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Speaker 1: net in West Virginia. All right, welcome to hoops tonight

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Speaker 1: for Fando here at the Volume. Happy Monday, everybody. I

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Speaker 1: hope all of you guys had an incredible weekend. Today.

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Speaker 1: We have a show later in the day where we're

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Speaker 1: gonna be going over to some games from the week end.

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Speaker 1: But in this video, we're hitting on the first trade

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Speaker 1: of the NBA season, Los Angeles Lakers acquiring Ruey hotche

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Speaker 1: Mura from the Washington Wizards for Kendrick Nunn in three

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Speaker 1: second round picks. The trade that Lakers fans have been

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Speaker 1: begging for for two years now, the big athletic forward

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Speaker 1: to recoup the size and athleticism the Lakers lost in

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Speaker 1: the Russell Westbrook trade. You guys know the drill before

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Speaker 1: we get started. Subscribed to the Volumes YouTube channel so

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Speaker 1: you don't miss any more of our videos. Follow me

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Speaker 1: on Twitter at Underscore Jason Lts. You guys don't miss

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Speaker 1: any show announcements. Then last, but not least, for whatever reason,

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Speaker 1: you guys miss one of these videos and you can't

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Speaker 1: get back over to YouTube to finish, you can find

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Speaker 1: them wherever you get your podcasts. Under Hoops Tonight. So,

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Speaker 1: as I've consistently said over the course of the last

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Speaker 1: couple of years, I don't blame Russell Westbrook for the

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Speaker 1: predicament that the Lakers are in. I blame the Russell

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Speaker 1: Westbrook trade in Lebron's never ending pursuit for a real

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Speaker 1: playmaker that he can play alongside. He pushed for Russell

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Speaker 1: Westbrook and the Lakers front office Rob Polinka wasn't smart

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Speaker 1: enough to see through the idea that Russ and the

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Speaker 1: terrible off ball fit and the uh defensive shortcomings and

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Speaker 1: the chasing rebounds at the expense of leading, leaving spot

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Speaker 1: up shooters open, and the poor decision making and the

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Speaker 1: issues in crunch time and all those different things. Rob

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Speaker 1: didn't see any of that, and so he acquiesced to

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Speaker 1: Lebron's demand and in order to match salaries, and they

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Speaker 1: had to send out Kyle Kuzma, a big athletic forward.

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Speaker 1: Contavious called well Pope one of the better role player

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Speaker 1: two guards in the league who was having a great

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Speaker 1: season with the Denver Nuggets this year, and they took

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Speaker 1: back more salary than they sent out in that deal,

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Speaker 1: and in the ensuing crunch they had to let go

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Speaker 1: of Alex Caruso. At least they didn't have to, but

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Speaker 1: it was part of the reason why they decided to

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Speaker 1: let Alex Cruso go a six ft six great defensive guards.

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Speaker 1: So they lost a ton of perimeter size in that trade,

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Speaker 1: and the that loss of that size, coupled with the

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Speaker 1: clunkiness of the rust fit, is why the Lakers have

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Speaker 1: had such a disastrous two years. Because in the season,

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Speaker 1: even though Lebron got hurt, even though Anthony Davis got hurt,

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Speaker 1: they still were a very good team because they had

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Speaker 1: the core the role players from that championship squad. One

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Speaker 1: of the most underrated things about Lakers is, yes, Lebron

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Speaker 1: James and Anthony Davis were both top five players in

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Speaker 1: the world during basically that entire season, but they were

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Speaker 1: also huge at every single perimeter position, and all of

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Speaker 1: that perimeter size was what anchored around Lebron James and

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Speaker 1: Anthony Davis one of the best defenses that I've ever

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Speaker 1: seen the defense of the Lakers so ever since then

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Speaker 1: Laker fans. Myself as someone who covered the Lakers during

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Speaker 1: that first season with Russell Westbrook before I started with

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Speaker 1: the volume and all of the people that I became

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Speaker 1: friends with when I was covering the Lakers, everyone was

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Speaker 1: consistent like they needed forward. They need somebody that's between

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Speaker 1: six six and six nine, that's a good athlete that's

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Speaker 1: at least capable of doing some things offensively, that at

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Speaker 1: least gives the Lakers a chance to hold up in

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Speaker 1: some of the physical confrontations that take place on the

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Speaker 1: basketball court way too frequently. It was Lebron and Anthony

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Speaker 1: Davis and then a bunch of short guys, and those

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Speaker 1: short guys were all fighting for their lives against taller,

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Speaker 1: more athletic players. So the Ruby had to murder trade

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Speaker 1: directly addresses that specific need. What I want to do

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Speaker 1: today is I want to look at this trade from

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Speaker 1: three angles. I'm gonna look at Ruey on the offensive

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Speaker 1: end of the floor, Ruby on the defensive end of

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Speaker 1: the floor, and his specific fit with the Lakers. I

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Speaker 1: spent a ton of time this morning watching film on

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Speaker 1: Ruey to familiarize myself with his game even more than

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Speaker 1: I have over the years. So I'm excited to share

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Speaker 1: all that with you guys. So starting on the offensive end,

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Speaker 1: and we have to start with spot up situations because

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Speaker 1: this is you know, looking at Ruey off the ball

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Speaker 1: is the more important element to this because realistically, even

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Speaker 1: if he's in a closing group, that closing groups probably

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Speaker 1: going to be Dennis Schroeder at the point guard, Lebron James,

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Speaker 1: and Anthony Davis. Those three guys are gonna be doing

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Speaker 1: the lion share of the offensive creation. So it's more

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Speaker 1: important to look at what Ruey does off the ball. Now,

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Speaker 1: the biggest concern I have with Ruey in his specific

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Speaker 1: fit with the Lakers is he is not a good

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Speaker 1: spot up player right now. Um this season, he's averaging

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Speaker 1: zero point nine two points per spot up possession. There

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Speaker 1: are a hundred and sixty three players in the league

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Speaker 1: that have logged at least one hundred spot up possessions,

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Speaker 1: and Ruby ranks out of one. Now. It is a

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Speaker 1: lot of it is his perimeter shots not falling, particularly

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Speaker 1: from the three point line the way it did last year.

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Speaker 1: Last year he averaged one point zero one points per

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Speaker 1: possession in spot up situations much more closer to average

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Speaker 1: as opposed to the below average rate that he's hitting

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Speaker 1: this year. And it really comes down to that perimeter shot.

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Speaker 1: He's shooting just thirty one this year on spot up jumpers.

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Speaker 1: There's a little bit of a hitch in his shot

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Speaker 1: which disrupts the energy transfer. When we talk about fluidity

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Speaker 1: and energy transfer and a jump shot, there needs to

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Speaker 1: be a very smooth transition of power from your dip

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Speaker 1: and your legs through your gather when you're bringing the ball,

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Speaker 1: either from the dribble or from the catch to the

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Speaker 1: shooting pocket, flowing all the way through the snap of

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Speaker 1: the wrist, and if there's any sort of break in that,

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Speaker 1: then you have to reset your power level when you're

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Speaker 1: at the top of the shot. And so you see

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Speaker 1: a lot of times with Ruey Laker fans. You'll you'll

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Speaker 1: notice this when he's playing with the Lakers this year.

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Speaker 1: You'll notice a lot of spot up three's. If he

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Speaker 1: doesn't have a ton of space, you'll notice that hitch

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Speaker 1: becomes a problem to where he doesn't get enough lift

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Speaker 1: on the shot and then the shot ends up bad, badly,

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Speaker 1: missing short, usually off the front of the rim or

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Speaker 1: skittering off the side of the rim. So that's the

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Speaker 1: biggest area that's hurting him in spot up situations right now,

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Speaker 1: a little bit of a hitch in his shot. Ironically,

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Speaker 1: in transition situations, he's actually shooting a lot better, and

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Speaker 1: I think a big part of that is just when

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Speaker 1: he's sprinting up the floor on the left wing or

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Speaker 1: on the right wing, and he catches and elevates that

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Speaker 1: forward momentum is helping him get the ball to the rim.

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Speaker 1: So hopefully over the years, you know, uh Adrian wars

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Speaker 1: Nawski report that the Lakers plan on extending him. Hopefully,

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Speaker 1: uh Phil Handy can work with him on that and

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Speaker 1: kind of help him with his fluidity, so that's less

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Speaker 1: of a problem. But him only hitting thirty one of

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Speaker 1: his spot up jumpers this year is a huge problem,

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Speaker 1: specifically in his spot up situations. And then he's also

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Speaker 1: struggling a little bit to finish at the rim and traffic.

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Speaker 1: So when he's attacked it close out this year and

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Speaker 1: tried to finish at the rim, Rui's just eleven for

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Speaker 1: twenty six at the rim, which is obviously not good.

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Speaker 1: Um In general, he is a little bit slow with

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Speaker 1: the basketball in his hands, so like he pump fakes

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Speaker 1: on a lot of his spot up possessions, and instead

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Speaker 1: of making a quick decision like just ripping through the

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Speaker 1: right or ripping through the left, he'll pump fake and

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Speaker 1: then put the ball on the floor and then try

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Speaker 1: to like mix up off the dribble. Now, to be clear,

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Speaker 1: he's shooting really well on his dribble jump shots in

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Speaker 1: the mid range. He's got a very good one dribble

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Speaker 1: pull up or to dribble pull up, especially going to

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Speaker 1: his left, and so because of that, he's actually pumped

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Speaker 1: up his spot up numbers above where you would think

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Speaker 1: if you were shooting eleven for twenty six at the

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Speaker 1: rim and literally thirty one spot jumpers, you think he's,

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Speaker 1: you know, gonna be atrocious in spot up situations. But

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Speaker 1: he's eleven for four or excuse me, eighteen for forty

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Speaker 1: on pull up jump shots in the mid range out

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Speaker 1: of spot up situations this year. So since he's around

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Speaker 1: fifty there, that's kind of pumping up those numbers there.

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Speaker 1: So specifically in spot up situations, it's gonna be a

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Speaker 1: little bit clunky, um, but glass half full. The Lakers

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Speaker 1: are already weak in spot up shooting as it is,

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Speaker 1: so I don't think it's necessarily gonna hurt them there,

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Speaker 1: and that one dribble pull up stuff that's high level

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Speaker 1: close that attacking, which specifically in the playoffs when teams

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Speaker 1: really shut off the rim and rotation and take away

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Speaker 1: the easy three's, having a guy that can put the

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Speaker 1: ball on the floor and knock down a fifteen foot

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Speaker 1: jump shot will help the Lakers rescue some possessions. So

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Speaker 1: I think even though he's not quite as good spotting

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Speaker 1: up and getting to the rim, he's a little bit

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Speaker 1: better in the mid range and creating for himself off

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Speaker 1: the dribble. So I think it kind of adds out

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Speaker 1: to being kind of a wash offensively compared to of

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Speaker 1: the other options that the Lakers have in the rotation.

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Speaker 1: And one other note, his spot up opportunities in l

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Speaker 1: A are going to be better than they were in Washington.

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Speaker 1: Um with the way teams guard Lebron and Russ and

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Speaker 1: a d it's borderline comical the way that they packed

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Speaker 1: the paint dig down from driving lanes. He's gonna get

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Speaker 1: those wide open shots that allow his hitch that he

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Speaker 1: has in his jumper to be less of a problem.

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Speaker 1: So I actually think you'll have a better spot up

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Speaker 1: season in l A. Again, we're at zero point nine

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Speaker 1: two points per possession. It'll be interesting to see how

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Speaker 1: that ticks up with the Lakers. He's a very good cutter.

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Speaker 1: There are two different kinds of wings in the NBA,

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Speaker 1: in my opinion. There's like the skinny range e perimeter

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Speaker 1: oriented wing, think like Jaden McDaniels from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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Speaker 1: But then there's like the stronger, bigger, you know, wing

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Speaker 1: that can hang in some of the interior battles, think

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Speaker 1: like Aaron Gordon from the Denver Nuggets. To me, that's

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Speaker 1: kind of what Ruby, Hotch and Mura is. The skinny

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Speaker 1: guys are usually more skilled, but they struggle in some

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Speaker 1: of the physical areas of the game. Him the bigger

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Speaker 1: guys are usually less skilled, but they can do all

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Speaker 1: you know. They can even play a little small ball

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Speaker 1: center for you if you need. They have a lot

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Speaker 1: more versatility in terms of the physical areas of the game,

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Speaker 1: and that's kind of what Ruey is. Um. One of

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Speaker 1: the big ways you'll see that offensively is as a cutter,

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Speaker 1: because in order to cut to the rim and finish effectively,

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Speaker 1: it's hard to finish around the trees and you are

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Speaker 1: getting bumped, you know, because teams train you chuck cutters

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Speaker 1: is they're running around the lane, like hit him with

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Speaker 1: the forearm real quick or something like that. So having

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Speaker 1: a dude like Ruey was literally massive six ft eight

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Speaker 1: with a seven two wingspan and two it or and

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Speaker 1: thirty pounds, he can cut into the lane and take

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Speaker 1: that contact and finish it around the rim really quickly.

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Speaker 1: And then he also has that really nice catch and

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Speaker 1: shoot fifteen footer and so he's getting about a bucket

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Speaker 1: every single game. Just flashing to the high post for

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Speaker 1: quick pull up jump shots or flashing to the charge

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Speaker 1: circle for quick little finishes in the lane. That's gonna

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Speaker 1: be very valuable with the Lakers because of their post

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Speaker 1: up heavy offense, especially when Anthony Davis gets back Lebron

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Speaker 1: in the post. Anthony Davis in the post, teams are

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Speaker 1: zoning up over on the strong side of the floor.

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Speaker 1: Having a guy who can have success as a cutter

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Speaker 1: is very important. Rui this year one point five two

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Speaker 1: points per possession when he cuts. Among a hundred and

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Speaker 1: fifty seven players who have registered at least twenty five

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Speaker 1: cut possessions this year, Ruey is twenty one out of

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Speaker 1: a hundred and fifty seven, so he's been a very

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Speaker 1: good cutter this year. Um he's also very good in transition,

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Speaker 1: like we mentioned earlier, shooting his three ball much better

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Speaker 1: in transition, especially when he runs the left and right wings.

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Speaker 1: Not great when he has the ball in his hands.

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Speaker 1: He's not a great ball handler, not a great decision makers,

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Speaker 1: so his transition possessions when he pushes by himself have

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Speaker 1: not been pretty. But he shouldn't have to do that

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Speaker 1: much with the Lakers. When he just runs to the

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Speaker 1: front of the rim or runs to the wings, he's

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Speaker 1: hitting shots and he's finishing. So with the Lakers and

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Speaker 1: how fast they like to to play and how they

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Speaker 1: hunt those transition opportunities, I think he's gonna help a

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Speaker 1: lot there. So with what he brings in transition, with

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Speaker 1: what he brings as a cutter, and what he brings

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Speaker 1: with his ability to rescue possessions, I think it's going

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Speaker 1: to be an aggregate slight upgrade offensively compared to what

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Speaker 1: some of their other options are uh in terms of

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Speaker 1: self creation, which won't really matter because he's a role

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Speaker 1: player on the Lakers, but he's bad and pick and

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Speaker 1: roll zero point eight seven points per possession. Again, not

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Speaker 1: a great decision maker or or ball handler. Pretty solid

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Speaker 1: and isoh, twenty seven points on two possessions and okay

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Speaker 1: in the post, forty six points on forty seven possessions. Again,

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Speaker 1: a lot of like dribble in your left hand, hard

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Speaker 1: dribble to his left, hit with your right shoulder, push off,

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Speaker 1: step back, knock down that fifteen seventeen foot or that's

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Speaker 1: kind of his go to move there, and he does

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Speaker 1: make that at a high clip, and again that will

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Speaker 1: help the Lakers rescue some possessions. Um again, so kind

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Speaker 1: of tying off offensively. Not a ton to get excited

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Speaker 1: about with Ruey, but I do think it's a slide

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Speaker 1: upgrade over some of the other options in the aggregate.

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Speaker 1: And really what we're about to get to is what matters,

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Speaker 1: because the areas to get most excited about with Ruey

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Speaker 1: are what he's gonna help with the Lakers in rebounding

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Speaker 1: situations and on the defensive end of the floor. Now

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Speaker 1: he's a career just seven rebounds per thirty six minutes,

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Speaker 1: which is not great, but I look at it more

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Speaker 1: from a slotting perspective, He's not He's not going to

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Speaker 1: dominate games as a rebounder the way some of the

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Speaker 1: other really athletic wings in the league are, like a

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Speaker 1: Jared Vanderbilt, for instance, writer and Aaron Gordon. But he

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Speaker 1: will slot everybody in matchups that make more sense. And

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Speaker 1: I'll give you an example. Let's say that the Lakers

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Speaker 1: are playing against the Warriors and Anthony Davis is back

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Speaker 1: and he's healthy, or we'll even look at it from

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Speaker 1: the standpoint if Lebron is playing center, if A d

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Speaker 1: is battling with Kavan Looney and Lebron James is battling

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Speaker 1: with Draymond Green, the Lakers get into these awkward positions

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Speaker 1: where it's like, Okay, we gotta do something with Andrew Wiggins. Well,

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Speaker 1: how about we put Lonnie Walker on him, because he's

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Speaker 1: a freak athlete, and maybe he'll be able to jump

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Speaker 1: with Andrew Wiggins. But they'll end up losing that matchup anyway,

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Speaker 1: because Lonnie will have to play him, possibly hard, just

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Speaker 1: to even try to keep it close to a wash,

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Speaker 1: and physically he's just overmatched in that matchup. And so

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Speaker 1: down the roster, you know, those one to three positions

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Speaker 1: on the floor, every single person is punching above their

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Speaker 1: weight in in terms of physical matchups. And so when

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Speaker 1: you put a guy like Ruey out there, if he

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Speaker 1: can battle with Draymond or battle with Wiggins and Lebron

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Speaker 1: takes the other guy. Now all of a sudden, you

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Speaker 1: take Lonnie Walker and it's like, hey, you know, now

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Speaker 1: you're guarding Clay or you're guarding Jordan Pool. And now

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Speaker 1: Lonnie's athleticism is a differentiator. Now instead of Lonnie needing

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Speaker 1: his athleticism just to compete with the bigger athlete, now

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Speaker 1: it's the differentiator between him and the smaller guard that

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Speaker 1: he's going against. That we talked a ton of about

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Speaker 1: slotting on the show, but like in terms of versatility

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Speaker 1: on both offense and on the offensive and the defensive

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Speaker 1: end of the floor, the Lakers lack of a real

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Speaker 1: forward has put them in jankie positions NonStop over the

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Speaker 1: last couple of years. And so having Ruey should help

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Speaker 1: them considerably in rebounding situations. And he is like against

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Speaker 1: seven two wings fans six ft eight. He will help

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Speaker 1: them grabbing the occasional contested rebound as well. Then you

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Speaker 1: can even imagine Lebron at center lineups or you know,

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Speaker 1: if if they're playing with Wayne and Gabriel, let's center

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Speaker 1: with Lebron, like having a guy like Ruy out there

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Speaker 1: again just makes the matchups make more sense. And then

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Speaker 1: on the defensive end of the floor, Ruy is unlike

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Speaker 1: any defender of the Lakers have had since Lebron and

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Speaker 1: Anthony Davis came to the Lakers. I mean, like when

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Speaker 1: a d came, brandon Ingram went out, you know, so

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Speaker 1: they lost that longer athlete to have alongside Lebron on

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Speaker 1: the wing. Kyle Kuzma, you know, made strides as a

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Speaker 1: help defender with the Lakers, and in certain matchups he

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Speaker 1: could have some success on the ball. But I think Ruy,

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Speaker 1: like if I was ranking the three Kyle, Kuzma and

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Speaker 1: Boy and Macdanovitch the other wing that I wanted the

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Speaker 1: Lakers to target, and Ruey had to murray who is

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Speaker 1: the best defender out of that group by far? In

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Speaker 1: my opinion, It's been one of the things that I've

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Speaker 1: actually had an eye on with Ruey over the years.

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Speaker 1: Some of you guys who have been following me for

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Speaker 1: a while, remember me during this preseason doing a little

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Speaker 1: video on Ruey causing problems on the defensive end of

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Speaker 1: the floor. He always did a really good job guarding

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Speaker 1: Lebron when I was covering the Lakers in the past

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Speaker 1: and I'd watched him go up against Lebron. He's just

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Speaker 1: huge six ft eight seven ft two wingspan two hundred

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Speaker 1: thirty pounds, plays physical. He does a lot of reaching

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Speaker 1: and three quarter fronting on high post entries and stuff

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Speaker 1: like that. Does causes a lot of disruption just with

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Speaker 1: his long arms. He doesn't have the quickest feet in

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Speaker 1: the world, so you're not gonna see him like keep

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Speaker 1: a really quick guard in front. But the Lakers should

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Speaker 1: never need him to do that unless they get into

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Speaker 1: rotation too often, which is a problem for any team

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Speaker 1: in the league. Because of the type of guards that

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Speaker 1: they have. They're gonna have guards to handle the quicker

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Speaker 1: guards around the league, with guys like Dennis Schroder and

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Speaker 1: who knows who they end up keeping if they end

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Speaker 1: up making another trade, but they've got ball pressure guards. Well,

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Speaker 1: they needed with somebody that can guard the bigger forwards

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Speaker 1: around the league, and that's what Ruy's gonna do for

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Speaker 1: them really well. And then if you put him next

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Speaker 1: to Lebron James and Anthony Davis, especially alongside ball pressure

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Speaker 1: guards like Dennis Schroeder Patrick Beverley, It's gonna give the

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Speaker 1: Lakers a daunting defensive presence. The length of the arms.

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Speaker 1: Just in those first three guys, Anthony Davis and Ruey

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Speaker 1: both over seven foot wingspans. I think Lebron has over

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Speaker 1: a seven ft wingspan. Two that's three seven ft wingspans

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Speaker 1: on the front line. That's gonna cosse teams a lot

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Speaker 1: of problems. So and as we zoom out a little

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Speaker 1: bit in summation, I love this trade for the Lakers.

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Speaker 1: It's not enough. They need to do more, but it's

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Speaker 1: a great first step. First of all, it's really inexpensive.

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Speaker 1: Kendrick Nunn had been playing better, but when Lonnie Walker

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Speaker 1: and Austin Reeves are back in the rotation, Kendrick Nunn

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Speaker 1: is going to be out of the rotation anyway. Um,

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Speaker 1: they didn't have to use the first round pick. They

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Speaker 1: had to use three second round picks, but they had

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Speaker 1: seven to spend, so they still have their second their

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Speaker 1: first round picks, either for after this season or if

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Speaker 1: they want to make a different deal at the deadline.

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Speaker 1: It addressed a very specific need perimeter size and athleticism

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Speaker 1: that will help the Lakers in a lot of defense

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Speaker 1: and rebounding situations overnight. And then, last but not least,

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Speaker 1: it gives the Lakers real matchup versatility. And when I

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Speaker 1: talk about the playoffs in the NBA, having real versatility

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Speaker 1: with the styles that you can play helps you in

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Speaker 1: those chess match is when you play a d at

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Speaker 1: the five. Now you have the same level of physical

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Speaker 1: and uh, you can be physically imposing on other teams

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Speaker 1: just like you did in twenty These last two years

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Speaker 1: when Lebron James and Anthony Davis were out there, it

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Speaker 1: just wasn't enough because it was always with three guards.

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Speaker 1: Now you can recapture that Lakers one Lakers, I've got

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Speaker 1: Lebron James, Anthony Davis, any real forward next to them

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Speaker 1: that give them that physical element that they were missing.

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Speaker 1: You also in the playoffs, if teams are attacking Thomas Bryant,

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Speaker 1: or if when you Gabriel's too skinny, you if you

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Speaker 1: and you need to play Lebron at center, it gives

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Speaker 1: you a real forward to put next to Lebron to

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Speaker 1: give those lineups a better fighting chance, and last, but

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Speaker 1: not least, he's your primary defender for the star winks

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Speaker 1: around the league. Just no question, end of story. If

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Speaker 1: you're playing Kauai, if you're playing Paul George, if you're

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Speaker 1: playing Brandon Ingram, if you're playing Luca don Chitch. In

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Speaker 1: a playoff series, Ruy's getting that assignment. And if God

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Speaker 1: forbid they get to the finals, they're gonna have to

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Speaker 1: deal with Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant or Janice Ruey is

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Speaker 1: getting that assignment. It just doesn't make sense to use

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Speaker 1: Lebron James or Anthony Davis in that type of role,

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Speaker 1: even though they can, because that you need their energy

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Speaker 1: on the offensive end. You need Anthony Davis hanging around

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Speaker 1: the rim. So it just it just makes everything makes

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Speaker 1: so much more sense with the Lakers from a game

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Speaker 1: plan standpoint. It's a great first step in the right direction.

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Speaker 1: So I want to give a tip of the cap

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Speaker 1: to Rob Polinka. I hate that it required them digging

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Speaker 1: this hole, this hole. I hate that it took almost

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Speaker 1: two years for Rob Polinka to address arguably the most

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Speaker 1: important position in the NBA. But better late than never,

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Speaker 1: and right now I can actually realistically look at the

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Speaker 1: Lakers and say they're one move away from taking that

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Speaker 1: next step to real title contention. They need a professional

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Speaker 1: jump shooter now, someone who can run second side actions

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Speaker 1: with a more perimeter focus, unlike the Dennis Shrewder you know,

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Speaker 1: Russell Westbrook thing where everything is still downhill, just like

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Speaker 1: Lebron James does it. I think Boyan Begdanovic is the

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Speaker 1: guy they got to look at. If they get boy

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Speaker 1: On Begdanovich, that gives you that real second side creation

429
00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:07,080
Speaker 1: with a perimeter focus, real spot up shooting continues to

430
00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:10,720
Speaker 1: help with your perimeter size issues. Another option. I wouldn't

431
00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:13,320
Speaker 1: like Buddy Yield in a vacuum, but because they got

432
00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:16,560
Speaker 1: Ruey hatch Mura to address those size issues, Buddy Heeld

433
00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:18,240
Speaker 1: makes a little bit more sense. And you can imagine

434
00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:20,560
Speaker 1: line ups with Dennis Shrewd, Buddy Yield, Ruey hotch Mura,

435
00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:23,679
Speaker 1: Lebron James, Anthony Davis that would have enough shooting to

436
00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:25,719
Speaker 1: make things happen on the offensive end of the floor.

437
00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:29,560
Speaker 1: So they need to make one more move. But if

438
00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:32,040
Speaker 1: they do, if they get a real professional jump shooter

439
00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:36,120
Speaker 1: alongside this existing group, I would vault the Lakers into

440
00:21:36,119 --> 00:21:38,679
Speaker 1: the conversation with Denver, Golden State in Memphis as the

441
00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:41,200
Speaker 1: real contenders out west. Right now, I just think it's

442
00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:43,360
Speaker 1: those three, But I think the Lakers have a real

443
00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:45,600
Speaker 1: chance to enter into that conversation if they make one

444
00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:48,600
Speaker 1: more trade. And for the people who think that's crazy again,

445
00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:51,080
Speaker 1: I will remind you the Lakers have the eighth best

446
00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:53,560
Speaker 1: record in all of basketball since they're too intense start.

447
00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:57,480
Speaker 1: Despite Lebron James and Anthony David, despite Lebron James and

448
00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:01,439
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis missing significant chunks of games, and despite the

449
00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:06,120
Speaker 1: Lakers having serious issues closing games because of personnel shortcomings,

450
00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:09,040
Speaker 1: Lebron James is playing like an m v P. Anthony

451
00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:11,360
Speaker 1: Davis was playing like an m v P before his injury.

452
00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:14,080
Speaker 1: I would I would urge you not to take the

453
00:22:14,119 --> 00:22:16,040
Speaker 1: Lakers for granted. They still have work to do. They

454
00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:18,240
Speaker 1: need to make a trade, they need to stay healthy.

455
00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:20,760
Speaker 1: They have a lot more question marks than the teams

456
00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:24,160
Speaker 1: above them, but they have the requisite pieces if things

457
00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:27,360
Speaker 1: go right, to contend for a title in a real

458
00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:30,560
Speaker 1: serious way. Tip off the new year with fan Duel,

459
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464
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Speaker 1: to point scores too. Three's drained. My favorite bet for

465
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Speaker 1: this week is Tuesday Night the l A Clippers in

466
00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:57,720
Speaker 1: crypto against the Lakers minus four. The Lakers are gonna

467
00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:01,280
Speaker 1: probably be integrating Ruey Hatcham in that game, and it's

468
00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:04,280
Speaker 1: gonna dramatically shift the Lakers rotation around, which I think

469
00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:06,439
Speaker 1: is gonna make it a very weird game, and a

470
00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:08,040
Speaker 1: lot of guys are gonna be out of rhythm. So

471
00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:11,160
Speaker 1: I like the Clippers in that game. Plus fand Will

472
00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:13,399
Speaker 1: even lets you combine your bets for a chance at

473
00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:16,240
Speaker 1: a bigger payout with a same game parlay. So don't

474
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Speaker 1: with fan Duel, the official sports book partner of the NBA.

478
00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:32,119
Speaker 1: All Right, welcome to Hoops Tonight, presented by FanDuel Here

479
00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:35,159
Speaker 1: at the volume. Happy Monday, everybody again, for those of

480
00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:37,159
Speaker 1: you who watched the Ruey Hotch and Mers to the

481
00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:40,240
Speaker 1: Lakers trade breakdown that we did earlier today. If you

482
00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:41,960
Speaker 1: have not seen that yet, you can find that on

483
00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:44,399
Speaker 1: our YouTube feed. Today we're breaking down three games and

484
00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:46,880
Speaker 1: I've got two quick hitters for you. So, the Los

485
00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:49,200
Speaker 1: Angeles Clippers went into Dallas and beat the Mavericks with

486
00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:51,240
Speaker 1: a really impressive fourth quarter. Going to dive into that

487
00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:53,720
Speaker 1: game a little bit. Then the Golden State Warriors blew

488
00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:56,760
Speaker 1: a thirteen point fourth quarter lead to the Brooklyn Nets.

489
00:23:56,800 --> 00:24:00,320
Speaker 1: Another masterpiece performance from Kyrie Ivery. Gonna spend some time

490
00:24:00,359 --> 00:24:04,160
Speaker 1: on Kyrie and Nick Claxton today. And then lastly, the

491
00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:06,920
Speaker 1: Lakers went into Portland, fell down twenty five at the half,

492
00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:11,240
Speaker 1: and came back to win convincingly. Good time to be

493
00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:13,400
Speaker 1: a Lakers fan. They just made that trade for Ruey

494
00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:16,440
Speaker 1: Hutch Murray. Like we mentioned earlier, Good times. Anthony Davis

495
00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:19,119
Speaker 1: coming back next week as well. Starting to see a

496
00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:20,760
Speaker 1: little bit of a light at the end of the tunnel.

497
00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:22,920
Speaker 1: There my quick hitters for today. I have some thoughts

498
00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:26,040
Speaker 1: on the NBA's luxury tax and how I believe it

499
00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:28,919
Speaker 1: is unfair and punish his successful teams and then the

500
00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:34,439
Speaker 1: Philadelphia seventies six ers won five consecutive road games. Gonna

501
00:24:35,119 --> 00:24:37,000
Speaker 1: they're doing a good job of making me look right

502
00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:39,639
Speaker 1: with one of my big New Year's predictions. So a

503
00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:41,240
Speaker 1: lot of basketball to get into today. You guys know

504
00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:43,200
Speaker 1: the drill before we get started. Subscribe to the Volumes

505
00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:45,040
Speaker 1: YouTube channel so you don't miss any more of our videos.

506
00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:47,520
Speaker 1: Follow me on Twitter at Underscore Jason lts you guys

507
00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:49,880
Speaker 1: don't miss any show announcements. And then, last but not least,

508
00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:51,680
Speaker 1: for whatever reason, you guys miss one of these videos

509
00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:53,600
Speaker 1: and you can't get back over to YouTube to finish.

510
00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:56,800
Speaker 1: You can find them wherever you get your podcasts. Under

511
00:24:56,960 --> 00:25:00,320
Speaker 1: Hoops tonight. So Clippers mass back and forth game, but

512
00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:03,600
Speaker 1: the Clippers completely dominated the fourth quarter. Paul George got

513
00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:06,640
Speaker 1: him going early in the fourth by hunting transition opportunities

514
00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:10,399
Speaker 1: getting to the foul line. Kawhi Leonard was unbelievable in

515
00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:12,800
Speaker 1: this game. Got to the rim a couple of times

516
00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:15,359
Speaker 1: um in the fourth quarter, but for the most part

517
00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:20,800
Speaker 1: was starting the rotation. Um getting the Mavericks in rotation

518
00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:24,080
Speaker 1: by just posting up on that right block, getting the basketball,

519
00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:26,640
Speaker 1: drawing that double team and making the easy read out

520
00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:28,919
Speaker 1: of it so that guys could capitalize on that. A

521
00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:31,560
Speaker 1: big guy capitalize on on that was Norman Powell, who

522
00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:34,159
Speaker 1: continues to just be awesome. He had nineteen points on

523
00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:37,399
Speaker 1: twelve shots in this game. Norman's averaging twenty one points

524
00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:40,840
Speaker 1: per game over his last nine games on from the

525
00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:46,080
Speaker 1: field from three and seventy percent from the line. It's

526
00:25:46,119 --> 00:25:48,520
Speaker 1: really this simple. He can shoot the ship out of

527
00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:51,679
Speaker 1: the basketball, and he has a super quick first step

528
00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:56,359
Speaker 1: in the vertical athleticism to finish in traffic at the rim.

529
00:25:56,400 --> 00:26:00,400
Speaker 1: He shoots on four attempts in the restricted area every game.

530
00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:03,960
Speaker 1: For a guard, anything over sixty is excellent. Most of

531
00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:05,560
Speaker 1: the guards in the league are hovering in the mid

532
00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:09,160
Speaker 1: fifties UM and then, out of sixty eight players who

533
00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:11,320
Speaker 1: have logged at least a hundred and fifty spot up

534
00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:15,080
Speaker 1: possessions this year, Norman Power ranks six out of sixty

535
00:26:15,119 --> 00:26:18,320
Speaker 1: eight at one point one seven point per possession. Absolutely

536
00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:20,800
Speaker 1: must have guys like that in a driving kicks system

537
00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:23,000
Speaker 1: because Kawhile Leonard and Paul George are going to create

538
00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:25,240
Speaker 1: that initial advantage, but you need guys to continue to

539
00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:27,880
Speaker 1: keep the defense in rotation until you get a great shot.

540
00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:30,160
Speaker 1: And they've got three guys in particular that are really

541
00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:33,880
Speaker 1: excelling this year, Nick Beatum, Marcus Morris, and Norman Pale,

542
00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:35,960
Speaker 1: who's actually above all of them, but all three of

543
00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:38,119
Speaker 1: those guys are up over one point one points per

544
00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:40,879
Speaker 1: possession in spot up situations. A little bit, a little

545
00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:43,879
Speaker 1: you know, uh glass half full way to look at

546
00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:47,240
Speaker 1: the Clippers offense this season, Uh, Kawhi Leonard is starting

547
00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:50,200
Speaker 1: to look very much like Kawhi Leonard. His last fourteen games,

548
00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:54,880
Speaker 1: he's averaging six and four percent from the field from

549
00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:57,880
Speaker 1: three percent from the line. In his last seven games,

550
00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:03,600
Speaker 1: thirty seven and four percent from the field from three

551
00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:06,760
Speaker 1: and from the line. It looks every bit like the

552
00:27:06,760 --> 00:27:10,440
Speaker 1: old Kauai except for like, you know, that just otherworldly

553
00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:15,040
Speaker 1: contact in traffic, wild dunk like the ones that he

554
00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:16,920
Speaker 1: had against the Jazz before he got hurt a couple

555
00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:19,320
Speaker 1: of years ago. We we haven't seen that quite yet.

556
00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:23,600
Speaker 1: But he does have everything else going. He's shooting fortent

557
00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:26,240
Speaker 1: on pull up jump shots this year, he's shooting fifty

558
00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:30,960
Speaker 1: five percent inside of seventeen feet on jump shots on

559
00:27:31,119 --> 00:27:34,200
Speaker 1: long twos between seventeen feet and the three point line,

560
00:27:34,240 --> 00:27:36,240
Speaker 1: and in the last couple of months, he's starting to

561
00:27:36,280 --> 00:27:38,440
Speaker 1: hit his three point shot as well. I know things

562
00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:40,560
Speaker 1: don't look great for the Clips. They've lost nine of

563
00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:43,120
Speaker 1: their last thirteen, although they have one two in a row,

564
00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:46,439
Speaker 1: and they're only seven and seven in Kawai's last fourteen games.

565
00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:49,040
Speaker 1: But I continue to think that this mostly has to

566
00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:51,359
Speaker 1: do with the lack of continuity and rhythm as guys

567
00:27:51,359 --> 00:27:53,200
Speaker 1: have been in and out of the lineup. I think

568
00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:56,040
Speaker 1: there's a really good chance that the Clippers lock in

569
00:27:56,119 --> 00:27:58,480
Speaker 1: and finished the season on a high note and have

570
00:27:58,760 --> 00:28:01,439
Speaker 1: some juice left in the in the tank to make

571
00:28:01,480 --> 00:28:04,320
Speaker 1: a playoff run. I'm not ready to give up on

572
00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:06,159
Speaker 1: them yet. And then moving over to the MAVs, it

573
00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:08,240
Speaker 1: was a rough night for Luca. He was getting to

574
00:28:08,359 --> 00:28:12,600
Speaker 1: his spots frequently against the Clippers and the Switches, particularly

575
00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:14,520
Speaker 1: in the mid to short range, but he's just missing

576
00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:16,960
Speaker 1: the shots, you know. And and like he was he

577
00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:18,639
Speaker 1: was scoring at the rim, he was I think he

578
00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:21,119
Speaker 1: was three for seven on his step back threes, but

579
00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:25,360
Speaker 1: just three for eleven on jump shots between the restricted

580
00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:27,639
Speaker 1: area and the three point line. That particular shot is

581
00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:30,400
Speaker 1: so important for him against the Clippers, with the way

582
00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:33,520
Speaker 1: that they defend him, trying to force him to take

583
00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:35,600
Speaker 1: those step back twos in the mid range. He just

584
00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:37,679
Speaker 1: has to make those shots. The MAVs are three and

585
00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:40,480
Speaker 1: seven in their last ten games. But I do think

586
00:28:40,520 --> 00:28:42,360
Speaker 1: now that Dorian Finney Smith is back, and now that

587
00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:45,040
Speaker 1: Josh Green is back, once those guys get back into

588
00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:47,760
Speaker 1: a rhythm, the defensive end will click up for the

589
00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:49,720
Speaker 1: MAVs and things should take off from there. I do

590
00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:53,000
Speaker 1: expect them to settle down once they get health, especially

591
00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:54,680
Speaker 1: when Maxie cleep but comes back, although I think he's

592
00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:57,440
Speaker 1: still a month or two away. All right, time for

593
00:28:57,480 --> 00:29:00,240
Speaker 1: our first quick hitter. So Ben Thompson, you guys know

594
00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:02,640
Speaker 1: him from Strateacher. He's also a huge Bucks fan. You

595
00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:04,560
Speaker 1: may have heard him on the Bill Simmons podcast a

596
00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:06,520
Speaker 1: few times. I met him in Vegas when I went

597
00:29:06,520 --> 00:29:08,560
Speaker 1: out to Summer League last year. Really nice guy. He

598
00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:12,080
Speaker 1: tweeted something yesterday that I thought was really interesting. He said, quote,

599
00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:16,400
Speaker 1: the NBA luxury tax allows mediocre teams to turn a

600
00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:20,360
Speaker 1: profit every year, or turn a profit year after year. Meanwhile,

601
00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:24,120
Speaker 1: it punishes successful teams. And it's insane to have an

602
00:29:24,120 --> 00:29:26,960
Speaker 1: incentive to not win. Be at the core of this league.

603
00:29:27,480 --> 00:29:31,480
Speaker 1: I won agree for the record. Why does the luxury

604
00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:35,960
Speaker 1: tax exist. It's designed to stop, you know, a Joe

605
00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:39,280
Speaker 1: lac Up type or really anybody from having like a

606
00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:42,640
Speaker 1: four or five million dollar payroll. That's what it's designed for.

607
00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:46,800
Speaker 1: But in the process of trying to dissuade, you know,

608
00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:50,120
Speaker 1: this really strange situation that will almost never happen, all

609
00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:52,120
Speaker 1: they've done is punish a bunch of other teams that

610
00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:54,080
Speaker 1: were never even close to having that type of payroll

611
00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:56,720
Speaker 1: to begin with. The salary cap rules in and of

612
00:29:56,760 --> 00:30:00,640
Speaker 1: themselves prevent teams from loading up on talent. I guess what.

613
00:30:01,320 --> 00:30:04,480
Speaker 1: The Warriors can't just throw a max contract at James

614
00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:07,080
Speaker 1: Harden this summer if he decides to op out and

615
00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:09,680
Speaker 1: become a free agent he doesn't like. They can't do that.

616
00:30:10,080 --> 00:30:12,960
Speaker 1: The salary cap prevents them from doing that. If you

617
00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:15,800
Speaker 1: look at their roster, and you look at Steph Curry

618
00:30:15,880 --> 00:30:19,680
Speaker 1: who they drafted, Draymond Green who they drafted, Clay Thompson

619
00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:23,680
Speaker 1: who they drafted, Jordan Poole who they drafted, Jonathan Cominga,

620
00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:26,400
Speaker 1: Moses Moody, all these guys. When it comes down to

621
00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:31,600
Speaker 1: paying all of them, they're gonna get squeezed and yes,

622
00:30:31,760 --> 00:30:36,400
Speaker 1: Andrew Wiggins is a fallback from or a return from

623
00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:38,680
Speaker 1: the d Low trade, which was a return from the

624
00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:41,800
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant trade. But Kevin Durant signed into cap space.

625
00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:45,360
Speaker 1: When the Warriors signed k D they had cap space.

626
00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:49,520
Speaker 1: Then they flipped that asset for an asset that they

627
00:30:49,560 --> 00:30:52,960
Speaker 1: then flipped into Andrew Wiggins. The Golden State Warriors are

628
00:30:52,960 --> 00:30:56,320
Speaker 1: not New York Yankees. They're not pulling you a New

629
00:30:56,400 --> 00:30:59,080
Speaker 1: York Yankees and just buying a basketball team that's not happening.

630
00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:02,920
Speaker 1: They're not just right and checks and bringing in superstars.

631
00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:06,520
Speaker 1: They are drafting good players and then when they lose

632
00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:08,800
Speaker 1: a player in free agency, they do the smart thing,

633
00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:13,400
Speaker 1: which has trade him for something in return so that

634
00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:16,480
Speaker 1: you have access to money above the cap. The salary

635
00:31:16,520 --> 00:31:19,200
Speaker 1: cap does not allow you to sign players over the

636
00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:22,120
Speaker 1: cap unless you use an exception, and the exceptions are

637
00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:26,400
Speaker 1: veteran minimum contracts, the mid level exception, which isn't gonna

638
00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:28,200
Speaker 1: get you that good of a player to begin with,

639
00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:32,480
Speaker 1: or bird rights things associated with players that you have

640
00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:35,160
Speaker 1: under your control. You can go over the cap when

641
00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:37,360
Speaker 1: you have players that are under your control, and I

642
00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:41,240
Speaker 1: hate that in this system. If you draft well, you

643
00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:43,640
Speaker 1: get squeezed, And I don't think that that's fair. And

644
00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:47,840
Speaker 1: and like, I'm really curious to see which exciting young

645
00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:49,600
Speaker 1: core that we have around the league that's gonna end

646
00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:52,880
Speaker 1: up getting punished by this. Like are there Grizzlies gonna

647
00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:55,200
Speaker 1: be able to sign Desmond Baine to his rookie extension

648
00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:58,040
Speaker 1: without having to ship off someone else to avoid luxury tax?

649
00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:01,320
Speaker 1: Are they're gonna lose Brandon Clark or Steven Adams or

650
00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:04,120
Speaker 1: something like that, or uh, well, look at New Orleans.

651
00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:07,120
Speaker 1: What about when Herb Jones and Herb Jones and Trey

652
00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:09,080
Speaker 1: Murphy get to the point where they need to be extended.

653
00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:11,880
Speaker 1: Are those guys gonna get squeezed or is somebody else

654
00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:14,600
Speaker 1: on the roster gonna get squeezed for them just because

655
00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:17,880
Speaker 1: those teams drafted well, you know, like David Griffin goes

656
00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:20,040
Speaker 1: out and gets two really good wings and Herb Jones

657
00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:23,000
Speaker 1: and Trey Murphy, and it's gonna put him in a bind.

658
00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:27,360
Speaker 1: That's not fair. What about the Oklahoma City Thunder? You know,

659
00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,040
Speaker 1: when you know Shay Gil just Alexander's getting paid and

660
00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:32,920
Speaker 1: lu Dort's getting paid and Chath Holman is getting paid.

661
00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:35,200
Speaker 1: Who Okay, Jalen Williams, it's your turn. Are we gonna

662
00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:36,720
Speaker 1: pay you? If we do, we have to pay this

663
00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:40,360
Speaker 1: damn luxury tax. It's not fair. I don't. I understand

664
00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:43,680
Speaker 1: the original reason why it was conceived, but it has

665
00:32:43,720 --> 00:32:45,840
Speaker 1: backfired in the sense that all it's really done is

666
00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:49,760
Speaker 1: punished competence, and I understand the pursuit of parody. The

667
00:32:49,840 --> 00:32:53,680
Speaker 1: punishing competence is not the way to accomplish that, all right,

668
00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:55,440
Speaker 1: Moving on to the Warriors, So they blew a thirteen

669
00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:58,640
Speaker 1: point fourth quarter lead to lose to the net sixteen.

670
00:32:58,880 --> 00:33:02,280
Speaker 1: Kyrie was magnificent again, thirty eight points on twenty two shots,

671
00:33:02,520 --> 00:33:06,360
Speaker 1: nine assists, with just one turnover, countless big plays. Since

672
00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:10,080
Speaker 1: KD went down, Kyrie is averaging twelve point four points

673
00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:13,959
Speaker 1: per game in fourth quarters during this five game stretch.

674
00:33:15,200 --> 00:33:17,440
Speaker 1: And really it's a simple he's making pull up jump

675
00:33:17,480 --> 00:33:20,680
Speaker 1: shots over the top of the defense, and he's making

676
00:33:20,760 --> 00:33:23,800
Speaker 1: kickout passes to good shooters. What have I always said

677
00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:27,160
Speaker 1: about half court situations? When teams really slow the game down,

678
00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:29,760
Speaker 1: trap you in the half court, they load up on

679
00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:32,320
Speaker 1: one side. You have to beat them, either by shooting

680
00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:34,680
Speaker 1: over the top or by kicking the shooters who can

681
00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:37,520
Speaker 1: make you pay, and Kyrie has always been one of

682
00:33:37,560 --> 00:33:39,320
Speaker 1: the best guys in the league to do that. Now

683
00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:42,120
Speaker 1: a lot of people are negative about Kyrie as it

684
00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:44,000
Speaker 1: pertains to him being a number one, And for the record,

685
00:33:44,160 --> 00:33:46,120
Speaker 1: I don't think Kyrie Irving is a number one is

686
00:33:46,120 --> 00:33:48,920
Speaker 1: going to get you to any sort of you know,

687
00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:53,240
Speaker 1: great heights or a championship. But he's a damn good

688
00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:56,080
Speaker 1: number two and he's doing a really nice job of

689
00:33:56,120 --> 00:33:58,560
Speaker 1: filling in for a number one over the last couple

690
00:33:58,600 --> 00:34:00,719
Speaker 1: of weeks. I understand all the bag that comes with him,

691
00:34:00,720 --> 00:34:02,640
Speaker 1: but there's a reason why when the Lakers were in

692
00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:05,160
Speaker 1: discussions to get Kyrie this summer, that I said it

693
00:34:05,240 --> 00:34:07,920
Speaker 1: was worth it. There's a reason why I thought that

694
00:34:07,920 --> 00:34:09,640
Speaker 1: there'd be some team out there, like the Miami Heat

695
00:34:09,680 --> 00:34:12,760
Speaker 1: or somebody who would make a move for Kyrie Irving

696
00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:15,240
Speaker 1: even when everyone said it's not worth it. It's because

697
00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:19,480
Speaker 1: his elite, top end talent still represents a skill set

698
00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:22,279
Speaker 1: that very few players in this league can do, and

699
00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:24,440
Speaker 1: he's reminding everybody of that over the course of this

700
00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:28,840
Speaker 1: last couple of weeks. Nick Claxton last three games twenty

701
00:34:28,880 --> 00:34:32,280
Speaker 1: one points per game, ten rebounds per game, three point

702
00:34:32,360 --> 00:34:36,880
Speaker 1: three blocks per game, including the nets being plus fifty

703
00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:39,920
Speaker 1: nine in his shifts in three games. That's basically they

704
00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:42,560
Speaker 1: went two and one, and it's basically been like three

705
00:34:42,600 --> 00:34:46,279
Speaker 1: blowouts in Nick Claxton's minutes. Um. He's running the floor

706
00:34:46,360 --> 00:34:49,360
Speaker 1: super well. He's been hunting transition opportunities. He has seventeen

707
00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:51,839
Speaker 1: points in transition over the last two games. He's your

708
00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:54,359
Speaker 1: prototypical modern center. He defends the hell out of the rim,

709
00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:56,520
Speaker 1: he can hold his own on switches, he runs the

710
00:34:56,520 --> 00:34:59,160
Speaker 1: floor super well, and he provides enough offensively as a

711
00:34:59,239 --> 00:35:01,960
Speaker 1: vertical space and as an offensive rebounder and running the

712
00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:05,520
Speaker 1: rim in transition that he's a huge positive. And he's

713
00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:09,279
Speaker 1: gonna end up signing a huge extension next season if

714
00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:11,800
Speaker 1: things stay this way. Uh. Moving out of the Warriors

715
00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:14,120
Speaker 1: a little bit, Stephan Andrew Wiggins were both really bad again.

716
00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:16,200
Speaker 1: They combined to go nine for five from the field.

717
00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:18,879
Speaker 1: They're both clearly still out of rhythm. And that's why

718
00:35:18,920 --> 00:35:20,759
Speaker 1: I'm still not out on the Warriors. It really is

719
00:35:20,760 --> 00:35:22,680
Speaker 1: this simple. What do they look like when they're at

720
00:35:22,680 --> 00:35:25,400
Speaker 1: their best. It's Steph playing like an m v P,

721
00:35:25,800 --> 00:35:28,480
Speaker 1: which he hasn't been as of late. Andrew Wiggins is

722
00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:30,200
Speaker 1: the second best player on the team. You know, creates

723
00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:31,800
Speaker 1: his own shot at every once in a while. A

724
00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:34,680
Speaker 1: Taxi close outs well usually ends around eighteen nineteen points

725
00:35:34,719 --> 00:35:36,799
Speaker 1: per game. They're not getting that from him right now.

726
00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:39,799
Speaker 1: Their lights out defensively when they're at their best, and

727
00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:42,520
Speaker 1: they stagger their bench with their starters to help the

728
00:35:42,560 --> 00:35:45,480
Speaker 1: young guys. They've done all four of those things at

729
00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:48,400
Speaker 1: various points in the season. Before Steph got hurt, he

730
00:35:48,520 --> 00:35:50,680
Speaker 1: was playing like an m v P. Before Andrew Wiggins

731
00:35:50,719 --> 00:35:53,000
Speaker 1: got hurt, he was playing some of the best basketball

732
00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:56,600
Speaker 1: of his career. They've demonstrated that they can defend at

733
00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:58,840
Speaker 1: a high level even without Andrew Wiggins. They did that

734
00:35:58,920 --> 00:36:01,360
Speaker 1: during the stretch that Steff we Is injured. They rebuilt

735
00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:03,960
Speaker 1: that urgency that was lacking earlier in the season. But

736
00:36:04,080 --> 00:36:07,080
Speaker 1: now you're having to plug Steph and Andrew Wiggins back in,

737
00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:09,080
Speaker 1: and both of them aren't in game shape and aren't

738
00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:12,080
Speaker 1: in rhythm. When I tell you, guys, earlier in the season,

739
00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:15,439
Speaker 1: when Lebron was struggling and he kept getting hurt, I said,

740
00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:17,919
Speaker 1: because he had like a growing tweak at some other things.

741
00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:21,840
Speaker 1: I was like, he's like fifteen games, and once he

742
00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:24,680
Speaker 1: gets to fifteen games, like you'll see things click for him.

743
00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:27,839
Speaker 1: And what happened. He stayed healthy long enough to get

744
00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:30,480
Speaker 1: into a rhythm. Things clicked. Now Lebron looks like an

745
00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:33,839
Speaker 1: m v P. Again. That's what I'm waiting on for staff. Now,

746
00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:36,640
Speaker 1: if we get to the point where Steph is playing

747
00:36:36,680 --> 00:36:38,879
Speaker 1: like an m v P and Andrew Wiggins is playing

748
00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:41,680
Speaker 1: the way that we're accustomed to, and Draymond's doing what

749
00:36:41,719 --> 00:36:43,600
Speaker 1: he's doing, and all these guys are playing and they're

750
00:36:43,600 --> 00:36:47,640
Speaker 1: still losing, then I'll start to be seriously concerned. But

751
00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:50,719
Speaker 1: like I know, it's frustrating, especially for Warriors fans because

752
00:36:50,719 --> 00:36:52,680
Speaker 1: you're like, man, we are over halfway through the season

753
00:36:52,760 --> 00:36:55,919
Speaker 1: and we are still having these types of heartbreaking, gut

754
00:36:55,920 --> 00:36:59,960
Speaker 1: wrenching losses. I get it, But the reasons this time

755
00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:02,160
Speaker 1: him around is your best player, who has become one

756
00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:04,120
Speaker 1: of the most reliable players in the NBA over the

757
00:37:04,200 --> 00:37:06,560
Speaker 1: last few years, is not playing well because he just

758
00:37:06,600 --> 00:37:09,440
Speaker 1: came back from injury. And no, I don't think he

759
00:37:09,560 --> 00:37:12,919
Speaker 1: lost his step. He literally had a shoulder injury. It's

760
00:37:12,920 --> 00:37:16,160
Speaker 1: just you can't replicate basketball shape. It takes time to

761
00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:19,400
Speaker 1: get back into basketball shape. Steps working through it, Andrew's

762
00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:21,520
Speaker 1: working through it. If they get if we get to

763
00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:24,200
Speaker 1: a point five ten games from now, where Steph is

764
00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:26,160
Speaker 1: putting up thirty five a night and they're still losing,

765
00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:28,400
Speaker 1: then we can have another conversation about the Warriors. But

766
00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:30,880
Speaker 1: I'm just not there yet. Of course, I still think

767
00:37:30,920 --> 00:37:32,279
Speaker 1: they need to make a trade at the deadline, but

768
00:37:32,280 --> 00:37:33,719
Speaker 1: I feel that way about most of the teams in

769
00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:36,120
Speaker 1: the league because it's too even at the top. Someone

770
00:37:36,160 --> 00:37:41,399
Speaker 1: needs to separate themselves. Um, all right, let's move on

771
00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:44,839
Speaker 1: to our second quick hitter, the Philadelphia seventies sixers who

772
00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:47,040
Speaker 1: went five and oh on their West Coast road trip.

773
00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:50,640
Speaker 1: Come on those come up here, Come on up, say hi.

774
00:37:51,239 --> 00:37:53,320
Speaker 1: He's been bothering me during the entire show. This is

775
00:37:53,360 --> 00:37:57,400
Speaker 1: my puppy, Dallas, one of my Aussies. We have three dogs. Um,

776
00:37:57,440 --> 00:38:01,120
Speaker 1: he's the sweet, super obedient one. Get a little old though,

777
00:38:01,160 --> 00:38:02,400
Speaker 1: makes you sad. If you ever a dog. When they

778
00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:03,960
Speaker 1: start to get old, it gets a little sad. All right,

779
00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:08,640
Speaker 1: you gotta get down there, okay, alright. So they beat

780
00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:11,040
Speaker 1: some good teams on this road trip. They beat the Clippers,

781
00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:13,040
Speaker 1: they beat the Lakers, they beat the Kings, They beat

782
00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:15,560
Speaker 1: the Jazz. These are not easy games, especially on the road.

783
00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:18,439
Speaker 1: Winning in Utah not easy. Winning in Sacramento not easy.

784
00:38:18,480 --> 00:38:20,640
Speaker 1: That Lakers team has been really good for a while,

785
00:38:20,680 --> 00:38:23,160
Speaker 1: and they gave them a tough fight that night. Um

786
00:38:23,280 --> 00:38:26,759
Speaker 1: the Clippers obviously not easy. Uh. They're just healthy and rolling,

787
00:38:26,800 --> 00:38:29,319
Speaker 1: which is what I expected coming into the new year.

788
00:38:29,320 --> 00:38:31,319
Speaker 1: If you guys remember my New Year's predictions, one of

789
00:38:31,320 --> 00:38:34,160
Speaker 1: my big ones was the Sixers are gonna get healthy

790
00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:36,000
Speaker 1: and they're gonna start ripping off wins. And if there

791
00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:37,840
Speaker 1: was a time for them to drop some games, it

792
00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:39,960
Speaker 1: be on this West Coast road trip, and they simply

793
00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:42,800
Speaker 1: have not done so. Joe Lombiad has been amazing thirty

794
00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:45,040
Speaker 1: five points per game on fifty percent from the field

795
00:38:45,040 --> 00:38:50,080
Speaker 1: and from three during the road trip, tyrs maxie per game.

796
00:38:50,120 --> 00:38:53,000
Speaker 1: You know, the Sixers are again the big question marks.

797
00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:55,200
Speaker 1: It's kind of like with the Celtics, where I need

798
00:38:55,239 --> 00:38:57,200
Speaker 1: to see it to believe it in a late round

799
00:38:57,200 --> 00:38:59,719
Speaker 1: of the playoffs. But like everything with the Sixers, it's

800
00:38:59,719 --> 00:39:03,000
Speaker 1: like Joel Embiid and and James Harden going to play

801
00:39:03,640 --> 00:39:05,680
Speaker 1: like they do during the regular season when they get

802
00:39:05,719 --> 00:39:08,040
Speaker 1: to the postseason, and those are legitimate question marks, and

803
00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:10,279
Speaker 1: we may never get to see that until we get

804
00:39:10,320 --> 00:39:12,880
Speaker 1: to the postseason. But in terms of talent and what

805
00:39:12,920 --> 00:39:15,279
Speaker 1: this team is capable of in the half court, on

806
00:39:15,320 --> 00:39:17,640
Speaker 1: both ends of the floor, that they look like a

807
00:39:17,680 --> 00:39:20,720
Speaker 1: bona fide championship contender. It's really just those playoff question

808
00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:23,440
Speaker 1: marks that we have. Al Right, before we get out

809
00:39:23,440 --> 00:39:24,920
Speaker 1: of here, the Lakers and the Blazers, I had a

810
00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:27,600
Speaker 1: feeling the Lakers would win this game. Portland's been really

811
00:39:27,640 --> 00:39:30,120
Speaker 1: bad for a while now. We'll talk about that in

812
00:39:30,160 --> 00:39:33,279
Speaker 1: a little bit. UH. Portland is an awful defensive backcourt

813
00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:35,880
Speaker 1: and a center that can't protect the rim, which is

814
00:39:35,920 --> 00:39:38,839
Speaker 1: just a recipe for disaster against the rim. Pressuring team

815
00:39:38,880 --> 00:39:40,719
Speaker 1: like the Lakers, who have guards that can beat people

816
00:39:40,760 --> 00:39:43,320
Speaker 1: off the dribble. Lebron has always had his way with

817
00:39:43,360 --> 00:39:46,960
Speaker 1: Jeremy Grant, that's a matchup he's always played well in UH.

818
00:39:47,040 --> 00:39:48,919
Speaker 1: And then Nurkic is quickly becoming one of the worst

819
00:39:48,960 --> 00:39:51,319
Speaker 1: defensive players in the league right now. That's a whole

820
00:39:51,320 --> 00:39:52,719
Speaker 1: other problem. We'll get to that in a little bit.

821
00:39:52,760 --> 00:39:54,680
Speaker 1: But Portland was still up twenty five at the half.

822
00:39:55,600 --> 00:39:57,919
Speaker 1: Patrick Beverley was talking a bunch of shipped to Dame Lillard.

823
00:39:57,960 --> 00:40:00,560
Speaker 1: Dame Lillard was going off, but then the Lakers just

824
00:40:00,640 --> 00:40:04,000
Speaker 1: methodically work their way back, getting stops and hunting those

825
00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:06,440
Speaker 1: transition opportunities like we talked about that are so important.

826
00:40:06,600 --> 00:40:08,239
Speaker 1: I just I want to talk about Lebron for a minute,

827
00:40:08,239 --> 00:40:11,799
Speaker 1: because he in particular has been hunting transition opportunities at

828
00:40:11,840 --> 00:40:14,000
Speaker 1: an absurd rate in the last month. I wanted to

829
00:40:14,040 --> 00:40:16,440
Speaker 1: give you guys some UM numbers to demonstrate that. But

830
00:40:16,520 --> 00:40:19,240
Speaker 1: he's like trying to avoid that static half court environment

831
00:40:19,239 --> 00:40:20,920
Speaker 1: as much as possible because when Lebron gets in the

832
00:40:20,960 --> 00:40:23,480
Speaker 1: half court, because the limited spot up shooting talent that

833
00:40:23,520 --> 00:40:26,040
Speaker 1: the Lakers have, they are really loading up the paint

834
00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:28,040
Speaker 1: on him and it's just hard for him to find

835
00:40:28,080 --> 00:40:30,080
Speaker 1: quality shots in the half court. So the more he

836
00:40:30,160 --> 00:40:33,200
Speaker 1: hunts those transition opportunities, the more he can avoid the

837
00:40:33,280 --> 00:40:37,440
Speaker 1: multiple help defenders. UM In his last ten games, Lebron

838
00:40:37,520 --> 00:40:41,319
Speaker 1: is averaging eleven point four points per game just in transition,

839
00:40:42,760 --> 00:40:44,399
Speaker 1: and he's actually I know this is gonna sound crazy

840
00:40:44,440 --> 00:40:46,640
Speaker 1: to you guys, but he's actually starting to build a

841
00:40:46,760 --> 00:40:48,920
Speaker 1: fringe m v P case. Now he has no chance

842
00:40:48,920 --> 00:40:50,640
Speaker 1: to win the award. The Lakers are too far back

843
00:40:50,640 --> 00:40:53,600
Speaker 1: in the standings and Lebron's missed a handful too many games.

844
00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:55,520
Speaker 1: But I do think he'll get some votes, and I

845
00:40:55,520 --> 00:40:58,360
Speaker 1: wouldn't be surprised if Lebron finished seventh or eighth in

846
00:40:58,480 --> 00:41:00,160
Speaker 1: m v P voting, and a big part of at

847
00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:02,960
Speaker 1: his once again last night, the Lakers were plus seventeen

848
00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:06,319
Speaker 1: with him and minus eight without him. That's been a

849
00:41:06,320 --> 00:41:08,719
Speaker 1: recurring theme all season, or at least in this last

850
00:41:08,800 --> 00:41:11,440
Speaker 1: chunk of the season. Since returning from the groin injury,

851
00:41:12,160 --> 00:41:15,480
Speaker 1: Lebron is averaging thirty two points, eight rebounds, seven assists,

852
00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:18,719
Speaker 1: true shooting despite the fact that he's incapable of getting

853
00:41:18,719 --> 00:41:22,280
Speaker 1: his three point shot going, and their plus one sixty

854
00:41:22,320 --> 00:41:25,799
Speaker 1: two when Lebron is on the floor minus one when

855
00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:28,560
Speaker 1: he's off the floor. They are eleven and nine since

856
00:41:28,600 --> 00:41:31,440
Speaker 1: a d went down in the Nuggets game. That that

857
00:41:31,520 --> 00:41:34,000
Speaker 1: type of production, with that type of on off value,

858
00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:37,080
Speaker 1: with that type of supporting cast, that's m v P stuff.

859
00:41:37,480 --> 00:41:38,880
Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't have any other way to

860
00:41:38,920 --> 00:41:41,960
Speaker 1: put it. And when you combine that with the Lakers

861
00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:44,520
Speaker 1: finally making a trade to address their perimeter size again,

862
00:41:44,680 --> 00:41:46,880
Speaker 1: if you want to hear about Ruey Hachimura. Go to

863
00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:50,520
Speaker 1: our YouTube feed earlier. We did twenty minutes just on Rui'

864
00:41:50,520 --> 00:41:52,080
Speaker 1: so I'm not gonna get into that right now. But

865
00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:54,719
Speaker 1: they finally made a trade. You had Anthony Davis to this,

866
00:41:54,760 --> 00:41:56,720
Speaker 1: who was playing like an m VP before his injury.

867
00:41:57,400 --> 00:42:00,480
Speaker 1: There's a lot to get excited about. They do need

868
00:42:00,480 --> 00:42:03,080
Speaker 1: to make one more trade for professional shooter. But when

869
00:42:03,120 --> 00:42:06,400
Speaker 1: they do, the Lakers will be in business. You know

870
00:42:06,440 --> 00:42:10,399
Speaker 1: who's not in business. The Portland Trailblazers. They are Uh.

871
00:42:10,400 --> 00:42:12,800
Speaker 1: They've won just eleven of their last thirty two games.

872
00:42:13,640 --> 00:42:15,799
Speaker 1: They have the fifth worst record in the league over

873
00:42:15,840 --> 00:42:19,080
Speaker 1: that span. Only the Hornets, Pistons, Spurs and Rockets have

874
00:42:19,120 --> 00:42:23,280
Speaker 1: been worse than the Blazers. Since November se Damian Lillard,

875
00:42:23,320 --> 00:42:26,240
Speaker 1: Anthony Simons and Jeremy Grant have played together for one thousand,

876
00:42:26,239 --> 00:42:29,040
Speaker 1: five and thirty two possessions this year. That's a huge sample,

877
00:42:29,440 --> 00:42:32,400
Speaker 1: and they have a net rating of plus two, so

878
00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:36,319
Speaker 1: their best lineup is barely outscoring teams. Not to be clear,

879
00:42:36,360 --> 00:42:38,400
Speaker 1: I think they should blow it up. I think fundamentally

880
00:42:38,680 --> 00:42:40,160
Speaker 1: you can't have a back court with two guards that

881
00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:42,239
Speaker 1: don't defend. It's just that simple to me. You've heard

882
00:42:42,280 --> 00:42:44,000
Speaker 1: me say that about other teams around the league as well.

883
00:42:44,680 --> 00:42:46,719
Speaker 1: But if you do want to try to salvage this thing,

884
00:42:46,960 --> 00:42:48,600
Speaker 1: the center spot is where you gotta start. You gotta

885
00:42:48,600 --> 00:42:52,279
Speaker 1: start with Nurkitch. They need to get a real rim

886
00:42:52,320 --> 00:42:55,320
Speaker 1: protector in their Nurkics cannot move his feet, struggles to

887
00:42:55,360 --> 00:42:59,359
Speaker 1: garden space, doesn't have this the enough size and athleticism

888
00:42:59,360 --> 00:43:01,480
Speaker 1: to really protect a rim, and that's a big part

889
00:43:01,520 --> 00:43:04,799
Speaker 1: of why they're twenty one defense this year. There are

890
00:43:04,840 --> 00:43:06,400
Speaker 1: a couple of guys that I had in mind to

891
00:43:06,520 --> 00:43:09,320
Speaker 1: keep an eye on if the Wizards are trying to

892
00:43:09,320 --> 00:43:10,480
Speaker 1: blow things up. And now I know he's got an

893
00:43:10,480 --> 00:43:13,080
Speaker 1: ankle injury right now, but I try to target Chris Apps.

894
00:43:13,080 --> 00:43:15,319
Speaker 1: Porzingis another guy would be trying to call on his

895
00:43:15,400 --> 00:43:18,160
Speaker 1: Miles Turner if he's not getting the extension that he

896
00:43:18,200 --> 00:43:20,560
Speaker 1: wants from Indiana. But they if if you need to

897
00:43:20,560 --> 00:43:23,000
Speaker 1: try to make it work with this group, you need

898
00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:26,360
Speaker 1: to do something to shore up your rim protection. In theory,

899
00:43:26,880 --> 00:43:31,680
Speaker 1: I like the idea of Dame Anthony with like Gary Payton,

900
00:43:31,760 --> 00:43:35,680
Speaker 1: the second with like Jeremy Grant at the four with

901
00:43:35,840 --> 00:43:39,560
Speaker 1: a guy like Miles Turner. Now now We're talking about

902
00:43:39,560 --> 00:43:41,839
Speaker 1: a team that's gonna give Dame enough support to where

903
00:43:41,880 --> 00:43:43,960
Speaker 1: maybe his top end talent can carry you over the top.

904
00:43:43,960 --> 00:43:46,799
Speaker 1: But right now they're just they're just not good enough

905
00:43:47,400 --> 00:43:49,960
Speaker 1: in the front court to have the type of defense

906
00:43:50,120 --> 00:43:52,040
Speaker 1: or defensive talent that they have in the backcourt with

907
00:43:52,080 --> 00:43:55,200
Speaker 1: Damon Anthony. It's something they have to address. Alright, guys,

908
00:43:55,239 --> 00:43:56,840
Speaker 1: that is all I have for today. As always, I

909
00:43:56,880 --> 00:44:00,239
Speaker 1: appreciate your support. We will have no show tom orrow.

910
00:44:01,640 --> 00:44:04,520
Speaker 1: Tomorrow night, I am covering all the games, but it's

911
00:44:04,520 --> 00:44:07,040
Speaker 1: not gonna be on the feed until Wednesday morning, So

912
00:44:07,160 --> 00:44:08,640
Speaker 1: keep an eye on the feed Wednesday morning for a

913
00:44:08,640 --> 00:44:11,680
Speaker 1: breakdown of Tuesday nights games, and then I go out

914
00:44:11,680 --> 00:44:13,480
Speaker 1: of town to like Tahoe. But we have another video

915
00:44:13,520 --> 00:44:15,520
Speaker 1: coming out on Yo Kich in his m v P

916
00:44:15,680 --> 00:44:17,239
Speaker 1: case as well. Keep an eye on the feeds for that.

917
00:44:17,280 --> 00:44:19,120
Speaker 1: As always, I appreciate you, guys, and I'll see you

918
00:44:19,400 --> 00:44:31,000
Speaker 1: in a couple of days. The volume