WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.120 --> 00:00:03.240 Get back to some college football with Spencer Hall on 2 00:00:03.359 --> 00:00:06.000 the show today, one of my favorites, talk college football 3 00:00:06.040 --> 00:00:09.080 with I'm gonna bring in Andy Larson today from the 4 00:00:09.080 --> 00:00:12.759 salt Lake Tribune to talk little jazz back on the 5 00:00:12.759 --> 00:00:16.280 ground in salt Lake after Thanksgiving weekend in Fairfield County. 6 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:20.239 Our next guest a proud Fairfield County boy, Tom Haverstraw 7 00:00:20.280 --> 00:00:21.719 on a Monday, Tom, Happy Monday. 8 00:00:21.719 --> 00:00:22.120 How are you. 9 00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:25.519 How was the two oh three? Uh? 10 00:00:25.559 --> 00:00:26.239 You know the deal? 11 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:29.519 You know, it's intense, brought back a lot of PTSD 12 00:00:29.640 --> 00:00:32.280 when you're a rose risen from concrete and you're raised 13 00:00:32.280 --> 00:00:33.880 in such a dangerous part of the country. 14 00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:36.039 Tom, it's just, you know, you do what you can 15 00:00:36.119 --> 00:00:36.560 to get by. 16 00:00:37.880 --> 00:00:40.640 Yeah, it's all we can really do. The hard scrabble 17 00:00:40.880 --> 00:00:45.799 of wasn't there a WWE group the main streets of 18 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:47.119 Greenwich or something like that? 19 00:00:47.320 --> 00:00:50.200 Yes, yes, indeed, good, good memory. Did you You didn't 20 00:00:50.200 --> 00:00:52.079 get home to the Motherland for the holiday, did you? 21 00:00:53.320 --> 00:00:56.880 I didn't know, so unfortunately I didn't make it back, 22 00:00:56.960 --> 00:00:59.280 but I'm glad you did so you could represent the 23 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:03.399 NBA and all the smart basketball folks quite well back home. 24 00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:05.359 Yes, indeed, yes, indeed, it was fun. 25 00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:08.159 Always good to take some time off to sharpen the sword, 26 00:01:08.200 --> 00:01:10.959 as they say. But now back on the ground, there 27 00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:13.439 is a report Tom. There's not a lot of interesting 28 00:01:13.519 --> 00:01:17.400 jazz stuff, but there's a report already that trade discussions 29 00:01:17.439 --> 00:01:21.840 are being had involving Jordan Clarkson, Colin Sexton, John Collins 30 00:01:21.879 --> 00:01:24.400 as well. I still don't believe anybody wants to pay 31 00:01:24.439 --> 00:01:26.000 John Collins twenty six million. 32 00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:27.719 But are you expecting? 33 00:01:28.040 --> 00:01:30.719 And look, this is different than years past, because they 34 00:01:30.799 --> 00:01:31.920 might be in a perfect spot. 35 00:01:31.959 --> 00:01:32.680 They're horrible. 36 00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:35.439 They do not need to break it down like they 37 00:01:35.439 --> 00:01:37.280 have over the past couple of years when they've kind 38 00:01:37.319 --> 00:01:40.000 of surprised some people. But are you expecting and potentially 39 00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:43.640 an active Danny Ainge justin Zanik with his jazz roster 40 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:45.000 prior to the trade deadline. 41 00:01:46.239 --> 00:01:49.319 I suspect. So, I mean, the fact that they're still 42 00:01:49.319 --> 00:01:52.359 on the roster is surprising to me, given that, you know, 43 00:01:52.439 --> 00:01:55.200 over the past year or two or three when I've 44 00:01:55.200 --> 00:01:58.640 been on this show, it seems like the direction of 45 00:01:58.680 --> 00:02:02.640 the franchise from the top on down. It seems like 46 00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:05.879 they're going for a rebuild, or that they should be 47 00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:09.319 in position for a rebuild, and those players don't exactly 48 00:02:09.319 --> 00:02:13.759 fit that timeline very well. Now keep in mind, John 49 00:02:13.840 --> 00:02:18.199 Collins is not like an old veteran. He's still twenty seven. 50 00:02:18.280 --> 00:02:21.719 He's in his prime, and so for anyone acquiring him, 51 00:02:22.680 --> 00:02:25.120 it's not just that you know, this is a guy 52 00:02:25.159 --> 00:02:29.520 over the hill. He's not Jordan Clarkson's age. Clarkson is almost, 53 00:02:29.639 --> 00:02:32.879 you know, turning thirty three this summer, So they are 54 00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:36.280 a little bit different points in their career. Colin Sexton 55 00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:39.840 and John Collins I think would be more appealing to 56 00:02:39.960 --> 00:02:43.919 a contender. But certainly Jordan Clarkson has been in that 57 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:49.840 kind of that kind of playoff atmosphere with Lebron and 58 00:02:50.199 --> 00:02:52.800 trying to do that at a high level. So I 59 00:02:52.840 --> 00:02:55.719 suspect that there will be interest come the deadline. Maybe 60 00:02:55.759 --> 00:03:00.280 not right now, but you know, I even say, think 61 00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:03.520 that team in LA that they just lost to in 62 00:03:03.960 --> 00:03:08.199 horrible fashion, just a horrible circumstance there at the end. 63 00:03:08.919 --> 00:03:11.039 I do think that those are the types of teams 64 00:03:11.039 --> 00:03:14.120 that will come knocking, because when you have a superstar 65 00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:18.120 like Kevin Durant or Lebron James or Stephen Curry, the 66 00:03:18.199 --> 00:03:22.599 colck is ticket and they will need a veteran bodies 67 00:03:22.599 --> 00:03:25.520 that they can trust down the stretch, and a lot 68 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:28.919 of those teams have young players in the rotation that 69 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:30.960 maybe they could get some veterans like Colin Saxon and 70 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:33.840 John Collins who have been around the block a few times. 71 00:03:34.520 --> 00:03:38.479 So Cody Williams, who is the highest pick the Jazz 72 00:03:38.520 --> 00:03:42.520 made in the draft a year ago, it hasn't looked 73 00:03:42.680 --> 00:03:45.639 good at all. I mean, he's still so young, he 74 00:03:45.719 --> 00:03:48.159 has to gain weight, you know, he just gets pushed 75 00:03:48.199 --> 00:03:51.319 off the ball both sides of the floor, and he's 76 00:03:51.319 --> 00:03:53.840 going to spend some time in the G League. So 77 00:03:54.400 --> 00:03:57.479 for me, I'll just say, Tom, I have no issue 78 00:03:57.520 --> 00:03:59.639 with any of this at all. But there are two 79 00:03:59.719 --> 00:04:02.120 sides to the equation, Like, if you're gonna if you're 80 00:04:02.159 --> 00:04:04.800 gonna have a top ten pick on your roster, you 81 00:04:04.840 --> 00:04:07.599 want some signs that show that you made the right pick, 82 00:04:07.639 --> 00:04:09.639 and there haven't been those signs. But on the other 83 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:12.000 side of it, the G League is there for this 84 00:04:12.199 --> 00:04:14.360 very thing. Go Bear spent a ton of time in 85 00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:17.120 the G League his rookie year. So the dynamic of 86 00:04:17.160 --> 00:04:19.399 having a top ten pick that just hasn't looked good 87 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:22.800 at all, spending time in the G league. What what's 88 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:24.439 the Tom habersher What would you say to the fan 89 00:04:24.480 --> 00:04:27.360 base about that that dynamic that they're dealing with here 90 00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:27.920 in Salt Lake. 91 00:04:28.959 --> 00:04:31.120 Yeah, it's not fun to have to deal with this 92 00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:33.639 and the growing pains of a twenty year old trying 93 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:35.680 to play in a man's league. And you know, I 94 00:04:35.720 --> 00:04:39.720 cover on a nightly basis the Portland Trailblazers doing their 95 00:04:39.759 --> 00:04:43.199 broadcast as their analytics insider. And one thing that I've 96 00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:45.680 had to remind myself is that Scoot Henderson is twenty 97 00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:50.040 years old. It is really hard to remind yourself that 98 00:04:50.199 --> 00:04:52.720 when you're watching this league. It's not like these guys 99 00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:55.079 have a number on their back that says how old 100 00:04:55.160 --> 00:04:58.160 they are. But we do have to remember that at 101 00:04:58.160 --> 00:05:01.360 his first year. It was rough for Kevin Durant. His 102 00:05:01.399 --> 00:05:04.680 first year is rough for Russell Westbrook. You know, Chris 103 00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:08.879 Middleton wasn't even in the NBA as a twenty year old. 104 00:05:08.920 --> 00:05:10.879 You know, he was trying to make it in the 105 00:05:10.920 --> 00:05:13.000 G League and trying to come up through there, and 106 00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:16.519 he was a nobody. You look at Grady dick over 107 00:05:16.560 --> 00:05:20.800 in in Toronto, who's looked excellent this year, who looked 108 00:05:20.920 --> 00:05:25.240 one of the worst NBA players last year statistically and 109 00:05:25.319 --> 00:05:28.639 just with the eye test, he was pretty bad last year. 110 00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:31.600 And what he's done this year has been a totally 111 00:05:31.639 --> 00:05:35.199 different player. And you know, you look at the numbers, 112 00:05:35.759 --> 00:05:39.959 Cody Williams is not, you know, performing at a high level. 113 00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:43.319 But remember, you know, his older brother was a bit 114 00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:46.279 of a project too, wasn't necessarily putting up these kind 115 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:49.800 of numbers. Similarly, at Colorado, it wasn't like Cody Williams 116 00:05:49.879 --> 00:05:54.439 was you know, All Pac twelve or whatever at that 117 00:05:54.759 --> 00:05:57.519 at that level, so he was all freshman team, but 118 00:05:57.560 --> 00:06:01.079 it wasn't necessarily he was a no, no doubt number 119 00:06:01.079 --> 00:06:02.839 ten picks. So it was a bit of a project 120 00:06:02.839 --> 00:06:04.879 to begin with. And this is what it looks like 121 00:06:04.920 --> 00:06:07.959 when you're a twenty year old. Not everybody's Lebron Not ever, 122 00:06:08.160 --> 00:06:11.600 everybody is Victor Wemanyata. And so unfortunately, when you do 123 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:14.240 have Cody Williams, you're gonna have to press the pause 124 00:06:14.279 --> 00:06:17.720 button on your expectations and wait until he's about twenty 125 00:06:17.800 --> 00:06:20.360 two to twenty three before you can make some real 126 00:06:21.199 --> 00:06:25.800 evaluations on whether he's gonna be worth the prospect investment. 127 00:06:26.560 --> 00:06:29.800 At that point, when last we spoke Tom, the Jazz 128 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:32.319 had actually, even though they weren't winning games, the offense 129 00:06:32.480 --> 00:06:35.480 really took a big jump and improved quite a bit 130 00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:38.839 over about a ten game sample size. Again, they weren't winning, 131 00:06:38.879 --> 00:06:42.279 but they started making shots. Marketing came back well. Since 132 00:06:42.279 --> 00:06:44.360 you and I last spoke, the offense has come really 133 00:06:44.399 --> 00:06:46.920 crashing back down over the past three games. One oh 134 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:49.839 three against Denver, one oh six against the MAVs, one 135 00:06:49.879 --> 00:06:53.920 oh five last night against the Lakers. What do you attribute? 136 00:06:54.240 --> 00:06:57.920 And maybe it's just youth, Maybe it's just inconsistency, inconsistency. 137 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:00.560 Maybe Tom, they're just supposed to be really, really bad. 138 00:07:01.160 --> 00:07:04.480 But what have they stopped doing according to the analytics 139 00:07:04.519 --> 00:07:06.360 or the numbers that they were doing so well when 140 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:08.120 their offense actually look pretty decent. 141 00:07:10.120 --> 00:07:18.079 Well, I think the NBA it's it is unfortunately a 142 00:07:18.120 --> 00:07:21.720 make or miss league, and that goes for the downtown. 143 00:07:21.800 --> 00:07:25.160 You know, when that that's an offense that if they're 144 00:07:25.319 --> 00:07:27.959 shooting well from downtown, they're going to look a whole 145 00:07:27.959 --> 00:07:31.199 lot better. And when against Dallas they're shooting twenty three 146 00:07:31.240 --> 00:07:34.680 percent from downtown, that's going to be a problem. And 147 00:07:34.759 --> 00:07:38.399 so when the offense is just they can't buy a bucket. Uh, 148 00:07:38.720 --> 00:07:41.920 that's it's tough. It's tough sletting. And when you're playing 149 00:07:42.079 --> 00:07:45.920 the Lakers, right, even when you shoot well from beyond 150 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:49.920 the arc and from the floor, you still have to 151 00:07:49.959 --> 00:07:52.560 stop turning the ball over and you still have to 152 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:55.480 get stops in order to win those games. And they 153 00:07:55.519 --> 00:07:57.839 just didn't get enough of both, you know, like like 154 00:07:57.920 --> 00:08:01.800 the idea that the Jazz, with their injuries in and 155 00:08:01.879 --> 00:08:04.360 out of the lineup, are going to be consistent from 156 00:08:04.439 --> 00:08:07.079 night tonight, it's really tough. But when their best player, 157 00:08:07.240 --> 00:08:10.920 Larry Markinen has had a couple of scuffles there in 158 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:14.480 terms of his shooting, you're not going to get great 159 00:08:14.800 --> 00:08:18.920 performances offensively because there's so much that is dependent on him. 160 00:08:19.519 --> 00:08:22.519 And you know, he didn't shoot well against San Antonio 161 00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:25.959 and certainly not against Dallas, and that when you're the 162 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:29.040 head of the snake is not shooting well, it's a 163 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:31.000 lot harder for the rest of the guys to play 164 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:36.639 off of them. And so look, it really is. I 165 00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:39.000 did this story for Yahoo Sports about the lack of 166 00:08:39.080 --> 00:08:41.840 dunks in the NBA and whether that's attributable to the 167 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:45.919 three point you know, obsession these days, and it's still 168 00:08:45.960 --> 00:08:50.720 true that this year Jordan Clarkson and Colin Sexon have 169 00:08:50.879 --> 00:08:56.080 not had a single dunk in any game this season. 170 00:08:56.759 --> 00:09:02.840 Last year, Colin Sexton had twenty three dunks and Jordan 171 00:09:02.879 --> 00:09:07.720 Clarkson had thirteen. So they've had thirty six donks last 172 00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:09.720 year and we're a quarter the way through the season 173 00:09:09.720 --> 00:09:13.440 and they have zero. Why is that, Well, the best 174 00:09:13.440 --> 00:09:16.200 way to get dunks on the other end is to 175 00:09:16.200 --> 00:09:19.879 get stops defensively, get out in transition, get out in 176 00:09:19.919 --> 00:09:24.600 fast breaks, have the ability to have numbers in transition. 177 00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:28.039 And so how much of this is on the offense 178 00:09:28.159 --> 00:09:30.879 or some sort of x's and o's that aren't being run, 179 00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:32.679 or whether it's you know, guys in and out of 180 00:09:32.679 --> 00:09:35.399 the lineup, and how much of it is just defensively? 181 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:38.480 We like to think that offensive defense are in silos, 182 00:09:38.960 --> 00:09:42.120 but the fact of the matter is the defense. Utah's 183 00:09:42.200 --> 00:09:47.320 defense is really really tough this year. Right now, they're 184 00:09:47.799 --> 00:09:51.759 bottom three defensively at one hundred and eighteen points allowed 185 00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:54.799 every one hundred possessions. And so much of the offense 186 00:09:54.840 --> 00:09:57.679 in the NBA is about getting out in transition, getting stops, 187 00:09:58.080 --> 00:10:00.120 and they just haven't been able to do that. And 188 00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:02.360 so I think part of the reason why you aren't 189 00:10:02.360 --> 00:10:03.919 seeing those dunks, and part of the reason why you 190 00:10:03.919 --> 00:10:06.799 haven't seen those easy buckets on the offensive end is 191 00:10:06.840 --> 00:10:08.600 because a lot of times they're making it hard for 192 00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:11.480 themselves to get out in transition without getting stops. 193 00:10:12.679 --> 00:10:15.480 All right, last thing about the Jazz then we'll move on, 194 00:10:15.639 --> 00:10:18.600 because you know, Tom and I try not to be 195 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:22.399 super redundant in our interviews, but I do believe they 196 00:10:22.559 --> 00:10:26.519 like Keyante a lot, and I do believe you know whenever, 197 00:10:26.759 --> 00:10:29.879 like I did this podcast, this Knicks podcast prior to 198 00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:32.440 the Jazz Knicks game a couple of weeks ago, and 199 00:10:32.519 --> 00:10:34.639 their lead question was who's going to be around when 200 00:10:34.679 --> 00:10:35.720 they're actually good? 201 00:10:36.440 --> 00:10:38.679 And honestly, the answer is marketing. 202 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:41.720 And I don't know, But I do think there's room 203 00:10:41.840 --> 00:10:45.039 for Keyante because in spurts he does show some things, 204 00:10:45.080 --> 00:10:47.759 but he still is not making shots. 205 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:49.559 And over the past five games five. 206 00:10:49.399 --> 00:10:53.519 Turnover, six turnovers, two turnovers, five turnovers, six turnovers. So 207 00:10:53.720 --> 00:10:56.639 he's not making shots, he makes horrible decisions with the ball, 208 00:10:56.720 --> 00:10:58.960 he doesn't guard point of attack. I don't know what 209 00:10:59.120 --> 00:11:01.879 to make of who he is now and what he 210 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:04.720 can be. Is this a result of playing with a 211 00:11:04.759 --> 00:11:07.919 bunch of other you know, young players, a franchise that's 212 00:11:07.960 --> 00:11:11.000 unserious about winning this year, or is it time to 213 00:11:11.080 --> 00:11:13.600 really wonder whether or not the Jazz are long for 214 00:11:13.759 --> 00:11:14.720 Kiante George. 215 00:11:16.840 --> 00:11:19.799 I think it's really tough. The NBA is incentive structure. 216 00:11:20.399 --> 00:11:23.799 It's tough for coaches, it's tough off front offices, and 217 00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:26.559 it's tough for guys like Kiante George to learn the 218 00:11:26.639 --> 00:11:32.440 right way to play basketball because losing is incentivized. The 219 00:11:32.919 --> 00:11:37.240 NBA sets up a situation in which the teams that 220 00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:39.639 are the worst get the best chances at the star 221 00:11:39.759 --> 00:11:42.639 players in the draft. Of course, it's really hard to 222 00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:45.519 pick which one is the star and which one turns 223 00:11:45.559 --> 00:11:50.080 out to be, you know, a pumpkin. But the idea 224 00:11:50.360 --> 00:11:54.799 of hey man, this guy's twenty one years old, he's 225 00:11:54.879 --> 00:11:57.399 not really figuring things out. Maybe you just throw him 226 00:11:57.399 --> 00:11:59.240 into the wolves and say, hey, figure it out on 227 00:11:59.320 --> 00:12:03.639 the fly, and those that experience will give you enough 228 00:12:03.799 --> 00:12:06.799 repetitions to learn how to play at the NBA level. 229 00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:10.279 Because the fact of the matter is if the Utah 230 00:12:10.399 --> 00:12:14.080 Jazz had Chris Paul on the team, or Mike Conley 231 00:12:14.240 --> 00:12:18.759 on the team, or someone who is a really capable 232 00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:23.039 point guard. I mean even just take like Tias Jones 233 00:12:23.360 --> 00:12:27.399 in Phoenix can't say George isn't playing thirty thirty five 234 00:12:27.440 --> 00:12:30.759 minutes tonight. He's not. And so a lot of this 235 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:34.399 is just he is playing out of position, or at 236 00:12:34.519 --> 00:12:36.919 least he is playing a lot more minutes than he 237 00:12:36.960 --> 00:12:40.399 would otherwise. If the NBA was set up in a 238 00:12:40.440 --> 00:12:44.759 structure where you have to bide your time and you 239 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:46.600 go to the G League and you go and you 240 00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:48.639 get those reps and it doesn't have to be at 241 00:12:48.639 --> 00:12:52.759 the NBA level. But the problem is, you know, some 242 00:12:53.000 --> 00:12:56.919 of the incentives in this league are so perverse, where 243 00:12:56.960 --> 00:13:00.200 like you don't even know if this is part part 244 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:03.639 of the plan. Is like because of the ping pong balls, 245 00:13:04.120 --> 00:13:09.120 do you let a guy like Kiance George play through 246 00:13:09.159 --> 00:13:12.039 these struggles and turn over the ball four or five 247 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:15.960 times a game? And you know what, that's okay because 248 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:18.039 you know and the last thing you want to be 249 00:13:18.200 --> 00:13:21.120 is in the middle, and he helps you get into 250 00:13:21.120 --> 00:13:23.480 the bottom of that in the name of player development. 251 00:13:23.720 --> 00:13:25.279 And it just thinks I don't like the way that 252 00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:28.840 the NBA is set up like that. I personally think 253 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:33.519 that the way that the draft lottery works, it creates 254 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:38.559 a lot of intentional mediocrity. And for Kiance George, I 255 00:13:38.600 --> 00:13:41.879 don't even know right now if I've changed my opinion 256 00:13:41.960 --> 00:13:44.399 of him, because so much of the NBA right now 257 00:13:45.919 --> 00:13:49.000 is just making sure that you're on one path or 258 00:13:49.000 --> 00:13:52.039 the other, and so for me, it's like, I do 259 00:13:52.120 --> 00:13:54.679 think that the right path for the Jazz is to 260 00:13:54.799 --> 00:13:57.320 get another bite at the apple at the top of 261 00:13:57.360 --> 00:14:00.519 the draft next year. But it makes things really difficult 262 00:14:00.600 --> 00:14:05.120 to evaluate a guy like Keyance George, who's still can 263 00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:08.679 hit a shot, and he it's not really the three 264 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:11.919 point shooting that bothers me, it's the ability to finish 265 00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:14.759 in the paint. His two point percentage has fallen from 266 00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:17.840 forty six percent last season to forty two percent this year, 267 00:14:18.480 --> 00:14:21.440 and that's really the problem. Is a guy that, yes 268 00:14:21.480 --> 00:14:24.480 he's young, but he still hasn't been able to be 269 00:14:25.320 --> 00:14:28.759 a efficient score into the paint or a decision maker 270 00:14:28.759 --> 00:14:31.879 into the paint. And that's you know, he's a he's 271 00:14:31.879 --> 00:14:34.600 a bigger guard at six ' four, but it doesn't 272 00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:37.720 feel like he's figured out the floater game or finishing 273 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:40.639 around the rim enough to be, you know, show some 274 00:14:40.759 --> 00:14:43.600 promise where you can build around him confidently. So I've 275 00:14:43.639 --> 00:14:47.799 probably moved off Keyante George as a foundation member or 276 00:14:47.799 --> 00:14:51.600 a pillar for this organization until he can develop further. 277 00:14:51.679 --> 00:14:53.919 And I have to remind you and and I know 278 00:14:53.960 --> 00:14:56.399 you know this. He's twenty one and it's really hard, 279 00:14:56.840 --> 00:15:00.080 but you hope that there's some glimmers of that potential coming. 280 00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:04.360 Yeah, well said, I mean, the issue, Tom, and we'll 281 00:15:04.360 --> 00:15:06.159 move off the jazz because there's a lot of other 282 00:15:06.200 --> 00:15:07.919 things I want to talk to you about today. You know, 283 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:11.279 the issue is even you know, I always use Donovan 284 00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:14.200 as an example that team wasn't supposed to be great. 285 00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:16.519 It was the post Heyward, Okay, let's see what we 286 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:19.320 have here, And even though they weren't winning, there was, 287 00:15:19.440 --> 00:15:21.480 you know, at a really high level. I Quinn did 288 00:15:21.480 --> 00:15:22.960 a hell of a job that year. There were so 289 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:26.240 many Donovant moments where you're just like, this feels real. 290 00:15:26.440 --> 00:15:28.919 And I don't know that we've seen enough Keyante moments 291 00:15:28.919 --> 00:15:32.279 that feel real and sustainable. But to your point, you know, 292 00:15:32.440 --> 00:15:35.120 it could change when he has better playmates than the sandbox. 293 00:15:35.120 --> 00:15:36.399 So we'll have to see. But I want to move 294 00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:37.320 over to the rockets. 295 00:15:37.360 --> 00:15:41.200 I mean, you know, emy Udoka after everything got loose 296 00:15:41.240 --> 00:15:41.840 in Boston. 297 00:15:42.000 --> 00:15:44.360 You knew that he was going to land on his 298 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:45.200 feed because he's. 299 00:15:45.039 --> 00:15:48.039 So highly thought of, And I don't know how real 300 00:15:48.039 --> 00:15:50.080 it is, but at this point they have to be 301 00:15:50.279 --> 00:15:53.080 talked about as a team that is a very pleasant 302 00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:57.799 early season surprise after beating OKC and they sit second 303 00:15:57.879 --> 00:16:00.879 in the West, only half a game behind the Thunder. 304 00:16:00.919 --> 00:16:03.279 I don't know how many people saw this coming. What's 305 00:16:03.320 --> 00:16:04.759 your take on the Rockets so far? 306 00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:10.879 Subscribers to the Finder would tell you I saw coming Spence. 307 00:16:11.080 --> 00:16:13.720 I had great preseason. I thought that they were a 308 00:16:13.720 --> 00:16:18.919 title contender. I thought that this team with Alprin shanegun 309 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:21.120 who I thought was the best player coming out in 310 00:16:21.159 --> 00:16:24.000 that class, I thought you should have been the number 311 00:16:24.039 --> 00:16:28.080 one pick. The way that he dominated the Adriatic League 312 00:16:28.759 --> 00:16:31.960 on the Turkish team where he's eighteen years old and 313 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:37.559 dominating a grown men in that league. You gotta take 314 00:16:37.639 --> 00:16:39.919 him at least in the top five. And he fell 315 00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:42.799 all the way to sixteen, and I thought, okay, see 316 00:16:42.840 --> 00:16:45.159 for sure would have picked him, and they didn't. They 317 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:51.080 moved off the pick. The Houston Rockets are monsters. Defensively, 318 00:16:51.879 --> 00:16:57.799 Tarry eathen Amen Thompson, Dylan Brooks. These guys are vicious 319 00:16:57.919 --> 00:17:00.240 on the perimeter. And so when you have a guy 320 00:17:00.240 --> 00:17:03.080 like Alpera and Shangun who isn't a classic rim protector, 321 00:17:03.519 --> 00:17:07.599 you surround him with Fred van Vliet and then just 322 00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:12.359 dogs Doberman's defensively that are going to be vicious. And 323 00:17:12.440 --> 00:17:14.880 I thought, this is a team that's going on my 324 00:17:14.920 --> 00:17:17.920 title tiers right away. You know they're young, They're still young. 325 00:17:17.960 --> 00:17:20.440 These guys are twenty twenty one, twenty two years old. 326 00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:24.880 But I'm a huge believer in Alpera and Shangoon. I 327 00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:27.839 also think at the second level of this. One reason 328 00:17:27.839 --> 00:17:29.519 why I was a believer and put them on my 329 00:17:29.559 --> 00:17:33.640 title tiers before the season even started is because of 330 00:17:33.680 --> 00:17:36.720 their ability to upgrade and swing for the fences in 331 00:17:36.759 --> 00:17:41.160 a trade. So this team has picks the Phoenix picks 332 00:17:41.240 --> 00:17:45.920 that they traded for. They're basically shorting the Phoenix Suns. Ironically, 333 00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:49.279 they want to get Kevin Durant or a type of 334 00:17:49.400 --> 00:17:51.759 player like Kevin Durant, and I think they have the 335 00:17:51.799 --> 00:17:54.480 amo to do that. It's just whether the contenders are 336 00:17:54.519 --> 00:17:57.960 going to play ball. Giannis ended a coop of Damian Lillard, 337 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:02.359 Kevin Durant. They are ready to go pouncing on a 338 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:04.519 talent like that. The question is whether they do it. 339 00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:07.599 And for me, the Houston Rockets with Fred van Vliet, 340 00:18:07.640 --> 00:18:10.440 Albera and Shangun. I'm not a huge fan of Jalen Green, 341 00:18:10.559 --> 00:18:13.680 but those's defenders are so fun to watch. The Terror 342 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:17.559 twins on Men Thompson and Tari Easton, They're perfect and 343 00:18:17.920 --> 00:18:20.839 they're great fits next to Alburn, Shangun and Fred Van Vliet. 344 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:23.279 I love the way that they play. I still think 345 00:18:23.279 --> 00:18:26.240 they need another star to make the Elite, but that 346 00:18:26.359 --> 00:18:29.519 might happen this offseason when Jalen Green's contract becomes a 347 00:18:29.559 --> 00:18:32.440 little bit more palatable and the poison pill provision is 348 00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:35.039 pulled away. I think the Houston Rockets are going to 349 00:18:35.079 --> 00:18:37.359 go big game hunting this summer, and it may even 350 00:18:37.359 --> 00:18:39.759 be at the deadline if the Western Conference is there 351 00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:41.480 for the taking, and I think it is. I think 352 00:18:41.480 --> 00:18:44.880 the Western Conference at the top, you know, the Dallas Mavericks, 353 00:18:44.880 --> 00:18:48.039 Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, they haven't gotten off to a 354 00:18:48.039 --> 00:18:50.920 great start this year, and the Houston Rockets, they can 355 00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:55.039 absolutely win the win the West and come out of 356 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:57.279 the West if they do upgrade and I think they 357 00:18:57.359 --> 00:18:58.640 got the assets to do it too. 358 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:01.519 Want to get your thoughts on the San Antonio Spurs 359 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:04.680 now who didn't have a three game winning streak until 360 00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:08.880 March of last year. Chris Paul, Harrison Barnes obviously veterans 361 00:19:09.359 --> 00:19:11.759 that have won at a very high level in this league, 362 00:19:12.119 --> 00:19:14.960 and you know they've won four straight. I believe they're 363 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:17.400 seven and three in their last ten. Wemban Yama gets 364 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:20.720 another triple double. And this is a franchise that I 365 00:19:20.799 --> 00:19:22.960 think is going to be fascinating to watch as far 366 00:19:23.000 --> 00:19:28.799 as how they handle this next generation Special player progress 367 00:19:28.880 --> 00:19:31.880 report from Tom habershow on Victor Wembayama and the San 368 00:19:31.880 --> 00:19:33.079 Antonio Spurs. 369 00:19:33.960 --> 00:19:36.799 I love it. I love it, Chris Paul coming to 370 00:19:36.839 --> 00:19:41.039 this team, Stephen Castle, I love that. Rookie from Yukon 371 00:19:41.160 --> 00:19:45.079 Donovan Klingen and Stephen Castle have been outstanding so far 372 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:49.079 this season. Really nice draft. Victor Webbin Yama is the 373 00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:52.880 real deal again. I'm gonna plug at tomdfinder dot com. 374 00:19:53.119 --> 00:19:56.000 I put the San Antonio Spurs as a title contender 375 00:19:56.000 --> 00:19:59.279 before the season, one of my fifteen teams to watch, 376 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:04.519 and I feel vindicated on that front because they've made 377 00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:09.000 strides this season, not just offensively, but I think with 378 00:20:09.079 --> 00:20:12.680 Harrison Barnes and Chris Paul, there's an organization and a 379 00:20:12.799 --> 00:20:16.880 professionalism to their offense that they didn't have last year. 380 00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:23.200 And I think the Sohn Jeremy Sohen point guard experiment, 381 00:20:23.319 --> 00:20:26.240 I think was a real problem last year and really 382 00:20:26.240 --> 00:20:28.319 set them back in their development. And as soon as 383 00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:32.519 they handed the keys to Wemby at center and unleashed him, 384 00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:35.079 and now he's shooting you know, nine to threes a 385 00:20:35.160 --> 00:20:38.200 game at thirty five percent, but much higher as of late, 386 00:20:38.599 --> 00:20:42.400 where he's shooting you know, fourteen thirteen threes in a game. 387 00:20:43.160 --> 00:20:45.960 He just looks like, you know, he's just scratching the surface, 388 00:20:46.119 --> 00:20:48.720 which is super scary because he's already leading the league 389 00:20:48.839 --> 00:20:53.039 in block shots. He's already getting you know, in uh 390 00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:57.079 these triple double categories doing things that we would expect, 391 00:20:57.079 --> 00:21:00.240 you know, someone at twenty five years old. He's twenty one. 392 00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:04.680 Chris Paul is who he is at this point. We 393 00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:09.839 know that he's a guy who's gonna be an organizer. Offensively, 394 00:21:10.119 --> 00:21:13.799 he's as as smart of a point guard as anybody, 395 00:21:14.240 --> 00:21:16.559 and you pair him with the IQ the basketball que 396 00:21:16.720 --> 00:21:21.079 Vic Victor Webbinyama. It's gonna be really, really good. I 397 00:21:21.119 --> 00:21:24.599 just wish they had, you know, another guy there, Devin 398 00:21:24.680 --> 00:21:28.119 vessel Uh. He's he's trying to make his way back 399 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:31.960 after having a really nice start at his career, getting 400 00:21:31.960 --> 00:21:36.000 that extension with the team. I love the San Antonio Spurs, 401 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:41.799