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Our Philadelphia 76ers Season Preview! (PST Episode 589) · The Philadelphia Sports Table | Philly Sports News & Views

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: What's up, everybody. It's Jeff here.
• 0:02
  Speaker 2: I wanted to let you know this podcast episode was
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: recorded on Wednesday, October twenty third, twenty twenty four, so
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: by the time you hear this, some things may have
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: changed here or there, but we hope you enjoy the show.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: Welcome to the Philadelphia Sports Table podcast show, the longest
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: running weekly Philly sports podcast show in the world, eleven
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: and a half years strong. We got a great show
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: for you this week. We got a ton of Eagles
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: talk to get into with regard to some key defensive
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: players that I don't know if they've been getting too
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: much love yet this year, but we're gonna be discussing them.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: We're gonna talk about Jalen Hurts as well.
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: Then we're gonna talk about some unfortunate youth deaths this
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: year in contact sports throughout the United States, and you know,
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: we're gonna give some thoughts on that.
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: And we're also gonna get into some Phillies talk too.
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: Is the championship window now closed for the Philadelphia Phillies
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: as we're moving forward? And then from there, we've got
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: our seat excuse me, geez, We've got our Sixers season preview. Yes,
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: the the regular season has started. We've got our first
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: Philadelphia seventy six ers game in the books. No Joe
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: El Embiid, no Paul George. But we're still gonna do
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: our season preview.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: Here.
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: I'm Jeff Warren, I'm here, my good body, Eric Leonard Eric.
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: It really it really did stink watching that first game
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: of the season Embid and Paul George. But yeah, I mean,
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: we're gonna get into it later. It kind kind of
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: kind of stunk without them out there on the court
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: for the first game of the season.
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: Not kind of. I mean, imagine dropping some serious cash
• 2:04
  Speaker 3: on the home opener.
• 2:05
  Speaker 4: You know, you've got this awesome team and.
• 2:08
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and then I would say, what two of your
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: top three players got be? Maxi's the secondest player, aren't
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: even playing, And it's just just kind of sad. I
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: did text my brother Maxi's going to score forty and
• 2:21
  Speaker 3: we lose by fifteen.
• 2:23
  Speaker 4: Yeah, they lost by fifteen.
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: Use of the most dramas of shit. Really, Yes, I'm
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: able to pret bad stuff like right, MAXI.
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: Was having a rough first regular season game too. Man,
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: A lot of shots just not falling. I mean, I
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: don't know what a shooting percentage was but I felt
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: like it was like twelve tonight or something.
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: Well, you know, when when there's only one guy on
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: the team you can score and he's sixty three, you
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: can kind of put your large defenders on him, like
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: you're honesty was seven feet tall and kind of shut
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: him down there. But it's it's not the end of
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: the world. It's one game and some of the world
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: players shows some good stuff. But we're gonna do it now. Yeah,
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: not much you wanted to start with.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: Right exactly, we'll get We're gonna get into our six
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: or season preview in a bit. We've got Sean Bernard
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: from Fox Sports Phillies the Gambler. He's gonna start us
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: off with our season preview, and then Eric and I
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: are gonna dive into some things, give some predictions with
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: regard to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Western Conference Finals.
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: Who's gonna make it to the NBA Finals and be
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: the NBA champion this year? So we've got that coming.
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: But first and foremost, let's get into this Philadelphia Eagles team.
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: What we've seen from this four and two season thus
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: far kind of doesn't feel like it. But I'll tell
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: you wanted to get into right off the bat here
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: with regard to this team, two rookies that Howie Roseman
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: really hit on in terms of the secondary this season,
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: and they're gonna be long term pieces heading forward. On defense,
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: Cooper degen is developing nicely in the secondary, Quinnon Mitchell
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: is just completely shutting down wide receivers every weekend, week out.
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: And I don't think these draft picks necessarily are getting
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: enough talk within the world of Philly sports at this point. Look,
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: Cooper dejen is the highest graded defender on the Eagles
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: since becoming a starter. I know it's a small sample size,
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: but still it's it's significant. And with regard to Quinnon Mitchell,
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: our friend of the show, Brendan Dieg, who has been
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: on the podcast, he tweeted out this past week twenty
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: eight defensive backs have been targeted at least thirty three
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: times this season. Quinnon Mitchell ranks first out of those
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: twenty eight in passer rating allowed. He is a true
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: true star in the making. And he also we also
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: had another tweet that we read with regard to Quinnon
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: Mitchell in his first six NFL games. I think it
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: was from WIP. Actually, he's got a forty eight point
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: three completion percentage allowed. That is amazing. Fourteen receptions on
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: twenty nine targets only one hundred and four I'm sorry,
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: one hundred and ninety seven yards allowed, one hundred and
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: fifty five air yards, forty two yards after contact, zero
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: touchdowns allowed. He's he has right now a seventy point
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: six quarterback rating allowed. Quintain Mitchell also has had six
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: passes defended, twenty four tackles, only two miss tackles, and
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: he's played ninety seven percent of snaps. These stats are
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: really significant, Eric, when we're talking about these key pieces
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: to the defense. And again, these guys are only rookies.
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: These guys are only rookies, and they are playing some
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: really good football for this team, and I just I
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: don't think they're getting enough love, and I wanted to
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: bring it to more folks' attention out there, and again
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: some on Twitter have been talking about it here and there,
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: but I think the general, you know, your casual Eagles fan,
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: they're not talking about these guys too much, and we
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: really need to start talking about him and focusing on
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: them more.
• 5:50
  Speaker 3: I think, oh for sure, and you know, for all
• 5:55
  Speaker 3: the all the crap. We've given how he on the
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: show recently. Yeah, some of the signs like Devin White
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: that he appears to have hit an absolute home run
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: with Mitchell, he's he's already got that like kind of
• 6:09
  Speaker 3: Ledo Shepherd feel. Yeah, he just fits perfectly on the
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: team Shepherd played. I think Shepherd was playing from day
• 6:15
  Speaker 3: one and just never kind of left the position for
• 6:18
  Speaker 3: what eight seasons something like that. He's a rookie. I mean,
• 6:23
  Speaker 3: I think the four years of college really helped him,
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: and he came in with a with a real chip
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: on his shoulder. He plays like it, and I you know,
• 6:31
  Speaker 3: he doesn't have the flashy interception stats. He doesn't even
• 6:34
  Speaker 3: have one, but that's honestly because like they're not throwing
• 6:37
  Speaker 3: the ball his way.
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, he should have had a few already,
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: quite frankly in a few of the games.
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: I mean C. J.
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: Gardner Johnson took one completely away from him in the
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: Giants game, which was awful.
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, And you know, and he's gonna be gonna be
• 6:52
  Speaker 3: tested this weekend, you know, coming up against Burrow and
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: Chase and T. Higgins. But that's what you expect from
• 7:00
  Speaker 3: first round pick, Like you you would expect, you know,
• 7:03
  Speaker 3: Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter kind of do the same
• 7:06
  Speaker 3: thing because the higher pedigree, you know, should and step
• 7:10
  Speaker 3: in and played like they like they should be day one,
• 7:13
  Speaker 3: Like Jalen Carter's doing well. Jordan Davis kind of shaky,
• 7:16
  Speaker 3: but like this is exactly what you expected from this kid.
• 7:19
  Speaker 3: And it's just nice for once to be like we
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: drafted the right player. He stepped right in. He's already
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: better than the veterans that he's playing with, you know,
• 7:27
  Speaker 3: the other cornerbacks, and it's like, man, that is such
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: an important position in the NFL. Like, look at Minnesota's defense,
• 7:34
  Speaker 3: they have a great secondary. All the good defenses you
• 7:37
  Speaker 3: know across the NFL have players, and you get one
• 7:41
  Speaker 3: of them steps right in and just understands the system
• 7:45
  Speaker 3: and you know, and they believe. The Eagles had some
• 7:49
  Speaker 3: awful past defense games. I mean, just look at the
• 7:51
  Speaker 3: Buccaneers game that was that was horrendous. But I don't
• 7:54
  Speaker 3: think Mitchell was all that bad in any of those games, right,
• 7:58
  Speaker 3: And yeah, so again, what a nice thing to have
• 8:01
  Speaker 3: a cornerback you might have for like the next ten
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: years because it's such an important spot.
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: We should have known it with Quinnon Mitchell right when
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: he was drafted.
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: When right when he was drafted, Usually guys get excited,
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: you know, they get that smile, maybe they maybe they
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: get a tear rolling down their eye because it's it's
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: their dream coming true. Now, Quinnon Mitchell, he just looked serious.
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: He was like, that's it. I'm going to training camp.
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: I'm gonna actually, I'm gonna go to ot As first,
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: then I'm going to training camp. I'm serious here, I'm
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: not screwing around at all. We should have known this
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: right after he was drafted.
• 8:32
  Speaker 3: Yeah, listen, I'm not I'm not comparing him to my
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: favorite Eagle of all time, Brian Dawkins, but right a
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: right similar thing. Dawkins was the second round, and I
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: like the fact that Mitchell went to a smaller school
• 8:44
  Speaker 3: kind of probably puts, like I said, that chip on
• 8:46
  Speaker 3: his shoulder. But Dawkins came in all business day one,
• 8:50
  Speaker 3: you know, and he was he was starting safety pretty
• 8:52
  Speaker 3: quickly and really showing flashes and he's, I mean, Mitchell's
• 8:57
  Speaker 3: not the athlete Dawkins wasn't. He was returning kicks or
• 8:59
  Speaker 3: pun for goodness sakes, But same kind of feel, just
• 9:04
  Speaker 3: in terms of like personality, just here to do a job,
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: not just a job, but like like excel quickly and
• 9:11
  Speaker 3: hopefully spend like his entire career there. The fact that
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: Dawkins left still makes me sick to my Stomach's an
• 9:16
  Speaker 3: Eagles fan, yep, But like I had that thought when
• 9:19
  Speaker 3: I looked at the Jena, I'm like, he kind of
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: reminds me of Dawkins. Obviously not he's not going to
• 9:23
  Speaker 3: be a Hall of Famer. He could, he could be,
• 9:24
  Speaker 3: but like not to that level. But it's just kind
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: of the same way coming out of college, and just
• 9:29
  Speaker 3: like I'm not here to fuck around. Yeah, this is
• 9:31
  Speaker 3: a job and I'm gonna I'm gonna do I'm I
• 9:34
  Speaker 3: want to dominate in my position.
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: So all right, Well, we also wanted to talk about
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: Jalen Hurts as well, and I think it's it's important
• 9:42
  Speaker 2: for us as Eagles fans to start realizing after the
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: years that he has not only been in the league,
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: but the years that he's been under center as the
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: Eagles quarterback.
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: I mean, I think we.
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: Need to start coming around to the conclusion folks, that
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: Jalen Hurts, Yes, he's going to be hanging on to
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: the ball for way too long. We've been talking about
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: for a long time with him and the fact that
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: he never utilizes the middle of the field. I think Eric,
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: we need to start coming around to the conclusion that
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: this is the type of quarterback that he is. But
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: I'm going to say this too. The past two games
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: that this team has won and they have beat other teams, yes,
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: much lesser teams in my opinion, but he has not
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: turned the ball over. When Jalen Hurts doesn't turn the
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: ball over, this team is twelve and one. That's pretty significant.
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: And regardless of where he's throwing the ball on the field,
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: whether it's the middle of the field, whether it's outside
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: the hash marks, when he doesn't turn the ball over,
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: the Eagles generally win. So I think we all need
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: to really start coming to the conclusion that this team
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: can win if he doesn't.
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: Throw the ball over the middle of the field.
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: Do I want to see him throwing the ball over
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: the middle of the field to Dallas Goddard on intermediate
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: type routes. Do I want to see Devonte Smith over
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: the middle again on intermediate routes and in some meshing
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: routes as well. Yes, I would love to see that.
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: But man, he just loves throwing to the outside, and
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: we're gonna continue to see that, folks, if it hasn't
• 11:11
  Speaker 2: happened now at this point in his career. This is
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: Jalen Hurts. This is Jalen Hurtson. Yes, he does hang
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: on to the ball for quite some time. He never
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: breaks contain, He's always in the pocket, doesn't step up
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: into that second pocket. And this is just his game.
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: It's his game at this point. But the Eagles can
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: and do win with him again when he doesn't turn
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: the ball over. So I just kind of wanted to,
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: you know, get that discussion started, Eric, get your thoughts
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: on it too, because I'm getting to the point where
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: it's just like, yeah, this is just how it's gonna
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: be from from here on out with Jalen Hurts.
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: I don't know. Do you have any thoughts here, buddy?
• 11:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, And I'll tie it into uh I thought I've
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: had about you know, Dallas Goddard's been a confusing player
• 11:55
  Speaker 3: for the past two seasons, especially this year.
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: It's a good way to put it.
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: Yeah, when he was the focal point of the offense.
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: Was it the Buccaneers game? I forget what game he
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: had a ton of yards and where's the Saints game?
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: And it was like, wow, man, he's he can, He's
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: he's got some skills, right, And then I was thinking
• 12:15
  Speaker 3: like is he better than we think? Or is Jalen
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: Hurts not good at utilizing the middle of the field?
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: Like which which one is it? Or is it both
• 12:22
  Speaker 3: at the same time? Right? I think the two kind
• 12:25
  Speaker 3: of go hand in hand. And Jalen Hurts is like
• 12:29
  Speaker 3: I'm gonna quote one of your favorite movies JFK, Like
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: he's an enigma wrapped in a riddle. There are times
• 12:35
  Speaker 3: he looks amazing. There are times where I'm like, did
• 12:39
  Speaker 3: we draft this guy in the seventh round two years ago?
• 12:41
  Speaker 3: Like what the hell does that pass? He makes awful
• 12:45
  Speaker 3: decisions and a lot of his most times is when
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: he holds the ball too long in the pocket and
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: doesn't you utilize the middle of the field. It's he's
• 12:53
  Speaker 3: a confusing player. And I do like the fact that
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: he's going up against two pretty bad defenses here in
• 13:00
  Speaker 3: a row. Giants or Not are not stellar at all.
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: The Bengals defense is pure garbage. So let's let's see, Like,
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: let's let's let's see him up against some more lesser
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: mediocre defenses. So if you can kind of again like
• 13:13
  Speaker 3: getting a rhythm like that, that's the thing with him.
• 13:15
  Speaker 3: I don't feel like he's been in a rhythm since
• 13:18
  Speaker 3: like the middle of last season.
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, I agree with you. And look, folks,
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: the team is four and two. Sometimes it doesn't feel
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: like that given some of these games. Four and two
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: not too bad, especially where the NFC East is at
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: this point. So moving along with a conversation here, I
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: don't I don't know, do you have any other actually,
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: do you have any other Eagles talk Eric before we
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: head to the next discussion point here.
• 13:42
  Speaker 3: Uh, they're kind of boring.
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: The offense really is boring.
• 13:46
  Speaker 3: Yeah, the offense is really boring.
• 13:48
  Speaker 4: The defense.
• 13:49
  Speaker 3: Maybe the defense is rounding into something kind of gelling. Maybe.
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: I don't know if you can put any stock in
• 13:55
  Speaker 3: that Giants game. But they did kick their asses, you know,
• 13:57
  Speaker 3: and the Giants have been playing pretty well. But but overall,
• 14:01
  Speaker 3: like that the Kellen Moore thing him being a genius
• 14:07
  Speaker 3: and that, you like, the nerds online like the Eagles
• 14:10
  Speaker 3: got this smartest guy, did they? Not sure? I am
• 14:14
  Speaker 3: not seeing anything special for this offense I didn't see
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: last year.
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: Ye're absolutely correct.
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: We saw in the first game of the season, Denniver's
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: against Green Bay Packers.
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: We saw a lot of motion.
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: We saw a lot of that pre snap motion stuff
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: that we were all talking about and wanting misdirection, keep
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: the defenses on their toes. We just we just really
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: haven't seen it. Since we haven't, it's it's like you said,
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: it's really been a boring offense, and it's kind of
• 14:38
  Speaker 2: kind of you're just like, oh my god, this play again.
• 14:42
  Speaker 3: And they did it in quicksand in the first game
• 14:44
  Speaker 3: of the year. Yeah, so even more special. But now,
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: I mean again the last game you throw out. But
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: like I guess you just have to let you like
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: Barkley Moore, are we just are we a running team first?
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: Yes?
• 14:56
  Speaker 3: And then but we have two awesome explosive receivers. So
• 14:59
  Speaker 3: what the offense, I don't don't get it.
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: It's definitely a run first offense. We're starting to see that.
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: We're definitely seeing that for sure. So all right, Well,
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: the next topic we wanted to get into this week,
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: and it deals with you know, youth sports. You know,
• 15:14
  Speaker 2: we'd like talking about youth sports every now and again
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: on this show. Eric has talked about a number of
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: times the coaching endeavors that he has been on regard
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: to youth basketball, youth baseball. But it's it's unfortunate, it's
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: tragic that youth deaths this year in playing contact sports
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: have really really put a spotlight once again on whether
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: or not kids should be playing these kind of sports
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: growing up. And we wanted to, you know, give our
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: thoughts on this because head injuries have really continued to
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: plague youth football so far this school year. A middle
• 15:48
  Speaker 2: school player in West Virginia and a high school football
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: player in Alabama have died from head injuries. And State
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: of California, you know there, look at California, as we
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: always know, you know, legislatively, they're looking to do stuff,
• 16:01
  Speaker 2: Gavin News looking to do stuff. They're looking at there.
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: There's an effort to potentially ban tackling in high school
• 16:07
  Speaker 2: football that has been met with pretty strong resistance. I
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: don't think something like that is gonna happen. There's been
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: a state bill in California banning children under twelve from
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: playing football that was scrapped earlier this year after the
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: governor there, Gavin Newsom said that he would actually veto it.
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: But we're bringing this up because, yes, we're still seeing
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: tragedies happen with our kids throughout the United States, even
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: though even though things have gotten better, quote better in
• 16:38
  Speaker 2: terms of full contact sports, there's more awareness. Coaches are
• 16:43
  Speaker 2: now better trained to look for signs of head injuries
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: in a number of youth leagues throughout the United States
• 16:49
  Speaker 2: from an article that we actually read from KPBS. And
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: you know, Eric, I think you as a youth coach too,
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: you know what to look for in terms of injuries
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: with kids. There's more and more awareness just in general
• 17:04
  Speaker 2: about what's happening with kids to keep them safe. But
• 17:08
  Speaker 2: the thing is, we want our kids playing sports, we do,
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: you know, I mean, we want them to socialize with
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: other kids. We want them to have that physical activity
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: instead of just being on their phones or devices all
• 17:20
  Speaker 2: day or playing video games. We want them to be active.
• 17:24
  Speaker 2: So I don't know that we're still talking about this
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: fine line with regard to youth sports and kids safety here.
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: I don't know if you had any thoughts on this. Again,
• 17:36
  Speaker 2: you being a youth coach, I know you don't coach
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: youth football, but we're still seeing deaths, but I do
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: think things in general have gotten better over the years
• 17:44
  Speaker 2: in terms of kids safety and youth safety within sports.
• 17:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean I just started practice yesterday. I'm gonna
• 17:52
  Speaker 3: be coaching basketball for the next eight months.
• 17:54
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I really am.
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: I'm laughing. I'm sorry.
• 17:59
  Speaker 2: I know you're stories from the past few years and
• 18:02
  Speaker 2: you're I remember a couple of I'm not I'm never
• 18:05
  Speaker 2: doing this again.
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: Here we go.
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and I first practice, you know, sixty nine jokes and.
• 18:16
  Speaker 4: Making they have no idea, they talking about whatever. That
• 18:18
  Speaker 4: part of it's fun.
• 18:19
  Speaker 3: But the you know, I for for both like youth
• 18:23
  Speaker 3: league and then like AU basketball, like you have to
• 18:25
  Speaker 3: do a lot of injuries and any kind of any
• 18:30
  Speaker 3: kid possibly being hurt is definitely in the consciousness as coach,
• 18:34
  Speaker 3: way more than when I was a kid. You know
• 18:36
  Speaker 3: that that was the rub dirt on it and get
• 18:38
  Speaker 3: up kind of deal. But now, I mean, even in basketball,
• 18:41
  Speaker 3: you can you can really get hurt. There's no helmets,
• 18:44
  Speaker 3: there's no there's no protection, has nothing on you. You
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: can bang heads and it can be really ugly. But
• 18:51
  Speaker 3: football seems to will be the one that everyone focuses on.
• 18:55
  Speaker 3: But there's there's really no good answer, because you know,
• 19:00
  Speaker 3: we were still reading these stories of kids dying from
• 19:03
  Speaker 3: playing sports, and I know, just ten years ago before
• 19:08
  Speaker 3: kind of all the changes happen, like where everything is
• 19:10
  Speaker 3: flag football at.
• 19:11
  Speaker 4: Youth league level.
• 19:12
  Speaker 3: I remember buddies of mine on Facebook posting videos of
• 19:15
  Speaker 3: their kids like playing linebacker a youth league and just
• 19:18
  Speaker 3: crushing another kid, right, and then like five years ago
• 19:22
  Speaker 3: it just stopped, maybe six you don't see that anymore.
• 19:25
  Speaker 3: And the youth league fields are near my house and
• 19:28
  Speaker 3: I'll walk the dog by and I'm like, it's just flag.
• 19:31
  Speaker 3: There's no tackling, it's straight up offense. The offensive line
• 19:36
  Speaker 3: even kind of the day don't even really do much.
• 19:38
  Speaker 3: There's not much going on. And what I'll say is like,
• 19:43
  Speaker 3: I don't think you're ever going to avoid those deaths
• 19:45
  Speaker 3: at that level or even the high school level. The
• 19:49
  Speaker 3: one thing, and you know, I'm probably going to be
• 19:51
  Speaker 3: like going opposite direction here, is like, are these kids
• 19:56
  Speaker 3: prepared to play football the way it actually get, the
• 19:58
  Speaker 3: way it's actually played when go to the next level.
• 20:01
  Speaker 2: That's a really good statement because yeah, I really quick,
• 20:04
  Speaker 2: you know, I mean I said earlier that you know,
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: coaches are getting better with noticing things. But then again,
• 20:10
  Speaker 2: I go to football games, and I was at a
• 20:12
  Speaker 2: number of football games. My daughter is a cheerleader, and
• 20:15
  Speaker 2: I'm watching some of these kids tackle, and they're not
• 20:17
  Speaker 2: tackling properly. They should be getting lower tackling. Meanwhile, they're
• 20:22
  Speaker 2: just like crunching, crunching the other kids up top, and
• 20:26
  Speaker 2: there's helmets going up against each other, and I'm like,
• 20:29
  Speaker 2: what the hell's going on. It's like, you know, the
• 20:31
  Speaker 2: coaches are trying to teach the kids how to actually tackle,
• 20:35
  Speaker 2: you know, they're doing it during practice, but the kids
• 20:37
  Speaker 2: just aren't doing it during the course of a game.
• 20:39
  Speaker 2: It was terrible that I swear to got our middle
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: school football team. They're horrendous.
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: They're terrible.
• 20:45
  Speaker 2: And like you said, there's that fine line, you know,
• 20:48
  Speaker 2: you just you know, you don't it's never gonna go away.
• 20:53
  Speaker 2: It's probably never gonna go away with full contact sports,
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: the tragedies, that's what I mean.
• 20:58
  Speaker 3: Well, you're middle school. Can you give me some tips
• 21:01
  Speaker 3: next time? So I make some bets.
• 21:03
  Speaker 2: Yeah, bet against bet against my daughter the middle school
• 21:09
  Speaker 2: all the time.
• 21:11
  Speaker 3: But you know, again, I have coached baseball and basketball
• 21:14
  Speaker 3: and everything, and there's steps to it all. You know,
• 21:16
  Speaker 3: when you start coaching kids at fourth grade, most can't
• 21:19
  Speaker 3: use their off hand in basketball.
• 21:20
  Speaker 4: Yeah, by the next season, you want to.
• 21:22
  Speaker 3: You want them to at least have a good handle
• 21:24
  Speaker 3: of like he's in their left hand, you want him to.
• 21:28
  Speaker 3: They need to know where to be on defense ball
• 21:29
  Speaker 3: you man like kind of sheldle stuff. It takes time,
• 21:32
  Speaker 3: Like by sixth grade they should be aware that they
• 21:34
  Speaker 3: should have all that down. By the time they hit
• 21:36
  Speaker 3: seventh grade, they're ready to go to the next level.
• 21:39
  Speaker 3: I do wonder if, like, if we we're just do
• 21:41
  Speaker 3: flag football till seventh grade, how how would you tackle?
• 21:44
  Speaker 3: Because you don't know how to tackle unless you have
• 21:46
  Speaker 3: some need showing you how to do it. And of
• 21:48
  Speaker 3: course I think you're in initial instick would be like
• 21:51
  Speaker 3: running face first. I've never like you're taught to go
• 21:56
  Speaker 3: low and take the legs out like that's that. I
• 21:58
  Speaker 3: mean I played two years of like seventh eighth grade football,
• 22:02
  Speaker 3: and you know that was that was it? Like you
• 22:03
  Speaker 3: learned how to do it there. Yeah, but yeah, I
• 22:07
  Speaker 3: and like I said, there's still accidents happening, you know,
• 22:09
  Speaker 3: and they were way back in the day. Too, is
• 22:11
  Speaker 3: we just didn't know as much about it. I don't
• 22:14
  Speaker 3: know an answer that that's the problem, but I I
• 22:17
  Speaker 3: do think it's detrimental to the kids at the next
• 22:20
  Speaker 3: level not getting at least some like maybe they do
• 22:23
  Speaker 3: in practice. I don't know, but for everything I've ever seen,
• 22:25
  Speaker 3: it's always like you're.
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: Tackled, like yeah, the flag right exactly?
• 22:31
  Speaker 2: All right, Well, uh, we are going to take a
• 22:33
  Speaker 2: quick break, but quickly. If you are new to listening
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: to us, we'd appreciate if you would subscribe on whatever
• 22:39
  Speaker 2: podcast platform you're on. If you like the content that
• 22:41
  Speaker 2: you're hearing, you can always head on over as well
• 22:44
  Speaker 2: to Philadelphia Sports Table dot com.
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: We've got all of our shows over there.
• 22:47
  Speaker 2: Shoot us off an email about anything in the world
• 22:49
  Speaker 2: of Philly sports you'd like us to get into, or
• 22:51
  Speaker 2: if you have a response to anything we're talking about.
• 22:54
  Speaker 2: Philadelphia Sports Table at gmail dot com, and feel free
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: to follow us on social sites out there. Eric and
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: I are both on the Twitter slash x. I'm there
• 23:03
  Speaker 2: at Jeffrey Underscore Warren. Eric is there at Brick Pollot
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: the Show at Philadelphia PST. We're on threads too. Eric's
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: on threads at Slen ten twenty three. I'm at mister
• 23:15
  Speaker 2: Jeff Warren and the show Philadelphia Sports Table. You can
• 23:18
  Speaker 2: like our Facebook page. We are on Instagram as well.
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: Search us out there. We're gonna take that break now,
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: we'll be back in just a bit. All right, we
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: are back, and we want to get into a discussion
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: before our six er season preview with regard to the
• 23:35
  Speaker 2: Philadelphia Phillies and whether or not the championship window is
• 23:41
  Speaker 2: coming to a close for this team, because, you know,
• 23:45
  Speaker 2: as heartbreaking as this past postseason was, Eric, the regular
• 23:54
  Speaker 2: season was quite good, especially the first half of the season.
• 24:00
  Speaker 2: This team still has elite pitching. The starting rotation is
• 24:04
  Speaker 2: still among the best in the game of baseball. The bullpen,
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: I think is going to be very serviceable, if not,
• 24:12
  Speaker 2: you know, a top top ten bullpen for sure. And
• 24:16
  Speaker 2: I think John Middleton is going to still spend some
• 24:19
  Speaker 2: very good money because he's a very good owner. In
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: this off season. Now, I think the Phillies need prospects
• 24:27
  Speaker 2: like Andrew Painter to hit and that and that pathway
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: to sustainability I think needs to start coming from the
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: farm system, which leads me to believe that you know,
• 24:39
  Speaker 2: no I don't think the championship window is closed for
• 24:43
  Speaker 2: the Philadelphia Phillies. I know there have been some folks
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: out in the the Phillies sports talk radio world that
• 24:49
  Speaker 2: have said, oh, it's closed. I think there's a guy,
• 24:51
  Speaker 2: John Marks, you know, who said that. I don't know
• 24:54
  Speaker 2: who's agree with the guy. Of course, I really don't
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: care about the guy, quite frankly.
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: But closed.
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: But no, the Phillies still have a window I believe
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: into being a successful team in the postseason where that
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: I think can still win a World Series. But the
• 25:11
  Speaker 2: one thing, too, Eric, is that Bryce Harper needs to
• 25:14
  Speaker 2: remain at an elite level. I mean, we've spent the
• 25:17
  Speaker 2: last two months of the season watching him basically wins
• 25:20
  Speaker 2: every other game, you know, because he's got one of
• 25:23
  Speaker 2: the most violent swings in the game of baseball. I'm
• 25:26
  Speaker 2: worried about his health. I'm worried about his back, his elbow,
• 25:28
  Speaker 2: his wrists, because the guy is just violent when he's
• 25:31
  Speaker 2: at the plate. But other than Bryce Harper, I think,
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: you know, Kyle Schwarber is still going to be fantastic.
• 25:37
  Speaker 2: They may even want to extend him at this point,
• 25:40
  Speaker 2: you know, maybe another year or two for him, and
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: again the pitching is pretty elite on this team. I
• 25:45
  Speaker 2: don't think the championship window is closed, like Summer saying
• 25:48
  Speaker 2: out there, I don't know what are your thoughts here?
• 25:50
  Speaker 3: What does Harper do though? And that's how he's played
• 25:53
  Speaker 3: baseball since he was fifteen, you know what I mean. Yeah,
• 25:56
  Speaker 3: it's like telling j not to dunk, like just that's
• 26:00
  Speaker 3: not how it works. I'll say this about the door,
• 26:03
  Speaker 3: the window of the Phillies. I've thought about this quite
• 26:07
  Speaker 3: a bit since they ruined my October. It's not closed.
• 26:12
  Speaker 3: That's that's too harsh of a term. The team is
• 26:15
  Speaker 3: veteran laden, but there's still really they're still really all
• 26:18
  Speaker 3: high performers. I mean, Wheeler was cy young material. You know,
• 26:23
  Speaker 3: Nola pitched really well. Some guys are some guys are
• 26:27
  Speaker 3: past their prime for sure. I mean the catcher's toast
• 26:30
  Speaker 3: in my opinion.
• 26:31
  Speaker 1: Yeah, JT Realmuto, Yeah.
• 26:33
  Speaker 4: Trey Turner is still a pussy.
• 26:36
  Speaker 3: But by the way, I was flipping through Netflix the
• 26:39
  Speaker 3: other night and there's a twenty five minute documentary from
• 26:43
  Speaker 3: some Philadelphia fan Trey Turner, Like it's it was. It's
• 26:47
  Speaker 3: about the story of him, like getting everyone to cheer
• 26:49
  Speaker 3: for Trey Turner when he was having a bad time.
• 26:51
  Speaker 3: Oh god does it go?
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: Oh goet. This is on Netflix.
• 26:55
  Speaker 3: It's on Netflix. I'm gonna watch it. It'll make me
• 26:58
  Speaker 3: ill to my stomach. The points we made after the loss,
• 27:02
  Speaker 3: you know, last whatever, what show after show that was,
• 27:06
  Speaker 3: I just I can't, like, we already went through this.
• 27:10
  Speaker 3: The guy just has to perform. Yes, the fact that
• 27:13
  Speaker 3: that was even made it pisses me off. Yes, But
• 27:16
  Speaker 3: having said all that, seeing the two teams that are
• 27:19
  Speaker 3: in the World Series now younger, better, like higher payroll,
• 27:25
  Speaker 3: I think we missed our window in terms of going
• 27:28
  Speaker 3: up again, like where there was more, but there it
• 27:32
  Speaker 3: was more. There was more of a median right, you
• 27:34
  Speaker 3: didn't have you didn't have the top tier teams that
• 27:37
  Speaker 3: paid a ship ton of money and also were successful.
• 27:41
  Speaker 3: You know, they should have beat Houston in the World Series.
• 27:44
  Speaker 3: They should have beat Arizona, who was just kind of
• 27:46
  Speaker 3: they weren't great teams Like that was your I think
• 27:48
  Speaker 3: that was more of your hope of actually getting a
• 27:50
  Speaker 3: World Series ring when you had the best roster and
• 27:54
  Speaker 3: the other teams you were playing against which just weren't
• 27:56
  Speaker 3: just weren't as good, right, It was just kind of
• 27:58
  Speaker 3: I forgot the term is but just kind of in
• 28:00
  Speaker 3: the middle right.
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 28:01
  Speaker 3: And now watching the Yankees with all the big names
• 28:04
  Speaker 3: and they're they're pitching is awesome right now. And the
• 28:07
  Speaker 3: Dodgers just through the roof with the stars they have.
• 28:09
  Speaker 3: Are we going back to that time where those are
• 28:12
  Speaker 3: the teams that just go to the World Series all
• 28:15
  Speaker 3: the time?
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: Yeah?
• 28:16
  Speaker 3: And if so, we're a little another year older. We're
• 28:19
  Speaker 3: not as good as those teams. I think the window
• 28:21
  Speaker 3: closed a little more. But still, you know, we still
• 28:24
  Speaker 3: have Andrew Payner, we have some good do some younger
• 28:27
  Speaker 3: guys can can stop give you something next year and
• 28:30
  Speaker 3: be kind of one of the younger can Alec Baum
• 28:32
  Speaker 3: not completely melt down in the second half. You gotta
• 28:34
  Speaker 3: get the younger guys.
• 28:35
  Speaker 4: Really got to step up.
• 28:36
  Speaker 3: But it does feel like it went from like an
• 28:39
  Speaker 3: inch open to like half an inch after the Yankees
• 28:42
  Speaker 3: and Dodgers made the World Series.
• 28:44
  Speaker 2: I think that's a good analogy. I think that I
• 28:46
  Speaker 2: think that's a good analogy. Yeah, I I I really,
• 28:51
  Speaker 2: I really think that the off season is going to
• 28:55
  Speaker 2: be really key to getting that you know, that that
• 28:57
  Speaker 2: half inch that you're talking about perhaps opening up a
• 29:00
  Speaker 2: little bit more. And I know it sounds bizarre, And
• 29:03
  Speaker 2: there was a lot of a lot of chatter on
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: the on the on the Twitter about one Juan Soto
• 29:09
  Speaker 2: and what is gonna happen there. I'll tell you right now, Eric,
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: I could see John Middleton going in and saying, we
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: are going to give this guy seven hundred, seven hundred
• 29:21
  Speaker 2: and fifty million dollars.
• 29:23
  Speaker 3: Ain't my money.
• 29:24
  Speaker 2: Ain't my money either, exactly, I do not care. But
• 29:28
  Speaker 2: I do think the Philadelphia Phillies are going to be
• 29:31
  Speaker 2: in the mixed. I think he's inevitably gonna come to Philadelphia.
• 29:34
  Speaker 2: Probably not, however, I think they're gonna be in the mix.
• 29:38
  Speaker 2: And the fact that they're even going to be in
• 29:40
  Speaker 2: the mix says something about the organization, the team, and
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: the guys who are here who've been seeing on the
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: field the past couple seasons. So I think if they
• 29:51
  Speaker 2: land some key free agents, and I'm not saying it
• 29:53
  Speaker 2: just has to be won Soto, there's other free agents
• 29:57
  Speaker 2: that they could bring in that's certainly gonna make left
• 29:59
  Speaker 2: field a lot better, to make center field a little
• 30:02
  Speaker 2: more sustainable, And I think if they do bring those
• 30:05
  Speaker 2: pieces in that that window.
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: Actually opens up perhaps a little bit more. I I
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: think we may see that.
• 30:13
  Speaker 3: Are you saying one? So does an upgrade to Johann Rojas?
• 30:16
  Speaker 1: I think he could be. And Austin Hayes, Yeah it's dad.
• 30:21
  Speaker 3: Yeah, no, I hope he does. Because you're still locked
• 30:25
  Speaker 3: into this roster. Yeah you got you have. Your only
• 30:29
  Speaker 3: move is to pile more money on top of it.
• 30:31
  Speaker 3: Like you're not You're not gonna start trading guys away.
• 30:33
  Speaker 4: For for for for uh.
• 30:36
  Speaker 3: For minor leaguers, Like what's the point ye, Like like
• 30:39
  Speaker 3: you're not and some who gonna trade anyway?
• 30:42
  Speaker 4: Who's who's gonna give you anything for real?
• 30:44
  Speaker 3: Moot at this point? Right? Right?
• 30:45
  Speaker 4: No, who's gonna give anything for trade Turner?
• 30:47
  Speaker 3: But that contract, the way he performs in the playoffs,
• 30:50
  Speaker 3: Like your only option is to keep paying guys and
• 30:54
  Speaker 3: pray you're starting pitching holds together, right, I mean, but
• 30:57
  Speaker 3: like just get get more bad. I mean like like
• 31:02
  Speaker 3: like what happened to the playoffs this year? The offense
• 31:04
  Speaker 3: just die, you know, stake to the heart, that's what happened. Yeah,
• 31:07
  Speaker 3: the pitching wasn't great, but man, that that's what that's
• 31:10
  Speaker 3: what really killed us. And that again that that's Milton's
• 31:12
  Speaker 3: only option is just keep keep cutting checks like that's it.
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly.
• 31:17
  Speaker 2: Well, we're certainly gonna be keeping tabs and talking about
• 31:20
  Speaker 2: what the Philadelphia Phillies are gonna be doing during this offseason,
• 31:23
  Speaker 2: and then some we are gonna be getting to our
• 31:26
  Speaker 2: sixer season preview here. Uh, Eric, I'm gonna let you
• 31:30
  Speaker 2: go for a few minutes. I'm gonna be talking to
• 31:31
  Speaker 2: Sean Bernard and uh, then I'm gonna bring you back, buddy,
• 31:35
  Speaker 2: and uh we'll get into some predictions and uh what
• 31:38
  Speaker 2: we're gonna be seeing from this team this season. We're
• 31:41
  Speaker 2: gonna take another quick break, real quick. We'll be back
• 31:43
  Speaker 2: in just a bit. All right, we are back, and uh,
• 31:47
  Speaker 2: I'm gonna be getting into a discussion with our good
• 31:50
  Speaker 2: friend from Fox Sports Phillies, the Gambler, Sean Bernard. We're
• 31:54
  Speaker 2: gonna talk about this Sixers team, what we're gonna be
• 31:58
  Speaker 2: seeing the season. A great way to start our Sixers
• 32:00
  Speaker 2: season preview. Let's get to that right now and now
• 32:03
  Speaker 2: on the table joining us this week to get into
• 32:09
  Speaker 2: our Philadelphia seventy six Ers season preview. Cannot believe the
• 32:13
  Speaker 2: season is here. We have our Sixers in NBA insider
• 32:18
  Speaker 2: from Fox Sports Phillies the Gambler. I say he's ours.
• 32:21
  Speaker 2: He's not really ours, but I feel like he's a
• 32:23
  Speaker 2: member of this PST family. We've got Sean Bernard. How
• 32:26
  Speaker 2: you doing, buddy, Yeah, doing well. It's been a long
• 32:29
  Speaker 2: couple months without basketball. I guess we got the Olympics
• 32:31
  Speaker 2: to you know, tied us over a little bit this year.
• 32:33
  Speaker 2: But excited to have Sixers basketball in the NBA season
• 32:36
  Speaker 2: back in store and they're excited to dive into it.
• 32:38
  Speaker 5: So appreciate you having me on again, Joe.
• 32:40
  Speaker 2: It's always great having you on Sean. And Folks, if
• 32:42
  Speaker 2: you're not following Sean and you're a Sixers fan, if
• 32:44
  Speaker 2: you're an NBA fan, give him a follow on the
• 32:46
  Speaker 2: Twitter slash x at Sean underscore Bernard one. He is
• 32:49
  Speaker 2: a great, great follow. And yeah, look we're saying this
• 32:53
  Speaker 2: the season is here. Can't believe it's actually here. And
• 32:56
  Speaker 2: of course, right off the bat, we've got to talk
• 32:58
  Speaker 2: about the Sixers starting off this season with Joel Embiid
• 33:02
  Speaker 2: and Paul George sitting things out as there a nursing
• 33:05
  Speaker 2: some injuries here. I think Sean one of the burning
• 33:09
  Speaker 2: questions coming into this season is whether or not the
• 33:13
  Speaker 2: Sixers would be able to protect Paul George as much
• 33:15
  Speaker 2: as they want to protect Joel Embiid for the long
• 33:18
  Speaker 2: haul this year. I mean, I think that's one of
• 33:20
  Speaker 2: the most burning questions as we're heading into this season here.
• 33:24
  Speaker 2: We're starting to see it already here at the onset
• 33:26
  Speaker 2: of the season. They want to protect Paul George. How
• 33:28
  Speaker 2: do you see this plan of action really manifesting itself
• 33:31
  Speaker 2: throughout this year, whether it's early, mid season, end of
• 33:35
  Speaker 2: the year.
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: What are your thoughts here.
• 33:36
  Speaker 5: Yeah, it's interesting. We've heard a lot about how the
• 33:39
  Speaker 5: Sixers have this plan in place. We've yet to actually
• 33:42
  Speaker 5: hear what that plan is exactly. I think we're all
• 33:44
  Speaker 5: waiting on that, including Opening Night with Joel Embiid specifically.
• 33:48
  Speaker 5: I do put Joel and Paul George in slightly different
• 33:50
  Speaker 5: categories both for this specific them missing open Night and
• 33:54
  Speaker 5: kind of the outlook for the season. For Opening Night here,
• 33:56
  Speaker 5: Paul George got a legitimate injury. I think we should
• 33:58
  Speaker 5: be grateful it's not more significant, because it did scare
• 34:01
  Speaker 5: me when it first happened, that hyper extension that is
• 34:03
  Speaker 5: officially just a bone bruise, He's gonna be fine. This
• 34:06
  Speaker 5: is totally fine that he's missing the opening night. The
• 34:08
  Speaker 5: Joel Embid conversations, there's a little bit more nuance to
• 34:11
  Speaker 5: it that. For me personally, I very much lean on
• 34:13
  Speaker 5: the side of I don't think the organization has done
• 34:15
  Speaker 5: a good enough job of protecting him throughout the years,
• 34:18
  Speaker 5: putting his short and long term health in the best
• 34:21
  Speaker 5: interest at moments where where they should they should have
• 34:24
  Speaker 5: in previous situations. So I get the concept of easing
• 34:27
  Speaker 5: him into the season of really load manage him and
• 34:29
  Speaker 5: making that a priority this year. Now, the separate side
• 34:32
  Speaker 5: of that is, I don't think their management or the
• 34:34
  Speaker 5: optics of it have been good whatsoever. That like, if
• 34:37
  Speaker 5: this was the plan, if he was not ready, and
• 34:39
  Speaker 5: shout out to Kyle Nubeck who was really kind of
• 34:41
  Speaker 5: grilling Nick Nurse about it yesterday. Like the what is
• 34:44
  Speaker 5: being portrayed from the sixths organization is that Joel Embiid
• 34:47
  Speaker 5: does not have a new injury. There has not been
• 34:50
  Speaker 5: a you know, anything that has gotten worse or anything
• 34:53
  Speaker 5: like that. He's just ramping up for the regular season.
• 34:55
  Speaker 5: But this is the season opener has been on the
• 34:58
  Speaker 5: calendar for many months.
• 34:59
  Speaker 1: Exactly.
• 35:00
  Speaker 5: It should not have knuck up on anybody, So I
• 35:02
  Speaker 5: would like a little bit more clarity there. I feel
• 35:04
  Speaker 5: bad for Nick Nurse from the stance of he's the
• 35:06
  Speaker 5: guy that has to fall on the sword when, in
• 35:08
  Speaker 5: my eyes, is clearly a decision above his head. But
• 35:10
  Speaker 5: nonetheless I guess we got to buckle up and prepare
• 35:13
  Speaker 5: for that battle throughout this season.
• 35:14
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, And I think the very next aspect of that
• 35:20
  Speaker 2: Embiid and Paul George load management that you are talking
• 35:23
  Speaker 2: about really does raise another question as well, Sean, And
• 35:26
  Speaker 2: that's how heavily will Nick Nurse then rely on Tyrese Maxey.
• 35:31
  Speaker 2: You know, what does this season now mean for Tyrese
• 35:34
  Speaker 2: Maxi in this regard as the organization really wants to,
• 35:38
  Speaker 2: you know, maybe take a step back in terms of
• 35:40
  Speaker 2: that you know, load management with Embiid and even George.
• 35:43
  Speaker 2: So again, like, what what does this mean for Tyrese
• 35:46
  Speaker 2: Maxey as we start off this season? Perhaps what does
• 35:49
  Speaker 2: it mean for a mid season long term as well?
• 35:51
  Speaker 2: What are your thoughts here?
• 35:52
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I think he's ready for starters. He does have
• 35:55
  Speaker 5: to take another leap, He's He's done that every single
• 35:57
  Speaker 5: season thus far more notable leaps than I think anybody
• 36:00
  Speaker 5: could have predicted or asked for there, but we still
• 36:02
  Speaker 5: have to see that translate to direct team's success last year.
• 36:05
  Speaker 5: Like as awesome as it is, as fun as it
• 36:06
  Speaker 5: is to watch Tyrese Maxy, he just want to dive
• 36:09
  Speaker 5: into the wins and losses.
• 36:09
  Speaker 3: Last season.
• 36:10
  Speaker 5: The Sixers wore thirty one and eight in games that
• 36:12
  Speaker 5: Joel Embiid played and sixteen and twenty seven in games
• 36:15
  Speaker 5: that he doesn't. So a point three to seven to
• 36:17
  Speaker 5: two win percentage is just not going to cut it
• 36:19
  Speaker 5: for the games that he does miss. Obviously, they're gonna
• 36:22
  Speaker 5: be at their best when their star is on the floor.
• 36:24
  Speaker 5: But if Maxi wants to be this next guy, the
• 36:26
  Speaker 5: third star, or the potential future franchise centerpiece in the
• 36:29
  Speaker 5: way that I think we all view him, that does
• 36:31
  Speaker 5: have to translate to him leading this team to a
• 36:33
  Speaker 5: couple more victory. So that's gonna be something I have
• 36:35
  Speaker 5: my own. But I do think that he's ready. I
• 36:37
  Speaker 5: do think he's added more layers to his game, grown
• 36:39
  Speaker 5: as a playmaker. So I'm excited to see how it
• 36:40
  Speaker 5: fully looks for Maxi this year.
• 36:42
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, and we knew that Andre Drummond coming in was
• 36:47
  Speaker 2: going to be important for it indeed, and I wanted
• 36:49
  Speaker 2: I wanted to shift over to what we're going to
• 36:51
  Speaker 2: be seeing from Drummond as well, what he is going
• 36:55
  Speaker 2: to mean to this team, what he's going to mean
• 36:58
  Speaker 2: to this season. Again, when he was initially signed, I
• 37:01
  Speaker 2: think one of those underrated storylines. But now Sixer's Nation
• 37:04
  Speaker 2: really understanding. Wow, there's gonna be some stuff put on
• 37:07
  Speaker 2: Andre Drummond this coming season, for sure. I mean, my
• 37:09
  Speaker 2: co host and I we were so happy about the
• 37:11
  Speaker 2: signing when it happened. But the question remains, can Andre
• 37:14
  Speaker 2: Drummond adequately defend in space? And what does his presence
• 37:18
  Speaker 2: now mean as Nick Nurse is going to need to
• 37:21
  Speaker 2: manage Embiad's minutes even more, especially early, you know, here
• 37:25
  Speaker 2: during this part of the season. So, Andre Drummond, what
• 37:28
  Speaker 2: are your thoughts on what we should be expecting from him?
• 37:32
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I think the second part of your question is
• 37:33
  Speaker 5: more of what I think is important. It is that
• 37:35
  Speaker 5: management of dwell Embiid. Andre Drumman is a starting caliber
• 37:39
  Speaker 5: center on a lot of NBA teams, and it's been
• 37:41
  Speaker 5: surprising to me kind of how the perception of him
• 37:44
  Speaker 5: has become a little more negative league wide than he deserves.
• 37:47
  Speaker 5: For sure, he's thrilled to be back in Philadelphia. I
• 37:49
  Speaker 5: kind of view him as like that innings eter pitcher
• 37:51
  Speaker 5: that can just be the starter whenever they need him
• 37:54
  Speaker 5: to that he can step in and do that. That's
• 37:56
  Speaker 5: very much where I see his impact, more so than
• 37:58
  Speaker 5: potentially the playoff atmosphere and environment there. The defending in
• 38:01
  Speaker 5: space is a fair concern to have, and I do
• 38:03
  Speaker 5: these certain matchups where he's vulnerable the guys to watch
• 38:06
  Speaker 5: for that yaboucele They seem to be viewing it as
• 38:09
  Speaker 5: more as a five, which is interesting to me. But
• 38:11
  Speaker 5: he is a guy who's a little bit more capable
• 38:12
  Speaker 5: of defending in space, and I still don't think we
• 38:14
  Speaker 5: have a full feel for who he is as a
• 38:16
  Speaker 5: basketball player just yet. Another guy is a den Bone
• 38:18
  Speaker 5: at the rookie who I think has shown some signs
• 38:20
  Speaker 5: of promise over there. He's a little over zealous on
• 38:22
  Speaker 5: the perimeter two, so we'll see how that plays out.
• 38:24
  Speaker 5: But there's two other options in wing for an actual
• 38:27
  Speaker 5: playoff setting. I think Drummonds remembered a little bit overly
• 38:30
  Speaker 5: fondly in Philadelphia because we did not get to experience
• 38:33
  Speaker 5: him in the playoffs, which where I think he can
• 38:35
  Speaker 5: be taken of advantage advantage of. But for the short term,
• 38:38
  Speaker 5: he's going to play a huge part of this regular season.
• 38:40
  Speaker 5: He's really the driving force for why they can load
• 38:43
  Speaker 5: manage Joelle and Meade the way they seem to plan to.
• 38:45
  Speaker 5: So we're going to be seeing a lot of Drummond
• 38:47
  Speaker 5: and I don't think that's a bad thing this year.
• 38:48
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's going to be interesting to just really see
• 38:51
  Speaker 2: how this load management works. And as you said earlier,
• 38:55
  Speaker 2: Nick Nurse really fallen on the sword with regard to
• 38:57
  Speaker 2: what management and in front office want to happen with
• 39:01
  Speaker 2: Embiid and even with George how that all translates to
• 39:05
  Speaker 2: what type of action Andre Drummond season, the impact he has,
• 39:08
  Speaker 2: that's gonna it's definitely the storyline of this season. But
• 39:12
  Speaker 2: as we're moving along with a conversation, I want to
• 39:13
  Speaker 2: get into Kelly Oubray Junior, who is looking to really
• 39:16
  Speaker 2: make a mark on the team this season. I mean,
• 39:19
  Speaker 2: it's bizarre to think that he was just staring down
• 39:22
  Speaker 2: the barrel of really flaming out of the league. I
• 39:24
  Speaker 2: think last season he had very little margin for error.
• 39:27
  Speaker 2: We we hardly saw him all during that first round
• 39:31
  Speaker 2: against the Knicks. But he's back and he's gonna be,
• 39:35
  Speaker 2: I think, a key part of this team in certain areas.
• 39:38
  Speaker 2: You know, what should we be expecting to see from
• 39:40
  Speaker 2: Kelly oubre Junior this season again as he was, you know,
• 39:44
  Speaker 2: having a rough go of it towards the end of
• 39:46
  Speaker 2: the last season.
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: What are your thoughts with regard to Ubray Junior.
• 39:49
  Speaker 5: Yeah, it's very interesting. He's probably the guy that has
• 39:51
  Speaker 5: exceeded my expectations by the largest margin here. Then there
• 39:54
  Speaker 5: were a ton of horror stories about him flaming out
• 39:57
  Speaker 5: at other teams, or not being by teammates, not playing winning, bad,
• 40:00
  Speaker 5: empty calorie stats, all these kind of accusations thrown his way.
• 40:03
  Speaker 5: That has not been the version of Kelly Ubrade that
• 40:05
  Speaker 5: we've seen in Philadelphia thus far. That the guy plays hard,
• 40:08
  Speaker 5: he defends hard, he brings his passion, wears his heart
• 40:11
  Speaker 5: on his sleeve, all these things which are really fun
• 40:12
  Speaker 5: to watch him play. I expect him to take another
• 40:14
  Speaker 5: step forward this year that I think it's been really
• 40:17
  Speaker 5: good for him to be in a structured basketball environment
• 40:20
  Speaker 5: that's focused on winning. That truly has not been the
• 40:23
  Speaker 5: case at any other point in his career when you
• 40:25
  Speaker 5: date back to his time with the Wizards or the
• 40:27
  Speaker 5: Hornets or the Suns when they were bad, or that
• 40:29
  Speaker 5: lone year where the Warriors were bad, he was on
• 40:31
  Speaker 5: that roster there. So I think it's been good for
• 40:33
  Speaker 5: him to have this ecosystem where there are expectations and
• 40:36
  Speaker 5: standards that are set. So I expect him to take
• 40:38
  Speaker 5: another step forward. Nick Nurse has spoken pretty glowingly about
• 40:41
  Speaker 5: how he's a different person this year as far as
• 40:43
  Speaker 5: confidence and like kind of his personality coming out on
• 40:46
  Speaker 5: this team. So I do think we saw a little
• 40:48
  Speaker 5: bit of him on his best behavior in year one.
• 40:51
  Speaker 5: We might see a little bit of extra I guess
• 40:53
  Speaker 5: heat checks are bad three point attempts at moments for Kelly,
• 40:56
  Speaker 5: but I can put up with that if he continues
• 40:58
  Speaker 5: to defend the way that he does and attacks at
• 41:00
  Speaker 5: the energy level that he does. So I'm excited to
• 41:02
  Speaker 5: see him this year.
• 41:03
  Speaker 2: Sean and his co host over at Fox Sports Phillies
• 41:06
  Speaker 2: The Gambler, they do a fantastic job. Make sure that
• 41:10
  Speaker 2: you're following him on the Twitter slash x at Shawn Underscore.
• 41:12
  Speaker 2: Bernard One again a great, great follow and check out
• 41:15
  Speaker 2: everything they're doing over at Fox Sports Phillies. The Gambler
• 41:19
  Speaker 2: great great content and we love a lot of the
• 41:21
  Speaker 2: guys over there.
• 41:23
  Speaker 1: Jumping on this show.
• 41:24
  Speaker 2: We just had John Janssen on this past week, So
• 41:26
  Speaker 2: you guys do a fantastic job. Sean and I want
• 41:30
  Speaker 2: to get into some some of the other roster positions
• 41:34
  Speaker 2: on this team and some of the other personnel as well.
• 41:37
  Speaker 2: Caleb Martin, Gershan Yabaseli, Eric Gordon, Reggie Jackson. They are
• 41:41
  Speaker 2: all new to this team, and you know, you take
• 41:44
  Speaker 2: a look at some season previews on various sites and
• 41:48
  Speaker 2: I'm thinking to myself, you know, which of these guys
• 41:51
  Speaker 2: is really going to maybe provide some level of excitement.
• 41:54
  Speaker 2: Who might be real contributors this season. I'm wondering, like,
• 41:57
  Speaker 2: with regard to these particular new additions to this team,
• 42:00
  Speaker 2: who are you kind of getting excited about and thinking
• 42:02
  Speaker 2: might be able to contribute.
• 42:04
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I think there's a case for each of these guys,
• 42:06
  Speaker 5: and all will be relevant to the Sixers from a
• 42:08
  Speaker 5: season standpoint. As far as the greatest impact overall, I'll
• 42:11
  Speaker 5: point at Caleb Martin directly that that's the guy that
• 42:13
  Speaker 5: is I think going to by the end of the
• 42:15
  Speaker 5: season gonna be a lot a lot of Sixers fans
• 42:17
  Speaker 5: favorite player because he is a dude that will do
• 42:19
  Speaker 5: the nitty gritty. He's still capable of getting hot, shooting
• 42:22
  Speaker 5: a ton of threes himself, can take guys off the dribble.
• 42:24
  Speaker 5: Just a really good, fundamentally sound and smart basketball player
• 42:28
  Speaker 5: who competes his heart out every single night. So I
• 42:30
  Speaker 5: think Caleb Martin's a guy that He's come off the
• 42:32
  Speaker 5: bench twice in preseason, and Nick Nurse does seem to
• 42:35
  Speaker 5: be that to be appealing to him, So I'm curious
• 42:37
  Speaker 5: whether he ends up as like the true six man
• 42:39
  Speaker 5: for this team. I personally would prefer having him in
• 42:41
  Speaker 5: the starting lineup, even with kind of the size concerns
• 42:43
  Speaker 5: that are going on there, but we'll see how that
• 42:46
  Speaker 5: shakes out. I do think Martin will have the biggest
• 42:48
  Speaker 5: impact from this list. Didn't want to mention the other
• 42:50
  Speaker 5: guys a little bit though. Eric Gordon. One of my
• 42:52
  Speaker 5: hotter takes for the season is I think he probably
• 42:54
  Speaker 5: ends up starting forty plus games for this team. Kind
• 42:57
  Speaker 5: of in the same conversation with Kayleb Martin as the
• 43:00
  Speaker 5: six man that Gordon is a guy that Nurse wants
• 43:02
  Speaker 5: to break up him and Lowry's minutes together because it
• 43:04
  Speaker 5: does get a little repetitive from a skill set standpoint.
• 43:07
  Speaker 5: So I see that angle would not shock me if
• 43:09
  Speaker 5: he's still he's thirty five years old, but he can
• 43:11
  Speaker 5: still knock down, catch and shoot threes and exactly Eric
• 43:14
  Speaker 5: Gordon things, which is all they're asking for him. And
• 43:17
  Speaker 5: Yabou Sally, I'm curious whether he is like I would
• 43:19
  Speaker 5: like to see him really have a run at being
• 43:21
  Speaker 5: he's starting power forward for this team. For now, he
• 43:24
  Speaker 5: seems to be being viewed more as a center. He's
• 43:27
  Speaker 5: a bit of a tweener there. We'll see how they
• 43:28
  Speaker 5: shake out, but definitely the guy I would consider the
• 43:30
  Speaker 5: biggest X factor. And then Reggie Jackson is a dude
• 43:33
  Speaker 5: that I think if you look at past six Ers rosters,
• 43:35
  Speaker 5: we would look at him as like the best bench piece,
• 43:37
  Speaker 5: and then you think about on this team that he's
• 43:39
  Speaker 5: probably not cracking the top ten in rotation. So I
• 43:41
  Speaker 5: think that's really telling for how deep it is. But
• 43:43
  Speaker 5: there will be a couple of games this season which
• 43:45
  Speaker 5: Reggie Jackson has the opportunity to go to work.
• 43:47
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see how these
• 43:49
  Speaker 2: guys all contribute, you know, especially down the stretch, you know, because.
• 43:52
  Speaker 1: We know that we know this team is not going
• 43:54
  Speaker 1: to stay.
• 43:54
  Speaker 2: One hundred percent healthy throughout the course of the regular season,
• 43:58
  Speaker 2: especially the starters, So being to see how these guys contribute.
• 44:02
  Speaker 2: And Sean, before I let you go, I wanted to
• 44:05
  Speaker 2: get your thoughts on something where I was on a
• 44:08
  Speaker 2: podcast recently and was asked, you know what went wrong
• 44:12
  Speaker 2: last year with the Sixers in the first round against
• 44:14
  Speaker 2: the Knicks, And I came right out and I said,
• 44:17
  Speaker 2: the Sixers didn't have the energy that the Knicks had.
• 44:21
  Speaker 2: They just didn't have the energy last year toward the
• 44:23
  Speaker 2: end of the season and when the playoffs started, and
• 44:25
  Speaker 2: that energy I think needs to be what we need
• 44:30
  Speaker 2: to see at the end of this regular season from
• 44:32
  Speaker 2: this team if they're going to advance in the postseason,
• 44:35
  Speaker 2: how do they in your opinion, I mean, how do
• 44:38
  Speaker 2: they make sure that they have that energy? And do
• 44:41
  Speaker 2: you think that the way that this team is constructed,
• 44:45
  Speaker 2: they really have the ability to ramp up that energy
• 44:47
  Speaker 2: when they need it, hopefully during that postseason. So, I mean,
• 44:51
  Speaker 2: we've seen it fizzle, that energy year after year toward
• 44:54
  Speaker 2: the end of the season and as they head into
• 44:56
  Speaker 2: the postseason. I don't know, I just that energy is
• 44:59
  Speaker 2: what I'm thinking about too, is a more overall theme
• 45:03
  Speaker 2: to this coming season. I don't know, what are your
• 45:04
  Speaker 2: thoughts here with this before before I let you go, buddy.
• 45:07
  Speaker 5: Yeah, It's interesting because a lot of times people will
• 45:09
  Speaker 5: talk about rebounding is the first thing out of their
• 45:11
  Speaker 5: mouths for that Nixon sixer series, and in a lot
• 45:13
  Speaker 5: of ways, rebounding is an effort stat that it is
• 45:16
  Speaker 5: an energy level that is brought there. So for me,
• 45:18
  Speaker 5: like as much as you would love your stars to
• 45:20
  Speaker 5: be the guy leading the charge, I think in more
• 45:23
  Speaker 5: in most situations it is about like those role guys
• 45:26
  Speaker 5: being hungry, the Caleb Martins of the world that are
• 45:29
  Speaker 5: there to you know, be the straw that stirs to
• 45:31
  Speaker 5: drink and be ready to be in the mix, bring
• 45:34
  Speaker 5: that kind of effort level and energy. I think Joelle
• 45:37
  Speaker 5: kind of gets criticized for this at times when you
• 45:39
  Speaker 5: look around the NBA. It's not like you see like
• 45:41
  Speaker 5: Luka Doncic dabbing on the floor, right, guys like that.
• 45:45
  Speaker 5: Like I kind of look at this as more as
• 45:47
  Speaker 5: the other guys of having that kind of energy boost
• 45:50
  Speaker 5: for the team and lift them up. So they got
• 45:52
  Speaker 5: to find it, and there's a lot of candidates on
• 45:53
  Speaker 5: this roster, kJ Martin, Ricky Counsel. Those are guys that
• 45:56
  Speaker 5: can come in and you feel energy from them. There
• 45:59
  Speaker 5: was a great quote from campaign last year after his
• 46:02
  Speaker 5: kind of successful little burst in the playoffs where he said, like,
• 46:05
  Speaker 5: energy is the only thing you can control. You can't
• 46:08
  Speaker 5: control a bunch of other stuff, all the factors going in.
• 46:10
  Speaker 5: I thought that was a really cool mentality to have
• 46:12
  Speaker 5: as a bench player. Yeah, that's the mentality I think
• 46:14
  Speaker 5: each of these guys should have that energy is the
• 46:16
  Speaker 5: number one thing that you can control.
• 46:18
  Speaker 3: There.
• 46:18
  Speaker 5: Let's bring everything I got every time I step on
• 46:20
  Speaker 5: the court. So they absolutely need more of that this year.
• 46:22
  Speaker 2: He's Sean Bernard Folks from Fox Sports Phillies the Gambler.
• 46:25
  Speaker 2: Great way to start off our Philadelphia seventy six Ers
• 46:29
  Speaker 2: season preview. Buddy, it was great talking to you. Come back,
• 46:32
  Speaker 2: join us down the road, Let's talk more Sixers and NBA.
• 46:34
  Speaker 5: My friend, absolutely, man, appreciate you having me on and anytime.
• 46:37
  Speaker 4: Absolutely all right.
• 46:40
  Speaker 2: That was a great discussion with Sean, and we've got
• 46:44
  Speaker 2: Eric back.
• 46:44
  Speaker 1: Now we're gonna talk about this team.
• 46:47
  Speaker 2: We're gonna get into some predictions where the Sixers regular
• 46:51
  Speaker 2: season record is gonna go and where they may place
• 46:54
  Speaker 2: in the Eastern Conference when the regular season is all
• 46:57
  Speaker 2: said and done. We're gonna get in some Eastern Conference
• 46:59
  Speaker 2: final predict Western Conference finals, who makes the NBA Finals,
• 47:03
  Speaker 2: and who will become the NBA.
• 47:06
  Speaker 1: Champion this year. So buddy with me, like I am.
• 47:10
  Speaker 2: I am absolutely incensed by a report that came out
• 47:14
  Speaker 2: earlier today that the NBA is going to likely begin
• 47:18
  Speaker 2: an investigation later this week into the Philadelphia seventy six
• 47:21
  Speaker 2: Ers surrounding the quote player participation of Joel Embiid, after
• 47:28
  Speaker 2: it was reported this past week that Nick Nurse said,
• 47:31
  Speaker 2: you know, we're probably not going to have Joel Embiid
• 47:34
  Speaker 2: and even mentioned it with Paul George not really having
• 47:37
  Speaker 2: any playing in back to back games during this twenty
• 47:41
  Speaker 2: twenty four twenty twenty five season. It's a way to
• 47:44
  Speaker 2: manage the minutes. It's a way to make sure that
• 47:47
  Speaker 2: Joel Embiid can stay healthy for the long term. We
• 47:50
  Speaker 2: know all too well in Sixers Nation that towards the
• 47:55
  Speaker 2: end of the season that energy from Joel Embiid certainly
• 47:57
  Speaker 2: isn't always one hundred percent, and it's not one hundred
• 48:01
  Speaker 2: percent with a lot of a lot of folks in
• 48:02
  Speaker 2: the NBA. Quite frankly, however, the NBA, man, they've really
• 48:06
  Speaker 2: got a hard on.
• 48:07
  Speaker 1: For the sixers year. They're gonna investigate. They're gonna investigate the.
• 48:13
  Speaker 2: Organization for saying they want to just you know, maybe
• 48:16
  Speaker 2: enhance the load management a little bit here with embead.
• 48:19
  Speaker 1: It's astonishing to me, man.
• 48:22
  Speaker 3: I know, but it is the NBA. They're the same
• 48:26
  Speaker 3: league that like, we're gonna crack down on drugs or marijuana. Yeah,
• 48:31
  Speaker 3: come on, they don't. Yes, I mean, there's been so
• 48:35
  Speaker 3: few suspensions they're probably just gonna, like, on the surface,
• 48:39
  Speaker 3: say they did it. But I said the top of
• 48:41
  Speaker 3: the show, like it is bullshit, Like, what is your
• 48:45
  Speaker 3: injury that you can't play? Yeah, the first game on.
• 48:48
  Speaker 3: By the way, ESPN picked your game to be the
• 48:51
  Speaker 3: first game of the season for them, you know, and
• 48:53
  Speaker 3: they they own most of the rights of the NBA.
• 48:56
  Speaker 3: And I'm sure if they knew George and and Be
• 48:59
  Speaker 3: we're gonna be playing, they like, well, fuck you, we're
• 49:01
  Speaker 3: not exactly.
• 49:02
  Speaker 2: Exactly like what we'll do actually, we'll do Celtics knicks
• 49:06
  Speaker 2: instead of having Celtics knicks on uh on Wednesday night.
• 49:09
  Speaker 2: You know we're gonna or I mean Tuesday night, We're
• 49:11
  Speaker 2: gonna have them on Wednesday night.
• 49:12
  Speaker 1: If they if they had known.
• 49:14
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's such. It is a bad look. Like you
• 49:18
  Speaker 3: just you know that every season has been tumultuous for
• 49:23
  Speaker 3: the past, what was since twenty nineteen for this team,
• 49:26
  Speaker 3: and then to like start the season out like that,
• 49:28
  Speaker 3: getting your ass kicked by Giannis in front of your
• 49:30
  Speaker 3: home crowd, with Kyle Lowry out there, and uh like Yabaselli, I.
• 49:37
  Speaker 2: Was gonna say, gersha on Yabaselli. He got some minutes,
• 49:40
  Speaker 2: he played well he did.
• 49:41
  Speaker 4: That's no one wants to see that. That's not who
• 49:43
  Speaker 4: we're here for.
• 49:44
  Speaker 1: So well, I.
• 49:46
  Speaker 2: Remember when when when the news came out that that
• 49:49
  Speaker 2: he and Paul George were not going to be playing. Look,
• 49:51
  Speaker 2: Paul George, he had a hyper extended uh hyper extended injury.
• 49:55
  Speaker 1: Thank goodness, that's all. It was.
• 49:57
  Speaker 2: Like I can see him sitting out and I show
• 49:59
  Speaker 2: him and I were talking about you know a lot
• 50:03
  Speaker 2: of folks weren't happy about it. I know you are
• 50:05
  Speaker 2: just saying right now. You weren't happy about it, But
• 50:08
  Speaker 2: there is some sort of strategy here though, right there
• 50:12
  Speaker 2: is some sort of strategy with regard to how Joe
• 50:16
  Speaker 2: ellenbid because he is so crucial to this.
• 50:18
  Speaker 1: Team, how healthy he's going to be.
• 50:21
  Speaker 2: And look, this isn't to say that in November he's
• 50:23
  Speaker 2: not gonna flop and somehow break his elbow or something.
• 50:28
  Speaker 2: You know, he's getting up there. You know, he may
• 50:30
  Speaker 2: be turning into cinnamon sticks every now and again with
• 50:32
  Speaker 2: regard to those those brittle bones.
• 50:35
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, so it could happen. But I don't know.
• 50:39
  Speaker 2: Part of me thinks the Sixers are doing the right
• 50:41
  Speaker 2: thing here from a strategic standpoint, not necessarily what the
• 50:45
  Speaker 2: fans went, but from a strategic standpoint to do all
• 50:48
  Speaker 2: they can to make sure that he is healthy and
• 50:51
  Speaker 2: ready to go by playoff time.
• 50:54
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I get it. Like the problem is, don't stay
• 50:57
  Speaker 3: it out loud, Like, don't don't don't come out and
• 51:00
  Speaker 3: say I'm not.
• 51:00
  Speaker 1: That's a great point.
• 51:01
  Speaker 3: Don't say that it's just about the playoffs, yeah, when
• 51:06
  Speaker 3: it should have always been uh and and and it
• 51:09
  Speaker 3: and it never worked out. It was never about the
• 51:12
  Speaker 3: playoffs because we always lost. But again, just don't say
• 51:15
  Speaker 3: it out loud. What what it does affect.
• 51:18
  Speaker 4: It was definitely the over under for rick regular season wins.
• 51:22
  Speaker 3: Yes it does. That opened up at fifty and a half.
• 51:24
  Speaker 3: It's already down to forty and a half after a week,
• 51:26
  Speaker 3: just a week ago ago. But if that's the strategy
• 51:31
  Speaker 3: and you can guarantee me those two guys can be
• 51:33
  Speaker 3: healthy going into the playoffs and you're not like a
• 51:36
  Speaker 3: complete you don't have to do a play in game,
• 51:38
  Speaker 3: that's fine, right, But this is supposed to be like
• 51:42
  Speaker 3: this team has a window of like a year or two,
• 51:46
  Speaker 3: and you're and you're already sitting this guy and I'm
• 51:49
  Speaker 3: already worried.
• 51:49
  Speaker 1: He told me he.
• 51:50
  Speaker 4: Lost thirty pounds. I have no clue.
• 51:52
  Speaker 3: I haven't seen him touch of basketball since the Olympics.
• 51:55
  Speaker 3: When he where he looked like shit. Quite frankly, just
• 51:56
  Speaker 3: let's just say it out loud, he looked terrible in
• 51:58
  Speaker 3: the Olympics. As a six Ers fan, I've been hurt, Jeff,
• 52:04
  Speaker 3: I know a lot of trauma here. I'm still in therapy.
• 52:08
  Speaker 3: But it like I was. I understand the strategy and
• 52:14
  Speaker 3: the team. I like the role players. Tonight, Maxie looked okay,
• 52:18
  Speaker 3: But at the same time, it's like, we're not doing
• 52:20
  Speaker 3: this again, aren't We're.
• 52:21
  Speaker 4: Gonna do thirty games.
• 52:22
  Speaker 3: I'm looking as I'm looking at this guy's per thirty
• 52:25
  Speaker 3: six and per one hundred stats last year. He's a monster, right,
• 52:30
  Speaker 3: but he only played thirty six minutes a game twenty
• 52:33
  Speaker 3: times a year at this point. Yeah, so that's like,
• 52:36
  Speaker 3: I love it. The stats are amazing, but like, what
• 52:38
  Speaker 3: what are we getting this season? Because I have no
• 52:41
  Speaker 3: clue and it's all him and George. We already saw
• 52:44
  Speaker 3: what it looks like without them, Like we had no
• 52:46
  Speaker 3: shot in hell, right, So Nick Nurse is a great coach,
• 52:50
  Speaker 3: but without those two, what the hell were even talking about?
• 52:53
  Speaker 2: I think, you know, once we do see Embid, George
• 52:57
  Speaker 2: and Maxi on the court together, I cannot wait to see.
• 53:01
  Speaker 2: And I was talking to Sean Bernard about this, just
• 53:04
  Speaker 2: what it's going to do for Maxie's game, you know,
• 53:07
  Speaker 2: is he gonna suffer some or is it going to
• 53:10
  Speaker 2: enhance a Is it going to enhance his assists average?
• 53:13
  Speaker 2: You know, I could see him having maybe seven assists
• 53:16
  Speaker 2: per game and averaging that throughout the course of the season.
• 53:21
  Speaker 2: I think that even if Embiid plays in just fifty
• 53:25
  Speaker 2: five sixty games. Embiid and Maxie should spend much more
• 53:29
  Speaker 2: time on the floor together, I think than they did
• 53:31
  Speaker 2: last season when the I think they play. I read
• 53:35
  Speaker 2: a stat where they were on the court for just
• 53:37
  Speaker 2: it was one and fifteen minutes. I don't know what
• 53:40
  Speaker 2: I read that stat, and I was like, oh, interesting,
• 53:42
  Speaker 2: I'm gonna I'm gonna put that on the show. I
• 53:45
  Speaker 2: don't even know what the context is of that, but
• 53:48
  Speaker 2: but okay.
• 53:49
  Speaker 3: If you go to stat news and you do all
• 53:50
  Speaker 3: the advanced stuff, right, yeah, yeah, reference when he plays, Yeah,
• 53:53
  Speaker 3: they're awesome, no doubting that. They're just a dominant team
• 53:58
  Speaker 3: with him, And you're swapping out Tobias Harris, who of
• 54:02
  Speaker 3: course looked awesome tonight for the Pistons because he's on
• 54:04
  Speaker 3: a he's on a twenty five win team with no
• 54:07
  Speaker 3: stakes at all, no pressure on him. He's going to
• 54:10
  Speaker 3: average twenty points and eight rebounds. That's what he's going
• 54:13
  Speaker 3: to give you. But you swapped him out with Paul George,
• 54:16
  Speaker 3: who is an elite defender. Still, he had an awesome
• 54:19
  Speaker 3: season last year if you go back and look at
• 54:21
  Speaker 3: his stats, and he played most of the season. He's
• 54:24
  Speaker 3: a guy too. If he's different though, if he wanted
• 54:26
  Speaker 3: to sit the first five games and then he kind
• 54:28
  Speaker 3: of comes in, that's fine with me. Yeah, I'm okay
• 54:31
  Speaker 3: with that, damnbid. But again, the roster makeup is eight
• 54:35
  Speaker 3: times better. We're getting into the preview now. The roster,
• 54:37
  Speaker 3: the makeup of this team is so much better. I'm
• 54:40
  Speaker 3: going down the list of guys last year and the
• 54:42
  Speaker 3: guys that did well. Kelly Oubra is still here, Kyle
• 54:46
  Speaker 3: Lowrys here, which I really liked resigning him. But you
• 54:51
  Speaker 3: you know, you punted Paul Reid in and brought An
• 54:54
  Speaker 3: and Andre Drummond. Yeah, great move, great move. Uber is
• 54:58
  Speaker 3: still here, Harris is out. You swapped for Paul George,
• 55:01
  Speaker 3: Nicholas Patoom, you swapped him out for like Caleb Martin,
• 55:04
  Speaker 3: Eric Gordon, like And they're all guys. And I think
• 55:08
  Speaker 3: Doris Burk said this last tonight. She said, they come
• 55:12
  Speaker 3: from the players they brought in, come from really good programs,
• 55:16
  Speaker 3: and they know their roles. And Nick Nurse is a
• 55:19
  Speaker 3: role guy. Yeah, that's how we want to tight it
• 55:20
  Speaker 3: on twenty nineteen with the Raptors. He'll have this team
• 55:23
  Speaker 3: ready to go. It's all based on the stars performing
• 55:27
  Speaker 3: like they can perform.
• 55:28
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I was.
• 55:29
  Speaker 2: I was on a podcast a couple of days ago
• 55:32
  Speaker 2: and we were talking about Caleb Martin, Eric, and I
• 55:34
  Speaker 2: wanted to get your thoughts on this because my question
• 55:37
  Speaker 2: for Caleb Martin coming into this season as we're moving
• 55:39
  Speaker 2: along with the preview here, is can he shoot more
• 55:42
  Speaker 2: like his playoff numbers than his regular season numbers? Because
• 55:48
  Speaker 2: he has been in exactly an average shooter for his
• 55:52
  Speaker 2: entire career thirty five zero point seven percent, just that
• 55:55
  Speaker 2: middling volume for a role player. Meanwhile, he's basically been
• 56:01
  Speaker 2: like Ray Allen in the playoffs. So I don't know
• 56:04
  Speaker 2: how we are going to evaluate him necessarily in any
• 56:08
  Speaker 2: type of you know, voodoo he can he can bring
• 56:11
  Speaker 2: to the to the regular season. Uh, he's just going
• 56:14
  Speaker 2: to be that middling average shooter. But with regard to uh,
• 56:18
  Speaker 2: Caleb Martin like he certainly he doesn't lack confidence at all.
• 56:22
  Speaker 2: So I'm curious to see what he's going to be
• 56:24
  Speaker 2: able to do with a lot of the swing pass
• 56:27
  Speaker 2: threes out of Embid doubles and Maxie and George's ball screens.
• 56:31
  Speaker 2: But I hope the fan base doesn't come down too
• 56:36
  Speaker 2: too hard on him as the season goes along, because
• 56:39
  Speaker 2: he could he could run cold, as we know every
• 56:41
  Speaker 2: now and again. But the type of shooting that Caleb
• 56:44
  Speaker 2: Martin is going to give this team, that's something I'm
• 56:46
  Speaker 2: going to be looking out for early on in the
• 56:48
  Speaker 2: season and then throughout the year.
• 56:51
  Speaker 3: Yeah, maybe maybe it was a flash in the pan
• 56:55
  Speaker 3: in terms of the three point shooting that one playoff
• 56:56
  Speaker 3: run when they made the finals, but they don't need
• 57:00
  Speaker 3: him to do that though. Like if you look at
• 57:02
  Speaker 3: the Heat the makeup of that Heat team, then you
• 57:05
  Speaker 3: know he's he had Jimmy Butler and Tyler Harrow was
• 57:08
  Speaker 3: awesome in those playoffs. But never a team like this
• 57:12
  Speaker 3: that does have shooting, that has a Maxie like that,
• 57:15
  Speaker 3: that can that Maxie can take the three pointers when
• 57:18
  Speaker 3: and beats you know, double teamed Kler. Martin doesn't have to.
• 57:21
  Speaker 3: He just needs to get hot like seven eight times,
• 57:25
  Speaker 3: you know, seven or eight games this season, you know,
• 57:27
  Speaker 3: and maybe a couple of times in the playoffs like that.
• 57:30
  Speaker 3: That That's why I'm still very hopeful because they have
• 57:33
  Speaker 3: players like Caleb Martin, like Eric Gordon, even though Er
• 57:37
  Speaker 3: Gordon sucks on but whatever, that's that's that's neither here
• 57:40
  Speaker 3: nor there for the rest of the year. They they
• 57:43
  Speaker 3: you know, they have guys like Jared McCain come off
• 57:45
  Speaker 3: the bench, who who can just shoot the lights out. Yeah,
• 57:48
  Speaker 3: you know, this is a much This is a much
• 57:50
  Speaker 3: more talented team with the stars in place that Caler
• 57:52
  Speaker 3: Martin doesn't have to be Superman. And again, I'm going
• 57:56
  Speaker 3: down the roster right now, and it's just a more solid,
• 58:00
  Speaker 3: more professional roster. And they are definitely set up to
• 58:05
  Speaker 3: have a much better playoff run. Again if if everybody plays,
• 58:08
  Speaker 3: that's the biggest key to this team.
• 58:10
  Speaker 1: I think you said it.
• 58:11
  Speaker 2: Valuable role pieces is where this team is at right now,
• 58:16
  Speaker 2: even with Eric Gordon. I mean, what does Gordon have
• 58:20
  Speaker 2: left defensively too, I mean that's a question.
• 58:22
  Speaker 3: I'm going to be nothing nothing, He's never been been
• 58:27
  Speaker 3: a good defender. He's only started tonight because George isn't
• 58:29
  Speaker 3: there right right. But he's a guy, he's a professional
• 58:33
  Speaker 3: basketball player. He's he knows, he knows his role. If
• 58:36
  Speaker 3: he can give you twelve minutes and a couple of
• 58:38
  Speaker 3: three pointers, he's what Buddy Heel should have done last
• 58:41
  Speaker 3: year when they brought him in. Who didn't do shit
• 58:43
  Speaker 3: for you. And that's I mean they traded for him
• 58:46
  Speaker 3: and then just let him walk. Yeah, that's how you
• 58:48
  Speaker 3: need to know about I'm sure his agent called and
• 58:51
  Speaker 3: was like, hey, I know shaky year, but uh they're
• 58:55
  Speaker 3: like click, yeah, you.
• 58:58
  Speaker 4: Know we saw him almost puking the playoffs.
• 59:00
  Speaker 3: But again, like the top three guys I would put
• 59:04
  Speaker 3: up against most top three guys all healthy if they're
• 59:08
  Speaker 3: all healthy, right, yeah, like Maxi is. Maxie is the
• 59:12
  Speaker 3: key to the season. Like if if if he ever
• 59:16
  Speaker 3: goes down, we are absolutely fucked because because then we
• 59:20
  Speaker 3: could go to any point, Paul George going any point,
• 59:22
  Speaker 3: but to have to have Paul George is like your
• 59:26
  Speaker 3: third best player. Like that's that, Like that's a recipe
• 59:30
  Speaker 3: for a championship. Yes, everything works out well. The East
• 59:33
  Speaker 3: is not strong at all. I think you have to
• 59:34
  Speaker 3: look at that as we're doing our preview. It's top
• 59:38
  Speaker 3: heavy for sure. I know the Bucks kick their asses tonight,
• 59:42
  Speaker 3: but man, are they old? Brook Lopez is like thirty seven. Uh,
• 59:47
  Speaker 3: Chris Middleton. I don't they relig on Chris Middleton quite
• 59:50
  Speaker 3: a bit. He's already heard. They're definitely an older team.
• 59:55
  Speaker 3: Torri and Prince still on that team like I've been
• 59:57
  Speaker 3: only for forever, and I think I think they're gonna
• 1:00:00
  Speaker 3: wind up being like I think the Magic is going
• 1:00:02
  Speaker 3: to be a tough one.
• 1:00:03
  Speaker 4: To leap them.
• 1:00:05
  Speaker 3: I think they're going to have a really good year.
• 1:00:06
  Speaker 3: I think this year they kind of finally blow up.
• 1:00:08
  Speaker 3: I think they'll jump us in the in the standings.
• 1:00:10
  Speaker 3: I think the Sixers are going to kind of be
• 1:00:12
  Speaker 3: like I want to say, third best team, But would
• 1:00:14
  Speaker 3: the possibility of them be not playing a ton? Probably
• 1:00:17
  Speaker 3: around the four seed is where is where I'm slotting
• 1:00:20
  Speaker 3: them in. I think the Pacers got really lucky last year.
• 1:00:24
  Speaker 3: I like their squad, I like their roster, but and
• 1:00:28
  Speaker 3: they play really fast. But I think things just kind
• 1:00:31
  Speaker 3: of fell right for them to make it to the Eastern,
• 1:00:34
  Speaker 3: the Eastern Finals, and then beyond that.
• 1:00:37
  Speaker 4: Like what what are we scared of? Like the heat
• 1:00:40
  Speaker 4: or not?
• 1:00:40
  Speaker 3: Unless Jimmy Butler has no more season than him, right,
• 1:00:44
  Speaker 3: it's if there's If this team was in the West,
• 1:00:48
  Speaker 3: holy shit, we're we're talking like a sixth seed, the
• 1:00:52
  Speaker 3: Suns would run us out of the building. Okay, see
• 1:00:55
  Speaker 3: would destroy us. But I think the Knicks are gonna
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 3: take it a while to gel right. The Celtics are
• 1:01:02
  Speaker 3: already in full season form. I mean, you saw the
• 1:01:05
  Speaker 3: game last night. They broke the record for most threes
• 1:01:08
  Speaker 3: in the game. I know, you just want a title
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 3: and I just kicking everyone's ass already, which makes me sick.
• 1:01:14
  Speaker 3: But I think if things fall right with the health,
• 1:01:18
  Speaker 3: they could very well be like the third or four seed.
• 1:01:21
  Speaker 3: Fifty wins tops is kind of my ceiling because again,
• 1:01:24
  Speaker 3: I think these guys, I think they each sit.
• 1:01:26
  Speaker 4: Like at least thirty games apiece.
• 1:01:28
  Speaker 1: All right, well, I uh, I mean, let's get let's
• 1:01:31
  Speaker 1: get into that. See.
• 1:01:32
  Speaker 2: I think from a regular season record standpoint, I do
• 1:01:36
  Speaker 2: think the Sixers are going to win fifty two games,
• 1:01:38
  Speaker 2: and I know that's probably being optimistic. I think it's
• 1:01:41
  Speaker 2: going to be a fifty two and thirty season. I
• 1:01:43
  Speaker 2: think they are going to be third in the Eastern
• 1:01:45
  Speaker 2: Conference when it's all said and done. I have the feeling,
• 1:01:50
  Speaker 2: and yeah, there's definitely hope there too. There's there's that
• 1:01:53
  Speaker 2: damn bit of hope that I have that I always
• 1:01:55
  Speaker 2: have every year exactly. Eric's like, yeah, why do you
• 1:01:58
  Speaker 2: want that? You don't need that shit, But that's what
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 2: I'm thinking at this point, that the sixers team. I
• 1:02:08
  Speaker 2: mean even said, I mean they could third or fourth
• 1:02:10
  Speaker 2: seed if everything, if all the stars align here, if
• 1:02:14
  Speaker 2: health is gonna be there toward the end of the
• 1:02:17
  Speaker 2: regular season, I think this is definitely a team that
• 1:02:20
  Speaker 2: could be third in the Eastern Conference.
• 1:02:22
  Speaker 1: That's what I'm going with. With a fifty two and
• 1:02:24
  Speaker 1: thirty record.
• 1:02:26
  Speaker 3: Honestly, I just I think I could go lower than that.
• 1:02:30
  Speaker 3: They could just fit. I think I said fifty, but
• 1:02:33
  Speaker 3: I follow it up with saying they might miss thirty
• 1:02:35
  Speaker 3: games at peace.
• 1:02:37
  Speaker 4: There's no way they're going to win fifty that happens.
• 1:02:38
  Speaker 3: So yeah, I think forty eight and a half is
• 1:02:41
  Speaker 3: right about right. I think they're gonna win like forty
• 1:02:43
  Speaker 3: eight forty nine games. Maybe okay because of the health issues.
• 1:02:47
  Speaker 3: But again, if you just wind up getting a four seed,
• 1:02:50
  Speaker 3: at least you got home court in that opening round,
• 1:02:52
  Speaker 3: and after that, it's kind of a crapshoot. Yeah, you're
• 1:02:54
  Speaker 3: probably talking about the Cabs are magic at the three,
• 1:02:59
  Speaker 3: and then you're definitely nick Celtics one two. If you
• 1:03:02
  Speaker 3: can avoid the Celtics, like you definitely want to be
• 1:03:05
  Speaker 3: the three seed. If the Knicks of the two, that
• 1:03:07
  Speaker 3: would if that happens. By the way, that Nick Sixer
• 1:03:11
  Speaker 3: series last year in the playoffs was that was the
• 1:03:13
  Speaker 3: best playoff series of the year, and it was the
• 1:03:16
  Speaker 3: first round and Max he had an historic performance and
• 1:03:21
  Speaker 3: Bid turned into Billy am Beard at some point. He
• 1:03:23
  Speaker 3: was an asshole, but had actors of like absolute dominance,
• 1:03:27
  Speaker 3: like he was all over the place. But the most
• 1:03:30
  Speaker 3: fun series I've watched in quite some time, first round series.
• 1:03:33
  Speaker 3: And I if they if we could get a second
• 1:03:35
  Speaker 3: round Nick Sixers series with Cat and the House and
• 1:03:39
  Speaker 3: his history with embiid, like I'm praying your your prediction
• 1:03:42
  Speaker 3: comes comes to fruition because that three to two, you know,
• 1:03:46
  Speaker 3: if you win that the second round next series could
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 3: be a historic, like really really fun.
• 1:03:51
  Speaker 2: Well here here's what I think may actually happen, and
• 1:03:53
  Speaker 2: it goes to the next next uh next bullet point
• 1:03:58
  Speaker 2: here on our agenda these conference finals. I actually think
• 1:04:02
  Speaker 2: the Eastern Conference Finals are gonna be the Knicks and
• 1:04:07
  Speaker 2: the Sixers.
• 1:04:08
  Speaker 1: That's what I That's what I think it's gonna be.
• 1:04:10
  Speaker 1: Like like you said.
• 1:04:11
  Speaker 2: Last year with that, I was talking to Sean Bernard too,
• 1:04:14
  Speaker 2: Like the one thing though with the Sixers that that
• 1:04:17
  Speaker 2: that we saw and we see it year after year
• 1:04:19
  Speaker 2: in the playoffs where they fizzle out, and it's that
• 1:04:22
  Speaker 2: that lack of like energy the Knicks had the energy.
• 1:04:26
  Speaker 2: They had the energy heading into the playoffs last year,
• 1:04:30
  Speaker 2: and that ultimately was what Well and Josh Hart just
• 1:04:33
  Speaker 2: hitting threes like it was nobody's business. But that energy.
• 1:04:37
  Speaker 2: If they're if the if the Sixers can have at
• 1:04:39
  Speaker 2: least some semblance of energy that the Knicks did last year,
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 2: they're gonna go. They're gonna go far into the playoffs.
• 1:04:45
  Speaker 2: And I think that's what they're trying to do with
• 1:04:47
  Speaker 2: the load management stuff with embiid and of course Paul George.
• 1:04:50
  Speaker 2: But uh, I think this Eastern Conference finals, I think
• 1:04:55
  Speaker 2: I think it's gonna be fun if we see a
• 1:04:56
  Speaker 2: Sixers Knicks battle and and that that's gonna be my prediction.
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 1: What what's yours?
• 1:05:02
  Speaker 2: Well?
• 1:05:02
  Speaker 3: Can I just stay right now NBA Finals I'm looking
• 1:05:04
  Speaker 3: at I'm on FanDuel right now. H sixers are plus
• 1:05:07
  Speaker 3: one thousand, okay, and a six ers OKC finals is
• 1:05:12
  Speaker 3: twenty three hundred plus three hundred. I don't think it's
• 1:05:16
  Speaker 3: gonna happen, but it's interesting the numbers. I would put
• 1:05:19
  Speaker 3: some cash on that.
• 1:05:20
  Speaker 2: I'd put five dollars on it.
• 1:05:24
  Speaker 4: I'm probably burning five bucks if I do that.
• 1:05:26
  Speaker 3: But yeah, now I I okay, well, okay, let let's
• 1:05:31
  Speaker 3: just lay that. What would be worse Okay if the
• 1:05:33
  Speaker 3: Sixers made the Fine Conference Finals, if they lost to
• 1:05:36
  Speaker 3: the Knicks or Celtics, Which won't be worse for me
• 1:05:39
  Speaker 3: to be Celtics Celtics.
• 1:05:41
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it'd be worse for Celtics.
• 1:05:42
  Speaker 3: But what I hate? I kind of hate the Knicks.
• 1:05:45
  Speaker 3: I kind of have this healthy hatre Knicks after last year.
• 1:05:49
  Speaker 3: I didn't like the Nova kids coming into our building
• 1:05:51
  Speaker 3: and shoving up our ass. Yeah, but I'll say this,
• 1:05:53
  Speaker 3: the guy that scared me the most in that series
• 1:05:55
  Speaker 3: with Dante de Vincenzo, who's no longer there, Josh Hart,
• 1:05:59
  Speaker 3: was shot out of his mind that that that game.
• 1:06:02
  Speaker 1: Yep.
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 3: Honestly, my Eastern Conference prediction is gonna be Celtics Knicks.
• 1:06:08
  Speaker 3: We'll just lose in the second round again, something weird
• 1:06:11
  Speaker 3: like Embiid's gonna.
• 1:06:13
  Speaker 4: Get like a hematomaa's ear or something.
• 1:06:16
  Speaker 3: He always gets some weird injury like remember the eye, yes,
• 1:06:20
  Speaker 3: eye socket yep, what is either he's tall or like
• 1:06:26
  Speaker 3: like does he step in puddles all the time when
• 1:06:28
  Speaker 3: he like, he just has the weirdest luck with.
• 1:06:31
  Speaker 2: That kind of stuff, Like he'll step off the curb
• 1:06:33
  Speaker 2: wrong and somehow it'll it'll fracture a bone in his
• 1:06:37
  Speaker 2: ankle or something, or he'll.
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 3: Step on one of those like basement doors in the
• 1:06:41
  Speaker 3: city of Philadelphia and cave in. Right.
• 1:06:45
  Speaker 4: I always avoid because I was scared to death of
• 1:06:47
  Speaker 4: those things.
• 1:06:47
  Speaker 3: But he just has the weirdest injury luck, and I
• 1:06:50
  Speaker 3: could just see it happening again.
• 1:06:51
  Speaker 4: But I I just think I think the Knicks.
• 1:06:54
  Speaker 3: Are gonna gel and it's once they figure that thing out,
• 1:06:58
  Speaker 3: they're gonna be really tough to be y and they
• 1:07:00
  Speaker 3: match up really well with us, Like I think you
• 1:07:04
  Speaker 3: have to put George on Brunson Cat. Would you know?
• 1:07:08
  Speaker 3: M Be's on Cat? But they have so many wing players.
• 1:07:10
  Speaker 3: We don't have as many wings it. I think it'd
• 1:07:14
  Speaker 3: be a bloodbath for sure. Ala Martin will definitely be involved.
• 1:07:17
  Speaker 3: Kyle Lowry will absolutely step on someone's ankle. Yeah, I'm
• 1:07:21
  Speaker 3: really hoping. I'm hoping your thing works because that would
• 1:07:24
  Speaker 3: be so much fun to watch and I think it
• 1:07:26
  Speaker 3: would be an all timer.
• 1:07:28
  Speaker 4: But unfortunately, I think it's going to be Nick Celtics.
• 1:07:30
  Speaker 2: I think that's where I'm going with the fun instead
• 1:07:32
  Speaker 2: of like the common sense logic here. Yeah, yeah, all right,
• 1:07:36
  Speaker 2: well let's move over to the Western Conference here, Western
• 1:07:39
  Speaker 2: Conference Finals. Your prediction, I'll let you go first since
• 1:07:43
  Speaker 2: I went first this for the Eastern Conference. What are
• 1:07:45
  Speaker 2: you thinking for the Western Conference finals?
• 1:07:50
  Speaker 3: First off, that the Western Conference is sick, dude, Like, like,
• 1:07:55
  Speaker 3: you're you're gonna have to You're gonna have to win
• 1:07:57
  Speaker 3: forty games just get in the playoffs. I think like
• 1:07:59
  Speaker 3: that even just for the play in right, I mean,
• 1:08:02
  Speaker 3: the Lakers have no shot, and that's saying something like
• 1:08:05
  Speaker 3: they're they still have Lebron and Davis. In my opinion,
• 1:08:07
  Speaker 3: they'll they'll barely make the plan. It's and the top
• 1:08:11
  Speaker 3: is so heavy. Like I think Lucas going to go
• 1:08:13
  Speaker 3: off this year and finally win an MVP. He's due
• 1:08:16
  Speaker 3: for a thirty five, ten and nine season. Yeah, Dallas,
• 1:08:19
  Speaker 3: Dallas is going to be Dallas got better, got Klay
• 1:08:21
  Speaker 3: Thompson and some other guys, and they made it all
• 1:08:24
  Speaker 3: the way to the finals last year. I mean that
• 1:08:26
  Speaker 3: that could fall apart as Kyrie still lunatic. I still
• 1:08:29
  Speaker 3: don't trust him. And Yokic is still in Denver. He's
• 1:08:32
  Speaker 3: the best player in the league. But I think okay
• 1:08:35
  Speaker 3: See is just like, how do you have all those assets?
• 1:08:39
  Speaker 3: Like they still have like a treasure trove of first
• 1:08:42
  Speaker 3: round picks. Yeah, and like awesome first round picks, like
• 1:08:45
  Speaker 3: they get the Clippers first round pick. I think this
• 1:08:46
  Speaker 3: year who legit might be horrendous. Yes, they might get
• 1:08:51
  Speaker 3: Cooper Flagg in the draft, Max Sure, okay See, And
• 1:08:54
  Speaker 3: they're probably the best team, best regular season team in
• 1:08:57
  Speaker 3: in the NBA in my opinion, they're just stacked. Anything
• 1:09:01
  Speaker 3: they want to do with the trade deadline, they can
• 1:09:02
  Speaker 3: just do. They can just here, here's eight picks, give
• 1:09:05
  Speaker 3: us your best player. Yep. Having said all that, I
• 1:09:07
  Speaker 3: think Okac is definitely gonna be the Western Conference Finals.
• 1:09:10
  Speaker 3: I think one seat. I think they're gonna win something
• 1:09:13
  Speaker 3: like sixty four sixty five. I mean it's going to
• 1:09:16
  Speaker 3: be one of those like, oh shit, are they going
• 1:09:17
  Speaker 3: to break the Bulls records. I think they're going to
• 1:09:19
  Speaker 3: be that good. And I think they're gonna wind up
• 1:09:22
  Speaker 3: playing I haven't talked about him yet. Suns finally have
• 1:09:25
  Speaker 3: the right coach in place, Coach Bud who took a
• 1:09:29
  Speaker 3: year off.
• 1:09:30
  Speaker 4: He was a great coach for the Bucks. And I
• 1:09:32
  Speaker 4: think that situation last year was really weird.
• 1:09:35
  Speaker 3: If the coaching carousel there, they forced coach, but out
• 1:09:38
  Speaker 3: they brought in I forget the guy's name. He was
• 1:09:40
  Speaker 3: ever thirty games, he sucked and then now Doc is
• 1:09:44
  Speaker 3: there and they fizzled it out of the playoffs. But
• 1:09:46
  Speaker 3: he's he's more of an offensive like coach Vogel was
• 1:09:51
  Speaker 3: trying to turn the suns in, like we have to
• 1:09:53
  Speaker 3: play better defense. Like no, asshole, this team shoots like that.
• 1:09:56
  Speaker 3: They just score like crazy Booker Durant Beal when he's healthy.
• 1:10:00
  Speaker 3: They somehow got tys Jones from from the Washington have
• 1:10:02
  Speaker 3: legit point guard now even though they had no money.
• 1:10:05
  Speaker 4: Under the cap, they pulled that off.
• 1:10:06
  Speaker 3: And like, I think they're gonna I think they're they're
• 1:10:10
  Speaker 3: gonna be like one of those ABA teams averaging one
• 1:10:12
  Speaker 3: hundred and thirty points a night. Yeah, and really fun
• 1:10:15
  Speaker 3: to watch. I think they're gonna wind up being the
• 1:10:16
  Speaker 3: two or three seed and they're gonna play okay see
• 1:10:18
  Speaker 3: in the Western Conference finals.
• 1:10:19
  Speaker 1: Ooh see, I I have a I have a Dallas.
• 1:10:23
  Speaker 1: I have Dallas.
• 1:10:24
  Speaker 2: Okac that that that's who I Have you mentioned Klay
• 1:10:27
  Speaker 2: Thomas or Thomas Klay Thompson. His addition to that team,
• 1:10:32
  Speaker 2: I think is what they really are gonna need in
• 1:10:34
  Speaker 2: order to get really in order to get through the playoffs,
• 1:10:38
  Speaker 2: make it to the Western Conference finals and and I
• 1:10:41
  Speaker 2: I don't think they're gonna get to the finals with
• 1:10:44
  Speaker 2: him with uh, with what they have, but I think
• 1:10:49
  Speaker 2: it's gonna be Dallas, Dallas, okay see, like you said,
• 1:10:51
  Speaker 2: with Okay, see Jesus there, they're They're just gonna run.
• 1:10:55
  Speaker 1: I think they're gonna win the whole thing. I'm just
• 1:10:56
  Speaker 1: gonna say.
• 1:10:57
  Speaker 2: I know we're gonna get to our championship game and
• 1:10:59
  Speaker 2: champion or the NBA Finals and the champions prediction. But
• 1:11:04
  Speaker 2: I think it's gonna be okay see, Actually, I think
• 1:11:07
  Speaker 2: you know, Western Conference is going to take it this year.
• 1:11:09
  Speaker 2: I don't think the Celtics are going to repeat, like
• 1:11:11
  Speaker 2: a lot of folks are saying. But I'm going with
• 1:11:13
  Speaker 2: Mavericks and okay.
• 1:11:14
  Speaker 3: See yeah, I'm praying for a Dallas Phoenix second round because.
• 1:11:22
  Speaker 1: That'd be fun.
• 1:11:23
  Speaker 3: I mean, Klay Thompson was an awesome picker for Dallas
• 1:11:25
  Speaker 3: because he doesn't have to do anything Like Golden State
• 1:11:29
  Speaker 3: needed him to play defense and score, and he just
• 1:11:32
  Speaker 3: can't play defense anymore. I mean he's torn like both
• 1:11:34
  Speaker 3: Achilles attendant at this point. But he still shoots the
• 1:11:36
  Speaker 3: lights of the average eighteen points last year. Yeah, and
• 1:11:39
  Speaker 3: all Dallas needs him.
• 1:11:40
  Speaker 4: To do is shoot three pointers.
• 1:11:41
  Speaker 3: And he can still do that. What I'm excited for
• 1:11:46
  Speaker 3: is just a complete lack of defense. Like I said,
• 1:11:48
  Speaker 3: Aba style in that series, the Suns don't play defense.
• 1:11:52
  Speaker 3: Dallas's Crunch Time five has freaking Kyrie Luca and Klay
• 1:11:56
  Speaker 3: Thompson in it. Yeah, they can't guard anybody. It's gonna
• 1:11:59
  Speaker 3: be a shit show of defense. But like some of
• 1:12:02
  Speaker 3: the greatest offense you've ever seen on television, that's you're
• 1:12:06
  Speaker 3: gonna have like one hundred and forty two to one
• 1:12:07
  Speaker 3: hundred and thirty nine final scores. But I I think,
• 1:12:12
  Speaker 3: I just think the Suns are going to get there,
• 1:12:13
  Speaker 3: and I think, okay, see he's gonna wind up playing
• 1:12:16
  Speaker 3: the Celtics in the finals, Okay, and they're I think
• 1:12:19
  Speaker 3: they're gonna win the whole thing because just how the
• 1:12:22
  Speaker 3: roster's compiled now, like they they could just win it outright. Yeah,
• 1:12:27
  Speaker 3: But with all the assets. They They signed Hartenstein from
• 1:12:31
  Speaker 3: the Knicks, who's the He's the perfect player for them.
• 1:12:34
  Speaker 3: He's he's a big guy, you can bang, he's a
• 1:12:36
  Speaker 3: great passer on the elbows. They can run the offense
• 1:12:39
  Speaker 3: through him at the top of the key and let's
• 1:12:41
  Speaker 3: shake kind of roam around, which he's really good at. Yeah,
• 1:12:44
  Speaker 3: I mean you don't have to have like Chad Holger
• 1:12:46
  Speaker 3: got eaten up last year. You know, he couldn't get
• 1:12:48
  Speaker 3: a rebound because he's he's one hundred. He's he's the
• 1:12:51
  Speaker 3: original cinnamon stick Like I know, you me cinnamon stick legs.
• 1:12:55
  Speaker 4: But he he's.
• 1:12:57
  Speaker 3: Like a freak of nature if you have ever seen him,
• 1:12:59
  Speaker 3: like a picture of him. But he is damn good hit.
• 1:13:01
  Speaker 3: He can shoot three pointers. I mean, he's freakish to watch.
• 1:13:06
  Speaker 3: He was freakish to watch. And then Winby came in
• 1:13:07
  Speaker 3: the league. It's like, oh, he's even freakier to watch.
• 1:13:10
  Speaker 3: Didn't even mention the Spurs. They're gonna be fun, fun
• 1:13:12
  Speaker 3: this year, but like just it's gonna be an awesome
• 1:13:16
  Speaker 3: NBA season, But that that team is so intriguing just
• 1:13:19
  Speaker 3: for the talent they have and just what they can
• 1:13:22
  Speaker 3: do to strengthen the roster going into the playoffs is
• 1:13:25
  Speaker 3: just it's been I haven't I don't know, I haven't
• 1:13:29
  Speaker 3: seen that a long time. To have that much ammunition
• 1:13:32
  Speaker 3: and the roster you already have can already win a championship.
• 1:13:35
  Speaker 4: I just I can't see them losing.
• 1:13:37
  Speaker 2: I am gonna go with in terms of the NBA
• 1:13:40
  Speaker 2: Finals already, I already said I think Okay, so he
• 1:13:42
  Speaker 2: is gonna win the whole thing. But I actually I
• 1:13:45
  Speaker 2: think if the Sixers and Knicks play in the Eastern
• 1:13:48
  Speaker 2: Conference Finals, I think the Knicks beat them. And I'm
• 1:13:50
  Speaker 2: just going off based on what happened last year. I
• 1:13:53
  Speaker 2: talked about that energy, the energy that the Knicks brought,
• 1:13:56
  Speaker 2: I mean even their fan base for Christ's sakes down
• 1:13:58
  Speaker 2: at the Wells Fargo Center, which was embarrassing for the
• 1:14:03
  Speaker 2: for those couple of games.
• 1:14:04
  Speaker 1: But I think the Knicks will end up.
• 1:14:07
  Speaker 2: Getting to the NBA Finals to face Okac, and Okac
• 1:14:11
  Speaker 2: comes out at the end of the day on top.
• 1:14:13
  Speaker 2: I don't know, something something is leading me toward picking
• 1:14:17
  Speaker 2: the Celtics. I don't know what it is. I don't
• 1:14:21
  Speaker 2: know what it is. I just can't see them repeating
• 1:14:24
  Speaker 2: for some reason, even though they got the pieces. They
• 1:14:27
  Speaker 2: have the pieces. I know it sounds hokey, that energy
• 1:14:30
  Speaker 2: the freaking Nicks had last year was pretty There was
• 1:14:33
  Speaker 2: something special with it. If I'm able to talk objectively
• 1:14:36
  Speaker 2: about it, there was something special about it. And if
• 1:14:39
  Speaker 2: they're able to keep that throughout this year and into
• 1:14:41
  Speaker 2: the postseason, I think they're gonna I think they're gonna
• 1:14:44
  Speaker 2: go pretty far.
• 1:14:45
  Speaker 3: Yeah. The one thing they did lose the Knicks some
• 1:14:50
  Speaker 3: defensive prowess for sure. Yeah, you know they lost none
• 1:14:54
  Speaker 3: of that in Randall, but they lost some of that
• 1:14:56
  Speaker 3: in Devincenzo in terms of like defensive ability and and balls,
• 1:15:01
  Speaker 3: like he's a he's a real ship talker and you
• 1:15:03
  Speaker 3: a primetime guy defensively that that's gonna hurt them against
• 1:15:08
  Speaker 3: the Celtics. Uh, you saw it last night for sure.
• 1:15:10
  Speaker 3: Not sure where you put cat? Who the hell covers?
• 1:15:13
  Speaker 3: Whose cat cover? On the Celtics, you know what I mean?
• 1:15:15
  Speaker 3: Like they but they run in Mike Roughn, McHale Bridges,
• 1:15:18
  Speaker 3: who should still be a sixer. That's a goddamn It's
• 1:15:21
  Speaker 3: a whole other show, is man. I mean, you wouldn't
• 1:15:26
  Speaker 3: even you want to sign Paul George. You just have
• 1:15:28
  Speaker 3: bridge of it whatever. Yeah, but but they they have
• 1:15:33
  Speaker 3: if that gels and with that home crowd, like their
• 1:15:37
  Speaker 3: their home, their home court advantage is far and away
• 1:15:40
  Speaker 3: the best. Yeah, it's an MSG. It just explodes. It
• 1:15:45
  Speaker 3: was an awesome crowd, especially when Maxie remember Maxie last
• 1:15:48
  Speaker 3: year made that shot and the picture of Ben Steeler
• 1:15:51
  Speaker 3: like yes, like that's awesome that and and that it's
• 1:15:58
  Speaker 3: just gonna be a great, great season. And I man,
• 1:16:03
  Speaker 3: if it's okay see in the Knicks or even the
• 1:16:05
  Speaker 3: Celtics that I mean, I'm watching every second of that. Yeah,
• 1:16:08
  Speaker 3: Like the finals last year sucked. Let's just say it.
• 1:16:12
  Speaker 1: It wasn't fun.
• 1:16:13
  Speaker 3: It wasn't fun if the Sixers hadn't had an awesome
• 1:16:16
  Speaker 3: one against the Knicks, every one of the worst players
• 1:16:18
  Speaker 3: I've ever seen in my life.
• 1:16:19
  Speaker 4: It was not good. But that's not gonna happen this year.
• 1:16:23
  Speaker 3: There's just too many good teams in the top tier
• 1:16:25
  Speaker 3: teams and hoping make the make the finals and in
• 1:16:28
  Speaker 3: the ultimate finals, like you're gonna have You're gonna have
• 1:16:31
  Speaker 3: a great series regardless of what happens.
• 1:16:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I think that's a pretty good way to
• 1:16:35
  Speaker 2: end the show. And our Sixers season preview man, it's
• 1:16:39
  Speaker 2: gonna be a gonna be an interesting season watching this
• 1:16:42
  Speaker 2: Sixers team and watching these NBA teams that we've been
• 1:16:44
  Speaker 2: talking about here.
• 1:16:45
  Speaker 1: So I hope you have enjoyed.
• 1:16:48
  Speaker 2: And if you are new to listening to the show,
• 1:16:51
  Speaker 2: subscribe on whatever podcast platform you are on Philadelphia Sports
• 1:16:54
  Speaker 2: table dot com, you can check out all of our
• 1:16:56
  Speaker 2: shows over there. Erica, we're gonna head out here. You
• 1:16:59
  Speaker 2: got anything else here before before we head out.
• 1:17:03
  Speaker 3: Listen, There's still a part of me that knows this
• 1:17:05
  Speaker 3: could go south and be awful injury. Yeah, and we're
• 1:17:09
  Speaker 3: in the playing game against the Hawks. Yeah, it's the
• 1:17:12
  Speaker 3: fourth quarter and we're down three, and like this could
• 1:17:16
  Speaker 3: this could be awful.
• 1:17:17
  Speaker 4: They could win forty games.
• 1:17:18
  Speaker 3: Yeah, we're and we're on this show next April, going
• 1:17:23
  Speaker 3: is the window closed for the Sixers? Right?
• 1:17:26
  Speaker 2: Yeah? Seriously, Embiid could drop his shampoo in the shower
• 1:17:30
  Speaker 2: on his left big toe and it could set this
• 1:17:33
  Speaker 2: team back, Like the most bizarre thing could happen in
• 1:17:36
  Speaker 2: terms of an injury for him, and it wouldn't surprise
• 1:17:38
  Speaker 2: me at all.
• 1:17:39
  Speaker 3: And then it would turn into a mister Bean situation
• 1:17:41
  Speaker 3: where he would like he'd grab his toe and go,
• 1:17:43
  Speaker 3: and then he'd stand up and go. It hurts, and
• 1:17:45
  Speaker 3: he hit his head against the shower headower and blows
• 1:17:50
  Speaker 3: off the thing and it blows water in his face
• 1:17:52
  Speaker 3: and he gets his eyes infected.
• 1:17:53
  Speaker 1: Like it's he falls down, he breaks his back. Guy
• 1:17:58
  Speaker 1: can't take a shower air.
• 1:18:01
  Speaker 3: His finger gets stuck in the drains up, just.
• 1:18:04
  Speaker 2: A bunch of hair in the drain. He's like, oh,
• 1:18:07
  Speaker 2: what's this? You know, sticks it in his ear, gets
• 1:18:10
  Speaker 2: an ear infection exactly.
• 1:18:12
  Speaker 1: I don't know why he's a toddler at this point.
• 1:18:13
  Speaker 3: Anyway, that'd be a gigantic shower.
• 1:18:17
  Speaker 1: By the way, Yes, I know. All right, folks, hope
• 1:18:21
  Speaker 1: you enjoyed.
• 1:18:22
  Speaker 2: We've got some great content coming to you next week.
• 1:18:25
  Speaker 2: We're certainly going to be getting in the Eagles team
• 1:18:28
  Speaker 2: sixers some flyers as well.
• 1:18:30
  Speaker 1: Take care, everybody, We'll catch you next time.