Predicting the 2025-26 NBA Standings

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is their last shot before they need to go
all in on Tyrese, Maxi, Jared McCain, and VJ. Edgecombe
as their future core watching They're gonna do everything that
they're supposed to do. They're gonna get the one seed,
They're gonna make the NBA Finals, and people are gonna
kill them for because Tyrese Haliburton ain't out here, Jason
Tatum ain't out here. Every year we see a team

(00:21):
kind of pull vault up the standings. I think this season,
in the twenty twenty five to twenty six NBA season,
that team is gonna be the San Antonios Purps. Welcome
to Hip to the Games, the podcast for you, the
basketball junkie and the hip hop hit. I'm your host,
Desmond and I too have had hoop dreams and enjoy
the beautiful genre of hip hop and his history. Together,
we will enjoy some of the greatest albums, songs, artists, players, moments, teams,

(00:46):
and so much more, while even mixing the two on occasion.
All in my hope that you remember why you love
me both or either of these to begin, You'll soon
understand that Hip to the Games is more than just
a podcast. It's a lifestyle and if you were looking
for a platform that combines both basketball and hip hop,
you've come to the right place. They play my kind

(01:06):
of basketball and a lot of layers to this song.
If you're really paying attention, there's a huge shout out
to you for being hip to the Games. Welcome to
another episode of Hip to the Games. Whether you are
new to the H two DG family or a Day
one supporter, I appreciate you listening or watching today's show.

(01:30):
All praise to the creative director of Jesus Christ, as
it's always a blessing to get in front of this
microphone and share what he's put in my heart with you.
And a special shout out to the Home Team nineteen
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I would really appreciate it if you took a few

(01:52):
seconds to give the show an honest rating and review
on audio platforms like Apple Podcasts or Spotify so we
can continue to grow the family. But for now, as
we get closer and closer to a media day and
eventually the NBA preseason, I figured that I would share
my preseason predictions for the NBA standings. Okay, now, I

(02:13):
know the WNBA playoff picture is heating up, especially with
the Las Vegas Aces finding a spark with this double
digit win streak that they've had lately. But admittedly I
just haven't been able to sit down and watch many
of the games lately, and it pains me to say that,
like this is the best time. We're getting to, the
best time of the WNBA season, and I have just

(02:34):
feel like I feel like I've just been out the loop.
So as much as I wanted to do that, I
know there's been a bunch of hip hop albums that drop.
Everybody in NA Mama is dropping a hip hop project lately, Underground, mainstream,
what have you. And it's a little overwhelming, man, And
you know, I never want to listen to an album
and then just jump on here and talk about it
for the sake of content. I really like to digest

(02:56):
albums and really think about them and process them and
enjoy them. So you know, I didn't want to do
those things, because again, it would have been inauthentic of
me to just come on here and do those things
for content when I've been a little bit out the loop.
So I figured the safe thing to do this week
would be to give my take on some of the
preseason standings. And I think it's a little fun because
it's very challenging. Right. I'm fully aware that this is

(03:19):
a daunting task because we never truly know how a
season is gonna shape up, and I know I'm bound
to upset some fan bases in the process. I know
I'm bound to probably get a couple raised eyebrows with
some of my selections. But that said, I'm down to
take on the challenge. All right, You're gonna get it
all H two DG style. So I will be sharing
my thoughts on the standings for each conference one through fifteen,

(03:41):
and then discussing the reasoning behind my predictions. Even though
the East is generally seen as the weaker conference, I
still believe that because of the wide open nature of
the conference, it's still gonna very much so be an
entertaining season out East. It's gonna be awesome to see
how things shape up. So I actually want to start
with the East and then we'll eventually get into the

(04:02):
Western Conference standings. Later on, So getting right into it.
My Eastern Conference standings predictions are as follows. Okay, as
of literally at the time of this recording one fifty
nine Central time, Okay, on September first. These are my
East standings, all right, going from the bottom up. We
got the Brooklyn Nets at fifteen, the Washington Wizards at fourteen,

(04:25):
my Chicago Bulls at number thirteen, the Charlotte Hornets at
number twelve, the Toronto Raptors at number eleven, the Indiana
Pacers at number ten, the Philadelphia seventy six Ers at
number nine, the Miami Heat at number eight, the Milwaukee
Bucks at number seven, the Boston Celtics at number six,
the Detroit Pistons at number five, the Atlanta Hawks at

(04:46):
number four, the Orlando Magic at number three, the Cleveland
Cavaliers at number two, and of course the New York
Knicks at number one. Okay, so there's a lot I
want to get into. Okay, So obviously we can start
at the bottom. Okay. Brooklyn Nets dead last in the conference.
Thirty three percent of their roster is made up of rookies. Okay.
They got five rookies in this draft class alone, and

(05:09):
their longest tenured players are Nick Claxton, Michael Porter Junior,
and Terrence Man. Okay, so this is a group of
some young puppies right here. You know, you don't really
expect the Brooklyn Nets to do a lot this year.
I think it's pretty obvious that they're gonna be last
in my opinion, and even bringing up the longest tenured players, right,
I think when you look at even Nick Claxton, Michael

(05:29):
Porter Junior, Terrence Man, sure is there some veteran esque
experience in there? Right? Yes? Have those guys been to
the playoffs? Michael Porter Junior, he is an NBA champion.
That said, I once heard both on separate occasions. Actually,
I once heard both JJ Reddick and Miles Turner state
that NBA players are considered veterans once they hit ten years.

(05:50):
So in that case, these guys aren't even really vets, right,
they're big bros as I call them. So the Nets
are extremely young. It's a lot of raw talent and
there you know, admittedly there were times he turned on
some of their games last season and you were just like,
I don't know who's out there, And not even in
a disrespectful sense, right, It's just like and and as

(06:10):
I always say, with all these contracts in the NBA, now,
so many guys getting called up two way deals. You know,
people teams tanking for the draft, like, it was a
lot of movement going around. And so the Brooklyn Nets,
I think it's pretty obvious they're going to be towards
that bottom end. I will say, though, you know, they
do have some interesting pieces. I do like some of
those rookies that they got. I do like Danny Wolf.

(06:33):
I do like Jegor or Demon at the point. I
like that as a bigger guard. But but you know,
my thing, man is is this Cam Thomas Michael Porter
junior duo. Man. I just think those two brothers are
too much alike mentality wise, and and and it's not
necessarily a dis right Like, obviously Cam Thomas, like these

(06:53):
are the cars that he was dealt with, right, Like,
it's hard to be the score that he knows he
can be and do it on a like Brooklyn who
is not gonna win a lot of games. It's very easy.
I think it's been very easy for him to be
the butt of every joke. People, you know, label him
as a shot chucker and somebody that you know only
is gonna give buckets. He's not gonna impact the game
in other ways, which again understandable, right, But again, these

(07:15):
these are things he's gonna learn as he gets more experienced,
you know, as he stays healthy and and just the
Brooklyn Nets continue to build around that group, I'm sure
there are gonna be small moments where they have their flashes,
especially as they stay healthy. I know Michael Porter Junior,
I just saw the clip of him working out with
Trey Young. I know he's excited to have this kind
of role and is pushing for an All Star appearance

(07:37):
for himself, you know, a big goal for him. So again,
there's gonna be flashes, But the Brooklyn Nets ain't gonna
do that much this year. Very young team, you know,
they're they're continuing to build what they got. Next up
at fourteen, we got the Washington Wizards. You know, it's
it's almost crazy to put them this low, right obviously,
like you kind of expect that because again, this is
another team that's young, with a lot of raw talent,

(07:59):
a lot of raw talent. That was the first thing
I wrote on my notes here when I was thinking
about the Washington Wizards, young talent everywhere. I mean they've
just got Cam Whitmore, but they've got Alex Saar right,
they got Keyshawn George, who a lot of people like
rights as a bigger kind of I think he can
play sometimes. I think he can kind of play guard

(08:20):
and ford. Uh with his size and skill set. I
love bub Carrington. I love his mid range game to
show what he's got so young. I love that. Uh,
it looks very polished. It's not something that I felt
was like raw per se. You know, some guys I
always say, it's easy to come into the league and
and they want to show their mid range game, and
they want to take all the contested shots and do

(08:41):
all these things. Bub to me was very efficient and
and and really confident stepping into his mid range shots.
So I'm excited to see how he continues to grow
and then learn from the Vets who are some of
the better who've been some of the better mid range scores,
you know when they were in their primes, uh CJ. McCollum,
Chris Middleton. But again look at that roster, even AJ Johnson. Again,

(09:02):
he showed a lot of flashes. I mean they got
they got a lot of pieces over there. Man, they
got a lot of pieces, and I think it's exciting. Like,
I think they are going to be ascending gradually. If
you pay attention to the Washington Wizards, I think you're
we're gonna get a bit of a clear picture year
by year what their future can look like. Uh. Again,

(09:22):
similar to how I feel about the Nets, but in
a more confident way. I think they'll have a lot
of competitive moments this year. But again, I think this
is gonna be one of those seasons where they learned
as much as they can from CJ. McCollum, Chris Middleton
and before letting truly letting those guys maybe find different
roles with contenders or what have you, and then letting

(09:42):
these young guys get loose and go wild and build
their experience and things of that nature. So again, low key,
a very low key league pass team is the Washington Wizards.
I really think so, I really think so. Like I said,
young talent everywhere, I think it's just all about how
it's gonna mesh uh. At thirteen, we got my Chicago Bulls.

(10:03):
As a Bulls fan, Okay, and I've said this before,
I have completely taken myself out of the GM the
front office situation, Okay, I am not even paying attention
to that, Like the Bulls are gonna bulls at this point,
you know, So I just want to focus on what
we're seeing on court, And honestly, what I'm very excited

(10:23):
for is the development of Mantes Bouzellis. If he really
takes a leap, the pressure will be on for the
Chicago Bulls to build around him, which may not be
smooth sailing given the way they've handled the roster of
the last couple of seasons. But I think this is
the year where we really look at Mantis Bozella's and say,
is this dude gonna be the cornerstone? We think he

(10:45):
can be right, and I think, again, the Bulls have
some decisions to make. If I am touching on the
front office stuff, they do have some decisions to make,
like is Kobe White a part of our long term plans?
Shoot is Ioedasumu a part of our long term plans?
Where are we gonna with Patrick Williams? What are we
gonna do with Nicola Vusovic. I think it's a lot
of a lot of those situations because we got a

(11:06):
lot of I think the Bulls have a lot of
tradable pieces. If I'm labeling anybody as untouchable on the
Chicago Bulls roster, it's mathis Bozellius, It's Kobe White, and
to me, it's Josh Giddy. Like I don't understand why
the Chicago Bulls haven't paid that man yet at the
time this recording, I have no idea why they haven't
paid this man. Like I know a lot of people

(11:27):
are saying, like, oh, I think they fear he had
a little bit of an insanity type of deal right
where he was getting the triple doubles. He had the
crazy game winner verse the Los Angeles Lakers, and people
don't think it's legit, Like can he do it for
a full season? Right? We know about his defensive flaws,
which he did kind of improve on as the season progressed.
He took it upon himself to take that challenge and

(11:49):
and and get better defensively by experience, right, throwing himself
out in situations that you know, you once I guess
he once kind of shied away from or and and
didn't succeed in. But you know, I think the Bulls
have to pay that brother man. Like at the end
of the day, I understand things of the whole second
Apron thing. And now we're at this point where we're

(12:10):
scared to pay players because it might it might do
good for us on court now, but later are we
going to be able to keep our roster and keep
these guys or we're gonna have to trade these people
away because we're gonna be over the Second Apron, right, Like,
I understand that. But at the end of the day, man,
I get it. It's yes, it's a business. I am
not denying that at all. But at the end of

(12:30):
the day, what are we gonna do on this basketball court?
This is a basketball game. Can we keep the game
in its pure environment? Can we keep it at its
natural statement? And think about the game. And if we're
thinking about the game, Josh Giddy is. He was hooping
for us. He was hooping and he is everything. I

(12:50):
knew it the minute we traded for him. I said,
that means that Josh Giddy trade told me exactly that
Lonzo Ball was gonna be dealt at some point, and
lo and behold he was. Because Josh Giddy fits the
open court style that we're starting to play. Manchus Bouzellis
fits the open court style that we're starting to play.
Kobe White can fit that style as well, but also

(13:11):
be our our half court bucket Getterer. So I just
say all that to say, you know, the Bulls, they're
not gonna do as well this year. I know we
had that stretch towards the end of the past season,
the last season where there was a little bit of
a window of us getting in the play in but
you know, I just don't see us doing that for
a full season. Obviously, the first chunk of that season
we still had Zach Levine, so you know, we had

(13:33):
our our our all star caliber player that was helping
us win in things of that nature. But without that
for a whole season, I just don't see the Bulls
being that competitive unless, you know, somehow, some way we
do it again and somehow we're in the play in like,
but I just don't see that. I think if we
just keep what we got for the most part, let
these young guys lose, see what Manchus does in year two,

(13:55):
and then you know, get another hopefully get another high
draft pick, and keep building. I think that should be
where the Bulls are at right now. But then moving
forward at the twelve spot in the East for me
is the Charlotte Hornets, despite some improvements to their roster
throughout the draft, you know, through through free agency. Again,
I have them so low because I don't know if

(14:17):
LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller can lead this team to
the playoffs. Like that, if I'm giving them a challenge,
that's my challenge. Like again, challenges are supposed to be
a little big picture, sometimes a little delusional, right. They
help you muster up that inner confidence, that inner belief,
and those inner traits that you don't even know you
have to do great things that if I'm doing that

(14:39):
with the Charlotte Hornets, I'm telling those two guys to
lead them to the playoffs. But again that's been hard
because Charlotte LaMelo Ball has not been healthy Brandon Miller,
you know, he had the injury last year. So it's
their two best players have to be healthy if they're
gonna do if they're gonna be higher than twelve, their
two best players have to be healthy. Because I said

(14:59):
it in the offseason Awards episode, I love what they
did through the draft. I love all the guys that
they got. I love klin Kannepple. I love them getting
Ryan kalk Brenner. I love them getting let me see, yes,
Liam McNeely, like he was doing good in the Summer League. Like,
I think they got a lot of They did a
great job of getting glue pieces right, rotational pieces, some

(15:22):
versatility pieces to supplement the star power that they have.
And guys like LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller. Right, we know
Miles Bridges is still playing his role very well. Grant
Williams is gonna be back from injury, Trey Man is
still out there. They got Colin Sexton, you know it's
they got Spencer Dinwide like low key the Charlotte Hornets
in some ways, if they're healthy, there is no way

(15:45):
they shouldn't be a play a playing team at the
very least. But the thing is, are they gonna stay healthy?
Are they still young? Are they still immature? You know
what kind of basketball are they gonna play? You know
what is Charles Lee gonna do with this team? How
are the acquisitions of Colin Sexton and Spencer Dinwi He
gonna help some of those younger guards with their experience, right,
How are they gonna give an energy boost? How do

(16:06):
they seek to contribute with again, a lot of scores
if you're paying attention, a lot of scorers on this team,
and that can be a little hard when you have
a lot of scorers. So yeah, I think it's interesting
where the Hornets are at. I've been somebody the past
few seasons where I kept saying, LaMelo ball can get
these guys back to the play in. LaMelo ball can
get these guys back to the play in and it
just hasn't happened. Hopefully this year is that year. But

(16:28):
right as of right now, I gotta put them twelve
because I just don't see how the pieces are fully
gonna connect yet. I think they've They've made some strides.
They've made some strides, but again, folks gotta be healthy
and we got to see how it fits because if
they're playing again, even LaMelo ball, I know a lot
of us pick on him because he has a lot
of that that that street game, he has a lot

(16:50):
of that Drew League game. You know, he's a great player,
talented player, But when is it gonna click for him
that there's winning back and then there's entertainment and when
he decides to bridge both is when the Hornets are
going to be successful. But again, once he does that
and they stay healthy, then I think I'll be more

(17:11):
confident in the Hornets. But right now I got them
bottom of the pack. That brings us to the eleven seed,
where I have the Toronto Raptors sitting. And that might
surprise that might surprise you. I feel like the Raptors
are one of the more slept on teams in the East.
I really do, contrary to many, I really like this
team on paper. I really like this team on paper.

(17:33):
I think so many people are worried about the coexisting
of Scotty Barnes and Brandon Ingram, yet they don't realize
how much their play styles actually do coexist because the
way I see it as this, right, I think Scotty
Barnes did a great job developing his mid range game.
I think Scotty Barnes does a great job in the
mid post. That was something that I didn't know he

(17:54):
had until he gradually developed it. And so you look
at Brandon Ingram and he likes the ball in the
exact same spots. Like Brandon Ingram is that old school.
I want the ball in the TMAC area as much
as possible. Let me, give my buckets and surround me
with the right pieces. And I do think the Raptors
have that. I don't see a lot of congestion. And
I think the biggest key with the Toronto Raptors is this.

(18:16):
If you're gonna put Scotty Barnes and Brandon Ingram on
the floor at the same time, Scotty Barnes needs to
sacrifice some of his midpost game and he needs to
thrive in the open court. I really think that's how
this duo is going to have to work. Let Brandon
Ingram get those midpost buckets because that's what he does.
Scotty Barnes is a very He reminds me so much

(18:38):
of Draymond Andre Goodala. Somebody that can is a Swiss
Army knife, can guard multiple positions. And when you watch
Scotty Barnes, he loves pushing the pace, he loves pushing
the break. So I think in that regard, you have
to have that right for every Michael Jordan, you need
a Scottie Pittman. You can't have two Jordans and you

(19:00):
can't have two Pippins. Somebody's got to get the buckets.
Somebody's got to be the facilitator. Somebody's got to be
the one to slow the game down, somebody's got to
be the one to push the tempo. Right. So I
think that's the thing that the Raptors have that I
think a lot of people are sleeping on. Obviously, yes,
Brendan Ingram's health is a He's another guy where his

(19:20):
health is extremely key. He has not been the healthiest
brother on the floor. But I do think the pieces
are there. You know, it's probably not going to be
playoff eligible, probably again as I have it right outside
the play in but I really like what those guys
have on paper. I love Yaka Perlo. He had a
really good year last year. He pretty much had a

(19:40):
career year last year when you think about it, Like
I said, Scotty Barnes has grown as a scorer. I
think RJ. Barrett has grown as a player playing for
his hometown team. You know, he's found a home there really, right,
or I should say he's back home, right. He's back
with home cooking and that's always going to do a
player good. And I know he has his flaws. I
know he isn't a perfect player, but shoot, this is

(20:03):
a guy that can get you twenty five and five.
It's another guy that can balance out the offense. It's
another guy that can get to the rim. It's another
guy that can shoot threes. It's another guy that can
push the pace and playmake make plays for himself and others.
You know. I think again, that's the NBA that we're
in now, having multiple guys that can make plays for
themselves and others. And RJ. Barrett fits that, Emanuel quickly

(20:24):
fits that. I think Gray Dick, even Grady Dick is
in shot. You know, Grady Dick came into the league
and I thought he was just a shooter, all right.
I don't know what the general consensus of him of
his game was, but for me, I thought he was
just a shooter. But he's not shy getting to the rim.
He's not afraid to put the ball on the floor.
And I love that about this team. They just drafted
Colin Murray Boyles, who again I think in some ways

(20:45):
when you think of him and Scotty Barnes, just like
I said how the Warriors had Draymond Green and Andre Goodala,
I think, big picture, right North Star, that that's what
Scotty Barnes and Kylin Murray Boyle should aspire to be
like where it's like, hey, we got two dudes that
can be versatile defenders and just make the right plays
on the basketball floor to help us win games. We
make winning plays, and having two guys like that on

(21:07):
one team can be dangerous. Even Jamal shed Right, this
is a point guard, you know. I I've only seen
flashes of him, but I thought he was he He
did a lot of He made a lot of positive
production in the minutes that he was getting in Toronto.
And I mean you look at Osha Agbaji, you know,
like they got a lot of guys who again, high
energy guys, guys that want to win and make winning plays.

(21:30):
You know. Again, it's just about that that cohesion. You're
gonna hear me say that word a lot with a
lot of these situations today, because I really think some
of it is is that simple. Obviously not easy, but
it is. It is that simple. You just gotta take
that time to jail with each other and and see
how it goes. Like I said, maybe the Raptors are
just maybe one piece away or maybe another trade away,

(21:52):
who knows, but I really like what they have on paper.
There is potential there, but you know, everybody's got to
stay healthy and coach Darkoh, he's got a fit out.
How he wants to work a lot of these skill
sets that he has. How he wants to put it
on the floor. Does he want it all on the
floor at the same time, does he want to overload
or does he want to have some guy sacrifice going
to the bench. You know, I'm anxious to see what

(22:15):
he does. But I think again, I named a lot
of guys. I think they have a solid eight, nine,
maybe even ten man rotation that they can use. All Right,
then we're into the play in spots for the Eastern
Conference now, and I really want to take this moment
to kind of jumble the Indiana Pacers, the seventy six
ers in the Miami Heat, right, so ten to nine
to eight spots here. Now I see all three of

(22:38):
these teams in the same boat, bottom seated sleepers. I
think people are really sleeping on how good the Pacers
can be even without Tyree's Haliburton. Right, I'm seeing a
lot of people just gloss over the Pacers because they
won't have Tyree's And I've been saying it for years.
Indiana is the NBA's land of opportunity. There is just
something about that franchise that makes them produce revival. Remember

(23:03):
we said the same things about the twenty eighteen Pacers.
After they traded Paul George, suddenly they became a top
five team in the East. This is Victor Ladipo taking
a leap, right, This is Demanas Sabonis taking a leap.
And what they had, Doug McDermott, if I'm not mistaken,
they had Boyan Bogdanovich, like I think they had Darren

(23:23):
Collison even right, like on paper, it just didn't seem
like that would be a top five team in the East.
But again, they just made it work because they played
team basketball and they had somebody like vict Oladipo, an
All Star caliber player who knew how to get his
right low ki. The Pacers still had that Pascal Siakam
knows how to get his I think Andrew Nemhard, I

(23:44):
think we're really sleeping on the opportunity that he has
this year to do to have bigger production in a
bigger role. You know, everybody was on their timeline saying, oh,
Andrew Nemhard, if only he had his own team, what
would he be doing. If Andrew Nemhard was starting somewhere
like Orlando, he'd probably be in All Star. Andrew Nemhart This,
Andrew Nemhart that now I feel like Tyre's Halburton's out
and people are like, all the Pacers, Yeah, it ain't

(24:06):
gonna do nothing. We looking at next season. We're not
even looking at twenty five twenty six. Were looking at
twenty six, twenty seven. And understandable, right, obviously you want
to wait till Tyreez gets back to really go full gear.
But I wouldn't sleep on this team. I would consider
the Indiana Pacers a good basketball team. Still, Like I said,
Andrew Nemhart's got a great opportunity to do more of
what you know we've seen flashes of in the past.

(24:29):
I think Ben Matherin, Ben Matherin, you know, it just
came out, shout out Kaitlin Cooper, who does great work
with the basketball. She wrote her blog, but also you
know her podcast where she covers all the ins and
outs of the Pacers offense and all the exras and
o's all that nerdy stuff that we like. You know,
that's like, that's my dream to be able to talk
the game the way she does. Man. But you know,

(24:51):
she had Rick Carlyle on her show and he revealed
he gave her an exclusive and said, I'm starting Ben
Matheren this year. And you could see it on his face, right,
he knows that that's a bit of a risk in
the sense of like, hey, you know we want this
is what we expect out of him, but we also
know his flaws and this is his chance to step
up to the plate. And so I think again, you
got two guys with a chip on their shoulder this year,

(25:13):
and Andrew Nemhard and and Ben Matheren who are going
to be starting for this team along with Pascal Siakam.
You know, if they can do they can do some
things this year. Man, I would not be surprised if
this team. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest as
they made the play in but I wouldn't be surprised.
I don't think I'd be surprised if they made the playoffs.
You know, I still think they are that good. They

(25:33):
got that much grid about them. And even this right, yes,
they lost Miles Turner and I'm not saying that this
guy is gonna start who knows right. I think again,
when we think about cohesiveness and chemistry, I do think
Obi Topping is just really good as a bench, as
a second unit spark plug. Right. So if Rick Carlile

(25:53):
really wants to go that route, and you know Rick
Carlile loves him some stretch bigs, I do think Jay
has a chance of being in those most improved conversations.
I know it sounds crazy, right, but that's all that takes.
Again what I always say every year. And I could
be wrong, all right, I could be wrong. I'm not
saying this is going to happen, and this is just

(26:13):
me speaking boldly. I do think Jay Huff can be
in most improved conversations. Not to say he'll even be
a finalist, but I think he'll be in those conversations.
With the opportunity he's gonna get, with Indiana being the
land of NBA opportunity, I think he can do it.
I think he can do it. He just came off
of forty three point shooting season and then he almost
averaged three blocks a game per thirty six minutes. And

(26:37):
then I saw stat from crafted NBA on Twitter that
detailed that Jay Houff is the second most similar player
to Miles Turner, right behind Chet Holmgren. So the stats,
the stats say that the Pacers quite literally got their
Miles Turner replacement in Jay Huff. That's all I'm saying.
That's all I'm saying is we should not be surprised

(26:58):
if he finds a way with the team basketball that
they play. I don't care who eats basketball that they play.
I would not be surprised if Jay Huff finds a
home with this team. He reminds me so much of
Ryan Anderson back in the day. If Ryan Anderson was
a shot blocker, I think that's Jay Huff. I may

(27:22):
have them tenth, but like I said, I think that's
worst case scenario. Don't sleep on the Indiana Pacers. As
for Philly, I'm a little scared for this team. I'm
not gonna lie. I'm rooting from my god PG to
get healthy and everything and stay healthy and you know,
get that mojo back and his step and everything. But
I am scared for this team. I can't even hold
you that is the reason why they're ninth, because to me,

(27:44):
this team can either be ninth in the Eastern Conference
or fourth. It's all dependent on health. And it's all
dependent on how their stars show up. And I went
with a safer pick and I put them ninth. And again,
I know people look at me crazy when I say that,
but because like I said, listen to what I just said.
I do believe that on paper, this team can be

(28:06):
a fourth, fifth, sixth seed in the East. But if
we're going off the trends that we've been seeing, I
don't know if I'm that confident in that this is
their last shot before they need to go all in
on Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and VJ. Edgecombe as their
future core. Tyree Maxey is dynamic as they is as
dynamic as they come. But I think, again, with a

(28:28):
guy like him, who's not necessarily a passer, right, He's
more of a score first kind of guy, I think
having somebody like Jared McCain opposite of him, somebody who
can also do those things, who can score, who can shoot,
but likes making plays for others as well, I think
it's good. That's a good dynamic to have. Earlier in
the season, I compared them to potentially becoming like a

(28:51):
John Wall Bradley Beal esque duo. I think they can
bring that kind of electricity to this team, and I
think even specifically Jared McCain in a perfect world. Again,
I know people tend to trip when I say comparisons
because I tend to be a very optimistic person and
the names that I draw are very north Star like
reach for the sky type, you know, energy. But I

(29:13):
do feel this way authentically like Jared McCain. To me,
when I watch him play, he is Klay Thompson with
Steph Curry tendencies. Right. I know, I'm sure Klay Thompson
wishes that he could move as quick as Steph Curry, right,
And I'm sure Steph Curry sometimes wishes that he could
score sixty and three dribbles. Right. I think Jared McCain

(29:34):
really meshes both of those guys tendencies. I think his
off ball relocation ability is very reminiscent of Steph. I mean,
you can tell he studied the mess out of Steph Curry.
When he gives up the ball, He's going to a
spot that dude does not stand still. His sharpness, his instincts,
his attention to detail, I think is already veteran esque.

(29:56):
When you listen to his interviews and the way he
talks about his technique and his study and his mindfulness, right,
like he really cares about his craft, and that scares
me because he's so young. I see a lot of
those same things with him. Again, he's not as he's
not gonna hit you off the dribble like Steff. That's
where the Klay Thompson thing comes in. But I think
I think he can blend both of those players for sure.

(30:17):
For sure, and I think even for VJ. Edgecomb, I
think he is the explosive slasher that they needed to
balance out some of those guys that can score on
this team. And I think he can be that slasher
that we expect him to become. You know, he reminds
me so much of a young d Wade in that sense,
just the way he carries himself and just how he's
already a stronger slasher at a young age. I think

(30:41):
there's some similarities there, and I think when you look
at this roster, they did bring a lot of guys back.
You know, I was actually surprised at that they brought
back Andre Drummond, they brought back Eric Gordon. I'm pretty
sure Kyle Lowry I think even opted in right, So
a lot of guys came back to Kelly Ubre I
think opted in. So I think a lot of these
guys see this right, like, Okay, let's run it back

(31:03):
for one more season and see how we do. Because
on paper they can be very good. But it's the
health and the production of Joel Embiid and Paul George
specifically to me, like I said, that is the difference
between them being a three, three to five seed or
a playing team. Like I don't think Joel Embiid, like
I've been saying, he put his body through the wringer.
He loves doing all that Carmelo Anthony stuff at seven

(31:26):
foot to seventy or whatever he is, you know, instead
of getting his button the paint and dominating the paint,
he loves blending all of his skills. And that's why
he's so great. That's what has made him so great.
And he's had three straight seasons scoring thirty points per game.
But I think all that really caught up to him.
And even now, like I don't know if there's been
much update on how he's doing. You know, it's you

(31:49):
hear a lot of rumors that his knee is just
shot and it's not the same and all of these things.
Paul George, like I said, it's crazy he had. I
believe he hyper extended his left knee with the Clippers
a couple of seasons ago. Then he hyper extended it
that knee twice in a matter of weeks this past season,

(32:10):
and then now you're seeing it again in an offseason workout,
he had a very very similar injury to the left knee.
So that left knee is just really eating at Paul
George right now. And I just don't know how healthy
these guys are gonna fare for a whole season. And
I think at some point, you know that the Philadelphia
seventy sixers are gonna have to make some decisions with

(32:32):
a lot of these guys and then shift their focus
towards MAXI, McCain and VJ. I really think that's the
that that that's probably what we're gonna see in the
near future. But again, I'm rooting for Joel mb to
be healthy. Of course, Paul George is one of my
favorites still to this day. I'm rooting for him to
be healthy and then that they can prove me wrong
and they can be a playoff threat and have a

(32:54):
much better season than last year and really kind of
blend their half old head, half young and roster that
they have. You know, I really hope for the best,
but I think I just settle for them at play
in right now. We'll see as the season goes how
healthy they can be and what it looks like. But
right now I just wanted to play it safe and

(33:15):
put them in the play in. And then similarly, Miami
is an interesting team right They have all star players
and Tyler Hero and Bam out of Bayo, and I
think getting Norman Powell via trade was a huge pickup
for them. I love that Davion Mitchell has seemed to
find a home here. I think they love him over there.
He loves playing for the Heat. He gave great energy

(33:36):
in the playoffs and the play in game and whatnot.
Andrew Wiggins is still there. You know, they got some
they got some good pieces. We'll see what kel Ware
is going to do this year. You know, Eric Sposa
coach Spoben on his tail this summer, you know, saying
like he's got to be better. We want him to
do this, we want him to do that. You know,
they're demanding that Heat culture excellence out of him, So

(33:56):
we'll see how he responds. You know, they they I
think they got shore up some of the point guard stuff.
I know they they drafted the one from Illinois. I'm
brain farting on his name, but they drafted the kid
from Illinois. I think he can be really good for
them if he gets an opportunity. You know, we'll see
what they do with Terry Rozier and if they can
kind of trade and flip him for something. You know,

(34:18):
I don't know, but they got some pieces. They should
definitely be in the play in conversation as well. Again,
I don't expect anything too great from them, but they they,
they they They're gonna be in the playing conversation for sure,
for sure. All right, now we're getting into the nitty
gritty of the actual playoff spots, right. So now the
seventh spot, right again, this is the final play in spot.

(34:40):
But we're gonna get closer to the playoff seating and
I think the Milwaukee Bucks are gonna be right there
at the seventh spot. And the reason why I have
them here is because we know what we're gonna get
from Gianni's right. We know that they did a good job,
Steeleen Miles Turner. After they lost Brook Lopez, Gary Trent
got a well deserved bag. They got some pieces, but
I got a be honest, I think that we are

(35:03):
due to see some booboo basketball from the Milwaukee Bucks. Now,
hear me out, hear me out again. I think is
gonna be a little ugly out here. The only reason
I have them in the seventh spot, this is just seventh.
The only reason I have them seventh is because Jannis
is superman. That boy, Yannis is insane. He can single
handedly carry a team to a playoff spot. But what

(35:26):
about everybody else? Like? That's literally when I look at
this team, I'm like, what about everybody else? We know
what Yiannis is gonna do, but what the heck is this? Right?
Who else is gonna have the rock? And now you
don't have the All Star in Damian Lillard anymore? So,
you know, while I like what Kevin Porter Junior did
with this team, he's gonna have a bigger role. He's
gonna have bigger responsibility. What is that gonna look like?

(35:48):
Cole Anthony, He's gonna be playing with an even bigger
chip on his shoulder because he's you know, kind of
been slept on now, right despite starting his career with
really good production. You know what version of Kyle Kuzmar
are we gonna get this? Dude? Just a few seasons
ago was averaging twenty points a game. Now he's back
fifteen fourteen points, just kind of chilling, similar to how
you know, I think it's a little bit similar to

(36:09):
what he was doing with the Lakers. I just think
we never know what kind of cups we're gonna get.
So and I keep looking back at how they played
without Dame in the playoffs, and I just don't know
if I can bear to see that for eighty two games.
Like I think there's gonna be a lot of Yannis
force feeding. I think it's gonna be a lot of
stagnant half court basketball. I just don't envision that a

(36:29):
crazy successful year for them. And again, this ain't me Hayton.
I don't. I don't want people to mistake my tone
for Hayton. But like I just I'm not that optimistic
in the bucks. If for some reason I should be,
I would love for you to put that in the comments.
If you're watching a YouTube, share with me on the
socials talk to me. Talk to me Bucks fans, if
that's you, because I just don't know. I don't know

(36:50):
about this team. Man, Jianna's gonna do what he do.
He gonna be an MVP candidate. But outside of that,
I'm kind of like, what the heck is this? What
the heck are we doing? So yeah, man, I'll see
what the Bucks. But for the safe spot just because
Yiannis is that dude, I got them seventh. Now here's
where it gets interesting. It gets more interesting in the
Eastern Conference. These right here are two teams that I

(37:10):
struggle with, the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons. Right now,
I have it with the Celtics six and the Pistons fifth.
But then I think about that, like I literally say
that out loud, and I'm like, I feel like I
should put the Celtics fifth and the Pistons keep them
at sixth, Like I do think, and I think this
is why I go back and forth. The Detroit Pistons

(37:31):
have I think, a more well rounded roster compared to
the Celtics, who still have some holes in their front court.
They're they're not big holes, but their holes. That said,
I do believe the Celtics are better than what people
expect them to be without Jason Tatum. And I think
it's very similar to what I said about Indy. Opportunity
is knocking for guys like Unamias Cada, Chris Bouchet I

(37:55):
forgot they had got him this offseason, and maybe even
guys like Luca gar Right. He might finally get a
chance to show what he can do on a more
regular season basis. Jordan wash Right, well, they I know
they loved him for his defense. We'll see what he
can do in the front court. Uh, And I'm really
excited to see that nucleus of Jalon Brown, Peyton Pritchard,
Derek White and and Simons. Obviously, I think this team

(38:18):
is gonna take a little bit of a dip defensively
literally because they lost Drew Holliday and obviously they're gonna
be without Jason Tatum, but that offense is still pretty solid,
you know. I like what the Celtics have. Again, I
think it's just what are they How are they gonna
play without Jason Tatum, Because I think I think Jalen
Brown is very capable of leading this team to the

(38:39):
playoffs and having a really good season, and and I
think he has that selfless nature about him to where
he won't try to do it all by himself. At
least I hope that that's that's the vibe that I
get from him. And obviously Peyton Pritchard is a hooper,
Derek White tough shot maker, right this dude. I mean
he makes all kinds of threes. He can defend with
the best in the league. And Simons is crazy, bucket getter,

(39:01):
very streaky. You know they're gonna be high octane and
it's gonna be fun if they can show up that
front court, shure up that defense, and you know those
guys take advantage of opportunity. Celtics. Don't sleep on this team, man,
don't sleep on this team just because Tatum ain't out there.
Like I said, I rather than the Celtics kind of
downgrading or I don't want to use the word tank, right,
but rather than the Celtics downgrading and trying to, like

(39:25):
see if they can get a good, sneaky, good draft
pick or something like that, or trade somebody here so
they can improve when Tatum comes back. I really think
they should. I've always been of the notion they should
stay put and be ready for when Tatum comes back
and be even scarier. That's my thing, So hopefully that's
what they do this season. But either way, I have
them in that five to six range, like I said
with the Pistons, because again, I think they're gonna show

(39:48):
how last year wasn't a fluke, right, Even if I
do have them at the sixth spot, say they do
get that sixth spot, again, I wouldn't consider it a
year of regression. I just think they're a team that
kind of just stayed the same. We're gonna look at
how Jayden Ivy comes back, right, He'll be back. So
even though they lost Dennis Schroeder, Jaydon Ivy's coming back
from from injury. They added Karris Lavert as as a

(40:11):
tertiary creator that they lost in Dennis Schroeder. So again
having Kate Cunningham, Jayden Ivy, Karris Lavert, those are bigger guards.
So I really like that dynamic that they can have together.
Their front court is still very strong literally and figuratively,
you know, Jalen Duran, Isaiah Stewart, Paul Reid. They still
got the hustle guys, Amn Asar Thompson, Ron Holland. They

(40:34):
got Javonte Green. That's a sneaky, hustle guy that you
can throw in in spot minutes. But as I've said
in prior episodes, my worry with the Detroit Pistons is
the shooting. They lost their shooters in Malie Beasley and
Tim Hardaway Junior, and a guard like Kay Cunningham, a
guard like Kid Cunningham who has a little bit of
that Luca Lebron effect to him. He needs shooters, and

(40:59):
a team with the amount of slashers that they have
needs shooters. Jay and Ivy needs shooters. Kris LeVert, you
know he can do both. He's a nice three level scorer,
but when he drives, he's gonna want to kick it
out to shooters, right, And they got one in Duncan Robinson.
I like that, but I think they'll be essentially asking
their other creators to fill that role, right, And don't

(41:21):
miss what I'm saying. I think it's just something to
have specialized shooters and not guys that are forced to
become shooters. Right. But then again, that said, they were
seventeenth in shooting last year. In three point shooting, they
were middle of the pack even with the shooting that
they had, so maybe it doesn't make as much of

(41:42):
a difference as I think it will, and they'll just
generally have a very similar season to last year. Either way,
I do see Boston and Detroit kind of fighting for
that fifth spot, so I have them fifth and six
right now, and then we go to another doozy right
three to four. We got the Atlanta Hawks and the
Orlando Magic, and once again I am grouping two teams
that made some really good improvements in the offseason. I

(42:04):
love what both of these teams did this summer, but
these are also two teams that struggled with injuries a
lot last year that literally broke their season. And with
the Hawks, I genuinely believe Trey Young has a chance
to be a dark horse MVP candidate off the simple
fact that these Atlanta Hawks might be the best constructed
Trey Young team since twenty twenty one. I said it

(42:26):
in the offseason Awards Show. They got defense, they got shooting,
the exact kind of players that Trey Young needs around him.
They looked so good when Jalen Johnson was healthy, and
I anticipate that they'll look even better with new pieces
like Christas Worzingis, Nikil, Alexander Walker and Luke Nard. I
think it's the same thing with Orlando, right, Like you
take what they built over the last couple of years

(42:47):
and then now you get you fill some major holes
that you had, right A true point guard in Tyas
Jones now three point shooting in Desmond Bane, but also
somebody that can score, somebody that can put the ball
on the floor. And it's not just limit it to
a three point shooting like I think with the Magic
because I'm it's so tough, it's so tough. I keep
going back and forth. I really want to give them

(43:08):
the edge and give them that third seed because I
just like the shortness, the shortness of what they have. Right.
You you have your wings, you have your defense, you
have your your all stars and guys like Paolo and
Franz Wagner, you know, and you have you know, you
you got the point guard hole, but you got the
point guard defense, you know. Like I said, Jalen Suggs

(43:28):
Can is kind of like Alex Caruso in a lot
of ways. You know, they got a really deep squad.
You know, Jonathan Isaac, you can always put him in
limited minutes and let him go off defensively, Wendell Carter
does his thing. Goga pitase has improved so much the
last few years. They got a squad, They really got
a squad, and I think some of it just comes
down to scoring. But now that they got some forty

(43:50):
three point shooters and Tias Jones and Desmond vane Pallo
might have a little bit more room to work. Franz
might have a little bit more room to work. So
I like that. But then even in Atlanta, right, like,
Trey Young is that kind of point guard. We've seen
him before. We can't act like twenty twenty one didn't happen.
We've seen him lead a team to the conference finals before.
We've seen good construction around Trey Young work for the

(44:13):
Atlanta Hawks, and they got it this year. Like I said,
this past season, they looked really good around the NBA Cup.
When Jalen Johnson went down, their dreams went down. But
ooh boy, with Dyson Daniels, you know being the great
barrier thief, right, you got Zachary Risuschet. He's really nice. Again,
these are taller, lanky wings you know that you can

(44:34):
surround Trey with and guys that can handle the rock,
you know, Jaylen Johnson again, like I said, Onyka and congu.
Christas porzingis ni kill Like that team is good. I'm
gonna give Orlando to the edge. But these teams might
be fighting with each other all year long. Like at
this point, I don't care who gets that third seed.
Is gonna be one of them, Atlanta or Orlando in
my opinion. All right, then we get to the top two,

(44:56):
and right now I see the second seed going to
the Cleveland Cavaliers. Interesting team, right They've been the butt
of the joke for the Eastern Conference the last couple
of seasons. People will always expect them to fold in
the playoffs. But if you've been paying attention, Donovan Mitchell
has been tipped this summer, and I think he is
another dark horse MVP candidate for me, because this dude

(45:19):
is coming off a playoff disappointment that still had him
tight lipped in an interview with Taylor Rooks. And yet again,
I think not being able to come out of the
second round despite being a one seed in the regular season, Like,
these are things Donovan Mitchell has been through and it's
really got him upset. Like the minute they lost versus Indiana,
he started his mission to come back better. He was

(45:41):
telling the media, you guys aren't gonna pick us. Nothing
is gonna matter this year until we get to the
playoffs and show people that we are legit. Like even then,
even in the press conference booth, he was already thinking, like,
we gotta get through the next eighty two games and
get right back to the spot and show people we
can do it. He has that kind of fire and
I'm excited to see what it looks like this year.

(46:02):
And even then, that's not all. It ain't just Donovan
Mitchell either. Apparently Evan Mobley been on the Mike Bibbie
workout plan regimen and he looks ready to build on
the All Star campaign he had by being a stronger
force inside. And I've criticized Jared Allen and Evan Mobley
for that, Like, as good as they are and as

(46:24):
athletic as they can be, compared to their stronger counterparts,
they're not as good on the rebounds when they face
bigger centers inside. And so Evan Mobley putting on some
muscle this summer is kind of like, oh, like he's
really ready to take that leap even more right, And
I think with one of my favorite acquisitions of the summer,

(46:45):
they get Lonzo Ball high IQ, versatile defender, pickpocket, intelligent passer.
You know, many people envision him to have a similar
impact to what Alex Grusso did with the Thunder right,
especially defensively, but again, Lonzo Ball is a very high
high IQ player, makes the right plays on both ends
of the floor, like he is the exact kind of

(47:05):
player that can help push them over the edge. I
really believe that, and I think with Max Struce missing
the first few months with injury, Lonzo Ball is gonna
get plenty of minutes at the small forward spot. I
really believe that wholeheartedly. He's gonna be able to play
with Garland and Mitchell because he's six six and he
can guard multiple positions. But I also think, of course
he is going to play that traditional point guard role

(47:25):
when Garland sits right. It's gonna be a big year
for DeAndre Hunter, right. We got to see if he
can feel the role that we expected him to feel.
Like I know, for me, I was high on that
DeAndre Hunter trade and he didn't have a great playoff series,
so I want to see what he does I really
want to see what he does and hopefully he can
improve and find a bit more footing in what the

(47:47):
cave the Cavaliers have. But again, as crazy as it
might sound, you know, these qualities give me hope for Cleveland.
You know, I'm not trying to be the butt of
the joke with them. I understand, like, yeah, they got
some stuff to prove, They got some stuff to prove. Right,
Darius Garland is gonna have to be a much better
playoff performer. He's got to stay healthy, you know. Like
I said, we know what Donovan Mitchell is gonna do,

(48:08):
but we got other guys need to pull they weight.
So we'll see how that goes and we'll see how
much they can take a leap. I think they'll be
very successful compared to the last season. I think they'll
have a very successful year, you know, getting that second
spot in the East. But again, I think with many
East teams looking at this conference as wide open, I
think the Cavaliers are gonna get a little bit more
of people's best fight. And you know, I don't really

(48:29):
see them getting that one seed. I wouldn't be surprised
if they did, but you know, I gave the edge
to the New York Knicks, Which is funny though, right,
because that's all I've been thinking about, Like, I didn't
want to do it, if I'm being honest, I didn't
want to give the Knicks the first seed in the
Eastern Conference. This sounds too good for the New York
Knicks to be a one seed, right. That hasn't happened

(48:51):
since ninety two ninety three. I wasn't even born. I
wasn't even thought of. But if they could do that
in Jordan's NBA, they could surely do it now, right.
And like I said in my shout out to nineteen
teammate friend of the show Mike Steph when I was
on his show, I was telling him as a Knicks

(49:12):
you know, he's a Knicks fan, and I was telling him, like,
the New York Knicks, you know, this is the season
we're watched. They're gonna do everything that they're supposed to do.
They're gonna get the one seed, they're gonna make the
NBA Finals, and people are gonna kill them for it
because Tyree's Haliburton ain't out here, Jason Tatum ain't out here, right,
So I really do see that being this kind of

(49:33):
season for the New York Knicks. Like I said, as
the Eastern Conference runner up, they should absolutely deserve to
be here. They have what it takes to be a
one seed in the Eastern Conference. But my thing is,
sometimes the New York Knicks like to keep teams around
and in Madison Square Garden, they get everybody's best game.
So sometimes they gonna drop a game to the Utah
Jazz or whoever because off the fact that they're an MSG.

(49:57):
But you know, they got Mike Brown. Now, the track
record we notice comes from the Popovich tree. He won
with the Warriors. He coached guys like Lebron and Kobe.
He helped Sacramento return to the playoffs after a fifteen
sixteen year drought. Right, They've kept their roster for the
most part, and they added a necessary bench scorer in
Jordan Clarkson. They added a nice role player in Gershan Yabusele. Right,

(50:21):
I went over those acquisitions in the offseason episode. You know,
I think the main thing for the New York Knicks
if they can tighten up those defensive rotations and more specifically,
I think down the stretch of games, if it's a
less hero ball from Jalen Brunson and even Carl Anthony
Towns on some occasions. I think they can be much
better off. I think there should be no reason why

(50:43):
they cannot duplicate last year's success even into the playoffs. Like,
if I'm the New York Knicks, the goal is to
make the NBA Finals this year. We'll we'll see what
it looks like. Right, We'll see if they're given championship vibes.
But I think they have what it takes. I just
think they're, like I said, big things. They got to
clean up his defensive rotations and that hero ball again,

(51:04):
that hero ball got Jaylen Brunton Clutch Player of the Year.
But there were some moments where it was like, Okay,
Mikal Bridges was getting good looks in the mid range
throughout the game, but now he's just not even touching
the basketball in the fourth quarter, right, og Anobi is
trying to find his footing after not touching the ball,
right like, and then it just kind of creates some

(51:26):
dysfunction and I think it takes some of the players
out the game. So, like I said, they got it.
They clean up some of that stuff and we'll see
if the Knicks can do it. We'll see if the
Knicks can do it. But I gave him they love.
I gave him they respect, and I have them sitting
number one in the Eastern Conference this year. I really do,
I really do. They'll be fighting with Cleveland, but I
gave them they love. I gave them they love. So
those are my East standings, all right? To recap once again.

(51:49):
I got the Brooklyn Nets at fifteen, the Washington Wizards
at fourteen, Chicago Bulls thirteen, Charlie Hornet's twelfth, Toronto Rapids eleven, tenth,
Indiana Pacers ninth, Philadelphia seventy six, eight Miami Heat, seven,
Milwaukee Bucks, six, Boston Celtics slash Pistons fifth, Pistons slash Celtics, fourth,

(52:10):
Atlanta Hawks, three, Orlando Magic, two Cleveland Cavaliers, and number
one the New York Knicks. So the Eastern Conference ain't
that bad man. It'll still be an exciting race to
see who takes advantage of the parody that we're probably
gonna see. But now it's time to head to the
Wild West, the wild wild West, because it truly lives

(52:32):
up to its name. And this had me stressing I
gotta be one hundred percent honest with you. In a
stack conference, even quality teams are going to miss the playoffs,
so I can't keep everybody happy. But as of today,
like I said, as of today, here's what I settled with,
the Utah Jazz at fifteen, the New Orleans Pelicans at fourteen,
the Sacramento Kings at thirteen, the Portland Trailblazers at twelve,

(52:55):
the Phoenix Suns at eleven, the Dallas Mavericks at ten,
the Memphis Grizzlies at none, the Golden State Warriors at eight,
the Los Angeles Lakers at seven, the Minnesota Timberwolves at six,
the Los Angeles Clippers at five, the San Antonio Spurs
at four, the Houston Rockets at three, the Denver Nuggets
at two, and the Oklahoma City Thunder at one. All right,

(53:17):
all right, starting with the Utah Jazz. Look, man, they
may be dead last in the West, and call me crazy,
but the Jazz got some nice young pieces. I'm a
big fan of Isaiah Kyllier, who again I envisioned I
said in previous episode. I envisioned him as Kyle Lowry.
He's got a little bit of John wall Tennancy's in
there too, But I see him as like Kyle Lowry,

(53:37):
a little bit more of an old school floor general
in that sense, like's putting his imprint on the game,
but at the same time knows how to get his
teammates involved. I think Heantay George is nice. Kyle Flabowski, right,
this is a guy that showed nice flashes of what
he can be. I think he has good feel for
the game as a face of big getting Ace Bailey right,
it might have been risky at first, but hopefully he

(53:59):
can turn it to that prototypical big wing that we
started to see more of the last few years. You know,
I know they're counting on him to develop into that
kind of guy. We got Walter Clayton, right, who looks
to be a steal as we saw how in the
NCAA tournament, right, we saw how he impacts the game
in terms of winning basketball, and they need that, right, Boy,

(54:20):
do the Jazz need those kind of players that are
just gonna do what it takes to win. Furthermore, I
always loved kJ martin Man, and I'm hoping that he
can finally find a home and pretty much give some
of what they lost in John Collins right, an athletic finisher,
a lob threat, that sort of player. Of course, Larry
Markinen he been flat out hooping in this euro basket

(54:42):
Man and hopefully he's gonna return to All Star form.
And you know, they got some friendly faces. You know,
George and Yang is back with the team. Walker Kessler
once again dug trade rumors, you know, as a kind
of highly tied rint protector. They got a nice vet
and Kevin Love. Like, this team has some players to
work with. Again, not a playoff team. They won't win

(55:04):
that many games, but there is definitely a future that
is forming there right. Like again, very sleeper league pass
team I think is the Utah Jazz if you just
kind of want to evaluate and see what are the
young pieces that they got that they're working with. I
consider them a sleeper league pass team. But again in
this stack West I got them dead last. That brings

(55:25):
us to fourteen. The New Orleans Pelicans. Again, very young team,
but they also have some exciting pieces. But they got
a lot of raw, exciting pieces. Like I think it's
just hard for me to put them a bit higher
because I'm just not convinced that this will be a
cohesive team as much as it will be a talented team.
I think, like I said, Jordan Poole, you know, they're

(55:46):
still waiting on to John Tay Murray to come back.
They drafted Jeremiah Fears, they traded for Derek Queen in
this draft. You know, still got yve Missy Trey Murphy.
You know they got herb Jones is still on this team, right,
Like they got a lot of nice pieces. But I
think now it's about how is it all gonna mesh?
Because this is a very talented team. And of course, right,

(56:07):
like the big elephant in the room is Zion Williamson's health. Right,
this is a big factor. This team as a whole
got hit with the injury bug bad last year, and
Zion Williamson just continues again. Him and LaMelo Ball are
really in the same boat in that regard for their teams.
It just seems like the success of these teams relies
on the health of their stars, and as long as

(56:28):
these young stars aren't healthy, it's not manifesting in anything special. Right,
So health to me is everything with the Pelicans, and
if healthy, they may not be this bad, right, they
may be a little bit closer to the play in race.
But unfortunately, I just don't see that happening. They've had
a lot of injury struggles and they're waiting on guys

(56:49):
to come back. Hopefully for their sake, I'm wrong, and
they can really push through. Like I've said before, if
they can conserve Zion like the Clippers conserve Kawhi Leonard,
that would probably be better off for them. You know, we'll see.
It's a lot of young talent that I'm just not
convinced is ready to play winning basketball. But again, they
could prove me wrong and everything like that. But I

(57:10):
think they have a lot of young talent, and they
have a lot of tradable talent. So something tells me
that the Pelicans are still gonna be on the outside
looking in and again in a stack Western conference. That
doesn't surprise me. And then that brings me to the
Sacramento Kings at thirteen. Honestly, I've had this team all
over the place. I settled on thirteen because it was
kind of middle of the pack in terms of what
I was thinking, Like in some ways I wanted to

(57:32):
put them. I wanted to switch them with the Pelicans,
but obviously they have the star power, right, they have
Zach Levine, they have DeMar DeRozan, some bonus, they picked
up Dennis Schroeder, they got some. They even got Drew Eubanks. Right,
they kind of showed up some of their front court.
You know. Rumor has it that they're trying that there
might be a lane for them to get Russell Westbrook.

(57:52):
So in some ways, I'm like, Okay, maybe they won't
be that bad. And then I wanted to put them twelfth, right,
if you notice, I have the Blazers better than the
Sacramento Kings, and part of me even wanted to switch
that last minute. But I'm like, and like, I just
I don't like what this team is doing. If I'm
being honest, I do like them hiring Scott Perry as
a GM, but I'm just not thrilled about this team.

(58:15):
I don't like it. I don't like it, so I
just settled with them at thirteen. I don't I'd be
very surprised if they push for the play in. I
just don't think that they have a sustainable roster from
the darn Fox trade to fire and Mike Brown, although
Doug Christy has done well in his role shout out
to him, you know, to reuniting Zach Levine with DeMar

(58:36):
De Rozen. Like, I don't think that's the ideal mix
that you want to have, right I just really want
them to blow this team up, and on honesty, like,
I think demonis the bonus deserves a better roster around
him with less isolation scores. As long as Zach Levin,
Demarta Rozen, and Leake Monker on the team, DeMar de Rozan,
he should probably be in Memphis right now. I've been
saying that all summer. Zach Levine, I think he could

(58:59):
have been in Denver, Detroit, shoot, maybe even Milwaukee by now.
And somehow Malik Monk, like I said, Malik Monk has
little value on the trade market despite having his best
season as a pro. Like, I don't know what's up
with this team. On paper, they got talent, they truly do,
but I just don't think it's the best mix of basketball, man,
And that's why they lose games. That's why they lose games.

(59:23):
To me, it's definitely not a long term situation, and
so kind of my brain is like if they explore
or rebuild maybe at the trade deadline and really just tank,
you know, that's why I kind of have them here.
But you know, I really suspect that at some point
this season they're just gonna shift their focus because I
don't think this is sustainable. I really don't. I don't

(59:44):
know what the Kings are doing. So I have them thirteenth.
I don't want to talk about them any longer. Let's
go twelfth to the Portland Trail Blazers again. I think
my main thought process with this is that while the
Sacramento Kings have more star power, I think the Blazers
have actual pieces to build around. If they can continue
to ascend within this next season or two, they can

(01:00:07):
creep into that play in race and maybe even better.
I think they can be that good. I love what
they have. I love you know. Again, I've been saying
it this summer. Big season ahead for Scoot Henderson, big
season ahead for Shaden Sharp. These guys right here are
going to have to show that they can be franchise cornerstones.
Right Obviously, Hanson Yang right, We're gonna see how he

(01:00:28):
does and how who's gonna win that position battle? Right,
because do you go defense with Donovan Klingen or do
you go like yo, we pretty much got the next,
Nicole Jokic right here, like, we gotta give Hanson Yang
the keys, because even then that's gonna change things. And
even when Damian Lillard comes back, right Like, it's a
lot going on, and then they have a ton of defense,
right Tomai Kamara, Like I said, Donovan Klingon in the interior.

(01:00:51):
Robert Williams is still on this team for the time being.
He's an interior defender latist. Thaibel should be getting minutes again, right,
Drew Holliday, they just pay up. I'm excited. I think
the Blazers, Like I said, I wouldn't be surprised if
the Portland Trail Blazers are better than the Sacramento Kings.
I really like the Blazers. Kind of how I feel
about the Toronto Rappers is how I feel about the
Portland Trailblazers. I'll put it that way. I think it's

(01:01:14):
more so about kind of post Damian Lillard Drew Holliday right, Like,
you have to foster those things now so as those
guys get older and they eventually retire, you're still in
great shape, you know. I think that's what this is
with the Portland Trail Blazers again, unfortunately don't see them
in the play in this season. But I think, just
like this past season, they're gonna have their flashes where

(01:01:36):
they might beat some good teams and we're gonna be like, oh, shoot,
the Blazers are brewing something over there. So I like
them all right, So now we get into the good
part though, right Like again, funny enough, we're at the
eleven seed in the West and this is the good part.
That's how stacked the West is. But again, I have
the Phoenix Suns right here. I'm actually shocked that the
Phoenix Suns kept Jalen Green and they are presumably going

(01:01:58):
to let Devin Booker run the show. And this is
the thing that is not a bad idea. I want
to make it clear. It's not that Devin Booker can't
play the combo guard. He actually does really well in
that role. But when his time to be Devin Booker,
is he gonna cling to the combo guard role still?

(01:02:19):
And I think that was his critique from the previous season.
There were there were some games where you watch Devin
Booker and it's like he probably should have kept his
foot on the gas. But again, having Kevin Durant and
knowing that, you know, he just doesn't want to take
all the shots, and you know he still wants to
do his job as the quote unquote point guard. He
didn't you know, he didn't want to mess nothing up.

(01:02:40):
But it's like, again, Devin Booker's best seasons was when
he had a point guard again like Chris Paul. So
for him to go back to the have another season
with a combo guard and then not only that, but
playing with Jalen Green again, it's very similar to what
they had with Kevin Durant in the sense that you
got two hoopers. But who is gonna orchest straight, who

(01:03:01):
is gonna who is gonna be the floor general? Right?
These guys are scorers. And this is always what I
mean when I say, you know, we we kind of
you we kind of over overuse the term positionless basketball
because there's there should still be some kind of structure here, Right,
Devin Booker at his core is a score. Jalen Green
at his core is definitely a score. Putting them on

(01:03:24):
the floor at the same time with presumably is gonna
be Dylan Brooks, maybe Ryan Dunn, and then like uh,
Nick Richards, slash Mark Williams slash Kaman malawatch like, ah,
I don't know, man. Like I say, great scorers need
somebody to set the table, and you're asking Devin Booker

(01:03:46):
to do both of those for another season with another
scorer that isn't the most not only isn't the most
efficient scorer, but just still has room to grow in
terms of what he looks like as a winning player.
And that's why I have the Phoenix Suns this low. Again,
like I said, similar to the Pelicans, I worry about

(01:04:06):
the cohesion on the court there. Like I said, there
are gonna be plenty of games where Devin Booker cannot
afford to defer to his teammates. He's got to make
the big plays. You know. It's it's and and when
you look at it. And again, I don't want to
sound like a hater, because they actually have a solid
roster and this is a pretty big team. More than
half their players are at least six to six. I
think there is certainly sleeper potential with this team. Don't

(01:04:28):
get me wrong. They got some nice wings over there,
you know, but I do have them just outside the
play in because I'm just not sure about that offensive cohesion,
you know, Devin Booker, you know who knows. You know,
he might go crazy, he might return to being an
All Star again. But I don't think it's gonna be
sexy basketball. I really don't. I don't know. I don't
know what's going on in Phoenix. You know, they got

(01:04:49):
they got some pieces, but I don't see it working
that well. Tenth. I got the Dallas Mavericks, and yes,
even without Kyrie Irving, I have the Dallas Mavericks at
the tenn see pretty much exactly where they were this
past season. As wild as it may seem, I think
they can snag that final play in Spot out West again.
Much of that is gonna be based on the durability

(01:05:10):
of Anthony Davis, who obviously we know can still hoop
at an all the NBA level. But if he misses
too much time, Phoenix might be able to sneak in. Right,
But if all goes well, retaining Daniel Gafford was huge
for them, right, Like, they still got a lot of
these dudes from the twenty twenty four finals run. They
retain Daniel Gafford, they still got Derek Lively, right, so

(01:05:32):
Anthony Davis doesn't have to play the five full time,
you know, they and they even got on the other
end of the spectrum. They got sleeper guys like Jayden Hardy,
Brandon Williams. These are guys who aren't shy about getting
buckets and they're gonna need that with Kyrie Irving out
for most of the season. And then of course they
got Cooper Flagg the number one pick. So, like the
Dallas Mavericks are still very much a good team. I

(01:05:52):
love how Max Christy has blended with this team. I love,
you know, like I said, I always was a fan
of PJ. Washington. You know, Augie Marshall played good minutes
for them. Like this is a good team still, this
is obviously, oh my gosh, how could I forget Klay
Thompson right, Like you know what I'm saying. He went
back with the John b look, so you know he's
gonna be feeling himself. I think this is this is

(01:06:14):
still very much a good team that can play good
basketball as long as they're healthy. And what I love
specifically specifically about Cooper flag is his versatility. This is
the year where he can show what he can do
a little bit because Kyrie's not gonna be out there.
But at the same time again, they got D'Angelo Russell
now as well. That's another name I forgot to mention.
You know, this is gonna allow Cooper Flag to also

(01:06:36):
prepare to eventually be a connecting piece between the point
guard and then the big man and Anthony Davis. So
once he gets comfortable, he should help keep Dallas afloat
in this tight Western Conference. Like Cooper Flag is gonna
be able to pick and choose, you know, in a
perfect world, I think he's gonna be able to pick
and choose when he scores, when he's aggressive, but at
the same time, when he's focused on making the right plays,

(01:06:58):
the winning plays, playing selfless basketball, getting stops on defense.
That's what I'm excited to see from him specifically. So
and that's the thing too. If the next two teams
I discussed slow down, I wouldn't even sleep on Dallas
potentially being an eighth seed, Like I really like their
supporting cast, But as of now, I have them tenth
because the eighth and ninth one is a doozy between

(01:07:20):
the Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies. Again, as
I see it now, I have Grizzlies at nine and
Warriors at eight. But even then, I'm still flip flopping
on these two teams as I speak, because to think
a healthy Grizzlies team won't have a chance at a
playoff spot is just silly. But the question is how
many Western Conference teams are they better than? And look,

(01:07:42):
I like the KCP pickup, I like the Cedric Coward
draft pick. The Tie Jerome pickup can be really good.
Obviously he'll be playing more shooting guard minutes. I think
alongside Jah or Scottie Pippen Jr. You know, if healthy,
this team can be a playoff team. Legit, not playing,
but a playoff team. I have. My doubt is that

(01:08:02):
I don't think this team got better after the offseason.
I think they're about the same. I think losing Luke
Kenard and getting KCP, who don't get me wrong, is
much better defensively. But at the end of the day,
you lost a shooter and got a shooter. You know,
they trade Desmond Bain and they get Ty Jerome. That's
technically a downgrade, a good downgrade, but on paper a downgrade.

(01:08:26):
Ty Jerome is a fine player. Had a very efficient
season last year, excellent year coming back from the injury,
but still not the eighteen to twenty point per game
score that Desmond Bain showed to be. And I still
see similar things happening in the playoffs. Unless John Morant
is going crazy, it may be hard to create offense.

(01:08:48):
You know, we'll see what Gig Jackson can do with
a fresh third season. Right again, he had the injury
last year, so he was coming back from the injury,
so you know, he didn't have it all the way together.
You know, we'll see if Zach Edy can give them
a true low post dynamic, which again is going to
help them figure out how they want to attack the
half court in the playoffs. You know, don't get me wrong,
the Grizzlies have a really good core, but I don't

(01:09:11):
know if it's as good as Minnesota. I don't even
know if it's as good as the Spurs. Right, Like,
I still, for some reason, I just can't shake my
doubt with the Memphis Grizzlies. You know, good team, but
they still got some stuff to show. Now. As for
the Warriors, everything that happened after February eighth, twenty twenty
five gives me every reason to put the Warriors as

(01:09:33):
a top five team. Out West. Steph, Jimmy and Draymond
looked exactly how I expected them to and it literally
turned their season around. However, this team had a very
difficult time generating offense when Stephan Curry was not on
the floor and Jimmy Butler wasn't in attack mode. That
is the only reason why I have them on the
lower end of the seeding. The Warriors look like a

(01:09:56):
totally different team when their role players, specifically find them
trying to feel responsibilities meant for the Stars and they
are having a tough time filling out their roster at
the time of this recording. Okay, they don't know what
they're doing with Jonathan Kaminga just yet they're still they
still seem to be waiting on Al Horford, who's taking
his time. And even then if they get those two guys,

(01:10:18):
they still need to complete their roster as we get
closer to the new season. So if they can lock
these guys in or even with Kaminga, do a sign
and trade type of deal and then still maybe bringing
Seth Curry right or even Malik Beasley, get some shooters
that fit the Golden State Warriors system. I know they've
been linked to Malcolm Brogden. That would be a great
ball handler to have in that second unit, right and

(01:10:40):
doesn't have to play a lot of minutes, so you
know you can kind of conserve him in that way.
And shoot a name I saw on the on the
available free agents Charles Bassi wouldn't be a good sleeper.
That wouldn't be a bad idea as a sleeper pickup
for another frontcourt player. Like, if they can get guys
like this to help out the second unit, I would
feel much better about this team. But if they strike out,

(01:11:04):
they will once again be relying on their effective yet
older stars to carry them to the playoffs. And those
dudes ain't trying to do that. Like again, that told
me everything. When you watch the series versus Timberwolves, there
was that game Jimmy Butler was saying in the post game, like, man,
I miss Steph Curry. Like Jimmy Butler does not want
to carry a team no more, Like this team is.

(01:11:27):
It really thrives off Steph Curry and that warrior system.
And they gotta get guys in here that are truly
gonna want to buy into that. And so, like I said,
if they say, say, in the perfect world, they get
all those guys that I mentioned, I would much rather
have them like sixth, fifth seed in the West. But
right now I think they'll be fighting for the play

(01:11:47):
in again, because I just think that's a lot of
responsibility on Steph, a lot of responsibility on Jimmy Butler
that I don't know if they want to do for
eighty two games and the playoffs. But you know, I
could be wrong. We'll see. You know, they still got
some moves to make, so we'll see, all right. Getting
to the nitty gritty, we got the seventh spot with
the Los Angeles Lakers. Though I was initially high on
the pairing of Luka Doncic and Lebron James, and as

(01:12:10):
I am anxious to see how DeAndre Ayden approaches his
role with a historic franchise, you know, I'm rooting for
a Marcus Smart resurgence, and of course Austin Reeves is
ready to beat that emergency All star when they need
him the most. I look at this Lakers roster and
I say, maybe seven seed, six seeds. Nothing really stands out,

(01:12:33):
like I don't see anything special about this team, nor
do I see anything super concerning. Will there be flaws absolutely.
Will there be highlights, definitely, you know, but I know this,
JJ Reddick's rotations should definitely not be as limited as
they were down the stretch of the past season. Okay,
now you've got DeAndre Aiden and Jackson Hayes. You know,

(01:12:53):
you lose Dornian Finney Smith, but you get Marcus Smart
you know who I mean, smaller version, right, Like you know,
you get you you lose some defense, which you gained
some defense. So I mean, like I said, I don't
see anything special. I don't see anything drastic. I just
you know, that's that's pretty much why I have them seventh.
I think they'll they'll obviously, like I said, they'll they'll

(01:13:15):
play some good basketball, and there'll be some times where
they'll you'll watch them play and they'll make your buttage.
But you know, I think they can get get that
seventh seed. I think they can get that seven seed.
Just for safety. I don't have much to say about them,
to be honest. Uh, you know, we'll see what a
full season of Lebron and Luca looks like, and you
know how how things shape up. And obviously the acquisitions
that they got in the summer are gonna have to

(01:13:35):
fall in line and we'll see how JJ Reddick uses
those guys. But yeah, right now I have them at seven.
At six, I got the Minnesota Timberwolves again, another interesting team.
Western Conference runner up once again, still have many of
their core pieces. I was very impressed and really relieved
that how well Julius Randall and Edwards played together. I

(01:13:56):
thought that was tremendous maturity for out of both of
those guys. But honestly, who I'm waiting on is Rob Dillingham.
He is the exact player they needed versus the OKC Thunder,
yet they didn't have the confidence to put him in.
And I get it right, Like it pains me to
say this, but his archetype is becoming a lot more
rare nowadays. I hate it. Like I always say, I

(01:14:17):
just missed when the game was about the game. You know,
when the league was just about whether or not you
can hoop. And you know one thing that kid knows
how to do is score. That's the name of the game.
And especially with Mike Conley getting older, the t Wolves
will need a guard that is gonna put some pressure
on the defense, and for me, Rob is that guy.

(01:14:39):
I want to see more of him. This year and
hopefully he can stay healthy. And you know, I don't
anticipate the t Bulls making their third consecutive conference finals again,
even with the same roster for the most part. But
I do see them as a very good team out West,
still a tough team to play against and things of
that nature, but I just don't see them as good
as these next teams. I'm about to list next up,

(01:15:01):
Los Angeles Clippers as the fifth seed. It's funny, right,
every year people say y'all believe in the Clippers every year,
and they keep selling why y'all keep picking the Clippers
when they don't do nothing in the playoffs. But I
think that's actually a credit to the front office consistently
finding a way to build a good team that you
want to believe in. That they've been doing this for
the past five to six seven years. And with that

(01:15:23):
in mind, the only reason I have the Clippers fifth
and not top four is due to health. Tylu continues
to hint that while Kawhi Leonard wants to play back
to backs again, they want to save him from himself
and continue to conserve him until the playoffs. Right. You
couple that with Brad beal again. He ain't always the
healthiest brother in the bunch, so you gotta presume that

(01:15:43):
they're gonna drop some games just off not having a
healthy squad some nights. But nonetheless, Ivitza Zubac has a
more than respectable backup in Brook Lopez. This year, he
finally got a backup. Right, John Collins is in the mix.
CP three is back, You darn right. I believe the
LA Clippers again. Yeah yeah, call me crazy, Like I'm

(01:16:03):
gonna put my LA Clippers had on this year once again,
you know what I mean? Like, I believe in them again.
Like I think the defense is still gonna be there,
the offense might be even better, and the extra rimp
protection is there with Lopez, and I think not only
did the Clippers keep most of their core, but they
successfully filled the holes that were exposed in the playoffs.

(01:16:23):
I think they are top five in the Western Conference Fushow.
It's just the injuries that might slow them down, but
I think they definitely have it in them. I'm excited
to see how they play this year. But fourth, which
is which might be my biggest surprise in this whole episode,
I have the San Antonio Spurs. I know that might
look crazy. I'm aware of that. I know I've seen

(01:16:45):
people put this team as low as the ninth seed
and as high as about where I have them right now.
They're that kind of team. But for me, this is
a team that plays hard. Right, This is a team
where these brothers can hoop. Devin vessel Be doing his thing,
he and I think that's a guy who can start
and come off the bench. Right. Keldon Johnson same thing.

(01:17:07):
He brings so much energy and we can't act like
Carter Bryant won't bring that same you know, menace level
defensive tenacity to this team, or that Dylan Harper, whether
he starts to come off comes off the bench, won't
translate to what the Spurs have. Right. Stefan Castle only
got better as the year progressed. And it is another
guy that, no matter how he's used, is gonna find

(01:17:29):
a way to impact the basketball game. And shoot. They
even picked up Kelly Olennock as a stretch big. They
got Louke Cornett as another interior presidence who's nearly as
tall as Wemby. Like there are only three players on
this roster under six'. Five like this team is built
to bring versatility on both ends of the. Floor AND
i said it last year with The. Clippers especially in today's,

(01:17:51):
league it is not always about establishing a team full
of exciting. Players it's becoming cool again to just get
you some junk yard dogs and then have one or two.
Stars and The spurs have. That you can't say that
The spurs don't have. That even in the event that
they don't do as well As i'm, PREDICTING i still
see them making the playoffs this. YEAR i think they

(01:18:11):
can be that. Good but my big point is THAT
i also believe a lot of fans are completely undervaluing
D Aaron. FOX i understand he didn't play as well
once he got. TRADED i understand that he isn't the
pastor that you probably want him to. Be but he's
been among the better scorers at his position the past
five seasons or, so and with a team filled with

(01:18:32):
scrappy role players and impact, players they will need his
half court creativity in the. Playoffs trust WHAT i tell,
you and don't get me started on how much he
fits with guys Like Devin, Vassel Stefan, Castle Kelden johnson
in the open. Court and, lastly of, course If wenby
is due to have THE mvpes season we've been anxious

(01:18:52):
for him to. Have if he's THE mvp that everybody
thinks he's about to, become it should certainly put The
spurs on a whole other life. Level it might sound
crazy right, now But i'm a believer in The San
Antonio spurs this. YEAR i believe The spurs are all
in on what they want their future to look. Like
at this, point it's about the, development Right the rookies

(01:19:14):
are gonna take their. Ls you, know they're gonna have
their learning. Experiences you, know this isn't a perfect, team
but a top five seed in The west for this.
SEASON i don't think that's a bad start at. ALL
i think that is a very doable outcome for The
San Antonio, spurs especially If wemby is really out here
on his otherworldly esque basketball, Right, like if he can
have That giannis impact where it's just like stuffing the

(01:19:36):
stat sheet leading his team to, VICTORIES i think The
spurs got. IT i think they got the. DEFENSE i
think you, know with with With fox And wemby as
their main offensive go to. Players oh, YEAH i like
WHAT i. SEE i think they can beat that. Team
every year we see a team kind of pull vault
up the. STANDINGS i think this, season in the twenty

(01:19:58):
twenty five to twenty SIX nba, season that team gonna
be The San Antonio, spurs all, right and then we
got the second and third. Seed, Okay so for, me
it's between The Houston rockets and The Denver. Nuggets obviously
at the time of this, recording, Again i've been going
back and forth with these two all, day BUT i
JUST i decided on The rockets at three And nuggets
at number two BECAUSE i love the amount of versatility

(01:20:20):
that The Houston rockets. Have YET i love the way
The nuggets have improved with pretty much the most ideal
pieces they needed heading into the. Offseason very similar to
HOW i feel about The clippers In San antonio is
HOW i feel About. Houston you get the explosiveness Of Aman,
thompson with the buckets Of Kevin, durant and just so
many different lineup combinations that Im udoka can roll. With

(01:20:43):
on the flip, side you Know, joker he has a
better backup and, valanceiudness and in shooting you Get Cam
johnson And Tim Hardaway, junior and then they bring Back Bruce, Brown,
right you you Lose Russell, westbrook but you do bring
back a familiar face In Bruce, Brown and essentially you're
you're keeping the team that nearly defeated the eventual CHAMPION Okc.
Thunder so, again LIKE i, SAID i can go back

(01:21:05):
and forth all. DAY i do want to give The
nuggets the edge for just being the better team of the,
Two but The rockets won't be that far. Off, Right
just BECAUSE i use the word, better don't mean that's
a big. DIFFERENCE i think The, rockets you, know with
their defensive, versatility they can throw different bodies At, Jokic
they can throw different bodies at Shake, Gilgess, alexander different

(01:21:26):
switchable bodies on the perimeter, right different even on the. Interior,
right you Have, Klincapella Steven, adams And alprinson Gun, now
so you can divvy that up however you. WISH i
think the main thing That i've been saying this summer
is that if The Houston rockets can improve their spot up,
shooting they can be even better this. Year and again
you anticipate that picking Up Kevin, Durant, Right we'll see

(01:21:46):
How Reed shepherd does with more minutes this. Year, yeah
they got some, pieces obviously Getting Dorian Finney. Smith he's
gonna be knocking down some spot up. Shots so, yeah
The rockets should be better this. Year BUT i think
The nuggets, too you, know especially if that shooting can
prevent teams From Dublin, jokic it should open up the
game even more for those. Guys so, AGAIN i can

(01:22:06):
go back and forth with the yin and yang of
these two, teams but right NOW i lean Towards. Denver
i'm gonna give them the edge just off some kind
of more established having a more established, core more team,
CHEMISTRY i. Think but, yeah these two, TEAMS i have
them second and, Third but of course that's the final
spot goes to the defending, champs number one in The

(01:22:26):
west once, again Ok See. Thunder we haven't seen a
team go back to back since the twenty Eighteen, warriors
and while it will be very tough in a league
with so much, parody they got a chance to do it.
Again LIKE i, said my big thing with Okay see
this season is, this they cannot go into this season
and especially the, playoffs thinking that they can win the
same way that they did this past. Season AND i

(01:22:50):
KNOW i said, that AND i got some comments on
the socials of, like oh, yeah you, Know it's LIKE
i feel like people were like waving me, off, right
like you, Know, dez you, KNOW i see what you're.
Saying but, nah, Man, okay see they, won they got,
It like this team is. Good But i'm, LIKE i don't.
Know if you look at some of them games towards
the end of their playoff, run they were especially like semi,

(01:23:11):
Finals conference, FINALS Nba, finals there were some Games, okay,
see you, know they they was tripping a little. Bit
they ran into some. Problems AND i predicted that as
much as they were my pick for the finals last,
YEAR i said that that they are not immune to
running into trouble and they did that. RIGHT i Think
shay was humbled a little. BIT i think J doub

(01:23:33):
was humbled a little. BIT i Think chet was humbled
a little. BIT i think their bench was humbled a little.
Bit on some, occasions it wasn't always smooth salein domination
from this. Team and that's WHY i Think nicola topic comes.
In he's gonna have to show pretty quickly that he
can alleviate some of those ball handling responsibilities From, shay
AND i think even the Rookie Thomas, sorber, right at some,

(01:23:54):
point he's gonna have to show that he's capable of
filling in When chet And hartenstein are are. Struggling but
they don't want to play small, ball, right so they'll
Throw Thomas sarber in there so they can still have
a big. Man and Obviously chet had some, Injuries isaiah
had some, injuries So Thomas sarber is gonna get a
chance to show what he can do as. Well and
again it was a good, pickup so okay se could

(01:24:16):
still have some size in the. Paint you, know this
team is still. Young the defense is still gonna be.
There you, know we'll see if check can. IMPROVE i
think he'll improve coming off the championship. RUN i think
J dubb is gonna have a lot more confidence in
bouncing his step even more after the. Championship shay is
gonna be absolutely. Great we all know. This this team
is gonna be great. Again but, again the big THING

(01:24:37):
i want to see From okac is can they clean
up some of that sloppy basketball we occasionally saw in
the later rounds of the. Postseason, again no team is,
Perfect and just because you won the championship don't mean
you're not gonna have any flaws the next, season, Right
there's still gonna be some things to clean, up especially
when you got that target on your. Back so, yeah

(01:24:57):
there's still some things to clean up FROM. Okac but,
AGAIN i think they're gonna have the best record in
the league, again and you know they. Should they should
definitely put themselves in a position to win another championship for.
Sure but again it's gonna be. Tough but that's my
standings for The. West so, again just to recap The,
WEST i settled on The Utah jazz at, fifteen The
New Orleans pelicans at, fourteen The Sacramento kings at, thirteen

(01:25:20):
The Portland trailblazers at, twelve The Phoenix suns at, eleven
The Dallas mavericks at, ten The Memphis grizzlies at, nine
The Golden State warriors at, eight The Los Angeles lakers at,
seven The Minnesota timberwolves at, six The Los Angeles clippers at,
five The San Antonio spurs at, four The Houston rockets at,
three The Denver nuggets at number, two and THE Okc
thunder at the number one. Seed so, yes those are

(01:25:44):
MY nba standings predictions for the upcoming. SEASON i know
there were some doozies in. THERE i don't expect to
shoot one hundred percent from the field with. This it
was just something fun to do going into the as
we get closer to the preseason and. Whatnot but with,
that we've made it to the end of Another The games. Episode, man,
again we just went through my tall task of giving
you MY nba standings. Predictions and While i'm CERTAIN i

(01:26:07):
didn't shoot one hundred, percent i am certain that we
will see yet another entertaining and competitive race to THE
Nba finals this. Season but as, always these were just my.
Thoughts so now it's time to hear from. You you
can tweet the show At hip to The games or
tag me directly On twitter and ig At Desmond Power
underscore to share your thoughts on any of the teams
discussed and predictions. Made you already know my. Rule my

(01:26:30):
only rule is that we keep it respectful as we
agree or, disagree but that door is always. Open let's
have some respectful conversations and. Whatnot but of COURSE i
want to simply say thank you for listening to another
episode OF HG dg all for the love of the
best combo there is and of course a huge shout
out to you for Being hip to The. Games peace,
Out Hey god BLESS i hope you enjoyed this episode

(01:26:52):
Of hip to The games and if you enjoyed this,
episode be sure to hit up the socials At Desmond,
power underscore At hip to The games On, instagram On,
twitter and TikTok so you don't miss out on the
fund and please follow or subscribe to the show and
leave a review on the podcast platform you're on right,
now as your support is greatly. Appreciated

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