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Speaker 1: What is up, Fellowsikos, I am Dan Favalley coming at

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you with the one, the only, the certified, fantabulous, mister

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Grant Hughes. We are gathered here today to draft our

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biggest NBA X Factors for the rest.

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Speaker 2: Of this season, could be through the playoffs.

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Speaker 1: Just the regular season bonus points if there's big picture

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slants involved here ro I don't think we've done an

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X factor draft before. Everyone talks about them around the playoffs,

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but we're gonna do them. We're gonna do them now

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because that's how we roll. Mister Grant Hughes, how are you?

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Speaker 3: Uh? I'm doing well. I'm just filling out my big

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board right now so that I know the top five

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picks that I want to make and hope that you

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don't snag any of them for me. I'm doing very well.

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Thank you for asking. I want you to know that

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I will never try to make you into Clint Capella.

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I think more highly well than that.

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Speaker 2: I would also like you to know that we are

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going to debut.

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Speaker 1: This is a promotion a new hardware Knox item, but

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I have D Money's Crunk Juice here. It's a limited

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edition Sicko flavor, so you can't get it. It's gonna

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be in stores, available on our Mert shop link. In

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a podcast YouTube description, it's it's gonna turn you into

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a superhero. There might be a godly amounts of caffeine

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in it, but the d Money's crunk juice not live

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at the Hardwoo Knock Shop.

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Speaker 3: I feel like the people should know that I didn't

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have the DeAndre Ayton like response to here, how are

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you doing bit planned at all, and then you simultaneously

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had a DeAndre eight and related physical prop.

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Speaker 1: Yeah if you if you're only listening, I had I

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created a label.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, label that looks like a ransom note.

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Speaker 1: I I imagine that sodaes DeAndre Ayton's water bottle.

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Speaker 3: Yeah. Hopefully this will still be in the news cycle

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when people listen to this. Uh yeah, that was fun.

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It's just I feel like I understand Andre Ayden.

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Speaker 1: Now I've I understood him beforehand because the Timeline guys

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were all over this while he was in Phoenix. But

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I will say, do you ever feel bad because Dave

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mcmahamon wrote a hell of a piece. It's like this

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in depth piece and the only two things people are

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gonna remember from it are the Clint Capella and the

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crunk Juice anecdotes, well.

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Speaker 3: And the like multiple personalities that he speaks to teammates.

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And that's good, Ale, that's right with me. Do you

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want to walk back your DeAndre Aiden can't get out

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of his driveway because of snow and sleeps on it,

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won't buy a bed not being a big deal now

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because you were always like I don't care about that,

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and now it's.

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Speaker 2: Just part of the pattern. Man, it's evidence of a pattern. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, well hold on, was it DeAndre Ayton wasn't able

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to get or was it Alejandro couldn't.

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Speaker 3: Break the great question? Great question? Maybe they're not.

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Speaker 1: Core finds out needs to get on this and m

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Kevin Durant Berner eight. Yeah, okay, Look his teammates already

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know what it is.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, which is great and so there you go.

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Speaker 3: They do know what it is.

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Speaker 1: But X factor, So do you any before we You

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will have the first pick because I am a kind

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generous person, but anything you want to get off your

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chest with regards to how we I think we approached

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this in the same way, but we do have different

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big boards.

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Speaker 2: I don't know who you're gonna pick. You don't know

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who I'm gonna pick. So how did you approach this?

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Speaker 3: First of all, this eight and diversion made me forget

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I had I had a core four and I was

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just writing it down and now I can't remember what

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my fourth one was. I'll have to come back. Oh yep,

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just got it. Hold on, let me write that down.

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Thank you. And uh so we we discussed this a

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little bit before. We're gonna so X factor one, like,

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what section of the season are we talking about. It's

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a little nebulous. It can be like the rest of

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the regular season as it relates to seating or whatever.

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It can in a lot of cases it probably should

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have further reaching implications in that. So an X factor

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can be someone that who's impact on a title chase matters.

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Uh And we're not sure which way it's gonna go that.

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That's like the built in part of the X factor

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is like A could happen or B could happen, and

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there's a big difference in the team's outcome depending on

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which of those comes to pass, And we're not sure

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what it's going to look like. So we're gonna try

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to stay away from like Nikola Jokic is the Nuggets

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X factor, cause he'll either be great or super great,

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and you know, like we're just gonna try to avoid

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that kind of thing, but we'll also I'm gonna try

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to avoid you know, here's a here's a ninth man

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that might really factor in or like going too far

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down the totem pole or too far yeah, too far

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down that that would be my assessment of it. Do

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you have anything to add to what it is we're

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doing here today.

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Speaker 2: No, I would just add that, So I do have

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something to add that.

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Speaker 1: There was some low hanging fruit I took because if

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they're well established quote unquote X factors where you could

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just say Joel Embiid's knee or Joell Ebiand's health, I

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wouldn't use that as a default, but there are other

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players or instances where something like that I think could

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carry a ton of weight.

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Speaker 2: So I did try to steer clear of on my

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big board.

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Speaker 1: The low hanging fruit of Joel embid is the perfect

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one because hell's the caveat for everyone, but Joel Embiid's

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health questions, they're not really stand out anymore, Like we

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just those are baked into the Joel Embiid experience.

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Speaker 3: Yep, that's fair. I already know I'm going to make

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at least, well, I'm hoping to depending on what you do,

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make at least two selections that are not like new issues.

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But I would say they are of renewed importance based

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on how things have gone this season. So will not

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be picking Embiid. He's not on the board for me,

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but somewhat similar situations might come up. I would say,

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that's a decent tease.

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Speaker 1: I guess, well, why don't you get us started with

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stop teasing us, grant and give.

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Speaker 2: Us your first pick.

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Speaker 3: I have them organized into tears, so there's no actual

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first pick. There's like four or five that I am

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considering here. The one I think I want to talk

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about first, just because they've this team has been top

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of mind since they played the Pistons and looked so

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good earlier this week. Julian Champagne for the San Antonio

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Spurs to me, and we can talk more broadly about

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like sort of what it means that he's starting now

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over Harrison Barnes, because Barnes, in theory, gives you like

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a more conventional power forward sized player. His shooting has

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always been solid, sometimes better than that. But putting Champagne

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in a lineup now that also has Fox and Castle

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and wimen Yama and It's and Visell that whole that

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group collectively had not played a lot together all year,

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Vicell miss time Castle has been in and out of

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the starting group. Having that four guards those guys are

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all guards with wem Banyama is a really interesting experiment

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because one it basically says, we believe that wem Banyama

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is such as he can be the defense, and we

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can put four guys and that Castle is a great

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defender like all those other guys are competent or better

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with maybe Vissill is the exception, but the theory of

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that team is really different. If it's four guards that

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can all shoot except for Castle and Wemby in the middle,

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and I support it. I think that's probably the way

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to go. If you have a defender that can do

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what wem Banyama does, it just is gonna depend on.

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So the reason Champagne is a nex factor is like

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the Spurs are kind of unbeatable if he's really hot,

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and him and Vissel were lights out against Detroit on Monday,

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that like you could talk all you want about, like oh,

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Ween Banyama's defensive impact and the Pistons had a hard

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to Yeah, those are all factors, but like, if those

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two dudes aren't just scorching the whole game, the Pistons

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might have just won anyway. So Champagne being a high volume,

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high accuracy shooter matters, and Vaselle really, for that matter,

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does too. I think maybe a Vecellee is like a

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little better known commodity than Champagne. But but I just

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think his role on this team is like shockingly large

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based on where his career was like eighteen months ago,

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and so you can't count on it for sure. I

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think he's gonna be really good and this lineup is

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gonna work really well, but we don't know that.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I with you on everything you said.

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Speaker 1: He's also just kind of their only three and D

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wing at this point. It's who else would Harrison Barnes

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comes the closest to qualifying less you think it's Calton Johnson,

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and even that is, it's not Devin, and Devin Vesselle

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is not even really big enough to be considered a wing,

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And so there's a lot on Julian Champagni's shoulders because

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it's no, this is just kind of it. Whether he's

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starting or coming off the bench, this is someone who

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I look at him in a playoff context and it's

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or even if the Spurs just want to get the

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number one seed, this is absolutely something that needs to

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be on the floor every single close game down the

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stretch because that's I know you have Wemby, but just

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for someone who won't compromise your offense at least if

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he's gonna be making shots but also has the size

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to hold up positionally at like that spot.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, he's essential.

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Speaker 1: And the fact that they found him and the deal

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is everyone knows the con just stupid under two percent.

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Speaker 2: Of the salary cap or whatever. It's dumb up.

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Speaker 1: So yeah, I think that's a that's a really good pick.

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I did want to talk about this isn't gonna qualify

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as my first pick, but I want to talk a

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little bit about Steph Castle qualifies as an X factor

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here too.

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Speaker 3: Yeah No, let's just as an aside, like anytime we

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have a like a secondary X factor issue with a team,

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we should just jump to that. I so you're gonna say, what,

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like just the shooting right, like, can you it's good

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enough to stay on the floor because you need the

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defense out there.

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Speaker 1: Well right, and it's well, how much do you actually

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because the offense is a lot worse with Steph statistically

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with Steph Castle on the floor this season and that's

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not a surprise. Now he is shooting forty five percent

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from mid range, So like that's a weapon that not

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even Amen Thompson has right now when you're looking at

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his efficiency. At the same time, defenses already don't really

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pretend to care about leaving him open. He's shooting thirty

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two point eight percent on unguarded threes. That's a bottom

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eleven mark among one hundred and thirty eight players who

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have taken at least one hundred unguarded threes. And so

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while you do have that mid range shot that it's

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gone in at a reasonable clip this year, do you?

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And he also just has like him getting downhill, the

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on ball, physicality, in the coordination, even his off ball

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relocation has gotten a lot better.

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Speaker 2: To me this season.

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Speaker 1: My I don't know if it's an issue, but my

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inquiry will be.

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Speaker 2: What does this look like?

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Speaker 1: It's the playoffs for him, We've seen what he can

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do in the regular season, and what happens if teams

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are gonna put what the Spurs have done with Wemby

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where where he's on a shooting liability and he can roam.

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What happens when you do that to Steph Castle? What

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happens when defenses go further under his screens? And then

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at that point, if he can't create, if he can't

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hit that mid range jumper. I'm not saying you take

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him out of the game, but then it's well, now

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he's really relying on off ball movement because you have

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to put the ball back in Darren Fox's hands. And

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that's been another kind of workaround for the Spurs, is

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that darn Fox. I know people were saying he was

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a fake All Star, but like the work he's done

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off the ball, like being able to see possessions and

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control a lot to Steph Castle, I think has made

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things a lot easier on the Spurs navigating what is

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still a real challenge. And so the fact that Steph

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Castle he could get to the foul line, but he's

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not gonna be the most efficient shooter while he's there either.

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This is a positively impactful player. I just want to

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know if that scales the same to the playoffs, at

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least it at least right now, because you could say

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two three years down the line, Steph Castle is gonna

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be better.

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Speaker 2: Maybe he is a better shooter.

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Speaker 1: They just figure out more ways to use him, and

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he is impacting the game at a high level in

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the playoffs. But for this first sort of go round,

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his debut in the postseason, I'm gonna be fascinated to

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see how he actually faries.

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Speaker 3: It's a it's a class of playoff question that's like

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oft discussed and has been for a long time. It's

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like spoiler, that exact issue is gonna come up in

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some other X factors we will discuss shortly, like the

254
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the guard or wing that defenses don't care about like

255
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that that that is a you can get away with

256
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it in the regular season. It's a playoff problem. I

257
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think a couple things for me. One is the the

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trade off is still Again the playoffs might prove this

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to be no longer the case, but at least for now,

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I think the trade off is just such a net

261
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positive because the way that just again the Pistons game is,

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you know, maybe the most consequential game of the last

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few weeks, and so it's it's top of mind for me.

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The way that he changes the tenor of the game

265
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is like palpable because of how aggressive he is on

266
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both ends of the floor, the like the defensive intensity

267
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to just like put the shoulder down and get the

268
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and one finish over a bigger player, like off a

269
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two foot plant at the back. Like that kind of stuff.

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Speaker 2: Is like that.

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Speaker 3: There were a couple of plays like that really did

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make a difference in like the next ten possessions of

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the game because the Spurs were so energized by So

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like that kind of stuff maybe matters less than the

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playoffs when everyone's playing their ass off and like you

276
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know what I mean, Like it's kind of like the

277
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what we used to say about the Knicks and TIBs

278
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is like they're throwing their fastball all the time. So

279
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like in the playoffs, they're not different, but everybody else is.

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Maybe that matters. The other thing that's different, though, is

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like one of the obvious solves for a player like

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Castle is like we'll just put our center on him

283
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and then he can roam and protect the basket. Like

284
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you can't do that because you have to have a

285
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center on webbin Yama. So if you have to put

286
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a guard or a forward on Castle that it creates

287
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a maybe a more solvable set of problems for the

288
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Spurs offense, because if you can put a center on

289
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them and the center gets to play free, safety like

290
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that's that's an issue, it's just less of one if

291
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you can't get away with that. And I don't think

292
00:14:07,159 --> 00:14:11,879
that you can without paying a heavy price not have

293
00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:14,480
a center on wem Beanyama. Maybe you played two bigs.

294
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I don't know, but like you know what I mean,

295
00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:18,759
it's a little different because of Wemby. You can't get

296
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away with somebody that's not tall on wem Binyama. It's

297
00:14:22,879 --> 00:14:24,120
like just a non starter to me.

298
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Speaker 1: I'm just wondering if teams, like if it's Houston, if

299
00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:32,440
it's okay, see, maybe could Minnesota do that if you're

300
00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:37,039
okay with Julius Randall handing some handling some Wemby responsibilities

301
00:14:37,039 --> 00:14:40,279
because you get away with doing that with Rudy Gobert.

302
00:14:40,799 --> 00:14:43,000
Speaker 3: Maybe I don't know, I would be I would be

303
00:14:43,039 --> 00:14:47,240
reluctant to try. I'd be like, as we get to

304
00:14:47,279 --> 00:14:50,720
some other guys that have a similar problem. I just

305
00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:54,399
feel more comfortable. Just Wemby's presence just kind of changes

306
00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:56,200
the calculus, I guess, big, big revelation.

307
00:14:56,799 --> 00:15:00,000
Speaker 1: It feels lower stakes than some of the other players

308
00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:02,519
that have the same issues because you have Wemby, but

309
00:15:02,559 --> 00:15:05,519
also some of these other outlets also kind of reinforces

310
00:15:05,519 --> 00:15:09,279
the importance of Champagnie, just that extra spacing to have,

311
00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:11,200
Like if Steph Kat you need him to get downhill,

312
00:15:12,279 --> 00:15:15,720
that that's gonna be huge trim as well. My pick,

313
00:15:15,879 --> 00:15:18,279
so my first official pick, I'm gonna go with Scoot

314
00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:20,759
Henderson of the Portland Trailblazers.

315
00:15:21,039 --> 00:15:23,000
Speaker 2: We don't know if they're gonna be a playoff team.

316
00:15:23,039 --> 00:15:25,679
Speaker 1: They're definitely gonna be a play in team, but it

317
00:15:25,759 --> 00:15:29,159
doesn't seem like the timeline on Shadon Sharp coming back

318
00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:31,840
is hazy and he might just be out the rest

319
00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:35,840
of the regular season. Dennyavia banged up and now he's

320
00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:39,559
missing time. Scoot has missed most of the season. Would

321
00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:41,960
you care to guess how many minutes we've seen with

322
00:15:42,039 --> 00:15:45,720
Scoot on the floor alongside Denny Avdya and Donovan Klingon.

323
00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:53,960
Speaker 3: Oh, I mean, it's how many minutes? It's not triple digits.

324
00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:56,279
I would I would feel confident saying that.

325
00:15:56,799 --> 00:15:59,519
Speaker 1: It is thirteen okay, and do don Van Clinton even

326
00:15:59,519 --> 00:16:01,200
missed their game against the Bulls the other night.

327
00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:05,039
Speaker 2: This is just there's so much at stake here. One.

328
00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:07,679
Speaker 1: If we look at just the scope of this season,

329
00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:12,799
the Blazers need more offensive dynamism, and scoot in theory

330
00:16:12,879 --> 00:16:16,000
can provide that. I don't know if we're ever gonna

331
00:16:16,039 --> 00:16:18,240
feel okay with him as a pull up jump shooter

332
00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:21,200
or just a shooter, but I'm comfortable enough to where

333
00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:23,120
it's if you've looked with some of the minutes he's

334
00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:25,519
played with Drew Holliday, You've seen the way that he's

335
00:16:25,559 --> 00:16:28,120
been able to lift up out of the corner without

336
00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:30,320
the ball, or if he's just gonna come around, snake

337
00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:33,000
a ball screen and take a pull up two or

338
00:16:33,039 --> 00:16:35,720
take a pull up three. I think that shot. I

339
00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:37,559
don't know if I'll ever be elited it, but we're

340
00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:40,279
not asking him to take like these wild lamellow ball off.

341
00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:41,039
Speaker 2: The dribble jumpers.

342
00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:43,360
Speaker 1: I think he needs that ball screen, and I think

343
00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,799
that that'll be a reasonable play for him. I'm really

344
00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:50,440
gonna be monitoring his finishing around the basket for two reasons.

345
00:16:50,919 --> 00:16:54,120
Portland spacing isn't exactly pristine. But I do love the.

346
00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:55,919
Speaker 2: Idea of Donovan.

347
00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:58,360
Speaker 1: If Donovan Clinking is your big or it's Robert Williams

348
00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:01,679
the third, how what's like the best shooting lineup we

349
00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:04,759
could surround him with, and let's give Scoot space to

350
00:17:04,799 --> 00:17:07,880
operate there? He is shooting sample size is so small,

351
00:17:08,559 --> 00:17:11,319
sixty nine point two percent in the half court at

352
00:17:11,319 --> 00:17:13,680
the rim, and he's had some pretty He's had like

353
00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:17,839
a couple of really nifty finishes, like some reverses, some

354
00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:21,359
just like over the trees. If the finishing part of

355
00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:23,599
his game can be there, if he's someone who can

356
00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:26,799
also generate more free throws, I really do think this

357
00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:30,160
changes a lot for the Blazers in general, just as

358
00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:33,000
the theory of a team. But I don't know how

359
00:17:33,079 --> 00:17:35,240
much meaning this will get me into my bigger picture

360
00:17:35,359 --> 00:17:37,880
question that you're willing to assign to it if we're

361
00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:40,319
only gonna get basically, we'll call it the post All

362
00:17:40,359 --> 00:17:44,960
Star stretch. Even though he returned before then he's extension eligible,

363
00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:47,640
So what are you going to pay? How important is

364
00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:50,720
he to your team right now? And then how much

365
00:17:50,759 --> 00:17:54,119
harder does it get to figure out his importance when

366
00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:56,119
Shane Sharp might not play again this year. And so

367
00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:59,799
it's just like we have not seen Denny Avdya, Scoot Henderson,

368
00:18:00,119 --> 00:18:02,799
Shade and Sharp Dot like these guys have not played

369
00:18:02,839 --> 00:18:05,440
a ton of time together and we haven't seen like

370
00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:08,519
throwing Drew Holliday into the fold. I like some of

371
00:18:08,519 --> 00:18:11,079
the minutes from what I've seen when Scoot Henderson's on

372
00:18:11,079 --> 00:18:13,039
the floor with Drew Holliday, and so I'm not worried about, Oh,

373
00:18:13,079 --> 00:18:15,119
can Scoop play with other guys who need the ball.

374
00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:19,640
I think him and Denny Avidya could have a symbiotic

375
00:18:19,799 --> 00:18:23,279
relationship on the court, But I don't know what Scoot

376
00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:25,400
is at this point. And injuries are part of that.

377
00:18:25,599 --> 00:18:27,480
The way that the Blazers have been run, they've been

378
00:18:27,519 --> 00:18:30,200
caught in these sort of weird spaces the past two

379
00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:33,960
plus seasons has contributed to that as well. But we're

380
00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:36,039
coming up on he's extension eligible or he's going to

381
00:18:36,079 --> 00:18:38,640
be a restricted free agent, and the Blazers are also

382
00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:43,319
this team that's decided we're done rebuilding, basically like it

383
00:18:43,599 --> 00:18:46,200
they it wasn't just the Daniavia trade. Then you go

384
00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:47,720
and get jew Halla and look, all this stuff has

385
00:18:47,759 --> 00:18:50,000
worked out quite well for them, Drew Holliday, Denia Avida,

386
00:18:50,079 --> 00:18:50,720
the whole nine.

387
00:18:51,039 --> 00:18:52,880
Speaker 2: But this doesn't seem like a team that's.

388
00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:55,519
Speaker 1: Prepared to take a step back to try and take

389
00:18:55,519 --> 00:18:58,319
a step forward. So they're either going to make trades

390
00:18:58,759 --> 00:19:01,720
look or be aggressive somewhere or hope that someone internally

391
00:19:01,799 --> 00:19:04,759
pops can that be scooted for the rest of this season?

392
00:19:04,799 --> 00:19:07,680
And again, even if it is, what does that mean

393
00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:10,599
for how can you say, well, yeah, like let's extend,

394
00:19:10,599 --> 00:19:12,000
like this is gonna work. And I don't know that

395
00:19:12,039 --> 00:19:14,599
you can because the sample size one in general is

396
00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:16,119
going to be large enough, but the sample size of

397
00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:18,880
your most important players together is certainly not going to

398
00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:20,440
be large enough if it even exists.

399
00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:26,039
Speaker 3: I think I think the most interesting aspect of this

400
00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:29,839
is the extension question, which sort of speaks to how,

401
00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:33,039
like the scoot thing is not his X factor status

402
00:19:33,079 --> 00:19:36,880
to me, is not really about this season or whatever

403
00:19:37,359 --> 00:19:40,960
passes for the Blazer's postseason. It's more of like, what's

404
00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:45,519
this team supposed to be and like soon because Avidia

405
00:19:45,599 --> 00:19:48,319
is an All NBA caliber player now and you've got

406
00:19:48,359 --> 00:19:51,440
like expensive veterans that are on this roster. I think

407
00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:53,400
the short answer is, like, there will be no extension,

408
00:19:53,799 --> 00:19:57,200
cause I think Portland can just say we don't have

409
00:19:57,240 --> 00:20:01,200
anything close to enough information to like make a real offer,

410
00:20:01,359 --> 00:20:03,839
so it'll be a low ball and then scoot. I

411
00:20:03,839 --> 00:20:07,480
think will rightly be like I will just happily test

412
00:20:07,519 --> 00:20:12,680
restricted free agency next next, next summer, hopefully after I've

413
00:20:12,799 --> 00:20:15,440
finally stayed healthy and like found what it is I'm

414
00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:19,119
supposed to really do here. I do think like his

415
00:20:19,119 --> 00:20:22,000
his three point a ten frequency, his free throw ten frequency,

416
00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:25,319
those are all career highs. The finishing at in like

417
00:20:25,559 --> 00:20:28,880
at close range was like shockingly bad for how explosive

418
00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:31,160
he looked as a prospect. Certainly as a rookie, is

419
00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:34,519
like fifty percent inside three feet, which is like, okay,

420
00:20:34,559 --> 00:20:37,519
he's a guard, but like that's untenable. And then like

421
00:20:37,559 --> 00:20:39,720
fifty nine last year, and he's up over seventy percent

422
00:20:39,759 --> 00:20:42,920
this year inside, so like there are some real signs.

423
00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:45,319
I think. Then you say, well, it's been like eight

424
00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:47,880
games as we're recording this, so what does what does

425
00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:50,720
any of that mean? I think maybe the core question

426
00:20:51,119 --> 00:20:56,319
that would inform like an extension amount, for example, won't

427
00:20:56,319 --> 00:20:59,680
be answered this year, but it's like what do we

428
00:20:59,799 --> 00:21:02,440
what what's his value if he is a secondary creator

429
00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:05,279
in an offense run by Avdia? Like what like what

430
00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:08,400
is that? Like does that even make sense based on

431
00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:11,519
his skill set? And is he willing to accept that?

432
00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:14,079
Because if if he is, then like I'm kind of

433
00:21:14,119 --> 00:21:18,319
on board like with him as a maybe a running

434
00:21:18,359 --> 00:21:21,640
off screens on the weak side attacking against a shifting defense,

435
00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:24,240
not like an every down quarterback. We're spamming pick and

436
00:21:24,319 --> 00:21:27,680
rolls type of thing. I could get behind that. I

437
00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:29,160
don't know if he could. I don't know if I

438
00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:31,599
don't know what Portland thinks about that ultimately, Like maybe

439
00:21:31,599 --> 00:21:33,279
you could make the case on the flip side that

440
00:21:33,359 --> 00:21:37,799
like Ovidia has been incredible, like blown away everyone's expectations

441
00:21:37,799 --> 00:21:41,319
as a generator of offense, But like is that really

442
00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:44,119
the path forward on a team that's much better than

443
00:21:44,279 --> 00:21:47,319
we are? Like is that do we? Is it Scoot

444
00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:49,000
that we need to see as the primary guy and

445
00:21:49,119 --> 00:21:51,799
Avdia is the one that is like a massive luxury

446
00:21:52,079 --> 00:21:55,559
one b Like I don't know. My inclination is that

447
00:21:55,599 --> 00:21:57,960
it's it's this is gonna be Avdia's offense and Scoot

448
00:21:58,039 --> 00:22:00,960
needs to fit into it. But like the draft pedigree

449
00:22:01,039 --> 00:22:04,440
does not align with that, and the expectations of what

450
00:22:04,519 --> 00:22:07,279
Scoot was gonna be don't align with that. So great

451
00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:11,640
X factor pick much through a longer lens, though, I think.

452
00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:14,039
Speaker 1: And even if he's good, what do you do with

453
00:22:14,599 --> 00:22:17,799
you have Damian Lillard, Shadon Sharp, Drew Holliday and Scoot

454
00:22:17,799 --> 00:22:20,559
who's coming off the bench. And then also you could

455
00:22:20,559 --> 00:22:23,839
have say, forget to like forget the starting five stuff,

456
00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:26,119
which Scoot did start against the Bulls the other night.

457
00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:28,480
Speaker 2: Who's closing games because Scoo.

458
00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:31,079
Speaker 1: I My whole thing with the Blazers is you're locked

459
00:22:31,079 --> 00:22:33,759
into a play in spot. I feel like Scoot should

460
00:22:33,759 --> 00:22:36,160
be getting these crunch time reps. And then Chicago it

461
00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:39,559
did go into crunch time because Cardiac hashtag Cardiac Bulls,

462
00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:43,960
but they went centerless and like Cidy Sisoko and Tamani

463
00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:45,839
Kamara and Drew Holliday and Chris Murray and I think

464
00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:48,480
was Jeremy Grant were on the floor, and it's feels

465
00:22:48,519 --> 00:22:49,920
like that would have been a good opportunity to get

466
00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:52,119
scooted like some more running like the closer minutes. And

467
00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:54,279
I don't know, I'm sure he's on his minutes restriction

468
00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:56,440
for now, but that seems like a situation where maybe

469
00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:59,160
you want to save some of those minutes for But

470
00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:01,319
that's the other thing you need to see is and

471
00:23:01,359 --> 00:23:05,799
now with Avvia injured and Sharp injured as well, get

472
00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:08,160
like more of the as much of the league guards

473
00:23:08,319 --> 00:23:10,000
you want to see. Yeah, definitely play him next to

474
00:23:10,039 --> 00:23:11,960
Drew Holliday at tons you get a sense better sense

475
00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:13,680
of how he's gonna play off some of the other

476
00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:16,480
guys on this team. What's the chemistry with Donovan Klingon

477
00:23:16,759 --> 00:23:19,079
look like, because he's kind of a you know, if

478
00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:21,440
Donovan Klington wants to pick and pop like that might

479
00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:23,839
be more intuitiff scoop like the way Donovan Clington plays.

480
00:23:23,839 --> 00:23:25,599
I don't know that he's like the best big like

481
00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:27,799
Robert Williams. The third feels like a better big man

482
00:23:27,839 --> 00:23:31,160
compliment for what Scoot Henderson is supposed to be. But

483
00:23:31,599 --> 00:23:35,960
to that point, you mentioned Scoot's explosion. He's not moving

484
00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:39,839
the same way as he was coming out of the draft,

485
00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:42,000
and yet no, this is the best his finishing at

486
00:23:42,039 --> 00:23:44,519
the basket has ever been, So maybe there is something

487
00:23:44,559 --> 00:23:44,839
to that.

488
00:23:45,319 --> 00:23:48,119
Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't know. He it's wild that like we're

489
00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:50,799
gonna get to his fourth year as an NBA player

490
00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:54,599
and be have less of an idea about what kind

491
00:23:54,599 --> 00:23:56,559
of career he's gonna have. At least I will. Maybe

492
00:23:56,599 --> 00:23:58,640
some people have made their minds up. I haven't yet,

493
00:23:58,960 --> 00:24:01,240
but like, I feel like I would have been more

494
00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:03,799
declarative about what I thought he was gonna be before

495
00:24:03,839 --> 00:24:05,720
he played an NBA game. I definitely was.

496
00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:10,599
Speaker 2: I think you said you were hiring him than Ja Moran.

497
00:24:11,519 --> 00:24:13,519
Speaker 3: Yeah, I just thought like, this is a cannot miss,

498
00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:16,240
can't miss, and that was obviously I think that was wrong.

499
00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:18,039
But still I'm not even sure.

500
00:24:18,279 --> 00:24:21,160
Speaker 1: Well, let's say, Okay, he's willing to sign for for

501
00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:26,799
one hundred.

502
00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:22,960
Speaker 2: I.

503
00:24:25,079 --> 00:24:26,759
Speaker 3: Don't think you can get you can offer him more

504
00:24:26,759 --> 00:24:29,039
than sharp just based on what you've seen so far.

505
00:24:29,119 --> 00:24:31,160
If you're the Blazers, like, how do you justify that?

506
00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:34,160
I like? And if you're Scoot, this is the dreams.

507
00:24:34,519 --> 00:24:37,319
If you're if you're Scoot, you're like, I don't know.

508
00:24:38,359 --> 00:24:40,559
So I don't know what the number is where everybody.

509
00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:43,000
Speaker 2: I don't know. With some of the injuries he's already

510
00:24:43,039 --> 00:24:46,839
dealt with, I might just take we'll see.

511
00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:49,039
Speaker 3: I don't know. It's that it's this is just it

512
00:24:49,079 --> 00:24:51,680
has to go to restricted free agency. I just I

513
00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:52,480
just think it has.

514
00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:53,880
Speaker 2: To who's your next pick.

515
00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:58,079
Speaker 3: I'm gonna go Aaron Gordon on the Denver Nuggets. This

516
00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:01,519
is like probably kind of goes against a couple of

517
00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:05,720
X factor like rules in that he's an established veteran

518
00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:09,799
and he's probably too good to really be a true

519
00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:16,000
X factor. But his importance to Denver can't be overstated.

520
00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:18,839
I would go so far as to say they absolutely

521
00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:21,839
cannot win a championship, probably cannot make the finals if

522
00:25:21,839 --> 00:25:24,720
he's not healthy and really good throughout their playoff run.

523
00:25:25,119 --> 00:25:30,079
So his ability to like tip the scales is immense.

524
00:25:30,519 --> 00:25:34,680
Of like the non superstar class of players, much has

525
00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:38,400
been made of nikolea. Jokic's, Like it feels like his

526
00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:41,960
actual defensive play is now matching up to the reputation

527
00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:44,680
he got early in his career of like, you can't

528
00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:47,880
build a championship defense around this player, Like they won

529
00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:50,279
that title in twenty three with like a seventeen th

530
00:25:50,319 --> 00:25:53,519
rank defense, and they're twenty first or twenty third this year.

531
00:25:54,039 --> 00:25:56,519
And this is also the first year that opponents have

532
00:25:56,559 --> 00:25:59,160
attempted a higher share of shots at the rim when

533
00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:01,640
he's on the floor. Then off they're hitting him at

534
00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:04,039
like sixty five percent when he's the So it's like

535
00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:08,559
there's some real signs that the defense is not gonna

536
00:26:08,559 --> 00:26:11,400
be good enough. If you could tell me Aaron Gordon's

537
00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:13,119
gonna be healthy for the whole postseason, I'd be like,

538
00:26:13,119 --> 00:26:15,200
I don't care. It's gonna be fine, because I think

539
00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:18,920
he matters that much to what they do defensively. The

540
00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:22,440
reason he's an X factor is he's had multiple hamstring

541
00:26:22,440 --> 00:26:25,599
injuries this year. He played fifty games last year and

542
00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:27,880
got hurt in the playoffs, and maybe is just that

543
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:31,359
a phase where it's like you have to assume he

544
00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:34,319
won't be healthy. I don't want to get to that

545
00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:36,960
point yet because that's such a doom and gloom thing,

546
00:26:37,079 --> 00:26:40,640
but like it has to be like a real consideration.

547
00:26:41,359 --> 00:26:44,480
So he to me is like outside of the superstar

548
00:26:44,519 --> 00:26:47,640
class of players, is like the make or break guy

549
00:26:48,119 --> 00:26:50,279
for Denver. I don't really care about the rest of

550
00:26:50,319 --> 00:26:53,759
the regular season. Their seeding matters, but it's not you know,

551
00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:57,200
that's not make or break, but as a playoff team,

552
00:26:57,599 --> 00:27:01,079
they're they're cooked if he if he is not on

553
00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:05,480
the floor playing normal minutes like the entire time. So

554
00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:08,759
hard for me to think of somebody that is potentially

555
00:27:08,839 --> 00:27:09,640
gonna matter more.

556
00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:14,440
Speaker 1: I think because of the injuries, this makes like this

557
00:27:14,519 --> 00:27:17,960
is a great pick, and also because of how important

558
00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:19,759
he clearly still is to the defense.

559
00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:22,079
Speaker 2: And this is they I think they always would have

560
00:27:22,119 --> 00:27:22,559
had this problem.

561
00:27:22,599 --> 00:27:24,559
Speaker 1: Bly, who is the guy that's just going to be

562
00:27:25,119 --> 00:27:27,640
there other than Aaron Gordon that can just be physical

563
00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:29,880
in a dude's face, but also keep up with him,

564
00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:33,720
but also be this smart off ball defender who has

565
00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:35,160
the same positional malleability.

566
00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:38,119
Speaker 2: Is like, is Spencer Jones or Bruce Brown? Like?

567
00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:40,559
Speaker 1: Is that the like Peyton Watson's more of a defensive

568
00:27:40,599 --> 00:27:44,720
playmaker and disruptor Christian Brown is. There's like just certain

569
00:27:44,759 --> 00:27:47,480
guys in matchups you don't want him going up against.

570
00:27:47,799 --> 00:27:50,720
They're also just their defensive rating is more than eight

571
00:27:50,759 --> 00:27:53,359
points better when Aaron Gordon is on the floor. Their

572
00:27:53,359 --> 00:27:58,039
half court defense is way better. It He absolutely matters,

573
00:27:58,079 --> 00:28:00,000
and I'm with you if he's not healthy. If he

574
00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:02,200
the other thing too, is just we we saw his

575
00:28:02,319 --> 00:28:04,440
three point shooting kind of keep them in a series

576
00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:07,559
against the eventual champion last year while he was injured

577
00:28:07,559 --> 00:28:10,279
while Michael Porter Junior was injured, so there's that swing

578
00:28:10,319 --> 00:28:12,440
factor from him as well as the offense. Is what

579
00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:15,759
if he just is the greatest postseason three point shooter alive.

580
00:28:15,519 --> 00:28:18,319
Speaker 3: Now, I mean he had fifty earlier this year and

581
00:28:18,359 --> 00:28:21,759
made like ten to eleven threes, but whatever, it was like,

582
00:28:21,759 --> 00:28:24,880
like he can do that, and also he's the most

583
00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:27,759
important defensive player like in the conference. Man, Like I

584
00:28:27,759 --> 00:28:30,039
don't know, it's just like, what, how do you overstate

585
00:28:30,079 --> 00:28:31,519
his importance? It's pretty hard.

586
00:28:31,839 --> 00:28:35,079
Speaker 1: If he's available, I do think their defense would be

587
00:28:35,079 --> 00:28:38,559
good enough to win the championship because this was set

588
00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:41,200
on I think it was a recent DNVR show.

589
00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:42,039
Speaker 2: I can't remember who said.

590
00:28:42,079 --> 00:28:43,640
Speaker 1: It was probably Adamatus because he says a lot of

591
00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:46,720
smart shit, but he believes that the Denver Nuggets defense

592
00:28:46,759 --> 00:28:49,119
is better when they have time to prepare for an opponent,

593
00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:51,519
and you just don't have that same preparation time during

594
00:28:51,519 --> 00:28:54,039
the regular season. So I was just looking and again,

595
00:28:54,039 --> 00:28:56,319
the sample size isn't huge because you don't get this

596
00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:58,720
much rest in season, but the Nuggets have a top

597
00:28:58,759 --> 00:29:02,400
ten defense. They have at least two days of rest, interesting,

598
00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:04,960
and so it's now you're not gonna get a full

599
00:29:05,039 --> 00:29:08,160
two days like in every playoff series, but you know

600
00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:11,279
you're gonna practice probably or just have more. You're going

601
00:29:11,279 --> 00:29:13,920
through the same opponent, and so it's all right, you're

602
00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:16,200
not getting three days of rest in between every game.

603
00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:19,319
But we know that we're playing Minnesota like for the

604
00:29:19,359 --> 00:29:22,759
next seven games, and so that's why I'd be less worried.

605
00:29:22,799 --> 00:29:25,599
It's more to me about is Aaron Gordon available?

606
00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:26,480
Speaker 2: Is he healthy?

607
00:29:27,039 --> 00:29:27,279
Speaker 3: Yep?

608
00:29:28,759 --> 00:29:32,640
Speaker 1: My next pick, all right, I'm gonna go here. I'm

609
00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:35,920
going to Anthony Black of the Orlando Magic.

610
00:29:37,279 --> 00:29:39,880
Speaker 2: We all called sus.

611
00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:42,119
Speaker 1: When Franz Wagner played in that game in Germany, only

612
00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:45,759
never be heard from him again, and now he's just

613
00:29:45,799 --> 00:29:50,400
still out and going to be out indefinitely. Basically, Palo

614
00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:52,599
ben Caro started to play better, and I also still

615
00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:55,000
I know, I'm like forever a Palo ben Caro defender,

616
00:29:55,039 --> 00:29:57,200
but I still think he catches too much shit, like

617
00:29:57,240 --> 00:29:59,920
even the ball stopping thing I was going, I was watching,

618
00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:01,759
I can't remember what was their most recent game about

619
00:30:01,799 --> 00:30:04,440
I saw he's getting off the ball so much when

620
00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:05,960
you look, and I went and looked at his touch

621
00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,640
time he's trying to get off the ball quicker okay,

622
00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:11,279
and I also still just feel like the shots that

623
00:30:11,319 --> 00:30:13,279
he takes that a lot of people don't like, they're

624
00:30:13,279 --> 00:30:16,400
also just the symptom of the Orlando Magics offense and personnel.

625
00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:20,279
Speaker 2: But to that point, you have Pallo Bancaro, you have

626
00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:25,160
Desmond Bane. If Franz Voker isn't available, like Anthony Black's

627
00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:29,279
offense has become so so important to this team, and

628
00:30:29,359 --> 00:30:33,680
he has cooled off a bunch since the All Star break. Basically,

629
00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:36,680
still if he's someone that you could trust to hit

630
00:30:36,720 --> 00:30:40,680
corner threes, make some passes out of drives, handle the

631
00:30:40,759 --> 00:30:42,920
ball like he's just handling the ball with a lot

632
00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:45,799
more swagger this year, and then you know what he's

633
00:30:45,799 --> 00:30:49,240
going to be able to bring you Defensively. That matters

634
00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:50,720
so so much to this.

635
00:30:50,759 --> 00:30:52,920
Speaker 1: Team right now, and it's for the rest of this

636
00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:56,240
season because guess what, Franz Voctor is not playing the

637
00:30:56,279 --> 00:30:59,200
Magic as we record this are in playing territory and

638
00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:01,400
so you would prefer just given how banged up they are,

639
00:31:01,839 --> 00:31:04,240
how up and down, and that's putting a kindly their

640
00:31:04,279 --> 00:31:05,000
offense has been.

641
00:31:05,559 --> 00:31:07,880
Speaker 2: You want to avoid that. And so yeah, the playoffs

642
00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:08,319
will matter.

643
00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:10,720
Speaker 1: Let's see if his shooting is able to hold up

644
00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:12,119
when he gets to the playoffs.

645
00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:14,680
Speaker 2: But he's shooting over forty percent on.

646
00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:17,920
Speaker 1: Catch and shoot threes the half court this year, even

647
00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:21,200
with that post All Star slide baked in. If he

648
00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:23,599
can do that in addition to what he's been able

649
00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:25,799
to do with something like some of his finishing at

650
00:31:25,799 --> 00:31:30,079
the rim, getting more unassisted looks in those instances, it's

651
00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:31,599
just it's not something.

652
00:31:31,279 --> 00:31:33,279
Speaker 2: You ever have to heavily feature.

653
00:31:33,359 --> 00:31:36,400
Speaker 1: And I would argue certainly in a playoff setting, but

654
00:31:37,319 --> 00:31:40,279
they need it. They just need that extra outlet. And

655
00:31:40,319 --> 00:31:42,240
it's Jalen Suggs is going to be up and down

656
00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:44,559
as a shooter, and we know about his scattershot availability.

657
00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:46,759
And then after that it's sort of, well, who do

658
00:31:46,799 --> 00:31:49,039
you want it to be? Like, is it Jace Richardson,

659
00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:51,559
Sacha von Carter? So I just don't I'm not even

660
00:31:51,559 --> 00:31:52,759
making fun of Jace Richardson.

661
00:31:52,799 --> 00:31:53,920
Speaker 3: It's no, no, it's not.

662
00:31:54,519 --> 00:31:57,960
Speaker 1: So there's there's a clear vacuum for a we need

663
00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:01,799
a third best do I just say offensive player overall

664
00:32:01,839 --> 00:32:03,599
at this point with Franz Wagner.

665
00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:07,440
Speaker 2: Out and like, I think it needs to be Anthony

666
00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:09,039
Black or the fact that I think it could be

667
00:32:09,079 --> 00:32:11,400
Anthony Black instead of jail and Suggs is a testament

668
00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:13,160
to Anthony Black's growth.

669
00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:15,960
Speaker 3: Yeah, no, I would agree with everything you said. I

670
00:32:16,160 --> 00:32:18,759
The only thing I'd add is is it's kind of

671
00:32:18,759 --> 00:32:22,839
similar to the Scoot discussion, like where's the money coming

672
00:32:22,880 --> 00:32:26,160
from for him? Like long term? Is that like in

673
00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:28,640
terms of like what does the Orlando Magic look like

674
00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:34,839
two years from now? Because they're wildly expensive starting yesterday

675
00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:39,799
and they gotta pay this, Like I hm, I was

676
00:32:39,839 --> 00:32:41,880
gonna really hot take it and say, like I feel

677
00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:44,240
more comfortable with the one hundred million dollar deal for

678
00:32:44,319 --> 00:32:47,160
Black than I do for Scoot. I don't know if

679
00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:50,680
I go quite that far. Black is certainly like it's

680
00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:53,319
is it a leap this year? It's like, what's what's

681
00:32:53,319 --> 00:32:55,200
like just like an inch short of a leap? And

682
00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:58,680
maybe it is a full leap, but we need to

683
00:32:58,720 --> 00:33:01,000
we need a text with a firm definition of it.

684
00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:05,559
But the Magic have these massive deals for Franz and

685
00:33:05,599 --> 00:33:10,119
for Bankero and like Sugs. I think Suggs deal is fine,

686
00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:12,359
but it's not cheap. And then Bain's deal is enormous,

687
00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:15,519
Like how are you paying Anthony Black? Who's going or

688
00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:17,799
or whose offer are you not matching? If he gets

689
00:33:17,799 --> 00:33:22,240
the restricted free agency in a year plus, I think

690
00:33:22,319 --> 00:33:25,119
if he has so, since he's an X factor here,

691
00:33:25,640 --> 00:33:30,119
if he if he really does like replace a lot

692
00:33:30,119 --> 00:33:32,759
of what Wagner would have given them, and if he

693
00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:35,359
also is able to give you some of like some

694
00:33:35,519 --> 00:33:37,799
like all step in for the Sugs role a little

695
00:33:37,839 --> 00:33:41,400
bit as like more of a playmaker, Like you might

696
00:33:41,480 --> 00:33:43,039
need to just figure out how to make room for

697
00:33:43,119 --> 00:33:44,640
him on your books. I don't know how what that

698
00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:47,839
looks like, but you can't just use him right.

699
00:33:47,920 --> 00:33:49,960
Speaker 1: I do wonder if and by the way, the other

700
00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:52,759
note I had here wanted to uh make is he

701
00:33:52,799 --> 00:33:55,759
shooting twelve to thirty one on step back threes. That's

702
00:33:55,799 --> 00:33:59,240
like thirty nine percent. So that's if you can hit

703
00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:00,599
those shots in the playoff, it's a big deal.

704
00:34:01,039 --> 00:34:02,079
Speaker 2: I don't even view it.

705
00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:04,599
Speaker 1: I think if it comes down to them choosing, it

706
00:34:04,680 --> 00:34:08,320
feels as if they'll be deciding between Jalen Suggs or

707
00:34:08,360 --> 00:34:10,639
Anthony Black. If it comes down to it, they have

708
00:34:10,719 --> 00:34:13,440
a year before it's a problem. Even if they extend

709
00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:16,079
Anthony Black. I do wonder if they'll be more inclined

710
00:34:16,119 --> 00:34:19,800
to wait because one of the financial situation that they're in.

711
00:34:20,119 --> 00:34:22,559
But two, they don't want to be sort of Dyson

712
00:34:22,679 --> 00:34:25,320
Daniels here with the Hawks, to where Dyson Daniels is

713
00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:29,480
still a fantastic defensive player, but it just offensively contract

714
00:34:30,199 --> 00:34:32,679
contract now, it doesn't look like a good contract right now.

715
00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:36,119
It's so I wonder if they'll wait for that reason.

716
00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:37,840
But also I think you could look at it and say, well,

717
00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:41,039
if he's playing like this offensively this year with the personnel,

718
00:34:41,079 --> 00:34:43,400
if they still had around him, he's been more available

719
00:34:43,440 --> 00:34:45,119
than Jalen Suggs. Two, I don't know who I would

720
00:34:45,159 --> 00:34:47,280
pick long time. I'm probably picking Jaieen Suggs. I love

721
00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:49,960
Jalen Sung, just that's the dude. If he's available that

722
00:34:50,079 --> 00:34:53,280
I just Okay, he's gonna shoot thirty one percent from three,

723
00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:56,159
I will still play him thirty I mean, you can't

724
00:34:56,199 --> 00:34:57,360
play him thirty minutes a game.

725
00:34:57,400 --> 00:35:00,519
Speaker 2: That's the problem. But you get what I'm saying there. Yeah,

726
00:35:00,679 --> 00:35:02,360
it's not gonna have to be a decision this summer.

727
00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:02,800
But you're right.

728
00:35:02,800 --> 00:35:04,559
Speaker 1: I didn't even think about the extension stuff. I was

729
00:35:04,599 --> 00:35:07,280
more so looking at this magic team.

730
00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:10,599
Speaker 2: Is the NBA's biggest disappointment I'm sure who's the bigger

731
00:35:10,599 --> 00:35:14,000
disappointment than the Magic, just relative to what expectations we think.

732
00:35:14,039 --> 00:35:16,119
Speaker 3: I mean, you might throw the Hawks in there, because

733
00:35:16,239 --> 00:35:19,239
I remember I at least viewed those two teams preseason

734
00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:23,760
as like similar ceilings. But the Hawks like just kind of,

735
00:35:24,079 --> 00:35:27,599
you know, changed themselves pretty fundamentally. And there's like actually

736
00:35:27,639 --> 00:35:29,760
a lot to be encouraged about with Atlanta anyway.

737
00:35:30,079 --> 00:35:32,559
Speaker 2: But yeah, I could have just trade four first round picks,

738
00:35:32,679 --> 00:35:33,320
is the other thing.

739
00:35:33,360 --> 00:35:36,840
Speaker 3: And I would say Orlando's pretty comfortably the most disappointing

740
00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:37,400
team this year.

741
00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:39,840
Speaker 1: And so it's like to me, I don't know, I

742
00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:41,639
don't even know what they're I guess it's the East.

743
00:35:42,039 --> 00:35:43,760
Speaker 2: So it feels short of Detroit.

744
00:35:43,880 --> 00:35:46,079
Speaker 1: I like, it feels like anything could happen, and Orlando

745
00:35:46,159 --> 00:35:48,039
might be one of the teams that's better built to

746
00:35:48,079 --> 00:35:50,280
face Detroit. Although we just went through them on a

747
00:35:50,320 --> 00:35:52,679
podcast with mister Taporrek and the Magic did not make

748
00:35:52,719 --> 00:35:54,400
our top six.

749
00:35:54,159 --> 00:35:54,880
Speaker 2: Picks or something.

750
00:35:54,880 --> 00:35:56,480
Speaker 1: I can't remember what happened there, but we go check

751
00:35:56,519 --> 00:35:59,480
that podcast out. Anthony black Is this has been a

752
00:35:59,480 --> 00:36:02,559
big season for him, but he's way more important to

753
00:36:02,559 --> 00:36:04,280
the Magic than I think they ever intended him to

754
00:36:04,280 --> 00:36:05,320
be on the offensive end.

755
00:36:05,719 --> 00:36:10,360
Speaker 3: Yeah, all right, it is my turn. This this is

756
00:36:11,199 --> 00:36:13,760
the value is too good here on this pick. This

757
00:36:13,840 --> 00:36:16,679
late the value just this is a high value pick.

758
00:36:18,159 --> 00:36:21,519
So in the notes you asked if this is too

759
00:36:21,559 --> 00:36:24,840
if this fruit is hanging too low, and I said, no,

760
00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:28,000
it is properly hanging. And this is Jason Tatum's achilles

761
00:36:28,079 --> 00:36:33,559
specific he so the name is it's too big of

762
00:36:33,559 --> 00:36:37,079
a name, So that strike one. And then also it's

763
00:36:37,079 --> 00:36:41,199
an injury question, so that strike too. But like the

764
00:36:41,239 --> 00:36:44,639
Celtics might be the number one seed, like it's possible

765
00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:46,840
they could be the top seed in the conference. Still,

766
00:36:46,840 --> 00:36:50,760
there's a lot of season left, and so just because

767
00:36:50,840 --> 00:36:53,599
they are in a spot that I and I think

768
00:36:53,639 --> 00:36:59,280
most people, but really I did not imagine was remotely possible.

769
00:36:59,320 --> 00:37:01,400
Like I thought that was a gap. Just like they

770
00:37:01,679 --> 00:37:04,039
them in the Pacers, They're just gonna just pack it in.

771
00:37:04,639 --> 00:37:06,599
Speaker 1: I don't want to look at how many I know

772
00:37:06,679 --> 00:37:08,159
I hit there under I don't even want to know

773
00:37:08,159 --> 00:37:09,960
how many wins. I can't remember how many wins I

774
00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:12,239
project them from. When we have to do our Mulligan's pot,

775
00:37:12,239 --> 00:37:13,400
I'm gonna look like a fool.

776
00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:18,920
Speaker 3: Yeah, no, it's I'm with you. So because of that

777
00:37:20,559 --> 00:37:24,679
and because of his capacity to come back, like nobody's

778
00:37:24,719 --> 00:37:28,400
saying it's happening yet you know, there's no what did

779
00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:30,719
he say, there's nothing set in stone or it's it's

780
00:37:30,760 --> 00:37:31,159
a lot.

781
00:37:31,119 --> 00:37:33,760
Speaker 2: Like it's funny. I said this to Brian Toporak.

782
00:37:34,480 --> 00:37:37,840
Speaker 1: It's funny that before he started, like we see these

783
00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:41,920
videos where he's like officially scrimmaging or practicing with the team,

784
00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:44,760
the whole chatter was, Oh, he's definitely coming back, but

785
00:37:44,840 --> 00:37:47,880
now that there's like breadcrumbs being laid, it's no, well,

786
00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:49,320
we don't know if he's coming back, right.

787
00:37:49,199 --> 00:37:51,000
Speaker 2: It just seems so it seems reversed.

788
00:37:51,679 --> 00:37:53,960
Speaker 3: That's its own X factor. It's just like, I mean,

789
00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:57,119
that's the ultimate X factor. He might play and he

790
00:37:57,159 --> 00:37:59,920
also might not at all. So that's a pretty big swing.

791
00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:02,199
And then within that is obviously like what does he

792
00:38:02,239 --> 00:38:06,679
look like? What he's not like a he's not necessarily

793
00:38:07,039 --> 00:38:09,039
it wouldn't be the same thing as integrating like prime

794
00:38:09,159 --> 00:38:12,639
James Harden or like Luca or just some like ridiculously

795
00:38:12,719 --> 00:38:15,079
high usage like he defines your offense type of player.

796
00:38:15,079 --> 00:38:17,000
I think one of the things that makes Tatum so

797
00:38:17,079 --> 00:38:19,679
great is that if he's just defending and shooting off

798
00:38:19,719 --> 00:38:23,159
the ball and like making good passes, he's still a

799
00:38:23,400 --> 00:38:27,360
hyper valuable player. But like Jalen Brown has become a

800
00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:30,280
high usage, like fringe MVP candidate that shoots a lot

801
00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:32,400
of tough jumpers and somehow the offense.

802
00:38:32,559 --> 00:38:35,599
Speaker 1: Did you know that the that the Celtics are statistically

803
00:38:35,639 --> 00:38:37,360
better without Jalen Brown on the floor.

804
00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:38,519
Speaker 2: Yeah, have you heard that?

805
00:38:39,039 --> 00:38:41,559
Speaker 3: You heard that too, heard that too. I still think

806
00:38:41,639 --> 00:38:43,519
Jalen Brown has had a pretty good year. Is that

807
00:38:43,559 --> 00:38:44,119
a hot take?

808
00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:46,360
Speaker 2: I think he's That's the thing I've ever heard of

809
00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:49,519
my entire life is someone who only looks at numbers.

810
00:38:50,840 --> 00:38:53,079
Speaker 3: But you just have to talk about, like what does

811
00:38:53,119 --> 00:38:55,360
the reintegration of Jason Tatum look like? How much does

812
00:38:55,360 --> 00:38:57,480
he play? Who does he play with? Like do you

813
00:38:57,480 --> 00:38:59,880
want to just have him play with not Jalen Brown

814
00:39:00,079 --> 00:39:02,719
so that you don't like disrupt this thing that's working,

815
00:39:04,039 --> 00:39:06,639
And then then you really win the non Jalen Brown

816
00:39:06,679 --> 00:39:09,599
minutes because they're so good already. You just you're a

817
00:39:09,639 --> 00:39:11,960
plus twenty five instead of a plus twelve or whatever

818
00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:14,840
it is. Yeah, there's not a lot to say. It's

819
00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:17,639
just like, will the guy that was a top five

820
00:39:17,679 --> 00:39:20,480
player in the league come back at all? What will

821
00:39:20,480 --> 00:39:22,920
he do? And what does that do to a team

822
00:39:22,960 --> 00:39:27,079
that is, like plausibly the number one seed in its conference.

823
00:39:27,079 --> 00:39:29,239
I have no idea about any of those. So he's

824
00:39:29,239 --> 00:39:30,280
a pretty good X factor.

825
00:39:31,119 --> 00:39:31,840
Speaker 2: He's a great one.

826
00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:36,000
Speaker 1: And also what's interesting about him is if you put

827
00:39:36,119 --> 00:39:39,239
some stars coming back just all of a sudden, whether

828
00:39:39,320 --> 00:39:41,079
let's say it's Mark Well, it's gonna be March, because

829
00:39:41,079 --> 00:39:43,559
it's basically March now, middle of March, come back after

830
00:39:43,679 --> 00:39:45,679
not playing the whole season, there will be a.

831
00:39:45,639 --> 00:39:47,519
Speaker 2: Disruption to the way they'll play.

832
00:39:47,760 --> 00:39:51,519
Speaker 1: But Jason Tatum has always had this scalability about him. Yeah,

833
00:39:51,519 --> 00:39:53,960
but it feels like rooted in how he started his

834
00:39:54,000 --> 00:39:55,719
career where the Celtics were sort of good and so

835
00:39:55,760 --> 00:39:57,079
it wasn't he didn't have the ball in his hands

836
00:39:57,079 --> 00:39:59,880
all the time. What if you just asked him to

837
00:40:00,239 --> 00:40:02,960
Anthony Simon's for the rest of this season, it's you

838
00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:05,039
don't need to worry about passing or really jump starting

839
00:40:05,079 --> 00:40:08,000
the officer. Just take and make shots, and then it's

840
00:40:08,239 --> 00:40:10,440
sure you're not gonna be the primary Like that's still

841
00:40:10,440 --> 00:40:13,239
maybe Jalen Brown's role, and I'm assuming is there a

842
00:40:13,239 --> 00:40:15,679
long term question behind that? Is Jalen Brown gonna want

843
00:40:15,719 --> 00:40:18,440
his own team? I don't people have been wondering that forever.

844
00:40:18,519 --> 00:40:20,679
I just don't see it cropping up randomly. But for

845
00:40:20,719 --> 00:40:23,519
the rest of this season, it feels like Jason Tatum

846
00:40:23,559 --> 00:40:26,400
might not want to be the marquee Biller on the

847
00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:29,320
offensive end anyway. But it's huge because this team is

848
00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:32,280
already a top two or three team in the Eastern

849
00:40:32,280 --> 00:40:35,599
Conference and is going to get back someone who is

850
00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:39,760
at full strength a top five worst top seven NBA player.

851
00:40:41,519 --> 00:40:43,880
Speaker 3: Have we talked about at all, like just do you

852
00:40:43,960 --> 00:40:46,320
think he should do you think he should come back?

853
00:40:46,559 --> 00:40:48,440
Like what have you have? You have we I don't

854
00:40:48,440 --> 00:40:51,079
know if we've had that conversation yet, because there's there's

855
00:40:51,119 --> 00:40:53,880
the Paul George example of like let's get let's dip

856
00:40:53,920 --> 00:40:56,519
a toe in, you know, for next so we're good

857
00:40:56,519 --> 00:40:59,000
for next year. It's not like a hard start next

858
00:40:59,039 --> 00:41:01,400
year versus the risk reward of it, Like where do

859
00:41:01,440 --> 00:41:04,159
you land on? Just if you're the Celtics and he

860
00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:07,400
could play and there's like the doctors have said there's

861
00:41:07,400 --> 00:41:10,920
no increased risk of injury. Uh, he's able to you know,

862
00:41:11,840 --> 00:41:12,960
how we feel about his health?

863
00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:15,960
Speaker 1: Are or Boston's doctors are.

864
00:41:15,840 --> 00:41:19,480
Speaker 3: They the appointed ones? Yeah, so you've got a you

865
00:41:19,519 --> 00:41:23,519
have a panel of unbiased observers and they're all medical professionals,

866
00:41:23,519 --> 00:41:26,039
and they say risk of injury today is the same

867
00:41:26,079 --> 00:41:29,039
as it'll be in mid October when next season starts.

868
00:41:29,239 --> 00:41:32,920
He can play, and you're the Celtics. What what do

869
00:41:32,960 --> 00:41:33,280
you do?

870
00:41:33,800 --> 00:41:36,360
Speaker 1: I guess is the only downside you're worried about him

871
00:41:36,360 --> 00:41:39,239
getting injured again, because that's going to be a that's

872
00:41:39,239 --> 00:41:39,920
going to tell me.

873
00:41:41,199 --> 00:41:43,679
Speaker 2: I don't have an MD, so everything.

874
00:41:43,800 --> 00:41:46,559
Speaker 1: If what you're saying is what the messaging will be

875
00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:49,880
or the prognosis is, why not just come back because

876
00:41:50,199 --> 00:41:53,119
you're not the expert. Yes, you're a lot better than expected.

877
00:41:54,519 --> 00:41:56,440
Who is the Let's say they win the East, who's

878
00:41:56,480 --> 00:41:58,400
the Western Conference team they're going to be favored to be?

879
00:41:58,719 --> 00:42:02,599
Speaker 3: Well, that's there. I mean, nobody that they might potentially see.

880
00:42:02,880 --> 00:42:05,639
Speaker 1: They're kind of operating with found money anyway, So it's

881
00:42:05,639 --> 00:42:07,760
more important to me to look at the bigger picture.

882
00:42:08,199 --> 00:42:10,119
Speaker 2: What you did anywhere at the trade deadline.

883
00:42:10,199 --> 00:42:13,400
Speaker 1: You moved a helpful player in Anthony Simon's in service

884
00:42:13,519 --> 00:42:15,599
of ducking the luxury tax.

885
00:42:15,920 --> 00:42:18,800
Speaker 2: So bring Jason Tatum back now. Don't bring him back.

886
00:42:18,679 --> 00:42:20,960
Speaker 1: Recklessly and ask him to play thirty seven minutes a

887
00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:22,760
game and every single game.

888
00:42:23,119 --> 00:42:25,719
Speaker 2: But I don't see if he's not at any more

889
00:42:25,760 --> 00:42:26,880
of a risk of re injuring it.

890
00:42:26,920 --> 00:42:29,800
Speaker 1: I'd rather him because one, there's also the there has

891
00:42:29,840 --> 00:42:32,320
to be a psychological component to this too, of just

892
00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:36,159
I haven't played in an NBA game in forever. Get

893
00:42:36,159 --> 00:42:38,199
that out of the way now, so that's not looming

894
00:42:38,239 --> 00:42:40,239
over the start of next season.

895
00:42:40,719 --> 00:42:44,960
Speaker 3: Yeah. I love the idea of just come back and

896
00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:47,320
play a little bit so that opening night next year

897
00:42:47,440 --> 00:42:50,400
isn't isn't a thing. It's you know, because other because

898
00:42:50,400 --> 00:42:53,079
if he doesn't, if he does, if he says he's not,

899
00:42:53,280 --> 00:42:55,000
if he even if he's cleared and he says like

900
00:42:55,039 --> 00:42:57,159
I don't feel I'm not feeling it like I I'd

901
00:42:57,239 --> 00:42:59,360
rather wait than okay, fine, you do exactly what he

902
00:42:59,360 --> 00:43:01,599
would prefer to do. That's okay. I would give him

903
00:43:01,599 --> 00:43:04,800
that kind of agency, and he deserves it. It's it's

904
00:43:04,800 --> 00:43:09,639
his career. But just like as a pressure release for

905
00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:12,480
starting next season when presumably like you're going to be

906
00:43:12,519 --> 00:43:15,719
trying to win a championship from day one, the start

907
00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:19,000
of twenty six, twenty seven, taking the pressure of opening

908
00:43:19,119 --> 00:43:21,360
night and the beginning of that, like people won't be

909
00:43:21,400 --> 00:43:23,920
talking about they'll talk about it some, but if you

910
00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:27,159
don't play this year, then like you got how many

911
00:43:27,199 --> 00:43:31,039
more months to just just oh, the anticipation grows and

912
00:43:31,079 --> 00:43:33,800
like the press, just if you can reduce all that,

913
00:43:33,920 --> 00:43:36,639
I think that alone is worth getting out there a

914
00:43:36,679 --> 00:43:39,239
little bit this year, just to like just just shut

915
00:43:39,280 --> 00:43:42,480
all the noise off, you know, for October. That's worth

916
00:43:42,480 --> 00:43:42,840
it to me.

917
00:43:44,719 --> 00:43:48,039
Speaker 2: My next pick. I want to stay on brand, so

918
00:43:48,079 --> 00:43:53,719
you know what's coming, mister Reed Shepherd. I Rockets fans.

919
00:43:53,480 --> 00:43:55,960
Speaker 1: Have got to be annoyed watch because they've seen more

920
00:43:55,960 --> 00:43:58,559
of it than I have of seeing Houston's crunch time offense,

921
00:43:58,599 --> 00:44:01,239
because it is a horror show. Their bottom three in

922
00:44:01,280 --> 00:44:03,800
turnover rate, I think they're twentieth or whatever an offensive ratting.

923
00:44:03,800 --> 00:44:05,400
I know the sample size is small, but they've been

924
00:44:05,440 --> 00:44:09,639
in quite a few clutch situations this year, and reach

925
00:44:09,760 --> 00:44:13,119
Shepherd is not a mainstay in these minutes at a

926
00:44:13,159 --> 00:44:17,000
time when you don't have Fred van Fleet available, And

927
00:44:17,039 --> 00:44:20,559
I kind of understand that Ime Udoka might just trust

928
00:44:20,599 --> 00:44:22,880
his guys or believes that he wants players on the

929
00:44:22,920 --> 00:44:25,760
quarter are gonna be more competent defensively. Your offense is

930
00:44:26,159 --> 00:44:29,199
the problem, my guy. You are as a team in

931
00:44:29,239 --> 00:44:33,400
the half court, you are twenty fifth in attempt rate

932
00:44:33,639 --> 00:44:36,039
attempt to rate so volume in the restricted area, and

933
00:44:36,079 --> 00:44:40,199
twenty ninth in three point attempt rate from above the

934
00:44:40,199 --> 00:44:43,360
break puts someone on the floor who addresses at least

935
00:44:43,360 --> 00:44:45,719
one of those things, and read Shepherd is gonna address

936
00:44:45,960 --> 00:44:47,800
the above. The break stuff is just someone who could

937
00:44:47,840 --> 00:44:51,280
create or get shots off outside of the corners, and

938
00:44:51,639 --> 00:44:53,599
he's not gonna really impact I mean, in an ideal

939
00:44:53,599 --> 00:44:55,519
world he would impact your rim rate because there's more

940
00:44:55,519 --> 00:44:57,440
floor spacing, guys can be lined in the basket.

941
00:44:57,480 --> 00:44:59,599
Speaker 2: But that he hasn't had that impact this year.

942
00:45:00,239 --> 00:45:02,239
Speaker 1: There's a bunch of data to just support that this

943
00:45:02,320 --> 00:45:04,159
is a bad decision when you sub him out of

944
00:45:04,159 --> 00:45:06,719
certain If you're pulling Josha Kogi out of one of

945
00:45:06,760 --> 00:45:08,679
their most hues lineups and sub read Shepherd in or

946
00:45:08,719 --> 00:45:12,320
some variations of that, they're not all sort of spiffy like.

947
00:45:12,320 --> 00:45:14,400
One of his best lineups is actually has Dorian Phiney

948
00:45:14,440 --> 00:45:15,840
Smith in it, which is. I don't know how much

949
00:45:15,840 --> 00:45:17,719
more of Dorian Phinise Smith we need to see, but

950
00:45:18,079 --> 00:45:20,400
they're shooting better on above the break threes and more

951
00:45:20,440 --> 00:45:22,519
often when he's in the game, and it's just another

952
00:45:22,599 --> 00:45:25,480
weapon because Al Prince shang Gun can't do that, like

953
00:45:25,599 --> 00:45:29,119
just create from just be that out. Aside from Kevin Durant,

954
00:45:29,119 --> 00:45:30,920
all you have right now is Read Shepherd. That's not

955
00:45:30,960 --> 00:45:33,519
Al Prin shang Gun's game, am, and Thompson needs that

956
00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:35,960
downhill be line to the basket and having someone like

957
00:45:36,000 --> 00:45:38,519
Read Shepherd in the game, he's going to do more

958
00:45:38,880 --> 00:45:45,159
to lift out defenders than a Josha Kogi then Jabari

959
00:45:45,159 --> 00:45:46,840
Smith Junior, even when he's going through one of his

960
00:45:46,880 --> 00:45:50,360
hotter streets like short of Kevin Durant, Read Shepherd, I fully,

961
00:45:50,400 --> 00:45:53,440
relily just has more gravity than anyone else on the team.

962
00:45:53,800 --> 00:45:56,400
And I don't understand he's played, don't gay They sound

963
00:45:56,440 --> 00:45:58,280
like they have him buried on the bench. But you

964
00:45:58,440 --> 00:46:01,039
just go through their offensive vitals, look at what they're

965
00:46:01,079 --> 00:46:03,400
like has happened to a lot of their crunch time offense.

966
00:46:03,719 --> 00:46:05,599
You saw it the Knicks game where they blew that

967
00:46:05,679 --> 00:46:08,679
eighteen point lead. I don't want to sit here like

968
00:46:08,719 --> 00:46:11,239
Read Shepherd could have been the panacea there. I don't know,

969
00:46:11,400 --> 00:46:13,639
there's gonna still be growing. He's a sophomore and he

970
00:46:13,719 --> 00:46:15,920
has problems. I do think he's been way better defensively

971
00:46:15,960 --> 00:46:17,800
this year than he was last year. But what are

972
00:46:17,840 --> 00:46:20,119
we doing here? And this is I feel bad about

973
00:46:20,119 --> 00:46:22,199
this too. I can't remember whether I saw this, read this,

974
00:46:22,679 --> 00:46:24,880
heard this, or someone even texted it to me, But

975
00:46:24,920 --> 00:46:27,599
there's this thought though maybe that wasn't a DM.

976
00:46:27,679 --> 00:46:29,000
Speaker 2: I don't even remember at this point, but.

977
00:46:28,960 --> 00:46:30,920
Speaker 1: There was a thought that the resent Houston didn't do

978
00:46:30,960 --> 00:46:33,679
anything at the trade deadline was because they didn't want

979
00:46:33,679 --> 00:46:35,840
to give emy Udoka more of a reason to not

980
00:46:35,880 --> 00:46:39,480
play Reed Shepherd like like more than he like not

981
00:46:39,679 --> 00:46:41,559
enough as he was now. And if that's what you're

982
00:46:41,599 --> 00:46:44,119
actually worried about, I know there's always that tug of

983
00:46:44,159 --> 00:46:46,280
war between the front office and the coaching staff. We

984
00:46:46,280 --> 00:46:50,960
saw it in Denver last year. Liked shouldn't have his job.

985
00:46:50,760 --> 00:46:53,079
Speaker 2: Then I'm sorry. It's it's not because I won't play

986
00:46:53,079 --> 00:46:55,800
Read Shepherd. But if you're worried that he.

987
00:46:55,840 --> 00:46:59,639
Speaker 1: Won't give this top three pick, who in theory conceptually

988
00:47:00,000 --> 00:47:03,079
addresses a lot of what you need won't get him

989
00:47:03,079 --> 00:47:05,480
on the floor when it matters most or is more

990
00:47:05,920 --> 00:47:08,639
has him on this short leash. I understand the stakes

991
00:47:08,679 --> 00:47:12,039
are higher because you traded for age thirty seven Kevin Durant,

992
00:47:12,360 --> 00:47:14,719
but you're third in the Western Conference, and like, are

993
00:47:14,760 --> 00:47:17,360
you really in danger your five losses ahead of the Suns?

994
00:47:17,559 --> 00:47:20,039
So are you in danger of really falling into the

995
00:47:20,079 --> 00:47:23,320
playing territory? I just I don't actually think even Udoka

996
00:47:23,360 --> 00:47:25,480
deserves to be fired. But if that's the reason you're

997
00:47:25,519 --> 00:47:28,760
afraid to make an upgrade, is because you're worried a

998
00:47:28,800 --> 00:47:32,119
player who's minutes you need for both net, I would

999
00:47:32,199 --> 00:47:33,800
argue you need him now, but yeah, this is a

1000
00:47:34,320 --> 00:47:37,559
this is a high stakes game for later. Like that's

1001
00:47:37,679 --> 00:47:40,760
just such a dumb concern. I understand from a coaching

1002
00:47:40,880 --> 00:47:42,960
that he's trying to win games, but you've lost a

1003
00:47:43,000 --> 00:47:45,119
lot of games in grunch time because of your offense,

1004
00:47:45,360 --> 00:47:48,440
and Kevin Durant is just he shouldn't be shouldering that,

1005
00:47:48,639 --> 00:47:50,960
Like just look at the way defenses are going after

1006
00:47:51,079 --> 00:47:52,639
him in some of those minutes.

1007
00:47:52,760 --> 00:47:55,719
Speaker 2: So I'm just I hope.

1008
00:47:55,840 --> 00:47:59,239
Speaker 1: Hope that Recheppherd actually if Reachepper's not nex factor, I

1009
00:47:59,280 --> 00:48:01,760
actually think it's it's not gonna be because of free Shepherd,

1010
00:48:01,840 --> 00:48:03,840
but the Rockets utilization of him.

1011
00:48:04,239 --> 00:48:07,599
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think now. I also can't remember if I

1012
00:48:07,719 --> 00:48:10,119
where I read or heard this, but but someone raised

1013
00:48:10,119 --> 00:48:14,239
the point of like with Udoka, he definitely wants to win,

1014
00:48:14,920 --> 00:48:19,039
but in a certain way, Like you can look back

1015
00:48:19,079 --> 00:48:21,960
at some of the Boston teams that great defensively and

1016
00:48:22,000 --> 00:48:24,039
then what was the knock on them, Like, well, their

1017
00:48:24,039 --> 00:48:26,840
offense kind of got vanilla and bogged down and was

1018
00:48:26,880 --> 00:48:30,920
solvable late in games. That was a real thing. That's

1019
00:48:30,960 --> 00:48:35,840
the thing now, it seems like because to me, I

1020
00:48:35,840 --> 00:48:38,800
think if you put Shepherd on the floor consistently in

1021
00:48:39,440 --> 00:48:41,800
crunch time lineups or lineups where you just need to score,

1022
00:48:41,920 --> 00:48:44,639
like he kind of needs to be a pretty featured part.

1023
00:48:45,000 --> 00:48:47,159
I think you need to build the thread of him

1024
00:48:47,239 --> 00:48:50,320
running around off the ball or getting screened for and

1025
00:48:50,360 --> 00:48:54,039
shooting a lot to meaningfully change how defenses play you

1026
00:48:54,639 --> 00:48:58,800
and I to me, I don't think Udoka is comfortable

1027
00:48:59,599 --> 00:49:02,000
with this player type, which is to say, like not

1028
00:49:02,119 --> 00:49:08,239
a physical, defensive, rebounding like you know, good positional size

1029
00:49:08,679 --> 00:49:12,800
player in a prominent role. I guess maybe van Fleet

1030
00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:14,960
was an exception but like that's a veteran, and that's

1031
00:49:15,000 --> 00:49:16,960
a guy like known for his toughness and all that

1032
00:49:17,039 --> 00:49:18,760
other stuff. Like I think Shepard just is in the

1033
00:49:18,840 --> 00:49:23,159
unfortunate position of this is a coach that is not

1034
00:49:23,599 --> 00:49:26,679
comfortable featuring him, and I think it can I think

1035
00:49:26,760 --> 00:49:28,920
I would go step farther and say, like, I don't

1036
00:49:28,920 --> 00:49:31,280
think he just needs to play to address what the

1037
00:49:31,360 --> 00:49:34,800
Rockets have been doing poorly, which is scoring when you

1038
00:49:34,800 --> 00:49:36,760
know the chips are down. He needs to play and

1039
00:49:36,840 --> 00:49:40,800
like like get stuff drawn up for him a lot,

1040
00:49:40,840 --> 00:49:43,079
Like I think he needs to be like a real

1041
00:49:43,360 --> 00:49:47,239
meaningful piece of the whole operation. But in general, yeah,

1042
00:49:47,400 --> 00:49:51,280
I totally agree with you since we're here, I'm and

1043
00:49:51,360 --> 00:49:55,519
Thompson to me is is a pretty like intriguing figure

1044
00:49:55,639 --> 00:49:58,920
because he's representative of like the flip side of the

1045
00:49:58,960 --> 00:50:03,280
Shepherd question, which is Thompson does a million things that

1046
00:50:03,360 --> 00:50:06,519
I think Udoka likes and a million things that fit

1047
00:50:06,599 --> 00:50:10,480
with the Rockets identity, which is athletic physical, like you know,

1048
00:50:11,119 --> 00:50:14,400
can can guard whatever, like crashes the boards, like all

1049
00:50:14,480 --> 00:50:18,320
the all that stuff. Maybe the worst jump shooting wing

1050
00:50:18,360 --> 00:50:21,599
reguard in the league certainly the one I think I mean,

1051
00:50:21,639 --> 00:50:23,599
maybe there's like a two or three way tie with

1052
00:50:23,800 --> 00:50:26,880
his brother, And I'm trying to think who else. Even

1053
00:50:26,880 --> 00:50:30,679
Castle gets treated a little differently because he's so dynamic attacking.

1054
00:50:32,679 --> 00:50:36,840
I just don't like, what's the example of a Thompson

1055
00:50:36,920 --> 00:50:41,079
type player that has like that A team has gotten

1056
00:50:41,119 --> 00:50:46,079
away with using it across like multiple playoff series and

1057
00:50:46,119 --> 00:50:50,679
not getting like exploited or schemed against or whatever, like

1058
00:50:51,760 --> 00:50:55,239
you go wait, like Tony Allen or like Andre Roberson

1059
00:50:55,360 --> 00:50:57,639
like years ago, is like they did a lot. I mean,

1060
00:50:57,679 --> 00:51:01,239
Thompson's different because he has off value as like a

1061
00:51:01,239 --> 00:51:04,679
ball handler and attacker, a transition threat, just being athletic, whatever.

1062
00:51:05,199 --> 00:51:08,320
But like I think if the if the Rockets are

1063
00:51:08,599 --> 00:51:12,360
real contenders, which I actually don't think they are, I

1064
00:51:12,400 --> 00:51:15,760
don't know how that works with him on the floor

1065
00:51:15,800 --> 00:51:19,000
at the end of games, or just in general against

1066
00:51:19,039 --> 00:51:22,480
playoff defenses that are just gonna like you just go

1067
00:51:22,599 --> 00:51:24,840
under every screen, you don't have to guard him, you

1068
00:51:25,039 --> 00:51:27,079
like it, Just I don't know what you do with that,

1069
00:51:27,199 --> 00:51:29,519
and and I don't. To me, he hasn't developed enough

1070
00:51:29,559 --> 00:51:33,199
other stuff. Even even in a season where like all

1071
00:51:33,199 --> 00:51:36,079
of his counting stats are better, he hasn't developed enough

1072
00:51:36,119 --> 00:51:39,360
other stuff to offset just the very basic this guy

1073
00:51:39,360 --> 00:51:43,280
can't shoot and we don't like so he doesn't have

1074
00:51:43,320 --> 00:51:45,559
to be guarded. Honestly, like, I don't know what you

1075
00:51:45,599 --> 00:51:46,800
do with that as the rockets.

1076
00:51:48,159 --> 00:51:51,519
Speaker 1: Yeah, and look, just to back up your point, two

1077
00:51:51,639 --> 00:51:54,360
hundred and sixty nine players have attempted at least fifty

1078
00:51:54,480 --> 00:51:57,920
unguarded threes. Dyson Daniels is the only player shooting the

1079
00:51:57,960 --> 00:51:58,559
lower clip.

1080
00:51:58,639 --> 00:52:01,159
Speaker 3: I forgot about him. That was that was the other one. Yeah,

1081
00:52:01,280 --> 00:52:04,280
more airballs than makes Is that stat still accurate? Do

1082
00:52:04,280 --> 00:52:04,639
you see that?

1083
00:52:04,639 --> 00:52:07,639
Speaker 2: The other thing? I did not see that, but I

1084
00:52:07,760 --> 00:52:08,920
honestly wouldn't shock me.

1085
00:52:09,320 --> 00:52:10,880
Speaker 3: Just no, it's more air but it was like twelve

1086
00:52:10,920 --> 00:52:13,440
to eleven airballs versus mad threes or something like that.

1087
00:52:13,840 --> 00:52:16,079
Speaker 1: And with Thompson, the other problem is too is like,

1088
00:52:16,360 --> 00:52:18,239
so just to use Steph Castle as the analog, I

1089
00:52:18,280 --> 00:52:21,119
know they're two different players, but Thompson doesn't even have

1090
00:52:21,199 --> 00:52:23,119
the track record from mid range. He's I think he's

1091
00:52:23,119 --> 00:52:25,159
had like forty seven percent on his floaters or whatever,

1092
00:52:25,199 --> 00:52:28,280
but he's sub forty percent from mid range in general.

1093
00:52:28,559 --> 00:52:31,320
This year, he's not shooting as well from the free

1094
00:52:31,400 --> 00:52:34,199
throw line as a as a Steph Castle, So what

1095
00:52:34,519 --> 00:52:37,960
like he I neither of these players are being taken

1096
00:52:38,000 --> 00:52:39,960
off the floor of the playoff series. But I almost

1097
00:52:39,960 --> 00:52:43,280
feel like Thompson has when you look at the the

1098
00:52:43,320 --> 00:52:45,679
way that the Rockets are built versus the way that

1099
00:52:45,719 --> 00:52:49,559
the Spurs are built. If playoff defenses solve one of them,

1100
00:52:49,840 --> 00:52:52,440
it's a way bigger problem for Houston than it is

1101
00:52:52,440 --> 00:52:53,880
going to be for San Antonio.

1102
00:52:54,199 --> 00:52:57,039
Speaker 3: And this and the solving is just easier because we

1103
00:52:57,079 --> 00:52:59,880
haven't mentioned him. But shing Goon's inability to space is

1104
00:52:59,880 --> 00:53:02,719
another factor and you cannot take him off. I mean

1105
00:53:02,719 --> 00:53:07,199
they have for stretches like his spacing issues and his

1106
00:53:07,280 --> 00:53:09,920
need to be on the ball to have value, paired

1107
00:53:09,960 --> 00:53:13,119
with Thompson's is really the reason we're talking about Shepherd

1108
00:53:13,119 --> 00:53:15,559
as a fix, like because you just the problem is

1109
00:53:15,599 --> 00:53:18,320
so pronounced, whereas with the Spurs it's very, very different

1110
00:53:18,320 --> 00:53:21,199
because of the surrounding person Like if the Rockets had

1111
00:53:21,760 --> 00:53:24,920
a Champagne or of a cell or what or even

1112
00:53:24,960 --> 00:53:28,159
a castle instead of of Thompson. I think I don't

1113
00:53:28,159 --> 00:53:30,880
think the problem is as pronounced, right, No?

1114
00:53:31,039 --> 00:53:34,719
Speaker 2: I probably not? Probably not? And you know what else

1115
00:53:34,800 --> 00:53:35,480
isn't as pronounced?

1116
00:53:35,519 --> 00:53:38,119
Speaker 1: The offensive problems if you play Read Shepherd more in

1117
00:53:38,159 --> 00:53:40,159
crunch time because you want to know why he only

1118
00:53:40,159 --> 00:53:42,000
turns the ball over in crunch time on three point

1119
00:53:42,039 --> 00:53:45,000
four percent of his possessions, which is just he doesn't

1120
00:53:45,039 --> 00:53:46,400
have a ton of crunch time possessions.

1121
00:53:46,440 --> 00:53:47,679
Speaker 2: But I don't.

1122
00:53:47,840 --> 00:53:50,760
Speaker 1: I it's still I'm just bothered by you, maybe because

1123
00:53:50,800 --> 00:53:56,199
you are complete ignorance of miss future megastar Read Shepherd.

1124
00:53:57,440 --> 00:53:59,880
Speaker 2: Who's your official pick next? Oh?

1125
00:54:00,000 --> 00:54:02,119
Speaker 3: Okay, so Thompson doesn't count for me? All right, well

1126
00:54:02,199 --> 00:54:05,239
let's let's uh. You stayed on brand, I'll stay on brand.

1127
00:54:06,119 --> 00:54:09,239
It's Jalen Williams and it's specifically Jalen Williams' wrist for

1128
00:54:09,320 --> 00:54:13,679
the Oklahoma City Thunder. The shot has not I mean

1129
00:54:13,719 --> 00:54:15,800
even last year, the three point shot wasn't there. This

1130
00:54:15,840 --> 00:54:19,000
year it's down to thirty one percent. His assist rate

1131
00:54:19,079 --> 00:54:23,400
is up. The OKAC offense is like, I think it's

1132
00:54:23,400 --> 00:54:26,639
like a one thirteen when he's on without Shay, which

1133
00:54:26,639 --> 00:54:29,280
is okay, and I think it's actually better than the

1134
00:54:29,280 --> 00:54:31,119
one to eleven from last year, but it's still not

1135
00:54:31,239 --> 00:54:33,960
like a championship caliber thing, and the samples small so

1136
00:54:34,000 --> 00:54:39,039
you can't trust it. Plus the hamstring stuff. Now it's

1137
00:54:39,079 --> 00:54:42,000
easy to cite the X factor for the Thunder as

1138
00:54:42,039 --> 00:54:45,039
just like collective health because everybody has been hurt or

1139
00:54:45,119 --> 00:54:47,920
is hurt right now. But the specific issue, and this

1140
00:54:47,960 --> 00:54:50,360
is what I was alluding to when at the outset

1141
00:54:50,400 --> 00:54:52,840
I said, like, there's gonna be some familiar X factors

1142
00:54:53,320 --> 00:54:56,280
and the non SGA minutes with Jada bleeding the offense

1143
00:54:56,480 --> 00:55:02,360
definitely is one counter aj Mia, Like he's a new

1144
00:55:02,360 --> 00:55:05,280
wrinkle that wasn't available last year. It's a lot to

1145
00:55:05,320 --> 00:55:08,559
ask that Aj Mitchell is like, you're at this at

1146
00:55:08,599 --> 00:55:10,880
the win Games, with the stakes that the Thunder are

1147
00:55:10,880 --> 00:55:14,199
gonna play, like you're gonna have him as like the

1148
00:55:14,239 --> 00:55:17,000
primary initiator if Williams is not capable of doing it.

1149
00:55:17,000 --> 00:55:17,599
Speaker 2: I don't. I don't.

1150
00:55:17,760 --> 00:55:20,599
Speaker 3: I mean maybe you'll have to, but but that's that's

1151
00:55:20,599 --> 00:55:23,840
a big ask for a guy that has basically been

1152
00:55:24,760 --> 00:55:27,760
come out of nowhere this year to be this good.

1153
00:55:28,440 --> 00:55:31,199
So that because we had to talk Thunder, I don't

1154
00:55:31,199 --> 00:55:32,760
know where else to go other than that. Do you

1155
00:55:32,840 --> 00:55:34,920
is there something else that you would point to for

1156
00:55:35,000 --> 00:55:36,679
okay see as an X factor?

1157
00:55:37,239 --> 00:55:39,960
Speaker 1: I yeah, I'm gonna go with I had trouble narrowing

1158
00:55:40,000 --> 00:55:42,039
it down, and so he kind of had a feeling

1159
00:55:42,039 --> 00:55:43,800
that you were gonna go with Jaylen Williams, but they

1160
00:55:43,840 --> 00:55:46,079
could be a team of X actors because of the injuries.

1161
00:55:46,639 --> 00:55:49,360
I'm gonna say Case and Wallace, and he kind of

1162
00:55:49,400 --> 00:55:52,320
swayed me over the past. It's been coming out of

1163
00:55:52,320 --> 00:55:53,800
the All Star Break base. I think his past three

1164
00:55:53,800 --> 00:55:57,800
games he's like running more of the offense because he

1165
00:55:57,880 --> 00:56:00,599
has to, and he's done well.

1166
00:56:00,679 --> 00:56:01,519
Speaker 2: You look like you want to say.

1167
00:56:01,559 --> 00:56:03,199
Speaker 3: I was gonna say, how do you feel about that?

1168
00:56:04,519 --> 00:56:05,320
Speaker 2: I don't love it.

1169
00:56:05,480 --> 00:56:07,679
Speaker 1: But at the same time, like he's been he's had

1170
00:56:07,679 --> 00:56:11,320
some higher scoring performances, shooting eight of thirteen on self

1171
00:56:11,360 --> 00:56:14,320
created jumpers during this stretch, Like that's a big deal.

1172
00:56:14,400 --> 00:56:17,800
And so I'm looking at it from a zoomed out

1173
00:56:17,840 --> 00:56:21,599
perspective of if they get relatively healthy. So if you

1174
00:56:21,679 --> 00:56:25,719
have aj Mitchell and or Jalen Williams available, what does

1175
00:56:25,760 --> 00:56:28,599
this mean if you can put more responsibility in his hands,

1176
00:56:28,800 --> 00:56:31,159
specifically with regards to the non shape minutes, but if

1177
00:56:31,159 --> 00:56:33,920
he can continue to tick up from three point land,

1178
00:56:34,239 --> 00:56:36,400
like that's what the like, this is what we talk

1179
00:56:36,440 --> 00:56:39,480
about the thunders, I quote unquote weakness is that it

1180
00:56:39,480 --> 00:56:42,639
feels like their offense bogs down if Cason Wallace is

1181
00:56:42,679 --> 00:56:44,480
the outlet that we know he can be, but maybe

1182
00:56:44,480 --> 00:56:47,360
even a version of the outlet that not even an outlet,

1183
00:56:47,400 --> 00:56:49,639
but it's the a quasi initiator at this point.

1184
00:56:49,679 --> 00:56:50,320
Speaker 2: Can he be?

1185
00:56:50,639 --> 00:56:53,119
Speaker 1: Can you get can you buy more minutes without JDub

1186
00:56:53,159 --> 00:56:55,159
and Shay on the court together? Because you have Cason

1187
00:56:55,199 --> 00:56:57,920
Wallace and an AJ Mitchell. There's so many different things

1188
00:56:58,000 --> 00:57:01,320
they could do if he is the player on offense

1189
00:57:01,360 --> 00:57:04,719
when they have at least one of Shay or J

1190
00:57:04,920 --> 00:57:08,119
Dub available at the same time. The reason I ended

1191
00:57:08,159 --> 00:57:10,320
up selecting him as well. I mean, you can say

1192
00:57:10,360 --> 00:57:13,719
the same thing about Isaiah Hartenstein's bigger picture too. He's

1193
00:57:13,719 --> 00:57:15,199
another guy who's extension eligible.

1194
00:57:15,360 --> 00:57:16,559
Speaker 3: Yep, who are they gonna pay?

1195
00:57:16,599 --> 00:57:19,079
Speaker 2: They have AJ Mitchell on the books, he's cheap. Alex

1196
00:57:19,119 --> 00:57:20,159
Caruso is not cheap.

1197
00:57:20,599 --> 00:57:23,000
Speaker 1: Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe are relatively cheap, and people

1198
00:57:23,039 --> 00:57:25,039
keep saying they'll be collateral damage. But do you want

1199
00:57:25,039 --> 00:57:27,599
to get off of those contracts when you're gonna continue

1200
00:57:27,599 --> 00:57:28,559
to get more expensive.

1201
00:57:29,559 --> 00:57:30,280
Speaker 2: I don't know when.

1202
00:57:30,119 --> 00:57:32,719
Speaker 1: They traded for Jared McCain who could be another potential

1203
00:57:32,800 --> 00:57:36,079
X factor X factor we're worried about their offense bogging

1204
00:57:36,159 --> 00:57:40,760
down case and walls just because of the extension eligibility.

1205
00:57:40,800 --> 00:57:43,199
I find so fascinating here because if he's gonna play

1206
00:57:43,239 --> 00:57:45,840
a more expended offensive role because he has to, and

1207
00:57:45,920 --> 00:57:48,239
the individual numbers are there, or even the thunders start

1208
00:57:48,280 --> 00:57:51,679
to come out of the SGA list minutes rut, how

1209
00:57:51,760 --> 00:57:53,679
much more expensive could he get? Because we already know

1210
00:57:53,719 --> 00:57:57,239
he's an All NBA quality defender. If you now throw

1211
00:57:57,280 --> 00:57:59,960
in this isn't this doesn't need to be your fifth

1212
00:58:00,000 --> 00:58:02,280
option on the offensive end. He could be something more

1213
00:58:03,079 --> 00:58:04,400
that's only going to get pricier.

1214
00:58:05,760 --> 00:58:09,119
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's a The reason I gave you the look

1215
00:58:09,199 --> 00:58:11,519
when you were talking about him running more of the

1216
00:58:11,559 --> 00:58:14,280
offense is just like I'm I know that there's some

1217
00:58:14,440 --> 00:58:16,639
encouraging I mean, he's got like a handful of twenty

1218
00:58:16,639 --> 00:58:19,840
point games recently, he had a ten assist game in there.

1219
00:58:20,440 --> 00:58:23,800
That the role has changed, I'm still not sold on

1220
00:58:23,920 --> 00:58:28,760
him as as like there's this hidden reservoir of talent

1221
00:58:28,920 --> 00:58:31,480
that hasn't been able, Like they haven't tapped into it

1222
00:58:31,920 --> 00:58:33,760
because they're so good and they just need him to

1223
00:58:33,760 --> 00:58:36,440
do a couple things. I think maybe there's some of that,

1224
00:58:36,519 --> 00:58:39,880
but I think it's mostly because he is pretty limited still.

1225
00:58:41,360 --> 00:58:44,119
But like you could also say, well, the reason he's

1226
00:58:44,159 --> 00:58:47,199
limited is because he never gets to explore, Like you know,

1227
00:58:47,199 --> 00:58:49,039
if you were on a bad team for this first

1228
00:58:49,079 --> 00:58:50,960
three years of his career, who knows what his like

1229
00:58:51,000 --> 00:58:53,760
shot creation would look like. Now he just hasn't gotten

1230
00:58:53,800 --> 00:58:56,199
a chance. So it's a little like chicken or egg thing.

1231
00:58:56,199 --> 00:58:58,199
I think when it comes to him being a limited player,

1232
00:58:58,199 --> 00:59:01,639
I'm not sure, but I'm not sold on that. I'm curious.

1233
00:59:01,679 --> 00:59:04,599
As you were talking, you made me think, like because

1234
00:59:04,639 --> 00:59:06,199
you make a good case if it's like, all right,

1235
00:59:06,239 --> 00:59:09,039
Shay is off, but we think Wallace is developing as

1236
00:59:09,079 --> 00:59:13,519
a shot creator. Aj Mitchell has has been good at that.

1237
00:59:14,119 --> 00:59:18,679
Jaylen Williams can be like passable, too good at that.

1238
00:59:19,239 --> 00:59:22,039
Like you know, in a playoff setting, do you think

1239
00:59:22,159 --> 00:59:25,199
it's enough if there's like, all right, well, these three

1240
00:59:25,239 --> 00:59:28,840
guys are okay and they can share the load, versus

1241
00:59:29,280 --> 00:59:33,239
we need someone, a singular someone that can get us

1242
00:59:33,239 --> 00:59:36,159
a good shot like reliably, you know what I mean.

1243
00:59:36,199 --> 00:59:38,239
It's like if you've got three c plus's is at

1244
00:59:38,239 --> 00:59:41,440
the same as a b as having or something like that,

1245
00:59:41,719 --> 00:59:42,639
or do you need the guy?

1246
00:59:43,639 --> 00:59:44,760
Speaker 2: I think you need the guy.

1247
00:59:46,360 --> 00:59:47,920
Speaker 3: It's it's just I just made me think of that

1248
00:59:47,960 --> 00:59:50,599
because like it does have some appeal to be like, well,

1249
00:59:50,800 --> 00:59:54,679
I mean, we love having shot creators across several positions.

1250
00:59:54,679 --> 00:59:57,599
That's that's good. But but I it's hard to get

1251
00:59:57,760 --> 01:00:00,000
in a playoff series. It's like somebody's got a fucking

1252
01:00:00,079 --> 01:00:00,639
create a shot.

1253
01:00:00,679 --> 01:00:03,239
Speaker 1: Like I'm also I'm also just looking at it through

1254
01:00:03,239 --> 01:00:05,960
the lens of the They have to have J dub

1255
01:00:06,079 --> 01:00:08,880
at some point, right, and he before denelevates his injury

1256
01:00:08,960 --> 01:00:11,320
that game or was it the that was that game

1257
01:00:11,320 --> 01:00:13,440
against the Suns where he just went absolutely off and

1258
01:00:13,519 --> 01:00:15,880
looked like J Dub Yeah, and.

1259
01:00:15,840 --> 01:00:16,719
Speaker 2: Like, so that's what sucks.

1260
01:00:16,760 --> 01:00:19,960
Speaker 1: So I'm kicking in J Dubb is going to be

1261
01:00:19,960 --> 01:00:22,480
fine at some point this season. Maybe that's being a

1262
01:00:22,519 --> 01:00:24,519
little over ambitious and if this team has been so

1263
01:00:24,639 --> 01:00:27,400
banged up, but even if Cason Willis is just this

1264
01:00:27,480 --> 01:00:28,480
dude hits more.

1265
01:00:28,320 --> 01:00:31,199
Speaker 2: Threes, can do a little bit more of the ball handling. Yeah,

1266
01:00:31,440 --> 01:00:34,840
it's I don't know if it's You're right to frame

1267
01:00:34,880 --> 01:00:35,400
it that way.

1268
01:00:35,599 --> 01:00:38,320
Speaker 1: I think it just makes the minutes where it's just

1269
01:00:39,039 --> 01:00:41,000
if Jay Dubb is injured or if Shake Hills dobbx

1270
01:00:41,039 --> 01:00:43,599
Andrew is catching the breather. It just makes those minutes

1271
01:00:43,639 --> 01:00:46,599
so much easier because Cason Wass can do things defensively

1272
01:00:47,079 --> 01:00:50,440
that like even like aj Mitchell isn't going to do.

1273
01:00:51,000 --> 01:00:53,199
Speaker 2: And so you could say, like maybe Alex Caruso could,

1274
01:00:53,199 --> 01:00:53,599
but he's.

1275
01:00:53,440 --> 01:00:55,559
Speaker 1: Never gonna do the things he can't play as much,

1276
01:00:55,559 --> 01:00:57,719
and he's never gonna do the things offensively that maybe

1277
01:00:57,800 --> 01:00:58,719
Cason Wallace could do.

1278
01:00:59,400 --> 01:01:00,559
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that's fair.

1279
01:01:01,360 --> 01:01:05,079
Speaker 2: I think it's still me because we just piggyback off

1280
01:01:05,079 --> 01:01:05,719
over at case.

1281
01:01:05,599 --> 01:01:05,760
Speaker 3: And w.

1282
01:01:07,760 --> 01:01:11,559
Speaker 2: Here we go Jail and Green. I went back and

1283
01:01:11,599 --> 01:01:14,000
forth here. I thought about, oh, I think the Suns

1284
01:01:14,000 --> 01:01:15,719
are probably just a team of X factors, is what

1285
01:01:15,760 --> 01:01:18,639
it is. Uh Rasher Fleming is playing. Should I have

1286
01:01:18,639 --> 01:01:19,239
just picked him?

1287
01:01:19,760 --> 01:01:21,920
Speaker 1: But I thought about Ohsa Gadara was the one I

1288
01:01:21,920 --> 01:01:23,400
think I came closest to picking.

1289
01:01:23,679 --> 01:01:25,559
Speaker 2: He gave consideration to Grayson Allen.

1290
01:01:26,320 --> 01:01:29,679
Speaker 1: I do believe to pick anyone other than Jalen Green

1291
01:01:30,280 --> 01:01:34,280
would just be overthinking it. Because Devin Bookers of right

1292
01:01:34,320 --> 01:01:38,320
now is injured. Dylan Brooks the broken hand when is

1293
01:01:38,360 --> 01:01:40,320
he gonna come back? Will he be ready in time

1294
01:01:40,360 --> 01:01:42,559
for the play in? And they were so reliant on

1295
01:01:42,639 --> 01:01:46,880
Dylan Brooks offensively, not just defensively. And so you look

1296
01:01:46,920 --> 01:01:50,920
at Jalen Green, the sample size is so small. It's

1297
01:01:50,960 --> 01:01:54,039
not pretty when you look at the shooting percentages and

1298
01:01:54,400 --> 01:01:57,599
the fact that he is shooting a higher percentage in

1299
01:01:57,639 --> 01:02:01,199
the half court on step back threes or pull up

1300
01:02:01,239 --> 01:02:04,360
threes then he is at the rim, definitely problematic. But

1301
01:02:04,440 --> 01:02:07,239
I think when you watch him, there's definitely and I

1302
01:02:07,239 --> 01:02:09,320
think some of this is a byproduct of the way

1303
01:02:09,360 --> 01:02:14,360
that Phoenix's roster is, like who's available right now? He's

1304
01:02:14,360 --> 01:02:16,880
on the ball too much like your touch time should

1305
01:02:16,880 --> 01:02:20,119
not be over forty percent of his touches come when

1306
01:02:20,119 --> 01:02:22,639
he's holding the ball for six seconds or more. Just

1307
01:02:22,840 --> 01:02:25,920
for comparison's sake, Devin Booker, who is the engine of

1308
01:02:25,960 --> 01:02:28,480
the offense and is so good at getting off the ball,

1309
01:02:28,719 --> 01:02:31,239
only thirty percent of his possessions are there.

1310
01:02:31,280 --> 01:02:32,639
Speaker 2: And so I that's did he.

1311
01:02:32,679 --> 01:02:34,800
Speaker 3: Like dribble out the shot clock at the end of

1312
01:02:34,840 --> 01:02:37,679
a game a couple times or something? That's crazy? Sorry,

1313
01:02:37,719 --> 01:02:38,960
I did not know that.

1314
01:02:39,360 --> 01:02:41,840
Speaker 1: It is small sample too, So it's talking, That's what

1315
01:02:41,920 --> 01:02:46,920
I mean. But when you also watch him, though there's

1316
01:02:46,920 --> 01:02:49,119
he still settles for the tough shots where he wants

1317
01:02:49,159 --> 01:02:51,559
to be more of an escapist than get by guys.

1318
01:02:51,599 --> 01:02:53,599
It feels like, but he's had moments where he's getting

1319
01:02:53,639 --> 01:02:55,920
by guys. There have been some, or he makes a

1320
01:02:55,920 --> 01:02:58,159
tough baseline jumper or oh look at that finish at

1321
01:02:58,159 --> 01:03:00,559
the rim. I think the bigger deal for me has

1322
01:03:00,639 --> 01:03:03,199
actually been the moment and the shots are not going

1323
01:03:03,199 --> 01:03:05,400
in right now. He's shooting a higher percentage on self

1324
01:03:05,400 --> 01:03:07,440
created threes than catching shoot threes, which might be the

1325
01:03:07,440 --> 01:03:09,360
most Jayalen Green stat of all time.

1326
01:03:09,440 --> 01:03:12,639
Speaker 2: Quite frankly, he is.

1327
01:03:12,960 --> 01:03:15,440
Speaker 1: Feels like he is looking to soak up the right

1328
01:03:15,480 --> 01:03:17,960
space when he doesn't have the ball to where he's

1329
01:03:18,000 --> 01:03:21,199
going to be that second pass away. Unless it's Devin

1330
01:03:21,199 --> 01:03:23,239
Booker who has the ball, would just throw like a

1331
01:03:23,400 --> 01:03:25,960
cross court Shenanigan and it'll work out. Because I think

1332
01:03:26,000 --> 01:03:28,039
Devin Booker is one of the most underrated passers in

1333
01:03:28,079 --> 01:03:31,519
the game. That all being said, like him, whether it's

1334
01:03:31,599 --> 01:03:34,679
lifting out or drifting to above the break, I think

1335
01:03:34,719 --> 01:03:37,159
there's going to be something there when they're at full strength.

1336
01:03:37,480 --> 01:03:38,480
Speaker 2: Oh, Jaillen Green.

1337
01:03:38,920 --> 01:03:41,280
Speaker 1: Could he be more complimentary than we've seen in the past,

1338
01:03:41,320 --> 01:03:42,760
And that was one of the big knocks with him

1339
01:03:42,760 --> 01:03:45,480
in Houston is wasn't efficient enough as the focal point,

1340
01:03:45,800 --> 01:03:48,119
wasn't efficient enough or impactful enough. When he's playing off

1341
01:03:48,159 --> 01:03:51,159
the ball, He's defending better again based on what I've

1342
01:03:51,159 --> 01:03:53,480
seen in a small sample size in Phoenix than he

1343
01:03:53,519 --> 01:03:54,239
was at the end of his.

1344
01:03:54,199 --> 01:03:54,920
Speaker 2: Time in Houston.

1345
01:03:55,519 --> 01:03:57,519
Speaker 1: At the same time, do you know why he's actually

1346
01:03:57,519 --> 01:04:00,760
an X factor because they might him to do the

1347
01:04:00,800 --> 01:04:03,199
stuff that we don't want him to doep Like, you

1348
01:04:03,360 --> 01:04:05,400
need that tough shot maker, especially if you don't have

1349
01:04:05,480 --> 01:04:09,400
Dylan Brooks on the court shooting sixty percent on turnaround jumpers.

1350
01:04:09,639 --> 01:04:12,679
He's never gonna be a facilitator. You probably trust Grayson

1351
01:04:12,719 --> 01:04:15,679
Allen in that role more so than Jalen Green at

1352
01:04:15,719 --> 01:04:18,760
this point. But they their offense, the way this team

1353
01:04:18,800 --> 01:04:22,599
plays defensively, it's infectious. They're one of those teams where

1354
01:04:23,079 --> 01:04:26,079
if you're gonna they just play, they play with energy.

1355
01:04:26,280 --> 01:04:29,679
They're lively, and it's it's every night you're going to

1356
01:04:29,719 --> 01:04:33,599
field them. They could lose by like twenty and it's oh,

1357
01:04:33,639 --> 01:04:35,960
but you still remember that game. You played against the Suns,

1358
01:04:36,480 --> 01:04:41,519
and they just need that pure, unadulterated offensive force, and

1359
01:04:41,519 --> 01:04:44,880
they needed that before Dylan Brooks was injured, to be clear,

1360
01:04:45,159 --> 01:04:47,599
and I felt like going with Colin Gillespie wasn't in

1361
01:04:47,599 --> 01:04:49,599
the spirit of the exercise because of how important he's

1362
01:04:49,639 --> 01:04:51,920
been all year and Jalen Green is just this huge

1363
01:04:51,960 --> 01:04:54,880
piece they're trying to integrate. So I don't want to

1364
01:04:54,920 --> 01:04:56,719
see him on the ball as much as he probably

1365
01:04:56,800 --> 01:04:59,039
needs to be on the ball. But there's no getting

1366
01:04:59,360 --> 01:05:02,320
when Devin Book healthy. Sure there are ways to circumvent

1367
01:05:02,360 --> 01:05:05,079
that a little bit, but I have just belief and

1368
01:05:05,119 --> 01:05:07,519
this might be small sample belief. It's a small sample

1369
01:05:07,599 --> 01:05:10,119
theater or although it's also it's we're almost in March, so

1370
01:05:10,159 --> 01:05:12,239
this is Jalen Green's time. This this is time for

1371
01:05:12,320 --> 01:05:13,599
us to feel good about Jaalen Green.

1372
01:05:13,800 --> 01:05:15,800
Speaker 3: You should have led with that. We are we are

1373
01:05:15,800 --> 01:05:17,920
a right smack where Jalen Green thrives.

1374
01:05:18,199 --> 01:05:20,320
Speaker 1: But to be fair, he's not throughted when you look

1375
01:05:20,559 --> 01:05:22,760
watch him and like the shots just aren't going in.

1376
01:05:22,800 --> 01:05:25,679
But the aesthetics of it, I'm okay with it, except

1377
01:05:25,719 --> 01:05:28,079
for the fact that he's getting the rim less than

1378
01:05:28,079 --> 01:05:31,519
ever and it honestly feels like a choice grant and

1379
01:05:31,559 --> 01:05:33,199
it bugs the shit out of me when you watch him,

1380
01:05:33,239 --> 01:05:35,639
just the bailouts or the I want to step back,

1381
01:05:35,719 --> 01:05:37,159
or like I said, he wants to be more of

1382
01:05:37,199 --> 01:05:39,880
an escapist than someone who just attacks the basket.

1383
01:05:40,119 --> 01:05:43,199
Speaker 3: I just think the hamstring stuff has just changed him

1384
01:05:43,320 --> 01:05:45,760
this year, like it's it's it's been recurring, it's been

1385
01:05:45,760 --> 01:05:49,440
impossible to get over. I look at I kind of

1386
01:05:49,480 --> 01:05:51,320
just view this season as like a lost year for

1387
01:05:51,400 --> 01:05:55,360
him because he missed so much time with just the

1388
01:05:55,440 --> 01:05:57,760
type of injury that does make you bail out and

1389
01:05:57,840 --> 01:05:58,599
does make you like.

1390
01:05:58,719 --> 01:06:01,239
Speaker 2: He's always had that in him? Is that, you know?

1391
01:06:01,320 --> 01:06:04,920
Speaker 3: I mean, that's the thing, You're right, I just I

1392
01:06:04,920 --> 01:06:07,119
think I think the most interesting part about it is

1393
01:06:07,159 --> 01:06:11,400
like the Pistons, the Suns need him to be like

1394
01:06:12,079 --> 01:06:13,960
they need him, even if he's gonna be the worst

1395
01:06:14,039 --> 01:06:16,639
version of himself, like the player that we like don't

1396
01:06:16,639 --> 01:06:20,199
particularly care for offensively, like kind of the empty calories guy,

1397
01:06:20,280 --> 01:06:22,760
Like that would be enough. And if he can't do that,

1398
01:06:22,960 --> 01:06:27,559
even then it is truly a last year. All right,

1399
01:06:27,639 --> 01:06:29,239
I got do I want? I want?

1400
01:06:29,360 --> 01:06:33,400
Speaker 2: Yeah, He's just for context though in the half court.

1401
01:06:33,440 --> 01:06:37,719
He is shooting forty five point two percent from mid range,

1402
01:06:38,199 --> 01:06:41,400
forty five point five percent in the restricted area. Yeah,

1403
01:06:41,440 --> 01:06:46,599
he is shooting on pull up threes forty percent, which

1404
01:06:46,599 --> 01:06:47,599
is almost what he's shooting.

1405
01:06:47,599 --> 01:06:49,079
Speaker 1: And there's so I was a little bit off there.

1406
01:06:49,559 --> 01:06:53,199
That's like, again, the finishing will get better. I just

1407
01:06:53,239 --> 01:06:55,639
don't maybe to your point, the hamstring injuries in his

1408
01:06:55,679 --> 01:06:58,480
head or it's materially impacted the way he could he looks.

1409
01:06:58,519 --> 01:07:00,400
Speaker 2: I will say he doesn't.

1410
01:07:00,239 --> 01:07:03,280
Speaker 1: Bad on the ball. It's not anything thermonuclear when you're

1411
01:07:03,280 --> 01:07:05,960
looking at his speed. But he can still escape and

1412
01:07:06,039 --> 01:07:08,360
get by some guys there, just needs to be more

1413
01:07:08,400 --> 01:07:10,679
of a like he needs to be more deliberate about it.

1414
01:07:10,800 --> 01:07:14,639
Or maybe this is just always gonna be like ingrained

1415
01:07:14,679 --> 01:07:15,039
into him.

1416
01:07:15,039 --> 01:07:15,800
Speaker 2: That's just who he is.

1417
01:07:16,360 --> 01:07:19,159
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's I don't know. I just don't feel like

1418
01:07:19,159 --> 01:07:21,159
we got any good information on him this year, and

1419
01:07:21,199 --> 01:07:23,920
maybe that'll change over down the stretch. But all again,

1420
01:07:24,000 --> 01:07:26,960
when when Jailly Green blows up down the stretch, it's like, okay, cool,

1421
01:07:27,039 --> 01:07:30,280
that's just the normal thing, doesn't mean anything. I'm gonna

1422
01:07:30,280 --> 01:07:33,559
snipe you because I know you just can't wait to

1423
01:07:33,639 --> 01:07:36,519
talk about your new York Knicks, and I'm gonna choose

1424
01:07:36,519 --> 01:07:41,239
Mitchell Robinson as an X factor. I remember at the

1425
01:07:41,280 --> 01:07:43,039
beginning of the year there was a lot of discussion

1426
01:07:43,039 --> 01:07:44,880
about like who should start, who should play with whom,

1427
01:07:44,880 --> 01:07:46,639
and all this stuff, and they've just kind of managed

1428
01:07:46,639 --> 01:07:49,559
his minutes to where he doesn't start. They're trying to

1429
01:07:49,599 --> 01:07:52,239
preserve him, I guess, or they're just not comfortable with

1430
01:07:52,320 --> 01:07:56,800
him in certain lineups. So that the fact of like

1431
01:07:56,880 --> 01:07:59,400
maybe we're holding out because we know we're gonna need

1432
01:07:59,480 --> 01:08:02,599
him is one thing. The other issue is just like

1433
01:08:02,639 --> 01:08:05,320
as I'm we were talking off air, like as I'm

1434
01:08:05,320 --> 01:08:07,840
looking at like what's the if it goes wrong for

1435
01:08:07,880 --> 01:08:09,920
each team, Like what's the reason gonna be? And to me,

1436
01:08:10,039 --> 01:08:13,119
it's Kat just can't be part of a functional pick

1437
01:08:13,159 --> 01:08:16,439
and roll defense, especially if if Brunson is involved. And

1438
01:08:16,479 --> 01:08:19,800
so Mitchell Robinson as a rim protector, as a better defender,

1439
01:08:19,840 --> 01:08:24,039
as a as a rebounder is just better. So like,

1440
01:08:25,159 --> 01:08:26,880
is that all gonna work out? Or are we gonna

1441
01:08:26,880 --> 01:08:30,479
get to the postseason and it turns out like it's

1442
01:08:30,800 --> 01:08:33,239
he can't hold up and play enough to really matter,

1443
01:08:33,560 --> 01:08:35,680
or it actually doesn't make sense to play him as

1444
01:08:35,760 --> 01:08:38,600
much as maybe it seems like he should. I don't

1445
01:08:38,640 --> 01:08:40,279
really know where else to go on the Knicks either,

1446
01:08:40,359 --> 01:08:43,279
to be honest, unless you'd really like to discuss uh,

1447
01:08:43,399 --> 01:08:49,199
let's see. Uh Yeah, I don't know. Robinson is just

1448
01:08:49,239 --> 01:08:51,119
such a swing figure for them. It kind of seems

1449
01:08:51,159 --> 01:08:54,039
like that's the case every postseason. But it's got to

1450
01:08:54,079 --> 01:08:54,399
be him.

1451
01:08:55,039 --> 01:08:57,239
Speaker 1: You could make the case that he is their second

1452
01:08:57,279 --> 01:09:00,000
best shot creator because of his offensive rebounding.

1453
01:09:00,800 --> 01:09:03,359
Speaker 3: I think there's that's a great kid. Yeah, I mean,

1454
01:09:04,319 --> 01:09:05,359
that's a very.

1455
01:09:06,039 --> 01:09:09,039
Speaker 1: He's an he's also ANX actor too, because there's been

1456
01:09:09,760 --> 01:09:12,760
pockets of time or pockets within games where he looks

1457
01:09:12,920 --> 01:09:16,159
like the dominant defender again, moving on the perimeter, snuffing

1458
01:09:16,199 --> 01:09:18,720
out or deturing shots at the basket. But he's been

1459
01:09:18,880 --> 01:09:21,199
just off, and I don't know if it's he has

1460
01:09:21,279 --> 01:09:24,000
not been great by his own standards defensively this year.

1461
01:09:24,239 --> 01:09:26,560
But you're absolutely right, I think they're gonna need We

1462
01:09:26,600 --> 01:09:29,359
haven't seen a ton of the dual big lineup. The

1463
01:09:29,399 --> 01:09:32,239
minutes they've played dual big against the Pistons this season

1464
01:09:32,279 --> 01:09:34,760
when they were able to, then what did not go well?

1465
01:09:34,800 --> 01:09:36,840
It was like nine minutes and they were minus ten

1466
01:09:37,239 --> 01:09:39,800
during that stretch. But he is so huge to what

1467
01:09:39,800 --> 01:09:42,800
they're trying because I don't think you can't just hope

1468
01:09:42,880 --> 01:09:45,439
to have a good enough defense for the postseason because

1469
01:09:45,479 --> 01:09:48,560
you have og On andob McHale Bridges and now Jose

1470
01:09:48,600 --> 01:09:51,479
Alvarado's print or Deduce McBride on the court.

1471
01:09:52,600 --> 01:09:54,279
Speaker 2: I think that he is an insult.

1472
01:09:54,359 --> 01:09:56,399
Speaker 1: He could be a potential insulator for Karl Anthony Towns

1473
01:09:56,399 --> 01:09:59,039
in certain matchups, or you just need to dominate defensively

1474
01:09:59,600 --> 01:10:02,079
in the minute that Cat isn't on the floor. There's

1475
01:10:02,119 --> 01:10:05,479
a more intuitive connection with him and Jalen Brunton, for

1476
01:10:05,560 --> 01:10:07,640
sure than Karl Anthony Towns two, which is another element

1477
01:10:07,640 --> 01:10:10,600
that you probably get talked about. He's definitely an X factor,

1478
01:10:10,640 --> 01:10:13,600
and I think they're probably making the right move managing

1479
01:10:13,600 --> 01:10:15,960
his minutes being on the maintenance program, not playing him

1480
01:10:16,000 --> 01:10:18,760
back to backs. We're just not gonna know though, until

1481
01:10:19,039 --> 01:10:22,439
because the whole thing. You can conserve him for the postseason,

1482
01:10:22,840 --> 01:10:24,399
But are you all of a sudden gonna play him

1483
01:10:24,399 --> 01:10:26,640
more minutes in the post because this is not someone

1484
01:10:26,640 --> 01:10:29,439
who's played twenty five plus minutes per game often this year.

1485
01:10:31,600 --> 01:10:33,239
Speaker 3: Sorry, you just made me think of a question. I

1486
01:10:33,319 --> 01:10:35,119
have to ask you because I don't know your thoughts

1487
01:10:35,159 --> 01:10:39,079
on it. So offensive end of the floor is the best.

1488
01:10:39,920 --> 01:10:41,600
Is there a case that the Knicks are better, like

1489
01:10:41,640 --> 01:10:44,479
you said, because of his offensive rebounding with Robinson in

1490
01:10:44,520 --> 01:10:47,840
the game and Cat out at center, so they're just

1491
01:10:48,000 --> 01:10:52,640
Cat is still the the better offensive weapon? I think

1492
01:10:53,600 --> 01:10:54,960
by virtually.

1493
01:10:56,079 --> 01:10:58,000
Speaker 1: Robs Yeah, yeah, it's just it's not even gonna be

1494
01:10:58,000 --> 01:11:00,680
close even with if there's numbers. That's a because Cornathie

1495
01:11:00,680 --> 01:11:02,520
Towns will do the defensive rebounding. He has been part

1496
01:11:02,560 --> 01:11:05,439
of some lineups without John Brunson. The root of and

1497
01:11:05,479 --> 01:11:07,760
you wrote about this, the root of most of the

1498
01:11:07,840 --> 01:11:11,960
Knick's defensive issues is Karnthy Towns and John Brunson playing together.

1499
01:11:12,520 --> 01:11:14,119
Speaker 2: And the other part of that.

1500
01:11:14,199 --> 01:11:18,720
Speaker 1: Is you've built a team around them where the people

1501
01:11:18,760 --> 01:11:21,199
are mad at McHale Bridges because he doesn't do the

1502
01:11:21,199 --> 01:11:24,239
thing that he's never really been supposed to do when

1503
01:11:24,279 --> 01:11:25,560
it comes to you don't want him at the point

1504
01:11:25,560 --> 01:11:28,239
of attack all the time, and he's been I think

1505
01:11:28,520 --> 01:11:31,880
if you didn't, if you just took away include the extension,

1506
01:11:31,880 --> 01:11:33,720
but if you just took away the cost it took

1507
01:11:33,760 --> 01:11:36,319
to acquire him, I don't think people would view mckal

1508
01:11:36,359 --> 01:11:41,920
bridges as just a disappointment I think, or expectations he would.

1509
01:11:42,239 --> 01:11:45,920
Speaker 3: Only be beloved if not for those the the cost

1510
01:11:46,039 --> 01:11:48,319
and then the second cost, I think right.

1511
01:11:48,720 --> 01:11:50,680
Speaker 1: But I think if you were going to have Towns

1512
01:11:50,880 --> 01:11:54,000
and Brunson, which they clearly didn't know, maybe they had

1513
01:11:54,000 --> 01:11:56,279
an inkling of, But if you knew you were gonna

1514
01:11:56,279 --> 01:11:59,840
have Brunson and Towns as the basis of your team,

1515
01:12:00,399 --> 01:12:03,319
you need another Ogn Andobi. You don't need to mckel bridges,

1516
01:12:03,399 --> 01:12:05,319
or at least you need to be bigger on the

1517
01:12:05,359 --> 01:12:11,000
perimeter than having Deuce McBride, Landry Shamitt, Jose Alvarado.

1518
01:12:10,640 --> 01:12:11,319
Speaker 2: All really good.

1519
01:12:11,359 --> 01:12:13,520
Speaker 1: Lady Chap has been pretty good defensively this year, but

1520
01:12:13,600 --> 01:12:17,119
it's just you need someone bigger than that, and mckel

1521
01:12:17,159 --> 01:12:19,439
bridges is bigger, but he's not gonna play the physical

1522
01:12:19,479 --> 01:12:21,960
brand of defense that you get from an OGN ANDOBI,

1523
01:12:22,039 --> 01:12:24,840
and so Mitchell Robmas is the X factor for that

1524
01:12:24,920 --> 01:12:27,640
reason because he can erase a lot of the problems

1525
01:12:27,680 --> 01:12:29,399
that are going to be in front of you. But

1526
01:12:29,760 --> 01:12:33,600
the question becomes how much is he like is it

1527
01:12:33,800 --> 01:12:35,960
just on the court with John Brunson thing or are

1528
01:12:35,960 --> 01:12:37,960
we gonna see more of the dual big lineups as

1529
01:12:38,000 --> 01:12:40,439
it like once we get to the postseason and those

1530
01:12:40,520 --> 01:12:42,680
have not been It's it was sort of this miss

1531
01:12:42,840 --> 01:12:45,640
like mystery box for the Knicks last year and now

1532
01:12:45,680 --> 01:12:48,319
we're just sort of huh, Like he had started some

1533
01:12:48,359 --> 01:12:50,119
games earlier in the year, it's just the minutes we've

1534
01:12:50,119 --> 01:12:52,520
seen they haven't been spectacular, and so I don't know

1535
01:12:52,560 --> 01:12:54,439
what you do and that, like can you just bust

1536
01:12:54,479 --> 01:12:56,680
that or can it become more of a staples? It

1537
01:12:56,760 --> 01:12:59,920
only a staple against certain teams. Who are those teams?

1538
01:13:01,119 --> 01:13:04,319
Those because look the way the Towns has been shooting,

1539
01:13:04,359 --> 01:13:06,000
been a little bit better lately, but like he's having

1540
01:13:06,039 --> 01:13:09,439
the least efficient season of his career, and so yeah,

1541
01:13:09,479 --> 01:13:11,800
he'll still have that gravity. But if he's not making threes,

1542
01:13:12,039 --> 01:13:14,880
and then you have Mitchell Robinson on the court, like

1543
01:13:15,119 --> 01:13:18,960
the floor is just shrunk because that happens, and you

1544
01:13:19,079 --> 01:13:21,239
also about the game it now can you have him

1545
01:13:21,279 --> 01:13:24,359
on the court with Mo Diawar or Jeremy so Han.

1546
01:13:24,399 --> 01:13:26,680
I will say I will be on this podcast Rantic

1547
01:13:26,720 --> 01:13:29,199
and raving if Jeremy Sohn is getting any postseason minutes

1548
01:13:29,199 --> 01:13:30,119
over mo Oh.

1549
01:13:30,199 --> 01:13:32,159
Speaker 3: I didn't know your opinion on him. I was gonna

1550
01:13:32,159 --> 01:13:34,319
ask you, like, where, how's fine?

1551
01:13:34,520 --> 01:13:36,399
Speaker 1: He's fine as a flyer, and I get why you

1552
01:13:36,439 --> 01:13:38,239
try him out now just to kind of understand what

1553
01:13:38,279 --> 01:13:43,880
you have. But there's just no kid, there's no there's

1554
01:13:43,920 --> 01:13:46,039
no there there, at least relative to this team that

1555
01:13:46,119 --> 01:13:48,840
wants to play Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart together and

1556
01:13:48,880 --> 01:13:52,520
still like have really good spacing. So but yeah, I

1557
01:13:52,560 --> 01:13:54,960
think that that's the right pick. The only other player

1558
01:13:55,000 --> 01:13:57,399
I think you could go with is Landry Shammitt. And

1559
01:13:57,439 --> 01:14:00,560
that's almost an indictment of the Knicks that Landry has

1560
01:14:00,600 --> 01:14:02,279
become this important to.

1561
01:14:02,199 --> 01:14:05,399
Speaker 3: That he's a classic. That guy's way too important. Guy

1562
01:14:07,279 --> 01:14:08,319
that start.

1563
01:14:09,119 --> 01:14:11,439
Speaker 1: Everyone wants to see the deuce plus starters. Give me

1564
01:14:11,560 --> 01:14:12,680
Landry plus starters.

1565
01:14:12,720 --> 01:14:12,920
Speaker 2: Now.

1566
01:14:13,079 --> 01:14:16,479
Speaker 3: It's terrifying that this player is too important? Is this important?

1567
01:14:16,520 --> 01:14:18,359
I feel like there's at least a half dozen guys

1568
01:14:18,359 --> 01:14:20,039
we could we could hit that with them.

1569
01:14:20,079 --> 01:14:22,199
Speaker 1: Could that be like, how many of the X factors

1570
01:14:22,239 --> 01:14:24,159
that we name no fit under that? Or did we

1571
01:14:24,239 --> 01:14:25,319
just rebrand X factor?

1572
01:14:25,439 --> 01:14:27,840
Speaker 3: Maybe we just rebranded X factor. Yeah, that's actually not

1573
01:14:27,880 --> 01:14:28,600
that innovative.

1574
01:14:28,760 --> 01:14:32,800
Speaker 1: Disregard I'm gonna go to this is probably an obvious one.

1575
01:14:32,920 --> 01:14:36,039
But Darius Garland for the Clippers, and it's can he

1576
01:14:36,119 --> 01:14:39,079
get healthy. He's apparently scrimmaging now, which is a good sign.

1577
01:14:39,520 --> 01:14:42,239
But I think why he's also an X factor is

1578
01:14:42,800 --> 01:14:44,840
people have just sort of written off the Clippers as well.

1579
01:14:44,840 --> 01:14:46,359
Speaker 2: They don't care about this year anymore.

1580
01:14:46,359 --> 01:14:48,319
Speaker 1: Look at the trades they just made with Zoobots and

1581
01:14:48,399 --> 01:14:52,399
Harden and yeah, sure the defense has been borderline elite

1582
01:14:52,840 --> 01:14:55,600
since those trades. And the thing they need the most

1583
01:14:55,680 --> 01:14:57,840
on offense if Kawhi Leonard is going to be there

1584
01:14:58,520 --> 01:15:01,199
is like someone who can like just another playmaker in

1585
01:15:01,239 --> 01:15:03,079
the half court and just someone to get up threes.

1586
01:15:03,079 --> 01:15:05,039
They're twenty ninth and three point attempt rate since the

1587
01:15:05,039 --> 01:15:08,560
trade deadline, twenty third in accuracy. You're not getting that

1588
01:15:08,600 --> 01:15:11,840
from Chris Dunn. You also don't want to see Derek

1589
01:15:11,920 --> 01:15:14,680
Jones Junior have to get up runners in crunch time

1590
01:15:14,960 --> 01:15:17,319
like he was the other night. These could all those

1591
01:15:17,319 --> 01:15:19,079
guys would all be X factors, by the way, you

1592
01:15:19,079 --> 01:15:22,479
want to pick Kobe Sanders, Jordan Miller, those would all

1593
01:15:22,520 --> 01:15:26,199
be accurate X factors, maybe under different circumstances. But the

1594
01:15:26,279 --> 01:15:29,800
unknown of Darius Garland, plus the fact that. I kind

1595
01:15:29,800 --> 01:15:32,479
of think that the Clippers could still be pretty fucking

1596
01:15:32,520 --> 01:15:36,640
good if Drek, like you maybe acquired a fringe All NBA.

1597
01:15:36,760 --> 01:15:39,159
I get James Harden is better having the better season,

1598
01:15:39,199 --> 01:15:42,279
but you might have just acquired a fringe All NBA player.

1599
01:15:42,680 --> 01:15:45,520
Speaker 2: So how much worse are you really going to be? Again?

1600
01:15:46,000 --> 01:15:47,800
Speaker 1: If Kawhi Leonard is able to be on the floor,

1601
01:15:48,640 --> 01:15:50,760
don't I don't know what type of noise they could make.

1602
01:15:50,800 --> 01:15:53,479
They are not going to get out of play in territory.

1603
01:15:53,520 --> 01:15:56,640
They're tenth right now, they're seven losses behind six, but

1604
01:15:57,600 --> 01:16:01,960
I mean short of maybe the Thunder and perhaps the Spurs. Like,

1605
01:16:02,039 --> 01:16:04,760
what team wants to face Kawhi in a healthy Darius

1606
01:16:04,760 --> 01:16:06,560
Garland in the playoffs? Maybe you want to face the

1607
01:16:06,560 --> 01:16:09,359
Clippers because you're gonna bet against one or both of

1608
01:16:09,399 --> 01:16:13,479
those guys not being healthy. But Darius Garland comes back.

1609
01:16:13,560 --> 01:16:16,159
I don't think the Clippers, no, I don't think they'll

1610
01:16:16,159 --> 01:16:18,840
be as frisky as if they still had Zubots. I

1611
01:16:18,840 --> 01:16:21,600
know hot take that one of their three most important

1612
01:16:21,600 --> 01:16:25,159
players was important to them, but like, this team's season

1613
01:16:25,239 --> 01:16:28,119
is not just over. If Darius Garland can get it's

1614
01:16:28,159 --> 01:16:31,960
not just over. He does everything that we've watched so far,

1615
01:16:32,239 --> 01:16:35,520
he kind of fills every hole that they still have.

1616
01:16:38,199 --> 01:16:41,840
Speaker 3: He is he the leader now among players where we

1617
01:16:41,960 --> 01:16:44,920
like to say the pendulum swung too far, like at

1618
01:16:45,000 --> 01:16:47,399
least for him, towards the negative because all the things

1619
01:16:47,399 --> 01:16:49,800
he has working against him, like the recent discourse that

1620
01:16:49,920 --> 01:16:53,399
just won't go maybe well founded of just like small

1621
01:16:53,439 --> 01:16:55,399
guards are dead. Man can't have small guards in the

1622
01:16:55,479 --> 01:16:58,279
NBA anymore. It's the most overvalued position. Like, look at

1623
01:16:58,319 --> 01:16:59,920
all the if you want to list the worst con

1624
01:17:00,079 --> 01:17:01,520
tracks in the league, at a lot of them are

1625
01:17:01,560 --> 01:17:05,399
small guards. There's that, there's the injuries, there's the like

1626
01:17:05,439 --> 01:17:08,840
you're trading this guy without picks for James Harden, Like

1627
01:17:08,920 --> 01:17:12,720
that's how out the graves are on him. The contract's

1628
01:17:12,720 --> 01:17:18,279
pretty big. Like is having said all that, like we're

1629
01:17:18,359 --> 01:17:20,960
not that far removed from like was it? It probably

1630
01:17:21,000 --> 01:17:24,000
wasn't last year, It's probably the year before what was Like, Actually,

1631
01:17:24,119 --> 01:17:26,680
Darius Garland is having a better season than Donovan Mitchell,

1632
01:17:26,720 --> 01:17:29,119
and Donovan Mitchell's having a great season. Do you remember that,

1633
01:17:29,199 --> 01:17:31,479
I know we discussed that it could have been two

1634
01:17:31,520 --> 01:17:31,960
years ago.

1635
01:17:32,560 --> 01:17:34,319
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it might have been last year at

1636
01:17:34,319 --> 01:17:35,920
one point and then by the end of it, Donovan

1637
01:17:35,960 --> 01:17:38,880
Mitchell separated himself, but we both had I don't believe

1638
01:17:38,920 --> 01:17:40,840
he ultimately made it, but we both had him.

1639
01:17:40,920 --> 01:17:42,880
Speaker 2: Darius Garland on our all NBA.

1640
01:17:42,720 --> 01:17:45,199
Speaker 3: Baut Okay, so yeah, there was and it wasn't like

1641
01:17:45,359 --> 01:17:47,640
a two week thing. It was like it was a

1642
01:17:47,720 --> 01:17:51,039
decent stretch where Okay, Darius Garland is like at least

1643
01:17:51,039 --> 01:17:53,800
it's a conversation right now about who's had the better

1644
01:17:53,880 --> 01:17:57,720
year with Donovan Mitchell, who was just like I mean

1645
01:17:58,239 --> 01:18:02,279
today is a top ten player probably uh and maybe ended.

1646
01:18:02,199 --> 01:18:05,560
Speaker 1: Up that don Mitchell is probably gonna be top five

1647
01:18:05,600 --> 01:18:07,520
on the m v P ballot this year, right.

1648
01:18:07,479 --> 01:18:10,039
Speaker 3: Yeah, on the on the default MVP ballot that we're

1649
01:18:10,039 --> 01:18:14,479
gonna have this year. That's super fun. We should discuss that. Yeah, anyway,

1650
01:18:14,520 --> 01:18:16,279
to answer my own question, the pendulum has swung a

1651
01:18:16,279 --> 01:18:18,720
little too far towards Darius Garland is not good anymore.

1652
01:18:18,720 --> 01:18:21,279
I think that's a good pick. However, there are real

1653
01:18:21,359 --> 01:18:24,079
questions that's why he's next factor like maybe maybe toe

1654
01:18:24,159 --> 01:18:26,600
injuries are the new like torn a cl or just

1655
01:18:26,600 --> 01:18:28,680
like a death sentence. Man, you're never gonna be this.

1656
01:18:28,760 --> 01:18:30,479
Speaker 1: We all thought it was cash trains. We're gonna be

1657
01:18:30,520 --> 01:18:33,560
the next like unraveling of the NBA. But it's really

1658
01:18:33,720 --> 01:18:35,520
fucking toes the toe injuries.

1659
01:18:36,199 --> 01:18:38,439
Speaker 3: All right, Let's see, we're running out of really obvious

1660
01:18:38,479 --> 01:18:42,239
ones here, so I'm gonna go for my next pick

1661
01:18:42,479 --> 01:18:47,159
with how suspenseful should we make it? Okay, this will

1662
01:18:47,159 --> 01:18:47,760
be a quick one.

1663
01:18:48,359 --> 01:18:49,720
Speaker 2: Spencer was actually killing me.

1664
01:18:49,960 --> 01:18:55,359
Speaker 3: Let's talk about Chris Asporzingis, who's that well? Uh and

1665
01:18:55,600 --> 01:18:57,800
if you post back up, I get it, Yeah, Quinn

1666
01:18:57,840 --> 01:19:02,239
post backup. He sometimes doesn't travel with the team on

1667
01:19:02,359 --> 01:19:05,079
road trips already because it's like, what's the point he's

1668
01:19:05,119 --> 01:19:12,640
not gonna play? Look, if Porzingis can be healthy, I

1669
01:19:12,680 --> 01:19:15,720
don't know. Yeah, I can't say like full stop, just

1670
01:19:15,760 --> 01:19:20,880
like healthy enough. We've discussed like he is the absolute

1671
01:19:20,960 --> 01:19:25,119
ideal center to put next to Draymond Green. And that's

1672
01:19:25,159 --> 01:19:27,079
if you think Draymond Green is still someone that you

1673
01:19:27,119 --> 01:19:29,880
need to like make decisions around, and for the moment,

1674
01:19:29,920 --> 01:19:31,960
he sort of is because he's clearly not gone anywhere.

1675
01:19:34,119 --> 01:19:36,920
He also might be thirty million dollars of dead money,

1676
01:19:37,560 --> 01:19:40,199
and then what do you do you what do you

1677
01:19:40,279 --> 01:19:43,159
pay him in the off season? Like you certainly don't

1678
01:19:43,159 --> 01:19:45,600
have enough information based on what he's done this year

1679
01:19:45,640 --> 01:19:48,199
with the team, because he's barely played and doesn't looked

1680
01:19:48,199 --> 01:19:52,439
good when he did so. I I think if you

1681
01:19:52,560 --> 01:19:57,119
say that the Warriors traded for him because they needed

1682
01:19:57,239 --> 01:19:59,560
to get Jonathan Kuminga off the team and they're only

1683
01:19:59,600 --> 01:20:02,520
required it was no money that goes beyond this season,

1684
01:20:02,960 --> 01:20:05,880
like that's a possibility. I think there was more to

1685
01:20:05,920 --> 01:20:09,560
it than that. I'm convinced they thought and maybe still think,

1686
01:20:09,880 --> 01:20:12,319
we can get this pots thing figured out. We don't

1687
01:20:12,359 --> 01:20:14,239
need him to be a superstar. We just need him

1688
01:20:14,279 --> 01:20:16,920
to give us. You know, you can rest on back

1689
01:20:16,960 --> 01:20:19,079
to backs, give us twenty five minutes of what you

1690
01:20:19,199 --> 01:20:22,840
do fifty five times a year, and then enough of

1691
01:20:22,840 --> 01:20:25,199
that in the playoffs and you really matter. He could

1692
01:20:25,199 --> 01:20:29,640
also just produce precisely zero, and so I guess it

1693
01:20:29,880 --> 01:20:32,520
has to be more of a big picture thing, just like,

1694
01:20:33,439 --> 01:20:37,479
is he this the key to getting Curry at all

1695
01:20:37,640 --> 01:20:40,439
one more run next year if they bring him back,

1696
01:20:40,600 --> 01:20:43,720
or was it just like no one ever remembers he

1697
01:20:43,800 --> 01:20:45,720
was on the team and he doesn't come back, and

1698
01:20:45,800 --> 01:20:49,000
Kaminga's gone, and that's just like we just dust our

1699
01:20:49,000 --> 01:20:49,520
hands off.

1700
01:20:50,520 --> 01:20:54,199
Speaker 1: I think even let's say twenty minutes a game in

1701
01:20:54,279 --> 01:20:57,720
the play in or the playoffs of the Christaps Porzingis

1702
01:20:58,199 --> 01:21:01,199
that you saw with Boston, because he was so up

1703
01:21:01,239 --> 01:21:05,239
and down this year with Atlanta, why would you want

1704
01:21:05,239 --> 01:21:07,760
to ever face the Warriors in that instance that because

1705
01:21:07,760 --> 01:21:10,000
of just the stuff that Christops Persingis can do. Yes,

1706
01:21:10,039 --> 01:21:12,279
the floor spacing, the room protection, for sure you mentioned

1707
01:21:12,560 --> 01:21:15,000
doesn't occupy the same space as Draymond Green. But you

1708
01:21:15,039 --> 01:21:18,279
could also lineups where if he's not the passer that

1709
01:21:18,319 --> 01:21:20,800
Steve Kurb probably prefers Biggs to be, like, you can

1710
01:21:20,880 --> 01:21:23,760
put him like in the mid post. You could put

1711
01:21:23,840 --> 01:21:25,960
him like just on the end, not run the offense,

1712
01:21:26,000 --> 01:21:28,840
but he could generate turn around hit those turnaround jumpers

1713
01:21:28,920 --> 01:21:31,640
or just like shoot over guys. That's the version we

1714
01:21:31,640 --> 01:21:34,159
saw of it was in Washington, it was in Boston.

1715
01:21:35,479 --> 01:21:37,119
I mean like we saw it a moments in Atlanta. I

1716
01:21:37,119 --> 01:21:38,680
don't think Atlanta would have wanted to have traded him

1717
01:21:38,680 --> 01:21:41,399
for coming of christophs Persingis was healthy. I don't think

1718
01:21:41,399 --> 01:21:42,520
that is that a move that they make.

1719
01:21:42,680 --> 01:21:45,079
Speaker 3: Probably not, No, I don't think you know, because kiming

1720
01:21:45,119 --> 01:21:48,560
it doesn't doesn't make sense on that team just because

1721
01:21:48,560 --> 01:21:51,239
of who's all there and what they If he plays

1722
01:21:51,239 --> 01:21:53,279
the Wizards every night, he's going to continue to be great.

1723
01:21:53,279 --> 01:21:55,600
Speaker 2: He's gonna get minutes over Zachary Resiche because that makes

1724
01:21:55,640 --> 01:21:56,319
a ton of sense.

1725
01:21:56,479 --> 01:22:00,039
Speaker 3: Buddy. No, I think the other thing you mentioned the

1726
01:22:00,039 --> 01:22:03,520
post up stuff, like the really there was that hot

1727
01:22:03,560 --> 01:22:06,359
minute where he was like statistically the best post up

1728
01:22:06,520 --> 01:22:08,199
big in the league because he could just turn around

1729
01:22:08,239 --> 01:22:11,720
and get fouled every time. But like from the Warriors' perspective, literally,

1730
01:22:11,800 --> 01:22:15,119
anybody that has a thing that they can do to

1731
01:22:15,279 --> 01:22:19,600
generate a point or an attempt a free throws that's

1732
01:22:19,640 --> 01:22:23,439
not Steph Curry is good. Like Jimmy Butler's principal ability,

1733
01:22:23,680 --> 01:22:26,119
like as the non Steph offensive leader was go get

1734
01:22:26,199 --> 01:22:29,000
fouled if they have another guy, Like if all Persingis

1735
01:22:29,039 --> 01:22:31,640
does is get fouled twice in a couple of minutes

1736
01:22:31,680 --> 01:22:34,600
he plays without Steph, that's a that's a value add

1737
01:22:34,800 --> 01:22:37,600
you know, like in addition to all the spacing and whatever.

1738
01:22:37,640 --> 01:22:41,159
But I I don't know, these are impossible things to know.

1739
01:22:41,279 --> 01:22:45,119
But like his health future is just like who's got

1740
01:22:45,119 --> 01:22:48,960
a cloudier one that doesn't have like a a major injury, right, now,

1741
01:22:49,000 --> 01:22:52,039
you know, like he's just you can't possibly know how

1742
01:22:52,119 --> 01:22:55,439
much he's gonna play going forward. It's it's unknowable.

1743
01:22:55,920 --> 01:22:58,159
Speaker 1: Would you give him non tax payer mid level money

1744
01:22:58,199 --> 01:23:00,800
this offseason as of right now if doc him back.

1745
01:23:02,520 --> 01:23:05,760
Speaker 2: Fifteen a year basically, Uh.

1746
01:23:05,720 --> 01:23:08,520
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think I would, And I think I think

1747
01:23:08,560 --> 01:23:10,920
that's that's worth the risk. But if you go up

1748
01:23:10,960 --> 01:23:13,640
to like twenty five or something, which would be a

1749
01:23:13,640 --> 01:23:17,920
discount from what he's making aav right now, I think

1750
01:23:17,960 --> 01:23:22,000
that's just you really there is a massive risk that

1751
01:23:22,039 --> 01:23:24,399
you are setting that money on fire like that. That's

1752
01:23:24,439 --> 01:23:25,279
that's a real thing.

1753
01:23:25,920 --> 01:23:27,640
Speaker 1: Maybe you do it as if it's a one year

1754
01:23:27,720 --> 01:23:30,239
deal because you want again to sort of roll over

1755
01:23:30,279 --> 01:23:31,800
the Kaminga salary slot would be.

1756
01:23:31,880 --> 01:23:34,199
Speaker 3: But yeah, that would be different multi year though you can't.

1757
01:23:34,560 --> 01:23:36,880
I could never get up into the twenties. I don't think.

1758
01:23:37,479 --> 01:23:42,239
Speaker 1: Well, speaking of Johnathan Kaminga, he's my X factor.

1759
01:23:42,279 --> 01:23:44,279
Speaker 2: You want to know why, Grant. I don't think it's

1760
01:23:44,279 --> 01:23:47,720
a coincidence that John and the Kaminga gets traded to

1761
01:23:47,800 --> 01:23:50,479
the Atlanta Hawks, then they announce a Magic City tribute

1762
01:23:50,560 --> 01:23:55,039
night replete with lemon pepper wings. I don't care about

1763
01:23:55,039 --> 01:23:56,159
what's happening on the court.

1764
01:23:56,439 --> 01:23:59,159
Speaker 1: This team is aggressively middling, and whatever he does, I

1765
01:23:59,199 --> 01:24:01,079
don't real think it's gonna have impact. And if anything,

1766
01:24:01,079 --> 01:24:03,600
I fig you're just gonna have less information on Zachary

1767
01:24:03,680 --> 01:24:06,479
Resichet or maybe someone who's more important to your long term.

1768
01:24:06,520 --> 01:24:09,640
But that's why Jonathan Minga is an X factor, an

1769
01:24:09,720 --> 01:24:11,720
actual more of an X factor.

1770
01:24:11,439 --> 01:24:12,680
Speaker 2: For on court purposes.

1771
01:24:12,720 --> 01:24:15,119
Speaker 1: For me, Oh, I have so many different directions I

1772
01:24:15,119 --> 01:24:16,119
want to go in right now.

1773
01:24:16,920 --> 01:24:17,880
Speaker 2: All right, let's go here.

1774
01:24:18,720 --> 01:24:21,479
Speaker 1: Charles Lee, head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, the only

1775
01:24:21,520 --> 01:24:25,199
head coach we've picked so far. Right, Yeah, the Hornets

1776
01:24:25,239 --> 01:24:28,239
are just because I can't identify a singular player that's

1777
01:24:28,279 --> 01:24:32,000
responsible for it. The Hornets are sixth in points allowed

1778
01:24:32,039 --> 01:24:38,239
per possession since Thanksgiving. That is a huge sample size,

1779
01:24:38,720 --> 01:24:42,159
and there's some opponent luck caked in there. But they're also,

1780
01:24:42,319 --> 01:24:44,640
and I've now mentioned a bunch of times on this podcast,

1781
01:24:44,960 --> 01:24:48,000
your offense is good, so your defense gets set. They're

1782
01:24:48,039 --> 01:24:51,119
a great defensive rebounding team. Mike Sheer of Basketball Poetry

1783
01:24:51,159 --> 01:24:52,760
the other day made a great point about how they're

1784
01:24:52,800 --> 01:24:56,079
just not allowing corner threes either. Another thing that they're

1785
01:24:56,079 --> 01:24:58,760
doing is they just have a bunch of guys that

1786
01:24:58,840 --> 01:25:02,239
are holding their own one on one not getting torched on screen.

1787
01:25:02,319 --> 01:25:04,600
Brandon Miller has led the charge, but you have Seon

1788
01:25:04,720 --> 01:25:07,520
James sprinkled in there. I think Kank Nipple's done really

1789
01:25:07,520 --> 01:25:09,319
good with his size in a lot of the one

1790
01:25:09,319 --> 01:25:12,960
on one situations Musa Diabate. It's not just his ability

1791
01:25:13,000 --> 01:25:14,840
to be around the basket handle some of the bigs

1792
01:25:15,000 --> 01:25:17,479
when he switched out on to the perimeter. There's just

1793
01:25:17,520 --> 01:25:20,239
a lot of moving part. Even Miles Bridges has had

1794
01:25:20,279 --> 01:25:22,439
his defensive moments. We all know Josh Green has had

1795
01:25:22,439 --> 01:25:26,039
some really good defensive moments as well. This Hornets team,

1796
01:25:26,239 --> 01:25:29,800
on paper, I'm sorry, there is no way that for

1797
01:25:29,880 --> 01:25:32,520
more than half of the season they should be a

1798
01:25:32,560 --> 01:25:35,800
top seven defensive team. No, you look at the personnel,

1799
01:25:35,840 --> 01:25:36,720
there's absolutely none.

1800
01:25:36,760 --> 01:25:38,960
Speaker 2: And like LaMelo Ball still kind of flitters around out

1801
01:25:38,960 --> 01:25:43,399
there a bunch, but even he doesn't seem as like,

1802
01:25:43,399 --> 01:25:44,039
like as rigid.

1803
01:25:44,079 --> 01:25:45,960
Speaker 1: He's still gonna be targeted, but like he's just gonna

1804
01:25:45,960 --> 01:25:48,000
be a little bit more active. So I'm just gonna

1805
01:25:48,039 --> 01:25:49,760
give the credit to Charles Lee and if he's able

1806
01:25:49,800 --> 01:25:52,880
to keep this up, do the Hornets just get into

1807
01:25:52,880 --> 01:25:55,399
the playoffs through the play in at this rate, and

1808
01:25:55,439 --> 01:25:58,399
you're looking at everyone's singing their praises right now, which

1809
01:25:58,439 --> 01:26:00,439
is just a wild thing to say, because because they're

1810
01:26:00,520 --> 01:26:05,000
tenth in the Eastern Conference. But they've been just a really,

1811
01:26:05,039 --> 01:26:07,119
really good team since Thanksgiving.

1812
01:26:07,520 --> 01:26:10,439
Speaker 2: We're talking great, we're going on was that three months now?

1813
01:26:11,039 --> 01:26:11,760
That's insane.

1814
01:26:11,920 --> 01:26:13,960
Speaker 1: And so if they're able to get there, if like,

1815
01:26:14,319 --> 01:26:16,199
I wouldn't put it past them to get into the

1816
01:26:16,239 --> 01:26:17,159
eighth spot at.

1817
01:26:17,039 --> 01:26:18,840
Speaker 2: The way the way the Magic have played this year.

1818
01:26:18,880 --> 01:26:21,319
Speaker 1: I know they've been better lately, but I don't put

1819
01:26:21,319 --> 01:26:22,760
it past them to getting the seventh spot. They're not

1820
01:26:22,760 --> 01:26:25,359
getting to six, that would be well, there's some injuries

1821
01:26:25,359 --> 01:26:25,840
in Phillies.

1822
01:26:28,079 --> 01:26:30,479
Speaker 3: We have the emergency pod. If they I was thinking

1823
01:26:30,479 --> 01:26:32,399
we should we need to do an emergency pod when

1824
01:26:32,399 --> 01:26:34,239
they get to over five hundred, which is not that

1825
01:26:34,279 --> 01:26:34,800
far off.

1826
01:26:35,960 --> 01:26:39,800
Speaker 1: Uh So, yeah, like they might finish the season over

1827
01:26:39,840 --> 01:26:42,239
five hundred, which is something stupid to say, but when

1828
01:26:42,279 --> 01:26:44,359
you're talking about a team that hasn't been to the

1829
01:26:44,359 --> 01:26:46,520
playoffs in what seven years or whatever it is, they

1830
01:26:46,520 --> 01:26:48,720
haven't won a playoff series in twenty two years.

1831
01:26:48,560 --> 01:26:50,920
Speaker 2: Or whateverever it's been, it's a big deal.

1832
01:26:51,000 --> 01:26:53,640
Speaker 1: And I think that even last year you kind of

1833
01:26:53,720 --> 01:26:56,520
saw flashes of oh, they're gonna be able to punch

1834
01:26:56,520 --> 01:27:00,399
above their weight defensively, and now it's just like Carlesley

1835
01:27:00,399 --> 01:27:03,199
has kind of entrenched that in Stone and again, they

1836
01:27:03,199 --> 01:27:05,279
don't need to be elite. And by the way, they're

1837
01:27:05,359 --> 01:27:08,760
even they haven't had like the best schedule, but they

1838
01:27:08,800 --> 01:27:10,520
haven't been the word. It's when they go up against

1839
01:27:10,560 --> 01:27:14,560
top ten offenses. They're still basically fine during this stretch.

1840
01:27:14,479 --> 01:27:16,479
Speaker 2: So the warrants.

1841
01:27:16,600 --> 01:27:19,680
Speaker 1: Their offense is scary, but their defense is competent, and

1842
01:27:19,840 --> 01:27:21,119
I think a lot of credit has to just go

1843
01:27:21,119 --> 01:27:23,560
to that coaching staff, the players. Of course, Brendon Miller's

1844
01:27:23,560 --> 01:27:26,319
been If this was a full season's worth of Brandon Miller,

1845
01:27:26,319 --> 01:27:28,600
you might have had some Brandon Miller all defense talk.

1846
01:27:28,760 --> 01:27:33,239
Speaker 3: M That's interesting, yeah, because the performance has gone on

1847
01:27:33,319 --> 01:27:35,800
long enough that you can't dismiss it. And yet as

1848
01:27:35,800 --> 01:27:37,399
we're talking about it, I'm still just like, how is

1849
01:27:37,439 --> 01:27:40,359
this happening with the person Like with the personnel, like

1850
01:27:40,399 --> 01:27:43,640
you got at least one rookie on the floor most

1851
01:27:43,640 --> 01:27:47,800
of the time, sometimes more than that. LaMelo like, sometimes

1852
01:27:47,800 --> 01:27:50,760
your center is a rookie. Sometimes it's an undersized guy

1853
01:27:50,800 --> 01:27:54,279
who's like an energy player. I just like Miles Bridges

1854
01:27:54,319 --> 01:27:56,079
doesn't strike me as much of it, Like there's just

1855
01:27:56,119 --> 01:27:58,119
like how is it? How is it working? I like

1856
01:27:58,159 --> 01:28:01,960
the crediting the coaching staff because the personnel just you

1857
01:28:02,000 --> 01:28:05,720
said it punching above its Wait, let's go to the similar,

1858
01:28:06,319 --> 01:28:12,600
similarly small market Los Angeles Lakers, and so the player

1859
01:28:12,760 --> 01:28:17,800
is Jake la Ravia, but it's really just like the

1860
01:28:17,439 --> 01:28:22,039
the spot in the lineup because it could be him.

1861
01:28:22,399 --> 01:28:24,079
If you're looking to like how do we how do

1862
01:28:24,119 --> 01:28:25,880
we get the best version of the Lakers? It's like

1863
01:28:26,760 --> 01:28:30,640
Marcus Smart's gotten some starts, uh fairly for a while.

1864
01:28:32,479 --> 01:28:35,359
You've had bru Hachimura in there for a good chunk

1865
01:28:35,399 --> 01:28:39,760
of the early part of the season. Laavia seems like

1866
01:28:39,920 --> 01:28:42,640
the only guy that is going to give you something

1867
01:28:42,680 --> 01:28:46,640
on both ends at that position, and I get you know,

1868
01:28:46,800 --> 01:28:51,079
so far that's born out mostly offensively the the share

1869
01:28:51,239 --> 01:28:54,079
of time that he has spent this here's one for you.

1870
01:28:54,319 --> 01:28:58,039
How many possessions has Laavia played with Lebron Reeves and

1871
01:28:58,119 --> 01:28:59,039
Luca this year?

1872
01:29:00,159 --> 01:29:03,760
Speaker 2: Ooh, Lebron Reeves and Luca.

1873
01:29:05,079 --> 01:29:05,800
Speaker 3: Non garbage.

1874
01:29:07,720 --> 01:29:10,000
Speaker 2: I'm gonna say ten.

1875
01:29:10,880 --> 01:29:15,960
Speaker 3: Oh well, if you include DeAndre Ayton, it is exactly ten. Overall,

1876
01:29:15,960 --> 01:29:20,239
it's only twenty nine. So like essentially none. The offense

1877
01:29:21,000 --> 01:29:24,439
stupid good, the defense a little below average. I think

1878
01:29:24,479 --> 01:29:26,760
we need to see more. And that's not all on

1879
01:29:26,880 --> 01:29:29,279
La Ravia or like lineup shuffling. It's just those three

1880
01:29:29,319 --> 01:29:32,840
guys have all, you know, missed times. Yeah, that's that's

1881
01:29:32,880 --> 01:29:36,199
part of it. I'm why wouldn't.

1882
01:29:35,880 --> 01:29:38,880
Speaker 1: That could I ask you, why wouldn't that be your

1883
01:29:38,960 --> 01:29:40,600
default as the Lakers?

1884
01:29:40,680 --> 01:29:40,840
Speaker 2: Is it?

1885
01:29:40,880 --> 01:29:43,800
Speaker 1: Are you worried just about the shooting? Is that Marcus

1886
01:29:43,880 --> 01:29:44,520
Smart is not?

1887
01:29:44,920 --> 01:29:47,079
Speaker 2: You know, No, I.

1888
01:29:47,279 --> 01:29:51,399
Speaker 3: Think the issue. I think the issue is La Ravia

1889
01:29:51,560 --> 01:29:54,479
is like viewed as in the middle, which is to say,

1890
01:29:54,520 --> 01:29:57,159
like Hachimurra's three point shooting is just like it's real.

1891
01:29:57,399 --> 01:30:00,479
It's that that's you'd like more volume. But like that's

1892
01:30:00,479 --> 01:30:03,800
why he plays, is he's gonna make open threes, good size,

1893
01:30:03,840 --> 01:30:06,319
like him and La Ravia seem interchangeable, and La Ravia

1894
01:30:06,399 --> 01:30:08,640
is a better defender. But like you would says, we

1895
01:30:08,840 --> 01:30:10,760
gotta have shooting. I don't know why you'd say that,

1896
01:30:10,840 --> 01:30:12,880
because this offense should be fine just as long as

1897
01:30:13,000 --> 01:30:15,960
Luke's out there with warm bodies. So it's it's ruey

1898
01:30:16,039 --> 01:30:17,840
and it's like, well, we got to have somebody that's

1899
01:30:17,880 --> 01:30:21,720
gonna really guard, and Marcus Smart's reputation is that he's

1900
01:30:21,800 --> 01:30:25,199
that guy, Like I it's mostly foul drifting and flopping

1901
01:30:25,279 --> 01:30:27,600
and stuff. It's like, you know, he's it's not twenty

1902
01:30:27,680 --> 01:30:30,279
twenty one when he's like, is that the year he

1903
01:30:30,359 --> 01:30:32,159
won it? Or yeah? I think yeah, I think twenty

1904
01:30:32,199 --> 01:30:35,359
one or twenty two. Anyway, So you have, like, when

1905
01:30:35,399 --> 01:30:38,039
we need these extreme solutions, there's two other players that

1906
01:30:38,079 --> 01:30:39,640
get picked in La Ravia is the one that kind

1907
01:30:39,680 --> 01:30:43,479
of does both at least like theoretically, not quite as

1908
01:30:43,520 --> 01:30:45,760
well as the two guys on the extreme ends of

1909
01:30:45,840 --> 01:30:49,640
the offense and defense help scale. So maybe that's why.

1910
01:30:50,359 --> 01:30:53,319
But I would say that he probably should be the

1911
01:30:53,840 --> 01:30:58,439
choice in that lineup spot, if only because I just

1912
01:30:58,520 --> 01:31:01,760
would prefer the balance. I would prefer someone that like

1913
01:31:02,720 --> 01:31:05,640
is useful at least to some degree on both ends,

1914
01:31:05,680 --> 01:31:08,520
as opposed to like, all right, well, there's sacrifices you

1915
01:31:08,640 --> 01:31:10,680
make when Smart is the guy, and there's sacrifices you

1916
01:31:10,720 --> 01:31:13,920
make when it's ruy if anything, I'd lean smart of

1917
01:31:14,039 --> 01:31:17,279
the two extremes, just because you gotta have somebody that's

1918
01:31:17,279 --> 01:31:19,800
gonna muck it up and guard, and so I guess

1919
01:31:19,880 --> 01:31:21,760
it's him and that's probably why he's played a fair

1920
01:31:21,800 --> 01:31:25,800
amount lately. So yeah, I don't know, but if Laavia

1921
01:31:25,880 --> 01:31:30,640
can be, you know, as good as Hachimura as a

1922
01:31:30,640 --> 01:31:32,880
shooter for a decent stretch, then he's clearly the guy.

1923
01:31:32,920 --> 01:31:35,600
And if he can guard with that impact, then he's

1924
01:31:35,640 --> 01:31:36,279
clearly the guy.

1925
01:31:36,920 --> 01:31:39,359
Speaker 1: I would say if he's going to be as good

1926
01:31:39,359 --> 01:31:42,640
as a shooter as Ruby Hachimora, he should probably be.

1927
01:31:43,199 --> 01:31:45,840
Speaker 3: Maybe I should say if his offensive can be that

1928
01:31:46,119 --> 01:31:48,560
of Hachimura's, like, because he's just not going to be

1929
01:31:48,800 --> 01:31:50,439
like a mid forties three point shooter.

1930
01:31:50,880 --> 01:31:52,560
Speaker 1: I think that's if you had to pick a player

1931
01:31:52,640 --> 01:31:54,520
on the Lakers, that's because you could say one of

1932
01:31:54,560 --> 01:31:57,920
the other centers that's not eighton, but that just rings hollow,

1933
01:31:58,239 --> 01:31:58,920
and look.

1934
01:31:58,960 --> 01:32:03,119
Speaker 2: I would it is a crunk juice is at the end.

1935
01:32:05,800 --> 01:32:07,760
Speaker 3: The X factor is like, which one of him is

1936
01:32:07,840 --> 01:32:09,520
gonna show be there that night?

1937
01:32:09,800 --> 01:32:13,760
Speaker 2: Sure? Man, I have a few I want to get

1938
01:32:13,760 --> 01:32:19,039
all right, let's go, he do? I fuck it? So

1939
01:32:19,680 --> 01:32:20,199
I'm going with.

1940
01:32:21,960 --> 01:32:23,720
Speaker 1: I guess this is a deep cut. He's I was

1941
01:32:23,760 --> 01:32:25,640
worried and his minutes have been a little bit more

1942
01:32:25,720 --> 01:32:27,600
up and down. When you're gonna have Tyler hero Oh,

1943
01:32:27,840 --> 01:32:31,119
I'm picking Casper's Shakacona if anyone wants to know, pick kick.

1944
01:32:31,079 --> 01:32:34,520
Speaker 2: Up the Miami. He's playing. He's still been playing with

1945
01:32:34,640 --> 01:32:36,119
Norman Pollow and Tyler Herovail.

1946
01:32:36,199 --> 01:32:38,079
Speaker 1: But which is good, not as much as when you're

1947
01:32:38,119 --> 01:32:39,920
gonna deal with absence is of one of those, most

1948
01:32:39,960 --> 01:32:43,960
notably Hero, I have a take, and I think that's

1949
01:32:44,000 --> 01:32:46,600
maybe because of I forgetting someone who's run through Miami.

1950
01:32:47,399 --> 01:32:50,640
I think Casper's Shaka Owns is the best pass of

1951
01:32:50,680 --> 01:32:52,880
the Miami Heat have had since Lebron James.

1952
01:32:54,720 --> 01:32:58,279
Speaker 3: Man. I wish I had researched this because that my

1953
01:32:58,399 --> 01:33:01,840
first reaction is like that can't be right, but you

1954
01:33:01,960 --> 01:33:03,279
might be right. Make your case.

1955
01:33:04,000 --> 01:33:06,119
Speaker 1: I the stuff that he and it's not all the

1956
01:33:06,159 --> 01:33:08,039
time because they do have him playing off the ball.

1957
01:33:08,119 --> 01:33:10,239
And by the way, that's part of the intrigue. Is

1958
01:33:10,319 --> 01:33:13,720
that why I'm selecting him as this offense just needs

1959
01:33:13,880 --> 01:33:16,840
a jolt of adrenaline into it. After kind of the

1960
01:33:16,880 --> 01:33:19,840
preseason hype and some nice starts earlier in the season,

1961
01:33:20,199 --> 01:33:23,039
they're once again below average on the offensive end. The

1962
01:33:23,159 --> 01:33:26,119
half court has not been anything special. It's been worse

1963
01:33:26,199 --> 01:33:30,399
if you look at it since January. First throw yakahonas

1964
01:33:30,399 --> 01:33:33,239
in there and he's just like this variable defenses can't

1965
01:33:33,239 --> 01:33:33,680
account for.

1966
01:33:33,920 --> 01:33:35,920
Speaker 2: Even though the shooting's been.

1967
01:33:35,920 --> 01:33:38,439
Speaker 1: Better from beyond the arc, which has allowed him to

1968
01:33:38,479 --> 01:33:40,560
play off the ball more and he will move off

1969
01:33:40,600 --> 01:33:43,680
the ball, he's not able to get separation like he

1970
01:33:43,800 --> 01:33:45,600
wants to or is used to at this level. He's

1971
01:33:45,720 --> 01:33:49,520
really struggled inside the arc. It has been abysmal on

1972
01:33:49,680 --> 01:33:53,720
most nights. But the passing that he just throws, whether

1973
01:33:53,800 --> 01:33:56,279
he's on the move or looking ahead in transition, and

1974
01:33:56,399 --> 01:33:59,319
it's just kind of sending, like doing these deep fakes

1975
01:33:59,680 --> 01:34:01,760
to de defenses where he's looking in another direction, then

1976
01:34:01,800 --> 01:34:04,279
turning to another player finding guys while they're on the

1977
01:34:04,399 --> 01:34:08,199
move like the IQ, and then kind of the gall

1978
01:34:08,560 --> 01:34:10,239
is over because some of the passes he just shouldn't

1979
01:34:10,239 --> 01:34:12,880
be trying. And there was a pass he threw so

1980
01:34:13,000 --> 01:34:15,399
he's got he knows where khalil Ware is at all times,

1981
01:34:15,560 --> 01:34:17,159
is what it really seems like. But there was I

1982
01:34:17,199 --> 01:34:20,720
think they were playing was it the Nuggets, And like

1983
01:34:20,800 --> 01:34:23,000
the Nuggets, where was it the I don't know. They

1984
01:34:23,119 --> 01:34:26,760
like scram switched out of going from to get onto

1985
01:34:26,800 --> 01:34:28,760
khilwhare to put a bigger body on khalilwear. Maybe it

1986
01:34:28,800 --> 01:34:30,800
was a Timberwolves game, I remember which game it was,

1987
01:34:30,840 --> 01:34:32,640
but they scram switched that they get a bigger body

1988
01:34:32,680 --> 01:34:36,439
on khalil Ware. And just in that like millisecond, Yakichillon

1989
01:34:36,560 --> 01:34:38,840
is in traffic, like on the move, threads the needle

1990
01:34:38,920 --> 01:34:40,840
right to khalil where for a shot that should not

1991
01:34:40,960 --> 01:34:43,520
would not have been opened just a nano second later

1992
01:34:43,640 --> 01:34:47,319
than that. I don't know what the heat are this season,

1993
01:34:47,600 --> 01:34:50,920
but as a team that is battling for positioning in

1994
01:34:51,000 --> 01:34:53,960
the Eastern Conference, they're not. I mean they could still

1995
01:34:54,039 --> 01:34:56,960
get Philadelphia's twenty six losses the heater at twenty nine

1996
01:34:56,960 --> 01:34:58,720
as we're recording this, so it's not outside the Roman

1997
01:34:58,760 --> 01:35:01,399
possibility you could get into the time. I think you

1998
01:35:01,560 --> 01:35:04,479
need to get the He's a jolt of adrenaline and

1999
01:35:04,520 --> 01:35:07,640
it's not always gonna be end well. But even the

2000
01:35:07,720 --> 01:35:09,640
turnovers have been more under control than it felt like

2001
01:35:09,640 --> 01:35:11,279
they were in Summer League, and that probably comes with

2002
01:35:11,399 --> 01:35:15,800
just having more reps next to guys this, He's already

2003
01:35:15,840 --> 01:35:18,239
super helpful to the offense. It's better with him statistically

2004
01:35:18,239 --> 01:35:19,880
when they're on the floor. And I think the thing

2005
01:35:19,960 --> 01:35:22,239
that passes the eye test more than anything is they

2006
01:35:22,319 --> 01:35:24,840
get out in transition and are so much more efficient

2007
01:35:24,880 --> 01:35:27,199
in transition with him on the floor. And I just

2008
01:35:27,520 --> 01:35:29,680
like Tyler Hero can even play off him. We see

2009
01:35:29,720 --> 01:35:32,479
moments of that. He's good at finding guys who are

2010
01:35:32,560 --> 01:35:34,479
just trailing for the three pointer as well.

2011
01:35:34,920 --> 01:35:35,399
Speaker 2: I want more.

2012
01:35:35,680 --> 01:35:36,039
Speaker 3: I want.

2013
01:35:36,640 --> 01:35:39,159
Speaker 1: I would say Cash should have to average twenty five

2014
01:35:39,199 --> 01:35:40,760
plus minutes a game rest of the way, and that's why,

2015
01:35:40,880 --> 01:35:42,720
and I think Miami's offense would be better off for it.

2016
01:35:42,840 --> 01:35:45,840
Maybe maybe I'm stupid pilled though, no, no, I mean.

2017
01:35:45,760 --> 01:35:47,920
Speaker 3: He's got a couple twenty plus minutes in the last

2018
01:35:48,039 --> 01:35:52,640
couple of weeks. You've sold me. I like the I

2019
01:35:53,000 --> 01:35:56,439
do think the the value of like a daring passer

2020
01:35:56,880 --> 01:36:01,560
is is like is a real thing, because it's like

2021
01:36:01,800 --> 01:36:03,920
the Jokic effect is an unfair example, but it's like

2022
01:36:04,520 --> 01:36:08,640
guys move around in very different ways when they think, like, well,

2023
01:36:08,680 --> 01:36:10,680
if this window opens a crack, I'm getting the ball.

2024
01:36:10,920 --> 01:36:13,560
And I think if if, if Youkuchis is like anything

2025
01:36:13,720 --> 01:36:17,520
like that that that has like a greater impact than

2026
01:36:17,600 --> 01:36:21,319
like his assist raw assist numbers. If that makes sense.

2027
01:36:21,359 --> 01:36:22,800
I think it can make a real difference.

2028
01:36:23,439 --> 01:36:25,960
Speaker 2: And look, if he's gonna shoot an above average clip

2029
01:36:26,039 --> 01:36:29,600
from three, which very much is right, he doesn't have

2030
01:36:29,640 --> 01:36:31,880
to stay above what is he still north of fifty percent?

2031
01:36:32,479 --> 01:36:35,720
Speaker 1: It's like forty five right now, fifty seven point one

2032
01:36:35,800 --> 01:36:37,640
since the trade deadline. He doesn't have to stay you

2033
01:36:37,680 --> 01:36:39,520
know what, I'm willing to say he can come off

2034
01:36:39,560 --> 01:36:41,720
a little bit from fifty seven point one percent, like

2035
01:36:42,199 --> 01:36:42,680
how like.

2036
01:36:43,239 --> 01:36:45,359
Speaker 3: You know, what do we need like forty nine?

2037
01:36:45,960 --> 01:36:48,119
Speaker 1: Like I mean, look, he's done a little bit better

2038
01:36:48,199 --> 01:36:50,520
getting some shots going in inside the arc like over

2039
01:36:50,560 --> 01:36:50,920
the past.

2040
01:36:51,039 --> 01:36:53,520
Speaker 3: But still be yeah right with him?

2041
01:36:54,399 --> 01:36:55,760
Speaker 2: Okay, you want to do one more pick each?

2042
01:36:56,399 --> 01:36:58,760
Speaker 3: Yeah, sure, we got it. And I the one has

2043
01:36:58,840 --> 01:37:00,399
jumped out of me because we haven't talked about this

2044
01:37:00,479 --> 01:37:03,520
team and they. I mean, we're at the point in

2045
01:37:03,520 --> 01:37:05,800
the season where half the league doesn't matter, and this

2046
01:37:05,960 --> 01:37:08,640
is on the side of that matters. So for the Wolves,

2047
01:37:08,720 --> 01:37:12,439
I want to talk about Dante DiVincenzo. I bet he

2048
01:37:12,720 --> 01:37:14,840
was the pick last year and I think he just

2049
01:37:14,960 --> 01:37:17,960
will be forever because the other four starters there and

2050
01:37:18,319 --> 01:37:23,239
presumable closers, I guess go bear counts as that are

2051
01:37:23,319 --> 01:37:27,840
just known commodities. With maybe the acception of Jade McDaniels,

2052
01:37:27,840 --> 01:37:29,399
I guess we could talk about like how much his

2053
01:37:29,760 --> 01:37:33,760
individual shot creation improvement matters, on and on. But Devincenzo

2054
01:37:33,840 --> 01:37:36,399
to me, is just like he is their high volume

2055
01:37:36,479 --> 01:37:42,239
three point shooter. He's oftentimes a secondary playmaker. He is,

2056
01:37:42,840 --> 01:37:45,279
I mean like he has a decent sized job defensively

2057
01:37:45,479 --> 01:37:49,279
and like on the ball, not great, so like he

2058
01:37:49,439 --> 01:37:52,199
has the ability to, for good or ill impact the

2059
01:37:52,279 --> 01:37:55,199
game on both sides of the floor. And like we

2060
01:37:55,319 --> 01:37:58,840
talked about this earlier today, the Wolves are just like

2061
01:38:00,319 --> 01:38:03,439
they've made the last two conference finals. They have these,

2062
01:38:03,560 --> 01:38:05,920
like I said, these known commodities, where like McDaniels can

2063
01:38:06,039 --> 01:38:08,479
guard anybody, and Anthony Edwards can win you any game

2064
01:38:08,560 --> 01:38:11,079
with incredible shot making if you need it, and he

2065
01:38:11,319 --> 01:38:14,279
guards in the playoffs like few others, and then Rudy

2066
01:38:14,279 --> 01:38:16,920
Gobert anchors the like there's so much here and there's

2067
01:38:16,960 --> 01:38:19,479
so much to be Like, I just think this team

2068
01:38:19,960 --> 01:38:22,199
should be in the conference finals again because like why

2069
01:38:22,239 --> 01:38:24,000
wouldn't it. What are you picking at? And it's like

2070
01:38:24,800 --> 01:38:27,920
maybe the de Vincenzo tier of players that throw nas

2071
01:38:27,960 --> 01:38:29,760
Reed and these other guys in there are the ones

2072
01:38:29,800 --> 01:38:33,399
that are like, you just aren't sure, like if this

2073
01:38:33,560 --> 01:38:36,039
is gonna be like high end starter production or if

2074
01:38:36,079 --> 01:38:39,439
it's Yeah, he's the weak link relatively speaking.

2075
01:38:39,880 --> 01:38:41,399
Speaker 2: So I just need one.

2076
01:38:41,439 --> 01:38:42,880
Speaker 3: We need to talk about the Wolves a little bit.

2077
01:38:42,920 --> 01:38:45,560
And too, I think de Vincenzo just like he's asked

2078
01:38:45,640 --> 01:38:48,680
to do so much and he's and I think he

2079
01:38:48,760 --> 01:38:51,239
will continue to be even with some of the additions

2080
01:38:51,279 --> 01:38:53,239
the Wolves have made, like dissume move being the big one,

2081
01:38:53,279 --> 01:38:55,479
and like, I don't know, is Kyle Anderson gonna play.

2082
01:38:55,359 --> 01:38:58,239
Speaker 2: Now that he's hit up there like all these reunions.

2083
01:38:58,640 --> 01:39:02,079
Speaker 3: Yeah, good to see. But but yeah, so Devincenzo just

2084
01:39:02,199 --> 01:39:04,159
is asked to do like a little bit of everything

2085
01:39:04,199 --> 01:39:06,479
in a way that really matters, and I don't know

2086
01:39:06,600 --> 01:39:09,119
that he's established like he's gonna be great at enough

2087
01:39:09,159 --> 01:39:12,960
of those things to really to be totally reliable, if

2088
01:39:13,000 --> 01:39:13,920
that if that makes sense.

2089
01:39:14,439 --> 01:39:16,119
Speaker 1: Yeah, And I think the big one is too, is

2090
01:39:16,159 --> 01:39:18,680
they've turned him into just sort of this de facto

2091
01:39:18,840 --> 01:39:21,520
point guard. And but it's not someone that they're gonna

2092
01:39:21,520 --> 01:39:23,840
get is what he is, right, but they it's what

2093
01:39:23,960 --> 01:39:25,800
they need him to be. When you're because it's just

2094
01:39:25,880 --> 01:39:27,760
your I think you give away too much where. Okay,

2095
01:39:27,800 --> 01:39:29,920
Bones Hiland has been a cool story. Even having Io

2096
01:39:30,000 --> 01:39:31,880
des soon Mu and the things he could do, you're

2097
01:39:31,960 --> 01:39:34,039
just maybe giving too much back elsewhere. And I think

2098
01:39:34,079 --> 01:39:37,720
Devincenzo is the better ball handler and shooter than Io

2099
01:39:37,800 --> 01:39:40,880
des souon Mu, and he is definitely the better defender

2100
01:39:41,239 --> 01:39:42,079
than Bones Highland.

2101
01:39:42,079 --> 01:39:43,800
Speaker 2: And so if you're looking to kind of like merge the.

2102
01:39:43,800 --> 01:39:47,039
Speaker 1: Two archetypes and just knowing you also have Anthony Edwards

2103
01:39:47,439 --> 01:39:50,199
and Julius Randall as well, it's can he provide enough

2104
01:39:50,279 --> 01:39:52,960
of And like Julius Randall facilitates the offense in a

2105
01:39:53,039 --> 01:39:56,239
different way than a Dante DiVincenzo, So it's can Dante

2106
01:39:56,279 --> 01:39:59,159
Devincenzo handle any of the pressure or capitalize on just

2107
01:39:59,239 --> 01:40:01,600
the I mean, I know Anthony Edwards hit that ridiculous

2108
01:40:01,840 --> 01:40:04,840
just like step back corner three pointer the other night

2109
01:40:05,039 --> 01:40:07,199
and then told that was funny to Chris Finch, don't

2110
01:40:07,199 --> 01:40:10,840
forget about me. That was amazing, But like, look at

2111
01:40:10,840 --> 01:40:13,479
the attention he's drawing. Can he be the outlet for

2112
01:40:13,600 --> 01:40:15,880
that in those moments, not just as a shot maker,

2113
01:40:15,920 --> 01:40:17,680
but as someone who's gonna either keep the ball moving

2114
01:40:18,119 --> 01:40:21,680
or attack. He's their best option to do it, right.

2115
01:40:21,880 --> 01:40:23,720
It's I mean, it's that or because who would be

2116
01:40:23,720 --> 01:40:25,720
the other pick we had I had I would assume

2117
01:40:25,960 --> 01:40:27,920
on my board, and I ended up not gonna pick him.

2118
01:40:28,159 --> 01:40:30,600
I think Devincenzo's the right name here. Maybe it's Jane

2119
01:40:30,640 --> 01:40:33,720
McDaniels because he does more offensively, but I think it's Dante.

2120
01:40:34,079 --> 01:40:36,720
Speaker 3: You can even say Randall like because sometimes he can

2121
01:40:36,840 --> 01:40:40,800
be like a dominant player and and that's your that's

2122
01:40:40,840 --> 01:40:43,000
your secondary creator anyway. But it's like, at this point,

2123
01:40:43,000 --> 01:40:45,520
I think we kind of understand the randal of it all,

2124
01:40:45,680 --> 01:40:48,279
like it it just maybe that's true Devincenzo too. I

2125
01:40:48,319 --> 01:40:50,319
don't know, maybe it should have been assuming because we've

2126
01:40:50,319 --> 01:40:53,039
never seen him play a meaningful NBA game, and that's

2127
01:40:53,079 --> 01:40:56,000
an interesting wrinkle to him in the playoffs, Like maybe

2128
01:40:56,359 --> 01:40:59,000
he just has more. It could be one of those guys,

2129
01:40:59,079 --> 01:41:02,560
but I think I think it's Stevencenzo. But but yeah,

2130
01:41:02,880 --> 01:41:05,000
the Wolves are just the Wolves are a weird team.

2131
01:41:06,359 --> 01:41:09,079
They like they're they're almost like a no notes team,

2132
01:41:09,239 --> 01:41:11,840
but they're not good enough to get the no notes treatment.

2133
01:41:12,039 --> 01:41:14,359
And maybe it's just like we is the thing with

2134
01:41:14,439 --> 01:41:17,520
the Wolves, like we get it? Is that or we

2135
01:41:17,600 --> 01:41:19,000
don't get it. I don't know. I don't know what

2136
01:41:19,039 --> 01:41:19,439
I'm saying.

2137
01:41:20,560 --> 01:41:23,399
Speaker 1: They're I don't know if they're the no notes team,

2138
01:41:23,680 --> 01:41:25,680
but a team that's this talented or is able to

2139
01:41:25,760 --> 01:41:29,159
get up or look so good on some nights and

2140
01:41:29,279 --> 01:41:32,520
then just don't trust them, Like so against top ten

2141
01:41:32,600 --> 01:41:36,359
teams this year, they're eight and eight, so just five hundred,

2142
01:41:36,439 --> 01:41:38,199
but they have the league's best offense in a top

2143
01:41:38,239 --> 01:41:42,079
ten defense, and yet you're just five hundred in those situations.

2144
01:41:42,479 --> 01:41:43,840
Speaker 2: That's just I don't know.

2145
01:41:44,039 --> 01:41:46,039
Speaker 1: They're they're tough to figure out, and I feel like

2146
01:41:46,119 --> 01:41:48,399
they have been for the This is year three of

2147
01:41:49,399 --> 01:41:52,039
I felt like you had a handle on the Wolves

2148
01:41:52,359 --> 01:41:54,399
by like at some point every year, like maybe you're

2149
01:41:54,439 --> 01:41:56,600
wondering could they reach this ceiling or how far could

2150
01:41:56,600 --> 01:41:59,039
they fall? But the past three years, it's felt for

2151
01:41:59,079 --> 01:42:01,600
a team that's this good or this problem, like you no,

2152
01:42:01,760 --> 01:42:03,680
like we should feel better about them, but they're just.

2153
01:42:03,680 --> 01:42:06,600
Speaker 3: And then they just they just keep making the conference finals.

2154
01:42:06,640 --> 01:42:08,520
And then it's like, well, I guess they're just good.

2155
01:42:08,800 --> 01:42:10,840
So what are we gonna talk about? Yeah?

2156
01:42:11,880 --> 01:42:13,800
Speaker 2: Where do I go next? Grant, I'm gonna give you.

2157
01:42:14,640 --> 01:42:17,640
Speaker 3: I don't. This is your last book, So I know.

2158
01:42:19,119 --> 01:42:19,600
Speaker 2: Toronto.

2159
01:42:19,840 --> 01:42:23,319
Speaker 1: I got four players, two in Detroit, one in Cleveland,

2160
01:42:23,520 --> 01:42:26,479
or five players and two in Toronto. I just talked

2161
01:42:26,479 --> 01:42:30,159
about Detroit a bunch on the last pod, So Cleveland

2162
01:42:30,239 --> 01:42:30,680
or Toronto?

2163
01:42:30,880 --> 01:42:31,439
Speaker 2: Which which?

2164
01:42:31,680 --> 01:42:34,439
Speaker 3: Uh do Cleveland because I'm gonna I'm gonna say something

2165
01:42:34,479 --> 01:42:36,279
controversial and let you know that I could not be

2166
01:42:36,439 --> 01:42:39,920
less interested. Uh in the Raptors could make it, to

2167
01:42:40,000 --> 01:42:41,520
make it the Cavs, So.

2168
01:42:42,039 --> 01:42:45,840
Speaker 1: I have Jaellen Tyson, where he was already important to

2169
01:42:45,920 --> 01:42:49,800
what they were doing post up like pre hardened trade,

2170
01:42:50,119 --> 01:42:52,279
I would argue that they might not need him to

2171
01:42:52,279 --> 01:42:54,720
shoot a trillion percent from three for the rest of

2172
01:42:54,720 --> 01:42:55,079
the season.

2173
01:42:55,119 --> 01:42:56,600
Speaker 2: Now that you do have James Harden. It's a good

2174
01:42:56,640 --> 01:42:59,239
thing because John Tyson's cooled off a little bit from three,

2175
01:42:59,720 --> 01:43:03,079
but he's become just more important to the defense than ever.

2176
01:43:03,159 --> 01:43:06,039
Speaker 1: I know. DeAndre Hunter, who's now injured, wasn't some shutdown defender,

2177
01:43:06,119 --> 01:43:09,199
but had positional size. We're talking about someone who doesn't

2178
01:43:09,199 --> 01:43:10,880
just need to like, yeah, he'll need to handle some

2179
01:43:10,960 --> 01:43:12,800
of the tougher point of attack assignments, but now you're

2180
01:43:12,800 --> 01:43:14,960
gonna have to scale up and guard some bigger wings

2181
01:43:15,319 --> 01:43:16,560
because how many minutes can Dean.

2182
01:43:16,479 --> 01:43:20,920
Speaker 2: Wade play in that role? Wa going to play Dean.

2183
01:43:20,800 --> 01:43:22,920
Speaker 3: Wade going to pick too? But well, no, I think

2184
01:43:23,000 --> 01:43:25,159
Dean Wade is so related to Tyson. I think that's

2185
01:43:25,199 --> 01:43:27,760
a great call out, Like Dean Wade's starting. He that,

2186
01:43:27,960 --> 01:43:30,439
like that's the decision now, like you, I think they.

2187
01:43:30,720 --> 01:43:33,359
I think Kenny Atkinson is just like we got James

2188
01:43:33,399 --> 01:43:36,239
Harden and Donovan Mitchell as our we I guess let's

2189
01:43:36,279 --> 01:43:39,640
get bigger, let's get even bigger, and let's like we

2190
01:43:39,680 --> 01:43:42,560
don't need any playmaking whatsoever because with those two guys,

2191
01:43:42,640 --> 01:43:44,800
so me like that seemed to me to be the logic.

2192
01:43:44,880 --> 01:43:48,119
But yeah, you can't count on Wade to play like

2193
01:43:48,239 --> 01:43:49,600
a true starters minutes.

2194
01:43:50,039 --> 01:43:53,279
Speaker 2: But he is Wade is their best wing defender.

2195
01:43:53,479 --> 01:43:56,479
Speaker 1: I'm not forgetting because Kean Allis is smaller, Denis Shruter

2196
01:43:56,600 --> 01:43:58,399
is smaller, and then Jal and Tyson's now number two.

2197
01:43:58,800 --> 01:44:01,439
And when you go through b ball Index has like

2198
01:44:01,520 --> 01:44:04,760
grading the matchup difficulties that they faced this season. Dean

2199
01:44:04,800 --> 01:44:07,560
Wade is one and then Jalen Tyson is two. Now

2200
01:44:07,720 --> 01:44:10,079
on the rosters like Jalen Tyson's played way more minutes.

2201
01:44:10,199 --> 01:44:12,600
And so this is I think why it's important is

2202
01:44:13,520 --> 01:44:16,199
the Calves are gonna finish. I mean, actually they're fourth

2203
01:44:16,279 --> 01:44:18,399
now in the East. They'll finish in the top four.

2204
01:44:18,520 --> 01:44:20,279
They could get to two, they could get to three,

2205
01:44:21,199 --> 01:44:23,039
but they shouldn't draw. You don't want to see them drop.

2206
01:44:23,079 --> 01:44:24,479
I know the Raptors are close, but I think they're

2207
01:44:24,520 --> 01:44:27,119
gonna end up in the top four, just in the playoffs.

2208
01:44:27,159 --> 01:44:29,600
It's well, how much do we trust that he's had

2209
01:44:29,640 --> 01:44:31,840
a really, really impactful year.

2210
01:44:32,000 --> 01:44:34,000
Speaker 2: And I erroneously said that they should offer him in

2211
01:44:34,039 --> 01:44:34,600
a first.

2212
01:44:34,399 --> 01:44:36,720
Speaker 1: For Jalen Welves at the time when he was going

2213
01:44:36,720 --> 01:44:39,239
through one of his shooting slumps. I wouldn't make that

2214
01:44:39,319 --> 01:44:41,279
trade now because he just gives you more on ball

2215
01:44:41,800 --> 01:44:45,279
like dynamism than a Jalen Wells would. But Jalen Wells

2216
01:44:45,319 --> 01:44:46,880
is the better defender right now. I think he has

2217
01:44:46,920 --> 01:44:49,800
more positional like he can guard bigger guys. Jaleen Tyson,

2218
01:44:49,960 --> 01:44:51,840
You're gonna see some of those more of those matchups

2219
01:44:51,880 --> 01:44:55,239
now than you even were before. And also just you

2220
01:44:55,319 --> 01:44:56,840
want to wonder, well, what does it look like in

2221
01:44:56,960 --> 01:44:58,960
extensive run with and we're gonna have to wait a

2222
01:44:59,000 --> 01:45:01,199
little bit or to see peak depending on what's going

2223
01:45:01,239 --> 01:45:04,680
on with James Harden's thumb. But like, I like he's

2224
01:45:04,800 --> 01:45:08,840
going to be He's in theory, he's less important because

2225
01:45:08,880 --> 01:45:11,279
of the James Harden trade, but he's also more important

2226
01:45:11,439 --> 01:45:13,920
because of just the way that their wing rotation is

2227
01:45:13,960 --> 01:45:14,319
set up.

2228
01:45:14,399 --> 01:45:16,439
Speaker 2: It's you have Dean Wade and that's basically it.

2229
01:45:16,960 --> 01:45:19,600
Speaker 3: Yeah, and I think too, like his role will change

2230
01:45:19,640 --> 01:45:22,319
a lot if you so. Part of me likes the

2231
01:45:22,439 --> 01:45:25,640
idea of him on second units with like Kean Ellis

2232
01:45:25,680 --> 01:45:28,479
and Dennis Shruder as like a we're gonna fly around

2233
01:45:28,760 --> 01:45:32,560
type like more energetic unit than than the starting group.

2234
01:45:33,199 --> 01:45:36,520
But like if he's out there with like Shrewder just

2235
01:45:36,760 --> 01:45:39,199
is gonna hand do most of the ball handling and

2236
01:45:39,359 --> 01:45:42,399
like Ellis, you know, he's more of a dependent scorer.

2237
01:45:42,479 --> 01:45:45,800
But like it's pretty different, Like he'll be asked to

2238
01:45:45,840 --> 01:45:48,239
do different stuff and he'll cert like, yeah, I just

2239
01:45:48,840 --> 01:45:51,800
I wonder sometimes if if moving him out of the

2240
01:45:51,840 --> 01:45:55,119
starting lineup is like is that gonna be a net

2241
01:45:55,239 --> 01:45:58,159
positive for the Cavs because like he made a lot

2242
01:45:58,199 --> 01:46:00,479
of sense as he still makes sense as a starter

2243
01:46:00,600 --> 01:46:03,159
in a lot of ways. Like I guess I just

2244
01:46:03,199 --> 01:46:06,159
come back to like I guess they wanted more size

2245
01:46:07,279 --> 01:46:11,039
to offset the best. I don't really know. I guess

2246
01:46:11,199 --> 01:46:15,000
do you get Wade over over Tyson at the moment?

2247
01:46:15,319 --> 01:46:20,319
Speaker 1: Because if you even treat Ja, I mean, Dean Wade's great,

2248
01:46:20,640 --> 01:46:21,880
I guess it's an interesting question.

2249
01:46:21,960 --> 01:46:24,199
Speaker 2: What are you worried about? Like what are you looking

2250
01:46:24,239 --> 01:46:25,279
to get more of along?

2251
01:46:25,399 --> 01:46:27,880
Speaker 1: Because you viewed James Harden defensively as a forward and

2252
01:46:27,920 --> 01:46:30,159
you're thinking that Dean Wade and Fringes.

2253
01:46:30,119 --> 01:46:31,760
Speaker 3: Well that's what I mean is like, so if James

2254
01:46:31,840 --> 01:46:36,000
Harden should be guarding bigger players, then wouldn't you rather

2255
01:46:36,079 --> 01:46:39,800
have Tyson out there guarding guards as opposed to Wade?

2256
01:46:40,279 --> 01:46:42,239
Like I don't know, Wades with like Wades in the

2257
01:46:42,359 --> 01:46:44,920
league and matters because he can guard multiple positions and

2258
01:46:45,000 --> 01:46:47,479
can make threes. But like, I don't know, it's it's

2259
01:46:47,520 --> 01:46:50,520
crazy to be like, well, Harden can't guard backcourt players,

2260
01:46:50,520 --> 01:46:53,600
so let's get a six to nine guy on the floor. Honestly,

2261
01:46:53,680 --> 01:46:55,600
Like this is a very much ad just asking questions

2262
01:46:55,600 --> 01:46:57,560
because I think if it's me, I might have done

2263
01:46:57,600 --> 01:46:59,399
the same thing and just got Wade out there as

2264
01:46:59,439 --> 01:47:02,560
like a purely dependent scorer. That that part of it

2265
01:47:02,640 --> 01:47:04,960
makes a lot of sense to me. And you put

2266
01:47:05,000 --> 01:47:09,119
Tyson's I guess superior. Everybody's got superior playmaking. To wait,

2267
01:47:09,279 --> 01:47:10,720
you put that on the second unit.

2268
01:47:11,039 --> 01:47:12,720
Speaker 2: They were I was curious to see what it did

2269
01:47:12,800 --> 01:47:13,079
look like.

2270
01:47:13,159 --> 01:47:16,359
Speaker 1: But the so the Tyson, Hard and Mitchell lineups have

2271
01:47:16,439 --> 01:47:19,199
a defensive rating of one hundred and twenty seven, okay,

2272
01:47:19,199 --> 01:47:21,800
which we don't want to set this second percent tile?

2273
01:47:22,199 --> 01:47:23,880
Speaker 2: Are you just too is it just a you think

2274
01:47:23,920 --> 01:47:24,720
you're okay?

2275
01:47:24,840 --> 01:47:27,800
Speaker 1: James Harden is positionally a forward on defense, but he's

2276
01:47:27,840 --> 01:47:30,800
not providing the value of one. I mean the I

2277
01:47:30,840 --> 01:47:32,720
mean Dan Wade. They're in the twenty ninth percent tile.

2278
01:47:32,760 --> 01:47:35,520
When is James Harden Donovan Mitchell. They're allowing one to

2279
01:47:35,520 --> 01:47:36,600
eighteen point three points.

2280
01:47:36,720 --> 01:47:39,279
Speaker 3: Yeah, don't know. Maybe it's not that complicated. Maybe it's

2281
01:47:39,319 --> 01:47:41,119
just like we don't need any more playmaking. We might

2282
01:47:41,159 --> 01:47:43,119
as well get a guy that's totally cool if he

2283
01:47:43,199 --> 01:47:46,039
takes two shots in twenty minutes or whatever, Like maybe

2284
01:47:46,079 --> 01:47:46,680
that's all it is.

2285
01:47:47,520 --> 01:47:50,319
Speaker 1: Yeah, uh, did you before you take us out of here?

2286
01:47:50,359 --> 01:47:52,800
Did you say you wanted to get off a nuclear

2287
01:47:53,119 --> 01:47:54,119
anti raptors take.

2288
01:47:54,119 --> 01:47:55,000
Speaker 2: I don't know where's this come.

2289
01:47:55,079 --> 01:47:56,960
Speaker 3: No, I just I just as we're looking at the

2290
01:47:57,000 --> 01:47:59,039
list like I'm not interested in this. That that was.

2291
01:47:59,119 --> 01:48:00,399
I guess that's my nuclear your take.

2292
01:48:00,720 --> 01:48:01,079
Speaker 1: I just.

2293
01:48:02,720 --> 01:48:03,359
Speaker 3: Nothing to say.

2294
01:48:04,000 --> 01:48:05,840
Speaker 2: Do you have anything else for the kids? Or are

2295
01:48:05,880 --> 01:48:07,079
you ready to take us out of here?

2296
01:48:07,239 --> 01:48:09,159
Speaker 3: I think that'll do it. Thanks everybody for listening and

2297
01:48:09,239 --> 01:48:12,039
for watching. Please remember to rate, review and subscribe, and

2298
01:48:12,119 --> 01:48:14,720
tell your friends and your enemies, and do all the things.

2299
01:48:14,800 --> 01:48:16,920
Join our discord links in the YouTube and a podcast

2300
01:48:17,000 --> 01:48:21,119
description shouts Franklin Lakina. Apologies to Jared Allen, who's not

2301
01:48:21,239 --> 01:48:22,439
an X factor in our Hearts