October 27, 2025 • 50 mins
Mort & Bry shoot the bleep, as they discuss the beginning of the new NBA season.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:17):
Welcome everyone to another episode of the NBA Podcast. We
are back for another episode of Shooting the Bleep. I
am Brian Taporik. I am taking over, as is tradition
with these episodes, I'm taking back over the hosting chair
from our usual co host Morton Jensen. More, how's it going?
Ready to shoot the Bleep after a couple of days
(00:39):
of actual NBA action?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
I am.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
I am three days into the NBA season, and like,
I'm just gonna get straight into my topic. I'm doing well,
by the way, I'm hoping you're doing well too, Like, look,
you just got a new dog, Obviously you're doing fine.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Yeah, he is passed out on the floor. I don't
know how long that's gonna last. So in advanced if
we've got a dog barking at some point during this episode.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
That is fine. He was already introduced in an earlier episode,
so this is fine.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
No, but I have some numbers for you, okay, Sha
childs is Alexander fifty five points, Erin Gordon fifty points,
Lukadancic forty three points, Stephen Curry forty two points, Anthony
Edwards forty one points, Victor Panama forty points, Tyrese Maxi
forty points. We have seven forty pointers and like including
(01:30):
a pair of fifty burgers. The NBA season is three
days old, Brian, three days old. We are looking at
an absolutely ridiculous individual scoring explosion to start this season.
I think I don't have historical numbers on this at all,
(01:51):
but like from a purely observational, like anecdotal perspective, this
seems like it's the most intense and deval scoring outbursts
we've seen to start the season for years and years
and years, like the betting stuff. Aside, these three days
of NBA games, it's been basketball porn. It's been fantastic,
(02:13):
And so I don't want to hear about, you know,
people going, oh, the NC double A is actually better
basketball or anything like, oh who watches the NBA. It's
it's just bad basketball, Like basketball was better in the
seventies and eighties and nineties.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Stop it, just just stop it.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
This is an outrageous level of individual talent that we
have on top of the league right now.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
It's just it's it's borderline incomprehensible.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Well, there's something from op the stats. This was before,
this was before Thursday's games that this was the first
time in the NBA history that four different players opened
the season with a forty point game in the same year,
and that was Luca and Maxi and Wemby at Aaron
Gordon to the list because he at a fifty piece
(03:04):
in his season opener. Shay the fifty five was his
second game of the season, so he does not make
the cut here. But yeah, I mean, if anything, I'm
surprised by this to some extent, because you know, we
heard a lot throughout the preseason of how like every
team was gonna take after Okac and the Pacers last year.
(03:26):
We're going to play more like physical, aggressive defense. We're
gonna lean more on our depth and kind of peared
down the minutes of starters, especially in the early going
to keep guys fresh. And then we're seeing not only
are these guys scoring a ton of points, but you know,
Maxi played forty two the other night. I believe Luca,
(03:50):
I don't remember off the top of my head. I'm
opening their box score he played forty one. You know,
it's interesting that teams are kind of going balls to
the wall game one of the season, and you know,
Frankly like some of these, especially Aaron Gordon, was aided
by overtime. The Thunder just can't help themselves. Are they
(04:12):
always going to just play two overtimes? Was that in
the CBA for them this year?
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Well, I mean it has resulted in Shade averaging forty
six and a half minutes on the year so far.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Oh my god. I mean that's that's one strategy to
wear down. Okay, see over the season they might have
insane depth, but if you make them play double overtime
eighty two games, I do not think they're going to
make it to April very fresh.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
You remember the Jack Nicholson meme where he's like nodding
while smiling. That's tips right now?
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yeah, yeah, right right? But yeah, I mean it's it's
been you know what we were saying in the previous episode,
like if you just look past the salary cap sorgavention
and gambling scandals that are unfortunately overshadowing a lot of this,
Like the amount of individual talent on display on the
NBA on a night to night basis is honestly insane.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Yeah yeah, and like it's something that we seem to
be forgetting at certain spots every single year, Like I
do think whenever we get into like March and April,
when the games do lose a sense of quality, like
that's they just do. Let's be real about it. Like
teams that are trying to to tank, they just kind
(05:25):
of you know, sit their stars down or their key guys,
like they don't get a lot of minutes. But the
sheer volume of talent it Like we've said this for
so many years, Brian, the league can absolutely and I
mean absolutely afford to expand because this whole idea that
oh it would water down talent, it's so preposterously preposterously stupid.
(05:49):
Now I just can't take it serious at all. It's
like now now the burden of proofalls on the people
making that claim.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
It no longer falls on us.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
Like if if you come in and say, oh, this
water's down everything, yeah, prove it, prove it.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
I mean, look at the look at the guys who
either were like on Exhibit tens coming into the year,
like aren't on NBA rosters right now. I mean Malcolm
Brogden retired instead of sticking with the Knicks, which you
know and he said it was just for health reasons
and fill up for the grind, but like part of
me wonders, was he just not going to win the
(06:30):
competition for that roster spot. And you know, Malcolm Brogden
was playing well in the NBA last year. He's he's
still an NBA player. But yeah, a lot of teams are,
Buddy Keith Smith. The spot track has been all over this.
I think more than half of the teams in the
league have kept one open roster spot coming into the year,
(06:53):
so they have some midseason flexibility if they want to
do like a two for one trade, three for true trade, whatever.
So that's cutting down on some opportunities. A lot of
teams are hardcapped. Some of them are hard capped so
close or some of them are hard capped and are
so close to whatever apron that they're hard capped against.
Like the Warriors right now, you know signed Seth Curry.
Had to let him go. We're going to resign him
(07:13):
in a couple of weeks because they just didn't have
money or enough room under the hard cap to have
him on the roster heading into the season. So I mean,
to your to your overall point, yes, like there is
plenty of talent across the world, frankly, but especially again,
like look at Dominic Barlow is on a two way
right now, guy, was you know the game one is
(07:36):
any indication he's very deserving of a full time NBA
roster spot, And we're only going to continue seeing this
moving forward. So yeah, I think, I mean, it sounds
like I haven't heard anyone from the NBA NBA side
make the claim of the talent dilution claim as the
reason that they're stalling expansion. I mean, I forget who
(08:01):
reported it. I want to say the Athletic earlier this
year when it came up during the off season, they
were saying it's really on the owners that they just
don't want to share the money from the new national
TV deals, right.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Yeah, And that makes sense on some level, can right?
Speaker 1 (08:17):
And like you know, the sale of the Celtics for
six billion dollars and so all the Lakers for ten
billion dollars cent franchise valuations skyrocketing so high that that
has complicated some of this. Like you know, a couple
of years ago when Windy and Co And yeah, Wendy
a couple other people from ESPN had like an expansion primer,
(08:39):
I think they were estimating combined you know, assuming Seattle
and Vegas are the teams. I think they said combined
they were hoping to get five billion for those franchises.
I mean, right, Age One is probably going for five
billion and Vegas probably even more.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Yeah, yeah, so yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
I mean it's like, again, remove the scandals that threatened
the integrity of the entire league, and the amount of
talent on display on a night to night basis is amazing.
And you know, frankly, I'm hopeful, I'm cautiously optimistic based
on the early goings here that NBC and Amazon Prime.
(09:19):
You know, we heard coming into the year they were
gonna like really focus on celebrating the game more like
take a cue from how all of these media partners
cover the NFL instead of being so focused on the
off court drama. So, like, you know, I hope we
start getting more attention on guys like Aaron Gordon, who
(09:39):
you know that he's not gonna have fifty every night,
but has been like completely reinvented himself from his Orlando
days to turn into this perfect role player for the
Nuggets for the last couple of years, key to a championship,
and now like apparently he's the third Splash brother.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
It's so funny.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
I've I've done so much in BA coverage over the
past week, so I don't remember whether I said it
on this show, or whether I said it on the
Dane Pod, or whether I said it on freaking television.
I don't remember where, but within like the past week,
at one point I told someone that the one thing
I'm still disappointed in Aaron Gordon about, like if you
(10:18):
went back to the twenty fourteen draft, was that I
thought he'd become more of a scorer, and like, I
hated the fact that he hadn't developed into more of
a scorer.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
So of course he goes.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Out fifty game one just to shut my ass.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Up at that take did age twelve for you? No?
Speaker 2 (10:37):
It did not.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
And I'm look, I'm happy too because that I still
stand by that that he was supposed to be a
little bit more of a scorer. So like for him
to go in and pop ten threes in my freaking face, yeah,
go for it, Aaron Gordon, shut me the hell up, man,
that's great.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
And in connection to this, Brian, there's something else. And
I'm gonna sit here and actually count it out with
you because I'm going to uh the the draft page,
the twenty twenty five NBA draft page on Basketball Reference,
and I'm gonna need you to potentially correct you on
a few things because these are only the players selected
in the draft. I don't remember if there are players
(11:16):
who have been undrafted or have missed a year and
like this is their first first year technically, who've scored
more than ten points in their debut. But like Cooper Flag,
Dylan Harper, vj Itchcombe, Conkin Nipple, Trey Johnston, Jeremiah Fears
I or Denhim, Cedric Coward, Walter Clayton, and Ryan Caltbrenner.
(11:37):
That's that's ten guys in just the first game from
the from them where they cracked ten points. And I'm
not look, points isn't the end all or the be
all and end all of anything, but it's just to
like prove, oh, these guys are coming in hot. This
rookie class is coming in with with something. I mean,
(11:57):
Cooper Flag had a triple double. We all know about you,
Obj Edgecombe, like thirty four and seven and three, Like god, like,
how's that? That six Ers crowd for his first home
game is going to be absolutely insane like they're yeah,
good on him, Ryan kelprenn Over a double double like
chosen thirty fourth in the drafts. I love this. This
(12:21):
is such a good start to this season, just a
tremendous start.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Yeah, aside from what happened Thursday.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Let's stop, let's stop bring that.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Up right, the Encourt plays and I'm I mean, this
is like such a small sample size that it's probably
not worth talking about. But like all of these games
the first couple of days, again fueled by a few overtimes,
which is skewing the sample, but like a lot of
them that have been surprisingly high scoring, which again would
(12:55):
not have been my expectation coming into the year if
teams were going to be more aggressive on defense. But
I mean, maybe the whole idea of like every team
is trying to push, push more in transition, just play
faster in general, getting their actions more quickly, Like are
we headed for an NBA scoring boom this year? I
(13:19):
think is something just based on what we've seen in
the first couple days and based on these individual performances. No,
I'm not ready to call it a trend yet, but
it's caught my eye.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Same there is one thing that even surprised me.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
You know how I've been like almost religiously critic you
know what is the call critiquing or criticizing of Josh Giddy,
for example, because I do think he tends to just
mess up an offense by not being a spacing threat.
(13:54):
And one of the things that he did last year
that bothered me greatly and which I think went just
completely over looked by a lot of fans who just
you know, tried to find something positive in that whole experience,
was that he would hold the ball a lot of times,
like very much like Carmelo when he was in like
his worst moods, like just holding the ball, not moving
or anything, and it just killed the offensive flow because
(14:17):
defenses were allowed to settle in and he couldn't do anything.
And then when he finally did pass the ball, it
was pretty easy to just track him or just sack
off of him and he wouldn't be a threat.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
So in the first game.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Against Detroit, which I had on in that you know,
the multiview thing on the television, I kept noticing that
he would give the ball up almost as soon as
he crossed half court. Not always, but like far more
oft than he would before and then he would start
to move and like that allowed everyone else to attack
very early in the shot clock. And I kind of
(14:50):
thought that was that's pretty smart thing from Billy Donovan
to like draw up like he knows that the offense
dies a little bit when you go into like the
slow half court situation where Josh doesn't like move around
the defense or he doesn't bend the defense by having
him give the ball up quicker when the defense isn't
settled and allow a guy like Matzas bussellis who just
(15:10):
moves relentlessly and constantly to find those gaps, and also
Iadusum who had a pretty good game. One like that
to me is just, oh, we're getting to that point
now where it seems are recognizing how to sort of
negate certain weaknesses. The Warriors is another example. When you're
starting Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. Technically your
(15:34):
spacing is supposed to be dogshit, right. It certainly hasn't been,
because they're just popping that ball Like I don't I
don't even have like a good description of it, that
that that ball is just popping off of their hands constantly.
They're moving, they're cutting their they're they're never standing still.
It complete completely messes up every defense they're going up against,
(15:57):
and that just leads to those wide open corner shots,
wide open three point attemps from even like Jimmy Butler's
who aren't you great three point shooters? But if they're
wide open, they can cash it. I yeah, that I've
just been so encouraged about, like the offensive creativity we've
seen over the first three games.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Fully recognizing it's three games or three days.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Sorry, yep, totally.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
So it's short termed.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
Sorry, Yeah, I think I want to kind of focus
on two teams that either surprised me, one of which
I was relatively high on coming in the year but
still surprised me the way they started the season, and
one of which I was not high on coming into
(16:48):
the year that very much surprised me coming into the season. First,
we'll start with the one that not a total surprise,
but still I didn't see didn't see this coming. The
Toronto Raptors just absolutely boat racing the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. Yeah,
and the Atlanta Hawks, you know, made all these big
(17:09):
offseason moves. Get Christops getting killed, Exender Walker, get Luke Canard.
You know, we're kind of when people are talking about
all right, it's Cleveland and New York at the top
of the East, but then it's like Orlando Atlanta where
the kind of trendy teams in the mix for that
next spot get boat raced by twenty points by the
(17:31):
Toronto Raptors, who you know, we never saw Brandon Ingram
play with them last year because they traded for him
the deadline. He has the ankle injury and just conveniently,
the ankle injury that was only supposed to sideline him
for like two months wound up being a four month injury,
which I think of that hope no one in Toronto
(17:52):
profited off of that information, right, But we finally saw
the full strength Toronto Raptors in their season debut, and
you know, RJ. Barrett was like shockingly good. You know,
you that similar to the Warriors concern with a Kamingo
(18:14):
Butler Draymond starting lineup. You wondered how Pearl Scottie Barnes,
I mean, Ingram is has developed his three point shot
and r J. Barrett has developed as well, but none
of them are like elite three point shooters by any
means right, And I mean they only hit all their
(18:35):
their starting lineup combined for two may three pointers on
eleven six.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
Or twenty five for the game, and they scored one
hundred and forty eight points.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Yeah, so at you know, going into the year, I
thought the Raptors because they just had like I didn't
understand necessarily how that starting five would mesh or like
if those if that's the group they're going to build
a round long term. But I thought, like, those are
all five legit NBA starters, and no one is really
(19:09):
talking about the Toronto Raptors. As you know, they were
complete afterthought in the Eastern Conference discussion. It's only one game.
I'm not gonna say like Toronto Raptors are gonna have
home court in the first round of the playoffs or anything,
but I that was an eye opener for me. I
was one of the bigger eye openers on that big
wind It Wednesday slate of games.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
I like that, Like I'm generally impressed. Like if I
told you before the game this team would shoot six
of twenty five to three and they would have nineteen turnovers,
would you have packed them as one one scoring one
hundred and forty eight points now also beating a team
by twenty.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
No, No, wasn't it like the highest scoring debut for them?
I want to I thought I saw someone tweet their
posting the blue sky oh and they was They were like, hi,
scoring opening game in franchise history.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Well, so we also have to be fair Atlanta's interior defense. Sure,
how do we How are we being kind here? What's
what's the best way to phrase it? Non existent?
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Flimsy?
Speaker 2 (20:23):
It was kinder, Yeah, it was.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
It was a bad showing for them, So like there
is something to just make a note of that and
put back in your mind. But the raptures I've I've
been I think the word is skeptical. Over the course
of summer. I've been like, you know, you have three wings.
You have two wings who aren't natural three point shooters,
(20:45):
then you have one wing who's a reluctant three point shooter, Like,
how is this going to work out? And so far,
so good? Well, the three pointed shot not so much.
That needs to be a priority moving forward. But there
is one thing that I'm slightly concerned about, and I
understand it's one game. I also believe that there is
(21:09):
an injury let me just make sure that. Yeah, the
forearm for Colin Murray Boyles, But like, where is he
kind of play when he gets back into it? Like
that's he's probably like a top three favorite rookie of
mine this year. Oh well, look he's I think there's
Like I think he's got tremendous upside on both the
(21:31):
sides of the floor. So like I think he's he's
I think he could be like that type of dude,
Scottie Barnes, RJ.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Barrett brandon Ingram.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Already there, You're like that should take almost every minute
at the forward spots like that, that basically leaves nothing
for anyone else. You also have, I have Akbashi coming
off the bench. You also needs to play, you know,
the big positions in Yaka PERTL and Mamu. So like
what's really left for the big positions at all? So
(22:01):
eventually I am hoping something's got to give, But for
the life of me, I can't figure out what that
it is. I have no idea where you squeeze out
more minutes for someone.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Yeah, I mean I think you eventually, if Colin mary
Boyle's is a thing, then you're going to have to
trade one of Argie Bart to brandon Ingram eventually just
to make room for him, right, But that's something that
they can figure out, and then they're like a little
bit over the luxury tax this year. It would be
(22:36):
very surprised if they stay over the luxury tax this year.
I'd imagine. Yeah, I don't think they have any big
extensions kicking in next year. No, And like Purdle's deal
is flat this year and next year so before yeah,
Quickly's deal is flat as well, So I would guess
(23:00):
they're going to be fine tax wise next year as well.
So they've got some time to figure it out. But yeah,
I mean, it feels like another shoe has to drop
at some point. And I think they probably want to
take this early portion of the season since they didn't
see Ingram play last year. Like yeah, you know, some
people were like calling for them to trade r J.
(23:23):
Barrett this summer, and it's like, well, I think they
probably want to see what this group looks like together
and how Murray Boyle fits in in particular before they
start making that call.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Yeah, which is fair, by the way, it's fair wanting
to try it.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
I think we all like have been.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
Not critical but we've been skeptical of teams that are
not I don't want to say leaning away from spacing,
but like it's not far from it given that they're
I mean twenty five to three point it SEMs that's
it should be nearly double that, right, just to to
spread everything out, and like again, it just comes down
to our guys ready to take those shots. I like
(24:06):
quickly in his defense, he went zero for seven, so
like he he was there, he took the shots, they
just didn't drop. And that's like that's one thing. But
like the Inkram factor, I'm not ready to just say, oh,
let's ignore the Pelicans data of him having so many
opportunities to take three pointers and just not doing it
(24:27):
and sending a middle finger to the bench, like you
want me to take threes here? How about a pull
up two for the seventeen time today? Like, there are
still a couple of things here that bothers me that
with this roster. But I do agree, this was one
hell of a game one. So what was your what
was the other team that you had?
Speaker 1 (24:45):
The Utah Jazz Oh our utage has I mean boat racing? Yeah,
the Los Angeles Clipper, like was not even close Clippers
being you know, a lot people thought they're like a
fifty win team. They're in that tier with like the
(25:06):
Warriors and the Nuggets of the Rockets, the Timberwolves of
like this team is a legit threat to the Oklahoma
City Thunder and they could not beat a Utah Jazz
team that is very much rebuilding. So I don't know.
I don't know if it says more about the Jazz
that like maybe they're gonna be friskier than we expected
(25:27):
coming into the year, or if it sent some red
flags about the Clippers. I wanted to ask you what
you read into it, or it's just a one game fluke.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
I mean, look, it's I have to say one game
fluke because obviously it's one out of eighty two. We've
seen these things before, and it feels like every time
you panic gets at games that are like this bad
of a blowout, you know, you start realizing afterwards when
they start hitting you know, some consistency and they bounce back,
(25:57):
you're like, oh, okay, Like I panicked after the first
team and I don't want to be that guy because
I do think that the level of talent that this
team has, the Clippers I mean, is is grotesque, Like
they can go at least eleven deep if they need
to and want to. That's a level of depth that
(26:17):
I don't think a lot of teams have. So I'm
not ready to pull the trigger on Oh my god,
what are what is going on with the Clippers that
said that was a slacking, that that was a woodshed
kind of thing, like come here, clips, yeah, you did wrong,
Like we're gonna We're gonna absolutely take you behind the
(26:41):
woodshed and smack the ever living ship out of you.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
So I want to ask, because I've had this lingering
thought really since they announced it when they signed Bradley
beal To. You know, he gets waving stretched by Phoenix
and they signed him I think with the taxpayer MLA.
So he's not He's not on a fifty million dollar contract, right,
(27:05):
he's you know, in terms of career pedigree, yes, the
most accomplished player, well, I guess Chris Paul, but like,
you know, one of the more accomplished players on their team.
So from that respect, I understand why he's in the
starting lineup. But it seems like they just autumn like
they didn't even put it up for debate coming into
training camp, they're like Bradley Bial locked in the starting
(27:28):
lineup and like some of the quote La Murray of
the Athletic as on Blue Sky, and he has been like
you know, posting some of the quotes from Tyleru about
like we're gonna trust Bradley Beal to get get him
back to being an elite defender. We're going to like
task him with some of them are you know, Derek
Jones Junior is obviously like the main point attack defender,
(27:48):
but like they're they seem to believe that Bradley Bial
has defensive upside that I just don't. Even in his prime,
I don't remember him being like an above average defender.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
So there were moments. There were moments, and I think
that was when he was playing with John wall. Sure,
they had a couple of years where he actually, you know,
he wasn't the Bradley people who went out into and
scored thirty per game. He was like I want to say,
in the early twenties, and that allowed him to have
these stretches where he could really clamp down. So I've
(28:22):
seen it, and I think we've all seen it. The
problem was when he started playing you know, the I
need to score thirty brand of basketball. All that went away,
and he kept up that ideology of needing to score
a lot of points for like five or six years,
so we haven't seen it for so long. And then
(28:43):
when he arrived to Phoenix, we're all like, oh, now
it's going to show up because you got Book there,
you got Kadie there. It's fine, Like now he's going
to be a defender, and he wasn't. So I'm with
you in the sense that we need to see him
do it again, like I have seen him do it,
but like that was when he was significantly younger.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
Yeah, well, I'm just wondering, like, if you were running
the Clippers, would Bradley be albe in your starting five?
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Yes, he actually, he actually would.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
The thing I would say, the thing that I would
do differently is I would also have John Collinson there
over Derek Jones Junior. Like I understand that that would
be a very offensively heavy or offensively tailored starting lineup,
but I don't necessarily mind that. I don't mind if
you can if it works, like this is a very
(29:38):
important if the parts work and if they can play
off of onon each other much more effectively than what
we've seen so far. Then I wouldn't mind having it
seemed that can come out and basically start every game
by putting up thirty points on you in the first quarter.
I wouldn't hate that. That said, right now, they're balancing
(30:00):
offense and defense, and I don't hate that. Like, if
your words remove something someone from the starting lineup, yeah,
it's probably John Collins, Like, I'll concede as much. And
I say that as a huge John Collins fan. Uh
and Derek Jones Junior is he's good, Like this is
something that keeps getting thrown under the radar. He is
good and defensively he's an impactful guy. So I don't
(30:24):
hate that. What I really want to know is what
is the plan with the bench, Like, are you just
planning to say, oh, Chris Paul you're gonna run the
show and you're gonna be the playmaker and John Collins
you're gonna be the scorer. Fine, so Broke Lopez is
going to be the defensive minded center. I can get
behind all of that, But to your point, who's going
to be the score? Is that going to be booked
(30:45):
on when he's like fully ready to compete it's not
gonna be Nick Bazoom, Cam Christie. We don't really know
is if he's ever going to be that guy. So
there are a couple of question marks there. And if
you were making the argument, I would kind of like
to have Bradley Beale coming off the bench as my
sixth man to just get buckets. I'm not against that either.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Yeah, I mean, the Clipper is on paper one of
the deepest teams in the NBA. You've got their starting
the starting five they went with on Wednesday of Kawhi,
Derek Jones, Junior Zubach, Harden, Beal, you have Batoom, John Collins,
Brooke Lopez, Chris Paul, Chris Dunn, and bog Don mcdonovic
(31:30):
off the bench, and then their end of roster guys,
so like eleven guys that you could argue deserve legitimate minutes. So,
I mean, you could make one of two arguments, one
being maybe they just don't have a fixed starting lineup
it like hardened Zuba Kawhi locked in starters. And then
(31:52):
maybe you just tinker on a game to the game
basis based on your opponent's personnel. Because you have you
can go big like Utah, you know, playing Walker Castler,
Kyle Philipowski, and Laurie Markinen all in their starting lineup
starting you know, a bunch of like six seven and
below guys beyond Zubach, like you were putting yourself at
(32:13):
a size disadvantage. Maybe in a matchup like that, you
want a John Collins in the starting lineup, whereas if
you're going against a smaller team, maybe you're okay, we're
doing Harden and Beale or like, you know, I could
make an argument for Chris Dunn over Bradley Beal in
the starting lineup, and then I think you don't necessarily
need Derek Jones junior because Chris Dunn can be your
(32:35):
point of attack guy. So I think there's a lot
or I mean, I also just like Nick Batoom is
not going to play heavy minutes, but he's just like
the quintessential glue guy. And in a lineup where you
know Kawhi and Harden are gonna commandeer a majority of
the touches, and if it's not those two, it's Hardened
(32:56):
and Zubach running pick and roll. Like, I just don't
think you need another high usage scorer who is a
better three point shooter on paper than he actually is
in reality, and is such a glaring net minus on defense,
or at least has been in recent years, that it
forces you to play someone else in your starting lineup
(33:18):
just to cover up for him. And like Harden is
also you know, not an elite defender. So it's really
like the Beal Hardened combination in the backcourt puts you
in such a difficult situation defensively that you have to
kind of make up for it with your other whoever
you start, other than Kawhi and Zubac.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
I promise I'm not trying to troll Hawkes fans, but
listen to the descriptions you just gave of Bradley Beal,
someone who's a three point shooter, but not ask God
to a three point shooter someone who's getting abused defensively
like that you just described for a.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Young Yeah, yeah, John Collins is probably having flashbacks.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
No, but like that's this.
Speaker 3 (33:59):
This is why I think we are skeptical of certain players, right, Like,
you know, there are players out there where we're looking
at the big picture and we're going, you know, this
is a great talent, but does he add the necessary
elements to like a winning formula and I do understand
that concern with Bradley Beal. If he's playing like a
(34:21):
featured role, I do like I would have started him
because I do also think that he's been historically, at
least probably not as much in recent years, like someone
who understands to move off the ball, not just as
a shooter, but someone who actually can you know, cut
to the basket, someone who can find the mid range
areas and like going to catch and shoot situations like
(34:44):
in the mid range area, which not a lot of
people do. But so far we haven't really seen that.
It's also one game, So I'm not ready to, you know,
call this and say look dead on arrival.
Speaker 2 (34:59):
That would be harsh.
Speaker 3 (35:00):
I will push back on like Chris Donne, because Chris
don I understand your point though he's just such a
minus offensively, right, Yeah, it's exactly like, I hear what
you're saying, Like, if we could take Chris Dunn's defensive
mind and put that into Bradley Beal, then we'll have something, dude,
(35:22):
right exactly so like but but and that's that's how
I think they were gonna have to gamble with this,
and just they're gonna have to make sacrifices, Like they
can't have a lineup where you have five guys all
being two way guys.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
You just can't.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
That is that is not on the table. But so
they'll have to mix a match and like, show me
a roster in the NBA that has like five guys
who can play both sides of the court.
Speaker 1 (35:48):
Really, okay, see ye actually, Caruso, if you take out heart.
Speaker 2 (35:57):
And can do it too, I have on my face,
I have egg on my face. That's one one team,
Brian one Sea.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
Yeah, I mean they're they are the obvious.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
The reason I actually worded like that was I was
thinking of Boston. Well, they won their championship, and then
because they tore it down, I was like, see, no
one's left, and I just oh, yeah, you idiot, there's
the there's the thunder that won the championship. Just a
few wants to go. That is fair. I I would
tracked my question.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
Show me two teams, show me show me four teams. No. No,
but like, yeah, okay, one team.
Speaker 1 (36:35):
It's rare. It is certainly rare. Right, You're right, like
teams need to make trade offs. I mean I do
wonder if they have more kind of specialists than the
average team m hm, because even Harden is like, I mean,
he's so good offensively and he just raises the ceiling
and the floor for that offense that you're willing to
deal with the the minuses on defense. But you know,
(37:00):
especially if you're looking ahead come playoff time, like James
Hard and Bradley Beald, backcourt is not viable. They are
just barbecue chicken.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:09):
See again, unless their offensive production is of such volume
that they just win the direct matchups. But it's fair
to say how likely is that, right, Harden is what
he's forty thirty six.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
Yeah, thirty six, I remember exactly for forty six.
Speaker 3 (37:30):
Bil is older as well. Now he isn't as effective
as he used to be. Like, I can appreciate them
what they are and what they do, but you're right, like,
there's certainly a world where in if you play those
two guys like forty five minutes both of them, that
that backcourt could get torn to shreds.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
Yeah, I mean, I was just surprised that he was
a locked in starter without before a training camp like
I would have especially given the depth and the options
that they had. Personally, I would have said Kawhi Harden,
Zubach locked in no question. Other two spots are up
for grabs to whoever fits the best and try out
(38:09):
a bunch of different combinations, and like, again, it's one game.
Maybe Tylou is kind of using this early part of
the regular season to do that. We'll see how it
looks when Magdanovic gets back in to the lineup as well.
I just worry how, you know, given how Beale reacted
last year in Phoenix when they moved him to the bench,
(38:30):
and you know, he didn't like publicly make a scene
about it, but he was like, I think I'm a
starter in this league. And that's so like I'm not
gonna you know, I'll do what coach says, but like,
this is how I feel about myself. It makes me wonder,
like was that part of the promise to him to
get him to sign in LA for what he signed for?
(38:51):
And like, what happens if you get ten or fifteen
games into the season and it is just so clearly
not working, are you will to pull the trigger? And
if so, how does he react to that?
Speaker 2 (39:03):
I mean, what's the downside?
Speaker 1 (39:06):
You just got Bradley Neil moping on your bench? For
the next seventy.
Speaker 3 (39:08):
Games at a price tag where you can cut bait
and not say it right, right, Yeah, I mean it's
not like they have to wave and stretch him and
then point six million dollars to their books every year.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
That's right. Yeah, I mean that's that's also a thing. Like,
I know, contract size should not dictate your role in
the NBA, but I think when they yeah, when they moved,
when Phoenix moved Beil to the bench on the contract
that he was on, it was a lot more eye
opening than if the Clippers would do it now.
Speaker 3 (39:43):
Right, you know, So our great friends I was going
to say good friends, but our great friends over at
the Hardwood Knocks podcast, they're currently doing a live show
right now as we're recording, called tis the Season for Overreactions,
And that is the perfect title, and like, overreaction is
(40:04):
the perfect word, because when you told me what you
had like in store, that was the thing. Like, yeah,
both of us coming in to this episode, we are
intentionally overreacting because this is the data we have to
go off of. But obviously Dan and Grant just beat
us to it. They already have graphics out like yeah, yeah,
(40:25):
I love those guys, even though they just made us
look like idiots here.
Speaker 2 (40:28):
Yeah right, thanks guys. No, but like it's that is
the data we have to work with.
Speaker 3 (40:33):
Remind me, I believe it's after like the twenty game threshold,
that's when we can start to like view stats in
a sort of normalized behavior, right, Like those are the
where we can actually use some of the patterns we've seen.
Like that's when I think it's twenty twenty five games
somewhere along those lines.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
I believe.
Speaker 2 (40:55):
So. Yeah, so we've got.
Speaker 3 (40:57):
A month or two before we can go in and say, oh,
this is a B and C. Like for the next
couple of months, things might get crazy, and that's I
don't mind that.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
By the way.
Speaker 3 (41:11):
I love this, Like, look, Shay isn't gonna average forty
five points per game a season. Right now, we know
that weby's not going to average forty and fifteen.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
Yeah, maybe I wouldn't go that far, but like.
Speaker 3 (41:29):
I just I love the start. I love how this
has set the table for an NBA season. I hate
how the gambling stuff just came out of nowhere. And
well it didn't come out of nowhere exactly, but like
how it just came in and just you know, put
a dark cloud on everything. I'm at that point now
where I'm looking ahead to the schedule and going what
(41:51):
are we in store for?
Speaker 2 (41:54):
Which I love?
Speaker 1 (41:55):
Yeah, I mean we got another loaded slate of games
on Friday, so certainly Bucks Raptors I'm gonna keep a
close eye on. With no Kevin Porter Junior. You know,
we got our weekly Giannice's time in Milwaukee is in
Jangers story that came out earlier today, which is nice
(42:15):
to see Hawk's magic as well. Like the two trendy
teams in the East, one of whom got boat raced
on Wednesday and one of whom barely beat a Miami
Heat team without Tyler Heroes, so neither one off to
the start that we necessarily anticipated. We got Celtics Nicks. Well,
(42:35):
is this this is the debut of prime video, right? Uh?
Speaker 2 (42:39):
Yeah, I believe it is.
Speaker 3 (42:41):
Yes, So that's that's not so relevant for me over here,
because you know, would lead pass over here. That's just
everything we don't have. But but yes, but I'm but
I did.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
I was court.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
I was almost disappointed that we wouldn't get like all
of the great shows there because the line up that
they have on Prime Video. Oh my god, Yeah, that
looks amazing, Like that is a a studio that actually
seemed like I hate giving Amazon any type of of
kudos here because of who runs it, but like, oh boy,
(43:14):
oh boy.
Speaker 1 (43:16):
He might have destroyed the Washington Post, but he put
together a good NBA panel, right.
Speaker 2 (43:23):
And also I'm I'm sensing Spurs Pelicans.
Speaker 3 (43:29):
And by the way, this this is so funny because
this episode won't be out until like Monday or something
along those lines, because I have a whole lot of
episodes just lined up. Sure, but so at that point
in time, this is gonna be you know, in the
in the distant past. But Spurs Pelicans, Like who who
is who is going to take that job?
Speaker 2 (43:51):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (43:52):
Like who's going to raise their hands in the pregame
session and going yeah, I'll guard him. I don't even
know to say who the name is, Like who they'll guard?
Speaker 1 (44:02):
We all know, I mean, Kevon Looney is hurt, Missy
hurt his ankle on Wednesday might not play. So they
are down to Derek Queen Hunter Dickinson, who's on a
two way contract, and they just signed DeAndre Jordan today.
Speaker 2 (44:18):
They sure did.
Speaker 1 (44:19):
Yeah, so when you said Wemby's not going for forty
and fifteen, you're right. He's going for fifty and thirty tonight.
Speaker 2 (44:26):
So what we're saying is that is that is a
game that we will both be tuning into.
Speaker 1 (44:30):
Yes, that is correct. Yes, as my my, I don't
understand why the Nuggets were underdogs. Yesterday did not end
well for me. So almost we came close, but overtime
was unkind, as was Steph Curry. Just god, man, it's
he just gets on these heaters and it's like, you know,
the NBA has gone for a couple of months and
(44:52):
you just forget what I've vintage Steph Curry heater feels like.
And now you see him just chucking from twenty nine
feet and not even you know, just purece wish. You're like,
all right, okay, and we're fully back.
Speaker 2 (45:03):
That little mosquito isn't even looking at the rim.
Speaker 1 (45:05):
I know, it's just it's just flying off screens.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
It's just like just flinging it.
Speaker 3 (45:10):
I don't know how I mean if I am, I
am an atheist, so I don't believe in any deity
or you know, making a deal with the devil. But
if there is a player out there who I think
somehow succeeded in locating the devil and saying I will
make a deal with you. That is Steph Curry.
Speaker 1 (45:30):
Yeah. I was gonna say Nick Foles, but yes, also ste.
Speaker 2 (45:34):
Curry has to be Steph the shooting alone. Come on.
Speaker 3 (45:36):
Yeah, by the way, we just we just jinxed the
everlasting something out of Wemby because obviously it's going to
be herb Jones going on him.
Speaker 1 (45:44):
Oh okay, I mean Wemby has a foot on him.
Speaker 3 (45:50):
Don't like it's still hert Jones will find a way, Like,
I'm not going I'm not counting out Herb Jones on anything.
Speaker 1 (45:56):
I mean, Wemby could just hold the basketball above his head,
you know, like when you do it to a toddler. Yeah,
that's exactly what you can do to.
Speaker 2 (46:05):
Her, like what Bobon actually did to ad a couple
of years ago.
Speaker 1 (46:09):
Yes, yes, yeah, Well, my reckless betting of advice of
the day is that the Spurs are only favored by
four and a half and I just do not understand
that line at all.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
Well, we'll be a lot smarter after tonight.
Speaker 3 (46:24):
And again, this episode is probably gonna come out Monday,
so so let's see how dumb we'll look.
Speaker 1 (46:30):
See how badly that Yeah that take ages?
Speaker 2 (46:33):
Yeah oh yeah, No, we are kings of that.
Speaker 3 (46:35):
Like for the ten years that we've podcasted together, like
that has always been the case. Whenever we like launch
a podcast, like a couple of days later after we're recording,
every single time we say something, it comes back and
we're just like, why the fuck did we say that?
Speaker 1 (46:51):
Like what I mean? The Spurs were underdogs against the
Mavericks the other night, and that one also set up
a few red flags for me. It's like, did we
forget Victor wemen Yama is playing and Kyrie is not?
What's what's going on here? I don't know. Maybe maybe
(47:12):
the betting markets are not as high on Victor wemen
Yama as we are or Stefan Castle.
Speaker 2 (47:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:18):
I know No dearon Fox, but also know de Jonte
Murray and no Centers, So I guess people are They're
really believing in Jordan Poole, the Jordan Pool takeover.
Speaker 3 (47:29):
This is gonna be the Derrek Queen game. The guy
who comes into the league No D No. Three, but
Joe Tars traded like the farm to get him.
Speaker 2 (47:39):
Like this has to.
Speaker 3 (47:40):
Honestly, I this shouldn't fall on Derrek Queen's shoulders. I
want to make that painfully and obvious. But in order
to justify that trade, I'm like, I'm gonna be stubborn
about this. I'm gonna sit with my arms fold. I'm
just gonna go, like, it's your turn, Dirk Queen. Go
Derek Wempy, go beat Wempy.
Speaker 1 (48:00):
It's not on his shoulders because he's going to fall
out in twelve minutes. They're not going to have an
active center by the second half of this game.
Speaker 2 (48:08):
You know what, Then suit up, Joe Dumars, you get
this suit up.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
Or just lean into I mean, this is one thing
I do hope to see more of this year is
just teams getting absolutely weird with lineup combination. Like my
reaction when I saw them signing DeAndre Jordan, Like, I
know Missy's hurt. I know, Looney, he'll be back in
like a couple of weeks probably, but like, just lean
into it, dude, you got you know, like lean into
some small ball Zion at the viver Trey Murphy and
(48:36):
we get more Sadik Bay on the floor. You get
more Jeremiah Fears, who looked great in his debut, Like,
let's just you know, get weird. I want to see
more teams get weird with their lineup combinations.
Speaker 3 (48:50):
So basically, the meme or the tag line off the
twenty twenty six NBA season should be Michael Keaton in
nineteen eighty nine's bad Man, you want to get nuts.
Speaker 2 (49:01):
Let's get nuts. That has to be the one right.
Speaker 1 (49:05):
Both on and off the court, as it turns out. Well.
On that note, yeah, that's a good, good place to
wrap up. So thank you all as always for tuning
in to another episode of Shooting the Blee. I hope
you enjoyed it. Hope these takes not age too poorly.
(49:25):
But this is here in lies the problem of recording
early in the season.
Speaker 2 (49:31):
You just specified to goddamnit. I'm definitely gonnage.
Speaker 1 (49:37):
I am confident that my take of Victor wem and
yam as good at basketball will age well.
Speaker 2 (49:42):
The only thing.
Speaker 1 (49:44):
Everything else might go to ship, But this is that
one's gonna lad.
Speaker 2 (49:48):
Well in Stone. That's fair.
Speaker 1 (49:50):
Yeah, all right, well, thank you all as always were.
Thank you to my dog for sleeping soundly through this
entire episode and not barking but I'm sure he will
make an appearance his debut appearance on Shooting the Bleep soon.
Until next time, I'm Brian to Pork and I was
joined as always by Morton Jensen. Mort have a good one,
Enjoy the weekend, Enjoy, enjoy our first weekend of NBA games.
(50:13):
It was so nice to you know, Thursday Night Football
was on last night and we had like the most
disgusting It was Chargers Viking. Carson Wentz was just vomiting
all over himself for three hours, and it was so
nice to not feel compelled to watch that because I
had actual basketball on. So welcome back NBA.
Speaker 3 (50:33):
Yeah, welcome back NBA. I will definitely also enjoy just
not having to work my ass off during the weekend
and just sit down and watch games because I actually
want to.
Speaker 2 (50:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (50:45):
Yeah, yeah, it's feels good. Feels good to be back.
Speaker 2 (50:49):
Have a good one, man, all right, you too,
Welcome everyone to another episode of the NBA Podcast. We
are back for another episode of Shooting the Bleep. I
am Brian Taporik. I am taking over, as is tradition
with these episodes, I'm taking back over the hosting chair
from our usual co host Morton Jensen. More, how's it going?
Ready to shoot the Bleep after a couple of days
(00:39):
of actual NBA action?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
I am.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
I am three days into the NBA season, and like,
I'm just gonna get straight into my topic. I'm doing well,
by the way, I'm hoping you're doing well too, Like, look,
you just got a new dog, Obviously you're doing fine.
Speaker 1 (00:54):
Yeah, he is passed out on the floor. I don't
know how long that's gonna last. So in advanced if
we've got a dog barking at some point during this episode.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
That is fine. He was already introduced in an earlier episode,
so this is fine.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
No, but I have some numbers for you, okay, Sha
childs is Alexander fifty five points, Erin Gordon fifty points,
Lukadancic forty three points, Stephen Curry forty two points, Anthony
Edwards forty one points, Victor Panama forty points, Tyrese Maxi
forty points. We have seven forty pointers and like including
(01:30):
a pair of fifty burgers. The NBA season is three
days old, Brian, three days old. We are looking at
an absolutely ridiculous individual scoring explosion to start this season.
I think I don't have historical numbers on this at all,
(01:51):
but like from a purely observational, like anecdotal perspective, this
seems like it's the most intense and deval scoring outbursts
we've seen to start the season for years and years
and years, like the betting stuff. Aside, these three days
of NBA games, it's been basketball porn. It's been fantastic,
(02:13):
And so I don't want to hear about, you know,
people going, oh, the NC double A is actually better
basketball or anything like, oh who watches the NBA. It's
it's just bad basketball, Like basketball was better in the
seventies and eighties and nineties.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Stop it, just just stop it.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
This is an outrageous level of individual talent that we
have on top of the league right now.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
It's just it's it's borderline incomprehensible.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Well, there's something from op the stats. This was before,
this was before Thursday's games that this was the first
time in the NBA history that four different players opened
the season with a forty point game in the same year,
and that was Luca and Maxi and Wemby at Aaron
Gordon to the list because he at a fifty piece
(03:04):
in his season opener. Shay the fifty five was his
second game of the season, so he does not make
the cut here. But yeah, I mean, if anything, I'm
surprised by this to some extent, because you know, we
heard a lot throughout the preseason of how like every
team was gonna take after Okac and the Pacers last year.
(03:26):
We're going to play more like physical, aggressive defense. We're
gonna lean more on our depth and kind of peared
down the minutes of starters, especially in the early going
to keep guys fresh. And then we're seeing not only
are these guys scoring a ton of points, but you know,
Maxi played forty two the other night. I believe Luca,
(03:50):
I don't remember off the top of my head. I'm
opening their box score he played forty one. You know,
it's interesting that teams are kind of going balls to
the wall game one of the season, and you know,
Frankly like some of these, especially Aaron Gordon, was aided
by overtime. The Thunder just can't help themselves. Are they
(04:12):
always going to just play two overtimes? Was that in
the CBA for them this year?
Speaker 3 (04:18):
Well, I mean it has resulted in Shade averaging forty
six and a half minutes on the year so far.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Oh my god. I mean that's that's one strategy to
wear down. Okay, see over the season they might have
insane depth, but if you make them play double overtime
eighty two games, I do not think they're going to
make it to April very fresh.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
You remember the Jack Nicholson meme where he's like nodding
while smiling. That's tips right now?
Speaker 1 (04:42):
Yeah, yeah, right right? But yeah, I mean it's it's
been you know what we were saying in the previous episode,
like if you just look past the salary cap sorgavention
and gambling scandals that are unfortunately overshadowing a lot of this,
Like the amount of individual talent on display on the
NBA on a night to night basis is honestly insane.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Yeah yeah, and like it's something that we seem to
be forgetting at certain spots every single year, Like I
do think whenever we get into like March and April,
when the games do lose a sense of quality, like
that's they just do. Let's be real about it. Like
teams that are trying to to tank, they just kind
(05:25):
of you know, sit their stars down or their key guys,
like they don't get a lot of minutes. But the
sheer volume of talent it Like we've said this for
so many years, Brian, the league can absolutely and I
mean absolutely afford to expand because this whole idea that
oh it would water down talent, it's so preposterously preposterously stupid.
(05:49):
Now I just can't take it serious at all. It's
like now now the burden of proofalls on the people
making that claim.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
It no longer falls on us.
Speaker 3 (06:01):
Like if if you come in and say, oh, this
water's down everything, yeah, prove it, prove it.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
I mean, look at the look at the guys who
either were like on Exhibit tens coming into the year,
like aren't on NBA rosters right now. I mean Malcolm
Brogden retired instead of sticking with the Knicks, which you
know and he said it was just for health reasons
and fill up for the grind, but like part of
me wonders, was he just not going to win the
(06:30):
competition for that roster spot. And you know, Malcolm Brogden
was playing well in the NBA last year. He's he's
still an NBA player. But yeah, a lot of teams are,
Buddy Keith Smith. The spot track has been all over this.
I think more than half of the teams in the
league have kept one open roster spot coming into the year,
(06:53):
so they have some midseason flexibility if they want to
do like a two for one trade, three for true trade, whatever.
So that's cutting down on some opportunities. A lot of
teams are hardcapped. Some of them are hard capped so
close or some of them are hard capped and are
so close to whatever apron that they're hard capped against.
Like the Warriors right now, you know signed Seth Curry.
Had to let him go. We're going to resign him
(07:13):
in a couple of weeks because they just didn't have
money or enough room under the hard cap to have
him on the roster heading into the season. So I mean,
to your to your overall point, yes, like there is
plenty of talent across the world, frankly, but especially again,
like look at Dominic Barlow is on a two way
right now, guy, was you know the game one is
(07:36):
any indication he's very deserving of a full time NBA
roster spot, And we're only going to continue seeing this
moving forward. So yeah, I think, I mean, it sounds
like I haven't heard anyone from the NBA NBA side
make the claim of the talent dilution claim as the
reason that they're stalling expansion. I mean, I forget who
(08:01):
reported it. I want to say the Athletic earlier this
year when it came up during the off season, they
were saying it's really on the owners that they just
don't want to share the money from the new national
TV deals, right.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Yeah, And that makes sense on some level, can right?
Speaker 1 (08:17):
And like you know, the sale of the Celtics for
six billion dollars and so all the Lakers for ten
billion dollars cent franchise valuations skyrocketing so high that that
has complicated some of this. Like you know, a couple
of years ago when Windy and Co And yeah, Wendy
a couple other people from ESPN had like an expansion primer,
(08:39):
I think they were estimating combined you know, assuming Seattle
and Vegas are the teams. I think they said combined
they were hoping to get five billion for those franchises.
I mean, right, Age One is probably going for five
billion and Vegas probably even more.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Yeah, yeah, so yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
I mean it's like, again, remove the scandals that threatened
the integrity of the entire league, and the amount of
talent on display on a night to night basis is amazing.
And you know, frankly, I'm hopeful, I'm cautiously optimistic based
on the early goings here that NBC and Amazon Prime.
(09:19):
You know, we heard coming into the year they were
gonna like really focus on celebrating the game more like
take a cue from how all of these media partners
cover the NFL instead of being so focused on the
off court drama. So, like, you know, I hope we
start getting more attention on guys like Aaron Gordon, who
(09:39):
you know that he's not gonna have fifty every night,
but has been like completely reinvented himself from his Orlando
days to turn into this perfect role player for the
Nuggets for the last couple of years, key to a championship,
and now like apparently he's the third Splash brother.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
It's so funny.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
I've I've done so much in BA coverage over the
past week, so I don't remember whether I said it
on this show, or whether I said it on the
Dane Pod, or whether I said it on freaking television.
I don't remember where, but within like the past week,
at one point I told someone that the one thing
I'm still disappointed in Aaron Gordon about, like if you
(10:18):
went back to the twenty fourteen draft, was that I
thought he'd become more of a scorer, and like, I
hated the fact that he hadn't developed into more of
a scorer.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
So of course he goes.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Out fifty game one just to shut my ass.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Up at that take did age twelve for you? No?
Speaker 2 (10:37):
It did not.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
And I'm look, I'm happy too because that I still
stand by that that he was supposed to be a
little bit more of a scorer. So like for him
to go in and pop ten threes in my freaking face, yeah,
go for it, Aaron Gordon, shut me the hell up, man,
that's great.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
And in connection to this, Brian, there's something else. And
I'm gonna sit here and actually count it out with
you because I'm going to uh the the draft page,
the twenty twenty five NBA draft page on Basketball Reference,
and I'm gonna need you to potentially correct you on
a few things because these are only the players selected
in the draft. I don't remember if there are players
(11:16):
who have been undrafted or have missed a year and
like this is their first first year technically, who've scored
more than ten points in their debut. But like Cooper Flag,
Dylan Harper, vj Itchcombe, Conkin Nipple, Trey Johnston, Jeremiah Fears
I or Denhim, Cedric Coward, Walter Clayton, and Ryan Caltbrenner.
(11:37):
That's that's ten guys in just the first game from
the from them where they cracked ten points. And I'm
not look, points isn't the end all or the be
all and end all of anything, but it's just to
like prove, oh, these guys are coming in hot. This
rookie class is coming in with with something. I mean,
(11:57):
Cooper Flag had a triple double. We all know about you,
Obj Edgecombe, like thirty four and seven and three, Like god, like,
how's that? That six Ers crowd for his first home
game is going to be absolutely insane like they're yeah,
good on him, Ryan kelprenn Over a double double like
chosen thirty fourth in the drafts. I love this. This
(12:21):
is such a good start to this season, just a
tremendous start.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Yeah, aside from what happened Thursday.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Let's stop, let's stop bring that.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Up right, the Encourt plays and I'm I mean, this
is like such a small sample size that it's probably
not worth talking about. But like all of these games
the first couple of days, again fueled by a few overtimes,
which is skewing the sample, but like a lot of
them that have been surprisingly high scoring, which again would
(12:55):
not have been my expectation coming into the year if
teams were going to be more aggressive on defense. But
I mean, maybe the whole idea of like every team
is trying to push, push more in transition, just play
faster in general, getting their actions more quickly, Like are
we headed for an NBA scoring boom this year? I
(13:19):
think is something just based on what we've seen in
the first couple days and based on these individual performances. No,
I'm not ready to call it a trend yet, but
it's caught my eye.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Same there is one thing that even surprised me.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
You know how I've been like almost religiously critic you
know what is the call critiquing or criticizing of Josh Giddy,
for example, because I do think he tends to just
mess up an offense by not being a spacing threat.
(13:54):
And one of the things that he did last year
that bothered me greatly and which I think went just
completely over looked by a lot of fans who just
you know, tried to find something positive in that whole experience,
was that he would hold the ball a lot of times,
like very much like Carmelo when he was in like
his worst moods, like just holding the ball, not moving
or anything, and it just killed the offensive flow because
(14:17):
defenses were allowed to settle in and he couldn't do anything.
And then when he finally did pass the ball, it
was pretty easy to just track him or just sack
off of him and he wouldn't be a threat.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
So in the first game.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
Against Detroit, which I had on in that you know,
the multiview thing on the television, I kept noticing that
he would give the ball up almost as soon as
he crossed half court. Not always, but like far more
oft than he would before and then he would start
to move and like that allowed everyone else to attack
very early in the shot clock. And I kind of
(14:50):
thought that was that's pretty smart thing from Billy Donovan
to like draw up like he knows that the offense
dies a little bit when you go into like the
slow half court situation where Josh doesn't like move around
the defense or he doesn't bend the defense by having
him give the ball up quicker when the defense isn't
settled and allow a guy like Matzas bussellis who just
(15:10):
moves relentlessly and constantly to find those gaps, and also
Iadusum who had a pretty good game. One like that
to me is just, oh, we're getting to that point
now where it seems are recognizing how to sort of
negate certain weaknesses. The Warriors is another example. When you're
starting Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler. Technically your
(15:34):
spacing is supposed to be dogshit, right. It certainly hasn't been,
because they're just popping that ball Like I don't I
don't even have like a good description of it, that
that that ball is just popping off of their hands constantly.
They're moving, they're cutting their they're they're never standing still.
It complete completely messes up every defense they're going up against,
(15:57):
and that just leads to those wide open corner shots,
wide open three point attemps from even like Jimmy Butler's
who aren't you great three point shooters? But if they're
wide open, they can cash it. I yeah, that I've
just been so encouraged about, like the offensive creativity we've
seen over the first three games.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
Fully recognizing it's three games or three days.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Sorry, yep, totally.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
So it's short termed.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
Sorry, Yeah, I think I want to kind of focus
on two teams that either surprised me, one of which
I was relatively high on coming in the year but
still surprised me the way they started the season, and
one of which I was not high on coming into
(16:48):
the year that very much surprised me coming into the season. First,
we'll start with the one that not a total surprise,
but still I didn't see didn't see this coming. The
Toronto Raptors just absolutely boat racing the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. Yeah,
and the Atlanta Hawks, you know, made all these big
(17:09):
offseason moves. Get Christops getting killed, Exender Walker, get Luke Canard.
You know, we're kind of when people are talking about
all right, it's Cleveland and New York at the top
of the East, but then it's like Orlando Atlanta where
the kind of trendy teams in the mix for that
next spot get boat raced by twenty points by the
(17:31):
Toronto Raptors, who you know, we never saw Brandon Ingram
play with them last year because they traded for him
the deadline. He has the ankle injury and just conveniently,
the ankle injury that was only supposed to sideline him
for like two months wound up being a four month injury,
which I think of that hope no one in Toronto
(17:52):
profited off of that information, right, But we finally saw
the full strength Toronto Raptors in their season debut, and
you know, RJ. Barrett was like shockingly good. You know,
you that similar to the Warriors concern with a Kamingo
(18:14):
Butler Draymond starting lineup. You wondered how Pearl Scottie Barnes,
I mean, Ingram is has developed his three point shot
and r J. Barrett has developed as well, but none
of them are like elite three point shooters by any
means right, And I mean they only hit all their
(18:35):
their starting lineup combined for two may three pointers on
eleven six.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
Or twenty five for the game, and they scored one
hundred and forty eight points.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Yeah, so at you know, going into the year, I
thought the Raptors because they just had like I didn't
understand necessarily how that starting five would mesh or like
if those if that's the group they're going to build
a round long term. But I thought, like, those are
all five legit NBA starters, and no one is really
(19:09):
talking about the Toronto Raptors. As you know, they were
complete afterthought in the Eastern Conference discussion. It's only one game.
I'm not gonna say like Toronto Raptors are gonna have
home court in the first round of the playoffs or anything,
but I that was an eye opener for me. I
was one of the bigger eye openers on that big
wind It Wednesday slate of games.
Speaker 3 (19:31):
I like that, Like I'm generally impressed. Like if I
told you before the game this team would shoot six
of twenty five to three and they would have nineteen turnovers,
would you have packed them as one one scoring one
hundred and forty eight points now also beating a team
by twenty.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
No, No, wasn't it like the highest scoring debut for them?
I want to I thought I saw someone tweet their
posting the blue sky oh and they was They were like, hi,
scoring opening game in franchise history.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
Well, so we also have to be fair Atlanta's interior defense. Sure,
how do we How are we being kind here? What's
what's the best way to phrase it? Non existent?
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Flimsy?
Speaker 2 (20:23):
It was kinder, Yeah, it was.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
It was a bad showing for them, So like there
is something to just make a note of that and
put back in your mind. But the raptures I've I've
been I think the word is skeptical. Over the course
of summer. I've been like, you know, you have three wings.
You have two wings who aren't natural three point shooters,
(20:45):
then you have one wing who's a reluctant three point shooter, Like,
how is this going to work out? And so far,
so good? Well, the three pointed shot not so much.
That needs to be a priority moving forward. But there
is one thing that I'm slightly concerned about, and I
understand it's one game. I also believe that there is
(21:09):
an injury let me just make sure that. Yeah, the
forearm for Colin Murray Boyles, But like, where is he
kind of play when he gets back into it? Like
that's he's probably like a top three favorite rookie of
mine this year. Oh well, look he's I think there's
Like I think he's got tremendous upside on both the
(21:31):
sides of the floor. So like I think he's he's
I think he could be like that type of dude,
Scottie Barnes, RJ.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Barrett brandon Ingram.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Already there, You're like that should take almost every minute
at the forward spots like that, that basically leaves nothing
for anyone else. You also have, I have Akbashi coming
off the bench. You also needs to play, you know,
the big positions in Yaka PERTL and Mamu. So like
what's really left for the big positions at all? So
(22:01):
eventually I am hoping something's got to give, But for
the life of me, I can't figure out what that
it is. I have no idea where you squeeze out
more minutes for someone.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
Yeah, I mean I think you eventually, if Colin mary
Boyle's is a thing, then you're going to have to
trade one of Argie Bart to brandon Ingram eventually just
to make room for him, right, But that's something that
they can figure out, and then they're like a little
bit over the luxury tax this year. It would be
(22:36):
very surprised if they stay over the luxury tax this year.
I'd imagine. Yeah, I don't think they have any big
extensions kicking in next year. No, And like Purdle's deal
is flat this year and next year so before yeah,
Quickly's deal is flat as well, So I would guess
(23:00):
they're going to be fine tax wise next year as well.
So they've got some time to figure it out. But yeah,
I mean, it feels like another shoe has to drop
at some point. And I think they probably want to
take this early portion of the season since they didn't
see Ingram play last year. Like yeah, you know, some
people were like calling for them to trade r J.
(23:23):
Barrett this summer, and it's like, well, I think they
probably want to see what this group looks like together
and how Murray Boyle fits in in particular before they
start making that call.
Speaker 3 (23:35):
Yeah, which is fair, by the way, it's fair wanting
to try it.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
I think we all like have been.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
Not critical but we've been skeptical of teams that are
not I don't want to say leaning away from spacing,
but like it's not far from it given that they're
I mean twenty five to three point it SEMs that's
it should be nearly double that, right, just to to
spread everything out, and like again, it just comes down
to our guys ready to take those shots. I like
(24:06):
quickly in his defense, he went zero for seven, so
like he he was there, he took the shots, they
just didn't drop. And that's like that's one thing. But
like the Inkram factor, I'm not ready to just say, oh,
let's ignore the Pelicans data of him having so many
opportunities to take three pointers and just not doing it
(24:27):
and sending a middle finger to the bench, like you
want me to take threes here? How about a pull
up two for the seventeen time today? Like, there are
still a couple of things here that bothers me that
with this roster. But I do agree, this was one
hell of a game one. So what was your what
was the other team that you had?
Speaker 1 (24:45):
The Utah Jazz Oh our utage has I mean boat racing? Yeah,
the Los Angeles Clipper, like was not even close Clippers
being you know, a lot people thought they're like a
fifty win team. They're in that tier with like the
(25:06):
Warriors and the Nuggets of the Rockets, the Timberwolves of
like this team is a legit threat to the Oklahoma
City Thunder and they could not beat a Utah Jazz
team that is very much rebuilding. So I don't know.
I don't know if it says more about the Jazz
that like maybe they're gonna be friskier than we expected
(25:27):
coming into the year, or if it sent some red
flags about the Clippers. I wanted to ask you what
you read into it, or it's just a one game fluke.
Speaker 3 (25:36):
I mean, look, it's I have to say one game
fluke because obviously it's one out of eighty two. We've
seen these things before, and it feels like every time
you panic gets at games that are like this bad
of a blowout, you know, you start realizing afterwards when
they start hitting you know, some consistency and they bounce back,
(25:57):
you're like, oh, okay, Like I panicked after the first
team and I don't want to be that guy because
I do think that the level of talent that this
team has, the Clippers I mean, is is grotesque, Like
they can go at least eleven deep if they need
to and want to. That's a level of depth that
(26:17):
I don't think a lot of teams have. So I'm
not ready to pull the trigger on Oh my god,
what are what is going on with the Clippers that
said that was a slacking, that that was a woodshed
kind of thing, like come here, clips, yeah, you did wrong,
Like we're gonna We're gonna absolutely take you behind the
(26:41):
woodshed and smack the ever living ship out of you.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
So I want to ask, because I've had this lingering
thought really since they announced it when they signed Bradley
beal To. You know, he gets waving stretched by Phoenix
and they signed him I think with the taxpayer MLA.
So he's not He's not on a fifty million dollar contract, right,
(27:05):
he's you know, in terms of career pedigree, yes, the
most accomplished player, well, I guess Chris Paul, but like,
you know, one of the more accomplished players on their team.
So from that respect, I understand why he's in the
starting lineup. But it seems like they just autumn like
they didn't even put it up for debate coming into
training camp, they're like Bradley Bial locked in the starting
(27:28):
lineup and like some of the quote La Murray of
the Athletic as on Blue Sky, and he has been like
you know, posting some of the quotes from Tyleru about
like we're gonna trust Bradley Beal to get get him
back to being an elite defender. We're going to like
task him with some of them are you know, Derek
Jones Junior is obviously like the main point attack defender,
(27:48):
but like they're they seem to believe that Bradley Bial
has defensive upside that I just don't. Even in his prime,
I don't remember him being like an above average defender.
Speaker 3 (27:59):
So there were moments. There were moments, and I think
that was when he was playing with John wall. Sure,
they had a couple of years where he actually, you know,
he wasn't the Bradley people who went out into and
scored thirty per game. He was like I want to say,
in the early twenties, and that allowed him to have
these stretches where he could really clamp down. So I've
(28:22):
seen it, and I think we've all seen it. The
problem was when he started playing you know, the I
need to score thirty brand of basketball. All that went away,
and he kept up that ideology of needing to score
a lot of points for like five or six years,
so we haven't seen it for so long. And then
(28:43):
when he arrived to Phoenix, we're all like, oh, now
it's going to show up because you got Book there,
you got Kadie there. It's fine, Like now he's going
to be a defender, and he wasn't. So I'm with
you in the sense that we need to see him
do it again, like I have seen him do it,
but like that was when he was significantly younger.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
Yeah, well, I'm just wondering, like, if you were running
the Clippers, would Bradley be albe in your starting five?
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Yes, he actually, he actually would.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
The thing I would say, the thing that I would
do differently is I would also have John Collinson there
over Derek Jones Junior. Like I understand that that would
be a very offensively heavy or offensively tailored starting lineup,
but I don't necessarily mind that. I don't mind if
you can if it works, like this is a very
(29:38):
important if the parts work and if they can play
off of onon each other much more effectively than what
we've seen so far. Then I wouldn't mind having it
seemed that can come out and basically start every game
by putting up thirty points on you in the first quarter.
I wouldn't hate that. That said, right now, they're balancing
(30:00):
offense and defense, and I don't hate that. Like, if
your words remove something someone from the starting lineup, yeah,
it's probably John Collins, Like, I'll concede as much. And
I say that as a huge John Collins fan. Uh
and Derek Jones Junior is he's good, Like this is
something that keeps getting thrown under the radar. He is
good and defensively he's an impactful guy. So I don't
(30:24):
hate that. What I really want to know is what
is the plan with the bench, Like, are you just
planning to say, oh, Chris Paul you're gonna run the
show and you're gonna be the playmaker and John Collins
you're gonna be the scorer. Fine, so Broke Lopez is
going to be the defensive minded center. I can get
behind all of that, But to your point, who's going
to be the score? Is that going to be booked
(30:45):
on when he's like fully ready to compete it's not
gonna be Nick Bazoom, Cam Christie. We don't really know
is if he's ever going to be that guy. So
there are a couple of question marks there. And if
you were making the argument, I would kind of like
to have Bradley Beale coming off the bench as my
sixth man to just get buckets. I'm not against that either.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Yeah, I mean, the Clipper is on paper one of
the deepest teams in the NBA. You've got their starting
the starting five they went with on Wednesday of Kawhi,
Derek Jones, Junior Zubach, Harden, Beal, you have Batoom, John Collins,
Brooke Lopez, Chris Paul, Chris Dunn, and bog Don mcdonovic
(31:30):
off the bench, and then their end of roster guys,
so like eleven guys that you could argue deserve legitimate minutes. So,
I mean, you could make one of two arguments, one
being maybe they just don't have a fixed starting lineup
it like hardened Zuba Kawhi locked in starters. And then
(31:52):
maybe you just tinker on a game to the game
basis based on your opponent's personnel. Because you have you
can go big like Utah, you know, playing Walker Castler,
Kyle Philipowski, and Laurie Markinen all in their starting lineup
starting you know, a bunch of like six seven and
below guys beyond Zubach, like you were putting yourself at
(32:13):
a size disadvantage. Maybe in a matchup like that, you
want a John Collins in the starting lineup, whereas if
you're going against a smaller team, maybe you're okay, we're
doing Harden and Beale or like, you know, I could
make an argument for Chris Dunn over Bradley Beal in
the starting lineup, and then I think you don't necessarily
need Derek Jones junior because Chris Dunn can be your
(32:35):
point of attack guy. So I think there's a lot
or I mean, I also just like Nick Batoom is
not going to play heavy minutes, but he's just like
the quintessential glue guy. And in a lineup where you
know Kawhi and Harden are gonna commandeer a majority of
the touches, and if it's not those two, it's Hardened
(32:56):
and Zubach running pick and roll. Like, I just don't
think you need another high usage scorer who is a
better three point shooter on paper than he actually is
in reality, and is such a glaring net minus on defense,
or at least has been in recent years, that it
forces you to play someone else in your starting lineup
(33:18):
just to cover up for him. And like Harden is
also you know, not an elite defender. So it's really
like the Beal Hardened combination in the backcourt puts you
in such a difficult situation defensively that you have to
kind of make up for it with your other whoever
you start, other than Kawhi and Zubac.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
I promise I'm not trying to troll Hawkes fans, but
listen to the descriptions you just gave of Bradley Beal,
someone who's a three point shooter, but not ask God
to a three point shooter someone who's getting abused defensively
like that you just described for a.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Young Yeah, yeah, John Collins is probably having flashbacks.
Speaker 2 (33:58):
No, but like that's this.
Speaker 3 (33:59):
This is why I think we are skeptical of certain players, right, Like,
you know, there are players out there where we're looking
at the big picture and we're going, you know, this
is a great talent, but does he add the necessary
elements to like a winning formula and I do understand
that concern with Bradley Beal. If he's playing like a
(34:21):
featured role, I do like I would have started him
because I do also think that he's been historically, at
least probably not as much in recent years, like someone
who understands to move off the ball, not just as
a shooter, but someone who actually can you know, cut
to the basket, someone who can find the mid range
areas and like going to catch and shoot situations like
(34:44):
in the mid range area, which not a lot of
people do. But so far we haven't really seen that.
It's also one game, So I'm not ready to, you know,
call this and say look dead on arrival.
Speaker 2 (34:59):
That would be harsh.
Speaker 3 (35:00):
I will push back on like Chris Donne, because Chris
don I understand your point though he's just such a
minus offensively, right, Yeah, it's exactly like, I hear what
you're saying, Like, if we could take Chris Dunn's defensive
mind and put that into Bradley Beal, then we'll have something, dude,
(35:22):
right exactly so like but but and that's that's how
I think they were gonna have to gamble with this,
and just they're gonna have to make sacrifices, Like they
can't have a lineup where you have five guys all
being two way guys.
Speaker 2 (35:35):
You just can't.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
That is that is not on the table. But so
they'll have to mix a match and like, show me
a roster in the NBA that has like five guys
who can play both sides of the court.
Speaker 1 (35:48):
Really, okay, see ye actually, Caruso, if you take out heart.
Speaker 2 (35:57):
And can do it too, I have on my face,
I have egg on my face. That's one one team,
Brian one Sea.
Speaker 1 (36:05):
Yeah, I mean they're they are the obvious.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
The reason I actually worded like that was I was
thinking of Boston. Well, they won their championship, and then
because they tore it down, I was like, see, no
one's left, and I just oh, yeah, you idiot, there's
the there's the thunder that won the championship. Just a
few wants to go. That is fair. I I would
tracked my question.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
Show me two teams, show me show me four teams. No. No,
but like, yeah, okay, one team.
Speaker 1 (36:35):
It's rare. It is certainly rare. Right, You're right, like
teams need to make trade offs. I mean I do
wonder if they have more kind of specialists than the
average team m hm, because even Harden is like, I mean,
he's so good offensively and he just raises the ceiling
and the floor for that offense that you're willing to
deal with the the minuses on defense. But you know,
(37:00):
especially if you're looking ahead come playoff time, like James
Hard and Bradley Beald, backcourt is not viable. They are
just barbecue chicken.
Speaker 2 (37:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (37:09):
See again, unless their offensive production is of such volume
that they just win the direct matchups. But it's fair
to say how likely is that, right, Harden is what
he's forty thirty six.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
Yeah, thirty six, I remember exactly for forty six.
Speaker 3 (37:30):
Bil is older as well. Now he isn't as effective
as he used to be. Like, I can appreciate them
what they are and what they do, but you're right, like,
there's certainly a world where in if you play those
two guys like forty five minutes both of them, that
that backcourt could get torn to shreds.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
Yeah, I mean, I was just surprised that he was
a locked in starter without before a training camp like
I would have especially given the depth and the options
that they had. Personally, I would have said Kawhi Harden,
Zubach locked in no question. Other two spots are up
for grabs to whoever fits the best and try out
(38:09):
a bunch of different combinations, and like, again, it's one game.
Maybe Tylou is kind of using this early part of
the regular season to do that. We'll see how it
looks when Magdanovic gets back in to the lineup as well.
I just worry how, you know, given how Beale reacted
last year in Phoenix when they moved him to the bench,
(38:30):
and you know, he didn't like publicly make a scene
about it, but he was like, I think I'm a
starter in this league. And that's so like I'm not
gonna you know, I'll do what coach says, but like,
this is how I feel about myself. It makes me wonder,
like was that part of the promise to him to
get him to sign in LA for what he signed for?
(38:51):
And like, what happens if you get ten or fifteen
games into the season and it is just so clearly
not working, are you will to pull the trigger? And
if so, how does he react to that?
Speaker 2 (39:03):
I mean, what's the downside?
Speaker 1 (39:06):
You just got Bradley Neil moping on your bench? For
the next seventy.
Speaker 3 (39:08):
Games at a price tag where you can cut bait
and not say it right, right, Yeah, I mean it's
not like they have to wave and stretch him and
then point six million dollars to their books every year.
Speaker 1 (39:22):
That's right. Yeah, I mean that's that's also a thing. Like,
I know, contract size should not dictate your role in
the NBA, but I think when they yeah, when they moved,
when Phoenix moved Beil to the bench on the contract
that he was on, it was a lot more eye
opening than if the Clippers would do it now.
Speaker 3 (39:43):
Right, you know, So our great friends I was going
to say good friends, but our great friends over at
the Hardwood Knocks podcast, they're currently doing a live show
right now as we're recording, called tis the Season for Overreactions,
And that is the perfect title, and like, overreaction is
(40:04):
the perfect word, because when you told me what you
had like in store, that was the thing. Like, yeah,
both of us coming in to this episode, we are
intentionally overreacting because this is the data we have to
go off of. But obviously Dan and Grant just beat
us to it. They already have graphics out like yeah, yeah,
(40:25):
I love those guys, even though they just made us
look like idiots here.
Speaker 2 (40:28):
Yeah right, thanks guys. No, but like it's that is
the data we have to work with.
Speaker 3 (40:33):
Remind me, I believe it's after like the twenty game threshold,
that's when we can start to like view stats in
a sort of normalized behavior, right, Like those are the
where we can actually use some of the patterns we've seen.
Like that's when I think it's twenty twenty five games
somewhere along those lines.
Speaker 1 (40:55):
I believe.
Speaker 2 (40:55):
So. Yeah, so we've got.
Speaker 3 (40:57):
A month or two before we can go in and say, oh,
this is a B and C. Like for the next
couple of months, things might get crazy, and that's I
don't mind that.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
By the way.
Speaker 3 (41:11):
I love this, Like, look, Shay isn't gonna average forty
five points per game a season. Right now, we know
that weby's not going to average forty and fifteen.
Speaker 2 (41:22):
Yeah, maybe I wouldn't go that far, but like.
Speaker 3 (41:29):
I just I love the start. I love how this
has set the table for an NBA season. I hate
how the gambling stuff just came out of nowhere. And
well it didn't come out of nowhere exactly, but like
how it just came in and just you know, put
a dark cloud on everything. I'm at that point now
where I'm looking ahead to the schedule and going what
(41:51):
are we in store for?
Speaker 2 (41:54):
Which I love?
Speaker 1 (41:55):
Yeah, I mean we got another loaded slate of games
on Friday, so certainly Bucks Raptors I'm gonna keep a
close eye on. With no Kevin Porter Junior. You know,
we got our weekly Giannice's time in Milwaukee is in
Jangers story that came out earlier today, which is nice
(42:15):
to see Hawk's magic as well. Like the two trendy
teams in the East, one of whom got boat raced
on Wednesday and one of whom barely beat a Miami
Heat team without Tyler Heroes, so neither one off to
the start that we necessarily anticipated. We got Celtics Nicks. Well,
(42:35):
is this this is the debut of prime video, right? Uh?
Speaker 2 (42:39):
Yeah, I believe it is.
Speaker 3 (42:41):
Yes, So that's that's not so relevant for me over here,
because you know, would lead pass over here. That's just
everything we don't have. But but yes, but I'm but
I did.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
I was court.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
I was almost disappointed that we wouldn't get like all
of the great shows there because the line up that
they have on Prime Video. Oh my god, Yeah, that
looks amazing, Like that is a a studio that actually
seemed like I hate giving Amazon any type of of
kudos here because of who runs it, but like, oh boy,
(43:14):
oh boy.
Speaker 1 (43:16):
He might have destroyed the Washington Post, but he put
together a good NBA panel, right.
Speaker 2 (43:23):
And also I'm I'm sensing Spurs Pelicans.
Speaker 3 (43:29):
And by the way, this this is so funny because
this episode won't be out until like Monday or something
along those lines, because I have a whole lot of
episodes just lined up. Sure, but so at that point
in time, this is gonna be you know, in the
in the distant past. But Spurs Pelicans, Like who who
is who is going to take that job?
Speaker 2 (43:51):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (43:52):
Like who's going to raise their hands in the pregame
session and going yeah, I'll guard him. I don't even
know to say who the name is, Like who they'll guard?
Speaker 1 (44:02):
We all know, I mean, Kevon Looney is hurt, Missy
hurt his ankle on Wednesday might not play. So they
are down to Derek Queen Hunter Dickinson, who's on a
two way contract, and they just signed DeAndre Jordan today.
Speaker 2 (44:18):
They sure did.
Speaker 1 (44:19):
Yeah, so when you said Wemby's not going for forty
and fifteen, you're right. He's going for fifty and thirty tonight.
Speaker 2 (44:26):
So what we're saying is that is that is a
game that we will both be tuning into.
Speaker 1 (44:30):
Yes, that is correct. Yes, as my my, I don't
understand why the Nuggets were underdogs. Yesterday did not end
well for me. So almost we came close, but overtime
was unkind, as was Steph Curry. Just god, man, it's
he just gets on these heaters and it's like, you know,
the NBA has gone for a couple of months and
(44:52):
you just forget what I've vintage Steph Curry heater feels like.
And now you see him just chucking from twenty nine
feet and not even you know, just purece wish. You're like,
all right, okay, and we're fully back.
Speaker 2 (45:03):
That little mosquito isn't even looking at the rim.
Speaker 1 (45:05):
I know, it's just it's just flying off screens.
Speaker 2 (45:08):
It's just like just flinging it.
Speaker 3 (45:10):
I don't know how I mean if I am, I
am an atheist, so I don't believe in any deity
or you know, making a deal with the devil. But
if there is a player out there who I think
somehow succeeded in locating the devil and saying I will
make a deal with you. That is Steph Curry.
Speaker 1 (45:30):
Yeah. I was gonna say Nick Foles, but yes, also ste.
Speaker 2 (45:34):
Curry has to be Steph the shooting alone. Come on.
Speaker 3 (45:36):
Yeah, by the way, we just we just jinxed the
everlasting something out of Wemby because obviously it's going to
be herb Jones going on him.
Speaker 1 (45:44):
Oh okay, I mean Wemby has a foot on him.
Speaker 3 (45:50):
Don't like it's still hert Jones will find a way, Like,
I'm not going I'm not counting out Herb Jones on anything.
Speaker 1 (45:56):
I mean, Wemby could just hold the basketball above his head,
you know, like when you do it to a toddler. Yeah,
that's exactly what you can do to.
Speaker 2 (46:05):
Her, like what Bobon actually did to ad a couple
of years ago.
Speaker 1 (46:09):
Yes, yes, yeah, Well, my reckless betting of advice of
the day is that the Spurs are only favored by
four and a half and I just do not understand
that line at all.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
Well, we'll be a lot smarter after tonight.
Speaker 3 (46:24):
And again, this episode is probably gonna come out Monday,
so so let's see how dumb we'll look.
Speaker 1 (46:30):
See how badly that Yeah that take ages?
Speaker 2 (46:33):
Yeah oh yeah, No, we are kings of that.
Speaker 3 (46:35):
Like for the ten years that we've podcasted together, like
that has always been the case. Whenever we like launch
a podcast, like a couple of days later after we're recording,
every single time we say something, it comes back and
we're just like, why the fuck did we say that?
Speaker 1 (46:51):
Like what I mean? The Spurs were underdogs against the
Mavericks the other night, and that one also set up
a few red flags for me. It's like, did we
forget Victor wemen Yama is playing and Kyrie is not?
What's what's going on here? I don't know. Maybe maybe
(47:12):
the betting markets are not as high on Victor wemen
Yama as we are or Stefan Castle.
Speaker 2 (47:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (47:18):
I know No dearon Fox, but also know de Jonte
Murray and no Centers, So I guess people are They're
really believing in Jordan Poole, the Jordan Pool takeover.
Speaker 3 (47:29):
This is gonna be the Derrek Queen game. The guy
who comes into the league No D No. Three, but
Joe Tars traded like the farm to get him.
Speaker 2 (47:39):
Like this has to.
Speaker 3 (47:40):
Honestly, I this shouldn't fall on Derrek Queen's shoulders. I
want to make that painfully and obvious. But in order
to justify that trade, I'm like, I'm gonna be stubborn
about this. I'm gonna sit with my arms fold. I'm
just gonna go, like, it's your turn, Dirk Queen. Go
Derek Wempy, go beat Wempy.
Speaker 1 (48:00):
It's not on his shoulders because he's going to fall
out in twelve minutes. They're not going to have an
active center by the second half of this game.
Speaker 2 (48:08):
You know what, Then suit up, Joe Dumars, you get
this suit up.
Speaker 1 (48:13):
Or just lean into I mean, this is one thing
I do hope to see more of this year is
just teams getting absolutely weird with lineup combination. Like my
reaction when I saw them signing DeAndre Jordan, Like, I
know Missy's hurt. I know, Looney, he'll be back in
like a couple of weeks probably, but like, just lean
into it, dude, you got you know, like lean into
some small ball Zion at the viver Trey Murphy and
(48:36):
we get more Sadik Bay on the floor. You get
more Jeremiah Fears, who looked great in his debut, Like,
let's just you know, get weird. I want to see
more teams get weird with their lineup combinations.
Speaker 3 (48:50):
So basically, the meme or the tag line off the
twenty twenty six NBA season should be Michael Keaton in
nineteen eighty nine's bad Man, you want to get nuts.
Speaker 2 (49:01):
Let's get nuts. That has to be the one right.
Speaker 1 (49:05):
Both on and off the court, as it turns out. Well.
On that note, yeah, that's a good, good place to
wrap up. So thank you all as always for tuning
in to another episode of Shooting the Blee. I hope
you enjoyed it. Hope these takes not age too poorly.
(49:25):
But this is here in lies the problem of recording
early in the season.
Speaker 2 (49:31):
You just specified to goddamnit. I'm definitely gonnage.
Speaker 1 (49:37):
I am confident that my take of Victor wem and
yam as good at basketball will age well.
Speaker 2 (49:42):
The only thing.
Speaker 1 (49:44):
Everything else might go to ship, But this is that
one's gonna lad.
Speaker 2 (49:48):
Well in Stone. That's fair.
Speaker 1 (49:50):
Yeah, all right, well, thank you all as always were.
Thank you to my dog for sleeping soundly through this
entire episode and not barking but I'm sure he will
make an appearance his debut appearance on Shooting the Bleep soon.
Until next time, I'm Brian to Pork and I was
joined as always by Morton Jensen. Mort have a good one,
Enjoy the weekend, Enjoy, enjoy our first weekend of NBA games.
(50:13):
It was so nice to you know, Thursday Night Football
was on last night and we had like the most
disgusting It was Chargers Viking. Carson Wentz was just vomiting
all over himself for three hours, and it was so
nice to not feel compelled to watch that because I
had actual basketball on. So welcome back NBA.
Speaker 3 (50:33):
Yeah, welcome back NBA. I will definitely also enjoy just
not having to work my ass off during the weekend
and just sit down and watch games because I actually
want to.
Speaker 2 (50:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (50:45):
Yeah, yeah, it's feels good. Feels good to be back.
Speaker 2 (50:49):
Have a good one, man, all right, you too,
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