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Speaker 1: Mmmm, Welcome to the State of the Lakers podcast. It

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Speaker 1: is Friday. I'm Jason. Do you guys know me? We

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Speaker 1: got rog my guys here with us again today. Roger,

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Speaker 1: how's it going, man? You ready for the weekend? I'm ready? Man. Welcome,

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Speaker 1: Welcome to my time zone. Man. I feel like we're

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Speaker 1: around the same time zone now, so we're on the

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Speaker 1: level playing fields here. Yeah. So we had this worked

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Speaker 1: out where it was a little easier for me to

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Speaker 1: get back in time for this because I usually have

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Speaker 1: a bunch of stuff going on Friday mornings, and then uh,

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Speaker 1: I was up against it today because of the time change,

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Speaker 1: which made things a little more complicated. But also just

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Speaker 1: quick announcement, I am hard working on this WiFi situation.

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Speaker 1: I think I have some solutions put together. I'm also

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Speaker 1: gonna be trying to edit out some of the gaps

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Speaker 1: when we put the podcast together. But just thank you

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Speaker 1: guys for bearing with me through through the move and

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Speaker 1: getting this set up. Um. But I'm super stoked we

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Speaker 1: got a lot of really really good stuff to talk

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Speaker 1: about today. Um. Since last weekend. The only thing really

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Speaker 1: that Roger and I were resoundingly wrong about was we

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Speaker 1: thought the Lakers had a good chance to get Blake Griffin.

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Speaker 1: As it turned out, they very much did not. Uh.

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Speaker 1: But other than that, we we talked about how we

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Speaker 1: expected the Lakers to start playing better. Uh, And so

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Speaker 1: really quickly here at the start, we're just going to

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Speaker 1: talk about how the Lakers have been playing as of late.

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Speaker 1: But I wanted to give you guys some numbers to

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Speaker 1: let you know just how good things have been relative

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Speaker 1: to the way things were before. So in their last

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Speaker 1: eight games, they're six and two. One of those games

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Speaker 1: Lebron sat out, so they're basically six and one in

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Speaker 1: their last seven games that they've played with most of

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Speaker 1: their core players. This is since Dennis Shrewder came back

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Speaker 1: in that eight game stretch their eighth, and offense in

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Speaker 1: their fourth, and defense in their third, and net rating

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Speaker 1: their twelve and three point percentage, which again the Lakers

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Speaker 1: have never been a great three point shooting team, but

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Speaker 1: before that they were the worst three point shooting team

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Speaker 1: in the league by a wide margin. So that's a

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Speaker 1: market improvement from there. And then their third in the

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Speaker 1: league in field goal percentage over that span, and this

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Speaker 1: is against some quality opponents. Five of those six wins

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Speaker 1: came against teams that are currently in the playoff pictures.

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Speaker 1: So we we basically talked about how at length about

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Speaker 1: how Dennis shrewder and his ability to offload some of

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Speaker 1: the ball handling responsibilities from Lebron would lead to a

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Speaker 1: cascading effect that would lead to increased shot quality for

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Speaker 1: the perimeter players to help them get their shots going.

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Speaker 1: It would make it so they couldn't load up on

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Speaker 1: Lebron as much, which would help him get going again.

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Speaker 1: And what do you know, we were right Dennis shooters

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Speaker 1: returned just kind of put everybody back in their proper

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Speaker 1: role and got the Lakers back on track. So what

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Speaker 1: have you noticed that you've liked about them in the

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Speaker 1: last couple of weeks. Yeah, it looks like they've got

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Speaker 1: the energy back. Um. K CP looks he has his

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Speaker 1: legs back, and the whole team is just running at

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Speaker 1: a better pace. UM. And like you said, with the

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Speaker 1: three point shooting there were, they were at twelfth in

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Speaker 1: the league. They really just need a baseline amount. Right,

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Speaker 1: Like last night, there was a stretch, UM, I think

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Speaker 1: when the Hornets were coming back and then Who's might

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Speaker 1: hit like three straight? KCP hit one in the game,

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Speaker 1: went back to ten and that that's really all they need.

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Speaker 1: But like, I think the Lakers are now like eleven

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Speaker 1: and two when Shrewder and Lebron play like just those

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Speaker 1: just those two, which is kind of insane, which just

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Speaker 1: shows how much they need another shot creator. And I

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Speaker 1: feel like that's really been the big help. Even when

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Speaker 1: Shrewder struggles, he gets into the paint, he kicks out.

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Speaker 1: He's getting a lot better at driving and kicking. And yeah,

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Speaker 1: that's mostly what I've seen in the defense has been consistent.

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Speaker 1: We we've talked about this for the last few weeks. Um,

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Speaker 1: they're they're really aggressive, the guards hedge up and then um,

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Speaker 1: Damien Jones, Man, I know we talked about Blake Griffin

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Speaker 1: coming in. The Lakers really just plugged in a ten

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Speaker 1: day dude as a starting center, and they have not

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Speaker 1: missed a beat. The defense is still still working fine. Um,

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Speaker 1: every thing is going into rhythm and he's blocking shots.

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Speaker 1: Last night he was deterring people from getting to the rim. Um,

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Speaker 1: and he's in their scheme perfectly. So yeah, it's cool

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Speaker 1: to see. It looks like eight is gonna be out

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Speaker 1: for a while, so this team looks like they're starting

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Speaker 1: to get comfortable playing without him, which is important considering

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Speaker 1: I think they're gonna play a couple of better teams

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Speaker 1: going forward here. Well you you you said it right there,

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Speaker 1: like the without a d all those numbers all of

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Speaker 1: a sudden look that much more impressive. Like for you

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Speaker 1: to be the eighth best offense in this stretch, the

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Speaker 1: sixth or the fourth best defense in this stretch, the

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Speaker 1: third best net rating team, you know, six and one

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Speaker 1: against like a bunch of high quality playoff opponents. That

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Speaker 1: within the context of not having Anthony Davis is super

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Speaker 1: super good news. And I thought you you brought up

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Speaker 1: you made a really interesting point about the shooting, Like

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Speaker 1: you know, I think last night the Lakers were only

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Speaker 1: thirty from three, so it wasn't even a great shooting game,

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Speaker 1: even though they had been pretty good as of late.

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Speaker 1: But the important part there is, like when you defend

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Speaker 1: as well as they do, and when you put as

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Speaker 1: much pressure on the rim as they do, Like I said,

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Speaker 1: third and field goal percentage in this stretch, you don't

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Speaker 1: need to make all your threes. You don't need to

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Speaker 1: shoot like the the Utah Jazz. You just need to

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Speaker 1: make enough of them. And that's that cascading effect I

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Speaker 1: kept talking about. I talked a lot about how Dennis

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Speaker 1: Shrewder being out made the hurt the space thing in

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Speaker 1: the sense that they were able to load up a

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Speaker 1: little bit more on Lebron as he would fatigue through

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Speaker 1: the game, and it led to limited shot quality, which

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Speaker 1: led to the Lakers starting to get cold. But and then,

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Speaker 1: and and it even went to Lebron who's Lebron was

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Speaker 1: like over for the season and has been over in

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Speaker 1: his last you know, six seven games or whatever. But

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Speaker 1: in that stretch without Shrewder, his shot fell apart, in

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Speaker 1: my opinion, in large part because of the fact that

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Speaker 1: his offensive responsibilities one up in defenses were loading up

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Speaker 1: on him and it started to cause him to lose

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Speaker 1: some of his you know, level of comfort out from

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Speaker 1: the perimeter. So you said, you made a great point,

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Speaker 1: Like it's just they don't even need to be an

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Speaker 1: elite shooting team. They just need to knock down, you know,

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Speaker 1: thirty five percent ish of their threes to be the

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Speaker 1: dominant force that they that they can be. Uh, but

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Speaker 1: everybody seems to be playing better. It's like an overall

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Speaker 1: like confidence and flow thing. And and you you, you

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Speaker 1: said it to like their defense has been consistent. That's

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Speaker 1: the most impressive part is this isn't like a you know,

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Speaker 1: oh for the season, their first overall, but in the

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Speaker 1: last couple of months they've been falling apart. It's like

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Speaker 1: every single calendar month they're great on the defensive end.

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Speaker 1: It is the bread and butter of their team. It's

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Speaker 1: their identity and it's what makes them such a dependable

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Speaker 1: team in the playoffs. Right, and we talked about how

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Speaker 1: like their scheme kind of switched from last year. Right,

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Speaker 1: there were a lot more of like a UM protect

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Speaker 1: the ram kind of funnel. But I mean last night,

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Speaker 1: Charlotte is a team that makes like thirteen threes at night,

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Speaker 1: and they were just running them off the line. I

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Speaker 1: think in the first half Charlotte took like six threes,

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Speaker 1: which just shows like how aggressive they are um getting

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Speaker 1: out running people off the line, forcing them into the paint.

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Speaker 1: I think the Lakers also give up a lot of

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Speaker 1: paint points, but again, like that's all more volume, I

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Speaker 1: feel like because they are really running dudes off the

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Speaker 1: line last night. Charlotte has a bunch of players like

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Speaker 1: Rogier Um, guys like that who want to get up

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Speaker 1: a huge volume of attempts and they really kind of

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Speaker 1: ran them off nicely. So that was that was nice

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Speaker 1: to see. And like again, man, I keep going back

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Speaker 1: to that Damian Jones, Like they really just fit a

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Speaker 1: guy that was, you know, out of the was gonna

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Speaker 1: be out of the league pretty much, and just flit

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Speaker 1: him into the starting line. Marcus sol has been out

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Speaker 1: a few games, like, and it's just like they just

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Speaker 1: keep pushing on so um, their scheme kind of is

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Speaker 1: working through any personnel. Lebron has really picked it up defensively.

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Speaker 1: He had a huge night last night, UM helping and

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Speaker 1: all that. So yeah, man, it's awesome to see and

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Speaker 1: we'll see if they can pick it up. Four wins

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Speaker 1: in a row, and I think they play Atlanta tomorrow

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Speaker 1: in the afternoon game. They've got a winnable back to

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Speaker 1: back this weekend. They play Atlanta and then Phoenix is

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Speaker 1: a really good team. But and it's on the road

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Speaker 1: and it's back to back, but I think the Lakers

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Speaker 1: are gonna be coming for blood in that one. I

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Speaker 1: think I think that's the that's the one loss of

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Speaker 1: uh since Dennis Shooter came back and Lebron has been

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Speaker 1: playing so I think that's when they go after. But

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Speaker 1: the Damien Jones thing is interesting, and I was thinking

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Speaker 1: about this a lot with that, uh that guy who's

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Speaker 1: the big Claxton, the big for Brooklyn that's been playing

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Speaker 1: really well, and everyone goes like, oh, well, this this

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Speaker 1: Clackston guys awesome. This Clackston guy's awesome. And don't get

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Speaker 1: me wrong, both Damian Jones, Clackson, these guys have been

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Speaker 1: playing great. I don't want to undercut the way they're playing,

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Speaker 1: but they're such a classic example of how when you

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Speaker 1: have like an elite system and you have an extremely

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Speaker 1: simplified role that you have filled, that someone can step

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Speaker 1: in and do it. Like Damian Jones was extremely active

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Speaker 1: around the rim on both ends in the last few games,

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Speaker 1: getting tip dunks, blocking shots at the rim, things along

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Speaker 1: those lines, finishing lobs and things like just just really

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Speaker 1: simple stuff that made the game easy for him. And

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Speaker 1: you know, it's no different than gosh, what's his name,

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Speaker 1: who's the who's the the tall linky guard that's like

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Speaker 1: the fifteenth man for the Lakers has been playing McKinney.

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Speaker 1: Alfonso McKinney is yeah, like the same same thing when

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Speaker 1: he was with the Warriors, like he just he uh

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Speaker 1: in an extremely simplified role as like that fifth starter

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Speaker 1: everyone was freaking out. Remember Stephen A. Smith had his

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Speaker 1: big thing, or that Fonso McKinney is the next great Warrior.

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Speaker 1: It's like that's what happens when you're playing around really

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Speaker 1: good players and that and and I think that, uh,

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Speaker 1: that's the beauty of being in a cap strapped position

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Speaker 1: is you know, when you have everything else covered, all

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Speaker 1: the bases covered, and you have a guy that's got

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Speaker 1: a discernible talent, you know, like this guy is super

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Speaker 1: tall and can jump out of the gym and his

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Speaker 1: long arms and his mobile, Like that's an easy discernible

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Speaker 1: role that you can slot into that defense and an offense.

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Speaker 1: And so I agree with you. I mean I do

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Speaker 1: think I disagreed with some of the Lakers Twitter last night.

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Speaker 1: I know, King's the you know, the the guy's the

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Speaker 1: regular guest on Jason Maples Poe cast, Like he was

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Speaker 1: talking about how why would you want? Why would you want?

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Speaker 1: You know, Andre Drummond with how well Keith is playing,

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Speaker 1: with how wal Damian Jones is playing, And my thing

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Speaker 1: is like Andre Drummond in the Super simplified role that

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Speaker 1: Damon Lee is playing would be our Damon Jones is

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Speaker 1: playing would be dominant. Okay, like the same thing that

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Speaker 1: you saw from Dwight Howard, but almost to another level

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Speaker 1: in my opinion, because it's the simplified role. It's the

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Speaker 1: it's the very little that you're asking him to do.

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Speaker 1: If that makes sense, Yeah, for sure. And that's where

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Speaker 1: I'm at with it. Two's funny when people are like, oh,

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Speaker 1: did you watch him with the calves, I'm like, yeah,

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Speaker 1: that's the calves. I mean, this is he's gonna play

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Speaker 1: next to Lebron James and Anthony Davis. Like it's a

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Speaker 1: totally different role, um than than he'd be on with

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Speaker 1: that team. And you know, a guy that can get

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Speaker 1: twenty rebounds at once, I mean, why now you get

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Speaker 1: him for free? You pick him up off the buyout market. Um,

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Speaker 1: you wouldn't trade for him, obviously, but a guy like

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Speaker 1: that is just those guys don't just grow on trees,

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Speaker 1: you know what I mean, you can't just find that. Um.

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Speaker 1: I feel like he would be excited, he would be

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Speaker 1: he would be more than motivated here, he'd be playing

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Speaker 1: for another contract. I mean, I just don't like Damian

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Speaker 1: Jones is a really nice player, but the talent, like

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Speaker 1: the just a talent gap between him and Andre Drummond

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Speaker 1: is pretty large. Those are two totally different. I think

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Speaker 1: Andrew Drummond has made an All Star team if I don't,

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Speaker 1: if I recall correctly, he might have came close time.

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Speaker 1: I think, yeah, he's been around that weekend a lot.

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Speaker 1: I know he's I think he was in the Dunk

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Speaker 1: Contest or something like that. But the talent gap between

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Speaker 1: those two is pretty large. Now. I love what Jones

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Speaker 1: has been doing. He's a guy that's played well. I

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Speaker 1: think he's earned a second well. I don't think he

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Speaker 1: can get another ten day, but he's there in a

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Speaker 1: contract somewhere. I don't know if he'll be with the Lakers,

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Speaker 1: but yeah, the gap between him and Andre Drumm and

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Speaker 1: a guy that rolls as hard as he does, who

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Speaker 1: can you know he can catch lobs, he can protect

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Speaker 1: the rim at some point in some way when he's motivated.

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Speaker 1: So yeah, I just think it's a total talent gap

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Speaker 1: that we're seeing, and I feel like we're gonna We

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Speaker 1: talked about this with Blake Griffin. I feel like his

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Speaker 1: role with the Nets is gonna be so super charged

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Speaker 1: and specific that people are gonna be like, oh my god,

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Speaker 1: where was this guy? Well, he's playing next to Katie

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Speaker 1: Harden and you know Kyrie, so it it's gonna be

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Speaker 1: totally different. And we'll we'll see if they'll pick up Drummond.

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Speaker 1: I think he's gonna get bought out here soon coming

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Speaker 1: coming up. Yeah. So uh, Well, with the Blake Griffin example,

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Speaker 1: the trick is, uh, the role is small offensively, and

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Speaker 1: I do expect him to succeed in that role, but

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Speaker 1: is is what they need from that position defensively doesn't

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Speaker 1: really make sense in my opinion. But as far as

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Speaker 1: Andre Drummond goes, like the Damian Jones represents insurance against that.

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Speaker 1: Like Damiens, Jones has demonstrated that in limited minutes in

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Speaker 1: his very tiny role, he can be productive enough for

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Speaker 1: the Lakers to win with him on the floor. So like,

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Speaker 1: if you get Andre Drummond, you let Damien Jones go

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Speaker 1: and you have this supercharged version of that for the

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Speaker 1: rest of the season. If he doesn't, then you keep

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Speaker 1: Damian Jones. That's the beauty of of of Damien Jones,

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Speaker 1: as he's insurance against that. But but yeah, Like it's like,

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Speaker 1: as far what was the other thing you brought up

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Speaker 1: trying to think Uh oh Drummond. Yeah, so uh. I

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Speaker 1: listened to the Woad pod yesterday or might have been

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Speaker 1: the day before. Uh. He basically said that that the

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Speaker 1: Cleveland really wants a second round pick, but the craziness

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Speaker 1: because that's what they paid for Andre Drummond and they

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Speaker 1: just want to get their right back basically. But the

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Speaker 1: trick is is like trying to match his salary at

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Speaker 1: that number, it's extremely difficult, and so they do very

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Speaker 1: much expect him to get bought out. Uh. Now. He

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Speaker 1: also said in that podcast that he expects Drummond to

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Speaker 1: start if he played for the Lakers, but that he

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Speaker 1: would not start if he played for the Uh if

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Speaker 1: he played for the Nets, And I don't really necessarily

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Speaker 1: see what would be standing in the way of him

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Speaker 1: starting with the Nets either, and arguably there would be

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Speaker 1: more minutes available there because when when Drummond gets back,

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Speaker 1: or if Drumming came to l A and Anthony Davis

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Speaker 1: comes back, there's just not a lot of availability for

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Speaker 1: him there in those lineups with Anthony Davis back. But again,

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Speaker 1: like I said, if if, if if Rob gets on

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Speaker 1: the phone and he's like, yeah, I'm coming to l A, Like, yeah,

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Speaker 1: he's gonna be that supercharged version of Damien Jones. Because

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Speaker 1: all of the things you worried about with him were

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Speaker 1: the same things you worried about with Dwight. All the

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Speaker 1: Dwight pessimists were like, I worry about his attitude. He's

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Speaker 1: famously unliked in the locker room. He makes too many

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Speaker 1: fart jokes, he does all this like literally Dwight Howard

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Speaker 1: at oh hell, He's constantly calling for post ups. He

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Speaker 1: never likes to screen and roll, he never likes to

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Speaker 1: do all these things. And then literally none of those

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Speaker 1: things were a problem because of the the cashe that

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Speaker 1: Lebron had in that locker room and his ability to

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Speaker 1: basically stare fireballs into Dwight and be like don't you

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Speaker 1: don't you know, like like don't mess with me, man.

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Speaker 1: And so he's gonna do the same thing with Drummond,

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Speaker 1: and and he's gonna come back and and and he's

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Speaker 1: gonna be some you know, minimized version of minimized roll

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Speaker 1: version of what he did. And he's got freakish tools,

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Speaker 1: like he's arguably the best bet to get a twenty

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Speaker 1: on any given night, you know what I mean, right,

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Speaker 1: and you can't just find those guys, you know what

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Speaker 1: I mean if people people forget what the amount of

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Speaker 1: questions that were. And Dwight wasn't even on a guaranteed

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Speaker 1: deal until December. I mean, I know they guaranteed a

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Speaker 1: little earlier, but we just we just forget those kind

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Speaker 1: of things. So yeah, when you put him into this

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Speaker 1: kind of environment, this locker room, and then if Vocal

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Speaker 1: can get Damien Jones in a defensive stand like last night,

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Speaker 1: there was a play um where like I think Gordon

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Speaker 1: Hayward was running a pick and roll and like Jones

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Speaker 1: was icing it and I think KCP or something made

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Speaker 1: the wrong play and so he had a switch, so

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Speaker 1: he switched on Gordon Hayward and he's like in a

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Speaker 1: full defensive stance, moving to speek. He cut him off,

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Speaker 1: and then I think Gordon Hayward kicked it to somebody

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Speaker 1: who dunked. I think Lebron missed his rotation there something.

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Speaker 1: I was like, man, he's got this guy, you know,

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Speaker 1: in a defensive stance moving and I think he was

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Speaker 1: one of the warriors. I think it was Tommy. I

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Speaker 1: think he's he quoted me. He's like Damien Jones could

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Speaker 1: even play three minutes under seved curve because of you know,

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Speaker 1: he was just following out every second, So I thought

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Speaker 1: that was kind of funny. But but but yeah, um

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Speaker 1: he has him playing, you know, great defense. I just

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Speaker 1: can't imagine what he does with someone with the defensive

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Speaker 1: talent as uh In Andre Drummond could have. But again,

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Speaker 1: this is all potential. This is all on drum and

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Speaker 1: if he's gonna buying and things like that. But I

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Speaker 1: just think this culture is something to bed on with

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Speaker 1: the player of that kind of that kind of talent.

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Speaker 1: You just you just don't um deny those kind of

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Speaker 1: things when you have this kind of team for sure.

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Speaker 1: And and we just have seen so many examples of

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Speaker 1: dude with on bad team getting around really high i

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Speaker 1: Q players with a real good chance to win and

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Speaker 1: it reinvigorating them. Like I have absolutely no doubt that

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Speaker 1: p J. Tucker is gonna play really well for for Milwaukee.

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Speaker 1: A couple other notes that we noticed, uh from the

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Speaker 1: last eight games. I have been extremely hard on talent

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Speaker 1: Horton Tucker as of late. UH in the last couple

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Speaker 1: of podcasts that we've done, it is worth mentioning that

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Speaker 1: he has more or less regained somewhat of his offensive

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Speaker 1: rhythm that he had earlier in the season, and that

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Speaker 1: he's been much better on the defensive end. It that's

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Speaker 1: typical for young players to ebb and flow in their

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Speaker 1: focus and to ebb and flowing their confidence. But it's

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Speaker 1: I want to pay him the compliment of saying that, uh,

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Speaker 1: he has seemingly bounced back and has actually had some crazy,

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Speaker 1: really really productive shifts in his last few games where

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Speaker 1: he's looked really good. What have you noticed from t HD. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: so I feel like rookies go through this thing where

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Speaker 1: like the league figures them out right and then usually

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Speaker 1: after that they usually don't refigure out the league until

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Speaker 1: the next season. And I think it's really cool that

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Speaker 1: like he's figured out Okay, when I drive, everybody is collapsing,

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Speaker 1: like the paint is just collapsed, and he's he's doing

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Speaker 1: a nice job kicking out before he turns it over.

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Speaker 1: He still jumps the pass a lot, which gets him

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Speaker 1: in trouble, but like he's he's going in and he

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Speaker 1: knows exactly where everyone else based on the floor vocal

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Speaker 1: has kind of made it easy because they've really got

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Speaker 1: to high screen and roll with him. Or usually they'll

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Speaker 1: have him run off a couple of drag screens on

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Speaker 1: the side and he'll come up and run a screen

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Speaker 1: roll with treads or something. He knows exactly what the

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Speaker 1: shooters are, so he'll get in the air and then

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00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:54,679
Speaker 1: kicked to Kuzman in the corner. Or he'll find Harold

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Speaker 1: at the at the dunker spot. I think that's really

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Speaker 1: where he's grown. He's still I mean, I've never seen

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Speaker 1: a player who goes for a reverse on the right

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Speaker 1: side with the wrong hand as much as he does,

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Speaker 1: like he's looking for that, which is funny. But he's

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Speaker 1: he's played so much better. And what I really like

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Speaker 1: is they played him a lot next to Shrewder, so

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Speaker 1: like Vogel has really adjusted in there. Um, and they

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Speaker 1: have two guys who just put a lot of pressure

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Speaker 1: on the rim consistently. I think that's helped him. He drives,

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Speaker 1: takes it back to Shrewder and the shooter can re

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Speaker 1: drive and then re kick, which um, I think has

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Speaker 1: really helped him a lot. And Yeah, he just looks

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Speaker 1: so much better. I think he's turned over. His turnovers

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Speaker 1: are down. Um, he's not taking those weird fade aways

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Speaker 1: like in the paint as much as he used to.

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Speaker 1: And so yeah, he's he's been great. I think you

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Speaker 1: talked about it. He's gonna stay on the floor for

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Speaker 1: his defense, like if if he can defend, he's gonna play.

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Speaker 1: And he's been a lot better. He's not falling asleep

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Speaker 1: as much. He still gets lost sometimes on switches. I

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Speaker 1: think last night and there was a play where I

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Speaker 1: think Graham, Graham and Rogier run a screen role and

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Speaker 1: they should have just switched, or LaMelo and Grandma ran

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00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:55,040
Speaker 1: a screen and role and they should have just switched it.

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Speaker 1: And instead he tried to like hedge and recover and

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Speaker 1: Graham got to open three or something. So but he's

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Speaker 1: doing a lot better. Um, And yeah, he's twenty man,

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Speaker 1: which is which I have to keep telling myself when

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Speaker 1: I watched him, like he's twenty years old. He's a

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Speaker 1: year older than LaMelo, who got drafted like five months ago,

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Speaker 1: which is which is kind of crazy. Yeah, So the

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Speaker 1: reverse layer thing is funny because I was thinking about

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Speaker 1: this a lot last night that it goes cross wise

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Speaker 1: to everything that you're taught growing up as a basketball player,

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Speaker 1: because so the trick is is like when you do that,

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Speaker 1: that's saying that that wrong hand reverse layer, you're showing

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Speaker 1: the defender of the ball. So that's one of the

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Speaker 1: big reasons why you're trained not to do that because

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Speaker 1: it's it's an easier shot to block because it's like

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Speaker 1: defender side and you're you're making it extremely visible to

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Speaker 1: him as you're going up. But what th h T

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Speaker 1: does that counters that is he instead of like kind

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Speaker 1: of doing it straight in front of him, he kind

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Speaker 1: of turns his body and like positions his back between

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Speaker 1: the defender and the basket and literally, uh puts the

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Speaker 1: defender between his back in the basket and he'll literally

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Speaker 1: kind of go behind his head. And he's a tough shot,

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Speaker 1: right yeah, which is a tough shot. But I thought

428
00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:02,520
Speaker 1: about that a lot too. And it's because he has

429
00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:04,879
Speaker 1: such huge hands, like he's got like he's not as

430
00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:08,320
Speaker 1: tall as Kawai, but he's got some Kauai esque physical traits.

431
00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:09,760
Speaker 1: And one of the big ones is just how big

432
00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:12,719
Speaker 1: his hands are. But he just he gets you on

433
00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:15,119
Speaker 1: his hip, he turns his body away from you and

434
00:20:15,160 --> 00:20:18,280
Speaker 1: just just the scoop almost it's almost like a backwards shot,

435
00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:20,480
Speaker 1: which is which is crazy, but but it works. But

436
00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:22,800
Speaker 1: you you're right. The defense is going to be what

437
00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:26,639
Speaker 1: keeps him on the floor. And you know, my guess

438
00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:29,439
Speaker 1: is that his role in this playoff run will actually

439
00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:31,520
Speaker 1: look a lot like what it was last year, which

440
00:20:31,560 --> 00:20:34,359
Speaker 1: is he's going to get these spot minutes. Uh and

441
00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:36,919
Speaker 1: when he's playing well, they're gonna ride him. And if

442
00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:38,880
Speaker 1: he makes one or two defensive mistakes at the start

443
00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:41,280
Speaker 1: of a game, I think I think Frank's gonna go

444
00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:43,800
Speaker 1: away from him, because Frank has just demonstrated at length

445
00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:46,280
Speaker 1: that that's the number one thing that that he cares about.

446
00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:48,240
Speaker 1: But the last thing I'll say about t HD before

447
00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:50,520
Speaker 1: we move on is like, you know, this is something

448
00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:53,159
Speaker 1: I'm gonna harp on a lot throughout the season, and

449
00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:56,280
Speaker 1: it's something that I mentioned with Contavious call blow Pope

450
00:20:56,359 --> 00:20:59,560
Speaker 1: last night. You know the Lakers. You know, as far

451
00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:02,440
Speaker 1: as offensively goes, the reason why th h d s

452
00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:05,399
Speaker 1: offense is never going to factor into his minutes is

453
00:21:05,400 --> 00:21:08,720
Speaker 1: because outside of Dennis Shrewder, none of the guards really

454
00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:12,560
Speaker 1: bring that much offensively. Like KCP is hot and cold

455
00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:15,120
Speaker 1: sometimes as a shooter, he's probably your best offensive guard

456
00:21:15,119 --> 00:21:19,240
Speaker 1: outside of Dennis Shooter. But it's like Carusoe super inconsistent offensively.

457
00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:23,360
Speaker 1: Wesley Matthews has been awful this season offensively, Like, you're

458
00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:26,520
Speaker 1: not getting a ton from those guys. So you can

459
00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,000
Speaker 1: live with the offensive mistakes with th HD because a

460
00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:31,080
Speaker 1: bad night from him is gonna look more or less

461
00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:34,960
Speaker 1: like most nights from Alex Crusoe offensively that you you

462
00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:37,600
Speaker 1: just have to get him to commit on the defensive end.

463
00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:41,879
Speaker 1: But what I think is really interesting about th HD

464
00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:44,760
Speaker 1: on the offensive end is when Dennis Shrewder and Lebron

465
00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:49,000
Speaker 1: are playing, and especially when Anthony Davis gets back, they

466
00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:51,520
Speaker 1: are putting so much pressure on the defense where almost

467
00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:55,240
Speaker 1: everything that these guys do offensively is about attacking close outs.

468
00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:57,680
Speaker 1: Something I'm gonna harp on all the time. It's something

469
00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:01,080
Speaker 1: I've talked a lot about with KCP is you're you're

470
00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:04,000
Speaker 1: not asking them to isolate and run, pick and roll

471
00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:06,240
Speaker 1: and do all this crazy stuff that often for the

472
00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:09,119
Speaker 1: most part, it's you get you get the ball swung

473
00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:12,679
Speaker 1: to you a defenders out of position and you have

474
00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:17,040
Speaker 1: to make a quick compact move to get past him

475
00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:19,159
Speaker 1: and need to either draw a second defender or do

476
00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:22,520
Speaker 1: something that that either creates a three for one of

477
00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:24,520
Speaker 1: your teammates or gets all the way to the rim

478
00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:27,800
Speaker 1: and finishes. And I thought as of late that th

479
00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,080
Speaker 1: h t s a lot of his offense has actually

480
00:22:30,119 --> 00:22:33,440
Speaker 1: come from attacking closeouts. And he's so strong and he's

481
00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:36,120
Speaker 1: so good at finishing around the rim that when they

482
00:22:36,119 --> 00:22:39,440
Speaker 1: can get him with the head esteem past the defender

483
00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:43,880
Speaker 1: his disadvantage, he's deadly in those situations. It's I I

484
00:22:44,119 --> 00:22:46,840
Speaker 1: think that there is a clearly discernible role for him,

485
00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:49,760
Speaker 1: especially in the playoff rotation. He just needs to defend

486
00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:53,360
Speaker 1: well enough to stay there. Yeah, And it's crazy. He's

487
00:22:53,359 --> 00:22:55,359
Speaker 1: already at the point where like if he goes right,

488
00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:57,600
Speaker 1: I know he's going to score or get found or

489
00:22:57,600 --> 00:22:59,920
Speaker 1: something that because you let go right, that's a strong hand.

490
00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:02,040
Speaker 1: He doesn't have to reverse it. He can flip it

491
00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:04,440
Speaker 1: up to the rim normally. Um, and you talked about

492
00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:06,440
Speaker 1: when he plays with Lebron, but remember earlier in the

493
00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:08,480
Speaker 1: year we were even when a d was here, we

494
00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:10,600
Speaker 1: were kind of talking about the non Lebron minutes, like

495
00:23:10,600 --> 00:23:12,920
Speaker 1: where the offense is going to come from, and there

496
00:23:12,960 --> 00:23:14,800
Speaker 1: was a struggle and again I go back to those

497
00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:17,720
Speaker 1: Shrewder and THHD line I was spanned because we talked

498
00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:19,520
Speaker 1: about we're gonna talk about the rest of the league later,

499
00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:21,160
Speaker 1: but like you look at like the Clippers, We talked

500
00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:23,080
Speaker 1: about them all the time, how they don't put enough

501
00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:25,440
Speaker 1: pressure at the rim. But when when you have two

502
00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:28,119
Speaker 1: guards who just attacked the rim relentlessly because Shrewder he

503
00:23:28,119 --> 00:23:29,679
Speaker 1: wants to get to his mid range pull up, but

504
00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:31,000
Speaker 1: he likes to get to the rim. He likes to

505
00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:33,439
Speaker 1: put on his burners get to the basket, and THD

506
00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:35,520
Speaker 1: does the same thing. And again that's why I feel

507
00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:37,200
Speaker 1: like they played so well. I think you I think

508
00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:39,439
Speaker 1: you tweeted out earlier that they had like their first

509
00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:42,760
Speaker 1: UM plus game where when Lebron didn't play or something

510
00:23:42,800 --> 00:23:45,720
Speaker 1: like that, to the first like positive minutes without Lebron

511
00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:49,320
Speaker 1: of the month. Yeah, and that was I think in

512
00:23:49,359 --> 00:23:52,160
Speaker 1: a row, right, And I think that's when the THHD

513
00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:55,600
Speaker 1: and Shrewder lineup started because and they're scrolling really well

514
00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:58,360
Speaker 1: with that, They're getting open looks and they're getting hair.

515
00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:00,600
Speaker 1: Harold I think is part of that as well, finding him.

516
00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:02,879
Speaker 1: So they really got a nice niche role for th

517
00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:05,080
Speaker 1: HD where they're like, hey, just attack the rim. Do

518
00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:07,560
Speaker 1: what you do. Um, they're not making him be a

519
00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:09,639
Speaker 1: spot up shooter anymore. They tried that, they try to

520
00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:11,639
Speaker 1: fit him into that role. I don't think that's what

521
00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:14,040
Speaker 1: he is right now. He's just not efficient enough at

522
00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:15,960
Speaker 1: shooting to be a good spot up shooter. They have

523
00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:18,800
Speaker 1: him attacking the basket relentlessly and he's getting in the paint.

524
00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:22,240
Speaker 1: He's causing havoc and it's great. I feel like the

525
00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:24,359
Speaker 1: league's gonna adjust again to what he's doing. But right

526
00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:27,400
Speaker 1: now he's doing a good job just finding people and

527
00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:29,840
Speaker 1: scoring at the rim when he can. And like last night,

528
00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:32,760
Speaker 1: like Cody Zeller was on him and he like euro stepped.

529
00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:36,119
Speaker 1: He did like a like a double fake fake past

530
00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:39,560
Speaker 1: euro step. I'm like, man, this is this is this

531
00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:42,200
Speaker 1: is crazy. And yeah, he doesn't even see the big anymore.

532
00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:44,280
Speaker 1: If you have if you don't have rim protection, it's over.

533
00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:46,199
Speaker 1: He's going to score at the rim, which is just

534
00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:48,400
Speaker 1: crazy for a guy who's that young and that raw.

535
00:24:48,560 --> 00:24:53,359
Speaker 1: Still he's pretty good against rim protection to Uh. To

536
00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:55,760
Speaker 1: be clear, I've said this a bunch this year and

537
00:24:55,800 --> 00:24:59,480
Speaker 1: I just want to re you know, reiterate it here. Uh,

538
00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:04,119
Speaker 1: when I ring up at length the non Lebron minutes

539
00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:06,320
Speaker 1: and how much the Lakers have struggled, which they have.

540
00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:09,040
Speaker 1: They flat out half. They have been a bad team

541
00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:11,440
Speaker 1: this year when Lebron is off the floor. And it's

542
00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:15,119
Speaker 1: a problem. I'm not talking about like this is a

543
00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:17,560
Speaker 1: crap team in Lebron's carrying him. That's not what I'm

544
00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:20,600
Speaker 1: saying to me. It's pointing out the problem with the

545
00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:24,280
Speaker 1: fact that with as much talent this roster has, they

546
00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:26,320
Speaker 1: have to figure out a way to get it done.

547
00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:29,760
Speaker 1: And you know, it was one thing when when Dennis

548
00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:32,960
Speaker 1: Shrewder was out and like literally none nobody on the

549
00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:36,159
Speaker 1: team could dribble outside of Lebron and and they were

550
00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:38,120
Speaker 1: falling apartment he was off the floor. That was one thing.

551
00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:41,280
Speaker 1: But this has been a problem even when Dennis Shrewder

552
00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:43,359
Speaker 1: has been playing, even when Anthony Davis was playing. I

553
00:25:43,400 --> 00:25:44,960
Speaker 1: pulled up the numbers again. I had looked at up

554
00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:46,880
Speaker 1: a while back, but I wanted to make sure this

555
00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:49,600
Speaker 1: year and two in one minutes where Dennis Shrewder and

556
00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:52,320
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis were on the floor but Lebron was off

557
00:25:52,359 --> 00:25:55,320
Speaker 1: the floor, their minus two point five per points per

558
00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:58,720
Speaker 1: one hundred possessions. It's been a problem. And so you know,

559
00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:01,199
Speaker 1: some of it's Frank, some of it's a d not

560
00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:05,080
Speaker 1: embracing his job on this team. Uh, and and some

561
00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:07,000
Speaker 1: of it is some of the fit stuff with Dennis

562
00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:08,760
Speaker 1: Shooter as they've kind of learned how to play together.

563
00:26:09,119 --> 00:26:12,560
Speaker 1: But there is enough talent on this team that they

564
00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:16,200
Speaker 1: have to figure out how to win the non Lebron minutes.

565
00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:19,679
Speaker 1: There's no excuse. They have enough talent. And so, again,

566
00:26:19,880 --> 00:26:22,199
Speaker 1: just to reiterate, I'm not saying, oh, this is a

567
00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:24,320
Speaker 1: crap team in Lebron's carrying him. I'm just pointing out

568
00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:26,800
Speaker 1: the problem with the fact that they're not doing that.

569
00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:30,000
Speaker 1: The everyone involved needs to do a better job so

570
00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:32,160
Speaker 1: that this stops happening. And and for the record, this

571
00:26:32,280 --> 00:26:34,960
Speaker 1: Dennis Shooter and th HD lineup but you're talking about,

572
00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:37,640
Speaker 1: appears to have solved some of that. And for two

573
00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:40,160
Speaker 1: games now in a row, the Lakers have been positive

574
00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:42,800
Speaker 1: in the non Lebron minutes. And that's the positive in

575
00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:44,960
Speaker 1: the non Lebron minutes is the difference between this being

576
00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:48,000
Speaker 1: one of the most dominant teams ever and being as

577
00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:51,520
Speaker 1: good as they have been. They had problems with that

578
00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:53,760
Speaker 1: last year. Did I drop out? Can you guys hear

579
00:26:53,800 --> 00:26:57,160
Speaker 1: me now you did, Yeah, and we got theory atrial

580
00:26:57,200 --> 00:26:58,720
Speaker 1: Because I heard this on the low post. I just

581
00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:00,800
Speaker 1: thought it was interesting not I don't know if I

582
00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:02,879
Speaker 1: agree or really go with this, but it said, like

583
00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:05,520
Speaker 1: when you have an offense that revolves around Lebron, right,

584
00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:08,160
Speaker 1: because it's very heliocentric, right, it's all around him pretty

585
00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:10,920
Speaker 1: much when he's on the floor when he goes off.

586
00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:13,359
Speaker 1: I mean, it's kind of tough to kind of, um,

587
00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:15,480
Speaker 1: I guess changed that, right because he's playing about thirty

588
00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:17,879
Speaker 1: five thirty six minutes a game, which means, you know,

589
00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:20,960
Speaker 1: there's only two small shifts where you're really playing without him,

590
00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:25,000
Speaker 1: so those minutes are kind of experimental anyway, kind of

591
00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:27,480
Speaker 1: when you're when you're in there. So I don't know

592
00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:29,520
Speaker 1: if I really adhere to that. I understand it like

593
00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:32,720
Speaker 1: from a from like a just a team standpoint, because

594
00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:34,920
Speaker 1: everything does run through Lebron, But like, do you think

595
00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:37,480
Speaker 1: that's a struggle when you have a like just even

596
00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:39,160
Speaker 1: like you don't even have to go with Lebron. Look

597
00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:41,680
Speaker 1: at when Luca sits out for the maps, right, they

598
00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:44,679
Speaker 1: completely fall apart. They go and run poisenis post up

599
00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:46,560
Speaker 1: and stuff. Which just doesn't make any sense to me,

600
00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:48,320
Speaker 1: But like you just you just look at that when

601
00:27:48,400 --> 00:27:51,200
Speaker 1: Luca goes out or even guys like Lebron James Harden

602
00:27:51,280 --> 00:27:52,960
Speaker 1: they go off the floor. It's just I feel like

603
00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:55,960
Speaker 1: those minutes, if you can be neutral, I think you're okay.

604
00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:57,960
Speaker 1: And again that's the difference, like you said, being like

605
00:27:57,960 --> 00:28:00,399
Speaker 1: a super dominant team and being like a you know,

606
00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:03,000
Speaker 1: a good regular season team. Do you kind of go

607
00:28:03,119 --> 00:28:04,919
Speaker 1: with that theory that like it's tough to kind of

608
00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:09,320
Speaker 1: build a offense that's good without Lebron because it's so helious,

609
00:28:09,320 --> 00:28:11,480
Speaker 1: It's it's so revolves around him when he's on the

610
00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:13,320
Speaker 1: floor anyway, So I think it's kind of tough to

611
00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:16,080
Speaker 1: have a have lineup set I guess are so positive

612
00:28:16,119 --> 00:28:19,480
Speaker 1: when he's off the floor. So there's this weird thing

613
00:28:19,560 --> 00:28:23,639
Speaker 1: that that Dredges of of the basketball world are obsessed with,

614
00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:26,639
Speaker 1: where it's like, any any talking point that works in

615
00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:29,639
Speaker 1: Lebron's favor for whatever it is, or in Lebron's defense,

616
00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:34,399
Speaker 1: people will go to just unbelievable lengths and absurd premises

617
00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:37,600
Speaker 1: to try to undercut them. And this heliocentric basketball one

618
00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:41,360
Speaker 1: is a perfect example of that. Like the there there's

619
00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:44,360
Speaker 1: a difference between the Dennis Shrewder problem like when he

620
00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:47,120
Speaker 1: went out, where it's like, Okay, they're losing the non

621
00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:50,800
Speaker 1: Lebron minutes because they don't have the talent because of

622
00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:54,800
Speaker 1: lack of ball handling outside of Lebron. That's different. And

623
00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:57,160
Speaker 1: you had some of that with the like the two

624
00:28:57,160 --> 00:29:00,440
Speaker 1: thousand eighteen Calves for instance, where it's like like they

625
00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:04,160
Speaker 1: literally they there's no way for them to win the

626
00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:06,840
Speaker 1: non Lebron minutes because of the way the roster is constructed,

627
00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:10,080
Speaker 1: which really wasn't even their faulty. It came down to

628
00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:13,120
Speaker 1: Kyrie Irving demanding a trade when they were caps strapped,

629
00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:18,479
Speaker 1: Like that's what really happened there. But the you know, uh,

630
00:29:18,640 --> 00:29:21,880
Speaker 1: the when when the team's had Kyrie, you know when

631
00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:24,720
Speaker 1: when the Cavs had Kyrie. This Laker team is another

632
00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:27,560
Speaker 1: great example with Anthony Davis and Dennis Shudder. This is

633
00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,760
Speaker 1: you know, you gotta be pros and and hats off

634
00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:34,960
Speaker 1: to to the Mavericks for figuring out like okay, literally,

635
00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:38,360
Speaker 1: Luke don Che is the most heliocentric basketball player, that

636
00:29:39,160 --> 00:29:40,760
Speaker 1: one one of them, the one of the most that

637
00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:43,560
Speaker 1: we've ever seen. And you know what, they figured it

638
00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:46,200
Speaker 1: out because there pros your job as the coach, your

639
00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:48,440
Speaker 1: job as the backup point guard, your job is the

640
00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:51,640
Speaker 1: secondary ball handler. Your job is to figure it out,

641
00:29:51,880 --> 00:29:53,840
Speaker 1: you know what, Like you have to figure it out,

642
00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:57,200
Speaker 1: you know, because he's doing his job, the heliocentric guys

643
00:29:57,240 --> 00:29:59,360
Speaker 1: doing his job when he's on the floor. You as

644
00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:01,760
Speaker 1: a professional have to figure it out, especially when you

645
00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:05,440
Speaker 1: have that kind of talent. And so yeah, I've never

646
00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:08,920
Speaker 1: prescribed to that line of thinking. And I do think

647
00:30:08,920 --> 00:30:12,200
Speaker 1: there's a huge difference between like the roster build part

648
00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:15,120
Speaker 1: of it, you know, like the you know, if they've

649
00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:18,720
Speaker 1: designed like some some like like James Harden is a

650
00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:21,600
Speaker 1: great example, like they kind of designed the heliocentric style

651
00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:24,160
Speaker 1: and built the roster around him. So I don't think

652
00:30:24,200 --> 00:30:25,960
Speaker 1: it's fair for them to be like, oh, they lost

653
00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:28,800
Speaker 1: seventeen straight games without James Harden. It's like they lost

654
00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:32,240
Speaker 1: seventeen straight games because that roster was designed entirely to

655
00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:34,440
Speaker 1: have James Harten knowld the ball all the time. So

656
00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:38,120
Speaker 1: that to me is different. But but yeah, like I

657
00:30:38,120 --> 00:30:42,120
Speaker 1: I I've never prescribed to that line of thing and thinking. Yeah,

658
00:30:42,120 --> 00:30:43,920
Speaker 1: and I think that was part of the conversation to like,

659
00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:46,520
Speaker 1: if you have Lebron James on your team, like, how

660
00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:48,959
Speaker 1: much are you going to really use in terms like

661
00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:51,240
Speaker 1: in a cap field, in a salary cap league, how

662
00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:53,280
Speaker 1: much you're gonna give for a you know, a high

663
00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:55,959
Speaker 1: star point guard that's gonna also have the ball, you know,

664
00:30:57,040 --> 00:30:59,040
Speaker 1: the time. And I think we saw that with Houston

665
00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:00,920
Speaker 1: as well, right when they got Chris Paul, and I

666
00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:03,360
Speaker 1: think it worked out really well. It's just they didn't

667
00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:07,520
Speaker 1: Harden really wasn't um accepting of the of the kind

668
00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:09,640
Speaker 1: of situation where he was getting told where to go

669
00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:11,360
Speaker 1: by Chris Paul. And again, that's kind of like when

670
00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:15,320
Speaker 1: you have someone who's so you know, into a heliocentric

671
00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:17,200
Speaker 1: offense when he tries to share it with another person,

672
00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:19,760
Speaker 1: even when they win, because the Rockets won, they still

673
00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:22,040
Speaker 1: had huge issues just because he was trying to adjust.

674
00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:23,880
Speaker 1: So I think that was the main question there was,

675
00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:26,040
Speaker 1: like can you build in And I think you can.

676
00:31:26,120 --> 00:31:28,200
Speaker 1: And again like I think Shrewder and a d should

677
00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:30,560
Speaker 1: be more than good enough to have a positive net

678
00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:32,560
Speaker 1: when Lebron sits. But I just that was an interesting

679
00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:35,080
Speaker 1: thing that, you know, Zach Low. Zachlow kind of kind

680
00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:37,720
Speaker 1: of brought up in terms of roster building kind of

681
00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:41,320
Speaker 1: more rather than just like just giving the coach an excuse.

682
00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:53,800
Speaker 1: So why it doesn't work? M m m m m yeah,

683
00:31:53,840 --> 00:32:05,040
Speaker 1: I think it kind of cut off. See m yeah, okay,

684
00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:08,080
Speaker 1: it's better now there you go. Okay, can you hear me? Yeah?

685
00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:10,680
Speaker 1: I can. Cool. Yeah, I think they will figure it out.

686
00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:12,880
Speaker 1: It's just something that we need a monitor, that's all.

687
00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:15,080
Speaker 1: Like I said, I think, as you know, we talked

688
00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:17,560
Speaker 1: about holding you know, like if, for instance, if Frank

689
00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:20,360
Speaker 1: Vogel was doing a bad job with his scouting reports,

690
00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:22,920
Speaker 1: you would hold him accountable for that, or if Lebron

691
00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:25,160
Speaker 1: wasn't doing his job, you'd hold him accountable for that.

692
00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:27,480
Speaker 1: I think I think it's okay as a fan base

693
00:32:27,560 --> 00:32:31,800
Speaker 1: to hold this very talented roster accountable for their job,

694
00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:34,880
Speaker 1: which is to you know, uh, you know, float the

695
00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:37,240
Speaker 1: ship while Lebron's you don't even have to win those minutes.

696
00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:40,480
Speaker 1: Just dude, don't don't have the bottom fall out. That's

697
00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:44,120
Speaker 1: really it's really that, it's really that simple. Um. So,

698
00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:46,440
Speaker 1: one last guy I wanted to really quickly touch up

699
00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:48,840
Speaker 1: before we move on to some of our other topics

700
00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:53,800
Speaker 1: was Markis Morris is I I. You know, he's one

701
00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:55,520
Speaker 1: of the guys that I was harder on earlier in

702
00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,240
Speaker 1: the season as well, because he didn't look he didn't

703
00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:02,080
Speaker 1: look like he was in shape, he wasn't making shots.

704
00:33:02,520 --> 00:33:05,280
Speaker 1: He like he just was struggling everywhere on the floor.

705
00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:08,080
Speaker 1: He's become kind of like a sneaky weapon for them.

706
00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:12,560
Speaker 1: He's pretty good attacking mismatches, uh, very very good post

707
00:33:12,680 --> 00:33:15,600
Speaker 1: up defender, and then he's one of their most reliable

708
00:33:15,640 --> 00:33:18,160
Speaker 1: three point shooters as of late. I've I've been really

709
00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:20,680
Speaker 1: impressed with him, and so I'd like he's another guy

710
00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:25,240
Speaker 1: that kind of adds like some insurance at that center position. Yeah.

711
00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:27,600
Speaker 1: So I tweeted before the season started, I said, Markie

712
00:33:27,680 --> 00:33:30,200
Speaker 1: Morris at the minimum is just stupid value. Like, in

713
00:33:30,240 --> 00:33:32,320
Speaker 1: my opinion, I don't like to put players in terms

714
00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:34,840
Speaker 1: of value kind of thing, but just like looking at

715
00:33:34,840 --> 00:33:36,920
Speaker 1: it from a cap situation, getting that kind of player

716
00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:39,400
Speaker 1: from the minimum, it's just insane. Because we watched him

717
00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:42,120
Speaker 1: in the playoffs he was starting against Houston. The Lakers

718
00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:45,479
Speaker 1: big advantage against Houston was starting him and being like

719
00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:47,800
Speaker 1: we can match here, you know, a small ball lineup

720
00:33:47,800 --> 00:33:50,040
Speaker 1: and put him in a d uh together and I

721
00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:51,640
Speaker 1: was kind of getting killed for that because of how

722
00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:54,800
Speaker 1: we started. But again, everything is contextual. You know, seventy

723
00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:57,680
Speaker 1: one day offseason, he's spoken at lengths about it. He's

724
00:33:57,680 --> 00:34:00,640
Speaker 1: been very open that he's really struggled, Um with the

725
00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:03,560
Speaker 1: quick turnaround and trying to get his legs, get his

726
00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:06,600
Speaker 1: legs under him, and so you can see him. He's

727
00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:09,600
Speaker 1: moving so much better now. There was just it's night

728
00:34:09,640 --> 00:34:11,399
Speaker 1: and day. I mean, I think the other day, not

729
00:34:11,400 --> 00:34:13,719
Speaker 1: not against not against Charlotte, but the game before I

730
00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:16,279
Speaker 1: think it was against Minnesota, he had like an up

731
00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:19,000
Speaker 1: and under layup like he drove and like, uh he

732
00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:20,680
Speaker 1: did like up and I'm like, man, there was no

733
00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:22,840
Speaker 1: way he was doing anything close to that earlier in

734
00:34:22,840 --> 00:34:25,719
Speaker 1: the year. And his body just looks more fluid. He's

735
00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:28,120
Speaker 1: a really good, sneaky like isolation score. Like he's a

736
00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:30,600
Speaker 1: guy you can throw it into him and eat possessions,

737
00:34:30,640 --> 00:34:32,600
Speaker 1: as we say, you know, so like if Lebron doesn't

738
00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:34,719
Speaker 1: feel like creating and just like here and Marquis and

739
00:34:34,719 --> 00:34:37,040
Speaker 1: he'll just eat that possession and you'll get a you'll

740
00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:38,480
Speaker 1: get a good look out of it. And I think

741
00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:41,600
Speaker 1: that's important. I think that's very valuable. Um, he's not

742
00:34:41,640 --> 00:34:43,920
Speaker 1: like a great three point shooter, but he's streaky. So

743
00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:45,880
Speaker 1: like he's a guy if he hits one, um, you

744
00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:47,680
Speaker 1: can find him and he'll hit another one in a

745
00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:49,520
Speaker 1: row kind of thing. And he had a quick five

746
00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:51,759
Speaker 1: out run last night when the Hornets were coming back. So,

747
00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:55,520
Speaker 1: and he's defending a lot better. Yeah, and so he's

748
00:34:55,560 --> 00:34:57,680
Speaker 1: not like a switchbull defender, but you know he can

749
00:34:57,880 --> 00:35:00,680
Speaker 1: hold his own. Guys can't really attack him in that way.

750
00:35:00,719 --> 00:35:03,200
Speaker 1: They don't hunt him. Um. And yeah, I think he's

751
00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:05,080
Speaker 1: been good. He'll be like he's not the guy. I

752
00:35:05,120 --> 00:35:09,359
Speaker 1: think that like his skills get uh exceeded playing next

753
00:35:09,400 --> 00:35:11,719
Speaker 1: to Anthony Davis. He's a guy that gets better when

754
00:35:11,760 --> 00:35:14,480
Speaker 1: he plays against plays with better players. Um. I think

755
00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:16,400
Speaker 1: earlier in the year he was playing with like th

756
00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:20,560
Speaker 1: ht Um tres As, like the shot creators in the

757
00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:23,040
Speaker 1: lineup with him, and he just looked really bad just

758
00:35:23,080 --> 00:35:25,640
Speaker 1: to even add on to his conditioning, which is bad

759
00:35:25,680 --> 00:35:28,560
Speaker 1: to start. So now he's he looks like the bubble Marquis.

760
00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:31,640
Speaker 1: So he's he's picking it up. Yeah, he's got he's

761
00:35:31,640 --> 00:35:33,759
Speaker 1: got his legs back and uh, and you know that

762
00:35:33,880 --> 00:35:36,600
Speaker 1: the big thing with him is like something that I'd

763
00:35:36,680 --> 00:35:38,720
Speaker 1: like about him more than I like about his brother,

764
00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:43,160
Speaker 1: is that he has shown, at least last year that

765
00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:50,880
Speaker 1: when you know, Anthony Davis comes back and startlin heavily on,

766
00:35:51,520 --> 00:35:53,239
Speaker 1: did I cut out? Or can you hear me? Now?

767
00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:56,080
Speaker 1: You're good? When when things really start, when they really

768
00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:59,360
Speaker 1: start to lean on Lebron and Nadimore, he has actually

769
00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:01,719
Speaker 1: and the kind of guy who can fall back into

770
00:36:01,719 --> 00:36:04,360
Speaker 1: a really small role and and just do his job.

771
00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:06,920
Speaker 1: And and to me, that makes him very valuable. You know,

772
00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:09,880
Speaker 1: he's not a ball stopper, he's a ball mover. But

773
00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:12,799
Speaker 1: at the same time they can't they can ask him

774
00:36:12,840 --> 00:36:14,640
Speaker 1: to be Marcus Morris and be a little bit more

775
00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:16,799
Speaker 1: of an isolation guy when they need him to. And

776
00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:19,920
Speaker 1: like you said, it's it's it's eating possessions, it's give

777
00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:22,560
Speaker 1: it allowing Lebron to rest while he's on the court.

778
00:36:22,640 --> 00:36:26,680
Speaker 1: That that kind of stuff is all super super valuable. Um,

779
00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:28,600
Speaker 1: did you have something else you wanted that or you cool?

780
00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:33,080
Speaker 1: We move on? No, Yeah, that's good. That's good. So

781
00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:34,520
Speaker 1: the last thing I want to talk about before we

782
00:36:34,560 --> 00:36:38,040
Speaker 1: hop around to some other stuff around the league was, uh,

783
00:36:38,080 --> 00:36:41,920
Speaker 1: the m v P race. So you know, part of

784
00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:47,319
Speaker 1: this is you know, uh, the unfortunate circumstance that that

785
00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:51,560
Speaker 1: Joe l Embiid has has suffered an injury that's caused

786
00:36:51,640 --> 00:36:55,040
Speaker 1: him to miss ten games and very likely to miss

787
00:36:55,800 --> 00:36:59,680
Speaker 1: probably another close to ten. And uh, I would imagine

788
00:36:59,719 --> 00:37:01,640
Speaker 1: that this point that the Sixers are gonna take it

789
00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:03,880
Speaker 1: really slow with him, especially since they have shown an

790
00:37:03,920 --> 00:37:06,760
Speaker 1: ability to win some games with Ben Simmons at the forefront.

791
00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:10,959
Speaker 1: But you know, sometimes like sometimes there's like a moment

792
00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:13,840
Speaker 1: of clarity in the sense that you know, like and

793
00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:16,239
Speaker 1: last night was a good example of it, where you

794
00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:17,880
Speaker 1: just start to kind of look at the landscape and

795
00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:20,600
Speaker 1: you go like, oh, well, like this is an obvious decision,

796
00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:23,320
Speaker 1: and you look at it and it's like the Lakers

797
00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:26,680
Speaker 1: had a super short turnaround. They had seventy two days off,

798
00:37:26,920 --> 00:37:29,600
Speaker 1: you know, from the from hoisting the trophy to having

799
00:37:29,600 --> 00:37:33,160
Speaker 1: to literally start playing NBA basketball games again. Anthony Davis

800
00:37:33,160 --> 00:37:36,040
Speaker 1: has missed almost half the games. Dennis Shrewder missed a

801
00:37:36,080 --> 00:37:38,120
Speaker 1: week for COVID, Marcusol has missed a couple of weeks

802
00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:40,480
Speaker 1: for COVID, k CP sprained his ankle at one point.

803
00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:44,280
Speaker 1: Lebron has played almost every single game, and the Lakers

804
00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:46,120
Speaker 1: have been the best defense in the league. He's been

805
00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:51,399
Speaker 1: take one of the all defense teams, probably second team

806
00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:54,600
Speaker 1: All Defense, and and and there's no reason in the

807
00:37:54,640 --> 00:37:58,279
Speaker 1: world why he should not be the front runner at

808
00:37:58,360 --> 00:38:00,680
Speaker 1: this point. And I think it's pretty clear cut. It's

809
00:38:00,719 --> 00:38:05,560
Speaker 1: just they're the They're the best there a game and

810
00:38:05,600 --> 00:38:09,200
Speaker 1: a half back of the best record in basketball, despite

811
00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:12,759
Speaker 1: circumstances that have worked very much against their favor. The

812
00:38:12,800 --> 00:38:15,040
Speaker 1: team that's above them in the standings, Utah has had

813
00:38:15,040 --> 00:38:18,640
Speaker 1: a much much more fortunate season in terms of player availability.

814
00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:22,279
Speaker 1: And you know, I don't think there's any question that

815
00:38:22,280 --> 00:38:24,200
Speaker 1: that Lebron has had a better m v P type

816
00:38:24,200 --> 00:38:26,600
Speaker 1: of season than anybody on that Utah roster. And so

817
00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:32,000
Speaker 1: I think I think things are and Bron's MVP cases

818
00:38:32,120 --> 00:38:38,040
Speaker 1: this to two really quick things. Last year, everyone submitted

819
00:38:38,040 --> 00:38:42,520
Speaker 1: their honest votes halfway through the damn season. It was.

820
00:38:42,640 --> 00:38:44,600
Speaker 1: It was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. An

821
00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:47,120
Speaker 1: ego plays a huge part in this. You know, a

822
00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:49,400
Speaker 1: guy comes on Twitter and goes like, oh, Joannice is

823
00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:52,000
Speaker 1: far and away the the MVP leader at this point,

824
00:38:52,360 --> 00:38:54,239
Speaker 1: and then when somebody makes a run at the end

825
00:38:54,280 --> 00:38:57,440
Speaker 1: of the season, like Lebron did. They're all super hesitant

826
00:38:57,600 --> 00:39:00,200
Speaker 1: because of their egos to change their mind about it anything,

827
00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:02,560
Speaker 1: because they didn't have to admit they were wrong about

828
00:39:02,640 --> 00:39:05,480
Speaker 1: saying that Janice was the runaway m VP favorite earlier

829
00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:08,879
Speaker 1: in the season. And so I hope that Lebron gets

830
00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:10,520
Speaker 1: a little bit of that in his favor at this point,

831
00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:12,120
Speaker 1: because I feel like he caught the short end of

832
00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:14,480
Speaker 1: that stick last year. And here's the last thing I'll

833
00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:17,040
Speaker 1: say about it. If he gets the trophy, the m

834
00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:20,239
Speaker 1: v P Trophy, he will have deserved it because they're

835
00:39:20,239 --> 00:39:22,000
Speaker 1: about to head to a super tough part of their

836
00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:25,560
Speaker 1: schedule without a d I mean, I think just next thing,

837
00:39:29,680 --> 00:39:31,440
Speaker 1: you know, and they have one of the toughest schedules

838
00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:33,359
Speaker 1: in the league here down the stretch, so they're they're

839
00:39:33,440 --> 00:39:35,440
Speaker 1: flat out going to need him to be the m

840
00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:38,040
Speaker 1: v P to stay near the top of the standings.

841
00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:39,480
Speaker 1: And if we get to the end of the season

842
00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:41,600
Speaker 1: and the Lakers are the two seed out West or

843
00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:43,759
Speaker 1: the two seed in the league, or even better, like

844
00:39:44,080 --> 00:39:46,320
Speaker 1: there's gonna be there's there's not gonna be anything you

845
00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:51,240
Speaker 1: can say, because there's it's just heading into this difficult

846
00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:53,680
Speaker 1: portion of the schedule and without a d you know,

847
00:39:54,160 --> 00:39:55,920
Speaker 1: he's gonna have to prove it and I believe he will,

848
00:39:56,200 --> 00:39:59,400
Speaker 1: but but we'll see how it goes. Yeah. So my

849
00:39:59,440 --> 00:40:01,320
Speaker 1: thing with him VP is like if you went before

850
00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:03,880
Speaker 1: the season, right even with the Lakers editions and you

851
00:40:03,960 --> 00:40:05,719
Speaker 1: know they're people were saying that, you know, they won

852
00:40:05,760 --> 00:40:08,680
Speaker 1: the offseason or whatever. Um, if you were like, okay,

853
00:40:08,760 --> 00:40:11,319
Speaker 1: take Anthony Davis off this team, how many wins would

854
00:40:11,320 --> 00:40:14,480
Speaker 1: they have? Like just straight? If you ask, like if

855
00:40:14,520 --> 00:40:16,640
Speaker 1: you pull the National Riders, they'd probably say, like what

856
00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:20,000
Speaker 1: forty something that wins like with No A D. Yeah,

857
00:40:20,080 --> 00:40:22,320
Speaker 1: it's not maybe not as bad as the Worriors, but

858
00:40:22,600 --> 00:40:24,000
Speaker 1: um yeah, they would say it would be a pretty

859
00:40:24,040 --> 00:40:26,600
Speaker 1: bad team and their second in the West. I mean,

860
00:40:27,239 --> 00:40:29,640
Speaker 1: I was just looking at the records, man, Like Utah

861
00:40:29,880 --> 00:40:32,879
Speaker 1: is only one and a half games above Anthony Davis

862
00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:36,080
Speaker 1: has been forty forty two percent of the season. Rudy

863
00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:38,040
Speaker 1: Gobert has missed one game. I was checking, Oh no,

864
00:40:38,120 --> 00:40:41,160
Speaker 1: he has missed serial games. Uh, Donovan Mitchell has missed

865
00:40:41,200 --> 00:40:45,279
Speaker 1: two games. Like They've been completely healthy and still I

866
00:40:45,320 --> 00:40:46,880
Speaker 1: think they flew a little too close to the sun.

867
00:40:46,960 --> 00:40:49,520
Speaker 1: They're starting a torpedo back to Earth. But yeah, it's

868
00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:51,839
Speaker 1: just crazy. That's his case. Like, I don't know how

869
00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:55,000
Speaker 1: that's not leading all of the UM whatever shows that

870
00:40:55,160 --> 00:40:57,600
Speaker 1: I don't watch anymore, but all those m VP debate shows,

871
00:40:58,200 --> 00:41:00,480
Speaker 1: the lead should be Anthony Davis has missed already two

872
00:41:00,600 --> 00:41:03,880
Speaker 1: percent of the season and they are tied with the Suns.

873
00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:05,800
Speaker 1: They are a game and a half back of this

874
00:41:06,120 --> 00:41:08,600
Speaker 1: of the Utah powerhouse that was blowing through the league

875
00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:10,320
Speaker 1: for a while. So that's his case to me, And

876
00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:12,160
Speaker 1: again he has a I think it was interesting you

877
00:41:12,239 --> 00:41:14,759
Speaker 1: tweeted out at like the Bucks had three players make

878
00:41:14,800 --> 00:41:18,040
Speaker 1: the All Defense last year, which is just ridiculous, just

879
00:41:18,120 --> 00:41:22,120
Speaker 1: just ridiculous. The Lakers were a game behind Milwaukee when

880
00:41:22,160 --> 00:41:24,399
Speaker 1: the when the season shut down. I think people kind

881
00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:26,399
Speaker 1: of forget that how much of a run they made.

882
00:41:26,600 --> 00:41:29,680
Speaker 1: And obviously they just lollygat through the bubble games because

883
00:41:30,040 --> 00:41:32,000
Speaker 1: none of them matter. They had they had the ones

884
00:41:32,120 --> 00:41:34,000
Speaker 1: he locked up, so it didn't matter anymore. And I

885
00:41:34,080 --> 00:41:36,200
Speaker 1: think Milwaukee, you don't want a few of those games more.

886
00:41:36,280 --> 00:41:38,439
Speaker 1: But again, when the season shut down, it was around

887
00:41:38,480 --> 00:41:40,399
Speaker 1: the March or something like that, or they have something

888
00:41:40,480 --> 00:41:44,080
Speaker 1: I forget, but they were a game back of Milwaukee

889
00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:47,000
Speaker 1: with two again who started off blazing hot and came

890
00:41:47,040 --> 00:41:49,600
Speaker 1: back to earth, and Lebron's MVP case was kind of growing.

891
00:41:49,680 --> 00:41:52,200
Speaker 1: But like you said, that vote was submitted, That vote

892
00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:54,279
Speaker 1: was submitted a long time ago. Be honest, was gonna

893
00:41:54,320 --> 00:41:57,760
Speaker 1: win his win shares or per seventy five or whatever.

894
00:41:57,920 --> 00:42:00,479
Speaker 1: Numbers were blowing through the water, and I think talked

895
00:42:00,520 --> 00:42:02,960
Speaker 1: about that at length. He was beating up on bad team.

896
00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:05,040
Speaker 1: But again not even to not even to diminish Johannes,

897
00:42:05,080 --> 00:42:07,279
Speaker 1: because I think he's earned his two m vps. But yeah,

898
00:42:07,400 --> 00:42:09,719
Speaker 1: Lebron wins this year, he probably has a narrative going

899
00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:11,440
Speaker 1: for him. I mean, it's I don't know why that's

900
00:42:11,480 --> 00:42:13,880
Speaker 1: like taboo to say. I mean, you kind of earn it.

901
00:42:14,000 --> 00:42:16,239
Speaker 1: You play eighteen years in the league. You earn a

902
00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:18,160
Speaker 1: little bit of a narrative kind of thing, you know

903
00:42:18,160 --> 00:42:20,280
Speaker 1: what I mean, Like, I don't know why that's taboo.

904
00:42:20,400 --> 00:42:21,920
Speaker 1: They're like, oh, no, every m v P should be

905
00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:25,000
Speaker 1: year by year. Nothing in life works without context, like

906
00:42:25,080 --> 00:42:28,080
Speaker 1: it just it just doesn't. You can't ignore Johanna's flaming

907
00:42:28,120 --> 00:42:30,839
Speaker 1: out two straight playoffs and given out. You just can't.

908
00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:32,920
Speaker 1: The context is in everything in life. Why are we

909
00:42:32,960 --> 00:42:35,239
Speaker 1: gonna ignore it with with an awards? So I think

910
00:42:35,280 --> 00:42:37,560
Speaker 1: that that's part of as well, and he'll earn it.

911
00:42:37,800 --> 00:42:39,600
Speaker 1: I mean, he's played great defense as well. You could

912
00:42:39,640 --> 00:42:41,200
Speaker 1: argue he's in the Defensive Player of the Year. He

913
00:42:41,200 --> 00:42:44,000
Speaker 1: won't get that award. I don't think he's the defensive

914
00:42:44,000 --> 00:42:46,080
Speaker 1: player of your conversation. That's one thing I think Lebron

915
00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:49,360
Speaker 1: fans have taken a little too far. Uh But I

916
00:42:49,400 --> 00:42:51,239
Speaker 1: mean I wouldn't. Yeah, he wouldn't. I would say he

917
00:42:51,239 --> 00:42:53,400
Speaker 1: would win it. But I mean, like this defense has

918
00:42:53,440 --> 00:42:56,680
Speaker 1: been carried by him Marc Asol and like a great system,

919
00:42:56,800 --> 00:42:58,600
Speaker 1: I mean you have to you can give it to somebody,

920
00:42:58,760 --> 00:43:01,680
Speaker 1: you know. So yeah, again, like just just seeing his

921
00:43:02,000 --> 00:43:03,800
Speaker 1: m v P ks, I think he's more than earned

922
00:43:04,320 --> 00:43:06,919
Speaker 1: um the lead at it. It's unfortunate that Jolian Bead

923
00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:09,720
Speaker 1: went down. I don't think him missing ten games shouldn't

924
00:43:09,719 --> 00:43:11,680
Speaker 1: take him out of the race, you know. But but

925
00:43:11,800 --> 00:43:13,400
Speaker 1: we'll see. But yeah, I think you're right, he has

926
00:43:13,440 --> 00:43:15,279
Speaker 1: more than enough of a case for the m v

927
00:43:15,360 --> 00:43:20,080
Speaker 1: P this year, can you hear me? Yeah? So, the

928
00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:31,400
Speaker 1: I think the h and they're like, you're disrespecting the

929
00:43:31,440 --> 00:43:39,560
Speaker 1: process by bringing up the narrative, I no sport. It's

930
00:43:39,600 --> 00:43:43,640
Speaker 1: a team sport. So we're interpreting, we are interpreting results.

931
00:43:44,040 --> 00:43:47,400
Speaker 1: So if this was a tennis regular season, then you

932
00:43:47,440 --> 00:43:49,719
Speaker 1: could be like, oh, you know, tennis player A was

933
00:43:49,880 --> 00:43:53,440
Speaker 1: clearly the best player in tennis this year. He beat everybody,

934
00:43:53,880 --> 00:43:55,920
Speaker 1: He's the m v P. But no, it is a

935
00:43:56,040 --> 00:43:59,719
Speaker 1: team sport, and so we have to rely on external

936
00:44:00,040 --> 00:44:04,640
Speaker 1: vidence and context to try to compartmentalize and contextualize like

937
00:44:04,680 --> 00:44:07,400
Speaker 1: what we're seeing. So you know, if I saw a

938
00:44:07,560 --> 00:44:11,000
Speaker 1: really really great Yannice season like this year, I can

939
00:44:11,080 --> 00:44:14,719
Speaker 1: contextualize that by saying like, oh, actually, like a big

940
00:44:14,840 --> 00:44:18,680
Speaker 1: part of this was coach Bud and his system kind

941
00:44:18,719 --> 00:44:21,640
Speaker 1: of spitting up and chewing out teams, chewing up and

942
00:44:21,640 --> 00:44:28,560
Speaker 1: spitting out teams from the Eastern Conference. As things progress

943
00:44:28,680 --> 00:44:31,799
Speaker 1: that that actually wasn't as effective against the best teams

944
00:44:31,840 --> 00:44:34,360
Speaker 1: in the league, and it wasn't as effective in the playoffs.

945
00:44:34,440 --> 00:44:37,080
Speaker 1: So we add that context and we can we can

946
00:44:37,160 --> 00:44:38,719
Speaker 1: kind of make it. We can kind of make a

947
00:44:38,800 --> 00:44:41,480
Speaker 1: case for why Janice wasn't the best player in the

948
00:44:41,520 --> 00:44:43,120
Speaker 1: league this year. And I think that's gonna end up

949
00:44:43,160 --> 00:44:45,760
Speaker 1: actually hurting him. And you know, that's the thing with Lebron.

950
00:44:45,840 --> 00:44:49,719
Speaker 1: It's like, okay, the it's not as simple as here

951
00:44:49,760 --> 00:44:52,600
Speaker 1: are his numbers and here's the team's record. It's the

952
00:44:52,719 --> 00:44:55,440
Speaker 1: whole story. And that's what that's where I think the

953
00:44:55,600 --> 00:44:59,520
Speaker 1: narrative is not a bad word, but actually just the

954
00:44:59,640 --> 00:45:02,880
Speaker 1: store of his m v P. The story of Lebron's

955
00:45:02,960 --> 00:45:07,239
Speaker 1: MVP is that on a very quick turnaround, UH, with

956
00:45:07,440 --> 00:45:10,279
Speaker 1: very little rest after winning the championship, after being the

957
00:45:10,400 --> 00:45:15,120
Speaker 1: Finals MVP, he came back into this season with an

958
00:45:15,160 --> 00:45:17,880
Speaker 1: injured co star who missed almost half the games and

959
00:45:17,960 --> 00:45:21,240
Speaker 1: a couple of COVID's, a couple of uh COVID losses

960
00:45:21,280 --> 00:45:25,400
Speaker 1: that cost starters to miss a combined three weeks a time.

961
00:45:26,280 --> 00:45:28,160
Speaker 1: He led them to within a game and a half

962
00:45:28,239 --> 00:45:31,320
Speaker 1: of the number one overall seed. He his numbers have

963
00:45:31,440 --> 00:45:34,000
Speaker 1: been you know, uh, you know, just everybody as good

964
00:45:34,000 --> 00:45:36,120
Speaker 1: as last year, minus a few assists per game, which

965
00:45:36,160 --> 00:45:39,320
Speaker 1: isn't him becoming a lesser passage, just him playing alongside

966
00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:42,200
Speaker 1: Dennis Shrewder. But but that's the story of his m

967
00:45:42,239 --> 00:45:46,080
Speaker 1: v P. And you you you tell that story, and

968
00:45:46,200 --> 00:45:48,279
Speaker 1: that's how you plead the That's how you plead the

969
00:45:48,360 --> 00:45:52,000
Speaker 1: case of the value of an individual in a team sport.

970
00:45:52,520 --> 00:45:54,799
Speaker 1: That's really all it is. It's not any more complicated

971
00:45:54,840 --> 00:45:57,480
Speaker 1: than that. And like, you know, I think a couple

972
00:45:57,520 --> 00:46:02,400
Speaker 1: of Lakers uh TV per sonalities, namely you know Rachel

973
00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:06,040
Speaker 1: uh what's her name, Rachel Nichols, who's not a Lakers person,

974
00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:07,960
Speaker 1: but as you know, a Lebron fan, I guess you'd

975
00:46:08,000 --> 00:46:12,120
Speaker 1: call it. And then uh, you know, Dave mcmanam in

976
00:46:12,280 --> 00:46:15,080
Speaker 1: and and then I think Brian went Horse did it too,

977
00:46:16,680 --> 00:46:19,640
Speaker 1: Like Ramota Shelbert, they get on. They got on last year,

978
00:46:19,840 --> 00:46:24,279
Speaker 1: and they were taking it to borderline theatrical foolishness. You know,

979
00:46:24,560 --> 00:46:28,640
Speaker 1: Kobe's death, you know, he's old, you know all this

980
00:46:28,800 --> 00:46:32,200
Speaker 1: other stupid stuff. You know, Oh he he held a

981
00:46:32,280 --> 00:46:34,560
Speaker 1: meeting in a conference room and a hotel in China,

982
00:46:34,719 --> 00:46:36,719
Speaker 1: so he's the m v P like that was That

983
00:46:36,840 --> 00:46:39,080
Speaker 1: was stupid. That was stupid and and it and it

984
00:46:39,480 --> 00:46:41,239
Speaker 1: took that part of the m v P race and

985
00:46:41,320 --> 00:46:43,040
Speaker 1: threw it off the rails. When the truth of the

986
00:46:43,120 --> 00:46:45,279
Speaker 1: matter is is like the way that we decided is

987
00:46:45,440 --> 00:46:48,800
Speaker 1: story based. It's just story based within the context of

988
00:46:48,840 --> 00:46:52,200
Speaker 1: what's actually happening within that locker room. And uh and

989
00:46:52,320 --> 00:46:54,520
Speaker 1: on the court, if that makes sense. Yeah, and and

990
00:46:54,600 --> 00:46:56,440
Speaker 1: people think this is just a Lebron thing, which is

991
00:46:56,760 --> 00:46:59,400
Speaker 1: really strange to me, Like why did Westbrook win the

992
00:46:59,480 --> 00:47:01,959
Speaker 1: m v P like three years ago, Right, It wasn't

993
00:47:02,040 --> 00:47:04,000
Speaker 1: just like, yes, he had the triple doubles, but it

994
00:47:04,120 --> 00:47:06,480
Speaker 1: was because Kevin Durant left that summer, right, And they're like,

995
00:47:06,560 --> 00:47:08,600
Speaker 1: he's going to carry a team, and he carried them

996
00:47:08,680 --> 00:47:10,480
Speaker 1: to like a three seed or a four seed or

997
00:47:10,480 --> 00:47:13,600
Speaker 1: whatever it was. And we take the whole context within it, right,

998
00:47:13,680 --> 00:47:15,799
Speaker 1: just his season alone, probably when I've done it, when

999
00:47:15,800 --> 00:47:17,600
Speaker 1: you look at the story, you know, one of the

1000
00:47:17,680 --> 00:47:20,400
Speaker 1: best players in the world ever left his team, he

1001
00:47:20,760 --> 00:47:23,000
Speaker 1: carried them, he had the heart. All that stuff is

1002
00:47:23,040 --> 00:47:25,279
Speaker 1: into it. And that's fine. It's an MVP award, you know,

1003
00:47:25,400 --> 00:47:28,080
Speaker 1: it's not you know, something that's decided by per thirty

1004
00:47:28,160 --> 00:47:30,560
Speaker 1: six and win shares and you know stuff stuff like that.

1005
00:47:30,680 --> 00:47:32,560
Speaker 1: It is decided by on the court. Your team has

1006
00:47:32,640 --> 00:47:34,719
Speaker 1: to win. But I just don't know why people think

1007
00:47:34,800 --> 00:47:37,640
Speaker 1: Lebron is the only one that you know, uh, gets

1008
00:47:37,680 --> 00:47:40,160
Speaker 1: an advantage from the story being told from it, And

1009
00:47:40,239 --> 00:47:42,239
Speaker 1: that's just not true. The m v P has been

1010
00:47:42,640 --> 00:47:44,919
Speaker 1: about a story for the long time to go along

1011
00:47:44,960 --> 00:47:47,239
Speaker 1: with the basketball. So yeah, he has a case this year.

1012
00:47:47,280 --> 00:47:48,919
Speaker 1: I think I think it's fine if you have someone

1013
00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:51,400
Speaker 1: else winning. It's just I feel like it's pretty um,

1014
00:47:51,880 --> 00:47:54,120
Speaker 1: it's pretty malpractice to say Lebron is not even a

1015
00:47:54,200 --> 00:47:57,120
Speaker 1: top three or whatever in the MVP, because I think

1016
00:47:57,160 --> 00:48:01,799
Speaker 1: he totally is. Uh, he's a totally good candidate for it. Yeah,

1017
00:48:01,840 --> 00:48:04,000
Speaker 1: he's a good candidate. And you know, it is interesting

1018
00:48:04,080 --> 00:48:06,839
Speaker 1: as far as like the RUSS m v P goes there,

1019
00:48:06,960 --> 00:48:10,759
Speaker 1: there there's a clear like path that happens with an

1020
00:48:10,880 --> 00:48:13,720
Speaker 1: m v P uh conversation, and this is why embiad

1021
00:48:13,840 --> 00:48:16,279
Speaker 1: is so far up there in my opinion. If you

1022
00:48:16,360 --> 00:48:19,000
Speaker 1: look back, it's like, Okay, Lebron in two thousand and

1023
00:48:19,120 --> 00:48:34,719
Speaker 1: nine has this m the voter they have to, and

1024
00:48:34,760 --> 00:48:37,440
Speaker 1: then there's the fatigue and he's every bit as good

1025
00:48:37,480 --> 00:48:39,520
Speaker 1: the following season, but they don't give it to him.

1026
00:48:40,000 --> 00:48:43,560
Speaker 1: It's a Steph Curry thing. Steph Curry wins an m

1027
00:48:43,600 --> 00:48:46,360
Speaker 1: v P averaging twenty three points per game, but he

1028
00:48:46,440 --> 00:48:48,239
Speaker 1: wins the m v P and he comes back to

1029
00:48:48,840 --> 00:48:51,960
Speaker 1: and he's definitely better, so they have to give it

1030
00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:56,040
Speaker 1: to him again. And then in two thousand seventeen, they're uh,

1031
00:48:56,320 --> 00:48:57,880
Speaker 1: they're still the best team in the league. He was

1032
00:48:57,920 --> 00:48:59,279
Speaker 1: the best He wasn't the best player in the league

1033
00:48:59,280 --> 00:49:00,680
Speaker 1: in my opinion at that point, but he was the

1034
00:49:00,719 --> 00:49:02,320
Speaker 1: best player on the best team in the league in

1035
00:49:02,360 --> 00:49:05,000
Speaker 1: two thousand and seventeen. Should have been technically, you know,

1036
00:49:05,080 --> 00:49:08,560
Speaker 1: an MVP candidate, but you know, there's voter fatigue, there's

1037
00:49:08,600 --> 00:49:10,400
Speaker 1: like a there's like a pathway to this, and so

1038
00:49:10,960 --> 00:49:13,360
Speaker 1: that that's the unfortunate part about it is like it's like,

1039
00:49:14,360 --> 00:49:16,960
Speaker 1: I I'm glad that it's just a regular season award

1040
00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:18,839
Speaker 1: that doesn't really amount to all that much for any

1041
00:49:18,920 --> 00:49:21,239
Speaker 1: of these things. Because the truth is is the whole

1042
00:49:21,320 --> 00:49:24,840
Speaker 1: process is flawed in a lot of ways. Uh, but

1043
00:49:25,040 --> 00:49:27,480
Speaker 1: but it is what it is. I do think it's

1044
00:49:27,520 --> 00:49:29,239
Speaker 1: important to mention that he has a really good chance

1045
00:49:29,280 --> 00:49:32,880
Speaker 1: and real quickly before we're done here. All the Lebron's

1046
00:49:32,960 --> 00:49:35,239
Speaker 1: numbers are up year over year last year when he

1047
00:49:35,360 --> 00:49:40,360
Speaker 1: was receiving first place MVP votes. Scoring is up, steals

1048
00:49:40,360 --> 00:49:44,400
Speaker 1: are up, reboundings up, turnovers are down, free throw percentage up,

1049
00:49:44,520 --> 00:49:47,120
Speaker 1: three point percentage up, field goal percentage up. The only

1050
00:49:47,200 --> 00:49:51,279
Speaker 1: thing that's down is his assists and so, which again

1051
00:49:51,440 --> 00:49:53,480
Speaker 1: is product of them taking on a twenty million dollar

1052
00:49:53,680 --> 00:49:56,719
Speaker 1: year guard. Uh that to help with some of the

1053
00:49:56,719 --> 00:49:59,400
Speaker 1: ball handling responsibilities. So the truth of the matter is

1054
00:49:59,560 --> 00:50:02,880
Speaker 1: is he's in that path now. He missed out on

1055
00:50:02,960 --> 00:50:06,759
Speaker 1: an m v P last year. There's a lot of lingering. Uh,

1056
00:50:06,840 --> 00:50:09,359
Speaker 1: there's a lot of lingering kind of like angst over

1057
00:50:09,440 --> 00:50:12,240
Speaker 1: the fact that maybe he didn't deserve it, be honest,

1058
00:50:12,560 --> 00:50:15,640
Speaker 1: because he clearly is nowhere near as good at basketball

1059
00:50:15,719 --> 00:50:19,239
Speaker 1: is Lebron and then here comes Lebron better than next year.

1060
00:50:20,120 --> 00:50:22,120
Speaker 1: So I mean to me, that's a prime set up

1061
00:50:22,600 --> 00:50:25,120
Speaker 1: for him to to receive a lot of votes. And uh,

1062
00:50:25,200 --> 00:50:26,360
Speaker 1: we'll see how it goes. A bit. Part of it

1063
00:50:26,480 --> 00:50:27,840
Speaker 1: is going to be this tough part of the schedule

1064
00:50:27,920 --> 00:50:30,920
Speaker 1: and whether or not they can weather through it. Um Uh.

1065
00:50:31,400 --> 00:50:33,759
Speaker 1: It's tricky because the last month of the season two,

1066
00:50:33,800 --> 00:50:36,719
Speaker 1: they have four sets of back to backs, um so,

1067
00:50:37,040 --> 00:50:38,680
Speaker 1: and I think they have three more sets of back

1068
00:50:38,719 --> 00:50:42,120
Speaker 1: to backs just this month. So when like, as long

1069
00:50:42,200 --> 00:50:44,839
Speaker 1: as as long as they you know, hang out there

1070
00:50:44,880 --> 00:50:46,720
Speaker 1: in the top two or three seeds in the West,

1071
00:50:47,239 --> 00:50:49,680
Speaker 1: given the circumstances, I think I think he deserves it.

1072
00:50:50,400 --> 00:50:53,759
Speaker 1: Um really quickly. I wanted to touch on a couple

1073
00:50:53,840 --> 00:50:57,320
Speaker 1: of non Laker topics and get your thoughts on him. So,

1074
00:50:58,120 --> 00:51:01,000
Speaker 1: first of all, the Clippers continue to be one of

1075
00:51:01,080 --> 00:51:05,680
Speaker 1: the most disappointing contenders that uh, that we've had in

1076
00:51:05,760 --> 00:51:08,840
Speaker 1: the last couple of years. Uh. And this is this

1077
00:51:08,960 --> 00:51:11,560
Speaker 1: has been consistent from the start. By the way, they

1078
00:51:11,920 --> 00:51:15,120
Speaker 1: currently have the seventh best record in the league. Um,

1079
00:51:15,480 --> 00:51:17,279
Speaker 1: I guess my question for you is, aside from the

1080
00:51:17,360 --> 00:51:19,239
Speaker 1: usual stuff that we've all talked about, like them needing

1081
00:51:19,280 --> 00:51:21,400
Speaker 1: a point guard and blahlah blah blah, why do you

1082
00:51:21,560 --> 00:51:27,080
Speaker 1: think that they've been so underwhelming, particularly on the defensive end. Yeah,

1083
00:51:27,160 --> 00:51:29,640
Speaker 1: it's funny because Clipper fans and our Clipper people do

1084
00:51:29,719 --> 00:51:32,239
Speaker 1: not like you. I can tell. It's it's hilarious. Uh,

1085
00:51:33,440 --> 00:51:35,560
Speaker 1: this players seeing you quote tweet them and they're like,

1086
00:51:35,800 --> 00:51:38,160
Speaker 1: stay out of our out of our team, which I

1087
00:51:38,239 --> 00:51:42,279
Speaker 1: just think is absolutely hilarious. But uh, yeah, it's funny because,

1088
00:51:42,280 --> 00:51:43,800
Speaker 1: like you know, I like to joke about the PG

1089
00:51:44,040 --> 00:51:46,600
Speaker 1: narrative and you know, the Paul George stuff, who's actually

1090
00:51:46,600 --> 00:51:49,000
Speaker 1: played really well this year. Actually he's had a great year,

1091
00:51:49,040 --> 00:51:51,200
Speaker 1: so I give him credit. But when I watched their

1092
00:51:51,239 --> 00:51:53,560
Speaker 1: team like it's just looking at the basketball, like they

1093
00:51:53,640 --> 00:51:56,120
Speaker 1: put zero pressure on the basket. The only person who

1094
00:51:56,160 --> 00:51:58,440
Speaker 1: does is Zoomach when he rolls to the rim. And

1095
00:51:58,480 --> 00:52:00,800
Speaker 1: again that can be schemed out, you know when teams

1096
00:52:00,880 --> 00:52:03,600
Speaker 1: really want to UM because they'll trap Kauai and you know,

1097
00:52:03,640 --> 00:52:05,360
Speaker 1: and they'll help off of anyone who they want to.

1098
00:52:05,440 --> 00:52:07,560
Speaker 1: They don't trust anyone to make a jump shot when

1099
00:52:07,600 --> 00:52:09,960
Speaker 1: it matters. I think they live with Marcus Morris, you know,

1100
00:52:10,080 --> 00:52:13,000
Speaker 1: and all those guys who shoot a good percentage. But

1101
00:52:13,040 --> 00:52:14,919
Speaker 1: I think when the game bolt boats down and close

1102
00:52:14,960 --> 00:52:17,640
Speaker 1: outs are a little bit harder. Against Dallas, I mean,

1103
00:52:17,880 --> 00:52:20,360
Speaker 1: they didn't score for like five minutes. This is with

1104
00:52:20,480 --> 00:52:23,319
Speaker 1: Kauai and PG on the floor, like to all two

1105
00:52:23,400 --> 00:52:26,280
Speaker 1: superstar wings, and they couldn't get a basket because Paul Jorge,

1106
00:52:26,320 --> 00:52:28,440
Speaker 1: every one of their actions, like they run a lot

1107
00:52:28,480 --> 00:52:30,799
Speaker 1: of really like Tyler is a good offensive coach. They

1108
00:52:30,920 --> 00:52:32,879
Speaker 1: run a lot of like really good actions. They run

1109
00:52:32,920 --> 00:52:35,880
Speaker 1: like sippers and um PG comes off two down streets

1110
00:52:35,920 --> 00:52:37,800
Speaker 1: being and all these actions pretty much lead to a

1111
00:52:38,160 --> 00:52:41,319
Speaker 1: step back contestant mid range jumper. Like that's because they

1112
00:52:41,400 --> 00:52:43,080
Speaker 1: just do not want to take contact. And then Paul

1113
00:52:43,120 --> 00:52:45,000
Speaker 1: George I saw after the game, he's like, the refs

1114
00:52:45,040 --> 00:52:47,440
Speaker 1: aren't giving me calls, you know, and stuff stuff like that,

1115
00:52:47,560 --> 00:52:51,640
Speaker 1: which again like maybe, but that doesn't really take you

1116
00:52:51,680 --> 00:52:53,759
Speaker 1: out from attacking the basket. So they get nothing at

1117
00:52:53,760 --> 00:52:56,360
Speaker 1: the rim other than Kauai dunking on people once or

1118
00:52:56,400 --> 00:52:59,279
Speaker 1: twice pretty nicely. But all the shots are mid range

1119
00:52:59,320 --> 00:53:02,439
Speaker 1: pull ups or tough contested threes. And again they moved

1120
00:53:02,480 --> 00:53:04,239
Speaker 1: the ball around and try to find the open shot.

1121
00:53:04,320 --> 00:53:07,360
Speaker 1: But you know late in games, that's really it causes

1122
00:53:07,440 --> 00:53:10,160
Speaker 1: for inconsistency in basketball. And as you know, when people

1123
00:53:10,200 --> 00:53:12,080
Speaker 1: when teams go on runs, and maybe last night wh

1124
00:53:12,120 --> 00:53:14,560
Speaker 1: Charlie went on a run, it it catapults. And when

1125
00:53:14,600 --> 00:53:17,520
Speaker 1: you can't get ec shots, um, it's tough to stop those.

1126
00:53:17,560 --> 00:53:19,960
Speaker 1: And I think that's where they're inconsistent play comes from.

1127
00:53:20,040 --> 00:53:22,920
Speaker 1: But PG and Choir and Kauai especially are good enough

1128
00:53:22,920 --> 00:53:24,480
Speaker 1: to where they're gonna kind of they're gonna win enough

1129
00:53:24,560 --> 00:53:26,759
Speaker 1: games to be a high seed. But I was looking

1130
00:53:26,800 --> 00:53:28,800
Speaker 1: at the standings, man, and they are tied for like

1131
00:53:29,520 --> 00:53:32,040
Speaker 1: six or seventh roight now in terms of the losses,

1132
00:53:32,120 --> 00:53:34,120
Speaker 1: like another loss would drop them down to six, I

1133
00:53:34,200 --> 00:53:37,680
Speaker 1: think or something. So it's when I saw the news

1134
00:53:37,719 --> 00:53:40,480
Speaker 1: today that they're interested in Alonzo ball, which made me

1135
00:53:40,560 --> 00:53:43,600
Speaker 1: kind of sad because Alonzo is like a lifelong laker

1136
00:53:43,680 --> 00:53:45,800
Speaker 1: to me. But I don't know if Alonzo really fixes

1137
00:53:45,960 --> 00:53:47,840
Speaker 1: that kind of issue. Is a Lonzo is not attacking

1138
00:53:47,920 --> 00:53:50,080
Speaker 1: the rim guard either. He's a really good ball move

1139
00:53:50,320 --> 00:53:52,839
Speaker 1: which I think Patrick Beverley is Nick Betune all are

1140
00:53:52,960 --> 00:53:55,160
Speaker 1: really great ball movers. But that's kind of what I

1141
00:53:55,200 --> 00:53:56,399
Speaker 1: see in them. What do you what do you see

1142
00:53:56,760 --> 00:53:58,800
Speaker 1: in their inconsistencies? How the heck are they going to

1143
00:53:58,840 --> 00:54:00,960
Speaker 1: get lawns? Like saw that too and I was like,

1144
00:54:01,080 --> 00:54:02,720
Speaker 1: I was like, what, Like, they don't have any assets

1145
00:54:02,760 --> 00:54:05,399
Speaker 1: they onny drafting. It's just it doesn't make any sense.

1146
00:54:06,000 --> 00:54:09,520
Speaker 1: Um it would require it would require David Griffin thinking,

1147
00:54:09,680 --> 00:54:11,399
Speaker 1: you know, in his head like oh, like I'd rather

1148
00:54:11,480 --> 00:54:14,960
Speaker 1: have Patrick Beverley or something like that. Um So, a

1149
00:54:15,000 --> 00:54:17,319
Speaker 1: couple of things really quick. The the Clippers are tied

1150
00:54:17,360 --> 00:54:22,120
Speaker 1: with the San Antonio Spurs in the lost column. Um So,

1151
00:54:24,000 --> 00:54:27,080
Speaker 1: here's the thing. You know, I'm hard on the Clippers

1152
00:54:27,160 --> 00:54:30,040
Speaker 1: for for a lot of reasons. One, I am a

1153
00:54:30,200 --> 00:54:33,279
Speaker 1: huge I've always had a huge problem with like prematurely

1154
00:54:33,360 --> 00:54:37,000
Speaker 1: crowning people because like, I don't think people. And for

1155
00:54:37,280 --> 00:54:39,480
Speaker 1: the record, Lebron is one of the best best examples

1156
00:54:39,520 --> 00:54:42,520
Speaker 1: of this in NBA history. He went to the Miami

1157
00:54:42,560 --> 00:54:44,400
Speaker 1: Heat in two thousand eleven and thought he already had

1158
00:54:44,440 --> 00:54:47,960
Speaker 1: the trophies. Damn Near said as much when he was

1159
00:54:48,200 --> 00:54:50,879
Speaker 1: in my in that Miami party that they threw after

1160
00:54:50,920 --> 00:54:57,000
Speaker 1: they signed everybody like it is an objectively unlikable quality

1161
00:54:57,480 --> 00:55:00,040
Speaker 1: for someone to talk and act as though they've on

1162
00:55:00,160 --> 00:55:02,640
Speaker 1: something when they haven't done anything yet. And the Clippers

1163
00:55:02,920 --> 00:55:05,680
Speaker 1: haven't put in the work, and that's the most important detail,

1164
00:55:05,760 --> 00:55:08,560
Speaker 1: and this is why their defense sucks. You know, on paper,

1165
00:55:08,600 --> 00:55:12,200
Speaker 1: their defense should be awesome. Patrick Beverley, you know, although

1166
00:55:12,239 --> 00:55:13,800
Speaker 1: he's been injured for a lot of this year. You know,

1167
00:55:13,920 --> 00:55:16,960
Speaker 1: Paul George and Kawhile Enterred just those two should be

1168
00:55:17,040 --> 00:55:19,239
Speaker 1: good enough to be an elite defensive team, especially when

1169
00:55:19,239 --> 00:55:21,439
Speaker 1: you factor and they have Nick Patoum, another big wing,

1170
00:55:21,800 --> 00:55:24,520
Speaker 1: and they have Marcus Moore's senior who's another big wing.

1171
00:55:24,880 --> 00:55:27,200
Speaker 1: The problem why, the reason why they don't defend well

1172
00:55:27,640 --> 00:55:29,640
Speaker 1: is people are looking at it with a simplistic view

1173
00:55:29,680 --> 00:55:31,879
Speaker 1: of what defense is. They think, Oh, Kauai can guard

1174
00:55:32,000 --> 00:55:35,200
Speaker 1: player X and Paul George can guard player. Why, yeah,

1175
00:55:35,320 --> 00:55:37,640
Speaker 1: that's great. But the vast majority of defense is not

1176
00:55:37,880 --> 00:55:40,600
Speaker 1: just straight up one on one defense. It's all about

1177
00:55:40,640 --> 00:55:44,000
Speaker 1: your team concepts. How are you in rotations? How are

1178
00:55:44,040 --> 00:55:46,799
Speaker 1: you when you're not matched upright in transition? How are

1179
00:55:46,880 --> 00:55:48,360
Speaker 1: you when you have to send a double team and

1180
00:55:48,400 --> 00:55:52,120
Speaker 1: everyone's chaotically running around. The Lakers have nowhere near as

1181
00:55:52,200 --> 00:55:55,440
Speaker 1: much defensive talent on paper as the Clippers, but they

1182
00:55:55,520 --> 00:55:57,880
Speaker 1: put in the work. They do what you're supposed to

1183
00:55:57,960 --> 00:56:01,560
Speaker 1: do to guard. They operate well in chaos. They're they're,

1184
00:56:01,600 --> 00:56:04,160
Speaker 1: they're they're. Frank does a much better job as setting

1185
00:56:04,200 --> 00:56:06,520
Speaker 1: up their scheme. Everything they do make sense. They play

1186
00:56:06,600 --> 00:56:08,839
Speaker 1: to their strengths. They chase people off the three point

1187
00:56:08,920 --> 00:56:11,920
Speaker 1: line because they have smaller guards. It's it all makes sense.

1188
00:56:12,080 --> 00:56:14,759
Speaker 1: That's why it doesn't work. That's why it doesn't work

1189
00:56:14,800 --> 00:56:18,080
Speaker 1: for the Clippers. They have everything that they've needed on paper,

1190
00:56:18,440 --> 00:56:21,000
Speaker 1: and they haven't put in the requisite work, which, for

1191
00:56:21,040 --> 00:56:23,239
Speaker 1: the record, is the microcosm of the entire l A

1192
00:56:23,280 --> 00:56:26,800
Speaker 1: Clippers experience since they signed both of them, speaking large

1193
00:56:26,960 --> 00:56:30,840
Speaker 1: you know, on uh on, in the large scale of

1194
00:56:31,040 --> 00:56:33,680
Speaker 1: of that entire team and their goals and their failures

1195
00:56:33,760 --> 00:56:35,880
Speaker 1: last year and so far this year. As far as

1196
00:56:35,960 --> 00:56:37,920
Speaker 1: the offensive end goes, it's really simple, and it's the

1197
00:56:37,960 --> 00:56:39,439
Speaker 1: reason why I sent that tweet out and the reason

1198
00:56:39,480 --> 00:56:42,680
Speaker 1: why Paul George looks so, like I said, pathetic in

1199
00:56:42,800 --> 00:56:46,239
Speaker 1: that stupid press conference where he's making these excuses. It's

1200
00:56:46,840 --> 00:56:50,600
Speaker 1: you if if you want something and you want to

1201
00:56:50,640 --> 00:56:53,319
Speaker 1: complain about something, which I hate complaining regardless, I don't

1202
00:56:53,360 --> 00:56:55,880
Speaker 1: like when Lebron complains about the refs and he's literally

1203
00:56:55,960 --> 00:56:57,680
Speaker 1: a guy who's bullying his way to the basket all

1204
00:56:57,719 --> 00:57:00,800
Speaker 1: day long and constantly getting fat. But the point is

1205
00:57:00,920 --> 00:57:02,480
Speaker 1: is like, if you're gonna do it, at least come

1206
00:57:02,520 --> 00:57:04,719
Speaker 1: from a position of strength, at least come from a

1207
00:57:04,760 --> 00:57:08,879
Speaker 1: position where you're backed by evidence. You literally other than

1208
00:57:09,000 --> 00:57:12,040
Speaker 1: the Orlando Magic, or I think it's the Orlando Magic,

1209
00:57:12,560 --> 00:57:15,200
Speaker 1: your your twenty nine in the entire league, I get

1210
00:57:15,440 --> 00:57:18,000
Speaker 1: a generating shot attempts within five ft of the basket

1211
00:57:18,120 --> 00:57:20,480
Speaker 1: and within the restricted area, and it's been like that

1212
00:57:20,600 --> 00:57:24,680
Speaker 1: all season long. You're a team that relies on off

1213
00:57:24,720 --> 00:57:28,120
Speaker 1: the dribble pull up jump shots from Lou Williams, from

1214
00:57:28,200 --> 00:57:32,320
Speaker 1: Paul George and from Kawhi Leonard and even in this league,

1215
00:57:32,760 --> 00:57:35,720
Speaker 1: where that type of jump shooting gets a lot of calls.

1216
00:57:36,000 --> 00:57:37,720
Speaker 1: It's not going to get the same level of calls

1217
00:57:37,720 --> 00:57:40,280
Speaker 1: as a team that pressures the rim consistently. And then

1218
00:57:40,320 --> 00:57:42,439
Speaker 1: you have the nerve to walk up to the press

1219
00:57:42,480 --> 00:57:45,000
Speaker 1: conference table and be like, we're doing our part, we're

1220
00:57:45,000 --> 00:57:47,360
Speaker 1: putting pressure on the rim. We're just not getting calls. No,

1221
00:57:47,560 --> 00:57:50,280
Speaker 1: you're not. You're living in fantasy land. And you're the

1222
00:57:50,320 --> 00:57:52,880
Speaker 1: same guy that stood up to the press conference after

1223
00:57:52,960 --> 00:57:56,120
Speaker 1: you tricked off Game six against Denver and said we're

1224
00:57:56,160 --> 00:57:59,120
Speaker 1: in control of this series. It's just it's an objectively

1225
00:57:59,200 --> 00:58:02,720
Speaker 1: unlikable quality. They're complaining and living in fantasy land, and

1226
00:58:02,760 --> 00:58:04,600
Speaker 1: they don't understand that we all have eyes and that

1227
00:58:04,680 --> 00:58:07,160
Speaker 1: we're watching the damn games. We're watching the games man,

1228
00:58:07,760 --> 00:58:09,920
Speaker 1: like especially Lakers Twitter, because they love hate watching you

1229
00:58:10,000 --> 00:58:12,720
Speaker 1: and rooting for you to fail. So like we're all there,

1230
00:58:12,760 --> 00:58:16,080
Speaker 1: we're all paying attention and and and I don't know,

1231
00:58:16,200 --> 00:58:17,960
Speaker 1: it just it is what it is. I just I

1232
00:58:18,120 --> 00:58:20,680
Speaker 1: just you know. And for the record, I'm the most

1233
00:58:20,720 --> 00:58:22,640
Speaker 1: scared of them. They are the team that I'm most

1234
00:58:22,640 --> 00:58:25,000
Speaker 1: scared enough to beat the Lakers, at least in the West,

1235
00:58:25,440 --> 00:58:27,880
Speaker 1: because they're they are built to do it. I just

1236
00:58:28,160 --> 00:58:29,680
Speaker 1: what what have you seen in the last two years

1237
00:58:29,720 --> 00:58:32,080
Speaker 1: to show them that they will right right? Let me

1238
00:58:32,160 --> 00:58:33,560
Speaker 1: let me ask you this because I created this out

1239
00:58:33,600 --> 00:58:35,600
Speaker 1: and like you said, I know, I understand the NBA

1240
00:58:35,720 --> 00:58:38,000
Speaker 1: is not no longer an isolation game. It's a pick

1241
00:58:38,040 --> 00:58:40,080
Speaker 1: and roll heavy game, you know what I mean. But like,

1242
00:58:40,200 --> 00:58:42,200
Speaker 1: it was very weird to me that Luca is absolutely

1243
00:58:42,320 --> 00:58:44,760
Speaker 1: cooking right like he is. He is, he is not

1244
00:58:44,880 --> 00:58:47,760
Speaker 1: even seeing a defender like he is. There was nothing

1245
00:58:47,960 --> 00:58:49,960
Speaker 1: he was so comfortable. He could have been as slippers

1246
00:58:50,040 --> 00:58:52,680
Speaker 1: that game. Like, he was absolutely comfortable walking to the rim,

1247
00:58:53,000 --> 00:58:55,440
Speaker 1: doing floaters, step back three. He's not feeling a thing.

1248
00:58:56,280 --> 00:58:57,960
Speaker 1: This is late game, This is a you know, this

1249
00:58:58,120 --> 00:58:59,640
Speaker 1: is a big time game they need to win. And

1250
00:58:59,680 --> 00:59:03,000
Speaker 1: they have Nickpatune picking up Luca full court. You know,

1251
00:59:03,320 --> 00:59:06,000
Speaker 1: this is with Kauai. And again I understand it's not

1252
00:59:06,080 --> 00:59:08,400
Speaker 1: a one on one game, but like Nick Patune picking

1253
00:59:08,520 --> 00:59:10,680
Speaker 1: him up full court, and then later on they switched

1254
00:59:11,040 --> 00:59:13,680
Speaker 1: then later on they switched Marcus Morris on him, like

1255
00:59:14,440 --> 00:59:16,560
Speaker 1: and this due Luca does not even feel these dudes

1256
00:59:16,600 --> 00:59:19,440
Speaker 1: like he has There's no you know, there's no like

1257
00:59:19,560 --> 00:59:22,320
Speaker 1: pressure on him. He's literally walking to the room doing floaters,

1258
00:59:22,600 --> 00:59:24,320
Speaker 1: and again Paul George I think, switched on him with

1259
00:59:24,400 --> 00:59:26,520
Speaker 1: like two minutes left, and by by that time, Luca

1260
00:59:26,640 --> 00:59:29,560
Speaker 1: is completely on fire, like his whole body is pretty

1261
00:59:29,640 --> 00:59:31,360
Speaker 1: much heated up that he is not feeling a thing,

1262
00:59:31,800 --> 00:59:33,680
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. So, but it's just interesting

1263
00:59:33,760 --> 00:59:35,520
Speaker 1: to me when I see that. I'm like, it's so weird.

1264
00:59:35,560 --> 00:59:37,480
Speaker 1: And people are like, oh, they're load managing. You know,

1265
00:59:37,920 --> 00:59:41,720
Speaker 1: this is Luca has like forty on like easy easy shots,

1266
00:59:41,800 --> 00:59:43,880
Speaker 1: like this is still your you know, have some pride,

1267
00:59:43,960 --> 00:59:46,360
Speaker 1: have some use of pride. I mean the load managing

1268
00:59:46,440 --> 00:59:48,400
Speaker 1: Nick Patune is thirty two. I mean I don't. I

1269
00:59:48,480 --> 00:59:50,840
Speaker 1: just don't understand that part of it. Don't make it

1270
00:59:50,960 --> 00:59:53,200
Speaker 1: so easy for them. And that's the thing that's really

1271
00:59:53,240 --> 00:59:54,680
Speaker 1: weird to me. They have a lot of weird corks

1272
00:59:54,760 --> 00:59:56,680
Speaker 1: that don't make any sense to me. They're hiding kauai

1273
00:59:56,840 --> 00:59:59,919
Speaker 1: on I think it was um Brunson in the corn

1274
01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:02,520
Speaker 1: and I'm like, that just doesn't does not make any

1275
01:00:02,600 --> 01:00:04,360
Speaker 1: sense at all what they're doing with that. I want

1276
01:00:04,400 --> 01:00:06,200
Speaker 1: to ask you that because do you think that's an issue?

1277
01:00:06,280 --> 01:00:08,640
Speaker 1: Like I think it's very weird when like even Lebron

1278
01:00:08,760 --> 01:00:10,960
Speaker 1: last night switched on LaMelo when Lemel started cooking, just

1279
01:00:11,040 --> 01:00:13,400
Speaker 1: because you know, just to show like, hey, we're not allowing.

1280
01:00:13,480 --> 01:00:15,520
Speaker 1: This is not what we're allowing. Or even Terry rose

1281
01:00:15,600 --> 01:00:17,240
Speaker 1: Year when he got cooking, he switched on him. Like

1282
01:00:17,480 --> 01:00:19,560
Speaker 1: it's just really weird when I when I see that,

1283
01:00:19,760 --> 01:00:22,200
Speaker 1: Like they have the two probably the best two best

1284
01:00:22,240 --> 01:00:24,520
Speaker 1: wing defenders in the league on any given night, and

1285
01:00:24,600 --> 01:00:27,760
Speaker 1: there they have Nick Betune guarding Luca when he's absolutely

1286
01:00:27,800 --> 01:00:30,720
Speaker 1: cooking anyone in isolation. Is just just really strange to me,

1287
01:00:30,800 --> 01:00:32,320
Speaker 1: those kind of things that I see. They have weirdly

1288
01:00:32,400 --> 01:00:35,440
Speaker 1: weird quirks about their team. Yeah there there there's something

1289
01:00:35,560 --> 01:00:38,560
Speaker 1: off in just the chemistry of that entire teams at

1290
01:00:38,560 --> 01:00:40,840
Speaker 1: the way it's built. Well, what Clipper fans will tell

1291
01:00:40,920 --> 01:00:45,600
Speaker 1: you is that oh uh uh Tylu is holding everything

1292
01:00:45,680 --> 01:00:47,680
Speaker 1: and saving everything for the playoffs. That's what I'll tell you,

1293
01:00:47,760 --> 01:00:50,040
Speaker 1: Which to me, that's stupid because the whole premise of

1294
01:00:50,320 --> 01:00:53,080
Speaker 1: saving things for the playoffs only makes sense within the

1295
01:00:53,160 --> 01:00:56,080
Speaker 1: realm of single elimination anyway. It's something that makes a

1296
01:00:56,120 --> 01:00:59,200
Speaker 1: lot more sense in football because like Bill Belichick will

1297
01:00:59,520 --> 01:01:02,920
Speaker 1: save plays and schemes and formations and stuff for the playoffs,

1298
01:01:03,200 --> 01:01:05,480
Speaker 1: because he knows that he needs to beat you once

1299
01:01:05,800 --> 01:01:08,040
Speaker 1: and if he can throw you off for a quarter

1300
01:01:08,120 --> 01:01:10,160
Speaker 1: and a half because you have to adjust to a

1301
01:01:10,200 --> 01:01:13,000
Speaker 1: new scheme, it might win him a playoff game. That's

1302
01:01:13,040 --> 01:01:15,440
Speaker 1: not how it works in the NBA. Like the Lakers

1303
01:01:15,480 --> 01:01:18,560
Speaker 1: could show you everything that they do, you have to

1304
01:01:18,600 --> 01:01:22,920
Speaker 1: play them seven times so that there's no advantage gained

1305
01:01:23,000 --> 01:01:25,240
Speaker 1: by Oh, maybe I'll win the first quarter of Game

1306
01:01:25,320 --> 01:01:28,920
Speaker 1: one because I randomly started throwing, you know, some crazy

1307
01:01:29,000 --> 01:01:32,520
Speaker 1: defensive scheme or some offensive scheme at somebody. And quite frankly,

1308
01:01:32,680 --> 01:01:35,200
Speaker 1: with the how deep the West is in the in

1309
01:01:35,320 --> 01:01:38,160
Speaker 1: the seating problems that the Clippers are putting themselves in

1310
01:01:38,240 --> 01:01:41,040
Speaker 1: danger of dealing with it, they need to win games now.

1311
01:01:41,160 --> 01:01:43,320
Speaker 1: They need to win games like for and so the

1312
01:01:43,440 --> 01:01:46,360
Speaker 1: whole idea that they've been withholding is stupid to me.

1313
01:01:46,520 --> 01:01:49,240
Speaker 1: It's a matter of of of like I said, and

1314
01:01:49,400 --> 01:01:52,160
Speaker 1: I'm just reiterating it, but the scheme and the effort

1315
01:01:52,360 --> 01:01:54,440
Speaker 1: and the dirty work that a defense has to do

1316
01:01:54,520 --> 01:01:57,440
Speaker 1: to make a star feel uncomfortable. You know, Dennis Shouter

1317
01:01:57,600 --> 01:01:59,600
Speaker 1: is a is a talented defensive players. So I don't

1318
01:01:59,600 --> 01:02:01,680
Speaker 1: want to under cut this. But do you think Damian

1319
01:02:01,720 --> 01:02:03,680
Speaker 1: Lillard is worried about whether or not he can get

1320
01:02:03,720 --> 01:02:08,160
Speaker 1: by Dennis Shredder. Hell no, Like Dennis Shredder is not

1321
01:02:08,400 --> 01:02:11,520
Speaker 1: presenting now. Like my point is is like it's not

1322
01:02:11,640 --> 01:02:14,960
Speaker 1: like Ben Simmons, where Ben Simmons literally had Damian Lillard

1323
01:02:15,040 --> 01:02:17,560
Speaker 1: feeling like he was in prison and just single coverage.

1324
01:02:18,040 --> 01:02:20,080
Speaker 1: That's not what Dame Lillard feels when he goes up

1325
01:02:20,080 --> 01:02:23,960
Speaker 1: against Dennis Shrewder. What literally is happening there is the

1326
01:02:24,120 --> 01:02:27,920
Speaker 1: Lakers as a team, as a scheme, are making the

1327
01:02:28,040 --> 01:02:32,000
Speaker 1: stars feel uncomfortable. And the problem with the Clippers is

1328
01:02:32,040 --> 01:02:34,560
Speaker 1: they've got all the talent in the world, but they're

1329
01:02:34,600 --> 01:02:37,840
Speaker 1: not making like the Lakers would never in a million

1330
01:02:38,000 --> 01:02:40,560
Speaker 1: years have let Luca do that. You know, they got

1331
01:02:40,600 --> 01:02:43,120
Speaker 1: burned by Luca once at the beginning of last season,

1332
01:02:43,680 --> 01:02:46,640
Speaker 1: and they have really really taken care of him the

1333
01:02:46,720 --> 01:02:49,600
Speaker 1: last four or five times they played him, because the

1334
01:02:49,720 --> 01:02:51,760
Speaker 1: Lakers will not let you beat them with your star.

1335
01:02:52,480 --> 01:02:55,160
Speaker 1: They will not let you do it because they they

1336
01:02:55,280 --> 01:02:59,040
Speaker 1: they're they're they're not caught up in the Monoemano type

1337
01:02:59,120 --> 01:03:02,160
Speaker 1: style of defense. It's it's us five against your five

1338
01:03:03,080 --> 01:03:04,920
Speaker 1: and and and that's and that's why I think they

1339
01:03:04,960 --> 01:03:07,880
Speaker 1: have uh you know, that's the difference in my opinion.

1340
01:03:08,080 --> 01:03:10,880
Speaker 1: But between those two really quickly before I get you

1341
01:03:10,920 --> 01:03:13,160
Speaker 1: out of here, I wanted to share a quick thought

1342
01:03:13,200 --> 01:03:19,480
Speaker 1: about the about the Warriors, So you know, I think

1343
01:03:19,560 --> 01:03:24,640
Speaker 1: the Warriors are are a fascinating case study of of

1344
01:03:24,800 --> 01:03:28,440
Speaker 1: the way aesthetics kind of like throw off people's impressions

1345
01:03:28,600 --> 01:03:33,120
Speaker 1: of of a basketball team, because in my opinion, the

1346
01:03:33,240 --> 01:03:36,280
Speaker 1: Lakers and the Warriors have a lot in common, uh

1347
01:03:37,000 --> 01:03:40,360
Speaker 1: particularly just with like their their their roster build in

1348
01:03:40,400 --> 01:03:42,600
Speaker 1: the way that they're trying to win games. So for

1349
01:03:42,640 --> 01:03:45,000
Speaker 1: the record, the Lakers are a lot more talented. So

1350
01:03:45,120 --> 01:03:48,520
Speaker 1: I don't wanna make that equivalency. I just think there's

1351
01:03:48,560 --> 01:03:53,600
Speaker 1: a stylistic similarity. You've got this supreme offensive creator in

1352
01:03:53,680 --> 01:03:57,080
Speaker 1: the form of Lebron and Steph Curry, but for some reason,

1353
01:03:57,200 --> 01:04:00,640
Speaker 1: the offenses struggle and the fan base says get all

1354
01:04:00,800 --> 01:04:04,120
Speaker 1: riled up talking about like this offense looks stupid. Why

1355
01:04:04,160 --> 01:04:06,320
Speaker 1: isn't Steph doing this, Why isn't Lebron doing this? Why

1356
01:04:06,360 --> 01:04:08,280
Speaker 1: don't they run more offense? If it's the Lakers, you're

1357
01:04:08,280 --> 01:04:10,960
Speaker 1: complaining that they're not running enough offense. If it's the Warriors,

1358
01:04:11,000 --> 01:04:13,480
Speaker 1: they're complaining that they're running too much offense, It's like

1359
01:04:13,560 --> 01:04:17,280
Speaker 1: it's literally just NonStop complaining. And what they don't realize

1360
01:04:17,880 --> 01:04:22,760
Speaker 1: is like that is by design the way that team

1361
01:04:22,840 --> 01:04:25,160
Speaker 1: was put together. When they were putting the roster together,

1362
01:04:25,640 --> 01:04:27,320
Speaker 1: the Warriors said, we don't want to be the two

1363
01:04:27,360 --> 01:04:29,960
Speaker 1: thousand eight team caps. We don't want Steph to have

1364
01:04:30,120 --> 01:04:33,640
Speaker 1: the most incredible monster statistical season ever but not be

1365
01:04:33,720 --> 01:04:37,560
Speaker 1: able to guard anybody. And what they wanted was they

1366
01:04:37,640 --> 01:04:40,440
Speaker 1: wanted a team that would muck it up and have

1367
01:04:40,600 --> 01:04:42,920
Speaker 1: tons of length and athleticism and speed and play with

1368
01:04:42,960 --> 01:04:45,880
Speaker 1: a ton of pace, that would wear teams out, physically

1369
01:04:46,280 --> 01:04:48,440
Speaker 1: defend the heck out of the ball, and then we

1370
01:04:48,640 --> 01:04:51,840
Speaker 1: just hope Steph can generate enough offense that will win.

1371
01:04:52,640 --> 01:04:54,360
Speaker 1: And if you would have told me coming into the season,

1372
01:04:54,440 --> 01:04:56,560
Speaker 1: even after the first few weeks of the season, I

1373
01:04:56,640 --> 01:04:59,040
Speaker 1: thought they were a terrible team. There's no there's not

1374
01:04:59,080 --> 01:05:01,400
Speaker 1: a lot of talent on that roster. You know, Andrew

1375
01:05:01,440 --> 01:05:05,200
Speaker 1: Wiggins was terrible at his previous spot. Kelly Hubrey is

1376
01:05:05,360 --> 01:05:07,760
Speaker 1: nothing but a role player. I'm a big believer in

1377
01:05:07,840 --> 01:05:09,880
Speaker 1: Draymond Green, and I think that the Warriors fan base

1378
01:05:10,000 --> 01:05:12,760
Speaker 1: underrates the heck out of him. However, he's not what

1379
01:05:12,920 --> 01:05:15,439
Speaker 1: he once was. He struggles a lot offensively in ways

1380
01:05:15,480 --> 01:05:17,600
Speaker 1: that he didn't used to. So the truth of the

1381
01:05:17,640 --> 01:05:21,200
Speaker 1: matter is, if I told you, hey, Warriors fans back

1382
01:05:21,240 --> 01:05:24,120
Speaker 1: when Clay Thompson tours Achilles, so I said you're gonna

1383
01:05:24,120 --> 01:05:28,560
Speaker 1: be twenty one and twenty, they'd be stoked because there's

1384
01:05:28,560 --> 01:05:30,360
Speaker 1: not a lot of talent on the team. The Western

1385
01:05:30,400 --> 01:05:33,880
Speaker 1: Conference is super deep. They were gonna lean so heavily

1386
01:05:33,960 --> 01:05:38,280
Speaker 1: on Steph that's a win in these circumstances. But instead

1387
01:05:38,480 --> 01:05:43,560
Speaker 1: they're so obsessively focused on how the offense looks, like, oh,

1388
01:05:43,720 --> 01:05:46,240
Speaker 1: STEP's missing a lot of shots and you know step

1389
01:05:46,440 --> 01:05:48,720
Speaker 1: is slumping, and it's like no, no, no. They have

1390
01:05:48,960 --> 01:05:53,800
Speaker 1: consciously made a decision to muck things up by prioritizing

1391
01:05:53,920 --> 01:05:57,960
Speaker 1: talent that can carry them defensively because they believe that

1392
01:05:58,080 --> 01:06:00,760
Speaker 1: will win. And I really do think the winning above

1393
01:06:00,840 --> 01:06:03,160
Speaker 1: their talent level. So what do you think about what

1394
01:06:03,240 --> 01:06:06,360
Speaker 1: you've seen from it? Were good? Yeah? Like it's funny.

1395
01:06:06,600 --> 01:06:09,120
Speaker 1: As as fans, you want to feel good about our team, right,

1396
01:06:09,200 --> 01:06:10,920
Speaker 1: Like that's the whole point of us being fans When

1397
01:06:10,960 --> 01:06:12,360
Speaker 1: watch a team you want to feel like we're not.

1398
01:06:12,480 --> 01:06:14,360
Speaker 1: We're not only feeling good about this season, but we

1399
01:06:14,440 --> 01:06:16,600
Speaker 1: feel about good about where we're going right. And I

1400
01:06:16,640 --> 01:06:18,960
Speaker 1: feel like a lot of these postgame like press conferences

1401
01:06:19,000 --> 01:06:21,040
Speaker 1: are all kind of for show. They're all media savvy.

1402
01:06:21,160 --> 01:06:23,560
Speaker 1: But when you hear Steve Kerr say something like, oh,

1403
01:06:23,560 --> 01:06:25,840
Speaker 1: why don't you play Steph More, Oh, we're not really

1404
01:06:25,880 --> 01:06:28,680
Speaker 1: going for wins this year, that's that like really attacks

1405
01:06:28,720 --> 01:06:31,000
Speaker 1: a fan base. And then you add that with I

1406
01:06:31,000 --> 01:06:33,720
Speaker 1: don't think I've seen Wiseman smile on the court once, Like,

1407
01:06:33,800 --> 01:06:35,520
Speaker 1: I don't think i've seen him. I'm not saying he

1408
01:06:35,560 --> 01:06:37,560
Speaker 1: doesn't enjoy playing basketball. I don't think you get that

1409
01:06:37,600 --> 01:06:40,360
Speaker 1: good without enjoying some Lovean Andrew wigging is maybe a

1410
01:06:41,280 --> 01:06:43,280
Speaker 1: conclusion of that, but like, I don't think I've seen

1411
01:06:43,320 --> 01:06:46,360
Speaker 1: Wiseman like enjoy one minute of his play out there.

1412
01:06:46,680 --> 01:06:49,040
Speaker 1: But again you combine that with watching you know, LaMelo

1413
01:06:49,200 --> 01:06:52,240
Speaker 1: and his his play, and again they're tweeting LaMelo box scores,

1414
01:06:52,280 --> 01:06:54,400
Speaker 1: which I think is psychotic behavior, but you know, like

1415
01:06:54,880 --> 01:06:58,040
Speaker 1: tuning out LaMelo's box scores, are watching Anthony Edwards dunk

1416
01:06:58,080 --> 01:07:00,959
Speaker 1: on someone and have this joy exuber ends that really

1417
01:07:01,120 --> 01:07:03,560
Speaker 1: even though the Minnesota Timberwolves are nine and forty two

1418
01:07:03,600 --> 01:07:06,120
Speaker 1: or whatever, they are still Edwards gives like a positive

1419
01:07:06,200 --> 01:07:07,960
Speaker 1: view of that. And then they see this team where

1420
01:07:07,960 --> 01:07:10,480
Speaker 1: it's like, what are we doing? Are we trying to win?

1421
01:07:10,560 --> 01:07:13,360
Speaker 1: Are we developing Wiseman and Pool or what? And I

1422
01:07:13,440 --> 01:07:16,240
Speaker 1: think that's where they really struggle with it. I think about, like,

1423
01:07:16,320 --> 01:07:18,320
Speaker 1: I don't know if you're watching the Lakers in like

1424
01:07:18,400 --> 01:07:21,640
Speaker 1: two thousands seven, two thousand eight, remember that's when I

1425
01:07:21,680 --> 01:07:24,360
Speaker 1: started watching, and they had Andrew Bynum right, and again,

1426
01:07:24,360 --> 01:07:26,400
Speaker 1: Andrew Biinden wasn't picked second. He was picked I think

1427
01:07:26,440 --> 01:07:28,640
Speaker 1: thirteenth or tenth or something like that, but it was

1428
01:07:28,640 --> 01:07:31,240
Speaker 1: the first round pick with a Kobe who was obviously

1429
01:07:31,360 --> 01:07:33,800
Speaker 1: trying to win. And so you had this mix of

1430
01:07:33,960 --> 01:07:37,160
Speaker 1: like two players trying to develop. And the Lakers became good.

1431
01:07:37,600 --> 01:07:39,840
Speaker 1: And Andrew Bynum played well, but Andrew Bianna played well,

1432
01:07:39,880 --> 01:07:41,600
Speaker 1: and it's like his third year, right, it was like

1433
01:07:41,840 --> 01:07:44,320
Speaker 1: the third or second year. And again the question is

1434
01:07:44,440 --> 01:07:46,160
Speaker 1: are the war is gonna wait for him to play?

1435
01:07:46,160 --> 01:07:47,920
Speaker 1: And I think this is a whole mix. So like

1436
01:07:48,000 --> 01:07:50,040
Speaker 1: when people are watching not even watching these games, are

1437
01:07:50,080 --> 01:07:52,240
Speaker 1: watching Draymond and now they're trying to be like, hey,

1438
01:07:52,280 --> 01:07:54,600
Speaker 1: why don't you score ten points a game? It's not

1439
01:07:54,680 --> 01:07:56,840
Speaker 1: what Draymond does. You know this, You watched Draymond for

1440
01:07:56,880 --> 01:07:58,840
Speaker 1: the last three years. Who cares how many points he

1441
01:07:58,920 --> 01:08:01,840
Speaker 1: scores that's now exit game. Asking him to do that

1442
01:08:01,960 --> 01:08:04,320
Speaker 1: now is kind of doesn't really make sense to me.

1443
01:08:04,480 --> 01:08:06,240
Speaker 1: So like, I'm more of a I'm a bigger Draymond

1444
01:08:06,680 --> 01:08:08,240
Speaker 1: guy than a lot of people. I guess now, I

1445
01:08:08,320 --> 01:08:10,919
Speaker 1: still think he impassed a game at a huge level

1446
01:08:10,960 --> 01:08:12,720
Speaker 1: even though he's not scoring. That's kind of what I

1447
01:08:12,800 --> 01:08:14,720
Speaker 1: see from them. And they're a mid level team. I mean,

1448
01:08:15,000 --> 01:08:16,600
Speaker 1: when Steph goes off the floor, I think they're a

1449
01:08:16,680 --> 01:08:19,360
Speaker 1: G League team. Like they just they just can't score.

1450
01:08:19,520 --> 01:08:22,479
Speaker 1: Uber and Wiggins taking midrange jumpers or pull ups. It's

1451
01:08:22,560 --> 01:08:24,920
Speaker 1: just not gonna work. So that's a comparison I see.

1452
01:08:24,920 --> 01:08:26,960
Speaker 1: I don't know if they have a Pale Gasol trade

1453
01:08:27,000 --> 01:08:30,000
Speaker 1: in them where they just get another great star player,

1454
01:08:30,040 --> 01:08:31,800
Speaker 1: I think that's the move. But yeah, I see a

1455
01:08:31,840 --> 01:08:35,120
Speaker 1: lot of like Andrew Bynum and Wiseman, very similar, very skilled.

1456
01:08:35,520 --> 01:08:37,639
Speaker 1: I think Wiseman has a lot more potential than Andrew,

1457
01:08:37,680 --> 01:08:40,040
Speaker 1: buying him obviously, but just that kind of like young

1458
01:08:40,120 --> 01:08:42,960
Speaker 1: player mixed with a superstar who's who's trying to win,

1459
01:08:43,040 --> 01:08:45,400
Speaker 1: and it's it's funny to see them. I mean, I

1460
01:08:46,000 --> 01:08:47,719
Speaker 1: feel like a team that just went through a super

1461
01:08:47,760 --> 01:08:51,000
Speaker 1: duper dynasty, would you know, be able to handle one

1462
01:08:51,080 --> 01:08:53,720
Speaker 1: five season a little bit better. But it's it's not,

1463
01:08:53,960 --> 01:08:57,040
Speaker 1: it's not happening the thing. Things can turn around quickly.

1464
01:08:57,080 --> 01:08:59,320
Speaker 1: I mean, look no further than the Lakers, but I

1465
01:08:59,360 --> 01:09:01,760
Speaker 1: mean Draymond is a perfect example of what we're talking

1466
01:09:01,800 --> 01:09:04,960
Speaker 1: about here. Like the book is out on Draymond. When

1467
01:09:05,000 --> 01:09:07,519
Speaker 1: he's on the floor, your team usually is winning, Like

1468
01:09:07,840 --> 01:09:09,400
Speaker 1: it just it is what it is. And if you

1469
01:09:09,439 --> 01:09:11,479
Speaker 1: look at the Lakers or the Warriors this year, it's

1470
01:09:11,520 --> 01:09:14,160
Speaker 1: like when Draymond's on the floor with Steph, like it

1471
01:09:14,320 --> 01:09:17,360
Speaker 1: just makes stuff just happens. But again, people get so

1472
01:09:17,520 --> 01:09:21,800
Speaker 1: obsessively focused on him missing a layup, or him not

1473
01:09:21,960 --> 01:09:25,360
Speaker 1: wanting to shoot, or him the defense not guarding him,

1474
01:09:25,680 --> 01:09:27,800
Speaker 1: and they're not focused on the bigger vision, which is

1475
01:09:27,880 --> 01:09:29,720
Speaker 1: it's a trade off with Draymond, just like it is

1476
01:09:29,800 --> 01:09:32,040
Speaker 1: with any other player. Like guess what, there's a little

1477
01:09:32,040 --> 01:09:34,360
Speaker 1: bit of a trade off with Steph, Like he's an

1478
01:09:34,400 --> 01:09:38,080
Speaker 1: average defensive player, like if you put Dennis Shrewder into

1479
01:09:38,120 --> 01:09:40,920
Speaker 1: his role, you would be a better defensive team. You

1480
01:09:41,000 --> 01:09:45,320
Speaker 1: know that the reality is is like for for for

1481
01:09:45,680 --> 01:09:49,040
Speaker 1: their way. So they're so focused on these aesthetics that

1482
01:09:49,360 --> 01:09:52,599
Speaker 1: they that they get like so caught up and bogged

1483
01:09:52,640 --> 01:09:56,280
Speaker 1: down in the uh in the in what they're seeing

1484
01:09:56,360 --> 01:09:58,320
Speaker 1: that they're not paying attention to the result, which is

1485
01:09:58,360 --> 01:10:00,040
Speaker 1: the whole point of what you're doing. And if you

1486
01:10:00,120 --> 01:10:01,600
Speaker 1: look at if you look at the Warriors, if I

1487
01:10:01,680 --> 01:10:03,920
Speaker 1: told you, like if you look at the Warriors in

1488
01:10:03,960 --> 01:10:08,880
Speaker 1: the standings there below like way below five against good teams,

1489
01:10:08,920 --> 01:10:11,200
Speaker 1: against teams that are five hundred or above, and then

1490
01:10:11,280 --> 01:10:14,080
Speaker 1: they're taking care of business against bad teams. Now, if

1491
01:10:14,080 --> 01:10:16,360
Speaker 1: I would have told you going into the season like, hey,

1492
01:10:16,840 --> 01:10:19,200
Speaker 1: the Warriors are operating at a big talent disadvantage, but

1493
01:10:19,240 --> 01:10:23,160
Speaker 1: they have Steph, then the most likely outcome was that

1494
01:10:23,960 --> 01:10:26,000
Speaker 1: they would take care of business against bad teams because

1495
01:10:26,040 --> 01:10:28,160
Speaker 1: Steph could lift them over the top. And they're well

1496
01:10:28,240 --> 01:10:30,920
Speaker 1: coached and that they play hard, and then they're probably

1497
01:10:30,960 --> 01:10:34,240
Speaker 1: gonna be overmatched when they go against the good teams. Like,

1498
01:10:34,640 --> 01:10:38,320
Speaker 1: this season is going exactly how it should go for

1499
01:10:38,439 --> 01:10:41,160
Speaker 1: a player of Steph's caliber and with the amount of

1500
01:10:41,240 --> 01:10:44,639
Speaker 1: talent that's on the roster, and it just I think

1501
01:10:44,680 --> 01:10:46,600
Speaker 1: it's I think it's just funny because like it's like

1502
01:10:46,680 --> 01:10:50,120
Speaker 1: people get so they're just they're they're a lots and

1503
01:10:50,280 --> 01:10:51,880
Speaker 1: you know, I don't know, I don't know what you do.

1504
01:10:52,040 --> 01:10:53,920
Speaker 1: Like people say like, oh, would you trade Wiseman in

1505
01:10:54,000 --> 01:10:58,200
Speaker 1: this uh in this Minnesota pick for for Bradley Beale,

1506
01:10:58,200 --> 01:11:00,560
Speaker 1: And for the record, of course you do. But the

1507
01:11:00,680 --> 01:11:04,000
Speaker 1: thing is is like, does is Bradley be All going

1508
01:11:04,040 --> 01:11:06,000
Speaker 1: to make them contend for a title? I don't think so.

1509
01:11:06,920 --> 01:11:09,360
Speaker 1: I I think I think he makes them better, but

1510
01:11:09,479 --> 01:11:11,439
Speaker 1: I think right now they're a ten seed because guess what,

1511
01:11:11,520 --> 01:11:14,760
Speaker 1: they're the ten seed, So like they're or not so.

1512
01:11:15,360 --> 01:11:18,320
Speaker 1: So the thing is is like, uh, like if you

1513
01:11:18,360 --> 01:11:21,240
Speaker 1: have Bradley be what are they like are they the Nuggets? Like?

1514
01:11:21,560 --> 01:11:24,639
Speaker 1: Are they are they the Nuggets? You know? Like Okay, yeah,

1515
01:11:24,680 --> 01:11:26,280
Speaker 1: the next year you get Clay Thompson back and it

1516
01:11:26,320 --> 01:11:28,360
Speaker 1: gets more interesting. But a big part of this is

1517
01:11:28,439 --> 01:11:30,120
Speaker 1: like the league is a lot more talented now than

1518
01:11:30,200 --> 01:11:33,320
Speaker 1: it used to be. And you you know, the if

1519
01:11:33,360 --> 01:11:36,120
Speaker 1: the same roster from the two thousand fifteen Warriors isn't

1520
01:11:36,160 --> 01:11:38,240
Speaker 1: really enough anymore with how much talent there is in

1521
01:11:38,320 --> 01:11:41,000
Speaker 1: the league. It's just I just think I think that,

1522
01:11:41,400 --> 01:11:42,960
Speaker 1: just like any other fan base, they're just being a

1523
01:11:43,000 --> 01:11:46,479
Speaker 1: little unrealistic. Yeah, And I listened a lot like the

1524
01:11:46,520 --> 01:11:48,840
Speaker 1: Warriors kind of podcasts and stuff, and I think the

1525
01:11:49,439 --> 01:11:50,960
Speaker 1: point that they make, which is the valid one, is

1526
01:11:51,000 --> 01:11:53,880
Speaker 1: that stuff is what thirty three now. So I mean, like,

1527
01:11:53,960 --> 01:11:55,519
Speaker 1: and he's in his prime, So I think you owe

1528
01:11:55,560 --> 01:11:58,000
Speaker 1: it to a guy like that too, kind of you know,

1529
01:11:58,120 --> 01:11:59,800
Speaker 1: trying to make his prime work as while I mean

1530
01:12:00,880 --> 01:12:03,959
Speaker 1: he's what created he's increased the value of that franchise

1531
01:12:04,000 --> 01:12:06,600
Speaker 1: by the billions, right, and to try to develop I mean,

1532
01:12:06,680 --> 01:12:08,920
Speaker 1: it's pretty clear to see. I don't think I mean

1533
01:12:08,920 --> 01:12:10,720
Speaker 1: I think Wiseman is gonna be really good. I think

1534
01:12:10,720 --> 01:12:12,840
Speaker 1: it's pretty clear to see that he's not going to

1535
01:12:12,960 --> 01:12:15,760
Speaker 1: be ready by the time that Steph needs him to

1536
01:12:15,840 --> 01:12:18,479
Speaker 1: be ready to be the kind of playoff performers. So

1537
01:12:19,600 --> 01:12:21,040
Speaker 1: I mean, I feel like they're going to try to

1538
01:12:21,080 --> 01:12:22,560
Speaker 1: do both. In my opinion, what they're gonna do is

1539
01:12:22,720 --> 01:12:25,720
Speaker 1: keep this in episoda pick if it conveys this year

1540
01:12:25,720 --> 01:12:27,840
Speaker 1: and now we'll see man, then I'll try to keep

1541
01:12:27,880 --> 01:12:30,120
Speaker 1: Wiseman develop and try to do both at the same time,

1542
01:12:30,160 --> 01:12:32,320
Speaker 1: which to me, if you're doing both at the same time,

1543
01:12:32,360 --> 01:12:35,400
Speaker 1: you're doing neither kind of thing. So like that's so

1544
01:12:35,640 --> 01:12:37,560
Speaker 1: that's that I've seen the Lakers try to do it.

1545
01:12:37,640 --> 01:12:40,800
Speaker 1: I remember at the end of Kobe's prime, but it

1546
01:12:40,880 --> 01:12:42,800
Speaker 1: kind of got derailed because he had the Achilles. But

1547
01:12:42,840 --> 01:12:45,519
Speaker 1: I remember they signed like Jeremy Lynn and Carlos Boozer

1548
01:12:45,640 --> 01:12:47,559
Speaker 1: and you know, players that just weren't going to help

1549
01:12:47,600 --> 01:12:50,360
Speaker 1: you win. But they also had high draft picks or

1550
01:12:50,439 --> 01:12:52,519
Speaker 1: like Julius Random and Jordan Clarkston. So they were kind

1551
01:12:52,560 --> 01:12:55,840
Speaker 1: of doing both, which again doing neither and uh say,

1552
01:12:55,880 --> 01:12:57,559
Speaker 1: and that can lead you to a ten year playoff

1553
01:12:57,640 --> 01:12:59,840
Speaker 1: drought like the Lakers had, however long it was. So

1554
01:13:00,280 --> 01:13:01,800
Speaker 1: that's the trouble you get to. And I think that's

1555
01:13:01,840 --> 01:13:04,560
Speaker 1: where they're kind of seeing the not light at the

1556
01:13:04,640 --> 01:13:06,040
Speaker 1: end of the tunnel, but the dark at the end

1557
01:13:06,040 --> 01:13:07,280
Speaker 1: of the tunnel, you know what I mean, where like

1558
01:13:07,400 --> 01:13:09,320
Speaker 1: it's been light for so long and now you're kind

1559
01:13:09,360 --> 01:13:12,559
Speaker 1: of seeing the dark dark into it. But again, Steph

1560
01:13:12,640 --> 01:13:13,960
Speaker 1: is still at m v P level. I think the

1561
01:13:14,000 --> 01:13:15,920
Speaker 1: Way's gonna try to do what they can I just

1562
01:13:16,120 --> 01:13:18,559
Speaker 1: I wonder My whole thing I question is like if

1563
01:13:18,600 --> 01:13:21,120
Speaker 1: Clay was playing right now and there were still five hundred,

1564
01:13:21,200 --> 01:13:23,519
Speaker 1: does that change how we view this team? Like if

1565
01:13:23,760 --> 01:13:25,720
Speaker 1: let's just say Clay was healthy this year, Like, does

1566
01:13:25,720 --> 01:13:27,760
Speaker 1: that change how we breathe in front office? Does a change?

1567
01:13:27,800 --> 01:13:29,720
Speaker 1: How would be Steve Kerrent? Like, I feel like the

1568
01:13:29,840 --> 01:13:32,679
Speaker 1: Clay has given them a crutch And I'm just wondering,

1569
01:13:32,720 --> 01:13:34,640
Speaker 1: like if Clay were to have played this year and

1570
01:13:34,680 --> 01:13:36,680
Speaker 1: they were still bad. Because I love Clay Thompson, I

1571
01:13:36,760 --> 01:13:39,479
Speaker 1: just don't know how much he solves their issues this

1572
01:13:40,000 --> 01:13:43,800
Speaker 1: like just on this roster specifically, Um, he's again he's

1573
01:13:43,800 --> 01:13:47,360
Speaker 1: another insane shooter and healthy Clay is a top twenty

1574
01:13:47,400 --> 01:13:49,400
Speaker 1: player in the league. I'm just wondering how much he saws,

1575
01:13:49,479 --> 01:13:51,439
Speaker 1: Like how many more wins does that add to this

1576
01:13:51,640 --> 01:13:53,760
Speaker 1: construction of the roster. And I think it's given them

1577
01:13:53,800 --> 01:13:56,880
Speaker 1: a crutch that they may use going forward another year,

1578
01:13:57,080 --> 01:14:00,519
Speaker 1: which is which is be interesting. If someone was healthy,

1579
01:14:00,520 --> 01:14:02,280
Speaker 1: I think they'd be you know, in the mix in

1580
01:14:02,320 --> 01:14:04,360
Speaker 1: the West for sure, but this idea that they would

1581
01:14:04,360 --> 01:14:06,240
Speaker 1: be you know, on the same tier as like the

1582
01:14:06,600 --> 01:14:10,599
Speaker 1: Lakers and the Nets. I entirely disagree. I think I've

1583
01:14:10,600 --> 01:14:12,160
Speaker 1: been on the record about this for a long time

1584
01:14:12,200 --> 01:14:14,360
Speaker 1: and Warrior's Twitter gets super upset with me every time

1585
01:14:14,400 --> 01:14:17,840
Speaker 1: that we we talked about this. But like, I think

1586
01:14:17,960 --> 01:14:20,120
Speaker 1: that a big part of what made the two thousand

1587
01:14:20,160 --> 01:14:25,200
Speaker 1: fifteen two sixteen Warriors successful was the fact that um

1588
01:14:26,200 --> 01:14:29,320
Speaker 1: was the fact that uh uh Steph Curry caught the

1589
01:14:29,400 --> 01:14:32,800
Speaker 1: league off guard, you know, with his style. The defenses

1590
01:14:32,800 --> 01:14:34,640
Speaker 1: weren't ready to prepare to deal with it. That's not

1591
01:14:34,720 --> 01:14:37,240
Speaker 1: to say that he wasn't good. It just means that

1592
01:14:37,400 --> 01:14:39,680
Speaker 1: like there was kind of like a market inefficiency that

1593
01:14:39,720 --> 01:14:41,120
Speaker 1: they were going after their kind of like what the

1594
01:14:41,240 --> 01:14:43,760
Speaker 1: Rockets were doing in two thousand eighteen, you know, And

1595
01:14:45,120 --> 01:14:47,600
Speaker 1: what I think the reality of the situation was, like

1596
01:14:48,120 --> 01:14:51,160
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant was so so so good that he put

1597
01:14:51,280 --> 01:14:53,600
Speaker 1: them over the top continuing in the future after that.

1598
01:14:54,040 --> 01:14:57,639
Speaker 1: But without Kevin Durant, you know, the Steph Clagge Raymond

1599
01:14:57,760 --> 01:15:01,479
Speaker 1: core was not a top tier core in the league anymore.

1600
01:15:01,560 --> 01:15:04,080
Speaker 1: They were a second tier core in the league at

1601
01:15:04,120 --> 01:15:05,760
Speaker 1: that point. That's just my opinion of a lot of

1602
01:15:05,800 --> 01:15:08,920
Speaker 1: people would disagree with me on that, But the reality

1603
01:15:09,080 --> 01:15:11,320
Speaker 1: is is, like you know, I I do think that

1604
01:15:11,400 --> 01:15:13,760
Speaker 1: if Clay was healthy and more or less the same

1605
01:15:13,760 --> 01:15:16,040
Speaker 1: guy he was before the A c. L tear, that

1606
01:15:16,240 --> 01:15:18,400
Speaker 1: they would have been, you know, right there with Denver

1607
01:15:18,560 --> 01:15:20,720
Speaker 1: and Utah and Phoenix, you know, a team that we

1608
01:15:20,760 --> 01:15:23,600
Speaker 1: thought was really good but that wasn't quite you know

1609
01:15:23,720 --> 01:15:26,679
Speaker 1: on that on the level they need uh to really

1610
01:15:26,760 --> 01:15:29,600
Speaker 1: to really feel like they're dangerous. Um. As far as

1611
01:15:29,720 --> 01:15:32,599
Speaker 1: the uh, the stuff you brought up at the beginning,

1612
01:15:32,600 --> 01:15:35,439
Speaker 1: I think it's important to touch on this really quick, Like, like,

1613
01:15:35,600 --> 01:15:38,320
Speaker 1: even though I'm trying to get Warriors Twitter to chill

1614
01:15:38,360 --> 01:15:41,240
Speaker 1: out in terms of like understanding the the optics of

1615
01:15:41,320 --> 01:15:44,719
Speaker 1: what what their offense is doing. There there's some legit

1616
01:15:44,800 --> 01:15:48,560
Speaker 1: criticism like, yeah, I agree that to reading Wiseman like

1617
01:15:48,840 --> 01:15:51,040
Speaker 1: with training wheels doesn't make a ton of sense. Like

1618
01:15:51,520 --> 01:15:54,760
Speaker 1: your offense sucks. Why not lean a little bit more

1619
01:15:54,800 --> 01:15:57,479
Speaker 1: on him, don't discourage him from shooting threes, let him

1620
01:15:57,479 --> 01:16:00,320
Speaker 1: be more aggressive, play him a lot, let him figure

1621
01:16:00,400 --> 01:16:02,599
Speaker 1: it out, because the truth is is like you're gonna

1622
01:16:02,600 --> 01:16:05,040
Speaker 1: be you know, what was the range of outcomes this

1623
01:16:05,160 --> 01:16:07,880
Speaker 1: year ten seed to you know, maybe seven seeds, So

1624
01:16:07,920 --> 01:16:09,240
Speaker 1: you were gonna be in the play and no matter

1625
01:16:09,360 --> 01:16:11,800
Speaker 1: what And if you're banking on the fact that Steph

1626
01:16:11,880 --> 01:16:13,880
Speaker 1: can carry you in the plan, which I would too,

1627
01:16:14,040 --> 01:16:16,599
Speaker 1: like I wouldn't pick against step in the plan, then

1628
01:16:16,880 --> 01:16:19,840
Speaker 1: why not take your lumps during the regular season and

1629
01:16:20,040 --> 01:16:21,840
Speaker 1: try to lean a little bit more on Wiseman and

1630
01:16:21,840 --> 01:16:24,400
Speaker 1: try to get him to develop if that's your plan.

1631
01:16:24,840 --> 01:16:27,679
Speaker 1: But that's that, that's the that's the crux of the problem.

1632
01:16:27,760 --> 01:16:30,800
Speaker 1: Though it's like you you can't, you don't want to

1633
01:16:30,800 --> 01:16:34,439
Speaker 1: be the Boston Celtics and and be hoarding on the assets.

1634
01:16:34,600 --> 01:16:37,880
Speaker 1: You know that that pick for from the Minnesota Timberwolves

1635
01:16:38,000 --> 01:16:40,720
Speaker 1: is not going to help you win a basketball game

1636
01:16:40,880 --> 01:16:43,360
Speaker 1: right now. It's gonna help Steff win a basketball game

1637
01:16:43,360 --> 01:16:45,519
Speaker 1: when he's thirty four. That's the way you have to

1638
01:16:45,600 --> 01:16:49,680
Speaker 1: think about it. And that pick is probably not going

1639
01:16:49,720 --> 01:16:52,920
Speaker 1: to be old enough and experienced enough to be able

1640
01:16:53,000 --> 01:16:56,360
Speaker 1: to impact winning all that much until he's until Steff

1641
01:16:56,439 --> 01:16:58,760
Speaker 1: is thirty six, you know what I mean. And so

1642
01:16:58,960 --> 01:17:01,280
Speaker 1: I I don't you know, I'm I'm a big sell

1643
01:17:01,320 --> 01:17:03,760
Speaker 1: the farm guy, and I know I get a bad

1644
01:17:03,840 --> 01:17:06,519
Speaker 1: rap for that because it's something that Lebron has done

1645
01:17:06,560 --> 01:17:08,360
Speaker 1: at all of his destinations. But I would remind you

1646
01:17:08,840 --> 01:17:12,280
Speaker 1: that Lebron is found a way to win by doing that.

1647
01:17:12,479 --> 01:17:14,559
Speaker 1: And you know, one of the big things the last

1648
01:17:14,600 --> 01:17:16,840
Speaker 1: thing will say about this is, you know, people talk

1649
01:17:16,880 --> 01:17:19,400
Speaker 1: about how oh Lebron you know, screwed over cap sheets

1650
01:17:19,400 --> 01:17:21,720
Speaker 1: and everything everywhere he went blah blah blah. That's not

1651
01:17:21,800 --> 01:17:24,360
Speaker 1: the way the league works anymore. JR. Smith isn't getting

1652
01:17:24,360 --> 01:17:27,679
Speaker 1: a four year deal anymore. Uh, the Stars are getting

1653
01:17:27,680 --> 01:17:31,680
Speaker 1: four year deals. Um, But like the Danny Greens, the

1654
01:17:32,280 --> 01:17:34,439
Speaker 1: you know, the th h T s Alex Caruso, they're

1655
01:17:34,479 --> 01:17:37,960
Speaker 1: all signing two year deals. So there's no there's no

1656
01:17:38,080 --> 01:17:40,720
Speaker 1: such thing as this idea that you can sell out

1657
01:17:40,840 --> 01:17:43,400
Speaker 1: for the future excuse me, for the moment and not

1658
01:17:43,640 --> 01:17:46,200
Speaker 1: still have the opportunity to rebuild because you do and

1659
01:17:46,320 --> 01:17:48,560
Speaker 1: you have the mid level exception every single year, and

1660
01:17:48,720 --> 01:17:51,040
Speaker 1: you have the bi annual exception every other year, and

1661
01:17:51,240 --> 01:17:53,080
Speaker 1: you can you know, work the trade market and things

1662
01:17:53,080 --> 01:17:55,600
Speaker 1: along those lines. It is a lot easier now to

1663
01:17:55,760 --> 01:17:58,160
Speaker 1: retool on the fly than it used to be. So

1664
01:17:58,320 --> 01:18:01,920
Speaker 1: this idea that like if you sold Wiseman and this

1665
01:18:02,160 --> 01:18:05,479
Speaker 1: Minnesota pick for Bradley Beale, that you wouldn't have any

1666
01:18:05,600 --> 01:18:09,320
Speaker 1: future stupid to me, because if you have a good

1667
01:18:09,400 --> 01:18:13,839
Speaker 1: destination of culture stars. You're gonna get the Montrez Harralds,

1668
01:18:14,439 --> 01:18:17,160
Speaker 1: You're gonna get the surge of Bakas, You're gonna get

1669
01:18:17,280 --> 01:18:20,240
Speaker 1: these like, really really talented players who are willing to

1670
01:18:20,280 --> 01:18:23,280
Speaker 1: take a discount to compete for a title. And and

1671
01:18:23,680 --> 01:18:26,120
Speaker 1: I think I think that will honestly be something that's

1672
01:18:26,160 --> 01:18:28,040
Speaker 1: gonna be really interesting to watch with the Lakers in

1673
01:18:28,080 --> 01:18:33,679
Speaker 1: the next five years. Yeah right, I mean, you could

1674
01:18:33,720 --> 01:18:35,160
Speaker 1: have all the picks in the world, and I like

1675
01:18:35,439 --> 01:18:37,080
Speaker 1: I saw like a good I think when the A

1676
01:18:37,160 --> 01:18:39,800
Speaker 1: d trade happened, I forgot who Royal, but someone said,

1677
01:18:39,800 --> 01:18:41,680
Speaker 1: like you can get ten straight number one picks and

1678
01:18:41,760 --> 01:18:43,560
Speaker 1: not pick a player as good as Anthony Davis, Like

1679
01:18:43,600 --> 01:18:46,000
Speaker 1: you could. You could, just you could. That could happen.

1680
01:18:46,080 --> 01:18:49,360
Speaker 1: So like I was for like a remember the Lakers

1681
01:18:49,400 --> 01:18:53,360
Speaker 1: were rebuilding with Ingram Clarkson and Alonzo and all those guys,

1682
01:18:53,400 --> 01:18:54,920
Speaker 1: and I was really for that. I was down. I

1683
01:18:54,960 --> 01:18:56,720
Speaker 1: think fans will be with it if you tell them

1684
01:18:56,800 --> 01:18:59,720
Speaker 1: straight up what's happening. Right, I think there's a miscommunication

1685
01:18:59,800 --> 01:19:03,240
Speaker 1: to mean the front office in Golden State, the coaching staff,

1686
01:19:03,320 --> 01:19:06,400
Speaker 1: and with the fans because they're being sold this one

1687
01:19:06,479 --> 01:19:08,560
Speaker 1: platter and they're eating a different platter, and it's like,

1688
01:19:09,240 --> 01:19:11,439
Speaker 1: I don't know what's really going on here game to games,

1689
01:19:11,439 --> 01:19:14,240
Speaker 1: so I think there's not like a clear direction to it.

1690
01:19:14,600 --> 01:19:18,120
Speaker 1: And with like Lebron destroying cap sheets, I mean, I

1691
01:19:18,160 --> 01:19:20,639
Speaker 1: think it's pretty clear that like if he trusts organ

1692
01:19:20,720 --> 01:19:23,120
Speaker 1: and organization, he'll sign. I mean, he signed with the

1693
01:19:23,200 --> 01:19:25,200
Speaker 1: Lakers four years. I think he gave the Caps one

1694
01:19:25,280 --> 01:19:27,719
Speaker 1: year deals and I mean we saw how Dan Gilbert

1695
01:19:27,800 --> 01:19:30,360
Speaker 1: operates that I think he was pretty right in in

1696
01:19:30,560 --> 01:19:33,679
Speaker 1: terms of doing that. So and again it's all worth

1697
01:19:33,760 --> 01:19:36,439
Speaker 1: to ask any any team if they would take Lebron

1698
01:19:36,560 --> 01:19:38,960
Speaker 1: destroy the Cap for five years to go to be

1699
01:19:39,120 --> 01:19:41,800
Speaker 1: a for sure Finals appearance. I mean, I think teams

1700
01:19:41,800 --> 01:19:44,040
Speaker 1: would do that. That's what this is all about. And

1701
01:19:44,200 --> 01:19:46,160
Speaker 1: like we watch with Danny Ainge, we make the jokes

1702
01:19:46,160 --> 01:19:48,960
Speaker 1: about he almost traded for someone, he almost did this deal.

1703
01:19:49,479 --> 01:19:52,120
Speaker 1: And now, look they're a middling playoff team. They're locked

1704
01:19:52,160 --> 01:19:54,719
Speaker 1: into two guys who are great, Tatum and Brown are awesome,

1705
01:19:55,000 --> 01:19:57,040
Speaker 1: but they have Kemba on a huge long deal now,

1706
01:19:57,200 --> 01:20:01,000
Speaker 1: so NBA moves fast man. They owned all the next

1707
01:20:01,280 --> 01:20:04,639
Speaker 1: the Nets picks for decades and decades and the Nets

1708
01:20:04,760 --> 01:20:06,720
Speaker 1: became a title contender before them. I mean, it's just

1709
01:20:06,960 --> 01:20:09,560
Speaker 1: the NBA moves quick So in my opinion, you have

1710
01:20:09,760 --> 01:20:12,040
Speaker 1: to um try to do what you can for the

1711
01:20:12,040 --> 01:20:15,519
Speaker 1: superstar you have because teams moved so quickly. Like it's

1712
01:20:16,240 --> 01:20:18,320
Speaker 1: Lakers couldn't sit down and sit around and wait for

1713
01:20:18,720 --> 01:20:22,160
Speaker 1: a Lonzo and Ingraham to get better so that Lebron

1714
01:20:22,200 --> 01:20:24,400
Speaker 1: could win a title, like it just wasn't happening. Once

1715
01:20:24,520 --> 01:20:26,920
Speaker 1: Lebron signed here, it was clear. So I think that's

1716
01:20:26,920 --> 01:20:28,800
Speaker 1: how a team team building is going right now in

1717
01:20:28,840 --> 01:20:30,479
Speaker 1: the league. You have to you have to catch up

1718
01:20:31,120 --> 01:20:33,960
Speaker 1: for sure. And and again like the it's you're never

1719
01:20:34,000 --> 01:20:36,000
Speaker 1: gonna be as messed up with the cap as you

1720
01:20:36,040 --> 01:20:39,200
Speaker 1: were because of the shorter deals role players. Uh Like,

1721
01:20:39,280 --> 01:20:40,920
Speaker 1: you're right, Like, I mean, the truth is is where

1722
01:20:41,160 --> 01:20:43,040
Speaker 1: Lebron kind of screwed over the Calves And it wasn't

1723
01:20:43,040 --> 01:20:44,679
Speaker 1: really Lebron, it was just the nature of the league

1724
01:20:44,720 --> 01:20:46,920
Speaker 1: at that point. Is Jerry Smith had a bunch of

1725
01:20:47,040 --> 01:20:49,000
Speaker 1: huge shots in the NBA Finals and he needed to

1726
01:20:49,000 --> 01:20:53,160
Speaker 1: get paid. Tristan Thompson was an absolute dominant offensive, rebound

1727
01:20:53,200 --> 01:20:55,720
Speaker 1: and defensive force for the for the Calves, so he

1728
01:20:55,760 --> 01:20:58,760
Speaker 1: had to get paid and at that time, the role

1729
01:20:58,800 --> 01:21:01,080
Speaker 1: players got four year deals. That's just the way it worked.

1730
01:21:01,120 --> 01:21:02,679
Speaker 1: That's not going to be the way it is anymore.

1731
01:21:03,520 --> 01:21:09,240
Speaker 1: Real quickly, I promise it's the last thing. Uh. I

1732
01:21:09,360 --> 01:21:12,400
Speaker 1: just thought of it because you brought up Kemba. So

1733
01:21:13,320 --> 01:21:19,160
Speaker 1: Dennis Shrewder is up for an extension this summer. Mm hmm.

1734
01:21:20,800 --> 01:21:23,400
Speaker 1: To me, the comp that comes to mind that makes

1735
01:21:23,479 --> 01:21:28,600
Speaker 1: it scary from a cat perspective is Drew Holiday. So

1736
01:21:29,560 --> 01:21:33,639
Speaker 1: what's Drew Holiday. Drew Holiday is one of the best

1737
01:21:33,760 --> 01:21:38,840
Speaker 1: defensive guards in the league, and he's an okay offensive guard.

1738
01:21:39,280 --> 01:21:41,559
Speaker 1: Like if you were to rank him as an offensive player,

1739
01:21:42,200 --> 01:21:44,320
Speaker 1: he's the middle of the pack to below middle of

1740
01:21:44,400 --> 01:21:47,679
Speaker 1: the pack offensive guard. Like there are just so many

1741
01:21:47,760 --> 01:21:49,599
Speaker 1: offensive point guards in the league right now that he's

1742
01:21:49,640 --> 01:21:52,240
Speaker 1: not even close offensively to a lot of those guys.

1743
01:21:52,920 --> 01:21:56,240
Speaker 1: What if how would you describe Dennis Shrewder. He's one

1744
01:21:56,280 --> 01:21:58,920
Speaker 1: of the best defensive guards in the league who's an

1745
01:21:58,960 --> 01:22:01,479
Speaker 1: offensive weapon. Not on the same level as the best

1746
01:22:01,520 --> 01:22:03,439
Speaker 1: offensive guards in the league, but he's an offensive weapon.

1747
01:22:03,720 --> 01:22:05,439
Speaker 1: I don't think Dennis Shooter is as good as Drew,

1748
01:22:05,479 --> 01:22:10,080
Speaker 1: but I think he's close. And uh, Drew Holidays making

1749
01:22:10,160 --> 01:22:13,720
Speaker 1: thirty million a year, so I don't think the Lakers

1750
01:22:13,760 --> 01:22:15,640
Speaker 1: are gonna pay him thirty But the truth is is

1751
01:22:15,720 --> 01:22:19,040
Speaker 1: like I could see Dennis his agent, looking at at

1752
01:22:19,080 --> 01:22:22,599
Speaker 1: the situation and going like, I'm an all defensive player. Um,

1753
01:22:22,760 --> 01:22:24,720
Speaker 1: I was Lebron's co star for half the season and

1754
01:22:24,760 --> 01:22:28,439
Speaker 1: we were winning most of our games, and uh, I

1755
01:22:28,520 --> 01:22:32,599
Speaker 1: should be making twenties six million a year. Let's say

1756
01:22:32,840 --> 01:22:36,280
Speaker 1: Dennis asks for that. Are you of the persuasion that

1757
01:22:36,320 --> 01:22:38,120
Speaker 1: it's a good idea to tie up your cap with

1758
01:22:38,200 --> 01:22:42,639
Speaker 1: Dennis Shooter for million a year for four years. It's

1759
01:22:42,680 --> 01:22:45,400
Speaker 1: tough because basically I don't even think the Lakers can

1760
01:22:45,520 --> 01:22:48,120
Speaker 1: offer him that much right now. I think his extension

1761
01:22:48,160 --> 01:22:50,400
Speaker 1: has a has a max they can go at. I

1762
01:22:50,439 --> 01:22:52,519
Speaker 1: think it's like twenty two or something like that a

1763
01:22:52,640 --> 01:22:54,720
Speaker 1: year that he can offer him, And I'm kind of fine,

1764
01:22:56,000 --> 01:22:58,400
Speaker 1: makes sense. I think it does. I think you just

1765
01:22:58,479 --> 01:23:00,439
Speaker 1: have to take into the Lakers content x to where

1766
01:23:00,439 --> 01:23:02,519
Speaker 1: they have Lebron and a d locked up, which means

1767
01:23:02,600 --> 01:23:04,880
Speaker 1: their cap is they have no cap room anyway. They're

1768
01:23:04,880 --> 01:23:07,160
Speaker 1: not gonna have money in terms of free agency to

1769
01:23:07,280 --> 01:23:13,400
Speaker 1: offer anyone. So if you lose DNS, it can, but

1770
01:23:13,520 --> 01:23:15,439
Speaker 1: I mean the Lakers haven't really been paying the text

1771
01:23:15,560 --> 01:23:18,640
Speaker 1: for the last few years. Um anyway, So like like

1772
01:23:18,840 --> 01:23:20,560
Speaker 1: you can't you can't lose Dnis shooter, and then you

1773
01:23:20,560 --> 01:23:22,280
Speaker 1: don't get that money to spend, you know what I mean,

1774
01:23:22,360 --> 01:23:24,720
Speaker 1: Like because of how the NBA salary cap works. So

1775
01:23:25,040 --> 01:23:26,840
Speaker 1: and they have his bird rights, which means he's a

1776
01:23:26,920 --> 01:23:29,360
Speaker 1: restricted free agent, so that means they can match any offer.

1777
01:23:29,680 --> 01:23:32,400
Speaker 1: You know, I believe that that can come at him. So, UM,

1778
01:23:34,000 --> 01:23:36,000
Speaker 1: I think that that amount of money is fine. I

1779
01:23:36,040 --> 01:23:38,320
Speaker 1: think he's been really good. He's also twenty seven. It's

1780
01:23:38,320 --> 01:23:40,040
Speaker 1: not like you're locking up a thirty year old, you

1781
01:23:40,080 --> 01:23:41,320
Speaker 1: know what I mean, Like you're you're locking up a

1782
01:23:41,360 --> 01:23:44,760
Speaker 1: guy who's pretty young, who's gonna get better. You said

1783
01:23:44,800 --> 01:23:47,120
Speaker 1: he's closer Drew Holiday. I mean, I feel like that

1784
01:23:47,160 --> 01:23:48,720
Speaker 1: would be a pretty hot take if you put that

1785
01:23:48,760 --> 01:23:51,880
Speaker 1: out there at I don't know, I think so I

1786
01:23:51,920 --> 01:23:55,839
Speaker 1: feel like I think what they do, No, I I understand.

1787
01:23:55,920 --> 01:23:57,439
Speaker 1: I just like Drew Holiday is a guy who's made

1788
01:23:57,560 --> 01:24:01,760
Speaker 1: multiple All Star teams, who's um, who's people say he's

1789
01:24:01,760 --> 01:24:03,280
Speaker 1: the best defendant the league. Now I'm with you in

1790
01:24:03,400 --> 01:24:08,080
Speaker 1: terms of production, Like I think they are I think yeah,

1791
01:24:08,840 --> 01:24:11,160
Speaker 1: even then, yeah, he probably could. But I mean Drew

1792
01:24:11,200 --> 01:24:13,320
Speaker 1: Holidays looked at as a savior in Milwaukee. I mean,

1793
01:24:13,400 --> 01:24:15,840
Speaker 1: you just I mean they traded three first round picks

1794
01:24:16,080 --> 01:24:18,519
Speaker 1: for Drew Holiday. I mean that's I don't think anyone's

1795
01:24:18,520 --> 01:24:20,639
Speaker 1: putting up three first round picks for Dennis Shrewder. I'm

1796
01:24:20,640 --> 01:24:23,519
Speaker 1: just looking at him how he's viewed around the league. Um, yeah,

1797
01:24:23,560 --> 01:24:26,200
Speaker 1: I think twenty two is fine. I mean Kuzma makes sixteen,

1798
01:24:26,560 --> 01:24:28,840
Speaker 1: right or or like thirteen or something a year, so

1799
01:24:29,360 --> 01:24:32,040
Speaker 1: it's it's not like a huge I mean it's kind

1800
01:24:32,040 --> 01:24:34,960
Speaker 1: of huge gap. But I don't think you find guards

1801
01:24:35,040 --> 01:24:37,080
Speaker 1: like this anywhere, right, Like, you don't. It's hard to

1802
01:24:37,120 --> 01:24:39,679
Speaker 1: find scoring guards like this that are fit next to Lebron.

1803
01:24:40,120 --> 01:24:43,400
Speaker 1: And he's so dynamic and when he brings and you're

1804
01:24:43,400 --> 01:24:46,280
Speaker 1: basically locking him up for the Lebron in eight d years,

1805
01:24:46,320 --> 01:24:48,560
Speaker 1: which I think is fine. Um, you're not gonna have

1806
01:24:48,680 --> 01:24:50,280
Speaker 1: room to to save on then if you want to

1807
01:24:50,320 --> 01:24:52,479
Speaker 1: move them later, you can, so I think it's a

1808
01:24:52,560 --> 01:24:55,160
Speaker 1: fine deal. Um, and he can't. I don't even think

1809
01:24:55,160 --> 01:24:57,320
Speaker 1: the Lakers can offer a thirty million years. So it's

1810
01:24:57,360 --> 01:24:59,880
Speaker 1: gonna be somewhere around the four year eighty ninety rain

1811
01:25:00,040 --> 01:25:02,519
Speaker 1: trick them. I'm fine with how about you are? Are

1812
01:25:02,600 --> 01:25:06,320
Speaker 1: you okay with that? I mean, as long as Jeanne's

1813
01:25:06,320 --> 01:25:08,320
Speaker 1: willing to pay the tax, I think it makes sense.

1814
01:25:08,400 --> 01:25:10,320
Speaker 1: But I mean it just gets difficult. I mean. And

1815
01:25:10,360 --> 01:25:13,160
Speaker 1: then the other thing too is, uh, just he relies

1816
01:25:13,320 --> 01:25:17,080
Speaker 1: so much on his athleticism that gets tricky from the

1817
01:25:17,120 --> 01:25:21,760
Speaker 1: standpoint of um, just like how well he'll project in

1818
01:25:21,800 --> 01:25:24,679
Speaker 1: the later years of his deal. Now, the good news

1819
01:25:24,840 --> 01:25:27,479
Speaker 1: is that he hasn't dealt with too many injuries in

1820
01:25:27,640 --> 01:25:30,320
Speaker 1: his career, and he's only twenty seven years old, So

1821
01:25:30,439 --> 01:25:33,800
Speaker 1: there that makes it a little less sketchy. Uh. The

1822
01:25:33,880 --> 01:25:35,599
Speaker 1: other thing too, that will end up helping the Lakers

1823
01:25:35,640 --> 01:25:38,760
Speaker 1: potentially is did you see that the TV deal that

1824
01:25:38,840 --> 01:25:42,840
Speaker 1: came out for the NFL yesterday? M hmm, something crazy

1825
01:25:42,920 --> 01:25:45,120
Speaker 1: like over ten billion a year just from TV from

1826
01:25:45,120 --> 01:25:47,560
Speaker 1: the NFL. Uh. The reason why I thought that was

1827
01:25:47,640 --> 01:25:53,000
Speaker 1: interesting was, you know, there was there was all this

1828
01:25:53,120 --> 01:25:56,519
Speaker 1: talk about like an NBA TV rights bubble. Clay Travis

1829
01:25:56,600 --> 01:25:57,800
Speaker 1: was one of the guys who was leading it. And

1830
01:25:57,840 --> 01:26:00,720
Speaker 1: he's like a blowhard who's constantly just you know, he's

1831
01:26:00,760 --> 01:26:04,920
Speaker 1: got other motives but his whole point was, you know,

1832
01:26:05,560 --> 01:26:10,519
Speaker 1: the no one's watching these NBA games, so, uh, this

1833
01:26:10,680 --> 01:26:14,040
Speaker 1: TV rights bubble is gonna burst, and then NBA salary

1834
01:26:14,120 --> 01:26:15,960
Speaker 1: caps are gonna fall way down and it's going to

1835
01:26:16,000 --> 01:26:19,439
Speaker 1: screw the league up. Was his whole thing. And TV

1836
01:26:19,600 --> 01:26:21,599
Speaker 1: ratings have been a problem for the NFL as well.

1837
01:26:22,920 --> 01:26:25,360
Speaker 1: And what was really interesting to me about it was

1838
01:26:25,520 --> 01:26:28,800
Speaker 1: this right steal which the rights deal encapsulated more than TV.

1839
01:26:28,880 --> 01:26:31,840
Speaker 1: It also encamps encapsulated streaming and some social media stuff

1840
01:26:31,880 --> 01:26:35,040
Speaker 1: and like highlight rights and stuff along those lines. What

1841
01:26:35,200 --> 01:26:40,000
Speaker 1: I always said was more eyes are on the NBA

1842
01:26:40,120 --> 01:26:46,000
Speaker 1: than ever. It's not being watched on TV, was but

1843
01:26:46,160 --> 01:26:47,880
Speaker 1: more eyes are on it than ever because people are

1844
01:26:47,920 --> 01:26:50,800
Speaker 1: consuming the NBA in all these different ways. And so

1845
01:26:50,920 --> 01:26:54,439
Speaker 1: what it will be fascinating is is how over time,

1846
01:26:56,040 --> 01:26:58,880
Speaker 1: how they value that when they're negotiating the next rights

1847
01:26:58,920 --> 01:27:02,280
Speaker 1: deal which kicks in into on UM, and how that

1848
01:27:02,439 --> 01:27:06,720
Speaker 1: could potentially, you know, massively increase the salary cap. Uh.

1849
01:27:07,160 --> 01:27:08,600
Speaker 1: But it would be interesting to see because that was

1850
01:27:08,640 --> 01:27:11,400
Speaker 1: always the concern was whether or not TV companies would

1851
01:27:11,439 --> 01:27:13,639
Speaker 1: ever pay this much again, and we found out yesterday

1852
01:27:13,680 --> 01:27:16,479
Speaker 1: that yes they will. They'll just they're just playing on

1853
01:27:16,600 --> 01:27:19,880
Speaker 1: distributing it differently. Yeah, for sure. And I think you

1854
01:27:19,920 --> 01:27:21,280
Speaker 1: said that a lot of more eyes are on it.

1855
01:27:21,320 --> 01:27:23,280
Speaker 1: I think that's a good and bad thing. Some of

1856
01:27:23,320 --> 01:27:25,160
Speaker 1: the things. The way that the NBA has covered is

1857
01:27:25,200 --> 01:27:28,160
Speaker 1: a lot more um transactional in terms of like who's

1858
01:27:28,160 --> 01:27:30,000
Speaker 1: going where, and that's where a lot of the views

1859
01:27:30,080 --> 01:27:31,920
Speaker 1: kind of come from, and those don't really translate to

1860
01:27:32,600 --> 01:27:35,479
Speaker 1: um watching views. I think there's a shift that's coming

1861
01:27:35,960 --> 01:27:37,560
Speaker 1: um where like more people are kind of into the

1862
01:27:37,600 --> 01:27:39,400
Speaker 1: actual basketball and I think that's a good thing. I

1863
01:27:39,439 --> 01:27:41,200
Speaker 1: think that will lead to along It won't be a

1864
01:27:41,240 --> 01:27:43,080
Speaker 1: lot of short term kind of growth, but in the

1865
01:27:43,120 --> 01:27:45,280
Speaker 1: long term it will help. And it is a way

1866
01:27:45,360 --> 01:27:47,560
Speaker 1: longer conversation we can have on that. But but I

1867
01:27:47,680 --> 01:27:50,599
Speaker 1: just yeah, just just in terms of like seeing the NFL,

1868
01:27:51,000 --> 01:27:52,800
Speaker 1: Like when I watch I don't watch football, but when

1869
01:27:52,800 --> 01:27:55,240
Speaker 1: I do, when it's on or whatever, they pretty much

1870
01:27:55,240 --> 01:27:57,040
Speaker 1: stick to the game. Like there's not a lot of

1871
01:27:57,280 --> 01:27:59,840
Speaker 1: If you watch the NBA broadcasts, and man, those guys

1872
01:27:59,880 --> 01:28:03,040
Speaker 1: are doing like their own podcasts within a game going on.

1873
01:28:03,240 --> 01:28:04,880
Speaker 1: You couldn't even tell there's a game in front of them.

1874
01:28:04,920 --> 01:28:06,720
Speaker 1: And I think that kind of there's the product and

1875
01:28:06,840 --> 01:28:09,040
Speaker 1: hurt some money. Lakers have a huge TV deal just

1876
01:28:09,680 --> 01:28:11,120
Speaker 1: they have the biggest one in the league by I

1877
01:28:11,200 --> 01:28:14,479
Speaker 1: think by far Nicks might be second. But just looking

1878
01:28:14,479 --> 01:28:16,200
Speaker 1: at it from that perspective, you want the league to

1879
01:28:16,240 --> 01:28:18,680
Speaker 1: kind of grow and that's kind of how it goes,

1880
01:28:18,800 --> 01:28:20,640
Speaker 1: and the NFL has done a really good job at

1881
01:28:20,960 --> 01:28:23,040
Speaker 1: the NFL has a lot of bigger issues. I see that.

1882
01:28:23,080 --> 01:28:25,280
Speaker 1: People say all the time. They really they're not really

1883
01:28:25,360 --> 01:28:28,720
Speaker 1: pro player as the NBA is, but they know how

1884
01:28:28,760 --> 01:28:31,880
Speaker 1: to market their sport and it and like you said,

1885
01:28:31,920 --> 01:28:35,160
Speaker 1: with that TV deal, it kind of shows yeah, And

1886
01:28:36,240 --> 01:28:38,240
Speaker 1: I agree with you. It will be real quick about

1887
01:28:38,240 --> 01:28:40,000
Speaker 1: this because we're crusting over an hour and a half, yere.

1888
01:28:40,920 --> 01:28:45,519
Speaker 1: But the the people talk about the NBA, and I

1889
01:28:45,560 --> 01:28:47,800
Speaker 1: agree with you, Like I think officiating is a huge problem.

1890
01:28:47,840 --> 01:28:49,040
Speaker 1: I think the way the league is covered in a

1891
01:28:49,080 --> 01:28:51,320
Speaker 1: lot of ways is a huge problem. It's it's way

1892
01:28:51,320 --> 01:28:55,960
Speaker 1: too melodramatic, I agree. But the overall product is still

1893
01:28:56,040 --> 01:28:59,040
Speaker 1: good and people still like watching it in various formats,

1894
01:28:59,080 --> 01:29:00,840
Speaker 1: and I think that's the important detail because if you

1895
01:29:00,880 --> 01:29:02,720
Speaker 1: look at the NFL, like the NFL, you know gets

1896
01:29:02,760 --> 01:29:06,200
Speaker 1: way more viewers than the NBA does, and it's m

1897
01:29:14,800 --> 01:29:27,960
Speaker 1: think you cut out here, m all right, can you

1898
01:29:28,000 --> 01:29:31,240
Speaker 1: hear me? Uh? It real quickly and then we'll get

1899
01:29:31,240 --> 01:29:33,200
Speaker 1: out of here. But like the in the NFL, like

1900
01:29:33,439 --> 01:29:35,880
Speaker 1: guess what they have to deal with? They have uh

1901
01:29:36,520 --> 01:29:39,200
Speaker 1: you know, if you're you come to watch quarterbacks and

1902
01:29:39,280 --> 01:29:41,519
Speaker 1: receivers and passing and catching. If you have a bad

1903
01:29:41,560 --> 01:29:44,200
Speaker 1: offensive line, the quarterback can't make a damn throw. And

1904
01:29:44,360 --> 01:29:46,760
Speaker 1: so like a lot of times, like games will be

1905
01:29:46,880 --> 01:29:49,720
Speaker 1: really boring to watch because of line play and the

1906
01:29:49,800 --> 01:29:51,519
Speaker 1: fact that the line they can't figure out line play.

1907
01:29:51,920 --> 01:29:56,240
Speaker 1: They do deal with similar officiating problems with wide receivers

1908
01:29:56,400 --> 01:29:59,360
Speaker 1: and defensive backs and when should we call holding? When

1909
01:29:59,360 --> 01:30:01,400
Speaker 1: should we call pass interference? How? How? How do we

1910
01:30:01,439 --> 01:30:04,280
Speaker 1: appreciate these sorts of things there are So the NFL

1911
01:30:04,400 --> 01:30:08,240
Speaker 1: has similar watchability problems that that happened over time and

1912
01:30:08,360 --> 01:30:12,200
Speaker 1: and and I my thing is is that the league

1913
01:30:12,280 --> 01:30:15,519
Speaker 1: per severes in the form that people love football and

1914
01:30:15,920 --> 01:30:18,800
Speaker 1: uh and they always will love football. And basketball is

1915
01:30:18,840 --> 01:30:21,360
Speaker 1: the same way. And right now in the NFL there

1916
01:30:21,720 --> 01:30:26,080
Speaker 1: are more good balls than ever and and the same

1917
01:30:26,160 --> 01:30:29,120
Speaker 1: goes for the for basketball. I'm just I'm naturally an optimist,

1918
01:30:29,400 --> 01:30:31,160
Speaker 1: so I'm not as concerned, but I do think it's

1919
01:30:31,240 --> 01:30:34,360
Speaker 1: okay to talk about the problems that the league has had. Anyway,

1920
01:30:34,400 --> 01:30:36,200
Speaker 1: I'm gonna I'm gonna get you out of here because

1921
01:30:36,439 --> 01:30:38,680
Speaker 1: we can go for a while. But this was really good, man,

1922
01:30:38,880 --> 01:30:40,599
Speaker 1: and I thought we got to a lot of really

1923
01:30:40,640 --> 01:30:44,479
Speaker 1: really good stuff. And uh, I appreciate your time this morning,

1924
01:30:44,479 --> 01:30:46,080
Speaker 1: and I appreciate all of you guys who have tuned in,

1925
01:30:46,200 --> 01:30:49,120
Speaker 1: tuned in and listened. Um. I will have the podcast

1926
01:30:49,240 --> 01:30:51,280
Speaker 1: version out shortly. I have some work stuff I have

1927
01:30:51,400 --> 01:30:54,280
Speaker 1: to do first, but um, I appreciate all you guys,

1928
01:30:54,320 --> 01:30:56,600
Speaker 1: and we'll see you next week for sure. I have

1929
01:30:56,720 --> 01:30:57,080
Speaker 1: a one