Speaker 1: You're tuned into Heat Check with Triste Quick.
Speaker 2: On this episode of the Heat Check, we got another
Speaker 2: bonus episode of People, and we got a special interview
Speaker 2: with Brandon Scoop B Robinson, the lead NBA insider at
Speaker 2: Valley Sports. We conducted this interview actually this week with
Speaker 2: my co host Ryan Horvaugh and PJ. Glasser on BED
Speaker 2: MGN to Night, a betting show that I do Monday
Speaker 2: through Friday seven pm to eleven pm Eastern Standard Time.
Speaker 2: Scoop beat very long resume. He's written for pretty much
Speaker 2: everyone from SLAM to ESPN to Ebony. He's also hosted
Speaker 2: a ton of radio, done a bunch of TV. Very good,
Speaker 2: very inside the NBA vibes. So let's get into it,
Speaker 2: Nick and drop that motherfucking beat. First and foremost, we
Speaker 2: asked Scoop about his favorite team in the Atlantic Division
Speaker 2: in the East. I was a little surprised, honestly with
Speaker 2: his answer.
Speaker 1: That's a tough one specifically because I really do think
Speaker 1: that when you look at the nets and you look
Speaker 1: at their partnership, this is the last year, year four,
Speaker 1: and I really think they have a depth to them
Speaker 1: that they really haven't had prior to the James Harden trade,
Speaker 1: but Philadelphia is so much better also, particularly because of
Speaker 1: just the addition of Tucker, who I think will pay dividend.
Speaker 1: The Celtics is still the reigning Eastern Conference champion, and
Speaker 1: I think they're underestimated. I think Brooklyn and Boston both underestimated.
Speaker 1: I'm going to take Brooklyn.
Speaker 2: That's saying a lot of things have to go right.
Speaker 2: You must be very high on Ben Simmons because it
Speaker 2: feels like he's got to be the glue in order
Speaker 2: to get that done. No.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Ben Simmons definitely the glue in the sense of
Speaker 1: the fact that you know he to me, defensively is
Speaker 1: what I like most. I think he doesn't have to
Speaker 1: score to winning and thirty points a night. Defensively against
Speaker 1: other perimeter guys. I think it's really where he's going
Speaker 1: to benefit Brooklyn and the fact that he gets Kay
Speaker 1: off the ball quite a bit. But I also think
Speaker 1: there's other pieces on that Brooklyn roster. On name Nicholas
Speaker 1: Claxton's West think both he and Ben Simmons are going
Speaker 1: to be monsters on the break now, and then other
Speaker 1: guys like TJ Warrenceph Curry and Patty Mills. I really
Speaker 1: do think that the Nets have a complete roster from
Speaker 1: top to bottom, and the only thing that's missing is
Speaker 1: really just a scorer like a Carmelo Anthony or Dwight Howard.
Speaker 1: Will see how their health goes this season. But I
Speaker 1: do like Brooklyn.
Speaker 2: I'm always looking for info on sleeper teams, so I
Speaker 2: asked him for some great insight in the teams that
Speaker 2: he likes coming out of the East and West teams
Speaker 2: and not up people are talking about not the Chalky
Speaker 2: Ones listening in the.
Speaker 1: NBA's Eastern Conference, I definitely think it's the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Speaker 1: They were doing well last season without Donovan Mitchell. Coach
Speaker 1: Bickerstaff definitely had a quality product on the floor that
Speaker 1: surprised many people in the NBA's Eastern Conference. And the
Speaker 1: fact that they did it without a botafide superstar. You
Speaker 1: add Donovan Mitchell to the pot. I was disappointed that
Speaker 1: lowry marketing was was shipped out, but I think he's
Speaker 1: going to do well out West. But I definitely like
Speaker 1: Donovan Mitchell's the Cleveland Cavaliers because of as a go Coral,
Speaker 1: because of Jared Allen to who to me even that
Speaker 1: got rid of Hastily. I really do think that that
Speaker 1: team just has a bunch of guys that all want
Speaker 1: to be there. And Kevin Love as well, who I
Speaker 1: think is going to have a resurgence this year playing
Speaker 1: alongside down of the mitchell in the Western Conference side.
Speaker 1: That's a loaded question. But there's a couple of teams
Speaker 1: that I see that are surprise teams to people. Number
Speaker 1: one in Minnesota Timberwolves, who I think got busy this summer.
Speaker 1: They just aren't just busy, they got busy. Anthony Edwards,
Speaker 1: I think is propelled to have a superfluous amount of
Speaker 1: energy and will benefit He is literally the ferrari that
Speaker 1: has no boundaries on the Ben Franklin Turnpike in the
Speaker 1: Philadelphia area because he's got guys that can protect them
Speaker 1: at so many different positions, and you know, Karl Anthony
Speaker 1: Towns at a natural filling position at the fourth spot.
Speaker 1: I think definitely will do well. From Minnesota, I think defensively, though,
Speaker 1: Rudy Gobert I don't see him as the defensive player
Speaker 1: of the Year. I do see someone like badmout of
Speaker 1: Bio potentially getting that crown this year in Miami. But
Speaker 1: I like the Timberwolves. I also like the New Orleans Pelicans.
Speaker 1: I like the product that Willie Green has on the floor.
Speaker 1: So a lot of teams in the Western Conference that
Speaker 1: are competitive. It's not just the East that's competitive, the
Speaker 1: West is competitive also.
Speaker 2: I also asked who he liked in this great class
Speaker 2: of rookies, and like most people, he's been very impressed
Speaker 2: with about Palo ben Carrol listening some of the other
Speaker 2: names that he had to.
Speaker 1: Mention, I actually like Paolo Benchetto out in Orlando with
Speaker 1: the Magic, and he has a feel for the game
Speaker 1: that seems very stoic, but we've seen it before, a
Speaker 1: Grant Hill like at times Ben Simmons and Lebron like
Speaker 1: a big guard so that can playmake that can score,
Speaker 1: and I think there's a level of maturity. I also
Speaker 1: like Benic meth Uran out in Indiana with the Pacers.
Speaker 1: Washed him during the preseason and really been impressed with
Speaker 1: his hops, the ability to get to the basket, and
Speaker 1: I like his connectivity with the point guard there. So yes,
Speaker 1: those are the two guys that I like. Matt Urin
Speaker 1: out in the Indiana and then also Palo Benchetto with
Speaker 1: the Orlando Magic.
Speaker 2: Probably the most surprising thing about this interview was how
Speaker 2: high Scoop was on the Washington was As you guys know,
Speaker 2: I hate the Wizards. I think they stink. I think
Speaker 2: they're a gross team. Scoop likes them since we don't
Speaker 2: have a ton of Wizard stock, and we probably won't
Speaker 2: have a lot of Wizards stock, enjoy Scoop be lavishing
Speaker 2: the Washington Wizards with Price the Wizards.
Speaker 1: I've spent a significant amount of time with them the
Speaker 1: last year, and you know, just their dedication to chemistry
Speaker 1: and the off season is really what I walked away with.
Speaker 1: I actually flew on a flight home with them. We
Speaker 1: ran into each other randomly. We were all sitting in
Speaker 1: first class and they were kind of giving me an
Speaker 1: airfold drag the Aelus. No, not a brag, really the
Speaker 1: opportunity to really learn how those guys really bonded in
Speaker 1: Los Angeles and the fact that they had their whole
Speaker 1: training staff, So sitting there with guys that are fixed
Speaker 1: with nine as well as their training staff, they shared
Speaker 1: with me just a lot of their rehab process and
Speaker 1: how their point guard connectivity has really helped them. Monte Martins,
Speaker 1: of course, growing up with Kyle Kuzma out in Flint.
Speaker 1: But in addition to that, looking at how much they're
Speaker 1: trying to fuse Kristaps Porzingis as well as Bradley Beal
Speaker 1: as well as Kyles Kouzma in one is really their focus.
Speaker 1: I think in an Eastern Conference where everybody pays attention
Speaker 1: to Brooklyn, everybody pays attention to Philadelphia, I think the
Speaker 1: Wizards are in a good position as a team and nobody,
Speaker 1: you know, people are looking at them as you know,
Speaker 1: a team that can really be effective in the East.
Speaker 2: So I do, like, Scoop, how much do you like them? Though? Like?
Speaker 2: What are we talking about in terms of seeding? Because
Speaker 2: you can like a team. I like the Pacers. I
Speaker 2: know they're not going anywhere like I can like and
Speaker 2: like a lot of teams, Like okay, see, they're a
Speaker 2: fun product, but I know they're not doing anything. I
Speaker 2: know they're not going into the playoffs. Like what are
Speaker 2: we talking how much do you like the Wizards?
Speaker 1: I think that they could easily win somewhere between forty
Speaker 1: two and forty eight games the season, So.
Speaker 2: Good, Scoo, I'm talking about forty two and forty eight games.
Speaker 2: Let's look at their win well.
Speaker 1: I think Ruy has definitely impressed guys in that locker room,
Speaker 1: and I think part of it started and how he
Speaker 1: conducted himself going into the season and playing in that
Speaker 1: game in Japan. But in addition to that, Kuzma definitely
Speaker 1: there's a mindset, there's a focus that I didn't really
Speaker 1: see last year because he was hurt for quite a
Speaker 1: bit last season towards the end of the season. So,
Speaker 1: if I'm not mistaken, Bradley Bill, Christas Perzingis and Kuzma
Speaker 1: played maybe somewhere between four to ten games together last season.
Speaker 1: I'd like to see them be healthy and really compete
Speaker 1: in that Eastern Conference. There's no reason why, particularly with
Speaker 1: the fact that they added their boy guard this offseason.
Speaker 1: I really like them and I want to see them
Speaker 1: do well. I also do like the Pacers. I don't
Speaker 1: want to tell you should either. I like Tyree's Halliburton,
Speaker 1: but like you mentioned before, there's certain teams. The Pacers
Speaker 1: are a younger team. The Wizards have some guys that
Speaker 1: are a little bit coming of age in their mid
Speaker 1: twenties that are looking to compete. So I like them.
Speaker 1: I like them as a dark.
Speaker 2: Horse dark horse dark horse. All right, Scoop, all right.
Speaker 2: Scoop also had some interesting things to say about the
Speaker 2: Kings and the Pacers, teams that probably aren't going anywhere,
Speaker 2: but are going to be very fun to watch.
Speaker 1: Not going anywhere for a while. You get a snickers.
Speaker 1: The Sacramento Kings to me, since that build, they're a
Speaker 1: young team. I like this to move to get Mike Brown.
Speaker 1: I like the fact that he and that team are
Speaker 1: counted out. You look at the Western Conference overall, you
Speaker 1: know you've got even the Lakers, who I think are
Speaker 1: can battle for play in spot. But at the same token,
Speaker 1: I think that the Sacramento Kings aren't talked about enough,
Speaker 1: and for a lot of reasons, they've not been good.
Speaker 1: They've not been good, but I'm excited to see that
Speaker 1: young team compete. Keep you murray as uncertain against the
Speaker 1: Blazers I've read earlier, But I think ultimately when you
Speaker 1: look at this Sacramento Kings team, I do like them.
Speaker 1: I'm excited to watch them. Yeah, that's why I happened
Speaker 1: the West. In the East, I think the Pacers. I'm
Speaker 1: gonna stick with that Pacers line paces. I think looking
Speaker 1: at them in the preseason, they were speedy team and
Speaker 1: I watched them take on the Knicks. I also think
Speaker 1: that nick are an interesting team, particularly because I think RJ.
Speaker 1: Barrett doesn't hurt you. He's gotten better statistically every year
Speaker 1: or stay consistent every year. I look at Mitchell Robinson
Speaker 1: in his off season development, I look at Obi Toppin
Speaker 1: and there's a level of confidence that he has on
Speaker 1: the course. So I think the Knicks are another team
Speaker 1: that I'm looking forward to watching.
Speaker 2: Finally, I had to ask scoops take on what's happening
Speaker 2: in Phoenix with all of the DeAndre Ayton drama. Interesting answer,
Speaker 2: take a listen.
Speaker 1: The Sun's heading into the season. To me, I like,
Speaker 1: I mean, anytime you have a Devin Booker who I
Speaker 1: look at as a sleeper and an MVP selection process
Speaker 1: this season, I think you're looking at something. Chris Paul
Speaker 1: is still to me a point guard that can get
Speaker 1: guys involved. And I think that the eight controversy that
Speaker 1: was you know, his money really and truly doesn't have
Speaker 1: to be a thing if they win. I think Phoenix
Speaker 1: is in a very similar situation that Brooklyn, and by
Speaker 1: that I mean this A lot has been talking about chemistry,
Speaker 1: people getting along in money, but winning cures all. And
Speaker 1: I think that winning and making money and just being
Speaker 1: successful of what you do think. I think that Phoenix
Speaker 1: is still in a good position. I think that Jay
Speaker 1: Crowder melancholy there. I think if they're able to make
Speaker 1: a move to get somebody who can place them, I
Speaker 1: still think that they're a high octen machine that can move.
Speaker 1: I like Bridges. Bridges to me, Cam Johnson to me,
Speaker 1: they both are just pieces on that team that just
Speaker 1: complement the well, just like the nets. Ben Simmons is
Speaker 1: a good problem to have when your roster. Same with
Speaker 1: the guys that I mentioned before on Phoenix. That's why
Speaker 1: I think there's so much powerdy between those two teams.
Speaker 1: I think if they start off well the first ten
Speaker 1: games of the season, it'll continue.
Speaker 2: That's all the time that we have for the Heat Check.
Speaker 2: This bonus episode comes to you from my co sponsor
Speaker 2: bet MGM tonight Monday through Friday live from seven pm
Speaker 2: to eleven pm Eastern Time. It's also available on demand
Speaker 2: on the Odyssey app and in podcast form wherever you
Speaker 2: find your podcast. Million Thanks a bajillion, Thanks a gazillion
Speaker 2: thanks to my co host Ryan and PJ. And my superproducer,
Speaker 2: Cameron Gray. We're going to be dropping these mini episodes
Speaker 2: pretty much as much as possible, just so that you
Speaker 2: can continue to get information and my insights or opinions,
Speaker 2: whatever you would call them, on everything that's popping around
Speaker 2: the league. Follow us though on heat Check as we
Speaker 2: cover this entire season. It's gonna be fucking insane. Make
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