Buzzing Off: League on Notice?

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[00:02:19] From the east to the west, it's the order we shout. It's about to go down. Yes. Happy Friday out there. Let's get this weekend started. You are now listening to the sounds of Sports Report Disorder.

[00:02:48] Those sounds are brought to you by the one and only world famous, world renowned, Super Nick Fan. He goes by the name of Mr. Lottical. Jersey is in the house. Absolutely. And then down here in the Alamo, it's your unorthodox statistician. Going left so much, you thought I was southpaw. I go by the name of 2-5. We got a lot to get to tonight.

[00:03:12] More trades, trade rumors, NBA draft reaction, and much, much more. So let's take it from the top. Mr. Lottical. Yeah. Weird. So I was sitting here, right? NBA draft ended. I admit, a little more lackluster than I thought it would be. I don't know why you thought it was going to be luster at all. You know what I'm saying?

[00:03:38] And then, you know, you know what Shams did before they closed up shop? Shams let it off. The Wolves bomb. Yeah, he hit it off just like. That's what he did. And it was like, oh, LaMelo Ball is on the trade block? So then I woke up the next morning, and probably before I could even brush my teeth,

[00:04:08] everybody was going crazy about this trade. So I was like, all right, let's see what they got. And then when I saw what Minnesota gave up, I just went. So I was sitting there, and I was just like, hold on now. All right, so LaMelo ball, Mr. Logical. And Josh Green to Minnesota for Nas Reed. A 2023 first round pick. First round swaps in 2028 through 2030.

[00:04:38] And then second rounders in 29, 32, and 33. Reaction, sir. They gave up a bunch of nothing because they're a team that just likes to suffer. You had probably one of the most remarkable post-New Year's Eve basketball stories short of the Knicks.

[00:05:09] If you think about, like, that Knicks final run, it was like what the Knicks did in the finals. If you think about maybe the fall of the Pacers and, like, how bad they were in the last half of the season. But the way that the Hornets played, okay, we'll just use a lot of demarcations January 1 to the end of the season. It's like they were top three or four in the league.

[00:05:36] Win, loss, efficiency, all these other stats. Rookie, what most people argue would be the rookie of the year. Led the league in three-point shots. So I just feel like they had something really going that was worth paying LaMelo the extension on top of the extension he already has. Because you already have him, I think it was like three years, 130, left on his current one.

[00:06:04] They probably would have negotiated for another two years, a haunted. So you got him five years, 230, which is a bargain considering, I think, Chet, J-Will, Jason Tatum, Jalen Brown, Shea Gilchrist-Alexander, Jokic, probably Luka. Most of those guys are probably getting more now over a five-year span.

[00:06:34] So to have your guy who is the spark plug to your offense and pretty much your offensive personality, you just let him go for the sixth man of the year and a bunch of picks of guys who are currently 16, 14, 15, and 16 years old.

[00:07:03] Right now, if I'm doing the math, because my son is class 2027. He's 17 right now. So if you got a 2030 pick, was it 2030, 2031? Yeah, so the swaps are 2028 through 2030, and then second rounders in 29, 32, and 33.

[00:07:25] Okay, so you traded LaMelo Ball for the potential of six random teenagers, six current teenagers. Like, let's keep it real. Like, let's really do the math here. Like, six teenagers right now between the ages of 15 to 17. 15 to 18. That's what you traded them for. I've got something for you.

[00:07:54] All right, let's hear it. You know what I'm saying? This is a 2-5. So I was thinking about this earlier, because I don't think the Hornets should have made this trade, but I knew you were going to, like, be on that side as well. So I kind of tried to just, like, dig, right? Like, there has to be something I can come up with, right?

[00:08:22] And then, so I came up with two things. So the first thing, actually three things. So the first thing, you know, LaMelo in his career has only played more than 60 games twice. Now, granted, one of those was this year. You know what I mean? When they went to the play-in game, right? They played Miami. You know, that was the game where he pulled on Bam's ankle.

[00:08:49] You know, he scored 30 points, had 10 assists, five rebounds. But this is the crazy part, Mr. Logical. He went 12 for 31 in that game. He went 2 for 16 from 3 in that game. And then the next game, they lost by 30 to Orlando. No. Okay. What was Jalen Brunson through two games in the NBA Finals? Because you were updating me.

[00:09:16] He was 30 of 82 or something like that. Oh, no, that was game three. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So he was, like, 21 to 61. That's the leniency you can. Right, but that was the NBA Finals, though. I'm just saying shooting, the shooting stack could be misleading. It could still be impactful. But I feel you. So this was the other part, the bigger part of this. So the Hornets got all these future picks. And now we talk about the NBA draft reform. We talk about the aprons.

[00:09:46] So you got to kind of build your team with foresight in mind, right? Well, Mr. Logical, next season, at the end of next season, Nikola Jokic is a free agent. You know, Steph Curry is a free agent. Not that, you know, and I mean, he's from there, right? Like, he grew up there. Donovan Mitchell is a free agent. You know, if Anthony Davis doesn't get maxed, he's a free agent.

[00:10:14] So maybe there's a bigger play involved here. Now, granted, so out of those names I just said, Jokic is the only one that really would factor into this type of decision. But the problem with Jokic is his player option at the end of next year is 62.8. He's probably cashing that in. You know what I mean? So, yeah, that's what I came up with. But back to this. So Minnesota, right? I was thinking about this. Real quick, real quick.

[00:10:42] But that's why you got to come up with something, because it doesn't make any sense. So Ant, right? That's always my argument. Like, I debate with people, argue with people all the time. And like I said, I'm a logical thinker. So if you're talking to me logically, your conversation back and forth will make sense to both people. It won't need any caveats. I got a friend of mine. Shout out to my boy Carl Dixon.

[00:11:12] He said his mom should tell him this. Listen, son, it's the truth. You can't add anything to it. You can't take anything from it. The truth of the matter is this was a bad trade by a team and a style of self-sabotage that many NBA teams seem to exhibit every single offseason. We talk about it all the time.

[00:11:36] Like, these teams get themselves a position of where we got to this level of the mountain, we'll use as the analogy. Yes, everybody doesn't get to the mountain the first time. You and I talk about the time we live in Utah. There's been plenty of times I wanted to go for a hike and realize like, hey, you know what? Maybe 7,000 feet is enough. Let's go ahead and hit this tree, turn back around, come back down. Next time I might get the 8,500.

[00:12:06] But I don't want to stop going hiking. All right, so I just thought of one more thing. I just thought of one more thing. All right, so of course, like, the way that I look at this is back to your original point. You know, saying you run it back this year after what you accomplished this year and see if it was a fluke or not. You know, saying maybe you can get a top six. You know, you talked about how you don't have big expectations for Miami right now. Philly in their health. You know, what's going on with Jalen Brown?

[00:12:36] What's Boston going to look like next year? You know, James Harden ain't taking a team anywhere. So, like, you start to look around. I'm not saying that the Hornets can make a finals run or anything like that. But you know what I mean? But you could probably get into that top five-ish conversation maybe. If you're sitting in that room, you can honestly say, hey, I think we're more likely to be four or five than Miami at this point than Cleveland.

[00:13:06] I think you can be confident. If you're an intern in that room, you can stand up and say, hey, I think we'll finish ahead of Orlando, Cleveland, and Miami this year in the East, which are two really good teams. Because, you know, that middle-ranked team, I think you can confidently stand up based on what you had at the end of last year going into next year.

[00:13:28] You can say, I think we can get to five and be at five comfortably all year long. If you're in the Charlotte board meetings, team meetings, player development meetings, whatever level meeting you're in. But I don't think they can say that now. So, the other part of this, you know, that just dawned on me, you know, I was thinking.

[00:13:55] So, they just drafted Christian Anderson, you know, who I think is the best shooter in the draft. They just drafted Heinz Steinbeck that led the nation in rebounding last year. But, you know, you got Brandon Miller probably coming up, you know, for his rookie extension. You know, you got to have some money down the road for Khan. You got these guys, these two guys that I just mentioned on rookie contracts starting out.

[00:14:22] Well, they just paid Kobe White three years, $74 million. But that was after the trade. No, I know, I know. But that was probably a part of the plan, though. Like, if we – But you wouldn't need Kobe White if he already had LaMelo. Right. But Kobe White is more, I guess, reliable is the word as far as, like, playing – like, knowing that he's going to play a lot of these games. So, from that standpoint, it's – You mean you're playing 101 and made 2K tonight? Are you taking Kobe White against me if I'm playing with LaMelo Ball?

[00:14:51] No. I might. He's a really good shooter. But anyway. If mornings feel harder than they should, your sleep might be the reason. The original bamboo sheets by Karaloja create five-star comfort that helps you fall asleep faster and sleep deeper, thanks to the natural, cooling, soft benefits of Karaloja bamboo fabrics.

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[00:15:48] We're back to the final game between savings and expenses. It's exciting. You win perfectly prepared by the rent, but the cost is dangerous. And now we're spending money on the field. A bonus card. Bonus, bonus, and the top is suddenly a business. Go! In the last second, the hell the hell is not. Finanzen will never be so exciting as football, but we'll give our best. Konto, Geschäftskonto, Unternehmen, Fundament, Buchhaltung.

[00:16:18] But no, no, no. This is a 16-dynamic. No, but that's what I was going to get to. So with Minnesota, I think people are looking at this as, oh, we're about to get this offensive explosion between Ant and LaMelo. And I tell y'all, caution on that. Because all I see is bad shots, bad IQ, you know, at the end of the game, a whole lot of erraticness. And, you know, but then on top of that, Minnesota,

[00:16:47] by losing a guy like Nas Reed, I feel like they've lost some of their identity. Like, you remember back in the day when the Celtics made the big deal, like, oh, we traded Kendrick Perkins. And it was like, nah, get out of here. But Nas Reed was the heart of that team. The city loves him. You know, like you said, he was the sixth man of the year. They already traded Randall. So now free agency starts on Tuesday.

[00:17:13] But now you're starting free agency very thin at the four, unless Jaden McDaniels is going to be that four. So from that standpoint. It's a traditional four. Unless you do. It's a traditional four. I think everyone's kind of enamored with the stretch four. But every team has one. Well, that's the thing. Every team has a stretch four. And how many of them would you consider perennial all-stars? It's nice because they can do that.

[00:17:41] So if I got LaMelo and Ant, I'll get me a regular Luke Cornett kind of four. I use him as an example because he's the most recent guy. Well, that would be fine if OKC and San Antonio weren't trying to build the biggest teams on earth. Like, you know what I'm saying? Well, that's the thing. You're not going to be able to beat them out in one year when they – OKC built their team by being –

[00:18:07] not being bad, but they were just not a really good team for a handful of years, three, four, five years. And then they made correct decisions and they got the bodies in and these bodies developed. Same thing with San Antonio. We talked about it. This is Wendy's third year. The first two, I think they won 60 games combined, if my math is correct. That's not even included with him on the floor, but I think overall it's a season. I think they had a couple of 30-something in 50 years or something like that.

[00:18:36] So they built the team, but they drafted big guys. Minnesota's not going to be able to compete with that, but it's like, you know what? If we can go firepower and support power, like we can get the planes that can drop the biggest bombs and then maybe some really good helicopters. Maybe we can win this out. Yeah, so they're taking a gamble that – because we've been talking about this for the last couple of weeks. Is Jaden McDaniels going to be able to keep up what we saw in the playoffs?

[00:19:03] Was that the beginning of the new Jaden Daniels, or was that just matchup dependent? You know, then of course – Can you make him your six-man? No, because you need his defense. You know, he's the best defender on the roster, so you're going to need – that's not named Gobert. So you're going to need him on the roster. Now, I was wondering if there was maybe a Gobert move in the cards, but I don't think so for this year. That might come later.

[00:19:30] Then you got Terrence Shannon that you're going to try to get some minutes for. You know, maybe you'll flip Josh Green and try to get something else. You know, but they needed this. They needed the point guard. You know, there were talks about, hey, are they going to get Ja? Are they going to get Kyrie? They did one better. They got a younger guy that's more athletic at this point. Well, maybe not more athletic than Ja, but with the height involved, you know, it becomes an advantage.

[00:19:57] So if you could get Melo to just make an effort on defense, then Minnesota's still sitting there pretty nicely because we still got to see what the Lakers are going to do. You know, they paid Austin Breeze. We'll get to that in a little bit. But from reports, they haven't even offered LeBron a contract yet. So that's that. What is Houston going to do? There's a whole lot of mess going on there and a whole lot of talk around them. So maybe Minnesota is not that off right now. You know what I mean?

[00:20:27] They just need to shore up the four. Like I was telling you about Miami. Like, I don't want to overreact yet. I think they're in a better position as a team. Right. Yeah, because they got those two. Yeah. But I don't think that's like, I think. I don't know. I like what Charlotte is, though. I mean, I'd rather have LaMelo, but I like what Charlotte is. So I think with Minnesota having LaMelo and Ant, and something I heard earlier this day,

[00:20:55] a pundit was like, you know, Ant's not really a playmaker where LaMelo is. Okay, I get the idea of how it could work. Like you said, the roster has to fill out. I like the firepower and the star power that Minnesota has over Charlotte. I think the Minnesota star power wins you games 109-104, 109-105, just because you have guys

[00:21:24] like LaMelo and Ant that can just get a bucket, guys that can just get you 32 points, guys that have the green light. Whereas Con Caniple getting doubled, now that LaMelo's not on the floor, it's going to be quite tough. He's a big guy, not known as a great ball handler. But that's what I like it. That's what I like. Because Brandon Miller's a shooter. Kobe White's a shooter. You got Christian Anderson, like I said, best shooter in the draft. So even if we...

[00:21:54] I think I'm going to wait until about Christmas before I make any determination on the rookies because the rookies don't... Grant Hill, when he played in college, when he got to the NBA, it was comparable. The bumping, the pushing, the size, the athleticism. He was the arc of this new wave of player.

[00:22:22] These current players coming in the draft now are not more dynamic than the guys currently in the league. I mean, I don't think there's a guy in the draft that if you put him at the top of the key one-on-one and he's got to guard Donovan Mitchell. I don't think any of them really have a shot. Maybe AJ because of the length. But I think the current NBA players are just a couple of notches above. I think there's a couple of notches above the current...

[00:22:51] Because I think a lot of these guys, they came in. A lot of guys came in undersized. A lot of guys under 190 pounds. So if you got a guy listed at the draft... But that's the thing. These are 18, 19-year-olds. Not on the 20. They'll fall out. A couple of a little older. But that's what I mean. That's what I'm saying. I wouldn't put a lot of credence into rookies making impact. Conn Knieppel did because Conn Knieppel's 6'7". He's a huge dude. So he could take the bump. He could take the push and still get the shot off. I'm not sure if a guy like...

[00:23:20] Was it Kingston Fleming or something like that? Yeah. He's a slim guy. So I wouldn't put a lot of credence into the rookies. As far as the trade goes, if it was about injuries and money, then you shouldn't have given him an extension initially. Because the injuries have always been the problem. So I just feel that that... I think they looked at an opportunity to reset.

[00:23:48] Maybe they looked at the Knicks, the Celtics, the Sixers, and felt like these guys are going to be kind of locked into their... that level of play for the next couple of seasons. Because you imagine the Knicks are probably going to play as well as they did in the regular season. The playoffs were an anomaly. Going 15... What was it? 16-3 in the playoffs? 16-3, yeah. 16-3 in the playoffs with that many wins. It's like... You can't be like, oh, I think they're going to do that again.

[00:24:18] But I think 53 to 56 wins of the regular season, you probably can bank on. Probably bank on 50-plus for Celtics. Healthy Philly, 50-plus. Maybe closer to 60 for one of those three teams. So if you're Charlie, you're like, you know what? Let's see what we can build. So when those guys got to start paying players and cutting players, now we got Khan in gear three or four, and he's ready to go. And I understand that maybe LaMelo Ball is not part of that plan,

[00:24:45] but I think this is a preemptive positioning to be ready, the 20-28 tip-off. Yeah, that's why I think that they could have ran it back this year, you know, and then maybe at the end of next season, you know, depending on how that finishes up, maybe you make that move. Well, if they ran it this year, they can take their lumps. Like... Yeah. And that's what I'm saying, but next year you can make a decision. Yeah, 37-50. Yeah, 37-45 this year.

[00:25:13] Yeah, not saying automatically trade him after the season, but now you got, okay, like we had 20-26. Look at the way we finished the season strong, even though the play-in ended how it ended. But then now we have a full season of what should be our best basketball. You know, we went and got some good players in the draft. We're getting some free agents in, whatever the, you know, changeover is. Now let's put it together and see where we land. And that's where I think I would have been.

[00:25:43] You know what I mean? But as far as Minnesota goes, this isn't abnormal for them, you know, because they went out and made the crazy... They were the beginning of all of this with the crazy Gobert trade with all the picks. And then, you know, they made the cat for Randall trade. So Minnesota, every now and again, does these swings. And you know what I mean? They got impatient with the Gobert trade.

[00:26:05] I think another year with Cat, without the Julius Randall deal, would have worked out for them. And now that's why I'm interested, right? Because Micah Nori, the guy that took over in Portland, was basically, from what I understand, he was their offensive coordinator, basically. So, you know, so let's see what that looks like.

[00:26:31] Look, Minnesota has changed their identity, you know, for the most part. Charlotte has changed their viewership. Being on the East Coast is probably their best bet. Well, you know, Charlotte's going to be that team that makes the playoffs at, say... They're going to be, like, say, 47 and 35. And then people are going to come in and be like, Charlotte ain't got no chance because they weren't paying attention because LaMelo wasn't there.

[00:27:00] You know what I mean? I think they'll still be good. 47 and 35 would be... The GM, whoever tabled this offer, whoever signed off on it, they are praying for 47 and 35. Well, I mean, think about it, right? Right. Because that is, I don't want to say justification, but that is like, see, we told you we are ready for the,

[00:27:28] now the 55 and 27 in the 20, 20... Well, we're starting out, right? ...20, 20, 28 season. Yeah. Well, we're starting out in their division. You know, Atlanta's probably the best team as of right now. You know, just going off of the past season's result. You know, Atlanta's probably the best team. You know, Orlando is probably... I'm thinking as of right now, because obviously free agent will be this week, but Orlando's taking a step back. You know what I mean?

[00:27:57] Washington's still trying to climb. Just because of the new coach? Or just the way they went down in the playoffs? No, no, no. I just don't like their roster at all. Like, you know, I think the draft... They should be calling people, because I think they have pieces. They have pieces that can get you... They have, I think, Wagner and a few draft picks could have gotten Nas Reed from Minnesota to Orlando. Yeah, I think Jamlin Suggs could still retrieve something.

[00:28:26] Like, maybe not as much value as he had last season, but the defense that he brings, I think, at that position, I think is enough to get something back. It might not be... And they don't need a superstar. Like, when we were talking to Rez the other night, and that's why I hate when people say, like, who are you going to get better than Luka? And it's like, nobody. Like, you know what I mean? Like, who am I going to get better than Giannis? Nobody. But if I can get, say, hypothetically, this don't make any sense, but I'm just trying to make a point.

[00:28:56] But if I can get Austin Reeves and J-Dub, like, you know what I'm saying? Like, that probably still ain't better than Giannis. But I got versatility now. Yeah. But I got... I feel you. Yeah. Like, versatility and having options. Yeah. Right. You know what I mean? But the NBA is weird. It's a matter of... We talk about how talented these guys are, you know, from spots 1 through 15.

[00:29:23] So, if you're Minnesota and you feel like, hey, I got a couple of guys in here that, you know, have been in the system for a couple of years. Maybe they could step up. Maybe even if you're Charlotte. Problem with Charlotte and teams like that is, like, they have so much changeover at these vital positions. They have changeover in the front office, head coaching, or they have changeover at their start. Like, who's the star? Who's going to get paid? It always seems as if some of these... I know the small market, big market...

[00:29:53] I don't really like to make that argument. But it seems like the small market teams seem to have a little bit more of a tighter purse than the bigger teams. It's like, yo, I'm pretty sure you guys are getting the same type of money. So, I just feel like they're more likely to come off their guy. Because if you look at the market, like, Minnesota's 13 and Charlotte is 18. But it's not, you know, it's not that drastic of a difference.

[00:30:17] And I just feel like the opportunity to run it back this year was there. There was a lot of momentum. But if you're concerned that maybe LaMelo was going to want an extension, like, he's sitting on three years, 130 right now. He's probably one of your most popular players. Probably one of the most popular players in the NBA. So, I doubt that he's hurting from money to the point where...

[00:30:46] Or even if he's greedy. I'm not even... Like, I don't even know if they would have given him an opportunity to do the Jalen Brunson. Like, to not even think about the extension during the season. Like, yo, let's play this out. Because we got, like... Together with LaMelo Ball and the momentum that they had carried over from the 25-26 season. Fourth was, I would say, like, close to a lock. And third was really on the table.

[00:31:15] You know, you talk about Atlanta. But Atlanta's probably going to make a lot of moves because of the way they had the Knicks. And, you know, they're probably going to make some moves. Yeah, they have to make a decision on Kaminga. Yeah. You know, they did re-sign McCollum. They brought in Aaron Wiggins. So, that makes me think that Kaminga's gone. Which just offers a lot of other positions. But, yeah, I think Charlotte, if you're whole... Not whole. I'm not saying that they're, like...

[00:31:44] Right, right, right, right. They're broken now. But the team that you ran it with last year and you add... Maybe you can still add Kobe White. Maybe you can still add a piece without the trade. But the haul that they got in return is probably, like, my biggest problem. It's like, you just gave him up. I don't want to say for nothing because Nas Reed is an actual human player. But it's like, you didn't trade apples for apples. Yeah.

[00:32:13] And with this NBA, the last couple of years, we've seen that depth is what gets you home. You know, having the bench, like, you know, OKC won the title last year, Knicks this year. Spurs made the title, you know, the finals, the Pacers. Keep playing your bench, San Antonio. You got tight. You went to, like, seven guys out of nowhere. And then you were playing nine to ten guys and then you went to seven.

[00:32:41] But that's where I like the Nas Reed fit, you know what I mean? Because, you know, like, they can spread it, man. You know what I mean? Start? I think right now he has to, I think, because I think they're going to probably get off of Miles Bridges. From what I was reading, it looks like the Lakers are interested. And there was another team that I can't think of right now. Probably going to try to follow the middle of the Minnesota. You know. But that's Shannon. Like, him and Shannon play the same style. Yeah.

[00:33:07] So, like, I think that he would have to, you know, because you're not going to start Grant Williams probably. I forgot he was still in the league. Yeah. Jimmy Butler didn't. So, Mr. Logical, we talked about it briefly for a second. Four years, 185. What are we thinking?

[00:33:34] I mean, it's less than he could have taken. So, it's a little Brinson-esque. Well, I think it's just by the year, right? I think he still got the max, but four years instead of five? Four. So, that's at, what's that? Because I think it was five to 41. 42, 42, 43? What am I thinking? What's the math on that? 43, 44, something like that? I imagine you could have got closer to 50.

[00:34:06] Oh, some tripping. 46 in the quarter. 46. Yeah. So, even at 46, it's less than a lot of guys who got extensions. You know, it's a lot of guys in the NBA getting 58 to 62 this year. So, by that metrics, it's less than, you know, some of these other maxed out guys. But how, what is their level compared to him, though? It's different. That's what I'm saying. I think an SGA versus Austin Reed is a little different.

[00:34:37] I'm going to go back to something I heard Jeff Teague say about, you know, Larry Bird told him this. He was like, I will never sign a player that played with LeBron because LeBron always makes them look better than they actually are. Well, the Lakers signed Austin Reed, so I'm assuming they're going to keep LeBron to ensure that Austin can kind of stay in that role that he has carved out for himself.

[00:35:04] I like the deal because it's like you had to make the deal just because you had to make. You couldn't lose him. You couldn't lose him and then risk a situation where it doesn't work out with LeBron and the numbers. And there's rumors about the farewell tour of him going back to Cleveland and riding that wave out. And then it's Luka and a bunch of whomevers like it was when he was in Dallas.

[00:35:30] Because now you're going to get the same shortcomings he had in Dallas that were not really his fault. Just you get outgunned. So I think they had to make that move. The Lakers, but the Lakers, one of those teams that they didn't build well. He's probably the only guy that they built. I can't imagine they're going to pay Rui and he might have to think he might be up for something. He's a free agent.

[00:35:56] Yeah, so they just didn't do a great job of drafting and developing other than him. He's like the only guy. You don't got to draft good when you could get Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, you know, set off the scrap heap. Yeah. And then if he had to play games against dudes that don't jump, he'd be straight. But as soon as he had to defend something above the rim, it's a wrap.

[00:36:27] There's limitations to these things. I'm five foot eight and a half. I understand there's limitations to jumping and hiding that buttacism. The Lakers continue to do it. They continue to do the things that don't help their team win. And they will always do it. But they're the Lakers and they're popular. And they're going to be able to get LeBron for one final year. Boss in the dilly-dally with Jalen Brown all year this year if they can't move him. And then we'll talk about that here in a minute too.

[00:36:55] And maybe the Lakers swoop in and get him and they get another star to sit next to their current star in Luka. But that's what the Lakers do because the Lakers are just mismanaged because they don't have the right people in position. They don't have people in position that can say no to what looks good. They got a lot of people who are star watchers. So according to the tea leaves, you know, the Lakers was getting some information and it just made them –

[00:37:24] because apparently they only wanted to offer Austin Reeves about 30. But then there were rumors that Detroit was creeping around. And that's why they went up to the number that they ended up at. Like you said, you can't lose them. Hearing lies, my statement I just made 15 seconds ago. Right. You can't lose them. Just say no and let them go. You know, and so – If your basketball move and your money moves, Scott, sorry, control,

[00:37:50] was to like only give him 30 and the rumor that he was going to go to Detroit, an Eastern Conference team that has to get through their whole gauntlet in the East Coast to get to you in the finals if that's your goal, why do you care? If he was going to the Clippers, if the Golden State Warriors won them, if Phoenix was going to give him – And that's why it depends on what you believe. And that's why it depends on what you believe. Because there were reports earlier in the month that was saying basically that's what Luka wants.

[00:38:20] Like Luka wants Austin Reeves. So if that's true, then I guess that's the – because you still got to sign Luka at some point too. Luka don't want Luka to take the ball out of his hand. You know what I mean? Luka can get a ball to Austin Reeves. Now he's getting $44 million. I'm going to call that cap. So like, yeah, so now we'll have to see because like I said, there's no offer to LeBron yet officially. There's been talk of the Lakers – and of course this is all rumor mill, right?

[00:38:48] So the Lakers would be willing to do a LeBron for Jared Allen swap. You know, so that gives you that Cleveland farewell that you're talking about. They really want Jared Allen. Like, you already got DeAndre Aiden. Hey, remember I said that. Remember a couple of weeks ago I said that. Like, I was like, yeah, Jared Allen might end up on the Lakers next year because they're so desperate, you know, but they don't necessarily have the money to go get the names that they want

[00:39:16] because the money that they're giving to LeBron. But we don't got to rehash that. The Lakers need to call OKC and see what their assistant GM, their president of player personnel, the VP. What's the status of their contracts? Because that's what they need. Well, I know the previous one is in Washington. They need an adult in the room. Rob Palenka, these new people on the team, the allure of the Lakers,

[00:39:46] all the banners and the trophies. I think it clouds people's logical decision making. So what you're saying is. I want to give an Austin Reed that money just because somebody else. If I plan on giving them 40, bang. Four years, 160. If that was my plan, go with it. But if you're playing change from 30 to 44 because you heard somebody else is going to give them because Brooklyn was going to give them 42 or 45, then that's just silly mismanagement of assets.

[00:40:15] So what you're saying is Rob Palenka is only shooting 44% like Kobe. Palenka is a fumbling answer. He has people who can give him the right answer. Kobe is just trying to shoot and score and win with Smush Parker and people from Gonzaga that the Lakers drafted for all these years and Luke Walton.

[00:40:43] So speaking of OKC, you know, I mentioned that Aaron Wiggins is in Atlanta now. You know, today Detroit gets Isaiah Joe for two draft picks. So that was one of the things that Detroit was missing this year was Malik Beasley and Hardaway because Hardaway went to Denver. Beasley obviously isn't in the league right now. So they were missing some of that outside shooting coming off the bench to help out a little bit. So here you are.

[00:41:13] You get here's your stat, Mr. Logical. And I can't take credit for this one. This is from ESPN Research. So in the last three seasons, 56 players have taken 1,500 threes. Isaiah Joe has the highest percentage of those 56 players. And in this season alone shot 42% from three.

[00:41:39] So that right there just loosens things up a little bit. No, he just played bad once we got to the finals. Like he played all right. And then and then we got to the finals and just. Yeah, so. But yeah, so you got that going on. Also, Detroit. That wasn't all Detroit did. You know, Detroit gave up beef stew. For, you know, two draft picks, it sounds like to Memphis. And look.

[00:42:09] You talk about bringing it back. Beef stew to Memphis out of all cities. Like, hey, like don't let Zeebo nowhere near him because he don't need it. You know, he. Beef stew is like a super humble family man. He'd take like those little farm family pictures and the sunflowers wearing like overalls. The court beef stew is crazy. Isaiah.

[00:42:39] Nothing like what the rumors about Memphis. I think that's just on court. The actors like Draymond Green. And, you know, so I like that pickup for them. He didn't really offer Detroit much in the playoffs besides that one game against Orlando. I think he had eight blocks or something like that. But, but I'd like this pickup for Memphis because he just sounds Memphis, right? Like you think of Memphis, the grit and grind, the grindhouse, the toughness, push you around. We're not going to take it.

[00:43:08] We're going to push you around and bully you. He fits perfect into that. So we'll see how that works. That was Detroit too. Detroit has that same thing. Like, I don't, I don't understand a move for Detroit. Unless money was new. Well, I think Detroit is at a standpoint. So Detroit's got a couple of things going on that we'll get to. I guess we'll get to it now because I was going to bring it up. But, but, you know, so they got to pay theoretically, they got to pay Jalen Duren, right? He's eligible for the guy would probably have moved.

[00:43:38] Well, that's what I was going to bring up, you know, saying one of the latest shams was, could we see a Duren for Jalen Brown? Now, I don't like that. I don't like Jalen Brown in Detroit. Like him and Katie Cunningham just don't sound. No, it just sounds the same as him and Jason Tatum. It just sounds like it. Yeah. I don't think you lose anything by adding Jalen Brown. Yeah.

[00:44:05] But if I was going to move Duren, I'm going to keep beef stew. I think you probably could have moved maybe a sign and trade. But like I said, Jalen Brown's getting so much money. I don't know if you can move that contract at all. So here's some other Jalen Brown things that I heard. I want you to tell me what you like the best. So, so there was the Jalen Brown for Duren. Obviously, there would be probably a bunch of picks involved in that. Yeah, I'm not really a big fan of it, but I think it would work.

[00:44:34] There was Jalen Brown for Mobley. I don't like that either. Wait, hold on. Is James Harden coming back? We'll see. It sounds like it from where the playoffs ended, when the playoffs ended, it sounded like it. If James Harden's coming back, then Harden. That doesn't make sense. Yeah, Harden, Mitchell, Brown doesn't make any sense.

[00:45:01] All right, so then New Orleans was another team that was being mentioned, you know, Trey Murphy and some other pieces. I could see that just from the standpoint. I don't like it per se, but I could see it because unless Zion's in the deal, I don't know who else would be in the deal, but theoretically he would be the leader of that team if he went to New Orleans.

[00:45:26] So I think he would like it, you know, from that standpoint of I'm the alpha, I'm the leader. It's the West. And it's Joe Dumars too. You got to deal with him too. Yeah, it's a little tough. All right, then there was Atlanta. You know, I don't know what the pieces are there, but, you know, there was Atlanta, which might just be a he's from there, so let's make up a room about it.

[00:45:52] But I don't think I would mind that so much because if he went to Atlanta, depending on what you give up, you know, they have the wing defenders around him, you know, whether it's Daniels, whether it's Nikhil, you know, SGA's cousin. So, you know, they have parts that they just picked up Aaron Wiggins, so that could be your bench shooter to help things out. So I think out of those, I like Atlanta the best,

[00:46:20] but I don't really like any of them. Like, I think that I wouldn't be shocked if he got traded at the trade deadline, but I don't know if he's being traded at this point. I like Brad Stevens and Missoula and one or two of the Celtics brass going to Jalen Brown's house and sitting down with him and telling him,

[00:46:49] this is just business. We tried to make a move. It didn't work out. It doesn't diminish your value on his team. We just felt like in that moment, a move was inevitable, so we tried to make it. It did not work out. We apologize for once again putting your name in trade rumors, but I would like to go into the 2026-2027 season, clean slate.

[00:47:19] Let's try to get back to the finals because that's what you got to do. You got to own it. You got to own the fact that every single time somebody is available, That was Joe Mazzola's heartbeat. Yeah. Even if, like, it has to be sincere because any relationship can be mended with real honesty. At least it allows both sides to make a decision on what they want to do.

[00:47:46] But he also has to take some culpability too. You know what I mean? What did he do? He didn't say anything bad about Boston. He just said he enjoyed being the man this year. Well, he's talked about for the last two years at least about how unappreciated he feels there. But that's not his fault. No, it's not. It's not. But then he talked about, yo, this is my favorite. He just mentioned in every trade deal.

[00:48:12] We just gave up a 3-1 lead, and a week later, the same week, this is my favorite year of my career. Of course, it happens. But once again, for this is the third time, this is the third time in four seasons he's been really linked in trade rumors. That's why I think you just, that's why I think you've got to trade him. How? Okay, let's think about this real quick, and then, you know, I want to get to it.

[00:48:43] When was the last time the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Finals? Never. Never made it. Boston just won. Jayler Brown was your Easter Conference MVP and your Finals MVP. Yeah, so his name shouldn't be anywhere near trades. But they keep doing it. They did it the year before. They did it the year that he won because they wanted, they were trying to move him for KD. They constantly have him in it, and he constantly addresses it. He's not subtle about it.

[00:49:12] So, in turn, don't be subtle. Go out there. Play the cards. You know, play spades. Face up. And keep it on it. But, like, personally, I think Boston, Jason Tatum, Jalen Brown, supporting cast is still probably, I would give them the edge. I would give them two. I'm going to leave the Knicks at one because they just won a championship and they still have their pieces.

[00:49:41] And their pieces are still going to play the same way that their pieces do. Guys aren't going to go out of their space to do some different shit just because they won a championship. They just brought back Alvarado earlier as well. So, I think Boston is probably cemented at two with the team as currently constructed. And now you got one, two, still one in the garden. Maybe because in the other garden.

[00:50:08] I mean, maybe because, you know, Derek White's name is out there. So, we'll just have to see what happens. Then, you know, you talk about romance. I was sitting there this morning reading my little article that I saw and I was just like, Kawhi to San Antonio or Toronto? I'm not going to San Antonio or Toronto.

[00:50:37] Well, allegedly, allegedly, those are the only places where he would sign an extension. This is that drive period in sports. They could be talking about the World Cup. But since they covered basketball, they have no idea what's going on with the World Cup. Hey, Team USA lost last night. We could overreact to that. Yeah. Oh, they played a bunch of subs because they were already through to the… I know. That's what I'm saying. Overreact. Yeah. Yeah. So, these… They'll beat Bosnia 7-0.

[00:51:06] Let's think about this. All right. We've seen, from an outside looking in, because there's not many people on the inside of Kawhi's circle, even in the NBA channels. Not many guys on podcasts have a lot of Kawhi stories. What would make you think that Kawhi will go back to the organization that he felt tried to injure him permanently for his career? Who won? That's San Antonio. Like, I don't know… Are those people still here?

[00:51:36] Popovich is still in the building, and I'm pretty sure they don't really get rid of people, and it's the same philosophy, the same playing strategy. It's the same building. Well, if I was San Antonio, I wouldn't want him anyway. Like, I know… I wouldn't want him back. I was talking to Rez yesterday. A lot of your young players, yeah. Yeah, I was talking to Rez yesterday, and he said that Kawhi to San Antonio is a walking ring. And, you know, and I'm just like, no, man.

[00:52:02] Like, they were literally on the doorstep right now, and now they have the finals experience that we were banging on them for not having. You know what I mean? And now they just went out and got the goons in the draft, you know what I'm saying, which we'll get to. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, you can't have two guys on pitch counts. The Spurs ready to go, you know what I'm saying, like as is. Yeah, you can't have two guys on pitch counts in your starting lineup. Now, let me pivot for a second. Toronto.

[00:52:32] Toronto is where I thought LaMelo Ball should have got traded to. I mean, this is after the fact, because I didn't expect LaMelo Ball to be traded. But once he got traded, I was like, where the hell was Toronto? You know what I mean? Because as I look at their roster, right, they got their Mond stars. Scotty Barnes is about 6'10", Ingram's 6'11", you know, trade R.J. Barrett. I think that was the thought, was R.J. Barrett and a couple of picks, and I don't know what else.

[00:52:59] But Emmanuel Quickly, you know, was injured during the playoffs. Jamal Shinn's a free agent. You know, you pretty much drafted his replacement already. So it's like, that just makes sense to me. Because Toronto is still young outside of Ingram. And I mean, he's not old. You know what I mean? So what Toronto needed or needs was that point guard and a replacement for Jakob Pearl.

[00:53:30] And Toronto could be cooking with gas. You know what I mean? Yeah, but I think if you're Toronto, if you're Charlotte, you don't want to run into them. Like, who are you taking? I would think Barrett and – I would think Barrett picks in maybe a Jacoby Walters or something like that. Why would I take Barrett? Well, Grady Dick, how about that? What does – Grady Dick fell off. He had opportunities to really excel.

[00:53:59] But that's what I'm saying. So like – But some of these guys, they need to change. Why would I take a rebuild? And then with R.J. Barrett, like the thing that he brings you is that one, you probably could flip him. And he's an expiring contract. So his money would be coming off your books after this season anyway. Yeah, but I'm talking about on the floor. What do you give me? Because like I look at it like this. If I trade for you, even if you're on a contract that's expiring or whatever the case may be,

[00:54:27] if you are talented enough, then I want to, you know, keep you on my team. But what does Nas Reed give you right now? We're not scouting the Timberwolves. Nas Reed, come to your team. What do you get? Give me one attribute. Leadership. I'm going to give you scoring off the bench, off the bat.

[00:54:53] I know definitively every single game I get him on the floor with the second unit, especially with a Minnesota. That's what he gets. And a strong jaw. What do you get with R.J. Barrett? I think like you get a ball hammer off the bench. You get an athlete. You get a bigger bar. You would have to play him. You would have to put him in like a six-man kind of role and have him be that spark off the bench.

[00:55:21] But I have zero idea if he's effective in that. Either way, with Nas Reed, I know I'm getting positivity. So Kawhi, like you're talking about LaMelo Ball to Toronto, not seeing it. Kawhi to Toronto, also not seeing it. But I'm not getting text messages from NBA insiders either. I still see people going back to their ex in these situations. One thing that I heard was that...

[00:55:49] Well, Detroit and Boston were allegedly interested, but then it came out that San Antonio and Toronto would be the only teams that he would sign an extension with. There could potentially be an issue with the legality of his current contract. This is true. So like trading him or extending him might be on pause pending an investigation of that.

[00:56:13] So I think the whole thing is just his name kind of rings bells. There hasn't been, and let's keep it real, there hasn't been one piece of evidence to show that adding Kawhi to your team after 2019 has benefited your team long term. And hey, interesting. Seven full seasons.

[00:56:43] Interestingly enough, though. Seven full years. Interestingly enough. Yeah. You know, he's played, you know, more than 65 games or more two out of the last three years, you know, to include 65 this year. So we'll see what happens. Yeah, he was abusing it before. That's the thing. Like he was abusing his leverage before because... He could. He was hot because he was hot.

[00:57:12] It was like Wiz Khalifa when Black and Yellow came out. He can go to any Steelers game, any Pittsburgh Penguins game, any Pirates game. He'd be like, yo, I want to be on TV. Did you say Wiz Khalifa? I'm talking about when Black and Yellow was hot because he's from Pittsburgh. When it was hot, he could just walk up and be like, yo, put me on TV. On Monday Night Football, can't do that shit now. Like, come on, dawg. That song was 14 years ago. Cut it out. But that's the thing.

[00:57:42] When Kawhi got to L.A. And he demanded Paul George. He was like, oh, he's going to bring a chip. When he demanded all these things and they got James Harden and they got all these pieces. And he was like, nothing. Delivered them nothing. King of L.A. commercials is the only thing he brought to L.A. Yeah. So moving on, you know, we talked about Tim Dundon the other day.

[00:58:09] You know, we talked about him giving a head coach options on his contract. So now sounds like we got something brewing potentially down the road. Maybe not right now, but Oregon or I should say Portland, the city of Portland versus Dundon. We talked about it. To get renovations done to the Motor Center. So the Motor Center is one of the oldest arenas in the league.

[00:58:38] You know, it came around in 1995. It's about time to up. That's old? That's 31 years. Like, some of these dudes, we get in stadiums every, I don't know. Like, that's old, man. Actually, you know, like the Target Center, right? Minnesota was 91. You know what I mean?

[00:58:58] But anyway, so as a part of when he brought the team, the state of Oregon committed $365 million. You know, he wants about 600. He wants about it. So, and that's over a 20-year period. The leadership in Portland is pushing back and saying that ownership should contribute. Rightfully so.

[00:59:28] Rightfully so. You know. So, now they've opened up the survey. So it sounds like this might be something that goes, I don't know if it goes to a referendum or, you know, what. But it sounds like this is getting out there to see the temperature of the city. You know what I mean? So I bring that up because, you know, we were talking. I know. People are hurting. Inflation is like 3.5%. Gas is high. Prices are high. Rent is crazy.

[00:59:57] You need to make something like $80,000 right now to afford a two-bedroom apartment by yourself on average across the United States. Now you've got a billionaire who won't sell out a million dollars for T-shirts and a stadium and travel for players and making people check out the game early. Going to come to me talking about you want $300 more million on the $325 we already committed? No. Yes, I bring that up. Well, no, no, no.

[01:00:23] I was going to say I bring that up because we were just talking about the Chicago Bears a couple of months ago. Now, this ain't there yet. You know what I mean? But keep this up for a couple of more years and we might be talking about this. So I saw somebody suggest, this was just a regular content creator, that Adam Silver might have to step in at some point and make this dude sell the team. So looking down the road forecasting.

[01:00:53] I was thinking that the other day. All right. Tell me more. I thought he was right. I think he's doing what he's doing to ride it out long enough for the TV contracts, cable contracts, the CBA, the FBLA, the NSA, the NWA. All these things are coming to play so he can get more money and then sell the team.

[01:01:20] Because if you really cared about your team, you would want to coach. You and I do this podcast. We pay StreamYard to stream on this every single month. It's recurring. We just pay for it. If I was like, oh, yeah, don't use the StreamYard link. I found another one that's a little cheaper. And then like every month we just bounce it around. It's like that's not consistent. We're not going to give you a good product.

[01:01:48] But in order to give a good product, you got to be willing to put money into the background of that product. He doesn't care. And if you're wanting more money, I'm like I saw a video of Jay-Z walking through like having like a daily, like a morning walk with like six or seven billionaires. They were just kind of having a little walk with their hokas on or whatever. He probably was wearing Pumas.

[01:02:14] It's like, yo, if you're a billionaire, you probably dine, vacation, converse, shop, make deals with other billionaires. If you need another 300 million to get a bigger arena, cut these other guys in. Like, yo, go to your private equity firm of your friend who's a billionaire and say, yo, run me 300Ms so I can boost at a stadium.

[01:02:41] That'll give you in line with the people of the city because now the people of the city will come pay whatever it is because they know you got the money from somewhere else. But you're so greedy and so selfish because you, you, you, you know, earnest, you know, masses type of money that you don't even think of. How do I look out for the common man? Because it doesn't resonate with you at all. And it don't help that he just got another Stanley Cup.

[01:03:10] So it's like the, you let, you let this, this person's ego and their arrogance kind of, you know, play out. Don't give him anything. Shout out to the people of Chicago. Like, listen, no, we not footing the bill for y'all. Y'all get way too much money. We see the deals. It's not like the money secret. Like Kanye West, I don't know how much money he has. He doesn't sign a contract that gets announced publicly. We can speculate how much he has, whatever. But I know for a fact what Dane Lillard's contract is.

[01:03:40] I know what the Dallas Cowboys are worth. I know what the Knicks are publicly traded. They're publicly traded the commodity. You can buy stock in the Knicks. We all know this information. So if I know you're worth 4 point whatever billion dollars, you have to have a few friends that are also worth a few billion dollars each. And all you need is one or two of them to break you up 150 million each.

[01:04:02] Could you imagine if after all this and getting them back, could you imagine if he went and tried or seceded in trying to get Jalen Brown and he put Dame in the deal after they just got him back? I think about it, he probably didn't even know who Dame is.

[01:04:25] He probably has no idea how important it was that he could have had Dame come out to the floor banging on a drum with everybody wearing t-shirts that said Dame time. He has no idea. He doesn't care. I hate that my brain went there, but it is what it is. So the NBA draft has come and gone. You know, obviously there's winners, there's losers, but Mr. Logical, you know, did anything in particular stand out about the draft for you?

[01:04:55] Nope. Nope. Not even nothing? Not even one thing? Nothing. Not one thing. You ain't like boozers, people going to look back in 10 years and wonder why I didn't go number one? He said that? Yeah. Nah, people will look at it in five years and be like, hey, I mean, you play a lot like Jaleel Ogle for it. So I was wondering.

[01:05:21] I'm always very, I don't want to be dispensable of someone who just earned an opportunity because I understand like it takes a lot of hard work to get that far. But the NBA draft as a showcase has lost its luster because it's like, bro, these guys aren't better than the guys in the league. I don't think AJ DeBonce is going to come in and really take 81 out of the top 15 and cement himself in that.

[01:05:50] There's no slight to him. I just don't think the product's the same. I don't think the players are the same. I don't think the output's the same. I just feel like he was very, a lot of players. You talk about your guy, what's his name? Vassar. Yeah. He didn't go until what? 51 or 52? He could have gone back to college and got $4 million, $5 million. And that's, you're going to get way more of that. Hell, the Clippers drafted a dude that's going to be in college this year.

[01:06:20] You got guys like Dominican LeBron who came out saying, you know, normally a Kyrie guy or he doesn't like Michigan State. And it's like, you weren't really a top 11 pick. I didn't see top 11 pick in that national championship game. I know he gutted it out. I know he had an injury and he gutted it out. So I respect that. But I don't see anything that he did that really translated to the NBA other than his size. I think his defense translates.

[01:06:50] At 11? No. Your defense translates at 34. Well, well, well, 37. But I think, I think that it's more or less. It should be called the role player draft because after four or five, these guys are strictly role players. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not shitting on them, but it's like. No, I got some players late that I think, that I think could be, be okay. We're talking about the San Antonio guys and how they're drafting these two bigs.

[01:07:18] They're going to play alongside and let Wimmy play the three that he really wants to play. But it's like, that's because they're just tall. And the same thing with like Adé and Chet and SGA. It's like, yo, y'all can like Chet dominates. Like we see Chet play. He gets knocked around all the time, just like Wimmy. So it's like, you are telling me they're getting another guy who can get pushed around? Cool. But it's like, I think people are enamored.

[01:07:47] Like who won the trick? Chicago Bulls won. I'm like, yeah, but the Bulls put out terrible fucking teams every single year because they don't have real dogs. These guys aren't dogs. They're just a bunch of role players who happen to be tall. Where's Alex Sarr? Where's Richa Shea? Where's Scoot Henderson? Where's Dillingham? Where's Reed Shepard? Where's all these guys that went in the top five in the last three or four years? Zero impact. No commercials. No shoe deals.

[01:08:16] No billboards. No marquee. No one's buying their jerseys to go to games. That's the product you're getting out of college basketball right now. The draft is not worth two nights. Well, see, like, and that's the thing, right? Because in the NFL, the draft is, even though basketball is better at, I added a player and now our team is different. In the NFL, generally, you're adding finished products

[01:08:45] that should hit the ground running. Like last year, we thought Astrid Jensie, not that he was going to take over the league or anything, but fans around the country, you know, thought like, hey, this guy's NFL ready. He's going to Jeremiah Love. We were talking about him in this year's draft. This guy's ready to hit the ground running, you know, usually with quarterbacks. You know, Jaden Daniels, people like that. So when you look at the NBA draft,

[01:09:11] a lot of these guys are getting drafted on what I think you could be in three to five years. Because now, you know, if you're over the age of 21, it's like, I don't want nothing to do with that. He's already old. He's already got his habits. He's already who he is. Mike Tomlin, you know, saying I've run two coaching. I mean, so when I look at the draft, right, everything is potential.

[01:09:40] So A.J. Javancho, for example, I talked about him a couple of weeks ago, and I think that if he hits where he could hit, he could be that fusion of a Tatum and Brown. Like he could be that this is what they would look like if they were combined. But that's still four years away, potentially. You know what I mean? Then you got, you know, he might be good, but to get to that point, you know what I mean? Then you got Darren Peterson.

[01:10:09] And when you look at a guy like Darren Peterson going to Utah, I like the fit. He fits in there. But the problem is, is you just drafted Ace Bailey last year. So, you know, you got to get him acclimated. And they're talking about potentially making him the sixth man now. You know what I mean? You got Keontae George. Do you have the right coach? I saw a video of him testing these guys out. I'm like, these are grown men still. These are still grown men.

[01:10:35] Like it was a little, like, listen, this is not a high school basketball team. Like, do you have the right coach? Do you have the right temperament to be a coach of a team? Without J.J. Redd's cachet, right? I don't think J.J. Redd's the right coach. I don't think he's taking enough lumps. I think you got to, like, you got to fall down a little bit. Like, you got to get rejected a few times in high school before you take the homecoming queen to prom.

[01:11:05] Like, you don't just go to, oh, I didn't talk to any girls all year. And all of a sudden, Mae comes around. You ask the homecoming queen to prom that's coming up and you just get it. Well, you know, I think that when we look at these coaches sometimes, we forget that coaches aren't born overnight either. You know what I mean? Like, they're learning lessons as they go just the same way the Spurs players were. Mitch Johnson was learning on the fly too. So, like, I think Will Hardy's a good coach.

[01:11:33] It's only his second year as a head coach. This will be year three. So, he'll get there, I think. He'll make it because Utah leadership is good. And he came in from Boston. So, like, Danny Ainge has history with him. So, there's something there. But they're talking about making Ace Bailey the sixth man. Keontae George is going to be in a contract year trying to get an extension. You know, so if you're looking at Darren Peterson.

[01:12:00] If you're not trying to take one of these Toyotas from Stockton Malone, then take him sit his ass up. They're not paying him. So, what are you bringing in, you know, as Darren Peterson? Because now we got all these people that we got to share the ball with. And you got the old guard, people like Markkinen on big contracts. Triple J is on a big contract. Not that they're – not that Triple J is necessarily the offensive, you know, savant, if you will.

[01:12:27] But these are guys that make enough money that they have to get touches. You know what I mean? You got to determine what your style is and how these – first, you got to determine the style you want to play. Do I have the bodies to play that style? And if I do, how do I get them to buy into the style that I want to play? And that's why I think Boozer's –

[01:12:54] If I don't have the bodies, then how do I adapt? How do I, you know, how do I adapt my style to fit the players? And that's why I think Boozer's in the best situation so far because, you know, Memphis is searching for an identity. The Wizards, I think they kind of know where they want to go if they're giving AJ the keys on some, you know, hey, work with Trey and you're going to be our duo, you know, whatever.

[01:13:21] Like I think that Utah is still trying to figure out all those pieces because they got to figure out what they're going to do with Walker Kessler too. But if – Trey and AJ, what is – Is that like Memphis? Is that like Kyrie and – Like I'm trying to get like a comp to where like that works because AJ was used to having the ball in his hand at BYU because he was doing like that pop pickup dribble. It's probably more – It's probably more –

[01:13:50] And obviously Trey is not LaMelo size, but it's probably like LaMelo Brandon Miller. Okay. It's probably something like that. I'm trying to get a visual on like how does AJ get his 20 – It's a rookie? 22. Well, but see, but that's where – But that's where – But that's where the Anthony Davis part comes in because he's not going to get that if Anthony Davis is there. I think he can get 22 if he's there. You think so? Yeah.

[01:14:20] Because I think Anthony Davis is probably going to average 19 or 20 if he's there. You know, Trey is going to average something between 18 and 22. I think he can get to 22 if AD is there because when a team goes small and you put AD at the five, which is technically probably your version of small if you're Washington,

[01:14:46] how big is a guy guarding AJ do you have on your team? Like do you have a spare 6'6 guy that can guard the wing and a 6'8 and 6'9 guy that can guard AD and you're in that kind of a lineup? Most teams really don't. Because even if you think about San Antonio, they didn't have a guy 6'9 plus on the floor for defensive reasons in the last couple of rounds of the playoffs. Right.

[01:15:15] Well, they will now because they went and got Terrace Reed, you know. Yeah, they went and got that guy, yeah. But, you know, Boozer, you know, he's coming in depending on what they do with Ja. Sounds like they're trying to move him but not much interest right now. But Bain's gone. You know, Coward, you know, is the rookie from last year. Can they say that Ja Morant relationship in Memphis? I don't think so.

[01:15:41] Because they did the whole, like, I'm going to sit you out the rest of the year thing. You know what I mean? Was he healthy? I think he was injured. I think he was injured at a point. But I think eventually it was like, yeah, like we're done here. Because it sounds like him and the coach have, like, had some things too.

[01:16:00] But Boozer gets a chance to kind of grow, if you will, right away because he's going to be expected, at the very least, to be maybe a main ball handler, depending on what happens with Ja. At least not ball handler like he's crossing people over, but initiating certain points of the offense, kicking it out to the open guy on the perimeter, while being able to work the middle, if you will, if he is in on the floor. So he has a possibility there.

[01:16:30] I don't like the Caleb Wilson pick, you know, at all. Like, I'm just not a fan of Caleb Wilson, especially when you follow that up with Dale and Swain later, who I do like. But I don't like both of them. You know what I mean? And then you went out and got Nick Claxton as well. Like, that's a whole lot of non-shooting on your team in a league where everybody shoots the ball. Especially, like, when you're looking at it from the wing slash big man standpoint.

[01:16:59] Because then you got Jalen Smith, who's going to be coming off the bench, and he can provide that at 6'10". Come on, Chicago? Yeah. You know what I mean? I just don't – Like, if you were going to get Swain, you don't need Wilson. And if you were going to get Wilson, you don't need Swain. Well, we talk about imitation as the greatest form of flattery.

[01:17:18] And I think the – granted, it's a bad – I think it's a bad starting point to compare your team and try to fill it out using the current NBA champion, world champions of the world, NBA, New York Knicks. But I think the Knicks didn't have a lot of guys in their starting lineup that hung out around the three-point line. Josh Hart was an opportunistic three-point shooter.

[01:17:47] I think Cat is a good shooter. But I think a lot of his – he attacked the rim a lot. Jalen Brunson is playmaker. OG and Bridges were in those corners to give Brunson his iso. I mean, not that they were, like, shooting 43 a game or something. They were shooting from there. They were standing. They started their offensive action from the corners. So it's like, if you give me the space, maybe I'll let it off.

[01:18:16] And we remember a few of those dunks that OG had on Wimby where he, like, closed out too hard. And still, the paint was an option. So if you're looking at – you said Swain and Caleb Wilson. If they're looking at, yo, let's get back to the midi. Let's get the MIT guys out of the box. They can't do that. Let's get the Boston Tech guys out of our player analytics department. And then they drafted Noah Senge last year.

[01:18:45] What do you do with him? How do we get buckets? How do we get buckets? How do we officially get buckets? Do we have a guy that can shoot 55% to 60% anywhere near the rim? How do we make that happen? Because I think people have been living by the three and dying by the three and starting to realize, like, I don't need a guy like Brooke Lopez shooting six threes a game. But then you got – Giddy is your point guard. He can't shoot either.

[01:19:12] So, like, I'm not saying that you need Reggie Miller or you need to play like the Warriors. I'm just saying, like, you have to have at least a threat, you know, that you can hit a shot every so often. I don't think you do. You definitely do. I don't think – I don't think you – because I don't really – I don't – The Spurs did shoot well from threes. Champagny was your three-point shooter if you think about it.

[01:19:38] Well, the Spurs have – like you said, I don't want to compare – I don't want to compare people to the teams that made the finals. But they got a 7'5 dude that could cross you up and pull up. Like, you know what I mean? Yeah, but they had opportunistic three-point shooters. It wasn't like guys really out there. Like, Vassell's not a shooter. But that's what I'm saying. Chicago doesn't even have that. That's what I'm saying. I'm not saying that you have to spread it all out in jack threes.

[01:20:07] I'm just saying that somebody should be able to knock down the damn shot. Somebody got to go 37% or 39% for three. Yeah, because I mean, unless they bring Colin Sexton back, but you know what I mean? But that's probably more like your sixth man. So we'll see. But anyway, so then, you know, as we went through the draft, you know, OKC was – you know, they went and got the coach's son, you know, Bennett Sturtz, you know, after a bunch of trades that left everybody confused because everybody was still wearing the original hats and everything.

[01:20:37] But – Obviously, it was pissing me off because the graphic isn't that hard to change. And then, like, Adam Silver was saying the other team. Just bring out the other hat and say the other team. Change the graphic. But my bad. Yeah, so they went and got Sturtz who – it's one of those things. I'm not a fan of Bennett Sturtz.

[01:21:06] But this is what I'm a fan of. OKC teams like that, they address whatever flaws or shortcomings they had the season before. So when J-Dub got hurt, A.J. Mitchell got hurt, that left SGA on the island as the de facto point guard a lot of the rest of the series. So what do you do? You go get you another ball handler that can shoot 38%, 39% from three. Don't got to shoot a lot.

[01:21:35] He's a coach's son. They're already a team that doesn't necessarily turn the ball over a lot. So he has a certain discipline that he's going to bring to that offense. You know, I don't expect him to start, but he's another guy that can buy you a few minutes by playing hard. That's what McCain does. But he just – Well, McCain's going to light it up, though. Yeah, when Plumlee punched him in his kidneys, he just faltered after that. Really?

[01:22:04] Yeah, every time he stepped on the court after that, he was like – After that, he was skittish. You know what I mean? So you got that going on, right? And then, you know, so OKC did that. But Mr. Logical, surprisingly enough, if we were doing winners and losers, I really like what the Kings did.

[01:22:33] I really like what the Kings did. They went and got the star. They went and got Darius Acuff. You know what I mean? You see a Scalib Rennie clip? Uh-uh. He was talking about Alex Caravan. Yeah. He was like, that's a great pickup for Cleveland. I really – I coached that guy. He was at my camp. Yeah, they had – he did a great job. And other guy was like, yeah, he got traded to Sacramento. He goes, ooh. Yeah. That's tough. But that's what I like. He said, ooh. That's tough. Yeah. But that's what I like, though.

[01:23:02] Like, they got their point guard of the future, you know, who a lot of people consider the best point guard in this draft. Alex Caravan is a, you know, big shot taker, big shot maker, as they say. You know, national champion two times over in college. They went and got Emmanuel Sharp, who was one of my sleepers, to defend the perimeter, you know, depending on when he's on the floor and all that, helps Acuff out a little bit by taking over that matchup that Acuff can't defend.

[01:23:29] And, oh, by the way, he's probably going to be a 37%, 38% three-point shooter as well. So once they get this, you know, DeRozan thing over with, maybe move DeMontes. Like, I think the Kings are – I ain't going to say they're headed in the right direction because they are the Kings. But I think they did the right things in this draft. I'll put it like that. You know, the Hornets. You know, I like what they did. I talked about that already. The Lakers.

[01:23:59] You know, I ain't going to say too much about it because everybody's buzzing about it. But Cameron Carr, once LeBron is gone and they start trying to develop rookies and stuff, they got a good one. They got a real good one. One of the best players in the draft potentially. The Hawks. The Hawks. I'm not necessarily the biggest Kingston Fleming's fan from the standpoint of thinking that he's going to be a star or something like that. But they got their point guard in the future, basically. He's another defender.

[01:24:28] So, like, Atlanta might legit be a top three defense in the league this year if he can maintain what he was doing. And then you got Visar, who they got way later than I thought he would go. But they addressed their size issue to some degree. Now we got to see free agency get another, you know, big man or at least a bigger forward or whatever.

[01:24:52] But Atlanta might be in a good spot because, remember, they were the only team that took two games off the Knicks in this playoffs, by the way. Yeah. Yeah. You know, the Spurs, right? You had them beating the Knicks. I did have them beating the Knicks. And, I mean, C.J. McCollum tried his damnedest. You know, Jalen Johnson just didn't come with him. You know, it was first time in the playoffs. You know, it happens. But Detroit, you know, I like the Okori pickup.

[01:25:21] You know, he was one of my sleepers. You know, 23 and a half points a game as a freshman. Just another guy that can take some pressure off of Cade Cunningham. Even if it's just, for now, dribbling the ball because, obviously, we're not going to expect rookies that selected this late. You know, after the lottery to come in and, you know, hey, go out there and average 17 or something like that. But he gives Detroit options.

[01:25:47] You know, he gives them another ball handler so Cade can do some off-the-ball work. He gives them a scorer, you know, when Cade's on the bench, you know, once he develops. So, I like – and they brought in Isaiah Joe. So, that's your bench backcourt right there. You're already kind of set. They were missing these options because it was pretty much Cade take us to the promised land because Jalen wasn't going to do shit. He was not playing very well against Cleveland. It was like – It was very strange.

[01:26:17] He didn't play that well against Orlando. Well, the team didn't play that well against Orlando. Orlando should have closed them out. It's crazy to think, like, how the ebbs and flows of the first 24 minutes versus the second 24 minutes in that NBA game went. But Detroit is – I don't think they're going to pull Charlotte because I think they really like Cade Cunningham. I think his reliability – Oh, no. No. He's a piston until –

[01:26:46] They're not going to, like, trade him abruptly and things like that. I just feel like they're going to be close for the next couple of years. And it's – they're going to lock themselves into a couple of bad deals. And then in about 2028, they're going to be like, you know what? We probably shouldn't have signed this deal. Or 2029. Yeah, I think if I'm them – We probably shouldn't have given him 260, something like that.

[01:27:13] I think if I'm them, I'm trying to find somebody that wants Ron Holland. I like Ron Holland, but you can't have that many chefs in the kitchen, you know what I mean? Because he's not even getting the minutes that he deserves right now anyway. You know, and you've got Asar who you hope works on that jumper at some point, but you're going to keep him around just for the defense and, you know, just for the energy. He's got to be able to figure that out, right? You would think so. You're the lethal shooter.

[01:27:43] There's so many shooting coaches and there's so many gyms. You can build a hoop in your backyard and just work on the jump shot. Like, they shouldn't be leaving you open in the playoffs. You know, yeah. When you are as dynamic as you are defensively. Yeah. Or just an NBA player. Yeah. And then, you know, you've got the other side. So if you talk about winners, you've got to talk about losers, right?

[01:28:08] So Orlando, I hate to call them a loser because they only had one pick. Okay. They just made the wrong pick. So, you know, they went and got Isaiah Nelson out of USF, you know, who is a banger, you know, on the boards and all that. But he's legit probably three years away from contributing. Now, granted, they got him in the second round.

[01:28:30] But for a team that needs playmaking, ball handling, and, you know, a big man, you know, or somebody down low, they could have got B-SAR. You know what I mean? Or, you know, like, obviously we got free agency, so I don't want to overreact. But I just feel like they could have did something better. The Denver Nuggets, right? Okay.

[01:28:54] You know, my Nuggets, you know, they confused me, you know, because I was looking at them and I said, hey, you got to get you a shooter. You got to get you, you know, a defender. So maybe half of that, you know, they got Trevon Brazil out of Arkansas, who outside of defense is probably going to be a project in the rawest order.

[01:29:17] The reason that I have a problem with that is because with their next pick, they went and got Bryce Hopkins, who's had two knee injuries in college. And then on top of that, you still got to get Deron Holmes, who they drafted two years ago, acclimated because he came into the league with an ACL. So you're already not playing the young guys to begin with. But now you're drafting young guys that you're probably not going to play anyway. No one is.

[01:29:44] And if you lose Peyton Watson, you know what I mean, then you really up shit's creek to some degree. So that's just my story. No one's playing there, young guys. So many NBA teams are just holding on to their old guys, overpaying their current role players or recycling guys from other teams. The fact that like there's conversations about moving AD from the Wizards and you giving up capital and then paying him to come to your team.

[01:30:14] None of these. I'm going to say none of them. I don't like speaking absolutes. Very few of these NBA teams are actually trying to start from a real starting point. They're all trying to start at the 150 meter mark of a 400 meter race. It's like, yo, you might have to start from the starting blocks. Build your team. Trust your coaching and make it work. Play the young guy.

[01:30:41] Because eventually, like I said, my criticism is like these guys aren't dogs. They're not like grinders. Seems a lot of guys that play a lot of finesse basketball. Very cute. You know, not really. Not a lot of guys who give you that grittiness of like a Draymond Green or even a Kawhi. Or like a Tyrese Maxey, an undersized guy that just challenges the bigs at the rim.

[01:31:07] You know, it's a mindset that I feel like a lot of these players don't come into the league with. But if you sit them on the bench for two, three years. Shots fired. If you sit them on the bench for like two or three years and don't give them an opportunity. It's like, so what are we going to do? And that's and that's I think that's the conundrum a lot of teams are in. It's like you're moving all these pieces around. It's like get these guys you drafted onto the floor and see what works.

[01:31:35] Before you end up firing the coach, firing the GM and trying to move stadiums. You know, the guys you drafted. The Pacers went out and got the all time assist leader, Braden Smith. I don't know why. Like, you know, Halliburton is coming back this year. You know, and you're talking about a 510 point guard that is just going to like legit 510. Like not even, hey, they listed him at six feet and he might be 510.

[01:32:05] No, he's listed at 510 already. You know what I mean? So then, of course, Mr. Logical, I didn't want to bring them up. You know, I did. The Brooklyn Nets. Yeah, they did nothing. Well, I do like the Mikel Brown pick. You know, I know Twitter and everybody else has been going nuts because they could have had Acuff instead. You know what I mean?

[01:32:32] But I talked about this right before the draft where I felt Brooklyn had to draft one of those two from the New York City star power. Give me a reason to watch you. You know, Acuff, you know, is obviously the one that people feel already right now. But Mikel Brown, you know, can step out. You know, he can get above the rim.

[01:32:56] So I was saying that his style of play, you know, said will make Brooklyn entertaining to some degree. Now, the rest of the draft, though, that Brooklyn had Joshua Jefferson, you know what I mean? Like they went and asked him, who do you compare yourself to? And this man named like six different people that were all like. Solid players like, you know, like, you know, most people most people are like, I mean, I can't shoot like stuff.

[01:33:26] That's why I patterned my game after, you know, my man is like. Yeah, that's scabby. I like his honesty. You know, no, no, fuck all that. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like Brooklyn don't need a Draymond Green right now. You know what I mean? They definitely need a Draymond Green. That's probably not a player they need. Well, they got that with Julius Randle to some degree already. No, hell no. Julius Randle was Julius Randle. Julius Randle makes me think he's James Harden because they're both left-handed.

[01:33:52] He does nothing that Draymond Green gives you. He will not, Julius Randle will not get the ball at the top of the key and fake and fake passes and then set a little brush screen and a little bounce pass so you get an open three. He will not do that. He will fake, he will have you fake the screen so he can try to dribble and get his own shot off. Well, I mean, like, if he was Bill Ricardo. Him and, what's the ball name that can't stop talking?

[01:34:23] Michael Porter. Michael Porter Jr. The two of them are probably, they're probably the worst duo based off of, based off of, like, who's going to make the other one better? I think it could be a zero-sum game with those two.

[01:34:42] Like, I think if the ball, if Julius Randle's on the top of the key and Michael Porter Jr. gets the ball on the wing, he's not swayed to him. And if the ball was coming from Julius Randle to Michael Porter's direction, he's not getting the ball either. So, the two of them are going to watch both of them shoot three-point shots and not give each other the ball. I don't think you draft. Not in a negative way, I just think it's the way it goes.

[01:35:11] I don't think you draft Kyle Anderson, basically. You know, we talked about that, like, you know, slow-mo. I don't think you draft. I mean, granted, it was the back of the first round. But with a team like Brooklyn that needs, like, anything they can get their hands on, you know what I mean? Like, you got to see if it works.

[01:35:32] Like, with football, we could kind of see if you have too many corners, you have too many wide receivers, you have too many linebackers in the draft. But with football, I talk about, I've been using this phrase, these guys are dogs. In football, you got to be, you got to scrap every single play. You got to fight every single play to make an impact. Because if you're getting blocked, then you're a non-factor in the play. Like, you're just out of the way. So, you have to fight up that block.

[01:36:02] So, even if you aren't even close to the play, you're fighting with the dude blocking you to try to get into the play. With basketball, you can just be a non-factor because, like, you can't shoot, so they put you on the bench. They don't need you. They can run seven guys. In the NFL, you got to rotate guys. You got to have a punt unit, kickoff unit. So, guys get an opportunity to really show their skills. In the NBA, they don't really get that opportunity.

[01:36:26] But with Brooklyn, that's the space where you should get that opportunity just because they only have a couple of veterans. The only two I can think off the top of my head are Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. That just got there. The rest of these guys are very young. Yeah. So, I like the backcourt. Like I said, I like Michael Brown. I wasn't big on Yegor last year, but he played pretty decently in his limited time.

[01:36:50] And then, you know, the last pick that they made, Tyler Villado, you know, is kind of like he's in that in-between phase. Is he a Dean Wade or is he a Cam Johnson? You know what I mean? So, it's just – I don't know. Like, I just – Why don't you get knocked down to three and play a little bit of defense? Like, I still don't know if I know the direction that they're aiming for. You know what I mean? Like, they're just doing things. They're just –

[01:37:20] They're just adding – they're adding quality basketball. They're putting their rosters together so that they can open the arena. Yeah. They need to have a five-man starting lineup and realistically at least three bench players in order to survive the season. So, I think that's what they're doing. Yeah. The Mavs did a – That's what happens when you're in that position as a team. And the Mavs did a lot of confusing things to me too.

[01:37:50] The only thing that saves them is because I had to train my brain to remember that Masai Ujiri is back in charge. So, you know, he did what he does for more – you know, more or less. He did what he does. I do – you know, I like Merez Johnson as a – you know, as a player. But I don't know if they needed him at number nine. You know, they went and got Sergio De La Rea from Spain. Who a lot of the scouts like.

[01:38:19] You know, he was on one of the best teams in the EuroLeague. So, he comes over with that experience. So, maybe that can, you know, help out a little bit. Help his transition, if you will. But then, you know, they got Toby Lawal from Virginia Tech who is an athlete. But I don't know what else he offers you. And then I don't even know if this shooting guard from Russia is going to play at all. Like, or if he's going to be one of those guys that they hold the rights to and then we never see him again. Sits in a leaf.

[01:38:49] Sits overseas forever. Yeah. Then Golden State. You know, I like the moves that they made as far as looking at it from, like, a defensive standpoint. Like, Jones out of Florida State. Like, he's that dog that you're talking about. I just don't know if the offensive game is going to translate over. But, you know, he's one of those guys that you, like, you want to have on your team. Houston.

[01:39:18] I was a little confused with them. You know, they made the right move as far as the type of player that they got. I just don't know if they got the right one. Now, granted, this guy, Bruce Thornton, is the all-time leading scorer in Ohio State basketball history. So, he's got that going for him. You know, you got Van Bleet acclimating in back into the lineup. You got Reed Shepard already.

[01:39:44] You know, that's small and, you know, a shooter or whatever you want to call it. So, you just drafted a stocky dude that does what they do. So, like, maybe the body makes a difference. You know, maybe that's the difference in this scenario. You know, what? But then you got the Clippers. I like what the Clippers did.

[01:40:09] Not the biggest wogler guy, but I think he'll be solid, you know, like down the road. They got my sleeper, Baba Miller, out of Cincinnati. So, you know, I like that for future purposes. Nick Martinelli started getting a little hype as we got towards the draft. You know, he's not athletic. He doesn't have an athletic bone in his body. But then we got the guy that they drafted that's at Auburn.

[01:40:34] He was old enough that he had to be in the draft, I guess, but he didn't actually declare. He doesn't have an athletic bone in his body. Yeah, he doesn't have an athletic bone in his body, man. Not even a little bit. You know, but I was just wondering about that. Memphis, you know, we were talking about Kareem Lopez. You know what I mean? And it's like usually when you watch these highlights of the overseas guys that you don't know,

[01:41:04] like you talked about Luca. Yeah. When I was watching him, I was like, man, this looks like Canelo just sparring against somebody that has no business sparring with Canelo. So I don't know if that's... Like guys who like to play basketball just... Yeah. ...or in a league. So I don't know if that means that he's that good compared to the competition. But I'm thinking that he's going to be a few years, you know. Then they drafted Richie Saunders out of BYU who's coming off the ACL.

[01:41:34] So, you know, who knows if he'll play next year. Milwaukee, that's it. They'd have been, right? You know, they went and got Brandon Burries. That's the Milwaukee guy that you picked. Yeah. And, you know, they went and got Brandon Burries, you know what I mean? As they say, because now I've got to sound like a sports guy, right? He probably has the highest floor in the draft. I've always wanted to say that, but it applies to him. So he could be one of those guys that, you know, that is a gem.

[01:42:04] Isaiah Evans to Minnesota, I like a lot. They need more shooting. You know, the Knicks got some good players. You know what I mean? Like, oh, Tyler Nickel from Vanderbilt. That guy can shoot the lights out. You know what I mean? And, you know, so that could be at some point whenever they move off of OG or McHale two or three years from now. 65% of these Jews are going straight to the G League. Yeah.

[01:42:33] Included my guy, Otega Owe from Kentucky, who I was shocked that he got drafted. He got drafted at 41 and he got drafted to OKC. He got drafted to OKC. So thank you. So, you know, you can't complain about that. You know what I mean? But Koa peaked to Phoenix, you know. And then traded him. Like he was supposed to go to the Lakers, right? And they traded him. Yeah. Yeah.

[01:43:01] And then the Spurs, real quick, I guess I'll finish up with them. The Spurs, you know, we talked about the big men, Jaden Quaintance, Terrence Reed. But they went and got Jacoby Gillespie. You know what I mean? So we were just talking about it, right? The Spurs made the finals without these three-point shooters that everybody's looking for and all that kind of stuff like that. Well, the Spurs just went and got one. You know, Gillespie's going to come in the league.

[01:43:30] And if he gets the minutes, he's probably going to be the best shooter on the team unless they bring Champagny back. And even, you know, he's some timey. So he still might be the best shooter on the team. So all in all, deep NBA draft. Didn't have the luster that I thought it was going to have. Like too many trades that didn't involve actual players that are in the league right now.

[01:43:55] It was just a whole bunch of movement that fused the hell out of everybody because I was like, why did Memphis take Bittich's third? Oh, shit. He's in OKC. So it is what it is. Yeah, the NBA trade model. I'm just like, oh, this is just. I get it. Unfortunately, that was aggressive. Yeah, I tried to mute that. Unfortunately, I still have a lot of faith in a lot of these guys seeing making an impact.

[01:44:21] I mean, granted, I think you guys in the top five, maybe extending out to eight, might get an opportunity. I think the guys in the top five get a consistent opportunity. I still have any faith in the NBA development of getting young players to the best teams. We talk about how the tanky rules and how to disagree with them.

[01:44:47] So hopefully these guys at the top of this draft, because as far as the conversation surrounding this draft, this was considered one of the deeper drafts. You know, pretty much guys one through six, one through eight, give or take, you know, based on your your college, you know, basketball expertise.

[01:45:11] That's when these guys get this opportunity to actually, you know, go out there and shine because the old guard has to they got to hang it up. Those Adidas, Nikes and Ling Ling basketball shoes have to get hung up. They have to do the farewell. They got to put the numbers in the rafters and you're going to need a new wave of players that are really ready to step in and, you know, and lace those shoes up and take it forward.

[01:45:38] So I would go back to the draft being one night. It just it's not it's not enough. I'm trying to what's the word I'm going to look for, like intrigue or or mystique or the player cachet for it to be stretched as far as it is.

[01:46:05] I would do one night, three hours, give him three minutes in the first round because you're already worked out. He working out. And if you're picked 14. And your guy hasn't gone yet, if you have three minutes, you should be ready to go. I mean, so, yeah, yeah, I would get rid of the whole spectacle of it and just go back to like just keep it simple basketball. Get these guys in the gym. Get ready to old guard.

[01:46:34] We're going to you new guard. Put him in commercials off the bat. If you get drafted in the top 10, give them a national national watcher. AT&T mobile ride something. Get their faces out there. Get them out there with the jersey. Maybe an old head teammate do something to they're worried about spreading the game. They trying to spread it to places that half of America can't go to because they don't have passports. So it doesn't make any sense. Yeah.

[01:47:03] Spread it around here. Spread it on the phone. Spread it on TV. And then final note. If anybody ever asks you again, does anybody know any 55th pick besides Bronny James? You tell them Aaron Wiggins and Nick Martinelli. You know what I'm saying? Show your basketball knowledge. You know what I'm saying?

[01:47:27] But he is the one and only world famous, world renowned, cool, calm, and collected unless we are talking about LeBron. You know what I'm saying? Born in Texas, raised in VA, representing new Jeruz, said that Mikel Brown still ain't good enough for him to come over the bridge to watch the Nets. He is Mr. Logical. A lot of tolls. Don't bring feelings to a fat fight.

[01:47:57] Don't bring those feelings to fat fights. Don't do it. He doesn't. And down here in the Alamo is your unorthodox statistician going left so much she was southpaw about to go chase a little girl and make her stop singing Liv Morgan songs. You know, Jersey in the house. You know what I mean? I am 2-5. When we come back on Tuesday, free agency will be underway. We'll even have some deals probably, I'm guessing, Sunday night.

[01:48:26] We'll start to hear maybe Saturday, maybe tomorrow. We'll start to hear a few things slip through the cracks. Can't eat back to Golden State. Book it. I'm kidding. Well, there was something I saw today that they might be looking to move off of Jimmy Butler. So, you know what I mean? So, we'll see. But this is Sports Reports' order. You know what I'm saying? We love y'all. Like, review, subscribe, share, rate. Do all the free things. Do all the good things.

[01:48:57] Liquid Death is in hand. And we are everywhere that you get your podcasts. Say less, say more. Check us out. We are out. Out. Sports Reports. No gimmicks, no clowns. 2-5 Mr. Lodical. We run this town. Real talk only. No chasing, no doubt. From the east to the west. It's the order we shout. Mic check, lights flash. Game time. Stay ready. Two vets in the zone. Keep the pressure real heavy. Big hits, big plays. Yeah, we breaking it down.

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