Bill Simmons, Zach Lowe, and Haralabos Voulgaris Preview the 2014-15 NBA Season | B.S. Report

welcome to bed taping support this tuesday afternoon Zach Lowe from Grantland is here we have a two part column on league press ratings on Grantland comm you can read is up and Bob vulgaris so our favorite player cuts NBA Twitter / critic of the coach / I don't know, Savate, what would be the last man I am. I was a fan of the NBA. I love the NBA. You love the NBA. You don't have a team. You helped your favorite team. No, you float around. You go to the games I like from Cooper. I am going. to a lot of clipper games I can to a lot of heat games over the last few years - probably more heat games and clipper games I think those days are over yeah, did you ever wear white t-shirts ever or white t-shirt ever?

I would, I don't know, no, no, I don't have much white. I won't dress like white people. People wear white pants and white t-shirts to a key game. It seems crazy to me. I know how to walk around Miami and like the white Sims, a little strange, it's an interesting place. Miami, it's not like a different player, it's its own place, it was weird, uh, I was against Miami during the LeBron era and then last year I was like, you know what, pretty good. home field advantage, you know, and then when the fans want to take advantage of it, they can get it going and then they turned around against San Antonio, so now I don't know what to think, I don't know if that was necessarily going to do this, what he didn't just run into a buzz saw, he took the fans, the fans are good, the fans were good to the point where they realized something.

I offered someone at the beginning of last

season

a ridiculous amount of money for his court sides for like the right to own the size of his court and he turned me down, laughed and then I said, you know, LeBron maybe not even find out it's like LeBron shining back, where is he going to go? Because, like everything I saved, I was saved there because he would have done it. I sat there with lifetime Miami Heat

season

tickets to watch it deteriorate before my eyes. I never really thought about it until I remember a game where a lot of fans were leaving with like seven and eight minutes left and I think I even said it on TV after the game that I just like it.

That could have been it for him in Miami. Yes, it cannot be ruled out. He certainly would have bet on his return, but at least I would have stayed and applauded. Because it was pretty obvious at the time that the series wasn't coming back, I didn't think that in the second half of Game 4, I think both the Heat fans and the Heat players realized that we can't win this or we can't win the series. They're just tearing us down and picking us up, and if you went to them, I went to the locker room after game five when they lost when the series ended and I thought me and another guy were there because everyone was with the Spurs and like they weren't.

I said this before as if they weren't angry like you expect. As you know, just depression and they weren't happy, but there was a feeling that I'm glad this is over, yeah. realize or just worse, yes, you both like this person here. I really like this word. I went on the Love Batard show and said, "You did what I said. First of all, I bet they didn't enjoy it. No, they did." I don't care, he hung up on me the other day, yes he literally hung up on me when I suggested there's a chance he does.

I said you wouldn't be surprised if I missed the playoffs this year. I said, I think I would. I bet it will be like six seven eight, but I wouldn't be surprised at all, gentlemen in form players anyway. I don't like the war team, they won't have a home field. I don't think people talk about them like they're a lock for top five C I just don't think they're that girl, there aren't that many great teams in the East, I mean there's a pretty big drop off after the top four teams, yes, although they may just be in that combination, yes, but I'm actually going to ride Chris Bosh all year.

I think they're in the six to eight range, I'm assuming they're healthy, yeah, but I think they're also the best bet for not being healthy, yeah, that's a team. like if Wade was playing 54 games last year, what was number eight?, back to back, and now he's going to play, they'd need, I think, 72 to 75 for him to not even be sure it really matters that much. I mean, I'm not saying I'm a terrible writer, it doesn't matter anymore, now do another one, yeah, well I didn't deny it, it's just that there are so many teams in the East that aren't even trying to make it. playoffs like they're going to try to make the playoffs, yeah, Philadelphia's not trying to play in last place, they're not trying to make the playoffs, Milwaukee probably isn't trying to be in the class, there's three teams there that you can just rule out and then after mine there's another choice, well I just want to say they have incentives to do everything they can to make it happen.

I think the alternative is good and they wouldn't do it either and I don't go down anyway now because they I don't think it's something real that is established that they are no longer a good team. I think they know LeBrons aren't there, but they still feel like I have a decent team, it's pretty hard to stop. the finals three years in a row and then four or four years in a row and then saying it's a good time to rebuild, I don't benefit, they didn't do it, on the contrary, they didn't try to rebuild, at least they had to wait. only two years until the moment of salvation', for me it is the entire season that they did not give him like the huge four or five year contract that I gave to the boss, which I think would be the boss's contract, I think we will be fine in Oshkosh like some kind of cap goes up and all that I think is a wave contract like that would have been a disaster finally I'm Bosh's contract are we sure he's still in the All-Star Game?

Yeah, not even close, I mean, yeah Look at the way he played when LeBrons were out and Wade was out, there's a bunch of games he played against Atlanta, I think three or four times in the last two years, where it was like the only player who played well and basically carried forward. them in those games he played very well when he was the focal point of their offense he did very well he had that game in Portland remember last year we hit a three in the but just the wind again yeah one of those games was them I think both LeBron and Wade were out, it was like you could tell it meant a lot, they performed well.

They don't, so I say they performed very well when LeBron and Wade were out and Bosh was the guy and they played games. I mean, obviously, they're playing teams that are thinking and this is a gimme, while the LeBrons aren't playing, how could a team get up for that? The opponent has that advantage going for him, but overall he's a good player, I mean, he's, he's, he's. he was forced to play a role, it was a difficult role for him in terms of the type of role he had to play with LeBron handing the ball to LeBron in the post, it was a little bit away from his favorite spots on the court, but he adapted . pretty good and when he gets back into the type of role, I think it suits him from an individual point of view, I think he'll go back to the way he didn't play for Toronto, that's my fear, although he's fine, so number one .

It's year 12 for him, secretly, a lot of miles for year 12, he's played every season, he's only played four hundred consecutive seasons, basically, she went and ran, they all ran, the way they play defense, their statistics and I like to look big. guys stats because certain things can go wrong and they don't return rebounds free throw attempts like they would he didn't rebound last year I think a lot of the research that Rose didn't do came down to I think a lot However, as far as the rebounding, it's the style they have, he mentioned the style they're playing and so did he, but that's the style of playing offensively, no, no, no, I mean defense, no, I mean defense, something like that. catching, yes, yes, it's like the half court and the Alawite team, right, and because they are like that, they play very aggressive traffic because the teams hit the basket quickly, the ball sticks a lot when you try to play against Miami, so the balls move. a lot, so you're constantly with your back to the basket.

I mean, there is an answer to all of this. without playing rights, he did not know that he was not participating if he came out of the basket they wanted to shoot three-pointers. I understand all that, but we haven't seen him beat Toronto yet. Chris Bosh and copyright. I wonder if he can. He already has a 22 and a 10, the other thing I want to do about rebounding is that rebounding is not how good a rebound, basketball has very little to do with how many rebounds you get, how good a rebound is a lot. A lot of times, if you're boxing out the other team's best player and now you have LeBron or someone else coming for the ball, it reads like your team gets more rebounds when you're on the court, that's much more indicative of what really getting the rebound is like Roy Hibbert's rebound totals to me or he gets hit for it like he's not fast on the floor he can't jump but they rebound better when he's on the floor he's scaring huge boxes diligently except space and so on. the opposite of that is like a J.J.

Hickson who just jumps and dives into a tree and the other thing is like you're actually actively guarding the guy who's shooting, ah, it's hard to get rebounds because you're just some guys. like someone like Rodman, for example, he didn't even defend guys whose guys could shoot, he just went out and looked at the rebound and now you're giving up a ton of open shots because he did that every baptism. that's why Kevin Love is a different guy, thanks to the glass recovering while he's driving down the lane and he's moving away from his guy in case he bounces, yeah, even when his guys like a fast contestant and turn around and they try to get in, he says, yeah, the rebound equivalent to I can say absolutely fine horse of the rajon rondo is this poor thing is like the combination of that is fine obviously I'm behind the defense made by the Celtics guy that was a trend recent with him that was just the last one after 2012 when he started more or less like that in 2012, 30 years in which he had the streak of assists without her was horrible.

I can never apologize. It was surprising how much wealth expands depending on who would be going for a tray on a different wall. I think the mall talked about the problem, Randa asked them to give a point estimate to the pellets, horrible counters, where would it be there, would it be property in front of him, would he like to jump in Texas, which my problem is that after a month The teams were exploring it that way and telling me. his players when he drives they just jump and make the pass because he's not going to shoot, yeah, and he was still trying to pass after that and I didn't like that, right, but the rhinos have a complicated and interesting guy, he's very fickle and a complex like you said I'm not a big Rondo fan.

I wasn't going to ask. I have been in the past and was a big fan of Rondo the year they lost to the Lakers, yes the key was probably his best player for Aloha Pearl, yes I played the worst part of the PLA series, yes Monster Blue, there are no series, but I'm not a fan of any player who, you know, puts up individual things and maybe it was a case of "okay, my team sucks, so I'm going to take what I can get, but I think you can. No I know. I think just setting a good example to the rest of the players that a team wins is more important than knowing your assist totals in some way.

I think the assists. I mean, I think he took the assist or something. I've never seen anything like that before. That to me was crazy, so if love is Ravenna and Rondo is a sister, then it's the score, well, there are different types of scoring. I guess I like the guys who score like in the. garbage time, those are the guys that like pointless points, those are the guys that do it during the game, they just annoy me too much, but um. Randy Foye always used to irritate me because you could see it, his eyes already have big eyes to begin with, but if I could somehow grow, could anyone grow when he's up like 14 points with a minute left in the game at most?

This is my time to shine right here, he would be getting the ball rolling. I want to score the ball. You would see how to roll towards the clock. Can't you see that his teammates are like what is this guy doing to him? but yeah, Randy Foye was probably the all-time one. I think he looks at my wife and everything we both know, but I saw the game where everyone else changed the channel like they change the channel on a regular basis because you've given him gs, those are the ones who give, no. no place is better, and I get irritated when I talk about a fish.

I do it once now, when there is an explosion. I've finished now. I'm reviewing and going to another game. I have two that are still there, still free territory. I'm afraid to say I'm afraid to say who was the most famous scorer or scorer or I'm afraid to say it, it's that we're doing great, it's got the fan base behind us, it's Kobe Bryant and Russell.Westbrook I think those with Russell Westbrook Russell Westbrook is yeah, he likes it. I mean, it's not a bad saying because he's good at it, but Russell Westbrook really does have the best pure scorer in the league on his team and I'm not saying that's a bad thing because I think a lot of the way he's structured his offense, he's just doing what he has to do to make his team score.

You're pro.Unstructured Westbrook we three very very Pro West I'm for Westbrook I would like not sure but I'm not sure Russell Westbrook could really play for a coach with a structured and effective offense as it is. good point because he's just, I mean, he's not going to run like endless pick and rolls and distribute the ball and do all these things like draw and then kick to the open three, he's just not going to do it, he's a He's an attacker. , it's funny to try to imagine him getting dribble handouts from Boris Bo and Reich, you know, yeah, going to the next thing on offense, yeah, it was really funny the picture that I'm making and that's what it would be like. interest, I think it's funny how in the basketball community there are former coaches and people like certain players that value certain types of guys, they'll like Westbrook, there I like Anton, just him as a competitor, like people evaluate competitiveness, right ? games like Ali and AD, Hanan is competitive, which is why he's so fascinating to watch because, as he should, he probably has four shots a game that he needs to trade for something else, like a chain of dominoes, and someone will come up with decisive numbers. like dribble up, get up 19 feet or miss and you open things up.

I can't believe he took another game and then he'll get this incredible offensive rebound, jumping all over the place, he's falling out of bounds, kicking it at someone, it's always fun. whole numbers like oh, that's why that's Russell Westbrook, he's going to make up for it at some point. What's surprising to me is that when he came out of college, the D-press actually saw him as a point guard, which I don't think is much. people would come out, yeah, a lot of people would have watched whatever he does, he's not really a... he's not, he's like a kid, Maad thought he was like a six-man scoring guy, instant and bad, but they turned him into a point guard. or at work or a defender, I think that's what it was supposed to be and I think Riot had been like a big I think you went through a disappointment defensively, I don't know, maybe you have that, I think it can be quick .

I think you can and he attacks anyone. I think what he does is he goes for a lot of steals, yeah, and I don't hear a defense. Yes, he jumps, he jumps a lot. I'm not a fan of guys who do it. For starters, I'm out of position on defense. I'm a fan of guys who like to stay on task, but I mean, there's no denying the fact that if it's about winning possession and he has to pin someone down, I think there are very few players who are better at defense, his physicality is just overwhelming because if you're like Chris Paul, you're 6-foot-170 like that guy, it's just overwhelming, that's too much, he's a guy that Nash mentioned when we talked about people who are nightmares to play against Ram.

You imagine? Well, Ashley has a little egg, another great thing, he's a small player, so simple, it's ridiculous, I don't have that, having a guard, that guy and having him protect you from your germs, the lair of your germs, the player your dreams. like a basketball IQ what they bring to the table what they care about is Kawhi, yeah I mean there's another element that I like better, if you were a father, or hanging off a cliff and you could save a player, would you say , well, no I don't know, maybe I'm not sure, probably, I really wouldn't know, I think I love that you love them.

Kawhi was all I did, yes you're praising him for years, yes I was, but there are other guys I loved too. Paul George until last year and I assumed he lost his mind. I don't know, he literally he started dressing like prints. You and I would have a child and from the beginning we knew that Paul George is better than Melo. I was the guy that got Paul George and everything I did I launched, I'm telling you, I started it the year they played the Knicks and he was around for a while, he didn't meet the people and then all these people were writing old stuff, they started paying attention and then, but you know why, because P most fans follow the league and they just follow the office and agent Dunham did it, he took out the others, the defense is not even like when Kobe he got all the defense that year, you and I went crazy, so the other guy would make people watch basketball, yeah the other guy would say it would be Andre Iguodala, he's one of my big favorites for a long time, the end is coming , unfortunately for him, possibly, I mean, he will transform into a Role Player almost like Pippen and those kind of pretty girls in a Portland of 2002, quite memorable years, oh, the point of seeds like Ben Kalin in Portland where he became .

I don't know, I'm not sure Golden State knows what they have. In him, to be honest, I didn't really see any change in his game. He's still an incredible defender. Did you think he was that good last year? Why not. I think last year I know the solid defense they played last year. he wasn't that bright, I don't think any of that guy and I mean, you could use him a lot better and in games where they were playing like a premium scorer and a guy that did a good job stopping them, they just didn't. It's not difficult because I think he needs to be able to influence people in some way and take something away from them and it's very difficult for him when he has David Lee at power forward and Curry at point guard and then you have your coach talking. about klay Thompson being the best offender on his team, which is absolutely absurd, or the best wing defender on his team, which is absolutely absurd, and then they're trying to mix it up with Harrison Barnes a little bit.

I think he went there and really didn't do it. I realized how bad it would be, I mean, he wanted to leave Denver so badly and he got there and said, "Okay, now these guys really don't know what they have in me somehow and they didn't use them properly. Unbelievable." "Zak." I think it'll fit, you know, look, the more movement Kur installs in the offense, the more side-to-side type of action he does, that's where you can't give him the ball and say well, do something, give him the ball. when his guys come back from the middle to close it out, then he can create, I mean, they had periods, especially at the beginning of the season, where they threw him five high light passes every game, yeah, because things like that, there is where it fits.

To them, he's not Kawhi Leonard offensively in terms of he's not going to score the ball like Kawhi does, he's just not going to go to the rim on the right, but he could be exactly that, but he could be a good defender and he could distribute the ball. I don't really care too much about the offense because that team doesn't need him for the offense, they just need him to defend and that's more curious, last year that meant preference because he was his backup ball. The correct manager card was not in the game and now I think the Livingston thing and we are like Livingston oh, I think the Livingston thing if he can give them 90 games, I think it is going to have a big impact on them and we are Nabel is them to make a bunch of yeah, it's so long, yeah, I mean, we should see how much Thompson Livingston plays curry all together, you know, look, Livingston can defend a lot of threes, skinny, against some guys who are right about that, but that's like I like his later game with the shots outside.

He has a spectacular postgame last year, but again, I don't know if he can post up if all three are guarding him. I don't know if that neutralizes that later game, yes, it's something you can do. use against point I think it's good for him to just be able to get the ball up the court and then let Kirk Curry play off the ball and eliminate Curry's taxes yeah should we cheer on the west side for Jerry West who hates everything and he's who by all accounts, the biggest curmudgeon that ever lived, it was like we love Shaun Livingston, Brooklyn's best player when he started playing, he's the reason they started winning games, like He went out of his way to say all these nice things that surprised me, but I mean.

In a lot of ways, he was the most reliable part of them, I think it was the best part of them, but I thought, oh, I thought I liked them more when he was on the court, yeah, you know, in whatever lineup they had that they needed, he's a little embarrassing. Silva hasn't developed a reliable jumper in some ways, he has to turn the post up a little bit, he's not a guy you can rely on often, so where you come into those games is Ricky here, yeah I was there when his leg broke that guy's cover if you played his career ten times, like seven of the times, I think he's one of the top ten possible players in the league.

I just thought he had all the tools and he could post and he could see the court and it was fun to play with him and everything about his Clipper experience was horrible, the training, having Sam Cassell there and Sam Cassell had an ego and he I noticed that he was useful and a friend, he left him early, he liked them a lot, yes, a lot. so I actually recommended to the team that he was working with the owners that he was working with. In fact, I recommended them when he signed a ten-day contract in Washington.

Oh, right, I was watching whatever it was in 2010. I was watching them play because Whatever the reason we had a lot of action in Washington, I thought you had to try to sign Sean Langston. I got a one word answer: He'll never be healthy and basically hadn't been injured since then until Now that shows that's how he is and you could have gotten him for league minimum. Oh, and it's good for the league minimum. We all agree that Steve Kerr will be an improvement on our Jackson, oh yes I would like that, oh no. I still don't know because I feel like everything he said is how smart he is, the fact that he basically managed a team in Phoenix and it's not like he's never coached in a situation with Derek Fisher, he doesn't stay cold, I think it's going to be a improvement for I think we understand that they were 12th on offense last year, the team with that type of passing and shooting shouldn't be, it's important and often what I like about Curtis is that he knows what he doesn't know, like He wasn't walking there like me.

Brainiac is rocking Aldo, so I need the album entry. I need to coach Adams like he needs veterans around me so you know me and him say his defense was like number three or four last year. Agathe like he's not going to come in and trying to renew that like I know we've done defensively, let's do it. I'll have that other guy or what's our guy's name or the fire that's in the Boston Austin area, right, Adams was a very good fit for them, he's a good defensive coach. she did a really good job with OKC a really good job in Chicago he's been on some really good teams when he's been on defense this guy would you have traded David Lee and klay Thompson for Kevin Love um yeah if I knew Kevin Love would make him quit, yeah, it would be interesting if that becomes one of the subplot themes because I think Kevin is going to be amazing in Cleveland, especially the first month, and I think there will come a time where people will just look at around him and he'll say, oh.

OMG yes we could have had it with Stefan curry and as ketchup. I mean, even if you don't think you're going to win the championship with that trade, your team becomes so exciting to watch and it becomes such a marketable team if you just want to look at it from a business standpoint, I think Klay Thompson is a good player. and I think he has the ability to be even better than he obviously is, but I don't care about David Lee like he doesn't. oh no, we're exchanging. I would love to be able to swap David every holiday year.

Oh, that's a bad trait: klay Thompson for Kevin Love, yes, Golden State's first. I root for David Lee and when you look at it that way, he's a horse, make that trade. I know a lot of players, those are the numbers, they are the easiest players to get because of the way Klay Thompson writes players. I mean, I'm saying he's mediocre, he's an above average good player, but those players come out of college every year, yeah. That's simply what they do, they come out as point guards and two or the easiest players to replace, powerful ones like Kevin Love, an incredible power forward.

I've seen it in person probably 10 times. Klay Thompson, a really solid player, yeah, very well earned. I won't tell my grandkids, no, but I remember seeing Kevin Love in person and I remember going to the arena and thinking Minnesota sucks, but I'm excited to see Kevin Love today, but you saw a lot of the other guy's score. equipment. I don't love it, which is what Petra said in the first part of Kevin Levin, that's ultimately why they were old chairs, his dreams are to score Morgan's David Lee, it's like he's a defender, a huge, it was nothing like they didn't want their two best players to be. below average defense, yeah, they had this vision of what are we going to do when teams run a pick and roll with theCurry guy and love the guy and we're toast, but actually the guy behind that is Bogan and that's what's not right or something.

Otherwise, I'll tell you that when you're the other team, put the ball in the basket every time you become a pretty good defense. Yes, it's easy to play defense when you have to. The team has to get the ball out of life. The thing was that I wrote old common. I understood why they didn't do it. I understand why it's maybe a harder decision internally for them than it seems to us because of how Klay Thompson fits into that team and makes up for some of it. steps defensive responsibilities, but at the end of the day, like you're Kevin Levin, you just say Kevin Love is the answer to the question, try him, yeah, and then figure it out from there.

Another thing is I'm not sure if Klay Thompson really has that drive, he doesn't seem like a guy to me that I really mean, maybe it's just that he's reserved and maybe he is, but it doesn't seem like to me, I mean, it's gone away a lot. of games and I've been playing the playoffs, he's had some good games, but he's had some games or just seemed a little overwhelmed. I remember what his personality was, what the clips were, who they have on him, Darren Collison and the playoffs and they had a Redick and it was like I was in the game and I was rooting for the Clippers to move forward because I've seen it well and I'm thinking if realize that Klay Thompson has Darren Collison on him and all these other idiots with his guard I thought he should have 40 points in this game, well what they didn't stop him, yeah you wouldn't, not even get the ball, that's good, but you also see that I had someone playing.

Clipper, the Clippers also made it very, very clear that they didn't care who scored, as long as it wasn't curry, like in the first game, if they really just took curry. I went to the game once on the court or any game where it was ice. first game yeah first game and I'm what Curry scored like single digits or something like that um he made I think two field goals or so yeah and I mean Klay Thompson in a game like that should score a lot of points. I mean it should be a game where you like courage here, each piece like a deep reconnaissance sleeper, I think it's like 30 to 1, 35 to 1 if play was al

lowe

d and I would bet like I run a wing.

Yes, blink, that's true for us because we have MVP votes, but LeBrons Eva Braun is going to win the MVP deal, let's say yes, that's interesting, yes, to be valid. I guess we can talk about yes, LeBron will win the MVP, but if you give me the choice of who the sweeper is other candidates I think Curry is clearly the best player on a very good team and since Blake and cp3 are going to split that vote you know who does Danton E Davis like if the pelicans don't make the playoffs Anthony Davis that way he is 18 years old and an area with that the best of curry I think I went to game 7g I went to game seven where he was a good person he was in France Chris Paul through the kitchen sink it in that game, we all know Chris Paul is on a bad wheel, then he creates like a bad ankle or a bed, but he was the full-blown experienced Chris Paul and the refs in the first quarter the rest decided we were.

I'm going to let him get away with it so yeah there was a lot of pushing and shoving and stumbling and all the things he encourages got his 35 anyway and they sent him second guys and I was really impressed like they were his All the The game plan was to just beat him up and for the first time I've ever seen a person, he just fought and got his points. Yeah, I don't think Curry shied away from contact as much as people think. Because of the size of Dan's build, he's not that short either, he gets shorter, he doesn't know if the six, three, yeah, he can shoot above the best.

Did you see Kobe Bryant take you like he's had enough of this? I'm on the cool guard, this possession developed and the three-pointer said yeah, it was pretty funny, there was like a clip where I can remember who was guarding and you know, I think he might have done it. I'm not even sure who, but Kobe likes to push them. of the way and it was like: I got this, I got this, okay, right in his face, he shot us, they do this, we do this, we just shoot a three-pointer right over him, man it's like backing off, angry Lakers nation , Fred, I know, even LeBrons.

Kevin Durant is over 600, which yeah, anyone who thinks she's coming back at the time they said he's coming back is crazy, so it's always three or four extra weeks that come in Louisville, not so Kevin Love, who's one of my under the radar guys forty to one I'd take him because you're basically betting on a LeBron injury you're bailing out the bronze either way no matter who takes d5 anyway yeah I'd say I think Blake It's the best right now, the last one, but that's the twelfth. Every now and then, well, Blake comes in third, let's say Chris Paul plays yeah, the third conference I saw is one of those words 52 seasons of games, whatever and Blake makes 25, 12, five shots, 50% conceivable After LeBron got hurt, he made a pretty surprising jump.

Last year he was fantastic, Moisés, who was in shape. I never left it in the valid MVP file. He was also sure that Noah was in the oh, he was ahead. I think Noah is in favor, so Lake came in third at our dinner. Howard, maybe a curry, was a Houston. boy, I had our dancer, excuse me from the bottom of my heart 32 a hot could number one is white is a good white is a good white 30 sleeper MVP candidate I think boy, are you believing that you come back here, we cut you, you were really a good life, I mean, obviously out of the magazine that the poor people forget that it was up because they lost that Syria everyone is painted with the brush of like oh my God, we completely collapsed with that little one or three this team is a disaster , he was an absolutely, really really good monster, he blocked Batum at the end of the last game with about 90 seconds left and right.

I think that game didn't go to overtime. I was a regulation with about 90 seconds left in the game where it looks like watoomb had a punt his way to the basket on a pick-and-roll and Dwight was like we were dirt. Oh, Dwight came from the foul line and just nailed it on the glass and it was like, Oh my God, this guy looks good in any fart, I think. the only series the wrong team won in the playoffs last year was Houston Portland. I think they play that series 10 times. I think Houston wins 6 or 7 out of 10, not with the same coaches.

Oh, I like what you did there. Yes, I mean. like that Jeremy Lin game was so stupid they should have won that game and then game six Lillard hits an incredible three pointer that goes back to Houston game seven yeah you know just Parsons falls asleep first foot second they were on best possible play to get a really tough store, it was good, I don't think it was, so I thought it was Parsons too, but it wasn't there like, um, it was supposed to change, yeah, it wasn't, it wasn't difficult and Arden was a difficult time. big surprise, well I'd see, but those are matchups like LaMarca, it was a nightmare for them, like the idea of ​​Dwight on him, they put it like Asik suddenly started in that series, after that, starting with Howard throughout the year, as if everyone dredged.

Maybe you also know that that trip could have been a bad move because it kept Mikaela's ethics, maybe they panicked because they didn't have a good matchup for Aldrich to be the striker and they just liked to readjust everything, but that's what the guys are. playoffs. Lauren. I was surprised. They brought him back, but I think he had a big hand in signing Dwight Howard, who Mikhail should have signed. I mean, if you visited a van and yeah, there you go, and then what about maybe I wouldn't want a coach, I heard. No, I think he would be the coach of the year.

You have our coach Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith. I mean, the only thing about Detroit is that she's in charge of the personnel, but that's something that I come back here for Brandon Jennings, she's the worst shot what's on my team of all points, especially when she plays in Los Angeles, it's an Oakland A in Los Angeles getting his absolute job, it's like seeing the league tied or something, MHD is coming and really the same in New York, experience well at MSG. Yeah, but I mean it's usually I don't know, I'm not a big Brandon Jennings pop is your favorite over 350 for what is Coach of the Year, then it's David Blatt Doc Rivers Tibbs and Steve Kerr is 10 to 1 so after They look a little weird to the new coaches, like I'm not a new coach, but a coach of a new team, like maybe Stan Van Gundy might want it, where is he?

I don't even watch Stan Van Gundy. Oh, 50 to 1 there. If you go, that's a place where I wouldn't be, but if you go, maybe that's where I'm probably going to make a deal offering 50 to 1 if you pick up Stan Van Gogh 47 and 35 with Josh Smith. and Brandon Jennings has to be in the conversation, yeah absolutely, they're like a 4th seed, he was your Eastern Conference jumper this year last year, Charlotte came out of nowhere and no one saw it coming, is there a team like that this year What are you facing? says maybe not I think it's Atlanta oh yeah I'm driving I love the I Drive the Atlanta Hawks car they're good they're good they were good they were by the way they were good until they beat Horford Horford is really good really Well yeah , I like that team.

I think that's what people ask. People ask me. Who is the great surprise team? I don't think there won't be a Phoenix this year. I don't think there's a Phoenix or Portland that just comes out of nowhere and is amazing. Just a little further into Sacramento, the team owner thinks about surprising me. Well, someone there said while we were writing that that's one of the interesting stories to me. the VEX like we have two guys on the US team like we're running out of heads your vintage Askus event they hire they hired a guy even though they hired Dean Oliver yeah I mean that team is like they're bad and I don't know what's going on, it's like a bad team with unreasonable expectations from the owner, it's like an explosive combination.

I just don't know how you go from Isaiah Thomas to the two point guards they ended up with, at least like you get better. somehow there are expensive point guards out there they could have gone after but I don't understand how the Darren Collison and Raymont sessions are the answer, don't call them terrible but here's mom saying the strange thing is they have so many. idiots on that team and they didn't like Isaiah Thomas. I understand Rudy Gay and Aaron, whatever the markets, cosmonauts can be, you know what we can't play with mmm with Isaiah Thomas.

I'm not like, oh, I have to listen to these guys. but yeah, they know, hey, maybe I said so many trades based on who DeMarcus Cousins ​​likes that they got Patrick Patterson because he's like the Demarcus Whisperer from Kentucky and they had to trade him to give Rege a but yeah, I think Isiah Thomas is gone. I mean, I think we can read between the lines because DeMarcus Cousins ​​is like this guy has them all the time. I like it, they really read between the lines. Yeah, I mean, you like cousins ​​more than you. I mean, I think he's an incredible basketball talent. look and probably the most talented big men in the league, yeah, but he's just a, you know, he has problems, some people never like them, I mean, it's not a bad thing, he's not careful, we're pro bogey and the I know Actually I'm a professional ghost too, but you know, the thing is, some people just have a bad temper and some people just walk Halicki when a guy gets scared and does something so ridiculous and then you see the look on his face like No.

I can believe that people like him when he doesn't think he's doing anything wrong, to me it's like, I mean, I don't know, it's weird, the bad thing about him is that he's a little screwed because everyone else doesn't like him. them and they're not and when that happened it will never come back and then now you're trying to be the good person like you've changed like you can be that again hey look I'm a different person I don't think they care I mean the reps don't forget when you introduce them and he just has a bad reputation he never gets the benefit of the doubt but he crashes I thought I'd do it with Anton in Boston he passed the point and never came back now he was calling reps hey 21 yeah , he said his name is like Alzheimer's F no no and K if you don't know my name I hate that you never get a call yes and I think the key thing about him is that he doesn't have the type of personality to say, "I know They're not going to give me a fair shake and I'm fine with that," he'll say, why am I not here tomorrow? and he's just going to go crazy, he's a martyr, he's absolutely going to go and that's why I predicted it as part of my 33 crazy predictions for the season that he would be on the all-star team, even in my prediction I thought I really don't think this is going to happen and I received messages that the Kings went to China with the networks and a lot of people from the NBA League office for those two China games and when that article came out I received several emails from people whoThey're in China like that would never happen, I never have.

I've been around the worst guy in the NBA, that's interesting and that's okay. I guess that prediction is going to be wrong. He almost hit a guy at the FIBA ​​World Cup. Did you see that Valanciunas? Yes, he almost likes Valanciunas. He likes it literally cocked and was going to hit I mean just the guy has a temper and a dyed leather leg like he doesn't listen to you I care less about that than just badmouthing teammates when every time something goes wrong it's like, oh, and they "You're showing up like he said and that's the only thing I can't defend.

Showing up on the right court and you didn't make a play for me. I put my hands up and walk up the court. Yeah, he just thought that the over-under for them is 30 and a half, that's good, that's good, too good, over in all the over unders, for the most part they are pretty good, this good, one that is not is Atlanta because we all think that they'd have that 42 yeah they'll probably win one they'll blow it 44 - 45 and that's Horford tearing his labrum from the third I like him yeah he's a good owner but I bet the Vig has changed.

It's not even money, I bet you bet like 44, whatever, 42 minus 162, the biggest I have so far: 115 and this. I don't think people will sleep and break up with Anders, unless they're people like you, go to Vegas and do it. Yes, I don't bet anything. totals from the first season because I always like to make a couple because then I like just in the back of my head to see the long pass, yeah, I feel like I had Agora nose 48.5 or Serrano is a 48 that seems a little bit high Phoenix is ​​44 , which I thought was interesting because I don't see why they would be worse this year, but apparently there's not a huge increase in chants because it's worth five wins because I got 49 last year, yeah, but they also ran exceptionally well.

They won 49 games last year. I mean, they probably didn't qualify to win 49, but they didn't need to mix it up. Oh, what do I think they should be? Yeah, what do you think they should be? They are like a team of 500, a little bit of 500. What do you know who is going to be 41 and a half? 41 Don't you want to have something? I could have added that Miami is forty-four and a half under C for me, that put me off. I got a padlock, at least I put the money under it, yeah. you can go against the last two weeks, but Nin says who is the Grantland zone Dania Chow, who is one of our youngest basketball writers 23, started as an intern.

She should have worked behind the scenes. Dante Exum, her biggest fan, yes, she is our international defender. is this a rebel title sleeper oh well yeah that I don't even think this is here you possibly don't see it I don't know I mean if you had to pick a team in the West who would you pick? I mean, it would be me. I'd pick Oklahoma suits first, but I'd pick the Spurs, but I think he's basically like a sleeper. I would choose like yes, that's all. I mean Google the traits 36 by the way. 35 and 47. I'd like to see them get 33 wins and just watch their face get redder and redder because it's fun to watch them just use their emotions, so this is my case for San Antonio, which I'm going to do again about the grail in the Thursday's basketball show I think they climbed the mountain last year they filmed the sports movie they redeemed the word one of the worst losses in basketball history the best possible story the way it all played out is just perfect there's you know, went from point A to point B.

Kawai breaks out, everything's going well, that rarely happens two years in a row, especially for an older team and especially with the block they had with those guys, you know, Duncan stayed healthy all year . playoffs Ginobili was as fresh as a daisy and yes, Parker never had the ankle sprain that he had in 2013, it's very difficult to get those breaks year after year. I'd be surprised if everything went well again, that makes sense, this year, that year. It's my thing, we both disagree with you. I think yeah, that's the thing, there's going to be a point where they're going to fall off and no one is really going to see it coming because you just hope they're really good, but I think even the guys that you mentioned like Parker Ginobili and Duncan, you could argue that they don't even They really are.

I mean, they are there, so their players are so interchangeable somewhere that no one can kill them, yeah, no one injured and those guys being healthy is not. It's not an accident, I mean, they had the

lowe

st load grape, so they really ran very well, they didn't really suffer any injuries, but guess what, nobody played even thirty minutes a game and they play in a twisted way, they don't play for everything. oh it's like 70 games or 71 games so when you're there taking breaks they just understand the schedule we talked about yeah on the podcast we did and it was really interesting because I said they're going to be fresh in the finals. because of this, yes or no, to be true, um, Dave looks similar compared to Miami.

Dave looks like a state like the Spurs, they look like they were playing basketball a month before the file compared to Miami. I mean, well, Miami's big mistake was that they should arrest Wade. more during the season they should have rested Lagaan a bit yeah you guys miss my geology okay I was going to say he was set in twenty eight great games so put in the Spurs so here's the thing with the Spurs that they had there, it was like a 20-game window during the live season, boy, yeah, and a bunch of guys that were out like Splitter were out for a handful of games.

I doubt why he was out for a handful of games. Parker was out for a while and they survived exactly what you're saying, but It's also surprising to me that other teams don't rush into doing what they do and maybe it's because they have a lot of depth, but member Tony Parker after the break All-Star Game came out with a variety of illnesses like Yeah, so far just do it like he has a variety of illnesses, he's going to be out for a while and no, that's just what it's called, we're resting him, it looks like Blatz is going to do that with LeBron, even like that, like he thinks it's a 70-game season for LeBron. so that's a function of two things: one, they're on the cutting edge and they understand these things;

The other thing is that the pop-up just has the autonomy to do whatever it wants if you're a new coach and you're on a three-year contract and you're resting your players, I mean, look, the owner of the Phoenix Suns became crazy because they rested the players during a preseason grace, since you like some of these guys, then these owners and the issues are just irrational, so if you try to explain to them that no, we can't play our guy, that we're paying 17 million dollars a year because they would be like women who get paid 17 million dollars a year, you have to play if he's not hurt, whereas I think Popovich has the knowledge. and also the ability to move forward with what he wants to do because he doesn't have as much autonomy.

Rad, I think a lot of the other coaches don't have it. I'd like to see the doctor do that with Blake and Chris Paul, I think. Even if he played almost 20 games last year, but even if I talked to him this year, I would still use him. You know, you could have given me a hello, Jamal Crawford. Guess what your lucky day is? You have to shoot 30 times tonight against Milwaukee. I'm resting Chris Paul and after them and Blake, if someone I care a little bit about, like Reese, worries about Dwayne Wade in the last decade, where he took a lot of hits, you know, took a lot of hard fouls and landed in a way. uncomfortable always in the air I was in the air geyser the Boehm and I shot him cheap and they gave him to Hamrick, yes, it is surprising to me that the fans like him if he has one of those scrums in which he gets fouled very hard and like there's a brief moment where he looks angry and then like the team comes together and then everyone separates the fans on Twitter like blink people hate blinking they blame them for everything.

I'm like that guy got beat up, yeah, all the time, his whole career too. It's been since the Aleuts that first year, I think he just put a little bit of attention on them, people love them until he was overexposed on TV. I think when he has to add there are too many things, people see it and then they just understand it. "I think it's ironic that he improved more than Anthony Davis of any player last year, yeah, people hate everything that's good. In the end, people just hate every day, everything, people just hate everything, yeah ".

I mean, I'm a big Blake Griffin, he's like a reference, so the Thunder lost last year for a variety of reasons. Serge Ibaka, yeah that didn't help, they're playing with Derek Fisher and the clutch moment maybe didn't help her. about what cron Butler presented from Butler to the Jeremy Lamb experiment didn't go well then they get to this summer and what a great summer for them a lot of pieces have been to Anthony Morrow a deal agent Mitch McGary yeah they really filled out that. list very well, how did you feel about that summer? I don't know what the deal is, is there no money in fracking in Oklahoma City?

Damien 231 problem is 30 million dollars last year, but magister made an estimated profit, well, yes, The company is that they think they are , I think they're doing it, they could spend more money, there's only 2 million under the tax and as if we reflect, we say things like, oh, team building, and there's only 2 million under the tax and Blah, blah, it's like you have a chance when the title might be out of fashion if you want on a basketball team to move it from a big market to a small brand, yeah, okay, and you have that team with those players that are like generational players. once in a generation, write players and you're not spending, I mean people can make fun of Steve Ballmer all they want during those rallies and go like a maniac, yeah, I'd rather have an owner like that who recognizes, look, you don't . you have to spend when your team is not that good, it probably makes sense to not spend anything on expanding the ceilings, just do it in a moment, but you have a good team, this is not the time to be, I mean, you have a The best thing is that I'm not a big yeah, I'm not, I'm not a big I think fan press t drafts very well Sam Sam whatever his name is Stan go press sure and press t I think he knew he was a baby I think he drafts well, but I don't know , I'm not, I've never been a fan of a trade he did right, that's what I mean, the signings aren't his, like he's smart enough to know if we want to get him.

Dude, realistically we have to offer the public if I'm done, how about we just trade? I mean, I don't know, oh yeah, I guess maybe I just said it right, so in June they had two first-rounders, Perkins, who is about to meet. an expiring topic and a couple more topics, that was their chance to get someone, yeah, and be like, even in the worst case scenario, Arron Afflalo is right about that guy, at least we have him, at least we know that that guy can play in the last five minutes. of a playoff fee I think he I think if Presley was here I don't think Sam I don't think they'll follow him move the needle for them I think that's what he was a needle although I have some, I don't have players that can defend the three that I saw, you saw someone who is competent at the end of the game and who can play for them as their fifth player because they have a bigger player, that's why they laugh tomorrow signing nothing, just no defense, I mean anything. morale is great, like he's a good player, you can shoot, you can close, but who didn't have to protect the other teams?

You need a rhythm of play and protect the other team's best player and it was the lines of Derek Fisher and Caron Butler that are benching. a lot like Andre Andre I Harry Jones the third issue I only have income for half those guys even if they had Perry Jones the first that would be enough a lot of lone pairs in the third issue are almost treating it like patriotic street football where they say, Well, you know, we just want to get to 11 at 5:12 and for every year, we think these second, third, fourth runners can fill in here, you can do that in football because you're paying. 22 guys, but one basketball, all that matters is your five guys in the last six minutes, ultimately, yeah, the other side of this.

Showcase locks like eventually you're going to have to play five-on-five and your seasons will be in the dirt, who's that fifth guy? It's strange that they think Anthony Mauro is the answer to that because I don't really remember him having a basketball moment that was relevant that we had in our League and back-and-forth past. I sent you their playoff game. log zero games never played in a playoff game he's like 29 years old yeah so he's ready he's really ready to wet and they could make a trade they got Perkins expired and whatever but it's possible I mean the change I would have to make back, well, here it is.

It's like they've been saying for years that we'll pay the tax when it's time to pay it right. I think they're out of time. Durant26 Westbrook is 25. I really hope Durant leaves. That's why I didn't do it. Supporting that little problem, I said that while I don't deserve it, I remember that I want to move my chair away from the table, it's just that my conflict is making it uncomfortable, okay, where will it go? Well, no, no, no. You're not going anywhere because thank you, aren't you going? Where will he go? I just want to say, I give it to Durant, he is one of the best players of the last 15 years, so who deserves your shepherding.

Do the Lakers deserve it, just Glaser's spender? they deserve any year, we'll send them the money one year they wasted the 29th pick on that Germany, keep it or a D-league right away. I fixed the comeback race as falling below the top 20 and now they're going to get the Bregan. oh look, he's trying, even though the d-league was a shame, go to the d-league, we're giving away this pick, we're not going to use it, you know, after all this talk, for all this talk, they could do it if they had Westbrook. two seasons ago in Ibaka last year they didn't get hurt in the playoffs they may have a ring like the one they have they may have won a title now I don't know if it's probable or not, but like they did with the Spurs then Ibaka came back and the Spurs had money to spend money, now they do.

I turn it around, they're under the text to Bristol, they did something wrong, but they went, they paid taxes a couple of times, yeah, when they landed, that's the historical spending pattern. is exactly what you just said tens

bill

and then again when you have to Sacramento pay the tax when they were the height of the D look at the Weber Celtics pay the tax like in Australia the way the year Oklahoma City beat the Spurs you were able to make an argument that the team, the Spurs statistical team, was one of the best teams in the last ten years, I mean, they ran away like all these wins, you know, I know you can make that argument because it's in my files after the second game and I called them one of the great offensive teams many times they never won another good one, that's what I'm saying, after all, for all this, if Ibaka was healthy at the right time last year , that team is a problem for the Spurs, they are a problem for San Antonio.

I think the Spurs would admit that after a few years where they had the wrong break at the worst possible time last year, what were they a problem when they had the team that they had when they had it difficult was another offensive weapon they are not a problem they're very different yeah you get rid of the bad he's as bad as James Harden Mactan for defense and all those other things he's getting to the free throw line he's getting better I mean Oklahoma is getting away from the free throw line in a lot of it because RAM presses hard and Westbrook takes a lot of threes in the top five and I'll clear it online and plus we don't need to repeat our triggers to do that, but that's why you keep it, those injuries are why did you keep it, don't you just say we have four of the best guys, it's redundant, I mean the way to change is true until one of them gets hurt.

I mean, it was a joke, that exchange was a joke, they really thought they could replace him. A team that goes to the final believes that they are going to replace it well. The other problem is Kevin Martin. It was also a lack of understanding. how the league works because injuries happen all the time and just say, well, we can do this and then everything else so that all the other variables or fixed variables like you never know, Derrick Rose is out for two and a half years, does he? You know? and that's basketball. I mean, they clearly have a no-tax mandate.

I mean, it's a great time for my worship. You can't pay the tax. I don't know when that mandate will be lifted, but the limit and tax went up. a lot that they could have kept hard and maxed out and paid the tax in just one season, kind of a Perkin amnesty because that's what it says it would have required a perkins mist that cost a lot and last time I went and ran and didn't waste and then that was that it was a matter of material cash, yes, I know that you are below that you do not pay the tax, but I have to pay them and then you have to pay their replacement for the minimum of 10 million that already died the night. difficult to replace Kendrick Perdue.

I'm saying a good minimum. I'm saying it would have cost money, but they could have done it. They could have paid the tax only once and I don't know if they knew it. They projected the salary jump this way, come on, Zach, their difference should be making 20 million versus 30, yeah, and they decided, you know, yeah, and now it's like you didn't have Perkins on the roster for last summer with the rest of the team. they had and all the other options Natick had, they really got someone if Steven Adams doesn't start like Perkins in the playoffs.

I think he had a pretty good player. I know we are confident he can play 20 minutes. Many decrepit bells follow. He can play? Can he play 30 minutes in a playoff game without fouling out? No no I dont know. What I'm saying is that if he doesn't start over like Perkins, he may not be able to see a Thunder game in the playoffs we can get to. At that point you probably won't be able to watch a Thunder game because it will be the Russell Westbrook show for a while and will be interesting to watch if you're a basketball purist.

I know like what's going on against Scotty Brooks, right, of course, I think it's terrible. Okay, I guess the tone is sarcastic. I'm not a Scotty Brooks fan, so I think he is. I mean, he's a really nice guy. He seems like he is. Of those aus I have to describe a very nice guy when he lost to Miami, that speech he gave at the end and the interviews he gave at the end, the best interviews, the end was incredible, they are incredible and if I had a child and I didn't want raise him, of course I would choose him to raise my son because he seems like a great man, but I wouldn't want him to make decisions about what to do and what not to do in a basketball game.

I just wouldn't want that. I don't think he's smart at that part of the game. I think he's a great person, he's a great man, he's probably a great leader, but the interesting question isn't whether he's a coach, as long as Durant says he's the coach. Do they ever have the guts to disappoint in the playoffs this year? Do they have the guts to say look Kevin? I know you love this guy and I know you're a free agent in a year like he's not the guy to pick. we at the top like this it's fascinating he goes up to me and then the extension that asks which coach has taken that job in Oklahoma City for a year with the knowledge that a year of that Durant now for everyone the team everyone everyone a flying year first of Anything you don't sign to a one-year deal these guys are going to get, but it's like if you have the option, she's like, Could I do this for a one-year raise?

And you could do something like that. He could take me to Houston with Dwight. Howard and James Hart I mean, I think there are so many good assistant coaches. The idea of ​​these coaches that have already been head coaches there are very few of those guys that are actually still good. I mean, you want to hire Mike Brown again. "I'm going to hire like, but, the guys said because I think you hire fifth time, fourth time, it's incredible, right, it's absolutely incredible, but, but, you could have someone who was on dad's bench or like, Buddenholzer, I don't".

I don't know about the Philly guy, I'm really not into it, she seems like he knows what he's doing, everyone, Zak and I, if he's our celebrity performance in the game, we were a disaster, how could we even organize our rotation well? Snoop Dogg got a little screwed. We didn't make our plans, we didn't understand that we couldn't have Golic and the supermodel on the court at the same time, who is the lubrimatic and airheaded urchin, and that's why we had calves: three hundred Spurs, 350 thunders, 71 bulls plus 750 clips . Ten to one, I think Dow's attempts are 28 to one in Easton State 2081, 35 to one, which seems to be 40 to 1 and after that I'd say Dallas and Chicago are going to be teams that have a legitimate shot at making it away I like gas, that's what I mean, it just depends on how much Tyson Chandler has left and how much Dirk has left on the contract here for Tyson Chandler.

I don't think he needed a contractor to play well. To start with, that fire, I just think it's whether or not he has the physical dog here always helps and guesses, so it seems like he has a lot of fire, whatever happens, your stud likes it, it helps, likes Dirk. Carlisle like he was there, he won a championship, he loves those guys. Yellow Amir plays for Dirk like people play for that league. You know, Jameer, he's the newest, decent point guard for them. Dirk and LeBron, the most beloved teammates, that's the final. Duncan is Duncan and Duncan above either of those two.

I don't know if enough people in the league know Duncan. I mean, people left a pretty good team early. I've never actually heard anyone say anything bad about it, but I was talking. about guys who would really like to take care of their money guys, I think those are the two that could be, could be Dirk. I don't think Dirk has ever played with anyone who didn't rave about him after, yeah, an Ashes like that. too obviously good, yeah, Memphis is like fifty to one, which would be the other pure super Dave. You're under the premise that the Spurs and Thunder won't make the finals, so I thought this is possible, they're healthier this year and 'I've been Vince Carter, actually, a really nice consolation.

I like that Vince Carter out possibly. I maintain that Dallas was the second best player last year. Yes, Carter has been, not good for a while. He made the Hall of Fame last year and I can. I don't let any guy I wrote this tutor for be an obvious hall of famer that I made, that the idea that I wasn't going to do it all is crazy like it's any less, but I still had to win over Zack. she's the poster boy now, although for the next 15 years she'll be the poster child for reinventing herself as a different type of player, well I don't think so, I think she's the best, is there a better guy who's done that?

I mean, Kobe can't. do it right now no, I guess the Spurs have this week we played Ray Allen is a candidate for that conversation or Vince with Vince was a better game than Ray Allen again Ray Allen, although he ran very well, I haven't really had a skill set natural like you know... when he got old like he could age without the ball very easily like you know he could adjust running around the screens I'm not really betting on basketball in 2001 yeah I've been on the train since '98 On the Lakers 2000 or in you, that's how I got my job now, oh, because Ray Allen's Bucs team, which would have made the finals if the referees hadn't decided that every game was in the top five for the Sixers in that round, it was cool that Susan was stickers, he knows what I'm talking about, that wasn't the greatest record of all time when it was really corrupt, yeah, no one throws it's like, I think, the CIA, so between them, I think who shot like 120 more free throws or something more in the seven games. series more I think there are three different games where people got fined after the game.

Yes, I went far. They fined me. I remember Carl received funding. Yeah. He had a whole video because I really wanted to watch it recently because I remember thinking. It's there because it will always talk about the Sacramento Lakers series, but the photos were the last, yes, I was working and they were also better, and that's the team that in the finals I was as good as that, oh, one of the Lakers , that Bucs team. It would have been an interesting matchup, they would have been crushed, well, they would have been. I'm better than the Sixers by one game than the Lakers now.

II, yeah, a lot of creators got stuff from Allen Iverson in the first game. That's the best playoff team since the MJ Bulls, I think oh a Lakers, yeah right, that was the only time they had Kobe and Shaq running and also the last gear team, they were the worst team of the regular season. I think about that Lakers shit and they just opened it up. important is the second round of the Spurs, they were under before, but yeah, they turned to the outside of the injury, so Fisher came back, they didn't really, they activated it when Fisher came back there was like two or three weeks left the end.

In the season, in fact, people know about the year before that I made a big bet because I forgot my start, but when the playoffs started, like 10 or 13 days before the season started or the playoffs started, that's when I made a big bet that the Lakers would win. and then I basically bet the Lakers like every playoff game and owe them one or even the year they won all but one game in the playoffs when something they presumably won't do in the

2014

-15 season the NBA, oh yeah, no, they I'll make the playoffs everywhere here, they're great game moments, but my best manager moment was the Golden State Warriors vs.

Oh yeah, I was in that one. I had 11 points, 1, 2, 1 was my average, that was my best game model. and the funny thing about that, since I had a guy whoI owed a poker player who owed me a lot of money and I was like Gill, man, you should bet on this thing, this is a good bet, you know, he put like 10,000 down, whatever. 20 but he's much better anyway he says no I'm putting I have to be honest I really like the talisman he was going to bet like 20 to 1 in dollars the other one dog what's my best trilogy is that with that or 7 Warriors team oh for Argentina in riots Bix yeah it was with lomo that's the only time I turned against my country and then I added the 95 racket to get the magic they were like 4 to 1 underdogs everyone was right in the magic. in check, that was Nick Anderson's, yeah, yeah, yeah, all my good gameplay, my 20s when I was 15 years old.

I bet all my Knicks. I grew up near the Kahane Connecticut Knicks, where everyone is a Knicks fan in southern Connecticut. His 90 was 93, Smith's stuff. here in the Conference Finals when there were big games when the Knicks came up - oh yeah, yeah, it was a fighting game. I bet all my friends and I lost like a $10 bet that the Bulls would win and when the Knicks were even with Lynette, it's like every day here. he was getting torn apart, he was talking, I was like, just wait this way, Jay just says and you'll appreciate this 95.

I bet I have odds now. I remember what they were, but I'm betting essentially that the Celtics would beat magic in the 1/8 series that year I was like with Garden Delight in the competitive Garden Tiki, they were on top, they lost the first game by 40 and the next three were close, yes, I went to those last two, I lost all the best of the weather, however, they worked on their loss, but I It was like that, I was completely irrationally sure that the Celtics funeral in that series Dominique Wilkins was very involved, it was us . Your other big moment in the game was the blackout season when he came back.

What were you doing reviewing all the time? No unders, yes, that was it. a good moment of play, um, yeah, that was a good gal, that was us, it was probably my eye, I mean, we didn't do so well, as the Enders were very out of it / Enders were very out of place there , the teams had too high points. or something like that, but yeah, that was a good year, there was something strange about lockout season. I don't think many people noticed, but you noticed. I made a couple of them, so I went back in. my memory bank until the previous lockout when I was living in my brother's basement in Winnipeg, Manitoba and I went through the connected data, so in 2016-17 when we had a survivor locked up, yes, that's happening, it's one of the that I'm out. there as a Blockade Optimist I have already written it there.

I got a lot of Optima time. You know it was a corner. I'm cautiously optimistic that we're going to avoid what I think we could. I think we couldn't miss games. I think there is also a lot of money so that really Adam has already started a time that the silver already started to go to the owners very quietly it has been like things are going well like let's not be idiots let's not threaten each other I would say that things are going well the things are going well Great, I'm cut off, like there could be a lockout or a strike, but I don't know if that's necessarily going to happen in this game, so it could be resolved quickly enough that if you're a

bill

ionaire, how much would you pay? ? offer New Orleans with the Bensons for the Pelicans if I had a lot of money I would have to have let's say you're worth 5 million dollars, right, 5 billion, yeah, and you want an NBA team and you feel like you can get it, you can steal it. pelicans away from Benson, but how high would you go to have Anthony Day own Anthony Davis for the next 12 years?

I personally don't believe in owning human beings, but Mae Davis is the CEO. I don't know, I'd probably spend a lot. of money, but I would recommend you check out the priceless sticker, yes, I would bid for sure. I mean, first of all, the sticker with the dollars sold for five hundred million 575 575 or five, you probably have to pay a billion dollars now. I would think that for a team that I think the Pelicans are worth I would act like 750,800 people would think that we will see what the Hawks look great to me, it's a small market actually, but I also know when it hits a billion because Davis is the next. guy what do we do with the next guy, yeah, yeah, Davis is a wild card that I was talking to, I would even value that.

She would do it just like she would fire Monty Williams. He'd probably pay a billion extra for that act like doing what some Williams guys provide. I like my life. I can't explain why, first of all, I had a good defense the last time they had a real team and a good defense like you know, 2011. I disagree with some or let's be fair, he plays, he draws. some, all end in bad mid-range shots and he has problems with clock management in the final stretch, close games. I just want to see what he does with this team.

He makes some interesting plays. I'm a fan of people who Don't worry, we're going to give him 20 more games and then you have to do it. They are all at stake this year. All those guys run away from their coaching staff. They're bad, but the only thing Anthony Davis is worse at when he coaches that team is. picking out his game day wardrobe, that guy has the worst suits of any coach, my monic, anyway, yeah, yeah, well the good thing for all those people is that the Saints are in some kind of potential free fall in the NFL and the Bensons who saw it probably worry me right now that they won't even realize what's going on with the Pelicans until January.

I'm not a monument Sam, I don't know, maybe I'm too hard on someone you like Brad Stevens, you're definitely too hard, but then do I like Brad Stevens? I like it, so I have all the trainers I like. I like Brad Stevens. I like Buddenholzer. I like it. I received a strong nod from Zach. Nikki trains your game. Oh yes, I'm sure I'll like David. Blatt, I'm sure BK, we all love David Blatt. He would shoot him sometime, he would train him and he would be him again. I watched him train some YouTube clips, yes some clips, I'm probably missing some but those are low.

I love Rick Carlisle. I love it. Ricard, I really do, yes, he is a great coach, he is in my top three. We like Stanvan, I like Stan, man, we'd like Hornacek, we forgot to mention it, how can you not like him? Yeah, Quin Snyder is going to be interesting, I don't know. yes we are going to like them, but I think we are going to enjoy watching the big data games, yes, it is difficult for me to understand the things that happened, like all the articles. William likes to order pizza and he is picking it up. in his tastes because all the bad things that happened there it's like he can't get them out of my mind.

He seems like a frat boy in some ways and then you read the articles when he was there, when he said there were like those articles where he was like, you know, accused with this and a question that it's hard for me to get that out of my head because some reason, but oh Jacoby, how much time do we have left? We didn't do Byron Scott. I need two minutes to The point of this podcast is that Byron Scott is right. God has created an enemy for you on Twitter. I mean, we started talking about it but we forgot to come back to it, so Byron Scott came out of it as NASA's unfrozen caveman lawyer.

Now it's like because I mean, I don't understand your advanced metrics on your corner threes, but I do know one thing, yeah, man, Byron Scott runs the NFL version of the wishbone, basically hmm, the NBA, Bertram, the wishbone, yeah, I'm not a big Byron Scott fan. I can't tell if this is just a giant like you said acting, you hit keys trolling like I'm ready like there's this guy Bob, I bet I can. Don't know. I don't think I have internet access, so that's everywhere. I don't know, and the funny thing is you have to go back and watch the stuff after the Lakers game last year when Dan Tony was coach because he was on the panel, oh yeah, and him and James Worthy and the other genius. that they had oh no it was, but can someone let me know and listen to those guys and then I want to see what they say now when their team goes out and takes like four threes a game and a lot of 20 foot shots.

It's not easier to defend a team that basically says we're not going to shoot three-pointers. That's something you can tell your team: We're not going to shoot threes, but don't tell everyone else that we are. I'm not going to shoot three ways to be worse than that, although he says, "I don't think all three translate to the playoffs, no they don't, except for the family laughter, like five years, all the tickets for each team, one for each chair for appointments. Back to the Rockets, yeah, um, whatever, yeah, iron Scott has been a I mean, he might be in for a rude awakening when I mean Kobe, I think he's decided it's okay to shoot threes.

I think that happened in his last exhibition game. he was like, you know what I've had an office like shooting pointers, but I don't know, I don't understand, I can't tell if it's if it's CP being serious or if it's just like oh no, he's being serious, how? that's like saying I don't believe I don't believe in but it's all that shit it's a generational thing of the soul it's like people say I don't understand this you don't and no one goes to watch television and the Internet he's not that old, he watches television and televisions like that, although he is now over 50 years old, okay, I can understand all this, what a three-point shot, it's absurd to me, he hasn't been watching basketball, so he laughs.

I really like it, what are you doing busy Miller? you get an extra point when it comes in you that's what line three means right where that around me and then and then and then he says let's focus on what's the big problem we have Let's get the game on average distance and we are going to do a lot in defense, it is all that is a foul or not. I understand that you have a difficult basket, it will be one of the worst defenses. The teams never met there did not use much range, they are going to resign 17:38 one that will be Nick Young will return, okay, well, Mike Allen, I will shoot him back, so there will be a shooter, a guy, he is not allowed to shoot threes, It's going to take two longs, it's not like you're going to go to the basket for long, I don't think it belongs on the Lakers, they're just a performance, our project right now, between that and like everything, Kobe. he says he's like a Kobe cartoon character like this now for all the f-bombs they dropped on Julius Randle the other day.

He likes Kobe to act like every other guy you forgot to mention. All the teammates loved playing with Kobe Bryant. a seasoned chicken also listen, man, I can't just I can't remove it, even shovel, left, how he still likes little friends, it became like a Stockholm syndrome, yeah, Paulo never said how I never said you had to work very hard to making your friend not like you really, really, almost funny, reading previous quotes about how he was drawn to Chicago because of the culture and was excited to have a new experience and I'm thinking, well, I guess Oklahoma City was never there really into this, so I know if I was. looking for this big worldly big city experience it was going to be the Knicks or Chicago, the way he was talking, but Oklahoma City really thought they were going to get offered more money, maybe they would have, I mean, they're competing. with the mid-level tax exception versus the actual mid-level exception i.e. almost double this is Chicago's real chance to win a title this year because they have Cleveland who will figure things out yeah they won't be this year, but We're going to figure things out and Chicago has the pieces that they have healthy, you know, I think, but I mean, they are healthy players other than Derrick Rose, like all of us have, but then, if Derrick Rose can somehow way, it's just going to be tough, but if you can somehow get back to maybe 80% of what you were before you got injured, they have a great coach, he sure took 80%, yeah, he looks like he's alive right now , last night it was. trying to make it look really good last night my name is being protected by Kyrie and Philly Chicago has Chicago has everyone they signed in the offseason Meritage Gasol McDermott is headed like they have a ton of great options at second and third at second or third option really good they just need a guy to break the defense the idea to think about oh we have to go well so you can see his alibi Twitter on his alibi okay, that's your Toyota Corolla Bob Rallo Bob, that's Bob vulgaris, you know , thanks for joining us it was a pleasure so see you Thursday night ESPN 7:00 p.m.

Grantland basketball, don't think we're not dragging you into that, by the way, I'd love for you to make it. I'm not sure I could be like you, Jimmy the Greek, could you, oh my god, oh wow - Larry - the racial missteps, yeah I can see them, you step away from the chains like before, I used to use cool tones, that would be awesome okay thanks well you see every podcast we publish on YouTube comes with its fancy graphic listing all the topics your favorite Grantland podcast is talking about, if you click on the topic you can skip it andchoose your own podcast adventure.

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