December 18, 2025 • 36 mins
Jon Krawczynski kicks off the hour in studio with Wolves conversation, then Scott Fish joins for some fantasy fodder before we cold-call Alec Lewis to preview the football feast!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Human nine to noon.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
I know, right, Johnny Athletic a studio stop nine to
noon en route to Timberwolves practice. The same Johnny Athletic.
You hear a weekly Bumper to bumper with Burrero. He's
also available via the X machine and you can follow
him at.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
J O n.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
At via Twitter.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
We'll come in, We'll come in.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
What's your Twitter handle again? At j O N k
r A w c z U y N s K. I.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Can you repeat the part of this stuff where you
said all about things excellent?
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Seeing you? Is the family all squared away for Christmas?
Speaker 5 (00:55):
Uh?
Speaker 6 (00:55):
Yeah, we still got I'm a procrastinator, so I'm like
right up against the headline and start buying a few
more gifts. But we're plans are in place, so we're
going in the right direction here.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
I need you to help me here because I purposely
did not research it, not knowing I was eventually going
to have you in in studio. But like I you know,
I have Finchy on the radio show weekly all right,
A couple of weeks ago, maybe after that Friday night
Phoenix l hading Michael Monday or a Tuesday, then the
tweet machine was hitting me with like you know, his
first interview after the game, and then I started to
(01:28):
read up on it a little bit and like day
Moore was saying some things and you were saying some
things about, you know, just about what it takes to
go to all the games. Yeah, what what was that? Like,
like what it's gone? Yeah, but what was it?
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (01:41):
So it's it's just kind of a reflection of the
new media realities of the day. And you know, forever
and ever, we had at least one media traveling media
member at every game. A lot of times it was
the Start Tribune, a lot of times it's me. Sometimes
it's Day More. And really, with how expensive it's gotten
and the revenues have been falling, like it's just hard
(02:03):
to justify going to every single game. So that game
in particular, there was no one. None of us were
there for that one. And so it's, you know, it's
a little bit tough. There's financial realities for me. I
have a young family that I'm just not going to
be traveling every every weekend for or every life fan.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Duel at that time, like wasn't showing the post game.
Speaker 6 (02:24):
Yes, conference fan duels really falling off in terms of
their post game you know, abilities to deliver interviews and
things like that. So there was a little bit of
an information vacuum after a tough loss. You want people
hell to account and ye, so you know, I'm used
to being able to make calls behind the scenes and
do things and report, and I did the best I could,
But there was not the definitive press conference.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Hey why did you do this? What happened here? For
that game?
Speaker 6 (02:50):
And there will be several more of those games going
on the rest of the season, with eighty with forty
one road games, it's just really really hard to justify doing.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
All of that completely understand it. Thanks thanks for the
vulnerability there in the honest team. What happened last night
against Memphis?
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Yeah, I mean it's just.
Speaker 6 (03:07):
An offensive, you know, a knee mick shot making type
of a situation. I think that they played a Memphis
team that was really banged up, and generally speaking, this
team takes teams lightly that are that are shorthanded to
the degree that Memphis was. But also you watch that game,
and I mean they missed thirty three three pointers. You know,
(03:31):
Julius Randall was two for ten in the first quarter.
They just really had a hard time generating good shots
and then making the good ones that they did generate,
and it was really disappointing because those are the home
games that you have to win, especially with Oklahoma City
looming tomorrow night. But they it's been a team PA
all season long that has played sort of like it's
(03:52):
bored with the regular season, and I think there continues
to be some of that against these teams that are
either shorthanded or not very good. I would expect tomorrow
night against Okay See, they'll play a lot better and
they'll play with a lot more energy, but it's been
a little underwhelming that way.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Anthony didn't play last night.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Postgame, did you feel Julius Randall made it low key
sound like they badly need a point guard or a
defined floor general, because I did.
Speaker 6 (04:21):
Yeah, I think that definitely this roster. One of the
shortcomings right now is floor general, quarterback however you want
to say it, or just even one more person who
can create off of the dribble some way, somehow. Mike
Conley has been he's been out lately, but he's also
old and diminished in his abilities to do that. Rob
Dillingham unfortunately has not shown that he is ready for
(04:44):
prime time with a team that wants to contend in
the Western Conference, and so he has not been able
to do it. Bones Island has had some moments, but
he is a career bench guy and so he has
I think some limitations as well. And so I think
it's going to be on Tim Connelly to really look
hard at seeing if there is another either point guard
(05:07):
or playmaker they can acquire at the trade deadline, provided
you don't see some sort of real explosion from Bones
or Rob Dillingham, you know, over the next month or so.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Is is Finchy cracking a tad? And the reason I
bring it up is he just melted on a ref
last night and seemed very very frustrated. You know, we
both know Chris very well. He's not an f bomb
kind of guy. Maybe he can be behind the scenes
more with you. I mean you're round him more than me.
I mean he just lost it last night. Holy cow.
Speaker 6 (05:39):
Yeah, that felt to me like frustration and the way
that the game was going. But I will say Pa
that you know, knowing Chris as well as I have
for as long as I have, one of his sort
of quibbles is he is has very little patience for refereeing,
and he is very voice. He makes his voice heard
(05:59):
all game long with calls that he thinks have been
missed with the way that the officiating had, with the
way with the way the game that has been officiated.
And I don't think that that was a particularly good
look for him at the end of that game, because
certainly there were some bad calls, but this team did
not lose because of officiating last night, and I think
(06:19):
that that was him just airing his grievances with his
team through the officials. But that has been a career
long thing for FINCHI he really does get after the
officials from the opening tip to the end of it,
and I don't know that a lot of the officials
really appreciate that very.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Much more on the current stage of the Wolves momentarily,
but we mentioned it earlier, news popped I believe it
was sham Cheranium KG Kevin Gartnett is back in the
mix with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Uh one, you know you
you what do you know about it? What can you share?
What do you think?
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (06:53):
I think that I think over the course of the
next day or two, there's going to be really more
specific Slaid out about exactly what this is. I think
right now what's been reported is that he is coming
back to the team in sort.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Of an off court role.
Speaker 6 (07:07):
This is not a you know, basketball operations department type
of a thing, but he's going to be involved in
kind of community events, fan engagement. He's going to do
content for the team on social media and I think
on their website and things like that. And as part
of all of that, he's going to have his jersey
retired eventually now. And he he and Glenn Taylor did
(07:30):
not get along at all, and so that was the
reason that twenty one has not been hanging in the rafters.
But Mark Laurie and Alex Rodriguez really made it a
priority once they took over to kind of try and
build a bridge there and broker a truce. And it
has now happened, and I think that's the best thing
for all involved.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Fans are going to be over the.
Speaker 6 (07:48):
Moon about this, and you know, it was a really
ugly dispute for a very long time between the icon
of this franchise and the Timberwolves, and to have that
kind of of put under the bridge now is just
great news.
Speaker 7 (08:04):
Well, is it as much a truce or is it
a little bit just well Glenn's gone, so now we
can resume those sorts of conversations. I mean, you know,
a Rod and Laurie certainly don't have the connection to
KG that Glenn did, so now it's like, well Glenn's gone,
now we can be friends again.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 6 (08:19):
I mean, certainly that's the big the big card to
play was that once Glenn Taylor was gone, then KG
was going to be able to let go of whatever
grudge that he was holding against the Timberwolves. But I
do think also it took a lot of engagement from Mark,
Laurie and Alex Rodriguez and their staff to just get
(08:40):
to know KG and kind of get to know the
people around him and and try and just build a
little bit of trust there as well that they were
going to be different, that they were going that this
was not kind of an extension of Glenn Taylor but
a new way of doing things.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
And so it took a long time.
Speaker 6 (08:57):
I mean, you know, Lauria and Rodriguez have been involved
since twenty twenty one, and I think it only really
picked up steam, and you know, this summer, after all
the closing of the sale, and everything, and so certainly
Glenn Taylor being gone big, big big.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
The biggest part of it.
Speaker 6 (09:13):
But also you got to, you know, give Lauri and
a Rod their props for being able to cultivate at
least some sort.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Of relationship to get it going in the right direction.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Johnny Athletic, John Krazinsky, The Athletic. Theathletic dot Com covers
the Minnesota Timberwolves and second to Non Fashion. And this
Saturday at four o'clock there is a John Krasinsky Show live.
Chris Finch is going to be a guest. Bones Highland
is going to be a guest. Where is it and
what can people expect?
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (09:41):
I appreciate it. It's four pm in Northeast Minneapolis. Headflyer Brewing
is the place. We've done a bunch of live shows
there over the years, like a wolves bar, right, it's
pretty much a Wolves bar. Yeah, we've been able to
turn it into that with a relationship with the podcast
and it's become a really cool event and really cool
of Chris Finch to come in the midd of a
season and do this. And if you go to this show,
(10:04):
you will see thirty minutes with Chris Finch you will
see thirty minutes with Bones Highland. I will be doing
some Q and a with the fans, and we'll give
away some tickets and things. But also if we're trying
to help the community as well, so if you bring
some food items to donate to Second Harvest Heartland, you'll
get buy one, get one on your beer purchases at
(10:25):
head Flyer for the event. So Chris Finch, as you know,
is deeply involved in Second Harvest Heartland and I have
a collaboration of a beer with head Flyer that proceeds
of that go to Second Harvest Heartland. And so now
we're just doing a big event with Chris Finch and
Bones starting at four pm on Saturday, So hope everyone
can make.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
It at head Flyer Brewing.
Speaker 6 (10:46):
Head Flyer Brewing in Northeast Minneapolis, just outside of kind
of the northeast area, right off of thirty five W
and Headepin Avenue.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Yeah, so four o'clock is when it begins.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
We got Johnny Athletic there here per the Twitter Twitter page.
Bring an item to donate today, Buy one, get one
beer the food shelf Second Arvest heart lentz asks for sugar,
cooking oils, ready to eat soups, laundry, soaps, flours, spices,
personal hygiene items, toilet paper, toothbrush, and stuff like that.
(11:15):
All items donated to Good Works Food Shelf in Northeast
Minneapolis courtesy of Second Harvest tart Lent. That's fantastic four
o'clock Saturday. Four o'clock Saturday, stop by the John Krazinski
Show and via his X page you can learn more
about that philanthropic endeavor. Now back to the Timberwolves of
(11:36):
now Okay see here tomorrow night lost to Memphis last night.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
The kids, the bench guys.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
I watched most of the game pretty good in the
first half of my opinion, not so much in the second.
I mean, how often have you have you seen that?
With Clark and Shannon Junior and Dyllanham the whole thing.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Yeah, that's been the thing.
Speaker 6 (11:53):
I mean, you know, I think that Chris Finch has
heard some pressure to try and play. Got to play
the young guys more. You got to play the young
guys more. But it has been so uneven so far.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
And you're right.
Speaker 6 (12:03):
I mean the first the first shift, especially for Dillingham
and Shannon, they were doing good things offensively. The ball
was moving they were getting to the basket, they were scoring,
and then in the second half, it just so it
was a disastrous stint for those two and it was
one of the areas of the game that just really
slipped away. The Wolves led by nine when they came in,
and they were trailing by five by the time the
shift was over. And so the inability to rely on
(12:29):
any consistency from those guys has been real detrimental to
the overall depth of this team. I think when the
season started, you thought for sure Terrence Shannon Junior was
going to be a reliable bench scorer give you some
pop consistently, and Dillingham you figured still learning, but yeah,
maybe there's gonna be plenty of games where he gives
(12:50):
you twelve points in eighteen minutes and and really is
a plus that way, and it just has not yet materialized.
And you know, that just puts so much press Sean
Nazrid to score at a high level on that second unit,
because if they don't get bench scoring, then you're really
really leaning on those starters a lot. And it really
came back to bite them last night. They were outscored
(13:10):
forty four to twenty nine by the Grizzlies bench, and
the Grizzlies bench has no one right now, and that's
just not that's not a good look.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
John Krazinski Johnny Athletic Timberwolves conversation. Do do you believe
they will trade for a point guard? And if so,
who would they possibly make available?
Speaker 6 (13:27):
So I do think that they are looking hard at
doing it. The question becomes like, to your point, who
is it? Because I don't think that the LaMelo Ball,
Trey Young, Jahn Morant guys, the super expensive and a
little bit of value diminished guys are options right now
(13:48):
for them, just where they're at with the salary cap
and and all of those things. But then you're looking
for guys like, you know, a Kobe White or a TJ.
McConnell or a Dennis Shrewder or somebody like that. But
they're hard to get. They're not they're not easy to
trade for. You'd probably have to give up like a
Dante DiVincenzo for him, and he's playing actually really well
right now. So there's not an obvious answer for the
(14:12):
problem right now. But I think Tim Conley is one
of the most aggressive general managers is out there, and
so I think that if things continue as they are
right now, they will eventually pull a trigger on some
move for a point guard, but it may take a
little while yet.
Speaker 7 (14:29):
Well, yeah, and taking a little while, That's that's where
I was going to go with this. Earlier you just
kind of mentioned that the deadline and just people look
in time frames, deadline is still a fair amount off.
Just kind of the idea, where do you feel like,
if they're going to do something that it has to
be at the eleventh hour because of the difficulty negotiating
or you know, we just watched How the Wild just
under the cover of darkness pulling a Quinn Hughes, not
(14:51):
saying it would be that caliber of player, but like
this could happen at any time. I just feel when
when you see the stickiness, as you guys were talking,
the isolation manner in which the offense devolves into on
a nightly basis, this just feels that there should be some
urgency and rectified in that if they truly believe that
the point guard's part of that conversation and a solution.
Speaker 6 (15:12):
Yeah, I mean yes and no though, Nordo, because like
there is urgency, sure, but at the same time they're
seventeen and ten.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
They're not ten and seventeen.
Speaker 6 (15:21):
And so one thing we have seen from Chris Finch
in particular, but I think Tim Connolly as well, is
that they typically show more patience to let things unfold
throughout a regular season than you know, the fan would
Everyone wants every fan wants Finch fired and wants a
point guard acquired, like right now, and that's just not
(15:42):
the way that this organization operates.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
We saw last year.
Speaker 6 (15:46):
I mean, they are miles ahead of where they were
in the standings last year at this time because and
they just stuck with it and they didn't panic, and
they ended up getting to playing their best basketball in
April and May.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
And they got to the Western Conference finals.
Speaker 6 (15:59):
And I do believe leave that there is belief within
the organization that they can follow a similar path and
that with the way that they have started, they don't
have to panic right now because they're winning enough to
try and give these other guys more time to figure
it out. But there's no question that if we get
to you know, the turn of the year and into
(16:22):
the new year and things are still sort of just
kind of treading water, that yeah, I do think that's
when you really start to see them be aggressive and
go look for someone and and try and just upgrade
the roster and bounce it out a little bit more.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
A week ago, Nordo sent me the tweet from Legion
Hoops about Kobe White, and I'm like, all right, I
mean it's Legion Hoops.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
What's that?
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Then it looked at us like a million followers.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
I'm like, hey, so you know it's I followed you know,
some of your conversation after. But I think that's an
interesting name, not only because of what he makes, but
Chris brought him into the league when he was with
New Orleans. Chris is a fan, as you probably know,
but he's just you know, it's a Diasumo.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
Is that how you say?
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Yeah, Okay, So you got Diasumo's hurt bench guy Hurder
is a tweiner. Then you got of course, Josh Getty
was going off every I mean, he's phenomenal with the
Bulls and Trey Jones, Apple Valley's trade jo. I mean,
you just have a you just have a logjam there
of guards. So I mean, do you do you put
any credients in the Kobe White talk?
Speaker 6 (17:29):
I do, Like I think I think there's genuine interest there.
There's two things that you have to factor in. Is
one is he's had calf stuff all through the first,
you know, two months of this season, and so that's
something to watch like, is he fully healthy yep. Secondly,
he is in the final year of his deal, so
you would if you're going to give up anything of
value for him, you're going to want to have some
(17:51):
kind of assurances that you can hold on to him
for the long term.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
And that's a little complicated.
Speaker 6 (17:56):
But when you look at Kobe White, I think that
his shooting, I think that his ball handling would be
a help to this team. He is also, though not
a classic point guard, he is a little closer to
the de Vincenzo ilk of combo guard shooter more than
a natural playmaker.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
So I think he was a natural playmaker at North Carolina,
you know, I mean he was a true point Yeah, yeah,
I see what you're saying with Dante.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
But anyways, he is more of a ball handler than Dante.
Speaker 6 (18:28):
Yes, I will say that, yes, yes, it is not
as good so and and Dante is still in a
contract at a great number for the next two years.
So you have to factor all of that in But
I do think that yes, when when they really they
have not had any you know, real talks with the
bulls yet. But if they do decide to really put
(18:51):
things in motion and say we got to go get someone,
I think Kobe White will be high on their list.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
Why why is McDaniels so inconsistent with his It's.
Speaker 6 (19:00):
A lot of it PA is that he goes and
fits and starts with.
Speaker 3 (19:04):
Not being involved enough.
Speaker 6 (19:06):
And I do think this is one of the things
where Chris Rink was talking about last night and needing
to call more plays. He's a guy that you need
to call plays for and say get the ball to
Jaden now and let him go to work, you know.
And so a lot of times I think last night
Julius got a little too ISO heavy and wanting to
go at Jaron Jackson.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
That didn't work.
Speaker 6 (19:24):
And so a lot of the times when Jaden McDaniels
is quiet, it's because he is not getting the ball
in places where he can do damage. And as the
third wheel on most nights, he's not going to be
the ultra assertive, I'm gonna grab it and go type
of a guy.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
That's just not his mentality.
Speaker 6 (19:41):
But the way that he has taken a huge step
forward in his creation and his scoring ability. I think
he needs to be more assertive. But I think the
Wolves also have to do a better job of just
being intentional about we need to get Jaden some shots.
He had three shots at halftime last night.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
That's not good enough.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
If if I'm the Balls and it is with de
Vincenzo at twelve or whatever and Kobe around eleven, I
mean you put de Vincenzo with giddy Oh yeah, yeah,
I mean it's I would do that in a minute,
and Kobe can shoot. I mean I would take Kobe
White every every bit as much as de Vincenzo with
(20:17):
the three game. Like we said, you know, he's probably
better off the bounce defenses and in Dante's class. But
I mean, if the Bulls initiate that and make it DiVincenzo,
I would understand. Why wouldn't you for sure?
Speaker 6 (20:30):
Yeah, I mean I think that especially they'll be operating
knowing that the Wolves have a real need for that
kind of a player and that they have real expectations
of contending in the Western Conference, and if things are
not going according to plan, then the leverage is a
little bit more on the bull side in that scenario,
and so they can make big asks.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
The Wolves can say no.
Speaker 6 (20:54):
They could say, hey, how about Shannon and you know
this guy and then in a second round pick and.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
See if you know. But there will be negotiation.
Speaker 6 (21:01):
But I would I would expect that the Bulls would
start very high and then try and work down from there.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Johnny has to go here in a minute for Wolves practice.
So one or two more? Who are the four best
somebody asked me this yesterday. Who are the four best
teams in the West Oka, see Denver, Houston?
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Okay, you go Houston, Yeah, I think So what do
you do with the Lakers?
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (21:22):
I mean they've been playing well.
Speaker 6 (21:24):
I have some doubts about their ability to defend in
the playoffs and to really stay healthy. So right now
I would say probably the Lakers, just with the way
that they are playing right now. But I think that
the door is open at four for the Timberwolves if
they're able to put something together, you know, and just
get going and move up there. Because I think that
(21:47):
the Lakers are incredible with Luke and Reeves and Lebron
as you know, clutch time scores and all that. But
I just think that that defense eventually is going to
be a little more of an issue. So I'm not
quite sold on them, but I can't deny the performance
to this point from that group.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Sengoon Sheng Goon. Yeah, he's great. He's top five to
six to seven or in the NBA. Isn't he high?
Speaker 6 (22:09):
I don't know if he's that high, but he's certainly
top ten, top ten to twelve somewhere in there. Just
the way that he is playing, I mean, he's how
he's so physical, so crafty, and he's actually really improved
from a defensive standpoint as well. That was a you
could just target him in the past, and he's holding
his ground a little bit better.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Wow.
Speaker 6 (22:27):
But those rockets, man, they are big, strong and nasty.
They rebound everything, and that's that's They're a load to handle.
And so I mean, you look at the whole landscape,
it's you know, it's it's okay, see Denver, Houston, and
then I would say maybe Antonio, yeah, and then maybe
it's Detroit and the Knicks are after the three or
(22:48):
four in the West.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
That's how good the top of the West is.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
Right.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Lastly, the okay, see the Champs the thunder are at
Target Target Center tomorrow night.
Speaker 3 (22:57):
That's gonna be fun.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Yeah, Minnesota could use a signal win against those guys, right.
Speaker 6 (23:01):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely get it. I mean, do you think
Anthony will play? I lean toward Anthony Edwards playing tomorrow night.
I think I think he's missed three games now, but
I think he's going to be ready to go for
that game. What we have seen from this team so
far is that they have played way too many bad
teams and they just have not had eye of the Tiger.
(23:23):
And I think tomorrow night they will come out ready
to go. I would argue that maybe one of their
two best games they've played all season, this was the
game they lost in Okay, see, right before Thanksgiving. They
played great. They just kind of faded down the stretch.
But they need to be fearful of their opponent and
they need to be worried about getting embarrassed, and they
(23:45):
will be tomorrow night. And so you know, if Edwards
isn't too rusty, I think they can go in and really,
you know, have a puncher's chance up.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
You're awesome man. And Saturday, four o'clock, where is it again?
At Headflyer Brewing in Northeast Minneapolis.
Speaker 6 (23:57):
Chris Finch Bones Island myself, all benefiting Second Harvest Hartland.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
It's the John Krasinski Show Live and follow his Twitter
feed to learn more. Appreciate you stopping by, Thank you,
Johnny Athletic. Some fantasy football with Scott fish Neck there.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
All right, we have a Covenant.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Cleanup and I'm glad we do order pointing it out
to me between segments. Not exactly sure how I came
up with Kobe White being in New Orleans with Fenchi
when Kobe White never was in New Orleans. But Chris
has talked about Kobe White with yours truly on the
radio several times when I refer to him as the
kid with the hair and he lights up the Timberwolves
(24:40):
for thirty thirty points a game. Covenant cleanup. Made a
mistake with a Johnny Athletic. That's a high level of
mistake with a basketball snob like that. The teamwork between
the producer and Yours truly led to the Covenant cleanup.
So that's the Covenant cleanup provided by right. It's eleven
thirty six and the Love Covenant. A couple of segments
to go, and this one has a fantasy bent. Generally
(25:03):
it would be take me to Chart on Thursdays, but
the timing didn't work out today, so his cohort, Scott
Fish with Fantasycares dot Org, he joins for a truncated
segment to discuss some pertinent things with fantasy football or
more about Scott at Scott Fish too for I'm.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
Just gonna ask one question and get out of the.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Way, because Nordo is in the final three of the
ballyhooed and vaunted Charts League and he has a great
chance to win, and he has some significant questions for you, Scott.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
So with tonight with the Rams in Seattle, is that a.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Fantasy feast or do you expect a lower scoring game?
Speaker 4 (25:43):
And good morning, good morning, good morning. I expected to
be a decent game. I expected to be probably in
a mid to high forties combined. So we'll see some
scores out of a lot of the players here, Davante
Adams chances of him playing or slim with that hamstring
and knees. So they're going to have to figure out
(26:03):
many more ways to get Pooka involved. What players is
he looking at that he's looking for in that in
that game, it should be okay, though.
Speaker 7 (26:11):
Well, yeah, I just I mean, you think about it,
whether it's it's Smith and Jigba, who we saw a
shutdown against the Vikings. I mean, that's a nightmare scenario
for somebody in a big spot when suddenly Jared Vers
and company ruined Darnold's night and you're relying your season,
in your life, is relying on Smith and Jigba to
get you fifteen to twenty points, you know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (26:33):
Yeah, Yeah, Smith and Jigba is not what I'm worried
about in this one. It did, it did happen in
that one.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
But this is a this is a.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
Defense that a'mon roj just torched from the slot last week. JSN,
like i'm on, Ra plays mostly from the slot. Rams
are bottom six in receptions and yards allowed to wide receivers.
If you can get the ball off quick against them,
against that pass rush, you can hit them in JSN
JAS and at that all year.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
So Rashi Rice, chiefs wide receiver.
Speaker 7 (27:04):
There's been a lot of conversation with him, not just
because of the injury to Patrick Mahomes, but he's taken
a couple of hits in games, and so he's become
a meme in some respects and people wondering can he
truly be a number one? Can he carry a team
the way that Justin Jefferson in typical circumstances would or
a Jamar Chase, etc. But now the Mahomes is gone.
You got Gardner Minshew throwing to him. What do you
(27:27):
think of Rashi and really those playmakers avior worthy you
could talk about, or even the aging Travis Kelcey. But
just from a fantasy standpoint, a lot of people have
Rashi Rice in their lineups and they're worried.
Speaker 4 (27:40):
Yeah, yeah, I would be really worried. He came in
on Monday with the concussion protocol. He has not practiced
this week. The data tells you that the overwhelmingly vast
majority of players that come in Monday with with concussion
protocol don't play the following week. You got Taekwon Thornton
in concussion protocol. Well, you have Marquise Brown missing time
(28:02):
with personal reasons. I think this is a you've heard
the phrase a riding tide raises all boats. This might
be a sinking boat since all the players type of
situation where almost everyone goes down except for Kelsey because
we saw a year ago Gardner Minshew with the Raiders
just peppered the crap out of brock Bauers to the
(28:23):
tune of seventy five yards eight and a half targets
per game. Kelsey maybe might be the only true beneficiary
in that passing game here.
Speaker 7 (28:31):
Yeah, and not to mention now that they're out of
the playoffs, I mean the idea of kind of pushing
forward or really motivated. How motivated are the Chiefs to
start some of those guys now continuing down the road
here some other interesting things. How many people in guillotine
leagues or high end fantasy playoff leagues have Josh Allen
And I assume it's a bunch. And Josh Allen's looking
(28:53):
at the Browns on the shores of Lake Erie this weekend.
What do you think about that Bill's offense at against
Miles gart in Stefanski's defense.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
Yeah, that's so you just can never bench Josh Allen.
It's a very tough matchup, absolutely, but Josh Allen has
been the number one or number two fantasy quarterback for
six years in a row. At this point, it is
a spot where it's you know, the Cleveland Browns are
fourth toughest against quarterbacks, but they've also they've also allowed
some decent games to better quarterbacks this year. We saw
(29:27):
we saw a few of those earlier in the year,
so I'm not exactly too worried. Lamar Jackson, a fellow
running quarterback, had two hundred and thirty plus yards and
four scores. You just can't bench Josh Allen in any way.
I do think this one lays on the ground a
whole lot more. I think we'll see a lot of
James Cook, as it's a defense that's allowed an absolute
(29:49):
ton of running backs. DeAndre Swift had ninety eight and
two scores last week. Tony Pollard had one hundred and
sixty one and two scores the week before. So the
Browns are letting it loose, letting up a lot of
stuff on the ground. I can see them getting ahead
Josh Allen not needing to pass, and it'd be more
of a James Cook game. So I understand a slight trepidation,
but I still have Josh Allen as a top six
(30:10):
or so quarterback this week.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
Scott winning fantasy championships, not that I would know. I've
only won one in my life, but nevertheless, you want
to attack bad defenses. Cincinnati's given up big time chunks
right now. You got Jalen wattap, but you don't have
two up. But that may be okay. So like, how
do you handle Waddle against the Bengals?
Speaker 4 (30:33):
Yeah, I think you just got to keep plugging him in.
You have to hope Quinn Evers gets it to him. Really,
there's only two options in that offense in the passing game,
I got three if you can. If you are talking
to a chan Darren Waller has been a red zone monster. Absolutely,
He's a guy I really love as a kind of
a sleeper tight end this week. But Jalen Wattle is
(30:55):
still getting a ridiculous amount of targets. He's getting six
and seven to seven if maybe that was a little
for the kids there, six seven, but he's still getting
six to seven targets with that kind of volume. You
got to plug him in in your flex. But if
you have better options, I have no problem just avoiding
the Quinn Evers that offense.
Speaker 7 (31:15):
Last one for you here, really this time of year,
you know the reason you don't have the Fantasy Championships
on a week eighteen in this case typically would be
well the XYZ teams got a first round by around
the corner. They're gonna chill and they're gonna bench their
big timers for the postseason. But sometimes you have high
enders that are just on hideous teams. Now you know,
(31:35):
whether it's brock Bauers or you just think about teams
that aren't in the mix, but they have players that
you have relied upon week after week after week.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
Are their players you potentially are? Are are frustrated?
Speaker 7 (31:48):
Are worried about falling short because they're teams just awful.
Speaker 3 (31:53):
They're mailing it in.
Speaker 7 (31:54):
We got injuries on the O line, so we're just
gonna run the thing all day.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
What do you think about that?
Speaker 4 (32:00):
So I'm among team I don't truly believe teams are players.
Excuse me, just stop playing when it comes to week sixteen,
week seventeen, et cetera. I believe they're playing for contracts.
We got a lot of players playing for bonuses. They
want starting jobs next year. Teams want to win their competitors.
(32:24):
I think there are some instance of that, but for
the most part, I just assume players are going out
there and they're trying to compete. Now, it's a different
story if you have a slight injury and the team
wants to not risk it, or the player wants to
not risk it, or if it's a team that, as
you mentioned, is already in the playoffs and the game
means nothing and they want to stay healthy for the playoffs,
(32:45):
those scenarios absolutely make sense. But outside of that, I'm
not too worried about the bad teams benching their star
players at the end of the year, thanking them out.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
Thanks for the pinch hit, Thank you for Fantasycares dot Org.
We're back at it tomorrow, Buffalo Wild Wings, Apple Valley.
Speaker 4 (33:01):
Appreciate you, Scott, Thanks, Thanks Lod appreciate you too.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
Scott Fish Fantasycars dot Org. Final segment.
Speaker 7 (33:08):
Yeah, I get wait a gut, wait until tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
Go tomorrow. My very will be Julie.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
And tomorrow is the Friday football Feast.
Speaker 3 (33:22):
I can't wait. I can't wait until tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
Buffalo Wild, Wings, Apple Valley, yours truly, Nordo and Alex
Lewis from the Athletic who joins us now?
Speaker 3 (33:33):
Hello, Alec, how are things?
Speaker 5 (33:36):
I'm good, Paul. You just caught me in the middle
of brush my teeth. I'm ready to get to the facility.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
And the feast tomorrow in Apple Valley the banker Tim
Siegley with the first Resource Bank. He'll be there, So
that's going to be exciting. Do you know since Fantasycares
got org dot org jumped into this thing, you for
the Kyrie Jackson Foundation, Nordo Feed My Start Starving Children, Me,
Second Harvest Heartland. Two consecutive of weeks, none of us
(34:01):
have generated any Fantasy points. What do you have to
say for yourself about that?
Speaker 5 (34:06):
Yeah, Scott Fish knew what he was doing. He's like,
these guys are actually good at this, and I'm going
to come in here and make sure that they slow
to their role and take my job. No, it's been brutal.
I'm not gonna lie Jacobe Myers. I mean, he gets
seven hundred targets a game, but he can't get in
the end zone. It's quite frustrating. But I'm gonna respond
this week. I have full confidence that I will be
(34:27):
able to give my best when my best is required.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
So running backs tomorrow, you cannot select James Cook, Christian
McCaffery or at TN So just keep that in mind
as you're preparing for running backs.
Speaker 3 (34:40):
So we can make these charities some money and we can.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
I'll say this.
Speaker 5 (34:43):
I'll say this not to cut you off, but the
Giants have the worst run defense in the NFL by far,
not even remotely close, So I mean it might be
a challenge. But I mean, I guess I'm tipping you
guys off, or maybe I'm playing a game here, but
Jordan Mason, Aaron Jones, I mean, and this should be
the ultimate spot on Sunday for them.
Speaker 2 (35:03):
Can't wait to see you at Buffalo Wild Wings Apple
Valley tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (35:07):
Per usual. We'll have a funky good time.
Speaker 5 (35:09):
Thank you, Alec always see you guys soon.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
Yep, that's Alex Lewis with the Athletic The Athletic dot Com,
not one of the co hosts for the Friday football
Apple Valley gets the money tomorrow and on behalf of
Alec Nordo and yours truly can't wait to see you.
Thank you very much for listening to nine to noon.
(35:32):
The program is around the corner at FM one hundred
point three k f a M. God bless you and
your families and have a wonderful day.
Speaker 1 (35:40):
Bye.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
That's up.
Speaker 7 (36:00):
Their Money podcast Today's Paul Allen Show, or listen back
to previous show and interviews.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
So I go into the iHeartRadio app or kfa N
dot com
Human nine to noon.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
I know, right, Johnny Athletic a studio stop nine to
noon en route to Timberwolves practice. The same Johnny Athletic.
You hear a weekly Bumper to bumper with Burrero. He's
also available via the X machine and you can follow
him at.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
J O n.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
At via Twitter.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
We'll come in, We'll come in.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
What's your Twitter handle again? At j O N k
r A w c z U y N s K. I.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
Can you repeat the part of this stuff where you
said all about things excellent?
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Seeing you? Is the family all squared away for Christmas?
Speaker 5 (00:55):
Uh?
Speaker 6 (00:55):
Yeah, we still got I'm a procrastinator, so I'm like
right up against the headline and start buying a few
more gifts. But we're plans are in place, so we're
going in the right direction here.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
I need you to help me here because I purposely
did not research it, not knowing I was eventually going
to have you in in studio. But like I you know,
I have Finchy on the radio show weekly all right,
A couple of weeks ago, maybe after that Friday night
Phoenix l hading Michael Monday or a Tuesday, then the
tweet machine was hitting me with like you know, his
first interview after the game, and then I started to
(01:28):
read up on it a little bit and like day
Moore was saying some things and you were saying some
things about, you know, just about what it takes to
go to all the games. Yeah, what what was that? Like,
like what it's gone? Yeah, but what was it?
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (01:41):
So it's it's just kind of a reflection of the
new media realities of the day. And you know, forever
and ever, we had at least one media traveling media
member at every game. A lot of times it was
the Start Tribune, a lot of times it's me. Sometimes
it's Day More. And really, with how expensive it's gotten
and the revenues have been falling, like it's just hard
(02:03):
to justify going to every single game. So that game
in particular, there was no one. None of us were
there for that one. And so it's, you know, it's
a little bit tough. There's financial realities for me. I
have a young family that I'm just not going to
be traveling every every weekend for or every life fan.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Duel at that time, like wasn't showing the post game.
Speaker 6 (02:24):
Yes, conference fan duels really falling off in terms of
their post game you know, abilities to deliver interviews and
things like that. So there was a little bit of
an information vacuum after a tough loss. You want people
hell to account and ye, so you know, I'm used
to being able to make calls behind the scenes and
do things and report, and I did the best I could,
But there was not the definitive press conference.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Hey why did you do this? What happened here? For
that game?
Speaker 6 (02:50):
And there will be several more of those games going
on the rest of the season, with eighty with forty
one road games, it's just really really hard to justify doing.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
All of that completely understand it. Thanks thanks for the
vulnerability there in the honest team. What happened last night
against Memphis?
Speaker 3 (03:04):
Yeah, I mean it's just.
Speaker 6 (03:07):
An offensive, you know, a knee mick shot making type
of a situation. I think that they played a Memphis
team that was really banged up, and generally speaking, this
team takes teams lightly that are that are shorthanded to
the degree that Memphis was. But also you watch that game,
and I mean they missed thirty three three pointers. You know,
(03:31):
Julius Randall was two for ten in the first quarter.
They just really had a hard time generating good shots
and then making the good ones that they did generate,
and it was really disappointing because those are the home
games that you have to win, especially with Oklahoma City
looming tomorrow night. But they it's been a team PA
all season long that has played sort of like it's
(03:52):
bored with the regular season, and I think there continues
to be some of that against these teams that are
either shorthanded or not very good. I would expect tomorrow
night against Okay See, they'll play a lot better and
they'll play with a lot more energy, but it's been
a little underwhelming that way.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
Anthony didn't play last night.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Postgame, did you feel Julius Randall made it low key
sound like they badly need a point guard or a
defined floor general, because I did.
Speaker 6 (04:21):
Yeah, I think that definitely this roster. One of the
shortcomings right now is floor general, quarterback however you want
to say it, or just even one more person who
can create off of the dribble some way, somehow. Mike
Conley has been he's been out lately, but he's also
old and diminished in his abilities to do that. Rob
Dillingham unfortunately has not shown that he is ready for
(04:44):
prime time with a team that wants to contend in
the Western Conference, and so he has not been able
to do it. Bones Island has had some moments, but
he is a career bench guy and so he has
I think some limitations as well. And so I think
it's going to be on Tim Connelly to really look
hard at seeing if there is another either point guard
(05:07):
or playmaker they can acquire at the trade deadline, provided
you don't see some sort of real explosion from Bones
or Rob Dillingham, you know, over the next month or so.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Is is Finchy cracking a tad? And the reason I
bring it up is he just melted on a ref
last night and seemed very very frustrated. You know, we
both know Chris very well. He's not an f bomb
kind of guy. Maybe he can be behind the scenes
more with you. I mean you're round him more than me.
I mean he just lost it last night. Holy cow.
Speaker 6 (05:39):
Yeah, that felt to me like frustration and the way
that the game was going. But I will say Pa
that you know, knowing Chris as well as I have
for as long as I have, one of his sort
of quibbles is he is has very little patience for refereeing,
and he is very voice. He makes his voice heard
(05:59):
all game long with calls that he thinks have been
missed with the way that the officiating had, with the
way with the way the game that has been officiated.
And I don't think that that was a particularly good
look for him at the end of that game, because
certainly there were some bad calls, but this team did
not lose because of officiating last night, and I think
(06:19):
that that was him just airing his grievances with his
team through the officials. But that has been a career
long thing for FINCHI he really does get after the
officials from the opening tip to the end of it,
and I don't know that a lot of the officials
really appreciate that very.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Much more on the current stage of the Wolves momentarily,
but we mentioned it earlier, news popped I believe it
was sham Cheranium KG Kevin Gartnett is back in the
mix with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Uh one, you know you
you what do you know about it? What can you share?
What do you think?
Speaker 1 (06:53):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (06:53):
I think that I think over the course of the
next day or two, there's going to be really more
specific Slaid out about exactly what this is. I think
right now what's been reported is that he is coming
back to the team in sort.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Of an off court role.
Speaker 6 (07:07):
This is not a you know, basketball operations department type
of a thing, but he's going to be involved in
kind of community events, fan engagement. He's going to do
content for the team on social media and I think
on their website and things like that. And as part
of all of that, he's going to have his jersey
retired eventually now. And he he and Glenn Taylor did
(07:30):
not get along at all, and so that was the
reason that twenty one has not been hanging in the rafters.
But Mark Laurie and Alex Rodriguez really made it a
priority once they took over to kind of try and
build a bridge there and broker a truce. And it
has now happened, and I think that's the best thing
for all involved.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Fans are going to be over the.
Speaker 6 (07:48):
Moon about this, and you know, it was a really
ugly dispute for a very long time between the icon
of this franchise and the Timberwolves, and to have that
kind of of put under the bridge now is just
great news.
Speaker 7 (08:04):
Well, is it as much a truce or is it
a little bit just well Glenn's gone, so now we
can resume those sorts of conversations. I mean, you know,
a Rod and Laurie certainly don't have the connection to
KG that Glenn did, so now it's like, well Glenn's gone,
now we can be friends again.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 6 (08:19):
I mean, certainly that's the big the big card to
play was that once Glenn Taylor was gone, then KG
was going to be able to let go of whatever
grudge that he was holding against the Timberwolves. But I
do think also it took a lot of engagement from Mark,
Laurie and Alex Rodriguez and their staff to just get
(08:40):
to know KG and kind of get to know the
people around him and and try and just build a
little bit of trust there as well that they were
going to be different, that they were going that this
was not kind of an extension of Glenn Taylor but
a new way of doing things.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
And so it took a long time.
Speaker 6 (08:57):
I mean, you know, Lauria and Rodriguez have been involved
since twenty twenty one, and I think it only really
picked up steam, and you know, this summer, after all
the closing of the sale, and everything, and so certainly
Glenn Taylor being gone big, big big.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
The biggest part of it.
Speaker 6 (09:13):
But also you got to, you know, give Lauri and
a Rod their props for being able to cultivate at
least some sort.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
Of relationship to get it going in the right direction.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Johnny Athletic, John Krazinsky, The Athletic. Theathletic dot Com covers
the Minnesota Timberwolves and second to Non Fashion. And this
Saturday at four o'clock there is a John Krasinsky Show live.
Chris Finch is going to be a guest. Bones Highland
is going to be a guest. Where is it and
what can people expect?
Speaker 1 (09:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (09:41):
I appreciate it. It's four pm in Northeast Minneapolis. Headflyer Brewing
is the place. We've done a bunch of live shows
there over the years, like a wolves bar, right, it's
pretty much a Wolves bar. Yeah, we've been able to
turn it into that with a relationship with the podcast
and it's become a really cool event and really cool
of Chris Finch to come in the midd of a
season and do this. And if you go to this show,
(10:04):
you will see thirty minutes with Chris Finch you will
see thirty minutes with Bones Highland. I will be doing
some Q and a with the fans, and we'll give
away some tickets and things. But also if we're trying
to help the community as well, so if you bring
some food items to donate to Second Harvest Heartland, you'll
get buy one, get one on your beer purchases at
(10:25):
head Flyer for the event. So Chris Finch, as you know,
is deeply involved in Second Harvest Heartland and I have
a collaboration of a beer with head Flyer that proceeds
of that go to Second Harvest Heartland. And so now
we're just doing a big event with Chris Finch and
Bones starting at four pm on Saturday, So hope everyone
can make.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
It at head Flyer Brewing.
Speaker 6 (10:46):
Head Flyer Brewing in Northeast Minneapolis, just outside of kind
of the northeast area, right off of thirty five W
and Headepin Avenue.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Yeah, so four o'clock is when it begins.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
We got Johnny Athletic there here per the Twitter Twitter page.
Bring an item to donate today, Buy one, get one
beer the food shelf Second Arvest heart lentz asks for sugar,
cooking oils, ready to eat soups, laundry, soaps, flours, spices,
personal hygiene items, toilet paper, toothbrush, and stuff like that.
(11:15):
All items donated to Good Works Food Shelf in Northeast
Minneapolis courtesy of Second Harvest tart Lent. That's fantastic four
o'clock Saturday. Four o'clock Saturday, stop by the John Krazinski
Show and via his X page you can learn more
about that philanthropic endeavor. Now back to the Timberwolves of
(11:36):
now Okay see here tomorrow night lost to Memphis last night.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
The kids, the bench guys.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
I watched most of the game pretty good in the
first half of my opinion, not so much in the second.
I mean, how often have you have you seen that?
With Clark and Shannon Junior and Dyllanham the whole thing.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Yeah, that's been the thing.
Speaker 6 (11:53):
I mean, you know, I think that Chris Finch has
heard some pressure to try and play. Got to play
the young guys more. You got to play the young
guys more. But it has been so uneven so far.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
And you're right.
Speaker 6 (12:03):
I mean the first the first shift, especially for Dillingham
and Shannon, they were doing good things offensively. The ball
was moving they were getting to the basket, they were scoring,
and then in the second half, it just so it
was a disastrous stint for those two and it was
one of the areas of the game that just really
slipped away. The Wolves led by nine when they came in,
and they were trailing by five by the time the
shift was over. And so the inability to rely on
(12:29):
any consistency from those guys has been real detrimental to
the overall depth of this team. I think when the
season started, you thought for sure Terrence Shannon Junior was
going to be a reliable bench scorer give you some
pop consistently, and Dillingham you figured still learning, but yeah,
maybe there's gonna be plenty of games where he gives
(12:50):
you twelve points in eighteen minutes and and really is
a plus that way, and it just has not yet materialized.
And you know, that just puts so much press Sean
Nazrid to score at a high level on that second unit,
because if they don't get bench scoring, then you're really
really leaning on those starters a lot. And it really
came back to bite them last night. They were outscored
(13:10):
forty four to twenty nine by the Grizzlies bench, and
the Grizzlies bench has no one right now, and that's
just not that's not a good look.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
John Krazinski Johnny Athletic Timberwolves conversation. Do do you believe
they will trade for a point guard? And if so,
who would they possibly make available?
Speaker 6 (13:27):
So I do think that they are looking hard at
doing it. The question becomes like, to your point, who
is it? Because I don't think that the LaMelo Ball,
Trey Young, Jahn Morant guys, the super expensive and a
little bit of value diminished guys are options right now
(13:48):
for them, just where they're at with the salary cap
and and all of those things. But then you're looking
for guys like, you know, a Kobe White or a TJ.
McConnell or a Dennis Shrewder or somebody like that. But
they're hard to get. They're not they're not easy to
trade for. You'd probably have to give up like a
Dante DiVincenzo for him, and he's playing actually really well
right now. So there's not an obvious answer for the
(14:12):
problem right now. But I think Tim Conley is one
of the most aggressive general managers is out there, and
so I think that if things continue as they are
right now, they will eventually pull a trigger on some
move for a point guard, but it may take a
little while yet.
Speaker 7 (14:29):
Well, yeah, and taking a little while, That's that's where
I was going to go with this. Earlier you just
kind of mentioned that the deadline and just people look
in time frames, deadline is still a fair amount off.
Just kind of the idea, where do you feel like,
if they're going to do something that it has to
be at the eleventh hour because of the difficulty negotiating
or you know, we just watched How the Wild just
under the cover of darkness pulling a Quinn Hughes, not
(14:51):
saying it would be that caliber of player, but like
this could happen at any time. I just feel when
when you see the stickiness, as you guys were talking,
the isolation manner in which the offense devolves into on
a nightly basis, this just feels that there should be some
urgency and rectified in that if they truly believe that
the point guard's part of that conversation and a solution.
Speaker 6 (15:12):
Yeah, I mean yes and no though, Nordo, because like
there is urgency, sure, but at the same time they're
seventeen and ten.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
They're not ten and seventeen.
Speaker 6 (15:21):
And so one thing we have seen from Chris Finch
in particular, but I think Tim Connolly as well, is
that they typically show more patience to let things unfold
throughout a regular season than you know, the fan would
Everyone wants every fan wants Finch fired and wants a
point guard acquired, like right now, and that's just not
(15:42):
the way that this organization operates.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
We saw last year.
Speaker 6 (15:46):
I mean, they are miles ahead of where they were
in the standings last year at this time because and
they just stuck with it and they didn't panic, and
they ended up getting to playing their best basketball in
April and May.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
And they got to the Western Conference finals.
Speaker 6 (15:59):
And I do believe leave that there is belief within
the organization that they can follow a similar path and
that with the way that they have started, they don't
have to panic right now because they're winning enough to
try and give these other guys more time to figure
it out. But there's no question that if we get
to you know, the turn of the year and into
(16:22):
the new year and things are still sort of just
kind of treading water, that yeah, I do think that's
when you really start to see them be aggressive and
go look for someone and and try and just upgrade
the roster and bounce it out a little bit more.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
A week ago, Nordo sent me the tweet from Legion
Hoops about Kobe White, and I'm like, all right, I
mean it's Legion Hoops.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
What's that?
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Then it looked at us like a million followers.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
I'm like, hey, so you know it's I followed you know,
some of your conversation after. But I think that's an
interesting name, not only because of what he makes, but
Chris brought him into the league when he was with
New Orleans. Chris is a fan, as you probably know,
but he's just you know, it's a Diasumo.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
Is that how you say?
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Yeah, Okay, So you got Diasumo's hurt bench guy Hurder
is a tweiner. Then you got of course, Josh Getty
was going off every I mean, he's phenomenal with the
Bulls and Trey Jones, Apple Valley's trade jo. I mean,
you just have a you just have a logjam there
of guards. So I mean, do you do you put
any credients in the Kobe White talk?
Speaker 6 (17:29):
I do, Like I think I think there's genuine interest there.
There's two things that you have to factor in. Is
one is he's had calf stuff all through the first,
you know, two months of this season, and so that's
something to watch like, is he fully healthy yep. Secondly,
he is in the final year of his deal, so
you would if you're going to give up anything of
value for him, you're going to want to have some
(17:51):
kind of assurances that you can hold on to him
for the long term.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
And that's a little complicated.
Speaker 6 (17:56):
But when you look at Kobe White, I think that
his shooting, I think that his ball handling would be
a help to this team. He is also, though not
a classic point guard, he is a little closer to
the de Vincenzo ilk of combo guard shooter more than
a natural playmaker.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
So I think he was a natural playmaker at North Carolina,
you know, I mean he was a true point Yeah, yeah,
I see what you're saying with Dante.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
But anyways, he is more of a ball handler than Dante.
Speaker 6 (18:28):
Yes, I will say that, yes, yes, it is not
as good so and and Dante is still in a
contract at a great number for the next two years.
So you have to factor all of that in But
I do think that yes, when when they really they
have not had any you know, real talks with the
bulls yet. But if they do decide to really put
(18:51):
things in motion and say we got to go get someone,
I think Kobe White will be high on their list.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
Why why is McDaniels so inconsistent with his It's.
Speaker 6 (19:00):
A lot of it PA is that he goes and
fits and starts with.
Speaker 3 (19:04):
Not being involved enough.
Speaker 6 (19:06):
And I do think this is one of the things
where Chris Rink was talking about last night and needing
to call more plays. He's a guy that you need
to call plays for and say get the ball to
Jaden now and let him go to work, you know.
And so a lot of times I think last night
Julius got a little too ISO heavy and wanting to
go at Jaron Jackson.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
That didn't work.
Speaker 6 (19:24):
And so a lot of the times when Jaden McDaniels
is quiet, it's because he is not getting the ball
in places where he can do damage. And as the
third wheel on most nights, he's not going to be
the ultra assertive, I'm gonna grab it and go type
of a guy.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
That's just not his mentality.
Speaker 6 (19:41):
But the way that he has taken a huge step
forward in his creation and his scoring ability. I think
he needs to be more assertive. But I think the
Wolves also have to do a better job of just
being intentional about we need to get Jaden some shots.
He had three shots at halftime last night.
Speaker 3 (19:56):
That's not good enough.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
If if I'm the Balls and it is with de
Vincenzo at twelve or whatever and Kobe around eleven, I
mean you put de Vincenzo with giddy Oh yeah, yeah,
I mean it's I would do that in a minute,
and Kobe can shoot. I mean I would take Kobe
White every every bit as much as de Vincenzo with
(20:17):
the three game. Like we said, you know, he's probably
better off the bounce defenses and in Dante's class. But
I mean, if the Bulls initiate that and make it DiVincenzo,
I would understand. Why wouldn't you for sure?
Speaker 6 (20:30):
Yeah, I mean I think that especially they'll be operating
knowing that the Wolves have a real need for that
kind of a player and that they have real expectations
of contending in the Western Conference, and if things are
not going according to plan, then the leverage is a
little bit more on the bull side in that scenario,
and so they can make big asks.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
The Wolves can say no.
Speaker 6 (20:54):
They could say, hey, how about Shannon and you know
this guy and then in a second round pick and.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
See if you know. But there will be negotiation.
Speaker 6 (21:01):
But I would I would expect that the Bulls would
start very high and then try and work down from there.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
Johnny has to go here in a minute for Wolves practice.
So one or two more? Who are the four best
somebody asked me this yesterday. Who are the four best
teams in the West Oka, see Denver, Houston?
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Okay, you go Houston, Yeah, I think So what do
you do with the Lakers?
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (21:22):
I mean they've been playing well.
Speaker 6 (21:24):
I have some doubts about their ability to defend in
the playoffs and to really stay healthy. So right now
I would say probably the Lakers, just with the way
that they are playing right now. But I think that
the door is open at four for the Timberwolves if
they're able to put something together, you know, and just
get going and move up there. Because I think that
(21:47):
the Lakers are incredible with Luke and Reeves and Lebron
as you know, clutch time scores and all that. But
I just think that that defense eventually is going to
be a little more of an issue. So I'm not
quite sold on them, but I can't deny the performance
to this point from that group.
Speaker 2 (22:02):
Sengoon Sheng Goon. Yeah, he's great. He's top five to
six to seven or in the NBA. Isn't he high?
Speaker 6 (22:09):
I don't know if he's that high, but he's certainly
top ten, top ten to twelve somewhere in there. Just
the way that he is playing, I mean, he's how
he's so physical, so crafty, and he's actually really improved
from a defensive standpoint as well. That was a you
could just target him in the past, and he's holding
his ground a little bit better.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Wow.
Speaker 6 (22:27):
But those rockets, man, they are big, strong and nasty.
They rebound everything, and that's that's They're a load to handle.
And so I mean, you look at the whole landscape,
it's you know, it's it's okay, see Denver, Houston, and
then I would say maybe Antonio, yeah, and then maybe
it's Detroit and the Knicks are after the three or
(22:48):
four in the West.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
That's how good the top of the West is.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
Right.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Lastly, the okay, see the Champs the thunder are at
Target Target Center tomorrow night.
Speaker 3 (22:57):
That's gonna be fun.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Yeah, Minnesota could use a signal win against those guys, right.
Speaker 6 (23:01):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely get it. I mean, do you think
Anthony will play? I lean toward Anthony Edwards playing tomorrow night.
I think I think he's missed three games now, but
I think he's going to be ready to go for
that game. What we have seen from this team so
far is that they have played way too many bad
teams and they just have not had eye of the Tiger.
(23:23):
And I think tomorrow night they will come out ready
to go. I would argue that maybe one of their
two best games they've played all season, this was the
game they lost in Okay, see, right before Thanksgiving. They
played great. They just kind of faded down the stretch.
But they need to be fearful of their opponent and
they need to be worried about getting embarrassed, and they
(23:45):
will be tomorrow night. And so you know, if Edwards
isn't too rusty, I think they can go in and really,
you know, have a puncher's chance up.
Speaker 3 (23:51):
You're awesome man. And Saturday, four o'clock, where is it again?
At Headflyer Brewing in Northeast Minneapolis.
Speaker 6 (23:57):
Chris Finch Bones Island myself, all benefiting Second Harvest Hartland.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
It's the John Krasinski Show Live and follow his Twitter
feed to learn more. Appreciate you stopping by, Thank you,
Johnny Athletic. Some fantasy football with Scott fish Neck there.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
All right, we have a Covenant.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Cleanup and I'm glad we do order pointing it out
to me between segments. Not exactly sure how I came
up with Kobe White being in New Orleans with Fenchi
when Kobe White never was in New Orleans. But Chris
has talked about Kobe White with yours truly on the
radio several times when I refer to him as the
kid with the hair and he lights up the Timberwolves
(24:40):
for thirty thirty points a game. Covenant cleanup. Made a
mistake with a Johnny Athletic. That's a high level of
mistake with a basketball snob like that. The teamwork between
the producer and Yours truly led to the Covenant cleanup.
So that's the Covenant cleanup provided by right. It's eleven
thirty six and the Love Covenant. A couple of segments
to go, and this one has a fantasy bent. Generally
(25:03):
it would be take me to Chart on Thursdays, but
the timing didn't work out today, so his cohort, Scott
Fish with Fantasycares dot Org, he joins for a truncated
segment to discuss some pertinent things with fantasy football or
more about Scott at Scott Fish too for I'm.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
Just gonna ask one question and get out of the.
Speaker 2 (25:24):
Way, because Nordo is in the final three of the
ballyhooed and vaunted Charts League and he has a great
chance to win, and he has some significant questions for you, Scott.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
So with tonight with the Rams in Seattle, is that a.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Fantasy feast or do you expect a lower scoring game?
Speaker 4 (25:43):
And good morning, good morning, good morning. I expected to
be a decent game. I expected to be probably in
a mid to high forties combined. So we'll see some
scores out of a lot of the players here, Davante
Adams chances of him playing or slim with that hamstring
and knees. So they're going to have to figure out
(26:03):
many more ways to get Pooka involved. What players is
he looking at that he's looking for in that in
that game, it should be okay, though.
Speaker 7 (26:11):
Well, yeah, I just I mean, you think about it,
whether it's it's Smith and Jigba, who we saw a
shutdown against the Vikings. I mean, that's a nightmare scenario
for somebody in a big spot when suddenly Jared Vers
and company ruined Darnold's night and you're relying your season,
in your life, is relying on Smith and Jigba to
get you fifteen to twenty points, you know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (26:33):
Yeah, Yeah, Smith and Jigba is not what I'm worried
about in this one. It did, it did happen in
that one.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
But this is a this is a.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
Defense that a'mon roj just torched from the slot last week. JSN,
like i'm on, Ra plays mostly from the slot. Rams
are bottom six in receptions and yards allowed to wide receivers.
If you can get the ball off quick against them,
against that pass rush, you can hit them in JSN
JAS and at that all year.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
So Rashi Rice, chiefs wide receiver.
Speaker 7 (27:04):
There's been a lot of conversation with him, not just
because of the injury to Patrick Mahomes, but he's taken
a couple of hits in games, and so he's become
a meme in some respects and people wondering can he
truly be a number one? Can he carry a team
the way that Justin Jefferson in typical circumstances would or
a Jamar Chase, etc. But now the Mahomes is gone.
You got Gardner Minshew throwing to him. What do you
(27:27):
think of Rashi and really those playmakers avior worthy you
could talk about, or even the aging Travis Kelcey. But
just from a fantasy standpoint, a lot of people have
Rashi Rice in their lineups and they're worried.
Speaker 4 (27:40):
Yeah, yeah, I would be really worried. He came in
on Monday with the concussion protocol. He has not practiced
this week. The data tells you that the overwhelmingly vast
majority of players that come in Monday with with concussion
protocol don't play the following week. You got Taekwon Thornton
in concussion protocol. Well, you have Marquise Brown missing time
(28:02):
with personal reasons. I think this is a you've heard
the phrase a riding tide raises all boats. This might
be a sinking boat since all the players type of
situation where almost everyone goes down except for Kelsey because
we saw a year ago Gardner Minshew with the Raiders
just peppered the crap out of brock Bauers to the
(28:23):
tune of seventy five yards eight and a half targets
per game. Kelsey maybe might be the only true beneficiary
in that passing game here.
Speaker 7 (28:31):
Yeah, and not to mention now that they're out of
the playoffs, I mean the idea of kind of pushing
forward or really motivated. How motivated are the Chiefs to
start some of those guys now continuing down the road
here some other interesting things. How many people in guillotine
leagues or high end fantasy playoff leagues have Josh Allen
And I assume it's a bunch. And Josh Allen's looking
(28:53):
at the Browns on the shores of Lake Erie this weekend.
What do you think about that Bill's offense at against
Miles gart in Stefanski's defense.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
Yeah, that's so you just can never bench Josh Allen.
It's a very tough matchup, absolutely, but Josh Allen has
been the number one or number two fantasy quarterback for
six years in a row. At this point, it is
a spot where it's you know, the Cleveland Browns are
fourth toughest against quarterbacks, but they've also they've also allowed
some decent games to better quarterbacks this year. We saw
(29:27):
we saw a few of those earlier in the year,
so I'm not exactly too worried. Lamar Jackson, a fellow
running quarterback, had two hundred and thirty plus yards and
four scores. You just can't bench Josh Allen in any way.
I do think this one lays on the ground a
whole lot more. I think we'll see a lot of
James Cook, as it's a defense that's allowed an absolute
(29:49):
ton of running backs. DeAndre Swift had ninety eight and
two scores last week. Tony Pollard had one hundred and
sixty one and two scores the week before. So the
Browns are letting it loose, letting up a lot of
stuff on the ground. I can see them getting ahead
Josh Allen not needing to pass, and it'd be more
of a James Cook game. So I understand a slight trepidation,
but I still have Josh Allen as a top six
(30:10):
or so quarterback this week.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
Scott winning fantasy championships, not that I would know. I've
only won one in my life, but nevertheless, you want
to attack bad defenses. Cincinnati's given up big time chunks
right now. You got Jalen wattap, but you don't have
two up. But that may be okay. So like, how
do you handle Waddle against the Bengals?
Speaker 4 (30:33):
Yeah, I think you just got to keep plugging him in.
You have to hope Quinn Evers gets it to him. Really,
there's only two options in that offense in the passing game,
I got three if you can. If you are talking
to a chan Darren Waller has been a red zone monster. Absolutely,
He's a guy I really love as a kind of
a sleeper tight end this week. But Jalen Wattle is
(30:55):
still getting a ridiculous amount of targets. He's getting six
and seven to seven if maybe that was a little
for the kids there, six seven, but he's still getting
six to seven targets with that kind of volume. You
got to plug him in in your flex. But if
you have better options, I have no problem just avoiding
the Quinn Evers that offense.
Speaker 7 (31:15):
Last one for you here, really this time of year,
you know the reason you don't have the Fantasy Championships
on a week eighteen in this case typically would be
well the XYZ teams got a first round by around
the corner. They're gonna chill and they're gonna bench their
big timers for the postseason. But sometimes you have high
enders that are just on hideous teams. Now you know,
(31:35):
whether it's brock Bauers or you just think about teams
that aren't in the mix, but they have players that
you have relied upon week after week after week.
Speaker 3 (31:44):
Are their players you potentially are? Are are frustrated?
Speaker 7 (31:48):
Are worried about falling short because they're teams just awful.
Speaker 3 (31:53):
They're mailing it in.
Speaker 7 (31:54):
We got injuries on the O line, so we're just
gonna run the thing all day.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
What do you think about that?
Speaker 4 (32:00):
So I'm among team I don't truly believe teams are players.
Excuse me, just stop playing when it comes to week sixteen,
week seventeen, et cetera. I believe they're playing for contracts.
We got a lot of players playing for bonuses. They
want starting jobs next year. Teams want to win their competitors.
(32:24):
I think there are some instance of that, but for
the most part, I just assume players are going out
there and they're trying to compete. Now, it's a different
story if you have a slight injury and the team
wants to not risk it, or the player wants to
not risk it, or if it's a team that, as
you mentioned, is already in the playoffs and the game
means nothing and they want to stay healthy for the playoffs,
(32:45):
those scenarios absolutely make sense. But outside of that, I'm
not too worried about the bad teams benching their star
players at the end of the year, thanking them out.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
Thanks for the pinch hit, Thank you for Fantasycares dot Org.
We're back at it tomorrow, Buffalo Wild Wings, Apple Valley.
Speaker 4 (33:01):
Appreciate you, Scott, Thanks, Thanks Lod appreciate you too.
Speaker 3 (33:05):
Scott Fish Fantasycars dot Org. Final segment.
Speaker 7 (33:08):
Yeah, I get wait a gut, wait until tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
Go tomorrow. My very will be Julie.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
And tomorrow is the Friday football Feast.
Speaker 3 (33:22):
I can't wait. I can't wait until tomorrow.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
Buffalo Wild, Wings, Apple Valley, yours truly, Nordo and Alex
Lewis from the Athletic who joins us now?
Speaker 3 (33:33):
Hello, Alec, how are things?
Speaker 5 (33:36):
I'm good, Paul. You just caught me in the middle
of brush my teeth. I'm ready to get to the facility.
Speaker 2 (33:40):
And the feast tomorrow in Apple Valley the banker Tim
Siegley with the first Resource Bank. He'll be there, So
that's going to be exciting. Do you know since Fantasycares
got org dot org jumped into this thing, you for
the Kyrie Jackson Foundation, Nordo Feed My Start Starving Children, Me,
Second Harvest Heartland. Two consecutive of weeks, none of us
(34:01):
have generated any Fantasy points. What do you have to
say for yourself about that?
Speaker 5 (34:06):
Yeah, Scott Fish knew what he was doing. He's like,
these guys are actually good at this, and I'm going
to come in here and make sure that they slow
to their role and take my job. No, it's been brutal.
I'm not gonna lie Jacobe Myers. I mean, he gets
seven hundred targets a game, but he can't get in
the end zone. It's quite frustrating. But I'm gonna respond
this week. I have full confidence that I will be
(34:27):
able to give my best when my best is required.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
So running backs tomorrow, you cannot select James Cook, Christian
McCaffery or at TN So just keep that in mind
as you're preparing for running backs.
Speaker 3 (34:40):
So we can make these charities some money and we can.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
I'll say this.
Speaker 5 (34:43):
I'll say this not to cut you off, but the
Giants have the worst run defense in the NFL by far,
not even remotely close, So I mean it might be
a challenge. But I mean, I guess I'm tipping you
guys off, or maybe I'm playing a game here, but
Jordan Mason, Aaron Jones, I mean, and this should be
the ultimate spot on Sunday for them.
Speaker 2 (35:03):
Can't wait to see you at Buffalo Wild Wings Apple
Valley tomorrow.
Speaker 3 (35:07):
Per usual. We'll have a funky good time.
Speaker 5 (35:09):
Thank you, Alec always see you guys soon.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
Yep, that's Alex Lewis with the Athletic The Athletic dot Com,
not one of the co hosts for the Friday football
Apple Valley gets the money tomorrow and on behalf of
Alec Nordo and yours truly can't wait to see you.
Thank you very much for listening to nine to noon.
(35:32):
The program is around the corner at FM one hundred
point three k f a M. God bless you and
your families and have a wonderful day.
Speaker 1 (35:40):
Bye.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
That's up.
Speaker 7 (36:00):
Their Money podcast Today's Paul Allen Show, or listen back
to previous show and interviews.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
So I go into the iHeartRadio app or kfa N
dot com
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Betrayal: Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a brand new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack. And make sure to check out Seasons 1-4 of Betrayal, along with Betrayal Weekly Season 1.