WEBVTT - NBA Midseason Grades: Central Division

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<v Speaker 1>Let's move to the Central Division. We'll start with the

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<v Speaker 1>Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee Bucks get a solid C.

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<v Speaker 2>Not a C plus, not a C minus, but a C.

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<v Speaker 1>They have the third best record in the East, but

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<v Speaker 1>I think probably the most disappointing team in the division.

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<v Speaker 2>If the Pistons did not exist.

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<v Speaker 1>They have almost the entire year, with the exception of

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<v Speaker 1>seven games, been lacking Chris Middleton. When they did have

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<v Speaker 1>Chris Middleton for those seven games, he looked like Doo doo.

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<v Speaker 2>He looked horrible. It's never a good sign.

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<v Speaker 1>May They asked Chris Middleton about his time that he

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<v Speaker 1>has been missing, and what I found to be very

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<v Speaker 1>strange is uh that some people close to Chris Middleton

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<v Speaker 1>have said that Chris Middleton's knee injuries will continue to

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<v Speaker 1>persist and continue to be a problem, and they've always

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<v Speaker 1>been a problem. Who are those people close to Chris Middleton.

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<v Speaker 1>Chris Middleton, this is what he said. I've always had

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<v Speaker 1>knee issues since college.

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<v Speaker 2>When I tour my meniscus.

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<v Speaker 1>That was one of the reasons why my stock in

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<v Speaker 1>the draft dropped lower because I was coming off of

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<v Speaker 1>a meniscus injury that a lot of people didn't trust.

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<v Speaker 2>It.

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<v Speaker 1>It's been great for me so far. What I'm going

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<v Speaker 1>through now normally happens during the off season when nobody

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<v Speaker 1>hears that.

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<v Speaker 2>My knee is swollen.

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<v Speaker 1>I still work out. Rest doesn't do it any good.

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<v Speaker 1>It's just building it back slowly. What so, Chris Middleton,

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<v Speaker 1>you would imagine telling on himself probably not the best

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<v Speaker 1>strategy unless he's like, I don't know, locked down for

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<v Speaker 1>the next five years. It's like, Oh, I'm under team control,

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<v Speaker 1>guaranteed contracts, bitch, I'm just gonna tell you that my

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<v Speaker 1>knees swollen twenty four to seven. Wait, let me look

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<v Speaker 1>and see when his contract ends.

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<v Speaker 2>What next year?

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<v Speaker 1>Twenty twenty four, he's a free agent, and he had

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<v Speaker 1>missed having knee pain and knee swelling. Since calling, He's

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<v Speaker 1>had only played seven games and largely been unproductive. I

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<v Speaker 1>would say for the Milwaukee Bucks, that is a big

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<v Speaker 1>red flag. That's about as big red flag for a

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<v Speaker 1>wing as you could get. The rest of the Bucks

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<v Speaker 1>not giving me much hope either. Giannis all of a

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<v Speaker 1>sudden missing games, not just load management games. This is

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<v Speaker 1>his fourth straight game that he's missed as of today.

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<v Speaker 1>He hyper extended his left knee in the Eastern Conference

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<v Speaker 1>Finals two years back, and now it's the same knee

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<v Speaker 1>that's giving him problems that he played through when they

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<v Speaker 1>won the title. I don't know about that. This team

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<v Speaker 1>feels like a hospital wing to me. Drew Holliday has

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<v Speaker 1>missed time, Grayson Allen has missed time, Chris Middleton has

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<v Speaker 1>missed time. Two years ago, Brook Lopez had back surgery,

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<v Speaker 1>So that gives me a little bit of pause. My man,

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<v Speaker 1>Sergebaka isn't playing basketball that I had to look.

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<v Speaker 2>Him up because he's been so irrelevant.

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<v Speaker 1>The only thing that I know of Sergebaka doing is

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<v Speaker 1>YouTube videos eating bowl penises. He used to be one

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<v Speaker 1>of the best room protectors in the league and now

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<v Speaker 1>he just makes other NBA players admit things while eating

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<v Speaker 1>weird foods.

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<v Speaker 2>So yeah, I give them a very low grade in

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<v Speaker 2>my mind.

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<v Speaker 1>I've always said that the Milwaukee Bucks were healthy, they

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<v Speaker 1>were unbeatable, But the question is that actually true anymore?

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<v Speaker 2>Has the window closed? Like?

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<v Speaker 1>Should we be worrying when Giannis and Chris Middleton both

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<v Speaker 1>aren't healthy, Andrew Holliday hasn't been healthy, The core three

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<v Speaker 1>not fully healthy? I can't tell without a rescue line

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<v Speaker 1>at the trade deadline. The window very much might be

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<v Speaker 1>closing soon.

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<v Speaker 2>Indiana Pacers A minus.

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<v Speaker 1>This is maybe the biggest surprise in the Eastern Conference,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe the biggest surprise in the entire NBA. I saw

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<v Speaker 1>the Sacramento Kings coming. What I did not see coming

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<v Speaker 1>was the Pacers, and they are fun. Everybody thought that

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<v Speaker 1>the Pacers were gonna be a lottery team. Even the

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<v Speaker 1>Pacers thought they were gonna be a lottery team. The

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<v Speaker 1>Pacers told the world at Summer League, we're in the

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<v Speaker 1>sweepstakes for Victor wamba Yama. Let me tell you this,

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<v Speaker 1>they are not. They are not even close to getting

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<v Speaker 1>Victor Wambanyama. They are in eighth place right now twenty

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<v Speaker 1>three and twenty one, and they've.

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<v Speaker 2>Had injuries too.

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<v Speaker 1>They're doing all this with guys out of the lineup,

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<v Speaker 1>like Miles Turner, like Tyrese Halliburton. D'orte has missed twenty

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<v Speaker 1>two games. But Tyrese Halliburton is now becoming one of

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<v Speaker 1>the best playmakers in the league, making that Sabonis trade

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<v Speaker 1>look beneficial for very much both sides. He's consistently getting

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<v Speaker 1>double digitusists per game. He's scoring twenty four forty, just

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<v Speaker 1>massive numbers on a night to night basis. And oh

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<v Speaker 1>did I mention Ben Maturin? Akaa, Ben Mattherin is averaging

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<v Speaker 1>over seventeen a game as a rookie coming off the

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<v Speaker 1>fucking bench.

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<v Speaker 2>Can they keep this up? I don't know. I think so.

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<v Speaker 2>But they're probably gonna have to pay Miles Turner now.

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<v Speaker 1>They're probably gonna have to pay Buddy Heel now, or

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<v Speaker 1>they're gonna trade him for a boatload of assets to

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<v Speaker 1>some aspiring team like the Milwaukee Bucks that want to

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<v Speaker 1>win a title and get a lot in return. Keith

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<v Speaker 1>Smith that spow Track wrote a piece about a month

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<v Speaker 1>ago about how the Pacers are looking to lock Myles

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<v Speaker 1>Turner up for an extension, and he said, no, so

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<v Speaker 1>who knows. But they have been largely excellent all year.

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<v Speaker 1>This is a very fun team. Not something I thought

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<v Speaker 1>I would be saying.

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<v Speaker 2>Chicago Bulls c minus.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, they are in crisis mode, aren't they. We talked

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<v Speaker 1>about it recently, We've talked about them all year, and

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<v Speaker 1>not in good terms. Right, they are just not very fun.

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<v Speaker 1>Everybody on the bull seems to be ready for a

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<v Speaker 1>blow up, right, Like Lonzo Ball just gave an interview

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<v Speaker 1>today where he said whether he would even play the

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<v Speaker 1>rest of the season. You've got the Bulls taking on

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<v Speaker 1>insurance policies in case Ball doesn't play basketball ever again,

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<v Speaker 1>covering eighty million dollars left on his contract. You got

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<v Speaker 1>Zach Lavine, who hates everybody on his team. He's taking

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<v Speaker 1>mid range twos with four seconds left to go down three,

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<v Speaker 1>very much trying to lose that game. Billy Donovan hated

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<v Speaker 1>by everybody. DeMar DeRozan the only bright spot on this team,

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<v Speaker 1>but he's had injury issues as well. Is there anything

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<v Speaker 1>to like about this team? Is there anything fun?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I guess Alex Caruso is fun. But that's it.

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<v Speaker 2>They could be beating anyone on any.

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<v Speaker 1>Given night, and they could be beaten by anyone on

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<v Speaker 1>any given night. I don't know what to make of them.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know if they're gonna be sellers. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>know if they're gonna be buyers. Every time they tank

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<v Speaker 1>and everybody thinks, okay, it's a blow it up scenario,

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<v Speaker 1>they win five, and then.

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<v Speaker 2>It's like, I don't know.

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<v Speaker 1>Now, the delusional Chicago fan base is getting excited again.

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<v Speaker 1>They are a C student. They barely show up the class.

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<v Speaker 1>When they show up the class, they fall asleep, and

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<v Speaker 1>then all of a sudden, on a random Tuesday, they

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<v Speaker 1>have intelligent questions and they have thoughts and notes and

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<v Speaker 1>poignant pieces of knowledge to share that maybe nobody in

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<v Speaker 1>the class has ever thought about before.

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<v Speaker 2>But that happens like literally when the blue moon is.

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<v Speaker 1>Out, as you have to start talking about the Cavs

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<v Speaker 1>through the Dawnovan Mitchell lens He's incredible. He's the most

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<v Speaker 1>dramatically different player from last year to this year that

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<v Speaker 1>I've seen from a superstar.

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<v Speaker 2>Just changing teams.

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<v Speaker 1>He's increased how many threes he takes per game. He's

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<v Speaker 1>taking sometimes ten threes a game. He would take three,

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<v Speaker 1>four five threes a game in Utah. The way that

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<v Speaker 1>they play is really beneficial to him. He's bouncier, he's faster,

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<v Speaker 1>he's quicker, he's just got it. He's just so fun

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<v Speaker 1>and this trade looks amazing for the Cavaliers.

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<v Speaker 2>They just do.

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<v Speaker 1>He's playing defense now, clearly something that he did on

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<v Speaker 1>purpose to Utah to say, you know what, fuck ERU

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<v Speaker 1>to Gobert, I'm not gonna play defense.

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<v Speaker 2>Because why because you guys have a two time defensive

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<v Speaker 2>player of the year. He can handle it, you know what,

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<v Speaker 2>Let him do it.

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<v Speaker 1>And the one thing that's strange I think that's holding

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<v Speaker 1>the Cavs season back is Evan Mobley.

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<v Speaker 2>Evan Mobley has regressed.

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<v Speaker 1>He's not the player that he was when everybody thought

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<v Speaker 1>he would.

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<v Speaker 2>Be the rookie of the Year. And I think that's something.

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<v Speaker 1>That's gonna take time for him to figure out his role,

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<v Speaker 1>because I think he can be an all NBA kind

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<v Speaker 1>of a guy.

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<v Speaker 2>I think he's got all the tools. I think he's

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<v Speaker 2>got a great attitude.

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<v Speaker 1>But their fifth place standing a half game out of third,

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<v Speaker 1>pretty much expecting where I would think they would finish

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<v Speaker 1>right right in the slot, maybe fourth, maybe fifth, maybe

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<v Speaker 1>third somewhere in there. You add in Garland, who has

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<v Speaker 1>missed time with his own eye injury. You now get

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<v Speaker 1>Ricky Rubio back though to counteract that, and then you

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<v Speaker 1>know you've got Mobley and Jared on the front line.

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<v Speaker 1>And all they need really is a wing, a good

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<v Speaker 1>solid wing to get rid of a coro's ass and

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<v Speaker 1>find somebody competent that can play three. If that is

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<v Speaker 1>the case, If they do that at the deadline, what

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<v Speaker 1>they really need is LORI marketing back.

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<v Speaker 2>They could be very, very dangerous Detroit Pistons. They get

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<v Speaker 2>a D plus. That stinks. I like so much. I

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<v Speaker 2>wanted to give him a C minus. I just couldn't.

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<v Speaker 2>They What are they right now?

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<v Speaker 1>Record wise? It's not great. They're twelve and thirty five.

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<v Speaker 1>You can't give somebody a C plus when they're twelve

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<v Speaker 1>and thirty five.

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<v Speaker 2>But they're fun, right Like, they're.

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<v Speaker 1>A team that you enjoy watching on a night to

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<v Speaker 1>night basis. They compete and lose, same kind of thing

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<v Speaker 1>as they did last year, same kind of thing as

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<v Speaker 1>they did two years ago. This year, Cad Cunningham gets hurt.

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<v Speaker 1>He goes out for the rest of the year. That's

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<v Speaker 1>a big setback.

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<v Speaker 2>They weren't gangbusters when he was playing.

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<v Speaker 1>But I tell you what, you're not gonna win many

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<v Speaker 1>games when the number one overall pick is down for

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<v Speaker 1>the year with a strange injury, right, and now you

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<v Speaker 1>don't get to develop chemistry with Ja n Ivy, the rookie,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, Jalen Duran, he's not finding time with Cad.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's just another wasted year of a rebuild. And

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<v Speaker 1>you wonder, does Sadik Bay now get moved. What do

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<v Speaker 1>we do with Bogdanovic? Did they really want Bogdanovich to

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<v Speaker 1>begin with or is he just an asset that they

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<v Speaker 1>locked up long term to be a valuable trade piece

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<v Speaker 1>in the future. So this team's probably headed for another

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<v Speaker 1>high lottery pick. They will consistently be athletic, they will

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<v Speaker 1>consistently be fun, they will play hard for Dwayne Casey,

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<v Speaker 1>and they will be extremely watchable. But they will not

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<v Speaker 1>win games, and unfortunately, the off season has been a

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<v Speaker 1>bit of a wash.