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Speaker 1: Welcome to this Week Uncut in the world of twenty

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Speaker 1: four NBA news. Chris Hans works time. It's time. This

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Speaker 1: ligun cut is underway in the fire. It should be

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Speaker 1: a good one. Playoff time is almost here, friends, and

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Speaker 1: Mark Stein is here with Chris Haynes. Back with you

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Speaker 1: again on another edition of this League Uncut. A very

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Speaker 1: eventful play in week already we are getting together. We're

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Speaker 1: recording this late on a Thursday night, after Chris Haynes

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Speaker 1: had his own cross country playoff travel to get in

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Speaker 1: position for the Chicago versus Miami play in game the

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Speaker 1: decider Friday night to see who ends up in the

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Speaker 1: number eight seed. We obviously have OKAC against Minnesota in

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Speaker 1: the West battle for the A seed. My first question,

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Speaker 1: mister Haynes, for you is, besides the pleasant trees, about

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Speaker 1: how your trip was from far away Sacramento to South Beach.

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Speaker 1: So on your last last time you left home you

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Speaker 1: got a one on one with Janice. I'm just curious,

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Speaker 1: who is Who's next? You're you got heat heat bulls,

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Speaker 1: so Jimmy Butler, zach Levine DeMar de Rosen's daughter, Who

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Speaker 1: who is the who is the who is the next?

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Speaker 1: Who is the next heart to heart convo with Well.

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Speaker 1: Sources relate to me that DeMar de Rosen's daughter will

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Speaker 1: not travel to Miami. She's going back to school. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: so that's the case that counsels out her. You are

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Speaker 1: working on it. You are working on it. Though I

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Speaker 1: would at least say hello to the child. I was

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Speaker 1: at least done that, But stunt, I think, um, first

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Speaker 1: of all, this playing game, I'm excited to do it,

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Speaker 1: single elimination. Whoever loses is out. So this is going

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Speaker 1: to be like, I don't I don't think the playing

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Speaker 1: is considered the postseason. No, I mean, yeah, you know,

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Speaker 1: it's loosely it is the postseason, but it is. You

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Speaker 1: are not in the playoffs. If you make the play

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Speaker 1: in you are not a playoff team unless you secure

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Speaker 1: the seventh and eighth season. I'm glad you're reminded me.

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Speaker 1: I actually did check again with the league office this week,

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Speaker 1: and I am still being told that statistics in the

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Speaker 1: play in games will continue to float in this nebulous

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Speaker 1: zone where they really don't go into the record books.

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Speaker 1: They don't get added to your regular season stats, but

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Speaker 1: they're also not playoff stats. So you know, Jimmy Butler

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Speaker 1: could go for whatever, or Zach Lavine on the Chicago side,

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Speaker 1: or you know, we could see some crazy stat line

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Speaker 1: in one of these two games, and it still really

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Speaker 1: kind of doesn't count. So what you're saying for ten

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Speaker 1: years later, there's going to be a player that's going

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Speaker 1: to be heralded as the all time play in score,

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Speaker 1: which really shit me much because it means your team

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Speaker 1: is always between a seventh intention. I don't know that

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Speaker 1: it should mean much, but I guess didn't um if

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Speaker 1: my memory's right, was it Tatum who had a fifty

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Speaker 1: point playing now? Because Boston's always up, somebody had a

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Speaker 1: fifty point playing game? Maybe producer Ryan can look that

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Speaker 1: up for us, because of course, when when it's crunch time,

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Speaker 1: my trash memory doesn't remember somebody had a fifty point

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Speaker 1: playing game, and like, but that doesn't count, you know,

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Speaker 1: So if somebody scores fifty tomorrow, they're gonna want it

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Speaker 1: to count, and it doesn't really go anywhere. It's just weird.

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Speaker 1: I know, we're I know we're going way off, But

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Speaker 1: is that that in season tournament that they're going to implement,

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Speaker 1: is that going to count for regular season? That see

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Speaker 1: that see that. Now, man, you you're right, this was

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Speaker 1: not But now you got me. Now you got me

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Speaker 1: riled up because this is one of my This is

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Speaker 1: one This is one of the things that I am

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Speaker 1: so down about this in season tournament because it's not

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Speaker 1: separate games. They're gonna be regular season games that are

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Speaker 1: designated for playing in season tournament standings. So they're gonna

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Speaker 1: count double, they're gonna count in the regular season. They're

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Speaker 1: gonna count in your regular season stats. I don't you know.

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Speaker 1: I guess someone will keep in season tournament stats, but like,

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Speaker 1: these are regular season games that are being used for

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Speaker 1: two purposes. It's one of the things that I really

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Speaker 1: really don't like about this. So yeah, I don't know,

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Speaker 1: I don't know where we're gonna see who's going to

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Speaker 1: really keep the in season tournament stats. But yeah, they're regular,

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Speaker 1: they're regular. The only games that will be extra will

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Speaker 1: be when they, you know, go to this final four,

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Speaker 1: presumably in Vegas, and then they're gonna have to add

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Speaker 1: they're gonna have to add an eighty third game for

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Speaker 1: the two teams that make the finals. So it's do

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Speaker 1: not get me going on the in season tournament. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I see, we went totally off the rails to like

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Speaker 1: we always do. We we make our plan, we've I

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Speaker 1: even write it down and then and then we end

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Speaker 1: up we don't execute. We do we got to execute.

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Speaker 1: We are not winning the execution Championship this season. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: but I'm looking forward to tomorrow's play in, which will

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Speaker 1: be tonight's play in for technically being m accurate the

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Speaker 1: what the loser, the season will be over. Yeah, And

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Speaker 1: I'm with you because it's the play in games have

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Speaker 1: all been very good. This regular we spend so much

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Speaker 1: time talking about the problems this league has with load management,

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Speaker 1: and the regular season doesn't have enough stakes, and that's

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Speaker 1: why they're that's why they want to do it in

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Speaker 1: season tournament because they're looking for ways to try to

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Speaker 1: juice the regular season and make it more meaningful. The

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Speaker 1: play in tournament has helped hugely. And the playing games

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Speaker 1: they've all, they've all been really tight so far. Obviously

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Speaker 1: Lakers Wolves was not a classic in terms of the

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Speaker 1: actual basketball being played, but I mean these have all

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Speaker 1: been you know, close games, and you know, you know,

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Speaker 1: on Wednesday night we saw or you know, we've the

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Speaker 1: number ten seed had never won a playing game, and

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Speaker 1: we saw both Chicago and Oklahoma City get through and

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Speaker 1: and and record a win for number ten. So yeah,

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Speaker 1: I mean it's it's been good. And I mean you

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Speaker 1: you know it's it's you know, it's going to be

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Speaker 1: a great scene in Miami because the heat, the heat.

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Speaker 1: Everybody thought they were going to beat the Hawks, you

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Speaker 1: know that, And and I thought that. Yeah, I thought

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Speaker 1: I was here to Atlanta, Stu. I thought I was

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Speaker 1: here to Atlanta. I mean, I didn't mind that Atlanta

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Speaker 1: pulled up, pulled off the upset. You find myself in

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Speaker 1: Miami breaking news? You like Miami? You like being in Miami?

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Speaker 1: Is that? Is that? Is that breaking news for anybody? Stu? Well,

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Speaker 1: I'm just checking, just making sure. So my Ami, where

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Speaker 1: does Miami rank on your list of favorite NBA cities?

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Speaker 1: One one one, number one, number one, number two in

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Speaker 1: New York. Wow, I like Miami. It's not my number one.

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Speaker 1: I mean, look, I I spent a lot of mons.

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Speaker 1: I grew up in southern California, So when I get

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Speaker 1: to go to La obviously, that's like going home. And

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Speaker 1: I really love Toronto, like Toronto is the best of

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Speaker 1: I do, you know, I do? But I love Toronto

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Speaker 1: in certain portions of the season. And I love Toronto

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Speaker 1: when I'm there, I don't love the process of getting

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Speaker 1: to Toronto. Well, the twenty sixteen All Star Game in

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Speaker 1: Toronto was as cold as it humanly could be, and

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Speaker 1: I still absolutely loved it. I mean, for me, Toronto

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Speaker 1: has always combined the best of the US and island

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Speaker 1: by yourself. I love it. Man, You're on an island

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Speaker 1: by yourself. With that Miami that was the worst All

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Speaker 1: Star weekend. So okay, so you're happy you're in, Like

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Speaker 1: you're not gonna be there long, but you'll you'll. I

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Speaker 1: suppose you will make the most of your Friday pregame show,

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Speaker 1: meet breakfast, meeting on the patio, breakfast meeting. Actually, I'm

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Speaker 1: going to shoot around. I might miss breakfast tomorrow, going

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Speaker 1: to shoot around bullshoot around tomorrow, check them out and

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Speaker 1: right after so I leave here, and I know I'm

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Speaker 1: going way ahead, but Steyn, once I leave Miami here Saturday,

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Speaker 1: I'm going straight to Phoenix. I got the first two

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Speaker 1: games of that Sun's Clippers series, so that's gonna be.

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Speaker 1: That's that's another series. I'm looking forward, right, Well, we

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Speaker 1: will go ahead. Let's get back on we will get

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Speaker 1: to that not because and look, the reality is there.

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Speaker 1: The playoffs are just starting, and we know six of

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Speaker 1: the series already. You know, we still are awaiting who's

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Speaker 1: going to be the eighth seed in the East, who's

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Speaker 1: going to be the eighth seed in the West. The

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Speaker 1: matchups that we know Celtics, Hawks, Sixers, Nets, Cavaliers, Nicks.

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Speaker 1: Which is the standout matchup in the first round for

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Speaker 1: me with Donovan Mitchell, it's the Donovan Mitchell Bowl with

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Speaker 1: the team that didn't get him playing the team that

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Speaker 1: did trade for Donovan Mitchell. In the West, we have Lakers, Grizzlies,

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Speaker 1: we have Kings, Warriors, the Viveka Bowl, the Northern California Championship,

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Speaker 1: and then Sons Clippers your series. And it's interesting Draymond Green,

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Speaker 1: who again a hearty thank you to Draymond Green for

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Speaker 1: an absolutely detailed, insightful, candid, ultra candid convo with us

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Speaker 1: that we turned into a two part or. Draymond is

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Speaker 1: already on record as saying the Warriors will beat the Kings,

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Speaker 1: the Lakers will beat the Grizzlies, and are Round two

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Speaker 1: will be will be Lakers against Warriors, which would just

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Speaker 1: be monster ratings if if that happens, and your series

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Speaker 1: is packed with storylines obviously because Kevin Durant having only

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Speaker 1: played eight games as a son, but the Suns are

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Speaker 1: a lot of people's favorites. But look, with all this,

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Speaker 1: I mean, we're gonna be talking about all these series

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Speaker 1: because they're just getting going. I think this week, really,

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Speaker 1: you know, it's teams out of the playoffs or teams

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Speaker 1: that were just eliminated, where really all the news focus

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Speaker 1: has been. You know, we in Portland, Damian Lillard just

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Speaker 1: joined Stephen A. Smith and made some comments that have

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Speaker 1: a lot of people rebbed up New Orleans losing its

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Speaker 1: playing game to number ten Oklahoma City. Obviously, Zion Williamson

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Speaker 1: doesn't play. I mean, that's a major story where I

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Speaker 1: live in Dallas, the Mavericks are still generating a lot

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Speaker 1: of coverage even though their series is completely over. The

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Speaker 1: Raptors just went out to Chicago, and so now we

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Speaker 1: laser in on the Nick Nurse situation. Will Nick Nurse

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Speaker 1: stay in Toronto as the Raptors coach? Is he headed

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Speaker 1: to Houston or elsewhere after? As Nick himself volunteered recently

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Speaker 1: ten years with the Raptors, five of his five as

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Speaker 1: an assistant to Dwayne Casey five as the head coach.

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Speaker 1: So we got all these storylines that deal with teams

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Speaker 1: that are either out or on the brink. And then

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Speaker 1: you know Minnesota Friday Night has to beat Oklahoma City

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Speaker 1: just to get the eighth seed and Rudy Gobert suspended

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Speaker 1: from the playing game in Los Angeles. The Wolves still

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Speaker 1: had an incredible opportunity to beat the Lakers without their

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Speaker 1: best to defensive players, and they couldn't do it. So

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Speaker 1: there's a zillion different directions we can go, but I

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Speaker 1: think we should start with Damian Lillard because let's face it,

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Speaker 1: you are the world's foremost damologist. You know him better

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Speaker 1: than anybody who follows this league. So let's let's let's

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Speaker 1: first take a listen to what he said to stephen A.

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Speaker 1: They know how important it is to just you know,

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Speaker 1: be on a competitive team on the level where we

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Speaker 1: can you know, make a run in the playoffs, and uh,

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Speaker 1: you know that just that just has to happen to me.

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Speaker 1: I think is that your way of saying the Portland

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Speaker 1: Trailblazers on clock, they got to show a level of

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Speaker 1: urgency or else, I mean, I ain't go I'm not

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Speaker 1: even gonna it ain't a threat. I'm not you know,

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Speaker 1: I ain't gonna say I'm putting them on the clock.

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Speaker 1: I'm just saying, you know, if those things can't be done,

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Speaker 1: you know, we can't do something significant like that, then

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Speaker 1: you know we won't we won't have a chance to to,

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Speaker 1: you know, compete on that level. And then not only

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Speaker 1: will I have a decision to make, but I think

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Speaker 1: the organization will too, because at that point it's like,

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Speaker 1: are you going to go young or are we going

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Speaker 1: to get something done. I think we just kind of

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Speaker 1: been on the with, you know, fully committing to either one.

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Speaker 1: And I just think, you know, we had that down

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Speaker 1: where everybody, everybody wants to win, you know, they believe

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Speaker 1: that I deserve that opportunity. This has been portrayed, is

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Speaker 1: this like Dame has finally issued an ultimatum to the Blazers,

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Speaker 1: And that's not the way I heard it. But you know, again,

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Speaker 1: you are the Dame expert. Tell me what did you

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Speaker 1: make of the comments. I didn't think he said much

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Speaker 1: like it wasn't a surprise to me. I didn't think

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Speaker 1: he said much of anything that was different from his

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Speaker 1: previous stance over the last couple of years, and I

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Speaker 1: think people were making this out to be like you said,

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Speaker 1: like this is the first time that he's issuing an ultimatum. Well, no,

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Speaker 1: the first time he really this is the first time

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Speaker 1: he really put the organization to task was two summers ago.

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Speaker 1: This was when they lost in the first round to Denver,

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Speaker 1: when Portland was when Portland was favored. Excuse me, they

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Speaker 1: were the higher seed. I believe what did the higher

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Speaker 1: seed over Denver? I believe they were. I believe they

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Speaker 1: was fighting a lot of us. Yeah, firing a lot

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Speaker 1: of questions at Ryan to look up because I don't

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Speaker 1: remember I believe either, But look, I mean they it was.

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Speaker 1: But no, no, they weren't. No, they weren't. They weren't.

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Speaker 1: They were not a higher seed. But Denver was missing

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Speaker 1: Jamal Murray and they were missing my port Jr. And

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Speaker 1: so they were. They were a wounded Denver Nuggets squad.

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Speaker 1: Portland went into that playoffs healthy, So I believe the

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Speaker 1: Portland should have been favorite in the odds and they lost.

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Speaker 1: That was the year Dame was really contemplating if he

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Speaker 1: was going to stay or think about going elsewhere. So

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Speaker 1: that was it was. It was more of a serious

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Speaker 1: point then than it is now. Now. This can elevate

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Speaker 1: to be in a serious situation depending on how the

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Speaker 1: Blazers handle this offseason with the with the the draft

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Speaker 1: coming up, free agency, and so I talked to Dame.

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Speaker 1: So I talked to Dame a little bit before we

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Speaker 1: started this Podcat I told him, look, we're gonna talk

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Speaker 1: about the comments you made with Stephen a. Um, give

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Speaker 1: me your you know, just give me your take on

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Speaker 1: what's going on or what you what you meant to say.

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Speaker 1: He said, look, just say this, he said, I want

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Speaker 1: to win right now. The Blazers tell me that they

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Speaker 1: want to win right now. He said, So for right now,

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Speaker 1: I'm going in trusting that we're all on the same

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Speaker 1: page and that they're going to do things to improve

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Speaker 1: this roster, to put this roster in position to be

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Speaker 1: a championship contending team. And he said, now if they don't,

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Speaker 1: if things fall short, then he and the team have

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Speaker 1: a decision to make from there. But he's let it

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Speaker 1: be known it's not a secret to the Blazers because

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Speaker 1: he's already talked to Joe Cronin, the general manager of

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Speaker 1: the Blazers. He had an exit interview with him a

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Speaker 1: couple of days ago. He's already informed him like he

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Speaker 1: doesn't want to go down a road of kind of

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Speaker 1: being a middle tier team just you know, in no

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Speaker 1: man's land, and he doesn't want to be on a

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Speaker 1: rebuilding team. So the organization already knows dame stance. They

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Speaker 1: know that if they if they aren't able to come

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Speaker 1: through with their promises putting together a comparable roster, they

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Speaker 1: pretty much know the next step. That next step is

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Speaker 1: a step that we haven't seen in Dame's time of

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Speaker 1: being a professional basketball player. And I think right now

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Speaker 1: everything is cool because there's promises being made, but this

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Speaker 1: is a small window to come through on those promises

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Speaker 1: in these next couple of months. If that doesn't happen,

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Speaker 1: then that's when I think this situation could be elevated,

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Speaker 1: and it would be a worse situation, more worse situation

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Speaker 1: than it was two years ago when Dane finally came

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Speaker 1: out and expressed the desire to have a better team

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Speaker 1: around him. Yeah, because look he I mean, the underlying

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Speaker 1: thing is he continue he wants it to be there.

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Speaker 1: I think that he keeps trying to express that, and

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Speaker 1: I'm not sure people really want to hear it. But

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Speaker 1: I also understand the reality of the NBA. And I'm

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Speaker 1: not saying all twenty nine teams would be in the

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Speaker 1: hunt for Dame mean Lillard if he ever did become available,

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Speaker 1: but teams there are. You know, certainly there are teams

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Speaker 1: around the league who saw this interview with Stephen A

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Speaker 1: and they start plotting, is this are opening to try

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Speaker 1: to get Damian Lillard. I'm sure you know, I don't

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Speaker 1: have tangible proof of it, but I'm just going to

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Speaker 1: go out on a limited guess that the Blazers. Maybe

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Speaker 1: they're not getting calls today, but they will get calls

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Speaker 1: because teams are gonna want to try to steal him away.

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Speaker 1: I mean, they're just they will test the Blazers resolve

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Speaker 1: no matter what Dame is saying for public consumption. So

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Speaker 1: it's interesting, It would be really interesting if we had,

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Speaker 1: you know, some sort of accurate pressure meters, like who's

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Speaker 1: under more pressure right now? Is it Portland? Is it Dallas?

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Speaker 1: For a lot of the same reasons. You know, Luca

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Speaker 1: is only in year one of a five year deal.

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Speaker 1: But look, the MAVs. The MAVs let the world know

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Speaker 1: how much pressure they're feeling when they traded for Kyrie

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Speaker 1: Irving in February. That whole thing was to try to

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Speaker 1: put a team together that could win now just because

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Speaker 1: they want to, you know, diffuse this pressure that they

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Speaker 1: are feeling about building a winning team around Luca Dante.

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Speaker 1: What's the pressure meter in New Orleans right now? Where

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Speaker 1: at least you know, the Pelicans, you know, they lose

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Speaker 1: very disappointingly to Okay, see the Pelicans, though, would seemingly

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Speaker 1: have the easiest fix. I mean, the Pelicans, their their

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Speaker 1: issue is getting Zion on the court. I mean, like,

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Speaker 1: if they can get Zion on the court, they that's

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Speaker 1: the fix. They've got the supporting cast. I mean, we

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Speaker 1: were we were talking were a lot of people thought

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Speaker 1: that this was the deepest team in the league when

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Speaker 1: in December, when they were when they were climbing towards

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Speaker 1: the top of the West End. Look, it's man, this

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Speaker 1: Zion situation, like the situations aren't exactly comparable. But I

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Speaker 1: found this interesting that just numbers wise, you know, Zion

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Speaker 1: has played one hundred and fourteen games in four seasons,

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Speaker 1: only one hundred and fourteen. But Joel Embiid because of

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Speaker 1: the injuries that cost him two seasons. At the start,

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Speaker 1: Joel Embiid had only played ninety four games through four seasons.

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Speaker 1: So it just does tell you that Joel Embiid, who

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Speaker 1: is now an MVP favorite for the third successive season,

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Speaker 1: like Ken Zion, bounce back the way Joel Embiid has.

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Speaker 1: Will Zion take the necessary steps this offseason to set

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Speaker 1: himself up to bounce back like Joel Embiid did from

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Speaker 1: the injuries that tortured him at the start of his career.

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Speaker 1: I mean, what like when you look at New Orleans

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Speaker 1: kind of how have you been processing the way? And

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Speaker 1: that was that was actually that all I promise I

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Speaker 1: didn't I didn't know I was going to say processing

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Speaker 1: after a Joel Embiid sentence, how are you? What do

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Speaker 1: you like? What do what do you see in New Orleans? Well, look,

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Speaker 1: you talk about disparity of games misks to games played

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Speaker 1: for Zion, and definitely it's alarming. We all knew that.

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Speaker 1: We knew that for the last couple of years. I

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Speaker 1: think what's making for Pelicans fans, I'll speak to them.

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Speaker 1: I think it's making the way this season ended for

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Speaker 1: them so frustrating is Zion Williams's last interview he gave

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Speaker 1: to the Scrub, basically stating that he is clear, but

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Speaker 1: from here on out it's a mental hurdle, and he

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Speaker 1: doesn't want to get out there and be second guests

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Speaker 1: in and put himself from himself from harm's way, and

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Speaker 1: then he feels like he wouldn't be a good enough

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Speaker 1: contribution for the team if he's out there a second

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Speaker 1: guest himself. Now, I just didn't think I get him,

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Speaker 1: first of all, I get him stign let's just talk

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Speaker 1: about that. I've always thought that if they were depending

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Speaker 1: on Zion to come back for the playoffs, I think

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Speaker 1: that's that's a tough ass because he's been out since January,

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Speaker 1: and now all of a sudden he steps into playing

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Speaker 1: in when the games really matter, when everybody is in

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Speaker 1: tip top shape, and he's trying to work himself in

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Speaker 1: shape amongst that type of environment. That's gonna be tough.

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Speaker 1: So I already thought that was a tall order. But

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Speaker 1: I just think his words didn't do him any favors.

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Speaker 1: Like I would rather, if you're gonna talk at all,

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Speaker 1: I would rather say you're not ready, Like because he

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Speaker 1: was asked, well, what can't What can't you do? He said, no,

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Speaker 1: I can do everything. I can go out there and

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Speaker 1: do everything. But it's a it's a mental thing, which is,

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Speaker 1: you know, if you had a serious injury, it takes

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Speaker 1: a while. Jamal Murray went through that with Denver where

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Speaker 1: he was clear for a minute, but it's still that

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Speaker 1: mental hurdle that you have to overcome. But the problem,

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Speaker 1: the thing, the difference between Jamal murray situation Zions is

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Speaker 1: Zion keeps going through this, this is a cycle. People

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Speaker 1: are getting tired of it. And Jamal Murray you're given

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Speaker 1: a benefit of the doubt because the first time he's

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Speaker 1: going through something like this, And so the Zion, everybody's questioning,

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Speaker 1: is he really doing everything necessary on the physical standpoint

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Speaker 1: to be ready in tiptop shape, to be able to

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Speaker 1: play close to seventy games a year. And I don't know.

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Speaker 1: I don't know the answer to that. I don't I know. CJ.

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Speaker 1: McCullum has some very pointed remarks after that lost saying,

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Speaker 1: we need guys to be ready in physical shape, we

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Speaker 1: need guys to take their dietary. The nutrition stepped that up.

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Speaker 1: You know, he was kind of he was direct, without

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Speaker 1: naming it, naming any names. He was pretty direct and

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Speaker 1: uh so, at least to your point, Styn when you

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Speaker 1: said they're different with the Pelicans. They just got to

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Speaker 1: be healthy. They got the talent, just the talent, they're

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Speaker 1: they're always dressed in street clothes. Somehow, some way things

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Speaker 1: have to change. I mean, I guess we'll see if

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Speaker 1: there's a different approach taken this offseason to preparation and

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Speaker 1: everything that he's doing off the court on the court,

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Speaker 1: because I mean, the talent, the talent is absolutely tantalizing,

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Speaker 1: but I mean, one hundred and fourteen games in four years,

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Speaker 1: I mean, it's it's uh, it's rough, and I'm sure

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Speaker 1: that there's a lot of frustration probably among I mean,

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Speaker 1: you know, I haven't been to New Orleans lately, but

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Speaker 1: I would imagine that there's a fair bit of fan

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Speaker 1: frustration there, not terribly unlike the city where I live,

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Speaker 1: and not terribly unlike Portland, because you know, all of

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Speaker 1: these teams have elite talent, your Games, your Lucas, your Kyrie's,

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Speaker 1: your Zions, so like when you when you are lucky

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Speaker 1: enough to have a player like that, expectations are super

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Speaker 1: super high. Before we moved to the MAVs. Let's look

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Speaker 1: at the Wolves, because I mean they had it just again,

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Speaker 1: an incredible opportunity to beat the I mean, the Lakers

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Speaker 1: looked awful in that playing game until they finally got

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Speaker 1: it together enough in overtime to win that thing. But

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Speaker 1: I mean the Wolves had the Wolves were up fifteen seventeen,

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Speaker 1: had every opportunity, even with you know, Anthony Edwards just

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Speaker 1: didn't look anything like the Anthony Edwards we've come to expect.

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Speaker 1: So even without Gobert, even without McDaniels, I mean, that's

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Speaker 1: a game that the Wolves should have won. Now at

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Speaker 1: least they go home, They're gonna have go bear back,

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Speaker 1: They're not going to have McDaniels. But I mean, the

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Speaker 1: thunder have been one of the absolute stories of the season.

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Speaker 1: Obviously the best surprise tale in this season's NBA. It's

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Speaker 1: got to be Sacramento. Nobody expected them to finish with

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Speaker 1: a top three record in the West. Nobody expect you know,

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Speaker 1: Mike Brown, as you know, with Chris Haynes as his

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Speaker 1: number one hype man, you know, I'm actually starting to

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Speaker 1: believe you now, I think he actually does have a

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Speaker 1: shot at unanimous coach of the year, such is the

424
00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:28,560
Speaker 1: impact that he's had. But Okase, what they've done as

425
00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:32,720
Speaker 1: an undersized team with no chet Holmgren, what we've seen

426
00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:37,760
Speaker 1: from Shay and Giddy and Dort, both of the Jalen Williams,

427
00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:39,879
Speaker 1: is that the thunder have on the roster. I mean,

428
00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:44,760
Speaker 1: it's been They've been a great story too. And man,

429
00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:48,280
Speaker 1: there's a lot of pressure on Minnesota to win that

430
00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:52,560
Speaker 1: game after everything they pushed into the into the middle

431
00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:55,280
Speaker 1: of the table to trade for Gobert. I mean, a

432
00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:58,159
Speaker 1: first round series against Denver is no picnic, but not

433
00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:01,480
Speaker 1: even making the playoffs would be just a dagger for

434
00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:05,440
Speaker 1: the Wolves. Stein That's what I was going to leave

435
00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:09,960
Speaker 1: with pressure. It's going to be a ton of pressure

436
00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:13,040
Speaker 1: for Minnesota. Let's let's talk about the different levels to this.

437
00:26:14,119 --> 00:26:17,719
Speaker 1: So Minnesota definitely should have had that game. They forgot

438
00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:20,000
Speaker 1: how to score the damn basketball. In the fourth quarter.

439
00:26:20,359 --> 00:26:23,200
Speaker 1: They were a shell of themselves. They couldn't run anything.

440
00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:27,000
Speaker 1: They were shooting ill avised, contested shots. They weren't getting

441
00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:29,159
Speaker 1: into the offense, they weren't running. They just forgot how

442
00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:32,439
Speaker 1: to play. Now, part of that was Karl Anthony Towns

443
00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:35,080
Speaker 1: was in foul trouble, so his rhythm was off and

444
00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:37,800
Speaker 1: so he wasn't playing aggressively because he didn't want to

445
00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:41,080
Speaker 1: pick up that last foul that would have disqualified him

446
00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:44,760
Speaker 1: for the rest of the game. But Anthony Edwards, you know,

447
00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:47,880
Speaker 1: he lives for these moments and typically like he shows

448
00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:52,159
Speaker 1: up and he did it, and so that was very disappointed.

449
00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:56,840
Speaker 1: Mike Conley, of all people, offensively came through with big buckets,

450
00:26:57,560 --> 00:26:59,600
Speaker 1: you know, during that game to keep his team in

451
00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:03,520
Speaker 1: there to try to get that game, and they couldn't.

452
00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:06,800
Speaker 1: And so we brought up the Rudy Gobert incident that

453
00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:10,840
Speaker 1: he had with Um with Kyle, and they said, they

454
00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:13,240
Speaker 1: passed everything up. You know, that stuff happens, that happens.

455
00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:16,120
Speaker 1: They passed things up. I have. I have no reason

456
00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:18,840
Speaker 1: to believe that they're not moving on the professionals. They're

457
00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:22,440
Speaker 1: grown ass man. They'll get together. But for Rudy Gobert,

458
00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:27,400
Speaker 1: who this trade has been scrutinized for everything to Minnesota,

459
00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:30,680
Speaker 1: Temples gave up. You look at Kestler over there with

460
00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:34,280
Speaker 1: the Utah Jazz and he's what he produced, I think,

461
00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:38,320
Speaker 1: and Eric Gilder here's another one for Ryan again, I

462
00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:42,760
Speaker 1: think Kestler had more blocks than Rudy this year. I

463
00:27:42,960 --> 00:27:45,159
Speaker 1: think that might have been the case. I will say this,

464
00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:48,639
Speaker 1: Producer Ryan, by the way, has has he did do

465
00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:51,840
Speaker 1: this research? You? You actually already corrected it. But yes,

466
00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:54,520
Speaker 1: Denver was three in Portland with six in that playoff series,

467
00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:57,359
Speaker 1: but the Nuggets were shorthanded, and I actually got it right.

468
00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:01,920
Speaker 1: Jason Tainum did have a fee fifty point playing game

469
00:28:02,119 --> 00:28:05,520
Speaker 1: in twenty twenty one against Washington. And that fifty point

470
00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:10,320
Speaker 1: game is just floating somewhere in the ether and isn't

471
00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:13,840
Speaker 1: really recorded anywhere. And so the next time you see Tatum,

472
00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:16,280
Speaker 1: ask him, hey, has anybody ever told you, like, what,

473
00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:19,960
Speaker 1: what do you get credit for that fifty point playing

474
00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:21,440
Speaker 1: game or what? Because I'm gonna go out on a

475
00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:23,920
Speaker 1: limb and guess he does care about that. But back

476
00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:26,359
Speaker 1: to you. Yeah, so no, I've been saying so all

477
00:28:26,359 --> 00:28:29,960
Speaker 1: the scrutiny that the Minnesota was taken for that trade

478
00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:32,880
Speaker 1: and everything that it gave up, and it hasn't panned

479
00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:36,520
Speaker 1: It hasn't panned out. It simply hasn't. Now Rudy puts

480
00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:39,440
Speaker 1: himself in a situation where he was suspended for the

481
00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:43,959
Speaker 1: first play in Now this is pressure. This whole season.

482
00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:47,920
Speaker 1: Think about this for Rudy standpoint and a Timberwools. You

483
00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:51,160
Speaker 1: lose this game, it's not all It's not just about

484
00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:55,000
Speaker 1: losing to the Lakers and putting yourself in this in

485
00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:59,400
Speaker 1: this situation. It's about everything that's transpired to put you

486
00:28:59,560 --> 00:29:02,680
Speaker 1: to this point, from the trade to all the draft

487
00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:06,200
Speaker 1: picks that were giving up to you getting you know,

488
00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:10,280
Speaker 1: to Rudy getting into it with Kyle to now this

489
00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:14,160
Speaker 1: this last game, he has a chance to Timboos have

490
00:29:14,240 --> 00:29:17,840
Speaker 1: a chance. I wouldn't say saved their season, but they

491
00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:22,520
Speaker 1: definitely can avoid a whole lot more of a tense

492
00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:27,560
Speaker 1: public scrutiny if they can avoid, if they can get

493
00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:30,200
Speaker 1: into the playoffs, this is gonna be a huge game.

494
00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:32,760
Speaker 1: It's gonna be pressure. And one thing that one team

495
00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:36,040
Speaker 1: that doesn't have pressure is okay, see they're not supposed

496
00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:39,560
Speaker 1: to be here. They are not supposed to be here.

497
00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:45,080
Speaker 1: They go, they go on the road, pressure free. Minnesota

498
00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:48,440
Speaker 1: has all the pressure. So I want to see if

499
00:29:48,560 --> 00:29:50,080
Speaker 1: Rudy has it in them. I want to see if

500
00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:52,320
Speaker 1: Karl Anthony Towns has to them. I want to see

501
00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:55,080
Speaker 1: if Anthony Edwards has it in them, you know, to

502
00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:58,880
Speaker 1: make to try to. You know, the scrutiny is gonna

503
00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:01,320
Speaker 1: be there, but I'm telling right now Stein, the scrutiny

504
00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:03,920
Speaker 1: ain't will be nothing like it's going to be if

505
00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:09,600
Speaker 1: they lose to okaysee at hold, with everything that has

506
00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:12,440
Speaker 1: transpired to get them to this point, it's going to

507
00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:17,240
Speaker 1: be ugly. And Ryan producer Ryan says, yes, Walker did

508
00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:20,200
Speaker 1: have more blocks than Rudy Gobert this season. Walker actually

509
00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:23,240
Speaker 1: had one hundred and seventy three for Utah. Golbert had

510
00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:27,160
Speaker 1: ninety five. Man, what's the games played? Their producer, Ryan,

511
00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:29,440
Speaker 1: I didn't realize it was that much of a difference,

512
00:30:29,480 --> 00:30:33,480
Speaker 1: But to me, suspending Gobert was the right call. Had

513
00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:35,800
Speaker 1: to do it. If that happened, I mean that happened

514
00:30:35,840 --> 00:30:38,520
Speaker 1: in a game. Let's correct this real quick. Let's correct

515
00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:41,520
Speaker 1: this real quick. Producer Ryan gave us. I think these

516
00:30:41,560 --> 00:30:47,120
Speaker 1: are updated. What's seventy four for Walker? Oh? Those games played? Okay? Sorry? Sorry,

517
00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:50,560
Speaker 1: Walker played seventy four games this season, Rudy played seventy.

518
00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:54,600
Speaker 1: That's still a large disparity blocks. I mean they basically

519
00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:58,400
Speaker 1: played the same number of games and Walker Kessler. That's

520
00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:00,920
Speaker 1: is why Walker Kessler is gonna end up being second

521
00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:02,880
Speaker 1: or third in the Rookie of the Year race. Walker

522
00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:07,320
Speaker 1: Kessler one hundred and seventy three blocks in seventy four games.

523
00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:13,080
Speaker 1: Rudy Gobert ninety five blocks in seventy games. That's that's wow.

524
00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:17,440
Speaker 1: And look, let's be honest, that's heaped more scrutiny and

525
00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:22,880
Speaker 1: pressure on the Wolves for making that trade because the

526
00:31:23,040 --> 00:31:26,800
Speaker 1: Wolves gave up four first round picks to get Gobert

527
00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:31,920
Speaker 1: and Kessler. He got so good so fast this season.

528
00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:34,480
Speaker 1: At the trade deadline, by all accounts, there were only

529
00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:40,120
Speaker 1: three players that the Jazz were not willing to trade,

530
00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:47,480
Speaker 1: Lowry markenin Abaji, the rookie, and Kessler Walker. Kessler quickly

531
00:31:47,560 --> 00:31:51,240
Speaker 1: played himself to that level where the Jazz were not

532
00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:53,240
Speaker 1: going to take any trade calls on him. They were

533
00:31:53,320 --> 00:31:56,680
Speaker 1: listening to trade offers for pretty much the whole roster

534
00:31:56,920 --> 00:32:00,560
Speaker 1: at that point, and of course did trade Malie Beasley

535
00:32:00,720 --> 00:32:05,280
Speaker 1: and Vanderbilt and Conley. So Kessler's rise, it's you know,

536
00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:09,760
Speaker 1: it's added to all the angst here. And you know, again,

537
00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:12,480
Speaker 1: I think it had to be a suspension. It doesn't

538
00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:17,160
Speaker 1: matter how hard Rudy Gobert swung on Kyle Anderson. This

539
00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:20,400
Speaker 1: happened in a game. If it happened during the regular season,

540
00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:24,440
Speaker 1: it certainly would have been a suspension. So you got

541
00:32:24,560 --> 00:32:27,840
Speaker 1: to uphold the same standards in the playing game. You

542
00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:31,920
Speaker 1: don't throw out your team rule book just because there's

543
00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:34,360
Speaker 1: a playing game on the line. But let's hold on, star,

544
00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:36,760
Speaker 1: hold on, ste hold on. Let me come back with

545
00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:39,160
Speaker 1: you on that one. Right, go for it. I agree

546
00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:42,920
Speaker 1: with you. I agree with you he had to be suspended. No, no,

547
00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:45,800
Speaker 1: I agree with you that it was the right decision

548
00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:51,080
Speaker 1: to suspend him. Did he have to be suspended? Let's

549
00:32:51,360 --> 00:32:55,800
Speaker 1: go take go to State for instance. Did Draymond Green situation.

550
00:32:57,160 --> 00:33:01,040
Speaker 1: It didn't happen in the game, but it did get out,

551
00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:08,080
Speaker 1: it was public. That was worse than what Gobert did Trey. Now,

552
00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:11,000
Speaker 1: being that that's that was that happened during camp. There

553
00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:16,040
Speaker 1: were no games, so he wasn't technically suspended. So could

554
00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:20,760
Speaker 1: Minnesota have I know it's a different organization, but could

555
00:33:20,800 --> 00:33:22,760
Speaker 1: they have looked at that and see how that played?

556
00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:25,440
Speaker 1: I think Golden State theough took a lot of criticism

557
00:33:25,560 --> 00:33:28,960
Speaker 1: for not issuing a suspension there and basically it was

558
00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:31,640
Speaker 1: ring night and they didn't want to. They didn't want

559
00:33:31,720 --> 00:33:34,680
Speaker 1: Draymond Green to miss ring Knight. So there was no suspension,

560
00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:38,200
Speaker 1: and I think they took considerable heat for that decision.

561
00:33:38,320 --> 00:33:43,520
Speaker 1: And I mean, to me, I don't see anyway if

562
00:33:44,560 --> 00:33:47,760
Speaker 1: if Gobert had done that during any regular season game,

563
00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:50,680
Speaker 1: I think there would have been at least a one

564
00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:54,400
Speaker 1: game suspension, so to me, And look, you know, I

565
00:33:54,440 --> 00:33:57,520
Speaker 1: would love to know maybe Minnesota players. Maybe I would

566
00:33:57,560 --> 00:33:59,920
Speaker 1: love to know exactly how the players felt. Maybe they

567
00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:03,240
Speaker 1: said they would have said, you know, forget the suspension,

568
00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:05,080
Speaker 1: Let's just let's just go into the play in with

569
00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:07,720
Speaker 1: with as much of a team as the strongest team

570
00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:10,480
Speaker 1: we can. But no, I think I do think they

571
00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:13,200
Speaker 1: had to do it. You had they There had to

572
00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:16,160
Speaker 1: be something. I think Stein when you talk about teams

573
00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:20,520
Speaker 1: taken on too scrutiny, and was there a backlash to

574
00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:27,840
Speaker 1: the Warriors not suspendis Raymond? Yeah? But did it last? Like?

575
00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:30,560
Speaker 1: How significant was it? How bad was it? I'm not

576
00:34:30,719 --> 00:34:34,360
Speaker 1: so much thinking about the fan backlash part of it.

577
00:34:35,120 --> 00:34:37,720
Speaker 1: And no, I did reference it with you know, obviously

578
00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:42,160
Speaker 1: there was external criticism of the Warriors in the Draymond

579
00:34:42,640 --> 00:34:45,879
Speaker 1: Pool situation that they didn't suspend them. But I'm I'm

580
00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:48,759
Speaker 1: I'm thinking more of like just as a team, as

581
00:34:48,840 --> 00:34:53,160
Speaker 1: a franchise, when you have your players, if there's a

582
00:34:53,239 --> 00:34:57,759
Speaker 1: punch thrown in a huddle during a game, I would

583
00:34:57,840 --> 00:35:02,200
Speaker 1: think within the whole team, you're expecting some level of

584
00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:07,640
Speaker 1: discipline within the team. I have to believe that the

585
00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:14,160
Speaker 1: Wolves were expecting them to take some sort of action

586
00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:18,719
Speaker 1: against Rudy Gobert. Now I also thought about this, and

587
00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:21,520
Speaker 1: I don't know, like, is that a situation where, because

588
00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:23,120
Speaker 1: it's in the playoffs, would you put it to some

589
00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:26,360
Speaker 1: kind of team vote and ask the team how do

590
00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:28,719
Speaker 1: they feel about this? But I mean, it looks like,

591
00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:32,440
Speaker 1: you know, the Wolves moved. It looks like the Wolves

592
00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:35,160
Speaker 1: move pretty quick here. I mean, they sent Rudy home

593
00:35:36,200 --> 00:35:41,239
Speaker 1: at halftime, and you know, after the incident with Kyle Anderson,

594
00:35:41,680 --> 00:35:44,120
Speaker 1: and they pretty quickly came out the next day and

595
00:35:44,239 --> 00:35:47,080
Speaker 1: said that he was being suspended for the playing game.

596
00:35:47,080 --> 00:35:50,000
Speaker 1: And then you know, you also have the conspiracy theorists

597
00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:53,560
Speaker 1: who have said Rudy's back was bothering him anyway, he

598
00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:56,759
Speaker 1: wasn't full strength enough to play against the Lakers, and

599
00:35:57,360 --> 00:36:00,600
Speaker 1: they really didn't sacrifice all that much by spending him

600
00:36:01,239 --> 00:36:04,200
Speaker 1: because they knew he wouldn't have been effective had he

601
00:36:04,280 --> 00:36:09,800
Speaker 1: played anyway, So yeah, Astu. The other the other thing is,

602
00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:13,160
Speaker 1: let me ask you this, If Rudy is playing at

603
00:36:13,239 --> 00:36:17,440
Speaker 1: the rudy level that he was in Utah for the Timberwolves,

604
00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:21,360
Speaker 1: do they suspend him. If Rudy Gobert is the Rudy

605
00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:27,480
Speaker 1: Gobert that we've seen in Utah, do they suspend them? Yeah?

606
00:36:27,480 --> 00:36:29,440
Speaker 1: I mean it's a great point. I don't you know,

607
00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:32,680
Speaker 1: I don't know, and it doesn't you know. Was it

608
00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:36,080
Speaker 1: because he needed the extra time anyway to get his

609
00:36:36,200 --> 00:36:40,160
Speaker 1: back right for this game against Oklahoma City? And I

610
00:36:40,200 --> 00:36:42,840
Speaker 1: guess we'll see because Rudy Gobert should be back for

611
00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:46,319
Speaker 1: Friday nights game against Oklahoma City and we'll see how

612
00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:55,920
Speaker 1: effective he is against a very small thunder team. Okay,

613
00:36:56,040 --> 00:36:59,040
Speaker 1: last thing we'll get to before we before I let

614
00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:02,960
Speaker 1: you zero grow in on your preparations for the game

615
00:37:03,040 --> 00:37:05,120
Speaker 1: that will be later tonight by the time this pod

616
00:37:05,200 --> 00:37:08,640
Speaker 1: drops Bulls at Miami for the number eight seed in

617
00:37:08,680 --> 00:37:11,520
Speaker 1: the East. And you know, hey, Miami, Miami's gonna be

618
00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:14,560
Speaker 1: right there in that pressure cooker with all these teams

619
00:37:14,560 --> 00:37:19,320
Speaker 1: we've been talking about, Blazers Pelicans, Mavericks, Raptors, Wolves, the

620
00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:22,200
Speaker 1: Heat are gonna jump right into that category if they

621
00:37:22,239 --> 00:37:26,359
Speaker 1: don't win this Chicago game, because exiting in the play

622
00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:28,839
Speaker 1: in would be a shock. It wasn't that long ago

623
00:37:28,920 --> 00:37:31,200
Speaker 1: that people were looking at the Heat as Hey, the

624
00:37:31,239 --> 00:37:33,080
Speaker 1: Heat are gonna get the seven seed and be a

625
00:37:33,280 --> 00:37:36,640
Speaker 1: super tough first round matchup for Boston. And now we're

626
00:37:36,680 --> 00:37:39,400
Speaker 1: wondering if the Heat are even going to make the

627
00:37:39,480 --> 00:37:44,080
Speaker 1: playoffs after they lost shockingly at home in the seven

628
00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:47,440
Speaker 1: eight game against Atlanta. But look, the Mavericks not in

629
00:37:47,520 --> 00:37:52,000
Speaker 1: the playoffs, but still in the news. The NBA's investigation

630
00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:56,279
Speaker 1: has not concluded yet, so we're gonna find out if

631
00:37:56,320 --> 00:38:00,560
Speaker 1: there's any sort of penalty for the Mavericks for basically

632
00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:03,640
Speaker 1: tanking the last two games. I mean, I look, I

633
00:38:03,800 --> 00:38:08,879
Speaker 1: do think a fine is possible here, because of course,

634
00:38:09,040 --> 00:38:13,520
Speaker 1: Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has already been fined for tanking

635
00:38:13,640 --> 00:38:16,560
Speaker 1: comments that he made in twenty eighteen in the lead

636
00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:19,560
Speaker 1: up to the Mavericks getting the draft rights for Luca

637
00:38:19,640 --> 00:38:23,040
Speaker 1: don chich. I. You know, I don't see how it

638
00:38:23,200 --> 00:38:26,920
Speaker 1: could be more than a fine, because look, the Mavericks

639
00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:31,880
Speaker 1: are basically under investigation because they talked about what they

640
00:38:31,960 --> 00:38:35,400
Speaker 1: were doing, how they were approaching those last two games

641
00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:38,840
Speaker 1: too openly. That's why they are under the microscope. But

642
00:38:38,920 --> 00:38:43,560
Speaker 1: the reality is, the night before Dallas announced that it

643
00:38:43,640 --> 00:38:47,400
Speaker 1: was going to rest Kyrie Irving and several players against Chicago,

644
00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:50,600
Speaker 1: and there was still a mathematical chance for the Mavericks

645
00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:53,360
Speaker 1: to get into the play. And the night before the

646
00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:58,080
Speaker 1: Jazz did the exact same thing at home against Oklahoma

647
00:38:58,200 --> 00:39:02,040
Speaker 1: City rested a slew of eyes. They were still mathematically

648
00:39:02,520 --> 00:39:06,000
Speaker 1: alive for the play. In the Jazz lost, and nobody

649
00:39:06,080 --> 00:39:10,320
Speaker 1: said anything. And the reality is to me, you know,

650
00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:14,960
Speaker 1: the Blazers. The Blazers, now two seasons in a row,

651
00:39:16,080 --> 00:39:20,160
Speaker 1: we've seen Portland after the All Star Break basically just

652
00:39:20,320 --> 00:39:23,960
Speaker 1: shut it down. Now, last season obviously Damian Lillard was

653
00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:29,680
Speaker 1: out after surgery, but this season they shut Damian Lillard down.

654
00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:35,279
Speaker 1: They potentially endangered Damian Lillard's All NBA case because after

655
00:39:35,360 --> 00:39:38,759
Speaker 1: the All Star break, shortly after the All Star break,

656
00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:40,920
Speaker 1: not the day after, but very shortly after the All

657
00:39:40,960 --> 00:39:44,160
Speaker 1: Star break, the Blazers basically said we're out of this

658
00:39:44,640 --> 00:39:47,239
Speaker 1: and we're not going to compete. The last two seasons,

659
00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:53,040
Speaker 1: Portland is six and forty after the break with fourteen

660
00:39:53,280 --> 00:39:56,840
Speaker 1: losses by thirty points or more? So, how is that

661
00:39:58,120 --> 00:40:01,960
Speaker 1: less of a competitive eyesore than what the Mavericks did.

662
00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:05,720
Speaker 1: So it's like, to me, you can't judge this tanking

663
00:40:05,880 --> 00:40:09,239
Speaker 1: is worse than this kind of tanking. So to me,

664
00:40:09,560 --> 00:40:13,600
Speaker 1: I just don't see how the MAVs get anything more

665
00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:16,239
Speaker 1: than a fine here. So once the MAVs move past

666
00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:20,040
Speaker 1: this investigation thing, kind of all the attention goes back

667
00:40:20,080 --> 00:40:22,920
Speaker 1: to can they resign Kyrie Irving? I mean, that is

668
00:40:23,040 --> 00:40:25,719
Speaker 1: the question in Dallas. You know, Chris and I have

669
00:40:25,800 --> 00:40:28,279
Speaker 1: talked about it before. I'm sure we'll keep talking about it.

670
00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:31,200
Speaker 1: Can they resign him? I mean to this point, I

671
00:40:31,360 --> 00:40:34,040
Speaker 1: you know, I do think they are the favorites to

672
00:40:34,560 --> 00:40:36,640
Speaker 1: keep him in free agency because at this point I

673
00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:41,440
Speaker 1: still don't see that external suitor who's going to come

674
00:40:41,480 --> 00:40:44,560
Speaker 1: after Kyrie. What does the Chris Haynes Crystal ball say

675
00:40:46,800 --> 00:40:49,520
Speaker 1: when you just said that right now, you basically wrote

676
00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:53,040
Speaker 1: an article for somebody that will be aggregated right there,

677
00:40:53,719 --> 00:41:00,719
Speaker 1: I think, so I guarantee I'm will find it guarantee. Uh,

678
00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:05,839
Speaker 1: real quick, let me say something about the tanking real quick? Yeah. Yeah,

679
00:41:05,880 --> 00:41:08,160
Speaker 1: the Dallas, Y'll probably get fine, like you said, a

680
00:41:08,280 --> 00:41:11,960
Speaker 1: little slap on the wrist. But I just I just

681
00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:16,719
Speaker 1: think just because the Mavericks made a mockery of it,

682
00:41:17,960 --> 00:41:20,239
Speaker 1: and I think that's what the league is frowning up on.

683
00:41:21,960 --> 00:41:25,040
Speaker 1: But the problem is the bigger issue is that there's

684
00:41:25,120 --> 00:41:29,279
Speaker 1: multiple teams doing it and everybody should be gett a

685
00:41:29,320 --> 00:41:31,360
Speaker 1: slap on the wrist. I don't think the Mavericks should

686
00:41:31,440 --> 00:41:34,480
Speaker 1: be singled out at all. I'll just say that now

687
00:41:34,560 --> 00:41:37,239
Speaker 1: when it comes to Kyrie Irving, yes I would. I

688
00:41:37,280 --> 00:41:39,440
Speaker 1: would attend to agree with you as a right now

689
00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:44,160
Speaker 1: we're talking with it's this April thirteenth, April fourteenth, when

690
00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:47,120
Speaker 1: this pot is dropping. Yes, I think you're right and

691
00:41:47,239 --> 00:41:50,080
Speaker 1: the Mavericks being the favorites. But one thing started that

692
00:41:50,400 --> 00:41:53,560
Speaker 1: kind of you know, because I go through, you know,

693
00:41:53,880 --> 00:41:56,880
Speaker 1: cruise on social media, try to see what people are saying,

694
00:41:56,960 --> 00:42:00,239
Speaker 1: and I saw a tweet. I can't remember the tweet saw,

695
00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:02,640
Speaker 1: but I saw a tweet in which it was either

696
00:42:02,800 --> 00:42:06,000
Speaker 1: Nico or Cuban who said they're optimistic. I think it

697
00:42:06,040 --> 00:42:11,239
Speaker 1: was Nico said the optimistic of signing Kyrie, and immediately

698
00:42:11,719 --> 00:42:15,120
Speaker 1: below the tweet or people quote tweeting it. Immediately they

699
00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:18,640
Speaker 1: went to, yeah, we heard this before, we heard this

700
00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:22,440
Speaker 1: before with the Brunson Yeah. No, I mean, look, people

701
00:42:22,480 --> 00:42:25,359
Speaker 1: are not sold. They are not buying a vision here.

702
00:42:25,440 --> 00:42:28,520
Speaker 1: They are not Look the tension that you know, I

703
00:42:28,680 --> 00:42:32,239
Speaker 1: live in Dallas, The tension is tangible. Earlier today, I

704
00:42:32,360 --> 00:42:35,680
Speaker 1: did an hour and a half on a radio show,

705
00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:38,880
Speaker 1: the Benn and Skin Show. And skin Wade is also

706
00:42:39,120 --> 00:42:44,080
Speaker 1: who he's on the MAVs broadcast and also part of

707
00:42:44,320 --> 00:42:46,080
Speaker 1: the team that I work with on the pre and

708
00:42:46,120 --> 00:42:49,040
Speaker 1: postgame show. So I mean with with with Ben and

709
00:42:49,160 --> 00:42:52,520
Speaker 1: Skin on ninety seven point one, the Freak in Dallas,

710
00:42:52,640 --> 00:42:55,160
Speaker 1: we talked about this. We talked a lot of Kyrie

711
00:42:55,360 --> 00:42:57,440
Speaker 1: in in our hour and a half. And I mean,

712
00:42:57,800 --> 00:43:01,880
Speaker 1: because Brunson left for nothing, there is there's a lot

713
00:43:01,960 --> 00:43:04,240
Speaker 1: of nerves, there's a lot of tension. And yeah, nobody

714
00:43:04,320 --> 00:43:07,080
Speaker 1: wants to hear about optimism and confidence. They want to

715
00:43:07,160 --> 00:43:11,760
Speaker 1: hear that there's a deal done because after losing Brunson,

716
00:43:13,640 --> 00:43:18,040
Speaker 1: the MAVs can't lose Kyrie without compensation at you know,

717
00:43:18,200 --> 00:43:22,120
Speaker 1: at the minimum. They have to hash out a sign

718
00:43:22,160 --> 00:43:25,440
Speaker 1: and trade. If a team does emerge, if a suitor

719
00:43:25,560 --> 00:43:29,279
Speaker 1: that we don't see today. If a suitor you surfaces

720
00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:32,280
Speaker 1: and wants to make a free agent run at Kyrie,

721
00:43:32,360 --> 00:43:34,560
Speaker 1: can they at least hash out a sign and trade.

722
00:43:34,640 --> 00:43:37,759
Speaker 1: Because they gave away two very good players and an

723
00:43:37,840 --> 00:43:42,280
Speaker 1: unprotected first round pick in twenty twenty nine to trade

724
00:43:42,360 --> 00:43:45,000
Speaker 1: for Kyrie Irving. So a lot of tension in Dallas,

725
00:43:45,280 --> 00:43:49,920
Speaker 1: a lot of nerves, a lot of jittery anticipation to

726
00:43:50,040 --> 00:43:52,600
Speaker 1: see what happened? You know what happens now in the draft?

727
00:43:52,760 --> 00:43:55,879
Speaker 1: Will the MAVs with an eighty percent chance to keep

728
00:43:56,120 --> 00:43:58,000
Speaker 1: their pick in the top ten and then that means

729
00:43:58,080 --> 00:43:59,680
Speaker 1: they don't have to send it to the Knicks to

730
00:44:00,040 --> 00:44:02,759
Speaker 1: lead the Porzingis trade. Will the picks stay in the

731
00:44:02,840 --> 00:44:06,760
Speaker 1: top ten? I mean the MAVs have a terrible history

732
00:44:06,800 --> 00:44:10,360
Speaker 1: in the lottery. The mass have had sixteen lottery picks

733
00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:15,080
Speaker 1: in franchise history. They have never moved up. For those

734
00:44:15,120 --> 00:44:17,040
Speaker 1: of you who think that maybe there's a shot to

735
00:44:17,160 --> 00:44:21,640
Speaker 1: get Wemby and put Wemby with Luka Dontich and Kyrie Irving,

736
00:44:21,719 --> 00:44:24,359
Speaker 1: the Mavericks have never moved up in the lottery. They've

737
00:44:24,440 --> 00:44:28,080
Speaker 1: moved down seven times out of sixteen. They've ended up

738
00:44:28,160 --> 00:44:32,880
Speaker 1: lower than their projected spot in the lottery, so that

739
00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:38,080
Speaker 1: the lottery is May sixteenth, and there's there's gonna be

740
00:44:38,280 --> 00:44:41,440
Speaker 1: a lot of MAVs fans living on edge until that happens.

741
00:44:43,280 --> 00:44:47,160
Speaker 1: Did you have a problem with Kyrie skipping the media

742
00:44:47,239 --> 00:44:50,840
Speaker 1: portion of Eggs interviews? I would say this like, I

743
00:44:50,960 --> 00:44:53,600
Speaker 1: don't think we were gonna learn anything dramatic, and I

744
00:44:53,680 --> 00:44:55,800
Speaker 1: don't think you look at it and say, because he

745
00:44:55,920 --> 00:44:58,840
Speaker 1: didn't do media that means he's definitely leaving Dallas. But

746
00:45:00,680 --> 00:45:06,080
Speaker 1: let's be clear. On February thirteenth, at Kyrie's introductory press

747
00:45:06,120 --> 00:45:10,560
Speaker 1: conference in Dallas, obviously at that press conference, he got

748
00:45:10,680 --> 00:45:13,680
Speaker 1: questions about the future, and he asked the Dallas media

749
00:45:14,360 --> 00:45:20,120
Speaker 1: please let's table all contract talk and all talk about

750
00:45:20,160 --> 00:45:24,960
Speaker 1: the future, because his words were that line of questioning

751
00:45:25,360 --> 00:45:31,360
Speaker 1: creates quote unwarranted distractions end quote. From February thirteenth until

752
00:45:31,400 --> 00:45:35,000
Speaker 1: the end of the season, almost two months, the Dallas

753
00:45:35,160 --> 00:45:40,840
Speaker 1: media complied with that request. No one asked him another

754
00:45:41,000 --> 00:45:44,879
Speaker 1: contractual question for the rest of the season, not even

755
00:45:45,960 --> 00:45:48,520
Speaker 1: during the last week of the season, when Mark Cuban

756
00:45:48,800 --> 00:45:53,399
Speaker 1: held an impromptu one hour press conference touching on all

757
00:45:53,560 --> 00:45:57,799
Speaker 1: kinds of topics. He spoke at length about Kyrie that night.

758
00:45:58,160 --> 00:46:00,640
Speaker 1: Just three or four nights before, for the last game

759
00:46:00,680 --> 00:46:03,680
Speaker 1: of the season, Cuban spoke at length about how he

760
00:46:03,840 --> 00:46:07,239
Speaker 1: hopes to keep Kyrie and just he's There was so

761
00:46:07,400 --> 00:46:11,640
Speaker 1: much Kyrie talk in that media availability. It would have

762
00:46:11,680 --> 00:46:16,120
Speaker 1: been very natural to ask Kyrie postgame questions. When he

763
00:46:16,200 --> 00:46:19,000
Speaker 1: met with the media after the win over Sacramento, it

764
00:46:19,040 --> 00:46:23,760
Speaker 1: would have been very natural to ask him about Cuban's comments,

765
00:46:24,280 --> 00:46:28,440
Speaker 1: and frankly, I wish I did. I was surprised nobody

766
00:46:28,480 --> 00:46:31,520
Speaker 1: else did, but I didn't do it either, and thought

767
00:46:31,600 --> 00:46:33,440
Speaker 1: that there would be the chance at the end of

768
00:46:33,480 --> 00:46:37,440
Speaker 1: the season to finally bring all this to him, because

769
00:46:38,160 --> 00:46:41,640
Speaker 1: that was basically what he asked for. I was really

770
00:46:41,760 --> 00:46:47,960
Speaker 1: hoping to see reciprocal courtesy. And when the season was

771
00:46:48,080 --> 00:46:52,520
Speaker 1: over and the Mavericks were doing all their exit interviews

772
00:46:52,560 --> 00:46:55,680
Speaker 1: with the media on Sunday afternoon after that last game

773
00:46:55,719 --> 00:46:58,239
Speaker 1: against San Antonio, I think it would have been good

774
00:46:58,280 --> 00:47:01,360
Speaker 1: for Kyrie Irving to meet the media and take the

775
00:47:01,520 --> 00:47:04,800
Speaker 1: questions that he wasn't asked for nearly two months. I

776
00:47:04,920 --> 00:47:08,920
Speaker 1: forgot about that when we were talking about potential topics

777
00:47:08,960 --> 00:47:12,400
Speaker 1: for this for this episode, I forgot Kyrie said that

778
00:47:12,560 --> 00:47:19,320
Speaker 1: he asked that you guys table those contractual questions. And

779
00:47:19,680 --> 00:47:22,040
Speaker 1: I have to give y'all props. I give y'all the

780
00:47:22,160 --> 00:47:27,399
Speaker 1: Dallas media props for for going with that, because y'all

781
00:47:27,440 --> 00:47:31,279
Speaker 1: definitely was not entitled to. But the way it was

782
00:47:31,360 --> 00:47:34,960
Speaker 1: explained to me by you know, people in Kyrie's camp,

783
00:47:35,120 --> 00:47:40,560
Speaker 1: they felt like him speaking would have probably just added

784
00:47:41,600 --> 00:47:45,800
Speaker 1: just more negative commentary and it wouldn't have created anything

785
00:47:45,920 --> 00:47:49,560
Speaker 1: positive at it. Anything that he would have said would

786
00:47:49,560 --> 00:47:52,320
Speaker 1: have been would have been flipped to something negative. So

787
00:47:52,520 --> 00:47:54,520
Speaker 1: that's that's the way it was explained to me why

788
00:47:54,640 --> 00:47:57,680
Speaker 1: he didn't do that. But he did, you know, talk

789
00:47:57,760 --> 00:48:00,200
Speaker 1: with the coaching staff, and he met with management. He

790
00:48:00,280 --> 00:48:05,000
Speaker 1: spoke with people with an organization before he before he left.

791
00:48:05,080 --> 00:48:08,320
Speaker 1: But from from what I was told, that was the

792
00:48:08,400 --> 00:48:11,960
Speaker 1: reason why he didn't. Yeah, Nico, Nico Harrison did say

793
00:48:12,080 --> 00:48:15,560
Speaker 1: Nico Harrison, the MAVs GM did a season ending press

794
00:48:15,600 --> 00:48:17,879
Speaker 1: conference on Tuesday, and he did say that he had

795
00:48:18,760 --> 00:48:22,879
Speaker 1: an exit meeting with Kyrie Irving and you know said

796
00:48:22,960 --> 00:48:26,880
Speaker 1: that was among the reasons fueling his optimism that Dallas

797
00:48:26,920 --> 00:48:28,880
Speaker 1: can keep him. But look like we've been saying for

798
00:48:28,960 --> 00:48:33,160
Speaker 1: this whole pod. There are a lot of teams under

799
00:48:33,320 --> 00:48:37,160
Speaker 1: a lot of pressure, and Dallas is right there at

800
00:48:37,200 --> 00:48:39,040
Speaker 1: the top of the list. I don't know how you separate,

801
00:48:39,080 --> 00:48:40,960
Speaker 1: you know. Is it more than Portland? Is it more

802
00:48:41,040 --> 00:48:43,960
Speaker 1: than New Orleans? Is it more than the Wolves will

803
00:48:44,080 --> 00:48:47,080
Speaker 1: feel if they can't sneak into the playoffs and make

804
00:48:47,160 --> 00:48:49,840
Speaker 1: some kind of run. Is it more than Toronto feels

805
00:48:49,960 --> 00:48:52,520
Speaker 1: right now with all the talk about is Nick Nurse

806
00:48:52,600 --> 00:48:55,000
Speaker 1: going to stay as their coach and what kind of

807
00:48:55,120 --> 00:48:58,080
Speaker 1: roster moves we might see from the Raptors after a

808
00:48:58,239 --> 00:49:03,200
Speaker 1: season filled with trade speculation about almost every marquee name

809
00:49:03,400 --> 00:49:05,480
Speaker 1: on that team. So a lot of teams feel on

810
00:49:05,520 --> 00:49:09,960
Speaker 1: the heat right now. Speaking of another team feeling it,

811
00:49:11,360 --> 00:49:14,600
Speaker 1: Nicolas Patuna, the Los Angeles Clippers just text me Stein,

812
00:49:15,640 --> 00:49:18,600
Speaker 1: He texts me, stay away from me, stay away from us.

813
00:49:19,239 --> 00:49:22,120
Speaker 1: Only East Coast games for you, my brother in the playoffs.

814
00:49:22,560 --> 00:49:26,680
Speaker 1: So for those of you though that thought, remember the

815
00:49:27,360 --> 00:49:31,000
Speaker 1: last couple of games I've done for T and T

816
00:49:31,239 --> 00:49:33,479
Speaker 1: the sideline, the last couple of Clipper games I've done.

817
00:49:33,640 --> 00:49:36,360
Speaker 1: The Clippers have lost every single game. And so Patuma

818
00:49:36,400 --> 00:49:39,160
Speaker 1: always looks at me with a dirty look. He thinks

819
00:49:39,239 --> 00:49:42,000
Speaker 1: I'm the Jinks and so I guess this is his

820
00:49:42,160 --> 00:49:43,920
Speaker 1: way of trying to get me to go to the

821
00:49:43,960 --> 00:49:46,520
Speaker 1: East Coast because he doesn't want any disruption, doesn't want

822
00:49:46,560 --> 00:49:49,360
Speaker 1: me to be a cause. But just like I told you, guys,

823
00:49:49,960 --> 00:49:53,880
Speaker 1: Patuma has another thing coming because I'm anna signed for

824
00:49:54,000 --> 00:49:58,440
Speaker 1: the first two games the Suns Clippers. I'm gonna sign

825
00:49:58,520 --> 00:50:00,520
Speaker 1: for the first two games. So I let us sent

826
00:50:00,600 --> 00:50:06,400
Speaker 1: to him my schedule for the first two games. He responded, Damn,

827
00:50:09,280 --> 00:50:12,359
Speaker 1: that's right, Nick, I'll see you Saturday, Baby, I will

828
00:50:12,440 --> 00:50:16,360
Speaker 1: see you Saturday. Hopefully you can beat the Jins. You

829
00:50:16,520 --> 00:50:19,600
Speaker 1: just ruined his Thursday night and his Friday. But you

830
00:50:19,680 --> 00:50:23,800
Speaker 1: know how I earlier I called you the world's greatest damologist.

831
00:50:23,920 --> 00:50:28,640
Speaker 1: He's like the wembiologist. Like I'm constantly seeing him describing

832
00:50:28,920 --> 00:50:31,640
Speaker 1: wemban Yama. And I know you've written about his scouting

833
00:50:31,680 --> 00:50:34,279
Speaker 1: report on Wemben Yama. So can you ask him that

834
00:50:34,400 --> 00:50:37,719
Speaker 1: when the season is over and he's and his band

835
00:50:37,800 --> 00:50:40,080
Speaker 1: of Chris Haynes is over, can he come on this

836
00:50:40,239 --> 00:50:45,960
Speaker 1: pod and give us a Victor wemban Yama official, you know,

837
00:50:46,480 --> 00:50:50,520
Speaker 1: scouting report from France. I think we need that that's

838
00:50:50,600 --> 00:50:54,600
Speaker 1: done deal. That's a done deal. Consider it done. All right,

839
00:50:54,680 --> 00:50:56,759
Speaker 1: Let's hope, let's hope he's still speaking to you by

840
00:50:56,760 --> 00:50:58,959
Speaker 1: the end of these playoffs. Yeah, they gotta, they gotta.

841
00:50:59,040 --> 00:51:02,120
Speaker 1: They gotta get a win in my presence. First. You

842
00:51:02,239 --> 00:51:04,840
Speaker 1: gotta get a win in my presence. First. The clips

843
00:51:04,880 --> 00:51:07,959
Speaker 1: need a split in Phoenix for the sake of this pod.

844
00:51:09,200 --> 00:51:12,680
Speaker 1: All right, everybody, that does it for the latest edition

845
00:51:13,160 --> 00:51:15,959
Speaker 1: of This League Uncut. Chris and I will be back

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Speaker 1: hopefully Monday. He's got a great people. Seriously, he has

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Speaker 1: a crazy travel schedule because this is when he's at

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Speaker 1: his busiest. He's gonna be covering multiple playoff series on

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Speaker 1: the sidelines for TNT. So we're gonna have to get

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Speaker 1: a little creative here keeping our pod schedule where it

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Speaker 1: needs to be. But we will find a way to

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Speaker 1: do it. Don't worry. And please, everybody, please subscribe to

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00:51:40,760 --> 00:51:44,880
Speaker 1: the pod, Please rate the pod, Please review the pod.

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00:51:46,120 --> 00:51:49,760
Speaker 1: We love you guys, Thanks for joining us, thanks for listening.

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Speaker 1: Back soon with another episode of This League Uncut, Stein Haynes, everybody,

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Speaker 1: have a great opening weekend of the playoffs, and that'll

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Speaker 1: do it for us. See you next time. This League

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Speaker 1: Uncut is an i Heeart radio production. Buscka Loca, Chris

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Speaker 1: Hanes and Mark Steyne