And now the low post. Welcome to the low post podcast on Tuesday morning, March 28th. And holy smokes, is there a lot going on in the NBA. Every day I check the standings, particularly in the Western Conference, the East is set.
In terms of which 10 teams are gonna be in, there's gonna be a lot of jockeying for spot seven, eight, nine, maybe six, maybe five, maybe three, four, we'll see, but the teams are set. The West is just a complete cluster, you know what? That changes every day and I check the standings every day and I feel like, okay, I gotta handle on it. Then a bunch of stuff happens and I don't have a handle on it anymore.
We got sort of out starting in Dallas, of course, where the Mavericks, whoo, big, big road win last night against the Indiana Pacers, featuring three players that even casual fans have heard of, nobody healed, no milestone or no Tyree's Halliburton. Dallas blew him out to write the ship after a, a disaster doesn't even do it justice. Dropping two straight games in the thick of a play in, playoff, playoff race to the Charlotte Hornets without LaMella ball. And that's, forget that, without Terri Rozier, without Kelly Oubre Jr.
Just an utter catastrophe that has dropped the Mavs to 36, 37 and 39, excuse me, after they're inspiring win last night in Indiana and 11 in the West. Tim McMahon, I need help, man. How are you doing? Howdy, partner, I'm doing all right.
I checked basketballreference.com today, all time Mavericks coaching records and was a little bit surprised. Rick Carlisle is still the all time winning this coach at 555. I thought that might be 556 after last night. I thought Rick might get credit for last night's 50 for the Mavericks without lineup that the Pacers put out there.
What a tank, a fantastic job. I mean, look, they're competing though, the Blazers, the tank lasers are in full effect. So the Pacers got to work hard. And what a great time for the Mavericks to run into a team that is determined to lose because they, as you said, absolutely needed a win.
Anyway, they could get it. And look, they did what they're supposed to do. They came in and they blew out a team that had no interest in winning. But boy, it did not wash away the stink from that home and home debacle against the horn.
It's over the weekend. And Dennis Smith Jr., just, you know, the dagger three in Dallas, the dagger alley, letting them know about you gave up on me, baby. Yeah, they're not alone in giving up on Dennis Smith Jr., Dennis Jr., almost gave up on Dennis Smith Jr., there was a great story that we talked about it before the season about how he was sticking about trying out for the NFL. And his story, I mean, nobody watches the Hornets, and I mean, nobody, but his story has been one of the best little under the radar stories.
And he's a real, and he's got big limitations, but he's a real NBA backup point guard now in that dunk to seal the second game. I both games just blended in. Both games blended in because in 10 years when I think about these two games, you know what I'll think of Tim? I will think of the Mavericks being, as we all knew they would be, as you and I talked about the day after the Kyrie trade, so undersized and so limited defensively, that for segments of both games, PJ Washington looked like Shaq.
Like he would just get the ball in the paint and be like, oh, there's nobody, I'm lording over everyone. Like Gulliver, is Gulliver the big one and the little putions are small? I don't, it's been a long time since I read Gulliver's travels. Sneaky little dog.
You are too good, it's right there. Go Clifford the big red dog. Steve Clifford, you know, come on. It all ties together.
Clifford the big red dog. A, very cute. B, all the books suck. They all suck.
Nothing ever happens in Clifford the big red dog. But PJ Washington, we get the ball in the paint and just be like, oh, there's nobody here. Let me go full on Shaq on the Spathetic Mavs defense, but that's, let's set that aside for a minute. But you say that the two things I will always remember about this little home and home sweet by the Hornets.
At three, the dentist thing I just mentioned, Jake Kidd describing their performance in the first half Friday night as dog, which was accurately transcribed by the Mavericks PR department, by the way. Well, they got a job to do. That's what the coach said. And then the Mavericks responding to that call out by playing even worse to start Sunday, which, you know, I said on the hoop collective this week and tells me that Jason voice is for Jason voice.
So Jason Kidd's voice was not being heard in the locker room. I did have somebody reach out to me and say, hey, Jake Kidd has not lost this locker room. I said, I didn't say he had, but you can't have that kind of call out and then an even lower energy start and tell me that the voice is getting through. So that was one thing.
And then the other thing, and I think for most mass fans, probably the most lasting memory will be Lucas post-game press conference after Friday because it wasn't one after Sunday, where, I mean, you know, Lucas, like he's a very emotional guy. He's either high or low, like he wears him on his sleeve, but never have I seen him in a post-game press conference just look that beaten down. And, you know, so I asked, is this as frustrating as you've been? And he said it was.
And then, you know, that's when he's talking about there was a lot of things going on, not just in basketball. You know, and again, I followed up on that. I said, well, what else is bothering you? Because I did, when he said that, I did, I made the same, you know, my reaction was kind of the same as yours.
And he made it clear he was referring to stuff in his private life. So that wasn't, because when he said that, I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, you know, is this a behind the scenes? And he made it clear it's stuff in his private life. But still, he is just so frustrated, so just beaten down by the losing.
And by the way, he doesn't get a pass on that stuff too, because he's been a big part of it. His defense right now is one of the Flashball memories of last year's playoffs, and to his credit, he bounced back from it, was Game Two of the Sun Series, when Phoenix just, I mean, I haven't seen a superstar humiliated like that on defense in a long time. And he bounced back and he dialed up his effort, and they won the series in resounding, humiliating fashion for Phoenix. His defense in the last two weeks has been that bad.
Just absolutely zero effort on closeouts, getting blown by everybody, no effort in transition. The whole team's defense in transition completely disjointed, guys are running around, pointing over here, you go there, you go there, and then all of a sudden someone down there should have watched him for a dunk. Yeah, the shrug, the shrug. Or, but you know, so many luke transition defense, I did have a scout tell me, he's the worst transition to fender in the history basketball.
That seems a little much, scout. It seems a little much. When he said that, I thought he had analytic evidence. I'm like, statistically?
And he goes, no, just watch him. I'm like, okay. That's an old school, that's an old school scout talk. I like that, that's like the scouts that are around the table in Moneyball, just throwing hyperbole at the wall.
But the fact that I thought that there was actually analytic evidence that backed it up tells you, because dude, even last night in Indiana, when they're rolling, there's a possession where he drives and puts up a shot, hey, could there have been a whistle? Sure, there can be a whistle pretty much anytime he goes to the basket, because he's creating contact. He didn't get a whistle. So his reaction was to throw his hands up in the air and walk toward the baseline.
It's like, look, you're walking that way. Nine other guys are going this way. Oh, look, boom, boom, boom, wow, look, coincidence. The pace is gonna lay up on the other end.
It obviously didn't cost him an Indiana, but dude, if there's gonna be two, three, four, eight, 10, 12 sometimes of those type of possessions per game, like you can't just, you cannot just gift the other team five on four opportunities multiple times per game because you're upset with the officiating. Sometimes you're just pounding. What I guess you can do is get your 16th technical foul and then have it rescinded so that you can play in the next game, even though I never, was there a reason why it was rescinded other than, you know, they just filled that way. Oh, wait, wait, wait, that's a $35,000 sign, but that's not a 16th technical foul, another money sign there.
But yeah, this is why it wasn't rescinded. This right here, money, baby, because it doesn't benefit the MDA to have Luca Doncier suspended when the Mavericks are fighting. Wait, I'm not gonna get into two deep conspiracy theories, but I think Luca versus LeBron would be a pretty highly-rated play in game. I don't know, what do you think?
It would be pretty good. All right, well, let's look at the standings and sort of do the big picture before we go back to Dallas. A lot of things are happening in the West. I took special note and watched a game last night of Phoenix, Utah, and Utah losing to the Suns.
By the way, Devin Booker, we might talk about all the NBA later. I mean, he is making a late push for one of these last guard spots, despite, I think last night was his 48th game played. He plays all the rest of the games. He's gonna get to 55, and there are a bunch of, I mean, high wattage sells it short.
There are a bunch of guards with all NBA pedigrees and greater than that, who are gonna finish in the 55 games played range. And I'm talking Curry, Hardin, Booker, and others that I'm probably forgetting. Damian Lillard. Dame is gonna finish at 58 games.
But okay, I'm glad we arrived here. Every time I read coverage of the Blazers, and what do they do now, other than shut down for the second straight season, all their relevant players, in an effort to increase their lottery odds. I just hear like, it's whether it's Chauncey, or the players, or the brass when they talk, just like, oh, we've had so many injuries. We have a team, this guy is injured.
And that guy was injured, and Jeremy Grant was out for a bit, and Simon's tweaked his ankle and missed 15 games, and Nerk this, and that. You know who has injuries? Literally every team in the NBA. I'm sorry that you had some injuries too.
The reality is, you are 13th in the Western Conference. Your team just isn't good enough. And I mean, look, Damian Lillard has dug deeper than you can possibly dig to the center of the earth into the, I don't define my career by winning a title, which I think is completely fine in an admirable mindset. Implied by that is, and you said it publicly, it would mean much more to me to win a title here in Portland, than to go somewhere else and do it.
He's also made comments about how he's not really down for a rebuild, that's not what he wants. Look, I don't know what's going to happen in Portland. I know that a lot of teams in the league read those comments and their ears perk up, and they want to see what happens in Portland this summer. But I just don't want to hear as we do the Blazers post more to them, but well, if not for the injuries, then this, because it's just not a valid thing.
Well, the other thing is we went into this season saying, hey, Portland's basically NBA purgatory. Like they're not good enough to be remotely close to a contender. They're not bad enough to end up with high lottery odds. We ended up maybe being wrong on that end.
They're gonna, like they could. They have the same record as the magic right now in the race for whatever sad, sad, sad spot that is. Yeah, like they could end up with the fifth spot. You know, they're just, unless they get really lucky in the lottery, I don't see any kind of path for them to contend during Damian Lillard's career.
And like, look, if it's, the most important thing to him is to be a one franchise icon, completely respectable. Like, I'm not gonna know we should criticize him for saying- No one should define what other people's happiness is based on. People get to choose their satisfaction. Yeah, if he wants to play his whole career in Portland, I completely respect that.
If he wants to push for a trade and go chase a championship somewhere, I respect that too. But I'm not gonna sit here and pretend like the Portland Trailblazers or the Portland Tankblazers as we speak are going to have a chance to contend for a championship with Damian Lillard, you know, and in his mid 30s. Well, you mentioned the lottery, and why the lottery really matters for Portland is, hey, obviously if they get really lucky, then it changes your whole life as a franchise. If they just get kind of lucky, which means maybe they go to four, maybe they stay at five, maybe they end at six, whatever.
It's still a valuable thing to have. And I have said over and over again, if your stated goal, which it is as the Portland Trailblazers is maximizing the remaining prime of 32, 33 year old, whatever he is, Damian Lillard, coming off maybe the best season of his entire career, you are failing at it. You know how you know you're failing at it? You have the same record as the Orlando Magic.
And it's not just because of injuries. And- Your best path is to tank with weeks left in the season and like blatantly tank. And the veteran talent around Damian Lillard, if they re-signed Jeremy Grant and keep you so from your kids who step back this year has been a massive story for them, is not good enough. Your younger talent around Damian Lillard, Anthony Simons and Shane and Sharp, headliners, is intriguing, may not likely will not be ready on the timeline of Damian Lillard.
And I've said over and over again, if you are serious about executing that stated goal, you have to investigate what you can get on the trade market for all or some of your best rebuilding timetable assets including Simons and including Sharp, and they're gonna be reluctant to do that. And you know what, I get it. This draft pick though, gives them a third one. And it raises the potential of keeping one or two of those kinds of assets and still swinging something big to help me, but I don't wanna talk about the lasers.
Can we stop talking about the blazers? After I say the uncomfortable reality is probably the best thing for the franchise would be to move on from Damian Lillard, but easier said than done when you're talking about that kind of icon for the franchise. See, I think maybe the best player in franchise history. I don't necessarily agree with you because I get what you're saying and in the cold calculated reality of impartial analysis, that's true.
In the real world, what that is is pain. And it could be pain for a really long time in a market that has no free agency appeal and would be relying again on lottery luck that has been kind to them in the past. It hasn't always worked out in terms of the players. They've gotten staying healthy and all that.
But I just think that's, and this is a beloved franchise. But anyway, no, here's the West. The Utah game, Utah is 35 and 40. They're not quite out of it because they're only a game behind the Mads in the lost column, two in the win column, two games behind the whole morass of teams in the lost column.
But I think Utah seems to have reached a point where they're OK if they continue falling a little bit backwards. The Jazz have gracefully bowed out of playoff competition. By the standings, not quite yet. But I think they're OK with it.
Look at what they're putting out there for a second unit. They have gracefully bowed out. Hey, I'm glad Chris Dunn is back in the NBA and playing pretty well because I like Chris Dunn. But why that matters is not just it eliminates another team and we're down to 11 for 10.
They play the Lakers twice in the last seven games of the season, including in the very last game of the season. If those end up being like walkovers for the Lakers, like I'll allow you marketing angle hurts and this and that. That's a big deal to a Lakers team that just got LeBron James back from injury. We'll talk about him.
Some other things that are happening. The whole conference is now from 6 to 10. And 11, if you want to include the Mads, is so tight that it's ridiculous. 6 is Minnesota at 39 and 37.
Starting to play well. I can say. And I said last week with Van Gundy, now that catch back and I understand cats going to have some, you know, they're going to have to figure out to fit. But so far, it's been the two games he's played has been smooth.
He's fit in offensively. Defensively, they've still got to figure out where and when and how to use him best with go bear, what position, what scheme and all that. But he just raises their ceiling to the point it needs to be for them to be a threat. And I said to Van Gundy on the pod last week, I think both the Wolves and the Thunder, if they get in, have the ability to win a playoff series.
And I think in that the Wolves specifically are a major, major threat almost no matter who they draw in the first round. And they're playing well. The Pelicans who have an absolutely holacious schedule the rest of the way have surged back into the race there in a four game when they shriek their schedule the rest of the way is Denver Clippers, Kings, Grizzlies, Nick's Wolves. And then tonight the game I left out a massively important game against the Warriors who are 39 and 37, which could determine the tie break between the Warriors and the Pelicans.
The Pelicans have the season series right now to one. The Warriors winning tonight would tie it and put conference record in play and they're about tied in that as well. That's a huge game. The Clippers two in one without Paul George.
They're only a game up there. Grip on the fifth seed is not so secure. They have a pretty hard schedule going forward. And they, Tyler, announced last night got totally no attention because it's the Clippers and Paul George has hurt.
Marcus Morris is out as a starter. Nick Batum is in. He wouldn't even commit to using Marcus Morris as a backup. I think this is a good and overdue move for the Clippers.
What do you think? Yeah, I agree. Marcus Morris is not the player he used to be. And Batum is just kind of a connector, right?
Especially if you're going to be playing Russ a lot. And obviously then if he's going to have the ball in his hands a lot, Batum is a floor spacer, a ball mover, just kind of a switchy solid defender. So I think it's a move that as you said probably should have happened a little bit ago and makes a lot of sense. Yeah, that that Warriors game tonight is huge.
And I and Batum, Batum just been flat out better than Marcus Morris. He's a better defensive player. That's I had to 10 things I have a few weeks ago about just Marcus Morris is slipping on defense. His inability to switch and keep anybody in front of him.
He does not get any rebounds. And Batum just better. He's a better shooter. He's a better player.
He's a better defender. He's a better passer by a million miles. And the more you play Russ who's been solid for the Clippers. So far my say 10,000 miles away from Russ take has been wrong.
He's been pretty good for them. I don't trust it. I still would say maybe 500 miles away. But if you're going to play him a lot, you need more shooters and ball movers around him.
And that's Batum. And now without Paul George, no, like Russ, they need Russ. Like they need his ability to create. They need his ability to put pressure on a defense and get downhill and create chaos.
I think the concerns with Russ from R.I.D. If the ball is going to be in Kawhi and Paul George's hands all the time, what's Russ going to do? Well, unfortunately for the Clippers, that's not a problem right now because Paul George isn't playing. And we don't know when or if he's going to be able to play during the playoffs.
So I think if they didn't have Russ right now, we'd look at them and be like, man, how do these guys not score? Here's the Clippers remaining schedule. At Memphis. At Memphis again.
At New Orleans in a potentially huge game. Home quote unquote against the Lakers in a, is it going to be the biggest LA LA game ever? Is that possible? I mean, this whole LA streetlight spotlight thing has been a complete bust since they get the, I mean, there's been, there's been like they opened the season together one year and played each other.
And that was a big spotlight game. But is this actually, this is actually the most consequential Lakers game of all time. I'm sure for a while, I thought we might get streetlights versus spotlights in the second West playing game. So it's like, you know, winners in the playoffs lose or goes home.
I was ready to die. If it's in the playing game, it's like broken headlight versus blinking streetlights. So I don't think that's possible. So this is not as good as we're going to get.
And then the Clippers wrap with Portland and at Phoenix. And we'll see, you know, it's always these little quirks like this Phoenix need that game. Do they end up sitting everybody that ends up being important right now? Right now they would, but we'll see.
The Clippers have been known too, depending on where they are. Like let's be honest, some of the most blatant late season tank of loses have been Clippers trying to determine playoff seeing. You remember the great Daniel O'Tooro versus Point Poku, Clippers Thunder game in the regular season finale when the Clippers were, I think trying to dictate match ups so they didn't have to see the Lakers in the early rounds, but also were more than fine to see the Mavericks in the first round. And the Thunder were just trying to tank.
But you can't tank and put Poku at Point Guard, baby. He's too good. He's too good. So if I were the Clippers and I were ever contemplating shenanigans such as that, and believe me, the Clippers for weeks now have been looking at the standings and staring at that four or five match up against Phoenix and potentially fully functional Durant, Paul Booker, Aiden Quartet, who's the fifth member of the quintet, is just a Monty Williams spinning a wheel.
That is right. Come on. Terrence Ross, can you make some shots? But still, give me a Josh O'Shash out.
Come on, baby. Josh O'Kogi, one of the best offensive rebound in guards in the history of the NBA this season, Josh O'Kogi. They've been staring at that match up and thinking boy, that seems like something, it's not ideal. Not a first choice.
Rather see the Kings fresh off a 16 year playoff route. I thought this podcast would be a celebration of the Kings ending their playoff job. Minnesota Timberwolves with El Carl Townsend last night said, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, go bare game, that little finger way. And they fade away mid-ranger.
He did not. I didn't see that game go bare made a fade away. A little spin into a, I don't know, eight, 10 foot fade away. Got a bounce.
I don't know who it was on the bench, but somebody got up and I think it was like his back wrapped. Might have been Terrence Davis got up and just threw his wrap just to discuss that the thing went down. OK, so if I'm the Clippers and I'm contemplating such shenanigans, I would take a step back and think, how have the basketball gods treated us in the entire history of our franchise? And do we want to tempt them again by manipulating the standings in an nefarious way?
Because the basketball gods have not treated the Clippers very well, I would be trying to appease them at all at all costs. Baseball 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 in service.
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Sign up for activate now. Let's talk about Dallas now, now that we've sort of done the playoff thing and then we'll get to LeBron and all of that. Here's Dallas, 37, 39, 11. It's got about a 40, 45, 50% chance depending on what systems you look at of making a play in.
Hooray. Their remaining schedule is not great. The best thing they have going for them is they finish with the Spurs, which is like an automatic win. I say that knowing they just lost two games in a row to the Hornets.
But the last game of the season is a different animal. Also, they beat the Spurs by one this year when I think Luke had 51. At Philly, at Philly, and you get the health issues potentially that we're going to talk about later, at Miami, they need every game, including a big Miami-Toronto game tonight for positioning. At Atlanta, they need every game.
Home against the king. Home against the kings who, you know, they're kind of locked into three now, but still they're trying to win for now. Home against the Bulls, they need every game for playoff positioning, try to get out of the 10 seat at least. And then the Spurs, they are sixth in offense for the season, a very ugly 23rd in defense that hasn't gotten any better.
Interestingly, they are plus four per 100 possessions with Kyrie and Luca on the floor, plus a lot with Kyrie by himself, which means they're getting destroyed in the Luca only minutes since the trade. And there have been a lot of no Luca, no Kyrie minutes as well. But when those two guys play together, they're only four and eight, they're plus four, but they're only as a duo with them both on the floor together, but they're four and eight in those games. Four and eight, some crunch time losses, including the hot potato game against Minnesota.
The numbers suggest the record should be better than that, but it is not. And of course, the Kyrie trade was a lot about Kyrie, but also a lot about what they gave up for Kyrie. And we talked to that and I was, you know, about this, their best wing defender, their fourth best player on last year's conference final team in central den Whitty and maybe number three in during Finney Smith. Obviously they had already lost their second best player off that team for nothing after completely blowing the jail in Brunson situation.
I don't want to go back and and that 2029 unprotected pick, like it's only one pick, you could say, for a superstar, we understand why they were able to get a quote unquote discount deal there. But the fact that they gave up that pick and with what's going on with this, you know, top 10 protected pick with the Knicks, they are extremely restricted as far as what they can offer in trades moving forward. Well, there was a lot of analysis yesterday about that top 10 protected pick with the Knicks before they gave themselves a little boost with this pace. When they have the love of best lottery odds instead of the 10th best should they tank should they do this and I don't think there is a it's very hard to simultaneously argue they should tank and they should also be very concerned about Luke Adonchis happiness and Dallas because those two things I think are antithetical.
They are going to try to make the play and make the playoffs because that's what Luke Adonchis wants to do. He's interested in winning. I don't want to go rehash all the draft misses other than the homerun Luca trade, which the land I gift for them and Jaden Hardy, we're going to talk about well and J. The Bronx was a was a and run and they and Finney Smith undrafted free agency homerun like they've done some nice things on the frick.
They've also missed a lot. All the free agency stuff. They came up empty all the little trades that just didn't quite work out the way that they thought they would even go back to like Seth Curry for Josh Richardson and on and on and on. It's just the the trickle of asset drain just drip drip drip drip you almost don't notice it as it's happening and then you get to a stage like this and I said to Van Gundy last week.
This was before was recorded before the Charlotte back to back. I said I don't know if people have realized like outside of Dallas that were I think I said we're in Def Con 2 right now because the scenario they're staring at is if they miss the play in or lose in the play in and miss the playoffs. They have Kyrie Irving who they just traded all this stuff or who can walk in free agency. I don't need to tell you that Kyrie Irving is just by definition a flight risk in free agency.
Then they'd have cap space in that app in that event but who are they getting and also not Max cap space just but a lot and but the agency classes not great and then Luca would be looking around and being like what in the world just happened to my team and I don't think I made this comparison last week but it would be very like LeBron in 2010 except he has three years left on his contract just in terms of a singular superstar talent with a just woefully under qualified supporting cast around because of that drip drip drip drip and that's that's just what we're staring at and the whole team other than Hardy is just a mess right now everybody looks uncertain. There's a your turn my turn element to the Kyrie Luca partnership with Kyrie spending a lot of time standing in the corner and just a lot of even when they run the actions they should run like last night against Indiana they ran a couple actions where Luca or Kyrie one or the other would come up from the corner take a screen from the other one come into a handoff from Powell like that's the kind of movement they should have interactive screeners the two of them together and then fly in to a handoff they would get the handoff and just sort of stop and dribble and like all the advantage would shrink they ran they ran I think power had the ball maybe Jevale McGee the best minutes of the year for Jevale McGee had the ball up top and Bullock and hard away now starting again ran a split action where they came together off the ball and screened for each other and burst out like the Warriors do with Kyrie and Luca standing in the corners and like it's a great idea can we have one of the other guys involved in it they ran a Spain pick and roll with Luca which is one of their go to play Z in Carlisle and the backscreener was Reggie Bullock and not Kyrie who was in the corner like if we get that like we get Kyrie involved and everyone else just looks hesitant and just green looks like a rising star with Luke and Kyrie are out and when they're on the floor he looks like a wallflower and Cleba just he's battled this this it was it's a hamstring tear right and and and come back from it whatever it's two and a half three months whatever it came back really fast but like he hasn't been really himself on a consistent basis you know they they're starting center they tried to replace Dwight Powell this summer you know Dwight Powell is a really good backup center who has to start from the Dallas Mount because that's just what it is develop a ghee look right against the you know Fort Wayne Fire Dance where the hell that team was a play last night but other than that I don't think that's it's a fire ants now and not the mad ants I don't know what the hell what I mean so some kind of ants are very strong can't they carry like the more body more than multiples of their body weight than I'm going to take I'm going to take any sub footer in the world against man and I think we saw it that last night with the performance before that Jaffell McGee had played literally three minutes and 31 seconds since the all-star break now after that breakout Jaffell McGee performance they do have Joella Bead on Wednesday night assuming the density of games is acceptable for the 76ers why you signed that's why you signed you don't make a for games like this to McMahon he's been D&P CD against Joker against MB like the main got a three year deal and a promise of a starting job the three year deal is gonna last the promise the starting job lasted two weeks it just isn't working right now if there's no juice everybody looks uncertain here's I when they made this trade the very first thing I thought was boy that Kyrie Luca pick and roll that's gonna be LeBron Kyrie pick and roll 2.0 and I understand that Luca does not have a lot of reps as a screener in the NBA that's not his that's not his thing and although he noted he does have a good frame for screening he said that he did he's a hey somebody asked about a screening so I've got a wide body yeah that you know he does and it helps him in the post which is one of the business is place should work and has worked actually and Kyrie obviously like none of these guys are there's no dream on green right but here are the numbers so far they play what it for an eight twelve games together they have run combined this is according to second spectrum 37 pick and rolls together either way either way right both both combinations this that's three a game that's just like so far short of adequate that I don't even know where to start and it what makes it worse the Luca ball handler Kyrie screener is 24 the 37 yeah the mabs on those 24 plays have scored this is not a typo 1.625 points per possession directly out of those plays that's like the growth trotters can't score pretty good the reverse Kyrie handling Luca screening 13 reps total one a game and a lot of those have been clearly like the opening two possessions of the third quarter of one of the Hornets games was that play which means clearly the coaches were like if you guys don't want to do it we're scripting it do it that's 1.5 points per possession 1.25 if they shoot directly out of it they need to be running it more last night they ran they ran it a couple times in a row in the second half against Indiana they got Luca a post up against low guard guess what happened double team swing swing three next one same thing Luca back down jumper over it just it just should be their bread and butter and it hasn't been and it's nobody's fault this is what happens in a minute when you overhaul your entire roster which when he games left it's like you just don't get instant chemistry which is Kyrie which is like Kyrie lecture you all the other day saying oh you in your pretty words concern and poised what were the other pretty words I know it was concerned and hope concerned and hope were the pretty words and I do enjoy Kyrie when he gets in these things he has this like media voice that he does you know it where he impersonates like you know a talking head or order asking questions it's a very I can't really do impersonation Kyrie impersonation but it's a it's a good nice ironing board back there like looking good yeah I got the right one there it's just pretty just permanently out but I had ambitions of like I want my office look nice and put it away in the closet after using it that lasted a day just now I think I put it back once though like the Mavericks playing sort of bunch of pick and roll with Kyrie and Luca last about a day now like part of this part of this trade which you know obviously Luca was pounding the table wanting them to get a co-star to go with him right and so part of this was about okay how do you play with a co-star how do you play with another established all NBA type of player how do you play when everything doesn't just revolve around you when you know Jan Brunson obviously we're seeing how good Jan Brunson is and he does get better year after year after year but Jan Brunson last year is often game good but he was still a matter of second round pick Jan Brunson he ain't you know dude who's hit a game seven final winner Kyrie Irving you know by a guy with Harry's pedigree so we still haven't really seen Luca adapt to I'm not even too too complimenting another star not being a complimentary player he obviously will never be that but too coexisting where it's not just all hey Luca we're gonna put the ball in your hands we're gonna space the floor everything's gonna revolve around you and look even if Kyrie is just standing around on some possessions it's still Kyrie Irving standing around it's different to the defense than Reggie Bullock all due respect standing around or Josh Green standing around the threat is ever present always lurking one catch one dribble in your toes but it's not maximizing the two of them together and it's certainly not going to help their defense that they're just so small what I was gonna say we talk all about maximizing those two together offensively they're scoring 118 points yeah they're fine with those two on the floor they can't stop anybody they're fine they're fine except I do think there are there's a chemistry price to be paid for just the the Lucas show and there's a fatigue price that Luca pays for the Lucas show and and fine and really good offense please not good enough this team has to be historically elite offensively it has to be because they're not going like they just don't have the personnel they will be overachieving to be mediocre defensively that's just a fact and when they made the straight JK kind of tongue-in-cheek basically said you know we'll score 130 140 and see if teams can keep up well brother you better score 130 140 because teams can keep up with 120 against that defense team will keep up with 120 four and eight together there's been some debate about whether this is like another referendum on Kyrie Irving as a as a player as an ingredient he's been good for the maths like this is this is less about him yeah much less and more about what they had to give away to get him and what giveaways proceeded that giveaway I was gonna say not only what they had to give away but just how flawed the roster was even before they gave up by far their best wing defender but they've turned they've turned going back to the Brunson debacle they've turned a second third and fourth best players from West Final scene into Kyrie as a pinning free agent and I will say it's a shutter down my spine yeah and and I have said it is completely unfair to watch Luca talk about how frustrated he is and say oh Kyrie's blowing up another franchise listen Kyrie the track record is what it is he has been a professional in Dallas you know he's been a good teammate there's been I have heard not one mutter about Kyrie as far as you know any kind of uh BS right he's played well he's stonking in Charlotte both games he's both games couldn't make shots he that's just a fact um and if he's not if he's not lightened up like he's never been a guy who helps you win in a lot of enemies well there you go because part of the track record of Kyrie Irving we all know the noisy yeah absent parts of it part of the track record of Kyrie is and I've said this before whatever his numbers are and his numbers are outrageous and his talent is outrageous he has long struck me just personally I it's hard to prove this or whatever that there is not a direct translation between those numbers and his impact on winning games it is the impact on winning games is x percent less than a hundred of what his numbers would suggest some people impact games at 125 of what their numbers suggest some people it's even to me he's always been and I want to be careful I don't want people to say that I'm calling him a losing player or an empty calories player absolutely not the guy is a champion he's a star he is a massively helpful player I have just always thought because of his defensive limitations his I would say on again off again playmaking for others he's a very good passer but he just doesn't he doesn't leverage that skill very much and just the difficulty of the shots he takes we do this thing worth with Kyrie where he makes two crazy layups and the announcers are doing cartwheels about what a wizard he is and he is then he misses the next four and there's just no commentary about it because the expectation is you should miss shots like that I just don't think he is impacting winning at the number degree his numbers would suggest and amplifying other talent around him at the degree his numbers would suggest and the only evidence I could put forth for that is dating now to the 2017-18 Boston Celtics his teams have about the almost identical same record when he plays versus when he doesn't play and a lot of that is all of those teams have incredible players on them superstar players who are frankly better than he is or at least as good as he is and so they can withstand the absence of a player like Kyrie but you would expect in hope that the presence of a player like Kyrie would lift that winning percentage somewhat and it just hasn't for six years now well what's crazy is with the Mavericks actually they have been and we're talking minuscule sample size and they have been successful when it's Kyrie and no Luca like you know when they made the trade for Kyrie Luca was coming back off that heel contusion they're on a road trip they start off they beat the Clippers in LA they beat the Kings in Sacramento then Luca comes back they lose the Sacramento they lose the Minnesota but you know they've won when it's Kyrie without Luca they haven't won much with them together they haven't won when it's just been Luca and no Kyrie but you know again this was a like this was a team that wasn't it was mediocre they made a desperate move to get Kyrie but like that anybody who thought that giving up two starters from a mediocre team to get Kyrie was gonna boost the Mavericks from mediocre to contender like that that was just well you and I right off the bat said we do not buy the notion that the steam is a contender no one contendership yeah and and Perk and I argued about that a little bit and and I said frankly with you like I would have just been long out of the business of having him on my team I just wouldn't wouldn't trade him wouldn't trade for him rather wouldn't require him and would not and now they're gonna have to make a decision about paying him they'll look the season's not over like nobody wants to face Luca not just in Kyrie Irving in a play-in game or a playoff series but the Defcon one scenario is much closer to becoming a thing than it was 96 hours ago after that Charlotte debacle because I said LeBron in 2010 like man if this goes bad he's Luca's got three years left on this contract it's a long time but the downside is is and it's not a long time it is not a long time look at the history the recent history in the NBA three years under contract for a guy who's miserable is terrifying are you kidding me if it weren't for Jayden Hardy who I kind of think maybe they should just start Jayden Hardy like that's how good he's been he's shooting 42 percent on threes they're running plays for him he's gonna start you want to start a 6-4 rookie with with Kyrie and and Luca is it crazier than starting Tim Hardaway junior I mean he's 6-4 with a 6-9 wingspan he's shooting 42 percent from three you know he's just playing really well off of those guys he's he's they're not going to start him it's not gonna be a thing that happens but there is there's reasonable hope that he can be a Jordan Clarkson Jordan pool kind of and I know Clarkson starting to pool start loud I'm talking like that kind of like 20 point per game six man in the I'm talking next season type of future basically the guys scored at that level over the last few weeks so yeah if you're looking for a silver lining let's talk about their second round pick who if you didn't have a terrible year with a jig-a-gig night probably would have been a top five day Jayden Hardy's the best thing that's come out of this matter of season now when you have Luca Donch at age 23 just turned 24 you don't want to say that your second round rookie is the best thing coming out of your season and you trained for recovery. Like I said they have time to get back into this. They're in it now and they have time to get further into it and kind of resubmit.
And I'll say this to Zach as much as we were like hey this doesn't make them contenders I'll speak to myself I damn sure didn't think we were going to be in late March talking about boy the matter of course I have some work to do just to make the play in like I at least thought okay worst case scenario there'll be like a you know a seven or eight and be at the top of the play in like just scrambling to be a ten seed I did this thing and there's been health issues whatever but both the stars and kleba kai-ri's been out here in there Lucas you know Ben nursing some stuff and kleba just isn't kleba and you know he was a massively important part of their playoff run last year. Yeah those Charlotte losses were so shocking to watch in part because there really wasn't any stretch of either game we were like oh here come the Mavericks being clearly better than this gutted Charlotte team they were like the Mavericks were full blast like trying to stay in the game with the win. They led for 91 seconds of 96 minutes over over about a 36 hour span they led for 91 seconds out of 96 minutes they got the one stretch where they played their best was right after they got their asses booed at home when they were down 18 and third quarter to the Hornets who were missing three of their best players and on a back-to-back like it's honestly one of the most inexcusable performances from a team that's supposed to be good that I've ever seen and then the J. K.
calls them dog talking about how bad their energy was and they come out and they get down whatever wasn't the first quarter 18 or 20 in the first quarter 36 hours later it was unfreaking real. That funny little thing I'll get my full nick to Paul on so Luca you know he's got those Luca ones and he's got these Luca ones that are like a tribute to J. K. K.
they're based off the zoom whatever 95 whatever the poll tweeted they're based off the zoom freak or whatever whatever the J. K. wore 1995. Luca wore those in the first quarter sunday and Charlotte went over for the floor well he changed his shoes after the second quarter and Luca at least got going offensively after that I'm not saying the symbolism I'm just telling you about some shoes.
Ant and Ant had a shoe change the other day in the wolves game too that worked out. Wolves were telling you keep an eye on the wolves unsung hero of the year for them Torian Prince and Nas Reed and they're starting to play Nas Reed with both cat and go bear more and that's interesting that's been a disaster for the full season and limited minutes but in the two games cat has come back those lineups actually worked pretty well just keep all the same is keeping nine minutes so let's bounce around a couple of them. Real quick because I can only the hoop collective those guys aren't smart enough for me to go full nerve but Nas Reed one of the most fascinating free agents this summer. Absolutely.
Let's bounce around a couple headlines. Do you care that Joellen Bead missed the MVP show down part two in Denver last night? You do? Yes.
Are you gonna go full on perk? He's duck in the smoke are you gonna go there? I think I'm I don't think I'm capable of saying duck in the smoke and sounded like it's authentic. But the eck of a man like dude you're the one who's been campaigning for MVP this is the other density of games.
Come on man like we everyone's all excited to see this and let's we have to care the E and ESPN stands for entertainment. We held this podcast for that in Bead versus Joker that that's the one of the most entertaining match-ups we could get like come on with MVP and all that all the storyline. Absolutely I care. Well I first of all I don't have MVP though so I can't hold it against him being my voting but if I did what I hold it against him Bead no but you know what it was he forfeited a chance to make kind of a closing statement in that game.
Did he forfeit a chance? If Joellen Bead says you know what I am playing I what is Darryl Morgan like jump on his back and hold him back like to mommy. If Joellen Bead said you know what y'all stick all this density of schedule stuff up your butts I'm playing this game and he was playing that game so yes forfeit it. First of all their schedule has been quote unquote dense I like this if we just use these new words and our density of schedule.
It's part of the fun it's like seeing these terms like what are we talking about. He did sit out the second half of that Bulls game which was confusing for a while because they didn't explain why and everyone then assumed well there's just a blowout and then it was while he's also dealing with this calf thing. So that's a thing and look Joellen Bead I love Perk and I are buddies we have he knows more about basketball than I will ever know. I just know Joellen Bead I don't remember him ever ducking anything like Joellen Bead goes at everybody all the time he wants every trash talk rivalry center match up there is and in the playoffs even when he hasn't brought it up to his efficiency standards it's never a question of him looking awed by the moment or gun shy or whatever term you want to use he goes down swinging all the time.
I just want to leave that Joellen Bead and he destroyed you'll get you in Philadelphia. I just want to have a hard time believe Joellen Bead is sitting there like you know what I do I have the MB he cinched up so all this is just a lose lose for me. I'm now afraid of Joach and Denver because of the altitude and what I just have a hard time believing that he believing that there's any part of his soul that is like I don't want to play this guy tonight. Well all I know is I saw missing person missing person flyer for him and that Denver crowd there they were having fun for it fun with it in the mile high city.
I'll say this about Perk the beauty of Perk he's gonna he's gonna say whatever's on his mind and if you're either gonna agree with him or you are going to just want to yell and scream about how wrong he is but he's gonna get a reaction from you. But but Hardin also set out and Hardin has now missed I believe four three or four games in a row now with the kille slash foot so whenever they're turning it the Sixers are now third in the east three games behind boston for a hot second it looked like they might overtake boston and get the two seed and home court in that series. I've even had a couple people these people don't know anything they work for other teams they're just when the announcement came out last night that MB wasn't playing there was a lot of hubbub around the NBA and I had some guys on other teams text me do you think they're trying to get to the four seed like is this strategic on their part and I'm thinking what is this what is the strategy behind that because you have on paper at least a harder first round series I know boston has had their number and they've matched up pretty well with Milwaukee that feels like overthinking it to the point of being like wildly unlikely and so I just dismissed it out of hand they also I would never I would never think that Daryl Maury would overthink something or you kidding me well there are also two games up on Cleveland still and have the tie break so they're effectively three games up on Cleveland like it's not easy for them to get to the four seed even if they want to I think the Mavericks highly recommend that strategy I think the Mavericks say what yeah no you should sit at bead and hard and petit's not as old he needs some rest some all-law Wednesday wait a minute it didn't work out for him when the Hornets didn't have anybody and they've got a long list of those that boy we can go on through the list they've lost to the nuggets without Joker and Murray and Gordon lost my Mavericks fans I don't need to repeat that in any case I find that theory preposterous and but either way no matter where Philly ends up now it's almost a certainty that they will have to go road road against Boston and Milwaukee to get out of the east they're capable of it they're absolutely in the inner circle of title contenders if you told me right now they're the third best team in the NBA or the fourth best team or the second best team even I wouldn't really wouldn't really quibble like I've been saying all year they have everything they need to win the title but that's a thing now that we have to look at particularly with Hardin what did you think of LeBron's return the other day in a resounding loss to the Bulls he had 19 points came off the bench for the second time in his career the Lakers remaining scheduled they are now embarking on a five game road trip starting tomorrow in Chicago at Chicago that's probably a 50-50 game the Bulls are 10 and 6 in their life 16 I think that'll be there baby that'll be there hitting LeBron with the two small you got to respect Pat Bev in this sense he will go so over the top like some people will talk a big game and then the game will happen and they'll like do the two small on Austin Reeves or or or he'll do the two small on Bobon or something like dude that the second this man signed in Chicago he looked at the schedule and said I'm going to ruin the Lakers season on these two dates like he has been talking about this before his damn plane landed in Chicago and then he wakes up that morning post a Charmin ad on his social media by the way has anybody photoshopped Adam Silver into that Charmin ad after well anyways um post a Charmin ad on social media and then goes out to small as the brawn when he hits the dagger are you kidding me this is peak Pat Bev explain that Adam Silver Charmin joke because I don't get it I'm probably being so I didn't even see the I'm so out of social media that I didn't even see that Pat Bev did this Charmin I of course just think of Kobe and the Kobe rant is he's walking off the floor and practice with Jeremy Lane in the background be Charmin I just you know Adam Silver a lot I always do say I think he's got immense potential as a CEO I would say he's got a reputation feeling a little bit soft and uh Lucas 16th technical foul being rescinded two days after or a few days after the old non-tee thirty five thousand dollar money sign would would tend to add to that Mr Silver's reputation is perhaps not being the harshest dyspmerian in the history of NBA commissioners that's all he is for objectively not the harshest disciplinary in the history of NBA commissioners in fact he is objectively not the harshest dyspmerian among the last two NBA commissioners he is not stern in any sense of the word anyway at Chicago at Minnesota that's probably a 45 55 proposition for the Lakers at Houston that better be a W at Utah that better be a W hey AD better play this time they go to Houston I'll say that at Clippers quote unquote at Clippers on the ESPN field networks versus the Suns versus Utah not an easy schedule with Lakers the first five on the road how did you think LeBron looked in game one and you know what physically I thought he looked really good obviously there's probably a little bit of rust the fact you know his five turnovers how much of that is getting back in a rhythm but he looks athletic explosive like the physical freak that he is that's good news you know him coming off the bench I don't know how much of that was you know just wanting to manage man I don't know you know what exactly that was all about perhaps it's because the Lakers are now Austin Reeves team but no I thought LeBron looked LeBron Esk I would put the emphasis on the Esk he was rustier in my eyes than I expected physically and and and strengthened spinning to the rim and all that he had that in his game and he's gonna be LeBron he had 19 points he got to a lot of times I was struck by the the relative for him lack of possessions where he just commandeered the game was like I'm gonna run the offense and I look up the numbers afterwards he ran seven pick and rolls in the entire game that's the fewest of any game this season now part of that is coming off the bench separated in from AD somewhat and they're pick and roll partners and he had his third fewest dribbles in any game this season if you care about such things and there was some possession at the end of the game where Chicago tried to put him in a pick and roll and the Lakers pre-switched him out of it which is I did think he I thought he was bad defensively down the stretch for sure Levine hit a clutch three LeBron didn't even get a hand up on for I don't know why and then you know the the pat like they've had to have can't be taking LeBron off the dribble and finish it in the way in two small and come on man the pre-switching LeBron out of a pick and roll is not like an unprecedented thing for a superstar with a big offensive responsibility but it's not something you would typically see from him late in a game it's typically you'd see it from like a big behemoth center right that a team or a luka or a luka they are 37 and 38 pretty good chance of making the play in and don't have the tiebreaker on the Mavericks whereas they do not do now I think in a three-way you correct me if I'm wrong I believe that those three teams are tied I think I think the Lakers end up third of that I might be this I shouldn't speak on that I might be mistaken on that I plead the fifth on that I don't know three team tiebreakers are he reached too far for me to consider until they take until they take place and when they take place I will consider them their Lakers do not have the tiebreaker over the Mavericks the jazz which shouldn't be relevant they do have it over the thunder and the pelicans who are right above them in the standings those things could matter a lot I'm guessing their starting lineup will be Russell Reeves LeBron Davis Vanderbilt that lineup has played seven possessions together the entire season obviously D-Lo just arrived and is now injured and Vanderbilt just arrived they got to figure out you know there's some spacing hiccups with Vando and AD but they have the they have the ingredients to to go quote unquote smaller with like LeBron is the only power forward on the floor in AD at center they just kind of got to get their team together and I think when they get their team together they're a dangerous team they need to clean up their transition defense but you know I just need to see their team together before we start talking about how they're going to make noise in the playoffs as I do think they can win a playoff series but win and win in three are very different things and this is just hold on you think they can beat the nuggets in playoff series it depends who they draw I don't I would pick the nuggets pretty pretty adamantly in that series but you think they can be the grizzlies in the playoff series I don't I don't think these things are like as unlikely as they would be for a normal one eight two seven series but I will pick both the other teams over the Lakers but if they have LeBron and AD healthy and they have shooting around them they're not going to be fun to deal with the Lakers would be the rightful you got to keep in a sharp out of the arena there are like maybe a number of people that you have to keep out of you know for now I think there's uh the fact that folks are sipping on power right now of course I can probably help matters as well um I I don't the Lakers just haven't shown you enough even it I mean they haven't had this team really so it's hard to say that but they just haven't shown you enough consistency but I'm waiting to see it at least um but that's that's I just thought LeBron was a little restier than I expect but that's partly because of the just he's a god so you just don't expect to be rusty also four doctors recommended that he have is fully amputated and you know we found one who come on what what that oh that's not what happened it was something I don't know something like that amputated and the LeBron of feet I might be exaggerating a little bit but there's a lot of jokes I wanted to make about the LeBron of feet but I don't think I don't think there's one there's one I wanted to make but you know we report on the NBA we don't get into other sports yeah I think you got I think we're thinking about the same lines I asked you to look at all NBA um did you look at all NBA at all I looked and again I don't have a ballot so you can line and complain but just understand that you can influence my thinking but my thinking is completely irrelevant this is tough the guards are brutal honestly I thought that the guards were tough I didn't think that the rest was that difficult I thought the guards were tough extremely tough oh the guard it's all it's all difficult and in part of the reason it's difficult is because of games missed across the board like yeah well I thought I thought sinners were easy and the difficult thing there is who's first two seconds the same as you're in the people right so whatever but you're in B yoga yoga should be first second fine and Sabonis is 13 and then I don't see anybody else has an argument I haven't done I haven't done the third team center thing yet I have Sabonis penciling but I just I want to give bam a look I want to get a look just a look I and think Davis was that but he had one hadn't played enough too hadn't been as good Sabonis has been awesome well AD at least we can agree he's a center now there's I bet he's gonna be listed at forward slash center knowing the league you gotta put him at center if you're gonna be realistic he's played almost 100% of his minutes if not actually 100% at center here's the thing with the guards I mentioned all the guards with all NBA pedigrees that are going to play between let's say 50 and 57 games which is right in that nether world of like and unless you're I do think you get a sort of like we all know this guy's amazing benefit if you're one of the top eight players in the league so that would apply to one or two of these guys uh lillard 58 games he's done steam stinks not with him on the floor positive scoring margin with him on the floor right hard to leave him off all three NBA teams but it's in play right averaging 32 points again I was just saying my god that's hard meringue who brought some drama on to his team this year and if we're gonna criticize other guards like Kyrie Irving for bringing drama on to their team in many different different different ways than john meringue then I think the same has to apply to him he's gonna finish in that range I'll say this I think his suspension should be held against him more than an injury absence of equal time I think the suspension was completely his fault for that to me should be held against him more than a guy who missed nine games because he uh spring design on the flip side the team has rallied around him one without him and is now blowing the doors off people with him again absolutely good absent that suspension he's clearly an all-in-be player I agree James Hardin's at 53 games leads the league and assists he's part of the most unstoppable two-man game in the entire league I'm going through my misgameless step curry I think is it 50 games right now and he's he's step curry yeah 50 42 59 not 2's 50 percent overall 42 and 3's 59 not 2's 29 6 and 6 and I do think there's a he's step curry bonus can keep that guy off the all NBA so that's my rant curry hard and Devin Booker I mean Devin Booker 28 5 and 5 on 50 overall 37 percent from 3 56 percent from the floor there plus four when he played per 100 possessions when he plays without Chris Paul the roster has been a mess he's only at 48 games again he'll get to 55 I think which is right there I don't know what to do with any of those guys and then below them on the sort of quality of play like these guys are not as good but are going to end up playing 10 to 12 games just a bunch of names Jalen Brunson drew holiday D. Aaron Fox no Dan Fox has to I'm sorry Dan Fox to ask to ask to all right so I've got four guards who are locks let's let's hear them so listen four locks because I only I only have three so I'm interested in your for okay Luca I still have as a lock despite you know as critical as I've been of him and we talked about that earlier like come on I think he's still gonna be on a lot of MVP ballots I don't think he's an MVP candidate but I think he's gonna be four for fifth a lot of ballots Shay guild just how excited is absolutely an all-in-b-a player let me let me say this about his gee I was with the thunder of hanging out with some thunder people last week in LA and they were asking you know so you're gonna make an all-in-b-eight team so I think he might make first team all-in-b-eight I got first team and then I did a lot of research over the weekend I think he's got a pretty iron clay case to be first team all-in-b-eight pretty calm not committing to it but it's pretty damn close so I've got Lucan Shay's first team don't the Mitchell and Dan Fox I've got is my second team I think I think those four guys have to be all-in-b-eight so Mitchell is my third lock because I think he's the best combination of durability and production that is left on the board so I think he's got to be on second team all-in-b-eight by definition after that my ballot at almost every position other than center is a complete mess I don't know what to do with the forwards I don't know what position to list Paul Georgette or even if he if he should be on an all-in-b-eight team I mean the forwards I he's gonna he's gonna get to hold on hold on I want to know which carbs you've left out I haven't left anybody out I haven't committed I have three locks and then I have this list of all the guys we've named basically for three spots and Fox is among those guys so so real quick though I think you're cool you're putting Fox over Steph Curry and James Harden and because of Durabov a rant and all these other guys well and here's my thing back to the Josh suspension thing hey Darren Fox is hitting game winners when you were selecting the clutch shooting does give you a lot of extra points like Darren Fox is showing up the the Kings have been the most pleasant surprise in the league this season like the guys putting up numbers he's been by far the honies factor player of the year aka the Jerry West award 25 six assists four rebounds 52% shooting 34% on three don't love but fine 58% on twos plus the clutch the clutch shooting he's lapping the field and they're almost up to even now when he plays without subonis which were the minutes that where if there were a little if they're a little weak spot in his case that was it for a while and it's not quite as much anymore so Anthony Edwards we didn't mention anything they were to all he doesn't play every game basically yeah so here's where I struck him are darosan zaklavian I mean it's just like Trey young Trey young people are gonna laugh at the mention and I don't think I'm gonna put him on you you have to give a look to someone who's averaging 27 and 10 and their offense falls off a cliff when he said you have to at least give him a look you do look you have to glance his way and give a little look so how much do you hold against Damien Lillard who's averaging 32 points per game that the reason his game's played is gonna be so limited is because they're taking down the stretch of the season it's it's hard it's hard to know and you get I don't know if I said the words jail and brown if I didn't I'm sorry he's gonna be listed as garden forward but we are put we are putting him as a forward because he needs to be all NBA and why does he need to be all NBA convince me that he quote unquote needs to be all NBA because he's had a hell of a season for the team that's can probably end up with the second best record in the league because he's I have his numbers in front of me but you know he's a 7.7 rebounds three assists 49% shooting 34% out three is 58% on two's and is a hell of a defender he's a he's a he's a dominant two-way player for a team that has a second best record in the league and because they're damn sure it's not six forwards in the NBA that have had better seasons than him like we can throw him into the argument for 13 guard but I've got him as a second team forward so um but I've got him as a second team forward yes who are your second team forwards him and Jimmy yeah so I think Jimmy Butler is second team forward assuming he's eligible at forward and guarded he should be yeah Bond tends to talk me to that one which I always hate to like he's he's our outrageous well and analytics like if you get geeky and you look like a win share and crap like that he's what I just like to crap like that yeah but it's true it's true like his you know like impact analytic numbers are well you ask you ask elite type of territory you ask around so I just read Jalen's Browns numbers 27, 73 Jimmy is 22 five and six or 22 five and five something like that but advanced numbers they're just not even close yeah Jimmy just destroys Jalen Brown and you ask around okay what are those things capturing you ask around a people who know what's under the hood like I don't understand how one with those raw stats how one guy can look like a top five player and another guy can look like the 45th best player in the NBA based on the advanced stats you guys are anyway okay so they're capturing Jimmy's just a way better defender particularly off the ball um the play making limitations in Jalen's game three is his assistant turnovers kind of uh ratio is kind of even I guess in rebounding free throws I just don't see enough there even when it's explained to me to understand why advanced stats paid Jalen Brown one way and Jimmy Butler's so extreme the other way but I also just think Jimmy Butler's a he's I think he is better than Jalen Brown and he's a winner and I would put him second team all in via two I will say uh as far as being a winner Jay the Brown was a second most player in the win two game 70's finals I was not as rookie or second whatever it was went to the final slash for you Jay the Browns also winner yeah and you look at the you look at the forward field and it's like Kawhi's gonna get to 50 LeBron's gonna get to 50 Durant's gonna be stuck at wherever he is 42 maybe so obviously like I don't know what to do with those guys Kawhi's been a top six or seven player in the league for the last 35 games and LeBron is LeBron he's everything 30 a game I know first first team is easy honest to him second team Brown Butler I honestly I didn't I didn't even put Kawhi on the list I guess I should check his games played um Gar from his level difficult my 13 forwards I had Julius Randall who same as you want the guys put up numbers and he plays every night and then I had marketing and his average in you know he's basically like a 50 40 high 80s guy who's average in the mid 20s um this is kind of the decision you have to make is with all these with it's hard to have one of LeBron and Kawhi and not have both and if you have both I mean logically it's kind of hard just just based on if you're gonna do it based on games played if you're gonna if you're gonna reward one and not the other it's it's a hard there are ways to do it it's just logically a little difficult if you exclude both it's just you submit an all NBA ballot without the name LeBron James on it which I don't think I've ever done no matter how many games is missed maybe the first year in LA I can't remember and and Larry marketing and Julius Randall I think you have the right names if you're gonna go that route I think those are the names Paul George has an argument I think to some degree but it just feels a little funny doesn't it yeah uh it does I again I would lose more sleep over right now games staff jaw like it's brutal there's so many cards like the Bulls guys you don't even they don't even get serious consideration you look at the numbers like god exactly I think I think nine guards on like also considered none of them are Bulls on various garling barely gets us and if he's been yeah I don't know him either yeah yeah outstanding drew holiday his numbers are never gonna pop off 1970s on the list yeah he's an amazing two-way player shooting the hell out of it this year yeah probably or at least arguably the best defense guard in the game which matters um with all due respect to rainy defense player your mark is smart this is one of the harder all NBA years I remember just because the games miss make it a really weird and there's just a lot of guys in the guards is like I will say who else is on your also considered guards okay so right now I had David stuff as a 13 guys and penciled and penciled him and penciled into my mythical balance so about as about as soft with their team selections you could possibly have um in order other guards jaw hardened booker halberton bronson tray drew in and I had Kyrie because I kind of have to throw him in there since I have to throw him in there since I've got a regular basis and I want to hear anybody's crap it's a good list I have Kyrie on my list too like I'm I'm I also considered but you know Kyrie but Kyrie again it's like when how why you miss games matters right and you know he missed games because he got himself suspended um I hold suspensions against guys much more than I hold injuries against guys um and again with dame the question is well why wouldn't you hold tanking against a guy that means a team wasn't you know he didn't make enough impact to have his team even be relevant down the stretch of the season and like tanking is a voluntary thing so that uh that's where I really I'm struggling with day because like half like the guy was awesome like half to do the game and then you run into these things like how different is 58 games than 54 like are we really is the four games gonna be your dividing line but you have to at the end of the day these are just you have to break ties somehow you have to break ties and also like just like sometimes who do you think is better this guy or that guy like it's like like dame to keep dame off at 32 a game with that team having a even slightly positive scoring margin we need on the floor and the career high in free throws near his career high in assists best off the dribble career whoo that's a tough one to swallow 32 is just I I can't luckily for dame he's already locked in the super max so there's no financial implications thank god by the way if we talk about luka and defcon one he's gonna be eligible for whatever every super max possible the mavericks at least have that quiver air no arrow in the quiver in the arrow arrow in the quiver down the line for when it's necessary he'll be he'll be eligible for the 35 max super max super duper max whenever max every max max winber max whenever maverick will be the first guy to make a billion dollars in NBA salary oh my god kind of what's true my dad always thought me growing up when the player salary started spiking he said lil zach who do you think she get the money the guy you like to watch play basketball or the anonymous rich guy you know exactly what they are and here's my deal like do you go to movies and whine about what those guys are making like it's an entertainment business the the revenues there like whatever I don't care what the players get paid I damn sure don't care what the owners revenues are little bit of shit sitting in the chase stadium watching mookie up at the plate good old shay stadium all right dim mcmane hoop collective three times a week but you're only on twice usually I say yes it's a big burden it's still the hoop collective with brian windwurst and they just let me pop on pretty often writing frequently on all of your pet teams host of the youtube sensation howdy partners which i've learned today has a special guest you want to see who it's gonna be look at this ridiculousness i'm having the sheriff the sheriff they sent me this like life-size thing of his freaking comic book what can you tell people who the sheriff is because i'm not sure a national NBA audience is a hundred percent sure who that is they will know it's it's jazz rookie big man walker kesler the sheriff are we trying to make that happen shit the sheriff are they trying to make that happen they are i mean they said you know you got a comic book in the mail brother i got the like i think i think they're gonna do you know the jazz ace pr guy i think he tried to have like a billboard installed in my backyard but city zoning issues came into place we just sent me this like this massive thing here i don't know what i think about the sheriff i have to i have to have a think on that one right to mcmane thank you sir for everything it's great to see you i'll see you down the line i appreciate brother i hear some egos