S11 Ep. 17 "Most Somewhat Improved Players"

Keith and Dave talk about their favorite Most Improved Player candidates, the surging Pistons, the Spurs losing Pop and Wemby, Jaren Jackson Jr's hurdle to win DPOY, and a lot more.

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Episode 792 (S11 Ep. 17)

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
All right, and welcome to Fast Break REXXT NBA podcast.
My name is Keith and I'm here once again with
my buddy through the miracle of computer phone.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
With Dave Defour.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
Dave to forty eight minutes.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
How you been.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
I understand you've been a little bit under the weather.

Speaker 3 (00:29):
Yeah. Well, you know what's funny is I was sick
a few weeks ago and I didn't have a cough,
but this cough kind of developed on the tail end.
It is either that or I have allergies. Now, no,
you got, you.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
Got, You've got the miners lung from all the hard
work in the podcast minds. Yes, people understand what we
go through.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
Breathe podcast content.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
The only people who understand it are people like Paul George.
Paul George has taking a hiatus from podcast to focus
on basketball. Dave, what should we quit podcasting to go
do rock climbing?

Speaker 3 (01:08):
I mean that's honestly, like this, like this job really
is holding me back from.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
The Sixers are in a bit of an issue, and
I don't want to get into basketball too much before Breakfast, but.

Speaker 3 (01:22):
Is the issue that Paul George put out seventeen podcasts
this season, and he has only been in fourteen wins.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
I you know, I don't want to blame podcasting for
all the ills of the world. Sure I did say
that somebody, and I don't know who did it. Somebody
on social media lined up that Paul George's best games
all come after podcasts, so maybe he should not. But
two things with the Sixers, beyond all the losing, this

(01:52):
Paul George thing is hilarious. I'm gonna I'm finally gonna
say now now that we're twenty games under five hundred
or whatever they are, I'm going to stop podcasting to
focus more on winning.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
And then also the team itself.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
Let a injury update come out, I believe on Thursday
about Eric Gordon, and they're like, Eric Gordon having surgery,
he will be reevaluated in three months, and I think
most people would have said something like.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
He's out for the year, right, but.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
They're still leaving the window open for the finals, maybe
conference finals.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
Paul George says the reason that he's leaving the podcast
is to focus on winning a championship. So maybe he's
gonna be on the phone with a bunch of other
teams trying to figure out where he's gonna play next year.
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
I do think we finally hit the point where the
Sixers have they I mean, they understand the task in
hand and they're they're pulling the plug and they're going
to go into the lottery with with the coin flip
chance of keeping their pick, which, as someone as a
public avowed anti tanker, there does come to a point

(03:10):
where you're like, hey, you lost, the patient's gone. H
you got you gotta pull the plug. The U the
Sixers right now they have the sixth worst record, Their
pick is top six protected. Right now, they have a
forty six percent chance of keeping their pick, which doesn't

(03:32):
sound great. You there's a what a fifty There's like
a fifty percent chance the Thunder get the seventh or
eighth pick, which also doesn't sound great. No, I'd say
there's like a twenty percent chance the Thunder trade that
seventh or eighth pick just to not get the larger
salary slot on a rookie guy. But who knows. I

(03:52):
think the Sixers having a forty six percent chance of
keeping their pick doesn't sound great when you're having this season,
But if you.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
Counch it with like the you essentially have an you
just have.

Speaker 1 (04:01):
Even odds to get the first, second, third, fourth, or
sixth pick, like you got a one and eleven chance
at the first second, you know, the first pick or
the second pick.

Speaker 3 (04:11):
That all sounds okay, it's spent money at this point, right.
The thing is, you can't go back, like there is
no time machine. You can't go back and redo this season.
You're not gonna do anything this year. Everybody's hurt and
banged up. It is actually, this is I'm not gonna
call it. I don't know. We can't call it honorable,
but it's the least I understand this. I mean, you

(04:32):
know this isn't.

Speaker 1 (04:33):
There's no other rock at this point.

Speaker 3 (04:35):
Yeah, you guys have been snake bitten. It's tragedy, you know,
for your team, and you got to make the most
of it. So yeah, but it's spent money at this point.
So in my opinion, it's okay, it's fifty to fifty
odds on free money. Okay, cool, I'll take that and
hopefully it works out for me.

Speaker 1 (04:52):
Is is Daryl Morey an example of how so much
of success in life it's just there's so much randomness
mar game. Well, like Daryl moriy Is I think, objectively
a brilliant human being. Sure, But when it comes to
building a basketball team, and when it comes to having

(05:15):
success as a GM man, the the the part of
the success formula that's just happenstance is massive.

Speaker 3 (05:25):
You know. I would say that that, yes, there is
a lot of stuff where it is like this collection
of parts don't make any sense. But I will push
back and to say, I mean he has been he
was successful in Houston. I mean he built that team.

Speaker 1 (05:39):
But I'm saying Daryl Moury gets credit for building the
team much like Bob Myers gets credit. First stuff out there,
GM's always get credit when it goes right. And then
once you have that on your resume, and once you've
you've hosted enough sloan conference things, again, brilliant, way smarter
than I am. The example, but the fact that they're
just losing. And we used to say the thing everyone

(06:02):
always said about Darryl Morey is he doesn't care about fit.
He just cares about getting the talent, get the superstar
in they'll make it work. And then it worked. But
now we have this little kind of lengthy stretch now
not working. And again there's embeaded.

Speaker 3 (06:19):
I think there's been an evolution in the way that
front offices operate too, and I think that these guys
used to be able to wheel and deal a little
bit more.

Speaker 1 (06:28):
The edge has decreased.

Speaker 3 (06:29):
Yeah, right, and so you could you could trade the
paper clip up to a house, yeah, theoretically, like he
did with James Harden and so, you know, I just
think it's a different world. Everyone is a sharp now,
like there are noes.

Speaker 1 (06:43):
This is the casinos. Blackjack doesn't pay out three to two.
It pays out six to five. And then you show
up somewhere and it's like back blackjack pays out even
like what Yeah, the edges have gone away. Also, you
mentioned the time machine, Dave. I this morning had we'll
call ever time. My other day job. Don't have anything

(07:04):
until six pm today. So after the kids went to school,
I dropped the car off the mechanic. Then I went
over to the park shot some hoops. I was just
bricking shoots out, bricking hoops out in the sunshine, beautiful
February weather, a nice balmy seventy two February in Nashville.
That's not weird. But I was listening to leading thought

(07:31):
cutting Edge thinker podcaster Bill Simmons, and he was talking
about all these Celtics, and I'll be real, I was
skipping through his talk of all the famous Celtics, but
I started thinking about the time machine thing, and I
was like, at times in my life and maybe this
goes into the old Hoopers always criticizing the current league,
Kenyon Martin saying they don't play defense nowadays.

Speaker 2 (07:54):
I wish we had a time a scene just.

Speaker 1 (07:56):
So I could see something like Jonas Valancuna's murdering Kevin McHale. Yah,
just Kevin McHale being like, this guy has so many moves,
he's so strong, Why is.

Speaker 3 (08:07):
He shooting from way out there?

Speaker 1 (08:09):
I want to say, I want to see Michael Jordan
uh just to get exasperated with Jalen Green lighting him
on fire.

Speaker 2 (08:17):
That's what I want the time machine for.

Speaker 1 (08:20):
I want, Yeah, I want I want Ben Wallace to
try to stop a shade and sharp dunk. Also, they
would just be they would Isaiah Thomas would just be
screaming they're traveling, and he'd he'd be correct.

Speaker 3 (08:34):
Right, He's like, these moves are legal.

Speaker 1 (08:37):
They're right, they were not legal when you play basketball.
Let's I've gotten lightheaded with no breakfast? Dave?

Speaker 2 (08:43):
What what breakfast have you? You've been under the weather.

Speaker 1 (08:45):
How do you treat yourself? At least you change up
through routine or do you still have to keep doing
pumpkin oatmeal? This is the this is the fuel for
my car.

Speaker 3 (08:52):
You know what? Uh? Switched it up? Did dates in
my oatmeal?

Speaker 1 (08:57):
Nice?

Speaker 3 (08:58):
Huge date?

Speaker 1 (08:59):
Little too for you?

Speaker 3 (09:01):
Yeah, it's pretty nice. So a little bit of date
oatmeal and some cold brew. You didn't eat, Keith, that's
not like you.

Speaker 1 (09:10):
What did I have?

Speaker 3 (09:11):
ID is the most important thing?

Speaker 1 (09:13):
No?

Speaker 2 (09:13):
I had black coffee and then I had nothing else.

Speaker 1 (09:16):
I just went ever, you know, launched us what we
call it, it's wild. I've been I've been shooting mainly
on an eight to nine foot hoop because I've been
coaching like the seven year old's basketball team, and that's
the their school's gym. Their schools gym is like eight
and a half and we can't change it. And then

(09:36):
like they they play on an eight foot So like
I've been, I've been lighting it up on an eight
foot eight foot goal.

Speaker 2 (09:43):
Unbelieva.

Speaker 1 (09:44):
Yeah, so so then I'm awesome. The youth like eight
foot goal youth basketball. Yeah, it's like, hey, kids, watch this.
But then now I'm shooting on a ten foot hoop
with like the you know, the reinforced rims, and I started,
I started close, you know, and I'm like, man, everything's short.
And then and then I started making some free throws.
So I'm like, all right, I finally made like a
bunch of free throws. I'm gonna step it back out

(10:06):
to the three point line for the first time I
was in foot hoop. Man, it's like forever out there,
like I just launching it, just hoping. I don't air ball.

Speaker 3 (10:14):
My first year coaching girls, you know, using a women's ball, Yeah,
it wrecked me. It wrecked me. I would try to
play pick up and no, I just couldn't do it.
So I swore off pick up except for with the
women's ball.

Speaker 1 (10:29):
Man.

Speaker 3 (10:29):
I actually was very good with no problem with a
women's ball. And then you go grab the men's ball
and it feels fifty pounds.

Speaker 1 (10:37):
Yeah. Yeah, so that was that was me missing my
shots this morning without breakfast. I did come home and
I had some smart Start, which, by the way, this
box is a smart start. Yeah, c cereal, Okay, we've
had it in our house for it seems magical almost,
with the fact that that it never goes down. I
have one bowl of it like every two weeks. I'm like, well,
I guess we're a smart start here. I guess I'll

(10:57):
have somebody.

Speaker 3 (10:58):
It just magically refills. Yeah, from the bottom.

Speaker 1 (11:01):
Yeah, maybe someone blessed it, someone prayed over it, and
it now it's Yeah, it's a little little parish house spiricle,
the never ending box of smart Start. Anyways, Dave, those
were our breakfast. After our breakfast, we moved to our
breakfast in bed. Apologies. This is my chance to make
right what I got wrong on a previous episode. Frequently
the first time we talked about the NBA, although we

(11:22):
already had some six ers talk. Here's the apology, Dave.
Not something I got wrong on a previous episode. It's
about the calamity of the current negative Fantasy League playoffs.
So we have the forty team International Stackhouse of Pancakes League, Dave.
I think you're somewhere in like twenty eighth place or something.
The playoffs are supposed to start this week, and actually

(11:43):
they have, but we haven't. I haven't gotten them inputed
correctly on fan tracks fan Tracks is like the customizable
fantasy sports site that's really hard to use.

Speaker 2 (11:55):
And also.

Speaker 1 (11:58):
I haven't been able to set up the playoff for
what I wanted. So I contacted Fantrak's support, like, hey,
help me out. Here's what I want to do, and
I sent them the longest, most complicated like support tickets.

Speaker 3 (12:11):
True, well I.

Speaker 1 (12:12):
Probably maybe not, maybe not compared to what else they
deal with. But I'm like, listen, we got a forty
teen premium league. I know you're impressed. I can tell
they're impressed by that. And then I'm like, here's what
I want. Top eight teams go into the championship bracket.
More on that in a second. That's what I wrote
in the email.

Speaker 3 (12:32):
No really, I think I know it by heart.

Speaker 1 (12:35):
But see here's also our Patreon supporters, our negative fantasy players.
They cried out. They said, listen, only six teams make
the playoffs. It's a forty team league. That's not fair, Keith.
And I'm like, well, I make the playoffs every year.
What's your problem. I'm like, okay, fine, we have forty teams.
Let's do eight teams make the playoffs. But I still
want to value the regular season and certainly there's match

(12:59):
up luck. In VA, we were the double matchups, but
still there's luck involved. So I hear you, let's go
to eight teams, but I don't feel like the top
two seeds. At least they shouldn't be subjected to a quarterfinals.
I want them to have a buy into the Simmis.
So top two teams get to buy the next six teams.
I want to play like a whoever scores the most
points the top two teams over two weeks span advance.

Speaker 2 (13:22):
Sorry, reached out to fan tracks. Can all do that? No,
so we cannot. Okay, the next.

Speaker 1 (13:27):
Point, I'm like, all right, so top eight teams went
in into the championship bracket, like I already told you,
that means we have thirty two teams in the consolation bracket.
That sounds glorious. So I just want I just want
a five week, one week matchup, just a normal thirty
two team tournament. The ninth team matched up with the
fortieth team, you know, the tenth team to the thirty
ninth team, And they're like, you can't have different periods.

(13:48):
You can't have two weeks in the championship bracket for
playoff rounds. These are all deep cut fantasy problems. But
I don't know that's what the listeners want. So I'm devastated.
I'm like, well, I can't even set up the proper thing.
I mean, some of this is because the listeners demanded
an eighteen playoff, and I said, well, we can't have no,
we can't have a normal quarterfinals. And so anyways, right
now the quarterfinalists, which by the way, I should recognize,

(14:12):
I mean it is it is an accomplishment to make
the playoffs in this league. So Congratulations to the Chucksters
and Hucksters. Congratulations to the to some CAUP Ponies. Congratulations
to the Adams family, to Pete Kirtner, Adam Pike, and
the Luke Walton All Stars. Also congratulations to me and
Caleb for securing those first round byes by finishing first second.

(14:34):
Caleb finished first in the regular season. Congratulations thanks as
always to everyone who played. I think what's gonna happen
is once right now, those teams are actually competing, even
though doesn't say so.

Speaker 2 (14:46):
I'm keeping track of the points.

Speaker 1 (14:47):
Whoever finished the most points they advance, and then once
we get to the next round, we'll be able to
set that up on fan tracks.

Speaker 3 (14:53):
But my apologies, this is like no Fijia Collier winning
her own one on one tournament. Yes, yeah, yes, perhaps
I always asked, hey, how what is it? What do
you think about that? I was like, I don't know,
it's kind of awesome.

Speaker 1 (15:06):
It's kind of awesome, kind of awesome. That's how I
feel every year when I make the playoffs in the
league where I devised the formula for how the scoring works.
I mean, I wouldn't even like, I wouldn't even say
I'm obsessive about it. But there's just like every now
and then you're like, man, I need a player. Apparently
Eric Gordon's not returning until the finals. For the actual

(15:26):
NBA finals, I have to drop Eric Gordon. Who should
I get? Oh my god, Lonnie Walker's back in the league.
There's my waiver claim. So uh, shout out Lonnie Walker
being my solid feeling. No, here's something that maybe all
listeners will actually appreciate about the actual NBA. And this
might be the most important thing I've ever reported on.

(15:48):
And I haven't thought hard about that claim, but I'm
gonna say it right now. Last Dave, last episode, last episode,
I think my last breaking news was the Grizzlies we're
bringing back to Vancouver throw And that was five years
ago or something. Yeah, the last episode we did, I

(16:08):
was telling you about how I'm not sure the All
Star Game stats count, like no one's sure how to
count them. And I reached out to Basketball Reference to
be like, what's the story here, and and last episode
they hadn't gotten back to me.

Speaker 2 (16:23):
They got back to me, and this kind of blows
my mind.

Speaker 1 (16:28):
Apparently the All Star Game stats from the mini tournament
on Sunday whatever they were, the ogs and the team
canvas and all whatever, none of the stats count for
the all time records, like right now, So who.

Speaker 2 (16:44):
Is the All Star Game MVP?

Speaker 3 (16:45):
Dave, I don't know.

Speaker 2 (16:49):
It was.

Speaker 1 (16:51):
Guess what doesn't count a Basketball Reference. He's not listed.
There is no All Star Game MVP listed for Basketball
Reference because, as of now, and this could change in
the future, the All Star Game stats do not count.
How many All Star Game appearances that jere Jackson Junior
have says one right now because apparently none of the
stats count for the game and the all time thing.

Speaker 2 (17:11):
Now, I think they're eventually going to go. They're eventually
going to.

Speaker 1 (17:14):
Count the appearances or whatever, but the numbers apparently have
just disappeared.

Speaker 2 (17:19):
This is.

Speaker 1 (17:21):
Bizarre to me. It also solves I mean, it also
really nails down the whole why Lebron James didn't like
play through that.

Speaker 2 (17:32):
Ankle injury.

Speaker 1 (17:34):
H Hey, Lebron, you're gonna play the Rising Stars team,
and guess what, None of your points, assists, or rebounds
count for the all time for the all time All
Star leader board. Like you're leading everything, but listen, it's
not gonna help it. It's not gonna build your lead everybody.
I mean, maybe they'll come to their senses and at
least count some of the stats. But I get I
don't know how you do it because one of the

(17:55):
games some of the All Stars played against not All Stars. Yeah,
which is probably why this None of the things are
going to count. This also goes back to the who
thought this was a good idea. I know it. The
teams to play hard, I know it. It gave us
like a single quarter of competitive basketball, which some would

(18:17):
say that's all we got in a full length All
Star game, but I'm blown away. All Star Game stats
didn't count at all. Apologies to everyone who watched it. Anyways,
those are our breakfast in bad apologies. There are plenty
of things to talk about though. There's a ton of
amazing stories going on in the NBA. Let's get to them, Dave,
right after this short break. Okay, Dave, speaking of stats

(18:46):
not counting, how do we assess Mitch Johnson's coaching record
now that Greg Popovich is not returning for this whole year?

Speaker 3 (18:56):
I mean he's he's still the head coach. You know,
the record counts for him, doesn't it because he was
named interim coach?

Speaker 1 (19:03):
Correct, no interim coaches. It always counts for uh, for
the head coach.

Speaker 3 (19:08):
Oh, I guess, fill in coach, it counts for the
head coach. I'm sure they'll go back and they'll do
an interim tag like.

Speaker 1 (19:14):
Right right now everything, because that's been always the thing
where it's like if you're an interim coach at I like,
if you're if you're just filling in, like they don't Yeah,
right now, Mitch Johnson has no coaching record in the NBA. Yeah,
But of course Greg Popovich did announce he's leaving or
he's not coming back this.

Speaker 3 (19:30):
Year, not coming back. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (19:31):
Do you think when when Popovich addressed the team to
tell him this that Steph Castle knew who he was.

Speaker 3 (19:40):
I mean, I'm sure they you know, uh, they probably
spend a lot of time together. But you know, it's
funny you talked about breaking news. Uh, Sam Emmo talked
about this on our show last week. You know that
that Pop's probably not coming back this year, and you know,
so I don't think that this is much of a
surprise to anyone. I mean, you know, obviously we're all

(20:02):
hopeful for his health, but you know, I think that
the idea that Greg Popovich is going to come back,
I mean maybe at all. Right, Like, and when you
think about when you think about the Spurs and the
position that they're in as a franchise this summer is
I mean, they can choose probably any coach on the planet,

(20:26):
and that coach will want to come and work with
the Spurs, and coach Wemby and and Fox and now Castle.

Speaker 1 (20:33):
And Cooper Flag.

Speaker 3 (20:35):
Yeah, maybe Cooper Flag and you know, and and obviously,
like my assumption is Pop would continue to work in
some capacity, you know, I mean, I that's a basketball guy, right, Like,
he's not leaving basketball, and he's definitely not going to
leave the Spurs this is not you know, Bill Belichick,
I don't. I don't think we're going to have coach
Pop go coach Kansas or something like that. So you know,

(20:59):
it's just like it like hate to see a guy
not go out on his own terms. Yeah, but yeah
the Mitch Johnson part, no.

Speaker 1 (21:08):
Clue, Yeah yeah, Greg Papa was just coaching record this
year twenty four and thirty three. So again, I don't
know how the NBA fixes that stuff. So also since
the last episode, the even bigger news, like we expected
Papovi's not coming back this year, but the huge breaking
news was wimben Yama of course has the deep veige thrombosis,
going to miss the rest of this season. The Spurs,

(21:33):
I think we thought they weren't making the They had
a very low shot of making the play in even
with women Yama playing now, of course he's going to
be out for several months. So like I understand, the
Spurs have a pretty good situation, but it's not like
you said, they can get any coach they want, which
is probably true because you have the brightest, most exciting

(21:54):
young star, even if he is dealing with this health issue.
I still don't like, I feel like the already came
off the rows of the of the Deerren Fox trade slightly.
I think when they made that trade, they were like,
all right, we're making a play and push this year.
Now we have this like supporting cast, this like b
guy next to Wimby going forward, and now it's like, eh,

(22:14):
that's okay. I guess I feel.

Speaker 3 (22:17):
Like they really.

Speaker 1 (22:18):
I feel like they really, But I mean, like, if
I consider the best number twos among playoff teams in
the West, Fox is like, eh, okay, he's not like
he's not a differentiator. I feel like they still kind
of really need to get lucky or at least even
if they do up with the ninth pick, to get

(22:39):
a big contributor because so many the other guys, like
who else on the Spurs are you like beyond Fox
and women Yama, are you like, Oh, that guy's good.
He needs to stick Like Davin Miscelle's falling off a cliff.
I mean, Kelton Johnson looks like he didn't. He's doing
better without Wimby. I don't know what that's about. Chris

(22:59):
Paul is not going to be around so hand camp. Shoot,
he's just a weirdo, but he's like a fun weirdo. Yeah,
basketball weirdo. I want to specific I don't know him personally.
On the on the court, I would call that weirdo honest,
honestly a lot like my pickup game.

Speaker 2 (23:16):
I'll be real, Uh that really odd.

Speaker 1 (23:19):
Look, everything I do is a shooter on the very well,
I think I'm a better shooter. Uh, let's say, let's
couch this correctly. Sure, how so hand is the regular
NBA players? I am a better shooter to the general
world of just like a forty year olds playing pickup?
But gotch Yeah not not not a no, not not
not a great shooter at all. Okay, Anyways, now the Spurs,

(23:41):
the Spurs are a weird team, and now with the
Wimby stuff, it's it's much more, of course, up in
the air going forward. I guess, uh, one one team
that we probably should maybe we should have led with this.
We have to give them credit is the Detroit Pistons.
I mean, you and I have had a blast all
year talking about Tobias Harris making fun of Paul George.

Speaker 3 (24:05):
Everybody called me crazy.

Speaker 2 (24:06):
Keith, you you said what did you say? No, No,
you said Tobias was better than Kate Cunningham. I think
I have that he I think I had that tape.

Speaker 1 (24:16):
I think I have.

Speaker 3 (24:18):
I might have just maybe I would have been too far.
But Kate has shown me a lot this year. I mean,
let's nice like Kate, Yeah, Kate, Kate was not this guy.
He hadn't been this guy. He had shown flashes of
being this guy. But man, the Pistons are fun. They're
their defense. It really is kind of surprising. Like the
end of the first quarter against the Celtics the other day,

(24:39):
they go on this run. I mean, part of it
is Malik Beasley is just on another planet shooting basketball,
but also like they're able to frank things up and
Astar Thompson man he and a man. I just I
refuse now to put a ceiling on what those guys
can be because they show me something weird and new,
Like they're weird but in like in they're almost like acrobats.

(25:04):
You know. I feel like I'm watching circ de Solet
when I watched the Thompson Twins play basketball in like
the most awesome way possible because they just, oh, make
up new stuff. I mean, Amen, Thompson made up a
new move the other day. I hadn't never seen it.

Speaker 1 (25:18):
Yeah, those guys are.

Speaker 3 (25:20):
You know, yeah, so there there's so much fun.

Speaker 1 (25:23):
The Pistons, I feel like, are absolutely they're playing better
than the Knicks right now. I think they I mean,
of course this used to sail on a win streak,
but like, sure, you know that win over the Pistons
was super impressive, and they're I mean, they're really doing
something and it's I don't know. Of course, they had

(25:44):
Monty Williams maybe killing the program last year, but like
even to have this all be accomplished after the Jaden
Ivy injury, it's just really remarkable.

Speaker 2 (25:53):
A lot of the credit, of course, is going to
Kate Cunningham.

Speaker 1 (25:56):
Kate Cunningham is the betting favorite for Most Improved Player,
which I.

Speaker 3 (25:59):
Feel like, I don't like that.

Speaker 1 (26:00):
I don't like it because it's like, we know he
was good, Like why why not Malik Beasley, right, I mean,
Milike Beasley has been signing.

Speaker 3 (26:10):
You just can't get that award for some reason, even
though that's what the award should be for, you know,
like a guy like I'm surprised that we haven't heard
more on is like Austin Reeves for most Improved right,
that guy, even that guy, and he's young. But Austin
Reeves a little bit further in his career.

Speaker 2 (26:27):
He considered or he should not mabey.

Speaker 1 (26:30):
Austin Reeves destroyed my Grizzlies in the playoffs like two
years ago. You know, I'm already like that. That guy
was already there. People were calling Austin Reeves, like, I
don't know, untradable two years ago. So for me, that's
like if you were already called untradable by your fan
base with like Cay Cunningham fits into that and I'm

(26:51):
not even making fun of it, but like that's where
I'm I'm less of a fan.

Speaker 3 (26:55):
Of Cunningham is arriving on time, right, like Sea Moran one.

Speaker 1 (27:00):
Just improved it. It was stupid, right because it's like
he was he was amazing, he was already amazing.

Speaker 2 (27:05):
No one's surprised by it.

Speaker 3 (27:07):
I think is a good I like that one. That's
a good call.

Speaker 1 (27:11):
Why not Chris like Chris Dunn. Guys, I'm talking about
guys who were fringe NBA players, Guys who were waived
by teams after trades because they're like, we don't need
this guy.

Speaker 3 (27:22):
And now the time Jerome.

Speaker 1 (27:24):
Ti Jerome should win it flat out. Ti Jerome is
a guy who again Josh Hart, right, Josh Hart is
is an interesting one. So Josh Hart kind of breaks
my rule. Josh Hart is a guy we all knew
was great, but he's like borderline all star ish you
think this year, I think Josh Hart's I liked. I
liked the Josh Hart one more than Cad Cunningham. If

(27:49):
I were voting, I think I probably would go Ti
Jerome just because, like because he went from essentially like
if your team signed Ty Jerome last summer, like no
one outside or Virginia grads would have like texted a
high five to a buddy like hey Ti Droom, but
like he's awesome, He's incredible. His shooting splits are amazing. Uh,

(28:10):
he's been He's been so good. It just like that
kind of almost coming out of nowhere. For me, that's
most improved. That's what I want to see. Or what
if you even like what about like too many Kamara
who like too Many Kamara was like, if you talk
to a hardcore Blazers fan last year, you're like, oh, yeah,
he's really promising. I like him.

Speaker 2 (28:28):
He's probably a cheaper and now it's like, no, no,
he's Pippin'.

Speaker 3 (28:32):
He's Scotty, you know.

Speaker 1 (28:34):
And I watched it home. I'm like, wait, he might
be Scottie Pippin. Like he's so good. Oh it was
thinking of us like the Blazer Sorry, the Blazers are good,
like not not playoff good, but the Blazers are gonna
beat every lottery team they played the rest of the
year because they're like until they decide they don't want
to like. The Blazers are like really surprisingly solid. Billups
deserves some credit, so somebody gets credit.

Speaker 3 (28:56):
He figured it out, he figured out how to coach
man like I mean, I don't know that he was
a bad coach necessarily, but he wasn't like a good one.
I think he's turned himself into a pretty good coach.

Speaker 2 (29:06):
The Blazers are solid.

Speaker 1 (29:07):
I would love to see Tumani Kamara get some of
that most Improved love if it doesn't go to Ty Jerome. Uh,
maybe like a guy like Keon Johnson, like Keon Johnson
most improved player like he again, these are I like
the genre of player who is a cast off.

Speaker 2 (29:23):
Yeah, like when they get traded.

Speaker 1 (29:25):
They're not in the headline they were the filler and
now you're like, well that guy can actually play, by
the way, kudos to me. I think three weeks ago
I said the Nets are gonna make the play in
unless they do something drastic.

Speaker 2 (29:35):
They might.

Speaker 1 (29:36):
I mean they've been starting Killian Hayes, so I don't
know if that's a winning move, but like the Bulls stink,
the Sixers are done. The Nets will make the play
in unless again, they decide they don't want to. And
that's that, Dave is a hard decision. I'll be real,
like the honorable thing is to win. Like they're winning

(29:58):
with their developmental guys, you know, like that part of it.
You got day run sharp, going nuts and games and stuff.

Speaker 3 (30:07):
Even like Cam Johnson leaves a game with an injury
and it's like, oh no, they're still hanging with OKC.

Speaker 1 (30:12):
They're even being super chill with like Cam Johnson's minutes.
It's like Cam Johnson plays twenty seven minutes, you know,
and stuff, and it's like he's still.

Speaker 2 (30:19):
Kind of winning.

Speaker 1 (30:21):
No. I yeah, I was just I was thinking more
about that most improved player because I saw that, like
Kad Cunningham was a massive favorite, betting favorite, I'm like,
why he was already amazing. I mean he was still
He's obviously taking a leap as they've won, right, I mean,
maybe I'm looking at it now.

Speaker 2 (30:38):
Dyson Daniels.

Speaker 1 (30:39):
That's fair, Dyson Daniels, who has set the record for
deflections in a year deflections in a season, although we
only have those stats for like ten years. They just
they didn't start tracking deflections until I think twenty sixteen.
Maybe I was.

Speaker 3 (30:54):
Looking at my guy Goga's stats m trying to see
if I could make a case. I mean, I think
he is a proved so much but career highs though
in points, rebounds, blocks obviously may Go Go.

Speaker 1 (31:09):
I would argue Goga is the category of guy got
more minutes, you know, like.

Speaker 3 (31:15):
He definitely did.

Speaker 1 (31:16):
It's just a guy who was good in very limited time.
He's now getting more minutes. He's been good.

Speaker 2 (31:21):
Could Go Go not stop Steph Curry last night? Could
they not.

Speaker 3 (31:23):
Switch switch Goga stuff?

Speaker 2 (31:27):
With twelve threes and fifty six stuff?

Speaker 3 (31:29):
Man? That's like, you know when Go Go was was,
you know, getting stuck guarding Luca and Lucas just hitting
a step back, and it's like, what are you gonna do?

Speaker 1 (31:38):
Man, Yeah, there's.

Speaker 3 (31:40):
Not much you could do, Steph. Steph was.

Speaker 1 (31:44):
Could a amazing Could Jordan Poole be a most improved candidate?

Speaker 3 (31:51):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (31:52):
They want to do they want eleven games.

Speaker 3 (31:54):
It's no, no, ten games, ten games, Keith. It was one
of the questions I actually have for you, because you
know we're at like the three quarter mark of the season. Yeah,
there's like twenty one twenty two games left.

Speaker 2 (32:05):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (32:07):
Are the Wizards even gonna win thirteen games?

Speaker 1 (32:09):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (32:10):
You think someone's gonna They're just gonna run into.

Speaker 1 (32:13):
It, Dave.

Speaker 2 (32:14):
I love the post trade deadline Wizards.

Speaker 1 (32:17):
I love the Jordan Poole flanked by Chris Middleton, Marcus Smart,
Rashaun Holmes and Kolabali. They're gonna start beating teams up badly.
I think they're they're one and two. They're one and
two in the games that uh, those guys have all played.
But uh, I think it was a close loss to
the Box and they lost to somebody else last name,
Like they haven't been in Bears.

Speaker 2 (32:37):
Oh, they lost to the Blazers. Blazers are good.

Speaker 1 (32:39):
Yeah, Like I think the Wizards right now they're in
a weird spot. I like it because they have They've
comfortably locked up one of the four worst records, So like,
I think you've actually, you know, we made fun of
the what is the the breakdown the deconstruction phase. They
haven't even begun the build up phase and they're But
I do think now, I think I think there's value.

(33:04):
This is very subjective. My opinion is there's more value
in developing a guy like Bub Carrington and Kashawn George
to actually get reps in games with NBA veterans where
the game is on the line. I think that's way
more valuable than just saying Bub, go play forty minutes
in a meaningless basketball game. I think having Bub coming

(33:25):
off the bench and actually playing, hey, we're down by
five to the Blazers with three minutes left.

Speaker 2 (33:30):
Now koolboys in the game.

Speaker 1 (33:32):
My opinion, that's way more valuable than just saying, hey,
we're resting Marcus Smart in Chris Middleton and we're giving
the rookies forty two minutes.

Speaker 2 (33:42):
Go do it.

Speaker 3 (33:43):
They're doing in Charlotte, what a mess.

Speaker 1 (33:45):
Charlotte is an abomination.

Speaker 3 (33:47):
And the thing is, you know, we actually, I at
least had some hope for Charlotte because I think Charles
Lee is going to be a really good coach. Obviously,
new ownership started out the vibes were pretty good with
this team, but man, oh what a disaster that's turned into.
They just have quit.

Speaker 1 (34:06):
I do you remember a.

Speaker 3 (34:07):
Bunch of teams have quit by the way, Keith, not
just the Hornets, but for a young team to quit
is kind of weird.

Speaker 2 (34:14):
So I don't know about quit.

Speaker 1 (34:17):
I mean them beating the Lakers was their super Bowl, Yeah,
and then they just shut it down after that. It's
so funny because, like I've spelled out how like Mark
Williams is a guy who I've seen him play more games.
I think I've seen most of the last three Hornets
games randomly, and and like I said on last episode
of like Mark Williams has played eighty games, I bet

(34:40):
I've watched seven of them, because like, why am I
watching the Hornets who were thirty games under five hundred?
You know in one of the random times that Mark
Williams has suited up over the past three years. But
I've been actually watching the Hornets, and I remember weeks
ago we were answering a listener question about players we
don't enjoy watching and I'm like, I don't enjoy watching
LaMelo ball. I hate it. I don't get it. And

(35:02):
I know, like rod Rye said that he threw like
an off the backboard pass to himself, and.

Speaker 2 (35:06):
I'm like, that's cool, all right, that's cool.

Speaker 1 (35:08):
But the games he's played in in the last week,
he hasn't played them all. But of course they set
the NBA record for the largest point differential negative point differential.

Speaker 2 (35:17):
Over three games. They lost by fifty, then they lost.

Speaker 1 (35:19):
By forty, and I'm watching LaMelo launch the most ridiculous
three points, which is what he always does, and then
he doesn't run back on d His guy, Zach Lavine
is like contesting the ridiculous LaMelo three, and then Zach
Levine's getting a runout layup because LaMelo's not running back.
And I'm like, that is just that's basketball cancer, man.

Speaker 3 (35:40):
Like, I don't structure in that place. Man, If a
guy can get away with that with playing like that, yeah,
there's just no structure. I think LaMelo is the guy.
I think LaMelo is gonna get traded.

Speaker 2 (35:53):
I mean, would he get hooked up to some kind
of basketball rejuwe a nation competitiveness machine.

Speaker 3 (36:03):
I mean I think traded. I think he would be
a guy that that coaches and GMS. Coaches would would
hate it, but GMS would say, we can fix them.
We can get him to buy in, we can get
him to do this, you know what I mean. Now,
whether that's true or not, I don't know. The thing
is the guys. I mean, you can't deny that he's talented, sure,

(36:25):
but but you got to be serious also. I mean
not to I'm not carrying water for the Mavericks here,
but like that's a real thing. Like if they're concerned
about the way a guy carries himself as far as
how he treats his body and you know, all those things,
you have to be a professional basketball player, Like you
actually have to be the professional part too. I think
Wamelo's is clearly not doing that. But just no accountability

(36:49):
in Charlotte, man, Yeah, Like think about it, what are
you playing for? If you're a LaMelo, what are you
playing for? Who cares? They don't want us to win? Well,
you know, like so why should I go back on defense?
And again I don't want to defend it because it
goes against my own sort of like principles on competitiveness but.

Speaker 1 (37:09):
I certainly that is you make a good point where
like you can't. You can't trick the players into being like, oh,
we really wanted you to win this basketball game. Yeah,
like they see what you're doing, even if they're giving
a use off Nurkic d MP without even announcing it.

Speaker 2 (37:28):
We have fantasy basketball playoffs.

Speaker 1 (37:29):
People are in we have a negative fan people are
rostering use if Nurkic.

Speaker 3 (37:33):
He's important. Yeah, I mean, who's the negative fantasy MVP
front runner right now?

Speaker 1 (37:40):
Oh? I wish you would have told me.

Speaker 3 (37:41):
I should have asked you during the fantasy segment.

Speaker 1 (37:45):
Yeah, I could. I could have looked it up. I mean,
it is usually the the the top score with this
combination of inefficient shooting, lack of assists and steals and blocks,
and also his high foul numbers. Yeah, I don't actually know.
I'll try. I'll try to. No, I can know.

Speaker 2 (38:05):
Here we go, Here we go, Here we go. I'm
looking up right now, all.

Speaker 1 (38:08):
Players, let's see most points. Oh wait, I'm in the
I'm in the wrong league. This is good radio. Here
we go, all players searched by points.

Speaker 2 (38:26):
Oh, this is great, Dave.

Speaker 1 (38:29):
This actually leads nicely into a listener question. The number
one scoring negative Fantasy player, Dylan Brooks is second. Using
our formula that assigns points based on missed shots, fouls, UH, turnovers,
and minutes played. Kentavious Caldwell Pope is number one is

(38:52):
number one. I would like to say again kudos to me.
I sort of called it. Not that Contavious Callwell Pope
has been bad, but in the preseason when you signed
the Contavis called Well Pope. I I gotta take the
tape on that too. I feel like I said, was
he an average seven points a game?

Speaker 3 (39:09):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (39:09):
I said, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 (39:12):
Gary Harris also a really good player who I had
to drop from my team. Let's do a uh, let's
do a top ten one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,
nine ten, top ten highest scoring negative Fantasy players in
my league, and then we'll answer a listener question. Number
ten Lou Dort number nine. This hurts me to Bondi Kamara,
number eight, Blall Coolbali, number seven, key On Johnson. These

(39:33):
are all my most improved players. Number six my guy
who's on my team, bub Carrington. That was my first
round draft pick. On number five, Kashawn George. Number four,
Josh Green of the Hornets. Number three, Jalen Wilson has
been doing work. He didn't even start the year in
the rotation I don't believe for the Nets. And then
top ten Dylan Brooks and Contavious called well Pope. Anyways, Dave,

(39:56):
let's answer our listener question. This is the croissant question.
Nah any questions? Yes? Are you going to finish that quass.

Speaker 3 (40:10):
Knock yourself out, all right?

Speaker 1 (40:18):
Dave Mitchell Buchanan wants to know how would you split
up the blame? What percentage of blame would you assign
for the Orlando Magic this year? I assume he means
that they're not great. Yeah, so we're dividing up the
percentage of blame between Jamal Moseley injuries, talent just not

(40:44):
good enough, and poor team construction, parentheses, not enough shooting.
So we got Jamal Moseley injuries, talent just not good enough,
poor team construction. I feel like three and four are
very similar, but maybe not talent versus team construction. Okay,
they can be well.

Speaker 3 (41:02):
I think talent. Maybe we're we're saying the top end
talent isn't isn't good enough to be a rising tide.
And then maybe roster construction is that the pieces around
that talent don't maximize on it. I kind of get
that right. So how would you would say, Well, I go,
injuries first, they have been just it and the Jalen
Suggs injury has been the one that's been the worst

(41:23):
for them. But so I put that at man, that's
like fifty percent. I mean, if these guys are healthy,
we've seen it, they're they're at least better than this.
But then I would go, I mean, it gets tricky
for me because I think you've got the other three
are almost equal. Jamal Mosley doesn't have like the offense there,

(41:43):
there's not much of one. But part of that is
because you've got these person the personnel that are going
to dribble the leather off the ball in Polo and Franz,
so like part of it is the personnel itself. But
then also Polo is not like some number one guy
who's going to be a rising tide for the rest
of them, and Franz is not good enough to be

(42:06):
number one guy. And we again we've seen it. No Sugs,
they've they've not been good. So I would almost split
the last fifty percent to injuries, but then fifty percent
to those other things, like just split almost evenly. Whatever
that is. Here's a here's a weary team.

Speaker 1 (42:24):
Question that popped in my eyes. If you were the Spurs,
would you be interested in trading Jaron Fox for either
Franz or Paolo Benkaro.

Speaker 3 (42:37):
I mean, for Franz, I would consider it just because
I think that like ball handling, point guards, I feel
like you can find those a little bit easier these
days than wing. Yeah, then a then a big wing
who can handle it. And if this, if his shooting
is is going to really like stick, you know, that's

(42:57):
that's a that's a guy that you'd rather have, I think,
but Powlo is there are issues. I think with Powlow
as your number two guy, You've got to get him
to buy into like a real secondary role like I'd
love to see, like when Suggs comes back. I think
those guys they all played better with Suggs.

Speaker 1 (43:16):
Yeah, I feel like last year, last year, Paolo ben Caro,
most Magic fans and general NBA fans, you would think
this is one of the handful of guys you would
want to start your franchise with because he showed all
of that this year hasn't been as good, and this

(43:37):
is sort of just the way it goes with the
progression of NBA players, Like, oh, wow, this rookie's amazing
second year gets better as an All Star, You're like,
this might be one of the best guys you can
build around. We'll call this the Scottie Barnes thing. And
then after the third year, the fourth year, you're like, oh,
probably a two, you know, like a number two on
a really good team. The reason for the Spurs were
I thought getting a player like darreon Fox feels easier

(44:00):
to me in the getting a player like either Franz
Wagner or Paula bencro I like that pairing with Wimby
more if I'm the magic I don't think they would
do it. But also like their roster construction is so odd. Yeah,
where it's like you just need the guard anyway, that
popped in my head.

Speaker 3 (44:19):
Vi'ro Orlando though, I think sugs, Franz and Goga. You
look at what those three do when they're on the
court together. That's been the most successful trio for this
team this year, and the other pieces that the way
they fit in around it is a little bit funky,
But when those three have been on the court, those
guys have been pretty good. So injuries has been big though.

(44:43):
Man for for two your two best guys to get
the exact same abdominal injury, it's just so such a
freak thing, you know.

Speaker 1 (44:51):
Going back to Mitchell's question, though, if we're splitting up
the blame, I feel like we do have to set
up the what's the rubric or like, what's what's the
X victation of how good?

Speaker 2 (45:01):
What are you talking about?

Speaker 1 (45:02):
Like are you talking about why didn't they or why
aren't they going to win forty six games? Or why
aren't they going to be like a fifty win team
be even better? And I didn't expect them to be
that good. I thought they were more like a mid
forties win team again because they did not noticeably upgrade.
They're outside scoring, their outside shooting, their guard play. So

(45:24):
for me to answer the question the blame for why
the Magic are under five hundred as opposed to five
or ten games over five hundred, I'm gonna go like
just eighty five percent injury. I'm gonna go zero percent.
Jamal Moseley, I'm gonna go fifteen percent. The talent or
and or poor team construction. They did need shooting, they
desperately needed shooting, and it does feel getting a better

(45:48):
Gary Harris, which is what they did in Contavious Caldwell Pope, Like,
could that have been enough money to pry free a
Malik Monk who was a free agent last year, you know, Beasley,
or to go get them Elik Beasley. Yeah, that's a
good one. Who knows what Beliek Beasley would have done this.

(46:08):
Maybe he's been a benefiting from the gravity of Kate
Cunningham a lot, But yeah, I don't so, I don't.
I think it's all injuries for the Magic. If they
had if Jalen Sugs have been playing, if Franz and
Paulo hadn't missed a ton of games, I think they
would be on pace to win forty five forty six games, which.

Speaker 3 (46:25):
Is probably maybe forty five. Thing is, when you think
about it, this this recent drop off, it's been just
since the Sugs injury. Before that, they were you know,
like the four seed I mean or the five seed.
They've been better than this in the season. But I
just I do think that with the injuries they have,
like they just don't have a system. They don't have

(46:46):
a system to help cover for when guys are missing.
They don't have the pieces that are like, oh, hey,
you know what, we don't have sugs to serve the drink,
but we have all this shooting. Yeah, right, Like they don't.
They just don't have that.

Speaker 1 (46:57):
So, I mean, even some of the life, like many
blacks had a pretty good step forward campaign.

Speaker 2 (47:03):
Where it's like yl right, that guy's okay, but yeah,
they just don't.

Speaker 3 (47:06):
Have Yeah he got lit up by Steph.

Speaker 1 (47:08):
I mean, they're the second rate defense in the NBA.
They're twenty eighth in offense. They just had no offense
and that's it. It's not I mean, and it also
was very predictable, so that that's exactly what we were
all anticipating from this year. Anyways, thanks for the question, Mitchell.
If you guys out there want your question to be
answered on air or as part of the monthly bonus episode,

(47:31):
you can sign up over at patreon dot com slash
Fast break Breakfast. Also, if you sign up, you can
join the listener slack. You can also join the Negative
Fantasy League next season. Patreon dot com slash Fast break Breakfast.
All right, Dave, it's now time for the awards segment
of the program, the International Stackhouse of Pancakes Award, given

(47:54):
to the worst performance in a box score. I'll say, Dave,
it's been nine days since last episode, so of course
we have a lot of people to could go.

Speaker 2 (48:02):
Over, but specifically these nine days, it's.

Speaker 1 (48:05):
Out of control. There's just too many. I don't know,
since the All Star Break has been I mean, I
want this is one. I want some of those stats
people who make their own grafts online.

Speaker 2 (48:14):
I want.

Speaker 1 (48:14):
I'm actually gonna see if I can commission somebody to
be like, hey, what percentage of horrible shooting games occur
throughout the NBA season?

Speaker 2 (48:22):
Is there a yearly spike after the All Star Break?

Speaker 3 (48:25):
Maybe there is, like everybody comes back heavy, there are
a lot.

Speaker 1 (48:28):
I'm just gonna read it off a bunch of nominees. Thankfully,
there's a clear winner so we don't have to worry
about it.

Speaker 3 (48:33):
So there's gone.

Speaker 1 (48:34):
There's a no, no, no, not actually bothered way. I
think bogged on Madel made my list.

Speaker 3 (48:38):
He had a one of twelve from three game.

Speaker 1 (48:41):
Oh yeah, but his other sets, I think we're all right,
here's my list. This is just on Thursday night, just
on Thursday night. Honorable mention, because like we were gonna
record on Thursday morning, you didn't feel well went on Friday,
so I'd already made my list up all for Thursday morning,
just on Thursday night. Nas Read one for ten, Najie
Marshall one for eleven, Luca six for twenty, Michael Porter
Junior five for twenty two.

Speaker 2 (49:01):
In the previous eight days before that, PJ.

Speaker 1 (49:03):
Washington over nine, Kishon George one for eleven, Jeremy Grant
and Alec Burks one for twelve, Desmond Bain and Damian
Baugh two for thirteen, Darren Fox three for sixteen, Tyler
Herro four for nineteen, James Harden five for twenty two.
Here's the three nominees. As we narrow it down again,
there's gonna be a clear winner. Lowry Markinen, who played
a basketball game. Good job, Lowry, Larry market and in

(49:25):
a loss to the thunder was two for fourteen, five points,
four rebounds, one assist, one steal, one turnover, two personal fouls.
James Harden in a loss to the Pistons five for
twenty two eighteen points, twelve rebounds, five assists, one still
seven turnovers and two personal fouls. But then Jordan Clarkson,
in a loss to the Kings, one for fourteen. There

(49:46):
you go, one for fourteen, two points, six assists, no rebounds,
two steals, three turners, one personal foul. Jordan misses first
thirteen shots. I was getting excited.

Speaker 3 (49:55):
That's impressed.

Speaker 1 (49:56):
I was like, can we get our can we get
the over seventeen? Can we get the worl it's first
over eighteen? But no one for fourteen? Jordan Clarkson the
world's well, have we never had one?

Speaker 3 (50:07):
The NBA Luca missed ten straight shots last night, By
the way.

Speaker 1 (50:12):
Because he likes beer too much, according to the Mavericks
and Hookah. Anyways, congratulations, I'm calling it. Jordan Clarkson one
for fourteen winning this week's International Stackhouse of Pancakes to
close out day of a couple of things. The Clippers
had lost seven straight games that Norm Powell had missed.

(50:33):
They finally won. They beat the Bulls Norm Powell most
improved Player. How does that?

Speaker 2 (50:37):
How does that feel for you?

Speaker 3 (50:38):
I mean maybe, yeah, like I like that. I know again,
I like the guys that have just been around for
a while. I think part of the things with Norm though,
has just been an opportunity.

Speaker 1 (50:47):
He's more of a opportunity plus having a good year. Yeah,
Norm has been I think eighteen to twenty point scorer
throughout his career, so this is just like, oh, he's
kicked it up a few.

Speaker 3 (51:00):
Is also one of the cooler players to watch play, Like,
his game is, Oh, he's so good, He's amazing.

Speaker 1 (51:08):
He's one of those guys who, you know, like a
lot of scorers, a lot of guys with really high
true shooting percentages. You're like, that's incredible, this shooter, you know,
like like a guy like Desmond Bane and you're like, oh,
she's fifty percent. And then you watch the games, you're like,
like a third of his shots are layups because he's
beating guys off the triple. Norm like hardly ever gets layups.

(51:28):
He's like a fifty percent guy just just dropping jumpers.

Speaker 3 (51:31):
It's all just he got a great jumper. Yeah. Yeah,
I love to watch him play. I wonder what it
would look like. I mean, you know, if Norm was
in you know, maybe with a guy just who was
a little bit more of a collaborative type player like
Harden is great, and I think Harden is a is
a talented passer, but it's not like he's out there
running around Like what if Norm Powell played with Steph

(51:53):
kurtr I mean, obviously everyone benefits from that, but man,
I feel like Norm would just blow up in that situation.
But he's a guy that just needed an opportunity like this.
But I don't know what is most improved. Is it
about production or is it about what I see with
my eyes?

Speaker 1 (52:09):
Do you remember when Norm Powell got traded for Gary
Trent Junior?

Speaker 3 (52:14):
Crazy?

Speaker 1 (52:15):
Norm Powell is like two years older or three years older.
You can't have these twenty nine year olds around. They
don't fit our timeline.

Speaker 3 (52:22):
Yeah, to death, Keith.

Speaker 1 (52:26):
But also so maybe an argument for Norm Powell using
my totally made up yeah standard sure is the uh
three years ago, it seemed like anyone could have traded
for him.

Speaker 2 (52:35):
Anyone could have had Norm Powell. Yeah, who wants to
pay them off?

Speaker 3 (52:40):
Beasley? Right? Yeah? Right here?

Speaker 2 (52:41):
I mean he was the minimum dude on the Bucks.

Speaker 1 (52:44):
Yeah, I like Malik Beasley is most improved. But then
you remember back to Maleague Beasley on the the Nuggets.
It's like, how are they going to pay this guy?
He's gonna be a twenty million dollars a year guy
because he's an eighteen point per game, forty three point shooter.

Speaker 3 (53:00):
Well, he was benefiting, you know, from the Jokic stuff,
and then he goes to Minnesota and it's not as good.

Speaker 2 (53:05):
So not now a bones Hiland's gonna do that.

Speaker 1 (53:08):
He's gonna follow that same, that same path you got
ya bones Highland ending up on the Timberwolves. No, uh, Dave,
the Suns are done. I thought the Sons would be
really good this year.

Speaker 3 (53:19):
I why why, why wouldn't they be Their starting center
was gonna be.

Speaker 2 (53:26):
They and Kevin Durant. Here's the thing.

Speaker 1 (53:31):
We made fun of the Bradley Beal transaction because it
was a terrible choice. It was the last gasp and
like that was your last gasp, you use it all
up for Bradley Beal.

Speaker 2 (53:42):
Bradley Beal.

Speaker 1 (53:44):
Playing good. Yeah, speaking of a guard who shoots fifty
percent from the field. I mean the Sons have left.
I think they've lost ten of twelve. They lost ten
of twelve with their guys, with their guys, I don't
I don't understand how a team with Devin Booker and
Kevin Durant and just competent NBA players around them.

Speaker 2 (54:07):
Right, this is not a This is not like these
are nobodies. This is not them trying out was it who?

Speaker 3 (54:15):
Like?

Speaker 1 (54:15):
Is it Colin Gillespie? They tried out Gillespie last night
a little bit. I'm not here, I'm not even looking
it up. I'm not sure what his first name is.
There was a there was a guy playing last night.
I'm like, wow, they're they're really struggling trying to find
a guy who can play. And it was like, but
like Tias Jones has been disappointing, Grayson Allen's been disappointing,
but like they're competent NBA players. Royce Royce knows a

(54:38):
competent NBA player. You've had Bradley Beal over the last
like month and a half. Bradley Beal's like afaging twenty
three points per game, shooting.

Speaker 2 (54:47):
Fifty five percent.

Speaker 1 (54:48):
They I know, I know he misses a few games
every now and then, but like this come down comes
down to for me, like Booker and Durant, what do
you what are y'all doing? I don't care if you're
trying out Bowl Bowl or use off Nurkic or Mason
plum lee, you're competent enough players.

Speaker 2 (55:06):
I'm I'm I'm stunned.

Speaker 1 (55:07):
I mean, I know if they were in the East,
they'd be comfortably in the play in you know.

Speaker 3 (55:11):
So like just the fact that they're having open conversations,
where like KD is like, well, okay, yeah.

Speaker 1 (55:17):
So you know, I'm going somewhere else this summer, right,
But he didn't want to come to Memphis at the
trade deadline.

Speaker 3 (55:22):
He didn't want to go to the world. And and
by the way, like I think like his explanation, which
I did not seek out, but it has found its
way to my eyeballs. His explanation actually is fine, Hey,
you know what, I don't want to move. Yeah, and
he's Kevin Durant. So if he gets to say that,
then great, I understand it.

Speaker 1 (55:41):
You know, he doesn't technically have to move just right.
He could commute from Phoenix.

Speaker 3 (55:47):
He could commute from me Phoenix. You got ye forty
five minute flight to LA I guess yeah.

Speaker 1 (55:54):
But you know, anyways, with that, Dame, I think we
could be done. Oh you have any rookie, the your thoughts,
this is the this is.

Speaker 3 (56:01):
The Okay, I have some thoughts on this thought is
that at this point, it's gotten kind of sad.

Speaker 1 (56:08):
Yeah, do you know what I mean?

Speaker 3 (56:09):
Like, because when you think about it, it's you know,
I've seen a lot of people start saying Stephen Castle. Uh,
obviously Jalen Wells. I just don't really know, you know
what I mean, because usually, like I feel like we
have someone who really stands out, and this year, the
only guy who really stood out in my opinion, I

(56:30):
thought Jared McCain stood out for the brief amount of
time that we we got with him, right, And other
than that, it's been like a flavor of the week
sort of thing, which has kind of been nice because
all the a lot of these guys have gotten a
lot of shine I think this year. But I don't
think I can pick one. I don't know. I'm gonna
have to dig in and look at me, which I

(56:51):
don't necessarily like it.

Speaker 1 (56:52):
And if he had just played, like if he played
seven more games, I feel like, if it was thirty games,
you could be like, Okay, fine, let's give it to him.

Speaker 2 (57:00):
He's clear he was clearly.

Speaker 3 (57:03):
No.

Speaker 1 (57:03):
No, that doesn't account for rookies. Rookies, he doesn't, so
so Rookie of the Year we're saved there and so
like so like part of it. It's like Jared mcame
is clearly the best guy, but then you know he
got hurt and he hasn't played that at all. I'm like,
I'm partly deeply offended on behalf of Jalen Wells because

(57:23):
it's like, does winning not matter? Not only has he
not missed a game this year, he started fifty four
games for the.

Speaker 2 (57:30):
Two seed in the West.

Speaker 1 (57:32):
Yeah, he plays, he guards usually the other the other
game is best player. He's made the most three pointers
of all the rookies he's on. He's second in scoring.
It's like, why is it not obviously him? Mm hmmm,
because like Steph Castle, like their team's bad, you're not
even starting anymore, I think, but he's I don't I
don't think he's gonna win it if if winning doesn't matter,

(57:54):
like I mean, Isaiah Collier's coming on strong, like the
Jazz are playing him a lot. But it's always just like, oh,
this guy got some minutes. Killel Ware got some minutes
for like a couple of.

Speaker 3 (58:05):
Weeks he was he was at the top of the ladder.

Speaker 1 (58:09):
For me, it should be like listen, Jayalen Wills is
starting for a great playoff team and he started all year. Yeah,
and he and like he scores enough, he's average I
think eleven points per game. Yeah. But also again it's
not clear cut, and it's still like, eh, this is
gonna be the weirdest.

Speaker 3 (58:25):
It is weird. It's weird. I mean, defensive play of
the Year is going to be weird. In my opinion
at this point, I think.

Speaker 1 (58:35):
I honestly think it's gonna be Evan Mobley because I
think there is a general impression or there's a feeling
that I can't even push back against among the people
who vote for these things, where they would say something like,
and I say it, like these are our peers. It's
so weird. It's so weird being a basketball fan. And

(58:56):
when you're a kid or you're younger, you're like, oh,
whoever who votes on these things?

Speaker 3 (59:00):
Who votes? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (59:00):
Yeah? And now it's like it's just it's people like
you and me, it's people we know. I talk to
these people who they're the ones who actually.

Speaker 3 (59:07):
Vote on it, and I could vote on it, and
I know.

Speaker 1 (59:09):
If I feel this way that I'm sure they do.
I think you look at a Jared Jackson junior, and
you're like, should he be a two time defens A
Player of the Year. You know, like there's some of
that historical thought where you're like, that feels kind of
weird to me, And I honestly.

Speaker 3 (59:25):
I'm glad you think about it that way, because I
think it's important to add the narrative context of all
this stuff.

Speaker 1 (59:30):
That's how we get the wrong MVP some year, That's
how we end up not giving it to Yokichigen or
Michael Jordan.

Speaker 2 (59:36):
Again, Like, I think this year.

Speaker 1 (59:38):
You're gonna look at the Calves and what they've done,
and they're gonna get some awards, and I think Evan
Mobley's probably gonna win it because he's a deserving player.
And I literally think the tiebreaker for a lot of
people is going to be Jared fouls a lot. Is
he really a two time devons A Player of the
Year this early in his career? And I'm like, that's
totally fair because it was Wimby's award. Even if the

(01:00:00):
Spurs stink at defense. Spurs are horrible at defense and
they're not that much better when Wimby's on the court.
But yeah, he blocks a preposterous number of shots, and
like the Hawks are no good at defense despite the
fact that Dyson Dames gets all those deflections.

Speaker 3 (01:00:15):
So like, what if Dyson Daniels want it? That's what
I'm saying, Like, what if he won it?

Speaker 2 (01:00:20):
I don't know that. I don't know the right answer.

Speaker 1 (01:00:23):
I know, I know Jaren is a fantastic defensive player,
spectacular defensive player. So is Evan Mobley, and I know
if you combine steel and block stats, it looks better
for Jaron. The Grizzlies has a team have taken a
slight dip recently in defense, but they're still a top
ten defensive team. They're an amazing defensive team when Jaren's
on the court. Like, I'm gonna understand it if some

(01:00:46):
voters like I'm talking about the history of the NBA,
and when I talk about the last five years, I'm like, oh, yeah,
Jared Jackson junior, two time Devens Player of the Year,
it feels a little weird.

Speaker 3 (01:00:55):
So I get that. And honestly, individual awards I think
are going to be tough to come by for for Cleveland,
you know, and so this is one they can toss
their way.

Speaker 2 (01:01:05):
Ye Anyways, thanks everybody for listening.

Speaker 1 (01:01:09):
If you want to support this program, do that at
patreon dot com. Slash fast break Breakfast. Remember breakfast is
the most important thing.