Speaker 1: Two teams that impress us at this embryonic stage of
Speaker 1: the NBA's seventy eighth season, two teams that also concern us.
Speaker 1: And should the NBA Draft be expanded into a two
Speaker 1: night affair United States against the rest of the world
Speaker 1: in the NBA All Star Game? Is that even sooner
Speaker 1: in the future than we expected, we get into all
Speaker 1: that next here on this League uncut.
Speaker 2: Welcome to this league uncut can rule.
Speaker 1: A twenty four hour NBA News. This's you, Chris Haines.
Speaker 1: It's time, Marks time, it's some time. This league uncut
Speaker 1: is underway and on fire. This should be a good one.
Speaker 1: Welcome in everyone to another edition of this league uncut.
Speaker 1: Mark Stein here with Chris Haynes on a somewhat sleepy
Speaker 1: Thursday night as we record only two games on the schedule. Tonight,
Speaker 1: Indiana edging Milwaukee Jannas on Tetekunpo fifty four points not
Speaker 1: enough with Dame Lillard out of the line of Indiana
Speaker 1: off to a surprising six and three start. As Chris
Speaker 1: and I record this, Atlanta and Orlando are playing in
Speaker 1: Mexico City, what has become the league's annual regular season
Speaker 1: game early in the regular season in Mexico City. I've
Speaker 1: made a few trips myself to Mexico City for these games,
Speaker 1: not for this one. Stayed home just to do this podcast,
Speaker 1: just to make sure that Chris Haynes gets this podcast
Speaker 1: recorded and he gets a good night's sleep before tomorrow
Speaker 1: when the in season tournament returns, his beloved in season
Speaker 1: tournament that he was so geeked up for. I know
Speaker 1: he's been home studying everybody. These home court the new
Speaker 1: home court designs we're gonna see tomorrow night. Very exciting, right,
Speaker 1: Oh okay, Well, people, people couldn't see. People couldn't see
Speaker 1: the look on your face that I could see when
Speaker 1: when I.
Speaker 2: Well, I'm gonna say, I think you're adding more to
Speaker 2: it to my enthusiasm towards the end season tournament. I'm
Speaker 2: just of the mindset that I embrace some type of
Speaker 2: experimental change. So that's what I'm just giving it the
Speaker 2: benefit of the doubt right now and we'll see how
Speaker 2: it plays out. But just to say, I'm just I
Speaker 2: understand there's some people out there who have to might
Speaker 2: be lead partners, who have to say this is the
Speaker 2: greatest thing, so excited this is going to do this.
Speaker 2: We don't know what it's going to do, you know,
Speaker 2: So I'm not gonna go all that out like that,
Speaker 2: but I am interested in seeing how this is gonna
Speaker 2: play out. So yeah, but I think you just add
Speaker 2: a little bit extra on my enthusiasm for this.
Speaker 1: Time, just trying to I'm just trying to get you
Speaker 1: riled up before we really get going here. We're gonna
Speaker 1: play a different game. We're not gonna spend too much
Speaker 1: time talking about the N Season Tournament. I think everybody
Speaker 1: who listens to this podcast knows where I stand on it.
Speaker 1: You have, you are giving it more of a chance.
Speaker 1: Let's see what happens. You're right. It is only the
Speaker 1: second night of ND season Tournament games on Friday night,
Speaker 1: and yes there are nine games on the schedule. But
Speaker 1: let's let's do something different.
Speaker 2: Stein. Let's yeah, before we do something different, hold on,
Speaker 2: give me a few seconds. Just listen to this.
Speaker 1: You heard that I did not good.
Speaker 2: That's that was the plan. Stein. I have changed the
Speaker 2: batteries in my smoke detector. I finally did it. You
Speaker 2: hear you will hear no beeps. So I'm sorry all
Speaker 2: the people who love listened to my smoke detector go
Speaker 2: off every other minute or so. But I have changed
Speaker 2: the batteries. And you may ask, well, Chris, how come
Speaker 2: you didn't do that months ago? Because I mean, you
Speaker 2: could argue me.
Speaker 1: I was just going to ask that. I'm glad you
Speaker 1: anticipated that question.
Speaker 2: Will have a very good answer for you. It might
Speaker 2: not suffice, but I have an answer for you. My
Speaker 2: ceilings are really tall, Starn really tall, and so it
Speaker 2: is a pain and ask to try to get up
Speaker 2: there and change that, change that smoke detector. But I
Speaker 2: got a ladder because I don't have a ladder personally
Speaker 2: a letter that tall. So I got a ladder next
Speaker 2: to my next door neighbor allowed me to use this ladder,
Speaker 2: and so I changed two smoke detectors, one downstairs, one upstairs.
Speaker 2: So I am fine for the next month or so.
Speaker 2: So that's all I'm gonna give you, probably the next
Speaker 2: month or so. Then we'll see what happens from there.
Speaker 1: What kind of batteries did you use that only last
Speaker 1: for a month?
Speaker 2: Triple A batteries. You know what I'm gonna tell you.
Speaker 2: I asked my wife this time. I'm glad you asked
Speaker 2: that question. Very great, astutid question. These batteries were called Warriors.
Speaker 2: Have you heard of these batteries? They called Warriors. I've
Speaker 2: never seen it before. They're called Warriors battery batteries. I've
Speaker 2: never seen it before. We had a couple of door
Speaker 2: seals in there, but it wasn't I didn't have enough.
Speaker 2: You know, this smoke detective they take. My smoke detect
Speaker 2: takes four triple A batteries. But the batteries are called Warriors.
Speaker 2: But they're definitely not living up to be warriors because
Speaker 2: it don't seem like they're lasting very long.
Speaker 1: Well, you know what, as you once, as you sometimes
Speaker 1: say to me when I go off on my tangents,
Speaker 1: I'm just gonna. I'm not gonna. I'm gonna leave it alone.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna just let those comments.
Speaker 2: Understand them, understand I'm gonna.
Speaker 1: I'm just gonna let it go. I'm the least I'm
Speaker 1: the least handy person in America, so I shouldn't say
Speaker 1: anything because I'm not.
Speaker 2: Who changes your smoke detectives.
Speaker 1: But man, missus Stein might run in here to jump
Speaker 1: on this pod and shout to the world that she
Speaker 1: she is the one who does it. She even has
Speaker 1: some sort of I don't know, some sort of device
Speaker 1: that helps her reach up that you know, she's she's
Speaker 1: very prepared.
Speaker 2: My wife got mad at me, Starn. I have to
Speaker 2: after admit she got mad at me because she said,
Speaker 2: because I thought once I changed the smoke detectives that
Speaker 2: I was going to get some kudos around the house,
Speaker 2: get some praise, and I did it. It was an
Speaker 2: exact opposite. She was like, the only reason you're doing
Speaker 2: it because people are criticizing you on Twitter. That's the
Speaker 2: only that's that.
Speaker 1: I was just gonna say, is she aware that this
Speaker 1: has become a subject on the podcast?
Speaker 2: I've told her, which I guess I shouldn't have told
Speaker 2: her because that's why I didn't get any praise when
Speaker 2: I did change the smoke detective batteries. But you can't win,
Speaker 2: so people, you know, that's what you need to know
Speaker 2: when you get married. Winning goes out the door. You know,
Speaker 2: you just there's just.
Speaker 1: Ties, surviving advance, surviving advance.
Speaker 2: Surviving advance. There's only ties and losses. There's no there's
Speaker 2: not many wins. So if you get a win, cherish it,
Speaker 2: cherish it. I'm done.
Speaker 1: Well, we're gonna we're gonna not so gracefully move from
Speaker 1: our home improvement and home maintenance tales. Two We're gonna
Speaker 1: try something different early in the season. Two teams that
Speaker 1: impress us, two teams that concern us. We get to
Speaker 1: You and I both get to pick one in each category.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna give you first pick in the draft for
Speaker 1: both categories. So thirty teams on the board. Who is
Speaker 1: the team we're basically three weeks in. Who are the who?
Speaker 1: Who is the team that most impresses Sacramento based Chris Haynes.
Speaker 2: Well, let me go to the opposite side of the country.
Speaker 2: I'm going over there to Philly. You have to give
Speaker 2: them props for the season that they've started off with.
Speaker 2: They are six and one, they're the top is in
Speaker 2: the standings over there, and you know, everything they they
Speaker 2: would have to deal with it already, you know, with
Speaker 2: the James Harden situation, you know, people felt like they
Speaker 2: didn't as of right now, felt like they didn't get
Speaker 2: adequate value as far as players now in return for
Speaker 2: James Harden, they still can try to flip some of
Speaker 2: those assets that they got for another trade, the first
Speaker 2: round picks. But Jorlan Beidens playing phenomenally Tyrese Maxie. You
Speaker 2: kind of knew he was going well. You knew he
Speaker 2: was on the verge of having a breakout season, whatever
Speaker 2: that be this season or the next season, depending on
Speaker 2: if James Harden was still in that roster. But they
Speaker 2: are clicking, man, they are looking really good. They just
Speaker 2: took care of the Boston Celtics, who had were the
Speaker 2: top was the top team in the Eastern Conference. Again,
Speaker 2: this is all early. It's only seven games in for Philadelphia,
Speaker 2: but just the way things started with a new coach
Speaker 2: and Nick Nurse, the way you know, it was just
Speaker 2: a soap opera over there for the first few weeks
Speaker 2: of camp and the first you know, first week or
Speaker 2: so going into the NBA season. So I would have
Speaker 2: been surprised if you would have told me that they
Speaker 2: were going to start off as good, considering everything that
Speaker 2: they would have to go through behind the scenes.
Speaker 1: Yeah, we're not even three full weeks in if I
Speaker 1: correct my own math. And let's face it, when the
Speaker 1: season started, Boston and Milwaukee had just made these splashy trades.
Speaker 1: The Bucks obviously acquired Damian Lillard. Boston manages to swipe
Speaker 1: Drew Holliday away from Portland after the Dame deal, and
Speaker 1: so Milwaukee and Boston make these just league shaking transactions,
Speaker 1: and there's Philly that has to sit there basically leading
Speaker 1: the league in drama before a single ball is thrown
Speaker 1: up for an opening tip. And now they ended up
Speaker 1: finding a hardened trade, I think, quicker than a lot
Speaker 1: of people expected once the season started, and they, you know,
Speaker 1: the season started without them finding a hardened trade, to
Speaker 1: find one that they were willing to make so quickly
Speaker 1: after that, and you know, you're already hearing Joe l
Speaker 1: Embiid say how happy everyone is, how together this group is,
Speaker 1: and these are obviously all little, thinly veiled shots at
Speaker 1: the drama that the Sixers have left behind, and Nick
Speaker 1: Nurse's arrival seems to have energized this group. There are
Speaker 1: many Sixers fans, vocal Sixers fans who are quite active
Speaker 1: in my sub stacked chat room, and almost universally, when
Speaker 1: I hear from Sixers fans who are in that chat room,
Speaker 1: they're all saying how they have hope again, they like
Speaker 1: what they're seeing again. Their fandom has been rekindled and
Speaker 1: revitalized because there was just so much negativity around this
Speaker 1: team and yes it is. It is super early, and
Speaker 1: like I've registered complaint already a couple of times. I mean,
Speaker 1: we the rush to judgment night tonight. In the NBA,
Speaker 1: it seems to get louder every single year, and it's
Speaker 1: just such a long season and we can't make declarations.
Speaker 1: So even this, you know, I'm kind of contradicting myself
Speaker 1: here because we've chosen this exercise of who impresses us,
Speaker 1: and especially when we talk about who concerns us, we're
Speaker 1: rushing to judgment a bit as well. I mean, it's
Speaker 1: it's difficult to try to exercise some restraint, but iah,
Speaker 1: Philly's won six in a row. They could easily be
Speaker 1: seven to zho. They had a shot to win opening
Speaker 1: night in the game you covered in Milwaukee. It's it's
Speaker 1: hard not to be impressed by what Philly is doing
Speaker 1: and how swiftly they've left chaos behind.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and you know again, yeah it is. You know,
Speaker 2: it's ironic we're doing a segment like this considering, you
Speaker 2: know what, they teams only played a handful of games.
Speaker 2: But you know, just from this standpoint, man, just the
Speaker 2: way Philey is playing, how well they're playing, you can
Speaker 2: see that you can see their tangible evidence of these
Speaker 2: guys getting along on the court, and there seems to
Speaker 2: be some chemistry. So I don't think it's too early
Speaker 2: to be able to tell that those guys kind of
Speaker 2: actually like playing with each other. So that's fine.
Speaker 1: My nomination. Honestly, I'm tempted to just say to Denver Nuggets,
Speaker 1: who are eight and one, and Jokic has started the
Speaker 1: season in just ridiculous form, you know, just he he's
Speaker 1: started the season in peak forb somehow, and you know,
Speaker 1: Jamal Murray's got this hamstring issue. I mean, the word
Speaker 1: is that he might actually miss the rest of the month,
Speaker 1: and it just hasn't slowed Denver down at all because
Speaker 1: Jokic is just so damn good. I mean, they've you know,
Speaker 1: they inflicted Dallas's first loss. They beat Golden State last night.
Speaker 1: Just you know, whatever early challenges have been thrown at them,
Speaker 1: they've handled them. And the Nuggets would be a very
Speaker 1: worthy nominee. But I'm actually gonna go I'm you know again,
Speaker 1: now I'm violating my own rules, and we'll make this
Speaker 1: overreaction Thursday, and I'm gonna go with the team. The
Speaker 1: only team in the NBA that can say it has
Speaker 1: beaten the Denver Nuggets, and that's Minnesota. And I know
Speaker 1: you were scoffing at me in your house when the
Speaker 1: fire alarm was still blinging about my decision to simulate
Speaker 1: the season with my beloved Stratamatic, the Managerial Strategy Game.
Speaker 1: And I did a complete simulation of the season, and
Speaker 1: Stratamatic was ridiculously high on the Wolves, saying Minnesota would
Speaker 1: win the West, post the most regular season wins in
Speaker 1: the West, and go all the way to the finals.
Speaker 1: And maybe people thought that was wild and outlandish and crazy.
Speaker 1: And look at the way the Stratamatic blessed Timberwolves have
Speaker 1: started the season wins over Denver, over Boston. Again, very
Speaker 1: small sample sizes, very early in the season, but the
Speaker 1: Wolves are tops in the league in defense. Aunt Edwards
Speaker 1: has been ridiculous. Rudy Gobert looks like he's moving well again.
Speaker 1: I mean, he looks much more fluid in his movement
Speaker 1: than we saw last season in his debut season in Minnesota.
Speaker 1: And so I think, again, if we're going to if
Speaker 1: we're going to go through this exercise and jump to
Speaker 1: early conclusions, the Minnesota Timberwolves get my hat tip ahead
Speaker 1: of Denver, ahead of Golden State in the West, and
Speaker 1: you already took Philly in the East.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and Chris fsh is one. I think Chris Finnish
Speaker 2: is an excellent coach. I've always loved him. You know,
Speaker 2: I was glad when he when he got his opportunity,
Speaker 2: got a shot at the head coaching gig. And you know,
Speaker 2: it's like I've gotten to be able to talk a
Speaker 2: little bit extra and those with him behind the scenes,
Speaker 2: and you know, just to hear some of his basketball
Speaker 2: philosophies on both ends of the floor. You know, I
Speaker 2: was really, I really impressed and just you know he's
Speaker 2: and it's it's cool like for me style. I don't
Speaker 2: know about you, but like when when guys first, you know,
Speaker 2: when they when they get that opportunity. And you would
Speaker 2: think that players, for the most part, they don't know
Speaker 2: a lot of these coaches that are out there unless
Speaker 2: they've been an assistant with them in some other stops.
Speaker 2: But you know, I remember when when Fence first got
Speaker 2: the job and I talked to Anthony Edwards to the
Speaker 2: side for once. It wasn't a story, but we were
Speaker 2: just talking and he was just telling me like how
Speaker 2: he was along away with how Finch came up with
Speaker 2: different sets that would that would free him up, and
Speaker 2: he was like man like, he was just talking about
Speaker 2: just how innovative and creative he was and particularly just
Speaker 2: free and Anthony up. And you know that that that
Speaker 2: took him by surprise. And so you know that was
Speaker 2: a few years ago when we had that conversation. So uh,
Speaker 2: you know, he he has the pizazz like he has
Speaker 2: the he has the ear of the players. And so
Speaker 2: I'm I'm just glad to see coaches when you know,
Speaker 2: when they get that shot and then when they get it,
Speaker 2: I like seeing how they can prove to the players
Speaker 2: that they're coaching that they're ready for that task. So,
Speaker 2: you know, we'll see if this is sustainable. We'll see
Speaker 2: if the Minnesota timbulls off for real and ship very
Speaker 2: early on. But definitely, you know, I'm surprised. I'm surprised
Speaker 2: they've they've gotten off to this such a such.
Speaker 1: A good Yeah, I mean, it's definitely. I think it's
Speaker 1: it's probably the most eye catching when we look at
Speaker 1: the teams that again have posted the best record so far.
Speaker 1: I mean, it must be said. Five of Minnesota's seven
Speaker 1: games to start have been at home, but they've won
Speaker 1: all five. Haven't won a road game yet, but they
Speaker 1: are five and zero at home. And you know, in
Speaker 1: the West, in this West, where you know Portland and
Speaker 1: San Antonio have already proved to be tougher routes than expected.
Speaker 1: I mean, can't you can't get off to a good
Speaker 1: enough start in the West. You can't bank enough early
Speaker 1: wins in the West. Houston. I mean, we saw what
Speaker 1: happened when Sacramento lost to aeron Fox and the Kings
Speaker 1: went to Houston for a two game baseball series and
Speaker 1: the Rockets won both games. So I mean, there's just
Speaker 1: there is no there There are pretty much. I mean,
Speaker 1: obviously Memphis is a mess right now with no job
Speaker 1: and all their injuries, but I mean there are there
Speaker 1: just are no gimmes in the West. So five and two, Yes,
Speaker 1: it's early, but it does grab your attention. Let's go
Speaker 1: to the other side, the other extreme of overreaction. Thursday night,
Speaker 1: Can you be concerned six seven, eight games in what's
Speaker 1: the team out there that causes the most legitimate concern
Speaker 1: in your eyes?
Speaker 2: There are a number of teams that you could pick
Speaker 2: for this category right here. So I'm I'm gonna go
Speaker 2: with this team. There's concerns. I wouldn't say it's dire,
Speaker 2: but it's concerns because again we're only about six or
Speaker 2: seven games into the season. But I'm gonna go with
Speaker 2: the Los Angeles Clipperstein because they're trying to figure this
Speaker 2: all out and there's a lot of talent over there,
Speaker 2: but nobody knows if this collection of talent, if they
Speaker 2: can play together and win at high level. We don't know.
Speaker 2: There's a bunch of good pieces put together. We don't
Speaker 2: know if these pieces fit James Harden. So far since
Speaker 2: he's been a Clipper, the Clippers are zero to two.
Speaker 2: Can James Harden and Russell Westbrook play together in the
Speaker 2: backcourt at this stage of their careers? Do they need
Speaker 2: a Terrence Man in their in that start lineup? Do
Speaker 2: they need somebody who's just gonna do the dirty work,
Speaker 2: somebody who doesn't need the ball? Right now, there's a
Speaker 2: lot of players in the start lineup the way they've
Speaker 2: been starting as a right now, four of those five
Speaker 2: players need the ball in their hands. Is that sustainable?
Speaker 2: So I'm gonna go with I'm gonna go with the
Speaker 2: Clippers right now because there are a lot of question
Speaker 2: marks on that team and they have to figure it out.
Speaker 2: Because also there's just desperation on the side of the Clippers,
Speaker 2: because they have to do everything within their power to
Speaker 2: try to win a championship and to go into next
Speaker 2: season in that New Plus arena, right they they got
Speaker 2: to go in there with some good will because I
Speaker 2: mentioned this a few a few you mentioned this about
Speaker 2: a year ago on our podcast Dying about how the
Speaker 2: Warriors faced one of their biggest nightmares when they went
Speaker 2: into Chase Center. But they thought they were going to
Speaker 2: bring a championship team back, and they thought they were
Speaker 2: going to bring KD back. Well KD left, they had injuries,
Speaker 2: Clay Clay Thompson's injury, and you know, I remember going
Speaker 2: into those first couple of Chase Center games and it
Speaker 2: just wasn't it wasn't the same. That's not what they
Speaker 2: had anticipated. So you know, the Clippers. That's why I
Speaker 2: picked the Clippers for the numerous numerous reasons.
Speaker 1: Well, look, I gave you first pick, and you you
Speaker 1: you swipe my choice. I would have also gone with
Speaker 1: the Clippers first earlier this week, I wrote a whole
Speaker 1: column about it. The Clippers, to me, have become the
Speaker 1: most desperate team on the NBA map, with what they've
Speaker 1: given up to put together, to add James Harden to
Speaker 1: the Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook core what they
Speaker 1: have given up to put this team together, and because
Speaker 1: they're going into that new arena next season, because we
Speaker 1: know that Steve Balmer as the owner, is not gonna
Speaker 1: sign up for a teardown anytime soon. I mean, to me,
Speaker 1: the Clippers are probably gonna have to bring back at
Speaker 1: least three of these guys no matter what happens this season. Kawhi, Leonard,
Speaker 1: Paul George. They possess player options. James Harden cannot extend
Speaker 1: during the season, so both he and Russell Westbrook are
Speaker 1: on expiring contracts. So basically, to me, they're gonna have
Speaker 1: They've they've surrendered so much draft capital first to put
Speaker 1: the Kawhi and PG tandem in place, and now to
Speaker 1: bring in Harden. I mean, they they've they've got tons
Speaker 1: riding on it. Obviously, they didn't have a training camp
Speaker 1: to work on things and build anything together because they
Speaker 1: added hard on the fly They're already thin in the
Speaker 1: front court, and they've lost Mason Plumbley and definitely so
Speaker 1: they're gonna have to try to manufacture another big man
Speaker 1: because they're now counting exclusively on Aviza Zubach. And even
Speaker 1: with Zubach and Plumbley, there were questions about whether the
Speaker 1: Clippers had enough size, enough rebounding to cope in the
Speaker 1: West and frankly measure up against the Denver Nuggets and Jokic,
Speaker 1: So tons of questions about the Clippers. My primary disappointment
Speaker 1: right now, though, is more disappointment than concern. The Clippers
Speaker 1: are in Dallas as we speak. On Friday night they
Speaker 1: play Dallas. It's the mavericks first in season tournament game
Speaker 1: at home. And I was originally all set to attend
Speaker 1: that game, and I was really easy to see the
Speaker 1: Clippers with my own eyes tomorrow night, or I should
Speaker 1: say tonight by the time this pod drops. But I
Speaker 1: have since been assigned to some Pelicans work and because
Speaker 1: of that, I will not be in attendance Friday night
Speaker 1: at the AAC in Dallas, so I will not get
Speaker 1: to see the Clippers with my own eyes when they're
Speaker 1: here in my city. So that is I'm a little bit.
Speaker 1: You know, it's a it's a double edged thing because,
Speaker 1: of course, like I said, I'm gonna be I'm gonna
Speaker 1: have my hands full with the Pelicans and their in
Speaker 1: season tournament game against the Rockets. But there's only one
Speaker 1: of me, so I won't get to see the Clippers.
Speaker 1: But again, now I've rambled on way too long about
Speaker 1: your selection. I look, I thought about Cleveland.
Speaker 2: Here.
Speaker 1: The Calves look great against Golden State, but that's it.
Speaker 1: I mean, they've you know, they've had tons of injuries
Speaker 1: as well, but they've they've been very up and down. Memphis,
Speaker 1: of course already mentioned off to a one and seven start,
Speaker 1: those Pelicans for four, but you know, so many injuries
Speaker 1: for New Orleans already, and it's just the what is
Speaker 1: gonna happen next? Are we ever gonna be healthy? Discussion
Speaker 1: has to be just smothering that group of players as
Speaker 1: we speak. But saying all those things, I'm staying in LA.
Speaker 1: I'm going with the Lakers. I mean, they they're zero
Speaker 1: and five on the road. They've been outscored their first
Speaker 1: what is it, They've been out scored by nearly seventy
Speaker 1: five points in eight first quarters. So far, they're falling
Speaker 1: way behind. I mean, this is not as bad as
Speaker 1: last season's two and ten start, but Lebron has already
Speaker 1: had to play tons of minutes. When the Lakers came
Speaker 1: into the season hoping that he would be more of
Speaker 1: a twenty eight to thirty minute player, that's already gone
Speaker 1: out the window. AD dealing with health issues already, AD
Speaker 1: not embracing the long distance shooting that Darvin Ham was
Speaker 1: hoping for. And Austin Reeves. I still I'm old enough
Speaker 1: to remember Darvin Ham sitting with us at Caesar's Palace
Speaker 1: in what might be the most eventful pod we've ever done.
Speaker 1: Certainly it's it's in the it's got to be in
Speaker 1: the top three at worst. Darvin Ham was so candid
Speaker 1: and just you know, so good with us, as I mean,
Speaker 1: you see, sat there with us for an hour. There
Speaker 1: was there was nothing he didn't say, And among his
Speaker 1: many headline comments was you know, he says he thinks
Speaker 1: Austin Reeves will be an All Star. And Austin Reeves
Speaker 1: is not off to an All Stars start. So the
Speaker 1: Lakers have a lot of things going on already. I
Speaker 1: guess the good news is that they because they went
Speaker 1: through two to ten last season that they have experienced
Speaker 1: bouncing back from this. But I think I think a
Speaker 1: lot of eyeballs league wide, to be honest, are already
Speaker 1: on both both LA teams. How the Clippers are going
Speaker 1: to build a squad after making their big move, and
Speaker 1: then with the Lakers, what kind of move can they make?
Speaker 1: You know, they have such limited flexibility to change things
Speaker 1: after all their off season moves? Can do the Lakers
Speaker 1: just have to get healthy? And is that going to
Speaker 1: be enough? Or will the Lakers try to seek out
Speaker 1: a change because their hopes and aspirations coming into this
Speaker 1: season have already been challenged.
Speaker 2: To put it mildly, yeah, I mean I think you
Speaker 2: definitely still have to see what they look like as whole.
Speaker 2: But even with that, I mean, we're just talking Jared
Speaker 2: Vanderbilt being back, and you know, offensively, he's not going
Speaker 2: to add much to the equation there, And so you
Speaker 2: still have the dilemma of can Austin reason d'ezel Russell
Speaker 2: play together. Austin reeves for him to be himself, to
Speaker 2: be to be as effective as he can, has to
Speaker 2: have the ball in his hands. And then at certain
Speaker 2: point Lebron James, even though he's been deferring over the
Speaker 2: last couple of years of relinquishing ball handling, do these
Speaker 2: to others. He's still somebody who needs that ball in
Speaker 2: the fourth quarter to make plays. And so D'Angelo. You know,
Speaker 2: Deangel had a great preseason. He had a really great
Speaker 2: He probably played the best. He probably the best Laker
Speaker 2: in the preseason. And his play thus far as you know,
Speaker 2: it's up and down, But you know it. Do you
Speaker 2: need multiple primary ball handlers when you're playing alongside Lebron James.
Speaker 2: I don't know the answer to that. I know Lebron
Speaker 2: can play with another ball handling guy, but two I
Speaker 2: don't know. I don't know, But I know for one
Speaker 2: thing it's for sure whenever you play with Lebron, even
Speaker 2: if you're just second Darry primary handler or member for
Speaker 2: the third option, you got to be able to just
Speaker 2: catch a shoot. You got to be able to find
Speaker 2: the pockets within the offense so guys can find you.
Speaker 2: You got to be that adaptable. You can't just be
Speaker 2: somebody who needs the ball in their hands to be effective.
Speaker 2: You got to be able to find those seams and
Speaker 2: find those crevices to where you can make an impact
Speaker 2: by just catching and shooting. And that's a skill set
Speaker 2: in its own right there. Because most ball dominant players
Speaker 2: are used to shooting off the dribble. There's a comfort
Speaker 2: level with shooting off the dribble and just catching and
Speaker 2: shooting that is that's not easy to do if you're
Speaker 2: not if you're not used to just being being in
Speaker 2: that role. So it's tough. It's always been tough. But
Speaker 2: they're got to figure it out. And you know what
Speaker 2: the Lakers do. Stein if it's not working, there will
Speaker 2: be some trades. There will be some trades. And uh,
Speaker 2: you know this. It's this one guy played basketball with
Speaker 2: out here in the sacrament of the area. His name
Speaker 2: is Manny, Big Laker fan, Big Laker fan, And every
Speaker 2: time I walk in the gym, he always asked me, Hey,
Speaker 2: is Dame coming to the Lakers? Who the Lakers gonna
Speaker 2: trade for? Who's you know? Who can we get? Who
Speaker 2: can you get? I'm like, hold on, Manny, I said, Mannie,
Speaker 2: can can your team just draft for once? Can y'all
Speaker 2: just draft a guy for once? Can y'all build? He said,
Speaker 2: Oh no, no, no, Lakers, we don't draft. We still
Speaker 2: are the players, he said, we still are the players.
Speaker 2: That's what we do. He said, So who can we get?
Speaker 2: Who can we get? So I bring him up to
Speaker 2: just to say that, you know, you know, the Lakers
Speaker 2: if they're struggling. You know, Lebron James is not gonna
Speaker 2: tolerate a losing squad. If they're struggling, they will be
Speaker 2: out the marketing fire.
Speaker 1: Laker fan in sacked. They don't like that.
Speaker 2: I said, can y'all build for once many? Can y'all
Speaker 2: build through the draft? Oh no, no, no, we don't
Speaker 2: do that. We still other players.
Speaker 1: So I should know this, but I've already forgotten. So
Speaker 1: next week, you know, we've mentioned a lot of teams here,
Speaker 1: and we've lasered in kind of on the Sixers, the Wolves,
Speaker 1: the Clippers, the Lakers. Who you see in next week?
Speaker 1: Are you seeing any of these teams that we're discussing?
Speaker 1: Who do you got next?
Speaker 2: Clippers? Nuggets in Denver Tuesday? Nice? Cool.
Speaker 1: We'll come back with some good stories, some good tales.
Speaker 2: That's the plan. That is definitely the plan.
Speaker 1: You'll be able to tell us if our concern about
Speaker 1: the Clippers was well placed or premature. But I mean,
Speaker 1: let's face it, James Harden's first two games. They haven't
Speaker 1: cracked a hundred points yet, and they're supposed to be
Speaker 1: an offensive juggernaut. Again, they've had, you know, very limited
Speaker 1: practice time. Harden's joining them on the fly. Harden hasn't
Speaker 1: played full speed basketball since May. But hey, when you
Speaker 1: make a train like that, you're going to be under
Speaker 1: the microscope. You're not going to get much of a
Speaker 1: grace period from us. No, it all's here in the
Speaker 1: basketball public. I want to shift and before we go,
Speaker 1: I want to talk about a couple league issues. It
Speaker 1: emerged this week. The talk has restarted again. Not a
Speaker 1: new topic, but it sounds more serious, probably than we've
Speaker 1: ever heard it of a lot of teams behind the
Speaker 1: scenes want to turn the draft into a two night
Speaker 1: affair and you know, split it up so first round
Speaker 1: would be like on a Thursday. You know, it's either Wednesday,
Speaker 1: Thursday or Thursday Friday. First round on the first night.
Speaker 1: Second round gets a night to its own. And you know,
Speaker 1: usually I am so I'm such a traditionalist, I'm so
Speaker 1: resistant to change, but I love this one. To me,
Speaker 1: I see no downside. I feel like the draft is
Speaker 1: too long. The second round is too rushed. No better
Speaker 1: illustrate than Jokic, the greatest second round pick in NBA
Speaker 1: history that was announced during a commercial in twenty fourteen,
Speaker 1: because they were rushing through the second round. Teams say
Speaker 1: they want more time to think about their first round picks.
Speaker 1: A second night of the draft probably creates an opportunity
Speaker 1: for potentially more trade action. It certainly is going to
Speaker 1: give the guys who are in the second round more attention.
Speaker 1: Like I said, I cannot find a reason to argue
Speaker 1: against it. But that said, when I put that question
Speaker 1: on my sub stack, I did get a lot more
Speaker 1: resistance from readers than I expected. And you know, I
Speaker 1: hear this chatter. Nobody cares. Nobody cares about the second round.
Speaker 1: We don't need it to go two nights. Nobody's going
Speaker 1: to watch it. I ain't buying it. I do not
Speaker 1: believe when people say nobody's going to watch it. This
Speaker 1: is the NBA in the offseason. I feel like fans
Speaker 1: are getting worked up and fully invested in who's getting
Speaker 1: the two way deals on their roster. So I am
Speaker 1: not buying at all. People who say if the second
Speaker 1: round is moved to a second night, we're not going
Speaker 1: to tune in. No chance people will people I think
Speaker 1: people will eat it up.
Speaker 2: I don't know about that stuff. I don't know, you know,
Speaker 2: I don't know the answer to that, Like is the
Speaker 2: second round must see TV? You know? Or a better question,
Speaker 2: would you put the NBA Draft on the same level
Speaker 2: as the NFL Draft, because you know there are NFL
Speaker 2: draft parties, like there are rituals that people have, Like actually,
Speaker 2: I've been invited to actual NFL draft parties where the
Speaker 2: spread the food like it's a religion to have that.
Speaker 2: I don't. I've never been to a NBA draft party, Like,
Speaker 2: I don't know that it has that level of interest.
Speaker 2: And so with that the second round, like, okay, are
Speaker 2: not to say that people tuned in to watch Adam Silver,
Speaker 2: but you know Adam Silver won't be a part of
Speaker 2: the second round. I don't. I don't know. I don't
Speaker 2: know stein, I don't know what the interest is I get.
Speaker 1: Well, look, I think one kind of criticism or question
Speaker 1: I've seen thrown out is second round you don't need
Speaker 1: a big TV production like we get for the first round.
Speaker 1: But who's to say that the second round would be
Speaker 1: the exact same TV production? Maybe it would be a
Speaker 1: more serious basketball, nerdy kind of you know, very serious
Speaker 1: basketball show as opposed to the draft, the first round
Speaker 1: of the draft, where obviously we're you know, the stories
Speaker 1: of the draftees and their families. That gets a lot
Speaker 1: of focus. And you know, there's even a draft, there's
Speaker 1: even a broadcast version that's supposedly marketed for the more
Speaker 1: general role fan who aren't NBA junkies. I just think
Speaker 1: second round picks. People do care about that stuff, and
Speaker 1: you know, I.
Speaker 2: People, Yeah, people do care about it. But you know,
Speaker 2: will the numbers be there? Is it enough?
Speaker 1: Well, let me ask you, I mean, let me ask
Speaker 1: you this because I know you always the draft, the
Speaker 1: draft as long as it is first round, second round.
Speaker 1: I mean, it takes well over four hours to get
Speaker 1: through the whole thing. And then what do I always
Speaker 1: see what happens right after the draft. There's Chris Haynes
Speaker 1: tweeting about all these players who are you know, basically yeah,
Speaker 1: undrafted free agents who they're signing with. I mean, there's
Speaker 1: there's interest in that. And so if you do it,
Speaker 1: if you break it up into two nights, that's happening
Speaker 1: at a much better hour that people can tune in
Speaker 1: instead of happening you know midnight one a m. Eastern time,
Speaker 1: and there's you know, after the second round, there's there's
Speaker 1: a whole there's there's fifty more transactions. And like I said,
Speaker 1: I mean, we know, I mean this is our life.
Speaker 1: People love every transaction there is in the NBA.
Speaker 2: Yeah, but social media track, the social media tracks that
Speaker 2: you see doesn't equate to television interests. And so that's
Speaker 2: that's my only concern. Obviously, if they did extend this draft,
Speaker 2: extend the draft out, what is it good for? For sure,
Speaker 2: the teams, they have more time to make their decisions
Speaker 2: because second round everything is going so fast. You know,
Speaker 2: a lot of times these teams already have agreements with
Speaker 2: undrafted free agentcy even before the draft is over, because
Speaker 2: they know these guys aren't going to slip. I mean,
Speaker 2: these guys aren't going to be drafted. And as well,
Speaker 2: there are players right and just take people behind the
Speaker 2: scenes there are saying, say there's a team that has
Speaker 2: pick number fifty four, and that team might call that
Speaker 2: player's agent and say, hey, we got a chance to
Speaker 2: take you at fifty four. He wants to take you,
Speaker 2: or you know, let you go, or we'll sign you
Speaker 2: as a a undrafted free agent, and so all these things,
Speaker 2: all these conversations are happening rapidly during the draft and
Speaker 2: they're trying to see who's going to fall off the
Speaker 2: ball who's not. And so it gives these teams to
Speaker 2: general managers more time to have these conversations to make
Speaker 2: more of an informed decision, and so it's good for them. Still,
Speaker 2: I just don't know again, social.
Speaker 1: Media and those are the things that I that that's
Speaker 1: the stuff I care about. I'm not proposed or I'm
Speaker 1: not I'm not backing the proposals because I think that
Speaker 1: the broadcast of the second round is going to be
Speaker 1: some revolutionary TV product that draws some monster rating. I mean, look,
Speaker 1: the TV brought cast of the Draft for years has
Speaker 1: just been it's getting worse and worse and worse, and
Speaker 1: it's not watchable. And you hear so many fan complaints
Speaker 1: about the Draft broadcast but saying saying all that, but people,
Speaker 1: it's still Draft Night and people are still incredibly invested
Speaker 1: in it. And I just think because the transaction games
Speaker 1: I like to call it, is such a big deal
Speaker 1: in the NBA that all these machinations that you're talking
Speaker 1: about this, you know, the second round selections, the undrafted
Speaker 1: free agents, and the teams they land on after the
Speaker 1: second round is completed. That could easily carry a night
Speaker 1: onto itself, especially when you know draft the way we're
Speaker 1: set up now, the NBA Draft is kind of like
Speaker 1: the prelude, the appetizer for free agency. And so I
Speaker 1: just think two nights of draft action and potential trades
Speaker 1: is better than one before we move into free agency.
Speaker 1: Not because, like I said, not because it's going to
Speaker 1: become some great TV product. I don't really even care
Speaker 1: about that, And I think, you know, I just think, yeah,
Speaker 1: we got a lot of there's a lot of things
Speaker 1: to fix on the on the TV broadcast, but that
Speaker 1: ain't our problem no more so we can let other
Speaker 1: people worry about that. Another league issue that I wanted
Speaker 1: to bring to your attention because this happened Monday night
Speaker 1: and I thought it was really interesting. In a recent podcast,
Speaker 1: you and I talked about how, yes, this season for
Speaker 1: the All Star Game in Indianapolis, they're going back to
Speaker 1: an East versus West format. But I wrote a whole
Speaker 1: piece almost two weeks ago now about how Deputy Commissioner
Speaker 1: Mark Tatum says that an United States against the rest
Speaker 1: of the World All Star format. Mark Tatum's quote was
Speaker 1: that it's very, very possible down the road, without specifying
Speaker 1: how soon. This Monday night, a week after my piece,
Speaker 1: the NBA announced that the twenty twenty five All Star
Speaker 1: Game will be in the Bay Area. It's in San Francisco,
Speaker 1: making it a nice easy drive for you. And at
Speaker 1: the press conference to announce this, Adam Silver the quote
Speaker 1: from the commissioner quote, people are out there talking about
Speaker 1: concepts about a Ryder Cup type format, maybe thinking about
Speaker 1: US players playing against global players. I just know we're
Speaker 1: looking at all different approaches to All Star and this
Speaker 1: referring to San Francisco is a great market to try
Speaker 1: new things. End quote. And so when I read that,
Speaker 1: when I heard that, I'm like, man, the commission is
Speaker 1: all but saying that USA against the rest of the
Speaker 1: world is gonna have up and don't be surprised if
Speaker 1: it happens a year from now, in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1: So you know, we the last time we talked about this,
Speaker 1: I mean, you know where I stand. I love the
Speaker 1: international game covering it has been a huge part of
Speaker 1: my life for more than thirty years. But I'm really
Speaker 1: curious that when they announce this, when it is announced,
Speaker 1: whatever year it is, whether it's twenty twenty five or
Speaker 1: somewhere in the future, I'm really curious what the reaction
Speaker 1: will be from the NBA's American stars because unless they
Speaker 1: have a roster format that we don't know about that
Speaker 1: expands the rosters, if it's twelve v twelve like it's
Speaker 1: always been, like the All Star Game has been for decades,
Speaker 1: that would be only twelve All Star spots for more
Speaker 1: than three hundred American born players and twelve All Star
Speaker 1: spots for one hundred and twenty five ish international players.
Speaker 1: And so there are going to be some major snubs
Speaker 1: among the American born stars. And I'm just not sure
Speaker 1: how that's gonna go over. I mean, from a watchability perspective,
Speaker 1: a USA versus rest of the world All Star format,
Speaker 1: it's it's it is the most intriguing we haven't seen
Speaker 1: it yet. I think there would be massive interest in that,
Speaker 1: but again, I'm not sure that it's going to be
Speaker 1: a unanimously popular decision.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I just don't know how that could work. And again,
Speaker 2: if if the concepts. If the structure is built where
Speaker 2: it can be a level playing field and cool, But
Speaker 2: I don't see it right now. I mean, think about
Speaker 2: the global team. How many lock of Global All Stars
Speaker 2: are there? You know, let's let's talk about this. Well
Speaker 2: you came out, isn't be he can't be global anymore? Right? Well? That?
Speaker 1: Yeah? I mean that right there? Is he gonna now
Speaker 1: count as he can't if.
Speaker 2: He's playing for the United States?
Speaker 1: Like I just a Re Irving, same thing. Kyrie Irving's
Speaker 1: born in Australia, and when the NBA talks about international players,
Speaker 1: it always includes Kyrie Irving on that list. But Kyrie Irving,
Speaker 1: he's played internationally for the United States. So it's a
Speaker 1: great question. I mean, I think if we really you know, there's.
Speaker 2: About four four global docin.
Speaker 1: I think it's usually like seven you seven or eight,
Speaker 1: you know, six seven, eight guys that you Let's let's
Speaker 1: keep Embiid there for now because he hasn't played for
Speaker 1: the United States yet. So Jokic, Embiid, Luke j Luca,
Speaker 1: that's five. Bonis was all NBA last year. You know,
Speaker 1: Wemby is we we expect Wemby to get there eventually.
Speaker 1: I mean, so that's it there.
Speaker 2: I'm not counting sa bonusonas would have made said, I'm
Speaker 2: not count Sabonus, but that's six because I believe those
Speaker 2: six are locks. And I'm still not counting Embiid. I
Speaker 2: just don't think he can.
Speaker 1: Like I said, let's count him for I mean, we
Speaker 1: left out Yannis. I mean, so we have not had
Speaker 1: an American born MVP since James Harden in twenty eighteen, Yannest.
Speaker 1: But we all get to Janis, Jokic, Embiid have won
Speaker 1: the last five MVPs combined. Luka Doncic is a future MVP.
Speaker 1: He hasn't won it yet, but he's considered right there
Speaker 1: with those guys. So you start with those four and Shay,
Speaker 1: I mean, that is a tremendous fivesome. I tried to
Speaker 1: do this off the top of my head, but I
Speaker 1: had to look it up because, as you know, I'm
Speaker 1: old and washed and I can't remember stuff anymore. So
Speaker 1: in my story, which is like I said, almost two
Speaker 1: weeks ago, now, had the note in here that there
Speaker 1: were fourteen international players on Opening Night rosters who have
Speaker 1: been All Stars. Not all of them are currently All
Speaker 1: Star level, but it's a good group. You've got Jannis
Speaker 1: Luca and Beide, Shay, Rudy Gobert. Al Horford is obviously
Speaker 1: no longer an All Star contender, but he has been
Speaker 1: an All Star. Jokic Lowry Marketing, Porzingis has been an
Speaker 1: All Star. SA Bonus was All NBA last season. Pascal
Speaker 1: Siakam has recently been an All NBA selection. Ben Simmons
Speaker 1: not in the All Star mix anymore. Nikolavucevich has been
Speaker 1: an All Star fairly recently, Andrew Wiggins an All Star
Speaker 1: fairly recently. So you throw Wemby in there with all
Speaker 1: the names we've mentioned, and I think it's you know,
Speaker 1: you can credibly say six, seven, eight, you can get
Speaker 1: you can get to eight of twelve with strong arguments.
Speaker 1: But but yeah, I mean, then then we're we're reaching.
Speaker 1: And that's where I think the American guys are gonna say,
Speaker 1: hold on a second, we are we reaching to get
Speaker 1: to twelve Rest of the World stars, and then there's
Speaker 1: three hundred plus American born players who now have to
Speaker 1: scrap for twelve spots.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that wouldn't be fair. It would not be fair.
Speaker 2: So they got it. I don't know if you can
Speaker 2: have an All Star game and have another game over
Speaker 2: the weekend. You know, maybe Saturday night.
Speaker 1: I don't see that.
Speaker 2: Maybe Saturday night is the US versus the World. I
Speaker 2: don't know. But you can't eliminate twelve all stars, you know.
Speaker 2: You can't do that just and you can't make it
Speaker 2: a reach to add on seven other All Stars for
Speaker 2: the world team if they don't deserve it.
Speaker 1: And you said, the Embiid question will be a great
Speaker 1: one because if Embiid plays for the United States at
Speaker 1: the Paris Olympics, like.
Speaker 2: We will tell you, yeah, Stan, he will be criticized
Speaker 2: if he plays on that world team. Where if the
Speaker 2: NBA tries to make him play for that world team,
Speaker 2: he will be criticized. You can't flip flop. You should be.
Speaker 2: It should be whoever you play in the last Olympics,
Speaker 2: whatever team you played for, whatever side you played for,
Speaker 2: you should that should be a side you represent in
Speaker 2: a supposedly US versus World type format.
Speaker 1: So it will be interesting to see how it's gonna
Speaker 1: happen someday it I think we have to start treating
Speaker 1: that as an inevitability. But how soon, how soon? How
Speaker 1: soon can we come up with twelve All Stars for
Speaker 1: a theoretical Team World where all twelve players on the
Speaker 1: roster are unquestioned All Star selections. Because I totally agree
Speaker 1: with you. We are not. We can argue about certain guys,
Speaker 1: but we're not at twelve. There are not twelve World
Speaker 1: clearcut players who on Team World who should be All
Speaker 1: Stars and Stein.
Speaker 2: But but the thing is, you know, to their to
Speaker 2: their quotes, you know their comments Adam Silver and Tatum.
Speaker 2: Soon you know the world is coming, The world is coming,
Speaker 2: you know. So maybe they're talking about, you know, eventually
Speaker 2: when it does get to that point, it might take
Speaker 2: two years, it might take three years for there to
Speaker 2: be twelve to fifteen Louck World All Stars. And so
Speaker 2: if they're waiting, if they're talking about then, and I'm
Speaker 2: fine with that, But we're not there now. I don't
Speaker 2: know we'll be there next year either.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And like I said, beyond what you or I
Speaker 1: might say, I'm really interested to hear when this question
Speaker 1: gets thrown more at players. And something tells me that
Speaker 1: at this All Star Game in Indianapolis, when we go
Speaker 1: back to an East and West format, this will be
Speaker 1: a question that comes up for the All Star participants,
Speaker 1: and I'm really curious to hear what veteran All Stars
Speaker 1: have to say about a USA against the World format
Speaker 1: and how close are we. I really want to hear
Speaker 1: the player's opinions on that one. All right, I think
Speaker 1: that will do it for this edition of This League Uncut.
Speaker 1: We will be back with you very very soon. We
Speaker 1: got to sort out exactly when we will tape the
Speaker 1: next episode. We'll be working around Chris's schedule as he
Speaker 1: makes his way to Denver for Clippers Nuggets on Tuesday night. Everyone,
Speaker 1: thanks a miil for joining us. As always, please remember
Speaker 1: to rate, review, and subscribe to This League Uncut wherever
Speaker 1: you get your podcasts, Apple, Spotify, any other podcast provider.
Speaker 1: If you haven't already, please do so. Please join us
Speaker 1: soon again, and that'll do it for us. See you
Speaker 1: next time. This League Uncut is and iHeartRadio production. Chris
Speaker 1: Haines and Mark Stein