1
00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,439
Speaker 1: What is up, fellow Siko's I am Dan fa Valley

2
00:00:03,560 --> 00:00:06,599
coming at you with what's the opposite of.

3
00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:08,279
Speaker 2: An emergency reaction podcast?

4
00:00:08,359 --> 00:00:10,000
Speaker 1: Since we took our time to get this out and

5
00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:12,119
it's coming out the following morning, but that's what we're

6
00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:16,679
coming with with you coming to you with the Sixers,

7
00:00:16,839 --> 00:00:20,760
as everyone might have heard, signed Ronnie James's dad and

8
00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:23,280
apparently that's a big deal. It's only a minimum contract player,

9
00:00:23,359 --> 00:00:25,280
but he did get a player option.

10
00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:28,039
Speaker 2: On his deal, so that's pretty important.

11
00:00:28,039 --> 00:00:30,800
Speaker 1: But I have mister Bryan Taporik here to talk about

12
00:00:30,879 --> 00:00:32,439
every angle of it.

13
00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:34,479
Speaker 2: Find his He does great.

14
00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:36,719
Speaker 1: Work at Bleacher Report, mostly behind the scenes, been a

15
00:00:36,719 --> 00:00:39,039
longtime print and colleague there for me. Also writes and

16
00:00:39,079 --> 00:00:42,240
covers the Sixers in the NBA Liberty Ballers Silver Screen

17
00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:45,560
and roll Forbes. I feel like I'm forgetting one place

18
00:00:45,759 --> 00:00:48,960
fan sided. You do too much stuff, man, every single

19
00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:50,960
time on here, and it's a different I forget a

20
00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:54,960
different outlet every time. If I ever forget Bleacher Report, though,

21
00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:56,200
that'd probably be problematic.

22
00:00:56,759 --> 00:00:59,399
Speaker 2: Mister Taporak, how the heck are you? Oh?

23
00:00:59,479 --> 00:01:03,000
Speaker 3: You know, it's been a day, It's been an eventful day.

24
00:01:03,119 --> 00:01:05,359
I am doing well though, Dan, thank you for having me.

25
00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:09,079
As always, I'm excited to talk and crap all over

26
00:01:09,159 --> 00:01:11,400
Lebron James to the Sixers, just like everyone else seems

27
00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:12,640
to be doing today.

28
00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:16,560
Speaker 1: Which I mean, it's Lebron at the minimum, Like, just

29
00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:18,519
do it and then figure out whatever you need to

30
00:01:18,519 --> 00:01:21,319
figure out later. This is not We'll get into more

31
00:01:21,359 --> 00:01:25,040
of the weeds with it, but it's not. It's Lebron

32
00:01:25,079 --> 00:01:26,359
at the minimum.

33
00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:29,000
Speaker 2: Is a bad thing.

34
00:01:29,439 --> 00:01:31,439
Speaker 3: Yeah, I feel like anyone who doesn't have this as

35
00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:34,079
an a triple plus for the Sixers is just trolling

36
00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:34,640
at this point.

37
00:01:35,439 --> 00:01:37,680
Speaker 2: Yeah, I would imagine you are right.

38
00:01:38,079 --> 00:01:41,640
Speaker 1: My first question on this though, on a scale of

39
00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:44,280
one to ten, what was your level of surprise when

40
00:01:44,319 --> 00:01:47,319
you saw the news that Lebron was going to the Sixers?

41
00:01:50,239 --> 00:01:55,000
Speaker 3: Probably lower than most people. I know. I I don't

42
00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:57,680
want to be beholden to polymarket. I know he was

43
00:01:57,959 --> 00:02:01,120
fourth in the polymarket odds the whole time, but I

44
00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:04,959
just kept thinking, like, why did the Sixers keep coming

45
00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,400
up when Shams is revealing you know, he's got three

46
00:02:08,479 --> 00:02:10,919
teams he's really considering, and then he expanded it to

47
00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:14,560
Golden State, Minnesota. But like the Sixers were just always

48
00:02:14,599 --> 00:02:17,520
in there. They were the first team Rich Paul talked

49
00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,240
about on the infamous Whiteboard episode.

50
00:02:20,439 --> 00:02:24,080
Speaker 1: Oh they were you see, I didn't actually watch that episode.

51
00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:25,639
I did not know they were the first team he

52
00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:26,439
talked about.

53
00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:28,719
Speaker 3: They were the first team, and you know, he talked

54
00:02:28,719 --> 00:02:31,840
about he went on to talk about the Calves and like,

55
00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,319
you know, there are a lot of connections there. But

56
00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:36,800
he did at the end of the Cavs section, was like,

57
00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:40,520
but there's one negative, no offense to James Harden, but

58
00:02:41,319 --> 00:02:44,039
it's not Darius Garland. And he said, you know, Lebron

59
00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:46,719
feels about Darius Garland like he did Tyrese Maxey. So

60
00:02:46,759 --> 00:02:49,199
there was it was just like a couple of things

61
00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:51,960
stuck at the back of your craw you know, the trust,

62
00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,639
the process that he dropped at fanatics Fest that he

63
00:02:54,719 --> 00:02:57,240
quickly tried to tamp down. But it's like, are you

64
00:02:57,319 --> 00:02:59,919
doing a Taylor Swift thing right now? Are you dropping

65
00:03:00,159 --> 00:03:00,960
these little easters?

66
00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:04,960
Speaker 1: And I now believe I don't know if it was

67
00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:08,439
a report or conspiracy theory that after Adam Silver said

68
00:03:08,479 --> 00:03:11,719
Lebron was delaying the schedule, which he was clearly being

69
00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:13,120
tongue in cheek about.

70
00:03:13,159 --> 00:03:15,199
Speaker 2: It wasn't an insult or an actual demand.

71
00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:19,159
Speaker 1: I now fully believe, just based off the breadcrumbs, as

72
00:03:19,199 --> 00:03:22,919
you put it, that were now analyzing in hindsight, Lebron

73
00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:24,919
would have announced this already had it not been for

74
00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:26,879
that Adam Silver comment.

75
00:03:27,759 --> 00:03:31,159
Speaker 3: I think he knew that we were doing br NBA

76
00:03:31,319 --> 00:03:33,439
Goat Week this week at Bleacher Report.

77
00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:34,080
Speaker 2: That's right.

78
00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:36,479
Speaker 3: He just wanted to wait until Friday. He thought the

79
00:03:36,479 --> 00:03:39,360
culmination of Goat Week would be let me announce my

80
00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:39,800
next team.

81
00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:43,240
Speaker 1: So thank you Lebron for not or he was scared

82
00:03:43,879 --> 00:03:47,240
that his decision would be overshadowed by BR's coast.

83
00:03:48,919 --> 00:03:51,000
Speaker 3: That's a fair point. Yeah, he needed to wait till Monday,

84
00:03:51,039 --> 00:03:52,159
but he just got too excited.

85
00:03:53,039 --> 00:03:53,319
Speaker 2: Uh.

86
00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:55,759
Speaker 1: The final sort of housekeeping question I have on this,

87
00:03:55,879 --> 00:04:00,199
so as we're recording this, the Sixers cannot legally sign

88
00:04:00,319 --> 00:04:02,680
Lebron James to this contract because it's not going to

89
00:04:02,719 --> 00:04:05,360
be offset. It's a two year, basically eight million dollar deal.

90
00:04:05,719 --> 00:04:09,000
Because it's more than one year, they don't get that offset.

91
00:04:09,199 --> 00:04:12,120
So are you able just to tell everyone how they

92
00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:16,120
will most likely go about creating the space to legally

93
00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:20,759
sign Lebron James to this massive to buy the weirdest

94
00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:23,439
thing I saw this is he's making less than he

95
00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:26,319
did as a rookie, but you're taking him in a contract.

96
00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:29,199
Speaker 3: I had not seen that. I doubt I did appreciate

97
00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:33,079
that he's making less than Anfdy Simon's his new teammate, which.

98
00:04:32,959 --> 00:04:35,279
Speaker 1: Just my favorite thing I can say now is that

99
00:04:35,319 --> 00:04:38,879
the Pelicans gave DeAndre Jordan Lebron James.

100
00:04:39,319 --> 00:04:42,519
Speaker 3: I saw Bason Getsburgh Sailor earlier. I really that one

101
00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:48,040
got me. So yeah, pre official Lebron signing, they are

102
00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:51,639
three point four million dollars below the first apron. They

103
00:04:51,639 --> 00:04:54,959
are hard capped there for just about every reason you

104
00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:58,399
possibly could be. They use non tax MLI used bi

105
00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:02,279
annual to sign your guy. Huk forty, took back more

106
00:05:02,319 --> 00:05:04,160
money in the Paul George trade than they set out,

107
00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:07,120
So they are just super mega hardcapped at the first apron.

108
00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:11,279
As you mentioned, Lebron's making three point nine so add

109
00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,000
him into the current roster and that puts them about

110
00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:16,959
like four hundred and I believe sixty or seventy thousand

111
00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:20,639
above the first apron, which is a no go. Two

112
00:05:20,759 --> 00:05:24,680
guys on the roster one dalunary two point six million

113
00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:28,720
dollars fully non guaranteed. Jabari Walker is the other one,

114
00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:32,120
also two point six million dollars two hundred and fifty

115
00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,879
thousand dollars guaranteed, which sounds kind of inconsequential in the

116
00:05:35,879 --> 00:05:38,199
grand scheme of things, But given how close they are

117
00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,240
to the hard cap, if they wave Walker and then

118
00:05:41,319 --> 00:05:44,360
sign a mind deal in his place, which is about

119
00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:47,639
two point four million, that ends up adding one hundred

120
00:05:47,639 --> 00:05:50,160
thousand to their books or so. So my guess is

121
00:05:50,399 --> 00:05:53,040
they waive Dale and Arry, who will not leave any

122
00:05:53,079 --> 00:05:56,680
dead cap hit sign Lebron. That puts them about two

123
00:05:56,720 --> 00:06:00,160
point one million below the first apron, which does not

124
00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:04,560
leave them enough room as of now to sign anyone

125
00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:07,959
else with even a year of NBA experience before the season.

126
00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:12,240
They could sign an undrafted rookie. That's it. So my

127
00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:16,000
guess is this is their tribute to Daryl Morey, who

128
00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:18,639
always used to leave a roster spot open heading into

129
00:06:18,639 --> 00:06:20,600
the season. I think they're going into the season with

130
00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:24,319
fourteen guys, and then you know, a minimum contracts start

131
00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:26,800
to pro rate once the season begins, so they can

132
00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:31,759
eventually add someone else in season. But I think they

133
00:06:31,759 --> 00:06:34,959
are this is probably for better or worse their roster.

134
00:06:35,079 --> 00:06:38,360
Maybe they'd make one or two small moves around the margins,

135
00:06:38,399 --> 00:06:42,160
but they do not have a lot of flexibility salary wise.

136
00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:45,839
Speaker 2: How are you feeling about the fit?

137
00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:47,920
Speaker 1: I think that's what a lot of people have made

138
00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:50,199
us think about, is the one ball argument. And when

139
00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,199
you dig into just the on ball usage for all

140
00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:56,079
the players on this team, Joel Embiid's was a lot

141
00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:59,160
lower last year, still used close to thirty percent of

142
00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:01,680
the Sixers zombie all possessions when he was on the floor.

143
00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:05,839
Tari's MAXI was over fifty percent this year. You want

144
00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:07,959
that now. He probably wants that number to come down.

145
00:07:08,439 --> 00:07:11,399
DJ Edgecomb wasn't particularly high, but VJ Edgecomb was good,

146
00:07:11,399 --> 00:07:13,000
and so you would want that number to scale up

147
00:07:13,079 --> 00:07:15,120
in theory. And then Jaylen Brown last year, I think

148
00:07:15,199 --> 00:07:18,519
was close to forty percent of on ball possession share

149
00:07:18,519 --> 00:07:20,759
when he was on the court. And then Lebron of

150
00:07:20,759 --> 00:07:22,560
course is going to be up there as well. He

151
00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:25,399
did reduce it though when he was playing alongside Austin

152
00:07:25,439 --> 00:07:26,399
Reeves and Lukadancic.

153
00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:28,759
Speaker 2: What do you make of this fit?

154
00:07:29,079 --> 00:07:32,199
Speaker 1: Not measuring it against other places he could have gone

155
00:07:32,199 --> 00:07:34,680
to just in the vacuum of what the Sixers have

156
00:07:35,319 --> 00:07:37,360
how do you feel about this? What is your concern

157
00:07:37,519 --> 00:07:41,759
level about Let's start offensively, because defensively I think it's

158
00:07:41,759 --> 00:07:44,519
a different question. But do you have any concerns about

159
00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:48,079
this group when they're fully healthy, which, to be fair,

160
00:07:48,639 --> 00:07:52,639
might not be often and is calculus right when fully healthy?

161
00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:56,040
How do you feel about the offensive fit of Lebron

162
00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:57,399
on this current Sixers team?

163
00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:02,439
Speaker 3: You know, so Bob gave a press conference after they

164
00:08:02,519 --> 00:08:06,279
fired Daryl Morey that basically said like the Sixers didn't

165
00:08:06,319 --> 00:08:09,839
have an identity and they didn't have, you know, championship teams,

166
00:08:09,879 --> 00:08:12,199
he said, usually have a clear strength. Either you have

167
00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:14,519
an elite defense or an elite offense, and that is

168
00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:18,800
your identity. This Sixers group, I think they are leading

169
00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:23,160
more in the elite offense. Well, you know, I would

170
00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:26,879
be more concerned if this move came out of nowhere

171
00:08:26,959 --> 00:08:30,120
and if the players did not play an active role

172
00:08:30,199 --> 00:08:35,759
recruiting Lebron. But by all accounts, Maxi, Jalen Brown, and

173
00:08:35,879 --> 00:08:39,600
Joel Embiid were all recruiting Lebron behind the scenes, and

174
00:08:39,639 --> 00:08:42,639
I don't think they were recruiting Lebron saying like, hey, Lebron,

175
00:08:43,039 --> 00:08:45,480
come play with us, but we still want to commandeer

176
00:08:45,519 --> 00:08:47,399
all the touches. We don't want you to touch the

177
00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:51,120
ball at all. I think they are presumably the messages

178
00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:53,120
we are willing to do whatever it takes. We are

179
00:08:53,159 --> 00:08:57,039
willing to sacrifice our touches. You know, we want this

180
00:08:57,080 --> 00:09:00,240
to be a well balanced offense. And if you look

181
00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:04,080
at the roster now, I mean before today, the sixers

182
00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:07,159
were projected to start. Dean Wade at Power Forward going

183
00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:09,039
to go out on a limb and say, Lebron James

184
00:09:09,159 --> 00:09:13,320
is a slight upgrade over Dean Wade at Power Forward.

185
00:09:13,799 --> 00:09:16,759
I think his passing is just going to be the

186
00:09:16,759 --> 00:09:20,120
connective tissue that they were missing. No tyres Maxi, as

187
00:09:20,159 --> 00:09:22,399
good as he is and as many strides as he's

188
00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:25,440
made as a floor general in recent years, I would

189
00:09:25,519 --> 00:09:28,120
not call him a natural point guard by any stretch

190
00:09:28,159 --> 00:09:31,679
of the imagination. I think, you know, had they not

191
00:09:31,799 --> 00:09:35,320
gotten Lebron, I think VJ. Edgecomb probably would have taken

192
00:09:35,399 --> 00:09:37,759
on a larger share of the ball handling duties. Jalen

193
00:09:37,799 --> 00:09:40,480
Brown can also initiate as well. So I think they

194
00:09:40,519 --> 00:09:43,759
were moving and I mean Nick Nurse has said they

195
00:09:43,799 --> 00:09:47,120
want to have Maxi off the ball more. I think

196
00:09:47,159 --> 00:09:51,720
this will unlock that Joel embiid, this is the least

197
00:09:51,879 --> 00:09:55,000
the Sixers will ever have to rely on him offensively,

198
00:09:55,039 --> 00:09:56,799
I mean for an entire decade.

199
00:09:57,519 --> 00:09:59,960
Speaker 2: Is that because he starts the season in Washington though,

200
00:10:00,159 --> 00:10:02,679
or we can get there.

201
00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:07,240
Speaker 3: But you know, like they could just say, you know,

202
00:10:07,519 --> 00:10:10,679
we'll feed you the ball, but really you need to

203
00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:13,720
focus on defense, rebounding, setting good screens, like you need

204
00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:17,679
to focus on kind of more blue guy things rather

205
00:10:17,759 --> 00:10:20,200
than we don't need twenty five points per game out

206
00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:23,200
of you anymore because we have four other guys that

207
00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:26,039
can carry the load on a given night. And I

208
00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:28,399
think you know, you said this before we start recording.

209
00:10:28,399 --> 00:10:31,240
I think it's a fair point, Like this just raises

210
00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:34,279
the floor for them. You know, I don't know that

211
00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:38,080
they necessarily should be considered the championship papers. They should

212
00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:40,480
not be considered the championship papers at this point. I

213
00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:43,000
think they're you know, they surge up the title odds.

214
00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:45,480
It's reasonable, but it's going to take time for this

215
00:10:45,519 --> 00:10:49,559
group to coalesce. But you know, if Tyreese Maxi is

216
00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:52,960
having off night or VJ edgecumb has a tough defensive matchup,

217
00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:55,159
and you just you know, you don't want to force

218
00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:57,679
the issue. It's like, all right, give it to Jaylen Brown,

219
00:10:57,799 --> 00:10:59,600
give it to Lebron James, give it to Joel Embiid.

220
00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:02,919
You have so many different ways that they can kill you,

221
00:11:03,159 --> 00:11:05,440
and that if any of those guys have it going

222
00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:08,559
one night, just feed the beast for that night. I'm

223
00:11:08,559 --> 00:11:11,360
not super worried about the you know, there's only one

224
00:11:11,399 --> 00:11:15,279
ball argument, because I think all of especially Lebron and Embiad,

225
00:11:15,279 --> 00:11:18,080
are at the stage of their careers where if they

226
00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:23,960
aren't willing to sacrifice for winning, it's just never gonna happen. Lebron,

227
00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:26,080
we saw it last year with the Lakers. He already

228
00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:28,440
moved into more of a tertiary role and you know,

229
00:11:28,679 --> 00:11:33,480
let everyone know about it very loudly, and he thrived

230
00:11:33,519 --> 00:11:38,000
in that role. I think that the one concern, like

231
00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:43,399
the one ball argument, I'm not especially worried about shooting.

232
00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:46,039
Long range shooting, I think is a fair thing to

233
00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:48,399
point out. You know, Lebron has made strides in that

234
00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:52,120
department in recent years, had a bad year last year. Embiid.

235
00:11:52,240 --> 00:11:56,240
It was not particularly accurate, or is it. You know,

236
00:11:56,279 --> 00:11:59,600
he just he waxes and wanes in terms of his

237
00:11:59,679 --> 00:12:05,480
long efficiency VJ was better than I expected as a rookie,

238
00:12:05,519 --> 00:12:07,720
but I think that's going to be, you know, an

239
00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:10,679
area of focus for him moving forward to Maxie you know,

240
00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:13,759
is definitely the best long range shoot that they have,

241
00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:15,919
and then Jalen Brown can also knock him down, but

242
00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:18,320
not you know, Paul George is much better than him

243
00:12:18,399 --> 00:12:21,440
in that regard. So I think that is a fair

244
00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:25,480
thing to worry about and wonder about. But I also

245
00:12:25,519 --> 00:12:27,600
think this team might just be running in transition so

246
00:12:27,679 --> 00:12:31,200
much that they might not have to worry about since

247
00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:32,919
he and a half court settings all that much.

248
00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:38,480
Speaker 1: Yeah, they they could use like a embiid throwback season too.

249
00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:41,240
What was he thirty eight point eight percent in twenty

250
00:12:41,279 --> 00:12:44,080
three twenty four but he only played in thirty nine games,

251
00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:48,240
so the season sixty eight was that his MVP when

252
00:12:48,279 --> 00:12:51,240
he put twenty twenty two, uh thirty seven point one

253
00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:53,799
percent on almost four attempts per game. No, that was

254
00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:55,080
when he was a runner up, but he was the

255
00:12:55,159 --> 00:12:58,679
MVP the next year when he shot actually worse from three.

256
00:12:58,720 --> 00:12:59,480
Speaker 2: They could use that.

257
00:13:00,039 --> 00:13:02,200
Speaker 1: I don't think defenses will ever care if he had,

258
00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:03,759
like he could choo forty percent from three, And I

259
00:13:03,759 --> 00:13:06,960
don't think that they'll will care all that much, but

260
00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:10,320
they could certainly use that And to your point, like

261
00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:12,559
Jaylen Brown and Lebron of Leish and they could make

262
00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:15,559
threes at a league averager better clip in the past,

263
00:13:15,720 --> 00:13:18,200
even if they weren't there last season.

264
00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:19,919
Speaker 2: And I think I saw so.

265
00:13:20,039 --> 00:13:22,879
Speaker 1: Data Baller had an interesting stat on Twitter where it's

266
00:13:22,919 --> 00:13:26,960
some of the biggest underachieving lineups in the league are

267
00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:30,039
structures that are similar to what the Sixers have now,

268
00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:32,679
and they were and I do think that's worth discussing,

269
00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:35,679
and they pointed to some of the the Kevin Durant

270
00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:40,759
era Phoenix Suns lineups. I think that to be clear,

271
00:13:40,799 --> 00:13:44,720
I think that's legitimate risk and concern where I think

272
00:13:44,759 --> 00:13:47,720
it falls apart. And you made a great point about

273
00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:51,480
Maxi and Embiid being actively involved in the recruitment is

274
00:13:51,519 --> 00:13:52,120
a big deal.

275
00:13:53,759 --> 00:13:55,559
Speaker 2: All of these guys.

276
00:13:55,360 --> 00:14:00,840
Speaker 1: I think have been used in if not dramatically different

277
00:14:00,879 --> 00:14:04,200
ways at some point in the past. Like first of all,

278
00:14:04,279 --> 00:14:06,799
VJ Edgecomb last year was not some needed to be

279
00:14:06,879 --> 00:14:09,120
on the ball guy and so he have to stand

280
00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:10,159
in the corner a little bit more.

281
00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:11,759
Speaker 2: But as you said, they're gonna get out in transition

282
00:14:11,799 --> 00:14:12,360
they'll be fine.

283
00:14:12,679 --> 00:14:16,480
Speaker 1: Joel Embiid last season, specifically, even when he was on

284
00:14:16,559 --> 00:14:20,360
the floor, there was a distinct difference in how they played,

285
00:14:20,679 --> 00:14:23,919
but they reoriented that offense so that it wasn't just

286
00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:27,639
so Joel Embiid dependent even when he was on the

287
00:14:27,639 --> 00:14:31,320
floor with Tyres Maxie. Anyway, look at who Tyre's Maxi

288
00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:35,720
has played. Besides, since coming to the Sixers, his role

289
00:14:36,039 --> 00:14:38,919
has shape shifted basically, it feels like every single year.

290
00:14:39,559 --> 00:14:43,080
And then Jalen Brown has always been preferred to be

291
00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:46,559
ball dominant and certainly has limitations as a player, but

292
00:14:46,679 --> 00:14:50,200
he's also been, while still being around All Star level,

293
00:14:50,320 --> 00:14:54,120
a third option rather than the first option. And as

294
00:14:54,159 --> 00:14:57,759
you mentioned, I just think through last season where Lebron's

295
00:14:57,799 --> 00:15:00,000
playing alongside Reeves and Doncic, and look, some of those

296
00:15:00,039 --> 00:15:02,799
lineups were not as good statistically as you would.

297
00:15:02,639 --> 00:15:03,399
Speaker 2: Expect them to be.

298
00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:07,000
Speaker 1: Lebron is no worse than the second greatest player of

299
00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,440
all time. He is choosing this situation, and he is

300
00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:12,440
doing so at a point in his career when he

301
00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:17,840
knows that not everything is going to revolve around him specifically,

302
00:15:18,519 --> 00:15:22,360
I just maybe I'm too caught up in the thrill

303
00:15:22,399 --> 00:15:26,519
of the names on paper, I have very few concerns

304
00:15:27,039 --> 00:15:31,120
about them tying it together offensively. Maybe it'll be a

305
00:15:31,159 --> 00:15:35,879
bigger deal because we're talking about players who are unfamiliar

306
00:15:35,879 --> 00:15:38,840
with each other, and how is that impacted by if

307
00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:42,000
embiid is only playing in thirty seven games or something

308
00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:44,039
and he just you know, it's not someone you're one

309
00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:46,399
familiar with to begin with, and two just isn't playing

310
00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:48,639
a ton with the team. That would be a bigger

311
00:15:48,679 --> 00:15:51,000
concern to me. The shooting, for sure, but even just

312
00:15:51,399 --> 00:15:54,279
the number of wide open looks that a VJ. Edgecombe

313
00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:57,679
and I would say Jaylen Brown or Lebron that some

314
00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:00,679
of their share is gonna get shifted to that's got

315
00:16:00,679 --> 00:16:02,720
to go up. And then Lebron and Jalen Bren ENVJ

316
00:16:02,879 --> 00:16:05,519
Edge Clumb like all all those imagine them just attacking

317
00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:07,559
like they get spaceed on closeouts and that's what they're

318
00:16:07,559 --> 00:16:09,440
We've seen Lebron do it all the time. But if

319
00:16:09,519 --> 00:16:12,840
Jalen Brown shot quality is improving, I think that this

320
00:16:12,919 --> 00:16:15,399
is going to be an elite offensive team. And I

321
00:16:15,559 --> 00:16:18,799
just even if they're not a good three point shooting team,

322
00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:21,360
I would echo everything you said. And I just think

323
00:16:21,399 --> 00:16:25,120
that the difference between them and some of the the

324
00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:28,000
problem lineups or problem pairings we have seen in years

325
00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:30,960
past is really just we're not dealing with play where

326
00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:33,200
we're not dealing, you know, like with a Bradley Beal

327
00:16:33,399 --> 00:16:36,320
or a Devin Booker. Like Devin Booker's never been the

328
00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:38,639
best three point shooter. He's been using a bunch of

329
00:16:38,639 --> 00:16:41,720
different ways. Bradley Beal has just sort of been good shooter,

330
00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:44,480
but the time he goes to Phoenix, he hadn't been

331
00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:47,120
used in a different way in quite some time. So

332
00:16:47,159 --> 00:16:49,679
I think that all of these players, you could probably

333
00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:52,879
argue that maybe it's Embid, it's Embid, or Brown was

334
00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:53,720
proved like.

335
00:16:53,679 --> 00:16:55,840
Speaker 2: The quote unquote least adaptable.

336
00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:59,759
Speaker 1: I just look at all these players as fairly pliable functionally,

337
00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:04,920
and I'm if this isn't again availability dependent, to me,

338
00:17:05,039 --> 00:17:07,519
they should be a top five offense in the league.

339
00:17:07,519 --> 00:17:09,599
You tell me they're shooting thirty four percent from three,

340
00:17:10,319 --> 00:17:11,880
I would still say, yeah, that they could still be

341
00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:12,799
a top five offense.

342
00:17:12,839 --> 00:17:14,799
Speaker 2: Just that's the talent level here. And also, what do

343
00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:15,160
we know?

344
00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:18,519
Speaker 1: The one ball argument feels kind of dated in a sense,

345
00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:20,319
like how important is ball handling?

346
00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:20,640
Speaker 2: Now?

347
00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:25,920
Speaker 3: That make right yeah, I like, every good team needs

348
00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:28,759
multiple ball handler. You're kind of screwed if you're running

349
00:17:28,799 --> 00:17:31,960
everything through one person. We moved away from the heliocentric

350
00:17:32,039 --> 00:17:35,519
model being the way to win because it hasn't won.

351
00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:37,720
I mean, I think this is going to be a

352
00:17:37,799 --> 00:17:40,079
chance for Nick Nurse to shine as well. Like we

353
00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:43,599
haven't really seen Nick Nurse let his freak flag fly

354
00:17:43,839 --> 00:17:47,440
as much. The twenty four to twenty five season was

355
00:17:47,559 --> 00:17:50,839
just an injury ravage mess, and you know, you started

356
00:17:50,839 --> 00:17:53,000
to see a little bit more of it last year.

357
00:17:53,079 --> 00:17:56,519
But like it's gonna be on Nurse to come up

358
00:17:56,519 --> 00:17:59,720
with schemes to maximize all of these guys. But you know,

359
00:17:59,759 --> 00:18:03,440
I think think the two man chemistry between some of them,

360
00:18:03,519 --> 00:18:07,400
like Lebron Maxie inverted pick and rolls could be fun.

361
00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:11,720
I mean, honestly, the Sixers have not had many good

362
00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:14,480
entry passers, like Nick Patum was one of their best

363
00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:17,559
entry passers and was a revelation because it was like, oh,

364
00:18:17,599 --> 00:18:19,480
you can get the ball to Joel Embiid in the

365
00:18:19,519 --> 00:18:23,279
post accurately where he can catch it. Like Lebron James

366
00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:26,480
is going to be a slight upgrade over Nick Batum

367
00:18:26,519 --> 00:18:29,960
in that regard. I think his passing ability really just

368
00:18:30,079 --> 00:18:34,319
changes everything for this team and for this offense in particular.

369
00:18:35,559 --> 00:18:40,000
Speaker 1: What do you envision as the crunch time hierarchy though

370
00:18:40,799 --> 00:18:42,839
with this team, that could be where I could see

371
00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:44,640
it getting a little finicky.

372
00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:47,559
Speaker 3: I get I like, I don't know that there's gonna

373
00:18:47,559 --> 00:18:50,720
be one, and maybe that's just wishful thinking, but I

374
00:18:50,759 --> 00:18:53,039
think it will change on a game to game basis.

375
00:18:53,079 --> 00:18:56,279
I don't think you necessarily need like we're going to

376
00:18:56,359 --> 00:19:00,839
run every single possession through one guy. I think you

377
00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:03,240
look at it on a matchup by matchup basis and

378
00:19:03,319 --> 00:19:05,480
you kind of, you know, you attack it like you

379
00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:07,640
win at a playoff matchup. You play hunt the bozo,

380
00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:10,480
You look for James Harden, whoever James Harden is guarding,

381
00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:12,799
that's who you pick on. Or you know, like there

382
00:19:13,079 --> 00:19:16,559
there is not a weak spot in the offense if

383
00:19:16,640 --> 00:19:20,039
you're if all five starters are healthy, all five of

384
00:19:20,079 --> 00:19:22,519
those guys could theoretically go off for thirty on any

385
00:19:22,519 --> 00:19:27,680
given night. So you know, whoever has the easiest matchup

386
00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:30,519
in crunch time, go attack that matchup.

387
00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:33,720
Speaker 1: What is up, fellow Sickos, You're listening to this episode

388
00:19:33,799 --> 00:19:36,079
right now thinking wow, would be so cool if there

389
00:19:36,079 --> 00:19:37,039
were no ads on it.

390
00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:38,920
Speaker 4: We have the power to make this the last ad

391
00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:40,920
you ever hear. And that's not a threat, it's more

392
00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:43,200
of a promise. The best way to support the podcast

393
00:19:43,279 --> 00:19:45,119
is to join our Patreon, which you can do at

394
00:19:45,119 --> 00:19:48,119
patreon dot com. Slash Hardwood Knocks NBA tons of perks there.

395
00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:50,519
In addition to the promise of and not threat. Can't

396
00:19:50,519 --> 00:19:53,039
emphasize that enough of no more ads, which is a

397
00:19:53,119 --> 00:19:54,920
huge bonus. We're going to do a couple of Patreon

398
00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:58,799
subscriber only pods every month. You get access to our discord.

399
00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:00,880
You just get to be a bigger part of this community.

400
00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:03,960
You get our sincerest appreciation, which really can you put

401
00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:05,680
a price on it? If you want to support the pod,

402
00:20:05,720 --> 00:20:07,359
that is the best way to do it. Thank you

403
00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:09,240
again as always for listening and for watching.

404
00:20:09,359 --> 00:20:10,720
Speaker 2: And now back to the show.

405
00:20:11,119 --> 00:20:12,799
Speaker 1: So, when you are looking at this team and then

406
00:20:12,839 --> 00:20:16,720
specifically offensively, who's the player that you think will end

407
00:20:16,799 --> 00:20:18,880
up needing to make the biggest adjustment?

408
00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:25,920
Speaker 3: I mean Embiid in a sense, although he's already as

409
00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:29,799
you mentioned, the Sixers like have begun to move away

410
00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:33,440
from being so Embiid centric, like they're going to move

411
00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:37,119
even further in that direction. So you know, this will

412
00:20:37,119 --> 00:20:41,480
probably be the lowest scoring season that Joel Embiid has had,

413
00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:47,160
I mean, at least in five years. Like he averaged

414
00:20:47,319 --> 00:20:52,920
twenty three in twenty nineteen twenty. Like, honestly, wouldn't shock

415
00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:55,519
me if he averages a career low in scoring Like

416
00:20:55,599 --> 00:20:56,799
that's how much I.

417
00:20:56,759 --> 00:20:59,680
Speaker 2: Think he's never been below twenty right.

418
00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:02,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, Yeah, his rookie season he had twenty point two,

419
00:21:03,079 --> 00:21:06,680
like I I mean, maybe just because he's so big

420
00:21:06,839 --> 00:21:09,000
and because Lebron is such a good passer and can

421
00:21:09,079 --> 00:21:11,160
just get it to him in really easy positions, that

422
00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:15,039
he'll still end up putting that putting up numbers like that.

423
00:21:15,559 --> 00:21:18,160
But you know, I think they need to be mindful

424
00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:21,240
of his minutes throughout the regular season. They're going to

425
00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:23,960
really want to preserve him as much as they can

426
00:21:24,119 --> 00:21:27,319
for a potential playoff run. So you know, he averaged

427
00:21:27,359 --> 00:21:29,880
thirty one point six last year. I don't know that

428
00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:31,839
he needs to be above thirty. And we can get

429
00:21:31,839 --> 00:21:35,960
into the backup situation at some point. So I think

430
00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:39,799
it's either Hammer Jalen Brown. As you said, MAXI is adaptable.

431
00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:42,319
VJ is just so young and probably just like so

432
00:21:42,359 --> 00:21:44,920
psyched to play with all these guys that I you know,

433
00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:46,920
he'll pick and choose his spots, but I think they're

434
00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:48,960
going to look at him as the you know, you're

435
00:21:49,359 --> 00:21:52,240
a lot of your responsibilities on defense, what you give

436
00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:54,640
on offense as a bonus, but you know you need

437
00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:57,839
to guard the best bet, be our best point of

438
00:21:57,880 --> 00:22:01,319
attack defender for sure, and you know, even maybe guard

439
00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:06,440
up and defend some elite wings at times. So Jalen Brown,

440
00:22:06,559 --> 00:22:09,279
I mean, especially coming off of last year where he

441
00:22:09,519 --> 00:22:12,240
was the focal point of the Celtics. You know, you

442
00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:16,400
mentioned like earlier in his career, really prior to last year,

443
00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:19,279
he had never had that experience. He's obviously not going

444
00:22:19,319 --> 00:22:23,119
to get that experience in Philly this year, probably not

445
00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:25,079
going to get it at least for another couple of

446
00:22:25,119 --> 00:22:28,480
years if he's in Philly for that long. So no,

447
00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:34,240
I would imagine that he's okay with that. Again, I

448
00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:37,599
don't think he's contributing to the recruitment if he really

449
00:22:37,599 --> 00:22:40,359
wants to average thirty points per game. And I would

450
00:22:40,400 --> 00:22:44,880
also think that, you know, the chatter around him this offseason,

451
00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:47,279
like if I were Jalen Brown and just knowing how

452
00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:52,119
elite athletes tend to be wired. They're one just like

453
00:22:52,319 --> 00:22:59,039
homicidally competitive. But also whenever there's you know, skepticism about

454
00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:04,559
them their ability, they're ceiling who they are as athletes.

455
00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:10,319
That like sets off something and makes them even more resolute,

456
00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:14,119
improving people wrong. And I think the conversation about Jalen

457
00:23:14,160 --> 00:23:18,480
Brown this offseason, I can't imagine he's going to come

458
00:23:18,519 --> 00:23:23,000
back and you know, just be like so me focused

459
00:23:23,039 --> 00:23:26,920
and you know, chucking up inefficient shots, not caring about

460
00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:28,880
his teammates. Like I think he's going to want to

461
00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:34,000
prove to the analytics community that they are completely off

462
00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:37,160
base with who he is as a player. So like

463
00:23:37,359 --> 00:23:39,519
I think, and Brown and MBI will have a lot

464
00:23:39,519 --> 00:23:42,079
of adjusting to do. I would imagine that both of

465
00:23:42,079 --> 00:23:45,039
those guys are willing to make those adjustments, and I'm

466
00:23:45,359 --> 00:23:47,799
I'm going to assume that until they prove me wrong.

467
00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:52,519
Speaker 1: Do you think Darryl Moore because you mentioned the analytics community,

468
00:23:52,559 --> 00:23:56,119
do you think Darryl Morey makes the he's still in charge,

469
00:23:56,119 --> 00:23:58,200
does he does he make the Jaylen Brown trade.

470
00:23:58,799 --> 00:24:01,480
Speaker 3: It's a funny question. We were talking about it earlier today.

471
00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:05,759
I don't know I would hope so, given what they

472
00:24:05,799 --> 00:24:09,319
gave up, like it was not all that much, and

473
00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:12,680
especially knowing that that was the domino that led to

474
00:24:12,799 --> 00:24:18,880
Lebron James. Man, what a bleak scenario it would be

475
00:24:19,839 --> 00:24:22,720
if they were just like, no, we're good, We're gonna

476
00:24:22,759 --> 00:24:24,559
just stick with the team that got swept in the

477
00:24:24,599 --> 00:24:25,160
second round.

478
00:24:26,839 --> 00:24:30,000
Speaker 1: Yeah, No, that's I I've I was thinking about that,

479
00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:32,680
and my honesty, I think he would have. I'm wondering

480
00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:34,720
if would this have needed to have been in a

481
00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:39,440
situation that would he have even contacted Boston where Boston

482
00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:42,559
have needed to reach out and initiate discussions, whereas it

483
00:24:42,559 --> 00:24:46,279
seems like Gancy might have more aggressively just pursued this.

484
00:24:47,039 --> 00:24:50,279
Speaker 3: He tended to go after any star on the market,

485
00:24:50,319 --> 00:24:52,640
so I think he would have reached out, But like,

486
00:24:53,319 --> 00:24:57,759
would the negotiations have gone the same way? I don't know.

487
00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:00,880
You know, when Boston starts off by asking for four

488
00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:04,160
or five first round picks and for VJ. Edgecombe, does

489
00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:06,920
he even bother does he just say all right, no,

490
00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:11,279
it's just completely unrealistic, we're not going to engage any further.

491
00:25:12,279 --> 00:25:13,079
Speaker 2: I feel like, as.

492
00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:16,279
Speaker 1: Someone who's probably been on the other end, of that

493
00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:19,279
and asked for the moon for player X that they

494
00:25:19,279 --> 00:25:21,759
were trading. I think dal Morey would know how the negotiation.

495
00:25:24,039 --> 00:25:27,599
Hell of an introduction to Mike Ganty though, right, Yeah,

496
00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:30,839
what a man really leaving his mark on this roster?

497
00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:33,960
Speaker 3: His high school needs to start selling his jersey again.

498
00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:37,720
They would make roughly five billion dollars from the Philadelphia market.

499
00:25:37,759 --> 00:25:40,839
I mean Lebron James Philly jerseys went on sale and

500
00:25:40,839 --> 00:25:44,279
are already sold out? Like I guarantee you, how does

501
00:25:44,319 --> 00:25:47,079
that the high school jerseys would be okay?

502
00:25:47,079 --> 00:25:48,279
Speaker 2: But how does that even happen?

503
00:25:48,599 --> 00:25:48,680
Speaker 1: Like?

504
00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:49,240
Speaker 2: How does this say?

505
00:25:49,319 --> 00:25:49,400
Speaker 5: Like?

506
00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:50,359
Speaker 2: Are they made all?

507
00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:50,519
Speaker 5: Right?

508
00:25:50,559 --> 00:25:51,160
Speaker 2: Does it they run out?

509
00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:51,240
Speaker 3: Like?

510
00:25:51,279 --> 00:25:53,079
Speaker 2: I don't understand, Like what does it mean sold out

511
00:25:53,279 --> 00:25:55,079
to me? Or they they're not printed yet right?

512
00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:57,720
Speaker 1: Or is it just one place had them printed and

513
00:25:57,720 --> 00:25:59,000
we're sold and now they're sold out?

514
00:25:59,119 --> 00:26:00,880
Speaker 2: I'm just like, how do you sell out of.

515
00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:03,359
Speaker 1: Jerseys that you could just make more of? I guess,

516
00:26:03,400 --> 00:26:06,240
I guess to me, these weren't things that were in stock.

517
00:26:06,359 --> 00:26:09,920
But is that the implication that they were already stocked

518
00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:11,559
and now they're just hold on? I just don't know

519
00:26:11,640 --> 00:26:14,440
what it means when the jersey of this player who's

520
00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:16,759
never played for our team is already sold out. Like,

521
00:26:16,839 --> 00:26:18,440
I don't know how to interpret that.

522
00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:21,480
Speaker 3: That is a great question for Michael Rubin and fanatics.

523
00:26:22,039 --> 00:26:24,960
I do not know. But go to NBA store dot

524
00:26:25,039 --> 00:26:26,920
com and they are also out. They do have some

525
00:26:27,039 --> 00:26:29,880
nice Mitchell and Ness shirts right when it's still shopping.

526
00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:35,599
But also, don't buy products from Fanatics, they're trash. Go

527
00:26:36,119 --> 00:26:37,920
cops some hardwood Knox merchan instead.

528
00:26:38,759 --> 00:26:40,839
Speaker 1: Yeah, honestly, I can't believe it, and mentioned this and

529
00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:42,359
Grant and I will do more of a show and

530
00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:44,400
tell since we haven't tested out all this stuff. But

531
00:26:44,839 --> 00:26:47,359
this is the it's technically the second podcast, but it's

532
00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:49,240
the first one that's being released. When wearing a new

533
00:26:49,279 --> 00:26:52,119
piece of hardwood Ox merch, so they wants to go

534
00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:53,799
check out. Well, I don't know if it's live yet,

535
00:26:53,799 --> 00:26:57,960
but nice little Seattle super Sonics nostalgia with some hardwood.

536
00:26:57,599 --> 00:26:58,599
Speaker 2: Knox sprinkled in there.

537
00:26:58,839 --> 00:27:01,880
Speaker 1: Yeah, go buy hardwin knocks. Don't forget about the this

538
00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:05,680
is lebron to the city. Why are you buying apparel

539
00:27:05,759 --> 00:27:07,559
for someone who just signed a minimum contract?

540
00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:09,920
Speaker 3: Yeah, my ches, for someone who's gonna be there for

541
00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:10,839
two years at most.

542
00:27:10,839 --> 00:27:14,559
Speaker 1: Come on, can you give me your ten best trade

543
00:27:14,559 --> 00:27:19,359
packages for Bronnie James to the Philadelphia.

544
00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:23,519
Speaker 3: I'm shocked the Jani broom for Brownie James has not

545
00:27:23,599 --> 00:27:26,319
dropped yet. I'm just glued to my phone waiting for it.

546
00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:29,680
Speaker 1: I mean one even dropped during this podcast. We're after

547
00:27:29,759 --> 00:27:33,480
midnight Eastern recording this on Friday night. I did actually

548
00:27:33,559 --> 00:27:36,519
want to ask you, in all seriousness, what does the

549
00:27:36,559 --> 00:27:37,319
defense look like?

550
00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:38,680
Speaker 2: What is the concern here?

551
00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:43,480
Speaker 1: Honestly on the perimeter, I'm not too concerned in a

552
00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:46,480
lineup that has or just a rotation that's Jalen Brown,

553
00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:48,240
Dean Wade and VJ.

554
00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:48,839
Speaker 2: Edgecomb.

555
00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:52,720
Speaker 1: I do wonder if this is a move because we've decided,

556
00:27:52,759 --> 00:27:55,799
the Sixers have decided, Oh, we're filling a huge share

557
00:27:55,799 --> 00:27:59,200
of our forward minutes with forty plus year old lebron James.

558
00:27:59,519 --> 00:28:03,440
Does this expose the Joelle and b defensive regression that

559
00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:06,599
we saw last tree for more or did maybe him

560
00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:09,200
playing in so few games, like did that rejuvenate?

561
00:28:09,279 --> 00:28:09,359
Speaker 3: Like?

562
00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:11,839
Speaker 1: Is he is he fresher than normal? Not having to

563
00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:13,920
do as much on offense? Is he fresher than normal?

564
00:28:14,279 --> 00:28:17,519
How do you feel about this team's overall defensive ceiling?

565
00:28:17,759 --> 00:28:20,480
And what are your biggest concerns for them defensively?

566
00:28:21,119 --> 00:28:23,920
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that this of the two sides of

567
00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:25,799
the floor, I'm more concerned about defense. O.

568
00:28:26,079 --> 00:28:30,799
Speaker 1: Wait, we do have breaking news No way KCP to

569
00:28:30,799 --> 00:28:35,279
the Philadelphia seventy six ers as we're recording this, how

570
00:28:35,759 --> 00:28:38,599
KCP intends to join the seventy six ers veteran guard

571
00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:41,720
to negotiate buy out with the Grizzlies after Lebron's decision.

572
00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:47,880
Speaker 2: How who's getting traded? Then? Is this like bye bye

573
00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:48,759
Dominic Barlow?

574
00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:53,799
Speaker 3: And I mean that's was my when I was going

575
00:28:53,839 --> 00:28:57,839
over the cap showed earlier, I was my brain was putting,

576
00:28:57,839 --> 00:28:59,359
and I thought they only had thirteen guys on the

577
00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:01,599
roster instead of fourteen. So I was like, oh my god,

578
00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:04,119
they don't have enough room to sign anyone to a minimum,

579
00:29:04,119 --> 00:29:06,960
Like they might have to trade Barlow just to make room.

580
00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:08,240
Speaker 2: Huh.

581
00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:11,119
Speaker 3: Yeah, I have no idea how they swing that. They

582
00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:13,400
got a two way spot open. Can casep be on

583
00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:14,359
the two way spot?

584
00:29:15,079 --> 00:29:19,079
Speaker 2: Oh no, he's past year five? Right? Well can he

585
00:29:19,119 --> 00:29:20,799
apply for an exception because he was never on a

586
00:29:20,799 --> 00:29:21,240
two way?

587
00:29:21,839 --> 00:29:24,440
Speaker 3: I don't know. There you go, hopefully, Well.

588
00:29:24,359 --> 00:29:27,720
Speaker 1: I mean he does he didn't look great last season.

589
00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,920
But that's another impulse, like defensive pulse.

590
00:29:31,079 --> 00:29:33,480
Speaker 3: And I mean shooting too. That's wow.

591
00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:36,319
Speaker 2: What did he shoot last year? From three? He was down.

592
00:29:38,519 --> 00:29:39,039
Speaker 3: Fair point.

593
00:29:39,559 --> 00:29:43,400
Speaker 1: I will say catching passes from Tyre's Maxi and Lebron

594
00:29:43,519 --> 00:29:47,000
James is probably a little bit different from Memphiss carousel

595
00:29:47,039 --> 00:29:49,720
of injured guards and whatever was happening.

596
00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:52,480
Speaker 3: He went two years ago. He was over forty. I

597
00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:55,720
mean he was like in the high thirties, low forties

598
00:29:55,720 --> 00:29:58,359
for and he played with Lebron in the Lakers.

599
00:29:59,559 --> 00:30:02,319
Speaker 1: Yeah, and he's shot that season he was forty one,

600
00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:04,880
he was thirty eight point five and won.

601
00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:09,000
Speaker 3: So yeah, win a championship. Oh, they're adding more champions

602
00:30:09,039 --> 00:30:10,119
to the roster. We got some.

603
00:30:11,519 --> 00:30:13,440
Speaker 1: You know, I haven't looked at his this will surprise you.

604
00:30:13,519 --> 00:30:15,839
Haven't really looked at his basketball reference page lately. He

605
00:30:15,880 --> 00:30:17,640
has always been one of the guys where I look

606
00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:20,480
at and I'm surprised that he hasn't taken more threes

607
00:30:21,079 --> 00:30:22,279
on a per minute basis.

608
00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:25,200
Speaker 3: Yeah, I agree, Well, maybe he's gonna have to. Now

609
00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:26,640
that's your choice.

610
00:30:27,480 --> 00:30:27,839
Speaker 2: Man.

611
00:30:28,039 --> 00:30:32,720
Speaker 1: This is like I feel like, remember when we were

612
00:30:32,759 --> 00:30:35,640
all kind of getting tripping over our there was some

613
00:30:35,720 --> 00:30:38,240
concern when they did the Paul George contract. With that

614
00:30:38,319 --> 00:30:41,680
off season they got Caleb Martin. We're all just kind

615
00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:43,839
of over the moon about the Sixers offseason and it

616
00:30:44,039 --> 00:30:47,759
panned out poorly. This has been I don't know how

617
00:30:47,799 --> 00:30:49,720
this ends badly. This has been one hell of an

618
00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:51,160
off season for the Sixers.

619
00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:51,640
Speaker 2: My god.

620
00:30:52,079 --> 00:30:54,319
Speaker 3: And yeah, I mean, like we'll get back to the

621
00:30:54,359 --> 00:30:55,599
defense in a minute, right.

622
00:30:55,720 --> 00:30:57,359
Speaker 1: I would to be clear, I was on the fence

623
00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:00,559
about their offseason until they got KCP.

624
00:31:00,480 --> 00:31:02,720
Speaker 2: Up until this point, I was tottering.

625
00:31:02,519 --> 00:31:05,559
Speaker 3: Yeah, well let's well, well let's hit the defense and

626
00:31:05,599 --> 00:31:07,400
then we can go big picture at the end if

627
00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:13,279
that works for you, because I have some some thoughts. Yeah, defense, defense,

628
00:31:13,319 --> 00:31:16,599
So well, now that they have KCP, I mean finished

629
00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:21,960
eleventh and d p o y when he was now,

630
00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:24,240
it's everything's fixed, We're all good.

631
00:31:25,279 --> 00:31:26,880
Speaker 2: He is their best room protector.

632
00:31:28,559 --> 00:31:35,559
Speaker 3: No, so Embiid notably after the next series said he

633
00:31:36,039 --> 00:31:39,839
was like actually feeling better. Like he he basically said,

634
00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:42,400
like I thought I was done when this knee stuff

635
00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:45,519
popped up last year with the miniscus, and like he

636
00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:48,079
was worried that this was just he lost it. And

637
00:31:48,119 --> 00:31:52,559
then he said whatever they did this year, he grew

638
00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:55,839
more confident as the year went on that he felt

639
00:31:56,240 --> 00:32:01,000
better now than he did. You know, he felt better

640
00:32:01,079 --> 00:32:03,519
moving forward, more confident in the knee moving forward, and

641
00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:07,200
thought they had something figured out. Now. Does that mean

642
00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:10,480
he's going to play all the two games? Absolutely not. Yes,

643
00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:18,039
Oh all right, Anthony Davis chill. But you know, I'm

644
00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:21,640
hopeful that that is true. And I also again like

645
00:32:22,079 --> 00:32:25,400
him not having to average twenty five points per game

646
00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:30,079
on offense. He can save a little bit more for defense.

647
00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:33,440
I think like his role is going to be as

648
00:32:33,559 --> 00:32:36,599
weird as this is to say about a former MVP

649
00:32:36,799 --> 00:32:40,000
and a you know, one of the league's leading scorers

650
00:32:40,119 --> 00:32:42,640
over the last couple of years. You know, I think

651
00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:46,319
he's going to be kind of a glorified role player.

652
00:32:46,359 --> 00:32:48,480
I think that's probably the best role for him at

653
00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:50,640
this point. To preserve him, I think he needs to

654
00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:56,279
focus rebound defense, screen setting those You do those things well,

655
00:32:56,640 --> 00:32:58,680
and that's going to maximize the ceiling of this team.

656
00:32:59,279 --> 00:33:02,839
Speaker 1: So could I ask a question, do you think there's

657
00:33:02,839 --> 00:33:07,200
anything too when you're worried about the shooting? Is there

658
00:33:07,759 --> 00:33:10,880
if you funnel the ball through embiid? I don't even

659
00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:12,480
know a little bit more as the phrasing, but like

660
00:33:12,519 --> 00:33:15,279
that can open up more cutting opportunities. So maybe it's

661
00:33:15,279 --> 00:33:18,240
not so much as a screen and pop and roll

662
00:33:18,799 --> 00:33:21,359
usage for Embiid as oh, we're gonna actually see some

663
00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:25,440
more split We want those like touches like on the block,

664
00:33:25,680 --> 00:33:28,319
inside like from the nail, so that players can orbit

665
00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:30,640
and cut around him if they're worried about the shooting.

666
00:33:31,119 --> 00:33:33,920
Speaker 3: I could definitely see that, because I mean, that's where

667
00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:36,200
one area where I think they're gonna miss Kelly Ubray

668
00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:39,279
a lot. He was arguably their best cutter last year,

669
00:33:39,519 --> 00:33:42,519
and he and Embiid really had to had some good chemistry.

670
00:33:42,559 --> 00:33:44,880
I think VJ will obviously step into that role just

671
00:33:44,880 --> 00:33:50,519
because he's such an athletic marvel. But Embiid has drastically

672
00:33:50,559 --> 00:33:53,599
improved as a passer averaged a career low in turnovers

673
00:33:53,680 --> 00:33:57,519
last year as well, so you know, he's not Nicolae

674
00:33:57,559 --> 00:34:01,240
Yukitch by any means, but has made major strides that

675
00:34:01,759 --> 00:34:05,319
in that facet of his game over his NBA career.

676
00:34:07,079 --> 00:34:10,320
And yeah, I mean I think I don't know it's

677
00:34:10,360 --> 00:34:14,000
gonna be especially now with KCP and Simon's coming off

678
00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:17,280
the bench, like they have more with those two and

679
00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:21,480
Dean Wade, they have a decent amount of shooting. Like

680
00:34:21,519 --> 00:34:23,400
they're not going to play all of the starters together

681
00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:25,559
the whole game. This is not Doc Rivers. We're not

682
00:34:25,599 --> 00:34:31,159
doing the hockey line change. Hopefully, hopefully Nick Nurse knows better.

683
00:34:31,199 --> 00:34:33,320
So like you know, Simon is gonna play with Lebron

684
00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:37,599
James sometimes, and you know they're gonna mix and match

685
00:34:37,679 --> 00:34:40,000
these pieces where I think they will have more shooting

686
00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:43,280
on the floor than you know, the starting five will

687
00:34:43,360 --> 00:34:47,840
arguably there be their worst shooting lineup. I think the

688
00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:50,840
other question defensively, and like you were probably better quick

689
00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:53,880
to answer to this than I am, I would say,

690
00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:57,639
backup center right now is by far the biggest concern

691
00:34:57,679 --> 00:35:06,000
on this roster. M. I mean, Bona is good defensively, young, springy, athletic,

692
00:35:06,719 --> 00:35:10,639
total bonehead, comits way too many fouls, also has cinder

693
00:35:10,679 --> 00:35:14,000
blacks for hands and can't catch the ball, and then Huckporty.

694
00:35:14,119 --> 00:35:16,480
I mean, I defer to you because I did not

695
00:35:16,639 --> 00:35:19,119
watch much of the Knicks third string center last year.

696
00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:22,519
You know the Knicks the Sixers liked him enough to

697
00:35:22,639 --> 00:35:24,760
give him more than a minimum. They dipped into their

698
00:35:25,079 --> 00:35:28,119
biannual exception to sign him. I would imagine kind of

699
00:35:28,159 --> 00:35:32,760
fits that same mold as Bona, but especially now with

700
00:35:33,079 --> 00:35:35,920
you know you signed Lebron James, you are like very

701
00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:40,559
clearly in win now mode. H Bona, Huckporty and Jani

702
00:35:40,679 --> 00:35:43,639
Broom is the main backups for edit Joel Embiid, who's

703
00:35:43,639 --> 00:35:46,800
probably gonna miss at least twenty games. It feels like

704
00:35:46,840 --> 00:35:48,480
that's an area that they need to address.

705
00:35:49,679 --> 00:35:54,559
Speaker 1: I would agree, because Huckporty is fine as a third big,

706
00:35:54,599 --> 00:35:56,599
but I think the problem is is that the Sixers

707
00:35:56,639 --> 00:35:59,639
need a clear second. I would trust Bona more than

708
00:35:59,679 --> 00:36:03,360
anybody else on this team to fulfill that role up

709
00:36:03,480 --> 00:36:05,840
and I'd be you know, the Sixers don't have a

710
00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:07,960
ton I mean, especially if kcp's coming on. I don't

711
00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:10,360
know what this next move is, but now that makes

712
00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:12,760
it a little bit like harder for them to go

713
00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:14,960
out because now they need to get rid of two players,

714
00:36:15,079 --> 00:36:18,159
as we're talking right now, correct to make this all

715
00:36:18,199 --> 00:36:20,840
work financially presumably.

716
00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:23,719
Speaker 3: I mean, yeah, Terry's gonna go for Lebron, and then

717
00:36:25,400 --> 00:36:30,480
I mean I don't know, uh yeah, I really don't

718
00:36:30,519 --> 00:36:35,599
know how they swing this with Briar Walker. Yeah, I

719
00:36:35,599 --> 00:36:39,920
mean that's that does not get them to where they

720
00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:44,039
need to be. If they waived Jabariar Walker, you still

721
00:36:44,039 --> 00:36:46,159
got the two hundred and fifty thousand on the books.

722
00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:51,440
Speaker 2: And is this are we already Is LeBaron already getting

723
00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:52,199
salary dumped?

724
00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:57,599
Speaker 3: No? Maybe? No, I don't think so, but I mean

725
00:36:57,639 --> 00:37:00,880
I guess, yeah, if you wave Jabari Walker and i'd

726
00:37:00,960 --> 00:37:03,679
KCP like you're getting even close to the hardcap. But

727
00:37:03,719 --> 00:37:07,239
I guess it could technically could fit for now.

728
00:37:08,599 --> 00:37:11,599
Speaker 1: Well, so they get those two players and they already

729
00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:14,559
up against yeah, right up against the heart. So it's

730
00:37:14,599 --> 00:37:17,440
I don't know how they would go about then, uh

731
00:37:18,480 --> 00:37:22,480
like getting another big if when you're looking at are

732
00:37:22,519 --> 00:37:24,519
you trading LeBaron?

733
00:37:24,639 --> 00:37:25,800
Speaker 2: Now you're not trade.

734
00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:28,079
Speaker 1: I would hope you're not trading VJ Edgecomb to do

735
00:37:28,159 --> 00:37:30,039
like who is the center you're getting?

736
00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:32,679
Speaker 2: But yeah, I mean that would have to be the

737
00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:33,280
biggest concern.

738
00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:37,000
Speaker 1: I also wonder, like what does the the rebounding look

739
00:37:37,079 --> 00:37:39,639
like for this team. I think they're gonna need like

740
00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:42,320
a lot's gonna be on lebron shoulders. Is gonna need

741
00:37:42,679 --> 00:37:44,960
to rebound. You're just gonna want your guards and wings

742
00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:48,000
in general to pitch in on the glass there. They've

743
00:37:48,079 --> 00:37:50,480
kind of punted on offensive rebounding now right too. I

744
00:37:50,480 --> 00:37:53,199
know that's not defensive specific.

745
00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:54,480
Speaker 2: I don't.

746
00:37:55,079 --> 00:37:58,159
Speaker 1: I'm I'm curious to see where they will rank end

747
00:37:58,239 --> 00:38:00,280
up ranking defensively because they do think they have a

748
00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:03,480
lot of options on the perimeter to be solid, if

749
00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:07,360
not really good. And like Lebron is not good defensively anymore,

750
00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:09,440
but if you're gonna be on the court with at

751
00:38:09,519 --> 00:38:13,800
least two of VJ. Edgecombe and Jaylen Brown at all times,

752
00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:16,480
like he's probably gonna be fine and even just so

753
00:38:16,519 --> 00:38:19,400
now they have a KCP justin Edwards for the regular.

754
00:38:19,079 --> 00:38:22,760
Speaker 2: Season more than fine so and maybe.

755
00:38:22,559 --> 00:38:24,800
Speaker 1: Do you feel comfortable enough with KCP, can you move

756
00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:29,159
justin Edwards for a like a Jay Huff or something.

757
00:38:29,159 --> 00:38:30,920
I don't know what the salaries would have to line

758
00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:33,599
up there, Maybe that's something they could look into.

759
00:38:33,679 --> 00:38:37,159
Speaker 5: So I feel like they should be able to be

760
00:38:37,880 --> 00:38:41,239
like if Joel Embiid is relatively or is healthier than

761
00:38:41,239 --> 00:38:43,440
he was last season and moving better than he looked

762
00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:45,320
like he was moving a lot of the times on defense,

763
00:38:45,719 --> 00:38:49,480
not peak Joel Embiid, where he was a system unto himself.

764
00:38:49,840 --> 00:38:52,840
Speaker 2: I could see them being like league averager better, but

765
00:38:52,880 --> 00:38:55,679
that might be the to me, that's the harder sell

766
00:38:55,760 --> 00:38:57,760
for this team than not anything that you might be

767
00:38:57,760 --> 00:38:59,719
concerned with on the offensive side of the ball.

768
00:39:00,079 --> 00:39:02,760
Speaker 3: I agree. I mean, there was seventeenth last year on defense,

769
00:39:03,159 --> 00:39:08,119
and I subtract Drummond, who is not a defensive plus

770
00:39:08,119 --> 00:39:11,519
like Paul George is a big loss defensively. Quintin Grime

771
00:39:11,599 --> 00:39:14,559
is Kelly Oubrey, but you're bringing in Jalen Brown, Lebron

772
00:39:14,679 --> 00:39:19,599
James Dean Wade. I don't know that they got significantly

773
00:39:19,760 --> 00:39:23,559
worse defensively, at least personnel wise. Like I agree that

774
00:39:23,599 --> 00:39:25,880
they are not, I would be shocked if they are

775
00:39:25,920 --> 00:39:28,559
a top five defense or even a top ten defense.

776
00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:31,119
But I also don't think they're going to be one

777
00:39:31,159 --> 00:39:33,239
of the worst defenses in the league.

778
00:39:35,599 --> 00:39:40,280
Speaker 1: No, I'd be pretty like they should be at least

779
00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:43,480
as good as they were last year when factoring in

780
00:39:43,559 --> 00:39:45,960
what they were dealing with Paul George missing a ton

781
00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:46,840
of time, Joelle.

782
00:39:46,559 --> 00:39:49,119
Speaker 2: And Beide missing a ton of time. I don't know how.

783
00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:52,599
Speaker 1: You're worse if you're getting relatively good health from this roster.

784
00:39:53,360 --> 00:39:55,440
Speaker 3: I would think so as and then again like the

785
00:39:55,719 --> 00:39:59,079
energy conservation I think should be factored in here, Like

786
00:39:59,320 --> 00:40:04,920
if Embiid can focus more on defense, maybe he looks

787
00:40:05,079 --> 00:40:07,039
better than he did last year because he is not

788
00:40:07,239 --> 00:40:09,400
also having to carry the team on offense as much

789
00:40:09,400 --> 00:40:13,119
as he did for most of I mean for most

790
00:40:13,159 --> 00:40:16,440
of his career. But even last season, you know, edgecumb

791
00:40:16,480 --> 00:40:19,159
took steps forward. Maxie obviously had the all NBA lead,

792
00:40:19,239 --> 00:40:22,920
but like Paul George, had a couple of games here

793
00:40:22,960 --> 00:40:25,239
and there where he looked like the old Paul George.

794
00:40:25,280 --> 00:40:28,599
But he, you know, the scalability, which is what one

795
00:40:28,599 --> 00:40:30,800
of the reasons that made him so appealing in the

796
00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:34,239
first place, didn't really show up as much as the

797
00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:35,679
Sixers probably hoped it would.

798
00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:40,960
Speaker 1: So we have to get into that we mentioned Joel Embiid.

799
00:40:41,920 --> 00:40:44,599
Would you this is not likely and you need to

800
00:40:44,599 --> 00:40:46,960
give a time, but as you're running the Sixers, would

801
00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:50,199
you consider just because Anthony Davis has been linked to

802
00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:54,079
go to Lebron, wont would you consider trading Joel Embiid

803
00:40:54,079 --> 00:40:55,360
for Anthony Davis.

804
00:40:56,239 --> 00:40:59,920
Speaker 3: So I wrote about it ironically at Liberty Bollers about

805
00:41:00,119 --> 00:41:03,239
and published like two hours before the Lebron news dropped,

806
00:41:03,280 --> 00:41:07,800
and then obviously got buried, and the the concept was,

807
00:41:08,400 --> 00:41:13,280
you know, if if Lebron's signing in Philly hinged on,

808
00:41:14,760 --> 00:41:16,960
would you do this trade? Then I think that's a

809
00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:22,000
different calculus. I think it depends on two things. One,

810
00:41:22,920 --> 00:41:26,159
how much additional stuff do the Sixers need to give up?

811
00:41:26,360 --> 00:41:29,239
Because they only have one tradeable first round pick, they

812
00:41:29,239 --> 00:41:31,599
could offer a couple swaps. They've got plenty of seconds.

813
00:41:31,639 --> 00:41:35,599
But you know what would the Wizards demand in addition

814
00:41:35,760 --> 00:41:38,880
to Joel Embiid Because he has one extra him and

815
00:41:38,960 --> 00:41:41,000
a d are basically earning the same amount of money

816
00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:43,079
over the next two years. Embiid has one extra year

817
00:41:43,119 --> 00:41:46,639
on his deal. The other question is does AD want

818
00:41:46,639 --> 00:41:50,960
the extension how much? How many years? Because right now

819
00:41:51,519 --> 00:41:54,840
the Sixers books are pristine. After the twenty eight to

820
00:41:54,840 --> 00:42:00,320
twenty nine season, all of Embiid, maxi Jalen Brown all

821
00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:03,639
set to become unrestricted pre agents. VJ said to become

822
00:42:03,679 --> 00:42:06,920
a restricted pre agent that summer. That summer is also

823
00:42:08,400 --> 00:42:10,719
very likely when there will be a new collective bargaining

824
00:42:10,719 --> 00:42:15,719
agreement in place, So I would be very reluctant to

825
00:42:15,840 --> 00:42:18,719
hand out. You know, if AD is demanding a four

826
00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:21,440
year Max extension or a four year near max extension.

827
00:42:22,920 --> 00:42:24,639
You know, if they trade him into Cult, could only

828
00:42:24,639 --> 00:42:27,119
be three years, But I would not want to be

829
00:42:27,159 --> 00:42:29,599
handing that out. You're just about to get off of

830
00:42:29,639 --> 00:42:32,800
this m beat Albatross contract. I don't know why you're

831
00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:37,880
signing up for what would very likely become another Albatross

832
00:42:37,920 --> 00:42:42,280
contract in the near future for Anthony Davis. But no,

833
00:42:42,480 --> 00:42:45,639
if if he was just willing to play out his deal,

834
00:42:45,719 --> 00:42:47,800
and if it did not cost their remaining first if

835
00:42:47,840 --> 00:42:50,360
it only costs like a couple seconds or first round swap,

836
00:42:50,400 --> 00:42:53,920
then I'd be more open to it. Anything more than that,

837
00:42:54,079 --> 00:42:56,320
I would be fairly skeptical.

838
00:42:57,960 --> 00:43:00,239
Speaker 1: That's a really good point, though. It feels as if

839
00:43:00,239 --> 00:43:02,079
they were going to make a move. I feel like

840
00:43:02,159 --> 00:43:03,639
it needs to be asked. But if they were going

841
00:43:03,679 --> 00:43:05,280
to make a move like that, it would have been

842
00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:10,039
in anticipation of getting Lebron rather than he already came

843
00:43:10,079 --> 00:43:13,800
after the The optics of Joel Embiid recruiting Lebron and

844
00:43:13,840 --> 00:43:17,880
then them trading Joel and war Is not those are

845
00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:18,360
not great.

846
00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:22,800
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean maybe it's an in season move, if anything.

847
00:43:23,119 --> 00:43:23,800
Speaker 2: Yeah, could you.

848
00:43:23,800 --> 00:43:27,320
Speaker 1: And I just don't like we're even just moving Joel

849
00:43:27,360 --> 00:43:31,440
Embiid because it's it's such a sad state of affairs

850
00:43:31,480 --> 00:43:33,880
to say that the center might be this team's weeklink.

851
00:43:34,199 --> 00:43:36,440
Just yeah, because even when Joel Embiid was missing time,

852
00:43:36,440 --> 00:43:37,760
we used to just be able to say, well, when

853
00:43:37,760 --> 00:43:40,360
he's healthy, it's just gonna be fine. But now we

854
00:43:40,360 --> 00:43:42,199
don't know whether he's ever gonna be healthy. And even

855
00:43:42,239 --> 00:43:44,199
if he plays in a bunch of regular season games,

856
00:43:44,719 --> 00:43:46,679
is he going to finish the playoffs healthy? Because that's

857
00:43:46,679 --> 00:43:47,920
something that's never happened.

858
00:43:48,199 --> 00:43:49,119
Speaker 2: So it's such a bummer.

859
00:43:49,280 --> 00:43:52,239
Speaker 1: Look at a center position on a team that has

860
00:43:52,320 --> 00:43:55,440
Joel Embiid as the as the weak link, not something

861
00:43:55,480 --> 00:43:57,960
you need to plan around, but something that feels like

862
00:43:58,039 --> 00:43:58,760
the weeklink.

863
00:43:59,199 --> 00:44:04,639
Speaker 3: Now yeah yeah, I mean, you know, I think Sixers

864
00:44:04,679 --> 00:44:09,239
fans don't have quite the emotional attachment to him as

865
00:44:09,280 --> 00:44:11,840
they once did. Like I don't think it would be,

866
00:44:12,480 --> 00:44:15,320
you know, burned down Mike Ganzy's office if they traded

867
00:44:15,400 --> 00:44:19,679
Joel Embiid, especially after the offseason he just had. But

868
00:44:19,800 --> 00:44:24,039
I think unless it's a clear win, you know it

869
00:44:24,480 --> 00:44:27,000
at least open the season and give Joel Embiid a

870
00:44:27,079 --> 00:44:30,000
chance to prove that whatever was going on with his knee,

871
00:44:30,039 --> 00:44:32,800
like he really is over it. Maybe, you know, I

872
00:44:32,840 --> 00:44:36,159
don't think we ever see the prime version of Joel

873
00:44:36,199 --> 00:44:40,320
Embiid again, but when he was healthy this year, he

874
00:44:40,360 --> 00:44:43,559
got closer to it than I ever expected to see. Like,

875
00:44:43,800 --> 00:44:47,320
I think the playoffs are kind of coloring the perception

876
00:44:47,960 --> 00:44:50,239
a lot of people's perception of how he played throughout

877
00:44:50,280 --> 00:44:52,800
the entire season, Like he could not move in the

878
00:44:52,800 --> 00:44:55,000
playoffs because he had his appendix removed a couple of

879
00:44:55,039 --> 00:44:57,159
weeks ago, and he said it, like, you know, totally

880
00:44:57,239 --> 00:44:59,840
nuked his core and he just was not able to

881
00:44:59,840 --> 00:45:03,360
get that back in time. You know, the question is,

882
00:45:03,400 --> 00:45:07,320
like what body part falls off in mid April or

883
00:45:07,320 --> 00:45:11,400
early to mid April unexpectedly next year, even if they

884
00:45:11,440 --> 00:45:12,679
do keep him.

885
00:45:13,280 --> 00:45:15,840
Speaker 1: I have two backup center targets for them that would

886
00:45:15,880 --> 00:45:18,079
work without having to go to nuclear I wanted your

887
00:45:18,079 --> 00:45:20,280
opinion on, and it could be I looked at it

888
00:45:20,280 --> 00:45:23,039
through the lens of mostly justin Edwards's salary, so you

889
00:45:23,119 --> 00:45:24,920
know the scale we're dealing with. But you could also

890
00:45:25,039 --> 00:45:28,360
use Jabari Walker because I think that it'd probably be

891
00:45:28,360 --> 00:45:31,159
easier just to get a team they make basically the same,

892
00:45:31,199 --> 00:45:33,400
but a team I think would be more intrigued of

893
00:45:33,440 --> 00:45:36,920
just taking Justin Edwards versus just taking Jabari Walker at

894
00:45:36,920 --> 00:45:40,960
this point. First name definitely have to include assets here,

895
00:45:41,400 --> 00:45:44,239
unless maybe you're sending Dominic Barlow, which I don't think

896
00:45:44,679 --> 00:45:45,000
I would.

897
00:45:45,039 --> 00:45:46,000
Speaker 2: I'd want to keep him.

898
00:45:46,119 --> 00:45:50,360
Speaker 1: Would be the goal dealing card Well from Sacramento, super

899
00:45:50,440 --> 00:45:52,440
cheap sub two point two million dollars.

900
00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:58,199
Speaker 3: Oh okay, yeah, I mean that that alone has me sold. Yeah.

901
00:45:59,039 --> 00:46:03,039
Speaker 1: Sure he does a lot, and I think that he

902
00:46:04,000 --> 00:46:06,239
guards on the perimeter fairly well, and then his room

903
00:46:06,280 --> 00:46:08,719
protection numbers were pretty good last year, and he can

904
00:46:08,800 --> 00:46:12,079
actually make some decisions on the offense, but like in

905
00:46:12,119 --> 00:46:13,880
the center of the floor, he'll slip a screen and

906
00:46:13,920 --> 00:46:14,599
be able to do that.

907
00:46:14,920 --> 00:46:16,760
Speaker 2: The other one I had this.

908
00:46:16,800 --> 00:46:19,119
Speaker 1: Really doesn't fit, and Dylan card will probably better fits

909
00:46:19,679 --> 00:46:21,920
the transition style that they'll play more so than a

910
00:46:22,000 --> 00:46:23,639
Joelle Embiid, although he could say who doesn't.

911
00:46:24,320 --> 00:46:26,519
Speaker 2: The other name I had similarly cheap.

912
00:46:26,559 --> 00:46:28,599
Speaker 1: I think he makes the same as Justin Edwards, but

913
00:46:28,679 --> 00:46:31,079
Ryan Kalkbrenner of Charlotte.

914
00:46:31,239 --> 00:46:32,480
Speaker 2: They have so many bigs.

915
00:46:32,679 --> 00:46:36,119
Speaker 1: I know, Nasried and Jannis Steinbach are more like fours

916
00:46:36,199 --> 00:46:39,119
who can't quite be fives. But they have those two

917
00:46:39,719 --> 00:46:44,840
Mussa Diabate, I feel like that makes Ryan Kulkbrenner somewhat gettable.

918
00:46:44,880 --> 00:46:47,519
And look, if they're looking to trade Musa Diabate because

919
00:46:47,559 --> 00:46:51,599
he's upcoming on free agency, Sixers have other stuff other

920
00:46:51,679 --> 00:46:53,920
than the matching salary. I'm not saying go nuclear for

921
00:46:53,960 --> 00:46:56,960
a backup big. That's still not the way to expend

922
00:46:57,000 --> 00:46:59,639
his resource, but those would be some of the names

923
00:46:59,639 --> 00:47:02,519
I'd be kicking around, Like now, I don't think this

924
00:47:02,760 --> 00:47:04,840
needs to be Maybe you could wait it out, like

925
00:47:04,880 --> 00:47:06,519
you said, in the middle of the season and make

926
00:47:06,559 --> 00:47:10,199
that call. But I'm also kind of I want to

927
00:47:10,239 --> 00:47:12,280
get out in front of it as the Sixers as

928
00:47:12,280 --> 00:47:12,920
the Sixers, and.

929
00:47:12,880 --> 00:47:14,000
Speaker 2: Maybe that's the wrong call.

930
00:47:14,079 --> 00:47:17,880
Speaker 1: Maybe we should give Ariel Hukporti a den Bona a chance,

931
00:47:17,920 --> 00:47:20,280
and even Joel and Beat a chance. Maybe even see

932
00:47:20,280 --> 00:47:23,599
some Lebron at the five, especially on nights that Joelle's

933
00:47:23,599 --> 00:47:27,039
not playing. Those are lineups though. As a as a

934
00:47:27,039 --> 00:47:30,039
noted small ball lover, Lebron at the five is the

935
00:47:30,079 --> 00:47:33,400
quintessential that sounds so cool, and then it's just not

936
00:47:33,480 --> 00:47:37,800
going to work. Like sounds cool, practice it doesn't pan out.

937
00:47:38,039 --> 00:47:41,039
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I agree that this is an issue they

938
00:47:41,079 --> 00:47:44,960
should try to be proactive about. Like I just jan

939
00:47:45,039 --> 00:47:48,360
I broom. I think this ship might have already sailed there.

940
00:47:48,519 --> 00:47:52,519
And if they can use him, you know, his like

941
00:47:52,760 --> 00:47:56,239
the concern would be if you keep all four of

942
00:47:56,280 --> 00:47:59,920
those guys and then also get another center, that's just

943
00:48:00,079 --> 00:48:04,440
like questionable position allocation. I know the Spurs just had

944
00:48:04,519 --> 00:48:07,239
five setters on the roster and just made the finals anyway, but.

945
00:48:08,039 --> 00:48:09,320
Speaker 2: They lost in five though.

946
00:48:09,559 --> 00:48:09,960
Speaker 3: That's right.

947
00:48:10,199 --> 00:48:12,599
Speaker 2: If they use one of those spots on the forward,

948
00:48:13,079 --> 00:48:13,639
there you go.

949
00:48:14,199 --> 00:48:19,239
Speaker 3: So yeah, I ideally you somehow involved and I just

950
00:48:19,280 --> 00:48:21,840
to get well, I mean, maybe you could just dump

951
00:48:21,920 --> 00:48:24,119
him elsewhere and free up the roster spot and free

952
00:48:24,159 --> 00:48:27,800
up the salary slot, because yeah, I mean the free

953
00:48:27,800 --> 00:48:30,519
agent market is pretty bleak. It's like I was looking through.

954
00:48:30,599 --> 00:48:34,320
It's like Nick Richards and Kelly olynnok are probably the

955
00:48:34,320 --> 00:48:35,079
best options.

956
00:48:35,119 --> 00:48:38,559
Speaker 2: Can I interest you in a heavily used MAXI quiba.

957
00:48:39,800 --> 00:48:39,960
Speaker 4: Uh?

958
00:48:44,000 --> 00:48:44,840
Speaker 2: I'll take that as a no.

959
00:48:45,480 --> 00:48:49,599
Speaker 3: Fine, I don't. I mean, I guess he played with Lebron, right,

960
00:48:49,920 --> 00:48:51,960
he's got some built in chemistry. Well did he play

961
00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:54,599
with Lebron? He played on the same team as Lebron.

962
00:48:54,599 --> 00:48:57,119
Speaker 2: I don't know how Yeah, it wasn't. I wouldn't how

963
00:48:57,159 --> 00:49:02,119
much time those two spent on the court together. Can

964
00:49:02,159 --> 00:49:03,920
we talk quickly before I want to get your thoughts

965
00:49:03,920 --> 00:49:05,880
on where you think the six or standardis, but can

966
00:49:05,880 --> 00:49:08,079
we talk quickly about some of the just the teams

967
00:49:08,079 --> 00:49:10,760
that he spurned and what they have to do. Now,

968
00:49:11,280 --> 00:49:14,119
let's start with where I think everyone thought he was

969
00:49:14,159 --> 00:49:15,639
gonna go, Cleveland.

970
00:49:16,119 --> 00:49:18,320
Speaker 1: I feel as if those I don't know what the

971
00:49:18,559 --> 00:49:20,760
you were more plugged into what Kyle she was saying.

972
00:49:21,159 --> 00:49:24,039
But I think Cleveland felt like the favorite at most points.

973
00:49:24,800 --> 00:49:28,760
What did they do resigned James Harden? Obviously that's a given.

974
00:49:28,800 --> 00:49:31,159
Who may have chased Lebron away from Cleveland.

975
00:49:33,880 --> 00:49:36,239
Speaker 3: One of the funniest subplots of this whole thing is

976
00:49:36,280 --> 00:49:38,440
that Lebron is probably a Cavalier right now. If they

977
00:49:38,440 --> 00:49:43,199
don't make the James Harden trade. It sounds like Jonathan

978
00:49:43,239 --> 00:49:47,880
Kaminga at least they've been linked heavily to him. I

979
00:49:47,920 --> 00:49:51,880
saw I forget who earlier tonight, but a br alert

980
00:49:52,039 --> 00:49:54,239
came to my phone saying, I think it was Joe

981
00:49:55,440 --> 00:49:58,079
Varden of the Athletic said that Kaminga and the Cavs

982
00:49:58,079 --> 00:50:02,920
have mutual interest, So I would imagine it's some combination

983
00:50:03,440 --> 00:50:07,400
of Max Struce, Dennis Shrewder, maybe Sam Merrill going out

984
00:50:07,480 --> 00:50:09,599
for the salary because.

985
00:50:09,760 --> 00:50:11,559
Speaker 2: It's a terrible idea for Cleveland.

986
00:50:12,000 --> 00:50:14,199
Speaker 1: I think he doesn't do enough of the stuff that

987
00:50:14,719 --> 00:50:16,960
they need around Donna, Mitchell and James, so I'd be

988
00:50:16,960 --> 00:50:20,880
focusing more on I mean, they can get that Herb

989
00:50:21,000 --> 00:50:23,719
Jones has that extension hasn't kicked in yet. That would

990
00:50:23,760 --> 00:50:25,599
just be an I think they can afford, even with

991
00:50:25,639 --> 00:50:29,320
some of their offensive limitations. During the Eastern Conference Finals

992
00:50:29,360 --> 00:50:32,239
against the Knicks, I'm going like, I need a pure

993
00:50:32,320 --> 00:50:37,079
defensive wing combo for you lost Dean Wade, who is

994
00:50:37,199 --> 00:50:39,559
the best on the roster of fulfilling that you also lost,

995
00:50:40,000 --> 00:50:42,119
wasn't playing a ton and couldn't really guard up.

996
00:50:42,159 --> 00:50:44,000
Speaker 2: But Kean Allis is gone.

997
00:50:44,400 --> 00:50:47,800
Speaker 1: There's a lot on the shoulders of your bigs, and

998
00:50:48,079 --> 00:50:52,199
Jail and Tyson and Jonathan Kminga is not the level

999
00:50:52,199 --> 00:50:54,639
of defender Dean Wade is quite frankly, He's also not

1000
00:50:54,639 --> 00:50:56,559
really gonna help you. Maybe on some nights he won't

1001
00:50:56,559 --> 00:50:58,960
help you rebounding all that much. And so if i'm

1002
00:50:59,039 --> 00:51:03,280
them and from the sounds of things. I was reading

1003
00:51:03,559 --> 00:51:06,280
that it's said for the Cavaliers to access the non

1004
00:51:06,360 --> 00:51:08,840
tax mid level, this needs to happen, and so on

1005
00:51:08,880 --> 00:51:13,639
my head, I'm like, oh, so they're just cutting money now.

1006
00:51:13,760 --> 00:51:15,360
I think like they're gonna resign James Hard and then

1007
00:51:15,360 --> 00:51:18,360
I guess cut because they'll depending on how much Harden gets,

1008
00:51:19,079 --> 00:51:21,119
they'll be right at the second apron, or maybe they'll

1009
00:51:21,159 --> 00:51:23,480
still be a little bit below it. But it's if

1010
00:51:23,480 --> 00:51:25,639
they want to access if they were thinking about accessing

1011
00:51:25,719 --> 00:51:28,280
the larger one, who do you want to use it on?

1012
00:51:28,519 --> 00:51:30,679
We're in almost August at this point. I know it

1013
00:51:30,719 --> 00:51:33,679
could be used as a trade exception, but who are

1014
00:51:33,679 --> 00:51:34,760
you planning on using it on?

1015
00:51:34,840 --> 00:51:37,440
Speaker 2: But two is Oh, so the plan is to get

1016
00:51:37,480 --> 00:51:38,119
off money.

1017
00:51:38,760 --> 00:51:41,599
Speaker 3: Yeah, there's no way. I mean, I guess there is

1018
00:51:41,639 --> 00:51:43,920
a way, but they're I think they're like twenty five

1019
00:51:43,960 --> 00:51:46,519
million below the first apron and then thirty eight million

1020
00:51:46,559 --> 00:51:49,719
below the second apron, so one would assume Hard and

1021
00:51:49,760 --> 00:51:52,239
a loan probably puts them right at or even above

1022
00:51:52,320 --> 00:51:55,159
the first apron. I think they're not gonna want to

1023
00:51:55,199 --> 00:51:57,719
go into the second apron because they finished over it

1024
00:51:57,800 --> 00:52:01,039
last year, and so then if they finish over it

1025
00:52:01,079 --> 00:52:04,000
in two of the next four years. They already have

1026
00:52:04,079 --> 00:52:06,480
the draft pick I think it's twenty thirty three is frozen.

1027
00:52:07,039 --> 00:52:08,800
If they finish over the second April to the next

1028
00:52:08,800 --> 00:52:10,960
four years, that automatically goes to the bottom of the

1029
00:52:10,960 --> 00:52:14,239
first round, which seems like we haven't seen the team

1030
00:52:14,280 --> 00:52:16,440
do it yet. I don't think we ever will see

1031
00:52:16,440 --> 00:52:17,000
a team do it.

1032
00:52:18,800 --> 00:52:20,679
Speaker 2: I think it's like a hard cap.

1033
00:52:22,440 --> 00:52:27,039
Speaker 3: Exactly. So, Yeah, I don't know how they swing Kaminga.

1034
00:52:27,079 --> 00:52:29,920
I don't know what the price point is that they

1035
00:52:29,920 --> 00:52:32,079
get him at. I'm curious to see what they get

1036
00:52:32,079 --> 00:52:34,320
hard in that. I mean, I'd imagine the only reason

1037
00:52:34,400 --> 00:52:37,079
he hasn't resigned yet is because they are now trying

1038
00:52:37,079 --> 00:52:38,719
to cook up a Kaminga deal and they're trying to

1039
00:52:38,719 --> 00:52:41,599
figure out how much money they need for him and

1040
00:52:41,639 --> 00:52:45,559
how much is left over for James. But I'm very

1041
00:52:45,599 --> 00:52:48,519
morbidly curious to see what James Harden gets in that

1042
00:52:48,559 --> 00:52:49,239
next contract.

1043
00:52:51,039 --> 00:52:54,039
Speaker 2: What about the Golden State Warriors? Where do they go

1044
00:52:54,119 --> 00:52:57,280
from here? Again? Resign Draymond Green? They can't.

1045
00:52:57,320 --> 00:52:59,480
Speaker 1: There's no way unless they're going to be dumping money,

1046
00:52:59,519 --> 00:53:01,840
they can access the bigger.

1047
00:53:01,639 --> 00:53:05,679
Speaker 2: mL E while resigning Draymond Green. What is the is this?

1048
00:53:06,320 --> 00:53:10,000
Speaker 1: Hasn't it become a summer right of passions for passage

1049
00:53:10,039 --> 00:53:12,719
for the Warriors to be linked to a star that

1050
00:53:12,960 --> 00:53:15,400
they will sign or trade for, but only if it's

1051
00:53:15,440 --> 00:53:16,880
at like a steep discount.

1052
00:53:18,880 --> 00:53:22,800
Speaker 3: Uh, Jonathan Kaminga reunion is that in the cards?

1053
00:53:22,800 --> 00:53:23,079
Speaker 2: Oh?

1054
00:53:23,119 --> 00:53:27,199
Speaker 3: My god, I really don't know. I mean this, this

1055
00:53:27,280 --> 00:53:32,239
felt like this was their shot, and I think there's

1056
00:53:32,280 --> 00:53:35,000
not an obvious move left on the board for them.

1057
00:53:35,159 --> 00:53:39,719
Although I did see what was it, Hazonia. I forget,

1058
00:53:40,440 --> 00:53:43,360
I forget who had I want to say someone said

1059
00:53:43,519 --> 00:53:47,000
Hisonia was down to Golden State and Cleveland depending on

1060
00:53:47,039 --> 00:53:51,519
what Lebron did. So assuming that Kaminga goes to Cleveland,

1061
00:53:51,760 --> 00:53:58,039
Mario Hiszonia to Golden State to save everything. Honestly, I

1062
00:53:58,039 --> 00:54:00,199
think they'll be good. Yeah, more impactful than the Brian

1063
00:54:00,280 --> 00:54:03,119
James probably, I don't know what that.

1064
00:54:03,599 --> 00:54:04,800
Speaker 2: They'll resign Draymond.

1065
00:54:04,920 --> 00:54:07,920
Speaker 1: I think they'll probably keep the Anthony Melton, they'll extend

1066
00:54:07,960 --> 00:54:11,039
Steph but it's just we're gonna run back the same

1067
00:54:11,119 --> 00:54:13,320
core that won thirty seven games, but we're not gonna

1068
00:54:13,360 --> 00:54:16,039
have Moses Moody or Jimmy Butler before twenty twenty seven

1069
00:54:16,960 --> 00:54:18,199
is very uninspiring.

1070
00:54:18,280 --> 00:54:19,760
Speaker 2: I understand that you.

1071
00:54:19,679 --> 00:54:22,159
Speaker 1: Don't want to do anything reckless, and if you were

1072
00:54:22,199 --> 00:54:24,400
to ask me, okay, well, then who should they be

1073
00:54:24,800 --> 00:54:27,599
chasing in a trade? I mean, they should be a

1074
00:54:28,079 --> 00:54:31,559
Trey Murphy team, but he I even recognize that he's

1075
00:54:31,599 --> 00:54:35,760
not gonna solve everything. I would be interested to stick

1076
00:54:35,800 --> 00:54:38,599
with Pelicans, Like how much does it cost to get

1077
00:54:38,920 --> 00:54:41,199
Zion Williamson at this point? I know that'd be a

1078
00:54:41,239 --> 00:54:43,679
weird fit with Draymond and KP there, but they need

1079
00:54:43,760 --> 00:54:46,239
just kind of they need some more on ball juice

1080
00:54:46,960 --> 00:54:50,199
and they just need an infusion of a bigger name

1081
00:54:50,239 --> 00:54:53,079
at this point. Maybe I'd feel differently if Jimmy Butler

1082
00:54:53,119 --> 00:54:56,079
wasn't injured, but even then we're talking about just him

1083
00:54:56,119 --> 00:54:58,719
and Draymond and Steph and even Al Horford.

1084
00:54:59,159 --> 00:55:01,239
Speaker 2: Just the ages of this roster.

1085
00:55:01,360 --> 00:55:04,920
Speaker 1: They need to get younger and more athletic, and Lebron

1086
00:55:05,159 --> 00:55:07,119
wouldn't have made them younger, but he certainly would have

1087
00:55:07,119 --> 00:55:08,039
made them more athletic.

1088
00:55:09,559 --> 00:55:12,440
Speaker 2: Are we just like, is this the plan? Like it's

1089
00:55:12,519 --> 00:55:13,480
just to run it back?

1090
00:55:15,000 --> 00:55:17,320
Speaker 3: It kind of seems that way, it doesn't. I haven't

1091
00:55:17,320 --> 00:55:20,440
seen any speculation about their backup plans, like, you know,

1092
00:55:21,199 --> 00:55:24,199
we'll get to the Heat next presumably, But like they

1093
00:55:24,440 --> 00:55:27,840
all of these other teams have been linked to at

1094
00:55:27,920 --> 00:55:31,480
least one big ish name, and the Warriors has just

1095
00:55:31,519 --> 00:55:35,320
been like, well, if they don't get Lebron, but.

1096
00:55:35,320 --> 00:55:37,519
Speaker 1: They're sitting there like crossing their fingers for a zach

1097
00:55:37,599 --> 00:55:38,639
Lavine buy out.

1098
00:55:40,559 --> 00:55:42,719
Speaker 3: Does that really make a difference for them? He's probably

1099
00:55:42,719 --> 00:55:44,039
going to the six Ers two at that point.

1100
00:55:46,239 --> 00:55:48,920
Speaker 1: He would be interesting on the Heat as their Norman

1101
00:55:49,000 --> 00:55:49,960
Powell replacement.

1102
00:55:50,400 --> 00:55:52,800
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean he would. Actually, the Heat are just

1103
00:55:52,840 --> 00:55:55,440
so desperate for shooting, so naturally they're going to go

1104
00:55:55,559 --> 00:55:57,480
and get the mar De Rozenan instead.

1105
00:55:58,039 --> 00:56:02,280
Speaker 1: Well, hey, let's uh, let's talk about those Heat. Where

1106
00:56:02,320 --> 00:56:05,280
do they go from here? It's are they just crossing

1107
00:56:05,280 --> 00:56:08,159
their fingers for Bradley Beal and or Demarty Rosen.

1108
00:56:09,000 --> 00:56:11,199
Speaker 3: It sounds like it. I mean, it sounds like Damar

1109
00:56:11,400 --> 00:56:15,760
is Probably it's either there or Toronto would be my guess.

1110
00:56:15,960 --> 00:56:20,239
Speaker 2: I don't know, two teams that really need two teams,

1111
00:56:20,280 --> 00:56:23,159
not the only two, but two teams that really don't

1112
00:56:23,199 --> 00:56:25,440
have room for another non spacer.

1113
00:56:25,360 --> 00:56:29,599
Speaker 3: Right, it seems like the weirdest fit to put him

1114
00:56:29,599 --> 00:56:33,760
in Miami. But I guess they just need need more

1115
00:56:33,760 --> 00:56:35,719
guys who can put it in the hoop.

1116
00:56:36,079 --> 00:56:41,000
Speaker 1: So sure, I mean Miami specifically needs like ball handling

1117
00:56:41,000 --> 00:56:41,840
and playmaking too.

1118
00:56:41,840 --> 00:56:43,760
Speaker 2: So I get the appeal to demart Rosen.

1119
00:56:43,800 --> 00:56:47,960
Speaker 1: But so there's a lineup of Davion Mitchell, Demardro's, and

1120
00:56:47,960 --> 00:56:51,639
Andrew Wiggins, Giannis and bam Adebayo. Davion Mitchell has shot

1121
00:56:51,679 --> 00:56:56,360
the ball better since arriving in Miami. Andrew Wiggins is fine,

1122
00:56:56,719 --> 00:57:02,000
but there's not There's not a net positive or distinctly

1123
00:57:02,119 --> 00:57:04,559
net positive shooter in that group.

1124
00:57:05,519 --> 00:57:09,719
Speaker 3: All of the concern trolling about the Sixers better be

1125
00:57:09,800 --> 00:57:13,519
applied to the heat. If they get DeMar Derozen, that's

1126
00:57:13,559 --> 00:57:13,960
all I'm.

1127
00:57:13,800 --> 00:57:17,400
Speaker 2: Saying, they'll be like a rust team. I guess at

1128
00:57:17,400 --> 00:57:18,119
that point.

1129
00:57:21,320 --> 00:57:23,679
Speaker 3: Yeah, he has been hitting up tomorrow, hasn't he. That's

1130
00:57:23,679 --> 00:57:24,119
a fair.

1131
00:57:24,000 --> 00:57:25,559
Speaker 2: Point there was.

1132
00:57:25,639 --> 00:57:28,360
Speaker 1: I was trying to just like, they need a Klay

1133
00:57:28,400 --> 00:57:31,000
Thompson buy out. That'd be a good destination for them.

1134
00:57:31,360 --> 00:57:33,280
I had thought about when I was writing about this.

1135
00:57:33,360 --> 00:57:36,079
There are two things. One is I don't think it's

1136
00:57:36,079 --> 00:57:38,280
gonna get he fans excited. But like rumor has that

1137
00:57:38,360 --> 00:57:41,280
the Memphis Grizzlies have a D'Angelo Russell to spare if

1138
00:57:41,320 --> 00:57:45,320
they need guard play. I had also kind of thought,

1139
00:57:45,840 --> 00:57:49,679
what would it just because new for an office regime, Like,

1140
00:57:49,719 --> 00:57:51,639
what would it cost to they have the salaries to

1141
00:57:51,719 --> 00:57:53,079
do it? I don't know that I want to give

1142
00:57:53,159 --> 00:57:54,920
up Andrew Wiggins to make it happen. But like the

1143
00:57:55,039 --> 00:57:59,199
swaps and salaries to get Josh Giddy do anything for you?

1144
00:57:59,679 --> 00:58:05,800
Speaker 3: Oh no, No, that does not do anything for me?

1145
00:58:06,960 --> 00:58:07,400
Speaker 2: All right?

1146
00:58:07,719 --> 00:58:10,840
Speaker 1: Uh, they don't have They have like a fake Memphis

1147
00:58:10,840 --> 00:58:13,000
second round pick. I think that's the only draft pick

1148
00:58:13,039 --> 00:58:17,239
that Heat can dangle. Aside, they could do swaps obviously,

1149
00:58:18,800 --> 00:58:21,320
good luck. Do they like, do they have enough to

1150
00:58:21,360 --> 00:58:23,440
get maleak monk out of Sacramento?

1151
00:58:23,679 --> 00:58:26,000
Speaker 2: Like salaries? They do? But do they they don't have

1152
00:58:26,039 --> 00:58:26,960
anything to attach?

1153
00:58:29,159 --> 00:58:34,480
Speaker 3: I mean, does that materially change much for them? I

1154
00:58:35,280 --> 00:58:36,039
just don't understand.

1155
00:58:36,119 --> 00:58:39,159
Speaker 1: I think the monk would help them quite a bit,

1156
00:58:39,239 --> 00:58:41,360
like someone who could get downhill and spray out of

1157
00:58:41,360 --> 00:58:42,599
those drives for sure.

1158
00:58:43,000 --> 00:58:47,039
Speaker 3: Yeah. I question more like what the ceiling of this

1159
00:58:47,119 --> 00:58:49,920
group is as currently constructed. You know, I know Wendy

1160
00:58:50,039 --> 00:58:53,599
is routinely been saying like they're going to need multiple

1161
00:58:53,679 --> 00:58:56,960
transaction cycles for this roster to really make sense. And

1162
00:58:57,039 --> 00:58:59,880
I think that's probably a fair read on where the

1163
00:59:00,039 --> 00:59:00,840
Heat stand right now.

1164
00:59:01,559 --> 00:59:04,599
Speaker 1: They I think were the most of the four and

1165
00:59:04,679 --> 00:59:06,280
we'll talk about the terms of the second. They were

1166
00:59:06,280 --> 00:59:09,880
the most desperate for Lebron. I bet you can maybe

1167
00:59:09,920 --> 00:59:11,480
make the case for Cleveland, but when you look at

1168
00:59:11,519 --> 00:59:14,639
what Miami needs, it feels as if they were the

1169
00:59:14,639 --> 00:59:16,639
team that was most desperate to land him.

1170
00:59:17,199 --> 00:59:20,039
Speaker 3: Yeah. I mean, really, I would say any team but

1171
00:59:20,159 --> 00:59:23,039
the Timberwolves, because I mean that we just talked about

1172
00:59:23,079 --> 00:59:26,760
the Warriors or kind of sol right now. The Calves, like,

1173
00:59:26,880 --> 00:59:29,880
they just made the conference finals, so they're not necessarily

1174
00:59:29,880 --> 00:59:33,320
that nervous about it, but one of their conference rivals

1175
00:59:33,360 --> 00:59:37,280
just got significantly better, and they have not gotten better

1176
00:59:37,360 --> 00:59:40,960
this offseason. Other teams have loaded up around them, so,

1177
00:59:42,039 --> 00:59:45,519
you know, I don't know how the Calves, especially, like

1178
00:59:45,840 --> 00:59:48,159
it's not like they barnstormed their way through the first

1179
00:59:48,159 --> 00:59:51,519
two rounds of the playoffs. They you know, barely got

1180
00:59:51,519 --> 00:59:53,519
by with the skin of their teeth through both of

1181
00:59:53,559 --> 00:59:56,360
those playoff series, and a lot of other teams are

1182
00:59:56,360 --> 00:59:58,280
going to be better this year. Like, I don't think

1183
00:59:58,800 --> 01:00:02,639
the Calves are entering this season with the expectation of

1184
01:00:02,760 --> 01:00:04,920
champ of conference finals.

1185
01:00:06,960 --> 01:00:09,480
Speaker 1: What do the Minnesota Timberwolves do. I think they still

1186
01:00:09,480 --> 01:00:14,239
need Trey Lyles infury shore floor spacer around Rudy Gobert,

1187
01:00:14,239 --> 01:00:16,679
But I think they need to try and use the

1188
01:00:16,800 --> 01:00:19,880
Josh Green salaries. The one I'm looking at can they get.

1189
01:00:20,079 --> 01:00:22,679
Maybe it's someone who's on a multi year contract versus

1190
01:00:22,679 --> 01:00:26,599
an expiring deal, but they need they need a forward

1191
01:00:26,840 --> 01:00:29,880
like that Lebron just I think Minnesota was the best

1192
01:00:29,920 --> 01:00:34,519
basketball fit for Lebron. It felt like with the defense,

1193
01:00:34,519 --> 01:00:36,760
they could still surround them with what they actually needed

1194
01:00:37,119 --> 01:00:40,559
for the roster. And like positionally, they just need they

1195
01:00:40,599 --> 01:00:42,599
need a Lebron James sized player.

1196
01:00:44,960 --> 01:00:48,679
Speaker 3: What you think they're going to miss Julius Randall and Nasrieden.

1197
01:00:49,119 --> 01:00:53,360
Their front court is completely depleted. I think they first

1198
01:00:53,400 --> 01:00:56,480
signed LaMelo Ball up for some drivers ed that's the

1199
01:00:56,519 --> 01:01:01,880
top priority. Uh yeah, After that, you go bargain hunting. Maybe,

1200
01:01:01,920 --> 01:01:05,639
Like tell, if the Sixers keep adding random players, maybe

1201
01:01:05,679 --> 01:01:08,199
they can scoop Don Barlow up for cheap because he

1202
01:01:08,199 --> 01:01:08,840
actually could.

1203
01:01:08,719 --> 01:01:12,199
Speaker 1: Be a good fit some of the trade targets I'd

1204
01:01:12,199 --> 01:01:14,039
listed for them. It need a third team because you

1205
01:01:14,039 --> 01:01:17,840
can't trade Josh Green back to Charlotte, but like Dorian

1206
01:01:17,840 --> 01:01:20,360
Phinney Smith or Grant Williams, who made a lot of

1207
01:01:20,400 --> 01:01:21,159
sense for this team.

1208
01:01:21,559 --> 01:01:23,159
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I imagine that.

1209
01:01:23,360 --> 01:01:25,719
Speaker 1: I know Charlotte had a plan to keep Dorian Phinney Smith,

1210
01:01:25,760 --> 01:01:27,800
but I don't with his contract. I don't think you're

1211
01:01:27,840 --> 01:01:28,960
not sweetening anything.

1212
01:01:29,039 --> 01:01:33,280
Speaker 2: It's just the who's taking Josh Green and sending.

1213
01:01:32,960 --> 01:01:39,400
Speaker 1: What to Charlotte specifically. I had also wondered about Derek

1214
01:01:39,480 --> 01:01:42,159
Jones Junior. Do they have enough to get to get him?

1215
01:01:43,039 --> 01:01:46,079
Naji Marshall would be really interesting for that team.

1216
01:01:46,400 --> 01:01:51,559
Speaker 3: Yeah, I actually would like both of those. Yeah, I mean,

1217
01:01:51,800 --> 01:01:53,920
at least they've got some flexi but like you know,

1218
01:01:53,960 --> 01:01:57,039
they're not bumping up against hard gaps where it's like

1219
01:01:57,159 --> 01:02:00,320
every single dollar is gonna be an issue for them,

1220
01:02:00,360 --> 01:02:02,440
So they've still got some flexibility to figure it out.

1221
01:02:02,639 --> 01:02:06,039
Speaker 2: And like I have, they're only like four plus million

1222
01:02:06,360 --> 01:02:08,159
beneath the second apron though, right.

1223
01:02:09,119 --> 01:02:11,960
Speaker 3: They're also I mean, I know Gobert is older, but

1224
01:02:12,159 --> 01:02:17,119
like Aunt LaMelo, Jaden McDaniels are all still fairly young,

1225
01:02:17,639 --> 01:02:20,519
so I don't know that they necessarily feel the same

1226
01:02:20,639 --> 01:02:26,079
urgency that a Cleveland should or even that I mean

1227
01:02:26,159 --> 01:02:28,400
a Golden State obviously, But like, I think all of

1228
01:02:28,400 --> 01:02:31,480
the other three teams that missed out are probably more

1229
01:02:31,599 --> 01:02:33,960
scramble mode than the Timberwolves who already made I mean,

1230
01:02:34,199 --> 01:02:36,320
you know they got Lamellow Ball. They already made a

1231
01:02:36,320 --> 01:02:38,920
pretty big change to the roster of this offseason.

1232
01:02:40,280 --> 01:02:42,800
Speaker 1: Two other names I had circle was like Torrian Prince

1233
01:02:43,480 --> 01:02:45,840
or and this would fit for every team, but the

1234
01:02:45,880 --> 01:02:48,760
Wizards just have a stacked wing location right now.

1235
01:02:48,920 --> 01:02:53,880
Speaker 2: Is justin Champenny gettable for not that much.

1236
01:02:54,400 --> 01:02:58,119
Speaker 3: He was on pretty much everyone's sixers trade target list

1237
01:02:58,159 --> 01:03:00,679
as well heading into the off season, and I mean, hell,

1238
01:03:00,679 --> 01:03:01,719
I'd still take them, but.

1239
01:03:03,519 --> 01:03:05,679
Speaker 1: I had briefly thought about But I think they would

1240
01:03:05,679 --> 01:03:08,159
internally have to view his extension as just this giant

1241
01:03:08,159 --> 01:03:12,960
net negative Josh Green and Tarren Shannon Junior and then

1242
01:03:13,000 --> 01:03:16,519
anything that you could send, like in terms of additional

1243
01:03:16,599 --> 01:03:20,400
draft compensation. Their pick situation is they've basically been obliterated

1244
01:03:21,320 --> 01:03:23,559
for Herb Jones. Oh wait, but I just don't think

1245
01:03:23,599 --> 01:03:25,199
that's enough for the They would have to look at

1246
01:03:25,199 --> 01:03:27,960
his extension that's gonna kick in in twenty seven and say,

1247
01:03:28,000 --> 01:03:29,880
oh we don't want that deal in our books. Let's

1248
01:03:29,920 --> 01:03:32,800
get the Josh Green expiring deal instead.

1249
01:03:33,480 --> 01:03:36,760
Speaker 3: I mean, if I know, Tari Easton is not trade

1250
01:03:36,800 --> 01:03:40,320
eligible now, but if they could somehow pry Tarry Easton

1251
01:03:40,400 --> 01:03:43,480
out of Houston in mid January.

1252
01:03:45,480 --> 01:03:47,199
Speaker 1: My god, that'd be an incredible fit. I just can't

1253
01:03:47,239 --> 01:03:48,960
imagine they have the assets to make that happen.

1254
01:03:49,159 --> 01:03:51,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, especially on the contract he just signed. But

1255
01:03:51,519 --> 01:03:54,400
I mean that that contract, I feel like it flew

1256
01:03:54,480 --> 01:03:58,079
unto the radar. But man, Houston is you know, every

1257
01:03:58,079 --> 01:04:01,800
other team in the NBA is you know, still handing

1258
01:04:01,800 --> 01:04:05,760
out big, crazy contracts or a lot of other teams are,

1259
01:04:05,760 --> 01:04:09,639
and Houston is like rightfully negotiating these guys down to

1260
01:04:10,920 --> 01:04:15,199
which should be very team friendly, trade positive contracts.

1261
01:04:16,280 --> 01:04:18,920
Speaker 1: So the big question now as things stand, we know

1262
01:04:19,000 --> 01:04:21,280
they could change, especially it feels like there might be

1263
01:04:21,360 --> 01:04:26,480
some turbulence in Cleveland. But where does Philadelphia rank to

1264
01:04:26,559 --> 01:04:29,239
you relative to the rest of the Eastern Conference.

1265
01:04:30,039 --> 01:04:34,400
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean I think the Knicks just to be

1266
01:04:34,480 --> 01:04:36,440
the champion, got to beat the champ so they're number one,

1267
01:04:36,719 --> 01:04:38,840
and the have you just got you know, I think

1268
01:04:38,880 --> 01:04:41,039
the Sixers are going to start slow. They just have

1269
01:04:41,199 --> 01:04:44,679
two huge pieces, and you know now are overhauling their

1270
01:04:44,840 --> 01:04:48,719
entire supporting casts, so it's going to take time for

1271
01:04:48,800 --> 01:04:51,920
them to gel. I think you could argue they have

1272
01:04:52,000 --> 01:04:54,960
the second highest ceiling in the East and probably one

1273
01:04:54,960 --> 01:04:59,639
of the higher floors as well, assuming again, like Joel Embiid,

1274
01:04:59,639 --> 01:05:06,760
does not come down with dysentery. Would I would put

1275
01:05:06,800 --> 01:05:08,679
them more in like tiers. I think the Knicks are.

1276
01:05:09,559 --> 01:05:11,559
I don't know if they're necessarily in their own tier,

1277
01:05:11,599 --> 01:05:13,360
but they're at least at the top of one tier.

1278
01:05:13,519 --> 01:05:18,239
I think Sixers Celtics, I think the Pacers. I don't

1279
01:05:18,320 --> 01:05:20,559
understand why they are not being mentioned more.

1280
01:05:21,400 --> 01:05:24,159
Speaker 1: They've one of the most well balanced teams after the

1281
01:05:24,239 --> 01:05:26,960
Kelly Bridge Junior so that like, yeah, and one of

1282
01:05:27,000 --> 01:05:29,320
the most well balanced teams in the Eastern Conference.

1283
01:05:29,760 --> 01:05:34,280
Speaker 3: Yeah. And I mean they were in the NBA Finals

1284
01:05:34,440 --> 01:05:36,360
two years ago, they were a game away from winning

1285
01:05:36,360 --> 01:05:40,519
the NBA Finals, and right now they are eighth on

1286
01:05:40,599 --> 01:05:43,400
the East in the odds leader board.

1287
01:05:43,480 --> 01:05:45,760
Speaker 1: In terms of a lot of that's got to be

1288
01:05:45,880 --> 01:05:49,079
baked in fear of what does Tyres Halbert look like?

1289
01:05:49,199 --> 01:05:50,280
Speaker 2: Right coming back to her.

1290
01:05:50,960 --> 01:05:53,199
Speaker 3: But he's like he's more than a year He's going

1291
01:05:53,239 --> 01:05:55,440
to be almost eighteen months removed from that injury by

1292
01:05:55,480 --> 01:05:59,119
the time the season tips. I'm just not that. We

1293
01:05:59,159 --> 01:06:01,159
just saw Jason Tane return in less than a year

1294
01:06:01,199 --> 01:06:03,400
and he looked more or less like Jason Tatum.

1295
01:06:04,199 --> 01:06:05,639
Speaker 2: How you finished the season injured though?

1296
01:06:05,679 --> 01:06:10,880
Speaker 3: Still yeah, one game, But yes, I'm not overly concerned

1297
01:06:10,920 --> 01:06:13,679
about that. I think the Pacers should be much much higher.

1298
01:06:13,719 --> 01:06:18,800
I mean Toronto, I guess we'll see if Kawhi Leonard

1299
01:06:19,079 --> 01:06:22,599
is allowed to start the season on the Toronto Raptors

1300
01:06:22,719 --> 01:06:25,440
or is allowed to be in the NBA, who knows.

1301
01:06:26,800 --> 01:06:30,280
So I would think like those those five are probably

1302
01:06:30,280 --> 01:06:35,320
the ones, and then Cleveland, Miami, Detroit, Orlando all in

1303
01:06:35,400 --> 01:06:39,719
a tier. Atlanta probably in there as well. Like there's

1304
01:06:39,719 --> 01:06:41,360
a lot of good teams in the East this year.

1305
01:06:41,400 --> 01:06:42,119
It's it's odd.

1306
01:06:42,199 --> 01:06:45,280
Speaker 1: Next season is going to kick assy. I can't wait.

1307
01:06:45,719 --> 01:06:48,920
Speaker 3: I mean, this is really the first time, you know that.

1308
01:06:49,440 --> 01:06:52,000
I feel like the West has just always been so

1309
01:06:53,159 --> 01:06:57,159
much better than the East, but I think this might

1310
01:06:57,159 --> 01:06:59,920
be the year that the East closet back at least temper.

1311
01:07:01,119 --> 01:07:02,920
Speaker 2: I think you're right.

1312
01:07:02,960 --> 01:07:06,639
Speaker 1: You could make the case that the West has the

1313
01:07:06,679 --> 01:07:08,280
two best teams in the NBA.

1314
01:07:08,800 --> 01:07:09,519
Speaker 3: Oh for sure.

1315
01:07:09,920 --> 01:07:12,239
Speaker 1: But after that you could then make the case that, like,

1316
01:07:12,280 --> 01:07:15,239
does the East have like teams three through eight the

1317
01:07:15,360 --> 01:07:17,599
best teams in the NBA, So like, I know, the

1318
01:07:17,679 --> 01:07:20,119
Nuggets and the Timberwolves and the Rockets are all like

1319
01:07:20,480 --> 01:07:25,639
what would factor into that discussion, But like there's like, yeah,

1320
01:07:25,679 --> 01:07:27,599
the East is just stacked, Like this is gonna be

1321
01:07:27,639 --> 01:07:29,599
such a fun season, and because even the teams that

1322
01:07:29,639 --> 01:07:32,320
we don't expect to necessarily be good, like the Wizards

1323
01:07:32,440 --> 01:07:36,159
just having a j debantsa with Anthony Davis and Trey

1324
01:07:36,239 --> 01:07:37,159
Young is just like.

1325
01:07:37,159 --> 01:07:39,039
Speaker 2: This massive wild card.

1326
01:07:39,119 --> 01:07:40,519
Speaker 1: Like oh, by the way, there's a lot of other

1327
01:07:40,559 --> 01:07:43,079
like what if Alex are kind of pops yeah, or

1328
01:07:43,119 --> 01:07:45,400
what if Trey Johnson kind would if Will Riley and

1329
01:07:45,480 --> 01:07:47,400
Keisha on George take steps?

1330
01:07:47,519 --> 01:07:50,159
Speaker 2: So the Carrington is so fun this year?

1331
01:07:50,760 --> 01:07:53,840
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know how Bob Carrington plays if Ty

1332
01:07:53,840 --> 01:07:55,599
and Trey, I don't know where the minutes for Bob

1333
01:07:55,679 --> 01:07:56,639
carringson't come from.

1334
01:07:57,000 --> 01:08:01,400
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean the Bucks, Nets, and Balls are the

1335
01:08:01,400 --> 01:08:03,960
only three teams that I feel fairly confident will not

1336
01:08:04,000 --> 01:08:05,119
be in the playoffs this year.

1337
01:08:05,440 --> 01:08:08,760
Speaker 1: They feel locked into the relegation zone, right, Maybe Charlotte

1338
01:08:08,760 --> 01:08:11,840
could sneak in there, But I think Charlotte is still

1339
01:08:12,400 --> 01:08:16,840
has like quality enough quality NBA players on its roster

1340
01:08:17,000 --> 01:08:19,600
that they won't be a relegation zone team.

1341
01:08:20,000 --> 01:08:24,039
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's fairly damning that the Hornets traded LaMelo Ball

1342
01:08:24,159 --> 01:08:27,399
and their their win total is not all that different

1343
01:08:27,479 --> 01:08:30,439
than what it would be if they had I don't.

1344
01:08:30,279 --> 01:08:33,720
Speaker 1: Know if it's see you call it damning, I call

1345
01:08:33,760 --> 01:08:36,520
it dumb. I think that they are going to be

1346
01:08:36,560 --> 01:08:39,399
a materially worse team. You really need his content, like

1347
01:08:39,479 --> 01:08:42,079
Christian Anderson. I guess we don't read too much in

1348
01:08:42,079 --> 01:08:43,640
the summer league, but like, are they going to rely

1349
01:08:43,720 --> 01:08:44,960
on him to be.

1350
01:08:44,920 --> 01:08:45,720
Speaker 2: Their best passer?

1351
01:08:45,800 --> 01:08:49,800
Speaker 1: Kobe White is score score first, score second past third.

1352
01:08:50,319 --> 01:08:52,640
You really kind of relying on confident when Brandon Miller

1353
01:08:52,600 --> 01:08:56,479
would take leaps as playmakers, which maybe they do.

1354
01:08:56,640 --> 01:09:01,239
Speaker 2: But I don't know. I I think the Hornets are

1355
01:09:01,279 --> 01:09:04,279
gonna be worse than people are. Like, I'm not saying

1356
01:09:04,359 --> 01:09:07,239
you rode off LaMelo Is just like there's a book

1357
01:09:07,279 --> 01:09:10,920
keeping whatever. I think they're gonna be a lot worse

1358
01:09:10,960 --> 01:09:11,439
without him.

1359
01:09:11,640 --> 01:09:14,319
Speaker 1: Offensively, he just got so many things started for them

1360
01:09:14,399 --> 01:09:16,800
or commanded so much attention that nobody else on the

1361
01:09:16,880 --> 01:09:20,199
roster right now has a prayer of matching.

1362
01:09:20,720 --> 01:09:24,279
Speaker 3: Yeah, I was pretty surprised there. I think they're over

1363
01:09:24,399 --> 01:09:26,840
unders at thirty seven and a half, and I was

1364
01:09:27,319 --> 01:09:31,079
pretty surprised when I saw that number. That felt a

1365
01:09:31,119 --> 01:09:33,239
little high.

1366
01:09:33,279 --> 01:09:37,600
Speaker 1: So I think I have, like, this is such recency bias.

1367
01:09:37,720 --> 01:09:40,039
But I look at the East and I was trying

1368
01:09:40,039 --> 01:09:41,560
to I went through the exercise of who am I

1369
01:09:41,600 --> 01:09:45,000
prepared to say is definitely gonna finish with a better

1370
01:09:45,079 --> 01:09:49,439
record than the Sixers next season. I put the Knicks

1371
01:09:49,479 --> 01:09:53,720
in there. I also think that their off seasons not.

1372
01:09:53,760 --> 01:09:55,479
Speaker 2: Done when you see what happens with Jalen Duran.

1373
01:09:55,560 --> 01:09:57,279
Speaker 1: But like the Pistons are still just built to be

1374
01:09:57,359 --> 01:10:01,880
this regular season wins machine they have. They have more

1375
01:10:01,960 --> 01:10:06,239
spacing on the team, and even if Jalen Duran isn't

1376
01:10:06,319 --> 01:10:08,840
as good as he was during last year's regular season,

1377
01:10:09,199 --> 01:10:11,159
there's kind of a margin for error there. And I

1378
01:10:11,159 --> 01:10:14,239
thought the John Collins acquisition was it was just sneaky

1379
01:10:14,279 --> 01:10:17,000
in the sense of he'll take more threes than Tobias

1380
01:10:17,039 --> 01:10:20,279
and let you kind of run dual big without necessarily

1381
01:10:20,319 --> 01:10:23,159
feeling like you're going dual big. But the extra spacing

1382
01:10:23,199 --> 01:10:26,880
I think will be a boon for Donnish, Jenkins, Asar

1383
01:10:27,000 --> 01:10:27,920
Thompson and there on.

1384
01:10:28,079 --> 01:10:28,760
Speaker 2: Ball reps.

1385
01:10:28,920 --> 01:10:32,319
Speaker 1: Still wish they would swing higher for a secondary creator.

1386
01:10:32,359 --> 01:10:35,199
You mentioned the Pacers were another team that I came

1387
01:10:35,199 --> 01:10:38,319
close to saying I'd be prepared to guarantee. I think

1388
01:10:38,359 --> 01:10:42,000
I'm kind of at just to guarantee it. And this

1389
01:10:42,039 --> 01:10:43,960
is the tyres Halburton injuries kind of.

1390
01:10:43,920 --> 01:10:46,840
Speaker 2: Wreaking havoc on my brain. I don't know what to do.

1391
01:10:47,199 --> 01:10:50,199
Speaker 1: With that, but I think it's the Pistons and the

1392
01:10:50,319 --> 01:10:55,119
Knicks are the only two teams I'm prepared to guarantee

1393
01:10:55,640 --> 01:10:58,600
right now we'll have a better regular season record than

1394
01:10:58,640 --> 01:10:59,359
the Sixers.

1395
01:10:59,560 --> 01:11:00,960
Speaker 2: I don't I just don't know.

1396
01:11:01,199 --> 01:11:05,079
Speaker 1: Yeah, could you envision Miami doing it, or Toronto doing it,

1397
01:11:05,199 --> 01:11:08,560
or Cleveland doing it, maybe even Boston doing it? Sure,

1398
01:11:09,439 --> 01:11:10,800
I just wouldn't predict it.

1399
01:11:11,399 --> 01:11:17,840
Speaker 3: M hm. It looks like Detroit, Boston, and Philly all

1400
01:11:17,920 --> 01:11:23,039
are at fifty point five so and the Indiana's forty

1401
01:11:23,079 --> 01:11:23,760
four point five.

1402
01:11:25,640 --> 01:11:25,880
Speaker 2: Yeah.

1403
01:11:25,920 --> 01:11:31,439
Speaker 1: I honestly, Philly's floor feels like fourth just trying to

1404
01:11:31,439 --> 01:11:32,079
ballpark it.

1405
01:11:32,920 --> 01:11:37,920
Speaker 3: Yeah, barring like catastrophic injury, I think again, like I.

1406
01:11:38,600 --> 01:11:39,560
Speaker 2: How many gets? Sorry?

1407
01:11:39,800 --> 01:11:42,880
Speaker 1: Take Joell and beat off this team.

1408
01:11:43,000 --> 01:11:44,199
Speaker 2: How many games does it win?

1409
01:11:46,920 --> 01:11:47,239
Speaker 3: Still?

1410
01:11:48,359 --> 01:11:50,800
Speaker 1: Right, I don't know how much does are over under change.

1411
01:11:50,840 --> 01:11:53,319
I think his name power and the idea of him

1412
01:11:53,359 --> 01:11:55,319
defensively it matters quite a bit.

1413
01:11:55,359 --> 01:11:57,399
Speaker 2: And then all of a sudden you're starting who a

1414
01:11:57,479 --> 01:12:00,359
demp oon orty. I don't think that's gonna go well

1415
01:12:00,399 --> 01:12:01,319
with the linemakers.

1416
01:12:01,560 --> 01:12:04,319
Speaker 1: But yeah, I think that that's not to say I

1417
01:12:04,359 --> 01:12:06,479
don't think Joel Embiid is important. I think it's just

1418
01:12:06,880 --> 01:12:11,039
this team is built in all its flaws to withstand

1419
01:12:11,079 --> 01:12:15,520
the absence of any single one player. Maybe I'm understating

1420
01:12:15,560 --> 01:12:18,079
how much Tyres Maxi does for this team is with

1421
01:12:18,159 --> 01:12:19,520
his on and off ball gravity.

1422
01:12:19,600 --> 01:12:21,119
Speaker 2: But I don't think that.

1423
01:12:21,079 --> 01:12:24,079
Speaker 1: There's a player they could lose to injury for an

1424
01:12:24,079 --> 01:12:26,319
extended But now if you stack injuries on top of

1425
01:12:26,319 --> 01:12:29,479
one another from multiple players. Sure, but they feel built

1426
01:12:30,039 --> 01:12:34,000
to have like high floor, high ceiling. To me, like

1427
01:12:34,039 --> 01:12:35,560
that's how they feel like they're built right now?

1428
01:12:36,000 --> 01:12:38,600
Speaker 3: I agree. I mean again, we saw them last year

1429
01:12:38,760 --> 01:12:42,760
even without Embiid and Paul George for half of the season,

1430
01:12:43,439 --> 01:12:46,079
and they still managed to stay afloat. And now they're

1431
01:12:46,159 --> 01:12:50,840
adding one additional piece, and a piece's name is Lebron James.

1432
01:12:51,880 --> 01:12:53,720
Speaker 1: Well, that's a that's a good book end of this,

1433
01:12:53,800 --> 01:12:58,319
because my final question is did Lebron make the right decision? So,

1434
01:12:58,359 --> 01:13:01,079
if you take off your six Ers cap for a second,

1435
01:13:01,119 --> 01:13:04,800
do you actually think any of the forget about the

1436
01:13:04,800 --> 01:13:07,640
emotional components, do you think any of the basketball fits

1437
01:13:07,640 --> 01:13:10,359
were that much better? And then also what do you

1438
01:13:10,439 --> 01:13:14,399
make of It's funny? So my wife comes home and

1439
01:13:14,479 --> 01:13:15,920
knew I was having a day. She goes, I was

1440
01:13:15,960 --> 01:13:18,039
with her. Cousins had flown in and she was with

1441
01:13:18,079 --> 01:13:21,760
one of them and they said, oh, Lebron shows where

1442
01:13:21,800 --> 01:13:22,199
he was going.

1443
01:13:22,199 --> 01:13:24,000
Speaker 2: She's like, oh, Dan must be crazy. She said.

1444
01:13:24,000 --> 01:13:26,079
Speaker 1: One of the reactions that her family member had was, Yeah,

1445
01:13:26,159 --> 01:13:29,039
Lebron's just like latching on and trying to ring chase

1446
01:13:29,039 --> 01:13:31,800
at this point, and he's clearly trying to win another ring.

1447
01:13:31,880 --> 01:13:33,600
But I look at Philly. We talked about this a

1448
01:13:33,600 --> 01:13:36,439
little before we hopped on. It's yeah, they're a bigger

1449
01:13:36,680 --> 01:13:42,359
market team that's also has this championship drought, but they

1450
01:13:42,399 --> 01:13:46,079
were also an interesting basketball fit where it wasn't this

1451
01:13:46,159 --> 01:13:48,680
no brainer decision where it's Lebron's just coming on to

1452
01:13:48,680 --> 01:13:51,319
be a hanger on It's you mentioned it, Lebron. They

1453
01:13:51,319 --> 01:13:53,920
really need his passing, and I kind of think that

1454
01:13:53,960 --> 01:13:56,319
there's a I don't know if it's a risk, but

1455
01:13:56,359 --> 01:13:58,600
it felt like more of an innovative decision, where going

1456
01:13:58,640 --> 01:14:01,840
back to Cleveland or Miami would have felt like, all right,

1457
01:14:01,960 --> 01:14:04,119
been there, done that, and even Golden State would have felt, oh,

1458
01:14:04,159 --> 01:14:06,600
you're just trying to ride off in the sunset to play,

1459
01:14:06,680 --> 01:14:08,800
which I wanted to see him and Steph play together.

1460
01:14:08,800 --> 01:14:09,840
Speaker 2: I would have welcomed that, but.

1461
01:14:09,800 --> 01:14:12,319
Speaker 1: It didn't feel that didn't feel like a move to

1462
01:14:12,399 --> 01:14:15,000
remain relevant or still be competitive. This is one of

1463
01:14:15,079 --> 01:14:17,920
the teams that he could have picked. To me, that

1464
01:14:18,039 --> 01:14:21,880
makes me feel like he really thought about it, and like, yes,

1465
01:14:21,920 --> 01:14:25,600
there is there are imperfections involved, but I just don't

1466
01:14:25,680 --> 01:14:28,319
view this as the typical it's ring chasing in the

1467
01:14:28,359 --> 01:14:31,680
sense that every player wants to win a championship when

1468
01:14:31,680 --> 01:14:34,279
you look at how important he is, I just don't

1469
01:14:34,680 --> 01:14:36,520
I don't know. I don't view this as a cop out.

1470
01:14:36,560 --> 01:14:39,439
If anything. I think I was bracing for the Warriors

1471
01:14:39,439 --> 01:14:42,640
of the Cavaliers, maybe because he went quote unquote what

1472
01:14:42,760 --> 01:14:45,039
I considered off the beaten path and I'm not gonna.

1473
01:14:45,479 --> 01:14:47,640
I wouldn't hammer him for it, but I just don't

1474
01:14:47,720 --> 01:14:51,960
view this as the traditional ring chasing situation. And it's

1475
01:14:51,960 --> 01:14:57,359
probably because Lebron is still good, right. Signing with the

1476
01:14:57,359 --> 01:14:58,640
Sixers is ring chasing?

1477
01:14:58,920 --> 01:15:04,439
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, I'm with you. I mean, anyone who accuses

1478
01:15:04,520 --> 01:15:07,479
him of ring chasing, Like, have you seen the Sixers

1479
01:15:07,520 --> 01:15:10,600
in the last fifteen years? They haven't the last twenty

1480
01:15:10,600 --> 01:15:13,319
five years, they haven't even made the conference finals, much

1481
01:15:13,399 --> 01:15:15,680
less the finals, much less want to ring. Like, let's

1482
01:15:15,680 --> 01:15:17,720
get to the conference finals before we talk about ring

1483
01:15:17,800 --> 01:15:22,680
chasing here. I think, you know, the Spurs and Thunder

1484
01:15:23,079 --> 01:15:25,600
would have been ring chasing. Those two teams are just

1485
01:15:25,680 --> 01:15:26,680
so so.

1486
01:15:26,760 --> 01:15:28,119
Speaker 2: Clearly the Knicks.

1487
01:15:28,920 --> 01:15:32,119
Speaker 3: The Knicks, I mean, they just want to ring. So yeah,

1488
01:15:32,199 --> 01:15:36,279
probably ring chasing there. But you know, I like, I guess, yeah,

1489
01:15:36,319 --> 01:15:39,439
they're not bringing Lebron James off the bench, But there

1490
01:15:39,479 --> 01:15:41,680
was not a clear hole in the Knicks starting lineup

1491
01:15:41,760 --> 01:15:45,039
like this one. I think when you weigh all of

1492
01:15:45,079 --> 01:15:47,760
the factors, you know, I think to your point, Minnesota

1493
01:15:47,760 --> 01:15:49,520
would have been a great basketball fit as well. But

1494
01:15:49,560 --> 01:15:51,560
Minnesota is also in the West and has to deal

1495
01:15:51,640 --> 01:15:54,119
with the Spurs in the thunder before you even get

1496
01:15:54,159 --> 01:15:57,479
to the finals. So I think he wanted to go East.

1497
01:15:57,880 --> 01:16:00,439
Cleveland has fit with Harden. I think he had reason

1498
01:16:00,439 --> 01:16:04,760
to be concerned there. Miami's lack of shooting, you know,

1499
01:16:04,960 --> 01:16:07,520
I would argue is worse than the Sixers right now.

1500
01:16:08,359 --> 01:16:10,720
I think there are there's reason to be concerned there.

1501
01:16:11,159 --> 01:16:13,479
Golden State in the West. Golden State was just the

1502
01:16:13,520 --> 01:16:16,399
nostalgic we want to see Steph dre Lebron like they

1503
01:16:16,840 --> 01:16:19,680
from a basketball perspective, they did not make sense.

1504
01:16:20,079 --> 01:16:20,600
Speaker 2: They would have.

1505
01:16:20,560 --> 01:16:23,560
Speaker 1: Had like a fifteen game stretch during the regular season

1506
01:16:23,600 --> 01:16:25,880
where they were fourteen and one or thirteen and two,

1507
01:16:25,920 --> 01:16:29,399
and we would have whoaing in a bottle is just

1508
01:16:29,439 --> 01:16:31,880
too old and too many variables at play?

1509
01:16:32,000 --> 01:16:35,960
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, So I think, like when you there is

1510
01:16:36,039 --> 01:16:37,880
no I think Rich Paul said this at one point,

1511
01:16:37,880 --> 01:16:41,359
there was no perfect option, but when you weigh all

1512
01:16:41,399 --> 01:16:44,399
of the different factors, this was the best of his

1513
01:16:44,560 --> 01:16:48,720
choices if Okay, see San Antonio and the Knicks were

1514
01:16:48,760 --> 01:16:53,479
not in realistic consideration. And I think that the Surgeon

1515
01:16:53,520 --> 01:16:55,760
title ods kind of reflected that that, you know, the

1516
01:16:55,800 --> 01:17:01,680
Sixers are now fourth behind those three teams. I like,

1517
01:17:01,800 --> 01:17:03,479
I don't know if he goes to Miami, if they're

1518
01:17:03,479 --> 01:17:07,319
fourth and title odds right now, maybe, but I think

1519
01:17:07,359 --> 01:17:10,640
that would have been more off base than you know. Yeah,

1520
01:17:10,680 --> 01:17:13,359
maybe the Sixers are a little high, especially because we

1521
01:17:13,399 --> 01:17:15,319
haven't seen them play. We got to see how the

1522
01:17:15,479 --> 01:17:19,520
chemistry unfolds, and you know they they might not. I

1523
01:17:19,520 --> 01:17:21,520
think it's fair to predict they will not start the

1524
01:17:21,560 --> 01:17:23,479
season looking like the fourth best team in the NBA.

1525
01:17:24,199 --> 01:17:27,239
But can they get there by April? I think there's

1526
01:17:27,279 --> 01:17:28,159
a real chance of that.

1527
01:17:29,680 --> 01:17:32,159
Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't. I'm I'm pretty much with you.

1528
01:17:32,199 --> 01:17:33,840
Speaker 1: I think the only team, like I said before, would

1529
01:17:33,840 --> 01:17:38,079
be Minnesota, and in so far as he ever considered,

1530
01:17:38,079 --> 01:17:41,640
Denver would have been interesting even there though it's okay,

1531
01:17:41,720 --> 01:17:43,279
so Gordon and Jokic.

1532
01:17:42,960 --> 01:17:45,039
Speaker 2: And Lebron, do we want Lebron.

1533
01:17:45,000 --> 01:17:48,279
Speaker 1: At the three? This is so there would have been

1534
01:17:48,319 --> 01:17:51,199
different types of questions there. But yeah, I'm with you.

1535
01:17:51,279 --> 01:17:52,760
Speaker 2: I don't view this as a cop out.

1536
01:17:52,800 --> 01:17:55,319
Speaker 1: And I think that this was when you look when

1537
01:17:55,319 --> 01:17:56,680
you're trying to weigh everything.

1538
01:17:58,079 --> 01:17:59,640
Speaker 2: I guess I'll say I don't think this was the

1539
01:17:59,760 --> 01:18:00,640
raw decision.

1540
01:18:00,800 --> 01:18:02,079
Speaker 1: So you had mentioned that you saw a lot of

1541
01:18:02,079 --> 01:18:04,199
people were kind of poop pooing on it or just

1542
01:18:04,199 --> 01:18:07,720
like what's going on here? I don't view that. I

1543
01:18:07,760 --> 01:18:10,600
feel like this is a it's gonna work out fine.

1544
01:18:10,880 --> 01:18:13,000
Even if he does, maybe it's not gonna hit the

1545
01:18:13,039 --> 01:18:16,359
highest percentile outcome, which would be winning a title. But

1546
01:18:17,359 --> 01:18:19,439
I don't think this was the wrong decision, is what

1547
01:18:19,479 --> 01:18:23,199
I'll say. If it was purely about basketball, Minnesota would

1548
01:18:23,199 --> 01:18:25,560
have been the pick for me. But factoring and everything,

1549
01:18:25,640 --> 01:18:28,960
wanting to go to the East, yeah, I think Philly

1550
01:18:29,159 --> 01:18:32,239
was the right choice, like maybe Detroit. If we were

1551
01:18:32,239 --> 01:18:35,159
trying to think about Eastern Conference teams as like the

1552
01:18:35,199 --> 01:18:39,199
secondary creator alongside Caid, they certainly need that, that would

1553
01:18:39,199 --> 01:18:42,000
have been interesting. You maybe make the case for that.

1554
01:18:43,600 --> 01:18:47,199
But aside from that, Yeah, Miami definitely not. Wasn't the

1555
01:18:47,199 --> 01:18:50,159
better fit, wasn't the better fit for him they needed

1556
01:18:50,239 --> 01:18:52,119
him more, But wasn't the better fit in Cleveland yet

1557
01:18:52,119 --> 01:18:53,079
you already laid that out.

1558
01:18:53,640 --> 01:18:58,119
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's fair to be skeptical of this

1559
01:18:58,239 --> 01:19:01,680
team until we see how unfolds. But I also think,

1560
01:19:01,800 --> 01:19:04,800
like some of the reactions, some of the negative reactions

1561
01:19:04,840 --> 01:19:06,800
I've seen some people already say like this is gonna

1562
01:19:06,800 --> 01:19:11,119
be a disaster, Like that just that feels overboard to me.

1563
01:19:11,680 --> 01:19:15,800
And maybe I'm totally wrong and have rose colored glasses on,

1564
01:19:15,960 --> 01:19:19,520
but like, you signed Lebron James on a minimum contract.

1565
01:19:19,520 --> 01:19:22,520
This is probably one of the best value signings in

1566
01:19:22,640 --> 01:19:25,800
NBA history, right.

1567
01:19:26,199 --> 01:19:29,840
Speaker 1: It's also Grant had brought this up when we were

1568
01:19:29,840 --> 01:19:32,159
talking about there was a report it was when Rich

1569
01:19:32,199 --> 01:19:34,479
Paul said that for Lebron to sign with the Knicks,

1570
01:19:34,520 --> 01:19:37,479
Jalen Brunson would need to call him. And my stance was,

1571
01:19:37,520 --> 01:19:39,319
and a lot of Knicks fans didn't share, this was

1572
01:19:39,560 --> 01:19:41,159
the John Brunton should make the call.

1573
01:19:41,319 --> 01:19:42,680
Speaker 2: That's happened to me.

1574
01:19:42,800 --> 01:19:43,560
Speaker 3: You can call him.

1575
01:19:43,920 --> 01:19:49,119
Speaker 1: As Grant pointed out, let's say the worst case scenario materializes,

1576
01:19:49,279 --> 01:19:51,680
and not in the sense of injuries, just on court

1577
01:19:51,760 --> 01:19:53,600
it doesn't work out, maybe even off the court doesn't

1578
01:19:53,640 --> 01:19:56,359
work out. You signed him to the minimum. This is

1579
01:19:56,479 --> 01:20:00,760
no risk you could move him. This is not like so,

1580
01:20:00,920 --> 01:20:04,279
this is not a bad The Sixers are a much

1581
01:20:04,359 --> 01:20:08,159
better basketball team than they were twelve hours before we

1582
01:20:08,199 --> 01:20:11,640
sat down and recorded this. This is they're signing someone

1583
01:20:11,640 --> 01:20:15,000
who I would still say is what top twenty five

1584
01:20:15,520 --> 01:20:16,119
in the league.

1585
01:20:16,720 --> 01:20:20,399
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that's fair. I mean, if he's not

1586
01:20:21,079 --> 01:20:23,000
top twenty five, he's pretty close to that.

1587
01:20:23,000 --> 01:20:25,199
Speaker 2: Range for the minimum.

1588
01:20:25,359 --> 01:20:28,000
Speaker 1: That's I don't care what the fit is, Like the

1589
01:20:28,159 --> 01:20:31,920
value play there is just is just worth it. You

1590
01:20:31,960 --> 01:20:34,800
see what happens like if this is the opportunity that

1591
01:20:34,840 --> 01:20:35,479
befalls you.

1592
01:20:35,960 --> 01:20:38,880
Speaker 3: Yeah, I wrote I had this pre written and I

1593
01:20:38,920 --> 01:20:41,800
was waiting for him to sign this contract, the best

1594
01:20:41,920 --> 01:20:44,760
value contracts in the NBA, and I did it by

1595
01:20:45,239 --> 01:20:48,439
wind shares from last year compared to salary this year.

1596
01:20:49,720 --> 01:20:52,920
He's not number one, which is like this formula is

1597
01:20:52,960 --> 01:20:54,800
maybe not one hundred percent the best way to go.

1598
01:20:55,279 --> 01:20:58,800
Aj Mitchell Mitchell, Yeah, yeah, yeah, but I mean he

1599
01:20:58,880 --> 01:21:02,119
was number two, was like Peyton Pritchard was right there,

1600
01:21:02,359 --> 01:21:06,439
Sadiq Bay, I can't remember the other guys off the

1601
01:21:06,439 --> 01:21:09,479
top of my head, but like, yeah, you know, even

1602
01:21:09,520 --> 01:21:13,239
if his wind shares last year were much lower than

1603
01:21:13,239 --> 01:21:16,199
they had been in previous years, and I wrote this like,

1604
01:21:17,039 --> 01:21:19,680
his production will continue to wane as you know. I

1605
01:21:19,720 --> 01:21:22,680
think that's the other thing about this move is that

1606
01:21:23,760 --> 01:21:26,760
if Lebron James, at age forty two, still wants to

1607
01:21:26,800 --> 01:21:30,319
be ball dominant, you know, I'm gonna put up twenty eight,

1608
01:21:30,439 --> 01:21:32,960
seven and seven, then no, this was not the right

1609
01:21:33,000 --> 01:21:35,319
move for him. But I think at Lebron James that

1610
01:21:35,439 --> 01:21:37,479
soon to be age forty two, is saying like, I

1611
01:21:37,520 --> 01:21:40,319
don't want that anymore. I don't want to have to

1612
01:21:40,359 --> 01:21:42,560
carry a team. I think Joel Embiid is also in

1613
01:21:42,640 --> 01:21:45,880
that mold of I don't I'm good, I've had that experience.

1614
01:21:46,680 --> 01:21:50,640
I want help like and now Lebron has so much

1615
01:21:50,720 --> 01:21:53,520
help that you know he can pick and choose his spots.

1616
01:21:53,520 --> 01:21:56,359
But I think he's gonna make his impact more as

1617
01:21:56,359 --> 01:21:59,920
a passer than as a scorer because you've got Max

1618
01:22:00,239 --> 01:22:02,960
and Brown. I think those two guys, Maxie and Brown

1619
01:22:02,960 --> 01:22:04,720
will probably be the two leading scorers on the Sixers

1620
01:22:04,720 --> 01:22:08,279
next year, and then I would agree kind of fill

1621
01:22:08,319 --> 01:22:11,840
in filling the gaps. He's gonna be the best high

1622
01:22:11,960 --> 01:22:15,760
end role player and a long time, if not all,

1623
01:22:15,800 --> 01:22:16,800
of NBA history.

1624
01:22:18,039 --> 01:22:21,319
Speaker 2: Does he average more points than Joel Embiid next season?

1625
01:22:22,039 --> 01:22:22,359
Speaker 5: M M?

1626
01:22:23,520 --> 01:22:26,319
Speaker 3: I don't think so, because he was already down in

1627
01:22:26,319 --> 01:22:26,680
the twenties.

1628
01:22:27,960 --> 01:22:30,680
Speaker 1: Lebron being fourth on score, fourth and scoring on his

1629
01:22:30,760 --> 01:22:32,479
team would be surreal.

1630
01:22:33,000 --> 01:22:34,840
Speaker 3: What if he's fifth? What if Vj's ahead of.

1631
01:22:34,880 --> 01:22:37,960
Speaker 2: Him, videers ahead of him? Fuck? What if kcp's ahead.

1632
01:22:37,720 --> 01:22:41,520
Speaker 3: Of him Simon's. I mean he's gonna be just bombing threes.

1633
01:22:43,960 --> 01:22:46,399
Speaker 2: Uh. Mister Taporak, this was great.

1634
01:22:46,760 --> 01:22:49,119
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for hopping on with me late

1635
01:22:49,199 --> 01:22:52,239
on a Friday night and riffing on the sixers.

1636
01:22:52,720 --> 01:22:54,680
Speaker 2: Unless you have anything else that we didn't.

1637
01:22:54,439 --> 01:22:56,239
Speaker 1: Cover about this that you want to talk about, are

1638
01:22:56,239 --> 01:22:59,600
you able just to tell our listeners and watchers what

1639
01:22:59,600 --> 01:23:01,079
are they called YouTube viewers?

1640
01:23:01,439 --> 01:23:03,520
Speaker 2: Who's ever watching on YouTube? Our audience? You're able to

1641
01:23:03,520 --> 01:23:04,640
tell them where they can find.

1642
01:23:04,439 --> 01:23:08,399
Speaker 1: You and all the marvelous work that you do would

1643
01:23:08,399 --> 01:23:11,119
be the last nice thing I say to you, because

1644
01:23:11,359 --> 01:23:14,079
you're taking all these victory laps now with the off

1645
01:23:14,079 --> 01:23:17,399
season that your team is having as as you should.

1646
01:23:17,760 --> 01:23:19,560
Speaker 3: That's right, and we're we're going to go to battle

1647
01:23:19,640 --> 01:23:22,640
soon for something in br that people should keep an

1648
01:23:22,640 --> 01:23:24,000
eye out for in the coming weeks.

1649
01:23:24,359 --> 01:23:28,279
Speaker 1: I'm excited to find a way to offend your impressions

1650
01:23:28,319 --> 01:23:29,800
of Jalon Johnson Again.

1651
01:23:33,119 --> 01:23:35,399
Speaker 3: That's my real victory lap. I just came on here

1652
01:23:35,479 --> 01:23:39,720
to stretch my legs and.

1653
01:23:39,439 --> 01:23:41,239
Speaker 1: If I get the first pick, just despite it, I'm

1654
01:23:41,239 --> 01:23:42,199
taking Palo Bank.

1655
01:23:44,800 --> 01:23:46,520
Speaker 2: The whole draft super flag.

1656
01:23:49,159 --> 01:23:52,399
Speaker 3: Uh. You can find me on Blue Sky at b

1657
01:23:52,520 --> 01:23:54,199
T O P O R E K. And, as Dan

1658
01:23:54,279 --> 01:23:57,399
mentioned in the intro Forbes Sports and Fan Sided for

1659
01:23:57,479 --> 01:24:02,600
general NBA Sixers cover at Liberty Bollers Lakers coverage at

1660
01:24:02,640 --> 01:24:05,439
Silver Screen Rowl and hopefully I'll get to take a

1661
01:24:05,520 --> 01:24:07,840
nap at some point. But Lebron's really screwing up my

1662
01:24:07,880 --> 01:24:11,279
summer Friday man rude summer weekend.

1663
01:24:11,359 --> 01:24:13,520
Speaker 1: Yeah, my Saturday is kind of already shot with the

1664
01:24:13,560 --> 01:24:15,640
obligations I took on, one of which came from you.

1665
01:24:15,920 --> 01:24:18,199
But I'm excited to do it because you were adreaming

1666
01:24:18,239 --> 01:24:19,920
to come on to do the show.

1667
01:24:19,880 --> 01:24:22,920
Speaker 3: So that's true. I'm sorry in advance, but I'm also very.

1668
01:24:22,880 --> 01:24:25,439
Speaker 2: Excited until next time.

1669
01:24:25,439 --> 01:24:26,960
Speaker 1: It has always weep the shout out to the one,

1670
01:24:27,039 --> 01:24:30,600
the only, the indelible, mister Frank Nila Tina