In The Zone: Wolves and Vikings Struggle, Betting Scandal!

The FAN's Dave Sinykin and Trent Tucker are back talking some Wolves hoops and plenty of NFL and they touch on the betting scandal shaking the NBA world.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Saturday morning, and you are in the zone. I'm a fan.
Good morning everybody. I am Dave Sinnecon. Although not in
person and studio. I'm joining today from Lovely Ames, Iowa.
Probably waking up the dude across the wall for me
this morning, but we make it work. Visiting the sun
for parents weekend and double Tea not in the studio either,

(00:21):
he is in Chicago for a hockey weekend with his son,
as we welcome him aboard on this Saturday morning. Good
morning Tea, Good morning Davy.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
How are you.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
I'm good, I'm good. A little virtual show for us
this morning. How are things in the Windy City? As
the tournament started yet?

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Turn to started yesterday? So they won the first game
yesterday and game number two is this afternoon at twelve.

Speaker 1 (00:47):
I was very kind of the tournament organizers to work
things out so you could join us this morning. Please
share my appreciation with the folks in charge, would you please?

Speaker 2 (00:57):
I will do that.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
I'm assuming when you're on the road, you didn't get
to find Amazon Prime last night to watch our Timberwolves.
Yeah in LA, is that correct? You know?

Speaker 2 (01:09):
You know I was able to listen to Al Horton
and iHeart and who could catch the entire game, but
I caught about three quarters of the game, and UH
things like that. There was no defense being played last
night by our team, and look ahead a big night.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
Yeah, those are the headlines for sure. The defense has
been missing an action basically for the first two games
of the season. We are into the season. That's gonna
be a dominant theme for us today in the first
few days of the NBA season. Obviously, Gophers Iowa will
figure prombatly promptly to UH today as well as of
course NFL. Well dissect what happened to your vikings and

(01:49):
look ahead to some of the other key games tomorrow.
But yeah, last night's game, double t Man the beginning
the first quarter was electric. It was the Luca and
and show right. I mean, Luca has twenty three points
in the first quarter and answers with fourteen. They were
both shooting the lights out. Both teams were shooting the

(02:09):
lights out. Both were seven for fourteen from deep in
the first quarter. Luca himself was four for four. You
watch this guy play and you just you marvel, well
a you wonder how a team could ever let him go?
As the fired Nico Chance are already up and running
in Dallas. But man double t. He is a tough guard.
The Wolves could do nothing with him, and then he

(02:30):
had his way on the route to forty nine points,
eleven rebounds, eight assists. No Lebron James, no problem. The
Lakers bounce back from their opening night loss with a
pretty dominant performance after the first quarter. I mean the
Wolves led by double figures early, but third quarter they
kind of took over. What do you do with Luca,

(02:50):
He's just he's brilliant.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
Well, I mean, you know, when you don't play defense,
that's you know, that's a no note from from the start.
But also it's all depends on how you play against
the Lakers. And what success did you have against the
Lakers in the first round of the playoffs of the
year ago. Well, you joined the ball to the basket,
you didn't make the three point shooting game, you made

(03:15):
a physical game. You forced the Lakers to do things
on the defensive end that they don't want to do.
And last night you did another debt. And so if
you want to play loosen, free up and down the floor,
no defense, no physical type basketball, well then it's going
to be hard to contain Luka in the LA Lakers.
But I think as the season goes along and the

(03:38):
worlds began to find the chemistry and find the right matchups,
you know they will they will begin to improve in
the defensive.

Speaker 1 (03:44):
Then Yeah, I don't think it's time to you know,
hit the paddic button through two games just yet. But
the buzzwords coming out of last night, you heard Devincenzo
talk about a lack of effort. I think for US
fans it's always hard to hear that, Like, we've been
waiting all season to get started. You're in LA for
their home opener, and effort is a problem. I mean,
how do you how do you as a fan wrap

(04:06):
your heads around that? When you hear athletes say, yeah,
we just we didn't have the effort out there last night.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
Well it it's hard for the fans to wrap the
know their hands around it just because you had a
day off in between game one and game number two
and so understanding that, how how difficult is the Western
Conference we're going to be this year? It stays like
now every game almost matters, and if you come out

(04:33):
you know, with with without the right mindset and the
desire and the energy is not there. You know, you're
going to have nice like this and you don't want
to have too any more nice like this.

Speaker 1 (04:43):
No, and frankly, I mean early on it was there.
I mean the one stat that jumped out at you
at halftime and the Wolves went into the locker room
down five on a sixteen to five run by the
Lakers that took a five or six point Wolves lead
and turned it into a five point episite. The reason
the Wolves were close was they led the Lakers in

(05:04):
the first half on second chance points eighteen to nothing.
I mean, they were hitting the boards hard, getting themselves
extra chances. That's an amazing stat And to be down
by five points despite leading that you know eighteen donut,
that was kind of an ominous thing to look at.
Heading into the second half. The effort seemed to be there.
They fought for boards early, but clearly in the second

(05:26):
half it was a different story.

Speaker 2 (05:28):
Well, you know, it's a forty eight minute game, and
this is the team that believed that they can get,
you know, back to whether they were a year ago
or even beyond, and that mindset has to come doing
your regular season is because you want to have a
good position and when it comes playoff ten and when

(05:50):
you have the opportunity to go on the road and
maybe win your first two basketball games and not bring
a typer effelit. You know, Deevin Chenzos sit in this
I can have is unacceptable. I know that's a long season,
but if you believe that you're a championship a championship
type team, you know, from an energy standpoint, it has

(06:11):
to be consistency every single night.

Speaker 1 (06:13):
Yeah, I mean they were close to going zero to
two on this opening West Coast trip. I mean, they
obviously got the win in Portland on nine one, but
you know it took a herculean effort by rod By
Anthony Edwards with forty one points and becoming the closer.
I don't want to lose sight of that opener, because
you know, I do think Portland's a pretty good team.
They blew out steph last night by twenty with with

(06:36):
their new head coach, and we'll dive into what what
on with chhaun Zy Phillips in the NBA this week obviously,
but that that first game, you know, seeing Anthony in
clutch time, that's something that we've talked about all off season,
you know, not forcing matters, not trying to do too much,
but doing just enough. And I thought that finish was

(06:57):
a really nice sign early on that he seemed comfortable,
he did his Superman stuff, and the Wolves were able
to pull out a close game on the road. Those
are absolutely the kind of games this teams lost a
year ago.

Speaker 2 (07:10):
Yeah, I mean, it's great to see that your best
player can perform when the game is on the line.
But you know, there were some things that were exposed
in that first game as well. And when Portland extended
their defense and with the Wolves not having a true
point guard, you saw how easily it was for the
Trailers to turn them over and get them out of

(07:32):
rhythm on the offensive end and get some easy baskets
and transition, you know. And I think they were very fortunate,
you know that by Portland being a young team and
making some mistakes coming down to stretch, allow the Wolves
to be in a position in were to win the game.
And when Portland got like a seven or eight point lead,
they had two or three you know, wide up and

(07:54):
look from a three point line, and if one of
those two of those shots go in, you know, it
may it may be a different outcome. Anthony Veris may
not have enough time and the game may not be
close enough for him to have a chance to win it.
But you know, at that point, god position, especially against
teams that like to extend their defense and apply pressure,

(08:16):
calls troubles for the Wolves this year.

Speaker 1 (08:18):
Yeah. I think through two games that's the alarming thing
that you notice is the point guard play. And it
was a surprise opening night to see Dante DiVincenzo in
the starting lineup over Mike Conley. We've talked. I think
anybody who's watched Dante's game know that he is not
a point guard and he's not being asked to be
a prototypical point guard with this team, meaning no, he's

(08:39):
not bringing the ball up every time, but he gets
to start to start the season. These first two games,
it was a nightmarish game in Portland. I think he
was better last night, certainly early. I think he had
eight points in the first quarter, knocking down a couple
of threes. But I mean the headlines through two games
double tea really slow starts for Mike Conley and os Reed.
I want to talk about both of them. Let's start

(09:01):
with Conley, who last night got nine minutes went oh
for three and committed four files, four files and nine
minutes Conley. I mean, it's two games, and I'm not
ready to write him off yet, but I'm getting a
little close double t. I mean, you're thirty eight thirty nine.
Sometimes you can fall off a cliff, and let's hope

(09:21):
that hasn't happened with Mike Conley. Because there isn't much
in the cupboard at point guard on this roster. How
alarmed should Wolves fans be through two games where where
Mike Conley just does not look like the same guy.

Speaker 2 (09:35):
I think you should be more alarmed about the lack
of urgency from your organization to go out and find
the quality point guard. You know all the time is
undersheet it and we heard that. And at one point
in time, you know, the body is just going to
slow down. You know, the mind is there. I know
what I'm supposed to do. I believe, I think I

(09:58):
can still do somebody things. But when the body just
doesn't respond to what the mind think you should do,
you see these type of results. And it's not surprising
to me to see that Mike Connedy Junior is slowing
down at this age. You know, he's had a wonderful career.
We know that he has been a big time and

(10:19):
quality point guard throughout his career. But at this stage,
I think it's the lack of urgency from the organization
not to address that death situation.

Speaker 1 (10:29):
Yeah, and it's never too late. I mean, they certainly
can look around as the season goes on if this
continues to be a story. The other story at that position, obviously,
is the fact that Rob Dillingham hasn't gotten a sniff now.
He actually got in the game with eight minutes left
last night down nineteen and broke his nose one minute
out of the floor and welcome to the NBA this season, Rob,
I'm sure he's I'm serious questions.

Speaker 2 (10:52):
Yeah, that tells you right there. That tells you all
you need to know what they think of him as
a starting point Garland maybe you know, the point guard
of the future. I think he has some value for
this team if they're willing to use him in the
right way. I think he's a guy who can come
in off the bench and provide an offensive spark. But

(11:14):
he's not a point guard. You saw how he played
at Kentucky. He came off the bench as a sixth man,
not as a guy that was going to run the offense,
but the guy that was going to inject some energy
into the offense with his ability to score. And if
the worlds are willing to use him or the talent
that he has yet he could you know, he could
help him. But they're trying to force him to do

(11:34):
something that he can't do. That's the bad situation for him.

Speaker 1 (11:38):
And the team. Yeah, at his size, if you're not
a point guard, it's hard to find a real role
in the NBA as an off guard trying to defend
guys that are, you know, six five sixty seven at
that off guard position. You know, at on opening night
when Boones Hiland came in as the backup point guard,
it raise some eyebrows and but sure, coach Finch said afterward,

(11:59):
you know more about his size looking to defense some
of those bigger wing players in Portland, So don't read
too much into it. But then he was there last
night too as the backup point guard, getting sixteen minutes,
And I like bones. I think he's a he's a
nice player. I don't think he's a guy you want
necessarily as a backup point guard, as a guy you
want to count in your rotation. But I question and wonder,

(12:21):
you know how Rob Dillingham is compartmentalizing all of this,
the fact that he went for the eighth player picks
eighteen months ago to a guy who's not in a
ten man rotation in his second season. And you always say,
you know, you got to be ready, wait for your time.
It's going to come. But mentally it's going to be
a tough couple of days for Rob Dillingham.

Speaker 2 (12:41):
Oh for sure. I mean because right now, you know,
he doesn't he doesn't know whether he's going to get
into the game or not. And right now he doesn't
have a position on the team. You know, he's there
maybe because of the guaranteed contract, him being drafted so high,
you know. But I agree with you. Mentally, he he
has no idea what to think on a daily basis

(13:03):
at this stage on how when he comes to the arena,
what's expected of him. He's just hoping that, you know,
he can get the opportunity to show what he can
do as a player. And and you know, you and
not talked about this for the years. You know you
can draft the guy very high, but if you put
him in the wrong system, he's not going to be successful.

(13:26):
And when they drafted Rob, building him based on what
I saw and I learned about him as a player
coming from Kentucky, he was not the point guard that
you were looking for. Now, if you wanted a guy,
as I mentioned before, to come in off the bench
and provide a quick spark offensively, you're going to run
plays for him. You're going to sell up the system
where he can be successful. Then he can help you.

(13:47):
But if the Wolves are not willing to put him
in a position where he can do the things that
we think he can do, it's going to be hard
for him to find any playing time on this team
this year.

Speaker 1 (13:58):
And as we said, he left last night's game with
blood all over himself with a what they think as
a fractured nose. So we'll see if he misses time. Uh.
As the season marches on the walls, you know I've
got a right, Yeah, no issue there. Just to tape
it up, rub some jarnut, and you're good to go.

Speaker 2 (14:16):
Just to make sure that you see three baskets on
one ends and shoot frovery one in the middle.

Speaker 1 (14:22):
Always good advice. Uh, we'll pause here, just getting rolling
lots more NBA conversation as we roll on in plenty
of football too. H it's in the zone with you
till ten. Tucker and sinnecon back right after these have

(14:55):
you ever seven? Time to dig you roun but's we're
back a twenty one on a Saturday morning. You're in
the zone. Dave Sindekind, Trent Tucker, Brett blakemore running the

(15:16):
show as always from the studios in Saint Louis Park.
I'm in Ames, Iowa for Parents weekend down at Iowa State.
Double Te's in Chicago. We're we're being sports dads, and
although my kid's not in sports anymore, years is I'll
just live vicariously through you in Chicago. Are you in
the suburbs and the city where you at? Double Tea?

Speaker 2 (15:36):
I'm in the suburbs.

Speaker 1 (15:38):
Very nice, very nice. He's got hockey to watch. I'll
have football to watch. It's a beautiful thing. We're with
you till ten o'clock. Fantasy Football Weekly follows US at
ten Gophers pregame at twelve thirty Today two thirty The
Kick on the Fan, Gophers at Kinnick Stadium, The Bronze
Pig on the line. Much more on that as we

(15:59):
move along, we'll have Wild Hockey on our sister station,
Cool one eight five o'clock against the Mammoth. And uh,
that's the sports schedule on the on the fan today. Boys,
you're wild. They're off to a less than sintillating start.
What's our level of concern half a dozen or so
games into this thing, Brett? You first, well, it's relatively high.

Speaker 3 (16:24):
I mean not really high, like severe Defcon one high,
but it is concerning, and it's a bad stretch.

Speaker 1 (16:31):
It's a bad road trip.

Speaker 3 (16:32):
The good news is they've got, I believe, a six
game homestand to get things right and to get back
to where they need to be. But it just felt
like the sense of urgency, the winning fifty to fifty
puck battles just wasn't there for the Wild for probably
ninety percent of that road trip. So I would say
concern short term very much, Long term not so much.

Speaker 1 (16:49):
Okay, double T have you had paid attention.

Speaker 2 (16:51):
To Yeah, I'm concerned that we haven't a tough time
scoring goals, you know, in the five and five situation,
and so that's my biggest concern. So hopefully when they
get back home, they can they can find a way
to fix their offensive game.

Speaker 1 (17:08):
Listen to the Wild again on our sister station Cool
one O eight five o'clock is the start from the
Casino to the Grand. We got to come up with
a funky name for that. We'll still working on that.
Let's get back to the Wolves double tea, and back
to the defense and the issues that we've seen early.
I guess you know, as a fan, as a guy
that loves to watch this game, I feel like that's
the one thing that typically you feel like should be

(17:31):
ready to roll when the season starts. Yeah, maybe the
offense might take some time, you're incorporating a slightly different
starting lineup, but the defense should travel. You've got guys
that have been very effective. This team has been very
effective defensively, but outside of maybe one quarter in Portland,
it's not been good. And so what do you attribute

(17:51):
that to? How surprised are you by it? And I
understand with Luca, you know that that's a different animal.
They didn't switch as much on him last night. They
tried a different strategy that didn't pay off very well.
But the fact that the defense looks really bad so far,
I mean, the Lakers shot fifty fifty nine against the

(18:12):
Wolves defense last night. How how big a concern is
that early.

Speaker 2 (18:16):
Well, it's a concern. Another major concern yet, I mean,
but you would like to see a little bit more
of a sense of urgency on the defensive end. And
this is a team that, you know, should understand everybody
came back. You know, they know what's in front of them.
They know how they have gotten to the Western Conference

(18:38):
finals over the last two years, and it's been built
on what they do defensively and how aggressive they can
be enforcing turnalments and finding some easy bats in transition.
And you know, I was hoping that they would bring
that type of mindset as they started the season, understanding
how how tough and difficult the Western Conference just going

(19:00):
to be, and you just cannot come out with a
lack of urgency on the defense.

Speaker 1 (19:05):
Event, Yeah, it's it's concerning for sure. And you know
they've they're coming back home and they've got a tough
week of games. Pacers, Nuggets, Lakers. I mean, you're gonna
face three very talented teams that can beat you in
different ways and and we will dive into that just
a bit, but that's that's something to watch to see
how they correct that early. All right, lots to dive

(19:26):
into here with the start, Jade McDaniels in both games
has picked up like his fourth foul early third quarter.
He's been limited minutes wise by by picking up fouls.
That's a constant refrain. It seems it's something you hope
at some point he's going to learn how to get
a better whistle. But uh, he still gets get called
all the time. And he had Luca a lot last night,

(19:48):
and and Luca got the better of him. But man,
if Pictangiels can't stay on the floor, you know, I
went out on a limb and said, I think he
could be the second best player on this team by
the end of the year. Uh, this just in he's
got a on the court. He's got to play without
getting fouls. It's it's becoming a trend with him, and
then something this team cannot afford.

Speaker 2 (20:08):
It's a mindset thing. And when you are considered to
be one of the top defenders, not just only on
your team but around the league, you know you have
to you have to move your feet and can't play
defense with your hands, moving your feet, keeping your body
in front. And then you get enough to contest a shot.
But also it depends on what the defense the schemes

(20:30):
are all about. And when a coach comes out of
the nightly basis and he puts the defensive game plan together,
you know, you're hoping that as your top defenders, you're
going to have some support on the on the weak
side as well, so that you don't put yourself in
the harms Wady by getting the inter early fil trouble.

Speaker 1 (20:48):
Yeah, and when Rudy goes to the bench, this team
is going to struggle defensively, and Jaden is going to
be called upon to do a little bit more, maybe
play some five defensively at times, and and so there
are going to be issues there when he has to
figure out, you know, how to stay on the court,
because again, this team needs him on that end. Whatever
he gives you offensively is a great bonus, but he's

(21:10):
got to stay on the court. I want to go
back to the opener where you know, we talked about
what's the rotation going to be off the bench, how
deep is he going to go, Who's going to get
the minutes? In the first game, I thought, I thought
Jalen Clark and TJ. Shannon were you know, outside of
ants and maybe the best guys on the team. I mean,
they played really well off the bench. Clark in particular,
he just you know, he gives you extra possessions with

(21:33):
just some of the defensive plays he makes. And obviously
his offense has gotten better. And you know Shannon was
out there to close the game in a tight one
possession game, back and forth at the end, Shannon was
on the court. Now, he wasn't as good last night,
but I thought he was really good in the opener.
I think he went ten, five and five. Those two guys,
at least After Wednesday night, I was really encouraged about

(21:56):
what those guys might bring this team off the bench.
It was more of a struggle less night, although Clark
was fine. I'm looking for things I've liked through two games.
My list is short, but on that list are those
two guys off the batch that they're off to a
pretty good start.

Speaker 2 (22:10):
Well, you need that, you need to count on consistency
coming in off the bench. And as we know, we
talked about Rod Dillingham. You know, these two guys when
they come into the game, they understand exactly what is
asking them to do and and the position that Chris

(22:31):
Cinch is going to put put them in plays into
what they do well as a basketball player. And when
you understand that this is what the team is going
to ask of me and I do this well well,
it helps you find you know, that consistency in your
game and you know that I'm going to get anywhere
a day between you know, twelve to eighteen minutes every night.

(22:54):
So when you walk into the building, you have the
right mindset knowing that this is this is going to
be my role for the night, and I'm going to
get in at this certain time. So you prepare, you say,
up throughout today in a much different way when you
have uncertainty. And for the Wolves to be successful this year,
you know they're going to need that consistent play from

(23:15):
their bench.

Speaker 1 (23:16):
Yeah, and one of those guys is nas Red, the
guy that count on most coming off the bench, obviously,
who you got paid the big bucks in the off
season and the Wolves made the commitment to him. For
a guy making you know, twenty five a year and
coming off the bench, that's not typical, but that's his role.
I think he understands it. He's been brutal through two games.
He looks like a different guy. He doesn't look confident

(23:39):
on either end of the court. Last night two for nine,
five points just kind of seemed lost out there. I
don't know how much he didn't see it. You listened,
you watched Wednesday. My Concerno meter on nas Reed is high.
I know it's two games, but this is a guy
I expected to be comfortable now he got paid, He

(23:59):
feels good, he understands his role. He looks like a
different guy through two games. I'm I'm a little concerned
about our you know, our fan favorite.

Speaker 2 (24:08):
I think he's gonna be okay. You know, he'll find
this he'll find this way. And you know, nas really
is a guy that has has been really good for
this team of the last two or three years. And
like you said, he's a fan favorite, and this team
has you know, has has moved up in the Western
Conference based on what he has been able to do
when he comes in off the bench. So my concern

(24:28):
right now is not as high as yours about his
slow start. But I think throughout the course of the year,
we're going to see you know, that that consistent play
from nas read and everything's going to be okay.

Speaker 1 (24:40):
All right, good, Well, let's quickly end on the two
stars at and Julius Randall. Rynold was great offensively last night.
Not as good on the other end of the court.
Uh And you know, what, can you say spectacular opening night?
You know, very solid again last night dealing with back spasms.
He was questionable up until game time Wednesday night, so
you know, he's not one hundred percent. But through two games,

(25:03):
particularly Anthony Edwards, who you know so much, has been
talked about how he's worked on his game in the offseason,
how he's worked on his conditioning, and I think that
was evident at the end of game one, where we've
seen him kind of run on a gas late in
games of late, that was not the case Wednesday. It's
just one game, but clearly he's made a concerted effort

(25:24):
to work on his nutrition, work on his conditioning, and
I think at least through a game it certainly looked
like it had paid off. But despite not feeling one
hundred percent, a scintillating two games start for the Wolves. MVP.

Speaker 2 (25:38):
Well, yeah, I mean we expect that, you know, this
type of play, you know, from Anthony. I was knowing
that the work he put in during the offseason, but
I think he's going to have to shift it just
a little bit and talked to his team. It's about
the importance of coming out and establishing o hisself as

(25:58):
a team on the defense this event. You know, we
can get our shots. You know, we we have players
who are very talented on the offensive end, So offenses
is not a main concern for this group. For me,
it's on the defensive end. And if you really want
to begin to separate yourself, you know from the you

(26:19):
know from the rest of the competition in the Western Conference,
you're going to have to bring the right approach at
the start of every game from a defensive standpoint. And
if the Wolves can and somehow flip the switch just
a little bit more, have a little bit uh better
sense of urgency at the start of every game, or
that we're going to come out, we're going to apply pressure.

(26:42):
We're going to make it hard for us to play against,
and that's going to put us in situations now where
we can force those turnovers and get those extra possessions.
And when you're able to get those extra possessions, it's
only going up. It's only going to help you offensive game.

Speaker 1 (26:58):
Tremendously mentioned Luca was the star last night, forty nine points.
He has ninety two points through two games. That's a
Lakers record. They're, of course navigating the start of the
season without Lebron James and I think it was Dwayne
Wade and by the way, the Amazon Prime team of
Kevin Harland, Kandas Parker, Dwayne Wade. I thought they were outstanding.
I know you didn't get to watch, but I thought

(27:19):
they were great together. I thought Dwayne Madson, Yeah, Dwayne
and Candace worked really well together, you know, and you know,
and Wade made some really good points. I really enjoyed
that presentation. And obviously, having Kevin Harland on the broadcast
is always always a beautiful thing. But they talked about Dwayne,
no nobody better. Wade talked about like, you don't want

(27:42):
Lebron out, but you know, you're getting a glimpse of
the Lakers maybe next season, right, I mean, this might
be it for Lebron. We'll wait and see, but this
is going to be Luca's team, and for this team
to sort of just start the season to see what
they play like without Lebron might help them down the road.
They certainly want Lebron in obviously, but I just think
it gives you a glimpse of what this team might

(28:03):
be building. And you know, Austin Reeves offensively was tremendous
last night twenty five and eleven, But Luca just stirs
that drink. And you know, when you have a player
like that, all the role players and this team is
really outside of you know, maybe Reeves a bunch of
role players and Luca elevates them and elevated all of
them last night. He was the maestro. And you know,

(28:26):
the Wolves have seen Luca, you know, destroy them in
the playoffs in Dallas, and now they see what he
can do as he gets more comfortable in La. What
do you think the ceiling is for this Lakers team?
I mean, is this a contending team in the West
when all said and done, or as competitive as things are,
is it's still a long climb up past a lot

(28:46):
of really talented teams for them.

Speaker 2 (28:49):
Well, I think it's all about how you approach, you know,
the Lakers on a nightly basis. And I know it's
hard for you know, teams to just prepare for one
team because there's so many games and there's not enough
practice time for you to kind of hone in to
what you want to do defensively. You know, throughout the

(29:09):
runular season, the Lakers are going to be right there
because you know, Luca is a dynamic, as you mentioned,
offensive player. But if I have to play against the Lakers,
I'm going to trap Luca Dodgers and make him pass
the ball and see if other guys can beat me,
and then we're going to put him in isolation. You know,
you know, it's it's it's simple, you know, to look

(29:33):
at what a guy cannot do, and Luca is not
a great defender, and he's gotten in better shape, and
then you have to make it hard for him to
find space on the offensive end. And the Wolves did
none of that last night. They did none of that.
You and I saw what they did to Luca and
Lebron and this same basketball team probably six seven months ago,

(29:55):
and last night they didn't bring that type of game plan.
Maybe it's too difficult to do it during the regular season.
So hopefully if they have to face this team come
playoff time, they would come back with the same mindset.
But when you allow a great player like Luca Donches
to have no time and space and freedom to go wherever,
he wants to go in one on one type situations.

(30:17):
There is nobody on a planet they can guard him
in a one on one type situation.

Speaker 1 (30:22):
Yeah, that is for sure. Uh coming home, Yeah, no question.
He basically did that last night. They'll come home looking
their wounds and they get the Pacers tomorrow night, doublet
team that they just have a hard time playing against,
and in Indiana has shown that. Yeah, they're missing obviously
Tyres this year, no more Miles Turner. They took the

(30:43):
Thunder to double overtime the other night in the game
they easily could have won. They're still very very good
and very well coached and a team that gets up
and down the court, and this Wolves team has struggled
with them. So I'm really interested to see how they
bounce back against Indiana Sunday, and knowing that Nicola Yok
catching Company are coming in the next night, two really
important early season games as they open up the home

(31:06):
season this week.

Speaker 2 (31:08):
Oh for sure. Like I said, you know, the Western
Company is going to be you know, it's going to
be rough and tough and hard every single night. And
the team that you know can come out and play,
you know, with a defensive mindset, more times than not.
You know they're going to gain the advantage. You know,
Oklahoma City, you talked about them. You know, they think

(31:31):
about the first team in history to win their first
two games in double overtime. They all know how good
Shade can be. But when they get their their team
back together, I think they have some key players now
out with injuries, but we all know they understand where
it takes to win, and it starts in the defensive end.
So I think for the roles, you know, flipping that
switch just a little bit, we can score offensively. I'm

(31:53):
not worried about that. I'm just concerning now about the
mindset on the defensive end.

Speaker 1 (31:58):
Yeah, I think we all are all right. Let's pause here.
When we come back, let's uh take a look around
the association the first few nights of the season and
obviously the big earth shaking gambling indictments in the news
that has rocked uh not only pro basketball, but the
sports world. Will dive into all of that as we
wrap up our NBA conversation in our next segment and
then move on to football in our number two. Glad

(32:20):
to have you along for the ride. You are in
the zone. I'm a fan, I've stout, we are back

(33:03):
with you eight forty six On a Saturday morning here
in the Zone, Tucker and Sinnecon talk at NBA. The
season's underway. We're a few days in, and what a
whirlwind it's been for Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, who coached
his Blazers against the Wolves on Wednesday night and woke
up early Thursday morning to handcuffs by the FBI, arrested
along with Terry Rozier and former player slash coach Damon Jones. They,

(33:28):
of course, three among thirty four people arrested as part
of a four year investigation by the FBI that spans
over ten states and tens of millions of dollars in
double t We've got rigged poker games that Chauncey Billups
is involved with. We've got player availability issues and information
being handled out by guys like Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier.

(33:53):
It's just hard to wrap your head around a guy
like Chauncey Billups telling this goes back to the twenty
three season when the Blazers were tanking and told some
people that he was gonna arrest his players, which obviously
affected things, and he's caught up in a situation here
where he's facing wirefrog conspiracy and money laundry conspiracy, each

(34:16):
count twenty years in prison. Potentially Chauncey Billups has thrown
his career away. Terry Rozier appears to have as well.
I understand this is all alleged and they all have
to be proven, but they've been arrested at this point,
and you know, it feels like perhaps the tip of
the iceberg. And as you know, and as everyone is saying,
when you cozy up to legalize sports betting, you bring

(34:38):
in a whole different element, and the mafia is involved
when it comes to these poker games. It's very concerning.
I don't even know if Adam Silver knows how to
wrap his head around what's going on right now. How
stunned surprise shot for you to hear it, Chauncey was
caught up in this web.

Speaker 2 (34:56):
Well you always surprised, you know, about someone like Chace
Billis because you just and see this coming. But you know,
when you bring gambling to your you know, to your house,
you know, these are the type of things that can happen.
And the NBA and some of these sports teams are
putting you know, gambling, you know front center. I mean,

(35:17):
if it's in your arena all of a sudden, now
you you are inviting you know, these types of situations
to take place. And yeah, I agree with Adam Simmer
right now, I don't think he he understands how, you know,
to address this situation, especially publishing now here that Congress

(35:39):
is asking him to come and explain to them exactly
what's going on with his league.

Speaker 1 (35:47):
The you know, as fans, you say, man, you're making
tens of millions of dollars a year, why would you
throw it away? You know, maybe to make ten, twenty
fifty thousand, whatever it might be. And now we don't
know what's going on in these guys' lives, you know,
whether they're addicted to gambling, it has wrecked their life
and they have to figure out a way out of it,
or whatever it might be. You can get tempted, and

(36:08):
you know, gambling obviously is an addiction that that inflicts
so many people. And I'm not saying that's where we
are here with these guys, but it's going to be
a problem as you welcome gambling into your covenant and
you know. I know there's a drumbeat to somehow try
to ban prop bets going forward, and I'm all for it.
I mean, there's just so much opportunity for players to

(36:31):
take advantage of that system, you know, right, tell some people, yeah,
I want to tell them, I got a headache a
few minutes in and and just take all my unders.
I mean that, how do you legislate that. You know, yes,
you're you know, rolling the dice with your career if
you get caught and potentially your freedom and all of that.
But people get desperate and they do desperate things. And

(36:51):
I don't know if you can ban prop betting as
far down the road as we are right now, but
I kind of feel like that that's a direction we
have to look in sports. I mean, I feel like
it's maybe less of an issue in the NFL. There's
so many fewer games that for a player to do
that in a situation where you play once a week
feels like something that wouldn't be as prevalent as the

(37:14):
other sports that play day in, day out, and something
can get lost in so many games. But I understand
the billions of dollars at play here, and I don't
know that you can ever actually ban prop betting, maybe
you put limits on it, or you know, fifty bucks
is the highest you can bet on a prop bet
something to take away the temptation, because as long as
prop bets are out there, they are going to be

(37:34):
players that are easily influenceable if they have issues where
they can make something happen, to get out of debt
or something. I just think it's a big concern they
have to look at well.

Speaker 2 (37:47):
As a m it's it's a competition thing. It's a
competitive spirit. All of a sudden, you know, I'm not
a gambler. So I hear guys talk about, hey, you
know I want five bucks. Well, then all of a sudden,
you want to wear five Well I lost ten. You
want to get that ten dollars back? And now you're
talking about you know ten, twenty thousand and thirty thousand,

(38:08):
and the mindset is all about, you know, how can
I make more? How can I do more? How can
I win at this thing? And all of a sudden,
now I'm more adventuring myself into a whole nother environment
and to see how I can play with these guys
over here. And you know, when you get into a
situation like these players and now coach has gotten themselves into.

(38:31):
You're entering into a whole another level of uncertainty of
what can go wrong for you. And this is not
a good look, not only for the people who are involved,
but for these sports leagues as well. I know that,
you know, everybody is all about making money. And when
you talk about, you know, how much money the players

(38:52):
are making, they said, be comfortable. But how let's talk
about these sports leagues. You know, why are they entwering
turning some of these sponsorships that can invite this type
of activity to take place withinside of their houses. So
they're going to have to address themselves as well about
how much is enough? I mean, the TV contracts are huge,

(39:14):
they are huge, but when you invite the potential dark
side they can come into your business, what do you expect?
What do you expect?

Speaker 1 (39:26):
Yeah? No, it's a great point. And if the integrity
of a game, integrity of a league is in question,
uh well that's the downfall of that league. I mean,
a sports league will not survive if there's questions about integrity.
And we saw it, you know, go back to the
Tim Donahey, you know, deal you know, if officials start
getting and I'm sure there are officials that have been

(39:47):
lowered into this and we haven't seen a lot of it,
but if you know, the more gambling comes into this,
everyone's going to be tempted, from players to coaches to officials.
And at that point, if it gets to a point
where you can't trust whether this league is on the level, well,
then that that league is in big, big trouble. I
don't We're not at that point now, but I think
it's time to step up and realize what we're inviting

(40:08):
in here. Uh is the gen out of the bottle?
Is it too late? Can they put anything back in
and put limits on? I don't know, but yeah, it's
it's not a good road that basketball is going down.
And it's not just basketball. Baseball has seen it two
I'm sure it's happening in every sport. It's Uh. I'm
very curious to see where this goes because I feel

(40:29):
like this story is just the very tip of the ice.

Speaker 2 (40:31):
Again, I agree with you. I mean, when you talk
about the lines here there, you know this team is
a three point favor this team is a you know,
is a four point underdog. I mean all of a sudden,
right there, that's where it starts. And when you know
players come into the league, you know, whatever their weaknesses are,

(40:53):
the sport did not create that weakness. What the sport
can do and the environment can do answer that weakness.
And maybe some of these guys have a gambling problem
well before they became you know ANBA players. Well, all
of a sudden, now you invite this entity into my environment.
And this is something that is the weakness of mine.

(41:15):
It only enhances when I have more money. And I
think you know, right, Adam Silver has been great, you
know since he took over for David Stern. I said,
but right now, you know he is in a very
very difficult situation on how to recofy this situation that's
in front of him, no question.

Speaker 1 (41:34):
Uh yeah, I think a gambling in the NBA. And
my mind goes to your buddy Michael Jordan, because he's
always been a guy that loves gambling. I'd love to
know what his thoughts are on what's going on right now.
You know how concerned he is about the integrity of
the sport and the proliferation of gambling and what it's doing.

(41:54):
I'm sure someone will ask him. I'd love to hear
his thoughts because, as you know, as a guy that
played with him and has been good friends with him
for a long time, very few people love to gamble.
I'm not talking about on basketball, but just whether it's poker,
whether it's anything to pass the time. That guy loves
gambling as much as anybody. I love. Now that he's
sort of out there more. We saw him on the

(42:15):
NBA on NBC at halftime the other night. He's making
himself out there. I'd love to hear his thoughts on
where this thing is going.

Speaker 2 (42:23):
Right now, and maybe somebody will sit down and ask
him that question at some point in time. But you know,
I've seen you know, so many you know, so many players,
and all of a sudden, now you go to this event,
you go to this this event. All of a sudden,
now you interact with somebody that who is not a
part of your sport, you know, but they have a

(42:44):
lot of money. They go to the casinos, they do
certain things here and there. All of a sudden you
enter into a friendship with him. And maybe at the
time you had no idea what they were doing for
a living. And now you get yourself caught up. I mean,
if you go to Las Vegas, you know that gambling
and playing poker and blackjack and all these things that
they do in Las Vegas, you know that's legal. That's

(43:06):
that's where you can go and do that on your
own time. And that's not going to affect your job.
You know, the entities that you work in is only
going to affect you whether you want to loose. But now,
when you bring this this entity into your environment, and
you bring this dark side close enough to your players,

(43:27):
what do you expect to happen at some point in
time because you have invited the dark side to come
into your house. Because you want the money also that
comes with this, you can't have it both ways and
right now, and I dave I, you know being Adam
Silver at this stage, and Congress is asking you to

(43:48):
come in to explain to us exactly what's happening with
your league. I guarantee you at the start of this
season he had no idea that he would be.

Speaker 1 (43:56):
In this situation. Now I agree on and you know
bout it line is when you invite the dark side
into your house, good luck getting them to leave. They
ain't going anywhere. They're don't feel welcome. They're going to
make themselves at home and find a bedroom and figure
out where the fridge is. And they're not going anywhere.
All right, let's pause top of the hour. There are
some fun NBA nuggets I still want to get to

(44:18):
from the first few nights, and then we'll dive into
football and hour number two, huge game in Iowa City
for the Gophers. We'll react to what happened with the
Purple and where they go from here, all of that
in more our number two in the Zone. We're back

(44:54):
nine oh two, Hour number two in the Zone. Tucker
and sinnecon Trent's in Chicago this weekend. We lit hig
Key Tournament for his boy. I am in Ames Iowa
Parents weekend Iowa State for son Dylan, about two hours
i guesst north west of Iowa City, where your Golden
Gophers are getting set for always a huge rivalry game

(45:16):
at Kinnick Stadium. That game at two thirty today. You'll
hear it right here on the home of sky Uba,
with the pregame starting at twelve thirty, kickoff shortly after
two thirty on the fan double t The Gophers very
impressive performance against Nebraska last week. Where's that been? Right? Here?
Come to twenty fifth rank Huskers, get a sense of

(45:37):
who the Gophers are, and they look like, I guess
the team that you want them to be, a team
that can run the football, a team that can stop
the run and then play really strong defensively. Everything went
according to plan in a twenty four to six domination
over the Huskers last week. Now does that performance travel
to a place that's been a house of horrors. They've

(45:59):
lost I think eleven of thirteen to Iowa though we
all remember two years ago going down there and stealing
Floyd of Rosedale and bringing that one hundred pound trophy
back home. Big test for PJ and the Gophers as
they both take. Both teams take five and two and
three and one big ten records into this big class
this afternoon. Can't wait to watch this one.

Speaker 2 (46:21):
Yeah, it should be a fun game. It's always it's
always nice to you know, to go to Iowa City
and see if you can get to win us. A
big challenge for sure. And the Hawk guy's got a
big win, you know, late in the game against Penn
State last week, as you said, to put themselves three
and one and a big ten. So they're going to
be very confident in this game this afternoon, knowing that

(46:45):
they are playing some good football. But it should be
a good contest for sure.

Speaker 1 (46:48):
Yeah, meeting number one hundred and nineteen between these two
rivals and the Gophers going to look at Mark Ronowski,
the Iowa quarterback brought in from South Dakota State, who
want to a natty the jack Rabbits, And you know,
he's not a guy that's gonna beat you with his arm.
You like that. Yeah, that's what the kids say. You know,
that's what the kids say. He is. You know, he

(47:11):
hasn't you know, we talk about Iowa's offense being in
the stone ages and it's been so ugly for so long,
and they bring this accomplished quarterback in who still has
not really been able to throw the football too much.
But he has ten rushing touchdowns. That's third of the country.
That's not among quarterbacks. He's ten touchdowns, that's the third
most of anybody who plays football. So he is a

(47:32):
dangerous guy with his legs, a guy to watch and
something that PJ will have to be concerned about. They're
going to try to run the ball. The golfers are
going to try to run the ball. This is one
of those games that might be over in two hours
because the clocks is going to continue to run. Both
defenses have flexed. Iowa is fourth in the Big Ten,
giving up just fourteen points a game and less than

(47:52):
two hundred and fifty yards a game. And that's a
challenge for a Gopher offense that was clicking last week
and that offensive line that's they've incorporated different guys and
moved guys around. It felt like they found something against Nebraska.
Now this is a bigger test going into this place
against that defense. If Darius Taylor's finding holes and the

(48:13):
Gophers are moving the ball on the ground and that
opens up play action for Drake Lindsay, suddenly the Gophers
have a chance to spring the upset a little surprised
that they're they're eight and a half point underdogs and
it was expected to be a low scoring game. Look
at me talking point spreads after we just talked gambling
in the last second. YEA, I can't help myself, but

(48:35):
kind of it feels a little bit like a lack
of respect for your Gophers. I'd make you know, Iowa
maybe four or five point favorites over a touchdown seems
like a lot in what should be a low scoring,
defensive minded game. And for PJ side, that's good bulletin
board material. Nobody believes in us. They're looking at last
week like a fluke. Can we go on the road
and play this team tough? This is a you know,

(48:58):
obviously the first it's the biggest trophy game for others.
You know, it's this or the Acts, But this is
one of the two games every year when it comes out.
You know, where's the Iowa game? When is the Iowa game?
You know, obviously we know the Badgers are going to
close out things. But really interesting test for your Golden
Gophers team. How do they respond to their best performance
of the year. Can that defensive line be as dominant

(49:21):
as it was against Nebraska against this potent running attack
for Iowa who no longer has Caleb Johnson obviously, but
they do have a nice running back and obviously a
quarterback that I'll try to run all day long too.
I'm here at Iowa at Iowa State where the Cyclones
are hosting Brigham Young, who's unbeaten, to Jack Trice Stadium

(49:41):
at two thirty, So it's for me Iowa and Iowa
State both games. I want to watch both of them
on at the same time, so I'll be juggling, you know,
several screens watching action this afternoon.

Speaker 2 (49:53):
Well, I think for the Gophers today, they have to
make sure that the Hawk Eys d French does not
make them one dimensional. And if they can find a
balance to what they do offensively, is going to give
them a great chance to win this football game. And
when you can keep the defense on the heels and
have them guessing on what on what they think you're

(50:16):
going to run, it puts you in a much better situation,
you know, to function and operate and do the things
that you like to do. And when you can run
the ball all of a sudden, now it's sessed up
to play action and it gives you know, the quarterback
a little bit more time and space to find these
receivers down the field. So I think a balance attack
for the Gophers today would be a key. If the

(50:38):
Hawk Eys defense can make them one dimensional, it could
be along. It could be a long afternoon for scottue Love.

Speaker 1 (50:45):
But how about when they can walk off that field
with that pig for the second time in the last
couple of years, that would be spectacular. H My attention
early will of course beyond my alma mater. Indiana now
second ranked in the country. They're home to UCLA and
an eleven o'clock kickoff, which is very early for those
LA kids coming across country this morning. That I think

(51:05):
is a point in Indiana's favor But double t. I
never in my life would have thought I would under
the words the second ranked Indiana Hoosiers, whether it's late October, August,
whenever it might be. They're big time three and I
have touchdown favorites over UCLA, a team that's come on
after a disappointing start to win a few games. But
don't expect Indiana to drop the ball. They got off

(51:27):
to a bit of a slow start at michigan'st Michigan
State last week, trail ten seven early, and then scored
the next I think thirty points, So I'm anxious to
see how they come out today. The schedule is just
so easy on paper for Indiana the rest of the way.
I think it's basically the easiest left because Penn State
is not Penn State, and they've got teams like Wisconsin,

(51:50):
and I think Maryland coming up, so we're gonna watch
Indiana roll on, and it feels like we are destined
for a confrontation for the Big Ten championship between the
top two teams and the country about six weeks from now.
It's just remarkable to me what's happened at that school.

Speaker 2 (52:07):
Well, and you're talking about you know, the schedule is
in their favor or the next three or four games.
So this is where coaching comes into play. We know
that players at the stage when they're young, they can
have a Tennessee to overlook the competition. But during the week,
this is where the coaches have to have to drop
the hammer.

Speaker 3 (52:25):
You know.

Speaker 2 (52:26):
They have to they have to be hard, they have
to be tough because they have to make sure that
their players understand you know that, Yeah, we have put
ourselves in a good position, but if we don't come
and approach these games the right way, we could find
ourselves very quickly on the outside looking in. And we
saw what happened to Penn State, and we saw how

(52:48):
highly ranked they were at the start of this season,
and they had a few hiccups here that they lost
to a team that no one thought they would lose
to and that can happen to us us if we
take our eye off the ball. So right now, over
the next three to four weeks, Andy Anda's success is
going to be based on how they head coach can
get his players prepared to play.

Speaker 1 (53:09):
I agree, and I think they have the right coach
to keep them looking at the prize and not looking ahead.
He seems to understand what he's doing right now. All right,
let's turn paid. Let's turn back to the NBA for
just a bit. The first four nights of the season
are in the books. Just some of the news nuggets
that have caught my eye that I wanted to get
your thoughts on double t Let's go back to opening night.
A couple things on opening or the first couple nights. Anyway,

(53:32):
that very first game, okay, see against Houston. That that game,
if that could be a microcosm of what we're in
store for this season, That game had everything you mentioned,
double overtime first two games. Now for the thunder. What
stood out in that opener Cheded Holmgren, I thought was
spectacular from the opening start. He came out firing early,

(53:53):
showing an offensive game that maybe he didn't show, and
with Jalen Williams out to start the year. They're going
to count on him a little bit more. It was
KD down the stretch who missed a key free throw
at the end which allowed Oklahoma City to escape. But
that game and I think SGA had thirty five in
that one, Chet had twenty eight. That game just showed

(54:14):
us man that I just I walked away from that
game thinking I can't. It's so great to have the
NBA back. That was drama on opening night just set
the table for the season, and Okase showed that they
are champs that even with a team like Houston's there
to make things difficult, they figure out a way at
the end. I thought that was the perfect way to
tip off the season. What an entertaining start to the year.

Speaker 2 (54:37):
Yeah, I mean this is and this is what you
would like to be talking about. You know, the competition
on the floor, you know the game's coming right down
to the end, seeing great players make plays here and there.
But all of a sudden, now and you know, we
know what you're not talked about in the last segment
has kind of over a shadow some of the greatness

(54:58):
that we have seen through the first two games of
this season. And it's surprising to me to see that
the Houston Rockets, you know, with the you know, with
the big tray of Cavini rant get off to a
or and to start. I mean, the Pistons go into
Houston last night and knocked them off. So, uh, it's
going to be, you know, it's it's gonna be a
fun season the rest of the way. And when we

(55:19):
talked about how hard it's going to be to win games,
especially in the Western Conference, and when you have games
that that that you have a chance to win, you
can let let those games slip through your fingertips and
and and uh. But the NBA is back, and I
think they, you know, the players will at some point
in time, will begin to control the narrative once again,

(55:40):
you know, monster the situation kind of kind of goes by,
and hope, I'm hoping that the situation went again, that
they're going to stay around for the rest of the
season and overshall them what some of these great players
can do.

Speaker 1 (55:50):
Yeah, all right there with you. I'm just glad it's back.
And you mentioned Houston zh and two, Dallas is ozh
and two. They lost to the Wizards at home last night.
Rocky start for the rookie Cooper flag who's asked to
ask being asked to be the point guard for this team,
something he's never done and that's going to take take
some time. Those two teams being owing to is a
bit of a surprise. Uh, San Antonio, I have more

(56:14):
soph a Houston than compared to Dallas. And you know, Dallas,
you know, without Kyrie Irvin, you know, they don't have
their point guard, they don't have one of their better players.
So for them to be oh and two, I'm not
as I'm not as shocked anyone playing against the Washington
Wizards think that she'll be a win on your home
floor for sure, for sure, But I think for the

(56:35):
Houston Rockets, you know, lose the Oklahoma City is is
not a bad thing, but coming home and losing on
your home floor against the Detroit Pistons, you know, that's
that's kind of shocking. And see, I didn't expect to
see the Houston Rockets love to a oh and two start.

Speaker 2 (56:49):
It's a long way to go. For sure, they're going
to be there right there at the end because they
have the talent to do that. But for them to
get off to an O and two start, it's a
little bit more shockeding to me compared to seeing Dallas
to start.

Speaker 1 (57:02):
Yeah, I agree, you know, coming home after a heartbreaking
loss to the Thunder where you gave everything, and then
losing to a Detroit team that's obviously improved and was
a surprise playoff team, but Kay Cunningham had his way
with them. Twenty one, seven and nine were his stats.
I think to me, the story through a few games
as the start for the Spurs, and in particular Victor Webbanyama,

(57:26):
who opening game against Dallas went fifteen for twenty one
from the floor forty points, fifteen rebounds, three blocks, zero
turnovers and doing things with the basketball that no one
seven to five has ever done. He follows it up
last night against the Pelicans in a win over Zion

(57:46):
and Company, and the stat line twenty nine points, eleven rebounds,
and nine nine blockson right, Yeah, he had four on Zion,
exactly right. We talked about Wemby last week, and you know,
I think most believe he will be the best player
in the game sooner rather than later. That sooner might

(58:08):
be right now. Again, if you ask me, show me
a highlight package of any player right now that after
a game, I want to watch Weby's highlights because it's
not just the numbers, it's it's how he accomplishes them,
and and the fact that he is blocking shots all
night long and still stepping out and hitting threes and
finding his teammates. I just I'm gonna I'm a fanboy

(58:32):
for this guy. I'm so glad he's back after dealing
with the blood clot last season. Uh, I can't get
enough watching him. I just my jaw drops watching highlight
packages of what this guy does. He's he's something we've
never seen before.

Speaker 2 (58:46):
Well he could he could be even more effective if
he played even closer to the basket. I mean he's
seven I talked you seven five seven six, you know
with that, with that skill, I mean, no one is
going to block his shot because all the teams now
are going small. But you know, he's a very gifted
and talented individual, and it's great to see that the
Spurs have gotten off to a quick start, and if

(59:07):
he can stay healthy, you know throughout the season, all
of a sudden, now here comes another team. You know
it's going to be fighting for one of those top
six spots in the Western Conference. There's another team the
Wolves are going to have to deal with now. So
that's why every night that you come out to play,

(59:28):
you're going to have to bring the right mindset. And
it starts on the defensive end. And it's a long season,
and I know you're going to have some ups and downs,
but you just cannot afford to take nice off anymore
because the competition is too great and quickly, if you're
not right in the right frame of mind, you know,

(59:49):
you can find yourself on the outside looking at him
very quickly and you and you're and you're chasing us
uphill battle, and you might get into a situation where
you don't have enough time in games left to climb
the heel to get to where you want to get to.

Speaker 1 (01:00:05):
Yeah, for sure. Last point on the NBA. The Milwaukee
Bucks are off to a two and zho start. They
won in Toronto last night one twenty two, one sixteen,
after beating the Wizards at home in the opener. They
lost Kevin Porter Junior to an ankle injuries. They didn't
have him last night, but just a lot of eyes
are going to be watching the play of the Bucks
because of the honest situation and whether uh Milwaukee can

(01:00:27):
look like a team that could compete in the East
throughout the season and then he sticks around or does
the trade chatter get louder if the Bucks struggles. So
I'm watching how they perform. Yiannis had thirty one points,
twenty rebounds, seven assists last night, but he seems to
be surrounded by a nice supporting cast of guys that
can shoot, which is what you want with with the

(01:00:50):
honest had to open things up down the middle for him.
Gary Trent had twenty and it starts for them. Aj
Green is a big weapon for them, and you know,
it was nice to see a mere Coffee make the
roster as a guy that was did not have a
guaranteed contract kind of channeled Trent Tucker Circle nineteen ninety
two and found his way on the roster, and they

(01:01:10):
bumped out a couple of draft picks that didn't make
the team that were guaranteed. So the former Hopkins star
who's had a nice career and obviously most recently with
the Clippers, hopefully he's found a home with Milwaukee. I'm
really glad he made that team, and I only got
a few minutes last night. He got more minutes in
the opener, but really happy for him that he found
a home on a team that you know, does have

(01:01:32):
high hopes in a wide open East. It's all about Giannis,
but it looks like they may have surrounded him with
some kind of nondescript talent, but maybe complimentary talent that
might make Milwaukee a bit better than people think.

Speaker 2 (01:01:44):
Well, you know, if Jannis is willing to a just
his approach to the game, all of a sudden, now
those role players you talked about, he makes the game
easier for them to play. And I know that he
likes to handle the ball and he wants to show
that he's a point forward, a point center, whatever he
may be. And every once in a while, you know,

(01:02:06):
he falls into that bad habit of taken too many
three point shots. When the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA
Championship in Game six against the Phoenix Suns, you know,
Yas put up a fifty point a fifty point game,
and he was dominant on the inside. And if he
can balance off, you know, going down low just a
little bit more and forcing that defense to collapse, because

(01:02:29):
once he's inside, he's very difficult to deal with. All
of a sudden, Now guys like Gary Trent Jr. They
have more freedom and more space to play with. They
get themselves into position where they can play inside outside,
which perhaps one of the best players in the game,
and the game becomes easier their offensive for Milwaukee to play.
When he Yatis controls the ball too much, he puts

(01:02:53):
Milwaukee's offense in a much more difficult situation. It's because
guys are now standing around watching him do things, you know,
that allows them to stay out of the offense. But
when the amis is playing with his back to the basket,
all of a sudden, now that Milwaukee Bucks are a
different basketball team.

Speaker 1 (01:03:10):
Yeah, and they they didn't address the point guard spot.
You know, we talked about Kevin Porter Junior. But Cole Anthony,
the former magic guard, has got left a really good start.
He had twenty three points in twenty seven minutes last night,
seven assists for rebounds nine for fourteen coming off the bench.
Uh do you get better point guard players? You say,
take the baality Giannis's hands a bit.

Speaker 2 (01:03:30):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (01:03:30):
That unlocks his game to a point where he becomes
really difficult to guard. And not a guy that, yeah,
he figure is gonna s handle them because you.

Speaker 2 (01:03:39):
Know, Dave, you know, you see it, invested it. You
know everybody's going small. Everybody wants to go small ball. Yeah, okay,
you go small ball against Giannis. Say okay, if they
gonna go small ball against Giannis, why is is that
twenty eight feet driven the basketball? Put it down low.
If they're going to go small, you punish those small

(01:03:59):
guys into submission. You force the opposition to change what
they're doing defensively, and if they are not going to change,
just throw the ball to Giannis every single time down
the floor. Can you imagine if you're gonna go small
and play against Kareem App door jabbar, Magic Johnson would
throw that ball to him one hundred times, he might

(01:04:21):
score two hundred points.

Speaker 1 (01:04:25):
You wouldn't be tempted to step out and shoot the three,
that's for sure.

Speaker 2 (01:04:28):
He wouldn't even shooting three. If you're talking about playing
a six five guy on Kareem App door jabbar or
a six eight guy on Kareem Map door jabbar, Magic
Johnson would come down the floor and throw that ball
inside every single time. And that's the advantage that Jannis
can have because when they go small. Okay, So you're

(01:04:50):
gonna disrespect me like that and go small. Okay, I
got something for you. I'm gonna put you in the
basket every single time and not when they come with
the double teams. And you talked to Dave added some
shooters around him. Now that freeze up guys like Gary
Trent to have a major impact on what your team
can do throughout the season.

Speaker 1 (01:05:09):
All right, let's turn our attention. Go ahead.

Speaker 2 (01:05:12):
It's it's it's I always said, you know, basketball is
a simple game when you play.

Speaker 1 (01:05:19):
It the right way. You've always said that that is true. Hey,
hard to argue. All right, let's pause here. Let's turn
our attention to the National Football League. Vikings have suffered
a couple l's since we were last together. I'll gauge
your sense of where this team is after a really
miserable performance in L A look ahead the week eight
in the National Football League. When we come back in

(01:05:39):
the zone back nine thirty on Saturday morning, you're in

(01:06:04):
the zone, Trent Tucker and Dave sennecon hanging out till
the top of the hour. Fantasy Football Weekly follows us.
Go for football later today, Wild Hockey at five o'clock
on Cool one oh eight later this afternoon double t.
I was in a bar in Ames last night and
the World Series was on, and it struck me that

(01:06:25):
as part of a nine run sixth the inning, the
Blue Jays I think scored more runs in that inning
then the Milwaukee Brewers scored in four games against the
La Dodgers. I didn't know was it was legal to actually,
you know, hit balls against the Dodgers pitchers. Milwaukee had
no luck at that. What a start for Toronto, which
got a grand Slam from Addison Barger in that nine
run sixth the inning, and Blake Snell, who was so

(01:06:46):
untouchable in the last series, got into big trouble there
in that sixth the inning and the bullpen did him
no favors. A little stunning to see the Dodgers get
blown out in Game one.

Speaker 2 (01:06:57):
Well, if you can get to the Dodgers bullpen, yeah,
gives you a chance to win. And you know, they
started pitching has been very good, you know. But the
big question mark for the Dodgers if they want to
you know, repeat as as as as World Series champions,
you know, can they bull and hold up in critical moments?
And and the word is that if you can if

(01:07:17):
you can get to those guys, you know, it puts uh,
it puts it push you and your team in a
good situation to walk away.

Speaker 1 (01:07:24):
With the victory. Yeah, that is their Achilles heel. The
bullpen for sure, and the starting pitching was so good
in the last couple series they didn't have to worry
about it too much. Toronto has definitely stepped up and
said this is going to be a little bit different.
We know how to hit the ball. At least it
looks like we're in for a compelling World Series and
not just a Dodgers uh steam roll. Certainly Toronto made

(01:07:44):
their presence felt, as did the LA Chargers the other night.
Double Tea, Man, I want to go back to the
last Sunday because your guy Jalen hurts Uh had a
perfect passer rating looked like nothing like the passing game
of look for the Eagles all season and that was
stunning to see Brian Flora's defense get torched to that

(01:08:06):
degree by Philly. And it was no better Thursday Night
in LA whether it was running the ball or throwing.
In this case, they did a decent job against Saquad
that Eagles had not been able to run all season,
but the pass defense the middle of the field is
just a wide open medal for opposing receivers to find
open patches. Man stunning, stunning performance by your Vikings defense

(01:08:31):
the last two games, you.

Speaker 2 (01:08:35):
Know, is very it was concerning, especially against the Chargers,
but against the Eagles, even though you know Jaana Hurst
had a pretty much a perfect passion rating, but the
Vikings beat themselves turnovers here or there. I mean, even
though Philadelphia played a wonderful game, they made big plays

(01:08:57):
here and there. But if the Vikings could have capped
with lives in situations when they got themselves in position
to score and do some damage to the Philadelphia Eagles,
I believe that could have been a different outcome. But
you can't get a pick six day when you're inside
the risalm. This can't it can't happen. May not pick sick,

(01:09:18):
but you can't turn the ball of when you're inside
the resum. And you got to score a touchdown when
you're inside the redsum. And right now against against the
Philadelphia Egos, I thought the Vikings made too many mistakes
that allowed the Philadelphia Eagles to walk away with When
that was a game, I think they lost more so
than the Philadelphia Eagles one. Now against the Chargers, it

(01:09:40):
seems like they had no chance to start to finish.

Speaker 1 (01:09:45):
One hundred. And you know, we all coming out of
the game, you just you wonder about, you know, leaving
Carson Wentz out there for sixty minutes, who was clearly
just on fumes so banged up. Uh, there was many
fans wondering, you know, why not throw match pro more
out there? At this point the game is lost? Is
it the fact that the KOC was concerned that they

(01:10:06):
couldn't protect Rosmer and he'd be running into a buzz stop.
On the other hand, he's an NFL quarterback, but he's
your back right exactly. But at this point the game
is out ahead. Just run the ball, just dump off passes,
I mean protect him. I like many Uh just marveled
it at Wentz just getting up off that peeling himself

(01:10:27):
up off the carpet and going back to fight another
play when clearly he was in agony. And then obviously
it all begins at the offensive line. No Brian O'Neil
to start Christian darisaw last a couple series. The old
line is is the major talker here, and it sounds
like Koc after the game yesterday said he feels good
about the chances of both tackles being back for Detroit

(01:10:49):
next Sunday, as well as JJ McCarthy. At this point
with with what's ahead, we're at a point in the
season now where if they don't, yeah, for sure, You've
got three division games in the next four So you
get all three division opponents over the next month with
a home game against the Ravens in between. That's a

(01:11:11):
Ravens team which should have Lamar Jackson back. Will see
if he plays tomorrow, but by the following week, I
think the expectation a couple of weeks he'll be out
there for sure. It's a desperate Ravens team that will
be coming in here and then three division games wrapped
around the beginning next Sunday in Detroit. It's a point
in the season where it can go one of two ways,
and it's hard to feel real confident about it going

(01:11:34):
the right way. After the performance on Thursday night, Well.

Speaker 2 (01:11:37):
You know, there's still all of football they have to
be to be played. Now. If you go into Detroit
next week and you don't win the football game, the
one thing that the head coach, you want to come
out with how well did we play, did we show up,
did we do some good things? How are there some
things that we can build upon going into the next week. Yeah,

(01:11:58):
we might be three and five after eight games, but
we still have, you know, nine football games that have
to be played or more, and so how do we
build from that standpoint? And I thought the Vikings this
year might go eleven and six, So you know, we're
still in that window. But as a as a as
a player, and as a head coach, when you hit

(01:12:20):
a little rough patch in the road and you move
on to the next game and you may not win,
but can you leave that game with some confidence and
something to build on as you get prepared for the
rest of the season. So for me as a as
a fan and as an ex player, it's going to
be important to me to see how well the Vikings

(01:12:40):
can come out and do some of the things they
would like to do against against the Detroit line. Whether
they win or not, I would like to see them win,
but but can we find something to build up on
as we move throughout the rest of the season.

Speaker 1 (01:12:52):
Yeah, I mean the offensive concerns are understandable when when
you have an offensive line that can stay healthier playing
a quarterback who you know, I was unsigned, you know,
through most of the offseason and was sort of pressed
into duty here. That's stuff I think you expect to me.
It's the defense that has me scratch in my head,
and I'm sure a lot of Vikings fans. You let
a Chargers team that has not run the ball, well,

(01:13:14):
they're down to their third string running back right now,
you let him run for one hundred yards. You let
Justin Herbert, who's not necessarily a running threat, run for
over fifty yards. They ran for over two hundred yards
on the Vikings defense. And this is a defense it's
not intact, but because Van Geiko's still out, but you know,
you got Cashman back, so you've got that quarterback in
the middle of your defense. I would be really concerned

(01:13:37):
about the defense because the secondary is certainly less talented
that you'd like. Jeff Akuda is a guy the teams
are picking on. So the cornerback plays not great. We
knew that was going to be a problem, but you
figure the front seven is going to mask some of
those deficiencies. They're not masking anything right now. And you
look at that run defense and how they struggle against Vidal.

(01:13:58):
Now you've got Jamir Gibbs who's fresh off a two
hundred yard offensive performance at home in a place that
they they play so well. It does not look good.
It's not doesn't feel like a great time to face
an offense like the Detroit Lions when the defense is
struggling the way Minnesotas is.

Speaker 2 (01:14:15):
Right now, Yeah, I hear everything you're saying, and you
make some great points about that, But this is the
type of game you want because you've got to pick
yourself up off the net right now. You know, we
can't go any more and we play against a very
good football team and Detroit Lions. We may not win
this football game, but I need to come out of

(01:14:38):
this game with something to build upon. I need to
see some areas where we have shown some growth and
that the players can feel a little bit better about
themselves as they get prepared for the rest of the season.
You have to find some building blocks. Yeah, this may
not this may not be a game that we can win,
but I can walk away and say, no what, I

(01:14:59):
saw some good things and I can go back and
show the team all damn you know, we're starting to
do X, Y and Z, and this is something that
we like to build a ball because we're going to
have to play this way if we want to get
ourselves back together back together. But it has to start somewhere.
And I think this is the perfect team. But the
Minnesota vice is to play a guess because they got

(01:15:20):
to find out Dave exactly who they are.

Speaker 1 (01:15:23):
Well in that way, you're right. I mean, that's the
team that will show you who you are. And it's
obviously a very good football team that's had a couple losses,
but they're getting healthier. Still struggling defensively a bit, but
that offense, especially at home, is the ultimate challenge. And
when you've got Detroit, Baltimore, Chicago, Green Bay, Seattle, you

(01:15:44):
need to go no worse than three and two. I
would think that would put you at six and six
through twelve games to keep you right in the mix.
But anything less than three and two is going to
make things difficult. Today as we sit here, it's hard
to see this team going three and two over those
next five games, with three you know, tough road games
in Detroit, Green Bay, in Seattle. You got to steal
one of those Uh, they're gonna, as you say, have

(01:16:05):
to look like an entirely different team and at least
win or lose. It has to start next week in Detroit.

Speaker 2 (01:16:11):
Yeah, I mean, you know, because you know, as a
as an ex player, you know when when things are
not going well overall. I mean you know, you you
know at some point in time you got to you
gotta start over. You gotta start over. And if I'm koc,
you know is if we got to have a tough
conversation about okay, where do we need to get better

(01:16:35):
and we've gotta change some things here mentally right now,
we're now in a good spot. So this is where
the head coach has to come in and get with
his staff, sit with this players, have a nice conversation
about here, we got to get back to doing X,
Y and Z. We got to get back to being
better at these things. Now. This is the perfect team
for us to play against because it's it's going to
give us a measure stick to see where we are

(01:16:57):
with the whole week are for us to get to
where we have to go is not going to be
an easy road. Like you said, you know, you got
you got the Lions, you got the Bears who are
playing where you got the Packers. You got to go
out and play. I guess there another good football team
and you got to play against them. So the road
to success, the road to a conference championship, division championship,

(01:17:20):
and one day trying to win it all. The road
is not easy, but we have to find that at
some point in time who we are and I think
I guess the Detroit Lines is a perfect place to start.

Speaker 1 (01:17:31):
Well. Come back for our final segment, look at some
of the other big games tomorrow, Week eight in the NFL.
I think none bigger than Green Bay and Pittsburgh Sunday
Night football, the Packers facing Aaron Rodgers for the first time.
I'll give you my thoughts on that, and we'll wrap
up looking ahead to the week to come for your
Timberwolves final segment in the Zone right after these pay
Wondering why I asked Brett to play a little Partridge
Family music as we close out in the zone on

(01:17:53):
this Saturday morning. The reason I marshal something Nope, Nope,
that was my choice song I Think I Love You
The Partridge Family was the number one song in the
US the last time the Green Bay Packers won a
game in Pittsburgh that was November of nineteen seventy bart
Stocks Wow, the Packers Packers quarterback back then. It's been

(01:18:15):
fifty five years since Green Bay has won of gout
in Pittsburgh, and obviously, as you know, they're there tomorrow
night to face their old guy, Aaron Rodgers in a
primetime game for the Ages. At least as far as
Packer fans are concerned, I do not have a great
feeling that the fifty five year streak is going to
end tomorrow night. What do you think?

Speaker 2 (01:18:36):
Oh, you don't. Oh, I'm surprised. I'm surprising to me.
You know, I think that I think your guy, I'm
not talking about Aaron Rodgers and I'm not talking about
Jordan Love, Okay, I think your guy, Michael Possis is
going to be the difference. Well, I think it's going

(01:18:58):
to be a difference in tomorrow Night's game because he's
going to get to hand Rodder in the crucial moment.
I believe, so. I think the game could be closed.
But I think, you know, the trade that you made
and the guy that you got to make a difference
in key spots. I think Michael Parsons will be the
key guy for you tomorrow.

Speaker 1 (01:19:18):
Well, he's coming off a career day with the three
sacks last week, and look, I think Green Bay is
more talented than Pittsburgh pretty much across the board. I
think Aaron Rodgers, though, has been very good at getting
rid of the ball quickly to avoid the pass rush.
He's third in the league at getting rid of the
ball at two point sixty three release time. I think
that's the recipe tomorrow to make Micaeh Parsons less of

(01:19:39):
a factor. I think Rogers is going to get rid
of that ball fast. He's trying to join a very
exclusive club of guys that have beaten all thirty two teams.
This is the only one he's missing. He would join
Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Brett farre as
the only quarterbacks that have beaten all thirty two teams.
Montana and Tarkenton beat all twenty eight. There were not

(01:20:01):
thirty two teams when those guys play. They're the only
other two quarterbacks that had beaten every other team in
the league in their career. Here's why I'm negative double T.
Pittsburgh's had a few extra days. You know, they played
that previous Thursday night. It was a disaster for their defense.
They were embarrassed by Joe Flacco and the Bengals. They've
had a long time to think about that, and Mike

(01:20:21):
Tomlin just tends to be a guy that gets his
team after a bad performance to play way better than
next week. And he's terrific as a home underdog. You
put the primetime lights under it. I just think it
all sets up for just a bad spot for green
Bay to go into Pittsburgh on this week against a
team that's been licking at s wounds for ten days
and a place where they've had very little success. What

(01:20:44):
gives me hope is that Jordan Love is the highest
rated quarterback in Sunday Night Football history, best pass the
rating of any quarterback on Sunday Night Football with at
least five starts. He always saves his best for some
reason for the NBC crew, and Pittsburgh's defense has been
terrible and t J. Watt is questionable and if he
doesn't go, obviously that makes things even more difficult for

(01:21:05):
that unit, which has given up explosive plays at a
rate almost like unlike any other team. And green Bay's
the third most has the third most explosive plays. So
from an ex as a O standpoint, I think the
matchup is great. The spot is difficult. I just think
it's a tough spot to go into Pittsburgh where they
are right now and get a win on the road.

(01:21:26):
I'd love to see it, but I am calling for
a Pittsburgh win tomorrow night.

Speaker 2 (01:21:31):
Well, it'd be great for us because it keeps us
in the window as a minister, a Viking fan. But
I believe for the Green Bay practice he talked by
Aaron Rodgers is going to get rid of the ball
very quickly, but jam the receivers exactly.

Speaker 1 (01:21:44):
You're right, that's what they have to do.

Speaker 2 (01:21:46):
Take away the quit passing game. Now he may have
to hold on to the ball for a second or
two longer. Here comes Michael Parsons, So what's the game plan. Okay,
we know he wants to get rid of the football.
So we got what we believe is the best pass
rusher in the game. We got perhaps the best best
come and say, some people might call him the best

(01:22:07):
defensive player in the game. So we cannot afford to
allow the Pittsburgh Steelers to negate him out of the game.

Speaker 1 (01:22:17):
We can't.

Speaker 2 (01:22:18):
So if you take Michael Parsons out of the game
all of a sudden, that means that now we are
controlling the offensive flop. We are allowed to play our game.
So I think from a defensive standpoint, if you believe
that this is the game planing, the Pittsburgh Steelers are
going to branch to the tape quick passes, get the
ball out out of his hand very quickly, get up
and jam the receivers and take away the quick passes.

(01:22:42):
Now unleases, and now that unleases Michael Parsons say, get
after a forty plus year or Aaron Rochester and who
should win that matchup more times than nothing?

Speaker 1 (01:22:51):
Yeah, I hope they do it, double Tea, I hope
they do. It's just not how Green Bay plays defensively.
They play in zone mostly, they don't jam receivers. They
It's just not Jeff Athlete's scheme. I hope he does
do some of that tomorrow night, because I do think
that's the recipe to keep Aaron Rodgers off balance. The Bears.
By the way go into Baltimore, it sounds like Lamar
Jackson may miss another game. So the Bears on a

(01:23:13):
four game win streak might get Baltimore without lamarka wim
coach for your talent apparently, so that thing is starting
to the starting to figure things out. Hey, good luck
to James in Chicago. Look forward to hearing how things go.
We'll see you back in studio next Saturday, my friend.

Speaker 2 (01:23:32):
All Right, Dave, thank you and George Ames Iowa. Why
you're there.

Speaker 1 (01:23:35):
I will do that. I hope the Cyclones can get
a big win over the unbeaten BYU squad this afternoon. Brett,
I'll see you tomorrow morning Packer preview bright and early
seven am. Although I'll still be at Names, I won't
see you, but I'll chat with you about the big
Packer Steelers game tomorrow morning. Have a great day as well.
For double T. For Brett Blakemore, I'm Dave Sinecon. Stay tuned.
Fantasy Football Weekly is next. Then go for football at

(01:23:56):
two thirty. See you