WEBVTT - Lonzo Ball Shut Down For The Season

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<v Speaker 1>I know that we normally try to make jokes here,

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<v Speaker 1>but sometimes you got to cover a subject that no

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<v Speaker 1>matter how much I try, I find humor in it,

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<v Speaker 1>And like I can't find zero humor in this, we

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<v Speaker 1>got to talk about Lonzo Ball.

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<v Speaker 2>This thing is out of control. It is so sad.

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<v Speaker 1>First of all, Lonzo is not only a great player,

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<v Speaker 1>but the Bulls haven't really recovered since he went down

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<v Speaker 1>last season.

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<v Speaker 2>I think they were number one in the East at

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<v Speaker 2>one point.

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<v Speaker 1>But he's also a good dude. He's a really good dude,

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<v Speaker 1>beloved by his teammates. The Ball brothers are, by every

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<v Speaker 1>account that I've heard of, totally good guys.

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<v Speaker 2>How good was he with the Bulls when the Bulls?

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<v Speaker 1>When the Bulls were playing with Lonzo Ball, they were

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<v Speaker 1>the number one seed in the East. He was shooting

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<v Speaker 1>forty two from three, and even more important, the Bulls

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<v Speaker 1>loud eight point six year points per game when compared

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<v Speaker 1>to when he was off the court, that was top

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<v Speaker 1>four percent in the entire NBA. Defense never recovered since

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<v Speaker 1>he left. So I don't know if that makes the

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<v Speaker 1>Lonzo Ball injury update more painful to hear, but it's

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<v Speaker 1>certainly if you're the Bulls doesn't make it any less painful,

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<v Speaker 1>so they officially the Bulls shut down Lonzo Ball for

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<v Speaker 1>the season last week.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I don't think you're shocked.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not shocked, but it's it's kind of scary considering

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<v Speaker 1>that we didn't see him play most of last year.

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<v Speaker 1>Now we haven't seen him play this year, and it's

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<v Speaker 1>pretty jarring to hear. When the reason came out behind it,

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<v Speaker 1>it's probably even more difficult to process. So just to

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<v Speaker 1>recap the timeline, because it's weird and complicated and it

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<v Speaker 1>took a while. January fourteenth, Lonzo Ball tore his meniscus,

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<v Speaker 1>pretty simple, pretty normal injury that we've seen in the

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<v Speaker 1>NBA under the knife, goes and gets arthroscopic surgery right after,

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<v Speaker 1>misses the rest of the season, which you could say

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<v Speaker 1>some people do come back from meniscus tears with surgery,

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<v Speaker 1>some people don't. Not cause for concern yet, the timeline

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<v Speaker 1>from being able to play following surgery sometimes can range

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<v Speaker 1>from four to six months, so okay.

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<v Speaker 2>The dark clouds then begin to form.

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<v Speaker 1>Eight months later, in September, Lonzo then has a second

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<v Speaker 1>surgery on the same knee, on the same tear.

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<v Speaker 2>The Bulls said it would.

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<v Speaker 1>Just be a few months just to clean up, which

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<v Speaker 1>is obviously a lie, and they were looking at it

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<v Speaker 1>January twenty twenty three return date. But then January twenty

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<v Speaker 1>eighth came and Billy Donovan let it slip that Lonzo

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<v Speaker 1>Ball was nowhere near returning to the court, and in fact,

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<v Speaker 1>it actually became known that Lonzo Ball was still in

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<v Speaker 1>pain and wasn't even able to run yet.

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<v Speaker 2>Wow. The Bulls released this statement.

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<v Speaker 1>Despite making significant increases in strength and function over the

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<v Speaker 1>past several months, Bulls guard Lonzo Ball continues to experience

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<v Speaker 1>performance limiting discomfort during participation and high level basketball activities.

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<v Speaker 1>Considering the time required to achieve the necessary level of

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<v Speaker 1>fitness to return to play and the current stage of

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<v Speaker 1>the NBA season, Ball will not return this season. The

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<v Speaker 1>focus for him will be to continue to be on

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<v Speaker 1>the resolution of his discomfort and a full return for

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<v Speaker 1>the twenty twenty three twenty twenty four season.

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<v Speaker 2>So what's wrong?

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<v Speaker 1>According to his dad, LaVar Ball, Lonzo has quote debris

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<v Speaker 1>and a nerve.

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<v Speaker 2>What does that mean?

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<v Speaker 1>I don't actually know what that means. Is that like

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<v Speaker 1>when you get dust in your eye? Because that stuff's

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<v Speaker 1>really painful. Is that like the expanded dust in the

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<v Speaker 1>eye scenario. The issue apparently is even more complicated because

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<v Speaker 1>Tristan Thompson went on ESPN and reported that doctors have

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<v Speaker 1>told Lonzo Ball that this is a unique injury that

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<v Speaker 1>they have never seen before. So it was not just

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<v Speaker 1>a meniscus tear. So when you apply unique to anything bad,

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<v Speaker 1>it's always worse. It's never good to be like, this

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<v Speaker 1>is such an interesting case. I've never seen this before,

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<v Speaker 1>you have such a unique injury.

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<v Speaker 2>No, those are things you do not want to hear.

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<v Speaker 1>That means things are bad because they don't know how

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<v Speaker 1>to fix you. If they've never seen something before, they

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<v Speaker 1>don't know how to fix it.

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<v Speaker 2>To be honest, doctors are just like us.

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<v Speaker 1>They're just people. They've never encountered this. They're probably not

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<v Speaker 1>going to be able to help out. The latest is

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<v Speaker 1>that Lonzo plans on receiving a this is normal platelet

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<v Speaker 1>rich plasma injection into the left knee. Kobe used to

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<v Speaker 1>get that done in Germany all the time. They do

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<v Speaker 1>it here now in the United States.

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<v Speaker 2>Very painful, but also very helpful.

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<v Speaker 1>He's gonna put that in his left knee to minimize

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<v Speaker 1>the pain that he's experiencing from a pair.

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<v Speaker 2>Of operations that he end in twenty twenty two. Goodness,

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<v Speaker 2>he's already had those bad news.

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<v Speaker 1>He's already had those like he's that's he knows the pain,

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<v Speaker 1>but he's already had PRP in that same need in

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<v Speaker 1>twenty eighteen.

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<v Speaker 2>I want to see Lonzo Ball back. He is so good.

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<v Speaker 2>He was hitting his stride, he was finding his way.

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<v Speaker 1>He was in real NBA player After all the noise

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<v Speaker 1>and smoke around the UCLA to Lakers sort of transition

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<v Speaker 1>and LeVar Ball drama.

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<v Speaker 2>Medicine has made such incredible strides.

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<v Speaker 1>Right, Greg Godin, the former number one pick in the draft,

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<v Speaker 1>his career was ended by micro fractures, right, which now

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<v Speaker 1>in today's game, he would probably still be playing if

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<v Speaker 1>those microfractures happened today because as opposed to fifteen years ago,

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<v Speaker 1>because the microfracture surgery Odin had was basically discarded because

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<v Speaker 1>it was trash for better techniques.

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<v Speaker 2>After he had those.

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<v Speaker 1>So the fact that this resolute revolution of medicine can't

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<v Speaker 1>seem to figure out how to help Lonzo Ball is

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<v Speaker 1>pretty heartbreaking. And all we can do is hope that

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<v Speaker 1>the recovery goes well, and when the season starts, he's there.

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<v Speaker 1>But it's an update that I've been trying to give

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<v Speaker 1>to the people. We just haven't had time to get

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<v Speaker 1>to it. But now you know, hopefully Lonzo Ball gets

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<v Speaker 1>out there and is running the show in Chicago, because man,

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<v Speaker 1>they do they need him.

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<v Speaker 2>All right.

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<v Speaker 1>Here's a question from someone in my DMS, and I

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<v Speaker 1>wanted to address it because I think it's fun what

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<v Speaker 1>players have coasted the longest on their potential. So I'm

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<v Speaker 1>talking about players that everyone thought would break through and

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<v Speaker 1>never did, right, Not guys that you thought would be

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<v Speaker 1>pretty good and then they never were. Guys who had

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<v Speaker 1>the talent to be stars but never ended up fulfilling

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<v Speaker 1>that promise. I have three players on my list.

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<v Speaker 2>Frank Nelikina, Frank Nelikina Man.

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<v Speaker 1>Remember when New York yet Knicks drafted him. Everybody thought

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<v Speaker 1>he was going to just be this breakthrough talent, that

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<v Speaker 1>his shot would start to fall, he would figure it out.

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<v Speaker 2>No, never happened.

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<v Speaker 1>Never happened, despite four years as a New York Knick.

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<v Speaker 1>Remember they put him on Tree Young. That's probably the

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<v Speaker 1>most famous he'll ever be. He shot thirty nine percent

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<v Speaker 1>for his career. He currently gets like ten minutes a

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<v Speaker 1>game in Dallas. His shot has not been fixed. He

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<v Speaker 1>is currently still shooting thirty eight percent in Dallas.

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<v Speaker 2>Number two Mobimba.

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<v Speaker 1>Everybody thought and Mobamba was gonna be electric. Magic spent

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<v Speaker 1>four and a half years waiting on Mobamba. They were like, well,

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<v Speaker 1>he'll figure it out, guys, he'll figure it out. He's

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<v Speaker 1>he's a stretched big man, he can shoot the three.

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<v Speaker 1>He's long, he's athletic, he has good personality. And you

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<v Speaker 1>know what, he never did a guy everybody, everybody thought

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<v Speaker 1>had the skills.

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<v Speaker 2>Necessary to be a star, and no he did not.

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<v Speaker 2>We only got a song from it. That's it. That's

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<v Speaker 2>all we have.

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<v Speaker 1>And I don't even think he was drafted when the

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<v Speaker 1>song came out, So song could have just came and went.

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<v Speaker 1>The Magic shipped him out for a bag of chips

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<v Speaker 1>to the Lakers at this year's trade deadline. As we know,

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<v Speaker 1>Number two is Mobamba.

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<v Speaker 2>Number three. Oh, this one's close to home. This one's

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<v Speaker 2>so close to home.

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<v Speaker 1>Zach Collins from Gonzaga, tenth in the overall draft from

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<v Speaker 1>the Portland Trailblazers. You know the Blazers. We've talked about

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<v Speaker 1>this a million times, but I'll say it again. You

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<v Speaker 1>know that Blazers moved up to get him at ten.

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<v Speaker 1>You know they actually had two first round draft picks

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<v Speaker 1>and they packaged them to get Zach Collins. The worst

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<v Speaker 1>part about that, though, Zach Collins is like, okay, he's

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<v Speaker 1>an okay player.

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<v Speaker 2>He's never going to be a star. Obviously he was

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<v Speaker 2>reached for in the draft. That's fine. But the worst

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<v Speaker 2>part about Zach Collins existing on the Portland Trailblazers.

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<v Speaker 1>Is that the Blazers passed on stars, elite players for

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<v Speaker 1>Zach Collins. Let's talk about him, Donovan Mitchell. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>the list could just end there and that would be that.

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<v Speaker 2>But it doesn't. Bam at a bio could end there.

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<v Speaker 2>It does not.

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<v Speaker 1>John Collins, Jared Allen, Kyle Kuzma, og An Andobi all

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<v Speaker 1>went after Zach Collins. You could have just kept your

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<v Speaker 1>first round picks and got two of those guys.

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<v Speaker 2>That hurts.

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<v Speaker 1>Also receiving votes from me is James Wiseman. Of course,

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<v Speaker 1>James Wiseman's been coasting for the Warriors on potential pretty

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<v Speaker 1>much alone.

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<v Speaker 2>Dante Exem, Dante Exem and the Adida's Nations.

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<v Speaker 1>They thought when he was sixteen years old he was

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<v Speaker 1>going to be the next superstar. He was seen as

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<v Speaker 1>the best sixteen year under kid in the world from

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<v Speaker 1>Australia and he's just nobody Bizmack Biambo, who's seen as

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<v Speaker 1>like a real talent, Taylor Horton, Tucker, Romeo Langford, Nikaile,

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<v Speaker 1>Alexander Walker.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's it. That you can only live for so

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<v Speaker 2>long on potential.

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<v Speaker 1>But some of these guys are probably gonna get an

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<v Speaker 1>NBA pension and will magically figure things out when they

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<v Speaker 1>never will. That's all the time that we after the

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<v Speaker 1>heat Check, check back Tuesday for an all new full episode.

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<v Speaker 1>Do not forget to watch the feed, and please follow

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<v Speaker 1>the heat Check as a season head towards the playoffs

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<v Speaker 1>and follow us on social at at this heat Check

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<v Speaker 1>and at Trista Creek because the heat Check never sleeps.