WEBVTT - Back From Buffalo With A Dose Of NBA History And More! 0:00:00.480 --> 0:00:02.880 You're tuned into Heat Check with Triste Quick. 0:00:06.400 --> 0:00:10.400 On this episode of the Heat Check, we're digging in 0:00:10.880 --> 0:00:16.360 to why Adam Silver and how Adam Silver loves France 0:00:16.840 --> 0:00:18.000 just so damn much. 0:00:18.640 --> 0:00:22.920 We break down Jeremy Sohan's new free throw shooting style 0:00:23.880 --> 0:00:26.239 to break down his free throw blue. We have some 0:00:26.360 --> 0:00:30.840 Karl Anthony Towns drama shocker, he's never in the news, 0:00:31.200 --> 0:00:32.920 and we also get into some other. 0:00:32.840 --> 0:00:34.680 Tea from around the league. 0:00:34.800 --> 0:00:38.239 So much popping as a trade deadline approaches, So do 0:00:38.440 --> 0:00:48.839 me a favor, Nick and drop that generic each before 0:00:48.920 --> 0:00:53.360 we get into everything popping around the league. I wanted 0:00:53.400 --> 0:00:57.960 to give a special shout out to all the good, fine, 0:00:58.160 --> 0:01:03.920 fine folks in buff New York for hosting me as 0:01:04.319 --> 0:01:08.360 America's guest in Buffalo for the Bengals Bill's game. 0:01:08.880 --> 0:01:10.440 I I'm not sure. 0:01:10.480 --> 0:01:12.360 I haven't gone through a table yet, but I believe 0:01:12.840 --> 0:01:15.440 just shy of that I'm a part of Bill's mafia, 0:01:15.480 --> 0:01:18.000 which means, of course I take some sort of blame 0:01:18.240 --> 0:01:21.480 in going there and declaring my AFC fandom just so 0:01:21.600 --> 0:01:25.360 they can get their ass at home. I'm sorry, Buffalo, 0:01:25.959 --> 0:01:28.240 we know it's a huge sports town. We talk about 0:01:28.240 --> 0:01:31.160 that not only in some of these radio hits that 0:01:31.200 --> 0:01:33.440 I do in Buffalo, but also in Rochester, so I 0:01:33.480 --> 0:01:35.720 got to talk a little hoops with them. A lot 0:01:35.720 --> 0:01:39.120 of people there reminded me multiple times that Buffalo was 0:01:39.160 --> 0:01:42.280 the original home of the what is now the LA Clippers. 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:44.880 Did you know that? If you're not a historian, you 0:01:44.920 --> 0:01:45.160 did not. 0:01:46.280 --> 0:01:52.040 And I was told an incredible story about the Buffalo Braves, 0:01:52.280 --> 0:01:55.560 which was the original NBA team, well one of the 0:01:55.600 --> 0:01:59.160 original NBA teams in Buffalo. 0:01:59.240 --> 0:02:00.640 So I had to fact check. 0:02:00.680 --> 0:02:03.400 It turns out this crazy story that they told me 0:02:03.480 --> 0:02:08.120 while I was tailgating near double propane burners trying to 0:02:08.160 --> 0:02:11.680 warm myself up at their tailgate was true. It's actually 0:02:11.720 --> 0:02:15.839 maybe the craziest reason that an NBA player has been 0:02:15.880 --> 0:02:17.280 traded in league history. 0:02:17.680 --> 0:02:19.080 It's absurd. 0:02:19.360 --> 0:02:22.079 It's it's got a little ism to it, you know 0:02:22.120 --> 0:02:24.640 what I mean, Like, there's a little there's more to 0:02:24.680 --> 0:02:27.600 this story than just that anyway. So the Buffalo Braves 0:02:28.440 --> 0:02:31.880 NBA franchise from nineteen seventy to nineteen seventy eight. They 0:02:31.880 --> 0:02:34.920 have a fascinating history in the sense that they have 0:02:35.000 --> 0:02:38.480 three Rookies of the Year in four seasons. 0:02:39.000 --> 0:02:39.760 Think about that. 0:02:40.320 --> 0:02:43.400 Three out of four of their years, they had the 0:02:43.480 --> 0:02:45.680 Rookie of the Year, and they were a team on 0:02:45.720 --> 0:02:49.280 the rise, and then all of a sudden, ownership decided, 0:02:49.680 --> 0:02:52.400 fuck it, we're just gonna take We're just gonna try 0:02:52.440 --> 0:02:56.160 to sell this team. Pretty bad luck if you're trying 0:02:56.200 --> 0:02:59.040 to sell the team with multiple Rookie of the Years 0:02:59.800 --> 0:03:02.880 in nineteen seventy six. So they're shedding guys, right, They 0:03:02.960 --> 0:03:07.520 shed Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo, the league MVP and 0:03:07.720 --> 0:03:11.160 a four time All Star at this point for cash. 0:03:11.520 --> 0:03:15.240 First of all, outside of this trade story, that's bonkers 0:03:15.680 --> 0:03:20.120 and that is absurd. David Stern would have stepped in 0:03:20.200 --> 0:03:24.880 and said no. So they wanted to deflate attendance numbers 0:03:25.200 --> 0:03:28.799 so they could just break their lease in Buffalo twenty 0:03:28.840 --> 0:03:31.240 twenty two. Buffalo would never allow this to happen, I 0:03:31.280 --> 0:03:31.880 promise you. 0:03:32.600 --> 0:03:34.200 The Braves then turned. 0:03:33.960 --> 0:03:39.200 Around and got Moses Malone, who was just absolutely a 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:42.120 monster in the pain as we know later World champ 0:03:42.200 --> 0:03:43.120 with the Sixers. 0:03:43.640 --> 0:03:45.240 His career lasted. 0:03:46.480 --> 0:03:52.920 Exactly two games in Buffalo, two games before he was 0:03:52.920 --> 0:03:53.920 traded to Houston. 0:03:54.560 --> 0:03:56.880 Why why did he get traded? What did he do 0:03:57.200 --> 0:03:58.160 that was so wrong? 0:03:58.520 --> 0:04:02.080 What was so egregious in his behavior that would cause 0:04:02.120 --> 0:04:06.160 them to move someone who's this level of a player 0:04:06.440 --> 0:04:13.600 in two games. Well, coach Tates Locke immediately got it 0:04:13.640 --> 0:04:18.320 in his mind that Moses Malone, Moses Molan was lazy 0:04:19.240 --> 0:04:25.360 because Check's notes he slumped on the bench during timeouts. 0:04:28.320 --> 0:04:29.200 No, that's the reason. 0:04:29.400 --> 0:04:33.280 That's the reason it is Moses Malone got traded from 0:04:33.320 --> 0:04:41.520 Buffalo because of bad posture. Or maybe a more reasonable 0:04:41.800 --> 0:04:45.839 idea is that Tates locks as an asshole. Edie didn't 0:04:45.960 --> 0:04:50.240 like Moses Malone like that's probably more accurate. According to 0:04:50.279 --> 0:04:53.320 the recent history of the Buffalo Braves, Locke talked the 0:04:53.360 --> 0:04:58.400 owner into trading Moses Malone immediately because I just don't 0:04:58.480 --> 0:05:00.560 like the way he sits on the bench, just rubs 0:05:00.600 --> 0:05:04.520 me the wrong way. He gives me vibes of just man. 0:05:04.720 --> 0:05:08.719 It feels like a very complacent player. 0:05:09.080 --> 0:05:13.599 Moses Malone. We're not talking about some janitor. We're talking 0:05:13.640 --> 0:05:14.880 about Moses Malone. 0:05:15.760 --> 0:05:18.240 A year later, the Braves are in San Diego, so 0:05:18.279 --> 0:05:21.520 their efforts to get themselves shipped out of Buffalo worked. 0:05:21.880 --> 0:05:24.560 They then later as we know, moved to Los Angeles 0:05:24.600 --> 0:05:28.200 because of all of the things that were happening with 0:05:28.279 --> 0:05:31.240 the Clippers, and that's where they are now. But what 0:05:31.400 --> 0:05:34.719 a story. I gotta make my way back to Buffalo. 0:05:35.080 --> 0:05:36.720 What an incredible story. 0:05:36.760 --> 0:05:37.800 That was big. 0:05:37.880 --> 0:05:40.440 Thanks to all the folks in Buffalo who came by, 0:05:40.560 --> 0:05:43.279 said hello, did not throw me through a table, gave 0:05:43.320 --> 0:05:46.640 me the original Buffalo Wings, showed me a great time. 0:05:47.000 --> 0:05:49.280 Went to Auto's amazing subs. 0:05:49.960 --> 0:05:52.279 I think there's like a sausage patty and some sort 0:05:52.320 --> 0:05:55.919 of meat thing in there and cheese awesome. Also Chop 0:05:56.200 --> 0:05:59.160 Gene Battaglia bulldog who did not come out, but we'll 0:05:59.160 --> 0:06:01.679 see him next time. And now I know what Bill's 0:06:01.720 --> 0:06:05.480 mafia is truly like. So onto the league current league news. 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:08.720 I just had to share that before we got into 0:06:08.760 --> 0:06:12.000 more ridiculousness from our current commissioner. 0:06:11.640 --> 0:06:12.320 Adam Silver. 0:06:14.200 --> 0:06:19.480 So we've talked about how much Adam Silver just fawns 0:06:19.520 --> 0:06:23.160 over Europe, just loves it, just loves everything about the culture. 0:06:23.520 --> 0:06:26.200 Clearly wants to be a part of the culture, wants 0:06:26.200 --> 0:06:27.320 this culture to be a part of the. 0:06:27.360 --> 0:06:28.159 NBA in some way. 0:06:29.200 --> 0:06:33.040 And now I feel like there's even more evidence of that. 0:06:34.000 --> 0:06:38.320 A new country has struck Adam Silver's fancy and it 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:39.360 is France. 0:06:39.480 --> 0:06:45.080 Currently in love, currently a Franco file real quick. 0:06:45.440 --> 0:06:48.800 As an aside, if you look at Adam Silver, does 0:06:48.839 --> 0:06:51.719 he kind of just look like the guy who just 0:06:51.760 --> 0:06:54.599 picture him in your mind? Doesn't he look like someone 0:06:54.600 --> 0:06:58.640 who would correct you for saying croissant wrong? I guess 0:06:58.720 --> 0:07:03.920 quissant it's and I was like, okay, guy, you're American. 0:07:04.160 --> 0:07:06.839 Doesn't he seem kind of like the guy who has. 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:11.280 A couple maybe five, maybe seven berets in his closet 0:07:11.360 --> 0:07:14.560 in different colors that he wears with a turtleneck when 0:07:14.600 --> 0:07:19.520 he goes out to a French restaurant and orders Flakral, Like, 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:20.720 doesn't that seem. 0:07:20.440 --> 0:07:21.320 Like Adam Silver? 0:07:22.080 --> 0:07:25.000 Like you just know when he goes to dinner parties, 0:07:25.000 --> 0:07:28.360 he regales you with that time that he discovered one 0:07:28.360 --> 0:07:31.080 of the best cheeses on the planet when he took 0:07:31.120 --> 0:07:34.640 his trip with his lovely wife to Roquefort. You know, 0:07:35.080 --> 0:07:38.679 like that's him, That's Adam Silver, and he's gonna shove 0:07:38.760 --> 0:07:41.200 French culture down our throats whether we like it or not. 0:07:41.440 --> 0:07:42.640 That's just what's going down. 0:07:42.960 --> 0:07:46.400 So last week they decided to have a game in Paris. 0:07:46.680 --> 0:07:50.480 NBA did first ever game in the city of Lights. 0:07:51.120 --> 0:07:54.160 Who played in that game? Was it? Was it Lakers Bucks? 0:07:54.840 --> 0:07:57.800 Was it somebody star studded? Do we get to see 0:07:58.040 --> 0:08:01.240 I don't know, do we get to see Steph Curry 0:08:01.280 --> 0:08:06.040 and the Warriors play against I don't know, even the 0:08:06.080 --> 0:08:07.120 Boston Celtics. 0:08:07.680 --> 0:08:09.240 Oh, it was much better than that. 0:08:09.440 --> 0:08:13.800 Something really to just warm your palette up a little bit, 0:08:13.880 --> 0:08:18.080 get you get the juices going. It was they decided 0:08:18.160 --> 0:08:21.800 to send the dead last Detroit Pistons with a total 0:08:21.840 --> 0:08:26.720 of twelve wins, to face the Chicago Bulls on the 0:08:26.840 --> 0:08:29.400 verge of a rebuild. Did the French have they not 0:08:29.520 --> 0:08:33.920 been tuning into the NBA since Michael Jordan era, because 0:08:34.000 --> 0:08:38.439 that that game in nineteen ninety one would have been amazing. 0:08:39.400 --> 0:08:42.480 But hey, zach Lavine's name does sound. 0:08:42.320 --> 0:08:46.720 A little French, Leval zach Levan, so that counts, I 0:08:46.720 --> 0:08:49.720 think for something. So I'm watching the game at three PM, 0:08:50.160 --> 0:08:55.440 which is in itself weird, but nothing is weirder than 0:08:55.480 --> 0:09:02.439 when you're watching Adam Silver chare karoons with Emmanuel Macron 0:09:03.559 --> 0:09:06.480 of French Presidents, right, like that's how he wanted me 0:09:06.520 --> 0:09:06.800 to say it. 0:09:06.800 --> 0:09:08.560 I wouldn't say it like that. That's how he wanted 0:09:08.559 --> 0:09:09.040 me to say it. 0:09:09.040 --> 0:09:13.960 So, according to the AP over a Cafe, Adam Silver 0:09:14.120 --> 0:09:19.400 and Macron struck a deal to work together with the 0:09:19.400 --> 0:09:23.560 hopes of continuing to grow the game of basketball internationally 0:09:23.600 --> 0:09:27.560 in France. So the question is now, why now, why 0:09:27.559 --> 0:09:30.240 are we doing this now? Well, if you know anything 0:09:30.240 --> 0:09:34.000 about what's popping around the league, you know why. Adam 0:09:34.040 --> 0:09:38.400 Silver has been commissioner for a very long time. We 0:09:38.480 --> 0:09:42.199 know he's been loving things France, all things French since 0:09:42.240 --> 0:09:44.480 I don't know, like he went to the Louver on 0:09:44.520 --> 0:09:47.680 a senior class trip at his private school. We know 0:09:48.280 --> 0:09:53.240 he's been in love with French women for fifty years now. 0:09:53.280 --> 0:09:56.839 So why the urgency, why this international deal at this moment? 0:09:57.960 --> 0:10:02.320 I mean, it's very simple. It's two words. It's stick 0:10:02.360 --> 0:10:04.160 your Wambiyama like it's him. 0:10:04.440 --> 0:10:07.320 Yeah, the guy Magic Johnson just came out and called 0:10:07.360 --> 0:10:10.160 the best player of the world. He is coming to America, 0:10:10.520 --> 0:10:15.080 presumably going to blow basketball up in France along the way, 0:10:15.320 --> 0:10:17.840 because the French are gonna be so excited. They have 0:10:18.000 --> 0:10:22.040 only had Tony Parker and Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier, 0:10:22.320 --> 0:10:25.959 like they finally get a real guy in the NBA, right, 0:10:26.000 --> 0:10:27.880 they finally get someone they can be proud of, not 0:10:28.000 --> 0:10:31.600 some chucklehead that they all get made fun of about. 0:10:32.000 --> 0:10:33.920 And then you add in the twenty twenty four Olympics, 0:10:33.920 --> 0:10:37.760 which by the way, is in Paris. Even though we 0:10:37.960 --> 0:10:40.959 just had the Olympics in Tokyo, feels like just yesterday 0:10:41.600 --> 0:10:42.679 and now we have a. 0:10:42.679 --> 0:10:48.080 Full blown partnership going on. So what is in this 0:10:48.200 --> 0:10:49.800 international coord that they just struck? 0:10:50.640 --> 0:10:53.960 First and foremost, They're going to have a collab between 0:10:54.160 --> 0:10:58.319 the NBA and the LNB, the French Professional Basketball League. 0:10:58.320 --> 0:11:00.560 So we already saw that to a degree so far 0:11:00.600 --> 0:11:04.360 this year. More exhibitions like we saw with the Metropolitan 0:11:04.480 --> 0:11:07.880 ninety two and Victor Wambiyama against the G League Knight 0:11:07.960 --> 0:11:11.080 and Scoot Henderson Rights. That was a game that we 0:11:11.160 --> 0:11:12.600 all liked to see. Was in Vegas. 0:11:12.600 --> 0:11:15.200 It was lit. And beyond that, there were two things 0:11:15.200 --> 0:11:18.280 that came from this trip. The league. You're gonna hype 0:11:18.360 --> 0:11:20.640 up the Olympics, probably. 0:11:20.320 --> 0:11:22.520 Meaning that Adam Silver is going to put pressure on 0:11:22.600 --> 0:11:25.440 all the big stars to show up and play. Steph Curry, 0:11:25.480 --> 0:11:27.920 You're fucking playing in these Olympics now, like you're not 0:11:28.080 --> 0:11:31.720 ducking this anymore. You're on the tail end. You've been saying, 0:11:31.720 --> 0:11:34.480 you've been part of this championship window. You don't want 0:11:34.480 --> 0:11:36.920 to compete in international basketball because it messes up your 0:11:37.400 --> 0:11:43.120 your training regimen and your calendar of load and duration frequency, 0:11:43.240 --> 0:11:45.559 and you don't want to tail off before the season 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:47.960 gets to a turning point. 0:11:48.040 --> 0:11:50.360 But no, no, no, you're playing in Paris, Steph. That's 0:11:50.400 --> 0:11:52.840 what's happening. Demarto Rosen's already committed. 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:55.839 Not sure if that moves the needle from an international perspective, 0:11:55.840 --> 0:11:58.760 but the second thing that they decided. 0:11:58.320 --> 0:11:59.280 On is fascinating. 0:12:01.000 --> 0:12:04.400 NBA and French officials are going to work together to 0:12:04.559 --> 0:12:10.120 grow the game in Africa. Why well, we've heard this 0:12:10.280 --> 0:12:13.439 multiple times from folks like Jerry West. Other gms around 0:12:13.440 --> 0:12:17.360 the league are talking about Okay hoopers from Victor Wambayama, 0:12:17.520 --> 0:12:23.000 Rudy Gobert and Bape and Soccer all having roots in Africa. 0:12:23.360 --> 0:12:26.280 Jerry West has said that at Summer League that the 0:12:26.400 --> 0:12:29.000 NBA is deeply interested in that corner of the world 0:12:29.040 --> 0:12:35.200 because that partnership feels like probably where the NBA is 0:12:35.280 --> 0:12:39.640 going future of the league all stems from that France 0:12:39.960 --> 0:12:43.560 Africa connection. And now Adam Silver has aligned himself with 0:12:43.600 --> 0:12:45.800 the government whose colonial policies. 0:12:45.920 --> 0:12:48.040 Controlled most of the area. So it's a win win, 0:12:48.240 --> 0:12:51.360 right Like, so who knows what that means? What is 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:52.559 the end goal of all this? 0:12:53.760 --> 0:12:56.559 Well, there's a closer relationship, most likely between the NBA 0:12:56.600 --> 0:12:59.920 and the EuroLeague, and surprise, surprise, the same day of 0:13:00.040 --> 0:13:03.920 the accords of the EuroLeague announced they were having talks 0:13:03.920 --> 0:13:08.000 to fix the kind of fractured relationship between the two entities. 0:13:09.320 --> 0:13:10.199 Everybody wants the. 0:13:10.160 --> 0:13:14.040 Olympic Games to go well, right, but ultimately, for Adam Silver, 0:13:14.440 --> 0:13:17.920 a franchise in Paris has to be the end game. 0:13:19.440 --> 0:13:23.080 Pick me, pick me, I'm coming, I'm going. Whatever the 0:13:23.160 --> 0:13:26.600 name of the franchise is, I am in. I'm changing 0:13:26.640 --> 0:13:29.720 my entire life. I'm sure that they would love an 0:13:29.800 --> 0:13:33.120 NBA betting analyst to show up and eat some. 0:13:33.440 --> 0:13:35.000 Macaroons with macron. 0:13:36.120 --> 0:13:39.520 I don't think it's gonna happen like tomorrow, but maybe 0:13:39.559 --> 0:13:44.040 like ten years, ten, fifteen years from now. The NBA 0:13:44.200 --> 0:13:47.400 is going to be international folks in our lifetime. And Paris, 0:13:48.040 --> 0:13:55.400 of course is at the top of Adam silver first list, 0:14:06.880 --> 0:14:11.800 the return of one of the wildest free throw shooting motions, 0:14:11.800 --> 0:14:15.679 and I don't mean underhanded. So Ricky Jeremy Sohan of 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:19.240 the Spurs is known. 0:14:19.400 --> 0:14:24.640 For three things. One he wears his hair like Rodman. 0:14:25.400 --> 0:14:32.800 Two he's pretty much playing oncannily like Rodman, and three, 0:14:33.960 --> 0:14:37.080 just like Rodman, he can't shoot free throws at all. 0:14:37.240 --> 0:14:41.800 The kid has a horrible, horrible free throw shooting percentage. 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:46.360 He shot fifty nine percent at Baylor and only as 0:14:46.440 --> 0:14:49.440 slightly improved as sixty three percent, which is okay, I guess, 0:14:49.480 --> 0:14:51.960 not great though, for a guy who's probably gonna get 0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:55.600 fouled a lot, targeted a lot by teams latent games, 0:14:56.120 --> 0:15:00.480 which is why, uh he shocked a lot of people 0:15:00.640 --> 0:15:05.520 when he randomly started shooting free throws one handed. 0:15:06.200 --> 0:15:09.000 Yeah. Yeah, so Hann explained it like this. 0:15:09.800 --> 0:15:13.560 During shoot around, before I even touched the ball, Coach 0:15:13.600 --> 0:15:15.600 Pop and Brett Brown came up to me and they said, 0:15:16.000 --> 0:15:19.200 you're shooting with one hand for this game, and I 0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:23.040 just this is tremendous and I just did it. It's 0:15:23.080 --> 0:15:26.160 about my development versus how it looks and whatever. 0:15:26.240 --> 0:15:28.280 I'm just gonna listen to that. I'm gonna do my best. 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:31.200 Why one handed, you might ask, well, because it keeps 0:15:31.200 --> 0:15:34.400 his elbow tucked, which is a major flaw. 0:15:34.160 --> 0:15:36.280 In his forum to date. Actually, that's one of the 0:15:36.280 --> 0:15:37.760 flaws of Yannis too. 0:15:37.920 --> 0:15:41.440 Jannis puts his elbows out and that's one of the 0:15:41.480 --> 0:15:46.640 great flaws that has him getting absolutely trolled from fans 0:15:46.640 --> 0:15:47.560 across the country. 0:15:47.640 --> 0:15:48.680 And it's actually working. 0:15:48.960 --> 0:15:51.680 So ever, since he started shooting one handed, he went 0:15:51.760 --> 0:15:57.520 from shooting forty six percent to seventy six percent, so 0:15:58.360 --> 0:16:00.800 and it's pretty good. It speaks a lot to how 0:16:00.840 --> 0:16:03.040 so hand is though as a player. Right the notes 0:16:03.080 --> 0:16:05.320 on him before the draft were that he's very coachable, 0:16:05.440 --> 0:16:08.440 very hard working. Everything that we've seen from him right now, 0:16:09.120 --> 0:16:12.160 including the one handed free throws, tells us that's pretty 0:16:12.200 --> 0:16:14.960 much true. He's coachable and that's probably going to carry 0:16:15.040 --> 0:16:16.800 him a long way in a team that is going 0:16:16.880 --> 0:16:19.600 to need guys that they can coach, because this is 0:16:19.640 --> 0:16:23.440 a rebuilding team. Pop had this to say about him 0:16:23.480 --> 0:16:26.800 defending opposing team star players. He said, Yeah, it's been 0:16:26.920 --> 0:16:29.520 thrilling to watch this guy. He's fearless. 0:16:30.120 --> 0:16:32.840 He's only seen these guys on TV, and we have 0:16:33.000 --> 0:16:34.920 him go guard them all the time. 0:16:35.520 --> 0:16:38.680 This is Greg Popovich, the guy who is we'll call 0:16:38.720 --> 0:16:41.200 it a little gun shy about giving compliments That is 0:16:41.240 --> 0:16:45.240 pretty much the closest thing to a compliment Popovich has 0:16:45.280 --> 0:16:48.320 ever given out since he last dealt with the great 0:16:48.960 --> 0:16:50.280 late Craig Seger. 0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:51.960 So if so Han turns. 0:16:51.640 --> 0:16:55.000 Out to be half the player that Rodman does, he's 0:16:55.040 --> 0:16:57.200 going to be probably the steal in the twenty twenty 0:16:57.200 --> 0:16:59.800 two draft. I wanted Portland to draft him, not what 0:17:00.080 --> 0:17:03.080 wasn't gonna happen because he was just so low down 0:17:03.200 --> 0:17:04.640 the level of needs. 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:07.000 That the Blazers had. And he's still raw. 0:17:07.640 --> 0:17:10.960 Some Knights will have zero points, some Knights so have fifteen. 0:17:11.400 --> 0:17:14.359 But he has a talent, has a grit, and a 0:17:14.400 --> 0:17:17.000 place like San Antonio needs him and if they know, 0:17:17.119 --> 0:17:19.800 and they do, I think, know how to nurture that talent. 0:17:20.880 --> 0:17:22.879 Sky is the limit. 0:17:24.000 --> 0:17:27.160 So you're probably tired of hearing about Carl Anthony Towns 0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:29.080 because even writing. 0:17:28.720 --> 0:17:31.920 This, I was kind of like, you know, I'm just done. 0:17:32.280 --> 0:17:36.240 I'm just done with him. He's not even playing right now. 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:38.560 Why are we even discussing him? 0:17:38.960 --> 0:17:44.800 And yet during his recovery, he's managed to do the impossible. 0:17:45.760 --> 0:17:49.320 He he's making himself even more unlikable than ever before. 0:17:49.800 --> 0:17:52.800 And listen, my New Year's resolution. 0:17:53.160 --> 0:17:55.879 I said this before is to be kinder and gentler 0:17:56.200 --> 0:17:59.240 to Karl Anthony Towns. And so this is me trying 0:17:59.280 --> 0:18:05.040 to even though he's annoying. His latest hullabaloo, well, Towns 0:18:05.080 --> 0:18:10.480 has gone after the Wolves very publicly for giving an 0:18:10.560 --> 0:18:13.960 overly optimistic timeline for his injury recovery. 0:18:15.400 --> 0:18:17.640 Ah, he has a calf tair stinks. 0:18:18.000 --> 0:18:21.359 The severity of it has been debated. It happened about 0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:24.719 a month ago. The Wolves released info that Karl Anthony 0:18:24.760 --> 0:18:28.040 Towns's calf strain was a Grade two and the recovery 0:18:28.040 --> 0:18:30.240 for a grade too cash strain is between four to 0:18:30.280 --> 0:18:34.520 six weeks. But that time has come and that time 0:18:34.600 --> 0:18:38.159 has gone, and now Karl Anthony Towns is mad. He 0:18:38.280 --> 0:18:40.760 is big mad. This is what he said. It was 0:18:41.280 --> 0:18:44.439 never a grade two strain. It was never going to 0:18:44.560 --> 0:18:47.960 be a Grade two strain. Unfortunately, I prayed to God 0:18:48.000 --> 0:18:51.080 Almighty that it was a Grade two, but I knew 0:18:51.080 --> 0:18:55.040 that it wasn't. It was a Grade three. Grade three 0:18:55.440 --> 0:18:57.800 is a full blown tear. A lot of times you 0:18:57.880 --> 0:19:01.080 need surgery. It could be god knows how long before 0:19:01.119 --> 0:19:05.960 he comes back. And yeah, he's mad, reasonably so, because 0:19:06.119 --> 0:19:09.119 his team is lying about his injury and giving not 0:19:09.160 --> 0:19:11.800 only false hope to the fans that he's coming back 0:19:11.880 --> 0:19:14.960 anytime soon, which is not. But then when he doesn't 0:19:15.000 --> 0:19:17.520 play according to their timeline, what does it make Karl 0:19:17.560 --> 0:19:18.639 Anthony Towns look like? 0:19:19.080 --> 0:19:22.360 Makes him look like people already consider him soft. 0:19:23.200 --> 0:19:28.600 Carl Anthony Towns is being shaped and the narrative continues 0:19:28.640 --> 0:19:33.840 to persist as him being overly soft grade three strain. 0:19:34.600 --> 0:19:36.679 NAT's a no, no, you're not coming back from that 0:19:36.800 --> 0:19:42.879 anytime soon. Kat then continued, NBA team was trying to 0:19:42.960 --> 0:19:47.480 say four to six weeks. There was no way with 0:19:47.600 --> 0:19:52.000 the injury. I sustained it's a very significant injury. I 0:19:52.040 --> 0:19:54.000 don't know if they were trying to give false hope 0:19:54.040 --> 0:19:55.520 to the fans or what the. 0:19:55.440 --> 0:19:56.080 Case may be. 0:19:57.280 --> 0:20:00.760 Listen, I think Carl Anthony Towns is very unlikable. I 0:20:00.800 --> 0:20:04.359 think a lot of times he's he's his own worst enemy. 0:20:05.600 --> 0:20:09.159 But at this point, I am on team Karl Anthony Towns. 0:20:09.560 --> 0:20:13.440 I am a thousand percent in his corner. They should 0:20:13.520 --> 0:20:18.359 know better, Minnesota, how dare you right? How dare you 0:20:18.359 --> 0:20:22.520 You're already knowing that your star player is battling a 0:20:22.560 --> 0:20:27.000 reputation for being soft, and now he's gonna be called 0:20:27.080 --> 0:20:30.399 that over something that you did, over. 0:20:30.320 --> 0:20:32.800 News that you incorrectly gave out. 0:20:33.119 --> 0:20:36.160 That is just dumb. That is just doodoo, dumb, dumb, 0:20:36.240 --> 0:20:40.920 dumb dumb. I think the Wolves are a mess. We've 0:20:40.920 --> 0:20:45.040 said that before, but this type of stuff is bush league, 0:20:45.400 --> 0:20:48.600 and this is an incident, even as small as it is, 0:20:49.480 --> 0:20:52.160 that has done nothing to change my mind about what's 0:20:52.200 --> 0:20:55.159 going on there with Tim Connolly, who's supposed to be 0:20:55.240 --> 0:21:00.920 absolutely goaded, is doing what he can to change his 0:21:00.960 --> 0:21:04.400 reputation day by day. And listen, there's social We talked 0:21:04.400 --> 0:21:08.119 about this. They tried to coin the nickname Gobzilla for 0:21:08.280 --> 0:21:11.359 Rudy Gobert, and that trade's been a disaster. 0:21:11.960 --> 0:21:13.080 Minnesot is probably. 0:21:12.800 --> 0:21:15.240 Not gonna make the play in tournament and we got 0:21:15.240 --> 0:21:19.120 Austin Rivers as the team pr spokesman. You just can't 0:21:19.160 --> 0:21:21.760 get much worse than that. As of now, we have 0:21:21.840 --> 0:21:25.080 no idea when Towns is going to return, maybe. 0:21:24.760 --> 0:21:28.040 The playoffs, if they're even in the playoffs. 0:21:27.720 --> 0:21:30.480 No guarantee that they're even gonna make it there. And 0:21:30.520 --> 0:21:33.399 if that's the case, I think things get very dicey. 0:21:33.520 --> 0:21:40.200 In the offseason, we got some trades, our very first 0:21:40.600 --> 0:21:46.720 deal of the NBA twenty twenty three trade deadline is complete. 0:21:46.920 --> 0:21:50.560 And if you add Ruy Hachi Mura on your Bengo card, 0:21:51.640 --> 0:21:54.040 I mean you're a liar. Congratulations, you're a liar. 0:21:54.680 --> 0:21:56.000 I don't think anyone. 0:21:55.800 --> 0:21:58.879 Besides maybe Wizards fans thought that he might be the 0:21:58.920 --> 0:22:02.280 first person moved. And it wasn't like people didn't see 0:22:02.320 --> 0:22:06.400 it coming, because they did. They've been asking Ruie questions, Hey, 0:22:07.560 --> 0:22:09.679 do you want to be traded? And he's like, I 0:22:09.720 --> 0:22:13.639 don't know, and they're like, have you asked formally for 0:22:13.800 --> 0:22:18.520 a trade? Uh, that's no comment. So that was like 0:22:18.600 --> 0:22:21.880 twenty four hours before he was traded. So things started 0:22:21.880 --> 0:22:24.720 bubbling up a little bit in terms of Ruie getting moved. 0:22:25.119 --> 0:22:28.119 And as a side note, anytime you ask someone a 0:22:28.240 --> 0:22:31.080 question that's a yes or a no question and they 0:22:31.160 --> 0:22:35.840 answer no comment, yeah, that's probably something bad. 0:22:36.000 --> 0:22:37.480 He did ask to be traded. 0:22:37.840 --> 0:22:40.280 Otherwise he would have just said no, right, he would 0:22:40.280 --> 0:22:42.760 have just said plainly, nah, I haven't done that. So 0:22:43.720 --> 0:22:46.200 the Kings and the MAVs have been kicking his tires 0:22:46.240 --> 0:22:47.040 for a week or more. 0:22:48.640 --> 0:22:51.639 But boyle boy, did I not see the LA Lakers coming? 0:22:52.640 --> 0:22:53.000 Oh? 0:22:53.520 --> 0:22:57.480 Yes, the team that everybody including Jeanie Buss said, was 0:22:57.520 --> 0:23:01.600 going to be standing packed they trade Kendrick Nunn. 0:23:02.200 --> 0:23:06.200 Sad said, you cannot assess. 0:23:06.320 --> 0:23:11.200 This Lakers team without a fully healthy Kendrick Nunn. I've 0:23:11.200 --> 0:23:14.560 been saying this for forty eight months. It feels like 0:23:15.000 --> 0:23:18.040 you don't know what you have in this Lakers team 0:23:18.400 --> 0:23:21.520 without Kendrick Nunn. And now that he's gone, how can 0:23:21.600 --> 0:23:26.320