Latest / Small Ball with Kenny Beecham / I Did League Pass Rankings Halfway Through the Season

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I Did League Pass Rankings Halfway Through the Season · Small Ball with Kenny Beecham

0:04
SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to another episode of Small Ball with Kenny Beecham.
0:08
SPEAKER_00: We're in the middle of NBA trade season.
0:11
SPEAKER_00: A couple days ago, we were all just super sad about the fact that we had only had one trade, Trey Young to the Washington Wizards.
0:17
SPEAKER_00: And since then, we've had a couple more.
0:19
SPEAKER_00: None of them as big as Trey Young to the Wizards.
0:21
SPEAKER_00: None of them as big as potentially Giannis getting traded, but playoff team, shuffling the decks a little bit.
0:26
SPEAKER_00: Maybe the worst team in the league, shuffling the deck decks a little bit.
0:30
SPEAKER_00: The Bulls got future draft capital for like the first time ever.
0:32
SPEAKER_00: Let's talk about that trade right up top.
0:35
SPEAKER_00: After I remind you that this All-Star Weekend, me and the guys, and numbers on the board are doing a live show in Los Angeles.
0:41
SPEAKER_00: The link will be in the description if you're watching on YouTube or scan the QR code.
0:45
SPEAKER_00: If you're watching other places, get your tickets before they sign or before they sell out.
0:50
SPEAKER_00: Let's start off with the three-teamer that we had that broke a couple days ago, which is the Cleveland Cavaliers are trading DeAndre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings for Dennis Ruder and Keon Ellis.
1:01
SPEAKER_00: A third team is in the deal that is the Chicago Bulls acquiring Dario Sarge for two future second round picks.
1:07
SPEAKER_00: Now, this is a very minuscule trade in the grand scheme of the NBA season, but it's worth talking about, right?
1:13
SPEAKER_00: A team, the Cavs that are trying to compete and trying to win now, just traded a guy they traded for last offseason, and they thought that that guy's gonna come in and kind of make things look good.
1:22
SPEAKER_00: Now, when he did end up in the Cleveland with the Cleveland Cavaliers, even though they started to fall off a little bit after he was acquired last year, he individually lived up to it last season.
1:32
SPEAKER_00: This season, that man was uh let's just use the word struggling.
1:35
SPEAKER_00: Let's be nice.
1:36
SPEAKER_00: He was really struggling out there.
1:37
SPEAKER_00: And there was rumors that DeAndre Hunter had formally requested a trade.
1:41
SPEAKER_00: I wonder if he regrets doing that, because they sent his ass to Sacramento, which is like it's it's a couple different places in the NBA that's like NBA hell for players.
1:49
SPEAKER_00: And Sacramento is one of those places.
1:51
SPEAKER_00: My Bulls is also another one of those places.
1:53
SPEAKER_00: Um but I really do like this trade for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
1:57
SPEAKER_00: This is really important.
1:59
SPEAKER_00: For a long time, we've liked Keon Ellis, right?
2:01
SPEAKER_00: For the last couple seasons, we've liked Keon Ellis, but like his last two coaches, Doug Christie and Mike Brown, there was times where he was fully in the rotation and sometimes fully starting.
2:09
SPEAKER_00: He looked good.
2:09
SPEAKER_00: There was other times he was getting like close to the MPs, four minutes, five minutes, or six minutes, and the entirety of the NBA Twitterverse was telling us we all agreed that like Keon Ellis is a real NBA player.
2:18
SPEAKER_00: Why is he not playing?
2:19
SPEAKER_00: Now he's going to a team that if you are a real NBA player and an impactful one, you will get PT.
2:25
SPEAKER_00: Like, sometimes I'll be thinking to myself, if everybody is agreeing on one opinion, then like we might all be wrong.
2:33
SPEAKER_00: Like there's this something that if everybody's seeing the same thing, that you could just argue that, you know, those two NBA coaches were wrong.
2:40
SPEAKER_00: But like part of me is like, maybe we're wrong as the as the fans.
2:44
SPEAKER_00: Maybe something is happening with Kiyob.
2:45
SPEAKER_00: He had, I don't know.
2:46
SPEAKER_00: But he's going to the Sacramento, or he's going to the Cleveland Cavaliers where he even have a lot of opportunity to play.
2:50
SPEAKER_00: And then Dennis Schroeder gets traded to like his 100th team.
2:54
SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm happy for Dennis Schroeder that he signed his payday to go to Sacramento because he had been thrown around a league.
3:00
SPEAKER_00: But last time this year, when he was acquired by the Detroit Pistons, he was one of the reasons why the Detroit Pistons looked so good in the second half of the season.
3:06
SPEAKER_00: One of the reasons why that series versus the Knicks ended up being good.
3:09
SPEAKER_00: Having that secondary ball handler is really important for the for the Cleveland Cavaliers because they lost Ty Jerome.
3:16
SPEAKER_00: I'm happy that Ty Jerome finally came back in their game the other night.
3:18
SPEAKER_00: They lost Ty Jerome, who was so big for their second unit.
3:21
SPEAKER_00: Um, I was talking to some people in the NBA that was like when they lost him, that was a huge, we thought the players thought that that was a huge miss by their front office because usually when the starters go to the bench, it's an opportunity for the other team to get back into the game.
3:33
SPEAKER_00: And Ty Jerome's like, nah, I'm gonna hold this down for us.
3:36
SPEAKER_00: And they lost that.
3:36
SPEAKER_00: And they acquired Lonzo ball, and they were hoping that Lonzo could kind of help with the synergy as a jumbo connector, good passer, good three-point shooter.
3:44
SPEAKER_00: And Lonzo's having the worst year of his career.
3:46
SPEAKER_00: So now they bring in Dennis Schroeder, who can kind of be, let's say, Ty Jerome-esque.
3:51
SPEAKER_00: That's really cool.
3:52
SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to see it all unfold for the calves because Keon is listed as 6'4.
3:57
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if he's actually 6'4.
3:58
SPEAKER_00: He's listed as 6'4.
3:59
SPEAKER_00: But I think that Kenny Atkinson throughout the last part of the season will experiment a bit when Darius Garland eventually comes back from his other toe injury, where he will have Dear Garland.
4:09
SPEAKER_00: He will have Donovan Mitchell, and he will have Keon Ellis all on the court together.
4:12
SPEAKER_00: I mean, he's kind of doing something similar, like Sam Merrill, right?
4:15
SPEAKER_00: Sam Merrill plays a lot of the three, um, and those two guys aren't too dissimilar when it comes to size, but I can't wait to see if Keon Ellis can like really be about it.
4:23
SPEAKER_00: It's just kind of crazy how it works for the Sacramento Kings, time and time again.
4:27
SPEAKER_00: They were asking for a full first-round pick for Keon Ellis, and Keon Ellis ended up being a, I don't use the word throw-in, but like from their perspective, kind of a throw-in so they can get off the Dennis Schroeder contract.
4:39
SPEAKER_00: That's that's nuts to me.
4:42
SPEAKER_00: This like I think that there is a possibility that the Kings are gonna do more movement, more trades before the trade deadline.
4:51
SPEAKER_00: So I'll I'll reserve true judgment.
4:54
SPEAKER_00: But this don't feel like this doesn't feel like anything from their perspective.
4:58
SPEAKER_00: The Cavs, I feel like got better today.
4:59
SPEAKER_00: I'll just say that full stop.
5:00
SPEAKER_00: I think the Cavs are better today than they were two days ago.
5:02
SPEAKER_00: But from the Kings' perspective, to not get any draft cap of anything, they get they gave up some draft capital.
5:07
SPEAKER_00: One of the two picks that the Bulls acquired is a pick from the Kings.
5:10
SPEAKER_00: They gave up draft capital to get off of Dennis Schruder and get rid of Keon Ellis and brought in DeAndre Hunter, who's 28 years old, having a down season.
5:18
SPEAKER_00: But there's there's more seasons of DeAndre Hunter being solid than there are of DeAndre Hunter being good.
5:25
SPEAKER_00: Right?
5:25
SPEAKER_00: Last year he was good.
5:26
SPEAKER_00: The other years before that, he was solid.
5:28
SPEAKER_00: And they, I don't know, they needed more wings, like the Kings needed more wings, but right now they're the worst team in the Western Conference.
5:34
SPEAKER_00: I I don't think you should be thinking about anything for the now.
5:37
SPEAKER_00: Anything for the now.
5:38
SPEAKER_00: And yeah, it's just not a good look for them to.
5:42
SPEAKER_00: On the other side, the Chicago Bulls walk out as true winners.
5:45
SPEAKER_00: When when, you know, I am so very candid and so very open and so very critical about the Chicago Bulls and they do things wrong.
5:51
SPEAKER_00: One of the things that I've hated about our front office is the mismanagement of assets and how they haven't been a team that will bring on bad salary, or they haven't been a team that is okay with just getting into some trades for two second round picks.
6:04
SPEAKER_00: Reality is these second round picks are in 2028 and 2029, and it's like the worst of four different teams.
6:09
SPEAKER_00: This might be the 57th pick in the draft for all I know.
6:12
SPEAKER_00: I don't like that.
6:13
SPEAKER_00: It could be that.
6:14
SPEAKER_00: But I'm just so happy that we're moving around the edges, moving around the margins.
6:17
SPEAKER_00: Dario Sarge at 31 years old is probably not an NBA player anymore.
6:22
SPEAKER_00: He's averaging one point per game or 16% shooting so far this season.
6:26
SPEAKER_00: He's not an NBA player anymore, but that's okay.
6:28
SPEAKER_00: He's an expiring deal.
6:29
SPEAKER_00: You got two future picks, and and I think that there's a world as long as Dario comes in and he's healthy.
6:34
SPEAKER_00: The Bulls just had a lineup the other night against the Miami Heat where the starting lineup was Patrick Williams, Midas Buzelis, uh Kevin Herter, Iodesumu, and I'm forgetting another guard.
6:45
SPEAKER_00: They didn't have any Isaac.
6:48
SPEAKER_00: They didn't have a center the other night because Vooch was injured, uh, Zach Collins was injured, Jalen Smith was injured, and Obreg is like a second-round pick.
6:56
SPEAKER_00: So they didn't have it, they didn't have a center.
6:58
SPEAKER_00: So there there might be a war where Dario actually gets like a couple minutes a game.
7:02
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I don't know.
7:04
SPEAKER_00: Um, but interesting trade.
7:05
SPEAKER_00: Again, it ain't Trey Young, it ain't anything huge, but we'll we'll take a trade like this.
7:10
SPEAKER_00: And then right before we walked into the office, Vic Krezi got traded to the Blazers in exchange from duo wreath and some draft capital.
7:17
SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm definitely not spending seven minutes on a duo-op reef Vic Kregi swap.
7:22
SPEAKER_00: But one of the things about the Trailblazers is they lack three-point shooting.
7:25
SPEAKER_00: Vic Regie can provide that.
7:26
SPEAKER_00: And I really do like Vicji's passing ability.
7:28
SPEAKER_00: He's not a guy that's going to have high usage.
7:30
SPEAKER_00: You're not about to run pick and rolls for Vic Kregi often or anything like that.
7:33
SPEAKER_00: But as far as like one more pass and swinging, I think Vic Reggi can provide some of that.
7:38
SPEAKER_00: And he's a good three-point shooter, 42% three-point shooter this season on like three and some change attempts coming off the bench.
7:43
SPEAKER_00: It's an upgrade for them.
7:44
SPEAKER_00: And then to get some level of capital for Vicji, if you're the Atlanta Hawks, cool.
7:49
SPEAKER_00: Shout out to them.
7:49
SPEAKER_00: And the Atlanta Hawks, I'm sorry, let me not dismiss DuWAP Reef.
7:53
SPEAKER_00: Uh, DuWop had the really good season last year where he was like, oh, snap, who is this guy?
7:57
SPEAKER_00: And we like, oh, what a good young player.
8:00
SPEAKER_00: And do you look at his basketball reference?
8:01
SPEAKER_00: And last year as a good young player, he was 28 years old.
8:05
SPEAKER_00: Last year as a good, interesting young player, he's 28 years old.
8:08
SPEAKER_00: So he came to the league obviously later.
8:10
SPEAKER_00: He was a 27-year-old rookie and all.
8:12
SPEAKER_00: But my biggest criticism, if there is any, for this Atlanta Hawks team that's kind of in the middle of things, is that sometimes they just feel kind of small.
8:20
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes they struggle with closing out possessions.
8:22
SPEAKER_00: And Duar Breath is not no seven foot or anything, but he he plays up to the five.
8:26
SPEAKER_00: Um, he's not even a supreme rebounder.
8:29
SPEAKER_00: I'm just trying to, I'm trying to make sense of Dua Brief coming into the team and providing something.
8:34
SPEAKER_00: That's all.
8:34
SPEAKER_00: That's all.
8:35
SPEAKER_00: Um, so that that's that's all we got for the trade so far.
8:38
SPEAKER_00: So the bulk of this episode actually is gonna be me going back into you know NBA League Pass rankings.
8:46
SPEAKER_00: The guys did something very similar or numbers on the board, but that was the week that I was sick with the flu.
8:51
SPEAKER_00: And I did get a few tweets since then, like, Kenny, can we get a YouTube video of you giving your new uh rankings?
8:57
SPEAKER_00: And I was like, I'm gonna hold it off of the podcast.
8:59
SPEAKER_00: So I got seven, I'm saying it again, seven different categories when it comes to my league pass rankings.
9:05
SPEAKER_00: We got the teams I'm just not watching on a nightly basis.
9:09
SPEAKER_00: The second one is um some young players that I like.
9:12
SPEAKER_00: So I watch sometimes live, but more often than not, I'm watching highlights or specific possessions.
9:18
SPEAKER_00: Watch, I'm watching these teams, but I'm not having a good time.
9:21
SPEAKER_00: I love you, but you frustrate me.
9:23
SPEAKER_00: My guilty pleasure teams, I understand while teams don't, or people don't like watching you, but they tripping.
9:29
SPEAKER_00: And then the cream of the crop, in my mind, the seven teams that are the best to watch on a nightly basis.
9:34
SPEAKER_00: I want to say, of course, that these are all my opinions.
9:37
SPEAKER_00: It is very subjective.
9:39
SPEAKER_00: You may love watching a team that I absolutely hate, and that's okay.
9:42
SPEAKER_00: That's the beauty of the game, man.
9:43
SPEAKER_00: It's the beauty of the game.
9:45
SPEAKER_00: And I can't wait to get into this, y'all.
9:46
SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to get into this, but we will have to break.
9:49
SPEAKER_00: But when we come back, I'll start my league pass rankings.
9:59
SPEAKER_00: All right, getting back to the league pass rankings.
10:01
SPEAKER_00: This was very fun to do.
10:02
SPEAKER_00: Um, I don't I remember two years ago, the NBA did their own version of Spotify Wrapped and they said, hey, these are your most watched teams.
10:08
SPEAKER_00: We didn't get that last season.
10:09
SPEAKER_00: I hope they bring it back.
10:10
SPEAKER_00: These are the three teams in the NBA that I'm not watching on a night's basis.
10:13
SPEAKER_00: And when I say I'm not watching, I mean that if I see their game on the slate, I have no interest whatsoever to tune in today.
10:22
SPEAKER_00: The League Pass rankings are always shifting.
10:24
SPEAKER_00: Hell, there's a team in the cream of the crop that just two months ago, three months ago before the season started, it was just like an eh tier.
10:29
SPEAKER_00: So it's always evolving.
10:30
SPEAKER_00: And who that who the hell knows after the trade deadline, one of these three teams could be in the cream of the crop.
10:35
SPEAKER_00: The first team I'm just not watching is the Sacramento Kings.
10:38
SPEAKER_00: I just can't do it.
10:39
SPEAKER_00: When Zach Levine got traded away from us last deadline, I said to myself, good for Zach Levine.
10:44
SPEAKER_00: He's free from the Bulls.
10:46
SPEAKER_00: Golly, he didn't go to no place no better.
10:49
SPEAKER_00: And I also said it would be easy for me to root for him on another team.
10:52
SPEAKER_00: And that's true.
10:53
SPEAKER_00: I still do love me some Zach Levine.
10:55
SPEAKER_00: But because the team is so bad, and sometimes he just doesn't really play in fourth quarters because Doug Christie would say something like, today we didn't need offense and we needed defense instead.
11:06
SPEAKER_00: A guy that was an all-star that's making$40 plus million dollars can't play in the fourth because you need a defense.
11:10
SPEAKER_00: So, like, I love me some Zach Levine.
11:12
SPEAKER_00: I just hate that he's in Sacramento and he probably gonna be in Sacramento the rest of this season and next season because$49 million, even if you're on a bad team, it's$49 million.
11:20
SPEAKER_00: The second team I'm just not watching is the Milwaukee Bucks, specifically when Giannis is not there.
11:25
SPEAKER_00: If Giannis is not there, bro, you would have to pay me a crazy.
11:28
SPEAKER_00: I'd rather do almost anything.
11:30
SPEAKER_00: Like some of these teams, not the Kings, but like the next team I'm gonna mention to, some of these teams are like the first game of the night because they're like an East Coast, Eastern Standard Time team.
11:39
SPEAKER_00: And a lot of times I see the Bucks as the first game of the day.
11:42
SPEAKER_00: I'm not even going to the office.
11:43
SPEAKER_00: I'm sitting, I'm staying with the kids.
11:44
SPEAKER_00: I'd rather be with my daughters than watch the Bucs without Giannis.
11:47
SPEAKER_00: Are you kidding me?
11:48
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, they're just not a team I'm watching.
11:50
SPEAKER_00: And the last one is the Pacers.
11:51
SPEAKER_00: Now, the Pacers have killed the Bulls three times this year.
11:54
SPEAKER_00: They got like 13 wins, and three of them are against the Bulls, which is nuts.
11:58
SPEAKER_00: Um, but it's not just it's just not a fun experience for me this year.
12:01
SPEAKER_00: As you can imagine, they're not a good team without Halliburton and then losing Mouse Turner.
12:05
SPEAKER_00: It's just not fun.
12:06
SPEAKER_00: They're they have a goal in mind.
12:08
SPEAKER_00: We all know it.
12:09
SPEAKER_00: Everybody watched Darren Peterson versus AJ DeBounce the other day.
12:12
SPEAKER_00: Golly, that guy looks incredible.
12:14
SPEAKER_00: So the Patriots fans know what their identity is and what they're trying to do, and maybe they'll get it done, maybe they won't.
12:20
SPEAKER_00: So those are the three teams I'm just not, I'm just not really caring to watch.
12:24
SPEAKER_00: Next tier are these teams have some young players, and I'll catch some games live, but mostly watching highlights and possessions.
12:32
SPEAKER_00: And people will ask me all the time, what do you mean by possessions?
12:35
SPEAKER_00: I have a couple different resources where I can say, like, give me, what's my first team on this list?
12:41
SPEAKER_00: Um, give me the Wizards.
12:42
SPEAKER_00: Okay, so I want to see every touch that Alex Saur had last game.
12:46
SPEAKER_00: I want to see every pick and roll that Keyshawn George ran for the last four days.
12:50
SPEAKER_00: Like, like those are the type of things.
12:51
SPEAKER_00: But as far as tuning in live, at least until Trey Young comes back, I'm just not doing it very often.
12:56
SPEAKER_00: Like, this is an East Coast team, so they do end up having the first game of the day a lot.
12:59
SPEAKER_00: So, like they played against the Lakers the other night, and because it was the only game on, I watched 35 minutes of that game before the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors game came on at 6:30.
13:09
SPEAKER_00: So, like, I am tuning in, but it's just not, you know, they got young players.
13:13
SPEAKER_00: They got young players.
13:14
SPEAKER_00: Oh, and I also want to say, just be there, this isn't no order.
13:17
SPEAKER_00: If you're in the same tier, you're in the same tier, damn it.
13:19
SPEAKER_00: I know some people look at tiers and be like, oh, even though in the same tier, you got him at two and him at three.
13:23
SPEAKER_00: This team, this guy should be at two, and that guy should be three.
13:25
SPEAKER_00: That's not how I look at it.
13:26
SPEAKER_00: If you're in the same tier, you're in the same tier.
13:27
SPEAKER_00: Uh, but the wizards are a team that has a have a bunch of young players that I'm really intrigued by, between again, Alex Sarr, Keyshawn George, um, uh Trey Johnson, and just goes on and on.
13:37
SPEAKER_00: Those are my main three, though.
13:38
SPEAKER_00: The next team is the Brooklyn Nets.
13:41
SPEAKER_00: They had a little stretch where they were the number one defense in the league, and I was a little late to the party.
13:45
SPEAKER_00: I understand that, but they had like a week and a half stretch where like I was really watching their games.
13:49
SPEAKER_00: Not necessarily the case anymore.
13:50
SPEAKER_00: They got a few young players, well, they got a lot of young players, but a few young players that I care about were like Yeager Dimmon, we've talked about it before, how he has more three-pointers made this season than two-pointers made.
14:01
SPEAKER_00: And I saw somebody on Twitter ask a very interesting question that says, Are we sure that we should classify him as a point guard?
14:08
SPEAKER_00: Coming out of the draft, it's like this jumbo point that dribbles, that's that playmakes, that does a little bit of everything.
14:13
SPEAKER_00: And at the NBA level so far, at the age of 20, right?
14:16
SPEAKER_00: So we don't want to overreact, but the age of 20, he can't break anybody off the dribble.
14:21
SPEAKER_00: So, like, should we even be looking at him as a guard for the foot for his career?
14:25
SPEAKER_00: It's too early to tell, but that's something that's in the back of my mind now as I'm watching Jaeger Demon.
14:30
SPEAKER_00: Does it make sense, especially if you're gonna shoot 40 for 73, which is something he didn't do at BYU?
14:33
SPEAKER_00: If he is gonna play like this, is he more of a shooting wing than he is a jumbo one?
14:40
SPEAKER_00: Keep that in mind.
14:40
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
14:41
SPEAKER_00: It's still too early to tell.
14:42
SPEAKER_00: We probably won't know that for a few years, honestly speaking, but too early to tell.
14:46
SPEAKER_00: Next one, we have the Pelicans.
14:50
SPEAKER_00: The Pelicans fans, there's so I I know on Twitter, because I don't know any Pelicans fans in real life.
14:56
SPEAKER_00: There's a couple different baskets of Pelicans fandom.
14:59
SPEAKER_00: There's an F that pick fandom because Dare Queen or some knights will give you 22, 10, and 7.
15:05
SPEAKER_00: Um, so they say forget the pick that we traded, forget the fact that we may have gave uh um boozer to the Hawks.
15:14
SPEAKER_00: We don't care because we got Derrick Queen, and Derrick Queen is really, really good.
15:18
SPEAKER_00: And the other group is like damn, we could have kinda could kinda could have got Derek Queen with our first pick and just kept our own pick.
15:29
SPEAKER_00: And that kind of sucks.
15:30
SPEAKER_00: To be watching your favorite team being and just looking at how bad you are and watching AJ DeBont and all those guys hoop and be like, damn, we probably gave up one of those guys, it's kind of tragic.
15:41
SPEAKER_00: Because if I'm not mistaken, let me pull up Tankathon again.
15:44
SPEAKER_00: If I'm not mistaken, right now it's projected to go two, and the furthest it could be a six.
15:49
SPEAKER_00: So like you almost guaranteed gave up AJ, right?
15:53
SPEAKER_00: AJ, Boozer, Peterson, Wilson, and I don't know who number five will be.
15:58
SPEAKER_00: Is it the is it the guard out of Houston?
16:00
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's so far.
16:01
SPEAKER_00: I'm looking at a mock draft right here.
16:03
SPEAKER_00: They got that guard out of Houston, Kingston, Fleming.
16:05
SPEAKER_00: So you almost guaranteed to give up one of those five guys.
16:10
SPEAKER_00: And there's a world where Deer Queen is a 10-time all, eight-time all-star, and he makes all NBA teams.
16:17
SPEAKER_00: And in that case, you probably do not care unless that pick turns into it, Darren Peterson turns into the GOAT.
16:24
SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
16:25
SPEAKER_00: Uh, but they have young players we care about, of course, Deere Queen and so on and so forth.
16:30
SPEAKER_00: I do believe that they have been mismanaged.
16:32
SPEAKER_00: If we get through the whole trade deadline and they don't make any trade and they don't do anything to make their team, I don't know, more palat palatable for the future, I think it is mismanagement, but that's a whole nother conversation for a whole nother day.
16:45
SPEAKER_00: And the last team in this is the Utah Jazz.
16:49
SPEAKER_00: We love us and Keontae George, man.
16:51
SPEAKER_00: Keontae, so this is how crazy it really is.
16:55
SPEAKER_00: Um sometimes when I'm doing my research about players, because I'm, you know, doing a draft show, but I don't watch college basketball often.
17:03
SPEAKER_00: So like the month leading up to the draft, I'm I'm studying these prospects and so on.
17:07
SPEAKER_00: And I mean this, I'm just I'm just telling a story now.
17:09
SPEAKER_00: I'm just telling a story.
17:10
SPEAKER_00: I don't mean no harm here.
17:12
SPEAKER_00: I remember watching a Pudgy, Keontae George at Baylor film, and I'm like, that's that's an interesting player, but I didn't think anything of it.
17:19
SPEAKER_00: I didn't know where he would fall in the draft.
17:21
SPEAKER_00: I think he ended up going like between 16 and 19 or something like that.
17:24
SPEAKER_00: Um and I'm I'm like, after he gets drafted, I'm looking up his story.
17:27
SPEAKER_00: I'm like, that seemed cool.
17:28
SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm gonna follow him on the gram.
17:30
SPEAKER_00: He followed me back and we we exchanged DMs a couple different times, nothing too major.
17:34
SPEAKER_00: It's like you in Vegas for summer league.
17:36
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you doing this, you know.
17:38
SPEAKER_00: And before the season started, again, I like Keontae George before the season started, but I wouldn't call myself a fan.
17:43
SPEAKER_00: He was a cool guy through our DMs, but I wouldn't say like I was, I believe I didn't look at him and say, that guy could be an all-star one day.
17:50
SPEAKER_00: Before the season started, we're doing just, I don't know, and passing the conversational numbers on the board.
17:54
SPEAKER_00: My boy Mike says, Yeah, man, Keontae George, he's just a star.
17:58
SPEAKER_00: And we all look at each other like, did we watch the same Keontae George last season?
18:04
SPEAKER_00: Keontae George last year averaged 17 points per game, which is good.
18:08
SPEAKER_00: He shot 39% from the field last year, 35% from three.
18:12
SPEAKER_00: He averaged two and a half turnovers to five assists.
18:15
SPEAKER_00: Like, there was not a lot for Mike to believe that Keontae George was gonna be a star one day.
18:22
SPEAKER_00: And then in a third year, he's averaging 24 points, 46% from three.
18:27
SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry, 46% will know from the from field goal, 38% from three on seven attempts.
18:33
SPEAKER_00: Free throws have gone up by three a game.
18:37
SPEAKER_00: I don't know how Mike sniped it.
18:40
SPEAKER_00: But we all have our good hits and bad misses and stuff.
18:43
SPEAKER_00: That's if if Keontae George makes an all-star appearance in this future, which based on the way he's playing right now, I think the Jazz just have to continue to put the piece around him.
18:50
SPEAKER_00: He he he projects to be a multiple-time all-star, right?
18:53
SPEAKER_00: Can we agree there?
18:54
SPEAKER_00: That's gonna be one of Mike's biggest hits.
18:56
SPEAKER_00: Because how the hell did he how the hell did he see that last year?
19:02
SPEAKER_00: Because Keontae wasn't very good, like just straight up, he just wasn't very good.
19:06
SPEAKER_00: So they have Keontae George.
19:08
SPEAKER_00: I think we're all trying to figure out what Cody Williams is.
19:11
SPEAKER_00: Is he an NBA player?
19:12
SPEAKER_00: Is he not?
19:12
SPEAKER_00: As of recently, I said it before, he's been looking like an NBA player.
19:16
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if that means that he was warranted of the uh the number 10 pick, but his field goal percentage is up 13%.
19:23
SPEAKER_00: His three-point percentage is about the same as his rookie season, and he's more productive in less minutes than his rookie year.
19:30
SPEAKER_00: Like I think there is something there.
19:32
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if he'll ever be worth, again, the 10th overall pick in his draft, but I think you can look at what he's done this season and say, okay, there are some interesting things going on.
19:41
SPEAKER_00: We just want to continue to give him opportunities because we're not really, we're not really playing for anything.
19:46
SPEAKER_00: I will say though, when Larry Marketer and Keontae George are playing, this is one of my favorite teams to watch.
19:52
SPEAKER_00: The reality is now that they're really trying to retain that top eight protect the pick, they're not really throwing out those guys in the game together very, very often.
20:00
SPEAKER_00: Um, so that's why they got to end up in this tier.
20:02
SPEAKER_00: When we come back, we'll move on to the next one, which is teams I'm watching, but I'm not having a good time.
20:14
SPEAKER_00: Before we go any further, we want to say thank you to our sponsor over at DraftKings.
20:17
SPEAKER_00: You know all about DraftKings pick six by now.
20:19
SPEAKER_00: You pick more or less of different player stats for the upcoming games.
20:22
SPEAKER_00: Pick two or more different players into your pick set, decide on some stats more or less, sit back, relax, and see if you made the right decision.
20:30
SPEAKER_00: Tonight, on this great Monday in February, it's a really small slate of games.
20:35
SPEAKER_00: We got four games today.
20:38
SPEAKER_00: It's not that many great things.
20:39
SPEAKER_00: So slim pickings, if you will, on the pick six.
20:42
SPEAKER_00: I always want to say play pick six responsibly, please.
20:45
SPEAKER_00: Um, but let's let's tell you what I cooked up today.
20:48
SPEAKER_00: Starting off, Khan Knipple and the Charlotte Hornets.
20:52
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, I said his name first are going against the New Orleans Pelicans.
20:56
SPEAKER_00: I love when we got these rookie rookie duels, and it's three, I guess it's three really good rookies in this in this one, uh, the between Fierce, who I saw a mixtape on Twitter yesterday of Jeremia Fierce, but it's strictly Jeremia Fears missing fast break layups.
21:10
SPEAKER_00: And the video was longer than four seconds.
21:12
SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
21:12
SPEAKER_00: So it's happened multiple times this season, more times than he probably is um happy about.
21:18
SPEAKER_00: But I started with Khan Kanipple because I'm going more on Khan Kanipple's points.
21:22
SPEAKER_00: The Hornets, who of course we'll get to later in the episode, having playing really great basketball, leave it at that.
21:27
SPEAKER_00: Super fun team to watch.
21:28
SPEAKER_00: Khan Knipple's a huge part of that.
21:30
SPEAKER_00: The way he's being used by Charles Lee.
21:31
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I have to admire Charles Lee's uh Charles Lee's coaching because it would be pretty easy for a guy coming out of college with his shooting prowess to just be a movement shooter or just be stuck in a corner.
21:43
SPEAKER_00: He's so much more than that, obviously.
21:45
SPEAKER_00: But I could definitely see other, maybe older coaches looking at Khan and being like, yeah, sit in the corner and hope that they they help off on the road man in this picket role to shoot threes.
21:55
SPEAKER_00: And he does so much more, and it's so impressive uh that he's able to do that at the young age and it's so cool.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: Cool that Charles Lee has empowered his younger guys to be this productive.
22:04
SPEAKER_00: Next game we got is the Indiana Pacers versus the Houston Rockets.
22:09
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna go more on Al Princh and Goon.
22:11
SPEAKER_00: I think he needs a nice little bounce back after you know he had a let's say he had a tough two and a half, three quarters in their game versus the Dallas Mavericks.
22:19
SPEAKER_00: I think he can look at the Pacers team that has, you know, Jay Huff who blocked hella shots for sure and be like, no, this is a game where I'm gonna go more on my point.
22:25
SPEAKER_00: So I'm going there.
22:26
SPEAKER_00: Then we get to the games that are on Peacock tonight, 7:30 Eastern time.
22:32
SPEAKER_00: We got we got the Minnesota Timbus versus the Grizzlies.
22:35
SPEAKER_00: Okay, Jaron Jackson Jr., Anthony Harris, Julius, Randall, Rudy Gobert.
22:40
SPEAKER_00: I'm going more on the Rudy Gobert rebounds.
22:42
SPEAKER_00: I think this is a really good matchup for him.
22:44
SPEAKER_00: Um I was I was tempted to look at some Ty Jerome stuff.
22:46
SPEAKER_00: I was tempted to look at some Sedger Coward stuff, but I'm gonna go Rudy Gobert boards.
22:50
SPEAKER_00: Um the guy cleans the class, as we all know.
22:52
SPEAKER_00: And if the Minnesota Timbull, I'm sorry, if the Grizzlies can keep this close, then I think that I feel pretty good about him because his rebounds were at 11.5 the other night, and they blew the team out and he didn't play for the last eight minutes.
23:04
SPEAKER_00: And it was like, man, if this game was closer, then I'm pretty sure that the seven foot-one dude will get one more rebounds in these eight minutes.
23:10
SPEAKER_00: So we got that.
23:12
SPEAKER_00: And then lastly, we got the 76ers versus the Clippers.
23:16
SPEAKER_00: Now, this game would probably be better if Paul George was playing, you know, because they do have the Paul George versus Philly thing.
23:22
SPEAKER_00: They got the James Harden versus Philly thing, Nick Batum versus Philly thing.
23:26
SPEAKER_00: Now that I'm thinking about it, the whole Clippers seems kind of like a pipeline from the 76ers.
23:30
SPEAKER_00: Uh, but no, it should be a really good game, as you know, the Clippers have been playing a lot better.
23:34
SPEAKER_00: Joel Embiid is basically unstoppable at this point, which is so insane to me.
23:40
SPEAKER_00: I could not have expected him to look this good coming off that those injuries and so on.
23:45
SPEAKER_00: We got a lot of love for the way Joel Lambiad has been playing as of late.
23:48
SPEAKER_00: But instead of looking at Joel Lambies more, I'm gonna go with the 29.2 point per game score, Tyrese Maxie, and go more on his points instead.
23:59
SPEAKER_00: Um feeling good about Tyrese Maxie.
24:02
SPEAKER_00: We mentioned a hundred times the guys are almost unguardable.
24:04
SPEAKER_00: So I think it's I think even though it's a small slate, this is a very intimate slate of games.
24:08
SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
24:08
SPEAKER_00: You can really lock in on a singular game, or maybe two, or maybe three.
24:12
SPEAKER_00: Maybe you watch all four.
24:13
SPEAKER_00: But I'm gonna be excited to watch them.
24:15
SPEAKER_00: So uh yeah, when we come back, we'll talk about some NBA teams that I'm watching, but I'm not having a good time.
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24:40
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24:42
SPEAKER_00: Right at the upside with Pick Six.
24:50
SPEAKER_00: This next tier we're calling.
24:53
SPEAKER_00: I'm watching, but I'm not having a good time.
24:56
SPEAKER_00: These are maybe teams that I have to watch legally.
25:00
SPEAKER_00: I think that when you get when you get a logo tattooed on your body, you're obligated to watch as many games of that team as possible.
25:09
SPEAKER_00: And on my body, I do have a Bulls logo.
25:12
SPEAKER_00: I also have a White Sox logo, and I also have a Bears logo.
25:17
SPEAKER_00: Um a lot of those teams have been good for a long, long time.
25:21
SPEAKER_00: But that's what fandom is.
25:22
SPEAKER_00: Shout out Chicago.
25:23
SPEAKER_00: Um, so some of these scenes could be I feel obligated to watch them.
25:26
SPEAKER_00: Other teams are maybe teams I bought into before the season started, so I'm hoping to get a good return on my investments.
25:32
SPEAKER_00: Some of these teams have a great player that I individually like, but the rest of the team is trash.
25:36
SPEAKER_00: So let's get into it.
25:37
SPEAKER_00: And this this is the second biggest tier.
25:40
SPEAKER_00: Oh my God, do I not enjoy basketball?
25:42
SPEAKER_00: Because I have six teams that I'm just genuinely not in.
25:45
SPEAKER_00: The first team, as you can imagine, is my Chicago Bulls.
25:48
SPEAKER_00: I think that the course of the season I may have missed completely four or so games.
25:53
SPEAKER_00: So I'm locked into I'm always locked into let's say 70 to 80 games every single season.
25:58
SPEAKER_00: There was a year in uh the year after the bubble where I watched every single game.
26:03
SPEAKER_00: It was a shortened season, but like, come on, man.
26:05
SPEAKER_00: I'm like the I'm kind of like the Mikel Bridges of watching Chicago's Bulls basketball.
26:09
SPEAKER_00: And it's even more impressive because they suck.
26:12
SPEAKER_00: Like, you watch your favorite team, but you're a Thunder fan.
26:14
SPEAKER_00: So it's like cool.
26:14
SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm saying?
26:15
SPEAKER_00: We win every game anyway.
26:16
SPEAKER_00: My team doesn't win.
26:17
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I guess sorry, we win half of the time.
26:21
SPEAKER_00: No, I'm not having a good time.
26:22
SPEAKER_00: This deadline can change that, though.
26:24
SPEAKER_00: This deadline can change that.
26:25
SPEAKER_00: I'm telling you.
26:26
SPEAKER_00: Uh, the next team I have on my list is a team I bought in very heavily before the season started.
26:30
SPEAKER_00: It is the Orlando Magic, man.
26:32
SPEAKER_00: Uh Orlando Magic over under is 50 and a half.
26:35
SPEAKER_00: We did an episode, we went more or less on those things, and I'm uh uh over under.
26:39
SPEAKER_00: I went hard over.
26:41
SPEAKER_00: I locked it.
26:43
SPEAKER_00: I was so confident in the Orlando Magic being able to win 51 games that I locked it before the season started.
26:50
SPEAKER_00: And now it's frustrating to watch.
26:52
SPEAKER_00: I don't think they have any offensive identity and the defensive identity that they have for the last three seasons completely gone.
26:57
SPEAKER_00: They got players that I love.
26:58
SPEAKER_00: Jayla Suggs, my dog.
27:00
SPEAKER_00: Uh Anthony Black, my most intriguing player coming into the season, if you remember.
27:03
SPEAKER_00: Paulo Bencaro, really, really talented guy.
27:06
SPEAKER_00: Franz Wagner, when he plays, really, really talented guy.
27:08
SPEAKER_00: And it's just so frustrating to watch.
27:10
SPEAKER_00: Um, they got a good win the other night, so hopefully this is a good momentum shifter.
27:15
SPEAKER_00: But on a night-to-night basis, I am not enjoying watching Orlando Magic basketball.
27:19
SPEAKER_00: The next one is the Golden State Warriors, man.
27:23
SPEAKER_00: Now, this is not so, well, yeah, no, no, no.
27:25
SPEAKER_00: This definitely is their fault.
27:26
SPEAKER_00: But like part of it isn't their fault.
27:27
SPEAKER_00: I'm a Jimmy Butler fan.
27:29
SPEAKER_00: I love me some Jimmy Butler.
27:30
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, he's out for the rest of the season.
27:31
SPEAKER_00: So a team that I already wasn't enjoying watching is even further down in the tank because Jimmy Butler is not there.
27:37
SPEAKER_00: Jimmy Butler, somebody reminded me of a tweet of like NBA Hoop Central or NBA Legion uh predicting the American national team, uh, Olympic team for like 2020, the next big Olympics, whatever the hell that will be.
27:53
SPEAKER_00: 2028, I guess.
27:54
SPEAKER_00: Um, and Brandon Pozimski quoted that with a notepad because he was upset that his name wasn't there.
28:01
SPEAKER_00: Is that nuts?
28:04
SPEAKER_00: Did I get AI'd?
28:05
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
28:05
SPEAKER_00: But I I just I don't know.
28:07
SPEAKER_00: Pass the torch from Steph Curry to Brandon Pozimski isn't crazy to me.
28:12
SPEAKER_00: Steph Curry, as you know, still an amazing ball player.
28:15
SPEAKER_00: The team around him, not so much.
28:16
SPEAKER_00: So even though I'm tuning in for Wardale, uh Steph Curry, you you understand the rest.
28:23
SPEAKER_00: Um, the next team we'll get to is matter of fact, we'll do these as a tandem.
28:28
SPEAKER_00: Because these two teams, I know all too well.
28:32
SPEAKER_00: At the end of every season, we see one of these two teams.
28:35
SPEAKER_00: NBA play in on the Eastern Conference, man.
28:38
SPEAKER_00: I'm not enjoying Miami Heat basketball.
28:41
SPEAKER_00: Full stop.
28:42
SPEAKER_00: And they're in a very weird spot because they're different than like the Bulls, who are also again play in legends, because they have, in theory, a really competent front office around them.
28:55
SPEAKER_00: And while you can look at the Bulls and say it's pretty obvious the way you what you do next, you lose on purpose, you get top 10 picks, you hit on top 10 picks.
29:05
SPEAKER_00: The Miami Heat don't really have that luxury.
29:07
SPEAKER_00: When they have Bam, who every other night looks like an all-NBA player, then you have the night against the Bulls where he likes an all-NBA player for four minutes out of 48.
29:16
SPEAKER_00: They have, you know, Tyler Harrow when he's playing, who was just an all-star last season.
29:21
SPEAKER_00: They have Norman Powell when he's playing, who might be an all-star this season.
29:25
SPEAKER_00: It's just a little bit harder to kind of predict how the Miami Heat can get better.
29:30
SPEAKER_00: And I think that's I don't know.
29:34
SPEAKER_00: I think they're always going to be a conversation to get the Giannis's, to get the Kevin Durant's, to get the Damian Lillard's, to get the big names that become the market.
29:41
SPEAKER_00: But I think I look at what their trade package is compared to what the other team's trade package could be.
29:46
SPEAKER_00: And it's never been a time in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes or the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, or right now in the Giannis sweepstakes, where I looked at what the Miami Heat could potentially give up and saying that's the best offer.
29:57
SPEAKER_00: And I don't know how they can end up having the best offer.
30:02
SPEAKER_00: One guy I'm really intrigued with is Khalil Ware.
30:06
SPEAKER_00: And unless, let me let me just double check this before I speak out of term.
30:10
SPEAKER_00: Unless Kalail Ware got injured when I was in the bathroom the other night watching their game against the Bulls, he played three minutes in a game where the I mentioned earlier, the Bulls had no centers on the roster, suited up.
30:24
SPEAKER_00: Khalil Ware played three minutes.
30:26
SPEAKER_00: He scored two points.
30:27
SPEAKER_00: And the two points that he scored was him backing down somebody that is six foot six and just going up over him.
30:33
SPEAKER_00: And Sposter was like, nah, he missed the rotation here.
30:36
SPEAKER_00: I think his second shot was a wide open three-point shot, and then he got yanked right after that.
30:40
SPEAKER_00: And again, in a game where the Bulls had no bigs, no Khalil Ware minutes.
30:47
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
30:48
SPEAKER_00: Before the season started, when, well maybe it was early in the season, when Eric Sposter had those comments about Khalil Ware.
30:53
SPEAKER_00: I came on the show and I say, I trust Eric Sposter.
30:56
SPEAKER_00: He's one of the greatest to ever do it.
30:58
SPEAKER_00: And if he wants to, you know, hold out minutes on the young guy to hold them accountable, then that's what you gotta do.
31:04
SPEAKER_00: I'm starting to rethink that just a little bit.
31:07
SPEAKER_00: And maybe I'm not ear to the ground as much as I probably should be with the Miami.
31:10
SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's more than that.
31:12
SPEAKER_00: But dang, man, I just Googled his name just to make sure he didn't get injured in that game.
31:16
SPEAKER_00: Um Khalil Ware, when asked about dealing with his role and the NBA trade noise, he said, it is what it is.
31:27
SPEAKER_00: I I don't know.
31:28
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
31:30
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
31:31
SPEAKER_00: Um I could see the frustration from He fans because you did make two finals in the last 10 years, five years, right?
31:39
SPEAKER_00: You do have some championships in the last 10 years?
31:43
SPEAKER_00: No, no, 15 years.
31:44
SPEAKER_00: My God, I feel like I'm a teenager again.
31:47
SPEAKER_00: 10 years ago.
31:49
SPEAKER_00: Golly, 10 years ago, man.
31:51
SPEAKER_00: Anyway, and then the other team, the other play-in uh uh guy guys are there all the time is the Atlanta Hawks.
31:58
SPEAKER_00: I'm not really enjoying Atlanta Hawks basketball.
32:01
SPEAKER_00: Jalen Johnson, fun, interesting player.
32:03
SPEAKER_00: What in the Kansas and the Walkers been able to do offensively?
32:05
SPEAKER_00: Cool, really fun.
32:07
SPEAKER_00: Um, but that's kind of it.
32:10
SPEAKER_00: And I said it, and I if I'm a Hawks fan, obviously it's frustrating to trade your icon that is Trey Young, who I think we we talked about last time we did SKB like a month ago when it happened.
32:22
SPEAKER_00: I think they're still still geared up.
32:25
SPEAKER_00: I think they're still geared up to potentially buy in on somebody pretty great eventually.
32:31
SPEAKER_00: Or, or I won't say the Trey Young trade was a hard reset because you still have Jalen Johnson, you still have Nikhil, you still have Zachary Richasset, who, by the way, didn't make rising stars as a first overall pick.
32:43
SPEAKER_00: That's nuts.
32:45
SPEAKER_00: Maybe it is just a reset.
32:46
SPEAKER_00: We have a top three pick coming in this season, top four pick coming in this season.
32:49
SPEAKER_00: We'll just reset it.
32:50
SPEAKER_00: And like now you look at and say, hey, it's it is Darren Peterson, Jalen Johnson, and Reshausse.
32:56
SPEAKER_00: And like, oh, that's a little bit more intriguing as a young team.
32:59
SPEAKER_00: And it ain't like Jalen Zoo's 28 years old.
33:01
SPEAKER_00: I think he's only 24.
33:02
SPEAKER_00: So if we need two years for AJ DeBonsor or Cam Boozer or Darren Peterson to really get up to being one of the 1A guys, then cool.
33:10
SPEAKER_00: By the time Jalen Zons is 20, he's only 26 and he's on a really good contract.
33:14
SPEAKER_00: So I can see that happen as well.
33:16
SPEAKER_00: Or I can see them saying, we've been in the play-in for the last thousand years.
33:21
SPEAKER_00: Here's everything for Giannis.
33:22
SPEAKER_00: Here's everything for superstar player that might become available next offseason.
33:27
SPEAKER_00: I think it goes either way.
33:28
SPEAKER_00: And I'm happy I'm not the guy that has to make the decision.
33:32
SPEAKER_00: The last team in this tier is the Memphis Grizzlies.
33:36
SPEAKER_00: I feel like the Grizzlies have become somewhat of a blind spot to me.
33:40
SPEAKER_00: They have, they, you know, like I mentioned, Tiger Home came back, so I watched their game the other night because I was happy to see Tied Jerome back on the court.
33:46
SPEAKER_00: His very first possession on the court, he goes right at Rudy Gobert's head and goes high off glass against Rudy Gobert.
33:51
SPEAKER_00: So like, it'll like he's cool.
33:53
SPEAKER_00: He'll be aye.
33:54
SPEAKER_00: They're currently on a six-game losing streak.
33:57
SPEAKER_00: They're 18 and 29.
33:59
SPEAKER_00: They have all the rumblings about John Morant and so on.
34:03
SPEAKER_00: And in my mind, if you're gonna have rumblings about potentially trading John Morant, you have to field calls at least about Jaron Jackson Jr.
34:10
SPEAKER_00: So this could be a team that is like looking towards somewhat of a reset because when Zach Eady comes back, good NBA player.
34:16
SPEAKER_00: Cedric Howard, good NBA player, future pick.
34:19
SPEAKER_00: They do own their own first-round pick this season, if I'm not mistaken.
34:21
SPEAKER_00: So like that pick can be top 10, and we're right back into our rebuild.
34:25
SPEAKER_00: And then I think Jaron, if he became available, does net you two to three to four first-round picks, depending on what team is really interested in him.
34:34
SPEAKER_00: So you could have those three picks that you got left from the Orlando Magic trade because you use one of them to get Cedric Howard, and then whatever you get for Jaron, and then the little bit that you get from John Morant, you might be set up for a full-down teardown, a full teardown and a real good rebuild.
34:46
SPEAKER_00: Because I trust the Memphis Grizzies team when it comes to scouting and drafting.
34:50
SPEAKER_00: They've done well for so long.
34:52
SPEAKER_00: When we come back, we'll get to the teams that frustrate me the most.
35:03
SPEAKER_00: All right, man.
35:04
SPEAKER_00: These are the teams that I love you, but you frustrate me.
35:09
SPEAKER_00: Starting off with the Los Angeles Lakers, how can they not be in this tier?
35:12
SPEAKER_00: Luca Doncha's great ball player to watch.
35:14
SPEAKER_00: LeBron James can still throw a lob and do some craziness on any any given night, but they still frustrate me.
35:19
SPEAKER_00: I'm not one of them people that think they should put chips on the table right now to get better for today, but wait till the offseason, the next offseason.
35:25
SPEAKER_00: But they are still a frustrating team to watch because they don't have any defensive identity.
35:29
SPEAKER_00: But Luca's so good that I still love him.
35:31
SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
35:31
SPEAKER_00: The next team is the Cavs, who have been playing better as of late.
35:36
SPEAKER_00: So uh they have an opportunity definitely to get out of this tier.
35:40
SPEAKER_00: But because I was so high on them before the season started, and because they were so good last season to have this um low to start the year right now, they are sitting at 29 and 21, and they've won seven of the last 10.
35:53
SPEAKER_00: It's been it's been it's been good.
35:54
SPEAKER_00: It's been good.
35:55
SPEAKER_00: But again, thinking about what my expectations were for them before the season started, definitely frustrating.
36:01
SPEAKER_00: The last one we have in this tier is the Knicks.
36:04
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna give them credit.
36:05
SPEAKER_00: They're back on their bully.
36:06
SPEAKER_00: Five game win streaks.
36:07
SPEAKER_00: Some of those games really good.
36:08
SPEAKER_00: Second half and back-to-back, going to Toronto, win against a good Raptors team.
36:12
SPEAKER_00: They've been good as of recent.
36:13
SPEAKER_00: But I think what frustrates me is that before the season started, they were my end-all be all.
36:18
SPEAKER_00: This is the team that is gonna win the Eastern Conference.
36:20
SPEAKER_00: And even with their five-game win streak, I think they obviously they still can.
36:24
SPEAKER_00: Don't get me wrong.
36:25
SPEAKER_00: I still think they have the star power, everything to win the conference.
36:30
SPEAKER_00: But I just, I don't know.
36:30
SPEAKER_00: I I think I just feel less confident in it now compared to I was before the season started.
36:35
SPEAKER_00: I think a lot of that has to do with the defensive side of the ball, where even in this five game, oh, ooh, hold on now.
36:42
SPEAKER_00: Five-game win streak, number one defense.
36:44
SPEAKER_00: They had a blowout in there.
36:45
SPEAKER_00: They had a few blowouts in there.
36:47
SPEAKER_00: And that's how the Charlotte Hornets ended up having like the number one defense this month because they had like two 30-point blowouts.
36:54
SPEAKER_00: But now they they blew out the Trailblazers in this five-game win streak.
36:58
SPEAKER_00: They blew out the Kings and then the Brooklyn Nets game.
37:00
SPEAKER_00: So that's skewed.
37:01
SPEAKER_00: They held the Brooklyn Nets to 66 points.
37:03
SPEAKER_00: So that's skewed.
37:04
SPEAKER_00: They're not the number one defense, but damn it, use it as momentum to move up.
37:07
SPEAKER_00: So those are the three teams that I love you, but I'm frustrated with you.
37:11
SPEAKER_00: The next one is also only three teams, honestly.
37:14
SPEAKER_00: My guilty pleasures.
37:15
SPEAKER_00: These teams are not so great.
37:16
SPEAKER_00: They're not bad either.
37:17
SPEAKER_00: But like I really do tune in and I really do enjoy these teams.
37:20
SPEAKER_00: Started off with the Portland Trailblazers.
37:23
SPEAKER_00: Right now, Portland is fighting to be a playoff team.
37:26
SPEAKER_00: And again, this might be my biases coming into play.
37:28
SPEAKER_00: I need them to be a playoff team because the Bulls have two first-round picks this season.
37:32
SPEAKER_00: But I think their fan base deserves some playoff appearance.
37:36
SPEAKER_00: Um and they you just saw they just made a trade to maybe get better for now.
37:40
SPEAKER_00: So they're going for a playoff appearance.
37:42
SPEAKER_00: They would have to, in and as of right now, win two games to get in.
37:45
SPEAKER_00: But I don't think that's out of the realm of possibility.
37:47
SPEAKER_00: Um, it will be an uphill battle, as you can imagine, but it's definitely possible.
37:51
SPEAKER_00: The next team in my guilty pleasures is this Clippers team, who the reason they're guilty pleasure because for the first month and a half of the season, I hated watching this Clippers team.
38:00
SPEAKER_00: And then it shifted.
38:01
SPEAKER_00: They're starting to win ball games.
38:02
SPEAKER_00: The defense is starting to look more Clippers-esque compared to like looking at looking at it like last season.
38:08
SPEAKER_00: James Harden has been good.
38:10
SPEAKER_00: Kawhi's been great.
38:12
SPEAKER_00: I'm at the point now where like I'm always saying, uh, really appreciate the older stars while they're here.
38:18
SPEAKER_00: The Kevin, Durant, the Steph Curry's, the LeBrons, the James Hardens, even the Russell Westbrooks, who's, I guess, a tier or two below those top four guys.
38:26
SPEAKER_00: And in those conversations, I never really thought about Kawhi Leonard.
38:29
SPEAKER_00: Um, but you definitely should think about Kawhi Leonard when you talk about appreciating the older guys across the association because you never really know how much time they got left.
38:37
SPEAKER_00: So Kawhi Leonard playing elite level ball as of in the last month and a half or so, which is a long time for Kawhi.
38:44
SPEAKER_00: Those are my three guilty pleasures.
38:46
SPEAKER_00: Moving on to the teams that say, I understand why many people may not like watching you, but they tripping.
38:54
SPEAKER_00: These teams are fun, even if y'all are hating on these teams.
38:57
SPEAKER_00: The first one, as you can imagine, the OKC Thunder coming off a championship.
39:01
SPEAKER_00: They were hated.
39:02
SPEAKER_00: I mean, honestly speaking, between the conversation about Shade, getting to the foul line, the team interviews that some people saw Corney, all of the other things, the hacking from Lou Dort, the fighting from Lou Dort, the hacking from Alice Caruso, some of them I can understand why y'all hate it, don't get me wrong.
39:18
SPEAKER_00: But as a whole, I think y'all tripping about not watching Thunder games because I think that, especially as of late, their games have been more interesting compared to the first month of month and a half, two months of the season where they were just blowing everybody out.
39:29
SPEAKER_00: They're actually in games now.
39:30
SPEAKER_00: Some of these games are coming down to the wire.
39:32
SPEAKER_00: And Shay is really putting on the backpack.
39:34
SPEAKER_00: And again, I know that some of y'all hate watching Shay, but I want y'all to take off those bias glasses, just watch Shay for what it is.
39:42
SPEAKER_00: The man is literally looking like one of the best shooting guards or point guard, wherever you want to put him, guards ever.
39:50
SPEAKER_00: And because he might embellish a foul here, some of y'all are overlooking the efficiency that he plays with.
39:56
SPEAKER_00: I'm just saying, I really still love watching the Thunder play.
40:00
SPEAKER_00: Next team is the Suns.
40:01
SPEAKER_00: And the reason they're in this tier, because I think that some people may not think about watching the Suns because they really don't have much star power compared to the rest of the league.
40:09
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, Book before his injury was there and doing good stuff.
40:13
SPEAKER_00: But it's one of the best team ball uh teams that you'll have in the entirety of the NBA, right?
40:18
SPEAKER_00: By committee ass team.
40:20
SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm saying?
40:20
SPEAKER_00: Offensively and defensively.
40:21
SPEAKER_00: And I just feel like you don't get that to a high tier in the NBA.
40:25
SPEAKER_00: You see teams be by committee teams and they'll be a 500 team.
40:28
SPEAKER_00: This team is 11 games over.
40:30
SPEAKER_00: They are two games away from hitting their preseason over under right now, before all-star break.
40:37
SPEAKER_00: One of my favorite teams to watch all season long because they shouldn't be this good.
40:41
SPEAKER_00: Dylan Brooks shouldn't be breaking down defenders to score 40.
40:44
SPEAKER_00: He shouldn't, but he is.
40:46
SPEAKER_00: Kyle Gillespie shouldn't be as um productive as he is, but he is.
40:51
SPEAKER_00: Next one is the Celtics.
40:53
SPEAKER_00: I think people kind of got bored with the Celtics uh style of play, the three-point shooting and so on.
40:58
SPEAKER_00: But I obviously it's so much more than that.
41:00
SPEAKER_00: This is a really like by net rating, really elite team.
41:04
SPEAKER_00: Fun team to watch on a nightly basis.
41:06
SPEAKER_00: Jalen Brown has been playing amazing.
41:08
SPEAKER_00: Derek White has gone through a few slumps so far this season, but his impact goes deeper than just his lack of three-point shooting as of late.
41:14
SPEAKER_00: Um, and I was talking to Cam Johnson on Old Man in the Three.
41:18
SPEAKER_00: I called him backup center you, where like every backup center that goes to the Celtics end up just being good centers eventually.
41:26
SPEAKER_00: Lou Cordette was not looked at as a good ball player overall.
41:30
SPEAKER_00: He had his things.
41:30
SPEAKER_00: You may have, he may have one super fan in Jim Boylan, but other than that, people didn't really look at Lou Courtnette as a guy.
41:36
SPEAKER_00: He's a real guy.
41:37
SPEAKER_00: Namascade's a real guy.
41:38
SPEAKER_00: Uh, Luca Gars is turned into a real guy.
41:40
SPEAKER_00: They just find a way to make real guys that are backup guys.
41:43
SPEAKER_00: The last team on this list is the Toronto Raptors.
41:46
SPEAKER_00: The Raptors don't play a pretty solid basketball.
41:49
SPEAKER_00: So I can understand why people just wouldn't tune in to the Raptors.
41:53
SPEAKER_00: It's pretty into me.
41:54
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
41:54
SPEAKER_00: I be I be nostalgic sometimes about those really hard-nosed, great defensive teams.
42:00
SPEAKER_00: That's why I really love watching the Pistons.
42:02
SPEAKER_00: Spoiler, you haven't heard them just yet.
42:03
SPEAKER_00: And the next tier is cream of the crop.
42:05
SPEAKER_00: I really love watching the Pissers because of that defense.
42:06
SPEAKER_00: I really love watching Scottie Barnes' defense.
42:09
SPEAKER_00: He's number one, number two, number three in DPOY this season, depending on what happens with Wimby on the second half of this year.
42:14
SPEAKER_00: Um, they're a fun ass team to watch.
42:17
SPEAKER_00: And they they have been able to put it together, even with for most of this season, Emmanuel Quickly wasn't very good.
42:23
SPEAKER_00: Recently, the boy don't miss.
42:24
SPEAKER_00: Um, with RJ Barrett missing a lot of this season, with Yaka Purdo having his back issue and not playing, and they're still better than anticipated.
42:32
SPEAKER_00: If they had a healthy team and they were sitting at 29 to 21, you'd be like, oh, that's really cool.
42:37
SPEAKER_00: But when you account for all of the injuries they've dealt with, it is even more impressive.
42:42
SPEAKER_00: My last tier is the seven teams, I believe, are the cream of the crop when it comes to NBA League Pass rankings.
42:51
SPEAKER_00: The first team we got to mention is the Hornets.
42:55
SPEAKER_00: The Hornets are the only sub-500 team that could ever be in my league pass rankings being this high.
43:00
SPEAKER_00: They are the most fun team to watch in basketball right now.
43:04
SPEAKER_00: I said that when you're in the same tier, I'm not ranking it.
43:06
SPEAKER_00: Damn it, I've ranked this one.
43:08
SPEAKER_00: They are the most fun team to watch in basketball right now.
43:11
SPEAKER_00: Between Khan, between Brandon Miller, just straight up breaking out right before our eyes, even with him dealing with that heavy shoulder injury.
43:17
SPEAKER_00: He's playing basketball with like a football pad on his left, what's his right?
43:24
SPEAKER_00: I think it's his left arm.
43:26
SPEAKER_00: And he's still going out there.
43:27
SPEAKER_00: Yakau, four-point play.
43:29
SPEAKER_00: Don't jump because I'm gonna dunk on you.
43:31
SPEAKER_00: Musa Diabate, him, Khan Kanipple, and Lamelo Ball, their four-man lineup has an offensive rating of 146.
43:39
SPEAKER_00: Their net rating was plus 20.
43:42
SPEAKER_00: That makes no, that does not compute in my brain, man.
43:46
SPEAKER_00: They have been that good over recently.
43:48
SPEAKER_00: And I just hate that they started off the season so poorly.
43:50
SPEAKER_00: Because I think this is I would much, much rather watch them in the postseason than watch the Hawks in the postseason, than watch the Bulls in the postseason and the rather.
44:00
SPEAKER_00: Watch them than the Miami Heat.
44:01
SPEAKER_00: But they may not be able to catch.
44:03
SPEAKER_00: Oh no, they're a game and a half outside from the Atlanta Hawks.
44:07
SPEAKER_00: Woohoo! And if the Bulls sell the bet line, which is something they probably should do, we might get some playing games for LaMelo again.
44:14
SPEAKER_00: It's been a few years, Melo.
44:15
SPEAKER_00: It's been a few years.
44:16
SPEAKER_00: Conquer Nebel, man.
44:17
SPEAKER_00: It might be yours.
44:17
SPEAKER_00: So they're at the top.
44:19
SPEAKER_00: The second team is the Philadelphia 76ers.
44:21
SPEAKER_00: The 76ers are sitting at 27 and 21.
44:23
SPEAKER_00: And the reason why they are here, let me look this up really, really um quick.
44:28
SPEAKER_00: They are always in clutch games.
44:31
SPEAKER_00: Every they are fifth in the league.
44:34
SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry, no, in total clutch games.
44:36
SPEAKER_00: They are fourth in the league, tied for fourth in the league in total clutch games this season.
44:40
SPEAKER_00: I feel like every one of their games are down to the last five minutes.
44:43
SPEAKER_00: And even if it's not them looking amazing, it's another team looking amazing.
44:46
SPEAKER_00: If you're watching a 76er game, you're going to see something interesting from Tyrese Maxigan downhill and doing stuff at the rim, from VJ pull-up middies, from Joel Embiid, like straight up averaging 35 over the last however many games.
45:03
SPEAKER_00: This team is super fun to watch.
45:04
SPEAKER_00: We got more on them when we come back from this break.
45:13
SPEAKER_00: Before we go any further with the cream of the crop, I did look at my notes and producer Greg hit me and said, You forgot a team in the Guilty Pleasures.
45:19
SPEAKER_00: And that last Guilty Pleasure team is the Dallas Mavericks.
45:22
SPEAKER_00: And that's solely Cooper Flag.
45:24
SPEAKER_00: Cooper Flag has been on a whole nother level.
45:26
SPEAKER_00: And Jason Kidd was asked about, you know, before the season started or early in the season, he was playing point guard.
45:31
SPEAKER_00: And Jason Kidd was like, Y'all got to trust me.
45:33
SPEAKER_00: We should have trusted him because right now, he went from in his first month of the season being a loose dribbler to having that ball on the string as of recent.
45:40
SPEAKER_00: So we got to give credit to the Dallas Mavericks, Jason Kidd and Cooper Flag looking like a generational player for real.
45:45
SPEAKER_00: The next team we have in the cream of the crop, again, shout out to Jordan B for the way he's been playing as of late.
45:49
SPEAKER_00: His average touch time is down.
45:53
SPEAKER_00: He's playing in the flow and still putting up 30 balls.
45:56
SPEAKER_00: Insane.
45:56
SPEAKER_00: Then we got the different nuggets, especially now that Jokic is back.
45:59
SPEAKER_00: Jokic the other night had the leg sleeve because he's dealing with the leg injury and then the black shoes.
46:04
SPEAKER_00: I've never seen Nikole Jokic swagged out before.
46:07
SPEAKER_00: I've never seen Nikole swagged out before.
46:09
SPEAKER_00: He truly had the swag.
46:11
SPEAKER_00: And if he now got swag and he hooping like that, what more can you say?
46:16
SPEAKER_00: And then his first game back, he winked at the little kid.
46:19
SPEAKER_00: Like, that's a core memory for that five-year-old kid that had the Brandon Bass jersey on.
46:25
SPEAKER_00: The next team, I don't think this scene needs more than a few sentences.
46:28
SPEAKER_00: It is the San Antonio Spurs.
46:30
SPEAKER_00: Victor Wimanyama could be surrounded with me and the rest of my team at a joy basketball.
46:34
SPEAKER_00: And that's still, that is still a creep of the crop team, but they don't have us.
46:38
SPEAKER_00: They have real ball players.
46:40
SPEAKER_00: Those young guards, the backup of Lou Cornette between Vassel when he's healthy.
46:45
SPEAKER_00: Champney don't miss shots.
46:46
SPEAKER_00: Kelvin Johnson's the glue and the heart and soul of this team.
46:50
SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to see them in the postseason.
46:52
SPEAKER_00: Next team is the Houston Rockets.
46:54
SPEAKER_00: The Houston Rockets sometimes are honestly a hard watch.
46:57
SPEAKER_00: But collectively, I have them in here because I'm just happy that Kevin Durant is on a good team again.
47:04
SPEAKER_00: I just love watching Kevin Durant.
47:06
SPEAKER_00: I just love watching Kevin Durant.
47:08
SPEAKER_00: I oh my God.
47:09
SPEAKER_00: I hate that sometimes we get to clutch moments and he's getting doubled and they don't run any screens for him to get the ball, like, you know, off initial actions.
47:17
SPEAKER_00: But I love watching Kevin Durant, and that's enough for them to be in the cream of the crop.
47:21
SPEAKER_00: The last two teams is the one-seeded Detroit Pistons of the East.
47:27
SPEAKER_00: I'm nostalgic for great defensive-oriented teams.
47:31
SPEAKER_00: They got that.
47:32
SPEAKER_00: And I didn't give them enough credit for the other stepping up in the games where K doesn't look amazing, right?
47:38
SPEAKER_00: Between Dennis Jenkins, Jaron, um, I'm sorry, Jalen Duran, ICS Stewart, you know, it goes on and on.
47:44
SPEAKER_00: They find a way by committee sometimes to win ball games.
47:47
SPEAKER_00: And that that's a testament to like a team that is ready to compete at the highest level.
47:51
SPEAKER_00: They're the one seed.
47:52
SPEAKER_00: They're playing great hoops.
47:54
SPEAKER_00: The last team in my cream of the crop is the Minnesota Timberwolves.
47:58
SPEAKER_00: I will say the Timberwolves were very close to being in the I love you, but you frustrate me because of their lack of success in the last couple minutes of games.
48:09
SPEAKER_00: But they've been winning recently.
48:12
SPEAKER_00: See, see, all of this episode is about timing, man.
48:15
SPEAKER_00: You can jump up, you can fall down based on one week's time.
48:17
SPEAKER_00: And they currently and this week are what, four and oh, five and oh.
48:20
SPEAKER_00: So like they're back into it.
48:22
SPEAKER_00: And if ain't gonna play like this.
48:23
SPEAKER_00: Y'all know I'm already a Go Bear fan.
48:25
SPEAKER_00: Julius Randle holding his own defensively against some other really great uh offensive players.
48:31
SPEAKER_00: I love it.
48:32
SPEAKER_00: So those are all 30 teams and some level of a tier.
48:36
SPEAKER_00: Um super fun experiment to do, man.
48:38
SPEAKER_00: Super, super fun.
48:39
SPEAKER_00: And it gives me an opportunity, even if it is by a sentence, maybe even two sentences, that I get to talk about all 30 teams to some extent.
48:48
SPEAKER_00: If I had to redo it, I think I I think I might move the Mavericks up to cream of the crop.
48:54
SPEAKER_00: Is that crazy?
48:56
SPEAKER_00: Dude, I'm just I don't know.
48:57
SPEAKER_00: I'm just enjoying Cooper Flag so much.
49:00
SPEAKER_00: I'm just enjoying Cooper Flag way too much.
49:02
SPEAKER_00: Like his last two games, one against the Hornets, we mentioned is a good team as of late, 49, 10, and 3.
49:08
SPEAKER_00: And then in his game against the Rockets, 35, 34, 12, and 5.
49:14
SPEAKER_00: And he's doing this without him having a three-point shot yet.
49:18
SPEAKER_00: Dirk said, Oh, I shot 28% as a rookie from three, and I turned out okay.
49:22
SPEAKER_00: I'm hoping that Cooper Flag turned out okay.
49:25
SPEAKER_00: Because if he can just nail in those three-point shots, the sky is the limit.
49:30
SPEAKER_00: This is why teams are so we're supposed to tank last season for Cooper Flag to come in and really kick some ass.
49:37
SPEAKER_00: And as of late, it's kind of perfect world, if you ask me, because in my personal opinion, I think they should be trying to lose to go get Cooper Flag somebody else.
49:44
SPEAKER_00: He could hoop with because this is the last year that they have their own first round pick.
49:48
SPEAKER_00: So Cooper Flag drops almost 50, but we catch an L.
49:50
SPEAKER_00: Cooper Flag drops 35, but we catch an L.
49:52
SPEAKER_00: Good development for Coop.
49:54
SPEAKER_00: Good development for our first overall pick.
49:56
SPEAKER_00: Let me see real quick.
49:57
SPEAKER_00: If I ran one tank-a-thon in the last couple seconds of the show, sim the lottery, the first pick went to the Washington Wizards.
50:04
SPEAKER_00: The second pick went to the Hornets, and then the Spurs got the third pick because of this.
50:11
SPEAKER_00: The Spurs can't get the third pick.
50:12
SPEAKER_00: No way.
50:13
SPEAKER_00: No way.
50:13
SPEAKER_00: That's the Atlanta Hawks trade, by the way.
50:15
SPEAKER_00: All right, this has been another great episode, hopefully, of Small Ball with Katie Beachum.
50:18
SPEAKER_00: I will see y'all next week.
50:20
SPEAKER_00: Peace.