Latest / Small Ball with Kenny Beecham / The 5 Biggest Questions for the Rest of the NBA Season

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The 5 Biggest Questions for the Rest of the NBA Season · Small Ball with Kenny Beecham

0:04
SPEAKER_00: What's the word, y'all?
0:06
SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to another episode of Small Ball with Kenny Beacham.
0:10
SPEAKER_00: I'm here to talk all things hoops.
0:12
SPEAKER_00: On today's episode, I got five big questions for the rest of the season.
0:16
SPEAKER_00: Some of them dealing with the contender, some of them dealing with the bottom of the standings.
0:21
SPEAKER_00: I'm excited to go through that with y'all.
0:23
SPEAKER_00: And you let me know your biggest questions for the last, what, 16 or so games?
0:26
SPEAKER_00: And then also for the postseason, man.
0:28
SPEAKER_00: This is a perfect time for sports.
0:30
SPEAKER_00: We're getting geared up for the NBA playoffs.
0:33
SPEAKER_00: The MLB season is right around the corner.
0:35
SPEAKER_00: My fantasy baseball draft last year last night.
0:38
SPEAKER_00: And last year I was in the finals, right?
0:40
SPEAKER_00: Leading up to last year's my first year playing.
0:42
SPEAKER_00: So I spent like three weeks researching, making sure I got this guy, that guy, that guy.
0:47
SPEAKER_00: This year kind of snuck up on me, y'all.
0:49
SPEAKER_00: I ain't do no research.
0:50
SPEAKER_00: I just went into the draft, and I can't lie.
0:52
SPEAKER_00: I'm not as confident this year as last.
0:55
SPEAKER_00: Tried a new strategy going all-hitting for the first seven rounds.
0:59
SPEAKER_00: Uh my ace is not even the ace of his own team.
1:02
SPEAKER_00: So, you know, it might be a rough year, but last year I did pull off some ridiculous trades and acquire some talent.
1:07
SPEAKER_00: Maybe this year I could do the same thing and get back to that final.
1:10
SPEAKER_00: And then we got March Madness, man.
1:11
SPEAKER_00: March Madness always is that my favorite time of the year sports-wise.
1:16
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think it is.
1:18
SPEAKER_00: And this year is going to be even more dope for me since I've been actually watching college hoops.
1:22
SPEAKER_00: Now I can know some of these random players that might hit a buzzer beat to send his team to the sweet 16.
1:26
SPEAKER_00: I am extremely excited.
1:28
SPEAKER_00: I mean, leading up to March Madness is pretty cool too.
1:30
SPEAKER_00: You get daytime hoops.
1:32
SPEAKER_00: Like you wake up and then some random teams are playing.
1:35
SPEAKER_00: I was watching Watford versus, I don't even remember who, but I saw Watford won their conference.
1:41
SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, that's that's pretty dope.
1:43
SPEAKER_00: I watched um James Madison versus Arkansas State women's.
1:48
SPEAKER_00: And James Madison was undefeated in conference play for like a year and a half straight.
1:52
SPEAKER_00: They were whatever and oh, and they lost in the conference final in an overtime game.
1:57
SPEAKER_00: Like, hoops is elite right now, and you just got to turn on the TV.
2:01
SPEAKER_00: You literally just got to turn on TV in March, and you're gonna find some great level hoops.
2:05
SPEAKER_00: Now, I'm excited today.
2:07
SPEAKER_00: Um, these questions that I'm gonna get to, you know, these are just for my own personal thing.
2:13
SPEAKER_00: You might even have the answer to these questions, but these are my personal questions going in to the rest of the season.
2:19
SPEAKER_00: My first one are there any teams out east to respect outside of the Celtics and the Cavs?
2:28
SPEAKER_00: I feel like in the Western Conference, you can convince yourself to a bunch of different teams being notorious, a bunch of different teams potentially winning a first-round series.
2:36
SPEAKER_00: And you look at the Eastern Conference, and and I'm going on based on today, first round Cavs versus let's say Magic or Hawks.
2:44
SPEAKER_00: You you feel pretty good about the one C Cavs advancing.
2:47
SPEAKER_00: The 4-5 series is probably the most exciting first-round matchup in the Eastern Conference because the Bucs and the Pacers have played each other 11 times in the last year, which is crazy.
2:57
SPEAKER_00: They played each other five times in a regular season, if I'm not mistaken, because we had the in-season tournament and then they had a six-game series in the postseason.
3:05
SPEAKER_00: And then this year, you just saw them play against each other a couple nights ago with Tyres Halliburton hit the crazy game winner on the football play.
3:12
SPEAKER_00: That's gonna be an exciting series.
3:14
SPEAKER_00: But all the other ones, I'm I don't know.
3:16
SPEAKER_00: No disrespect to the Detroit Pistons, baby.
3:18
SPEAKER_00: You're one of my favorite stories uh with Chauncey Bills.
3:21
SPEAKER_00: No, let me let me let me chill out, let me chill out.
3:23
SPEAKER_00: Uh, to Jimmy Bickerstaff.
3:24
SPEAKER_00: But I'm pretty comfortable with saying the Knicks should win that series.
3:28
SPEAKER_00: It might be a dog fight, it might go six, it might go seven because the Pistons are gonna put up a fight.
3:33
SPEAKER_00: But other than that, you're looking at the Cavs, you're looking at the saying, is this just a crash course to see them each other in the conference finals?
3:42
SPEAKER_00: I mean, that would be fine.
3:44
SPEAKER_00: I would be excited for that series, don't get me wrong, but could these next couple series, the first round and the second round, just be fodder?
3:51
SPEAKER_00: Just be because we love hoops so we're gonna watch what we know the end result.
3:54
SPEAKER_00: Like the Western Conference is so diabolically insane.
3:58
SPEAKER_00: Like the first round, the top two seeds in the first round ain't completely safe.
4:01
SPEAKER_00: And we're gonna talk about that in a second.
4:03
SPEAKER_00: And I think about some of these other teams, like the Knicks.
4:06
SPEAKER_00: Knicks being a three seed.
4:07
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, they're without Jalen Brunson.
4:08
SPEAKER_00: Mikhail Bridges hit a big game winner against the Trailblazers last night.
4:11
SPEAKER_00: And I actually think leading up to it, we were we had this conversation on could the Jalen Brunson injury be a blessing in disguise?
4:18
SPEAKER_00: And a lot of the times you see a big time player, the number one player on this team, go down an injury.
4:23
SPEAKER_00: That is a question that comes with it.
4:24
SPEAKER_00: LeBron James goes down.
4:25
SPEAKER_00: You're like, okay, could this be a blessing now that Luka Doncic has to really step it up?
4:29
SPEAKER_00: And we get to see Austin Reeves, we get to see this, we get to see that.
4:32
SPEAKER_00: People get more comfortable.
4:33
SPEAKER_00: But I watched the Knicks game last night against the Trailblazers, and obviously the offense has to shift dramatically without the head of the table, which is I guess Jalen Brunson's nickname, without the head of the table being there.
4:44
SPEAKER_00: And I saw Mikhail Bridges feel super comfortable.
4:46
SPEAKER_00: I mean, the guy was creating for himself more than we had seen since you know he got to Brooklyn.
4:52
SPEAKER_00: Carthony Town started off this game, just like, hey, you're gonna send two at me.
4:56
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna make something happen.
4:57
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna make something, whether it be me scoring or swinging it, then another swing.
5:00
SPEAKER_00: The offense was really humming without Jalen Brunson.
5:02
SPEAKER_00: And you think about, okay, now we reincorporate JB.
5:05
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, we're gonna probably shift back to the way we were playing before because we have one of the best half-court offenses in basketball.
5:10
SPEAKER_00: But now I recognize that, hey, Mikhail Bridges can get that swagger back to create for himself.
5:16
SPEAKER_00: OJ Nobi can get that swagger back to do this and do that.
5:19
SPEAKER_00: So could it be a blessing in disguise?
5:21
SPEAKER_00: I don't really know.
5:22
SPEAKER_00: But even then, I'm looking at it and saying, hey, in the second round, they got to see the Celtics.
5:27
SPEAKER_00: Is there a world where the Knicks can defeat the Celtics in the seven-game series?
5:31
SPEAKER_00: I'm going like 97%.
5:33
SPEAKER_00: I'm locked into the Boston Celtics.
5:36
SPEAKER_00: So the Eastern Conference, as cool as it has been, and we might get some good first-round matchups.
5:42
SPEAKER_00: Will there be anybody else worth respecting?
5:45
SPEAKER_00: Another team people point out is the Boston Celtics.
5:48
SPEAKER_00: When I talk to my boys on numbers on the board, my boy Derek, who's a at the at this point, I guess we can call him a Bucks fan because he's a Damian Lillard fan, and wherever Dane goes, he goes.
5:56
SPEAKER_00: He's like, hey, I got it as the Cavs and the Celtics in their own tier, but don't sleep on the Milwaukee Bucks.
6:01
SPEAKER_00: I'm like, I can respect that because going into a lot of series, the Milwaukee Bucks will have the best player in the series.
6:06
SPEAKER_00: Actually, every series.
6:08
SPEAKER_00: They play in the second round versus the Cavs, Giannis.
6:11
SPEAKER_00: If they play against Jason Tatum and the Celtics, Giannis will be the best player in every series in the Easter Conference.
6:18
SPEAKER_00: That's crazy to think about, but that's the fact of it all.
6:20
SPEAKER_00: And yet, I still don't trust them enough on the defensive side of the ball.
6:27
SPEAKER_00: There are times where I watch them like, yes, they are completely locked in.
6:31
SPEAKER_00: The rotations are absolutely perfect.
6:34
SPEAKER_00: And then we take a flashback to just the game against the Pacers that led to the open three or the contested three, if you will, that Tarres Halliburton hit.
6:42
SPEAKER_00: The reason why it ended up looking so weird from their POV is that Torian Prince was told not to switch in the huddle.
6:48
SPEAKER_00: And for whatever reason, he clicked to switch and it left Tyrese Halliburton open.
6:53
SPEAKER_00: This team does not move in rotation as as good as we think they should.
6:58
SPEAKER_00: And I think part of that is that they don't have some of the top-and-level perimeter defenders on their team.
7:04
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes they do look kind of small if you and I know they're running Giannis and Brooke Lopez.
7:07
SPEAKER_00: So Kenny, what do you mean by small?
7:09
SPEAKER_00: I mean on the wings position specifically.
7:12
SPEAKER_00: Like when you see them go against a Celtics or you see them go against some of these teams that might have multiple scoring wings, I look at them like, man, they seem kind of small there.
7:21
SPEAKER_00: And if they're going to be small and their point of attack defender is not going to be elite, I struggle to pick them in some of these higher leverage series because their rotations are just not as consistent as what they should be or what they could be.
7:34
SPEAKER_00: They're going to have the best player in every series.
7:36
SPEAKER_00: Hell, some of these series, they may have the two best players on the court with Damian Lillard playing as great as he's been playing this season.
7:42
SPEAKER_00: But I read a good article about the Bucs over the last week or so talking about, you know, how much talent they have on this team.
7:49
SPEAKER_00: And it's inexcusable that they wouldn't have a top 10 offense.
7:53
SPEAKER_00: And I'm like, damn, they don't have a top 10 offense.
7:55
SPEAKER_00: And I go to my resources, I'm like, okay, Caitlyn Glass got them right outside the top 10.
7:59
SPEAKER_00: And one of the catalysts for that, um, and they're right now they're number 12, and I checked they were number 11.
8:04
SPEAKER_00: So they're, you know, they're shifting back and forth here, is how slow they get into their actions.
8:10
SPEAKER_00: And some of the times when I'm reading these articles, if somebody like this is a beat ride before the Bucs, or they're watching the Bucs more than I ever could.
8:16
SPEAKER_00: We're talking all 82 games every single second.
8:19
SPEAKER_00: A lot of times I use these articles as like a point of something that I can look for, right?
8:25
SPEAKER_00: When he talks about, and I wish I I could credit the article, it might have been, is that the Athletics?
8:29
SPEAKER_00: So is that Eric over at the Athletic?
8:31
SPEAKER_00: Regardless, you talked about them getting into their actions, starting their actions with 18 seconds on the shot clock.
8:38
SPEAKER_00: It's not something I really thought about until I read the article.
8:40
SPEAKER_00: Now I'm watching it versus the pace.
8:41
SPEAKER_00: I'm like, yeah, they are starting this pretty late.
8:44
SPEAKER_00: And when you start your offense pretty late, it doesn't give you an opportunity to do secondary ops uh uh options at the end of the day.
8:51
SPEAKER_00: It's like our first move is the move that we got, and damn it, if that don't work, then we just gotta chuck up a shot.
8:59
SPEAKER_00: So with Giannis and Dame um starting to work together more and look more fluid together this year versus last year, I can understand why my boy D.
9:10
SPEAKER_00: Mills will say, hey, I think that they have a punished chance, but I'm struggling to get there myself, even with Giannis being as ridiculously dominant as he is on a night-to-night basis.
9:21
SPEAKER_00: I trust Giannis.
9:23
SPEAKER_00: I trust Dame, who's been a playoff riser for the majority of his career, one of the clutchest playoff performers that we have in this modern era, but it's the rest.
9:31
SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm saying?
9:32
SPEAKER_00: Kuzma's been a good acquisition, but I expect teams to just allow Kuzma to try to do what he wants on the offensive side of the ball.
9:40
SPEAKER_00: And Kuzma could be wishy-washy.
9:43
SPEAKER_00: So that's my first question.
9:44
SPEAKER_00: You let me know.
9:45
SPEAKER_00: My second one is the Thunder skepticism warranted?
9:50
SPEAKER_00: Now, the skepticism is not coming from within this office.
9:53
SPEAKER_00: I think the Thunder are one of the most elite teams of basketball.
9:57
SPEAKER_00: Um, I may struggle to have them as a title favorite, but if you had them as a title favorite, I can't call you crazy because that's how dominant they have been.
10:04
SPEAKER_00: I mean, they are on pace to have the most, if things go the way they have been, the most double-digit wins in a season.
10:12
SPEAKER_00: Think about that.
10:13
SPEAKER_00: Not only are they winning games, they're dominating teams.
10:16
SPEAKER_00: But there was a report earlier that a lot of teams are not afraid to potentially be on their side of the bracket.
10:23
SPEAKER_00: That some of these playing teams are like bring us the OKC Thunder.
10:26
SPEAKER_00: And I think about in history when you have a team with a record of 52 and 12 with however many games left.
10:33
SPEAKER_00: I could do the math here, but I'm not going to do the math there.
10:35
SPEAKER_00: With 16 games left, when you have 54 wins already, historically, that's a team that you don't want to fuck with.
10:42
SPEAKER_00: But for whatever reason, there are many, many skeptics, not just in front offices, but also amongst the players.
10:50
SPEAKER_00: And I wonder if it's warranted.
10:52
SPEAKER_00: Now, the only big piece of skepticism that I would potentially have for this OKC Thunder team is the fact that they are the youngest team in basketball.
11:00
SPEAKER_00: Like, full stop.
11:00
SPEAKER_00: You know, like we have, I mean, maybe, maybe, oh no, it hasn't shifted because the Wizards acquired Marcus Smart and uh Chris Middleton.
11:08
SPEAKER_00: So yeah, they're they're now average age has jumped a little bit, but they are the youngest team in basketball on pace to win 60 plus games.
11:16
SPEAKER_00: And you think about that inexperience, and then they have more experience now that they did last year, right?
11:20
SPEAKER_00: Last year they get to the second round of the playoffs, and the inexperience did show itself quite a bit.
11:24
SPEAKER_00: So maybe that's really what it is because the defense is elite, the offense could be better, don't get me wrong, it could be better, but when you have the orchestrator that is Shay, you trust, I trust Shay in a playoff series more than 98% of the league.
11:40
SPEAKER_00: There's only a select few people that I trust in the playoff series more than Shay.
11:44
SPEAKER_00: And still people are like, nah, give us that.
11:47
SPEAKER_00: And I talked to, I had I did a podcast with Young Men in the Three, and hopefully that's out in a couple days or so, where it was me, it was um Shamsharania, it was Cam Johnson, and it was Tommy Alter.
12:01
SPEAKER_00: And and I'm talking to Cam because one game that stands out more than others when I think about what could potentially happen to OKC in the postseason is a game against Cam Johnson and the Brooklyn Nets.
12:15
SPEAKER_00: And I asked him, what exactly was the game plan?
12:19
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I saw the game plan, but I want to see his perspective of it.
12:21
SPEAKER_00: Because when I watched the game, they were sending three uh up to three to four players at Shea.
12:26
SPEAKER_00: And I'm not even exaggerating.
12:28
SPEAKER_00: When Shea started dribble penetration, they sold out on everything in order to put pressure on Shay.
12:34
SPEAKER_00: At one point, they were picking him up 94 feet just to prevent him from being the one to initiate the action.
12:40
SPEAKER_00: And that is a game against the Brooklyn Nets.
12:41
SPEAKER_00: And the Brooklyn Nets have a good coaching staff, but they don't have the necessary talent as some of the real playoff teams.
12:47
SPEAKER_00: So I asked Cam, what exactly did y'all talk about before this game?
12:51
SPEAKER_00: And he mentioned exactly that.
12:53
SPEAKER_00: The goal was to get the ball out of Shay's hands as much as possible and live with the result.
12:59
SPEAKER_00: And I'm thinking about some teams that they could potentially match up where you think about, you know, out west, the 7-8 matchup is Timberwolves versus Clippers at this moment in time.
13:08
SPEAKER_00: The Clipper, or the Timberwolves have been playing phenomenal basketball, so they may steal the seven seed, but that leaves the Clippers, the Mavericks, and then the Kings as a potential eight-seed matchup.
13:17
SPEAKER_00: And I feel really, really good about the Thunder and all of those matchups.
13:23
SPEAKER_00: But there's one team specifically that that puts a little bit of pressure on the Thunder and on Shea more than the other two, and that would be the Clippers.
13:32
SPEAKER_00: The Clippers have Van Gundy over there.
13:33
SPEAKER_00: Van Gundy has been a defensive mastermind.
13:35
SPEAKER_00: The Clippers on the season, let's see where they're at right now.
13:37
SPEAKER_00: The Clippers on the season are the fourth-ranked defense.
13:39
SPEAKER_00: Now, recently it has not looked as up to par as earlier in the season, but I trust Lou and I trust Van Gundy to have this scheme to say Shay can can maybe get his off, but we really need to see the others do it.
13:55
SPEAKER_00: We really need to see the others do it.
13:57
SPEAKER_00: And again, I'm taking a thunder in S series, but hypothetically, they get out of S series, next series is between the Rockets and the Lakers, two teams that would have a really good game plan against Shay.
14:07
SPEAKER_00: And we talked about this before, that there's so much pressure.
14:11
SPEAKER_00: There's an alarming amount of pressure on J Dub.
14:14
SPEAKER_00: There's an alarming amount of pressure on Chet.
14:16
SPEAKER_00: Now, this is not a boom or bust season necessarily, but when you are this dominant, you expect to go on a run.
14:24
SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm saying?
14:25
SPEAKER_00: Last year's playoffs, J Dub just wasn't as great as we anticipated.
14:30
SPEAKER_00: This season, he shut a lot of that up in a regular season.
14:32
SPEAKER_00: He was a damn all-star and get well soon.
14:35
SPEAKER_00: I heard um through the grapevine, because right now it's what?
14:38
SPEAKER_00: It said his timeline is is unknown.
14:41
SPEAKER_00: From what I've heard, it won't be more than like three games or so.
14:44
SPEAKER_00: So it ain't as bad as some people think it may be.
14:46
SPEAKER_00: And they just want a game against the Celtics without him.
14:48
SPEAKER_00: And I may talk about that a little bit later.
14:51
SPEAKER_00: But this year, we need to see J Dub just be the aggressor offensively.
14:57
SPEAKER_00: And Coach Mark Danal has been, I mean, there are so many great coaches and smart coaches across basketball.
15:03
SPEAKER_00: I don't put it past him to be able to build this game plan for when you try to get Shay out of the game.
15:08
SPEAKER_00: And I'm assuming it is like him playing off the ball quite a bit and him not being a part of the initial um start to the offense, but more of a play finisher where he's not isolating, but instead we get him in motion in order to get some shots that he can create or shoot with like one to two seconds versus the seven to eight seconds that he might do in a regular season.
15:26
SPEAKER_00: So I trust Dayton would be able to do that.
15:29
SPEAKER_00: But if they can't, if for whatever reason they're able to keep the ball out of Shay's hands, and let's be real, keeping the ball out of Shea's hands is not him finishing with eight points.
15:38
SPEAKER_00: Keeping the ball out of Shea hands is preventing him from dropping his averages of 31 or getting to a 40 piece.
15:44
SPEAKER_00: It's J Dub.
15:44
SPEAKER_00: What can we do?
15:45
SPEAKER_00: Last night it was Chet, and Chet was phenomenal because of quick, again, there's no J-Dub.
15:49
SPEAKER_00: And they opted to go without the two big man lineup against the Celtics.
15:53
SPEAKER_00: I thought that was really interesting.
15:54
SPEAKER_00: And it made me think that because it's a nasty televised game against the defender champions, that Coach Mark Dayton, I was like, hey, we want to show the world exactly who we are, even though we've been doing this quite a bit.
16:03
SPEAKER_00: Because I do look at them putting iHeart and Chet together as like this experimental thing, trying to figure out if these two dudes can coexist in a series versus one of these bigger teams, like the Nuggets who have, you know, seven foot Jokic, 6'10, Michael Porter Jr.
16:19
SPEAKER_00: and what, 6'9, 6'8, Aaron Gordon.
16:22
SPEAKER_00: Can we can we exist and do well when we have these double bigs against these bigger teams?
16:26
SPEAKER_00: And then they played against the Celtics, no Porzingis.
16:29
SPEAKER_00: It's like, let's let's run these guards out.
16:32
SPEAKER_00: And not even just run guards out.
16:34
SPEAKER_00: They were undersized.
16:35
SPEAKER_00: Like when you think about the guards that they did run out.
16:37
SPEAKER_00: I mean, they don't have the height advantage in pretty much any matchup outside of Shea.
16:41
SPEAKER_00: You think about Tatum and Brown and Horford.
16:43
SPEAKER_00: These are all tall ass dudes.
16:45
SPEAKER_00: And they still went out there and they bust their ass.
16:47
SPEAKER_00: They didn't get didn't give up on loose balls.
16:50
SPEAKER_00: And eventually, um, you know, the Celtics kind of shot themselves out of their game shooting so many threes, and you get to Chet hitting his shots.
16:57
SPEAKER_00: And I just feel like they always have a role player like Kasen Wallace in this one.
17:01
SPEAKER_00: I think he was zero for zero from three into the fourth quarter.
17:03
SPEAKER_00: He won the biggest three-pointers of the game.
17:05
SPEAKER_00: They always find a way.
17:07
SPEAKER_00: But I look at and say, hey, if that is a playoff matchup, and again, Shay was also pretty phenomenal in his game as well.
17:13
SPEAKER_00: Can we trust Chet to give us this 20-point performance?
17:17
SPEAKER_00: Can we trust J-Dub to give us a 20-plus game performance?
17:21
SPEAKER_00: Because if you can do that and Shay can get just slightly below his average, I feel pretty good about it.
17:25
SPEAKER_00: But teams, front offices, and players don't look at the Thunder as that team.
17:31
SPEAKER_00: And that surprises the hell out of me, man.
17:34
SPEAKER_00: And I guess we're getting some similar things out east with the Cavs as well.
17:38
SPEAKER_00: And I think part of that, again, it's youth and it's inexperience.
17:42
SPEAKER_00: People don't really trust something until they've seen it at the highest level.
17:46
SPEAKER_00: The Cavs went to a playoff series and went to game seven versus a young Orlando Magic team and then got to the second round and then ended up losing.
17:53
SPEAKER_00: OKC obviously took care of business in the first round, ended up losing the second round as well.
17:56
SPEAKER_00: So like these teams are young, they're fun, they're regular season dominant.
18:02
SPEAKER_00: But a lot of people are not looking at them as the team.
18:04
SPEAKER_00: And even after last night, people are looking at the Celtics like the Celtics are still the favorite.
18:08
SPEAKER_00: And I can't even be mad at that because they still have the biggest question mark on the bench.
18:13
SPEAKER_00: And Chris Dasporzingis, if he ever comes back, it opens up the game so much more on both sides of the ball.
18:24
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18:40
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18:46
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18:48
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18:50
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18:52
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18:56
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19:00
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19:03
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20:16
SPEAKER_00: Would the Warrior size matter?
20:20
SPEAKER_00: So far, if you look at what the Warriors have done, and they have been phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal since the Jimmy Butler acquisition.
20:28
SPEAKER_00: And when we talked about it when it happened, um I I was talking to producer Greg about it, a big Warriors fan, and we were saying acquiring Jimmy Butler probably does not make you a contender, but it opens the door just to be more competitive, to win more games, and you never really know what happens after that.
20:46
SPEAKER_00: Since they acquired Jimmy Butler, you can't say that they don't have a chance.
20:51
SPEAKER_00: You know what I'm saying?
20:52
SPEAKER_00: Like Jimmy Butler is now what lost one game since he's been on the team, and their their net rating with him and Steph Curry on the court together is ridiculous.
21:00
SPEAKER_00: Matter of fact, I should have put in my notes, but I was looking at it yesterday.
21:02
SPEAKER_00: Hold on, let me let me bring it back out.
21:04
SPEAKER_00: And there are so many new cool websites out there that uh I'm gonna gatekeep.
21:07
SPEAKER_00: I ain't gonna lie, I'm gatekeeping to y'all.
21:09
SPEAKER_00: Uh Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler.
21:12
SPEAKER_00: So far, and we talk about medium and high-leverage situations.
21:15
SPEAKER_00: They played 232 minutes together.
21:17
SPEAKER_00: They have a net rating of a 12.2, a 118 offensive rating, a 105.8 defensive rating.
21:25
SPEAKER_00: Do you realize how ridiculous that is?
21:27
SPEAKER_00: For one of the few times in Steph Curry's career, guess what?
21:30
SPEAKER_00: They have a positive net rating without Curry on the court.
21:34
SPEAKER_00: Right now, again, we're not talking all situations.
21:36
SPEAKER_00: This is high to medium leverage situations, 151 minutes where it was Jimmy Butler and no Steph Curry.
21:42
SPEAKER_00: And guess what?
21:42
SPEAKER_00: The net rating is a 16.4.
21:45
SPEAKER_00: Jimmy Butler's changed some things.
21:47
SPEAKER_00: And Steve Curr has talked about, you know, just having somebody that does not make mistakes, another one of those players that really, really makes mistakes.
21:57
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes I think it's too a fault for Jimmy Butler because sometimes I Wanted Jimmy Butler to have that fuck it in his system and just go out there and take 20 shots.
22:03
SPEAKER_00: He's don't really do that anymore.
22:05
SPEAKER_00: Um, but regardless, they have been incredible.
22:08
SPEAKER_00: The defense has been disgusting, the offense has been disgusting.
22:11
SPEAKER_00: Steph Curry's playing with another level of swagger.
22:14
SPEAKER_00: And I feel like he was he was missing that earlier in the season.
22:18
SPEAKER_00: But with all that being said, since Jimmy Butler has been acquired, they have not played against really like a dominant big or a team that has a ton of size.
22:29
SPEAKER_00: You think about them playing against uh the Trailblazers, which like the Trailblazers have a lot of size, don't get me wrong, but that's just objectively not a great team.
22:37
SPEAKER_00: I mean, like one of those teams that have size and a bunch of talent.
22:42
SPEAKER_00: They have the wins against the Blazers, the Pistons, the Nets, the Knicks without um Caranthany Towns, and they have the Hornets.
22:48
SPEAKER_00: They lost that game to Quentin Grimes.
22:49
SPEAKER_00: We're not gonna look at that shot to Quentin Grimes.
22:51
SPEAKER_00: They played against the Magic, the Hornets.
22:52
SPEAKER_00: And don't get me wrong, these are all extremely important wins because if you don't get these wins, you don't end up escaping the play-in.
22:58
SPEAKER_00: You don't end up being a top six seed.
23:00
SPEAKER_00: So I'm not asking, I'm not talking as if these are not impressive because earlier in the season, these were not games that they were winning.
23:06
SPEAKER_00: The one that stands out the most is one that we referred to a few weeks ago when they lost the first night of a back-to-back and then went into Houston, landed at 4 a.m., missed shoot around, and went into Houston and got a win.
23:16
SPEAKER_00: That's a huge win that even Draymond Green said they would have not got if Jimmy Butler was not on this team.
23:23
SPEAKER_00: But they have not played against one of those big guys.
23:25
SPEAKER_00: And I'm not saying it's impossible, right?
23:27
SPEAKER_00: Because the deaf lineup, the small ball, like damn it, this damn podcast is named after some of the stuff the Warriors have been able to do.
23:33
SPEAKER_00: They were able to hold their own against these bigger lineups.
23:36
SPEAKER_00: And that's Draymond Green team rebounding and things like that.
23:40
SPEAKER_00: But now their schedule is about to go against some of these bigger teams.
23:44
SPEAKER_00: And then next week, we can really talk about the pros and cons of it.
23:48
SPEAKER_00: Because they have the Kings tonight.
23:50
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if Sabonis is playing.
23:51
SPEAKER_00: I know it's been Val for the majority of Sabonis came back for a game, then Val's been taking over since then.
23:55
SPEAKER_00: Then you got the Knicks.
23:56
SPEAKER_00: No Jalen Brunson, but Carl Anthony Towns will be in that one.
23:59
SPEAKER_00: We'll see what that's about.
24:00
SPEAKER_00: And the way Draymond Green was talking about Kat, I hope Kat give his ass 50.
24:03
SPEAKER_00: I can't lie.
24:04
SPEAKER_00: Uh, then they got the Nuggets on Monday, March 17th.
24:07
SPEAKER_00: That's one of the games I'm talking about.
24:08
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if Aaron Gordon will be back.
24:10
SPEAKER_00: I'm hoping that he is because then we'll get the full grasp of exactly what's going to go on.
24:15
SPEAKER_00: Um, Jonathan's back as well.
24:18
SPEAKER_00: Then the second night of a back-to-back on that one, they got the Bucs.
24:21
SPEAKER_00: The Bucks, a big team.
24:22
SPEAKER_00: Um, when especially in that front corner, you talk about Giannis and Brooke Lopez.
24:26
SPEAKER_00: So I just I'm one, I'm waiting.
24:28
SPEAKER_00: I'm waiting to see how they perform against these bigger teams before I really put them as like that's a team that we need to really think about.
24:38
SPEAKER_00: I feel like that's fair.
24:40
SPEAKER_00: They've taken care of business against the teams that they should be taking care of business about.
24:44
SPEAKER_00: But like Jokic, you see Jokic in a seven-game series, man.
24:48
SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be tough to guard them when your tallest player is Jimmy Butler.
24:51
SPEAKER_00: And right now, if the playoffs were to start today, they would have Jokic in that first round.
24:55
SPEAKER_00: That's a little tough.
24:57
SPEAKER_00: That's a little tough.
24:58
SPEAKER_00: That's all I'm saying.
24:59
SPEAKER_00: So, will their lack of size be their Achilles heel?
25:03
SPEAKER_00: We don't know just yet.
25:05
SPEAKER_00: My next one, my next big question as we get away from like playoff implications and things like that, is which one of these March blossoms is real?
25:17
SPEAKER_00: One thing that is happens all the time in the NBA, um, once we get to March, you see players specifically, random players, start to play some of their best basketball of their career.
25:28
SPEAKER_00: And there are a lot of people that look at March basketball, specifically when you're talking about a team that is missing the playoffs or a team that's on a tanker team, and they look at the numbers and they say, nah, we're not really worried about that.
25:39
SPEAKER_00: This is not the version of him that it's going to be real.
25:42
SPEAKER_00: But also, you have some players that have ridiculously successful marches and are able to go into the next season with that level of swagger, with that level of production.
25:54
SPEAKER_00: A good example of this was two years ago, Kobe White.
25:58
SPEAKER_00: Two years ago, Kobe White spent March averaging 25 points per game when the rest of the season he was averaging around 14.
26:06
SPEAKER_00: And then he went into the season after that and averaged basically 20 and was second for most improved player.
26:11
SPEAKER_00: That was an indication.
26:12
SPEAKER_00: His March play was an indication that he was ready for that jump.
26:16
SPEAKER_00: Then we have the exact opposite opposite, because I don't want to act like this player's a bum because he's also a really good player.
26:21
SPEAKER_00: But last year, March, you remember Jalen Green averaging 28 points per game?
26:25
SPEAKER_00: The Houston Rockets were 13-2 in that stretch, and he looked like goddamn Kobe Bean Bryant.
26:31
SPEAKER_00: Do you remember that, right?
26:32
SPEAKER_00: He did not back that March up the next season with him taking the big jump.
26:36
SPEAKER_00: He's still a good NBA player, but he didn't take the jump that March said that he might.
26:42
SPEAKER_00: So I got some candidates.
26:43
SPEAKER_00: I got some candidates, ladies and gentlemen.
26:45
SPEAKER_00: Do you believe in their March production?
26:48
SPEAKER_00: The first one is the uh former first overall pick, Zachary Richasset, who in March is averaging 13.7 points per game, uh, 13.5 points per game, 50% shooting, 44% from three.
26:59
SPEAKER_00: He's also been playing really good defense if you haven't been watching the Atlanta Hawks, who have been sneakily really fun and good uh since the trade that line.
27:07
SPEAKER_00: I know I gave them a lot of shit about the DeAndre Hunter trade, two second round picks.
27:11
SPEAKER_00: He's looking phenomenal over there in Cleveland, but Karis Levert has played a good role.
27:16
SPEAKER_00: Um, Terrence Mann had the game when Trey Young missed out, where he was really productive, and George Niang doesn't miss.
27:22
SPEAKER_00: So, like, they've been of all of the Eastern Conference playoff play-in teams, they're the one that I'm like, okay, they're going to have a real playoff series because they're playing decent to great basketball right now.
27:32
SPEAKER_00: And matter of fact, before we even get into this a little bit more, I'm rambling, but um Trey Young has been, you know, one of those players that I hate to do this on the show because I feel like words like this get thrown over so often, but underrated and underappreciated.
27:51
SPEAKER_00: And I feel like I fell into that as well for a good part of his career.
27:54
SPEAKER_00: It's like us, I watch a game, I'll see a box score, and I'm like, Trey Young, cool.
27:59
SPEAKER_00: The man is so damn selfless, bro.
28:03
SPEAKER_00: Kenny, what are you what are you talking about?
28:05
SPEAKER_00: They had the game a few nights ago where Trey Young was on a 49 straight free throw made streak.
28:13
SPEAKER_00: The most act, the best active streak in basketball.
28:15
SPEAKER_00: It's not not nothing too super crazy.
28:18
SPEAKER_00: Um he intentionally missed the free throw in a game where he didn't need to intentionally miss the free throw.
28:24
SPEAKER_00: If he makes that free throw, they've got to come down and maybe just play one possession of defense and they still win.
28:30
SPEAKER_00: He said, fuck this streak.
28:32
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna do the best miss free throw of all time.
28:35
SPEAKER_00: And this is like I just know there are players in the league that wouldn't think about that.
28:40
SPEAKER_00: There are players in the league that's like, I want to hit 50 straight free throws.
28:44
SPEAKER_00: And then we'll just bust our ass defensively and get the stop and we'll still win anyway.
28:48
SPEAKER_00: Trey Young, there was like 0.8 seconds on the clock.
28:51
SPEAKER_00: So a miss that doesn't give you time to grab the rebound and call timeout.
28:55
SPEAKER_00: He'd rather take the miss and just in the game.
28:58
SPEAKER_00: And good karma.
28:59
SPEAKER_00: Because the game after that, was it two games after that?
29:02
SPEAKER_00: He went 21 for 21 from the free throw line.
29:04
SPEAKER_00: So he almost is halfway through his previous streak in just one game.
29:07
SPEAKER_00: And I didn't watch that game, don't get me wrong.
29:09
SPEAKER_00: I don't know how the hell he shot 21 free throws or how he drew that many fouls to shoot 21 free throws, but I'm intrigued.
29:14
SPEAKER_00: He's just been uh a really good.
29:17
SPEAKER_00: Um, he also does shoot half-court shots before the buzzer.
29:20
SPEAKER_00: Greg is making a great point here as well.
29:22
SPEAKER_00: There's so many players that care about their efficiency and their overall counting stats more than they care about the success of the team.
29:29
SPEAKER_00: Oh, you're asking, you're not telling.
29:30
SPEAKER_00: No, he he does do this, and that's how we get to the point where in that jazz game he hits the shot.
29:34
SPEAKER_00: Um, he does do this as well.
29:36
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't care about the percentages, and I think that's so amazing, but it also is a detriment for the people that are not watching the games.
29:45
SPEAKER_00: And they look at, let me look at Trey Young's counter stats right now, because I know his efficiency is not as good as what it used to be.
29:51
SPEAKER_00: If we look at it right here, he's shooting 40% from the field, 32% from three, 32% from three is the lowest percentage he's had since his rookie season.
29:59
SPEAKER_00: His field goal percentage, he just overall across the board, his efficiency is the worst it has been in his career.
30:04
SPEAKER_00: But as I watch the Atlanta Hawks, I don't, I don't really care about that.
30:08
SPEAKER_00: Now, granted, this is not a team that's winning 50 games, or we're talking about a playing team.
30:12
SPEAKER_00: So you could say, Kenny, he's doing that, and this team is still self-500.
30:15
SPEAKER_00: Why are we giving him credit?
30:16
SPEAKER_00: Because damn it, that's what we do on this podcast.
30:19
SPEAKER_00: Shout out Trey Young.
30:20
SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm excited to see them.
30:22
SPEAKER_00: They're two games under and they're playing good ball right now.
30:25
SPEAKER_00: There's a world where they can finish with an over 500, and then we look at it a little bit differently.
30:30
SPEAKER_00: Just a little bit.
30:31
SPEAKER_00: But back to my March thing.
30:32
SPEAKER_00: Uh Reshace has been really good.
30:34
SPEAKER_00: He's been really aggressive, putting the ball on the floor.
30:36
SPEAKER_00: He's been really aggressive, looking for his own shot.
30:38
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, this was talked about as the worst, um, the worst draft class since 2000, I want to say is what they were putting it against.
30:48
SPEAKER_00: And Rishay is obviously the first overall pick here.
30:51
SPEAKER_00: You get, you know, I was gonna say some of the pub of that, but nobody talks about him at all.
30:56
SPEAKER_00: So he doesn't even get the publicity of being the former first overall pick.
30:59
SPEAKER_00: But I don't know what his ceiling is.
31:00
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if he'll ever be an all-star, but I'm very fucking confident that he's gonna be a 10 to 15 year pro because he does play great defense and his shooting is coming around.
31:10
SPEAKER_00: And um, I guess you can look at like his previous years.
31:13
SPEAKER_00: Before his last year playing overseas, the previous three years he shot sub like 30% from three.
31:18
SPEAKER_00: And people were skeptical whether or not that three-point shot was just a gimmick.
31:22
SPEAKER_00: Like it was just one year of success, and he'll go back to shooting his 30-something percent uh once he got to the NBA.
31:28
SPEAKER_00: And again, we're talking about March where he shot 40% overall.
31:31
SPEAKER_00: Let's see where it's at.
31:32
SPEAKER_00: I still don't know if I'm pronouncing your name right.
31:34
SPEAKER_00: Um, on the season is 35% on four attempts.
31:37
SPEAKER_00: You kind of take that right now as a rookie because rookies traditionally are not coming in and lighting it on fire from three.
31:42
SPEAKER_00: Oh, they got his pronunciation on basketball reference.
31:44
SPEAKER_00: Zach Riza Rizasha.
31:49
SPEAKER_00: Rizasha, got you.
31:50
SPEAKER_00: I'm definitely gonna forget that in three minutes.
31:53
SPEAKER_00: Uh, the next guy on the March thing, is it real?
31:56
SPEAKER_00: Okay, let's be real.
31:58
SPEAKER_00: The reason I have this as a segment or a conversation, I'm gonna talk about Josh Getty.
32:02
SPEAKER_00: All right, let's talk about Josh Getty because in March, 23 points per game, 10.5 rebounds, eight assists, 46% from three.
32:12
SPEAKER_00: Four attempts.
32:13
SPEAKER_00: Hello?
32:14
SPEAKER_00: Is this is this thing on?
32:16
SPEAKER_00: Have we been watching the Josh Getty thing?
32:18
SPEAKER_00: And one of the worst things that can happen to the Bulls, first of all, Josh Getty is shooting uh 37% from three on the season on four attempts.
32:28
SPEAKER_00: Granted, they're all wide open, but he was missing so many wide open threes last year that he couldn't play in the playoffs, you feel me?
32:33
SPEAKER_00: And I definitely wouldn't say if we had a playoff series right now, he'd be Ray Allen or Steph Curry from three.
32:39
SPEAKER_00: But I'm just saying his jump four percentage points from three is something that we should, you know, um talk about for sure.
32:46
SPEAKER_00: But he's been so good in this month, and it goes back before March, like basically since the trade deadline, he's been incredible because the ball is in his hands more.
32:55
SPEAKER_00: Since the trade deadline, he's 21 points per game, seven assists, nine rebounds, 50% from the field, 48% from three on five attempts.
33:03
SPEAKER_00: It's incredible stuff.
33:04
SPEAKER_00: And the unfortunate part about it all, a normal front office sees this relative success from our team.
33:11
SPEAKER_00: And right now we're on a three-game win streak after you know beating both Florida teams and then beating the Pacers in a game where the Pacers sat all of their good players in the second half, basically.
33:20
SPEAKER_00: A normal front office would look at this and say, oh, this is intriguing.
33:23
SPEAKER_00: Our young players and and modest Muzelis, Josh Giddy, and Kobe White look good, but that's not a recipe to be great right now, or we shouldn't be trying to add fuel to this core as far as bringing in vets and trying to go out there and win right now.
33:36
SPEAKER_00: That's what a normal front office would do.
33:38
SPEAKER_00: Um, I think I'm pretty confident that our front office is going to look at this recent stretch and be like, yep, we got him, instead of doing the exact opposite, which is what most Bulls fans want.
33:48
SPEAKER_00: But not only has Josh Geddy been good, he's been fun as hell to watch.
33:52
SPEAKER_00: And if we just talk, if we just talk about the basketball stuff here, the the thing that people are going to talk about with Josh Getty, basketball-related, is again that playoff series when he's with the Thunder.
34:05
SPEAKER_00: Um, but he'll always, I think, have the notion of bad defensive player on his resume because his first couple years, that really was the case.
34:14
SPEAKER_00: And right now, after the start of the season, where I came on here and said that he's one of the worst defensive players that I've seen, it has dramatically changed.
34:22
SPEAKER_00: And a lot of that is strictly effort-based.
34:25
SPEAKER_00: I don't want him switched on a small guard.
34:27
SPEAKER_00: He's going to get cooked.
34:29
SPEAKER_00: He's slow footed, he's 6'7 or 6'8, bad hips.
34:32
SPEAKER_00: He's not going to be able to turn with Tyrese Maxie, for God's sake.
34:36
SPEAKER_00: But when you have him as a tertiary defender on a wing, I love the way he's been playing.
34:43
SPEAKER_00: I think his help defense has been really good.
34:45
SPEAKER_00: There are stretches in recent Bulls games where I'm watching his team defend and I'm like, whoa.
34:51
SPEAKER_00: I have to temper it a little bit because I know it's not sustainable.
34:54
SPEAKER_00: But like they are hat, they have a three-minute stretch against the Magic or three-minute stretch against his Pacers team.
34:59
SPEAKER_00: And you're looking at it and saying, man, Midas Buzales is a help defender, is really good for a rookie.
35:04
SPEAKER_00: Josh Giddy on the help side as well has been really good.
35:07
SPEAKER_00: I don't trust either of these dudes in space, but I I see I see the vision of these two guys being able to play together when it matters.
35:16
SPEAKER_00: But the difference between him, Josh Giddy, and some of the other guys on this list is Josh Giddy is extension eligible.
35:23
SPEAKER_00: And he wants market value, and he will probably get market value.
35:27
SPEAKER_00: And Winhorse says market value is$30 million for a lead point guard.
35:31
SPEAKER_00: It's a lot of money for Josh Giddy.
35:34
SPEAKER_00: So that's why I'm praying that this march is just Josh Gidde.
35:39
SPEAKER_00: 20, just average 23, 9, and 10 and a half next year, Josh Giddy, and that$30 million be worth it.
35:45
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
35:47
SPEAKER_00: He tweaked his ankle last game.
35:48
SPEAKER_00: He said he'll be back in a couple, so we're good.
35:50
SPEAKER_00: The next guy, or we can put these as a tandem because these are two dudes on the same team, is then Yabdia and his school Henderson.
35:55
SPEAKER_00: Denny's averaging 21, 10, and 6 in March.
35:58
SPEAKER_00: He's been incredible.
35:59
SPEAKER_00: And his school Henderson just had his 30-point game, and he has more 30-point games this year, is what I read this morning.
36:04
SPEAKER_00: More 30-point games this year, this season than he had 20-point games his rookie season, which is very impressive.
36:09
SPEAKER_00: As I watched that Knicks Trailblazer game, he took over fourth quarter in overtime, and that was really intriguing and exciting to see.
36:16
SPEAKER_00: Because when you have a pick as high as Shaden Sharp, a top three pick, oh not Shaden Sharp, sorry, School Henderson, a top three pick, you're hoping that that is the savior of your organization.
36:25
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes it's unfair to the player to ask a player to be a savior, but they just traded away Damian Lillard, the greatest point guard in their franchise history.
36:32
SPEAKER_00: We got this new point guard, and he's got his own signature shoe, even though he's never played a real NBA second.
36:36
SPEAKER_00: And he's looked really good in recent stretches.
36:40
SPEAKER_00: So the question is if both, if both of these players, if this is the version of them that is real, and Denny Abdia has been a guy that has increasingly got better throughout the course of this his career.
36:50
SPEAKER_00: Like last year I thought he was really damn good, and his role obviously gets traded over here to the Trailblazers, and his role has shifted a little bit from his Wizards days.
36:58
SPEAKER_00: But there are times where he had the game, it was um it was a matinee game.
37:02
SPEAKER_00: They played against somebody recently.
37:04
SPEAKER_00: Let me look at this game long.
37:05
SPEAKER_00: And he people on Twitter were saying, like, damn, Denny kind of like he kind of likes at the top of his key, cooking up.
37:13
SPEAKER_00: Uh this game was their game against Cleveland.
37:15
SPEAKER_00: This is a game against Cleveland.
37:16
SPEAKER_00: Yes, this is a game I watched.
37:17
SPEAKER_00: And um, yeah, 330 start.
37:19
SPEAKER_00: And yeah, Denny finished his game with 30 points, 10 assists, 10 re or 12 rebounds, and they ended up losing because it's the Cavs, and the Cavs always come back to win a game.
37:30
SPEAKER_00: But he's been phenomenal on both sides of the floor.
37:32
SPEAKER_00: And you think about their defensive versatility in the future when we talk about Tumani Kamar or Denny Abdia, and then on the backside, having Donovan Klingon, who had a chase down block on Ojan and Obi late in this game last night.
37:43
SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'm just intrigued about their guys, and I don't know if these March games are the real deal or not yet.
37:49
SPEAKER_00: And the last guy is a guy that I promise you I have watched zero seconds of in March.
37:53
SPEAKER_00: Zero seconds.
37:54
SPEAKER_00: But the stats look pretty damn good.
37:56
SPEAKER_00: And it's Kylipowski, rookie, another rookie.
37:59
SPEAKER_00: Now, Kylipowski was projected to go uh at uh after the lottery, but late first round pick in the draft.
38:07
SPEAKER_00: He dropped all the way to the second round for reasons.
38:10
SPEAKER_00: I I've read some of the reasons.
38:12
SPEAKER_00: I don't know what's true or what's not, so I'm not even gonna talk about it here.
38:16
SPEAKER_00: But people projected that he would be at least an okay NBA player.
38:19
SPEAKER_00: Um and he's averaging 16.7 points per game in March.
38:23
SPEAKER_00: Don't know what that means.
38:24
SPEAKER_00: I'm just saying, I don't know what that means.
38:26
SPEAKER_00: I don't know what it means, but he's another one of those guys on this list.
38:30
SPEAKER_00: Uh if I had it my way, if all of these guys March play as elite and they continue to be elite, and then next year they're even more elite because I think that helps my favorite team out a little bit more.
38:46
SPEAKER_00: All right, my last question, and it's a small question that we'll get to ask KB, is will Adam Silver step in and do something about the plan?
38:57
SPEAKER_00: Will Adam Silver do something and step in about the plan?
39:01
SPEAKER_00: Out West, no notes.
39:04
SPEAKER_00: No notes whatsoever.
39:06
SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm okay with it being a 10-game thing or 10-team thing as of right now, you know, even though the Dallas Mavericks probably don't want it and the the Suns can't take it, that 10th seed.
39:17
SPEAKER_00: I'm okay with it.
39:19
SPEAKER_00: Out East, I just feel like it's bad for the league if when we have that first play-in game and it's gonna be Bulls versus Heat again, nobody's going to care.
39:31
SPEAKER_00: Because there's a 0% chance that either of these two teams will be able to, if they do make the real playoffs by winning those two play-in games, will be able to really compete with the Cavaliers.
39:43
SPEAKER_00: I would be completely okay if the NBA stepped in and said, hey, the Magic and the Hawks are going to be our 7-8 seed because that's where they're sitting right now.
39:53
SPEAKER_00: Now, granted, the Heat are not too far behind the Orlando Magic, but just in general, I just feel like there shouldn't be teams that don't want to make the playoffs playing for the playoffs.
40:05
SPEAKER_00: You feel me?
40:06
SPEAKER_00: I think, and I just think that there's a couple different conversations we can have.
40:09
SPEAKER_00: Could we change the incentive for teams to want to win?
40:13
SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
40:14
SPEAKER_00: Like this, the whole tank thing, we talked about a little bit on the last episode, but like we had the biggest tank job of all time last night, and nobody cared because we were all watching the OKC versus Celtics game.
40:24
SPEAKER_00: But when you look at the game from last night that was the Raptors and the 76ers, where nobody played.
40:30
SPEAKER_00: These two teams are half a game between each other when it comes to tank-a-thon lottery odds.
40:36
SPEAKER_00: And they made sure, they absolutely made sure to not try to win this game.
40:41
SPEAKER_00: The inactive players, hold on, let me let me find my inactivities.
40:45
SPEAKER_00: 76ers, Cal Lowry, Eric Gordon, Paul George, Joel MB, Jalen Hushafino, Jared McCain, Tyrese Maxi, Gershawn, Yabuselli.
40:52
SPEAKER_00: Then you get to the Toronto Raptors, Mogbo, Walter, Barrett, Akbaji, Grady, Scotty Barnes, Chris Boucher, Brandon Ingram, and quickly.
41:03
SPEAKER_00: That's nine players.
41:05
unknown: That's nine.
41:07
SPEAKER_00: Shout out to Jared Rodan, because you can only go out there and hoop if somebody can give you an opportunity.
41:11
SPEAKER_00: He played 43 minutes.
41:14
SPEAKER_00: 43.
41:15
SPEAKER_00: Jamison Battle is starting at the two guard.
41:19
SPEAKER_00: He's a he's like a four.
41:22
SPEAKER_00: He real life is like a four-man in the NBA.
41:24
SPEAKER_00: He started at the two yesterday.
41:27
SPEAKER_00: So maybe we change the incentive for teams to want to compete for the play-in or just eliminate the play-in if such and such team is so many games behind the team above them.
41:37
SPEAKER_00: Just like they did in the bubble.
41:39
SPEAKER_00: Just like they did in the bubble.
41:40
SPEAKER_00: I think that makes the most sense.
41:41
SPEAKER_00: And if we only have three play-in games versus four, I think we'll all be okay.
41:46
SPEAKER_00: I swear the NBA fan is not going to complain if the Bulls don't play against the Heat in the play-in, bro.
41:50
SPEAKER_00: Nobody cares.
41:52
SPEAKER_00: Nobody cares.
41:53
SPEAKER_00: The biggest tank game of all time.
41:56
SPEAKER_00: And in it, you did see the Toronto Raptors win.
41:59
SPEAKER_00: And because the Raptors win, they dropped from the fifth best odds for the first overall pick to the seventh in just one game.
42:08
SPEAKER_00: In just one game.
42:12
SPEAKER_00: The NBA does not like, or the NBA guys do not like when you do something like this.
42:17
SPEAKER_00: All right.
42:18
SPEAKER_00: I do that's what we call it as far as my five questions.
42:20
SPEAKER_00: Let's get into ask K B.
42:22
SPEAKER_00: I have the first question here coming from our guy, Jalen.
42:29
SPEAKER_00: I know you wanted to coach a team at some point in your life.
42:32
SPEAKER_00: Yes, I do.
42:33
SPEAKER_00: What's an archetype of playstyle you absolutely love and want for your team?
42:40
SPEAKER_00: I was talking to a coach recently.
42:41
SPEAKER_00: Not a college coach, an NBA coach, hell, not even a high school coach, but he's a coach nonetheless.
42:47
SPEAKER_00: He's got kids calling him coach, you know, so I respect that.
42:51
SPEAKER_00: And he was talking about how much when you start off coaching, you want to say, oh, I'm just gonna, I'm gonna put together this the scheme based on what my talent is.
43:02
SPEAKER_00: Can't do that.
43:03
SPEAKER_00: You don't have enough time to do that.
43:05
SPEAKER_00: You have tryouts in a lot of cases, and we're talking like high school sports and like grammar school sports.
43:10
SPEAKER_00: You have tryouts, and then like two weeks later is when the season starts.
43:13
SPEAKER_00: That's not enough time to build a playbook, build an identity, build an archetype.
43:16
SPEAKER_00: So you kind of have to go in saying that I am a hard-nosed, defensive-oriented coach.
43:22
SPEAKER_00: And damn it, if you can't buy in as a player, you can't play for me.
43:26
SPEAKER_00: And I think that's how I'm gonna have to do it.
43:29
SPEAKER_00: I thought the teams that gave me the most trouble as a player, my freshman and sophomore year of basketball, were the teams that really got after it.
43:38
SPEAKER_00: The teams that ran some type of full court press, a team that will pick you up 94 feet.
43:44
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna remind you, in first uh in fresh year of high school, I was 5'2.
43:48
SPEAKER_00: So I had no other choice but to play guard, play point guard.
43:51
SPEAKER_00: And I hated bringing the ball up the court against teams like Proviso East, if you're in this area, or hated picking up, um, being the guy to bring about the Court against a Glen Bar West.
44:01
SPEAKER_00: So I don't even know if they still play this way.
44:03
SPEAKER_00: But it just sucked.
44:06
SPEAKER_00: And when you think about how little talent there really is, like a freshman B or you know, eighth grade or seventh grade or sixth grade, you force turnovers, you win games.
44:15
SPEAKER_00: At the end of the day, you force turnovers, you win games.
44:19
SPEAKER_00: I think that would be the type of coach that I am because that was the type of player.
44:22
SPEAKER_00: On the other side of things, I love being that type of player.
44:24
SPEAKER_00: When we ran our full court press and I was at the top of it, I absolutely loved it.
44:28
SPEAKER_00: So I would want a team that generates offense through that.
44:32
SPEAKER_00: Half court sets and stuff like that.
44:34
SPEAKER_00: Again, I can't say that I want an unorganized offense, right?
44:39
SPEAKER_00: I can't say that I want to let my boys play because you don't know if you're going to have the talent to just let the boys play.
44:46
SPEAKER_00: You might have to be like, we're a motion offense team.
44:49
SPEAKER_00: We're a team that's going to run this or that.
44:52
SPEAKER_00: But I know for sure I want to hang on people defensively.
44:55
SPEAKER_00: I want to cause as many turnovers as possible and then let those turnovers lead to easy buckets.
45:00
SPEAKER_00: The next one I have is from Hailstorm Sports, the real Evan Hale, who says, Ask AB of the current perennial bottom feeder teams, which one do you feel the most optimistic about in the near future?
45:12
SPEAKER_00: I'm a Hornets fan and I think it sucks right now, but a good lottery ball could make this team a playoff team soon.
45:17
SPEAKER_00: Now, I 100% agree.
45:20
SPEAKER_00: No matter how pessimistic I am about any of these bottom teams, winning the lottery changes everything.
45:27
SPEAKER_00: It genuinely does.
45:28
SPEAKER_00: And I got a report on my way to the office that Cooper Flag had to be helped off the court.
45:32
SPEAKER_00: So hopefully, fingers crossed, it's nothing serious and he can A, be able to play March Madness, and B, you know, it's not something that's gonna prevent him from doing anything in the NBA.
45:42
SPEAKER_00: But even the teams that I'm the least optimistic about their future, if you win the lottery, it immediately shifts.
45:49
SPEAKER_00: Like we talked about it last week, how the Utah Jazz are in year three of their rebuild and don't have any blue chip prospects right now.
45:56
SPEAKER_00: They have a blue chip prospect if they win the lottery.
45:59
SPEAKER_00: And that blue chip prospect, by all accounts, is really fucking good.
46:04
SPEAKER_00: So eliminate eliminating this current lottery, eliminate this current lottery because you win the lottery, damn it, things change.
46:10
SPEAKER_00: Just looking at these teams, which ones of the bottom feeders do I feel the most optimistic about?
46:14
SPEAKER_00: It's hard for me not.
46:16
SPEAKER_00: This is gonna sound crazy because the team has 13 wins right now.
46:18
SPEAKER_00: It's hard for me not to look at the Wizards.
46:20
SPEAKER_00: And I want to preface this by saying when I think about bottom feeders, I'm not thinking about the Blazers.
46:26
SPEAKER_00: You know, I'm not thinking about the Bulls, the 25 plus win teams.
46:30
SPEAKER_00: Because though they are not good basketball teams, they're obviously in a different point than a 15-win team, a 13-win team, an 18-win team.
46:37
SPEAKER_00: That's why I look at the bottom feeders.
46:38
SPEAKER_00: It's hard for me now to look at the Wizards and be like, I'm interested in some of the stuff they're doing.
46:42
SPEAKER_00: Now, some of the guys that I was really intrigued about, like a Balal Kulabali, has not been extremely impressive for a big chunk of the season, but I do like a lot of their young talent from Keyshawn George to Bub Carrington.
46:55
SPEAKER_00: I pray that Alex Sarr offense eventually becomes good, but the defensive side of the ball is like pretty damn incredible already.
47:02
SPEAKER_00: You just don't know because it's the Wizards, and you're not stopping anybody as a collective.
47:05
SPEAKER_00: But I really like Alex Sarr as a defensive prospect.
47:07
SPEAKER_00: And if we can ever just change the offensive side of the ball, I like him overall as an NBA player.
47:13
SPEAKER_00: You know, I look at like the picking the Pelicans is kind of a cheat code as well because they have like three max players on their roster already.
47:20
SPEAKER_00: Picking the the Raptors is kind of a cheat code.
47:23
SPEAKER_00: They also have near three max players because I'm thinking about the bottom, bottom teams.
47:27
SPEAKER_00: And the Wizards, the one I'm the most intrigued about.
47:29
SPEAKER_00: I'm not really excited about the Hornets because I could see them potentially moving LaMelo ball near in the near future, going into another rebuild within their rebuild.
47:38
SPEAKER_00: It's it's really the Wizards, man.
47:40
SPEAKER_00: It really is the Wizards.
47:41
SPEAKER_00: I don't know about the Brooklyn Nets, and I talked to Cam about this.
47:45
SPEAKER_00: Um, if you watch the other show, I was very adamant that that team was not gonna win 18 games, bro.
47:50
SPEAKER_00: And I told him to his face, like, bro, I ain't believing you, I ain't gonna lie.
47:53
SPEAKER_00: Um, but even then, I don't know who on their current roster in three years down the line is still on this team.
48:00
SPEAKER_00: And with them not, you know, trying to bottom out, which I can respect in some aspects, them not trying to bottom out, I'm not even sure if they're gonna get one of the blue chip prospects at the top of this draft.
48:09
SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure.
48:10
SPEAKER_00: So I would go, I would go with the the 13-win team to be the most optimistic about.
48:16
SPEAKER_00: That's just that's the stupidest thing I said on the show.
48:18
SPEAKER_00: Either way, that's it.
48:19
SPEAKER_00: Oh, before we get out of here, I got a question from Greg.
48:22
SPEAKER_00: A lot of MVP talk right now.
48:24
SPEAKER_00: What is your personal criteria for picking an MVP?
48:27
SPEAKER_00: Does it change year to year?
48:29
SPEAKER_00: It 100% changes year to year.
48:31
SPEAKER_00: I I'm not one of those people that would say best player, best team.
48:36
SPEAKER_00: I'm not one of those people that say best player in the world.
48:38
SPEAKER_00: I do believe that it has shifted for me year to year, and then that's okay.
48:44
SPEAKER_00: You know, right now we are March 13th, if I'm not mistaken, because of record this episode.
48:49
SPEAKER_00: We still got a month left of hoops.
48:51
SPEAKER_00: And I got asked this question yesterday as well, and my response to it was I this might be one of the few years where I have to go to the last day of the season to have my run my winner.
49:01
SPEAKER_00: There were times in the season where it was Shay.
49:03
SPEAKER_00: There was times in the season where it was Jokic.
49:06
SPEAKER_00: Right now, today, I'm probably going Shay, but three days ago, it was Jokic.
49:12
SPEAKER_00: You feel me?
49:13
SPEAKER_00: That is how close it has been for me.
49:15
SPEAKER_00: And like, I think Coach Mike Malone had a really good point when he said, if you erase everything, you erase the names, you erase the previous accolades of both of these players, and you just look at it and say, hey, here are the stats and the resume this season of two MVP candidates who is the winner.
49:31
SPEAKER_00: And the fact that Jokic is going to be one of the, I think he might be the first player to finish top five in pretty much every major category: points, rebounds, assists, right?
49:40
SPEAKER_00: Um, right?
49:42
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
49:43
SPEAKER_00: I think that I think that's what they said on the last broadcast versus OKC.
49:46
SPEAKER_00: Um he has a point.
49:49
SPEAKER_00: He genuinely just has a point.
49:50
SPEAKER_00: Forget narrative base, forget everything.
49:52
SPEAKER_00: And we talk about strictly the hoops, that is the best argument you can have for Jokic.
49:57
SPEAKER_00: Fuck the fact that he got three MVPs already.
49:59
SPEAKER_00: Don't even look at that.
50:00
SPEAKER_00: Here's player A and player B.
50:02
SPEAKER_00: I think 98 to 99% of people look at that Jokic and say, that's the MVP of the league.
50:08
SPEAKER_00: But it's not that simple, Mike.
50:09
SPEAKER_00: And you know it's not that simple.
50:11
SPEAKER_00: There are so many other factors when it comes to the MVP race.
50:14
SPEAKER_00: I genuinely think the fact that this is what we talked about earlier, the youngest, the absolute youngest team in basketball, and they are on pace to win over 60 games is a testament to uh Shea Gius Alexander.
50:30
SPEAKER_00: The fact that he is having the most efficient, one of the two most efficient guard seasons ever is a testament to Shea Gius Alexander.
50:38
SPEAKER_00: He will never be able to compete on the pure point per game, assist per game, rebound per game as Shea Gius Alexander.
50:44
SPEAKER_00: That's not who he is, as Jokic, that's not who he is as a player.
50:48
SPEAKER_00: But him having a higher two-point percentage than prime Shaquille O'Neal, I can't lie.
50:54
SPEAKER_00: I throw my hands up and say, God damn it, that's impressive.
50:57
SPEAKER_00: Them dominating as much as they have in this regular season, as we mentioned earlier, on pace to have the most double-digit wins in history.
51:05
SPEAKER_00: I look at that and say, hey, that's a testament to an MVP player and Shea Giuseander.
51:09
SPEAKER_00: There are certain things like that, and I'm not, that doesn't discredit the rest of the roster because the roster is so well built.
51:15
SPEAKER_00: To have this many young players that care mostly about winning and don't give a damn about personal accolades and stats is a testament to great coaching and also a testament to great drafts and everything.
51:24
SPEAKER_00: But I look at Shea and his ability to do these things, and then him and Jokic as well on this point can be nearly unguardable at spots.
51:36
SPEAKER_00: Nearly unguardable.
51:38
SPEAKER_00: The only thing I read an article this morning that was like the only thing that you can do to stop Shea Gildis Alexander is to blitz him.
51:47
SPEAKER_00: And you're like, why?
51:49
SPEAKER_00: Because that makes him get the ball out of his hands.
51:52
SPEAKER_00: That's it.
51:53
SPEAKER_00: You cannot switch, you cannot drop.
51:56
SPEAKER_00: You better blitz him and say somebody else make a play.
51:59
SPEAKER_00: That is insane to think about.
52:02
SPEAKER_00: That means there is zero holes in this offensive game.
52:06
SPEAKER_00: Now, Jokic, obviously, he's got the counting stats.
52:09
SPEAKER_00: He's got the best player in the world title as well.
52:11
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes I know people that would literally vote on that.
52:14
SPEAKER_00: Some people give LeBron James eight straight uh MVPs because for eight straight years minimum, I'm just throwing out a number.
52:20
SPEAKER_00: For eight straight years, he was the best player in the world.
52:22
SPEAKER_00: And I can't say that they're wrong because traditionally the best player in the world, in most circumstances, are is going to be the most valuable at the same time.
52:30
SPEAKER_00: I'm still up for grabs, though.
52:33
SPEAKER_00: I don't have an official vote.
52:35
SPEAKER_00: But I'm not one that would have casted a vote already based on, you know, 60-some games.
52:40
SPEAKER_00: I genuinely might need all 82, man.
52:42
SPEAKER_00: And I don't think there is a single year where I felt this way.
52:44
SPEAKER_00: Last year I felt pretty, let me go back through the history of MVPs.
52:48
SPEAKER_00: Um because I think that the the only times that I felt this way, like Jokic, I was pretty good about that.
52:55
SPEAKER_00: Joel and B went down to the wire, but I don't even think it was this close.
52:58
SPEAKER_00: Like I was teamed Joel and B two years ago for MVP as well.
53:02
SPEAKER_00: Um, if we think about it as a regular season ward, I thought that on paper statistics, like the traditional counter stats, he had him beat Jokic B and the advanced stats had Yoke uh had and beat in this year.
53:15
SPEAKER_00: And that was the only time in out there history of battling for MVP that that was the case.
53:19
SPEAKER_00: Then I had Jokic year before.
53:20
SPEAKER_00: I had Jokic year before.
53:21
SPEAKER_00: I had Yon.
53:22
SPEAKER_00: Like the only other year that I can remember feeling this and like undecided about was 2016-2017.
53:29
SPEAKER_00: And that was the Russell Westbrook year.
53:30
SPEAKER_00: Kenny, what are you talking about?
53:31
SPEAKER_00: Because Russell Westbrook after Triple Dev, the first person to do that.
53:34
SPEAKER_00: I was in that year, and I've made videos about this, I was pretty pro-James Harden winning MVP that season.
53:40
SPEAKER_00: And I think if you go back and watch our episode, this is very early stages of our show.
53:46
SPEAKER_00: I think in our award show, I went James Harden as my MVP.
53:50
SPEAKER_00: It wasn't easy.
53:51
SPEAKER_00: It wasn't easy at all.
53:52
SPEAKER_00: And I made a video about this um like two years ago, kind of reflecting on that year as a whole.
53:57
SPEAKER_00: Um, but every other year, I felt pretty good about a Curry MVP, a curry MVP, a Giannis MVP, a Giannis MVP, James Harden's MVP.
54:04
SPEAKER_00: This year, it'll go either way.
54:06
SPEAKER_00: And I won't feel upset about who ends up winning it when it's all said and done.
54:10
SPEAKER_00: Uh speaking of said and done, that's me.
54:12
SPEAKER_00: That's it.
54:12
SPEAKER_00: That's the end of this episode of Smallball with Kenny Beecher Man.
54:15
SPEAKER_00: Go out there, watch some college hoops this week.
54:19
SPEAKER_00: Um, watch some baseball early next week, even if it's not your sports.
54:23
SPEAKER_00: Give it, give it a go.
54:24
SPEAKER_00: Actually, no.
54:25
SPEAKER_00: Watch some baseball highlights.
54:27
SPEAKER_00: Don't sit down and watch a full game if this is something you're not interested in.
54:30
SPEAKER_00: Highlights are one of those things for baseball that I recommend for people.
54:33
SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't recommend basketball highlights.
54:34
SPEAKER_00: I recommend you watch the games because it's so boom, boom, boom.
54:37
SPEAKER_00: Baseball ain't got that just yet.
54:38
SPEAKER_00: And maybe never will.
54:39
SPEAKER_00: But get in tune with baseball, man.
54:40
SPEAKER_00: Get in tune with Kyler Toops.
54:42
SPEAKER_00: Get in tune with uh small ball with Kenny Beachum.
54:45
SPEAKER_00: Get in tune with numbers on the board.
54:46
SPEAKER_00: Get in tune with tee it up with Pierre and Drees.
54:47
SPEAKER_00: If I'm not mistaken, they just dropped their episode with Ty Jerome.
54:51
SPEAKER_00: Let me let me see if that dropped today or not.
54:52
SPEAKER_00: Um, and maybe I'm spoiling it.
54:54
SPEAKER_00: Ugh.
54:55
SPEAKER_00: Um, but whatever.
54:56
SPEAKER_00: He had Ty Jerome in studio.
54:58
SPEAKER_00: And yes, it just dropped.
54:59
SPEAKER_00: All right, so yeah, go watch that episode with Ty Jerome.
55:01
SPEAKER_00: I have not watched it just yet, but Pierre is one of the best in the world when it comes to interviewing, so check that out.
55:05
SPEAKER_00: And I will see y'all next week.
55:08
SPEAKER_00: Peace.