WEBVTT - ROOKIE REPORT: YUKIIIIIIIIIII

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<v Speaker 1>On this episode of a Heat Check, it's time for

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<v Speaker 1>the Rookie Report, folks. You're weekly checking on the rookies

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<v Speaker 1>and how they're doing in the league. It is New

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<v Speaker 1>Year's Eve. We've got a check in on Memphis Grizzlies rookie.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not talking about Jalen Wells. I'm not talking about

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<v Speaker 1>Zach Adie. If you follow the NBA, you know exactly

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<v Speaker 1>who I'm talking about. Let's get into it. Anthony, drop

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<v Speaker 1>that motherfucking beat that should be Rihanna.

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<v Speaker 2>By the way, first, and forearm off.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm sorry that the cadence of the podcast are not Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

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<v Speaker 2>I am moving across the country. I am packing.

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<v Speaker 1>I am trying to enjoy a little bit of hore.

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<v Speaker 1>So let's let's just give me a little grace before

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<v Speaker 1>twenty twenty five.

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<v Speaker 2>Okay, you know who, though doesn't get anywhere.

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<v Speaker 1>Near the amount of grace and love and support is

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<v Speaker 1>he should get Zach Kleman.

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<v Speaker 2>Who is that?

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<v Speaker 1>If you don't know who that is, I wouldn't actually

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<v Speaker 1>blame you.

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<v Speaker 2>Get in line.

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<v Speaker 1>Most people don't know who the GM of the Memphis

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<v Speaker 1>Grizzlies is. But Zach Climan has quietly become one of

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<v Speaker 1>the best gms in the entire league.

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<v Speaker 2>I think he may be right below Sam Presty.

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<v Speaker 1>In terms of current gms that have been building the

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<v Speaker 1>team that they're currently executing on.

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<v Speaker 2>You know what I'm saying. You know what I mean.

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<v Speaker 2>He was even NBA Executive.

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<v Speaker 1>The Year in twenty twenty one to twenty twenty two,

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<v Speaker 1>which makes sense. Not only did he do a great

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<v Speaker 1>job navigating the off court bullshit surrounding job the past

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<v Speaker 1>couple of years.

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<v Speaker 2>He has created a very stable franchise.

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<v Speaker 1>Taylor Jenkins has been the coach since twenty nineteen when

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<v Speaker 1>he took over. We've had a lot of turnover all

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<v Speaker 1>over the league. Since then, He's made awesome trades. His

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<v Speaker 1>first move was to get rid of Mike Conley and

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<v Speaker 1>Iguidala when he took over the team, and that kickstarted

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<v Speaker 1>this team. People were very mad when they got rid

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<v Speaker 1>of Iguidala, but much more valuable in the long run.

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<v Speaker 2>He has killed it in.

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<v Speaker 1>The draft, absolutely destroyed it ever since hitting the Grand

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<v Speaker 1>Slam getting John Morant with a number two overall pick. God,

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<v Speaker 1>can you imagine if they would have had the number

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<v Speaker 1>one overall pick and drafted Zion, so much of this

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<v Speaker 1>would be so different anyway.

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<v Speaker 2>Twenty twenty, let's go through him. This is about a rookie.

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<v Speaker 1>I promise this will be about a rookie. Twenty twenty,

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<v Speaker 1>my man, Zach Kleman takes Desmond Baine with the thirtieth

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<v Speaker 1>overall pick, actually having the trade with the Boston Celtics

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<v Speaker 1>to get that pick. Twenty twenty one, goes and gets

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<v Speaker 1>Santi al Damo with the thirtieth pick, twenty twenty two

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<v Speaker 1>gets Jake Larevio with the nineteenth pick and Vince Williams

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<v Speaker 1>Junior with the forty seventh overall pick. Twenty twenty three

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<v Speaker 1>he gets Gigi Jackson with the forty fourth overall pick.

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<v Speaker 1>And then twenty twenty four, of course they had a

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<v Speaker 1>top ten pick getting Zach Edy, but then they go

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<v Speaker 1>out and get Jalen Wells with thirty ninth overall pick,

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<v Speaker 1>who's been very productive so far in his rookie season,

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<v Speaker 1>and Cam Spencer Yukon Great Cam Spencer with the fifty

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<v Speaker 1>third overall pick. And that doesn't even include how good

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<v Speaker 1>Zach Kleman is at taking other people's trash and turning

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<v Speaker 1>him into his treasure.

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<v Speaker 2>From the scrap heaps for example.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's take Scottie Pippen Junior for example, who the Lakers

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<v Speaker 1>gave up on. They said, this kid can't play halfway

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<v Speaker 1>through his rookie year. Zach signed him on a two way,

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<v Speaker 1>and now Memphis has turned him into a dude who's

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<v Speaker 1>playing every game this year, and it's putting up eleven

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<v Speaker 1>four and five with one and a half stocks as

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<v Speaker 1>the seventh or eighth man off the bench.

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<v Speaker 2>Little golf clap for Zach Lyman on the Scottie Pippen Jr.

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<v Speaker 2>But the guy that I want.

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<v Speaker 1>To talk about today wasn't even drafted and yet still

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<v Speaker 1>has an outside influence on the Memphis Grizzlies as a whole.

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<v Speaker 2>We're talking about Yuki kawer Mura.

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<v Speaker 1>If you know Yuki Yuki, it's because he's become a

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<v Speaker 1>cult figure in the league. Undrafted kid who is five

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<v Speaker 1>to seven. He's a guard out of Japan. He wowed

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<v Speaker 1>people in the Olympics, but very few people thought that

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<v Speaker 1>they would ever see him in an NBA uniform. Despite

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<v Speaker 1>putting up twenty nine, seven and six in a game

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<v Speaker 1>against the host country in France that came down to

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<v Speaker 1>the final seconds Yuki fucking barbecued chicken. These dudes, he

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<v Speaker 1>torched them, he grilled them, he fried them. Evan Fournier,

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<v Speaker 1>Bilao Kulabali, Frank Nilakina that they had twenty two years

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<v Speaker 1>of NBA experience between them, but no, no, Yuki put

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<v Speaker 1>him on the fucking hibachi.

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<v Speaker 2>No pun intended.

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<v Speaker 1>It was one of the eye openers of the Olympic

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<v Speaker 1>Basketball Tournament. Still, he was passed up by twenty nine teams.

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<v Speaker 1>Zak Cleman saw something in Yuki. He signed him to

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<v Speaker 1>play for the j League Grizzlies, and guess what. Yuki

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<v Speaker 1>led the team and assists with twenty one twenty one.

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<v Speaker 2>Many were certified dimes.

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<v Speaker 1>The dude is a passer. He also became an immediate

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<v Speaker 1>crowd favorite in Vegas.

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<v Speaker 2>Which you just cannot ignore.

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<v Speaker 1>As a result, Zach Kleman signed him to a two

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<v Speaker 1>way after Scottie Pippens's contract was converted into a multi

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<v Speaker 1>year deal. Even got the jersey number seventeen, a mystical

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<v Speaker 1>number in Japan because it's the same number that was

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<v Speaker 1>worn by show Hey oh Tani. Talk about a little

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<v Speaker 1>pressure anyway, Yuki said at the time of signing, I

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<v Speaker 1>have to prove to my teammates and the coaching staff

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<v Speaker 1>that I can play. Let's face it, most non Memphis

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<v Speaker 1>fans saw it as a publicity stunted.

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<v Speaker 2>They were like, this kid is just.

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<v Speaker 1>Here for the vibes, especially after the photo of Yuki

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<v Speaker 1>the tiny, little, diminutive Yuki and then Zach Edy the

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<v Speaker 1>monster next to him, and that photo went viral. And

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<v Speaker 1>to be fair, the fanfare around the league for him

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<v Speaker 1>has mostly been about the novelty of Yuki. But guess

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<v Speaker 1>what Gus Little's secret Loll's surprise is out kaboom Yuki

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<v Speaker 1>can play ball. Although he has mostly been getting garbage

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<v Speaker 1>time minutes, nobody out there thinks he's a novelty anymore.

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<v Speaker 1>His passes are as good as just about anyone's, proving

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<v Speaker 1>that the G League success was no fluke, and recently,

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<v Speaker 1>in a game against the Thunder, Yuki got double digit

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<v Speaker 1>minutes for the first time and turned into a turned

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<v Speaker 1>it into a ten point three three performance on four

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<v Speaker 1>for five from the field. If you don't believe me

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<v Speaker 1>that he is a real player, check out what shay

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<v Speaker 1>Yeldris Alexander said had to say about him.

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<v Speaker 3>Really good basketball player. He can see he had like

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<v Speaker 3>ten points in five minutes. I'm like three assists. It's

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<v Speaker 3>very skilled, knows how to play basketball in it's court.

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<v Speaker 3>I see that despite the size, that he can play

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<v Speaker 3>out there, and it goes back to what I said,

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<v Speaker 3>if you have feel he can play no matter what.

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<v Speaker 1>Ooh. We already know that Yuki is an incredibly popular

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<v Speaker 1>player on the Grizzlies, especially John Morant who has taken

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<v Speaker 1>him under his wing. Which that is what an incredible

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<v Speaker 1>fucking story. That is like the little Guy cap Buddy

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<v Speaker 1>Cop movie that is Jaw and Yuki.

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<v Speaker 2>I need that.

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<v Speaker 1>It's like rush hour. It's literally rush hour awesome stuff.

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<v Speaker 1>Yuki has gonna be so funny. Yuki has great court vision.

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<v Speaker 1>He's got the incredible ability to pass, the ability to

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<v Speaker 1>knock down the open shot. The question is whether he

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<v Speaker 1>can play defense. But to be honest, he's kind of

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<v Speaker 1>like Josey Alvararo, a little bit hustling on the defensive end,

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<v Speaker 1>and that I think will count for something. He will

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<v Speaker 1>almost certainly finish out the season on a two way

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<v Speaker 1>deal with the Memphis Grizzlies, and he's only played about

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<v Speaker 1>half their games the fifty game limit before converting into

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<v Speaker 1>a two way to a real contract will really not

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<v Speaker 1>come into effect. So Yuki should be with the grizz

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<v Speaker 1>all season, which I think is awesome because not only

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<v Speaker 1>are the Grizzlies home fans chanting his name, you key,

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<v Speaker 1>you key, he's getting standing ovations on the road as well.

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<v Speaker 1>The dude is a sensation and he's doing wonders for

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<v Speaker 1>the locker room. If you need someone to cool down

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<v Speaker 1>the temperature on all the gun stuff.

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<v Speaker 2>You key, you key.

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<v Speaker 1>He's making everyone around him happier, play harder, and that

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<v Speaker 1>has value in this league. Yuki Mania is here, and

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<v Speaker 1>although he has no show, hey Otani, the dude is

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<v Speaker 1>a baller and it is awesome that the league has

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<v Speaker 1>found a place for him, especially even at the end

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<v Speaker 1>of the bench, where if he keeps playing like this,

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<v Speaker 1>it won't be that way for long.

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<v Speaker 2>That's all the.

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<v Speaker 1>Time that we have for this episode of that Heat.

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<v Speaker 1>Check tune in every week as we break down what's

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<v Speaker 1>happening in the Freshman clar and come back next.

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<v Speaker 2>Year har Horror two days from now for an a new.

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<v Speaker 1>Episode, and check out the feed for past episodes and

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<v Speaker 1>many episodes which drop unexpectedly like the.

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<v Speaker 2>Ball drop on twenty twenty five. How the hell did

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<v Speaker 2>twenty twenty four go so fast?

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<v Speaker 1>Do not forget to follow the heat Check all season long?

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<v Speaker 1>And he's download subscribe, Tell your friends. Make it your

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<v Speaker 1>New Year's resolution to tell ten people about that. It's

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<v Speaker 1>like the Ponzi scheme, only the only thing you have

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<v Speaker 1>to do is just tell people, Hey, download this, tell everyone.

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<v Speaker 1>Follow the heat Check at a trist to creek on Twitter,

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<v Speaker 1>Instagram and threads. I am blowing up on Meta's new platform, Threads.

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<v Speaker 1>I think you should go there. It's fucking lit over there. Uh.

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<v Speaker 2>I post every day. It's pretty much my most consistent platform.

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<v Speaker 2>I don't have to look good in order to post.

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<v Speaker 2>Happy New Year's everyone.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you so much for another season of listening to

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<v Speaker 1>you Check. I appreciate all of you, I appreciate my

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<v Speaker 1>producer Anthony Irwin.

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<v Speaker 2>Have a safe less follow us.

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<v Speaker 1>We'll see you next year and