April 15, 2025 • 30 mins
Trysta’s back in on the Clippers and no, she’s not taking questions at this time.
On this episode of Heat Check, she breaks down the Warriors Clippers duel on Sunday, why Steve Kerr might be in trouble, and how the West playoff matchups are shaping up.
Trysta dives into Nuggets Clippers, Luka and the Lakers vs. Ant and the Wolves, and sorts through Black Monday across the league!
Follow Trysta here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
On this episode of the Heat Check.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
The playoffs are here just in time for us to
finishing our transition to the iHeart Podcast Network.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
A lot to talk about.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Wyatt, my new producer, dropped that motherfucking beat.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
This should be Rihanna.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
You're listening to the Hottest, the Hottest.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
It'd be a podcast out here. I said what I said,
it's the heat Check, chat Check.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
It's just all right, new show, new format. W NBA
draft just went off, so I'm recording this a little
bit late. Congratulations the Page and the Dallas Wings forgetting
their girls. She's a fucking star. It's gonna be so great.
I got chicken coming.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
It was so fun.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
If you didn't get on my Instagram live, you should have.
I was roasting my other producer for making bland ass chicken.
I was roasting my mom as well. Speaking of cooking,
we gotta get to cook in Yes we do. Baby.
Have you ever seen a coaching decision so egregious you
(01:11):
had to head over to social media? Like?
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Am I tripping? Or was that fucking outrageous? Did I
dream that? Am I crazy?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
That is what happened to me on Sunday with Steve
Kerr and the litany of crazy ass decisions that he
was making. We're gonna talk about that because it might
just have cost the Warriors their entire fucking season.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
On multiple accounts.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
It's also Black Monday, so we have organizational tea.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
People are getting fired, players are already getting shopped. News
coming out left and right.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
We are talking also playoff matchups in the West, including
the Nuggets facing the Clippers, which I think is probably
the most enticing exciting.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Matchup of them all. We've got Luca and the Lakers
taking on Gobert.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Oh Oh, Rudy uh Avoi, new platforms, same roasting of
Rudy go Bear, and we of course talk about the
Warriors loss and what it means for their playoff hopes.
So let's go into this Golden State game first and foremost.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Here's the thing.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
It was game eighty two. Okay, Game eighty two wasn't
supposed to have this much drama. Not when Steph Curry
drops thirty six points the Warriors are there, Not when
Jimmy Butler drops thirty points, and somehow, in disastrous fashion,
they still managed to lose. Harden turning back the clock,
(02:36):
Draymond trying to foul bait into a new timeline.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
What the fuck was that? We'll talk about that in
a second.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
We have Steve Kerr drawing up a final shot for
Buddy Healed, like Steph Curry doesn't exist.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Buddy Healed. Buddy Hill wasn't even in the game. He
was ice cooled.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
The game was calm, The game was tragedy and maybe
had consequences that were catastrophic.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
There's something wrong with my brain. Let's talk about it.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
So when Adam Silver made the schedule like an EPL schedule,
all the teams in the West play at the same time,
all the teams in the East play at the same time,
we knew that some drama.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Would happen, and it did with our Dubs.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Warriors would have become the sixth seed with the win
or with the loss fall to the play in tournament.
Clippers moved to five with the win and moved to
six with the loss, facing the Lakers in the first round,
So it was kind of like a Game seven.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
That was the vibe. And for those of you who have.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Been scorned, spurned, believed, and then felt stupid, you probably
haven't been tuning in to the Clippers. For those of
you who started to turn into the Clippers and then
realized that Kawhi Leonard wasn't playing in the beginning of
the season.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Don't blame me either. For those of you who are like, oh, well,
Paul George isn't there anymore.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
I'm not gonna watch. The whole thing is done. Jerry
West is dead. Rip Jerry West.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
I'm not paying attention.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
For those who have not been paying attention, we have
a developing situation on our hands.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
James Harden and Kawhi Leonard have turned back the clock, folks.
This is what's in store for the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
James Harden thirty nine points, ten assists vintage. Kawhi Leonard
had thirty three points, efficiently, quietly, robotically, like the assassin
that he is. And by the way, Kawhi Leonard played
forty seven minutes. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden combined for
(04:49):
seventy two points, seventeen assists, and thirteen rebounds sixty two
percent shooting, including nine for sixteen from deep. By the way,
Kawhi Leonard is not supposed to be a three point shooter.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Somehow, in his haze of injuries.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Comes back and is the new Steph Curry, even because
Zubac twenty two point seventeen boards dominating in the paint.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
This is a team that looks like they've got their identity.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
So that's the Clippers. So on one hand, the Clippers
were about as good as they can be. Steph Curry,
he was as good as he could be, thirty six points,
doing everything under the sun that he could. Jimmy Butler
went blow for blow with Kawhi with the best version
of Kawhi thirty points. What we want to see from
(05:43):
playoff Jimmy Butler, and it comes down to the wire.
You're in ot Draymond has a clear lane, get the
ball to him.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
All he has to do is make a layup.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Instead of going up strong like the dog he says
he is, bitch move decides he's going to foul bait
leans In, tries to get the foul call, probably strategically
to get an an one so that they could just
win the game.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Brutal no call.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Ben Simmons ask and, like I said, this is a
vibe of a game seven. By the way, he also
did this in the plan once before against the Grizzlies
and then in the final possession Steve Kerr calls a
time out.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
We all know where the ball's going.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Right staph Steph Curry going to no, not Steph Curry.
And yes, Kawhi Leonard was switched on to Steph Curry.
But I don't give a fuck. Do not draw a
play up for a guy who hasn't played in the
game at all. In Buddy Healed, not Steph not not
(06:57):
the ghost of Brandon Pajemski, not Jimmy Butler, Buddy Healed.
Clank doesn't even hit room, actually not even a clank
game over.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
And then the.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Most confusing part is that Jonathan Kaminga, the hyper athletic
player who's wanting max money, one of the more dynamic scores,
who's supposed to be unlocked by Jimmy Butler, one of
your best athletes. Not only is he not in the
game for this moment, he's not in the game for
any moments at dnp CD coaches decision. And we don't
(07:33):
even really know why. No explanation postgame, just a lot
of word salad, just thow that that would be. I
told him he wasn't probably gonna be in the normal rotation,
and I didn't know he.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Wasn't gonna play, but then he did.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
If the okay, If I'm Jonathan Kaminga, I'm fucking pissed.
Kerr just doesn't like young players.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
He even was like, you know, and I didn't even
play Gee Santos.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
Excuse me, wait, you're being like I just want to
let you know this is fair because I also didn't
play Gee Santos.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
I'm not checking for Gee Santos, and neither are you, okay.
And the most.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Disastrous part is the Jimmy Butler got hurt in the
game knee to the thigh, was seen visibly limping and
was trying desperately to knock get the ball and be
a part of the action in crunch time.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Fuck what a collapse.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
As the commentary, because I was watching the Masters. Just
to be fair, I was watching the Masters on the
big TV, which is thirty two inches, and I was
watching the Warriors game on the little TV aka on
my iPhone, and so I'm watching both and the Masters
commentator they're so petty. After Rory McElroy, who ended up
(09:01):
winning the Masters, had a double bogy on one and
looked really like he was struggling on too.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
He said this was a disastrous start. This is a
monumentally disastrous start to the round, and so like, that's
what I feel about the Warriors. This was a disastrous
Game eighty two.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Clippers clinch the five seed, they now get Denver, and
the Warriors drop into the play in where.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
They face Memphis.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Yet again, for a team that supposedly says that going
to the finals is the Warriors Invitational, it sure seems
like according to Kuff's legend, what a great call that
the plan is the Warriors Invitational.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
They either go to the plan and get bounced or
they win a title. It's fucking insane.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Harrison Barnes, who now plays for the San Antonio Spurs,
few games ago, hit a game winner that knocked the
Warriors into a place where they were right here in
Game eighty two, Harrison Barnes would have ended everything that
we've seen about our dubs. And for the Clippers, we
(10:08):
now need to say they are for real. They are
a team that I am now starting to believe in.
And then part of me says, Trista, you believe every
year and the Clippers, and every year you're hurt. So
I will say hesitantly, I think this version of the
Clippers are the best they've ever been since they acquired
(10:30):
Paul George and Kawhi.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Another piece that I need to kind of just go
out and say.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
I think we can at least start to say, is
Steve Kerr actually a good coach? I think this is
now like an every year thing we wonder is he elite?
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Is he good? Is he mediocre? Is the elite? Is
he good? Is he mediocre? It just depends on how
good the Warriors are playing at that given moment.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
What we do know is he doesn't develop young players.
He didn't develop Ty Jerome, he didn't develop Moody, He
hasn't developed Jonathan Kaminga. He hasn't developed even the players
that he's taken.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
Earlier on in the draft.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
The Warriors are right now zero to three in the
play in tournament, so I am very concerned.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
The good news is we've got playoff Jimmy.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Jimmy Butler says he has the gear still to take over.
Had thirty points in game eighty two, and that's something
that I think we're gonna.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Have to see moving forward.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
If they do anything, they will play either the Houston
Rockets or the OKC Thunder or they will be going
to Cancun. Those are the options, but this might have
been a turning point. Gonna be fascinating to see what
happens in this playing game where if they lose to Memphis,
they'll play either Dallas or Sacramento. But what happens next
(11:49):
is going to.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Be electric online. Let's move on speaking of these Clippers.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
What a dangerous, dangerous matchup that this is for them
Nuggets truly, truly, what the Nuggets do well is that
they find ways to win when they shouldn't win. We
saw that happen last playoffs against the Lakers. We saw
that happen the other day against the Grizzlies where there
(12:18):
were down what ten points with the minute to go
or something like that. But this is not that the
Nuggets are not the same team that they were a
month ago. This Nuggets team has a coach who has
who has coached three games in his entire career as
a head coach, versus Tyleru who is one of the
(12:42):
masterminds in playoff coaching.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
And this is a place where you.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Don't just roll the ball out and see you have
the most impactful player in you'll catch so you win games.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
No No, this is a chess match.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
This is adjustments, this is strategy, this is counters.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
And Tyler is the best at that.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Remember when Tyler used Nick Batoum as a small ball
five and against the Utah Jazz, number one seed in
the West, set their ass fucking packing. So you better
be ready, Nugs, okay, or it's gonna be blood in
the streets. Clippers are putting it together, folks. They are
(13:21):
one of the hottest teams in basketball right now. They've
won eight in a row, They've won nine of their
last ten. And I don't know where this version of
James Harden has come from, but James Harden is twenty
nineteen Houston Rockets James Harden. In the last week of
the season, He's averaging thirty eleven and eight.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
He's gonna be an All NBA player. At damn, you're forty.
Kawhy Now it's twenty nineteen for Kawhi Leonard as well.
He's back like cook crack.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
He's back like the seats on a Cadillac and they
go all the way back. So he came out and
praise the Clippers' medical staff for reaching out and working
with outside experts to help with his rehab and what
do we see from that that matters? Who I played
forty seven minutes in that overtime win against Golden State.
(14:16):
He's averaging twenty seven twenty six, seven and three. He's
having two and a half stocks per game in his
last twenty.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
He's averaging forty three percent from three. Zubach is getting
Defensive Player of the Year love.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
He's averaging twenty three and ten against Jokic in his career.
This is a year that has culminated in the first
triple double ever.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
And I know he's been lobbying.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
To try to get that dpo wyword. We've got Chris Dunn,
who I know. You probably don't know because you're a
casual fan. If you're a hardcore fan, Chris Dune's been awesome.
He's averaging just seven three and two, but two steals
a game and just twenty six minutes per game, but
his plus minus is six point one on average during
that time. That is a top forty plus minus in
(15:03):
the NBA. So this is a bad draw for a
Nuggets team who have a young roster players. We don't
trust players that got Mike Malone fire. Michael Malone fire,
because he doesn't trust them. You got rumors coming out
that Michael Porter Junior can't be traded because the owner
went to Missouri and he went to Missouri, which is
(15:24):
fucking bananas. You have Aaron Gordon who's really important, and
he hasn't been healthy.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
He's been up and down.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
You got Jamal Murray who when he is on, he
is Donkey Kong, but he's not always on and he
has injury issues as well. Jokic when he does everything,
and you turn them into just a score. The Nuggets
are beatable and they play face a coach who has
the Nuggets have a coach who has three games of experience.
(15:54):
That's fucking not good. If you're the Nuggets, this is
not good. Clippers could be one of the more dangerous
teams in the West right now. And if I'm a
team like Okay See, I don't want to see them.
If I'm a team like Golden State, I don't want
to see them. If I'm a team like the Lakers,
I don't want.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
To see them.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
I've been burnt before, but I'm putting I'm putting my
stake in and saying Clippers might just fuck around and
make other teams find out, all right, we got to
hit this break, pay some bills when we come back.
Let's talk about the Wolves and the Lakers in that series,
because that's fascinating as well. Two teams with big wings,
(16:36):
playmakers and guys who like to have the rock down
and crunch time. Anthony Edwards, Lebron James Luka, Doncic. We'll
come back right after this.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
All right, we're back.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
That was my first mid That was my first mid
episode break I've ever done, so it was rough. This
is my favorite first round matchup. I think a very
fun matchup because Luca loves to incinerate Rudy Gobert like
he's barbecued chicken.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
I think this to These two teams are pretty evenly
matched too.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Rudy, although is nine and six against Luca career wise,
Lucas won four of their last seven head to heads
and he's averaging thirty eight game.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Do you remember Do you remember this?
Speaker 2 (17:20):
The MAVs take the Wolves out for to one in
the Western Conference Finals, and that was after a brutal
seven game series where Minnesota had to play Denver and
it looked like Minnesota was going all the way home.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
They were going to Cancun, they were going to Bali,
they were going to Holly.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
They were going somewhere, and they ended up still fighting
out a way to beat the Nuggets in one of
the best game sevens you've ever seen. This Lakers team
is not that team. This Lakers team is different than
that MAVs team. Luca is integrated in a way that's
awesome for the offense, and it frees up Austin Reeves,
who has now turned into pistol Pete for some reason,
(17:56):
pistol pt akaa. Austin Reeves is averaged twenty two to
five at five since the trade, and I don't think
anyone saw that coming at all. They are better than
the previous three D games that he played without Luca,
and everyone was like, oh, there's not enough shots to
go around. These are guys who have the most touches
in the league combined of any other threesome. Pauls as
(18:19):
for Minnesota, well, and the Lakers are healthy.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
Now that's important.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Another thing that's important for the Lakers they don't really
have a center that's gonna be really interesting against the
team that has Rudy Gobert.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
They have three centers. Really, they have Rudy Gobert. They
have Nosried, and.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
They have Jade McDaniel's not really a center, but he's
a big The Lakers end of the season six and three,
and Braun has gotten healthy from his groin injury. As
for Minnesota, it's been a rocky go. They're finally starting
to figure some things out. It's been the Aunt Edwards show.
He's been averaging twenty eight, five and four in March
(18:56):
and in April and his splits forty eight, thirty seven
and eighty four, so shooting just damn near forty percent
from three and fifty percent almost from the field.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
And I think it's really.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Good that the Wolves have a week off. You don't
want to be gassed. We saw that before. We saw
when the Wolves were in the plane a couple of
years ago they were super gassed.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
And that ended up leading into a monster loss.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Last year, they had the week off and they were
super prepared for the Suns and they swept them. JJ
Reddick I think is a little afraid of the Wolves.
He said they're a very difficult opponent. They've played as
well as anyone has lately. I believe they're one of
the four teams in the top ten in offense or defense,
so they present a lot of problems.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
I think this series.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Revolves around whether the Lakers are going to be healthy
and whether Luca continues to do what we've seen from
Luca in the past couple of weeks. If they're healthy,
they could win in six or seven. If Brown ends
up getting injured or Luca ends up getting injured, the
Wolves could take this in five or six if Luca
or Bron miss anytime.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
It is It is curtains, folks, it is for It
is curtains.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Speaking of curtains, the curtain has come, The curtain has called.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
The men have fallen. The men have falled, sons, What
are you doing? Baby? So we got some news.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
The news is Mike Budenholzer has been fired head coach
of the Phoenix Suns. This is the third fire in
three years. Three fires in three years. Monny Williams, Frank Vogel,
and Mike Budenholzer. You're talking about three of at one point,
some of the best coaches seen at in the league. Players,
(20:41):
you know, coaches who have taken their teams to finals,
but has a championship under his belt. Vogel championship under
his belt. Minie Williams took the Phoenix Suns to the finals.
You're talking about at least champions And turns out doesn't
really matter who the coaches when your rosters this ass
(21:02):
Phoenix three games out of the tenth and final play
in spot and they were thirty six and forty forty six.
And they had a ten and eighteen records since the
All Star break. And this is where it gets really wolf.
They are one in nine in their last ten. Here's
where it gets really interesting too. Mike Budenholzer fired with
(21:22):
foty ears left and forty million dollars on his deal.
If he doesn't get a job, he will get paid
ten million a year until twenty twenty nine.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
So this is what they're saying.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Why was he fired besides the fact that the Phoenix
Suns were in the exact same position as the Portland Trailblazers,
a team that we thought was largely going to tank
their assholes.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Off for Cooper Flag.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
And this is a team that thought they were contending
the Athletics says the Budenholzers' inability to manage the locker
room had everything to do with the decision.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
Aka, they fucking hated his guts.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
Remember Devin Booker and Mike Budenhole where Mike Budenholz was like, hey, Devin,
why don't you shut the fuck up a little bit,
and Devin's like, uh no, I'm gonna be vocal when
we're ass And then remember classically what Katie tried to
clean up in the media and said, Oh, it's nothing,
(22:18):
We're just friends, and we were just fiery. Remember Katie
and Budenholzer were screaming at each other on the sidelines.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
I'm sorry, KD. That doesn't mean.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
There's positive things happening in paradise here.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
It was bad.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Grabbing Kat's arm during a time out, motherfucker, don't touch me,
kidding me.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
We're a twelve seed right now.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
You don't have the opportunity or the right to put
your hands on another grown man after you've had ozembic.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
And then remember use off Nurkic.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Useif Nirkish was like, I haven't spoken to this guy
in weeks, I haven't spoken him in three weeks. I
think Mike Budenholzer was unliked in I think that's probably
clear as day. He stopped talking to Nurkish for a month.
And then they traded him and we haven't seen Nurk since.
(23:09):
Fucking insane. We got James Jones, the GM of the Suns,
who has a contract that expires in June. Turns out
he's probably on the chopping bock as well. What is
next for Phoenix fourth coach on the payroll, A team
with no assets that's looking at trade KD when he's
in his mid thirties, coming off of an ankle injury,
(23:32):
and probably not getting many picks for him, certainly not
getting what you got for him before. And according to
Shan's the Sons are working with KD to find the
appropriate home for him.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
They are also interested in moving.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Bradley Beal, although Bradley Beal loves the roads in Phoenix
and says I've got a no trade clause. I'm staying
right here. So that's the Suns. What a dumpster fire.
Speaking of another dumpster fire ire on a Black Monday,
The Pelicans have fired their GM, David Griffin, who I
(24:07):
thought at one point was pretty damn good.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
GM Executive VP Debbie David Griffin.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
The Pels went twenty one and sixty one this year
for the fourth worst record in the NBA.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
Tough.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
It's a tough situation there because Griff kind of got fucked.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Griff had a lot of.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
Remember Zion was eating all those begnetes. There was a
lot of years where Zion was eating a lot of
begnets and sleeping with.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
A lot of random women.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
And remember we had that whole situation that happened with
his baby's mom and other women who came after him
and said that all he was doing was eating Cheetos
and he had a lawn furniture in his house. We're
staying off of Iion. We told we say we wouldn't
do that to Zion anymore. That's what Griff had to
(25:00):
deal with. He had a lot of bad luck. Ad
wanted to be traded. You have owners that have no
ability to pay it well, they don't want to have
ability to go into the luxury cats, so they're cheap.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
But he's also had some like really good picks. Trey
Murphy was a good pick. Eves Missy was a good pick.
This kid, Eves Missy, no one thought they were gonna
take him.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
He's an all rookie center and he's shooting fifty four
percent from the field. You have Jordan Hawkins from Yukon.
He's progressed as well, and.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
The team looked pretty good.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
When Zion looked good. Team kind of comes and goes
with Zion. They got rid of Brandon Ingram's contract. That
was very important. Brandon Ingram wanted to get paid, they
didn't want to pay him. And then in terms of blemishes,
they gave away Dyson Daniels because Dyson Daniels was sort
of flaming out and now he's become one of the
most demonic defense guys in the league.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
So who do they want?
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Apparently they want Hall of Famer Joe Dumars, who's, like
I think, pretty.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
Much in charge of the NBA right now. So I
don't know why that's the pick.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
He's the front runner to become the lead executive in
New Orleans.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
He's a Louisiana native. He's been an award winning.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Executive for the Pistons, and he's heading up basketball offs
for the NBA. A lot of people hate this idea.
I'm gonna tell you right now. Did you see how
Joe Dumars handled the Jah Morant situation.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
That's all I can think about.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
He's pretty strict, he's pretty old school. I didn't know
he was still in the GM game. I thought he
was kind of like a mad Rashad where we were
just kind of putting him out as an NBA ambassador.
So Sean Sharanya and Pel's insider sham At Dua says
(26:59):
that in order for the team to hire Dumars, he
will have to retain their head coach Willy Green, and
they will have to trade Zion.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
What a black Monday. That's gonna be fascinating to watch.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
So those are the two black Monday hires that we
have are fires or that we have right now. In addition,
we have a couple of positive pieces of news for
the Blazers. Blazers retain their GM Joe Cronin and extend him,
and they also extend Chauncey Billups, who I think has
done a phenomenal job since pretty much the last twenty
four months in terms of turning this team into a
(27:33):
team with an identity, a team with a defense.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
So Blazers are short up there.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Of course, we've got the Nuggets with no head coach,
and we've got Memphis with no head coach. That would
normally be something that would happen on Black Monday, but
it happened in the middle of the season. In terms
of the Nets, another team that we're not super optimistic
on in terms of their chances, the Nets will not
go after anyone who will not help them win a chip.
That's some news, really interesting piece of news. Sean mars
(28:02):
He's had a pretty good year, so good that they
had to take everyone off the team and put them
at the end of the bench and get a bunch
of random ten day contracts because they didn't want to get.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Screwed out of lottery.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
When asked about acquiring a star, he said, well, if
you're going after max level talent, they've got to automatically
change the trajectory of your team.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
That can't be.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
Let's go get this and lock ourselves into being a
six to seven seed. Thank god, Sean Marx, I've been
trying to say, this is how it should be. When
you go all in, you better make sure you're gonna
win a championship or at least be close to one.
But we will see if Josie can help himself because
he likes those stars. Boy, he can't ruin another rebuild.
(28:48):
He's done it before, He's done it twice. Before, actually
three times before, and so we'll see what happens from
the nets. That's the news, that's the playoff break down
in the West. Friday, we'll come on and do some
East Coast teams.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
I do want to.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Say thanks thank you to the eight Sided team for
helping us move the podcast over to a new home.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
This is the first we got video. We got video.
That's number one, we got video.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
Thank you guys for moving it over to a new home.
I know it's a lot of work, but I also
know that the heat Check is.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
In great hands.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
We will see you Friday. Really, truthfully, we will see
you Friday. That's all for this episode of this new season.
Midway through the playoffs of the Heat Check. Come back
Friday for an all new episode. Check out the feed
for past episodes and many episodes which drop unexpectedly. Like
Chyenne Sellers in the WNBA draft, she had to sit
around forever to hear her name cauled.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Do not forget to follow the.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
Heat Check all season long. That means download, subscribe, tell
your friends all season long, even the ones that you
haven't talked to in years, and follow us on TikTok
and at this Heat Check at Trista Creek on Twitter, Instagram.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
And Threads.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Threads is Meta's new platform where I post every day.
Shout out to my new producer, Wyatt. Shout out to
everyone who is kept rocking with us when the pot hasn't.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Been as consistent as we want it. We will see
you next time.
On this episode of the Heat Check.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
The playoffs are here just in time for us to
finishing our transition to the iHeart Podcast Network.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
A lot to talk about.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Wyatt, my new producer, dropped that motherfucking beat.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
This should be Rihanna.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
You're listening to the Hottest, the Hottest.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
It'd be a podcast out here. I said what I said,
it's the heat Check, chat Check.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
It's just all right, new show, new format. W NBA
draft just went off, so I'm recording this a little
bit late. Congratulations the Page and the Dallas Wings forgetting
their girls. She's a fucking star. It's gonna be so great.
I got chicken coming.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
It was so fun.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
If you didn't get on my Instagram live, you should have.
I was roasting my other producer for making bland ass chicken.
I was roasting my mom as well. Speaking of cooking,
we gotta get to cook in Yes we do. Baby.
Have you ever seen a coaching decision so egregious you
(01:11):
had to head over to social media? Like?
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Am I tripping? Or was that fucking outrageous? Did I
dream that? Am I crazy?
Speaker 2 (01:18):
That is what happened to me on Sunday with Steve
Kerr and the litany of crazy ass decisions that he
was making. We're gonna talk about that because it might
just have cost the Warriors their entire fucking season.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
On multiple accounts.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
It's also Black Monday, so we have organizational tea.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
People are getting fired, players are already getting shopped. News
coming out left and right.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
We are talking also playoff matchups in the West, including
the Nuggets facing the Clippers, which I think is probably
the most enticing exciting.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Matchup of them all. We've got Luca and the Lakers
taking on Gobert.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Oh Oh, Rudy uh Avoi, new platforms, same roasting of
Rudy go Bear, and we of course talk about the
Warriors loss and what it means for their playoff hopes.
So let's go into this Golden State game first and foremost.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
Here's the thing.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
It was game eighty two. Okay, Game eighty two wasn't
supposed to have this much drama. Not when Steph Curry
drops thirty six points the Warriors are there, Not when
Jimmy Butler drops thirty points, and somehow, in disastrous fashion,
they still managed to lose. Harden turning back the clock,
(02:36):
Draymond trying to foul bait into a new timeline.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
What the fuck was that? We'll talk about that in
a second.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
We have Steve Kerr drawing up a final shot for
Buddy Healed, like Steph Curry doesn't exist.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Buddy Healed. Buddy Hill wasn't even in the game. He
was ice cooled.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
The game was calm, The game was tragedy and maybe
had consequences that were catastrophic.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
There's something wrong with my brain. Let's talk about it.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
So when Adam Silver made the schedule like an EPL schedule,
all the teams in the West play at the same time,
all the teams in the East play at the same time,
we knew that some drama.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Would happen, and it did with our Dubs.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Warriors would have become the sixth seed with the win
or with the loss fall to the play in tournament.
Clippers moved to five with the win and moved to
six with the loss, facing the Lakers in the first round,
So it was kind of like a Game seven.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
That was the vibe. And for those of you who have.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Been scorned, spurned, believed, and then felt stupid, you probably
haven't been tuning in to the Clippers. For those of
you who started to turn into the Clippers and then
realized that Kawhi Leonard wasn't playing in the beginning of
the season.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Don't blame me either. For those of you who are like, oh, well,
Paul George isn't there anymore.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
I'm not gonna watch. The whole thing is done. Jerry
West is dead. Rip Jerry West.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
I'm not paying attention.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
For those who have not been paying attention, we have
a developing situation on our hands.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
James Harden and Kawhi Leonard have turned back the clock, folks.
This is what's in store for the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
James Harden thirty nine points, ten assists vintage. Kawhi Leonard
had thirty three points, efficiently, quietly, robotically, like the assassin
that he is. And by the way, Kawhi Leonard played
forty seven minutes. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden combined for
(04:49):
seventy two points, seventeen assists, and thirteen rebounds sixty two
percent shooting, including nine for sixteen from deep. By the way,
Kawhi Leonard is not supposed to be a three point shooter.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Somehow, in his haze of injuries.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Comes back and is the new Steph Curry, even because
Zubac twenty two point seventeen boards dominating in the paint.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
This is a team that looks like they've got their identity.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
So that's the Clippers. So on one hand, the Clippers
were about as good as they can be. Steph Curry,
he was as good as he could be, thirty six points,
doing everything under the sun that he could. Jimmy Butler
went blow for blow with Kawhi with the best version
of Kawhi thirty points. What we want to see from
(05:43):
playoff Jimmy Butler, and it comes down to the wire.
You're in ot Draymond has a clear lane, get the
ball to him.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
All he has to do is make a layup.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Instead of going up strong like the dog he says
he is, bitch move decides he's going to foul bait
leans In, tries to get the foul call, probably strategically
to get an an one so that they could just
win the game.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
Brutal no call.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Ben Simmons ask and, like I said, this is a
vibe of a game seven. By the way, he also
did this in the plan once before against the Grizzlies
and then in the final possession Steve Kerr calls a
time out.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
We all know where the ball's going.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Right staph Steph Curry going to no, not Steph Curry.
And yes, Kawhi Leonard was switched on to Steph Curry.
But I don't give a fuck. Do not draw a
play up for a guy who hasn't played in the
game at all. In Buddy Healed, not Steph not not
(06:57):
the ghost of Brandon Pajemski, not Jimmy Butler, Buddy Healed.
Clank doesn't even hit room, actually not even a clank
game over.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
And then the.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Most confusing part is that Jonathan Kaminga, the hyper athletic
player who's wanting max money, one of the more dynamic scores,
who's supposed to be unlocked by Jimmy Butler, one of
your best athletes. Not only is he not in the
game for this moment, he's not in the game for
any moments at dnp CD coaches decision. And we don't
(07:33):
even really know why. No explanation postgame, just a lot
of word salad, just thow that that would be. I
told him he wasn't probably gonna be in the normal rotation,
and I didn't know he.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Wasn't gonna play, but then he did.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
If the okay, If I'm Jonathan Kaminga, I'm fucking pissed.
Kerr just doesn't like young players.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
He even was like, you know, and I didn't even
play Gee Santos.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
Excuse me, wait, you're being like I just want to
let you know this is fair because I also didn't
play Gee Santos.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
I'm not checking for Gee Santos, and neither are you, okay.
And the most.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Disastrous part is the Jimmy Butler got hurt in the
game knee to the thigh, was seen visibly limping and
was trying desperately to knock get the ball and be
a part of the action in crunch time.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Fuck what a collapse.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
As the commentary, because I was watching the Masters. Just
to be fair, I was watching the Masters on the
big TV, which is thirty two inches, and I was
watching the Warriors game on the little TV aka on
my iPhone, and so I'm watching both and the Masters
commentator they're so petty. After Rory McElroy, who ended up
(09:01):
winning the Masters, had a double bogy on one and
looked really like he was struggling on too.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
He said this was a disastrous start. This is a
monumentally disastrous start to the round, and so like, that's
what I feel about the Warriors. This was a disastrous
Game eighty two.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Clippers clinch the five seed, they now get Denver, and
the Warriors drop into the play in where.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
They face Memphis.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Yet again, for a team that supposedly says that going
to the finals is the Warriors Invitational, it sure seems
like according to Kuff's legend, what a great call that
the plan is the Warriors Invitational.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
They either go to the plan and get bounced or
they win a title. It's fucking insane.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Harrison Barnes, who now plays for the San Antonio Spurs,
few games ago, hit a game winner that knocked the
Warriors into a place where they were right here in
Game eighty two, Harrison Barnes would have ended everything that
we've seen about our dubs. And for the Clippers, we
(10:08):
now need to say they are for real. They are
a team that I am now starting to believe in.
And then part of me says, Trista, you believe every
year and the Clippers, and every year you're hurt. So
I will say hesitantly, I think this version of the
Clippers are the best they've ever been since they acquired
(10:30):
Paul George and Kawhi.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Another piece that I need to kind of just go
out and say.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
I think we can at least start to say, is
Steve Kerr actually a good coach? I think this is
now like an every year thing we wonder is he elite?
Speaker 1 (10:46):
Is he good? Is he mediocre? Is the elite? Is
he good? Is he mediocre? It just depends on how
good the Warriors are playing at that given moment.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
What we do know is he doesn't develop young players.
He didn't develop Ty Jerome, he didn't develop Moody, He
hasn't developed Jonathan Kaminga. He hasn't developed even the players
that he's taken.
Speaker 1 (11:09):
Earlier on in the draft.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
The Warriors are right now zero to three in the
play in tournament, so I am very concerned.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
The good news is we've got playoff Jimmy.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Jimmy Butler says he has the gear still to take over.
Had thirty points in game eighty two, and that's something
that I think we're gonna.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Have to see moving forward.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
If they do anything, they will play either the Houston
Rockets or the OKC Thunder or they will be going
to Cancun. Those are the options, but this might have
been a turning point. Gonna be fascinating to see what
happens in this playing game where if they lose to Memphis,
they'll play either Dallas or Sacramento. But what happens next
(11:49):
is going to.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Be electric online. Let's move on speaking of these Clippers.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
What a dangerous, dangerous matchup that this is for them
Nuggets truly, truly, what the Nuggets do well is that
they find ways to win when they shouldn't win. We
saw that happen last playoffs against the Lakers. We saw
that happen the other day against the Grizzlies where there
(12:18):
were down what ten points with the minute to go
or something like that. But this is not that the
Nuggets are not the same team that they were a
month ago. This Nuggets team has a coach who has
who has coached three games in his entire career as
a head coach, versus Tyleru who is one of the
(12:42):
masterminds in playoff coaching.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
And this is a place where you.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
Don't just roll the ball out and see you have
the most impactful player in you'll catch so you win games.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
No No, this is a chess match.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
This is adjustments, this is strategy, this is counters.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
And Tyler is the best at that.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Remember when Tyler used Nick Batoum as a small ball
five and against the Utah Jazz, number one seed in
the West, set their ass fucking packing. So you better
be ready, Nugs, okay, or it's gonna be blood in
the streets. Clippers are putting it together, folks. They are
(13:21):
one of the hottest teams in basketball right now. They've
won eight in a row, They've won nine of their
last ten. And I don't know where this version of
James Harden has come from, but James Harden is twenty
nineteen Houston Rockets James Harden. In the last week of
the season, He's averaging thirty eleven and eight.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
He's gonna be an All NBA player. At damn, you're forty.
Kawhy Now it's twenty nineteen for Kawhi Leonard as well.
He's back like cook crack.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
He's back like the seats on a Cadillac and they
go all the way back. So he came out and
praise the Clippers' medical staff for reaching out and working
with outside experts to help with his rehab and what
do we see from that that matters? Who I played
forty seven minutes in that overtime win against Golden State.
(14:16):
He's averaging twenty seven twenty six, seven and three. He's
having two and a half stocks per game in his
last twenty.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
He's averaging forty three percent from three. Zubach is getting
Defensive Player of the Year love.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
He's averaging twenty three and ten against Jokic in his career.
This is a year that has culminated in the first
triple double ever.
Speaker 1 (14:40):
And I know he's been lobbying.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
To try to get that dpo wyword. We've got Chris Dunn,
who I know. You probably don't know because you're a
casual fan. If you're a hardcore fan, Chris Dune's been awesome.
He's averaging just seven three and two, but two steals
a game and just twenty six minutes per game, but
his plus minus is six point one on average during
that time. That is a top forty plus minus in
(15:03):
the NBA. So this is a bad draw for a
Nuggets team who have a young roster players. We don't
trust players that got Mike Malone fire. Michael Malone fire,
because he doesn't trust them. You got rumors coming out
that Michael Porter Junior can't be traded because the owner
went to Missouri and he went to Missouri, which is
(15:24):
fucking bananas. You have Aaron Gordon who's really important, and
he hasn't been healthy.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
He's been up and down.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
You got Jamal Murray who when he is on, he
is Donkey Kong, but he's not always on and he
has injury issues as well. Jokic when he does everything,
and you turn them into just a score. The Nuggets
are beatable and they play face a coach who has
the Nuggets have a coach who has three games of experience.
(15:54):
That's fucking not good. If you're the Nuggets, this is
not good. Clippers could be one of the more dangerous
teams in the West right now. And if I'm a
team like Okay See, I don't want to see them.
If I'm a team like Golden State, I don't want
to see them. If I'm a team like the Lakers,
I don't want.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
To see them.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
I've been burnt before, but I'm putting I'm putting my
stake in and saying Clippers might just fuck around and
make other teams find out, all right, we got to
hit this break, pay some bills when we come back.
Let's talk about the Wolves and the Lakers in that series,
because that's fascinating as well. Two teams with big wings,
(16:36):
playmakers and guys who like to have the rock down
and crunch time. Anthony Edwards, Lebron James Luka, Doncic. We'll
come back right after this.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
All right, we're back.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
That was my first mid That was my first mid
episode break I've ever done, so it was rough. This
is my favorite first round matchup. I think a very
fun matchup because Luca loves to incinerate Rudy Gobert like
he's barbecued chicken.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
I think this to These two teams are pretty evenly
matched too.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Rudy, although is nine and six against Luca career wise,
Lucas won four of their last seven head to heads
and he's averaging thirty eight game.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
Do you remember Do you remember this?
Speaker 2 (17:20):
The MAVs take the Wolves out for to one in
the Western Conference Finals, and that was after a brutal
seven game series where Minnesota had to play Denver and
it looked like Minnesota was going all the way home.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
They were going to Cancun, they were going to Bali,
they were going to Holly.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
They were going somewhere, and they ended up still fighting
out a way to beat the Nuggets in one of
the best game sevens you've ever seen. This Lakers team
is not that team. This Lakers team is different than
that MAVs team. Luca is integrated in a way that's
awesome for the offense, and it frees up Austin Reeves,
who has now turned into pistol Pete for some reason,
(17:56):
pistol pt akaa. Austin Reeves is averaged twenty two to
five at five since the trade, and I don't think
anyone saw that coming at all. They are better than
the previous three D games that he played without Luca,
and everyone was like, oh, there's not enough shots to
go around. These are guys who have the most touches
in the league combined of any other threesome. Pauls as
(18:19):
for Minnesota, well, and the Lakers are healthy.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
Now that's important.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Another thing that's important for the Lakers they don't really
have a center that's gonna be really interesting against the
team that has Rudy Gobert.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
They have three centers. Really, they have Rudy Gobert. They
have Nosried, and.
Speaker 2 (18:36):
They have Jade McDaniel's not really a center, but he's
a big The Lakers end of the season six and three,
and Braun has gotten healthy from his groin injury. As
for Minnesota, it's been a rocky go. They're finally starting
to figure some things out. It's been the Aunt Edwards show.
He's been averaging twenty eight, five and four in March
(18:56):
and in April and his splits forty eight, thirty seven
and eighty four, so shooting just damn near forty percent
from three and fifty percent almost from the field.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
And I think it's really.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Good that the Wolves have a week off. You don't
want to be gassed. We saw that before. We saw
when the Wolves were in the plane a couple of
years ago they were super gassed.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
And that ended up leading into a monster loss.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Last year, they had the week off and they were
super prepared for the Suns and they swept them. JJ
Reddick I think is a little afraid of the Wolves.
He said they're a very difficult opponent. They've played as
well as anyone has lately. I believe they're one of
the four teams in the top ten in offense or defense,
so they present a lot of problems.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
I think this series.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Revolves around whether the Lakers are going to be healthy
and whether Luca continues to do what we've seen from
Luca in the past couple of weeks. If they're healthy,
they could win in six or seven. If Brown ends
up getting injured or Luca ends up getting injured, the
Wolves could take this in five or six if Luca
or Bron miss anytime.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
It is It is curtains, folks, it is for It
is curtains.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Speaking of curtains, the curtain has come, The curtain has called.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
The men have fallen. The men have falled, sons, What
are you doing? Baby? So we got some news.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
The news is Mike Budenholzer has been fired head coach
of the Phoenix Suns. This is the third fire in
three years. Three fires in three years. Monny Williams, Frank Vogel,
and Mike Budenholzer. You're talking about three of at one point,
some of the best coaches seen at in the league. Players,
(20:41):
you know, coaches who have taken their teams to finals,
but has a championship under his belt. Vogel championship under
his belt. Minie Williams took the Phoenix Suns to the finals.
You're talking about at least champions And turns out doesn't
really matter who the coaches when your rosters this ass
(21:02):
Phoenix three games out of the tenth and final play
in spot and they were thirty six and forty forty six.
And they had a ten and eighteen records since the
All Star break. And this is where it gets really wolf.
They are one in nine in their last ten. Here's
where it gets really interesting too. Mike Budenholzer fired with
(21:22):
foty ears left and forty million dollars on his deal.
If he doesn't get a job, he will get paid
ten million a year until twenty twenty nine.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
So this is what they're saying.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Why was he fired besides the fact that the Phoenix
Suns were in the exact same position as the Portland Trailblazers,
a team that we thought was largely going to tank
their assholes.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Off for Cooper Flag.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
And this is a team that thought they were contending
the Athletics says the Budenholzers' inability to manage the locker
room had everything to do with the decision.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
Aka, they fucking hated his guts.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
Remember Devin Booker and Mike Budenhole where Mike Budenholz was like, hey, Devin,
why don't you shut the fuck up a little bit,
and Devin's like, uh no, I'm gonna be vocal when
we're ass And then remember classically what Katie tried to
clean up in the media and said, Oh, it's nothing,
(22:18):
We're just friends, and we were just fiery. Remember Katie
and Budenholzer were screaming at each other on the sidelines.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
I'm sorry, KD. That doesn't mean.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
There's positive things happening in paradise here.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
It was bad.
Speaker 2 (22:33):
Grabbing Kat's arm during a time out, motherfucker, don't touch me,
kidding me.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
We're a twelve seed right now.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
You don't have the opportunity or the right to put
your hands on another grown man after you've had ozembic.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
And then remember use off Nurkic.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Useif Nirkish was like, I haven't spoken to this guy
in weeks, I haven't spoken him in three weeks. I
think Mike Budenholzer was unliked in I think that's probably
clear as day. He stopped talking to Nurkish for a month.
And then they traded him and we haven't seen Nurk since.
(23:09):
Fucking insane. We got James Jones, the GM of the Suns,
who has a contract that expires in June. Turns out
he's probably on the chopping bock as well. What is
next for Phoenix fourth coach on the payroll, A team
with no assets that's looking at trade KD when he's
in his mid thirties, coming off of an ankle injury,
(23:32):
and probably not getting many picks for him, certainly not
getting what you got for him before. And according to
Shan's the Sons are working with KD to find the
appropriate home for him.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
They are also interested in moving.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Bradley Beal, although Bradley Beal loves the roads in Phoenix
and says I've got a no trade clause. I'm staying
right here. So that's the Suns. What a dumpster fire.
Speaking of another dumpster fire ire on a Black Monday,
The Pelicans have fired their GM, David Griffin, who I
(24:07):
thought at one point was pretty damn good.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
GM Executive VP Debbie David Griffin.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
The Pels went twenty one and sixty one this year
for the fourth worst record in the NBA.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
Tough.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
It's a tough situation there because Griff kind of got fucked.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Griff had a lot of.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
Remember Zion was eating all those begnetes. There was a
lot of years where Zion was eating a lot of
begnets and sleeping with.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
A lot of random women.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
And remember we had that whole situation that happened with
his baby's mom and other women who came after him
and said that all he was doing was eating Cheetos
and he had a lawn furniture in his house. We're
staying off of Iion. We told we say we wouldn't
do that to Zion anymore. That's what Griff had to
(25:00):
deal with. He had a lot of bad luck. Ad
wanted to be traded. You have owners that have no
ability to pay it well, they don't want to have
ability to go into the luxury cats, so they're cheap.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
But he's also had some like really good picks. Trey
Murphy was a good pick. Eves Missy was a good pick.
This kid, Eves Missy, no one thought they were gonna
take him.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
He's an all rookie center and he's shooting fifty four
percent from the field. You have Jordan Hawkins from Yukon.
He's progressed as well, and.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
The team looked pretty good.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
When Zion looked good. Team kind of comes and goes
with Zion. They got rid of Brandon Ingram's contract. That
was very important. Brandon Ingram wanted to get paid, they
didn't want to pay him. And then in terms of blemishes,
they gave away Dyson Daniels because Dyson Daniels was sort
of flaming out and now he's become one of the
most demonic defense guys in the league.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
So who do they want?
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Apparently they want Hall of Famer Joe Dumars, who's, like
I think, pretty.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
Much in charge of the NBA right now. So I
don't know why that's the pick.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
He's the front runner to become the lead executive in
New Orleans.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
He's a Louisiana native. He's been an award winning.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Executive for the Pistons, and he's heading up basketball offs
for the NBA. A lot of people hate this idea.
I'm gonna tell you right now. Did you see how
Joe Dumars handled the Jah Morant situation.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
That's all I can think about.
Speaker 2 (26:39):
He's pretty strict, he's pretty old school. I didn't know
he was still in the GM game. I thought he
was kind of like a mad Rashad where we were
just kind of putting him out as an NBA ambassador.
So Sean Sharanya and Pel's insider sham At Dua says
(26:59):
that in order for the team to hire Dumars, he
will have to retain their head coach Willy Green, and
they will have to trade Zion.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
What a black Monday. That's gonna be fascinating to watch.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
So those are the two black Monday hires that we
have are fires or that we have right now. In addition,
we have a couple of positive pieces of news for
the Blazers. Blazers retain their GM Joe Cronin and extend him,
and they also extend Chauncey Billups, who I think has
done a phenomenal job since pretty much the last twenty
four months in terms of turning this team into a
(27:33):
team with an identity, a team with a defense.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
So Blazers are short up there.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Of course, we've got the Nuggets with no head coach,
and we've got Memphis with no head coach. That would
normally be something that would happen on Black Monday, but
it happened in the middle of the season. In terms
of the Nets, another team that we're not super optimistic
on in terms of their chances, the Nets will not
go after anyone who will not help them win a chip.
That's some news, really interesting piece of news. Sean mars
(28:02):
He's had a pretty good year, so good that they
had to take everyone off the team and put them
at the end of the bench and get a bunch
of random ten day contracts because they didn't want to get.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Screwed out of lottery.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
When asked about acquiring a star, he said, well, if
you're going after max level talent, they've got to automatically
change the trajectory of your team.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
That can't be.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
Let's go get this and lock ourselves into being a
six to seven seed. Thank god, Sean Marx, I've been
trying to say, this is how it should be. When
you go all in, you better make sure you're gonna
win a championship or at least be close to one.
But we will see if Josie can help himself because
he likes those stars. Boy, he can't ruin another rebuild.
(28:48):
He's done it before, He's done it twice. Before, actually
three times before, and so we'll see what happens from
the nets. That's the news, that's the playoff break down
in the West. Friday, we'll come on and do some
East Coast teams.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
I do want to.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
Say thanks thank you to the eight Sided team for
helping us move the podcast over to a new home.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
This is the first we got video. We got video.
That's number one, we got video.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
Thank you guys for moving it over to a new home.
I know it's a lot of work, but I also
know that the heat Check is.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
In great hands.
Speaker 2 (29:24):
We will see you Friday. Really, truthfully, we will see
you Friday. That's all for this episode of this new season.
Midway through the playoffs of the Heat Check. Come back
Friday for an all new episode. Check out the feed
for past episodes and many episodes which drop unexpectedly. Like
Chyenne Sellers in the WNBA draft, she had to sit
around forever to hear her name cauled.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Do not forget to follow the.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
Heat Check all season long. That means download, subscribe, tell
your friends all season long, even the ones that you
haven't talked to in years, and follow us on TikTok
and at this Heat Check at Trista Creek on Twitter, Instagram.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
And Threads.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Threads is Meta's new platform where I post every day.
Shout out to my new producer, Wyatt. Shout out to
everyone who is kept rocking with us when the pot hasn't.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Been as consistent as we want it. We will see
you next time.
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com