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Mavericks Season Storylines with Mark Followill · The Craig Way Show

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: You know, it's a yat Rock Wednesday, and there are
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: many people who do not believe that Steely Dan is
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: in the cradle of yacht rock, especially if you've seen
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: the yacht Rock documentary.
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: You know.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Certainly that Donald Faga does not feel that way, but
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: a lot of their offerings are and so on the
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: yacht Rock Wednesday, Little Return Action would do it again.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Our next guest, or a first guest in the program
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: this afternoon is a guy who has incredibly impeccable taste
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: in things like international cuisine and beverages and the best
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: place to find a scenic jogging trail or a hiking
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: trail internationally I'm talking about. He also happens to be
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: a guy does play by play on international soccer. He
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: also does football for Big ten Network. Also, we'll be
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: doing some MBA for NBC this year. But of course
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: we know him as our friend and the play by
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: play by play voice of Dallas Mavericks Television Mark follow
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: up who joins us on the hotline. I would imagine
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: with all of those really sophisticated taste, yacht rock probably
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: does not fall into your musical listening genre, does it.
• 1:20
  Speaker 3: No?
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: Of course, of course, who doesn't love a good Sealy
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: dance song or anything from the seven There's plenty of
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: seventies era rock that pops up on my Spotify.
• 1:30
  Speaker 3: So you're something like that.
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: So you're you're okay with Toto or Christopher Cross because
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: I'm a yacht rock file, you know, so I listening
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: for that stuff, So sure, sure room.
• 1:42
  Speaker 3: For all of that.
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: Thank you for the lovely introduction. I need to hire
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: you for my prestation nothing.
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: Thank you, nothing that is nothing that isn't true.
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: So we're glad to do that.
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: And twenty how many years now would you involved with
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: Mavericks broadcast both radio and television combined?
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: Now this is my twenty seventh season, which we'll technically
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: start on Friday night, twenty one years of doing a
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: TV broadcast and six years of involvement with the radio
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: broadcast or four full time play by play in a
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: couple of years of studio and play by play.
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: A little bit of everything.
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: So you know, we're not working tonight on local television
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: as I don't believe Jacob and Seawan had that opportunity
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: unfortunately either for San Antonio for the opening telecast tonight.
• 2:27
  Speaker 3: So they'll get going with their next game. But we'll
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: get going on Friday when the Maps and Wizards play.
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: Is that a mixed blessing, mixed feelings because obviously, if
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: the Mavericks are on a national telecast, be it NBC, ESPN,
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: whatever it might be ABC, if they're on a national telecast,
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: clearly it's because the network values them and sees that
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: they are are a contender or a player, or someone
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: would mentioning. But it robs you of a game on
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: that So I'm kind of curious how that dynamic falls
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: to you.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: Well, I mean, look, I think we're you know, we're
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: cut from the same cloths, Craig, We've known each other
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: a long time. When you're a play by play guy,
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: you want to do all the games.
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: But the reality of.
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: It is the way it falls for me is I
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: just kind of learned to manage the fact that it's reality.
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: And so when we don't, you know, have the opportunity
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: to do the games, make the best of the situation.
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: Enjoy watching a TV broadcast or listening to our longtime
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: buddy Chuck Cooper Stein who does a great job on
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: the radio broadcast up here, or as is the case tonight,
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: the wife you and I are going to go to
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: the game because we want to be in the building
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: for the first game of the Cooper Flag era, among
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: other intriguing.
• 3:37
  Speaker 3: Things that I expect to see tonight.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: So you know, as you know, like like I said,
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: we're play by play guys, and we want to do
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: all the games that we can.
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: But the reality is we can see you just.
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: Kind of figure out how to how to manage it
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: the best you can, and it's not the end of
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: the world to.
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: Have a night off every once in a while. Line,
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: So it's all good.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, no doubt about that.
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  Speaker 3: All right.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: So you mentioned the Cooper Flag ears, it's as good
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: a place to start as any How would you describe
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: how the run up has been starting from draft day obviously,
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: and there was incredible elation even going back to the
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: draft lottery that they that they were able to accrue
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: the number one pick and to get Cooper Flag, and
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: the run up through the workouts, the limited work that
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: he had it first in the exhibition season and a
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: little more now and getting ready for his actual professional
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: debut tonight.
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  Speaker 2: Well, the thing that I feel like that I've seen
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: in the run up to it, I mean number one.
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  Speaker 2: You know, the work ethic and the professional approach is
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: abundantly clear already. You know, he's had a lot of
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: years where he's been under the spotlight and has learned
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: how to handle himself from a media standpoint, and didn't
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: get to be the number one pick in the draft
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  Speaker 2: and all of the accolades, and you know, be a
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: McDonald's All American and go to mont erd and win
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: a mythical national high school championship and play at the
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: highest level and be the NCAA Player of the Year
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: in college without a great work ethic and an intense
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: drive to be the best he can be and be very,
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  Speaker 2: very competitive.
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  Speaker 3: What I would say that.
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  Speaker 2: Has stood out to me and watching him in preseason
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  Speaker 2: games and for that matter, in what little summer league
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: did he played, understanding of course that summer league basketball
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  Speaker 2: is a gulf apart from what.
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: Regular seas in NBA basketball is.
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  Speaker 2: But he's the kind of player who will look to
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  Speaker 2: make winning plays. He will let the game come to him.
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: He can impact the game without scoring. And for example,
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: when he's had af scoring nights, because he did in
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: one summer league night and a couple of preseason games,
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: he still finds other ways to contribute to the team dynamic.
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: And I think that's the biggest thing that stands out
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: is I think he's poised to make some pretty high
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: level contributions as a rookie, and I don't think rookies
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  Speaker 2: typically make these kinds of high level contributions that exist
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: without just I think that's where that's what's exciting, is that, yes,
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: he'll have a certainly nights where he scores, like any rookie,
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  Speaker 2: he's going to have some down nights when.
• 6:08
  Speaker 3: It comes to shooting and scoring.
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: But I think he's got the makeup mentality and the
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: approach to the game that's going to allow him to
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: do other things to help the team win. And so
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: he can pull up a box score with rebounds, he
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: can make plays for other people and get assist and
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: obviously he's an elite defensive player who can get steals
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: and blocks as well. So what's what I've seen is
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: a player who plays with the high IQ and is
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: able to help the team in ways that involve more
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: than just scoring the ball.
• 6:35
  Speaker 3: I see.
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: I obviously you know me. I've been a Mavericks fan
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: since I sold merch while in college during the expansion
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: year of eighty eighty one. So I haven dialed in
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: from the start, but I've watched the telecast from Fort
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: Worth in the exhibition game, and to see the different
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: amounts of contributors, and obviously everybody, you know, the old
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: waiting for good oh thing, everybody be waiting on Kyrie's return,
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: But just to see the other guys who has really
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: kind of impressed you what you've seen, Knowing what you
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: already know about these guys, the ones who played last
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: year and even the ones who were in that weren't
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: a part of this particular group last year, but you
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: know them from what they've done other things. Who's kind of,
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: if not stood out, certainly been significant enough and marked
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: their minutes by what they've done with some achievement.
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: I really like PJ. Washington his training camp. You know,
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: he's come off the bench a couple of games, he
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: started in a couple of games. Because of what this
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: team is going to look like to your point without
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: Kyrie or however long that's going to be, there's going
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: to have to be multiple people who make plays for
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: other people on this team. And he's improved as a
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: ball handler, and so his ability to drive to protect
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  Speaker 2: the ball while he's driving to get there to create
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  Speaker 2: for other people, et cetera. That's really been pretty noticeable
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: to me, elevation of that aspect of his game. So
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: all of the things that PJ has already done, which
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: is play good defense, be an enforcer, give the team
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: a little bit of an edge on the offensive and
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: defensive ends of the floor. You know, all of those
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: things are there, and he's added to his locker the
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  Speaker 2: ability more of the ability to make plays for.
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  Speaker 3: Other people that take the ball to the basket.
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  Speaker 2: So and I think that that he's just in a
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  Speaker 2: very very good hadspace. He got a contract extension in
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: the offseason, and I think he's prepared to come off
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: the bench start whatever is needed. You know, he's not
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: the only one, but I would say to your question,
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  Speaker 2: you know, he probably jumps out as much as anyone
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: in terms of what kind of preseason he had and
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: the approach that he's taking on the floor to help
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  Speaker 2: the team win and off the floor as a leader
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  Speaker 2: of the group now in his third season year.
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: Another guy, when I ask you about and this is
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: going to sound a little odd only because who knows
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: what kind of a role that he might have at
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: some point, but only because I saw play for a
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: while in college and the way he has blossomed has
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: really impressed me. And that's boost to ces with what
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: I saw, you know, even in his infancy as a
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: collegiate player at Oklahoma State before he transferred, I thought
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: I was pretty impressed with what i'd seen.
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: I think, you know, he he earned the last two
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: way contract on the team because there was one. You know,
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: for your listeners who don't know, you're allowed to carry
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: three players on a two way contract, and what that
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: means is they can play and be active for fifty
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: games during the season, but they're also expected, you know,
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: they're going to go back and forth.
• 9:31
  Speaker 3: Between the NBA team and the G League team.
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: So for example, if a Spurs player was on a
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: two way, they would go play in Austin, but the
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: Austin Spurgs for a number of games over the season,
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: so the Mavericks had one of those slots. Opens earned
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: a spot in training camp based on his play. You
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: saw him Craig for two years to your point, at
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: Oklahoma State beat a Big twelve defensive player of the
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: year in one of his two years, and his superpower
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: for lack of a better term, is shot blocking. You know,
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: I think there's a lot lot of work still yet
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: to do for him as a player. I mean, this
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: is a long game that the MAVs are playing on that,
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: but there is very high upside with elite shot blocking potential.
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: And we always say in basketball, you can't teach being
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: seven feet tall or six to eleven or whatever he
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: officially is. But he's got seven to five wingspan I
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: think it is, and the ability to run the floor
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: and be a lot finisher, which is a very very
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: valuable thing for Biggs right now in the NBA. And
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: then he provides shot blocking presents at the other end.
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: So I don't expect to see a lot of him,
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: but he you never know. I don't think Daniel Gaffer
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: is going to play to nights. In the opener, so
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: you're talking Derek Wively starts at center, sam Anthony Davis
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: at the five. But of course, as many of your
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: listeners know, with having a matchup against Victor Wimbiniama, he
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: might need a lot of big guys and so who knows,
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: he might get a handful, not many, but he might
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: get a couple of meaningful minutes into Night's game because
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: they need size to match up with Wimby at some
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: point in time over the course of the game. Depends
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: unfoul trouble, and a lot of other things. But given
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: that the maps are listing at last report Daniel Gafford
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: with an ankle sprange from training camp as doubtful tonight,
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: they may need an extra big guy and he might
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: get called into action, But I think he will be
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: a long term developmental project.
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: Will be primarily what you see out of him this year.
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: Sure, if there's someone so hard to say now in
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: today's microscopic view of each NBA team, but if it
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: is possible to say that there's someone who might be
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: a little bit under the radar, but who could really
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: be an X factor for this group this year, who
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: would you.
• 11:38
  Speaker 3: Think it would be?
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: I would still probably lean towards Brandon Williams, who is
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: a player who went to Arizona back in the twenty
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: eighteen nineteen collegiate season. He had a year The next
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: season he was still en rolled to play Arizona, but
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: was out with an injury for the entire year. He
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: took the following season and the COVID time twenty twenty
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: twenty one off to prepare for the two thousand twenty
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: one NBA draft.
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: He wasn't drafted.
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: He did catch on that year for part of the
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: year with the Trail Blazers, then another full season in
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: the G League, and then he's caught on on one
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: of those two way contracts with the Maps over the
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: last two years. Well, last year in the post All
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: Star Break portion of the season where the team was
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: decimated by injury and needed people on the floor, he
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: really shined and helped them win some games. Not that
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: they won a ton of those games when they were
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: dealing with a lot of injuries, but they did win
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: some games thanks to you know, no small part his play,
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: his ability to handle the ball and get to the basket,
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: push the pace of the team whenever he was on
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: the floor, knock down outside shots, and run the team.
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: So he's, you know, a point guard who can come
• 12:44
  Speaker 2: in off the bench. And they want to play faster
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: this year at the Mavericks too. They want to play
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: with more pace. There's going to be a lot more
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: cutting and bald movement than I think he thinks you'll
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: see on the team. And I think Brandon Williams is
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: still kind of under the radar because I'm not sure
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: how many people realize that he was a fifteen point
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: per game score and a four cist per game guy
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: for the last thirteen fourteen regular season games that he
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: played last year, and that turned his two way deal
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: into a standard NBA contract. So I think there's I
• 13:11
  Speaker 2: think there's a fair chance that that he is the
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: player that you're you're referring to that could be still
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: off the radar for a lot of NBA fans, but
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: able to have a positive impact on the team. He's
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: a little banged up with a hamstring in training camp.
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: I don't know if he hits the ground tonight at
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: totally one hundred percent, he's available to play. But as
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: the as the season starts to unfold, specially a chunk
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: of it without Kyrie irving, his presence at point guard
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: is going to be valuable and important and I think
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: will help him.
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: Visiting with Mark Followill play by play voice of Average
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: TV here on thirteen hundreds in a couple more minutes,
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: I want to I wanted to get your thoughts on
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: the on the Spurs because it's clearly a team and
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: someone say franchise whatever in transition, pending the outcome of
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: that whole arena vote and all that other kind of stuff.
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: Mitch Johnson the full time once and for all now
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: head coach there. How about how about your thoughts on
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: what you see from San Antonio.
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: Well, I liked that they added Sean Swinging to their staff.
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: By the way, that's kind of maybe a little under
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: the radar thing. Sean was on the staff with the
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: Mavericks for the last several years while Jason Kid's been here,
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: and he was the first assistant and with coach games whenever,
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: not that Jay kicks thrown out very often, but whenever
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: the heat that would happen, or if he had to
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: miss a game due to illness or personal reasons or whatever. So,
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: you know, number one, I like that addition to the staff,
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: And that's going to be a good person with a
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: lot of experience on an NBA bench that mich can
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: lean on. You know, obviously he's got a lot of
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: other experienced guys, but I'm talking about within the context
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: of the game, he's going to have someone sitting right
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: next to him that has some pretty valuable experience and
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: a really good basketball mind. Look, I think that san
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: Antonio is poised to take a big step forward this year.
• 14:56
  Speaker 2: I don't see how as long as they're healthy. Of course,
• 14:59
  Speaker 2: that's always the ex actor with these things. But once
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: and you know, unfortunately for them, they're not very healthy
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: tonight with Fox out and with so Hand out and
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: with Kelly Olenick out. But when you add those three
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: to Wimby, to Castle, to the cell to a good
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: veteran like Harrison Barnes, Champagne has had some really good
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: games against the MAVs.
• 15:20
  Speaker 3: Ultimately, maybe his role is more of.
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: A as a spot up shooter coming off the bench.
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: I like Keldon Johnson, that's another player. But I feel
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: like uh has always had a lot of good games
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: and get the Mavericks over the years, and he just
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: plays so hard and it's so physical and so relentless
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: in his willingness to attack. So you can go with
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: the healthy team Sanato. And by the way, Olenic knows
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: how to play too. I mean, that's an excellent backup
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: center who moves the ball, passes it well, knocks down
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: outside shots, rebounds. I think better than people giving credit
• 15:53
  Speaker 2: for so one to ten, san Antonio has got a
• 15:56
  Speaker 2: damn good team man and to me, they are absolutely
• 16:01
  Speaker 2: in the West playoff race, whether that means they're in
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: or the playing tournament or whatever. The only thing that
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: holds them back is again number one, being healthy, and
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: number two is the West is just immensely difficult again
• 16:16
  Speaker 2: this year. I mean, if you saw Oklahoma City and
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: Houston and the Lakers in Golden State, I mean, those
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: are four teams that all have high aspirations. Obviously the thunderdo,
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: and all of them look really good and create a
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: lot of problems as we saw in the games that
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: those those four teams played against one another last night.
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: I mean, look there there's there's no nights off in
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: the Western Conference. I mean, Utah is the only team
• 16:37
  Speaker 2: it feels like it's going to go into this year
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: that is for sure rebuilding.
• 16:40
  Speaker 3: Everyone else I.
• 16:41
  Speaker 2: Think feels like they have some kind of window of
• 16:43
  Speaker 2: opportunity to at least be into playoffs. So, uh, that's
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: that's the biggest challenge is for the Mass for the Spurs,
• 16:49
  Speaker 2: for everybody is how do you rise to the top
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: or at least into playoff position in a conference that's
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: so competitive and what looks like there's a pretty big
• 16:59
  Speaker 2: displace between the other conference and strength as.
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: Well, no doubt.
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: And I started saying, you just rolled through all of
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: that without even mentioning Minnesota and Denver.
• 17:08
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I know, and Denver is better Denver's Denver looks
• 17:11
  Speaker 2: to me like they're better this year in Minnesota has
• 17:13
  Speaker 2: been in the conference finals two years run. I mean,
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: it is. It's crazy to me how good the West is.
• 17:21
  Speaker 2: There's obviously flaws with every team and the apron world
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: of NBA economics now and teams being hardcapped as certain
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: numbers depending on you know what roster building mechanisms that
• 17:34
  Speaker 2: they've used. So to me, it's like the West is
• 17:37
  Speaker 2: really really good. But obviously I go into the season
• 17:41
  Speaker 2: feeling like the Western Conferences Oklahoma City and then everyone else,
• 17:46
  Speaker 2: and that all still has to sort itself out based
• 17:48
  Speaker 2: on obviously a number of factors that will play out
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: over the course of the next five and a half months.
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: But you know, as I just ran down, San Antonio
• 17:56
  Speaker 2: has got a deep roster, a lot of talent, someone
• 17:59
  Speaker 2: who's ready to boss the league in wimpy and other
• 18:04
  Speaker 2: than the four times they come across the maps, I'm
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: really looking forward to watching watching them play this year.
• 18:08
  Speaker 3: They have a very good team.
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: Well listen, enjoy being a spectator at least tonight anyway,
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: Well yeah I.
• 18:14
  Speaker 3: Will, Yeah, for sure, absolutely.
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: All right, Hey, I'll be back in touch with me
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: during the year. I really appreciate the time. Mark, thanks
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: so much for joining us of course.
• 18:22
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 18:22
  Speaker 2: Greg, always great to catch up with you and say
• 18:25
  Speaker 2: hello to the good folks in Austin.
• 18:26
  Speaker 3: We'll talk down the road now, you bet. That's Mark.
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: Follow all play by play voice Mavericks television. Like I said, also,
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: you can catch them doing so many things international soccer,
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: Big ten Football, NBA this year on NBC. You'll be
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: doing some of that in the rotation as well.