And now the low welcome to the low post podcast on a Tuesday afternoon We're about to welcome in Tim McMahon to go through James Harden the Rockets a bunch of Western Conference stuff some Sixers stuff But before we get there, I wanted to start with a little a little discussion on I think the biggest story in the NBA right now And that's the Brooklyn Nets and beneath that one of the coolest ongoing stories in the NBA and really a story that's in year three now And that's just how incredible and brilliant and majestic Kevin Durant is and has been and continues to be on November 23rd The Nets had just lost to the Sixers in Philadelphia and the Ben Simmons return game. They were eight and ten Kyrie was back. Ben Simmons was starting to look Simmonsie again, and I said on this podcast in a monologue like this It's now or never for Brooklyn. I looked at their schedule a bunch of easy mid-tier games coming up The whole situation was teetering Kyrie's suspension was a disaster The Durant trade request was only you know rescinded a few months back the vultures were circling vultures are absolutely circling Durant the Nets even a couple vultures looking at Kyrie And even internally, you know some people have been steadfast like we just need our team We need to give Ben Simmons time and by the way I was on NBA today after the opening game arguing with Kendrick Perkins saying that we need to all need to be a little patient With Ben Simmons after all this time away from basketball Everyone wanted to jump down his throat for how bad he looked in the opening game and Ben Simmons still hasn't made a free throw And like two or three weeks I think there's still a lot to dissect there But it was it was teetering and and it was teetering not just from the outside I mean there were people in there who were saying I don't know how much longer this has I mean I don't know if this is it This is year four and this is where we are the suspension 100 500 like is this all gonna end now?
It was now or never and to the Nets credit they are 14 and two since that moment 14 and two they're up to third in the East two games out of the wall of column of first first We have the number one offense by a lot over those 16 games 10th in defense That's really good for the Nets and they are grinding on that end Almost average defensive rebounding which is about as good as they're gonna get and yeah It was it was an easy schedule to begin with but in their last two wins blew out Milwaukee and be Cleveland Not easily but relatively easily last night on the road and in both and that's setting aside destroying the Warriors before that Milwaukee Cleveland games There was not one second where they looked like not the best team on the floor the Nets And then you throw in like Boston hit kind of a roadblock now. I never worried about it I said last week I wasn't worried about they've won two games in row they're fine They're awesome. They're gonna be great the Bucks kind of sneakily 13 and 11 since starting 9 and 0 Their offense is 18th still their half court offense still is bad Giannis is still taking like 10 bizarre jump shots again Why are they posting up Giannis? Why is he taking 18 foot fadeaways out of the post with 18 on the shot clock?
Why is he taking these three's why is this still happening? Is it all Chris Middleton? I picked the Bucks to win the title so I'm gonna wait wait until Chris Middleton plays consistently wait until they get something out of Joe Ingalls to really judge What this team is but they certainly don't look like unbeatable for the Brooklyn Nets because right now the Brooklyn That's like a tender and I can't believe I'm saying that sentence because I had them all but dead and buried after the Kairis was mentioned It just seemed the word I use was unsalvageable and look there's a long way to go do I trust it? I can't trust it.
I can't how could you how could anybody? You're always waiting for the other shoe to drop with a Brooklyn Kairis still a free agent after the season Durant's trade request is still only five months old Obviously rescinded almost immediately, but still it's hard to trust it, but the team over the last 16 games That's a championship contender That's how good they've looked and you can see the formula and we'll talk about the formula I'm not ready to put them in that inner circle of contenders up because just let's just see what happens in a month with this team You just never know but if they if they actually hold this together There aren't many in-season turnarounds that dramatic if we get to April and we're talking about them as a top two or three team The use with a real chance to win the title there even even though we all saw the talent on paper There just aren't that many in-season turnarounds in recent NBA history that dramatic when many many many many many people in the media across the league all over The airways were declaring it's over blow it up trade Durant now trade them for whatever you can get get out of this era It's a failure. It's four years of almost almost almost theoretical teams get out of it Well, they're still in it. They're playing really well.
You want to trust it boy We would be nice to trust it. Well, let's talk about Durant for a second I was at game five of the finals in 2019 when Durant towards Achilles and that was one of the rare moments that I have been around Where you felt the historic weight of what it just happened? Immediately it wasn't oh my god the finals are hanging in the balance. It wasn't What does this mean for Durant next season and Durant's free agency?
It was oh my god a borderline mythical figure a basketball giant a historic giant Just crumpled crumpled and what does that mean for him for the sport for the game? Those were the thoughts that anyone who was there other than some Raptors fans I think you just wanted to win the title which is understandable I think those are the thoughts that any of us had because that's what this guys are remember writing after that game You know, here's how big a deal Durant is if he had just stayed healthy. This is again after 2019 game 5 Very well could be the number two all-time leading score in the history of the league with an outside shot because no one other than LeBron Is an inside shot of passing koreen as the number one score of all time a basketball That's what this guy was doing setting aside the unicorn style was game the seven footer with the jump shot They're moving off screens the pick and roll game the defense which has been outstanding this year That's what a giant this guy was well here. We are three years later wherever we are three and a half years later Durant averaging 30 points a game 30 six and a half rebounds five and half assists here is shooting numbers Yeah, we're talking about Kevin Durant 56% from the floor.
That's a career high 37% on threes 63% on twos. That's a career high He just passed Tim Duncan last night to move into 15th all time in NBA points 18th If you include a ba player shout out to the a ba but 15th on I guess the list that we've all decided is the list 15th if he averages 30 a game and plays 40 more games So that's factoring in you know, he misses a few gay eight or nine games, you know, whatever That's 1200 more points that gets him to 27,760 he's at 26 516 now 27 716 that would be 12 all time Okay, that's amazing. Give us a whole season if he plays the next four seasons And here's what I'm just gonna give him for the next four seasons 60 games a pop Okay, maybe optimistic maybe pessimist I don't know 25 a game maybe optimistic maybe pessimistic I don't know again. He's gonna age is gonna be 38 at the end of these theoretical four seasons 60 games 25 points that's 6,000 more points knock on wood that gets him in this scenario To 33,716 points guess who that gets him past Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and you may think those estimates are conservative that gets him to fourth Fourth all time and scoring behind LeBron Kareem and Carl Malone and you'd have 3,000 more points to go to get past Carl Malone and that's where that one this season Comes into play, but that's that's the kind of territory We were talking then and we're talking now with this guy and zooming even just out from the numbers We may not see more than one or two guys who can just do everything at the level This guy can do it on offense and on defense just as an example I just looked this up today for fun And I did this two years ago in the playoffs when he was just incredible against the box incredible that whole season dubbing off the Achilles injury Pick and rolls this season and boys He's been splendid out the pick and roll passing shooting the whole thing the nets are scoring 1.19 points directly out of the Durant pick and roll This season that means Durant shoots or he passes to someone in that guy shoots Maybe it's Nick Clack's to maybe it's Kyrie.
Maybe it's DJ Warren whoever that's third In the entire NBA among ball handlers who like eclipse some minimum number of pick and rolls That's the best figure of Kevin Durant's career. That's according to second spectrum the best figure of his career Isolations my great iso player. I just envy dog and do it all 1.125 points per possession directly out of K. D isolations That's typically like a top 15 number once you get through a whole season on par with what he's done in his career He's isolating according to second spectrum more this season per possession than ever in his career and still Putting up those numbers and he's doing that in part because when you have Nick Clack's and then Simmons on the floor two guys You can't shoot you're gonna have to rely on your mid-range gunners kind of isolate their way to a certain number of points He's doing it at that level of efficiency post-ups Beat the numbers are just insane one after the other 1.22 points per possession out of a Durant post-up That's typically a top five number at the end of an NBA season.
That's number two number two in his career Coming off screens. Well, no, he comes off a lot of pin downs and shoots and passes out of the pin downs draws two hits Clack's on on the roll 1.13 points directly out of a Kevin Durant running off the screen It's just every category. It's just like oh, there's Durant top five Durant top five Durant top five Durant top five. It's just ridiculous What he's doing and I overuse the word with him, but it's just how I feel it's majestic watching the seven-footer do this is you just sit back slack jawed and Appreciate the skill level and the craft level and I wonder sometimes if he's if Katie is so sort of not defensive But wants to remind you how skilled and how much he works on his craft because people say things I just did the seven footer with a jump shot There's just so much more than that and it my favorite thing about him lately And if you watch that Cleveland game last night Monday night It stood out He's just making the simple plays on the pick and roll just beautifully Cleveland was doubling him and even before the double was getting there Like it was coming to him boom bounce past the Nick Clackston in open space Trusting Nick Clackston to make the right play from there and Nick Clackston every shot off the backboard is going in These little jump hooks and spinning floaters and all that making the right play next possession or two possessions later Here comes the double again Oh, the past the Clackston aren't isn't there I'll swing it over to TJ Warren on the left wing and he'll deliver the past the Clackston down the middle and Clackston will finish That play just simple simple plays five and a half assists a game defensively He's been all the way in all season deflections shop locks challenging a bunch of shots at the rim switching communicating And that's they're still switching the time the communication has been on point Durant is the head of the snake for all that and I mentioned TJ Warren TJ Warren's averaging 10 points a game doesn't sound like much 20 points per 36 minutes on that basis Like oh my god, this guy's a little score again 56% from the floor between TJ Warren Royce O'Neill shooting 40% 43% I think on three is everything four and a half assists again like out of nowhere Royce O'Neill is everything four and a half assists again And you don't want an obby plus Joe Harris.
That's four medium to big sized wings Then that's can roll out there in their lineups that have just one of durant of a Clackston and Simmons just one of their centers Because Simmons is playing essentially center when Clackston's on on the floor when they go one non-shooter instead of twos They can stack those lineups with Kyrie Durant and two really big wings all of whom can shoot Assuming what an obby shooting this season is real all of whom can make the next play all of whom can defend that's a formula for winning at a high high level if they can defend and rebound well enough to do it and And You don't have to overplay Seth Curry and Patty Mills alongside Kyrie lineups that are just gonna be too small I can play in short doses heavy ones against the Celtics the Bucks The Sixers it's gonna be it's gonna be tough those are small lineups Kyrie by the way Is shooting the hell out of it and we'll just leave it at that he's playing great basketball And the Simmons Clackston lineups in that 14 and 2 stretch the lineups that I thought maybe wouldn't make or break their season But they'd have to work they'd have to be a part of their rotation because they're the one of the only ways that nets can have like a Functional defense enough rebounding and I was skeptical. They could work offensively with two non shooters two guys who can't shoot free throws At least one guy who doesn't want to shoot free throws those lineups are plus 17 per 100 possessions in that 14 and 2 stretch They're now a solid positive for the season. They're scoring 122 points per 100 possessions in that 16 game stretch with those two guys on the floor That's like way beyond the best offense in NBA history and part of that is because the Nets have really cleverly said Essentially with some exceptions the only time Clackston and Simmons are on the floor together They're only on the floor together if both the rant and Irving are on the floor with them. We can only thrive offensively Survive is probably too strong or we can only thrive offensively with Simmons and Clackston if we have these two all-time great isolation scores On the floor with them when it's just when it's just one of those two they can rest or and rest Kyrie And by the way, they're winning the Kyrie only minutes this season pretty solidly to their last couple games when Duran has rested You get this feeling he's so dominant.
He's so good like the other team has got to win these minutes The next just have to survive those minutes right now. They're doing more than surviving those minutes um and I guess you know Joe Harris hasn't even healthy Seth Curry hasn't even been healthy it And I said this on November 23rd. You could see the roadmap of this the blurry outlines of it Clackston Simmons working well enough Lots of shooting around him lots of shooting around Durant and Kyrie two scores who if the spacing isn't great They don't care They'll just slither their way into the 14-foot range and make a ridiculous shot That's what they do they'll pull up for three and transition and make a ridiculous shot That's what they do and all the big wings and all the switching you can see the formula happening It wasn't a secret wasn't a secret when they traded for Simmons who by the way has been good So this has been good in the stretch. He's making his little funky hook shots more than you expect great transition passer great transition passer still You don't feel super comfortable with him in the half-court offense But he's doing enough and then that's aren't force feeding him picking rolls and post-ups and the stuff they were doing early in the season Under Steve Nash they've gone totally away from that and he's been fine with it He's doing enough you could see the roadmap you could see the outlines of it But you just had no faith that it would sustain for 20 games for 25 games for 30 games Well for 20 games it has and for those 20 games they look scary scary good Maybe someday I'll trust it really trust it like can win four playoff series trusted I'm not there yet.
How could anybody be there's always there's always something with the Brooklyn Nets but right now I'm just sitting back and I'm watching the show and the star of the show is Kevin Durant and I just remember what it felt like that night in Toronto when Bob Myers was crying Bob Myers crying during a press conference when's the last time you saw GM weep during a press conference and That seemed apt that we all like everyone who was there sadness is not the right word But you did feel a certain shock and a certain like is Kevin Durant ever gonna be the same again This is kind of weird like having to ran has been this constant other than the foot issue early in his career He's been this just automatic roll them out 30 points doesn't get any plays called for me Just doesn't that is he ever gonna be the same again? But man, I just sit back and I watch it every night because he's not just the same He's as good or better than he's ever been and that in itself is remarkable and just watch the nets watch the nets They're next their next three games Atlanta Charlotte San Antonio Chicago That could be four wins even though three of them are on the road They could be 26 and 12 going into games against New Orleans Miami and then Boston again and Boston is one of the teams that has beaten him In this 14 and 2 stretch beat him in the playoffs last year that games on January 12 on TNT Our friends at TNT that'll be a fun game But credit to the Nets the world was telling him it was over and they've decided it's not over yet We'll see what happens the season Let's bring in Tim McMan to talk all things Western Conference Hey sports fans the ESPN app has all of ESPN all in one place The ESPN app is your home to thousands of live events ESPN shows and originals across every ESPN network in service And now you can check if you already have ESPN unlimited is part of your TV package for no additional calls visit activate.espn.com To learn how to access your account or sign up then start streaming in the ESPN app It's all the ESPN all in one place sign up for activate now All right, let's bounce around the Western Conference as we near the halfway mark of the season Tim McMan Merry Christmas happy holidays How are you and howdy partner? I like doing fantastic zakets good to see you man on the YouTube sensation Howdy partners a couple of weeks ago you mentioned chitter chatter chittering and shattering about the possibility of a James Harden Houston Rockets reunion down the line And this has been sort of whispered about mumbled about in the ether for almost since the moment He got traded off the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets who served as a nice middleman for the Philadelphia 76ers And and it was mostly in the vein of maybe he'll finish his career there He'd like to finish his career there. He has ties there.
He loves it there. He's the man there He had the key to the franchise the key to the city he misses that it was unclear sort of how immediate that threat might be and then He signed the one plus one with the Sixers last summer for the exact convenient price of one Daniel House and a PJ Tucker thrown in as well And I said why I can't help not my podcast not five days ago I said kind of feels like we should be talking about the fact that James Harden can be a free agent after the season feels like that should be a thing And then bam Christmas morning Adrian Wojnarowski drops the bomb James Harden is indeed interested in a reunion with the Houston Rockets And do you know what my first reaction was to that mr. McMahon? Investing in some certain establishments in the Houston area.
I did not I should have that that might be a safer investment than almost anything To invest in right now if this news indeed ends up being true down the line at some point No, my first reaction was bah humbug bah humbug. Yeah, I don't want to think about this It's Christmas free agency doesn't start for like a million years in NBA terms and side note The Sixers are amazing and have a chance to win the championship this year and James Harden was just coming off I believe the first 20 plus assist game of his entire career a 20 assist triple double I want to talk about the Sixers and how the Sixers are awesome And now the Celtics were slumping a little bit and how the bucks but the bucks are 13 and 11s and starting 9 and 0 They're 18th and offense the harden and beat pick and roll looks unstoppable The Anthony Mountain is making a case to start let's talk about the Sixers But I did talk about the Sixers with with Kevin Pelton on that podcast. So let's game this out. Let's get this Joelle and Bead And by the way, that's like some of the reasons this is a big deal Yes, that's what this is a big deal is because if this team falls short and then falls apart or Whatever you define your second best player leaving as right if maybe falling apart is too extreme Everyone's a disaster.
Well, I never was sitting there wondering like who's the next guy who's the next star to ask out? Well, I said a year ago When the Sixers crapped the bed again, I should say the Sixers crapped the bed again when James Harden crapped the bed again And elimination game of the Sixers again couldn't get out of the second round. I said maybe it's Joelle and Bead And that's why this is a potentially important story But let's game it out because my friend and colleague Bill Simmons had a very pithy and Simmonsy tweet right off the bat saying You said you should just release a statement right now. Thanks, but no thanks For that don't hold your breath for that.
Well game it out for me. Um, the Rockets are actually sneakily respectable eight and eleven Since the two and twelve start they look more like a real basketball team now They're still firmly in the bottom four for when banyama, but they're above Detroit and Charlotte and they're right there with San Antonio Who's now doing the bizarre thing of the Spurs have decided we're just gonna start our best starting five now and just see if we can win Some games back. Oh, does that need a trade yock-a-pirdle? They really got to trade him if they want to get any chance of Victor Yeah, after all this messing around if like guys are out there to sell us coming off the bench now They're starting to realize anyway the Rockets have have a nice infrastructure They were a disaster for the first month.
They're just kind of a regular below average team now Sell me on why this isn't a bad idea for the Houston Rockets So I'm not going to sell you on why it's not a bad idea because I do think it is a bad idea for the Rockets You know the one thing I can say is that hey I do believe that the Rockets need a true point guard and Hardin is much more of your Productive goal pass first point guard now that he is you know Houston James Harden who's gonna score 36 tonight You know that like he's always been a brilliant passer overlooked because he shot so much scored so much He's always been a brilliant passer, but dude this would be the ultimate We gotta be relevant again desperation move for the Rockets Okay, it would be and I think the massive risk you're taking if you're the Rockets and you do this is that you're going to Just blow up the development of Jalen Green You're going to you know blow up the development of a Jabari Smith Jr. Our parents and go these young players who have a lot of potential I think you're seeing them improve Especially the case of the latter two as the season goes. I don't I don't think it's Whisper anything people don't realize that you know a James Harden might not be the best influence around some young impressionable NBA players But I'm not gonna say here and tell you that I don't think the Rockets Would do this okay? Now the people I've talked to in Houston acknowledge well, hey, you know We'd have to have discussions about fit and if it's the best path blah blah blah But the simple fact of the matter is Tillman for Tina's patience is limited.
This is the third year of what he Anticipated and expected to be a three-year rebuild and oh by the way the benefits of being bad are gone after this year Okay, unless they're really bad and lucky in the lottery because next year's pick top four protected O2 OKC from that Russell Westbrook. Hey, thanks for that part of gift James Harden you bleep bleep bleep bleep bleep But dude, but now you see but now you see the genius of it from James Harden's perspective Not only do I get rid of Chris ball who annoys me because he is a winner and wants to have a little bit more of a democratic offense And I've grown tired of his personality and his Hooranging everyone at all time bringing my old friend in Russell Westbrook Okay, we look but now the genius of it is now they have an excuse to re-acquire James Harden because they don't want to be bad I got a mixture they owe that pick through the James Harden initiated trade for Russell Westbrook now this it's all coming together It's all coming back together That is a long play You know, he's you know, he's three-dimensional chess. You know, there's all there's all that was anyway Listen say what you want about James Harden the two things you can never ever ever question are smarts and skills True everything else you can talk about the man is brilliant and he is one of the most skilled basketball players that we have ever seen You know walk the hardwood on an NBA floor But to throw him in with a bunch of 21 22 year olds man and then like hey You're supposed to be building around Jaylin Green. How's Jaylin Greenfield if this happens?
Is there gonna be problems there? I just I think it would be awfully messy for the Rockets and the upside's mediocrity because we're not again. We're not talking about The James Harden that we saw in Houston for eight years We're talking about Harden on the back end of his prime, right? And I think we're talking about a Harden who if his team's going to be good He needs to be the second best player Which oh by the way, he is clearly in Philadelphia and as you mentioned by the way, the Sixers are pretty damn good Interested to me though when Harden was asked about this after Christmas.
They win. He basically said hey things are going well and Philly I don't know where that came from He didn't say it ain't happening. He didn't shoot it down. I don't know where it came from it.
I didn't want this out there yet Um my first reaction other than bahum bug. Let's talk about how awesome the Sixers are my siren song team I just cannot quit the Philadelphia 76ers My other reaction was similar to Bill Simmons reaction and what you just outlined of a certain nausea Just burbling up through my body at the idea of Why do the Houston Rockets with let's just say three young players who need the ball to some degree Not need the ball because they want it and they crave it Which is which they do but also need the ball because like that's their NBA destiny is to have the ball to some degree in a function on Bay offense Kevin Porter jr Who I think the whole world degree should have the ball less than he does right now Right jail and green who's going to have the ball out no matter what and alberin shengoon who needs to have the ball a lot Or some amount so that Kevin Porter jr and jail and green don't just dribble it around all the time and by the way He's a really good passer Kevin Porter's guy Well, let's see When he starts putting up Stormman Kirkland yolkich um do you guys have Kirkland in Texas? Not to my knowledge I think Kirkland is did Wayne read knockoff. I can't remember it doesn't matter Kirkland is something and Kirkland people now wear Kirkland like shirts I don't know.
We have we have buckies and buckies is high-fashion around these parts Buckies is like the jerry world above gas stations But it's like they've got t-shirts and hats pajamas. Hey get the barbecue sandwich great coffee The cleanest bathrooms in the world anyways, let's get back to Andrea Andrea YouTube person who makes sure that my nose looks as large as possible when this thing gets broadcast youtube informs me that it's Costco that Kirkland is linked to Costco Okay, anyway, I don't know what this is somehow really the Alperin shengoon's relationship to nicole yolkich on the player hierarchy Anyway, he needs the ball So the other guys have it less come for junior led the league I think in catch and shoot three point shooting last year as a percentage Let's let's do a little bit more of that So why do I want to turn those guys into pj tucker and Trevor or riza and eric gordon while 35 year old James harden dribbles the air out of the ball And yeah, I get a one or two year blip of like oh, look at the rockets It's a great home. Wow 44 wins. How about that second greatest player in franchise history?
Yeah, second greatest you want to argue he's the greatest you revolutionize basketball? Absolutely you want to be darryl warren be like he's a better scorer than Michael Jordan. Okay, darryl That's fine like we each have our own little takes right he's an incredible offense player He literally revolutionized basketball. Someone's safe for worse others would say for better whatever He's not the greatest rock at all time.
No, I keep a lot of great rock at all time and the story um Yeah, great. That's a nice short-term blip But what's what what am I getting out of that in the medium or long term? What's what's the point of that? But let's game it out a little bit more, shall we?
Because if we're gonna talk ourselves into it Let's talk ourselves into an idea. We know is bad with the same enthusiasm that the philadelphia 76ers talked Themselves into signing al hortford for a gazillion dollars when they already had joe ln beat on their team Let's do it number one. They owe the pick that matters that matters they owe the pick number two They have a bonanza of cap space And if you look at a free a whole in their pocket and if you look at the summers free agents, it's like kyrie Hey, listen, I'm just saying don't rule that one out either I would do anything I would rule anything out with kyrie or the Houston rock That's a perfect storm of just don't rule it out. I'm not saying I'm rooting for it because You know, I think this these little peaks will zoom back if I'm having to deal that on a regular basis You see how bad for del looks these days?
Then you look at the other free agents It's like chris middleton fred van vleder those guys really changing teams and if they are do they make sense germany grand Seems likely to sign an extension every sign with the players that you'd be a great fit in usan miles turner I think it'd be a fantastic fit with the rockets even though she and goon is already there Just give me some defense give me some stability give me some shooting There's I think it's indiana and him will talk about or renegotiate and extend so maybe he doesn't become available either brook lopez Same thing. I like that is like a shorter term less expensive veteran help around the fringes and ways that we need help All the laws would be crazy to let him walk. So if none of those guys wait, hold on. What about christian woods?
We're doing rockets reunions, baby. We're gonna get we're gonna get the christian wood Uh and then you did from there you go to like second draft guys restricted free agents who are really hard to get I think josh heart if he becomes available somehow would be a great fit there But it my point is if hardens willing to come on a short-term deal and there are a lot of whispers around the league that he wants to continue cycling through Like one plus one kind of deals you could talk yourself into it as the rockets being like well I mean like no harm no foul It's not like we're tying ourselves to him forever and ever except then you think well if he signed with the rockets again Even if it's a one plus one I don't think the plan is to like bounce somewhere else and then bounce back to the rockets to end my career I don't I just I don't like it. I don't think they should do it Um, I don't think it would be a terrible idea. It's just not the way that I would spend my resources.
It feels like a um Emotional decision Oh, if there's emotional over here and basketball over here It feels like it's too far toward the emotional end of the poll or poll of the continuum Even though there are basketball reasons for it. I mean look if they got into the playoffs We've seen oh, it's great to expose your young guys to winning and playoff games and all of that I just would rather find like another way to put that scenario in play. I don't like I just wouldn't do it I would call it emotional. I would also call it impatient.
Um impossible. I would not call it Uh, you know, no, they'll consider it 100% consider it 100% and you know, the other thing like we're talking about cap space You mentioned the free agents we also understand that's not the only way you can use cap space Certainly you can put that to good use in the trade market. Um, I just again the patience for the kind of hey Let's play this out. Let's develop these young guys.
Let's rebuild that way That's running out and there's the clock tick tick tick tick tick until you know, hey, they owe they owe the pick in 2024 top four protected 26 They owe it uh 2025 it's top 10 protected like they don't want to give lottery picks to okc for a trade that basically just Led to the franchise being blown up now. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks.
You know, just Uh, yeah, darryl made that with as he was uh, you know, checking a real estate in philadelphia One day I will tell the story to mccman one day one day Of the scene in las vegas navet at summer league that I live when that trade happened one day But that day is not today and there needs to be a little alcohol in my system and a little more distance from so like next time Croatia does something in the world cup. Maybe i'm still i'm still coming down from it I'm still coming down for it. You can't burst my bubble on that And I just mentioned one quick thing that I think could factor into decision making and that's where do the rockets land in the lottery Right so and basically what i'm telling you here is if they land at number two They're drafting scoot hinterson and then I do think that there's a little hey Uh, what do we do with scoot hinterson if we're paying james hard a bunch of money to come run the show again You know, I I'm not telling you I know for a fact that would change the decision making But it certainly it makes sense that it would factor in now they land number one They get victor didn't ever bring in james and then they think they're winning the end day championship that year and hey Maybe they could be actually really relevant again If I get victor, I'm running all the way the opposite direction from james harden And if I get scoot hinterson, I'm scooting all the way in the other direction from james harden I don't need to get james harden. Hey scoot hinterson.
They can have they can have the the dual scoot Uh lineup with it with him and old stuporter by the way interesting, uh, and you know, I've I've said this many times I've had this conversation, you know with folks with the rockets They aren't 100 convinced that kevin porter jr. Is starting port in the mba You know they acknowledge that of course they're not there extension for him is like has all these ridiculous, you know Half guarantees incentives whatever the hell the language is that's more for other reasons Um, but they telegraph they telegraph to their lack of faith in him They're it's not totally like a pay this a lot of money if it all becomes guaranteed to real investment But they telegraph like we'll see it's an NFL contract to pay as you go you can get out at any time Basically, I do think it was pretty interesting though that this stuff is big news with harden right and it's a major subject of discussion Certainly around the rockets next game out old uh kevin porter jr goes for 36 seven rebounds and nine assists basically like hey I can be a dude too. So you know just something to keep your eye on it I do I've said it a hundred times. I think ultimately he's a you know, he's a six man of the year kind of guy on a good team But we'll see yeah, I don't know what I'm doing with that cap space instead if I'm in this in the GMC I like the idea of miles Turner.
Um, but you know the cost could be so much that I get a little queasy And then it's like I think I would just trawl around then for younger shooters younger defenders like even I think I've heard jish on tape is going back so he's a rocket he's got free agent to be clear But I just I like they just need like I'm excited to see him back because they need someone who doesn't really want to shoot and Wants to pass and play defense and is kind of a connector. Um, and yeah, they see him as kind of a mini dream on And again, I keep I keep giving you these like elite players, but like that's you know or a Costco mini dream on how's that? Yeah, I wrote about dream on at the beginning of the season after the punch and I said how many how many false and extra mons have their bed Since they've on became an archetype. Oh, maybe trade miles as a little dream on green in them.
Oh, yeah Obviously, um tat is like he's a good passer looks like a linebacker tough defense, you know Sounds like pj Tucker. Um And by the way, pj Tucker's only pass is swing swing. Hey, man. They um, the Sixers are also and they played tonight against the wizards I'll probably lose but the harden and beat pick and roll looks unstoppable and beat and beat and beat and beats There are not many people big small in the middle whatever who have like a 13 foot jump shot Like a 13 foot rise up jump shot and it's just automatic and you can't switch that play or else you're dead one way or the other And harden is I said last week.
I don't really mind if they played what looks like too much your turn my turn As long as like 65 percent of the turns are in beat and 35 I'm good with it and hard and harden's perfect when he's like he should have some 26 games and like 12 of them will be doing beat That's great. Maybe Tucker should be the backup five for Philly It's just starting out in start three guards start melting and maxi I do think maxi will come off the bench to start to start his injury his injury return from injury And then then the question becomes more interesting, but that's no I think you're on the you're on the same side of that one is bond him So it's always a little scary. No, no, no, I don't know that I don't know that that should happen or will be permanent I just think they will couch it for the first five games like it's not a minute restriction We'll bring him off the bench and we'll decide then I've already said that I would explore harden maxi Melton Harris and beat potentially as the starting five But then you think there's a point in pj tucker if he's not starting the whole point of him is to guard the best Players. Yeah, um, the other the other point of him is maybe he can solve this like endless backup five conundrum for the Sixers But you could start and do that anyway enough sixers.
Love the sixers one more real quick thing in the rockets Obviously, are you gonna say there's sonic's uniform suck because they're the sonic's uniform I wasn't going to say that but I'm glad to give you that the avenue to Although they're they're contributing greatly to the former sonic success with getting back to the rest rate. Um, anyways Uh, we've been keeping an eye on eric gordon, you know, it seems like forever in the trade market if he's not traded Uh, I think he's on the team next year And I think that's an indication that they are going all in on heart Why is eric gordon an indication of anything? Because eric gordon is a guy who harden would want to play with he's a guy who basically haven't it's essentially a team option So now I'm guaranteed for our harden and mori just to say I did they just want to play with the 2017 rockets forever Like what at what point does James harden not want to play with these guys anymore because there are better guys who aren't 37 years old Chris paul Bring up. I I sure fine eric gordon and john collage you get a coffee the next time their teams play each other and just talk about Guys, we've been in the tumors forever.
Can we can we just call the league office and impersonate our respective gms and like call in a trade where we're traded for each other? So miles turner to miles turner's far that maybe not well. We'll see. I don't know I don't know if that extension's gonna happen from el Let's talk about your mavericks.
We'll bounce around the western on the mavericks on the in about a few hours from now We're recording this four o'clock on eastern and east coast time on whatever day this is someday. It's a day. It ends in Play's after christmas. Um the bronson reunion.
Well, whether bronson plays or not is a little bit up in the air But the mavericks game tonight and dallas will happen christian would is now officially extension eligible And the mavericks after a nice win over the christmas over on christmas over the lakers who Without anti over the brawn and a whole bunch of guys. It's not it's not going great there Um, it's not going great without ad our two games over weird up and down season for them Let's talk christian would likelihood of a christian would extension between zero and 100 with zero being no chance in hell What is it to make man? Uh somewhere in the middle somewhere in the middle and it's going to have the years will have to be somewhere in the middle And so i'll just tell you this he's eligible for four years 77 million He's they're not going to put four years on the table. Um, I don't know if he would be interested in two years You know, so just I don't know I do know that there are People within the mavericks who have juice who would be interested in two years And you look at how that you know matches up with their future cap sheet with their ability to be players and free agency Going in that 2025 summit.
That's where their next realistic uh opportunity They want to preserve that flexibility and you know, let's just be honest They don't want to have a long term commitment to a guy who has bounced around the league and has a reputation for being unreliable and you know, chronic tardiness and You know effort on defense comes and more often goes and etc. Having said all that christian would Has been good for the mavericks like the they don't have very many players on that roster who can put the Basketball in the hoop on a consistent basis. He can and he does it efficiently He can you know, he can and he does it in a lot of different ways. He can pick and roll he can pick and pop you can dump on the ball In the post, you know, he can attack closeouts.
He can make plays, uh, you know out of the short role whether it's kind of slithering into the hoop or You know hitting the guy on the on the weak side like he did You know, he had seven assists in the game against like His passing overall has been a nice I wouldn't say surprise But he's he's been a willing passer in dallas and not just even on the short role But like sometimes he'll extra pass it around the perimeter where i'm like dude You can probably just shoot that because you're open and you're really good three point shooter He'll just like tap it over to block or didn't wait here somebody else He didn't make the extra pass when he came on the line in cleveland, but uh, you know, the hero ball happens hero airball in that case um anyways, so I This is what I know because I asked christian straight up on uh on christmas day and I walked out after his after he did the uh You know post game press conference and I said hey, yeah, you know, you're eligible for extension. Basically what do you think? And he smiled he said that uh, he's happy to be here And and then he said uh, he's yet to have the conversation with mark cuban Which he said he is yet to talk to mark cuban about it Not that his agent has yet to talk to me coheresin about it But you know, I do think if this thing's going to happen probably is a cuban to christian wood conversation Um, but he did say that he's open to it. I asked him does it have to be for the full four years He laughed said it can't answer that walked away.
Um, and I asked that because I would be shocked If they gave him a four-year offer. I know that they would be interested early So you know enough people didn't matter would be interested for a two-year deal to be realistic And then you know, I just ask you if you if you are christian wood or if you're advising christian wood Let's say they I think if you're gonna go two years you gotta put as much on the tables You can so two years a little bit shy of 36 million Um, you're 27 years old You've bounced around the league would you do that if you're christian wood? Yeah, I would I would and and it and I can hear christian woods agents being like are you kidding? He's playing like that I'll don't cuss me out.
No, but he checked his player efficiency rating and by the way christian woods people I picked him to be six man of the year before the season 17 points a game 54% shooting 63% on twos. Um, he's been As expected and he's starting now partially because uh, a lot of it because of injuries Especially maxi cleaver, which there's no point bringing him off the bench if you can't attach him to maxi cleaver anymore Yeah, and look he's only started six games. So the six man eligibility is pretty It's not ironclad, but it's it's gonna be solid. He's got to start more than he comes off the bench to disqualify himself But anyway, um what was also predictable was that the coaches would be like oh my god Do we trust this guy's defense?
Oh, and they the answer over and over has been no, but of course They don't know that they don't have maxi he was the guy closing games for him You know, so like basically they have to outscore teams now if you got out score teams You gotta have this guy on floor a lot No, I wrote this on friday in 10 things If you're gonna trade a first round pick for christian wood You have to give the wood at center lineups some leeway just some and now they have no choice But to see if those lineups sink or swim and for the season the last time I check Which was before the Lakers game They were like plus four per 100 possessions with luka and wood and no other big man on the floor Which is like that's that's fine. Yeah, that's what he should do I'm gonna go lower than you and say on the zero to 100 scale that I made up the likelihood of a christian wood extension is like a 15 I just I don't know that they'll do the the litmus test is Because this team clearly I don't think can look at itself in the mirror and say oh yeah We're good enough as is to just lock into this group so the litmus test is this extension may christian wood more tradable less tradable as tradable as you currently as and and Factoring that we could also just re-sign them in the off-season Probably not at much more than we would have to re-sign them now unless he has some crazy play out or extend them now unless he has some crazy playoff Run I'm gonna go 15 on on the likelihood But that does bring me to my next question for you Which was we joke that this was team holding pattern before the season and early in the season That despite the fact that they can now trade a couple of picks even though they owe that pick to to the next Despite the fact that they have a lot of mid-sized salaries This was a team that was gonna hold its chips deer hold them close to its chest to search for the theoretical number two guy That porzingis was supposed to be but wasn't as luka enters his prime and that's not just just sniffing his brain Yeah, but if you want his prime, he can't take steps back No, um, so so and I think we call them team holding pattern assuming all that stuff I just said but also that the conference finals run was if maybe A little bit exaggerating of how good this team actually is Maybe they're not a clear cut conference finals team I don't want to say it was like a fluke I just don't believe in the fluke thing like everything broke right for them Like everything broke right for the hawks two years ago Like like things break all the time and a lot of teams don't take advantage of those breaks like the Sixers Things are broken right for the Sixers every year and they can't get to the conference finals I don't really believe in that but even if you thought okay, well like you know, maybe they're not a real conference finals team That they're a strong strong solid playoff team And this this team has been in for a lot of the years So my question to you is does team holding pattern all of a sudden feels some urgency To maybe not hold all the cards to see what some of those cards can get even if it's just like a short-term upgrade to placate luka I think that So holding pattern can't be holding pattern and take a few steps back and holy crap We missed the playoffs in the first year of luka supermax No, that that's such a disaster. That is a massive problem if that happens So yeah, I do think there has to be a greater sense of urgency than anticipated But you have to be very very careful to make sure that urgency does not create desperation You cannot make a desperation move that ends up being a disaster that just expedites the process of what you're scared is going to happen Which is we're not good enough. There's no chance to contend.
Oh, no, look, please stay. Oh, no, no, give us a thought That's what you're trying to avoid. So it's a it's a tough situation and you know Losing your second best score for nothing in two straight years would be a disaster It would be so if you don't get an extension worked out with christian wood I do think you have to explore the trade market for him now Listen part of the problem and part of the reason a big part of the reason you were able to get christian wood in the first place is because the rocket spent a year Exploring the trade market for him and they found out they're in a whole lot of one like you said Hey, they might have to save up the first round pick to be clear. They gave up Three guys who I think are all in the glee now Uh, the the friendliest giant in the NBA, but a 15th man and the number 26 Yeah, well, I'm number 26.
Everybody knows friend is jang And the number 26 pick in the draft that was a move that was as much about creating open roster spots No, what they did with them is a different conversation Jivel Mcgeeon not exact promises starting job held on to it for almost two weeks out of a three-year deal um But my point is like if the rockets weren't able to get much in a trade form after a year of trying You know when he's got a couple months left on his contract like don't be so sure the maps can get anything of value there Um, you know is you mentioned this summer. Can you resign him would there be sign trade options? But the other the other part here with with christian then you say hey i'd pounce on two years 36 If I were him if I were him yes, right right what's the market going to be for him and free agency? You know, there's a shortlist of teams that have cap space including that shortlist are the pistons and the rockets well He's been there.
He's done that. I don't expect any happy reunions and on either of those spots You know now hey the nicks didn't have cap space this point last year. They created it. They got ronson Um, I don't think that uh christian was valued was nearly the same.
I also don't believe his godfather runs the front office in the mba um I just That's a game of chicken. I don't know that the mavics want to play even if they feel like the odds are much better for them this summer Yeah, I mean, you know, and the other thing is um But who are they trading for if they indeed decide to put Whether it's picks players are both onto the market like but let me talk about the ethical the dearth of sellers You know makes it difficult. I'm gonna guess your hypothetical is boy ambogonovich But maybe i'm wrong give you your hypothetical that would be an interesting one too. You know bring a ball Consuted to pair with luka that would be an interesting one.
Um, he was not my hypothetical That my hypothetical I do believe would cost you a lot more than boy ambogonage And he's just a little bit south of Detroit in the eastern conference Uh a team that is well nobody south of them in the sanding so you must be talking about jaguar Graphically, but they're not too far north in the standings. I'm talking about zaklavi Um, well, listen, there's obviously been a lot of talk about the bulls and do they blow it up and how are things working with levine there Uh, I just know that there are fans of him That hold prominent positions within the mavericks again. I'm not sitting here and telling you like it's some great consensus I think there's enough fans of him where I wouldn't totally ruled out. I don't know what the market would be for him Um given both contract and the knees.
Uh, there's so much, you know buzz about him wanting to be in la I don't know Put put yourself in nico harrison shoes. Um, let's say you've got to give up a couple of picks Let's say you've got to give up at least josh green and then you know you can figure the salary out timartley jr Probably in that deal. You hope not to win finish with whatever like is that something you're eager to do? So I think I I this is though This is one of those ones where I think both teams if they even started thinking about it would Would to me at least come to the realization.
This is too much too soon for how confusing this all is like divide by get from the bulls Now the bulls every time you think the bulls are turning the corner They lose to the rockets by 18 points at home like they did last night and it's like all right Maybe the bulls just I'm on team the bulls just aren't good and I've been on that team for a long time But i think on that team as well I'm not going to protect a pig the bulls have talent the rosans been outstanding They're clearly you know built to win now and and they should like they they should be when I say not good I don't mean they're just bad They should be about as good as they were at the end of last year a 45 win team like that's not nothing That's worth supporting that's worth investing in um and so the vibe I get from them is we still think we're that team All this blow it up talks seems premature to us And so you know, I don't know that they're even ready to have that discussion but if you were you'd be like, all right What's the proper trade value for 37 million 40 million 43 million 46 million player option for 49 million On a guy whose teams never seem to win And he has problems And now he looks more explosive now than he did a month ago You see more of like the old zachlavian going up as he gets to the rim Not like going down and praying this flailing layup goes in but I and then if you're doubt It's so like that was only has so much to offer right that was can't do Or picks three swaps mega offer that by the way every team Whether the bulls ever decide to trade the beat or not every team is going to be like, well, remember the go bear deal You're not getting our guy for two picks whether it's valid or not Right, there's there's we have like a year left of that another year and that will fade as like a marker a benchmark People all agree it was ridiculous and blah blah blah Um, and I just don't know that Dallas has enough and Chicago is ready to just like are we selling that low on the back? Levine and I don't know that even if I'm Dallas like I don't know that that's what I where I want to play Well, you play you play those cards. You don't get to play cards for a while Exactly So and bognovitch is interesting because I talked about the same reason wood to your extension would make sense for them from a long-term cap perspective Bogdanovitch matches up with that. He's absolutely he's not just a shooter But he is a big time shooter like the idea of luka feeding him wide open threes I think he would really thrive in that luka actually has a relationship with him, you know, obviously Croatia's, you know border Slovenia You know, there's all those ball can guys or buddies.
Um, what would what do you think it takes to get him? I think it takes a protected first. I think Detroit is Posturing that we love him where to keep him don't come to us with anything less than xy and z I think that's just posturing. I think the whole point not the whole point I think it's first an expiring money or yeah I don't I don't know that you're getting much more than that.
I mean they traded kili olinik in like seconds for him Can I interest you in davis pertons as part of that deal? Full line just went dead. I know how much no, oh I said davis bird bird cans What I thought you wanted to replace with another shooter. Come on.
I'm back Yeah, I don't even I even protected first though You get into the whole thing that we've talked about where the mavericks at some point have to bundle picks together and get a bona fide Coast are and tick tick tick goes the clock. You got to pay off that pick to the nicks this summer Then you've got your full compliment unless you give one up before this straight deadline It's tough the mavericks are in a tough situation. Like I said, there's urgency and the line between urgency and desperation is this pretty blurry? And you can talk yourself into anything in the western conference It's like two weeks ago.
We're talking about the Lakers linkers are eight in their last 10 The west is wide open should they trade all this stuff? You can say you can you can view the west is wide open or you can view the west is like pretty deep in good teams and We gotta beat three of them. We gotta be give ourselves a realistic chance to beat three of them in seven game series If we're gonna actually do this and that's that's he's here So done. I thought the grizzly's already won the west.
We're gonna talk about them Analysis the grizzly's is western conference champions this year. You're not gonna give me the same thing about genre Well, let's do that. Let's do that now then Everyone is I love everything about everything that has happened in the last week to 10 days with the Memphis grizzly's I was on NBA today when that jaw interview happened and they told I was I was on it They had already recorded it and they told us what he said and I was like wait what he said what? I love this guy.
He said we don't need the word about the west. Hey, he ain't ducking no smoke. He's buying in the west uh and then and then um Then they get rolled by the Warriors on Christmas right after that interview comes out and the Warriors proud champions as they should be as they should be The Warriors they love nothing more than to rub your face in the fact that you haven't won anything Whether it's the sons and Devin Booker or the grizzlies and John Moran and yeah You can you can especially the guys who have won four of them. Yeah, Clay Thompson has four pride Yeah, but four completely beliefs but like Dylan brooch you talking about a dynasty you ain't won one yet He'll tell you right to your face as you're on the phone.
He does hit a jump shot And by the way, I mean, Dremon talks trash just rolling out of bed. You give him reason. Come on now You think you're a man to dream on to remember you like john Moran's dad talks trash to john Moran's probably talking to his kids already Um for sure but but by the way team Moran talks trash rolling out of bed too By the way, um Talking trash to Dylan Brooks is no picnic like that guy that guy can hurt me and he's a pretty damn physical player And clay Thompson has won four rings. He did make all the three's in Oklahoma City to save their season and help them get to the finals He has the kahone's factor to make man I like that a hundred times over game He wants to talk if he wants to talk his talk in the face of this young up and coming team who's acting like they want something I don't even like to say acting like they've won something they have won something They've won a lot of games They got to the second out of the playoffs last year with john Moran injured gave the Warriors some jabs and counter punches that were pretty respectable It's not like the it's not like the grizzlies are the pelicans and have won no playoffs Series the grizzlies have done stuff in the NBA and I like that they have decided to do But if I'm the Warriors, I'm rubbing it in your face 100 all day long You come in our house and you without Steph without Wiggins you get beat by taijurong and by the way I like taijurong but you get beat by taijurong and if you get beat by a team that was the worst team They've been statistically worse than the worst team in the league without Steph on the floor But going to that game.
They were their net rating was minus 12 and change I mean they have been they got blown out massive score guard. They gave up 91 points to the nets in the first half They've been playing like hot garbage and they kicked your ass on christmas day for the world to see and let you know about it And listen the Warriors have absolutely earned a right to let you know about it And you can say the grizzlies whether they have or have earned a right They're going to like they don't need your permission to flap their gums Hell really good at it and it's a hell of a lot of fun And that's why everyone fell in love with them So you can't you can't start knocking them now for getting too big for their britches Whatever the hell that means because we all we all everyone fell over them ourselves loving how they talk They talk to us at LeBron right in the process I wrote a whole round of last year It was it was there's so much fun But listen when you talk like that when you're barking on the floor when you're talking to Malik And we're putting on NBA today and all over social media and all the You put a target on yourselves. They base what they do with all their antics and I love them It's entertaining and it gives us great material. I love it.
It's so much fun They also put a massive target teams are going to get up to play the great You're going to be no sleepwalking in to see the grizzlies teams Especially in the western conference have every right to feel this respect and if you're dimmer If you're new Orleans, obviously golden state, you know, you're the Clippers I'm fine in the west you can just you think you're just gonna you know Kind of cruise through the western conference So they're gonna get they're gonna get a lot of bullets fired at him But you know what the gris is it be like cool. We're ready for it. That's what I was gonna say They don't care. That's what they want and As much as there's a Christmas is such a spotlight day for the NBA What happens there is always magnified beyond what it actually means So mock him now mock him now because what i'm reading into that game is zero zero nothing Well, maybe one thing which i'll get to Desmond bane was just coming back and miss a million shots And the grizzlies track record is what it is when they're fully healthy They are as formidable as anyone in the west that loss means nothing to me in terms of what it means about their team and all that The one issue though the one roadblock that they're gonna have to overcome because I think this team can win the west of this year Even as is even though I have said already I think they should try to make a trade a small trade to upgrade the mid to back end of their rotation because I think they're good enough to justify it The one problem is jerene's action jr.
Is got to stop fouling himself out of games They cannot win three playoff series in the west if he's playing 24 minutes a game and regularly just getting pulled pulled three minutes pulled Four minutes pulled he's got to stop fouling and until he stops fouling they are not going to get out of the west That's the number one structural roadblock they have if he cannot stop fouling He might be per minute the best defensive player in the nba right now also averaging like 18 a game on good shooting He just I don't know what they have to do to get him to stop fouling He has to stop fouling otherwise. They're just not gonna get where they can go. Yeah, and part of it is he tries to swat everything Now he's he swats a lot of things, you know, but there's a there's a line there Um, but yeah, you know, you know, they just got their butt kicked in dimmer He had five thousand played 22 minutes. They got their butt kicked in in golden state in san francisco He had five thousand played 21 minutes.
Like you like you said, there's a uh, you know in a lot of their losses. He's in foul trouble Um, and so that's the problem. I worry zero about desmond bane shooting He couldn't know anything the first few games of the season then he lit the world on fire got hurt But he desmond bane is a top three or four shooter in the nba Captain shoot off the dribble the guy's gonna hit somewhere in the mid 40s on high volume from three. He's he's I think he's a legit Co-star.
Um, I think jackson as you said he probably is a defense player the year front runner despite missing the first month or so of the Season but I can't I can't go there until he's placed 30 minutes a game I can't I want to I think I had him second or third on my bow last year I can't vote him number one in that award. Okay until he plays 30 minutes a game Stop valing. That's part of defense. Stop valing.
Okay. That's fair. That's fair. That's fair He is averaging over three blocks a game.
You look at the you know the defensive rating numbers with him on the floor Don't defensively without him Brooks was harder than season and he was hurt Brooks came back and said what you want about doing Brooks He should be seriously considered as an all defensive player and then jackson is and with those two guys back like they are a damn good defense team But I you're you're concerned about jackson foul trouble are absolutely legitimate And I love triple jet. He's amazing. He's standing for speaking of defense and big men. Let's round out the west by talking about The 16 and 18 minnesota timber will so have now lost three in a row to drop two I believe one game under 500 since towns got hurt and two games under for the season and the big headline of their loss last night in Miami to a heat team without I'm gonna close my eyes and try to see if I can remember Jimmy butler Bama bio dwayne deadman.
I'm missing. There's other people I'm missing even people beyond that that are going away didn't play shack didn't play Not game. I mean, yeah Out and in the last six minutes of the game Now it's one game not gonna be too much into it one game christfinch and his staff decided The guy we traded four draft picks four swap rights By the way including our pick this year where we are currently out of the playoffs out of the play in seems dangerous Uh and our first round pick from the prior draft and by the way jared van der bele pat bevely molly beasley who is like a top five in total Made threes in the league. Um, yeah, I think we're better off not playing or who looks great Yeah, I think we're better off not playing that guy in crunch time tonight against or lando robinson because naz reads just out playing him And it's only one game and you do not want to magnify it beyond the importance of one game But um the wolves are now minus five per 100 possessions when go bare plays Without towns that's according to cleaning the glass.
Okay. They're defensive rebounding rate In those minutes would be like bottom three in the nba On a team like the fact that one thing go bare consistently does is rebound nobody else on that team does And it's been almost funny for me to see all the wolves fans and some writers who were super defensive of that trade when it happened When all when a lot of us were I mean is i voted really good. I think twice i put them on all like i Respect what the guy does but all of us were i gassed at the price the first thing i was on tv 10 instead of trade happened I said i'm sitting here in disbelief. That was the word i use at the price Consist the price period, but especially considering like is this a fit But yeah, I mean, we're gonna get to that but it's been funny to see all these people discover like oh wow you really can't throw him the ball in the port like oh Oh all the stuff that the people said that had watched and play a lot about how you can't throw in the ball in the post and His hands are a little iffy sometimes like i kind of awkward when you throw in the ball and Oh, that's that was right.
Yeah, that was right. That was right. That was right the whole time Oh, you can't let a small guys on on on switches. It seems seems bad, but defensively he hasn't been the same guy this year and I'm not i'm not worried yet because when you watch him and there was all these high I watched the game last time all these highlights of the heat going right at him on the pick and roll and finishing layups around him He looks to me consistently this season and everyone's time how his blocks are down He looks to me like a guy who's a little bit in his own head defensively in his own head like okay Like he's almost second guessing himself in a way that he should be beyond given what he has achieved You can see him last night at Miami being like i don't they have this rim runner or lain or Robinson can dunk these out lubes Maybe I should stay attached to him.
Oh gave Vincent just made a layup like that's not Rudy go bear I don't know if it's he's learning the tendencies of the four defenders around him the guys on the ball If he's trying to be too perfect because he's in a new situation, but that indecisive cautious Rudy go bear allowing layups is not the guy that they traded for I don't think that's him I think you'll get better as he feels his way into the season, but a we're running out of season Not running out of season, but it's not game 10 yet and yeah, I know towns miss camp you're running out of season when you're at the spot in Stannings where they are well towns was late early down there. They haven't played too much I know all the caveats, but I said this I said this from the beginning The underrated people were so aghast at the picks and the swaps and all of that and the fit with towns the double big fit The underrated reason why I didn't like this trade from Minnesota the one that got and people agreed on it But it got shoved to the back burner the discussion was Rudy go bears almost 30 and his contract is long and super expensive And not like a trade asset and you're taking this team that should be oriented around towns and Edwards particularly Edwards age wise Or somewhere in between there and putting in all these assets to trade for an almost 30 center on a bloated contract Just that alone is is dicey and now you're starting to wonder like is he I don't want to say is this is this an age thing is he aging is that we're seeing? I don't think it's that but it has it has sort of reminded me of those concerns and the very worst thing this team could do And they can't do it this year. They're lucky they can't do it this year because of the super Maxwell's the worst thing they can do Is double down in the offseason or next year or whatever and say okay, this isn't working What can we trade?
Well can't trade go bear because everyone's been watching basketball for the last two years Can't trade Edwards because he's a franchise. I guess we got to trade towns for draft picks or whatever else you think that's the worst thing they can do No, the worst thing they could do is if they do that and they do it in a way that brings back players players Forget the picks players because it seems trying to win you got to get players Players that are more on go bears timeline than that word timeline That's the doubling down in the age sense would be the worst thing they can do because I if I'm Tim Conley and I've said this For I'm calling leon rose and saying hey you want your ca star Put that down of a Mitchell all for on the table. We'll take it you'll get cat Give us give us those picks give us those swaps give us those players. Let's get it going.
I would do that You're committed to go bear. You're not recouping that value with go bear. You've got to make it work I think go bear. I look it's been a tough transition for him You know everything there are a lot of things were built around him on both ends of the floor in Utah You know, he is a he's a screener and he's a finisher.
They're not he's extremely limited on offense. You know defensively You know, I do think he's a he is a better perimeter defender than people give him credit for but I see yeah much better but um, you know the whole system was built around him being the best friend protector in the league and You know, it's it's been a difficult transition for him in Minnesota But you know, this was a all-in move for a franchise that wasn't ready to go all in And the fit was always weird. Um And naz reads a good player like if you wanted to see cat with a big dude How about going with this young guy that you that this franchise has developed and like naz reads a sneaky interesting free agent this summer Um naz reads good. It's good player.
Yeah, but he's not a guy who can play with go bear. Now. Look look This is all doom and gloom What you never want to get too low or or take a team at a low point and it's not that low But you know, they have lost six of nine And say well, that's the team the team's gonna Minnesota's better than this I thought they would win 50 ish games 48 to 50 games this year doesn't appear that's gonna happen I think there's a good team in here once towns gets back and all that um doesn't change what I think about the trade So you don't want to get too low, but they're 16 and 18 here they're next whatever games at new orleans at mill walkie Home against the pistons. Okay, sure Nice job by the pistons by blowing a 14 point league with three minutes left less than against the clippers beat team Well done.
You'll be saying nice job when when victors finishing lobs from k coming ham next year True home against denver home against portland home against the clippers Then at houston at the troy then then we get phoenix cleveland utah like The next 10 games we got a couple easy ones in there and then they face the rockets a couple more times But you know they got to start they're not at risk of falling out or too far But they got to start putting some wins together because this is not an easy stretch for them And they just lost a boss into my ami and dallas as part of it And just like i'm just saying we can wake up in two weeks and they could be six games under 500 And then it seems really bad so just tbd on that Well, what's the jazz's best chance to get high end talent over the next five years Is it the minnesota picks? We all thought it was gonna be their own picks It might be minnesota's pick is very likely the minnesota's pick is is a better pick this year than the gen and you know Maybe this year maybe in oh 25 maybe in 27 maybe in 29 like I'm if you're if you're looking at the jazz is trade assets right now I think those minnesota picks were pretty high on the list By the way, and well, I would agree and by the way, just just because we hit them Clippers have been sort of a side story all your nobody cares everyone's out all the time at steam science experiment um Quietly they're now 20 and 15 kawai looks like kawai again and um And I don't want to get into it because i'll do it later, but just two guys I just want to mention because the clippers have so many guys get so many guys everyone's needs to miss it's known as the more I watch them play We all know who the best players are we all know that zubots is irreplaceable for them is the only center who plays We all know but to him is glue guy Just apex glue guy we all know that the two guys the more I watch them who I just think they have to play And maybe play more than they play now our terence man and luke canard Just two guys who offer stuff that nobody else on the team offers including some juice Some oomph and in man's case some rim attacking and just all just great great shooting and underrated passing And that's all I want to say about the clippers just the more I watch them the more I'm like Those two guys need to be at the forefront and not at the oh god We got to find terence man 16 minutes and i'm not fringe rotation guys They got to be yeah, they got to be mainstays But that's a discussion for another tim mik man second to none covering the western conference has chosen the appropriate color for his office background One that is very similar to mine. Um, I will see you soon my friend but thanks for giving us a little time I appreciate you having me. I'll see you guys