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Speaker 1: What is up, Felsicos. I am Dana Valley, Back with you,

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Back at you with Mort Genten from the Fame NBA podcast,

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Yahoo Sports, Sports Illustrated and Sports. And don't forget to

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subscribe to his only fans. As we have to mention

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now at the top of every podcast with him, we

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are here to talk about last time or a couple

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episodes ago, we did the search for the most dangerous

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Eastern Conference sleepers. We are now going to move to

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the Western Conference. It's only fair that they get a

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little shine for some teams who The idea here is

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we're looking at teams who are not considered contenders during

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the season. And so while you might consider the Minnesota

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Timberwolves to be a fringe playoff team right now, because

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they're absolutely a fringe playoff team at the moment, they

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didn't move into this discussion. But a team like the Suns,

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who everyone has been on the fence about since basically

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the middle of last year, if not beforehand, they would

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qualify Mort first and foremost, though, how the heck are

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you doing doing well?

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Speaker 2: You and I seem to have become permanent podcast brothers.

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What is this? Four episodes in a.

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Speaker 1: Row four episodes in a week, that's all. We don't

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even only put out four full episodes in a week.

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But look at us.

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Speaker 2: No, we're the little engine that can, Yeah.

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Speaker 1: The little engine that can. Uh. Without further ado, though,

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should we dive into this absolutely? First up the Golden

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State Warriors, who probably profiled as a contender fifteen games

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into the season, but they do not anymore. We did

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talk extensively about them on a Thursday podcast where or

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was it a Friday, whatever it was, it was like

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a day or two ago about the comments that Steph

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and Draymond had made. So go check out that discussion

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too for kind of a full overview of what's going

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on with the Warriors. More. How do we need to

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feel about the scene right now, especially if, as Steph

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and Draymond say, they don't plen the mortgage the future

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to get better.

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Speaker 2: You know, this is one of those teams that, because

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of the presence of Steph, you can never really rule

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them out, and at the same time, you just don't

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feel confident in them whatsoever, Like they're not the juggernaut

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that used to be. They don't have the depth. The

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fact that Clay Left isn't necessarily something that I hold

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against them, because Clay himself is also somewhat limited in

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the way he moves nowadays. So I don't think that's

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as big a loss as the media tried to make

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it out as. But I just don't have a good

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read on this team in terms of how they are

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as currently constructed. I mean, the Dannis Shorter trade didn't

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work out. Jonathan Kuminga, who ended up last year as

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like the second best player on the team for a

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long stretch of time, has not lived up to that.

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He's not taking a step It seems like they're kind

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of coming to that realization that he might not be

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the guy who they were hoping for. Brandy Putjemski took

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a step down this year, which I didn't anticipate. Like,

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I just have no idea what to make of this team.

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And yet there's that lingering, goddamn feeling in the back

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of my head that as long as you have Stephen Curry,

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you can't be ruled out the way the fact that

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Grant isn't here to say, well, they have Landy Waters,

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that's that's a shame. That's a shame.

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Speaker 1: Look they do have. Look they have Lindy Waters and

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Gie Santos. And that's how they right the ship, is

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it not? Am I wrong?

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Speaker 2: Totally fair?

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Speaker 1: Like you just lean on them and you go from there.

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Speaker 2: Look they sit down more de Sensos. Yes, he's the.

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Speaker 1: One who's really untouchable. Who do they trade first, Santos

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or Steth?

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Speaker 2: Definitely Steph. Anything else would be ridiculous.

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Speaker 1: Yes, so sit more. Since they began the season twelve

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and three, they are nine and seventeen, the twenty fourth,

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twenty fourth highest net rating, twenty sixth in point score

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per possession at the offensive end, and they're twentieth in

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points allowed at the defensive end, which is still supposed

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to be their calling card. They cannot. I still think

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the biggest problem. I think they can get to moments

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and long stretches where you really trust their defense. To me,

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their biggest problem is that the offense has no identity

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without Steph, and even late game situations with Steph it

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can be rocky. They're in the third percentile of offensive

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efficiency when Steph is off the court this season. That

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is that is low. Now you might think the the

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idea of Dennis Schruter was that he could help those minutes.

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We're talking about a sub five hundred posession sample size.

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But when Shrewd plays without Steph, the Warriors offense is

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in the first percentile a ninety eight point nine offensive rating.

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Has not been a great fit so far. I this

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team is kind of mentioned even Kerr. Steve Kerr kind

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of came right out and said it. The goal is

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to catch lightning in a bottle like they did in

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twenty twenty two, remain healthy enough, and I actually respect

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that they've admitted we're not going to run Steph aground

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trying to get the sixth or the eight seed without

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making a trade. I guess just if this team doesn't

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make any changes, even if they're probably they'll probably add

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a big but like, who's the worst player, the worst

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type of player they could get that would make you

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feel better about them as a postseason threat. I'll use

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let's use Nikola Vucevich as an exam So I think that's.

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Speaker 2: About to say that name.

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Speaker 1: Actually, yes, that just feels like the one where you

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give up either Dennis Shooter and someone else, or you

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give up Gary Payton the second Kyle Anderson and Kevon

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Looney and then maybe you take back Tory, Craig and Vooch.

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However that works out? Does it? Does someone like that

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helps your rebounding, gives you size they are undersized and

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give gives you I mean the way he's shooting this year,

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or some spacing and then maybe someone you could run

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games through offensively. I would by the way, I'd probably

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predicto if he goes to Golden State, he'll start shooting

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fewer threes, I would guess in all likelihood, right, because

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of the way they would want to use him. But

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is that, like does the player need to be better

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than that for you to view them as a real

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postseason threat? Do you see this team because of Steph,

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because of Draymond, because of what we know when coming

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is healthy, what he can be, because of how Wiggins

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has played this year? Is there a chance that they're

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able to catch that lightning in a bottle at the

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end of the year if everybody's healthy.

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Speaker 2: Well, that depends on what constitutes lightning in a bottle?

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Is that a championship or.

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Speaker 1: Is it making Oh I was thinking twelfth in the

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West right.

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Speaker 2: No, But like, okay, we have to set some level

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of expectations too, because like the championship route now, then

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Boche is not gonna be, you know, the final piece

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of the puzzle. Obviously, Could he be the difference in

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terms of whether they make the playoffs or not? Yes?

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Could he also be the difference maker in terms of

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whether they actually win in the first round? Possibly if

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his shooting persists. He's taking less than five threes per game,

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so I actually think he can maintain that volume in

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Golden State. It's a good question. It's funny that we

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kind of think of the same player there because it's

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this twenty ten guy who passes pretty well, who fits

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the timeline next dray and Steph. He does make a

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lot of sense. He can play in a spacing offense,

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he can play in a slow offense, although he's actually

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better in a spacing offense. That's part of of this

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whole thing that's been you know, the Billy Donovan just

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kind of dialed up the speed of the offense, the

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pace of the offense, and Vooch just kind of flourished

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under that. So maybe that's a big sign for the

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Warriors to get in on that action and just tell

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Steph and Draymond run the ever living hell out of

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every opportunity that you've got Vouch will follow He'll have

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a bigger better chance of replicating that efficiency. I don't know,

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but I like him as a trade option for them.

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Is it going to turn them into a championship consenter? No?

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Speaker 1: No, I do you think it would probably make them,

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which is weird to say about Vouch in terms of

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the playoffs, that it would just make them. It would

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give them more offensive optionality because they are deep. They're

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just not deep with players who can play a ton

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of minutes or they're not deep with they're deep with

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flawed players. So they're useful players, but they're they're also flawed.

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And that's like a weird, complicated spot to be in.

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And it's just look, buddy, heal stops shooting.

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Speaker 2: Are they deep? If you're deep with flawed players, are

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you then deep is flawed? Like stepped.

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Speaker 1: That's tough because but look at the look at like

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their top twelve guys or something like most of them

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would be in rotations around the NBA. So that's depth.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's fair. I can buy that.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, but it's you don't have like how many of

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them have two way potential or most of them just

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don't have like an on but who aside from Steph

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has real on ball gravity. I guess Kaminga and Shrewder

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are supposed to. I just so that's what's tough.

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Speaker 2: That's a nice way of phrasing it's supposed to you have,

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because I do you really think that Jonathan Kamenka has

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a lot of on ball gravity.

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Speaker 1: I think when you like when he really gets going

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downhill with the ball in his hands, like that's when

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you see like defenses will react that well, will make

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the right pass or decision in those situations. That's always

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been sort of a mystery, but you know his play.

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Since their start in general ticked up, I think what's

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hurt them is, Okay, buddy heel is no longer shooting

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a trillion percent from three, and the defense has fallen off.

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I think Draymond slipped a little bit. I had it

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when we did our coarter season awards. I think I

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had him third in DPOY voting, and there's been a

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demonstrative downtick from him since then. They have dealt with

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some injuries, the fact that Brandon Pojemski has not taken

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a step forward this year. I mean he's shooting almost

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thirty seven percent from three since their twelve and three start,

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but they're not like he's I think they also viewed

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him as someone who might be able to steady the

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ship in steps at absence, and that hasn't worked. They're

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getting good minutes from Gui Santos of late, but it's

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also kind of like, well, we're at that point of

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this season. How good is this team? Really? I don't

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know how to feel like them. To be honest, I

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might align with you in the sense of they have Steph,

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they have Draymond, and I really do think that they

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can get to a core lineup if they add a

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different type of big that would make you feel really

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good about that core lineup where Okay, how much can

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you lean on these five these six guys and then

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mix and match them as part of your core unit?

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And I mean even now, like I know, Trace Jackson

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Davis has his flaws, but like a Wiggins Green, Trace

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Jackson Davis, uh, and then Steph of course, like there's

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kind of a nice baseline right there. And I, by

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the way, Yowen is also might just be their biggest laudge.

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You know what their most used lineup is on the season?

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Hit me, it's those four Steph Wiggins, Draymond and Trace

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with Lindy Waters the third and they that look. That

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lineup has a plus ten point five net rating. But

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like Lindy Waters, the third has not played a ton

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of minutes for the Golden State Warriors overall. So the

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fact that that's their most five man unit speaks to

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a ton of different things. Availability, of course, but also

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just the way that the rotations can be managed. I

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don't know what the answer is for this team. I'd

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feel better about them if they added some functional size

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in the front court, but they are a significant player

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short of making noise, and I wasn't super confident that

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they were gonna go after that player in the first place.

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I would now be floored shocked if they did. Based

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off those comments that we got from stephendre can I.

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Speaker 2: Ask you just to wrap this Secmond up. Moses Moody.

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Do you think there's a type of solution internally that

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they just haven't given enough of, like a view?

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Speaker 1: Are you trying to imply that Moses Moody might be underutilized?

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Look more, he's over he's ever, He's averaging over fifteen

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minutes per game. That's like I like that might as

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well be forty eight based off like how they use him.

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I don't I don't know if he's just I don't

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think he's a solution just because he might if you're

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looking to shrink the rotation and find more consistency. Yes,

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I think that he could be a solution, But in

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terms of what I think they need most, which is

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just kind of another offensive engine, No, he's not going

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to be a solution there, no.

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Speaker 2: No, no. I'm basically talking just about finding quality on

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this roster that you can sort of rely on, because

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I still, like, we're over two hundred games into his

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career and I don't think I really have a strong

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grasp of, you know, who the hell he actually is

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as a player, and I think that's in large part

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because he's not been given a chance. But at the

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same time, I also have a hard time just kind

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of keep pointing the finger at at Golden State for

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four years and going, well, I mean, after four years,

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she probably should have an idea of where the guy is.

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But they also extended him in the same breath, So like,

253
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I'm very weirded out by that situation.

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Speaker 1: I mean, here's my thing, he's not shooting the ball

255
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well over this like stretch since they were twelve and

256
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three from two, still close to he's like thirty six

257
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and a half percent from three. I'm not necessarily a

258
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ton of volume, but doesn't play a ton of minutes.

259
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I very rarely come away from his minutes. And I've

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said this before, thinking that he doesn't belong like on

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an NBA court, right, And I think given his minutes,

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I know you're deep, well, you're deep, like, but are

263
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you deep with players where it's worth marginalizing Moody's development,

264
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especially if you remain steadfastedly against mortgaging your future. So yeah,

265
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I would argue I don't think there are any answers

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internally for this roster, but there's a chance. I don't

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think you could say this about every team that maybe

268
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a modest move does give them sort of just this

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nudge in the right directions where, oh, you don't want

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to meet them in a playoff series. Our next team,

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the Los Angeles Clippers, health fire defense. Their offense is

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a burden. Kawhi has played basketball and spacing. I don't

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know how much of the like Kawhi minutes you've seen

274
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this season, And to be clear, there's still been very

275
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few of them. He has played in how many games four?

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The spacing is just so much different when he's on

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the court already. That's where this I know they have.

278
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They could trade a first round pick, they have a swap,

279
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they have Terrence Mann salary, they have PJ. Tucker's salary.

280
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They could do something I don't I wouldn't be shocked,

281
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but I just don't know what they're gonna do. The

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idea of this team though, Like if Kawhi is just

283
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healthy ish for the playoffs and he can give you

284
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even twenty five minutes, Like, how do you view the Clippers?

285
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Speaker 2: Why is Kawhi I don't think for some reason, it

286
00:14:07,639 --> 00:14:10,320
doesn't matter what kind of entry he goes through. It

287
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seems like he's always bouncing up on the other side

288
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of it, and it's like still the same caliber player

289
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if that holds true. Yet again, yeah, their ceiling goes up.

290
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But at the same time, I sort of like ask

291
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the same question I said with the Warriors, like what

292
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is their top tier ceiling? Here are we talking about

293
00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:35,919
the second round of the playoffs at best? At most, Like,

294
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I don't think we can argue with a straight face

295
00:14:39,399 --> 00:14:40,879
it should go beyond that.

296
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Speaker 1: I probably agree with you, because you're gonna get to

297
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a point in the playoffs where you need that upper

298
00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:51,720
echelon type of offense and they don't have it like

299
00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:53,639
they're the Honestly, the fact that they're giving them how

300
00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:56,320
much time Kawhi is missed or basically missing the entiregion.

301
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The fact that they're twenty second and half court offense

302
00:14:58,399 --> 00:15:01,159
is almost impressive when you look at the personnel has

303
00:15:01,159 --> 00:15:04,480
been available. But I think their defense just operates on

304
00:15:04,519 --> 00:15:07,639
this level to where if you throw minutes, like depending

305
00:15:07,639 --> 00:15:09,720
on how much you worry about playing time, like they

306
00:15:09,759 --> 00:15:13,679
probably have two or three all defense candidates on this roster.

307
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You've gotten for the most part, he's not as thermonuclear

308
00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:19,120
as he was to start the year, but you've gotten

309
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a really big jump from Norman Powell, James Harden. We've

310
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seen his three point efficiency tick up like since basically

311
00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:29,879
before Thanksgiving. It in good minutes from a mere coffee.

312
00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:33,200
I just the fact that their defense is like it

313
00:15:33,279 --> 00:15:35,759
is actual hell fire when you watch them, it is exhaustive.

314
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They can get at you from every level. They can

315
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do all sorts of different things. It scales to all

316
00:15:39,679 --> 00:15:42,559
different types of looks with their lineups if they're gonna

317
00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:45,840
just be a top five defense, like isn't if you

318
00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:48,840
have Kawhi Leonard on the floor. Let's not even like

319
00:15:48,919 --> 00:15:50,919
kind of like, let's just say Kawhi Leonard looks like

320
00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:53,799
what he's looked like, but he's on the floor. In

321
00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:56,559
the playoffs, I don't know that I would rule out

322
00:15:56,559 --> 00:15:59,200
winning two playoff series in the West right now, because

323
00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:01,679
who is the aside from Oklahoma City, who is just

324
00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:03,559
the team that's been head and shoulders above. I guess

325
00:16:03,559 --> 00:16:06,840
the MAVs haven't necessarily been healthy enough to establish themselves there.

326
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But it's not as good as the Grizzlies and Rockets been.

327
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It's not them, not the Nuggets.

328
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Speaker 2: I think for me, the question is hard, right. So

329
00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:19,120
his efficiency, while I agree with you it's been taking

330
00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:22,600
up lately, there's no agreement in place, like the stats

331
00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:26,360
just kind of lay that out on it. On the season,

332
00:16:26,799 --> 00:16:30,159
he's been not where he needs to be. The turnovers

333
00:16:30,159 --> 00:16:32,200
have remained a problem, Like I do think in a

334
00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:37,080
playoff context that is a hard combination. Like if you

335
00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:39,639
have a guy who's a high turnover, low efficiency type

336
00:16:39,639 --> 00:16:44,120
of score, you're working at a disadvantage at that point

337
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in some regards, and that's probably where I think it

338
00:16:47,679 --> 00:16:49,960
falls short a little bit. And then there's also just

339
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a part of me that wonders normOn Powell he's knocking

340
00:16:52,879 --> 00:16:55,960
on the door of like fifty forty five eighty five,

341
00:16:56,360 --> 00:16:59,399
which is ridiculous. But there's also part of me that's

342
00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:03,080
like going into a playoff series, you know, where it

343
00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:07,079
seems really have a lot of time to prepare make adjustments.

344
00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:10,119
Are you telling me they can't find a solution to

345
00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:13,400
a six ' three off guard? We can't really do

346
00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:17,119
a whole lot else, but you score, I don't know

347
00:17:17,359 --> 00:17:21,079
if I trust that component. And I say this as

348
00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:23,359
a huge Norman Pole fan by the way.

349
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Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I look, I think that's fair, and

350
00:17:25,559 --> 00:17:29,279
he's just I still think just because of like when

351
00:17:29,279 --> 00:17:32,359
he's gonna play in tandem with Harden, like there's gonna

352
00:17:32,359 --> 00:17:35,599
be yeah, defense is will be tilted enough for him

353
00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:39,039
to kind of like that like what he's doing should

354
00:17:39,039 --> 00:17:42,200
sustain to some degree. But I do recognize that point.

355
00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:43,680
It's where it comes back to it seems like they

356
00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:47,880
need a second creator more than anything, and.

357
00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:49,720
Speaker 2: Why would probably be it? Though that's a fair point

358
00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:52,079
from your point, I mean look, why can't create And

359
00:17:52,119 --> 00:17:55,319
if he's healthy, yo, he's gonna be the lynchpin. And

360
00:17:55,359 --> 00:17:57,680
that's that means the Norman Polell will stick down on

361
00:17:57,799 --> 00:18:01,200
the offensive totem pole, which might make him more offensive

362
00:18:01,799 --> 00:18:05,519
or more offensive relevant. And for Harden, maybe that means

363
00:18:05,559 --> 00:18:09,319
an opticking efficiency. Like I guess if you squint, you

364
00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:12,519
can make a real argument for them winning to playoff series.

365
00:18:13,160 --> 00:18:15,519
Speaker 1: I think that's the Kauhi of it all. That's not

366
00:18:15,599 --> 00:18:17,839
as of right now. If they don't do anything and

367
00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:21,519
Kawhi might not be available, they're They're not. I don't

368
00:18:21,519 --> 00:18:23,079
even think they win a series, to be honest, Like,

369
00:18:23,119 --> 00:18:25,680
you're gonna need more offense out of it, and you

370
00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:28,039
you at least need to find some way to I think,

371
00:18:28,079 --> 00:18:30,960
alleviate the burden on James Harden because he's still to

372
00:18:31,039 --> 00:18:34,160
me a borderline transcendent passer. And like we said, his

373
00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:36,839
efficiency is picked up. But like the fact that his

374
00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:39,680
burden when you're just looking at true usage, which incorporates

375
00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:43,079
his scoring and his playmate game like that is exponentially

376
00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:45,440
higher than it was last year. And I understand that

377
00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:48,000
Paul George is gone and that Kauhi hasn't been healthy

378
00:18:48,039 --> 00:18:51,799
but that's also kind of the point yep till there

379
00:18:52,319 --> 00:18:54,119
as of right now, if they don't make any changes,

380
00:18:54,319 --> 00:18:56,519
I would probably agree with you that maybe they could

381
00:18:56,519 --> 00:18:58,960
like steal a series there. But I also can't just

382
00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:01,519
write off the fact that we're halfway through the season,

383
00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:05,200
they're in an actual Western Conference playoff spot, and with

384
00:19:06,359 --> 00:19:10,920
like nightmare availability from Kauwhi. They basically they're basically five

385
00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:14,279
hundred against opponents with winning records this year, and I

386
00:19:14,359 --> 00:19:17,119
just I can't write that off totally. However, wrap up

387
00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:19,759
here with a quick question, I don't think that they're

388
00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:22,480
unless you have some information on Kauhi that we don't.

389
00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:25,680
I don't think they're good enough to go out on

390
00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:27,680
the trademarket and say like, hey we got we can

391
00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:29,599
trade a pick and a swap off in the like

392
00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:32,079
I can't if you can do something with the Man

393
00:19:32,279 --> 00:19:35,559
Tucker salaries and it's bring back somebody, I don't even

394
00:19:35,839 --> 00:19:37,720
I don't know who that somebody is. But just like,

395
00:19:37,759 --> 00:19:39,839
does Man have a ton of standalone value to where

396
00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:43,200
you can use him and PJ. Tucker to get who?

397
00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:44,880
I don't know what the answer is. Yeah, okay, maybe

398
00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:47,720
you look at that, But I don't think they're good

399
00:19:47,799 --> 00:19:51,440
enough to approach the trade deadline with the urgency that

400
00:19:51,519 --> 00:19:55,960
their their future, that there their current draft pick obligations suggest.

401
00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:57,039
Speaker 2: I would agree with that.

402
00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:00,400
Speaker 1: Our next team is also in LA, which I think

403
00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:03,119
some people might argue they're not a fringe playoff team

404
00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:05,839
because of how good they are relative to the standings.

405
00:20:06,279 --> 00:20:10,160
Is the Lakers more? How do you feel about them?

406
00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:14,359
Speaker 2: I think they're old and I think it's a team

407
00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:17,319
though that's playoff tested obviously before because they won the

408
00:20:17,319 --> 00:20:21,880
title in twenty twenty. Lebron is Lebron even though he's forty.

409
00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:25,480
Davis is this year what a top three, top four

410
00:20:25,599 --> 00:20:29,799
NBA player probably, I mean just when he's on. I

411
00:20:30,039 --> 00:20:32,720
like the cohesiveness of those who I still think they

412
00:20:32,759 --> 00:20:35,440
have so many one way players. I get that they

413
00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:39,079
got Doriyan Phinney Smith Dorian Phinney Smith in there to

414
00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:43,359
sort of even things out. I hate it or wow,

415
00:20:43,519 --> 00:20:46,720
I'm tired by the way it's past midnight. I love

416
00:20:46,799 --> 00:20:49,079
the trade for them to get a two way guy

417
00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:51,720
in there, especially a switchable forward who can hit the three,

418
00:20:51,880 --> 00:20:55,720
defend multiple positions. That was nice. I do think they

419
00:20:55,799 --> 00:20:58,799
need to make a follow up trade before the trade

420
00:20:58,799 --> 00:21:03,880
deadline of giving up someone who's like only offensively or

421
00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:07,599
defensively inclined and then get a two way guy in there.

422
00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:10,480
You know, is that Ruy Harchimora who has to be

423
00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:13,720
moved for someone who might be a little worse offensively

424
00:21:13,839 --> 00:21:16,039
but who can participate on both sides of the floor.

425
00:21:16,519 --> 00:21:19,039
Or do we have to look at the Jerry Vanderbilt

426
00:21:19,079 --> 00:21:21,240
contract and say, look, this guy is not going to

427
00:21:21,279 --> 00:21:23,240
be able to score at any level if he's healthy,

428
00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:26,119
Or should we look at someone who can actually hit

429
00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:28,640
a three point shot in that role in seat? I

430
00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:30,880
think those are the type of deals that they need

431
00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:31,160
to go.

432
00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:34,000
Speaker 1: In then and check what is it again? What is

433
00:21:34,039 --> 00:21:36,559
their biggest need? Because it seems, I mean, Dorian Phinney

434
00:21:36,599 --> 00:21:39,880
Smith might help here long term, but if they're going

435
00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:42,480
to continue to switch so readily on the defensive end,

436
00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:45,319
they don't really have the personnel still to do that.

437
00:21:45,519 --> 00:21:48,640
And we've seen just points where they've been burned by that.

438
00:21:48,799 --> 00:21:50,279
But you can also make the case that, well, do

439
00:21:50,319 --> 00:21:53,000
you want a reserve big, do you want a starting

440
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,240
big next to Davis? And then that was that dude

441
00:21:55,279 --> 00:21:57,640
to like, however you want to switch? Does that make

442
00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:00,759
you better equipped less equipped. We also think that you

443
00:22:00,759 --> 00:22:02,160
look at this and say, okay, well you gave away

444
00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:04,920
Dangelo Russell and while you have Lebron James and you

445
00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:07,920
have Austin Reeves, like, there's another need for just a

446
00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:11,440
frum scratch shot creator here as well. And it's I

447
00:22:11,599 --> 00:22:14,119
just like what need And you could also say, okay,

448
00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:18,279
like they also could maybe need someone who's a capslock shooter,

449
00:22:18,519 --> 00:22:21,119
not just someone who can hit threes but can kind

450
00:22:21,119 --> 00:22:24,279
of fly around get them up at higher volume, because

451
00:22:24,279 --> 00:22:26,519
they're once again in the bottom five of three point

452
00:22:26,519 --> 00:22:30,000
a tenth rate, and they're actually hitting their threes at

453
00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,079
a lower e clip this year compared to last season,

454
00:22:32,359 --> 00:22:34,960
by two point three percentage points less. There are a

455
00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:38,839
lot of different ways you could go when balancing the

456
00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:43,119
most glaring need with the feasibility of filling it. What

457
00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:46,000
do you think is the should be their primary focus

458
00:22:46,079 --> 00:22:47,000
ahead of the deadline?

459
00:22:48,279 --> 00:22:50,720
Speaker 2: Yeah, a guard who can fix some of the issues

460
00:22:50,799 --> 00:22:53,079
you just outlined there wouldn't be the worst thing in

461
00:22:53,079 --> 00:22:56,160
the world. Like, I like Kobe White in a perfect world,

462
00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:58,359
I think would fit that system pretty well because you

463
00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:01,759
can play on ball, off ball defensively. He's grown in

464
00:23:01,799 --> 00:23:04,000
recent years. He's a bit more of a playmaker than

465
00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:06,000
he was than when he was like a real youngster.

466
00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:10,279
He would come in and provide them with, you know,

467
00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:12,960
a sort of set baseline from the guard spot. The

468
00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:15,359
thing is, can you get him. I don't know whether

469
00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:18,400
he's available or what the price would be. I think

470
00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:20,480
the Bulls should pivot off of him. I think he

471
00:23:20,519 --> 00:23:23,400
would fit that mindset. You could even replace him with

472
00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:26,119
a different Chicago guard in Iotosumo. He kind of fits

473
00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:29,759
the same mold, just lesser volume, better defender though. I

474
00:23:29,759 --> 00:23:33,279
think he would be a really good fit, even though

475
00:23:33,279 --> 00:23:36,440
he won't have the same type of ceiling there. But

476
00:23:36,559 --> 00:23:39,039
a guard is what I'm looking for too, especially someone

477
00:23:39,039 --> 00:23:40,839
who can play both sides of the court.

478
00:23:41,519 --> 00:23:43,599
Speaker 1: They're just I don't know what to make of them, though,

479
00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:46,200
because you look at the standings and they're just they're

480
00:23:46,279 --> 00:23:48,920
right there. They're six in the West, which is four games.

481
00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:51,480
Number five hundred is nothing to sneeze at. They are

482
00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:55,839
ten and fourteen though against opponents five hundred or better.

483
00:23:56,319 --> 00:23:59,480
And I know, you know Stathead Basketball Reference has this

484
00:23:59,519 --> 00:24:02,319
simple rate system that takes into account your margin of

485
00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:04,680
victory with the strength of schedule. Do you know where

486
00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:08,160
they rank in the Western Conference in strength of schedule

487
00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:15,039
adjusted basically net rating. They rank eleventh. That's like, that's

488
00:24:15,079 --> 00:24:17,720
not good. And I know they've had some just sort

489
00:24:17,759 --> 00:24:20,680
of wild swing games, but when you're not necessarily beating

490
00:24:21,119 --> 00:24:23,519
all these really good opponents consistently, is this something you

491
00:24:23,559 --> 00:24:26,200
hope just kind of evens out as you move forward,

492
00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:29,880
I honestly don't know. I think I'm with you that look.

493
00:24:30,799 --> 00:24:33,759
I think i'd probably target just someone You're probably not

494
00:24:33,759 --> 00:24:35,759
going to find another two way player who can operate

495
00:24:35,799 --> 00:24:37,680
on the ball for what they can offer, because who

496
00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:39,680
even forsall? Who is that? And do the Lakers have

497
00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:41,960
the assets to go get them if you wanted to,

498
00:24:42,079 --> 00:24:44,680
Like maybe you could get involved in the Jimmy Butler sweepstakes,

499
00:24:44,839 --> 00:24:47,799
But now you're getting older, you're talking about mega money there,

500
00:24:48,079 --> 00:24:50,200
and you're not doing anything for your floor spacing or

501
00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:54,759
shooting in that regard. I just I don't have the answer,

502
00:24:54,759 --> 00:24:55,960
and so I'm wondering, like, do they just need to

503
00:24:56,039 --> 00:24:58,400
lean all the way in the offense. Then at this point,

504
00:24:58,400 --> 00:24:59,839
you mentioned Kobe White would be a good one. Do

505
00:24:59,880 --> 00:25:01,599
you this is a team that doesn't seem like it

506
00:25:01,599 --> 00:25:02,960
wants to give up a ton of first round picks.

507
00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,160
Do you try and step ladder your way to Zach Lavine.

508
00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:07,640
Speaker 2: I mean, look, if you're if you want to lean

509
00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:11,279
in to offense, you wouldn't have made the Russell for

510
00:25:11,559 --> 00:25:13,839
Dorian Phiney Smith deal in the first place. So I

511
00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:17,240
don't think that is a viable option for them necessarily.

512
00:25:18,119 --> 00:25:20,559
I mean it should have been. It should have been

513
00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:23,480
because then you would leaned into Daniel Dalton connect that's

514
00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:26,000
what's that's his name, and then yes, seckly mean would

515
00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,319
have made a perfectly fine acquisition.

516
00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:31,200
Speaker 1: But I do think they want to lean.

517
00:25:31,039 --> 00:25:35,319
Speaker 2: Into something that's a little bit more defensively oriented, which

518
00:25:35,359 --> 00:25:37,559
again we can sit here in debate until we're blue

519
00:25:37,559 --> 00:25:39,279
in the face whether that's the right call or not.

520
00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:43,839
But it would just seem odd to me that they

521
00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:46,359
move out an offensive minded player for someone who's more

522
00:25:46,359 --> 00:25:49,359
defensive link client only to say, oh, we're leaning into offense.

523
00:25:50,519 --> 00:25:53,200
Speaker 1: Well, they've been. The name they've been most aggressively linked

524
00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:55,799
to is Gionas Valanciunez. That's not a defensive move outside

525
00:25:55,799 --> 00:25:56,880
of rebattling.

526
00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:58,799
Speaker 2: That guess not. But I also don't expect him to

527
00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:02,480
play more than what twenty minutes at most, And I.

528
00:26:02,519 --> 00:26:04,559
Speaker 1: Mean, if you can get him for the Gabe Vincent

529
00:26:04,599 --> 00:26:06,640
deal in a second, you probably you should probably just

530
00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:08,599
do that. But them, by the way you're you're I mean,

531
00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:11,279
Valentowness is more of a hub than gave vinto whatever

532
00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:14,000
we But you are removing another in theory ball handler

533
00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:15,759
from your ranks. I don't have.

534
00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:18,279
Speaker 2: It's just clearing the way for Brownie James Man.

535
00:26:21,039 --> 00:26:22,880
Speaker 1: They're a tough team to figure out. I don't think

536
00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:26,839
they're as non threatening as people have painted them out

537
00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:30,480
to be, but their indicators are not super positive. They

538
00:26:30,519 --> 00:26:32,720
are a plus six point one though per one hundred

539
00:26:32,759 --> 00:26:35,119
with Dorrian Phinney Smith on the court. So far so

540
00:26:35,559 --> 00:26:37,880
and by the way, guess they've done that all offense,

541
00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:39,799
they have like a one to twenty what was the

542
00:26:39,839 --> 00:26:42,839
less than one twenty seven net offensive rating with him

543
00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:46,160
on the court? I believe that is that's high.

544
00:26:45,839 --> 00:26:45,960
Speaker 2: Uh.

545
00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:49,160
Speaker 1: But he's not someone who's like alone I think gonna

546
00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:51,119
stabilize the defense. He's kind of just a body. Like

547
00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:54,160
you said, they need more two way players on this team.

548
00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:56,359
They have a one twenty four offensive rating with Dorrian

549
00:26:56,400 --> 00:26:59,880
Phinney Smith on the court, ironically that wouldn't be the

550
00:27:00,079 --> 00:27:02,319
best line, but like you know, there's like a good

551
00:27:02,319 --> 00:27:05,880
baseline there between Reeves, Finney, Smith, Lebron and Ad and

552
00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:07,960
it's kind of like who's the ideal fifth player to

553
00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:09,759
plug in there that would make the most sense for

554
00:27:09,799 --> 00:27:13,279
this team. I don't think it's really spoiler alert for

555
00:27:13,319 --> 00:27:14,920
anybody watching.

556
00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:16,839
Speaker 2: Can I ask you how much stock do you put

557
00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:19,839
into this? Like some of their losses have just been

558
00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:22,960
so horrid, Like they've had a lot of bad losses

559
00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:27,119
where they've just been I mean it's blowouts, and most

560
00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:29,759
of their wins have been like, oh, we just got

561
00:27:29,799 --> 00:27:32,480
over the hunt. Is that something you put any stock into?

562
00:27:34,240 --> 00:27:36,839
Speaker 1: You know? Honestly, their clutch time performance has been they're

563
00:27:36,839 --> 00:27:39,079
not getting lucky, and so it makes me think like, Okay,

564
00:27:39,079 --> 00:27:41,079
maybe you should play stock in it, but I think

565
00:27:41,119 --> 00:27:43,839
i'd place more stock in it with Are those wins

566
00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:46,440
coming against teams that they're gonna need to beat in

567
00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:47,519
a playoff series?

568
00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:48,119
Speaker 2: Right?

569
00:27:48,359 --> 00:27:51,119
Speaker 1: And it's when you start to dig into the like

570
00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:55,759
the overarching schedule for them, the answer is no, So

571
00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:58,640
like that's I think that's where I struggle with. But

572
00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:01,319
I think let's just say they don't make a move

573
00:28:01,480 --> 00:28:04,480
or they acquire a big Do you view them as

574
00:28:04,559 --> 00:28:08,400
a team that can maintain top six status in the West,

575
00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:10,400
a team that can win a playoff series, win too

576
00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:12,480
playoff series? Is like, where are you kind of at

577
00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:13,640
with them?

578
00:28:14,039 --> 00:28:16,680
Speaker 2: Yeah? I mean yes, I do think they can win

579
00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:18,799
a playoff series. I also think they can win to

580
00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:23,839
again depending heavily emphasis on depending on matchup, right, Like

581
00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:26,759
who they're going up against the fact that we're seeing

582
00:28:27,079 --> 00:28:30,160
a Western conference that's very very potent. Yes, but at

583
00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:35,720
the same time we're seeing Denver, you know, lose a step. Houston,

584
00:28:35,839 --> 00:28:38,039
who's second in the in the conference, is still a

585
00:28:38,119 --> 00:28:40,599
very young team. You can exploit young teams in the

586
00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:43,400
in the playoffs, especially if you're a veteran team who

587
00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:47,400
knows all the tricks of the trade. Memphis, whow, I mean,

588
00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:49,960
look there, I'm so pressed with their season. I think

589
00:28:49,960 --> 00:28:51,920
it's the team that missed the most games due to

590
00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:54,680
injury and they're third in the West. That's impressive as hell,

591
00:28:55,079 --> 00:28:57,839
But that also means because of that injury bug, Like,

592
00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:00,000
are they going to be healthy coming into the playoffs?

593
00:29:00,119 --> 00:29:02,319
I have no idea. If they're not, the Lakers could

594
00:29:02,359 --> 00:29:05,880
probably take them the Clippers. I don't necessarily have a

595
00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:09,559
lot of faith in the Dallas Mavericks. Are Luca? Is

596
00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:11,880
Luca going to be, you know, fully available? Is it

597
00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:13,519
going to be one hundred percent? We don't know the

598
00:29:13,519 --> 00:29:17,160
answer to that. I don't trust Minnesota, I don't trust Sacramento.

599
00:29:17,319 --> 00:29:19,480
So the only team in the West, which is kind

600
00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:21,519
of what my point is going to be boiled down to,

601
00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:23,720
is the one team that I trust is Okay. See,

602
00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:27,400
so if they avoid them on their path, is there

603
00:29:27,559 --> 00:29:31,640
a way they could make it too? Well, it depends

604
00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:33,920
on their seating, of course, But to to to the

605
00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:38,640
West Finals, I suppose, but they would have to go

606
00:29:38,839 --> 00:29:41,519
really high for that to happen. So yeah, that'll be.

607
00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:42,920
Speaker 1: An interesting question to ask at the end of this

608
00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:44,960
which team you're gonna end up trusting the most from

609
00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:48,000
this group of six? Ron and the Phoenix signs another

610
00:29:48,039 --> 00:29:52,519
team we discussed in detail following the trade for Nick Richards.

611
00:29:52,519 --> 00:29:54,599
So I would encourage anyone to go check out that

612
00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:58,599
episode Where in the hell are you at with them?

613
00:30:00,319 --> 00:30:05,119
Speaker 2: Look? Whenever it seems ast Kevin durand this I said

614
00:30:05,119 --> 00:30:07,039
this in the last episode as well. I think I

615
00:30:07,039 --> 00:30:08,920
even said in this episode, when you have Steph Curry,

616
00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:12,240
There's always this belief in something. I have the same

617
00:30:12,279 --> 00:30:16,359
opinion of Kevin Durant because Kevin Durand is a ridiculously

618
00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:21,119
talented basketball player who is so unstoppable of an offensive

619
00:30:21,119 --> 00:30:24,200
force that it's difficult to comprehend. Yet this season it

620
00:30:24,319 --> 00:30:28,279
just hasn't worked out. And yeah, there have been injuries,

621
00:30:28,319 --> 00:30:30,480
there have been lineup shuffles, there have been big man

622
00:30:30,519 --> 00:30:33,960
issues on all this. But if the Nick Richards acquisition

623
00:30:34,200 --> 00:30:37,359
does work out for him, if that suddenly aligned stuff

624
00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:42,279
and it means a less emphasis on Kad on Booker,

625
00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:44,759
on Beale, on having to do big man stuff and

626
00:30:44,799 --> 00:30:47,839
they can focus on what they do best, then hell, yes,

627
00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:49,720
I'm going to lean into the Suns, but they have

628
00:30:49,799 --> 00:30:51,599
to show it before I'm like doing it. I'm not

629
00:30:51,599 --> 00:30:54,720
going to sit here and predict that, oh, this trade

630
00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:56,799
and we haven't even seen Nick Richards play yet, this

631
00:30:56,839 --> 00:30:59,200
is going to fall into line, Like I have to

632
00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:01,519
see it first. There is a world where in I

633
00:31:01,599 --> 00:31:05,839
could trust him, ky d man, that's the name for me.

634
00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:08,200
If he keeps playing at the level that he does,

635
00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:12,079
and if they do sneak into the playoffs, then I'm

636
00:31:12,119 --> 00:31:13,759
just not going to put a cap on them because

637
00:31:13,799 --> 00:31:15,240
the twel level is ridiculous.

638
00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:20,319
Speaker 1: It's just wild to kind of think that they're guaranteed

639
00:31:20,319 --> 00:31:22,839
to get into the playoffs as of right now. Yeah,

640
00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:25,480
there's lots of the play in as we're recording this,

641
00:31:25,519 --> 00:31:28,079
and I don't I mean, you could say you don't

642
00:31:28,119 --> 00:31:30,200
expect that to hold. But the teams in front of them,

643
00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:33,240
Golden State, Sacramento, Minnesota, Dallas Lakers, like, what is the

644
00:31:33,319 --> 00:31:35,960
team that they're going to catch, But they are within

645
00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:39,960
close proximity to basically, with the exception of OKC in Houston,

646
00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:43,480
everybody else like within reasonable distance. So I guess you

647
00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:45,799
could say that they have that going for them.

648
00:31:45,839 --> 00:31:49,880
Speaker 2: So we're still, you know, some time away from a

649
00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:52,400
trade deadline. I mean there could still be follow up trades.

650
00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:55,440
I mean this episode and the East one we did

651
00:31:55,480 --> 00:32:00,000
as well. You know, we're taking a look as currently construy,

652
00:32:00,519 --> 00:32:02,839
but we also have to recognize that some of these

653
00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:06,519
rosters could look a little bit different come February sixth.

654
00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:10,240
Speaker 1: I just don't know what the move is. I mean,

655
00:32:10,359 --> 00:32:12,400
Jimmy Butler would make me feel a lot better because

656
00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:14,759
this team, So they start Phoenix was twelve and eight

657
00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:18,480
and since then, and they've dealt with some like availability issues,

658
00:32:18,519 --> 00:32:21,359
Kevin Durant missed some time. They are still eleventh in

659
00:32:21,359 --> 00:32:24,839
points scored per possession, they're twenty fifth in points allowed

660
00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:27,440
per possession. And I just don't know, like Nick Richards

661
00:32:27,519 --> 00:32:31,400
is going to help your base defense some I would imagine,

662
00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:34,839
but I just the guys. They're like, they're so reliant

663
00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:38,119
on O Sagadaro and Ryan Dunn, which is kudos to

664
00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:40,759
those guys, but it's also a little bit or to

665
00:32:40,880 --> 00:32:44,279
a lot of bit troublesome when you're kind of looking

666
00:32:44,319 --> 00:32:46,799
at it through the context of a playoff series. Royce

667
00:32:46,799 --> 00:32:50,160
O'Neil healthy now, but there they lean on him too much.

668
00:32:50,599 --> 00:32:54,759
I like, it feels like they need another I don't

669
00:32:54,799 --> 00:32:56,559
want to say premiere, but like someone who's gonna really

670
00:32:56,599 --> 00:32:59,279
help contain the ball on the perimeter. Maybe me moved

671
00:32:59,279 --> 00:33:02,119
around a bit that won't that doesn't have this like

672
00:33:02,279 --> 00:33:05,519
or have as many glaring offensive limitations, and so like

673
00:33:05,599 --> 00:33:08,279
Royce O'Neil doesn't have a ton of offensive limitations, I

674
00:33:08,279 --> 00:33:10,440
guess unless you're asking him to handle the ball, like,

675
00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:12,359
there's there's a limit to what he's gonna be able

676
00:33:12,359 --> 00:33:14,680
to do. For you on defense, and I just don't

677
00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:16,680
know how they go like the guy that they need

678
00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:19,880
to me, even if you're independent of making it a star,

679
00:33:20,599 --> 00:33:23,839
I don't know how you get him, like you dangle

680
00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:25,920
that twenty thirty one pick with all different sorts of

681
00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:28,440
matching salary that you have. I just don't I don't

682
00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:31,079
know what the name is for, like, aside from Jimmy Butler,

683
00:33:31,079 --> 00:33:32,799
who's the name for them?

684
00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:35,880
Speaker 2: Yeah, it has to be a connector, like a real connector.

685
00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:39,759
You know, I have an off ball or an off

686
00:33:39,799 --> 00:33:44,000
ball idea. But again, he's He's missed most of the season,

687
00:33:44,079 --> 00:33:46,079
so I don't know if he's has time to ramp up.

688
00:33:47,079 --> 00:33:50,680
Bruce Brown in this system, I wouldn't hate. I think

689
00:33:50,759 --> 00:33:53,079
there's something there.

690
00:33:53,400 --> 00:33:55,960
Speaker 1: They can't get him. They just don't have that. They

691
00:33:55,960 --> 00:33:58,079
need a singular contract to get him with because he's

692
00:33:58,079 --> 00:33:59,759
at over twenty million and they just don't have that.

693
00:33:59,799 --> 00:34:01,200
If you're not going to trade.

694
00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:04,880
Speaker 2: You're right. I was thinking Grayson Allen for Alan's making less.

695
00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:08,239
You're right, Bruce is at what twenty three? Right? They

696
00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:13,039
can Yeah, okay, I something else that I've been thinking about.

697
00:34:13,039 --> 00:34:17,159
By the way, if they were to get Jimmy and

698
00:34:17,239 --> 00:34:21,519
I know positions don't really matter as much in today's NBA.

699
00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:24,199
I would start him at the one and take Tyas

700
00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:26,880
Jones out of the starting lineup. I would have Tyas

701
00:34:26,960 --> 00:34:30,480
Jones just run that second unit like the the terrific

702
00:34:30,559 --> 00:34:33,400
on ball creator and low turnover guy that he is.

703
00:34:33,679 --> 00:34:34,960
I would want somepstability.

704
00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:39,679
Speaker 1: So you trust? Is this more about you trust Devin

705
00:34:39,679 --> 00:34:41,920
Booker off the ball more than Jimmy Butler. You trust

706
00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:44,679
Jimmy Butler more on the ball, like as a facilitator

707
00:34:44,679 --> 00:34:45,360
than Devin Bookers.

708
00:34:45,440 --> 00:34:48,800
Speaker 2: So here's yeah, So I trust Devin as a playmaker,

709
00:34:48,840 --> 00:34:51,360
like I'm not. This isn't me not trusting Devin Booker.

710
00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:55,360
This is me believing that Jimmy Butler has historically proven

711
00:34:55,400 --> 00:34:57,960
to be a low turnover type of guy who has

712
00:34:58,119 --> 00:35:00,320
a court vision that I don't think he gets the

713
00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:04,000
proper amount of respect for. And I also like the

714
00:35:04,039 --> 00:35:07,800
idea of playing book more off ball more in terms

715
00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:10,840
of like the floor space. I don't think Devin Booker

716
00:35:11,679 --> 00:35:13,920
it sounds ridiculous when he's taking eight threes per game

717
00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:15,719
this year, but I don't think he's taking enough. I

718
00:35:15,719 --> 00:35:17,400
don't think he's taking enough. And I know he's only

719
00:35:17,440 --> 00:35:19,639
hitting them a thirty four percent. But like that's Devin Booker.

720
00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:22,480
He can find his you know, he can find efficiency whenever.

721
00:35:22,559 --> 00:35:25,400
He's that good of a player. I'm not worried. I

722
00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:27,320
would like to see him getting more freed up as

723
00:35:27,320 --> 00:35:29,880
a score. I don't think him getting twenty five points

724
00:35:29,920 --> 00:35:31,760
per game. I think that's like in the low end

725
00:35:31,800 --> 00:35:34,599
of what he can achieve. Jimmy, as we're well aware,

726
00:35:34,639 --> 00:35:36,400
if he buys into this whole thing, and given that

727
00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:39,519
he wants Phoenix, I imagine he would. He doesn't care

728
00:35:39,519 --> 00:35:42,159
about shot at mounts or shot attempts like that is

729
00:35:42,199 --> 00:35:44,239
the one thing about him that I think is a major,

730
00:35:44,280 --> 00:35:50,199
major upside. Offensively speaking, he is fully satisfied getting eight shots,

731
00:35:50,280 --> 00:35:53,239
ten shots, and if a game necessitates that he takes fifteen, sure,

732
00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:57,079
fine whatever. But if he can come in and just say, look,

733
00:35:57,320 --> 00:36:00,599
I don't have this the shot hungriness of a bad Beale,

734
00:36:01,079 --> 00:36:04,079
I have no problem just running the show as actual

735
00:36:04,159 --> 00:36:06,960
league guard, defend the point of attack, switch over to

736
00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:10,679
bigger guards or sorry, bigger wings, and do whatever like

737
00:36:10,719 --> 00:36:14,199
be this Swiss army knife that I think has some Jews,

738
00:36:14,320 --> 00:36:16,559
especially with ties on the bench, and just and you

739
00:36:16,599 --> 00:36:18,960
also ask tis not just to facilitate off the bench,

740
00:36:19,159 --> 00:36:21,239
but also to score more, because I think he's a

741
00:36:21,320 --> 00:36:24,119
much better score than he's ever been made, you know,

742
00:36:24,559 --> 00:36:28,199
up to ass and he's starting alongside Devin Booker, Kevin

743
00:36:28,239 --> 00:36:31,280
Durant and for the most part this year, Bradley Beale, Like,

744
00:36:31,320 --> 00:36:33,800
there's pretty good reason he's not been able to demonstrate,

745
00:36:34,079 --> 00:36:37,199
you know, his scoring prowess. It's it's a matter of

746
00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:38,360
just aligning things.

747
00:36:40,199 --> 00:36:44,280
Speaker 1: Yeah, I I I'm I don't want to say him

748
00:36:44,320 --> 00:36:46,599
out on this team. I'm curious to see their their

749
00:36:46,599 --> 00:36:49,400
new starting five, which I assume you'll sub in Nick

750
00:36:49,480 --> 00:36:51,440
Richards for Mason Plumley. But their new starting five has

751
00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:53,320
been like a plus twenty five per one hundred. But

752
00:36:53,679 --> 00:36:56,440
they've gotten really lucky on opponent three point shooting twenty

753
00:36:56,440 --> 00:36:59,000
three percent, sub fifty five percent shooting at the rooms.

754
00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:01,599
I'm just curious to see how that sustains long term.

755
00:37:01,639 --> 00:37:04,760
And I've been trying to find like a like a

756
00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:07,039
non star for them that I don't not gonna do

757
00:37:07,079 --> 00:37:10,280
what Jimmy Butler does offensively necessarily in terms of handling

758
00:37:10,320 --> 00:37:13,440
the ball, but just like, can you move around like

759
00:37:13,800 --> 00:37:17,039
aggressively on defense. He's gonna give you more on offense

760
00:37:17,079 --> 00:37:19,679
than a Ryan Dunn. And I think part of like

761
00:37:19,880 --> 00:37:21,920
the issue is I don't even know, like are their

762
00:37:21,960 --> 00:37:24,440
Western Conference teams that would have the foresight to say, okay,

763
00:37:24,480 --> 00:37:27,360
like if they're giving us their twenty thirty one pick,

764
00:37:27,400 --> 00:37:29,679
like we'll help Phoenix out this year because like a

765
00:37:29,679 --> 00:37:31,280
lot of these like how many teams are gonna talk

766
00:37:31,320 --> 00:37:33,400
themselves into like, well we could be better than Phoenix.

767
00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:36,480
We don't want to help them out. So I they're

768
00:37:36,519 --> 00:37:39,119
in such a tough spot obviously because of the limited assets.

769
00:37:39,119 --> 00:37:41,920
I don't I don't have a great feel for what

770
00:37:42,119 --> 00:37:44,800
this team is. If they don't make any further moves,

771
00:37:45,360 --> 00:37:47,480
I would say that there. I would cap them out

772
00:37:47,480 --> 00:37:49,559
at one playoff series win. I know, the like you

773
00:37:49,559 --> 00:37:51,719
have Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and those guys give you,

774
00:37:52,119 --> 00:37:54,159
I guess in dearI a chance against everybody. But I

775
00:37:54,239 --> 00:37:59,519
just haven't seen enough defensively collectively from this group, and

776
00:37:59,559 --> 00:38:01,639
even like the offense can be met, like they were

777
00:38:01,639 --> 00:38:03,639
shooting a bunch of a lot more threes to start

778
00:38:03,639 --> 00:38:06,159
the year and then that kind of was yanked back down.

779
00:38:06,360 --> 00:38:09,159
I there's just all sorts of noise here and a

780
00:38:09,159 --> 00:38:10,239
lot of it's uncomfortable.

781
00:38:10,719 --> 00:38:11,840
Speaker 2: Yep, I agree.

782
00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:15,280
Speaker 1: Who are we going to talk about next? More your team?

783
00:38:15,719 --> 00:38:21,800
Oh no, not yet. The Sacramento Kings. They've been they've

784
00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:24,840
been better since getting rid of Mike Brown. They have.

785
00:38:26,320 --> 00:38:29,239
Speaker 2: Honestly, I don't know where I am here because I

786
00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:31,239
thought they did Mike Brown a little dirty. I thought

787
00:38:31,239 --> 00:38:33,079
it was more of a Ruster construction issue than it

788
00:38:33,159 --> 00:38:35,679
was a coaching issue. And now the Kings are kind

789
00:38:35,679 --> 00:38:37,760
of like just pointing at me and going really more,

790
00:38:37,960 --> 00:38:39,880
Really that's what you thought, Look at how we're doing

791
00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:43,559
right now. If look, if this was a coaching change

792
00:38:43,639 --> 00:38:47,920
that was needed, cool, that's that's awesome. I might be

793
00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:50,559
inclined to think this is just like a a coach

794
00:38:50,599 --> 00:38:53,039
switch high. So we'll see how they're looking in a

795
00:38:53,039 --> 00:38:58,159
couple of weeks. But this team still is intriguing to

796
00:38:58,239 --> 00:39:00,360
me on many levels. Do I think they come with

797
00:39:00,400 --> 00:39:03,480
a pretty set ceiling because of DeMar and his ability

798
00:39:03,559 --> 00:39:07,679
to just really eat up so much clock setting himself

799
00:39:07,760 --> 00:39:10,840
up in the half court situations. Yes, I don't think

800
00:39:10,920 --> 00:39:17,360
that is necessarily the way they should function. It's gonna

801
00:39:17,360 --> 00:39:19,480
be interesting to see how they lean into the second

802
00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:21,880
part of the season. Like, the one thing for me, Dan,

803
00:39:22,039 --> 00:39:24,159
the one thing that I want to focus on if

804
00:39:24,199 --> 00:39:26,119
I'm them going into the second half of the year,

805
00:39:26,599 --> 00:39:29,039
is finding a way to get Keikin Murray going Like

806
00:39:29,119 --> 00:39:33,800
this has been an absolutely horrendous offensive first half of

807
00:39:33,840 --> 00:39:38,760
the year for him, Like completely unacceptable given the potential,

808
00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:41,880
the scoring prowess, like who he is as a basketball player.

809
00:39:42,559 --> 00:39:46,239
If they find some type of way to get him

810
00:39:46,280 --> 00:39:48,760
more involved, to get him more efficient, to get him

811
00:39:49,119 --> 00:39:52,239
into a higher volume setting, and you can sort of

812
00:39:52,280 --> 00:39:54,400
play through him in a bit more, and you can

813
00:39:54,440 --> 00:39:57,039
scale back on the Damar stuff, then I think we

814
00:39:57,119 --> 00:40:00,400
have a team that could be proper explosive Echo actually

815
00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:01,800
win a couple of playoff series.

816
00:40:02,719 --> 00:40:05,639
Speaker 1: Well, he's shooting over he's been dealing with ankle stuff,

817
00:40:05,639 --> 00:40:09,280
but he is shooting over forty percent from three since

818
00:40:09,320 --> 00:40:12,400
the coaching change. And I think, Doug Christie, we've talked

819
00:40:12,400 --> 00:40:14,480
about this, you and I and Grant and I as well.

820
00:40:14,559 --> 00:40:17,559
Like putting not even just excuse me, putting key On

821
00:40:17,599 --> 00:40:20,239
Ellis into the starting lineup, which is playing key On

822
00:40:20,320 --> 00:40:23,599
Ellis more has been a cheat code that was I

823
00:40:23,639 --> 00:40:26,440
think always starring Mike Brown in the face that fox,

824
00:40:26,519 --> 00:40:29,880
Ellis DeRozan, Murray Sabonus lineup is a plus twenty one

825
00:40:29,960 --> 00:40:32,880
point five for the season with an offensive rating mored

826
00:40:32,960 --> 00:40:36,280
of one pint thirty four point four. So that's like

827
00:40:37,119 --> 00:40:39,679
the fact that they might just have this elite core

828
00:40:39,840 --> 00:40:43,639
unit for them. I was pretty I actually, I don't

829
00:40:43,679 --> 00:40:46,639
know that. I don't think any Kings fans actively listened

830
00:40:46,679 --> 00:40:48,679
to me or I convinced them that this team was better.

831
00:40:48,719 --> 00:40:50,840
But I looked at their vitals, I watched a lot

832
00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:53,119
of their games that they choked away, and I just

833
00:40:53,199 --> 00:40:56,079
saw that there was a better team there. I don't

834
00:40:56,119 --> 00:40:58,039
know how good that could be, but I really think

835
00:40:58,039 --> 00:41:00,400
the bigger thing for them is I've mentioned four, I

836
00:41:00,400 --> 00:41:03,920
would absolutely give up my first round pick in twenty

837
00:41:04,079 --> 00:41:06,880
twenty seven conditionally to get Jimmy Butler in here, and

838
00:41:06,880 --> 00:41:08,840
you trade Demarta Rows and as part of that trade,

839
00:41:08,920 --> 00:41:11,400
King SAMs don't want to do it, that's fine, so

840
00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:14,360
I'm not going there. But I view this as like

841
00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:17,000
I just want them to stretch out their rotation a

842
00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:19,960
little bit further because I think I really do think

843
00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:22,280
there's something here. And of the teams that we've talked

844
00:41:22,280 --> 00:41:25,840
about so far we have another team? Do we have

845
00:41:25,840 --> 00:41:27,400
two teams to go? One or two teams to go?

846
00:41:27,960 --> 00:41:30,159
I actually think that this is the team that if

847
00:41:30,199 --> 00:41:32,960
we're whether we're looking at it through, they don't make

848
00:41:32,960 --> 00:41:36,639
any changes or they make non star trades, because like

849
00:41:36,679 --> 00:41:39,000
any if someone trades for Jimmy Butler, someone trades or something,

850
00:41:39,079 --> 00:41:41,880
then we have to have relitigate that. I think they

851
00:41:42,159 --> 00:41:45,199
to me clearly have the highest ceiling of all the

852
00:41:45,199 --> 00:41:46,760
teams that we have talked about so far.

853
00:41:48,960 --> 00:41:53,559
Speaker 2: Yes, so Jimmy instead of DeMar, I'm there. That's a

854
00:41:53,639 --> 00:41:56,440
team that I would trust that And like I was

855
00:41:56,559 --> 00:41:58,519
on the last podcast as well, where I was like

856
00:41:58,719 --> 00:42:02,360
very very reluctant to include a first for Jimmy Butler

857
00:42:02,360 --> 00:42:04,880
because of the contractual situation, because of the age and

858
00:42:04,920 --> 00:42:07,079
all that. I look, you can laugh all you want.

859
00:42:07,119 --> 00:42:10,960
I'm still there. I'm mister safety man. But for the

860
00:42:11,039 --> 00:42:16,280
Kings right now, that might actually be theact exact type

861
00:42:16,280 --> 00:42:21,239
of dude who they need. Because DeMar, as much as

862
00:42:21,840 --> 00:42:24,840
you know we all love him and you know how

863
00:42:24,920 --> 00:42:28,880
awesome he actually is, he's too shot, hungry, he just is.

864
00:42:28,920 --> 00:42:32,880
He takes up too many possessions. He's he and I

865
00:42:32,920 --> 00:42:35,079
don't even think he leans into his passing a whole

866
00:42:35,079 --> 00:42:37,320
lot more. And remember when he was in San Antonio,

867
00:42:37,320 --> 00:42:40,559
who's basically like their pseudo point guard. The guy has

868
00:42:40,639 --> 00:42:43,840
excellent court vision, but since his Bull's tenure, it's all

869
00:42:43,880 --> 00:42:46,039
about MO and I gotta get mine. I gotta get

870
00:42:46,039 --> 00:42:47,840
the shots up. I don't have a problem with that

871
00:42:47,880 --> 00:42:50,760
because usually he's pretty efficient. He's been pretty efficient as

872
00:42:50,760 --> 00:42:53,679
well this year considering the shots that he's taken. But

873
00:42:53,840 --> 00:42:56,599
you need that guy, and I outlied Jimmy previously in

874
00:42:56,679 --> 00:42:59,239
terms of like, he doesn't demand X amount of shots.

875
00:42:59,320 --> 00:43:02,000
He'll play with in the flow of the offense. So

876
00:43:02,360 --> 00:43:05,280
he's not gonna, you know, dribble the ball into the

877
00:43:05,280 --> 00:43:08,480
ground sixteen times before taking a shot. He's gonna make

878
00:43:08,519 --> 00:43:12,000
quick decisions. He's gonna turn his attention to defense, he's

879
00:43:12,039 --> 00:43:15,480
gonna lean into his passing. He's gonna be way more opportunistic,

880
00:43:15,480 --> 00:43:17,960
and I think that's what they need. So if you

881
00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:22,360
could replace Damar with Jimmy Butler in this consolation, even

882
00:43:22,440 --> 00:43:24,760
if it's just for a half your rental, Yeah, I'm

883
00:43:24,760 --> 00:43:27,599
probably giving up a first, but I'm protecting the ever

884
00:43:27,760 --> 00:43:28,679
living hell out of it.

885
00:43:29,639 --> 00:43:31,960
Speaker 1: Uh. While I would do that deal again. I just

886
00:43:31,960 --> 00:43:33,519
don't know if I'm like, I guess you could look

887
00:43:33,519 --> 00:43:35,559
at it as so what you gave up for DeMar

888
00:43:35,800 --> 00:43:37,679
then combined with what you're attacking on top of him,

889
00:43:37,679 --> 00:43:39,320
like that's what you gave able to get Jimmy Butler.

890
00:43:39,559 --> 00:43:43,079
But I also think like if they upgrade like sort

891
00:43:43,119 --> 00:43:44,960
of the reserve front courts where the way I mean

892
00:43:45,039 --> 00:43:47,199
Chris Bruschet has been having he's having a minute at

893
00:43:47,199 --> 00:43:49,440
the moment, even by I love Chris Bouchet, but he's

894
00:43:49,440 --> 00:43:51,320
playing out of his mind over the past four or

895
00:43:51,320 --> 00:43:53,800
five games, right, Uh that Like, can you use Trey

896
00:43:53,880 --> 00:43:55,400
Lyles to get him? I think that would be an

897
00:43:55,440 --> 00:43:58,440
upgrade there, That's a good one. Something else you could

898
00:43:58,480 --> 00:44:00,199
look at. There have to be a little bit more

899
00:44:00,239 --> 00:44:02,239
money involved, but I know this is one of your favorites.

900
00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:04,880
I mean, getting both of them would be tough, but

901
00:44:04,960 --> 00:44:08,159
like you have Kevin Herder, you have Trey Lyles getting

902
00:44:08,199 --> 00:44:11,000
Bruce Brown and Chris Bouchet, So there needs to be

903
00:44:11,039 --> 00:44:15,239
like probably more money going out there. Giving Sacramento's tax situation.

904
00:44:15,320 --> 00:44:17,280
I'm just eyeballing this. This was I've been thinking about

905
00:44:17,320 --> 00:44:20,519
Chris Bouchet for them for a while. I don't know, like, oh,

906
00:44:20,559 --> 00:44:21,519
you lid off.

907
00:44:21,639 --> 00:44:24,320
Speaker 2: I say a Stewart because we had a podcast about

908
00:44:24,559 --> 00:44:26,239
two months ago, a month ago, a month and a

909
00:44:26,280 --> 00:44:28,719
half ago where you were you were really in and

910
00:44:28,840 --> 00:44:32,159
I say a Stewart for the Kings, which I really liked.

911
00:44:32,400 --> 00:44:34,679
Speaker 1: I like that idea. I just don't know it's Kevin

912
00:44:34,760 --> 00:44:37,239
Herder and what like can you attach seconds to that?

913
00:44:37,360 --> 00:44:39,920
And like, I don't know why Detroit is gonna bite there.

914
00:44:39,960 --> 00:44:43,360
I do believe, I know there's we have a really

915
00:44:43,559 --> 00:44:46,280
one of like a diehard Pistons fan in our discord

916
00:44:46,320 --> 00:44:49,559
that just has reiterated that Isaiah Stewart he's not shooting

917
00:44:49,559 --> 00:44:51,960
threes this year. Even when he was shooting them, he

918
00:44:52,000 --> 00:44:54,320
wasn't like taking them at like a super fast clip

919
00:44:54,320 --> 00:44:56,480
and he hesitant to take them. I still believe that

920
00:44:57,000 --> 00:45:00,679
he can provide you with some stretch in the front

921
00:45:00,679 --> 00:45:04,679
corp position. Like that's just something I believe. So yeah,

922
00:45:04,719 --> 00:45:06,840
I just don't know. I'm not giving up my twenty

923
00:45:06,840 --> 00:45:09,320
twenty seven first round pick for him because you don't

924
00:45:09,320 --> 00:45:12,679
have there's no bad, bad money on it. Like the

925
00:45:12,719 --> 00:45:14,719
worst I think some people would argue the worst contract

926
00:45:14,760 --> 00:45:17,320
is actually some bonuses. But outside from that, it's like, Okay,

927
00:45:17,320 --> 00:45:21,119
it's Kevin herders, what does that do for you? But

928
00:45:21,360 --> 00:45:23,760
I've also thought about, like would you roll the dice?

929
00:45:23,840 --> 00:45:25,920
He can't give you a ton of minutes, but this

930
00:45:26,000 --> 00:45:28,559
is a team that could probably use Kevin Herder. Is

931
00:45:28,559 --> 00:45:31,039
it too much of a consolidation to go Kevin Herder

932
00:45:31,679 --> 00:45:37,719
and Trey Lyles for Jonathan Isaac? M his contract by

933
00:45:37,719 --> 00:45:39,320
the way. Just well it's.

934
00:45:40,800 --> 00:45:42,840
Speaker 2: That's why I find it intriguing because if it didn't,

935
00:45:42,880 --> 00:45:46,280
I would say hell no. So so you'd have to

936
00:45:46,360 --> 00:45:49,480
rely on Jonathan Isaac, who also hit the three ball

937
00:45:49,599 --> 00:45:53,039
at a consistent rate. Though you would do you? Yeah?

938
00:45:53,159 --> 00:45:54,920
Speaker 1: I mean, like Trey Lyles has not been hitting it

939
00:45:54,920 --> 00:45:58,039
at a consistent rate. Why he does take him to

940
00:45:58,079 --> 00:45:59,920
his defense and he's been shooting like thirty five for

941
00:46:00,079 --> 00:46:01,519
senseence Doug Christie came around.

942
00:46:01,519 --> 00:46:04,679
Speaker 2: But still, look, I know that I think you do

943
00:46:04,880 --> 00:46:08,239
because you have to get back to like that very bombasted,

944
00:46:09,800 --> 00:46:13,119
like flamboyant offense that you let the league with a

945
00:46:13,199 --> 00:46:14,760
couple of years ago. I think that's what you need

946
00:46:14,800 --> 00:46:17,119
to get back to. So yes, you absolutely meet someone

947
00:46:17,159 --> 00:46:18,920
in there who can space the floor. Ok, can I

948
00:46:19,000 --> 00:46:19,719
ask you something else?

949
00:46:19,719 --> 00:46:19,960
Speaker 1: Though?

950
00:46:20,079 --> 00:46:22,920
Speaker 2: If Kevin Hurder is still on the King's roster after

951
00:46:22,960 --> 00:46:24,920
the trade deadline, is that a failure on their part?

952
00:46:25,960 --> 00:46:28,840
Speaker 1: No, just because so I think at this point, if

953
00:46:28,880 --> 00:46:31,320
he so you can't do something like one of the

954
00:46:31,320 --> 00:46:34,360
deals we outlined without including a first round pick right

955
00:46:34,480 --> 00:46:36,400
then there's no point in trade. You might have waited

956
00:46:36,440 --> 00:46:39,159
too long to trade him. That's a previous failure. You

957
00:46:39,159 --> 00:46:42,599
shouldn't throw good money after bad at this point. And

958
00:46:42,679 --> 00:46:45,000
there's also like, so if you have to attach too

959
00:46:45,039 --> 00:46:48,239
many stuff to get a marginal or even a modest

960
00:46:48,320 --> 00:46:51,480
upgrade elsewhere, I'd rather try to hold out hope that

961
00:46:51,559 --> 00:46:54,159
it just comes together for him, because like, he could

962
00:46:54,199 --> 00:46:56,400
still be a super like in theory, be a super

963
00:46:56,440 --> 00:47:00,480
dangerous shooter. So I wouldn't do something I'd be more

964
00:47:00,480 --> 00:47:02,400
inclined to be like, if I can't move Kevin Hurder,

965
00:47:03,000 --> 00:47:04,960
this is like maybe this is real sick oh shit,

966
00:47:05,000 --> 00:47:07,760
And I'm sure Washington Wizards fans won't like it. How

967
00:47:07,760 --> 00:47:11,480
do we get justin Champenny in Sacramento might be like

968
00:47:11,519 --> 00:47:13,880
a perfect fit for everything that really, look.

969
00:47:13,840 --> 00:47:18,039
Speaker 2: I promise you if the Wizards front office are smart

970
00:47:18,079 --> 00:47:20,920
at all, they are not getting him up for you know,

971
00:47:21,320 --> 00:47:25,639
anything less than a solid first round draft pick. And

972
00:47:25,679 --> 00:47:28,159
I know that this look. I know that the sable

973
00:47:28,239 --> 00:47:31,559
size is small. He is good as this is. Twin Brothers,

974
00:47:31,559 --> 00:47:35,559
the Champagne's bros are real dudes in this league, and

975
00:47:35,639 --> 00:47:38,800
it's amazing to me that no one seems to pick

976
00:47:38,880 --> 00:47:41,360
up on that fact. Everyone's like when they're trying to

977
00:47:41,360 --> 00:47:44,480
make spurs trades, for example, no one's really like penciling

978
00:47:44,519 --> 00:47:47,599
In Champagne in a rotation like, oh, he's been starting

979
00:47:47,639 --> 00:47:49,960
a lot for him this year. He's really good. Justin

980
00:47:50,039 --> 00:47:52,599
Sampenni also is coming to life now again, hitting the

981
00:47:52,639 --> 00:47:55,119
three ball even actual than this brother. I love those.

982
00:47:55,639 --> 00:47:57,440
Speaker 1: I forgot Justin was still on a two way. They

983
00:47:57,440 --> 00:48:01,199
haven't converted, like he needs to be converted. You wouldn't

984
00:48:01,199 --> 00:48:01,320
be so.

985
00:48:01,559 --> 00:48:04,000
Speaker 2: Con they haven't converted him yet, Are you kidding me?

986
00:48:04,239 --> 00:48:06,840
Speaker 1: Let me double check that on on spot rack spot

987
00:48:06,920 --> 00:48:08,519
I like to call it spo track, but it's apparently

988
00:48:08,519 --> 00:48:11,039
spot rack yet. No, Justin Champenni is on a two

989
00:48:11,039 --> 00:48:11,639
way still.

990
00:48:11,519 --> 00:48:15,599
Speaker 2: The spot track. It's Keith's told me spot track spot track.

991
00:48:15,679 --> 00:48:17,800
Speaker 1: Someone else told me spot I called spow track. So

992
00:48:17,840 --> 00:48:18,679
it's spot track.

993
00:48:19,079 --> 00:48:22,199
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's spots track. I will say, like, what did

994
00:48:22,280 --> 00:48:24,199
you call like spow track or spot track.

995
00:48:24,440 --> 00:48:26,239
Speaker 1: I'm inclined to say spo track is what I want

996
00:48:26,280 --> 00:48:30,000
to say. Yeah, maybe that's because I'd like to say

997
00:48:30,000 --> 00:48:32,960
coach bo, but so you wouldn't like it. We're being real,

998
00:48:33,400 --> 00:48:35,119
I guess yeah, if you're the wizard. I mean, they

999
00:48:35,119 --> 00:48:36,760
don't have a ton of like extra if you were

1000
00:48:36,760 --> 00:48:40,400
getting multiple seconds, right, I don't know. I mean like

1001
00:48:40,440 --> 00:48:42,360
there could be some like maybe if you're taking on

1002
00:48:42,480 --> 00:48:45,199
Kyle Kuzma from them and sending out Kevin Hurder and Lyles,

1003
00:48:45,239 --> 00:48:48,000
you can get back justin Champenny. If you're including enough,

1004
00:48:48,039 --> 00:48:50,119
that would be a trade. I'd be interest. That doesn't

1005
00:48:50,119 --> 00:48:53,039
really fix your backup. Big Isaac would do that, or

1006
00:48:53,079 --> 00:48:56,039
Bouchet would do that. They'll probably be like a Yonis

1007
00:48:56,079 --> 00:48:58,639
Valenciunas team, just because you could get him using Lyles,

1008
00:48:58,679 --> 00:49:01,159
But then you're really in the offense there. But again,

1009
00:49:01,199 --> 00:49:05,400
he's probably an upgrade overall. I still maintain this, but like,

1010
00:49:05,639 --> 00:49:07,760
if you got to give up, it's just tough to work.

1011
00:49:08,039 --> 00:49:10,199
It's not super tough, but it's a little tough to work.

1012
00:49:10,400 --> 00:49:12,960
They would be another RW three team where it's like, Okay,

1013
00:49:12,960 --> 00:49:16,360
we know Sabonus is gonna play what thirty well in

1014
00:49:16,400 --> 00:49:18,960
the playoffs, forget about it. But like during the regular season,

1015
00:49:18,960 --> 00:49:22,960
he's gonna play what that's thirty five thirty six of

1016
00:49:23,000 --> 00:49:25,920
your center minutes done. That's almost a perfect landing spot

1017
00:49:25,920 --> 00:49:27,880
for Robert Williams the third because you don't need him

1018
00:49:27,920 --> 00:49:29,639
to play more than ten or fifteen minutes a night.

1019
00:49:30,039 --> 00:49:32,039
Speaker 2: Yeah.

1020
00:49:31,719 --> 00:49:33,920
Speaker 1: Uh, but yeah, I think they're the team I'm highest on,

1021
00:49:34,000 --> 00:49:36,440
even if they do nothing of who we've discussed, there

1022
00:49:36,480 --> 00:49:39,920
are other teams I should say team to talk about.

1023
00:49:40,039 --> 00:49:42,920
They're your team more the San Antonio Spurs in light

1024
00:49:43,039 --> 00:49:45,519
I have. I'm coming into this. I haven't watched a

1025
00:49:45,559 --> 00:49:48,239
single Spurs basketball game. I don't even know who this

1026
00:49:48,559 --> 00:49:54,719
Victor Wembin Yama person extraterrestrial being. As educate me on

1027
00:49:54,800 --> 00:49:56,119
how high this team ceiling is.

1028
00:49:57,159 --> 00:49:59,239
Speaker 2: I mean to do that, I will first have to

1029
00:49:59,280 --> 00:50:02,039
tell you of about Wemby, and you wouldn't believe me.

1030
00:50:02,119 --> 00:50:04,519
You would think I'd be lying. I mean, for someone

1031
00:50:04,599 --> 00:50:08,519
who's of the uninitiated, how can you even describe Wemby

1032
00:50:09,239 --> 00:50:12,079
with a straight face? You can't. That's just the real answer.

1033
00:50:12,480 --> 00:50:15,800
Here's the thing. He's twenty one years old, and there

1034
00:50:15,840 --> 00:50:19,440
was a reason the Spurs are already thinking about accelerating

1035
00:50:19,480 --> 00:50:21,000
the rebuild.

1036
00:50:21,199 --> 00:50:25,760
Speaker 1: Oh, I'm sorry they are. I'm not I'm not even

1037
00:50:25,800 --> 00:50:26,719
being an asshole here.

1038
00:50:26,960 --> 00:50:29,280
Speaker 2: Like the darn Fox thing, Like the report of them

1039
00:50:29,320 --> 00:50:30,119
being interested in.

1040
00:50:30,119 --> 00:50:33,079
Speaker 1: Jaron Fox, well, when the reporting is they would be

1041
00:50:33,360 --> 00:50:36,280
interested in trading him for him over the off season, it's.

1042
00:50:36,159 --> 00:50:39,159
Speaker 2: Kind of like, okay, well, I mean, look, that's still

1043
00:50:39,960 --> 00:50:41,800
when you think about the fact that there is a

1044
00:50:41,840 --> 00:50:44,679
six year difference in terms of that that I still

1045
00:50:44,719 --> 00:50:47,800
consider that like showing your hand a little bit. I

1046
00:50:47,840 --> 00:50:49,840
would probably like I love Daron Fox, and I know

1047
00:50:49,880 --> 00:50:52,760
a lot of people would love that that fit I am,

1048
00:50:52,920 --> 00:50:54,519
like I said in the I think it was the

1049
00:50:54,519 --> 00:50:57,920
previous podcast we did, I would love for Vic to

1050
00:50:57,960 --> 00:51:00,960
actually become one of the older members of a corps

1051
00:51:01,000 --> 00:51:03,400
so he doesn't go through the Yana stuff now where

1052
00:51:03,519 --> 00:51:06,000
if he has the secondary start next to him, then

1053
00:51:06,000 --> 00:51:09,199
when that guy ages out, oh now we can't figure

1054
00:51:09,239 --> 00:51:11,400
out what to do because we're cap the hell out

1055
00:51:11,440 --> 00:51:13,280
and we have no idea what's to move here. I

1056
00:51:13,320 --> 00:51:17,840
think it's so crucial that the Spurs figure this one out.

1057
00:51:18,039 --> 00:51:23,159
If that means going through you know, just going through

1058
00:51:23,199 --> 00:51:25,199
the rest of this year without a trade, all right,

1059
00:51:25,320 --> 00:51:27,599
fair enough, and then we just remove them from the

1060
00:51:27,599 --> 00:51:30,000
equation in terms of like could they be a real threat,

1061
00:51:30,679 --> 00:51:33,199
but if they go all in and not well, not

1062
00:51:33,400 --> 00:51:35,360
all in, but if they go in on a guy

1063
00:51:36,320 --> 00:51:39,519
this trade deadline who's like still in his mid twenties

1064
00:51:39,599 --> 00:51:43,039
and who's an all star caliber talent, it's also difficult

1065
00:51:43,360 --> 00:51:47,360
to argue against it because of how good Viga Repaiama

1066
00:51:47,480 --> 00:51:50,320
is already. So do I trust them to make a long,

1067
00:51:50,639 --> 00:51:53,719
you know, a strong push inside the playoffs, like to

1068
00:51:53,800 --> 00:51:56,559
the second round or to the conference finals. No, at

1069
00:51:56,679 --> 00:51:59,679
least not right now. They are I think, what nineteen

1070
00:51:59,679 --> 00:52:02,599
and two when he's so barely a five hundred team, uh,

1071
00:52:02,800 --> 00:52:05,079
or not even a five hundred team.

1072
00:52:05,400 --> 00:52:07,800
Speaker 1: They are below the Suns in the standings, which is

1073
00:52:07,880 --> 00:52:08,840
just inexcusable.

1074
00:52:11,519 --> 00:52:13,840
Speaker 2: But like they just have they have so much going

1075
00:52:13,840 --> 00:52:16,880
for him, it doesn't really matter. Like I still think

1076
00:52:16,880 --> 00:52:19,840
they should use the contract of Sack Collins. They also

1077
00:52:19,880 --> 00:52:22,800
have some nice trade assets in terms of Kelton Johnson,

1078
00:52:22,880 --> 00:52:25,079
because like you know, know, Kelton is a flaw player.

1079
00:52:25,360 --> 00:52:28,119
But at the salary he's earning, and that's declining in value.

1080
00:52:28,119 --> 00:52:30,119
I think he's earning nineteen this year, then it drops

1081
00:52:30,320 --> 00:52:33,199
seventeen and a half million next year, and the year

1082
00:52:33,239 --> 00:52:34,480
after that means.

1083
00:52:34,360 --> 00:52:37,840
Speaker 1: He's this time last year. I think some people would

1084
00:52:37,840 --> 00:52:40,320
have said this was wild. He has more trade value

1085
00:52:40,400 --> 00:52:41,559
right now than Kyle Kuzma.

1086
00:52:41,599 --> 00:52:45,000
Speaker 2: I would think, oh, that's interesting. I never I never

1087
00:52:45,000 --> 00:52:47,920
put them up to comparison. I that I could see that.

1088
00:52:48,000 --> 00:52:50,800
I could see a case for that for sure. So

1089
00:52:50,880 --> 00:52:54,440
they have movable assets. They have a lot of draft picks.

1090
00:52:54,639 --> 00:52:58,800
I mean, I've been on this show and on my

1091
00:52:58,880 --> 00:53:03,079
own show, and on Danish shows, and on Forbes and

1092
00:53:03,199 --> 00:53:06,119
Yahoo talking about the trade that I love for them.

1093
00:53:06,559 --> 00:53:07,960
Speaker 1: Don't forget on their only.

1094
00:53:07,800 --> 00:53:12,599
Speaker 2: Fans as well. I'm reiterating it, like, look, I would

1095
00:53:12,599 --> 00:53:18,119
assume Kobe White to the Spurs for Malachi Brenham, Sack Collins,

1096
00:53:18,159 --> 00:53:21,519
the Bulls twenty twenty five pickback and Atlanta's unprotected twenty

1097
00:53:21,559 --> 00:53:24,880
twenty seven pick. If you need to add draft picks

1098
00:53:24,880 --> 00:53:27,199
to sort of line value, fine, I don't think you

1099
00:53:27,239 --> 00:53:29,719
would need a ton. But I think that is a

1100
00:53:29,800 --> 00:53:33,480
perfectly reasonable ballpark for both sides to at least start out.

1101
00:53:33,760 --> 00:53:36,079
I don't think either team, you know, hangs up the

1102
00:53:36,079 --> 00:53:39,880
phone on that offer. I think that's a perfectly reasonable

1103
00:53:39,920 --> 00:53:43,920
conversation to start out as And those are the type

1104
00:53:43,920 --> 00:53:46,199
of deals I think wouldn't be bad for the Spurs

1105
00:53:46,239 --> 00:53:48,880
where they get guys in who are underpaid, a little

1106
00:53:48,880 --> 00:53:52,480
bit undervalued, who are still young, who can help this

1107
00:53:52,599 --> 00:53:55,000
team win now and in the future, and then they

1108
00:53:55,000 --> 00:53:56,880
can make a call later on. Those are the deals

1109
00:53:56,880 --> 00:53:59,719
that I would be looking for as currently constructed. No,

1110
00:53:59,760 --> 00:54:02,480
I think there's going to be a playoff, you know,

1111
00:54:02,800 --> 00:54:04,559
a serious playoff team.

1112
00:54:05,320 --> 00:54:07,159
Speaker 1: Yeah. I love when you mentioned it. I love the

1113
00:54:07,239 --> 00:54:10,440
Kobe White. That seems to fit like it doesn't accelerate

1114
00:54:10,480 --> 00:54:12,599
your timeline. It just kind of costs you assets which

1115
00:54:12,599 --> 00:54:14,519
you have despair And by the way, if you're getting

1116
00:54:14,519 --> 00:54:17,320
off the Zach Collins contract in the process, that's part

1117
00:54:17,320 --> 00:54:20,159
of the value add there to me. Yeah, and I

1118
00:54:20,199 --> 00:54:22,280
do think that you're onto something in terms of I

1119
00:54:22,280 --> 00:54:24,079
think you can look at this roster and wonder because

1120
00:54:24,079 --> 00:54:25,760
they have Trade Jones, they have Chris Paul, they have

1121
00:54:25,760 --> 00:54:27,719
Stefan Cassel, and just say, well, kind of what is

1122
00:54:27,760 --> 00:54:29,639
their biggest need? And you look at their starting five,

1123
00:54:30,119 --> 00:54:34,280
slaughtering opponents like they're absolutely just annihilating the competition on

1124
00:54:34,320 --> 00:54:37,480
the season. I really do think it's someone who you want.

1125
00:54:37,559 --> 00:54:40,079
It'd be cool to get that live ball creativity and

1126
00:54:40,079 --> 00:54:43,800
shot making. They desperately need more off ball gravity around

1127
00:54:43,840 --> 00:54:46,800
Victor Wembayama to make his people complain about his paint touches.

1128
00:54:47,159 --> 00:54:48,679
A lot of it is too, as you've seen what

1129
00:54:48,760 --> 00:54:51,199
the spur spacing can look like on any given possession,

1130
00:54:51,760 --> 00:54:54,840
and like I think their best when you're looking at

1131
00:54:54,880 --> 00:54:56,559
when they don't have the ball, which they actually have

1132
00:54:56,559 --> 00:54:58,639
some pretty good on ball gravity. When you look at

1133
00:54:58,920 --> 00:55:02,280
CP three, Tray Jones, even Steph Castle getting Downhill Wemby.

1134
00:55:02,320 --> 00:55:06,039
Of course, their players with the most like off ball

1135
00:55:06,079 --> 00:55:09,679
poll are probably Julian Champenny and Harrison Barnes. That's not

1136
00:55:10,400 --> 00:55:12,480
that's fine when you're looking at wings in front court.

1137
00:55:12,480 --> 00:55:14,159
And then there's Devin Vesselle of course, who I think

1138
00:55:14,400 --> 00:55:16,800
probably does the best job of the team blending both.

1139
00:55:16,840 --> 00:55:19,360
When you want someone who has a ton of on

1140
00:55:19,480 --> 00:55:21,920
and off ball gravity, Kobe White has a ton of

1141
00:55:21,960 --> 00:55:25,800
on and off ball gravity. I just and I I

1142
00:55:25,840 --> 00:55:27,960
would say this, I still believe this might be a

1143
00:55:27,960 --> 00:55:29,559
good way to get in the discussion of which of

1144
00:55:29,559 --> 00:55:31,800
these six teams that we discussed. When you're looking at

1145
00:55:31,960 --> 00:55:34,360
the Suns, the Lakers, the Clippers, the Kings, the Spurs,

1146
00:55:34,400 --> 00:55:37,480
and the Golden State Warriors, do you view as most

1147
00:55:37,559 --> 00:55:41,079
dangerous for this season. I'm still going to lean the Kings.

1148
00:55:41,239 --> 00:55:43,639
Suppona is quietly having an amazing year. By the way,

1149
00:55:43,679 --> 00:55:44,440
Oh yeah, you don't.

1150
00:55:44,320 --> 00:55:46,000
Speaker 2: Think it's quiet. I don't think it's quiet.

1151
00:55:46,079 --> 00:55:47,840
Speaker 1: It's quiet the sense that I don't think I put

1152
00:55:47,920 --> 00:55:50,280
him on my All Star team, and I would absolutely

1153
00:55:50,280 --> 00:55:53,760
remedy that a week later away from the building. All

1154
00:55:53,760 --> 00:55:55,599
Star teams are hard. By the way, I didn't dismiss him.

1155
00:55:55,639 --> 00:55:58,880
I talked about him neither here nor there. I just

1156
00:55:59,800 --> 00:56:01,880
I think that if the Spurs made a trade like that,

1157
00:56:02,159 --> 00:56:03,719
or if they if we could come up with a

1158
00:56:03,719 --> 00:56:06,800
different name, I honestly haven't. Given you've mentioned Jimmy Butler

1159
00:56:06,800 --> 00:56:09,199
to them, I think that would be the off ball gravity. Right.

1160
00:56:09,239 --> 00:56:11,920
That's a different discussion, but that would be so interesting

1161
00:56:11,960 --> 00:56:16,000
to me. I just if they made a trade of

1162
00:56:16,400 --> 00:56:18,480
not insignificance, I'll say, it doesn't need to be a

1163
00:56:18,519 --> 00:56:22,199
mega trade, but not insignificance, they might have the highest

1164
00:56:22,199 --> 00:56:25,440
ceiling immediately of this group, then I don't know if

1165
00:56:25,440 --> 00:56:29,239
I would feel the best about them still. But the Kings, No,

1166
00:56:29,280 --> 00:56:30,199
the Spurs.

1167
00:56:30,039 --> 00:56:32,239
Speaker 2: The Spurs. Okay, yeah, I was confused.

1168
00:56:32,320 --> 00:56:34,960
Speaker 1: Yes, all right, So if you're so, I think I

1169
00:56:35,000 --> 00:56:37,840
feel best about the Kings right now, is presently constituted, yes,

1170
00:56:37,840 --> 00:56:40,400
But if you're telling me like the Spurs made a

1171
00:56:40,519 --> 00:56:43,280
not like a Kobe White level trade or maybe even

1172
00:56:43,320 --> 00:56:45,280
could that person be a little like worse? Is it

1173
00:56:45,320 --> 00:56:48,679
a Colin Sexton type deal, I might immediately think that

1174
00:56:48,719 --> 00:56:53,320
the Spurs have the highest ceiling again, the best overall package.

1175
00:56:53,360 --> 00:56:53,679
Maybe not.

1176
00:56:53,800 --> 00:56:56,480
Speaker 2: Yeah, No, I agree with you on that. That's the

1177
00:56:56,480 --> 00:56:59,039
thing that and that is why I think we use

1178
00:56:59,079 --> 00:57:01,199
to preface both this podcast and the one we did

1179
00:57:01,599 --> 00:57:04,199
about the East with the fact that we're recording this

1180
00:57:04,239 --> 00:57:07,719
before the trade decline, Like if the Spurs did you know,

1181
00:57:08,559 --> 00:57:12,840
quote unquote my trade and they brought in Kobe as well,

1182
00:57:13,000 --> 00:57:15,159
remember in that part of that baggage was also I

1183
00:57:15,239 --> 00:57:17,320
would assume who I think is flying under the radar

1184
00:57:17,440 --> 00:57:18,679
generally speaking.

1185
00:57:18,599 --> 00:57:20,239
Speaker 1: Yeah, I just don't know what to make of him.

1186
00:57:20,440 --> 00:57:22,280
He had like some moments last year on offense, but

1187
00:57:22,280 --> 00:57:24,480
in terms of shooting and just scoring aggression. I worry

1188
00:57:24,480 --> 00:57:25,280
about him a little bit.

1189
00:57:25,320 --> 00:57:27,239
Speaker 2: Well, I think it's I think it's bulls related. I

1190
00:57:27,239 --> 00:57:28,880
don't think it's him related.

1191
00:57:29,119 --> 00:57:31,360
Speaker 1: Let's we'll talk everything up the bulls. Why is it?

1192
00:57:32,039 --> 00:57:35,000
Why isn't Patrick Williams in all NBA player bulls?

1193
00:57:37,840 --> 00:57:39,719
Speaker 2: Yeah, let's get him to San Antonio too. That would

1194
00:57:39,719 --> 00:57:42,599
be fun to see what happens there. No, but those

1195
00:57:42,599 --> 00:57:46,239
two guys at least would help alleviate some of those

1196
00:57:46,239 --> 00:57:49,159
spacing concerns. A great deal, I agree with you, Like

1197
00:57:49,199 --> 00:57:52,559
if you make a and not insignificant trade, I think

1198
00:57:52,599 --> 00:57:56,920
that was the way you phrased it. San Antonio immediately

1199
00:57:56,960 --> 00:58:01,440
becomes the most interesting part of all the most interesting

1200
00:58:01,480 --> 00:58:04,039
team of all these teams listed. What's also something we

1201
00:58:04,079 --> 00:58:07,599
need to bag into all this is we're only halfway

1202
00:58:07,599 --> 00:58:11,199
through the season, and as we saw last year, Wemby

1203
00:58:11,440 --> 00:58:16,320
isn't done developing, Like he gets better as the season

1204
00:58:16,440 --> 00:58:20,519
goes on, Like we also saw that in France before

1205
00:58:20,960 --> 00:58:25,000
the draft, Like there's some kind of switch that's he

1206
00:58:25,239 --> 00:58:29,880
just turns toggles and then he's like, Okay, I've absorbed that.

1207
00:58:29,960 --> 00:58:32,000
I know what to fix the next time. I still

1208
00:58:32,039 --> 00:58:35,320
remember from his rookie season. They were playing ironically, they

1209
00:58:35,320 --> 00:58:37,360
were playing Chicago. We've been talking about Vooch a lot

1210
00:58:37,480 --> 00:58:40,000
on this podcast, and Rooch got him for like two

1211
00:58:40,079 --> 00:58:42,480
straight plays and he was like, oh, yeah, yeah, and

1212
00:58:42,719 --> 00:58:44,559
I know how to handle Wemby right, and he went

1213
00:58:44,599 --> 00:58:47,079
but right back to it and the next four plays

1214
00:58:47,119 --> 00:58:49,239
when he was like, Nope, I know exactly what you're

1215
00:58:49,320 --> 00:58:51,159
going to do, and I expect I know what your

1216
00:58:51,159 --> 00:58:53,760
calendar is going to be. And he just locked him

1217
00:58:53,800 --> 00:58:56,199
the fuck down. And that's the kind of player that

1218
00:58:56,239 --> 00:59:02,079
he is. He just absorbs ridiculously ridiculous amounts of informations

1219
00:59:02,119 --> 00:59:05,599
and processes them so quickly that I'm not even out

1220
00:59:05,679 --> 00:59:09,480
on I'm not even ruling out that he could play

1221
00:59:09,519 --> 00:59:11,960
like an MVP strictly in like the second part of

1222
00:59:12,000 --> 00:59:14,199
the season. I'm not saying MVP of the full season.

1223
00:59:14,599 --> 00:59:17,559
I'm saying, like, play like an MVP candidate in the

1224
00:59:17,599 --> 00:59:21,639
second half of the year. So it's these Spurs could

1225
00:59:21,639 --> 00:59:25,079
be utterly ridiculous by the time from April Rolce.

1226
00:59:25,840 --> 00:59:28,519
Speaker 1: They could, And I do think that there's value why

1227
00:59:28,719 --> 00:59:30,679
I'm not saying they need to go all in at

1228
00:59:30,679 --> 00:59:33,039
the trade deadline. Look, they could finish in the top

1229
00:59:33,119 --> 00:59:35,480
six as currently constructed. I'm not I don't know that

1230
00:59:35,519 --> 00:59:39,039
I predict it, but like they have that they have

1231
00:59:39,239 --> 00:59:42,280
that ceiling at least because just when Wemby's on the court,

1232
00:59:42,480 --> 00:59:44,280
they would have the equivalent of just like a top

1233
00:59:44,280 --> 00:59:48,320
five net rating in the league. And that's that's pretty wild.

1234
00:59:48,559 --> 00:59:50,639
And I know they have a negative net rating on

1235
00:59:50,679 --> 00:59:54,199
the season, but still I've become a big believer in

1236
00:59:54,199 --> 00:59:56,960
that playoff experience is important, and so to get Wemby

1237
00:59:57,000 --> 01:00:00,960
that taste of playoff basketball as a sophomore and then

1238
01:00:00,960 --> 01:00:02,960
it's like, okay, by the time he's in year three,

1239
01:00:03,559 --> 01:00:05,920
now he's what a top five player At that point

1240
01:00:05,960 --> 01:00:09,519
he's had playoff experience. That's kind of terrifying for the

1241
01:00:09,519 --> 01:00:12,519
rest of the league. And that's why I would advocate

1242
01:00:12,559 --> 01:00:14,519
for them making a you know, like if you could

1243
01:00:14,559 --> 01:00:17,280
get off of or maybe I don't know, like if

1244
01:00:17,320 --> 01:00:19,039
you can get off of Zach Collins a contract in

1245
01:00:19,079 --> 01:00:22,079
the process, Like would you just take D'Angelo Russell's expiring

1246
01:00:22,119 --> 01:00:24,360
deal and see if that does anything for you there?

1247
01:00:25,079 --> 01:00:27,599
Speaker 2: Maybe that's not what I would give Sat Collins away

1248
01:00:27,599 --> 01:00:29,880
for a multi sort of reasons, but there's one reason

1249
01:00:29,960 --> 01:00:33,400
we haven't talked about that. That's the one of the

1250
01:00:33,440 --> 01:00:36,360
main reasons why I want him out of there. I

1251
01:00:36,440 --> 01:00:39,039
want Mamu to take all of his minutes.

1252
01:00:39,519 --> 01:00:41,480
Speaker 1: Also, the fuck boy haircut, Yeah, that's.

1253
01:00:42,960 --> 01:00:46,119
Speaker 2: Is Santra mam okay let's fels by the way, just

1254
01:00:46,159 --> 01:00:50,280
to get his full name out there is grotesquely underrated.

1255
01:00:50,679 --> 01:00:53,199
I don't know why this Burds aren't playing him more.

1256
01:00:53,280 --> 01:00:57,280
I just don't. And especially his chemistry with Wimpy is

1257
01:00:57,480 --> 01:01:01,719
off the charts. I I think there's a player in

1258
01:01:01,760 --> 01:01:06,039
there that's just waiting to reach a new level. So

1259
01:01:06,760 --> 01:01:09,280
these Furs are looking really good. Hell, they might have

1260
01:01:09,400 --> 01:01:11,239
back to back Rookie of the Years as well. Stefan

1261
01:01:11,320 --> 01:01:13,119
Castle has surprised the heck out of me.

1262
01:01:14,400 --> 01:01:16,239
Speaker 1: Uh yeah, I mean he'll certainly be in a conversation.

1263
01:01:16,320 --> 01:01:18,960
I just wish you can't trust the offense. I mean,

1264
01:01:19,000 --> 01:01:20,599
he's got some good control when he has the ball

1265
01:01:20,639 --> 01:01:22,639
in his hands, and he's the off.

1266
01:01:22,440 --> 01:01:24,119
Speaker 2: Ball shooting is a mess so far.

1267
01:01:24,199 --> 01:01:26,800
Speaker 1: Yeah, does Anthonty Simons do anything for you with regards

1268
01:01:26,840 --> 01:01:27,320
to this team?

1269
01:01:27,840 --> 01:01:29,920
Speaker 2: Oh, I'm basically sending him to okay See because okay

1270
01:01:29,960 --> 01:01:32,599
See would need to needs to Sobuster to be played

1271
01:01:32,639 --> 01:01:36,039
literally perfect basketball, which they would achieve by getting anthroty Simons.

1272
01:01:36,079 --> 01:01:37,960
Speaker 1: I just don't who do you give up? Is okay? See,

1273
01:01:38,159 --> 01:01:41,960
they just don't have like if you give up or

1274
01:01:42,000 --> 01:01:45,079
Aaron Joe for that, that's not insignificant on their own.

1275
01:01:45,719 --> 01:01:48,440
Speaker 2: Probably probably Dort and something.

1276
01:01:48,239 --> 01:01:51,840
Speaker 1: That's still Dort's like probably on my second team while

1277
01:01:51,880 --> 01:01:52,920
defense or stuff like that.

1278
01:01:53,920 --> 01:01:57,280
Speaker 2: I know, But like you also can make a reasonable

1279
01:01:57,360 --> 01:02:00,320
argument that even without him they're still gonna be the

1280
01:02:00,400 --> 01:02:01,360
league's best defense.

1281
01:02:03,159 --> 01:02:05,480
Speaker 1: All right, well, uh well yes they could. I just

1282
01:02:05,760 --> 01:02:08,079
him in the playoffs, like the level of assignments he's

1283
01:02:08,119 --> 01:02:10,239
able to handle. Just here.

1284
01:02:10,639 --> 01:02:13,280
Speaker 2: See that's where we differ also because I so many

1285
01:02:13,320 --> 01:02:16,239
people always think defense, defense, defense, where I'm like, okay,

1286
01:02:16,280 --> 01:02:20,400
but sure, defense, that's great. But if you can't constantly

1287
01:02:20,440 --> 01:02:22,559
create good looks on the perimeter, if you can't constantly

1288
01:02:22,599 --> 01:02:27,599
create quality offense and offensively, I do think it's fair

1289
01:02:27,679 --> 01:02:32,639
to question whether loo door it is as dynamic as

1290
01:02:32,800 --> 01:02:35,400
someone like Anthony Simons, for example. I think you need

1291
01:02:35,440 --> 01:02:37,920
to bridge it. I think you need to somehow find

1292
01:02:37,920 --> 01:02:41,159
a way to align those two. But to answer your question,

1293
01:02:41,239 --> 01:02:44,800
which was about san Antonio having a sombreger like him

1294
01:02:45,199 --> 01:02:49,760
would not be disinteresting to them, I think, because look

1295
01:02:49,880 --> 01:02:53,840
all the weird angles that's gonna open up vicin. Oh, yes,

1296
01:02:53,960 --> 01:02:54,840
that's gonna be exciting.

1297
01:02:56,199 --> 01:02:58,079
Speaker 1: H And he only has a year left on his contracts.

1298
01:02:58,079 --> 01:02:59,960
I don't think he would one. He's not gonna like

1299
01:03:00,039 --> 01:03:02,079
hamsterring your books. I don't. His money is fine, but

1300
01:03:02,119 --> 01:03:05,559
he won't hamsterring your books. And he fits Wenby's timeline

1301
01:03:05,559 --> 01:03:07,519
like he's not super old. And because there's only a

1302
01:03:07,599 --> 01:03:10,239
year left, I don't. Maybe the Blazers just don't move him,

1303
01:03:10,239 --> 01:03:11,639
but I can't imagine it's going to take a king's

1304
01:03:11,679 --> 01:03:14,559
ransom to get him, although they really need his shooting

1305
01:03:14,599 --> 01:03:17,760
on that team. Would you I'm gonna end with this, well,

1306
01:03:17,800 --> 01:03:19,719
atch you have two quick questions, but I'm gonna end

1307
01:03:19,719 --> 01:03:21,559
with one on the Spurs and ask you a macro question.

1308
01:03:22,400 --> 01:03:24,880
Would you call Philly about Tyres Maxie? At this point,

1309
01:03:25,119 --> 01:03:25,800
just see what's up?

1310
01:03:26,719 --> 01:03:31,719
Speaker 2: If I'm the Spurs am offering choose whatever.

1311
01:03:31,960 --> 01:03:36,239
Speaker 1: Okay, they could use a center, so maybe he offer

1312
01:03:36,320 --> 01:03:37,079
z that collin.

1313
01:03:38,960 --> 01:03:39,599
Speaker 2: The speeds.

1314
01:03:42,079 --> 01:03:44,239
Speaker 1: I'm being mostly I know you.

1315
01:03:44,159 --> 01:03:47,840
Speaker 2: Are no, no, no, but like look, I know you are,

1316
01:03:47,960 --> 01:03:49,840
But at the same time. This is the NBA. People

1317
01:03:49,880 --> 01:03:52,159
call each other about Christy shit all the time, Like.

1318
01:03:52,199 --> 01:03:54,440
Speaker 1: Would you let them call about LaMelo Ball or would

1319
01:03:54,480 --> 01:03:55,760
you throw a tantrum?

1320
01:03:56,039 --> 01:03:59,320
Speaker 2: Don't put don't put that evil on me? Dan for Valley,

1321
01:03:59,440 --> 01:04:02,280
don't don't, No, I don't. I think the Spurs and

1322
01:04:02,320 --> 01:04:07,719
I think Ween being particular, would be very frustrated five games.

1323
01:04:07,519 --> 01:04:11,599
Speaker 1: In or he rubs off on LaMelo Ball because he's

1324
01:04:11,599 --> 01:04:14,119
never been LaMelo Ball has always been the dude in Charlotte.

1325
01:04:14,159 --> 01:04:18,360
Speaker 2: You deconsent for that first? Dankay?

1326
01:04:20,239 --> 01:04:23,199
Speaker 1: Okay, who is of the six that we've talked about?

1327
01:04:23,199 --> 01:04:26,159
I've already outlaid mine? And why which team are you

1328
01:04:26,280 --> 01:04:27,480
highest on this season?

1329
01:04:27,800 --> 01:04:29,360
Speaker 2: This season without changes?

1330
01:04:29,440 --> 01:04:33,360
Speaker 1: Right? Well, if you think, like, as an example, if

1331
01:04:33,400 --> 01:04:34,960
I thought Golden State was going to go out there

1332
01:04:35,000 --> 01:04:36,880
and be like just get Jimmy Butler, Like, if you

1333
01:04:36,920 --> 01:04:38,599
really think a team is going to make a change,

1334
01:04:38,599 --> 01:04:41,280
I think it's fair to factor that into your selection. Right.

1335
01:04:41,639 --> 01:04:43,519
Speaker 2: So I will say this, I agree with you on

1336
01:04:43,559 --> 01:04:48,880
the Kings unless uh the Warriors goes out and they

1337
01:04:49,840 --> 01:04:52,079
uh trade for Boch. I think boots for them is

1338
01:04:52,079 --> 01:04:53,559
actually a pretty good Wow.

1339
01:04:54,239 --> 01:04:58,239
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's maybe the highest form of praise that Nikola

1340
01:04:58,280 --> 01:05:00,280
Vucevic has ever received on this podcast.

1341
01:05:00,079 --> 01:05:03,760
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, And look, I'm not necessarily a booch lover,

1342
01:05:03,840 --> 01:05:07,519
but I think in that particular circumstance with Steph and Draymond,

1343
01:05:07,559 --> 01:05:10,679
I think that I think that's enough to level them up.

1344
01:05:10,800 --> 01:05:14,840
Speaker 1: Yeah, Mort, you picked the Blazers as the most dangerous

1345
01:05:14,880 --> 01:05:17,000
sleeper in the Western Conference. I find that bizarre. They

1346
01:05:17,000 --> 01:05:19,880
weren't even an option. But kudos to you. Are you

1347
01:05:19,920 --> 01:05:21,840
able to tell our listeners where they can find you

1348
01:05:21,880 --> 01:05:24,199
and all the fantastic work you do. Once more, wrapping

1349
01:05:24,320 --> 01:05:26,920
up our four podcast week together.

1350
01:05:27,639 --> 01:05:30,760
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, quite the adventure. Love it. It's always so

1351
01:05:30,880 --> 01:05:33,400
fun to just sit down and talk and be a

1352
01:05:33,519 --> 01:05:35,800
with you, Dan. It's one of the things I always

1353
01:05:35,840 --> 01:05:39,400
looking forward to every single month. And sometimes we'll get

1354
01:05:39,400 --> 01:05:42,440
two episodes and sometimes it's three. Now it's four. Let's see,

1355
01:05:42,480 --> 01:05:45,239
next month might be a six or eight. We'll find

1356
01:05:45,280 --> 01:05:48,800
out what's the maximum number. We don't record all these

1357
01:05:48,800 --> 01:05:50,119
at once. We try to double up.

1358
01:05:50,119 --> 01:05:51,480
Speaker 1: But it's just the time of year where if we

1359
01:05:51,559 --> 01:05:54,519
tried to record evergreen content, I don't think anything exists

1360
01:05:54,960 --> 01:05:56,239
like that at this time of year.

1361
01:05:56,800 --> 01:05:59,800
Speaker 2: But look, if people enjoy what they're listening to, you

1362
01:05:59,800 --> 01:06:02,320
know what, then soa be it. It's fine whether it's

1363
01:06:02,320 --> 01:06:04,719
ever green or not. Sometimes people just want to listen

1364
01:06:04,719 --> 01:06:07,599
to the personalities instead and like have a good time.

1365
01:06:07,639 --> 01:06:11,079
And that's that's what I always hope to achieve. But

1366
01:06:12,039 --> 01:06:15,840
we'll see. You can find my work though on Yahoo

1367
01:06:16,079 --> 01:06:21,599
at Forbes, AT's Sports Illustrated, specifically Draft Digest, and then

1368
01:06:21,639 --> 01:06:24,119
I also do a bunch of Danish stuff, and I

1369
01:06:24,480 --> 01:06:26,760
look good on you if you go into dual linko

1370
01:06:26,800 --> 01:06:28,440
and it's like, yeah, I want to read more. It's

1371
01:06:28,519 --> 01:06:31,079
Danish shit, So let me just like try to learn Danish.

1372
01:06:31,119 --> 01:06:33,199
If you do that, I'm gonna send you the biggest

1373
01:06:33,199 --> 01:06:33,920
thumbs up ever.

1374
01:06:35,039 --> 01:06:40,239
Speaker 1: I prop to anyone who is bilingual, trilingual, multilingual in general.

1375
01:06:40,360 --> 01:06:43,599
I have very little background in Italian and that's just it.

1376
01:06:43,639 --> 01:06:45,519
I'm gonna need you to start teaching me some Danish words.

1377
01:06:45,559 --> 01:06:47,480
That's what we should do when we talk before and

1378
01:06:47,519 --> 01:06:49,639
after each podcast, Like it should be like a lesson

1379
01:06:49,719 --> 01:06:52,159
in speaking your lingo, right.

1380
01:06:52,199 --> 01:06:54,440
Speaker 2: Just just a single word, Okay, I on some prep

1381
01:06:54,559 --> 01:06:56,480
just to find like the right words. So like from

1382
01:06:56,599 --> 01:06:59,679
next month when a parently will be recording like sixteen

1383
01:06:59,679 --> 01:07:03,000
episodes or something along those lines. I'll have a word

1384
01:07:03,480 --> 01:07:04,199
every single time.

1385
01:07:04,559 --> 01:07:06,960
Speaker 1: Yes, that'll be fun. Listeners can learn along with me.

1386
01:07:07,400 --> 01:07:09,440
Shout out to everyone listening, Shout out to mort and

1387
01:07:09,519 --> 01:07:11,239
as always, shout out to the one, the only, the

1388
01:07:11,360 --> 01:07:14,039
real missing piece, not just for San Antonio, but for

1389
01:07:14,119 --> 01:07:16,280
every other team, not on just this podcast, but the

1390
01:07:16,320 --> 01:07:19,360
rest of the NBA, mister Frank hila Quina.