WNBA Offseason Moves, NBA Rooks Finding Their Way, & Emerging Teams

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
We've reached quite a climax in the basketball world right now.
The NBA trade deadline went from calm to intense in
a matter of days, most notably with the swap of Luka,
Doncic and Anthony Davis, and the WNBA went crazy with
some shocking moves of their own. And while in this
episode I'll be focusing on the offseason moves from the W,

(00:20):
keep your eyes on my separate YouTube channel to hear
my thoughts on the NBA trade deadline with the video
that I'll be dropping tomorrow. Okay, so you got the
podcast today, Trade Deadline all my separate solo channel tomorrow. Okay,
So lots of NBA talk coming on H two, DG
across platforms, but for today, in addition to the W discussion,

(00:43):
I also want to take the time to show some
love to a few NBA rooks who have seemed to
turn a corner a little bit after getting increased opportunities
to perform, and then end today's episode highlighting two NBA
teams okay, one from each conference that have surprised some fans,
but not me, shall I admit? So I definitely got

(01:03):
a good one for you today, all Right, get your
popcorn ready as always, getting ready for it all coming
at you right now on HG DG. 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
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(01:23):
enjoy some of the greatest albums, songs, artists, players, moments, teams,
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Of these to begin with.

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You'll soon understand that Hip to the Games is more
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It's a lifestyle.

Speaker 1 (01:41):
And if you were looking for a platform that combines
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(02:01):
Welcome to this episode of Hip to the Games. Shout
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and before we really get into today's episode, you already
know the.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
Drill if you've been here before.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
I gotta get my pregame shoutouts out the way.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (02:44):
The first one always goes to the creative director Jesus
Christ for another H two DG episode, as it's always
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(03:06):
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(03:26):
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And with that in mind, also, you know the results
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(03:47):
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to even be in the conversation, right, I said that
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and and be able to be voted was a blessing

(04:08):
for me. And you know, the biggest result that I'm
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legit this podcast is and will be, and that hopefully
that kind of opportunity can kind of propel the show
and and and you know that the show finds and

(04:30):
is valued by other folks like us who are Hip.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
To the Games.

Speaker 1 (04:33):
That that's my main thing that I'm hoping comes out
of this. But either way, I did want to say
thank you again because the results were revealed and you know,
we we we lost some shows. You know, I'll be
one hundred. We lost some shows that you know, they
had the the larger media outlets, and they had CBS
and Fox and all these other production companies pushing them,

(04:56):
so you know it it's a it's a great opportunity.
But like I said ahead of time, there was some
hefty competition and I.

Speaker 2 (05:02):
Knew it was an uphill battle.

Speaker 1 (05:04):
But like I said, I appreciate every single one of
you who took the time to vote and believe in
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And you know, there'll be a time and place down
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it where Hip to the Games can get that kind
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that's not really what I do it for, and that's
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(05:26):
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So as long as I'm continuing to do that, you know,

(05:47):
that's what's gonna make me happy. That's gonna be the
real rewards. So I just wanted to take the time
to say thank you again now as I usher in
today's episode. If you are a returning listener, you already
know how I do. But if you are new to
the show, this this episode is going to be organized
by the format that pays homage to the classic hip
hop song structure. All Right, I got three verses for
you today, which represents three topics for the show. Okay,

(06:10):
the first verse always has to set the tone, the
middle verse brings the climax, a rising action, and then
your last verse has to be the haymaker. It's got
to be the best verse for last while bringing a resolution. Okay,
and since we always got to start off verse one
with a bang. I had to start with those leagues
staggering offseason moves out of the WNBA. But just before that,

(06:31):
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Ladanian Tomlinson and playing.

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In Super Bowls.

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today's show at verse one. We gotta get into those
WNBA moves, man, I mean listen to start, we gotta
start with the haymaker, right, Drew Lloyd, Kelsey Plumb. We

(08:38):
knew Jewel Lloyd put in her trade request and while
she was rumored to go to several teams, I myself
was pushing for her to go to the Minnesota Lynx
actually because when DEFEASA Collier was struggling towards the end
of that last finals game, you know, when Courtney Williams
for once couldn't buy a bucket and the Liberty had
Kayla McBride on lock after that her hot first half,

(08:59):
It's clear that they needed a Jewel Lloyd. They were
a Jewel Lloyd away from hoisting that trophy. There were
obviously things with the officiating, other factors.

Speaker 2 (09:08):
Going into it.

Speaker 1 (09:08):
The links, like I said, they missed a lot of
They had some chances to win the game. Even with
the officiating, They did have some chances to win the
game and they couldn't come through. So to me, they
needed a Jeweloyd, right, They just needed somebody to open
up the game for the aforementioned players and get a bucket,
and Jewel is a part of a select group in
this league that has that kind of value. Yet, with

(09:30):
all that said, the Aces decided to trade their star
guard Kelsey Plumb to the Sparks so they could receive
Jewel Lloyd from Seattle as the Storm got raw inside
out post presence lee Urux. I know we aren't encouraged
to compare w players to NBA players, but when I
watched Lee Uru, I immediately saw LaMarcus Audridge, So if

(09:51):
you have NBA brain, she has some similarities to him.
And then they also got the number two draft pick
from the Sparks in return, so the Storm didn't do
too They didn't do a bad job either. You know,
they're in great position for the draft and they get
a nice inside out post presence. So let's sit with
this one for a bit though. Okay, like I said,
I do want to talk just briefly about other moves
that happened, but I really wanted to sit with this

(10:13):
Jeweloiding and Kelsey Plump situation because first I want to
start with Kelsey because I'm very excited for Kelsey Plump,
this trade comes at such a good time in her
career arc. In my opinion, I think it would have
been similar had the Aces trade of Jackie Young right.
I think the similar players who have great star potential,
you kind of want to see what they would do

(10:33):
if they had a team for themselves. So I think
they were both in play for that. Like I said,
you know, we knew this.

Speaker 2 (10:38):
About the Aces.

Speaker 1 (10:39):
You know, they were very fortunate to have all star
pieces that were drafted to their organization, you know, three
number one picks with their core players, aside from veteran
champion Chelsea Gray right who they acquired in twenty twenty one.
But this is a fantastic opportunity for Kelsey because everybody
knew the Sparks were a piece away from trending towards

(11:01):
contenders again right, not getting quite there, but trending towards
that direction. They got Deer Cahanby, who had a career
year last year. They're able to draft elite RIM protector
Cameron brink an absolute bucket getter Rakia Jackson, and have
key role players like Lexi Brown, Azay Stevens, Aery McDonald
and when you think of about the development of Brink

(11:23):
and Jackson, especially while maybe not right away, it can
get real scary in Los Angeles. And the thing about
adding Kelsey Plum to that group is that she hasn't
had an opportunity like this since college. Because, let it
be known, in case you need a refresher, Kelsey Plumb
was once Caitlyn Clark. Kelsey Plumb to this day is

(11:45):
one of the best college basketball players I've ever seen
with my own two eyes. Her senior season she averaged
thirty two to five and five on darn near fifty
forty ninety. She was the biggest sensation in college hoops
at the time. She averaged twenty points every year leading
up to that historic senior campaign where she nearly broke
Pete Merrivich's all time male or female NCAA scoring record.

(12:09):
So that's why when she starts her WNBA career, she's
suddenly trending towards bus conversations.

Speaker 2 (12:17):
Dare I say, you know?

Speaker 1 (12:18):
She had a real hard time adjusting to the pro level,
averaging single digit points for the then San Antonio Stars,
which before that they were the San Antonio Silver Stars,
and even then, those single digit scoring numbers continued her
next two seasons, even as they relocated to Las Vegas.
She was hanging around, but she definitely wasn't that star

(12:40):
that we saw in college. And on top of that,
that fourth season, she suffers an achilles injury and misses
the entire twenty twenty season, So you gotta think she's really.

Speaker 2 (12:49):
In a hole now.

Speaker 1 (12:50):
Like thankfully, you know, her hardships allowed her to find
her faith again, with which brought more peace on and
off the floor. And then she came back in twenty
twenty one as a sixth woman, where she finally found
her footing in the league's leading a second unit, and
this season allowed her to become a starter again. Right
after that season, she's a starter again, having her first

(13:12):
twenty point season and championship in twenty twenty two, and
then similar All Star seasons ever since. So I say
all that to say, Kelsey Plum has almost like a
refreshed second chance to lead a team of her own again,
right with new wisdom, new experience, championship experience. At that
she reunites with former teammate Deerca Hamby, and it coexists

(13:35):
with Rakia Jackson as the two bucket getters very nicely.
I'm definitely a fan of this side of the trade.
You know, Kelsey Plum is gonna do a great job
leading the Sparks. Like I said, it's really gonna be
awesome to see her with this new experience, new wisdom,
kind of be in a similar situation she found herself
in at Washington. So I really I think it's gonna

(13:56):
be dope for But of course there's an other side
to this trade, and I'm still pondering the thought of
Jeweloyd with the Aces. Okay, not that it's bad, not
that it's amazing, right, I'm just I've just been kind
of pondering about pondering with it. You know. Don't get
me wrong, the Aces are still very scary. You know,
they lost some of the combo guard skills. I think
that that Kelsey presented which made her pairing with Chelsea

(14:19):
Gray lethal. However, that's still a Chelsea Gray and drewel
Lloyd backcourt. It should work very similarly. If not, it
just simply means Chelsea Gray orchestrates.

Speaker 2 (14:30):
That offense even more.

Speaker 1 (14:32):
And I think obviously the Aces are gonna return to
their offensive onslaught with all players healthy. Additionally, I think
at times Jewel Lloyd has shown some underrated ability to
get after it on defense. All that is cool, right,
But I think most of the critique with Jewel Lloyd
has been, Okay, you're a bucket getter, but what else?

(14:52):
What can you do when your shot isn't folving? You know,
she'll she'll have an opportunity to answer that question with
the aces. You know, she he's generally been around seventeen
points for her career. You know, only recently has she
reached that twenty points per game plateau. And in fact,
like Kelsey Plump is a two time champion with Jewelry

(15:12):
coming from her twenty eighteen and twenty twenty runs with
the Storm, you know, establishing a dynamic duo with now
Liberty star Breonna Stewart. So you trade a champion for
a champion, it's a W, big W and I feel
like a lot of people saw her trade coming. But
I have to admit I thought it was a bit strange.
It was kind of how I felt about Jimmy Butler
at first, like Okay, this is interesting, you know, and

(15:35):
again it could just be me falling asleep. In terms
of WNBA news, write what was going on behind the curtain.
But my thing was, what.

Speaker 2 (15:42):
Are you after?

Speaker 1 (15:43):
Like, like, let's be real, because Jewel Lloyd is leaving
a Storm team that got her some great help in
former college teammates Skylar Diggins, a former MVP Neko guomakay
after and this was after a bad twenty twenty three
season for Seattle. So you know, you you grow as
a scorer, as an all star caliber player, you know

(16:05):
you you you kind of reach superstar level, but and
then and and that franchise gets you help. But now
the minute you get help, you play one season. Now
you want to dip. I didn't know how to feel
about that, you know, so the minute you get help,
you decided to go. But after reflecting on this trade,
it tells me that Jewel Lloyd simply wants to get

(16:25):
back to what was really her role in Seattle when
she had Stewie. I think, you know, I think play
through Stewie, right, let me make the cutch clutch buckets.
I think, now you can turn that into play through
Asia Wilson. Let me hit the clutch buckets. But the
thing is, Chelsea Gray has done that for this team, right.

(16:46):
Jackie Young has great two way ability there are more
weapons here than than what you had in Seattle. So
to me, jewel Lloyd's buckets should come more efficiently and
her game should mature in that regard, because again, as
great as she's shown to be, her shot selection isn't
always the best, right, That's the knock with Jeweloyd's game.
When she's missing, it shows, you know, with the Aces though,

(17:08):
she has an opportunity to contend for chips again, and
I think more importantly, show how she can be more
of a more than a bucket getter. I think that's
if I'm Jewe Lloyd at least, that's how I would
approach this situation. Like, Okay, I've established myself as an
all star, I'm a champion. I can get buckets. But
let me come to an ACES team and fit with them, right.

(17:29):
Let me not just show that I can score twenty
and and and you know, and don't even show like,
oh I can I can replace Kelsey Plump. Just show it,
I think, show a different jewel Lloyd, right, show a
Jeweloyd that people think doesn't exist. That's what I see.
That's what I'm excited for with this trade with for Jeweloyd.
Like I said, the aces. They're gonna be scary, they're
gonna do their thing you, They're gonna be in championship conversations.

(17:52):
But it'll be interesting to see how all this works,
and hopefully I think that's the mindset Jewel Lloyd carries
going into this season. Now, like I said, I briefly
do want to touch on some of the other moves
that were made across the W this offseason, as.

Speaker 2 (18:05):
That wasn't the big trade.

Speaker 1 (18:06):
That wasn't the only big trade that happened this past week,
as longtime Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas decided to move
to the Phoenix Mercury, which I think at first was
funny because her wife, right, Dewana Bonner, that was her
former team, that's where she started her career with, That's
where she got a lot of her six Women of
the Year awards, Right, And you had to think that, oh,

(18:29):
maybe there's a window here where Dewana can reunite with
her spouse, but also her kind of end her career
with the team that drafted her, Right, But she actually
went and chose the up and coming Indiana Fever.

Speaker 2 (18:41):
Right.

Speaker 1 (18:42):
So even off the bat, we got Alisa Thomas going
to the Mercury and Dewana Bonner going to the fever
with Caitlyn Clark, you know, giving Caitlyn Clark a but
Caitlin Clark a bucket getter. So you have an inside
presence and a Leah Boston, a perimeter threat in Kaitlyn Clark,
and now you got a wing scorer and Dewana Bonner.
That's gonna be Oh, that's gonna be crazy. But I

(19:02):
think going back to Alsa Thomas, you know, I think
it gives the Mercury a great leader, a great defender,
a great facilitator, right. I mean, it's no wonder she's
been in MVP discussions the last few seasons. Anytime you
can get a player like that, it helps your team tremendously.
You know, she is a triple double threat every time
she steps on the floor.

Speaker 2 (19:21):
I've said it before.

Speaker 1 (19:22):
You know, the Sun were always the team that came
so close but just could never get over that hump.
They could never finish the job. So it actually makes
sense why Alsa Thomas chose to change of scenery, chose
to refresh, and I think for Phoenix on the flip side,
you know, after a disappointing season with even with talent
like Natasha Cloud, Diana Tarassi, Kalia Copper, Brittany Griner. Getting

(19:44):
Alssa Thomas seemed like the key piece they really needed
to make it all work. But of course, when something
like that happens, you gotta expect that team ain't gonna
stay the same, and lo and behold, everything changed the
minute Eliza Thomas it was announced he was going to
the Mercury because Natasha Cloud is going to be a
part of that trade, as she and Rebecca Allen, along

(20:06):
with the twelfth pick in the draft, got sent to
the Connecticut Sun. And furthermore, Brittany Grinder, right, she shocked
the world. After eleven seasons with the Mercury and a
twenty fourteen championship and plenty of other accolades, she decides
to leave the Mercury and join the Atlanta Dream, a
team that just barely made the playoffs last season, a
sleeper team for show, but a team that they pretty

(20:27):
much got in the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (20:28):
Because other teams were losing.

Speaker 1 (20:30):
But still though, you know the idea of Britney Grinder
alongside star scorer Ryan Howard all star Alisha Gray, you
know that sounds exciting, That sounds exciting. They certainly have
their pieces there. I think for Britney Grinder, though, I
believe that she wanted to leave because she was always
the focal point in Phoenix, you know, the Phoenix Suns,
Phoenix Suns, the Phoenix Mercury. Their formula usually succeeded when

(20:53):
they played through her offensively, and she was able to
stay out of foul trouble on defense. Right. But as
she's getting older, you know, thirties, I think she no
longer wants that to be the case. You know, will
she still look to score, absolutely, but I think at
this stage in her career she's tired of having that pressure,
especially while Diane Ta Tarasi isn't her prime self either.

(21:14):
You know. While while this decision I think shocked many people,
I can see Britney Grinder's potential view behind her move
as she joins a younger team looking to get over
the hump and and provide veteran leadership, be a great
defensive anchor.

Speaker 2 (21:27):
All those things.

Speaker 1 (21:28):
But for the Mercury, it's good that they made other
moves right. They get Setu Sabali right and and and
Kalanie Brown from Dallas. Those are two really good pickups
Obviously Kilani I think is gonna have a great opportunity
in her in her young career with Britney Grinder being
out of there, and obviously Setou gets a fresh start.
And for Phoenix, you know, Phoenix has always been one

(21:48):
of those teams where they they've always found a way
to get some kind of talent, right. Uh, So, so
this is gonna be good for her and and and
you know, pairing with Khalia Copper, a competitor that she is,
you know, it's gonna be nice.

Speaker 2 (22:01):
It's gonna be nice.

Speaker 1 (22:03):
You know, Like I said, Kyle Soa two Alyssa Thomas,
that's a real nice big three that can play off
each other. Uh But tremendous versatility with those three. But
it will be interesting to see how they surround those
three and how the Sun will seek to enter a
new uh. And on the flip side, right, the Connecticut Son,
how they're gonna enter a rebuilding era after some years

(22:23):
of successful basketball. So it'll be interesting to see what
directions these franchises take. I mean, you gotta think the
Connecticut Son probably got their eyes on Juju Watkins, maybe
Paige Becker's if there's a lane for that but I'm
but there are other young young guards in college right
now doing their thing, young players that that they that
are gonna be happy to lead a franchise like the Sun.

(22:44):
So uh, you know, we'll see how that goes. We'll
see how how the son do. But even then, right,
other moves included, uh, Courtney van der Sloute, she's coming
back to the Sky right, giving them a true point
guard to bring some order to the offense, which was
much needed for that team. It will be interesting to
see the leap Indiana takes, like I said, with Dewana Bonnard,
Natasha Howard and Sophie Cunningham to what was already a

(23:08):
playoff roster. Like that is a hungry group right there.
Like I hope people are ready for the Indiana fever
because they coming, you know when you knew when they
got Caitlin Clark that the supporting cast was gonna be
on their way, and she certainly got a great one now.
And I think it was cool to see Dallas get
some help around Arique and Google Walle and djn A

(23:29):
Carrington and Alissa Smith. Right, It'll be interesting to see
what happens to Natasha Cloud and Tina Charles because you know,
Tina Charles is going to the Connecticut Son returning to
her college stopping grounds in Connecticut. Right, But you know
t Cloud, she's such a competitor, man, like I don't
want to see her on a rebuilding team. You know,
they're certainly contributing veterans on a rebuilding team. I just

(23:50):
gotta wonder if contenders will look to.

Speaker 2 (23:52):
Acquire them in the future.

Speaker 1 (23:53):
Right, Because Tina did a pretty good job with the
Atlanta Dream obviously, like I said, out to such a
great competitor like she she you would love to see
her in a winning situation. So we'll see how long
that lasts. We'll see how long. You know, what those
teams are going to be up to. But again, lots
of great moves coming out of the w It's going

(24:15):
to be make up for a real exciting year with
all this movement. You know, the w NBA offseason made
sure to continue the soap opera of their own in
dramatic fashion. But of course, what do you think of
the moves that or maybe the teams.

Speaker 2 (24:28):
Or players involved.

Speaker 1 (24:30):
Be sure to share your thoughts with me down below
if you're watching on YouTube or at me on the
Socials at Hip to the Games or at Desmond Pile
Underscore as I would love to hear those thoughts, share
those thoughts with me. I'd love to know what you
think as well. You know, Verse one is definitely off
to a hot start with those WNBA topics, but there
is plenty of more to come as we transition to
verse two, where I'm flipping back to the NBA and

(24:52):
showing some love for some youngins who are doing their
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Speaker 2 (25:25):
The H two DG lifestyle.

Speaker 1 (25:27):
Getting into our second verse here, I wanted to take
some time to give some praise and highlight three rookies
in particular who have found their footing in the recent
month or so. All Right, obviously, this rookie class was
seen as a draft class that was filled with role players,
and so naturally, I think a lot of coaches have
been hesitant to play even some of the most talented

(25:47):
prospects that could help their teams right away. But I
think they forgot that experience is the best teacher. And
a great example of that hesitancy was how the Miami
Heat did my man kl where man?

Speaker 2 (25:59):
Listen?

Speaker 1 (26:00):
I get it, the Miami heatn't been to the finals
twice in the twenty twenties. If it ain't broke, don't
fix it. But for many of us, when the Miami
Heat drafted seven foot shot blocking lob threat kel Ware,
we knew that the plan was to play him alongside
Bam out of Bayo and let Bam move to the four,
which to me was always his natural position. Don't get

(26:22):
me wrong, Bam out of Baio did an excellent job
as the Miami Heat center for all these years. His
game grew a lot with that role. But when you
look at the way he plays the game, even with
how he's let off his dominance, He's let off a
little bit, just a little bit, but you could just
tell Bam needs a true center next to him, and

(26:42):
I think they had that when they drafted kel Ware,
but of course with him not playing, we didn't really
get to see that. But I think it allows Bam.
That kind of role, allows Bam to focus more as
the vocal anchor on defense instead of having to guard
a guy like Nikola Jokic one on one and make
sure his teammates are rotating and communicating correctly. Right.

Speaker 2 (27:02):
And what I really want to.

Speaker 1 (27:03):
Point out with this situation is that it is the why, right,
why it was necessary that Bam out of Bayo had
another big man with him, because I think, even offensively, right,
he is specifically a facilitating big man. When you watch
Bam Autabayo play, he likes bringing the ball up, He

(27:24):
likes getting the ball in the TMAC area and not
just wanting to score, but being able to operate, maybe
do some da joes, maybe make some passes from the
elbow to the guys like Duncan Robinson coming off screens.

Speaker 2 (27:35):
You know what I'm saying. That's that's his his.

Speaker 1 (27:38):
Makeup as an offensive player. You know, and when I
thought about this topic, it dawned on me right that
most not all, but most facilitating bigs play better when
they have a partner in crime at the center spot right,
excluding outliers like Nikola Jokic, Demonis the Bonus, Alpern Sengoon,
and even Joe Keem Noah when the Bulls didn't have Rose. Right,

(28:01):
those guys were true centers that can literally be a
centerpiece of an offense.

Speaker 2 (28:06):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (28:06):
But there are various examples of what I'm referring to,
arranging in a variety of skill sets, you know. For example,
I want to shout out Draymond Green and Andrew Bogan. Sure,
while Draymond found himself playing the five a lot in
Golden State, don't forget that Andrew Bogant was down there
as a fellow defensive anchor, fantastic screen setter and lob

(28:28):
threat oftentimes. And remember it was Draymond Green who said, Yo,
Andrew Bogan taught me how to be a defensive anchor,
like he taught me how to be the last line,
truly be the last line of a defense and and
make sure everybody's on the same page. So imagine, right,
when they were winning championships in there heyday that first
season it was Bogan and Draymond, right, So, so I

(28:50):
think you saw the benefit of that, you know, And
even when Boget was gone, you know, we saw the
Warriors use similar dynamics with Zaza Petulia and JaVale McGee. Obviously,
Javal was more of a defensive anchor and a lob threat,
while Zaza was more so the screen setter, and he
got plenty of open face up opportunities and inside looks
playing with Draymond and playing in that Warrior system.

Speaker 2 (29:12):
They made it work.

Speaker 1 (29:13):
Another example would be Boris dr and Tim Duncan. Again,
one of the most cheat code dynamics you can use
as a basketball team is to have a post scoring
big or lob threat big opposite of a facilitating power forward,
especially one like Boris da who had.

Speaker 2 (29:29):
Guard skills, who could dribble, who could move right, he
was mobile.

Speaker 1 (29:33):
The power forward can bring the ball up, operate up top,
draw double teams in the post, and is a great
short role option because they are liable to make a
shot from the paint. Yet often times they let the
defense collapse and dish it to their center or even
other players that are in that dunker spot, right, And
these are many skills that we've seen Bam out of

(29:54):
bio display. And my last example is a Lakers one
with a couple options Saw and Andrew Bynum or you
could say lamar Odam and Power Gasau. So think about that.
The Lakers were blessed with not one, but two options
of this and we saw how it led to championships
for that franchise right in twenty nine and twenty ten.
So yes, the Lakers, they used the triangle offense that

(30:17):
certainly helps a lot. It emphasized their versatility, but still
Pow Gasol's skill set at seven feet was ahead of
its time, being an inside outside or being an inside
out threat who could pass in a variety of ways right,
and obviously lamar Oden being a guy who could do
the same and handle the ball like a guard. All
of the examples I listed were a part of championship teams.

(30:39):
And to me, kel Ware is going to help Bam
in that way, because when I watched Bam even in
the twenty twenty three finals, while he did a fantastic
job in that series, I mean I thought Bam out
of Bayo that was some of the most impressive basketball
I've seen him play.

Speaker 2 (30:53):
He handled it really well. You could just see though.

Speaker 1 (30:57):
Bam out of Bayo is not necessarily condition and to
be the focal point of an offense for an eighty
two game season every now and then it will be great.
But he's a lot more Al Horford than he is
Dwight Howard, so to speak, and again before people, people
always get thrown off when I say names and things
of that nature. And and and I don't like I say,
I don't do this for hot takes. When I say

(31:18):
these things, there's a thought in mind when I say that. Right,
don't don't hold your horses. Okay, bam Autabayo is a
lot more Alhrford than he is Dwight Howard. For example,
throwing it to Bam in the post repeatedly is not
gonna unleash the full beauty of his game. Right. Al
Horford was the same way he needed face up opportunities.
There were even seasons where he was he was tremendous

(31:41):
as a post playmaker. Like, there's more to his game
than that. And again that's not a dis towards DWHIGHTE Howard. Right,
it's just two totally different players, right, allowing bam Adabaio
to be a team player. That's what empowers him, That's
what unleashes the beauty of his game, right, because that's
what he's always been. So I say all this to

(32:01):
say kel where finally getting minutes makes Miami's future brighter.
He's already got this prime DeAndre Jordan Lave presence right
where where as long as they throw it at the hoop,
he's gonna get it. The athleticism translates defensively as a
rim protector, We've seen that again, that's something Bam out
of Baio's already amazing at. So just having two guys
down there is again a lot like what Cleveland in

(32:24):
a grand scheme is a lot like what you see
in Cleveland with Evan Mobley and Jared Allen. So you know,
having those two down there is gonna make teams settle
for jumpers. And with this new NBA, kel Ware is
a guy that can comfortably shoot the three, right, So
again he's not even one dimensional in that. In that regard,
it extends the Miami heats options. Knowing that he can

(32:45):
make threes, you can't leave him in the dunker spot.

Speaker 2 (32:47):
Because it's easy two points.

Speaker 1 (32:48):
And if you just ignore him and picking pops and
think he's not gonna shoot it, well, that's where you're wrong,
because you can you can't leave him behind the arc.
He's capable of knocking it down. He's gonna make teams
have to pick their poison. And that's why he's gonna
be so helpful to Miami's offense as they transition into
this new phase with Tyler Hero running the point, you know,
Bam doing some facilitating. Let kel where, uh, you know,

(33:11):
control that pain and take some pressure off Bam.

Speaker 2 (33:14):
On both sides of the of the floor.

Speaker 1 (33:16):
And I think even shoot, you know, kel Where probably
would be the Rookie of the Year favorite if he
was playing sooner, right, but as always, it's better late
than ever, so you know, definitely a shout out to
kel where he's getting those minutes and he's showing why
the Miami Heat selected him in their draft. So and
I love that it's paying out, paying off the way
that we all envisioned it would.

Speaker 2 (33:35):
Now.

Speaker 1 (33:36):
Next up is t Wolves guard Rob Dillingham, Rob with
the shifts. I now, if you remember, he was actually
my preseason prediction for rookie of the year. I thought
with him being on a team like Minnesota having that
kind of shot creation ability, that that directly was going
to translate to his this modern style of NBA basketball

(33:56):
that we see, he was gonna have the most opportunity
to show his But of course that didn't.

Speaker 2 (34:01):
Really pan out. Most of the year, if he was.

Speaker 1 (34:04):
Playing in the NBA, he was getting garbage minutes, and
if not that he was riding the bench or hooping
in the G League. And and now he did have
an ankle injury to start the year, so that definitely
had a factor. That's why his minutes were so inconsistent.
But see, that's what frustrated me and what frus frustrates
me about these coaches, what they're doing to these rookies,

(34:26):
especially this draft class. There should be no reason, like,
like the NBA is deeper, deeper than ever before. I've
said that it makes sense. I understand it's hard to
find rookies playing time, but there should be no reason
why Rob Dillingham and even a guy like Reed Shepherd
should find themselves in the G League. Reed Shepherd got

(34:46):
drafted top three, could have been Summer League MVP, and
still found himself in the G League. I get it,
the Rockets are incredible right now. There's no space for him, really,
But see, this is what happens when you are already
a good team and you simply just get the best
available player in the draft. You probably didn't need him,
but you got him because he was best available, and

(35:07):
now you end up not having room for him. That's
what frustrates me about this NBA. So you're just gonna
hold them hostage until you need them five years from now,
right that's the NBA we're watching now, or you'll trade
him away. That's the NBA that we're in right now.
But you know, thankfully Rob Dillingham has been able to
find some consistent, meaningful minutes in this last last month

(35:29):
or so and is showing why he's one of the
best prospects in his class. You know, I think the
thing with Rob is that eventually he'll just have to
figure out how he can help manage a game and
not just get his For lack of a better term,
as he gave the Timberwolves a great boost on Mlkday
actually with fifteen points on six of eight shooting. Even

(35:50):
though it was a loss, I thought he gave them
a great spark, and then he even had ten five
and four in a blowout win versus the Nuggets, though
he did have six turnovers that game. So again I
think is just coming with experience.

Speaker 2 (36:02):
You know, It's.

Speaker 1 (36:02):
Always even back in the day, it was always hard
for guards to learn how to get theirs and manage
a game. Right there there are guys like Rob Dillingham
who are great scorers, so they don't necessarily know how
to manage a game as a like point guard, right,
a true point guard floor general type type of player.
So that's something that again only comes with experience and

(36:25):
learning the game and learning how to fit with NBA talent, right.
And you know, I notice a lot of people nowadays
are starting to say turnovers don't matter. You know, I
mentioned his six turnovers. There's some and maybe.

Speaker 2 (36:38):
It's the youngins.

Speaker 1 (36:38):
I don't really know, but I've seen a lot of
chatter that turnovers don't matter, to which I presume is
because the game is so FASTO turnovers are inevitable. But
please don't listen to that nonsense. It is a lead
guard's responsibility to protect the pill. That's basketball one on one.
I don't care who you are. I don't care who
you is. It is your responsibility to protect the pill.

(37:02):
Your offense will always be much better off if you're
protecting the pill. That's hoops one on one. But outside
of more experience and more time to learn the lessons
every guard has to learn. Rob's handle and his change
of pace has translated to the NBA level in a
way that makes it look like he's been here before.
I mean, his change of direction is already veteran esque,
so just imagine how much of a problem he'll be

(37:24):
in the future no matter what his role is. And
his three point shot isn't bad either, as that really
caught me off guard, because some shot creators can get
into the league and they fall into the trap of
making the game hard on themselves and they struggle with consistency.
But even in these small flashes, Rob has shown to
have great pace and nice consistency shooting the basketball. So

(37:47):
I'm glad he got healthy and finally got his opportunity
to perform. So, like I said, the NBA coaches, they
was tripping a little bit, but it's good to see
these guys turning a corner and doing their thing, because again,
that's the NBA that I know if you was a rookie,
you was getting a chance. Like if you was a
top draft pick, you getting a chance. You getting thrown
in the fire. And I think again, even my my

(38:07):
Chicago Bulls, I think we're finally helping Mantus Bozellas.

Speaker 2 (38:11):
Do the same thing.

Speaker 1 (38:12):
You know, he was in interview saying like, I can't
get experience if I'm not playing against the best. That's
exactly what the NBA is. Everybody's like, oh, these rookies
many they gotta sit and watch for a little bit.

Speaker 2 (38:23):
Now throw them in the fire. That's what this game is.

Speaker 1 (38:25):
A lot of these guys were highly touted prospects. Like,
put them in the game and let them rock, let
them make mistakes, let them learn, let them blossom, Give
them highlights so they can experience the highs and lows.
That that's what that first season is for. You don't
babysit them and then make them learn everything their second season. Like, nah,
let them grow, let them blossom, let them take their

(38:46):
their l's and their w's all the same, and learn
to be the players that they want to be. That's
that's what this rookie season is really for.

Speaker 2 (38:54):
Deep down.

Speaker 1 (38:54):
So shout out Rob Dylan Ham, shout out Keil Where
And lastly, I wanted to shout out a sleeper guy,
Jazz guard Isaiah Collier. I know most of us ain't
watching the Jazz like that, but when he got drafted,
I remember telling DeVaughn, I think he's gonna be nice.
I just have a feeling like he looks ready for
his shot. You know, NBA body he looks like a

(39:17):
hungry dude, and while getting some good minutes, you know,
most of the year, this dude has put together a
recent stretch of games that shows that he could be
what I'm sure the Jazz hope is a Kyle Lowry
esque player. That's who I see when I look at
Isaiah Kyleier I see. I've seen like a John Wall
comparison out there before too, but to me and there's

(39:39):
and I see it in terms of like the open
court showmanship, right like he he yearns to make the
right pass, you can just tell. But I think body
body wise, and just the way he can really find
his footing in this league. I feel like if he
took after Kyle Lowry, that would be great for him.
I think he's shown plenty of flashes of his playmaking skills.
But he's at a couple of games where you know,

(39:59):
he's supplemented that playmaking with buckets of his own, including
a twenty three seven and seven performance in a win
versus Brooklyn and then a twenty point eleven assist line
despite a loss versus the Pelicans. And he made a
lot of uh he made He made a lot of
plays in that Pelicans game. Man that that was really impressive.
I thought there were some he was dropping dimes, he
was getting to the bucket, like he looks very patient.

(40:21):
You know, he's not a score by nature, but like
you can't really tell, you know, so I think his
efficiency stat wise, obviously that's gonna need some work. But
at six three, two hundred ten, he's a strong guard.
I love the way he reads pick and rolls situations
and gets straight to it. Like he doesn't he waits
to start his dribble. He'll like actually read the defense

(40:42):
and then make a decision. You know, he doesn't waste movements.
He's not dribbling with no motive. Right. He attacks the
rim strong. He can make a pass to a guy
like Walker Kessler or hit Keyante George for three like
he knows what he's doing. You know, while still a
very raw, he looks like a guy that's hungry to
lead a team. That's what I see when I watch

(41:03):
him play, and he wants to make the right play
every trip down. You know, Bulls guard former Bulls guard
bj Armstrong. You know, I saw him on like the
Hoop Genius podcast he made. He made a great point
in saying that he felt like the hardest thing for
point guards to do in the NBA is figure out
when to pass and win the score, and he felt
like Isaiah Kyleer has already figured that out. Hence the

(41:26):
stats I just dropped. You know, I thought the same thing, like,
it's really dope to see a guy like him putting
it together and again having that opportunity in Utah to
do that. You know, he can be a real savvy
guard in this league if all goes well development wise.

Speaker 2 (41:40):
I really like what I'm seeing from him.

Speaker 1 (41:41):
You know, I'm curious to see if at some point
Utah will have to choose between him or Keyante George,
because I thought Keyant George was poised to be their
guard of the future. But if Isaiah Collier can develop
into like I said, a Kyle Lowry kind of point guard.
It'll be interesting to see what they do with that makeup.
But for right now, that situation looks like the perfect

(42:02):
environment for him to get his reps and his experience in.
So shout out Isaiah, Isaiah Khleier. Really, like I said,
really slept on rookie this season.

Speaker 2 (42:10):
So there you have it.

Speaker 1 (42:11):
Those are three NBA rooks who have seemed to finally
find some rhythm and show some potential in the league
right now. But who else is hooping that people or
even coaches seem to be sleeping on. Talk to me,
let me find out who else we got to keep
our eyes on moving forward. Drop them Young's names in
the comments or on the socials.

Speaker 2 (42:29):
I let me know.

Speaker 1 (42:29):
But in the meantime, I got one more verse left
as I continue with more NBA thoughts, this time showing
love to teams as opposed to players, maybe saying I
told you so in the process. I But in the meantime,
with the NBA action gradually reaching its post All Star climax,
here's how you can make sure you don't miss a
single second of the home stretch. If you're hip to

(42:50):
the games that means you yearn for NonStop NBA action,
and thankfully, NBA League Pass serves as your ticket to
the ultimate basketball experience. Enjoy live games, on demand replays,
and exclusive behind the scenes content across a variety of devices,
just at.

Speaker 2 (43:05):
The tap of a finger.

Speaker 1 (43:06):
With NBA League Pass, you'll get more more games, and
that's regular season and playoffs, more features including multiview angles,
in depth stats and behind the scenes stories, and more access.
Of course, catch your favorite teams and players anytime, anywhere.
League passes for fans like us who live the game,
sign up now at NBA dot com slash LP nineteen MG.

(43:29):
That's NBA dot Com slash LP nineteen MG. HUDG is
working in affiliation with NBA League Pass and will be
compensated for your patronage by utilizing the link provided. All right,
for verse three of today's show, I want to talk
about two teams who have found some surprising success to
most fans, but I can't say I found it to

(43:49):
be surprising. And those two teams are the Detroit Pistons
and the Los Angeles Clippers. Let's start with Detroit, so
technically I didn't have Detroit on my race. Are much
going into the season because it was Detroit, they just
fired Monty Williams and hired JB. Bickerstaff, So I presume
that an adjustment period would be necessary for them, and

(44:11):
thus they would be a bottom tier team in the East. However,
if you remember prior to last season, though, I had
Detroit as part of my play in Sleepers, alongside the
Orlando Magic and I think the Indiana Pacers, and there
was another team in there, maybe even Brooklyn I don't remember.
But of course the Magic and the Pacers we saw
how they far exceeded expectations, but the Pistons certainly didn't

(44:33):
live up to what I said. But my reasoning at
the time was due to the fact that if they
could find a way to surround Kate Cunningham and Jayden Ivy,
which shooters, they could be scary. But because they had
some decent depth, right, they just needed the right guys
around Kate Cunningham and Jaden Ivy, guys that are gonna
slash the lane, look for shooters, look to score themselves.

(44:54):
Where you could do a lot with that with that dynamic.
But it turns out my was a year too soon
because this year man Caid has truly leaped into a
star player. And before his injury, Jayden Ivy showed that
he could actually coexist with Cade and that was something
I didn't think he was gonna be able to do.

Speaker 2 (45:16):
And so they really made it look good.

Speaker 1 (45:18):
And and then you know, they get Malik Beasley, they
get Tim Hardaway Junior in the offseason. Right shooters, that's
what they needed. Beasley. He's having the second best season
of his career thus far, bringing the forty percent from
three point accuracy that this team needed, right with Tim
Hardaway having a little bit of a resurgence after a
bitter end to his Dallas tenure at thirty seven from deep.

(45:39):
And additionally, they brought back Tobias Harris, who once played
for the Pistons in the past, and you know, he's
given them a solid mid post option, but obviously as
somebody who doesn't mind knocking down threes. But you know,
what I really want to stress is this, though, this
is the most important thing. I feel like I'm gonna say,
Assor Thompson is healthy and the draft pick Ron Holland.

(46:00):
These guys bring defensive energy. These two guys in particular,
again alongside guys like Jalen Duran, right, Isaiah Stewart, even
Simone Fontechio, a feisty wing who can stretch the floor, right,
who's not afraid to make plays. All of these are
guys who you could consider energy guys, And for me,
they make it very clear that they're playing that De

(46:22):
Troy basket ball like that's what those guys are for.
All of this, while not a perfect team, is why
the Pistons find themselves flirting with that sixth seed in
the East. You know, this point will come up again
when talking about the Clippers. But that's the thing about
this NBA. I think we've gotten so used to guys
having a handle, having a bag, having a three point

(46:43):
shot that we forget that energy guys are still very
much valuable in this league, all right, especially with Ron Holland.
Right from what I've heard, this is another rookie who
people had questions about. They didn't necessarily see him as
a guy with a skill set and even finding his
spot with the Pistons, people merely label him as an
energy player, as if it's like a you know, we'll

(47:03):
see how he does. But like these guys are scrappy, man,
they make the hustle plays. They'll look at opposing teams
starts scorer right in the eyes. You know. They don't
care about scoring one twenty, one hundred and twenty points
as a team. They want to make sure your favorite
team doesn't score one ten. You know, I've been trying
to watch a lot more Pistons games recently, and when
I have, I'm genuinely happy. Like this team is exciting,

(47:25):
and I think it's because they play my kind of basketball,
Like they scrap, they defend, not everything is pretty right.
Some of that stuff is ugly, and I like it.
You know, Cad he's the loudest guy on the floor.

Speaker 2 (47:37):
At times.

Speaker 1 (47:38):
You can hear him barking at his teammates in motivation, right.
You can hear him getting getting hype when he's dunking
on the rockets, you know what I mean. Like, it's
amazing to watch. He's a great facilitator, obviously, Jalen Duran, right,
this is an old school, strong inside presence. Isaiah Stewart
is the irritant who can make a three every now
and then. When you know, when he's not getting suspended,

(48:00):
you know, I'm gonnaed Homie to stay on the floor
and choose some peace for once. But you know he
he can do his thing out there. Asar and and Ron,
they get in transition very well. Tobias Simone, Malik, Tim Hardaway.
They they knock down those momentum swinging shots like they
win playing their own style of basketball. And I've really
enjoyed it. I've really enjoyed it, you know. I know

(48:20):
on my YouTube channel, I was vocal about you know,
if you want to contend, you gotta be like the Celtics, right,
you gotta have guys that do everything. Like you can't
just necessarily be an energy guy. You gotta be able
to dribble, pass, and shoot as well. And that's very true, right,
there's levels to be in a playoff team and being
a championship team. But like at the same time, having

(48:41):
energy guys, you can get wins that way. And like
I said, they're playing Detroit basketball, and I feel like
that's why people, you know, that's why people have enjoyed
the Pistons this year, because they got they got back
to a modern version of what that franchise was always
known to do. You know, they've really fostered a team
that is gonna be good for a long time. I think,

(49:01):
just as long as they keep this identity right, surround
kid with shooting and play that scrappy Pistons basketball like
fans aw in the eighties, early nineties and mid two thousands. Right.
What a tremendous bounce back from last season too, with
all those losses. You know, I'm genuinely happy for all
those guys. They got that fire and they belly that
fire in their eyes again and like they know that,

(49:23):
like they got a great chance to to, you know,
make some noise a little bit this year, and you know,
they kept their heads down and they got better. That's
what it's all about. Man. You know, credit to the
players in the front office, because most guys would fold,
most guys would want to get traded, most guys would
dip in the offseason, and it's understandable. But those guys
kept their heads down and and you know, they stuck

(49:43):
with the process and now they're they're reaping a great harvest.
You know, they're reaping a great harvest. And even as
a Bulls fan, you know, you can consider me a
fan of this team, and you know, in the Central Division,
you know you can consider me a fan. I love
what Detroit is doing. And then up next we got
the l A Clippers. Okay, again, a lot of people
are shocked by their success, and even recently, I'm seeing

(50:05):
more and more articles pop up in their favor, promoting
their chances of being a sleeper contender this year, even
being a potential playoff threat to OKCE. But again, your
boy saw this coming, I promise you I did. In fact,
if you're watching on YouTube right now, you can pause
to read. As you'll see, I've included text messages with

(50:27):
my guy Johnny all right, you know you he's been
on the show before, who you know has been a
Clipper fan since the pre Lib City days where you'll
see me on separate occasions stemming from July to December
trying to console and convince my brother that his team
was in good shape. And everything I said then is
happening right now. Granted I didn't foresee Norman Powell and

(50:51):
having an all star campaign, but I did envision a
team that was gonna fight night in and night out
and more importantly, know their roles while losing guys like
Paul George Russell Westbrook and getting guys like Derrick Jones
Chris Dunn that looked bad on paper. If you're looking
at names, we are seeing the clarity of the skills

(51:11):
that roster can provide come to life. Despite not signing
well known names like they have the last few five seasons,
James Harden has had full control of the point guard spot.
Norman Pile is the go to score. Zubac continues to
grow and once again is a great rebounder, great low
post option, great interior defender. Derek Jones is a great cutter,

(51:32):
transition threat, live threat, you know, great on back door cuts.
He can even knock down threes when needed, doing kind
of extending what he did in Dallas last season. Chris Dunn,
he's making the hustle plays. He's always been a tenatious defender,
even with his up and down journey over the course
of his career. He's getting in guys grill, He's getting steals.

Speaker 2 (51:51):
You know, they got back.

Speaker 1 (51:52):
Nick Batoum, who has always been reliable even at eighty
eight years oh is all.

Speaker 2 (51:56):
He is reliable.

Speaker 1 (51:57):
You know, he can block shots, he can contest shots,
hit corner threes. That's what Nick Boom has done that
since the Blazers. He's done that his whole career. Really,
you know, and even a mere coffee, Right, this is
a guy that's been able to do more of what we.

Speaker 2 (52:10):
Saw the last few seasons.

Speaker 1 (52:12):
Knockdown threes, make a hustle play, you know, make a
good cut, another reliable.

Speaker 2 (52:17):
Role player, and.

Speaker 1 (52:19):
Again, signing those energy guys, signing those effort guys has
earned them one of the best defenses in the league,
something that they didn't even do when they had Pat Beverley,
Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Guys know their roles, that
is the difference. Dereck Jones knows that he can do
the same thing he did in Dallas. Chris Dunn knows
he can focus on guarding ninety four feet and picking pockets.

(52:40):
A mere Coffee knows when he'll get a shot. Norman
Pyle knows that he's gonna get seventeen shots every night.
James Harden knows who is gonna cut where, when and how,
and the options he has with different lineups on the floor.
It's not all this confusion that the Clippers had before,
where Kawhi needed post touches but SODA's PG. But because

(53:00):
Kawhi is the better player, will give the post touches
to Kawhi and PG. You gotta find another way to
get hot. But the way PG likes to get hot
is by dribbling and getting in his rhythm, feeling the
basketball so he can get into his pull up. But
you know who also does that, James Harden. A conflict there.
How are we gonna get these guys in rhythm? Right?
And if we get these guys to the ball, well, dang,

(53:21):
Russ isn't really gonna have as much control as he'd like,
right because he likes getting rebounds, getting in transition, getting
his guys involved through assists, and running teams out the gym. Eh,
that's gonna be a little hard when James Harden gets
the rebound or if Paul George gets the rebound and
decides to take it. You know, it was so much confusion, right,
And even then for Norman, even a guy like Norman Powell, right,

(53:42):
he literally had to change his approach every night because
on Monday, everybody's healthy, but Tuesday only PG is out there.
But then Thursday, everybody's resting, so he's gotta take all
the shots. Like his role changed darn near by the day.
So I see all that To say, the Clippers successfully
went against the grain because if you're paying attention, and
I've said this before, no longer is the star power

(54:04):
winning games. The star power by itself is not winning games.
Philly is gonna find out out real soon if they
haven't already. It's no surprise that the Clippers look better
than they have the last couple of seasons after simply
constructing a roster with a healthy balance of hungry role
players as opposed to hopeful superstars. That is the reason

(54:25):
for their success this year. The hungry, high energy guys
aren't always gonna play well, they're not always gonna shoot well,
but the team will always have a chance at winning
a chance how to come back win a playoff spot,
simply because those guys are always going to give their
best effort, even if it's ugly. I might be zero

(54:45):
to five from three, but I am not letting up
on defense. We always got a shot, right. I might
have not touched the ball the whole quarter, but I'm
engaged because I'm playing my role. We gonna always have
a shot. Those energy guys give you that chance. You know,
We've heard it for years, never us underestimate the heart
of a champion, and that selflessness is why Kawhi's transition

(55:08):
now has been so seamless. That roster was constructed with
the final puzzle piece being the health of Kawhi. Leonard
that roster, you know, every piece has been put in place.

Speaker 2 (55:21):
We good, we got it figured out.

Speaker 1 (55:23):
Once Kawhi gets healthy, gets more confident in his shot,
his movements, his rhythm, his body, we gonna be scary.
And we've heard Clippers players say that, like, look, when
Kawhi get back, it's gonna be trouble because Norm doesn't.
Kawhi coming back doesn't mean Norm takes a back seat.
Kawhi coming back doesn't mean Derek Jones has to change
what he's doing. Kawhi coming back doesn't mean Zubac still

(55:45):
can't do his thing. Kawhi can adjust to us as
opposed to us adjusting to Kawhi. And this ego list
high energy basketball we've seen them play is exactly what
has worked for not only the Clippers, but the Detroit
Pistons and even higher Tier two right like OKC and Houston.
And I'll be the first to say, you need your
stars come playoff time. Them role players ain't gonna hit

(56:07):
the necessary off dribble buckets in the fourth quarter when
that game slows down. But they darn show we're gonna
do everything else to put the team in a position
to succeed. So it's no surprise that we're seeing success
understanding the way the Pistons and the Clippers constructed their teams.
In fact, more teams should approach it that way. You know.
Shout out to those energy guys, man and the guys

(56:27):
in the front office that know what type of teams
truly win games, because that's.

Speaker 2 (56:32):
What this NBA is.

Speaker 1 (56:33):
Man, Get you some get you some energy guys that's
gonna play with heart so you always have a chance
at winning games. So there's some well deserved praise for
some emerging teams at this point of the season.

Speaker 2 (56:45):
But while they found.

Speaker 1 (56:46):
Regular season's success, what does this say about their playoff chances?
Hit me up on the socials comment on YouTube, you
know the drill. Tag me with your thoughts, let me
know so I can see what you're thinking as well
and what your answer is to that question. And with
that third verse, we have made it to the end
of another Hip to the Games episode from League Altering
WNBA Moves. Rookies finding their way and teams that are

(57:07):
showing how to build a winning roster. This episode was
jam packed with stuff, but as always, these were just
my thoughts and I know I didn't cover everything, so
I want to hear from you. Okay, you can tweet
the show at Hip to the Games or tag me
directly on Twitter and Instagram at Desmond Powle Underscore and
share your thoughts on any of the topics discussed today,
as I would love to hear or read your thoughts

(57:27):
and I simply want to say thank you for listening
to another episode of H two DG all for the
love of the best combo there is. You know, that's
always what this platform is about. Anytime you see this
mug on camera, that's what we're doing. And of course
here's a huge shout out to you for being a
part of it all.

Speaker 2 (57:42):
And being Hip to the Games. Peace out and.

Speaker 1 (57:45):
God bless Hope you enjoyed this episode of Hip to
the Games and if you enjoyed this episode, be sure
to hit up the socials at Desmond Powle Underscore at
Hip to the Games, on Instagram, 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.

Speaker 2 (58:02):
You're all right now, as your support is greatly appreciated.

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