WEBVTT - West Preview - Nuggets, Suns, Lakers and Wemby Expectations

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome into NBA Pulster production of iHeartRadio in the NBA.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Sarahkustak, NBA analysts for the Yes Network and Woe

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<v Speaker 1>we are ready to get rock and I am joined

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<v Speaker 1>by NBA dot Com Senior writer Michael C. Wright and

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<v Speaker 1>Michael are you ready for this? Are you ready to

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<v Speaker 1>get this season rolling?

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<v Speaker 2>We backed baby Hi like it was a long summer.

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<v Speaker 2>It was a very busy summer. But it's good to

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<v Speaker 2>get back to work. I've already done two media days.

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<v Speaker 2>I did the Mavericks media Day Friday and then Spurs

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<v Speaker 2>on Monday, So I'm back in the full swing. Let's go.

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<v Speaker 1>I was gonna say we got you just you just

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<v Speaker 1>keep on rolling and we we're gonna get into it

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<v Speaker 1>and get into the West. As you mentioned being at

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<v Speaker 1>those media days, and there's a lot of interesting storylines,

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<v Speaker 1>a few moves and changes, but there's one thing that

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<v Speaker 1>does not change Denver Nuggets. They remain They remained defending champions.

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<v Speaker 1>They had their fun this summer, celebrated with the parade,

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<v Speaker 1>and in many ways really stayed consistent and kept the

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<v Speaker 1>continuity of what they had going from last year in

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<v Speaker 1>winning the title, beating Miami in five games.

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<v Speaker 2>It's over.

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<v Speaker 1>Last.

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<v Speaker 2>The long wait is over that the forty seven years,

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<v Speaker 2>But Denver Nuggets can finally call themselves NBA champions.

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<v Speaker 1>They did lose Bruce Brown sound a nice little two

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<v Speaker 1>year deal with the Indiana Pacers. Veteran presidence of Jeff

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<v Speaker 1>Green and Ish Smith gone. But overall, I've got a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of the same core group, including the two time

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<v Speaker 1>MVP in Nicola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Junior, Aaron Gordon,

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<v Speaker 1>the list goes on. So from your from your viewpoint

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<v Speaker 1>of coming into this season, how do you frame where

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<v Speaker 1>the Denver Nuggets are at in the context of title hopes?

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<v Speaker 1>Once again in repeating.

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<v Speaker 2>They are almost sarah exactly where they were last year. Look,

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<v Speaker 2>you saw in the East, all the stuff that happened

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<v Speaker 2>in Boston, you know, Milwaukee with Dame. Uh, there's things

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<v Speaker 2>happening all over the West with the Phoenix Suns. And

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<v Speaker 2>they say, you know what, We're just gonna chill. We're good,

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<v Speaker 2>We're just gonna sit here and keep our continuity. And

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<v Speaker 2>really it's a testament to the faith that they have

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<v Speaker 2>in those guys on their roster, because Jamal Murray he's

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<v Speaker 2>going to be another another year removed from that knee injury.

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<v Speaker 2>He's gonna be better. He's not gonna be having the

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<v Speaker 2>rest games and things like that, so he's gonna be

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<v Speaker 2>able to get into a flow really fast. Okay. You

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<v Speaker 2>look at Michael Forter Jr. Okay, he's had all these

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<v Speaker 2>back injuries, you know, going all the way back to college,

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<v Speaker 2>and last year he wasn't great in the finals or

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<v Speaker 2>in the playoffs, but you started to see some of

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<v Speaker 2>that athleticism come back. Like people don't realize how athletic

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<v Speaker 2>that kid is. That dude can jump out the gym

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<v Speaker 2>when he's fully healthy. But you started to see some

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<v Speaker 2>of that in the player in the finals. And then

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<v Speaker 2>you look at Nicola Jokic. Maybe I'm wrong here, Sarah,

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<v Speaker 2>but you tell me. I'm sure you watched the finals too.

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<v Speaker 2>It seemed like throughout the finals, throughout the playoffs, he

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<v Speaker 2>gained more and more confidence, and it was kind of like, Okay,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm starting to realize that I the singular person. I

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<v Speaker 2>can do move all my pieces and do all this

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<v Speaker 2>stuff and just kind of make everything work exactly how

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<v Speaker 2>I wanted to accomplish the goal at hand. In whatever situation,

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<v Speaker 2>and it seemed like he sort of got more and

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<v Speaker 2>more confident as it went on. He's won two MVPs.

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<v Speaker 2>He's up here, he's you know, at the peak of

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<v Speaker 2>his powers right now. And so I just think that

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<v Speaker 2>the only question marks I would have for the Denver

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<v Speaker 2>Nuggets at this point is that second unit. But look,

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<v Speaker 2>you got a guy like Reggie Jackson. They didn't even

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<v Speaker 2>use him in the playoffs last year, and you know,

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<v Speaker 2>he's got plenty of playoff experience. We saw him balled

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<v Speaker 2>out in the bubble for the Clippers. You know, Christian

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<v Speaker 2>Brown played great last year and he's gonna be you know,

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<v Speaker 2>another year of experience, it's gonna be better. Uh. I

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<v Speaker 2>hear a lot about this kid, Peyton Watson. They say

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<v Speaker 2>he can really go. Haven't seen it yet because he

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<v Speaker 2>didn't play a time. But you know, so that's the

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<v Speaker 2>only question I really have, That's the only concern I

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<v Speaker 2>would have is that second unit. But Michael Malone, he's

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<v Speaker 2>one of the best coaches out there. He's gonna figure

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<v Speaker 2>it out and they're gonna be just fine.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, And I think the concept of for as much

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<v Speaker 1>scrutiny as has been on them, of what they do

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<v Speaker 1>in the regular season and then not going far in

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<v Speaker 1>the postseason that that type of you know, that type

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<v Speaker 1>of weight gets off your shoulder. You already win one.

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<v Speaker 1>Yes to your point about about the injuries that they

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<v Speaker 1>dealt with Jokic, who was breaking all sorts of records

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<v Speaker 1>throughout the course of the postseason with his triple doubles.

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<v Speaker 1>But but do you think given and we'll get to

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<v Speaker 1>these other teams in the Western Conference, uh, and of

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<v Speaker 1>course what the East obviously has done in their movement,

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<v Speaker 1>do you think that they repeat? Oh?

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<v Speaker 2>Now, see, that's tough because part of and we never

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<v Speaker 2>want to admit it as writers, as reporters, analysts, there's

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<v Speaker 2>some luck involved in it, you know. I mean, like

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<v Speaker 2>the healthiest team that is playing at its best at

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<v Speaker 2>a certain point in time, you know, sort of catches

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<v Speaker 2>fire in the playoffs and you know, they run it

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<v Speaker 2>and they go win the championship. And so I'm not

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<v Speaker 2>sure that Denver can rely on on just that that

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<v Speaker 2>good help that they had last year. You know, obviously

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<v Speaker 2>we know every all the injury history over the years,

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<v Speaker 2>Like last year was the first year that they had

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<v Speaker 2>that whole team together. You know, they were playing without air,

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<v Speaker 2>I mean without Michael Porter Junior and Jamal Murray for

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<v Speaker 2>like a big part of you know, the year before,

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<v Speaker 2>and so you know, just given their history, i mean,

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<v Speaker 2>the history sort of indicates that they might, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>have some injury problems, but I'm not sure they repeat,

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<v Speaker 2>just because there are so many teams that that just

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<v Speaker 2>got better this all season.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I also think you can't overlook the loss of

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<v Speaker 1>Bruce Brown and just the versatile piece that he became

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<v Speaker 1>for that group. And obviously because of the money that

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<v Speaker 1>he got in because of how we played well deserved

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<v Speaker 1>on all ends, you understand, Yeah.

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<v Speaker 2>Exactly, we didn't mention him, but he's also a great

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<v Speaker 2>veteran piece for them that you know, sort of played

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<v Speaker 2>a big role in the overall cohesiveness of that team.

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<v Speaker 2>So yeah, I mean.

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<v Speaker 1>It's yeah, it's it's and it's white stuff not to

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<v Speaker 1>take the field when you when you look at some

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<v Speaker 1>of the moves that have been made, and that's where

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<v Speaker 1>I would go, and I'm going to head to the

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<v Speaker 1>team next that I'm excited to watch the Phoenix Sons.

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<v Speaker 1>Of course, new head coach in Frank Vogel and what

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<v Speaker 1>he will be able to do with this group that

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<v Speaker 1>has led by Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and now Bradley Beale.

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<v Speaker 1>And I think there's been so much discussion about Damian

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<v Speaker 1>Lillard trade holiday going to Boston. It happened so long ago.

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<v Speaker 1>Now it seems like a lifetime of go of of

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<v Speaker 1>Bradley be joining that Phoenix Sun team. They move off

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<v Speaker 1>of DeAndre Ayton, the impact that we'll have bringing in

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<v Speaker 1>use of Nurkic part of the multi team trade. But

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<v Speaker 1>they also made some sneaky nice signings vets minimum signings

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<v Speaker 1>of you know, the question was what can they do

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<v Speaker 1>with this group now bringing in Bradley Beal and fortifying

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<v Speaker 1>the rest of the roster, and there was some you know,

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<v Speaker 1>you pick up Eric Gordon part of that. You have

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<v Speaker 1>Grayson Allen that comes over from the traving. There's some

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<v Speaker 1>small pieces that you wonder how they fit in. But

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<v Speaker 1>it is highlighted by by book and by Durant and

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<v Speaker 1>by Beale. What do you make of this Phoenix Sun's team.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I think you hit the nail right on the

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<v Speaker 2>head when you talked about those supporting cast people that

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<v Speaker 2>they brought in. To me, that is going to be

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<v Speaker 2>the key. How do they fit around those stars and

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<v Speaker 2>how do they sort of compliment them, because you know,

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<v Speaker 2>Brad Beal with Kad, with Book, you're talking about what

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<v Speaker 2>seventy five eighty points a game. I mean, like if

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<v Speaker 2>you just go off their career averages, they're gonna give

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<v Speaker 2>you seventy five eighty a game. And that's like on

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<v Speaker 2>just a regular night. You know that that's not counting

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<v Speaker 2>those nights they just go crazy, like like Book and

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<v Speaker 2>Katie both did in that series against the Denver Nuggets.

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<v Speaker 2>So you know, you look at guys like Grayson Allen.

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<v Speaker 2>You know he's a forty percent you know, career three

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<v Speaker 2>point shooter. Youtah, he's almost a three point shooter. You

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<v Speaker 2>got Eric Gordon, he is instant offense. I mean he'll

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<v Speaker 2>give you fifteen twenty points off the bench a game.

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<v Speaker 2>And so those guys are gonna be really big for them.

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<v Speaker 2>And especially like when you start to get to those

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<v Speaker 2>dog days of the season, you know where you know, Kate,

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<v Speaker 2>Katie Book, you know, uh Brand, they're worn down. So

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<v Speaker 2>now you need, you know, you need a little scoring

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<v Speaker 2>punch from like the guys on your bench. So I

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<v Speaker 2>think those were like huge moves. My only concern with

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<v Speaker 2>the Phoenix Suns is I thought I think they might

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<v Speaker 2>have downgraded a little bit of center, you know, DeAndre Aiden,

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<v Speaker 2>Like I was really sort of interested and also excited

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<v Speaker 2>to see how Frank Vogel would be able to use them,

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<v Speaker 2>Like I thought that that would might it would like

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<v Speaker 2>sort of you know, reinvigorate him, like sort of you know,

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<v Speaker 2>give him, I don't know, I just give him a

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<v Speaker 2>little juice going into the seasons. So I was a

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<v Speaker 2>little surprised that they that they got rid of him

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<v Speaker 2>and brought in Yrkic, I mean Nurkic and use of Nurkic.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean he's a guy that he's been injured, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>so much that it's sort of sapped his mobility, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>like he's not a guy that you can really rely on,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, switches and things like that. And so I

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<v Speaker 2>think they're gonna have to be creative with, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>how they defend. And also another concern of mine is,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, Bradley Biel at Point Guard, I don't know,

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<v Speaker 2>and and we just haven't seen him do it. And

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<v Speaker 2>you know, he's an all world talent. He's got he's

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<v Speaker 2>got the skills to do it. But we just haven't

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<v Speaker 2>seen it yet, so I'm very interested to see how

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<v Speaker 2>they look. I'm actually gonna be out in Phoenix for

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<v Speaker 2>a couple of games that the first week of the season,

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<v Speaker 2>so I'll definitely be We're.

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<v Speaker 1>Gonna be We're gonna be tapping into how it looks

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<v Speaker 1>in real life. And to your point, though they probably said, Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>Bill can handle it, Booker's gonna have the ball in

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<v Speaker 1>his hands all the time, the ran could have the

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<v Speaker 1>ball in his hands all the time, you are, I

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<v Speaker 1>am interested and surprised to your point about the DeAndre

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<v Speaker 1>at In situation, unless he just you know, was not

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<v Speaker 1>happy with the role and they perceived it the same role.

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<v Speaker 1>But I do think defensively in particular to drop off

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<v Speaker 1>with what they're looking at. But but a team that

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<v Speaker 1>that obviously is going to have a target on their

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<v Speaker 1>back given the way they look, what they're what they

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<v Speaker 1>look like coming in. The other one, the Los Angeles Lakers,

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<v Speaker 1>this this has been a fascinating you look back at

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<v Speaker 1>last season, it felt like to they live two different

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<v Speaker 1>lives of what it looked like in the first half

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<v Speaker 1>of the season, changes that they made and how they

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<v Speaker 1>finished last year. Of course, going to the Western Conference Finals.

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<v Speaker 1>Coming out of that playing game, Lebron James will enter

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<v Speaker 1>his twenty first season thirty eight years old.

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<v Speaker 2>Lebron James a shout in history. Lebron stands alone. All

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<v Speaker 2>the time scoring record now belongs to Lebron James.

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<v Speaker 1>They got Anthony Davis and of course Austin Reeves was

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<v Speaker 1>It was fun to watch his evolution, what he did

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<v Speaker 1>in the playoffs, how he met the moment, and then

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<v Speaker 1>even watching him too with Team USA, what he comes

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<v Speaker 1>back as Ruiy Hatchamurrow was a big important piece of that.

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<v Speaker 1>They pick up Gabe Vincent, Touring, Prince Jackson, Hayes, Christian Woods.

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<v Speaker 1>See how some of those individuals factor in and play out.

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<v Speaker 1>What's your expectations of the Lakers this year?

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<v Speaker 2>Watch out, everybody, watch out, because they are going to

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<v Speaker 2>be very good. You know, like Lebron, you know, I

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<v Speaker 2>remember him talking about how like you know, he didn't

0:12:11.600 --> 0:12:16.439
<v Speaker 2>know if he could still he still had the motivation

0:12:16.720 --> 0:12:20.320
<v Speaker 2>to do the work necessary to be great. And you

0:12:20.320 --> 0:12:22.880
<v Speaker 2>know he said coming back in media day the other day,

0:12:22.880 --> 0:12:25.320
<v Speaker 2>he said that, you know he was really inspired by

0:12:25.400 --> 0:12:27.840
<v Speaker 2>you know what took place with BRONI and you know,

0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:30.199
<v Speaker 2>hopefully he gets back healthy and he gets back out

0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:32.200
<v Speaker 2>on the floor pretty soon. But he said he was

0:12:32.240 --> 0:12:34.760
<v Speaker 2>inspired by that. He's got a daughter playing volleyball. He

0:12:34.800 --> 0:12:38.000
<v Speaker 2>was really inspired by his family. And you know, you're

0:12:38.040 --> 0:12:41.400
<v Speaker 2>a former hooper. I'm a former college football player, and

0:12:42.520 --> 0:12:45.160
<v Speaker 2>you know, like Lebron was talking about how like he

0:12:45.920 --> 0:12:47.920
<v Speaker 2>didn't want to come back if he felt like he

0:12:48.000 --> 0:12:50.480
<v Speaker 2>was going to cheat the game. And you know, just

0:12:50.520 --> 0:12:53.800
<v Speaker 2>given you know, like you know what it's like the

0:12:53.880 --> 0:12:56.640
<v Speaker 2>work that you have to put in to play the

0:12:56.679 --> 0:12:59.960
<v Speaker 2>way he plays, and it's it's a hard thing to do,

0:13:00.160 --> 0:13:02.200
<v Speaker 2>and he's been doing it for a long time.

0:13:02.320 --> 0:13:02.480
<v Speaker 1>You know.

0:13:02.640 --> 0:13:06.520
<v Speaker 2>Last year, like he was playing on the touring tendon,

0:13:06.600 --> 0:13:09.480
<v Speaker 2>I think in his foot, he's playing on that and

0:13:09.520 --> 0:13:12.640
<v Speaker 2>he's giving you twenty nine, eight and seven, I mean,

0:13:12.840 --> 0:13:15.400
<v Speaker 2>and then the year before that even he averaged like thirty.

0:13:16.080 --> 0:13:19.079
<v Speaker 2>You realize that just these past two years, he hadn't

0:13:19.120 --> 0:13:21.720
<v Speaker 2>done that in like the previous twelve years. Last time

0:13:21.800 --> 0:13:26.520
<v Speaker 2>he was averaging like almost thirty points was Cleveland. And

0:13:26.600 --> 0:13:29.120
<v Speaker 2>I'm talking about Cleveland the first time, you know, when

0:13:29.120 --> 0:13:32.600
<v Speaker 2>he first came into the league. So I think he's

0:13:32.640 --> 0:13:36.560
<v Speaker 2>gonna be great. He worked out with Rudy Hatcheturo all summer,

0:13:37.080 --> 0:13:39.600
<v Speaker 2>all summer long, and so you know Rui's gonna come

0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:42.280
<v Speaker 2>back great. And Ruy looked good in the playoffs. I

0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:45.680
<v Speaker 2>remember that series against Memphis. He lit up the Grizzlies

0:13:45.720 --> 0:13:48.800
<v Speaker 2>in Game one, and then I remember Desmond Bang saying

0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:51.880
<v Speaker 2>something like, well, you know, we'll see if he can

0:13:51.920 --> 0:13:54.040
<v Speaker 2>do it again. And he did it again, and so

0:13:54.640 --> 0:13:58.760
<v Speaker 2>you know that's he's going to be good. Austin Reeds,

0:13:58.800 --> 0:14:03.040
<v Speaker 2>he's you know, coming in, he's confident, super confident. Started

0:14:03.080 --> 0:14:06.560
<v Speaker 2>he just played with the national team. He's gonna be good.

0:14:07.200 --> 0:14:10.400
<v Speaker 2>Van Doh, Anthony Davis, I mean, he gave you twenty

0:14:10.440 --> 0:14:13.439
<v Speaker 2>five point ninety points I think last year, twelve and

0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:17.080
<v Speaker 2>a half rebounds, two blocks a game. He's healthy, and so,

0:14:17.360 --> 0:14:19.720
<v Speaker 2>you know, like that chemistry they sort of developed after

0:14:19.720 --> 0:14:23.040
<v Speaker 2>the trade deadline. I think it sort of gives them

0:14:23.080 --> 0:14:25.520
<v Speaker 2>a little momentum because they played well in the playoffs.

0:14:25.600 --> 0:14:28.400
<v Speaker 2>It gives them some momentum coming into this season. And

0:14:28.440 --> 0:14:31.040
<v Speaker 2>then it seems like this is the theme that we've

0:14:31.040 --> 0:14:33.240
<v Speaker 2>been talking about the whole time we've been on this pot,

0:14:33.880 --> 0:14:36.680
<v Speaker 2>that supporting cast, you know, like you said, they bring

0:14:36.720 --> 0:14:40.000
<v Speaker 2>in gave Vincent Tory and Prince Christian Wood. He's gonna

0:14:40.000 --> 0:14:42.440
<v Speaker 2>give you some he's gonna give you some instant offense too,

0:14:42.920 --> 0:14:46.040
<v Speaker 2>Jackson Hayes and like, so you know, you look at

0:14:46.080 --> 0:14:48.520
<v Speaker 2>a guy like Jackson Hayes, he's the perfect guy to

0:14:48.560 --> 0:14:53.240
<v Speaker 2>have around when you know, for instance, they play Satan,

0:14:53.320 --> 0:14:55.560
<v Speaker 2>Lakers go up against a team with like a bruising

0:14:55.720 --> 0:14:58.040
<v Speaker 2>a bruising five. Well, now you can put Ade at

0:14:58.080 --> 0:15:00.520
<v Speaker 2>the four, and maybe you can put christ Wood at

0:15:00.560 --> 0:15:03.400
<v Speaker 2>the five or Jackson Hayes and so like they've got

0:15:03.560 --> 0:15:08.640
<v Speaker 2>some interchangeability. They got some versatility in that roster now,

0:15:08.960 --> 0:15:11.680
<v Speaker 2>and I think that's only gonna make them better to me.

0:15:12.920 --> 0:15:14.920
<v Speaker 2>And I hate to say it because you know, like

0:15:15.360 --> 0:15:16.680
<v Speaker 2>you know how it goes like when we were on

0:15:16.720 --> 0:15:19.120
<v Speaker 2>these podcasts, it's almost like required that we have to

0:15:19.120 --> 0:15:23.040
<v Speaker 2>talk about the Lakers because at the Lakers. So but

0:15:23.640 --> 0:15:27.560
<v Speaker 2>they are at soon that is really going to be

0:15:27.880 --> 0:15:30.280
<v Speaker 2>like they're going to be in a hunt. I think

0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:31.440
<v Speaker 2>they're very much in a hunt.

0:15:31.680 --> 0:15:35.440
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, and even like the Gabe Vincent pick up the fact,

0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:36.960
<v Speaker 1>I mean, what he was able to do and the

0:15:37.000 --> 0:15:39.120
<v Speaker 1>put to your point about the confidence of each individual.

0:15:39.160 --> 0:15:41.920
<v Speaker 1>Also Darvin Ham now when his second year, So it

0:15:42.120 --> 0:15:44.680
<v Speaker 1>just as he continues to get more integrated and acclimated

0:15:44.720 --> 0:15:47.440
<v Speaker 1>of what and how he wants to do things. You

0:15:47.520 --> 0:15:50.760
<v Speaker 1>mentioned it the the sprint after the All Star break,

0:15:51.200 --> 0:15:53.680
<v Speaker 1>and some of those came from from some great moves

0:15:53.680 --> 0:15:56.120
<v Speaker 1>by Rob Polinka, but they finished in the seventh they

0:15:56.200 --> 0:16:04.200
<v Speaker 1>end up going to the Western Conference Finals. We're going

0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:06.120
<v Speaker 1>to be tapping into you quite a bit as you

0:16:06.160 --> 0:16:09.560
<v Speaker 1>make that drive to San Antonio. Is Victor Webbin Yama

0:16:10.320 --> 0:16:13.800
<v Speaker 1>in what it looks like with all the frenzy understandably

0:16:13.880 --> 0:16:17.360
<v Speaker 1>so about what he will do in his first year

0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:21.640
<v Speaker 1>in the n b A. What's your thoughts on what

0:16:21.800 --> 0:16:24.680
<v Speaker 1>we can expect out of Wemby, because again we expectation

0:16:24.760 --> 0:16:28.760
<v Speaker 1>of a generational talent obviously the skill, the size, all

0:16:28.800 --> 0:16:32.640
<v Speaker 1>of it. But what can we feasibly expect out of

0:16:32.760 --> 0:16:34.480
<v Speaker 1>him with this first team this season?

0:16:35.640 --> 0:16:41.960
<v Speaker 2>First off, he's tall. He's really tall. I gotta tell you, Like, so,

0:16:42.280 --> 0:16:46.040
<v Speaker 2>I had to do media day like TV for you know,

0:16:46.200 --> 0:16:49.440
<v Speaker 2>NBA TV, and so they bring Victor over to me,

0:16:49.680 --> 0:16:52.440
<v Speaker 2>you know I or I said or whatever, and it

0:16:52.480 --> 0:16:54.280
<v Speaker 2>was the first time I had been like face to

0:16:54.360 --> 0:16:58.160
<v Speaker 2>face with him, and I'm like I'm having a look. He's,

0:16:58.360 --> 0:17:02.760
<v Speaker 2>Oh my gosh, he's you. But you know, I like

0:17:03.960 --> 0:17:08.040
<v Speaker 2>what's so cool about him? Not only him, but also

0:17:08.119 --> 0:17:11.560
<v Speaker 2>the Spurs. You know, Coach Pop was talking to talking

0:17:11.600 --> 0:17:17.280
<v Speaker 2>to us about like training camp is going to be

0:17:17.600 --> 0:17:20.480
<v Speaker 2>a time for them to answer some really cool questions

0:17:21.440 --> 0:17:25.439
<v Speaker 2>and like the Spurs are open to playing Winben Yama

0:17:25.480 --> 0:17:28.439
<v Speaker 2>at the three, the four, or the five. You know,

0:17:28.480 --> 0:17:32.240
<v Speaker 2>like they haven't pigeonholed him anywhere. And Pop said that

0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:35.160
<v Speaker 2>what we wanna do right now is just watch him play.

0:17:35.240 --> 0:17:36.960
<v Speaker 2>He said, like, you know, for the first week or two,

0:17:36.960 --> 0:17:39.320
<v Speaker 2>we're not gonna say anything to him. We're just gonna

0:17:39.359 --> 0:17:41.919
<v Speaker 2>watch him play, see how he fits, see what he

0:17:42.000 --> 0:17:44.399
<v Speaker 2>does well, what he doesn't do as well. But I

0:17:44.440 --> 0:17:48.680
<v Speaker 2>gotta tell you, everybody you talk to on that team,

0:17:48.880 --> 0:17:53.959
<v Speaker 2>like every day they're like, man, like, just buckle up

0:17:54.160 --> 0:17:58.240
<v Speaker 2>because every game or every other game, you're going to

0:17:58.280 --> 0:18:01.080
<v Speaker 2>see something that you never saw before. And they're talking

0:18:01.080 --> 0:18:04.000
<v Speaker 2>about like a practice, you know, Trey Jones, the point guard.

0:18:04.080 --> 0:18:07.240
<v Speaker 2>He saw. He's saying that, like, so far, I have

0:18:07.400 --> 0:18:10.359
<v Speaker 2>not thrown a love that he couldn't get to, you know,

0:18:10.600 --> 0:18:14.240
<v Speaker 2>and like, so you're gonna see some amazing things from

0:18:14.240 --> 0:18:16.399
<v Speaker 2>the kid, but at the same time, we sort of

0:18:17.000 --> 0:18:21.320
<v Speaker 2>have to temper expectations. You know, yes, he's a generational talent,

0:18:21.840 --> 0:18:25.720
<v Speaker 2>but that talent is not going to sort of flourish

0:18:25.840 --> 0:18:27.879
<v Speaker 2>in year one. You know, it's gonna he's gonna have

0:18:27.920 --> 0:18:30.359
<v Speaker 2>those games where he looks like he's an All NBA player,

0:18:30.680 --> 0:18:33.320
<v Speaker 2>all time great, but then he's gonna have those times

0:18:33.359 --> 0:18:36.760
<v Speaker 2>like where you're like, does he even know what he's

0:18:36.800 --> 0:18:39.919
<v Speaker 2>doing out there? You're gonna see some of that, and so,

0:18:40.119 --> 0:18:42.800
<v Speaker 2>you know, I'm really interested to see how it pans out.

0:18:42.840 --> 0:18:47.359
<v Speaker 2>I gotta tell you know. He says right now that

0:18:47.440 --> 0:18:49.720
<v Speaker 2>he's in the best shape he's ever been in his

0:18:49.800 --> 0:18:53.000
<v Speaker 2>whole life. And he said the reason why is because

0:18:54.280 --> 0:18:57.800
<v Speaker 2>he had never had access to the type of infrastructure

0:18:57.840 --> 0:19:00.280
<v Speaker 2>that he has right now. And as you know, oh,

0:19:00.359 --> 0:19:03.320
<v Speaker 2>the Spurs are sort of at the very forefront of

0:19:03.400 --> 0:19:07.840
<v Speaker 2>this new thing, this new elite human performance. And he's saying, like,

0:19:07.880 --> 0:19:11.040
<v Speaker 2>they can run tests, they can tell me exactly what's

0:19:11.080 --> 0:19:13.480
<v Speaker 2>going on with my body. He was saying, like, I've

0:19:13.640 --> 0:19:16.040
<v Speaker 2>learned more about my own body in the last two

0:19:16.119 --> 0:19:18.240
<v Speaker 2>or three months than I've known like the last five

0:19:18.320 --> 0:19:22.400
<v Speaker 2>ten years. And so you've got that at play. So

0:19:22.560 --> 0:19:26.520
<v Speaker 2>the spurs are, yes, you want to cultivate him as

0:19:26.520 --> 0:19:29.200
<v Speaker 2>a player, but they're also working on the body. And

0:19:29.280 --> 0:19:31.399
<v Speaker 2>he said he's gained like five or ten pounds just

0:19:31.440 --> 0:19:32.919
<v Speaker 2>in the last three months. And he said that he

0:19:33.400 --> 0:19:35.920
<v Speaker 2>sort of wanted to stop at that five pounds because

0:19:35.960 --> 0:19:38.199
<v Speaker 2>he didn't want to put on too much weight too quickly.

0:19:38.760 --> 0:19:40.960
<v Speaker 1>And that's it. The muscle mass in the bulk in

0:19:41.000 --> 0:19:45.240
<v Speaker 1>the right way, in the right progression, especially with that frame. Oh, Michael,

0:19:45.240 --> 0:19:47.840
<v Speaker 1>it's gonna be fun. It's gonna be fun, and we're

0:19:47.880 --> 0:19:49.840
<v Speaker 1>gonna be here for all of it. As always, we

0:19:49.920 --> 0:19:52.520
<v Speaker 1>appreciate your time and we look forward to seeing you

0:19:52.560 --> 0:19:53.639
<v Speaker 1>throughout the course of the season.

0:19:53.720 --> 0:19:55.400
<v Speaker 2>All right, We're going to catch you down the road.

0:19:55.600 --> 0:19:58.119
<v Speaker 1>NBA Post with Sarahkustack is a production of the NBA

0:19:58.200 --> 0:20:01.639
<v Speaker 1>and iHeartRadio Police Rate Reviewing. Subscribe on the iHeartRadio app

0:20:01.760 --> 0:20:03.440
<v Speaker 1>or wherever you get your podcasts.