Colin’s joined by Jason Timpf, host of “Hoops Tonight” to break down game 5 of the NBA Finals plus some of the top stories from around the league!
They begin with the Thunder taking a 3-2 lead over the Pacers, powered by SGA and Jalen Williams 71 combined points and tip their cap to Williams for the years of work he’s put in to reach his high level of play (3:30). They also highlight Chet Holmgren and the OKC defense as one of the biggest factors in the win (9:00) and discuss why they feel the eastern conference will be wide open going forward (14:15).
They react to the massive haul paid by the Magic in the Desmond Bane trade but also point out why he’s the perfect piece for Orlando to add (25:30). They discuss the tumult surrounding the Grizzlies, what to make of Ja Morant’s future as his trajectory is pointing down (29:00), and why Morant is a cautionary tale (34:00).
Finally, they react to the reports that Kevin Durant prefers the Spurs as a trade destination, debate whether it’d be the best fit out of his potential suitors (44:00) and comment on the positive trends in the league (53:00).
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
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Speaker 3 (01:08):
All right, well, good too, Tonight You're at the volume.
Have you Monday, everybody. Hope all of you guys are
having a great start to your week.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Well.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
The pivotal game of the NBA Finals tonight, series tied
at two back in Oklahoma City and the thunder behind
seventy one combined points from Shay, Gilgess, Alexander and Jalen
Williams take a three to two lead in the series.
Colin Coward is joining us again. Colin, you and I
talked last after Game three, I believe about the rosters,
(01:34):
and we talked about how down the roster Indiana's pretty
close in terms of depth of talent, but at the
top end on Oklahoma City can be tough to contend with.
And I thought both JDub and Shay were brilliant tonight.
What were your thoughts on game five?
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Jalen Williams is such an interesting player. So he goes
to a small college, Santa Clara, and you know is
a slow developing player and the last part of his
game to mature was scoring. You know, he was long,
He worked really hard. I think both of his parents
were in the military. You know, classic like hard working
(02:10):
no bs. You know, you can see his game. You
can see the work he's put into it. Whenever you
see a guy with great touch around the rim. A
lot of guys can hit jumpers. Everybody had, you know,
everybody sits and shoots jumpers all day at practice. But
when I see a guy that's elegant and soft around
the rim, like that's work, that is years of working
(02:31):
in the gym, often by yourself, and you know, so
here's the guy small college developed, slowly comes into the NBA.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
And you and I have talked about this.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
I always thought, because Chuck Holmgrin was he's a really
good defender. First half the night he was incredible. And
I always thought, because his body type is so unique,
can you pay homegren SJ and Jalen Williams And I
always thought they just keep Homegrin But his offense is so.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
All over the map.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
And Jalen Williams is just such a natural easy score
that you just feel like if I said for the
rest of his career, he averaged twenty seven and like,
not all of them are memorable.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
It's just he just.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Fills the box like it's jumpers, it's touch. It's just
he's just such a natural easy score.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
I don't even know if he has a go to
move almost every guy.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Like if I said close your eyes Jason twenty seven
points a game, if I said Durant or staff and
I give you players, you can kind of see the
the archetype of their offense. Like you could say, Okay,
that's his move. That Halliburton's three with Jalen Williams. It's
just all over the place, threes driving transition. I just
(03:52):
there's not a lot of guys in the league like him.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Yeah, his power, I think is his signature. And I've
actually found this really fascinating because if you dig back
through NBA history recently, we're on like a decade plus
nowhere where power dominates in the NBA finals unless your
name is Steph Curry. Like you go back and it's like,
in twenty twenty four, you know, Luca, Luca is the
best player in the playoffs. He brings a ton of
(04:17):
power to the position. Twenty twenty three, it's Jokic obviously,
Stephan twenty twenty two, But in twenty one, it's Yannis power.
Twenty twenty it's Lebron power, twenty nineteen it's Kawhi power.
You go back again more, Steph Curry but then it's Lebron,
it's dunkin in Kawhi. There's a reason why power thrives
in this setting, and it's because it gets super physical.
I mean, it's you know, it's really fascinating to me.
(04:39):
I've talked about this concept with you before, but to me,
ball pressure in physicality on the perimeter in the NBA
is similar to me like a pass rush in the NFL.
And we see this so often in the NFL playoffs,
where a pass rush gets hot and nobody can protect
the quarterback and plays all breakdown within the first second
and a half after the snap, and it changes the
entire dynamic of a game. And that's the t you
(05:00):
have to pass with this Oklahoma City Thunder team, with
this Indiana Pacers team with their ball pressure. These two
teams they pick you up full court. They're super physical,
and it's the powerful guys that thrive. I mean, you
don't think it's a coincidence that TJ McConnell was awesome
again tonight because he brings power to the guard position.
And what Jdubb is is he is a big, strong
(05:21):
wing that brings downhill power. And you're right, like I
would argue j Dubb's you know, skill, talent, imposition on
the game is his versatility. He's just really good at everything. Ever,
look at other power players from the wing, like look
at Jlen Brown from the Celtics, nowhere near the passer
(05:41):
that Jadub is and the processor that Jaydub is. JDub
brings this mix of downhill power with shot making from
all three levels, the soft touch around the basket, the
mid range pull ups, the three point shooting, but also
the playmaking to boot and then he's also been a
guy that's been one of the most important defense of
players for the Thunder all season. He is, to me,
(06:03):
the definition of the type of player that's going to
thrive into playoffs for a long time. A big, strong
forward that can do everything. He is the Jimmy Butler
of this era.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Yeah, and he's one of those guy. Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
I was thinking about his comp tonight, and he's got
Jimmy Butler. He feels, you know, he he's only about
six five and a half, like he plays bigger than
his size, and I think that's his length and his touch.
But I really thought the story of the game wasn't SGA.
I thought the story of the game was Holmgren's defense.
(06:36):
First half around the rim, I mean the Pacers probably
missed eight chippies. And then I thought in the second half,
every time they got close, it was really j Dubb
that hit a shot, and I mean so did SGA.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
But I was like encouraged.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
I thought the fact that Indiana got it down at
two or three, I was like, this is not impossible.
This is not winning this game. You know, without Halliburton
to be pretty competitive in the second half, I think
speaks well to Indiana. I think they'll play really competitive
basketball in game six. You know, I think we've kind
(07:14):
of established defense wins championships. And I thought the last
three minutes of the last game and tonight, early and late,
it's just what we're seeing this defense. Like you say,
they clog you up and suffocate you on the perimeter.
You drive sort of sometimes out of control because you
just they got a body on you, and then you
(07:36):
throw up kind of a wild shot, and it's often
met with resistance at the rim. Even the follow ups
to your misses, even the follow ups are contested. There's
just length and hartenstein and home grin and bodies. So
I think we're seeing and I talked about this the
other day with Jmack on the air. When we have
historically great defenses, great against great offenses, defense usually wins.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
It's just disruptive.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
We've We've seen Patrick Mahomes blown out twice in his career,
both in Super Bowls when he couldn't be protected.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
I feel like.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Indiana's just has just been disrupted, and they without Halliburton
at full strength, they just don't have a flow.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
There's no flow to their offense.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Yeah, I thought Shae was great again tonight. I thought,
you know, it's been interesting. He's had a couple of
higher scoring total games in this series. He had thirty
five in Game four. Didn't think he was particularly great
in that game. Dad, I think he had thirty four
in Game one. I didn't think he was particularly great
in that game. But in this game you could tell
right out the gates he was making that concerted effort
(08:35):
to keep his teammates involved. Colin, they only attempted sixteen
threes in Game four. They had seventeen three point attempts
just in the first half tonight because of the better
floor game that Shaye was playing, keeping everybody involved. But
every time I think about this Thunder team. It is
the defense that I'll remember, Like when people talk to
me about this Thunder team, I will remember them as
(08:56):
a defensive juggernaut and like it's the two layer approach
and you had you described it perfectly. It is the
physical ball pressure that causes you to rush and panic
that is then layered by the rim protection and it
even extends beyond Shell or beyond Shet, like she several
times tonight deflections around the basket because he's got super
long arms down there. You know. Chet to me is
(09:19):
like kind of the secret sauce of this defense though,
because you know Colin. We saw a great example in
the Houston of Golden State series in round one. You
can have really good perimeter defenders, but every team needs
to have big guys on the floor because big guys
are a part of basketball, right, Like he can't just
go out there and play five guards, You'll have all
sorts of issues. And big guys are targets. They are
the point at which every offense tries to get into
(09:41):
your defense by attacking your big guy in pick and roll.
And Chet is just this freakish weapon because he can
do all the big guy stuff in terms of length
around the rim, but he can also switch out onto
the perimeter and guard these guards. And so it's like
the it's like the ace in the hole for this
thunder defense. Like a lot of times you'll fail the
(10:02):
first test, like when Pascal hit that three to make
it ninety five to ninety three. From that point forward,
Indy could barely get the ball across half court without
turning the ball over. So like their guards can do
an insane amount of damage. But it's like even if
you pass that test and you get through the ball
pressure and you move the ball through their defense and
you get something around the rim, it's just arms everywhere
(10:25):
that you're dealing with at the rim and all of
those misses, all of those contested rebounds that they came
down with, Oklahoma City's defense is layered. It's frightening. It
wears you down. I mean like Indy was right there
and they let go of the rope for like ninety
seconds and they're down thirteen points. And I'm with you,
as we had the game six, I think Indiana always
(10:45):
is gonna have a chance at home with the energy
Oklahoma City's young we have discussed on this show, Oklahoma
City on the road is not the same team. But
I thought Indiana's chance to win this series was to
win the home games because I just think Oklahoma City
can leverage their athleticism at home in a way that
Indy just can't match.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah, and again Halliburton's heart, it's not the same team.
It'd be like taking you know, to some degree, Sga out.
So I thought Caruso again tonight, I mean, they forced
twenty three turnovers. The thunder did think about that. INDI
is a team all year that didn't turn the ball over,
like Halliburton doesn't turn the ball over. So you take
Halliburton out a lot tonight and it looks really sloppy,
(11:28):
really fast. Again, They're just they're just a special team,
you know. I think you know, Indiana is a surprise
to be here. And the West is much better than
the East, and so like in the football, the AFC
is much better than the NFC. So the AFC becomes
much more predictable because you have four or five elite
(11:50):
teams Chiefs, Bills, Ravens, And I think the West is
more predictable because you have like Oklahoma City has the
leading scorer and the best defense and Denver has the
best player in the world, and the Warriors have this
Steve kerr At Draymond and Butler and Stephen. You kind
of know what you're getting in the West, oras in
the East, it's like who's healthy and who's hot. So
Indiana just flies through. But I will say, is so
(12:15):
I think the East is wide open, and I think Indiana's.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Pop or now.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
They were in the Eastern Conference finals last year, but
I mean they flew through Milwaukee, flew through Cleveland, controlled.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
New York, and we're.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Two to two with this team. And I think some
of the trade that Memphis and Orlando made was Orlando going, Okay,
the Knicks don't have a coach, Tatum's hurt next year,
why can't we do in Indiana? We got Sugs, we
got Benkaro, we got Wagner. Let's go get a Western
(12:53):
player whoeverage is nineteen, he may average twenty two over here.
And I think I think Orlando Indiana and thought why
not us. I mean, they don't have a guy that
scores over twenty. Man Carroll could be first team All
NBA next year. So I think when I watch Indiana,
I think they're they're they're encouraging. They've got young, ascending players,
(13:17):
they've kind of meshed together in the East, and you're like, Okay,
it was one thing when Boston was winning with a
stacked roster Indiana, Like you didn't I think I said
it during the Boston Orlando series. I'm like, man, they're
about a year away from being really really good. So
I think Indiana is one of those teams that may
not make it back and it may just be lightning
(13:38):
in a bottle. I really like him a lot, but
I think okay See is historically special defensively, and we're
seeing it.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
Yeah, The East to me feels wide open in a
different way where I agree with you. Like the Boston
was like this clear number one out Yeast, but then
you had this like group of three four teams that
you knew were going to be in the mix, you know, Milwaukee,
New York. That was the mix that we knew was
going to be at the top. But now with Boston
kind of dropping out of that group, it does feel
(14:07):
wide open. Like Cleveland is very good, but everyone knows
they're beatable, Like the Bucks will be there if Giannis
is still there, but like we know that they're beatable.
The Knicks. We know that they have their flaws and
their issues. They have a front court that you can
attack defensively, and I think what the Pacers have demonstrated
in a lot of ways is that you can, you know,
OutKick your coverage, so to speak, in terms of the
talent on your roster, when there is a great deal
(14:30):
of one that the coaching that maximizes the talent. But
the second piece is from a general management perspective, like
actual complimentary pieces that fit and accentuate each other. And
that to me is what I look at with the
Desmond Bain trade, because like, your initial reaction when you
see that sort of thing is to go for first
round picks unprotected. Like, my goodness, that's a steep paycheck,
(14:51):
and like I get that on the surface, and ultimately
whether or not that ends up being worthwhile will be
whether or not this team has success, and if they
have success, they make the finals. No one's going to
care about those four first round picks. It's about whether
or not this pays off. Right, Desmond Baine is a
perfectly complementary player. Yes to what those two guys do
(15:12):
is he is one of the best jump shooters in
the NBA among fifty eight players this year to attempt
at least five hundred jumpers, he ranked twelve in efficiency.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
By the way, and the Magic couldn't shoot last year.
That's why they couldn't shoot.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
They couldn't shoot, by the way. You want to know
his number one on that list, Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant
is still the best jump shooter in the NBA. I
thought that was interesting when I was digging into the data.
But he specifically shot sixty percent from the field on
shot attempts coming off of off ball screens. So when
he comes running off of action off the ball, he
(15:45):
knocks it down at an extremely high rate. He shot
fifty two percent on threes specifically coming off of off
ball screens. The Magic could not create space for Palo
in fronts. That was the problem the Desmond Baane in Memphis.
They so desperately needed him to hit shots because he
was their secondary shot creator. It was a little bit
too much for him. But in this setting, next to Franz,
(16:07):
next to Polo, it's more important for him to be
able to create openings for them. His ability to shoot
on the move, shoot it out of screens, shoot off
the dribble. Specifically, in the context of Franz and Paolo,
you're gonna get a it's a force multiplier rather than
a diminishing return, and that really is the key. Like,
when I'm looking at talent, it's like they could have
(16:28):
gone and got Bradley Beal and maybe that's a player
that you think is maybe a higher regarded player in
the league or something like that. Desmond Bain's talent fits
perfectly with those guys in a wide open conference, and
that's a huge, big, strong team that should be able
to cause a lot of damage with their physicality. And
(16:49):
the last thing I'll say about it, Colin, Desmond's not
the best defender in the world, but he's pretty solid.
Jalen Suggs is the best guard defender in the world,
and so he will never have to guard the best
scarred on the other team. He's going to be in
favorable matchups, He's going to be surrounded by physicality. His
skill set perfectly matches what Franz and Paolo do. I
(17:10):
think it was a type of swing that could legitimately
put them in the finals. And Colin, you're the one
who's always preaching this on your show. Yes, it was expensive,
so was Kawhi for the rafts in twenty nineteen. That's
at a certain point you got to push your chips
in the middle if you want to try to win.
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Speaker 1 (18:48):
I think Orlando looks at it and thinks, listen the
banes like twenty five or twenty six years old. It's
like Oklahoma City, you don't have this aged star, you
don't have this one gigantic paycheck. It's like everybody's pulling
in the same direction. Like did they bring in Hartenstein.
He's a starter, but like kind of a role player,
but great energy, and everybody welcomes him. In like everybody
(19:10):
that like Bain. I was watching the videos today when
that when he got to Orlando, the guys were.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Like, it's just like he's one of the guys.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
He's a young guy who, by the way, because he
was in Memphis behind Jahn Morant, probably didn't get appreciated
a lot or a lot of attention. And Bain was
the more mature player, the more consistent player, the more
available player, and the better shooter. But John Morant's great
for highlights, so Bain gets overlooked, but not by smart GM.
So Bain's probably like, Okay, now I get into a
(19:38):
more you know this is I mean Sugs a Gonzaga guy,
Benko a Duke guy.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Vogner's a Michigan guy. Like there, these are grown ups.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
They're ready to play. And I thought, I think we
talked about this in the Boston series. It was like
two or three times you and I were like, what
the hell is this series so competitive? Like like Orlando
can't shoot, Boston takes the mot this should we should
have some blowouts.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
And we didn't.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
The games were really competitive. We felt that way about
the Knicks and the Pistons too. It's like what Scott
Cade Cunningham's really graduated to another class And so I
liked it, and I also just aggressive wins. Go get
Katie and Golden State, the Lakers, you know, trade for gasol,
trade for shock, take big swings. Absolutely poor Zingis and
(20:24):
Drew Holliday Boston, Like, you have to take swings in
this league because you're not gonna be able to bank
these stars. You're not gonna have the Heatls, You're not
gonna have Katie to the Warriors. So what you're gonna
do is, can you get a group of really good
B plus A minus guys that all fit and Orlando fits,
Baine literally fits perfectly with a team. Yeah, it'd be
(20:48):
better if it was two first not four, but those
are gonna be low first round picks anyway, So I
can live with it.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
And there's like this, the splitting the difference two timelines
approach comes with its own shortcoming, Like obviously Golden State
was very fortunate on the strength of Steph to win
in twenty twenty two, but they've been paying the price
for not cashing in on some of their assets over
the course of the last few years. I feel like
Dallas is kind of staring down the barrel of a
similar type of situation, Like you got to capitalize on
(21:16):
the value that ad tris to the table if you
want to have sustained success around Cooper Flag And like,
I just look at it as I look at it
as just an aggressive move that fits perfectly. Desmond Bain
has grown a lot too as a passer coming off
of screening actions, and I look at that as something
like a simple dynamic in the NBA that can cause
all sorts of problems is if you can run a
(21:37):
two man game where they don't want to switch. And
the problem is is when Franz and Paalo are together,
they get guarded by similar players, big strong forwards, and
with Jalen Suggs, he never shot the ball well enough
for teams to really account for him in those actions.
If you, as Desmond Bain, as one of the best
shooters in the league, come flying off of a screen
with Paolo, you have no choice but to either switch
(22:01):
or to show, in which case Powlo will get better matchups,
He'll get more smalls to attack, he'll get more openings
to attack. I think it's just a really, really smart fit.
John Moran on the other hand gonna be twenty six
years old at the start of next season. I like,
I want to hear your take on the John Moran
Memphis situation.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Okay, so I feel vindicated, So I have been.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
This has been one of my strongest NBA takes forever,
which is, if you're under six' four in this league
and have the ball in your hands a, lot if
you cannot Shoot John, wall you, Know, Westbrook Derek, Rose John,
morant you're going to have to drive to the basket
against bigger players and you're going to get hurt more.
(22:44):
Often if You're Steve nash Or Steph currian can, shoot
it can prolong your. Career you can do at you,
know you don't have to. Drive you get a lot
of no contact. Looks and my take On John morant, was,
YES i saw it was. SAID i thought he was
a poor Man's Dereck. Rose he's about fifty pounds less
Than Derek. Rose and you, KNOW i understand.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
THE nba, media he's a highlight.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
Player forget the maturity for a, second which Is i'm
never too hard on guys about. Maturity i'm much tougher
on football players because they're twenty three and twenty four years.
Old you bring twenty two year, old you bring eighteen
nineteen year old guys into THE, Nba, okay they're gonna screw,
up like the first couple of. Years just just build
in a really bad. Decision now With, jaw it was
(23:27):
worse than. That but for, me it wasn't the maturity
stuff because he's a. Kid it Was, okay he's wildly
he's wildly. Entertaining he's an incredible highlight, player but he's
not an effective. Shooter and by the, way the last
several years it's gotten worse and he's hurt more.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
So he has aged very.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Quickly So i've never been a fan of hyper athletic
guards that aren't particularly good. Shooters, Now westbrook was so
athletic that he could be a poor. Shooter and you,
know he's bouncing around the league, now but he there's
just not a lot Of westbrook's. Historically And westbrook mostly is.
Healthy he's a sturdy he has a running. Back jaw's
(24:07):
NOT i, mean what's job one, eighty you, know one seventy,
Eight so he's. Spindily SO i just it's not THAT
i wasn't a. Fan he was a spectacular. Talent BUT
i think everybody in the league Thought zion And jaw
were going to take it, over and it's gonna be
a it's gonna be Bang caro AND sga and these.
PLAYERS i, mean it's just it's just interesting how much
(24:29):
maturity and hard work, matters you, KNOW.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
JDW, sga Home.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
GRIN i, mean it's just like really, focused, driven aspirational.
Players AND i think it was just too much too
soon form and he got banged. Up AND i Think,
memphis by the, trade is telling you we're going to start.
Over we're going to start and it's the right. Move
they can't. Compete we knew it this. Year it's the
right move By. MEMPHIS i actually like What memphis. Did
(24:57):
it's just they won't be very good for a couple of. Years.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Yeah you, know we were talking about power, earlier and
the one example of a guy who succeeded despite a
lack of power Is. Steph And steph is both a
great shooter and someone who has been consistently available to his.
Team he's been. Healthy, yeah. Yeah and the tricky thing
with Like john's going to be twenty six years old
(25:22):
at the start of next season and he's just straight
up not as good as he was three years. Ago,
like he's just not as good as at, basketball and
like this is the. Age twenty six to twenty seven
is typically the age when players, Peak Like tatum best
season of his career right at this, age this is
the age when everyone seems to kind of figure it.
Out it's where it's kind of where like the meeting
(25:44):
point of the mental part of the game and the
physical part of the. Game and from this point, forward
it's kind of like a trade. Off you get a little,
smarter a little more, skilled but you get a little less.
Athletic this is the, peak right and, instead like his
scoring volume Has like in twenty twenty, two takes his
team to within two wins of the conference, finals he's
going head to head With steph talking shit to him
having such a great breakout playoff. Run and ever since,
(26:06):
then his scoring volume has dropped every season since that,
year his efficiency has gone. Down he just posted his
two lowest games played totals of his career in the
last two. Seasons he's played fewer games in the last
two years than he did three years ago. Combined like
it's been a downward, trajectory and so if You're memphis
and you're looking at, it you just got four unprotected
(26:29):
first round picks From. Orlando there still is some, young
exciting talent on the, roster some guys Like Gigi jackson
that are, Interesting Zach edy that's. Interesting they have guys
in house that they can continue to develop and be,
fun but they can bring in a massive trove of
draft picks by Trading Moranton bain and just doing a full.
Pivot not to Mention Jaron, jackson WHO i think carries
(26:51):
a great deal of value somewhere around the. League and
SO i look at it as like a basically it's
a turning point For John. Rant you either got to
commit to him or you've got to get off the,
ship and the trade is a clear sign that they're
going to get off the. Ship not to mention like
they might look to TRADE. KCP i wouldn't be surprised
IF kcp gets moved to a contender at some point
in the next. SEASON i think it's Just memphis looking
(27:12):
at their situation and going, like we're sick of being
in this.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Business it's So.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Jaw is such a cautionary tale when you look at
at big stars that explode and then and then fall
off and don't eventually rise to the. Level it's always
kind of a maturity. Thing it's almost always that like
you just couldn't handle a, spot like Like zion couldn't
handle his. Weight wasn't it terribly focused. Player ZION i
thought was a tremendously just massive. Torque there's just nothing like.
(27:42):
HIM i Thought jaw was. Spectacular BUT i think it's
it's one of the REASONS i like nil. As kids
are going to stay in college and they're going to
be surrounded by non basketball, players and they're going to
be coached, hard and they'll go to class and it's
like a it's a it's a big broad life beyond
basketball and A g. League SO i, think And i've
(28:04):
talked about this multiple, TIMES i Think nil's were gonna
help THE nba and college basketball and you're gonna get more.
Guys The auburn player WHO J mack, Loves auburn's got
a guard that's. Explosive he's coming back To. Auburn he
could play in THE. Nba he'll make him a BETTER
nba player and a great college. Player so and some
of These european guys now are coming over to college.
(28:25):
Basketball SO i think the coaching in college basketball has
always been, excellent sometimes almost too, dogmatic, right like it's
just so coach. Oriented BUT i look At jaw AND
i think the story Of jaw is a little too,
much too, soon and just wasn't quite ready for the.
STAGE i, mean there was a moment in time where you,
(28:47):
thought for about a year maybe, two you're, Like, oh
he's gonna be the face of the. LEAGUE i mean
that was about three years, ago and then it all just,
unraveled AND i don't think we need to face the.
LEAGUE i thought he for a while looked like. It
he just wasn't ready for. It it's a lot to
(29:09):
ask and he wasn't ready for.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
It, yeah you know what happens in this. League it's
success is so short lived because people are coming for.
You you, know Like jannis looks like he climbs the
mountaintop in twenty twenty, one looks like he's gonna launch
this New, nope here Comes jokich and he's the. Problem
it's Like jah looks like he's about to climb the
mountaintop in twenty twenty. Two shay And ant have both
lacked him since they've kind of reached their collective. Ceilings and,
(29:34):
LIKE i, think you, KNOW i do believe In John.
MORANT i. Do he has a supreme athletic trait in
the ability to get. Downhill he actually is an underrated
shot maker close to the rim in terms of like
his floater and like little short. STUFF i do think
there's somebody that should probably consider taking a bet on
(29:54):
him or a chance on. Him AS i look. Around you,
know we're gonna talk ABOUT kd here in a second
AND kd as we're gonna talk about it in more
detailer in a. Second but the athletic is reported That
katie is preferring The, spurs which we'll get to in a.
Minute but Like, houston If houston can't GET, kd, like
would they consider a guy Like John? Morant is there
(30:15):
a team out there that has the that's in a
tough position that can afford to take that kind of,
risk maybe A sacramento a team that's been kind of
stuck in, Mediocrity, like is there a team out there
that is willing to take a risk on a guy like?
Him BECAUSE i do think the upside is their calling,
Like i've seen a lot of stuff over the last
couple of days ranking him at various points in the,
(30:37):
league AND i do think when he's, healthy he's still
like a right around the fourteenth or fifteenth best player
in THE nba because no one can keep him in.
Front he is an extremely talented. Player that's the frustrating
part is that it hasn't come. Together BUT i do
think that there's some somebody out there that's going to
take a chance on. Him but, ultimately whether or not
it works out is going to be whether or Not
(30:58):
jaw actually makes the changes that he needs. To like
you got to, improve like, you you have to develop
as a jump shooter to take it easier on your.
Legs if he develops as a jump, shooter it will
make his downhill drives more dynamic and less, frequent which
will help him stay healthier and available to his. Team
there is a real upside, there he just hasn't been
able to capitalize on.
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(32:01):
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Speaker 3 (32:03):
Podcast, colin what are your thoughts on the report That
Kevin durant prefers The. SPURS i was not a huge
fan of this. Fit we were talking last week about
How wemby being very, THIN kd being very, thin even
Deeron fox is he's a super fast, guard but he's
not a power. Player not a lot of power on that. Roster,
colin what are your thoughts ON kd potentially going to The? Spurs,
(32:24):
WELL i.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
Mean to, Me Wembin yama And Stefan castle are the. Team,
like that's nothing against De aaron And, vassal BUT i
think those two guys are all, stars one of them
ALL nba so AND i think they're just getting better.
FAST i Think i'm always cautious to Say Kevin durant
(32:48):
doesn't fit. ANYWHERE i think he fits. Everywhere like my
Wife olasa, says like salt works with, Everything like like
like my son was a, chef my step, Son it's, like, Yeah,
Bacon grease And butter work with.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Everything That's Kevin.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
Durant like you can just find a spot for a
guy who's the best jump shooter at any given juncture
in the. League so AND i also Think kevin it
just kind of figures it.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
Out you.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
KNOW i don't always like his decision making on, teams
but even In, brooklyn he was the one THING i
liked about. It he was the one THING i mean In,
arizona In, phoenix it Was Bradley beale that drove us.
Nuts Kevin durant was giving me twenty six and twenty.
Seven i'm not disappointed with. Him i've been disappointed with you,
(33:41):
know his like team, selection BUT i just kind of
feel like he's water like he just he just kind
of floats and finds his. Level AND i think he'll fit.
Anywhere AND i also think you've got really smart Between
Chris paul and De Aaron, fox you have good guiters
(34:01):
on that team like really smart, guys and.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
You can be a.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
Really flawed team if you're. Intelligent we've talked about The
Miami heat like one of the smartest teams in league.
History it's Like, Alan, Lebron, Wade, Bosh battie A, Haslam
it's like she's high. Functioning they didn't have a. Center
chalmers drove everybody. Crazy wade And lebron kind of had duplicate,
games and you're, like, yeah they got the four straight,
(34:29):
finals like they just figured shit out. Right AND i
kind of feel like if you Put wemby and and
And It's fox and it's you'd have to move. OFF
i Think Harrison barnes we talked about, BEFORE i think
it was the BUT i, MEAN i just Think katie would.
WORK i think it would just. WORK i think. IT
i Think houston needs him. More BUT i MEAN i
(34:52):
think he looks At houston and, thinks all, right like Like, Sangoon,
YEAH i Mean, mpson is he a great offensive, player
yet he's more of an athlete defensive.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
PLAYER i don't.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
KNOW i THINK kd smart and looks at it and just, thinks,
MAN i could have bad shooting nights and we could
score one twenty eight In San, Antonio, LIKE i think
that's how he looks at.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
It Maybe i'm, wrong you, KNOW.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
I want to be. Clear just BECAUSE i say it's
not my favorite fit doesn't mean it can't. Work Like
i'm a big believer in don't overthink things like don't
Overthink Kevin durant next To Victor weinbinyama And Darren, Fox
like they're gonna score a lot of points and they're
gonna be able, to uh to get a certain number of.
Stops THERE'S i there is you were just talking about
(35:41):
With Desmond. Bain there's a reason Why Desmond baine's shooting
is so incredibly valuable in The orlando context on a
team that not only doesn't have a guy who can
make jump, shots but doesn't have a guy who can
make jump shots off the. Move so it's uniquely super
valuable to that. Team kd anchored by the physicality Of.
HUGHES i like the kind of like force multiplier effect
(36:03):
he could have. There that, said even in the context
Of San, antonio he's obviously a massive. Upgrade he's obviously
going to make them way. Better there's even like some
interesting stuff you could look at in the big, PICTURE
kd is like probably the best shooting workout guy in
the league to Pair Victor Webbin yama. With he's legendary
(36:24):
for the quality of his shooting, workouts him going game,
speed him working on shots that are specifically available IN
nba games off of certain. Actions kat is like a
legend in his workouts off the. Floor wemby's going to
be doing all those workouts with, him you know he,
is and it would lead to a certain development in
terms Of wemby's big picture. Health but it looks to
(36:46):
me more like less of a immediate contender juggernaut and
more of like kind of a fun place For katie
to end his career where he can go hand in
hand In. Wemby you, Know.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
That's WHAT i. THINK i think kat looks at it
and thinks this would be. Fun is that it wouldn't
BE i wouldn't have to drop twenty eight, points would come.
Easy AND i Think katie looks at it and, thinks,
okay Dearon. Fox you Know wemby the structure of the.
Organization they draft smart. Players they don't draft a lot of,
ego they don't draft a lot of. DUMMIES i Think
(37:19):
katie looks at himself and, Thinks, Okay houston's got. This
there's a lot of stuff In houston That i'm not
sure it's ever going to be. Great in the, playoffs
it's a lot of hyper athleticism and length and running
AND i AND i and that's.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
Fun BUT i THINK i don't think at this point
he wants to be a, mentor right LIKE i think
he wants to.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
GO i Think i'll have some fun and play with
really smart, players highly functional, players and all put the
pressure on me to figure out WHERE i, fit you,
know like they don't need.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
HIM i Think houston needs. HIM i think The knicks
could really use.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Him SO i, think you, KNOW i think FOR, kd
it IS i think you're it's. Perfect that would be.
Speaker 2 (38:00):
Fun it would be fun for, him AND i think
it would be fun for.
Speaker 3 (38:03):
Us it falls in line with the same ideology that
led him To Golden. State you, Know, like to your,
POINT kd could win a title In, houston but it
would be a chore and offense would come very. Difficult
he'd be facing crazy Looks, now the flip side of
that is he wouldn't have to be the same statistical
(38:25):
monster In houston that he would be in other situations
Because houston's defense is so good that he would just
need to basically lift them over the top on the
offensive end of the. Floor but there is something to
be said about basketball is more fun when the ball's
moving around and you're playing with more offensive skill and
when you LIKE. Kd if there's one weakness at this
point in his, career he doesn't pressure the rim a
(38:45):
ton well Dearon fox sure as hell does so like
he's going to get to play off of those advantages
and play off the ball like there is A kd
has told us to our faces exactly who he is for.
Years he loves basketball and he wants to play a
fun brand of. Basketball that's. Right and so even if
we look on it added on paper and, go Oh, houston, big,
(39:06):
strong physical, team they could anchor him with. Defense Emy
udoka is not the best offensive coach in the. World
that team doesn't have a lot offensive. Talent it would
be a lot Like Oklahoma city in twenty. Sixteen And
i'm thinking he looks at that and, Goes i'd rather play,
fun free flowing basketball with some more talented offensive. Players
and so with that being the. CASE i, Mean San
antonio is going to be a really interesting. Team if
(39:27):
they pulled something like this off all of a, sudden
a guy Like Jeremy sohan becomes super important because he'd
have to be such a defensive anchor for them in
terms of size and. Strength Stefan cassel obviously defensively as a,
guard would have to do a lot of that. Work,
Again i'm not sure THAT i would view That spurs
team as exceptionally, Dangerous but what a fun way For
(39:48):
wemby to start his career and what a fun way
For katie to end his.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
Career, WELL i.
Speaker 1 (39:52):
Think Also katie looks At lebron and Thinks lebron's always
figured it out Is lebron doesn't want to do a
lot of the dirty. Work like if he went To,
Houston katie'd have to do some of the dirty. Work
he'd be, like he'd be Like steph And Golden, state
where it's, like, Oh steph plays, poorly that's the narrative
when they. Lose it's Not Jimmy butler And steph In.
(40:12):
Houston very quickly he would be because Because Jalen green's
a hot and cold, shooter and very quickly If houston,
loses it's, like, Well, katie you, know an off shooting, night.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
We traded for. Him he was supposed to save us from.
Speaker 1 (40:25):
This that's, right and it's just not the case In San.
Antonio he'll be Part AND i do think as players get,
older they're.
Speaker 2 (40:32):
Looking for, fit and you know it's And i'm okay with.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
THAT i think As i've, Aged i've always liked. Fit
it's just fun to be part of a, group a
mix of young and. Old but you don't want to
be a, mentor LIKE i.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
Just don't Think.
Speaker 1 (40:48):
Katie at this, POINT i think fun is a really
interesting word Because kyrie is fun to play. With that's
why he went there And Golden state no longer because of.
Relationships wasn't he wasn't having a good. Time he was,
Winning and so, Yeah i'm okay with.
Speaker 2 (41:06):
It he's had an all time.
Speaker 1 (41:09):
Career he's a different. Cat but you, Know i've come
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(41:29):
a legend in a bottle. TODAY i really do, think,
though what you're seeing right now in THE, NBA i
really like AND i know we don't have a super,
team but it's becoming like THE. Nfl it's a VERY
gm driven. League like the smart gms are going to.
WIN a lot of them are in The west and
(41:50):
they have been for thirty. Years that's why The west
is overwhelmingly top to, bottom always deeper than The.
Speaker 2 (41:56):
East you just have more good owners and more good.
Speaker 1 (41:58):
Gms and the other thing, IS i think what we've
really seen this there's a lot of maturity in the
league right. Now Like indiana And Oklahoma. CITY i, mean
these are grinding. OUTFITS i MEAN i Think indiana plays
pretty good. DEFENSE i mean, again juxtaposition With oka se
jecktposed to, that, well it doesn't look the. Same but
(42:20):
there was there was a in the second quarter in this.
GAME i was, Like, God india has given them. Problems
SO i JUST i think the league right now it
went through a cycle where it felt kind of you
had old stars and two young guys.
Speaker 2 (42:34):
Like you, know and you had these jaws and These.
Zions it's like they're just not.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
READY i just feel like we've got this group Of
halliburton AND sga And Jalen williams and and it's just
like really Good, tatum really good young, players totally dedicated
to the, league and fewer and fewer old guys are.
Relevant AND i think IT'S i Don't it may not get,
(42:58):
ratings BUT I I'M i really like okay see In,
Indiana LIKE i really respect top to bottom both.
Speaker 3 (43:07):
Organizations the point about maturity is is a good one
because these two teams are relatively, young and young teams
young YOUNG nba teams famously don't play defense because young
guys in, general it takes time for them to learn
how to prioritize how they spend their. Energy but, YEAH
i you, Know I'm I'm i'm generally pretty happy with
the trajectory of THE. Nba every era in THE nba
(43:29):
has some stars that are a little bit more, boring you, know,
like for, instance to Meet Shake shae's like the guard
version Of Tim. Duncan he's not the most exciting player
in the world for me to, watch but he's incredibly
dominant at his. Position but we do have musty, Television
LIKE i Think wemby is mussy. TELEVISION i Think Anthony
edwards is musty. Television there are certain guys in this
(43:49):
league that bring the, pop and so we just need
to take some time over the next couple of years
for the public to kind of ingratiate themselves with these.
Guys And i'm still a big believer in THE. Nba
there's stuff they need to clean, up there's certain things
that can get. Better it's not. PERFECT i wish they'd
shortened the season a little, bit but like this has
been a fun playoff, Front. Colin i've really really enjoyed,
it and The pacers have like reinvigorated my love of
(44:11):
basketball in a real way just because of the just
a super super fun brand of basketball that they've. Play
i've really really enjoyed. It But, colin we really appreciate
you giving us your time. Tonight, man you bet for
all of you guys that are hanging out on the YouTube,
tream we are headed over to play back when we're,
Done so playback dot tv Slash hoops. Tonight we'll take
some callers and watch some. Film. Colin it was good
to see, you, buddy and we'll see you next, time all,
(44:32):
Right jason
Speaker 1 (44:35):
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Speaker 3 (01:08):
All right, well, good too, Tonight You're at the volume.
Have you Monday, everybody. Hope all of you guys are
having a great start to your week.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Well.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
The pivotal game of the NBA Finals tonight, series tied
at two back in Oklahoma City and the thunder behind
seventy one combined points from Shay, Gilgess, Alexander and Jalen
Williams take a three to two lead in the series.
Colin Coward is joining us again. Colin, you and I
talked last after Game three, I believe about the rosters,
(01:34):
and we talked about how down the roster Indiana's pretty
close in terms of depth of talent, but at the
top end on Oklahoma City can be tough to contend with.
And I thought both JDub and Shay were brilliant tonight.
What were your thoughts on game five?
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Jalen Williams is such an interesting player. So he goes
to a small college, Santa Clara, and you know is
a slow developing player and the last part of his
game to mature was scoring. You know, he was long,
He worked really hard. I think both of his parents
were in the military. You know, classic like hard working
(02:10):
no bs. You know, you can see his game. You
can see the work he's put into it. Whenever you
see a guy with great touch around the rim. A
lot of guys can hit jumpers. Everybody had, you know,
everybody sits and shoots jumpers all day at practice. But
when I see a guy that's elegant and soft around
the rim, like that's work, that is years of working
(02:31):
in the gym, often by yourself, and you know, so
here's the guy small college developed, slowly comes into the NBA.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
And you and I have talked about this.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
I always thought, because Chuck Holmgrin was he's a really
good defender. First half the night he was incredible. And
I always thought, because his body type is so unique,
can you pay homegren SJ and Jalen Williams And I
always thought they just keep Homegrin But his offense is so.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
All over the map.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
And Jalen Williams is just such a natural easy score
that you just feel like if I said for the
rest of his career, he averaged twenty seven and like,
not all of them are memorable.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
It's just he just.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Fills the box like it's jumpers, it's touch. It's just
he's just such a natural easy score.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
I don't even know if he has a go to
move almost every guy.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Like if I said close your eyes Jason twenty seven
points a game, if I said Durant or staff and
I give you players, you can kind of see the
the archetype of their offense. Like you could say, Okay,
that's his move. That Halliburton's three with Jalen Williams. It's
just all over the place, threes driving transition. I just
(03:52):
there's not a lot of guys in the league like him.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Yeah, his power, I think is his signature. And I've
actually found this really fascinating because if you dig back
through NBA history recently, we're on like a decade plus
nowhere where power dominates in the NBA finals unless your
name is Steph Curry. Like you go back and it's like,
in twenty twenty four, you know, Luca, Luca is the
best player in the playoffs. He brings a ton of
(04:17):
power to the position. Twenty twenty three, it's Jokic obviously,
Stephan twenty twenty two, But in twenty one, it's Yannis power.
Twenty twenty it's Lebron power, twenty nineteen it's Kawhi power.
You go back again more, Steph Curry but then it's Lebron,
it's dunkin in Kawhi. There's a reason why power thrives
in this setting, and it's because it gets super physical.
I mean, it's you know, it's really fascinating to me.
(04:39):
I've talked about this concept with you before, but to me,
ball pressure in physicality on the perimeter in the NBA
is similar to me like a pass rush in the NFL.
And we see this so often in the NFL playoffs,
where a pass rush gets hot and nobody can protect
the quarterback and plays all breakdown within the first second
and a half after the snap, and it changes the
entire dynamic of a game. And that's the t you
(05:00):
have to pass with this Oklahoma City Thunder team, with
this Indiana Pacers team with their ball pressure. These two
teams they pick you up full court. They're super physical,
and it's the powerful guys that thrive. I mean, you
don't think it's a coincidence that TJ McConnell was awesome
again tonight because he brings power to the guard position.
And what Jdubb is is he is a big, strong
(05:21):
wing that brings downhill power. And you're right, like I
would argue j Dubb's you know, skill, talent, imposition on
the game is his versatility. He's just really good at everything. Ever,
look at other power players from the wing, like look
at Jlen Brown from the Celtics, nowhere near the passer
(05:41):
that Jadub is and the processor that Jaydub is. JDub
brings this mix of downhill power with shot making from
all three levels, the soft touch around the basket, the
mid range pull ups, the three point shooting, but also
the playmaking to boot and then he's also been a
guy that's been one of the most important defense of
players for the Thunder all season. He is, to me,
(06:03):
the definition of the type of player that's going to
thrive into playoffs for a long time. A big, strong
forward that can do everything. He is the Jimmy Butler
of this era.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Yeah, and he's one of those guy. Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
I was thinking about his comp tonight, and he's got
Jimmy Butler. He feels, you know, he he's only about
six five and a half, like he plays bigger than
his size, and I think that's his length and his touch.
But I really thought the story of the game wasn't SGA.
I thought the story of the game was Holmgren's defense.
(06:36):
First half around the rim, I mean the Pacers probably
missed eight chippies. And then I thought in the second half,
every time they got close, it was really j Dubb
that hit a shot, and I mean so did SGA.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
But I was like encouraged.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
I thought the fact that Indiana got it down at
two or three, I was like, this is not impossible.
This is not winning this game. You know, without Halliburton
to be pretty competitive in the second half, I think
speaks well to Indiana. I think they'll play really competitive
basketball in game six. You know, I think we've kind
(07:14):
of established defense wins championships. And I thought the last
three minutes of the last game and tonight, early and late,
it's just what we're seeing this defense. Like you say,
they clog you up and suffocate you on the perimeter.
You drive sort of sometimes out of control because you
just they got a body on you, and then you
(07:36):
throw up kind of a wild shot, and it's often
met with resistance at the rim. Even the follow ups
to your misses, even the follow ups are contested. There's
just length and hartenstein and home grin and bodies. So
I think we're seeing and I talked about this the
other day with Jmack on the air. When we have
historically great defenses, great against great offenses, defense usually wins.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
It's just disruptive.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
We've We've seen Patrick Mahomes blown out twice in his career,
both in Super Bowls when he couldn't be protected.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
I feel like.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
Indiana's just has just been disrupted, and they without Halliburton
at full strength, they just don't have a flow.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
There's no flow to their offense.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
Yeah, I thought Shae was great again tonight. I thought,
you know, it's been interesting. He's had a couple of
higher scoring total games in this series. He had thirty
five in Game four. Didn't think he was particularly great
in that game. Dad, I think he had thirty four
in Game one. I didn't think he was particularly great
in that game. But in this game you could tell
right out the gates he was making that concerted effort
(08:35):
to keep his teammates involved. Colin, they only attempted sixteen
threes in Game four. They had seventeen three point attempts
just in the first half tonight because of the better
floor game that Shaye was playing, keeping everybody involved. But
every time I think about this Thunder team. It is
the defense that I'll remember, Like when people talk to
me about this Thunder team, I will remember them as
(08:56):
a defensive juggernaut and like it's the two layer approach
and you had you described it perfectly. It is the
physical ball pressure that causes you to rush and panic
that is then layered by the rim protection and it
even extends beyond Shell or beyond Shet, like she several
times tonight deflections around the basket because he's got super
long arms down there. You know. Chet to me is
(09:19):
like kind of the secret sauce of this defense though,
because you know Colin. We saw a great example in
the Houston of Golden State series in round one. You
can have really good perimeter defenders, but every team needs
to have big guys on the floor because big guys
are a part of basketball, right, Like he can't just
go out there and play five guards, You'll have all
sorts of issues. And big guys are targets. They are
the point at which every offense tries to get into
(09:41):
your defense by attacking your big guy in pick and roll.
And Chet is just this freakish weapon because he can
do all the big guy stuff in terms of length
around the rim, but he can also switch out onto
the perimeter and guard these guards. And so it's like
the it's like the ace in the hole for this
thunder defense. Like a lot of times you'll fail the
(10:02):
first test, like when Pascal hit that three to make
it ninety five to ninety three. From that point forward,
Indy could barely get the ball across half court without
turning the ball over. So like their guards can do
an insane amount of damage. But it's like even if
you pass that test and you get through the ball
pressure and you move the ball through their defense and
you get something around the rim, it's just arms everywhere
(10:25):
that you're dealing with at the rim and all of
those misses, all of those contested rebounds that they came
down with, Oklahoma City's defense is layered. It's frightening. It
wears you down. I mean like Indy was right there
and they let go of the rope for like ninety
seconds and they're down thirteen points. And I'm with you,
as we had the game six, I think Indiana always
(10:45):
is gonna have a chance at home with the energy
Oklahoma City's young we have discussed on this show, Oklahoma
City on the road is not the same team. But
I thought Indiana's chance to win this series was to
win the home games because I just think Oklahoma City
can leverage their athleticism at home in a way that
Indy just can't match.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Yeah, and again Halliburton's heart, it's not the same team.
It'd be like taking you know, to some degree, Sga out.
So I thought Caruso again tonight, I mean, they forced
twenty three turnovers. The thunder did think about that. INDI
is a team all year that didn't turn the ball over,
like Halliburton doesn't turn the ball over. So you take
Halliburton out a lot tonight and it looks really sloppy,
(11:28):
really fast. Again, They're just they're just a special team,
you know. I think you know, Indiana is a surprise
to be here. And the West is much better than
the East, and so like in the football, the AFC
is much better than the NFC. So the AFC becomes
much more predictable because you have four or five elite
(11:50):
teams Chiefs, Bills, Ravens, And I think the West is
more predictable because you have like Oklahoma City has the
leading scorer and the best defense and Denver has the
best player in the world, and the Warriors have this
Steve kerr At Draymond and Butler and Stephen. You kind
of know what you're getting in the West, oras in
the East, it's like who's healthy and who's hot. So
Indiana just flies through. But I will say, is so
(12:15):
I think the East is wide open, and I think Indiana's.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
Pop or now.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
They were in the Eastern Conference finals last year, but
I mean they flew through Milwaukee, flew through Cleveland, controlled.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
New York, and we're.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Two to two with this team. And I think some
of the trade that Memphis and Orlando made was Orlando going, Okay,
the Knicks don't have a coach, Tatum's hurt next year,
why can't we do in Indiana? We got Sugs, we
got Benkaro, we got Wagner. Let's go get a Western
(12:53):
player whoeverage is nineteen, he may average twenty two over here.
And I think I think Orlando Indiana and thought why
not us. I mean, they don't have a guy that
scores over twenty. Man Carroll could be first team All
NBA next year. So I think when I watch Indiana,
I think they're they're they're encouraging. They've got young, ascending players,
(13:17):
they've kind of meshed together in the East, and you're like, Okay,
it was one thing when Boston was winning with a
stacked roster Indiana, Like you didn't I think I said
it during the Boston Orlando series. I'm like, man, they're
about a year away from being really really good. So
I think Indiana is one of those teams that may
not make it back and it may just be lightning
(13:38):
in a bottle. I really like him a lot, but
I think okay See is historically special defensively, and we're
seeing it.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
Yeah, The East to me feels wide open in a
different way where I agree with you. Like the Boston
was like this clear number one out Yeast, but then
you had this like group of three four teams that
you knew were going to be in the mix, you know, Milwaukee,
New York. That was the mix that we knew was
going to be at the top. But now with Boston
kind of dropping out of that group, it does feel
(14:07):
wide open. Like Cleveland is very good, but everyone knows
they're beatable, Like the Bucks will be there if Giannis
is still there, but like we know that they're beatable.
The Knicks. We know that they have their flaws and
their issues. They have a front court that you can
attack defensively, and I think what the Pacers have demonstrated
in a lot of ways is that you can, you know,
OutKick your coverage, so to speak, in terms of the
talent on your roster, when there is a great deal
(14:30):
of one that the coaching that maximizes the talent. But
the second piece is from a general management perspective, like
actual complimentary pieces that fit and accentuate each other. And
that to me is what I look at with the
Desmond Bain trade, because like, your initial reaction when you
see that sort of thing is to go for first
round picks unprotected. Like, my goodness, that's a steep paycheck,
(14:51):
and like I get that on the surface, and ultimately
whether or not that ends up being worthwhile will be
whether or not this team has success, and if they
have success, they make the finals. No one's going to
care about those four first round picks. It's about whether
or not this pays off. Right, Desmond Baine is a
perfectly complementary player. Yes to what those two guys do
(15:12):
is he is one of the best jump shooters in
the NBA among fifty eight players this year to attempt
at least five hundred jumpers, he ranked twelve in efficiency.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
By the way, and the Magic couldn't shoot last year.
That's why they couldn't shoot.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
They couldn't shoot, by the way. You want to know
his number one on that list, Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant
is still the best jump shooter in the NBA. I
thought that was interesting when I was digging into the data.
But he specifically shot sixty percent from the field on
shot attempts coming off of off ball screens. So when
he comes running off of action off the ball, he
(15:45):
knocks it down at an extremely high rate. He shot
fifty two percent on threes specifically coming off of off
ball screens. The Magic could not create space for Palo
in fronts. That was the problem the Desmond Baane in Memphis.
They so desperately needed him to hit shots because he
was their secondary shot creator. It was a little bit
too much for him. But in this setting, next to Franz,
(16:07):
next to Polo, it's more important for him to be
able to create openings for them. His ability to shoot
on the move, shoot it out of screens, shoot off
the dribble. Specifically, in the context of Franz and Paolo,
you're gonna get a it's a force multiplier rather than
a diminishing return, and that really is the key. Like,
when I'm looking at talent, it's like they could have
(16:28):
gone and got Bradley Beal and maybe that's a player
that you think is maybe a higher regarded player in
the league or something like that. Desmond Bain's talent fits
perfectly with those guys in a wide open conference, and
that's a huge, big, strong team that should be able
to cause a lot of damage with their physicality. And
(16:49):
the last thing I'll say about it, Colin, Desmond's not
the best defender in the world, but he's pretty solid.
Jalen Suggs is the best guard defender in the world,
and so he will never have to guard the best
scarred on the other team. He's going to be in
favorable matchups, He's going to be surrounded by physicality. His
skill set perfectly matches what Franz and Paolo do. I
(17:10):
think it was a type of swing that could legitimately
put them in the finals. And Colin, you're the one
who's always preaching this on your show. Yes, it was expensive,
so was Kawhi for the rafts in twenty nineteen. That's
at a certain point you got to push your chips
in the middle if you want to try to win.
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Speaker 1 (18:48):
I think Orlando looks at it and thinks, listen the
banes like twenty five or twenty six years old. It's
like Oklahoma City, you don't have this aged star, you
don't have this one gigantic paycheck. It's like everybody's pulling
in the same direction. Like did they bring in Hartenstein.
He's a starter, but like kind of a role player,
but great energy, and everybody welcomes him. In like everybody
(19:10):
that like Bain. I was watching the videos today when
that when he got to Orlando, the guys were.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Like, it's just like he's one of the guys.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
He's a young guy who, by the way, because he
was in Memphis behind Jahn Morant, probably didn't get appreciated
a lot or a lot of attention. And Bain was
the more mature player, the more consistent player, the more
available player, and the better shooter. But John Morant's great
for highlights, so Bain gets overlooked, but not by smart GM.
So Bain's probably like, Okay, now I get into a
(19:38):
more you know this is I mean Sugs a Gonzaga guy,
Benko a Duke guy.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
Vogner's a Michigan guy. Like there, these are grown ups.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
They're ready to play. And I thought, I think we
talked about this in the Boston series. It was like
two or three times you and I were like, what
the hell is this series so competitive? Like like Orlando
can't shoot, Boston takes the mot this should we should
have some blowouts.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
And we didn't.
Speaker 1 (20:03):
The games were really competitive. We felt that way about
the Knicks and the Pistons too. It's like what Scott
Cade Cunningham's really graduated to another class And so I
liked it, and I also just aggressive wins. Go get
Katie and Golden State, the Lakers, you know, trade for gasol,
trade for shock, take big swings. Absolutely poor Zingis and
(20:24):
Drew Holliday Boston, Like, you have to take swings in
this league because you're not gonna be able to bank
these stars. You're not gonna have the Heatls, You're not
gonna have Katie to the Warriors. So what you're gonna
do is, can you get a group of really good
B plus A minus guys that all fit and Orlando fits,
Baine literally fits perfectly with a team. Yeah, it'd be
(20:48):
better if it was two first not four, but those
are gonna be low first round picks anyway, So I
can live with it.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
And there's like this, the splitting the difference two timelines
approach comes with its own shortcoming, Like obviously Golden State
was very fortunate on the strength of Steph to win
in twenty twenty two, but they've been paying the price
for not cashing in on some of their assets over
the course of the last few years. I feel like
Dallas is kind of staring down the barrel of a
similar type of situation, Like you got to capitalize on
(21:16):
the value that ad tris to the table if you
want to have sustained success around Cooper Flag And like,
I just look at it as I look at it
as just an aggressive move that fits perfectly. Desmond Bain
has grown a lot too as a passer coming off
of screening actions, and I look at that as something
like a simple dynamic in the NBA that can cause
all sorts of problems is if you can run a
(21:37):
two man game where they don't want to switch. And
the problem is is when Franz and Paalo are together,
they get guarded by similar players, big strong forwards, and
with Jalen Suggs, he never shot the ball well enough
for teams to really account for him in those actions.
If you, as Desmond Bain, as one of the best
shooters in the league, come flying off of a screen
with Paolo, you have no choice but to either switch
(22:01):
or to show, in which case Powlo will get better matchups,
He'll get more smalls to attack, he'll get more openings
to attack. I think it's just a really, really smart fit.
John Moran on the other hand gonna be twenty six
years old at the start of next season. I like,
I want to hear your take on the John Moran
Memphis situation.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Okay, so I feel vindicated, So I have been.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
This has been one of my strongest NBA takes forever,
which is, if you're under six' four in this league
and have the ball in your hands a, lot if
you cannot Shoot John, wall you, Know, Westbrook Derek, Rose John,
morant you're going to have to drive to the basket
against bigger players and you're going to get hurt more.
(22:44):
Often if You're Steve nash Or Steph currian can, shoot
it can prolong your. Career you can do at you,
know you don't have to. Drive you get a lot
of no contact. Looks and my take On John morant, was,
YES i saw it was. SAID i thought he was
a poor Man's Dereck. Rose he's about fifty pounds less
Than Derek. Rose and you, KNOW i understand.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
THE nba, media he's a highlight.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
Player forget the maturity for a, second which Is i'm
never too hard on guys about. Maturity i'm much tougher
on football players because they're twenty three and twenty four years.
Old you bring twenty two year, old you bring eighteen
nineteen year old guys into THE, Nba, okay they're gonna screw,
up like the first couple of. Years just just build
in a really bad. Decision now With, jaw it was
(23:27):
worse than. That but for, me it wasn't the maturity
stuff because he's a. Kid it Was, okay he's wildly
he's wildly. Entertaining he's an incredible highlight, player but he's
not an effective. Shooter and by the, way the last
several years it's gotten worse and he's hurt more.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
So he has aged very.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Quickly So i've never been a fan of hyper athletic
guards that aren't particularly good. Shooters, Now westbrook was so
athletic that he could be a poor. Shooter and you,
know he's bouncing around the league, now but he there's
just not a lot Of westbrook's. Historically And westbrook mostly is.
Healthy he's a sturdy he has a running. Back jaw's
(24:07):
NOT i, mean what's job one, eighty you, know one seventy,
Eight so he's. Spindily SO i just it's not THAT
i wasn't a. Fan he was a spectacular. Talent BUT
i think everybody in the league Thought zion And jaw
were going to take it, over and it's gonna be
a it's gonna be Bang caro AND sga and these.
PLAYERS i, mean it's just it's just interesting how much
(24:29):
maturity and hard work, matters you, KNOW.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
JDW, sga Home.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
GRIN i, mean it's just like really, focused, driven aspirational.
Players AND i think it was just too much too
soon form and he got banged. Up AND i Think,
memphis by the, trade is telling you we're going to start.
Over we're going to start and it's the right. Move
they can't. Compete we knew it this. Year it's the
right move By. MEMPHIS i actually like What memphis. Did
(24:57):
it's just they won't be very good for a couple of. Years.
Speaker 3 (25:01):
Yeah you, know we were talking about power, earlier and
the one example of a guy who succeeded despite a
lack of power Is. Steph And steph is both a
great shooter and someone who has been consistently available to his.
Team he's been. Healthy, yeah. Yeah and the tricky thing
with Like john's going to be twenty six years old
(25:22):
at the start of next season and he's just straight
up not as good as he was three years. Ago,
like he's just not as good as at, basketball and
like this is the. Age twenty six to twenty seven
is typically the age when players, Peak Like tatum best
season of his career right at this, age this is
the age when everyone seems to kind of figure it.
Out it's where it's kind of where like the meeting
(25:44):
point of the mental part of the game and the
physical part of the. Game and from this point, forward
it's kind of like a trade. Off you get a little,
smarter a little more, skilled but you get a little less.
Athletic this is the, peak right and, instead like his
scoring volume Has like in twenty twenty, two takes his
team to within two wins of the conference, finals he's
going head to head With steph talking shit to him
having such a great breakout playoff. Run and ever since,
(26:06):
then his scoring volume has dropped every season since that,
year his efficiency has gone. Down he just posted his
two lowest games played totals of his career in the
last two. Seasons he's played fewer games in the last
two years than he did three years ago. Combined like
it's been a downward, trajectory and so if You're memphis
and you're looking at, it you just got four unprotected
(26:29):
first round picks From. Orlando there still is some, young
exciting talent on the, roster some guys Like Gigi jackson
that are, Interesting Zach edy that's. Interesting they have guys
in house that they can continue to develop and be,
fun but they can bring in a massive trove of
draft picks by Trading Moranton bain and just doing a full.
Pivot not to Mention Jaron, jackson WHO i think carries
(26:51):
a great deal of value somewhere around the. League and
SO i look at it as like a basically it's
a turning point For John. Rant you either got to
commit to him or you've got to get off the,
ship and the trade is a clear sign that they're
going to get off the. Ship not to mention like
they might look to TRADE. KCP i wouldn't be surprised
IF kcp gets moved to a contender at some point
in the next. SEASON i think it's Just memphis looking
(27:12):
at their situation and going, like we're sick of being
in this.
Speaker 2 (27:15):
Business it's So.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Jaw is such a cautionary tale when you look at
at big stars that explode and then and then fall
off and don't eventually rise to the. Level it's always
kind of a maturity. Thing it's almost always that like
you just couldn't handle a, spot like Like zion couldn't
handle his. Weight wasn't it terribly focused. Player ZION i
thought was a tremendously just massive. Torque there's just nothing like.
(27:42):
HIM i Thought jaw was. Spectacular BUT i think it's
it's one of the REASONS i like nil. As kids
are going to stay in college and they're going to
be surrounded by non basketball, players and they're going to
be coached, hard and they'll go to class and it's
like a it's a it's a big broad life beyond
basketball and A g. League SO i, think And i've
(28:04):
talked about this multiple, TIMES i Think nil's were gonna
help THE nba and college basketball and you're gonna get more.
Guys The auburn player WHO J mack, Loves auburn's got
a guard that's. Explosive he's coming back To. Auburn he
could play in THE. Nba he'll make him a BETTER
nba player and a great college. Player so and some
of These european guys now are coming over to college.
(28:25):
Basketball SO i think the coaching in college basketball has
always been, excellent sometimes almost too, dogmatic, right like it's
just so coach. Oriented BUT i look At jaw AND
i think the story Of jaw is a little too,
much too, soon and just wasn't quite ready for the.
STAGE i, mean there was a moment in time where you,
(28:47):
thought for about a year maybe, two you're, Like, oh
he's gonna be the face of the. LEAGUE i mean
that was about three years, ago and then it all just,
unraveled AND i don't think we need to face the.
LEAGUE i thought he for a while looked like. It
he just wasn't ready for. It it's a lot to
(29:09):
ask and he wasn't ready for.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
It, yeah you know what happens in this. League it's
success is so short lived because people are coming for.
You you, know Like jannis looks like he climbs the
mountaintop in twenty twenty, one looks like he's gonna launch
this New, nope here Comes jokich and he's the. Problem
it's Like jah looks like he's about to climb the
mountaintop in twenty twenty. Two shay And ant have both
lacked him since they've kind of reached their collective. Ceilings and,
(29:34):
LIKE i, think you, KNOW i do believe In John.
MORANT i. Do he has a supreme athletic trait in
the ability to get. Downhill he actually is an underrated
shot maker close to the rim in terms of like
his floater and like little short. STUFF i do think
there's somebody that should probably consider taking a bet on
(29:54):
him or a chance on. Him AS i look. Around you,
know we're gonna talk ABOUT kd here in a second
AND kd as we're gonna talk about it in more
detailer in a. Second but the athletic is reported That
katie is preferring The, spurs which we'll get to in a.
Minute but Like, houston If houston can't GET, kd, like
would they consider a guy Like John? Morant is there
(30:15):
a team out there that has the that's in a
tough position that can afford to take that kind of,
risk maybe A sacramento a team that's been kind of
stuck in, Mediocrity, like is there a team out there
that is willing to take a risk on a guy like?
Him BECAUSE i do think the upside is their calling,
Like i've seen a lot of stuff over the last
couple of days ranking him at various points in the,
(30:37):
league AND i do think when he's, healthy he's still
like a right around the fourteenth or fifteenth best player
in THE nba because no one can keep him in.
Front he is an extremely talented. Player that's the frustrating
part is that it hasn't come. Together BUT i do
think that there's some somebody out there that's going to
take a chance on. Him but, ultimately whether or not
it works out is going to be whether or Not
(30:58):
jaw actually makes the changes that he needs. To like
you got to, improve like, you you have to develop
as a jump shooter to take it easier on your.
Legs if he develops as a jump, shooter it will
make his downhill drives more dynamic and less, frequent which
will help him stay healthier and available to his. Team
there is a real upside, there he just hasn't been
able to capitalize on.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
It bmw didn't just design an electric. Suv every detail
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(32:01):
the official whiskey of The Colin Coward.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
Podcast, colin what are your thoughts on the report That
Kevin durant prefers The. SPURS i was not a huge
fan of this. Fit we were talking last week about
How wemby being very, THIN kd being very, thin even
Deeron fox is he's a super fast, guard but he's
not a power. Player not a lot of power on that. Roster,
colin what are your thoughts ON kd potentially going to The? Spurs,
(32:24):
WELL i.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
Mean to, Me Wembin yama And Stefan castle are the. Team,
like that's nothing against De aaron And, vassal BUT i
think those two guys are all, stars one of them
ALL nba so AND i think they're just getting better.
FAST i Think i'm always cautious to Say Kevin durant
(32:48):
doesn't fit. ANYWHERE i think he fits. Everywhere like my
Wife olasa, says like salt works with, Everything like like
like my son was a, chef my step, Son it's, like, Yeah,
Bacon grease And butter work with.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Everything That's Kevin.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
Durant like you can just find a spot for a
guy who's the best jump shooter at any given juncture
in the. League so AND i also Think kevin it
just kind of figures it.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
Out you.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
KNOW i don't always like his decision making on, teams
but even In, brooklyn he was the one THING i
liked about. It he was the one THING i mean In,
arizona In, phoenix it Was Bradley beale that drove us.
Nuts Kevin durant was giving me twenty six and twenty.
Seven i'm not disappointed with. Him i've been disappointed with you,
(33:41):
know his like team, selection BUT i just kind of
feel like he's water like he just he just kind
of floats and finds his. Level AND i think he'll fit.
Anywhere AND i also think you've got really smart Between
Chris paul and De Aaron, fox you have good guiters
(34:01):
on that team like really smart, guys and.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
You can be a.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
Really flawed team if you're. Intelligent we've talked about The
Miami heat like one of the smartest teams in league.
History it's Like, Alan, Lebron, Wade, Bosh battie A, Haslam
it's like she's high. Functioning they didn't have a. Center
chalmers drove everybody. Crazy wade And lebron kind of had duplicate,
games and you're, like, yeah they got the four straight,
(34:29):
finals like they just figured shit out. Right AND i
kind of feel like if you Put wemby and and
And It's fox and it's you'd have to move. OFF
i Think Harrison barnes we talked about, BEFORE i think
it was the BUT i, MEAN i just Think katie would.
WORK i think it would just. WORK i think. IT
i Think houston needs him. More BUT i MEAN i
(34:52):
think he looks At houston and, thinks all, right like Like, Sangoon,
YEAH i Mean, mpson is he a great offensive, player
yet he's more of an athlete defensive.
Speaker 2 (35:04):
PLAYER i don't.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
KNOW i THINK kd smart and looks at it and just, thinks,
MAN i could have bad shooting nights and we could
score one twenty eight In San, Antonio, LIKE i think
that's how he looks at.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
It Maybe i'm, wrong you, KNOW.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
I want to be. Clear just BECAUSE i say it's
not my favorite fit doesn't mean it can't. Work Like
i'm a big believer in don't overthink things like don't
Overthink Kevin durant next To Victor weinbinyama And Darren, Fox
like they're gonna score a lot of points and they're
gonna be able, to uh to get a certain number of.
Stops THERE'S i there is you were just talking about
(35:41):
With Desmond. Bain there's a reason Why Desmond baine's shooting
is so incredibly valuable in The orlando context on a
team that not only doesn't have a guy who can
make jump, shots but doesn't have a guy who can
make jump shots off the. Move so it's uniquely super
valuable to that. Team kd anchored by the physicality Of.
HUGHES i like the kind of like force multiplier effect
(36:03):
he could have. There that, said even in the context
Of San, antonio he's obviously a massive. Upgrade he's obviously
going to make them way. Better there's even like some
interesting stuff you could look at in the big, PICTURE
kd is like probably the best shooting workout guy in
the league to Pair Victor Webbin yama. With he's legendary
(36:24):
for the quality of his shooting, workouts him going game,
speed him working on shots that are specifically available IN
nba games off of certain. Actions kat is like a
legend in his workouts off the. Floor wemby's going to
be doing all those workouts with, him you know he,
is and it would lead to a certain development in
terms Of wemby's big picture. Health but it looks to
(36:46):
me more like less of a immediate contender juggernaut and
more of like kind of a fun place For katie
to end his career where he can go hand in
hand In. Wemby you, Know.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
That's WHAT i. THINK i think kat looks at it
and thinks this would be. Fun is that it wouldn't
BE i wouldn't have to drop twenty eight, points would come.
Easy AND i Think katie looks at it and, thinks,
okay Dearon. Fox you Know wemby the structure of the.
Organization they draft smart. Players they don't draft a lot of,
ego they don't draft a lot of. DUMMIES i Think
(37:19):
katie looks at himself and, Thinks, Okay houston's got. This
there's a lot of stuff In houston That i'm not
sure it's ever going to be. Great in the, playoffs
it's a lot of hyper athleticism and length and running
AND i AND i and that's.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
Fun BUT i THINK i don't think at this point
he wants to be a, mentor right LIKE i think
he wants to.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
GO i Think i'll have some fun and play with
really smart, players highly functional, players and all put the
pressure on me to figure out WHERE i, fit you,
know like they don't need.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
HIM i Think houston needs. HIM i think The knicks
could really use.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Him SO i, think you, KNOW i think FOR, kd
it IS i think you're it's. Perfect that would be.
Speaker 2 (38:00):
Fun it would be fun for, him AND i think
it would be fun for.
Speaker 3 (38:03):
Us it falls in line with the same ideology that
led him To Golden. State you, Know, like to your,
POINT kd could win a title In, houston but it
would be a chore and offense would come very. Difficult
he'd be facing crazy Looks, now the flip side of
that is he wouldn't have to be the same statistical
(38:25):
monster In houston that he would be in other situations
Because houston's defense is so good that he would just
need to basically lift them over the top on the
offensive end of the. Floor but there is something to
be said about basketball is more fun when the ball's
moving around and you're playing with more offensive skill and
when you LIKE. Kd if there's one weakness at this
point in his, career he doesn't pressure the rim a
(38:45):
ton well Dearon fox sure as hell does so like
he's going to get to play off of those advantages
and play off the ball like there is A kd
has told us to our faces exactly who he is for.
Years he loves basketball and he wants to play a
fun brand of. Basketball that's. Right and so even if
we look on it added on paper and, go Oh, houston, big,
(39:06):
strong physical, team they could anchor him with. Defense Emy
udoka is not the best offensive coach in the. World
that team doesn't have a lot offensive. Talent it would
be a lot Like Oklahoma city in twenty. Sixteen And
i'm thinking he looks at that and, Goes i'd rather play,
fun free flowing basketball with some more talented offensive. Players
and so with that being the. CASE i, Mean San
antonio is going to be a really interesting. Team if
(39:27):
they pulled something like this off all of a, sudden
a guy Like Jeremy sohan becomes super important because he'd
have to be such a defensive anchor for them in
terms of size and. Strength Stefan cassel obviously defensively as a,
guard would have to do a lot of that. Work,
Again i'm not sure THAT i would view That spurs
team as exceptionally, Dangerous but what a fun way For
(39:48):
wemby to start his career and what a fun way
For katie to end his.
Speaker 2 (39:52):
Career, WELL i.
Speaker 1 (39:52):
Think Also katie looks At lebron and Thinks lebron's always
figured it out Is lebron doesn't want to do a
lot of the dirty. Work like if he went To,
Houston katie'd have to do some of the dirty. Work
he'd be, like he'd be Like steph And Golden, state
where it's, like, Oh steph plays, poorly that's the narrative
when they. Lose it's Not Jimmy butler And steph In.
(40:12):
Houston very quickly he would be because Because Jalen green's
a hot and cold, shooter and very quickly If houston,
loses it's, like, Well, katie you, know an off shooting, night.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
We traded for. Him he was supposed to save us from.
Speaker 1 (40:25):
This that's, right and it's just not the case In San.
Antonio he'll be Part AND i do think as players get,
older they're.
Speaker 2 (40:32):
Looking for, fit and you know it's And i'm okay with.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
THAT i think As i've, Aged i've always liked. Fit
it's just fun to be part of a, group a
mix of young and. Old but you don't want to
be a, mentor LIKE i.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
Just don't Think.
Speaker 1 (40:48):
Katie at this, POINT i think fun is a really
interesting word Because kyrie is fun to play. With that's
why he went there And Golden state no longer because of.
Relationships wasn't he wasn't having a good. Time he was,
Winning and so, Yeah i'm okay with.
Speaker 2 (41:06):
It he's had an all time.
Speaker 1 (41:09):
Career he's a different. Cat but you, Know i've come
to terms with not everybody's the. Same when you want
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(41:29):
a legend in a bottle. TODAY i really do, think,
though what you're seeing right now in THE, NBA i
really like AND i know we don't have a super,
team but it's becoming like THE. Nfl it's a VERY
gm driven. League like the smart gms are going to.
WIN a lot of them are in The west and
(41:50):
they have been for thirty. Years that's why The west
is overwhelmingly top to, bottom always deeper than The.
Speaker 2 (41:56):
East you just have more good owners and more good.
Speaker 1 (41:58):
Gms and the other thing, IS i think what we've
really seen this there's a lot of maturity in the
league right. Now Like indiana And Oklahoma. CITY i, mean
these are grinding. OUTFITS i MEAN i Think indiana plays
pretty good. DEFENSE i mean, again juxtaposition With oka se
jecktposed to, that, well it doesn't look the. Same but
(42:20):
there was there was a in the second quarter in this.
GAME i was, Like, God india has given them. Problems
SO i JUST i think the league right now it
went through a cycle where it felt kind of you
had old stars and two young guys.
Speaker 2 (42:34):
Like you, know and you had these jaws and These.
Zions it's like they're just not.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
READY i just feel like we've got this group Of
halliburton AND sga And Jalen williams and and it's just
like really Good, tatum really good young, players totally dedicated
to the, league and fewer and fewer old guys are.
Relevant AND i think IT'S i Don't it may not get,
(42:58):
ratings BUT I I'M i really like okay see In,
Indiana LIKE i really respect top to bottom both.
Speaker 3 (43:07):
Organizations the point about maturity is is a good one
because these two teams are relatively, young and young teams
young YOUNG nba teams famously don't play defense because young
guys in, general it takes time for them to learn
how to prioritize how they spend their. Energy but, YEAH
i you, Know I'm I'm i'm generally pretty happy with
the trajectory of THE. Nba every era in THE nba
(43:29):
has some stars that are a little bit more, boring you, know,
like for, instance to Meet Shake shae's like the guard
version Of Tim. Duncan he's not the most exciting player
in the world for me to, watch but he's incredibly
dominant at his. Position but we do have musty, Television
LIKE i Think wemby is mussy. TELEVISION i Think Anthony
edwards is musty. Television there are certain guys in this
(43:49):
league that bring the, pop and so we just need
to take some time over the next couple of years
for the public to kind of ingratiate themselves with these.
Guys And i'm still a big believer in THE. Nba
there's stuff they need to clean, up there's certain things
that can get. Better it's not. PERFECT i wish they'd
shortened the season a little, bit but like this has
been a fun playoff, Front. Colin i've really really enjoyed,
it and The pacers have like reinvigorated my love of
(44:11):
basketball in a real way just because of the just
a super super fun brand of basketball that they've. Play
i've really really enjoyed. It But, colin we really appreciate
you giving us your time. Tonight, man you bet for
all of you guys that are hanging out on the YouTube,
tream we are headed over to play back when we're,
Done so playback dot tv Slash hoops. Tonight we'll take
some callers and watch some. Film. Colin it was good
to see, you, buddy and we'll see you next, time all,
(44:32):
Right jason
Speaker 1 (44:35):
The volume
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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