WEBVTT - Southwest Conference Preview: Memphis Grizzlies

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<v Speaker 1>On this episode of the Heat Check, we talk about

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<v Speaker 1>another division in the Western Conference, Baby, which might be

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<v Speaker 1>the most loaded in NBA history. I know that's a

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<v Speaker 1>hyper believe, but we're doing it on a Sunday night.

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<v Speaker 1>You can make the case that almost any team in

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<v Speaker 1>the Western Conference, just pick one out of that, any

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<v Speaker 1>one of them, except for my Portland Trailblazers, could make

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<v Speaker 1>the playoffs. We now break down the second Western Conference division,

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<v Speaker 1>which is the Southwest. I don't know what the car

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<v Speaker 1>reference would be of that. I know it's definitely not

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<v Speaker 1>a Cadillac. I know it's definitely not a Maserati. It's

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<v Speaker 1>more like mid tier, like ooh, i'd be fine. Is

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<v Speaker 1>it the hunt Day Division? I don't know. Memphis, Dallas,

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<v Speaker 1>New Orleans, Houston, and Santa an fucking Tonio. Santa fucking

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<v Speaker 1>Tonio is probably gonna be the Maserati of the bunch.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's get a move on, William. We don't have much

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<v Speaker 1>time to waste. I already did this segment, so we

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<v Speaker 1>got to do it again, and I wasn't recording, so

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<v Speaker 1>drop that generic ads beat that should be Rihanna.

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<v Speaker 2>Was breaking down all the biggest NBA storylines. We're tuned

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<v Speaker 2>in to the Heat Check. The Heat Check. It's just

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<v Speaker 2>a crazy the best podcast covering all the drama around

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<v Speaker 2>the association.

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<v Speaker 1>We've started our NBA with the cattle, the the cream

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<v Speaker 1>of the crop, which was the Pacific Division. We now

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<v Speaker 1>turn our attention to the Southwest Division, which is fascinating

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<v Speaker 1>in its own way. It's actually we can make more

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<v Speaker 1>of a of a reference not to cars, but maybe

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<v Speaker 1>to an airline, and we'll just keep it right there.

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<v Speaker 1>It's like the Southwest airlines of the NBA, Like, you

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<v Speaker 1>don't get your own seats, you better get there fucking

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<v Speaker 1>early or you're gonna be ended up in thirty two B.

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<v Speaker 1>So we'll start up top with the Memphis Grizzlies fifty

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<v Speaker 1>one and thirty one. They were second place last year.

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<v Speaker 1>They add Marcus Smart and smot they add Derek Rose,

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<v Speaker 1>they add GG Jackson, they subtract Tias Jones, they subtract

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<v Speaker 1>Dylan Brooks. So how should we start this preview right? Like,

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<v Speaker 1>should we talk about the fact that they won the

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<v Speaker 1>Southwest Division last year and John Brand only played like

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<v Speaker 1>fifty seven games sixty two games? Should we talk about

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<v Speaker 1>the fact that they were a two seed last year?

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<v Speaker 1>Should we talk about the fact that they added Oh

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<v Speaker 1>my god, Marcus Smart, this culture guy, oh Dereck Rose

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<v Speaker 1>like og former MVP. Should we talk about the fact

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<v Speaker 1>that I don't know Brandon Clark is out for the season.

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<v Speaker 1>Should we talk about the fact that Steven Adams might

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<v Speaker 1>be finally fully healthy? No? No, we should Was that

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<v Speaker 1>the most poignant thing to start with? Come on, guys,

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<v Speaker 1>it's Jaw. Jaw Jaw the man himself who decided after

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<v Speaker 1>Adam Silver said, hey, Jaw, no more guns, he was like,

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<v Speaker 1>you know what I think would be fun? You know

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<v Speaker 1>what I think would be just hilarious is buying a

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<v Speaker 1>lighter that looks like I could glock and then just

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<v Speaker 1>putting it on Instagram live for the world to see

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<v Speaker 1>so that I can get my ass suspended. So if

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<v Speaker 1>we don't know what's up with Jaw and he's not

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<v Speaker 1>gonna be back till Christmas, we probably don't know what

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<v Speaker 1>this Grizzlies team is because Jaws now suspended twenty five games.

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<v Speaker 1>A what a present from Adam Silver. Just open it up,

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<v Speaker 1>find out what the Memphis Grizzlies are by January first,

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<v Speaker 1>who knows, who knows? Maybe not even by then. Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>all Star break, we'll know what they are, right. Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>there was a lot of sheen on Jaw this time

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<v Speaker 1>last year. It's easy to forget he was like the guy.

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<v Speaker 1>He was the one we all wanted to build the

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<v Speaker 1>league around. And uh he had power aid commercials and

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<v Speaker 1>the new Nike shoe and he was just the dude

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<v Speaker 1>on a Tuesday night that every kid wanted to watch

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<v Speaker 1>what the top Jersey sales, Like, everybody wants to go

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<v Speaker 1>to some random NBA town to see Jaw. And Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>I tell you what that sheen came off fast is

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<v Speaker 1>we haven't heard a peep really about in this entire summer.

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<v Speaker 1>Probably a good thing, considering that there was a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of chatter. There was about a million allegations on the

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<v Speaker 1>athletic about what he was doing and what he wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>doing with his friends and his dad and weather T

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<v Speaker 1>looked like Usher, it's all done now, it's all about

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<v Speaker 1>the grizz. Well, the time that he's taken off turned

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<v Speaker 1>him into a different player, because Jaw the old Jaw

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<v Speaker 1>for so many reasons. The reason that we liked him

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<v Speaker 1>was he had complete freedom on the court and he

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<v Speaker 1>gave zero fox like none, absolutely zero Fox. He got

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<v Speaker 1>into the paint with reckless abandon, and then he went

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<v Speaker 1>to shotgun Willies and hooked up with strippers. Probably with

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<v Speaker 1>reckless abandon. We made shots he had no business taking.

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<v Speaker 1>So we wonder. We have to wonder, is he the

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<v Speaker 1>same jaw has the meditation retreats and all the therapy

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<v Speaker 1>and all the time alone changed to jaw is as

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<v Speaker 1>a player? Are we gonna see the same aggressive, fearless

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<v Speaker 1>mentality that made him fucking electric? Or is he gonna

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<v Speaker 1>be more cautious, more guarded, more not himself. Time will tell.

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<v Speaker 1>But he didn't just tweet this out. It's a different

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<v Speaker 1>story for me. It seems I got everything that I've

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<v Speaker 1>dreamed of, but I can't find no peace. Oh jaw Baby,

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<v Speaker 1>that's not good. I really want you to find your piece.

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<v Speaker 1>I hope that it was just a song lyric, but

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<v Speaker 1>that's a lyric from rod Wave, and the lyrics that

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<v Speaker 1>precede that quote was I was on my way to

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<v Speaker 1>the show and it finally hit me. I don't want

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<v Speaker 1>to be here no more. Lord, come and get me now.

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<v Speaker 1>I ain't ready to die like Biggie. I just want

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<v Speaker 1>to dump in my car, fill it with gas. And

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<v Speaker 1>go far and not look back. Oh boy, that is

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<v Speaker 1>a runaway song for jaw. I do not like that.

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<v Speaker 1>That does not give me any hope for what is

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<v Speaker 1>happening currently with John Morant mindset. If that is what

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<v Speaker 1>he is feeling, Jaron Jackson and Jesus take the wheel.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh Steven Adams. Is Steven Adams healthy again?

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<v Speaker 2>Is he?

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<v Speaker 1>I don't, I don't know. I just don't. He had

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<v Speaker 1>a shave. But we're gonna need a lot more aggressiveness

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<v Speaker 1>from Steven Adams and a lot more offense. And also

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<v Speaker 1>Brandon Clark, like I said, out for the year dealing

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<v Speaker 1>with his achille surgery. Kenny Lofton Junior. Kenny Lofton Junior

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<v Speaker 1>showed up to camp three hundred pounds. That is twenty

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<v Speaker 1>five more pounds than he was last year, and last

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<v Speaker 1>year he was probably seventy five pounds overweight. Let's be honest.

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<v Speaker 1>Like Kelly Lofton, Kenny Lofton is shaped like a bowling ball.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know how this roster, I'm sorry, this roster

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<v Speaker 1>is just giving me real vibes. I don't know. They

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<v Speaker 1>did swap Tyus Jones out for Marcus Smart that makes

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<v Speaker 1>them better defensively, but I don't know necessarily if they

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<v Speaker 1>needed that as much as they needed a floor general

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<v Speaker 1>who had the best assistant turnover ratio in the NBA,

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<v Speaker 1>which is why they were five hundred when John Morant

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<v Speaker 1>was out. They do add Derrick Rose to the bench,

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<v Speaker 1>which I like. That helps in a lot of intangible

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<v Speaker 1>ways too, both Smart, which I thought was interesting. Both

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<v Speaker 1>Marcus Smart and Derrick Rose independently said they are not

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<v Speaker 1>here to neither babysit nor snitch on Jamrant, which I

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<v Speaker 1>feel like no one asked them if they were, so

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<v Speaker 1>them just offering that up is a little strange to me.

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<v Speaker 1>But I do know that Derrick Rose was an MVP,

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<v Speaker 1>played a lot like Jaw, wasn't exactly squeaky clean himself,

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<v Speaker 1>so maybe he's not like a mentor, but somebody who

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<v Speaker 1>Jaw can feel the leadership from great moves I think

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<v Speaker 1>by the GRIZ. But is this team better than they

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<v Speaker 1>were last year when they won fifty two games. I

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<v Speaker 1>just don't know about that. I really don't. I just don't.

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<v Speaker 1>Desmond Bane. I love Desmond Bain, probably an All Star

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<v Speaker 1>this year, but all the little Reddit threads and the

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<v Speaker 1>behive of the Grizzlies fans, they're all hoping for santiaal

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<v Speaker 1>Dama and Jake la Ravia to take a step for

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<v Speaker 1>this team to be better than they were last year. Ooh,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know about that. That is something that I

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<v Speaker 1>am not sure if you are just hitching your wag

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<v Speaker 1>into that. I don't think so. Luke Canard is gonna

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<v Speaker 1>unlock them as an important cog in the offense. But listen, man,

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<v Speaker 1>Lukenard didn't start last year, so we're gonna need more

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<v Speaker 1>than twenty five minutes a night from Luke Canard. Before

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<v Speaker 1>Lukenard came to the Memphis Grizzlies, his team was twenty

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<v Speaker 1>third and three point shooting. When it comes down to it,

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<v Speaker 1>it's a roster that has more questions than answers. Charon Jackson,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, has to figure out how to play defense

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<v Speaker 1>without getting into foul trouble, and the last time we

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<v Speaker 1>saw him that was not working out well. He was

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<v Speaker 1>still kind of figuring out how to do that. It

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<v Speaker 1>all is moot without a healthy and engage and back

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<v Speaker 1>to the job that we know and love. But we're

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<v Speaker 1>not gonna know what they are and we're not going

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<v Speaker 1>to know what he is until probably ten fifteen games

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<v Speaker 1>after Christmas, and until then that means that the Memphis

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<v Speaker 1>Grizzlies have more questions than the Bermuda Triangle