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Speaker 1: Welcome to the State of the Lakers podcast. Happy Friday, everybody. Um,

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Speaker 1: you've made it to the weekend, or at least one

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Speaker 1: day from the weekend. We are very excited to talk

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Speaker 1: about a bunch of Lakers topics today. And I was

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Speaker 1: talking to Raj earlier. We've had a lot of people

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Speaker 1: that have been just kind of in our mentions over

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Speaker 1: the last couple of days, asking questions, and we haven't

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Speaker 1: really been around to been able to get around to

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Speaker 1: all of them. So we're gonna do a mail bag. Um.

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Speaker 1: We have a bunch of questions in the tweet that

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Speaker 1: I sent out earlier, but feel free to drop questions

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Speaker 1: in the comments because we're gonna go till about today

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Speaker 1: and we'll just keep hitting questions until we until we

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Speaker 1: get to that time and then we need to stop.

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Speaker 1: First of all, rog, how you doing on Friday morning?

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Speaker 1: Doing great? Doing great? It's cool to see um a

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Speaker 1: bunch of people kind of ask questions and stuff like that,

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Speaker 1: so that that'll be fun. Um, we have doing well.

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Speaker 1: Leaving a Vegas on Sunday, Um, so I'm gonna try

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Speaker 1: to catch a few of the summer League games. It's

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Speaker 1: supposed to be like Super hot again over there. So

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Speaker 1: that's it's gonna be like a hundred degrees, I think again,

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Speaker 1: but yeah, I'm excited for that. Yeah too. Fun is

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Speaker 1: famously insanely hot over the summer, but the entire month

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Speaker 1: of July and so far in August, we've just been

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Speaker 1: completely blasted with rain and these like crazy intense storms

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Speaker 1: that are like ripping trees out of the ground and

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Speaker 1: stuff like pretty wild stuff. Um, but the last like

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Speaker 1: three or four days has gone back to the way

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Speaker 1: it usually is, which is just obscenely hot, like it

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Speaker 1: was like one oh seven yesterday, but there's so much

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Speaker 1: moisture in the air that it's humid as all held

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Speaker 1: as well. But anyway, all right, So basically our game

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Speaker 1: plan for today as we as we go through this

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Speaker 1: is we're gonna quickly touch just on a handful of

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Speaker 1: teams that are considered the Lakers uh their rivals, and

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Speaker 1: just talk about their moves and whether or not we

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Speaker 1: think it changes the way those teams match up. And

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Speaker 1: then we're going to talk about some Lakers lineups, particularly

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Speaker 1: the starters and the closers, as well as my favorite

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Speaker 1: lineup and Rodger's favorite lineup that we're waiting to see,

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Speaker 1: not counting starters and closers. Obviously, we're gonna really quickly

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Speaker 1: touch on Frank Vogel's contract and uh, just whether or

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Speaker 1: not the Lakers need to bring him back, how far

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Speaker 1: they need to extend themselves, whether or not there's any

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Speaker 1: chance that he goes in another direction. And then we're

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Speaker 1: gonna go to the mail bag and just keep hitting

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Speaker 1: questions until we get to UM. But all right, so

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Speaker 1: you know, as far as you know, you and I

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Speaker 1: have talked about doing a pod where we're gonna talk

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Speaker 1: about all the different free agent moves around the league.

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Speaker 1: But the truth of the matter is like it hasn't

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Speaker 1: been that crazy of a free agency because there just

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Speaker 1: haven't been any big names really involved. The Russell Westbrook

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Speaker 1: trade is arguably the best player that's changed teams, depending

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Speaker 1: on how you value Russell Westbrook. You know, we have

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Speaker 1: Kyle Lowry to Miami, but I think we can all

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Speaker 1: agree that doesn't really move things in the East. Same

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Speaker 1: thing goes with Chicago loading up. What I'm most interested in,

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Speaker 1: and this is what we'll start with, is Brooklyn, Milwaukee

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Speaker 1: in Golden State, because those are going to be the

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Speaker 1: three teams that I think pose the biggest threat to

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Speaker 1: knock out the Lakers, mainly because Denver is still gonna

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Speaker 1: be down Jamal Murray for at least half the season,

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Speaker 1: if not longer. And I don't expect Kawhi Leonard to

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Speaker 1: play this here at all, um, just because he's historically

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Speaker 1: taken his sweet sweet time getting over these injuries. So

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Speaker 1: I don't think we'll see much of the Clippers in

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Speaker 1: terms of a top tier contender. So I guess my

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Speaker 1: question for you is this, is there anything that you

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Speaker 1: saw from Brooklyn, Milwaukee or Golden State that makes you

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Speaker 1: think that they've improved considerably and are more of a

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Speaker 1: threat now than they used to be. Um, not really,

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Speaker 1: I guess like it doesn't feel like any of them

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Speaker 1: did anything crazy. Brooklyn. I think it's going to be

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Speaker 1: the monster it is. They still have the three superstars

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Speaker 1: um locked in. I assume that they'll be healthy next year. Um.

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Speaker 1: They got a couple of draft picks, I think in

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Speaker 1: the first round or something like that. But yeah, Patty

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Speaker 1: Males was a really nice pickup for them, Like, I

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Speaker 1: think that's a high level pickup. I thought he was

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Speaker 1: worth more than the contract he got for them. But

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Speaker 1: I mean they pretty much stayed pretty much level. Um,

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Speaker 1: Milwaukee as well lost p J. Tucker, but I think

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Speaker 1: overall they're pretty much the same. Um, they got George Hill. Uh,

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Speaker 1: I think they picked up George Hill, right, but George. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: the Warriors one is the one the most interesting to me.

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Speaker 1: I really didn't expect them to keep both their draft picks,

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Speaker 1: so they pretty much stood expecting. Um, I think Clay

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Speaker 1: is gonna be probably back in December January, but again

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Speaker 1: it's gonna be a heavy Steph offense. They resigned iguodala

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Speaker 1: Um today he chose the Warriors. He broke our hearts again,

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Speaker 1: but but I think that was kind of predictable too.

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Speaker 1: So yeah, they're the most interesting one to me because

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Speaker 1: like they have the most variants, right, depending on what

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Speaker 1: Clay is, Um, they can either be a top four

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Speaker 1: seat or they can be a plane. Just on terms

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Speaker 1: of him. They got two rookies there. Um, we'll see

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Speaker 1: how they kind of contribute. But yeah, they're again they're

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Speaker 1: telling the line of doing both, and we always say

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Speaker 1: when you do both, you kind of do neither. So

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Speaker 1: it's kind of interesting to me. They're the most interesting

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Speaker 1: for me. How about you? From the like contending teams. Yeah, agree,

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Speaker 1: which is why I added them to the list. I'm

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Speaker 1: not necessarily worried about Brooklyn or Milwaukee because they're more

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Speaker 1: or less the same to me. Like Milwaukee, I think

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Speaker 1: got a little more thin on the wing because they

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Speaker 1: lost p J. Tucker, But I wouldn't be surprised if

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Speaker 1: Janice takes another, you know, considerable leap as a player

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Speaker 1: next year, so I think they will be better. Not

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Speaker 1: to mention, there's just something to be said about the

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Speaker 1: freeness and confidence that a champion plays with coming off

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Speaker 1: of a title. Brooklyn, the big one is they lost

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Speaker 1: Jeff Kareen and added James Johnson, which is absolutely a downgrade. Uh.

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Speaker 1: They kind of fulfill the same role, but he's a

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Speaker 1: lesser version of that player. They were able to resign

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Speaker 1: Blake Griffin there more. Patty Mills to me is an

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Speaker 1: interesting case of diminishing returns because of the fact that

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Speaker 1: you know, uh, Patty Mills is this guy that you

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Speaker 1: can have flying off of screens. Isn't a great who's

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Speaker 1: a great shooter. He's a gifted passer out of pick

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Speaker 1: and roll things along those lines. But any game where

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Speaker 1: the Brooklyn Nets are healthy, and Kyrie Irving, James Harden,

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Speaker 1: and Kevin Durant are on the floor. There's just only

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Speaker 1: so much they're gonna ask Patty Mills to do. Like,

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Speaker 1: Patty Mills is capable of doing all those things. But

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Speaker 1: if I've got all those other guys on the floor,

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Speaker 1: even two of those three guys on the floor, and

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Speaker 1: I'm running, you know, double pin double pin downs for

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Speaker 1: Patty Mills, or running pick and roll with Patty Mills,

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Speaker 1: kind of feels like a waste of a possession to

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Speaker 1: have Kyrie and James Harden or Kyrie and Kevin Durant

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Speaker 1: spotting up. So to me, I love Patty Mills. I

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Speaker 1: think he's a great player. I just think it's an

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Speaker 1: example of diminishing returns. The reason why I brought a

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Speaker 1: Golden State is it all starts and ends with how

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Speaker 1: much I respect Steph Curry as one of the three

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Speaker 1: best players of the world. Who's very capable, you know,

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Speaker 1: depending on who you ask, being the best player in

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Speaker 1: the world. Um, he was playing last year with low

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Speaker 1: level NBA talent, and even with that, he was able

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Speaker 1: to be significantly over five hundred when he played and

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Speaker 1: had a puncher's chance really to beat anybody, and a

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Speaker 1: couple of shots go differently here there. They could have

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Speaker 1: been the seven seed or the eight seed, and and

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Speaker 1: and could have potentially had a run in the playoffs.

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Speaker 1: That's not to say they would have won the title,

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Speaker 1: but the point is is that Golden State team accomplished

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Speaker 1: a lot despite having significant roster limitations. Now Clay Thompson

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Speaker 1: is coming back, a lot of people are worried about

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Speaker 1: his health. Uh, They're like, Oh, he's not gonna be

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Speaker 1: as good defensively as he was. You know, Clay Thompson

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Speaker 1: was never a freak athlete defender. He was a positional

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Speaker 1: defender with an extremely high i Q. He was really

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Speaker 1: good at just anticipating moves and and playing good positional defense.

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Speaker 1: I'm not worried about his athleticism as much impacting his

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Speaker 1: ability to defend, and it certainly isn't gonna impact his

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Speaker 1: ability to shoot the basketball. So I'm really optimistic that

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Speaker 1: Klay Thompson is gonna be most of his former self.

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Speaker 1: Then when you add that in with Otto Porter Jr.

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Speaker 1: As long as you can get healthy. Now we're looking

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Speaker 1: at the Warriors having six really good NBA players or

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Speaker 1: five really good NBA players next to Steph and with

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Speaker 1: as good of a defensive player as Draymond Green is,

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Speaker 1: and with what Clay Thompson does to relieve pressure off

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Speaker 1: of Steph. I have a great deal of respect for

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Speaker 1: what that team is capable of accomplishing. Health is going

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Speaker 1: to be an issue. Depth is going to be an issue.

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Speaker 1: But any playoff series that that team is healthy and

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Speaker 1: Steph Curry is healthy on the floor, they're capable of

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Speaker 1: beating anybody. In my opinion, yeah, me too, just really

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Speaker 1: quickly on Patty Mills, he butt like Joe Harris insurance right,

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Speaker 1: because Joe Harris I think missed everything in the playoff

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Speaker 1: shot from three, So I think that's where they think

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Speaker 1: about him. But yeah, with the Warriors, Steff is hard

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Speaker 1: to defend with. If it's like him and four people

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Speaker 1: you pick off, you know this street Like, he's just

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Speaker 1: that hard to defend. You can triple team and everything.

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Speaker 1: It's sarah really hard to defend him. I'm with you

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Speaker 1: on Clay. I think it's shooting will be there. Um,

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Speaker 1: teams are still gonna guard him. I don't care what

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Speaker 1: he looks like, like his gravity can miss his first

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Speaker 1: five shots. Teams are still gonna stick on Clay Thompson,

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Speaker 1: so um, and I think it puts Draymond back in

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Speaker 1: that playmaking role. It's funny watching him on team say,

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Speaker 1: people are getting mad he's not shooting him Like, he's

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Speaker 1: not shooting on the seventy three and nine Warriors. Draymond

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Speaker 1: is not gonna shoot on Temo say, like, it's just

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Speaker 1: not how this's is not how it's gonna work. But yeah,

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Speaker 1: I like this kind of Warriors team. Autoporter Junior I

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Speaker 1: forgot about him as well. That's a crazy pickup at

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Speaker 1: the minimum UM. I think that was for probably healthy

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Speaker 1: he's Yeah, he's played like forty games in the last

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Speaker 1: two years. That's why his health, that's why his value dipped.

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Speaker 1: But when healthy, he's one of the best wings that

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Speaker 1: was available. Yeah, he's probably got an overpaid contract, but

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Speaker 1: and he's another one of those guys that like went

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Speaker 1: from uh, what's undervalued to probably overvalued their um with

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Speaker 1: his contract. But yeah, he's a knockdown for you present

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Speaker 1: shooter when healthy, two way wing. I think as well.

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Speaker 1: Auto Porter Junior on those Wizards team that he played on,

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Speaker 1: he didn't play much in Chicago, so yeah, I think

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Speaker 1: the Warriors, like if Clay, like you said, I think

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Speaker 1: I'm hired on Clay being better, then then people think

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Speaker 1: as well. But if he's even like eight percent of themselves,

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Speaker 1: I mean Clay Stephan Draymond is still it's still a

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Speaker 1: trio to kind of you have to fear in the

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Speaker 1: in the Western Conference for sure. Well you look at

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Speaker 1: it in terms of lineups, right, so like you know, uh,

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Speaker 1: we're gonna talk about this with the Lakers soon in

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Speaker 1: the way that you know, just having you know, their

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Speaker 1: depth and and versatility is part of it. But even

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Speaker 1: having just one lineup that is dependable gives you a

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Speaker 1: puncher's chance to beat anybody, you know what I mean.

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Speaker 1: Like the certain teams at the top, the reason why

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Speaker 1: they're the favorites is they've got a bunch of these lineups.

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Speaker 1: They've got a bunch of different directions they can go

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Speaker 1: to beat people. Uh, the Warriors may not have that

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Speaker 1: level of versatility, but they're always gonna have a puncher's

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Speaker 1: chance because of that lineup. If I can go out

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Speaker 1: there with Steph Curry, Clay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins or Auto

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Speaker 1: Porter or Andre Guadala, two of those three and Raymond

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Speaker 1: at the center. That's a lineup that is capable of

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Speaker 1: beating anybody. That's the bottom line. Can you bludgeon them

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Speaker 1: over a series because they're lack of depth? Maybe, can

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Speaker 1: you wear them down, get them to start missing shots

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Speaker 1: because you're they're not as deep as you. Maybe, But

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Speaker 1: if that five players or five of those six guys

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Speaker 1: can stay healthy and if they're on the floor in

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Speaker 1: a playoff series against anybody, they're capable of winning. And

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Speaker 1: and and that that just in and of itself makes

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Speaker 1: you a threat in my opinion, because like you watch

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Speaker 1: those Suns series right the Son's Bucks series, it came

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Speaker 1: down to it, and they just didn't have the top

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Speaker 1: end talent. Booker and Paul just weren't capable of generating

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Speaker 1: enough shots. Steph will be. You know, Steff is gonna

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Speaker 1: be able to generate quality shots against a Milwaukee Bucks

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Speaker 1: defense or a Lakers defense or anybody like that. And

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Speaker 1: that's that's the level of respect that we need to

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Speaker 1: pay to him and what he's capable of. Um, was

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Speaker 1: there anything else you wanted to talk about with the

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Speaker 1: other contenders around the league. I think a Miami I

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Speaker 1: need didn't put Miami on this list. I just think

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Speaker 1: it's interesting that they kind of went for it right,

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Speaker 1: they kind of made the trade. Um. I thought a

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Speaker 1: lot of teams are trying to get Lowry. Are you

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Speaker 1: worried about Lowry being kind of thirties six in the scenario? Like,

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Speaker 1: I feel like it's really interesting him getting the three

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Speaker 1: year think ninety million or something like that from Miami.

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Speaker 1: I think they're gonna be good. I think my I

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Speaker 1: think Lowry, Butler and out of Bio is quite a

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Speaker 1: trio still. Um in the So what do you think

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Speaker 1: about them? Like, I think they're interesting, especially defensively. There's

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Speaker 1: a lot of things they can do. Spoilster is probably

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Speaker 1: one of the best coaches in the league. Um. I'm

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Speaker 1: just interested to see how they kind of they work

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Speaker 1: out there. Um, what do you think about Miami? So,

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Speaker 1: you know, as far as the age goes with Kyle

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Speaker 1: Lowry's Kyle Lowry's contract. You know, it's funny because this

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Speaker 1: is a talking point that's been brought up with the

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Speaker 1: with the Lakers a lot. And our friend Darius Oriano

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Speaker 1: from l Far he wrote an article and it was

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Speaker 1: titled like the Lakers are old or something, and everyone

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Speaker 1: thought he was talking trash, but if you read his article,

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Speaker 1: he was actually talking about all the advantages that come

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Speaker 1: with that, and there are in terms of experience and

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Speaker 1: savvy and and uh, you know, players in that tier

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Speaker 1: at that stage of their career, they're never scared of

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Speaker 1: anything but the other biggest thing, and this is something

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Speaker 1: to keep in mind with Lowry is just in general,

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Speaker 1: being in your mid thirties as a basketball player now

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Speaker 1: doesn't mean what it used to mean. It doesn't mean

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Speaker 1: you could because every surgery that everybody's getting is being

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Speaker 1: done by surgeons with enough knowledge and understanding and technology

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Speaker 1: with modern medicine that it doesn't have the same long

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Speaker 1: term effects that it used to back in the you know,

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Speaker 1: early two thousands or nineties. And then they just nutrition,

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Speaker 1: and look at the way nutrition has completely turned around

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Speaker 1: Chris Paul's career. He's talked a lot about the way

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Speaker 1: that he ever since he pulled his hamstring with the rockets,

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Speaker 1: he's transformed his body and look, he's he just signed

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Speaker 1: another gigantic contract as a result of it. So you know,

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Speaker 1: I'm not necessarily worried about that. With Miami, it's kind

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Speaker 1: of the same problem that the Phoenix Suns had. I

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Speaker 1: just think they're gonna end up in these kinds of

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Speaker 1: intense playoff series with a Brooklyn with a Milwaukee where

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Speaker 1: you're leaning on Jimmy Butler, Bamat to Bio and Kyle

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Speaker 1: Lowry to create shots, and they're just nowhere near as

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Speaker 1: good at it as the guys they're gonna be going against.

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Speaker 1: And that's where it becomes a problem, Like, I'm not

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Speaker 1: even sure Jimmy Butler can necessarily outdue Chris Middleton in

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Speaker 1: a playoff series. He might, but that's and he has

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Speaker 1: done so before obviously in the past. But you know,

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Speaker 1: Chris just came off one of the best off seasons

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Speaker 1: of his career and a seasons of his career and

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Speaker 1: now he's a champion, So you know, I I tend

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Speaker 1: to think that as good as Miami is, they are,

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Speaker 1: they have a hard ceiling on what they can accomplish.

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Speaker 1: They're gonna be that team that's gonna go down with

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Speaker 1: the fight. They're gonna be hard to beat, but it's

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Speaker 1: just hard to imagine them winning without getting quite a

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Speaker 1: good deal of luck like the way the Phoenix Suns did. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: for sure, And I'm higher on Jimmy Butler than most.

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Speaker 1: I watched him asolutely Tara part are, like, I feel

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Speaker 1: like that Lakers was a pretty incredible defense, and he

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Speaker 1: toured them apart for a few games m where they

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Speaker 1: had really no answer. He was too physical for our guards,

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Speaker 1: would go to the chest with some players. So I

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Speaker 1: think he's a high level playoff per former. I think

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Speaker 1: in the regular season he's he's not the same as

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Speaker 1: those other guys superstars, but I think of the playoffs, um,

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Speaker 1: he really raises his level. Obviously, all old players aren't

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Speaker 1: the same, right, every every thirty six year old player

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Speaker 1: isn't the same. I only bring up Lowry because just

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Speaker 1: the type of player of years. He's super physical guy,

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Speaker 1: takes up a jillion charges, you know what I mean.

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Speaker 1: He's the annoying dude that's gonna take a charge when

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Speaker 1: they're up twenty five, Like what are you doing? But

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Speaker 1: that kind of guy. Um, he puts a lot of

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Speaker 1: rigorous stuff on his body. He's super physical. Um when

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Speaker 1: he gets to the rim. So that's what I'm wondering

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Speaker 1: with them, Um, but they went for it. So credits

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Speaker 1: to them for actually going and get getting that guy. Um,

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Speaker 1: they didn't really give up too much for him either.

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Speaker 1: They also brought back Duncan Robinson, um five years I think,

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Speaker 1: a knockdown shooter. So yeah, I'm interested to see them.

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Speaker 1: I have them third. By the way, for guys who's

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Speaker 1: not a great defensive player, just goes to show you

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Speaker 1: shooting man. Shooting is what these gms value at a premium,

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Speaker 1: at a premium. So if you could shoot, and even

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Speaker 1: if you could shoot him, be that tall. Like I know,

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Speaker 1: he's not a great defender, but he at least is tall,

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Speaker 1: you're gonna get paid in this league. And Duncan Robinson

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Speaker 1: is an elite, elite shooter. He's not just a good shooter,

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Speaker 1: one of the best shooters in the league. So I

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Speaker 1: understand that deal. Um, so yeah, they I have them

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Speaker 1: third in these but they're interesting to me. Jason Maples

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Speaker 1: is talking trash about the way I'm holding my microphone

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Speaker 1: in anyway. Um, So let's let's talk about the Lakers lineup,

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Speaker 1: particularly the starters for a second. So you know, Brad

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Speaker 1: Turner's with the l a times, if I'm correct on that,

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Speaker 1: he has been strongly hinting at the fact that Anthony

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Speaker 1: Davis wants to start at center which will be really

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Speaker 1: interesting to see whether or not he actually did does that.

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Speaker 1: So what I want to do is don't see it

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Speaker 1: when I see it. I feel like I feel like

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Speaker 1: Lakers Twitter is kind of divided evenly down the middle

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Speaker 1: on this, whether or not they think he'll actually do it.

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Speaker 1: Uh So, I think we can both agree that if

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Speaker 1: because Marcus al seems to Marcus all looked really bad

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Speaker 1: in these Olympic games, and just in general, I think

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Speaker 1: he's reached a year. I think this is gonna be

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Speaker 1: last year of his career, and I think he will

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Speaker 1: occasionally play for the Lakers. I just don't expect him

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Speaker 1: to have a significant role. If a D starts at

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Speaker 1: the four, I believe it will be D. What So

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Speaker 1: the real question becomes if a D s at the five,

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Speaker 1: who play small forward? Because Lebron is gonna play the four,

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Speaker 1: And regardless of lineup, if e D is at the

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Speaker 1: four or five, who's going to start at the two guard?

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Speaker 1: So my first question for you is who's gonna start

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Speaker 1: at the two guard? And if a D plays at

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Speaker 1: the five to start these games, who do you think

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Speaker 1: is gonna start at small forward? I think it's about

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Speaker 1: I think it's a training camp battle between a Reason

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Speaker 1: and Baise Mare probably to fill those wing spots. UM,

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Speaker 1: maybe a Reason at the four. Well, I mean if

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Speaker 1: e d is at the five, I think Lebron moves

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Speaker 1: to four, right, like most likely just the way the

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Speaker 1: roster is built, Um, there's no really power forward um

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Speaker 1: the the original sense of the word. These are all

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Speaker 1: kind of wings that would play down play up position

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Speaker 1: instead of played down. Um. So it would be some

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Speaker 1: battle between a Reason base Mare and maybe even I

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Speaker 1: know you don't think Ellendin is gonna play a lot,

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Speaker 1: but I mean if he has an insane preseason just

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Speaker 1: shoots the hell out of the ball, he could start

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Speaker 1: at two for me. Um, it's a lot of interchangeable

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Speaker 1: kind of players here, no one that you really would

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Speaker 1: stick in. Um. I think Carmel is gonna come off

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Speaker 1: the bench, So that's why I kind of don't put

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Speaker 1: him in this. UM. But yeah, the way the rosters constructed,

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Speaker 1: and they didn't they didn't really sign a nominal center, right,

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Speaker 1: there's no like just fill in center in this lineup

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Speaker 1: is Dwight Howard and Mark Soul and that's it, and

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Speaker 1: then it's Anthony Davis. So UM, I still think Mark

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Speaker 1: will start. That's just my opinion. I think they're gonna

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Speaker 1: go with that. I think that's how it's gonna look.

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Speaker 1: He started last year. Um, I think it's his spot

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Speaker 1: to lose, if that makes sense. Like in preseason Game one,

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Speaker 1: I think it's Mark who's gonna start next to a D,

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Speaker 1: which again gives that like best of both worlds. I

393
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Speaker 1: always say this, A D just doesn't want to play

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Speaker 1: five on defense, like that's the main that's the main

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Speaker 1: thing here. On offense, it doesn't matter. It doesn't want

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Speaker 1: to be the five on defense. That's that's a clear thing. Um,

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Speaker 1: and Mark kind of allows him to be, um the

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Speaker 1: four on defense and five on offense. That makes sense.

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Speaker 1: But but yeah, that that's kind of how I see it.

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Speaker 1: That's super interesting to me. I'm gonna be really surprised

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Speaker 1: if Mark starts. It just feels like willingly starting the

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Speaker 1: game with less talent than you should. I know they

403
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Speaker 1: like to bring Dwight Howard off the bench just in general,

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Speaker 1: because every game everything just did that because yeah, well

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Speaker 1: and it was it was about energy and uh and

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Speaker 1: and I you know, uh, it was it was one

407
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Speaker 1: of those things where just in general I felt like

408
00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:31,119
Speaker 1: it was part of the strategy of keeping Dwight's ego

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Speaker 1: in check, to like just making sure that he never

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Speaker 1: felt like because he actually played like Dwight massively outperformed

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Speaker 1: his contract in that season, and and keeping him off

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Speaker 1: the bench just kind of prevented him from having that

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Speaker 1: that type of attitude. I think he might have started

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Speaker 1: at center in a couple of the games against the Nuggets,

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Speaker 1: but outside of that, he did it. Um. I predict

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Speaker 1: that Anthony Davis is going to start at center. I

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Speaker 1: also think for about half of his minutes he's going

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Speaker 1: to play with Dwight and Mark. I do think that

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Speaker 1: his compromise here is to kind of give the impression

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Speaker 1: that he's playing more five by starting at the five,

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Speaker 1: but then to offload that in specific stints while he's

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Speaker 1: on the floor. Uh. I think Area Aresa is the

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Speaker 1: shoe in three at that point, mainly because the Lakers

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Speaker 1: just don't have a better option. I thought, even even

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Speaker 1: if they got Iguadala, I think they would have brought

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Speaker 1: Agudala off the bench. You know. The one weird wrinkle

427
00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:29,439
Speaker 1: in all of this is the is the Bays more info.

428
00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:34,280
Speaker 1: So we were basically told that bays Moore turned down

429
00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:37,919
Speaker 1: more money and more years from the Warriors because of

430
00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:39,760
Speaker 1: the fact that he thought he was gonna have a

431
00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:43,880
Speaker 1: bigger role with the Lakers and a better chance to contend.

432
00:20:44,359 --> 00:20:46,920
Speaker 1: So in theory, we know that he would have lost

433
00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:49,399
Speaker 1: his starting position to Clay Thompson, right, So that's a

434
00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:52,480
Speaker 1: that's a that's a no brainer. But because that team

435
00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:56,679
Speaker 1: like severely lacks depth, and both of the guys that

436
00:20:56,720 --> 00:21:00,359
Speaker 1: they drafted were at different positions, bays More in theory,

437
00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:02,679
Speaker 1: would have been like a sixth man for them, so

438
00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:05,040
Speaker 1: he would have had a pretty significant role there. So

439
00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:09,840
Speaker 1: I wonder if there was a promise to make bays

440
00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:13,639
Speaker 1: Moore the starting to guard or even the three um

441
00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:15,680
Speaker 1: our guy. Jason Maples in the comments said that he

442
00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:17,919
Speaker 1: would have He thinks that Malik Monk's gonna start at

443
00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:21,080
Speaker 1: the two guard. I I would agree that that's probably

444
00:21:21,080 --> 00:21:23,960
Speaker 1: the best option. But I'm worried about that intel with

445
00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:26,600
Speaker 1: bays Moore if they think because he's a little bit

446
00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:28,840
Speaker 1: better defensively, a little bit more stout, a little bit

447
00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:33,200
Speaker 1: more uh like veteran presence, and because of the fact

448
00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:36,520
Speaker 1: that we have that intel that he was gonna have

449
00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:38,359
Speaker 1: a bigger role. I wonder if he's going to be

450
00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:40,480
Speaker 1: the guy who ends up starting at the two, that

451
00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:42,720
Speaker 1: that would be my my prediction as far as the

452
00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:45,720
Speaker 1: best lineup, I I agree with with Maples, though I

453
00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:48,800
Speaker 1: would I would part. I would start Monk because I

454
00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:51,800
Speaker 1: don't want him to be necessarily an on ball initiator,

455
00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:55,040
Speaker 1: which he will not need to be with Lebron and Russ,

456
00:21:55,119 --> 00:21:58,440
Speaker 1: and then bringing in Kendrick Nunn, who is a much

457
00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:02,119
Speaker 1: better on ball initiator, and Monk to help run bench

458
00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:06,639
Speaker 1: lineups as a secondary initiator, either alongside Lebron or alongside Russ.

459
00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:09,960
Speaker 1: Do you do you remember last so like Jared Dudley,

460
00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:11,880
Speaker 1: obviously he's not signed yet, but I mean you would

461
00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:14,199
Speaker 1: agree that he's probably going to be resigned, right like

462
00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:16,680
Speaker 1: you could just everything that that's going on, Jared Dudley

463
00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:19,280
Speaker 1: is probably gonna be back on one of these Um,

464
00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:21,679
Speaker 1: I think they have three spots left. Yeah, so so

465
00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:25,360
Speaker 1: last year before this season, I think after the title. UM,

466
00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:26,879
Speaker 1: I don't know if you remember this, but he went

467
00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:29,200
Speaker 1: on like some podcasts and he said, don't be surprised

468
00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:32,440
Speaker 1: if th HT is the starting point guard next year.

469
00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:34,800
Speaker 1: And this is with the Lakers having Dennis Shredder on

470
00:22:34,840 --> 00:22:36,720
Speaker 1: the team. I remember this because I was like, wait,

471
00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:39,120
Speaker 1: Dennis Shooter. You know they just traded for him. Obviously

472
00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:41,639
Speaker 1: that's long and gone now. So that's another guy that

473
00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:44,600
Speaker 1: could start. T HD could be the starting uh point

474
00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:47,280
Speaker 1: guard shooting guard, I'm shooting shooting guard. Sorry. Russ would

475
00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:49,520
Speaker 1: be the starting point card. UM TC could be the

476
00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:51,840
Speaker 1: starting to guard as well, So I wouldn't be surprised

477
00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:53,800
Speaker 1: at that. There's a lot of dudes that who can

478
00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,160
Speaker 1: go and get into that lineup. To me, I think

479
00:22:56,160 --> 00:22:57,840
Speaker 1: none will be off the bench as well. I just

480
00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:00,280
Speaker 1: think he's a on ball guy that needs he needs

481
00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:02,240
Speaker 1: the ball in his hands. I like Monk. I would

482
00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:05,000
Speaker 1: like Monk or Ellington kind of in that two guard spot.

483
00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:07,320
Speaker 1: I would like to move a movement shooter, a guy

484
00:23:07,359 --> 00:23:09,640
Speaker 1: who can come off screens and just who can fire

485
00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:11,200
Speaker 1: right away. I would like to like that on the

486
00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:13,199
Speaker 1: starting line up. But there's a lot of options. Man. Um,

487
00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:15,320
Speaker 1: they're really high on th HT. I could really see

488
00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:18,080
Speaker 1: him be the starter if he has a great preseason

489
00:23:18,119 --> 00:23:20,680
Speaker 1: again as he did last year. UM, if he's shooting

490
00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:22,600
Speaker 1: kind of holds up UM, he could be this. He

491
00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:24,080
Speaker 1: could be the starting too, So there's a lot of

492
00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:26,160
Speaker 1: a lot of ways to go with this. UM really

493
00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:28,560
Speaker 1: versatile roster, a lot of dudes who kind of can

494
00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:30,640
Speaker 1: feel in the same position. So I'm interested to see

495
00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:34,200
Speaker 1: how they come out with that. Yeah, they're extremely versatile. UM.

496
00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:37,440
Speaker 1: If you remember, we talked right after the Russell Westbrook

497
00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:41,159
Speaker 1: trade and we talked extensively about how, you know, with

498
00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:43,120
Speaker 1: Buddy Heal, things would have been kind of just an

499
00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:47,439
Speaker 1: easy puzzle to put together, but that with Russ it

500
00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:51,160
Speaker 1: was so much more important for them to build versatility

501
00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:55,240
Speaker 1: and shooting around us, and they did an outstanding job

502
00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:58,760
Speaker 1: of that. UM th h T is the one gigantic

503
00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:03,679
Speaker 1: like h swing piece this year because if he takes

504
00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:06,680
Speaker 1: a leap in terms of his defensive focus, and if

505
00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:09,399
Speaker 1: he takes a leap as a jump shooter, then he

506
00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:12,159
Speaker 1: absolutely is gonna start like he's at that point he

507
00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:15,919
Speaker 1: becomes you know, like out out performing his contract type

508
00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:18,840
Speaker 1: of you know, awesome to guard to have out there

509
00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:21,920
Speaker 1: on the floor, because when on ball, th HD is

510
00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:24,880
Speaker 1: just a gigantic pain in the ass. He's like little Kauai.

511
00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:27,600
Speaker 1: Guys can't even dribble around him, and he's super strong

512
00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:30,600
Speaker 1: and can hold his position. It was off ball defense

513
00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:33,920
Speaker 1: and his inability to just kind of keep that like

514
00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:36,920
Speaker 1: he he would be goodent of the time, but every

515
00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:39,000
Speaker 1: other five percent of the time would be him leaving

516
00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:42,440
Speaker 1: a wide open shooter or getting cut back doors, things

517
00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:44,760
Speaker 1: along those lines that would that would hurt the team.

518
00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:47,320
Speaker 1: If he can clean that stuff up, we're talking about

519
00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:49,560
Speaker 1: not only the starter, but he'll be in that closing

520
00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:51,199
Speaker 1: line up, because we're gonna talk about the closing line

521
00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:54,160
Speaker 1: up here in a second. And you know it's gonna

522
00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:57,600
Speaker 1: be lebron A, d Ariza and Russ. But who's that

523
00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:00,200
Speaker 1: fifth guy. The fifth guy is gonna be all all

524
00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:03,399
Speaker 1: about who either has it going that day or the

525
00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:07,399
Speaker 1: guy that Frank trusts to not make mistakes, because that

526
00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:10,160
Speaker 1: fifth guy more more has the potential to hurt you,

527
00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:13,359
Speaker 1: uh than help you. That that's where if it's a

528
00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:17,160
Speaker 1: bad option, it can murder your spacing or it can

529
00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:20,399
Speaker 1: be somebody that gets picked on defensively. Well, if you

530
00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:24,880
Speaker 1: have a reliable, you know, high floor, low ceiling type

531
00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:27,920
Speaker 1: of guy there, then you then that whole lineup can

532
00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:31,280
Speaker 1: work better. Well if th HT can get rid of

533
00:25:31,359 --> 00:25:33,720
Speaker 1: his low floor, which has to do with his poor

534
00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:36,800
Speaker 1: shooting from time to time and his poor defensive focus,

535
00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:39,240
Speaker 1: all of a sudden he becomes the clear cut best

536
00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:43,080
Speaker 1: option there. And and because he's so physically strong for

537
00:25:43,119 --> 00:25:47,320
Speaker 1: his size, he doesn't give any you know, physicality away

538
00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:49,239
Speaker 1: that can hurt the team. So yeah, t H T

539
00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:52,280
Speaker 1: t H D is the big swing piece. But let's

540
00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:55,720
Speaker 1: just say in general right now, they don't make another signing.

541
00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:57,320
Speaker 1: Who do you think is that fifth guy in the

542
00:25:57,359 --> 00:26:00,960
Speaker 1: closing lineup? So you see you you're locking, You're locking

543
00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:03,520
Speaker 1: in a Reason in that closing line I think he's

544
00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,879
Speaker 1: the veteran. He's a great defensive player, he doesn't give

545
00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:10,399
Speaker 1: any sort of size away at the position, and I

546
00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:13,840
Speaker 1: feel like when push comes to shove, he's going to

547
00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:15,919
Speaker 1: be one of those guys that Frank can count on.

548
00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:17,760
Speaker 1: I would be shocked if he's not in their closing

549
00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:21,320
Speaker 1: line up unless he has a health problem. Yeah. To me,

550
00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:24,000
Speaker 1: it's Russ ron a D and then everyone else to

551
00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:27,359
Speaker 1: me is interchangeable. Like I mean, if a Reason kind

552
00:26:27,359 --> 00:26:29,320
Speaker 1: of shows out and be still the shooter and defender

553
00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:31,680
Speaker 1: he is, then sure, I just think it's gonna be him.

554
00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:33,480
Speaker 1: It could be him, it could be bays More, it

555
00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:36,080
Speaker 1: could be Ellington. It could be Monk, it could be none.

556
00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:38,840
Speaker 1: Um like how the Lakers kind of they had Caruso

557
00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:41,000
Speaker 1: as their final starter last year. But I mean it

558
00:26:41,280 --> 00:26:42,960
Speaker 1: could have been any one of these guys Um th

559
00:26:43,119 --> 00:26:44,919
Speaker 1: h T as well. Um Or if they want to

560
00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:46,919
Speaker 1: bludgeon teams in the pain, it could be Dwight Howard,

561
00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:48,800
Speaker 1: you know, I mean just a D and Dwight Um

562
00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:51,399
Speaker 1: closing lineups, taking away the rim. I think you're right

563
00:26:51,400 --> 00:26:54,120
Speaker 1: a reason is probably locked in probably the most. He'll

564
00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:57,080
Speaker 1: probably close most games. Um. I worry about his age

565
00:26:57,119 --> 00:27:00,399
Speaker 1: as well, But I don't know. I would like another

566
00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:02,320
Speaker 1: shooter in there. I don't know about you, but I

567
00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:04,639
Speaker 1: would just like to have Monk or Ellington, you know,

568
00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:07,119
Speaker 1: whoever is hot that night, or base Mare, even if

569
00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:08,840
Speaker 1: he's hitting his threes. He had a career year from

570
00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:11,320
Speaker 1: last year. I just want one more shooter, just that

571
00:27:11,359 --> 00:27:13,960
Speaker 1: team's gonna kill in the pain. You know, Russ, ron A,

572
00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:16,000
Speaker 1: d all want to get right to the rim. They

573
00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:18,159
Speaker 1: all want to dominate at the basket. Um. I just

574
00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:21,399
Speaker 1: want one shooter that you can't leave open on the

575
00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:22,879
Speaker 1: floor there. Would you kind of would you kind of

576
00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:24,720
Speaker 1: go with that mindset as well? Just kind of keeping

577
00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:28,320
Speaker 1: a shooter out there. I get where you're coming from there,

578
00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:31,760
Speaker 1: and I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just saying that

579
00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:36,440
Speaker 1: we know Frank, and Frank has always prioritized defense over

580
00:27:36,480 --> 00:27:39,480
Speaker 1: shooting if he has to choose between the two. So

581
00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:43,800
Speaker 1: for instance, like you know, I thought Ben mcklamore could

582
00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:46,600
Speaker 1: have like really helped with her spacing in the long run,

583
00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:48,440
Speaker 1: but he just never really got a chance to get

584
00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:50,440
Speaker 1: his rhythm because he never got enough burned because Frank

585
00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:54,200
Speaker 1: didn't trust him defensively. Um, you know, Ellington and Monk

586
00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:57,399
Speaker 1: are going to fall into those same categories, and you know,

587
00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:01,040
Speaker 1: on the nights when they're obscenely hot, he might be

588
00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:02,920
Speaker 1: willing to go with them just because of the fact

589
00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:05,399
Speaker 1: that they're the tradeoff kind of swings in their favor.

590
00:28:06,119 --> 00:28:08,399
Speaker 1: But I I wouldn't be surprised if you see a

591
00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:11,040
Speaker 1: lot of bays more, a lot of a reason, a

592
00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:14,920
Speaker 1: lot of th h t you know, even none if

593
00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,800
Speaker 1: he is defending well. Depending on how how well he

594
00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:22,119
Speaker 1: defends this year, just in general, I expect uh Frank

595
00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:24,680
Speaker 1: to favor defense in that position. I think the only

596
00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:27,200
Speaker 1: guys that are off the hook there are Rustle Lebron

597
00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:29,240
Speaker 1: and a D in the sense that, like, if they're

598
00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:32,440
Speaker 1: having a rough night defensively, they might still play. Um.

599
00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:35,320
Speaker 1: That's kind of where I'm at with it. Um. So

600
00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:39,240
Speaker 1: what we wanted to do for this next part, not

601
00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:42,640
Speaker 1: counting starters and closers, This can be any lineup. You

602
00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:44,280
Speaker 1: can have Lebron and a D, can have Lebron, a

603
00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:45,960
Speaker 1: D and Russ. You could call it whatever you wanna

604
00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:49,440
Speaker 1: call it. What is the lineup that you're most excited

605
00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:52,200
Speaker 1: to see this year? Just to see what it looks like.

606
00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:54,440
Speaker 1: It could be one that they throw out there in

607
00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:57,800
Speaker 1: a random second quarter in February and then never use again.

608
00:28:58,120 --> 00:29:00,080
Speaker 1: But what is the lineup that you're most excited I

609
00:29:00,080 --> 00:29:02,480
Speaker 1: did to see this year. I want to see the

610
00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:06,200
Speaker 1: like young high like flyers with brawn and a D.

611
00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:08,120
Speaker 1: Like I'm really interested in that. I want to see

612
00:29:08,160 --> 00:29:10,520
Speaker 1: three dudes just running the courts. So so I wrote

613
00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:13,760
Speaker 1: down th h T none, monk Ron and a D.

614
00:29:13,880 --> 00:29:16,120
Speaker 1: And I think that's just a super fast lineup. A

615
00:29:16,120 --> 00:29:17,880
Speaker 1: lot of still, a lot of ball handling, a lot

616
00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:19,760
Speaker 1: of like guys who can shoot off the dribble kind

617
00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:21,840
Speaker 1: of stuff, guys who can come off screens. I'm just

618
00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:24,280
Speaker 1: really fascinated with that. Again, th HD is the most

619
00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:26,920
Speaker 1: variant dude, Like he's the most like he could be,

620
00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:28,480
Speaker 1: he could be a starter, or it can like not

621
00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:31,120
Speaker 1: be in the rotation. It's just really interesting. And year three,

622
00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:33,520
Speaker 1: right is where guys usually make that drump Like I

623
00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:36,800
Speaker 1: remember watching Brandon Ingram year three UM, not to compare,

624
00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:39,240
Speaker 1: but like D'Angel Russell as well, your three really got

625
00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:41,760
Speaker 1: comfortable UM in the league. So I'm really interested to

626
00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:43,600
Speaker 1: see where it got. Year three is usually when guys

627
00:29:43,680 --> 00:29:46,120
Speaker 1: kind of really understand how they get their baskets, how

628
00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:48,960
Speaker 1: they you know, the game kind of really slows down

629
00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:50,840
Speaker 1: for them. So yeah, I would like to see that

630
00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:53,239
Speaker 1: kind of young kind of line up mixed with our

631
00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:55,320
Speaker 1: two with the with brawn and a D and maybe

632
00:29:55,320 --> 00:29:57,480
Speaker 1: you can even throw Russ in there for Kendrick Nunn.

633
00:29:57,560 --> 00:29:59,640
Speaker 1: So like a th HT, Russ, Monk Brown and a

634
00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:02,080
Speaker 1: D just a youth with the with the stars, how

635
00:30:02,120 --> 00:30:05,360
Speaker 1: about you. Yeah, I like that. I like any combination

636
00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:09,080
Speaker 1: of guys that uh in a lineup like that that

637
00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:11,880
Speaker 1: are all really good at. This is something that we

638
00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:15,400
Speaker 1: talked about in the last part. Taking advantage and capitalizing

639
00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:18,920
Speaker 1: on attention that's thrown towards Lebron and a d Um.

640
00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:21,200
Speaker 1: You know that this is something that I loved from

641
00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:24,480
Speaker 1: talent Horton Tucker before the Lebron and a d injuries

642
00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:27,600
Speaker 1: last year. Everybody remembers talent Horton Tucker as this high

643
00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:30,680
Speaker 1: volume on ball guy that we were forced to use

644
00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:34,360
Speaker 1: extensively because of the injuries. But there was this whole

645
00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:37,680
Speaker 1: you know, eight games stretched there at the beginning of

646
00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:39,760
Speaker 1: the season when Lebron and na d were healthy, where

647
00:30:39,800 --> 00:30:41,840
Speaker 1: he was a spot up guy who was attacking closeouts.

648
00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:44,720
Speaker 1: He would occasionally get his isolation opportunities, but he was

649
00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:48,960
Speaker 1: just really good at at at picking angles and getting

650
00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:51,440
Speaker 1: the closing out defender on his side and just getting

651
00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:54,440
Speaker 1: all the way to the writ or countering to you know,

652
00:30:54,600 --> 00:30:56,520
Speaker 1: some sort of spinning hook or whatever. It was like,

653
00:30:56,600 --> 00:30:59,000
Speaker 1: he just was really really good at that. And uh,

654
00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:00,920
Speaker 1: I feel the same way about None in Monk and

655
00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:03,120
Speaker 1: getting the three of them together to capitalize off that

656
00:31:03,160 --> 00:31:06,680
Speaker 1: attention is something that could be really exciting. Um. The

657
00:31:06,720 --> 00:31:11,400
Speaker 1: lineup that I chose as uh as something that I

658
00:31:11,400 --> 00:31:14,080
Speaker 1: don't think we'll see often, but I think will be

659
00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:17,800
Speaker 1: something that the Lakers will go to when the offense

660
00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:21,600
Speaker 1: gets clunky just in general. Um is what I would

661
00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:26,920
Speaker 1: call like the vintage Lakers. I'm gonna pulverize you line up.

662
00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:30,240
Speaker 1: So it's gonna be Dwight Howard at the center, Anthony

663
00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:34,680
Speaker 1: Davis at the power forward, Lebron James at the three,

664
00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:38,160
Speaker 1: camp Baysmore at the two, and Russell Westbrook at the one.

665
00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:41,040
Speaker 1: Every one of those guys is big, athletic and strong.

666
00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:43,640
Speaker 1: Baysmore is probably the thinnest one in there, but he's

667
00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:46,800
Speaker 1: a veteran player who understands how to play in physicality.

668
00:31:46,840 --> 00:31:49,360
Speaker 1: But that is a line up where it's like the

669
00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:52,560
Speaker 1: refs are not calling anything. No one really has it

670
00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:56,840
Speaker 1: going offensively, but we're just gonna lock in defensively and

671
00:31:56,840 --> 00:31:59,760
Speaker 1: we're gonna pulverize you on the offensive glass. We're gonna

672
00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:02,360
Speaker 1: is at the rim and we're just gonna beat you

673
00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:06,240
Speaker 1: to death with our physicality. Uh. One of my favorite

674
00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:09,840
Speaker 1: things about this new roster is it takes on this

675
00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:15,320
Speaker 1: whole new persona as this like skilled shot making lineup,

676
00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:18,400
Speaker 1: especially in the back court. UH, and then older and

677
00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:21,920
Speaker 1: more veteran presences in the front court instead of the

678
00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,120
Speaker 1: younger movement that they had last year. With guys that

679
00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:27,600
Speaker 1: were a little bit lower i Q like Andre Drummond

680
00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:31,400
Speaker 1: and Kyle Kuzma. Now we've upgraded that all all veteran

681
00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:34,480
Speaker 1: guys in the front court. Well, they can still audible

682
00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:38,719
Speaker 1: back to these huge, bruising lineups, and that to me

683
00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:41,920
Speaker 1: gives you that, like that versatility to be able to

684
00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:45,040
Speaker 1: to to audible at the last second if something's not working,

685
00:32:45,080 --> 00:32:48,240
Speaker 1: and take on a completely different approach to the game.

686
00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:51,200
Speaker 1: So that's a lineup that I'm most excited for. I

687
00:32:51,240 --> 00:32:53,760
Speaker 1: like that that that Lantum also takes away the rim too, right,

688
00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:56,000
Speaker 1: So it's basically they're just daring you to come in

689
00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:59,040
Speaker 1: and attack Dwight Howard Anthony Davis whoever's at the room

690
00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:01,400
Speaker 1: at the time. D can kind of roam as well.

691
00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:03,600
Speaker 1: They're probably put him on a corner shooter or something

692
00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:05,280
Speaker 1: like him Rome and kind of get back to that.

693
00:33:05,320 --> 00:33:08,400
Speaker 1: So I like that really physical um rust Dwhite and

694
00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:11,320
Speaker 1: a d just by themselves are just super physical dudes

695
00:33:11,360 --> 00:33:14,120
Speaker 1: when they're right, right, Like, that's a really tough lineup

696
00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:16,840
Speaker 1: to got to go against, probably be really really annoying.

697
00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:19,960
Speaker 1: Just touch on your THHD point. He took West Matthews

698
00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:22,239
Speaker 1: minutes in the earlier the year, right, just because like

699
00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:23,960
Speaker 1: and on the team that was winning, on the team

700
00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:25,560
Speaker 1: that was like the I think they were the one

701
00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:27,520
Speaker 1: seed or or close to the one seed at the time.

702
00:33:27,680 --> 00:33:29,080
Speaker 1: I think Utah had the one, but they were like

703
00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:30,720
Speaker 1: right there with him. So so you're right, he was

704
00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:32,480
Speaker 1: an off ball player and he wouldn't have played if

705
00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:34,280
Speaker 1: he couldn't defend. Right, you get to be at least

706
00:33:34,280 --> 00:33:36,960
Speaker 1: be able to defend his position at some at some part.

707
00:33:37,040 --> 00:33:38,360
Speaker 1: So I think there's skill there. But yeah, I like

708
00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:41,200
Speaker 1: that lineup, really physical, really dominant. Probably a lot of

709
00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:44,440
Speaker 1: technical fowls and that a lot of a lot of uh,

710
00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:46,800
Speaker 1: you know, a lot of a lot of a lot

711
00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:48,760
Speaker 1: of cheap vowels and stuff like that that you know,

712
00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:50,640
Speaker 1: these vets kind of know what they can kind of

713
00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:53,120
Speaker 1: get away with. I always think of that Denver series. Um,

714
00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:56,040
Speaker 1: I thought, why really kind of annoyed annoyed them because

715
00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:57,840
Speaker 1: he knew what he could get away with. He saw

716
00:33:57,960 --> 00:34:00,000
Speaker 1: what kind of physicality they were allowing. And we saw

717
00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:02,400
Speaker 1: on the playoffs, um, the amount of we saw through

718
00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:05,240
Speaker 1: Holiday be able to just you know, absolutely stick on

719
00:34:05,320 --> 00:34:08,040
Speaker 1: Chris Paul and be as physical as he wants because

720
00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:10,440
Speaker 1: that's what they allow in the finals. So so I

721
00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:13,120
Speaker 1: like that team that's super physical and they'll know what

722
00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:15,440
Speaker 1: they can get away with. So we want to get

723
00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:17,080
Speaker 1: to the mail back. So I'm gonna go really quickly

724
00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:18,560
Speaker 1: on this Frank Vogel thing because I think you and

725
00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:21,120
Speaker 1: I are probably on the same page. Um, do you

726
00:34:21,160 --> 00:34:23,840
Speaker 1: think the Lakers are gonna have any issues retaining Frank Vogel?

727
00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:28,200
Speaker 1: I'm not even talking about, uh, you know, whether or

728
00:34:28,239 --> 00:34:30,240
Speaker 1: not he would want to stay, because I know he would.

729
00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:33,319
Speaker 1: Do you think that the Lakers are even considering the

730
00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:35,560
Speaker 1: idea that they might ditch Frank after this year? Or

731
00:34:35,560 --> 00:34:37,319
Speaker 1: do you think the extension is going to be worked out?

732
00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:40,200
Speaker 1: This is all a formality. Yeah, I think the extension

733
00:34:40,239 --> 00:34:41,920
Speaker 1: will be worked out. I think when you win a

734
00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:45,600
Speaker 1: championship in your first year, you actually you earn an extension.

735
00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:48,640
Speaker 1: Whether or not you finish out that contracts a different story. Um.

736
00:34:48,719 --> 00:34:51,279
Speaker 1: Lakers have been known to let go multiple coaches. You

737
00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:53,040
Speaker 1: know that they I think they were paying like three

738
00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:55,840
Speaker 1: coaches at the same time. Um, Mike Bround, Mike D'Antoni,

739
00:34:56,239 --> 00:34:59,359
Speaker 1: one more, I forget who. Um, So it's even if

740
00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:01,000
Speaker 1: he doesn't stay. How I think he has earned an

741
00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:02,879
Speaker 1: extension when you win your title in the first year,

742
00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:06,000
Speaker 1: kept that team as the number one defense last year. UM,

743
00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:08,120
Speaker 1: I think that's a that's something that he should put

744
00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:10,120
Speaker 1: on his like resume. I think that's a big deal

745
00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:12,960
Speaker 1: to me with all the all the entertaine real parts

746
00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:15,480
Speaker 1: that happened last year. So so with all that, um,

747
00:35:15,719 --> 00:35:18,000
Speaker 1: even with even though even what happened last year, I

748
00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:20,960
Speaker 1: think he's kind of earned next his his next contracy.

749
00:35:20,960 --> 00:35:23,000
Speaker 1: I don't think he should go into the year, um

750
00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:25,279
Speaker 1: not knowing what should happen next year. Like, I think

751
00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:28,440
Speaker 1: that should be worked out before we get started here.

752
00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:33,080
Speaker 1: YEA for starters, he deserves it. Um. You know, after

753
00:35:33,120 --> 00:35:35,600
Speaker 1: the first season, you and I talked extensively in the

754
00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:39,520
Speaker 1: off season about how the players in particular were so

755
00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:42,360
Speaker 1: incredibly impressed by Frank scouting reports. There was even that

756
00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:44,759
Speaker 1: famous story where Lebron stood up and giving him a

757
00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:49,279
Speaker 1: stounding standing ovation after a scouting session. So uh, that

758
00:35:49,360 --> 00:35:51,359
Speaker 1: was that was how his first season went, and he

759
00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:54,279
Speaker 1: was a champion. Uh. Then his second season, let's just

760
00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:56,080
Speaker 1: call it what it is, they were really good, their

761
00:35:56,120 --> 00:35:59,600
Speaker 1: stars got hurt, he somehow managed to float the team. Um.

762
00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:03,280
Speaker 1: Uh in that time by getting them to continue to defend.

763
00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:05,480
Speaker 1: And yes, they lost in the first round, but Anthony

764
00:36:05,520 --> 00:36:08,040
Speaker 1: Davis got hurt. And quite frankly, it's not like there

765
00:36:08,080 --> 00:36:10,160
Speaker 1: was some audible to go to in terms of lineups,

766
00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:12,800
Speaker 1: because even the Lakers best shooters like KCP and Alex

767
00:36:12,880 --> 00:36:15,880
Speaker 1: Cruso during the regular season both couldn't make a shot

768
00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:18,600
Speaker 1: against the Sun. So like, at a certain point that

769
00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:20,920
Speaker 1: was that was beyond a coaching issue. That was just

770
00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:23,560
Speaker 1: a like, if anything, if there was one mistake that

771
00:36:23,560 --> 00:36:25,560
Speaker 1: I would point to in the Phoenix Sun series, it

772
00:36:25,640 --> 00:36:28,560
Speaker 1: was even trying to play. Uh, Anthony Davis had all

773
00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:31,040
Speaker 1: in Game six, I would have sat him because I

774
00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:33,440
Speaker 1: felt like part of the reason why the Sun's blitz

775
00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:36,000
Speaker 1: them in the first quarter was everyone was depressed again

776
00:36:36,040 --> 00:36:38,240
Speaker 1: because Anthony Davis got hurt. If there was a chance

777
00:36:38,280 --> 00:36:40,640
Speaker 1: to win that series, it was don't play a d

778
00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:43,200
Speaker 1: ride your home crowd in game six, try to steal

779
00:36:43,239 --> 00:36:45,320
Speaker 1: the game bringing back for Game seven, or try to

780
00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:47,719
Speaker 1: steal Game seven on the road. But anyway, I'm with you,

781
00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:51,879
Speaker 1: like he flat out deserves the extension. Yes, if this

782
00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:54,760
Speaker 1: year is just a total ship show and everything goes south,

783
00:36:55,560 --> 00:36:58,000
Speaker 1: maybe that doesn't work out, But I'm with you. I

784
00:36:58,080 --> 00:37:00,000
Speaker 1: have a feeling the extension is gonna be worked out

785
00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:02,719
Speaker 1: for training camp and this will just be a moot

786
00:37:02,760 --> 00:37:05,840
Speaker 1: point to begin with. Yep, I agree with that he shouldn't.

787
00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:07,799
Speaker 1: He should go. He should go into the year knowing, Um,

788
00:37:07,840 --> 00:37:10,520
Speaker 1: he's got extended, Like, there's no reason to go in. Uh.

789
00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:12,360
Speaker 1: It's always said that coaches don't really like to go

790
00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:15,080
Speaker 1: into a last year right without knowing. It's kind of

791
00:37:15,120 --> 00:37:17,360
Speaker 1: really rough thing to kind of coach as without that

792
00:37:17,440 --> 00:37:20,719
Speaker 1: kind of security. So yeah, he should definitely get his

793
00:37:20,719 --> 00:37:25,440
Speaker 1: deal done. So our first mail bad question from earlier

794
00:37:25,480 --> 00:37:31,239
Speaker 1: this morning, um, this is from Sean Um. He says,

795
00:37:31,239 --> 00:37:33,560
Speaker 1: I I feel like Russ on D is the biggest

796
00:37:33,600 --> 00:37:37,520
Speaker 1: question mark. Everything else seems set on Lebron and a

797
00:37:37,640 --> 00:37:40,520
Speaker 1: D doing their thing, Wayne and Monk shooting threes. Everyone

798
00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:43,680
Speaker 1: else in the role also think Russ making them compete

799
00:37:43,719 --> 00:37:46,839
Speaker 1: every night will be huge. So if he can just

800
00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:49,759
Speaker 1: be solid on defense, they won't have many holes. Do

801
00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:53,960
Speaker 1: you guys agree? Yeah? I mean I think that is

802
00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:56,000
Speaker 1: the biggest question. I would agree with him. Um, Russ

803
00:37:56,040 --> 00:37:58,040
Speaker 1: hasn't been good on defense for a little while now,

804
00:37:58,080 --> 00:38:00,560
Speaker 1: Like that's no secret. Um. But I think that's also

805
00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:02,680
Speaker 1: with the offensive burden that he's had to carry. So

806
00:38:02,719 --> 00:38:05,560
Speaker 1: I think there's like a double double edged sword there. Um.

807
00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:07,640
Speaker 1: But yeah, he's gonna have to be better. Like that's

808
00:38:07,640 --> 00:38:09,359
Speaker 1: just what it is. He has all the tools. It's

809
00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:11,319
Speaker 1: not like it's not like he can't defend. He has

810
00:38:11,320 --> 00:38:14,000
Speaker 1: the size, he has the athleticism, speed, um. And I

811
00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:17,040
Speaker 1: think that the scheme vocal scheme will kind of push

812
00:38:17,120 --> 00:38:20,279
Speaker 1: him in the right direction. So I'll see people are

813
00:38:20,280 --> 00:38:22,640
Speaker 1: saying if he can switch, What'll kind of see with that.

814
00:38:22,640 --> 00:38:24,640
Speaker 1: We'll see how that kind of works. Um. I don't

815
00:38:24,640 --> 00:38:26,799
Speaker 1: think he's the point of attack defender that we've had

816
00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:29,120
Speaker 1: in the least a few years. Right, He's not gonna

817
00:38:29,160 --> 00:38:31,680
Speaker 1: be picking up full court and and doing all those

818
00:38:31,719 --> 00:38:33,319
Speaker 1: kind of little things there. But um, I think he

819
00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:35,319
Speaker 1: can still be. He can be a solid defender, and

820
00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:37,240
Speaker 1: that's what you have to be when you have Anthony

821
00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:38,680
Speaker 1: Davis behind you, you just had to be a kind

822
00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:41,160
Speaker 1: of a solid defender. Um. Kind of funnel things to him,

823
00:38:41,200 --> 00:38:43,960
Speaker 1: and I think he's more than cable of doing that. Um.

824
00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:47,160
Speaker 1: What do you think? Yeah, I agree, and I'm less

825
00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:49,960
Speaker 1: worried about him at the point of attack. There's a

826
00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:51,640
Speaker 1: lot of data out there that that's one of his

827
00:38:51,640 --> 00:38:54,560
Speaker 1: biggest strengths. My biggest worry with Russ is off ball,

828
00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:57,160
Speaker 1: just paying attention. He's a he's kind of like Region

829
00:38:57,239 --> 00:39:00,160
Speaker 1: Rondo in the sense that he's constantly just trying make

830
00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:03,080
Speaker 1: that home run play defensively, and so, yeah, you're gonna

831
00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:05,600
Speaker 1: have nights with Rondo where like against the Nuggets and

832
00:39:05,719 --> 00:39:09,560
Speaker 1: Game three of that series and the Bubble where he

833
00:39:09,719 --> 00:39:12,480
Speaker 1: rips Jamal Murray like three straight times a half court

834
00:39:12,520 --> 00:39:14,520
Speaker 1: and goes for layups and you're like, oh, my goodness, Like,

835
00:39:14,600 --> 00:39:17,560
Speaker 1: Rondo's just wrecking this game defensively. But then the next

836
00:39:17,960 --> 00:39:19,600
Speaker 1: you know, then the next possession he will reach in

837
00:39:19,680 --> 00:39:21,759
Speaker 1: and the and and be way out of position and

838
00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:24,480
Speaker 1: end up hurting himself or hurting the team. That's kind

839
00:39:24,480 --> 00:39:26,759
Speaker 1: of the same effect to the Russell Westbrook thing. It's

840
00:39:26,760 --> 00:39:29,879
Speaker 1: not about when he's engaged, because when he's engaged he's great.

841
00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:32,439
Speaker 1: It's just it's him being overly aggressive and a little

842
00:39:32,440 --> 00:39:35,960
Speaker 1: bit too you know, a risky in that sense in

843
00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:40,760
Speaker 1: that sense defensively as far as like just uh in general,

844
00:39:40,960 --> 00:39:45,640
Speaker 1: with his ability on the ball, there's a lot of

845
00:39:45,719 --> 00:39:49,399
Speaker 1: drew holiday potential with him and because he is big

846
00:39:49,400 --> 00:39:53,799
Speaker 1: and strong and athletic to where as he gets into

847
00:39:53,840 --> 00:39:56,479
Speaker 1: these deeper round playoff series, which we haven't seen really

848
00:39:56,520 --> 00:40:00,440
Speaker 1: since Oklahoma City. He's actually a really deeply in actful

849
00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:03,760
Speaker 1: defensive player. He did a really good job on Dwyane

850
00:40:03,760 --> 00:40:07,000
Speaker 1: Wade in the UH in the two thousand and twelve

851
00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:09,239
Speaker 1: finals because of the fact that he's so strong and

852
00:40:09,280 --> 00:40:13,279
Speaker 1: athletic and is in the physicality that's allowed in those moments. Now,

853
00:40:13,320 --> 00:40:16,040
Speaker 1: obviously he's older now and less athletic, but he's still

854
00:40:16,280 --> 00:40:19,120
Speaker 1: more athletic than the vast majority of the guards that

855
00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:21,960
Speaker 1: he's going to encounter. It's kind of the same Lebron effect.

856
00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:25,120
Speaker 1: It's like, yeah, he's deteriorated a little bit, but really

857
00:40:25,239 --> 00:40:28,680
Speaker 1: is are you worried about that? With his matchups? You know? Um?

858
00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:33,400
Speaker 1: And the other thing too, is like I watched him

859
00:40:33,440 --> 00:40:38,240
Speaker 1: two years ago against Damian Lillard, and everyone remembers Damian

860
00:40:38,280 --> 00:40:44,640
Speaker 1: Lillard just resoundingly defeating him and talking mountains of trash

861
00:40:44,760 --> 00:40:50,040
Speaker 1: and the result, and there's there's no there's no denying

862
00:40:50,120 --> 00:40:54,440
Speaker 1: what actually happened in that environment. However, the reality of

863
00:40:54,440 --> 00:40:58,360
Speaker 1: what happened in that series was Russ in his offensive

864
00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:02,120
Speaker 1: limitations or the reason why they couldn't win. He actually

865
00:41:02,160 --> 00:41:05,880
Speaker 1: defended Dame extremely well, and there were possessions where he

866
00:41:05,880 --> 00:41:09,360
Speaker 1: almost swallowed him up. It just so happened that Dame,

867
00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:13,080
Speaker 1: with his ball control, pace control and his i Q

868
00:41:14,040 --> 00:41:17,200
Speaker 1: was able to out execute us. But that's not going

869
00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:19,799
Speaker 1: to be a problem for us in this setting. In

870
00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:23,480
Speaker 1: this setting, the offensive load and the i Q load

871
00:41:23,520 --> 00:41:26,840
Speaker 1: and the decision making will hopefully be under Lebron, and

872
00:41:26,880 --> 00:41:30,759
Speaker 1: so in that regard, I do actually like having him

873
00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:33,880
Speaker 1: for those matchups because that's never been the problem. His

874
00:41:33,960 --> 00:41:37,520
Speaker 1: ability to make Dame work extremely hard and be less

875
00:41:37,560 --> 00:41:40,879
Speaker 1: efficient than usual, that's not a problem for us. He's

876
00:41:40,880 --> 00:41:43,240
Speaker 1: gonna be able to force those guys into tough shots

877
00:41:43,280 --> 00:41:46,600
Speaker 1: that I I'm less worried about defense with Russ than

878
00:41:46,640 --> 00:41:50,360
Speaker 1: I am about off ball attention and just on offense,

879
00:41:50,400 --> 00:41:54,480
Speaker 1: whether or not he defers to Lebron when he's supposed to. Yeah,

880
00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:57,239
Speaker 1: and last thing on that, like people talk about his

881
00:41:57,239 --> 00:41:59,920
Speaker 1: statpanning or whatever like that, but the final part of

882
00:41:59,920 --> 00:42:02,640
Speaker 1: the defensive possession is getting the defensive rebound, right, Like,

883
00:42:02,640 --> 00:42:04,840
Speaker 1: that's the kind of part And he's an amazing rebounder

884
00:42:04,880 --> 00:42:07,600
Speaker 1: on both ends, on offense and defensive, so that's a

885
00:42:07,600 --> 00:42:08,960
Speaker 1: big part of it as well. I think he'll really

886
00:42:08,960 --> 00:42:11,800
Speaker 1: help with that. Um. Yeah, he's a great defensive rebound

887
00:42:11,800 --> 00:42:14,399
Speaker 1: WHI should be part of the conversation as well. So, um,

888
00:42:14,440 --> 00:42:16,040
Speaker 1: that part is definitely going to be there as a

889
00:42:16,040 --> 00:42:18,719
Speaker 1: as a defender. I'm not sure how much you'll be again, like,

890
00:42:18,760 --> 00:42:20,399
Speaker 1: I think this is all. I think you talked about

891
00:42:20,400 --> 00:42:22,480
Speaker 1: the off ball stuff. That's all to me effort and

892
00:42:22,520 --> 00:42:25,160
Speaker 1: that's all like awareness and and focus and all that

893
00:42:25,200 --> 00:42:27,480
Speaker 1: kind of stuff, which I think you'll have um this

894
00:42:27,600 --> 00:42:29,960
Speaker 1: year for sure. So so yeah, I think he'll be

895
00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:32,440
Speaker 1: fine on defense. I think like the switching off fall

896
00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:35,160
Speaker 1: stuff is definitely the biggest question. But I think, um,

897
00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:38,439
Speaker 1: he'll be find in this in this scheme. Yeah, agree,

898
00:42:38,480 --> 00:42:40,920
Speaker 1: and and really quickly before we go to the next question.

899
00:42:41,040 --> 00:42:43,400
Speaker 1: You know what's interesting with Ross is uh, you know,

900
00:42:43,600 --> 00:42:49,000
Speaker 1: he raises your rebounding presence and your athleticism presence continue

901
00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:52,480
Speaker 1: or considerably because of the fact that it's a five

902
00:42:52,600 --> 00:42:56,080
Speaker 1: person job. You know, this is something we you like.

903
00:42:56,160 --> 00:43:00,600
Speaker 1: DeAndre Ayton was the second most physically impressed person in

904
00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:04,719
Speaker 1: the NBA Finals, behind Janice right, and the Sun's just

905
00:43:04,760 --> 00:43:08,400
Speaker 1: got physically bludgeoned because the other four guys on the

906
00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:12,000
Speaker 1: floor were all thin and overmatched physically. So that kind

907
00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:13,759
Speaker 1: of goes to show you that just having one of

908
00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:16,319
Speaker 1: those guys isn't enough. You know, if you run out

909
00:43:16,360 --> 00:43:20,880
Speaker 1: lineups this year of of Ellington and Monk and Aresa

910
00:43:20,960 --> 00:43:24,840
Speaker 1: Mellow and and Anthony Davis, they're probably gonna get physically

911
00:43:24,880 --> 00:43:28,280
Speaker 1: manhandled because they're just too thin down the line. Well,

912
00:43:28,480 --> 00:43:32,239
Speaker 1: Russ gives you. Russ again adds to that, It's what

913
00:43:32,360 --> 00:43:34,640
Speaker 1: made the Bucks physically imposing is that it was Drew

914
00:43:34,719 --> 00:43:37,840
Speaker 1: Holiday with the honest. It was you know, Brook Lopez

915
00:43:37,880 --> 00:43:39,800
Speaker 1: with youann as it was Chris Middleton with the honest,

916
00:43:39,840 --> 00:43:43,680
Speaker 1: and so Russ just kind of significantly raises the physical

917
00:43:43,760 --> 00:43:49,239
Speaker 1: presence of the Lakers. All right, next question, we can

918
00:43:49,320 --> 00:43:53,000
Speaker 1: hit this one really quick. Is this current roster when

919
00:43:53,120 --> 00:43:57,480
Speaker 1: healthy good enough to be a healthy NETS team? This

920
00:43:57,560 --> 00:44:01,640
Speaker 1: is from Veno. I mean I think it is. I

921
00:44:01,640 --> 00:44:03,920
Speaker 1: think the I think the next problem. Nets probably have

922
00:44:03,960 --> 00:44:06,840
Speaker 1: a little more like top end talent. Just if you

923
00:44:06,920 --> 00:44:09,680
Speaker 1: compare the top end talent just by a bit um,

924
00:44:09,719 --> 00:44:12,560
Speaker 1: depending how you think of Westbrook and Kyrie or however

925
00:44:12,600 --> 00:44:14,600
Speaker 1: you think of them or hardened. But uh, yeah, I

926
00:44:14,640 --> 00:44:16,239
Speaker 1: think they can. I mean, I feel like it will

927
00:44:16,280 --> 00:44:18,839
Speaker 1: be a pretty nice matchup going on those three going

928
00:44:18,880 --> 00:44:21,280
Speaker 1: that once you get to the finals, I mean, all

929
00:44:21,480 --> 00:44:23,319
Speaker 1: all bets are off, So I mean I I feel

930
00:44:23,320 --> 00:44:25,239
Speaker 1: like those teams will be will be ready to go

931
00:44:25,680 --> 00:44:29,440
Speaker 1: against each other. Obviously, stopping Katie and all that is

932
00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:31,600
Speaker 1: a it's a different question, but I feel like they can.

933
00:44:31,680 --> 00:44:33,920
Speaker 1: It's a it's a it's a toss up series. To me,

934
00:44:34,160 --> 00:44:36,839
Speaker 1: Brooklyn Lakers Lakers series is a toss up series. They're

935
00:44:36,920 --> 00:44:39,640
Speaker 1: pretty evenly matched in my opinion, just going down the roster,

936
00:44:39,680 --> 00:44:43,800
Speaker 1: how about you, Yeah, I actually would pick the Lakers

937
00:44:43,840 --> 00:44:47,640
Speaker 1: to beat the Nets. I probably would not have last year. Uh,

938
00:44:47,800 --> 00:44:51,160
Speaker 1: last year, the Lakers were not a good offensive team. Uh.

939
00:44:51,160 --> 00:44:53,319
Speaker 1: In A big part of that was just roster construction

940
00:44:53,440 --> 00:44:57,160
Speaker 1: and spacing and A D didn't play the five all season.

941
00:44:57,280 --> 00:44:59,120
Speaker 1: So even when he went to the five in the postseason,

942
00:44:59,120 --> 00:45:01,000
Speaker 1: he just wasn't good at because he didn't practice it

943
00:45:01,080 --> 00:45:03,759
Speaker 1: all year. Um, this team is going to be more

944
00:45:03,800 --> 00:45:07,920
Speaker 1: equipped for that challenge, you know. Uh, the offensive gap

945
00:45:08,040 --> 00:45:10,319
Speaker 1: isn't going to be as big as the gap that

946
00:45:10,360 --> 00:45:12,000
Speaker 1: the Lakers are going to be able to create with

947
00:45:12,040 --> 00:45:14,520
Speaker 1: their defense. On the other end, One of the things

948
00:45:14,560 --> 00:45:17,640
Speaker 1: that really excites me about a Lakers Nets matchup is

949
00:45:17,680 --> 00:45:20,200
Speaker 1: the fact that Lebron in a D can be roamers

950
00:45:20,320 --> 00:45:24,160
Speaker 1: defensively in theory. Okay, so they'll be able to take

951
00:45:24,200 --> 00:45:26,960
Speaker 1: matchups if they need to, but in theory, they'll be

952
00:45:26,960 --> 00:45:30,040
Speaker 1: able to be roamers defensively. Being able to put Russ

953
00:45:30,040 --> 00:45:33,520
Speaker 1: on Kyrie, someone like a bays More or a Nun

954
00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:39,400
Speaker 1: on Harden, and then put a Trevor Ariza and Kevin Durant,

955
00:45:39,760 --> 00:45:42,120
Speaker 1: and then allowing Lebron in a D to just be

956
00:45:42,160 --> 00:45:46,200
Speaker 1: your back line defensively makes all those other three guys.

957
00:45:46,600 --> 00:45:49,000
Speaker 1: It puts them in a much better position to succeed.

958
00:45:49,520 --> 00:45:52,040
Speaker 1: And I actually like the ability of a Russ athletically

959
00:45:52,160 --> 00:45:54,360
Speaker 1: to wear Kyrie down over the course of the series.

960
00:45:54,840 --> 00:45:57,719
Speaker 1: Bays More on Harden is probably your weakest matchup there,

961
00:45:57,719 --> 00:45:59,919
Speaker 1: but again, having Lebron in a D on the back

962
00:46:00,040 --> 00:46:02,280
Speaker 1: line is such a huge advantage there. And a reason

963
00:46:02,440 --> 00:46:04,440
Speaker 1: is actually one of the better Kevin Durant defenders I've

964
00:46:04,480 --> 00:46:07,000
Speaker 1: ever seen. He's really good at kind of getting a

965
00:46:07,040 --> 00:46:09,440
Speaker 1: read on his rhythm, he picks him up after he

966
00:46:09,440 --> 00:46:12,600
Speaker 1: crosses half court. He's he just he has a lot

967
00:46:12,680 --> 00:46:15,720
Speaker 1: of reps in that role and has a track record

968
00:46:15,760 --> 00:46:19,120
Speaker 1: of making him struggle a little bit. So I actually

969
00:46:19,120 --> 00:46:21,440
Speaker 1: feel a lot better about that matchup. It's close, It's

970
00:46:21,560 --> 00:46:24,399
Speaker 1: very close. Um, I think the Nets are a little

971
00:46:24,400 --> 00:46:28,719
Speaker 1: bit better offensively, but I think the Lakers overall would

972
00:46:28,719 --> 00:46:31,640
Speaker 1: have a good chance to win that series. Yeah, the

973
00:46:31,719 --> 00:46:33,319
Speaker 1: last class Bok thing on that, it's a it's a

974
00:46:33,400 --> 00:46:35,719
Speaker 1: clash of styles, right, Like, it's a really clash of

975
00:46:35,800 --> 00:46:39,200
Speaker 1: styles like that are really jump shooting, kind of silky smooth,

976
00:46:39,280 --> 00:46:41,239
Speaker 1: kind of skilled team. The Lakers are just like, we're

977
00:46:41,239 --> 00:46:43,000
Speaker 1: gonna bludge in you in the paint. We're just gonna

978
00:46:43,200 --> 00:46:44,839
Speaker 1: We're just gonna force you to kind of defend out

979
00:46:44,880 --> 00:46:47,360
Speaker 1: the rim a D even a D like who are

980
00:46:47,400 --> 00:46:49,040
Speaker 1: they putting on a D? Like? Who are they putting

981
00:46:49,040 --> 00:46:51,239
Speaker 1: on Lebron I guess it's my my question with that.

982
00:46:51,280 --> 00:46:53,239
Speaker 1: And then Russ as well. It's just super physical at

983
00:46:53,239 --> 00:46:55,399
Speaker 1: the rim. Gonna make at least one of James, Harden

984
00:46:55,400 --> 00:46:57,319
Speaker 1: and Kyrie worked right, at least one of them are

985
00:46:57,360 --> 00:46:59,160
Speaker 1: going to have to work on the other end. Um,

986
00:46:59,200 --> 00:47:01,760
Speaker 1: just a fun class A style, just a super super

987
00:47:01,800 --> 00:47:04,800
Speaker 1: fun clash of differences in a team kind of building

988
00:47:04,800 --> 00:47:06,040
Speaker 1: and all that. So I think it would be a

989
00:47:06,080 --> 00:47:08,480
Speaker 1: really fun matchup where the Lakers would like kind of

990
00:47:08,520 --> 00:47:10,719
Speaker 1: dominate the paint, well, the Nets kind of win the

991
00:47:10,800 --> 00:47:12,800
Speaker 1: math battle with the threes and all and all that

992
00:47:12,840 --> 00:47:14,640
Speaker 1: and the jump shooting. So yeah, it would be a

993
00:47:14,640 --> 00:47:18,160
Speaker 1: fun matchup for sure. Russ. Russ killed the Nets this year,

994
00:47:18,600 --> 00:47:24,799
Speaker 1: and quite frankly, yeah, and their their backcourt is just

995
00:47:25,040 --> 00:47:27,719
Speaker 1: completely unequipped to stop him from getting to the rim.

996
00:47:28,600 --> 00:47:31,799
Speaker 1: Russ is in a weird way. Um uh, you know.

997
00:47:31,920 --> 00:47:34,680
Speaker 1: And if I had to guess why Lebron wanted Russ,

998
00:47:34,800 --> 00:47:38,799
Speaker 1: it was for this specific matchup, you know. Uh, Like

999
00:47:38,840 --> 00:47:40,879
Speaker 1: you said, it's it's about the need to make those

1000
00:47:40,960 --> 00:47:45,360
Speaker 1: guys work because the Nets switch everything, and because James

1001
00:47:45,400 --> 00:47:48,239
Speaker 1: Harden is a good post up defender and teams have

1002
00:47:48,400 --> 00:47:52,040
Speaker 1: some weird obsession with trying to post him up. Teams

1003
00:47:52,080 --> 00:47:55,279
Speaker 1: for the most part failed to take advantage of what

1004
00:47:55,640 --> 00:47:59,560
Speaker 1: the weaknesses the Nets had in their backcourt defensively. Well,

1005
00:47:59,640 --> 00:48:03,200
Speaker 1: Russ directly addresses that, you know, that is a he

1006
00:48:03,320 --> 00:48:06,120
Speaker 1: is going to be downhill on Kyrie all game. Long

1007
00:48:06,520 --> 00:48:08,919
Speaker 1: and if you don't switch that or put someone else

1008
00:48:09,000 --> 00:48:11,360
Speaker 1: on him, he's going to cause you some massive problems.

1009
00:48:11,400 --> 00:48:14,799
Speaker 1: That Ross is he's a unique weapon to have for

1010
00:48:14,880 --> 00:48:18,400
Speaker 1: that matchup, and and that should be really exciting. All right,

1011
00:48:18,440 --> 00:48:24,319
Speaker 1: let's see here. So this is an interesting question for

1012
00:48:24,360 --> 00:48:27,799
Speaker 1: us just to address non Lebron minutes. But it says, uh, Um,

1013
00:48:28,680 --> 00:48:32,160
Speaker 1: if Lebron goes down, slash load manages, how do you

1014
00:48:32,160 --> 00:48:34,520
Speaker 1: think the team will manage without him? Given that we

1015
00:48:34,600 --> 00:48:37,200
Speaker 1: have many playmakers? And I guess we can simplify this

1016
00:48:37,320 --> 00:48:40,400
Speaker 1: question to this, how do you feel about non Lebron

1017
00:48:40,480 --> 00:48:44,440
Speaker 1: minutes this year? I feel a lot better about him

1018
00:48:44,480 --> 00:48:46,920
Speaker 1: this year than last year. Um. We have an absolute

1019
00:48:47,000 --> 00:48:50,560
Speaker 1: elite playmaker playmaker now with Russell Westbrook. UM. So basically

1020
00:48:50,680 --> 00:48:52,960
Speaker 1: when you ask this question, when when he asked his question, UM,

1021
00:48:53,000 --> 00:48:55,320
Speaker 1: what happens if Lebron goes down, you're really you're basically

1022
00:48:55,320 --> 00:48:58,000
Speaker 1: asking what does the russ A D lead team look like? Right? Like,

1023
00:48:58,040 --> 00:49:00,640
Speaker 1: That's basically what the question is. It will be russ

1024
00:49:00,640 --> 00:49:02,520
Speaker 1: A D kind of manning most of the minutes of

1025
00:49:02,600 --> 00:49:05,040
Speaker 1: Lebron has the load manager or whatever. Um, and I

1026
00:49:05,040 --> 00:49:07,120
Speaker 1: think they're more equipped, especially in a regular season. I

1027
00:49:07,160 --> 00:49:09,800
Speaker 1: think a Russ a D kind of one five attack

1028
00:49:09,920 --> 00:49:12,400
Speaker 1: isn't win. Is more than enough offense to kind of

1029
00:49:12,440 --> 00:49:14,560
Speaker 1: carry you with the kind of wings and shooting they have,

1030
00:49:15,000 --> 00:49:17,120
Speaker 1: and then defensively as well. Um, I think they can

1031
00:49:17,200 --> 00:49:19,440
Speaker 1: kind of carry a lot better than they did last year.

1032
00:49:19,719 --> 00:49:23,040
Speaker 1: Last year is pretty much Lebron and then Dennis shrewder

1033
00:49:23,200 --> 00:49:24,799
Speaker 1: like I think like and that was it, Like that

1034
00:49:24,840 --> 00:49:27,279
Speaker 1: was your that was your playmaking last year. A D

1035
00:49:27,360 --> 00:49:29,200
Speaker 1: obviously isn't a guy you just throw the ball too

1036
00:49:29,640 --> 00:49:32,080
Speaker 1: and kind of have him kind of creating playmak for others.

1037
00:49:32,120 --> 00:49:34,920
Speaker 1: So I think having another top tier elite playmaker or

1038
00:49:34,920 --> 00:49:37,400
Speaker 1: whatever you think of Russ, his passing is still top

1039
00:49:37,800 --> 00:49:40,600
Speaker 1: top with any other player. Um really knows, really knows

1040
00:49:40,600 --> 00:49:42,319
Speaker 1: how to read the floor, knows where to find guys

1041
00:49:42,320 --> 00:49:44,319
Speaker 1: in the corners, knows how to find those dump off

1042
00:49:44,360 --> 00:49:47,200
Speaker 1: passes two big, So I think I think they would

1043
00:49:47,200 --> 00:49:49,160
Speaker 1: fare a lot better. They wouldn't win obviously as much

1044
00:49:49,400 --> 00:49:52,600
Speaker 1: with Lebron, but I think a lot better than last year. UM.

1045
00:49:52,640 --> 00:49:55,000
Speaker 1: Just having another guy that can create shots and that's

1046
00:49:55,000 --> 00:49:56,359
Speaker 1: the main thing to me. And I think he'll get

1047
00:49:56,360 --> 00:49:59,400
Speaker 1: a D better looks as well. UM from from his playmaking,

1048
00:49:59,480 --> 00:50:01,160
Speaker 1: so that I think they would fare a lot better.

1049
00:50:01,160 --> 00:50:05,040
Speaker 1: What do you think? Yeah? Agree? So for starters, if

1050
00:50:05,080 --> 00:50:08,360
Speaker 1: you look at the last two years and they're on

1051
00:50:08,560 --> 00:50:11,080
Speaker 1: off numbers when Lebron was on him and Lebron was off,

1052
00:50:11,360 --> 00:50:14,480
Speaker 1: you know the uh they slipped on both ends, their

1053
00:50:14,520 --> 00:50:16,840
Speaker 1: defense gets a little bit worse, but their offense gets

1054
00:50:16,880 --> 00:50:19,000
Speaker 1: a lot worse. They don't have the numbers in front

1055
00:50:19,000 --> 00:50:21,239
Speaker 1: of me, but generally speaking, their offense with Lebron and

1056
00:50:21,239 --> 00:50:23,239
Speaker 1: the floor is around a hundred and fifteen points per

1057
00:50:23,400 --> 00:50:26,719
Speaker 1: hunter possessions and it drops to like a hundred when

1058
00:50:26,800 --> 00:50:30,480
Speaker 1: Lebron's off the floor, and then their defense gets slightly worse. Now,

1059
00:50:30,760 --> 00:50:33,399
Speaker 1: the reason for that is because Dennis Shudder, even though

1060
00:50:33,440 --> 00:50:36,239
Speaker 1: he is a starting level point guard, and even though

1061
00:50:36,280 --> 00:50:39,560
Speaker 1: he deserves to make somewhere between ten fifteen million a year,

1062
00:50:39,600 --> 00:50:42,399
Speaker 1: as as we talked about in the last pot, he

1063
00:50:42,960 --> 00:50:47,520
Speaker 1: technically isn't a top tier point guard. He usually is

1064
00:50:47,560 --> 00:50:52,160
Speaker 1: going to be a uh an inferior perimeter initiator to

1065
00:50:52,239 --> 00:50:54,360
Speaker 1: whatever he's going against on the other team, which is

1066
00:50:54,400 --> 00:50:57,160
Speaker 1: going to cause problems. And the same the same problem

1067
00:50:57,200 --> 00:50:59,760
Speaker 1: was with Rondo UH And then as we know Anthony

1068
00:50:59,840 --> 00:51:01,520
Speaker 1: Day of Us. As good as he is, he's kind

1069
00:51:01,520 --> 00:51:03,520
Speaker 1: of a tip of a spear. He's the guy that

1070
00:51:04,120 --> 00:51:05,960
Speaker 1: you know if you put him in the right setting,

1071
00:51:06,000 --> 00:51:09,719
Speaker 1: he raises your ceiling convincingly. But the problem is is

1072
00:51:09,760 --> 00:51:12,960
Speaker 1: that he can't really initiate his own offense, at least

1073
00:51:13,040 --> 00:51:15,719
Speaker 1: not at the same level as a perimeter initiator. So

1074
00:51:15,760 --> 00:51:18,920
Speaker 1: that's why the Lebron off minutes have been a problem

1075
00:51:18,960 --> 00:51:21,800
Speaker 1: over the last couple of years. Russ completely solves that problem.

1076
00:51:22,000 --> 00:51:25,200
Speaker 1: If you can defend at a baseline level, Russ is

1077
00:51:25,239 --> 00:51:28,760
Speaker 1: going to score enough points or generate enough quality shots

1078
00:51:28,760 --> 00:51:31,200
Speaker 1: for you to win those minutes and and again. And

1079
00:51:32,080 --> 00:51:36,160
Speaker 1: turning the Lebron Off minutes, which have been negative every

1080
00:51:36,200 --> 00:51:38,879
Speaker 1: single both of the last two regular seasons and both

1081
00:51:38,880 --> 00:51:41,319
Speaker 1: the last two playoffs, if you can turn that into

1082
00:51:41,320 --> 00:51:45,680
Speaker 1: a positive, that is a gigantic boost to this team

1083
00:51:45,719 --> 00:51:48,000
Speaker 1: because they've always been good with Lebron on the floor

1084
00:51:48,160 --> 00:51:49,719
Speaker 1: over the last two years, and that could be that

1085
00:51:49,800 --> 00:51:52,040
Speaker 1: kind of thing can manifest in regular season standing as

1086
00:51:52,120 --> 00:51:54,000
Speaker 1: like a five or six game improvement. That could be

1087
00:51:54,040 --> 00:51:55,919
Speaker 1: the difference between them being a fifty two win team

1088
00:51:55,920 --> 00:51:58,280
Speaker 1: and being a fifty eight win team. It's like that

1089
00:51:58,280 --> 00:52:01,840
Speaker 1: that kind of boost when you're not losing every single

1090
00:52:01,840 --> 00:52:04,080
Speaker 1: time your best player goes on the bench, So I think,

1091
00:52:04,640 --> 00:52:06,759
Speaker 1: and then we haven't even gotten to all the things

1092
00:52:06,800 --> 00:52:10,239
Speaker 1: that None and Monk can do to boost those offensive

1093
00:52:10,280 --> 00:52:14,160
Speaker 1: lineups when Lebron is off the floor, But just Russ

1094
00:52:14,160 --> 00:52:17,000
Speaker 1: and a d if you can, because staggering is gonna

1095
00:52:17,040 --> 00:52:18,520
Speaker 1: be you know, there are all these different things that

1096
00:52:18,520 --> 00:52:20,520
Speaker 1: they need to do to maximize Russ, right, Like he

1097
00:52:20,560 --> 00:52:23,040
Speaker 1: needs to defend, and then when he's off ball and

1098
00:52:23,120 --> 00:52:26,440
Speaker 1: crunch time lineups, he needs to crash the offensive glass.

1099
00:52:26,480 --> 00:52:30,920
Speaker 1: He needs to uh be able to at least cut

1100
00:52:30,960 --> 00:52:33,839
Speaker 1: occasionally or make enough spot up three's that the team

1101
00:52:33,880 --> 00:52:36,920
Speaker 1: doesn't just completely ignore him entirely. But one of the

1102
00:52:36,920 --> 00:52:38,600
Speaker 1: biggest things that they can do to help this is

1103
00:52:38,640 --> 00:52:41,000
Speaker 1: just stagger the hell out of it. So every single

1104
00:52:41,000 --> 00:52:43,120
Speaker 1: minute that Lebron is off the flour if he's playing

1105
00:52:43,160 --> 00:52:45,879
Speaker 1: thirty thirty four minutes a night, that means Russ needs

1106
00:52:45,880 --> 00:52:49,440
Speaker 1: to be playing fourteen sixteen minutes without Lebron on the

1107
00:52:49,480 --> 00:52:53,719
Speaker 1: floor those other fourteen sixteen minutes. And I believe that

1108
00:52:53,760 --> 00:52:56,200
Speaker 1: with Russ at the helm, as long as he has

1109
00:52:56,320 --> 00:52:58,920
Speaker 1: enough shooting or I would even just play Anthony Davis. Like,

1110
00:52:59,160 --> 00:53:02,960
Speaker 1: if you look at last year, Shrewder A d minutes

1111
00:53:02,960 --> 00:53:07,120
Speaker 1: were negative, Uh, Lebron a D minutes, Lebron, Shrewder minutes,

1112
00:53:07,200 --> 00:53:10,680
Speaker 1: Lebron by himself minutes, We're all positive. Even when Lebron

1113
00:53:11,000 --> 00:53:13,640
Speaker 1: was playing with Shrewder and a d off they were positive.

1114
00:53:13,719 --> 00:53:16,640
Speaker 1: So I'd almost ride Lebron by himself if you need

1115
00:53:16,680 --> 00:53:19,680
Speaker 1: to Russ to arrest two of them and then play

1116
00:53:19,800 --> 00:53:22,399
Speaker 1: Russ and a d together, because that's going to give

1117
00:53:22,400 --> 00:53:24,520
Speaker 1: you a better chance of staying positive throughout the game.

1118
00:53:24,520 --> 00:53:27,000
Speaker 1: At least that's the strategy that I would take. What's

1119
00:53:27,000 --> 00:53:29,960
Speaker 1: funny about the stats. I remember that first year, I

1120
00:53:30,000 --> 00:53:33,240
Speaker 1: think the Rondo and Lebron were the only negative pairing

1121
00:53:33,520 --> 00:53:35,520
Speaker 1: With Lebron, It's like, you know how hard that is

1122
00:53:35,560 --> 00:53:39,640
Speaker 1: to do. Um. But but another guy like we haven't

1123
00:53:39,680 --> 00:53:41,400
Speaker 1: even talked about his Carmelo. I know, like he's not

1124
00:53:41,440 --> 00:53:43,560
Speaker 1: gonna be a huge part. I think just if Lebron's

1125
00:53:43,600 --> 00:53:45,600
Speaker 1: kind of out, he's a guy that can just sustain

1126
00:53:45,719 --> 00:53:48,520
Speaker 1: the offense, right, maybe he gives back as much on defense,

1127
00:53:48,600 --> 00:53:50,920
Speaker 1: but just to con sustain the flow and keep this

1128
00:53:51,080 --> 00:53:53,520
Speaker 1: from the possessions going only times did we watch the

1129
00:53:53,560 --> 00:53:55,680
Speaker 1: bench come in and just can't score, Like the lead

1130
00:53:55,719 --> 00:53:58,480
Speaker 1: would be fifteen and they just cannot score, and and

1131
00:53:58,480 --> 00:54:00,279
Speaker 1: and teams wild cut it down to like four five

1132
00:54:00,600 --> 00:54:02,359
Speaker 1: when Lebron comes back in. So I think just having

1133
00:54:02,400 --> 00:54:04,080
Speaker 1: another guy as well that can just get a basket

1134
00:54:04,120 --> 00:54:06,279
Speaker 1: whenever you can just give the ball to Carmelo and

1135
00:54:06,320 --> 00:54:07,880
Speaker 1: he'll get a good shot to get fouled, you know.

1136
00:54:07,880 --> 00:54:09,799
Speaker 1: I mean he'll go to his he'll get to his shot,

1137
00:54:09,840 --> 00:54:12,200
Speaker 1: get to a spot. I think that's important, having guys

1138
00:54:12,239 --> 00:54:14,399
Speaker 1: that just know how to get to get their shot off.

1139
00:54:14,400 --> 00:54:17,440
Speaker 1: And I think that's a big deal. Yeah, I agree.

1140
00:54:17,440 --> 00:54:22,160
Speaker 1: Are you still looking at I can do? That's fine, Okay,

1141
00:54:22,160 --> 00:54:24,640
Speaker 1: we'll do nothing. So we'll do two more questions. Alright,

1142
00:54:24,680 --> 00:54:27,120
Speaker 1: So the this next one I think is interesting. H

1143
00:54:27,280 --> 00:54:29,000
Speaker 1: you we kind of hinted at this earlier, but I

1144
00:54:29,400 --> 00:54:31,319
Speaker 1: want to talk a little bit more about it. Do

1145
00:54:31,400 --> 00:54:34,680
Speaker 1: you think the age of the Lakers roster will be

1146
00:54:34,320 --> 00:54:37,880
Speaker 1: beneficial or detrimental for a long playoff run, which is

1147
00:54:37,920 --> 00:54:43,279
Speaker 1: what we expect. I think in the playoffs, like experience

1148
00:54:43,400 --> 00:54:45,560
Speaker 1: is more important. Like I think the age will I

1149
00:54:45,560 --> 00:54:48,279
Speaker 1: think there are obviously detriments to being older. Obviously it's

1150
00:54:48,320 --> 00:54:50,640
Speaker 1: not all positive. I think the positives kind of outweigh

1151
00:54:50,680 --> 00:54:53,239
Speaker 1: the negatives here. You don't really see these super young

1152
00:54:53,280 --> 00:54:55,879
Speaker 1: teams win championships, right, It's mostly these older, kind of

1153
00:54:56,040 --> 00:54:57,879
Speaker 1: older kind of squaws that kind of get it done.

1154
00:54:57,880 --> 00:55:00,440
Speaker 1: So I think it will be help. They'll be more experience. Um,

1155
00:55:00,719 --> 00:55:03,799
Speaker 1: the super old guys are really like what Ariza and

1156
00:55:04,440 --> 00:55:06,759
Speaker 1: uh Dwight, you know those kind of guys. But I mean,

1157
00:55:07,040 --> 00:55:09,719
Speaker 1: e d is twenty eight. Lebron also obviously is up there,

1158
00:55:09,960 --> 00:55:12,200
Speaker 1: but he's kind of he's kind of an alien in

1159
00:55:12,200 --> 00:55:14,520
Speaker 1: that way. But Russell Westbrook's thirty two. Um, so I

1160
00:55:14,560 --> 00:55:16,279
Speaker 1: think the super old guys are kind of the wing

1161
00:55:16,360 --> 00:55:19,040
Speaker 1: kind of players are kind of more um interchange there

1162
00:55:19,040 --> 00:55:21,440
Speaker 1: aside from Lebron. Um, when when you talk about how

1163
00:55:21,480 --> 00:55:23,799
Speaker 1: old this roster is Basemore as well, I think it's

1164
00:55:23,800 --> 00:55:25,759
Speaker 1: like thirty two and they have a bunch of young,

1165
00:55:25,880 --> 00:55:28,600
Speaker 1: kind of energy, energetic guards. I think they can really

1166
00:55:28,680 --> 00:55:31,200
Speaker 1: uplift them during the regular season and through the playoffs.

1167
00:55:31,200 --> 00:55:33,600
Speaker 1: So I think the old thing is kind of been

1168
00:55:33,640 --> 00:55:36,200
Speaker 1: stretched out. Um. They have this thing where like, um,

1169
00:55:36,239 --> 00:55:38,919
Speaker 1: no team has ever signed thirty five, four or five

1170
00:55:38,960 --> 00:55:41,160
Speaker 1: thirty five year olds in the same offseason or something

1171
00:55:41,239 --> 00:55:43,000
Speaker 1: like that. Um. But a lot of them, most of

1172
00:55:43,000 --> 00:55:45,480
Speaker 1: them are going to be spot minutes um. Other than

1173
00:55:45,680 --> 00:55:48,920
Speaker 1: Lebron for sure. Yeah. So I really look at it

1174
00:55:48,920 --> 00:55:53,600
Speaker 1: as this simple. You it's really about how many good

1175
00:55:53,600 --> 00:55:57,520
Speaker 1: basketball players you have. And if you have enough, then

1176
00:55:57,560 --> 00:56:00,160
Speaker 1: you'll be fine and and and age won't matter. But

1177
00:56:00,280 --> 00:56:02,960
Speaker 1: if you're older, you probably need more in terms of

1178
00:56:02,960 --> 00:56:05,239
Speaker 1: your death right because it's about wear and tear. This

1179
00:56:05,320 --> 00:56:08,359
Speaker 1: is what happened with the two thou fourteen heat. It

1180
00:56:08,440 --> 00:56:12,000
Speaker 1: wasn't the problem wasn't their amount of good players. They

1181
00:56:12,000 --> 00:56:14,640
Speaker 1: had enough good players that the issue was is because

1182
00:56:14,719 --> 00:56:16,759
Speaker 1: they were a bit older. They ended up kind of

1183
00:56:17,200 --> 00:56:19,760
Speaker 1: looking exhausted at times in the playoffs because they didn't

1184
00:56:19,760 --> 00:56:23,520
Speaker 1: have the depth relative to their age. You know, this

1185
00:56:23,560 --> 00:56:25,200
Speaker 1: is one of the big reasons why Lebron was upset

1186
00:56:25,280 --> 00:56:28,120
Speaker 1: that they let Mike Miller go to avoid the luxury tax.

1187
00:56:28,200 --> 00:56:31,200
Speaker 1: They were upset because he thought, you know, even just

1188
00:56:31,320 --> 00:56:35,080
Speaker 1: fifteen minutes from Mike Miller makes Shane Battier's job easier,

1189
00:56:35,360 --> 00:56:39,319
Speaker 1: makes Richard Lewis's job easier. It just it lowers everybody's

1190
00:56:39,320 --> 00:56:42,040
Speaker 1: it's it's like, uh, we talk all the time about like, oh,

1191
00:56:42,080 --> 00:56:43,960
Speaker 1: this guy can be a better defensive player if he

1192
00:56:43,960 --> 00:56:46,759
Speaker 1: has less offensive responsibility. You have a finite amount of

1193
00:56:46,840 --> 00:56:49,440
Speaker 1: energy that you can go to or tap into in

1194
00:56:49,440 --> 00:56:53,560
Speaker 1: a game. I'm I'm less worried about the Lakers age

1195
00:56:53,680 --> 00:56:57,680
Speaker 1: this year because of their depth. You know, yeah, a

1196
00:56:57,760 --> 00:57:01,960
Speaker 1: reasons old. Lebron's old allows old Dwights, old marks old.

1197
00:57:02,440 --> 00:57:06,520
Speaker 1: But in that front court, uh, you know, especially considering

1198
00:57:06,680 --> 00:57:08,880
Speaker 1: a lot of times the Lakers will play three guard lineups.

1199
00:57:09,280 --> 00:57:11,880
Speaker 1: In that front court, there's only so many minutes available,

1200
00:57:12,360 --> 00:57:14,040
Speaker 1: and so you know what, I like to see them

1201
00:57:14,080 --> 00:57:15,799
Speaker 1: add one more forward. Yeah, but I think they will.

1202
00:57:15,840 --> 00:57:17,920
Speaker 1: I think they're gonna probably end up atting. Wes Matthews

1203
00:57:17,960 --> 00:57:19,480
Speaker 1: and even Jared Dudley is gonna be there for for

1204
00:57:19,520 --> 00:57:22,000
Speaker 1: certain environments. But let's say everyone's healthy, You're in a

1205
00:57:22,000 --> 00:57:24,280
Speaker 1: playoff series. At the end of the day, I'm only

1206
00:57:24,320 --> 00:57:26,840
Speaker 1: asking Carmelo Anthony to do what he's doing for like

1207
00:57:26,920 --> 00:57:29,440
Speaker 1: fifteen minutes in a playoff game. I'm only you know

1208
00:57:30,040 --> 00:57:33,120
Speaker 1: a reason, Lebron. They might have bigger workloads, But if

1209
00:57:33,160 --> 00:57:35,720
Speaker 1: a reason looks like he's getting worn down and and

1210
00:57:35,760 --> 00:57:37,680
Speaker 1: he's starting to struggle. It's like, Okay, we can put

1211
00:57:37,720 --> 00:57:40,040
Speaker 1: a little bit more on mellows plate here and ask

1212
00:57:40,120 --> 00:57:43,760
Speaker 1: him to do more. Like age becomes an issue when

1213
00:57:43,800 --> 00:57:47,120
Speaker 1: you're when you're seven men deep and everyone's old and

1214
00:57:47,160 --> 00:57:50,040
Speaker 1: now we're talking like the two thousand eleven, two thousand

1215
00:57:50,080 --> 00:57:53,080
Speaker 1: twelve Celtics, now we're talking about like the two thousand

1216
00:57:53,120 --> 00:57:56,680
Speaker 1: fourteen Brooklyn Nets. Like when you lack depth and you're

1217
00:57:56,720 --> 00:58:00,480
Speaker 1: old and your and your old guys are being or down,

1218
00:58:00,560 --> 00:58:02,280
Speaker 1: that's where it can become a problem. But I'm not

1219
00:58:02,320 --> 00:58:04,760
Speaker 1: really all that worried about it, but I there I

1220
00:58:04,800 --> 00:58:06,960
Speaker 1: think it's important when you're having this conversation to talk

1221
00:58:07,000 --> 00:58:09,600
Speaker 1: about the positive sides of it. Okay, And this is

1222
00:58:09,600 --> 00:58:12,120
Speaker 1: something again you need to read that article that that

1223
00:58:12,240 --> 00:58:15,520
Speaker 1: Darius Soriano wrote the other day about this. You know,

1224
00:58:15,600 --> 00:58:17,320
Speaker 1: there's a reason why young teams don't win in the

1225
00:58:17,400 --> 00:58:21,120
Speaker 1: NBA in general, and it all has to do with

1226
00:58:21,320 --> 00:58:24,600
Speaker 1: veteran savvy. It's there's something that I pound this point

1227
00:58:24,640 --> 00:58:27,520
Speaker 1: home all the time on this podcast. Scar tissue builds

1228
00:58:27,600 --> 00:58:29,960
Speaker 1: up when when you lose, and that happens at every

1229
00:58:30,000 --> 00:58:32,080
Speaker 1: level of basketball, from the pros all the way down

1230
00:58:32,120 --> 00:58:35,280
Speaker 1: to you playing in your men's league in San Francisco

1231
00:58:35,360 --> 00:58:37,440
Speaker 1: or wherever it is that you live. Every time you

1232
00:58:37,480 --> 00:58:40,280
Speaker 1: lose a basketball game, a little bit of scar tissue forms,

1233
00:58:40,320 --> 00:58:42,320
Speaker 1: and you remember why you lost. Whether it was taking

1234
00:58:42,360 --> 00:58:44,560
Speaker 1: a bad shot, whether it was missing a box out,

1235
00:58:44,800 --> 00:58:47,520
Speaker 1: quitting on a rotation, uh not, sitting down in a

1236
00:58:47,560 --> 00:58:49,720
Speaker 1: defensive stance on a particular guy. I don't I don't

1237
00:58:49,760 --> 00:58:52,400
Speaker 1: care what it is. It builds up scar tissue. Every

1238
00:58:52,480 --> 00:58:56,440
Speaker 1: older basketball player you see is just completely covered in

1239
00:58:56,480 --> 00:58:59,440
Speaker 1: scar tissue from these losses. And so they are willing

1240
00:58:59,760 --> 00:59:03,760
Speaker 1: and able and wise enough to do all the things

1241
00:59:03,760 --> 00:59:05,680
Speaker 1: that they need to do to win these games. And

1242
00:59:05,760 --> 00:59:08,960
Speaker 1: the Lakers age in that regard is an asset, provided

1243
00:59:09,000 --> 00:59:11,439
Speaker 1: they don't wear down physically, which we just talked about.

1244
00:59:11,440 --> 00:59:13,560
Speaker 1: I don't think will be an issue in these big

1245
00:59:13,600 --> 00:59:16,040
Speaker 1: games at the end, when I've got Russ out there

1246
00:59:16,520 --> 00:59:19,040
Speaker 1: with someone like kemp Ay's Moore, with someone like Trevor Reza,

1247
00:59:19,080 --> 00:59:21,360
Speaker 1: or whether it's Wesley Matthews instead of Baysmore. But I've

1248
00:59:21,400 --> 00:59:23,720
Speaker 1: got Lebron and a d in the front court. All

1249
00:59:23,720 --> 00:59:26,919
Speaker 1: those guys know how how they need to win a game,

1250
00:59:27,120 --> 00:59:29,320
Speaker 1: and they're willing to do the things that other teams don't.

1251
00:59:29,560 --> 00:59:31,400
Speaker 1: They could be in a matchup with the Sons again,

1252
00:59:32,000 --> 00:59:35,920
Speaker 1: and you know Michaal Bridges, Cam Johnson, DeAndre Ayton, Devin Booker,

1253
00:59:36,440 --> 00:59:38,760
Speaker 1: they don't have the scar tissue. Devin Bookers lost one

1254
00:59:38,840 --> 00:59:42,640
Speaker 1: playoff series and so from in that regard, I I

1255
00:59:43,280 --> 00:59:46,360
Speaker 1: like having the older guys for that type of matchup

1256
00:59:46,520 --> 00:59:49,600
Speaker 1: so that you can win though all of those little

1257
00:59:49,640 --> 00:59:52,360
Speaker 1: things on the margins that are the difference between you

1258
00:59:52,440 --> 00:59:55,640
Speaker 1: being a first round exit and being a championship team. Yeah,

1259
00:59:55,720 --> 00:59:57,600
Speaker 1: for sure. I mean de book it lost one playoff series,

1260
00:59:57,640 --> 00:59:59,320
Speaker 1: but he's got a lot of losing in you know,

1261
00:59:59,440 --> 01:00:02,960
Speaker 1: the regulars all that. I can't imagine this car tissue

1262
01:00:02,960 --> 01:00:07,040
Speaker 1: that Chris Paul has kind of uh Man has gotten now, Um,

1263
01:00:07,480 --> 01:00:09,000
Speaker 1: it must be tough. But yeah, I agree with the

1264
01:00:09,000 --> 01:00:12,200
Speaker 1: experience should be there. I don't know if you remember this,

1265
01:00:12,240 --> 01:00:14,680
Speaker 1: but like there was a pre the first preseason game

1266
01:00:14,720 --> 01:00:18,480
Speaker 1: of the Lakers. It was against the Warriors. Um, I

1267
01:00:18,520 --> 01:00:20,240
Speaker 1: don't know if you remember this. It was their first game,

1268
01:00:20,360 --> 01:00:23,760
Speaker 1: the first It was the first game? Is this more?

1269
01:00:23,760 --> 01:00:26,880
Speaker 1: They tweeted out that considered this a warning that one.

1270
01:00:27,160 --> 01:00:28,640
Speaker 1: I'm not sure if that was that one, but it

1271
01:00:28,720 --> 01:00:31,040
Speaker 1: might have been, but there was like a seriousness. There

1272
01:00:31,080 --> 01:00:33,200
Speaker 1: was like a seriousness, there was like a tone. Um.

1273
01:00:33,200 --> 01:00:35,760
Speaker 1: You could tell Lebron was in this like yeah, you

1274
01:00:35,760 --> 01:00:37,160
Speaker 1: guys said a lot of things over the summer, you

1275
01:00:37,160 --> 01:00:39,200
Speaker 1: know what I mean, Like there was tones, like there

1276
01:00:39,280 --> 01:00:41,360
Speaker 1: was like a tone to Anthony Davis as well, like

1277
01:00:41,440 --> 01:00:44,480
Speaker 1: I heard all this stuff, um. So like I expect

1278
01:00:44,520 --> 01:00:46,720
Speaker 1: that this year as well. It wasn't there last year,

1279
01:00:46,720 --> 01:00:48,320
Speaker 1: and that's expected, you know what I mean, That first

1280
01:00:48,320 --> 01:00:51,640
Speaker 1: preason preseason game didn't have close to the like we

1281
01:00:51,720 --> 01:00:53,400
Speaker 1: need to prove something at all. But I feel like

1282
01:00:53,440 --> 01:00:55,240
Speaker 1: this year, and I think Russ as well, we'll have that.

1283
01:00:55,840 --> 01:00:58,640
Speaker 1: And again when you get these older guys, Carmelo's first

1284
01:00:58,720 --> 01:00:59,960
Speaker 1: chance to win a title, you know what I mean,

1285
01:01:00,280 --> 01:01:02,160
Speaker 1: I think those things kind of buying as well, that

1286
01:01:02,200 --> 01:01:04,080
Speaker 1: you just can't get with a young squad. You can't

1287
01:01:04,120 --> 01:01:06,320
Speaker 1: buy that kind of um, that kind of drive, that

1288
01:01:06,400 --> 01:01:09,280
Speaker 1: kind of you know, that motivation, And I think we'll

1289
01:01:09,280 --> 01:01:11,800
Speaker 1: see that in the first game this year's well, similar

1290
01:01:12,040 --> 01:01:15,560
Speaker 1: to how we saw in um in that first game

1291
01:01:15,600 --> 01:01:18,320
Speaker 1: as well, just as just a tone of seriousness um

1292
01:01:18,360 --> 01:01:19,840
Speaker 1: to the year that I think we didn't get this

1293
01:01:19,920 --> 01:01:23,400
Speaker 1: year due to the circumstances. I agree, they're gonna be

1294
01:01:23,400 --> 01:01:27,520
Speaker 1: coming in angry, you know, wounded, but you know, coming

1295
01:01:27,560 --> 01:01:30,439
Speaker 1: off of that wounding season, they're gonna just be There's

1296
01:01:30,480 --> 01:01:32,640
Speaker 1: gonna be a sense of urgency that didn't even exist

1297
01:01:32,720 --> 01:01:35,520
Speaker 1: last year. Um. I think Anthony Davis has taken an

1298
01:01:35,520 --> 01:01:37,480
Speaker 1: absolute beating in the media, as he should. He had

1299
01:01:37,520 --> 01:01:40,760
Speaker 1: a rough year. Um, you know, I think it's important

1300
01:01:40,760 --> 01:01:42,440
Speaker 1: to point out injuries in the role they played with

1301
01:01:42,440 --> 01:01:46,520
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis, But like, I also don't think that's the

1302
01:01:46,560 --> 01:01:48,640
Speaker 1: only reason he had a rough year, and I think

1303
01:01:48,640 --> 01:01:50,200
Speaker 1: it's okay to point that out. Yeah, I think you

1304
01:01:50,200 --> 01:01:52,480
Speaker 1: could be a fan of Anthony Davis and be knowledgeable

1305
01:01:52,520 --> 01:01:55,360
Speaker 1: of his ceiling and aware of what he's capable of doing.

1306
01:01:55,400 --> 01:01:58,840
Speaker 1: But at the same time, like, this is something that

1307
01:01:59,240 --> 01:02:01,680
Speaker 1: I've been hammering NonStop over the last six months, Like

1308
01:02:02,000 --> 01:02:04,920
Speaker 1: an injury like that doesn't make it so that when

1309
01:02:04,920 --> 01:02:06,880
Speaker 1: someone throws a swing pass and you're at the elbow

1310
01:02:06,920 --> 01:02:09,240
Speaker 1: you just give up on the rotation, or that every

1311
01:02:09,240 --> 01:02:11,000
Speaker 1: time you set a screen, instead of rolling to the

1312
01:02:11,040 --> 01:02:13,120
Speaker 1: rim hard, you just pop to the eighteen feet to

1313
01:02:13,600 --> 01:02:16,080
Speaker 1: ft because you know it's easier on your legs. Like

1314
01:02:16,120 --> 01:02:19,040
Speaker 1: at a certain point. There was a lack of urgency

1315
01:02:19,080 --> 01:02:21,600
Speaker 1: from Anthony Davis last year, even when he was healthy

1316
01:02:21,680 --> 01:02:24,800
Speaker 1: for the most part. Um, So I think he's heard

1317
01:02:24,840 --> 01:02:27,280
Speaker 1: all that, and I think he's aware of what he

1318
01:02:27,320 --> 01:02:30,520
Speaker 1: needs to do this year to change the uh the

1319
01:02:30,560 --> 01:02:33,680
Speaker 1: impression that he left. And I expect him to be

1320
01:02:33,800 --> 01:02:35,920
Speaker 1: to be really really good. I'm I'm with you. I

1321
01:02:36,120 --> 01:02:41,560
Speaker 1: expect I I expect this to be a a complete

1322
01:02:41,640 --> 01:02:44,960
Speaker 1: and utter like revenge season from the Lakers, just in

1323
01:02:45,000 --> 01:02:48,080
Speaker 1: their overall attitude and approach. Now, still things need to

1324
01:02:48,120 --> 01:02:50,840
Speaker 1: break right, They need to stay healthy. In general. You

1325
01:02:50,840 --> 01:02:53,800
Speaker 1: need a hope that some crazy buyout guy doesn't go

1326
01:02:53,840 --> 01:02:55,920
Speaker 1: to Brooklyn and swing the talent level too much or

1327
01:02:55,960 --> 01:02:58,400
Speaker 1: whatever it is. I don't know, but I just expect

1328
01:02:58,480 --> 01:03:00,720
Speaker 1: them to have a really really good mode vaded season

1329
01:03:01,560 --> 01:03:03,280
Speaker 1: and to and to come out and play really well.

1330
01:03:03,640 --> 01:03:05,880
Speaker 1: Um it's nineties. There anything else you wanted to touch

1331
01:03:05,920 --> 01:03:07,560
Speaker 1: on today before we get out of here. Yeah? Um,

1332
01:03:07,600 --> 01:03:10,360
Speaker 1: I have one more like questioning that I saved. Um.

1333
01:03:10,440 --> 01:03:12,240
Speaker 1: I'll ask you this because I'm interested in in your

1334
01:03:12,280 --> 01:03:15,880
Speaker 1: answer as well. So, um, add ease up three e's

1335
01:03:15,920 --> 01:03:17,880
Speaker 1: and then z u p um, Yes, do you think

1336
01:03:17,880 --> 01:03:21,560
Speaker 1: it's most important to get this team UM jelling offensively

1337
01:03:21,600 --> 01:03:24,720
Speaker 1: by activating a D rather than figure out one, two

1338
01:03:24,760 --> 01:03:27,760
Speaker 1: and three for Lebron a D and russ um. Should

1339
01:03:27,760 --> 01:03:29,640
Speaker 1: it be the two ball handlers mission to get a

1340
01:03:29,720 --> 01:03:32,120
Speaker 1: D going above everything else. So do you think a

1341
01:03:32,240 --> 01:03:35,680
Speaker 1: D should be the number one kind of priority option? Uh?

1342
01:03:35,720 --> 01:03:37,920
Speaker 1: So you will um to get this team that hit

1343
01:03:37,960 --> 01:03:40,600
Speaker 1: its ceilings. I think that's the main thing of this question.

1344
01:03:42,040 --> 01:03:44,960
Speaker 1: So for starters, I don't think people realize just how

1345
01:03:45,040 --> 01:03:47,840
Speaker 1: much a D at the five is going to help

1346
01:03:47,920 --> 01:03:51,200
Speaker 1: him offensively in general, in terms of the spacing. The

1347
01:03:51,200 --> 01:03:53,320
Speaker 1: example I'll give you is this, like, look at how

1348
01:03:53,320 --> 01:03:56,520
Speaker 1: many points guys like Christian would score as a center,

1349
01:03:57,160 --> 01:04:01,040
Speaker 1: or you know, Clint Capella as a center, or any

1350
01:04:01,200 --> 01:04:03,640
Speaker 1: anybody who plays in a five or four out one

1351
01:04:03,640 --> 01:04:08,760
Speaker 1: in system where they have a decently athletic, somewhat coordinated

1352
01:04:08,840 --> 01:04:10,960
Speaker 1: center who's rolling to the rim all the time, like

1353
01:04:11,000 --> 01:04:13,200
Speaker 1: they all those guys get like twenty and ten just

1354
01:04:13,280 --> 01:04:15,720
Speaker 1: by being out there. I think I think in general,

1355
01:04:15,760 --> 01:04:18,640
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis is poised to have a breakout season just

1356
01:04:18,680 --> 01:04:20,600
Speaker 1: by virtue of him playing in a four out one

1357
01:04:20,640 --> 01:04:23,760
Speaker 1: in system. As far as like forced feeding him. It

1358
01:04:23,800 --> 01:04:25,680
Speaker 1: makes a lot more sense to do it now in

1359
01:04:25,720 --> 01:04:28,000
Speaker 1: this spacing than it did last year. There's a lot

1360
01:04:28,000 --> 01:04:29,200
Speaker 1: of this where it's like, oh, we gotta get a

1361
01:04:29,280 --> 01:04:30,840
Speaker 1: D going, we gotta get a d D go and

1362
01:04:30,880 --> 01:04:32,280
Speaker 1: throw it down to him on the block, and then

1363
01:04:32,280 --> 01:04:33,440
Speaker 1: you throw it down to him on the block and

1364
01:04:33,440 --> 01:04:35,560
Speaker 1: there'll be no space for him to operate and he'd

1365
01:04:35,560 --> 01:04:37,640
Speaker 1: take another crazy fade away and it just was like

1366
01:04:37,640 --> 01:04:39,280
Speaker 1: one of those things where it's like I talked about

1367
01:04:39,280 --> 01:04:40,800
Speaker 1: with Kuzma all the time, it's hard to get a

1368
01:04:40,840 --> 01:04:44,320
Speaker 1: rhythm when you're taking tough shots. You need to attack

1369
01:04:44,440 --> 01:04:47,240
Speaker 1: your rhythm problem by getting higher quality shots. And I

1370
01:04:47,280 --> 01:04:49,440
Speaker 1: think I think a D is gonna get twenty and

1371
01:04:49,520 --> 01:04:51,840
Speaker 1: ten easy breezy just by being out there with Russe

1372
01:04:51,880 --> 01:04:54,600
Speaker 1: and Lebron, And then if you force feed him at all,

1373
01:04:54,600 --> 01:04:56,320
Speaker 1: he could be poised for an m v P type

1374
01:04:56,320 --> 01:05:00,160
Speaker 1: of season. You know, everyone thought last year that was

1375
01:05:00,200 --> 01:05:02,880
Speaker 1: what was going to happen. Lebron would take his foot

1376
01:05:02,920 --> 01:05:05,040
Speaker 1: off the gas, a D would step up, and it

1377
01:05:05,080 --> 01:05:07,680
Speaker 1: didn't happen. This is the year that makes the most

1378
01:05:07,720 --> 01:05:10,960
Speaker 1: sense because of russ in the playmaking role, Lebron actually

1379
01:05:11,000 --> 01:05:13,480
Speaker 1: can take a step back. I really do think part

1380
01:05:13,480 --> 01:05:16,000
Speaker 1: of the reason why Lebron was an MVP candidate last

1381
01:05:16,040 --> 01:05:18,400
Speaker 1: year was out of necessity. I think he showed up

1382
01:05:18,400 --> 01:05:20,920
Speaker 1: to camp and I think he started playing and he

1383
01:05:20,960 --> 01:05:23,720
Speaker 1: saw Anthony Davis wasn't in it, and I think I

1384
01:05:23,760 --> 01:05:26,040
Speaker 1: think he saw like, oh, they need me to do

1385
01:05:26,120 --> 01:05:28,680
Speaker 1: everything again, you know what I mean? And so uh,

1386
01:05:28,760 --> 01:05:30,320
Speaker 1: and I think that that's what he did. But well,

1387
01:05:30,360 --> 01:05:32,640
Speaker 1: I I actually think as he gets into the season,

1388
01:05:32,680 --> 01:05:34,680
Speaker 1: he's going to be able to coast in a way

1389
01:05:34,880 --> 01:05:36,840
Speaker 1: that he hasn't been able to in a really long time.

1390
01:05:37,320 --> 01:05:40,439
Speaker 1: And I if there was a year he may never

1391
01:05:40,480 --> 01:05:42,480
Speaker 1: do this, But if there was a year for Anthony

1392
01:05:42,560 --> 01:05:45,320
Speaker 1: Davis to stamp himself as one of those top tier guys,

1393
01:05:45,720 --> 01:05:47,840
Speaker 1: it's this one. This is the year where he can

1394
01:05:47,840 --> 01:05:49,320
Speaker 1: be the defensive player of the year as a five

1395
01:05:49,360 --> 01:05:52,440
Speaker 1: man and a guy who averages thirty three and sixteen

1396
01:05:52,480 --> 01:05:55,320
Speaker 1: like MBID tried to last year. Uh, this this is

1397
01:05:55,360 --> 01:05:57,240
Speaker 1: the year to do that. And I'm really excited to

1398
01:05:57,240 --> 01:06:00,280
Speaker 1: see what he's got. Yeah. And again, like basketball is

1399
01:06:00,320 --> 01:06:03,240
Speaker 1: not like a here, let's do option one ten times

1400
01:06:03,320 --> 01:06:05,800
Speaker 1: and let's do option to ten times, right, Like it's

1401
01:06:05,800 --> 01:06:08,520
Speaker 1: a flow free flalling game, free flowing game. Um what

1402
01:06:08,600 --> 01:06:10,480
Speaker 1: I would like to see more. You don't have to

1403
01:06:10,480 --> 01:06:12,240
Speaker 1: like four speed E D because I think the Lakers

1404
01:06:12,320 --> 01:06:14,280
Speaker 1: offense this last few years has been a lot of

1405
01:06:14,320 --> 01:06:17,120
Speaker 1: like what mispatch do we want to attack and then

1406
01:06:17,200 --> 01:06:19,720
Speaker 1: let's throw it into a D. In the post. People

1407
01:06:19,720 --> 01:06:21,680
Speaker 1: are begging for Lebron and a D pick and rolls,

1408
01:06:21,680 --> 01:06:23,360
Speaker 1: and the problem with that is, like usually the guy

1409
01:06:23,400 --> 01:06:27,200
Speaker 1: guarding Lebron usually kind of is good enough sized, respectfully

1410
01:06:27,240 --> 01:06:29,320
Speaker 1: to guard a D, so they'll just switch it. I

1411
01:06:29,320 --> 01:06:31,200
Speaker 1: would like to see a lot more like screen and

1412
01:06:31,320 --> 01:06:33,680
Speaker 1: roll like Russ. I think Russ is a perfect kind

1413
01:06:33,840 --> 01:06:35,720
Speaker 1: I thought it would be with Dennis Shouter. Dennis Shooter

1414
01:06:35,960 --> 01:06:38,600
Speaker 1: just could not score enough to like make that an

1415
01:06:38,600 --> 01:06:40,400
Speaker 1: a D. Obviously it wasn't him. He doesn't pass well

1416
01:06:40,480 --> 01:06:42,240
Speaker 1: enough either. Just see that staff that he threw one

1417
01:06:42,320 --> 01:06:44,120
Speaker 1: lab to a D last year in total in the

1418
01:06:44,240 --> 01:06:48,320
Speaker 1: entire season. No wait one, there was one lb from

1419
01:06:48,400 --> 01:06:51,560
Speaker 1: Dennis Shooter to to Anthony Davis in the entire season.

1420
01:06:51,880 --> 01:06:55,400
Speaker 1: Russell Westbrook had something crazy, was like he played like

1421
01:06:55,440 --> 01:06:57,440
Speaker 1: twelve games with Daniel Gafford at the end of the

1422
01:06:57,560 --> 01:06:59,600
Speaker 1: year and had like eight or something I can't remember

1423
01:06:59,640 --> 01:07:03,240
Speaker 1: the exact but Russ is an infinitely better passer than Dennis. Yeah,

1424
01:07:03,280 --> 01:07:05,120
Speaker 1: and Arruss is one of the best law passers in

1425
01:07:05,160 --> 01:07:06,480
Speaker 1: the game. To me, Like one of the things like

1426
01:07:06,520 --> 01:07:08,600
Speaker 1: I'm looking forward to, was like a Russ a D

1427
01:07:08,720 --> 01:07:10,880
Speaker 1: pick and roll with Lebron cutting from the corner, Like

1428
01:07:10,920 --> 01:07:12,600
Speaker 1: I think you're gonna get a lot of lops from that.

1429
01:07:12,800 --> 01:07:14,720
Speaker 1: Russ used to do that to Jeremy Grant a bunch,

1430
01:07:14,800 --> 01:07:16,360
Speaker 1: Like Jeremy gran would cut from the corner on a

1431
01:07:16,440 --> 01:07:18,720
Speaker 1: Steven Adams picking and roll and get a bunch of lobs. Um.

1432
01:07:18,760 --> 01:07:20,240
Speaker 1: But yeah, like I would like to see a lot

1433
01:07:20,280 --> 01:07:23,360
Speaker 1: more screen and roll offense put into this, put in

1434
01:07:23,360 --> 01:07:25,680
Speaker 1: into our game. I think Russ can really kill with that,

1435
01:07:25,920 --> 01:07:28,160
Speaker 1: um having a screener like getting a D rolling he

1436
01:07:28,240 --> 01:07:30,360
Speaker 1: took he did a lot of Like he would set

1437
01:07:30,400 --> 01:07:32,600
Speaker 1: the screen and just stand at the free throw line

1438
01:07:32,720 --> 01:07:34,920
Speaker 1: or free throw line extended and take that little mid

1439
01:07:35,040 --> 01:07:37,440
Speaker 1: range jumper. And he's good at those at like a

1440
01:07:37,480 --> 01:07:40,160
Speaker 1: respectable rate. But he's like a generational role man, like

1441
01:07:40,240 --> 01:07:42,000
Speaker 1: a guy who can get to the basket. But that's

1442
01:07:42,000 --> 01:07:43,280
Speaker 1: what I want to see. You don't have to make

1443
01:07:43,320 --> 01:07:45,560
Speaker 1: this like a Who's option one, Who's option two? But

1444
01:07:45,640 --> 01:07:48,480
Speaker 1: I mean, obviously Lebron is gonna be option you know,

1445
01:07:48,920 --> 01:07:51,360
Speaker 1: A A one, A two most of the nights. But like,

1446
01:07:51,640 --> 01:07:53,479
Speaker 1: I just want to see a D kind of get

1447
01:07:53,480 --> 01:07:55,280
Speaker 1: more screen roll game because I think they can do

1448
01:07:55,360 --> 01:07:58,000
Speaker 1: that now, especially if he starts to five like you're

1449
01:07:58,000 --> 01:08:00,360
Speaker 1: predicting um, or even if Mark the Soul Stars. I

1450
01:08:00,440 --> 01:08:02,640
Speaker 1: think Mark is enough of a gravity kind of spacer

1451
01:08:02,720 --> 01:08:04,360
Speaker 1: to where you can make it, make it work a

1452
01:08:04,400 --> 01:08:06,280
Speaker 1: little more. But he has to be himself. He has

1453
01:08:06,320 --> 01:08:09,240
Speaker 1: to be Anthony Freak and Davis. He can't be you know,

1454
01:08:09,600 --> 01:08:13,080
Speaker 1: um flowing in and out of games, you know kind

1455
01:08:13,120 --> 01:08:15,000
Speaker 1: of And I don't think he will this year. I'm

1456
01:08:15,000 --> 01:08:16,960
Speaker 1: just saying, like that can't be it. Rust will let him.

1457
01:08:17,000 --> 01:08:18,880
Speaker 1: Russe will help with that too. By the way, that's

1458
01:08:18,920 --> 01:08:20,800
Speaker 1: very true. Yeah, Rust is a very much every night

1459
01:08:20,880 --> 01:08:23,280
Speaker 1: kind of guy. Russ does not take you know, games

1460
01:08:23,520 --> 01:08:25,800
Speaker 1: like any game lightly so. But yeah, that's why I

1461
01:08:25,840 --> 01:08:28,200
Speaker 1: want to see him. The whose options one, Option two,

1462
01:08:28,240 --> 01:08:30,559
Speaker 1: option three I think are kind of side things to it,

1463
01:08:30,560 --> 01:08:32,120
Speaker 1: But I just want to see more a D screen

1464
01:08:32,160 --> 01:08:33,720
Speaker 1: and roll and I think they can do that this year.

1465
01:08:34,200 --> 01:08:36,400
Speaker 1: You you and well, I'll just hit this really quick

1466
01:08:36,400 --> 01:08:37,960
Speaker 1: and then we'll get out of here. You bringing that

1467
01:08:38,080 --> 01:08:40,360
Speaker 1: up about the different positions in the way that it

1468
01:08:40,439 --> 01:08:43,720
Speaker 1: changes the way that the defense can even attack a

1469
01:08:43,760 --> 01:08:46,479
Speaker 1: pick and roll, that was really interesting and I'm glad

1470
01:08:46,479 --> 01:08:49,519
Speaker 1: you brought that up because you know you're going against

1471
01:08:49,560 --> 01:08:52,200
Speaker 1: their two biggest for defenders when you're playing Lebron and

1472
01:08:52,280 --> 01:08:54,320
Speaker 1: a D in his screen and roll, and you're right,

1473
01:08:54,360 --> 01:08:57,280
Speaker 1: they do usually switch it. It is extremely difficult to

1474
01:08:57,280 --> 01:08:59,120
Speaker 1: switch a Russ A D pick and roll because you're

1475
01:08:59,120 --> 01:09:04,880
Speaker 1: getting to really different defenders involved. Um. Also, Lebron and Ndy,

1476
01:09:04,920 --> 01:09:06,120
Speaker 1: we're running a lot of pick and roll with the

1477
01:09:06,120 --> 01:09:08,920
Speaker 1: center on the floor, so you're basically playing two on three.

1478
01:09:10,000 --> 01:09:12,240
Speaker 1: Especially considering the centers they had last year, we're not

1479
01:09:12,280 --> 01:09:15,240
Speaker 1: great vertical threats. Um that that brought any spacing in

1480
01:09:15,280 --> 01:09:17,240
Speaker 1: that regard. So I thought that was a really good

1481
01:09:17,240 --> 01:09:19,960
Speaker 1: point from you. And UH and yeah, I someone in

1482
01:09:20,000 --> 01:09:23,519
Speaker 1: our mentions here said, man, I just want the season

1483
01:09:23,560 --> 01:09:26,400
Speaker 1: to start, and I agree, and I'm very very excited.

1484
01:09:26,680 --> 01:09:29,840
Speaker 1: If there's one silver lining here, let's see, it is

1485
01:09:29,880 --> 01:09:34,960
Speaker 1: August six, the Lakers first preseason games, less than two

1486
01:09:35,000 --> 01:09:39,320
Speaker 1: months away, and UH training camp actually starts in the

1487
01:09:39,400 --> 01:09:42,240
Speaker 1: last few days of September, so we are very very close.

1488
01:09:42,439 --> 01:09:46,960
Speaker 1: And NBA season starting also means that Tucson gets less

1489
01:09:46,960 --> 01:09:50,160
Speaker 1: absurdly hot, so I'm very excited for that myself. But Roger,

1490
01:09:50,240 --> 01:09:51,800
Speaker 1: I really appreciate you taking the time and going a

1491
01:09:51,800 --> 01:09:54,280
Speaker 1: little bit longer for us today. We will do over

1492
01:09:54,320 --> 01:09:56,639
Speaker 1: the summer at some point a full mail bag pod

1493
01:09:56,680 --> 01:09:59,240
Speaker 1: so we can get to more of these questions. Um.

1494
01:09:59,280 --> 01:10:02,000
Speaker 1: But as always, guys, we really appreciate your support. I'll

1495
01:10:02,000 --> 01:10:05,600
Speaker 1: be tweeting out the full length podcast for those of

1496
01:10:05,640 --> 01:10:07,760
Speaker 1: you who missed it here in just a little bit.

1497
01:10:07,920 --> 01:10:09,519
Speaker 1: I hope you have a great weekend and we will

1498
01:10:09,560 --> 01:10:11,679
Speaker 1: see you next week. Thanks everyone,