of the season. I mean,
if if you're going at it through the lens of
I don't trust this core together. Joel Embid and Paul
George are never gonna live up to their contracts and
Beat is never going to be hell again. You could
argue the need is pretty urgent, but they also still
have tyres MAXI. They have picks. They have I mean
down where we know he's going to be aggressive in
trying to make upgrades. So the need level you if
you're the Sixers, you want to have the problem of
let's keep the pick and then see, like do we
trade it, do we draft? And trying to develop this player.
I would argue, I'm if you can get Cooper Flag,
I'm saying you get Cooper Flag like if they had
a choice, obviously, yes, but winning the lottery almost complicates
things for them because it's like, well, what what are
you supposed to.
Speaker 3: Do because of the contracts?
Speaker 1: Yes, it's because of the contracts, But it's like, are
you just assuming are you on Cooper Flag's timeline now
or are you trying to develop Cooper Flag around you
forget about?
Speaker 2: Yes? Yes, no, no, no, no, there should be no
confusion confusion about that. If you win the Cooper Flag lottery,
if you're the Philadelphia seventy six ers apps of fucking
lot you're on Cooper Flag's timeline right now.
Speaker 1: So you're just then you're out on Joelle Embiid, Yes.
Speaker 2: I am.
Speaker 3: And Paul George. Yes, it's pall.
Speaker 1: George is not the person. He's not like he never
would even if Paul George had a good year, You're not. No.
Speaker 2: No, But like what I mean is like, I'm just
out on the veterans. I could also have said Eric Gordon,
I'm just out on them trying to go out for
when now players, you're you're switching things around, You're going
into a rebuild, you are building around Tyree's Maxey Cooper Flag.
Jerick McCain rhymes when rhymes as well, Yes, like that's
your new starting point.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, that's I think that would probably be the right call.
So I do agree with you. I just don't think
it's what they would do.
Speaker 2: Maybe not, that's that's what they should do.
Speaker 1: If I was running the franchise, I guess like, yeah,
the Maxie FLA, But like what are so you're just
you're if someone's willing to take and be, you're just
trading him for what you can get. Because he's the
type of player where it's if he's gonna play. And
I don't necessarily mean this in a bad way, but
it's not gonna know it's I mean, Tyr's Maxie blossomed
around him. So maybe that's wrong call. But he's not
going to streamline Cooper Flag's development. If anything, he might
infringe upon it, because I think Cooper Flag is very
much someone who needs plenty of touches to kind of
make sure that he leaves a mark on the game
offensively right now, and that's just with Maxi and EMBI
that's not not gonna be as readily available.
Speaker 3: Right Does that matter? Is that something we should think about.
Speaker 1: I think everything's on the table here. I'm just saying
I don't like I it's weird because I don't believe
that they would be on Cooper Flag's timeline immediately if
they won the lottery. I think they would either try
and augment what they already have in place with Cooper Flag,
or they would probably if of all the lottery teams,
like they would be the most likely one to trade
said lottery said number one pick right. I don't think
anybody would. I want to make that clear.
Speaker 2: I mean if I'm not closing the door on that,
because NBA franchises act in so many different ways. If
you are married to this time line of EMBIID Paul George,
I guess Tyrese MAXI also, even though he's significantly younger.
Speaker 3: You just got to make.
Speaker 2: Sure it's the right deal though, Like if you have
a yeah, yeah, but like straight up, man, even if
you get Booker.
Speaker 1: Because and also the problem you run into is h
I'm assuming you look at that and say, okay, like
EMBIID or George has to be your matching salary going
out right, and you're probably picking Paul George.
Speaker 2: Oh oh absolutely, but still like and then I'm probably
also getting more in return. But do I even trust
a Embid book, Maxy McCain crimes.
Speaker 1: Core, that's so many guards. Do you trust that's a
that's a talented core. I don't. I wouldn't trust it
defensively for sure.
Speaker 2: I wouldn't trust it to stay healthy. I wouldn't trust
it to do a lot of things. It's again, this
Sixer team needs a bit of a blow up, not
in terms of like from everyone older than Tyree's Maxie up, like, yeah,
oh well, with the exception of Quentin Grimes. That's you
saying Quentin Grimes enough Cooper flag would be the perfect excuse.
But where do we put them? Dan are putting them
at at six point five six?
Speaker 1: Our lowest score I think that we gave is I
gave the Wizards of six and a half, but you
could probably talk me into a seven.
Speaker 3: But that was my highest because yeah.
Speaker 1: So do they need it more than the Pelicans who
have Zion? So it's kind of it's there's a contrast there,
but it's okay, the Sixers haven't bet in MAXI and
the Pelicans have Zion.
Speaker 3: No they they don't. You're right, that's that's the way
to figure out the score.
Speaker 2: Here because you're right, tyres Max is far more available
than sign Williams Snizz. Granted, Sion is better when he's healthy,
but I do think the difference isn't so itck reaches
to the point where like, oh yeah, like he's levels
ahead because we have a reasonably healthy Tyrese Maxi and
we also have a Jared McCain who, based off what
we saw in the first year, looks like a keeper.
If Quentin Grimes can duplicate what he did post trade deadline,
and I know there are a lot of funky numbers
in there. Yeah, no, they're just not in that big
of a need, right.
Speaker 1: I think if you were to argue, if we were
to make the case that they need this more than anyone,
or as much as anyone, it's what you said before,
they need a reason to blow it up, like just
the ironclad, concrete reason and Cooper flags, I guess about
as iron clad as it would get to. I would argue, Look,
you can talk about McCain and Grimes anyone, but Maxie
would just be dispensable to me. If you have Cooper
Flag at that point, next team up, they have a
nine percent chance of winning the lottery. The Brooklyn Nets.
This is fascinating because they reacquired control over their next
two first round picks five and twenty six. They paid
a pretty good premium to get them, and they don't
have They didn't have it before, but they certainly didn't
have a candidate after trading McHale Bridges. Cam Johnson is
their best player, and if you want to argue for
Cam Thomas or Nick Claxton, we could listen, but none
of them die. You're right, so the need is there.
And it's also I understand that there's only I think
they only owe one of their picks right in twenty
twenty seven is the one that's going out, So it's
not like there's this long break in between them not
having draft picks, but there is the urgency of in theory,
you want to be good in time for the twenty
twenty seven draft because you don't control that pick, so
you kind of only have like these two bytes or
two chances to be really bad and capitalize on it.
And not that they already missed. I mean, if anything,
in the testament to Jordi Fernandez and they were fun
to watch for pretty much the entire season, but eventially
you don't have one of the top four top five
lottery odd spots. I do think some people would paint
that as a failure. But regardless, the need for forget
about the profile of Cooper flag off the court which
you wrought up in Washington. Although if you want to
compete with the Knicks in terms of interest, sure, like
you just need a court, like you need a building block.
You don't have that primary centerpiece right now.
Speaker 2: From a roster perspective, the need here set of fifteen
out of ten. From a market perspective, because this is
still New Yorick, it's like two out of ten. Like
they will get guys because it's they have.
Speaker 1: They can have over eighty million dollars in cap space
this year if they want it. I don't think they're
gonna go for that much, but they can just they
have more cap space. It's not just than anyone, but
like they could triple up the next closest team, which
is basically the Pistons at this.
Speaker 2: Point, right So like it's it's the contrast is pretty
fun because you're you're absolutely right. From a roster perspective,
it's a gregious like this this just this screams Cooper
Flag in terms of like the biggest need for sure,
But again I just I have to factor it in
just because of who I am. I have to factor
in the organizational circumstances, and given that this is a
team that can sleepwalk itself to free agent acquisitions, I'm
just not overall in that big of a Oh we
need something like they'll manage.
Speaker 1: So I would put them below the Jazz for sure,
who are my number one team so far because of
basically everything you mentioned. And also I really think the
time component in Utah needs to matter more to where
it's this was the third season. I couldn't figure out
the math before in terms of but like this was
the technically the third season of the rebuild with Brooklyn.
It's this was rebuilding year number one, and so you're
prepared to be like bad. And I know the Jas
still have a ton of other first round picks, but
they're also if you're you mentioned this with the free
agency stuff, Let's just say that you were willing to
trade for Giannis Attenttakumpo this summer. Brooklyn can do that.
I think with more confidence that he would one stay
past his current contract and two they would have the
ability to reel in other guys for your, honest, than
Utah to say, even if you'd like Utah's assets stash
more like, I think it would be harder. This might
be the perfect way to frame it. It would be
harder for Utah to make a trade for Giannis and
accelerate their timeline this summer after year three of their rebuild,
than it would for Brooklyn to say, you know what,
we won the lottery, Like, let's just dangle Cooper Flag
and see if that gets us you honest. I'm not
not advocating for that. I'm just thinking they could.
Speaker 2: I think they could, and they can go all in
right now. It's funny because I've closed that door pretty thoroughly.
But that's a really good point actually, because who they are,
they can utilize their their the size of their market
and the level of attraction they have from agencies and
certain star players to sort of make a very quick retool.
Speaker 3: That'd be fun, that'd be interesting.
Speaker 1: I don't think if they had Cooper Flag, I'm not
trading him for you, honest, And really that's the to me,
that's the only way they could get you, honest, because Milwaukee,
unless they're getting control they're like picks back and Portland
has I think three swap whites swap rights from them.
Excuse me, Like the Nets don't even have players that
you can send the Bucks so that they're still good.
You need that balance of a package, and they're Their
balance right now is skewed heavily towards Hey, we don't
need to send any money back in return, so it's
cap relief and draft equity, which it matters, but when
you're the Bucks and you don't control your own first
round pick doesn't matter as much. Too far field, but
the need I can't separate myself, Like I get what
you're saying about the other They have time on their side,
I guess, and then the mechanisms that will be or
machinations that will be available to them is like being
in the Brooklyn market, but you just don't have anyone
to point to. And so I think they might be
like maybe behind the Pelicans, who would be my number
two teams, so far behind the Jazz, but like they're
up there. I think Brooklyn's my number just to you,
you have that name in there, and you don't have
anyone else who even begins to check that box.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you're right because of that, just the rosters, Yeah,
I can get there.
Speaker 1: Would you put them above or below the because you
have the Wizards at eleven? So I'm assuming you have
the nets below the Wizards. Do you think that Brooklyn
needs it more than Utah? Well?
Speaker 3: Where did I put Utah?
Speaker 2: That was a solid eight point five I believe, I
said from a roster perspective, absolutely, I think, oh that's close, yeah,
probably just.
Speaker 3: Inches. Yeah, I would.
Speaker 1: I'm still gonna put Utah ahead just because they're a
year three into it, so I think that there could
be more patients in Brooklyn. But that I think that's
an interesting debate, Utah or Brooklyn? Who needs it more?
Speaker 2: So far?
Speaker 1: Our next team coming in with a seven and a
half percent chance of winning the lottery raptors more, where
are you at with them? And how much do they
need to win the number one pick? And are they
you know I mentioned I did say, oh, is it
Philly if they want it. I'm not saying any team
would which team is most likely to win the number
one pick and then trade it? I'm not kind of
wondering if Toronto should be the answer to that question.
Speaker 2: I mean, look, they they've committed to a core where frankly,
I don't love the fit with the Brenton Ingram acquisition.
Speaker 3: Not really sure what they're trying to do.
Speaker 2: They are going to start three small forwards next year
unless they make some alterations over the course of summer.
This would be one Scotty Barnes, Cooper Flagg. A lot
of overlap. There a lot of overlap. Not like I
don't think Cooper is going to be like a day one,
big time NPA score.
Speaker 3: I think that's going to be like a year or
two for him. Thing for him.
Speaker 2: Scotty has yet to develop that, you know, that real
eye level scoring instinct. Like I just I hate the
funkiness of the roster, but there's a lot of quality there.
So I can't say that from a from a roster perspective,
like they're in major need an upgrade.
Speaker 1: If you're just looking at it individually. Yeah, a level
of talent between Cooper Flags, Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram and
Manuel Quickly Yakub Perle. You are like the names like contained,
So it's like, all right, that's not an intuitive top seven, right,
that's certainly a top seven.
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, So like you can look at it through that,
but like the raw fit of it all that just
seems messed up. That's just gonna complicate it even more,
or maybe it streams streamlines that maybe they'll go, oh,
we finally have our four and then they move Scotty
to the three.
Speaker 3: Then I don't know what they do.
Speaker 2: Well incrim is probably what the hell did they do
with Oh god, why did they trade for Ingram?
Speaker 3: That was such such a dumb move.
Speaker 1: I don't from a value play, just looking at what
they get right, fair.
Speaker 2: Enough, fair enough? I hate the extension. I should I
should clarify it's the extension I hate.
Speaker 1: I don't even know that.
Speaker 3: I I was on him.
Speaker 1: But forty million a year, okay, I agree, but we
kind of know that, like that's not how free agency
in the NBA works for someone. But he's still like, look,
the number was a little high for me. But I
think the fact that it's three years almost works in
their favor because it immediately becomes this short term contract
after next season.
Speaker 2: Even so, I'm not a big fan of the I'm
not a.
Speaker 1: Big fan of the fit, but I am encouraged because
the way that they use r J Barrett like getting
him moving off the ball, and that's not it's probably
something to be fair, it's probably something he would have
liked to have done more in New York, but it's
not they were.
Speaker 3: Where does that leave Scotty.
Speaker 1: With Cooper Flag in the mix? Because right now it
seems like they're going to figure out a way to
have people orbit around Scotty and still leave him as
the focal point and then brandon Ingram is probably I
like him manual quickly, but as right now he's their
second best from score.
Speaker 3: Do you trade Barnes if you get Flag?
Speaker 1: But then like, what was the point of trading for
Ingram because then you're on.
Speaker 3: Then you have your offensive minded three man.
Speaker 1: I don't know.
Speaker 2: Wow, Look I'm not saying I like it. I'm just saying, look,
if you want something that's a little bit of a
cleaner fit, maybe it's Barnes. Also because Barnes has a
lot of value, like he's on a fun max.
Speaker 1: So here's what I would do is I would absolutely
love to see them play together. And I think that
you bet On like we've seen flashes of the Scotti
Barnes like right at or gradual pull up jumper going
in from beyond the arc. You hope that that's enough
to work itself out or if I'm going to reorient anything,
it's I'm surrounding Barnes and Cooper Flag with a bunch
of emanual quickly types like go get a floor, spacing five,
Chris Bouchet, get some max in this scenario, so they
come back and just chuck threes. But they would be
I want to say, they would be one of the
more interesting Cooper Flag destinations, but I can't get there
with need no it mean either.
Speaker 2: So when the Raptures and Jazz play each other, will
be like eight fourths starting out as it's.
Speaker 1: Well they both have Cooper Flag. It is I guess.
Speaker 2: Look it looks Utah isn't short on fours. They won't
have to.
Speaker 1: If we're talking about the battle of the power forward
types between Toronto and Utah. Toronto needs Cooper Flag a
lot like they need if you want to get on
Utah level of like fours, yeah, you need Cooper Flag.
I want to see now, like I'll see Cooper Flag
on any of the see but Toronto would be just
to see how they would react. I think that like
so far that might be the most fascinating. Oh what
does this mean for team even more so than Philly? Right?
Or would you say Philly is more interesting than Toronto
in that vein.
Speaker 2: No, no, no, no, no, Philly isn't interesting at all.
Speaker 1: We move on to this interesting six point seven percent
chance of winning the lottery. The San Antonio Spurs six
percent is their own, and then the Hawks have a
point seven percent chance of winning the lottery and the Spurs.
Speaker 3: We can skip this pretty quickly.
Speaker 2: There's not a damn need for anything here, but it
would be fun as hell if it happened.
Speaker 1: Okay, I'm gonna yes all that. Yes, I just want
to highlight one concern I would have. Yes, I don't
think this is a macro problem. But you've like already
made yourself so dependent on Victor Weber Yama being a
floor spacer and if you want him to have paint touches,
having Steph Cassel Cooper flag and dearon Fox on your
rosters like not the way to go about it.
Speaker 2: You don't have this word in the States. It's something
we call fly fucking. Basically, it means it doesn't matter
you're you're kind of.
Speaker 1: Just sounds like having intercourse with insects is what it sounds.
Speaker 2: Well, it's it's basically two insects having sex and it
doesn't matter.
Speaker 3: It's pointless.
Speaker 2: So it's like basically the point of this is you're
you're picking on it on like a threat here that
just goes virtually nowhere, because yeah, all right, shooting concerns,
big whoop, you fekre it out, Like the talent level
here would be so ridiculous. Like even if you have
to trade Stefan Castle for a better fit in terms
of shooting and like fit wise, you probably do that
because you just optimize Wemby and flag like Wemby.
Speaker 3: As a shooting threat. I think we're.
Speaker 2: All aligned that that's gonna work out pretty well.
Speaker 1: And there it does spare him from the wear and
tear when you're looking at how lean he is, like
even at his peak like bulkiness, he's still going to
be relatively skinny, if not extremely skinny, And so you
do spare him from the Oh, let's have him like
not banging down low in the post, like even if
you're rolling to the basket, like that's going to be
a more physical part of the game.
Speaker 2: Defensively, there is potential there between Flag and Wempen to
make Jared Allen and Evan Mowpley look like Marcus Speiser
and Eddie Curry.
Speaker 3: That's where we are.
Speaker 1: And you add Castle to that too. Yeah, defensively score
on that team Fox two. He can like Fox has
like slowed down defensively in recent years because he's had
to carry such a major offensive. Look, yeah, he'll be
guarding the fourth best player on the roster all of
a sudden.
Speaker 3: Yeah that too, and he'll.
Speaker 1: Turn like their version of Shay Gilges Alexander probably.
Speaker 2: I mean, look, there is no need here. The need
is at like one.
Speaker 1: Well do they do? They need him the least of
any team that we've talked about by Boss right, because
it's any team in the lottery, Like, there's no I
don't think there's unless you're really optimistic about the Sixers
saying healthy. There's just no no case or any other team.
We move on then to our next team, which is
with a three point eight percent chance of winning the
lottery thanks to the Phoenix Suns or I guess thanks
to the Brooklyn Nets, or both of them, however you
want to frame it. The Houston Rockets. This is This
is interesting because if you think that Cooper Flag is
the type of offensive engine that they need, I think
you could make a case that there's a real need here.
But we've talked a lot about redundancies, maybe not so
much with strength but with weaknesses. And you add Cooper
Flag to this roster, of all rosters, it's kind of
just it's like a less extreme version of what if
they went and traded for Riiannis attend to Koupo right right.
Speaker 2: So it's fun because the need here is seen from
a different priority level than say the Washington Wishards, where
with the Wizards it's all about starting something. This is
about finishing something. This is about completing something. This is
about rounding out the roster to become a perennial championship contender.
So yes, from that point, and from that perspective, the
need is actually pretty big.
Speaker 3: I completely concede that point.
Speaker 2: But that said, look at who they have like that roster,
especially at the forward positions. They're not lacking in quality.
I'm in Thompson's probably that seems best player Charie Easton
isn't far behind. You have a boner on for Jabari
Smith Junior. Like this would they're not in need positionally
at the least.
Speaker 1: No, there's I just so I said this, I think
this is that Well, maybe it's not because they've like
taken a gradual approach, but like you could make a
case that if they won the Cooper Flag pick, would
you just say, hey, here's Cooper Flag, Jalen Green, and
then you figure out the rest of the money, maybe
picking up Fred Vanfleet's team option, and it's give us
Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, Like is that a movie
You're all of a sudden looking at.
Speaker 3: No, because I like the depth.
Speaker 1: I just gave up only two players from your rotation
this past year, like, and then you include if you
need to make the money work still like Jock Landale's
non guaranteed Wait wait wait.
Speaker 2: Wait, okay, okay. I thought you assumed that more players
were going out. So who am I left with now?
Speaker 1: If I'm Phoenix, I mean, and maybe you've given Phoenix
some of their picks back too. I don't, but it's
the base of the deal would be, is you could
get away with it Fred van Vliet, Cooper Flag and
Jalen Green and you're trading for Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
Speaker 3: No, I want sustainability. I want sustainability.
Speaker 2: Why isn't that sustainable because Kevin Durant is forty seven
years old.
Speaker 1: Then you're left with Devin Booker and still some of
the Sons's other picks.
Speaker 2: Devin Booker, why what if Cooper Flag has the higher ceiling?
We don't know that that's something.
Speaker 1: Okay, that might be fair to ask, but are the
Rockets an environment in which he would ever approach that
higher ceiling? What is the pathway to Cooper Flagg actualizing
himself the best version himself? On this iteration of the
Rockets where.
Speaker 2: We always know that when teams draft a guy and
he becomes the best player, you kind of retailer the
team around the best player, why should we build off
the assumption that the roster remains intact. If we kind
of know that Flag is going to be like the
main guy.
Speaker 1: By your logic, then they should make that Booker and
Durant trade Because you just said on my Thomps is
the best player on the roster?
Speaker 3: I said he might be.
Speaker 2: But like if Cooper Flag comes in from day one
and it's the best player, which is the possibility.
Speaker 3: We don't know.
Speaker 2: I could see a scenario where they go, oh, like,
we have four or five guys all in the same
timeline who can give us a prolong window, whereas trading
for thirty seven year old Kevin Durant maybe not. Like,
don't get me wrong, I get the allure of KD.
I do, I absolutely do.
Speaker 1: I think I'm getting tongue up on the KD of
it all too much. I'm not saying they should go
on because of Kevin Durant. It's you're buying yourself time
now and later because Devin Bookers. Like I'm not trading
Cooper Flag just for Kevin Durant. You could also go
pick which like package you want for the Rockets to
go after. They could Cooper Flag will get you it.
Speaker 2: I would be more interested in like LaMelo I figured
in in like Gianni, is there if anything? What again?
You have to you have to pivot. But like I
and I know he's he's older than book but younger
than KD. It's like, I'm just like, why not can
you have to restructure things? You have to restructure things,
like even with the KD. I understand that your point is, oh,
we can just slide in KD. We can just slide
in book. I get it. But I would want the
best player, Okay, I mean I would won a top
what like, what is Gianna's top three?
Speaker 1: No lower than fifth?
Speaker 2: Probably right?
Speaker 3: Even fifth sounds ridiculously low for him, Like.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, well, because there's Jokic, there's Shay and
then I think you, I mean like Luca this season,
there's not really like a strong case.
Speaker 3: No, no, no, janis over Luca this year for sure.
Speaker 1: For this year. But I was talking about over for
this year he was third. It was just he's gonna
finish third in MVP voting. Yeah, like maybe Tatum has
a case over him, maybe.
Speaker 3: Yeah, over Luca.
Speaker 1: You mean right, No, he has a case of this
season Tatum is a case over Luca.
Speaker 3: But yeah, yeah, yeah, but let's.
Speaker 1: Say Giannis is no lower than fourth, like let's account
for always Luca Luca at any point or whatever. Right,
So I get what you're saying about the talent playing
a vacuum.
Speaker 2: I just oh, you know, the spacing sucks on in
the if we assume that there aren't going to be
made follow up moves, yes.
Speaker 1: Especially if we also assume like oh, the contracts going out,
like some of your best floors, which would be Fred
van Fleet or Jalen Green, Right, they don't need they
don't need Cooper Flat.
Speaker 2: They get it.
Speaker 3: Just went way too long in this one.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the next team with a three point seven percent chance,
the Portland Trailblazers fun season. What's interesting about them moret
they're already good, Like we saw the size the defense
in action, Dannyavia was great, ended up being great after
somewhat slow star for them, Donovan Klingen, that was very impactful.
Who do you point to on this roster and say, okay,
like that's the guy of the future. There's options. I
think two of them, maybe three, depending on how you
feel about Anyavia. But I can't sit here and tell
you that I think Scoot or Shaden Sharp is going
to be that guy. I still don't know, and so
that kind of I think increases their need. Yeah, they're
almost in the Utah Jazz territory, but not as barren
of options. For sure.
Speaker 2: I think Denny is the guy moving forward, but I
also don't think we're looking at a version of him
who is in the same potential bracket as Cooper flag Well.
Speaker 1: I think that's the yeah, because I would say I'm
probably holding out hope more for Scoot than anyone. Actually,
if you're gonna say you think it's Denny, now you're
running into the same problem that Utah did because that's
not good enough. So you're like, I would think your
need for them would need to be through the roof,
So mine might be a little bit lower than yours.
I'd probably still have them at like a seven and
a half or eight.
Speaker 3: It's a significant need, yeah, because you.
Speaker 1: Want that definitive guy, which they don't that. I'll admit it.
I still love Scoop with that a'll and they just
what was Isn't that weird? This is it's adjacent to
what we're talking about. They just overhauled their assistance staff.
They fired I think three assistants. That's weird to do
after giving Chauncey Bills an extent, Like, doesn't that typically
portend that the coach isn't on the most stable footing? Yes,
And one of those coaches was apparently like that's the word,
like he was very responsible for Scoot Henderson's improvement this year.
So like that's just another thing that's I find interesting.
So maybe Portland needs Cooper flag more than even we're
giving saying that they do.
Speaker 3: I think there is a need there.
Speaker 2: I'm probably slightly higher on Denny than you are, but
I do agree with your overarching point of.
Speaker 1: You could tell me even if you sat here a
said Denny ABVI is going to be more valuable better
than lowry marketing. Yeah, I might actually agree with you
into like you could say that that's still just not
good enough to be.
Speaker 3: Like well enough, Yeah, I agree. I agree. So it's
actually a pretty big need.
Speaker 2: Like even if Denny tops out and like what is
I hate to put stats on something like that, but
like let's say he turns into like a twenty four
to eight guy, five assists whatever, Like all, sorry, caliber player? Cool,
You're absolutely right, that's not your number one guy?
Speaker 1: Right? And were they? So you have Washington and as
you're one, and then like you had Brooklyn is too,
I have Utah as one in Brooklyn as my two?
Do they need to be?
Speaker 3: Did you want me to keep track of?
Speaker 1: Like I'm just this is all, well, we'll pick our
top team at the end. Although you kind of said yours.
Speaker 2: All, I have mine a full spoiler, yeap.
Speaker 1: More than Utah or Brooklyn. I guess I'll ask do
the Blazers need it? Need it? Sorry? Do they need
Cooper Flag more than Brooklyn or Utah? No?
Speaker 2: I do think Utah needs more than migrators?
Speaker 1: Yeah, do they need it?
Speaker 2: Is just the NETS is so weird, right, because again,
the free agency element is there.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna say they don't because I at least have
someone I can point to and say, maybe Scoot is
still that top fifteen, top ten guy one day. Yeah,
just barely though, Like that's a there. That's a fascinating thing.
And by the way, of all the teams that need
Cooper flag the most, or I just want Cooper fla
to go to a team that has or whichever team
gets Cooper flag, please surround him with shooting Like I
don't want to see Cooper flag on this version of
the Blazers. I don't want to see him on this
very year's version of the or the current personnel with
the Raptors, Like that's just if you get Cooper flag, please,
I bet you surround him with shooters.
Speaker 2: Is that your seg to the next team?
Speaker 1: Speaking speaking of needing shooters.
Speaker 2: Oh okay, I thought I thought you were going Chicago
there because.
Speaker 1: Dallas started this season with Lukado ended this season with
a one point eight percent chance of landing Cooper Flag.
I don't really know what to make of any of that.
This is interesting, right, I mean sure, well, because I
think you could say they don't have their best play
because their long term view is two to three years.
They don't have anyone that you point you to say that's
going to be we know the face of our team,
of our direction three years from now. But they're also
looking to be immediately competitive and they have a lot
of talent on this roster that can help them do that.
Speaker 2: So they need him to trade him?
Speaker 1: No, I would wouldn't you say, well, because with Kyrie
missing a huge chunk of next year, couldn't they need
him to actually use him?
Speaker 3: Well?
Speaker 2: Sure, but let's look at it through the perspective of
them who are like, oh, yeah, we need veterans. Is
that gonna fly? Is that gonna wait? They get no.
Speaker 1: And then also it's you know, it does Cooper Flag
nudge You have Derek Lively, so I'm sure you're trying
to play all three of them at once, but it
probably nudges ad back towards the direction of the five
and then does he request a trade when that happens.
Speaker 3: So I want that to happen.
Speaker 2: And by the way, look, in terms of need, I'm
just not gonna put them particularly high for one reason.
They don't deserve to be high here. They don't they
they made their bed, They're they're in it. I feel
bad for MAVs fans to say that, because I understand
why mass fans would root the ever living hell out
of those one point eight percent odds. But I'm sorry,
your organization needs to suffer for a couple of years.
Speaker 1: And the other thing, too, is just like, if they're
gonna get this pick just to trade it, I like
that almost seems like really bad karma too, because I
don't know that.
Speaker 2: Imagine. Look, I'm sorry, just imagine he comes in and
he might have like a slightly higher body fat percentage
then what they expect, and they're like, Nope, can't keep you.
Let's let's see what we can get. That'd be fantastic.
I need that leaked immediately. If that happens.
Speaker 1: Is there any chance, just because now that Patrick Dumont
is kind of like, at least through indirect sources, like
distanced himself from the lugudot. He didn't realize how what
the fault was gonna be. Nico promised him it wouldn't
beat as bad or whatever. Is there a scenario where
if they won the Cooper Flag Sweepstakes that it forces
them to rebuild. Now now they are trading ad Nico
Harrison's probably getting canned at that point. So if you're
a MAVs fan, maybe you're used to root to win
the lottery regardless, I guess. But if you're a MAVs fan,
if you're really looking to be spared from the Nico
Harrison experience or whatever this direction is, you probably need
to root for the Of course, we already mentioned what
the flip side of that could be is Nico Harrison
still has the agency to carry out his vision. Cooper
Flag is probably playing elsewhere.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, it's a good question. Though I'm going to
ring them low.
Speaker 2: I don't I'm not going to consider them in any
serious capacity.
Speaker 1: Our next team is your Chicago Bill with a one
point seven chance of winning the lottery. I just if
they win the Cooper Flag sweepstakes, Like, aren't they trading
him for CJ McCullum or something like, how does this work?
Speaker 3: I think you're aiming high with the cigam.
Speaker 1: The in theory though they need him, right because I
like Bouzells, I like Kobe White, but like none of.
Speaker 2: You aside right in as long as they don't go
out and do something stupid as re signing Josh Giddy
to ridiculous money and has him, you know, have him
become the starting point guard.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so where do they where do they land? For you?
Speaker 2: I mean, look, this is an organization who should be
somewhat high on the list in terms of need because
this is this is a front office that doesn't want
to build through the draft. They want to build actively
from the middle, which is beyond insanity. So from the
pure perspective of the fan base, and look, we have
to acknowledge that the Chicago fans are very very passionate
about their sports teams, I do think that there's a
big need here to just satisfy the fan base for
the Bulls themselves, because there's as competent as they are,
the need isn't big because I could see this ending
poorly for.
Speaker 1: They're like they're kind of in like Portland Territory, for
me because I'm looking at this from just like the
direction and like, who can you identify as the guiding
force and maybe having a player like like, I think
what does make front office jobs harder, as much as
we mean the shit out of the ones that might
do it incompetently. If you have someone that you can
point to and say, well, this is at least the
player around whom I'm going to try and structure everything
moving forward, it makes it easier for you to take risks,
or for you to even hit the reset button or
convince ownership to let you hit the reset button.
Speaker 3: It's all right.
Speaker 1: I think honestly you could make a case of me
that Chicago needs Cooper Flag more than Brooklyn needs Cooper Flag,
because at least you trust the front office in Brooklyn
to rebuild under their own cognizance.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's almost like one of those situations where you
know it forces change, as you said, And but that's
the thing I keep hearing that Michael Reinstorf was gonna
take over from Jerry Reinstorf is even less creative than
his dad, which is saying something. So it's like and again, ownership,
as we know, plays a much larger role in the
success of NBA teams that we might are willing to
say out loud for it seemed like the Bulls. I'm
just sort of like, Okay, even if you get Cooper flag,
my next question is, how are you going to fuck
it up?
Speaker 1: That doesn't change their need though.
Speaker 2: Sure that's true, that is true, all right if we
isolate this to that their needs speaker than Brooklyn's.
Speaker 1: Yes, so that would if their needs bigger than Brooklyns.
I have them at number two behind Utah. That's kind
of wild that we're here with Chicago like all did
it to themselves. Our final team, they have a point
eight percent chance. The way the lottery, you got only
thirteen teams here because of the way that the draft
obligations shake out with Atlanta and San Antonio, the Sacramental
Kings the point eight percent chance. Domas a bonus is
planning on checking in this offseason. That was the reporting
and seeing how things are and what the future.
Speaker 3: Is as he should.
Speaker 1: Yes, look, if he doesn't want to play on Bulls West,
I think that says something about his character, and it
probably says something good about his character. It'll be quite honest.
Speaker 2: But oh, he's gonna play in Bulls East if Ricky
O'Donnell has his has his way, because it feels like
that's the next.
Speaker 1: Shoot Cooper flag for Sabonis.
Speaker 2: The funniest thing ever because then you get the the
Lithuanian superstar superstar, I say, NBA, yeah, and like he's
just the next next Era Center really just better, slightly better.
Speaker 1: But he's Artisanalcevich.
Speaker 2: Is that what you're saying, Oh, man, look again, Yeah
they need this, but incompetent ownership, I just I have
a hard time like rewarding a seem for like, oh
you need this player the most when they know they're
just dumbasses.
Speaker 1: And the other thing, too, is that even if you
don't feel good about Sacramento's direction and those in charge,
like their best player is just way better than Chicago's
best player right now, even with his flawed as the
roster is like Bonus is, whatever you think about him
in the playoffs, whatever you think about his defense and
the way that forces how you defend with him on
the floor, he's really fucking good. And so the need
isn't quite there. But if if, like before the lottery,
it comes out like he wants out, it's like, what
the hell's going on here? So then their need would increase,
so their need is high. But there's also like, if
you get Cooper Flag, I just don't know, like, what
are you tearing it down? Then? Because him and Sibonis
isn't an intuitive fit. De roseness still on this roster,
I would be even more con used about what the
case would do because this pick will basically if they don't,
I mean, if they're not gonna land, it's top twelve protected,
it goes to Atlanta, right, So he might not even
be worried about that having a first round pick, it
would be so bizarre. I don't I just don't know
what they would do. And then I don't mean that
in a bad way, because if you won the Cooper
Flag sweepstakes, that's an objectively good thing. I don't know
what how they would respond to it. If you told
me they traded that pick, I'd believe you. If you
told me they just tried to PLoP him in and
play him with everyone, I believe you. If you told
me that they traded the bonus, I'd believe you could
tell me anything and I would believe you.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I agreed, And that is always the sign of
such a great, great.
Speaker 1: Well. Optionality is a good thing unless it's like nonsensical
and like, so yeah, it would somehow getting Cooper flag.
There's a scenario where getting Cooper flag would inject the
direction with some coherence the Kings. It feels like it
would add to the incoherence or they've not built.
Speaker 3: You're not wrong.
Speaker 2: Yes, uh, it's it's bulls west as you said before,
in terms of like it can force a direction, but
at the same time, it's just not that optimistic.
Speaker 3: Man, where do I have them?
Speaker 1: They're they're not in my top three? No, Like I
think my top three are Utah at one, Chicago at two.
And this is this has nothing to do with deserve.
If we were to do like the team that deserves
it the most, like who's the most who is the
most ethical tanker this year? And it would be that
to you.
Speaker 3: Yeah, who is that? I don't even know who is
the most ethically.
Speaker 1: I think you could argue San Antonio was the most
most ethical lottery team because they're only like that's true
because of the Wemby injury. They might have wound up
in lottery anyway, though they weren't necessarily playing approximate there,
let's get to some Cooper flags of perlatives. Let's do that.
So what's the team that needs Cooper flag the most?
You have the Wizards. I have the Wizards, I have
the Jazz, But you could I think there's like real
cases for the Bulls or the Nets there. Yep, which
team deserves or which fan base if you want a
frame that deserves Cooper flag the.
Speaker 2: Most fan base Bulls because all the shenanigans that they've
been put through for so many years, and just the
volume fans that are there, Like because again I can
feel bad for Washington fans, but there are like four
of them, so it's like, wow, that's.
Speaker 3: No, it's not that it's not that big of a deal.
Speaker 2: Whereas with the Bulls there are at least a couple
of million, although they are dwindling by the second so
maybe they will be down to four by the time
of the draft.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think you could. I wouldn't be for the
same reasons, but I think the answer would be between Chicago,
Charlotte or Washington. For me, I'll just say Washington to
go with some variety from you.
Speaker 3: They are strictly because of like the fan base yes.
Speaker 1: Yeah, they deserve Cooper flag the most. What would be
the worst Cooper flag landing spot.
Speaker 2: Probably the Bulls, Like, honestly, the Bulls fans to serve
him the most, but the organization is the one that
deserves him the least. Where that is a situation where
I just do not trust how they're going to handle it.
They just fired the shooting coach, Peter Patton, who turned
the entire shooting profile around which had been a problem
for years, and then they fired him because he wasn't
a yes man for a Torrest Corner shovin. So like,
why would I trust that organization to do well with
Cooper flag? Answer is I don't, So like deserves the least.
Chicago Bulls.
Speaker 1: I I'm going to say the Sixers, I just don't
they're up there. I guess if you told me that
they were going to hit the reset button, yeah, I'm
okay with it. Then, But because I don't know that
they would do that, you'd either ding Cooper flag. And
then I'm wondering, Okay, well, who are you trading him
for or you're just trying to PLoP him in there?
And I don't love like the embid flag Paul, George Tyres,
Maxium just weird. I would watch it because it could
be like a car crash theory. Maybe what would be
the most unfair Cooper flag landing spot? San Antonio?
Speaker 2: Right right? Obviously, I think you could make.
Speaker 1: A case for Houston though, right like that that could be.
Speaker 3: He could make a case, but it wouldn't hold up
in court.
Speaker 1: What would be the like the quirkiest where it's, oh, like,
what is you don't hate it, you don't love it?
What does this look like?
Speaker 3: Probably Sacramento, like because what the hell is that?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm gonna go with Houston. I don't know if
and then imagine if they don't make a trade, and
then it's Toronto too there, Toronto's also a candidate for sure,
but Houston with oh it's we have Cooper flag and
Ahmed Thompson and Jabari Smith Junior and Tari Easton. And
even if they make a move, it's imagine if they
then turned around somehow traded for your honest without luting
Cooper flag, that would be like wild too that people
are which team would be most likely to trade the
Cooper flag pick if they want it? Dallas, Dallas, I
think I'm gonna go with Philly. Mm hmm, that doesn't don't.
Speaker 3: I don't think. I don't think either is a bad choice.
Speaker 1: I don't know if I have any other superlative categories.
I thought, uh, this was fun. More so, here's to
Utah or Washington. Those are the teams we decided need
Cooper Flag the most, but also with honorable mentions to Brooklyn.
And you're right about Chicago, they need him, but I
don't want to see him in Chicago like that. But
although Bozellis was fun, so it's maybe you could trust
them to do the right thing. I don't but like
maybe you could. I don't know.
Speaker 2: Wow, that is just injecting false hope into a.
Speaker 1: Yeah, they're gonna trade the versa bonus without including reach
in that package. You're gonna have booch ends a bonus
is your core moving forward? Can you tell our subscribers
where they can find you in all the work that
you do.
Speaker 2: Yes, I am currently writing a ton over ae Yahoo Sports, uh,
doing some off season primers and saying goodbye to teams
that get bounced in the playoffs, So you can find
my work there. I usually share a ton of them
on Blue Sky But here's the thing. I've been so
basic doing a lot of life stuff that I haven't
even had time to be on Blue Sky a whole lot.
So if you just go to Yahoo or just go
to Google search Yahoo and Morton that't my archive.
Speaker 3: Is gonna come up and go over doctor are Yeah,
And then you can find my work over at the
MP podcast.
Speaker 2: And you're Danish, by any chance, you can go find
it at a buzzer.
Speaker 1: Until next time, and as always, we need to shout
out to the one, the only, the indelible, Frank