Speaker 1: What is up, Fellasichos. I am dan fa Valley back
with Mort Jensen of the NBA podcast Fame, y'ahoo Sports
Fame and Forbes Fame to cover the second part of
her Just look at NBA Contenders or Pretenders post trade
deadline with the Western Conference. If you've not checked out
the Eastern Conference episode, what are you doing? Go do
that immediately? Time to get into the West, Mort, How
the heck are you before we get into the second
part of the sector doing well?
Speaker 2: Doing well? We just recorded the first one, so this
has been like an hour since we we wrapped up
with that, and we you and I we had a
good long chat in between episodes. Always enjoy spending time
with you, sir.
Speaker 1: How are you I am doing since the last time
we talked five seconds ago? I'm doing pretty much the same,
which is to say spectacular. Did you have any before
we dig into it, any sort of reminders or reiterations
of like, what is the criteria we're evaluating contender pretender against?
I tend to lean towards does this team have a
fairly plausible shot of making the Western Conference finals? And
that's the lens at which I look through it.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think even can sort of shift a little
bit in between teams, which also underlines something else. No
team plays the same way, despite what you're saying, because.
Speaker 1: You mean this might goes four second social media eclips
during garbage time of a game on Tuesday night. The
NBA is not homogeneous. Are you serious? I am?
Speaker 2: I am? And it's just it becomes so apparent whenever
you dick down. What I think is funny is whenever
you have two people like us who cover the league
at large, like all thirty teams in some capacity, it
just becomes so much more obvious for us, like because
then you have a point about the Magic for example,
which I hadn't considered. I'd come up with something from
Atlanta's point where that you might not have considered, and
it's like, oh, okay, they play so vastly different. And
we go into these long rants about, okay, how to
stop this team specifically, and we just kind of realize
there's no catch all solution for like a handful of teams.
You have to specifically tailor your defense and your offense
to each and every damn team in this league, which
means playing the same way. Get the fuck out of town.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And look, there's copycat stuff because it's a copycat league,
but it's copycat like born from normal, like normally success.
You're not trying to copycat what the Wizards are doing
right now, right.
Speaker 2: And they're not copycatting entire sets. You're propycatting some plays.
You're not like laying your foundation and saying, you know,
Kobe Mike, like, oh yeah, I'm just gonna emulate that
person or that team once one not gonna happen in
today's league, whatsoever.
Speaker 1: We begin with the new look Dallas Mavericks, who have
traded for Anthony Davis. They also traded for Caleb Martin.
Luka Doncs notably is not on this team, and there's
such a troll right now, there's look, there's we have
to start here. Anthony Davis is expected to miss multiple weeks, yeah,
following an abdominal injury that he suffered in his MAVs debut.
What do you make of that? We have to like,
we have to separate this from like the Luga Dantis
trade coverage. It will continue, We've done it. This is
now about the Mavericks, YEP, as they are currently constructed.
Are they a championship contender. More No, let's move on.
So look, the Anthony Davis injury is part of it
for me. I really think that if you were trying
to make the case that they have a chance, a
relasius chance of winning the title this year, something has
to give when it comes to either their lineup structures
or the shot creation that's available. Anthony Davis wants to
play the four and I don't necessarily have, Like when
you look at who PJ. Washington has needed to cover
since arriving in Dallas, him at the three is for
me defensively, just like whatever him at the three offensively
is where it gets weird. And you only have Kyrie
Irving and Spencer Dinwiddie as just your shot creator types
unless you think that jayde and Hardy is gonna bust
out or that Dante Exam is going to explore a
new level of his game. Because Anthony Davis, even when healthy,
even his peak, has never been that player and it
would not shock me if he gets healthy they make
the playoffs. Whatever. I just feel like, even with a
shot maker like Kyrie on the team, even with a
defense that should not only be great but skews gigantic,
I would not trust their offense in the postseason setting
enough to call them a championship right.
Speaker 2: So I think they lost a lot in the Quentin
Grimes steel too.
Speaker 1: I thought you were about to say I think they
lost a lot in that Luca done that.
Speaker 2: They sure did. No, I just you know, I think
we also need to talk about the other trade, because
I think they lost two trades. Quinton Grimes was kind
of finding his way there. You've seen him up close
in New York as well. When this guy is in
a robust situation where he has a steady role. He
is a pretty solid three D guy, even with some
on ball pop occasionally. And I just I was very
weirded out by the fact that they also traded him,
because I'm like, who's going to replace that? Dante exem
as we know not necessarily the most reliable three point
shooter defense, Yeah, defensive minded, but will occasionally just because
of you know the fact that he's injury thrown and
you know it is not necessarily always on his best,
will fluctuate a great deal defensively. So like, I'm just
wondering who the hell takes over that role. It's not
gonna be you know, it's it's not gonna be Martin
like that. He's not as fluid as Grimes is. Like,
I just don't you.
Speaker 1: Didn't think Max Christy was a little redundant with Quentin Grimes.
Speaker 2: So that's the thing. Can you really be redundant when
you have like two types of those guys, especially at
the cost. I just don't mind that you have multiple
guys who can play the two and the three, who
can hit the who can hit the three ball, who
can defend at a decent level, who has some on
ball pop. It's like you need more of those, if anything.
I just I don't understand the idea of pivoting off. Yeah, sure,
he's going to be a restricted free agent, Briand says,
does that matter? Like, just keep him along. He's good,
he's rock solid. As we all know, restricted free agents
are getting squeezed in today's market anyway, like more than like.
Speaker 1: One off in the past two years. Right, there was
the Paul Reid thing from Utah.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so I just wouldn't be worried about it. And
like you can say that Max Christy's gonna take his
minutes and it's fine, but those that's where I would
argue you loose in the margins. That's where you say,
like you kind of justified by saying, oh, we don't
need this good player because we have another good player,
Well why not try to actually retain that player so
you have two good players that if you're trying to win,
like that's that that I may be too simplistic here,
but like that's the broader idea I would argue. No,
I think you're right, especially it becomes more important to
win on those margins with the new look of your
team because you should just have you want guys. Okay,
Max Christy and quent 'mes both probably are better off
guarding smaller players. You can also trust them to hit
wide open threes. And it's now you have the number
of players on your team that you trust to hit
wide open threes in a vacuum? Is I guess PJ Washington,
Max Christie and Kyrie Irving and then Klay Thompson's that's
four names, but Kyrie's gonna be on the ball a lot,
not gonna.
Speaker 1: Get a ton of wide open three pointers. And you know,
Dante exem has hit his wide open threes so far
this year, but he hasn't played a ton and that
that comes and goes. Kayleb Martin has actually struggled in
that area this year, dating back to his time with
the Sixers. Again, maybe it changes. Naji Marshall's at sub
thirty five percent on wide open threes. So I just
Kayleb Martin this year is actually at He's just not
shooting a ton of them. He's had forty nine percent
on wide open threes. That's that surprises me. So I
agree with what you're saying that you want to have
people player as players who check as many boxes as possible,
And I think Kayla Martin probably checks more defensive boxes
than Quentin Grimes, but I don't know that he checked
enough of the offensive boxes that they need when they're
now built around one exactly one elite shot creator.
Speaker 2: And see, I don't even necessarily think I agree with
you on the defensive point, because Grimes to me seems
a little bit more scalable than Caleb it times, just
in terms you don't think, Yeah, do you mean like
my scale scalable in the sense that he can go
guard a better player. I think you can get away
with him, you know, kind of leveling up the matchup
that he's going up against and get away with it
a little bit more than Caleb. Like I think there's
this Caleb is rock solid, don't get me wrong, but
like it feels like there's this cliff he just drops
the f off when he meets an opponent who's just like,
oh no, you're just that smitch to too small for me,
Like I'll just bully you, or I mean just I'm
like this tiny bit quicker than you, and he just
gets abused.
Speaker 1: That's fair. I think you know what it is. Caleb
I think has more positional malleability, even though where might
be harder for him to guard down. I think it's
way harder for Quentin Grimes to guard up.
Speaker 2: That's fair.
Speaker 1: So when you have Mac Christy, I could at least
see doing the calculus of oh Kayla Martin might make
more sense for us defensively. But now you just you're
tethered to let's say your primary wing defenders, Like forget
about sort of the guard positions for a second, Like
that's not like a Klay Thompson thing necessarily, even though
he's a very good offensive player. And now it's okay,
we need like PJ. Washington or Naji Marshall or Kayla
Martin to kind of pop as a complimentary issue, like
you need a couple of them to pop. That's where
you might get into trouble. But I even think I mean,
had they not made the we're harping a lot on
Quentin Grimes, had they not made the Quenton Grimes trade,
would you be declared to call them a contender anyway?
Speaker 2: No, I wouldn't. Then that might have been unfair. But
I just wanted to single it out because if this
was clearly a move to go all in this year
like that, there's no two ways about. The MAVs just
shortened their championship window, which automatically means when you're training
away Luca for this return, you're in its win it immediately.
I don't care. There's no other way to justify it.
And I'm being potentially harsh, but I think most mass
fans would agree that that's the only way you sort
of mentally get over the fact that Luke was traded.
That is, if you win a freaking championship and soon.
So it just made no sense to me why you
decided that your follow up trade you're gonna get even worse.
That just made zero. That was the Yeah, that just
made no sense to me.
Speaker 1: And look, by the way, there's a world I don't
want to harp on the Luca Dantis trade.
Speaker 2: Oh we should.
Speaker 1: They could win a title this year and they will
still lose this trade because of how good for how
long Luca is going to be good or transcendent? We
should say I and it sucks. I hate I don't
want to use Anthony Tavis's dirt. But like the NI
Dame is a fantastic player. But you don't get this
is why the spin from them has been not just
bad but catastrophic. Is one. It's been inconsistent because they
were worried about him resigning but also didn't want to
pay him, okay, and then you harped on his commitment
to conditioning and diet and nutrition and worried about it availability.
So you're prioritized acquiring Anthony Davis, who gets injured and
is again fantastic player. And it's never doesn't feel like
anything chronic, Like Anthony Davis's biggest most chronic injury is
injuries themselves.
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, it's a fair point. It's everything has been
coming out of Dallas has just been extremely petty, extremely bad.
It seems to be not uninformed when you.
Speaker 1: Look at what Patrick Deamont is saying, Yeah, we want
Luca to work like Shack did.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Like oh really, that's that's the player you're going for.
To me, the smoking gun where I was just like, oh, okay,
you guys have absolutely no idea what you're talking about
was when Nico Harrison was like, yeah, we wanted to
get out of head of this thing, get proper value
and whatnot. Oh and by the way, a lot of
teams were loading up to get Luca in a couple
of years.
Speaker 1: Like so, how free agency works anymore? Guy?
Speaker 2: No, No, not just that, but like you're basically saying
that a ton of teams are lining up to go
get Luca, meaning he has value league wide, but you
only negotiate with one team, and you're trying to argue
that that's the selling point. That to me was like
the dumbest thing I've ever heard, Like, yeah, so we
only talked to one team because we're afraid of him
lowering his trade value if it got out, because there
are twenty on five other of the teams the one
in him. Like what wait, you just kept you're countering
yourself there like, what the fuck? That's the dumbest shit
I've ever heard.
Speaker 1: Do you know what? It would have actively been more
effective messaging Luka Doncich hates puppies. Yeah, people are like,
you know what? Okay? To your point, I.
Speaker 2: Think it has to be more dramatic that it has
to be like Luka Doncice went went down the stage
in a local comedy club, brought sixteen puppies and proceeded
to crack their heads like in front of like that
has to be no, no, But that's the messaging like that,
that has to be the thing that has Dallas fans going,
oh right, it's fair enough, that's the standard.
Speaker 1: Right, and now you find themselves when looking at them,
because I'm open to the idea of this team could
be really good if they're healthy, which that would have
been a question mark with Chuka to be fair of
this season. But like the player they need. Now it's
not to me looking at another guy who can generate
shots for himself and others, but that player, to me,
because you have Kyrie, also needs to have size. And
so I just that a roundabout way of saying you
kind of need Luka in this situation, which is just so. Yeah,
there's different types of players for that, but I'm open
to them being really good, I think even at full strength, though,
I just can't if they're especially if they're gonna have
Anthony Davis at the four, and then if you don't,
it's oh so Derek Lively when he's healthy, he's on
the bench. That's not fun. I'll be curious to see
what they do this offseason, because I do think they
need to reorient the roster or at least convince ad that, like, hey,
we have perimeter defenders, you can play the five. It's like,
this isn't the Lakers.
Speaker 2: We gave the Mavvericks about seven minutes more than they deserved.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's I feel bad. I'm not even trying to
dump on the MAVs fans specific I feel bad for
MAVs fans.
Speaker 2: This abs absolutely.
Speaker 1: I've just tried so hard to understand not even the logic,
but how this team could be a contender in its
current form and without another move. I just don't see it. Right.
Speaker 2: Can I wrap up with on the Maps with something
that I think it's important just to say it out
loud as well, like you should absolutely feel very annoyed
at Nico Harrison, Like I the death threats to me
is just like don't like, don't go there. It's like,
whoever you are, no matter what happened, it's still a sport,
it's still an entertainment. Like, just don't go there. Like
you can go out and protest, you can ask for
his pink slip, you can ask for all those things,
the death threats, and for them to have like to
install a new security team. That's where like I don't
like sympathize with Dallas fans anymore. That's where it just
becomes like not just one bridge too far, but like
three states too far, just can't get there.
Speaker 1: I agree, But I think the two things that paints
a broad brush because I I don't think most Mavericks
fans are no, no, no.
Speaker 2: I know, I'm basically saying that for the few individuals
who are trying to ruin the party.
Speaker 1: But it's also this would be us preaching to the choir,
because I doubt anyone listening to this podcast or watching
this podcast has shared any of the sentiments that were
just poo pooing. So you all keep doing what you're doing.
But yeah, this team, I've said this about a bunch.
They're gonna be a team to watch over the off season,
that's for sure. Another team more kind of rolling. They've
dealt with some injuries to Aaron Gordon, now, Peyton Watson,
Russell Westbrook has missed some time. Never Nuggets. I don't know,
is it quietly? They're third in the West as we
record this. Are they yes a contender or pretender?
Speaker 2: They're a contender, So I thought people panicked about them
way too soon. And I was not one of those
people who were, as you know, let's let's paint the
devil on the wall here during the off season when
they lost KCP. Like, don't get me wrong, I fully acknowledged,
like the process of it all was very faulty, but
they still have nicolea Jokic, the best player in freaking basketball.
Michael Porter Junior has somehow, somehow found a way to
be healthy. I know he's hamsterring right now, but like
knock on wood, like he only missed one game last year,
He's missed one game so far this season. Like that's
those are tremendous. Yeah, you know, assets in a way,
like because for him not to miss games that he
did early on in his career. That's that's one thing
Aaron Gordon has not played to the extent that he's
used to. I think that's cocoa, yes, yes, uh, And
I think that's almost encouraging because that means you're probably
gonna get a rammed up version of him for the playoffs.
Jamal Murray, who we've talked about, has always been like
the big Oh, what's going on there? And it seems
like he's finding some footing, Like it seems like he's
finally finding it. And to me, it was just like
I would be worried if this was game sixty and
they'd look like they were when they were at game
you know, forty five, then I would be like right
there along inside everyone else and all it's time to
ask some big questions.
Speaker 1: Here.
Speaker 2: We are fifty three games since of the season thirty
four nineteen. Could that have been better? Sure? But listen,
all things considered, lineup changes, you know, core guys going elsewhere.
This is fine. I trust them. They have Nikola Jokic
in a setting in a playoffs where they go up
against the same team at least four times. Hell yeah,
I'm not cutting I'm not counting them out.
Speaker 1: I agree that they're a contender. I don't know how
to feel, you know, the thing just to because we
hammered them over the offseason. The thing I think that
bothers me most, especially now in hindsight of the KCP stuff.
You kind of touted the importance of having this flexibility
of not being okay, not being in the second apron
the frozen draft teams care about that, and I think
I might have even underestimated the extent to which they
care and the importance of unfreezing that. But like you
also kind of touted the ability of well, this we
can aggregate and this makes it easier to pull off
subsequent moves. And then you did nothing at the trade,
so you don't get to tout flexibility and then you
use that flexibility to get Dariosharich and then do absolutely
nothing else. Really, so I think that's the bigger criticism.
What I don't know this team. I think Jamal Murray,
he turned a corner a while ago. Offensively, that's been great.
Michael Porter Junior is just on a tear right now,
and that if this is the Michael Porter Junior they
get in the postseason, it is Curtains against any team
that's not okay see to me, But what is I
can't figure out what they are defensively. I think that's
where they would miss CACP the most is in a
playoff series when it comes to scheme flexibility or lineup malleability.
And I watched them. The data is not going to
be kind to their defense. For the most part, it's
been better since January one. I think they're eleven to
points loud per possession, but they're twenty fourth against top
twenty offenses overall. And I just don't you could say
that if Gordon is healthy and Pete Gordon that'll help
a ton. I just if Peyton Watson and Christian Brown
are healthy. There are different levers they can pull. I
worry about their defense though, more this year than I
did last year, And for some reason, it does feel
like it's born more from than just KCP leaving, because
he wasn't even when you look at their performance against
the Wolves, he wasn't even part of necessarily the answer
defensively for them. And I don't know what I'm struggling
with specifically with their defense. We know Aaron Gordon's gonna
be the backup five in the playoffs. That's actually good
for them. I want to make that clear. I think
it's just I wonder if their best lineup whatever you
consider that now because Russell Westbrook's in the fold, or
if their best lineups are gonna have enough defensive juice
over the course of a long enough span to be
a title heavyweight, but they are. Just to make it clear,
I think they're maybe I've equivocated on this at points
this season as we were heading into the All Star break.
They are absolutely title contenders, and I think you can
make a real case that they are one of the
five best title contenders right now.
Speaker 2: I think your issue defensively, which is an issue I
have too, is the fact that they're twenty fifth in
the league enforcing turnovers. That's not great, Like you have
to get some stops that leads to easy offense for sure.
The fact that they're not getting those in a regular
season setting, I understand why that would lead some credence
to thinking, oh, that's going to be even tougher to
do in a playoff context, where teams that they're going
to go up against are going to be far more
focused on proper ball handling, like more safe passes and whatnot.
So I think that's a major key, the fact that
they don't have this you know, shot blocking ressence near
the rim. And they do have Peyton Watson, but he
plays like what twenty four minutes per game, so it's
like it's not constantly and even when he's on the floor,
is still like won a game. So they don't have
this consistent presence such just constantly challenge shots. Jokic I
think does pretty well considering how often seems targeted, and
they usually stop doing so because they realize, oh, like,
he gets more stops than we're anticipating of him. And
I think that's the way they survive. But you're right,
they do need something. They do need some type of
X factor thrown in there. I think next season is
going to be more obvious in a way for them
because I think Bruce Brown is coming back as free
agent this summer. I would be shocked if he wasn't.
Speaker 1: He loved. Do you think his market's going to be
the mini mid level?
Speaker 2: Yeah? I think so, First and foremost think I think
he would sacrifice that he got paid. He spent the
two years getting paid. Mike Malone absolutely loves the guy.
I think he's he's missed out a little bit on
being relevant over the course of the last two years.
I think he misses that. I think he's gonna come
back and he's going to add that bench defensive presence
where he's just all over the floor being that connector
guy they kind of miss now, but that's a year
from now. Whether they can win the title right now,
that's that's probably a bigger bed. But I just can't
rule them out. I mean, it's call k this is
arguably a top ten player of all time in his
arguably best season ever, and we're sitting here talking about
whether they're a contender or not. I just can't with
a straight face either or not.
Speaker 1: Well, we we equivocated on the Bucks and may have Giannis,
so there's a path to them not being But I
would ask this because there's an alternative in the East
when it's the West, aside from OKC, Like, which team
do you trust more to win the title than Denver?
Speaker 2: Yeah? No one, yep, And that's I.
Speaker 1: Mean, like, when you have the best player in the
world and that can be the answer, then yeah, that
that that certainly matters, right.
Speaker 2: I do think that that answer changes though next year
as well, even if you do get Bruce Brown onto
the Nuggets, because there are a couple of teams that
are coming, like the Rockets next year could be dangerous
as hell if they make the same sort of internal
leap next year the Spurts We're gonna talk about in
a coming episode as well. It's almost like the Nuggets
are a little bit on the clock too. Well, they're
certainly on the clock, I almost You know.
Speaker 1: What's tough with this team too, is that you say,
like Bruce Brown could like make a big difference for them,
and I guess I don't disagree. I'm not entirely sure,
Like what the archetype of player they need to finish
out the rotation that would make me feel way better
about their title chances than I do right now, and
where in the past that was probably a vote of
confidence and like, oh this is just peak Nuggets. Yeah,
there's something here that they feel more vulnerable, But I
can't quite place my finger on what they could have
done that would have actually solved it. So I it's
it is the defense for me overall, when like, based
off what I've seen from them this year, but I
think that they have they have a lot of guys
hitting strides at the moment, and I think specifically MPJ
and Maul Murray and like if you get Aaron like
full strength Aaron Gordon for the playoffs, but I actually
I think you make the case like Michael Porter Junior
is probably the single most important swing factor when it
comes to the championship race, or at least for these Nuggets,
and the way that he's been playing is incredible for them.
Next team up, the Golden State Warriors, who now have
Jimmy Butler more title contender or pretender.
Speaker 2: Pretender but exciting pretender.
Speaker 1: You want to elaborate on that, or you want.
Speaker 2: To do I do? I can't. So they had to
do something for Steph. This This was one of those
things where they just didn't want Steph to play with
nothing over the next couple of years, and that's the
right way to go about it. The acquisition of Jimmy
Butler just not throw them or catapult him into contender status,
but it does raise them on level to the point
where instill being you know, outside the plane, they're going
to be in the play and maybe e even next
year under a full training camp together, maybe they even
sneak in as a top sixteen that I won't rule
that out, But in terms of like championship equity, I
don't think it's there. I just think they got better
and they're in a way relevant for the rest of
Steph's career. Like they're going to be that team nobody
wants to play, but they're not gonna win enough games
to ever really make you question, oh, can they get
all the way because the answer is going to be
thoroughly no, unless someone on that team under the age
of twenty five preferably takes a major step and it's like, oh, yeah, no,
I'm the guy moving forward, be that Pods, be that Kuminga,
be that most of Smoodie like what. I just don't
have faith in any of those guys too.
Speaker 1: So I'm hesitant to say this because I've become a
big believer that unless you're dealing with the quint essentially
scalable player, making additions mid season or even like close
to training camp the middle of training camp is insanely difficult.
And I think we've seen it in Minnesota with Julius
Randall and then less so in New York with Karl
Anthony Towns. Because of how plug and play he is,
and Jimmy Butler, as good as he is, isn't necessarily
plug and play. With all of that in mind, I'm
gonna go with contender. One of their biggest issues not
just this year, but we're talking about even the Kevin
Durant era at points, but since the Kevin Durant era,
for sure, the minutes without Steph Curry, they are getting
positively destroyed again this year, and Jimmy Butler more so
than Andrew Wiggins, more so than Draymond Green, like you, Ken,
and I know Andrew Wiggins isn't on the team anymore.
If anyone listening, it was just that Andrew Wiggins was
part of the opportunity costs for Jimmy Butler. He can
run the offense without Steph Curry on the floor. Now
do they have enough shooting to capitalize on that. It's
weird that I find myself worrying more about their full
strength lineups than their secondary ones, where it's, oh, how
do you play Draymond Kaminga and Jimmy Butler together? You certainly,
to me can't have a big on the court during that,
And then it's okay, So it has to be Steph
and Buddy healed would be the answer at that point.
But I look at the different lineup flexibility they have
and specifically what they're able to do without Steph. It
makes them more dangerous in the regular season, which to
me makes it more likely they can get into the
top six in the West. Only three losses separate them.
I'm encouraged. And again it was the first game Jimmy
Butler had a set like a season high for the
number of screens that he set when he played the
Bulls with the Warriors, if they're gonna use him like
that and they can, like I just believe through Steph's
gravity that all things are possible on the offensive end,
maybe they have to get in by way of the plane.
I think they're gonna be really dangerous, especially because what player,
for all his flaws of availability, maybe your problem with
his attitude, the way he goes about things, some of
the limitation on even his game. Jimmy Butler in the
playoffs is just a different type of He is superstar,
and so I think to have two of those guys
on the roster and him and Steph, and I still
think the defensive ceiling on this team is pretty incredibly high.
I'm gonna lean contender. I don't feel great about this one,
but I think I think they can make a Ruckus
in the West.
Speaker 2: I think they're a little old, but I hear you.
I mean it's if it happens, I'm not gonna be shocked,
but I'm gonna be surprised. That's probably the way I
will phrase it. I definitely think there is a ceiling
on this team. Also in part of the combustibility of
Jimmy Butler just being Jimmy's butler.
Speaker 1: Here's my thing. He got paid and it was I
was asked on another show the other day, like, what
do you make of Jimmy Butler saying his joy is back?
And I was like, it's amazing what the extension you
always wanted can do for your joy right at work.
So I just maybe over the offseason, like if you
if he wanted to agitate to get out or something,
because he didn't have Golden State on his initial preferred
list of destinations. I guess I'm just less concerned about
the emotional combustibility component than you are.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's fair. I'm probably just being a little
nervous about the Butler green Well fit like personality wise.
Speaker 1: Which and functionally too on offense, I don't necessarily know
how that And by the way, this is underminds everything
I just said. You're the they are eleventh in the
Western Conference, Like, that's not you don't call eleventh place
a contender. So I'm very much like venturing into the
theoretical here, and I recognize it to read. So I
don't even think you're not the one who needs to
defend your point.
Speaker 2: But I think you do raise some good points. And
again for me, it's just again it's about the young guys,
because if you have that secondary group of players who
are in their early twenties, if they somehow find a
way to make that taking their rotation their own, and
they can somehow, you know, eight the first unit in
a way that they haven't shown before, that changes the narrative.
From my perspective as well. I just think we've seen
them so much. Like Jonathan Comena, for example, we're looking
at almost two hundred and fifty games over the course
of his career. We're looking at almost, you know, fifty
five hundred minutes. He's good, but he's never really stepped
up to the plate where we're like, oh, he's that dude, right.
We haven't seen it from Pots, we haven't seen it
from Tray Saxon Davis, we haven't seen them from Moody.
So it's like, yeah, you have the main core of Steph, Jimmy,
Draymond Cool, and I guess Healed in some capacity just
because he'll need to play a ton of minutes next
to those guys. I'm just looking for what else is there?
Do I trust that that young group of guys to
come in and be ready to play while those guys
are chasing titles because they have to at that age,
they have to. They can't sit around and just going
let's not do anything. They're gonna chase titles. So unless
we're looking at that, or they make a trade during
the off season, but then we're not looking at this year,
then we're looking for next year. I just have a
hard time piecing that together.
Speaker 1: We are onto the Houston Rockets more contender or pretender.
Speaker 2: That's such a good question. I don't know. So, Okay,
I'm gonna be harsh. I'm gonna be harsh. I don't
want to be harsh, but I have to. I'm gonna
say pretender because the spacing element and their offensive fluidity
is it's a little too volatile for my taste at
this point in time. I don't trust her offense yet.
I might be getting there eventually, but I'm not there yet. Defensively,
I trust them, I trust what they have on that
end of the floor, no doubt. I love the fact
that they didn't go for it in the off season,
like accelerate their timeline or anything like. They they kept building,
they kept adding. I think they have so many intriguing pieces.
There are some pieces that I probably would want to
pivot off off pretty soon, but that's a different conversation. Again,
the offense just seems wildly inefficient. I mean, Fredmanlee not
even cracking forty nine percent shooting from the field. Jalen
Green again, you know, pretty pedestrian efficiency wise. The same
case to be said for Dylan Brooks. So you have
three starters with at best, sorry with you know, at
best middling efficiency. Is that going to be a mason,
you know, a major asset for them coming into the playoffs?
I don't think.
Speaker 1: So.
Speaker 2: You're gonna need spacing, You're gonna need opportunities, and especially
as a'm and Thompson has developed over the course of
this year. You know, you're gonna need spacing to open
up driving lanes for him, and they have some volume
behind it, Like Fred, Jalen and Brooks all take a
ton of threes. That's great, but when you're not hitting
them at a particularly high clib I'm guessing that teams
are gonna play the you know, the analytics card in
the playoffs and go, yeah, you know what we can.
We can sort of sack off right a little bit.
We can sack off jailing a little bit. That's fine,
And I'm guessing that the guy they want to make
sure not gets into the ts of the defense of Saminsopson,
and if they can close that off, oh boy, it's
gonna be hard for the Rockets to generate Deacy offense. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I do think what he's had to go through this
season will probably help him long term of just like
in terms of getting the mid range and kind of
throwing up some funky shots there. But I would agree
with everything I think you said. I just it boils
down to me. We've seen not this exact movie before,
but they are on the bottom five of three point
attempt rate three point attempt accuracy and half court efficiency.
So for a team that relies on offensive rebounding and
getting out in transition a ton, you're just at a
no matter how great your defense is, you're at a
disadvantage in the playoff when teams have an extended period
of time to game plan around you. And even though
you might want Jalen Green or Fred Van Fleet to
be more efficient, the fact that you're so reliant on
what they're doing now that if they even drop off
by like a hair or two or a couple steps,
that's really tough. And you do have when like when
Shangun is healthy, he is an All Star, so you
could maybe counter with that. I just don't think they
either don't have that player on the roster or shng
Goon or Jalen Green or am and Thompson has yet
to develop into that player who could really be the
engine of inn above average half court offense in like
first shot half court offense in the postseason. And that's
why I would say pretender. And I do think because
of their record and standing in the West, that will
grade on certain Rockets fans Specifically, I don't think you're
supposed to be a contender right now. I don't want
to say this has found money, but you want to
be in the information gathering business of let's see what
happens in the playoffs. Maybe some of the stuff you
and I I have said turns out to be wrong,
or it could be a situation like the Orlando Magic
last year. They lost exactly how everyone expected them to lose.
And so but once you get that information, it should
be easier to even the OKA. See against Dallas last year,
what did they do. I don't know if they went
and addressed every issue, but they went and addressed like
some of their biggest problems by getting Isaiah Hartenstein. So
this is important for the Rockets. They don't need to
be at that contender level. We can move on now,
unless you have anything else to say to Los Angeles Clippers,
who look more. If we were doing this in July
and you told me we'd be talking about them on
this podcast in February, I would have told you were
an idiot.
Speaker 2: Yep, oh I still am. But like that's this one
in particularly has nothing.
Speaker 1: To do with your clipper.
Speaker 2: The Clippers though, right, and look even if you if
you bake that in and you also said, Oh, and
by the way, James Harden would be hitting thirty nine
percent of his shots for the year. Like everything about
this is just so wild that I'm going to go pretender.
I don't trust it. I just don't. This is too weird, man.
Speaker 1: I look, I agree with you, and I think I
would have to lean pretender as well, because I don't
know what the We know what the remedy might be
to their offensive, which is like their defense is just
close to no notes here, but the offense. Will Kui
be healthy enough? And even if he is, like you
still kind of need bugged up Bogdanovich to hit shots,
which is something that he has not done consistently this year.
But what I will say, which is why I almost
want to say contender, because of Kawi's healthy Like there
is a pathway to their offense being materially better than
it has been this season. And it's not like it
because it's a pathway. We're past the trade deadline, so
it has to do with the roster and the personnel
that's already in place. I don't feel good about saying that,
but I do think given James Harden's postseason track record
and like as good as Bugdanovic is like a secondary
or tertiary shot creator, he has not been that this year,
and there are also limitations to that. So when you're
getting into all right, we have Kawhi, Norman Powell, James Harden,
and Bogdanovich is just sort of your primary offensive weapons,
it does feel like there's enough question marks there or
holes in everyone's game on offense, even if Kawhi's hold
is his durability to where you have to default to
questioning it yep.
Speaker 2: I mean, look, that is the perfect way to summon
it all up. I mean, let's just take look Norman
Powell for example. I love the guy, and he fights
hard on defense. He's not a bad defender. Obviously, his
offense this year has been tremendous, extremely underrated still six
' four, Like teams are going to target him with
bigger players. There are gonna be guys who are six
seven to six eight who are going to somehow find
themselves with him guarding them, and they are going to
be able to take that matchup and make the most
of it. And that's not say anything bad about Norman Pole.
He's not his fault. He six four. So the size
is an issue. You know, Subach obviously is I consider
him a very strong defender around the rim. I think
he's dramatically underrated in that aspect, even though he's not
a quote unquote strong shot blocker, but his he's just
so huge. That's great. But he's also a guy, like
if you succeed to get him out on the perimeter,
he can be beat. So again, it's like, I think
you just you nailed it so well, Like there are
all these fantastic elements of all these players, but when
you really break it down, each and everyone have issues
that you can sort of use against them. So I
don't know. I like, let's let's put it up this way.
If they actually make it to the final somehow and
they meet the Boston let's just say, you know, that's
that's the theoretical here. That's a that's a clean suite
from Boston's perspective, Like, how how do they like? How
I just don't see a pathway you have?
Speaker 1: Like what are you more worried about in that situation
I'm working?
Speaker 2: Look, I have Boston as two weight for us, right, Like, yeah,
we consider and talk about the Clippers defense all day long,
but for a team that Jack's up fifty threes with
high regularity, and where you can get teams out you know,
on and floor deep, where you can utilize those matchups
and like blow right past them. I just that's that's
a team where I think their current defensive rating, their
current defensive proficiency just isn't up to par. And then
when you add in that their offense is kind of
all over the place. I just can't trust them at
this level. Like I would be pleasantly surprised though, if
you wind up being no, you didn't say. You didn't
say they were a consenter. My apologies, I'm putting words
in your mind.
Speaker 1: Well I'm like sort of undecided, Okay, if you're let's
just assume you said there were contenders, Like that would
be so fun to watch if that actually happened, if
that materialized.
Speaker 2: And they became like a real Western Conference power force
over the course of the next couple of months, Like
books would have to be written about this.
Speaker 1: The thing I just keep coming back to and I
get the samples not huge, They're like a plus seventeen
per one hundred win Kawhi, Norm and Harden Yeah play together.
Speaker 2: I just so fair.
Speaker 1: They have so many different, like good two way lineups.
They can feel that if I what if I told
you this, Bodan Bogdanovic by the time the playoffs start
is the player that we either start over the summer
or at least with the Hawks last year, Would that
change your verdict here?
Speaker 2: I mean, if we're also baking in that Kawhi as
he's ramping up, is going to go back to you know,
full on ka why superstar? Yes, that's gonna.
Speaker 1: Change you know what? You say that and he's definitely
that guy still, But you can't it has to be
pretenders just because of the Kawhi durability stuff at this point,
Like you're I think you're That's maybe the most simple
point I could make, but I think it's the most salient.
Speaker 2: You lured me in to saying that if A, B
and C happened, they'll be contenders, and then you just
drop kick me by saying, oh no, no, there they're pretenders.
They're actually pretending.
Speaker 1: I want I want to call them contenders, but like,
is that me being too generous to what we've seen
from one Bogdanovich this year and then just what we
know has happened to Kawhi basically year over year.
Speaker 2: I mean, that's why I'm baking that into not having
them as a contender. I mean, Kawhi is so consistently injured,
first and foremost, I don't think that they have the size. Also,
I'm gonna be completely honest about this, I still don't
trust James Harden in a playoff series.
Speaker 1: Necessarily. That's also fair.
Speaker 2: I just don't. I still think, despite the fact that
he's thirty five forty six, he makes just so many
boneheaded decisions at times where I'm just like, Nope, I
can't trust it in a playoff context. Derek Jones Junior.
Do I trust the spacing that he's shown in the
regular season? Do I trust that will carry over to
the postseason? Probably not. Chris Dunn already one of the
most let's just say, inconsistent offensive players in the in
the in the league who's getting regular minutes. Is there
another drop off from him in the playoffs? Absolutely?
Speaker 1: Yes, there And another good point too would be the
value of a Chris Dunn or Derek Jones junior. Derek
Joronges is a good example because of what kind of
happened in the playoffs that's up by the time for
the Mavericks last year. The value of those guys because
of their offensive limitations, can drop precipitously in the in
the postseason. I really quickly we're both gonna go pretender,
although I'm like, very close. Do you feel better about
the Clippers of the Warriors this season?
Speaker 2: This season? So again I need to hitch here? What what?
What kind of Kawhi Leonard are we looking at? Here?
Is it gonna be healthy?
Speaker 1: We know what we know about both of these teams,
So it's just that I think that's what you have
to base it off of.
Speaker 2: If Kawhy is healthy, I trust the Clippers a little
bit more of this particular season.
Speaker 1: Okay, I think that's fair. For our next team is
the Los Angeles Lakers, who do not have Mark Williams.
That trade. We haven't covered it on this podcast yet.
Was rescinded. I think the Lakers absolutely dodged a bad
scenario there for them. Just we know about Mark Williams's
their ability, but I saw him being painted as someone
who could anchor their defense, and I just I know
it's a smaller sample size, but I have not gotten
that vibe from any like his macro time with the
Charlotte Hornet, So I think they're better off in the
long run. However, in the short term more they have
Christian Wood who is injured in is you have to
play this season, They have Jackson Hayes. Like the big
man situation is bleak as of right now. They can't
even go sign Bismock Biumbo because the Spurs were smart
enough to go and do that. To attend day. They
have Luka Dancic, who, by the time you listen to
this wolf played for the Lakers. They have Lebron James
who is still I just my god, that dude is amazing,
like forty years old and just still bowing out. What
are they contenders or And by the way, they also
have I know people like to discredit it, but like
they're fifth in the West and they're like, they're twelve
games over five hundred. That's not nothing this far into
the season. Are they contenders or pretenders?
Speaker 2: Contenders now because they just fleeced the Mavericks in the
most lopside of trade in NBA history.
Speaker 1: Yes, but I think the Charlotte trade trade that isn't
was pretty good proof that Rob Polinka should only be
allowed to negotiate with Nico Harrison.
Speaker 2: There's expelcifity rights. I was actually higher on the Mark
Williams trait. I was a lot higher. I like that. Dude. Look,
this is a team that just got a top three
NBA player onto his roster for a very limited return.
That player, despite the fact that he's younger than Anthony Davis,
and some people will make it sound as though, oh
then he's a further away from you know, winning a title.
That is Bologney. He's already better. He made the literally
made the finals last year despite having three injuries, and
you know, playing on a fairly flawed rosters is he
is just such a unique player. He's gonna come in
and the entire team is gonna have this great ripple effect,
the attention given to him and Lebron, both of whom
can have triple doubles whenever they damn well, please, what
are we doing here? Yes, of course they're a contender,
ess of right now. That trade just catapulted them straight
into it. This is this is ridiculous. You can't double
team either of those two guys. The multiple ball handle,
the multiple play making them in transition them in even
half court situation. It's them in pigan rolls like what
do you do? I'm sorry, Like, what do you do?
Lebron or Luca? Doesn't matter whoever screens for one another,
it's just a constant target. And people are like, Okay,
what do we do here? Do we go and set
a hard double on Lebron on the drive? Do we
push back on Luca? Like what? No, you can't do either.
You can't do either. You're just you're f Then you
also have Austin Reeves, who I think has playing played
a little bit under the radar this season. I think
a lot of what has been said outside of Lakerland
at least has been sort of like, oh, he's fine, No,
he's really good, and the fact that he's also a
playmaker and not just you know what. People you know
peg them as initially as a Kyle Korwitz type, which
was always wrong. I never got that, by the way,
always such a strong playmaker. They have that trio of
guys who can stew stuff with the ball, who can
shoot from range, who can playmake, who can rebound. They
have three guys of course raves under those two at
significant level, but still all of who can just hurt
you and still the number one skill in today's NBA
is still shot creation. So when you have oodles upon
oodles upon oodles of that, yeah, you're a championship contender. Absolutely. Yeah.
So oh you're gonna get in to the defense, right like, oh,
they're racing a big man. They missed.
Speaker 1: Okay, Look, I do think they are to their credit,
they are this season against top ten offenses, they are
seventh in point slaud per possession. When you expand that
to top twenty offenses, they're fourteenth in point slab per possession.
So they were good enough defensively against teams that they
will face in the playoffs to I think be viewed
more highly than maybe their point differential or some of
their on off splits. With their lineups show they're also
their data. When you filter out all the players who
have been traded from them this season, they've not won
the minutes. Like without Anthony Davis and d Low and
Max Christi both like the whole nine, the sample size
is sub four hundred possessions. I just the two things.
I think Anthony Davis allowed them to punch above their
weight defensively with certain primary lineups and then by default
secondary lineups in a way that I don't think they're
gonna be able to do that now. And then I'm
also wondering just to kind of to get away from
I think everyone just has the concern defensively that I've
mapped at, like, I don't know what's the pathway to
this team being above average on defense. I don't care
right now. Okay, I don't care. Now I want to
ask you. I think Luca has maybe transformed is too
strong a word. He's proven more flexible. Yes, looking at
his fit on offense, the MAVs the past two seasons
have played faster. This year, he has spent more time
away from the ball than ever. So I actually don't
have any qualms about the long term fit between him
and Lebron, assuming it is a long term fit. But
do you think that we're maybe not concerned enough about, well,
what does this look like immediately? Because they are integrating
not just this huge piece to their team, but someone
who is so central to everything that's going to happen
that it is going to take time for it all
to gel and there. If this team as constructed was
going to become a contender, it's probably not going to happen.
While making this integration on the fly.
Speaker 2: I'm not worried about that at all. So this is
where the luxury of Lebron James comes in. He's played
with Dwayne Wade, He's played with Kyrie Irving, He's played
with these high volume, high usage guys before. I understand
he's never played with someone as heliocentric as Luca. But
let's also remember the Luca is more than a willing passer,
more than willing to relinquish his own spots. And if
there's a guy, if there's a superstar in NBA history,
who is more welcoming to have other guys step up
and take minutes shots away from his plate and let
him allow to be more of a playmaker, it's Lebron James.
I have zero forms of this bit. I think Luca
is going to come in on a goddamn mission straight
off the bat, and I think Lebron is the guy
who's like spurting that on from day one. So we're
recording this Monday, February tenth, a couple hours before game time,
the presumed debut of Luka dontag see if he plays.
Let's hope that is the plan. It's in the cart Still,
I believe there's no question in my mind Lebron right
now is just egging him out, like go out and
take twenty five shots, Like go out there, go go
score fifty. That man is gonna have the entire city
of Los Angeles, the entire roster behind him, just like
you know what used that anchor that you have towards
the trade to help us and when you were a
top three talent. I just don't care what you can argue,
Oh the defense, like the plus minus minutes from gate Vincent,
I don't give God, damn doesn't matter. You have a
guy who's gonna who last year averaged thirty four ten
and nine and dragged his team to the finals with
his teeth. And you're adding that to Lebron James, who
has become a sniper, who's still one of the cleverest
players of all time. I'm just not worry Dan. This
team's gonna do fine.
Speaker 1: I think you're under as estimating curve that it just
takes when to superstars to mesh. But I also think
the bigger thing is what did the Dallas Mavericks have
after the trade deadline last year? Elite defense? Yes, and
that definitely played a role in Luca being able to
get them to that level. I don't know if this
team is gonna have the same if she's Yeah, but
defense is the other end of the floor is gonna matter?
I mean, pretender for this season?
Speaker 2: Oh my god? See this, this is where you and
I we always differ. Yeah, You're You're way more defensively
inclined than I am, and I'm way more The.
Speaker 1: Thing is is I'm not. This is just there? Where
is how do you build a good like? Is it so? Jackson, Hayes, Ruby, Hotchimore, Lebron, Luca,
and Austin Reeves? Like where Like who's the above average
defender in that department?
Speaker 2: Okay, so let's split it around. If that, if you're
going up against Lebron, James, Austin Reeves, Luca, who are
the other two you mentioned there, Ruby and Jackson in
all right? Fine, so Jackson Hayst from RUI you can
probably beat those matchups, sure, but like, are you gonna
outscore that at the end of the game. We agree
that a basketball game is determined on who scores the
most the most points, right, I'm just saying, are you
gonna win that? Those matchups like are you gonna target
those guys and go, oh yeah, we'ren't gonna outscore those
guys because that this is a potent ass offensive lineup.
Speaker 1: I would not want to face this team in the playoffs.
I struggled to see them winning two playoff series, which
is the more and it I feel better about the Warriors.
I think there's a better balance to the roster when
they're at full strength than the Lakers have right now.
And I want to say I think it's I just
think they're a pretender for this season. I'll be maybe
this is something we revisit. It turns out I'm incredibly wrong.
Is there anybody like they can sign someone off the
buy out market as long as they're making the mid
level exception or less right. I tried to go through
it the other night after the Mark Williams Trader was
rescinded some names that I'll throw out to you. I don't.
I don't think Houston. They'd be I think fools to
buy out Steven Adams, although he'd be perfect for this roster.
Maybe that's a free agent the Lakers look at this summer,
Marvin Bagley, that's not doing it. PJ. Tucker. Nope, No,
Larry Nance Junior maybe not do anything for you.
Speaker 2: Is he not over the Emily He's eleven point two.
Speaker 1: Everyone now is like, I'm going in declining salary.
Speaker 2: That's dope. Okay, So and I think.
Speaker 1: He's probably it's possible unless Atlanta wants to keep him,
which they might because you're traded for George Niang And
I guess Klinkapela's hitting free agency, so who knows.
Speaker 2: I mean, look, if Larry Nance is going to be
on the market, absolutely that would help a ton. I'm yeah,
I'm still I don't care. Honestly, they are they can
do whatever. I mean, look, they can play Dorian Finney
Smith as there's there's Small Bowl five. When is Kliba
coming back?
Speaker 1: I don't know what his actual timeline was. He is
listed as all right, that's that's ugly. Well, and he's
just he's been injured all the time.
Speaker 2: He is, yeah, I know he is.
Speaker 1: So yeah. I guess I won't go through any other
buy out. Possibly is it Chris Bouchet is not gonna
get brought out anyway. I would love right here. I
will say it'd be very funny if Marvin Bagley got
brought out and then teamed up with Luka Doncic not
doing anything for your defense, But.
Speaker 2: I don't care. That's that pick and roll. That'd be awesome. No,
I see, I could see a world where in your
Warriors over Lakers idea is you know, I can see
where it has some ballid elements like the two way
play is obviously preferred in every single in creation of
of an NBA team, you want that, But at the
end of the day, I still just believe in it.
Here to tell him I can't get away from that
fit matters absolutely. I'm not gonna say out the wise
defense matters. I'm not going to say out the wise,
but this.
Speaker 1: Is I think it's fair to rest your case on.
They have Lebron, they have Lucas.
Speaker 2: And that is my case because look, I think I
think we all kind of forget how good Luca is
because the Dallas Mavericks have been on a smear campaign just.
Speaker 3: He's fat, he's bad, he doesn't work, and it's like
the dude last year, I'm gonna reiterate myself average thirty four,
ten nine and dragged his sorry ass team so the
finals with his injured teeth.
Speaker 2: Come on, what are we doing?
Speaker 1: I really do think that you're giving not enough credit
to the supporting cast.
Speaker 2: That was okay, fine, the defense was good. They got
Kyrie was there, I hear, but you know what I
mean though, like he was injured like for at least
two rounds.
Speaker 1: I'm not I'm not going to defend the Mavericks there
By the way, it says a lot about in the
aftermath they focused on, as you called it, the Luka
Danci smear campaign more than they have focused on the
actual value coming back in the trade, which I think
just says all you need to know about it. So
we we disagreed. We've disagreed a lot so far in
this one. What about this team, Memphis Grizzlies, contender or pretender?
We know their cowards because they did a salary dump
at the trade deadline.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so they didn't. They didn't have the balls to
go for Jimmy. I know Jimmy said he wouldn't resign there.
I think he should.
Speaker 1: They did, I don't know if you. John Hollinger reported
they did look into it. They also looked into Kevin Durant. Yeah,
they looked into some big swings.
Speaker 2: But you can kind of tell Jimmy, thank you John,
Thank you John for putting that in.
Speaker 1: I didn't see that, but I will say, yeah, the
fact that they like wouldn't they wanted to give up
their twenty five second first round pick and I get
seconds back from Brooklyn to Dorrian Phiney Smith trade. That
was kind of the first indicator for me that this
team is not serious about making an upgrade at the
trade deadline.
Speaker 2: I think they're a year away. But does that make
them pretenders?
Speaker 1: Does it make them pretenders? Hell? Yeah, if we're gonna
call I'm sorry. Look, I know they have John Morant
and the way that Jaron Jackson Junior's been playing this
year in Desmond Bane, But like, I still think you
have a lot of the same concerns about their half
court offense when it to a playoff setting. And also
the bigger thing here is too, like have you kind
of watched them in some end of game situations, like
they need I love Jalen Wells, he might be Rookie
of the Year, and like their defense is buying large
held up in crunch time, but who do you trust
on this team to just go guard another star player?
Marcus Smart was supposed to be that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and now you're kind of looking at it and
I guess you're saying like, you're, like a healthy Vince
Williams Junior needs to do a lot of heavy lifting
and will he stay healthy. And then again, I think
Jalen Wells a lot of people they're making fun of
this rookie class. I think he's been great, but I
don't like he's not that Guy's Gigi Jackson that guy.
Maybe they cobble it together enough, but I do still
have some enduring concerns about their overall offensive structure, and
then that coupled with sort of their perimeter defensive crew.
At the moment, I lean pretender, which I probably sounds stupid.
Speaker 2: So I'm with you on the pretender part. What I
was challenging is even though they were passive at the
trade headline, I don't necessarily think that's going to influence
too greatly at peace the results of the second half
of the season. That's what I was kind of inferring.
Because Marcus Smart obviously played just nineteen games, he wasn't
really available. Yeah, so that's kind of where I was
hanging my hat a little bit. Basically saying like, even
though they were passive and cowards at the trade headline,
there is an element here where I think they have
enough talent to at least fight for it. There are
some oddities though that I seeing lies under the radar,
a little bit like Desmond Bain, you know, turning a
little bit back into a pumpkin, concerns me. Yes, I
just offensively speaking, he's had too good a career just
scoring the basketball that I'm a little bit confused as
to what has happened this year, why he's so much
further down on the totem pole.
Speaker 1: He's looked. I think a lot of that might just
do it how good he was, To be clear, like
he's had some like some bad stretches this season. I
think he's been by and large a lot better over
the past month and a half or so, and so
I don't worry about him specifically. That's fair it. I'm
not trying to I wasn't trying to say that the
Marcus Smart trade was what made them pretender though that's
a good call, but that was more so you didn't
improve the team right now. Yeah, and then by the way,
Jake Lavia was like super useful for them. I know
that they declined his team option, but that's not a
non loss. So if they could have gotten and it
wasn't even you either needed to get a better defensive
option on the perimeter or let's get another type of
shooter in here to where Luke Kennard's not doing so
much lifting in that category and and has been baying too.
He' shooting like forty three percent from three since January one.
I would have felt a lot better, Like if you
would have put I know this isn't they had the assets,
like you put Cam Johnson on this team. Yeah, he
still maybe have some of the defensive concerns, but I
probably would have called them a contender.
Speaker 2: So you were one Cam Johnson away from contenter.
Speaker 1: I think it is interesting. We're not far away, like
we're no and I think you could even say maybe
a lesser player too, Like I don't even know if
it was a Cam Johnson. I'm trying to think of
what would have been another interesting option, like like they
could have been one Io de Soon move away, just
if we're going the defensive end of the spectrum, because
he can guard up so well, so that like they're close.
I just I think there were two major boxes or
two major voys that they have and they address neither
of them, which I think is problematic.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but then you know both of us, both of us,
we agree on this and that they are pretenders, but
it's like close, it's.
Speaker 1: Not as of this season. I feel better about them
than the Rockets. Would be the best way to frame it, all, right, Yeah,
that's fair. Our next team, I don't know. Oh, although
we do some breaking Minnesota Timberwolves news more. Did you
see it?
Speaker 2: No? I haven't.
Speaker 1: Per Sham Serrania. Uh, the arbitration really has come back
in favor of Mark Lare and al Trodriguez for who
will be controlling team governors for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Don't
that doesn't really impact this season. Maybe it impacts the
spending for this team kind of moving forward. But there's
your breaking Minnesota Timberwolves nude. I don't think this saga
is necessarily over, but nope, Yeah, so Lauren Rodriguez arbitrators
will in favor of them over Taylor to become the
controlling Timberwolves owners.
Speaker 2: And Kyrie Irving has replaced Anthony Davis in the All
Star Game.
Speaker 1: I still kind of can't believe it wasn't some bonus. Yep, great,
but Shang Gooon is injured, so he might get it anyway. Right,
We've see what happens with Shangoon or Shangun not injured.
Speaker 2: He thought he was still He went down last game
after three minutes, so I don't know what his status
is still.
Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, day to day. I thought they might have
updated it. So neither here nor there are the Minnesota
Timberwolves more contenders or pretenders.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna say pretenders. I just don't really trust a
team where two of their three best players are Rudy
Gobert and Julius Randall. Sorry, that's just I know that's harsh.
I here's the thing. Randall is a guy who can
have these incredible stretches where efficiency is following along, where
he's rebounding the ball at a great, great rate, where
his playmaking is on point, where he's kind of caught
a rhythm, and it like it lasts for like three
four weeks, and then he'll just time at the right time.
I don't feel as though we've had that stretch this year.
Is that coming? Is that coming at the most opportune time?
I don't know, but I'm not going to bang on it.
That's why I'm not inclined to believe that as Rudy Gobert.
I still think he's a guy who if you get
him out on the court deep enough, you can take
advantage of him near the basket. No Dice, one of
the best rim protectors of all time. So that kind
of leaves a lot of responsibility for a young man
who the media keeps piping up as the next Jordan,
which again I still think is unfair. But he is
enormously talented, enormously good. Is it fair to expect him
to overcome the potential shortcomings of Gobea and Randall? I
don't think so. I will say this, Dan, I'm happy
to see Jap McDaniels become a little bit more aggressive offensively.
Speaker 1: That has been fun.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, that's like I've been asking for this for
three years?
Speaker 1: Is this? Don't you think? Like kind of until this
he was in danger of like quietly becoming one of
the like lower value contracts.
Speaker 2: Oh absolutely, I was there. I was right there. I
called him that at like after the twenty game mark,
I think, and something along those lines. This season, I
was incredibly worried, like you just can't be a one
way player when you're not a superstar in this day
and age and then keep getting that type of money
and playing thirty minutes per game, like that's just not
you know, that's not realistic. He had to scale up
his offense, and to his credit, he did, and he's
also done more than that. He's become more aggressive on
the class. He suddenly realized, oh, I'm six ' nine,
I can actually go in and compete for rebounds. That's great.
So better Lateland Never for Jaden mcgains. I just don't
trust this team pretenders.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna go con contenders with the caveat. I don't
necessarily trust them offensively either. I do think they've unlocked
some certain combinations where they've been able to generate more
spacing and make things easier on the Julius Randall integration
or on just Anthony Edwards in general. Yeah, they have
of all the non Nuggets and okay, see teams that
I've seen, and I think you might be able to
make the case of over the Nuggets. The peak that
we've seen from them, I can't quit it. There's just
there's so much talent on this team. I think there's
a majority of not to you know, go matt Ishbie
about it, but like two thirds of the NBA might
trade places with them when you just look at their
top ten players in a vacuum of talent, and that
is led.
Speaker 2: By Anthony Davis Anthony of course, sorry, I'm not trying
trying to trade Anti Edwards for the Anthony Davis. We've
had enough of young guys trained for Anthony Davis. But
like how much of that is not led by ant
Man though?
Speaker 1: But I mean, like you said, you're happier with the
way Jade McDaniels is playing. Look at the impact that
my commedue can still have, or that Niki Alexander Walker
can have. Look at what before he got injured, Dante
Devincenzo was turning a corner. Rob Dillingham has had some
really nice moments yes, over the past month or so.
So there's just there's depth here and the fact that
they're doing it defensively. I think you can argue that
maybe this team kind of never crescendos into a top
tier offense and they're like fifteenth I think in a
half court rating. This year, they've had some big games
though against good opponents. I don't trust them, but I
think I have kind of the way you default to
the Lakers with the high end talent, I have to
default to one them, just kind of proving that even
when they're not at their best, the defense can still
sort of work. And there's just such a deep collection
of talent here. My caveat would be that if Dante
Divincenzo's not healthy for the playoffs, I would have to
call them a pretender because I think his gravity is
so important to this team on the offensive end this year,
especially because I guess the most like the kindest way
to put it is like my commis had just way
more peaks and valleys than you would normally be used to.
Yeah old yeah, yeah, so he old yeah hashtag he old.
And there's I still like too much of the look
of them without Julius Randall at points. I think when
you get to the playoffs there'll be some more ruthless
decisions made if there are games or matchups that don't
play to that. And like I haven't even mentioned naz Reed,
Like there's just so many different funk work combinations they
could go with. Yeah, I have to go with with
contender here, all right, Yeah.
Speaker 2: I'm not there, but like, I definitely see your arguments.
I yeah, I just think for a guy like Julius
Randells was playing as many minutes as he are as
he is, and the way that he features in the
offense to the extent that he is, like, you'll have
to somehow replace his volume collectively and spread that out.
I don't know if I trust anyone in a playoff setting.
Specifically it's like be able to carry that outside of
a hand.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's that's fair. I I just this team is
this is probably the well I guess the Warriors would
be my biggest swing, but among teams that are supposed
to be title contenders, this might be my biggest swing
because they've juckled and hide it a lot this year.
I mean, yeah, if you have the Lakers as pretenders
and the Wolves as contenders, that's definitely a swing.
Speaker 2: I respect it though, like this.
Speaker 1: Definite defense and like at least like they have good offense.
Like you, I just think, I don't know, I think
your your stand on the Lakers is valid. I'm just
like you're writing off everything else basically in service of
Look at the offense they can generate with Reeves, Dodgers
and Lebron.
Speaker 2: I am, it's it's horribly simplistic, and I get I get.
Speaker 1: Your horribly it's effectively simplistic. I would think.
Speaker 2: We'll see, well, see I could come out looking at
it an ass. I probably already am, but like I
hear you, I hear you. And again I think also
with Edwards, there's another component that we may not talk about,
which is his defense. Like because I think your crux
as a matter with the Lakers, in with Luca and Lebron,
is that they're inconsistent defenders. That is a very fair
point and is well, he can be inconsistent, but it's
mostly when he's like on a tear offensively, where he's like, no,
I have to save myself because I have to score
forty five to win this game. Like those are basically
the only games where he takes defensive possessions off. When
everyone else is like doing what they're supposed to do
and he's, you know, sticking around eighteen twenty shots per game.
He's a strong ass defender, and I think that matters too.
The two way play. You always want the two way play.
Of course, you do so I think that's it's a
fair shout.
Speaker 1: So you have given out two contender designations correct in
the Lakers and the Nuggets. So far, I have given
one to the Warriors, the Nuggets, and the timber Wolves.
I have a feeling we're both gonna consider this next
team pretenders. Here's hope in the Oklahoma City Thunder. I
just don't more. They didn't. This is the second straight
trade deadline. They didn't go out and trade for Daniel Gafford.
How are they supposed to be contenders?
Speaker 2: For me? The name is Anthony Simons, but I hear you.
I guess this is a team that's just gonna shake Jills.
Is Alexander the way out of things? And that's not
necessarily a bad play. Look they have they have the
trio first and foremost. Chet is a two way fours point.
Let's hope he gets like fully back on track, because
like I know, there's still a couple months the to
the playoffs, but like still, you know, he missed so
much time. You're hoping he said a one hundred percent
close to it by then. He also needs to ramp
up his minutes. Jalen is that. I think he's such
an underrated offensive player. Everyone's talking about like the defense,
the connectability, the fact that he, you know, is a
little bit of an all around guy and he's like
very quietly averaging twenty one and doing so completely within
the flow of the offense. We talked about role acceptance
in the last episode in regarding Indiana. I think for
the Thunder it's the same thing. They just know what
to do each and every one and they play on
a string that's terrifying.
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's I like they're contenders. I don't. I think
some people might have been a little dis funny they
didn't go out and get either a bigger shooter or
bigger shot creator at the deadline. I'd be open to
listening to that. But when you had Chet Holmgren coming back, Yeah,
I just like this team is absolutely a contender. My
concern with them would be did they need that player
and they elected not to get them. But when you
haven't seen really at all this season, you're full cast together,
they've the like they're just lording over the rest of
the West. You've earned the benefit of the doubt there.
I just they're going to need and I think Jaylen
Williams can be that guy. But if we go into
a second straight postseason, he looks overmatched offensively as a creator.
This is look this year though, I think he's in
the ninetieth percentile of on ball gravity, so he's gotten
the efficiency's dipped some, but this is still someone I
really believe in him as a that player eventually, if
not right now, and they have enough depth to work
around that on top of a generational defense. And the
other thing too is people will laugh because you know
they know that whoever listen to this podcast that I'm
just I will cape for him to no end. But
like the recent stretch from Aaron Wiggins is pretty significant.
If you were at all worried about the thunder offense
in the playoffs.
Speaker 2: I was about to bring him up because I'm wondering
if I'm wondering if he actually should get a minute
bump in the playoffs. Like he's got positional size. The shooting,
obviously we know it's there. He's got some expletivity, Like
he's not just a spot up shooter. He's a guy
who can actually do something with the ball. I wouldn't
mind seeing him against you know, bigger teams get a
little bit a little bit more of a chance.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean the things he can do defensively, and
he would also be I don't know how much these
minutes matter in the playoffs when Shake Gilders Alexander's gonna
be playing a ton, right, But if you don't want to,
maybe if you want to try playing one big without
Shake Gilger Alexander, like having him on the court with
Jalen Williams can maybe I can give your on ball
offense a type of boost. And then if Isaiah Hartenstein's
on the court during those minutes too, because I think, look,
a lot of people have killed the differential when Shay
is off the court offensively, but we just hadn't seen
it a ton because of injuries the thunder. We're figuring
things out like during the Isaiah Hartenstein and Jalen Williams minutes,
and now you can throw Chet Holmgren either on the
court with both of them or mix and match if
you want to go one big. This team is I'll
say this, they have a stronger case to be title
favorites than like, oh they the take to be the
should have made a move at the deadline.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, for sure. I actually have them currently over Boston.
Speaker 1: Do you have this so you have them as title favorites.
I do. I think that's I think that's fair. I
just don't know if I agree yet. But Boston, I, oh,
you know what it is is I'm not sure if
I'd put Cleveland over Boston. But I'm just so married
to like, Okay, see, to me, he's clearly the best
team in the West that maybe I do view them
as title favorites. And I'm just not willing to admit it.
Speaker 2: To me, it's won the defense because and well the
two way play. Let's be real, because there's all these
guys have offensive components as well. Like we talk about
lou Dort's defense, but he's also hitting forty one percent
from three. We're talking about Cason Wallace, like we saw
last year that he was a high efficiency type of
guy that diminished this year, but like that's not to
say that won't return. We know Aaron Wickins, we just
talked about him. I say it Joe as an underrated
defender despite being what six ' to three, Alex cruzoe
very self explanatory. It just has I have all these
guys who can do stuff like Caruso as a connector
for example, to me, that was one of the biggest
things that was like a revelation for me when he
came to Chicago, which we didn't really see in LA
for a variety of reasons. How he would just offensively
move to the right spot, especially like offensive rebounds, and
just like, all right, if I position myself here, the
offensive rebound is gonna come off the glass of this
to the left side, I'm gonna get it here, and
that's gonna make allow me to make this bullet pass
right into a cutting sack. Lavine going to the basket
like he's just a mile ahead of every play. Also offensively,
So that's the one thing, like the defense and the
fact that it's all two way play. And then they
also just have the best player, like when it comes
down to everything, like Dallas last year also had the
best player, but they didn't have the two way play
across the roster. Like this is a team that can
legitimately challenge Boston and when push comes to shove, if
it comes down to Taydan versus Sga, all right, man,
I'm going with the Canadian. There's also two if you
are concerned about their offense because of the Hartenstein element,
they're even better built to win with just defense or
win ugly because you're not going to run into those
size issues that you did with Dallas yep last year.
So they've kind of maybe they haven't addressed all the concerns,
but they've given themselves enough cover and depth to where
it's what we can win without being the most ideal
iteration of what everybody wants us to be. Can we
talk about Hardenstein for a quick second about something, because
this is something that's It's just something that linkers in
the back of my mind because he doesn't really take threes.
People are like, oh, you know rim runner, you know,
close to the basket. If he has a wide open three,
even like a final series, I have no issue with
him taking it, like he has a jump shot. He
just doesn't utilize it a whole lot. You saw it
in with the Knicks as well last year.
Speaker 1: He does have a j like he has a well
I think he does. I still don't think and OKAYC
would fond it like they just haven't. No one's leaned
on it, and I think the Knicks basically out outlawed it.
But to your point, like he has the floater game,
like the push up the mid range game, and that again,
that's a different dynamic. So I was fine with them
not doing anything at the trade deadline was basically more
my point. I think the conversation with them is the level.
Should they be title favorites, and like the answer is
probably yes, unless it's just it's Boston, Cleveland or okayc
Like those are the only three options, right, Yeah, yeah,
so Oka. See, pretender, of course is what we're getting.
No contender. That was a pretty easy one. Now we
have a couple of quick hitters. I don't think any
of these teams belong in the contender bucket more, but
I wanted to get some quick hitter thoughts from both
of us on it. We'll begin with the Phoenix Suns,
who like, yeah, they have Kevin Ran and Devin Booker
and they're supposed to be contenders. But you can come
talk to me when you're a net plus with the
big three on the court like that.
Speaker 2: That's my st No, that's all what needs to be said.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so pretender for them. And by the way, is
it over. Is Kevin Durant on the Phoenix Suns next year?
Speaker 2: I don't think so. Apparently he was pissed of being shopped.
I buy that. It seems like he's there's this cycle
with him. It seems now that he's just like with
it team very briefly and then moves on. It's a
weird way for him to wrap up his career. I
didn't really understand, well, I can't guess I do on
a human level that you know, he didn't want to
return to a place he'd been in Golden State, but
like him and Steph together to wrap up the career.
I would have been all in on that that, like
nostalgia for the win. I would have loved that.
Speaker 1: I would have too, But I think, and I've been
kind of critical of like how he's just what's happened
post Okac, But I do think there's something to the
effect of people were diminishing what he was accomplishing in
Golden State because it was Steph's team, which was definitely
unfair to him, and even I was guilty of it
because I don't think Steph received enough credit during those
finals run specifically, But like Kevin Durant was a fantastic player, Yeah,
one of the five best in the game at that
point and still in the conversation for one of the
ten best in the game right now, I would have
I would have killed Who've seen hie golden stay it again?
I think that I don't know. They would have had
to give up more than they would have for Jimmy Butler.
It sounds like, but that would have been worth it
because it's Kevin freaking Durant. But I will say that's
I would There's two all time bumbles here by the Suns.
I would say, one, trading your twenty thirty one pick
without having the Jimmy Butler move or something big or
locked down. And then two, how do you, as critical
as I am for Kevin Durant wanting to leave these places?
He wanted to stay with you, and you weren't collaborating
or keeping him in the know of, hey, we might
move you. Because now it sets up a disastrous offseason
for you. So two bumbles by them. This next team,
the Sacramento Kings, I don't I'd like the Jake Lauravia trade.
I know what else to say about that, but I don't.
Now how do you feel about them if you were
looking at them through kind of the postseason prism?
Speaker 2: All Right, So here's the thing. I actually think they
did pretty well. And the reason I'm saying that is
that's the road they chose. Like I wouldn't have gone
this route. I would have gone the rebuilding route after
trading Fox, because I think that makes the most sense.
They clearly did not want to go that route, and
so for the direction they wanted to go in, I
actually think they came out looking pretty good all things considered,
because Fox had them in jail right like I only
want to go here, Like they diminished. He kind of
diminished his own market from outside forces. So for them
and for the Spurs, frankly, to go in a loop
Chicago into the deals to just kind of give them
sac Lavine, I think it was pretty good business. Honestly.
I also loved the Jonas Valancunis strade. They needed someone
to come off the bench and just do all that
dirty work and rebound the heck out of the ball.
So I like they're getting in terms of like playoff equity,
Are they in a better position than before? I think
it's kind of neutral. I don't necessarily think they're much
better or much worse. Like the optimal solution would have
been pairing Levine with Fox instead they were swapped. That's unfortunate,
but I don't think my mind has changed. They're a pretender.
Speaker 1: Yeah, i'd be with you, do you feel better about what?
Do you like them or Phoenix more? If you had
to pick one, Well, I.
Speaker 2: Mean, in that situation, you go with the best players
I think in my point of view, and that's Kevin
Durand and that's Deven Booker. So I gotta go with
Phoenix and like the hope of them figuring it out.
But in terms of right now, if you're asking me
right now, which team I think has more cohesion, more
like seemingly chemistry, I'm going Kings. But in terms of talent,
it's just clearly it's Phoenix.
Speaker 1: I really I want to see the Kings in the
playoffs because I just want to see how like Sabonis
and Rosen have seen their efficiency plunge in postseason settings.
And now you've kind of like Zack Lavine's on a
floor general, I guess Malik Monk can he do that
stuff in the playoffs. I'd I just want to see
how it all comes together, like in playoff matchups, because
I don't know that was kind of one of my
bigger critiques of what if you weren't going to go
the start over route with Fox is I just don't
know that you've set yourself up to be one of
course adequate enough on defense, but two, whether your your
offense is weaponized enough play like from a playmaking standpoint
in the postseason, just because of what we've seen with
Sabonis and de Rosen specifically, I think.
Speaker 2: If Demartin Rosen comes in and plays Spurs basketball instead
of Bulls basketball, which was always what I thought he
would do in Sacramento and then he turned out to
play Bulls basketball where it was shot first past second,
I think they have a chance to optimize themselves. But
it just doesn't seem like DeMar is in that frame
of mind anymore, which is weird, really weird when you
think about it, Like, given his age, given the skill
set around the roster, Yeah, like I think he would
benefit greatly from being more of a playmaker.
Speaker 1: Final team the San Antonio Spurs, who are, in case
you care, a minus twenty seven point four per one
hundred when the Aaron Fox and Victor Wimayama share the floor,
was it one of the most biggest mistakes of all time,
wort to trade for Daron Fox.
Speaker 2: Just take time. Yeah, I'm not worried. This is one
of those situations where they have to get, you know,
shuffle together for a little while. And they were right
in it like the Atlantic game was.
Speaker 1: So they need time, but Luca and Lebron don't.
Speaker 2: No, it's very different, very very different. I think I
make a distinction between Diaron Fox and Luka Doncic. Shout
out to Bladi Dibach for apparently thinking both guys should
not play together back in twenty eighteen. Here's the thing,
They're already looking quite good. I get the rating that
you just typed ar.
Speaker 1: I was being as being dick.
Speaker 2: That's fair, you can be a dick. But like I
actually do think that the chemistry is looking pretty good.
Wemby is I can't believe I'm saying this, but Wenby
is kind of a problem right now. Just offensively. I
think he's hit a bit of a wall. I think
the whole Paris thing also, he was just exhausted from
that whole thing when he came back. Having the All
Star break is going to be a major major asset
for this team, and I look forward to watching them
coming out of that because I think he specifically needs
a break.
Speaker 1: Well, is he gonna get it?
Speaker 2: He's not gonna play a lot in the All Star Game,
I'm assuming or no, that's three games.
Speaker 1: Right They All Star setup now is so bizarre. But
I'm just he's gonna be there that weekend and is
it gonna be for a lot of those players that's
not necessarily like.
Speaker 2: But they have days off afterwards, right like you don't.
Isn't like almost a full week off? Now?
Speaker 1: Yeah, it is pretty it's close to that.
Speaker 2: I think, Yeah, like five or six days, that's what
I'm talking about, Like, because he's just going to enjoy
the first All Star Game for him and that's it.
But like they have to get him back into the
swing of things coming into the second half of the
season because he looks dead tired.
Speaker 1: Uh. They're not supposed to be a contender, but they
are a pretender just for that, and they'll be talked
about when we do I think rebuilding squads because they
they do still belong in that bucket.
Speaker 2: Right, But if if if they actually give Santra Mamokels
really some minutes, I don't know, man.
Speaker 1: They signed Beyambo so that they continue burning him on
that mansion.
Speaker 2: Actually annoyed me.
Speaker 1: I was like, no, actually I thought about that when
I saw the news. But I was so one taken
because Chris Hanes reported it and he had the Beyambo
Spurs Jersey edit ready and I was right. I respect
that level of psychoticness of like this is beyond we
need like the Spurs for a ten day contract ready.
But I actually thought of you when I saw the news. Yeah,
they signed beyonbo I.
Speaker 2: Am so For the people who don't know, I am
very high on Mamu. Good guy too, That's partner why
I'm high on him. I just think he's got so
much skill, Like he was a guy honestly during trade
to the line that if if a smart team out
there was like we need some depth, like we need
someone who can just produce, be big, use his size.
He hit the three you know pass on the move
that was him, Like the Lakers should have gone after him.
You would have been a perfect fit next to Luca.
Speaker 1: You would have given up your twenty thirty one pick
and twenty thirty.
Speaker 2: Oh because eight minutes a game, that's that's what you
call a low gamble upside play.
Speaker 1: Dan all right, So there'll be a contender once mom
who plays twenty minutes a game.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, Bit that tell our listeners and viewers where they
can find you and all the fantastic work that you
do as we complete our look into the league's contender
or pretender ranks.
Speaker 2: Yes, so where they can find my work? I think
is sufficient to say only one only only fans for sure. Yes,
the only NBA content on only fans. Yes. I I
basically charge people just for me to keep my clothes on.
It's like a reverse thing. It works out pretty well. No,
you can find my work over at Yahoo, at Forbes
and taking a break from from Sports Illustrated these days.
You can also find my work over at the NBA
podcast and if you speak Danish, you can go to
bus rebater and find my podcast there.
Speaker 1: The Danish word of the podcast that I will learn.
Speaker 2: Oh do I remember? Can I? Yes? Very good?
Speaker 1: What's this? Nail clippers or scissors? Yeah?
Speaker 2: Nail clippers?
Speaker 1: Yeah, nyla sucks nyacks I found. I feel like that's
a like n F s W sounding. I like it
not suitable for work.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's that's actually very very good for a first try.
I got to give you that that's really good.
Speaker 1: All right, So Soapela and Nila sucks.
Speaker 2: There we go, all right.
Speaker 1: Dan Lerd's Danish Part two wrapped up. Thank you all
for listening watching. Please remember to rate, review, subscribe to
both Hardware Knox and the NBA Podcast. We appreciate all
your support. Until next time, and as always, we leave
you to shout out to the one, the only, the indelible,
the one who could really turn the Burds into a
contender alongside Mamu and form a big two unlike any
other in the history of the NBA, Mister Frank Nila
Keina