Tiers of the West: Contenders, Climbers & Pretenders (25-26 Conference Preview)

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
What's good. Everybody is your boy cal game Face Lee.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
And it's me Warrenshaw and we are officially live on
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Speaker 1 (00:30):
Absolutely so be sure to go to millions dot COO
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is the Baseline discussing the hot button topics of the NBA.

(00:51):
Welcome everybody, your tune to the Baseline Cali Warrenshaw discussing
the hot button topics of the NBA and this is
our twenty twenty six NBA Western Conference. Leave you. As always,
we love to get everybody geeked up and ready for
the upcoming NBA season which is gonna take place. And
I don't we can half time for so you know, like,

(01:14):
this is it, man, this is when we get it
popping Jeff fresh off of a great, great, great preview
of the Eastern Conference with our special guest Dan fa
Volley of Hardwood knox Man. So, now Shaw and I
take over the ship and we guide you right into
the Western Conference. With that being said, I'm rolling out
the red carpet to my right hand man www dot

(01:35):
Shaw Sports dot net, Big of ounipeon see my brother
from another mother, mister Warrenshaw, repping out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
What's good the Warrenshaw? Are you ready to talk about
the Western Conference?

Speaker 2 (01:48):
I am my guy, and you know, nice to be
in a more familiar setting for me talking hoops, talking
hoops with you in this space. Having a lot of
fun here with the Western Conference. But as you look
to Eastern Conference preview was doing really good on our
YouTube channel, to make sure you check that out with
Dan Favali does a major job over a Bleach Report
and his ozon podcast Hardward Knocks. Uh. But yeah, brother,

(02:08):
this is going to be an interesting one and you
know to give everybody like the lay of the land. Uh.
We basically both part forth our rankings and then commulatively,
we more or less then have to read rank based
on our our individual scores. So my opinion ranks ranked
team up. CL's opinion might have ranked the team up.
And I was really the Debbie Downer.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
With this ven diagram. This thing bro shout out to
the venn diagram. Uh we man, we we really put
emphasis on where the circles meet.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
There's gonna be some people who pissed. The're gonna feel
like we're disrespecting their teams. But you know, to to
kind of air quote you know, kendrect, somebody got to
do it and then somebody cannot. We can't all be
playoff contenders. And so that's what's going to come forth
here and there. What's the conference?

Speaker 1 (03:00):
And so that means Sean that you are prepared for
quite the litany of the old head comments or you
old cats don't know what you're talking about, or you
old heads be living in you know what I'm saying,
be living in the past. Come come to the future
right like I love it, you know what I'm saying,
Because that's the first thing that comes to mind that

(03:20):
anybody who doesn't really have anything I want to say,
not the words significant, but doesn't want to contribute to
the conversation of the argument, like you know what I'm saying,
Benjamin Button me br bring me up to speed on
where your logic and mentality is at that My mentality.

Speaker 2 (03:35):
Is so but you you get into these things without
giving context. So okayday, no one's going to know that
somebody called us old heads.

Speaker 1 (03:44):
On one of our Everyone calls us old heads when
they don't like what we have to say.

Speaker 2 (03:49):
That's so they see a little grand the beer and
it's like automatic, maybe you gotta thil the insults instead
of having like, hey, let's have a dialogue about it.
I will say from that specific comment, they kind of
did come back and just say, hey, you guys seem
like smart, intelligent guys, etcetera. So you know, full context,
come come full circle.

Speaker 1 (04:07):
I'm not and I see. This is why you're the diplomat,
right I listen, I'm not choosing to call anybody out
specifically or say that they're wrong. This is you know,
instinct instinctively. The first thing that comes to mind is, hey,
I'm gonna let these cats know, right, and which is fine.
You can always educate me. I'm always open to somebody

(04:29):
arguing a point and making me rethink. But typically when
some people get on there, that's not their first initial comment.
Their first initial comment is to insult right, And if
we're not doing that to you, I would ask that
you don't do that to us. Right, We can still
agree to disagree. You can even you can have fun
and poke fun at me and talk about I have

(04:49):
no clue what I'm talking about somewhere else. But if
that is the first thing that comes out of your mouth,
then it makes me wonder, did you really listen to
everything that we had to say, Because somewhere along the line,
I guarantee you they're gonna be quoting something that we said.
They're gonna be looking back and.

Speaker 2 (05:03):
Think about it's a quote, So they get a quote,
they get a snippet on Instagram or YouTube, and again
it's delicious, And yeah, the clip is meant to babels
as for our conversation, So sometimes that's not gonna be
as positive as we'd like. You hope everybody goes to
listen to the full show to get the full context.
But again, it sparked some conversations.

Speaker 1 (05:21):
See and I love what you just said there. Shaw
It's meant to spark conversation, not controversy. See, after we
get past the co n that's when problems start happening
because people then start assuming that we're trying to clickbait
stuff we're really not. It's it's kind of ironic, like
if we were sitting in that same barbershop with most
of these dudes, you know what I'm saying, would our thoughts,

(05:42):
would our our perspective be so far out of bounds,
be so far I mean, clearly, I would not be
making most of those comments, you know what I'm saying
in the home turf of some barbershops. Again, I'll either
get my head scalped or I'll be walking in here
with a very unusual looking haircut. And you know clearly
where I was and what happened.

Speaker 2 (06:01):
So we're looking at Sharp today exactly today.

Speaker 1 (06:04):
Anyway, we got we got a great show on tap. Obviously,
Sean and I are gonna break down the Western Conference,
get you ready for this upcoming NBA scene season. As always,
we appreciate all of our listeners, young, old, indifferent, the
novice to the elite of the elite. We appreciate everybody
who chimes in listens, throws in comments, gives us perspective

(06:27):
and thought. Man, we appreciate you. This is why we've
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So as always, be sure to give my man at
the one show you can get at me a gay face.
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(07:10):
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(07:31):
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the Baseline brand. Before we get into the goods, which
is discussing the Western Conference, we got to make sure
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(08:38):
Earbuds Classic. That's Buyraycon dot com slash baseline to get
twenty percent off. Coming up, Sean, I start breaking down
the Western Conference. Don't go anywhere. Time now for the

(09:04):
baseline boys, to break down the Western Conference. And as always,
we like to start from the bottom and work our
weight up. And with that being said, everybody knows how
we do our thing. Man, we tear up these teams.
We basically classify them between the lottery teams, the playing teams,
teams in the middle of the pack, and ultimately the
teams that we think will be the contenders in the
Western Conference. So let's get right into it, sy'all. We'll

(09:27):
start off with the lottery teams. And it's interesting because
before we got on and we started, you know, hashing out,
you know, how many teams we think realistically would be
considered as lottery bound. I had maybe one or two
teams less than just simply because we understand that the
teams that we both agree on certainly will probably wind
up in that mix. Again, but we've added two additional teams,

(09:49):
and after our conversation, in my head, I'm thinking, you
know what, it's kind of logical to say that because
not everybody is going to be playing eligible. Not everybody
is you know what I'm saying right to the top,
so to speak. And so we have the Portland Trailblazer,
Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, and the New Orleans Pelicans. And
so I'll quickly start this. I want to start with

(10:10):
the New Orleans Pelicans, Shaw, because much has been said
about the new look of Zion Williamson, right, and the
fact that this is it, right, Like Joe Dumars is
up in his ear and you know, Willie Green now,
you know, he's probably gonna have a new version of
Zion Williamson to work with at his disposal. And while

(10:31):
they don't have obviously the crew of guys like McCullum
and Ingram like they've had the last couple of years
and stuff, this might actually allow Zion to flex out
a little bit and you know, get his opportunity to
shine even while having Trey Murphy and the boys alongside him.
What do you think about the idea in the prospect

(10:52):
of Zion now kind of doing this on his own,
or does it still need to come down to Willie
Green making sure that the the rest of those young
guys that came up and helped stabilize this team as
best possible last year have an opportunity.

Speaker 2 (11:06):
To eat Yeah, new one of us has a lot
of questions for me, and I think they have potential
to fight for a play in Like I don't think
they're going to be like a fifteen win team. But
all of that obviously depends on Zion's health. Right, So
if you get Zioned to play sixty five games or
something like that, in that lane, you get a healthy

(11:27):
season from Trey Murphy and Herb Jones, that's like the
starting point of their competency. Then you got a factor
in if and when the John Say Murray ultimately returns, right,
and then you know their rookie when does he ultimately play?
And Darren McQueen. You have Jordan Poole where I'm not
looking for a whole lot out of him right now,
but he had a bounce back season from the awful
season he had or watching it in the year before.

(11:49):
So there's bones of a team here that can maybe
do a little something and you know, a lot of
it's going to depend on how well they played defense,
which you know, which is the case for a lot
of teams. Nine is going to be such a lynchpin
to the overall success of this roster, almost playing like
a Yiannis type role. I think he's going to be
basically like the point forward situation because they don't have

(12:10):
a lot of play creation, especially with the John Ta
Murray not on the roster. Currently they are dealing with
the injury, so I'm not relying on Jordan Poole to
you know, be my distributor of all things. And while
Jeremiah Fears is a nice rookie and all, he's got
to learn the game. So I think, you know, play
creation is where they're going to struggle a little bit.
You also, for wonder if they have enough three point shooting.
That center rotation is going to be interesting with the

(12:31):
East Messi and Cabal Lonny and obviously McQueen as well.
But ultimately, this this Pelicans team is is not defunct,
but it just it's never been healthy. So that's why
there's no confidence to say, Okay, this is a team
that's going to be any higher than we have them
right now.

Speaker 1 (12:47):
Yeah, the one thing I think that sticks out to
Meshaw it's it's not the health of physical health, it's
I don't know you use it in being slight and pundit,
but it's the mental health of this team because they've
been injured and because they've never been whole, and because
everything still feels like incomplete And I think there's gonna
be another incomplete grade that takes place with this team,

(13:10):
because at the end of the day, Shaw, You've got
some really talented players, right, You've got a talented Jordan Poole.
You've got a talented Deontay Murray when he comes back
and he's healthy. You've got a talented Zion Williamson. Right,
But there's only one or two players that I really
believe are playing with a level of maturity and if

(13:32):
they're expected to win the amount of games that people
think they're capable of is what their talent shows you.
This is where it becomes a problem. So unless Willie
Green wills these guys to a level to blasically play
above their heads, I don't know if whether or not
we're going to really see a complete version of what
this team can be. Can look like, and given how

(13:54):
Joe Dumars has operated so far, I don't know if
he's going to be patient enough to let it all
kind of culminate and develop. I think everything is better
is basically on its last straw. I think he's going
to recognize and realize who his foundation players are gonna
be and the ones that he's gonna find expendable. And
I don't think he's gonna waste any time if he
knows that he can get value to move guys for

(14:17):
the type of players that I think resonate with what
he actually seizes the future for the New Orleans Pelicans.
So it's a really interesting space, Shaw, because I could
have been on board with the idea that the Pelicans
could go out there and win you a bunch of games.
But the immaturity and what I'm saying is not knowing
how to win, not knowing how to lead the next guy,
elevate the next guy. They unfortunately don't have that, and

(14:39):
they won't have that at the beginning of the season
because Deontay Murray isn't going to be out there. But
more importantly, I often say to myself, Deontay Murray is
a talented player, but by no stretch the imagination is
like a leader leader. I think that left him when
he's given his opportunities to go out there and play
and execute, and I think he's more of a free
type player. His position affords him that. But I don't

(15:00):
think that that's what's going to help the Pelicans, and
they don't have that. They've got some veteran play looney Alvarado,
but I don't think all of that is going to
culminate to the kind of competitiveness they're going to be
dealing with on a night in, night out basis. And
that to me is why you know, I revisited this
idea about saying, oh, it's realistic to see them more
being lotterybound. But again, a lot of this still comes

(15:21):
down to how much of Zion Williamson will you get
during this course of the season. Regardless of how much
he's slimmed down, his ability to not be able to
be available on the basketball court has been mired with injuries,
not because of lack of weights, because he just can't
stay healthy for his style of game, for his style
of point Yeah.

Speaker 2 (15:40):
So again I think just to reiterate the points, while
Elvarado is a nice you know, back up point guard
and he can give you some nice minutes. Again, he's
not an elite play creator, so some of that, a
lot of that is going to rely or come on
the onus of Zion. We know, like it's just the
injury stuff is a real situation in addition to the
three point shooting where they were like twenty fourth to
twenty fifth last year. So you take a team that's

(16:02):
bottom third and play creation, you know, bottom third in
three point shooting, and you just wonder about how they're
going to really manufacture offense. Again, a lot of that
is due to all the injuries that they have last year,
inclusively the Jatay Murray, you know, because he went down
to like what game six or something like that or whatever.
He barely played last year. So there's some things here
that they're going to ultimately need to try to figure

(16:24):
out in terms of how the manufacturer offense. But a
lot of that is going to be on the shoulders
of Zion specifically and what he's going to be able
to do and kind of like set it in Ayana's
type role for them. I'm intered to see when McQueen
gets back, he has some play creation shops. You know,
Jordan Poole, Jordan Hawkins. You have a lot of guys
who are going to be trying to, you know, try
to get some shots up. Czek Bay is also on

(16:45):
this roster. You just don't know if he's coming back,
coming back from an injury himself, what he'll be able
to contribute. So they're intriguing, but they're not trustworthy and
that's why I think a play. I think the lottery
seems safe, but they could surprise. And again, they have
a lot of interesting guys, especial when you know, when
you talk about Zion and his ability to stay healthy,
if that happens, then yeah, they should be at least

(17:05):
fighting for a playing spot. But right now I just
don't have that confidence.

Speaker 1 (17:08):
Yeah, just one thing I will note shaw watch for
Derek Queen. I'm really intrigued to see how he fares.
We're not talking about him as being like, you know,
a Rookie of the Year candidate. I think by default
he can give himself an opportunity there because if their
injuries sustained, or if Willie Green likes him at the five,
he's definitely gonna get opportunities for him to thrive and shine.

(17:29):
So I would say, if you're a Pelicans fan, pay attention.
You know, he looked really impressive in the NCAA tournament.
I was a fan of him, even though you know
they you know, he didn't go far, and we can
get as much opportunity. I think we would have wanted
to have seen him with what his skill set can
bring to the table. But I think he could be
a nice complimentary peace and I think that there's opportunity
there for him to thrive. But it really just depends

(17:51):
again on you know, where that ball lands and who
has access to and who's going to give him access
to it. So it'll be interesting to see. Let's quickly
ship shaw. I know that we often talk about the
you know, the Utah Jazz and the Portland Trailblazers in
the sense that they've been struggling teams, right. We saw, however,
last year with the Portland Trailblazers, you know, Chauncey Billups

(18:14):
figured out something and worked with what he had and
really maximize the potential of what this team looks like.
To your point, man, it's either you know, feast or
famine when it comes to this Western Conference and I
think you believe that the Portland Trail Blazers are going
to be on the bottom end of this of this
feeding frenzy, which is gonna be the play in possible situation.

(18:35):
So it's not as if to say, again, they're going
to be a struggling basketball team that can only amass
thirteen fourteen wins. However, it's just the nature of the
beast because of the competitiveness in the Western Conference. But
I was really curious from your perspective because again, you're
not gonna have Damianlula for quite some time, albeit though
you still have Jew Holiday and you've still got the
core guys. I know Scoot Henderson, you know me. I'm

(18:58):
I'm not a complete believer of him. I just think
if you have a healthy Drew Holiday, this team is
going to always be competitive. I think the rest of
the team is going to thrive with him being on
that basketball court. But where is it that you see
the Portland Trail Blazers from your perspective?

Speaker 2 (19:13):
Yeah, I mean, I think everybody love the Portland story
of the second half of last year, especially post All
Star and any Avia as well too, kind of coming
into his own and really really was able to hoop
Drew Holliday, a veteran edition who seems to be buying
into that. And we already said in our preseason kind
of our preseason conversations that this team is determined to
have a defensive identity in the Deilops mold, from fible

(19:35):
to Jeremy Grant, even Robert Williams if he can obviously
stay on the floor as well too. Klingon is supposed
to be, you know, one of the elite level rim protectors.
You know, I think I said too many Kamara as
well too, Like these are just guys who really are
going to buy in and lock in defensively, and so
for me, I just don't know if that's going to

(19:57):
be enough to be able to get them to you know,
a forty too, you know, above five hundred record to
be fighting for a play in spot and again in
a load of Western Conference. So again, great story, good
players for the most part, maybe a little limit, maybe
a little limited offensively, and I don't know where that's
going to come because like, who's the elite level guy

(20:18):
here that you want taking shots? And this is Schood.
Henderson is starting season injured, right, so he should be
back maybe November ish or you know, maybe early December.
But there's just some things here too that give me
a little bit of pause when it comes to their
offensive identity. Why I really do like what I know
they're going to be able to do defensively. How many
turnovers are they going to be able to create at
least the fast break points in scores? Like, I don't know,
can they a lot people down? I just don't think

(20:39):
they have enough scoring, especially with Drew Holiday, you know,
at this stage of his career, and there's going to
be kind of a push and pull I think between
what Shad and Sharp is and what he wants to be.
I don't think that's been fully fleshed out. He's up
for a rookie extension that they haven't offered and given
as a yet. So I think this placer seeing has
a lot to figure out offensively. That gives me the

(21:00):
security if you will to play them here in this
lotteries here, I'll despite I like this roster.

Speaker 1 (21:04):
Yeah, Look, thirty six wins, right, which is to me
pretty impressive given what Chauncey Billips has had to work with.
I think what you're now seeing is is this team
is kind of rounding out to form of giving you
something a little bit deeper than what they had the
previous year. Now it's a matter of where will these
guys begin to thrive. It seems to what your point was, Shaw,

(21:24):
from a defensive perspective, there's an identity there, there's an
emphasis of their making sure that they're going to secure
this part of it and then allow the offense to
kind of take care of itself. And I think part
of that, Shaw, is why it's so important to have
a legitimate point guard to help these guys out because
to your point, like we were just talking about the Pelicans,

(21:45):
you really don't have anybody out there just going to
be able to go out and get their own buckets.
Yet right like you know every single one of those guys,
you know, from sharp on down, you can't expect them
to go out there and get their own right And
so that's why having a jew holiday, and that's why
having a Dame Lillard I think is going to be
so important at some point during the course of the year,

(22:06):
or even just on the bench, to help Billips figure
out a way to get these guys in a position
to at least compete offensively on a night in, night
out basis. So it'll be interesting to see where the
Portland trail Blazers land real quick, shaw, are you in
the over under part of them with the thirty six wins,
you see them, you know, elevating up maybe another two

(22:28):
three wins or do you kind of see them right
where they are? You're pushing them right there?

Speaker 2 (22:32):
Yeah, I can see that certain level of competency here,
especially if Scoot gets back and is improved. So I
can see maybe two or three more wins here, but
I can't see them getting over five hundred in the west.
You can't see you can't see forty right, Like, Yeah,
I mean it's not impossible, it's just it's just it
doesn't seem likely, you know, with the offensive deficiencies. If

(22:52):
Denny Abdia is like your best offensive player and right
now we need to see if that's a real thing.
Right what he showed at the end of last year
was great, but you know, is it sustainable? Is he
really that good? And will the others like a Jeremy
Grant be willing to accept that, you know that this
guy's kind of come here and passed him in terms
of the offensive pecking order. So with Dame out like that,

(23:14):
that role for the number one guy is very much
up up in the air. And while I think she
had and Sharp would love to be able to assume
that Mantle, there's just not enough consistency from him at all,
even in terms of minutes that make me feel like, okay,
like Portland has this great offensive you know, scheme in
place that's going to be able to get them to be,
you know, over a five hundred team in the West.

Speaker 1 (23:32):
Absolutely, your tubes are based on Cali Warns show discussing
the hot button topics of the NBA, discussing the lottery
teams that we have selected or lottery bound teams selected
in our twenty twenty five to twenty six Western Conference preview.
Two more teams here to discuss real quickly. Sacramento Kings.
Want to touch on them real quick. You know, Sacramento

(23:53):
Kings to me is very interesting because when you look
at the roster right, it's like they have no busines
business being like a playing team. And for a moment,
forget the record, right, if what you saw last year
in the playoffs of the play in situation with the
Kings gave you a reason for you to feel like, damn,
you know, they there's just one player away. What are

(24:15):
they going do they basically go and complete the set
of you know, taking the Chicago Bulls roster and basically
putting them over into Sacramento. So just consider this a transfer,
right the Chicago Kings is now is now playing right,
And it's weird Shaw because I'm not trying to say

(24:36):
that that roster can't be a legitimately good roster, but
there has not been anything documented to say it's been
a successful roster. So where are we now landing on
this idea that putting them now in the Western Conference,
which was a much tougher conference for these guys to play,
they're gonna suddenly figure out away from them to get good,

(24:58):
get better because you know they're playing Doug Christie.

Speaker 2 (25:02):
Well, I mean, and this is the mean thing, right,
because you had them in the plan. My vote pushed
them down into the lottery, so they're going to be
right there on the cuss. But I think it's a
great point where that you started because if Demarta Rose
and Zach Lavine was getting you consistently into the play
in in the Eastern Conference, now you transfer that over
to the West, and yes, you have a better version.
You know, they're not the same type of player, but

(25:22):
you have a better third option if you will, in
Sabonis than you did in Vucevich in Chicago. You could
argue Sabonis is really the first option, or you know, whatever,
however you want to kind of put that pecking order
in Sacramento. But it still makes me like, all right, well,
how was that any better? Then a shooter is going
to be the lead guard here. And while there's competency
there as well too, Malik Monk, you know, still fighting

(25:43):
for sixth of the year or maybe he's got I
don't think he can start on this roster, but maybe
just pushing that decremento.

Speaker 1 (25:50):
You're so funny, Shaw, Maybe maybe Mike Brown was the
only person that really believed that he really wanted Malik
Monk to be a starter. But every single year since
since that explosion, they have found a way to suppress
Malik Monk from being a starter. It's like almost the.

Speaker 2 (26:12):
He forced into those mens last year with some injuries
and so you know, he got a taste back of
kind of like what he feels like should be his
permanent gig. But to me, while DeRozan and Levigne will
be competent, and Levine even had a bounce back season.
I think we we we talked about that, right. He
was efficient for the most part, but it just is
not equating to winning basketball, and I think that's going

(26:33):
to be even harder to translate in a very very
deep and tough Western Conference on a team that again
they're They're a little like Toronto to me, where you
like some of their players, but you don't like them together.
And I just don't know if this is us all
this even with Sabonis, and Sabonis' contract is coming up
and whether or not he's going to want to be
a King long term, Like I think that the Kings

(26:53):
are are facing a lot more questions than they have
answers for right now.

Speaker 1 (26:57):
I feel bad, and I'm gonna say this real quick show.
I really feel bad for Keegan Murray. I feel bad
for Kean Ellis. Okay, I thought that with what took place,
this was an opportunity for you to really allow your
young guys to thrive and shine right like now, because
they made this move of getting Zach Levine. Now, because

(27:19):
of this move of having DeMar DeRozan, you have basically
said that it's it's a veteran forward type of team.
And while DeVonta Sibonis is a young veteran, a lot
of what you're never going to be able to fully
see come to fruition is those guys that you basically
put on your roster, right, like, they haven't had time

(27:39):
to add that depth for you. And while there was
an opportunity for you maybe to see what Devin Carter
could give you, what Ellis could give you, you didn't
put Dennis Shrewder there. And to me, you only do
that because you've got Zach Levine and DeMar DeRozan, you
know what I'm saying. And so to your point, that's
the thing that's just kind of disheartening, Like it's it's
basically adding chaos to the chaotic and it just doesn't

(28:03):
make any sense. So I'm hoping that through all of
this that Sabonus can obviously still be a solid player. Right,
I don't know where that combination of him and and
those three are gonna come into play. I feel so
far apart rather than closer together. But the one person
I really want to to thrive from this, which I'm
struggling to see is gonna be Keegan Murray. I mean,

(28:25):
we talked so highly of him when he came out
in his rookie season, and there was so many chances opportunities.
I just felt like either they just didn't see the
confidence or maybe he just didn't see the confidence. But
now we're probably never gonna see that happen given the
way that this roster is constructed, because they're gonna need
They would have needed him a whole lot more than
I think them worrying about having Zach Lavine on this roster,

(28:47):
you know what I mean? Like that, that to me
is where I kind of fell on the on the
scale with the Kings because I'm thinking about the future
for them, and I would rather be paying more money
for someone that I know has a lot more upside
and can give me a lot more been worrying about
these veteran guys trying to rekindle the Chicago magic that
they had.

Speaker 2 (29:06):
Yeah, I agree, And Keithan Murray is somebody I think
we can add it to a list of you know,
it's the kind of the wire phrase, right, do it
or don't? We could credit a list of some of
those guys around the NBA but some of that they
don't because of maybe the situation and or the additional
talent that beens brought in by the management. So, like
you said, I think Murray's role, while he hasn't grabbed

(29:27):
the bull by the horns, so to speak, now, it's
even going to be harder to do because you have
veteran guys who are going to be taking more shots
and opportunities away from him on this team and roster
in general. And I misspoke earlier Si Bonus. You know,
he recently resigned the contract. A contract is enough, but
I think trade rumors are starting to stroll him in general.
So that's something that I think the Kings need to
figure out if they want to, you know, put forward

(29:47):
and pay him one hundred and thirty million dollars or
whatever it is he's over for the next three years,
or really like to cash in and see if they
can get some assets for him right now, while you
know his value is at least at a middle.

Speaker 1 (29:58):
Tier absolutely all right, quick quick call outs Phoenix Sons,
Utah Jazz. We had him in that mix as well
to Shaw thought about the Phoenix Sons, I you know, listen,
I didn't. I probably felt like I would have wanted
them to be in there, but I feel like this
probably is the best situation for Devin Booker because I
want to see the old Devin Booker. I want to
see Devin Booker cook. Even if he's playing next to

(30:18):
Jalen Green, that's fine. There'd be plenty of shots to
go around for Jalen Green to resurrect or you know,
resuscitate you know, his young career. But I want to
see Devin Booker cook. And I think this is a
good situation for him in Phoenix. I don't know if
it'll translate to a mass amount of wins, but I
want to see that version of him out there on
the basketball court against the better teams and him thriving

(30:40):
rather than struggling to find his identity when he was
playing with all of these other stars on his roster.

Speaker 2 (30:47):
I will say this why I'm growing a little bit
more optimistic about Phoenix. I think everybody else do is
like this is a bad team. This is a terrible
team that's going to be in the lottery. I think
the record will reflect that, but I don't think they'll
play on the court will It's gonna be to me?
I think it's gonna be a situation where they'll probably
have some you know, bad turnovers, lose games late in

(31:08):
the fourth quarter, but be competitive, you know, have a
point differential of maybe like you know, five or six
a game or whatever, but all still end up having
a pretty bad record. But they'll be mostly competitive. I
think they're gonna be maybe a little bit more like Portland,
not in terms of the win total, but in terms
of the spirit. But I still think they're gonna be
a lot to read one the less. And while Booker's
going back into that point point guard type of role

(31:30):
for for this team, and Jellen Green you know, haven't
seen very slip springly so far in the preseason. I
just I just don't know what that what that pairing
is going to look like long term, and that center
rotation is something that's very interesting for me to watch.
So I think again, Phoenix is is going to be
slightly more competitive than maybe some people are giving credit
to before credit for, but not a team that's gonna

(31:50):
be threatening to do anything serious with Western Coffin.

Speaker 1 (31:53):
Absolutely Your Tune to the Baseline, Cali warrens Shaw discussing
the hot button topics of the NBA are twenty five,
twenty six Western Conference Review coming up. We're gonna knock
out the play in teams and the teams that are
middle of the pack. Trust me when I tell you
it is much closer than the titles reflect. You don't
want to miss it. Here on the basement, we are

(32:23):
back Cali Warrenshaw Basline NBA Podcast are twenty twenty five,
twenty six Western Conference Preview. Time for us to dig
into our play in teams, and that's going to be
the LA Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Memphis Grizzlies. Now,
I said that leading into this that it may seem

(32:46):
a little bit closer than most people may realize. What
I'm saying is is that we'll be talking about the
teams that we believe are gonna be middle of the pack.
But by no stretch of the imagination are we saying
that the gap between teams that are considered playing and
teams that are considered middle of the pack, and maybe
even some of the teams that we were just talking
about as lottery, that there is going to be such

(33:07):
a wide margin. You know what I'm saying, Like, that's
how closely contested this conference rides, So Sew, let's dig in.
I want to talk about the Memphis Grizzly because listen,
we always talk about the Los Angeles Lakers, and I
think it's safe to say we know what's riding on
the success of the LA Lakers, right and obviously the
loss of Lebron for the first couple of weeks. I

(33:27):
think it's more of an impact to the Lakers' opportunities
to hang with the better teams in the Western Conference
than worrying about whether or not they become play in bound.
But I think when we talk about teams that are
playing worthy and we've been on them for such a
long time, the Memphis Grizzlies is this confusing conundrum of

(33:50):
a team where they've had talent passed through over the
last few years and for some reason have not lived
up to the potential of what the team actively have
displayed for us through certain spurts throughout the year over
the last few years. And you know, we've talked about it,
You've talked about it. It comes right back, and I'm
sure he would want it that way, But I'm even saying,

(34:13):
is it too much of a shoulder to bear? It
comes right back to Ja Morant like this, he represents
the exact definition of where I go, we go, right,
Like That's how the Memphis Grizzlies have set this thing up.
Where I go, we go when it comes to Jah Morant.
And so before we would have said with the most
confidence they're a middle of the pack, maybe even a contender.

(34:35):
Now we've got them basically as low as playing Obviously,
losing Desmond Baine is big, but is it really that
big shot that we have actually demoted this team down
to the point where they're going to be playing worthy
given the way that this roster is constructed.

Speaker 2 (34:51):
Yeah, well, as you look to it's talking about Jah Morant.
But also now with you know, competency and consistency within
the coaching, there was a disjoint man between you know,
the management, the coaching and the and the players' locker room.
And so now you know, if they're going to run
a consistent offense that better features jaw than it did
at the beginning part of last year, than great. But

(35:12):
John is also starting starting the season get injured again
and now he's week to week. Zach Edie is also
week to week after you know, having ankle surgery in
the summer. Jared Jackson Junior is also starting the season
on the self, so where you know, a week or
so away from the beginning of this and three of
their projected five starters are questionable at best, you know,
for the start of the season and then probably maybe

(35:34):
even until like maybe the first hundred fifteen games. And
in the West, that can put you, you know, two
runs blow where you think you ultimately should be, even
if if you have that talent. And that's where it
gives me a lot of pause when it comes to
what Memphis is going to ultimately be able to do.
Tijerome Shire nice, nice audition and pick up here. Expect
jenen Wells in essense to be able to take a

(35:55):
second step back up Vince Williams Junior or Greg Jackson
the second you know, like these are all competent players.
Sante al Dama even is gonna obviously you have to
play some starters miments here with some of the guys
being injured. But I'm just I'm concerned. I'm just concerned
about the overall health and their ability to really stay
competitive and more so consistent, you know within the Western Conference. Again,

(36:20):
they're not defunctive talent, your guy KCP as well too
on this on this team, is he going to have
some similar to return to form. I think we like
Scotti Pitpan Jr. Like you, Litz love a bunch of guys.
Brandon Clark is also injured. Like there's just there's just
so many things already starting from Memphis again, that kind
of gives me like, oh, this is just like the
last two years where it's just not going to turn
out for them. So playing seems again for me safe.

(36:42):
But they have the talent of the team that should
definitely be in the middle of the pack if they
can still healthy. But we're just not starting off the
season off on the right foot, So I'm not I'm
just not going to you know, hitch my wagon to
them to be a middle of the back team.

Speaker 1 (36:52):
You know, it's funny show. We could easily be talking
about them as a lottery team. That's how much it's
teetering because of the fragility of health for their main players,
for their starting roster. And I think what this comes
down to for me more than anything is we're gonna
really see if whether or not their head coach, you know, Lesalo,

(37:17):
can do what Taylor Jenkins has managed to do for
this team for the last few years. I mean, if
you really think about it, Taylor Jenkins should honestly have
his own TV show right now next to ABC NBC's
America's Got Talent, It should be Memphis Scott Talent. He
has given a lot of players that nobody is even

(37:40):
paying attention to. He has given them opportunities to thrive
and shine. Right given the way that the roster has
been always mired with injuries from their star players, everyone
has had an opportunity to step up, and everyone has
had an opportunity to fill up stat sheets, and everyone
has had an opportunity to contribute to this team collectively

(38:01):
succeeding and exceeding certain levels of expectations. And then when
the stars come in, everyone is like, what you're gonna
do right? Like, you know, seriously, like and now we're
seeing that because you have a different head coach, which
means it is gonna be a different philosophy, which means
it's gonna be different expectations about how these guys are
going to come in and contribute. We're gonna see if

(38:22):
whether or not this works, And that to me is
the part that scares me more than anything. I don't
know if they're gonna be able. You know what I'm
saying to strike the iron while it's hot twice the
same way, Because it's not that I don't have confidence
in them, it's just that I just don't know if
it resonates the same way and the logic of how
you apply and utilize your roster, the depth of your

(38:44):
roster is gonna hit the same way. Now that we're
into this coming upcoming season and we've kind of gotten
an idea of what it is that Taylor Jenkins did
do in order to get these role players to thrive.

Speaker 2 (38:56):
Yeah, Memphis starter the season off really well last year
then really just kind of hit the skids. They were
forty eight and thirty four, so you know, again two
wins from fifty and then I'll throw some things at
you real quick. They were six on offense, tenth in
defensive rating, and then six you know in net rating,
So top ten if you won three very telling categories

(39:16):
for what should be a competitive team, and that landed
them e's in the Western Conference. And I don't know
if you've said that about any other team, but that
type of pedigree in terms of the statistical output where
you'd feel like, Okay, those stats are completely disjointed from
what you saw on the on court product. Even with
the forty eight wins, right like, they didn't feel like this,
especially towards a lot of part of the sea. Then
you feel like this juggernaut team that was oh look

(39:38):
where they were top ten in those three categories. So
what do they do now? That's different, especially when they're
starting this season interreers with three starters on the bench.
I don't know, Bro, I think what you said makes
a lot more sense even now as we're talking out
like this could be more of a lottery or yeah,
more of a lottery team than a playing team right now.
But there's a lot of hope and dreams pinned the

(40:00):
focus of John Morant and if he can come back
and start to regain some of the glamour and glitz
that everybody was heaping upon him in terms of the
praise of that hey, he's the next could be one
of the next best American players, then yeah, then you're
cooking with gas. But what evidence do we have if
that's what you do the case right now? Ye?

Speaker 1 (40:16):
Most most importantly, seaw you know, listen. I've I've been
hard on Jaron Jackson Junior, right, And I've said that
while John Morant goes out on the mend, this is
Jaron Jackson Junior's team. And yet we still keep coming
back to that same question over and over and over again.
Does he feel like that's part of his team? I

(40:37):
think where there was opportunities for him to maybe find
someplace else. And I'm not saying he can't get along
with and can't ride with John Moran. I'm just saying
that I just think that we may have seen the
best of what those two can do together. If we're
talking about the Memphis Grizzlies, you know, competing and playing
with the likes of the thunder the likes of the Rockets,
the Timberwolves and stuff like that, Like there comes a

(40:59):
point where with that combination kind of wanes in itself.
We had the same conversation, We're gonna have the same
conversation with Kat and Anthony Edwards, so I think it
will be Why would it be so far apart to
think the same thing for Morent and Jaron Jackson Jr.
I just think that the way Jaron Jackson Junior plays,
how his game is suited and the way he contributes,

(41:19):
say to this basketball team, unless Lesalo figures out a
way to get him to thrive, to step up to
another level. On those moments when Morent goes down to injury,
this is a chance for Jaron Jackson Junior to play
at an MVP level. He doesn't do it. He plays good,
he plays marginally better. But then the moment Moran comes back,
Morant comes back, Jared Jackson Jr. Hides like he I

(41:42):
don't say shrivels, but his numbers and his impact don't
seem to have the same umph like when Moran is
off the floor, and I just think at some point
you gotta start questioning it. So with that being said,
let's transition to the Dallas Mavericks. Right, Cooper Flag is drafted.
You know the strike gold Right, You've got Cooper Flag,

(42:03):
You've got Kyrie, You've got Anthony Davis. Why are we
speaking less confidently about this team being a contender or
maybe more solidly as the middle of the pack team.
Why do we see them still more as a play
in And I'll let you kind of lay it out there.

Speaker 2 (42:22):
Sure, I mean, I think first and foremost is that
Kyrie is not back. He won't start the season and
maybe January, maybe February, like we don't, we don't know.
And then there's still a disjoyment between Jason Kidd and
Nico Rison and what they're saying, you know, Kyrie's ahead
of schedule and Jason Kidd like, no, he's not. So
even that, like there's just weirdness still still going on
in Dallas. I don't I don't love it. Anthony Davis

(42:43):
comes in. He looks a little heavy now. He's got
to wear you know, basically, you know, eye protection for
the rest of his career because he's had detached ret nos,
which is obviously a very scary situation. So I think
they'll still have a very good defensive identity, and Jason
Kidd has become a really good basketball coach of the
course of his career, and they'll there's a certain level
of competency that they'll be able to have on that
side of the flour. In addition with the promise of

(43:05):
Cooper Flag, but I think you know, fourteen, five and five,
you know, five and four, something like that, I think
are realistic expectations for Cooper Flag. But there are going
to be some nice where it's going to be ugly,
you know, in him getting that.

Speaker 1 (43:18):
I am a.

Speaker 2 (43:19):
Little worried now with Luca gone, because, uh, PJ. Washington
and Daniel Gafford and guys like that were quintessential guys
that were played great in a Lucas system. Kyrie when
he's returns is not Luca in terms of that level
of play creation, So they don't currently have that on
the roster. Even I think Cooper Flag is going to
be again kind of like a point forward type of situation.

(43:40):
I think those guys now become a little miscasted in
some of their roles, and I don't know if that's
going to lead to unhappiness, especially with ad now coming
in to presumably man a lot of those front court minutes.
So there could be some stuff there that you know,
makes maybe mixed for some locker room discomfort, especially in
the case of PJ. Washington has been coming off the
bench since in the end of the preseason. You know,
Derek Lively also is a guy who needs to stay healthy.

(44:03):
All that for me to say that, you know, I
think there's some decent bones here, but not enough that
makes me say this is the middle of the pack. Team.
But I think with Kyrie expected to come back to
the middle part of the season, and if he can
be you know, even eighty percent of what he usually is,
that can make this team you know, dangerous in the
latter part of the year and also makes him a

(44:23):
good a good candidate for the planned situation here in
the West.

Speaker 1 (44:25):
I'm speaking like I'm as if I'm like a fantasy
basketball you know commentator here that the Mavericks getting Cooper
Flagg I think will pay dividends not this year, but
next year, because if you really think about it, if
if the Dallas let's say, if the Dallas Mavericks had
won the championship right a couple of years ago, they

(44:48):
would have said, man, we wouldn't have gotten here without PJ. Washington.
And if you really think about it, this has been
this is an opportunity for PJ. Washington to kind of
solidify himself as that at three four kind of player.
But because he's so inconsistent offensively and he has too
many moments where he just doesn't appear like he disappears,

(45:13):
it made things easier for Nico Harrison to say, we
gotta like we're in this position, we gotta find the
best player possible, and clearly the best player right now
is gonna be Cooper Flag. Because there's so much opportunity
to upside with him, he can afford to be inconsistent,
and even his inconsistency will be more consistent than PJ. Washington.
And that's not necessarily a disc like PJ. Washington gives

(45:35):
you depths, but it may be so that you're not
trying to force him to be a starter, because maybe
he's not really a starter when you're playing next to
guys like this way this roster is constructed, I think
it eases things up for him. And I think Cooper
Flagg wants this because I think he sees that window
of whatever's gonna happen to Kyrie and whatever happens to

(45:56):
Anthony Davis, they're gonna still need what I can bring
to the tape. And so this is a good situation
for Cooper Flag. If he exceeds and excels, the Dallas
Mavericks will very much be in the play in but
can elevate possibly to a middle of the pack team,
because I think the reliance on whether or not things

(46:16):
are gonna happen if you get Kyrie at one hundred percent.
And you know, Anthony Davis said, a lot of it
still comes down to Cooper Flag and where he's set
up and positioned in the role that he can play
both on both sides of the basketball. Can be very
helpful for a very young, lively team that Jason Kidd
loves to coach up. He's got a lot of younger
guys that can come out there and can help stay competitive.

(46:40):
He can change the flow, he can slow things down,
he can speed things up, and at the end of
the day, if his guys can come back healthy, that
means that they're more veteran guys with with the ability
to help them score and be better because of it.
So I like where they are.

Speaker 2 (46:54):
I'd say, in a little wit, in a little in
a little bit of a way, we've barned the leading. Obviously,
we got to get through a whole lot of teams.
But I'll say, you know, our predictions are going to
come out, But Anthony Davis as a fifth spot MVP
vote getner this year, That's what I'm saying, not the
MVP of the league, but somebody like, oh, you know what,
he had a really good year and I give him,

(47:14):
like my you know, a fifth place vote. I think
that's something that Dallas is hoping and relying on and
that could really turn the tide for them. You know,
while Cooper Flag was great at all and they need
him to be successful, it doesn't mean anything if Anthony
Davis is not playing like truly like an MVP, especially
in the wake of the Luca trade, And that's where
this is all really going to hinge upon his ability
to be healthy. And yes, it's nice to have PJ.

(47:35):
Washington and Naji Marshall and guys like that who can
come and spell some of those minutes, but Ady needs
to be a guy who's elite on both sides of
basketball for the Dallas Mavericks to be in this tier
and slightly.

Speaker 1 (47:46):
Above absolutely all right, So now let's uh talk about
those middle of the pack teams. Right now. We have
the Los Angeles Clippers, we have the Golden State Warriors
in San Antonio Spurs, and I know that we were teetering,
like you know, we said, Lakers, are they playing in
the middle of the pack, Like I said, this is
the reason why it's as close as it is. We

(48:07):
could have flip flopped any of these LA teams and
basically put them, you know, in that other tier if
we wanted to. So with the La Cilippers, Shaw, even
with the roster moves that they've made, it surprises me
because I think most people think this team can actually
be contenders. Ah, I'm not buying that, you know, I'm
not buying it. I just think that it's more of

(48:29):
you know, working that Tyron magic, that low magic to
make it all work and come together. Just you know,
you believe in him that much more that he's going
to figure out a way to put this ensemble cast
of of guys together to go out there and literally
do the impossible.

Speaker 2 (48:50):
Yeah, it's like you said, though, like when we're doing
these rankings or you know, predictions, there's a calculus that
has to be involved. So you take a little bit
of previous history, a lot of with the Clippers and
a lot of these teams were discussing the West is
the injury factor, like are the you know, how many
games are they actually going to play together? Then you
want to give some credit to the greatness of Tyloo
as a coach. Then you add the veteran aspect of

(49:12):
Chris Paul and Bradley Bill and the contracts they're on,
and then you kind of come up with the thing.
It's like, all right, well what feels safe, what feels
right as opposed to so you don't want to go
too hard in terms of like, all right, well let's
put them here. They're they're elite level contenders. It feels
like middle of the pack seems like the most likely
scenario for them, and then a very dangerous team if
they're helping when it comes to the playoffs. Vision Brook

(49:34):
Lopez and John Collins like, there's a lot of competency
on this team, a lot of competency, and Zubac, you know,
after the great season that he had last year, so
just kind of even feeling more comfortable and confident in
his role. The Clippers have the variety of play a
multiple ways and that put a lot of big lineups
out on the floor as well too. Maybe a slight

(49:56):
question with the shooting, but again you think hopefully Bradley
Bill solves a lot of that as well too. You
get the mid raged sashion in Chris Paul while he's
not scoring twenty points a game, but can still be
a very company in the teams, whether that's starting or
coming off the bench, and there's a lot to be
excited about in spite of the Kawhi and Aspire situation
that's circulating their orbit. In general, the team on the

(50:16):
basketball floor should be pretty good as long as they
can still healthy. Chris Donne as well too, and Stileart
role Like, there's not a whole lot of holes when
it comes to the Flippers line up right now.

Speaker 1 (50:26):
I mean you think they're too deep of a team, joh.
I mean they're arguably like a team that's so deep
that it's like, are we going to see a lot
of these guys playing a certain number of minutes or
we're assuming that this is a great cover because they
can't rely on their core players to stay healthy enough
to be on the basketball court, so they're going to
have to contribute.

Speaker 2 (50:46):
I think it's that right. And then it's just the
notion of like you don't even want Kawhi to qualify
for the sixty five games for like awards, like you
want to basically bubble wrap him beganle to play fifty
to fifty five games at a certain level. I'm sure
Tyler would obviously want him out the every night, but
that's just I don't think We're ever going to see
Kawhi ever do that. So this allows them to have
a certain level of, like you said, depth, to be

(51:07):
able to account for some of that as well too.
Brook Lopez and John Collins and Derek Jones. You, like
I said, these are all just decent guys who don't
hurt you when they're on the basketball floor, and then
it can allow you if Hardman can presumably still play
his sixty five to seventy something games, that is a
lot of greatness that I think this Clippers team can
ultimately realize in a way that it's going to make

(51:28):
some worstern comforts team of Western Conference teams uncomfortable again.
I think I'm what I'm a little worried about, is
well the defense stay at the same level that it
was last year. I'm not as convinced about that. But
if they slipped from whether they were third or fifth
or something like that, if they slipped to like ninth
or tenth, I mean, that's still very very good. And
I think if Kawhi is healthy for the majority part

(51:48):
of the year, this guy's really the limit for LA
It's just a matter of can they still healthy when
it really matters.

Speaker 1 (51:53):
Almost all right, let's transition to the Golden State Warriors. Right,
another team, another LA team? Right that say to yourself,
all right, you.

Speaker 2 (52:05):
Said LA team.

Speaker 1 (52:06):
Yeah, well Golden State not LA, but California. Sorry, California,
be sorry. Another Cali team, another Keli team. My apologies,
I said LA team ty twice. You know they've been
taking over you know, last decade or so. It's kind
of you know whatever. Anyway, So for a California based team, right,
Golden State Warriors, and we were just talking about the

(52:27):
depth of the Clippers, we could basically be saying the
same thing about this Warriors team. The only difference is
that the depths is a lot of unknown names that
are you know, in the curR world. They resonate and
they have some kind of placement. They just don't have shine.
Now there's an opportunity here quote unquote to shine, right

(52:48):
because they lost a couple of their old veteran players,
a couple of pieces and things of that nature. But
are we speaking with the same confidence that what Tyron
lou is gonna have to do with his LA Clippers,
Steve Kerr is going to be able to do with
this version of the Golden State Warriors.

Speaker 2 (53:04):
Yeah, it's it's a nice in theory team and you
think the pieces should fit right with Al Horford being
added to this. They bring back the Anthony Melton as
well to you to kind of give them some depth.
They resigned Garry Payton Junior, and obviously the what you
have in Curry, Draymond Green and John J.

Speaker 1 (53:22):
VI Butler.

Speaker 2 (53:24):
The outlier here is still the Comingo situation, and I
think it's not so much about what I'm worried about
in terms of talent on the Warriors roster as it
is chemistry and that locker room with whatever Kamingo's role
ultimately be being. He signs a qualifying offer. You know,
it takes I think a year less than he would
have ultimately liked. But now is Coro going to play

(53:46):
him and it doesn't become a distraction for somebody who
is I mean okay, but hasn't really shown much I
think at this stage of his career and has to
have the opportunity. There's also something that I think we
should pay attention to with Buddy held. He's important to
spacing this spacing the four, especially when curryes out. But
he has some some serious lapses and some serious droughts,

(54:07):
and I think there's some level of frustration that a
guy like Jimmy Butler and Draymond could ultimately show here too.

Speaker 1 (54:13):
So to me, this is the preseason. Yeah, everyone thinks
about Joe, but there's nothing there's nothing funny about that.

Speaker 2 (54:20):
I go it out of abortion per se, But I
think there's there's this has a little bit of a
powder kig situation for me here, right, So I I
based off Tellent alone. I want to put gold and
say in the tier that we have them right now. Right.
I believe in the Curry magic and all the things,
and he's healthy and he can, you know, drag a
team to forty wins. But I think there's some stuff

(54:42):
here to kind of watch when it comes to that
locker room situation and whether or not it goes in
the way that it needs to. But Al Horford is
a great connector of people, so I think even from
that lens, it's not just what he'll be able to
do on the court, but what he'll be able to
do to try to hopefully kind of appease any tension
that might be locker room. So you know, I think again,
I'm not trying to hitch my bets here. But there's

(55:04):
things I want to watch here in Golden State, even
the outside of what they do on the basketball.

Speaker 1 (55:08):
I want to know whose voice is really going to
resonate in that locker room when things don't go right
for the Warriors. We've seen way too many instances with
this Warriors team where they look like look like even
last year, they look like a team that can hang
with you know, the likes of the Thunder and the
Denver Nuggets, and then they go through some of these patches,
rough patches, and their losses are just It's what triggered

(55:29):
the whole idea of getting a Jimmy Butler. I think
there's a level of impatience not with Draymond Green on
this team. I think it's a level of impatience of
Draymond Green's only voice being in that locker room, or
Draymond Green's presence and his mannerisms the only thing that
you hang your hat on in order to get this
team to step up and play. I think now that
you have that with Jimmy Butler, that's something that can

(55:52):
help augment and offset that. I think now that you
have that without Hafford, I think that's something you can
augment and offset that with. But I think what this
has come down to is can they hang with the
better teams many can they play their best when it
matters the most, when it needs to happen. And to
your point, they've got way too many imbalanced players that

(56:14):
can shift that narrative very quickly and then trigger these
upstart moments that you see from Butler and trigger these
upstart moments that you see from Draymond Green. You'll never
see that from Hawford and you'll never see that from
Steph Curry. But when Podsminski is is not hitting, heal
the ain't hitting, When Quentin Post disappears, like when all
of these guys that they're giving these opportunities to, even

(56:35):
Gary Payton the second who you know, he's ingratiated himself
into the you know, the Bay Area community. Everyone loves him,
but they are cooked to call him when he doesn't
do what he does. When these guys fall off and
don't really help the veteran guys, it just seems to
like create more of that chatter, more that level of distraction.
And I just think it'll be interesting to see how

(56:56):
extreme it gets when it comes to the Golden State
Warriors and how they handle it because they're gonna get
pushed through adversity because of the way that these other
teams are currently playing ahead of them, right like and
even below them. I think they they're not gonna completely
separate themselves from all of these other teams like we
used to do in the past, and we used to
acknowledge in the past when it was Curry, Thompson and

(57:17):
Draymond Green. I think even with Butler, they're still clumped
in together and it's it's I think that reality is
what's starting to kick in for them, knowing that that's
what's gonna happen on a night in, night out basis.

Speaker 2 (57:28):
Yeah, this is a pesky team, but not a championship
level team. And you know, if they do something else,
you know, make a trade for the team to be
kind of glazed over in Utah, they fire and make
a lawyer marketing trade or something like that, even.

Speaker 1 (57:40):
A market and riding show. I don't know about whether
or not that's gonna move the needle. I mean it
can help. I just know if it's gonna move the needle.

Speaker 2 (57:48):
Well, maybe not a marketing guy, but I think in
just in terms of like, you know, who's like, who's
a player that helps school with state in general. Also,
hear breaking news as we're recording, so a lot of
times come out we'll be breaking. But for us, Keithan
Murray has suffered a four six week injury with the
torn a ucl in the tumb I think that's the
same injury Jared McCain had for the Philadelphia seventy six ers.
So now Keegan Murray will be out on the shelf.

(58:09):
So solidifies my pick to have them in the lottery
as opposed to the play in to start this year.

Speaker 1 (58:15):
Check that, check that box now, all.

Speaker 2 (58:18):
Right for Keegan Murray again, he's a guy that we
all think like and are hoping a lot of great
things for a tough way from the start the season.

Speaker 1 (58:24):
Absolutely, you're two to the baseline. Cali Warrenshaw discussing the
hot button topics of the NBA twenty five twenty six
Western Conference preview. Let's talk about that other team that's
in the middle of the Packshaw, this is actually the
team that we have elevated quite nicely into this conversation.
I think we can speak with confidence about it. The
San Antonio Spurs and They're like, look, you look at
this roster, man, what's there not to like about it?

(58:47):
There is just nothing but upside and potential, and they've
proven that. I think that they can go out there
and compete with the better teams up and down this
this this, this Western Conference. It's it would be hard
press for us not to imagine this team not putting
themselves in this kind of in this conversation.

Speaker 2 (59:05):
Listen.

Speaker 1 (59:05):
It can any you know, any team can be had
at any even night. But I think when you have
the kind of when you have Johnson, who obviously the
locker room bought into him, they feel that the culture
is still intact even with Popovich moving on. You've seen
what you're getting from wem Bin, Yama, from Castle, from

(59:26):
all of these guys. It's really hard not to sit
here and say, we believe that this team is definitely
gonna make some noise, and this is the year for
them to do it.

Speaker 2 (59:35):
And it all it all lynches on Hinges rather on
on you know Wemby and you know him staying fully
healthy to play, you know, sixty sixty five seventy games
throughout the course of the year. Daron Fox, He's starting
the season on the shelf. So that's not great, but
I think that combination is going to be pretty impactful.

(59:55):
And they have a lot of great keep you lives
on the word competency. But they filled out the rest
of the roster with guys like Luke Cornett and even
Kelly olynnok just just you know, guys who just know
how to play and are not going to hurt you
when they when they get on the floor, and.

Speaker 1 (01:00:10):
Just real quick, want to say, versatile guys like guys
that could play multiple positions defensively and compliment the kind
of style of play that Victor that that Wenby plays
offensively as well too. So which is which is I
think is really critical for you know, how Johnson is
going to be able to mix and match and make
those adjustments. Sometimes it's hard when you don't have the
roster to do that with, but I think that that's

(01:00:34):
gonna make things a little bit easier for the Spurs
as well too, Right.

Speaker 2 (01:00:37):
And then you know rookie you hope, you hope rookie
sensation Dylan Harper, what role can he play? Presumably coming
off the proverbial bench. Another year of Stephan Castle too
was taking who look really good toward the latter part,
middle into lighter part. Last year, even when Victor went down,
really started to step into his own put up some
really good games. And guy like Harrison Barnes, who just
who knows what his role is. Like, he's not trying

(01:00:59):
to take away from you. Hey, give me the ball,
you give me a grenade, I don't mind. I'll do
what I need to do with it. But I'm not
trying to take shots away from some of the lead guys.
Just again, a lot of good basketball players. I think
Mit Shaston had a really good rookie year despite being
thrust in a role that he wasn't necessarily prepared for.
Like know that what's going to be his role going
in now fully opportunity to invest it in his system

(01:01:21):
and this person will have opportunities to make trades if
they want to. So whether that's getting off Devin Vessel,
which you know they're pretty high on, I don't think
they'll do that. But Kelvin Johnson has been rumored about
many many times. Jeremy Sohan is in the same situation.
You know, rookie scale contract is about to be is
due for an extension. They haven't really done that they
can maybe move some of those guys if they find
them to be unhappy. But I think the Spurs team,

(01:01:42):
while we might be a year early, right, I've said that,
and I said that even at our prediction, shew Like
might build it or early on Wemby, I think he
could be have like the defensive player of the year,
MVP types conversation, you know, I don't know, maybe even
m IP or you know, some combination of two of
those three, and then elevate this first team into where

(01:02:02):
we think is the middle of the pack, where they
are like firmly planted into a playoff spot. Again, it's
it seems a little early playing seems more appropriate. But
I think we both just really recognize the greatness of
a victor women Yama and the rest of this roster
how it compliments him currently.

Speaker 1 (01:02:18):
Absolutely, Look, it's his world, man. It's just a question
of how confident we want to elevate this scene. I
think this is right. I think it's right to elevate
them as a middle of the pack team. I expect
them to be a team that a masses enough wins
where they are comfortably in the playoff picture, and then
we'll see what it looks like from there. And listen,
we're also we were talking about these other teams a

(01:02:40):
moment ago, Shaw minus the situation that happened to Wemby,
which was a very unique circumstance with the blood clots.
It wasn't because of you know, strain, you know, mcl
acl any tear meniscus that barring that not happening, and
you didn't hear of any of that. With all of
their other young these guys together as a team, as

(01:03:03):
a unit, were making an impact and they were right there.
I think this, to me, I would be more confident
in seeing them elevating themselves one step further. To your point,
as long as Wenby stays healthy, and I can't see
where that doesn't happen to be the case. I'm on
board with you as well too. About I don't know
if I'm going to put him in that conversation yet.

(01:03:23):
For MVP, I think a happenstance, he'll have MVP like
kind of numbers. But the defensive player of the Year,
to me, I think that is important. I think he
anchors that team defensively. I think, hey, this San Antonio
Spurus team is going to be so dangerous for people
to pay attention to your tuned to the baseline Cali
Warrenshaw discussing the hot button topics of the NBA. Coming up,

(01:03:45):
we'll get down to the contenders. We got four teams
in that lock. You don't want to miss out where
we have them situated and what our predictions are regarding
what kind of outcome they're going to give us for
the remainder for the regular season. To tune in here
on the baseline, We're back Cali Warrenshaw basedline NBA podcast.

(01:04:13):
Time for us to dig into the teams that we
have selected as our contenders for the Western Conference, and
that leaves the remaining four teams right like the Oklahoma
City Thunder. Everybody knows that Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets.
So let's start with the teams that we believe Shaw
will push the overall team, which I think we're safe

(01:04:36):
to say we're gonna believe in the Oklahoma City Thunder
being that top seeded team once again. I don't know
if I'm going to completely buy into the idea that
the Thunder are going to amass the same number of
wins that they gave us last year. That they had
sixty eight. You know, I don't want to say they're
taking a step back, but I do think that as

(01:04:57):
a team, they may prioritize winning a little bit less
to make sure that they stay as top seeded, but
they're going to be one of the better teams. That
being said, do we give rise and give credence to
the rise of a team like the Houston Rockets, to
a team like maybe possibly to Minnesota Temples or a
team like the Denver Nuggets, you know, where this is

(01:05:18):
the reset button for the Nuggets and they will resupplant
themselves again as being the talk of the town in
the Western Conference because of that.

Speaker 2 (01:05:26):
Yeah, so there's a lot to get into, like trying
to touch on all four teams really quickly. I think
there's a there's a natural feel like, hey, there's a
championship malaise. This team will still be good, but okay, see,
like what do they really need to come out and
improve in the regular season and then you know there'll
be a one or two seed and then you know,
presumably you potentially be the repeat champions. Right like that
we kind of take that for granted. But I will
say chet Holmgren is healthy for the entirety season, right,

(01:05:49):
that can be a significant change in terms of their
overall trajectory and in terms of even trying to match
last years last season's win sotal because they did all
that with him missing like the first forty games of
the year or whatever, like the middle forty of the games. Right,
So those are things too that I think we can
take into take into consideration. Houston, I think everybody feel
a lot more confident it had Fred VanVleet not gotten down.

(01:06:10):
But we still feel like there's enough here for them
to remain as a contender in the Western Conference, not
only because of the addition of Kevin Durant, but what
we now will presume will be the additional workload of
Lament Thompson. Whether he now becomes a starting point guard,
it has to distribute, just giving him more reps and
more opportunities to create. I think Houston is very comfortable
with that. In addition to Shangun continuing to progress into

(01:06:32):
into this mode. So Houston seems to be right there
with all the other death moves that they made as
well to you know, getting Clint Capella and resigning Steven Adams,
and you know, presumably now another role for Reachepperd here
now too, where we deferred on this was between the
Nuggets and the and the Wolves, right, I had the
Nuggets as a contender, you had them as in the
middle of the pack, and vice versa. For me on

(01:06:52):
when it comes to Minnesota, these are two teams where
now I don't I'm interested to your thought process on
Minnesota because I presume a lot of it is just
another year of Anthony Edwards and learning him hanging to
take a step up and presently getting into MVP top category.
Whereas I look at Denver and we know Yo could
just truly silly the best player still the best player

(01:07:15):
in basketball. But the depth that they made in as
sence to try to now surround him with Valance Uness
and and Cam Johnson and things like that, like this
team's and bringing back Bruce Brown, they made moves where
I don't think Minnesota really did anything other than lose
to kill Alexander Walker and resigned nas reed like, I
just don't see how you have Minnesota elevating above Denver

(01:07:36):
into that contenderture. So let's kind of pause and go
to the conversation there why Minnesota as a contender as
opposed to the middle of the back.

Speaker 1 (01:07:43):
I feel like the Minnesota Timberwolves still have an ace
up in their sleeve because Anthony Edwards still has not
come into his own as far as his level of dominance,
and I think against the Denver Nuggets, he is their kryptonite.
I'm just looking at it from a matchup perspective, shot
that if you actually had me see the Denver Nuggets
and the Minnesota Timberwolves play up against each other, that

(01:08:05):
I'm gonna wind up picking the Minnesota Timberwolves because I
feel the Timberwolves have enough to disrupt the Denver Nuggets
and disrupt the Nuggets' ability to be as dominant as
I think that they have been over the last couple
of years. You know, I'm not taking anything away from
Jamal Murray, but you're definitely not going to see Jamal
Murray taking Anthony Edwards. You're definitely not going to see

(01:08:27):
Christian Brown taking on Anthony Edwards. I think if Anthony
Edwards again takes another step up, key to me is
the X factor when it comes to what he can
do on a night and night out basis at his
level in his position. That being said, when you look
at the team collectively, I think, again, another full year
of this team together, the Minnesota Timberwolves can take another

(01:08:52):
step like they did when the final year of Karl
Anthony Towns. It took them a couple of years before
they got it right, and I think that's where the
shot value came in and they moved Carl Anthony Towns right.
Obviously that was more business reasons, but I think everybody
safely said, this is Anthony Edwards team. So even if
they've gotten Julius Randall and they got the Vincenzo and
they got all of these guys, this is still Anthony

(01:09:14):
Edwards team. And at the end of the day, Anthony
Edwards has another level that he can go to. With
that being said, the Denver Nuggets are gonna ask of
Jokic to replicate and find another level to go through.
And I'm just saying it's kind of like when you're
watching one of those movies, man, where you know who
the maid, you know who that guy is, right, so

(01:09:35):
all you do is just to keep throwing bodies and
throwing bodies and throwing more bodies and more bidies. Minisza
Tuble is gonna throw the whole roster at Jokic. He
at the end of the day is gonna have to
rely on some of the other guys to go out
there and execute, and we've seen where they have not
done it consistently, and I just feel with so.

Speaker 2 (01:09:51):
You're lying, but you're saying relying on Minnesota's continuity, and
now that you have Julius Randall and Anthony Edwards playing together,
Anthony Andwarths taking the proferbial, I think what needs to
be conversated about too, is there's also a declient coming
from Mike Cology, a continual with the clients at that point.

Speaker 1 (01:10:08):
Yes, I agree.

Speaker 2 (01:10:09):
So now does that presumably get taken up by Rob Dillingham.
You know, they haven't trusted him really as of yet.
I don't think boyns Holland while they added him, I
don't think he's making a significant difference to this. So
does Dillingham now come in here and help with the
play creation or does all that falling anthif I shift,
that's a little bit more dupe, I.

Speaker 1 (01:10:27):
Got you, But I shift my focus on McDaniels. I
think Jaden McDaniels now that now now that Alexander Walker
is gone, I think Jaden McDaniels has an opportunity to
help step up. And I'm not saying as a guard
from a guard perspective, because again you have Anthony Edwards.
He can play as like a point guard hybrid a
little bit, while Dillingham kind of comes into his own.

(01:10:48):
Matter of fact, It's be interesting because Dillingham, Dillingham to
me comes off more of as a two. But if
they want him to be more of a one, you
still can have a ball dominant person and Anthony Edwards.
Where I'm looking at is what McDaniels can help do
for you on both sides of the basketball, to take
the burden off of Edwards having to defend at a
high level like he always has to do on a

(01:11:09):
night and night out basis. If McDaniels now becomes a
little bit more consistent, I think now you can let
Edwards cook, let him go out there and kind of
do his thing. And then you still have Dante de Vincenzo,
who has played kind of a point guardish, you know
type from time to time when he was playing with
Golden State. I think he can do the sea, but
not effectively but not yeah, but not throughout the whole

(01:11:30):
thing I think where you can get play creation is
still from Julius Randall, where he obviously showed those shots
in New York and New World is previously to that.

Speaker 2 (01:11:37):
So do they start putting the ball in his hand
a little bit more? He's not having looked for a shot.

Speaker 1 (01:11:41):
Willing to give as long as he's willing.

Speaker 2 (01:11:44):
To give it, and a deep and a deep you know,
maybe a deeper cut too. But Terrence Shannon Junior somebody
who I'm like, I'm interested in to kind of see
what they do with him if he can, you know,
soak up some rotation minutes. But when I go back
to Denver, I just think, you know, while you're relying
on air quote continuity from Minnesota, I'm relying on the
rein forcements that Denver has brought in, inclusive of you know,
trying to spell maybe Jamal Murray maybe a little bit

(01:12:06):
more as well too at Bruce Brown playing you know,
kind of a de facto point forward type position. Aaron
Gordon obviously will be able to defend I think some
of your Anthony Edwards and that, But also that's what
they have Cameron Johnson there for right, like coulportera junior
despite his size, wasn't really banking on that like he
did some things because he just he had the size,
but he wasn't overly bought in defensively. Cameron Johnson knows

(01:12:28):
that that's the role that he can play in addition
to you know, being kind of a spot up shooter
in the three. And then also you you forget, forget,
can't forget Julius Strawther and guys like that who they
will to try to give some more minutes to Peyton
Watson as well, in addition to Tim Hardaway Junior. So
you just name off all these guys and Valentiutnis is
a guy who think I can I think Cam play
with Jokich in some minutes too. So Denver I think
did a lot to improve their overall floor that will

(01:12:52):
also raise their ceiling by getting more depth on this
team than Minnesota did as a collect.

Speaker 1 (01:12:56):
Well to your point, right, so I'm not saying that
they needed to find one player to fill in the
void of losing Michael Parter Junior. Actually, I think what
they've done I think benefits the Denver Nuggets and and
why you easily could have them as a contender. And
I'm only saying maybe taking that step back, I think
I'm looking more at Aaron Gordon and seeing if if

(01:13:19):
Aaron Gordon shows me what he gave me in the
second half of the year for the for the duration
of the year, We're in a good We're in a
good space, and I will eat my words in Shaw.
They should very much rightfully be there. But we remember
seeing the struggles when he came off of his injury
and how long it took him, right, even Malone had

(01:13:41):
him benched for quite you know, for a period of
time before he started really kind of you know, turning
that corner. And I think again a lot of that
comes down to how much patience does all of this
start to come together. We've seen iterations of Jamal Murray
disappearing in certain moments and games. You know, we're not
even talking about the player, We're just talking about through

(01:14:01):
the course of the regular season. Remember the Denver Nuggets
at one point were a top two team right hanging around,
and then as soon as we got on the back
end of the NBA All Star weekend, they went into
like a serious run and essentially took themselves out of
that that that circumstance, right and again too much reliance
on on Jokic. So to your point, if collectively this

(01:14:24):
team can step up and play to what Jokic helps
give you, then no question. But those are new pieces
being added and we'll see how quickly they can fit
into that fold sort of speak. Because to your point,
I'm relying more on the fact that the Minnesota two
Wolves do have another year to get better at what
they can give you offensively along with what they've already

(01:14:47):
been doing defensively under Finch.

Speaker 2 (01:14:49):
Well, and I think also to to not pseudo barry
the lead when it comes to Denver too, you know,
and changing changing their coach over, you know, and moving
on from Michael Malone. And so now Ottoman has his
opportunity to just like hey, full season, they see what
gave it. I want to see him and they gave
can see it runs for their money in the playoffs,
like I said, that was a seven game series, you know,

(01:15:10):
for all intents and purposes. So listen this, this this
Nuggets team I think is has is going to be
heard from the Western Conference, and presumably with the Yokic
I'd say probably having to do maybe slightly less because
there's more depth on the team on their team, so
that shouldn't force him to play the forty because we
all talk about the non yokch minutes, like what does

(01:15:30):
Denver do? They have the ability to sustain that. I
think a lot a lot better way now too. But
just like I'm worried about Mike Conley, I'm I'm glad
you bought Jamal Murray, I'm still worried about him because
he's he's he's spotty at best. He's obviously no, I
shouldn't say that. That's that's complete disrespect to Jamal Murray.
He's not spotty, but I think that in terms of
what we perceive him to be right as this near

(01:15:51):
max level guy, we don't always get that level of
consistency and that's why he's yet to be an All Star.
But he performs well, usually in the playof Spotlight, but
it does. It's just not the same level of consistency throughout.
And I'm a little worried about like his injury history
and Denver's bail ability to kind of cover some of
that up. But that's why they got as much stuff
that they did, So I think contenders. This is a

(01:16:13):
great conversation for both Minnesota and Denver.

Speaker 1 (01:16:14):
Absolutely, and and last point, Shaw you know, and and
y'all here, I'll get your prediction of who you think
basically had like walks away from the West, so to speak.
But to your point, if if what you're telling me
is you know, hey, getting those quality minutes from Hardaway,
getting those quality minutes from Braun as far as scoring

(01:16:35):
capabilities where it's not on the onus of Jokic to
do what he showed us and you know for the
last couple of years, then yeah, I am completely on
board with you and things of that nature. But it's
it's it's just hard sell for me because we've been
waiting again a waiting where this is just it's the
the bottom line is this is what we're getting from
Jamal Murray and things of that nature. And again it

(01:16:57):
could be injuries, it just could be you know, whatever
it is. It's just like I just don't know if
I can buy into it another year of that aspect
of it unless I see it coming out the gate
like this is exactly like I'm me, I'm him, I'm
that dude, I'm doing that. This is what I do.
You get what I mean? So that's that's all right,
so so all right, you know that being said, all

(01:17:20):
of that hitted chatter and banter, who you've got coming
out the West.

Speaker 2 (01:17:25):
Yeah, I mean again, it's it's a long conversation for
me to just go with the defending champions. I do
think Houston is going to be heard from. I think
I had slightly put Denver slightly above Houston right now
after the Fred VanVleet injury and just and just that's
just my opinion. So I think we get a very

(01:17:47):
you know, competitive series ultimately with Denver and Okay, see,
but I'm really banking on what I said earlier in
Chad Holmgren taking another elite you know, Jelen Williams as
well too. But even just having checked for the entire
of the year, I think he learned how to play
in the finals and understand like, let me be a
rim defender. Let me be a defender first, and my
offense will come. I have guys who can create for me.

(01:18:08):
I don't need to force the issue there. And I think,
you know, while Daganall is very low key in terms
of his like press conferences and stuff like that, he
has that team locked in and dialed in. So I
got the Thunder. But I think Nuggets are going to
push them more than maybe some people are. Even give
them Deniver credit for right now, what about you, I.

Speaker 1 (01:18:29):
Think we're gonna get a repeat of the Western Conference.

Speaker 2 (01:18:32):
Finals Minnesota and Okay, see okay.

Speaker 1 (01:18:36):
See I listen, We'll do our Awards show. But I
have my I have Anthony Edwards is dark worst favorite
to win this thing. Man. I just there's something about
what I'm sensing, you know, if he gets his ultra
aggressive and uber you know, diabolic as, I think he
can be capable of this. Minnesota timber will seem is

(01:18:57):
going to be a tough tough out in the playoffs.
But that being said, Shaw I don't snuff anything with
the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets can bring to the table.
I think any of these three teams can take the
Oklahoma City Thunder. But at the end of the day,
defense again, I've all you know, that's been my mantra
all the time. Defense wins championships. And if Oklahoma City
executes the level of defense that they showed us throughout

(01:19:19):
the course of last year, going into the NBA Finals
and everything like that, they're gonna easily again find themselves
playing for another you know, as a as a championship,
defending their crown. But any slippage and any one of
these teams can get them.

Speaker 2 (01:19:35):
I think that the funny but the funniest thing about
okay see, is that they still did like their regular
season success was still done with so much distress, right
and without Heartenstein being out there for a good part
of the year. We already talked about, you know, Ched
Holmgren as well, and I think you forget that Cason
Wallace is still pretty young and can still grow and
become a better player than we've seen them be, right,

(01:19:57):
you know. And they had their young rookie who missed
all all of last year, and he's going to be
back as well too. So I just listen, okay see
to me.

Speaker 1 (01:20:06):
Broy locked and loaded. They are. They are locked and loaded.
And that's the reason why it's hard for me is
to just walk away from what I saw from them
and what they brought to the table, because if they
allow their offense to thrive how it can potentially thrive,
ain't nobody beating them in ant version of the Eastern

(01:20:26):
Conference or Western Conference is gonna be able to handle
what they can do. But again, some teams after they
win that championship, and we saw this with the Boston Celtics.
What got them there, what got them to win it all,
was that they had a dominating, you know, defense, and
their offense stepped up and hit shots when they needed to,
and they forced the other team's best players to show

(01:20:47):
up short in critical moments. Oklahoma City Thunder executes that
same kind of way. Nobody's beating them. But you know,
we've seen teams take a step back. They don't put
as much priority on their defensive proudness as as they
as they did the year before. And that level of
slippage is not something that you just see in statistics.
It's just in their level of execution and detail and
who they have out there on the basketball court and

(01:21:08):
what the mentality is a year after winning the Chips.
So yeah, it's her.

Speaker 2 (01:21:13):
Well, I think this was a great one. You know,
Western Conference preview, all fifteen teams going in from the
lottery all the way to we feel like it's going
to be contenders and there's a lot of variance here,
I think in the West. So we'd love to hear
from you all. Let us know what you're saying we
mess up. You know, did we disrespect our team or
did we appropriately rate? And let us know you're on
the baseline and by podcast man, this has been a fun,

(01:21:34):
fun Western Conference review.

Speaker 1 (01:21:35):
Absolutely man and once again we appreciate everybody for hopping
on board with us for the baseline Cali one show.
We appreciate you guys, Thanks for hopping on board with
us this week and catch up with you

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