Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: WVUA FM Tuscaloosa student section podcast basketball talk here. My name is Adrian Wesley. I'm coming to you with Zach, Trey, and Drew. It's our first episode, and we're here to talk little NBA basketball guys. How y'all doing today?
[00:00:27] Speaker B: Doing pretty good. Good, man. Good.
[00:00:29] Speaker A: Y'all ready to talk a little? Yeah.
[00:00:31] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, sure.
[00:00:32] Speaker A: Well, look, let's not hold up, everybody. Let's dive right know. I think we should start with the young guys. Start with Chet Holgrm. OKC, guy. And Wimbin Yama, who got drafted number one to the spurs, who has been talked about as a generational talent, maybe first pick if they did an all time draft. So let's dive right in. Let's get your thoughts, Drew, on what you think about.
[00:00:56] Speaker C: Obviously, you know, he's been talked about as being one of the biggest generational talents that we've seen probably since LeBron, to be honest.
I just think he's put in a perfect system. San Antonio is a perfect place for him to grow as a player. He's got a fantastic coaching staff around him.
[00:01:15] Speaker B: I agree.
[00:01:15] Speaker C: And I just think that this will really benefit him. And as long as he can stay on the court, I think that's one of the biggest keys for him. You saw what happened to Chet Holmgrid last season before the season even started. He had that foot injury and kept him out. So if he can stay healthy, I think the sky's the limit for him, honestly.
[00:01:33] Speaker A: Really? What do you think?
[00:01:35] Speaker B: Me personally, I mean, Greg Popovich the best coach for him possible because, I mean, what he made about Tim Duncan one of the best power forward to ever do mean, there's no debate on that. He's the best power forward to ever do it. So, I mean, as a coach, from a coaching standpoint, that's just like the perfect position for webinyama, and it's promising to see videos of him in the, you know, showing his flexibility and showing that he's really taking his health and his body seriously.
[00:02:04] Speaker A: Right. No. And I personally agree. I don't think there's really much different opinion that most basketball fans could have. Obviously, getting drafted by the spurs as a number one pick, you follow up number one picks such as Tim Duncan and David Robinson who both played under Greg Popovich. Exactly. Yeah. So obviously their history of number one picks has been on the money. Both those guys are hall of Famers, both legends, and both all time great players. So hopefully Wimbin Yama can follow in those footsteps. He's a great player. Obviously. He's the most hyped up player of our time, for sure.
I don't know about that guy, but I'm not sure will he be as great as everyone's expected? I've seen kind of outrageous takes.
[00:02:53] Speaker C: I could say that the amount of pressure that he has, I couldn't imagine that.
[00:02:59] Speaker A: Yeah, no, a couple of takes that I've seen were that his worst possible outcome was kareem, and I was just like, wow, worst possible yeah, worst possible outcome was Kareem Abduljah. And I was like, yeah, okay, now you're sending him up for failure. And I also seen one that said within three years he'd be the best player not only in basketball, but he'd be the best player offensively and defensively in the league. And I was just like, look man, yeah, we're setting him up for failure if you do that type of thing. But obviously he's a great player, great prospect, excited to see what he'll do. Kind of moving on to last year's number two pick. That's correct. Tret was number two pick, right? Yeah, to the OKC Thunder. Like you said you touched on, he got hurt. So last year in the summer camp, I landed on LeBron's ankle. Is that right?
[00:03:43] Speaker C: Think something like that happened.
[00:03:46] Speaker A: What's y'all's thoughts on of kind of similar players?
[00:03:49] Speaker C: You know, just a little bit smaller than Wimby, but Chet is one of those guys that, again, if he stays healthy, sky's the limit. One thing I've noticed watching a bunch of preseason games is he can block just about any shot that you got.
[00:04:04] Speaker A: His arms are so long.
[00:04:05] Speaker B: Ridiculous.
[00:04:07] Speaker C: Really good shot blocker. I've seen him recently after the injury especially. This is kind of impressive how he's able to create his own shot a little bit drive, get to the basket, even being so slim and not having a lot of weight, he's able to create his own shot and do those kind of things. And I love that OKC team, like that young dynamic team, really like they.
[00:04:29] Speaker B: Got some good up and coming.
Williams, he's I mean yeah, for sure.
[00:04:34] Speaker C: Williams brothers. Yeah, absolutely. And then led by think that I.
[00:04:40] Speaker A: Think that obviously that Chet is probably in a more conducive situation as far as who he's surrounded by. Like OKC has a lot of young guns that are really good. Obviously being led by SGA, who we will touch on later, who's in some people's eyes highly ranked.
[00:04:58] Speaker C: Really highly ranked, no doubt.
[00:05:00] Speaker A: But yeah. No Chet with Jalen Williams. SGA is on that team. Obviously they got a lot of players that have a lot of potential. And I do think SGA or excuse me, I think that Chet's probably in a better situation than Wimbayama is. Wimbayama is probably expected to be, don't you think, the best player on the.
[00:05:18] Speaker C: Team automatically he's immediately the same. And this is why I said earlier that he's in such a good position is because the offense is going to run through, you know, the team is.
[00:05:27] Speaker A: Going to run is a great it's not Chet's team. No, it's not Chet's team, by no means.
[00:05:33] Speaker B: It's the same as how they had Tim Duncan. I mean, everything they always fed the post, everything ran through Tim Duncan. So it's going to be the same thing.
[00:05:41] Speaker A: And this has been touched on, which I think has been touched on for Chet as well. They're both going to have to pack on the pounds, get a little bigger, especially Chet, who's already shown that know, I won't say injury prone. It was one injury, but still, he's shown know, maybe he needs to be a little more bulk, a little more lean to last in the NBA compared to college. Last time we've seen Chet was obviously at Gonzaga when it was real basketball. We've seen him in summer camp and we've seen videos.
He was averaging about 15 points and ten rebounds at Gonzaga and they were really good. Obviously, we know what wembignama has been capable of, what he offered overseas.
Just from a standpoint, do you think these are the two guys that are the favorites for rookie of the year? Do you think one of them will win it? If not them, who? Do you guys don't I don't. You don't think it's either one of these guys?
[00:06:33] Speaker C: I think obviously these two guys have the best chance. But I'm telling you, I have a feeling that scoot Henderson is going to surprise people.
[00:06:41] Speaker A: I wouldn't say would surprise people.
[00:06:43] Speaker C: I wouldn't say surprise people. But so many people think that Wimbanyama is going to I think everyone thinks.
[00:06:48] Speaker A: WIMIN Yama is going to win.
[00:06:50] Speaker C: I just think Scoot Henderson is going to thrive on that Portland team, kind of. I saw in an interview about someone asking him how does it feel to follow in Damien Lillard? And he was like, I'm Scoot Henderson.
[00:07:01] Speaker A: I'm not Damien.
[00:07:02] Speaker C: He's got that mentality that scary. He's a dog for sure.
[00:07:06] Speaker A: And what do you think?
[00:07:07] Speaker B: For me, I mean, it's hard to say now, but Wimby and Chet, their first preseason game, chet shot like seven for ten while Wimby shot like eight for 13. So their field goal percentage and their efficiency is really looking really promising. But I don't know, it's hard to say. It's just one preseason game. I mean, Scoot, he's looking good, but I just need to see more, man. I need to see more from now on. But looking at it right now, I mean, WIMBY's looking good, man. That's all I'm going to say.
[00:07:36] Speaker A: Yeah, that's fair.
I think you make a good point. As far as touching on Scoot Henderson, who was obviously hyped up as well, who was for a while thought to be the second pick, end up being the third pick behind Brandon Miller, alabama's own, who had he was pretty good himself.
[00:07:54] Speaker B: He's looking solid.
[00:08:09] Speaker A: Miller will be bad by no means. I just don't think that he will be in position to win rookie of the year. And I could be completely wrong.
[00:08:15] Speaker C: I'm glad that Charlote took him, though, instead of Scoot Henderson. I think Brandon Miller fits so much.
[00:08:21] Speaker B: Better along with ball.
[00:08:25] Speaker A: Which I think that was really the whole dilemma, you know what I'm saying? The whole dynamic was I think that most people in the basketball world thought that Scoot was a better player than Brandon Miller. But with Charlote having the number two pick, brandon Miller made more sense for their team moving forward versus Scoot, because you put Scoot and LaMello together and it doesn't really make a lot.
[00:08:48] Speaker C: I don't think it makes a lot. Yeah, no, it is kind of similar.
[00:08:51] Speaker A: Yeah, I think you would for sure be forcing it, but with Scoot, him being the third pick, I think he's in a fairly good position with the trades they made.
[00:08:59] Speaker C: Obviously that Portland got a bunch of guys they did off those trades.
[00:09:03] Speaker A: They got Ayton's going to be good for him.
[00:09:05] Speaker B: Ayton's going to be really good for Malcolm Brogdon.
[00:09:07] Speaker A: Brogdon.
[00:09:08] Speaker C: They have a good they kept Anthony Simons.
[00:09:14] Speaker A: Yeah. I really think that they did a great job of turning Damien Lillard into some valuable pieces, that maybe they're not going to be Damien Lillard, but overall, if you add them all together, it's.
[00:09:27] Speaker C: What they needed to do.
[00:09:29] Speaker B: They're growing this.
[00:09:30] Speaker A: They're for sure respectable team. They're for sure respectable team. If I had to go Rookie of the Year, I think I'd go Scoot. I think Scoot I'm going to go Scoot, too. I think Scoot's in a very well positioned with the team he's got. He's got a good mix of youth and vets. He's got a good mix of both. And just overall, they have a good team.
[00:09:50] Speaker B: Can I say a sleeper? Give me a whitmore. I know he was very last on, like, what was it? Pick 20.
[00:09:57] Speaker C: He was picked 20 because of health.
[00:09:59] Speaker B: Issues or something like that. But he is a sleeper. I agree. That guy is I don't know. I don't know if he'll win Rookie of the Year, but I think we definitely have to watch out for him.
[00:10:08] Speaker A: But he went to the Rockets. That's correct. Right. But he's also on Thompson's team. Yeah.
[00:10:12] Speaker B: Ayman and.
[00:10:16] Speaker A: Thompson on defense.
[00:10:19] Speaker B: I love them.
[00:10:20] Speaker A: Yeah, no, both of those guys are really good.
[00:10:23] Speaker C: I saw it.
[00:10:23] Speaker B: Wasn't it Ayman, he was locking up Devin Booker or was it a SAR? I don't know. There's that one clip. He was locking up Devin Booker.
[00:10:32] Speaker A: I think it was I like the.
[00:10:33] Speaker C: Thompson brothers a lot.
[00:10:34] Speaker A: I think it was a SAR, but kind of moving on from the Rookie of the year. Right before we go to break, we're going to touch on something that's been major topic throughout the whole offseason. I did want to get you guys thoughts on this whole James Harden saga, which it seems like everywhere this guy goes, he ended in Houston bad. He forced his way out of Brooklyn. Now he's in Philadelphia and it's just the same story. And look, great player, former MVP, top 75 player, hall of Famer. Of course, there's one common denominator, and it's James Harden. So what is your thoughts as far as how he's handled this situation? And he said multiple times that this is it can't be repaired with mean.
[00:11:17] Speaker C: Yeah, he said over and over that he's shown over and over with multiple different things that Philly is not where he wants to be.
[00:11:26] Speaker B: Right.
[00:11:27] Speaker C: You'd see it last season with his relationship with Doc Rivers wasn't good at all and ultimately affected their postseason and how they fell short. But James Harden, of course, is a player know, like we said, hall of Fame player, and he's got the talent, but there's just a lot with James Harden that is kind it's again, like you said, it's a trend. Like, forced his way out of Brooklyn after things went bad. Then he got to Philly, and still it's just like there's always some kind of something. There's always something, some kind of situation going on. And I think that he needs to get out of Philly because I think as long as he's there, he's literally said on so many interviews that him.
[00:12:15] Speaker A: In the front multiple times, it's not going to work.
[00:12:19] Speaker C: As a Sixer fan and as a part of the Sixers, you got to see that and be like, this is not good.
[00:12:24] Speaker A: Let him go.
[00:12:24] Speaker C: For our friends. Yeah, exactly.
[00:12:27] Speaker B: I want to show, like I mean, he showed up to training camp. Congratulations.
[00:12:31] Speaker C: He did.
[00:12:32] Speaker B: He didn't gain 100 pounds. I mean, congratulations. But he's got nowhere to go. He's got no trade value. I mean, no teams besides the Clippers. And I don't really know. I wouldn't even like them on the Clippers because I like them on the Clippers.
[00:12:47] Speaker A: I kind of like them on the.
[00:12:47] Speaker C: Clippers because I feel like he what.
[00:12:49] Speaker A: Do you not like? What do you like about him? What do you not like about him?
[00:12:52] Speaker B: Because it's just another super team, and it's just another Brooklyn Nets situation, and he just won't fit. And it's just I feel like the.
[00:12:59] Speaker C: Difference between I semi agree with that, but I feel like the difference with the Clippers is they have a lot more defense than the Nets have. And I feel like the Clippers, if they added James Harden, it would kind of give them know, obviously PG and Kawhi can score, but they're also really good defenders. I feel like this kind of gives them a solid point. Harden played.
[00:13:22] Speaker B: What happens to Westbrook?
[00:13:24] Speaker A: Westbrook's off the bench anyways, though. He's their 6th man. Yeah, I think he's kind of regulated his I think he's accepted it. He's accepted that role. I think he's a Six man.
[00:13:33] Speaker B: It's just a lot of personalities on one team, a lot of people that want the ball, a lot of people that want to like but if you.
[00:13:41] Speaker A: Think of it from the paper, it looks good, though. Yeah. On paper, if you think from the dynamic, as far as a lot of names on team Russell, Westbrook and PG, this is their second time playing together. This would actually be Harden and Westbrook's third time playing now, Clippers, and obviously PG and Kawhi teamed up together like they wanted to be together. So I think that dynamic, it could work out.
[00:14:06] Speaker C: And again, it goes back to being won't be. They won't be, especially with the Clippers.
[00:14:11] Speaker A: They won't be because every single postseason, every single year that they've been together, it's never failed. Well, if we were healthy, we would have did this. We would have last year.
[00:14:22] Speaker C: There's always going to be that they went up a game or I think they won the Frets. I think they won game one. And then Kawhi did not play the rest of the series.
[00:14:31] Speaker A: Well, two years ago, whenever they played Phoenix in the conference finals and Phoenix ended up winning and advancing to the finals, they would have won that series had Kawhi and I got hurt, which I think it's showing itself that that's going to be the story with that team every year.
[00:14:46] Speaker B: And then Westbrook had to carry that team.
[00:14:48] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:14:48] Speaker B: Yeah, there's no reason and one team Westbrook, I mean, that's not going to no, no, it's not going to win, especially at this age.
[00:14:54] Speaker C: Kawhi hasn't proven to me that at least in my eyes, that he can stay healthy a full season.
[00:15:00] Speaker B: I won't believe he looks so much slower too, if you look at him play for sure, like it's night and day, him in Toronto.
[00:15:06] Speaker C: But yeah, same with Paul.
[00:15:07] Speaker A: Neither one of them have done anything in the last recent memory to show that, hey, we're going to stay healthy through a full season.
[00:15:15] Speaker C: I just don't only imagine what they can do if they do stay healthy.
[00:15:19] Speaker A: I honestly think that they would already have a chip. I really do. But it's speculation, that's all. It's exactly keep getting hurt, but kind of ended. Talking about Harden, what do you eventually think happens with Harden? Do you think he forces his way out? If so, where do you think he goes? Or do you think he sticks it out with them? What do you think happens? I'll tell you mine real quick. I think I could see him starting a season with them. I don't think by the season's end that James Harden is wearing a Philly jersey. Maybe by the trade deadline he's gone.
[00:15:52] Speaker C: But yeah, I completely that's exactly what I was I feel like he's going to start the season with them. I feel know there's gonna be so much uncertainty know if he's really you know, obviously those last couple of games that he played in weren't really that good. He didn't really perform that well because he wanted to be out of Houston. I feel like that's going to similar situation is going to happen in Philly and I feel like he's going to find his way out. I just hope he finds a team that he can be on the rest of his career.
[00:16:20] Speaker B: If the Sixers truly won a championship, I mean, they have to get rid of him. He's just.
[00:16:28] Speaker A: Trust the process, right?
[00:16:29] Speaker B: Trust the process, trust the process.
[00:16:31] Speaker A: Well, with that being said, we're going to go to break. When we come back, we're going to talk a little MVP race, maybe look at Luca, look at Jokic Giannis, see who we think is going to be up for the MVP this year. So we'll be back in just a moment.
[00:16:58] Speaker C: Tuscaloosa.
[00:17:12] Speaker A: Student Section Podcast here to talk some more basketball guys, let's dive right into it. We've already talked a good bit about basketball and about rookie of the Year and about James Harden. Now we're going to talk about some of the big dogs in the league who we think is possible up for this year MVP. Obviously, last year Joel Embiid won an MVP, like we said earlier, trust process. A guy that I wasn't that big on. I kind of felt like it was participation award.
[00:17:36] Speaker C: I agree.
[00:17:37] Speaker A: I thought, yoke.
[00:17:40] Speaker B: They didn't want to give him three. They didn't want to give him no.
[00:17:42] Speaker A: If you look at it, Jokic had a better year last year than his two MVP years. So it was kind of interesting me with last year, but last year's, last year kind of moving on to this year. Who's favorites? Who's your favorites? You ain't got to say who you think wins it right away, but who's your favorites coming into the maybe top five for MVP?
[00:18:01] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't know. You could say Luca, but they've been saying that for a couple years now. But I mean that's fair coming off this year. Jokic is looking is it is just not fair. In that finals run, I mean, he was just like easily like at the end of his career, he could be like top ten, I don't know, maybe top five center of all time.
[00:18:24] Speaker A: Okay, I thought you were going to say players and say, wow, no, not player, we got to slow down.
[00:18:27] Speaker C: I'm saying center.
[00:18:28] Speaker A: No, he's already a top ten center.
[00:18:31] Speaker B: Yeah, but top five he could be at the end of his career. I mean, just the way okay, well.
[00:18:35] Speaker A: Who would be over him at this point?
[00:18:37] Speaker B: At this point?
[00:18:38] Speaker A: Shaq.
[00:18:39] Speaker B: You got Wilt. Shaq, Kareem.
[00:18:40] Speaker A: Kareem, obviously, Tim Duncan.
Those are only five.
[00:18:48] Speaker C: Just straight center.
[00:18:49] Speaker B: So he's only five.
[00:18:50] Speaker A: He's probably six.
[00:18:52] Speaker C: He's definitely top ten.
[00:18:54] Speaker A: Oh, no, he's already top ten for sure.
[00:18:55] Speaker B: But I'm saying getting to that top five and being one of the all time greats I've got is the limit.
[00:19:01] Speaker A: Yeah, it might be a stretch. It might not be a stretch, though, from base on what he did last year, he could be a top ten player he's ever by the end of his career if he keeps for sure going up. I mean, he's the first player he's the first and the only player to ever lead the playoffs in points, rebounds and assist.
Like, you would have thought LeBron would have done that.
[00:19:20] Speaker B: At least you would think LeBron would have done that. Yeah.
[00:19:23] Speaker A: I still don't think that's the best playoff run we've seen, which is another vote.
You think so? It's hard to argue because he had the most points, rebounds and assists.
[00:19:32] Speaker C: It's the most dominant I've seen a player in a playoff in like it's.
[00:19:36] Speaker B: Just a disappointing series from the Heat.
[00:19:38] Speaker A: Man, I don't want to be that guy, but dude, 2018 LeBron.
[00:19:42] Speaker C: 2018 LeBron was especially with his team.
[00:19:46] Speaker A: That's kind of what I take in a factor. If you see what he's carrying, get.
[00:19:49] Speaker B: Swept in the finals against the warriors team that was sacked, he had like, what, jr. Smith.
[00:19:56] Speaker A: And then when his graphic, it would show Jr. Smith and Tristan Thompson and Jeff Green. And then the other graphic, you got Katie and LeBron and Clay. I mean, not LeBron, Steph and Clay. And then you have Draymond who's a hall of Famer, igadala who's a hall of Famer. And they're not even in the graphic.
[00:20:11] Speaker B: So it's yeah, like that Toronto Series was insane. Like all those game winners he was.
[00:20:15] Speaker A: Hitting and stuff like that pacer series crazy.
[00:20:17] Speaker B: Pacer series was crazy. I mean, that whole finals, I just remember it's just yeah, it was crazy.
[00:20:22] Speaker A: But still kind of going back to topic, we kind of got a rabbit hole. Who would be, you say Jokic. Who are some of the other guys? I guess.
[00:20:32] Speaker C: My front runner was Giannis until Damien Lillard trick because they kind.
[00:20:36] Speaker A: Of cross each other out because it's.
[00:20:38] Speaker C: Tough to win MVP when you have especially a superstar level player like Dame on your team. It's a little bit difficult. And I'm not saying he can't, obviously, Yanis, he was voted number best player this season.
[00:20:54] Speaker A: Interesting, which we haven't seen too many players win MVP with another, which we'll call it top. Dame is probably top 15, but we can say a top ten caliber player in their team. Whenever LeBron won with Wade, Wade was probably in that nine to ten range.
[00:21:10] Speaker C: Probably.
[00:21:11] Speaker A: I think that's the biggest obviously Katie and Curry kind of canceled each other out. Katie and Westbrook canceled each other out. Harden and westbrook. Usually when you get two top ten caliber guys on one squad, they usually for the most part, cancel each other out.
[00:21:24] Speaker B: As far as he said it was Dame's team to the beginning of the season, he said it was going to be Dame's team.
[00:21:29] Speaker A: He's just yanis said that.
[00:21:31] Speaker B: Yanis said that?
[00:21:32] Speaker A: Yeah. This is not dame same.
[00:21:33] Speaker C: It's nice. Yanis's team.
[00:21:34] Speaker A: He's just going to do 1000%, not Dame same. Even though if he says that's what.
[00:21:37] Speaker B: He said, do his best to try.
[00:21:38] Speaker C: To get Dame a ring, which rightfully so. I like damien love dame. I hope all the I don't think.
[00:21:45] Speaker A: They win the ring, though.
[00:21:47] Speaker B: They got a good solid player. Who's that guy that's up and coming that have you all heard of that guy?
[00:21:51] Speaker A: Whose team is he owned?
[00:21:52] Speaker B: Are you talking about the guy for the bucks he scored like 81 points in this summer league. Oh, yeah, they're saying he's good.
[00:22:01] Speaker A: Weird name.
[00:22:02] Speaker C: Bo champ. Something like that.
[00:22:03] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:22:04] Speaker C: But they got guys like Chris Middleton.
[00:22:06] Speaker A: They kept Brooke Lopez Middleton's on the down. Funny enough, Lopez, as he's aging, is getting a lot better.
[00:22:13] Speaker C: Lopez is I know he was honestly.
[00:22:16] Speaker B: Topping defensive player of the year.
[00:22:17] Speaker A: Right now he's getting a lot better. For me, I think that outside of the obvious, I think that obviously Yanis and Yokage are right up there for the MVP year 21. LeBron. If he stays healthy, I don't think he'll win it. I don't think Curry will win it. I think he'll have a spurt. I kind of want to give a sleeper, I think. And look, man, I'm sipping the Kool Aid. We talked about it. We have a group chat outside of this. Anybody listening? We have a basketball group chat outside of Talk. I said, don't be surprised if the Kings make the conference finals. I think I'm just sipping their Kool Aid in fox, I think. Look, man, I don't hate it.
[00:22:56] Speaker C: I don't hate that because okay, look.
[00:22:58] Speaker A: I don't know if you take in the teams in the west, some of the teams that you think are the favorites are the Lakers and the Nuggets and the Suns. Okay? You look at all those teams and their top guys KD, Kyrie, LeBron, Ad, Now, Jokic Murray, all those guys have won championships, which usually kind of leads sometimes to teams coasting through the west or coasting through the regular season. And then when a playoff ball comes, now it's time to lock in. I think that the Kings are young, they're hungry. They got a taste of the playoffs last year.
[00:23:31] Speaker B: They played good against the warriors.
[00:23:32] Speaker C: They played good against the warriors.
[00:23:35] Speaker B: I was, like, rooting for them.
They were very entertaining to watch.
[00:23:40] Speaker A: Yeah. So I could see them really being one of those teams kind of like the Grizzlies, who are always just try hard or going hard in the regular season. And Fox putting up 27 seven.
[00:23:50] Speaker B: And sabonus a great player. They got Keegan Murray. He's just going to continue to get better.
[00:23:55] Speaker A: Keegan Murray is going to continue to get better. And with Fox, the head of the Snake, I could see them making a big run in the regular season and him being having a real shot at one.
[00:24:04] Speaker C: Like you said, they don't have another superstar level player on that team.
[00:24:07] Speaker A: They have good players, though. Malik monk wouldn't even say monk.
[00:24:10] Speaker B: Malik Monk?
[00:24:10] Speaker A: Yeah, he's dog.
Who would be y'all sleeper pick? Because I think we know the Lucas.
[00:24:16] Speaker C: Of the world and the Curtis, the main guys.
If I had to pick a sleeper.
[00:24:22] Speaker B: Pick, people are saying.
[00:24:26] Speaker A: Who?
[00:24:27] Speaker C: I just don't think their team will do good.
[00:24:28] Speaker A: Wait, who?
[00:24:28] Speaker C: Just Shay.
[00:24:29] Speaker B: People are saying Shay.
[00:24:30] Speaker A: Shay. I'm sorry. I apologize. I thought you said shit, and I was about to say what maybe not. No, we've told my help for Rookie of the Year. I was like, wow, that's a jump.
[00:24:38] Speaker C: I just don't think will be good enough. No, people are a player, though.
[00:24:44] Speaker A: No, he'll put up MVP numbers. He will.
[00:24:47] Speaker B: But their team won't be last year.
[00:24:49] Speaker A: Because, I mean, we've only seen one player, which was Westbrook, when he averaged.
[00:24:53] Speaker C: A triple double, of course.
[00:24:54] Speaker A: And that win when there weren't like a 20 level team.
[00:24:57] Speaker C: That was right after KD left. And Westbrook, the narrative was crazy.
[00:25:04] Speaker A: You got to be top three from what we've been showing, because were they third seed last year? Yeah, because Celtics would have been one.
[00:25:14] Speaker C: One was a Bucks, one was the.
[00:25:15] Speaker A: Two was the Celtics. So they were thirds. You're not winning outside of the top three unless you just do something just astronomical. Yeah.
[00:25:23] Speaker C: Like Westbrook did when the average level.
[00:25:25] Speaker A: So who would be your sleeper?
[00:25:29] Speaker C: My sleeper?
I don't know.
It's hard to say.
If Devin Booker just wasn't surrounded with Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.
[00:25:43] Speaker A: Right.
[00:25:45] Speaker B: He would be the I feel like.
[00:25:46] Speaker C: He would be because he really came into his own last year during the playoffs. I know how they lost to the Nuggets, but the way he was performing was KD no, Devin Booker.
[00:25:56] Speaker A: Okay.
You said Katie and Book was going crazy and those going which is one of those things. Now you add Bill and it's like now you got Bill and they're saying.
[00:26:07] Speaker B: He'S going to run the point, which.
[00:26:09] Speaker A: Is like Bill or Book bill, they're.
[00:26:12] Speaker C: Saying, no, I don't hate that. I mean, one of them has to.
[00:26:15] Speaker A: I think you would take Bill at point over.
Yeah.
[00:26:22] Speaker B: Both have really similar games. So like coming off ball, like coming off screens, getting to their shots. But to say that one of them runs a point, I don't know, it just limits them so much. And I don't really know how that's.
[00:26:34] Speaker A: Going to work for and I could be wrong. I don't think it could hurt because we talked about it a little bit earlier. I think if you take in the playoffs, they were the team that challenged the Nuggets the most.
And it was basically just KD and Book.
[00:26:50] Speaker C: They were the only team that put.
[00:26:51] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, they had it was just Book and KD just out there like.
[00:26:54] Speaker B: Some good carrying the team that trade, too. They got Grayson Allen, they got Yusuf.
[00:26:58] Speaker C: Nurkic, who is kind of the replacement, which I think Yusuf Nurkic, you can say what you want to about him as a player versus DeAndre Ayton. I think Yusuf nurkic fits the Phoenix Suns a lot.
[00:27:07] Speaker A: And he adds more shooting. Does he adds shooting and they get.
[00:27:10] Speaker B: Rid of that contract.
[00:27:12] Speaker A: Is Grayson Allen. A two Gore. I guess he's a two Gore.
[00:27:14] Speaker B: Yeah, it depends.
[00:27:15] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, it depends.
[00:27:17] Speaker A: He's probably a guy they probably like to keep it six man, too. He's probably more of.
[00:27:21] Speaker B: A six man than they also got Nazir Little.
He's solid. He's solid.
[00:27:26] Speaker C: All they needed was defense and a bench.
[00:27:30] Speaker A: Three and D guys. And they players.
[00:27:32] Speaker B: The field of team out the Nets.
[00:27:34] Speaker C: Utah, Utah, Watanabe, he was leaving the.
[00:27:36] Speaker B: League in three point percentage.
[00:27:38] Speaker A: I think he shot like 47 47%.
[00:27:43] Speaker B: He's a sniper. He's pretty straight crazy straight sniper.
[00:27:46] Speaker A: Wow. 47% is kind of wild.
[00:27:49] Speaker B: That is wild.
[00:27:50] Speaker A: So who would be your sleeper? So mine is dear and fox. Yours is book.
[00:27:55] Speaker B: I mean, sleeper. I don't know.
[00:27:57] Speaker C: There's a lot of no, I won't say book for mine. Who would you I don't like this team, but I like this player. I'll say Jason Tatum.
Is he technically a sleeper?
[00:28:12] Speaker A: I don't know if he's I kind.
[00:28:15] Speaker B: Of got a sleeper, though, because this is a real sleeper. And he came into the pre like, what do you call it?
[00:28:21] Speaker A: Preseason.
[00:28:22] Speaker B: Yeah, not preseason, but all those meetings and stuff. I forget what you call it. But he had the Emo cut and you all know Jimmy, Jimmy, jimmy talking about I kind of act onto it, but I don't know Jimmy.
[00:28:38] Speaker A: I don't know. I don't think so, though. No, he's a good sleeper pig, though. You're right.
[00:28:42] Speaker C: He's a good sleeper.
[00:28:44] Speaker A: Yeah, it's sleeper pick. I don't ever see Jimmy performing regular.
[00:28:50] Speaker C: Just he shows up in the playoffs.
[00:28:51] Speaker A: He's just one of those guys that are like, hey, look, man, we're just going to coast to the regular season in the playoffs.
But he's a great sleeper pick.
[00:28:58] Speaker C: An interview he had recently, he was like, we're going to be back to the finals this year. And it's just I'm like I would love to believe it because I do love Jimmy Butler, but it's like my.
[00:29:09] Speaker B: Brain is telling me absolutely not. Heck no. With all these new additions like the Celtics, the Bucks, then you got the.
[00:29:14] Speaker A: Nuggets still had they have gotten Dame.
[00:29:19] Speaker C: You know, Jimmy's like sad because he didn't get Dame.
Such a good mean.
[00:29:25] Speaker A: If a team goes to the finals and they add a player like Dame, they would have to been the favorites. Yeah. But now you're third and are you still like with the offseason, you had you're right there, neck and neck with the Sixers, so you possibly could be fourth.
[00:29:40] Speaker B: And they gave up a lot of assets. They gave Vincent the guy.
[00:29:43] Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
[00:29:43] Speaker C: Winter.
[00:29:44] Speaker A: Yeah. So it's like you lost your starting backcourt. You got worse.
[00:29:48] Speaker C: No team is beating Milwaukee or Boston in seven games out of the east.
[00:29:53] Speaker A: I don't see it. I just don't see a way in which those are not the two teams in the conference. Absolutely. Unless bar like, somehow they play second round. But besides that, those are the best two teams in the east.
[00:30:08] Speaker B: And I don't really unless there's injuries and stuff, bar injuries, of course, injuries.
[00:30:12] Speaker A: But just like all teams healthy.
[00:30:14] Speaker B: All in all, all teams healthy. Yeah. I'd be shocked if you don't see them in the conference finals.
Yeah, I'd be shocked.
[00:30:21] Speaker A: No. And I personally see I think the celtics are going to come out of these I think the celtics come out of the east because you add drew holiday and porzingis.
[00:30:32] Speaker C: I love drew holiday.
[00:30:34] Speaker B: Porzingis has been hoping he's looking nice.
[00:30:40] Speaker A: That and you keep al horford. They did lose malcolm brogdon, and they lost.
[00:30:46] Speaker C: The thing. But you kind of replace does what marcus smart does.
[00:30:50] Speaker A: But better.
[00:30:51] Speaker B: But better.
[00:30:52] Speaker C: He provides offense.
[00:30:53] Speaker A: So you can't really say you can say mark smart, but you replaced him with somebody who does exactly what he does.
[00:30:57] Speaker C: But better.
[00:30:58] Speaker B: Even if he's literally an all star last year.
[00:31:00] Speaker A: Yeah. Even if you want to say you can, I guess nitpick who's better? But they're basically like the same they're the same guy. You replaced him with drew holiday. Porzingis, you replaced with what's my guy's name? You don't replace him. Malcolm braun. Malcolm braun is like the biggest robert williams porzingis is better than robert.
[00:31:18] Speaker B: Robert williams is solid.
[00:31:20] Speaker A: He's always hurt, though. Well, porzingis is, too, though.
[00:31:23] Speaker C: Robert williams didn't provide, which is being able to stretch the floor.
[00:31:26] Speaker A: Yeah. I think one healthy that porsingis is for sure.
[00:31:29] Speaker C: Robert williams may be a better defender than porzingis, but his ability to stretch the floor, I think, outweighs the I.
[00:31:36] Speaker B: Think this is a good walker, though.
[00:31:37] Speaker A: Yeah, true.
[00:31:38] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:31:39] Speaker A: I think if you take into account offensive gap between porzingis and williams, I think that gap's bigger than the gap of defense between so I think the celtics have really I agree they've gotten really bad. But either way, it's like we said, I think it's the bugs and the celtics out of the east.
[00:31:58] Speaker C: Out of the east.
[00:32:00] Speaker A: So with that, I did want to get y'all's thoughts before we head to break on this ongoing kai jones situation. Charlote tornads player, former charlote tornads player who's here recently been weighed by the hornets in my estimate, looks like he's having a mental breakdown. Social media stunts and twitter rants and all type of different things. What's your thoughts on him, and do you think it was fair that he was cut from the team?
[00:32:27] Speaker B: It's just weird, dude. I just remember hearing about these IG lives, and he's, like, dissing his teammates, talking bad about them, and I'm like.
[00:32:36] Speaker C: It doesn't make sense.
[00:32:38] Speaker B: Your team is already hurting now because of miles bridges and the choices that.
[00:32:42] Speaker A: He'S decided turned himself in today.
[00:32:43] Speaker C: Miles bridges, man, did you see that?
[00:32:45] Speaker A: You all see that mug shot? Yeah. Smiling. His mug shot.
[00:32:48] Speaker C: Miles bridges.
[00:32:49] Speaker A: I don't get it.
[00:32:49] Speaker B: He is a different breed.
[00:32:50] Speaker C: And it's sad because he was good. He wasn't like 27 days, 27 before.
[00:32:56] Speaker B: His time that he was, like, going into I mean, he was going to be like a borderline all star.
[00:33:03] Speaker A: No, he was bridges. Yeah. Bridges is a good player for sure.
[00:33:06] Speaker B: He was going to be like an all Star.
[00:33:07] Speaker A: Charlote Hornets is the equivalent to, like, the Raiders. I don't know what it is. I don't know what it is. But the young guys that go, there's always this trouble.
[00:33:17] Speaker B: It's just dysfunctional, man. Or maybe even the Denver Broncos. I don't know. It's just trouble.
[00:33:22] Speaker A: But what did you think of that Kyle Jones situation as far as did you feel like it was fair that he was cut from the team?
[00:33:28] Speaker B: I mean, you mentioned mental breakdowns. I don't know all the details about that, but as far as his actions and what they're going through, I just don't think that's acceptable to dis your teammates on social media and stuff, right? I don't know. That's just not acceptable. So I think it's completely fair.
[00:33:48] Speaker C: I think it's completely fair, really, if.
[00:33:51] Speaker B: He comes out with something saying, like, hey, I have this mental health issue or something, maybe then you could say.
[00:33:57] Speaker A: That'S one of those things. But then you could who says they have a mental health issue?
[00:34:02] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:34:03] Speaker A: You know what I mean?
[00:34:03] Speaker C: Who going through a mental breakdown with that, too?
[00:34:06] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:34:06] Speaker C: Who's, like, have a, hey, I'm going.
[00:34:07] Speaker A: Through a mental breakdown. Most guys in a mental breakdown, they.
[00:34:10] Speaker C: Don'T want to talk about it or they just don't acknowledge that they're in it.
[00:34:13] Speaker A: Yeah, go ahead.
[00:34:14] Speaker D: I was just going to say.
[00:34:17] Speaker C: That.
[00:34:17] Speaker D: Would work for me personally as a fan, because right doesn't mean that gives you the right.
[00:34:29] Speaker A: No, that's a fair assessment.
[00:34:32] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:34:33] Speaker A: Okay. I think you all are all on the same stance that it's fair he should be off the team.
[00:34:38] Speaker C: What do you think?
[00:34:39] Speaker A: I think I'm going to play devil's advocate.
I think for me personally, just a guy especially like, okay, you have another situation on your team with Miles Bridges, who it's public, like, what happened between him and his love life with his partner, and it seems like he just.
[00:34:59] Speaker B: Threw everything away, man.
[00:35:00] Speaker A: It seems like, though, that the Hornets were all on board with trying to help him or trying to implement him back into the team, which it felt like morally he did something more wrong than Kai Jones, which I know from a team perspective, it's like, come on, man, why are you talking about your teammates? But if you watch his lives, his Instagram reels, his videos or whatever you want to say, and then you look at his Twitter and reading and what he's saying, I think it's fairly obvious that this guy's like something's going on behind the scenes.
[00:35:33] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:35:33] Speaker A: Far more important and far away from a basketball perspective. I just think that it was a little hypocritical to buy into one guy who was doing something wrong and then the other guy, you're like, nah, like, this guy's a bum. Like, get this guy off my team.
[00:35:50] Speaker B: Yeah, because Miles Bridges, he was more valuable for him.
[00:35:53] Speaker A: But that's the reason, though, that is the reason, which is like from a business aspect, you keep whoever's helping you the most, but from just like a moral aspect, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, that's like, come on, man, just help this guy out.
[00:36:08] Speaker B: The stuff he was doing is just unacceptable. Miles Bridges oh yeah, I get you.
[00:36:15] Speaker A: 100%.
[00:36:16] Speaker B: And then Kai Jones, I mean, he did that stuff, but like you're saying it is a business and I mean, the dude was going to be an All Star and they know that obviously the stat sheet and they're like, we want this guy back.
[00:36:27] Speaker A: Oh, for sure. Which, that's one of those things. You could kind of switch it over to another scenario with somebody. Actually, we're going to touch on in this last segment about top players in league, John Morant, who was ranked 35 by ESPN, which is pretty crazy, but it is pretty crazy if John Morant's not putting up John Morant like stats and John Morant like highlights. He's not even in the league. No, much less he's not on the bench. He's not in the league. He's not in the league toting guns. But since you're a first team all NBA performer, you having guns here and there is not as big of a deal.
[00:37:00] Speaker B: You got to show respect to him. I mean, he's a hooper.
[00:37:03] Speaker C: It's just sad what's happened. He got the one time and then the second time.
[00:37:09] Speaker A: Yeah. It's like, what are you doing? It's kind of like that Michael Williams situation. Yeah, what are we doing, man? Yeah. Well, with that being said, we're going to go to break, come back for the last segment. We're going to touch on the top ten players in the NBA, who we think they are, who ESPN thinks they are, who is wrong. We are right here at Studio section podcast. But with that, we'll be right back.
All right, guys, student Section Podcast Basketball Edition, back here for the last segment of the show. Coming to you as we talked about for the break that we're going to touch on ESPN's ranking of the top 100 players. Going to kind of dwindle that down to the top ten, top 50 somewhere in that range. First, we kind of wanted to touch on the Ben Simmons situation. So Ben Simmons, highly scrutinized player, player that the media loves to talk about, former number one pick coming out of LSU, former 76 or trust the process type of guy. Yeah. What y'all thought on him and his upcoming season? Think he gets back to his old form?
[00:38:31] Speaker C: I hope so.
[00:38:32] Speaker B: I hope so. Man every preseason game, they always have this game where he has an open three or he has open jump shot and he splashes it and everybody's like.
[00:38:40] Speaker A: Oh my gosh, he can shoot now. If it was based on summer workouts, this guy would be the goat.
[00:38:44] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:38:44] Speaker A: Like summer videos.
[00:38:48] Speaker C: I feel like it's a mindset thing with him. I feel like he has the skill set to go back to how he used to play. I think it's a level of confidence that he has, and he's, like, built it because so many people around him, especially this whole sixers fan base, are like, this guy is terrible, this guy's trash. But I feel like if he can get back to the confidence level, he know when he was performing at his preseason, obviously, he's been doing really good. So I hope that translates to the actual season.
[00:39:20] Speaker A: No. And I do agree. I think that Philadelphia in particular is one of those cities where it can be really good for you, can be really bad, because if they love you, you're the man, but if they hate you, get out of here. We don't want you.
[00:39:35] Speaker B: Like Tyrese. Maxi. He is like the man. The man.
[00:39:38] Speaker A: Everybody loves him up there. Indeed. Oh, yeah, the man. But Ben Simmons flamed out and everybody up there hated him. So I do think that he goes into this season with probably the most healthy he's been in a while and with the least pressure. And so I think that he's going to play free like we talked about. He looks good. He does in these videos, but he looks good every summer, though. He looks great every single summer.
[00:40:04] Speaker B: And then when that season rolls around.
[00:40:06] Speaker A: How'S it going to be during the.
[00:40:07] Speaker C: Season, that's the most interesting.
[00:40:08] Speaker A: And if he can go back to his role as like where he was his first three years, where he was an All Star, I want to say two or three of those years. Did he make all stars?
[00:40:17] Speaker B: A rookie?
[00:40:18] Speaker A: He was in contention. Maybe if he didn't he was in contention, but he was averaging 16 points, eight rebounds, like a number one overall period of time.
[00:40:26] Speaker B: He was a consistent All Star.
[00:40:27] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, for sure.
[00:40:28] Speaker B: They were comparing him to LeBron and.
[00:40:30] Speaker A: Stuff, which was very unfair.
But still, like you said, consistent All Star, top player. You average 16, eight and eight with the defense he plays. That'll work. If he can get back to that level, I think the ship has kind of sailed on the him being a big scorer.
That's not who he is.
[00:40:52] Speaker B: But he's a great defender. He's a great defender, great playmaker.
[00:40:54] Speaker A: He give you 16 points on high efficiency and also rebounds and assist. You'll take it especially with that team.
[00:41:00] Speaker C: Because I like the Nets.
[00:41:02] Speaker A: I like the nets.
[00:41:03] Speaker C: Bridges is kind of coming into his solid.
[00:41:04] Speaker A: I think he's your score, Mikhail. Bridges is your score. Especially how he ended last season.
[00:41:08] Speaker B: Keldon Johnson.
[00:41:09] Speaker A: What did you say?
[00:41:10] Speaker C: Cam Johnson.
[00:41:11] Speaker B: Cam Johnson.
[00:41:12] Speaker A: No, you're good. I would definitely say that Mikel Bridge is a score, but I think Cam Johnson can be a secondary score.
[00:41:18] Speaker B: He played good for Team USA.
[00:41:20] Speaker A: Played solid. Yeah. And they got that continuity full all season between that team. They might be able to make some noise.
[00:41:27] Speaker D: And Dennis Smith Jr. Hey, don't forget about Denwitty.
[00:41:30] Speaker A: Denwitty, that's a nice team out there, man. That's a nice team. Know first round exit though for east it's tough. You really never know in the east. They'd peak in second round.
[00:41:42] Speaker B: And Dennis Smith is going to be a good backup for him.
[00:41:44] Speaker C: Good backup for sure.
[00:41:45] Speaker B: Solid defender for sure.
[00:41:47] Speaker A: Well, with that, let's kind of move on to something that's been talked about all over Twitter, all in the basketball world. Here the last couple of days is ESPN's annual ranking of the top 100 players.
We can do complaints, we can do what we like, what we don't like.
What you all thoughts on this list?
[00:42:06] Speaker C: I'll start with obviously the big part, number one being Yanis and not Yokich, which I think this is kind of we talked about this before, but I don't understand what Jokic could have done more to be the number one ranked player. I mean, you saw him in the playoffs, his efficiency and his ability to just dominate games.
[00:42:28] Speaker B: What more can you do?
[00:42:30] Speaker A: Well, I mean, if you lead the playoffs in points, you lead the playoffs in rebounds, and you lead the playoffs in assists and you're the only player in NBA history. Do that and not only do you do that, you win the finals, win finals MVP and you win finals.
[00:42:48] Speaker C: Series. No series goes seven, went to six, but still they blew Phoenix out in game six. I mean, they didn't really have a close series.
[00:42:55] Speaker A: I mean, you dominate Ad, you dominate.
[00:42:58] Speaker B: Katie 80 is the only one that.
[00:43:00] Speaker C: Can really played some of the leagues.
[00:43:04] Speaker A: He shot like, what, 48% from three for the playoffs as a center. Yeah, absolutely.
I'm not sure what more you could possibly do.
[00:43:14] Speaker C: Absolutely.
[00:43:14] Speaker B: I don't know.
[00:43:15] Speaker A: Trey, what do you think?
[00:43:18] Speaker D: Yeah, I definitely think Yoki should have got the three P MVP.
[00:43:22] Speaker A: That's true. Yeah, for sure.
[00:43:23] Speaker D: Honestly don't like how the race car was pulled within bead situation. Like how Perkins did it.
[00:43:30] Speaker A: TV yeah, no, I 100% agree. I think that had a big deal on why that narrative changed.
[00:43:37] Speaker B: That's true.
[00:43:37] Speaker C: That was ridiculous.
[00:43:38] Speaker D: That was foolish because they were neck and neck like performance wise. It shouldn't have been that card.
[00:43:43] Speaker A: As soon as that card was pulled, it was like indeed, the MVP, he.
[00:43:48] Speaker D: Was like crying about the award instead of actually trying to get it just to be and actually players shouldn't even be focused on that necessarily.
[00:43:55] Speaker C: But indeed was you should be focused on the championship, right?
[00:43:59] Speaker B: No, they should be focused on making their team better.
[00:44:02] Speaker C: And that's another thing about Jokic is he doesn't care at all.
[00:44:05] Speaker A: Not in the slightest.
[00:44:07] Speaker C: Not even like remote who would not.
[00:44:08] Speaker B: Care back to Serbia, watch his horses race.
[00:44:11] Speaker C: He don't care about that.
[00:44:12] Speaker B: He doesn't care. And he's still a top ten center all time.
[00:44:17] Speaker A: Yeah, for sure. Well, I think that I'll kind of lead it all from there. For me, as a guy who I've said is I think he's a young guy, very young guy is John Morant, who's obviously been very did some very questionable things, especially in the last year or so.
[00:44:37] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:44:37] Speaker A: But from a basketball standpoint, I just cannot understand for the life of me how this guy is ranked as a 35th best player in the NBA.
[00:44:46] Speaker C: There aren't 34 basketball players better than John Moran.
[00:44:49] Speaker A: No shot. No shot. I seen a stat yesterday said that he's one of three players in NBA history to score 45 plus points in a playoff game before the age of 24. At least twice. The other two were LeBron and Kobe. Wow. So I don't really understand from any basketball perspective as a player what you could possibly say that there's 34 guys better than him. I mean, you take two All Star teams and just from that logical standpoint, there's not 35 total players on the two All Star teams and he makes the All Star team the last three years. So how's their 34 players better than him?
[00:45:26] Speaker C: Yeah, completely agree with that.
[00:45:28] Speaker A: Mikhail Bridges is over him. That makes no sense. I'm just going down the list.
[00:45:32] Speaker B: All the controversy, ESPN, that's it.
[00:45:35] Speaker C: And honestly, I feel they can't put him any higher. Same way you do about Jaw, I feel about Kyrie Irving. I don't feel like there's 33 basketball.
[00:45:41] Speaker A: Players better than Kyrie Irving. Those are kind of two of like, the black sheep, so to say, in the NBA.
[00:45:47] Speaker C: So much drama around them.
[00:45:49] Speaker A: Let's look at this right here. Okay, well, I'm at 35.
Is Kyrie Now I'm just going to name you some of the players ahead of them. And I said, Ja, you can throw Kyrie in that list. Mikhail Bridges.
[00:46:02] Speaker B: No.
[00:46:03] Speaker A: Jalen Brunson.
[00:46:05] Speaker C: No.
[00:46:05] Speaker B: I do like hooping.
[00:46:07] Speaker A: He's great. Never been an All Star, but he's.
[00:46:09] Speaker D: Not better than them.
[00:46:10] Speaker A: No. Never been an all star.
[00:46:11] Speaker B: But he was hooping, though.
[00:46:12] Speaker A: He was Jaren Jackson Jr.
[00:46:13] Speaker C: Absolutely not.
[00:46:14] Speaker A: No, sir. How is hencaro that's what I was.
And I was a guy who said Paulu was the number one player in his draft over all the other guys when people didn't think he was. But how is he better than.
[00:46:32] Speaker B: He could be? But right now that's like, they need.
[00:46:35] Speaker C: To slow down now. I love the way he played last season.
[00:46:38] Speaker A: Yeah. Great player.
[00:46:39] Speaker B: He's playing great.
[00:46:39] Speaker A: I don't want to disrespect better. Great player.
[00:46:41] Speaker B: And he played great for Team USA.
[00:46:43] Speaker A: But like Laurie Markinen, he went from not he wasn't ranked in last year's version.
[00:46:49] Speaker C: He did have a great season last year.
[00:46:51] Speaker A: Great season. But come on, one season doesn't put you above somebody that's been consistent. Brandon Ingram bi is consistently injured.
[00:46:59] Speaker C: Exactly.
[00:47:01] Speaker A: Drew Holiday is one of my favorite players. I think Drew Holiday is my favorite player who's not a but to say he's a mainstream guy. But how is he better than to.
[00:47:08] Speaker B: Say he's better than Jaw and Kyrie? He's just shocking.
[00:47:12] Speaker A: These lists are just that would be my main gripe.
[00:47:16] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:47:17] Speaker A: Also one more gripe, and then I'm going to pass it off to you.
I'm not sure how Curry's number five. I'm a firm believer in the best three players right now. Yokich, one. And then I say you can put Yanis or Curry at two or three. Those are the last three Finals MVPs, the last three top guys to win a championship, lead their team to the championship.
[00:47:37] Speaker C: I completely agree with that because I don't know, I mean, Curry the level of it's every year, and he's getting old.
[00:47:44] Speaker A: What is Curry, 35 now? 35. And he looks better, though.
[00:47:47] Speaker C: And he just still looks better than he did the season before.
[00:47:50] Speaker A: And the guys over him are Luca and MB, like four and three. I mean, embiid flames out. He almost averaged double digit points less in the playoffs than he did in the regular season. And then Luca didn't make the playoffs. The last time we've seen him in the playoffs, he got swept. By who? Look at by Curry.
[00:48:07] Speaker C: By Curry.
[00:48:08] Speaker A: So I'm not really sure. I don't know.
[00:48:10] Speaker C: And just Curry and that Finals run 2022 was nuts. Was insane.
[00:48:15] Speaker A: Yeah, it was nuts, but by the GMs. ESPN, I guess, has their own people.
[00:48:21] Speaker C: That ran it, maybe age, maybe. But I mean, still, they might be.
[00:48:24] Speaker B: Predicting that he's not going to be that good this season. I don't know.
[00:48:27] Speaker A: I don't know.
[00:48:28] Speaker B: But to count him out, you can't count Curry out.
[00:48:32] Speaker A: Only unanimous MVP, which he shouldn't be. Honestly. There should be Shaq should have been. And LeBron as agree.
[00:48:38] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:48:39] Speaker A: Did you have any complaints or anything.
[00:48:42] Speaker B: That you liked about the mean, like Y'all mentioned? Y'all said Yanis. Y'all said Curry. Curry, I mean, Curry at five is just disrespectful. And then to see Shay at eight can we pump the brakes?
[00:48:57] Speaker A: Right. Has quickly become the most overrated player.
[00:49:02] Speaker B: I get that. He was averaging like 34 or something.
[00:49:06] Speaker A: He averaged 32.
[00:49:08] Speaker B: Six and five he had, which is insane.
[00:49:11] Speaker C: Hell of a season, of course.
[00:49:13] Speaker B: But okay, see, they didn't have anyone on their roster that year.
[00:49:16] Speaker A: No.
[00:49:16] Speaker B: I mean, Jaden Williams a rookie. Lou Dort. Lou Dort.
[00:49:21] Speaker A: It's Lou Dort.
[00:49:22] Speaker B: It's Lou Dort. He's solid, but it's Lou Dort. I mean, to say he's a number eight player. Look at his team. I mean, he's just a guy that's going off like Bradley Beal, he did the same thing in Washington a couple of years back where he was averaging like 30 a game.
[00:49:35] Speaker A: Right.
[00:49:36] Speaker B: And he wasn't a top ten player that year.
[00:49:38] Speaker C: No.
[00:49:39] Speaker A: Yeah, I agree.
[00:49:40] Speaker C: I'm not really sure who they put at nine.
[00:49:43] Speaker A: Braun.
[00:49:44] Speaker B: They put Braun at nine.
[00:49:45] Speaker A: So, like, you put him over LeBron.
[00:49:47] Speaker B: And it's like, it's LeBron James.
[00:49:51] Speaker C: I mean, it's LeBron, but obviously, I guess they're factoring in age, of course, but that's still so tough to I'm not sure.
[00:50:00] Speaker A: Is this list based off what they think they're going to do this year or like just based off last year? Here are the top 100.
[00:50:07] Speaker C: Exactly.
[00:50:08] Speaker A: Because last year LeBron was 29, eight and six and was a best player on a conference finals team.
[00:50:13] Speaker B: And he's literally 38 years old.
[00:50:15] Speaker C: So it's like and didn't have much. Ad didn't help him that much last year in the playoffs.
[00:50:21] Speaker A: I don't know about that one. I don't know about that.
[00:50:23] Speaker D: He was sleep a little bit. I'm not going to say he just performed every game, but let's not just discredit Ad defensively.
[00:50:30] Speaker A: Ad went crazy last year.
[00:50:31] Speaker C: I just feel like he could have been at times in that Nugget series, I feel like Ad could have been.
[00:50:36] Speaker A: More aggressive, especially offense.
[00:50:37] Speaker D: That was his biggest problem.
[00:50:38] Speaker A: I would agree.
[00:50:39] Speaker B: I want to see bubble Ad again, like him just shooting shots from three and just really being aggressive on offense.
[00:50:46] Speaker D: I mean, he was getting downhill more too.
[00:50:48] Speaker B: Like in getting more physical, way more physical and just looking for a shot more especially this year. LeBron, he needs him more than ever.
He's going to do good, but it's.
[00:51:00] Speaker C: Got to be him. LeBron said it's 80s team.
[00:51:03] Speaker B: It's 80s team now.
[00:51:04] Speaker A: Now that might be it's. Postman 80s team. Three or four years, easily.
[00:51:08] Speaker D: D'Angelo Russell has to step up too.
[00:51:11] Speaker C: Austin Reeves disappeared in the playoffs last year.
[00:51:13] Speaker B: Austin Reeves was carrying and he wasn't even drafting and he wasn't. But Austin Reeves, he's been doing good for him, but Dilo, he definitely needs to step up.
[00:51:24] Speaker A: I would definitely agree with that. As far as SGA, I think was probably the most overrated player on the list. I'm not exactly sure how you could view last year's playoffs and make any legit argument that he was better than Devin Booker.
[00:51:40] Speaker B: Not even to be seen in the book.
[00:51:42] Speaker A: I just don't know how. I'm not really sure.
[00:51:45] Speaker C: But efficiency book played with, I mean, scoring 45 47 and shooting the ball like 70%. It was crazy.
[00:51:52] Speaker A: Well, with that, we're kind of running out of time, which for you we will be back next week. Real quick, guys, you all got any last thoughts? Anything you all want to say on basketball, NBA?
[00:52:02] Speaker B: Think we're good?
[00:52:03] Speaker C: I think we're good.
[00:52:05] Speaker A: Trey, you got something before we go?
[00:52:06] Speaker D: Watch out for the Lakers, man.
[00:52:07] Speaker B: I'm calling.
[00:52:08] Speaker A: Hey, look, I'm gonna call my shot on the first show. I'm gonna say Lakers, Celtics, finals.
[00:52:13] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:52:14] Speaker A: I'm going to say lakers.
[00:52:15] Speaker B: Lakers, celtics.
[00:52:16] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:52:16] Speaker C: Just because I want it to happen. I'll say suns Bucks part two.
[00:52:20] Speaker A: Okay. Got anything before we go?
[00:52:22] Speaker B: You're going to leave Dallas from average time. We're winning the championship.
[00:52:25] Speaker C: Let's go.
[00:52:26] Speaker B: Dallas up, baby.
[00:52:27] Speaker A: Well, with that, that's the end of the show. We will be back next week to talk more basketball.
Sam.
