And now, hello, welcome to the Wopos podcast on a summer Friday morning in late July where the NBA should be reaching its Goldrums, but social media just remains a firestorm of cryptic Instagram posts of superstars falling for fake tweets and then Amping up detention with other NBA players. It's a great time in the NBA and it's a great time to talk to sports illustrated Chris Herring author of the best selling plug in the garden. How are you sir? Good second minute.
How are you? I'm good. I'm good. The homework is time for both of us was okay Stop, I down a little bit.
Let's pick five intriguing fits for next season or intriguing Maybe they could or could not happen fits and all the implications of those now that all the activities have more mostly the activity And go from there and I wanted to start with James Harden because James Harden remains in the news Chris every time I do this podcast I have to get out of my comfortable chair because it squeaks when I move it around and bring in a wooden chair That is uncomfortable because it does not move in its wooden and it's hard But it doesn't make sound and so I am uncomfortable I have gotten uncomfortable are you uncomfortable because the Philadelphia 76ers with Daryl Maury dating back to the Rockets times and now James Harden Hopin on Instagram saying he's ready to get uncomfortable. I just now they ruin the word for me I never like the word uncomfortable to get with but now they ruin the word everyone's ready to get uncomfortable And so we have to talk about James Harden and a question that really hasn't been talking about much is the only team that has I think Engaged on any real level with the Philadelphia 76ers since James Harden for some reason opted in to thirty Well thirty five million dollars a reason but now he's a sixer and the only team which James Harden wants to go to as if he's a free agent He could do whatever he wants to spike opting into play for the Philadelphia 76ers is the Los Angeles Clippers And there's not been a lot of talk of like wait a second if that word actually happened And I don't think there's been any traction at all between the two teams And I don't think the Clippers have really shown any interest in offering anything close to what Daryl Maury claims that he wants for James Harden How would that actually work in Los Angeles? So get uncomfortable put on put on some uncomfortable clothes and What I don't even know where to start with this man like there's just so much to talk about with James Harden and the Clippers and the implications for the sixers The applications for Joe L. and B who had some comments earlier.
Well, I guess last week that's earlier this week about winning a championship Sunday Whether it's in Philadelphia or anywhere else where do you want to start with this mess? It's a mess. It's just a mess We can start any number of places. I mean we can start with the clippers any idea that Look, this is a really highly important season for them from this standpoint of needing to put your best foot forward if you want to keep these Superstars around random.
They've been ones that have been on the shelf quite a bit Chris Not to interrupt you, but it's not an important season nine days ago. Go. Why Leonard became eligible for an extension in two months Paul George comes eligible for an extension cricket on all fronts right because I mean how deep into the future Do you want to go with this area of your team if these guys can't be available? I mean that was a question before last season, but I think a lot of us coalescence And like this is the everything the Clippers can do it.
We love the depth that they have and what's kind of awkward about it Now I don't blame the clippers for driving a hard bargain here because why would you just give the sixers? Where they want when who are you being asked do you that definitely need James Harden on your team? Also just unpredictability of James Harden from you know leaving pretty good teams and leaving situations where he's on a contender now Granted they're not like a top-light contender, but they're not the less without the right We like them off the hook with this like they're not a top-light contender. They are a top-light contender They just don't play like it when the series is on the line, but they have everything they need to be a top-light contender I like they should have be they were three two against Boston Yeah, and up at home in game six and just frittered away like they frittered away the same around the results I don't I'm not letting them off the hookers here.
I should be an inner circle title contender on talent Maybe they should be but again, like I here's my thing I would put them here where if they won a title nobody would look back and call it in probable or maybe somebody which right after they Nobody believed enough. They would do the DJ Cali thing. Um They have enough talent to do it as you said We all trust them too, and I think we have all sorts of reasons game six and seven among them and how how their best players are Well, we think I was being a best player show up in those moments So from that standpoint, I'm not giving up much right now certainly on the clippers and we can have the conversation about it At any point of your that effort to do it. I think it would be an interesting look and if you're going all in and trying to show your guys Hey, we went all in I'll put it this way This is the one reason I think about why would do it for eventually not right now is you just tried the depth thing with the clippers I don't think it failed necessarily because the depth wasn't there as much as we thought it was it was the same question You know, it's the same reason all the time It's always that one of your two guys or both of your key guys aren't available So if you catch lightning on bottle of your clippers, you might feel like you get it on your depth You might also feel like if you catch lightning on bottle of those who guys healthy and add in hard into it That that increases your chances a little bit more than having as much depth as you had I just think the baseline answer is you need your two stars But if you want to go forward and try to throw a share on top of James Hart this year I would understand it if I was at this point where I'm more on the fence is the Billy situation just because On the one hand you would feel okay about the idea like it's James Harden We generally know what tends to motivate him seemingly the idea that he was willing to opt in we think it's because he wants to play for a bigger contract down the line He didn't feel like he had the leverage there to get that now and it seemed like that was a frustration with the sixers that he thought Maybe that was coming this off season anyway.
Maybe that was why he took last Monday last year I imagine it probably was but he's a contractor That's a motivating factor. He can't really show his ass the way he seemed to do and he's the situation a few years back Oh, oh, yes, you know, the ass showing ability of a discontent to James Harden for one second even in a contract This guy has turned down Whatever has happened with him in the last three years He's turned down or costing himself so much money with weird financial decisions speaking of which and I don't want to say too much more About this now you know who's watching all of this with like the Michael Jackson eating popcorn level enthusiasm Is the Brooklyn that's who have never gotten over Whatever happened that drove hard in out of there and into the arms of the Earl Morty coming off a private jet for an emotional reunion hug with James Harden They're just in there like oh man, we would love if everything came out one way or another But that's a story for another day. Let's talk about the sixers and the clippers actually because what they have in common is They've really done almost nothing of consequence in the entire offseason And in fact just watch good players walk away that's George and Yang and Jake Milton I guess you'll let her send in Philadelphia They'll be on the rock ball read and the clippers like you mentioned their death Here's what's happening their death Eric Gordon's gone just don't go away They trade like real stuff for Eric Gordon a pick swap that was semi valuable and can hard one out in related transactions and some seconds I think and Marcus Morrison rock record and we're like out of the rotation for the most part in the play awesome So many guys got hurt that they had to resurrect Marcus more as at least so their depth is not what it once was and Around at least the clippers most of the West has gotten better as Dave Saggman now They signed Kenny Martin Jr He's gonna be good for them I think that was good code brown who they drafted at 30 was killing it in summer league before people when that was going on and And so they have they have a couple of they've got some young guys who can maybe do so But this is a team that like sniffed around Chris Paul I think that if not close like decent traction on Chris Paul didn't get him try to get Malcolm I didn't get him everyone around them in their striders here has gotten better They're top two guys are never healthy at the same time like they're at risk as these guys become eligible for extensions And I remain steadfast like I will be very surprised if they are locked into full four-year guaranteed maxing I just think that's gonna be able to go to a time around you just cannot do it But they're staring out in the face and looking at like as the Western conference just compasses by like that's a very dangerous place to be With these two guys that you traded shake up sounds in her in every pick and swap for a half decade plus to get as you're going To a new arena and you know that there's pressure to get a good team in your year one of the new arena and you're looking around like Has the conference pass us by and that's why I don't mind the Sixers being like let's just wait this out because they've got to feel somewhat If not desperate worried that indeed the less that's the let's a clippers situation. What's the stuff about the Sixers?
I mean you name to the top of your pod from the standpoint of the MVP thing Really like that comment came out and I swear to you it immediately made me think back to like draft night of a team being on the clock Just from the standpoint of oh like that's Joe L. B. He can downplay it and say that he likes to troll I mean, he's pretty media savvy like he's very media savvy We watched him for the better part of a whole season talk with a plum about the idea of been Simmons and talk about it Relatively even handedly and not dig in the way that we've seen him before when he wants to so the idea that Joe L. B.
It says or anywhere else However, he wants to downplay after the back This is a guy that has waited has been on a team and the leader of a team There's been to the second round and over there in five of the last six years And he's turning 30 soon. He's been healthy. He's one MVP I mean, he's watched you cycle star players and out of this organization Jimmy Butler then Simmons who you had higher hopes for They've hardened and now he's looking in a situation where the hard situation is awkward He's saying he doesn't want to be there and the idea of you bringing him back well again Maybe in some iteration of all this maybe take your own more of his word You would roll the dice and just say we're gonna bring him back the same way that they did with the business situation We're going to figure it out You have less ability to just do that and just try to say well We hope it works. You can't really roll the dice there if James R.
D. S. He's liable to show that We could debate whether we think he would do that in life how much money is on the table this time This is I mean, I don't know what's a contract he does that and then we actually does play for the six Or else this is why there's no other supers right now because he's not an expiring contract because all of these teams have seen how the movie ends Every single time which is a horrible playoff loss James already blaming everybody else and asking out that's the same movie over and over again now Let's it's hard to know which of these teams is in a more precarious situation It might be the six or five of all just because their superstars just won the MVP and his like three years younger than the clippers Superstars and it actually bizarrely healthier than both of them somehow just by entering the lead with endless health problems Right, so you're more around the radio and Philadelphia This past week and essentially said if we don't get the return we want for James Arden Which is a star player or as we can turn into a star player? We are not trading him even though we would like to honor his request to be traded James hard and then I guess took off I'm not on Instagram.
I guess he took off all his six or whatever on Instagram and then posted that it's about time to get It's comfortable for too long now. He's joining. They're more in uncomfortability So clearly there is a still make here Here's what James Arden is facing that I didn't realize until I started kind of shooting the reason people around the league about this There's an obscure clause in the collective bargaining agreement that says the following a player who is in the last year of his contract Okay, so that's James Arden's an unexiring contract who With hold his playing services from more than 30 days after the start of the last season covered by his contract She'll be deemed I'm paraphrasing now She'll be invited to contract accordingly Such a player she'll not be a veteran free agent and she'll not be entitled to negotiate or sign a contract with any other Professional basketball team unless and until the team for which the player last played expressly agrees otherwise I was alerted to that clause by people who would know what it means and then I check with other people who would know what it means I said guys my idea or does this say if he actually doesn't show up the sixers because he's an expiring contract can block him in perpetuity from signing in the NBA and I checked with legal people and cap people and team people and whatever people and the answer Every time was yes and not only the NBA any other professional basketball team is exactly what you think it is So if you just read that that's why I made the comment about James quote showing his attitude because if it given that reality If he's not treated He kind of has to show up and well, and we know what happens if he shows up and he's unhappy because we've seen it over over again Yes, and that's my thing is look I still tend to air and I don't feel like I'm in the business of giving James Hard as I watched him for long enough We all have but my point is it's not it wouldn't be a fear that he does not show up at all I don't think that that's gonna happen here I think there's too much on the line and that is a perfect Perfectly and romantic exactly what I'm talking about. I didn't know about the class Page by the age of 17 of the CBA PDF on the union website and I like was like It's apparently been in the CBA.
It's not new. It's been in the CBA for like mad. It's not a musician Wow, um, yeah, I've got six or six I've been so little as dear as the old when all this happening work Anyway, I say all that to say that he'll show up I think I think the real thing is whether he'll show up in beginning of this effort and keep in mind Even with some of this stuff as it related to the last time the six are dealt with an unhappy guard forward whatever you were What's the situation where he showed up and thought for I think was a less to pick him out of practice and then I'm not trying to go to bat for anybody here Like I'm first one of these practices. I'm not taking up for this run of players What I'm saying is that that becomes a dispute of sure if he's there and he's in practice and he's practicing He's doing it with a cell phone this bucket I'm actually still gonna be able to get into that he was there and really and James Harden for how crappy he was those last few games in Houston Where his numbers were just off completely from anything he never done there before in the four five seasons previously He can still say he was showing up no question and based on that I think that calls going to be hard to enforce unless he just decides not to show up Which I don't think he can afford to do but then again like he said he's been a total wild part from the standpoint of what he's thinking Why he's leaving?
Why he's opting into a deal? He actually wants to be essentially moved in on the market We can have the conversations all day. He's to me you raise this question before and in a really fantastic feature About Katie about what is gonna? I actually want I raised that at certain point about kind of the rant when all this up was kind of fraying around him And Brooklyn and the idea of asking out when you have what seems to be a pretty good situation in terms of just waiting But there's more to it for for guys in that the money is important the longevity of the contract is important and clearly the winning is not the most important part Because we've seen just in a lot of season alone We've seen a number of guys ask out of situations that looks to be waiting situations You might have to be happy in them, but normally the thought was always your contract You're just kind of right it out plays well as you can and then you know You're on your next thing, but it's really not like that first high recently and with hard and we're not saying I'm happy with this And this is where it all comes back to MD because what if he shows up or not?
And I would I mean just reading the CD is a guy kind of got a job of the windows if he's unhappy or if he's sulking or playing at 60% effort You're kind of doing the same thing you did two years ago where you're asking Joelle me to make up for the semi absence or in that case full absence of the nominal second best player on the team Yeah, this is a guy who every year arrives at the playoffs some combination of injured and tired from going all out for the MP from carrying huge load in regular season from being a seven foot giant person who has to do a ton of stuff on both ends of the floor and One of the six years number one issues if they ever want to win a championship to put Joelle in beating getting him to the playoffs in a physical state Or he can average 30 a game and do joy limit things and I have a negative assist the turn of ratio and the whole thing Can you really ask him to soldier through that kind of situation again? Secondly, I keep hearing how the six years can open two max slots a year from now If they just kind of hold their cards and bring hard and back on an expiring deal or trade hard and for only expiring contracts and have to buy his hair since contract come off the books and It's cool to say that and then you start doing the math You're like oh, they actually can't and here's the math Joelle and beat and Tyree's maxes capital by themselves are 64 million dollars Then you if you trade everything else let's pretend you trade your draft pick you pick up no options You trade PJ Tucker somehow you don't him into somebody's face you still have to let you the 10 minimum Cap holes that come into place at a million a pop that get you like 74 75 million the next season 20 for 24 25 will be about 146 145 47 something in there just with Maxi and MB you only have like 72 million dollars to 74 million dollars in caps base a 30% Max contract is 44 million dollars so you need 88 design to 30% Maxis let alone a 35% max for someone who's been in the league for 10 years So the sixers can talk all they want about how well we got to Max. You have what you have is two almost max slots And so the whole thing is very precarious for both sides real quickly How do you actually think hard to fit with the Clippers with co-island and Paul George and starting five that would presumably be those three Zubots and then pick somebody from the Terrence man Nick Potum Russ then goes back to being sort of the off the bench super super energizer point card. I would guess anyway How do you think that'll works?
I mean, I will say this first of all Let's give it even more like I so heavy team just so I so heavy. We know that I mean We kind of used to that being the case a little bit with hardened lead teams are in all teams anyway It's hard to match the three together because they said there's always somebody hurt within the just the court too guys that they've got What I would like about it Why I think a lot of people were high on the end of John wall be completely clear initially is that those guys were doing so much on their own And that's never really been the most comforting feelings to me those guys having to get their own shots the way that they're getting their own shots And then you add in their injury to it it gets back to kind of what you said about in the team from the standpoint If you're having to do a lot of his own and by the time you get to the playoffs, you know if it's a race The clippers have a couple of hairs it feels like and you know the pace of it just as too much even with them low managing It just is too much on their body So I like the idea of hard and for that I liked it hard because they kind of seem to need someone and something to shake up the team a little bit You made the references before to the guys. They just kind of lost for nothing the guys They're just kind of languished to some extent they're they're good players So most teams they'd be very good players. So I think they could really use them It doesn't mean that it would be a great situation.
You take out the question at that point even if he's a wild card of Is he just gonna be totally unhappy because he didn't get why he wants to go to the club? Even if it's just momentary, he wants that so I imagine that that's a boost to the club first Even if it's just for a while where I mean I can remember saying that the first couple games of the six years Wow, he looks great, but he always tends to do that at least for a while when he's going into this situation when he's unhappy from the previous So I think it would be a game of worth taking if you can give up something that isn't that you don't feel too much Obviously that should be obvious to say that but if you can stretch this out a little bit further the clippers have most of their roster already You know that they're I think they'd be a little bit less impacted than the six or two You know you probably want to get these guys involved the person so used to guys coming in out the line There's something in the line anyway, but I think that they could use them I think at least give you a blouse we should something up maybe that makes the idea of an extension more appealing to these guys without being four years Which you don't want to do I give you opportunity one of this you know We have to do these guys at least see you doing something separate from you I try to add more to add more to add more to players for this roster So I would like it from that standpoint because I think you would get motivated for some part and frankly He still tended to be more healthy than the other two guys are talking about so maybe else you can do that simply too. I like the fit I do I Just think that the the like when I made my all-star team last January or February when I wrote it I had James art in on it and I remember writing like I can't believe how many also our rosters I'm seeing from media people that don't have James art in on it on month left in the season I had him pencils a 13 million gay art and then he kind of mismeans and they sent to where the first line I bumped him out he was also much here awesome and The level of playmaking that he would bring is something that they just have never had around Kawaii and Paul George And if you surround that with shooting and the line up I just read as you guys in four guys who can really really shoot in part By we started actually taking catch and treat three last year a little bit But you should never done before it never done for like eight years And he's got a lot of experience running sort of wing-wing pick and rolls with guys with guys with so you can see I scream for him or Paul George for him or whatever. I think it would work my worry would just be They or any would get them were free throws.
This is the last season. They were average of three throws But in the past they have really just not got enough at the line My only worry would obviously defensively you're gonna take a step back and then just they're already slow as all hell and they've been dying to get Anyone to make them faster. It's why they like normal. It's why they love Terrence man And they just would get so goddamn slow with hard and those two guys playing together that but I think it would be Not I think it would fit really well And I think they need a jolt of talent of actual a level talent to complete the top of the lifestyle Yeah, you raise a point that I really think about a lot I mean look it doesn't sound like and then maybe it was never even possible I know that you know six or single everyone again The tires max is going to be there So I don't think it would be looking to move him but the name and the other situation It's obviously like if you're just playing fantasy GM Yeah, you add a little to that roster You know losing max you would be intriguing the people that want to see you know three or four year window that you're really maximizing Jollibee's prime Maxi I love him and I understand it like when we talk about title contention The idea that I'm gonna top like contender like we were saying for if they do that without James hard there And again, like a part of this there you have to be a full effort for that type of understand But if hard and not there you're asking for a lot of progression from Tyree's maxi And I think the playmaking part is is where James harden even if you don't love him as a player The guy led the leading of this last year for game.
He still sees things that just times your not going to expect a third In a fourth year Tyree's maxi to see you know, they're totally different players understand that in some ways If the clip is going to land somebody with his feet in his playing making you would love to do that Obviously that's not going to happen But the clip is to do a lot worse than landing somebody like hard understand the conversations around him I understand the frustration about him because I think we've all felt it But there were fans are not I don't care how to deserve a game, but he absolutely helped them I just think his table setting for a pair of players that are so injured and so many of them ever here to be expected That could work wonders for them either they have to lose something process But I totally get it on the course. I'm holding up to I don't see any downside Told him out. You've already lost some pieces of your rotation in your depth So you want to make a bunch of that as you can as you go after him to get some sort of jolt Sort of difference and of course as you bring up all that stuff There is this sort of largely theoretical three-teen trade between Portland the clipers and the sixers where all these guys Change places it has been mostly theoretically. I don't know if it's ever done anything.
I don't know if there's any discussions at it all I also think the clip is just if I really probably have a little Retroactive anxiety about an idea that trades that send out a good chunk of their future for a super star or an aging sort of former super star Star star by which I mean if the sixers view is that our best path to turning James Harden into a legit second Indiana is we gotta get Terrence man and two first round pictures of the clipers I just like can they do this again where they just have no draft assets and no young players and they're all in again around 30 So I'm sure there's something kind of about that But I do think that would work. I do wonder about like you mentioned the table setting leading the lead in a system You play as he was awesome Feels like every half season he does that we then hear afterwards from either him or the coach or both about how You know that was cool But he really kind of wanted to play James Hart his way and we know what James Hart is and another guy who likes to have the ball And I say a lot of school I learned who's better at it Well, he's better at it for certain parts of the court than James Harden is that would be a whole thing All right, let's turn the page. I don't know about this morass of this content anymore And then and then Up of which reporter was that has Chris hey, so what do you think about conoff the bench for the words? Yeah, oh, oh, they made you go.
I'm yeah I'm gonna come up the bench. They made you go. We'll decide all that in training him and that was kind of like a oh Okay, okay, all right Chris like so the worst I'm supposed to be so the worst starting five was for a time until injuries kind of deal But the best lineup in all the basketball last year snafclay We can just dream on in me all five of those guys are back Chris Paul is now on the team heading up a bench that will feature him and Jonathan Caminga and Bozis Moody and Gary Payton second and maybe Cori Joseph and no backup center and maybe pods that guy they just drafted Obviously we've all talked about how Chris Paul kind of represents a change up in style in tempo from the Golden State chaos engine How Chris Paul could it can maybe be their best chance at not falling off the cliff when Steph Curry comes off the bench and give him an identity When Steph Curry comes off the bench Now if your number one reason for trading for Chris Paul Well, if you check that if your number two reason behind dumping Jordan pool salary and ending this apparently untenable situation between Jordan pool and dream I mean which somehow keeps getting worse. I don't understand now dream on is going after Jordan Jordan door pulls dad is going after dream out on Instagram or social whatever dream on his firing package or somehow parents are now involved and then Dream on falls for a fake tweet A fake aggregator posting a fake Kevin Kevin our neck and then goes a Kevin Garnet of all people can you imagine the This month that like the fake aggregator that actually did it like just they have to be padding himself on the back till the first time Chris I get people for that.
It's a funny. It's a smart. We have tons of smart people falling for fake Twitter accounts It's been a hundred million degrees in Phoenix for like six months and it's just really we really it's a really a real complaceness They just use the big tweets as the like a very good Very good Things happened where I see new stories. Yeah, I just stop.
I'm like oh my god. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah I'm with you.
I'm with you. So anyway Yeah, I'm fascinated by I can also readily admit like readily admit that when I saw happen my first thought was I kind of like this And I know a lot of people don't I know a lot of warriors even that you know Brian Horsehead earlier this week on this later said initially that priority number one here whether the word say I'm not a one to don't like a controversial say I don't understand my black to couch that I'm like nobody wants to say that why does nobody want to say that's we know what though, but like there's still enough believers out there I like to bring up to a point in the last one before The barbershop companies he is like the perfect delineation like barbershop of a lot of people think that that guy is still really really good They obviously lapses on defense during pool The lapses on defense the inefficiency the turnovers that I think he was like fourth and the league in turnovers last year despite the fact He's not he was definitely first in the league in turnovers They need you think what was what just happened like was right actually do here's the craziest thing and like I love this about my sister Not completely completely completely on the basket by others watching watch games like outside my sister has been really big I don't say nowhere, but like recently become a really big fan and Jordan pull his one favorite players largely because of all the means that he's responsible for and all the Basis that he makes a he's so funny like I feel like I just want to be friends with them because of the face He makes it like the reaction that he has but I respect that level of engagement in I mean I would be if I were GM I'd be like 2% more likely higher coinciders just for the faces. Oh my god I'd be 10% more like but you know, I don't make faces too if I was creating this return from the he is a lot of so I hear all that So to be able to unload him even if that's part of number one I'll know him and bring it a guy that is sure handed ran the climbing older aging But also still when he's healthy and that's the biggest part nine I understand when he's healthy is not turning the ball over You know whatever it was the craziest is to throw a show that he's always had still gives very good effort on defense and still Defense I won't say bigger, but he's capable of defending guys He's capable of making places to rebuild his all hell on the board There's nothing he hasn't seen he's still a good min rain shooter He's still very sure any runs a lot of pick and rolls which runs counter stylistically to this team Which seems like a good candidates run the size of all that to say that when they first dealt for him my expectation off-rip Was that this was a guy that was coming off the bench? Maybe it's presumptuous now I know it is basically what he said to suggest that he kind of knew that and the team had maybe even communicated with him It's very clear that was not the case.
It hasn't been the case He said in response to question. I would imagine that like any who asked my question Maybe it wasn't her but it was a good question completely fair question for sure It also speaks to the idea that this is a lot harder for players of his caliber That it is for us as people that cover sport. I cover come nothing for years Not right up until he was dealt so Casey, but we all remember the press conference and which he laughed off the question Potentially coming off the bench. He's literally and that's a friend group with Chris wall, you know the whole thing What happened?
I love a bit of a reference Chris. Just knew I was talking to y'all recently on a late I don't know what to tell speaking of There's a bit of a man about it's an end of a job, but I didn't get to that part I believe he's a man about it's people on the end of a point I'm assuming y'all was he Well, we also have a bit of a thing out there, but come on the end of it Which makes it funny anyway, but they were all part of the SBC Now man is messaging shelter thing to send a cell on the phone So he wasn't actually able to always correct that but they're very close friends They I mean these are guys that have excelled as well. They're all they're all the neighbors It's not surprising the Chris Paul would expect that even if this was the best line up in the league last year Statistically that like you're going to make room for Chris Paul. I would prefer they not do that You know, I would prefer that Chris Paul comes in says man.
I don't really want to show you before I really want to know what that feels like I want to answer that I imagine he's capable of doing that But it's not just snapping your fingers and it happens It's also a situation where I might be better for him physically to come off the bench to give them to not mix and match the So I also just have him run the bench you can operate with that style off the bench I also makes sense that the Warriors might want to run a little bit more a lot more than Chris Paul does at this age I think it makes perfect sense run a couple of the bench and I like the For them to do that I like the idea of maybe being able to say more healthy and roll like that They may be playing him heavy minutes and then wondering like we'll use them at the end of the game because we use them At the beginning at the beginning of the third. I like it I see the potential pitfalls in it But I don't see a universe in which Jordan pool unless he's a totally different player Was a better fit for them. I thought he hurt them last year and I think a lot of the fans about the thing we agree I like Chris Paul on the 2024 warriors more than Jordan pool on the 2024 warriors and that's the most important place to start They also thought that even Chenzo didn't really replace him although I guess they would consider like a full season of GP2 And and good in ways that can really help their team. I don't really care who starts or encloses because I'm not invested in it Whether he starts or not, he will be on the floor and crunch on a fair number of games If he thinks he should start or if fan X thinks he should start then obviously the question is who among Steph Curry clays times an Andrew Wiggins Rayman Green and Kaban Loney is coming off the bench and real guys definitely Well, we've stuff is not and yeah, and Wiggins is wing defense is too essential to just kind of keeping everything together Mm-hmm.
And that leads you with clay dream on a loony We know that they have been willing to bring loony off the bench when they feel they need to go small when they feel stress about their spacing Can they survive on the glass and defensively and all that in the regular season? They don't have a backup center. We'll see an agent pitch to me last night The idea that dream on should come off the bench and that Christian start over dream on and the theory was a He did come off the bench after the sub owners to stop in the playoffs and seem to take to the role until the team and Okay, that's a that's a right and also just like endless amounts of noise about dream on like is it just never stops and my response was it's dream on green in the warriors man Like right if if my number one my number one Good reason for acquiring Chris Paul is to stabilize the team when curry is on the bench It's just fundamentally easier to do that if Chris Paul is a backup number two I understand dream on Greek according to country. I'm not sure how much I want to chip away at the minutes that he encouraged You're the floor that they have is just pure magic.
I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm in a mindset. I think dream on still starts clay had bad playoffs He's not the same guy physically he was pre injuries.
No crap. He had two really devastating injuries to his lower body back to back Was two years plus a basketball To me he just makes more sense as a starter flying around orbiting those guys with the ball Then he does coming off the bench Which I say I guess you're either starting small with dream on the five or Chris. I'm sorry You're 38 you're the new guy you've never won a championship you want to try to win one You're gonna have to come off the bench and by the way by doing so maybe we can keep you to 24-ish minutes And so you're not hurt in the playoffs and a very small bonus No pun intended if Chris Paul coming off the bench is if we're already in the bonus all his bogus rip throughs and all the stuff He does actually get you free throws instead of getting it because we know Chris Paul as soon as you get into the bonus It's rip through city and so you might enter the game in rip through. I know that's a small thing I just don't and look people get hurt Steve will make adjustments if they make a play off to soon they do and maybe he starts in those situations I just think he's got a come off the bench.
I got questions in that. I just I just want to tell you around man, which is not here coming off the bat. I think they're I think the warriors are currently today Theoretically open to possibilities of Chris starting for player X whoever that would be I hope that they are They're at least open. I would bet on him coming off the bench for all reasons I think he fits coming off the bench the other question that becomes who is he running spread pick and roll with on those bench units And to me the warrior season hinges if the warriors are gonna get back into the championship conversation to me It hinges on four guys clay and drain mind have to clays got to get back to where he was and drain mind has to just be Dramondering and not have all this noise around all the time and then moody and coming Go need to step into actual roles and to me one of the coming roles is as that screen and dive guy for Chris Paul And the most important thing for John to come to do this season is to get rebounds It's one of the reasons they haven't trusted him with big minutes It's one of the reasons that the coninga dream on green four five combination has not been the successful You hope is actually been mad is he does not get rebounds I don't I just want to see him decide I am gonna be a really good defensive rebounder And maybe that becomes workable.
I think Chris off the bench makes a lot of sense for the team I mean, it's I think it's the eventual answer and to be honest with you If we give the full context, I think you gave most of it the full context around the conversation on Chris Paul whether he was playfully offended Or just kind of think spicy about the question Chris Paul's up Chris Paul's not playfully offended I mean he thinks of himself as a starter and it's full context on it It's never come off the bench anyway not once he has the longest streak to start a career NBA history At least I think it's the 1970s, but I think it might be his way I don't know anyone has the ability to check for the 1970s. He's never once come off the bench as an NBA player So in a line of that it makes sense that he expects that he's a proud player. He should be he's one of the best point guard of all time I get it It doesn't mean that he's a better fit as a starter like we're oh, so don't don't don't think something is not broken And then this is a line of it works better than any other line of the league You want championship for this group. You don't need to necessarily fix that if you have real struggles No, I think it's also much easier to go into it coming off the bench and then when someone's out He gets replaced them then the idea of this line up's not working now We have to bear somebody we got a bear somebody back to what we had before I don't think you want that and I think that that becomes more embarrassing and it allows him I mean to be honest with you What allowed him not said we said to look like he was volunteering to do that and he you know could have been that way I could play into the idea of there's a million involved with it He's trying to just want to win this point.
It's pretty like now it looks less that way But also who gives it to the name of the optics? Like I just proud he feels like he deserves it based on his career also they could still put his idea of the line up with him Replacing something. I don't know who would be best. I certainly don't think it's dream on You know, I also don't like the idea of pulling a dream on run center Like I want to be mindful of his minutes in his role to play him too long in certain roles for when you've got to play out on the You're happy to start so I get it, but I think that ultimately most people you really said to go about it Because Paul's better off the bench.
I'm nearly certain that the nuggets win through the next season as a favor. It's in the West I think Phoenix I have Phoenix is number two. Okay You have to give I love with the Lakers in the offseason and they beat the Warriors in the playoffs in a series that frankly Wasn't as competitive as I thought it was gonna see how the Lakers are too over the Warriors We'll talk about the Grizzlies in a second. They're so really good Minnesota's gonna win a lot of games So clip it just talked about whatever the king said the benefit of continuity and real confidence in by the way Might be the Warriors and the playoffs at the end of the box opera.
It's your before the last game Here's the mark. Let's see three of the others also stuff Oklahoma City is just gonna keep it better Dallas reloaded and reshaped like by default the Warriors will have very low Championship odds when all the projections systems come out and that's fair because they they have some question marks They're getting older and everyone in the West is pretty damn good minus the blazers once they trade damage to me To trade and you know the rock and the spurs in the guys will have some questions to him You I still think the Warriors can put together one last time I run I'm not counting out until they're dead and buried and I like this team And I think they're gonna come back hungry I think they're all pissed off about how last season was sort of a rye from training camp because of the punch and never kind of found It's equilibrium. I think clay is how he played in the playoffs specifically against the Lakers team in a series that he was really year not for I think they're in combat hungry on that kind of out Sure, we initially came into this talking about the most intriguing bits So I know that we both had one kind of shared here and that's market smart in Memphis And I and I want to stop at the business because because the Boston angle of the straight was just so irresistible because they're taking It just seems so stunning that Marcus Martin not a Celtics not a Celtics not a Celtic and Chris not putting his is It's like whoa, that's a big shift for a team that has deep into playoffs every single season in two games for the title two seasons ago That the Memphis angle of it has been short-change the grizzly straight tie is joined the two first round picks to get Marcus smart John Rehble missed the first 25 games of the season to suspension When he comes back their starting five is almost certainly going to be John Rehble Marcus smart Desmendane during Jackson Junior's even Adams that's in Moran smart and Adams three guys who are shaky to in Adam's case Not exists in three pointers for a team that has been a bad half-court offense even omitted rise to high season the West off the bench You'll have I'm guessing one of Moran and smart runs point on second units Just with that of canard Santiago Donna and until minute center and over in the car comes back And then there's an open spot there for his algorithms. We'll reveal a rowdy whoever in the meantime While John's out.
I don't know if it's July. They have excited But I'm penciling in canard as if it's started and smart in being kind of one point I just because of the man controversy I kind of feel like these guys are getting lost in the shuffle now They were only 11 and 10 without my last season after excelling without him the year before right you can take the first 25 games If you want I assume they'll survive they'll be 500-ish couple games over a couple games under bigger picture What do you think of the business market smart? Man, it's such an interesting scenario just because I think what the name you didn't mention and I understand why because he's not there anymore It is is ties Jones of I mean obviously to get Marcus Martin you had to give up something and Man ties Jones was like kind of quietly a huge glue to this team of why they were able to play as well I mean what was it 21 and five or whatever it was a couple seasons ago where you know I think people would have wanted to have shot if it hadn't been for how many games You know, then also just a parent back at the team was so good without him What would have been any conversations for some people and ties Jones is a different player than Marcus Martin He's a very very dependable one just from the standpoint of how many games he plays basically always played 70 plus games last year He played 80 Marcus smart not anyone's playing a major program anything He's not always playing out the game certainly he didn't last year So there's that and you mentioned already there's a shooting aspect of it Which this is a team that has never really had as much as you would like around a player like John Bane is obviously a wonderful shooter and someone at the base of the floor can are does it too But which version of Marcus Martin you getting are you getting last year as far as how he shoots last year and really? I think what's a couple years are you You're 33 to 33 to 34 to 33 last four seasons and then before that you had one season of 36 percent and after that is 33 or lower Right, so it would be a great year If you're the grizzly if you get 36 or 37 out of Marcus smart on the volume that we've seen the past and that's the other thing Is it we can talk about volume for Marcus?
But it's a lot easier to have a lot of volume three's when you're playing alongside Jason Taylor Brown versus when Marcus Martin Alina and John Brant's not there so there's that aspect of it to have like his role is fundamentally different on the team Until John's back even was just there sure there's John three got Jared Jackson Jr But it's not the level of ball handling and playmaking that you have with a team that you're coming from that you've been with for the majority of your career He's doing all the play around creators that were more than what will happen So it's gonna be interesting. I don't think they'll gamble with it too too much But it'll be interesting to me fundamentally to see how often there rose is out there with Marcus Mark just to kind of give a little bit more playmaking and creation so that it's not all Marcus Smart shoulders because he can do it but it's not something that he's had to do with a minute of General Brown and Jason Taylor playing awesome So I'm really intrigued by I mean as with something where just like most intriguing things I understand it. I also understand that the part we also have it this year is one that's not tangible from the standpoint This could be a really good guy to have a job here as there. Rose will be your can be for John Maria of just the value of that from a locker room standpoint from a keep your head on straight standpoint And that might carry more value than once it's concerned you could have much bigger ones down the line because that if job is I wasn't a straight narrow But if he's more of a positive locker room figure if he's not doing stuff off the court It's a concern and it's not Marcus smart's job is not that we're happening.
It's not his life But you know, it's intriguing from all angles and I you know, I don't really know what impact it has on them Losing tight stones like obviously you always want to add Marcus more to your team but losing five shows I think was one of the more the one of the less talked about moves Just as far as the college impact it's been so steady with John. Yeah, it's Marcus smart on a three-year good contract more valuable Then Dylan Brooks plus ties Jones Dylan Brooks was an out of region I think it's fair to say probably he is the two first round picks out the door But they're out the door now and the grisels are out of extra picks They have all their own picks and all their own swaps and so can be super active in trades in heaven in the past on guys Like a rant and an obia said whenever big wind comes up they will be making calls But I think given his ability to toggle between both guard positions and guard threes and forwards and whoever at the fair assessment that they've made What's interesting about smart going to Memphis is John or aunt runs that offense Yeah, I think 48 pick and roll's for 100 positions in regular season That was like 12 overall on all rotation players. I don't think I have a look at the numbers recently But Boston's offense was much more equal opportunity than that paid on brown smart white are all somewhere between like 15 to 25 Pick and roll's for 100 positions and all could be interchangeable as ball handler screen or with each other Then actually ran the most pick and roll's for 100 positions on Boston lies season by a lot So there was never this question of like what's Marcus smart doing when he doesn't have the ball because he had the ball a lot And we didn't have it he was often screening for those guys in offense That was kind of equal issue opportunity just in terms of who's involved in on the ball That won't be the case with John as much. I'm sure they'll try some or aunt smart to end game stuff I'm interested in that and just the half-court offense question in general The bench wing stuff is interesting to you and I wonder how often no one talks about the trade part of that trade that Memphis made with New Orleans When there was a million players involved including balance units and Adams was they essentially swapped picks to get up and get Higher Williams and the pick and the Orleans made with the with the was the business was straight Murphy the third which is that's One you like to have back if you're not There's a stone man so much fun to watch the long-term question.
I have for them is Is their identity eventually when they really push the chips in and when they really are ready to win by the way They're not taking up a two seat in the last last year and three. I believe the year before they're really really good It hasn't translated as much in the playoffs as you would hope I thought they did a nice job to see some stuff. I don't know what you can say last Yeah, I like last year. That's weird.
We're also suspension chaos job breaks us in the first game with the end of the charge Adams out Clark out Clark still maybe out the start to season recovering from the killies here They're really really good. I do I often think like is there actual when it's all coming together future? Jared Jackson junior at center and no other traditional five on the floor no Clark who's not traditional five He's a real runner no Adams no tillman is it's all right Is a triple J of the five and do they have the personnel now to get there and last year? I'll let you know today in eight hundred and three Three possession so probably about four hundred minutes with Jared Jackson junior on the floor and no Clark no tillman no Adams They were plus 12 per 100 possessions and absolutely unornable on offense and we'll see some albana particular in Clark With Clark out and Clark Jackson has been a killer combination for years now But with Clark out we will see some albana triple J at the four in the five.
I'm just curious That's all they feel for a team that has accomplished so much and not just because of the Moran suspension and all that they feel still Unformed is too strong of word There's a lot of curiosity about what their final form is going to be in two or three years Absolutely, I mean the Josh is so easy to just be like we'll see him 25 games tonight Like I believe we will but When you have that sort of stuff in the background and the suspensions and the idea of reportedly Stephen Adams like saying to the team in general We got to clean some of this up There's just so much more on the background that we don't necessarily know about and frankly I remember one point last season early on saying like I think this is the team to beat and the crazy part is like you really Again, if it was just access knows sure they could use more shooting sure they could use an OG on a newbie type player And and by all accounts like they were at least trying to go for that and you know the asking price for them to see they had the Making something to do it like just progression wise their progression curve would have been less deep than a team like old state as far as you know Like when they were first I like they had been and like we were saying before they've been waiting without John there So they have enough experience at this point to be in that conversation I just think there's so much more on the foreground and look we're not using teams I have a guy suspended for the first almost third of the season It's like impossible to call it to call it to be your favorite. You know also as I put back we're talking about the shooting They don't have so I understand there's other things they need around now But two three years from now We're not talking about them as a like a high level contender Or a team that's like knocking on the door. It's in the show one one by now it raises questions like what else went wrong because they I mean They were it's in the very easily could have ended up You know, they weren't totally told it would go state certainly but you got hurt in a series It was a positive and they still want to get by a mountain points even after that happens go to say We're going to say it was very good. So they need to be in the conversation There's not anything either which odd in his situation or just the team building that went terribly wrong or injuries Which obviously I was up and it's not that the way job plays you do worry about that There's not just aerial aerial artistry and how we're on a small guard makes you a little bit We're just by funny.
Absolutely. Yeah, they're half-board offenses always that then you lose without Adam's obviously their offensive Everybody they're off into rebound without them. That's what is absolutely I'm really nervous and cross off their offense by itself. You just wonder what the road and you was just screaming and stuff I think smart will fit there fine.
I all my questions about them are I've been able to pick you pick one pick it. You know what? I guess it's intriguing so I'm really interested here. I think there's good.
I think there's some bad George Meagan Cleveland is fascinating to me Wow, George Meagan He's fascinating because to me I actually like to pick up for them more than next years. I understand it for the whole year Like I wrote my first piece of last season on Cleveland like coming out of training camp their media day. I was in Cleveland for that Yes, obviously the down in the middle stuff But more so like they've got for all stars on the team. They're all young guys everybody's younger than 26 I'm revoking the journal and I'll start here on space.
I'll perform for last season It's real It wasn't an injury replacement thing anyway I'm not letting you revoke that because he was the second best center in the league and then just didn't get He didn't get picked initially and then was an injury replacement So in the time you just said that sentence Mitchell Robinson just threw him out the way in another office We don't okay. That's exactly why so like good news bad news is that George me ain't While he's played for scrappy teams and I think he can get in the mix every now and then like he's a big guy He's not a good rebounder like he's not he's a guy that when you look at his numbers I think last year his rebound percentage was like seven and a half which to me. That's hard to do it was very hard It was like double take hard to do I had to look a couple times I'm like oh, this is actually just kind of like not an average reason But like he's a single digit rebound guy percentage wise a lot of the time despite being a bigger Saturday He's six seven But you look at him size wise you know This guy he actually is a pretty good and a lot of someone like cut a lot He's a 40% shooter. He's even better than that one.
He's like wide open for three and this is the role that the reason I went after training capital as your to profile the cast is like this is a team that has Certainly three guys that you think of is like they're going to be all stars regularly They can be also regularly turn down We only expect it but he could be injury replacement or not and they're all young. But that's what's different about it So at that point because we're talking about you're gonna have one guy a lot of times It was more question like who are they using at this bottom to start? Care so where does there? You know so you can use him as a corals seems like it would be perfect They could shoot up and shoot well enough and we saw them running the problem two games in that next series of David there's that pulling a coral out of the starting line because I think if I'll trouble one game and he just you know He's not hitting up the shots to justify taking up the shots to find a role at least in a playoff So you know what I quit so true I understand fills that role for them But I think that Kevin love was actually what I think really hurt them where a lot of people at the moment happen Like why is this team with essentially no playoff experience outside down the middle training the guy has the most Clioppers on their team or not training him away to him to and I understood it was in good faith This guy has been with your franchise longer than any other player So you want to just do right by him, but he was also like a player that could be very valuable for you It's not perfect He's getting older, but like he has a real role with his team in certain situations And then you move on and you watch them They dance with my family and it's in your watching You watch him home That's the cat's get someone various and their playoff parents not someone not someone not even someone they were they were physically just The rest in that series against the team that I can't remember who was favorite in that series But it was certainly reasonable to think that they could have been also the cats at the cat home We're in so for all those reasons the cabin love absence really seems to hurt them George The end is a really good replacement the downside again is that he I don't really remember all now particularly for a team It's not great rebounding team last year and particularly to get shot around in the first one What I like about is that he's a guy is gonna knock on a team that player in that this five a lot of time and Yeah, he'll probably come up with that But he's gonna get a lot of shots at playing with Garland and without a financial and presumably with that He's gonna get tons of opportunities and this is a guy that's essentially 41% of his hope in our wide open breeze So I think it's a really interesting bit.
I also see what a problem areas But it's like yeah, I love Cleveland summer I thought before they did just every day good with whatever resources they had they added a ton shooting I even like the lower contract that I'm at the totally And fine for what he is is hopefully a reserve for them with through sitting in the starting line up The angry numbers are looking at them are really interesting one of the reasons they're so bad is that because he's just he's a spot She's never enough and he never ever gets off into freedom to say the portal zero He had 19 offensive rebounds out of three months in high season. He's never had more than 28 in any season Wow defense of rebounding his numbers aren't good enough for a four They're actually pretty bad for a four. I do wonder if he's one of those guys who is a good box out I'm considering that he's played with go bear and be who are just just eat rebounds You wonder if those numbers are a little bit under rating and as if you've been having not looked into it Anyway, I think look fillies in limbo Milwaukee brought the band back together and rock out crowder back as well Broadly, please I think they're gonna be awesome in the regular season at least and you know they were not picked a little I sure did not so Has made some big changes. I think there's a little bit of a void not a little bit of a window for a team like Cleveland or New York Or Atlanta or Miami who's also in a little bit of a limo right now within to sort of try to crack into like the top three in the East and I think Cleveland has your talent to do that in the regular season.
I want to be one more please I Want to talk about poor John Collins to do talk because John Collins was just a trade a walking trade For four years and then finally got traded and talk about like full of sound if you're You're saying if I'm nothing I mean the Hawks is dumped in for essentially nothing on the Utah and all the conversation was Well, how did that like how did the Hawks manage that situation to that degree? I still think John Collins is good. I've said for years who ever gets John Collins if he's motivated and I think he will be is gonna get a surprisingly good Player you always obviously one of the fuel good stories of last year They were in playoff contention until a lot of kind of fell out and they then they chased at the bottom I Think he's gonna walk into the starting five and they're gonna try to go super big with the Collins market and Kessler trio as they did off in last year with Olinic in that group and you know You look at you talk and you look everything I said before by the West and everyone loaded up and like gut on them is They're at risk for us. They're at major risk for a setback in the last next season You know their guard play and they're playing making specifically with commonly now long gone makes me nervous the lack of perimeter sort of passing talent I Clutch and sex and we'll talk about their garden second but 37 wins feels like a big lift for this group That's what they did last year in this new landscape and yet they punched above their weight the entire season with marketing and Kessler They were plus six per 100 possessions in a lot of minutes And if you take calmly off that that hold if you take calmly calmly and Clarkson off that holds There's something legit about those two guys at least last season at work Collins to me can fit right in as a superior version of a link and then play with a link at the four off the bench They're just a question that comes who starts or who are the guard rotations I don't really answer to that.
I bet they start on body at the two for each ends and shooting and then you know You have Clarkson sex in one of those guys starts a point guard Maybe they put start both of them. I got Clarkson really surprised me with this passing last season You want to do it then you play that role well THT I think we'll come off the bench for them had a fantastic last month of the season This is an interesting group and Collins. I'm not sure kind of how he's gonna fit It's the same thing like Kessler will be the screen center. Collins will have to work as a spacer kind of jack at all jack of all trades Yeah, I should see how it works.
I have not really I mean I'll just see I but I do think you talked about an interesting group when you throw in you know Hendrix the kid they drafted he's gonna be ready to play right away You know the Georgia awesome and some are leading ready to be for minutes at some point if not right at the beginning They got a lot of interesting pieces. I just I just I think the Collins specifically goes there. Yeah It's a fascinating team It's only because like think about the way that they impress us to start last year They were the surprise for the first three weeks or so this season longer than I really be honest with you And you know they slow down as they're quite like they do based on the reproduction of everything else Collins becomes interesting Part of me that this situation says like okay I don't expect anybody to have the transformation that marketed last season necessarily But like statistically when you look everybody have the same reaction when John Collins got ready to be sold to return was like How is that all it took how is that all that and then I got then you look at the reality of what his season was and it's like? Oh, okay I get it now a little bit more like these are career worst numbers from him basically not quite across the board I think he had his right season he's more less but I mean he went from being and it gets back to work I'm not just my earlier there were moments where you're looking at 36% 3.0 Last year you're talking about sub 30 and granted the guys one of the guys fingers looked like a different shape like it Look like a letter and not the letter I Larka L it was like I don't know what letter.
It's like or what I mean It's bigger look like it's three fingers have been in a different direction So if that's why he wasn't shooting well, I imagine it had a lot to do with it. It's why the death wall Oh, like why wouldn't you think he could be in fact there? He can defend he can shoot I mean I don't think of him necessarily as a playmaker, but he can make place where you The playmaking downgrade from a link to him is that third big and like I don't think they're gonna play the three things together Tundell start them in and second but that does worry me a little bit that So that's the thing is like that was the difference with marketing and why I think they kind of took off the start to season He made such a big leap from that standpoint of oh wow he puts the ball on the board He's just blowing by people it wasn't him shooting it wasn't just a shooting so a college can give you some of that if he gives you more versatility Obviously then then an Olympic you expect that that's great for them But you're I mean you're going to get I would imagine there's no way you don't get a better version of him Then what you saw last year and land also had changed so many things about the rotation the guys They had her reddish, you know, these are guys are out all of a sudden you bring in the John T Murray And so it's kind of you know We talked about the lack of movement in it often sometimes because of pretty young This is an opera. This is a really good opportunity for me I imagine it I would hope on some of them omits and it's a fresh start You're not playing under the stress and the address of the constant rumors anymore And I hope that you got healthy where your shot is back a little bit because it's hard to exist in a sleeve as a guy It takes as many group winners as he's taken over his career to shoot that sort of person I don't see him repeating that I think will be better and you know if you're the jazz It's a shot why not like you're not losing much to get them You have the cap rooms to take them on and if you rehab him and then decide we can get something else for him or you know Or that you like them and not to keep on enabling somebody else in your rotation You have that flexibility.
They're still kind of just trying to figure out what they have and I think for that's a way It's really interesting You know, I'd be a little bit surprised to see them in the play. I'll be talking about that much about the Orleans for instance and you know I'm back and even if he's not the fact that the team that easily make the playoffs as well It's it's a lot in loaded Western conference and I don't expect you to be a firm part of the conversation But there's talent there. I think if their guards play about their head next season We could be talking about this. Yeah, I like I said 37 wins.
He was like heavy lift The playmaking stuff also goes back to marketing and that is the next and maybe final frontier in his game He just he doesn't he makes other people better just by the sheer attention that he draws and both is a score and a shooter It's one of the best one on Thursday. I suppose I saw whatever he wants to like because his passing vision just hasn't been there and and Collins is a one to two is this per game max guy No, I guess there's a finisher. I think that's gonna be awesome I think it was also last year. I think there's gonna be 40 game.
They just been running and finishing and deep up obviously defense But I think Collins it all hinges on the three point shot and I'm trusting the track record his four seasons be shot 29 Last year the four seasons before that 35 40 40 36 if you just added enough shooting I'm just able to be like yeah fine. You're starting three seven footers. Whatever the fit is a little weird at some point The talent trumps the fit not strong But the talent makes up for or evens out whenever issues you have and like he's just he's a talent He can score in a lot of different ways. He's an athlete.
He can move around the floor And I if there's enough shooting I trust that he'll just find ways to make shots to post up mismatches to cut for dunks to run the floor He'll just find ways to average 18 points again on a fish and shooting But I mean long term like you said, I mean this season is sort of like well, never it's Yeah, I'm a bad you look awesome late last season Hawkins George They own every Minnesota and Cleveland pick and swap going forward like they remain as well position as anything in the league But I just felt like I want to talk about John Collins as a player another trade not a trade ship like it Are we out of time here? I had one more but I could just mention it let it go We mentioned it let it go mention it let it go like I was like so excited last year when Denver got Bruce Brown and I'm really intrigued by just how fast the pacers are going to play next year They're already really fast getting him getting Oby topping sure there's something left to be fired from the fence at the point Bruce Brown is a good fender that team is gonna just I mean they're playing in the end You know they have 70-500 over here That's gonna be just racing up and down the floor and difficult to stop with an efficient point guard that makes the right reads They're gonna be so much fun. It wouldn't stun me if they found themselves it and the playoff race at all It really wouldn't like they might not be a good defensive team. They could end up being king's east on some level But I think they're gonna be just a pain and ass to try to find a really love even the money I really love the Bruce Brown I Plaid on the base just one of the big winners of the offseason to me among the big winners if they're not only if they're not in the play And that will come into disappointment to me I think they're legit pretty good team who's not far away from being oh boy They're actually good And you know you didn't mention him.
He never gets mentioned. He's kind of like they're John Collins is Miles Turner Miles Herr is good. He's a good player. He's good for what he is He's a really impactful 3nd D center which is a rare thing Yeah, sure hasn't developed the field that you would hold this sort of a handoff guy in a hub and whenever You know he's got a little better posting up this matches and kind of playing his version of believe all like he's kind of in the forgotten guy They're just in the discourse.
He's been so many trade rumors and he got sent He has a reason extension last year. He's really good. He's a really good thing with Halibur and I love their team Chris Herring a book We look forward for you. It's more so straight Just I mean we're in the Ders of the summers.
Probably nothing big right now But I got to work out some stuff for training camp and stuff like that. I'm gonna have a second book So just try your roll out on that but nothing too massive Maybe some stuff for the holiday of the next month. I'll have some reporting on But if you are not reading Chris at s.com Do so if you have somehow not read blood in the garden his book on the 90s next go out and buy immediately by two copies You give one to a friend Chris Herring. Thank you for your time.
I will see you. I don't know in the fall I'm doing my year up D camping pretty soon. So I'll maybe I'll just temper my friend That sounds wonderful to be able to be able to be able to be able to be able to come out