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Who Are the Real Contenders? · Small Ball with Kenny Beecham

0:04
SPEAKER_02: Welcome in and welcome back to another episode of Small Ball with Kenny Beechum, the first episode of the year 2025.
0:12
SPEAKER_02: Today, I wanna I wanna go through contenders, man.
0:15
SPEAKER_02: I want to go through contenders to give my new hierarchy because things are always shifting in the grand scheme of basketball.
0:21
SPEAKER_02: Later in the episode, we're gonna bring back the five-hour producer Greg, and I want to talk about the teams that I have shut off for the rest of the season.
0:29
SPEAKER_02: All that and more in today's episode.
0:31
SPEAKER_02: Be sure to leave a like, subscribe, tell a friend, and tell a friend if they need their NBA fix.
0:36
SPEAKER_02: Small ball with Candy Beecher might be the might be the place for them.
0:40
SPEAKER_02: I cannot wait for the rest of the season, man.
0:43
SPEAKER_02: And we were just talking before we we loaded up about this really being the dog days of the NBA.
0:48
SPEAKER_02: Even for me, where my whole job is to watch and consume the NBA and talk about it.
0:53
SPEAKER_02: It really is the dog days where like the entire holiday season, I feel like I didn't watch much of live basketball, man.
1:00
SPEAKER_02: Except for, of course, Christmas Day was an absolute banger, but we talked about that already.
1:03
SPEAKER_02: Um, I didn't I didn't watch much live basketball, haven't watched much live basketball in the last week or so.
1:08
SPEAKER_02: I've been doing a pretty good job of waking up early to see what I miss, like watching the 76ers give up a 15-0 run to end a game against the Sacramento Kings.
1:18
SPEAKER_02: Not the greatest thing.
1:19
SPEAKER_02: Watching Wimben Yama go against the Clippers on New Year's Eve and just absolutely dominate.
1:24
SPEAKER_02: So I've of course still been locked in, but also been a little less locked in as far as being there in real time.
1:30
SPEAKER_02: Because one of my favorite things as I continue to grow like the brand of Enjoy and whatever Twitter accounts and stuff was like live tweeting games.
1:38
SPEAKER_02: Like, did y'all see that off the backboard?
1:39
SPEAKER_02: Ally you from Chris Paul to Wimby.
1:41
SPEAKER_02: Not a lot of that has happened over the last two weeks, but I definitely have been still locked in.
1:47
SPEAKER_02: So this is the way we're gonna do things today.
1:49
SPEAKER_02: We're gonna check in on my contenders because I think that I still have the same contenders as the last time we talked, but they're in a different order now because we have such a big sample size.
2:00
SPEAKER_02: Like now we can really start talking about advanced analytics.
2:03
SPEAKER_02: The first month or so of the season, like we we brought it up, of course.
2:06
SPEAKER_02: We kind of took it with a grain of salt.
2:08
SPEAKER_02: Is this a hot shooting streak for this specific player?
2:11
SPEAKER_02: Will they ever come back down to earth?
2:12
SPEAKER_02: I'm looking at you, buddy healed.
2:14
SPEAKER_02: The answer was yes.
2:15
SPEAKER_02: Now, with this much sample size, we could kind of we could kind of talk about some stuff.
2:18
SPEAKER_02: Um, and so so here's the the order right now.
2:21
SPEAKER_02: The first team, my steel king of the NBA, the team that is number one on my hierarchy, it's to the Boston Celtics.
2:28
SPEAKER_02: Now, on a night-to-night basis, the Celtics don't look like the best team in basketball.
2:32
SPEAKER_02: But there's there's this level of respect that you get once you come off a ring.
2:36
SPEAKER_02: And I I decided to do this little experiment because I am guilty of this almost the last what the three out of the last four years.
2:44
SPEAKER_02: Well, my favorite era of basketball is this current era, this era of parody, this era that people on Twitter tell you is the worst era in ball.
2:51
SPEAKER_02: It's not, it's actually the best.
2:53
SPEAKER_02: Um, and because there's this level of parody, we use that respect level from the previous champion and we carry it over.
3:00
SPEAKER_02: And I'm not saying the Celtics don't deserve it because again, I still got them number one, but I was thinking, how often doing again the parody era?
3:07
SPEAKER_02: And I'm calling it post-2020, right?
3:09
SPEAKER_02: Since the bubble, since LeBron James and them got into 2020, we've seen a different champion.
3:13
SPEAKER_02: I guess it went back before that, but that's where I started my experiment.
3:17
SPEAKER_02: How much respect did the defending champions get for the entirety of the next season?
3:22
SPEAKER_02: Do we really live in a league or you got to take the crown?
3:24
SPEAKER_02: Or do we have NBA thinkers that's like, mm, this team don't nearly look the same.
3:28
SPEAKER_02: This team don't nearly look as dominant as the year before.
3:31
SPEAKER_02: Now, the Celtics were so dominant last year, so dominant in the regular season, so dominant in a in the postseason.
3:36
SPEAKER_02: And this year, they haven't really lived up to that completely.
3:38
SPEAKER_02: Some of that could be championship hangover, some of that could be just the overall fatigue of a lot of their players going into the Olympics this summer.
3:46
SPEAKER_02: Porzingis coming into the season injured.
3:48
SPEAKER_02: There are a lot of different factors for why the Boston Celtics right now are what a half a game away from being the 3C versus the 1C, where they won 60 plus games last season.
3:57
SPEAKER_02: But I went back thinking about this respect factor.
4:02
SPEAKER_02: And I found a bunch of articles that were written the day before the NBA playoff started for every single season.
4:07
SPEAKER_02: So let's take a step back.
4:08
SPEAKER_02: Going into the 2021 playoffs again in 2020, the LA Lakers ended up winning that championship.
4:13
SPEAKER_02: My question was how much respect did that Lakers team get the next season?
4:17
SPEAKER_02: They went into the postseason as a seventh seed.
4:19
SPEAKER_02: If y'all remember, this is the year where LeBron James played about 40 games.
4:21
SPEAKER_02: This is the year where Anthony Davis played about 30.
4:23
SPEAKER_02: So with their two-star players being out for the majority of the season, they only ended up being a seven seed.
4:28
SPEAKER_02: And they went into a 2-7 matchup against the Phoenix Suns.
4:31
SPEAKER_02: So I went back.
4:32
SPEAKER_02: I'm like, okay, what did the experts think?
4:34
SPEAKER_02: The experts at ESPN, the experts at Bleach Report, the experts at CBS Sports all went into that first-round playoff series and said, no, no, no, no.
4:43
SPEAKER_02: I know the Lakers are the seventh seed, but guess what?
4:45
SPEAKER_02: They're gonna win this.
4:46
SPEAKER_02: Not only did they predict that the Lakers were gonna go out there and win that first round matchup against the Phoenix Suns, which they eventually lost 4-2, they predicted they would win in a second round versus Portland.
4:57
SPEAKER_02: They predicted that they will go to a game seven versus the Clippers, a good old LA versus LA.
5:02
SPEAKER_02: And in Bleach reports, Case said, hey, the reigning champion, the team that is a seventh seed this season, they still got enough to win the championship.
5:10
SPEAKER_02: Even though this season they weren't nearly as good as the previous year.
5:15
SPEAKER_02: The ultimate amount of respect for championship team.
5:19
SPEAKER_02: And listen, I don't blame them.
5:20
SPEAKER_02: I I didn't go back to watch my own videos, but I promise you, I was probably in this boat as well.
5:24
SPEAKER_02: They got LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and oh my God, they're not healthy right now, but last time they were healthy, they won a championship.
5:30
SPEAKER_02: Y'all know what really happened in 2021.
5:32
SPEAKER_02: That was the year that the Milwaukee Bucks uh broke the curse and they went on to win their championship as well.
5:37
SPEAKER_02: And my question was, how much respect did that Milwaukee Bucks team end up getting?
5:42
SPEAKER_02: Well, the year after they won a championship, they followed it up by being a three-seed.
5:46
SPEAKER_02: They went to the playoffs and played against the Bulls, cakewalk, and they played against this team, this team.
5:50
SPEAKER_02: Um, CBS Sports had their eight experts predict every single round in the playoffs.
5:54
SPEAKER_02: Again, these articles are written the day before the first tip-off of the playoffs.
5:59
SPEAKER_02: All eight of the um experts predicted that they would beat the ball, the Chicago Bulls.
6:04
SPEAKER_02: Of course, the Bulls suck.
6:06
SPEAKER_02: Seven of those same eight people predicted that the Milwaukee Bucks would win the second round.
6:11
SPEAKER_02: Seven of those eight people predicted that they would win the Eastern Conference.
6:15
SPEAKER_02: And then of the seven that predicted they would win the East, three of them thought that they were gonna go on to repeat.
6:21
SPEAKER_02: The actuality was they lost to Grant Williams again number seven against the Boston Celtics.
6:26
SPEAKER_02: But the ultimate amount of respect.
6:29
SPEAKER_02: Year after that, um, and this is probably the most damning evidence of it all.
6:33
SPEAKER_02: Because if you don't remember what happened in 2022, that was the year that, you know, the Golden State Warriors did it again.
6:39
SPEAKER_02: No Kevin Durant, you know, this time just turning back the clocks to say, hey, we still got one more in us.
6:44
SPEAKER_02: Shout out to Wiggins for his phenomenal, phenomenal season.
6:47
SPEAKER_02: This is the most damning evidence of it all.
6:49
SPEAKER_02: Because the year coming off that 2022 championship, the Warriors weren't nearly as good.
6:54
SPEAKER_02: Wiggins was missing a bunch of time for personal reasons.
6:57
SPEAKER_02: And then when he did play, he he wasn't very good.
6:59
SPEAKER_02: A lot of the younger guys that people expected to take a step up did not take a step up.
7:04
SPEAKER_02: Hell, some of those same young guys still like taking a step up.
7:07
SPEAKER_02: It's been a little while.
7:08
SPEAKER_02: They went into that season after winning the championship with a record of 44 and 38, y'all.
7:13
SPEAKER_02: But despite that, Bleach Reports experts predicted that the Warriors would go on to win the damn championship.
7:20
SPEAKER_02: They were 44 and 38.
7:23
SPEAKER_02: And Bleach Report was like, nah, they just won last year.
7:27
SPEAKER_02: So they're probably gonna be able to do it again.
7:29
SPEAKER_02: And then this is this is it.
7:31
SPEAKER_02: Um, this was the year that the different Nuggets went on to win.
7:35
SPEAKER_02: And uh New York Times is experts, all of them predicted a repeat for the Nuggets.
7:41
SPEAKER_02: Now I say all of that to say we have a really hard time differentiating what is championship hangover and what is right versus wrong, what is good versus bad.
7:54
SPEAKER_02: And again, the Boston Celts are still a very, very great team, but they don't look as dominant this year.
7:58
SPEAKER_02: They are I'm gonna talk about it like it's bad.
8:01
SPEAKER_02: They are 24-9, but in their last 10, they're 5-5, and they're about to go on this West Coast road trip that might really give us a real idea of who the Celtics are.
8:09
SPEAKER_02: I'm still giving them the ultimate amount of respect because something that differentiates them from some of these other teams that we mentioned that won it but weren't able to repeat is they they feel like they're a team that you just cannot scheme against.
8:20
SPEAKER_02: Simply put.
8:21
SPEAKER_02: Some of the other teams we're gonna talk about in my championship hierarchy.
8:24
SPEAKER_02: I feel like there's a world where an opposing coach can kind of exploit some things.
8:28
SPEAKER_02: I just don't know how you exploit the Boston Celtics in a seven-game series because I truly do trust Joe Mazzo to be able to make necessary adjustments.
8:36
SPEAKER_02: Hypothetically, if some team does punch them in the mouth and gain number one with this something they've never seen before, that Joe Mazzo and his staff will be able to remedy it and then fix it all.
8:45
SPEAKER_02: With them having so many great perimeter defenders, it doesn't matter what type of guard play you have against them, they're gonna find a way to defend it very well, and they win the math in almost every single game.
8:56
SPEAKER_02: This is the prototypical repeat type of team, but damn it, I also thought that about the Denver Nuggets.
9:03
SPEAKER_02: So who knows?
9:04
SPEAKER_02: I'm still giving them the ultimate amount of respect, but again, their their schedule right now is about to get real tough.
9:10
SPEAKER_02: That West Coast Road trip be tripping some people up.
9:12
SPEAKER_02: Now, they they just beat the Toronto Raptors by a gazillion points the other night.
9:16
SPEAKER_02: Then they have the Timberwolves, then the Rockets, then the Thunder, then the Nuggets, then the Kings.
9:24
SPEAKER_02: And they're like that.
9:25
SPEAKER_02: That West Coast Road Trip is insane.
9:29
SPEAKER_02: And if anybody can get up for it, it is this team.
9:31
SPEAKER_02: But I'm just letting you know, I am watching these next five games so very closely for the Boston Celtics because it will, I think it will tell us a lot about this team going into year number two of trying to repeat or going into a repeat type of season.
9:45
SPEAKER_02: My number two team on my hierarchy is gonna be the Oklahoma City Thunder.
9:49
SPEAKER_02: Who could you expect other than them?
9:51
SPEAKER_02: This team is one of the most destructive teams I've been able to watch ever.
9:57
SPEAKER_02: Just ever.
9:58
SPEAKER_02: When I watched them the other night against the uh Minnesota or the next morning against the Minnesota Timberwolves, it's like that third quarter.
10:04
SPEAKER_02: Like if there's any single quarter that you need to watch that kind of encompasses who the Oklahoma City Thunder are, it is that quarter where they are deflection.
10:11
SPEAKER_02: They are they are causing steals.
10:13
SPEAKER_02: J-Dub is getting Julius Randle twice and felt like back-to-back possessions, and then they had their MVP candidate, Shea Gills Alexander, come out there and just really shut them down.
10:23
SPEAKER_02: I just don't know what you do about them.
10:26
SPEAKER_02: And this is kind of crazy to have them this high, mostly because they've had shooting regression like crazy compared to their last season.
10:34
SPEAKER_02: Last year, they had so many great players go out there and shoot what was career highs.
10:38
SPEAKER_02: And a lot of them, majority of them, are having near career low shooting, shooting numbers.
10:43
SPEAKER_02: And still they're finding ways to have one of the better offenses in basketball.
10:48
SPEAKER_02: But this is a defensive-oriented team.
10:50
SPEAKER_02: They're seventh in offense right now, number one in defense by two, two and a half points.
10:53
SPEAKER_02: The Houston Rockets, who's number two, they're two and a half points worse than them defensively.
10:58
SPEAKER_02: That is an insane number.
10:59
SPEAKER_02: Deflections, steals, protection.
11:02
SPEAKER_02: And them being number two is really dependent on what the hell happens with Chet Homgren.
11:07
SPEAKER_02: Um, I haven't seen a single report about his overall rehabilitation and stuff.
11:11
SPEAKER_02: You do see him at games and he's still on his crutches, yada yada yada.
11:15
SPEAKER_02: But if they have him healthy and not just healthy, but let's say 80% of the player that we saw before he went down with his injury, this is gonna be one of the toughest outs in basketball.
11:25
SPEAKER_02: And we talked about it last time on these this uh podcast, where I do believe because some of those dudes have had their shooting regression, that they could benefit from going out there and going and get a Cam Johnson or one of the other available shooters across basketball, because they can pretty much outbid anybody for anybody.
11:40
SPEAKER_02: Uh and they could really like that if there's one Achilles heel of them, it is that that the shooting might not, might not hold up come postseason.
11:50
SPEAKER_02: Who knows?
11:51
SPEAKER_02: Like they're gonna make it, many teams are gonna try to make it super, super tough for Shea.
11:55
SPEAKER_02: And Shay showed us in the two series that he had last year that, like, you can scheme against me.
11:58
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna still find a way to get my shot off.
12:01
SPEAKER_02: But even though they are the 12th rank defense in or offense in basketball, I still watch this team and think to myself how insanely efficient their offense is, where I don't see many possessions that end in just head scratching things.
12:15
SPEAKER_02: I just don't see it.
12:16
SPEAKER_02: And that is one of the contender type qualities.
12:19
SPEAKER_02: Great defensive team, no wasted possessions.
12:21
SPEAKER_02: If I'm gonna cause this many turnovers and I'm also not gonna turn the ball over and not gonna do this and not gonna do that, that could really be the differentiated factor.
12:30
SPEAKER_02: Now, another thing that you could question is will they be able to cause this level of um uh havoc come postseason, right?
12:37
SPEAKER_02: Usually the game slows down.
12:38
SPEAKER_02: And that was one of the things that happened last year.
12:40
SPEAKER_02: They were one of the best defleshing teams, one of the best turnover uh creating teams in basketball in the regular season, come postseason.
12:47
SPEAKER_02: Ah, it was a little bit tougher to do that.
12:49
SPEAKER_02: So if we are a team that does that very often and we can't have that happen, what happens to us?
12:54
SPEAKER_02: And you kind of saw that in their last loss that wasn't really a loss, the NBA Cup Championship, where they did get them to the uh Milwaukee Bucks to turn the ball over, but it wasn't a ton of live ball turnovers that they could turn into easy two-on-one opportunities, three-on-two opportunities that lead to a layup or trailing three, yada, yada, yada.
13:12
SPEAKER_02: So again, they they aren't the perfect team, but damn are they they feel like they're a smooth number two on the hierarchy.
13:20
SPEAKER_02: Number three would have to be Cleveland.
13:22
SPEAKER_02: Cleveland and OKC.
13:25
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna bunch them together.
13:27
SPEAKER_02: They've got to the point for me personally to they are in a place where only a few teams in my lifetime have been.
13:33
SPEAKER_02: Those teams are the 2016 through 2018 Warriors, the 2016 Spurs, the 2020, I'm sorry, 2013 Miami Heat.
13:41
SPEAKER_02: When I load in to watch their games, OKC and Cleveland, I expect them to win.
13:48
SPEAKER_02: When they are down by 16 points, I expect them to come back and win that game.
13:54
SPEAKER_02: And I haven't felt this way about many teams.
13:56
SPEAKER_02: Now we're getting to two in the same year, which is kind of crazy.
13:59
SPEAKER_02: Again, we had two in 2016 with the Spurs and the Warriors, but this is just an elite class to be in.
14:05
SPEAKER_02: And as good as they have been, and by many of the metrics, they have been the best team in basketball.
14:12
SPEAKER_02: I still have to have them number three.
14:14
SPEAKER_02: And the reason I have them number three and not number two or even number one, given how great they've been, is that I still watch this and I still do believe there are some things that other teams could exploit.
14:24
SPEAKER_02: Like when I watched them play against the LA Lakers a few nights back, there's a game where Austin Reeves ended up having nearly a 30-point triple-double.
14:31
SPEAKER_02: That point of attack defender, um, if if this guy, okay, this is this is the scheme.
14:37
SPEAKER_02: Just breaking it down in one sentence.
14:38
SPEAKER_02: The scheme for the Cleveland Cavaliers is funnel, funnel, funnel to the biggs.
14:44
SPEAKER_02: Simply put, we got Jared Allen and all defensive Evan Mobley on our back end.
14:49
SPEAKER_02: Hey, our perimeter defenders, they compete every single night, but we ain't got the best of that.
14:52
SPEAKER_02: We're gonna funnel them to the big fellas and let the big fellas do the dirty work.
14:56
SPEAKER_02: Now, if you have a player, like that's who Austin Reeves is recently.
14:59
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
15:00
SPEAKER_02: If you have a player that's like, no, no, no, no, no, I'm not gonna allow you to funnel me.
15:03
SPEAKER_02: And I'm gonna go out and get what get to my spots with where I want to be.
15:07
SPEAKER_02: You're not gonna control, you're not gonna be able to control the shots that I take up in control here.
15:11
SPEAKER_02: When you have those type of players, I feel like those are the teams and the coaches that can scheme around Cleveland's defense.
15:18
SPEAKER_02: Um, so that's the one thing that scares me.
15:20
SPEAKER_02: The other thing that scares me is like sometimes I feel like they're they have to be due for shooting regression.
15:26
SPEAKER_02: Like every single month of their season so far, the amount of three-pointers they've taken have jumped by five percent every single month.
15:34
SPEAKER_02: First month of the season, I feel like they're really filling out the Kenny Atkinson ordeal.
15:37
SPEAKER_02: And okay, we shoot in the let's let's say uh I think it was 33%, 33% of our shots are three pointers.
15:43
SPEAKER_02: Cool.
15:43
SPEAKER_02: Next month, 38%.
15:45
SPEAKER_02: Next month, it's it's four forty-three, forty-three percent of our shots are coming from behind the arc, and guess what?
15:52
SPEAKER_02: We are shooting a scorching 40% as a team.
15:56
SPEAKER_02: Part of me looks at that and say, can I can I read can I really, really trust that they're gonna shoot?
16:03
SPEAKER_02: What's the actual number?
16:05
SPEAKER_02: 41.3% from three all season long, 41.3% from three all postseason long.
16:14
SPEAKER_02: Those are the things that scare me.
16:15
SPEAKER_02: Everything else is perfect.
16:17
SPEAKER_02: JJ Reddick said you have to play near perfect basketball to beat them.
16:22
SPEAKER_02: And I I feel that again, on the same level as that Warriors team or that Spurs team or that Heat team, those teams have all-time legends.
16:29
SPEAKER_02: We have Steph Curry and Kevin O'Reilly on one of those teams.
16:31
SPEAKER_02: We have Tim Duncan and so on.
16:33
SPEAKER_02: We got LeBron James on the other team.
16:35
SPEAKER_02: Cleveland ain't got that right now.
16:37
SPEAKER_02: They don't have one of the all-time greats unless Evan.
16:40
SPEAKER_02: No, let me chill.
16:42
SPEAKER_02: But I still do respect and love everything.
16:45
SPEAKER_02: And I'm gonna bring it up again.
16:47
SPEAKER_02: The patience, the patience that that front office has had with two years of people telling him they need to trade Donovan Mitchell because he wants to go to New York.
16:55
SPEAKER_02: They got to trade Darius Garland because he wants out.
16:58
SPEAKER_02: And that actually, that wasn't people telling it.
17:00
SPEAKER_02: There was like a legit thing that Rich Paul and them said, hey, if you if Donovan Mitchell's on the scene next year, you need to move me.
17:04
SPEAKER_02: They said, no, we need to see what we have.
17:07
SPEAKER_02: Let's see what Evan turns into.
17:09
SPEAKER_02: Let's see what a new coach can do.
17:11
SPEAKER_02: And Kenny Atkinson is the front runner for Coach of the Year, even though I got a lot of love for Jamal Mosey and how he's been able to keep things settled with all of the injuries.
17:21
SPEAKER_02: Or I got a lot of love for Taylor Jenkins, who just continues to have the worst injury luck in the league and still finds a way to dominate teams.
17:29
SPEAKER_02: Like, I got a lot of love for those dudes, but Kenny Atkinson turned this team to an offensive juggernaut.
17:34
SPEAKER_02: There's a team that we knew defensively was gonna be able to do their thing.
17:37
SPEAKER_02: Kenny Atkinson has them as an offensive juggernaut.
17:41
SPEAKER_02: That is crazy.
17:43
SPEAKER_02: My number three and number four are pretty interchangeable here.
17:46
SPEAKER_02: At number, I'm sorry, my number four and number five are pretty interchangeable.
17:49
SPEAKER_02: At four, I have the Dallas Mavericks.
17:51
SPEAKER_02: Now, the Dallas Mavericks are gonna be missing Luka Doncic for the next month or so.
17:54
SPEAKER_02: And just like we talked about with the Boston Celtics, a lot of what I have and belief that I have in the Dallas Mavericks are based on their last year's success and how beautiful it all worked out during their championship run.
18:06
SPEAKER_02: And now I personally believe, and a lot of the stats believe, that this is a better team this year than it was last year.
18:12
SPEAKER_02: So I just have the ultimate amount of respect for Luka and Kyrie.
18:15
SPEAKER_02: And PJ Washington has turned me into like a real fan.
18:20
SPEAKER_02: Y'all know I don't use the word fan very lightly.
18:22
SPEAKER_02: I don't.
18:23
SPEAKER_02: I love basketball.
18:24
SPEAKER_02: I love a lot of players, but damn it, I'm not a fan of a lot of different players.
18:27
SPEAKER_02: PJ Washington is turning me into a fan, man.
18:30
SPEAKER_02: Because I've always, throughout the entirety of me watching basketball, I've always been a guy that's absolutely love players that can do stuff that don't show up on the box score.
18:40
SPEAKER_02: The like, I I listen, what is it called?
18:42
SPEAKER_02: The litmus test?
18:44
SPEAKER_02: The litmus test of a ball watcher is how they perceive certain players.
18:47
SPEAKER_02: Because if you just watching the box score, you don't really know what the hell PJ Washington is up to.
18:52
SPEAKER_02: Sometimes he can, like in that game against the Sacramento Kings, where it was no Kyrie, um, no Luca, so on and so forth where he could give you a smooth 25 points.
18:59
SPEAKER_02: Like he can do that for sure.
19:01
SPEAKER_02: But a lot of the stuff that PJ does just won't show up.
19:04
SPEAKER_02: Two and a half quarters of the opposing best players taking off.
19:08
SPEAKER_02: PJ, go stop that man.
19:10
SPEAKER_02: That won't show up on the box score.
19:12
SPEAKER_02: That just won't.
19:13
SPEAKER_02: And I just, I don't know.
19:15
SPEAKER_02: I really respect what they're doing over there.
19:17
SPEAKER_02: So I got them number four.
19:18
SPEAKER_02: And then my number five team will be the New York Knicks.
19:23
SPEAKER_02: I don't know if y'all be really keeping up.
19:24
SPEAKER_02: This Knicks team has been better and better uh as the time has gone on.
19:29
SPEAKER_02: It feels like OG Ananobi and Mikhail Bridges keep having the switch spots where like the first month of them playing together, OG's averaging 20 points, and you're like, yeah, what the hell is going on with Mikhail Bridges?
19:37
SPEAKER_02: His jump shot is awful.
19:38
SPEAKER_02: He's got the hitch.
19:39
SPEAKER_02: He can't find a shot.
19:40
SPEAKER_02: And then the next month, it's Mikhail Bridges averaging 21 points.
19:44
SPEAKER_02: And then now people on Twitter is asking if OG Ananobi is okay.
19:47
SPEAKER_02: I don't know if we'll ever get those two dudes both averaging 20 at the same time.
19:50
SPEAKER_02: I don't even know if there's enough touches for both of them to average 20.
19:53
SPEAKER_02: But what we've seen from Mikhail Bridges is making you think that all of the trades, the big ass trade they did in order to get him, it's just gonna be gonna be worth it at the end of the day.
20:02
SPEAKER_02: Where I believe that he's been so much better defensively over the last, what, two to three weeks.
20:07
SPEAKER_02: Um, and you traded for him for a combination of Phoenix version of him and Brooklyn's version, right?
20:14
SPEAKER_02: Phoenix version because hey, he was an all-defensive player.
20:17
SPEAKER_02: He finished what top three in DPOI.
20:19
SPEAKER_02: Um, and then he got to Brooklyn and said, I'm gonna spread my wings a little bit, I'm gonna be a self-creator, I'm gonna do a lot more than sit in the corner and wait for Chris Paul and Never Booker to pass me the ball.
20:28
SPEAKER_02: Here in Brooklyn, I guess I'm the number one guy.
20:31
SPEAKER_02: And he did some pretty cool stuff there for a little bit.
20:33
SPEAKER_02: They needed a combination in it.
20:34
SPEAKER_02: They needed him to be a near all defensive caliber player, but also understand that, hey, we need you to also be great offensively.
20:41
SPEAKER_02: And I feel like Jalen Brunson is starting to find a little um middle middle ground where he can say, hey, on Christmas night, this is your day, Mikhail.
20:50
SPEAKER_02: Go out there and get a ass 40.
20:51
SPEAKER_02: And then other games, like, oh man, I'm gonna give the Washington Wizards 50 because for whatever reason we need to do that against the Wizards occasionally.
20:58
SPEAKER_02: The Wizards played them very well for two games straight.
21:00
SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, oh damn.
21:01
SPEAKER_02: And then the Wizards won a game against the Bulls yesterday.
21:03
SPEAKER_02: So I guess the Wizards are no.
21:05
SPEAKER_02: Um, but I feel like Jalen Brunson has started to find that balance because there were times earlier in the season where I felt like I we weren't getting the takeovers from Jalen Brunson that we need.
21:17
SPEAKER_02: Sometimes it really is like, hey, I am the best player on this floor right now.
21:21
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna play as such.
21:22
SPEAKER_02: And sometimes we miss that in the fourth quarters or some games.
21:25
SPEAKER_02: Um Cartenton Towns has been way better than I think anybody could have really anticipated.
21:30
SPEAKER_02: Like, like, I just didn't expect him to go to New York.
21:34
SPEAKER_02: And again, I I really did like to trade for them.
21:36
SPEAKER_02: I don't want to, I don't want to act like I didn't, but I did not expect him to basically be putting up career numbers.
21:42
SPEAKER_02: He's averaging 25 points per game, 14 rebounds.
21:46
SPEAKER_02: He's shooting 44% from three.
21:50
SPEAKER_02: When the man says he is the best shooting five of all time, damn it, I can't help but to agree.
21:55
SPEAKER_02: You know?
21:56
SPEAKER_02: And he's shooting 55% from the field, 44% from three.
22:00
SPEAKER_02: And I wish he hit his free throws a little bit better because it's rare we get a near seven-footer or a seven-foot guy in a 50-40-90 club.
22:06
SPEAKER_02: I know we've done it once, but it's just been an amazing season.
22:09
SPEAKER_02: And don't look now.
22:10
SPEAKER_02: The defense is looking so much better.
22:12
SPEAKER_02: A team that for the first month and a half were sitting around 22-23 with a great offense.
22:16
SPEAKER_02: They've climbed up that rank to be the 12th best defense.
22:20
SPEAKER_02: So they're the number two offense and the 12th best defense.
22:22
SPEAKER_02: That's a good recipe.
22:23
SPEAKER_02: And over the last couple weeks, they've been the number three offense and the number eight defense.
22:26
SPEAKER_02: That's a really good recipe.
22:29
SPEAKER_02: We got Josh Hart, back-to-back triple doubles.
22:32
SPEAKER_02: Him starting to find his way again after basically talking about how he was struggling to find where he fits on his team.
22:38
SPEAKER_02: You fit right there as the heart and soul.
22:40
SPEAKER_02: And then they had a game against the Utah Jazz where Jalen Brunson was a late scratch and against the Jazz.
22:45
SPEAKER_02: So I'm not going to act like they did this against a championship level team.
22:48
SPEAKER_02: But for Carl Anthony Towns to switch up and say, hey, all right, I got us.
22:54
SPEAKER_02: He was so perfect.
22:56
SPEAKER_02: Tyler Kolek, they said Tyler Kolek on the broadcast, he played a 40-minute game the night before in the G League.
23:01
SPEAKER_02: It came in and gave them quality minutes.
23:04
SPEAKER_02: Like that's great.
23:06
SPEAKER_02: And the only thing that's missing from the New York Knicks today is a center.
23:10
SPEAKER_02: It's another center.
23:10
SPEAKER_02: And maybe that's Mitchell Robinson when he comes back.
23:12
SPEAKER_02: But I look at them as all these other teams across the league are second apron teams and they won't be able to go out in the bio market.
23:19
SPEAKER_02: I'm looking at the New York Knicks as below the apron and say, hey, if a center, hypothetically, if a center does get bought out, and I'm thinking about the candidates right now.
23:28
SPEAKER_02: So uh what is a center that could get bought out here?
23:33
SPEAKER_02: So if Rashawn Holmes, I don't even know if Rashawn Holmes playing good basketball.
23:38
SPEAKER_02: We're gonna talk about that in a second.
23:39
SPEAKER_02: If somehow Nick Richards doesn't find a team, which he should, like they are a team that can say, hey, we need one more big body and we can afford to do this buyout thing.
23:49
SPEAKER_02: They might be the number one buyout destination in basketball, considering some of the other top teams and hoops just literally can't.
23:55
SPEAKER_02: The Boston Celtics literally cannot do it.
23:56
SPEAKER_02: Some of the other great teams literally cannot do it.
23:58
SPEAKER_02: I get to go to New York, one of the best cities in the world, play for a coach that if I play hard defensively, he's gonna play me and I could potentially go win a ring.
24:06
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'll do that.
24:08
SPEAKER_02: Currently on a nine-game streak for the Knicks, and it's it's kumbaya.
24:12
SPEAKER_02: It's it's really, really kumbaya um in New York.
24:15
SPEAKER_02: So those as of today, January 2nd, 2025, which I gotta get used to saying, those are my five contenders in basketball in order.
24:23
SPEAKER_02: I do have some bubble teams, though, like the Milwaukee Bucks, who just had a really good comeback versus the um the Indiana Pacers on New Year's Eve, where the Pacers were up by 20.
24:34
SPEAKER_02: They're talking trash.
24:35
SPEAKER_02: Shout out to Tyrese Alliburton, that's what he's gonna do.
24:37
SPEAKER_02: And one thing I absolutely loved about this game, and this was not something I saw live again, I watched a little bit later.
24:42
SPEAKER_02: Um, there was a play that went semi-viral on Instagram of Giannis being guarded by Pascal Siakam.
24:50
SPEAKER_02: He gets into his bag.
24:50
SPEAKER_02: Bing, bing, bing.
24:51
SPEAKER_02: Um, jump shot, mid-range jump shot, cash.
24:54
SPEAKER_02: They're down by 19 points at this time.
24:56
SPEAKER_02: And what did Giannis do?
24:58
SPEAKER_02: He got in Pascal's face to talk trash.
25:01
SPEAKER_02: Oh man, I love a player that'll talk trash even if they're down 19, because it just hits better when you pull off the ultimate comeback, and they did.
25:10
SPEAKER_02: That's huge.
25:11
SPEAKER_02: So they're still a bubble team for me.
25:13
SPEAKER_02: It's unfortunate that after the uh NBA Cup, they basically missed Giannis for some time, then missed Dane for some time because they I felt like they were building momentum to get back into the this hierarchy, and then they just lost a few different times because they were missing their best players.
25:27
SPEAKER_02: So they are on the bubble for me.
25:28
SPEAKER_02: The Denver Nuggets are still on the bubble for me.
25:31
SPEAKER_02: And damn it, shout out to Russell Westbrook, man.
25:34
SPEAKER_02: We did our New Year's resolutions for NBA teams on my other podcast, numbers on the board.
25:38
SPEAKER_02: And one of my New Year's resolutions for the Denver Nuggets is continue to start Rust.
25:43
SPEAKER_02: Since he's been a start, he's nine and two.
25:45
SPEAKER_02: And I mean, a lot of these games, it's of course Jokic's doing best player in the world stuff, but also Brody going out there and giving us double-digit assist nights.
25:56
SPEAKER_02: Where I just I was skeptical, I guess is the word I would use in the signing of Russell Westbrook and how he could fit.
26:02
SPEAKER_02: Uh, because the last time we remember Russell Westbrook was in the playoffs, it was fucking awful.
26:07
SPEAKER_02: And it's not necessarily, it's not necessarily about how he performed because it was his worst playoff outing ever, ever.
26:14
SPEAKER_02: But it was more about what the other teams did to him, how they guarded him.
26:18
SPEAKER_02: And that's still a question mark I have come postseason, right?
26:21
SPEAKER_02: How will teams respect or or disrespect Russell Westbrook come postseason?
26:25
SPEAKER_02: And again, it wasn't about the performance, it was about the preparation from the other teams that I looked at that and say, hey, if he goes to Denver, and this is how other teams are gonna guard him when it matters, not in the regular season, but when it matters, how much of a threat or positive can he be?
26:41
SPEAKER_02: And that's still to be to be seen, right?
26:42
SPEAKER_02: We're not in the postseason right now.
26:43
SPEAKER_02: They're not guarding him nearly as um, I want to say aggressive.
26:46
SPEAKER_02: What's the opposite of aggression?
26:48
SPEAKER_02: Passively, they're not guarding him nearly as passively right now that they did in that postseason run last year with the Clippers.
26:53
SPEAKER_02: So I don't know how it would translate to postseason, but right now he's been a near perfect fit.
26:58
SPEAKER_02: When we talk about Jokic two-man games, of course, Jamal Murray's gonna be number one, but like Brody in this two and a half, three month span, it's like, man, this two-man game looks so like they've been playing together forever.
27:09
SPEAKER_02: And and Brody talked about, like, hey, my job is to make it easy for the best player in the world.
27:14
SPEAKER_02: And I truly, truly do believe that's exactly what he's doing.
27:17
SPEAKER_02: That when he's on the court with Nikola Jokic, he doesn't overstep his bounds.
27:21
SPEAKER_02: Something that, god damn it, he did a lot over the last couple of years on different teams.
27:25
SPEAKER_02: It's it's almost perfect fit.
27:27
SPEAKER_02: And they're starting to win a bunch of games.
27:29
SPEAKER_02: Uh, they're climbing up the ranks right now.
27:31
SPEAKER_02: They're sitting at the four seed after a seven and three stretch.
27:35
SPEAKER_02: Jamal Murray, the slow star from Jamal Murray, uh, maybe been overblown because over the last two weeks he's given us really good games.
27:42
SPEAKER_02: And some of those games were like not game-winning shots, but like game icing shots.
27:46
SPEAKER_02: So maybe all of the conversation around them was overblown.
27:50
SPEAKER_02: Maybe it wasn't.
27:51
SPEAKER_02: I guess time will tell.
27:52
SPEAKER_02: But right now they're still a bubble team.
27:53
SPEAKER_02: I need to just see a little little more.
27:55
SPEAKER_02: And then my last two bubble teams are the Memphis Grizzlies, who I just don't know what to make of them as they continue to be the two seed and continue to win basketball games even when nobody is playing.
28:05
SPEAKER_02: The other night, listen, I had like maybe a 15-minute segment I wanted to give like just straight bars for the Phoenix Suns.
28:13
SPEAKER_02: Fucking awful.
28:14
SPEAKER_02: I I came on this show and told the world that the Suns were gonna be a surprise regular season team.
28:20
SPEAKER_02: I never said they were gonna be a contender because I didn't believe in that, but a surprise regular season team.
28:24
SPEAKER_02: A team that can win on night tonight and through the first two and a half, three weeks of the season, that was a case.
28:28
SPEAKER_02: They were like, what, the one seed?
28:30
SPEAKER_02: And since then, they can't win basketball games.
28:33
SPEAKER_02: They can't win basketball games.
28:34
SPEAKER_02: Here's the inactive list for the Memphis Grizzlies in their game versus the Suns.
28:38
SPEAKER_02: Vince Williams Jr., Gigi Jackson, Marcus Smart, uh, Yuki Kalmore, uh, Zach Edy, John Morant, also Santi Aldama, Brandon Clark, and Jake LaRavio.
28:49
SPEAKER_02: Is that eight rotational players?
28:52
SPEAKER_02: The answer is yes.
28:53
SPEAKER_02: That's eight rotational players out.
28:55
SPEAKER_02: And they went up against the Phoenix Suns and won the game.
29:00
SPEAKER_02: They went into Phoenix on your home court when they were missing eight rotational players and bust that ass.
29:08
SPEAKER_02: So the Memphis Grizzlies are one of my bubble teams because I don't know what to make.
29:11
SPEAKER_02: Jared Jackson Jr.
29:13
SPEAKER_02: all-star lock, all defensive lock.
29:15
SPEAKER_02: But I just don't know.
29:17
SPEAKER_02: Do I trust him to win four playoff series?
29:20
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
29:20
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
29:22
SPEAKER_02: Phoenix Suns are off of them.
29:24
SPEAKER_02: You can't call it a big three when you have a negative net rating when those three best players on the court.
29:29
SPEAKER_02: So negative net rating with three$50 million players.
29:34
SPEAKER_02: Are you being real?
29:35
SPEAKER_02: And there's no wiggle room to really get better.
29:38
SPEAKER_02: So again, I could have gained them some bars.
29:40
SPEAKER_02: I just being wrong is a part of the job.
29:44
SPEAKER_02: I'm not even, I'm not mad that they made me look like a jackass.
29:46
SPEAKER_02: I'm mad that they are bad.
29:48
SPEAKER_02: More than anything.
29:49
SPEAKER_02: Because I love Devin Booker.
29:50
SPEAKER_02: He's one of my 10 favorite players in basketball.
29:52
SPEAKER_02: I love KD.
29:53
SPEAKER_02: But the fact that they're they're barely watchable.
29:56
SPEAKER_02: How is that pop?
29:58
SPEAKER_02: How is it possible that a team with maybe the greatest individual score of all time, a team with Devin Booker, I don't even know what title I can give Devin Booker, one of the two to three best shooting guards in basketball.
30:08
SPEAKER_02: How can they be nearly unwatchable as a basketball team?
30:11
SPEAKER_02: What the hell is happening?
30:12
SPEAKER_02: So shout out to the Memphis Grizzlies, because they make boy.
30:15
SPEAKER_02: And then the last team is the 76ers.
30:17
SPEAKER_02: I can't quit the 76ers, bro.
30:18
SPEAKER_02: Again, I know last night was absolutely nasty, but when Jordan B plays, they have a chance.
30:23
SPEAKER_02: And that's the thing.
30:24
SPEAKER_02: Will he play?
30:25
SPEAKER_02: Will he not?
30:25
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
30:26
SPEAKER_02: But they're slowly starting to climb up.
30:27
SPEAKER_02: They're the 11th seed.
30:29
SPEAKER_02: What bubble team is the 11th seed?
30:31
SPEAKER_02: The 76ers, I guess.
30:33
SPEAKER_02: Uh though those are my ranks.
30:35
SPEAKER_02: When we come back, we're gonna do bring in producer Greg to do your favorite segment, five out.
30:45
SPEAKER_02: Welcome in, producer Greg.
30:47
SPEAKER_02: Hopefully your holiday season was perfect, man.
30:49
SPEAKER_02: What we got today?
30:50
SPEAKER_04: It was great, Kenny.
30:51
SPEAKER_04: Uh hope yours was as well.
30:52
SPEAKER_04: Um, how long have you been creating NBA content?
30:54
SPEAKER_04: How many years now?
30:56
SPEAKER_02: 12.
30:57
SPEAKER_04: 12 years.
30:58
SPEAKER_04: So during your time as an NBA content creator, which NBA fan base has been most supportive of you and which has given you the most problems besides Chicago?
31:08
SPEAKER_02: Okay, I was gonna say Chicago is obviously number one.
31:10
SPEAKER_02: Um, everybody likes to see like a hometown kid do something.
31:14
SPEAKER_02: I I would honestly say, so man, this is kicking it back.
31:19
SPEAKER_02: The Toronto Raptors have always shown me a lot of love.
31:22
SPEAKER_02: Um, anytime I've been in the city or like the fan base, like because I I think it was just perfect timing because I used to stream NBA playoff games, and I basically streamed every single night of their championship run.
31:33
SPEAKER_02: So I was kind of there, and they in the chat it would be a thousand, two thousand Raptors fans celebrating with me.
31:40
SPEAKER_02: Because I was, I don't know, I just like to see teams be successful after never having something.
31:45
SPEAKER_02: So I was like like half rooting for them, and I think a lot of them remember that era, so they've always been super cool to me.
31:52
SPEAKER_02: On the other side, I don't I don't have one, man.
31:55
SPEAKER_02: Like, I feel like there's gonna be bad apples in every single fan base.
31:59
SPEAKER_02: I'm trying to think of what fan base I've pissed off the most.
32:02
SPEAKER_02: I mean, most recently I pissed off Philly fans, so that was something, but that that was the first time that ever happened.
32:08
SPEAKER_02: Maybe Lakers fans, because I'm usually like, I really don't give a fuck about the Lakers because they just get talked about all the time.
32:15
SPEAKER_02: Um but even then, a lot of Lakers fans, like, yeah, what Kenny's saying is pretty, pretty real.
32:21
SPEAKER_02: So I don't I don't get it often, man.
32:22
SPEAKER_02: I think it's the it's the vibes that you put out is the vibes you get.
32:26
SPEAKER_02: And I I try, I try to stay as positive as can be.
32:30
SPEAKER_02: Of course, you you need to criticize things when it's that time, but I usually are pretty positive.
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33:36
SPEAKER_02: Before we get into the teams that I will not be watching for the rest of the season, I want to tell you about our sponsor, FanDuel, because right now they have a profit boost token on three leg same game parlays for any Friday NBA game.
33:51
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33:55
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33:57
SPEAKER_02: Here's some stuff that's going on across basketball on Friday night.
34:00
SPEAKER_02: You got Wimby versus Jokic, the now versus the now and future, because Wimby is that damn good.
34:07
SPEAKER_02: I like the idea of both of them giving us some buckets, both of them and maybe having a double-double.
34:12
SPEAKER_02: Is that is that setting the bar too low?
34:13
SPEAKER_02: Maybe, because they're both seven foot and also rebound a uh ball very well.
34:17
SPEAKER_02: Then if Jalen Brunson is healthy, you got Jalen Brunson versus Shea.
34:20
SPEAKER_02: Two of the teams that I already mentioned are on my contender tiers.
34:23
SPEAKER_02: They go against each other.
34:24
SPEAKER_02: And then the Pistons versus the Hornets always, and I mean, always give us some bangers.
34:30
SPEAKER_02: We got an overtime game.
34:31
SPEAKER_02: We got a game winning shot from Brandon Miller in the previous game.
34:34
SPEAKER_02: And now get well soon, Jaden Ivy.
34:36
SPEAKER_02: It's an opportunity for some other people to potentially step up for real.
34:39
SPEAKER_02: Get real soon.
34:40
SPEAKER_02: That was one of the scariest injuries I've seen.
34:42
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34:51
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34:52
SPEAKER_02: All right.
34:53
SPEAKER_02: Now, when I said I won't be watching these teams anymore, okay, I was that's not completely true.
34:57
SPEAKER_02: But we are at that part of the season where I have to be better at time management.
35:03
SPEAKER_02: Some teams are out of the race, uh out of every damn race, except for the race for Cooper Flag or Ace Bailey or Dylan Harper or this guy or that guy.
35:10
SPEAKER_02: And because of that, they know what they're doing.
35:13
SPEAKER_02: This is the round of time where some of those teams are just gonna be bad on purpose.
35:18
SPEAKER_02: And bad on purpose is not a bad thing.
35:19
SPEAKER_02: Sometimes team give me bad on purpose and I'm still locked in.
35:21
SPEAKER_02: 27, 28 straight get losses, Detroit Pistons.
35:24
SPEAKER_02: I was locked.
35:25
SPEAKER_02: I like history.
35:27
SPEAKER_02: These teams, when I say I'm out, I mean that I probably, I'm probably gonna opt to not watch these teams if they are the only game on.
35:35
SPEAKER_02: I'd probably opt to watch highlights or watch possessions or specific times in these teams' games, instead of being, hey, it's six o'clock, this team is on, let me sit down with my popcorn and let me tune in.
35:48
SPEAKER_02: There's five teams here.
35:50
SPEAKER_02: The first team, I mean, okay, it's four teams.
35:52
SPEAKER_02: The first team is my Chicago Bulls.
35:53
SPEAKER_02: The only reason I'm still watching is because it's my team.
35:55
SPEAKER_02: If I had no allegiance to the Bulls, I had no love for the city of Chicago, I would not watch this team.
36:00
SPEAKER_02: It's an infuriating watch.
36:01
SPEAKER_02: Who the hell knows who's gonna be on this team in just a month's time?
36:04
SPEAKER_02: It's it's hard to really look at and evaluate for that reason.
36:08
SPEAKER_02: Will you even be here?
36:10
SPEAKER_02: Should I become a fan?
36:11
SPEAKER_02: Should I be more of a fan of you, or are you gonna be gone by February 6th?
36:14
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
36:14
SPEAKER_02: And they'll win a game against the Bucks, let's say, and then lose to the Wizards.
36:19
SPEAKER_02: Keep losing, please.
36:20
SPEAKER_02: I want I want to keep that first round pick.
36:22
SPEAKER_02: So of course I'm watching them every night, but that's mostly because I love I love Chicago so much so that I'm gonna be there Saturday night.
36:28
SPEAKER_02: It's a Derrick Rose ceremony.
36:30
SPEAKER_02: I I haven't I'm not in a no, but I would not be surprised if D Rose gets his number retired.
36:34
SPEAKER_02: And Chicago is not a city that retires a lot of numbers, but the way they're promoting this night, I have to be in attendance.
36:40
SPEAKER_02: Um I'm trying to use as many can hey, listen, I know this is off topic, but I try not to use connections as much as I probably should.
36:52
SPEAKER_02: And one of my new year's resolutions is to ask more.
36:58
SPEAKER_02: Ask more.
36:59
SPEAKER_02: So damn it, I'm in a room, Chicago.
37:02
SPEAKER_02: Is there a world where I can meet Derek?
37:05
SPEAKER_02: I'm asking the question.
37:06
SPEAKER_02: Because what are they gonna say?
37:07
SPEAKER_02: No, it's a too busy of a night.
37:09
SPEAKER_02: Okay, cool.
37:09
SPEAKER_02: I'll just sit back in my chair.
37:10
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna be there regardless.
37:12
SPEAKER_02: So I'm gonna I'm gonna ask more this year, I'll tell you that.
37:14
SPEAKER_02: So uh, hey, if you're on the Bulls team and you hear, you're hearing this, because I ain't send that text just yet.
37:21
SPEAKER_02: Hit me up.
37:22
SPEAKER_02: All right, the next team is the Utah Jazz.
37:24
SPEAKER_02: I can't, I can't.
37:25
SPEAKER_02: I just can't.
37:26
SPEAKER_02: I'm sorry, I'm can't.
37:27
SPEAKER_02: I love to see when Keontae jerseys on fire.
37:29
SPEAKER_02: Um, I love to see if Walker Kessler gets traded the season, but I cannot sit down and watch a 7-25 team that I just don't know what the hell is gonna go on.
37:38
SPEAKER_02: Sorry.
37:38
SPEAKER_02: Um good luck in the lottery.
37:40
SPEAKER_02: Like, that's really it.
37:40
SPEAKER_02: Like that's finally it's happening.
37:42
SPEAKER_02: I was tired of y'all starting off the season 500 through 20 games and be like, oh my God, now we can start the.
37:46
SPEAKER_02: No, no, no, no.
37:47
SPEAKER_02: Tank early, keep your draft pick low.
37:49
SPEAKER_02: Next team is gonna be the Washington Wizards.
37:51
SPEAKER_02: Same exact reasons.
37:52
SPEAKER_02: I don't think they're doing anything wrong over there.
37:53
SPEAKER_02: Jordan Poole's having a good season.
37:55
SPEAKER_02: Uh, the only thing wrong they did was ask Kal Kuzma where he wanted to be traded instead of shipping his ass out early.
37:59
SPEAKER_02: They are a six and 25 team.
38:01
SPEAKER_02: I think they're doing the right thing, and they're gonna end up with a top five pick, but Lord knows I'm not locked in enough to care about what they're doing.
38:07
SPEAKER_02: I'll watch me some Balau minutes.
38:08
SPEAKER_02: I'll watch me some Bub Carrington.
38:11
SPEAKER_02: I'm not in love with Alex Charles, a prospect, but I guess I'll watch a little bit of that, but the rest no.
38:15
SPEAKER_02: Toronto Raptors.
38:17
SPEAKER_02: I'm there.
38:17
SPEAKER_02: I'm there already.
38:18
SPEAKER_02: I know Scotty had a magnificent game the other night against the Brooklyn Nets.
38:22
SPEAKER_02: I can't do it, bro.
38:24
SPEAKER_02: I cannot do it.
38:25
SPEAKER_02: They went from an enjoyable watch, bad team, because they were in a lot of games to like, damn, y'all gonna lose by seven?
38:31
SPEAKER_02: You were down by 70 in a basketball game, not locked in.
38:34
SPEAKER_02: And then the last team is the Brooklyn Nets as they continue to trade this guy, that guy, in order to keep their own first round and keep it low.
38:41
SPEAKER_02: Uh and get Wilson Maxwell Lewis, who played two minutes with the Brooklyn Nets before he went down with an injury.
38:47
SPEAKER_02: I I don't think we had a single report about what that injury is just yet, but I'm hoping that it's nothing significant because I really did think that he would be able to go to Brooklyn and get real PT since they're not playing for anything, and they really get to see who he is as a player because I don't think he got an opportunity much in LA.
39:02
SPEAKER_02: So those are the teams I'm out on.
39:04
SPEAKER_02: And this team will continue to grow as the season goes on.
39:06
SPEAKER_02: Those teams I'm not I'm not watching.
39:08
SPEAKER_02: They're like the Pelicans are the worst team of basketball.
39:11
SPEAKER_02: They have five wins right now.
39:12
SPEAKER_02: Somehow I am intrigued enough to watch them occasionally.
39:15
SPEAKER_02: I'm intrigued enough to see Trey Murphy III uh average 22 points per game this month on 48, 42 shooting splits.
39:22
SPEAKER_02: I'm intrigued.
39:23
SPEAKER_02: I love Trey Murphy III.
39:24
SPEAKER_02: I'm there.
39:24
SPEAKER_02: So it's not just about being a bad team because I like even the Hornets, I ain't cut them out just yet.
39:29
SPEAKER_02: They're awful.
39:30
SPEAKER_02: They're awful.
39:31
SPEAKER_02: I'll still tune into a Hornets game here or there.
39:34
SPEAKER_02: This team, this, this, this list will continue, continue to grow.
39:38
SPEAKER_02: Before we get out of here, I want to do the Ask KB segment.
39:42
SPEAKER_02: All you gotta do is go on to Instagram, go to the Enjoy Small Ball Twitter or Instagram account, send a message, and you might be featured in the next episode.
39:50
SPEAKER_03: Do you think the NBA is too soft when it comes to giving out technical fouls for taunting or trash talk, as well as finding NBA players?
40:03
SPEAKER_02: Um, I it's it's a weird thing because there are players that have the biggest leash in the world.
40:08
SPEAKER_02: Shout out to Dre Maggie.
40:10
SPEAKER_02: Um are they too soft?
40:12
SPEAKER_02: The the I don't like the hanging on the rim texts.
40:14
SPEAKER_02: Um, any texts that are verbal towards each other as players, I'm not here for because nothing we love, there's nothing I love more than good competition.
40:23
SPEAKER_02: And if you're trying to tell me these two players are jawing at each other and that's gonna make the game more heated in a sense that now he wants to bust his ass more, I'm not I'm not here for those texts.
40:33
SPEAKER_02: But when so-and-so player, whether it be a Dre, whether it be a yoke, whether it be a Luke, whether it be whoever, is getting into the faces of the referees and stuff, that's where I'm like, okay, we gotta chill.
40:44
SPEAKER_02: Because these referees, Lord knows, their job is hard.
40:46
SPEAKER_02: They're very, very, very far from perfect.
40:48
SPEAKER_02: And they recognize that, right?
40:50
SPEAKER_02: They they recognize that they ain't miss a call here or there and getting into the face and doing it.
40:54
SPEAKER_02: I just, I just never really seen it as beneficial.
40:56
SPEAKER_02: Sometimes you do get the makeup call here or there, but are they too soft with it?
41:02
SPEAKER_02: No.
41:03
SPEAKER_02: I'll say that.
41:04
SPEAKER_02: No.
41:04
SPEAKER_02: Keep finding them because the fines go to charity, is what I heard.
41:09
SPEAKER_00: Hey Kenny, huge fan of the podcasts and all your YouTube channels.
41:13
SPEAKER_00: I was wondering, my question is do you have a favorite YouTube video that you've ever filmed?
41:19
SPEAKER_00: And follow-up question, do you have a least favorite YouTube video that you've ever filmed?
41:24
SPEAKER_00: My favorite of yours is probably the reacting to subscribers' jump shots that you did in like 2018.
41:31
SPEAKER_00: I was featured in that video.
41:32
SPEAKER_00: You had a pretty good starting five we were putting together.
41:35
SPEAKER_00: So what's your favorite video of all time and least favorite?
41:39
SPEAKER_02: Wow, no, that's an OG fan.
41:42
SPEAKER_02: I forgot we did that.
41:43
SPEAKER_02: It was like tweet at me your jump shot and we're gonna grade them.
41:45
SPEAKER_02: We're gonna that was so dope.
41:47
SPEAKER_02: 2018?
41:48
SPEAKER_02: Oh god, so you've been around for a long time.
41:50
SPEAKER_02: I appreciate your continued support.
41:52
SPEAKER_02: Um, I don't know if I have a favorite video.
41:54
SPEAKER_02: I I think I have a favorite type of video.
41:57
SPEAKER_02: Um and and and those typically are the like the the short super passionate rants.
42:09
SPEAKER_02: I don't get into that bag very often.
42:12
SPEAKER_02: I don't get into that bag very often, but every time I do, it's because something has been boiling up in my system for the last week or so, and I gotta put it out to the world.
42:22
SPEAKER_02: And it's always been NBA related, right?
42:24
SPEAKER_02: I think the last one I did was last trade that line when the bulls did nothing.
42:27
SPEAKER_02: Um, I did no, no, no.
42:29
SPEAKER_02: I did one with Draymond Green beat the shit out of um Yousse Nurkic.
42:32
SPEAKER_02: I made a, I think it was a 12-minute rant about how I'm tied with Draymond Green.
42:35
SPEAKER_02: That video, and I think I liked it so much because it allowed me to like, now I've set that and I can go back to watching objectively.
42:43
SPEAKER_02: But there was a time with Draymond doing all the extra stuff last year where I just I hated it.
42:49
SPEAKER_02: I also like when I get into other bags, like when I did the golf stuff.
42:52
SPEAKER_02: The golf stuff is so fun, bro.
42:54
SPEAKER_02: I absolutely love that.
42:55
SPEAKER_02: Or when I did um those hints of hoop videos where I said Victor Wimiyama is gonna have a five by five soon, and literally the next night.
43:03
SPEAKER_02: I made a whole video about him doing having a five by five.
43:05
SPEAKER_02: The next night, he got his first five by five.
43:08
SPEAKER_02: Um so yeah, though those are my favorite.
43:11
SPEAKER_02: My least favorite.
43:12
SPEAKER_02: I mean, at this point in time, I don't play much 2K.
43:15
SPEAKER_02: The only time I load up 2K is to film content.
43:17
SPEAKER_02: So just that genre in general is probably my least favorite.
43:21
SPEAKER_02: Um, but it's a it's it's a weird place to be because obviously it's part of my job, and it also seems to, based on the views and the likes and the comments, bring so many other people joy that I've been doing it for so long that it will feel weird to rip that away.
43:38
SPEAKER_02: So even though I don't enjoy it as much as the other content, I still feel I still feel like it has a place because people enjoy it so much.
43:47
SPEAKER_02: Also, hey, this podcast is pretty fun too.
43:49
SPEAKER_02: Um so that would be that would be it.
43:50
SPEAKER_02: That would be it.
43:56
SPEAKER_02: Um, usually I haven't been a guy that cared about New Year's resolution.
44:00
SPEAKER_02: Solutions and so on and so forth.
44:01
SPEAKER_02: Um, this year I'm tackling it a little bit differently.
44:04
SPEAKER_02: I already mentioned how I'm gonna ask more.
44:06
SPEAKER_02: Uh I've been very candid about my mental health on this show and pretty much any place you give me a microphone, I will let you know because I know other people are struggling and they're struggling worse than I am.
44:16
SPEAKER_02: Um so I kind of want to talk about some of the things before we get out of here that I'm prioritizing in 2025.
44:21
SPEAKER_02: Uh the first one is my own mental and physical health.
44:25
SPEAKER_02: Um I am 133 pounds and I have been this way for years now.
44:31
SPEAKER_02: Um, at one point, at my lowest, I was 119 pounds.
44:36
SPEAKER_02: Um and I think one of the things that for me, when I put it out to the world, I become more motivated, right?
44:47
SPEAKER_02: This could be something I don't talk about at all on this show or any other platform, but I feel like if I put it out in the world, I would treat it like something or the the serious, the seriousness of it, right?
44:59
SPEAKER_02: So one of my New Year's resolutions is to take care of my physical health and get myself to what I deem to be a healthy weight, which I don't really have the number just yet.
45:08
SPEAKER_02: I don't know what that number looks like.
45:10
SPEAKER_02: But I'm thinking about it like, man, my daughter is 37 pounds right now.
45:16
SPEAKER_02: I'll be I'll be tired walking her up them stairs.
45:19
SPEAKER_02: That can't be good.
45:20
SPEAKER_02: That can't be good.
45:22
SPEAKER_02: So I'm gonna ask more.
45:23
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna care more about my own personal mental health and physical health and not putting my work over those things.
45:30
SPEAKER_02: And that was something that has happened historically throughout my life.
45:34
SPEAKER_02: Where, yeah, I get to lunch, but these these two videos I gotta film is the first thing.
45:39
SPEAKER_02: No, no, no, no, no, not anymore.
45:41
SPEAKER_02: Um, I'm tracking my calories, I'm making sure I work out.
45:45
SPEAKER_02: I'm doing pretty much all the I'm going to therapy, I'm doing all the necessary things to get over what has literally been classified as an eating disorder by my therapist.
45:54
SPEAKER_02: Um and again, I say this to keep myself accountable, but also if there's anybody listening that is also going through some stuff similar to this, you are not alone.
46:02
SPEAKER_02: Like there are many and many of us, um, even adult males is something I've learned that the percentage of adult males going through eating disorders a lot higher than it was 10, 15 years ago.
46:12
SPEAKER_02: So you're not alone.
46:14
SPEAKER_02: And I'm not alone.
46:14
SPEAKER_02: And I'm trying my very best to get better.
46:16
SPEAKER_02: And um, I'm tracking things.
46:18
SPEAKER_02: I'm tracking things and I'm feeling good.
46:20
SPEAKER_02: And again, we're what, two days into the new year, baby.
46:24
SPEAKER_02: But that's it.
46:25
SPEAKER_02: Um, and there's one more.
46:27
SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna do my very best to try to let people know how much they matter to me.
46:32
SPEAKER_02: Uh, I know it's kind of hard to keep up with the whole content universe I've created with between this and my channels, my podcast, my other podcasts, but at the end of our last podcast numbers on the board, um, I basically begged the audience to help me find my former basketball coach, Coach Lavik.
46:50
SPEAKER_02: I have not seen, I hadn't seen him in eight years, maybe.
46:54
SPEAKER_02: Um, he was my coach in my freshman year of high school.
46:56
SPEAKER_02: So, what is that, 14 years ago?
46:58
SPEAKER_02: And I hadn't seen him in forever.
47:00
SPEAKER_02: I hadn't heard from him in forever, and I couldn't find him.
47:04
SPEAKER_02: Couldn't find him.
47:06
SPEAKER_02: And I asked the people on the internet, if you can help me find my former coach, please, please, please, please help.
47:13
SPEAKER_02: And like four hours after that video posted, um, Jay Swizzle, who's been a part of the community forever, found coach.
47:21
SPEAKER_02: And unfortunately, coach passed away in 2021.
47:24
SPEAKER_02: Had no idea.
47:26
SPEAKER_02: Had no idea.
47:27
SPEAKER_02: And um, I never got a chance as an adult to let him know how much he meant to me.
47:32
SPEAKER_02: And and it was it was such a moment I don't think I'll ever forget, where we're sitting for New Year's Eve.
47:40
SPEAKER_02: I had all the guys over.
47:41
SPEAKER_02: It's Mike, it's Pierre, it's Derek, it's all of our friends.
47:43
SPEAKER_02: Our boy Tyler spent four years in Marines.
47:45
SPEAKER_02: Thank you for his service.
47:47
SPEAKER_02: And he finally is he's out, he's done.
47:48
SPEAKER_02: He did his four years, like he was in jail.
47:50
SPEAKER_02: He did his four years and he's out and he's finally home.
47:52
SPEAKER_02: So it's like, hey, for New Year's, let's go to my house, let's chill, let's bring in 2025 together.
47:56
SPEAKER_02: And we're sitting around the table, and we're just we're just talking, catching up.
48:01
SPEAKER_02: I mean, he's been gone for four years.
48:02
SPEAKER_02: And though we've texted occasionally, he was in the damn military, he's in Japan, he's in Australia, so much that has happened in four years that we're really catching up.
48:10
SPEAKER_02: And Pierre picks up his phone, he opens it, he says, No fucking way.
48:16
SPEAKER_02: I say, Everybody look at him like what?
48:18
SPEAKER_02: He said, they found coach.
48:20
SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, let's let's go.
48:21
SPEAKER_02: And then he turned it around and there was a picture of Coach's obituary.
48:26
SPEAKER_02: Um and I never, we never, none of us, we all played under Coach Lavick.
48:31
SPEAKER_02: Um he he never got I never got an opportunity to tell him how important he was to who I am as a person and how much I fucking love basketball, man.
48:45
SPEAKER_02: And I just I just want to put that into the world.
48:49
SPEAKER_02: Um, first, thanks to Jay Swizzle for doing the research of finding coach so so fast.
48:53
SPEAKER_02: But also I want people to tell people you care about that you care about them, man.
49:00
SPEAKER_02: If it's a counselor, a former teacher that was very important to help and mold you into who you are today, please find a way to get in contact with that person.
49:10
SPEAKER_02: Because I don't know how coach would have reacted if I met up with him four years ago before he passed away and let him know they're like, hey, this is what I'm doing.
49:17
SPEAKER_02: It's relatively successful.
49:18
SPEAKER_02: It's in the realm of basketball.
49:19
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, coach, I was just starting point guard on freshman B team.
49:22
SPEAKER_02: I knew I wasn't gonna make it to the league, so I did something else.
49:25
SPEAKER_02: I'm sure he would have been very proud, but I never had to get that, I never got an opportunity to get that moment.
49:31
SPEAKER_02: So even if it's not even somebody very distant, if it's a parent, if it's a grandparent, if it's a fucking brother or a cousin, let them know you care and let them know you love them.
49:41
SPEAKER_02: Because you never really know.
49:44
SPEAKER_02: Um, I appreciate you for listening or watching this episode of Small Ball with Kenny Beecham.
49:49
SPEAKER_02: Um I be between that, the story I just told you, and me going to this high school Christmas tournament, I do believe that one day I do I want a coach.
50:02
SPEAKER_02: I do believe it.
50:04
SPEAKER_02: Um and Coach's obituary talked about how he was a mentor to 40 different coaches and had over a thousand different players under him.
50:20
SPEAKER_02: And I'm thinking about how he impacted me individually.
50:23
SPEAKER_02: Of those a thousand players, I'm not alone.
50:26
SPEAKER_02: I know he impacted others people's lives like that, too.
50:29
SPEAKER_02: I want to have that impact on younger kids as well.
50:32
SPEAKER_02: So I don't know when I'll be able to put on a damn um sweatsuit because I'm not wearing a suit that says team logo or school name, but damn it, I want to do it because I want to be that positive impact for kids growing up.
50:44
SPEAKER_02: Appreciate y'all.
50:45
SPEAKER_02: See y'all next week.