WEBVTT - East Temperature Check with Keith Smith

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<v Speaker 1>You're tuned into Heat Check with Triste Quick.

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<v Speaker 2>On this episode of The Heat Check, I've got a

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<v Speaker 2>special end of the year interview with Yes Keith Smith,

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<v Speaker 2>the one and Only. I was joined by my BEDMGM

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<v Speaker 2>co host Ryan Horvot and Nick Cashew. We recorded it

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<v Speaker 2>on a recent episode last week of BETMGM Tonight. I

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<v Speaker 2>love Keith so much. He's a real deal insider. He

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<v Speaker 2>works for spoke Track. Had a ton of insight actually

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<v Speaker 2>on the latest from the Knicks, the latest on the Hawks, Warriors,

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<v Speaker 2>and more importantly right now teams that might be sellers

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<v Speaker 2>at the trade deadline. A lot of fun. So drop

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<v Speaker 2>me a favorite Nick and drop that generic ass beat.

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<v Speaker 2>I got things started by asking Keith about the train

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<v Speaker 2>wreck that has been the Chicago Bulls but has been

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<v Speaker 2>absolutely insane and what he thinks is really their future.

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<v Speaker 2>From there, Keith gets into the Warriors and whether he

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<v Speaker 2>thinks they are going to be sellers at the deadline.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I think there is the possibility the Bulls are

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<v Speaker 1>gonna start looking at what they've got to do differently.

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<v Speaker 1>This is unfortunate because a year ago or so this

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<v Speaker 1>was one of the best teams in the league. They've

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<v Speaker 1>gotten off to a great start. They were playing really well.

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<v Speaker 1>Then Longo Ball got hurt and everything kind of went

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<v Speaker 1>sideways on the Bulls and they just have not been

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<v Speaker 1>the same team without him. They struggled towards the end

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<v Speaker 1>of last year and they've opened this season very poorly.

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<v Speaker 1>And you get a sense when you watch them it's

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<v Speaker 1>not that Zach Lavine and DeMar derozen are playing selfishly,

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<v Speaker 1>because they're not. But there's just a lot of your turn,

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<v Speaker 1>my turn offense. There's not a lot of cohesion. Things

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<v Speaker 1>don't really flow. Their challenge though, with moving on from

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<v Speaker 1>pieces is they owe a pick to the Orlando Magic.

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<v Speaker 1>It's only top four protected this season, so you can't

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<v Speaker 1>really bottom things all the way out or you're just

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<v Speaker 1>gonna hand a good tick to the Magic because that's

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<v Speaker 1>not enough protections to feel great that if you land one, two, three,

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<v Speaker 1>or four, then you're not gonna get bumped back in

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<v Speaker 1>the lottery if the team moves up. So they've really

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<v Speaker 1>got some tough decisions to make in Chicago.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm really interested about how this has changed because last

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<v Speaker 2>year around this time there were all these articles Keith

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<v Speaker 2>about how much chemistry Damar and Zach Lavine had and

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<v Speaker 2>how they are very unselfish players, and you know how

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<v Speaker 2>you know Damar wanted to play off the ball and

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<v Speaker 2>both of them were willing to sacrifice for each other.

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<v Speaker 2>Is it as simple as that Lonzo Ball was the

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<v Speaker 2>connecting tissue or is there something else that sort of

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<v Speaker 2>changed that.

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<v Speaker 1>I think it's a lot of Lonzo Ball being that guy.

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<v Speaker 1>He was the guy who facilitated the offense. He gets

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<v Speaker 1>very underrated having a point guard who make sure that

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<v Speaker 1>everyone feels involved, to make sure everyone is getting their touches,

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<v Speaker 1>get skuys the ball in the spots where they like

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<v Speaker 1>it the most. And when you don't have that guy,

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<v Speaker 1>that falls to the other players. Like I said, I

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<v Speaker 1>don't think Derozen and Levine are by any meat selfish players.

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<v Speaker 1>I just think their score first, guy. That's what they've

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<v Speaker 1>done their entire careers. And when they don't have a

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<v Speaker 1>point are there to organize and set things up. That

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<v Speaker 1>makes it a little bit tricky on that, and I

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<v Speaker 1>think that's what we're starting to see.

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<v Speaker 2>I've been reading some reports. First and foremost Bob Myers

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<v Speaker 2>obviously hasn't gotten his extension yet, but hearing some rumors that,

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<v Speaker 2>given Steph's injury, that they might be willing to part

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<v Speaker 2>with a bunch of these role players to try to

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<v Speaker 2>get a star. Now, Steph's windows obviously very short, and

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<v Speaker 2>it might be difficult for the Warriors even to get

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<v Speaker 2>into the play in tournament given how bad the Warriors

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<v Speaker 2>road record has been. You know, what do you think happens?

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<v Speaker 2>And how real? I guess is this sort of new

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<v Speaker 2>fear moving around the Warriors organization.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I think they're very much reading the league right

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<v Speaker 1>now and saying, hey, the West is jam packed and

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<v Speaker 1>it's tight, but we're not part of that top group

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<v Speaker 1>right now. And I think they know we may not

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<v Speaker 1>get into that top or group. But they've been in

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<v Speaker 1>the Playing Tournament. They were there a couple of years

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<v Speaker 1>ago and they got knocked out. I think they know

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<v Speaker 1>they have a bad game, two games in the playing Tournament,

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<v Speaker 1>all of a sudden, your season's over and you're not

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<v Speaker 1>going to defend your championship in the playoffs. So I

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<v Speaker 1>think they'd like to do what they can to try

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<v Speaker 1>to get there. And I think part of that is

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<v Speaker 1>going to come down to now making a decision. They

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<v Speaker 1>have trumpeted and told everybody wants to listen of Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>we had our gap years when Steph was out and

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<v Speaker 1>we got those great draft picks, and we ended up

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<v Speaker 1>in a slab where now we landed our guys who

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<v Speaker 1>are going to be our bridge players, and we're going

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<v Speaker 1>to go from our core of Curry, Green and Thompson

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<v Speaker 1>into this Jordan Poole, James Wiseman, Jonathan Comminger group that's

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<v Speaker 1>going to lead us forward. And that's how we're going

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<v Speaker 1>to stretch this into a two decade long window of contention.

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<v Speaker 1>And I think they're starting to realize James wisen is

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<v Speaker 1>not going to be that guy. He just isn't for them.

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<v Speaker 1>He may eventually bloss him into being a really good player.

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<v Speaker 1>He's very young. Young centers often take a while to

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<v Speaker 1>figure it out in the NBA, but I think the

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<v Speaker 1>pressure on him in Golden State is too much. And

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<v Speaker 1>when you sit down and look at it, a twelve

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<v Speaker 1>million dollars salary, which is what he's sitting on, that's

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<v Speaker 1>a nice piece of salary, man, to go get you

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<v Speaker 1>a player. Their bench has been awful this season for

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<v Speaker 1>the most part, so they need to do something, and

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<v Speaker 1>I think they're going to start to give up on

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<v Speaker 1>that whole idea of we've got our second group behind

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<v Speaker 1>our core, and they may break that up no.

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<v Speaker 2>More two timelines. One of the most disappointing teams probably

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<v Speaker 2>in the NBA this year, has been the Miami Heat.

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<v Speaker 2>Keith gives a fascinating look at their future and let's

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<v Speaker 2>just say it's not very good.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah. I think Miami has turned it around because they've

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<v Speaker 1>mostly gotten healthy, They've gotten some of the guys back

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<v Speaker 1>that have missed some time. But when you look at

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<v Speaker 1>that roster, it's very flawed. They have a whole bunch

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<v Speaker 1>of guards, a couple of wings and one big man

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<v Speaker 1>and Bam out of Bayo, and they don't have much else.

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<v Speaker 1>And I think if they could find a way to

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<v Speaker 1>go get another forward with some side that could come

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<v Speaker 1>in and play alongside Butler Lowry and Bam and Tyler

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<v Speaker 1>Hero and those groups, they'd feel pretty good about that.

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<v Speaker 1>But the challenge is they don't really have tradable contracts.

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<v Speaker 1>Robinson has fallen way off the mask. He's not even

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<v Speaker 1>part of their rotations on most nights anymore. He only

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<v Speaker 1>really gets in there when guys are hurt. He's out

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<v Speaker 1>of the rotation by the end of last season, and

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<v Speaker 1>they've got payroll concerns moving forward to they they gave

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<v Speaker 1>hero a big deal. You've got Bam on his deal,

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<v Speaker 1>Butler on his deal, Lowry on his deal, and you've

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<v Speaker 1>got Tyler Heroes new contract kicking in. So they're in

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<v Speaker 1>a spot where they're going to have to really figure

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<v Speaker 1>that out. And you got to pay Max Shruce if

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<v Speaker 1>you want to keep him around on next offseason. So

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<v Speaker 1>it's tough for Miami to see how they're going to

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<v Speaker 1>get their way out of it. But it's a good

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<v Speaker 1>smart front office there. They may it wouldn't surprise me

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<v Speaker 1>if they do something to rebalance that roster a little bit.

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<v Speaker 2>In this clip, Keith gives his take on two teams

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<v Speaker 2>going in opposite directions, explaining why the New York Knicks

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<v Speaker 2>are the hottest team in the NBA and why the

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<v Speaker 2>Hawks are in absolute turmoil and what it might mean

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<v Speaker 2>for coach Nate McMillan.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, they're getting back to being that team they were

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<v Speaker 1>a couple of years ago when they were one of

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<v Speaker 1>the surprises of the league and they made it to

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<v Speaker 1>the playoffs. That playoff series did not go well for them,

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<v Speaker 1>and they really said, all right, we need more offense

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<v Speaker 1>because we're not there. But what they did was they

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<v Speaker 1>traded what made them special, which was being such a

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<v Speaker 1>good defensive team, by adding a couple of guys in there,

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<v Speaker 1>like Evan Fournier into their group that just weren't quite

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<v Speaker 1>ready for what they needed to be defensively and wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>enough of the list on the offensive end. So what's

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<v Speaker 1>happened now this season after some struggles, hope in the year.

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<v Speaker 1>I think Tom Thibodeau basically I'm assuming with the front offices.

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<v Speaker 1>Blessing said, I'm getting rid of the guys who don't defend.

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<v Speaker 1>We're gonna take those guys out of the rotation. Evan Fournier,

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<v Speaker 1>Derek grows, cam rettis, They're all gonna be out of

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<v Speaker 1>the rotation. I'm gonna go with guys who will get

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<v Speaker 1>after it and defend and hope, you know, hey, we

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<v Speaker 1>can win a whole bunch of games one hundred and

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<v Speaker 1>ninety eight and that'll be who will be. That's who

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<v Speaker 1>we are, and that's probably the best we can hope

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<v Speaker 1>for right now, and that's starting to work. They're really

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<v Speaker 1>playing great defense and they're doing just enough on offense.

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<v Speaker 1>To have really turned their season around.

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<v Speaker 2>Jeez, what do you make of the rumors that they're

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<v Speaker 2>strict in between Trey Young and Nate McMillan. There was

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<v Speaker 2>obviously some things that got leaked out into the media,

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<v Speaker 2>but also there were, you know, rumblings that that was

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<v Speaker 2>one of the reasons that Lloyd Pierce was fired from

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<v Speaker 2>Atlanta is that he and Traye didn't see eye to eye.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, it feels like the old poomi wance, shame on

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<v Speaker 1>me foromy twice, shame on you kind kind of situation,

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<v Speaker 1>or maybe I might have that backwards, but whatever the

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<v Speaker 1>quote is, it feels like we've been fooled twice now

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<v Speaker 1>where well, once you one coach, all right, fine, a

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<v Speaker 1>coach and a player may not get along. Get into

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<v Speaker 1>that second coach that's starting to be all right, who

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<v Speaker 1>who is this really on here? Is this on the

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<v Speaker 1>coach or is this on the player? And I think

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<v Speaker 1>in the case of Trey Young and Nate McMillan, you

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<v Speaker 1>have a point guard in Trey Young, star player feels like, hey,

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<v Speaker 1>I should be the guy here. It should kind of,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, really kind of go my way. And then

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<v Speaker 1>he's got Nate McMillan, who is a long time NBA

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<v Speaker 1>player himself. He was also a point guard, a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit headstrong. He ran into into some of the stuff

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<v Speaker 1>in his prior stops with players a little bit before,

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<v Speaker 1>and I think they they've run into a tough spot.

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<v Speaker 1>And then I think the team's not winning at the

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<v Speaker 1>level they want to be. They thought that de Jontay

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<v Speaker 1>Murray trade was really going to give them this identity

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<v Speaker 1>of a right we can defend, we can play multiple

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<v Speaker 1>different kinds of lineups. We've got two guys who can

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<v Speaker 1>attack on the ball now, and it just hasn't come

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<v Speaker 1>to fruition. They floated around five hundred all year. And

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<v Speaker 1>that's the people, you know, kind of you know, looking

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<v Speaker 1>for what is the answer here? And I think when

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<v Speaker 1>we get in those situations, the easy answer always is

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<v Speaker 1>we'll blame it on the coach and put it all

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<v Speaker 1>on him. And I think Trey Young maybe bought into

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<v Speaker 1>that a little bit too.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, follow up on that. Do you think that the

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<v Speaker 2>original hire for Nate McMillan was the was the right

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<v Speaker 2>move or the fact that he had all that success

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<v Speaker 2>as an interim coach kind of forced management to make

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<v Speaker 2>that decision. And then secondarily, do you think John Collins

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<v Speaker 2>finally does get moved.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, as far as the Nate McMillan park goes, I

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<v Speaker 1>think you hit the nail on the head. I think

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<v Speaker 1>it was a situation where you're going to finish out

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<v Speaker 1>the year and then it was wow, he really turned

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<v Speaker 1>things around, or the players turned around, but whatever it was,

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<v Speaker 1>Nate McMillan was there when it and around, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>hard to then say thanks for that, we're gonna move

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<v Speaker 1>in a different direction coach wise. They made it all

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<v Speaker 1>the way to the East Finals that year, in a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit of a weird season in the Eastern Conference,

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<v Speaker 1>but they were still there, and I think what we're

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<v Speaker 1>looking at then was all right, you can't move on

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<v Speaker 1>from now. You gotta give him that chance, and they

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<v Speaker 1>get kind of back into a corner. As for John Collins,

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<v Speaker 1>he feels like they kind of knew. I hesitate they

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<v Speaker 1>knew because Miles Turner and trade rumors are still flowing

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<v Speaker 1>out there. But he's just another version of Miles Turner

0:10:28.880 --> 0:10:31.360
<v Speaker 1>where we hear trade rumors every single year of this

0:10:31.400 --> 0:10:33.720
<v Speaker 1>guy's career and then he never goes anywhere. But I

0:10:33.800 --> 0:10:35.959
<v Speaker 1>do think there is a chance, because that one seems

0:10:36.280 --> 0:10:39.599
<v Speaker 1>the Turner stuff is always seems like more teams approaching

0:10:39.600 --> 0:10:42.160
<v Speaker 1>the Facers because they like Turner. This one seems like

0:10:42.200 --> 0:10:44.920
<v Speaker 1>the Hawks and John Collins very much want to separate

0:10:44.960 --> 0:10:45.880
<v Speaker 1>and go their separate way.

0:10:46.080 --> 0:10:49.520
<v Speaker 2>Finally, we get into some trade deadline talk. Keith tries

0:10:49.559 --> 0:10:52.520
<v Speaker 2>to figure out who possibly might be the big sellers

0:10:52.880 --> 0:10:54.839
<v Speaker 2>out on the market this year. Give it a listen.

0:10:55.520 --> 0:10:58.040
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, that's a good question. I mean, Jay Crowder's gonna

0:10:58.040 --> 0:11:00.240
<v Speaker 1>get traded because the Suns aren't going to let guy

0:11:00.400 --> 0:11:03.079
<v Speaker 1>go beyond the trade deadline. Then they'll definitely move him

0:11:03.280 --> 0:11:05.920
<v Speaker 1>at some point. It may be John Collins, because there's

0:11:06.240 --> 0:11:09.920
<v Speaker 1>there are teams who aren't necessarily contenders that are interested

0:11:09.960 --> 0:11:12.160
<v Speaker 1>in Collins, with teams that are kind of in the

0:11:12.200 --> 0:11:14.559
<v Speaker 1>spot where they're maybe a year or two away from

0:11:14.600 --> 0:11:17.400
<v Speaker 1>figuring out what they are, that might jump on Collins.

0:11:17.400 --> 0:11:19.560
<v Speaker 1>I know we've heard him mentioned to the Utah Jazz.

0:11:19.640 --> 0:11:22.040
<v Speaker 1>I know Danny Gage liked him and made a couple

0:11:22.080 --> 0:11:24.480
<v Speaker 1>of different runs at him when he was running the Celtics.

0:11:24.679 --> 0:11:27.040
<v Speaker 1>So yeah, I think we could see Collins get moved,

0:11:27.080 --> 0:11:29.360
<v Speaker 1>and then there'll be some player that none of us

0:11:29.360 --> 0:11:31.880
<v Speaker 1>are really thinking about now that between now and a

0:11:31.880 --> 0:11:34.320
<v Speaker 1>month and a half, when the trade deadline comes up,

0:11:34.360 --> 0:11:37.040
<v Speaker 1>after we get past the holiday period, when some guy's

0:11:37.080 --> 0:11:39.040
<v Speaker 1>gonna look around and think, yeah, this is not going

0:11:39.040 --> 0:11:40.719
<v Speaker 1>the way I want it to be. He's going to

0:11:40.800 --> 0:11:42.560
<v Speaker 1>let it know be known he wants to go, and

0:11:42.600 --> 0:11:44.600
<v Speaker 1>then then that's where it'll move. And I think what

0:11:44.679 --> 0:11:46.959
<v Speaker 1>we may also see because this is a very weak

0:11:47.120 --> 0:11:49.679
<v Speaker 1>free agent class, So this coming summer, you're going to

0:11:49.760 --> 0:11:52.640
<v Speaker 1>see some teams basically get a jump on their offseason

0:11:52.679 --> 0:11:55.080
<v Speaker 1>by saying we'll go get the guy. We'll have them

0:11:55.080 --> 0:11:57.080
<v Speaker 1>for the rest of this year to really see what

0:11:57.120 --> 0:11:59.199
<v Speaker 1>he is, figure it out, figure out how he fits

0:11:59.480 --> 0:12:02.120
<v Speaker 1>with whatever we have left over, and that'll be kind

0:12:02.120 --> 0:12:05.000
<v Speaker 1>of our big acquisition just on a few months earlier. Yeah,

0:12:05.040 --> 0:12:07.400
<v Speaker 1>the challenge for there to be a very good, busy

0:12:07.520 --> 0:12:09.920
<v Speaker 1>trade deadline is you have to have sellers. And the

0:12:10.000 --> 0:12:12.040
<v Speaker 1>issue right now is some of the bad teams are

0:12:12.160 --> 0:12:16.720
<v Speaker 1>naturally bad. They're just young and bad. Houston, Detroit, Charlotte

0:12:16.800 --> 0:12:20.880
<v Speaker 1>to some extent, Orlando, who's put them playing better lately,

0:12:21.000 --> 0:12:23.080
<v Speaker 1>but they're still not a very good team. Oklahoma City

0:12:23.080 --> 0:12:26.160
<v Speaker 1>if they eventually fall off. Those teams are bad but

0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:28.000
<v Speaker 1>they're bad with young players, so they don't have a

0:12:28.120 --> 0:12:30.679
<v Speaker 1>ton that they're going to start selling off and moving.

0:12:30.720 --> 0:12:32.640
<v Speaker 1>They've got a couple that are indeed. But what we

0:12:32.720 --> 0:12:35.360
<v Speaker 1>may see is you may see some team that's kind

0:12:35.400 --> 0:12:38.240
<v Speaker 1>of sitting on the borderline and then we could really

0:12:38.240 --> 0:12:40.160
<v Speaker 1>make a plan and run, or we might be a

0:12:40.200 --> 0:12:43.280
<v Speaker 1>playing team that's not really where we want to go,

0:12:43.320 --> 0:12:44.959
<v Speaker 1>and they may say, all right, hey, if we can

0:12:44.960 --> 0:12:47.760
<v Speaker 1>get this great package in return from one of our players,

0:12:47.960 --> 0:12:50.160
<v Speaker 1>let's move this. Now. What I think we may see

0:12:50.320 --> 0:12:53.280
<v Speaker 1>kind of happen here is the early movers. If someone

0:12:53.320 --> 0:12:55.800
<v Speaker 1>makes the trade in early to mid January, a few

0:12:55.800 --> 0:12:58.600
<v Speaker 1>weeks out from the trade deadline, or even a month out,

0:12:58.920 --> 0:13:01.760
<v Speaker 1>that may be something we see happen here. And that

0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:04.480
<v Speaker 1>does happen on occasion when the league is bunched up.

0:13:04.520 --> 0:13:06.920
<v Speaker 1>But I was talking to folks around the league. Ten

0:13:07.000 --> 0:13:09.480
<v Speaker 1>different teams tell me, Yeah, we have a chance to

0:13:09.520 --> 0:13:11.720
<v Speaker 1>win the title if we get into the playoffs and

0:13:11.760 --> 0:13:15.680
<v Speaker 1>we're healthy. And that's crazy. We're never at that many teams,

0:13:15.760 --> 0:13:18.840
<v Speaker 1>even Neil this far into the season, it will usually

0:13:18.880 --> 0:13:21.880
<v Speaker 1>down to seventy teams at most. That kind of feel

0:13:21.920 --> 0:13:24.080
<v Speaker 1>like in him right now, everybody feels like, hey, we

0:13:24.120 --> 0:13:25.040
<v Speaker 1>have a real shot at.

0:13:24.920 --> 0:13:27.840
<v Speaker 2>This last question about thirty seconds, Keith, I want to

0:13:27.880 --> 0:13:31.160
<v Speaker 2>know there's obviously a lot of information and rumors about

0:13:31.200 --> 0:13:34.959
<v Speaker 2>All Stars. Do you think that Dearn Fox is an

0:13:34.960 --> 0:13:36.160
<v Speaker 2>All Star this year?

0:13:36.320 --> 0:13:38.360
<v Speaker 1>I think he has a chance. He won't get voted in,

0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:41.840
<v Speaker 1>so that's just an impossible popularity contest for him to win.

0:13:41.960 --> 0:13:44.160
<v Speaker 1>But if the Kings keep winning, it's either going to

0:13:44.200 --> 0:13:47.480
<v Speaker 1>be him or Demonstas Sabonis who gets recognized for that.

0:13:47.559 --> 0:13:49.360
<v Speaker 1>So it's gonna be one of the two of them. Now,

0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:51.160
<v Speaker 1>I think there's a chance that'll be Fox. See, I

0:13:51.200 --> 0:13:53.680
<v Speaker 1>don't think it'll be both. They don't think they're gonna

0:13:53.679 --> 0:13:55.560
<v Speaker 1>win at quite a high enough level, and I don't

0:13:55.600 --> 0:13:57.880
<v Speaker 1>know that that they'll win. So what will probably come

0:13:57.920 --> 0:14:00.400
<v Speaker 1>down to is what does the guardline look like? What

0:14:00.440 --> 0:14:02.640
<v Speaker 1>does the big man line look like? Who doesn't get

0:14:02.720 --> 0:14:05.040
<v Speaker 1>voted in? Where do they have to kind of fudge

0:14:05.080 --> 0:14:07.360
<v Speaker 1>a position to get a guy in that maybe should

0:14:07.360 --> 0:14:09.440
<v Speaker 1>be in there anyway? Now, it ain't trying to go

0:14:09.480 --> 0:14:11.360
<v Speaker 1>that way, especially if there's like a weird quote like

0:14:11.360 --> 0:14:12.600
<v Speaker 1>Clashier or Andrew Wiggins.

0:14:12.679 --> 0:14:15.080
<v Speaker 2>Kevloaded, that's all that we have for the bonus episode

0:14:15.120 --> 0:14:18.160
<v Speaker 2>of The Heat Check. Check back tomorrow for an all

0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:20.160
<v Speaker 2>new episode, and do not forget to check out the

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<v Speaker 2>feed for past episodes and interviews. Please follow The Heat

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0:14:35.360 --> 0:14:39.160
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