Latest / The Favorites Sports Betting Podcast / BlackJack and Rob Perez Talk All Things NBA

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BlackJack and Rob Perez Talk All Things NBA · The Favorites Sports Betting Podcast

0:09
Speaker 1: Welcome to the favorite That's that's all I got. That's it. Yeah,
0:22
Speaker 1: come on, Antonio, that's lackluster. If you're gonna impersonate Chad Millman,
0:27
Speaker 1: you really got to go for the gusto. That was weak.
0:30
Speaker 1: Al Right, Welcome to the Favorites, everybody. I'm black Jack Fletcher,
0:33
Speaker 1: and today I am joined by the man who has
0:36
Speaker 1: more photos of Adam Silver on his hard drive than
0:38
Speaker 1: his own wife does worldwide Wibe, Rob Perez, Rob? Are
0:42
Speaker 1: we doing brother good? First of all, what was that? That?
0:46
Speaker 1: An impersonation? The intro, Antonio was doing Chad impression because
0:53
Speaker 1: Chad always welcomes everyone to the Favorites in a very
0:56
Speaker 1: distinct fashion. So we've developed a trend on this episode
0:59
Speaker 1: to just mock him. Yeah, is that a is his play? There?
1:03
Speaker 1: Like a mad mad dog Chris Russo intro, like when
1:07
Speaker 1: they did Mike and the Mad Dog of kind of everybody. Yeah,
1:10
Speaker 1: it's like the mad Dog. But if he like sucked
1:12
Speaker 1: on a bunch of helium right before he spoke, Oh
1:15
Speaker 1: my god. Yeah, let's let's not do that again. But
1:19
Speaker 1: all right, so we've got Robbed with us this week. Um,
1:22
Speaker 1: obviously we're gonna talk a lot of NBA here. There's
1:25
Speaker 1: a lot going on in the playoffs. We just had
1:27
Speaker 1: the draft lottery. Um, free agency is just around the corner.
1:31
Speaker 1: I can't wait for the finals to get over so
1:33
Speaker 1: we can get onto that part of the year. Um, Rob,
1:36
Speaker 1: Let's start with the lottery, because I I like you.
1:40
Speaker 1: I'm a big Knicks fan, Um, and it was disappointing
1:45
Speaker 1: to me. I really thought when the Lakers card was
1:48
Speaker 1: turned over at four that we had this thing locked up. Instead,
1:53
Speaker 1: we're saddled with R. J. Barrett, who I am now
1:55
Speaker 1: convincing myself is going to be a better pro than
1:57
Speaker 1: Zion Williamson because his game translates better take me through
2:01
Speaker 1: draft lottery night in your house. Well, I went into
2:06
Speaker 1: it with emotions ready for first would have been Armageddon,
2:13
Speaker 1: like we take to the streets with pitchfords and torches,
2:16
Speaker 1: and we started writing would have been uh, put on
2:19
Speaker 1: some Atlantis, more set for app an adult beverage, and
2:21
Speaker 1: started convincing myself that Jared Calvert can actually translate to
2:24
Speaker 1: be a somewhat recognizable in the game. At one point,
2:28
Speaker 1: if we got the third pick, it was gonna be
2:30
Speaker 1: very golf clappish because I said even before it started
2:33
Speaker 1: that I would sign up guaranteed right now for the
2:36
Speaker 1: third pick in the NBA draft. So that was my
2:38
Speaker 1: minimum for being satisfied. And the reason for doing that
2:41
Speaker 1: was because Nick had a greater than fifty percent chance
2:45
Speaker 1: of falling out of the top three, and since this
2:47
Speaker 1: is a three player draft, I didn't want to risk that.
2:49
Speaker 1: You know, I don't think there is that big of
2:51
Speaker 1: a difference between one three die on our change. So
2:55
Speaker 1: for three it was golf clapped. For two it would
2:57
Speaker 1: have been a big time his pump because you get
2:59
Speaker 1: your picked between uh Marja and then if you got
3:01
Speaker 1: the first pick, obviously it's just beforia going streaking through
3:05
Speaker 1: UH times square. Now you go streaking to time square,
3:08
Speaker 1: not just because it's Ion, but because it gives you options.
3:11
Speaker 1: And that's ultimately what the bigger picture is here from
3:13
Speaker 1: the New York Knicks, either way, whether they got Zion
3:16
Speaker 1: or r J, I still think that pick is eventually
3:19
Speaker 1: going to get traded, and it's going it didn't even
3:21
Speaker 1: matter if we got the first pick. In the long run,
3:23
Speaker 1: when we look back at things, there's a lot of
3:25
Speaker 1: ifs that are gonna go into this. But if the
3:28
Speaker 1: New York Knicks signed Kemn Durant. That means likely if
3:32
Speaker 1: Kyrie Irving becomes a New York Knick behind him, they
3:35
Speaker 1: are going to be in place to offer a Godfather
3:38
Speaker 1: package for Anthony Davis uh in that with whatever pick
3:43
Speaker 1: you have. So let's say it's R. J. Barrett and
3:45
Speaker 1: then we have Millikena Knox, Mitchell Robinson, Morga's board of
3:49
Speaker 1: first round draft picks a trier. You know, honestly, you
3:52
Speaker 1: open off the books at that point if you have
3:54
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant and Kybrie Irving out there. So just when
3:58
Speaker 1: you asked me this question, we are now three minute
4:00
Speaker 1: since you asked it. I've already convinced myself that the
4:02
Speaker 1: next you're going to have a super team with three
4:04
Speaker 1: top ten players by times till all comes around. But
4:07
Speaker 1: here's the thing, black Jack, is that we put ourselves
4:09
Speaker 1: in that position, like we can't win the chips that
4:12
Speaker 1: you don't put in the middle. By trading Porzingis and
4:15
Speaker 1: clearing the cap space and getting rid of all those contracts,
4:18
Speaker 1: the Knicks are all in on the summer of twenty nineteen, man,
4:20
Speaker 1: And I'm excited because the first thing that we needed
4:23
Speaker 1: the first checkbox was getting a top three pick, and
4:26
Speaker 1: that is done. Okay, So let me let me ask
4:29
Speaker 1: you this because I am excited as well, but I'm
4:30
Speaker 1: also terrified because, as you said, the Knicks are all
4:33
Speaker 1: in on a summer of free agency and we've seen
4:36
Speaker 1: that go awry before. Um you mentioned that the Knicks
4:39
Speaker 1: could make a Godfather offer. Is the Knicks offer of
4:43
Speaker 1: three and whatever of those pieces better than the Lakers
4:47
Speaker 1: offer of four? You know, with Ingram Kuzma and additional
4:51
Speaker 1: first round picks. Is the Knicks package better than that?
4:54
Speaker 1: I don't think so, which is a problem. So if
4:58
Speaker 1: you're the Pelicans right now, have to remember Dell Demps
5:01
Speaker 1: who who had a grudge practically against the Lakers and
5:04
Speaker 1: just refused to tread out of pure spite. He's gone,
5:07
Speaker 1: and David Geffin is there now and said he has
5:09
Speaker 1: no grudges and we're going to treat this as if
5:11
Speaker 1: every deal is separate in brand New. So demand has
5:15
Speaker 1: gone up here for Anthony Davis because you have the Lakers,
5:19
Speaker 1: as you just alluded to, they can na can free
5:21
Speaker 1: vango ball brandon Ingram, Kyo Kuzma, the pick no Wagner
5:25
Speaker 1: like they have plenty to offer themselves. And let's not
5:28
Speaker 1: forget the Balls and Celtics aroout there as well, with
5:30
Speaker 1: Jaylen Brown Jason Tatum in three to four first round
5:33
Speaker 1: picks in just this draft alone. So you add the
5:37
Speaker 1: New York mixed to that, and I just you know,
5:39
Speaker 1: I have described what what their package would look like.
5:42
Speaker 1: There's now three teams Anthony Davis would likely sign an
5:45
Speaker 1: extension with, or at least that's the rumors that we heard.
5:48
Speaker 1: So what that means is demand goes off, but the
5:50
Speaker 1: supply hasn't done gone anywhere. There's a third factor in
5:53
Speaker 1: here with this time, every second that ticks by is
5:56
Speaker 1: one second closer now to the trade deadline February. And
5:59
Speaker 1: Anthony David is a free agent and he has made
6:01
Speaker 1: it very clear that his stance has not changed despite
6:04
Speaker 1: New Orleans now trying to make things work here. So
6:07
Speaker 1: Kendall Ankers offer something better most certainly, and you have
6:10
Speaker 1: to consider them. I think the front runners. It's a
6:12
Speaker 1: matter if they want to do it though, because they
6:14
Speaker 1: have a max spot available themselves, and they're not training
6:17
Speaker 1: all their guys until they see if they're getting Kawhi Leonard,
6:21
Speaker 1: if they're getting Kyrie Irving if they're chatting Jimmy Butler.
6:24
Speaker 1: So there's it's gonna be weird to watch in terms
6:28
Speaker 1: of timing because all these teams are that scene from
6:31
Speaker 1: the office or they're pointing guns at each other that
6:33
Speaker 1: we have a murder and who's going to pull the
6:36
Speaker 1: trigger first? On ridiculous deal for Anthony Davis simply because
6:39
Speaker 1: I think the other two teams aren't ready to do
6:42
Speaker 1: it yet. It's it's really, you know, a game of
6:46
Speaker 1: It's a specific version of poker, but it's you know,
6:50
Speaker 1: it's what feels feels like it's going on is you
6:51
Speaker 1: have to call each other's blocks here, Someone at some
6:54
Speaker 1: point is going to offer up. Let me throw this
6:57
Speaker 1: scenario at you. I, like everyone else, loves playing with
7:00
Speaker 1: the NBA trade machine. I want to throw a scenario
7:03
Speaker 1: at you. It's gonna sound crazy, but I want you
7:06
Speaker 1: to think about it before you tell me what your
7:08
Speaker 1: answer is. Let's say that the New York Knicks trade
7:15
Speaker 1: the three pick and some of that filler whatever it
7:18
Speaker 1: may may need to be to the Lakers for Lebron James.
7:23
Speaker 1: Then the Lakers send the three and the four pick
7:27
Speaker 1: to New Orleans for Anthony Davis. Everyone wins here, rob
7:30
Speaker 1: The Knicks get Lebron James in town to pair with
7:33
Speaker 1: whoever they want. The Lakers get their young superstar and
7:36
Speaker 1: Anthony Davis. Maybe they miss out on free agents at
7:39
Speaker 1: the beginning of July and realize, hey, we can't build
7:41
Speaker 1: a title contender in two years, and the Pelicans get
7:44
Speaker 1: to jump start their rebuild with the one, three, and
7:47
Speaker 1: four picks in this draft. Who loses the Lakers so
7:51
Speaker 1: they just they just traded Lebron James and the fourth
7:54
Speaker 1: pick for Anthony Davis in your hypothetical more or less
7:57
Speaker 1: plus Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson. Probably Yeah, you want
8:02
Speaker 1: to talk about the city that would burn to the grounds.
8:06
Speaker 1: We saw the project. But I mean, are they really worse?
8:08
Speaker 1: Are they worse with Anthony Davis than they were this year?
8:13
Speaker 1: It's tough to get worse than they were this year? Right,
8:15
Speaker 1: So if but you'll have Davis for a longer period
8:17
Speaker 1: because he's younger, and he said he'd resign there, so like,
8:20
Speaker 1: why not just say, you know what, we're not gonna
8:22
Speaker 1: win this in two years at Lebron, Let's let's jump
8:25
Speaker 1: start this this thing. Because and day Davis is made
8:28
Speaker 1: of Glass first of all, So if Lebron was hurt
8:31
Speaker 1: last year for a good, good portion of the season,
8:34
Speaker 1: and I would still take Lebron James at the age
8:36
Speaker 1: of thirty four versus Anthony Davis currently in his prime,
8:38
Speaker 1: just because Lebron is still arguably the best player on Earth. Um,
8:42
Speaker 1: I don't know how the Lakers would get better just
8:45
Speaker 1: rebuilding around Anthony Davis without a draft pick. I I
8:48
Speaker 1: do like where your mind's at. I like the way
8:50
Speaker 1: you're thinking that Lebron coming to New York some now
8:52
Speaker 1: that so we can watched the nixt signing when he's
8:54
Speaker 1: like that, When Dan, Yeah, when when Jordan went to
8:58
Speaker 1: the Wizards and after retiring, you just know Lebron, Lebron
9:02
Speaker 1: is coming back to play with his kid for like
9:03
Speaker 1: one year. He's gonna have to get his wheelchair to
9:05
Speaker 1: plan with got Lebron. You know that's going to happen
9:09
Speaker 1: at some point. It surprised me. I just don't think
9:11
Speaker 1: it happens in this years, in this season. Alright, So
9:14
Speaker 1: let's let's walk through some of these free agents that
9:17
Speaker 1: are out there, because there's so many possibilities. My biggest
9:21
Speaker 1: concern is the Knicks fans that we wind up with
9:23
Speaker 1: like Nick Vuskovich and Tobias Harris. Like, tell me, um,
9:26
Speaker 1: tell me, I don't have to worry about that. There's
9:29
Speaker 1: certainly the possibility and Bustovich actually would be great, but
9:33
Speaker 1: not just like headlining the free agency class with Tobias Harris. Uh.
9:38
Speaker 1: At this point, what we've learned from what I've learned
9:42
Speaker 1: personally and what we've heard in the media, it's Kevin
9:45
Speaker 1: durand Er bust And if Durrant comes, He's got his boys.
9:48
Speaker 1: Uh in the version of Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan
9:52
Speaker 1: was on the team last year. They're kind of all
9:53
Speaker 1: suit their own version of the banana boat. And Uh,
9:57
Speaker 1: if they don't get to Rant this summer, I think
9:58
Speaker 1: it's a it's a failure of brick or list of
10:00
Speaker 1: who comes here not named Kawhi Leonard. Okay, speaking of Kauai,
10:04
Speaker 1: where do you think he winds up? Because you know
10:06
Speaker 1: you hear all the talkies from l A. The Clippers
10:08
Speaker 1: have this spot open, Toronto just feels like such a
10:11
Speaker 1: good fit for him. Man, it feels like it's a
10:13
Speaker 1: perfect damn spot for Kawhi Leonard. If if anyone tells
10:18
Speaker 1: you that they know where Kawhi Leonard is going. You know,
10:21
Speaker 1: you can never trust that person again because I don't
10:23
Speaker 1: even think kawhiir uncle Dennis knows where he's going next year.
10:26
Speaker 1: But I can't tell you this that the Toronto Raptors
10:28
Speaker 1: are really good with Kawhi Leonard on that team. Their
10:30
Speaker 1: championship ready, just if even if they don't make it
10:33
Speaker 1: out of the Eastern Conference finals. So I'm going I'm
10:35
Speaker 1: gonna make a list right now for Kawhi Leonard. It's Toronto,
10:38
Speaker 1: and he just bought an eighth figurehouse back in his
10:42
Speaker 1: home of southern California, which he has made very clear
10:45
Speaker 1: that he loves and he wants to live full time
10:47
Speaker 1: once again. One day went to San Diego State for college.
10:51
Speaker 1: I'm gonna add to this list the Lakers and the Clippers,
10:53
Speaker 1: and a lot of people are pitching the Clippers because
10:56
Speaker 1: he's a quiet guy, doesn't have to play alongside Lebron
10:58
Speaker 1: the spot like the media, he doesn't want all that.
11:01
Speaker 1: We don't know that he doesn't want all that. He
11:02
Speaker 1: just never says yes or no. So I'm going to
11:05
Speaker 1: put the Lakers and Clippers on that list with the Raptors,
11:09
Speaker 1: and I think that's where the list ends. But this
11:12
Speaker 1: is strictly just pure guessing. And from what we learned
11:16
Speaker 1: in the news, what about my guy, Jimmy Butler, Where's
11:19
Speaker 1: he wind up? So he's probably the biggest wild card
11:22
Speaker 1: in terms of could go to any team, Like he's
11:26
Speaker 1: the old negative blood with free agency here. He could
11:28
Speaker 1: stay in until he still he decides we're gonna go
11:31
Speaker 1: soaring over the luxury tax and bring back Tobias Harris
11:34
Speaker 1: and Jimmy Butler compare with things are two stars. Or
11:38
Speaker 1: he can leave and he can just get a super
11:41
Speaker 1: not a super Max, but a gigantic Knacks from like
11:43
Speaker 1: the Brooklyn Nets or whoever the highest bidder is. And
11:47
Speaker 1: there was a point there at the end of the
11:48
Speaker 1: regular season that people, really, do you really want Jimmy
11:51
Speaker 1: Butler on your team in the next contract. I think
11:54
Speaker 1: he proved in the playoffs he's so very much worth it. Yeah,
11:59
Speaker 1: he really proved to me that this is still that dude,
12:03
Speaker 1: And he's a guy that you can go to to
12:05
Speaker 1: like close the playoff game, and it's just his like
12:08
Speaker 1: wartime mentality is contagious in the playoffs, and I saw
12:12
Speaker 1: enough of him that that a lot of teams out
12:15
Speaker 1: there are going to feel the same way. So on
12:17
Speaker 1: this list, you can go from New York to back
12:20
Speaker 1: to Philly, to both teams in l A to Orlando. Whatever.
12:24
Speaker 1: He is going to give him the biggest contract. I
12:26
Speaker 1: think he has no allegiances anywhere. He just wants to
12:29
Speaker 1: get taked, and he wants to make the playoffs, and
12:31
Speaker 1: he wants to be the guy. The only guy that
12:33
Speaker 1: he would kind of defer to is probably Kevin Rant
12:36
Speaker 1: or Lebron James. I respect the hell out of That's
12:38
Speaker 1: why I love Jimmy Butler. Um you mentioned Philadelphia. Is
12:43
Speaker 1: there any chance the Sixers trade Ben Simmons, because I mean,
12:46
Speaker 1: that guy seems like a poor fit there at this point.
12:49
Speaker 1: Rob It's it's feasible, But he's so good. I I
12:54
Speaker 1: know that people make fun of him all the time
12:56
Speaker 1: because he doesn't shoot, and he does. He certainly needs
12:59
Speaker 1: to improve that that aspect of his game and the
13:01
Speaker 1: free throws as well. But if he ever got a
13:04
Speaker 1: chump shot that was respectable enough that dudes couldn't go
13:07
Speaker 1: under the screen against inside the three point line and shoot,
13:11
Speaker 1: he'd be a top ten, top five player in this league.
13:14
Speaker 1: Because he's a six ft eleven point guard with better
13:16
Speaker 1: handles than your team's point guard. And he's an absolute
13:19
Speaker 1: elite defender who can protect the room as well. So
13:23
Speaker 1: I would not trade him. And it's it's really weird
13:28
Speaker 1: rap he gets that, like people are even considering it
13:31
Speaker 1: just because I can see with my own two eys
13:34
Speaker 1: how talented he is. And if you're gonna trade him,
13:36
Speaker 1: I mean, what do you trade him for? I think
13:38
Speaker 1: you can only trade Ben Simmons for guys like Lebron
13:41
Speaker 1: James or Kevin duranswer the world. What else would make sense?
13:46
Speaker 1: Would you trade him for D'Angelo Russell. Well, d' Angelo
13:50
Speaker 1: Russell's free agent, so he's yeah. I mean I would
13:56
Speaker 1: definitely not do that or even considerate even if it
13:59
Speaker 1: was Pops Hole, because Ben Simmons is just so dominating
14:03
Speaker 1: on both sides of the floor. Daniel r also maybe
14:06
Speaker 1: a better offensive score and creator or writing argue this
14:09
Speaker 1: a whole day, but I just want to reinforce that
14:11
Speaker 1: basketball is a two way sport here and what he
14:13
Speaker 1: provides on the defensive side of the floor puts him
14:16
Speaker 1: into the categories of like Kawai Janice, and he's that good.
14:20
Speaker 1: It's just everyone makes fun of his jump shot. Well,
14:22
Speaker 1: I mean, Rob, listen, you're you're as astute and observer
14:26
Speaker 1: of the NBA as there is on this planet. Tell me,
14:29
Speaker 1: why can this guy not develop a passable jump shot?
14:33
Speaker 1: I mean, you look at what Brook Lopez has done
14:35
Speaker 1: developing that three after being god awful and never taking them.
14:39
Speaker 1: Even Russell Westbrook, who is the worst three point shooter
14:42
Speaker 1: with I think over what attempts over the last few years.
14:46
Speaker 1: It's still something that you just don't leave him alone.
14:49
Speaker 1: Like Ben Simmons just has an awful, awful shot. Why
14:53
Speaker 1: why can he not fix it? Okay, so it's he
14:57
Speaker 1: just finished his second season and we can make want
15:00
Speaker 1: to make the rookie joke now that it's a rookie here. Uh, Okay,
15:06
Speaker 1: so he just had his second season. He's not like
15:09
Speaker 1: six years into a career where he still can't shoot.
15:11
Speaker 1: And I want to look at guys real quick. We're
15:13
Speaker 1: gonna talk about this in the form of Andre Armond
15:15
Speaker 1: and DeAndre Jordan's who have who are the worst free
15:19
Speaker 1: throw shooters I have ever seen? Like just it was
15:22
Speaker 1: all mental, terrible form, all the above, no chance, but
15:26
Speaker 1: both of them somehow fixed it. Seven years later after
15:30
Speaker 1: just historically bad free throw numbers. Now they're both respectable
15:34
Speaker 1: and it took them seven years. It's not as easy.
15:37
Speaker 1: I think it's just going into a gym, and I'm
15:39
Speaker 1: sure he makes like nine out of ten in an
15:41
Speaker 1: open gym, like every other NBA player does, but translating
15:45
Speaker 1: that to the court, it's something that's only going to
15:48
Speaker 1: come from experience. So if that's the one part of
15:51
Speaker 1: his game that he needs to improve, everyone in the NBA,
15:54
Speaker 1: including Lebron James, has something that they need to improve.
15:58
Speaker 1: Lebron's a terrible free throw shooter. Terrible. He's also a
16:01
Speaker 1: terrible team right now. Yeah, well, okay, but Ben Simmons
16:07
Speaker 1: he has no mid range, gimp shot, and he has
16:08
Speaker 1: no ability to keep guys honest around the three point line.
16:13
Speaker 1: So I am not going to say that he's going
16:15
Speaker 1: to be a terrible shooter for the rest of his career,
16:17
Speaker 1: but I do want to reinforce that it's not as
16:19
Speaker 1: easy as just getting into the gym and fixing it
16:21
Speaker 1: over the summer. I'm sure he's trying trying to do it,
16:25
Speaker 1: but it's just not happening. Well, we'll see, we'll see
16:29
Speaker 1: what happens with him. Um, all right, Rob, let's let's
16:32
Speaker 1: take a look at well before we take all these series.
16:35
Speaker 1: There is one more player I want to ask you about,
16:37
Speaker 1: and that's your honest Does Milwaukee need to worry about
16:40
Speaker 1: him wanting out if there the way we've seen so
16:42
Speaker 1: many of these players look to get out of small markets.
16:44
Speaker 1: I mean, they've built a beautiful team around him. They
16:48
Speaker 1: just opened up their new gorgeous arena and training facility.
16:51
Speaker 1: He seems happy there. Does Milwaukee need to worry about him?
16:56
Speaker 1: Absolutely not? And this is probably the one case that
16:59
Speaker 1: you just brought up a couple of reasons why they
17:02
Speaker 1: opened a new arena. The city like would vote him
17:04
Speaker 1: Marror in two seconds. They've embraced him as like the guy,
17:08
Speaker 1: the hero of the state of Wisconsin, probably even more
17:11
Speaker 1: so than like Aaron Rodgers at this point. And you
17:13
Speaker 1: have to remember where Janie grew up and came from.
17:15
Speaker 1: If you watched a sixty minutes story, you know, sleeping
17:17
Speaker 1: in a tiny little room with all of his brothers,
17:19
Speaker 1: and he loves the small market. Uh, he just because
17:22
Speaker 1: that's the way who he is, and he's always kept
17:25
Speaker 1: his family tight. Milwaukee took a took a shot on
17:28
Speaker 1: him and really just gave him the opportunity. And even
17:32
Speaker 1: we've seen it with even his coaches in the past,
17:34
Speaker 1: and he gets upset on the Bucks like fired Jason
17:37
Speaker 1: Kidd and Pronting and those guys. He's like, I'm super
17:40
Speaker 1: loyal to anyone that like ever has ever given me
17:43
Speaker 1: a chance and gotten me from where I was sit here,
17:46
Speaker 1: and he's already on Twitter, on the record and in
17:48
Speaker 1: public in front of the media saying I'm gonna resign
17:51
Speaker 1: here until they trade me. He's like, I'm never leaving Milwaukee,
17:55
Speaker 1: and I'm gonna have to take him for his word.
17:57
Speaker 1: Kyrie did say that, but he Kyrie denied grow up
18:01
Speaker 1: the same way that you Honest did. And so I
18:03
Speaker 1: am actually going to take Honest for his word. And
18:05
Speaker 1: he will sign a super Max extension because one, no
18:09
Speaker 1: one else can give him a Supermax extension other than
18:11
Speaker 1: the Bucks. And two, I think he just wants to.
18:14
Speaker 1: I think he genuinely enjoys the small market in living there.
18:18
Speaker 1: I don't know if he's ready for like a New
18:20
Speaker 1: York or Los Angeles. Only he can answer that. But
18:23
Speaker 1: he's even told us that he doesn't love the big
18:25
Speaker 1: city life, and you know where there's no big city
18:27
Speaker 1: life Milwaukee, Wisconsin. So I'm not worried about him leaving
18:32
Speaker 1: for at least a decade. So you're saying there's no
18:34
Speaker 1: chance this summer for the Knicks is Kyrie k d
18:37
Speaker 1: and Janice? No, I mean he would have to get traded. Yeah,
18:42
Speaker 1: Davis offer, Let's send it to Milwaukee. It's I think.
18:46
Speaker 1: Be honest, we could say Janice and Senecubo is the
18:49
Speaker 1: single most untradeable player in the league, meaning you wouldn't
18:52
Speaker 1: trade him for any other guy, like any package, any
18:57
Speaker 1: any offer whatsoever, I can't put together unless you gave
19:00
Speaker 1: named Lebron James and Kevin Durant. I would not trade
19:03
Speaker 1: getut of Santana Clumba. Would you trade him for Steph
19:05
Speaker 1: Curry and Clay Thompson? Absolutely not. All right, let's use
19:10
Speaker 1: that as a transition. Let's look at these Western Conference
19:13
Speaker 1: Finals Game two tonight at the Oracle in Oakland, Golden
19:17
Speaker 1: State obviously up one nothing, seven and a half point
19:19
Speaker 1: favorites tonight. Um, there's a couple of questions I want
19:24
Speaker 1: to ask you about the Warriors. The first one is,
19:26
Speaker 1: is Steph Curry like legitimately the most unselfish superstar we've
19:30
Speaker 1: seen in pro sports in in decades. I mean, you
19:33
Speaker 1: watch how he took a back seat to Kevin Durant
19:36
Speaker 1: when they brought him on for the greater good of
19:38
Speaker 1: that team. And now with Durant down, you see Curry
19:41
Speaker 1: asserting himself more and doing It's almost like we forgot
19:44
Speaker 1: how good Steph Curry is. So the answer to your
19:47
Speaker 1: question is probably Steve Nash as the most unselfish basketball
19:50
Speaker 1: superstar in recent history, and he I think he took
19:54
Speaker 1: a back seat Steph Curry because you don't have a
19:56
Speaker 1: choice when you play with Kevin Durant. Durant is gonna
19:58
Speaker 1: demand the ball feet from the rim, and he's gonna
20:01
Speaker 1: tell you to go away because he's that good, and
20:04
Speaker 1: you just have to do he says, He's just yeah,
20:08
Speaker 1: He's just another world offensive player who's going He's the
20:11
Speaker 1: only guy worthy of Golden State busting up their system
20:15
Speaker 1: that has worked for so long. And the reason why
20:18
Speaker 1: people are like enjoying watching the Warriors right now without
20:20
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant, it's because they've gone back to their twenty
20:23
Speaker 1: fifteen roots of no Durant on the floor, we're pacing,
20:26
Speaker 1: We're spacing were that the ball is barely touching the floor,
20:29
Speaker 1: we're catching and shooting. Steph Curry is creating for everybody,
20:33
Speaker 1: including Draymond Green, And when you need Steph Curry to score,
20:38
Speaker 1: he scores. So it's like a completely different, unleashed version
20:41
Speaker 1: of him ever since Kevin Durant went down, which makes
20:44
Speaker 1: you like, just the Kevin Durant being on the Warriors
20:47
Speaker 1: is just such a luxury, it's like ridiculous. So the
20:51
Speaker 1: version we've seen of him now has been the combination
20:54
Speaker 1: of both unselfish and the score Steph Curry that we
20:58
Speaker 1: all were asking where did he go? And Kevin Durant
21:00
Speaker 1: was on the floor, So rob is it? I mean,
21:03
Speaker 1: like I'm not trying to do with Stephen A Smith
21:05
Speaker 1: thing here, but like, is it crazy to say that
21:07
Speaker 1: the Warriors might be a better team without Kevin Durant
21:10
Speaker 1: because of that spacing, because of the way they move
21:12
Speaker 1: the ball, because of the way they involve everyone else?
21:15
Speaker 1: Is it crazy to say they might be better without him? Well,
21:18
Speaker 1: they're not better because what Kevin Durant is also is
21:21
Speaker 1: a body. So when Kevin Durant isn't on the floor,
21:23
Speaker 1: they have to start andre Iguadala, and that's not depth
21:26
Speaker 1: that can come off the bench with Sean Livingston. You
21:28
Speaker 1: know their sin, they're crazy sin. And if they didn't
21:31
Speaker 1: have Durant in a potential finals against the Milwaukee Bucks,
21:34
Speaker 1: they're going to get run off the floor because they
21:37
Speaker 1: are gonna have to play guys like Jarepeko and McKinney
21:40
Speaker 1: just to run, just not even to play, just to
21:42
Speaker 1: run with the Janice Is and Middleton's out there. So
21:45
Speaker 1: are definitely not better without Kevin Durant? Are they more?
21:49
Speaker 1: Is their offense more fluid? Certainly? Is their offense more efficient? Yeah,
21:54
Speaker 1: we can even maybe even argue that, But by no
21:56
Speaker 1: means are you taking the best offensive player on play
22:00
Speaker 1: that earth off the team and telling me that they're
22:03
Speaker 1: actually better without him. Do you think that the Blazers
22:07
Speaker 1: get a game in this series? Because I'm kind of
22:09
Speaker 1: starting to doubt it. No, not a chance this was
22:12
Speaker 1: I'd be surprised. I keep amongst us Action Network, we
22:16
Speaker 1: have a Slack channel in the NBA, and I've been saying,
22:19
Speaker 1: oh yeah, I'm like they're gonna these Warriors are gonna
22:21
Speaker 1: double digits sweep somebody in the playoffs, meaning every game
22:23
Speaker 1: they're gonna win by double dishes, and like this is
22:25
Speaker 1: it because the Blazers defense and Canner, Like he makes
22:30
Speaker 1: the joke all the time that you can play Canner,
22:32
Speaker 1: you can't play Cancer. He can the worst offensive pick
22:35
Speaker 1: and roll center in the league. And what he showed
22:37
Speaker 1: us in Game one, he doesn't even hetch. Step Curry
22:40
Speaker 1: has been shooting terribly all postseason. He's wide open on
22:45
Speaker 1: any screen, and of course all all you have to
22:47
Speaker 1: do is just give step Curry a smidget of space,
22:50
Speaker 1: let alone ten feet, and he's gonna eventually figure it
22:53
Speaker 1: out and catch fire. And guess what happened. He caught fire,
22:56
Speaker 1: and now he's back. Now he's back to doing that
22:58
Speaker 1: hole running away from the ball thing when it's half
23:00
Speaker 1: away to the rim. He's back in the zone and
23:02
Speaker 1: it's contagious. So what the players have done with defense
23:06
Speaker 1: here is unleashed step Curry. And Damian Lillard has not
23:09
Speaker 1: been good since he hit that game winner against Oklahoma City.
23:12
Speaker 1: Has not had one good game and he can't put
23:15
Speaker 1: it in sense. So unless that he catches in napalm fire,
23:19
Speaker 1: they don't have a chance in hell to lose by
23:21
Speaker 1: single digits, let alone in a game. You're making me
23:24
Speaker 1: feel good because I laid the seven and a half
23:25
Speaker 1: tonight with Golden State, so I like it. Um, do
23:29
Speaker 1: you think Clay goes back to Golden State? Yeah? Yeah,
23:33
Speaker 1: he's going to get the max contract. How for him leave?
23:37
Speaker 1: I know, he's the southern California guy, and the Lakers
23:40
Speaker 1: make a lot of sense because you can play alongside
23:42
Speaker 1: Lebron and like, oh my god, can you imagine player
23:44
Speaker 1: with Lebron? He could even be even better than he
23:47
Speaker 1: was on the Warriors. I don't think he's gonna leave.
23:49
Speaker 1: I mean, he's even said in himself and he wants
23:51
Speaker 1: to come back. We've heard that before. But you know,
23:54
Speaker 1: Mount Cash is king, and he's going to get a
23:56
Speaker 1: gigantic deal which is gonna be impossible to turn down.
23:59
Speaker 1: So he has an extreme falling out in the next
24:02
Speaker 1: two weeks. You know, amongst this team that looks like
24:05
Speaker 1: they're not losing to anybody named be Honest, not named
24:07
Speaker 1: be Honest. I don't see how him in the Splash
24:12
Speaker 1: Brothers ever picked up. Yeah, and he and Joe Lake
24:14
Speaker 1: have seemed to have a really good relationship, so um,
24:17
Speaker 1: which helps. I can't really imagine that happening. All right,
24:19
Speaker 1: let's take a look at the East, Rob. I feel
24:22
Speaker 1: like your favorite Milwaukee in this series. Um, watching the
24:26
Speaker 1: game last night, everyone not named Kyle Lowry on Toronto
24:29
Speaker 1: goes over for fifteen from the floor in the fourth quarter.
24:32
Speaker 1: Probably not going to happen again. Toronto led for a
24:35
Speaker 1: chunk of this game and covered it for all but
24:38
Speaker 1: thirty something seconds of it. Um, how do you see
24:41
Speaker 1: this series playing out? I think it's a long series.
24:44
Speaker 1: What do you think? Well, yeah, he said, you just said,
24:48
Speaker 1: I'm fleaming Milwaukee. I did pick Toronto before this series started,
24:52
Speaker 1: and I was sure. But they really needed that game
24:55
Speaker 1: last night, really needed that because the books are so good.
24:58
Speaker 1: What the Bucks do is they us They are an
25:00
Speaker 1: avalanche of just offensive efficiency in Superstars And even when
25:05
Speaker 1: Janice goes to the bench, guys like Pat Connaughton can
25:08
Speaker 1: go out there and start launching thirty footers against you
25:11
Speaker 1: and get them right back in the game. So what
25:13
Speaker 1: Toronto does best is they throw length at you. They
25:16
Speaker 1: can switch every screen, and they were really messing up
25:19
Speaker 1: Janice and what the Bucks do. But here's the problem.
25:22
Speaker 1: Is there not deep anymore? Like they've lost one of
25:24
Speaker 1: their biggest advantages, and they were gas gas going into
25:28
Speaker 1: the fourth quarter. Kauai goes to the bench and the
25:30
Speaker 1: glory point lead. In a matter of sixty seconds, it
25:34
Speaker 1: was gone. And when Kyle Lowry is the only guy
25:37
Speaker 1: out there makes literally makes the only bucket right and
25:41
Speaker 1: the only guy scoring field goals in the fourth quarter. Uh,
25:44
Speaker 1: that's that's where Kauai has got to step in and
25:46
Speaker 1: just demand the ball and do what he does. Uh.
25:49
Speaker 1: And nobody can make a shot. That's been the most
25:52
Speaker 1: strading part of this Raptors postseason. If they had these
25:55
Speaker 1: spells where just guys can't make shots, like Marcus Ault
25:58
Speaker 1: was wide open three or four times they just didn't
26:00
Speaker 1: go in. Norman Powell and Danny Green were wide open
26:03
Speaker 1: in the corners. You're not gonna win NBA games when
26:06
Speaker 1: you're missing wide open shots. And the Raptors have battled
26:09
Speaker 1: that that those again, those spells multiple times, and it
26:13
Speaker 1: really came back to haunt them last night because they
26:15
Speaker 1: could not before the loser came that they're going to
26:18
Speaker 1: steal because you know what's gonna happen now, they're probably
26:20
Speaker 1: gonna get blown out in Game two and then they
26:22
Speaker 1: have to go back and they have to win both
26:24
Speaker 1: of those in Toronto against the team that is probably
26:27
Speaker 1: better than them. I love what they bring to the table,
26:30
Speaker 1: their mentality, They're ready for war. They don't even care
26:33
Speaker 1: about Janice. They're like, we dare you, We dare you
26:36
Speaker 1: to do anything. We have a Kauai. Like you may
26:38
Speaker 1: have a honest but we have a Kauai. This is
26:40
Speaker 1: like Godzilla Ver's Neglodge ship. So uh like they're not scared.
26:45
Speaker 1: But I just don't know if they have the firepower
26:48
Speaker 1: one through eight that the Bucks do. And you have
26:50
Speaker 1: to remember in the NBA, the best teams always win.
26:53
Speaker 1: This isn't March Madness. It's a seven game series, so
26:56
Speaker 1: to do this four out of seven times is asking
26:59
Speaker 1: a lot. But I'm gonna stick with my guys because
27:01
Speaker 1: I've stuck with the ball year. I'm with you Elec
27:03
Speaker 1: Toronto too. But let me ask you this, does Marc
27:05
Speaker 1: Gasol think the three point line is electrified? Because it
27:09
Speaker 1: seems like he's terrified to get inside of it. Yeah,
27:13
Speaker 1: he doesn't like even when he shoots, he doesn't even jump,
27:16
Speaker 1: so he's always plays under the rim. Even as a
27:18
Speaker 1: seven footer. He's looked very Sam Perkins esque, uh center
27:23
Speaker 1: out there, But I think that's more so just trying
27:26
Speaker 1: to create some you know. It's so everyone stands around
27:29
Speaker 1: the three point line and at the maximum you have
27:32
Speaker 1: one guy in size standing on the block. I think
27:34
Speaker 1: that's just the way the offense is designed. But they
27:37
Speaker 1: could sure use him the offensive glass, because when you're
27:40
Speaker 1: missing a thousand shots like they do, there they no
27:43
Speaker 1: second chance opportunities. It felt like unless Pascal Siakam was
27:46
Speaker 1: just bowling bawling his way into the rim a couple
27:50
Speaker 1: of times he got an offensive rebound, but there was
27:52
Speaker 1: no buckets. There was no second stances, there was no
27:55
Speaker 1: easy shots, and it really just kind of fell into
27:59
Speaker 1: standing aroun looking up at the shot hack and being like,
28:02
Speaker 1: oh crap, there's six seconds fl It felt like that
28:04
Speaker 1: for an entire quarter in that game, Like they played
28:07
Speaker 1: great first three and then I just kill in the fourth.
28:12
Speaker 1: And you mentioned a second ago, Rob that this is
28:14
Speaker 1: the NBA, the best teams win, nobody's being Golden State, right,
28:20
Speaker 1: I tend to think so I would be scared of Milwaukee.
28:24
Speaker 1: This is this is the best team if it ends
28:26
Speaker 1: up being Milwaukee Golden State. That even including the thunder
28:31
Speaker 1: team that went up three one on them with Russell
28:33
Speaker 1: Westbrook and Kevin Durant. I'm gonna say this Milwaukee Bucks
28:36
Speaker 1: team is without a doubt, the toughest opponent that they
28:38
Speaker 1: will ever face. And they're at the end of their dynasty,
28:41
Speaker 1: at the end of their like dynasty reigning prime, right,
28:44
Speaker 1: you know, if they come in and they're gonna have
28:46
Speaker 1: to play game one and two and Game seven potentially
28:49
Speaker 1: in Milwaukee, Like, that's a huge advantage that we're not
28:52
Speaker 1: talking about yet, is that those things are going to
28:54
Speaker 1: be on the road. I'm getting a little heavy GEVs.
28:58
Speaker 1: I'm never gonna bet against Warriors, especially at the current odds,
29:01
Speaker 1: Like Milwaukee has a nuclear weapon on their team, which
29:05
Speaker 1: the Golden State Warriors themselves have even said, there's only
29:08
Speaker 1: one guy being that bothers us and we're like actually
29:10
Speaker 1: intimidated by It's not Lebron, It's it's not Anthony Davis.
29:14
Speaker 1: It's Janice Antenna Coumbo, And I don't know who they
29:17
Speaker 1: put on him to slow down or contain what makes
29:21
Speaker 1: the Bucks so great? Great point, rob great great point,
29:27
Speaker 1: Thank you, very good analysis into the NBA UM final question,
29:32
Speaker 1: how will James Dolan, suck this up. You know, I'm
29:37
Speaker 1: not I'm not gonna give James Dolan any credit to
29:39
Speaker 1: the meeting with Kevin Durant playing his kazoo. Yeah, that's
29:43
Speaker 1: that's the way he would mess this up. So to
29:46
Speaker 1: to Dolan's credit, we haven't heard his name in quite
29:48
Speaker 1: some time. The Knicks have done a great job in
29:50
Speaker 1: just giving Perry in Mills all the responsibility. But as
29:54
Speaker 1: the Knicks become this global mainstream popularity thing again, Dolan
29:59
Speaker 1: always seems to find his weight in. So if he's
30:01
Speaker 1: able to stay just out of the Durant negotiations and
30:05
Speaker 1: just kind of is there to sign off on things,
30:08
Speaker 1: that's ultimately what we that would be the perfect scenario.
30:12
Speaker 1: It's above him at this point because if Durant comes
30:15
Speaker 1: to New York, it's not just about basketball here, it's
30:17
Speaker 1: about Kleinman too. So Kleiman's gonna have a voice in
30:20
Speaker 1: the in the front office. And how is Durant gonna
30:22
Speaker 1: be involved with MSG, which is a publicly traded company
30:25
Speaker 1: here in New York that stands from Madison Square Garden
30:27
Speaker 1: from people outside of New York. It's a network. It's
30:30
Speaker 1: Kevin Durant gonna be like on the board. It's where
30:32
Speaker 1: Kleinman gonna be on the board. These are things that
30:34
Speaker 1: are outside of basketball, and I don't know, like within
30:37
Speaker 1: the c b A like what's allowed. Let's just assume
30:40
Speaker 1: that Durant is probably going to be involved with everything there.
30:43
Speaker 1: That's why he's coming here. They're not coming here just
30:46
Speaker 1: for his to get his reputation back is as a
30:49
Speaker 1: rain chaser. Get the hell out of here if you
30:51
Speaker 1: think that's the only reason he's coming in New York.
30:54
Speaker 1: He wants to be the next billion dollar athletes and
30:57
Speaker 1: he can accomplish that while playing basketball here in the
31:00
Speaker 1: basketball Mecca. Well, I love it, Rob, alright, brother, thank
31:04
Speaker 1: you Rob for joining us today. I really appreciate it. Man.
31:06
Speaker 1: It was a lot of fun. You got it, man,
31:09
Speaker 1: Thanks for having me. Alright, guys, that's gonna do it
31:11
Speaker 1: for the favorites this week. Make sure you go to
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Speaker 1: Apple podcast download, subscribe, leave us a five star review.
31:17
Speaker 1: We really appreciate those. It gets us going. Um. We're
31:20
Speaker 1: also available on Radio dot Com, Slash, the Action Network,
31:23
Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts. We'll be back on
31:27
Speaker 1: Monday with Chad and his cast of characters. Until then,
31:31
Speaker 1: of you