WEBVTT - Ja Morant Returns, Embiid MVP Odds, Cavs Overlooked? | WHAT'S BURNIN 0:00:00.040 --> 0:00:02.920 Welcome into what's burning. I'm here with Matt Barnes. And 0:00:03.080 --> 0:00:05.360 Matt my plan today was to come in and not 0:00:05.559 --> 0:00:09.080 speak to you because UCLA beat Northwestern in the NCAA 0:00:09.240 --> 0:00:11.960 tournament over the weekend. But it's only the two of us, 0:00:12.000 --> 0:00:14.480 so that plan actually seems kind of shoddy. I'm still 0:00:14.520 --> 0:00:17.040 very sad though, Rachel. I mean, you guys had a 0:00:17.079 --> 0:00:19.840 brief chance. I mean, you guys had a nice, valiant 0:00:19.880 --> 0:00:22.919 effort half, but you already kind of knew what the 0:00:22.920 --> 0:00:27.240 outcome was gonna. We'll be all right. I hope I 0:00:27.280 --> 0:00:29.920 had hope in that second half. Your voice came out 0:00:29.920 --> 0:00:32.360 tight in the first half, and then we dug our away. 0:00:32.400 --> 0:00:35.360 We caught our way back and it wasn't enough, which 0:00:35.400 --> 0:00:37.000 is kind of the story of my life as a 0:00:37.040 --> 0:00:39.720 fan of Northwestern sports teams. But you know, we got 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:42.320 back to the tournament second time ever, and I was 0:00:42.400 --> 0:00:43.920 very proud of those boys. So I'm give them a 0:00:43.920 --> 0:00:46.879 little shout out. And you have a sweet sixteen prediction 0:00:46.960 --> 0:00:52.000 for your guys. I mean, Gonzaga, you know we've had 0:00:52.000 --> 0:00:53.600 a you know, I can call it a rivalry, but 0:00:53.640 --> 0:00:56.120 we faced each other enough, and you know, they knocked 0:00:56.160 --> 0:00:57.840 us out in the National Championship a few years ago. 0:00:57.880 --> 0:00:59.880 So obviously health is going to be a big part 0:01:00.040 --> 0:01:02.560 us as it is in the NBA. But definitely looking 0:01:02.600 --> 0:01:06.400 forward to all Right, we'll see what happens. Let's talk 0:01:06.440 --> 0:01:09.880 about MBA in the meantime. John Morant, my friend, is 0:01:09.920 --> 0:01:12.640 expected to play in the Grizzlies game against the Rockets 0:01:12.680 --> 0:01:15.600 on Wednesday night. He was actually eligible to play on 0:01:15.680 --> 0:01:17.720 Monday night, but it has been a while since his 0:01:17.800 --> 0:01:19.760 last game. It was all the way back on March third, 0:01:20.120 --> 0:01:21.959 and the team thought he needed just a little bit 0:01:21.959 --> 0:01:25.039 more conditioning, so instead he was courtside. He did get 0:01:25.040 --> 0:01:27.440 a really nice standing ovation though from the crowdy at 0:01:27.440 --> 0:01:30.480 a nice moment with Kyrie Irving after the game. Matt, 0:01:30.480 --> 0:01:33.440 what do you expect going forward with job? Because Jaren 0:01:33.520 --> 0:01:36.360 Jackson Junior told The Athletic the jaw is quote about 0:01:36.400 --> 0:01:39.520 to come back and run the league. Oh, I believe it. 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:42.319 I believe the league should be on notice now. I 0:01:42.360 --> 0:01:46.120 think he obviously had a lapse of judgment. Again, I 0:01:46.160 --> 0:01:50.919 don't judge a twenty three old a millionaire too harshly 0:01:50.960 --> 0:01:52.720 because there a few people can speak to what it's 0:01:52.720 --> 0:01:55.480 like to have that kind of money, power and control. 0:01:55.600 --> 0:01:57.000 So I think he had to come back down to 0:01:57.000 --> 0:01:59.280 earth a little bit. He took some personal time, which 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:02.400 is always important, but I expect him to be a 0:02:02.400 --> 0:02:05.240 minister society in a good way on the court. I 0:02:05.280 --> 0:02:07.120 expect him to come back with a lot of energy. 0:02:07.480 --> 0:02:09.160 You think about it, it was, you know, a two 0:02:09.200 --> 0:02:11.839 and a half week break, someone who's logged a lot 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:15.120 of menace this season, but a great point of energy 0:02:16.639 --> 0:02:19.359 art And I hope he comes back to not only 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:22.880 a warm welcome in Memphis, but just around the league 0:02:22.919 --> 0:02:25.520 because I think he's so instrumental to this league as 0:02:25.520 --> 0:02:28.200 far as one of the young up and coming future 0:02:28.360 --> 0:02:30.520 faces of the league. Yeah, I hope so too, and 0:02:30.560 --> 0:02:33.520 I think he will. I mean, this kid did not 0:02:33.600 --> 0:02:37.040 commit a crime against humanity. He made some bad judgment 0:02:37.280 --> 0:02:39.880 errors and certainly took a few weeks to get his 0:02:39.919 --> 0:02:43.200 head straight. Hopefully made some significant changes in the way 0:02:43.400 --> 0:02:46.400 he sort of behaves, runs his life, makes choices about 0:02:46.400 --> 0:02:48.600 who he hangs out with, and maybe it's a wake 0:02:48.639 --> 0:02:52.600 up call that is preventing more negative incident from happening 0:02:52.600 --> 0:02:54.520 in the future. So all those things I think we 0:02:54.560 --> 0:02:57.040 can actually look at as a positive of what Jah 0:02:57.120 --> 0:02:59.160 has been going through and doing over the past couple 0:02:59.160 --> 0:03:02.800 of weeks. I do wonder, and I just don't know 0:03:02.880 --> 0:03:05.520 this because I've never been a professional basketball player. So 0:03:05.639 --> 0:03:08.200 much of his game is based on confidence, right, I mean, 0:03:08.240 --> 0:03:10.480 he's been one of the most confident guys in the league. 0:03:10.720 --> 0:03:12.720 Do you think anything that's happened with him in the 0:03:12.760 --> 0:03:14.720 last month or so will take a little bit of 0:03:14.720 --> 0:03:16.519 the window out of his sales or do you think 0:03:16.520 --> 0:03:19.120 he's going to come back exactly the same kind of guy. Well, 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:22.919 I think one thing he'll never lack is confidence, and 0:03:23.040 --> 0:03:24.960 I think I agree with you that that's what makes 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:27.440 him so great. He truly believes every night he steps 0:03:27.440 --> 0:03:29.040 on the floor, he's the best player on the floor, 0:03:29.120 --> 0:03:31.160 and that's how he should think, because the majority of 0:03:31.160 --> 0:03:32.760 the night he is. So I definitely don't think he'll 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:35.400 lack in confidence. I don't even think he'll be rusty. 0:03:35.440 --> 0:03:37.120 I mean, this is a young twenty three year old 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:41.160 kid again, with plenty of energy, and I'm excited to 0:03:41.200 --> 0:03:44.640 see what he does the rest of the way. Well, 0:03:44.680 --> 0:03:47.240 I mentioned that athletic story where Jaren Jackson was quoted. 0:03:47.280 --> 0:03:50.360 Here's another interesting detail. We know there have been, of course, 0:03:50.440 --> 0:03:53.320 a number of incidents with Morant prior to this latest one, 0:03:53.520 --> 0:03:55.760 and that in an effort to keep Jah out of 0:03:55.760 --> 0:03:59.360 further trouble. Even before he left for the suspension, the 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:03.320 Grizzlies had already started changing their travel schedule to quote 0:04:03.480 --> 0:04:07.400 curtail nightlife habits, with the Grizzlies flying out of more 0:04:07.520 --> 0:04:11.920 road cities, especially the glitzier ones like Miami, immediately after 0:04:11.960 --> 0:04:16.000 the game instead of staying overnight. Now, Matt, those overnights 0:04:16.000 --> 0:04:18.960 in Miami, I happen to know you took advantage of 0:04:19.200 --> 0:04:21.080 some of those to have a little fun. I've heard 0:04:21.120 --> 0:04:23.599 you tell the stories. What do you think when you 0:04:23.640 --> 0:04:29.760 hear this? I mean I giggle initially from a standpoint 0:04:29.800 --> 0:04:31.960 of obviously this is a serious matter, But I mean 0:04:32.000 --> 0:04:33.600 that's a part of the best part of being in 0:04:33.640 --> 0:04:35.800 the NBA is being able to hang out in the 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:39.080 er cities, whether it be off night or after a 0:04:39.120 --> 0:04:42.080 game or whatever the situation is. But I think Memphis 0:04:42.200 --> 0:04:46.159 understands the importance of, you know, putting him, not putting 0:04:46.200 --> 0:04:49.440 him in a situation where he can mess up or 0:04:49.480 --> 0:04:52.600 misstep again, because not only is he important for his team, 0:04:52.600 --> 0:04:55.839 but he's important for the league. So if I'm a teammate, 0:04:56.320 --> 0:04:59.119 I'm a little disappointed, but I also understand the bigger picture. 0:04:59.279 --> 0:05:01.880 You know, this team very talented and have aspirations of 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:04.680 being an NBA champion, and you want to eliminate for 0:05:04.960 --> 0:05:07.520 the for the shortcoming. You want eliminate, you know, any 0:05:07.560 --> 0:05:11.160 obstacles they may be sitting there and obviously you know, 0:05:11.640 --> 0:05:14.400 hanging out after in New York or Miami. I mean, 0:05:14.440 --> 0:05:16.120 he found something to do in Denver, and that's kind 0:05:16.120 --> 0:05:17.640 of hard to do. So I think they just kind 0:05:17.640 --> 0:05:22.160 of want to eliminate any possible miss this season. And 0:05:22.279 --> 0:05:24.880 you know, I doubt next season they'll do the same thing. 0:05:24.920 --> 0:05:28.400 But right now, it's all about business, and I get it. 0:05:28.400 --> 0:05:30.279 It kind of reminds me of the Lakers, you know, 0:05:30.279 --> 0:05:32.760 had you know, NBA teams used to long ago had 0:05:32.839 --> 0:05:34.960 beer in the locker room after games. And when Kobe 0:05:34.960 --> 0:05:38.240 Bryant got to the Lakers, he was very famously underage, right, 0:05:38.279 --> 0:05:40.240 came straight out of high school, and they had to 0:05:40.279 --> 0:05:42.760 get rid of the beer in the locker room postgame 0:05:42.800 --> 0:05:45.159 because Kobe was on the team, and that actually caused 0:05:45.160 --> 0:05:48.320 some resentment among the older teammates. I think, as you 0:05:48.360 --> 0:05:50.520 point out, Jazz tighter with the guys on this team, 0:05:50.560 --> 0:05:53.040 and I think they'll be a little bit more understanding. 0:05:53.120 --> 0:05:55.000 But does make me think a little bit back in 0:05:55.040 --> 0:05:56.880 the day, did you have beer in the locker room 0:05:56.920 --> 0:05:58.560 when you played at all? Or did that already pass 0:05:58.640 --> 0:06:01.479 before you left? Where we got there, I was that old, 0:06:01.560 --> 0:06:03.479 so yeah, it was still there. I mean smiling to 0:06:03.520 --> 0:06:05.800 the store. I mean, if they're taking the beer out 0:06:05.839 --> 0:06:08.160 and Kybe brought championships, if that means them flying out 0:06:08.160 --> 0:06:10.560 of cities early and I'm bringing them championships, I'm sure 0:06:10.560 --> 0:06:15.840 they'll they'll they'll take that as well. Absolutely all right. 0:06:15.880 --> 0:06:17.839 Before we leave the topic at the Grizzlies, we have 0:06:17.880 --> 0:06:20.920 to discuss Dylan Brooks. You know, earlier this month when 0:06:20.960 --> 0:06:24.800 Memphis played Dallas, Brooks said this about Kyrie Irving. He said, quote, 0:06:24.880 --> 0:06:27.280 I can't wait to pick him up full every time 0:06:27.360 --> 0:06:30.560 and see him get exhausted. Then we get to Monday night, 0:06:30.600 --> 0:06:32.960 because Memphis and Dallas have played like a hundred games 0:06:33.000 --> 0:06:34.760 in the last three weeks. I can't even keep track 0:06:34.760 --> 0:06:36.279 of how many games they've played. But they did play 0:06:36.279 --> 0:06:39.159 again on Monday night. Kyrie came out hot, scored nine 0:06:39.200 --> 0:06:42.599 points in the first quarter, largely guarded by Brooks, and 0:06:42.640 --> 0:06:45.640 they cameras even picked up Kyrie turning to Brooks at 0:06:45.680 --> 0:06:49.240 one point and saying, quote, keep playing that dumbass defense. 0:06:49.320 --> 0:06:51.400 So then we get to the third quarter of this game, 0:06:52.000 --> 0:06:55.400 Dylan Brooks trips Kyrie. Now, the Mavericks said Kyrie was 0:06:55.440 --> 0:06:57.719 not seriously injured. He stayed in the game, but he 0:06:57.720 --> 0:07:00.160 did struggle the rest of the way. He was even 0:07:00.200 --> 0:07:04.280 in a walking boot matt afterward as a precaution, they said. Meanwhile, 0:07:04.320 --> 0:07:07.719 after the buzzer sounds, Brooks still walks up to Kyrie 0:07:07.800 --> 0:07:11.760 and tries to do a jersey swap. Kyrie dig hand 0:07:11.800 --> 0:07:14.000 Brooks's jersey. Kyrie had already taken his jersey off like 0:07:14.040 --> 0:07:16.600 he does after every game, but he just kind of 0:07:16.720 --> 0:07:20.120 ghosted Dylan. He wouldn't take his jersey. He kept walking. 0:07:20.600 --> 0:07:22.920 Kyrie later said that he didn't mean it is disrespect. 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:25.200 He was just looking for a job. But what do 0:07:25.320 --> 0:07:27.840 you make of the fact that Dylan was talking that 0:07:27.960 --> 0:07:30.320 talk and then try to swap jerseys with kai And 0:07:30.320 --> 0:07:36.320 then Kaya was like, yeah, never mind, classic classic Brooks. 0:07:36.320 --> 0:07:38.560 You know, had love him. He's carved out a niche 0:07:38.600 --> 0:07:42.880 for himself and he's an important part at Memphis Grizzlies team, 0:07:43.000 --> 0:07:46.880 and guys around the league may not like him, but 0:07:47.000 --> 0:07:49.440 I think they respect his efforts because he's going out there, 0:07:49.440 --> 0:07:53.040 he's playing hard, you know, for the most part, outside 0:07:53.040 --> 0:07:55.960 of getting testco fouls, you know, he makes winning plays. 0:07:56.000 --> 0:07:59.720 So I'm sure there's a sour taste in the league 0:08:00.040 --> 0:08:02.720 about someone like him who has so much to say 0:08:02.760 --> 0:08:05.720 that hasn't accomplished much. But I think that's what this 0:08:05.800 --> 0:08:07.760 memphit steam kind of is about. You know, this is 0:08:07.760 --> 0:08:11.480 a team, is a young, very confident team, feels like 0:08:11.560 --> 0:08:15.440 they're the best in the world. And I have no 0:08:15.480 --> 0:08:18.040 issue with that. Just you know what I mean, you 0:08:18.040 --> 0:08:20.080 have to show me you have to be solid and 0:08:20.120 --> 0:08:22.720 the rec then you know, when the real lights turn 0:08:22.800 --> 0:08:26.440 on off time, that's when you have to back your 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:30.680 talking up. So um, I thought it was hilarious that 0:08:30.680 --> 0:08:34.080 the Kyrie didn't take the jersey again. I mean's just 0:08:36.160 --> 0:08:39.360 out the lot and if for an NBA, you know, 0:08:39.480 --> 0:08:41.719 someone might have to you know, check that, but it's 0:08:41.800 --> 0:08:44.120 you know the league now is that on his mouth? 0:08:44.160 --> 0:08:45.520 And to me, I just you know, he has to 0:08:45.520 --> 0:08:48.400 continue to back up his talking with solid play and 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:51.439 his team's ability to win when it matters the most. 0:08:53.360 --> 0:08:55.079 Do you think that this is going to hurt like 0:08:55.120 --> 0:08:58.560 because Dylan's kind of picked it guys on multiple multiple teams. 0:08:58.559 --> 0:09:00.880 It's not just Draymond Green, It's not just Kyrie. There's 0:09:01.120 --> 0:09:02.920 guys kind of across the league that he sort of 0:09:02.960 --> 0:09:05.160 started stuff with. He's going to be a free agent. 0:09:05.200 --> 0:09:06.600 Do you think this is going to hurt his bag 0:09:06.600 --> 0:09:12.120 at all? I don't necessarily because again, I mean, his 0:09:12.440 --> 0:09:14.520 numbers are what they are. I think he's, you know, 0:09:14.559 --> 0:09:19.440 with the tenders in the league, and I was who, 0:09:19.480 --> 0:09:22.000 you know, may rub people the wrong soon as I 0:09:22.000 --> 0:09:27.480 got in that locker room. Guy's love out there talking 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:30.679 as much as he was. I was more with the um. 0:09:31.080 --> 0:09:32.800 But you know, there was a there was kind of 0:09:33.120 --> 0:09:35.040 a stigma on me that you know, I hated to 0:09:35.040 --> 0:09:36.839 play against him, love to have him on the team. 0:09:36.920 --> 0:09:39.760 So hopefully that'll be his stigma because the kid can 0:09:39.760 --> 0:09:43.360 definitely and I like it. I like it. I don't 0:09:43.360 --> 0:09:44.319 know if I would have liked it if he was 0:09:44.320 --> 0:09:45.959 an opponent. You know, I probably would have had to 0:09:46.000 --> 0:09:48.840 say something to do something. You gotta shut that mouth up, 0:09:48.960 --> 0:09:50.520 you know what I mean. So until you can beat them, 0:09:50.559 --> 0:09:52.440 consistently or knock them out of the playoffs or give 0:09:52.480 --> 0:09:55.280 them not a reason to talk. He's gonna talk, and 0:09:55.360 --> 0:09:58.080 even if you do give this talk, he'll probably still 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:00.239 talk again. This is kind of just who that Memphis 0:10:00.240 --> 0:10:02.320 the team is, and I know he's an important asset 0:10:02.360 --> 0:10:04.360 to that team. So I like what he does for 0:10:04.400 --> 0:10:07.800 his team. I love it as a fan. I mean, look, 0:10:07.800 --> 0:10:09.680 I'm not on the other end of his chirpings, but 0:10:09.760 --> 0:10:11.320 so it's easy for me to sit on the couch 0:10:11.360 --> 0:10:13.920 and say, or sit courtside and say, oh, this is fun, 0:10:13.960 --> 0:10:15.880 but it's so much fun. Like it's so much fun 0:10:15.880 --> 0:10:18.560 to watch this entire Grizzlies team and just sort of 0:10:18.960 --> 0:10:21.520 their confidence, as you said, like I mean, I don't know, 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:23.160 I think we need more of that kind of stuff. 0:10:23.200 --> 0:10:26.200 The NBA is a sport. Sports are fun. Like, let's 0:10:26.200 --> 0:10:29.439 not take all of this too seriously. I love watching 0:10:29.480 --> 0:10:31.880 the Grizzlies mouth off and kind of go do their thing, 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:33.280 and I think we need a little more of that 0:10:33.320 --> 0:10:36.079 in the NBA. So I'm all for it. I am 0:10:36.160 --> 0:10:39.360 interested to see how many enemies Dylan Brooks makes or 0:10:39.360 --> 0:10:40.960 whether it's kind of like as you said, like you 0:10:41.040 --> 0:10:43.360 I mean you're a guy that got so much respect 0:10:43.400 --> 0:10:46.120 from other players for the exact reason that you're talking about. 0:10:46.200 --> 0:10:47.640 So we'll have to see if he can pull that 0:10:47.720 --> 0:10:49.800 off as well. I don't know, it's interesting when you 0:10:49.800 --> 0:10:54.079 look at me amphis the go ahead. No, I was 0:10:54.080 --> 0:10:57.880 gonna say, it's just you know, because it's double pronged now, Rachel, 0:10:57.920 --> 0:10:59.520 because now you want to see what he does if 0:10:59.520 --> 0:11:01.040 he come back it up on the corp. I mean 0:11:01.080 --> 0:11:02.480 you also want to hear what kind of wild shit 0:11:02.559 --> 0:11:07.400 he's gonna say in portside or in the lock. I was, 0:11:08.120 --> 0:11:10.600 you know, his little chests hair out with the with 0:11:10.720 --> 0:11:13.840 the no shirt on. So he's again he's creating a 0:11:13.960 --> 0:11:17.559 niche in for himself in this league. And I respect it, 0:11:18.960 --> 0:11:21.079 love it, love it. I Mean it's interesting too when 0:11:21.080 --> 0:11:23.679 you look at Memphis because all the drama. Look, if 0:11:23.679 --> 0:11:26.199 it's a distraction, that's one thing. But the drama has 0:11:26.200 --> 0:11:28.240 not really affected them on the court. They're still the 0:11:28.320 --> 0:11:30.320 number two team in the West. I think they've won 0:11:30.360 --> 0:11:32.840 three in a row as we sit here. Of course, 0:11:32.960 --> 0:11:36.120 the West is a very flawed conference right now. Overall, 0:11:36.480 --> 0:11:39.079 there are plenty of nights. It seems like nobody would 0:11:39.080 --> 0:11:42.680 like to win a basketball game. Memphis is strong. The 0:11:42.760 --> 0:11:46.400 Kings obviously have been steady. We've seen other teams. They'll 0:11:46.480 --> 0:11:48.000 kind of go up and down. If I asked you 0:11:48.120 --> 0:11:50.680 right now, hey, Matt, who is the best team in 0:11:50.679 --> 0:11:53.600 the West, not on paper where injuries don't exist, but 0:11:53.679 --> 0:11:55.880 just in reality, who is the team you would put 0:11:55.880 --> 0:11:58.320 your money on right now? Which team would that be? 0:12:00.480 --> 0:12:02.320 I wouldn't put my money on a team in the West. 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:03.839 I put my money on a team in the Beats 0:12:03.880 --> 0:12:07.679 because I just feel like the West is literally you 0:12:07.760 --> 0:12:11.520 look at the top three seed them for Memphis and Sacramento, 0:12:11.800 --> 0:12:15.679 they don't have very much playoff history, actual core. You 0:12:15.720 --> 0:12:18.000 can see then the Western Finals in the bubble, but 0:12:18.000 --> 0:12:21.079 that's just a little different kind of situations. So to me, 0:12:21.800 --> 0:12:24.400 as as much as I like or respect Yo Kitchen, 0:12:24.480 --> 0:12:27.120 as much as I love O see, you know working 0:12:27.120 --> 0:12:30.640 for the Kings'm out here in I love together, Rachel. 0:12:30.679 --> 0:12:32.560 So we know the most important thing in the playoffs 0:12:32.640 --> 0:12:35.040 is experience. So then when you come to experience, you 0:12:35.040 --> 0:12:37.920 look at teams that are lower than those seas. So 0:12:37.960 --> 0:12:39.760 you look at the Clippers, who's made a Western Conference 0:12:39.760 --> 0:12:41.760 final run and have a Kawhi Leonard who's won two 0:12:41.800 --> 0:12:44.720 finals MVPs. You look at Golden State, who has the 0:12:44.840 --> 0:12:48.440 most experience in this you know, in the league. You 0:12:48.480 --> 0:12:51.760 look at Phoenix Suns, and if Kevin Durant can come 0:12:51.800 --> 0:12:54.480 back healthy, Devin Booker has been on a terror, Chris 0:12:54.679 --> 0:12:56.960 Paul's a per floor general still though he's a little 0:12:57.000 --> 0:12:59.760 bit older. Uh, they're tough. And then if you look 0:12:59.800 --> 0:13:03.400 to me, I would I'm someone crazy enough to think 0:13:03.400 --> 0:13:05.320 that if lebron can get healthy, no one wants to 0:13:05.320 --> 0:13:08.400 see the Lakers at a one eight or two seven. 0:13:08.679 --> 0:13:11.800 I don't care who you are. So there's team the 0:13:11.840 --> 0:13:15.600 most experience in championship peder Bee towards the bottom. These 0:13:15.640 --> 0:13:18.160 new teams up at the top don't have very much experience. 0:13:18.160 --> 0:13:20.960 So to answer your question, I couldn't really put my 0:13:21.000 --> 0:13:23.800 money on anybody. I mean, it takes the you know, 0:13:24.160 --> 0:13:26.040 the right time to get hot and make a run 0:13:26.440 --> 0:13:28.920 and then health, and and that can be from anyone 0:13:29.000 --> 0:13:31.680 from Sacramento to Memphis to Denver to the teams I 0:13:31.720 --> 0:13:36.679 just mentioned to, you know, Sacramento, Denver and Memphis possibly 0:13:36.720 --> 0:13:40.480 getting bumped in the first round because there's quality seven, six, seven, 0:13:40.520 --> 0:13:44.760 eight seeds. So I'm really excited about the Western Conference. 0:13:44.920 --> 0:13:48.000 There's no clear cut teams in the Eastern Conference. You 0:13:48.040 --> 0:13:51.959 can clearly say that Milwaukee and Boston, and I think 0:13:52.000 --> 0:13:54.960 Philadelphia has played theirself in that top tier in the 0:13:54.800 --> 0:13:58.600 in the Eastern Conference. But in the Western it's literally 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:01.320 a shootout every single night. You know, Denver's wet five 0:14:01.360 --> 0:14:04.079 and five in their last ten. You know they're they're 0:14:04.120 --> 0:14:06.920 they're in you know, Jeopardy, you're falling out that number 0:14:06.960 --> 0:14:08.520 one seed. I think they have a three game lead. 0:14:08.920 --> 0:14:11.719 So I love the West like this. I think it's 0:14:11.760 --> 0:14:13.559 more competitive and I think we're all going to be 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:15.240 surprised who comes out the West, and I don't think 0:14:15.240 --> 0:14:17.240 anyone can really painpoint who that is at this point. 0:14:19.760 --> 0:14:22.080 I'm curious what you said about the Lebron thing, because look, 0:14:22.080 --> 0:14:24.920 any Lebron James Anthony Davis team, and they've got more 0:14:24.920 --> 0:14:27.360 shooting around those guys now and after the trade deadline 0:14:27.360 --> 0:14:29.640 and all that. But with Lebron, even if he does 0:14:29.720 --> 0:14:31.840 make it back, and the Lakers gave an injury update 0:14:31.840 --> 0:14:34.040 on Monday saying, you know, it sounded more hopeful that 0:14:34.120 --> 0:14:35.600 he was going to be back by the end of 0:14:35.640 --> 0:14:39.520 the regular season. Even so, don't you think that his 0:14:39.640 --> 0:14:42.120 conditioning and it's been a while, don't you think that 0:14:42.160 --> 0:14:44.200 the conditioning and kind of just having been away is 0:14:44.240 --> 0:14:45.720 going to be an issue. You're not worried about that 0:14:45.760 --> 0:14:48.400 at all, you know, with technology now, Rachel, I'm sure 0:14:48.400 --> 0:14:51.160 he's probably been on that underwater treadmill trying to keep 0:14:51.160 --> 0:14:53.080 his cardio up or on the bike. And obviously you 0:14:53.120 --> 0:14:57.040 can't late NBA movement, you just can't. But I mean, 0:14:57.080 --> 0:14:59.960 he's someone who is professional, and it's I'm kind of 0:15:00.080 --> 0:15:01.960 sad from a standpoint of just being such a fan 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:04.440 of him that you know, normally this guy is someone 0:15:04.480 --> 0:15:06.560 who sprains his ankle. His ankle bone will hit the 0:15:06.560 --> 0:15:08.320 ground and he'll tighten and shoots up and jump right 0:15:08.320 --> 0:15:10.840 back up. You know, we're starting to see just Lebron 0:15:10.880 --> 0:15:13.840 get old, what's coming to an end. So as a fan, 0:15:14.840 --> 0:15:17.920 I'm sad. I'm sad for that. We know we don't 0:15:17.960 --> 0:15:20.360 have too much more time with him. But again, I 0:15:20.440 --> 0:15:25.520 think conditioning could be an issue. But I wouldn't say, hey, 0:15:25.560 --> 0:15:28.160 they're gonna lose because Lebron's not in shape or Lebron 0:15:28.360 --> 0:15:30.720 has no wind. I think they did a great job 0:15:30.760 --> 0:15:33.880 of bringing quality pieces in and putting role players that 0:15:33.920 --> 0:15:37.040 can be stars in their role around Lebron and Inded. 0:15:37.080 --> 0:15:39.640 But all this is predicated upon those two guys health. 0:15:39.720 --> 0:15:41.840 But if those guys are healthy enough to be out 0:15:41.840 --> 0:15:44.000 there on the floor, I mean, I think they're a 0:15:44.040 --> 0:15:46.840 scary matchup of at seven or eight for a number 0:15:46.880 --> 0:15:50.360 one or two seats. Well, it's gonna be interesting with them. 0:15:50.360 --> 0:15:52.160 It's gonna be interesting with the Warriors. I just want 0:15:52.160 --> 0:15:53.920 to give a quick shout. The Warriors won a road 0:15:53.920 --> 0:15:58.800 game on Monday night. Yea. It was against Houston, the 0:15:58.840 --> 0:16:01.200 worst team in the Western count friends, and it stopped 0:16:01.200 --> 0:16:05.120 an eleven game road skid for Golden State. We'll probably 0:16:05.120 --> 0:16:07.640 address that as we go forward more, but hey, they 0:16:07.680 --> 0:16:15.440 did it so wonderful. I do want to get back 0:16:15.440 --> 0:16:18.240 to the Kings, because you are up in Sack right now. 0:16:18.800 --> 0:16:22.040 Literally have the best offense ever right now. Their O 0:16:22.280 --> 0:16:26.800 rating is one nineteen point four. Very impressive. Also, you 0:16:26.840 --> 0:16:28.760 do have to put this into a little context though, 0:16:28.800 --> 0:16:31.280 because if you look at the twenty teams with the 0:16:31.320 --> 0:16:35.120 best offensive ratings in history, they have all played in 0:16:35.160 --> 0:16:37.200 the last four seasons. Matt, I mean, are we at 0:16:37.240 --> 0:16:38.920 the point with the way the rules have changed the 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:42.360 three point shot all that. Should we just actually stop 0:16:42.480 --> 0:16:46.160 comparing current teams and stats to historical teams because I 0:16:46.240 --> 0:16:50.920 keep hearing people like, oh my god, King's best offense ever, 0:16:50.960 --> 0:16:53.920 everything changed. I mean it's hard to it's hard to 0:16:53.920 --> 0:16:57.600 know what ground you're standing on. I mean, Rachel, this 0:16:57.720 --> 0:17:00.480 is like, what is it the juice ball era for baseball? 0:17:00.840 --> 0:17:04.439 You know what I mean, where statistically it's hard to do. 0:17:04.680 --> 0:17:06.159 You know what I mean? That baseball was dead and 0:17:07.000 --> 0:17:09.960 they started juicing the balls and juicing themselves and turned 0:17:09.960 --> 0:17:12.399 it into something that we've never seen from a baby. 0:17:13.160 --> 0:17:16.160 So I think it is a little I wouldn't say 0:17:16.160 --> 0:17:18.800 asterisk because you don't diffn't want to disrespect what guys 0:17:18.800 --> 0:17:21.400 are doing. But it's just a different game. The pace, 0:17:21.480 --> 0:17:26.440 the number, the lack of physicality on the defensive end, 0:17:26.920 --> 0:17:29.920 the freedom of movement on the offensive end. It's really 0:17:29.960 --> 0:17:33.359 hard to go out there and play defense, especially with 0:17:33.400 --> 0:17:36.440 these weak ass refs. So um, hats off to the 0:17:36.520 --> 0:17:39.320 Kings and everyone else that that that is really doing things. 0:17:39.359 --> 0:17:41.600 But we also know, you know, no matter how high 0:17:41.640 --> 0:17:43.280 your offensive ratings, you have to be able to play 0:17:43.320 --> 0:17:45.679 defense to win championships. And I think that's something that 0:17:45.720 --> 0:17:48.680 the Kings are starting to understand. As you know, this 0:17:48.720 --> 0:17:53.360 team is a tremendous offensive juggernaut, but lack defense until 0:17:53.400 --> 0:17:55.360 the fourth quarter. So I think if they started understanding, 0:17:55.359 --> 0:17:58.080 we got to start playing defense when the game starts. Uh. 0:17:58.080 --> 0:18:00.760 You know, Sacramento can makes some noise in and although 0:18:00.800 --> 0:18:02.639 they're a high seed, you know, I think as they 0:18:02.640 --> 0:18:04.800 advanced it would be kind of a surprise to a 0:18:04.880 --> 0:18:07.000 lot of people. But they definitely have that type of talent. 0:18:07.640 --> 0:18:10.280 Everyone believes in Mike Brown. I think he's the clear 0:18:10.280 --> 0:18:13.720 cut coach of the year. Daron Fox's you know, and 0:18:14.160 --> 0:18:17.000 Sabonis have cemented themselves. I think those guys are both 0:18:17.080 --> 0:18:19.720 all NBA performers. I'm not sure what tear you want 0:18:19.720 --> 0:18:21.200 to put them on, but but they've been able to 0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:26.800 do to their team individually and statistically has been very impressive. 0:18:26.840 --> 0:18:29.240 So Sachs offense is amazing. I got to get a 0:18:29.320 --> 0:18:31.800 chance to see it often. But if I have one 0:18:31.920 --> 0:18:37.120 area of concern, it's just consistency on the defensive. It Yeah, 0:18:37.160 --> 0:18:38.719 I mean, look, I don't want to by the way, 0:18:38.720 --> 0:18:39.920 I don't want to sound like I'm saying what the 0:18:40.000 --> 0:18:42.480 Kings are doing offensively is nothing. Because if you had 0:18:42.520 --> 0:18:46.120 told anyone Sacramento was at the top of any list 0:18:46.320 --> 0:18:49.040 like this, it would be incredibly impressive. A year or two, 0:18:49.160 --> 0:18:51.560 I mean, nobody would have even believed you. So it 0:18:51.720 --> 0:18:54.600 is awesome what they are doing. It is a thrill 0:18:54.720 --> 0:18:58.680 to behold on offense, it just is not the same 0:18:58.760 --> 0:19:01.840 game as it was ten years ago even, And I 0:19:01.960 --> 0:19:04.840 just wonder if we're at this break point where it's 0:19:04.840 --> 0:19:06.320 hard to see when you're in the middle of it, 0:19:06.359 --> 0:19:09.280