Game On Rewind: Gilbert McGregor from The Sporting News joins the show! 2025-6-25

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joining us now on Engles Hotline in short order. As always,
our good friend Gilbert McGregor, who covers the NBA for
The Sporting News, helping us break down off season doings
in the NBA and a little final touch on the
NBA finals in tonight's draft is as well. Gilbert, Welcome in,
my men.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Hey, thanks for having me again. I always enjoy being all.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
Oh, it's great to have you. Look, let's recap the
finals real quick. What a great series it was. And
I was watching with you and everybody else around the
country when Tyrese Haliburton got off of that hot start,
made a couple of I think three threes to start
out that first quarter, and then I think we all
knew what we saw. It looked like in Achilles. It
was an Achilles. What a masterful job though. I mean, look,

(00:41):
I give Oklahoma City their flowers, and I know you'd
agree with that, but what a masterful job by Rick
Carlisle that entire team to just stay competitive up until
the middle that third quarter and almost still one. I mean,
they had a chance there, but the fatigue obviously set
in for that entire group.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Absolutely, you know, I think that's great coaching. When you
think about just the fact that nobody thought they were
going to be there in the first place, and then
they get to this moment and coming into it, I
think anybody realized and anybody who were thought that the
Pacers had just as bit of a chance as a
Thunder to win that game. Obviously that change when Tyre's
Haliburton went down, and it was tough Thcene to see.
It was heartbreaking, It was gutting to see him go
down like that. You know, the moment you live for

(01:17):
your entire life. And it was very easy, or it
could have been easy for the Pacers to check out
because you see your leader, you see your best player
go down like that in agony, and you think that,
you know, we don't have a chance at all. But
the fact that they hung around the way they did,
you know, through that first quarter, through that second quarter
again started to believe that, hey, maybe they can get
this done. Maybe this would be their final active I

(01:38):
guess sorcery so to speak, given what they did throughout
the playoffs. But they ran out of seam. The Thunder
had the best player, the Thunder had the momentum, and
they got it done. But like you said, big credit
to Rick Carlisle getting the most out of all of
those guys, and you know, they did something that nobody
else probably could replicate, and it speaks a lot to
his status and the standing as a coach.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
Yeah, no doubt, Carlos did a great job and the
entire Colaoma City team and look, he just the defensive
juggernaut a team that was really wired to wire this year.
I mean you look at SGA and what he brings
to the table just outstanding. So a nod to them
as well. Gilbert McGregor from the Sporting News joins us
here the NBA Draft this tonight. We'll get to that.
I saw Gilbert's post here earlier for the Sporting News

(02:17):
as mock draft, so we've been kind of combing through
that and look at some of the possibilities tonight. But
back to the offseason. Kevin Durant obviously has moved on.
He's going to be a Houston Rocket, and he's completed
the rainbow, as we talk about in terms of Jersey colors.
But you know, look what does Houston look like going
into that Western Conference next year and how viable do

(02:39):
they become in terms of a contender at this point.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, you talk about the Rockets, the team he won
fifty two games last year. But we said that there
one issue was that they didn't have a guy, a
go to guy that they could count on in those moments,
especially in the postseason. They thought it was going to
be Jalen Green. He was inconsistent, but they gave Hi
an opportunity, They gave him a chance, and he just
couldn't do it. And that's a lot to add a player,
especially a young player. Bringing Kevin Durant, he is the

(03:03):
definition of being that go to guy. He has familiarity
with ima Udoka. They gave up a lot. Again, I
know people said that they really didn't give up that much,
but they didn't give up two starters off of a
team that won fifty two games last year. But they
replaced those two starters with Kevin Durant. And they were
a team who were fortunate and last year they really
kind of had six or seven starting caliber players. So
Kevin Durant comes in. He isn't as young as he

(03:25):
once was, but he did play at an All Star
All NBA level last year. And the Western Conference is unforgiving.
You know, we're going to have the Mavericks step back
up with Cooper Flag on their team. Now, the Lakers
are going to be better. Obviously, the thunder are the
defending champions, and there's just so many teams in the
Western Conference capable of continding and competing. But when you
had those conversations, the Rockets are going to be right there.
And I think that, you know, in getting Kevin Durant,

(03:47):
they answered their biggest need and I think they should
be another fifty win season for them, but they're going
to be even better and even better built for playoff success.

Speaker 1 (03:54):
Yelben McGregor, Sporting News joins us here on the eve
of the NBA Draft, which starts tonight eight pm on
ESPN York. In the news a lot, we'll go back
to this Halliburton story with this achilles. You know, obviously
we've seen a few stars, all who were number zero
by the way, over the past year, have this achilles injury,
and there's been a lot of debate about how to
curtail that because it seems like the numbers are up.

(04:16):
Cowherd suggested shortening the playoffs. Do you have any thoughts
on any of this Why we've seen if we've seen
sort of an increase in that particular injury and what
the league can do to sort of help curtail it,
if anything at all.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
Yeah, I think the thing that I saw it maybe
sounds a little bit extreme in the moment, But somebody
said that maybe we should treat calf injuries a little
more seriously, right, like have a calf injury protocol to
get guys back on the court. I know Tyres Halliburn
said he understood the risks and he said he would
do it again, which is a very admirable thing for
him to say. But we've seen this before. You know,
Kevin Durant several years ago came back from a calf

(04:55):
injury and had the same faith. I remember on the
other side, Jonathan Tetcompo I think it was last playoffs,
had a calf injury and ended up not playing at
all because he knew what he was susceptible to if
he came back too soon from a calf injury. So
I think that maybe should be a cast injury protocol
if a guy's dealing with a cast strain or cast streness,
take a look at it, do a lot of scans,
and really just take the costious side. I know Tyres

(05:18):
Haliburn said if it was a regular season, he would
have missed weeks of time. So the fact that he
was playing on an injury that probably would have held
him out for weeks probably had a hand in that injury.
On the flip side, I do think we talk about
cause I don't necessarily know if it's the amount of
games that are being played because technological advances are greater
than they were, you know, twenty five thirty years ago,
and they're playing eighty two games back then. I think
the game has changed, and ultimately I think that players

(05:40):
are as more required of players. You know, there's never
been as much pace and as space, as much space
and space as there is in today's game. I think
that guy's bodies are just being exerted in ways they've
never been exerted before, and that I think is actually
the root of it. And you know, I don't necessarily
think you should change the way the game is played.
Maybe you spread out games a little more, and again
you're more cautious with the way you scan and take
a look at guy acceptibility to those injuries. But ultimately,

(06:02):
I think it's just a product with the games evolution
and players and humans are starting to evolve with the game,
but may the game is kind of speed up and
out evolved human so to speak.

Speaker 1 (06:10):
Gilbert. We've seen some trades go down. Obviously a couple
come to mind, Porzingis goes down to Atlanta, and it
comes back to the Lakers always. We talk about them
NonStop because they're one of the teams that everybody wants
to know about. They need a big man. That's their
priority right now. Do they look to the draft, do
they look through the rest of the trade market. Where
do you think the Lakers end up in terms of

(06:31):
solidifying that spot they needed the big man there.

Speaker 2 (06:34):
I wouldn't be surprised if we see the Lakers make
a move today or tomorrow. That they're a team who
wasn't shy about making draft and ideals. And you know,
back when the Mark Williams trade was voided back in February,
my thought immediately went, well, maybe they realized they can
make a bigger or a better deal and get somebody
who's an even better fit, and they kind of I
won't say that the physical thing was bogus, but I

(06:55):
think that if they really wanted to have them, they
would have overlooked whatever showed up because he was pretty
healthy once he got back to Charlotte. So I do
think they have something up their sleeves. I do think that,
you know, having an eye on Utah. Utah seems to
be big sellers. Maybe it's walk Kessler. I know he's
been leaked, so Lakers a lot. He would answer a
lot of questions. He's a great rim protector. He all
big men who are athletic become way better when they

(07:16):
play next to Luca Doncis. So somebody like that, Nick
Claxton and Brooklyn is another guy who has been mentioned
who could be maybe has for not a great price,
and he would also be a great fit in LA
as well. So you know, draft night or the beginning
of free agency does kind of feel at the time
where the Lakers make a move like that and definitely
addressing their front court because Luka Doncis is at his
best when he has a guy he can throw lots

(07:37):
to and somebody behind him who can block shot some
guys who may or may not blow by him on
the defensive.

Speaker 1 (07:41):
Eds If you go to sportingnews dot com, you can
see the Gilbert McGregor was up early this morning. I
posted this at seven to twenty five am. His mock
Draft twenty twenty five, the final edition here. Now, obviously
we're not breaking ground. We all believe Cooper flag and
you're in agreement that he's going to go number one
overall to the mass. But it gets interesting between, Like
I think three all the down, you've got Dylan Harper

(08:02):
from Rutgers going to the Spurs, and then VJ. Edgecomb
from Baylor with the seventy six ers, and there's the
Hornets another dude connection. You think it's gonna be conn.

Speaker 2 (08:12):
Right, I think it's Conkinipple. I think you know, the
draft kind of starts at three, so to speak. You know,
we know who's going to go number one and number two.
I do think that, you know, I initially if I
was gonna be VJ. Edgecomb. It seems like the Sixers
are enamored with him. Now there's an outside chance to
a team like Washington or Brooklyn trades up to three
to make a play for ACEH. Bailey. I think that
could very much happen. But other than that, it does

(08:33):
feel like if the Hornets are in that fourth position,
Conkoin Nipple, one of the best shooters in this draft
class also can make the plays off the balance. I
fall really impressed with what he did this past season
at Dookie Showdy was much more than a shooter, got
good size. I think he would fit in, would look
good alongside lamellow Ball and Brandon Miller. So I would
be surprised if the Hornets go other than him. But
there's also an outside chance that they could trade down,

(08:55):
maybe get some more assets moving forward.

Speaker 1 (08:57):
Do you see the Hornets trading any of their veterans tonight?

Speaker 2 (09:01):
You know, I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised if
somebody may be on the bench that gets moved, not
necessarily in it the core guys, you know, Yeah, but
I'm not really expecting to be involved in trading guys
right now. I guess he's getting more involved in that
when your cre agency gets underway next week. But you know,
kind of like we said, we talked about the Lakers
and then talking about Luca Duncis, you never really could
say never. I do think that right now they're probably

(09:22):
going to be in the business of you know, moving
their pick, potentially maybe getting some more draft assets, and
maybe getting off a contract or taking on a bad contract,
so maybe they make a play and bring somebody else
in that's a better fit. But you know, honestly, all
offers are on the table. I just don't necessarily up.
They're in the trademarker right now.

Speaker 1 (09:37):
You can follow him on Exit gil McGregor Underscore, and
you can follow him at the Sporting News with just
some great content in terms of the NBA off season,
in season, wrapping up the finals, and of course tonight
the draft begins. Gilbert, as always man appreciates you and
enjoy tonight.

Speaker 2 (09:53):
Absolutely always a president. Pleasure breaks yourself for some madness
tonight