Will Guillory talks 2025 NBA Draft prospects | Pelicans Podcast

On the latest New Orleans Pelicans Podcast for Wednesday, March 19, 2025, Pelicans.com’s Jim Eichenhofer and Gus Kattengell discuss Trey Murphy III's injury and David Griffin's recent comments on the state of the franchise.

Later they're joined by Will Guillory from The Athletic to discuss the 2025 NBA Draft and the top prospects heading into March Madness.

Jim also gives us his team to watch and team whose stock is rising and falling.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome in to the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast, the official
podcast of your New Orleans Pelicans. A podcast dedicated to
everything you need to know about the squad. Here from players, coaches, broadcasters,
and those who cover the NBA on a daily basis.
It's time to flock up. The New Orleans Pelicans podcast

(00:29):
starts right now.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Hell want to welcome to the New Orleans Pelicans Podcast,
the official podcast of.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
Your New Orleans Pelicans.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Coming up next segment, mister Will Gillery of the Athletic
covers the heat, the Pelicans, the NBA does it all,
and more importantly, he will be here to promote North
Carolina basketball to MIAC and offer from Pelicans dot com.

Speaker 3 (00:51):
Is that part of the deal?

Speaker 4 (00:52):
I think he also is covering the Grizzlies as well.

Speaker 5 (00:54):
So, man, this guys we've talked about business cards before. Man,
this guy's got eighteen logos. There's a college logo on
there he does. Yeah, he's very knowledgeable about college basketball.
He's been watching a lot of the guys. As he
mentions too, He's directed a lot of his attention in
that way because of the fact that the Pelicans are
headed towards a lottery pick. So makes sense that he

(01:15):
would spend a little bit more time than usual trying
to assess and evaluate some of these college players.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Pelicans starting a little bit of a road trip here
is they'll take on the Timberwolves, Jim, on Wednesday and
on Friday, So today and Friday, and then Sunday they
will take on the Pistons, a team that they played
on Monday, which I guess we can get into and
see how that went on Sunday at two pm. Then
right back with the back to back here on Monday.

(01:42):
So very busy slate of games here, Jim. But overall
that game on Monday was Look, obviously, the thing that
everyone talks about is what took place with Trey Murphy.
And it's tough. It's fifty seconds in. It happened so fast,
and it happened in a way that defies logic, to

(02:04):
be honest with you, I mean shot blocked trying to
brace himself from falling. Somehow his arm gets tangled with
a Pistons player's right leg. Pop goes the shoulder torn,
goes the labrum partially torn, goes the rotator cuff season injured.

Speaker 3 (02:23):
Here it is as Murphy.

Speaker 6 (02:25):
Had it poked ball on the deck. It's in the
front court now and it's run down by Asar Thompson
and Trey Murphy is hurt, Yes, he is. He is hurt,
and it's a hand or a finger. It's five on
four right now. Commit the foul and we will. And
this is a disastrous beginning, yeah to this game, because
he is in pain.

Speaker 7 (02:46):
He was in a scramble for the basketball.

Speaker 8 (02:49):
He didn't come up with it obviously, and he must
have jammed a hen or whatever it is.

Speaker 9 (02:56):
I say jam.

Speaker 3 (02:57):
That looks like it's worse.

Speaker 9 (02:59):
Than that, Aaron. Can you see?

Speaker 4 (03:02):
It looks like he popped his shoulder out.

Speaker 3 (03:05):
His right one, which is why he just couldn't move
his arm and was in a lot of pain.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
And obviously after the game, head coach Willie Green didn't
have much to say other than what took place on
the court and how it affected a team.

Speaker 10 (03:21):
I think just to start the game with the tray
going down, it kind of just rocked us from there.
We didn't have a rhythm offensively, you know, kind of
felt sorry for ourselves a bit. You can't do that,
but it really it shug our guys up, especially with
all we've kind of been through this season.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
So Jim by eleven o'clock that night, though the team
officially saying that a season was done, it was a
torn laboram partial tear to the rotator cuff, and the.

Speaker 3 (03:50):
Season of seasons just continues here. It just stinks, man,
it stinks for him.

Speaker 5 (03:55):
Yeah, I cursed this season from the highest mountaintop. I
can't believe some of the stuff that's happened. It was
one of those plays too, if you listen to the
way that the radio guy's described it, it was one
of those things where it's like he got hurt in
multiple ways. It did seem like maybe it was his
hand or his finger, but you also knew that his
shoulder was hurt as well. So yeah, it was just terrible.
It was what a horrible way to start the game.

(04:17):
And I mean, Aaron must have had a good angle.
I didn't have a good angle on to tell what happened.
Even after I saw the replay, I wasn't totally sure.
But I mean, unfortunately that that was correct, that it
was his shoulder. He's going to be out for the
rest of the season. I mean, the guy made a
really good jump this year. He had stretches that we'd
never seen before. I mean, he's done some really good
stuff in his previous three seasons, so for him to

(04:38):
improve the way that he did and play as well
as he did and kind of I think ascend to
another level as a player in the NBA was really positive.
It's just unfortunate now that you know the next however
long he's going to be having to rehabilitate and before
you can get back on the court.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
I thought, I don't know if he answered fully, but
to me, did right? Is he a starter in the NBA?
I think he is? And then the other thing to
me that I take away at this and again we're
gonna do this in our player breakdowns at the end
of the season, but we literally had a topic in
the roundtable here with JD and Graft and you is

(05:14):
he And I asked, is he an All Star player?
And all y'all answered yes. So beginning of the season,
we're excited to see the jump.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
At the end of the.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
Season, guy's a starter, possible All Star player in the future. Yeah,
I don't that's a pretty good yeah. And he didn't
have a full shit.

Speaker 5 (05:30):
Honestly, I don't think he's an All Star yet, right,
but I think he's on the way, and so the
progress that he made and the steps that he put
forth this year make you think that it's possible that
he could be in the future at some point. Maybe
before the season, there's people that were I mean, I
don't want to pat myself on the back too much here,
but I was. I've always been a huge proponent of him.

(05:51):
I think I've even said on the podcast going back
before the season that I thought he had All Star potential.
So it was great to see him fulfill some of that.
But yeah, I think there's a lot of people that thought,
maybe me or whoever said that they think he could
be an All Star, where like, no, he's not going
to be an All Star. Yeah, but I think the
fact that what he did this season showed that that
wasn't a completely ridiculous, outlandish take to have no doubt.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
Well, look, obviously, the season is what it is, and
you just have so many games left now and it's
looking towards the future, whether it's the draft, and we're
going to talk about that with Will Gillery specifically how
to look at March madness for you folks, And I'm
not talking about just brackets Jim. It's you know, certain
players that a lot of people have predicted they're going
to go in the top ten, top five where the

(06:35):
Pels have potential to pick.

Speaker 3 (06:37):
So we'll get to that next.

Speaker 2 (06:39):
But Executive vice president of basketball Operations David Griffin spoke
pre game on the television broadcast GYM specifically about the future,
specifically about the player also in the last several weeks
that has set career highs, triple doubles, career highs and
the cyst and I'm talking about, of course, Zion Williamson.

Speaker 3 (06:57):
Here's what he had to say.

Speaker 7 (06:58):
Let's start with Zion, who has been playing I think,
by all accounts, some of the best basketball, if not
the best basketball of.

Speaker 9 (07:04):
His DUM career so far.

Speaker 11 (07:06):
What have you seen from sixty Well, I think the
same thing you guys have, and I know you talk
about this often. His growth both in terms of his
maturity as a human being as a leader, has really
matched his growth on the court. He's putting forth incredible effort.
He's doing things he's never done before from a work
rate standpoint. And what happens, and you know this better

(07:27):
than anybody, when you start to see the fruits of
your labor becomes a little bit more addictive, and I
think he's bought in more and more as his success
has grown in terms of his efficiency.

Speaker 9 (07:37):
Now, obviously the only thing he.

Speaker 11 (07:38):
Cares about is winning games, and we're not doing that,
and honestly, that's the care of him, is to get
more of that. But he is capable now of things
he's never been able to do on a basketball court.
He's also the lightest he's ever been. He's in the
best shape of his life. I think Daniel Bove Daniel
Bob has done an amazing job on our performance team
of getting him to buy into all of the quit

(08:01):
a lot.

Speaker 5 (08:01):
I think one of the things that was interesting just
listening to Griff. I'm sure we're gonna revisit some of
these clips too, maybe when we do the season reviews
after ft year's over, but it was it was good
to hear a Griff's perspective on some of these players.
And obviously Zion's been one of the most positive parts
of this. And we talked about Trey Murphy earlier the
jump that he's made, but I think Zion's also done
the same thing as far as just his consistency from

(08:24):
game in and game out, and for him to be
as efficient and productive as he has, even though he
hasn't been playing you know, thirty five to forty minutes,
he's still been putting up numbers that you are comparable
to guys that do play more minutes than that.

Speaker 2 (08:36):
Yeah, I'm going back to one of those games here
at home recently where yeah, he was one of those
nice that was struggling in the second half.

Speaker 3 (08:43):
Is just I think it was in the podcast I.

Speaker 2 (08:45):
Described it as bleep this, we're gonna win, and he
kind of took it on himself. And look, I hate
saying that phrase, but it is what it is, right,
there's nothing really play for.

Speaker 3 (08:54):
Yeah, it's kind of one of those things.

Speaker 2 (08:55):
Well we didn't have it tonight, but he led the
way to the team fighting a way to win in
a season where there's a you know, a postseason spot
to play for it. I think that is a good thing.
And I want to say after one of those games too,
you heard CG. McCollums say, the motor is different, the
approach is different, the studying as to what he's going

(09:17):
to see is different, and that's that next step in
that next level. Of course, you need some other guys
that help you here as well, and the veterans that
came in the Brandon Ingram trade. And Bruce Brown and
Kelly Olinnock, both guys you've talked about specifically about how
they helped this team. Bruce Brown playing well as of late,
especially getting into that starting lineup, Kelly Olinock man as

(09:38):
a guy that has been playing really well. Here's what
David Griffin have to say about them.

Speaker 9 (09:43):
How would you like Bruce to compliment both those quays?

Speaker 11 (09:47):
Well, I wish like crazy it wouldn't have taken us
so long to get that situation rectifide. Obviously, Brandon's a
player we cared a great deal about as a human
being and still do remain close to them, but knowing
that we needed to build for the future there. Kelly
is a player that Speedy spoke to us a great
deal and we've talked about this a lot. But I

(10:08):
think what you've seen since he's been here is his
basketball IQ is at another level, probably the best on
our team, honestly, And I think what he's done is
he's brought out the best in some of our other players,
who now have the benefit of an extremely high IQ floor.
Spacing a big the play where he's stucking in really
hard off of the initial action. That's something that's creating

(10:32):
pathways we didn't have and that came entirely from him
and his intellect. And Bruce is very, very similar, just
not at big hobbies.

Speaker 5 (10:40):
Yeah, I mean, there's been some extenuating circumstances lately with
players that have been out for different games and the
rotation change a little bit, But I would say in general,
you know, Monday's game, notwithstanding that the Pelicans have been
a lot more competitive since Kelly Olnix started playing for them,
you know, right after the All Star break, So I
think you can see some of the impact that he's

(11:01):
made in a lot of these games recently.

Speaker 2 (11:04):
And then also, of course you have young players being
developed Jim and in the season like this, who get
guys that can get more minutes on the court, obviously
because of injuries and just trying to figure things out.

Speaker 3 (11:16):
So here's what David Griffin have to say about some
of the younger players.

Speaker 7 (11:18):
Let's talk about the growth of some of our young
guys so far this year. We've obviously seen a lot
from you see of what he has been able to do,
but also from Carlo Magavitch, who has played very well
since the All Star raak, and then somebody like Brandon Balson,
who I know he's been injured. We haven't seen him
as a late but those three guys were very interesting
prospects for us right now.

Speaker 11 (11:35):
Yeah, I'd think that what you've seen, again the injury
situation coming into this pretty mightily. He's played far more
early than he probably would have and the benefits of
that that we got an All Rookie team never probably
an All Rookie first team member, and a guy who's
established himself as a big part of O're going to
be a big forward. Karo Makhovich was somebody that from
a scouting perspective.

Speaker 9 (11:56):
We were very very high on coming in.

Speaker 11 (11:58):
It took a little while and you saw, obviously can
his talent level is incredible for a big whether.

Speaker 9 (12:04):
A rookie or not.

Speaker 11 (12:05):
And what Carlo has done is really bring all of
that to the four because they needed him to, and
again the injuries provided that platform. But if you're talking
about a kid who can dribble fast and shoot, he
can rim protect, he can descent, and he's just scratching
the surface of who he's going to be as player.

Speaker 7 (12:21):
And then Brandon Wolson, I know we what did you
what did you see from him? And he was he
was a guy who joined us late because he was
he was in San Antonio Spurs wave and.

Speaker 9 (12:29):
We pick him up.

Speaker 3 (12:30):
He goes from a.

Speaker 7 (12:31):
Two way to a standard contract.

Speaker 9 (12:32):
I know he's hurt right now.

Speaker 7 (12:33):
He's dealing with the angle sporing that turned into it
for a little small fracture. We'll get an update on
him probably in about a week or so.

Speaker 1 (12:39):
But what did you see in him earlier this year?

Speaker 9 (12:41):
Yeah?

Speaker 11 (12:41):
So I think the thing with Brandon and m be
disingenuous of us to take credit for this, because we
didn't know when we claimed him. What we intended him
to be was a high volume scorer on our G
League team, and when we brought him to us, we
wanted him to have the ability to learn how to
be not ball dominant, how to play off the ball,
how to be a three and D player, But ended

(13:03):
up happening because of all the injuries. Once again, he
got to have the ball and do what he does best.

Speaker 3 (13:07):
In the NBA, which made him comfortable.

Speaker 11 (13:09):
But as an offshoot of that, what we learned is
He's a special on ball defender, and his ability to
guard multiple positions from an on ball perspective is something
that I don't think anyone had a right to expect,
but it's certainly been really, really a bright spot for us.

Speaker 5 (13:25):
I like what Griff said about Carlow where he talked
about kind of his array of skills, the package of
things that he can do. We've seen him a couple
of times lately kind of take the ball and end
dribble ninety four feet and dunk on somebody, which is
something that I don't know necessarily we aware of. I mean,
I think, you know, I go back to even summer league.
He had one game in summer league where he had

(13:47):
I can't remember exactly what the stats were, it doesn't
matter that much. It was like twenty eight points and
fourteen rebounds and he didn't even play, you know, thirty
five minutes or whatever. And it wasn't just you know,
people say, like a summer league whatever, Jim, but it's
like to me, it wasn't the stats.

Speaker 4 (14:02):
It was the way that he did it.

Speaker 5 (14:03):
It was how many different ways he scored, where he
shot a couple face up three pointers, he posted people
up he had good footwork, he had some hook shots.
It was like, you see all that he made a
couple of mid range shots I remember correctly. It was
like all these different things that he can do in
a game that he can implement. And I feel like
we're starting to see that in NBA games now too,

(14:24):
where you're seeing that he's not a lot of backup
big guys are you know, raw offensively a little bit limited.
They don't necessarily have that high of a ceiling because
you know, it's just the nature of the way it
is that you know, some of these guys are really
athletic and really big, but they don't have a huge
skill set. So but I don't think Carlo is that way.
I mean, he has really good hands, he can shoot,

(14:46):
and so that was something that I enjoyed from what
Griff said about the players, is the fact that and
I think Carlo is one of those guys that I
think is a player that we're going to keep a
close eye on. Over the last thirteen games. I would
think that he'll continue to get more and more of
an opportunity. Just like eve me C, which was another
player that Griff referenced.

Speaker 2 (15:03):
There no doubt well let's see what Will Gilry has
to say about where maybe the next young player could
be coming from. Jim and he discuss a lot of
some of the young players we may be watching in
March man as. We'll get to that here in a
quick sec And then also, don't forget it's Wednesday.

Speaker 3 (15:21):
It means it's Western Conference Wednesday.

Speaker 2 (15:22):
But up first, mister Will Gilry the athletic, All right, Tom,
not to bring in a very special guest, mister Will Gillory.

Speaker 3 (15:28):
Who I mean?

Speaker 2 (15:29):
You know I can't see you because you're on the
phone right now, but I'm going to say Jim that
he has a grin from ear to ear because when
we last saw him, he didn't even say hi, he
didn't ask Ale was doing.

Speaker 3 (15:39):
He goes, what do you think about North Carolina? Should
they be in? And I knew what that answer had
to be.

Speaker 2 (15:44):
I had to say they absolutely deserved it, and Will Gilory,
they showed it last night.

Speaker 8 (15:49):
There was only one correct answer to that question. We
all knew there were a lot of haters, but then
we proved them wrong last night. I think the final
marginal was what thirty forty fifty, I don't even know.

Speaker 9 (16:00):
It was a resounding victory for all the people who
knew to correct that. I knew you.

Speaker 5 (16:05):
I just knew you'd have something to say for the
haters today will I just knew.

Speaker 8 (16:09):
Listen, they were very loud on Selection Sunday and very
quiet last night. It was pretty quiet on the timeline.

Speaker 4 (16:16):
That's for sure. Well well one of the reasons that
we wanted to have you on.

Speaker 5 (16:19):
You know, I've talked to you throughout the season about
the college players coming out and the draft, and I
have to admit you you probably at least ten times
more knowledgeable about the college draft and some of the
players coming out, because I think just from talking to you,
I know that you've you've been watching I definitely can't
say that I've been watching a whole lot of college basketball.

Speaker 4 (16:39):
But I know that you are.

Speaker 5 (16:41):
You've been following a lot of these prospects. I guess,
first of all, I'll start with you know, there's a
lot of talk last season about how or last offseason
that the twenty twenty four draft was pretty weak, and
it seems like, based on the way the NBA season
has unfolded, that that's been pretty accurate that I don't
think there's been a lot of people who've said, you know,

(17:02):
that they were wrong about last year's.

Speaker 4 (17:04):
Draft, But how do you see this this year's draft?

Speaker 5 (17:06):
Do you feel like it seems like if you went
back aways, you know, maybe to even a year or
two ago, this draft has been very hyped as far
as there's a lot of promising players, there's a lot
of talent at the top of the draft. Do you
still feel the same way that you did maybe a
year or so ago that you do now as far
as how excited you are about this draft?

Speaker 8 (17:25):
Yeah, I was gonna say that's a big part of
why I've been so all in on watching a lot
of these guys because of the hype coming into this
season about you know, obviously it all starts with Cooper Flag.
You know, a generational you know, prospect at the top.
That's kind of where it all starts with these draft classes.
How many superstars do they have at the top, And
it kind of begins with Cooper Flag. But then you know,

(17:45):
you heard names like Dylan Harper, A's Bailey, these other
guys who had a lot of potential as well, and
you know, I really wanted to key in on these guys,
and you know, obviously as the Pelican season has gone
the way it's gone, you know, I'll spend a whole
lot more time watching these guys because you know, there's
high potential that one of these guys are gonna be
in New Orleans next year. So for me, I'm I'm
you know, obviously, I think Cooper Flagg has lived up to,

(18:08):
you know, all of the hype. He's been incredible this year.
Duke has been outstanding. You got me saying nice things
about Duke early in the morning, and I really don't
like it, but yeah, I mean, Cooper Flag has been great. Dylan,
even though Ruggers you know, was really bad this year.
They didn't make the NCAA tournament. I think Dylan, Harper
and As Bailey were you know, just as good as people.

Speaker 9 (18:27):
Thought they would be. And a lot of these other
guys I.

Speaker 8 (18:29):
Didn't know this time last year who were going to
talk about were you know, had really good seasons. So
I think, in particular, this freshman class coming in it's
not just you know, some of the upperclassmen. This there's
a bunch of eighteen nineteen year old guys that are
gonna come out in this draft who are really, really talented.

Speaker 2 (18:48):
So look, I think we kind of talked about it
when I saw you on Monday, after you you Spanish
inquisitioned me about North Carolina. One of the things that
I wanted to talk about was so interesting because I'm
with you, right, I'm paying intention a little bit more
to the tournament because of the potential that the Pels
could get to somebody on the top. How strange is it?
And you brought it up that Harper and Bailey and

(19:10):
I literally last night looked at a bunch of mock
drafts and I'm texting back and forth there in Summers
about it.

Speaker 3 (19:16):
That they didn't make the tournament.

Speaker 2 (19:18):
Why did Rutgers not make the tournament when potentially two
of their starting five could be two of the top
five taken in the draft.

Speaker 3 (19:26):
Is that odd?

Speaker 9 (19:28):
It is very odd.

Speaker 8 (19:29):
And I think it all kind of starts with, you know,
the out of the of them just going to Ruggers
in the first place, right, I mean, Ruggers isn't known
as a powerhouse basketball program.

Speaker 9 (19:37):
I couldn't even say the last time I remember.

Speaker 8 (19:39):
Seeing Ruggers in the NCAA tournament. And I think, you know,
part of it is that, you know, Dylan Harper's older brother,
Ron Harper Junior, went to Ruggers when he played in college.
But I mean, still, I think it was kind of
a strange decision for those guys to go there, and
once they did end up there, you kind of saw
that that program wasn't quite ready, you know, for that

(19:59):
level of basket.

Speaker 9 (20:00):
And I think, you know, a lot of people look
at the record and say.

Speaker 8 (20:02):
Man, I guess Dylan Harper and Cooper and It's Bailey
really aren't as good as people.

Speaker 9 (20:07):
Thought, And I say, no, if you watch the games.

Speaker 8 (20:09):
Those guys were crazy good. They had some incredible games,
both of them. But I just think they just didn't
have enough talent around them to really compete, especially when
you talk about the Big Ten Conference. But there are
a lot of good teams out there. They've led a
really good, you know, pre conference schedule as well. So yeah,
I think they just kind of didn't realize what they
were getting into going into that Ruggers program. And you know,

(20:31):
ultimately that goal was to go to the NBA be
a top five pick. So I guess mission accomplished on
that front.

Speaker 5 (20:36):
Sure, you know, it's funny, this might be a random thought,
but it kind of reminds me a little bit of
when Ben Simmons went to LSU. It's one of those
things where it's unfortunate because you get a player that's
that hyped and you think, Okay, at least for the
one season that he's here, you're gonna have an amazing year.
You're gonna make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
You're gonna, you know, win a ton of games. It

(20:57):
didn't happen. But I mean, like you said, there's so
many other factors behind you know, a team's success. You know,
you know, for from the Pelican standpoint, obviously, right now
they have the fourth worst record in the NBA. So
as it stands right now, most likely they're gonna they
would fit if the season ended today, they would most
likely end up in the top five or six. So

(21:17):
what I wanted to do with you just for people
like myself who hasn't been closely monitoring college basketball and
don't know a ton about some of these top guys
other than maybe a highlight here or there.

Speaker 3 (21:29):
It just kind of go through.

Speaker 5 (21:30):
I wanted to just go through the top five or
six of NBA dot COM's uh mock draft that they
have right now that is posted they have. You know,
I've done this in previous years with scouts from teams
or from other teams around the NBA. Obviously they were
always anonymous where they kind of go through the player comps.
You know, we people always know that, you know, going

(21:51):
into the draft, the draft analysts always say like, this
guy reminds me of this player and this guy from
either the current NBA or the past. So I just
wanted to start with you because you've watched a lot
of these guys. Cooper Flag is, you know, number one
on NBA dot COM's mock draft. The pro comparisons they
have listed for him are Franz Wagner and Jalen Johnson.

(22:13):
Which of those two guys is most accurate? Do you
like either of those comps based on what you've seen.

Speaker 9 (22:21):
I'm not mad at those two comps.

Speaker 8 (22:22):
I think it's pretty interesting when we talk about like
a generational prospect and we're comparing them to like Jalen Johnson.
You know, you would think, like, hey, he's more like Lebron,
is he Kevin Durant?

Speaker 9 (22:31):
Is he Steph Carried?

Speaker 6 (22:32):
Yeah?

Speaker 8 (22:32):
And like and I would say about Cooper Flag, he's
not gonna come in and immediately be a guy who like, man,
this guy looks like he can average thirty a game
in the NBA, or he look like he can just
carry our offense every single time like a Luca Donchez.
But I think what impresses me so much about Cooper
Flag already at nineteen years old, is that I feel
like he's gonna come in as almost already as a

(22:54):
complete package as a full player, you know, as a
guy with great size on the wing. He can shoot
the three ball obviously, can make plays and transition a
really good athlete the fans at a high level, plays
hard every single night, a really good passer with surprising
He's averaging around foursins a game at Duke when you
know he's sharing the ball with multiple ball handlers out there,

(23:16):
he's still making plays. He can he can play on
the ball, he could play off the ball. I just
think he's gonna step in and be able to just
contribute no matter where he goes, and they don't have
to change a whole lot to fit him in. I
think he just a guy who can really fit in
wherever he goes and contribute at a high level. I
think the big question for him coming in is what
that jump shot is going to look like? High, will

(23:38):
that three point percentage go? How much of he threat
he'll be in that area. But he's been knocking those
down at a pretty good rate when he's at Duke,
So I think he's just been extremely impressive in his
first year at Duke. And I just think the intensity
he plays with every night is I think what I,
you know, really enjoyed a most watching Cooper Flag is
that dude shows up every night and plays extremely hard

(23:59):
and he lifts up his teammates with his intensity. And
I think whatever fan base gets him is gonna love
that about him.

Speaker 5 (24:06):
One of the things that you said about you know,
you mentioned the Jalen Johnson comparison. One of the things
I try to do. I guess his time has gone on.
I've kind of learned this or tried to figure this out.
It's I try to take the player comps more as
like style of play than them projecting Okay, he's gonna
be as good as Jalen Johnson, because I mean, I
think sometimes the comps are you go either way. Sometimes

(24:28):
you look at them and you're like, man, if this
is the number One pick, and this is what he
ends up gonna to be, it's gonna be really disappointing.
But on the other side, sometimes you see player projections
where you're like, there's no way that the thirty fourth
pick of the draft is going to be as good
as this guy that they're comparing him to so exactly. Yeah,
So I try to I try to narrow it more
to because if you help, I mean, for myself, if

(24:50):
I haven't watched these guys, I don't have a good
feel of even what type of player the guy is.
So that that's where I like the player comps. That
helps me a little bit, at least before I start
to watch a lot more video, you know, when we
get into like April and May, after the season's over
number And I think.

Speaker 8 (25:06):
A lot of times the player comps kind of take
away from people appreciating your game, right, Because I think
about Trey Young coming into the NBA. Everybody saw him
shooting the d three pointers and immediately made the Steph
Curry comps, right, and everybody kind of saw him and said, yeah,
this guy's good, but he's not Steph. And I think
that kind of stuck with him for a while. And
if you just watch Trey Young's game. He's a really
good player, but he's just not Steph Curry.

Speaker 9 (25:27):
And that's fine.

Speaker 8 (25:28):
There's only one Steph Curry in the history.

Speaker 3 (25:30):
Right he sure?

Speaker 9 (25:31):
So? Yeah, I think you're exactly right.

Speaker 5 (25:35):
Number two on the list, Dylan Harper. The comparisons they
have are Kobe White, Darren Fox, and Jalen Brunson.

Speaker 4 (25:41):
What do you think.

Speaker 9 (25:43):
I think I were probably out of those three? Leaning
a little bit more Jalen Brunton.

Speaker 8 (25:46):
I don't think he's quite the explosive athlete you will
see what a darn Fox And I probably think he's
gonna be a better just floor general, pure point guard
than Kobe White. Would I like to say is he's
like he's like a big He's a big Dayalen Brunston
in a left hand Kate Cunningham. What I like to
say about Dylan Harper. I think he's gonna be a
big guy who can who can control your offense?

Speaker 9 (26:08):
He can, uh, he can.

Speaker 8 (26:09):
He Can's got great vision at the point guard position,
can score it, can hit threes, get to the basket.

Speaker 9 (26:15):
He knows how to use his body really well. Like
I said, he's not like a.

Speaker 8 (26:19):
Really explosive athlete, but he still moves really well on
the court, can get downhill, and I really he's one
of my favorite guys in this draft is because he
can do so many things and he's a he's a
real leader on the court, which you really want out
of your point guard position. And I think you know
a lot of people are gonna say that Cooper Flag
is the ultimate prize in this draft. But if we're

(26:40):
talking about from a Pelicans perspective, I think considering the
Dejontet Murray situation and him having a torn achilles and
you know, potentially being out for a good chunk of
next year, I think Land and Dylan Harper would be
a huge win for the Pelicans just to have an
answer as what's your point guard of defeature is gonna
be and as a guy who can really fit well
with the Trey Murphy, with the Zion Williamson. Yeah, I

(27:04):
love Dylan Harper's game and I think he's gonna be
really really good.

Speaker 5 (27:07):
Definitely gonna get into that part of it with you
a little bit more in terms of the Pelicans specifically
at how they approach this top part of the draft
in a second, but Number three on the list is
Ace Bailey. The comparisons they have for him are Brandon Miller,
Michael Porter Junior, and Mishard Lewis.

Speaker 4 (27:24):
What do you got for that one?

Speaker 8 (27:27):
Shar lewis one that's interesting. I haven't heard that one,
but I do that I like the Michael Porter Junior.
I've heard people kind of throw Paul George out there
with Ace Bell because when you watch him shoot the ball,
he's got a gorgeous jump shot. And the dude, who's
a legit six' nine six, Ten like when you watch,
him when you see him walk in the, gym that
dude is big.

Speaker 9 (27:46):
Already as a.

Speaker 8 (27:47):
Freshman, uh and he's gonna be much taller than a
lot of the wings that.

Speaker 9 (27:51):
He plays against the.

Speaker 8 (27:52):
League and, man when you watch his, highlights you want
to talk about a tough shot. Maker that dude he
makes some insnout a couple of. Shots it's, like, hey
as you didn't have to take that sid LIKE i, Think,
uh it's kind of the weakness of his game and
the biggest strength of his game that he's such a
good tough shot. Maker AND i think there are times
that he relies a little.

Speaker 9 (28:11):
Too much on making tough. Shots.

Speaker 8 (28:14):
Uh but you can see when you watch him, play
you can very well see how he would fit in
THE nba as a dude who can make you. Know he,
can you, know hit those mid range, jumpers he can
hit those pull up. THREES i think his his handles
a little bit questionable at this point in his, career
but you, know he's still. Young you get him with
AN nba staff over a couple of years and that

(28:34):
will improve over. Time BUT i think the big question
with him is just shot selection and you know how
much effort he's gonna play with defensively on a night
to night. Basis BUT i think offensively he's a very special.
Talent AND i think he's a guy who's, gonna you,
know drive a lot of, coaches you, know up the,
wall just because you see what he can do when
he's playing in the right.

Speaker 9 (28:53):
Way, Uh and when he's, not it could be really. Frustrated.

Speaker 5 (28:58):
Again from THE nba Dot com, list number, four they HAVE.
Vj edgecombe From. Baylor the comparisons listed Are Andrew, Wiggins Victor,
oladipo And Imon.

Speaker 4 (29:07):
Schumpert.

Speaker 8 (29:10):
Yeah, Well i've been talking to people ABOUT. Vj edgecomb
AND i always say this is my. GUY i love.

Speaker 9 (29:15):
Vj edgecomb's. GAME i think he Is he's a. Man
he is so fun to.

Speaker 8 (29:19):
WATCH i think his defensive presence is what jumps out to.
ME i think he is such so active on, defense
gets a bunch of. Steals he's an incredible. Athlete you
see some of the wild chase down blocks he's able
to get in transition the put back. Dunks he's able
to get here a racing from the three point line
to just jump over everybody and get a put back.

(29:41):
DUNK i think he's a guy who can step in
and fit in immediately with whatever team he plays. ON
i think when you're talking about a number four, PICK
i think the question will be will he be closer
to like A Derek jones junior type of guy or
will he be more like A Victor oladipo, right a
guy who can do all of that great role player
stuff but also make plays on the, ball get you some,

(30:03):
scoring make plays and pick and. ROLL i think that's
gonna be a big question with. Vj Esh combe how
high his ceiling. Is BUT i think the floor on
him is really high because he's such a great athlete
and he's such a good defender as.

Speaker 5 (30:15):
Well, lastly in the top five FOR nba dot Dot
COM's mock, draft they Have Trey johnson From.

Speaker 4 (30:22):
Texas he's a.

Speaker 5 (30:23):
Guard the comparisons for him are going back aways To
Ellen houston and Then Tyler, hero a player that you've
seen many times in.

Speaker 8 (30:31):
Person, YEAH i Think Tree johnson is a really polarizing
guy because he averages around twenty a game At. Texas
that's another team that's kind of lacking and talent around.
Him they made a little bit of noise in THE Sec,
Tournament BUT i think he's a guy similar To Ace,
bailey a really good tough shot, maker shoots it at
a high.

Speaker 9 (30:50):
LEVEL i think he was.

Speaker 8 (30:51):
Around thirty nine percent on three pointers this. Year just
a guy who can knock down three pointers at a
really high. Level the question is gonna, be you, know
how much he can do off the, dribble how much
he can get to the. Room but he's the guy
who's gonna come in immediately and be able to knock down,
threes knock down those pull up, jumpers and just be
really confident in what he's doing. OFFENSIVELY i really like his.

(31:14):
Game he's got good side in the two guard. Position
but the thing similar To Ace bailey is gonna be
how much can he improve as a ball handler to kind,
of you, know add some variety to his.

Speaker 5 (31:24):
Game the most important question of all which of these
top five that we just went through have the most
similar game To Will gillery's?

Speaker 9 (31:32):
Game, oh that is an excellent. Question i'm gonna Go Tray.
Johnson i'm not like a six ten.

Speaker 8 (31:38):
Guy you might notice about, Me JIM.

Speaker 9 (31:41):
I Say I'm Ace, Bailey so, Yeah i'm gonna Say
I'm Trey. JOHNSON i love to get up a three.
Ball anybody that.

Speaker 8 (31:47):
Knows me knows That i'm not a fan of dribbling
or passing or playing.

Speaker 9 (31:51):
Defense so, yeah just.

Speaker 8 (31:54):
Just let me shoot my three balls And i'll be.
HAPPY i think that's that's pretty Much Tray.

Speaker 5 (31:58):
Johnson isn't it A Charles barkley who says the only
bad things can happen when you've tried to play. Defense
nothing good can come by.

Speaker 9 (32:04):
That SO i say the same THING i tell.

Speaker 8 (32:06):
Everybody the best way to stay healthy playing basketball is
keep both feet on the. Ground anybody's doing us running and,
Jumping that's how you get. Hurt just keep both feet
on the ground and you'll be.

Speaker 9 (32:16):
Good there you.

Speaker 5 (32:16):
GO i, SAID i was going to ask you about
The pelicans. SPECIFICALLY i wanted to get into that too. Briefly,
obviously we don't know, When we're not going to know
Until may twelfth of where exactly The pelicans are going to,
Pick so that obviously is going to color a lot
of the discussion and maybe even make it easy to answer.
This BUT i, mean when you go into this, draft

(32:37):
you're picking in this spot given The pelicans' circumstances, overall
where they are in terms of their, ROSTER i, mean
do you look at this as you, know obviously it
seems like people know who's going to going to be
pick number? One but if you're The, pelicans do you
look at position here or do you say we got
to get the best talent available and we'll worry about
the details.

Speaker 3 (32:57):
Later, YEAH i, mean if.

Speaker 9 (32:59):
You getting them, One Cooper flag is the, choice no.
Question LIKE i, said he's a complete. Package he could fit.
Anywhere he's all standing on both ends of the. Court
you get.

Speaker 8 (33:07):
Him and then the other factor is he's gonna step
in and be box office.

Speaker 9 (33:11):
IMMEDIATELY i, mean.

Speaker 8 (33:11):
This guy is gonna be a really big start a
moment he steps into the. League if you got a
chance to get, him you get, him and you figure
out how he fits with everybody else. Later but LIKE i,
SAID i Think Dylan harper would be an excellent fit
for what The pelicans need just at the point guard,
position as a guy who can fit next to what
you're building long, TERM i think he would be a

(33:33):
really great. Fit Ace BAILEY i think would be an
interesting one In New.

Speaker 9 (33:37):
Orleans BUT i think pretty much.

Speaker 8 (33:39):
Any of these guys that we mentioned top, four top,
FIVE i think would be a really good fit In New.
Orleans obviously there's, levels because you, Know Cooper flag is
above everybody. Else i'll probably Put Dylan harper a tier
right Below Cooper, flag and THEN i would Go Ace
bailey and then some of the rest of these. Guys
but like we've said, ALREADY i mean this draft is really.

Speaker 9 (33:58):
Good at the.

Speaker 8 (33:58):
Top you can, go you, know with a bunch of
names we haven't, mentioned like you, Know jakasnas In.

Speaker 9 (34:05):
Illinois you Got Derek queen From.

Speaker 8 (34:08):
MARYLAND i, mean there's so many good, players and It's
Jeremiah fears From. Oklahoma is WHEN i really like there
are a bunch of dudes in this draft were really
good one through.

Speaker 9 (34:17):
Ten and you, YOU i think you're gonna.

Speaker 8 (34:19):
Feel pretty good about whichever one of these guys you.

Speaker 5 (34:22):
Land, YEAH i was thinking about going further into the
top ten with, you but hopefully we don't have to
worry too farther than the top five or. Six but you,
know we've already taken up a bunch of your. TIME
i GUESS i had just a couple of quick things
about The pelicans right. Now you, know obviously The monday
was was a was a bad night overall for The,
pelicans and, then you, know first minute of the, Game

(34:44):
Trey murphy gets. Injured they announced afterwards that he's out
for the. SEASON i, mean how do you see the you,
know obviously it's terrible news For trey because he's gonna
miss the rest of the. Season how do you see
the impact that that's gonna have on the rotation or
what we should expect for the final thirteen games in
terms of now you have another guy scorer who's not gonna,
play and you know what that means in terms Of

(35:06):
Willie green's rotation and how he's, gonna you, know approach
the last few weeks of the.

Speaker 4 (35:10):
Season, YEAH i think the.

Speaker 8 (35:13):
Big thing we kind of mentioned it with a guy
Like Ace, bailey right when you Remove Trey murphy from
the lineup along With Herb, JONES i think he's gonna
be just a lot smaller on a, perimeter, Right we're
gonna see a lot OF. Cj, McCollum Jose, Alvarado antonio,
reeves those type of. Guys With Trey, MURPHY i think
he just adds so much size on the. Perimeter trey's
obviously made a big jump as a ball handled this

(35:33):
year's shot. CREATOR i think more ad is gonna fall
on A, cj on A. JOSE i think the spacing
Around zion is gonna be tougher Without trey out. There
SO i think everything's gonna be just a little bit
tougher because just Because trey was able to contribute so.

Speaker 9 (35:49):
Much AND i think the big scary thing.

Speaker 8 (35:51):
Is kind of WHAT i wrote about this, morning is,
that you, know with these, injuries With, dejonte with herb undergoing,
surgery with some uncertainty attached to trade her, FEE i
think the big question is going to, be you, know
how many of these guys are gonna be?

Speaker 9 (36:03):
Healthy at the start of next.

Speaker 8 (36:04):
Season, right, well Where's herb gonna be at the start
of training?

Speaker 9 (36:08):
Camp Where's trey gonna be able to start a training?

Speaker 8 (36:09):
Camp we Know desonte is probably gonna miss the first
few months next, Season so how much of this season
from hell is gonna bled it the next? SEASON i
think it's that big concern for The, Peils but for right,
NOW i think it's, about you, know just getting these
young guys some.

Speaker 9 (36:24):
Minutes that's the big.

Speaker 8 (36:25):
Thing you are where you, Are just keep zying, healthy
get your young guys, minutes and just get to the
off season and figure out where.

Speaker 9 (36:32):
You go from.

Speaker 5 (36:32):
There WHEN i hear you talking about that next, Season
i'm sitting here, thinking, MAN i need a.

Speaker 3 (36:36):
Nap did you see WHAT i just?

Speaker 2 (36:38):
Did my head went, down and THEN i went to
the computer to the right of me and typed in
torn laboram surgery covering, time And i'm just gonna read
from the screen sling four to six, weeks full range
of motion and strength will return to sports, activities often
taking three to six.

Speaker 3 (36:57):
Months let's. Count, well since you.

Speaker 2 (36:58):
Made me do it Here May, june that's three, Months, July, August,
september six months training camp Is, october so based on,
this he should be good to go for training.

Speaker 9 (37:13):
Camp, yeah let's.

Speaker 8 (37:17):
Hope so BECAUSE i Watching Trey murphy play. Basketball, Yeah
i'm gonna go out on the limb here and SAY
i enjoy Watching Trey murphy play. Basketball So i'm hoping he's.
Healthy he's good to. Go we get to watch as
much of this team healthy as, possible BECAUSE i, Know
i'm tired of writing about how this lineup hasn't played
together before this guy is gonna be out this number of.

(37:37):
Weeks i've been doing a whole lot of that over
the past couple of, years, guys And i'm getting tired of.

Speaker 5 (37:42):
It When gus said that he went to his computer
to look up, something for a, SECOND i thought he
was he was typing in like therapy sessions or something like,
that trying to because that's WHAT i THINK i need
when to hear.

Speaker 4 (37:51):
That but you know what it.

Speaker 3 (37:53):
IS i thought.

Speaker 8 (37:55):
He's gonna type in is it possible for me to
give my labor The Trey. MURPHY i think there's a
few people in the organizations that will happily give up
that lad room For Trey murphy to be out.

Speaker 3 (38:04):
There, yeah that's that's a good point.

Speaker 2 (38:07):
THOUGH i, Mean, jim that will brings up though it's
you hope that some of these injuries do come back
and and and doesn't affect your start because as we
Heard zion, Say, will part of the goal for this
basketball team the last several weeks and to finish the
season is to get momentum.

Speaker 3 (38:22):
Going is to create your.

Speaker 2 (38:24):
Identity so that As zion, said you know now famously
when he clapped his, hands you're off and running to
start the. Season it's hard to do if people keep getting.
Injured and, AGAIN i keep looking at that play on you,
know the. WEEKEND i just just't make any. SENSE i
don't know how that.

Speaker 3 (38:38):
Happened fifty scions. In but it's just the season that it,
is isn't?

Speaker 9 (38:43):
It? Yeah? Man AND i think you, know part of the,
whole big part of.

Speaker 8 (38:48):
How the season became what it was is because so
many injuries happened immediately as the season, started right we,
Famously Trey murphy heard his amstring date to a training
camp That Dante murray broke his. Hand Game war of the,
SEASON cj And herb go down what was the game?

Speaker 9 (39:03):
Four game?

Speaker 8 (39:04):
Five Uh, so, man the big part of this season
was it felt like it was over, immediately and you
just don't want to feel like.

Speaker 9 (39:10):
That that started next season as.

Speaker 3 (39:11):
Well AND i didn't even start the season right, Right.

Speaker 9 (39:14):
Yeah, yeah it was ill for the first, game.

Speaker 3 (39:16):
Which is, crazy which is why we never.

Speaker 8 (39:18):
Never saw Dejont bi And zion play together for that.

Speaker 2 (39:21):
Reason that is, added are we gonna hold them down to?
This she did Not sheet Of, integrity BUT i guess
The podcast Of. Integrity who do you have on your
bracket winning the national?

Speaker 9 (39:31):
Championship?

Speaker 8 (39:33):
Uh, AM i run to say In North, carolina whatever
be going too.

Speaker 9 (39:36):
Far, Going i'm going all on the.

Speaker 8 (39:41):
Limb i'm Calling.

Speaker 9 (39:41):
HOUSTON i love That houston.

Speaker 8 (39:43):
Squad they're tough as, hell they play. Defense uh and
they got some vets over. THERE i think to win
in today's college you gotta have.

Speaker 9 (39:50):
Some vets on your. Squad SO i Like.

Speaker 3 (39:51):
HOUSTON i Have houston duke in the final. FOUR i
Have auburn duke in The.

Speaker 4 (39:57):
Natty And i'm not gonna tell you WHO i have
was that's enough duke. Mentions he probably just hung up
on us.

Speaker 3 (40:02):
Already, yeah who do you?

Speaker 9 (40:05):
Got?

Speaker 3 (40:05):
Jim have you looked at? It you haven't bracket.

Speaker 4 (40:07):
YET i haven't looked at.

Speaker 9 (40:08):
It, okay there it.

Speaker 4 (40:09):
Is, No i'm probably not Gonna i'm definitely not gonna
fill one.

Speaker 9 (40:12):
Out no.

Speaker 2 (40:12):
Brackets my kid does it based on the, animals, right the,
Mascots my wife does the, jerseys And, will as you,
know hosting the show for so many, years they always beat.

Speaker 3 (40:23):
Me SO i don't know what. That jim should just
select based off of maybe region's.

Speaker 4 (40:30):
Proximity To New York. State MAYBE i. COULD i could
do it that. Way whoever's closest to Where i'm.

Speaker 2 (40:35):
From my then seven year old smoked me last year
in The March madness bracket basically just based.

Speaker 3 (40:42):
On well an, eagle can you, know grab a worm
and all. This i'm not even kidding. You so it.

Speaker 8 (40:47):
Worked the one thing we know about college basketball is
the more you know about college basketball and.

Speaker 9 (40:52):
Worship, look MAYBE i have a. Chance that's why we
Love March. MADNESS i love. It.

Speaker 2 (40:58):
Man, well thank you for your time as, always, sir
appreciate you. Guys Thanks, will all, right our thanks To
will as, Always AND i mentioned earlier it Is, wednesday.

Speaker 1 (41:07):
All, right.

Speaker 7 (41:08):
Y'all now it's time For Western Conference wednesday Mister eichenhoffer
will tell.

Speaker 3 (41:13):
Us whose stock is up and whose stock is. Down
so let's get.

Speaker 7 (41:18):
Started, jim what is our team to keep an eye
on for this?

Speaker 3 (41:21):
Week Will?

Speaker 5 (41:23):
Mellory the team to watch is The Portland. Trailblazers AND
i Think i'm gonna keep this brief, today BUT i
mean a lot of What i'm gonna talk about is
related to the play in, race for it's gotten a
lot more interesting. Lately so The Portland trailblazers are thirty
and thirty. Nine they're in twelfth place in The. West
they only three games Behind, dallas so they've really played
themselves back into contention for maybe extending their season into the.

(41:44):
Postseason over the next, week The trailblazers play four home,
games and this is WHY i picked. THEM i, mean
this is a really tough. Schedule they have The, grizzlies The,
nuggets The, celtics and The. Cavaliers so if they can
get through that and still be in the, RACE i
will definitely give them a huge tip of the. Cap
it's going to be, difficult but at the same, time
the way The mavericks are, playing it seems like anyone

(42:06):
everyone is still in the race if you're within a few,
games because The mavericks have been losing. Constantly speaking of
which stock down is The Dallas. Mavericks they're now thirty
three and thirty, six tenth place in The. West they're
only one game ahead Of, phoenix which is The suns
are in. Eleventh The mavericks have lost eight out of
their last ten. Games and so even though The suns
haven't really been playing great and The TRAILBLAZERS i think

(42:29):
have leveled off a little bit, lately mostly because their
schedule has been so, difficult The mavericks have just kept
everyone in. It stock. Up The Houston rockets have now
won seven games in a. Row it's been a little
bit of a lighter, schedule but all of a, sudden
they're back in second. Place so they had a stretch
for much of the earlier part of the year where
they were either second or third. Place they dropped down

(42:51):
a couple, spots but now they're back into. Seconds SO i,
mean if you think about where they were two years,
ago where they WON i think around twenty games last,
year they were exactly five hundred at forty one and forty.
One if they can hold on to that number two.
Seed that is a heck of an accomplishment for that,
team and they do have a relatively difficult schedule over
the next few, days teams that have been a little

(43:13):
bit rocky as well mixed in. There they're At, orlando At,
miami home Against, denver and home Against. Atlanta so we'll
see if they can keep that winning streak. GOING i,
Mean miami's on a long losing, streak so you, know on,
paper you would think that they could get that. One
maybe they can get up to double figures in terms
of The rockets winning. Streak BUT i am just continually

(43:34):
impressed by the fact that if you look at all
of the competition in The Western, conference that they right
now would be the number two.

Speaker 3 (43:41):
Seed it's pretty crazy when you think about where they
are right.

Speaker 2 (43:43):
Now, okay See, Houston, denver, Rall lakers at, Four memphis,
Five Golden state, Six minnesota, Seven which is why you're.
Sportless scarel was the way it was back On. Monday
they have a lot to play.

Speaker 5 (43:57):
For they ended up by the way, Too they did
end up losing that game to the Pay SO i
guess we're gonna go back to. Eight on the spoiler,
scale it would have been nine if they had a
nine game winning streak but, going but they ended up
losing that game To indiana in a crazy overtime.

Speaker 2 (44:09):
Game, Clippers, Kings mavericks round out the, ten and then
The suns are what a full game, Back trailblazers three games,
Black SO i guess it's really The suns that be
competing for attends by everybody.

Speaker 3 (44:20):
Else so you THINK i think.

Speaker 4 (44:22):
They still have a.

Speaker 5 (44:23):
CHANCE i mean from the schedule THAT i, listed, though
it's gonna be. DIFFICULT i, Mean portland has thirteen games
left in the next four are the ONES i Mentioned, Memphis, Denver, Boston,
cleveland SO i mean it'd be tough To there's not
that many stretches of any team in the entire season
that has a more difficult four games in a row than,
That so we'll see if they can hang. On BUT i,
mean LIKE i was saying earlier, too The mavericks are

(44:46):
having a hard time winning any. Games so it's like
you could if you're behind The. Mavericks the way The
mavericks are playing right, now you could go on a
five game losing streak and not even lose any. Ground
so Maybe i'll be, curious you, know in a week
to ten days If portland's still in. It but they're
going to have to pick up a couple, wins you would,
think although you would think that at thirty and thirty
nine in The, west you wouldn't be in the race,

(45:07):
anymore but they are because The mavericks are three games
under and in tenth.

Speaker 2 (45:11):
Place we're just over ten games for most, people right
and under fifteen for a lot of. Teams i'd love
to tell you who's winning and who's, Not, jim but
THEN i saw last week AND i don't want to
get you fined or anybody else. Fined The Charlotte hornets
head coach is too. Wild melo bal didn't. Play it
was in his best interest because he has a rist

(45:31):
or something to not play save him and no comment
for his.

Speaker 3 (45:35):
Health, yeah you.

Speaker 5 (45:38):
Know the one THING i will, SAY i feel like
this was about six or seven years. Ago i've talked
about this, before maybe not on the, podcast but six
or seven years. AGO i remember there was A sacramento
team that was out of the race and started resting
guys with like five six games left in the regular.
Season to, me that was the first time THAT i
had ever seen teams rest guys who are also about

(45:59):
to get five months, off, Right so, like from that
standpoint of the, rest it doesn't make a ton of
sense to sit. Guys SO i don't. Know, well this
is a conversation for another. Day if you're not on
board with preparing to rest by, resting, no, NO i
guess that's how you get into a.

Speaker 4 (46:13):
Groove it's like you get. Me, YEAH i hadn't thought
of it that.

Speaker 5 (46:16):
Way that's a creative way to, prepare think about that.

Speaker 4 (46:19):
Thing, yeah you gotta be ready to. Rest, YEAH i
don't know by.

Speaker 3 (46:22):
Resting we'll see what.

Speaker 5 (46:23):
HAPPENS i don't. Know i'd be fine with the league
doing something about some of this. Stuff, so but that's
a that's a discussion for another. DAY i suppose you.

Speaker 4 (46:30):
Could do an hour on, that because you can bring
up all some people have. Lately no look, Podcast.

Speaker 2 (46:35):
Well and it's to the point of, this, RIGHT i,
mean it's these games, matter and they and they matter
sometimes to the teams that you're. Playing all, right if
there's a there's a big difference between, three, four, five,
six seven right in the standings, gym AND i mean
that could be hosting a first round that could be

(46:55):
hosting or a matchup that's better for. You so, yeah,
MAN i mean it's a big difference when you're facing
a team that is not putting its best players on
the court to.

Speaker 4 (47:06):
Compete and, mean it just is it kind of reminds.

Speaker 5 (47:09):
ME i, know people hate it when people talk about
their fantasy, team And i'm not a huge fan of that,
Either but one of the analogies THAT i could use
is like, PEOPLE i haven't played fantasy sports in a long,
time BUT i always, remember you're in a league and,
somebody one of the other owners decides after Like week
ten of THE nfl, season That i'm not going to
even fill out my lineup. Anymore and then in the
last few weeks of the, season it's like He's he's

(47:30):
that person is losing to everyone because he's not even trying.

Speaker 4 (47:33):
Anymore and it's the.

Speaker 5 (47:35):
Worst it kills, it which is WHY i think a
lot of these fantasy football leagues have started this this
very fun tradition where whoever finishes in last place has
to do something embarrassing.

Speaker 4 (47:44):
Awful do we need to start doing?

Speaker 5 (47:45):
THAT? Nba, like if you finish in last, place you
have to do something, embarrassing you have, to LIKE i
don't know what it would. Be that's another show, too
where it could come up with ideas of what you
have to.

Speaker 9 (47:55):
Do, right do?

Speaker 3 (47:58):
That do you pay a? Fine?

Speaker 2 (48:00):
Yeah, MAYBE i don't know by finishing, less but, yeah
LIKE i guess if you're. TRYING i, KNOW i don't,
know because, LOOK i can get into discussion With baseball
about eating a cap and.

Speaker 3 (48:12):
STUFF i, mean.

Speaker 2 (48:12):
There's literally two thirds of the league no shot at, winning,
right you, know just because they're not even spending fifty,
million and the two teams that are spending the, most
Like Grafts, DODGERS i think quarter of a billion.

Speaker 3 (48:24):
Dollars, right you, know it's it's just, no you're.

Speaker 5 (48:27):
Right so as much AS i want to rail On Grafts, dodgers,
yeah My phillies are not that far behind in terms
of well everyone's pretty far behind The, dodgers but they
spend a lot of money, Too SO i don't.

Speaker 3 (48:36):
Know, well i'll leave you with.

Speaker 2 (48:37):
This this, morning we watched and The cubs are down
six three eighth, inning losing their second straight game to
The dodgers in The Tokyo.

Speaker 3 (48:45):
Series games that.

Speaker 2 (48:46):
Count and my son, Goes i'm really. Sad The cubs
aren't very, good are. They i'm, like, Well, carver there
are The dodgers that are defending. Champs so tany hit
a home?

Speaker 9 (48:54):
Run you know it's The.

Speaker 5 (48:57):
Dodgers it's a little early, too we'll start to, well
it's a little too early to get, CONCERNED i.

Speaker 4 (49:02):
Guess but there's only one hundred and sixty games.

Speaker 2 (49:04):
Left But i'm used to not being, involved you, know
being alive By. April but Its march. Nineteenth we're already oing,
too right, Anyway jami can offer is always, appreciated. Sir
we'll see On, friday and we will be at a watch.
Party come on out To Fat. Harry's we will be
there for the second game against The Tea. Wolves jim
AND i will be, there be an Official pelicans watch.

(49:25):
Party corona will be, There pierre The pelican will be,
there members of The pells, squad and more, importantly if
you didn't get those, Coosies i'm not PROMISING i.

Speaker 3 (49:33):
Might they might be. There we have a lot of
really cool. Swag it should be a lot of. Fun
it's always appreciate.

Speaker 4 (49:38):
It thanks, Guys thank, you.

Speaker 3 (49:39):
Mister Well, gilby thank you for. Listening you'd be listening
to The pelicans.

Speaker 1 (49:42):
Podcast thanks for listening to The New Orleans pelicans. Podcast
join us three times per week on pelicans dot, com
The pelicans mobile, app The iHeartRadio, app or where you
get your, podcast and be sure to Give jim And
guss a. Follow so ON x And jim UNDERSCORE I

(50:02):
Can offer And Gcat underscore. Seventeen we'll see you next
time right here on The New Orleans pelicans podcast