And now below. Welcome to the low post podcast on a Friday morning where we are concluding the eagerly anticipated home and home between me and my old boss, my friend, my colleague, founder of the ringer currently of Spotify, Bill Simmons. How are you? Great to be here coming off a big Celtics win.
It feels like the Eastern Conference is very close to being locked up for my favorite team, even though we're only three up. But it feels like I was talking to my dad this morning. There's a moment right now where all of a sudden we could look up and the Celtics could be up in the East by like five and a half games. You're feeling good about life after beating the KD list nets without jail and brown lives night.
The next when they don't have KD is one of my favorite times to play them when they don't have like the guaranteed 37 and eight and the guy you have to worry about who opens up everything for everybody else. Yeah. That was good. I mean, there's a Simmons conversation coming out of that game now that I think, you know, there was a Simmons Renaissance.
And then you were texting me, I didn't watch the game in last night because I was at dinner and then I watched it this morning. And I was like, Oh, Simmons seems like good stats, but over three and you're like, and then when I watched it, I was like, Oh, so now we're veering into the I have no confidence at my offense at all stage of the Ben Simmons experience here. Yeah, I've been saying this for weeks. And to the point that I feel bad repeating it, it seems like a problem that he's made one free throws since November 25th seems like seems like a big deal.
And we talked the other day about how teams are starting to guard Scotty Barnes the same way in Toronto and Toronto has responded by using him as a screener. And he's actually doing okay. You know why? Because he shoots 76% on free throws.
He's not afraid to get fouled. And Simmons likes to look, he's a great transition passer. Part of the reason he's a great transition passer is he wants to get rid of the ball at the first semi opportune moment at all times. And then as you pointed out over text, he doesn't reengage in the play.
Like if he gets rid of if he screens, right, if he's forgot transition passing, which is great at these screens and the Celtic switch last night, they switch. Peyton, Richard, or Derek White, or like someone that he can overpower onto him, he just recedes over to the side of the floor, way out, not even trying to post up. And like, look, he's still a decent player. And one of the scouts that was there last night is like, he's really sliding his feet on defense.
Like he looks like he's been Simmons again. I'm like, he's averaging like 6.8 points a game. Like when did this become okay for Ben Simmons to average seven points a game? He's in Ben Wallace territory is where he said it like mid 2000s.
Ben Wallace, please don't involve me in the offensive anyway territory. If you're not driving the basket and you can't shoot, I'm not sure what's left. And at least it's Philly, he used to drive to the basket. He would he would do the thing.
And then there would be times when he was feeling it when he would like do little pull ups and stuff. And now he doesn't drive to the basket at all. It's, you know, when Katie comes back, who knows when that'll happen, but they're in a dangerous position right now because you know my feelings on Kyrie as a superstar as the Calvinizing force is just not going to happen. He needs to be the sidekick.
He's not going to be your leader. And we're in this dangerous spot with the East now because I think Cleveland and Milwaukee, even the Milwaukee side of weird season, they're going to be top four teams. And then that whoever else is in that top four, you know, you're looking at Brooklyn and you're looking at Philly and maybe even Miami if they get their craft together. I just don't want to have game sevens on the road in every round, you know, and a team like Brooklyn is not going to be able to survive that.
So, so from a Celtics standpoint, they really have a chance to have home court in all four rounds. And that's how they should be thinking right now. And then from a Milwaukee Cleveland standpoint, we at least want to be two and three, but I'm looking at the self sound. It's like they really feel like they could separate and then you start looking at them versus Denver and Memphis for home court the whole way.
But this is all achievable. They're so deep like Pritchard barely plays and they're just like, Hey, you should play today. Pritchard, he comes in and he's like additive. They had no other time as a guy like that.
How does he sneak in? It seems like every time he plays, he gets four offensive rebounds. He's like, I'll tell his pick. He's like six, six, two, six, three, whatever he is.
He's probably taller than I think. He's just like scrounging around in there for offensive rebounds. I'm actually a little worried for you and your family. Like what would happen if the self-explained the Nuggets in the finals?
Would you just would you just would you be able to be present for your family or would that just be all seven games? I'm all in. I'm just going to drink this in. We're obviously getting ahead of our soul.
I just I know I love you. I love courage. But the thing is, I love courage just as much as I love you. And I really had to reconcile some stuff last year.
I was in all time. I am in on this curry thing. I actually think he's underrated. He's my favorite just basketball player slash teammate.
That's non-Boston athlete. And when he absolutely eviscerated us in game four. Incredible. You were at that game.
That was the only one I didn't go to. And oh, yeah, I had a graduation situation. But man. That's what I'm talking about.
If it's Yolka's this year, it doesn't matter who's graduating. I mean, the point Yolka's just hitting now where he's going into games now, like a musical artist where like, I don't know, Pearl Jam. And they're like, Hey, tonight, let's play a show. It's a 12 minute porch.
The fans won't expect this, you know, and they'll just do it. And Yolka's just going into these games now. He's like, I'm going to shoot five times today. I'm just going to try it.
This is like what the all-time greats did stuff like this. Like, Barrett had the famous game and he's like, I'm going to shoot everything left handed today. I feel like Yolka's just going into these games now where he's just like, I'm going to see if I can get 25 assists today. I'm going to be able to.
I'm going to give it a run. I'm going to see if I can get 50 points today. He's deciding basically, I think, two hours for the game what his game plan is. And when was the last time we had to play like that?
We're going to get to him later. We're already now three minutes into our 15 minute designated driver limit. That was two. We still have 13 minutes left.
By the way, porch is my favorite song off of 10. It's great. That's a good one. I don't know a Pearl Jamf super fan of enough to know if it's properly rated enough.
It's my favorite song off 10. Listen, it's a very good fitness test for how much into the band you are, how you feel on porch. Anyway, you're right though. The danger for the Nets and I said this earlier this week is that they'll be fine.
They've built up such a cushion without their end. They'll be okay, but like they could easily fall to fifth. Like they're close to fifth now and that changes your life. I think one of the reasons you're probably excited about them opening up this lead in the East is it doesn't look like unless you really, really, really fear Miami fully for Miami.
And I know you don't. There's no situation this year where you're like, Oh my God, we could get first, but the Nets are going to be in the play in like there's no super duper possible eight seed or seven seed that you weren't worried about the Nets last year. But others were. We have second guys to throw a kiwri.
But I think Cleveland is I'm very concerned of Cleveland being in the four spot and that being a second round match up. I watched the Portland game last night. I watched the whole basically and a third quarter whole four quarter. I just I just love Garland and we talked about him on my pod on Tuesday.
He had basically the game quenching alley. He's so competitive. Like there's a certain guys like Mitch, he threw it to Mitchell. Any sort of is there an Alpha dog thing or is he cool with how this old Mitchell thing is going?
Who knows? But you certainly don't sit on the court and he was just so happy and so fired up and I just think that team there's a competitiveness to that team that I think is going to be a real problem in the playoffs. You go through and I don't know what they're going to do about the liver, whatever they're going to do with that three spot in crunch time. But all those dudes even Kevin Love like those guys, they're like experienced dudes who care about basketball the right way.
And I don't want to see them in around two. I don't think they're ready to beat Boston in a playoff. I don't think they're either. But I don't want to see them.
I don't want to have to have the two week knockdown drag out. Oh my God, Mitchell just had 52 in game four and now we're tied to two. I don't I just want to see them. It will be interesting to see because they're looking around for that starting small forward spot and they've tried basically everyone on the team who fits that template.
Um, a core was I think four or four last night. He had his like once every two weeks. Oh, maybe maybe he's going to shoot three's and whatever this year and the levert thing is interesting because they've traded all their picks and all their swaps. So like his expiring contract is the main way they can flip for something.
I don't even know if it would be better. Like there's all these little vert for Tim Hardaway rumors out there and I'm like, I don't really get that for we started those rumors. What are you talking about? Did we have to start that?
Can I speak with Portland though? Because I think Jeremy Grant with Solvellatt issues for the caps five straight losses for the blazers and they were feeling great about themselves 10 days ago because they had all these road games already coming home for this home stand and they are they are. They're 19 and 22 and FYI first month of the season. The only reason I know this is because we have me and my gaming buddies.
We have a Portland not to make the playoffs bet. Just just one of the many bets we make but they won in the first month of season they went for ridiculous games right where they had the Jeremy Grant walking backwards taking seven steps making the game winner against Phoenix. They had like four though. So we're like obviously we we miss this bet Portland is going to be pretty good.
Poor ones not good. They're not bad. They're in the middle. They're in the middle of the pack team with one great player.
If I were them I would trade Jeremy Grant and I would play sharp because I'm so fascinated by sharp and I want I just want to see him and I think they could kind of throw this season away not really. I think they would be okay with it because he's good but they're not going to make the finals this year and Grant. Do you want to pay him $40 million next year like I would try to turn that asset into something now and maybe make the plan maybe not but right now they're out of the plan and who are that who's who are they going to pass Minnesota Utah Golden State Phoenix we have the Lakers and the game under that. Three of those teams are plausible for Portland pass they couldn't pass Minnesota Utah obviously has a decision to make selling wise.
All right. Phoenix is in a tailspin like why can't they pass those teams Phoenix is not going to make the plan. I mean Utah would be the team that falls out but I still feel like the Lakers I think LeBron you know he's been doing a variety of things to try to bully them and to trade in those picks even though he's claiming he's not we know what he's doing and I think they're going to cave and they're going to trade at least one of those picks for somebody. I do enjoy the I mean it really is something else the all the comment all the jabs at the roster and then like yeah but you know that's not my job I'm just going to pontificate but like my job I just was responsible for all the trades yeah it was the Davis trade the West Bird trade he's literally responsible for but that is a I think the ostensible purpose of this is to pick Western Conference all starts but I did I wanted to go back to something from your pub there they were I copped out on the Eastern Conference all starts because I I hadn't even paid attention to the ballot positional eligibility stuff and the fact that Tatum is only eligible at front court and so we have this log jam where I can't I'm not allowed to put Tatum at guard so only three of Tatum, Janis and Bead and Durant can start in the all-star game and I was like I don't know I haven't thought about that I have a take you're like the heat you just get away with cheating and everybody looks the other way that's what you do so so we concluded then the tentatively without thinking about it I was like I guess I'd have to put him Bead to the bench just because of availability and it's played compared to the other three guys and so like it feels weird to not start Janis Durant Durant was like in the MVP top three and he's gonna he's banks he's just one game before this injury I think so he's got a lot of minutes over all these guys except for Tatum who's been among the leaders and minutes and he's the best player on the best team the best monster in the world.
So right now if I filled my ballot out I don't know when our ballots are due I think my little lukewarm take is that Janis should be the odd man out which is strange to think about because he's the best defensive player of before probably he's the lynch band along with Brook Lopez of the top three defense his efficiency has just has just taken a dive like everybody knows us like he's taking all these jumpers doesn't make any of them is 2.2% down and just compared to these other guys it's really hard these are if there are six real MVP candidates in the NBA right now and maybe Curry comes back and it makes it seven these are four of them so someone's getting screwed either way I the advanced stats most of them if you add them all up and look at them they kind of say it should be honest and minutes wise he's much closer to him Bead than he is to Tatum and Durant and their offense is 26th like I kind of feel okay with the honest being the odd guy out does that surprise you is that even a hot take I don't think it's a hot take it's a fair take he's also the scariest guy in the week yeah nobody wants to face him you the Celtics are so scarred from battling that deal with that middle in a seven game series nobody wants to face them well when do we have to decide because I think Janis versus him Bead I agree with you I think it's probably dead even I would give it 51% to 49% edge to Janis but I don't think I'm right but you know you watched what happened to Philly last night and I think man now we're talking about the east one we're talking about the west but I think they have a real reckoning with that Maxi Hard and Backcourt with the do because you saw what happened last night they had no chance to guard somebody like SGA if that's gonna be your backcourt and Melton you know who I thought was really important for them and really made the team just made more sense when he was out there than Maxi but I fully met Maxi he's really talented really good I just don't know if you make sense on this team if he's anything more than like that six man kind of Jordan Clarkson coming off the bench type guy but even maybe that's too many minutes but I to me that team really needs to decide right now where they're going what they're doing because I don't know what the heart I don't understand the heart and situation I don't know how much longer and Bead's gonna be happy you have the next very close with Wes and Leon who run the next I just I think they have a lot of to figure out the next four months and I actually think it should be a bigger story than it is because the team does not make sense when you watch Maxi and Hardin you're not winning four playoff rounds at that your backcourt neither of those guys can guard anybody I like Maxi but he can't guard anybody so if they think that's gonna succeed in a league that's guard dominated now like what are they gonna do when they play Cleveland they're gonna be able to guard Mitchell and Garland with Maxi and Hardin like get that out of here well I the other interesting thing to me is matchup dependent I've said this before like I don't really understand what PJ Tucker is doing in some of these games like why he's entitled to start and play 30 minutes if there's no big wing for him to guard I almost want them to go more the other way and they've started doing this to Doc Rivers credit of playing Maxi, Melton, Hardin, Harris and Bead as a core five-man lineup but to your point that's gonna bring its own defensive challenges against the wrong teams I am just I thought Maxi would be better defensively by now than he is he should be better than this he has the tools to be better than this we all know that he's some of the SGA stuff last night it was destroying him I was watching that game during during breaks in the Celtics Nets game and it was a delight by the way now this is a good show and to your point about MB in April 2022 when Hardin sh**s the bed again in an elimination game when he does nothing with this literally nothing last year coming up last year April April 2022 against Miami the famous the ball didn't get back to me yeah well what am I supposed to do I'm just James Hardin I can't get the ball I'm just helpless out here at that moment and Bead loomed as the next uh oh is this the next unhappy guy and then they salvaged it with this great summer of Darryl Morrie magic and tampering for caps or whatever it ends up being with Hardin and Melton and Tucker and house who's by the way house has been like a non-entity this year like a zero for them and it's like okay Philly this is the year could win the east could be the number one could be the number one seed in the east they've really salvaged it and like put all that stain of the Hardin and Bead thing fizzling out the way it did in the playoffs the Hardin thing particularly and then Bead is like getting and Bead's injuries in the playoffs are like ridiculous and unlucky and he's gonna have a monster he's gonna have a monster playoff run at some point that's gonna change the course of his career and whatever franchise he's on hopefully the sixth or their sake that summer and that offseason forestalled that but not indefinitely and like they've had some good games some good streaks and they have a game like last night I was like oh my god but by the way to transition to the last wait can I read you their next seven games yes please this is why I wanted to mention this because I really think you know they just played back to back against the Pistons which kind of threw people off the sand a little bit but they lost the bowls they almost lost the Pacers anyway coming up road trip at Utah at the Lakers at the Clippers at Portland at Sacramento then they come home and they play the nets and the nuggets ooh baby I'm telling you these next two weeks this could go a variety how many off days is hard in heaven LA so so they're in Utah flying into LA playing LA the next day and then what are the chances hard in the Clippers game what are the chances hard in has to ask the city you talking to me to team in LA let go to LA early hamstring tightness has to see a guy in LA that could work out of sea upstrings but man that's a freaking gauntlet because all those teams are in the mix now where every game matters you know with all those west teams from the five to twelve range so I don't know I'm really watching this because to me it's styles of the six or six right it's like this you have this weird hard end whatever's going on with that style you have this should everything just run through in beat style and then you have guys like Maxi who I just think want to go up and down but this is not the team to go up and down with you know and then my guy Tybo I'm keeping on my sock I'm still looking at other properties and on Tybo Island trying to buy some stuff up maybe I'll invest in a drug store there I still think he's gonna have a moment I just don't think it's gonna be on this team I just the on off numbers on him this year are outrageously good and I don't I don't I don't buy it because I just think in the playoffs him and him beat out there together offensively it's just gonna be I get it you can't post him beat you can't put him at the nail tybble is gonna be in the way all the time he doesn't dribble doesn't pass I get it don't Zeklo at some point in his career he's gonna be on a playoff team and it's he's gonna be awesome honest I don't know what the team is but it's gonna be a team it's gonna happen for him when you become a gm of a team you can trade for him and pressure Smith air and paint and friction and all your all your all your all your your guys Thomas Brian wait I would have signed Thomas Brian last summer I've always liked Thomas Brian and he was just sitting there and then he went for the minimum anyway the west western conference all stars and last night's thunder six years game is a good transition I'm just gonna put the thing I'm just gonna say it now yeah I absolutely cannot wait to watch the thunder next season I think they have a chance to make a huge leap next season giddy is figuring it out yeah jail and Williams perimeter jail and Williams is awesome I just I love watching that guy play both ends of the floor big jail in Williams is starting to get minutes and it's like he's got some interesting now they keep searching for these like perimeter centers who can shoot and pass and they all end up not being good obviously one of them is injured in missing the entire year that's jet home green which is reason number one why I can't wait to watch the thunder next year maybe he's that guy big jail in Williams is pretty good that's for calling him now big jail in Williams well there's two jail in Williams like J-dubs one of them is j-dub I think perimeter jail in Williams is j-dub it's like and by the way every road team every time you watch the thunder the road brought you guys are bad just milk is the milking it oh his broadcaster's worst nightmare two jail in Williams like I said call that one j-day I have an idea and your guy dance gonna have to beat me the perimeter jail in Williams I would like to call from awesome jail in Williams because that guy is an absolute stud he was I remember charks shout out to charks charks love jail in Williams and all of our ringer guys like loved him as like what is I know he's a little bit of a label member what is this guy I love that guy if you read drafted it I'd be really interested in see where he would go because I think it would probably be tough for and dork the first month of the year it was like uh oh did dork forget how to shoot at all like and now he's up to 35% from three and they have a funky little like they put Shay giddy dork and prim and effing awesome jail in Williams out together and it's like four big wings in a center switch in causing havoc the balls move in there faster and they have a crunch time scorer here's the thing Zach poco was was press these ace in the hand for tanking every poco what is he oh my god poco is terrible poco what was this auto-huff who's like minus 30 you starting to figure something out what was he figuring out he's alive ability um he's somebody who's he's like you know he's one of those guys who's like it should be a 10th man if you actually have a good team and they'll play him a lot as soon as poco got hurt now it's like what is this team where now we can play all these athletes like they demolish the Celtics granted they shoot it they shot really well whatever but athletically defensively like they were on the same level as the Celtics in that game and I think not having poco out there has really helped him and they've got obviously a million graphics still to come home green hasn't played I think they're set next year to start winning in a real way not like winning winning oh my god but to be in at the play and mix should be a given for them next year like they're they're gonna be good I can't wait to watch them next year I wrote some stuff down because I knew Shay we have Shay as a starter and for the west all stars right I think that's just no brainer all time you just so so so here's the west the west starters are I started like this yolka front court luka guard that's all I had like in sharpie when I started I have Shay I have Shay's in sharpie for me oh so so in the end he was for me but you only one more guard spot right luka's listed as a guy so oh is that true luka's a guard on it forward luka's a guard luka's a guard so I gotta put luka's a guard so I got only one more guard spot and it comes down six eight and a half how come on we should get four cards with him that's stupid he's the point guard but why is LeBron it doesn't matter so the second guard spot is either Marant Curry or Shay and I went with Shay and Curry has been the best of the three per minute and I actually am gonna we're gonna run into this problem a lot in the west because a lot of the best players have played like 300 fewer minutes than a lot of the next year down of players I'm gonna default mostly to just who's the best guy but the gap between Shay and Steph is like 400 minutes and she's 31 a game on good efficient shooting I'm putting him in as the starter over Steph just because of the minutes thing and if I had a third spot maybe Steph gets in but my starting back court in the west is luka danschis and Shay Gilgersa Alexander and I think he deserves it they're plus they're like plus one or plus two with him on the floor and minus a gazillion with him off the floor for that to be plus given the injuries and the fact that Mark Dagnol changes their rotation every game is super that that dude is a legit superstar and you can tell the other players in the other teams this season have all decided this guy's a guy like we like watching him play we hate playing against him he's terrifying to guard he's a guy he's in my starting five yeah I didn't really think it was an argument 31 five and six he's playing on a really young team that where he's the only kind of constant and he's just he's controls especially these crunch times he has such a sense of when his team needs something the pace is always the pace that he likes to play he's so hard to guard we watch guys who like he killed the Sixers last night but he's also we've watched him kill other teams that have good defensive guards that he just does whatever I listen there's a couple of what ifs with this first of what would what would Presley have done last summer if somebody had go bear offered him just 200 cents in the dollar for SGA which might not have been 200 cents a dollar but I did anybody ever in your in all your reporting and all the little whispers you've heard because I know the Knicks were absolutely kicking the tires as hard as possible really for the last two years and everything I've heard not just from the Knicks but everywhere else is that Presley wouldn't even consider trading him it was a non-starter no thanks thank it was almost like how the treated Jason Tatum call and it got vindicated this year in in incredible way right he is now I would say he's one of the best ten players in the league by any calculation so you get that then the other thing do we give Presley enough credit for those two trades like the Clippers one and what else and the CP one I wrote down because I was like I can't remember what they got I looked it up they got SGA so just trading SGA for Paul George that was just a trade you'd be like wow that was a great trade for the Thunder right they got to rebuild and and and now you'd rather it's yeah they also got Gallinary they got a 2021 first to turn to a trade man they got 2022 first they turned into our guy Jana Williams they got a 23 first from the heat that eventually could become 26 unprotected they got a 23 swap they got 24 unprotected first the 25 swap and a 26 unprotected first and they got the best guy in the trade and I think Presley can use Steve Walmart's bathroom at crypto crypto so then they turn CP 3 or I'm sorry they turn Russ into CP 3 the 21 swap 24 1 through 4 unprotected 25 swap at the 26 first 1 through 4 that is that's one of the greatest combos ever so I think if Presley doesn't get enough credit I think it's because of the perception somewhat fair somewhat still you have to take the edges that are given to you that the other teams were held at gunpoint by various parties during this but you still have to execute you still have to have the thing they want and you have to execute it in the right way and he held the Clippers up for everything and that was probably got what free first more than he probably the quip like then a normal Jama to gotten because just SGA and a couple first seem like a lot he played it perfectly he just said look oh I understand what's going on here this is Kawhi or bus for you guys and bust is untenable bust is you might all be getting fired pretty soon bust is not going to work so get me everything and the CP rest rate is like I said last week someday I'll tell the story of that night in Vegas and what I saw and heard like that is in all time just like what are you doing like what a story what are you like Mike Brigglya like tell the story right the piece he's a comedian yeah he's a great one man shows you like the um I think how it worked out is just incredible and then on top of it yet another like Kawhi is a player GM right I really want to put with Paul George well he's gonna cost a lot well that's how I'm gonna come well we'd have to give our assets so you can put Paul George I sat in Toronto for like 35 games this year half my life I spent sitting by myself watching you warm up at the Air Canada Center racking up my freaking flier miles I have 9,000 stamps at Pearson Airport on my passport and I gotta get Paul down wasn't good enough I gotta get I gotta trade my whole franchise for this what the hell was I doing just think of Kawhi it said you know what I'm gonna sign with you guys let's let me see what you have and maybe we'll figure it out in February or June no he's like I have to have Paul George right now and it was an absolute catastrophe for the Clippers it really is like I was going to those games that first year and was clear as James good I never in a million years thought he was gonna be this nobody he was good he was absolutely a good player it was very similar to Rondo and 0708 where it was like eh I hope they don't throw him in the kg trade that guy's good well they played the Warriors in the playoffs that year and that was the famous one I had the huge comeback in game too and he looked like pretty at home he wasn't great but he looked like this is the Warriors this is the hardest offense to guard this is like full force kd-era warriors and he looked like oh yeah just like I'm cool age doesn't get enough credit for that with rondo because rondo should have been in that kg trade and age was steadfast I'm not throwing him in the deal will fall part if he's in the Clippers they couldn't do that with sg a because press is not making the Paul George trade without sg but man I mean that those two trades and then you have hard in holding up the rocket sausage got to get rid of cp got to get him out of here and then they make the straight one of the great things about the two trades is he kind of pushed the picks ahead you want him like right away it was like hey what about four or five years from now and those clipper picks man 2024 first the swap at 25 and the 26 yikes this kawaii even healthy in 2024 it's it's it's smart to push the picks out and those clippers picks are I mean the assumption is always the big market teams will just reload reload reload even the heat to this or not a huge market team but like we'll never be bad we'll never be able to trade all our picks will reload stars will come here stars will come here maybe maybe um I think I can't wait to see the Lakers can pull that off I don't think the Clippers the Lakers just missed a playoff six years in a row or whatever it was you know can they even pull that off I mean well they pulled it off with LeBron and Davis so you could say there's at least a proof of concept LeBron pulled it off but I can still do it right hey sports fans the ESPN app has all of ESPN all in one place the ESPN app is your home to thousands of live events ESPN shows and originals across every ESPN network and service and now you can check if you already have ESPN unlimited as part of your TV package for no additional calls visit activate.espn.com to learn how to access your account or sign off then start streaming in the ESPN app it's all the ESPN all in one place sign up or activate now sorry so we have so we agree our first three starters in the west are guard sga guard luka front court yolkich we have two front court spots vacant mr. Simmons I think there are three realistic candidates for these two front courts spots I know you have something to say on this so I will yield a floor to you can we do like 10 seconds on luka sure if you want I didn't I didn't so I just feel like what is there say he's amazing I mean it's a different version of LeBron right he's opening up the stats but he's not the LeBron from 2009 it's still fun to watch luka at this point in his career 23 years old in Los Angeles kind of going toe to toe with LeBron in a way where it's like I'm actually better than you know and I know LeBron's old I get it but the stuff luka was doing last night it would have been really interesting to watch him during like the all-time peak LeBron how that would have gone it was just it got me thinking like and I said this on the pot a couple weeks on one of my pods about like luka had that crazy 60 point whatever the 60 21 it was the first time it really started to think about him versus LeBron from a ceiling standpoint like could luka get to 40,000 points could all these different things happen um he's the stuff he's doing this year and granted we've talked about the stats are at a wack right and I don't really know how we how you compare the errors but there's only four guys ever who were 23 and under who averaged over 34.5 points a game will MJ rip air in 1967 just high volume ridiculous and then mackadeo in 75 and that's it like I just think to I know the stats are nuts and I know I'm not I'm not breaking news here but man to put up like basically a 35 10 and 10 I don't care what the error is that's bonkers and he's playing big minutes he stayed durable he's got a huge use of drape and a shooting's better I think it's 3. shooting after the first month he's basically been a 40 point a 40% 3 point shooter and I'm just starting to think about him versus LeBron now and I wasn't there until about two weeks ago I don't know where you stand on this well 11 free throws a game has been a huge leap for him yep and 58% on two he's a great two point shooter um which maybe isn't talked about enough he's an incredible finisher at the Raymond on floaters and really and really physical which LeBron wasn't physical I would say until about 2012 right in a second my any season to your point and this has always been true with luka because he played in the best league in the world other than the NBA when he was a kid he's talking up in it he he people try to get in his skin and he's just like you're dude you don't really understand like Russ was trying to get into him last night and he was kind of enjoying it Pat Bev did it in the playoffs and he was like you know what Pat Bev I'm just gonna mash you out of the series like how about you just how about how about I post you up and then the Clippers like oh we have to bench him we can't play him against Luka I by the way that stuff worked against LeBron the first five six years of his career remember people would they take a little runs at him they try to bully him and do all this stuff and well Russ like Russ got the flagrant last night and like Russ was the Russ was throwing him all over the place and Luke was able to play school I don't really think like Luke wanted to yeah first kick his ass and then he kind of just laughed at him he's like great I'm just gonna hit a three on the next position 34 and a half points a game he leaves he's now leading the league in minutes per game 37 and a half and they can't take him out in some of these games in the second half at least sometimes they skip his rest at the beginning of the fourth quarter so like what are we gonna do roll with his team's like really good last night yeah his team's not good they didn't really can be hit or miss but those dunks didn't what he had the last night I was like where did that come from or when in Gabriel so the points thing and then on the assist like he's averaging over nine and that's I looked at up for 23 and under's it's Isaiah Magic Chris Paul Kevin Johnson Oscar Darren Williams rondo treyong tine archer ball nor Nixon that's it so I don't know I don't even these numbers are so crazy this year I like we're not even blinking at some of this stuff but holy mackerel um and I think there's a real conversation now for Luca versus Giannis for who would you want going forward for the next ten years and normally I was in Giannis but now I think you could there's a really strong Luca case to be made like for trade value so try and figure out the one spot Luca's four years younger like who would you rather have next ten years so when we I remember and this ended up looking very foolish because Giannis I think went on to win the championship shortly after this and I'm gonna get the chronology wrong but on NBA today at one point we did the maybe it was get up whatever we did the Luca Giannis who would you rather build your team around and I think it was right after it might have been right after the Clippers Mavs series that the Clippers won in seven games but yeah it was just insane and I chose Luca and the reason I chose Luca was because of Giannis's lack of shooting Giannis might be the best player I don't I just I with Luca I can build my team pretty much any way I want I can get any kind of player to go with him I can get really go bare to go with him if I want to I can get anyone Giannis just I have to be a little more careful about the ecosystem I put around him ultimately like it's like their 1A1B who cares like I get either one I'm happy and then Giannis went on to win the title and made a million I guess I got that one wrong maybe I don't know like Lucas younger came in out of shape like I never have to worry about that stuff with Giannis I do think there's something to Lucas just I can plop him anywhere I could put anybody around him and he's gonna make it work I guess the other test for the age and the getting for us the other test will be what happens when Dallas I guess they had it with jail in Brunson but like when they get someone that that considers himself a real peer to Luca if they ever do is it gonna be a hard situation where Luca is like I want this guy want this guy but I actually don't really want to share the ball with this guy or is it gonna work I think I don't think that's a crazy debate I and to the point that I two years ago whenever was I picked Luca by a hair just because of the malleability and fit stuff and then Giannis went on to be the best player in the world so I felt like an idiot but the correct answer is my hero Nicole Yokich let me ask you this question it's gonna break your brain you're gonna get super uncomfortable and you're probably back off the mic and do the thing where you like look up and you blow out air and stuff well now I'm not gonna do that because I'm prime for I'm gonna remain steely if you had to bet your life on this question five years from now what team is Luca Donchajan what team would you pick I would pick Dallas just because I'm always gonna go if I'm betting my life I'm betting my life on the team that has his bird rights and has all has home court advantage however flimsy that may end up being over the field I'm still betting Dallas but I'm interested to hear who I mean I haven't even started to think about alternatives obviously the LA teams and the New York teams those are the teams that always come up like what are my other what are my other choices you're betting on a different team other than Dallas if your life is dependent on it all right so maybe the question is Dallas versus the field that's the better question you now you've now put me in jail where I have to answer the question and how many years five years five years from now so two thousand I'm still gonna go I'm still going Dallas I'm still going Dallas I might be naive I understand all the reasons are gonna say the other say the field I'm still gonna go Dallas I'm gonna take the field don't feel good about it don't feel worried about my life now I feel worried about my life I'm gonna start checking things off the bucket list hop on a plane to Tokyo right after this podcast I'm taking the field I think it's gonna be really hard for them to put a good enough team around him and I just we know the law of the NBA at some point at some point the guy just starts looking around and I think they're on the clock I think the bronsething covered on the clock and the bronsething was really dangerous game to play with this he's so good and the league's just getting better and better and like the Celtics talent wise it's no contest he has no chance in a series against that team so how many years will he be happy the whole thing anyway I think it's a very fair question to ask I just am conservative with my life in whatever else I'm gonna go with the home court can I ask you if you did switch teams for some reason I feel like it's Miami it's only they're always in the they're always I think the Laker fans are already like Luca because they just used to it right the best guys come to the Lakers they're like ah someday Luca but I actually see him more like in Florida being you know do Luca stuff anyway let's get going all right so Luca Yokage SGA you got two front court spots like I said before in the Western Conference I have three I have three final candidates for the last two front court spots in the Western Conference starting lineup do you have more than three who are your picks give me the take as you know I like my team to make sense as a five sum which is not part of our instructions but it's just something I like which rules out the bonus because I think it's weird to have subonus and yokage together but I think subonus has been incredible I really love watching the Kings I cannot believe they're leading the Pacific Division but we had that was our big when we did all the futures over under stuff on my pod like Kings were 34 and a half over under couldn't couldn't make no sense it was way too low that was that was the basis of like our big bets that we did all that stuff but he's been I just can't it's so funny that his dad was our Vetus like that the passing DNA has kind of been passed down usually like six assists a game he's and everything runs through him and he's been awesome for Fox and they still lost that trade but it was an amazing trade for them and yet I can't have them on and I for fit reasons it's the all-star game let's start three seven footers four let's have some fun fine I'll have them on that's it that's all it took well it's yokage and subonus that's not a basketball team anyone would put together we saw subonus playing with Miles Turner for two years everyone was miserable it could be some fun passing full disclosure I have subonus is one of my starting front core players so that's four for me Luca Yokich SGA subonus I just think 1912 almost seven assists shooting 62 percent yeah you're right I love subonus plus six plus six was a bonus on the floor minus six with him off the floor they're getting killed in the Fox only minutes which is not Fox's fault but it shows that he's he is the main driver over Fox if I have to pick one main driver now both of them could make all-star but he's the he's the most important reason they're winning this year so he's in my son hundred percent and they have a winning record I also like that he got hurt in hand injury or wrist and was at hand arrest I can't really it was fun fun um miss the game he's like I'll be fine it's okay I'll just figure out how to play with my dislocated bum and they really I think some other guys in the league would have been like I seen a couple weeks I'm gonna go rest my thumb um fine I have subonus and I'm glad you talked me into it and now we have left now we have to talk about marketing versus LeBron what a sentence boy I really we got to dig into this Larry marketing versus LeBron James the big could you imagine if someone had told you four months ago now I would have thought the world had ended and we were living in a zombie alternate universe um uh so so the to your point the five said three candidates for two spots the three candidates are subonus LeBron and marketing all of them are locks to make the all-star team so ultimately this is irrelevant to me. Larry marketing is an all-star full stop he deserves it he is the linchpin holding the jazz together they fall apart without him he has been outstanding I started LeBron over him but it's close make the argument that it shouldn't be LeBron who's average by the way 30 points 9 rebounds in 8 assists a game on 60% shooting from 2 his team is I think what a game behind you to on the standing so you can't use you can't use wins for marketing you can use expectations I guess I can use their way up he's played 41 games on the bronze plate 31 that's fair the minute the minutes is the minutes is 1400 ish for marketing and a thousand or 1100 for LeBron so 280 minutes or something I'm gonna read it is that all it is I'm gonna read you two sets of stats for the listeners so they understand the gravity of this marketing case he's so good man 20 both of us by the way both of us sold our marketing stock let's be honest both of us bailed out we bailed out we gave up I fired my guy my guy so many of us out of the stock I fired him and we said maybe he'll be good one day but like whatever whatever the vision was of a scored killer jump shooter you know pump and go great offensive player like that that we gave up on we didn't we we bailed on that I remember like two years ago I don't remember if he was on Cleveland or Chicago and I was watching the in play and somebody was hurt so he was playing more minutes and he got a rebound and he dribbled up the court and did like back the guy and then hit it three and I was like this guy like Jesus what is it is he ever gonna put it together and then it's finally happening I'm gonna read you two sets of stats 25.9 rebounds a game 52 41 88 is my first first line second line 25 and 9 50 42 90 percent two identical lines right the first was marketing the second was 2007 Durken Witski during his MVP season that's how good marketing has been he's replicated Durken Witski's 2007 MVP season now there you have to you have to make your caveat about all this inflated stats weighted stats 30 yards there slightly more free throw attempts marketing one of the great things about his season 24.9 usage it's not like he's ball hoggin it and shooting all the time like it's all in the context of how they play 66% true shooting as you know I don't totally understand true shooting but I know over 60 is great and then you look at the LeBron stats really high usage 33 percentage shooting stuff is really low for him like he hasn't made threes all year he is shooting 60% on twos I don't the crunch time stuff from him and you saw it again last night in the Dallas game if you're the other team you're like this is great LeBron has the ball at the last 20 seconds he's gonna take a pull up three and it's probably gonna miss like that's kind of where he's at as a crunch talk right now um but yet 20 he's 38 and 70 she's 51% he's doing the bronze stuff it's really hard to leave him out I just think like well he's like he's gonna make your 12-man also team let's go this is all just this is all the vanity of awkwardly walking out on stage while common is like starting from the Utah jazz laurie it's and that's all it is people and people want LeBron to start which is why I think for me he's the starter because he's LeBron James and now you have to bring in the 20-year resume versus marketing but if we're just talking about who's been a better and more effective player this year who's been better in crunch time who's done more for their team who's been more durable the answer's marketing because nobody expected anything from that team and he's been awesome he's basically been able to replicate Sir Kewitski so you know LeBron's played 31 games he's missed 10 he hasn't really had a major injury and the team hasn't been good um so I think it's an argument and I know people just the fall through well it's got to be LeBron well the bottom of the bottom but but that's not the exercise the exercise is he's having a better season and I think it's dead even um but yeah I'm gonna start LeBron just because LeBron it's LeBron well I don't I haven't I haven't decided I'm leaning LeBron because you do have these moments I remember it's like when I debated LeBron versus the Marderos and second team all NBA last year you just like mad yeah that's like well but but no but I said I got mad at myself I was like I'm really putting the Marderos and over LeBron James like really and I didn't I put LeBron over tomorrow because it's LeBron and to me the one thing that maybe is overlooked a little bit in the statistical comparison you laid out is the passing you just can't you can't it's just hard to compare no pun intended a finisher and he's not just a finisher he's a connector he starts in place and a guy who's the chess master it just it's harder to replace the chess master than it is anything else but the advanced that say it should be marking in by a little bit the minute say it should be marking in by a lot I just think like he's been that good and once you actually sit and look at the numbers you've all watched the games we've seen what he's done you hear every time Utah plays like no no marketing might be Utah may have an home grown all-star what a story like he might you know he's gonna be in the conversation he's not in the conversation he's in Larry marketing is a stone cold lock all-star and it's an amazing trade I mean what happened if what would happen if Minnesota called Utah right now you know we'll just give you Rudy for marketing straight up they would say no you know you know what I would say no that's no here's the thing with LeBron because everybody's like he's as good as ever and like you hear that stuff like still doing it I think it actually is offensive to LeBron from 2009 to 2013 like people LeBron is not the same player that he was during that you know how you know just go on YouTube and watch the effing clips you don't even have to do that we taught you and I talked about 2013 finals LeBron 2012 finals around the other day and just like oh my god this guy's everywhere all you got to do is watch Christian Wood block him at the rim last night with the game on the line that reversed layup that's not happening in 2013 that's just that's a dunk or a layup and one like that's just not a block shot I actually went on YouTube last night after that Christian would play because I was like man that was like it reminded me of Larry Bird got got uh he tried to dunk in the Knicks playoffs there's a 1990 and got blocked by the rim and it was like one of those moments they're like oh that's kind of how I felt with the Brown thing but I went back and I was watching his 2009 highlights and then I was watching for some reason stumbled into 2011 remember the heat Portland game when LeBron fully embraced the villain the Darth Vader when you know what it was awesome and it went in overtime and then he kind of you know he did the wave on the booze from the crowd and it was like oh my god the bronze is a villain now but you go back and you watch the athleticism he had in that 09-2011 range I mean it's probably the greatest athlete we've ever had other than maybe Jordan who's played basketball he's such a he's such a good athlete in his prime such a great athlete that you spent considerable amount of time imagining how dominant he would be in sports ranging from football to handball in the Olympics I'm telling you people go go watch just put in 2009 LeBron highlights and watch some of this stuff he does and watch how fast he was and how he could just for him it was like two steps from like Yannas two steps from midcourt to the rim he could get any shot he wanted he could hang in the air he could block anything and this is not the same LeBron but he's way smarter and he's way more physical and he can still bully his way but it's not even close so when people are like he's as good as ever it's like you know he's been in the league for 20 years and he's just one of the smartest players we've ever had and he can still overpower his way but I think in crunch time you could argue a market and it's probably a safe or bad to get a basket right it's a fair thing to say yeah this year maybe yeah LeBron you can have his clutch numbers now or they're just okay um yeah it's uh that LeBron was a machine I actually forgot how amazing he was when I was rewatching it was like when you see those oh 2000-2001 Kobe highlights you're like oh my god you know I had that once I had that when Chris Paul made the finals with Phoenix I went back and watched like oh wait Chris Paul like a lot of Chris Paul crunch time playoff games oh wait Chris Paul yeah is like he's like he's like like you can't even find that guy he's so fast like it's a completely different experience it's like Jon now it's like like watching Jaa had just fly up the court like a maniac like that's what different like no I'm just saying like I'm like Chris but I think it's useful to do that everyone somehow because you get we're such a prisoner of like what this guy looks like now to go back and watch Chris Paul in 2000 oh my god this guy is like uber athletic before the knee troubles well it also shows you how long LeBron because he kind of like oh 20 years but it's like go back and watch 2009 and just look at the guys around the court this was 13 14 years ago and LeBron was the MVP that season and everyone on the court is gone no i'm in league it's like are we at 10 years are we at the 10 year anniversary of the banana boat yet what was the banana boat what was that one what when Wade when Wade mellow and LeBron and isn't it Gabriel Union or all on the banana boat together vacationing you don't remember this infamous infamous because I don't remember what year it was uh yeah that's how long so by the way the Christian woodblock reminds me we didn't talk about going back to Ben Simmons the fact that there was almost a multistyble 2.0 pass moment last night in the net's Celtics game where he drove and dropped it off to Nick Clackston under the rim and Nick Clackston's like why are you passing to me you're at the room it's true it's 70 miles an hour passing and his defense it was against Luke Cornette and Grant Williams who are large humans and not Tre Young who is a smaller human but then to wrap the Ben Simmons thing I was gonna say this before the um the audible shrieking from the crowd when he even begins the possibility of maybe shooting it's starting to happen again where the crowd is both excited and scared and encouraging him to shoot all at once and it's like this terror shriek it's bad okay yes so that's six guys right well okay so let's so here's where we are eight eight locks for me whoever we end up starting Yokich Luka, Shea, LeBron, Subonas that's five, Markinin, Morant, Curry despite the minutes for Curry he's just been that good at one point he was I only have three locks I have Luka, SGA and Yokich and then that forward we were left for the other two but you talk me into Subonas and LeBron for now but I still agree those those eight guys should be on the Western Conference all-star team and Yokich and Yokich, Luka, Morant, Curry, LeBron, Subonas, Markin and SGA blah blah blah so that leaves me four spots and I actually thought this filling these last four was difficult because you run very quickly into pedigree slash limited minutes like Steph and others versus not as much pedigree lots of minutes legitimately great season and I kind of didn't know what to do I actually only thought one of the last four was easy for me in the end the other three were not the easy one for me was Damien Lillard I think Damien Lillard is an all-star 28 a game um he was he was not my easy one okay well I'll make the case for him 28 and 7, 44, 54 on twos there are plus five with him minus seven without him all their lineups with him simons off the floor grant off the floor both of them off the floor are solid pluses he just put up 50 last night that was that was like a that was just like I'm Damien Lillard like put me on the all-star team Zach like that's like I'm Damien Lillard I'm an all-star he's you know by far the blazer's best player Jeremy Grant's had a nice season the blazers are lobbying like oh Jeremy Grant's sneaky all-star candidate he's a sneaky all-star candidate but Damien is the all-star on that team so he was my ninth who was your easy one at Booker that's what I mean by pedigree versus uh versus me.
I thought I'm not Booker when he before he got hurt had become one of like the 10 and 12 best guys in the league and his I know his stats were pretty much the same as last year but it's to me more of an eye test thing um he just feels like the the Suns are his franchise Chris Paul fell off this year there's no question we knew it was gonna happen at some point it happens to everybody it happened to share he's not not the same player anymore um I don't know what's going on they're bench situation you know it's kind of a rotating cast of what are we getting from so and so the campaign had a moment it's like oh campaign it's like I'm sorry I'm not gonna trust this guy's no offense um but the one constant was just how good Booker was and um I just think he's you know he's he's on the short list for me and I don't think Damien is on the same list as great as Damien is um I just think if you're starting a team with Booker you're starting a team with Damien I would just rather a Booker. This is a classic example of ones playing now and ones not because statistically they're very similar even minutes wise and Booker's a much better defender much they're very similar yeah Booker's a better defender 27 5 and 5 shooting is really good and to your point they're just dead on arrival without him they're a really good team when he's on the floor they're awful when he's off the floor their crunch time offense has fallen off a cliff without him. Like remember the game when he was destroying clay to the point that clay got thrown out um yeah the I just felt like that was a moment you know the season we we move on every week feels different but if you're just going backwards and be like what are the 12 13 moments I'm gonna remember from the season Booker basically announcing everyone in the league I'm the best two guard in the league like everything comes through me um that was kind of a moment. You're selling me because I had Booker as a maybe just because it's gonna he's gonna continue to miss games and so his minutes disadvantage is gonna get bigger and bigger by the time we do this but right now he's missed 29 of he's played 29 of 43 and this game plays 28 of 40 so it's pretty even yeah he's played more minutes and stuff I think by that that logic than if I'm going pedigree over everything else I think he needs to be in because he's he is and I mean he was a my MVP ballot last year I mean that's how good that's a good dev and Booker is can I make can I make a quiet inoffensive case for Darrin Fox over day and literally no Darrin Darrin no Darrin Fox is like if he's not on my team he's gonna be the last guy out and I can't wait to hear your case because there's one one piece of data that better be in it he's 24 5 and 6 shoot 50 percent he's played almost every game 39 to 40 best season was career by far like an idiot I was trying to trade up two months ago for the Laker picks because I really felt like there was a moment with the Lakers picks where it's like come get him what he what he have and I would just I'd rather have those Laker picks than whatever we had from Darrin Fox before this year he went up a level this is one of those things been great and then there's the piece of data which we have the same piece of data so you take it no go ahead it's your case you make it the clutch scoring stuff with him has been out of control this year and it was like I test was like Jesus this was the hole in this guy's game was the last four minutes of the game he sucked and now he's really good and he's the second leading clutch scorer in the league and he's third and clutch usage rate and this is John Shumanets of stats in his ex on column this week but like he was shooting 40 for 65 as a plus last five minutes of close last 40 that's not even a real thing like how is that even possible but I tell you it's the same thing you just feel like the kings are going to score at the end of the games and he's one of the reasons and they're more successful than the Blazers so as much as I love Dame I just think Fox versus Lillard I think Fox is that slightly better year and he's played more games 17 of 29 in the last three minutes of games with a score within three points maybe he has to be maybe I'm to flip on Dame I don't maybe they both get in a little bit of me in the fact that he had 50 last night but I mean he's putting up 28 again I get it on good shooting and they stink without him somebody's got to get bounced though but it wacky almost got to bounce and we could have all three and the kings could get to I wouldn't have any problem with Fox making if he doesn't make it he's gonna be like my 13th guy um are we crossing off Davis as he missed him in the games I don't know what to do with Davis because he's he's why is he miss how many games is he miss now he's he's miss 25 of 41 I was gonna say 16 or 15 or 25 or 42 so he's been 17 17 games um it's rough 25 games to make the all-star team no sign to him anytime soon and he won't be able to play anyway so so this is what you always run into is like the fans will ask you well I don't know why is the cutoff here but not here he's played 840 minutes which is about a hundred fewer than staff who is gonna be the least but that's coming back yeah I'll be back this weekend probably and a guy like um jaren jacks in junior who I think would have an incredible case he's played 657 minutes due to injury plus foul trouble that's that's wherever the cutoff is he's below it um mr.
he may he may be one of the top 12 permanent players in the western conference but he's missed too much time Anthony Davis is 180 minutes higher than that but Ann counting with the misgans I have him as a question mark right now because unlike like one of the things you have to consider is like where people talking about this guy is the mvp for any sustain period of time yeah and I never really bought it because you have to part of being the mvp is sustaining that level of play and he didn't start off that way and he never sustains it but for 15 games or whatever it was it's like you see the best player in the league right now like that that that matters that should be part of the debate that's like a games it was more than that that's okay so he's out for you he is because I think he's just gonna continue to misgains the hardest one for me with Zion and Zion's 29 to 42 but he's gonna keep missing but he's 26 7 and 5 61 percent I just thought he played about a thousand he's played about a thousand minutes so he's played 150 more than 80 he had some quarters and some moments that were absolutely flabbergasting um just kind of dominant in a way that much like Davis you start thinking like man if this guy's in a playoff series he could just win the series like it and I don't even know you could put him against any team in the west and Zion might just destroy them for two weeks and all of a sudden that teams out and for me Zion's in over Davis because he played more games and I think I think ceiling wise I think they were pretty close I know Davis was awesome for that whatever it was six seven games but I think Zion was a little more consistent over the course of the year before he got hurt I have Zion in tentatively yeah over with the power it's like Cameron Paul George right and Paul George is missing a bunch of games and I don't think I love Paul George yeah he's been typical Paul George is 24 and six some assist he's basically pointing forward for them but as usually he's missing a bunch of games and I gotta be honest can I do a local berry in here let me just can I finish on that a little quick plus eight with Zion on the floor plus one with him off the floor monster clutch numbers every Zion every Zion lineup like without McCollum Ingram whatever is a major plus and I guess all that is great and in the end I also default to like don't the pelicans kind of have to have an all-star like doesn't feel wrong to have no all-stars from the pelicans and it's not going to be Ingram's missed too many games McCollum's coming on too late like it just feels like Zion should be an all-star that's all maybe that's a lame cop-out argument but I feel like that plus the stats is enough for me yeah there was a YouTube clip of Lebron's great Zion's greatest crunch time moments this season just watch like what the defense watch how they're reacting to some of the stuff where he's like they clear out the right side for him or if they post them up like it's there's he's actually unstoppable nobody wants any more than they can't nobody can figure out how to defend him Davis you can like at least double him you can do some stuff Zion I haven't seen and he's he's malleable like he can face up he can I don't know the Clippers I actually think this is your chance I think they should trade one of the two guys whoo whoo whoo I don't think your best two players complete can be completely unreliable from night to night and I think you know how to take by the way not a hot take by the way you should you're we should hope your best players are one of them is I need one of my two to show up every night and I think this is one of things that's been so special about the Celtics season like Jalen Brown got an ASEY's out for like 10 days you got an injury and all the Celtics were like what Jalen Brown's gonna be out for 10 days what we're so used to these guys just 36 37 minutes and they're reliable and they want to be out there and the load management all this stuff with these two guys I just don't think you can win two playoff rounds much much less win the title win day to day week to week you have no idea if your best two guys are gonna play three games in a row and they I think they should trade one of them so you're bailing out this clipper era is over for you you're only out is these two guys as the fulcrum of a team that can win a title I don't I think it's done and I think both of them are great assets I think you get more for Paul George and listen if if you wanted to get on the horn with Philly and there was some maxi Harris Paul George let's talk about some other stuff for the trade like that's how I'd be thinking if I was the Clippers who was that for the for the Western Zach did the lean back and I'm on YouTube I'm on my brain break no I mean that I think you have to think in that way you have to it's interesting I don't think I don't think they're there they should be but if they're making the cake you can't perpetually be in well we're just waiting to see what our team looks like we're just waiting to see what our team looks like we're just waiting to see what our team looks like and also like you've built this team around these two guys and a bunch of role players and let's be honest they're all role players except for the two guys but the two guys don't play all the time and if it's one guy on the role players you're a 500 team well guess what their record is 22 and 21 guess what not surprising they're best two guys don't play all the time and the kawaii thing I think he's done as a superstar because he's just not reliable anymore he isn't doesn't play all the time and this is who he is it's not going to change it's hard to argue against you in that regard he just doesn't play enough and we're not discussing him as an all star because he hasn't played enough and and Paul George has had a ton of injuries at this point and he's what is he 32 years old and I just don't think he's 2019 Paul George and I think he can get there some nights but you need consistency you need to be able to be out there for 10 weeks in the spring 10 weeks it's potentially 26 27 games and those guys aren't gonna be able to do it they're not and it's every other game every other day once you get past the first round it's every other day I'm telling you they need to trade one of those two guys they have to sixers are the right place to look yes heat would be a right a correct place to look one way or another like those are the teams you know that that sniff around things like this Toronto you know yeah well they've been I just don't know anytime we're talking trades just around I just has to be blind mentioned um how about Memphis I don't Memphis is just a hard no one we're not trading any of our our big three guys so I don't know how they get into it's got to be straight all the picks all the swaps they just don't have enough salary to get up to 48 about the next can't can't ever discount the next I would trade Paul George if I was the cookers because I don't think why as a market because you don't know where you're getting and I don't think anybody would want to deal with the week to week away so Barbara oh wait you're just not gonna play for a week okay cool how's your name and it's getting better oh we haven't heard from you kawaii we called you five times yesterday you didn't answer you know you they keep banking on we're gonna see our team we got a CR team I will say this parents man in the starting five thing um and benching red you Jackson yeah it's looked great so far I thought their game against the Mavericks there it was the best they've looked for a half it was the first half and end up winning by 12 maybe the best they've looked all year the Celtics win Toronto win those are both really good too it also feels like a not last chance saloon kind of move but kind of like we gotta try something like they were kind of like we're 40 games in and this isn't working like we gotta try something dramatic it's it's it unnerved me a little that a team that's supposed to be this good and this deep is kind of reaching and flailing a 40 games into the season for like a jolt of coherence not just energy but like why do we just pass the ball around aimlessly on the perimeter on offense like we need some juice it's like how do we need some juice like just need juice should have a lot of juice on hand as you know I'm in LA and I may or may not have some Clippers tentacles and also season tickets this is not like a 100 happy team I don't think it's been a happy season I don't think it's been a totally happy four years because it's always always always unstable they never know week to week who the team is and after how many years I don't think it's sustainable and if you go through if I'm just gonna read you list of teams and you tell me what team would you rather have right now for the next five months Denver you'd rather have Memphis you'd rather have I'd rather be the Pelicans I'd rather be Dallas with Luca I'd definitely rather be Golden State and I think just for this playoff just for this next six months and I think I'd rather be Dallas I don't know if I'd rather be Dallas but the others are you would rather have Luca than this weird Clippers team I mean the Clippers have beaten Luca in the playoffs twice I'm saying I'd rather be Luca and you could we could have a Sacramento versus the Clippers argument at least we could we could have an argument because here's the thing with Sacramento they could still have a trade they have other picks they have Keegan Murray like they have a lot of moves they can go with they'll want to the Hawks for her that's that I think is like whatever in comfort but I think it's one of those ones that bounces year after year the Kings called the Clippers right now and said we'll give you Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray for Paul George what happens someone floated to me a Harrison Barnes Keegan Murray for God who was it it was it was a player of that ilk where like a big aggressive win now in an nobody Kings it was an anobe it was an anobe somebody on another team yesterday we were spitballing was at the Nets game we were floating around why why won't the Kings why aren't why aren't we sleeping on the Kings is it all in I'm not saying I'm wide awake and he pitched Harrison Barnes to me as a centerpiece and he pitched Murray as the sweetener because Harrison Barnes is on expiring or Murray's centerpiece Paris and Paris money money wise yeah and and my first reaction was I keep hearing these Harrison Barnes these fake Harrison Barnes trades people here some Barnes is pretty good like the Kings need any leader of the team and all that they need like a good player who has that skill set and he said well I'm talking about and an obi why don't they go after anobe I'm like well how many picks would they have to throw in they owe this pick to the Hawks like I do think one of these interesting things is and this is what it got really nerdy you have all these teams that have traded picks and all the picks have these lottery protections or whatever protections I'll go on themselves yeah that go on forever I do think there's an interesting I don't know if it's a story to be written but it would be interesting to look into the negotiations for amending those picks remember the heat that with Oklahoma City I got the thunder to loosen up the to kick the protections down further like that's what a lot of these things would have to do they'd have to go back to these teams that they've already traded for is like hey man we need to be able to trade this pick multiple picks whatever like what do we got to do to like we're giving we're kind of helping you because we're loosening the protection a bit like we're introducing some risk but maybe not really because short term we're pretty good like we're not gonna we're not gonna just crap the bed no what you're saying is you're better off having the pick be unprotected so you have the ability to trade another pick versus just having the pickled hostage what do I have to give you hey King hey Hawks it's Kings on the line what do we have to give you to just take the protections off our pick because we got to trade three of them right now for x y and z like what's what are the negotiations like if I'm the Hawks I'm like whoa whoa whoa welcome welcome to the party to our lair yeah like why am I settling for like some bull second round pick you know why do I gotta get something basically what you're looking at I guess I can't get for I can't get anything good though because you can't get me a first to do it but it's an interesting little negotiation wrinkle remember when they created the amnesty clause of course in like what was it the Allen Houston rule all that stuff and the reason they did it was there was so much incompetence god it was fun to write a column back then there's so many bad gms everybody made somebody dumb moves that the league collectively said we've all have these terrible contracts on every team can we just do a reset and not have these count against the cap it would be funny if they did that with all the draft conditional draft picks where there it was like an amnesty clause for the conditional draft picks we're like we have decided all conditions are gone and it's just like you get the draft pick this year and that's it I know they would never do that but it would make it a lot easier for these victories I have a hot take for you okay if Toronto called me and said we'll give you an anobe for Harrison Barnes and Kegan Murray I would say no you to know if you're the kings I'd say no from the kings you're that high on Kegan Murray I'm higher on Kegan Murray than I think most people and I'm lower on anobe than I think most people Kegan Murray's been sneaky good for like the past six weeks yet he's seen him in person really well no he's like one of those sneaky oh that guy's six nine it's like how to when you see Tatum in person you're like oh that guy's like six nine um Kegan Murray I just like him I like how he plays I think his teammates really like him I wouldn't trade him I can't speak for how close Barnes is as a leader with that group and clearly they're playing well and you always want to be risky with that or not be risky with that but Barnes has a trade asset with that expirant contract in the picks and he's throwing Rashaun Holmes all of a sudden you can get to the 30 million range pretty easily I think the kings should make a move I really do I think I think they can win a couple playoff rounds if they turn Harrison Barnes into a Paul George type player this guy convinced me yesterday that I need to be looking harder I would also like to convince you and don't count out desperation oh for sure there's one slump away from there one slump away from uh oh we can't get to your 17 of not making a player an owner who's never tasted it you can't like discount it's like with the idiot go bear trade was these new minnesota owners like oh let's go for it tip coddly let's uh let's do a couple rapid fire how close did you get to considering this guy hmm um Anthony Edwards on my list to her building or just on the list no he was like he was my my uh my last cut I can't forgive him for seeming to be out of shape for the first three weeks of the season basically but the guy that he has been the last three four weeks has been an all-star and he's remember we were talking on Tuesday about I think it was you and me we're talking about the best part in the court how that should be a stat yeah every every game where you guys had a couple best part on the court games he's been the best player on the wolves and it's not really close um I actually think he has a better case than I had thought originally yeah 24 six rebounds four assists 46 percent shooting 36 percent on threes there are plus one and a half or 100 possessions when he's on the court and minus six when he's off the court good clutch numbers the advanced stats really do not like Anthony Edwards and I think that's a high turnover so so defense unreliable defense I think he's gonna grow into a great great defensive player he's not there yet the eye test and the more traditional stats and what he means to the wolves scream out that he deserves pretty serious consideration I think he's probably gonna fall a little short of my 12 man roster like guy 13 14 15 but he's closer than I thought here's why he can't make it and here's why he's not at all-star yet Wednesday night Minnesota starting to get hints of momentum maybe three days rest they're at the trade the trades like can someone please just make us a dumb offer for bug on a bench so we can officially go after wemby-jama and sedique bay your calf hurts you're gonna sit for two weeks like they're just dying to officially go for wemby-jama Minnesota goes in there and they get destroyed what they lose by 20 I'm looking at it was a bad game it was a bad game it ended up being pretty close to 20 yeah they're all this other down 20 in the third quarter this game Minnesota needs I watched a little bit they're just like the the vibe on that team is just where we have we we have a podcast with Austin Rivers now on Friday on Fridays on the Ring Room B.A. Show and we put it up today and I haven't listened to it yet but I'm really interested to see if he talks it's just the kind of game that you should win when you're trying to get some momentum for your season and the fact that you just get killed to me is a horrible sign like that would be like if I was running the team rolls I was like do we need to fire a coach like do we need a new direction but Edwards 20 points eight for eight two free throws you have two free throws in the game against the trade that's where I'm like you're not there yet Jeremy Grant I can't get there he's almost there I think he'll fall short for me to shooting a lot of it this year I think there's a lot of guys I don't know if you if you flipped him in Devin Vassal for that on the blazer's team but they are you on the cell island with me no there's no island he's he's he's a he's a landmass there's a big he's a big he's a called the sack and a landlocked today yeah he's landlocked he's good Jeremy Grant 24 and 3 42 percent on threes I just can't buy I'm not quite there I would have personally would have McElbridge is over him because of the defense McElbridge is kind of falling off he was in this conversation early for me he's down to 49 percent on twos well he's just like the lack of Booker has just sunk everybody on that team it shows you how important he is to just everyone is now stretched I'm more defense for that but yeah I'm with you the other one I just wrote down was Aaron Gordon oh I'm so happy I'm so happy season for him and also like back to yokage we still have like 12 minutes left for Yokage time I just so happy Yokage has toys it's like watching a little kid who gets like he's like oh I'm gonna go play with my Legos over there and Aaron Gordon's the Legos it's like oh police Legos and even just and every once in a while Yokage just he sees Gordon he's like oh I'm just gonna just gonna sit up Gordon for the next two minutes this will be fun I wonder if I can get an alley up where he can dunk on somebody or I wonder if there'll be a backdoor cut I'm just so we've always like Gordon he's always been a guy a lot of teams of like and it's just so funny that he's on the absolute perfect team with the perfect guy for him and he's perfect for Yokage he's the perfect stretch for you would put next to Yokage right if you're taking everyone to leave it would be somebody who does a lot of this stuff Gordon does anyway I'm happy for him so I would probably put him a little over Jeremy Grant yeah not have a little bit of those guys it's hard to compare roles because he's just like he doesn't have to do as much heavy lifting on offense oh he's getting like these duck in post-ups and doing some other stuff like that I'd probably put him over any other warrior we didn't even mention like Draymond Clay pool with things like I don't think any of those guys have a lot of stuff this year pools numbers are pools of ants numbers are like whoa also like sneaky pool sneaky on the are we sure this guy's fun to play with him he's got positive this guy's fun to play with he's a good passer when he passes well they're forgetting freezing out clay in the 54 point game clay head flames shooting out of his rectum and pools like clear out I got this one it's like what about the guys literally on fire two feet away from you anyway Aaron Gordon 16 and 7 59% shooting 37% on three is 65% on twos defense defense he's he's the best defense player on their team has the best guy on the other team basically no matter what this is sometimes six three he's guarding sometimes it's point guard sometimes power forwards like there are people who think he should do their backup center he's been ridiculously good I hope I hope he gets a real look I don't know if he's gonna make my top 12 but he deserves a real this isn't this isn't a token like hey let's just say his name no no he's guy number 20 in the all-star conversation but I like to say his name he's not he's a real candidate to make the all-star team I headed you mama or you had everyone else on that team other than you'll get he's a real he's been the second best player on their team two other pieces of that case one by the time we actually picked this team the nuggets will have like a two or three game lead in the western conference and the one seed should have two all-stars I am a the one seed should have two all-stars guy that just assuming second erringord and really fun guy to happen in all-star game oh my god like don't sleep on that piece of this like do we want seven guards or do you want erringord he loves he loves the all-star we got so much he's number 50 because he feels so angry he didn't get a dunk contest right despite all his 50 getting in maybe he'll be a second entry to the actual dunk contest but who's in this year it's shade and sharp who else is in it zach you get more focused on the shaded sharp thing no I'd like to change sharps in I just named him who's in the dunk who's in the other focus on shaving sharp in the slim dunk contest not a big enough they want to focus yet I think this is gonna be we always wonder like to save the slim dunk contest they might be shaded sharp this year I think I'm just broken I think after the Levine Gordon duels it's been so bad that like I like my expectations are just nothing so I actually think this is our shaded sharp could save the dunk contest this year he's had I don't know if you've been focused on it but there's like been just do youtube shaded sharp no he's a regular he's when Vince Carter does the upper room segments on NBA today for the dunk of the week or whatever he's always one of the finalists he's like different he's eating the rim on every dawn he's up for a second higher than people normally are yeah Aaron Gordon he he um he was one of my toughest cuts but if we can't have an all-star team that has eight guards so if we're gonna talk forwards for like backups you're right it's Zion and then you're in this Paul George mckayle bridges Aaron Gordon and Anthony Davis like we're in this whole story I have no hard evidence for this other than the statistics of the other players that are also really good it just doesn't feel like an all-star season for Paul George I don't know why I agree it's it could not be Aaron Gordon see if you get just listen is you listen your pod does he listen to my pod yeah does he listen podcast probably does I don't think I don't think you'll catch has any engagement with any NBA media the second he leaves you don't think you don't get all arena you don't think you get your this brothers are city rather breakfast able to see us right now um Denver is all right so Denver's at the Clippers tonight tragically I cannot go it absolutely kills me but maybe this magic game on Sunday you'll get you could go in and be like I'm just gonna get Aaron your Aaron Gordon 45 points tonight to boost his all-star all-star just be like yolk it just tasks for the game I don't know what it's time to go for the Clippers today maybe it'll just be on it's on ESPN I'm gonna see if I can get a 2020 I can't wait for this game because the nuggets own the Clippers have owned them since the bubble when they broke their souls yep destroyed them the other day destroyed them it was like 68 to 28 at some point in that game and after the game Kawai made a stink by Kawai standards about not playing in the second half like we gotta you know try to get a rhythm in all this it's like oh you think uh and why I do it yeah and ty Lou was like let's see how we respond because we get these guys again in a week or whatever it is all right well let's see it because the nuggets look at this match up like we got we got this like we're good we know how to play this team so they have Clippers today magic Sunday blazers Tuesday timbre wolves pacers so pacers will be how long's however now do we know I think they said re-evaluated in two weeks or something Christ oh what a bummer it was multiple weeks god um but yeah I think the nuggets could go on a run and I think yolkach to me now is if he's on national TV I think he knows I you know he's not a big self-promoter but I think he knows when the nationally televised games are happening and uh I just think you know people are gonna get there they're gonna join us that's the thing about yolkach like he literally he legitimately does not care he doesn't want anything to do with any of this he just doesn't care about the fan he doesn't care he cares about the money everyone wants more money I think he cares about I think he cares about putting on a show sometimes I think he cares I think but I think it's I think it's more I think he likes having fun I think he likes testing himself like can I really throw this pass like what if I did this and try to hit that guy I don't know how much of it is like a show for the fans but I buy that and he's the most fun player to watch in the NBA all right well that I mean I don't think was there anybody else that you want to bring up I mean I don't know I thought I was interested enough games the only other interesting point I had was teams that just we didn't even discuss anyone on the roster and there's only two keeps them in San Antonio when we did the East Coast team when we did the East Coast we didn't discuss Charlotte to trade those really Charlotte Charlotte would have been a little mention had he not missed three quarters of his season there's some of them a little statistical stuff going on that's kind of fun like he's just shooting 12 threes a game this year oh I yeah I wonder you you would talk a lot about what I like to play with this guy he should be a guy that you like to play with because it was passing I wonder how much guys like to play with him he shoots a lot like a lot yeah it's it's a little similar to the triump thing yeah it feels like he's gonna see if he can score 30 points a game this year on a bad team I'm okay with it that team's 11 and 32 that was like one of my biggest locks they're over under was like 36 wins something like that and what was that team gonna win 36 games and it wouldn't it wouldn't matter if LaMello had been healthy all season they're not they're not a 500-ish team the thing for me is they really missed the boat on getting rid of those veterans because like I think they could have gotten Westbrook and one of those picks for roger and hayward probably before the season I think is a reasonable trade if it had only been one first one pick yeah one pick I just would have done that in August like oh those picks are for sale here would you like Kelly you're right too let's keep talking like well I hate to say it Hayward never plays never gets just like that's just a given at this point he's gonna give you 35 to 40 games whatever it is he's not gonna play and and and but you know what he does give you the two weeks when he is playing they'll upset somebody right good player when he plays he's still like 18 5 and 5 when he plays he just doesn't play all right that's it for the west you got you got a football we get a pat pat's are out right pat's are out you know what they had pat's are done the eight night bad season the east is better than the west that was my big lessons from the sexercises and it's not even close it's not even close it's not even closer lopsided they had it's more top heavy and deeper and I think that's a bad sign for the playoffs for the west is it a bad sign for the players is it a bad sign for the teams at the top of the east we have to contend with each other to get out of the I like being seasoned I like getting through the tough games versus like Denver or Memphis they might have one tough playoffs series the way this is going you don't fear Cleveland more than Milwaukee as a Celtics and do you were talking yeah honestly my number one fear I'll never fully emotional recover from that two weeks last year trying to beat him and he's the same guy I know his percentages are down but he has that middle to all year and I don't know it's been a weird bucks season I think he's had to do more than maybe you want him to do but when they have other dudes back by the way middleton's another like sneaky how long do they live along wondering whether he's gonna play or not before they make a move yep every every recovery comes with a setback I'm still knocking on wood that this one will be the time that that doesn't happen but it's it's been a while now and it was not really supposed to be a while and as we talked about already he's uh potentially a free agent this summer which feels like a big a big deal he's extension eligible don't think that's gonna be in the cards unless it's a number that's very friendly to the bucks he's like 32 years old now yeah seems like seems like kind of a big storyline like second best player on championship contender with maybe the best player in the league and they can't replace them because they wouldn't have cat flexibility it seems like a big deal similar to Philly and harden where finally people started talking about harden when who has a chris hanes dropped the Houston was it chris hanes or who has somebody dropped the Houston whoosh oh was whoa that's right it was a christmas yeah um it was wojon christmas that's right um and oh that's right James Harden potential free agent seems like a big deal let me tell you something James Harden is the last thing lasting that rocket state needs hey here's another guy that's played defense welcome aboard let's see if we can give up 200 points in the game bill Simmons thank you sir uh you guys all know where to find the bill Simmons podcast who we have it there's one is there's one today yeah I did a big football thing today I know how I wanted to so oh very nice little MMA and then the rewatchables um the rewatchables it's one word on the rewatchables so we did cliffhanger and we did sideways so far and then we have three more coming this week sideways was on showtime recently when I was on the peloton I was like this is pretty good sideways so pretty good yeah it's good to see you glad we did the home at home thank you have fun