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Speaker 1: Mmmm. Welcome to the State of the Lakers podcast. Happy

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Speaker 1: Friday everyone. I am feeling good to be back. Thankfully

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Speaker 1: Raj and my guy Rouse from Houston, we're able to

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Speaker 1: step in and fill in for me. While I was

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Speaker 1: celebrating my birthday, was some dear friends out in San Diego. Um,

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Speaker 1: first of all, Raj, how is your past week? How

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Speaker 1: is Vegas? Do I need to get out there next year?

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Speaker 1: Tell tell me about it? Man, how did it go?

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Speaker 1: It was great? Yeah? Vegas was nice. Um, it was

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Speaker 1: still extremely hot. So um, but I'm I feel like

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Speaker 1: you'd be used to that. But yeah, some of the

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Speaker 1: leagues are really cool place. It's a really nice mix

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Speaker 1: of like really die hard fans you know, and uh,

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Speaker 1: just a really different experience. The fans are like on

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Speaker 1: top of the players, so like that there's people who

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Speaker 1: want to like talk to the players and kind of uh,

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Speaker 1: I don't know, go at them like if they miss

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Speaker 1: a free though or something. You have people counting down

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Speaker 1: like Janice um when other people at the line. But

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Speaker 1: it's so it's such a like a close knit experience.

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Speaker 1: You got to go there at least once for sure. Well.

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Speaker 1: And the other thing too, is I mean Twitter has

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Speaker 1: been an interesting experience because it can be an ugly

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Speaker 1: place sometimes, But at the same time, I've met so

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Speaker 1: many great people on Twitter and have built good relationships.

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Speaker 1: And it seems like that, uh, that NBA Summer League

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Speaker 1: in Vegas is just a great opportunity to meet a

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Speaker 1: lot of the people that you've become friends with on

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Speaker 1: this platform. And so, you know, as as much as

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Speaker 1: as much as it's become a social media world, I

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Speaker 1: think it'd be cool to meet a bunch of you

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Speaker 1: guys in person. Plus I just love basketball and I'd

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Speaker 1: love to get out there and and uh and get

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Speaker 1: to experience that up close and personal, especially when it

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Speaker 1: comes to the really fun part of being a fan,

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Speaker 1: which is evaluated young talent like that. Um. But yeah,

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Speaker 1: it's good to be back. As much as I love

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Speaker 1: birthday celebrations that they can get, they can drag on

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Speaker 1: as you get older, because you get to the point

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Speaker 1: where you have these like different connections all over the place,

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Speaker 1: whether it's this friend group or this family, your wife's family. Like, oh,

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Speaker 1: the person who wasn't able to make it to the

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Speaker 1: big friend things, so now you gotta do a separate

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Speaker 1: thing with them, and then all of a sudden over

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Speaker 1: the course of two weeks, you're just kind of NonStop

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Speaker 1: doing stuff. So I'm kind of excited to just be

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Speaker 1: thirty and and moving through my life now not have

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Speaker 1: to be stressing about birthday stuff. But how was How

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Speaker 1: was San Diego though? Like if you were in my

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Speaker 1: state now, like what was how what was San Diego

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Speaker 1: like for you? So I I haven't been in six years.

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Speaker 1: And if you look at my Instagram or of my

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Speaker 1: Twitter page and you scroll down, I posted a picture

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Speaker 1: of myself on this bridge six years ago with my wife,

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Speaker 1: and uh, it has always been one of my favorite

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Speaker 1: places on the planet. The weather is incredible, the food

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Speaker 1: is unbelo lievable. It's just to me, like, I've been

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Speaker 1: to Los Angeles a lot because when I played basketball

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Speaker 1: in college, a lot of my road games were in

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Speaker 1: Los Angeles, so I spent probably I probably went there

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Speaker 1: a dozen times during my years in college, and I'd

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Speaker 1: like Los Angeles. Don't get me wrong, but I think

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Speaker 1: San Diego is prettier. That's just that's just my personal opinion.

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Speaker 1: I'm I'm sure some l A guys would probably disagree

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Speaker 1: with me, but I can't wait to go back. I

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Speaker 1: hope to go back more frequently. And by the way,

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Speaker 1: they were shockingly back at it in terms of like

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Speaker 1: partying and like COVID doesn't exist out there. I in

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Speaker 1: the weeks leading up, I was worried about that being

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Speaker 1: an issue and ended up not being an issue. Um. Anyways,

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Speaker 1: let's get to the basketball. So, like, what we're gonna

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Speaker 1: talk about today is, you know, for starters, We're gonna

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Speaker 1: start with the defense for the Lakers, because fascinatingly enough,

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Speaker 1: there seems to be almost a consensus among Lakers fans

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Speaker 1: that the defense is going to take a step back

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Speaker 1: this year, and I actually disagree, and I'm gonna explain why. Uh,

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Speaker 1: and then we're gonna get your input on it and

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Speaker 1: kind of hash that out a little bit. We're gonna

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Speaker 1: focus in on two particular role players today, Wayne Ellington

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Speaker 1: and Trevor Reza, who I think are two of the

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Speaker 1: more interesting players on this team in terms of guys

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Speaker 1: that could potentially not play much at all, or guys

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Speaker 1: who could be huge key rotation pieces in the playoffs,

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Speaker 1: and and what could what could go right and wrong

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Speaker 1: to lead that to happen. We're gonna talking about Lebron's

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Speaker 1: comments yesterday and his his revival of the washed King narrative. Uh.

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Speaker 1: And then we're gonna if we have time at the end. Uh.

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Speaker 1: We only have about forty five minutes today, but if

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Speaker 1: we have time at the end, we're gonna talk about uh,

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Speaker 1: the Kevin Durant and Draymond Green. Um, the the someone

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Speaker 1: says in the comments. Someone in the comments says, I

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Speaker 1: come in and you guys are just bragging about v ks,

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Speaker 1: making me feel broken. Anyway, at the end, we're gonna

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Speaker 1: touch on the Katie Draymond stuff. But let's get started

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Speaker 1: with the defense. So so here's the deal. Um, I

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Speaker 1: think there there are three reasons why I think the

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Speaker 1: Laker defense is going to be better this year. And

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna try to touch on him quick and then

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Speaker 1: we can kind of deep dive into him a little bit. Um.

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Speaker 1: But obviously so many people are are kind of honed

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Speaker 1: in on the fact that the guards aren't as good,

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Speaker 1: and I get that, I do. I I understand the sentiment. However,

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Speaker 1: one of the most important things to understand is like,

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Speaker 1: there's a reason why a guy like Ben McLemore gets

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Speaker 1: plugged into the Lakers, and it doesn't work out defensively,

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Speaker 1: and the reason why is because he's kind of set

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Speaker 1: up to fail in the sense that he's not a

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Speaker 1: naturally great defender to begin with. But there was no

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Speaker 1: training camp and there was no practice, and so you're

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Speaker 1: taking a guy and you're basically hoping that you can

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Speaker 1: just verbally tell him how to fit into your defensive

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Speaker 1: scheme and then learn on the fly with these like

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Speaker 1: ten minutes stints because he wasn't getting much playing time,

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Speaker 1: you know, he wasn't getting these long drawn out stants

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Speaker 1: where he could kind of figure out where his fit

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Speaker 1: is fit was with the defense. One of the reasons why,

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Speaker 1: I think if you remember when a d first signed

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Speaker 1: with the Lakers, there there was a similar pessimism surrounding

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Speaker 1: the guard corps. Avery Bradley had been hurt most of

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Speaker 1: the previous two years. He had a reputation as being

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Speaker 1: a good point of attack defender in Boston, but Clippers

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Speaker 1: fans were reaching out the Lakers fans telling everyone that

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Speaker 1: he was washed, you know, Rondo washed, you know KCP capable,

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Speaker 1: but wasn't exactly the kind of pedigree of defender that

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Speaker 1: he became with Anthony Davison Lebron uh Caruso. We knew

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Speaker 1: he was a high effort guy, we didn't know he

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Speaker 1: was going to be this wrecking ball defensively. And that's

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Speaker 1: not to say that this group this year is that talented,

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Speaker 1: because they aren't. But there's a similar pessimism. And I

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Speaker 1: really think giving Frank Vogel that full training camp with

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Speaker 1: them and in the normal season with normal practices is

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Speaker 1: gonna at least give them their best chance to fulfill

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Speaker 1: their role. And there is some defensive talent there talent.

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Speaker 1: Horton Tucker has a great deal of defensive talent. Russell

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Speaker 1: Westbrook is capable. Kemp Baysmore actually has had stretches of

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Speaker 1: being a really good defensive players. So I think training

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Speaker 1: camp and practices are gonna help. Secondly, really quick. Last year,

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Speaker 1: the vast majority of center minutes were played by Montrese

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Speaker 1: harrold uh, Andre Drummond, and Marcusol and they split those

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Speaker 1: minutes just about evenly. Anthony Davis almost played no center.

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Speaker 1: And the number one action that teams run on offense,

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Speaker 1: especially during the regular season, is pick and roll, and

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Speaker 1: the number one pick and roll defender on on the

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Speaker 1: Lakers for the vast majority of those possessions was one

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Speaker 1: of those three guys. Well, this year, the vast majority

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Speaker 1: of the center minutes I think are going to be

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Speaker 1: split between Dwight and a D. That's a significant upgrade.

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Speaker 1: As much help as a D can provide off the ball,

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Speaker 1: he's actually significantly more valuable in the screen action as

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Speaker 1: the big man in his ability to kind of cover

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Speaker 1: those gaps in a way that those guys last year couldn't.

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Speaker 1: And then Dwight Howard's just better than those guys defensively,

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Speaker 1: So I think you're getting a big upgrade in terms

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Speaker 1: of your pick and roll defense. And Anthony Davis and

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Speaker 1: Andre Drummond, and then lastly, Trevor Reasa. I think you know,

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Speaker 1: Kyle Kuzma became a good help defender last year. He

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Speaker 1: became an okay on ball defender. Uh Mark Kief was

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Speaker 1: okay on the ball, is better in the post, not

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Speaker 1: great on the perimeter, but he was kind of bad

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Speaker 1: in rotations and stuff like that. Trevor Reason, even at

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Speaker 1: the back end of his career, is a significant upgrade

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Speaker 1: in terms of on ball defense and veteran savvy off

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Speaker 1: ball defense, knowing when to commit when not to commit.

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Speaker 1: Big game reps for all of that stuff. So those

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Speaker 1: three things in particular are why I'm a little bit

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Speaker 1: more optimistic about them defensively this year. What about what

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Speaker 1: I just said, do you think I'm wrong about Are

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Speaker 1: you also optimistic that there will be a good defensive

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Speaker 1: team this year or do you think there will be

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Speaker 1: a slit? I think you made good points. They are

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Speaker 1: like you talked about Kyle Kuzma. I think he's like

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Speaker 1: the face of this for me because it's kind of

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Speaker 1: crazy when he left, um the kind of national media

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Speaker 1: it was like, oh, who's gonna defend now, which is

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Speaker 1: just wild to me because when Kyle Kuzma was here,

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Speaker 1: he was known as a bad defender, like he could

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Speaker 1: not defend before you know, he got with Vogel and

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Speaker 1: really um up to his health defense, up to up

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Speaker 1: this point of attack defense. To me, it's just all

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Speaker 1: it's like reputation versus ability, right. It's kind of like

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Speaker 1: Russell Russell Westbrook can defend, like he has all the tools,

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Speaker 1: but he just never shown it the last few years

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Speaker 1: to be a good defender. Um, say Trevor Reason, I

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Speaker 1: think people are worried about his age a little bit. Um.

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Speaker 1: I know you talked about him. I'm worried about himing

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Speaker 1: at that age in the AD two game season. I

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Speaker 1: think a D two versus sixteen this is kind of

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Speaker 1: what we're discussing here in the regular season, Like how

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Speaker 1: much effort is he gonna have? Um defensively Lebron as well? Right, Lebron,

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Speaker 1: is he gonna put up another crazy defensive year? Like,

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Speaker 1: I think that's where the thing is here. Um, Anthony

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Speaker 1: Davis will be the rock on that team. All obviously

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Speaker 1: he will be the center, but uh, in that starting

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Speaker 1: line up, to me, I still think Mark's gonna start

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Speaker 1: so like for me, I feel like eight is not

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Speaker 1: gonna start at the five. I think I think we

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Speaker 1: talked about this, so like your defense there Westbrook, Lebron,

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Speaker 1: maybe any whoever's that the guard spot also doesn't have

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Speaker 1: a reputable defense, right if it's Wayne Alington, Malik Monk,

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Speaker 1: maybe it's Kendrick Nunn, who's a little bit better as

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Speaker 1: a pointed to tack Fender. But that's where my pessimism is. UM,

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Speaker 1: I think Vogel should get the benefit of the doubt.

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Speaker 1: Like last year, I think Bron and a D played

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Speaker 1: like twenty games together something, and they still kept the

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Speaker 1: number one defense, But I think that's where the question

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Speaker 1: is for me, Like for you, how much do you

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Speaker 1: think Lebron will be bought in? I guess defensively um

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Speaker 1: this season, because I think that's where it is, um

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Speaker 1: And we'll discuss his like comments, I guess later, But

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Speaker 1: like just him on the defensive end, I think that's

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Speaker 1: where we have to see and Westbrook as well. He's

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Speaker 1: gonna have to show it. Westbrook has been in this

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Speaker 1: league for way too long to have the benefit benefit

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Speaker 1: of the doubt defensively, and I think that's where it's

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Speaker 1: so key to me. Your guards need to have some

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Speaker 1: level of awareness on defense to to have an impact there,

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Speaker 1: to have a good defensive team, and I think the

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Speaker 1: Acres last year they did. Um. You can credit the

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Speaker 1: coaching stuff, but you always talk about it credit the

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Speaker 1: players as well for getting better on that end. The

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Speaker 1: players have to put in the work and they did.

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Speaker 1: We had good defensive cards and we'll see this year.

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Speaker 1: But I think that's where most of the pessimism is,

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Speaker 1: at least for me too. I think we're gonna score

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Speaker 1: score like hell, but like staying in front of guys

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Speaker 1: that that's probably worried about a d can clean up

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Speaker 1: a lot, but I mean, how much can you clean up?

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Speaker 1: Is my question there? But yeah, for you, how much

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Speaker 1: do you think Lebron is gonna be Because I think

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Speaker 1: he's a big key of that starting lineup he's gonna

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Speaker 1: be He's gonna have to be the second secondary uh

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Speaker 1: secondary health defender if it's Marcusol at center. So where

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Speaker 1: do you think pretty much do you think Lebron buys

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Speaker 1: in this this year? I think Lebron is gonna have

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Speaker 1: a great defensive season. The really short easy answer there

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Speaker 1: is that he has He's gonna have less offensive responsibility

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Speaker 1: than ever before. Um I can't think of a single

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Speaker 1: season in my time watching and rooting for Lebron where

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Speaker 1: he's going to have less on his plate offensively, He's

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Speaker 1: going to be able to have entire games where Russ

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Speaker 1: really has it going, or he can take on a

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Speaker 1: tertiary role. Now whether or not he even wants that

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Speaker 1: is is another story. But I think he's going to

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Speaker 1: have a lot of We know Lebron. Lebron likes to

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Speaker 1: be the center of attention, and it actually manifests in

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Speaker 1: a good way in a situation like this because Lebron

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Speaker 1: is so capable of impacting the game without the basketball

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Speaker 1: in his hands that he's that guy that, like, if

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Speaker 1: the crowd's really into it and Russ is Russ is

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Speaker 1: the star of the show, Lebron's gonna try to squeeze

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Speaker 1: his way in there and be the start. But not

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Speaker 1: by taking shots. He's gonna do it by defending, by

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Speaker 1: getting out transition and trying to get dunks. He He's

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Speaker 1: done this periodically over the years with Kyrie, with Dwayne Wade,

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Speaker 1: where like he finds a way to stay visible on

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Speaker 1: the court through what he does off the ball defensively

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Speaker 1: and then just as a rebounder, just a just a

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Speaker 1: big presence on the floor. Um, you know, don't forget

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Speaker 1: like they're not going to go into training camp and

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Speaker 1: have Frank Vogel walk in and be like, all right, guys,

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Speaker 1: so we're gonna be a lesser defensive team this year

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Speaker 1: because you know, Kendrick, you suck and you know the

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Speaker 1: MO League you can't defend either. So what we're gonna

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Speaker 1: do is we're just gonna focus on the offensive end. Now,

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Speaker 1: that's not what he's gonna say. You know what Frank

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Speaker 1: Vogel is gonna come in there and say, hey, guys,

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Speaker 1: guess what, We're gonna be the best defensive team in

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Speaker 1: the league this year. That's what he's gonna say. That's

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Speaker 1: gonna be the identity of the team. That's gonna be

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Speaker 1: what Frank's focus is. Now. Does Frank have different pieces

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Speaker 1: to work with this year, Yes, But like I discussed earlier,

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Speaker 1: your pick and roll defense is going to shift from

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Speaker 1: a combination of Mark uh marcusol, Andre Drummond, and Montrez

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Speaker 1: Harold to a combination of Marcus al Dwight Howard, and

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Speaker 1: Anthony Davis. That's a gigantic upgrade. And your big man

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Speaker 1: pick and roll defense. You know, minutes that we're going

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Speaker 1: to Mark, Keith and Kuzma are now going to go

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Speaker 1: to Areza and mellow That's mellow As is a less

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Speaker 1: than good defensive player, but Ariza is better. So I

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Speaker 1: would argue that's a slide upgrade there. He's gonna look

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Speaker 1: at the guards and he's gonna say, okay, a little thinner,

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Speaker 1: we have guys who can defend at the point of attack,

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Speaker 1: but guys that can't. And he's going to build a

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Speaker 1: scheme that is going to work. He's going to think

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Speaker 1: in terms of lineups. He's gonna think, Okay, my bench

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Speaker 1: lineup is going to center around Kendrick Nunn and Malik

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Speaker 1: Monk with Lebron and Dwight Howard and some other wing

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Speaker 1: to be so with this group, we need to use

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Speaker 1: a funneling defense where we chase guys off the line

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Speaker 1: and try to always force him to the middle, where

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Speaker 1: Dwight or whatever. I'm just coming up a baseline or middle.

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Speaker 1: I don't know what his scheme is gonna be. He's

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Speaker 1: going to figure out what he thinks is gonna work

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Speaker 1: with that specific lineup and they'll shift around and that

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Speaker 1: that's just that to me is like, as much as

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Speaker 1: we are pessimistic, I have a feeling that Frank Vogel

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Speaker 1: is actually kind of chomping at the bit here to

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Speaker 1: get to work with these guys because I would be

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Speaker 1: willing to bet he thinks they're going to be a

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Speaker 1: great defensive team this year. Oh yeah, for sure. I

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Speaker 1: mean we can say this is offensive team, but Frank

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Speaker 1: Vogel obviously like his thing is defense, even so times

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Speaker 1: at a detriment to the offense. Right, He's gonna pick

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Speaker 1: defense over offense. Um every single time. I think you're

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Speaker 1: right with that, though, Like just on the basketball floor,

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Speaker 1: I think this is this has to be a funneling

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Speaker 1: type of defense, Um funneling or a switching defense, depending

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Speaker 1: on the kind of personnel. But I think funneling probably

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Speaker 1: makes more sense. Um again, because I don't believe that

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Speaker 1: he's gonna play the five as much as you know

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Speaker 1: people think he is. But if it's like a D

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Speaker 1: and Dwight, then you can really have the guards kind

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Speaker 1: of funnel. I think that's one thing that Frank Vogel

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Speaker 1: is really good at. He's good at like kind of

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Speaker 1: explaining his scheme right, making it kind of simplified for

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Speaker 1: the guys on the floor, Um, kind of forcing guys

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Speaker 1: into the paint Um, and then a D and Lebron

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Speaker 1: can kind of be those crazy health defenders or ADI

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Speaker 1: kind of gets steals that come to the corner and

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Speaker 1: stuff stuff like that. Like that's how I believe this

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Speaker 1: team will defend. But then it remains to be seen.

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Speaker 1: Like when you have guys like Westbrook Carmelo and you're

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Speaker 1: you know, in your rotation like that, you give up

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Speaker 1: stuff defensively. That's just how it works. Guys can kind

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Speaker 1: of pick on him, um, and he can get back

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Speaker 1: on Vick back on them on the offensive end. But

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Speaker 1: that's I guess where the concern is. But yeah, I

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Speaker 1: think I agree, like it has to be a funneling

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Speaker 1: defense or if eighties at the five, you can kind

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Speaker 1: of switch a little bit with bron and Brandon a

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Speaker 1: d at the four or five. But it remains to

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Speaker 1: be seen. But I'm not as optimistic as like a

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Speaker 1: top five defense. I'm not. I'm not sure. I think

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Speaker 1: if they can stay top ten and with the offensive

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Speaker 1: jumps that they have, I think you can make up

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Speaker 1: for the margin and make them a better team than

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Speaker 1: they were last year for sure. But that because that's

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Speaker 1: where I want to see it first. Um, because again

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Speaker 1: I think Mark's gonna start and then Dwight off the bench,

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Speaker 1: Dwyan Dwight as your main center. Um, well, we'll see

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Speaker 1: how that works. But I'm interested to see how like

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Speaker 1: they defend defend with that. I think that in terms

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Speaker 1: of the scheme of the defense, they have a lot

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Speaker 1: more versatility than I think people realize. Uh, they can

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Speaker 1: go with a you know, everyone thinks that this Laker

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Speaker 1: team has no point of attack defense. I would actually

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Speaker 1: disagree I think that one of Russ's strengths actually his

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Speaker 1: point of attack defense. It's probably his only defensive strength.

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Speaker 1: But but it's something where when he when he he's

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Speaker 1: such a competitor, he gives a ship so like he's

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Speaker 1: just gonna be, you know, against specific matchups, he's gonna

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Speaker 1: take that point of attack role personally. Now, if you

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Speaker 1: imagine a line up with Russell Westbrook, Talent, Horton, Tucker Kemp,

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Speaker 1: bays Moore, Lebron and Anthony Davis, that's an excellent point

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Speaker 1: of attack defense team. That's a team that's not going

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Speaker 1: to give up a ton of straight line drives. Now

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Speaker 1: you can imagine a switching defensive lineup that's got Anthony

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Speaker 1: Davis at the five, Lebron at the four, Trevor Reesa

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Speaker 1: at the three. You know, bays Moore and Russ. Now

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Speaker 1: you know, I'm six five or bigger two through five,

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Speaker 1: and Russ is super strong and athletics, so I can

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Speaker 1: probably switch everything in that lineup. That's a switching lineup

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Speaker 1: that would work. And then you know lineups that have

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Speaker 1: none in Monk in the backcourt. Maybe you play a

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Speaker 1: D at the four with Dwight Howard and you go

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Speaker 1: big in the front court, you trust all the shooting

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Speaker 1: off of Anthony Davis to generate space, and you just

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Speaker 1: continually funnel Chase all You give them an easy role. Look, Malik,

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Speaker 1: I know you haven't been a great defensive player in

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Speaker 1: your career. All I need you to do is chase

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Speaker 1: these guy eyes off the line. If you can chase

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Speaker 1: him off the line, I've got Dwight Howard and Anthony

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Speaker 1: Davis behind you, They're gonna be able to clean up

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Speaker 1: a lot of your messes. There's a versatility with the

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Speaker 1: lineup that I think again, with a full training camp

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Speaker 1: and with the full uh set of normal practices that

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Speaker 1: I think that this Lakers team is going to be

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Speaker 1: able to defend. I personally think they will end up

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Speaker 1: as a top five defense this year, just in terms

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Speaker 1: of their depth. Frank Vogel, you know, the chip on

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Speaker 1: their shoulder, the identity of the team, so on and

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Speaker 1: so forth. Is there anything else you want to talk

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Speaker 1: about with the defense before we move on? Yeah, I

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Speaker 1: think the depth is a good point. You look down

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Speaker 1: that roster and it's like tough to see who's not

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Speaker 1: going to play right, Like, like I go down, Um,

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Speaker 1: you were asking me, like, what end of the bench

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Speaker 1: guys you're thinking, and I'm going down the roster. I'm like,

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Speaker 1: I don't even know who's the end of the bench

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Speaker 1: guy right now, because I'm not really sure. We have

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Speaker 1: like twelve thirteen guys who can play. And again, maybe

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Speaker 1: that would bode well for guys like a Resa who

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Speaker 1: can kind of play eighteen or fifteen minutes and just

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Speaker 1: be you know, just be crazy active defensively in those

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Speaker 1: minutes instead of having to be relied on for like

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Speaker 1: the thirty. Again, guys like Monk None, all those dudes

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Speaker 1: have the ability to play defense, like they have all

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Speaker 1: the tools. It's just can they fit into the scheme? Do?

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Speaker 1: Will they you know, be engaged? Will they make the rotations?

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Speaker 1: You know, care about the little things? These are all

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Speaker 1: guys who want another contract, you know, only all this

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Speaker 1: stuff kind of goes into this this kind of stuff.

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Speaker 1: So um, that's what I'm interested in. Will they do

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Speaker 1: the little things? But yeah, I think we covered pretty

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Speaker 1: nicely how the defense defense would shape UK. I think

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Speaker 1: I think they'll do the little things well too. And

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Speaker 1: and the very last thing I'll say and then we'll

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Speaker 1: move on, is like we have two years of likeer defense.

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Speaker 1: We have a year where they were the best in

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Speaker 1: the West, but two Eastern Conference teams had better defensive

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Speaker 1: ratings in a historically weak defensive Eastern Conference from from

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Speaker 1: basically from eight to fifteen in that conference was absolute garbage.

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Speaker 1: So as as you and I have discussed at length,

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Speaker 1: a lot of the advanced metrics from that season don't

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Speaker 1: make a ton of sense, uh, particularly in the Eastern Conference.

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Speaker 1: So I thought the Lakers were the best defense in

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Speaker 1: in the league that year. I think they proved it.

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Speaker 1: And then last year they actually were the best defensive

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Speaker 1: team in the league. So I inc And there was

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Speaker 1: a ton of roster turnover. You could have actually argued

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Speaker 1: that shifting to Marcusol and Montrese Harrold was going to

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Speaker 1: be a downgrade defensively last year. Uh. In Dennis Shrewder,

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Speaker 1: as good as he is as a ball pressure guard,

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Speaker 1: he kind of brings his whole other slew of defensive

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Speaker 1: shortcomings because of his size. But yeah, it'll be interesting

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Speaker 1: to see. Will keep an eye on it. But I

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Speaker 1: just wanted to kind of express where I'm at with

428
00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:26,200
Speaker 1: the whole thing and let you know why I'm optimistic

429
00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:29,800
Speaker 1: about it. But let's move on to Aresa, because this

430
00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:31,800
Speaker 1: is another thing that I'm I'm kind of in the

431
00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:34,479
Speaker 1: in the you know, I was listening to the LFR

432
00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:39,240
Speaker 1: pod yesterday, I think, actually, and they did a pot

433
00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:42,359
Speaker 1: on Areza and Mellow and there was a lot of

434
00:20:42,359 --> 00:20:47,800
Speaker 1: pessimism surrounding Aresa from those guys, and you know, a

435
00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:50,560
Speaker 1: lot of it does make sense, you know, like, Uh,

436
00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:52,560
Speaker 1: Trevor Reason, even though he was a great athlete in

437
00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:56,920
Speaker 1: his prime, he's certainly on the back end in that regard. Uh,

438
00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:00,480
Speaker 1: he did not look great against Milwaukee and the playoffs

439
00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:03,480
Speaker 1: last year. However, I would as a cautionary tale, like

440
00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:05,640
Speaker 1: when a team gets swept and the wheels come off

441
00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:07,760
Speaker 1: like that. I tend to think that. I mean, like,

442
00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:09,720
Speaker 1: look at the Lakers last year. A lot of guys

443
00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:13,080
Speaker 1: you got paid this year didn't look great in that

444
00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:16,040
Speaker 1: in in that specific matchup. But the point being is that,

445
00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:19,560
Speaker 1: you know, I'm gonna The reason why I'm optimistic about

446
00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:25,119
Speaker 1: a reason is pretty simple. You when you're when you

447
00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:28,320
Speaker 1: are in that fifth guy in the lineup type of spot,

448
00:21:29,359 --> 00:21:31,960
Speaker 1: so much it's more about what you can screw up

449
00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:34,360
Speaker 1: than what you can help, you know what I mean?

450
00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:37,040
Speaker 1: So for instance, like if I'm running a bench lineup

451
00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:39,840
Speaker 1: and I need a primary ball handler, I'd rather go

452
00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:42,400
Speaker 1: small and play someone like Malik Monk at the two

453
00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:44,080
Speaker 1: or at the three, even even if I had to

454
00:21:44,119 --> 00:21:45,760
Speaker 1: play him at the three and the three guard lineup,

455
00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:49,240
Speaker 1: because I need dribble creation and he at that point

456
00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:50,960
Speaker 1: is almost at the top of the food chain for

457
00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,920
Speaker 1: that particular lineup. But a Reason is never going to

458
00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:56,040
Speaker 1: be that guy. A Reason is always going to be

459
00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:59,359
Speaker 1: on the floor with super high end creators in Russell

460
00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:01,800
Speaker 1: Westbrook and Bron James. He'll never play a minute this

461
00:22:01,880 --> 00:22:05,360
Speaker 1: year without either Russell Westbrook or Lebron James on the floor.

462
00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:07,520
Speaker 1: He's going to be at the end of the lineup

463
00:22:07,680 --> 00:22:09,960
Speaker 1: where all you really need is for him not to

464
00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:13,439
Speaker 1: screw things up. He's not an elite three point shooter,

465
00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:15,480
Speaker 1: but he's not a guy you can completely leave button

466
00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:17,760
Speaker 1: naked all the time, so that's that's not gonna really

467
00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:21,080
Speaker 1: hurt your spacing all that much. And then, defensively, even

468
00:22:21,119 --> 00:22:23,920
Speaker 1: at this stage of his career, he's actually better than

469
00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:26,560
Speaker 1: any wing defensive player that the Lakers have had in

470
00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,280
Speaker 1: recent years. Now, the last thing I'll say about a

471
00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:32,960
Speaker 1: Reason before before I let you go is there's something

472
00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:35,359
Speaker 1: to be said about his minutes. If you look at

473
00:22:35,359 --> 00:22:40,320
Speaker 1: his Basketball Reference sheet, he's always playing. Not only that,

474
00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:44,439
Speaker 1: he's always playing a lot. Okay, since he became a

475
00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:49,240
Speaker 1: bona fide rotation player. Last year was his lowest minutes total,

476
00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:53,640
Speaker 1: and he played twenty eight minutes a game. Twenty eight

477
00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:55,760
Speaker 1: minutes a game would have been one of the top

478
00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:58,760
Speaker 1: rotation players last year on the Lakers. Now what does

479
00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:03,399
Speaker 1: that mean. It just means that, for whatever reason, coaches

480
00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:07,240
Speaker 1: trust this guy as that fifth guy in their lineup.

481
00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:10,720
Speaker 1: And I think Frank will too. If you look throughout

482
00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:13,720
Speaker 1: his Basketball reference sheet on every one of these teams,

483
00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:17,399
Speaker 1: he's just constantly slot in is that fifth guy. And

484
00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:21,640
Speaker 1: it's because he doesn't make mistakes. He shoots wide open shots,

485
00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:24,240
Speaker 1: he makes simple reads at a close outs, and he

486
00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:26,680
Speaker 1: defends at a high level, which is all you need

487
00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:29,639
Speaker 1: out of that fifth starter. That's all you need. Did

488
00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:32,960
Speaker 1: stop thinking about him being with the Lakers back in

489
00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:35,960
Speaker 1: in two thousand nine reverse dunking on dudes, Okay, that's

490
00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:38,960
Speaker 1: not That's not what his role is going to be

491
00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:42,040
Speaker 1: on this team. It is going to be a master,

492
00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:45,919
Speaker 1: like a completely simplified role that I think at his

493
00:23:46,240 --> 00:23:48,000
Speaker 1: at his age and with his experience, he's going to

494
00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:50,880
Speaker 1: excel at Yeah, for sure. The reason is a guy

495
00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:53,080
Speaker 1: that like you know, Lia your fans love because of

496
00:23:53,119 --> 00:23:55,560
Speaker 1: that time. But I'm just watching him now. To me,

497
00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:58,240
Speaker 1: he's like he's not obviously as good as Andre Iguodala,

498
00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:01,040
Speaker 1: but like he's in that kind of like older kind

499
00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:03,040
Speaker 1: of statesman and I think he can do what p J.

500
00:24:03,119 --> 00:24:05,359
Speaker 1: Tucker did right in the playoffs this year. Like to me,

501
00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:08,439
Speaker 1: he's in he's in some gap between those two. To me,

502
00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:10,680
Speaker 1: like he's a better shooter I think than p J.

503
00:24:10,760 --> 00:24:12,560
Speaker 1: Tucker showed he can be um and he's not the

504
00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:14,600
Speaker 1: playmaker you doll is, But he's the guy that he's

505
00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:15,920
Speaker 1: just a glue guy. He knows how to play the

506
00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:18,200
Speaker 1: game of basketball. He knows how to find fine guys

507
00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:21,080
Speaker 1: when when they're open um he makes a simple reads um.

508
00:24:21,119 --> 00:24:23,119
Speaker 1: He knows like if the help comes here, you know,

509
00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:25,159
Speaker 1: sort of fast and twenty eight minutes the game. I

510
00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:27,160
Speaker 1: did not know that. I did not know he played

511
00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:29,879
Speaker 1: that much last year. But Eric Spoelsa doesn't, you know,

512
00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:32,760
Speaker 1: take fools. He doesn't just play you if if uh,

513
00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:35,600
Speaker 1: if you if you don't know what you're doing. So

514
00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:39,200
Speaker 1: obviously he was he got something there, and uh, Miami

515
00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:41,520
Speaker 1: obviously trusted him. But I think you're right. I think

516
00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:43,800
Speaker 1: that's the biggest thing here is ten two minutes go

517
00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:46,199
Speaker 1: to like eighteen or twenty, and then he can be

518
00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:48,840
Speaker 1: super charged in those minutes, um, instead of you know,

519
00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:51,320
Speaker 1: having to play twenty eight minutes. Because maybe that's why

520
00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:53,359
Speaker 1: some of the you know, some he looks kind of

521
00:24:53,359 --> 00:24:57,040
Speaker 1: slow sometimes and that's expected at thirty five years old.

522
00:24:57,040 --> 00:24:58,840
Speaker 1: But I think, to me, he's another like you know,

523
00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:00,640
Speaker 1: last year we got a lot of at two game

524
00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:03,719
Speaker 1: players like Montres Harrold was an AD two game player. Um.

525
00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:05,879
Speaker 1: When you look at the signing, Dennis Shrewder ended up

526
00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:07,840
Speaker 1: being kind of like a T two game player. Um.

527
00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:10,439
Speaker 1: But Trevor Lee's Trevor reasons a sixteen game player to me,

528
00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:12,880
Speaker 1: Like what he does in the regular season, Um, he'll

529
00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:14,879
Speaker 1: have good, he'll he have bad, he'll have ups and downs,

530
00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:17,040
Speaker 1: he'll look slow sometimes, but I think in the sixteen

531
00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:19,400
Speaker 1: game playoff setting, that's the guy you wanted your team,

532
00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:21,359
Speaker 1: and that's what matters to me here. Um, he's a

533
00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:23,080
Speaker 1: guy that you can throw on the best wing. Defender

534
00:25:23,119 --> 00:25:24,760
Speaker 1: and you could just say, hey, stick him and then

535
00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:26,520
Speaker 1: go stand in the corner on offense, and he can

536
00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:28,960
Speaker 1: do that. He'll play his role um, and I think

537
00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:31,760
Speaker 1: that's what's really interesting about him. And yeah, I'm I'm

538
00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:34,480
Speaker 1: I'm more optimistic about Trevor reason than I think most

539
00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:36,600
Speaker 1: of the national media's. I think he will defend well.

540
00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:38,359
Speaker 1: He's one of the guys that's been a good defender

541
00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:40,439
Speaker 1: no matter how old he has been so and he

542
00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:42,480
Speaker 1: knows what he's doing, so so I agree with you there.

543
00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:48,720
Speaker 1: It's interesting because he he's used to being the physical

544
00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:52,520
Speaker 1: presence in these lineups. And you know when you watch

545
00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:56,440
Speaker 1: with Miami for instance, you know they have bam Um,

546
00:25:57,359 --> 00:25:59,920
Speaker 1: but like they were using him as their primary wing

547
00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:04,000
Speaker 1: defensive player you look at to add size and length

548
00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:07,159
Speaker 1: and athleticism the Rockets team. Literally, he's playing on a

549
00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:10,760
Speaker 1: Rockets team that's playing Chris Paul and James Harden. The

550
00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:14,960
Speaker 1: vast majority of their athleticism in that lineup was tied

551
00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:18,240
Speaker 1: up in in Trevor Reasa because it'd be like Eric

552
00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:21,000
Speaker 1: Gordon at the three, and then like Clint Capella, who

553
00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:22,760
Speaker 1: wasn't guarding on the wing, but he was playing in

554
00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:25,320
Speaker 1: that lineup. To the point being is like, this guy

555
00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,720
Speaker 1: is used to being the guy that coaches insert into

556
00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:32,879
Speaker 1: the lineup to be the six eight switchy wing that

557
00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:34,800
Speaker 1: can kind of cover a lot of ground and make

558
00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:39,480
Speaker 1: up for shortcomings from their smaller, less athletic guards. Well,

559
00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:43,160
Speaker 1: now he's gonna be the third or fourth most athletic

560
00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:45,920
Speaker 1: guy in every lineup, So like he's gonna be playing

561
00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:50,520
Speaker 1: alongside Lebron and Anthony Davis, Lebron and Anthony Davison lineups

562
00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:54,080
Speaker 1: that are just massively physically imposing. That to me is

563
00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:57,480
Speaker 1: the exciting part. And you know, you said sixteen game player,

564
00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:01,000
Speaker 1: and I agree, Like his great value will be in

565
00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:04,439
Speaker 1: those playoff moments. And the reason why is, like I

566
00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:09,800
Speaker 1: just said you we we watched the Bucks fall down

567
00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:13,280
Speaker 1: to zero in back to back series, not back to back,

568
00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:16,399
Speaker 1: in two series, and they actually lost Game one against

569
00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:20,160
Speaker 1: Atlanta too, But over the course of those series, their

570
00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:25,800
Speaker 1: physicality just eventually won the day. As things continued on,

571
00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:30,080
Speaker 1: the other team just got tired and physically beat in

572
00:27:30,119 --> 00:27:32,560
Speaker 1: a way that they couldn't match their intensity, and then

573
00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:35,800
Speaker 1: it ended up costing them series and and and it

574
00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:37,879
Speaker 1: won the Bucks the championship. I think the Lakers are

575
00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:40,520
Speaker 1: gonna have a similar impact on teams, and I think

576
00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:42,400
Speaker 1: a reason is going to be a huge part of that.

577
00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:47,560
Speaker 1: When you run lineups that have Russ baysmore Areasa Lebron

578
00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:52,360
Speaker 1: in a D that is just a gigantic, like bludgeoning

579
00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:56,199
Speaker 1: lineup in terms of just physical strength and power and

580
00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:59,520
Speaker 1: athleticism and that sort of thing. You know, if you

581
00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:04,760
Speaker 1: just Opareza for Kyle Kuzma, that already just becomes a

582
00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:10,120
Speaker 1: significantly less physically imposing lineup because Kuzma, you know, we

583
00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:13,639
Speaker 1: give him the reputation, uh or he earns the reputation

584
00:28:13,680 --> 00:28:16,840
Speaker 1: of being a lesser defender. We give him props for

585
00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:21,879
Speaker 1: turning himself into a possible defender. He never became a

586
00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:25,679
Speaker 1: high end defensive player that that that never happened. He

587
00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:28,600
Speaker 1: had his moments, but he was inconsistent. We just were

588
00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:32,199
Speaker 1: giving him props for turning what was kind of a

589
00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:35,760
Speaker 1: huge negative into something that was possible. Areza is an

590
00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:38,360
Speaker 1: above average player even at this point in his career

591
00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:41,040
Speaker 1: on the defensive end of the floor. Him plugging him

592
00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:44,040
Speaker 1: instead of Kuzma into that lineup, in my opinion, is

593
00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:47,840
Speaker 1: an upgrade in a playoff series in terms of that physicality,

594
00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:51,440
Speaker 1: in that length and athleticism. So I I I think

595
00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:54,120
Speaker 1: that I agree with you in the sense that he's

596
00:28:54,160 --> 00:28:56,480
Speaker 1: going to be one of their biggest weapons in all

597
00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:59,680
Speaker 1: of their key lineups in the playoffs. Yeah, for sure.

598
00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:01,400
Speaker 1: And he has He's another guy with like a seven

599
00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:03,880
Speaker 1: two wings fan right, just huge arms can really get

600
00:29:03,880 --> 00:29:06,040
Speaker 1: steals out. I think about a lineup with like we're

601
00:29:06,080 --> 00:29:07,880
Speaker 1: not talking about th HD today, but like th h

602
00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:10,520
Speaker 1: T or Reza, you know a D and you throw

603
00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:12,960
Speaker 1: Lebron and whoever at the point, Russ or whatever. That's

604
00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:15,400
Speaker 1: just a lot of arms going everywhere. And he's another

605
00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:17,280
Speaker 1: guy like I think Vogel also comes from like that

606
00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:19,920
Speaker 1: spolster kind of He's gonna go with defense man like

607
00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:22,280
Speaker 1: Trevor Reason is a guy who can defend. Um, he

608
00:29:22,320 --> 00:29:24,200
Speaker 1: has a chance to start too. I feel like like

609
00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:26,479
Speaker 1: he could. He could start on this team. Um, if

610
00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:28,400
Speaker 1: he's the best defender in camp, I think he will

611
00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:30,600
Speaker 1: at the two. That's just the way Vogel kind of works.

612
00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:33,000
Speaker 1: So um yeah, I think he's gonna get minutes on

613
00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:34,800
Speaker 1: this team. Again, like I would like him in the

614
00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:37,160
Speaker 1: eighteen twenty minute. I think we have enough guard. You

615
00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:39,960
Speaker 1: talked about the depth the depth earlier, like we have

616
00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:42,800
Speaker 1: enough guards on this team like that can kind of play. Um,

617
00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:44,440
Speaker 1: a whole bunch of guys are gonna need minutes. And

618
00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:46,480
Speaker 1: I think that works well for these older dudes, like

619
00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:48,719
Speaker 1: like a Reason who can just you know, focus on

620
00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:52,400
Speaker 1: his role defend and uh defending, hit hit corner threes.

621
00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:53,600
Speaker 1: And I think he does that well. I think like

622
00:29:53,640 --> 00:29:56,040
Speaker 1: half his shots came from three last year, if I

623
00:29:56,040 --> 00:29:58,479
Speaker 1: if I looked at the numbers correctly, Um, so, uh

624
00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:01,240
Speaker 1: yeah it was something like that if I remember correctly. Yeah.

625
00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:02,760
Speaker 1: So he's a guy who's like a three n D

626
00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:04,840
Speaker 1: and knows exactly what it is. You know, he's not

627
00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:06,760
Speaker 1: gonna try to run pick and roles. He's not going

628
00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:08,920
Speaker 1: to do anything that's out of his scope. He knows

629
00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:11,120
Speaker 1: exactly what he is in the NBA. He knows what

630
00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:12,880
Speaker 1: stuck him in the NBA, and he's gonna do that.

631
00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:15,320
Speaker 1: I think those kind of players fit really well on

632
00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:17,480
Speaker 1: a team full of you know, guys who need the ball,

633
00:30:17,520 --> 00:30:19,960
Speaker 1: who need touches, all that stuff. A Reason as a

634
00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:21,800
Speaker 1: guy just that can just fit in and that you

635
00:30:21,840 --> 00:30:23,840
Speaker 1: talked about that he's a glue guy and he's why

636
00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:26,200
Speaker 1: he's playing twenty eight minutes a game, which is really

637
00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:27,880
Speaker 1: high for a guy at that age. I did not

638
00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:30,160
Speaker 1: think he was playing. I don't even know Lebron played

639
00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:32,560
Speaker 1: like thirty two or something, which is just which is

640
00:30:32,680 --> 00:30:34,680
Speaker 1: just it's just funny to look at the reasons and

641
00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:36,760
Speaker 1: it's in that in that way. But yeah, he's a

642
00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:38,880
Speaker 1: guy who's gonna play. He's a glue guy and and

643
00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:42,200
Speaker 1: he fits well into this this court for sure. He

644
00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:45,080
Speaker 1: kind of reminds me of Wesley Matthews in the sense

645
00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:47,760
Speaker 1: that like it's it's about the fact that he won't

646
00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:51,720
Speaker 1: make mistakes, you know, like you can. Wesley Matthews did

647
00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:54,000
Speaker 1: not shoot the ball particularly well last year, but he

648
00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:56,480
Speaker 1: was still one of my favorite plug ins for lineups

649
00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:59,200
Speaker 1: as a fifth guy as long as everything else was

650
00:30:59,320 --> 00:31:02,160
Speaker 1: kind of cover by the other four players because of

651
00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:04,880
Speaker 1: the fact that he just doesn't make mistakes and he

652
00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:07,920
Speaker 1: competes on the defensive end. He's like a small forward

653
00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:13,080
Speaker 1: version of Wesley Matthews. So last year, Lakers minutes uh

654
00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:16,040
Speaker 1: k C p KCP played twenty eight minutes a game,

655
00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:19,800
Speaker 1: So that gives you an idea of just the kind

656
00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:22,440
Speaker 1: of role that Kyle Kuzma had and again like or

657
00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:25,080
Speaker 1: excuse me, that Trevor Reasa had last year and and

658
00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:27,600
Speaker 1: that was down from previous season. So the point is

659
00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:31,320
Speaker 1: is like, if NBA coaches keep putting him into the lineup,

660
00:31:31,360 --> 00:31:34,160
Speaker 1: then clearly there's value there. But let's let's go on

661
00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:35,959
Speaker 1: to Ellington. And I want you to go first on

662
00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:39,080
Speaker 1: this one. So what you you specifically mentioned that you

663
00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:41,120
Speaker 1: wanted to talk about Ellington today? Why did you want

664
00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:44,000
Speaker 1: to talk about Ellington? What has he so excited about him?

665
00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:46,479
Speaker 1: I feel like he brings something that we just haven't

666
00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:49,560
Speaker 1: had UM on this team in like two or three years.

667
00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:51,920
Speaker 1: Actually just a guy, just a movement shooter, you know

668
00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:54,000
Speaker 1: what I mean? I think that changes so much when

669
00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:56,080
Speaker 1: you have a screener like a D so, like when

670
00:31:56,080 --> 00:31:58,720
Speaker 1: you have actions like where Ellington, because the Lakers run

671
00:31:58,760 --> 00:32:00,800
Speaker 1: this run this action a lot. They start a shooter

672
00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:03,760
Speaker 1: in the corner, right, so they started so sometimes this KCP.

673
00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:06,200
Speaker 1: But whoever it is, Avery Bradley did this a lot, right,

674
00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:08,200
Speaker 1: He had this triple handoff with Dwight Howard that they

675
00:32:08,200 --> 00:32:10,400
Speaker 1: would run a lot off the bench. Um he'd come out.

676
00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:12,360
Speaker 1: But every Baddley is not a three point threat. So

677
00:32:12,400 --> 00:32:14,080
Speaker 1: like every Badley would come off and he's at the

678
00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:16,280
Speaker 1: free throw line and it was effective. Avery Bradley hit

679
00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:18,960
Speaker 1: his majoring jumpers or throw that loft to Dwight Wayne

680
00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:21,200
Speaker 1: Ellington can do that behind the three point line. So

681
00:32:21,240 --> 00:32:23,120
Speaker 1: like that screen and kind of move up and I

682
00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:24,920
Speaker 1: think it's really exciting. Um, he was in like the

683
00:32:25,200 --> 00:32:26,640
Speaker 1: I was looking at his numbers. He's with in like

684
00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:29,720
Speaker 1: the seventy six percentile as an off screen shooter. These

685
00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:32,600
Speaker 1: guys really comfortable moving off screens. Um, and just being

686
00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:34,400
Speaker 1: able to fire like that and having a shooter like that,

687
00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:36,480
Speaker 1: I think changes everything. When you have a guy like

688
00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:39,080
Speaker 1: Russ Braun a d just a guy can fit. Um.

689
00:32:39,120 --> 00:32:40,840
Speaker 1: I know you were talking about that. You don't think

690
00:32:40,840 --> 00:32:42,680
Speaker 1: he's gonna play much, but I just feel like having

691
00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:45,520
Speaker 1: that kind of dead eye shooter who can fire away,

692
00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:48,800
Speaker 1: who can get hot, shoot shoot from three, Um, it's

693
00:32:48,800 --> 00:32:50,640
Speaker 1: something we just haven't seen on this team. So what

694
00:32:50,680 --> 00:32:52,400
Speaker 1: do you think about him, Deed? Do you think like

695
00:32:52,720 --> 00:32:54,920
Speaker 1: my excitement is is a little bit overflowing on him

696
00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:57,160
Speaker 1: or what do you think? Because I'm really excited to

697
00:32:57,280 --> 00:32:59,520
Speaker 1: have a shooter of this caliber. K CP couldn't shoot

698
00:32:59,560 --> 00:33:01,560
Speaker 1: like this coming out the screens. KCP was one of

699
00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:03,680
Speaker 1: a spot up guy. He hit a few kind of

700
00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:06,360
Speaker 1: curl shots, but not not in this way. Wellington is

701
00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:09,920
Speaker 1: really good at like catching and then squaring up really quickly,

702
00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:12,600
Speaker 1: um and not having to you know, set his feet

703
00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:14,720
Speaker 1: and stuff like that in a way that our other

704
00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:17,360
Speaker 1: shooters did. Yeah. So Ellington is a player that I've

705
00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:20,400
Speaker 1: probably changed my opinion about the most since the signing.

706
00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:23,480
Speaker 1: When he first signed, I just I thought of him.

707
00:33:23,560 --> 00:33:26,880
Speaker 1: His first signing kind of reminded me of Troy Daniels

708
00:33:27,360 --> 00:33:28,760
Speaker 1: a couple of years ago. I don't know if you

709
00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:32,240
Speaker 1: remember that. We're like, we're like the Kauai news hadn't

710
00:33:32,240 --> 00:33:34,320
Speaker 1: even come down yet, and then it was just like

711
00:33:34,360 --> 00:33:36,440
Speaker 1: Troy Daniels has agreed to a minimum deal and you're

712
00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:39,239
Speaker 1: like they're like okay, Like I get Like it was

713
00:33:39,440 --> 00:33:40,920
Speaker 1: it was clear that it was one of those deals

714
00:33:40,920 --> 00:33:43,240
Speaker 1: that he just didn't carry. He was just going to

715
00:33:43,280 --> 00:33:44,760
Speaker 1: the Lakers. You just assumed he was going to be

716
00:33:44,800 --> 00:33:46,560
Speaker 1: an end of the bench guy, and he basically was.

717
00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:49,440
Speaker 1: He barely played that year. Well that's what I thought

718
00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:52,960
Speaker 1: about the the Ellington signing at first, because it was weird.

719
00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:55,480
Speaker 1: It was like really quick it was early in free agency,

720
00:33:55,560 --> 00:33:57,640
Speaker 1: none of the other chips had really fallen yet, and

721
00:33:57,640 --> 00:33:59,240
Speaker 1: it was just like, oh, by the way, Wayne Ellington's

722
00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:03,760
Speaker 1: gonna be a Laker, Okay, cool? Well, um, you know, uh,

723
00:34:03,800 --> 00:34:07,280
Speaker 1: I was really interested. I got intrigued by him after

724
00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:11,400
Speaker 1: listening to the JJ Reddick podcast um when he said

725
00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:15,960
Speaker 1: that the most underrated signings, as most underrated signing from

726
00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:19,320
Speaker 1: the Lakers this past summer was the Wayne Ellington signing,

727
00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:22,000
Speaker 1: and he just said because he thinks that he's one

728
00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:24,600
Speaker 1: of the best shooters in the game just from his

729
00:34:24,680 --> 00:34:27,120
Speaker 1: personal experience. And then he also said something that I

730
00:34:27,160 --> 00:34:29,319
Speaker 1: thought was interesting. He's like, he's one of the best

731
00:34:29,360 --> 00:34:32,840
Speaker 1: competitors that I've played with. And I thought that was

732
00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:38,760
Speaker 1: really interesting because to me, defense in particulars all about competitiveness.

733
00:34:39,239 --> 00:34:42,560
Speaker 1: It's all about this idea that you know, you have

734
00:34:42,640 --> 00:34:44,840
Speaker 1: a certain amount of physical tools, which Ellington is going

735
00:34:44,920 --> 00:34:47,440
Speaker 1: to be a below average defensive player in terms of

736
00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:51,080
Speaker 1: his physical tools at the position, but so much of

737
00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:53,880
Speaker 1: it can be made up for just with giving a

738
00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:57,719
Speaker 1: ship and and caring, and to me, that comes from

739
00:34:57,719 --> 00:35:00,560
Speaker 1: your competitive nature and and that that to is something

740
00:35:00,600 --> 00:35:04,399
Speaker 1: that uh that that brought me back around to look

741
00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:07,040
Speaker 1: into Ellington. So as I started to look into him,

742
00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:08,600
Speaker 1: a couple of things stood out to me. One, he's

743
00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:11,759
Speaker 1: bigger than I thought he was, which was interesting because

744
00:35:11,760 --> 00:35:13,480
Speaker 1: I for some reason I thought he was in that

745
00:35:13,600 --> 00:35:15,319
Speaker 1: like kind of like six two range. But it turns

746
00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:17,560
Speaker 1: out he's six four without shoes on, so he's actually

747
00:35:17,560 --> 00:35:20,520
Speaker 1: got some size to him. And then two kind of

748
00:35:20,560 --> 00:35:23,800
Speaker 1: similar to what I was saying about Aresa, he plays

749
00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:27,200
Speaker 1: a lot, and he was on a team in Detroit

750
00:35:28,040 --> 00:35:31,759
Speaker 1: where they had a lot of young guys and they

751
00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:35,680
Speaker 1: were rebuilding and they were trying to give minutes to

752
00:35:35,800 --> 00:35:38,759
Speaker 1: young guys, and he was started when he was there,

753
00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:42,520
Speaker 1: And think think about what that would take, like the

754
00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:45,840
Speaker 1: coaching staff deciding to start Wayne Ellington kind of a

755
00:35:45,920 --> 00:35:51,400
Speaker 1: known commodity at this point in his career over prioritizing youth.

756
00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:54,040
Speaker 1: And I think the reason why is because they knew

757
00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:57,120
Speaker 1: in it actually helped the younger players because of all

758
00:35:57,120 --> 00:36:00,279
Speaker 1: the little things he did on the floor to create base,

759
00:36:00,800 --> 00:36:03,799
Speaker 1: to give them the ability to run to to run

760
00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:07,080
Speaker 1: actions for him and so on and so forth. That

761
00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:08,920
Speaker 1: that to me gets me excited, and and that that

762
00:36:08,960 --> 00:36:11,080
Speaker 1: particular play that you're talking about, the one that they

763
00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:13,200
Speaker 1: used to. There was a famous moment last year. I

764
00:36:13,239 --> 00:36:15,040
Speaker 1: don't know if you can remember which game it was,

765
00:36:15,680 --> 00:36:18,200
Speaker 1: but when they ran that Horn's action with the pin

766
00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:20,880
Speaker 1: down handoff for Avery Bradley like five times in a

767
00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:23,359
Speaker 1: row and he scored a time. I can't remember who

768
00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:25,800
Speaker 1: they were playing, but it was something like that. But

769
00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:29,520
Speaker 1: the Jazz, the Jazz. But that sounds about right, yeah,

770
00:36:29,680 --> 00:36:33,400
Speaker 1: But like it's funny because like the Lakers, you know,

771
00:36:33,560 --> 00:36:36,520
Speaker 1: Lebron and Anthony Davis have such high basketball I cues

772
00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:39,960
Speaker 1: and they don't care about how they score that they

773
00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:42,520
Speaker 1: were just willing to keep running the play because they

774
00:36:42,520 --> 00:36:44,480
Speaker 1: didn't care. All they cared about was the fact that

775
00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:47,160
Speaker 1: they were scoring. And you know what's funny is this

776
00:36:47,239 --> 00:36:49,920
Speaker 1: year and this isn't just Ellington, this is Monk. This

777
00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:54,320
Speaker 1: is especially Kendrick Nunn because he's so good on drible handoffs.

778
00:36:54,760 --> 00:36:58,759
Speaker 1: They actually have three really good options to run that

779
00:36:58,840 --> 00:37:03,360
Speaker 1: specific action with and and Ellington is really really exciting

780
00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:05,839
Speaker 1: because he's actually a lot better than any of those

781
00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:09,440
Speaker 1: guys at catching and firing with just the smallest amount

782
00:37:09,440 --> 00:37:11,560
Speaker 1: of space, which is the kind of thing that causes

783
00:37:11,640 --> 00:37:16,040
Speaker 1: defenses to panic and start to jump. That action, which

784
00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:19,000
Speaker 1: is what leads to stuff like Anthony Davis slipping that

785
00:37:19,120 --> 00:37:22,480
Speaker 1: screen or Dwight Howard slipping that screen, and now you've got, uh,

786
00:37:22,520 --> 00:37:24,880
Speaker 1: you know, a rim run that's uncontested or one that's

787
00:37:24,880 --> 00:37:26,880
Speaker 1: gonna lead to a wide open three on the backside.

788
00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:31,080
Speaker 1: And so just he brings a unique threat that really

789
00:37:31,080 --> 00:37:33,200
Speaker 1: no one else on the roster, even Malik Monk. Although

790
00:37:33,239 --> 00:37:36,759
Speaker 1: Molik Monk is a pretty good quick release, catching fire

791
00:37:36,760 --> 00:37:39,120
Speaker 1: type of guy, Ellington is just better than him at that.

792
00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:42,839
Speaker 1: So having having that as an option I think will

793
00:37:42,840 --> 00:37:45,280
Speaker 1: actually end up getting him quite a bit of burn

794
00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:46,960
Speaker 1: in a way that I didn't think so when he

795
00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:49,960
Speaker 1: first got signed. Yeah, and it just opens the floor.

796
00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:51,920
Speaker 1: I mean, like that again, if you go run, go

797
00:37:51,960 --> 00:37:54,800
Speaker 1: watch those actions like Dwight and e d or whoever

798
00:37:54,840 --> 00:37:57,719
Speaker 1: setting those picks like they're in there below the three

799
00:37:57,760 --> 00:37:59,920
Speaker 1: point line, like near the freedlow line, and they're like

800
00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:02,360
Speaker 1: Ellington can kind of in Casey is not as comfortable

801
00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:04,840
Speaker 1: right pulling up from three in these actions, Ellington is,

802
00:38:04,880 --> 00:38:06,759
Speaker 1: he'll just fire. Um. I think he's a little bit

803
00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:08,480
Speaker 1: of ball handler too. I don't know how much a

804
00:38:08,480 --> 00:38:10,440
Speaker 1: better passer he is. He's a little bit a ball handler.

805
00:38:10,560 --> 00:38:12,280
Speaker 1: He can on the floor, he can hit like step

806
00:38:12,280 --> 00:38:15,160
Speaker 1: back three, side step three. He's like he's really comfortable, um,

807
00:38:15,200 --> 00:38:17,520
Speaker 1: shooting all types of ways. And he talked about his

808
00:38:17,600 --> 00:38:19,720
Speaker 1: like you see on J J J j Reddick's podcast,

809
00:38:19,719 --> 00:38:23,040
Speaker 1: he's competitive. Um, I could see that. But like, you know,

810
00:38:23,080 --> 00:38:25,120
Speaker 1: if if Wayne Ellington was like a two way guy,

811
00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:27,160
Speaker 1: you're not getting him for the minimum. So like I'm

812
00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:29,359
Speaker 1: going into this thinking like he's a he's a one

813
00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:31,560
Speaker 1: one way guy who can play defense. And I think

814
00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:33,319
Speaker 1: that's the way I'll kind of look at him. Um,

815
00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:35,279
Speaker 1: if he depends, well that's great. I think he can

816
00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:37,600
Speaker 1: fit in the scheme for sure. And yeah, the Troy

817
00:38:37,680 --> 00:38:39,640
Speaker 1: Daniels I saw that comp a lot too. Um, But

818
00:38:39,680 --> 00:38:41,879
Speaker 1: like he's six five, Like that's I mean, at least

819
00:38:41,880 --> 00:38:44,120
Speaker 1: on Google existed at six five maybe six more. It's

820
00:38:44,120 --> 00:38:46,120
Speaker 1: a good size at the guard position, at the two

821
00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:48,719
Speaker 1: guard position, with the amount of length and um height

822
00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:50,880
Speaker 1: that he'll have around him. But yeah, I'm just excited

823
00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:53,000
Speaker 1: to have a movement shooter like this. Um, A guy

824
00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:55,400
Speaker 1: who doesn't doesn't just need to be spot up, you

825
00:38:55,400 --> 00:38:56,680
Speaker 1: know what I mean, Because you saw in the playoffs

826
00:38:56,719 --> 00:38:58,440
Speaker 1: how that kind of works. Seems to kind of get

827
00:38:58,480 --> 00:39:00,200
Speaker 1: back to that. But a guy you have to top

828
00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:02,200
Speaker 1: lock on, a guy you have to chase over the top.

829
00:39:02,640 --> 00:39:05,000
Speaker 1: You can't just go under on his screens. Um, if

830
00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:07,200
Speaker 1: you're even a little bit short. Last year, I think

831
00:39:07,200 --> 00:39:08,759
Speaker 1: it was his best shooting in a while. So I'm

832
00:39:08,800 --> 00:39:12,200
Speaker 1: not sure if you'll shoot or whatever he shot last year,

833
00:39:12,239 --> 00:39:14,600
Speaker 1: But if that's I like thirty percent on the type

834
00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:17,560
Speaker 1: of volume that he takes and the type of shot

835
00:39:17,800 --> 00:39:20,719
Speaker 1: quality that he takes, then Uh, I'm really excited about

836
00:39:20,719 --> 00:39:22,440
Speaker 1: having a guy guy like this because I think he's

837
00:39:22,480 --> 00:39:25,480
Speaker 1: the best shooter that we sign. Yeah, and he's gonna

838
00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:27,879
Speaker 1: be able to They're gonna be able to weaponize him

839
00:39:27,960 --> 00:39:30,319
Speaker 1: as a screener to which I think is exciting. This

840
00:39:30,360 --> 00:39:32,399
Speaker 1: is something that the Warriors do with stuff all the time.

841
00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:34,560
Speaker 1: But when you've got a shooter that you have to

842
00:39:34,560 --> 00:39:39,000
Speaker 1: top lock on, but at the same time you can't switch, uh,

843
00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:41,720
Speaker 1: because he'll just run the big guy off a screen

844
00:39:41,760 --> 00:39:44,400
Speaker 1: and end up causing problems. Is as long as he

845
00:39:44,440 --> 00:39:48,880
Speaker 1: can set a really solid back screen on Anthony Davis's man,

846
00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:51,319
Speaker 1: it kind of puts them in the awkward position now

847
00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:54,200
Speaker 1: where the little guy can't leave Ellington because he's in

848
00:39:54,200 --> 00:39:57,200
Speaker 1: that lock and trail and the big guys caught on

849
00:39:57,239 --> 00:39:59,560
Speaker 1: the screen, Anthony Davis just cuts back door, there's a

850
00:39:59,600 --> 00:40:01,600
Speaker 1: wide and dunk. That kind of thing is there's a

851
00:40:01,640 --> 00:40:03,200
Speaker 1: lot of actions there that they will be able to

852
00:40:03,280 --> 00:40:05,279
Speaker 1: run that they just haven't been able to run in

853
00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:07,600
Speaker 1: recent years. Did you have anything else on Ellington before

854
00:40:07,600 --> 00:40:10,399
Speaker 1: we move on to the Lebron comments. Yeah, obviously I'm

855
00:40:10,400 --> 00:40:12,440
Speaker 1: not going to compare him to Staff. No one's Steph.

856
00:40:12,600 --> 00:40:14,600
Speaker 1: I mean just like, so don't kill me. But like

857
00:40:14,960 --> 00:40:17,320
Speaker 1: you can just see how like even having one insane

858
00:40:17,320 --> 00:40:20,640
Speaker 1: shooter changes the whole defense, right, just even one like

859
00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:23,080
Speaker 1: Steph is the really only guy, but still just him

860
00:40:23,400 --> 00:40:25,160
Speaker 1: his movement and Aalantine is not a guy that just

861
00:40:25,160 --> 00:40:28,279
Speaker 1: stands there. He actually does move. He's really active, you know,

862
00:40:28,320 --> 00:40:30,520
Speaker 1: on the floor, and just having one guy like that

863
00:40:30,600 --> 00:40:33,880
Speaker 1: just changes the concept of the floor um, the floor balance.

864
00:40:33,920 --> 00:40:36,399
Speaker 1: And like you talked about Lebron a d Russ high

865
00:40:36,440 --> 00:40:38,480
Speaker 1: basketball accused, Well, we'll know how to kind of use

866
00:40:38,520 --> 00:40:40,720
Speaker 1: that and and take advantage of it. And I'm interested

867
00:40:40,760 --> 00:40:43,000
Speaker 1: to see what kind of vogel comes up with that.

868
00:40:43,080 --> 00:40:44,279
Speaker 1: So I think they have a lot of things to

869
00:40:44,320 --> 00:40:46,960
Speaker 1: work on. But I'm just excited to have this, uh,

870
00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:49,560
Speaker 1: this level of shooting on the roster. I agree and

871
00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:51,799
Speaker 1: there and yet they got a full training camp to

872
00:40:51,840 --> 00:40:53,600
Speaker 1: try to figure out how to make these guys work.

873
00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:55,759
Speaker 1: And competition is a good thing. Like when you have

874
00:40:56,200 --> 00:40:59,680
Speaker 1: positional competition like this, it's it's there's a pressure on

875
00:40:59,760 --> 00:41:02,880
Speaker 1: everybody to do their job to an even higher level

876
00:41:03,239 --> 00:41:05,920
Speaker 1: because they know that if they don't, there's another option

877
00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:08,160
Speaker 1: behind them that might be willing to do the work

878
00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:10,319
Speaker 1: that you're not willing to do. Um, that kind of

879
00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:14,000
Speaker 1: competition is good. Okay, So let's quickly touch on this,

880
00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:17,200
Speaker 1: this Lebron thing. So I think it's interesting because you know,

881
00:41:18,280 --> 00:41:20,280
Speaker 1: you know, this is something that everyone is so incredibly

882
00:41:20,280 --> 00:41:24,600
Speaker 1: sensitive about, and I get in trouble literally just for

883
00:41:24,640 --> 00:41:28,200
Speaker 1: even saying that that Lebron can be a little bit corny.

884
00:41:28,239 --> 00:41:30,799
Speaker 1: And then I'll have people in my mentions calling me out.

885
00:41:31,160 --> 00:41:33,759
Speaker 1: But um, to me, this was a big non issue.

886
00:41:33,800 --> 00:41:35,120
Speaker 1: But for those of you you guys who didn't see, Lebron

887
00:41:35,239 --> 00:41:37,680
Speaker 1: basically didn't get voted as the best player in the

888
00:41:37,760 --> 00:41:43,880
Speaker 1: league by ten executives out there, uh and uh, Lebron

889
00:41:43,960 --> 00:41:46,160
Speaker 1: basically just used it as an opportunity on Twitter to

890
00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:48,759
Speaker 1: revive the washed King meme. So there are two things

891
00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:51,680
Speaker 1: that I want to talk about this. First of all,

892
00:41:51,960 --> 00:41:55,879
Speaker 1: let's just start here. Do you care at all that

893
00:41:55,960 --> 00:42:02,759
Speaker 1: Lebron is going to these great lengths to motivate himself? No,

894
00:42:02,880 --> 00:42:05,239
Speaker 1: I mean Lebron is a guy like just seems like

895
00:42:05,280 --> 00:42:07,600
Speaker 1: he's having fun with it. I mean, I don't understand

896
00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:09,799
Speaker 1: the crazy I saw your tweets about it, and that's

897
00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:11,200
Speaker 1: why I was gonna let you kind of get your

898
00:42:11,239 --> 00:42:14,120
Speaker 1: spill off on this because like, I just think it's interesting. Man,

899
00:42:14,160 --> 00:42:16,440
Speaker 1: he's a guy that's self motivated. I mean, you have

900
00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:18,600
Speaker 1: to be to be at the ag is, to have

901
00:42:18,680 --> 00:42:21,600
Speaker 1: the accomplishments. Think he does. The money he's made, he

902
00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:24,320
Speaker 1: could stop right now. But I mean he's self motivated,

903
00:42:24,320 --> 00:42:26,440
Speaker 1: and this is how that works, I guess. I like

904
00:42:26,480 --> 00:42:28,360
Speaker 1: when I just look at like on the floor stuff,

905
00:42:28,360 --> 00:42:30,520
Speaker 1: like he was the finals MVP. To me, it was

906
00:42:30,520 --> 00:42:32,480
Speaker 1: the m v P before he went down, you know

907
00:42:32,520 --> 00:42:34,719
Speaker 1: what I mean. And then so like, of course he

908
00:42:34,800 --> 00:42:37,200
Speaker 1: believes he's the best of why shouldn't he, Like that's

909
00:42:37,239 --> 00:42:38,759
Speaker 1: on him. I don't get what the big deal is,

910
00:42:38,800 --> 00:42:40,600
Speaker 1: and he has fun with it. He laughs about it.

911
00:42:40,880 --> 00:42:42,480
Speaker 1: Um he, I don't know, I think that's that a

912
00:42:42,560 --> 00:42:45,080
Speaker 1: gas station, Mean, like, was was that what that was

913
00:42:45,160 --> 00:42:48,680
Speaker 1: the the pump pump? Me? Yeah, it was that a

914
00:42:48,719 --> 00:42:52,880
Speaker 1: guy Okay, yes, but but yeah, he has fun with it,

915
00:42:52,960 --> 00:42:54,840
Speaker 1: and I think that's what's important. Man, it's not I

916
00:42:54,840 --> 00:42:56,879
Speaker 1: don't think he takes it too serious, but obviously it's

917
00:42:56,880 --> 00:42:59,359
Speaker 1: he motivates him. Um, you said Yannest is the best

918
00:42:59,360 --> 00:43:00,960
Speaker 1: player in the league. Can you know you could say

919
00:43:01,040 --> 00:43:03,560
Speaker 1: Katie's the best player in the league. There's arguments for

920
00:43:03,600 --> 00:43:06,080
Speaker 1: both of those, but I mean the argument for Lebron too,

921
00:43:06,080 --> 00:43:09,000
Speaker 1: and he just saying, uh, he's just pumping himself up.

922
00:43:09,040 --> 00:43:11,239
Speaker 1: And he did this. He does this a lot. And

923
00:43:11,480 --> 00:43:13,719
Speaker 1: the only thing I'll say about this, Lebron has been

924
00:43:13,719 --> 00:43:17,160
Speaker 1: a Laker for three seasons, right, and um he's got

925
00:43:17,239 --> 00:43:19,960
Speaker 1: hurt in two of them, like pretty much. So like

926
00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:22,160
Speaker 1: to me, it's all about health with Lebron, Like when

927
00:43:22,160 --> 00:43:24,239
Speaker 1: he's healthy. He's been the best player in the league

928
00:43:24,239 --> 00:43:26,319
Speaker 1: to me the last three years, and it's all about

929
00:43:26,400 --> 00:43:28,680
Speaker 1: him staying healthy. So like this, but this is all

930
00:43:29,040 --> 00:43:31,680
Speaker 1: really fun. And we're in August. I mean we have

931
00:43:31,760 --> 00:43:34,680
Speaker 1: like forty five days. Um, I think until preseason, which

932
00:43:34,719 --> 00:43:36,399
Speaker 1: is kind of crazy and we're about to start here,

933
00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:37,680
Speaker 1: but yeah, it's all fun. What do you what do

934
00:43:37,680 --> 00:43:41,160
Speaker 1: you think about that? So on the on the motivation front,

935
00:43:41,239 --> 00:43:44,239
Speaker 1: like throughout NBA history, this has been the way that

936
00:43:44,280 --> 00:43:49,239
Speaker 1: this stuff goes like they're they're um and And this,

937
00:43:49,360 --> 00:43:52,120
Speaker 1: for the record, is not something that's unique to stars.

938
00:43:52,320 --> 00:43:55,720
Speaker 1: This is for anybody who's a competitor in any I

939
00:43:55,719 --> 00:43:58,879
Speaker 1: I personally when I play pick up sometimes like some

940
00:43:59,520 --> 00:44:02,160
Speaker 1: kid will say something and I really shouldn't care, but

941
00:44:02,200 --> 00:44:04,200
Speaker 1: for some reason, I'll just use it as an excuse

942
00:44:04,280 --> 00:44:06,440
Speaker 1: to rev up the engine a little bit. You know,

943
00:44:06,520 --> 00:44:09,799
Speaker 1: you you come up with, you know, like for for

944
00:44:09,840 --> 00:44:12,920
Speaker 1: a guy like Lebron, he literally plays in front of

945
00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:16,880
Speaker 1: twenty thousand people eighty two times a year and then

946
00:44:17,000 --> 00:44:19,960
Speaker 1: again in the playoffs on these big stages like there's

947
00:44:20,320 --> 00:44:24,960
Speaker 1: in the there's a there's a certain like uh like

948
00:44:25,320 --> 00:44:28,800
Speaker 1: long and drawn out process that is the the NBA

949
00:44:28,880 --> 00:44:32,080
Speaker 1: regular season. And so if he uses these sorts of

950
00:44:32,120 --> 00:44:36,719
Speaker 1: things to motivate himself, who cares? And And Michael Jordan

951
00:44:36,840 --> 00:44:39,279
Speaker 1: used to famously like there was a whole thing in

952
00:44:39,520 --> 00:44:43,200
Speaker 1: the Last Dance about how he fabricated something that a

953
00:44:43,320 --> 00:44:46,439
Speaker 1: role player on a bad team said to to to

954
00:44:46,440 --> 00:44:48,560
Speaker 1: to to go off against some bad team, and then

955
00:44:48,560 --> 00:44:50,440
Speaker 1: it turned out it never happened like that to me

956
00:44:50,520 --> 00:44:53,640
Speaker 1: is just part of the process of trying to get

957
00:44:53,680 --> 00:44:55,760
Speaker 1: through this stuff. And then I saw someone on Twitter

958
00:44:55,840 --> 00:44:59,719
Speaker 1: say some some media guy go like wise Lebron so

959
00:44:59,880 --> 00:45:02,440
Speaker 1: of ended that we think he's the third best player

960
00:45:02,440 --> 00:45:04,080
Speaker 1: instead of the best player. And I want to be like,

961
00:45:05,200 --> 00:45:08,440
Speaker 1: have you ever ever ever met anybody who's good at anything?

962
00:45:08,880 --> 00:45:11,719
Speaker 1: They want to be the best, like the are. They're

963
00:45:11,800 --> 00:45:14,520
Speaker 1: arguably more offended by saying you're the third best than

964
00:45:14,560 --> 00:45:17,000
Speaker 1: saying you're the twentie best, because that means you're close

965
00:45:17,040 --> 00:45:20,359
Speaker 1: but not that guy yet you know, like that, it's

966
00:45:20,400 --> 00:45:23,719
Speaker 1: so obvious why he might be able to draw some

967
00:45:23,800 --> 00:45:26,200
Speaker 1: motivation from that. This is a guy in his nineteen

968
00:45:26,360 --> 00:45:30,440
Speaker 1: season who, for more or less like has no chance

969
00:45:30,440 --> 00:45:33,160
Speaker 1: of improving any ground in the goat debate. You either

970
00:45:33,239 --> 00:45:35,600
Speaker 1: think he is or he's not. I mean, like the

971
00:45:35,600 --> 00:45:39,560
Speaker 1: that that ground is so overtrodden that everyone's really made

972
00:45:39,600 --> 00:45:41,840
Speaker 1: up their mind. It doesn't really make a difference. But

973
00:45:41,960 --> 00:45:44,160
Speaker 1: for whatever reason, like people can't relate to the fact

974
00:45:44,239 --> 00:45:48,399
Speaker 1: that he uses it for for motivation. I think it's ridiculous. Now,

975
00:45:49,640 --> 00:45:51,560
Speaker 1: let's talk about whether or not Lebron is the best

976
00:45:51,560 --> 00:45:53,319
Speaker 1: player in the league, because this, to me is the

977
00:45:53,600 --> 00:45:58,080
Speaker 1: is the more interesting question. Now, uh, in this poll,

978
00:45:58,160 --> 00:46:00,560
Speaker 1: there are ten executives and five of him voted for

979
00:46:00,640 --> 00:46:03,600
Speaker 1: Janice and five of them voted for Kevin Durant. Now,

980
00:46:03,680 --> 00:46:06,120
Speaker 1: I think that there are five players that have a

981
00:46:06,200 --> 00:46:10,160
Speaker 1: case to be this guy Joannice, Kauai, Lebron, Stephen k d.

982
00:46:10,880 --> 00:46:12,920
Speaker 1: You know, the Katie thing makes some sense to me.

983
00:46:13,440 --> 00:46:17,480
Speaker 1: Katie is a different archetype of player of Lebron, but

984
00:46:17,560 --> 00:46:21,400
Speaker 1: he's arguably mastered that archetype archetype to the same level.

985
00:46:21,680 --> 00:46:23,400
Speaker 1: What I mean by that is like in terms of

986
00:46:23,440 --> 00:46:27,880
Speaker 1: the like ultra efficient three level score, who's just an

987
00:46:27,920 --> 00:46:31,840
Speaker 1: absolute sniper type of jump shooter who also has the

988
00:46:31,920 --> 00:46:35,319
Speaker 1: size to get those shots off against any defense. You know,

989
00:46:35,400 --> 00:46:38,759
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant is the perfect version of that, and he

990
00:46:38,880 --> 00:46:43,960
Speaker 1: demonstrated it at the highest level against Milwaukee, out playing Janice,

991
00:46:44,080 --> 00:46:47,600
Speaker 1: I thought, comfortably and making it clear that he had

992
00:46:47,680 --> 00:46:49,560
Speaker 1: a case to be the best player in the league.

993
00:46:49,920 --> 00:46:53,719
Speaker 1: You know, when I start talking about Janice, I'm talking

994
00:46:53,719 --> 00:46:55,640
Speaker 1: about a player with some gaping holes in his game.

995
00:46:56,080 --> 00:46:58,279
Speaker 1: You know, a guy that you know, even against just

996
00:46:58,320 --> 00:47:00,520
Speaker 1: against Phoenix, like, he had a great deal of success

997
00:47:00,640 --> 00:47:04,440
Speaker 1: defensively and had a great deal of success in semi transition,

998
00:47:05,000 --> 00:47:08,040
Speaker 1: meaning when the defense wasn't set, he was unstoppable getting

999
00:47:08,040 --> 00:47:10,680
Speaker 1: to the rim. But then in half court sets, you know,

1000
00:47:10,840 --> 00:47:12,719
Speaker 1: Eighton was able to square him up a little better.

1001
00:47:12,760 --> 00:47:14,880
Speaker 1: And aside from a couple of you know, kind of

1002
00:47:14,960 --> 00:47:17,880
Speaker 1: strange foul calls, I thought those Sons actually defended him

1003
00:47:17,920 --> 00:47:20,719
Speaker 1: really well in the half court. You can actually see

1004
00:47:20,800 --> 00:47:24,319
Speaker 1: where Janice isn't that guy yet, you know what I mean.

1005
00:47:24,680 --> 00:47:26,920
Speaker 1: But like when I'm making the case for Lebron as

1006
00:47:26,960 --> 00:47:29,360
Speaker 1: the best player in the league, it's really simple. On

1007
00:47:29,400 --> 00:47:31,560
Speaker 1: the defensive end, is he a defensive Player of the

1008
00:47:31,600 --> 00:47:34,120
Speaker 1: Year type of candidate. No, But before he went down

1009
00:47:34,120 --> 00:47:36,480
Speaker 1: with injury last year, he probably was going to get

1010
00:47:36,520 --> 00:47:39,680
Speaker 1: second team All Defense. And he's still is incredibly savvy

1011
00:47:39,719 --> 00:47:42,000
Speaker 1: as a back line defender with his hands underneath the

1012
00:47:42,040 --> 00:47:45,440
Speaker 1: basket and blocking shots above the rim. He's a great communicator,

1013
00:47:45,680 --> 00:47:48,840
Speaker 1: and he's still really good on the ball defensively, especially

1014
00:47:48,840 --> 00:47:51,120
Speaker 1: against the bigger, stronger wings in the league. He's probably

1015
00:47:51,120 --> 00:47:53,600
Speaker 1: the best body that you could throw at somebody like

1016
00:47:53,680 --> 00:47:55,880
Speaker 1: Kauai in the league right now in terms of the

1017
00:47:55,920 --> 00:47:58,640
Speaker 1: ability to handle his strength at the point of attack.

1018
00:47:58,920 --> 00:48:01,280
Speaker 1: So Lebron still rings a great deal to the table

1019
00:48:01,320 --> 00:48:05,560
Speaker 1: defensively offensively when he's at his peak. We literally saw

1020
00:48:05,640 --> 00:48:08,360
Speaker 1: him in the playoffs last year. Have are in the

1021
00:48:08,440 --> 00:48:11,120
Speaker 1: in the bubble last year, have a playoff run where

1022
00:48:11,120 --> 00:48:15,279
Speaker 1: the average twenty points a game shooting well, Janics just

1023
00:48:15,360 --> 00:48:20,040
Speaker 1: average thirty points a game on shooting. So Lebron offensively

1024
00:48:20,200 --> 00:48:24,120
Speaker 1: still capable of generating offense at the highest possible level

1025
00:48:24,120 --> 00:48:26,759
Speaker 1: that a basketball player can generate offense. Then you have

1026
00:48:26,960 --> 00:48:30,360
Speaker 1: his playmaking ability. He's arguably the best passer in the league.

1027
00:48:30,520 --> 00:48:32,600
Speaker 1: If you think someone like Yogi or Luca is better,

1028
00:48:32,719 --> 00:48:35,280
Speaker 1: he's still in that top three, which is a whole

1029
00:48:35,320 --> 00:48:38,719
Speaker 1: other facet of the game, especially in the playoffs, especially

1030
00:48:38,719 --> 00:48:41,160
Speaker 1: in the half court, when the windows are so tight

1031
00:48:41,400 --> 00:48:43,399
Speaker 1: and the defenses are so locked in and you need

1032
00:48:43,440 --> 00:48:48,320
Speaker 1: to generate high quality offense. Lebron crosses all those boxes

1033
00:48:48,680 --> 00:48:51,480
Speaker 1: and because of that, he absolutely has a case to

1034
00:48:51,520 --> 00:48:53,200
Speaker 1: be the best player in the league. It's that simple

1035
00:48:53,239 --> 00:48:55,720
Speaker 1: to me. None of the other players that you encounter

1036
00:48:56,160 --> 00:48:58,920
Speaker 1: can cross those boxes the way that he does in

1037
00:48:59,040 --> 00:49:02,080
Speaker 1: terms of elite deep sense, elite playmaking, and elite scoring.

1038
00:49:02,120 --> 00:49:05,000
Speaker 1: There's literally zero guys in the league that can do that.

1039
00:49:05,320 --> 00:49:07,759
Speaker 1: He has to be considered and so any sort of

1040
00:49:07,760 --> 00:49:09,759
Speaker 1: push back that he might think he's the best, I

1041
00:49:09,760 --> 00:49:12,680
Speaker 1: think is silly. Yeah, for sure, any you brought brought

1042
00:49:12,719 --> 00:49:16,160
Speaker 1: a bunch of basketball kind of um basketball takes with that,

1043
00:49:16,239 --> 00:49:18,279
Speaker 1: And I guess my things like we we always talk

1044
00:49:18,320 --> 00:49:21,799
Speaker 1: about like sixteen versus like eight two, right, um, And

1045
00:49:22,120 --> 00:49:24,480
Speaker 1: like to me, like if you're looking at a sixty

1046
00:49:24,520 --> 00:49:26,680
Speaker 1: if you need to win a playoff series, like who

1047
00:49:26,680 --> 00:49:28,200
Speaker 1: are you taking? You know what I mean? Like, to me,

1048
00:49:28,280 --> 00:49:30,840
Speaker 1: it's still Lebron. I think that kind of answers my

1049
00:49:30,920 --> 00:49:32,919
Speaker 1: question with it. But like when you're talking to top

1050
00:49:32,960 --> 00:49:35,480
Speaker 1: three Katie stuff, like to me, you're splitting hairs like

1051
00:49:35,600 --> 00:49:38,080
Speaker 1: they're right, Like you're kind of splitting up and you

1052
00:49:38,080 --> 00:49:39,600
Speaker 1: can kind of give the edge to Lebron. You can

1053
00:49:39,640 --> 00:49:42,279
Speaker 1: give the edge to Katie whichever people prefer, I guess

1054
00:49:42,280 --> 00:49:45,279
Speaker 1: in this conversation. But yeah, like of course Lebron is

1055
00:49:45,280 --> 00:49:47,720
Speaker 1: gonna be mad you put him top three, Like that's

1056
00:49:47,760 --> 00:49:50,400
Speaker 1: like he's still the way he trains, the way he works,

1057
00:49:50,440 --> 00:49:53,000
Speaker 1: the way he like pays a million dollars I think

1058
00:49:53,040 --> 00:49:55,000
Speaker 1: for his body every year. You know, all the kind

1059
00:49:55,040 --> 00:49:56,919
Speaker 1: of stuff, all the stories, all the things you hear

1060
00:49:57,360 --> 00:50:00,239
Speaker 1: um about how he works. Like, of course he's gonna

1061
00:50:00,239 --> 00:50:03,160
Speaker 1: be offended and offended about that. And I think that's okay.

1062
00:50:03,239 --> 00:50:04,880
Speaker 1: I think it's it's okay for him to do that

1063
00:50:05,120 --> 00:50:07,600
Speaker 1: used as motivation. I think it's fun. I think it's fine.

1064
00:50:07,600 --> 00:50:09,560
Speaker 1: I hope they I hope the executives keep going, like

1065
00:50:09,600 --> 00:50:11,359
Speaker 1: I hope they say he should come off the bench

1066
00:50:11,400 --> 00:50:13,640
Speaker 1: next year, Like I hope, I hope they say he should.

1067
00:50:13,680 --> 00:50:15,440
Speaker 1: You know, I hope they say all kinds of stuff,

1068
00:50:15,560 --> 00:50:18,480
Speaker 1: you know, get him even more motivated for this season. Um,

1069
00:50:18,520 --> 00:50:20,480
Speaker 1: you know, say that he should retire, you know, say

1070
00:50:20,640 --> 00:50:22,480
Speaker 1: say all this kind of stuff. Because I'm I'm excited.

1071
00:50:22,520 --> 00:50:24,759
Speaker 1: I I put this in a tweet earlier, like I

1072
00:50:24,760 --> 00:50:27,799
Speaker 1: feel like there was a seriousness in a tone that

1073
00:50:27,920 --> 00:50:30,080
Speaker 1: was set in the beginning of the two thousand nineteen

1074
00:50:30,360 --> 00:50:33,120
Speaker 1: two twenty season. Um, you can go look up that. Well,

1075
00:50:33,160 --> 00:50:35,080
Speaker 1: I know it's a preseason game. I know, I know

1076
00:50:35,160 --> 00:50:37,520
Speaker 1: it didn't matter. I know it was you know, Stephan

1077
00:50:37,560 --> 00:50:39,879
Speaker 1: D'Angel Russell in the back court. Like, I know all

1078
00:50:39,920 --> 00:50:42,319
Speaker 1: that stuff was what was on the floor, but just

1079
00:50:42,600 --> 00:50:45,440
Speaker 1: look at the tone and the and the like demeanor

1080
00:50:45,520 --> 00:50:48,120
Speaker 1: of the team, Like look at Anthony Davis, how he

1081
00:50:48,280 --> 00:50:51,520
Speaker 1: was he like how serious he was. Look at Lebron

1082
00:50:51,560 --> 00:50:54,000
Speaker 1: the tony was setting the his first and one. He

1083
00:50:54,080 --> 00:50:55,840
Speaker 1: was like screaming when they want to up tend nothing

1084
00:50:55,880 --> 00:50:58,640
Speaker 1: again in a preseason game. That means nothing on Draymond Green.

1085
00:50:58,719 --> 00:51:01,160
Speaker 1: That means nothing when they've had multiple finals together. Like,

1086
00:51:01,160 --> 00:51:03,440
Speaker 1: I think there's a seriousness and a tone that was

1087
00:51:03,440 --> 00:51:05,680
Speaker 1: set in that season that wasn't there last year due

1088
00:51:05,680 --> 00:51:10,839
Speaker 1: to a bunch of circumstances that the title COVID, no fans, etcetera, etcetera. Um,

1089
00:51:10,880 --> 00:51:12,480
Speaker 1: and I think this year will get that type of

1090
00:51:12,600 --> 00:51:16,480
Speaker 1: same um series and tone set from day one, especially

1091
00:51:16,560 --> 00:51:19,600
Speaker 1: with Russ now coming on the team, such a new personality,

1092
00:51:19,680 --> 00:51:22,920
Speaker 1: such a new star, such a new you know, energy

1093
00:51:23,000 --> 00:51:25,240
Speaker 1: to the team. And and yeah, but I think Lebron

1094
00:51:25,320 --> 00:51:27,320
Speaker 1: it's fine. I hope he continues to find things that

1095
00:51:27,360 --> 00:51:29,840
Speaker 1: motivate him. I hope Anthony Davis is reading all this

1096
00:51:29,880 --> 00:51:33,440
Speaker 1: stuff about how he's now a top ten player. Maybe

1097
00:51:33,600 --> 00:51:35,879
Speaker 1: maybe his top friend. Like, I hope they're reading all

1098
00:51:35,880 --> 00:51:37,640
Speaker 1: this stuff. I hope Russ is reading that. You know,

1099
00:51:37,680 --> 00:51:40,879
Speaker 1: he can't pass or whatever, he can't shoot whatever. So um, yeah,

1100
00:51:40,920 --> 00:51:43,960
Speaker 1: but it should be a fun season, yea. This is

1101
00:51:44,000 --> 00:51:46,560
Speaker 1: that they had a reason to to let their foot

1102
00:51:46,560 --> 00:51:48,799
Speaker 1: off the gas last year for like having to do

1103
00:51:48,840 --> 00:51:50,719
Speaker 1: with the short turnaround, having to do with COVID, all

1104
00:51:50,760 --> 00:51:53,919
Speaker 1: that stuff that can't be that can be allowed this year.

1105
00:51:54,160 --> 00:51:56,960
Speaker 1: This this season needs to be an attack from the start.

1106
00:51:57,520 --> 00:52:00,000
Speaker 1: They have the depth, even for guys like Russell Lebron.

1107
00:52:00,120 --> 00:52:01,239
Speaker 1: You don't have to go out there and do what

1108
00:52:01,320 --> 00:52:03,440
Speaker 1: Luca does for eight two games. You guys are sharing

1109
00:52:03,480 --> 00:52:06,719
Speaker 1: that burden and you're sharing it with Anthony Davis. So

1110
00:52:06,880 --> 00:52:12,799
Speaker 1: there's no excuse this year, obviously injury, as long as

1111
00:52:12,840 --> 00:52:15,200
Speaker 1: they can stay healthy. But as long as they can

1112
00:52:15,200 --> 00:52:18,160
Speaker 1: stay healthy, they need to attack this season and be

1113
00:52:18,320 --> 00:52:22,920
Speaker 1: NonStop prepping for this inevitable showdown, um with with the

1114
00:52:22,960 --> 00:52:24,719
Speaker 1: Brooklyn Nets in the finals if they can make it

1115
00:52:24,719 --> 00:52:26,879
Speaker 1: through the West. So like, I I'm with you, I'm

1116
00:52:26,920 --> 00:52:29,560
Speaker 1: I'm on board with that and whatever Lebron needs to

1117
00:52:29,600 --> 00:52:33,000
Speaker 1: do to derive the motivation to do that, I hope

1118
00:52:33,040 --> 00:52:35,120
Speaker 1: he does it. Um, but we need to get you

1119
00:52:35,160 --> 00:52:38,200
Speaker 1: out of here. Uh. We'll we'll get to some other stuff,

1120
00:52:38,239 --> 00:52:40,920
Speaker 1: like the Katie Draymond stuff maybe early next week. We'll

1121
00:52:40,920 --> 00:52:43,640
Speaker 1: shoot for either Monday or Tuesday. UM. But I hope

1122
00:52:43,640 --> 00:52:46,919
Speaker 1: everyone here has a great weekend. I hope that, uh.

1123
00:52:48,040 --> 00:52:49,839
Speaker 1: I hope that next year I can make it out

1124
00:52:49,880 --> 00:52:52,600
Speaker 1: to Vegas to see you guys all. I'm planning on

1125
00:52:52,680 --> 00:52:54,280
Speaker 1: it at this point. We'll see how it goes obviously

1126
00:52:54,320 --> 00:52:56,239
Speaker 1: in the next year. But Roger, I really appreciate your time, man,

1127
00:52:56,239 --> 00:53:00,239
Speaker 1: and we'll talk again next week. Thanks everyone, Y