WEBVTT - 2022 NBA League Preview 0:00:15.240 --> 0:00:18.680 On this episode of the Heat check The NBA season 0:00:18.840 --> 0:00:22.000 is almost here, so it is time to preview that season. 0:00:22.200 --> 0:00:25.400 We will start today talking about teams that will start 0:00:25.400 --> 0:00:30.080 out by tanking, ones that will surprise, and later on ones 0:00:29.680 --> 0:00:34.000 that will contend. It's Victor and Hoop for Scoot time. 0:00:35.000 --> 0:00:37.000 Good Lord, I love hoops. I am going to be 0:00:37.040 --> 0:00:40.000 here all day, every day breaking this down for the 0:00:40.040 --> 0:00:43.800 Heat Checkers. Also, as a special bonus, I am going 0:00:43.840 --> 0:00:45.760 to be featured part of this will be featured on 0:00:45.840 --> 0:00:49.720 a roundtable preview of the NBA season on the Locked 0:00:49.840 --> 0:00:54.560 On Basketball Network, available wherever you get your podcasts, along 0:00:54.640 --> 0:00:59.800 with the YouTube Ultimate Pro Basketball Preview twenty twenty two 0:00:59.840 --> 0:01:03.600 on the Odyssey app. So fun stuff here. Can't wait 0:01:03.640 --> 0:01:15.880 to do it. Let's drop that beat. With the NBA 0:01:16.040 --> 0:01:18.520 season two weeks away. What I thought that I would 0:01:18.560 --> 0:01:21.319 do is break down the upcoming season in a different way, 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:26.200 looking at groups of teams from tankers to contenders to 0:01:26.319 --> 0:01:29.400 everyone in between. There's gonna be six groups of five 0:01:29.480 --> 0:01:35.200 teams each covering every NBA team, starting with contending to 0:01:35.360 --> 0:01:41.680 tanking first and foremost, the big question on everyone's mind 0:01:41.720 --> 0:01:44.440 is who should be the title favorite going into the 0:01:44.520 --> 0:01:48.360 NBA season and what other teams might be a contender. 0:01:48.640 --> 0:01:51.840 The odds right now sit like this Boston Celtics plus 0:01:51.880 --> 0:01:55.800 five hundred Golden State plus six hundred Milwaukee Bucks plus 0:01:55.800 --> 0:02:00.320 six fifty Brooklyn Nets plus seven hundred LA Clippers lost 0:02:00.360 --> 0:02:03.640 seven hundred. I hate to say this, I really do. 0:02:04.480 --> 0:02:07.120 It's Golden State and that's pretty much it for me. 0:02:07.360 --> 0:02:10.320 Like it's not close like Steph For some reason, it's 0:02:10.360 --> 0:02:14.280 almost like, no matter what happens, Age just doesn't affect him. 0:02:14.360 --> 0:02:17.680 Every single year, it feels like he's more and more unstoppable, 0:02:18.120 --> 0:02:20.880 and like all those defensive issues that he had gone. 0:02:20.960 --> 0:02:24.080 Now he's a real deal defensive player. Clay I don't 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:26.520 really care about all of this drama that has surrounded him, 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:29.519 about that mental block, about that scrimmage that he got 0:02:29.520 --> 0:02:32.560 injured in that was three years ago. I can't imagine 0:02:32.560 --> 0:02:34.639 that this is something that really is going to be 0:02:34.639 --> 0:02:38.200 an issue going forward moving in the long term. And 0:02:38.560 --> 0:02:41.359 then top of just the core, like this is one 0:02:41.400 --> 0:02:44.720 of the best cores in the NBA, but also if 0:02:44.720 --> 0:02:46.880 not the best, I think they've got the best young 0:02:46.919 --> 0:02:50.040 group as well. Right, it's actually disgusting. They've got not 0:02:50.080 --> 0:02:53.560 only just Pool, Wiggins Looney, but they've got Wiseman. Wiseman 0:02:53.639 --> 0:02:55.640 if he can stay healthy, I mean that's been an 0:02:55.639 --> 0:02:58.880 issue for a long time now. But you've got Moses Moody, 0:02:58.880 --> 0:03:01.400 who is an absolute beast in the summer league. If 0:03:01.440 --> 0:03:03.600 Kaminga can get his head right, I know matured he's 0:03:03.639 --> 0:03:06.000 been an issue for him. And then the biggest factor 0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:08.560 for me on top of that is Patrick Baldwin Junior. 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:10.399 This is a kid if he would have gone to Duke, 0:03:10.520 --> 0:03:13.040 Golden State would have no chance to have gotten them right. 0:03:13.320 --> 0:03:16.400 So long athletic, he shoots the three really well. I 0:03:16.400 --> 0:03:18.280 don't think he's gonna get a ton of run right away, 0:03:18.320 --> 0:03:19.680 but I think he's one of those guys that you 0:03:19.720 --> 0:03:22.880 see in the postseason really becoming a factor. And then 0:03:22.919 --> 0:03:25.680 another a sneaky piece for me that could step in 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:29.160 for Gary Payton. The second is gonna be Dante DiVincenzo. 0:03:29.560 --> 0:03:32.760 Very athletic, a very bouncy six to four player. He 0:03:32.800 --> 0:03:35.000 can do all the same things that that Gary Payton 0:03:35.040 --> 0:03:37.000 could do, and I really like him in the system. 0:03:37.000 --> 0:03:39.680 He's already won a title, He's got that championship DNA, 0:03:40.160 --> 0:03:42.680 and on top of Golden State, I think you have 0:03:42.760 --> 0:03:45.800 to really say La Clippers and the Milwaukee Bucks. They're 0:03:45.840 --> 0:03:48.080 the only teams that I think really can match up 0:03:48.080 --> 0:03:51.320 with Golden State. Obviously with Giannis as long as Middleton's healthy, 0:03:51.320 --> 0:03:53.400 I think that this team from the East is the best. 0:03:53.680 --> 0:03:56.119 And you know, the Clippers are probably the deepest team 0:03:56.120 --> 0:03:58.960 in the NBA with Kawhi, Paul George, if Paul George 0:03:58.960 --> 0:04:01.160 has that mentality that we want him to take another step. 0:04:01.200 --> 0:04:03.480 But on top of that, they've got Norm Powell, They've 0:04:03.520 --> 0:04:07.440 got you know, Robert Covington. They've got just a plethora 0:04:07.520 --> 0:04:10.640 of riches right batoon, Reggie Jackson and the addition of 0:04:10.720 --> 0:04:13.160 John wall If John Wallace healthy, oh my god, this 0:04:13.200 --> 0:04:17.880 team could be scary. Maybe the most fascinating team on 0:04:17.920 --> 0:04:20.159 this list is the Brooklyn Nets, who have the fourth 0:04:20.160 --> 0:04:22.880 best odds to win the title? What do I think 0:04:23.160 --> 0:04:27.160 of the nets chances? Also probably sounds a little differently 0:04:27.240 --> 0:04:30.640 than than normally on he checked these little answers. Just 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:33.159 know how to keep it a little more professional, no cusswords, 0:04:33.600 --> 0:04:38.360 a little bit more knowing my audience. Shall we say? Man, 0:04:38.440 --> 0:04:43.080 this team is so confusing. I don't really know if 0:04:43.160 --> 0:04:46.080 anyone knows what to make of them. Right, gms around 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:48.840 the league don't know what to make of them. So 0:04:49.200 --> 0:04:50.760 you can tell that this team is going to be 0:04:50.800 --> 0:04:53.760 a conundrum for everyone moving forward. But this is probably 0:04:53.800 --> 0:04:56.039 the most amount of depth that the Nets have had 0:04:56.080 --> 0:04:58.680 since Katie and Kyrie got there, since they gutted their 0:04:58.720 --> 0:05:00.800 team when they got rid of all those guys to 0:05:00.800 --> 0:05:03.600 get James Harden, which obviously was a terrible issue. Right, 0:05:03.920 --> 0:05:06.640 but they actually have guys. They have dudes. We make 0:05:06.680 --> 0:05:08.680 fun of Steve Nash and his rotations all the time, 0:05:08.720 --> 0:05:11.279 but he didn't have a lot to work with either, right, 0:05:11.560 --> 0:05:13.359 and now he has dudes that he can incorporate in 0:05:13.400 --> 0:05:16.160 the rotation during important moments. Right, You've got TJ. Warren, 0:05:16.160 --> 0:05:19.039 who was an absolute bucket in the bubble. Is he 0:05:19.080 --> 0:05:21.839 gonna be healthy? I have no idea. Could he be 0:05:21.880 --> 0:05:24.400 really dangerous if he is healthy? Yeah? Has he been 0:05:24.440 --> 0:05:26.760 on ice because he didn't want to be in Indiana 0:05:26.760 --> 0:05:29.120 and Indiana What didn't want to break him? I don't know. 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:33.280 But he averaged almost twenty seven points per game, six rebounds, 0:05:33.360 --> 0:05:35.440 two and a half assists in those ten games in 0:05:35.440 --> 0:05:38.839 the Bubble. He's capable of being very, very valuable. The 0:05:39.000 --> 0:05:41.520 biggest thing is Ben Simmons. Of course, what is his 0:05:41.640 --> 0:05:44.880 role going to be right within the Nets organization? He said, 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:48.560 you know they've planned to basically use him on the ball. Right, 0:05:48.720 --> 0:05:50.360 He's gonna have the ball in his hands a lot 0:05:50.400 --> 0:05:52.400 in the half court sets. He's not gonna probably have 0:05:52.440 --> 0:05:54.080 it long. He's gonna be able to pass a ton, 0:05:54.640 --> 0:05:59.760 very quick passer, very underrated passer right, and has insane 0:05:59.800 --> 0:06:02.320 quest vision, has the ability to cut off the ball 0:06:02.360 --> 0:06:04.760 after the pass. I can't even believe that I'm giving 0:06:04.760 --> 0:06:07.680 Ben Simmons this much shine. But how he's going to 0:06:07.680 --> 0:06:09.560 be used in this net system, I think has a 0:06:09.560 --> 0:06:11.240 lot of potential. Right, He's going to be able to 0:06:11.240 --> 0:06:14.159 bring the ball up under pressure effectively. That opens things 0:06:14.240 --> 0:06:16.200 up for Kyrie and KD as well in order to 0:06:16.440 --> 0:06:18.640 be able to make shots. That makes Nick Claxton a 0:06:18.680 --> 0:06:21.640 real deal lob threat as well. The question is also like, 0:06:21.839 --> 0:06:25.120 how does Ben Simmons stay healthy and engaged? Things look 0:06:25.240 --> 0:06:27.240 very good in the short sample size that we have, 0:06:27.440 --> 0:06:29.760 but we know Ben Simmons, when the lights get bright, 0:06:30.520 --> 0:06:33.720 tend to dim his own light. Right defensively, the nets 0:06:33.760 --> 0:06:36.000 are a mess. I don't know what they're going to 0:06:36.040 --> 0:06:37.920 be able to do. It's all about will for them. 0:06:38.080 --> 0:06:40.080 They have a bunch of guys that can defend. Kyrie 0:06:40.160 --> 0:06:43.560 can KD can Ben obviously can so will they try 0:06:43.560 --> 0:06:45.240 to turn that on a little bit too late or 0:06:45.240 --> 0:06:47.160 are they going to be able to really put their 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:50.120 mentality in and gel defensively, be able to rotate and 0:06:50.160 --> 0:06:55.760 help for one another. Optimism level though very high, very high. 0:06:55.880 --> 0:06:58.520 Moving on to teams that are seeking revenge this year, 0:06:58.760 --> 0:07:04.880 Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, Philadelphia's seventy six ers, 0:07:04.960 --> 0:07:08.280 and the Dallas Mavericks all playoff teams last year who 0:07:08.400 --> 0:07:11.840 feel like their seasons were ended prematurely and they were. 0:07:12.520 --> 0:07:15.320 Which of these five teams do I think have the 0:07:15.360 --> 0:07:18.320 most to overcome in order to get to the finals? 0:07:18.760 --> 0:07:23.440 What team do I think is really in here for revenge? Well, 0:07:23.480 --> 0:07:25.440 I think there's a couple, right, I think Number one, 0:07:25.520 --> 0:07:29.520 you can't count Miami out. It's always very ugly watching 0:07:29.600 --> 0:07:32.560 Miami in the postseason, even during the regular season, right, 0:07:32.720 --> 0:07:35.400 but they've been in the mix now multiple years in 0:07:35.400 --> 0:07:37.560 a row, where they've got that pedigree. They always add 0:07:37.560 --> 0:07:40.800 these guys that you've never heard of before. Somehow these 0:07:40.920 --> 0:07:44.200 undrafted players turn into key rotation guys that end up 0:07:44.200 --> 0:07:46.200 either able to get money on the heat or able 0:07:46.240 --> 0:07:48.960 to get money somewhere else. They lost PJ. Tucker, and 0:07:49.000 --> 0:07:51.200 you think to yourself, well, they didn't really add anyone else. 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:54.600 And then you look and see dig a little deeper. 0:07:54.760 --> 0:07:59.280 Darius days Baby out of LSU. He could be very interesting, 0:07:59.560 --> 0:08:03.040 one of very West's favorite young players. He goes undrafted. 0:08:03.280 --> 0:08:05.680 If Kyle Lowry ends up being himself, which he wasn't 0:08:05.720 --> 0:08:08.640 really all last year, if you know he is, I 0:08:08.680 --> 0:08:10.960 think that's a matchup problem. Are they good enough to 0:08:10.960 --> 0:08:13.640 beat a healthy Bucks team? No, of course not almost 0:08:13.680 --> 0:08:17.080 no one is. But look what happened last year. Sometimes 0:08:17.120 --> 0:08:20.360 your imaginary matchup never ends up happening, right. And then 0:08:20.720 --> 0:08:23.400 in the West, I think Denver is one of those 0:08:23.440 --> 0:08:26.880 teams that's being slept on. Right. It's really easy to 0:08:26.920 --> 0:08:31.080 forget how close Denver ended up playing Golden State. Jokic 0:08:31.200 --> 0:08:33.319 was carrying the load. Three out of the five games 0:08:33.320 --> 0:08:37.680 were very tight, even game two halftime, very tight, right. 0:08:37.920 --> 0:08:40.080 Jokic was making it a sweat. And then you add 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:42.720 back in Jamal Murray, who's a bubble god like he 0:08:43.000 --> 0:08:45.160 went down to an ACL injury. I think he's gonna 0:08:45.160 --> 0:08:47.920 be really good. Obviously. Michael Porter Junior coming back from 0:08:47.920 --> 0:08:51.080 injury probably even more important, very versatile two way wing. 0:08:51.320 --> 0:08:52.880 He can shoot the leather off the ball. If they 0:08:52.880 --> 0:08:55.280 get him in the mix and he's healthy, that really 0:08:55.280 --> 0:08:58.880 helps you. Add Christian Brawn and Peyton Watson super super 0:08:58.920 --> 0:09:02.000 intriguing with Bruce b with KCP, I think this team's 0:09:02.040 --> 0:09:04.320 really interesting. I think they're going to be a matchup problem. 0:09:04.440 --> 0:09:06.480 And on top of that, you've got Jokic, who's, you know, 0:09:06.600 --> 0:09:08.320 one of the best, if not the best centers in 0:09:08.320 --> 0:09:11.760 the world. Lots of things have to go right for 0:09:11.840 --> 0:09:14.960 each of these teams to make a deep run. What 0:09:15.120 --> 0:09:18.680 are they? Oh boy, I tell you what. First and foremost, 0:09:18.720 --> 0:09:20.880 let's talk about the Suns. The Suns are one of 0:09:20.920 --> 0:09:24.360 those teams that could really be derailed by locker room issues, 0:09:24.440 --> 0:09:26.800 right Like, they got to get rid of that drama. 0:09:27.120 --> 0:09:29.440 They have to shake that off. Aighton either needs to 0:09:29.480 --> 0:09:31.920 be moved in January to a place that he wants 0:09:31.960 --> 0:09:34.000 to go, or there needs to be a peace treaty 0:09:34.040 --> 0:09:37.440 with the teammates. CP three grinds his guys down to dust, 0:09:37.679 --> 0:09:40.280 Like I think that's annoying to his teammates that needs 0:09:40.320 --> 0:09:43.320 to be fixed. Aighton has to be a very consistent force. 0:09:43.360 --> 0:09:45.720 I think Cam Johnson needs to be better on defense 0:09:45.760 --> 0:09:48.840 now that he's a starter and has alienated Jay Crowder 0:09:48.840 --> 0:09:50.680 to the point where he's not even showing up. Right, 0:09:51.120 --> 0:09:54.120 you need to be that guy that ends up pushing 0:09:54.200 --> 0:09:56.600 Jake Crowder out. You need to deserve that CP three. 0:09:56.679 --> 0:09:59.400 Of course, it's an issue. He's never healthy when it 0:09:59.440 --> 0:10:02.080 comes down to right. I know that there was COVID concerns, 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:04.240 but on top of that, CB three hasn't been healthy 0:10:04.520 --> 0:10:07.520 multiple playoffs. And Booker needs to be an MVP. He 0:10:07.600 --> 0:10:09.480 just needs to have that type of a season. And 0:10:09.520 --> 0:10:12.040 Monty Williams, I can't forget about him. He needs to 0:10:12.080 --> 0:10:14.240 be better at making in game adjustments in order for 0:10:14.280 --> 0:10:16.680 them to go back to the finals again. In terms 0:10:16.679 --> 0:10:20.600 of Philly, Philly's a very intriguing team. James and Embiid, though, 0:10:20.640 --> 0:10:22.439 I think the number one thing for them is that 0:10:22.480 --> 0:10:25.240 they have to become one person. Like the number one 0:10:25.240 --> 0:10:27.520 thing that Doc Rivers has said is that James, you 0:10:27.559 --> 0:10:29.960 need to figure out when to be aggressive, when to 0:10:30.440 --> 0:10:33.280 end up feeding Embiid, and when to facilitate to your 0:10:33.280 --> 0:10:36.520 other teammates and get them involved, right, and if James 0:10:36.520 --> 0:10:40.040 can be some meshing between Houston James and Brooklyn James 0:10:40.520 --> 0:10:42.920 and that balance is really right, I think that they 0:10:42.920 --> 0:10:45.319 could be very dangerous and they need to figure out 0:10:45.320 --> 0:10:47.400 a way to become a better rebounding team. They were 0:10:47.400 --> 0:10:49.480 one of the worst in the NBA at that and 0:10:49.520 --> 0:10:51.640 that's why they got PJ. Tucker. I think that should help. 0:10:51.760 --> 0:10:54.800 And then Dallas, let's be honest, they're not contending this year. 0:10:54.920 --> 0:10:57.360 They need to acquire someone. That's just what it is like. 0:10:57.360 --> 0:11:00.400 You can't just lose Jalen Brunson and not pick anybody up. Sorry, 0:11:00.480 --> 0:11:02.640 Christian Wood, you're a nice piece, but I don't think 0:11:02.679 --> 0:11:05.679 that's gonna be enough. And do you trust Spencer Dinwiddie 0:11:06.200 --> 0:11:07.880 to put up forty one if Luke is on the 0:11:07.880 --> 0:11:11.040 bench with an ankle injury? Hell no? Can I say, 0:11:11.040 --> 0:11:14.600 hell no? Hell no? I do not trust Spencer dinwiy 0:11:14.640 --> 0:11:16.840 to be the guy. I've seen him in Washington right 0:11:16.880 --> 0:11:19.520 here in the DMV, I've seen him in Brooklyn like 0:11:19.600 --> 0:11:22.040 it's just not it's just not for me. And then 0:11:22.200 --> 0:11:24.679 you know, JaVale McGee, Christian Wood, nice piece, they're gonna 0:11:24.679 --> 0:11:26.800 need to be the best versions of themselves right, get 0:11:26.840 --> 0:11:30.080 easy buckets. Prediction. To me, they fall very far in 0:11:30.120 --> 0:11:33.680 the standings, potentially a play in team. Really disappointing, and 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:35.680 you know, I think they do need to add another 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:52.160 piece in order to really contend. Teams on the rise. 0:11:52.320 --> 0:11:54.240 There's a great group of teams out there that I 0:11:54.440 --> 0:11:58.360 consider to be on the rise. I'm talking about Cleveland, Memphis, Minnesota, 0:11:58.600 --> 0:12:02.000 New Orleans, and Toronto. The big question is which of 0:12:02.040 --> 0:12:05.880 these teams had the most interesting additions. It's a tough one, 0:12:05.960 --> 0:12:07.800 right because you look at Gobert, you look at Mitchell, 0:12:07.840 --> 0:12:09.520 and you look at Zion Returning, and they all have 0:12:09.600 --> 0:12:12.200 their own unique little wrinkles. To me, the go Beart 0:12:12.280 --> 0:12:16.760 ad is the most fascinating because that shows really that 0:12:16.920 --> 0:12:21.360 Minnesota's committed to Karl Anthony Towns being himself, not doing 0:12:21.400 --> 0:12:23.480 something that he's not good at. Right, be a three 0:12:23.480 --> 0:12:26.680 point machine, do your week side blocking, allowing him to 0:12:26.679 --> 0:12:28.480 be the offensive threat that we know that he can 0:12:28.559 --> 0:12:31.040 be at all times without having to be the sole 0:12:31.120 --> 0:12:33.959 rim protector. And then Rudy, no doubt, is going to 0:12:34.040 --> 0:12:36.640 be able to anchor this defense. Hopefully, Aunt and Di 0:12:36.760 --> 0:12:38.440 lo are gonna get him some loobs, because we know 0:12:38.480 --> 0:12:41.680 Donovan Mitchell never did when he was in Utah Well teams, though, 0:12:41.720 --> 0:12:43.560 The question for me is will teams look to go 0:12:43.760 --> 0:12:46.560 small and run Rudy Gobert off the floor like the 0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:49.040 Clippers did when they went five out in the playoffs 0:12:49.040 --> 0:12:52.200 two years ago. Minnesota, to me is so close to 0:12:52.280 --> 0:12:55.880 being so good as long as they remain flexible with 0:12:55.920 --> 0:12:58.400 their roster depending on who the matchup is, i e. 0:12:58.840 --> 0:13:02.640 Maybe Benching Rudy Bear if you have to in the playoffs. Zion, 0:13:02.679 --> 0:13:05.400 of course very interesting for the same sort of reasons. Right, 0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:09.320 how do Bi and Zion work together on the court 0:13:09.400 --> 0:13:11.679 at the same time, We know that BEI had issues 0:13:11.840 --> 0:13:14.480 with Zion, not like from a personal standpoint, but just 0:13:14.520 --> 0:13:17.360 from a basketball standpoint. They both need the ball, same 0:13:17.400 --> 0:13:19.760 sort of situation as Karl Anthony Townsend Rudy in terms 0:13:19.800 --> 0:13:22.480 of like how does it fit. I'm very intrigued about that. 0:13:22.480 --> 0:13:25.600 That's been an issue. He definitely looks dominant. I know offensively, 0:13:25.679 --> 0:13:27.520 Zion's gonna be great, but we know another issue for 0:13:27.640 --> 0:13:31.000 him was does he get back on defense. This team 0:13:31.160 --> 0:13:34.400 was anchored by its defensive prowess last year. Why they 0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:38.040 gave the Phoenix Suns fits. How does Zion change that 0:13:38.160 --> 0:13:40.959 if he's maybe a little lazy getting back right, how 0:13:41.000 --> 0:13:43.640 does that change the identity of New Orleans and what 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:46.920 they built with while he was gone in Oregon and 0:13:46.960 --> 0:13:49.559 back with the team and rehabbing. Like that's something really 0:13:49.559 --> 0:13:52.880 interesting moving forward and something that I think is a 0:13:52.920 --> 0:13:56.319 real sort of potential hiccup. The other question is who 0:13:56.360 --> 0:13:59.520 among this group breaks through first and actually gets to 0:13:59.559 --> 0:14:03.680 the final difficult question to answer. I've been racking my brain. 0:14:05.360 --> 0:14:08.720 I have an answer. I've vacillated over this one. I 0:14:08.760 --> 0:14:11.080 really did. It just has to be and I know 0:14:11.160 --> 0:14:13.040 they're taking a step this year, but this is a 0:14:13.080 --> 0:14:16.200 long term question, right, It's gotta be the Grizz. They're 0:14:16.440 --> 0:14:20.840 so deep. They took Golden State to the absolute brink, right, 0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:23.880 jaw gets hurt and they still end up winning a game. 0:14:24.120 --> 0:14:27.000 Many of those playoff moments were very much fifty to fifty. 0:14:27.360 --> 0:14:29.720 I think John Morant getting injured obviously hurt them a lot. 0:14:29.800 --> 0:14:31.720 They've got a ton of picks already. They have a 0:14:31.800 --> 0:14:34.480 very deep team that they can trade assets and if 0:14:34.520 --> 0:14:36.560 they wanted to go out and get a star. Obviously, 0:14:36.640 --> 0:14:39.600 Jaron Jackson being out this year hurts them, But I 0:14:39.640 --> 0:14:42.240 really do think that they are that team, like a 0:14:42.400 --> 0:14:45.960 very deep, very athletic team that has built organically for 0:14:46.000 --> 0:14:48.680 an identity that they have. Much like the Pelicans as well, 0:14:48.880 --> 0:14:51.640 but I think that they're just maybe a step forward 0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:54.040 from the Pelicans, maybe a little bit early in terms 0:14:54.040 --> 0:14:57.120 of real contention. Cleveland, of course is super interesting as 0:14:57.120 --> 0:14:59.360 well because they've got a lot of versatility. But I 0:14:59.360 --> 0:15:01.960 don't know ness necessarily how the two small guard lineup, 0:15:02.120 --> 0:15:04.440 two guards that don't play defense really works. I saw that. 0:15:04.720 --> 0:15:08.360 I'm a Portland Trailblazer fan. Dame CJ ask me how 0:15:08.400 --> 0:15:11.960 the heartbreak was. How does that work in Cleveland. I 0:15:12.040 --> 0:15:14.720 know they have defensive reinforcements right, and I think that 0:15:14.840 --> 0:15:17.920 really helps. But if you're a mid range jump shooter, 0:15:18.120 --> 0:15:20.320 you're gonna be able to get by and cook Darius 0:15:20.320 --> 0:15:22.640 Garland and cook Donovan Mitchell, even though he says he 0:15:22.640 --> 0:15:25.040 can play defense, we'll see and be able to get 0:15:25.080 --> 0:15:27.680 into that middle zone before the reinforcements really get there. 0:15:27.800 --> 0:15:30.240 So I don't know necessarily how far they can go, 0:15:30.360 --> 0:15:32.640 but I do think they're a super interesting team that's 0:15:32.640 --> 0:15:36.960 gonna be able to compete night tonight, big names, big questions. 0:15:37.120 --> 0:15:39.760 The next group of teams all have huge question marks 0:15:39.760 --> 0:15:43.080 hanging over their heads. I'm talking about the Lakers, the Hawks, 0:15:43.120 --> 0:15:47.800 the Knicks, the Bulls in Portland, my Portland Trailblazers. Of these, 0:15:48.360 --> 0:15:50.920 the teams with the biggest question heading into the season 0:15:51.040 --> 0:15:56.000 is obviously the Los Angeles Lakers. Also the New York Knicks. 0:15:56.280 --> 0:15:59.120 What do we have to say about them? To me? 0:15:59.240 --> 0:16:03.960 The biggest, biggest question marks are surrounding two teams right, 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:06.600 one on the East coast, one on the West coast, 0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:10.520 both with fan bases that are delusional as all get out. 0:16:10.680 --> 0:16:14.560 Number one is the LA Lakers, Purple and gold, just 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:17.920 a cloud of controversies surrounding them. When you asked me 0:16:17.960 --> 0:16:21.120 off camera, you said what the Lakers' biggest question? I said, 0:16:21.160 --> 0:16:23.920 all of them? All of them, so many pressing questions. 0:16:24.000 --> 0:16:27.600 They all center around the point guard position, right Like, 0:16:27.720 --> 0:16:31.360 what's happening with Russell Westbrook. It's very strange. Is he 0:16:31.360 --> 0:16:33.960 gonna get moved? Is he gonna be a six man? 0:16:34.120 --> 0:16:36.160 Is he gonna buy into this new role? I feel 0:16:36.200 --> 0:16:37.840 like this has kind of been what we've been asking 0:16:37.840 --> 0:16:40.680 about Russell Westbrook for years now. How is he going 0:16:40.720 --> 0:16:43.160 to adapt? Is he ever gonna cut off ball? Is 0:16:43.200 --> 0:16:45.160 he ever going to be able to shoot jump shots? 0:16:45.240 --> 0:16:47.240 I know that these are the same old questions, but 0:16:47.280 --> 0:16:50.440 we haven't gotten any new answers, so the questions remain. 0:16:50.880 --> 0:16:54.160 They didn't have spacing and shooting do they now? Big 0:16:54.240 --> 0:16:57.720 question mark? Is Anthony Davis playing eighty two games? Absolutely not? 0:16:57.880 --> 0:17:02.120 How many will you play? Big time question mark? So 0:17:02.480 --> 0:17:04.840 many questions on a team as I don't know, the 0:17:04.880 --> 0:17:07.719 best player of my generation trying to win another title 0:17:07.760 --> 0:17:11.000 and Rob Polinkett doing absolutely nothing to surround him with 0:17:11.119 --> 0:17:14.720 people who will make him better, And then I think, 0:17:14.760 --> 0:17:16.320 for me, I think you have to take it to 0:17:16.359 --> 0:17:18.919 the East coast in the Knicks, right Like the biggest 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:21.200 question for them is you now have a point guard 0:17:21.200 --> 0:17:23.439 who can get you a bucket, But how does that 0:17:23.480 --> 0:17:25.520 actually influence the guy who loves to have the ball 0:17:25.560 --> 0:17:28.240 in his hand Julius Randall. Are you gonna get most 0:17:28.320 --> 0:17:30.680 improved player Julius Randall, or you're gonna get what we 0:17:30.680 --> 0:17:33.040 saw him last year, which is him dribbling a million 0:17:33.080 --> 0:17:35.879 times and then stepping back at the very end of 0:17:35.880 --> 0:17:39.320 a shot clock just a random contested jumper. Right He 0:17:39.359 --> 0:17:41.520 doesn't need to play point guard anymore. That's good. He 0:17:41.560 --> 0:17:44.400 can play a much more natural position for his size. 0:17:44.800 --> 0:17:46.600 But he likes to have the ball in his hand, 0:17:46.840 --> 0:17:48.520 and he makes a lot of money, So you're gonna 0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:49.880 need to figure out how to use him, and he's 0:17:49.880 --> 0:17:51.600 gonna need to figure out how to buy in. Is 0:17:51.640 --> 0:17:55.240 that gonna happen? I have no idea. Is he gonna 0:17:55.240 --> 0:17:57.679 be a post up shooter now? Is spot up shooter? 0:17:58.200 --> 0:18:01.359 That's something I'm very curious about. I also think another 0:18:01.400 --> 0:18:04.840 big curiosity is how is Tim tom Thibodeau going to coach? 0:18:04.880 --> 0:18:08.000 Because we know he loves those veterans, but it's a 0:18:08.040 --> 0:18:10.239 youth movement now, baby, and he needs to get on 0:18:10.320 --> 0:18:14.600 board or get on out. Another good question is what 0:18:14.760 --> 0:18:17.560 team will be the most different moving forward? I like, 0:18:17.640 --> 0:18:21.120 how really quickly, I'm just like doing what I did 0:18:21.119 --> 0:18:23.040 for the Jerry West interview and the Nick Nurse But 0:18:23.040 --> 0:18:25.960 it's just me that I'm teeing up from another recording. 0:18:26.240 --> 0:18:28.600 So it's just like very weird. It's like, what did 0:18:28.640 --> 0:18:33.760 Trista have to say? We tune in the team that's 0:18:33.800 --> 0:18:36.640 gonna be the most different going in from last year 0:18:36.640 --> 0:18:38.440 to this year is very very obvious. If you look 0:18:38.440 --> 0:18:41.919 at this grouping right, it's the Blazers. They have a 0:18:41.920 --> 0:18:44.840 healthy Damian Lillard. Now hopefully they don't shut him down 0:18:44.880 --> 0:18:46.840 for the year again. That would be a big surprise. 0:18:47.240 --> 0:18:50.000 I hope that they're not tanking again intentionally. That was 0:18:50.040 --> 0:18:55.400 probably the most I don't know, embarrassing, obvious, blatantly disrespectful, 0:18:55.680 --> 0:18:57.480 whatever you want to call it tank we might have 0:18:57.560 --> 0:18:59.920 ever seen in the NBA, Like they just shut every 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:02.320 went down for broken toenails. It was like from the 0:19:02.359 --> 0:19:06.639 OKC level to a whole another stratosphere. Right, And I 0:19:06.680 --> 0:19:09.879 guess the question is how different does Dame look with 0:19:10.080 --> 0:19:13.480 Anthony Simons. That's gonna be very different. How different I 0:19:13.560 --> 0:19:16.080 have no idea. You've got a very happy Nurkic now 0:19:16.080 --> 0:19:18.680 that he got paid thanks to Clutch Sports. You've got 0:19:18.800 --> 0:19:20.880 a Jeremy Grant who is one of the better defenders 0:19:20.920 --> 0:19:22.720 in the league when he's been healthy. You've got a 0:19:22.800 --> 0:19:26.639 very long Rangy Neiceer, little a Josh Hart. Guys that 0:19:26.680 --> 0:19:28.880 really fit in with what I think Chauncey Billups wants 0:19:28.920 --> 0:19:31.920 to do, which is have heart, have intensity, be able 0:19:31.920 --> 0:19:36.240 to like defend, and hopefully Danmian Lillard doesn't defending too, 0:19:36.280 --> 0:19:39.280 because that's been his major major weakness and something that's 0:19:39.600 --> 0:19:42.000 held them back in the postseason and in the regular 0:19:42.000 --> 0:19:44.160 season because they were the bottom of the barrel defensively 0:19:44.160 --> 0:19:46.440 for a very long time. So I think this team's 0:19:46.440 --> 0:19:49.760 a very ways away, but there's still like another level 0:19:49.840 --> 0:20:07.720 up from disrespectfully tanking playing hopefuls. There are five teams 0:20:07.720 --> 0:20:14.439 with playing aspirations Sacramento, Charlotte, UUGH, Washington, OOH, Detroit, and Indiana. 0:20:14.640 --> 0:20:17.520 The question is which of these teams could be a 0:20:17.600 --> 0:20:20.399 playing team first and foremost. I think you have to 0:20:20.480 --> 0:20:22.360 kind of look to the West because I think there's 0:20:22.400 --> 0:20:26.040 a lot of competitive sort of versatility there. You saw 0:20:26.040 --> 0:20:28.440 the Pelicans make it to the play in and they 0:20:28.480 --> 0:20:31.240 started off like one and twenty. So I would start 0:20:31.400 --> 0:20:33.760 first and foremost and take it to the West coast. 0:20:34.000 --> 0:20:36.400 This is gonna sound really gross, and it's gonna sound 0:20:36.440 --> 0:20:39.959 like I'm pandering because I'm very I'm very connected and 0:20:40.040 --> 0:20:44.200 beloved within the Sacramento Kings fan base, and I might 0:20:44.280 --> 0:20:47.879