WEBVTT - The BroadCast: 5/31/2018 ~ Draft Pod - Emmet Ryan Reports From Overseas 0:00:01.000 --> 0:00:03.400 The month of June is upon us and so to 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:07.600 that means is draft season. On this episode of the podcast, 0:00:08.200 --> 0:00:11.680 a deeper look at Luca don Chech plus updates on 0:00:11.720 --> 0:00:14.640 some of the prospects the seventy sixers had in Europe 0:00:14.680 --> 0:00:17.959 this past season. A conversation with Emmett Ryan begins in 0:00:18.040 --> 0:00:20.880 about ten seconds, but please if you have ten seconds 0:00:20.920 --> 0:00:23.960 to spare, just a very brief reminder that to subscribe 0:00:24.000 --> 0:00:26.479 to the podcast, you can go to iTunes, You can 0:00:26.520 --> 0:00:30.000 go to Google Play, you can go to Stitcher and SoundCloud. 0:00:30.040 --> 0:00:32.960 Type in Sixers podcast network that will take you to 0:00:33.080 --> 0:00:35.599 our feeds. We would love to have you as one 0:00:35.640 --> 0:00:39.440 of our subscribers if you are not yet one already. 0:00:39.600 --> 0:00:42.760 Emmett Ryan from Ball in Europe dot com is our 0:00:42.800 --> 0:00:46.279 guy for all things happening overseas. You can follow him 0:00:46.400 --> 0:00:51.000 on Twitter at bie underscore Basketball. He has great content 0:00:51.040 --> 0:00:55.200 related to all things European hoops. Fresh off covering the 0:00:55.640 --> 0:00:59.640 EuroLeague Final four in Belgrade, in which Luca don Chich 0:01:00.000 --> 0:01:04.559 rejected top five at the worst pick, did more incredible things, 0:01:04.880 --> 0:01:07.520 we bring in Emmett Ryan to talk about it. Emmett 0:01:07.520 --> 0:01:12.080 First things first, have you recovered yet from Belgrade just 0:01:12.200 --> 0:01:15.040 about it just about like because I was straight back 0:01:15.080 --> 0:01:17.959 into my day job doing technology stuff as soon as 0:01:17.959 --> 0:01:19.800 I got back, and it was a really really really 0:01:19.800 --> 0:01:23.000 busy week in general in Ireland, like between sports stuff 0:01:23.000 --> 0:01:25.320 and politics stuff and me having to do my own job, 0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:27.840 I didn't have time to recover, but I just managed 0:01:27.920 --> 0:01:30.560 about to manage to get through it. So Belgrade, but 0:01:30.560 --> 0:01:32.520 I would say is ring is actually were considering going 0:01:32.520 --> 0:01:36.000 for non basketball reasons. Great if you're single or if 0:01:36.000 --> 0:01:39.119 you're a couple, but if you've got kids, wait till 0:01:39.120 --> 0:01:41.399 they're grown up, because there is nothing to do with 0:01:41.480 --> 0:01:43.960 children there. Like I'm a single guy, I'm fine, but 0:01:44.080 --> 0:01:47.120 like anyone with kids is just gonna have four children 0:01:47.280 --> 0:01:49.800 so fast. It's not going to go well for them, 0:01:50.040 --> 0:01:51.920 Like unless all I want to do is watch basketball, 0:01:51.920 --> 0:01:54.080 which in furnace with some of your listeners might be okay, 0:01:54.120 --> 0:01:57.680 they might have kids like that, there's nothing for them, 0:01:57.720 --> 0:01:59.600 all right, So I'm writing that down right now. No 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:05.840 Seltzer Family Vacation twenty eighteen to Belgrade. Darn off the list. 0:02:06.600 --> 0:02:08.480 It is well worth doing for everything else though, if 0:02:08.520 --> 0:02:10.160 you know, but you've got a family, it's like it's 0:02:10.200 --> 0:02:11.840 jumped out to me almost straight away, like as I 0:02:11.880 --> 0:02:13.839 traveled a lot between my day job and between ball 0:02:13.880 --> 0:02:15.919 and Europe, it was one of the few cities where 0:02:15.919 --> 0:02:18.399 I've realized there's nothing to do with a family here. 0:02:19.120 --> 0:02:22.240 What was it just like from the atmosphere standpoint in 0:02:22.360 --> 0:02:27.920 terms of basketball vibes during the Final four weekend and 0:02:27.919 --> 0:02:32.080 how it took over the city fantastic, Like Belgrades one 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:33.959 of the hardest cities in Europe to get to because 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:36.000 it's not the best for flight connections, it is one 0:02:36.040 --> 0:02:37.840 of the best cities to have a basketball event and 0:02:37.880 --> 0:02:39.480 of any kind, to be honest, because the city just 0:02:39.520 --> 0:02:41.880 loves the sport and it's you know, it's a reasonly 0:02:41.880 --> 0:02:43.560 size city, like it'ld be about I think it's about 0:02:43.560 --> 0:02:45.600 a million a million, one hundred one point one million 0:02:45.600 --> 0:02:48.400 people in the city. Like you know, basketball it's not 0:02:48.440 --> 0:02:50.320 the same as football, but it's a lot closer too 0:02:50.400 --> 0:02:53.040 as a soccer than it would be in most European cities, 0:02:53.040 --> 0:02:56.079 which really really helps, you know. And so when you've 0:02:56.080 --> 0:02:57.840 got that going on with the locals, even though their 0:02:57.840 --> 0:02:59.760 own team wasn't in it, they were obviously interested pure 0:02:59.760 --> 0:03:01.840 to be house. There was a few Serbian guys playing 0:03:01.880 --> 0:03:04.079 as well, like I think someone did, Matt. I think 0:03:04.080 --> 0:03:06.079 it's like twenty odd of years since the Final four 0:03:06.120 --> 0:03:10.080 happened without at least one Serbian playing, So there's a 0:03:10.080 --> 0:03:13.200 long tradition of Serbians always being there when everything gets decided. 0:03:14.160 --> 0:03:17.240 And so in terms of the traveling fans, no debate 0:03:17.240 --> 0:03:20.000 about it. Who brought the numbers freender Bache and they 0:03:20.040 --> 0:03:22.880 just dominated everybody, Like I thought that they'd have by 0:03:22.880 --> 0:03:25.480 far the most and a majority, but I actually figured 0:03:25.560 --> 0:03:28.960 Zalgerish Countess would bring a good few more than they did, 0:03:29.000 --> 0:03:30.560 and it still brought a couple of thousand. But I 0:03:30.560 --> 0:03:32.200 actually thought they might hit the four or five for 0:03:32.240 --> 0:03:35.240 the Friday, which is the semifinals day. But it seemed 0:03:35.240 --> 0:03:38.080 that more or lesson this has happened before Lithuanian teams. 0:03:38.240 --> 0:03:40.040 The fans head of their bets and to decide to 0:03:40.040 --> 0:03:42.040 book literally the night before the final if they're going 0:03:42.120 --> 0:03:44.840 to come over fly in the following morning, which is 0:03:45.080 --> 0:03:48.520 very common with Lithuanian teams making finals. So it turns 0:03:48.520 --> 0:03:50.320 out that more than we're heading their bets, so like 0:03:50.360 --> 0:03:53.840 fender Batchet brought the numbers, and just for your listeners 0:03:53.880 --> 0:03:56.080 to explain, there was four teams, fender Batchey from miss Den, 0:03:56.120 --> 0:03:59.880 Bulls Algerish who are from Lithuania, Raal Madrid who were Spanish, 0:04:00.000 --> 0:04:03.400 and Sheshka Mosco who were obviously Russian. And normally at 0:04:03.440 --> 0:04:05.440 most Final four is the way they do it is 0:04:05.560 --> 0:04:08.240 the game which will expected to have the smaller tenants 0:04:08.240 --> 0:04:10.560 will go first and when the bigger tenants will go second. 0:04:11.040 --> 0:04:13.440 This time they switched it for the first instance twenty fourteen, 0:04:13.480 --> 0:04:15.320 where the one that we knew we were gonna have 0:04:15.360 --> 0:04:19.040 a full house for went first, and that was expected 0:04:19.120 --> 0:04:22.039 to lead to a really weird dynamic Brian where you 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:24.960 know you'd have basically the crowd leaving during game two, 0:04:25.480 --> 0:04:29.200 but they didn't basically because they all seem to want 0:04:29.200 --> 0:04:32.560 to stay to watch, mostly Luca Dontt. I'll openly say 0:04:32.600 --> 0:04:35.400 that that was definitely the main attraction. But then I figured, like, 0:04:35.400 --> 0:04:36.760 you know, we might as well watch the game as well, 0:04:36.800 --> 0:04:38.840 whereas normally they just go out and go into the bars, 0:04:38.920 --> 0:04:41.480 you know, understandably, but the kid was that much of 0:04:41.480 --> 0:04:44.000 an attraction. Most of the fender Batchian's Algerish fans stayed 0:04:44.040 --> 0:04:47.479 on afterwards to watch the game, and how big was 0:04:47.480 --> 0:04:49.920 the arena there. What type of crowd size are we talking? 0:04:50.200 --> 0:04:52.640 It's about twenty thousand, Like it's one of the biggest 0:04:52.640 --> 0:04:54.440 in arenas in Europe. I think it's like top five 0:04:54.520 --> 0:04:56.440 or top six in Europe or size they got. They 0:04:56.520 --> 0:04:58.480 got two arenas there, and that's not the regular one 0:04:58.520 --> 0:05:01.680 for their teams, but it's the main con venue in Belgrade, 0:05:01.680 --> 0:05:06.520 and so it's like huge, really really big arena. Surprisingly 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:09.080 sort of modern because it's not the youngest stadium. I've 0:05:09.120 --> 0:05:10.800 forgotten how old it is. I think about ten years. 0:05:10.880 --> 0:05:12.720 I might be wrong with those. Apologies then to the 0:05:12.800 --> 0:05:15.800 Serbian listening, but it's like, you know, not the newest 0:05:15.800 --> 0:05:17.760 of new arenas, but still pretty pretty well up the 0:05:17.760 --> 0:05:19.679 speck and was really it felt like a basketball arena 0:05:19.680 --> 0:05:21.640 as well. Like I've been to these sort of you know, 0:05:21.720 --> 0:05:24.520 some eurostadiums which are very very large, but they don't 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:26.160 feel like an MBA gym. They don't even feel like 0:05:26.200 --> 0:05:27.960 a college gym, Like they feel very much like they're 0:05:27.960 --> 0:05:30.440 a concert venue first and they happen to have sports there. 0:05:30.800 --> 0:05:34.240 This one definitely was a basketball gym. We're gonna dive 0:05:34.520 --> 0:05:37.240 definitely into Luca Doncher talk in just a second. But 0:05:37.480 --> 0:05:38.800 I've got to tell you, I'm not sure if it's 0:05:38.839 --> 0:05:40.800 good for your health. I think it is great for 0:05:40.920 --> 0:05:42.520 my health. I need more. I feel like I need 0:05:42.640 --> 0:05:48.520 more smoking Emmet on periscope in my life. I promise 0:05:48.600 --> 0:05:50.800 I'll keep doing it until I quit smoking. I hope 0:05:50.800 --> 0:05:53.080 you quit smoking for my own sake. So and if 0:05:53.080 --> 0:05:55.200 I do quit, I'll replace it with something and maybe 0:05:55.240 --> 0:05:58.000 Emmett does lollipops on it. I don't know. Like it's 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:00.880 a Russian friend of mine, Alex Basic. He screen grabbed 0:06:00.920 --> 0:06:02.560 it when I was just having a smoke while doing 0:06:02.600 --> 0:06:05.839 the video after game at europe Basket, and now people 0:06:05.839 --> 0:06:07.400 are upset that they don't see a cigarette, so I 0:06:07.600 --> 0:06:11.520 have to smoke on camera. I'll be honest. Last year 0:06:11.680 --> 0:06:14.400 during EuroBasket, Charlie Wittis and I were talking in the 0:06:14.480 --> 0:06:18.120 office just how awesome it was. Again, certainly not if 0:06:18.120 --> 0:06:20.880 it's a habit that you want to kick, we prioritize 0:06:20.920 --> 0:06:23.960 and support that. But it just like it definitely oozed 0:06:24.000 --> 0:06:27.600 and dripped the type of intensity that I guess the 0:06:27.760 --> 0:06:30.599 atmosphere brought on. It was a it was a look 0:06:30.680 --> 0:06:32.960 that put your mind in the right type of place. 0:06:33.040 --> 0:06:35.760 I felt, Yeah, definitely, especially for that time as well 0:06:35.760 --> 0:06:37.880 as a knockout phase where you know it's like you're 0:06:37.960 --> 0:06:40.280 running out because even as a nuteful, you're so you're 0:06:40.279 --> 0:06:42.600 finding it so intense. You need to calm down, like 0:06:42.839 --> 0:06:46.600 you know, like because I guessaid I ended up a 0:06:46.640 --> 0:06:48.200 dog in the fight in eurobost and even I was 0:06:48.240 --> 0:06:50.000 getting worked up, like you know, just like some of 0:06:50.040 --> 0:06:52.839 the games. That was kind of cool, all right, Well 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:55.720 down to more serious pertinent manners. Seventy six ers for 0:06:55.760 --> 0:06:58.720 the first time in a couple of seasons will not 0:06:58.839 --> 0:07:03.479 be in position to draft someone of Luca Donche's pedigree, 0:07:03.480 --> 0:07:05.960 at least that high at the moment in the draft order. 0:07:06.279 --> 0:07:08.600 But I still definitely want to talk about him. How 0:07:08.720 --> 0:07:11.640 much have you actually been talking about him as of 0:07:11.720 --> 0:07:15.000 like how much does dontech talk dominate the daily life 0:07:15.080 --> 0:07:19.760 of Emmett Ryan An awful lot, to be honest, especially 0:07:19.800 --> 0:07:22.000 in the basketball side, because even though in Ireland, Blake, 0:07:22.000 --> 0:07:24.120 where your league isn't that big, they've all heard of 0:07:24.200 --> 0:07:26.120 him and think so they're asking because they know me 0:07:26.160 --> 0:07:28.360 as the earlyage guy in Ireland and said they'd be 0:07:28.360 --> 0:07:30.360 asking me a lot. Then obviously, you know, I do 0:07:30.400 --> 0:07:32.160 a lot of you know, sort of American readers as 0:07:32.160 --> 0:07:33.920 well as obviously people like yourself, Brian, like on the 0:07:34.000 --> 0:07:36.120 media side, and he's a first name that comes out 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:38.680 of their minds and also from a European perspective, like 0:07:38.760 --> 0:07:41.280 for us as like, you know, we're all very sort 0:07:41.320 --> 0:07:43.200 of we I think garden is the wrong word, but 0:07:43.240 --> 0:07:44.960 we're like sort of, you know, we'd probably be accurate 0:07:45.080 --> 0:07:46.520 in the terms we used to describe him. Were not 0:07:46.600 --> 0:07:49.840 necessarily saying he's the best European prospect ever, because we 0:07:49.880 --> 0:07:52.400 don't want to message any historians said, we're saying he's 0:07:52.480 --> 0:07:55.240 easily the most observed European prospect ever, Like no one's 0:07:55.240 --> 0:07:58.040 ever had this much discussion around him. You know. It's 0:07:58.160 --> 0:08:00.800 also you got ever, like he's been playing tier basketball 0:08:00.840 --> 0:08:03.000 in Europe for three years and three full seasons now 0:08:03.480 --> 0:08:05.200 and so we've seen a lot of them, and it's 0:08:05.360 --> 0:08:07.400 really you know, we have to remind ourselves, you know, 0:08:07.440 --> 0:08:09.440 that he's only nineteen years old, like that he does 0:08:09.560 --> 0:08:11.720 make kid mistakes. And it was even funny like when 0:08:11.760 --> 0:08:13.960 he was kissing his girlfriend after the final, it was 0:08:14.080 --> 0:08:17.400 very obvious that he's nineteen because any mac haven't kissed 0:08:17.400 --> 0:08:21.840 that bad since I was a teenager. You know, it's 0:08:21.880 --> 0:08:24.920 like you're a reminder. He's definitely young, but you know, 0:08:25.080 --> 0:08:26.760 it's like it is sort of that stuff when you're 0:08:26.840 --> 0:08:28.800 kind of going, he's the same age as Marquel Fulls, Like, 0:08:28.920 --> 0:08:30.920 you know, it's like he's young. He's that young. But 0:08:31.040 --> 0:08:34.240 he's been playing top tier for three seasons and it's 0:08:34.840 --> 0:08:36.880 still mind blowing to me to this day because the 0:08:37.000 --> 0:08:38.640 way he played this season where he had to come in, 0:08:39.520 --> 0:08:42.079 you know, Serio Yuey, who was beyond the radar of 0:08:42.120 --> 0:08:43.960 some of your listeners, I was because he was considering 0:08:44.000 --> 0:08:46.120 the Rockets a couple of years ago. He was done 0:08:46.200 --> 0:08:48.360 for most of the season with an ACL came back 0:08:48.440 --> 0:08:51.080 in the playoffs in April. So basically he had been 0:08:51.160 --> 0:08:53.079 sort of the boss of the backcourt and happily to 0:08:53.160 --> 0:08:55.760 the fair to Luke at certain times, but like Luca 0:08:55.840 --> 0:08:57.400 had to be the boss of the backcourt. There was 0:08:57.520 --> 0:08:59.520 no debate because there was no one else to do 0:08:59.600 --> 0:09:02.360 it that was of the sufficient quality of, particularly defensively 0:09:02.400 --> 0:09:06.400 speaking for the role. And so the veteran players on 0:09:06.480 --> 0:09:07.959 his side, and you're time with some guys who are like, 0:09:08.000 --> 0:09:10.600 you know, not exactly close to thirty anymore. Like they're 0:09:10.640 --> 0:09:12.800 well north of it now and they said, yep, that's fine, 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:15.360 and trust the kid because if we don't, we have 0:09:15.480 --> 0:09:17.800 no we have no backup plan. And it worked, to 0:09:17.880 --> 0:09:20.440 be honest, it worked really well, and so and Rayals 0:09:20.559 --> 0:09:24.120 got their fitness their healthiness together at the right time. 0:09:24.240 --> 0:09:26.920 Like you know, obviously, had they stayed unhealthy for too long, 0:09:26.960 --> 0:09:29.319 they wouldn't have made the playoffs, but they manage to 0:09:29.440 --> 0:09:32.040 keep healthy enough long enough and then you hit their 0:09:32.080 --> 0:09:34.920 stride with a pretty much fully healthy roster coming into 0:09:35.000 --> 0:09:39.040 the final four weekend and it worked out fantastically for them. 0:09:39.400 --> 0:09:42.400 And we were counting back because they won like twos 0:09:42.440 --> 0:09:45.000 their third titles since the early nineties, but it's their 0:09:45.040 --> 0:09:48.880 first title in Europe that wasn't one in Spain since 0:09:49.040 --> 0:09:53.040 nineteen eighty the contact the city was back then was 0:09:53.120 --> 0:09:56.319 known as West Berlin, not Burlin, where they wont it 0:09:56.400 --> 0:09:58.360 because the wall was still up by with a few 0:09:58.440 --> 0:10:01.120 years to go yet. So that's how far back and 0:10:01.240 --> 0:10:03.800 going for Yale's last win of the biggest title in 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:07.440 Europe outside of Spain, so like where the finals wasn't 0:10:07.480 --> 0:10:10.599 earned Helen Spain, so quite quite a long time. That 0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:13.360 is some crazy perspective, and it was interesting the way 0:10:13.400 --> 0:10:16.360 that you framed it that Dantage among the media over 0:10:16.440 --> 0:10:20.160 there is viewed as the most observed prospect perhaps to 0:10:20.240 --> 0:10:21.839 come out of Europe. So how has he handled that 0:10:22.280 --> 0:10:25.560 aspect of all this remarkably well, I've got to say. 0:10:26.440 --> 0:10:29.520 So we have their immedia sasition before the games on 0:10:29.640 --> 0:10:32.640 a Thursday. The games are on a Friday, and everybody 0:10:32.679 --> 0:10:34.400 knew going into this because the same as last year, 0:10:34.600 --> 0:10:37.240 Dontage was just going to get covered with bodies and 0:10:38.000 --> 0:10:40.000 he was grand like we all got our bit. He 0:10:40.120 --> 0:10:43.480 was talking in three languages, Laveni and Spanish English, and 0:10:43.679 --> 0:10:46.280 he was totally relaxed. Anyone asked an NBA question, he 0:10:46.600 --> 0:10:48.760 come on, ask me Sunday. You know, It's like because 0:10:49.080 --> 0:10:50.439 it was going to be around Sunday no matter what, 0:10:51.000 --> 0:10:52.520 and he was there listening all to care about this 0:10:52.600 --> 0:10:55.000 weekend is winning this. And then by Sunday even he 0:10:55.160 --> 0:10:57.880 was like very relaxed with the NBA related questions and 0:10:58.080 --> 0:11:00.319 he was kind of yeah, listen, I just wanted yearly, 0:11:00.480 --> 0:11:02.679 I wasn't going to do now to celebrate. To come on, lads. 0:11:02.920 --> 0:11:05.200 In episodes, he's like, you know, he doesn't care if 0:11:05.200 --> 0:11:07.199 he goes first, isn't care if he goes second. Like 0:11:07.400 --> 0:11:09.160 I've seen some guys thinking he could drop down to 0:11:09.200 --> 0:11:12.719 fifth all the way. Personally, on an entirely selfish level, 0:11:12.760 --> 0:11:14.199 I would love for him to drop to a city 0:11:14.240 --> 0:11:16.160 which happens to have a direct group from Dublin. I 0:11:16.240 --> 0:11:19.760 think it's lost three and five. Have those you know 0:11:19.800 --> 0:11:21.320 in the top five, so I we can go third. 0:11:21.360 --> 0:11:23.880 I think Atlanta third and like the MAVs are five. Yeah, 0:11:23.880 --> 0:11:26.120 I can take that. That'd be great, Like Phoenix is 0:11:26.160 --> 0:11:28.480 hard to get to two warm from my for my 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:31.760 sort of skin now, Brian, to be honest, although you 0:11:31.840 --> 0:11:34.199 know Zacto probably more more tempered, I could manage that 0:11:34.240 --> 0:11:38.320 a bit better. He just had done did a phenomenal finish. 0:11:38.600 --> 0:11:41.600 Have you, in your years covering basketball in Europe ever 0:11:41.720 --> 0:11:44.040 covered a finish like that. I mean, we're talking about 0:11:44.080 --> 0:11:48.839 a superfecta of honors here between Rising Star MVP, Final 0:11:48.960 --> 0:11:52.120 four MVP and then the Champion of course with Rayal. 0:11:53.440 --> 0:11:55.880 I haven't seen anyone do it in a long long time. 0:11:56.280 --> 0:11:57.760 Someone has done the Rising Star in MVP in the 0:11:57.760 --> 0:11:59.240 same year, but I don't think even won the Final 0:11:59.280 --> 0:12:01.240 four MVP that year, which says at all. But like 0:12:01.320 --> 0:12:03.160 also he won all the all the Spanish league honners 0:12:03.200 --> 0:12:04.920 as well, like everything you just described there, he won 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:07.240 all those in Spain two of the national league. There 0:12:07.920 --> 0:12:10.400 so apart from sorry the finals MVP, which he will 0:12:10.440 --> 0:12:12.640 win in about three weeks, I think, because when he 0:12:12.640 --> 0:12:16.000 wins the final Finals MVP, doing the rough timeline on it, 0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:20.120 and you know it's actually it's because if the series, 0:12:20.160 --> 0:12:21.880 it's actually one fun one for those of y'all who 0:12:21.920 --> 0:12:23.599 are going to be watching the drafts. In most of you, 0:12:24.240 --> 0:12:26.080 he is a very good chance he won't be at 0:12:26.080 --> 0:12:29.240 the draft because game four of the Spanish finals and 0:12:29.240 --> 0:12:31.000 its best to five, so it could be over by then, 0:12:31.679 --> 0:12:35.440 is the day after the draft. And of course Frank 0:12:35.880 --> 0:12:39.200 Nika from France went over last year and flew back. 0:12:39.760 --> 0:12:42.400 It's been made pretty clear to everybody that Luca Dongge 0:12:42.520 --> 0:12:45.079 is not going to do that, not least because Frank 0:12:45.280 --> 0:12:47.679 was absolutely exhausted looking on the floor and that the 0:12:47.760 --> 0:12:50.360 siding game in the French finals, and Luca Dodgage is 0:12:50.400 --> 0:12:52.199 all into trying to win a Spanish title and so 0:12:52.400 --> 0:12:55.160 you know, leave a champion from Spain on the way out. 0:12:55.400 --> 0:12:57.680 And also because he knows that being there won't affect 0:12:57.720 --> 0:12:59.920 where he gets picked. Like the way people are making 0:13:00.400 --> 0:13:02.760 this year, the personal factor isn't going to be as 0:13:02.840 --> 0:13:05.000 much in terms of on the day, Like he's met 0:13:05.080 --> 0:13:06.960 all the executives, like, you know, the the guys from 0:13:07.000 --> 0:13:08.559 the Sons have been over, the guys from the Kings 0:13:08.600 --> 0:13:10.720 have been over. I'm pretty certain the six year over 0:13:10.800 --> 0:13:11.920 back when you didn't know what you're going to be 0:13:12.000 --> 0:13:14.520 doing this year last year, Like everybody's been over and 0:13:14.559 --> 0:13:16.360 he's met them all. Like so there's no oh, this 0:13:16.520 --> 0:13:18.600 kid's self it or anything like that stuff. It's gates 0:13:18.600 --> 0:13:20.240 of No, this kid wants to win for the team 0:13:20.280 --> 0:13:23.760 he's still employed by, and most NBA executives seem to 0:13:23.760 --> 0:13:26.319 be aware that that's an actual thing. So that so 0:13:26.800 --> 0:13:28.800 he won't be over for the draft unless they win 0:13:28.880 --> 0:13:31.240 the Spanish title in a sweep. Do you think there's 0:13:31.400 --> 0:13:36.520 any chance he returns to Royale No, I think it's 0:13:36.600 --> 0:13:38.800 very at every chance. He claims he will though in 0:13:38.960 --> 0:13:40.760 order to get some more leverage going into the draft, 0:13:40.920 --> 0:13:44.160 but in actuality, if he gets drafted, no matter where 0:13:44.200 --> 0:13:46.920 he lands, he's going to go there and he'll show 0:13:47.000 --> 0:13:49.400 up first day training camp and all that or whatever. 0:13:49.800 --> 0:13:52.400 You know, the first year you're expected to turn up voluntarily, 0:13:52.480 --> 0:13:55.199 even he'll be there. I just think if he's smart. 0:13:55.240 --> 0:13:57.679 I guess if I was him, which is a long 0:13:57.760 --> 0:14:00.320 time making, I'm much younger and much healthier, Brian, Uh, 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:02.400 you know I would. I would also be making sure 0:14:02.480 --> 0:14:03.719 there's like sort of you know, if I'm if I 0:14:03.800 --> 0:14:05.080 was thinking, maybe I want to go to Sock too, 0:14:05.160 --> 0:14:06.640 maybe I want to go somewhere else. I'm putting the 0:14:06.679 --> 0:14:09.480 feelers out that i'd consider another year in Spain, you know, 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:10.800 just to sort of, you know, see if I could 0:14:10.880 --> 0:14:12.920 use it as leverage, like you know, it's a sensible 0:14:12.960 --> 0:14:15.080 thing to do. You know, that's a smart work from 0:14:15.080 --> 0:14:18.760 the agent. Let's talk about these skill package that Luca 0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:22.880 Nanjag brings to the court. Puts up great, versatile, diverse numbers. 0:14:23.120 --> 0:14:25.880 In your opinion, what has been the reason why he's 0:14:25.920 --> 0:14:28.920 been able to generate this much hype and attract this 0:14:29.040 --> 0:14:32.440 much attention. It's a versus Hilly, it really is, because 0:14:32.520 --> 0:14:34.760 he does he is sort of you know, multi talented player, 0:14:34.800 --> 0:14:36.640 Like we've got the initial hype was everything, but his 0:14:36.720 --> 0:14:38.520 defense is how I put it, like, so he's got 0:14:38.600 --> 0:14:41.720 the shot he can. He's got this this speed despite 0:14:41.800 --> 0:14:44.560 not the explosion. That's there's a difference there. His timing 0:14:44.680 --> 0:14:47.520 is brilliant, his passing is great, so you know, but 0:14:47.600 --> 0:14:50.240 also he's got that multipositional option, like if you're gonna 0:14:50.240 --> 0:14:51.960 go three guards set, he fits in. Well, if you're 0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:53.920 gonna go regular two guards set, you can go to 0:14:54.040 --> 0:14:56.400 one or the two. Because if you put him beside 0:14:56.480 --> 0:14:59.840 you know, say, you know a bog Down Bogdanovich bo 0:15:00.000 --> 0:15:01.920 Don as a shooter, but he's also a creator Luke, 0:15:01.920 --> 0:15:03.600 you can take some of the shooting load. You'll put 0:15:03.680 --> 0:15:07.720 him beside a bucker in Phoenix. He's happy to have 0:15:07.840 --> 0:15:10.200 a shoot first, you know guy beside him as well. 0:15:10.280 --> 0:15:12.120 So there's so many sort of situations you look at 0:15:12.160 --> 0:15:14.160 sort he can be the one, he can be the two, 0:15:14.280 --> 0:15:16.160 or he can be the hybrid. It's not like your 0:15:16.200 --> 0:15:19.280 typical hybrid where he's not enough of either. Luca Done 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:22.280 is enough of both to be either. And like frankly, 0:15:22.280 --> 0:15:23.800 you can put him at the three und as well, 0:15:23.840 --> 0:15:26.000 like you know the three on defense, which is you know, 0:15:26.440 --> 0:15:29.320 quite a versatile mix. So when you've got that options 0:15:29.320 --> 0:15:31.720 defensively offensively, like I said, he can just you know, 0:15:31.840 --> 0:15:34.560 get everything through. And like most people I've spoken to 0:15:34.600 --> 0:15:36.160 with a sort of any NBA interest to all has 0:15:36.200 --> 0:15:39.640 said the explosive thing is massively overblown. Like he's built 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:41.120 up a good bit in the last three years as 0:15:41.160 --> 0:15:44.040 it is, and we've seen with the likes of Christopsperzingiz 0:15:44.040 --> 0:15:46.840 who one year of NBA conditioning. Because the type of 0:15:46.880 --> 0:15:48.560 bodies that work in the NBA are necessarily the ones 0:15:48.600 --> 0:15:51.160 that work in Europe and vice versa, you know he'll 0:15:51.200 --> 0:15:55.080 be basically, as you know, big and powerful athletically speaking, 0:15:55.120 --> 0:15:57.360 as he needs to be to get by. Like I'm 0:15:57.400 --> 0:15:59.720 not concerned about it less him at all going over 0:16:00.320 --> 0:16:01.680 You bring up something that I was just about to 0:16:01.720 --> 0:16:04.800 ask you in terms of toughness physicality. It seems like 0:16:05.000 --> 0:16:07.440 you can only get so much looking at highlights over 0:16:07.520 --> 0:16:09.960 here and even streaming and watching games, but what about 0:16:10.000 --> 0:16:12.840 the toughness factor for him? Well, in the playoff series 0:16:12.880 --> 0:16:15.600 really showed that because Panath and Ikas, who have a 0:16:15.720 --> 0:16:17.760 very the toughest home arena to go to in Europe, 0:16:18.280 --> 0:16:21.600 they targeted him early and often they were just going 0:16:21.720 --> 0:16:23.720 after him and we're trying to beat him up. On 0:16:24.120 --> 0:16:26.880 Game one, he got his ass kicked, there's no doubt 0:16:26.920 --> 0:16:28.920 in that. But in the next three games led to 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:32.800 the reverse sweep that he was just on top basically 0:16:32.920 --> 0:16:35.360 like he was necessarily necesarily getting any shots off, but 0:16:35.400 --> 0:16:37.840 he gets kept getting to the line. And that's it's 0:16:38.040 --> 0:16:39.640 you know, it's one of the more borings. That's the 0:16:39.680 --> 0:16:42.720 followers foul to draw, and especially as for a rookie season, 0:16:42.800 --> 0:16:44.480 it's not going to help you much because rookies don't 0:16:44.480 --> 0:16:47.040 get calls in the NBA. But as he develops as 0:16:47.080 --> 0:16:48.600 a player, like when you see him at that year 0:16:48.720 --> 0:16:51.160 three four player, he's just going to be a foul 0:16:51.240 --> 0:16:53.480 drawing machine. Like in the NBA, it's gonna be ridiculous 0:16:53.480 --> 0:16:55.680 because his year three four, remember his twenty two, twenty three, 0:16:56.160 --> 0:16:58.160 you know, so it's like he's just going to be 0:16:58.320 --> 0:17:00.840 ridiculous to look at in that respect where you're just 0:17:00.920 --> 0:17:02.640 going to see this Kip get to the line so 0:17:03.080 --> 0:17:05.119 often because it's not just that he draws files and 0:17:05.160 --> 0:17:07.440 he can draw them in so many different ways in 0:17:07.520 --> 0:17:09.879 places and it sort of can get teams in trouble. 0:17:09.960 --> 0:17:11.960 And this is like you know, probably is like seventh 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:14.160 or eighth best attribute. This is the bill just get 0:17:14.280 --> 0:17:16.240 to get to the line, and so you put it 0:17:16.320 --> 0:17:19.200 all together with him, it's like there's nothing particularly weak 0:17:19.200 --> 0:17:20.760 about him, and there's enough a lot of things to like. 0:17:20.960 --> 0:17:22.520 The only thing I would say for a lot of 0:17:22.600 --> 0:17:26.119 fans is where I reckon some patience is he's I 0:17:26.160 --> 0:17:29.240 wouldn't got him streaky. It's more that he's very very consistent, 0:17:29.400 --> 0:17:31.879 only has like, you know, a down game for as 0:17:31.920 --> 0:17:34.160 many super up games. So he's gonna have games where 0:17:34.160 --> 0:17:36.320 he's putting up like, you know, five of six from 0:17:36.400 --> 0:17:38.920 three and some crazy numbers like that, and then he's 0:17:38.920 --> 0:17:40.440 going to have a one of nine from the field 0:17:40.560 --> 0:17:43.560 period of games straight afterwards, you know. So there is 0:17:43.640 --> 0:17:45.800 that little bit of very instill in this game, whereas 0:17:45.840 --> 0:17:47.800