February 21, 2024 • 33 mins
Chris Mannix is joined by Mark Medina to break down how the Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu three point contest stood out among the lackluster events of all star weekend. We also get into if the Lakers can even make it out of the play in after a quiet trade deadline and what Milwaukee's title push with Giannis, Damian Lillard, and new coach Doc Rivers might look like
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Is the crossover sports Illustrators NBA show, bring them the
latest news, rumors and everything. Here's your host, Chris.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
This is the Crossover NBA podcast. I'm Chris Mannix. Joined
this week by longtime NBA writer not working over at
Sports Keda, Fox Sports Radio among several publications, Mark Medina
and Mark. Uh, we have to join the chorus right
like sometimes I like to, you know, zig when others
(00:39):
are zagging. But in the case of this podcast, we
have got to discuss what happened on All Stars Sunday,
and really what happened on All Star weekend. Uh, if
you missed it, didn't I don't think that's possible.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Uh. The All Star.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Game was one of the worst that the NBA has
ever seen. After promising that this game would be more
competitive than games in the past, it was not. After
promising that more defense would be played, not in so
many words, but implying that there would be a better game.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
This is Adam Silver saying this. It was not.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
You had the highest scoring half in All Star history,
you had the highest scoring game in All Star history,
and you had the first team in All Star Game
history scoring two hundred points in a game. So not
what the NBA was looking for with its All Star Games.
So I'll frame the question this way, Mark, how bad
was this for the NBA? Because as we record this,
(01:46):
I don't know what the ratings were. I'd imagine they're
probably going to be right along with what they were
last year, four and a half million, five million, five
and a half million something along those lines, which is
still a pretty big number for an NBA game. That's
probably gonna wind up out rating every NBA regular season
game that they played to date. So you know, in
(02:06):
that context, how bad was this event for the NBA?
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Yeah, Well, to answer the factual questions here, I did
receive a notice earlier today that the ratings were up
from twenty percent last year, so that's good. But as
far as the game itself, it was not good whatsoever.
And that's saying a lot because I thought last year's
(02:32):
game was horrific, with exception to some of those moments
that Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum with having some of
the one on one matchups. In this year's game, you know,
you had some entertaining moments, right like Damian Lillard hitting
from the logo, hitting from half court, one of the
many reasons why he got the All Star MVP. You
saw some entertaining moments with the two man game with
(02:54):
Luka Doncic and nikoley Jokic, but those are social media moments.
As far as the game, it's elf, it was entirely unwatchable.
And Chris, I read your column earlier today at SI
dot com, and I thought you brought a lot of
good perspective that this isn't about bemoaning the All Star
Game and hoping it's how it was in the past,
like that ship has sailed. The NBA, to its credit,
(03:17):
has tried to come up with incentives, but if this
game is going to exist, it has to change. It
has to at least be entertaining. We're not expecting Game
seven finals intensity, we're not even expecting playoff intensity, but
it has to be entertaining. And I think even through
that lens, the game failed.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Yeah, it did fail, and I don't know that there
is anything the NBA can do to fix it. You know,
they've tried every format that or almost every format they
possibly could. They have gone from ditching the East versus
West traditional format, they have installed the draft, they have
named team captains, they have changed the way the game
(03:58):
is scored when it comes by quarters.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
They have in elam ending.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Everything they have tried has not yielded competition, and that's
what the NBA is looking for. They're looking for a
throwback type of game, some kind of thing you saw
in the eighties and nineties where players were playing with
close to regular season like intensity, and I don't think
that's ever going to happen. I've seen some people throw
out the idea of a US versus the World type
(04:21):
of game.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Sure, that'd be fun, but two.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Of the biggest uh trying to figure it what. We're
not criminals at all this, but the two biggest perpetrators
of a bad All Star game were Luka Doncic and Nakoliokischoo.
Neither one of them looked like they had any interest
in playing there. So I don't know that making it
a US versus the World competition is going to spice
it up enough to make it a more competitive game.
(04:47):
And really, you know, with these numbers, I don't know
that there's a huge incentive.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
To make it that way.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Yeah, people like you and me can't stand it, and
social media largely can't stand it. Adam Silver certainly can't stand.
But there's an audience watching it, right, Like there's an
audience of five million plus people that are watching this game.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
So I think we just have to accept it for
what it is.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
It's never going to be a intense regular season like
Atmosphere where where Where the NBA missed or what they
missed on is having a competitive final five minutes. Like
in the past, we've seen three and a half quarters
of bad basketball, but when the game was close, it
got competitive because guys started to get those juices.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Flowing and they wanted to win the game.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
We didn't have that in this past All Star Game,
which I think made things significantly worse.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
So I don't know if you have a cure all
for this.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
I don't know if you have a suggestion for Adam
Silver if he's listing right now. But in my opinion,
there's nothing the NBA can do to make this competitive game.
I don't think financial incentive is going to work. I
don't think changing a format again is going to work.
These guys make.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Too much money. And you heard what Anthony Edwards say
after the game was over.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
He said, look, I never planned on this being a
competitive game. He was always going to treat this like
a glorified exhibition game. Players want to get in, they
want to get out, they want to play injury free,
and they want to have a good time over their
All Star break, and that's what they consider it, an
All Star break. And over a break, you are not
going to play all that hard. So I don't know
if you have a suggestion, but I'm out of them.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Yeah, I'm with you in the sense that any idea
that we can ever have this All Star game be
like what it was in the eighties, nineties, even the
early two thousands, that's a lost cause. I've been talked
with Rick Berry, a former NBA player who was always
opinionated about things, and he's like, that's never going to happen.
Like the owners, they don't want a super competitive game
because there's so much money on the line where guys
(06:44):
could get hurt. But it's hard for me to wrestle
with the idea that, oh, there's nothing we can do
to change as this is the way it should be.
If this is the way it is, I would say
we should just scrap the game altogether and come up
with alternative events. Now to what you were saying about, Okay,
what are some proposals. I'm with you that the financial
incentives they're already there, and I don't know if that
(07:06):
will actually address anything. I would hope and I presume
that Idem Silver and Joe Jumars when they talked with
the group, they reinforced this idea that when you're looking
at a tent pole event like this is part of
the media rights deal, this is part of the total
revenue and bri that can affect it. So I think
that even though the viewership numbers can be higher when
(07:27):
we're when they're in the middle of this media rights deal, arguably,
whether it's with a streaming platform that could be sold
for an individual event or if it's part of the
total package, I think having a better All Star Game
in terms of its quality can enhance that number and
obviously provide a trickle down effect. Now, what are the solutions.
I'm with you that I'm running out of them. But
(07:50):
if the All Star Game isn't going to at least
have competitive moments guys wanting to showcase, you know, not
again regular season intensity and let alone playoff intense but
fun competitive moments, and that they're going to take the
game somewhat seriously, let's just make it an All Star
event filled with building off the three point contest and
(08:10):
building off of what Steph Curtis, Steph Curry and Sabrina
a new Escu showed this season, and then you know,
have new events, whether it's one on one, three on three,
and things of that sort, as opposed to just saying,
you know what, we're gonna have this game that's inevitably
good to be terrible. Let's just live with it.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Yeah, I'm with you on All Star Saturday being addressable.
I think that is something that can be fixed. I
think you start by eliminating some of the stuff that's
already there. I think the Slam Dunk Contest has seen
better days, Mark, I really do. I mean Mac McClung.
No disrespect Mac McClung, who had some fantastic dunks this
(08:51):
past weekend, but he has played a grand total of
four NBA games and he has.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Won two Slam Dunk contest. Kip toppin rookie him hawkis
junior rookie.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Give Jalen Brown credit for participating, but we need more
guys on Jalen Brown's level or above to make this
dunk contest interesting. And I don't think there's anyway we're
gonna get that. I think that ship has has long
since sailed. I think you can mothball that. I also
think you can mothball the skills competition, which you know,
when I saw Anthony Edwards out there shooting left handed,
that's when I knew, like this thing had seen better days.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Like you don't need to do the skills competition anymore.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
I love the step Versus Sabrina competition like that made
that night memorable. When the NBA put out that number
that there were ten million unique viewers, whatever that means,
I think a lot of that was due to step
Versus Sabrina, and that is something that can both be
(09:48):
duplicated and can be built on.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Right.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
So you have a rematch maybe during WNBA All Star Weekend,
that's great, and then you get to next year where
All Star Weekend is at the Chase Center, Steph's home court.
I believe Sabrina is from the Bay Area. You expand
on that, like Caitlin Clark from Iowa. She could be
in the WNBA next year. She is one of the
most electrifying shooters that we have seen in the women's game.
(10:15):
Damian Lillard just won the three point contest from the
Bay Area from Oakland.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Add him.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
How about Dame and Steph versus Sabrina and Caitlin? How
about that two on two? And then you keep building,
like as more women enter the WNBA with this elite
level shooting skill, and that's gonna keep happening. These are
not aberrations. Sabrina's not an aberration, Caitlin Clark's not an aberration. Like,
these women are going to continue to come into the
(10:41):
league with great shooting skills. Keep building it out. Maybe
eventually you have three on three, maybe you have four
on four. Maybe it's five on five WNBA versus NBA
shooting competition.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
That's great. I think that.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Should become the tenth pole event of All Stars Saturday.
So I think that gets moved up. Keep the three
point contest, which is still pretty good, think of the
main three point contest, and add something different. I think
they should add a one on one competition. I've been
saying this for years. I've been being this drum for
year after year after year. NBA players don't care about
being the skills champion. NBA players no longer care about
(11:17):
being the Slam Dunk Champion. What I think they do
care about, or will care about, is being the best
one on one player in the NBA, the metaphorical king
of the Court. So I think if you establish a
one on one competition, however you want to do it,
maybe it's a King of the Court style contest, maybe
it's a round robin type of thing, however you want
to do it, I think that would entice some of
the top.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
One on one players in the NBA.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
I think you could get you know, Paul George to
compete in something like that. You could get Yannis to
compete in something like that. You could get Anthony Edwards
to compete in something like that. All the top skill guys,
you could get them competing in a one on one competition.
So a lot of things I think need to change
with All Star Saturday. But I think there are to
(12:00):
that problem.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
What do you think?
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Yeah, I'm with you one hundred percent. The Skills competition.
Every time I see it, I get confused with the
rules and the fact that its weird to watch. It
makes me not want to watch it anymore. The Dunk Contest. Look,
Mac McClung's great, But to your point, he's a G
League player, and it was starting to get old that
the only idea outside of what Jalen Brown was doing,
(12:23):
which wasn't great anyway, was using shack as a prop
like the novelty of that's going to quickly wear off,
and it represents what has been wrong with the dunk
contest for a while now that as entertaining as it
once was, with even seeing the top dunkers and seeing
their athleticism, there's only so many things you can do
before dunking the basketball. Where with a three point shot,
(12:44):
it kind of is what it is. Either make the
shot or you don't. There's not an expectation for style
points other than you know, do you make the moneyball
or not? And so I think when you look at
the fact that that is what it is. The game
has been obviously growing with an increasing importance of three
points shooting. There's a lot of great three point shooters,
and the WNBA has grown in popularity and stature. I
(13:06):
think that this has essentially become a cottage industry to
your point that there's not going to be any shortage
of combinations, whether it's to what you're saying, the traditional
three point contest the WNBA, maybe even expanding it with
nominating the best shooting backcourt or the best at least
two man game of each team and have a two
on two, so to speak, of which bust duos shoot
(13:29):
the best threes. And then I would also expand to
what you're saying one on one, to make a two
on two, three on three. Have whether it's you know,
the combination of fan votes, media votes, and players or
coaches or all the above. You know, let's see who
are the best one on one players, the best duos
in the NBA. And I think because it will be
(13:49):
a lot less intensity that's asked of a traditional All
Star game, I think that there will be more of
a buy in as well as the fact that this
is something new.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
The greatest video game arguably in basketball history, as NBA
Jam like that great video game, like.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
The refs cannot allow the kind of fallon that we
saw in.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
The correct yeah yeah, correct, but NBA JAM one on
one competition, two on two competition.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
I would love to see it.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
All Right, that's enough oxygen spent on All Star weekend.
Tough for the NBA to have like a bad night
like they had this past Sunday, on a week that
followed where there was nothing else to talk about, Like,
you weren't talking NFL, you weren't talking baseball, you weren't
talking hockey, you weren't talking college basketball. The NBA was
front center and they had a dud, and it was
on every single show, and as we're doing right now
(14:36):
on every single podcast. Let's move on a couple of
things I want to get to when it comes to
the second half of the season, which really stretch run
of the season. Thirty some odd games to go in
the NBA regular season, two of the most interesting teams
out there are the Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks. The
Lakers enter the All Star break playing really good basketball.
The Angelo Russell is playing out of his mind since
(14:57):
January first. Lebron and ad are playing an All Star
All NBA level, but the Lakers are still squarely in
that play in mix. They elected to do nothing at
the trade deadline. Their big move was to sign Spencer Dinwiddie,
and now they're crossing their fingers hoping that guys like
Jared Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent are going to be able
(15:18):
to come back before.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
The end of the regular season.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
So I'll ask it this way, what do you think
the ceiling is of this Lakers team? Assuming they make
no further moves with buy out guys or anything else,
what do you think the ceiling of this team is?
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Yeah, Chris, great question, assuming that relatively speaking on paper,
there's no major injuries that affect the dynamic across the league.
I think that the ceiling for the Lakers is to
get to the second round, and that's assuming that Lebron
James Anthony Davis are obviously healthy still playing a high level.
D'Angel Russell. I think that we've seen throughout his career
(15:56):
it's inevitably he's going to play with peaks and valleys,
hot shooting nights, shooting nights. But I think, as we
saw last season, even through those ups and downs, I've
always thought that while Dangel Russell certainly and has never
been untouchable when it comes to what his free agents
destination would be or trade talks, I think the larger
point through the ups and downs is he was a
(16:17):
really key piece of that engine that made sure that
the offensive system ran smoothly because of his shooting, because
of his playmaking, overall presence with his floor spacing, I'm
not getting my hopes up that gave Vincent is going
to be, you know, healthier or have substantial time. But
there certainly is a realistic window for Jared Vanderbilt and
(16:39):
Cam Reddish and Max Christie to have a cleaner bill
of health. But you know, while you don't rule anything out,
especially when you're looking at the teams like the Clippers
and the Phoenix Suns given their injury history, I just
don't think even in best case scenarios that they can
get past the Denver Nuggets or even some of the young,
up and coming teams that are solidifying themselves as true
(17:01):
playoff contenders like Oklahoma City and Minnesota. But you know what,
given where they're at, I know the Lakers aren't about this.
Lebron James certainly isn't about this, But I think second
round is as best as realistically as they can come,
assuming again, there's no outside extenuating circumstances with injuries that
just change the entire landscape.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, I'd like to be more bullish on the Lakers.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
God knows, I was last year and right around this
time I was predicting a run.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
To the court.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Let's hear the pick. I don't have it.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
I don't I don't have it in me this year,
Mark to make to believe in this Lakers team.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
I agree with what you're saying about Russell.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
He's been fantastic of late, but he's got a history
of being great and then being not so great. And
the Lakers really can't afford, you know, their third best
offensive option being as uneven and unreliable as D'Angelo Russell
has been. And look, I would say second round as well.
But man like, it's gonna fight for them to get
(18:00):
out of play in tournament if they wind up there.
I mean, look at the teams right now that are
in the play in tournament field. You've got Dallas, which
just made a bunch of moves to upgrade its roster.
You've got Sacramento, which is still largely the team that
we saw last year in the top of the Western
Conference standings. Some of their guys have underachieved, they're still
capable of getting back to that high level. You get
(18:21):
the Warriors, who are eight and two in their last
ten games, starting to show some signs of life there.
So if the Lakers wind up in that mix and
have to play two of those teams, just to get
into the postseason. I mean getting in just might be
a challenge. And look, if they get in and they
wind up playing Oklahoma City in the first round, maybe
they can win a series like that. But I mean, Minnesota,
(18:45):
can they beat the Timberwolves? Like I think it's time
to accept that Minnesota is pretty good, right. I know
we've been waiting and waiting and waiting to make it
draw any conclusions about Minnesota. But they're seven to three
in their last ten. They went to the break winning
four straight. They're a great defensive team. Things are working
in Minnesota Oklahoma City. The one thing they don't have
is experience the Clippers. They might overtake Oklahoma City in
(19:06):
the second half, and when they're healthy there as good
as any team in the NBA. Denver is in that
mix as well. The ceiling is a trip to the
second round, and that is a ceiling I think they
might have a really hard time getting to because of
the challenges they're going to face early on. This is
not a situation like last year where they got a
(19:27):
banged up Memphis team in the first round. They were
able to build on that and advance deeper into the playoffs.
This is a very different type of landscape they're facing
in the Western Conference, which brings me to the other question.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
About the Lakers. I want to ask you.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
The reporting this past week by ESPN was that Golden
State made a run at Lebron James Now, it never
really reached a level where they were discussing specific players
because it was clear that Lebron did not want to
be traded from Los Angeles. This is something Lebron acknowledged
(20:04):
during his press conference on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
But when I first.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Heard of of talks between the Warriors and Lakers, you know,
via the reporting, my first reaction was, it kind of
makes some sense, right Like, if you're the Lakers and
you get Lebron last year of his deal and you're
a team that's kind of going nowhere, if you could
pride Jonathan kaminga loose from the Warriors, it's a pretty
big win. I think Jonathan Kaming is going to be
(20:29):
a star, like I think he has all star written
all over him in the next two to three years.
And if you're the Warriors, you've kind of ditched this whole,
you know, two prong strategy of winning now and building
later with the young guys, you're all in on winning now.
Stephan still playing at a high level. You add Lebron
to Steph and Draymond and hopefully Clay and get his
act together. You know, over the final thirty games of
(20:52):
the season, you might be onto something there.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
So, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
What did you think of the the report that the
Warriors anders at least discussed on a nominal level a
Lebron James trade.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Yeah, obviously it's always a fun and fascinating time there's
news developments involving Lakers, Warriors, Lebron, and it is all
certainly accurate. But after wojes broke, what was stressed to
me from the Warriors end is, yeah, of course they
made the call about Lebron, but it was under the
guise of just trying to gauge to what degree he's available.
From my understanding, it never got to the point not
(21:27):
you know, certainly the Lakers shut it down immediately, but
it never got to the point with the Warriors internally
about the question is about, Okay, what are we willing
to give up to get Lebron James? And obviously you're
going to have to give up a lot, but where
is that line of demarcation that the Warriors would have
there don't fully know the answer to that, and so
(21:48):
that's I think what it has been interesting hypothetically if
the Lakers started listening and started talking to specifics, how
all in would the Warriors have been? And I think
to what you were saying past the two timeline approach
that are about trying to maximize Steph Curry's window, but
I think even within that, they are wrestling with what
is the best pathway to maximize his window? And I
(22:11):
think when it pertains to Lebron, obviously you'd have to
give up, But would they be comfortable giving up you know,
almost everyone across the board except for Steph when you're
including you know, Clay kaminga Draymond draft picks. I don't
know where the line was at with that, But fortunately
for the Warriors they didn't have to entertain that line
(22:33):
just yet. But it'll be fascinating to see if they
ever do that. But I think Lebron, even before he
reiterated this point during All Star weekend, it's been expected
that he's going to retire as a Laker. Nothing is guarantee,
and certainly he fed speculation when he declined to say
what he would do with his player option, but I
(22:56):
think that's only under the guise of there's no harm
in keeping your options open. And it's not just about
what Lebron is looking at on how well the Lakers
are going to do in the playoffs or how well
you know they do anything with roster moves. I mean,
he would have to make that decision anyway before free
agency starts, but it's really about also how well can
(23:19):
he maintain this strong level play. Does he still prioritize
being on a place that's going to give him that
hypothetical chance to still get his fifth ring?
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Or is it.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
About just enjoying the last few years and soaking satisfaction
out of that and also being in La close to
his kids. And then the other obvious variable is what
does BRONI do? Is he even going to declare himself
draft eligible after his freshman season, especially because he's played
with a limited workload following his cardiac arrest. Does both
(23:50):
parties even want to have this partnership. Lebron put it
out there in the atmosphere that he would love to
play with with his son, but he has since walked
it back a little bit just saying that, hey, it
might not just be my decision. Maybe this isn't something
Browny wants. So there's a lot of moving parts here,
as you can imagine. I think regardless of that, even
(24:11):
before Lebron said what he said during an All Star weekend,
there's been a feeling from the Lakers and outside that
he'll just stay with the Lakers through however long his
NBA career will last.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
Yeah, and I think for Lebron, the big opportunity with
the Lakers comes this summer, right when they can deal
as many as three first round draft picks, And those
three first round draft picks might be enough to get
their hands on a marquee player, whether it's Trey Young,
de Jonte Murray, somebody else that's out there. They've got
(24:43):
some options after this season is over. And look, I've
said all along that the Lakers did the right thing.
I don't think it made any sense to give up
like one of their picks. Plus, you know the contract
of d' Angelo Russell for someone like Bruce Brown, I
think that moved the needle enough for them to deal
with deal that type of capital right now. This spring
and this summer is high noon for the Lakers. This
(25:06):
is when they make their last stand, and I think
Lebron understands that and sees a pathway to them becoming
a contender once again.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Last thing for you.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Before the All Star Break, spent some time around Milwaukee,
went to a couple of games in Milwaukee, traveled with
them to Memphis for their last game for the All
Star Break, and I got to see the full Milwaukee, right.
I got to see the full breadth of the Milwaukee
Bucks where they take on Denver and pummel them at home.
The next night, they get pummeled by the Miami Heat.
(25:37):
Two nights later, in a game they absolutely positively should
have won. For the All Star Break, they get beat
by the Artist formerly known as the Memphis Grizzlies, their
B League team, their zombie team.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
They get beat by the Memphis Grizzlies. This is a
team with a lot of pressure, right.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Damian Lillard is thirty one, Chris Middleton is thirty two,
Giannis is twenty nine. They made the bold decision to
fire Adrian Griffin and bring in Doc Rivers as the
head coach, and look being around that team, Mark I
understood why the decision was made. This team was not
improving defensively. They were in the bottom third defensively, and
(26:17):
even though they won the last couple of games, the
Griff coach get a lot of points in those games.
So John Horst management in Milwaukee, they didn't see this
team on a path that would lead it to the
NBA Finals. So they bring in Doc Rivers, who guarantees nothing.
You should be pointed out like that doesn't. But he's
a new voice, and what Doc has tried to do
(26:38):
out there is really simplify things, streamline things, make things
more digestible for his team, whether it's offensively playing more
two man game with Giannis and Dame defensively not having
so many coverages that players have to remember and go to.
So I can see what they're trying to do. The
(26:59):
question is is there enough time for this team to
do it. They've got the talent. Giannis is going to
be the best player on the floor in virtually every
series Milwaukee plays it. Dame is going to be a
top four player in virtually every series Milwaukee plays it.
They've got some guys who got a little bit of depth.
Is there enough time in your mind for this Milwaukee
(27:19):
team to become a championship contender.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
Yes and no, I don't think there's enough time. In
the sense that I am bullish on the Boston Celtics
and I love their starting lineup. I love the chemistry
that Chrisofsporzingis has shown and his durability as well as
Drew Holliday. I think also philosophically what we've seen through
this season, through the ups and down so with Adrian Griffin,
(27:48):
the integration with Doc Rivers and the transition there without
a training camp is philosophically it's impossible for them to
be the same defensive team as they were without Drew Holliday,
but with those caveats aside, they should have what it
takes to be a substantially much more better team with
(28:10):
mitigating his absence, with having what you were saying, Doc Rivers,
simplifying defensive schemes and responsibilities. Giannis is a great defender,
so is Brook Lopez Pat Beverly. Sometimes it's hit or miss,
as far as sometimes he gets wrapped up too much
in the individual defensive matchup and the trash talking than
(28:30):
the team's scheme, but he is a good defender. The
other thing is from the very jump with this trade.
The idea was that when they got Damian Lillard, the
message wasn't was, oh, we don't care about defense, but
it was about, well, we have so much offensive depth
and so much offensive potential that that's going to be
(28:51):
our calling card. While both parties have shown a lot
of promising signs it can reach a higher level. So
I think it should be enough time for to figure
all those things out to be substantially better than they
have been this season. But I don't think there's enough
time that, barring any injuries from Boston, that's gonna be
enough to get through them and a presumed Eastern Conference
(29:13):
Finals matchup.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
It's gonna be challenging, there's no doubt about that.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
I think the encouraging signs of the Doc Rivers era,
which look the numbers, are the numbers.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
He's three and seven in the ten games that he's coached,
they have been better defensively.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
They are twelfth in defensive deficiency efficiency over the last
ten games going into that Memphis game.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
I think they were eighth somewhere around there, So they have.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
Shown improvement over a ten game stretch on the defensive end,
and I think the more time passes and the more
repetitions that Damon Giannis get together, They're only going to
get better. And even though Damian Lillard has not had
deep postseason success, I think you and I would both
agree he is a built for the postseas type of player,
(30:00):
Like he is not afraid of the moment, and he
is gonna make some big shots for that team in
the postseason. And look, the the guts of that team
that won a championship in twenty twenty is still there.
I mean dam and Drew Holiday got swapped out, but Giannis,
Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, Pat Connaden, Chris Middleton of course,
like they are still there. So I'm gonna say, maybe
(30:24):
maybe they can become a championship protend. I need to
see what this team looks like coming out of the
All Star break first couple of weeks. I think they
have a game against Boston on I said March twentieth.
I want to say, like that's a game I'm circling
on the calendar mark, Like that's what I that's enough
time to have passed with Doc Rivers on the sideline,
with the pieces you have in place, the system you
have in place, that's enough time to find out if
(30:47):
this team has what takes, I think they have to
approach that game like it's a playoff game, like at
the playoff elimination game, like you want to see what
your team's got against the very best the Eastern Conference.
Maybe the NBA has to offer. So that's the game
I'm looking at. I know teams don't like to say, oh,
it's a regular season game one to eighty two.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
That to me is not. That is a playoff type game.
They have to look good in.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Yeah, And I think if we are going to find
any potential silver lining in this All Star weekend that
you know, as we mentioned, didn't have a great showcase
game in the Bucks' case, some of these developments could
have a positive carryover effect. The fact that they lost
to Memphis Berzlies, which was abysmal, the fact that there's
no job Moran, Jared Jackson, Marcus Smart, Desmond Bane. It
(31:30):
led Giannis as you know, because you were there and
having a lot.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Of playing Lamar Stevens long minutes like in that game,
Lamar Stevens just signed there like that day or something.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
It was close crazy, Wow, that's wild.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
But you know those postgame comments I saw that you
highlighted from me. Honest, I thought that those were very
on point, and I thought it sent a message and
with a lot of tangible things that I'm sure that
he and Dame and the entire team is digesting over
this weekend and they're going to discuss more once practice resumes. Look,
all Star weekends, all Star weekend, but Damian Loward winning
(32:05):
the three point contest, gain MVP like those are very
specific things, so it's a stretch to say, oh, this
is gonna carry over into actual games. But I think
the feeling of having a nice weekend with feel good
moments can at least provide some good vibes once the
team reconvenes. But it's the bigger point that you've outlined
(32:25):
that you know they should have what it takes because
of the fact that Doc Rivers is simplifying things. They
have shown some relative improvement and the offensive potential is
there and they've seen it. They just have to put
it all together on a consistent basis, and that are
not only losing two teams that have G League rosters,
(32:46):
but they're actually competing consistently like they did against the
Denver Nuggets the other night.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Maybe the most interesting team to watch in the second
half of the season Milwaukee Bucks because they've got pressure
short term and look, I know Dames under contract for
few years. Giannis just signed the contract extension. But as
you well know, Mark, contracts are meaningless in today's player
doesn't believe that it's working in a particular situation, he
very easily can get out of that situation. So there's
(33:12):
got to be that sense of urgency in Milwaukee to
win right now. Mark Medina good stuff. Check him out
over at sports Key to listen at Fox Sports Radio.
Whole bunch of different Nowltis, thanks for joining me, Mark.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
Us appreciate you just always. I'm glad at least that
this NBA segment was a lot more substantive and hopefully
more entertaining than the All Star Game.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
I certainly hope, So how can it not be
Is the crossover sports Illustrators NBA show, bring them the
latest news, rumors and everything. Here's your host, Chris.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
This is the Crossover NBA podcast. I'm Chris Mannix. Joined
this week by longtime NBA writer not working over at
Sports Keda, Fox Sports Radio among several publications, Mark Medina
and Mark. Uh, we have to join the chorus right
like sometimes I like to, you know, zig when others
(00:39):
are zagging. But in the case of this podcast, we
have got to discuss what happened on All Stars Sunday,
and really what happened on All Star weekend. Uh, if
you missed it, didn't I don't think that's possible.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Uh. The All Star.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Game was one of the worst that the NBA has
ever seen. After promising that this game would be more
competitive than games in the past, it was not. After
promising that more defense would be played, not in so
many words, but implying that there would be a better game.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
This is Adam Silver saying this. It was not.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
You had the highest scoring half in All Star history,
you had the highest scoring game in All Star history,
and you had the first team in All Star Game
history scoring two hundred points in a game. So not
what the NBA was looking for with its All Star Games.
So I'll frame the question this way, Mark, how bad
was this for the NBA? Because as we record this,
(01:46):
I don't know what the ratings were. I'd imagine they're
probably going to be right along with what they were
last year, four and a half million, five million, five
and a half million something along those lines, which is
still a pretty big number for an NBA game. That's
probably gonna wind up out rating every NBA regular season
game that they played to date. So you know, in
(02:06):
that context, how bad was this event for the NBA?
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Yeah, Well, to answer the factual questions here, I did
receive a notice earlier today that the ratings were up
from twenty percent last year, so that's good. But as
far as the game itself, it was not good whatsoever.
And that's saying a lot because I thought last year's
(02:32):
game was horrific, with exception to some of those moments
that Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum with having some of
the one on one matchups. In this year's game, you know,
you had some entertaining moments, right like Damian Lillard hitting
from the logo, hitting from half court, one of the
many reasons why he got the All Star MVP. You
saw some entertaining moments with the two man game with
(02:54):
Luka Doncic and nikoley Jokic, but those are social media moments.
As far as the game, it's elf, it was entirely unwatchable.
And Chris, I read your column earlier today at SI
dot com, and I thought you brought a lot of
good perspective that this isn't about bemoaning the All Star
Game and hoping it's how it was in the past,
like that ship has sailed. The NBA, to its credit,
(03:17):
has tried to come up with incentives, but if this
game is going to exist, it has to change. It
has to at least be entertaining. We're not expecting Game
seven finals intensity, we're not even expecting playoff intensity, but
it has to be entertaining. And I think even through
that lens, the game failed.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Yeah, it did fail, and I don't know that there
is anything the NBA can do to fix it. You know,
they've tried every format that or almost every format they
possibly could. They have gone from ditching the East versus
West traditional format, they have installed the draft, they have
named team captains, they have changed the way the game
(03:58):
is scored when it comes by quarters.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
They have in elam ending.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Everything they have tried has not yielded competition, and that's
what the NBA is looking for. They're looking for a
throwback type of game, some kind of thing you saw
in the eighties and nineties where players were playing with
close to regular season like intensity, and I don't think
that's ever going to happen. I've seen some people throw
out the idea of a US versus the World type
(04:21):
of game.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Sure, that'd be fun, but two.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Of the biggest uh trying to figure it what. We're
not criminals at all this, but the two biggest perpetrators
of a bad All Star game were Luka Doncic and Nakoliokischoo.
Neither one of them looked like they had any interest
in playing there. So I don't know that making it
a US versus the World competition is going to spice
it up enough to make it a more competitive game.
(04:47):
And really, you know, with these numbers, I don't know
that there's a huge incentive.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
To make it that way.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Yeah, people like you and me can't stand it, and
social media largely can't stand it. Adam Silver certainly can't stand.
But there's an audience watching it, right, Like there's an
audience of five million plus people that are watching this game.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
So I think we just have to accept it for
what it is.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
It's never going to be a intense regular season like
Atmosphere where where Where the NBA missed or what they
missed on is having a competitive final five minutes. Like
in the past, we've seen three and a half quarters
of bad basketball, but when the game was close, it
got competitive because guys started to get those juices.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Flowing and they wanted to win the game.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
We didn't have that in this past All Star Game,
which I think made things significantly worse.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
So I don't know if you have a cure all
for this.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
I don't know if you have a suggestion for Adam
Silver if he's listing right now. But in my opinion,
there's nothing the NBA can do to make this competitive game.
I don't think financial incentive is going to work. I
don't think changing a format again is going to work.
These guys make.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Too much money. And you heard what Anthony Edwards say
after the game was over.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
He said, look, I never planned on this being a
competitive game. He was always going to treat this like
a glorified exhibition game. Players want to get in, they
want to get out, they want to play injury free,
and they want to have a good time over their
All Star break, and that's what they consider it, an
All Star break. And over a break, you are not
going to play all that hard. So I don't know
if you have a suggestion, but I'm out of them.
Speaker 3 (06:22):
Yeah, I'm with you in the sense that any idea
that we can ever have this All Star game be
like what it was in the eighties, nineties, even the
early two thousands, that's a lost cause. I've been talked
with Rick Berry, a former NBA player who was always
opinionated about things, and he's like, that's never going to happen.
Like the owners, they don't want a super competitive game
because there's so much money on the line where guys
(06:44):
could get hurt. But it's hard for me to wrestle
with the idea that, oh, there's nothing we can do
to change as this is the way it should be.
If this is the way it is, I would say
we should just scrap the game altogether and come up
with alternative events. Now to what you were saying about, Okay,
what are some proposals. I'm with you that the financial
incentives they're already there, and I don't know if that
(07:06):
will actually address anything. I would hope and I presume
that Idem Silver and Joe Jumars when they talked with
the group, they reinforced this idea that when you're looking
at a tent pole event like this is part of
the media rights deal, this is part of the total
revenue and bri that can affect it. So I think
that even though the viewership numbers can be higher when
(07:27):
we're when they're in the middle of this media rights deal, arguably,
whether it's with a streaming platform that could be sold
for an individual event or if it's part of the
total package, I think having a better All Star Game
in terms of its quality can enhance that number and
obviously provide a trickle down effect. Now, what are the solutions.
I'm with you that I'm running out of them. But
(07:50):
if the All Star Game isn't going to at least
have competitive moments guys wanting to showcase, you know, not
again regular season intensity and let alone playoff intense but
fun competitive moments, and that they're going to take the
game somewhat seriously, let's just make it an All Star
event filled with building off the three point contest and
(08:10):
building off of what Steph Curtis, Steph Curry and Sabrina
a new Escu showed this season, and then you know,
have new events, whether it's one on one, three on three,
and things of that sort, as opposed to just saying,
you know what, we're gonna have this game that's inevitably
good to be terrible. Let's just live with it.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Yeah, I'm with you on All Star Saturday being addressable.
I think that is something that can be fixed. I
think you start by eliminating some of the stuff that's
already there. I think the Slam Dunk Contest has seen
better days, Mark, I really do. I mean Mac McClung.
No disrespect Mac McClung, who had some fantastic dunks this
(08:51):
past weekend, but he has played a grand total of
four NBA games and he has.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Won two Slam Dunk contest. Kip toppin rookie him hawkis
junior rookie.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Give Jalen Brown credit for participating, but we need more
guys on Jalen Brown's level or above to make this
dunk contest interesting. And I don't think there's anyway we're
gonna get that. I think that ship has has long
since sailed. I think you can mothball that. I also
think you can mothball the skills competition, which you know,
when I saw Anthony Edwards out there shooting left handed,
that's when I knew, like this thing had seen better days.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
Like you don't need to do the skills competition anymore.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
I love the step Versus Sabrina competition like that made
that night memorable. When the NBA put out that number
that there were ten million unique viewers, whatever that means,
I think a lot of that was due to step
Versus Sabrina, and that is something that can both be
(09:48):
duplicated and can be built on.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
Right.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
So you have a rematch maybe during WNBA All Star Weekend,
that's great, and then you get to next year where
All Star Weekend is at the Chase Center, Steph's home court.
I believe Sabrina is from the Bay Area. You expand
on that, like Caitlin Clark from Iowa. She could be
in the WNBA next year. She is one of the
most electrifying shooters that we have seen in the women's game.
(10:15):
Damian Lillard just won the three point contest from the
Bay Area from Oakland.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Add him.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
How about Dame and Steph versus Sabrina and Caitlin? How
about that two on two? And then you keep building,
like as more women enter the WNBA with this elite
level shooting skill, and that's gonna keep happening. These are
not aberrations. Sabrina's not an aberration, Caitlin Clark's not an aberration. Like,
these women are going to continue to come into the
(10:41):
league with great shooting skills. Keep building it out. Maybe
eventually you have three on three, maybe you have four
on four. Maybe it's five on five WNBA versus NBA
shooting competition.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
That's great. I think that.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Should become the tenth pole event of All Stars Saturday.
So I think that gets moved up. Keep the three
point contest, which is still pretty good, think of the
main three point contest, and add something different. I think
they should add a one on one competition. I've been
saying this for years. I've been being this drum for
year after year after year. NBA players don't care about
being the skills champion. NBA players no longer care about
(11:17):
being the Slam Dunk Champion. What I think they do
care about, or will care about, is being the best
one on one player in the NBA, the metaphorical king
of the Court. So I think if you establish a
one on one competition, however you want to do it,
maybe it's a King of the Court style contest, maybe
it's a round robin type of thing, however you want
to do it, I think that would entice some of
the top.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
One on one players in the NBA.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
I think you could get you know, Paul George to
compete in something like that. You could get Yannis to
compete in something like that. You could get Anthony Edwards
to compete in something like that. All the top skill guys,
you could get them competing in a one on one competition.
So a lot of things I think need to change
with All Star Saturday. But I think there are to
(12:00):
that problem.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
What do you think?
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Yeah, I'm with you one hundred percent. The Skills competition.
Every time I see it, I get confused with the
rules and the fact that its weird to watch. It
makes me not want to watch it anymore. The Dunk Contest. Look,
Mac McClung's great, But to your point, he's a G
League player, and it was starting to get old that
the only idea outside of what Jalen Brown was doing,
(12:23):
which wasn't great anyway, was using shack as a prop
like the novelty of that's going to quickly wear off,
and it represents what has been wrong with the dunk
contest for a while now that as entertaining as it
once was, with even seeing the top dunkers and seeing
their athleticism, there's only so many things you can do
before dunking the basketball. Where with a three point shot,
(12:44):
it kind of is what it is. Either make the
shot or you don't. There's not an expectation for style
points other than you know, do you make the moneyball
or not? And so I think when you look at
the fact that that is what it is. The game
has been obviously growing with an increasing importance of three
points shooting. There's a lot of great three point shooters,
and the WNBA has grown in popularity and stature. I
(13:06):
think that this has essentially become a cottage industry to
your point that there's not going to be any shortage
of combinations, whether it's to what you're saying, the traditional
three point contest the WNBA, maybe even expanding it with
nominating the best shooting backcourt or the best at least
two man game of each team and have a two
on two, so to speak, of which bust duos shoot
(13:29):
the best threes. And then I would also expand to
what you're saying one on one, to make a two
on two, three on three. Have whether it's you know,
the combination of fan votes, media votes, and players or
coaches or all the above. You know, let's see who
are the best one on one players, the best duos
in the NBA. And I think because it will be
(13:49):
a lot less intensity that's asked of a traditional All
Star game, I think that there will be more of
a buy in as well as the fact that this
is something new.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
The greatest video game arguably in basketball history, as NBA
Jam like that great video game, like.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
The refs cannot allow the kind of fallon that we
saw in.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
The correct yeah yeah, correct, but NBA JAM one on
one competition, two on two competition.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
I would love to see it.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
All Right, that's enough oxygen spent on All Star weekend.
Tough for the NBA to have like a bad night
like they had this past Sunday, on a week that
followed where there was nothing else to talk about, Like,
you weren't talking NFL, you weren't talking baseball, you weren't
talking hockey, you weren't talking college basketball. The NBA was
front center and they had a dud, and it was
on every single show, and as we're doing right now
(14:36):
on every single podcast. Let's move on a couple of
things I want to get to when it comes to
the second half of the season, which really stretch run
of the season. Thirty some odd games to go in
the NBA regular season, two of the most interesting teams
out there are the Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks. The
Lakers enter the All Star break playing really good basketball.
The Angelo Russell is playing out of his mind since
(14:57):
January first. Lebron and ad are playing an All Star
All NBA level, but the Lakers are still squarely in
that play in mix. They elected to do nothing at
the trade deadline. Their big move was to sign Spencer Dinwiddie,
and now they're crossing their fingers hoping that guys like
Jared Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent are going to be able
(15:18):
to come back before.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
The end of the regular season.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
So I'll ask it this way, what do you think
the ceiling is of this Lakers team? Assuming they make
no further moves with buy out guys or anything else,
what do you think the ceiling of this team is?
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Yeah, Chris, great question, assuming that relatively speaking on paper,
there's no major injuries that affect the dynamic across the league.
I think that the ceiling for the Lakers is to
get to the second round, and that's assuming that Lebron
James Anthony Davis are obviously healthy still playing a high level.
D'Angel Russell. I think that we've seen throughout his career
(15:56):
it's inevitably he's going to play with peaks and valleys,
hot shooting nights, shooting nights. But I think, as we
saw last season, even through those ups and downs, I've
always thought that while Dangel Russell certainly and has never
been untouchable when it comes to what his free agents
destination would be or trade talks, I think the larger
point through the ups and downs is he was a
(16:17):
really key piece of that engine that made sure that
the offensive system ran smoothly because of his shooting, because
of his playmaking, overall presence with his floor spacing, I'm
not getting my hopes up that gave Vincent is going
to be, you know, healthier or have substantial time. But
there certainly is a realistic window for Jared Vanderbilt and
(16:39):
Cam Reddish and Max Christie to have a cleaner bill
of health. But you know, while you don't rule anything out,
especially when you're looking at the teams like the Clippers
and the Phoenix Suns given their injury history, I just
don't think even in best case scenarios that they can
get past the Denver Nuggets or even some of the young,
up and coming teams that are solidifying themselves as true
(17:01):
playoff contenders like Oklahoma City and Minnesota. But you know what,
given where they're at, I know the Lakers aren't about this.
Lebron James certainly isn't about this, But I think second
round is as best as realistically as they can come,
assuming again, there's no outside extenuating circumstances with injuries that
just change the entire landscape.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, I'd like to be more bullish on the Lakers.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
God knows, I was last year and right around this
time I was predicting a run.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
To the court.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Let's hear the pick. I don't have it.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
I don't I don't have it in me this year,
Mark to make to believe in this Lakers team.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
I agree with what you're saying about Russell.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
He's been fantastic of late, but he's got a history
of being great and then being not so great. And
the Lakers really can't afford, you know, their third best
offensive option being as uneven and unreliable as D'Angelo Russell
has been. And look, I would say second round as well.
But man like, it's gonna fight for them to get
(18:00):
out of play in tournament if they wind up there.
I mean, look at the teams right now that are
in the play in tournament field. You've got Dallas, which
just made a bunch of moves to upgrade its roster.
You've got Sacramento, which is still largely the team that
we saw last year in the top of the Western
Conference standings. Some of their guys have underachieved, they're still
capable of getting back to that high level. You get
(18:21):
the Warriors, who are eight and two in their last
ten games, starting to show some signs of life there.
So if the Lakers wind up in that mix and
have to play two of those teams, just to get
into the postseason. I mean getting in just might be
a challenge. And look, if they get in and they
wind up playing Oklahoma City in the first round, maybe
they can win a series like that. But I mean, Minnesota,
(18:45):
can they beat the Timberwolves? Like I think it's time
to accept that Minnesota is pretty good, right. I know
we've been waiting and waiting and waiting to make it
draw any conclusions about Minnesota. But they're seven to three
in their last ten. They went to the break winning
four straight. They're a great defensive team. Things are working
in Minnesota Oklahoma City. The one thing they don't have
is experience the Clippers. They might overtake Oklahoma City in
(19:06):
the second half, and when they're healthy there as good
as any team in the NBA. Denver is in that
mix as well. The ceiling is a trip to the
second round, and that is a ceiling I think they
might have a really hard time getting to because of
the challenges they're going to face early on. This is
not a situation like last year where they got a
(19:27):
banged up Memphis team in the first round. They were
able to build on that and advance deeper into the playoffs.
This is a very different type of landscape they're facing
in the Western Conference, which brings me to the other question.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
About the Lakers. I want to ask you.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
The reporting this past week by ESPN was that Golden
State made a run at Lebron James Now, it never
really reached a level where they were discussing specific players
because it was clear that Lebron did not want to
be traded from Los Angeles. This is something Lebron acknowledged
(20:04):
during his press conference on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
But when I first.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Heard of of talks between the Warriors and Lakers, you know,
via the reporting, my first reaction was, it kind of
makes some sense, right Like, if you're the Lakers and
you get Lebron last year of his deal and you're
a team that's kind of going nowhere, if you could
pride Jonathan kaminga loose from the Warriors, it's a pretty
big win. I think Jonathan Kaming is going to be
(20:29):
a star, like I think he has all star written
all over him in the next two to three years.
And if you're the Warriors, you've kind of ditched this whole,
you know, two prong strategy of winning now and building
later with the young guys, you're all in on winning now.
Stephan still playing at a high level. You add Lebron
to Steph and Draymond and hopefully Clay and get his
act together. You know, over the final thirty games of
(20:52):
the season, you might be onto something there.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
So, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
What did you think of the the report that the
Warriors anders at least discussed on a nominal level a
Lebron James trade.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Yeah, obviously it's always a fun and fascinating time there's
news developments involving Lakers, Warriors, Lebron, and it is all
certainly accurate. But after wojes broke, what was stressed to
me from the Warriors end is, yeah, of course they
made the call about Lebron, but it was under the
guise of just trying to gauge to what degree he's available.
From my understanding, it never got to the point not
(21:27):
you know, certainly the Lakers shut it down immediately, but
it never got to the point with the Warriors internally
about the question is about, Okay, what are we willing
to give up to get Lebron James? And obviously you're
going to have to give up a lot, but where
is that line of demarcation that the Warriors would have
there don't fully know the answer to that, and so
(21:48):
that's I think what it has been interesting hypothetically if
the Lakers started listening and started talking to specifics, how
all in would the Warriors have been? And I think
to what you were saying past the two timeline approach
that are about trying to maximize Steph Curry's window, but
I think even within that, they are wrestling with what
is the best pathway to maximize his window? And I
(22:11):
think when it pertains to Lebron, obviously you'd have to
give up, But would they be comfortable giving up you know,
almost everyone across the board except for Steph when you're
including you know, Clay kaminga Draymond draft picks. I don't
know where the line was at with that, But fortunately
for the Warriors they didn't have to entertain that line
(22:33):
just yet. But it'll be fascinating to see if they
ever do that. But I think Lebron, even before he
reiterated this point during All Star weekend, it's been expected
that he's going to retire as a Laker. Nothing is guarantee,
and certainly he fed speculation when he declined to say
what he would do with his player option, but I
(22:56):
think that's only under the guise of there's no harm
in keeping your options open. And it's not just about
what Lebron is looking at on how well the Lakers
are going to do in the playoffs or how well
you know they do anything with roster moves. I mean,
he would have to make that decision anyway before free
agency starts, but it's really about also how well can
(23:19):
he maintain this strong level play. Does he still prioritize
being on a place that's going to give him that
hypothetical chance to still get his fifth ring?
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Or is it.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
About just enjoying the last few years and soaking satisfaction
out of that and also being in La close to
his kids. And then the other obvious variable is what
does BRONI do? Is he even going to declare himself
draft eligible after his freshman season, especially because he's played
with a limited workload following his cardiac arrest. Does both
(23:50):
parties even want to have this partnership. Lebron put it
out there in the atmosphere that he would love to
play with with his son, but he has since walked
it back a little bit just saying that, hey, it
might not just be my decision. Maybe this isn't something
Browny wants. So there's a lot of moving parts here,
as you can imagine. I think regardless of that, even
(24:11):
before Lebron said what he said during an All Star weekend,
there's been a feeling from the Lakers and outside that
he'll just stay with the Lakers through however long his
NBA career will last.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
Yeah, and I think for Lebron, the big opportunity with
the Lakers comes this summer, right when they can deal
as many as three first round draft picks, And those
three first round draft picks might be enough to get
their hands on a marquee player, whether it's Trey Young,
de Jonte Murray, somebody else that's out there. They've got
(24:43):
some options after this season is over. And look, I've
said all along that the Lakers did the right thing.
I don't think it made any sense to give up
like one of their picks. Plus, you know the contract
of d' Angelo Russell for someone like Bruce Brown, I
think that moved the needle enough for them to deal
with deal that type of capital right now. This spring
and this summer is high noon for the Lakers. This
(25:06):
is when they make their last stand, and I think
Lebron understands that and sees a pathway to them becoming
a contender once again.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Last thing for you.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Before the All Star Break, spent some time around Milwaukee,
went to a couple of games in Milwaukee, traveled with
them to Memphis for their last game for the All
Star Break, and I got to see the full Milwaukee, right.
I got to see the full breadth of the Milwaukee
Bucks where they take on Denver and pummel them at home.
The next night, they get pummeled by the Miami Heat.
(25:37):
Two nights later, in a game they absolutely positively should
have won. For the All Star Break, they get beat
by the Artist formerly known as the Memphis Grizzlies, their
B League team, their zombie team.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
They get beat by the Memphis Grizzlies. This is a
team with a lot of pressure, right.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Damian Lillard is thirty one, Chris Middleton is thirty two,
Giannis is twenty nine. They made the bold decision to
fire Adrian Griffin and bring in Doc Rivers as the
head coach, and look being around that team, Mark I
understood why the decision was made. This team was not
improving defensively. They were in the bottom third defensively, and
(26:17):
even though they won the last couple of games, the
Griff coach get a lot of points in those games.
So John Horst management in Milwaukee, they didn't see this
team on a path that would lead it to the
NBA Finals. So they bring in Doc Rivers, who guarantees nothing.
You should be pointed out like that doesn't. But he's
a new voice, and what Doc has tried to do
(26:38):
out there is really simplify things, streamline things, make things
more digestible for his team, whether it's offensively playing more
two man game with Giannis and Dame defensively not having
so many coverages that players have to remember and go to.
So I can see what they're trying to do. The
(26:59):
question is is there enough time for this team to
do it. They've got the talent. Giannis is going to
be the best player on the floor in virtually every
series Milwaukee plays it. Dame is going to be a
top four player in virtually every series Milwaukee plays it.
They've got some guys who got a little bit of depth.
Is there enough time in your mind for this Milwaukee
(27:19):
team to become a championship contender.
Speaker 3 (27:26):
Yes and no, I don't think there's enough time. In
the sense that I am bullish on the Boston Celtics
and I love their starting lineup. I love the chemistry
that Chrisofsporzingis has shown and his durability as well as
Drew Holliday. I think also philosophically what we've seen through
this season, through the ups and down so with Adrian Griffin,
(27:48):
the integration with Doc Rivers and the transition there without
a training camp is philosophically it's impossible for them to
be the same defensive team as they were without Drew Holliday,
but with those caveats aside, they should have what it
takes to be a substantially much more better team with
(28:10):
mitigating his absence, with having what you were saying, Doc Rivers,
simplifying defensive schemes and responsibilities. Giannis is a great defender,
so is Brook Lopez Pat Beverly. Sometimes it's hit or miss,
as far as sometimes he gets wrapped up too much
in the individual defensive matchup and the trash talking than
(28:30):
the team's scheme, but he is a good defender. The
other thing is from the very jump with this trade.
The idea was that when they got Damian Lillard, the
message wasn't was, oh, we don't care about defense, but
it was about, well, we have so much offensive depth
and so much offensive potential that that's going to be
(28:51):
our calling card. While both parties have shown a lot
of promising signs it can reach a higher level. So
I think it should be enough time for to figure
all those things out to be substantially better than they
have been this season. But I don't think there's enough
time that, barring any injuries from Boston, that's gonna be
enough to get through them and a presumed Eastern Conference
(29:13):
Finals matchup.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
It's gonna be challenging, there's no doubt about that.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
I think the encouraging signs of the Doc Rivers era,
which look the numbers, are the numbers.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
He's three and seven in the ten games that he's coached,
they have been better defensively.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
They are twelfth in defensive deficiency efficiency over the last
ten games going into that Memphis game.
Speaker 1 (29:35):
I think they were eighth somewhere around there, So they have.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
Shown improvement over a ten game stretch on the defensive end,
and I think the more time passes and the more
repetitions that Damon Giannis get together, They're only going to
get better. And even though Damian Lillard has not had
deep postseason success, I think you and I would both
agree he is a built for the postseas type of player,
(30:00):
Like he is not afraid of the moment, and he
is gonna make some big shots for that team in
the postseason. And look, the the guts of that team
that won a championship in twenty twenty is still there.
I mean dam and Drew Holiday got swapped out, but Giannis,
Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, Pat Connaden, Chris Middleton of course,
like they are still there. So I'm gonna say, maybe
(30:24):
maybe they can become a championship protend. I need to
see what this team looks like coming out of the
All Star break first couple of weeks. I think they
have a game against Boston on I said March twentieth.
I want to say, like that's a game I'm circling
on the calendar mark, Like that's what I that's enough
time to have passed with Doc Rivers on the sideline,
with the pieces you have in place, the system you
have in place, that's enough time to find out if
(30:47):
this team has what takes, I think they have to
approach that game like it's a playoff game, like at
the playoff elimination game, like you want to see what
your team's got against the very best the Eastern Conference.
Maybe the NBA has to offer. So that's the game
I'm looking at. I know teams don't like to say, oh,
it's a regular season game one to eighty two.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
That to me is not. That is a playoff type game.
They have to look good in.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Yeah, And I think if we are going to find
any potential silver lining in this All Star weekend that
you know, as we mentioned, didn't have a great showcase
game in the Bucks' case, some of these developments could
have a positive carryover effect. The fact that they lost
to Memphis Berzlies, which was abysmal, the fact that there's
no job Moran, Jared Jackson, Marcus Smart, Desmond Bane. It
(31:30):
led Giannis as you know, because you were there and
having a lot.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Of playing Lamar Stevens long minutes like in that game,
Lamar Stevens just signed there like that day or something.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
It was close crazy, Wow, that's wild.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
But you know those postgame comments I saw that you
highlighted from me. Honest, I thought that those were very
on point, and I thought it sent a message and
with a lot of tangible things that I'm sure that
he and Dame and the entire team is digesting over
this weekend and they're going to discuss more once practice resumes. Look,
all Star weekends, all Star weekend, but Damian Loward winning
(32:05):
the three point contest, gain MVP like those are very
specific things, so it's a stretch to say, oh, this
is gonna carry over into actual games. But I think
the feeling of having a nice weekend with feel good
moments can at least provide some good vibes once the
team reconvenes. But it's the bigger point that you've outlined
(32:25):
that you know they should have what it takes because
of the fact that Doc Rivers is simplifying things. They
have shown some relative improvement and the offensive potential is
there and they've seen it. They just have to put
it all together on a consistent basis, and that are
not only losing two teams that have G League rosters,
(32:46):
but they're actually competing consistently like they did against the
Denver Nuggets the other night.
Speaker 2 (32:51):
Maybe the most interesting team to watch in the second
half of the season Milwaukee Bucks because they've got pressure
short term and look, I know Dames under contract for
few years. Giannis just signed the contract extension. But as
you well know, Mark, contracts are meaningless in today's player
doesn't believe that it's working in a particular situation, he
very easily can get out of that situation. So there's
(33:12):
got to be that sense of urgency in Milwaukee to
win right now. Mark Medina good stuff. Check him out
over at sports Key to listen at Fox Sports Radio.
Whole bunch of different Nowltis, thanks for joining me, Mark.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
Us appreciate you just always. I'm glad at least that
this NBA segment was a lot more substantive and hopefully
more entertaining than the All Star Game.
Speaker 1 (33:32):
I certainly hope, So how can it not be
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