Alex Speers
Appearances
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
This may feel like it's coming out of left field just because it's very specific and random. But my Christmas wish, Andrew, is for the Pistons, the Detroit Pistons, to make an unequivocally great trade.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
The reason why I'm even mentioning this, you know, they're 12 and 17 right now. After, you know, they've been terrible for a long time. We all know that. They're 12 and 17. Also not great, but they are in a playing spot. They have a great opportunity to make the play in this season. They're still not good. Cleaning the glass has them as the 20th ranked offense, 20th ranked defense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
So they don't exactly have an identity. But Bobby Marks. Free SPN was kind of doing a trade deadline primer. And he said, I asked team executives from both conferences to give me one team that controls the February 6th deadline. The answer might surprise you. The Detroit Pistons. And the reason is because, you know, we're in this environment now where no one has cap space.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
Everyone's either up against the tax or into the aprons. They have 14 million in space. For the first time, I can remember they have leverage against the rest of the league. I mean, going back through Troy Weaver's stint as their GM, one of the themes of that time period was just poor asset management. Like they never really had extra first to trade.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
They never really had leverage in a lot of these deals. They oftentimes would wait. Until a guy was a little bit past his peak value, whether it was Jeremy Grant, you know, only getting a first in that deal when, you know, a year earlier they were talking about, oh, we think Jeremy Grant might get to first. Boyan Bogdanovich waiting just a little bit too long and not being able to get a first.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
Finally, they are in a position where they have some leverage. And they have some future firsts now. They could go make a deal. Now, I don't need it to be like for a star trade. OK, I'm literally just asking for them to make a trade. And everybody unanimously agrees, hey, that's a really great trade because you look back at what they have done. You don't even have to go back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
Troy Weaver this summer, the Tim Hardaway Jr. trade. Didn't like it at the time. I still think it was weird, just like the whole Quinn Grimes situation, how he only plays six games. They have no interest in bringing him back or whatever. They trade him to Dallas. Now, of course, he's like a 40% shooter and a really good role player.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
Trading here for Tim Hardaway Jr., who, yes, offers them some theoretical shooting, but isn't really going to change your life. But you go even back further than that. I mean... There was the Marvin Bagley dump using almost 20 million in cash space to trade for Joe Harris, who was done and just getting a couple seconds out of it. There was the infamous James Wiseman, Sadiq Bay trade.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
I mentioned how they waited probably a little too long on Jeremy Grant trade. They did get a first, and that was a first that they used in the deal to land them Jalen Duren. But they have now traded – And that was a future Milwaukee first. That pick is now owned by Brooklyn. We'll kind of actually convey next year if it falls between five and 30, which is kind of interesting.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
You know, even the deals where you look back and it was pretty positive at the time. Like I'm thinking of like the original Bojan Bogdanovic trade when they got him from Utah. People kind of like that one at the time. It's just funny looking back at that deal, knowing that they waited too long to trade Bogdanovic again and not get a first and
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
And then the player they traded, Kelly Olenek, did end up returning a first for the Utah Jazz. Basically, what I'm saying, Andrew, is like, can they just nail a trade? Can they just make a trade that we all think is good? And this is the time to do it. Because like Bobby Mark said... Like they kind of control this deadline because of that space.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
Maybe it only ends up them being a third team in some deal between two other teams. But that space should be so valuable. Like even if the trade is just that I'm getting back a really juicy first. I'm cool with that. It doesn't have to be a star trade. Now, if you do want to talk about trading for actual rotation players, you know, I went looked at Sam Vecini's trade board. which is very good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
The two names that he brought up in, in relation to the Pistons were Colin Sexton and Anthony Simons.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
And the reason to bring up both of those guys is that if you look at the on off numbers with Detroit right now, they're like a middle of the road offense when Cade is on the floor, which is pretty good considering some of their other players on their team that are a little bit offensive deficient when he's off the court, their bottom five offense. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
You know, Jaden Ivey hasn't exactly been able to handle that sort of load in terms of running a second unit. So if you could bring someone in like a Colin Sexton, who I don't know if I necessarily think of as like running a unit, but he's definitely a very good offensive player or Anthony Simons, who we've talked about previously. I do still feel like there's some upside there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
Both of those guys are in the mid 20s. I kind of like either of those options. Now, I would hope that the Colin Sexton deal would be a little cheaper in terms of what you're having to give up. You know, I wouldn't want to give up a ton. I wouldn't want to give up one of their young guys. Simons, I might be a little more willing to do.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
But the problem with those types of traits of the Pistons is I have no idea how to judge the value of their young pieces, you know, whether it's. Ron Holland, Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey, Asar Thompson. Like, how would Portland, for instance, rank those players? Obviously, they probably don't want Jalen Duren because they have center covered. Definitely not.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
Would they want to take on a non-shooting wing? when they already have some shooting issues on that team going forward. I don't know. Would they be interested in Jaden Ivey, which you kind of reintroduce the three-guard situation that you're trying to get out of with the Anthony Simons deal? So I don't know, but I'm just saying they're in a great position, Andrew. They have some leverage.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
Come on, Pistons. Do something good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
Oh, man. It all comes down to what the Kings want to do. Like, it's very easy for you to say like they should bottom out, but I could totally see from their perspective thinking like, oh, we just want to make a trade that allows us to, you know, continue to try to get better. I mean, they already, you know, they just signed DeMar DeRozan.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
You know, they're not really in a position to truly bottom out. They're clearly, you know, if they did trade Fox, regardless of what they got back, they're probably going to be outside of the play in picture. You know, I would be open to the idea of a picks heavy trade if they were good picks. I just don't know if that's what the Kings would want.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
That you sent to me, Andrew, this is the one that I'm most intrigued by. Yeah, I like this one because from the Rockets perspective, I really like the idea of Darren Fox.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
You know, he's been really good in a pick and roll with Sabonis these last couple of years. Maybe that would translate to with Shingun. But more importantly, we know that he is a clutch performer. He won Clutch Player of the Year, right? A few years ago? He did. He won Clutch Player of the Year. Yes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
And that's exactly what they need. They need that kind of offense-first player who can take over at the end of the game. And I do think that is what De'Aaron Fox is. Now, from the Kings' perspective... you have to think that Reed Shepard should have been like a top two pick in this last year's draft. Yeah. Which is actually something that I do believe.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
Uh, now, now I know that he, it has not been amazing so far in Houston. He hasn't gotten a lot of playing time. That's a really deep roster. Right. But, You have to believe that Reed Shepard has future star potential to even entertain this deal, because, yes, it's nice to get Fred Van Lee back and kind of stabilize your team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
And maybe you can make a run to the plane and maybe you could get in the playoffs. But this trade would really be about your belief in Reed Shepard becoming like a star level player in a couple of years.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
Yeah. Didn't know you're throwing in a pick. Thank you. Yeah. Makes me feel a little better. Yeah. Yeah. But the quickly deal for them just feels like you're downgrading the position, but you're still taking up a lot of your cap space. It's problematic for sure. I just don't see the path forward for them either way. And the fact that he's in the first year of a five year deal. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
I mean, you you would have to love Emmanuel quickly to be ready to as another team to want to come to that contract that he signed. So I just don't think I could do it from from the Raptors perspective. I'm kind of into it. It would be a clear upgrade on quickly. And, you know, the argument about this Raptors core is it's just like not good enough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
Well, at least if you get De'Aaron Fox in there, now you have like a second all star caliber player with Scotty Barnes. RJ Barrett's obviously been very good this season. And maybe you can start building something there. But but really, I don't I don't love that deal.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
In a trade is so much different from just having Dalton connect on your team. Because like when you're, when you're drafting Dalton connect, he was a 17th pick, right? I believe that's correct. Yes. you're getting a pick every year. You draft this guy. It doesn't really matter how old he is. Like if you found a good player at 17, like that's awesome.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
Like regardless of how old he is, if you're trading your star player though, and you're getting back a 24 year old rookie, like that kind of changes the calculus. Yeah. Because now you are giving up something of significant value as opposed to just spending a pick and, And so you would really have to believe that don't connect has like untapped potential that he can tap into almost immediately.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
Listen, he's gotten better every year since since he was a youngster.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
I will say his minutes have been declining recently. Listen, it's been a minute since we've had one of those big games. He scored double digits once over his last 10 games. Listen, don't bring logic into this. I'm trying to get the Lakers, Deere and Fox. OK, Al, I'm just trying to. Also, from the Lakers perspective, a team that we always talk about as a team with limited depth.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
Yeah, I realize that like it would be awesome to get Deere and Fox. It would be shipping off three of your rotation players for a team that is already super thin. I don't think that's getting you anywhere either.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
So, yeah, but but if this is it feels like if they're going to make a move, it has to be like for this year. So how do you fill out the rest of that roster? What is your like eight man rotation in the playoffs? If you're trading away, Austin Reeves, don't connect D'Angelo Russell.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
OK, OK. I mean, I guess I can understand that you are giving up in this scenario if you are committing to this, Andrew, an unprotected future first, which is pretty juicy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Fox Trades, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics | Christmas Extravaganza
One thing I will say compared to like listening to podcasts, try to come up with Brandon Ingram trades. Much easier with De'Aaron Fox, I will say. Much easier. These are some reasonable trades depending on how many picks are thrown in. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Ich bin froh, hier zu sein. Ich bin froh, zu Hause zu sein. Sie sehen, wie viele Spiele wir in L.A. während dieser Strecke hatten, oder? Ja. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Nein. No. Oh, as away games? Yes, absolutely. No. Yes. That's the wrong kind of anticipation. Alright, that right there, that right there, that's how you get a pick six. Obviously the Clippers used to play in that arena. They very much do not now. You go in the locker room. The visitors locker room at that arena is one of the worst in the league. I've been around the league.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
I've been in the Intuit Dome visitors locker room. Yeah, you absolutely feel like a visitor. I think it's about how do you feel when you're there. So on one hand, yeah, you're local, you're at home and everything. But I mean, that's not your building. The hospitality is not the same.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
I think Clippers, the Clippers players and coaches felt like they were on the road even before they were playing in that arena. So it just fits in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Ich meine, ich bin ein Hooper, Mann. Ich liebe es, dort zu gehen. Und bevor ich sogar in die Medienentrennung gehe, ist es ein Basketballplatz draußen. Ja. Ja. Ja. Ja. Ja. Ich liebe es, da reinzukommen. Gestern hat es gestern regnen gegangen und sie hatten ein Auto-Promotion. Ich habe die Strecke nicht wirklich getroffen. Aber das erste Mal in drei Wochen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Ich liebe es, in der Plaza mit dem Basketballplatz zu sein. Ich komme einfach rein und schieße mit demjenigen, der da ist. Weißt du, was ich meine? Du kannst auch sagen, wir sind in den Dome, außerhalb des Platzes. Ich und die Tickethalter versuchen einfach nur, eine linke Hand zu machen. Weißt du, was ich meine?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Hör mal, Mann. James Harden hat die NBA-Historie, soweit ich mich interessiere, nie gesehen. Du hast nie einen Spieler gesehen, der so alt war, an der zweiten Nacht des Back-to-Back, ein Spiel mit einem 50-Berg zu gewinnen. Und es war, die Desperation war großartig. Du weißt, das Junge hatte 23 Punkte im ersten Quartal. He doesn't average that for a game this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
James has been doing a lot, but I love watching old stars, man, because they, in their mind, feel like they can do this whenever they want. And they're just like, well, I just sacrificed for the game and I picked my spots. He actually did that thing. Like, We scored 23 points in the first quarter. I was like, alright, you know what? This second half is going to be ugly. And no, he pushed through.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
And not only that, he left room for his teammates to still be able to contribute as well. You know, Zu had another 20-point game. Bogdan Bogdanovich, who, he has these ups and downs that are crazy. He went from not shooting, he didn't attempt a single shot in the fourth quarter in Phoenix to
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
an Tuesday night to making two big threes and then a shot that put the Clippers up 10 in the fourth quarter. That was huge. That's why they got that dude. So it's not just that he had 50. He was efficient. He had 50 points on 24 field goal attempts. He got to the line 20 times. That's more than the entire Detroit team. And we can always look back and always be like, well, I've seen this before.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
He did it in Houston. That was another decade ago. It's 2025 and he's doing this. You know what I'm saying? So I thought it was a heroic performance. It was absolutely needed. It's like you really, we always talk about how we can't take guys and what they're able to do for granted. Like this is for real.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Like he hadn't done it at all in Brooklyn, at all in Philly and not at all as a Clipper until Wednesday night.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Ich sage immer, dass Verletzungen kein Ausdruck für eine unterstandene Leistung sind. Norman Powell, yeah, he hasn't been able to play and they're missing him badly because it's not just that he scores, it's how he scores. He doesn't need to dominate the basketball. He fits incredibly well with a guy like James because while James is orchestrating,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Norm is moving, respotting up, or you can put him in actions that get him going downhill. He scores in transition. Most importantly, that dude scores in the fourth quarter. Like, when everybody else is falling out because they're 35 years old or they've been playing defense all game long, Norm is getting buckets. So, yeah, they're missing that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Sie hatten Kawhi in vielen von diesen Spielen, aber Kawhi hat etwas Zeit verpasst. Kawhi hat nicht gut gespielt im vierten Quartal. Kawhi hat diese Spiele nicht gut beendet. Es ist inspirierend, dass er wieder da ist und spielt. Das ist eine gute Sache, aber ich denke, dass die Leute es an diesem Punkt schon verstanden haben.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Mit dem Teil seiner Rückkehr muss er jetzt zeigen, dass er diese Spiele beenden kann und diese Spiele beenden kann und diese Mannschaft gewinnen kann. Vielleicht kommt das dieses Monat. Es sollte dieses Monat kommen. Ich denke, die größte Sache, die, wenn du sagen möchtest, Al auslösen willst, ist der Fakt, dass das ein Team ist, das die Defense gewinnen muss, um Spiele zu gewinnen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Sie sind die Top-5-Defense durch die Saison. Das ist überraschend. Was nicht überraschend war, ist, dass sie das Team nicht gewesen sind, nicht nur seit dem Zeitpunkt, in dem sie verloren haben, nach dem All-Star-Bereich, aber ich denke, dass die Defense sogar vor dem All-Star-Bereich begonnen hat.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Ich denke, dass die Defense, du weißt, im letzten Quartal des Januari, in die Handelszeitlinie, in den All-Star-Bereich, ich denke nicht, dass sie Ich glaube, dass es da einige Herausforderungen gibt. Ob die Clippers das zurücknehmen, bleibt zu sehen. Das ist das, was all diese Spiele im März relevant macht.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Ich meine, es ist ziemlich weit. Und die Hoffnung ist, dass er das Level des Spiels erreichen kann, das ihm dieses Monat eine All-NBA-Selektion gemacht hat. Sie brauchten es. Das ist der Grund, warum die Clippers einen sehr aggressiven Ansatz genommen haben, wenn es darum ging, ihn bereit zu machen, was sie dachten.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Sie hatten es noch nie von Kawhi bekommen, seit Sir Alou seinen Head Coach übernommen hat. Und das ist, um ein Playoff zu beenden. He has not played the last game for the Clippers, you know, before exit interviews. Like... Und so siehst du den Ansatz, den sie mit Kawhi genommen haben, und siehst du, was die Philadelphia 76er mit Olympia-Goldmedaillist Joel Embiid gemacht haben.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Und ich werde immer das vergleichen, weil Paul George in einer Situation war und dann in der anderen Situation ging. Die Sixers waren nicht wirklich vorkommend über Joel's Situation. Die Clippers waren so, er spielt nicht, bis er 100 Prozent ist. Und weißt du was? Kawhi ist seit zwei Monaten zurück und er hat kein recurring issue mit diesem Knie. Seine Minuten haben sich erhöht.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Seine Leistung, der Erfolg ist nicht linear. Es gab Höhen, es gab Niederlagen, aber er fühlt sich stärker an. Er bewegt die Leute, dass er gut ist. Selbst wenn der Mann fällt, ist es wie wenn ein Roboter aus dem Himmel fallen würde. You know, you wonder if the damn thing is still working right. But no, Kawhi is a player who, even when he has his bad games, he doesn't get too broken up about it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
He's like, I miss free throws. I'm just going to get back to the line and I'm going to get right back at it. You know, he never... Er hat das für ihn. Sein mentaler Ansatz ist fantastisch und er hat alles getan, was er tun sollte. Ich weiß, dass das Gewicht an ihm war, aber das Gewicht hat zu diesem Punkt gearbeitet.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Offensichtlich muss er jetzt einfach sein Team in die Playoffs bringen und dann durch die Playoffs. die Leistung auf einem hohen Niveau, was ich denke, muss passieren, ist, er ist, und ich denke, wir haben einige Sparzen von diesem in der letzten Woche oder so gesehen, er hat angefangen, weniger Angst zu haben, zu den Rimmen zu gehen, zu den Schmerzen zu gehen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Ich dachte, er hatte einen Dunk gegen die Phoenix Suns, einen Dunk in Traffic, den ich nicht alle Jahre gesehen habe, du weißt, es war, als ich mit euch letztes Jahr gesprochen habe, wo wir darüber gesprochen haben, wie viel er dunkte, richtig, er endete mit einem Karriere-High für Dunks in der Saison, das war, das war ein Show, das wir letztes Jahr gemacht haben, und ich I love dunks, man.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Dunks are health. When I dunk, I'm like, I find a stranger and I'll be like, yo, film this in case I do this again. Dunks are health. I like that line. Absolutely. So that's, I think the key is You know Kawhi Leonard is feeling his best when he's attacking the basket with reckless abandon. That has not happened often enough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
It's got to be that and it's got to be better performance in fourth quarters.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Man, Bogey is a pleasure to cover. I will say that. I love learning about players who are open about their process of adjusting to their basketball responsibilities. And the Clippers, Lawrence Frank was pretty forthcoming about the fact that
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
bogey has not had a strong season uh you know with the atlanta hawks and when the trade happened my first reactions i posted on social media about his age the lower body injuries that he's had the time that he's missed this season the percentages being far off what we expected and seen for him for years in atlanta and
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
And the thing that I've learned the most about basketball in my time since joining the Athletic is the process of how you get your numbers is really how we should be telling the story of these teams and these players and how these rosters are put together. So the Clippers didn't value Bogie because of his poor numbers this year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
They valued him because even though the ball hasn't found the bottom of the net as much, Er spielt einen Stil, den sie als nötig fühlten. Sie sagten, wir sehen ihn nicht nur als einen Schütter oder einen Scorer. Wir können ihn in einer Vielfalt von Aktionen fragen, die ihn komfortabel machen und die sie benötigen. Sie hatten Bogey, damit sie von Kevin Porter Jr.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
weitergehen konnten, weil das eine Frage der Flexibilität war, im kurzen und im langen Termin. Sie haben Marjan Bojkamps Kontrakt benutzt. Ja, genau. You want your players to continue to shoot. You want guys to have that confidence that you'll make the next one even if you're off. The shots selection wasn't bad. He just wasn't making shots. He turns around the next game in Chicago, makes shots.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
You look at how he played against the Pistons the second time around. He made shots. He made big shots. That's what's valuable to the Clippers. It's the fact that he can be a ball handler. He can be a spot-up guy. He can be a movement guy. He can be a pick, slip, pick, pop kind of guy. Er ist in einer Vielfalt von Aktionen zufrieden und er hat keine Angst, das Spiel zu spielen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Das sind alles die Dinge, die die Clippers wert sind. Die Leistung ist nach oben und nach unten. Er wird auf die Defensive gefordert, aber er ist 6'5, 220. Es ist nicht so, als wäre er ein 6'2-Guard. Manche Jungs können ihn beurteilen und andere Jungs werden ihn nicht beurteilen, so wie man es mit einer kleineren Leistung beurteilen würde.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Wenn er gut ist, ist er unglaublich hilfreich für die Clippers. Sie brauchten nur ein bisschen mehr Konsistenz.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Ich denke, das Schrecklichste an Jordan Miller, für die, die ihn am U-Bahn sehen, ist sein Appetit, um zu schießen. Seine Fähigkeit, Fouls zu schießen. Er ist ein Spongebob. Ich meine, er hat mit Freethrow-Märchen gespielt. James Harden und Norman Powell. Und er hat viel gespielt.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Und mein Ding mit jungen Spielern ist, du hast die Sommerliga, du hast die Pre-Saison, du hast, weißt du, in einigen von diesen Jungs ist es so, dass sie in die G-League getroffen werden, weil sie nicht in der Rotation sind. Sie sind auf einem 2A-Kontrakt. Weißt du, vielleicht bekommen sie ein paar Bikes und Garbage-Zeit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Jordan hat viel gelernt, von seinem Rookie-Training-Camp bis zu seinem zweiten Training-Camp. Und er hatte die Selbstvertrauen, dass er ein Rotation-Spieler sein könnte. Und dann hat er die Chance, ein Rotation-Spieler zu sein. Er hat gut gespielt. Und dann endet er auf dem Scott-Report. Die Leute sehen, was er tun kann. Und er hat, weißt du... He needed to make another adjustment.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
So I'm happy for him that he got his opportunity. I think the Clippers are going to have him continue to... He has to expand his game offensively if he's going to approximate any of the numbers that you see from him against lower competition. They also want him to be a better defender. But he has the tools to be an effective defender. He has an incredible wingspan for a 6'6 player. And he...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Er spielt das Spiel in der richtigen Art und Weise, er hat den richtigen Anspruch und es ist nur eine Sache, dass er die nächste Zeit, wenn dieser Kerl richtige Minuten bekommt, es vornehmen muss. Die Clippers haben nicht, wie ihr wisst, Leute, die sich mit dem Thunder verbinden können, so gut wie ihr es macht.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Die Clippers haben nicht genau so viel Geld, um junge Spieler auf die Mannschaft zu bringen. So, you know, Clipper fans, they'll get excited for any second round pick that has any level of, you know, viability going past their rookie deal. So shout out to Jordan for earning that. But the journey is not over for him. He's got to keep improving. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
The thing with the Clippers is they are in a place that, you know, sports fans hate. You know, they want their teams to obviously be good, definitely be in the playoffs, lie to me and tell me you're winning a championship. You know, that's the green light, right? And then the yellow light is to be absolutely terrible, but have some young dudes that you can like...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Wenn du ein Hornets-Fan bist, weißt du, dass du schrecklich bist. Du musst nicht so viel Zeit investieren. Du kannst eine Familie sein und so weiter. Aber du kannst lachen über LaMelo Ball als deine Repräsentantin sein. Dallas Mavericks-Fans hassen ihre Mannschaft, weil egal, welchen Niveau von Talent sie gewonnen haben, sie hatten einen Mann, der ihres war. Und sie hatten das nicht mehr.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
You know, Oklahoma City Thunder fans, look, they have a bunch of young guys, but the guy who ties it all together and makes them dream they can do anything is Shea Gillespie Alexander, you know, a guy that the Clippers had. Clippers fans still... Rue the day that they don't have that dude. So they don't have the young player. Their era for contending realistically has come and gone.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
They'll still tell you that Kawhi and James are winners. And they are. They are winners in the regular season. They get teams to the playoffs. But do they win championships? That version of Kawhi, we don't know if that guy can be that guy. We're literally talking about the expectations being, can you just play a full playoff series? That's where it is. They are very happy about...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Ich möchte nur Happy sagen, weil Happy bedeutet, dass man ein Wettbewerb gewonnen hat. Also Happy ist nicht das beste Wort dafür. Aber sie sind aufmerksam und stolz darauf, dass sie seit 2011 keine Verlustsaison hatten. Das ist der längste aktive Streak in der NBA. Und sie sind neun Wiener entfernt von 42 Wienern. Das würde den Streak erhöhen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Das sagt viel, wenn deine Erwartungen so niedrig waren. Du hast einen Star in Paul George verloren. Du hast einen Hometown-Mann in Russell Westbrook verloren. Du hattest keinen Kawhi für die erste, die erste Hälfte der Saison. James is at his advanced age and you are asking him to carry a lot with the team that they put together.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
But they put a competitive team together and I think they want to get a playoff series. It's the first year of Intuit Dome. When you build an arena like that, you want to have the biggest games. You want to have moments on it. You want that national TV spotlight. And Sie sind in der Position, diese Dinge zu tun, aber es wird mehr als möglich sein, dass sie in einem Tournament spielen müssen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Und ich denke nicht, dass sie sich davon entfernen. Ich denke, sie sehen, was die Western-Konferenz ist. Sie wissen, was der Zustand ihres Teams ist, mit den Verletzungen und so weiter. Und ich denke, wenn sie eine Playoff-Serie bekommen, ist es ein Triumph, weil diese Prediktionen im Oktober sagten, dass die Clippers nicht in dem Spot wären, in dem sie gerade sind. Und ich denke...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
If you're a Clippers fan, you're listening to the ownership, you're listening to the management. And yeah, you're tricking yourself into thinking, yeah, we can do something. And then you're disappointed when they lose six out of seven. It's a very weird, tough spot to be. But I don't think that anyone is rattled as far as the brain trust. The head coach knows what it is.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
The general manager, the front office know what it is. And even Steve, you know, Steve's chilling. He's happy. He just watched a game with Obama. Like, he ain't tripping. Get that team to the playoffs and I don't think anybody's going to be upset about how the season finishes from there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Well, you just gave me one. So we're going to go with the Kings. And we're going to go with the Suns.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Das ist mein vierter Teil an diesem Show.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
I was going to say, one day when I'm really bored, I'll go and tally it up. I was about to say, y'all are a franchise now, especially at The Athletic. You guys gotta start acting like it, dammit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
John Wall and Russell Westbrook.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
You said 19...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Lass uns mit Kevin Porter und Amir Coffey gehen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Eric Pajkowski.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Lou Williams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Man, das San Diego Teil wird mich töten, aber ich versuche nicht, hier meine Zeit zu verlieren. Sie können kein San Diego Clipper sein. Richtig. Sie müssen es sein.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Shooting Luck? + Clippers SNEAKY Contenders? | Slam N Jam
Andrew, du hast diesen Kumpel.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
You brought up that connection to the fan. I mean, that is true. That scenario is like every fan base's dream to draft the guy that not only is an MVP candidate, but like you said, could potentially be like a top 10 player in the sport. I mean, that's the dream. Like to draft a Steph Curry and keep him with your franchise for the entire length. And to take that away from the fan base...
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Uh, and leaving aside what they got back, like you said, I mean, they could have gotten like the best package in the world and it was still hurt because of, because of that connection. And they didn't get the best package in the world for, for the record. You don't think so? We should jump into that. You don't think they got, you don't like that? AD in a 29 first when a Luke will be 30.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Max Christie. Max Christie also in the deal.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Well, it's funny you bring up Dirk because going back to like the fans, it's like they were almost recreating this awesome memory that all these Mavs fans grew up with, like drafting the foreign born player that becomes one of the best players in the NBA. He's obviously the focal point of everything.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
They were kind of like recreating that whole Dirk career that was so awesome for Mavs fans and to just cancel it all out for if I still can't believe the quotes from Nico Harrison. I know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
I mean, sorry, I'm just yelling. Yeah, even in that scenario, which would have made more sense, where, like, Luca told them, hey, I'm leaving at the end. I'm leaving next season. You have a year and a half left of me, and then I'm gone.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
yeah even in that scenario like now with ad like is is their window going to extend that much further beyond like a year and a half no i don't know when you would have had luca anyways even if you had just walked let's play that out then okay luca comes and says hey in 2026 i'm going to miami i love the water and the water great that's where i want to be um and and and
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Every new detail was insane. Like, the detail that came out that was like, the Mavs approached the Lakers. Like, that was its own tweet. I know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Even in the scenario where there's an injury, I still would trade for Luka. I'd still trade for him. That even wouldn't make enough sense for me. It would have to be some legal thing. That's the only thing. If there was some weird thing that comes out. But even an injury, as the Lakers, I would be like, fine. We'll figure it out with him. We're getting him in here at 25 years old.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
We'll figure out his injury issues. So even that wouldn't be enough for me to understand the Mavs' perspective.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
I brought this up on the first segment that we did, but the thing that blew me away is that, you know, last season, they make all these kind of all-in trades. You know, they don't have control of their pick from 2027 to 2030, but it all made sense because Luke is 25. It's like... Lucas 25, Derek live is a rookie like this window is going to be open for a while.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
We're not really worried about those picks to shorten that window with Anthony Davis. I mean, you know, maybe they're still a good team, but to increase your risk for all those picks that you got rid of, because like how long can even if you're taking like the most positive.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
No way. You mentioned... Yeah, I just – you said the thing about, like, you don't know if Luka has reached that point, you know, where it's a guy that you just, like, definitely attach yourself to until the sunset. But, like, how many 25-year-olds – I guess he was 24 last year. How many 25-year-olds have led their team –
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
to an NBA Finals I mean that list is so short so like even compared to someone like Shea or some of the other you know Anthony Edwards like Luka had proven so much and had already done so much like he kind of he's other than winning a title he had done kind of everything he could do to be one of those guys for a city
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Or, you know, enough games. And they had done such a good job of finding those guys. I mean, the fact that they got Lively last year, who felt... I mean, just watching him looks like the ideal teammate for Luka Doncic. Just perfect. And they got him, and he's young, he's under contract.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
It just felt like they had done everything right and kind of had proven a lot of people wrong who thought that, like, oh, they were going in a little too much, you know, giving up these... picks for a guy like PJ Washington or Daniel Gafford. They really proved a ton of people wrong. They did an incredible job building that team. Around him. And it didn't even last a year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Yeah, I mean I was thinking of like a Houston deal. Like obviously it wouldn't have a player as good as Anthony Davis, but like the number of Suns picks and young players that you should theoretically be able to get for Luka Doncic should just be – I mean it should have been one of the biggest trade packages in NBA history if you're trading 25-year-old Luka. It just should have been.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
He is one of the untouchables.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Yeah, I didn't believe it. Yeah, I think a lot of people just didn't believe it. You assume, oh, Shams must have been hacked. And then even when he had the follow-up tweet that said, it's real, you're like, okay, well, that's something a hacker would say, obviously. That can't be Shams. And finding out that it's real, I mean, you think back to last season. how the Mavs have just gone all in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
At the bare minimum, how do you not get the later? How about this? How about you just get the later pick when Luka will be a little bit older? How about just start there? How are you settling for the worst of their two first round picks that they have? I know. Well, I don't think we're going to have any answers tonight, so I can't offer you many words of encouragement.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
But it sounds like if there's NBA fans out there, fan bases, let Jason know. You can pitch them. You can pitch him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
You'll have to pay up. You'll have to come strong. Good lord. Thank you so much, Jason. I hope the rest of your weekend is good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
They've traded away so many picks. They're 27 to Charlotte, 28 swap to OKC, 29 to Brooklyn, and 20-30 swap to the Spurs. And the reason you could justify that is because, well, they're superstars 25 years old. This window's going to be open for the next decade. They've got Derek Lively.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
They just made the finals. Yeah, OK, they gave up a lot of their future, but who cares? Now you trade for a guy... And Anthony Davis, who's already 30-31, so you're looking at your window being maybe the next two to three years, right when all those picks are going to start hitting.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
And it's just like you not only shortened your window of opportunity, but you also made yourself more – like you could become a bigger victim to these picks that you've given away. Yeah. I just – I can't believe it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
The thing about the money, though, is that them going all in, one of the benefits of that was that they got those guys in. So they had P.J. Washington, so they could have given him his next deal. If they were willing to spend, they could have kept all of those guys. And if that is any part of this calculation for them, like the money part, when we're talking about Luka...
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
They got away with it. Conveys when Luka's in his prime. Like if that was any other deal, you'd just be like, oh, yeah, that's a late first throw in kind of thing. Right. That's what they got for Luca. Like if they had given us some time to do some fake trade podcasts, I guarantee you we would have come up with much better deals for them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
There's no comparison because of his age, the fact that he was under contract for another year and a half, and the fact that we found out he didn't ask for the trade. Like, that's the part that gets me. If we found out, like, Luca told them, I'm leaving for L.A. Yeah, and I'm only going to the Lakers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
I'm only going to the Lakers. You're like, okay, I guess they had to do this eventually. But the fact that we know that he didn't ask out, that's, like, the extra piece that makes this the craziest trade ever. I've ever seen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
All right. Joining us now, Emmy award-winning director, you know, I'm from the young man of the three, but more importantly tonight, Dallas Mavericks fan, Jason Gallagher. Jason, I'd ask how you're doing, but I have a pretty good idea. So let's just jump right in. What were you doing? Where were you when you heard the news?
The Athletic NBA Daily
LUKA DONCIC TRADED TO THE LAKERS EMERGENCY POD
Are you thinking of switching sides?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
So three teams left in the playoffs. For the other 27 fan bases in the league, the conversation is already focused on the upcoming draft and offseason, which this week, Shams Rania said, could be the, quote, craziest ever. Sam, in your conversations with people around the league, have you also gotten the impression that this could be a summer of major upheaval in the league?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
I almost wonder if the Wolves team building process over these last couple of years will... Look like more teams will look like that. I mean, that cat trade was such a huge trade, but I just now I'm anticipating that we're going to just see more trades like that, where teams are trading a big money player to break it up into smaller contracts and figure it out as they go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
And credit to Tim Connolly, because that was such a huge risky trade. And for them to make back to back conference finals, I mean, I feel like it paid off. But that trade kind of felt like an outlier last summer. And now looking ahead to this summer, it feels like that we might see more trades like that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
Du hast Cleveland erwähnt. Wie realistisch glaubst du, dass Cleveland das Core 4 brechen könnte und Darius Garland oder Jared Allen dieses Sommer auswählen könnte?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
So, our last question for you is about the draft, which is less than a month away. Are there any teams that you're expecting to be aggressive when it comes to the draft? So either moving up or down or looking to trade out of the draft altogether?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
Well, Sam, thank you for answering all of our questions. It is now time to play Andrew vs. The Beat, our weekly trivia show where Andrew goes head-to-head against an NBA Beat writer. This week we got Sam Amick. Now, Sam, you've played this before. I've come up with eight questions all about the playoffs, mostly about conference finals. You're going to give me a number between one and eight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
It will correspond to a question. If you get it right, you'll get at least two points. If you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal for one and we'll go back and forth to all the questions you've asked and answered. So Sam, what number would you like to start with? Question number seven.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
This past week, Jalen Brunson became the Knicks franchise leader for most 30-point games in the playoffs. How many 30-point playoff games has Brunson had as a Knick? Now, before you answer, you can make Andrew answer first and then you can go higher or lower. Or you can answer first and then make Andrew go higher or lower.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
If Andrew gets it exactly correct though, or you, you would get a bonus point. So something to think about.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
Okay. Alright, Andrew, the bar has been set at 27. Would you like to go over? That's pretty high. That's probably too high. Sam, would you like to change your choice?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
It was 21, though. I mean, you weren't that high off. Yeah, 21. Yeah, pretty good. Okay, Andrew, the board is yours. And I accidentally just gave Sam a point. Sam just got a free point. Yes, let's go, Alex. I can't remove it, too. It's permanent. No, no. I'm sorry. I'll go number one. Question number one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
Among active players, it's not surprising that LeBron James has played the most conference finals games. Which active player has played in the second most conference finals games? Ooh, second most conference finals games. So you got Braun number one. Who is number two? Wow. Let's see.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
Andrew, that is incorrect. Sam, you have a chance to steal for one point that I've already given you.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
A good guess, but actually Andrew was on the right track. It is a Boston Celtic. It is Jalen Brown. It's Jalen Brown. It is Jalen Brown. Whoa. Two more than Kevin Durant. Seriously. Seriously. Do we have the list from there, Alex? I'm curious. I can bring it up while we're talking. So, Sam, you have the board next. And I still don't have my point. It's got a ghost point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
Okay. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
It's just me trying to think. Okay, here's the list for conference finals games. LeBron, Jalen Brown, Kevin Durant, actually only behind by one. Al Horford, behind by three. And then Steph Curry, Klay, Draymond. Wow. Ooh, they were way down. George Hill, why is he still considered an active player on StatHead? He is number 10 on this list. Interesting point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
MJ. That is correct, Sam, for one point. Yeah, baby. Who would you like for your second guess?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
So the other one would have been against the Suns.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
Always a good guess with Wilt. And it may be true, because I can't remember how they do, what they used to call, they used to call them like the division finals or something. Sure. But for the purposes of this, it is incorrect. Andrew, do you have any guesses? I think this was Dirk that dropped 50 against Phoenix. Wow, very strong guess, Andrew. And that is correct. It was Dirk. Nice job.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
All right. Okay, Andrew, you have control of the board. I'll go number two. Question number two. The Knicks won Game 5 and will now head back to Indy for Game 6. In NBA history, only three franchises have come back from a 3-1 deficit in the conference finals. How many can you name? You don't have to give me the year. You just have to give me the name of the franchise. There's three of them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
You get one point for correct answer. Golden State. Yeah, when did that happen, Andrew? 2016. Das ist korrekt. Kannst du die anderen zwei bekommen?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
Seitdem ich... Also es sind die drei Franchise, die ab 3-1 zurückgekommen sind, in den Konferenzfinale spezifisch.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
That is incorrect, Andrew. Sam, you have a chance to steal. You get two points here. You can just guess some franchises, and you might be right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
There's one other that you could guess. Will you get it? We'll see. The Sixers. Did you say someone? Sixers. Sixers. No, it was unfortunately the Washington Bullets. Wow. There's no way I would ever get that. Okay, Sam, you have control of the board. You're only down by one. Let's go, number five. I think this might be the Wolves. Damn. Okay, I didn't think you'd get that. That is correct.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
It's the Wolves! The Wolves starting lineup was a plus 17.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
Denver is... I should have listened. Plus 14. Okay, Andrew, the board is yours. Number four. Question number four. Four of Indy's starters scored fewer than 10 points in their Game 5 loss to the Knicks. Which player has had the most games with fewer than 10 points in this year's playoffs? Wait, of anybody? Which Pacers player? No, just anybody. Any team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
The player in this year's playoffs who's had the most played games while scoring fewer than 10 points. So it has to be someone who plays a lot, but also doesn't score a lot. Yeah, this is a goofy question. Thank you.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
Sam, two questions left. Would you like six or eight?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
Was Rudy Gobert on the short list? So, Kaysen Wallace was number two. I remember that. Okay. Fair enough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
Yeah, it does. I don't remember where Rudy was. No worries. We can keep it moving. Would you like question six or eight? Aids, please. Pretty straight forward. Dallas. Dallas did make the playoffs. OKC beat them. Wow. Andrew. San Antonio. San Antonio. That is correct. OKC beat them. Indiana. Indiana. That is correct. Indiana was in the playoffs that year. Andrew. Boston?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
That was not an answer to your question.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
Title in 2010.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
That is correct. The third team that OKC beat in that playoff run. Yeah. All right, Andrew. What about Chicago? Chicago! Ja, Chicago war in den Playoffs. War das, äh, als Rose towards ACL? Ich denke, ich denke, Rose, ja, ich denke, ich bin ziemlich sicher, dass Rose getötet wurde. Das war das, ja. Ja. Oh, das könnte ein Hinweis für Sam sein. Sam, zurück zu dir. Ja.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
Houston Rockets did not make the playoffs in 2012. Of course, that was the year before, a few months before they got James Harden. That's right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
The Jeremy Lamb Rockets. The Jeremy Lamb Rockets. As we all remember them. Yes. Okay, final question. Andrew, you get first dibs. Which player has had the most turnovers in this year's playoffs so far?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Most turnovers? Like total turnovers. As opposed to what? I'm just asking. Total per game? Turnovers. No, I would have said per game. I said most turnovers. I'm just asking. Total turnovers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Damn, Andrew, that is correct. Wow. Good job, Andrew. You won the week. Andrew versus the B. I thought I'd get you with that one, too. I thought you would guess Randall or someone. I was locked in with those series. I was locked in. I know. It was because he played 14 games, so it's not like he played that many fewer games than the Wolves players. Yeah. Congrats, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So seeing how dominant they look during that conference finals, I'm interested in your thoughts of the series against Denver in retrospect. Like, do you think that series was more about a young team just kind of needing to learn how to win? Or do you think Denver was just closer to OKC's level than a lot of people expected heading into that playoffs?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So for the Wolves, you know, they lose in five, but they didn't make back-to-back conference finals after having made the conference finals only once in the previous 34 years. They're heading into the summer with big decisions to be made about several key pieces, including Nas Reid. Nas won six-man of the year last year, and he has said that he sees himself as a starter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Thunder Finals Appearance + Offseason Primer with Sam Amick | Slam N Jam
But now there's limited cap space available this summer. The Wolves clearly want to keep him. But given his rare skill set, do you think he could potentially be a top priority for any other teams?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And again, collect didn't do a lot outside of his passing, but his passing is legitimately good. And so I have a Kyler collects that for you. He racked up 24 assists over three games this week while only playing a total of 56 minutes. The last two guys who had that many assists over a three game span while playing fewer than 60 minutes were.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And if you're not looking at it, do you have any guesses? It's kind of a weird stat. You have to think of someone who, like a pass-first point guard who wouldn't get a lot of time. You know, like Tyus Jones would probably be a good guess. You know, someone like him. Yeah, I've read it already, Al. Yeah, the answer is John Wall for the Clippers. Yeah. This was actually in the same season, 21-22.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And then the guy, Tyler Kolek, is playing behind. Campaign in Phoenix during the 21-22 season. And I thought that was fun because I was on the Nick subreddit. I was just reading comments because, you know, they're getting excited about Tyler Kolek. And now it's become this thing like, who should be playing some of these minutes? Like, should Tyler Kolek be getting more minutes than Campaign?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
They're going back and forth. And it's just funny that Campaign was actually the last guy, one of the last guys to do this. Don't get much more fun than that, Andrew, for a Tyler Kolek stat, I would argue. It did.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Well, Andrew, our top story this week is unfortunately some injury news in the Eastern Conference. Damian Lillard has been diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. He's been put on blood thinners and is out indefinitely. There is hope that Dame can return this season, but for the time being, it's a massive blow to a team. that has been fading down the stretch.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I'm surprised the Clippers are there because I know Zubat's, his individual rim defense numbers are good. So it must be when he's off the court or something else. I also think it's very impressive that Boston's up there just knowing how much time Porzingis has missed this season. Who's like the main guy you think is their rim defender.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
But as I talked about last week, Cornette has been really good. Did you talk about our guy Cornette? That's right. That's right. So finally, Andrew, that brings us to, oh no, not finally, our favorite player. This week, my favorite player. So I was using this week to catch up on some rookies. Led me to doing a bit of a deep dive on Zachary Resache for the Atlanta Hawks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Having a very nice end to his rookie season. Now, he didn't have a great game Thursday night against the Heat. But for the month of March, he's averaging just under 15 points per game. 53-38-71 splits. If you stretch it back to January 1st, his shooting splits are 50-40-74. Now, I remember watching the draft with you, Andrew, and not being in to Zachary Versace at all.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
The Bucks aren't in any danger of falling into the play-in probably, but they are now 4-7 in their last 11. They've fallen a half game behind the Pistons for the fifth seed in the East. If the standings held, the Bucks would meet the Knicks in the first round in that 3-6 matchup, while the Pistons would face the Pacers in the 4-5.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I couldn't believe this guy was going first. And through the early part of the season, when his efficiency was so bad, I felt like I could maintain that position, even as he had some flashes, like when he scored 33 in his ninth game. But going back and watching him more this week, I really undervalued him. I mean, yes, like compared to past number one picks, okay, sure.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
But like he already does so many helpful things on the court. And with his skills and his size, his floor is already so solid as a 19-year-old NBA rookie. Like he gets his shot off so quick. His three ball has really started to look good. He moves well off ball. He just looks so much more confident. His finishing around the rim has improved these last couple months.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
He's shooting 71% at the rim in March. Looking at that Hawks team, he is such a good fit around Trey, Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson. And I'm just continuing to feel more intrigued by the Hawks' future than I ever would have guessed last summer. And one of the newer reasons for that has been the play of Reese Aschey. Yeah. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
What makes a factor an X factor for you, Andrew?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And speaking of the Pacers, they had a game this week against the Wizards.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
in which they scored 162 points it was the most points scored in pacer's franchise history the most points ever allowed by wizards team and the largest loss in wizards history it's one of those box scores where you're looking at it it doesn't initially seem like it should add up to that high of a number because halliburton he was the high scorer he scored 29 points in the game no one else on the pacer scored more than 17.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I think I would say either Deandre Hunter or Ty Jerome, um,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
OK, OK, OK.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I don't disagree, but I think Denver has maybe the biggest X factor in the league based on his recent playoff appearances, which is Russell Westbrook. And if they weren't using him as much as they are, I might not consider him an X factor, but when he's playing 28 minutes a night for the nuggets, like that is the biggest, like is Russ going to be good in the playoffs?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
um in new york yeah the only so that's my x factors list you have you have any beef with with any of that and i would love to hear a trey kirby rebuttal as well to to my list the only one i might change is for the knicks i just think mitchell robinson's presence is huge because he allows them to do things defensively that they just have not been able to do for the majority of this season
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And if they're relying on cat the way they were for the most of the season, like I just don't have as high a ceiling on that team. But if Mitchell Robinson is playing well, I mean, it really does change their ultimate outcome. Assuming Jalen Brunson's back and healthy and everything else.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
The X factors. um who's like the most i don't want to say insignificant but like the smallest minutes player x factor that could swing a series it might be ty jerome i mean he's he plays a decent number of minutes but for a guy who truly could swing a series i mean he plays under 20 minutes a game he does he'll play a lot um
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Hey, maybe it's... That's the thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
but they did have nine different players scoring double figures. And they also set a franchise record for made threes with 27 in the game. The Pacers are eight and two in their last 10 with their two losses coming against the bucks on the road and a home loss to the Lakers, a game in which LeBron James tipped in the game winning shot as time expired this week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
That brings us to our final category, our favorite moment of the week. And it couldn't be anything else. Me and Andrew are sharing this because it truly was... I mean, it was my favorite... It might be my favorite moment of the season. It's so good. It is outrageously fun. When people put up that, that image of Martin Scorsese and say like, you know, this is cinema. Like,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
A lot of times the things we're talking about, not cinema. This, honestly, kind of cinema when you factor in everything. So just to recap real quick, Bulls were down 18 in the fourth. They were down seven with 90 seconds left. They were down three with 26 seconds left and Giddy air balls a floater on the baseline over LeBron on a very nice find from Kobe White.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Now that should have been the end of the game because Lakers pass it in. Austin Reeves is fouled. He's going to the line with 12.6 seconds. We've all experienced our team being in this position. And in our heads, really the only hope we have is that free throws are missed. But that's not what happened. Austin Reeves made his free throws. They're up by five now with 12.6 seconds left.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Giddey passes it in to Vooch, who makes an awesome pass. Just ping-ping over to Patrick Williams in the corner, who hits a three. Then Giddey steals the inbounds, passes it back to Kobe White for a three to go. From LeBron, by the way. From LeBron. From LeBron, very lazy pass by LeBron. That moment, that is my favorite thing in basketball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
When you get the hit a shot, steal the inbounds, hit a shot. Because like going back to that Reggie Miller play, I just love those plays where you have like a five or six point swing in two seconds. And what was so great about this one is that it wasn't enough. Because the very next play, Austin Reeves just kind of walks back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
to the he just is like the most lightly contested layup considering the stakes yeah giddy moves out of the way he like sort of comes over to help and then does that thing when you're a bad defender where you just like stomp your foot in front of the guy but you're not you're not actually like defending like why did he not go up to contest he just like stomps his foot but moving back you know what happened i don't know what that was the game right there
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
He just let him blow right by him. Giddy didn't feel like doing anything. And then Giddy hits this half court shot. And please, if you have not watched like the entire last five minutes of this game, go watch it because there's so many cool parts of the game. But listen to the crowd when Giddy takes this shot. Like, you know, it's like 20,000 people or whatever.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
It gets so quiet when the ball is in the air and the announcers aren't saying anything. It was so cool. And then he hits it. So they end up scoring nine points in 12.6 seconds. Win the game. A lot of things come out of it. There's that gif of the Lakers fan, which I love because he didn't even look mad.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
He just had this slight smile on his face, just couldn't believe what he had just seen, and the camera's zooming into him. And then you have Stacey King's commentary, who was doing bits from Sanford and Son at The Bulls are making this comeback. And it's just so funny to watch because it adds so much to just the overall experience that was Bulls Lakers. It was such a good moment in the NBA.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Next up for the surging Pacers is a very fun Saturday afternoon game against another surging team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Because the Thunder continued their win streak this week, winning their eighth in a row, the longest in the NBA. Their eighth win in that streak was a win over the Grizzlies in OKC, J-Dub's first game back since injuring his hip against Denver two weeks ago.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
It really was probably my favorite moment this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
That was a great, they cut to the sidelines. There's this random guy in a purple shirt, just running by obviously like just a fan on the baseline, just running. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Andrew, it is time for the Wheel of Fandom, the weekly segment where we spin a wheel, it lands on a team, and we watch that team spontaneously combust over the next week. Last week, the wheel landed on the Memphis Grizzlies. Like every other Wheel of Fandom team, it wasn't a great week. We didn't get any John Morant, who has now missed five games with a hamstring injury.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
It was announced this week that Brandon Clark would miss the rest of the season with a PCL sprain. The Grizzlies went 1-2 with the win coming over the Jazz. They've lost four of their last five and sit in the five spot in the West at 44-29. Game and a half back of Denver for third, and now only two and a half games up on the Clippers and Golden State.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
But more importantly, shortly before we recorded today, the Grizzlies announced they were parting ways with head coach Taylor Jenkins, who was in his sixth season for the Grizzlies. Per Clean the Glass, the Grizzlies have the sixth-ranked offense and tenth-ranked defense. Andrew, if our favorite team is the Memphis Grizzlies, who is our guest?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
The Grizzlies, who are without John Moran and Brandon Clark, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a PCL sprain, kept it close for most of the game. It looked like they might even be able to pull off the upset. But then tied 99-99 in the fourth, the Thunder closed the game on a 26-5 run. Shea finished with 37 in the game, his 46th 30-point game of the season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Was there enough happening like towards the end of the season where if they had like gone out in the first round, would it have shocked you if they fired Taylor Jenkins in the off season or would that have still been surprising?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And for the Thunder, it was their 61st win, which sets an OKC franchise record for wins in a season. Now, another one of OKC's wins was a two point win over the Clippers in L.A. While the Clippers didn't get that win, they have been on fire lately, winning nine of their last 11 and moving up to sixth in the West. And this has been the best stretch of Kawhi Leonard's season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
You mentioned that new offense, and I am kind of interested in this idea. Based on Jha's season, do you think that has more to do with just his injuries, or do you think it really has been difficult for him to fit into this offense?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
In March, he's averaging 25, seven and a half, three and a half on 52, 39, 80 splits. And this is translated into the Clippers best offensive month so far. Going into March, the Clippers had the 21st ranked offense per clean the glass. Through 13 games in March, the Clippers have the third ranked offense, only worse than Boston and OKC during that stretch.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Now, could the Clippers climb even higher? Well, they currently sit only two and a half back of the Lakers and the Grizzlies, who have both lost four of their last five. And speaking of the Lakers, we're going to talk about the Bulls loss a little later. But for now, I do feel like I have to mention the ongoing feud between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
So I mentioned the news about Brandon Clark, which is a huge bummer. He was having his healthiest season since the tearing his Achilles back in 23. When you're thinking about their playoff hopes, like how do you think this team will adapt? How big of a loss is Brandon Clark for this team?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Now, I'm not going to go through the individual quotes because no one needs to take a 57-year-old man who says he would have swung on LeBron James seriously. But it was notable that the feud rose to the level of Adam Silver being asked about it and saying, quote, when it becomes very personal between a media member and a player, it's not something I want to see.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Now, as a reminder, the league let Stephen A. Smith, the 57-year-old who wants you to believe he'd fight LeBron, be a studio analyst for every game in the NBA Finals, the biggest moment in the sports calendar. This is the same guy who didn't know Quinton Grimes had been traded from his favorite team last season. This isn't a serious person. He's barely a fan of his own team, much less the league.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Well, Keith, thank you for answering all of our questions about the Grizzlies. But it's now time to play Andrew versus the Beat, Grizz Edition. Now, Keith, you've played this before. I've come up with eight questions related to the Grizzlies. You're going to choose a number between one and eight. It will correspond to a question. If you get it right, you'll get at least two points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
If you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal. And we'll go back and forth until all the questions have been asked and answered. So, Keith, what number between one and eight would you like to start with?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Number eight, the final one, 21 players have played for the Grizzlies this season. How many have not started a game for Memphis? Now you get to choose who answers first. So you can make Andrew answer first and then you go higher, lower, or you can answer first and then Andrew would go higher, lower.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
So this is the number of players out of the 21 who have played for the Grizzlies that have not started a game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And if you get it exactly right, you do get a bonus point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
All right. Andrew, you want to go higher or lower than that? Oh, wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
The correct answer is seven. Only seven of the 21 have not started a game. Yes. Which means Andrew gets a point and Andrea of control of the board. That's wild. That's a lot of players. Um, I'll go number one. Question number one. Jaron Jackson Jr. currently leads the Grizzlies in total points and total blocks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
There are two other players in the league who currently lead their teams in total points and total blocks. Who are they? And you do get one point per correct answer. Total points and total blocks. They lead their teams currently in total points and total blocks. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
No. As I completely stall. Yeah, you're stalling, Andrew. Don't throw it back on me. Have you done this question before? We should skip this one. What about Cat? Andrew, that is incorrect. Keith, you get a chance to steal two points. You can name either one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
That is incorrect. Also incorrect. The two names. One, Victor Wembanyama. Yes, he's been injured for a while, but still leads his team. Total points and total blocks. And the other one, Andrew. Is it Shea? Shea Gilgis Alexander.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Possibly. Possibly. Okay, Keith. Wow. The board is yours.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
He's a fan of Stephen A. Smith. Why does Adam Silver allow the general discussion of this league to be dominated by Stephen A.? How much longer is the NBA going to pretend this guy is a real analyst and continue to allow him to be front and center for their biggest media partner? Are we just stuck with this guy as the most recognizable and consumed media personality in the league?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Question number two, Zach Eadie currently has 71 blocks this season. Eadie is the 10th Grizzlies rookie in franchise history to have at least that many blocks as a rookie. And we're going to name the other nine. So how this works is Keith will give me a name, then Andrew will give me a name. We'll go back and forth till one of you stumbles.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
So this is a Grizzly rookie throughout their entire history who had at least 71 blocks as a rookie. And one thing I will say up top, Basketball reference includes the Vancouver Grizzlies, so I'm letting you know that up front. So this is both Memphis and or Vancouver Grizzlies. So, Keith, who would you like to start with? I'll start with Pau Gasol. That is correct.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
That is correct, Andrew. Back to Keith. with Marc Gasol that is also correct back to Andrew oh boy at least 71 blocks so almost a block a game but some of these guys had many more than that almost a block a game I don't think I don't think big country would have done that but you kind of want to say his name don't you
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
What about Shane Battier? Andrew, that is correct. Still alive. Back to Keith.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Yes, Strohmeyer Swift. That is correct. Back to you, Andrew. There's four names remaining. Four names remaining.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Andrew, are you forfeiting the question?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Andrew, you're right in that it's not right. And that means Keith gets both points. Keith, any other names that were on your list you wanted to throw out?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Yeah, that's good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
You can't figure out anything else, Adam Silver. NBA social media is just going to be forever dominated with just the dumbest clips from daytime television. You're just going to sit back and let that drive the narrative of the league. Andrew, why is this league so afraid to take their own sport seriously? That's all I'm asking. And finally, we're going to talk about this later.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Rudy Gay? Yes. Rudy Gay did. Yeah, Rudy Gay did. Wow. He played a lot of minutes. Andrew, the one I thought you might get, Hashim Thabit. Yeah. We got Thabit. Oh, yeah. And Roy Rogers is the other name.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Roy Rogers. Okay, Andrew, board is yours. Now down by one. Number three. Memphis currently has two rookies that have played over 1,000 minutes each, Zach Eady and Jalen Wells. The last time Memphis had three rookies play over 1,000 minutes each was the 08-09 season. Name all three rookies that played 1,000 minutes for the Grizzlies that season. And you have to name all three to get the points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Okay. So you're just going to throw three names out there, and I'm going to tell you yes or no. O.J. Mayo. Okay, that's one name.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
That's two names.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
So are you passing? I just don't have it. Yeah, I'll pass. I have no clue who that is. All right, Keith. Now, if you think Andrew's correct, you have to restate those names and then give us a third name.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Oh, interesting.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
If you don't answer, nothing happens. We just go on the next question.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Marc Gasol, OJ Mayo, and Darrell Arthur.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
That is a name I could not have drawn out of my brain. Wow. Keith, board is yours. Up by one. Number four. Per cleaning the glass, when this grizzly is on the court, Memphis' offense is 4.4 points per 100 possessions better than when he's off the court, which is the best mark on the team. Who is that player?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
That is incorrect. Andrew, chance to steal. What about Brandon Clark? Also, incorrect. Correct answer was Luke Kennard. Luke Kennard. Luke Kennard. Shooting is important. Shooting, shooting. Okay, Andrew, let me mark that off. Okay, Andrew, three questions left. High scoring affair. One to two.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Number five. Number five. Number five. Per cleaning the glass, Memphis ranks worst in which of the following categories? So league wide, they rank worst in which of these categories? Half court offense, transition offense, half court defense, transition defense. Which one are they the worst at, Andrew, when compared to the other teams in the league? I mean, I have no idea. Transition defense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
But in what was the greatest display of the wheel of fandoms powers this season? Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins was fired shortly before we started recording this week's episode. Over six seasons with Memphis, Jenkins had a 250-214 record. He was about to make his fourth playoff appearance in literally just a couple weeks, but the Grizzlies decided to fire him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Andrew, that is correct for two points. They're ranked 17th in transition defense, 14th in half-court offense, and then fourth in both transition offense and half-court defense. Okay, so Keith, you're now down by one. Two questions remain. Would you like six or seven?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Zach Eady has 79 dunks this season. Who was the last Grizzlies rookie to have at least that many dunks?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
That is incorrect. Andrew, you have a chance to steal for one point. Well, ask Chrissy's rookie to have more than 79 dunks. Let's see how many. More than 79 dunks. Ja had as a rookie. I bet it was a decent amount. He had 49 as a rookie.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
You have to go all the way back to the 0-1-0-2 season. It was Pau Gasol. 177 dunks. The last time a Grizzlies rookie had more dunks than Zach Eady has had this season. Not many dunkers out there. Wow. All right. Now, Andrew, this is very important. Final question. If you get it wrong and Keith gets it right. Oh, actually, this could go a lot of different ways.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
So I'm just going to read the question to you. Six Memphis Grizzlies have had a 30-point game this season. Three of them are obvious, Triple J, Jha, and Bane. Who are the other three? And you get one point per correct answer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Grizzlies. I have to name them all to get it? No, no. You get one point per correct answer. Okay. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
A lot of points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
That's why it's a fun question, because the Grizzlies are so deep.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Okay, that is correct for one point. Now, Andrew, if you get one more correct, you'll have won the week. Otherwise, Keith could tie it up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Andrew, that is correct, which means you win the week, Andrew. Congratulations. Any guesses who the last player is? Luke Kennard had the other one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
They sit fifth in the West with the second best point differential in the conference. Of some note, however, Law Murray posted on Blue Sky that the Grizzlies have not beaten a team with a winning record since February 2nd, going 0-9 since that date. Now, we'll talk more about this later because, of course, it's Grizzlies Week. And those are the top stories this week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Luke Kennard, I'm giving you a point for that. Final score, five to three. Great game, guys. Those are tough questions this week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
tough questions hey go listen to I mean it's a it's a great time to go listen to the grits and grinds podcast you got to know what's going on with this Grizzlies team as they lead into the playoffs all right Andrew that was Grizzlies week which means it's time to spin the wheel of fandom once again you're a fan out there who doesn't like your head coach start start praying that it lands on your team because maybe we could help you out so let's spin the wheel we officially have gone through half the league this season we were down to 15 teams
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Let's spin the wheel and see who we get. This week's Wheel of Fandom team will be... The Brooklyn Nets. It was so close to being the New York Knicks. But instead going... Oh, my gosh. The Brooklyn Nets.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I mean, the most exciting thing right now for the Nets is that they have been tied with the Sixers for a while. They've lost five in a row. The Sixers have lost six in a row. They're both tied at 23 and 50. Please tell me we get like a Nets-Sixers game this week or something. That would make me happy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
it's official now. Like you do not want this wheel to land on your team. Okay. We have enough evidence at this point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I think this is more about just how weird this award is, how easily it can be influenced. I mean, we saw last year, Seth part now made that tweet about Marcus smart, like suggesting, Oh, maybe he might be a good, I hadn't heard anyone say anything about Marcus smart before that tweet, like, like someone big. And ever since that tweet, it just started to build and it got momentum.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And then all of a sudden Marcus smart was defensive player of the year. I feel like this award more than any other can be influenced by like someone big in media, just starting off someone who is considered like a smart analyst and if they like bring up a name, they can influence.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
So these, I mean, I remember back in the day when there wasn't nearly as much media cover as there was, but like whatever Zach Lowe said, basically for defensive player of the year, that would become the dominant name that people would talk about. You got Marcus. Yeah. And it's not like any of these players are undeserving or whatever. It's just more talking about how influenceable this is.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And just to see Draymond shoot up there when, you know, Evan Mobley was there at the top for a little while after Wemby was there. We had Triple J up there. I mean, Dyson Daniels is still hanging around. Yeah, it's just funny. I don't feel like we have a good...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
And because for the average fan, including myself, it's difficult to compare these players defensively without looking at some advanced stats. I mean, it's hard to watch all of these games and have a good handle on all of these players' defensive capabilities and their impact. And so as a result, I think it's a really hard...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
award to talk about for average fans whereas mvp like we'll argue that to the death you know we have plenty of stuff we can bring up that for for 24 7 um but yeah defensive player of the year is just so much weirder and as a result you can just have these wild swings week to week
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
If you do want like a good sizzle reel for Dort, what he did in the fourth quarter last night during that final run.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
I wish they would send something. I think that's the problem, Andrew. OKC will never do anything like that. Yeah. Send us something. OK, that brings us to our favorites of the week. Send me anything. My favorite quote this week actually was my least favorite quote because George Niang was trash talking Quentin Grimes this week during a game as Grimes lined up to hit some free throws.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Niang said, quote, if Joel was here, your ass would be in the corner. Joel here, you're in the corner. Tyrese here, you're in the corner. Andrew, what is G-Wagon talking about? Quentin Grimes? What is he talking about? Averaging 28-5-5 in March. Now, are the Sixers 3-12 in March? Yeah, but there are three and ten in games Quentin Grimes has played in, so checkmate.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Minivan, you're just jealous because you never fell into the greatest career-boosting situation like Grimes has in this two-month window. Quentin Grimes is going to sign a contract this summer with a yearly salary close to what Niang has made over his entire career, $21 million.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
He just needs to accept that LeBron is getting close to retirement, and we are now in the dawn of the Quentin Grimes era, okay? That's right. So get ready.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
They need players, too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Yeah. We're going to talk about Stacey King a little bit later because he also added a lot to the end of that Bulls Lakers game. It's it. It's so good. It is so, so good. Our favorite stat this week, I have a fun Tyler Kolek stat for you.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
Get ready. Hope you're sitting down. Got a fun Tyler Kolek stat. Okay, so he's been getting a lot more time lately because Jalen Brunson's out, but then Deuce McBride got injured. Now, he hasn't been scoring much or playing lockdown defense. But he has been racking up a ton of assists. I was watching their game against the Wizards for some reason. It's because he was on 2 p.m. on the West Coast.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins + DPOY Madness | Slam N Jam
It was the only thing on. His passing really jumps out. Like he had this one cross court pass to Bridges who was backpedaling into a corner three that really reminded me of rookie Josh Giddey. Those like standstill passes where he just creates an advantage with his court vision, throws a guy open on the other side of the court.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Before you go, we did ask you some questions. I would love to play a quick game. It's not trivia. I'm not going to make you play trivia. This is a championship draft, okay? This is just like a temperature check to see how we're feeling about the teams at this point. So you can see, if you're watching us on YouTube, you can see the results of last week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
And I can tell you that that was probably already going to change dramatically. Yeah. The fourth pick was the Golden State Warriors. So how this works a lot, we're just going to do a snake draft. And I'm going to let you pick what position you draft from. So if you feel really confident about the number one team, you could take the number one slot. Or you could go two, or you could go three.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
And if you pick three, you get the three and fourth pick. So where would you like to start from? Oh, man, give me a number one. Shoot. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
And Andrew, since last week you did two, I'll put you at three this week. Okay. So, Luff, who is your pick? Your favorite for the title as of right now? Oklahoma City Thunder. That's been the case since October. Wow. Even after that game against Memphis. I know they won, but what a disgusting game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Well, I have no reason to change up from last week when I took the Boston Celtics number one, so I'll continue to take them. I was especially impressed with their win without Jason Tatum. Over the Magic. So, Andrew, I have a feeling I know who you're taking at three, but who are you going to take it for, Andrew?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Okay, I will... Off the board.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
I'm glad you took them because I did not have to decide between the Lakers and the Wolves. Because instead, I'm taking the Clippers. As a Thunder fan, I'm terrified of the Clippers. I feel like they are such a scary matchup for OKC. Just the number of defenders they can throw at them compared to what we're seeing right now with the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies just don't have... the bodies right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
But there are so many good defenders on the Clippers that I really do think that is going to be a tight series if we go there, if we get there. So, Law, who would you like to take with your second pick? Took OKC in the first round?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
All right. So cleaning up some of the rest of the Western Conference there. Oh, this is exciting for me. Leaves me with the Indiana Pacers, who were drafted last – last time. And now they go up to the second to last.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Hey, by next week, if they sweep the bucks, I feel like we're going to be taking them second round.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Uh, so Andrew, you have your choice of a variety of teams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
All right, so at the end of our Week 2 draft, Law took OKC, Golden State, and Minnesota. I got Boston, the Clippers, and Pacers, and Andrew has Cleveland, Lakers, and Denver. If you look, compare it to Week 1, all the same teams drafted in the same round, except for Minnesota versus Milwaukee last week. So we still feel relatively the same about all these teams, but we'll see. That's good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
All right, Andrew, our next guest is NBA content creator. You can find him on YouTube at KofiY, K-O-F-I-E-W-H-Y, where he is currently closing in on 100,000 subscribers. More importantly, he is a Detroit Pistons fan. Welcome to Slammin' Jam, Kofi. Thank you for being here. Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
So looking back at the first three games of the series, is there anything that surprised you compared to how you thought the series might play out?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
So looking ahead to Game 4, Game 3, another close competitive game. They come up just a little bit short at the end, 118-116. You mentioned that Nixon made some adjustments. What would you like to see as a Pistons fan? Is there anything specific you'd like to see from the Pistons going into Game 4?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
How satisfying has it been to watch Shaq be forced to talk about the Pistons on a playoff broadcast?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
It's just so awesome to see them kind of carry over that tough-as-nails mentality that you remember about those old Pistons teams. I mean, even last night, seeing Paul Reed get into it with Mitchell Robinson. It's like, yeah, this is what the Pistons are supposed to be. This is great. This is perfect. And they don't even have beef stew out there. This is awesome. There's still someone.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Last question. Now, this is kind of Pistons adjacent, but the Pelicans announced their new front office this week, which includes Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver. How freaking pumped should Pelicans fans be right now?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Yeah, so the three-point shooting was like the big difference with LA shooting 46%, Denver shooting 27%. You kind of mentioned the defense. Why did Game 3 look so different from Games 1 and 2? Is it just the shooting variance, or did you feel like they were doing something different defensively that was making it even tougher on Denver than we saw in Games 1 and 2?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
I've been thinking about Troy lately because we're Thunder fans watching the Grizzlies, and just every game remembering that Marvin Bagley is on that team and is getting first quarter minutes in a playoff game in 2025. His buy low...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Well, Kofi, thank you for answering all of our Pistons questions, but it is now time to play Andrew versus the beat. Our weekly trivia show where Andrew goes head to head against an NBA beat writer, or in this case, Kofi. So, Kofi, how this works, I've come up with eight questions about the Pistons. You're going to give me a number between one and eight. It'll correspond to a question.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
If you get it right, you'll get at least two points. If you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal for one, and they'll go back and forth until all the questions have been asked and answered. So, to start us off, I just need a number between one and eight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Okay, give me seven. Question number seven.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
The Pistons... took 36.1% of their shots from three this season. The only time they've taken a higher percentage of their shots from three was the 2018-19 season, when 36.6% of their attempts were from deep. Who led the Pistons in total three-pointers made that season? So 2018-19 season. Welcome to Slammin' Jam, Kofi.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
He was on the team. Unfortunately, that is not the correct answer. Andrew, give me guesses.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Number one. Question number one. There were 14 two-man lineups that played at least 900 minutes together for the Pistons this season. Who were the two players in the best of those two-man lineups with a plus 8.1 net rating? Now you get one point per correct name, so you don't have to get them both. But if you answer the first name you give me, if it's wrong, we're going to Kofi.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
So this is the best two-man lineup on the Pistons playing a good amount of minutes. Who was on? Who was in that lineup?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
That is also incorrect. Neither of you got either of the names in the best two-man lineup. The best two-man lineup for the Pistons this season was Malik Beasley and Tobias Harris. Shout out. Shout out. Shout out. All right, Kofi, the board is yours. All right, I'm going to go with two. Question number two.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Cade Cunningham had nine triple doubles this season, which increases his career total to 11. He's second all-time in Detroit history already. Prior to Cade arriving in Detroit, who were the last two Detroit Pistons to record a triple double? And you do get one point per correct answer. Oh, my gosh. Okay, I'm going to go with Blake. That is incorrect. Andrew, you have a chance to steal.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Two Pistons who recorded a triple-double most recently other than Kofi. Kofi may have just remembered one of the names.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
That is also incorrect. Kofi, who was the name that suddenly popped into your head?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Now, one of these players, he got two triple-doubles. Once upon a time, he was on a team and there was an article written in the preseason. How many triple doubles is this guy going to get? It is, of course, Mason Plumlee. Mason Plumlee. And the other name, Dennis Smith Jr. Okay, moving on. Next question.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
I thought you might have gotten Mason Plumlee.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Pistons trivia is so tough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Question number three. Okay, you guys are going to get this one. This is a great one. Dennis Schroeder, he's been a spark off the bench in this series, scored 20 in game two, 18 in game three. In honor of Schroeder playing well for Detroit, we're going to name all of the other eight NBA franchises that he has played for. So how this works, Andrew, you'll give me a name.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Then Kofi, you'll give me a name. We'll go back and forth till one of you stumbles. And if you get all of them, Andrew, you would get the points since it is your question. So where would you like to start, Andrew? You just can't say Detroit. Any other team? Atlanta. Atlanta. All right, Kofi? I'm going to go with Golden State. Golden State. Andrew? Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City. Back to Kofi.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
I'm going to go with the Lakers. The Lakers. That is correct. Four teams left. Andrew? Celtics. Celtics. The Celtics. Darn, that was my next one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Kofi, three names left. Three teams. Three teams, three names. Need another Dennis Schroeder team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Yeah, geez. I have no idea who the third is.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Nets? The Nets. That is correct. Andrew, two teams left. Raptors. That is correct. Kofi, can you get the last name? I realize if Kofi does get this, he should get a point since it is the last question.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Now that I'm realizing it's an odd or an even number, Kofi, do you know what the last team is?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
The last team...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Okay, that was wrong. The other team, Andrew, did you remember it at any point? No. I did not remember this one. The Houston Rockets. What? When did that happen?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
All right, let me make sure that's right. Was this the bubble? He played 15 games for them in 21-22. It was actually the same season he played for Boston.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
He was all over the place.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
That is wild to me. Wow. Congratulations, Andrew, on getting that question correct. Kofi, board is yours. Let's go number four. Number four, this is a great question, if I may say so myself. Malik Beasley played in all 82 games this season. In how many of those games did he not hit a three-pointer? Now, before you answer, you get to choose who answers first.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
You can make Andrew answer first, and then you go higher or lower, or you can answer first, and then Andrew would go higher or lower. If either of you got it exactly correct, you would get a bonus point. So there's some risk if you let Andrew answer. So the number of games this season... where Beasley did not hit a three-pointer? I'm going to pass to Andrew, actually.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
All right, Andrew, you get to set the bar. How many games do you think Malik Beasley did not hit a three-pointer, and he did play all 82?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
All right, Andrew, set the bar at four.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Kofi, would you like to go higher or lower than four?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Andrew, you are within one game. In 82 games, Malik Beasley did not hit a three in five games, which means Kofi gets the points. I love probability. Shout out probability. Shout out probability. All right, Andrew, it's now three to two. You have control of the board. Five. Question number five.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
While the Pistons' leading block getter, Isaiah Stewart, only averaged 1.4 blocks per game, the Pistons were one of only three teams in the NBA who had four different players total 50-plus blocks this season. Four different guys do that. Who were the other two teams? Now you get one point per correct answer. So this has to be an NBA team who had four players.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Hmm. And I will say there were several teams with three, which makes this question even more unfair.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Andrew, that is incorrect. Kofi, you have a chance to steal. You get two points here if you could pull these names out of the hat.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
A chance to, okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Four different players with 50 plus blocks. I kind of want to say Boston.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
That is correct for one point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
So we now have a tie game. Kofi, you could pull ahead here if you could get the other team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
One more team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
That is incorrect. The other team. Minnesota. Minnesota. It was Minnesota.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
All right. It is a tie game. Two questions remaining. Kofi, you have control of the board. Would you like six or eight?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Let's go with number six. I feel like eight's like a final boss question. Ooh, interesting. Okay, we'll see.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Kate Cunningham averaged 26.1 points per game this season. Who was the last Piston to average at least that many points?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Kofi? That is correct for two points. And Kofi has taken a commanding lead going into the final question. But Andrew, your first dibs on this question, and it is a question where three points are available. So if you got all three, you could win. It was a final boss question.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
All right, here we go. Ready?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
The last time the Pistons were in the playoffs was a five-game series against the Bucs in 2019. Three Pistons took more than 23 pointers in that series. How many can you name? You get one point per correct answer. So we're talking 2019 playoffs against the Bucs. Over the course of the five games, three Pistons took 20 plus threes total.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
I'm sure you were locked into that series.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
Can you get another name to tie the game and at least send it into overtime, Andrew?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
That is incorrect, which means Kofi wins the week. Andrew versus the beat. Kofi, you have any other guesses? I'm going to say KCP and Luke Kennard. Both of those names wrong. Other names... Thawne Maker was in there. He started one game, bro. I tried to come up with a Thawne Maker question because he was second in the team in free throw attempts in that series. Even though he barely played.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
They must have hacked him or something. Langston Galloway. And Wayne Ellington. Wayne Ellington. Okay, Wayne Ellington. So final score, Kofi, five, Andrew, four. Congrats, Kofi, on winning Andrew versus the Beaks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
I have a correction. There were four surprise teams this year. Because I just went... I don't know how I missed them initially. I went back. They were not on my initial list. But I just went to their basketball reference page, which is what I use for preseason over-under. And the Clippers' preseason over-under was 35.5. Which means they were eligible...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
wow and they are a surprise team so shout out to that listener wow because that might have been lost to history if they did it really would have been it would have been oh my gosh i apologize huge shout out and a huge shout out to us with our overconfidence thinking that it was not that means that this could be the first surprise team to win a title if that happened
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
I want to ask you about their offense, because for a lot of this season, the offense was pretty middling. I think on cleaning the glass, they ranked 22nd through March 3rd. But then from March 4th on, they had the number one offense in the league. Is the story of their offense as simple as, well, Kawhi came back and he gradually got better and better? Or is there more to the story?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Kawhi the best in the NBA? + The Pistons are here | Slam N Jam
So the Clippers feel like a legit title contender now. They're peaking at the right time. Now that the offense is clicking... What are the weaknesses to target at this point? What would you consider to be the weaknesses of this Clippers team?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
welcome to the saturday slam and jam here on the athletic nba daily on today's show we're talking to bryce simon of the game theory podcast business pulse podcast to discuss the nba draft the conference finals and then we will do some trivia with me as always is my good friend alex spears alex what's up hi andrew Sorry, I just took a big swig of water. You caught me mid-swig.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Yeah, he may be a guy that qualifies for this, but at the end of the first round, there are several teams, including Celtics, Suns and Clippers, who could really use just some cost controlled guy that can get into the rotation and just be helpful to them. Are there any prospects in the late first, early second that you feel like fit this mold?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Ooh, nice. Tell me more about that right now. So...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
It's like, dude, this is this ship is going down anyways.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Okay. Okay. Okay. Tell me about playing Blake Griffin. I don't, I don't, we don't need to take like long tangents, but I, you can't just say that you can't just say that. And that'd be a footnote. I'm sorry.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Who's the draft prospect that you find yourself consistently ranking higher than consensus?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Who's the prospect that has the most elite NBA skill?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Yeah. Go ahead. I was going to say, and to your credit, it reminds me of when Sam Presti, when they brought in Isaiah Hartenstein, he was like, you know what? I think I would have signed Isaiah if he was 6'8". And then a few minutes later, he was like, in fact, I think I would have signed him if he was 6'5". I was like, how short would this guy need to be for you to still want him on your roster?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
But his point was, this guy is so skilled. And that is what we're looking for in a player. And so that's where it's like, okay, this is kind of similar in that way.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Game four, he missed a ton.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Did you catch that one? Did you catch yourself saying that?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
I have one last draft question for you. Do you like the Dylan Harper fit for the Spurs?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Okay, Bryce, thank you for answering our draft questions. We're going to take a break. When we come back, we're going to shift gears back to the NBA playoffs that you guys have been hearing about all week. It's been very exciting. We'll be right back. All right, we're back on the Slam and Jam with Bryce Simon. We're going to talk about the NBA playoffs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Last night, OKC took, I guess this would be two nights ago because you're listening to this on Saturday. Two nights ago, the Thunder took a 2-0 lead in their series with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves continue to struggle with their outside shot. But was there anything positive that you took from their offensive approach from games one and two?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Yeah, it's tricky because they need to get into their offensive actions quicker, but they're too loosey-goosey with the basketball to do that. I think it just makes it really tricky. They need to continue to play with force like Ant did last night. But the Thunder haven't... I know the Wolves haven't shot well from three. The Thunder haven't either.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
They beat them by 15 and they didn't shoot well from three. So I do think there will be a shot variance game that happens, whether that be game three or game four. I think it will happen in Minnesota. But as of now, I'm kind of with you. I just don't feel like they have found any answers. They were searching. They tried... all different kinds of looks defensively.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
They took a bunch of guys on and off the court trying to figure it out. But OKC was able to kind of answer the call every time so far.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Rudy Gobert, he's always a topic of discussion and whether he can be impactful or not in the playoffs. In Game 2, the Thunder were able to find a lot of space in the mid-range where Gobert's impact is really minimized. On the other hand, the Wolves' starting lineup did outscore the Thunder in Game 2. What have you thought about Gobert so far in this series?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Yeah, and Finch even said before the series started that he just didn't think they were that good at playing zone. And he said they were better at it last year and just haven't even been good at it this year. And part of it, I was kind of thinking, is this gamesmanship? You know, before the series starts, like maybe they're going to, you know, have that, you know, in their back pocket.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
But he seems to be correct. Well, that assessment.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Believe it or not, they've gotten better at it. Like last year, it was even more embarrassing. Even more embarrassing. Like in transition, just throwing it just way out of bounds. I think Cason Wallace has had some moments. Yes. Cason is the best. He is definitely the best one. But yeah, no, it's for being as skilled as they are.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
It's just like this one skill that is just out of reach for them for whatever reason.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
We're recording this on Friday morning prior to Game 2 of Nick's Pacers. We all saw that improbable finish in Game 1, which everyone was still just kind of buzzing about last night at the Paycom Center before the Thunder Wolves game. But... It left Knicks fans in complete disbelief. You can listen back. We did a show with Andrew Claudio, your producer. Yeah, GMAC. And it was rough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
It was rough for the Knicks film school crew. It was really, really tough. But if there is a positive for New York, though, it's that they did a lot of things right to get up by as much as they did in that game. But what do you... What do you think went right for the Knicks in game one? Just like cutting out the last 50 seconds.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Yeah, that makes sense. I think there's like, and there's two different philosophies on that. I think like some people think like, okay, guys need reps to figure out who they are. And then there's like the guys need, you know, structure. And you can see it both ways. And I think it really just comes down to like the people
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
The ultimate potential of these guys and the ultimate potential of these players, because I think you can look at a guy that we'll talk about later case of Wallace for the Thunder has done so well in this kind of like boxed in limited role. And they continue to kind of expand what he's doing. And then like in this, this doesn't seem like a great example right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
I don't know if he did this during this run but would have had a chance to Kawhi Leonard Kawhi Leonard Andrew he did do it oh two names remaining I don't know if this guy made deep enough runs I don't I don't feel great Dame
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
But if you think about who Jordan Poole was in his first year in the NBA, he was not a good NBA player. I mean, there were people saying that he is literally the worst player in the NBA. But he had that year where the Warriors were terrible because of injuries, kind of spread his wings and kind of figure out who he was against NBA defenses.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Four different times, which means it's just got to make you so sick as a Knicks fan. That's got to make you just want to just throw up immediately with with over 48 minutes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
I have to give you the team and the year. So the teams that won the finals. What was the time? What was the length of time again? Since 2000. Since 2000. It's a lot of champions.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
And he became a really good player in the league and is making a ton of money now. And, you know, help them win a championship. And so I don't know. I don't know where I would lie with Ace himself. I think that you probably have a better idea. And I think the way that you described it sounds really good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
What about the 2004 Pistons? Andrew, that is correct.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Okay, caught you mid-swig. And with us, Bryce Simon, who is one of my favorite people to listen to. If you're not listening to the Game Theory Podcast, you should be. Someone that knows a ton about the game, a ton about the draft and the playoffs, which is a pretty incredible combo. Let's be honest. There's not that many people that can do this. Bryce, welcome back to Slamma Jam.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Wow. Andrew, can you do a clean sweep here? I just remember watching that finals, like the final game of that. I was thinking about game seven. That game seven. Yeah. Where it was just so putrid and like no one could make a shot. And it was just like Kobe mid-range shots to save their lives.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
I don't feel good about this. I just don't know that they they take a lower volume. So there's just might be a chance. What about the what about the Denver team that just won it? What year was that?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
I just think that it's interesting because there's just so many different paths you can take in the league.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Yeah, he's been very good. Noss could have been that guy if he could make a three against OJC.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
So from the most to the least, that's what you said? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Most clutch minutes, diffuse. I will say the Knicks, number one. I will say Indy, number two. And then I'll go... Thunder, then Wolves. That is incorrect.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Welcome to my world, brother. That is the question that I always seem to answer and always want to answer. And I get it wrong almost every week. Yeah. Go listen to the Game Theory Podcast with Sam Vecini. It's a great show. It's a good basketball show. I think sometimes you guys get pin and hold as a draft show. But if you just want to know basketball strategy better...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
I don't think there's a better podcast for you to listen to when it comes to that. So please go listen to that. Listen to the Pistons pulse as well. Uh, it's a, it's a great Pistons podcast. If you're interested at all in the Detroit Pistons, it is, uh, not only is it's a good Pistons show, but it's just kind of delightful to listen to.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Like if you're just like looking for something to listen to while you're doing the dishes or something, just to kind of mow in the lawn, mow in the lawn, whatever you need. I mean, it's, it's good. It's a good show. It's one that I subscribe to. So please go listen to those rice. Anything else you want to promote before you get out of here?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
I know. I think that I was like... getting an uber and i canceled it so that i could come say hi to you and then i wouldn't got an uber again it was also raining and it was like this is this is absurd yes but this is how much we like hanging out together is that we just need like five seconds to say hello like that was really all we got
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Go leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, just like DCM6827, five-star slam and jam. Andrew and Alex are so fun to listen to. I love how they prepare for the show with stats, quotes, and trivia. They are the surprise team of NBA podcasters. Wow. Thank you. Quite a compliment. Very much appreciate that. Please leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or read it on the show.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Appreciate you guys listening. Enjoy the playoffs. And we'll talk to you guys again next week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Mm hmm. So who's your favorite star bet outside the top three? So if you were a team in desperate need of a star, like the Jazz, and they were wanting to swing for the fences, who is a guy that you would bet on as a star?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
What's a comp for queen that you like? The dreaded question to every draft analyst.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
But Nas Reid wasn't either coming into the NBA.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Right, right, right. So as you've been doing mock drafts, are there any players projected in the lottery that you think could fall on draft night? Guys who have been like having trouble consistently finding good landing spots, you know? Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who should the Sixers take in the NBA Draft? + Thunder Rolling | Slam N Jam
Well, let's start with the draft. Most draft analysts see the third pick as the first potential pivot point of the draft. Who is currently third on your big board? And do you have any strong opinions about what Philly should do with that pick?
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Since being inserted into the starting lineup four games ago, Connect is averaging almost 24 points a game, including a wild one against Utah where he scored 37, including 18 straight in the closing minutes of the third quarter. Connect tied a rookie record with nine three-pointers in the game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
You mentioned Kyle Lowry. I was on cleaning the glass. He has taken 6% of his shots at the rim, which among guards, the only other guard who has taken that few of percentages of shots is Chris Paul, which really speaks to how, like how good Chris Paul has been defensively. without the ability to get to the rim anymore.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
But the fact that Kyle Lowry, I mean, I was watching that Miami Heat game and it just, it just doesn't, it looks like he can't play right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Afterwards, Jazz head coach Will Hardy said, quote, In the second half, it seemed like everybody in the gym knew that Dalton Connect was going to shoot the next shot, with the exception of a few people. The problem was those few people were on our team. The Jazz are 3-12 and have lost four straight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Like this team just looks like they've already quit and it's November 22nd. So I want to ask you about Embiid because in the off season, he was talking about how all his focus is on the playoffs and winning. He starts the season injured. Then he has that dust up with the reporter, which was very easy to defend. And then this week we have this players only meeting that gets leaked to Shams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
One more loss and the Jazz will have a five-game losing streak, which is what the Phoenix Suns have been up to lately. The Suns, who started 9-2 but have been without Kevin Durant the last couple weeks, have dropped five straight and have a point differential of negative 2.4, which is only better than the Blazers, Jazz, and Pelicans in the West.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
When asked about being confronted for his tardiness, Embiid said, quote, Whoever leaked that is a real piece of shit. I don't want to get into detail, but that whole thing, that part of it took probably 40 seconds, but it's Joel Embiid. So things will always get blown out of proportion. It's whatever, though. I'll take it. I'm the reason for everything.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
So I guess I'll take the blame for everything. How are you feeling about Embiid right now?
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Of the five losses, none was more painful than a 120 to 117 loss to the Timberwolves in Minnesota. With 34 seconds left in the game tied at 117, the Suns missed three straight shots, including two from Devin Booker, who had 44 in the game, before turning it over to the Wolves with 2.1 seconds left.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Did you see Jake Fisher, who is now writing on Mark Stein's sub stack? He said that when ESPN reported the details, a league figure close to Embiid said to Jake, Joel is going to be furious and Embiid is going to try and find the Sixers supposed snitch. How good of a detective do you think Joel is going to be? Do you think he will find the snitch?
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
After advancing the ball, Joe Ingles passed it into Julius Randle, who hit a game-winning three-pointer from the top of the key to give the Wolves the win. The momentum would be short-lived for the Wolves, however, as they would drop their next game to the Raptors, 110-105, in Scottie Barnes' return.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
One team hoping their players return soon is the Sacramento Kings, who were without all of Sabonis, DeRozan, and Malik Monk in their last two games. Luckily, the Kings still have De'Aaron Fox, who over a back-to-back against Minnesota and Utah at home this week scored 109 points while shooting 58% from the field.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
All right, Trill, before our questions make you walk into traffic, let's shift the conversation towards Sixers rookie Jared McCain, one half of the happiest backcourt in the league. What was your opinion of McCain heading into the draft? Was he the guy you wanted the Sixers to take at 16?
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Only Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain have ever scored that many points in consecutive games. It's so wild. It is very wild. The Kings... Are going to need more than Fox, though, because they've gone three and four in their last seven. They've dropped to eight and seven overall, which is good for 11th in the West. And finally, a little more history this week from some former teammates.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
I was just going to ask Trill, what is that BPM? Because I know you've been checking it out every day. Yeah, tell us. What is he putting up right now?
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
James Harden passed Ray Allen for second all time and three pointers made while Russell Westbrook became the first player to reach 200 triple doubles. And those, Andrew, were the top stories. If you ignore the Sixers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Okay, Trill, we have two games for you today. Two games. Wow. I was watching Sixers Heat, and it was a miserable game to watch. And I was thinking about how much more watchable it would have been if Tyrese Maxey had been playing. And I started wondering where Maxey would rank in terms of players who, when they're out of their lineup, their team's watchability falls off a cliff.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
So to answer that, we're going to do a draft. Three rounds, snake draft. We're going to draft three players each. So we are selecting players based on when they are out, our interest in watching their team play takes a nosedive. And I'm going to choose the order. So Andrew, you're going to go first. Okay, Trill, you're going to go second. And I will have the turn.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
So I'll have picks three and four. So Andrew... Who is your first selection in players who when they're out of the lineup, their team's watchability falls off the cliff? I wish I had something a good little name.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
When you're looking through the games or you're watching a TNT game, you find out this player's out. You're like, I'm not going to bother watching it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Okay, interesting pick, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Trill, who would you like to select?
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
So he's the anti Maxi. Kyle Kuzma.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Yeah. So at the turn, I'm going to take my top two picks. Thrilled to get them. I think they're two of the more obvious ones. There are some other good names. I'm going Steph and I'm going Wemby. Both kind of obvious to me. Steph, although I will say that game he was out, which was the game that Lindy Waters had like 21. Yeah, I was about to say. It was very fun, I will admit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
And Buddy Heald, the way he's playing right now, does make the Warriors a little bit more enjoyable. But Steph takes them to such a higher level for me that I have to include Steph. And then Wemby is also pretty obvious. Now, granted, me and Andrew had to watch the Wemby-less Spurs beat the Thunder this week. A miserable watch. Furious the entire game. Maybe I'm bringing that to the selection.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
I'm so mad at that version of the Spurs. Oh my gosh, Kelton Johnson was on fire. So yes, those will be my first two picks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
So, Andrew, you get two picks here back to back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Now, Andrew, they could go 48 and 20. The rest of the way, well, actually, they'd need to go 49 and 19, and they could get to 51 wins, beat their over-under, and that seems doable. I don't know. The Sixers are so tough because, yes, it's 38 and a half. I feel like I'm just in this mode with a lot of other NBA podcasts where you just keep repeating to yourselves. They're in the East.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
The only one I'm thinking about and he wasn't really a punching bag, but that one season Colin Sexton had with the Cavs, which we're also talking about, like you would look at it historically and it just like doesn't make sense because he's like super efficient and everything looked amazing across the board. But no one was talking about him as like, oh, we got to go get Colin Sexton.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
They're in the East. Look at that. There are only a couple of games out of the play. Sure. And at some point there will be a time where we have to just admit this team's not good. But until then I see 38 and a half. I'm like, they should be able to get there. I mean, if they can just get, just have a normal month, I feel like they would be fine.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
the nba i would imagine he was on my list uh so that leaves me with the final one and shout out to both of you guys for having uh very very good and original picks i'm going to take the other obvious name so i'll just have the three obvious ones it's yannis i'm not really interested in watching the bucks without yannis sure yeah even with dame and chris middleton
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
If Chris Middleton comes back and plays basketball ever again? Yeah, I mean, Dame theoretically does still have those moments. And he has had those moments sometimes, but it's just not the same. Because watching Dame on the Blazers for all those years, I mean, those were some entertaining teams to watch. And it just doesn't feel the same on the Bucs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
So that means that for our Tyrese Maxey All-Stars, Tyrese Maxey ended up not being picked. But... You know, credit to Jared McCain. Maybe that's why. McCain's there. There's no drop off. All right, so that brings us to Andrew vs. the Beat, our weekly trivia show where Andrew goes head-to-head with a beat writer. In this case, Trill Bro Dude from You Know Ball. Trill, you've played trivia before.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
I just don't know if they're ever going to have that normal month.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
I came up with eight questions about the Sixers. Some are easy, some are hard. You're going to give me a number between one and eight. It'll correspond to a question. If you get it right, you'll get at least two points. If you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal for one, and we'll go back and forth until all the questions have been asked and answered.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
So, Trill, to start us off, what number between one and eight would you like to pick?
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Give me the under. I'll take the under.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
let's go with six for the Sixers question number six which two teammates has Joel Embiid played the most amount of games with in his career and you get one point per correct answer so Joel Embiid's teammates that he's played the most games with wow okay so I just guess one and then yeah yeah you get one point per correct answer
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
That is incorrect. Andrew, you have a chance to steal. Which two teammates have Joel Embiid played the most amount of games with? Is Tobias Harris on this list? Tobias Harris is number one, Andrew. Can you get number two?
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Um... By the way, Tyrese Maxey was fourth. Shake Milton is five.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
What about Robert Covington? A great guess, Andrew, but it is actually Furkan Korkmaz. I knew it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
All right, Andrew, you control the board. Number one. Question number one. The Sixers are 2-12, their worst start since the 15-16 season when they tied the record for worst start to a season with 18 consecutive losses. Jaleel Okafor led that team in scoring with 17.5 points per game. Who was second in points per game for the 15-16 Sixers? Second in points per game. 15-16. Sixers, Andrew. Oh, boy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Memorable team. They won 10 whole games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Andrew, it's a great guess. But unfortunately, he was third. So Trill has a chance to steal. 15-16? Was it Isaiah Cannon? Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
He was actually, he was fifth. Nerlens was fourth. And number two. TJ? Ishmith.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Oh. Okay, Trill, back to you. Wow. Oh, what did you say? Did you say a number? Oh, let's go three. Allen Iverson. In a game against Cleveland, Jared McCain attempted 26 shots. Since the 2020 draft, there are only 10 other rookies who attempted 26 plus shots in a game. And we're going to name them all. Okay, so how this works, Trill will give me a name. Then Andrew will give me a name.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
We'll go back and forth till one of you stumbles. So this is since the 2020 draft. Do you remember that draft? The COVID draft? Ten players. All these guys had at least one game where they attempted 26 shots. And they did it as a rookie, to be clear. As a rookie. As a rookie. So I'm going to guess first Anthony Edwards. Anthony Edwards had one game like that. Just to show you how rare this is.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Okay, Andrew. Did Jalen Green do it? Jalen Green also did it once, Andrew, back to Trill. Oh my gosh. LaMelo Ball? LaMelo did it once. No, this is scary.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
It's so rare. Okay. I will say only three players on this list did it more than once. Wow. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Oh, what about Wimby? That is correct. Wimby is the only one who's done it five times. He did it five times as a rookie. No one was close. He was far and away. Top guy. Okay, back to Trill. Cade Cunningham. Cade did it twice. Back to Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Well, Andrew, the top story this week was Cavs-Celtics on Tuesday, a matchup between the top two teams in the East. The Cavs came into the game having won their first 15 games of the season. And despite getting down by as much as 21 on the road, Cleveland came back and made it a game before losing 120-117. Jason Tatum had 33-12-7 with six threes, while Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 35-8-3.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
The only other player who did it more than once. He did it twice. So now we have five names left. We're going back to Trill. All these players only did it once. In their rookie season, took 26 plus shots in a game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Trill. That is incorrect. Somehow was not Cam Thomas. Andrew, any other guesses?
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Yeah, it wasn't him. So the funny name is Tyrese Maxey. Tyrese Maxey did it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
We had two Blazers. Scoot did it last year, which I do not remember. And Shaden Sharp did it. Then we have Gigi Jackson, which kind of makes sense, last year. Oh, awesome. And then the other name you would have never gotten, Jeremy Sohan, did it. They let Jeremy Sohan shoot 26 times in a game as a rookie? 26 times. That's wild. I'm going to go look up that game. That is hard to believe.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Yeah, let's see. Actually, he had a game with 25 shots, too. So it was actually a win over the Pacers. 22 and 13 for Jeremy. This is how you're smart about tanking. Wow. All right, Andrew, board is yours. You're up by two. Number two. Question number two. Jared McCain has scored 20 plus points in six of his first 14 games. There are only three other Sixers rookies who accomplished that feat.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Can you name them all? Oh, boy. 20 plus points in six, at least six of the first 20 games. OK.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
I see what you're saying. It's a good qualifier. See what you're saying. I'm actually going to look up. Yes, that would count.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
So remind me of the stat again. In their first 14 games in the NBA. Scored at least 20 plus six times. Okay. What about Michael Carter Williams? Andrew, that is incorrect. Oh, dang. So you do get a point. And Trill, you have a chance to steal some points here.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Yes. And so that is actually a name I did not have down because I just did the first 14 games, but I looked it up and that is correct. So you do get a point. Why did I ask a question that was clearly about Joel Embiid and then not answer Joel Embiid?
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Andrew, to make you feel even worse, so Michael Carter Williams did sit out four games during his first 14. He actually scored... 20 plus, six times in his first 15 games, Andrew. Seriously?
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Or close to it. It was 22, 7, 12, and 9. Unbelievable. With four threes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
He fooled us all. Okay, Trill, you can still get two more. Two more points. Charles Barkley? No. Wrong. I'm saying it that way because it sounds true. But let me double check. So the other two names.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
So he only did it twice in his first 14 games. Other two players. Jerry Stackhouse. Never would have got that. Jaleel Okafor, who I just mentioned.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
I'll go number seven. Number seven. OK, which of the following categories do the Sixers rank the lowest in the league? So here are the four categories. Half court offense, transition offense, half court defense, transition defense. And as a hint, actually, it's not a hint. They're terrible in all of these, to be clear. But which one do they rank the lowest? As a hint, it's all of them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
I'm going to guess half court offense. Trill, that is absolutely correct. They're 28th currently in the half court. They are scoring 89.1 points per 100 possessions.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
But OK, Andrew, the board is yours. You're now down by one, Andrew. Oh, no. Four. Question number four. Now, this is the most sicko question I've ever asked. I'm very interested to see if you can get this. Gershon Yabusele was the 16th pick in the 2016 draft. Prior to this season with the Sixers, Yabu had played the fifth fewest games of all the first round picks in that 2016 draft.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Fifth fewest games. After appearing in all 14 of the Sixers games this season, however, he has now played the sixth fewest games of the 2016 first rounders. Moving ahead of this player, who was drafted a few spots after Yabu by the Detroit Pistons. Oh my gosh, Al. So we're talking 2016 draft.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
I told you Yabu was picked 16th, so it's a player taken after him, still in the first round, by the Pistons. Can you get it?
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
He was born in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, went to Marquette. 6'10", 240 pounds. Everyone thought he was going to be a shooter. I'm, of course, talking about Henry Ellenson. Oh, my God.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Yep. He played 19 games. He actually ended up playing for five years in the NBA. Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Where? What? He once scored 17 in an NBA game. What do you think about that? Pretty good against Memphis.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Okay. All right. I have more of them. All right. So Trill, you're up by one. You have two choices left, five or eight. Let's go eight. Question number eight. What is KJ Martin's career high in points? Now, you get to choose who answers first. So you can make Andrew answer first and then go higher or lower, or you can answer first and then Andrew would go higher or lower.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
If you make Andrew answer and he gets it exactly correct, he would get a bonus point. So what would you like to do? I'll hand it off to Andrew. All right, Andrew. KJ Martin, career high in points. Career high in points for KJ Martin. KJ Martin.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Yeah, it flips so quick, too, because we talked about the Rookie of the Year odds like three weeks ago. Did not even mention Jared McCain's name. He was plus 3,000 in preseason and is now the overwhelming favorite. I mean, even after Dalton Connect, it drops all the way to plus 1,100 for Zachary Resache. So it's been pretty amazing. He's had eight games, eight of his 14 games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Is that a hint, Andrew? Is Trill giving you a hint?
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
All right, Andrew set the bar at 23. Trill? I'm going to go higher. I think he scored like 25 in a game before, but I'm not sure. Would you believe that once upon a time, K.J. Martin scored 31 points in an NBA game? Wow. Sorry, K.J. That was rude. That was rude of me. All right, Andrew. Now, this is very exciting. Actually, it's not. Never mind. You've lost, Andrew. But you do get first dibs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
This is very exciting. You're a loser. This is very exciting, Andrew. You lost. This is great for the show. Okay. Here we go. Final question, Andrew. You can make it close, though. You can get within one. Three Sixers on the current roster have had a 50-point game in their career. Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and this player. Who is it, Andrew?
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
That is correct. You got it. And you finish one point behind Trill. Yeah. Congrats, Trill. You won the week five to four.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
So we can have a rubber match the next time the Sixers have a terrible week and we land on that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. All right, Andrew. That was Sixers Week. Don't you want the wheel to land on your favorite team next? The wheel fandom teams have now lost their last seven games. Isn't that crazy? In two weeks. Honestly, this is kind of what I always wanted the wheel to become. And it's maybe it's taken us three years to get there. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
But if the wheel has gained some powers and is going to just destroy every team is select. I'm going to be having a good time. Yeah. So we have 26 teams remaining. A lot of teams on here. So let's spin the wheel and see who is the Wheel of Phantom team going to be for next week. It will be the... Oh, this is great. Denver Nuggets. The Denver Nuggets.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
And I say this is great because they have some awesome games this week. I was actually looking at it right before we were coming on. So I know they play the Lakers next. That's their next game. Let me bring up their schedule real quick. So they play Dallas tonight. Well, this is Friday night on ESPN. Yeah. Great game. Great. Okay. And then they play the Lakers on NBA TV on Saturday.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Then they play the Knicks on Monday. Oh, beautiful. At home. And then they play the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. Hey, listen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
He's scored at least 18 points. That alone is amazing. Six of his games, he's scored 20-plus points. He has been the one lone bright spot. The one thing Sixers fans can cling to as they watch these miserable games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
nope it's time andrew but before oh you don't want to go there okay i don't want to go there yet okay just a little bit longer before we talk to trill bro dude i didn't want to update one thing because we're not going to do favorites this week we wanted to this is a very special week on wheel of fandom and we wanted to it is so special that i cannot wait to get there i'm just like let's just bring trill in immediately please
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Yeah, usually we do like five questions, and I message Trill. I was like, hey, would you mind if we just expanded this section and asked you just a ton of questions? So we're not doing favorites, but I did want to do one thing before we got to the Sixers, which is our Slam & Jam championship tracker, okay? Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
There's a set of things that championship teams have done, all of them, every single one, going back to – actually, it's not to the beginning, but I think I went as back as like the 60s. So it's pretty far, okay? Yeah. I wasn't looking at the Providence Steamrollers or whoever it was. But, you know, I went back to the NBA that we know, and all those champions shared some things.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
So, for instance, no NBA champion has ever had worse than the ninth best odds in preseason. Now, that only goes back to 84-85, because that's as far as it goes back with the odds. So right there, that knocks off the Lakers, Suns, Pacers, Cavs, Kings... They're out, Andrew. They don't share that with all NBA champions.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
The next thing, in their first five games, no champion has ever started 1-4 or 0-5. So you know who this knocks out. This knocks out the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers. And then the last thing that we can talk about so far is that no champion has ever had fewer than four wins in their first 10. So no champion has ever gone 3-7 in their first 10.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
So right now, Andrew, it's been like a month into the season. We can already narrow down the crop of true contenders. Now, these are teams that so far have checked every box that every other NBA champion has ever checked. There's only seven of them and only two in the East. Boston. and the New York Knicks. And then in the West, we have Denver, Minnesota, OKC, Dallas, and Golden State.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Those seven are the only teams that currently check all these boxes. So we're going to check in again at the halfway point because there's another stat having to do with your record after 41 games. Wait, the Cleveland Cavaliers don't check boxes? No. They don't, Andrew, because they had worse than ninth best odds in the preseason. So they were knocked out because of that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
The Cavs' 15-0 start to the season is now tied with the 93-94 Rockets for the second best start in NBA history. These two teams will meet again in only two weeks on December 1st, this time in Cleveland. Now, the Cavs' winning streak wasn't the only one to come to an end this week. The Los Angeles Lakers, who had won six in a row, finally lost in a close one to the Orlando Magic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Now, this is just to win it all. So this is you could still make the finals. I mean, the Heat have made the finals and broken a lot of these things. So you can still have a great season, Andrew. But if we're talking about winning a ring. Yeah. These are the things you have to do, according to history.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
But hey, maybe they'll be the one that just breaks everything. And that would be fun, too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
All right, Andrew, it's time for the Wheel of Fandom, the weekly segment where we spin a wheel, it lands on a team, and that team falls into the pits of hell. One week after landing on the Dallas Mavericks, who went 0-4, the wheel landed on the Philadelphia 76ers, who lost all three of their games this week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
It got so bad that after a loss at Miami, the Sixers had a players-only meeting, during which Tyrese Maxey called Joel Embiid out for being late for everything. And to make matters worse in their next game, a loss to Memphis, Paul George hyperextended his left knee for the second time this month will be sidelined at least two games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
The Sixers have lost five straight and currently have the worst record in the league at two and 12. Now I know that all sounds bad, but here's some good news. Sixers fans cleaning the glass says the Sixers have the profile of a three win team. Our guest today is Trill Bro Dude, host of the You Know Ball podcast, a mostly Sixers podcast.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
You can find You Know Ball on your favorite podcast app and on Patreon, where you can sign up for extra episodes each week. Trill, how's your week been?
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
Franz Wagner hit a go-ahead three with 2.5 seconds left to give the Magic a 119-118 win. In the win, Franz had 37-6-11. He's been ridiculous. And has been on fire recently. He's averaging 29 per game over his last six. For L.A., the loss stung, but what a week it was for the Lakers and especially rookie Dalton Connect.
The Athletic NBA Daily
True Title Contenders + Are the Sixers Cooked?
So even acknowledging the injuries, which you mentioned, obviously played a huge role in this 2-12 start, it still feels like this has played out worse than it should have. For those who don't know, the Sixers' only two wins did require overtime. So besides those obvious reasons, what are some of the other issues that have contributed to this 2-12 start?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Kevin, Stuart, Bob, when the Nets last had a lottery pick, those were just names of regular guys, not cute little yellow guys wearing overalls, okay? And now that I know this, Andrew, and having watched the Nets engage in what I believe is the most ethical tank in NBA history, go look at their recent game logs. They're losing all these games by like two or three points. They lost on Thursday night.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
They lost an overtime game to the Pacers. I would like to award the Nets the official slam and jam team. I want to win the lottery trophy. 15 years. I feel like they deserve it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
The Cleveland Cavaliers' 16-game winning streak not only came to an end at the hands of the Orlando Magic, the Cavs would go on to lose their next two games as well to the Clippers and the Kings, tying their longest losing streak of the season. Those losses opened the door for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who without J-Dub won four in a row, including road wins over Boston, Detroit, and Milwaukee.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
They should have had like a 13th picks mixed in somewhere in there, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
A lot of those guys you mentioned from this season, they're like 3 and D guys. It kind of makes sense. Mikael Bridges is kind of interesting, though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Their final win of the week came over the Sixers, who announced this week that Paul George would be out for the rest of the season. But it's not that big of a loss when you consider this stat. Mike O'Connor tweeted out that Quinton Grimes has had three games of 35 plus points for the Sixers this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Moving on to my favorite player. I'm actually pivoting, Andrew, because I read this article. So there's a sub stack called the F5. It's written by Owen Phillips. It's a great sub stack. And he has a lot of good free stuff, too, if you don't want to subscribe. And he has this thing called the most underrated player that he does.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
And basically what he does is looks at guys who have really good advanced stats, but who have very low page views on basketball reference. In other words, guys that are very good that no one cares about. No one's checking in on them to see how they're doing. And the guy he awarded it to this season
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
is luke cornett and this week we watched the thunder play the celtics and luke cornett had a legitimately impressive putback dunk over chet in that game yeah and and that made me start thinking about luke cornett a little bit and yeah in this article which if you're a celtics fan go read this article it's really good but he gave some stats that just kind of blew my mind so
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Top 10 pick and roll combos in the league. Now, obviously, Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, number one, 1.34 points per possession. Number two, Jason Tatum and Luke Cornett, 1.33. And listen, it's not the same volume, but it's also not insignificant volume. It's 440 pick and rolls. In comparison, like some guys in that range, SGA and Hartenstein, 499. Donovan Mitchell, Jared Allen, 449.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Now, like the top guys, you know, like Anthony Edwards, Gobert, they're at 883. Murray and Jokic right around 700. But still, like 440 isn't insignificant. And they are scoring 1.33 points per possession in those pick and rolls with Luke Cornett and Jason Tatum. The other stat that he brought up is his evolution as a big man. When he came into the league, he was more of like a stretch five.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
His second year in the season, his average shot distance was 20 feet from the rim, and he took 193 three-pointers. This season, his average shot distance is 2.6 feet, and he's taken two three-pointers, and his true shooting percentage is now 68.7%. Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
He included a post from Kevin Pelton kind of comparing him to like the reverse Brooke Lopez, how he's kind of started out as a three point shooter has now become the basket guy. That's funny. Yeah. And then the last stat is his rim defense. So. Chet is number one. Opponents shoot 51.1% against Chet at the rim. Porzingis is number two, 51.2%. I'll go down the list.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Peyton Watson is actually number three, lower volume, but Peyton Watson's there. It's cool. Walker Kessler, Triple J, Giannis, Victor Webinyama, Rudy Gobert, and then Luke Cornett is number nine, 53.4% on about 700 field goal attempts defended at the rim.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
That is the same number as Tobias Harris had in his entire run as a Sixer and three more than Paul George has had as a Sixer. Now, it's been a rough season for Paul George, but at least the Sixers now have a legit shot to keep their own pick. Another team that has a shot at keeping their own pick but may not be as excited about it is the Miami Heat.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
And it just made me kind of think about Luke Cornett a little bit differently, because as I think about the Celtics from the last couple of years, it always felt like Luke Cornett was a weak spot in their rotation. You know, like, oh, if Luke Cornett's having to play, they must be really thin. And now it's kind of totally flipped.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
It's like if if Luke Cornett's playing like you can survive and you might actually be able to do really well with Luke Cornett on the court. Now, it's going to be interesting to see in the playoffs because, you know, depending on how Porzingis is doing, you know, he's still apparently dealing with that virus thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
They might need to play Cornette a little bit more in the playoffs than they were anticipating going into the season. So we'll see how he holds up in the playoffs. But I think he is well-deserving of this title of most underrated player because to be truly underrated has to be a guy that you wouldn't initially think to give this award to.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
And I would not have thought to give this award to Luke Cornette. So I think he's well-deserving.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
The Heat are currently on a nine game losing streak after Cade Cunningham banked in a game winning three in their most recent game. The losing streak is the longest of Eric Spolstra's coaching career and the longest for the Heat as a franchise since the 07-08 season. The Heat are now the 10th seed in the East, a half game back of Chicago.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, for any YouTube creators out there, I would watch a video about Alvin Robertson's 85-86 season because even compared to all these other numbers, you're saying like 301 is absurd. And I know that there was quicker pace, but it's still like it was three points. I was looking it up. It's 3.7 per game that he had.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
And he was the defensive player of the year that year and the most improved player. Yeah. And an all-star. But yeah, some of these numbers from the 80s are just crazy in comparison to these modern guys who just aren't getting them as much. It must be, it has to be some type of change in just like the overall defensive ethos of the NBA, like the overall defensive meta.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
There must be something there where we're not getting as many steals as we once had. Yeah. So Andrew, finally, that brings us to our favorite moment. Of the week, and my favorite moment this week was watching that Wizards Nuggets game. The best games, I will say, are the games that aren't just not on your radar. They're actively off your radar.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
You look at the slate of games, you're saying, well, I won't be tuning to that one. There's no real reason for me to check that one out. There's better games on. But this was everything you would want from a random March game in the NBA. A good team unable to pull away from one of the worst teams in the league. Rookie having his best game of the season. Alex Saar went for 34.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Another rookie, Keyshawn George, hitting a huge bucket at the end. Jordan Poole dancing in front of the Nuggets bench after a made three and then hitting the game winner on the road. I mean, I was I was cackling watching this game. It was just so random and unexpected out of nowhere. It was one of those perfect NBA games in March that is probably meaningless.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Like you probably shouldn't take anything away from that game. But it was fun to live in that reality for 48 minutes where the Wizards are the Nuggets kryptonite. Jordan Poole is a hero. Alex Sarr and Keyshawn George are unstoppable. You know, I understand why people get upset with March basketball and how meaningless some of these games can seem.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Something like, hey, remember when I made my bold prediction that Chicago is going to be the nine seed? Yeah. They're trying. Something I keep bringing up because it always sounds unbelievable when I say it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
But sometimes the absurdity of March produces some of the most entertaining moments of the season because they just wouldn't happen any other time of the season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
If the Heat miss the playoffs, it will trigger them sending both an unprotected first to OKC next season and an unprotected first to Charlotte in 2028 as a result of last year's Terry Rozier trade. The good news or bad news, depending on what your goals are for Miami, is that five of their final 13 games are against teams with a bottom five record, so I don't think they're going to lose out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Yeah, the Heat have gotten some brutal luck over this nine-game stretch. But for the Pistons... Like, the thing I love about them this season is just every moment they've had to kind of prove to you that they're better than you thought they were, they've totally grasped that moment.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Like, this being a national TV game, I mean, I can remember as Thunder fans, like, going through those tank years and getting our first national TV game, and we were so pumped. And it ended up being that game against the Miami Heat.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Jimmy Butler, wasn't he like 40 of 40 from the line? I think that's right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
It was a disgusting game. Nothing like this game. This was a very fun game. And I just thought it was awesome that this happens a week after Shaq has those comments about the Pistons. Like, one, getting their coach wrong. But then, I'm sure a lot of people know who Kofi is, but Kofi on YouTube had a great video about Shaq's comments on his podcast.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
where one, he said the Pistons were boring, and then he said the Pistons were four games below .500 at a point when they were eight games above .500. And just the disrespect he has for the Pistons for some unknown reason, this is a really fun team to watch. And they've had this, like I mentioned, this fun season where they just keep hitting all of these benchmarks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
As the season goes on, whether it's like winning streaks or players developing or then having like a huge game winner on national TV. I just feel like they're doing everything you would want from a breakout season for a team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
All right, Andrew, it is time for the Wheel of Fandom, the weekly segment where we spin a wheel, it lands on a team, and we become fans of that team for the next week. Two weeks ago, the wheel landed on the San Antonio Spurs. Now, the Spurs were without Victor Weminyama, who's out for the season with a blood clot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
And this week, it was announced that De'Aaron Fox would also be out for the rest of the season, undergoing surgery to repair a tendon in his left pinky. The Spurs went 3-5 over the last two weeks, including a very entertaining win over the Knicks on Wednesday, a game in which Sandro Mamou-Kelishvili scored a career-high 34 points in only 19 minutes, an NBA record.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Moving up the standings, the Pacers had a fun week. First, they beat the Timberwolves in Minnesota after Obi Toppin hit a game-winning three-pointer from the corner at the end while falling away. The next game, it was Andrew Nembhard hitting the go-ahead three with 16 seconds left to beat the Mavs. And then on Thursday night, Benedict Matherin was fouled on a three-pointer with 14 seconds left.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Mamou was 13-14 from the field, including 7-7 from three. The Spurs are now 29-39, 13th in the West. More importantly for the draft lottery, the Spurs are currently positioned in the 10th spot, a half game ahead of Miami and Chicago. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Spurs have the 16th ranked offense and 27th ranked defense. Andrew, if the Spurs are our favorite team, who is our guest?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
In a game against Brooklyn, he makes off three free throws. He ties it up, sends the game to overtime, where the Pacers win once again. Indiana is suddenly only three games back of the Knicks, which is still a lot. But a month ago, they were like six back. And the Knicks dropped shockers this week to the Spurs and Hornets.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
So you got Wimby. We got Castle now, seems to have established himself as a key part of this young core. There are several other young players on this roster. So when thinking about the other guys, Jeremy Sohan, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagny, how confident are you in their place in this team's future? Or does it still feel a little up in the air?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Now, one spot above the Knicks is the Celtics, who it was announced this week had been sold for a record $6.1 billion. That is the largest sale for a sports franchise in North America. The buyer is a Celtics fan named Bill Chisholm. Not the richest sounding name, in my opinion. Sounds more like a cowboy to me, Bill Chisholm.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
But apparently, he is rich, and he will soon have the honor of paying a massive luxury tax bill that the previous Celtics owners have left him. Finally, the West is a mess. The Mavericks slow, sad fall down the standings finally took them out of the playoff picture completely this week as they swap spots with the Suns, who are the new 10 seed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Now, it looked like the Wolves were making a push for a top 60, but then they lost two in a row. They fall into eight because the Clippers have won four in a row, moving up to seventh. The Grizzlies lost two straight on the road at Sacramento and Portland and are now the five seed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Looking ahead to the draft now, depending on what happens with the Hawks in the play-in, the Spurs could have two lottery picks for the second consecutive draft.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Assuming they don't jump up and grab one of the top prospects, is there anyone currently projected in that mid-to-late lottery that you think would be a good fit on the Spurs, or at least an archetype of player that you're looking for to add to this team?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
And the Rockets, who had a rough patch not too long ago, have suddenly won eight in a row, the longest winning streak in the league, pushing them all the way up to the two seed, a game up on Denver. And those are the top stories this week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Andrew, the top story this week was March madness. I'm not talking about college basketball, Andrew. I'm talking about the month every year when the NBA completely loses its marbles. Dude, March is the NBA's version of the purge, where for 31 days, there are no laws. Anything is possible. And teams and players conspire to create the most insane headlines.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Well, Matthew, thank you for answering all of our questions about the Spurs. It is now time to play Andrew versus the Beat, Spurs edition. Now, Matthew, I've come up with eight questions all about the Spurs. You're going to give me a number between one and eight, and it will correspond to a question. If you get it right, you'll get at least two points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
If you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal for one, and we'll go back and forth until all the questions have been asked and answered. So, Matthew, to start us off, what's your favorite number between one and eight? Let's just go three. Question number three. A great one to start off with. How many career blocks does Chris Paul have? Now, obviously, you don't know the answer to that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
But you're going to choose who answers first. So you can make Andrew answer first, and then you can go higher or lower. Or you can answer first, and Andrew will go higher or lower. And as a hint, his highest total for one season was 20. So to kind of put you, you can start doing the math there. Maybe that was his best season. So do you want to answer that or do you want to make Andrew answer that?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
All right, Andrew. Would you like to go higher or lower than 120 blocks for Chris Paul? Over. Give me the over. Over. The correct answer... 213 blocks for Chris Paul. That was a tough one. I was kind of surprised by that total. Okay. Andrew does seem like a lot. Number one, question number one, Andrew, who are the last three Spurs rookies to have a 30 point game?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
And you have to give me all three names to get the points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Okay, that's one of your names. I'm not going to tell you if it's right or not.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
You have to get all three, Andrew, to get the points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Andrew, that is incorrect. Matthew, you have a chance to steal for one. Can you name the last three Spurs rookies to have a 30-point game?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Gary Neal. The correct answer, you guys, congratulations. You both got Wimby and Steph Castle. The other name, Jeremy Sohan scored 30 points in an overtime game against the Suns. Man, I shouldn't have doubted. I shouldn't have doubted him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
All right. So, Matthew, you now have control of the board.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Question number seven. Oh, this is genuinely my favorite question. This week. Chris Paul is in his 20th season. I don't like what this portends. You've gotten both of the Chris Paul questions. Actually, there's one more Chris Paul question. Chris Paul is in his 20th season. We're going to try and name the 10 opponents who Chris Paul has played the most games against in his career.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
So how this works, Matthew, you'll give me a name. Then Andrew will give me a name. And we'll go back and forth until one of you stumbles. So most career games against Chris Paul, essentially. The top 10 teams? No, no, no, no, no, no. Top 10 players. Wait. Who have played against Chris Paul the most? Top 10 players.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Yeah. Most games against Chris Paul. Do I go first? Yes, yes, yes. I'll need a name. Tony Parker. Tony Parker. Matthew, number one. Most games played against Chris Paul was Tony Parker. Very nice. Andrew. Wow. Russell Westbrook. Andrew, number two on the list. Very impressive, guys. All right, back to Matthew. Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant? Yes. Is number seven.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
That is incorrect. Wow. Really? Matthew gets the point. It is. Isn't that, I mean, he played in the East a lot, you know, So I know he played for a long time. The other names. The reason why I asked this question is there's a ton of Spurs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Yeah, Manu's three and Tim is five on the list.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Wow. Harden's not on the list. He must have been just outside. Okay. Who else is on the list? Three Warriors. Steph, Clay, and Draymond.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
And the last one. That makes sense. Another Spur, Boris Diaw. Oh, Bobo. Really? Yeah, he's number nine.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
I don't think it's for his Bobcat's days. I was going to say, we all know what's in the Bobcats. All right, Andrew. Board is yours. Oh, let me mark off that question. Okay, board is yours. Number two. Question number two. There have been 24 two-man lineups that have played at least 500 minutes together this year for the Spurs. 24 two-man lineups.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Which two players are in the worst of those two-man lineups, posting a minus 9.6 net rating in almost 700 minutes? Now you do get one point per correct answer. I'm just trying to give me the names of the two Spurs who are in the worst two-man lineup that has played a decent amount of minutes. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
So this one has played almost 700 minutes, but the one I'm comparing them to have all played at least 500 together. Vassell? Andrew, that is correct for one point. And you get the other name.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Sohan. That is incorrect. Okay, Matthew, you have a chance to steal one point. You can name the other player in the worst two-man lineup that's played a lot of minutes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
That is incorrect. Although that is usually the answer to these questions. It's usually like the rookie that everyone loves. In this case, it was Keldon Johnson. Keldon Johnson was the other name. Keldon Johnson is Devin LaSalle. All right. So Matthew, you have control of the board. The game is tied. Two, two. Four. Four.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Question number four, per cleaning glass, the last time the Spurs had a top half offense and top half defense was the 2016-17 season. How many players from that Spurs team played at least one NBA game this season?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
So the answer is very simple. It's just a number. You don't have to tell me who it is. You just have to give me the number. So these are all guys who played for that 2016-17 Spurs team, and they are all, or at least were in the league at some point this year, played at least one game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Well, the first thing I'm interested to see if it changes as a result of last night's Warriors game, because if you haven't watched, Steph Curry fell under the basket. And if you do watch it, watch it on mute, because if you listen to the sound it makes when it hits the ground, it is disgusting.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
two. Ooh, how high is Matthew going to go? It'd be very funny if you just kept counting and got to a really high number, man.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Because that was the team that played really well in game one against the KD Warriors, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Remember, you don't have to know the names. You could just... I'll go two. I'll go two. That is incorrect. Andrew, what number would you like to say? I don't like this. One...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
One. I also had to look up whether Davis played in the game this season and he hasn't. And the correct answer is four. Congratulations. Yes. Congrats, congrats, congrats.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Dwayne Dedman feels like he was in the league for forever. Nope. He's overseas now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Yeah, it doesn't sound great. Hopefully he's fine, but that could potentially mess with the odds. I do think the Nuggets should have better odds. Like, I get that they had a terrible, like, goofy week. I guess it wasn't a terrible week. They did, you know, beat the Warriors with no one. So...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Dean DeRue has control of the board. Number five. Question number five. According to NBA.com, who has run the most miles for the Spurs this season?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Is it Castle? That is incorrect. Andrew. Matthew, you have a chance to steal one point tied up here. If you know... Who has just run the most? The most miles.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Most miles. Like total or per game? Total. Total miles run.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Harrison Barnes. Harrison Barnes. He's played the second most minutes. Chris Paul's actually played the most.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
I think it's just a minutes thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Question number eight. Who was the last Spur, other than Victor Weminyama, to record a triple-double?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Is it Sohan? Also incorrect. It was Trey Jones. Trey Jones. Oh. Last guy. Okay. That makes sense. Oh, that brings us to our final question. This is actually a very fun final question. I totally forgot about Trey. All right. Now, Andrew, listen closely because you get first stab at this, okay? Okay. Chris Paul, at age 39, is leading the Spurs in minutes played.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
What was the last season that Chris Paul led his team in minutes played? Now, you're going to guess the season, okay? You will get one season leeway on either side. So, for example, if you said 1979-80 season, which would be a terrible guess, I would count that both for the 78-79 season, 79-80, and 80-81. Okay. So what season would you like to pick?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
But I still think the Nuggets with a healthy Aaron Gordon could beat any West team in a seven game series. I'm trying to not put too much stock into what's happening in March because I remember someone a long time ago saying a stat that like what a team does in the first month of the season is actually more predictive than what they do in the last month. So I'm trying to ignore March.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Last time Chris Paul led his team in minutes played.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
That is exactly correct. That was the year, and Andrew wins the week. Wow, very impressive, Andrew. 2014-15, the last time. It's been a decade since Chris Paul led his team in minutes played, and he's doing it again.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
I enjoyed it, guys. All right, Andrew, that was two weeks of the Spurs, and we are now going to spin the wheel again. We've got 16 teams remaining, a sampling of some of those teams. Washington, Brooklyn, Toronto, Utah. We could get one of those teams, Andrew. What do you think about that?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Yeah, yeah. Washington's not bad. Okay, let's spin the wheel, see who we get next week. Real fandom team will be... Okay. Grizzlies.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Hey, check this out, Andrew. Listen to this. Three-game road trip. Actually, re-trip. The Grizzlies are currently on a five-game road trip. They lost the first two, the Kings and Portland. They play Clippers Friday night. Utah next Tuesday. And then next Thursday night in Oklahoma City.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
And if you do that, you should value the Nuggets more just because they've been there before. They have Jokic and Murray. If Aaron Gordon's healthy, I just think they should be valued more. And then up higher, I think the Cavs should be valued a little bit more. I feel like they should be a little bit closer to the Celtics based on what we've seen. And again, it's another March thing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
65, 68, and 4. Yeah, this is great because now I can just keep it up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Like, yes, they just lost three in a row, but I'm not going to let that change my overall opinion on the Cavs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets getting swept by the Washington Wizards? Sure. Those same Nuggets without Jokic and Murray beating the Warriors on the road, the hottest team in the league? As long as it's March, you can do that. Quinton Grimes averaging over 31 points per game in his last six, including a career-high 46 against Houston? Anything is possible.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
So, Andrew, that brings us to this week's favorites, our favorite things of the week, starting with our favorite quote this week. And my favorite quote was tweeted out by Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune when DeMar DeRozan was asked about playing against his former team, the Bulls, this week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
He said that he still checks in on his sons regularly to make sure they're making their beds, especially Dale and Terry. He then said, quote, my baby boy always answers. He knows to pick up the phone when daddy's calling. And Andrew, you know, sometimes NBA fans will get mad at reporters for asking questions that they think are boring.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
or obvious they say that they're wasting everyone's time but this is a good reminder that you just never know because you could ask a guy a simple question about if he's excited about playing his old team and all of a sudden the words coming out of his mouth are my baby boy always answers he knows pick up the phone when daddy's calling that is why that is my favorite quote this week
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Like Sandro Mamuchelishvili scoring 34 points in 19 minutes against the Knicks. Even for March, that's a little much. The Chicago Bulls championship banners getting damaged because of pyrotechnics at the Disturbed concert, the band best known for their famous lyric, that doesn't happen in February. Only in March. Suffice to say, it was a strange weekend.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
If he, if he gave this quote right after they make the Katie trade, it makes sense. Like that's a quote you can say, but after this season to say, maybe next year won't be as good. In reference to this season? How could it be much worse?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
And I think another tough thing for these guys is in the past, I think it was much easier to point out the negatives of tanking. But this most recent class of tanking teams, if you look at Orlando, Houston, OKC, and Detroit, Out of those four franchises, I bet three of those four fan bases would say, you know what, that was actually pretty fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
That was a good time, and we came out of it relatively quickly, and our team is in a better spot than we've been in a really long time. I don't think Pistons fans would say that, though there was obviously eventually a payoff after four years of Troy Weaver. But I just think we're seeing more and more. There's more positive examples of what the rebuild process can bring you
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
And so it's just harder to make that case. And I don't really understand like what case he's making. Cause what would be the plan given the current situation?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
Andrew, I fear that he has bull's brain and you don't want bull's brain. Don't want bull's brain. Moving on to our favorite stat of the week. My favorite stat. Listen to this one. This was a stat shared on the Nets subreddit by user shadow underscore spinner zero. It's a stat that makes complete sense when you hear it and yet is still somehow incredible.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
The question is, how many years has it been since the Brooklyn Nets had a lottery pick? Simple question. Start going back through the drafts in your head. Keep going, keep going, keep going. The answer is 15 years. Derek favors. Derek favors was the last time the Nets drafted in the lottery. Derek favors had a 12 year NBA career. He retired three years ago.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who are the True Contenders? + The Spurs Future
And during that entire time, the Nets did not draft in the lottery. Paul George is the only player from that draft class that is still in the NBA. The last time the Nets had a lottery pick, the freaking minions didn't exist, Andrew. We lived in a world... without the unending source of joy that is the Minions cinematic universe.
The Athletic NBA Daily
6 Young Players on the Rise + Hawks keeping Trae Young? | Slam N Jam
So, Lauren, it...
The Athletic NBA Daily
6 Young Players on the Rise + Hawks keeping Trae Young? | Slam N Jam
Okay, so that's a little bit of a hint.
The Athletic NBA Daily
6 Young Players on the Rise + Hawks keeping Trae Young? | Slam N Jam
That's why this question is so hard.
The Athletic NBA Daily
6 Young Players on the Rise + Hawks keeping Trae Young? | Slam N Jam
That is correct, Andrew. It's got to be right. Yeah. Chris Paul? Chris Paul is correct, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
If you've been watching games and you see these coaches' challenges, there are some officials that are very bland about it. There are some that don't quite know what to say when they get up there and they kind of fumble over their words a little bit. But there's one that stands above the rest, and that's Bill Kennedy. And he is so funny. He had this one Thursday night at the Kings game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
And I just want to share it with you guys. I just hope that you enjoy the stylings of Bill Kennedy at the mic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
he is so funny to me. He like, he pause, he does dramatic pauses to let the crowd boo. He's like, unfortunately the foul call was on number nine. Like he's just so funny about it. And is, I think he's just, he's the best in the league at this. There's, there's nobody better than Bill Kennedy at this. And I think he, he deserves some credit here because he just continues to show up, uh,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Welcome to the Saturday Slammin' Jam here on the Athletic NBA Daily. On today's show, we're talking NBA Cup aftermath, Defensive Player of the Year odds, and Scott Agnes joins the show to talk about the Indiana Pacers. But to start us off, Al, tell me about the top stories this week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
and uses it as a way to perform, and there's no doubt about it. You see it across the NBA all the time. It's getting shared on Twitter and on Reddit and everything, but I just had to mention it because I love any time that there's a challenge and Bill Kennedy's the one to step up to the mic, you know you're getting more entertainment.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
So shout out Bill Kennedy on not just that particular one, but almost every one that he does is very funny.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Mm-hmm. Um, my, my stat is just honestly looking at the box score from this golden state warriors game is specifically just looking at golden state's box score. It looks like a first quarter box score. Honestly, like it just is insane that this was like an entire game. Steph Curry did not make a field goal. Oh, seven from the field ended up with two points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Dream on green did not make a field goal. He was Oh four in this game. Um, Dennis Schroeder did get the start. Kaminga is coming off the bench again. I guess the Kaminga era is over as a starter. I don't know. It's just a really just a goofy box score to look at. And this came from Reddit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
The last time that Steph was held without a field goal, March 8th, 2018, he played two minutes and 23 seconds. March 11th, 2012, he played nine minutes and 13 seconds. And then February 29th, 2012, he only played only three seconds in the game. So this was just a very, very odd performance from a team that had some rest.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
They had the energy of a new guy coming in, a Dennis Schroeder, and they laid about the craziest egg that you could think of. And then at the end of the game, did you see Brandon Pajemski go for the layup at the end of the game, which gave... Pajemski, a career-high 21 points. And it pulled him within 51. It was just a bizarre move.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Even if you knew you were doing that to get your career high, don't do it in that game. Because now it just becomes this memory in everybody's mind about you as a player. It's just strange. The whole night was strange. All the stats were strange. Just bizarre. Just a bizarre game that I don't think anybody really expected.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
I will never forget. I will never forget Pajemski. He went for the layups like, to pull within 51, Pajemski! That's bizarre. Just a bizarre game. And shout out to Reddit user GridironK for that Steph stat. That's right. Shout out GridironK.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Yeah, Jimmy is a really good player that if they do end up trading him is going to help somebody immensely in the playoffs. I'm just like, can he just stay in the Eastern Conference? All the teams he wants to go to are out West.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
And it's just, man, can we not already see that this is a little imbalanced and now we want to send Jimmy Butler to the Western Conference and him be in the playoffs in the West? It's just... To me, it just is insane. Stay out east. Just stay with Miami, Jimmy. Mine is Giannis. I mean, just what a performance at the Cup for Giannis. He had 32-14-9 with a steal in four blocks against Atlanta.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Just dominant. And then against OKC, he had 26-19-10 with two steals in three blocks. And was just... I mean, the comparisons to Shaq... happen and like you just can't help but talk about it when you're sitting there watching him in person just annihilate these guys Particularly his spin move looks faster than ever to me. There's just no way to stop him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
You're either going to foul him, and he's going to get an and one because he's so fast, or he's just going to score. Those are your two choices. It's like, do you just let him score, or do you try to stop him and let him get the and one when he's on that spin? it's just unbelievable watching this guy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
And the thing to me that really stuck out in that game, and Zena did a really good job pointing this out on the NBA Daily, was just the passing. Because the Thunder were ready to form a wall to keep him from getting into the paint, and it was the secondary playmaking that would happen that just really changed the game. And...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
To me, I think that he looks like the best player in the world right now on a team that's really good. I know Jokic is having a great season. I think Giannis does not get the credit that he deserves a lot of times. And he clearly is on a mission, and he looks like a better player. Eric Namus talked about the...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
just the improvement as a mid-range shooter for him and just his continued improvementality. And the guy is just an absolute monster. And I think that he doesn't quite get the credit he deserves just because he has suffered injuries that have happened around the playoffs, and it just makes you kind of forget him. But if he can stay healthy...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
And I hope he does just because I want some battles in the Eastern Conference and not just the Celtics mowing through the Eastern Conference again. Let's get some battles. Let's let Giannis battle with the Celtics because he's a real problem. And I just don't know who is a good defensive matchup for him. He is just an absolute beast.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
And when he's passing and hitting his middie like that, I just don't know how you stop the guy. So my guy is Giannis for sure.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Yeah, he was not the problem for the Nuggets last night. I can tell you that. He certainly was not. Yeah, my key moment was the end of that game. It was weird because it's a game that we have all seen before many times, but it just didn't play out in the way that it typically does. The Nuggets were down 17 going into the fourth quarter. And they rallied.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
And there was a point where they were up by two after this big-time block from Russ and then an MPJ dunk at the other end. And they went up two. And it just – that's a moment in a game because I think we're under a minute now. And you just think, okay, this is when the Nuggets just take hold of the game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
And the Nuggets themselves have done this many times this season where it's a team that's inferior to them. They let them get this big lead and then they fight back and they win the game at the end. This happens all the time with the Nuggets. And this one did not go their way. And Shaden Sharp hit two free throws that tied it up. And then just the shot from Simons there was really tough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Like on the move, almost in the mid-range bank shot, moving toward out of bounds. I mean, it was just a tough shot, like right at the buzzer, too. You know, a lot of these shots are not... like at the buzzer, you know, necessarily. And so to see him hit that shot, like right at the buzzer, you know, Denver outscored Portland 37, 22 in the fourth quarter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
It just felt like all momentum was just crushed for the Portland Trail Blazers. And credit to Anthony Simons.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
He's a really good player, having a pretty good scoring season, and a guy that I don't know if the Blazers want to build around him or not, but if he was somehow, and I don't know if this is the role that he would necessarily want, but if he was some scoring guard off the bench for a really good team, He could help a team win a championship. He's that good of a scorer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
I don't know if he wants to take that role or not, but... You know, Simons is a really, really nice player. And he showed, even in that moment, that he can go create. And Russ had been good defensively. I know that Russ has not been a good defender, or at least known as a good defender. But, you know, he contested that well. It was just a better offensive play from Simons.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
And so that was just a wild, wild moment last night. Yeah, Simons, he's...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
He's a great player. I just think that he may be in an outsized role, which is not that big of a deal. It happens to players all the time that are in these kinds of situations. And if he can just find the right role and the right team for him, I think that he could really flourish. So I'd be interested to see where his career goes. Something else that I'm interested in is the Indiana Pacers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
And we're going to talk about them with Scott Agnes right after this quick break.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
It's Scott Agnes. You can find him at the Fieldhouse Files sub stack. He also has a podcast. Scott, thank you so much for joining us today. Hey, guys. Good to be on with you. So after losing four in a row in early December, the Pacers have now won four of five, including that really impressive road win against the Suns.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Does it feel like this team has finally broken out of this early season funk after having some of the biggest improvements during this current stretch? Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
I'm interested in what you think about Benedict Matherin. He's always been a productive player, but last season people seemed to sour on him a bit in part of the on-off numbers and all of that looked pretty bad. In this season, however, the Pacers have been good in his minutes, his efficiency, scoring, even his rebounding is up quite a bit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Where have you seen his biggest improvements from last year to this year?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
So Alex and I were both fans of Jairus Walker during the draft process, like a lot of people were. And we've been a little surprised at how few minutes that he's gotten, or at least the few minutes he got his rookie season. But he's played a little bit more this season. What have been your impressions of his game and where he's at?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Oh boy. Cleveland was the obvious answer in my brain as well. Chicago?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Beaten the Celtics and the Mavs. Oh, boy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
I'm wondering if this... I can't remember if this team beat the Mavericks or not. Is it Memphis? I know that Memphis has beaten the Celtics.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Oh my gosh, what a question.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
I don't know. TJ Warren. I don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
One per... Okay. What about Utah? Utah is one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Okay. Hmm. I kind of want to stay in the Northwest Division, although I don't know if this team... I can't remember if this player has scored 20 points or not. I'll say the Blazers. Andrew? That is correct. Yes. Okay. Um... You say there's one more team? There's one more team. You could get all three. Who doesn't have a bona fide star?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Well, duh. He's been a monster shooter. He hit that moon ball three that was heavily contested at the Cup. That was crazy impressive. What about Brooklyn? Brooklyn? Brooklyn Andrew?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
I figured there's no way. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
God, that rocks. That's amazing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Okay. I will say... 33. 33.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
I've been going too low in the past weeks, and now that feels uncomfortably high, to be honest.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
And I will say there are a lot of reasonable names. Yeah, there's some low-hanging fruit here with some of these guys.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Nine is a lot of made threes. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
This is getting interesting. What about Victor Oladipo? Victor Oladipo.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
You said Granger. What about Psycho T?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
I am not going to do good in this. We'll start with Tyrese, obviously.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
One of my favorite pacers of all time. He surely had one. I will be so mad at myself. I will not forgive myself the entire weekend if he did not have one as a pacer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Yeah. That's where I messed up. I thought we were doing any pacer with a triple double. I think he had to have had multiple. He had to have had multiple. Yeah. And I just would love to just hear his name one more time on this podcast, and that's Lance Stevenson. Lance Stevenson.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Oh, TJ. Man. Go check out Scott's work at the Fieldhouse Files on Substack. Scott, thank you so much for coming on. Absolutely. Thanks, guys. This was fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
They'll actually get three weeks, because we're going to do a draft show the week of New Year's. So this is even bigger than you thought, Al.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Wonderful top stories. I love that you threw the concession one in there. I thought that was kind of a fascinating story. This week, the BetMGM line of the week is the defensive player of the year odds, which I think are... Strange. I would say Victor Wiminyama is at a minus 250 to win this award. And then Jaron Jackson Jr. goes all the way up to plus 450. Evan Mobley plus 1800.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Three weeks of Charlotte Hornets fandom on our plates. Oh, man. That is really funny.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
It's on the road, Al. I don't get to watch them. It's at Charlotte. Oh, I'm so sorry.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Or maybe the wrath of the wheel is back. Maybe. We're about to find out. To destroy the Charlotte team. Hey, leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or read it on the show. Hey, if you leave it for the NBA Daily as well, we're going to read it on the show because those guys have been doing a phenomenal job.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
If you were listening to the show while we were in Las Vegas, they just did such a great job of covering...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
the cup and everything going on there so please uh subscribe uh yesterday was a great show with john krasinski and jovan buha uh jovan discussed you know trade targets for the lakers i thought that was really interesting uh the return of carl anthony towns with john and just like the weirdness of julius randall um really really good stuff so be sure to check that out uh this one comes from christoph 47511 just stumbled onto this podcast a few months ago and i love it
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Having a show each morning to look forward to is so much fun. All the hosts are thoughtful and interesting to listen to. Thank you, and go Spurs, go. Thank you so much for leaving that review. Very much appreciate that. Please leave us more five-star reviews, and we will read them on the show. I got one more from Ty$-Cube with a K. Five stars, phenomenal show, best NBA podcast by far.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Great music, great energy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
great league-wide balance i make it my first listen every day thank you so much for those reviews so if you're not listening to the athletic nba daily every day it's pretty simple it's pretty it's a bite-sized pod in your feet every day we like to have beat writers from across the country on to kind of give insights on their teams and you know dave zena and s do a great job so be sure to check that out i hope you guys enjoy the weekend and the basketball again we will not be back
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
next week because of Christmas have a Merry Christmas enjoy the basketball games and we will talk to you guys again in two weeks
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Rudy Gobert plus 2500. Draymond Green plus 2500. You get to Shea, the Thunder have the number one defense in the NBA. He's plus 2,500. And honestly, him having the best odds to win this award is laughable. Shea is a really good defender, but him having the best odds to win this on the best defense in the NBA is ludicrous. Lou Dort is plus 3,500 as well as Jalen Suggs and Bam Adebayo.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
I just don't know. I think people preseason had decided that Victor Wimbanyama was going to be the guy to win it. Right now, the Spurs are 19th in defense. I just don't know how you can justify giving somebody the Defensive Player of the Year awards who has a bottom 11 defense in the NBA.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
I just don't know how you do that when this award has been given to Rudy Gobert, Jaron Jackson, Marcus Smart, Rudy Gobert, again, when he was with Utah, Giannis, Rudy, Rudy, Draymond Green, Kawhi Leonard twice in a row. All these guys played for top-flight defenses in the NBA, And I know that Wimby's stats are great. I know the on-offs are incredible.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
But I just don't know how at the end of the day you're going to give this to him. And maybe it's because there's not a lot of buzz about this award and no one's really come out and said who they think it should be. But I think it's just really interesting that he is like the placeholder for this award when his team is not having the success on the court.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
It better not be a foregone conclusion. Memphis is fifth in defense right now. He's a worthy candidate. So is Jalen Suggs and Lugens Dort. But they don't get the credit because they're guards for some reason. The Marcus Smart one was the anomaly. But Dort and Suggs have been two of the best defenders in the NBA this season. And I think they should get a lot more credit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Also, there's no rep from the Houston Rockets who have the number two defense. I mean, that to me, it's a little bit crazy because defense is not – this is an individual award. It's not really – defense is tough to evaluate because it's not an individual thing. It's based on scheme. It's based on whatever's going on.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
And I think that it's easier to give it to a big man because they have these stats that look good. But when we're talking about the best defenders in the NBA – In my opinion, it should be Jalen Suggs and it should be Lugen Stort at the top of this. Because to me, those are the two guys having the best defensive years in the league. If you're going to give it to a big, give it to Jaren.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
That would be the guy. Or even Evan Mobley would be fine with me. But to say that... Victor Wiminyama is going to have his time. The Spurs are going to eventually be a good team, but let's not pretend that he's having the best season of any of these guys because the team stats should dictate what happens here.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
It was overwhelming. So I just I think that, yes, he's going to have his day because he is that good. But don't give it to him just because you want to be early. That's what this feels like. It's like, let's get early to the Wimby party. And you're going to leave guys that are actually defensive player of the year in the dust because you want to be early on somebody.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
That, to me, should not happen. I don't like that. I didn't know you were so passionate about this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Nope. It's funny to me that it's a funny strategy to use because I don't think it's going to necessarily get them what they want. It's like having a cake that you're like, this cake, we know this cake is not good. It's not going to go. But what if we cut it into smaller pieces and then gave you the cake? Would you like it then? Still not going to like the cake.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
These guys still aren't going to try it. They're obviously not going to try again. It's like why are we – I don't know. I just say have the game. Just play it. Who cares? I don't think anybody is sitting down and being like, man, I just hate this All-Star game. It's mostly media and it's mostly the players. I don't think anybody else cares. I really don't.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
I have a couple quotes. I just thought this was really funny from Mark Dignot last night. He's been pretty frustrated with the lack of foul calls that J-Dub has gotten for the Thunder all season. And then last night, he was talking to the media after the game, and he said, here's a stat. Jalen Williams and I both had the same amount of free throws tonight. We both shot zero.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
And all I did was call a couple timeouts, called some plays, clapped a couple times when we scored, and he was in the throat of the defense for 48 minutes. I just thought that was just really funny. It's like a boiling point for him and for the team. And I get it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
Jalen does generate a lot of contact, and because he's so strong sometimes, he just doesn't look like he's taking on the contact, and so he doesn't get the calls. I just wonder if it's going to end up... making him more of a complainer and that people won't like him as much because he's going to have to complain to get the calls.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Who is Defensive Player of the Year? + Pacers up to speed?
It's just something I'm monitoring because he stayed after the game to talk to the officials about it last night in Orlando. So just something to monitor with him because he's just an outrageously likable guy. But I just wonder if the officiating is going to force him to be less likable because of that. My next one. This is just a fun one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Contender Draft + Playoff Preview | Slam N Jam
Gern, zum Rubbeln oder Aufreißen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Contender Draft + Playoff Preview | Slam N Jam
Spielteilnahme ab 18, Glücksspiel kann süchtig machen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Contender Draft + Playoff Preview | Slam N Jam
Gern, zum Rubbeln oder Aufreißen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Contender Draft + Playoff Preview | Slam N Jam
Spielteilnahme ab 18, Glücksspiel kann süchtig machen. Infos unter bzga.de.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Sam, our last question about this upcoming draft is every season seems like there's a couple of players who get off to a really hot start. Everyone gets excited. They shoot up mock drafts and then conference play starts and everything kind of grinds to a halt, comes back to earth once they have to face consistently good competition.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Are there any players who you are especially interested to see how they handle conference play?
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Well, yeah, we might be a little down on it, but what if we gave them some awards? That might make people feel better about the class. I've come up with eight rookie awards. All right. They're all named after players in the NBA. And you're going to award each of these to someone in the current rookie class. to get people excited. Some of them are not good awards, but it's still an award.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Someone's got to win. Someone's a winner. So the first award, the Scotty Barnes Award. This award goes to the rookie who has flashed a skill that you were not expecting to see in their rookie season. Flashback to Scotty Barnes suddenly being able to score at all three levels his rookie season at the beginning, winning rookie of the year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Has there been any players who have flashed a skill that you just were not expecting to see?
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
So if this is a two-player draft at the top, let's just say, if you're looking at the bottom seven or eight teams in the NBA right now, which teams do you think most need to jump up into that top two? Who should be most desperate?
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
So our next award, the Johnny Davis Award. Probably already know that you don't want to win this one. This award goes to the rookie who you're not freaking out about yet, but there are already some signs that significantly worry you.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
So our next award, the Jalen Suggs Award, which goes to a rookie who's gotten off to a slow start, but who you still fully believe in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
So next up is the job or ant award, which goes to the rookie. If they exist, Sam, who has already done enough to change who you would have had ranked number one in this class, you could go back in time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Our final award, Sam, the Victor Wembanyama Award, Hector Banana Bread.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
It was from a Reddit post. It was a girlfriend of a guy who was wanting to buy a jersey for him for a gift. And she couldn't remember the name of his favorite player. And she was giving some details about him. You know, like, oh, he lives in Dallas, he watches the Mavs, but he also likes these other teams. And then she said, and I think his name is something like Hector Banana Bread.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
But every time I Google that, all that comes up are banana bread recipes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
I wonder why. Like, maybe Google the Spurs? Well... Honestly, she didn't mention the Spurs at all. Yeah, it wasn't in her post at all. But Hector Banana Bread, when you think about it, it had to be Victor Wimonyama. Who else could that possibly be? So that's where that came from. It's so funny. It's quite good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
So this award goes to the rookie who has had the single most impressive flash so far this season. It could be a single game, a single quarter, or a single play. It's the moment you remember most from this rookie class so far.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
All right, Sam, thanks for giving all those awards. But now you get to play Andrew versus the beat, which you've played many times before. Come up with eight questions all about this year's rookie class. All the guys we've just been talking about. And I will say this was the quickest I've ever come up with eight trivia questions. It only took 20 minutes to do this. OK, wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
I'm feeling pretty good. I don't know if that means they're good questions, but I got them done fast. They are questions. So, Sam, you just have to give me a number between one and eight, and you know the rules. You get two points if you get it right, and you get to steal. So where would you like to start? Three. Question number three.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Which 2024 lottery pick, other than Nikola Topic, has yet to shoot a free throw?
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Sam? That is incorrect. Andrew, you have a chance to steal.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Andrew, that is correct. Dillingham is correct. Now, Reed Shepard has taken six, so you're pretty close.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
The last time a rookie played at least half of his rookie season and had over a 25% turnover rate was... was the 2012-13 season when this international rookie had a 27.1% turnover rate while playing regular minutes for a playoff team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
I should probably throw one more hint in there. I don't know if it would help you, but I was going to add Eastern Conference playoff team. So that's all I'll give you.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
I'm just saying he played his rookie season in the 2012-2013 season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
That's wrong. Okay. Sam, you got any guesses?
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
To be clear, I said his rookie season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
At least that is also incorrect. I'll give you some more clues. Let's just keep going. He he wasn't drafted. Undrafted. Yeah, you guys got hung up on that. He was signed as a free agent. Okay, Timmy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
And then the easiest one, although he did play for a team that Mozgov once played for, he's the oldest rookie in NBA history. It's Pablo Prigioni! Okay, yeah. Pablo Prigioni! Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
It's Pablo. It sounds like you guys wouldn't have even got it if I had said the oldest rookie in NBA history.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
His last name is Prigioni.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
He's the head coach of the Argentine basketball team. Oh, Argentine. I know nothing. What if I said he's a current assistant coach in the NBA?
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Oh, this is my favorite question. There are only 13 rookies in the 10 by five club, which just means that they've totaled at least 10 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 steals, and 10 blocks this season in total. obviously not averaging. We're going to try to name all 13 rookies who are in this club, the 10 by five club. So how this works, Sam will give me an answer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Then Andrew will give me an answer. We'll go back and forth to one of you stumbles. So they have to have at least 10 blocks, at least 10 steals, and then points, rebounds, and assists.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Steph Castle, risky, Andrew, but that's correct. Going with a guard with 10 blocks. You know, that's the tough one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Back to Andrew. You guys are doing great. You thought this was going to be a hard question? You're doing so good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Oh, Alex Sar? Yeah. Yes. Sorry. Olivier. No, what you're saying. I was hearing a SAR.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
All right. Back to Sam. You guys, you guys have gotten a six of the 13 names almost halfway there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Yes. He is in the 10 by five club. Ryan Dunn. Oh, Andrew. Wow. It's getting dicey.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Andrew, he is on the list. Yes. Wow. Back to Sam. There's only five names left.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
That is correct. Donovan Klingon's on the list. There's only four names remaining, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Andrew, that's correct. He's on the list. That's a good name. Three names remaining. Plays a lot. Wow. Three names remaining. This is exciting.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Honestly, you guys are both winners, no matter who loses. No matter who gets zero points for this, you guys both did great. Let's just call it here. You want to just call it here?
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Only three more names. Gotta be able to block. Gotta be able to steal.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Tristan Da Silva, this year, has seven blocks. He is not in the 10x5 club. Oh, man. Now listen to these other names. Khalil Ware, maybe you would have gotten that. Yeah. Modest Puzelis. I probably wouldn't have. Modest? Modest is on the list. And then the one I don't think you would have ever gotten, but is awesome, is Reed Shepard. He's on this list.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
All right, Andrew, you have two points, and you have control of the board. Let's go with number two. Question number two. Excluding the two injured picks, Topich and Deron Holmes, which first-rounder has played the fewest minutes in his rookie season?
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
There's a lot of competitors.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Andrew, he has played 34 minutes, and that is not the fewest. Dang it. You have a chance to steal.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
It's going to be embarrassing if you get it wrong now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
11 minutes. And that is correct, Sam. He is the answer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Very nice. It's two to one. Sam, you control the board.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
No one's gotten their own question right yet. You've just been stealing. Just stealing points. Okay, question number eight. Zach Eadie has played 25 games. How many dunks has he had? Now you get to choose who answers first. You can make Andrew answer and then you go higher or lower. Or you can answer and then Andrew can go higher or lower.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
If you make Andrew answer though and he gets it exactly correct, he will get a bonus point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
All right, Andrew, you get to set the bar for Zach eating dunks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And I will say that we are recording on a night when the Grizzlies are playing. I do not know how many dunks he's had tonight. So this is as of Sunday night. Okay. If that affects your answer in any way, he did have two points tonight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
I'll say 40 dunks. All right, Andrew has set the bar at 40 dunks. Sam, would you like to go higher or lower?
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Zach Eady has had By the way, Andrew, you were within four of the correct answer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
All right. Number four. Question number four. Which rookie has run the most miles this season?
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Just because I'm feeling generous, I'm going to tell you how many miles it was. 86. That helps so much.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
What about Eve's Missy? Eve's Missy. Andrew, that is incorrect. Dang it. Sam, you have a chance to steal one point. You can take a commanding four to two.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Yeah, he's run seven more miles than number two.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
I think it was Jalen Wells.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Yeah, yeah. All right, Sam, commanding lead, four to two.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
The NBA unveiled a new stat this season called dunk score, where they analyze every dunk using tracking data and give it a score. And somehow this John Collins dunk is the number one dunk this season. According to this metric, which rookie has had the best dunk so far this season?
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Yeah, see, you got there. Great job.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
I don't remember his. I was getting so angry last night. Honestly, I could have done these questions in 15 minutes if I hadn't spent five minutes just going through all the top dunks and getting pissed at this. The number one dunk is a John Collins dunk. And the reason it's the number one dunk is because they have all these different metrics.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
And one of the metrics is how much the defender was contesting it. And for that, he got a 99 on his dunk. But it was Kobe White. Big whoop. Christian Brown, he had a dunk against Rudy Gobert that almost started a fight immediately after. Objectively a better dunk. Jalen Green had an awesome dunk against Cade that was number two actually on the dunk score list. They got to figure this out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
They got to figure this out. But it is very fun. You can go on the website and click on each individual one and watch it. Oh, I don't need to show you that, Andrew. Andrew, you get to take a stab at the last question. And you can't win, but you can get within two. Okay. Which rookie has taken the most amount of clutch shot attempts?
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
So as a reminder, this is final five minutes of a game that is within five points. Which rookie has taken the most shot attempts?
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
So first of all, you got to be in the clutch.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
Andrew, that's it. You got it right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
That was a high-scoring game. See, it seemed hard, but you guys figured out a lot of those.
The Athletic NBA Daily
2025 NBA Draft Preview + Rookie Awards | Slam N Jam
What do you do with his free throw shooting? Because I was trying to think of guys who were that poor of free throw shooters and became shooters. I was thinking like Jalen Brown. He was like mid-60s. And I think Ace right now is like around 56% or something from the line.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So your last big board was on December 3rd. You did a mock last week. I'm assuming you got a big board coming up soon. Off the top of your head, who are some of the biggest risers and fallers in this last month and a half for you personally?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And I'm super interested because in this case, in Portland, the city owns the building, the Moda Center. And so that wouldn't be part of the deal, similar to what happened in Boston. So I don't know how that would affect it. Although clearly it didn't really affect it in Boston since they went for $6 billion there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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But yeah, I'm super interested to see how it plays out because that whole area where the Moda Center is, it hasn't really been built up. There's just not a ton around that arena. And so I'm interested to see what a new owner would want to do with that entire space when they don't own the building.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Now, Mike, before you go, we are going to put you on the spot because every week for the last four weeks, we've been doing an NBA championship draft. You can see the results from the last four weeks. Now, this week, we're only going to draft three teams because we're getting close to the end here. Now, how this works is we're just going to each pick one team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Now, I did do a special this week, a two-for-one special. You can take Denver and get Boston. You can get both, two-for-one. So think about that. Something to think about. Now, Mike, would you like to draft... First, second, or third, how confident are you in who you think the NBA champion is going to be? Which I feel like is the hardest question ever in my lifetime at this point in the playoffs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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How can I gain them? Normally you would because normally it was a snake draft. But in this case, there's not really a benefit to the third because we just don't have enough teams left.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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All right, Andrew. Andrew, I'm going to make you pick first because you made me pick first last week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Oh, this is brutal. So as a reminder, people, you can pick the Pacers, the Knicks, the Wolves, the Thunder, or you can take the Nuggets and the Celtics. Now we're recording on Friday, so the Celtics may be out by tomorrow, but it's still two teams for the price of one. Think about that. I'll take two teams for the price of one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Nothing. No, I don't really have anything to back any of this up with either. Man, that's a shocker, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, yeah. Not great. I mean, my choices between OKC and Minnesota... I've been really impressed with Minnesota this playoffs, though I do think whoever they play in the next round is going to be a significant jump up compared to a stealthless Warriors team and that Lakers team that was just a terrible matchup. Yeah, I think it's going to be a big jump.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So I don't want to get too excited because I did the same thing with the Cavs when they beat the Heat. Oh my gosh, the Cavs look unstoppable. Of course, they dealt with some injuries. Man. All right. I'm going to go with OKC. Yeah. So that leaves Mike. You could have either of the Eastern Conference representatives, assuming Boston gets knocked out at some point, or you could take the Wolves.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah. You know, part of it is, and maybe Andrew feels this way too, like if Denver, Boston or OKC wins the championship, it makes sense in the historical context of the NBA. If any of these other teams win, it's going to be an outlier compared to what we've thought like a title contender, a title winning team needs to look like in the regular season. Yeah. They're going to stand out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And so maybe that's why we're attracted to these teams, even though it is so precarious. Because like you said, they could be knocked out by the end of the weekend.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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You don't want to watch game seven? I'm sorry. Just give me a couple more days. I do appreciate, I do appreciate that. I got two days. You get two days. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So I want to ask you about defensively because a lot of the analysis about the Pacers defensively focuses on targeting Tyrese Halliburton as like the weak link in their defense. And we saw the Cavs go after him in the series. And yet, as you pointed out in your podcast after game five, the Cavs were not as successful as you might have expected in those situations.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
So what have the Pacers done to limit the damage of this expected weak link in their defense?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
You mentioned Neesmith and Nembhard. They've been huge playoff risers so far. Both are posting numbers well above their regular season averages. They've been shooting the lights out. They're both finishing their third seasons in Indiana.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
I was wondering for each player, what do you think has been the biggest area of development in their games over these last three seasons for Nembhard and Neesmith?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
Well, Caitlin, thank you for answering all of our questions about the Pacers. But it is now time to play Andrew versus the beat. Our weekly trivia show where Andrew goes head to head against an NBA beat writer. This week, the challenger is Caitlin Cooper from Basketball. She wrote. Now, Caitlin, you've played this before. I came up with eight questions all about the Pacers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Some are easy, some are hard. You'll give me a number between one and eight. It'll correspond to a question. If you get it right, you'll get at least two points. And if you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal for one. And we'll go back and forth until all the questions have been asked and answered. So to start us off, I just need a number between one and eight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Question number two. This is the Pacers' second consecutive conference finals appearance. There are only two Eastern Conference teams who have never made consecutive conference finals. Can you name both? And you do get one point per correct answer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
Washington has done it once upon a time back in the 70s. Andrew, you have any guesses who the other team is?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
It's Toronto, which is a little surprising. I thought those DeRozan teams at some point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
Okay. Question number one. During round one, Tyrese Halliburton had double digit assists in four consecutive playoff games. There are only 10 players in NBA history who have accomplished that feat, including two active players. Who are the two active players that have had 10 plus assists in four consecutive playoff games? You get one point per correct answer. Nikola Jokic? No, Andrew. Bad.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay, Caitlin, you get a chance to steal. That's the first time you've ever said bad to me after answering. Bad, Andrew. I'm going to go with Chris Paul. Yes, a very good guess. Very good guess. Chris Paul is one of the answers. Can you get the other name?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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LeBron. No, it is a guy who's currently playing. In fact, he plays on Jokic's team, Andrew. It is, of course, Russell Westbrook. Russell Westbrook, son of a gun. Yeah, that was bad. I deserved the bad. I don't know if I would have gotten that poll. It's kind of surprising that Jokic hasn't done it. Okay, Caitlin, you're up by one and you control the board.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
Question number seven. Oh yeah, this one's hard. Pascal Siakam leads the Pacers in career playoff games with 80 games played. He leads the team. Which NBA player has Siakam played the most playoff games against with 12 games played?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
It is a safe answer, but would you believe he's only played LeBron in the playoffs six times? Only played him six times. I don't know if he missed some games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
So, Kalen, you're on the right track because it is a buck, but it's not Giannis because he did miss so many games. It is Brooke Lopez.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
because he played against the Pacers you have control of the board I'll go three question number three when this player has been on the court for Indiana in the playoffs the Pacers have held teams to 24.2 fewer points per 100 possessions compared to when he is off the court among players who have played 300 minutes in this year's playoffs that is the biggest on off swing defensively who is the player no wow
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
Really? Question number four. Miles Turner already has 25 blocks this postseason, which leads all players in the league. Unless Chet had more than three last night. I didn't actually look it up after that. He did not. Okay. He did not. Great. There are only three pacers left. who have ever had a postseason with 25-plus blocks. Can you name all three? So this is in a single playoff run.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
They get 25-plus blocks. Three Pacers in the past have done it, other than Miles. Wow. You get one point per correct answer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
Can you get the final name in all three points? Rick Smith. It is not Rick Smith. Andrew, you can steal one point. Oh, boy. 25 plus blocks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Andrew, that is correct. Wow. For one point. There you go, Andrew. Does the comeback start now? You're down 5-2, Andrew, but you have control of the board. Wow. I'm in shock that that was correct. Number five. Question number five. Aaron Neesmith has already committed 40 fouls through 10 playoff games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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The last time the Pacers made consecutive conference finals in the 98 and 99 playoffs, who led the Pacers in personal fouls committed in both playoff runs? Easy question. There you go. Wait, what? Okay. So forget the intro. Okay. It's about your knee Smith. Not important. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
When the Pacers make consecutive conference finals in 98, 99, who was the Pacer that led them in personal fouls committed in both playoff runs? Wow. Who's just out there hacking away.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
Andrew, that is correct. It is now five to four with two questions remaining.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
Oh, they did, didn't they? So it wasn't the last time. It was two times ago. They've made consecutive conference finals a lot. You said six.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I love this question that I wrote. What is James Johnson's career high in the playoffs? Now, before you answer, you get to choose who answers first. So you can make Andrew guess, and then you can go higher or lower. Or you can guess, and then Andrew goes higher or lower. If either of you got it exactly correct, you would get a bonus point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
So we're talking about James Johnson, his career high in points in the playoffs over his entire career.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Pacers Rising + Lottery Madness | Slam N Jam
Andrew, you were within three points of the correct answer. The correct answer was... 18. Dang it. Which means Caitlin gets the points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Well, I was just going to go look that up. Yeah, who were his other teams? I mean, he played on the Wolves, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I'm going to spend a lot of time looking this up. So just sit back. It better be good. Oh my gosh. He's played so many seasons. Yeah, yeah. Here we go. All right. Drum roll. It was the Miami Heat. Not that exciting. However, his second highest was with the Memphis Grizzlies. So that's kind of interesting.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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It was in a game against OKC. OK, Andrew, you can't win the week. You've already lost. OK, Caitlin's already beat you. But yeah, you can make it really close. It looks like it was a. All right, cue the smoke. You can make it closer so that people who are looking back at the score will be like, wow, that was a really close one. Okay, so here we go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So Dallas getting the number one pick unsurprisingly and understandably set off a lot of talk from NBA fans about the lottery being rigged. Now, Mike, back in 2019, you wrote an article where you investigated the idea of rigging the lottery and how realistic of a scenario it would be to pull off. What were some of your big takeaways from doing that story?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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There are nine Indiana Pacers who have had a playoff run where they've hit at least 25 three-pointers, and we're going to name them all. So how this works, Andrew will give me a name, then Caitlin will give me a name, and we'll go back and forth until one of you stumbles. So this is a single playoff run hitting at least 25 three-pointers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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George Hill did do it. All right. You guys have gotten four of the nine names, five names remaining.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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cj miles do it dj miles no andrew i'm sorry i don't even know if he was close uh caitlin any other any other names it's impressive you remembered him though what chris is chris mullins on the list no i'm surprised there's four players on the current pacers team that are on this list Halliburton, Nembhard, Neesmith, and Miles Turner have all died.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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The oldest name in the past. Actually, I don't know if this is the oldest name, but Jalen Rose also did it. That was like the one kind of surprising based on the based on the era. Yeah, for real. OK, but ending there, Caitlin, you have won seven to four. Congratulations for winning versus the beat.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I also feel like a lot of fans don't realize that you can go watch what you saw. It is on NBA.com. They put the actual draft lottery in that room. That video is online. You can just go watch it. They don't publicize it that much, but it's there. You can go watch it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So in addition to attending the lottery, you also wrote an article this week for The Athletic about home court advantage in the playoffs and how its importance has changed over the years. This is obviously a huge topic for a lot of Nuggets and Thunder fans this weekend. What were some of the key stats from your findings?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And do you have any theories as to why home court advantage isn't quite what it used to be? Man, I miss home court advantage.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, on the blazer. These are not sexy things. It's so wild to me that Phil Knight makes that offer of $2 billion back in 2022. And at the time, it seemed like you know, competitive, you know, it didn't seem out of the realm of possibility that they might be sold, you know, if there was some more negotiation. And now just three years later, that is, that would be such an uncompetitive offer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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You know, it seems like with the Celtics selling for 6 billion, like, is it realistic that the Blazers could be sold for like 4 billion? I mean, that's what the Suns were sold for.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
First player, Damian Lillard for his career, the average shot that Dame takes, occurs 16.4 feet from the basket. Makes sense. Long distance sniper his whole career. The player Joe compared Dame to, Victor Wimbinyama, who as of Friday, has an average shot distance this season of 16.9. He's 7'4". Average shot is almost 17 feet away. As another comparison, Steph Curry is at 17.6 this season. Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
I love this stat because it came amidst this larger conversation about Wemby's shot decisions this week, his shot distribution. And I think for non-Spurs fans who are hoping that Wemby isn't going to be a destroyer of worlds, who prevents their favorite team from winning a championship this in the future is questionable. Shooting is really all we have left.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
You know, you could maybe comfort yourself earlier this week thinking, okay, well maybe he'll be inefficient on offense. He'll set or settle for too many threes. He won't be completely dominant. And so you see that stat, you have some hope. And then he hits 20 of his next 37 threes, bumping his three point percentage from 23% to 34% in just three games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
And it's, you're right back to, well, I don't know what to do with this guy. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Breaking brace news for Andrew. From one number seed to another, the Cleveland Cavaliers continue their early season rampage this week, stretching their undefeated streak to 13 games. This week's wins included... a very impressive shellacking of the Golden State Warriors, as well as back-to-back wins over the desperate Milwaukee Bucks. The Cavs are now entering historical territory, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Yeah, that's why when we talk about the Bucks and Sixers and we always talk about, you know, you can't panic just because of the East. At the same time, that almost should make you panic more when you realize how bad they are in this Eastern Conference. These teams might just not be good at all. Yeah. Now I'm going to move on, Andrew, to our favorite player this week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
And I think I know who your favorite player was this week. Andrew, who was it?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Their 13 wins to start the season is currently the sixth best start to a season in NBA history. Wow. And as if Cavs fans needed any more encouragement to get excited about the season, all six teams that have started a season with at least 13 straight wins have at least made it to the conference finals. Now, if they win their next three...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
I remember watching that game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Yeah, he is one of those superstars who you can rely on every single night just to go out there and play absurdly hard for all 48 minutes. My favorite player this week, Andrew, not as big of a star as Giannis. I mentioned how the Blazers followed up their embarrassing loss to the Grizzlies with back-to-back wins over the Wolves.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
So the most recent win was especially fun because we finally got to see all the young guys start. And they all delivered. Donovan Klingin, 17-12 with eight blocks in the win. Shane Sharp, career-high 33 points. But I want to talk about a Blazers role player, Toumani Kamara. Now, if you don't know, Kamara is a second-year player. He was included by the Suns in the DeAndre Ayton-Yusuf Nurkic trade.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Six, seven wing, seven foot wingspan at young whizzy DFS on Twitter. He has a tool that compares physical measurements of prospects. One of Camaro's closest comps physically is Josh Smith. Just to give you an idea of how big he is.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
they get to 16-0, they would sit alone with the second best start to an NBA season ever behind only the Warriors' 24-win streak to start the 15-16 season. Their next three games, Chicago, doable. Charlotte, very doable. And finally, a TNT matchup next Tuesday against the Boston Celtics in Boston. Wow. Now, that game may sound great on its own, but what if I told you
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
He's huge. The pitch with Toumani, it's a familiar story. Here's this big wing who can be a great switchable defender, and if he ever learns how to shoot, you might have something really good. Well, Toumani's off to a great start this season. He's hitting 44% of his threes on three and a half attempts per game, which is actually a continuation of what he did post-All-Star break last season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
He hit 43% of his threes in those final 17 games. And there's still legitimate questions about his offensive game, but his defensive baseline with plus shooting would be enough to make him a valuable piece in the league for a long time. But he's not my favorite because of the stats. He's my favorite because he's an MF-er, Andrew. If you have not watched Tumani Kamara, he's a crazy guy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
If you were picking recently drafted players based on who would be involved in the most kerfuffles in their career, I might pick Tumani Kamara number one. Wow. He's so much fun. He has no fear. He's super physical. He's always willing to mix it up. He's always willing to put just a little bit extra on, like, running into another guy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
And a great example was this week in the Blazers' first win over the Wolves. He makes this tough basket over Julius Randle. He immediately goes up to Anthony Edwards, not even his defender, lets him know, quote, I do this, I do this, you know that, since college. Now, if you don't know, Tumani and Ant were actually both freshmen at Georgia together.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
But it was just a fun moment because we all know Ant is a huge trash talker. And seeing a player like Toumani go after him was hilarious and really speaks to how he plays in the NBA and why he's so easy to root for. So, you know, if the Blazers are coming to town or if your team's playing, you're watching on TV, just pay attention to Toumani. He's very fun to watch.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
He'll be guarding your team's best player most of the time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
I didn't know that. I wouldn't have gotten that. Okay. Now, we usually do at this point our favorite team to be panicked about this week. But we're flipping it. We're flipping it, Andrew, because we can't be panicked every week. I mean, we can. I'm actually very capable of doing it. But this week, we're flipping it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
We're going to do our favorite team or player that we are pleasantly surprised by this week. Pleasantly surprised. And my favorite team to be pleasantly surprised by. This week is the Detroit Pistons. Now, we had Bryce Simon on a few weeks ago, and we had a pretty optimistic conversation about a team that was 1-5 at the time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
And if you thought I sounded positive about Detroit on that episode, please know I wasn't. I really wasn't. I was very skeptical. I thought the Pistons might have tricked Bryce the same way this dumb team tricked me last season when I spoke positively about them right before they lost 28 straight. Well, since that episode... Pistons have gone four and four. They would be five and three.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
If Ron Holland had hit one free throw in the end of that game against Milwaukee. Oh my gosh.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
The first one was so often you kind of knew at that point, like, Oh no. Okay. Yeah. Overtime. Uh, They're super competitive night to night. They're tied for second with Brooklyn for most minutes in the clutch, only behind the Suns by one minute. The defense is up to 14th overall, which is crazy for the Pistons. It's improved from 25th last season. Their shot profile is improving.
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Percentage of shots from the mid-range has dropped by 5%, and that has all gone to rim and three-point attempts. I don't think this team is good, to be clear. But in an Eastern Conference that is as bad as you previously described, the idea of the Pistons being that team that ends up in the 10th spot honestly doesn't seem as outlandish as it might have in the preseason. Or even when they were 1-5.
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And if this team is serious, we're going to find out over these next couple weeks because they have a huge opportunity to start making moves in the standings. Their next six games, Toronto, Washington, Chicago, Charlotte, Orlando without Paulo and Toronto again. Like the expectation should be at least four and two.
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Yeah. So for now, I'm pleasantly surprised, but I do want to see them take advantage over this next stretch if they're going to be a serious team. And by serious, I mean like being a play in team potentially.
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It will be played on a blindingly green court. That's right. Cavs Celtics is also an NBA Cup game, which officially started this week. Night one of the NBA Cup included some incredible games. The Celtics got off to an 0-1 start in the NBA Cup after the Atlanta Hawks came into Boston and won 117-116.
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Yeah, that game he had against OKC, 29-6-6. I didn't know he still had it like that, Andrew. Yeah.
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Okay, Andrew, that brings us to our final favorite thing of the week, and it's our favorite moment this week. And I'm going to the end of the Detroit-Miami game. I mentioned it earlier. And this was so entertaining to watch live because just so many things were happening. First... It's the end of the game. Cade has a chance to win it. And he turns the ball over.
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And it was his seventh turnover of the game. He's leading the league right now in turnovers. And that specific turnover, I've seen that turnover so many times from Cade. Where he's driving and he just gets it stripped from him. And it happens so much. And so I was so frustrated with it. You know, like, come on, Cade. And then they get the ball back and they have a sidelines out of bound play.
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The Hawks were without Trey Young, but they got the win behind Jalen Johnson's 18-12-10 triple-double and Dyson Daniels, who has collected 23 steals over his last four games. And the last player to have at least that many steals over four games was 2015 Robert Covington, a.k.a. Lord Covington, as he was known in fantasy basketball at the time.
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And he throws this lob to Jalen Dern and the heat just started nowhere to be found. I mean, it's so rare on those types of like out of bounds, lob plays where you actually just get a clean dunk out of it, which is what they got. And I think because he was so shocked, Head coach Eric Spolstra calls a timeout that they don't have.
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Yeah. So he calls this timeout. They don't have it. And so not only do you get a free throw, but you also get the ball back. And so Detroit ends up winning this game. And as I mentioned, they've had a lot of these games, Detroit, where it comes down to the end, and it's all about this young team trying to figure out how to win.
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They weren't able to do it against the Bucs, where Ron Holland misses those free throws. But luckily for them, they got this ending in an NBA Cup game nonetheless, Andrew.
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It was important. So it was just a really fun end of game sequence because there were mistakes on both sides, but also really good plays on both sides. Just a really fun start to the NBA Cup.
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So much guilt from Eric Spolstra.
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Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Prior to Covington, however, you have to go all the way back to Kendall Gill in 1999. Kendall Gill! Kendall Gill. Now, after Celtics-Hawks, we got a crazy finish in an NBA Cup game between Detroit and Miami, which we'll talk about a little later. And then the night ended with arguably the best game of the season, Warriors-Mavs. It was Klay Thompson's first game back at the Chase Center.
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All right, Andrew, it's time for the Wheel of Fandom, the weekly segment where we spin a wheel, it lands on a team, and we become fans of that team for the next week. And this week, we got the Dallas Mavericks and we destroyed them, Andrew. The Mavs had a rough week. They lost all four of their games. The four losses came to the Suns, Nuggets, Warriors, and Jazz by a total of eight losses.
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Points combined. The Mavs are currently 5-7, 12th in the West, with the 10th-ranked offense, 9th-ranked defense, Berkeley in the glass. Andrew, if our favorite team is the Mavs, who is our guest?
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Warriors fans showing their appreciation by wearing the Captain Clay hats. And in response, Clay got on a classic heater, hitting six of his 12 three-pointers. But in the end, it was the other Splash Brother who put the game to bed. Steph ended with 37 points in the game, including 12 straight in the final three minutes to give the Warriors the 120 to 117 win.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So I want to ask you about Luca because his usage, it's slightly down this season. I didn't do these stats after the Utah game, so they're slightly off. But his touches per game have dropped from 91.8 to 82.1. Time of possession per game has dropped from 8.3 to 6.7. Luca has said he's still adjusting to playing off-ball more.
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And when he was asked about what stands out about that adjustment, he said, quote, just overall, just playing without the ball, just all of it. What do you think about it? What do you think about the plan to have Luka play off ball more? And do you think Luka is actually interested in executing that plan?
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Now, should we be panicking about the Mavs who lost four straight? Honestly, the worst Wheel of Fandom week we have ever had.
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When you think about how good the team was, because we've had bad teams before they've lost, you know, Mavs are a good team, to lose all the games, but also to lose all the games in clutch time in kind of a similar way. Yeah. We'll figure out later if we need to stress about them, but in the meantime, one team we don't need to panic about anymore
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Yeah. I wanted to ask you about Clay because we got to see a great Clay game against the Warriors. And if there was a concern about adding him to this team, it was about the defense. And I was wondering, how has the defense looked when Clay's been on the court and specifically the combo of Clay, Luca and Kyrie?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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orlando magic we were worried about the magic a week ago they lost five straight they were struggling to adapt without paulo this week sun is back out in orlando because they won all four of their games this week and granted three of those wins hornets wizards pelicans a team that is currently exploring the depths of bad luck you can only play the teams that are put in front of you al that is true andrew and credit to the magic their fourth win was a very nice one over the pacers who orlando held
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And I get that, you know, we're probably not going to see Luca lock in every single night until the playoffs defensively. But what have you thought just about Clay's defense and his interacting with the other with the rest of the team?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Well, Tim, thank you for answering all of our Mavs questions. But it is now time to play Andrew versus the Beat, our weekly trivia game where Andrew goes head-to-head with the NBA beat writer. And this week, Tim Cato from the All-City Network, D-L-L-S. I was actually watching your guys' post-game pod last night. Folks, Mark Stein is on these post-game pods.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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You got Tim Cato on these post-game pods. It was great. I didn't realize Mark Stein is just showing up for the post-game pods.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Four times a week, that's great. Okay, so I've come up with eight questions, all about the Mavs. Some are easy, some are hard. You're going to give me a number between one and eight. It'll correspond to a question. If you get it right, you'll get at least two points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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If you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal for one, and then we'll go back and forth until all the questions have been asked and answered. So to start us off, I just need a number between one and eight. Four. Question number four. Okay, Clay Thompson. He's the latest Dallas Maverick who has played for the Mavericks, made an All-Star game, but never made an All-Star game as a Maverick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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There are four other active NBA players who can say the same. So these are active NBA players who have played for the Mavs at one point in their career. They have made an All-Star game at one point in their career, but they never did it as a Maverick. And you get 0.5 points per correct answer because there are four of them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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to only 90 points last year at this time i was talking about the pacers as an extreme team because they paired a nearly league worst defense with the league's best offense by a wide margin this season the pacers offense is currently ranked 16th on cleaning the glass while their defense has only improved to 21st overall tyrese halliburton scored only nine points in the game
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Vince Carter. Well, unfortunately, Tim, he is not active.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Oh, goodness. Oh, I really blew through that. Oh, wow. This is embarrassing. It was very confident, though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Oh, goodness. I mean, it would have been right. You know, Rajon Rondo also would have been right, except also not active.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yes, DeAndre Jordan is a very good one. The other one... I mean, come on, guys. The easiest one.
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Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Oh, der. All right, Andrew, you did get one point. You control the board. How did I not get that one? That was bad.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Number one. Okay, what is the fewest number of field goals... Luca has ever attempted during an NBA game in which he played at least 30 minutes. Now you get to choose who answers first. So you can make Tim answer and you go higher, lower, or you answer again, 30, at least 30 minutes. What's the fewest field goal attempts he has taken in an NBA game throughout his entire career.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And if either one of you get it right, exactly right. You do get a bonus point. I'll go nine. Okay, Andrew's setting the bar at nine. Tim, would you like to go higher or lower than nine field goal attempts? Higher. Tim, that is correct. The correct answer is 11.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Whatever. That sounded like Danny Ainge when he talks about, oh, I almost traded for that guy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Yeah, I was just about to draft that guy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Tim, you've controlled the board. Six. Question number six. Which of the following is the only category for which Dallas is not ranked in the top half of the league in terms of points per play? So I'm going to give you four types, so it'll make more sense when you hear it. Half court offense, transition offense, half court defense, transition defense.
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So three of those four, they are top half of the league. Yes, just this season. Transition defense. That is... incorrect if you can believe it wow i am surprised so andrew which one are they bottom half of the league in terms of points per play half court offense transition offense half court defense
The Athletic NBA Daily
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This is points per play. Yeah. So for defense, like how much they're giving up per play.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yes, that is what I said. Okay. Andrew, that is also incorrect. I am sorry. It is transition offense. Seriously? Currently, in terms of points per play, they're 19th in the league. Wow. Only one of those there, bottom half.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Another strange one in what has been a disappointing start to the season for him. Holly is currently shooting under 40% from the field, and he's shooting 27% from three. His points per game and assists per game, lowest level they've been since he's been with the Pacers. Should we be worried, Andrew? One player... Probably shouldn't worry about so much as Victor Wemby.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay, Andrew, board is yours. Two. Question number two. Assuming he stays healthy, Luka will soon pass Dirk for fourth all-time in total assists in Mavs franchise history. Who will be the three players left for Luka to jump? And you get one point per correct answer. So total assists, Mavs history. Basically the top three. You just give me the top three.
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Very good, Andrew. That is correct.
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Steve Nash? No. All right, Tim, you got any guesses for who's two and three? Derek Harper. Derek Harper's number two. That is correct for a point.
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I didn't know if you'd... It was Brad Davis.
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Oh, really? I didn't know that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Okay, Tim, you have control of the board. You also have a lead now, three to two. Five. Question number five. Through 13 games, which Maverick has the most negative on-off differential per cleaning the glass at minus 12.7? And to clarify, this is not someone who's played like 10 minutes. This is a regular rotation player. There's no funny business. It's a guy who's playing every night.
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Daniel Gafford, Tim, that is absolutely incorrect. That means Andrew has a chance to steal. Good logic, though. It was great logic.
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Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Okay, I'll say Spencer Dinwiddie. Okay. We have a correction because I did this before the Jazz game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
There's a new worst. And guess who it is? Daniel Gafford, which means Tim gets the points. Ha, ha, ha.
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Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
yeah another funny on off one that I noticed is do you know who has the best on off for the Sixers right now no Eric Gordon who like if you ever see a Sixers fan talk about Eric Gordon on Twitter right now they're just disgusted with him it seems like every game so you're right on off doesn't really mean anything right now okay Andrew board is yours you're down five to two Andrew you're getting shellacked getting shellacked getting shellacked number three
The Athletic NBA Daily
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You know, Wemby will have a bad shooting night. We'll talk ourselves into the idea of it meaning something. Oh, here's his flaw. And then he'll go out the next game and do something makes you feel like an idiot forever worrying in the first place. Since a four for 13 performance against Portland against Portland, where he shot 31 percent from the field.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Question number three, Dallas has two pairs of teammates that attended the same college. Can you name both pairs? And you get one point per correct answer. So two pairs of players, each pair played together. Well, not together, but they played at the same college.
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That is correct. Can you get the other one? The tougher one, the tougher one. Shoot.
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Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Wow, that is correct, Andrew. Yes. Grateful, grateful.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
We have a game on our hands. Two questions left. Tim is up five to four. Tim has control of the board. Eight. My favorite question. In 2018, Kyrie Irving starred in the movie Uncle Drew, a movie based on a commercial about soda. We're going to name... We are going to name every current and former NBA player that appeared in that movie. Oh, my gosh.
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Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
So how this works is Tim is already shaking his head.
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Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Well, listen, their names you know, okay? Their names you know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
So 2018. So Tim will give me a name, and then Andrew will give me a name. We'll go back and forth until one of you stumbles. So some of them are current NBA players. Most of them are former NBA players that appeared in Uncle Drew, the 2018 film Uncle Drew.
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Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Carmelo Anthony. Unfortunately, that is incorrect, Tim. Now, Andrew, to get this right, you just need to name one name.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Wemby has made 59% of his shots in his next three games, including 20 of his last 37 three-pointers. And it all reached a climax on Wednesday night in a game against the Wizards where Wemby scored 50 points, including 8 of 16 from three. Good Lord. The Spurs are now 500 at 6-6.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Seems like an obvious one. Shaq. Chris Weber, Reggie Miller, Nate Robb, Aaron Gordon, Earl the Pearl Monroe, Chris Mullen, Bill Walton, Steve Nash, George Girvin, David Robinson, Jerry West, Rick Barry, and Dikembe Mutombo. They were all in Uncle Drew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
I tried to give you a hint that it's mostly former NBA players.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Carmelo's a legend too. That wouldn't have helped either. I should have said 50-year-olds or over.
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Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
This sets up a final question, or basically it just comes down to you, Andrew. If you get this right, you win the week. If you don't, you lose. Okay. Simple as that. Okay, I'm locking in. Dwight Powell is the longest tenured Maverick having played for Dallas since the 2014-15 season. Okay. Which current or former teammate has Powell played the most amount of games with in his career?
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Oh, current or former. Current or former. Could be a current Mav, could be a former Mav. Okay. Wow. This is for all the marbles, Andrew. Could win the week with a correct answer. Shoot. Who would this be?
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The correct answer. Most minutes played. Most games played. This just can't be the right answer. with Dwight Powell was not Luca. Now that means Tim wins the week. Tim, just to bury Andrew further, any guesses?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Three names, all wrong. Correct answer, Dorian Finney-Smith. Dorian Finney-Smith.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Listen, you'll hear people describe Wemby as an alien, a freak, but don't forget the OG freak, because on the same night that Wemby dropped 50, the Greek freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo, dropped 59 in an overtime game against the Pistons that included going 16 of 17 from the free throw line. Giannis' final line was 59, 14, and 7 with two steals, three blocks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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All right, Andrew, that was Mavs week. And what a kind of awful week it was. We're sorry.
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Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Who's next on our list? Which franchise are we going to destroy next? So we're about to spin a wheel. This is Wheel of Fandom. We're spinning a wheel, picking a team, going to become a fan of that team for the next week. Hopefully they'll win a lot of games. And let's see what team that will be. Our Wheel of Fandom team for next week will be... The Philadelphia 76ers.
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So they're on a road trip. They start a road trip Friday night against Orlando. Then they go to Miami, and then they go to Memphis. Hey, we're going to see MB against Zach Eadie. That's kind of fun.
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The Bucs are on their first winning streak of the season, Andrew, but still sit at 4 and 8. 12th in the East. Those are the top stories this week, Andrew.
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I mean, Atkinson deserves to be the runaway favorite at this point. Yeah, it's obvious. The Cavs are undefeated. Not only that, but for a team that we worried about their offense so much coming this season, they are currently on cleaning the glass, the number two offense in the league.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
And even if you look at the pairing of Jared Allen and Evan Mobley, which people were worried about, you know, last year, I think they were around a plus 1.5 on the court together. This year, granted, it's only 200 minutes, but they're a plus 10 together. Massive difference when those guys are on the court. It's been very successful this season. Obviously, they haven't lost a game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
So if you wanted to go with anyone else... I think the name I like the most is Steve Kerr, because if you're choosing between like Coach Bud and Steve Kerr thinking that, OK, if one of Phoenix or Golden State could end up as the number one seed in the West, that would kind of be a big shock. And so they could get it. I like the underlying numbers for Golden State a lot more right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
I mean, if you just look at point differential, Phoenix is only a plus point for Phoenix. Whereas Golden State is fifth in the league at plus 9.2. So I just believe in the Warriors more right now. And so plus 800 for Steve Kerr, if you're going to choose anyone other than Kenny, that would probably be my pick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Worried about the Mavs? + How bad is the East?
Well, Andrew, our top story this week is unfortunately an injury, but it's an important one because it's an injury that could shape the Western Conference race and the title race in general. Chet Holmgren, who had gotten off to an all-star start this season, he broke his right iliac wing after a nasty-looking fall under the rim. The Thunder announced that a return-to-play plan was
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And to that point, I mean, the fact that at end of the bench guy and Lindy Waters, the third can go from OKC to Golden State and he fits right in like it makes sense because he's a quick decision maker. He's a good shooter, tries hard on defense like, yeah, these teams, those two teams are kind of similar in the type of players they would target.
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OK, Andrew, it's time for our favorites of the week. Favorites of the Week, and we start off this week with our favorite quote of the week. Andrew, what was your favorite quote this week?
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It's weird. The problem for, for LeBron is like, I can't even, um, it still feels like we're years away from him, like averaging under 20 points. Totally. It still feels like he could do this for another couple of years.
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It does. My favorite quote of the week comes from Blazers land up here in Portland. I'm going to talk about some of the good with the Blazers a little later. But first, I want to go back to Sunday night because the Blazers lost by 45 at home to a Grizzlies team that did not have John Morant. They did not have Desmond Bain.
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after the game head coach chauncey billups among other things said that he told the team quote anybody that sleeps well tonight you're a loser which is an incredible quote imagine being a blazers player that night you get home after a tough loss you start dozing off then you wake up in a panic as you realize what a huge loser you are for getting some rest it's one of those quotes that can look
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won't be shared for eight to 10 weeks, but that Chet is expected to return in the 24-25 season. The Thunder remain number one in the West as of Friday afternoon at 10 and two, but face a challenging stretch ahead until Isaiah Hartenstein hopefully returns later this month.
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Good or bad, depending on how the team responds. And luckily for Billups, the Blazers absolutely responded because they won their next two games, which are both home wins over the Timberwolves. But if they come out and get blown out in those games, you kind of just have to say, well, I guess this is just a team full of losers based on what Billups said.
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So it was just nice to see them actually respond to that quote because that quote was so direct. It's so funny. When you bounce back from it, When you bounce back from a quote like that, I saw some Blazers fans already putting that on t-shirts. You can do that when you bounce back. If you don't bounce back, that becomes the death knell of the season.
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We're moving on now to our favorite stat this week. And my favorite stat this week comes from Joe Wolf on at Joey underscore W who writes for the score. Now I've actually updated Joe stat since there's been a couple of games since he posted this on Twitter. He was comparing the average shot distance for two players. So how far are these players from the basket when they shoot the ball on average?
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Why Cooper Flagg will change the NBA | Slam N Jam
post game uh shout out to uh my buddy joe masato from the oklahoma and like tried to ask him again like can you just like tell me more like why like how did you come up with this and he's like well i used some creativity or something like that it was just i don't know it's just too good um okay so we're talking about the the nba draft there's a clear number one guy in this draft, Cooper Flagg.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Why Cooper Flagg will change the NBA | Slam N Jam
Welcome to the Saturday Slam and Jam here on the Athletic NBA Daily. On today's show, we're joined by our guy Sam Vecini to discuss the NBA draft, players to watch in the tournament, and then we're going to do a little bit of trivia. With me, as always, is Alex Spears, and we got Sam Vecini in the house. Sam, what's up?
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Why Cooper Flagg will change the NBA | Slam N Jam
If he's in the draft, it'll be a question as whether great name Jojo Tugler, by the way, one of my favorite names in the draft.
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Why Cooper Flagg will change the NBA | Slam N Jam
I haven't, but I've just read his name and I love reading his name.
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Why Cooper Flagg will change the NBA | Slam N Jam
I want to just try to contextualize how good he is. And so I wanted to look back at some of the best prospects of the last few years. So let's go with Cade Cunningham, Palo, Chet, Wimby, Scoot Henderson as prospects only, like pre-draft prospects. Where would we rank them?
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Is it better or worse than what Ryan Dunn was coming out of the draft?
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On defense. Yeah. Wow. Okay. Which player are you most excited to watch in the tournament other than Cooper Flagg?
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Cooper flag amongst those guys, or how would you rank those guys and where would Cooper like fall into the pecking order there?
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you know anywhere from like 6 to 20 there feels right there's just a lot of guys in that group where it's all over the map and you know it could go either way shooting is something that we just talk about all the time it's become one of the most important things in the NBA but there's like different kinds of shooting and so I wanted to see like who like the best are these three categories in your opinion so pull up like movement shooters and then spot up shooters
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Like, who's the best at each category?
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Every season there's a few prospects whose situation leads them to being undervalued in the draft process. In the past, we've talked about the G League Ignite and how it wasn't a great situation for player development. Are there any players in this year's draft whose situations may be hurting them and it might even be unfair for them in the draft process?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Another slob wizard out there. And his name is Jaeger. Okay, next one. Jace Richardson and Cason Wallace.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I have a couple of ideas. Um, So there's two guys that I'm struggling with. I'll say Cason Wallace for steals. There's so many guys that it could be, though. But I think it is Cason.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That's who I thought it was, too, honestly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He's missed a lot of time. Why are you so bad at this? Yeah, he's missed a lot of time.
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This is such a goofy question. Is... You said three franchises? Is that what you said? At least. At least. Jalen Smith comes to mind. That is correct, Jalen Smith.
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What about... I don't know if he's played... Has he played for that many teams? That's a lot of teams to play for in that short amount of time. Shoot. Shoot. Also, James Wiseman. That is correct. For another point. Any other guesses? First rounder. Let's play for three franchises. Poco only played for two. RIP. That's true. Should have played for all of them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Should have played for every single one. Everyone should have experienced the joy of a guy like Poku who has his own fanny packs. What about Malachi Flynn?
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Can you get the final name? I don't know. I don't know. This is a fun class. There's a lot of really good players in that class.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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God, this is really tough. Because there's a lot of guys that have played for two teams. I'm trying to think of the guys that have played for more than that. I don't know if he's even played this year. I have not seen him play this year, but did Kyra Lewis play for anybody this year?
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Was there another player? No, that was... That's four.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Who would that be? Such a great class. It's making all the Mavs fans just sick to their stomachs, though. They had the league locked down with this class. Unbelievable.
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Done enough damage. There's a couple guys that I just kind of stick out, but I don't know if they would lead in win shares. That's... I don't know. I'll say Mikael Bridges, but I just don't feel like that's right. That is incorrect.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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7, 8, 9, 10, and number four.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Andrew, who are you going to guess? Oh, no. What about OG?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He just missed too much time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I love this so much, Al. He says Zubats and Jakob Pertl combined. They combined their forces from three point. No, this is made three pointers made. Oh, my gosh. Yeah, I the problem is like. I can't imagine Zubats taking a three little like or Jakob taking a three. It just like had to have happened on accident. Um... I won't take the cowardly way out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I'm going to come up with a number, but I'm trying to think of one that is even remotely okay to say out loud to all of the slamming jammers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Really, really fun. Yeah, very fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I'm just I know I'm just trying to see if I have the courage.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I'm just trying to remember. No, I'm just trying to. OK, I'm going to say it. I think I'm just going to say one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I was just thinking. I was actually trying to nail the number. I just thought maybe they only made one. I just still can't. I can't imagine them taking a three. Like, I really can't.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I would have gone under. There's just no way. I just thought maybe Jakob made a heave once. and then Zubats didn't make it three.
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It has to be. It has to be. Hey, go read Sam Vecini at The Athletic and go listen to the Game Theory podcast and also go subscribe on YouTube to the Game Theory podcast. Sam, anything else that you'd like to plug before you go?
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That would be amazing. Sam, thanks again for coming on. And we will talk to you guys again next week.
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It is something that I am so obsessed with. Like, I have not... Once I saw him doing it and having no clue what was happening, by the way, while I'm sitting in the arena, saying like, one, why is Dylan Jones checking into the game in this very important game against Denver? And then two...
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Dylan Harper, he's largely considered the second-best prospect in this draft, averaging 19-4-4 for Rutgers. He's one of the few like creator guards that has size in this draft, which is like a very valuable position in the NBA. Do you think that he has like what it takes to be like the creator of a team like a tanking team gets Dylan Harper? Can he be like their creator?
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And so like what would what would keep him from becoming that in your mind? Yeah.
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he's not even going in the game and then hearing hearing mark talk about a post game saying he's a permanent sub and explaining what it was like it's a thing that people just know right it was it's one of my favorite things in a very long time it's so funny i'm so glad i'm so glad you brought it out
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So who, who is this year's best? If he can shoot guy, Colin Murray boils point blank.
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Or to try something really goofy. Because if you know Matt McClung is going to throw down something really cool, you can't be like John Collins out there dressing up like an old-timey pilot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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It's just too embarrassing when Matt McClung is going to do something crazy. I want to get back to our roots where we had props.
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Yes. My favorite stat this week was posted by Reddit user the underscore blind underscore bomber. Since joining the Sixers, Paul George has uploaded more podcast clips to YouTube than field goals made. And folks, it's not close. OK, this this stat was posted a few days ago. I didn't need to look up what Paul George is in subsequent games because it wasn't close.
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Now, this is a funny stat that if Paul George was playing well, wouldn't seem significant at all. But Paul George is having a really bad season. He's averaging under 17 points per game, something he has not done over a full season since he was 21. He's only getting to the line two and a half times per game. And in general, just doesn't look anything close to the player.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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We remember even as recently as last season with the Clippers in a loss to the Nets this week, a game without Embiid and Maxie. So a game where, you know, PG is going to have to step up to give the Sixers a chance.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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During the Mavs' next game, multiple fans were ejected from the game for communicating fire Nico in various ways.
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Paul George scored two points. Two. And that sounds crazy, but what's crazier is that that's the second game this season that Paul George has scored two points. Prior to this season, the last time he scored two or fewer points was 2017. Andrew, is this already the worst contract in the league? He is a 34-year-old averaging under 17 a game who will be making 56 million three seasons from now.
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Now, the good news for Sixers fans, depending on your mood, is that the Sixers have moved into a tie for sixth with the Nets in the reverse standings. Which, as of right now, would give them a 34.8% chance of keeping their pick. If they won the tie, it would go up a little bit more. Now, there was a report that just came out. We're recording on Thursday night.
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That Paul George has been dealing with these, like... really uh bothersome injuries like just like small little injuries throughout the season um so you know you hope if you're a Sixers fan you hope that like this is just kind of the season from hell for everyone everyone yeah and that
The Athletic NBA Daily
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With a summer because they're not going to be playing in the playoffs with a full summer to like rest and recover. Paul George can come back next season and start to look like the player you were expecting to get. Maybe this is just like an injury, weird fluke season. But man, it's rough right now.
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And it's probably also worth mentioning that new Mavs owner Patrick Dumont spoke for the first time after the trade, saying, quote, If you look at the greats in the league, the people you and I grew up with, Jordan, Bird, Kobe, Shaq, they worked really hard every day with a singular focus to win. And if you don't have that, it doesn't work. You shouldn't be a part of the Dallas Mavericks.
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No, you got to ride it out and you got to pray that you get this pick because one thing Daryl Morey has been good at, he has been good at drafting, got Jared McCain last year. If they get a top six pick that could potentially change everything.
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Like even if these next couple of seasons are, you know, below what you expected, you can start building a core of young guys with Maxie McCain and whoever they drafted where you at least would have some hope longterm. If they lose that pick. Yeah. You just start praying.
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Yeah. It must be a frustrating watch for fans. Cause they're obviously so competitive night to night. Yeah. But then they lose these types of games. I mean, now they're on a losing streak. They've dropped below the Hawks. They're in the ninth spot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So in summary, instead of a fun conspiracy theory involving backroom deals with the league, the best explanation for the Luca trade a week later appears to be, I think these guys might just be stupid. As LeBron commented on Instagram, quote, when a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace becomes a circus.
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Listen to the starting lineup that the Heat lost to. Max Christie, Dante Exum, Spencer Dinwiddie, Kessler Edwards, and Olivier Maxsens prosper. That was the Mavericks starting five. Kyrie didn't even play tonight because he has right shoulder soreness. P.J. Washington didn't play. Clay Thompson didn't play. Still got the win.
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Yes. My favorite player this week is Christian Brown. Wow. Yeah. Christian Brown. Listen, Brown. Listen, Brown is having best week of his career outside of winning a ring a few years ago. Over his past five games, he is averaging 21, 8, and 4. Christian Brown is doing that. He's shooting 61% from the field. He's getting to the line over four times a game. That's for the season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He continues to improve on his strengths. He's a beast getting to the rim. He takes 58% of his shots at the rim, which is in the 99th percentile among winks. And he's shooting 71% on those rim attempts. He's so strong driving to the rim, and we've all seen his dunks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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In fact, the Nuggets actually released a video this week on YouTube of all his dunks this season commemorating the fact that he has more dunks than any other shooting guard in the league. I don't know why they chose right now, but go watch it. It's all his dunks. He's a great cutter. He's great at finding space. He's elite in transition.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He averages 1.34 points per transition play, which is number one in the league among players who have at least four transition plays per game. Now, there were some questions about Brown in the preseason. You know, we knew he was stepping into this starting role for the first time, replacing KCP. He hasn't just met expectations. He's gotten significantly better with the increased workload.
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His true shooting has jumped from 55% last season to 66% this season. Wow. And I don't I don't want to get too crazy with this next point, but something that did stick out in this recent run of games were some like real flashes of self-creation. He had some plays in the Blazers, this Blazers game I was watching. I just wasn't aware were in Christian Brown's bag, like taking guys off the dribble.
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spinning into a mid-range shot in the paint, hitting a fadeaway baseline jumper. Now, it's just a handful of plays. I'm not overreacting. But watching him this week, I just realized he can do a lot more than I thought. And that is why he's my favorite player this week.
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The only downside is he's probably going to make a lot of money on his next contract. He's going to make a lot of money. That Denver's going to have to add
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Meanwhile, in L.A., master negotiator and bad friend Rob Palenka introduced Luka to Lakers fans at a press conference, a game after LeBron had become the youngest and oldest player to score 40 points in a game. Lucas saw his first on-court action since Christmas in a 132 to 113 win over the Utah Jazz. The vibes were high, they were great. But how long would they last?
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Finally, favorite moment of this week. Now, this one is just a happy off-court thing. Finding out that Nate Robb, Nate Robinson, had a successful kidney transplant. If you haven't been following his story, Nate Robb's been dealing with kidney failure for seven years, having to go to dialysis multiple days a week, sit there for hours and hours while he waited for a donor.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Didn't know if he was going to get one. He posted a picture to Instagram this week with his donor after a successful surgery. Always been a huge Nate Robb fan. Hey, speaking of dunk contests, now there was a showman. Yeah, there was a real dunk contest contestant. He knew how to get the crowd going. He was just one of those players that was impossible to root against.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And so it was just great to see him get this opportunity after so many years.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Alright, Andrew, it is time for the Wheel of Fandom, the weekly segment where we spin a wheel, it lands on a team, and we become fans of that team for the next week. Two weeks ago, the wheel landed on the Houston Rockets, and it started off pretty rough with the Rockets losing their first five games, part of a six-game losing streak.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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They did get two wins over Toronto and Phoenix, but ended the week with a loss to Golden State. The Rockets are 34 and 21, fourth in the West, only a half game up on the Lakers with the 12th ranked offense and fourth ranked defense per clean the glass. Andrew, if the Rockets are our favorite team, who is our guest?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Well, first it was announced that the Mark Williams trade was being rescinded by the Lakers due to a failed physical. leaving the Lakers with a significant hole at center. And later in the week, in Luka's second game, against those same 12-win Jazz, the Lakers gave up 131 points in a 131-119 loss to Utah. Now, despite the loss, the Lakers remained comfortably in fifth in the Western Conference.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So one bright spot for the Rockets, regardless of the outcome, has been the play of Amin Thompson, who's gone to another level in the new year. He's such a unique player. Everyone knows he's kind of already an elite defensive player. But I'm interested in what you think about his offensive development this season. Where do you think he's made his biggest leaps on that end?
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From two teams trying to establish good vibes after a big trade to a team trying to test the limits of bad vibes, let's check in on the Philadelphia 76ers. On Sunday, while Eagles fans were getting ready to watch their team win the Super Bowl, ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters let us know that MB thinks he may need another surgery on his troublesome knee.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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How aggressive do you think they might be this summer? Are you expecting a big splash trade?
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So knowing this might be on the horizon, Some of these young guys might be included in a big star trade, but also the issue with all these extensions coming up. When you think about your young guys, how many of them would you say you're confident will be part of this team long term? It's a good question. They've got a lot of young guys.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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It's time once again to play everyone's favorite game, have the Sixers finally pass the Chicago Bulls in the standings. No, somehow, still no. The Bulls scored 29 points in a half this week and are still a game and a half up on this pathetic Sixers team who entered the All-Star break in the midst of a five-game losing streak. And that streak has included losses to the Raptors without R.J.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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All right, Kelly, thank you for answering all of our Rockets questions. It is now time to play Andrew versus the beat, our weekly trivia show where Andrew goes head-to-head against a beat writer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I don't remember. Have you been on more than once? I can't remember if you've been on multiple times or not.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I was going to say, I think he's been on three times. So this could be a rubber match. We don't know. I might be 2-1, but I might be 3-0.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Let's say it's two and one so that Andrew can try to tie it up. That'll make it more exciting. Yeah. Okay, so how this works, Kelly will give me a number between one and eight, and it'll correspond to a question. Some are easy, some are hard. If you get it right, you'll get at least two points. If you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal for one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So to start us off, I just need a number between one and eight. Six. Six. Question number six. Ooh, a fun one. What is Steven Adams' career high in points? And you get to choose who answers first. So you can make Andrew answer, and then you could say higher or lower. Or you could answer and then make Andrew say higher or lower. So Steven Adams' career high in points. I'll let Andrew answer that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay. All right, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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All right, so Andrew has set the bar at 27. Kelly, would you like to go higher or lower?
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Barrett or Yaka Pirtle, a Brooklyn Nets team led by D'Angelo Russell and Trendon Watford. The Raptors lost left an especially sour taste after Joel Embiid turned down a wide open go ahead three with 11 seconds left so that he could clumsily drive and turn the ball over, effectively ending the game and leading to a chorus of boos from Sixers fans.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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The correct answer was career high. Steven Adams. 27, which means Andrew gets a bonus point for getting exactly correct.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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It's one of the risks, and it's never come through until today. Oh, my God. Yes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Question number one, good luck. The Rockets are averaging 14.7 offensive rebounds per game, the most in the league. The last time a Rockets team averaged that many rebounds per game was the 1990-91 season. And on that Rockets team, there were three players who averaged more than three offensive rebounds per game. Oh, my. How many can you name, Andrew?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So we're talking 1990, 91 Rockets, three guys who each averaged three plus offensive rebounds per game. You do get one point per correct answer. Hakeem Olajuwon. That is correct for one point. Oh, boy. Any other names, Andrew? You big 1990s rocket fan? No.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, average at least three offensive rebounds per game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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You will in a second. Andrew, you can throw out a name, Andrew, if you can think of another Rocket. But it sounds like you might not be able to.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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All right, Kelly, who's the name you were thinking of?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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There's one more.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Oh, that's it. You got it. Come on. Wow. So Kelly gets two points. I did not think anyone was going to get Larry Smith. When you said Larry, I was like, oh, my gosh, he's so close. F-way. Wow. Well, you needed that, Kelly, because now it is three to two. You're only down by one, and the board is yours.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Question number eight. Ahman Thompson is on pace to crack 100 dunks this season. Who was the last Rocket to have at least 100 dunks in a season? Last Rocket? Jalen Green. That is incorrect. Andrew, you have a chance to steal. Wait, last rocket? The last rocket to have 100 plus dunks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, in a season. Andrew, do you have any guesses? Clint Capella? I know it. Clint Capella. That would be a long time ago. The correct answer was K.J. Martin.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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We had history this week in Phoenix as Kevin Durant joined the NBA's 30,000 point club, becoming its eighth member. That is the first and last item on the list of good things to happen to the Suns this week. Phoenix has lost six of its last seven with the only win being an overtime victory over the Utah Jazz. The Suns now set a full game behind the Warriors for the final playing spot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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All right, Andrew, the board is yours. Okay, number two. Question number two. According to Cleaning the Glass, Amin Thompson takes 57% of his shots at the rim. Among NBA wings and forwards who have played at least a thousand minutes this season, there's only one player who takes a higher percentage of his shots at the rim. Who is it? Christian Brown. So this is a NBA wing or forward.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That is correct, Andrew. Wait, what? Yeah, it's Christian Brown. Isn't that crazy? He takes 58% of his shots. Now, this is only wings and forwards, so he's not being compared to centers, but it is still crazy. He takes 58%.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I will say, Kelly, that was an unfortunate question for Andrew to get because earlier in the show, I happened to talk about Christian Brown for an extended period. It's true. And may have helped Andrew there. May have helped Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Kelly's on to us, Andrew. Kelly, what number would you like next? Let's go five. Five. Question number five. Jalen Green already has the fifth most three-pointers in Rockets franchise history. He's already number five on the list. Harden is obviously number one. Who are the players at two, three, and four on the all-time franchise list for most made threes? You do get one point per correct answer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Well, you can name all three. You would get three points if you got it right. But it's just whoever's in second, third, and fourth on the all-time franchise list for most three-pointers made.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, Harden's first. Jalen Green is fifth. Who are the three guys in the middle? Eric. Eric. What is Eric's last name?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Correct for one point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That is correct. Can you get the last one, Kelly? Can you sweep it?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Kelly really wants this point. This would tie the game with only three questions to go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And as a bonus, Brian Windhorst reported this week that KD is, quote, probably going to get traded this summer. He knows it. The Suns know it. So let's finish off with a team playing well. The Denver Nuggets have won eight in a row, a winning streak that included a career high 55 points from Jamal Murray in a game against the Blazers. Well, Denver's a
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Aaron Brooks. Okay, that is incorrect. Incorrect. I will look up where those guys are on the list just for fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Andrew, do you have a guess for the final one? It's got to be up there. What about Catino Mobley? I forgot one. Andrew, he was number six on the list. But I was looking for number four on the list.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Hasn't played in decades.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers Direction + What's wrong with the Rockets? | Slam N Jam
Yeah. Vernon Maxwell?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers Direction + What's wrong with the Rockets? | Slam N Jam
No point for you, Andrew. But you did guess it. Okay, Andrew, you're up by one. Three questions to go. Number three. Question number three. Alperin Shingun has over 2,100 rebounds through his first four seasons in the NBA. Who was the last Houston Rocket to have more rebounds than Shingun through his first four seasons in the NBA? So this is rookie year to year four.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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They have to add more than 2,100 rebounds. Now, Shingun might pass this person by the end of the year, of course. It's only an all-star break. But who was that, Andrew? Last Rocket. Wow. Oh, boy. And they had to do it as a Rocket.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers Direction + What's wrong with the Rockets? | Slam N Jam
Yeah, as a Rocket. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers Direction + What's wrong with the Rockets? | Slam N Jam
Andrew, that is incorrect. Kelly, you have a chance to steal for one point. Yao Ming. Also incorrect, someone since Yao Ming. It was Luis Scola. No.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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haven't been a murderer's row during this streak. That will change after the All-Star break when the Nuggets play the Lakers, followed by a four-game road trip to Indiana, Milwaukee, Detroit, and Boston. Now for the moment, Denver is only a half game back of the Grizzlies for second in the West.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Two questions left. You can take four or seven. Give me seven. Give me seven. All right, question number seven.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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As of Thursday afternoon, Dylan Brooks led the league in personal fouls. If he ended the season as number one on that list, it would actually be the third time in his eight-year career that he has led the league in personal fouls. Name one other player who led the league in personal fouls over the last eight years. So Dylan Brooks did three of those eight years.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Dylan Brooks did three of those eight years. The other five years, though, other guys. And I will give you a hint, which is that one of the players that you could choose from was a Rocket. So there's a couple names here. One of them was a Rocket. You don't have to name that player. You could name any other player that's on this list. Wow. You just have to give me one name.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Led the league in fouls for a season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Sorry. I may have not made this clear. This is just over the last eight years of Dylan Brooks' career. Oh. If that makes sense. In the last eight years, Dylan Brooks has done it three times. Name one of the other guys who has done it the other five years.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers Direction + What's wrong with the Rockets? | Slam N Jam
P.J. Tucker. That is incorrect. Andrew, you have a chance to steal.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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One of them was.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers Direction + What's wrong with the Rockets? | Slam N Jam
Andrew, that is correct. Damanis Sabonis is one of the names who led the league in personal fouls. The other names, Yusuf Nurkic, Carl Anthony Towns did it twice. And the rocket... No, not Jaron Jackson. The rocket was Jay Sean Tate. Jay Sean Tate. Jay Sean Tate. Jay Sean Tate.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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The Grizzlies, who are seven and three in their last 10, did lose a measuring stick game at home to OKC this week, a game in which Memphis did not get closer than 12 in the second half. OKC was on a seven-game winning streak of their own, but that ended on Thursday when the Timberwolves locked OKC down, handing the Thunder their worst loss of the season, a dominant 116 to 101 win.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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It may have been, yeah. Okay, that brings us to our final question. Jeff Green is in his 17th NBA season and has played basketball in 12 different cities. And we're going to name them all. So, Andrew, you're going to give me a name of a city. Then Kelly will give me a name of a city. And we'll go back and forth until one of you stumbles. So there's some easy ones to start off with.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Who's going first? Andrew's going to go first. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Seattle. Seattle. Correct. The first one. Kelly. Houston. Houston. Yes. Oklahoma City. Correct. Kelly. Boston. Correct. Andrew. Clippers. L.A. Correct. L.A. Back to Kelly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That is correct. That was one I did not remember. Jeff Green is a wizard. Just can't picture it. Andrew, back to you. Memphis. Memphis. That is correct. You all have gotten the first five stops in his career. So back to Kelly. Denver. Denver. Denver is correct. Back to Andrew. Only four cities to go. Cleveland. Cleveland is correct, Andrew. Three cities to go. Brooklyn. Oh, that is correct.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay, I will say you guys have left the hardest two for last. So, Andrew. How many points is this worth? How many points is this worth?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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uh unfortunately for you kelly it's only worth one um so you can't win but you can pull within one if i get if i get the last two how many points will i get okay if andrew doesn't get this and then you name both of them i will give you two points and we'll go to sudden death all right orlando i think Oh, and Andrew got it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers Direction + What's wrong with the Rockets? | Slam N Jam
Andrew, this is a very bad deal for you. I'm not your advisor. You're welcome to do whatever you want.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers Direction + What's wrong with the Rockets? | Slam N Jam
That is correct. Got it. Andrew gets the points and wins the week. Kelly, you tried.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Finally, this week was Hubie Brown's final call at the age of 91. Inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2005, Hubie has called NBA games for 35 seasons, including 18 NBA finals. And those were the top stories this week, Andrew. Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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All right, Andrew, that was rockets week. It is once again, time to spin the wheel of fandom and find out who we're going to be following for the next week. Now it is a weird week cause it is all-star weekend. So whatever team we land on, we'll probably only get to see one game. So hopefully they're involved in all-star weekend. Hopefully there's big picture stuff to talk about with them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I just hope we get an interesting team. So let's spin that wheel and, And our Wheel of Phantom team for next week will be... The Atlanta Hawks featuring all-star replacement Trey Young.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Uh, yeah, my pick would be Wemby because we saw last year that he was like very into all-star weekend. Yeah. Wanted to play hard. He's on a good team. He's got Shay on his team. So it's not out of the realm of possibility that they could win the whole thing. He's plus 900 third. However, if you want to get crazy, Andrew, let me make you a pitch because at the bottom of this list,
The Athletic NBA Daily
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is all the guys who are going to be on the Rising Stars team. Because the fourth team in this little mini tournament is going to be a Rising Stars team. Those guys currently, their odds are plus 10,000. So take someone like Amin Thompson, for instance. What do we know, Andrew? By the time they get to that tournament, they will already be champions, OK?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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They will already have won the Rising Stars tournament. They will have two games having played together already. Huh? Think about that. And some experience.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That means you're self-selecting the, the rising stars team that is going to have tried the hardest in that first tournament. So if you feel strongly at all about any of those teams, why not just take one of these plus 10,000 guys? And I chose Amin just because if you look at his team, they're just insanely talented with defensive talent. And if they play hard defensively, they could beat anyone.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Because they have both Thompson twins, Tumani Kamara. They're good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers Direction + What's wrong with the Rockets? | Slam N Jam
Yeah, they just lock him down.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers Direction + What's wrong with the Rockets? | Slam N Jam
Yeah, the problem is Jokic never tries. He's a classic not-try guy in the All-Star game. Yeah, that's true.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah. I mean, Steph makes sense because it is hometown. I'm sure he'll want to show out. But yeah, it'll be Wimby. Wimby will try very, very hard.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers Direction + What's wrong with the Rockets? | Slam N Jam
Well, Andrew, our top story this week was the continued fallout from the Luka Doncic trade since last week. NBA fans have waited for any new piece of information that would provide a believable explanation for why this happened. Instead, every new detail that comes out just adds to its absurdity. This week, the two involved stars played for their new teams for the first time in Dallas.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Well, the upside is, like, literally Reed Shepard hits 12 threes in the game. Like, that would be very exciting to see. But he has to do it in every game for me to stay engaged.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I don't even know if there are odds on those guys. Yeah. Are there odds? I think I think we can do Reed Shepard plus ten thousand. There you go. For for MVP. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yes, my favorite quote this week is, don't trade me, I want to be here. Now, that is apparently what Malik Beasley told Trajan Langdon heading into this trade deadline. It's not really that exciting of a quote, but I just wanted to use it as an excuse to talk about Beasley and the Pistons.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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First, after the last few years, honestly, having any competent NBA player saying he doesn't want to be traded from Detroit, I say that's a win. No kidding. And a sign that this team has finally turned things around. But also, this week, before the All-Star break, Malik Beasley became the franchise leader for most threes made in a season with 212. Isn't that crazy?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Beating Sadiq Bey after hitting seven threes in only 16 minutes of game time. Now, he also became just the fourth player in NBA history to hit 200 plus threes in four consecutive seasons. I don't know if I've ever seen a random role player speed run a franchise record this fast.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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If you're a three point shooter trying to become a franchise leader, Detroit is like the best situation because their franchise leader in threes made Joe Dumars has under a thousand career threes. So let's assume Malik Beasley signs an extension with Detroit this summer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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If he replicates what he's doing this season or even comes close to it, he will finish next season with the fifth most threes in Pistons franchise history. He'll already be top five. At this pace, Andrew, he could conceivably break the franchise record in only four seasons played. And for the Pistons in general, they've won four in a row.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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They're two and a half games up on the Magic for the sixth seed, which is something I never guess I'd say this season. So things are going well in Detroit. And we're about to see Cade in the All-Star game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers Direction + What's wrong with the Rockets? | Slam N Jam
Maybe that's what they would call the movie round trip. That's what the movie is called.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers Direction + What's wrong with the Rockets? | Slam N Jam
Oh, wait, wait, connect, connect. Is there something with connecting flight, connecting flight?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Sixers Direction + What's wrong with the Rockets? | Slam N Jam
Anthony Davis put up a 14-8-3 in the first quarter. of his first game in a Mavs uniform, leading Dallas to a 116-105 win over the Rockets. Unfortunately, this trade needs to repeatedly slap us in the face to remind us how bad it was, and so of course Davis got hurt during the game on a non-contact play. And of course Davis is now week to week with an adductor strain.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Especially as a rookie. Like, yeah, you just came into a new place. You're just starting to feel comfortable. And then everything changes. Yeah. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I mean, sure, for a half season, yeah. But is it going to be as endearing and fun when he's making $50 million for the next three seasons or something?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Until his 39th season? No, there's no way that Grizzlies would do that. Well, then it may just be that he doesn't get $50 million. So if I had to guess where this ends up, I actually bet he stays in Miami. He signs an extension. It's for much less than he wanted, but it's just the reality of the situation. Trades are too hard right now to even come up with. Our trade machines are dead.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
We don't know how to use them anymore. And so I think it really does end up with him just back in Miami on maybe a two year extension. And he's making like 30 to 35 or something like that. Sounds crazy now, but like.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Imagine spending your time thinking about the television ratings of a company that just signed a $76 billion media deal. We do this every year and every time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Yeah, I wish Jimmy Bowler's agent had spent a little bit more time on those tweets because they are kind of difficult to read. I was trying to read through them last night. They are. I just need a little bit more punctuation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
OK, next up, our favorite stat of the week. Now, Andrew, I was watching a Sam Vecini video that he made about the Knicks Hawks game this week. Yeah, it was all about how Trey Young all caps destroyed the Knicks pick and roll defense. And it was a classic Trey game in the pick and roll play that has defined his career. So I went to look at his pick and roll stats for this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He's consistently been very good in the pick and roll. So what's happening? Well, as a pick and roll ball handler, Trey is shooting 36.3% on those possessions. And while he's never been the most efficient player, that is well below what you normally expect. Something else you wouldn't normally expect is that in the pick and roll, he's turning it over on over 21% of those possessions.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Now, all of this sounds very negative, but I actually kind of think this is a positive for the Hawks because they're 14 and 12. They've made it to the NBA Cup Final Four. They beat a ton of good teams, all while their star player has significantly underperformed on his bread and butter play.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
We saw in the Knicks game that he can still be elite in the pick and roll, and it's likely he's eventually going to break out of this early season slump and get back to his normal efficiency on those plays, which has me wondering... Even with the early success they have had, maybe we still haven't seen the best version of the Hawks team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
And maybe just maybe they actually have a shot to be a surprise team this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
regardless of the ratings they keep playing the games have they ever stopped playing the games because of the ratings no so who gives it as a fan of basketball television ratings have never once affected affected any aspect of my life i look at the numbers i nod to myself as interesting and then i immediately forget them because the game is on a game like grizzly celtics last saturday night just a week ago
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Maybe. I mean, it's probably not going to get worse. And they've been pretty good when he's playing like this in the pick and roll. So why wouldn't it be?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
OK, that brings us to our favorite player this week. And mine was a player who performed well in a loss. I'm talking about Jalen Suggs, 32 and nine in the NBA Cup loss to Milwaukee. It was only his second game since the Franz Wagner injury. And he took 26 shots. in the Milwaukee Bucks game. Now you can, you can criticize the efficiency, whatever. I don't care.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
He had never taken more than 20 shots in an NBA game. And he took 26 in the game against the Bucks. And I just thought it was so impressive because this team has just been racked by injuries. Yeah. They're two best players and they both had the same injury, which is kind of weird. But the fact that they the magic keep finding someone who can step up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
And I don't know if Suggs is going to be able to get to the level that Franz Wagner was getting to before he was injured. But I just thought it was a really impressive game from him and the magic who, you know, coming into that game, you're like, OK, Milwaukee should handle this pretty easy. You look at the stats for that game. And it's like, how is this even close? You know, like in retrospect.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
And the other thing I want to mention about Jalen Suggs is his post-game quotes. Because you could imagine a player who doesn't usually get to be like the A number one guy on his team. He comes out, he has a pretty good game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
You could totally see him being happy with himself in the postgame press conference and proud of what he did, even with the loss, knowing that they're shorthanded and everything. He was destroyed by that game. He was so...
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
I expressed doubt about the Grizzlies' contender status. You did. Given their cake schedule, lack of signature wins. And within 24 hours of uttering those words, the Grizzlies had beaten the defending champs on the road, 127 to 121. Ja Morant had 32, nine and nine in the game, while Triple J put up 27 and nine with four blocks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
upset that they had lost that game and it just shows you what kind of competitor he is what kind of competitor that Orlando Magic team is just keep fighting with all these injuries so yeah favorite player this week Jalen sucks yeah that's big time I'm gonna go with an Atlanta Hawk I've just been impressed with DeAndre Hunter this season he's like he's he's he's finally making shots
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
And they have that Lakers pick, which could be exciting. They do have that Lakers pick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
The Grizzlies have won three in a row and are third in the West at 17 and eight. And per last week's promise, I said that if the Grizzlies beat the Celtics, I would shut up about them. So I salute them and I will now shut my mouth. And another team I should have shut up about is the Washington Wizards. Because last week...
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
All right, our final favorite thing this week is our favorite moment of the week. And for me... It was the game I was watching last Saturday night, the Grizzlies and Celtics. I was going to see if I was going to look like an idiot or not.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Well, I'm just being honest. That's what I was spending my night doing to see if I was going to look like an idiot. But my favorite moment of the week was the John Morant double clutch reverse dunk against the Celtics. And last night I was on YouTube. I was watching highlights.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
of all the good Ja Morant dunks through his career, which obviously there are a ton, I kind of think this is his best dunk of his career. And here's my case. One, I think just in terms of technical difficulty, I think it's one of his most technically difficult dunks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Not just that it's a double clutch reverse dunk, but the two defenders on that play were Chris Tapps Porzingis and Derek White, who are two of the best shot blockers for their position. Then you factor in that it was the defending champs. It was on the road. And then the context of the ESPN headline from one week ago, quote, Grizzlies John Morant prioritizing health over highlight dunks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
You know, there was this quote about he's never going to dunk again. And we got that dunk out of it. I just think everything, you know, it wasn't his like most powerful dunk. It wasn't his most beautiful dunk, man. Some of the dunks he has where he like cocks his arm all the way back in midair. Those are really like genuinely beautiful dunks, but just everything put together.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
I just thought this was like his most impressive dunk that I've ever seen him do, which is saying something because John Morant has a ton of good dunks to look at.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
I was out here daydreaming about the Wizards achieving a 29-game losing streak, beating the Pistons. And again, within 24 hours, the Wizards had broken their 16-game losing streak by beating Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. And not only did they beat the Nuggets, they did it on a night when Jokic scored a career-high 56 points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Hey, Drew, it's a cup game. You know, it's a cup game. We want special endings. And they should have just given the time out to the Rockets. And then we see what they do. You know, that would have been a fun ending to the game. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
We're always looking at the bright side here at Slammin' Jam.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
All right, Andrew, it is time for the Wheel of Fandom, the weekly segment where we spin a wheel. It lands on a team, and that team has a real bad time. Three weeks ago, the wheel landed on the Denver Nuggets. Now, Denver went four and five in that span, which may not sound that bad.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
But the most recent of those losses was to the Washington Wizards, who came into the game on a 16-game losing streak. And making the game even more bizarre was Nikola Jokic scoring 56 points, a career high for the three. Three-time MVP. Denver has not won two games in a row in over a month. They are 12-10, 7th in the West.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
According to Cleaning the Glass, the Nuggets have the 6th-ranked offense and 15th-ranked defense. Andrew, if our team this week is the Nuggets, who is our guest?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Jordan Poole scored 39 in the game, which included going 9 of 20 from 3. He's now shooting a career high 41% from 3 this season, while also averaging a career high in assists. The Wizards' impressive win leads to the obvious question. Are the Wizards dark horses for the second worst record in the NBA? Possibly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
So there were a lot of questions about this team coming into the season, and we'd like to revisit those questions one by one to see how your opinion has changed or not changed since the preseason. So the biggest one was about their bench and specifically the need for their young players to step up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
How confident are you at this point in Julian Strother, Peyton Watson being playoff rotation guys based on their play so far?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Speaking of the second worst record in the NBA, the New Orleans Pelicans season from hell continues to unearth new horrors with the team now sitting at five and twenty one last in the West. Did you do you remember that this team started the season two and oh, because I didn't. The new bad news this week was that just as the Pels were starting to get some of their guys back,
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
So Russell Westbrook, he was the Nuggets' big and controversial acquisition this summer. How has the Russ experience been for you so far? Are you more or less hopeful that this fit can work, assuming other things with the Nuggets improve?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Brandon Ingram suffered a serious ankle sprain on Sunday. He's now sidelined indefinitely. Zion remains out with a hamstring injury. If there's a glimmer of hope, or at least normalcy, the Pels were competitive in a two-point loss to the Kings on Thursday, and they rolled out a very normal-looking starting lineup, which was nice. CJ, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, DeJounte Murray, and Yves Missy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
All right, well, thank you for giving us the update on the Nuggets, Adam. But it is now time to play Andrew vs. the Beat. And this is a very special edition of Andrew vs. the Beat. It's the first time in Slammin' Jam history that all eight questions are about... A single player. Oh, that's right. All eight questions are about Vodka Chanchar. Nikola Jokic. Nikola Jokic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
So how this works, eight questions. Adam, you're going to give me a number between one and eight. I'm going to get killed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Okay. That is a great way to set the stage. So the question could be easy, could be hard. If you get it right, you'll get at least two points. If you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal for one. So to start us off, Adam, I just need a number between one and eight. And to be clear, these questions, the questions are about Jokic, but the answers aren't always about Jokic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
So there's my out. I'll take number three. All right. Question number three. Jokic has already had four 40-point games this season. The most he's ever had in a season is five. How many 40-point games has he had in his career? Now, Adam, you get to choose who answers first. You can make Andrew answer, and then you can go higher or lower. Or you can guess, and then Andrew will go higher or lower.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
But if you do make Andrew guess and he gets it exactly correct, he would get a bonus point, just as a warning. Ooh.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Hey, Andrew, would you like to go higher or lower? Higher. Correct answer is... 29 29 I was thinking the playoffs he has like a bunch of them
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
I'll go number one, Al. All right, question number one. Nikola Jokic may be the greatest on-off king in NBA history. Per cleaning the glass, the Nuggets are plus 31.2 points per 100 possessions better when he is on the court, the highest mark of his career. The cleaning glass database goes back to the 03-04 season. Prior to Jokic, which Nugget had the highest on-off differential for a season?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
And this was a guy who would have been part of like the regular rotation, played a lot of minutes, like 2000 plus minutes. So it's not someone random who just played, you know, 50 minutes or something like that. Yeah. It has to be prior to Jokic, so it's not one of his teammates.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
If you want to read more about the Pelicans, go read Will Guillory's article from this week, breaking down the potential paths forward for New Orleans, several of which including makes making significant trades. And finally, this week, speaking of trades, we had our first real slop drop of the season. Yeah. reported the Heat are open to listening to offers on Jimmy Butler.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Oh man, that's such a good one. Iguodala. Andrew, that is incorrect. All right. Adam, you have a chance to steal.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Andre Miller? That is also incorrect. The correct answer in the 03-04 season with a plus 14 on-off differential. Nene. Nene. Nene. There you go. Wow. All right. All right, Adam, the board is yours. I'll take number two. We'll stay these little ones. Question number two. Denver has attempted the most free throws in the league this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Despite that, there's only one teammate in Nikola Jokic's career who has attempted at least five free throws per game. Who is it? And I have to answer this one, huh? That is correct. So a Jokic teammate at some point in his career who averaged five plus free throw attempts per game for a season. Oh my gosh.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
That is correct for two points. Let's go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Two to one, Andrew. The board is yours. We'll go number four. Question number four. The Nuggets are currently 26th in defensive rebound percentage, their worst league ranking in Jokic's career. Since Jokic entered the league in 2015-16, which Nugget has had the second most rebounds for Denver? Since 15-16. Yeah, so Jokic is number one, obviously.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
You're talking about... Anyone since 2015-16 till now, Jokic is number one. Who is number two in most rebounds?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Shoot. And it could be somebody on the Nuggets. It could be somebody who's no longer on the Nuggets. Yeah. They just had to have played during that time span. Wait, what? Wait.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
The period from 2015-16 to 23-20 to 24. Most total rebounds. Well, I mean, I guess this year too. Over that entire time span, Nikola Jokic has collected the most rebounds for the Denver Nuggets. Who is number two on that list? It could have been someone who is currently on the team because somebody who played for them a few years ago. They just had to do it as a Nugget.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Kenneth Farid. That's incorrect, Andrew. Adam, you have a chance to steal.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
He also reported that Butler's agent has been telling people in league circles that Jimmy would be open to Houston, Dallas, Golden State, and Phoenix. Phoenix, the team that's going to make a trade. Jimmy Butler's agent, Bernie Lee, disagreed with the report. And he let everyone know about it in a series of tweets, which was all very fun. But the underlying story here is pretty interesting.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Will Barton. Adam, the board is yours.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Question number eight. Okay. Which NBA team does Jokic average the most points against? And I'm going to give you three clues to help you out. Eastern Conference team. No former Nuggets currently on the roster. And the most recent player to play for both the Pacers. Oh, my gosh. It's the Pacers. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I made one of my clues include the name.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
It was supposed to be the last player to play for both teams is no longer in either team, which is Bruce Brown. Anyways, I'm going to give you a different question. I'm going to come up with another question on the fly. OK, the average Jokic shot attempt comes from 10.6 feet away from the basket.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Among Nuggets players who average at least 20 minutes per game this season, who is the only player whose average shot distance is closer to the basket than Jokic? That's got to be Aaron Gordon.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
No. I'll double check what I did.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Andrew, would you like to guess? Um... I don't know. 20 minutes a game. Christian Brown, I don't know. Andrew, that is correct. In order. Christian Brown's shot distance, 9.1. Jokic, 10.6. Aaron Gordon, 10.8.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Okay, Andrew, the board is yours. Number five. Question number five. Nikola Jokic has already attempted seven heaves this season. Shots beyond half court. For his career, he is 0 for 35 on heaves. In fact, as a team, there's only one player on the current Denver roster who has ever shot and made a heave.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
You just got to guess.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
He's never done it, Andrew, in his entire career. Yeah. Adam, that blows my mind.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Wow. Okay. Adam, you've controlled the board and you're up three to two. Let's go number seven here. Question number seven. Jokic is averaging 17 two-point attempts per game this season, the most in his career. Among active players, he is one of only eight guys who have attempted that many two-point attempts per game in a season, not necessarily this season, just during their career.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
So we're going to name the other seven players. So these are active players who at some point during their career averaged over 17 two-point attempts per game in a season. And you're going to guess, and then Andrew will guess, and we'll go back and forth until one of you stumbles. So I would guess Giannis. Giannis is correct. That's a good one. Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Butler has been unable to get an extension done with Miami. He can opt out of his contract this summer, but no one really has cap space. Everyone's worried about the new CBA rules. And Jimmy turns 36 before next season. Will he be the first big name traded at the deadline? Or is he going to be one of the first stars that is really affected by the realities of this new CBA?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Kevin Durant. Andrew is incorrect. Wow. Amazing. That sounds wrong.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Any other guesses? Just for fun? Shaq, I would have guessed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Let me see how close you were, Andrew. Oh, one season. Oh, nine, 10. Yeah. Took 16.1. Uh, what about AD? Yeah. Anthony Davis is one. Yeah. Zion's not the other names. Uh, Joel and bead. That one makes sense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
DeMar DeRozan. Makes sense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
The other two, OKC guards, SGA and Russell Westbrook. No. Westbrook makes sense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Definitely. Definitely. You'll be thinking about that. OK, so we do have one question left. I had to make it up on the fly. We're going to do another question like that, because one of the only stats that Nikola Jokic is not number one in for in like Denver Nuggets history is blocks. He's 10th all-time in blocks. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
So we're going to name the other nine players in Nuggets franchise history who have had more blocks than Jokic. So I believe, Andrew, this would have been your question. So you get first guess, and then we'll go to Adam and back and forth. Dikembe Mutombo.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Marcus Camby. Number two. You guys are on a roll. Andrew, it'd be great if you did number three right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Number nine, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
For good reason. Any other names, Adam? Birdman? Birdman tied for number five. All right, man. Bad man. Andrew, back to you. Nuggets, big men.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Those were the top stories this week, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Andrew. There are three names left. You guys have done really well, may I say. Very impressed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
this going this I only got one more guess I was gonna say I don't know that I there's one name you might get Andrew that's the other two there's no way I just don't know I mean I don't I I don't think Aaron Gordon's on the list because he hadn't been there long enough but I'll just say Aaron Gordon but I'm quite confident that's wrong
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
You're very confident.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Oh, yeah. He was number 10. That was part of the question.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Okay, English, number five. Issel may be a thing where they weren't counting blocks at that point, because the other two names... Bobby Jones and Wayne Cooper. I don't think you were going to get either of those. I was not going to get there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Adam, you have won Andrew versus the beat.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
All right, Andrew, that was Nuggets Week. Three weeks of Nuggets. So it's almost Nuggets Month. It was Nuggets Month. It's finally time to re-spin the wheel, see what team it lands on, and become a fan of that team for the next week. As a reminder, the last three teams we've land on have gone to combine four and 13 during their wheel of fandom weeks, including two winless weeks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
So do you want this for your team? I don't know. Let's spin the wheel and see who we get. This week's wheel of fandom team will be. The Indiana Pacers. Oh, feels like a bad omen for them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
I remember I was talking about their schedule and they still like a couple. Yeah. Okay. So they play Philly tonight. Then they play the Pelicans on Sunday. And then they start at Phoenix, at Sacramento, at Golden State. Now we're only going to see that at Phoenix. So actually they only play three games this week. So we're limiting the damage. It can only be three games. It can only be three.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
If you're not watching on YouTube, the wheel was spinning and the team right before the Pacers was going to be the New Orleans Pelicans. If that had happened, I might have had to re-spin because I don't know what that might have caused to the Pelicans franchise. What could possibly happen?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Well, Andrew, our top story this week was the NBA Cup elimination round. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the field of eight was whittled down to four. Oklahoma City and Houston in the west, Milwaukee and Atlanta, the Hawks in the east. Houston made it to the Final Four by playing a very entertaining, very disgusting game against the Golden State Warriors, which they won 91-90.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
So honestly, that is more realistic than Dylan Brooks, who is also for some reason has odds.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Yes, because Dyson Daniels could theoretically have a 10-steal game in the final game, and that would be crazy and maybe would be deserving of an MVP. There's no scenario I could imagine where Dylan Brooks wins the MVP. Could you remind me, is the MVP just for the final game, or is it kind of a retrospective award?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Yeah, I mean, of these odds, Andrew... Honestly, the only ones that seem a little nice are those guys at plus a thousand Dame plus a thousand. I mean, you could see the final game and then Trey Young. Although the scary thing about Trey Young is that Jalen Johnson absolutely could have a crazy game where he puts up, you know, like twenty nine, ten and five.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Yeah, but I still think Trey, that's pretty good value because, you know, Trey is going to bring it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
I made a joke to you a week ago because one of our good friends decided to fly out to Vegas to watch the Thunder, and I joked that he's probably going to be watching a Rockets-Hawks final. And suddenly that's becoming much more likely of a possibility. It's possible.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Yeah, it's way more possible than it was a few days ago. So you know what? I'm going to go with Trae Young. I'm going to say Hawks. I mentioned them last week. So I feel like I have to keep going with my gut because I said, why not bet the Hawks at plus 1800? And then I told you, oh, it's probably going to be Hawks and Rockets in the finals. So you know what? I'm going to go with Trae Young.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Plus 1000.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
I'm going to mention it later. I'll bring it up later. Don't worry about that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
Okay, so Andrew, that brings us to our favorites of the week. Yep. Our favorite things that happened in this week of basketball, which is actually a weird week of basketball. Not too many teams played. It was the NBA teams and then like the Raptors randomly had two games. So we're going to start off with the favorite quote of this week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
All right, Andrew, my favorite quote this week comes from Rockets general manager Rafael Stone. He told ESPN when talking about head coach Emi Odoka. He's not particularly happy when someone scores on Amen. In Ime's world, this should be an impossibility. And if it occurs, it's because Amen did something wrong. Just a great quote. You know, Amen Thompson's obviously a great defender.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
If you like the idea of combining the vibes of a game from 2003 with the three-point attempt rate of a game from 2024... This was the game for you. The two teams combined to go 18 of 65 or 28% from three. Houston, the team that won the game, shot 22% from three. Now, when was the last time the Rockets shot that poorly from three and one? Well, guess what? Not that long ago.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
I don't know if he's so good that it should break your brain. It should break your worldview when he is scored on. I mean, I think it is a possibility, but, you know, we're going to watch a Thunder Rockets game coming up on Saturday night. And if he's not there already, I do see Amin Thompson as a good candidate for like best SGA defender in the league in the next few years.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
because he has that combination of size, athleticism, and strength, which you really need all three of those to guard SGA. And I was looking at some stats about Amin Thompson. So of the 15 two-man lineups that have played at least 300 minutes for the Rockets, Amin Thompson appears in four of their top five, including the best one, which is Amin Thompson and Alperin Shingun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
When those two are on the court together, Houston has a plus 17.5 net rating. For context, that two-man lineup, isn't just the best on the Rockets. That is the best net rating of any two-man lineup in the NBA that has played at least 300 minutes. And they're just such a fun pair because neither of them shoot the ball.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
And in this era of three-point prowess, the age of Steph, the fact that those two guys together are the best two-man lineup in the league is pretty funny.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
One month ago, the Rockets won both games of a back-to-back while shooting under 22% from three in both games. Now, while most NBA fans seem to enjoy the energy and competitiveness of the cup games, there were some who reacted to the final four teams by expressing concern about the ratings for the upcoming games, given that none of the big markets made it to Vegas.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
I think we're at the point where you can't even have a favorite destination. It's just like, what is a possible destination? Because there really only are a couple. Of the teams that they mentioned, the ones that you can...
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
only kind of get like to believe is golden state and houston yeah i don't really buy the houston thing i just yeah i don't know why they would do that when they're same amex same amex said on the nba daily yesterday that he didn't believe that there was that much interest from the rockets even So now you're down to Golden State.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
I don't understand what the package would be for a Dallas trade since they traded away so many of their picks last year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
So it's really Golden State. So by default, my favorite pick for Jimmy is Golden State. Yeah. That one, you can come up with deals. They do make sense. There's just no indication one way or the other how much interest there is for the Warriors. Would they be willing to give up Wiggins and Kuminga?
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
That's a lot of wing depth to give up for a guy that's going to be 36 and you're going to have to give him a huge deal next year. On the other hand, they're kind of at the end of the road here. Their guys are getting older. Yeah. They probably have one more big splash trade left in them. They have a lot of future picks available to them to trade.
The Athletic NBA Daily
What Happened to the Denver Nuggets? with Adam Mares | Slam N' Jam
I just don't know if Jimmy would be my first pick for them. It's not a bad option, but I don't know if it would be my first pick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
Offensively, after averaging only 1.3 post-ups per game last season, he averaged over four per game this season, tied for second most per game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
Yeah, he's tied with Shingun and Giannis and scoring a very solid 1.06 points per possession on those post-ups. He had a career high 35 this year. He scored almost 17 points per game, which for me is the definition of I wasn't familiar with your game because I did not know he could have that sort of consistent offensive impact night in, night out. So he gets the award for me.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
On Sunday, the Lakers got a dominant 126-99 win over the No. 1 seed Thunder in OKC, a game in which they made 15 three-pointers in the first half, tying a franchise record for most threes in a half. Two days later... It was Groundhog Day because the Lakers were once again playing the Thunder in OKC and once again hit 15 threes in the first half, tying a franchise record for most threes and a half.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
Yeah, he's been great. I mean, honestly, the only negative thing you could say is that he's their best player. And like, how far can you get? Like, how are they going to get that next player? You know, how are they going to find a top 20 guy to pair with Denny?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
But at least they have him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
I'm a Bub guy. I'm a Bub guy. Our next award, the future is now old man award. This award goes to the player who we believe will be universally considered a top 20 player by the end of next season. Okay. Top 20. It's a big jump. Big jump. My choice for this award is Franz Wagner.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
And I think if the magic season had gone the way it was looking early on, we might already be thinking of Franz that way. But because of the injuries, because it's been so many months since the NBA community at large has even thought about the magic. I was thinking about like listening to national NBA pods, how long it's been since I've heard a magic segment.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
I think as a result of that, his season's gone under the radar a little bit. And assuming they make some much-needed moves this summer to bolster that offense, next season, Andrew, year of the fronts. He put up career highs across the board. Year of the fronts. Put up career highs as far as counting stats. He's right around 24, 6, and 5 per night.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
Got his free throw attempts up over five per game. Now, the three-point shooting, obviously still an issue. But I really loved everything else we got from Franz this season as his usage skyrocketed. Did you know he was top 10 in usage this season? Over 31% usage. I think he was like at 25 last season. And that stretch he had early in the season when Paulo went out, it was incredible.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
And I'm just making a bet that as their offense and spacing hopefully improves, things are going to get easier for Franz. They're going to get easier for Paulo and their ceilings are going to start being fully realized. So that is my pick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
Now, the game was much closer this time, however, with Luka hitting a shot with 742 left in the game to put the Lakers up by one. Unfortunately, while trying to shout a couple expletives at a fan after the maid basket, ref JT Orr was in his sightline and assumed that Luka was yelling at him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
Now, Andrew, I noticed that you left Luke Cornett off of your list. Why are you ignoring Luke Cornett?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
I am too. Guys that play significant minutes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
Future starting center, Luke Cornett. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
That would be something. By the end of next season, Luke Cornett was considered top 20.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
That would be my greatest call of all time. Okay. Our next award, the time traveler from August, 2025 award. Yeah. The time traveler shows up from August, 2025. And they only have time to tell you about what happened to one team. This upcoming off season, you get to learn about what happened to the draft free agency, any trades. And this award goes to the team we would pick in that scenario.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
And for me personally, It's an obvious one. It is the Houston Rockets, just because they have the most stuff going on. First, even if they don't jump up, they're likely going to have a top 10 pick in this draft. And I'm so interested to see how they handle drafting and potentially incorporating another high pick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
seeing how hard it's been for guys like Cam Whitmore or Reed Shepard to really break into this rotation and have a big role. But maybe it's time for a big move, and maybe that pick will be involved in a star trade. They will be one of the few teams that can have cap space. With the rise of Amin Thompson this season, do they start reorganizing their team building around him a little?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
Luka was assessed a second technical of the game and ejected, leading to a 29-12 finish for OKC, who picked up their 65th win of the season. The Lakers next game was one of the more anticipated games of the season with Luca returning to Dallas for the first time since Nico Harrison decided his Wikipedia entry needed an update.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
Houston has been incredibly patient, to their credit, but it feels like this is the summer where they are primed for a big move. On the other hand, what if they make a run in the playoffs? What if they make a surprise run to the conference finals? How would they handle that? There's so many ways this summer can go for Houston, and that's why they'd be my first choice when that time travel arrives.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
Yeah, I was encouraged by some of the things I read about David Edelman. It seems like the players really like him. Apparently, he was going to be a hot name on the coaching market. Like Portland might have been interested in him if they moved on from Chauncey Billups.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
But yeah, thinking about like building around Jokic, it kind of reminds me of like the old hardened teams where it really did feel like you could just stumble into 50 to 55 wins every year. You know, if you just put just some regular NBA players around him and it just feels like they still haven't like maximized it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
You know, Houston had a couple seasons where they I mean, they were in like the 60s, you know, and the fact that this Jokic team, the most wins they have has been 57 last year. You know, it just feels like a Jokic team should be able to win 60 games. You should be able to put a team around Nikola Jokic that wins 60 games. But they've struggled to do that so far. So, yeah, I'm interested as well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
Next award, the Pleasant Surprise Award. This award goes to the player or team we were most pleasantly surprised by. And for me... This story starts back in the 2021 season. The Thunder were in the midst of their first tanking season. And as fans of tanking teams know, it's very easy to start talking yourself into whatever random player your GM has added to the roster.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Awards "The Slammies" + The Blazers Future | Slam N Jam
The Mavericks played a pregame tribute video for Luca, which left him visibly emotional as the game started. The tears didn't slow him down, however, as he dropped 45 in his return, leading the Lakers to the 112-97 win.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Moses Brown, Tao Maladon, Darius Baisley, Isaiah Roby. Each of these players had a moment where different factions of the Thunder fan base decided, hey, this is a real guy. And Sam Presley is a genius. For me, that guy was Ty Jerome. Now, in his first season, he only played 33 games, but he was awesome.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And I became very obsessed with a stupid small sample stat in over three pick and roll possessions per game as a ball handler. Ty Jerome was generating one point one nine points per possession. Now, for context, this season, SGA and Tyrese Halliburton lead the league in pick and roll ball handler efficiency. One point one. points per possession. Ty Jerome was off the charts, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Now, was it only 100 possessions total? Yes. And did it crater to 0.89 points per possession in his second season with OKC? Also, yes. Yes, it did. I was still convinced that Ty Jerome was a guy. And when he went to Golden State, I thought, OK, this is his chance. And he was solid, but he didn't stick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And then he barely played for the Cavs last season after getting injured in the second game of the season, which was actually against OKC. And I kind of forgotten about him at that point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So when it all finally came together this season, I was just so pleasantly surprised to not just see him back on a roster, but the fact that he was doing it on one of the best teams in the league and making them better. just made it really awesome. And now it just feels like locked in like Ty Jerome.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I mean, people are talking about him as like, I saw some people putting him third and like most improved player or talking about him as like a, you know, maybe not like a six man or seventh man of the year type of award type of thing. He's just been awesome.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And it's just very fun to think back to those early tanking days and how obsessed we were with, I mean, Sfima, Hiluk, you know, I was getting into all these guys, Hamadou Diallo and, And Ty Jerome ends up being the best out of that bunch.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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At the end of the game, Mavericks fans could be heard loudly chanting, fire Nico, with a courtside video showing former owner and guy who thought he would still get to run the team after selling it, Mark Cuban, in significant distress as the chants continued.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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In an article this week on ESPN, Tim McMahon reported that team sources told him the decision to trade Luka will probably cost the franchise nine figures over the next several years as they are projected to lose revenue due to dwindling crowds, plummeting merchandise sales, and sponsors severing ties with the team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I mean, shout out to the Rocket Star, the Slammys so far. They've been picking up so much hardware tonight, Andrew. It's unfortunate. All right, our next award, the At Least You're Not Nico Harrison Award. Now, this award goes to the worst in-season decision that does not involve Nico Harrison. So you can't pick the Luka trade. And I'm going with the De'Aaron Fox trade.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Now, I think if you look at the value in a vacuum, it's not the worst trade I've ever seen. But why I hated that trade was that I felt it showed a complete lack of vision from the King's front office. They were the 10th seed when they made that trade.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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The odds of them getting better in the short term in any Darren Fox trade was always going to be low because he was going to be the best player in any deal. But instead of using that trade as an opportunity to pivot, They made treading water the priority in that deal. And they're a great example of how the play-in has warped our view of where teams are at.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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They are seven and a half games back of the eighth seed. They are not a good team. They aren't close to being a good team in this Western Conference. And two seasons from now, the 26-27 season, DeRozan is going to be 37. Levine and Sabonis will be on the wrong side of 30. And the Kings will have just under 150 million committed to those three.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Unless you think Zach Levine is going to turn down his $49 million player option. They've locked themselves into this older core that has no chance of competing in this Western Conference. And they could be fighting just to make the play in in future seasons as younger teams like San Antonio, New Orleans and Portland improve.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So if you knew that swapping Fox for Levine wasn't going to make you better, which I think everyone would have agreed with at the time, why would you trade for him? It's not like they were trading for a contract that they could potentially flip for value later. The reporting for two seasons now was how cold the market was for Zach Levine. And Chicago's return in that deal supports that idea.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So what was the vision with that trade? They made themselves worse, which I think was inevitable. That's not a problem. But they also limited their future flexibility by trading for the Levine contract, and the upside is a couple picks, the best of which won't convey until 2031. I just think that trade was really bad and is only going to look worse in these next couple seasons.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And they're fine.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Now, I wanted to end this part with some good news, but I couldn't really find anything for the Mavs. However...
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And Johnny Davis.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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i did google the nhl standings and the dallas stars are second in the west now they are on a four game losing streak and they did get shut out by those damn winnipeg jets in their last game but when you've got miko the moose rontanen signed through 2033 and wyatt johnson at only 21 you gotta be feeling good now also this week we had several teams finishing their season strong three teams currently are on a six game winning streak
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And hey, shout out to the Kings, because I do think that Jake Laravia pickup was very nice, considering they basically didn't have to give up that much at all.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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um next award we got three left andrew best take of the year now this award goes to the take that we are most proud of we and for me we for me it was being out on the grizzlies uh pretty early as a contender i We did a nice little setup for you right there, Al. Yeah, you did. I was sniffing it out early, Andrew. I didn't like what I was seeing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I didn't understand why everyone was getting excited about the Grizzlies. They had by far the easiest schedule. And yes, they did beat the Celtics, and that's why I shut up about it after that. But I didn't change my beliefs about that team. And as soon as their schedule turned in the new year, It has just been – I mean, I think they only have 14 wins against teams with a record of 500 or better.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That is fewer than the Chicago Bulls. That's fewer than the Atlanta Hawks, just to give you some context. And more broadly, I just never understood the idea of – Considering a team, a serious contender that was starting two rookies.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Now, maybe there was some expectation of being a season that by the end of the season, you know, that might have changed with, you know, Vince Williams coming back or whatever. But yeah, I just never bought into this Grizzlies team. They're obviously still a good team and they still have a lot of talent.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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But I think going into this offseason, like there has to be something else added to this team to really help them get over the hump. I think they can be a good team. They can be one of these teams that finishes as like a two or three seed, but I'm still just not convinced that they are ready to be in that contender conversation yet. And some of that is jaw like jaw has to.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I mean, he's been playing a lot better lately. He has to play like that over the course of an entire season to like really buy into them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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In the East, the Pacers picked up their sixth straight win by beating a shorthanded Cavs team, locking in a top four seed. The Bucks are also on a six-game winning streak, picking up a very impressive win over the Wolves this week, a game in which they trailed by 24, only 10 minutes left in the game. Milwaukee finished that game on a 39-8 run.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, I didn't mention it, but Risa Shea, career high, 38 points this week. Yeah. Very impressive. Yeah. And I think going into the season, I'm sure Spurs fans were feeling good. They were thinking, ooh, we might get a juicy pick. And they still might end up getting a lottery pick if Atlanta doesn't get out of play. But, you know, right now that's the 15th pick in the draft.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And I think going into the season, you probably were expecting, oh, that might be closer to like a top 10 pick. So credit to the Hawks. Now, Andrew, it's our worst take of the year award. The award goes to the take that we are most embarrassed by. And this didn't happen on this podcast, but it was on Down to Dunk. We do over-unders every year. And I took the...
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Cleveland Cavaliers under, which was such a bad take at the time. And I should have there were so many signs, not pointing them to be this great of a team, but there's so many signs pointing them to be better.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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You know, the whole idea with Darius Garland having this jaw injury coming back, having a new coach that everyone kind of universally agrees is was a good coach, you know, based on what he had done in Brooklyn. With Kenny Atkinson. And I think what happened with me is I liked some of these other East teams more. For instance, like the Philadelphia 76ers, who I took the over.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And as a result, I was like, well, I got to take someone under. I was just focused on the wrong teams. And I didn't take the Cavs as seriously as I should have. Which makes me feel bad because when we started this podcast, they were the first team I picked for surprise team. And that was when they had drafted Evan Mobley. They came out and they were the surprise team that year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And I felt like I abandoned them this year. And so I am embarrassed by that. And it was so wrong.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So that brings us to our final award. It's not really award. It's the bold prediction for the NBA playoffs award. I'm just realizing the sequence of these and what I'm about to say. So first of all, making a bold prediction is, I feel like it has to be something that you are uncomfortable saying, that you feel dumb when the words come out of your mouth. For sure.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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The third team on a six-game winning streak is the LA Clippers. During a win over a shorthanded Rockets team on Wednesday, Avicii Zubac had his first career triple-double, capping off an impressive season. The Clippers finished their season at Sacramento and then at Golden State, a game that will have huge seeding implications.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I feel like it's kind of hard to do that in the Western Conference because you could kind of make a case for any of these things. Unless you're saying like the Kings are going to win the first round series or the Mavs are going to win. Outside of that, you can kind of believe anything. So I was trying to think of something that would be bold but is like kind of believable.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So what I settled on coming off of the very last award, the Pacers are going to make their second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals. Now, here's the case. Since December 13th, that's 54 games. They have the fourth best record overall in the NBA. Not just the fourth best record. They've won 70%, over 70% of their games in that 54-game span.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That's kind of incredible because I don't think people are thinking of them in that way. But that's a huge chunk of the season. They were just so bad at the start that now you just look at them and it's like, oh, yeah, they're a four seed. They beat Cleveland this week. I don't really care about that because Cleveland was shorthanded.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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But there is at least something we can look back on, which is that they beat Cleveland at home when Cleveland was at their absolute peak. They ended a Cavs 12-game winning streak at that point in the season. So they've at least shown that they match up decently with the Cavaliers. Now, the Cavaliers are going to be the overwhelming favorites if that ends up being the matchup in round two.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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But if I'm trying to think of a potential upset, something that would be surprising, that would be bold, I think the Pacers are about the best I can do. They're the one that like it wouldn't. I mean, I don't know if I should say it wouldn't shock me. It would be very surprising. But I think we look back on it as like, well, look what they've been.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And like the second two thirds of this season, like they've been a really good team. They've matched up well against Cleveland this season. So why not? So that is going to be my bold prediction for the NBA playoffs. Wow. That is bold.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Guaranteed bold. Can't say it's not bold.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I think that will be the popular upset pick in round one. Okay, not bold enough. Can you, okay, how about this? How many games? Here we go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That's the point. You have to feel really weird when words come out of your mouth.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Golden State could have solidified their place in the West this week before this matchup with a couple of easy games, but instead they lost to San Antonio on a buzzer beating three by former dub Harrison Barnes. The loss has thrown the Warriors seating into jeopardy and that Clippers game on Sunday may decide if they will fall into the plan or finish in the top six.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And yeah, you're you're wait, you're picking the Pistons because you like their media members, Andrew. That's what I think about them. I can't I can't separate them. So sure. Sure. For Bryce Simon. Sure. You're making your playoff picks and you're just thinking, I like James Edwards. He's such a nice guy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I forgot. Oh, my gosh. I feel like we'll always associate James with the Pistons, even though he is literally on the opposite team now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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All right, Andrew, it is time for the Wheel of Fandom, the weekly segment where we spin a wheel, lands on a team, and we become fans of that team for the next week. Last week, the wheel landed on the Portland Trail Blazers. Now, the Blazers' play in dreams were officially eliminated this week. After their second half push, during which they had an above 500 record, they had a positive net rating.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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The Blazers are now, though, waiting for the draft lottery, where they will likely have the ninth or 10th best odds per cleaning the glass for the season. The Blazers have the 23rd ranked offense, 17th ranked defense. Andrew, if the Blazers are a favorite team, who is our guest?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Finally, we get another name added to this year's Hall of Fame class. Dwight Howard has been elected as a first ballot Hall of Famer. Howard was an eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA player, led the Magic to a finals appearance in 2009, and eventually got his own ring with the Lakers during the bubble in 2020.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Well, Andrew, the top story this week was the Denver Nuggets, who made firing Taylor Jenkins with nine games left in the season look pretty reasonable because on Tuesday, with only three games left in the season, the Nuggets fired both head coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So Scoot Henderson, his rookie season was a little bit worrying, but he seemed to find his footing this season, proved his efficiency, shot 38 percent from three on good volume in his final 46 games. So now that Blazers fans kind of breathe a little easier, knowing that he's probably not a bust, what parts of his game does he need to develop for him to take that next step?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He's got to make layups.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Howard was known for his defensive prowess, making five all defensive teams and winning deep boy three consecutive seasons from 09 to 2011. He finished his career as the Magic's all time franchise leader in points, rebounds, blocks, free throws and minutes played. So congrats to Dwight. And those were the top stories this week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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What do you think that is? Because, you know, at least last year he shot, you know, over 80% from the line. He seems to be developing his touch from the outside. Like, is it a touch issue around the rim or a footwork issue?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Before I ask you about the draft lottery, I did want to ask about Shaden Sharp because he seems to have taken like a kind of nice post-All-Star break jump. You know, he's playing a little better post-All-Star break. How much of that do you feel is real?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Or is there anything that he's done post-All-Star break that you can really point to and feel like, OK, this can definitely carry over to next season?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay. So thinking now about the draft outside of the obvious names, obviously it'd be wonderful to jump up and get Cooper flag. That would be an amazing fit. But is there anyone in the mid lottery that you're already thinking about someone you like that you think might fit with this current blazers roster?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, no kidding. I would really love Vijay for them. Not in that scenario where they're choosing between Dylan Harper and Vijay, but Vijay just having a defensive guy in that backcourt to go along with Shaden Sharp and Scoot Henderson. I just think that would be really cool.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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The season-ending Slammys. Season ending Slammys. How exciting. The Slammys, we do them roughly two to three times per year. I think I always say we're going to do them three times and then we always do them two times. And our first award, we've got 10 of them, I think, is brought to you by BetMGM because it's the stat of the season award. This award goes to our favorite stat this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I wonder if that has been eased up at all with this Cronin extension where he's not like under the gun and it might feel like he has to make a move. But I can certainly understand it from like a Blazers fan position because it has now been, you know, it would be like four or five years at that point where you kind of go into the season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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If they do make those kind of big moves, kind of knowing that they're not going to be in the playoffs again. But I don't know. I feel like there was so much improvement from the young guys. And then the combo of Denny and Tumani is just like such a fun combo to watch. And so I don't know. As a neutral observer living in Portland who gets good at a lot of Blazers games, I would enjoy it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I would enjoy not having to see some of the older guys on the roster play and just play the young guys. But I could understand why some Blazers fans would be frustrated.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Well, Mike, thank you for answering all of our Blazers questions. It is now time to play Andrew versus the beat our weekly trivia show where Andrew goes head to head against NBA beat writer this week, Mike Richmond from the locked on Blazers podcast. Now, Mike, how this works. I've come up with eight questions about the Blazers. You're going to give me a number between one and eight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And my stat is about the Houston Rockets. And currently the Rockets, who are the second seed, In this Western Conference, a mile with all these teams bundled up, they have the seventh best odds in the West currently to win the West, plus 2,200. It's absurd. It's absurd to me. Because I've been one of these people who have doubted the Houston Rockets all season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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It will correspond to a question. If you get it right, you'll get at least two points. If you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal for one, and then we'll go back and forth until all the questions have been asked and answered. So to start us off, I just need a number between one and eight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I hope he was eight. Otherwise, there's going to be Blazers fans already yelling at you.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He was six. We'll go six with Bonzi Wells, and we'll be embarrassed. Okay, Anthony Simons. You know, honestly, didn't have a great season, I didn't think, but he did hit a career high 215 three-pointers this season, moving him into third place all time for most three-pointers made Blazers franchise history.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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We're going to name the other nine players in the top 10 for most threes in Blazers franchise history. How this works, you'll give me a name, and then Andrew will give me a name, and we'll go back and forth until one of you stumbles. So who would you like to start with?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Let me scroll here. And he is on the list. Number one. Correct. Andrew. Oh, boy. C.J. McCollum. Number two on the list. Back to Mike. Wesley Matthews. Number four on the list. Recently supplanted by Anthony Simons. Wow. So, Andrew, back to you. What about Damon Stoudemire? Damon Stoudemire. He was number seven on the list. That's correct. Back to Mike. Terry Porter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Terry Porter was number five on the list. Back to Andrew. Four names left. You guys are doing great. What about Batum?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Woo, Nicholas Batum, number six, Andrew. So you guys are doing great. All you got left, eight, nine, and ten. You do a clean sweep here. So back to Mike.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Cliff Robinson. Is he on the list? Yes, he is. Number nine on the list. Back to Andrew. Andrew, there's only two names left. Can you get one of them?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Clyde, Drexler, Andrew... He is number 10 on the list. That means we've gotten to the final name. It is number eight on the list, eighth in Blazers franchise history, most made threes, and it is up to Mike to get it. Can you name number eight?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Andrew, do you have any names left, or was that your last hope?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Oh, yes, they're having a very nice season. But am I really going to take them seriously in the playoffs? I think depending on who they match up with, they could be an underdog in their first round series, that 2-7 matchup. And one of the things that people don't like about the Rockets or that gives them pause is their offense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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It's kind of a surprising name because he didn't play in Portland for all that long, and it wasn't really the three-point era. It was Steve Blake.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Double first name. Congrats. You guys got nine to ten. That's pretty good. The board is yours, Andrew. I'll go number one. Question number one. Denny Avdia is averaging 7.3 rebounds per game at 6'9". Who was the last Blazer who was 6'9 or shorter to average more rebounds per game than Denny?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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7.3. Basically just a short guy, Andrew, okay? You don't have to make it too complicated. A short guy who got a lot of bounds. More bounds than Denny. Is it Bonzi Wells? The aforementioned? Incorrect, Andrew. Mike, any guesses? Is it Scotty? It is not. It is actually very recent. He only played 50, I think 51 games that season because he was traded to the New York Knicks. It is Josh Hart.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Josh Hart. Oh, my gosh. Averaged over eight games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Wow. Okay, Mike, board is yours.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Martel Webster. Okay, here we go. Portland. has had 113 clutch minutes this season. Okay, that's minutes where the game is within five points with five or fewer minutes left. There are only two NBA teams with fewer clutch minutes. Who are they? Who are they? Who are they? And as a hint, kind of a hint, these two teams have significantly fewer clutch minutes than Portland. That helps you at all.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Which, you know, for the season 11th, if you look at their offensive rating by month, 9th, 21st, 13th, 8th, 24th and then 7th. But what I think is really interesting and is my stat of the season is that against teams with a top 10 point differential, the best teams in the league. The Rockets are fifth overall in offensive efficiency. Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So Portland's at 113. These two teams significantly less. I'm up first. Yes. I'll guess our beloved Washington Wizards. That is correct for one point. Can you get the other team?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, that's it. Got it. Both of them. Boom. Two points. Nice. All right. Andrew, board is yours. Number two. Thank you. Okay. Seven is still available. I just accidentally marked it out. Two. When this player's on the court, Andrew, the Blazers are 6.4 points per 100 possessions better on offense. The best mark on the team, according to Cleaning the Glass. Who is it? Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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When this guy's on the court, the offense is hubbing. What about Time Lord? Rob Williams. Good guess, Andrew, but that is incorrect. Mike, you have a chance to steal for one point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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It is Scoot Henderson. Wow. Isn't that kind of impressive?
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That is true. I'm looking at all of the guys who the defense swings the most. And it's all the bench guys. It's like Jabari Walker, T Stiebel, Chris Murray, Robert Williams. That makes sense. Okay. Mike, you've controlled the board. You also have a commanding lead three to one. I'll go three. Question number three. Donovan Klingin has already racked up 105 blocks in his rookie season.
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Who was the last Blazers rookie to have that many blocks in their rookie season?
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Joel Prisbilla. That is incorrect. Andrew, you have a chance to steal. last Blazers rookie to have at least 105 blocks in their rookie season. Joel Prisbilla is a great answer. I love Joel Prisbilla.
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Yeah. Andrew, that is also incorrect. The correct answer used to go all the way back. keep uh no let's go all the way back to the 84 85 season sam yeah wow all right andrew board is yours three questions remain you got to get some points andrew yeah it's not going well uh number four number four Shaden Sharp has 65 dunks so far this season. Now, I wrote this question before the Utah Jazz game.
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So when they've played the best teams in the league, their offense has stepped up and they've been one of these teams that has absolutely like played up to their competition. You know, sometimes when you see a team like this who goes on a nice run and kind of has a surprise. Oh, my gosh, it's a surprise to seed.
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I don't even actually know if Shaden Sharp's playing in that game. He is. Oh, he is. Okay, so he may have more. He may have 75. He may have 10 dunks in the game, Andrew. But he had 65 when I made this question. At only 6'6", He's one of only seven players in the league who are 6'6 or shorter and have that many dunks this season. Can you name two of the other short dunkers?
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Okay, so there's six other short dunkers out there. You get one point per correct answer, and I'm going by their basketball reference listed height. So they have to be 6'6 or shorter. 6'6 or shorter dunkers. A lot of dunks. Yeah, short dunkers.
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J Dub is one of the answers, Andrew. Okay. Correct. For one point.
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Any other guesses? You could tie the game up, Andrew. I would like to do that. I would like to do that.
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Oftentimes it can be because they're just beating up on all the bad teams and they're just OK against the good teams. That's not really the case with Houston. They've actually been very good against the good teams in the league. In fact, they have the second best record in the West against teams that are 500 or better.
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That is correct, Andrew. You got both points. Good job. Mike, when you were sitting there, were you thinking of any names?
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surprisingly no he would qualify but he does not have that many dunks yeah i thought he would be there too doesn't like i mean yeah and like and jaw but he swore off dunking for whatever like a game and a half and then he doesn't because he missed so many games yeah yeah it is sad that both those it's sad that both those guys don't dunk more honestly yeah don't dunk more you agree
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Steph castle as a rookie is doing it. Zach Levine, who I just always forget about as a dunker, but yes, he's, he's a big dunker. He's a dunker. Cool. Bali, who I thought was taller than six, six. Wait, what? He's listed at six, six on basketball reference.
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Wow. I know again, I just had to go buy something. And then Derek Jones jr. Again, thought he was taller than six, six. He's apparently six. Well, he's six, five on basketball reference. That was the other name. Okay, so that brings us to a tie game with only two questions remaining. Mike, would you like five or seven? I'll go five. Question number five.
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Now, Malone ends his 10-season run with Denver as the franchise's winningest coach, leading them to the 2023 championship. Calvin Booth, he traded for KCP. He drafted Christian Brown. Two important moves for the Nuggets title run, but things had gotten rockier since then with Booth and Malone butting heads over team building philosophy and roster decisions.
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Robert Williams made his first career three-pointer this season. How many career three-point attempts does Time Lord have? Now, before you answer, you get to choose who answers first. So you can make Andrew answer, and then you just have to go higher or lower. Or you can answer, and Andrew goes higher or lower.
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Now, the risk is that if you make Andrew answer, and he gets it exactly correct, he would get a bonus point. So what would you like to do?
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Okay. Andrew, Mike has set the over-under at seven. Would you like to go higher or lower? I'll go higher. Higher. Well... In a slam and jam first, Mike has just won the week. No way. Even though there's one question remaining because he got it exactly correct, which means he gets a bonus point. Which means he has six points now to three. He has won the week.
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So I think it's at least, you know, as we as we get these matchups, at least worth considering, are we underrating the Rockets a little bit, at least in maybe these first two rounds? So that is my stat of the season award. Even just round one. Yeah, just round one.
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Now, he's still got one question left, but that was amazing. You nailed it. Seven points. Three-point attempts. Seven three-point attempts. Wow. Now, I'm very sad that this last question won't end up mattering, but I do love this question. You can make it count for three points if you wanted two or four points. No, it counts for two. Andrew, you can get within one.
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You can lose by one if you get this right. Okay. The Blazers' original mascot was Bigfoot. OK, actually, Bigfoot was played by a former blazer. It was a former blazer in the costume of Bigfoot. Wow. He only lasted from 1987 to 1989. Bigfoot's time as a mascot came to a premature end after an in-game skit caused the opposing coach to complain to the media. What was the offending skit?
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Now I'm going to give you four possible answers and you're going to tell me which of those Bigfoot did that got him ultimately fired.
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And you'll see that there's a pattern to these. Okay. Okay. Was it that Bigfoot crushed a leprechaun under his foot while Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond played? Was it that Bigfoot crushed a model of the Golden Gate Bridge while I Left My Heart in San Francisco by Tony Bennett played? Was it Bigfoot crushed a model of the Hollywood sign while L.A. Woman by The Doors played?
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Or was it Bigfoot crushed multiple models of several American made cars while Detroit Rock City by Kiss played? Which one got Bigfoot fired, Andrew? I'll go with the Leprechaun. The leprechaun crushed under his foot. Andrew, that is incorrect. Mike, do you happen to know this piece of Blazers lore?
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Mike, before you answer, can I ask you a mascot question? Because was the original plan with Dougie to phase out Blaze the Trail Cat, or was it always to have two?
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He was doing a great job. And I, and then Dougie comes out of nowhere and, Got a big old smile on his face.
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Well, the opposing coach was Don Nelson, who was coaching the Golden State Warriors at the time. And Bigfoot crushed a model of the Golden Gate Bridge. So offensive. I love my heart. It's extremely offensive. Extremely offensive.
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Yeah. I don't know why this was so offensive to Don Nelson. And why the Blazers took his criticisms so seriously and fired Bigfoot as a result. I would love to know more about this story. But unfortunately, that's all I have for you. That was all that was on Wikipedia.
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Hey, draft coming up. That's right. Draft season.
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A free bonus stat, Andrew, because it's one I found this week that I thought was funny. We talked about how, you know, games that were decided by three points or less. OKC's only had five of those games this entire season. So I went back and I expanded it to five points. Just a game that ended within five points. Yeah, they've had six of those games. So you have one more game.
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It's crazy how dominant they've been at the end of some of these games where some of these games have been close, you know, five minutes left. And then by the end of the game, you know, it's a 10 point game. Yeah, I went back and looked.
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Things came to a head after the Nuggets lost four in a row and looked at risk to fall into the play-in. has taken over as the Nuggets head coach for the rest of the season and got his first win as head coach against Sacramento on Wednesday night. Adelman started Jalen Pickett in the game and only played Russell Westbrook 16 minutes, his lowest minute total since early December.
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So that brings us to our second award, the quote of the year award. This award goes to our favorite quote of the season. And my quote of the year award, it's a very recent quote. It's a quote from this week because I thought it perfectly summed up what was the biggest story of the year.
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When Jason Kidd was asked to address Mavs fans who feel hopeless post-Luka trade, Kidd said, quote, this is a business. It happens, right? Trades happen. This won't be the last trade. Someone compared it to Babe Ruth, which is kind of cool. Every single opportunity post-trade, anyone who has spoken for the Mavs organization has somehow been able to conjure up the most out-of-touch response.
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It's kind of incredible. You know, Mavs fans are just looking for, like, a glimmer of competence or maybe some genuine empathy to make them feel that someone in this organization cares about the fans. And instead, they've gotten things like Jason Kidd referencing the comparison of a 100-year curse in a positive way. Oh, it's kind of cool. It's kind of cool.
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It feels like everyone in the Mavs organization still hasn't realized the gravity of that trade. And even when they do for a brief moment, the response is that's kind of cool. This trade is the defining moment of this season. And the Mavs obliviousness has been the defining feature of that organization post trade. So congrats to Jake Kidd winning my quote of the year award.
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Reports suggest that Westbrook's playing time and preferential treatment had been one of the issues this season for the Nuggets. Now, after a rocky week, the good news for Nuggets fans is that Jamal Murray, is likely to return on Friday night for a huge matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies. As of now, the Nuggets sit in fourth in the West, one game behind the Lakers, who also had an eventful week.
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Two things. One, I thought it was really funny. Zach Lowe comes back, you know, he's doing his podcast. One of the first things he brings up was about, it should be a quote like, you know, 28 other teams or whatever would try for our roster.
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Yeah. I know. I just thought it was so funny that Zach's been gone for like a year and that's been the quote. It's just, he's just been waiting to talk about. Yeah. And then the other thing, John Hollinger had a good article on the athletic this week, kind of making the case that they, they have to consider a Devin Booker trade. Yeah.
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Yeah, because because it is like they're one out where they could recoup a lot of value because the value that you would get from a KD trade is questionable right now based on him being an expiring contract. I just don't know how much you would get back. So that brings us to our next award. I wasn't familiar with your game award.
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This award goes to the player who changed our opinion about them the most compared to how we felt coming into the season. And for me, listen, I was very wrong about the Clippers, Andrew. You were wrong. We were wrong. There are aspects of getting the Clippers wrong that I can look back on now and say, yeah, I should have seen that.
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You know, James Harden playing a full season and being good after he'd done the same thing last year. I could have seen that coming. Like Norm Powell being able to pick up some of the scoring slack, considering he was almost a 20 point per game score several years in Portland. I could have seen that coming. Chris Dunn being a really good pickup after being good in Utah the previous year.
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If I didn't have my OKC blinders on greedily wanting that Clippers pick to be valuable, I could have seen those things coming. But the thing I don't think I would have ever seen coming was the jump that Evita Zubats had this season. Now, maybe I could have seen him becoming the anchor for a top three defense since that's been his calling card in the NBA.
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And this Clippers team has so many good defenders. But the jump he's made offensively has blown me away. And as I mentioned earlier, what a great week to be talking about him after he has his first career triple-double defensively. putting up 2011 and 10 against Houston.
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That's crazy, and obviously it's very unfortunate because you bring in DeMar DeRozan. One of the reasons why you might feel confident about that fit is, okay, well, at least we got Keegan. He's going to bounce back from last year's 36%, get back over 40%. I know. It is wild. Yikes. Okay, now we're on to favorite player this week. My favorite player this week, Andrew. Damanis Sabonis.
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I got to talk about the Kings. He's been on fire during this Kings five game winning streak. He's averaging during those games, 2015 and seven. I was lucky enough to leave that Kings heat game on for Monday night, despite the Kings being down 17 with only eight minutes left, usually would turn it off, but had nothing else to do watching it.
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Ended up going to double overtime in one of the more entertaining games I've watched this season. Kings won, and Sabonis was a beast. He put up a 21-18-10 line with three blocks and two three-pointers, a couple stats you usually don't associate with Damanis Sabonis. And one of those three blocks was particularly entertaining because of what happened right before.
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Now, for the Cavs, they extended their own winning streak to 11 and are now on a 12-game winning streak after beating the Raptors on the second night of a back-to-back. The Cavs are 33-4. How did the Atlanta Hawks beat them twice in a row, consecutive games?
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So it was a play where Terry Rozier gets a pass underneath the basket. Kings rookie Devin Carter, who's back from injury, very exciting, he jumps from behind to swat the layup attempt that he assumes is coming, but Rozier ducks instead of jumping, and Carter completely hurdles Rozier, barely touching him at all.
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Rozier avoids this massive collision, then he goes up and immediately gets swatted by Sabonis.
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It was a great game. It was nice. It's been nice seeing this Kings team finally get a little juice because there truly is nothing like a good Kings home game in that late TV slot where you're the only one up in the house. You know, everyone's gone to bed and you're just sitting there watching Kings basketball. And listen, maybe it is Doug Christie. Maybe he's working some magic.
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You can't ignore that. He is giving Keon Ellis minutes consistently 30 plus per night. Maybe that is a part of it. But also this newfound juice may just be their end of game luck. Finally turning in their favor. They were six and 13 in clutch games under Mike Brown this season. They are now three and oh, with Doug Christie in those same games. So, regardless, Sabonis has been great.
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He's been balling. The Kings are making a play in push, Andrew. Maybe all is not lost. You know? Maybe there's still a little bit of hope left for these Kings.
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Should we have taken them last week, Andrew? I think they were plus 2,000 to win the division.
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Let me see how far they are behind. I guess it's the Lakers. They're only two and a half back from the Lakers.
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There's rumors they're interested in Cam Johnson, who he is doing what you would expect Keegan Murray to be doing this year as just this like tall shooter knocking down like 45% of his shots or whatever.
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It just seems so weird. We're now down to only six other teams in NBA history that have won at least 33 of their first 37. Four of those six won the NBA championship, and one was the 2016 Warriors, who were up 3-1 in the finals. Wow. Next up for the Cavs is the Pacers, who have won four in a row in 10 of their last 13.
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And as much credit as we're giving the bump from J.B. Bickerstaff to Kenny Atkinson in Cleveland, the bump from Monte Williams to J.B. Bickerstaff in Detroit has also been massive. You still look over this Detroit roster And especially with Jaden Ivey out, it's still not like blowing you away. It's not like they've made some massive changes that you expect them to be significantly better.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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But Malik Beasley shooting 39% on almost 10 three-point attempts per game. That's the type of shooter they were missing. That's the type of shooter a lot of teams are missing. That is super high volume. Yeah, Cade has been great. And that top four for that most improved player, Cade, Evan Mobley, Tyler Hero, Jalen Johnson, that is a really strong...
The Athletic NBA Daily
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class for a most improved player like all those guys are really good i i honestly might lean tyler hero just because i kind of expected the jump from those other three guys sure and i did not see this coming for tyler hero similar to the argument last year for kobe white where I just didn't see it coming. And so I would rather reward that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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You know, Cade, he started really getting better in the second half of last season. And you felt like if they can just get a normal team around him, he'll be good. And that has happened. So I don't know how much he, he definitely has improved. There still are things like, you know, his finishing at the rim, still an issue, his inability to get the line as much as you would think.
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And I know Pistons fans are, that's like an ongoing thing where there's annoyed that Cade can't get calls, but there's still these like obvious things he can improve in his game. So there's more areas for him to get better. I might go with Tyler hero, but all the four of those guys are great options.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Tyrese Halliburton has been warming up over this four-game winning streak, averaging 25 points and 11 assists per game, while shooting 49% from three on almost eight attempts per game. The offense is back on track. They're top 10 again in cleaning glass, and they've crawled their way back up to the seventh spot in the East.
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And his rebounding has bounced back too.
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So that brings us to our final favorite thing of the week, and it is our favorite moment. And for the first time ever, we have decided we had the same favorite moment, which was actually a game our favorite team lost. But it was one of the games of the season, and it was Cavs Thunder on Wednesday night, a game that was perfectly set up.
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I mean, you don't want to give the NBA too much credit because they kind of lucked into this. These two teams, you know, one on a 15 game winning streak, one on a 10 game winning streak, both coming off of two days rest. And I think that was the important part because you saw how good those offenses were in that game. I think cleaning glass had them both at 122 points per possession or better.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, that's wild. it was an awesome game because as good as those offenses were, it wasn't like the defenses were terrible. Like the defenses were playing well. Like those are two really good defensive teams, but the offenses were just clicking. And the Cavs, especially, I mean, their ball movement, really threw OKC off in a way I haven't seen a lot of teams do.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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It was just an awesome game and an awesome showcase for a non-LeBron, non-Stef, non-KD matchup in the NBA. And I'm so glad it ended or it fell on a Wednesday night. on ESPN, like a big, a big platform for that game. Like those are the types of games you have to market.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And I do think the NBA did a good job, you know, like they, they were like tweeting about that game, you know, saying, you know, here are the top 25 reasons to watch Cavs Thunder tonight. Like they were pushing that game. We need to see more of that. And man, if we could ever get to a point where we could have more games on two days rest, I just think it would make for such a better league.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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They're only a game and a half out of the fourth seed, currently held by the Orlando Magic. Who got some good news and some bad news this week?
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Like the games would be so good. instead of all these four games and five nights, second night of a back-to-back, that kind of stuff.
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The bad news happened during a game against the Raptors last Friday night when Jalen Suggs went down with a non-contact back injury, one of the stranger injuries we've seen recently, and another blow to this Magic team that has somehow stayed afloat as all of their best players get injured one after another. Suggs was diagnosed with a low back strain. He's currently without a timetable to return.
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Andrew, it's time for the Wheel of Fandom, the weekly segment where we spin a wheel, it lands on a team, and we become fans of that team for the next week. Last week, the wheel landed on the New Orleans Pelicans, and for a brief moment, it looked like this might be the week that it all turned around for the Pels. They started off the week with two straight wins over the Wizards.
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Their first two-game win streak since the first two games of the season. Then we got news that Zion was coming back after extended absence. And after a competitive loss to the Wolves, things weren't looking so bad. But then the Pelicans had one of their worst losses of the season on Wednesday night when they lost at home to the Portland Trail Blazers 119-100.
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The Blazers, who have a bottom five offense and bottom five defense, scored 75 points in the first half while holding the Pelicans to only 42 first half points. New Orleans is now 7-31, 15th in the West. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Pelicans have the 29th ranked offense and 29th ranked defense. Andrew, if our favorite team is the Pelicans, may God have mercy on our souls. Who is our guest?
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The good news is Paul Bencaro does have a timetable to return as he is expected to return to the floor against the Bucs on Friday night. The Bucs were one of a number of teams this week who decided it was time for some experimentation when it comes to the starting lineup for the Bucs. It was moving Chris Middleton to the bench in an attempt to manage his minutes and injuries better.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So this season, it feels like a lost cause at seven and thirty one, but they still have to play forty four more games.
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It does sound like a lot. How do you anticipate this franchise navigating the second half of the season? Like, do you expect Willie Green to remain as head coach? Do you think David Griffin's going to survive this? How will they approach this second half?
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Another big change happened in Minnesota where head coach Chris Finch read the papers and decided it was finally time to move Mike Conley to the bench in favor of Dante DiVincenzo. Was it the spark Minnesota needed? Well, they've now won three in a row since the change with wins over the Clippers, Pelicans and Magic.
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Their next game should be a good test against the Grizzlies on Saturday, who just got John Morant back after a five game absence. The Wolves are now 20 and 17, only a half game back of the Lakers for the sixth seed. Another team that is trying anything is the Phoenix Suns, who decided to bring Bradley Beal and Yusuf Nurkic off the bench or just DNP Nurk.
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The immediate returns haven't been quite as good as the Wolves, though they are 2-1 in their last three. The only problem is that one was an embarrassing loss to the Hornets, who were on a 10-game losing streak coming into the game. Do the Suns need bigger changes? Maybe someone like, I don't know, Jimmy Butler?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Do you think the trade interest or trade market for CJ would be significantly better than than B.I.? Or is it kind of a similar scenario?
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So one bright spot for Pelicans fans is getting to see their first-round pick, Eves Missy, get extended run this season. He's played the second-most minutes of any 2024 draft pick. What are a couple of his best qualities on the court, and then what are some obvious areas of development?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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This week in the Jimmy Butler saga, Butler was suspended for seven games by the Heat for conduct detrimental to the team. Meanwhile, just a few days after getting reports that Jimmy was open to quote anywhere but Miami, we got new reports from Chris Haynes that actually teams like the Bucks and Grizzlies were told don't trade for Jimmy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Apparently the only team Butler really wants to go to is the Suns because they are the only team willing to give him this big extension this summer. The only problem is the Suns would need to convince both Bradley Beal to waive his no trade clause and the Miami Heat to take probably the worst contract in the league. Will it work? Probably not, but maybe.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Will, thank you for answering all of our Pelicans questions. But it is now time to play Andrew versus The Beat, our weekly trivia show where Andrew goes head-to-head against an NBA beat writer. Will, you're a pro at this. You've probably done this like five times already.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Well, for any first time listeners, I've come up with eight questions about the Pelicans. Will's going to give me a number between one and eight. It will correspond to a question. Some are easy, some are hard. If Will gets it right, he'll get at least two points. If he gets it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal for one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And we'll go back and forth until all the questions have been asked and answered. So, Will, to start us off, I just need a number between one and eight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay, this question is either going to be super easy or impossible. So we'll see. Question number seven, DeJounte Murray averages over nine pick and roll ball handler possessions per game. In those possessions, Murray is generating 0.74 points per possession, which is not good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Since NBA.com started tracking pick and roll data in the 2015-16 season, only one player has been worse in the pick and roll as a ball handler on that many possessions per game. You're going to guess that player, but I'm going to give you four hints to help you out. Hint number one, it was the 2015-16 season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And we've got a month until the deadline, so why not spend a few weeks talking about it? Finally, some quick hitters. The Bulls announced they'd be retiring Derek Rose's jersey next season. Zion Williamson returned from a hamstring injury that has kept him out most of the season. Threw down a sick dunk in a loss to the Wolves.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Hint number two, the player was an Eastern Conference All-Star that season, one of five All-Star appearances in his career. Hint number three, he made an all-defensive team. And hint number four, this player drank two hot chocolates from McDonald's every day.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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First it said before each game, but then I did some more research and it was every day, apparently. Every day. It's a lot of hot chocolate.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That is incorrect. Andrew, do you have a guess?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Kyle Lowry? That is also incorrect. Now, one of my other hints I was going to add, I didn't know if it would give it away. The last team he played for was the Clippers. Does that help at all?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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John Wall? It was John Wall. That's correct. Dang it. You don't get the points, but now you know that he drank two hot chocolates from McDonald's. Drank two hot chocolates every day.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Question number one. The last time New Orleans started off a season this poorly was the 04-05 season when they started 6-32. Oh, my gosh. Who were the top two in three-pointers made for that team? And I did top two because I don't think you will get one of them, but you have a shot at one of them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Trey Young hit a game winner from beyond half court in a game against the Jazz. And the Detroit Pistons became a 500 team for the first time in 434 days. Those were the top stories this week, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I think this was the year before.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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What about J.R. Smith? There you go, Andrew. That's one point. That was the one I thought you'd have a chance at.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Any guesses for the other guy? I think Baron Davis was on that team. Baron Davis? Good guess. He was on the team, Andrew, but he didn't play enough games and hit enough threes. Any guesses, Will? And I will tell you, this is the guy who led the team in three-pointers made. It actually wasn't J.R. Smith. Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Russell Butler, good guess. That's a great one. But it was actually Dan Dickow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That would have been an incredible pull. Okay, Will, the board is yours.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Question number two. Eve's Missy has 52 blocks, which already puts him fourth for most blocks by a Pelicans rookie. Anthony Davis is obviously number one with 112 blocks. Which Pelicans rookies are second and third on that list for most blocks as a rookie? And you do get one point per correct answer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He was number three on the list. You get one point. Can you name who was number two?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That is incorrect. Andrew, you have a chance to steal. David West.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Hilton Armstrong. What about Jason Smith? Oh, no. Cedric Simmons.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yes. I figured I'd trip you up with this because it wasn't a big. It was Herb Jones. Oh, dang it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Man. All right. The game is tied. Andrew, you have control of the board. Number three. Question number three. CJ McCollum tied a career high with 50 points in a game this week against the Wizards. There are only three players in New Orleans franchise history to score 50 points. Anthony Davis, CJ McCollum, and this player.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Will, that is correct.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Oh, Mash. That makes sense. In a game against Memphis way back. He was actually in his 30-year-old season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah. Wow. Okay, Will, you've taken the lead and you have control of the board. Two to one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Question number five. According to Cleaning Glass, I wish Andrew had gotten this question. I feel like Will's going to nail this. According to Cleaning Glass, the Pelicans have the second worst offense in the league. The last time New Orleans offense was that bad was the 2011-2012 season. To get the points for this question, you just have to name four guys who were on that team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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11-12 Hornets. So I'm not going to tell you if you get each one right. You're just going to rattle off four names, and at the end I'll tell you they were all on this team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I think I know who you're going to say.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay. I'm not going to tell you if they're on it or not until you give me four names because I don't want to give Andrew any hints.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay, well, you are wrong. Some of them may have been right, but not all four. So, Andrew, can you get four names from the 2011-2012 Pelicans? Well, then Hornets.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay. It doesn't matter now, so I'm just going to tell you both those first two are correct. Can you get two more? I think Trevor Ariza was on that team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So you were doing great. Jason Smith was on the team. Gustavo Ione was on the team. But then you said Brian Roberts. And unfortunately, he was on the next year's Hornets team. So you were very close.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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There's a lot of names on this team. Jarrett Jack, Marco Bellinelli, Chris Kamen, Grievous Vasquez, Carl Landry, who got a six-man-of-the-year vote, Alfredo Camino, Xavier Henry, Thunder and Knicks legend Lance Thomas was on that team. Yeah. Lance Thomas was on that team. I don't think I would have ever gotten that. No, I wouldn't. Okay, we got a tie game. 2-2. Three questions remaining.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Andrew, board is yours. God, that's one where I cannot believe I only got one point. Four. Four. All right, Eve's Missy has scored 340 points this season, which is good for seventh among all rookies. We're going to name the six rookies who have scored more points than Eve's Missy this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So how this works, Andrew will give me a name, then Will will give me a name, and we'll go back and forth until one of you stumbles. So all you need to tell me is a current rookie who has scored more points than Eve's Missy. More points than Eve's Missy. And I feel like this rookie class makes this question a lot harder. This is really hard.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He did, Andrew, but he was the closest. He was sixth on the list. Yeah. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Living dangerously. Okay. Okay, Will, just need someone in the top five.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He's number two on the list. Back to Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Andrew, that is a crazy name to say. That is incorrect. So, Will, you just have to give me one more name.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Bub Carrington. Now, wait, he should be on this list. Why is he not on this list? Hold on just a second. So the other names on this list, Jalen Wells. Yeah. Jalen Wells is number one overall. Yeah. That makes sense. Okay. Dang it. Yes. Oh, Bob carrying to score 324 points. He must be eighth on the list. Wow. So you don't get the points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Um, also Stefan castle and Alex SAR fourth on the list and points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So this is exciting. Two questions left. Wills control the board. Tie game. 2-2.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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It is. This is like a Pelicans game right now. Number eight, please. Question number eight. Despite being 25th, in the league in three point attempts per game. The Pelicans are one of only four teams in the NBA that has two players taking more than eight three pointers per game. Kind of interesting. Who are the other three teams? And you get one point per correct answer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So these are teams in the NBA who have at least two players taking more than eight threes per game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That is incorrect. Andrew, you have a chance to steal three points if you can get this question right. Boston? Boston is correct for one point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Can you name the three Celtics who take more than eight threes per game?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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What about the Mavericks? That is incorrect. Incorrect, so you do get one point. The other two answers, one you would have... Actually, if you think about it, it's obvious. The Hornets, because LaMelo and Brandon Miller, they're both taking like 11, over 11 per game. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that makes sense. And then the Clippers. I'm assuming it's Harden and Norm Powell.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Oh, yeah. Norm is... He's taking them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay, Andrew. This sets up a final question. If you get it correct, you've won the week. If you get it wrong, we go into sudden death. The question is... One of the players getting a shot in this weird Pelican season is Brandon Boston Jr. What is Brandon Boston Jr. 's career high in points? And you get to choose who answers first.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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You can make Will answer first, and then you go higher or lower, or you can answer first, and then Will will go higher or lower.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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All right. Andrew has set the bar at 28 points. Will, would you like to go higher or lower?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So, Andrew, you are within one of the correct answer. And the correct answer was 21. Seven, which means Andrew wins the week. Yes. Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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All right, Andrew. Well, that was Pelicans week. Now, I did lie to you last week. We thought we were going to do two weeks of Pelicans. We don't have to do that. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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We're actually going to have Sam Vecini come on next week, which means this week when I spin the wheel, this will be a two-week team. So we're going to spin the wheel and see who we're going to be watching for two weeks. Two entire weeks. And the Wheel of Phantom team this week is... If you're not watching on YouTube, the little ticker was right on the border of Boston and Toronto.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, and there was a great quote, well, just like perplexed Kenny Atkinson when they asked him about ethical basketball. He had no idea what they were talking about. It's very funny that that term has survived because I remember it starting with the Chris Paul Suns. I feel like that was the origin.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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We almost got our third bottom five team in a row. But by the slimmest of margins, we will be watching the Boston Celtics for the next two weeks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I was about to reveal my email on the pod, which probably isn't a good idea.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I remember the Timeline podcast in particular, like they made ethical basketball like hats or shirts or something like that. But it has survived now for like five years, keeping up. My quote... is from the GOAT, Joe Mazzulla, quote, that's a coin, in response to Brandon Jennings calling Jason Tatum soft.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Now, that's a coin is a reference to an interview Mazzulla had done earlier this season on a local Boston radio show where he said, quote, what if we all walked around with like five coins, right? And at any point in time, you can just hand one out and you just challenge a guy to like combat. If you do pull a coin on a guy and he beats you up, like that's your fault.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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You've got to either train harder or pick and choose your coins better. Listen, Andrew, there's been a lot of guys in NBA history who are good quotes. No one puts words together the way that Joe Mizzoula does. He says things I've never heard in my life. And I'm sure people eventually get sick of his shtick. They'll get sick of his quotes. Maybe they already have. I will never, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He has a beautiful mind. And that's a coin is just another example of that beautiful mind. I love Joe Mizzoula. It's so ridiculous. He's so great. So that brings us to our favorite stat of the week. And my favorite stat this week is really just an excuse to talk about a player.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So among players who average at least four transition plays per game, the player scoring the highest points per possession, arguably the best transition player in the NBA this season, is... Zach Levine. Zach Levine is scoring 1.34 points per transition play.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Now, to put that into context, since the NBA started tracking individual play types, this was like they've been doing it for about like eight years. The only player who has scored more than 1.34 points per transition play on that kind of volume was 2017 Kevin Durant. KD in his first season as a warrior on one of the greatest teams in NBA history is number one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And number two is Zach Levine on this year's Chicago Bulls. If we still had a comeback player of the year award, it'd be really hard to ignore Levine's case because he hasn't just come back. He is dominating. And this week was his best. He's been all season. He scored 30 plus in four straight games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I watched that Bulls Spurs game this week where he had 35, 10 and eight help bring the Bulls back from a 15 point deficit at the beginning of the fourth. He's having like a similar season to Tyler Hero in that he was also a player who a year ago was considered huge negative on his contract. No one was interested in trading for him. The rumored trade packages were just really sad to hear.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And now having one of his best seasons ever and one of the best seasons in transition in recent memory. More like back Levine.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay, okay. So you're more relying on the inactivity of Karnasovas.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Well, they're probably banking on the Sixers eventually passing them. It just hasn't happened yet. Yeah, yeah. I mean, the Sixers are still only a game back, but you figure this would have happened already, that the Sixers had gotten back into playing range, and they're still in the 11th spot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Andrew, our top story this week was the heavyweight matchups we got, all involving the West's number one seed, the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder had a trio of games this week against the top three seeds in the East. They picked up their two best wins of the season early in the week, beating the Knicks and the Celtics at home.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay. I'm thinking now back to that trivia question. What about Torian Prince? Not Torian Prince, no. He's probably not taking enough. Yeah, he's not high volume. Yeah. Okay, okay, okay. What about Norm Powell?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Oh, man. I'm such a positive guy, Andrew. It's really hard to think of negatives like this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Jalen Brown? No. Tatum?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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The final heavyweight bout, though, was one of the games of the season so far. Thunder Cavs in Cleveland. The game had 30 lead changes, with both teams scoring over 120 points per possession on offense per clean the glass. In the end, it was the Cavs who pulled away at the end, winning the game 129 to 122, which ended the Thunder's 15-game winning streak.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Another Celtic who's shooting at least five? Yeah. Who have I not named on the Celtics?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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They need something, Andrew. This fall, from grace for him, 41% his rookie season, set the rookie record, then 36% last year, and now down to 30%.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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You wouldn't, Andrew? No.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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they might have to you know get off and and as we're talking about like if they go down in the second round pretty meekly that could really change some stuff yeah uh before you go anthony we do have a little game for you now this is not trivia um but this is our nba championship draft this is something we've done for the last three weeks
The Athletic NBA Daily
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You'll be able to see the results of the last three weeks on the right-hand side if you're watching on YouTube. But basically, we're going to draft teams that we think at this point, as of Friday, May 9th, are most likely to win the NBA title. Now, because you are our guest, you get to pick whether you want to draft first, second, or third.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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This is a snake draft, so if you pick third, you'd get the third and fourth pick. And we're only going to draft six teams, which I'm just going to say this up front, this is the most difficult week that we have ever done this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah. Yeah, for the first time, I've taken all East teams, but now, based on how things are going, I am going back home and taking the Oklahoma City Thunder, who could lose tonight. By the time people are listening to this, they could be down 2-1 to the Denver Nuggets. It's possible.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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No, I think that's a good pick because, I mean, we know as Thunder fans, over the last two years, Minnesota has played the Thunder so tough. All those games are disgusting. They have. They're very good defensively against OKC. So at the very least, I could see that series going long. So that's who I was hoping would fall. But go ahead, Andrew. Who do you want?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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It would be between Denver and Indy, but I'm going to go with Buddy. Plus, I made my bold prediction at the beginning of the playoffs that the Pacers were going to make the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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It just seems correct. It did not work out the way I wanted because Cleveland got hurt. Right. Yeah, I just think Indy's playing great right now. Yeah, you should be terrified of Halliburton as well. He seems automatic at the end of these games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah. Leaving Denver off. Yeah. It's, it's the, it's like the injury to Michael Porter Jr. I think is, is relevant. And the fact that they're already thin and they're relying on a guy who's got a busted shoulder, who needs to be one of their best six players. They're just so thin right now. Because they have Jokic, they could still win this series.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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They could be up 2-1 by the time you're listening to this. But I think between Indy and Denver, Indy just has the clear path right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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You mentioned Tatum. Looking over his last three postseasons, he shot 32% from three in the 2023 playoffs, 28% from three in last year's playoffs, currently shooting 32% from three so far in this year's playoffs. Each of those playoffs runs, he's taken seven plus threes per game. What do you think the future is for his outside shot?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Is there a breaking point where he's just not consistent enough as an outside shooter where he has to change his shot profile, even though it's such a big part of the Celtics approach?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So, Jared, you've been around this team for several seasons. You've seen them fall down 0-2 before, most notably in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals against Miami, which they end up losing in seven. How would you compare the mood around the team in this series compared to that infamous series against Miami?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So the other team that was knocked out this week was the Rockets. For the first couple seasons of Alperen Shingun's career, the narrative around him was that he could be Jokic light on offense, but then when he got to the playoffs, he was going to be targeted defensively. We've now seen him in the playoffs, and it was actually his inefficient offense that was more of an issue.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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All right, Jared, thank you for answering all of our questions about the Boston Celtics, but it is now time to play Andrew versus the beat our weekly trivia show where Andrew goes head to head against the NBA beat writer this week, Jared Weiss. Now, Jared, you've played this before. You know how it goes. I've come up with eight questions this time, all about the Boston Celtics.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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You're going to give me a number between one and eight. It'll correspond to a question. If you get it right, you'll get at least two points. If you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal for one. And we'll go back and forth until all the questions have been asked and answered. So, Jared, to start us off, I just need a number between one and eight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay, question number seven. According to Cleaning the Glass, when this Celtic is on the floor during this year's playoffs, the Celtics' offense is 22.9 points per 100 possessions better than when he is off the floor. Who is it?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That means, Andrew, you have a chance to steal. Celtics offense is just amazing when this player has been on the court in the playoffs. Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Peyton Pritchard. I guess that would make sense. Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Number one. Question number one. Oh, this is great. Last week, one of our trivia questions was about James Harden's low-scoring games in the playoffs. So we're going to do it again, but this time with Jason Tatum. So Jason Tatum has played 119 playoff games. In what percentage of those games... Did he score 15 points or fewer? Now, Andrew gets to choose who answers first.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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You can make Jared answer first, and then you go higher or lower, or you can answer first, and then Jared would go higher or lower. If Jared got it exactly correct, though, he would get a bonus point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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For reference, Jared, last week when we did the same question about James Harden, the correct answer was 25%. 25% of his playoff games, he scored 15 points or fewer. To give you a rough idea of where it was for Harden. So, what do you think, Jared? What percentage of Jason Tatum's playoff games did he score 15 points or fewer?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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His counting stats were impressive, but he shot 45% from the field. What did you think about Shingun in that Warriors series, and how committed do you think Houston should be to building around him going forward?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Say lower. Jared, you were within one percentage point. But it was lower, wasn't it? And the correct answer. It was 18%.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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There we go. So, Jared, there are three... Active players who are still playing in the NBA playoffs. They have played for Boston, but they are not currently playing for Boston. How many can you name? You get one point per correct answer. So active players still playing in the playoffs, played for Boston once upon a time, not currently playing for Boston.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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You got two points. Andrew, you have a chance to steal the other name.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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There's no chance Andrew's getting it. It's Javante Green. It is Javante Green. Yeah, I was not getting that. I was not getting that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
Yeah, let's see. Actually, he's played... Let me see how many minutes. He's played 29 minutes so far in the playoffs for Cleveland. Okay, Andrew, board is yours. I will take number two. Question number two. The last home team to go down 0-2 in the playoffs and win the series was the 2021 LA Clippers. Kawhi and PG led the Clippers in minutes played that series.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
Who played the third most minutes in that series for the Clippers? Oh my gosh. So 2021. I believe they were playing the Utah Jazz. Yeah. Or no, the Mavericks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
Andrew, he was on the team, but it was not Reggie Jackson. Dang it. Garrett, you have a chance to steal. Repeat the question, please. The question was 2021 Clippers. They were the last team, the home team, to go down 0-2 in the playoffs and then win the series. Kawhi and PG, they led the team in minutes played during that series.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
Who was the third most in minutes played for the Clippers during that series? And it's not Rich Jackson.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
It was none other than Marcus Morris. Marcus Morris. Yeah, Marcus Morris. The legend. Okay, Jared, board is yours. Three, please. The Celtics have lost two games in a row in the regular season. There were five teams that beat Boston twice. Now, three of those teams, OKC, Cleveland, Indiana, are still in the playoffs. Who are the other two teams that beat Boston twice in the regular season?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
I think this is Atlanta. It is the Atlanta Hawks. The Giant Slayers. Very nice. Also did it to Cleveland. Yeah. Okay. Oh, I didn't mark that off. Andrew, board is yours. Three questions left. Four to three. You're down by one. What a game we have on our hands. Number four. Question number four. The Celtics scored 90 points in game two against the Knicks, their second lowest total this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
The fewest points they scored this season was 76 in a game against the Magic. Which two Celtics led Boston in scoring during that game with 15 points each? You do get one point per correct answer, Andrew. 76 points. 30 of those were scored by these two guys. Wow. Now, this would really help if you followed this team, if you were a fan of this team. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
Because otherwise, it would probably be pretty tough.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
And then the other one, Baylor-Shireman. Oh, Baylor-Shireman. Wow. Pritchard just seemed too obvious to me for that. It makes sense, though. It makes sense. Everyone else was out of that game. Okay, Jared, board is yours. Number five. Question number five. Jason Tatum hasn't been scoring well, but he has had double digit rebounds in four of his six playoff games this year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
Among active players, Tatum's 47 double digit rebound games in the playoffs ranks eighth. We're going to name the other active players in the top 10 for most double-digit rebound playoff games. So how this will work, Jared, you'll give me a name, then Andrew will give me a name. So these are only active players, and this is just in the playoffs, games with double-digit rebounds over their careers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
So Jared, who would you like to start with? Jokic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
KD is number seven on the list. All right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
Draymond is number two on the list. Wow. Back to Jared. Yeah. Back to Jared. Three names remaining. I don't know why that felt risky to me when I said it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
He is number 10 on the list. Okay, there's two names remaining. Andrew. Remaining. Could you get one of them?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
Carl Anthony Towns? Andrew? That is incorrect. Oh, sorry, Andrew. Jared, any other guesses? Kevin Love? No, the other names. Kawhi. which you might not think of.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
Yeah, he was number nine. And the reason I was hoping you would get Kawhi so they would set up the final name, who was actually number three, current Celtic Al Horford.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
Yeah. Well, maybe they rounded up for this. Stathead did some rounding. Andrew, here's the good news. You get the final question, first dibs, and it has a potential three-point answer, which means you could tie it up because right now it is six to three. Okay? Okay. Here we go. So lock in.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
There are four active players who have scored 500-plus points against the Celtics in the playoffs over their careers. Now, LeBron is the obvious one. Can you name the other three? You get one point per correct answer. These are active players who have scored 500 career points at least against the Celtics specifically in the playoffs. Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
You have to run the table to tie it up and send this into overtime, Andrew. Can you do it? I don't like this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
You got one point, Andrew. Here we go. Giannis is one of them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
Andrew, that is incorrect, which means Jared wins the week. Congrats, Jared. Six to four. Jared, any guesses? Just a rubbing in Andrew's face? Yeah. I lost service.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
Giannis, number three. Any guesses who number four is? See, I was hoping it would end on this name because, again, similar to the Horford question, former Celtic, Kyrie Irving.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
We should get Josh Robbins to join us. That's a great idea.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
So, Anthony, you wrote a great article this week about the ways in which the Wolves and Warriors have been linked to each other. Going back to the 09 draft when then Wolves GM David Kahn drafted two point guards before Curry. who was drafted at number seven. One of the more interesting links is the 2020 draft.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Are the Celtics done? | Slam N Jam
And I was wondering for our listeners who haven't read the piece, could you recap the Warriors approach to that draft and what happened when they worked out Anthony Edwards?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I mentioned him earlier. Grady Dick. He has been incredibly fun to watch this season. He's currently averaging 20 points per game, which leads all sophomores. He already has two 30 point games under his belt. On offense, he's super active, running off screens, getting to his spots. He's shooting a ton of threes over seven per game, but he's also showing off a real smooth pull up midi.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Even his defense seems to be improving. Our good friend S from the NBA Daily Pod, he tweeted out a great video detailing some of the strides Grady's made on the defensive end, using his length to get in passing lanes, pull off chase down blocks. For a guy that I just was not really thinking about that much heading into the season, to be quite honest, he has been a blast to watch.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And one thing I'm interested in watching going forward is his rim finishing because he was at 60% last season, which isn't great. He's under 50% currently through the early part of the season. This is per cleaning the glass. His efficiency is really being boosted by the fact that he's shooting 67% on long twos right now, which is obviously absurd.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So as that number starts to come back down to earth, I'm wondering, A, can he develop more as a finisher around the basket? And then B, how good of a shooter can he be? You know, he's been solid from three, shooting a little under 36%, but he looks like he could be a dead-eye shooter. I mean, that shot is so smooth. He gets it up so quick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So I just kind of want to see how his game develops over the rest of the season. But
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
of Friday the Cavs are 9 and 0 second ranked offense fifth ranked defense by the time you hear this episode though maybe the Cavs will finally lost because their opponent on Friday night is none other than the Golden State Warriors who got Steph back this week and have won five games in a row the Warriors have a point differential of plus 15.8 largest in the league
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
You mentioned his game against the Pelicans. The Pelicans just announced that Jordan Hawkins has a low back strain, is going to be out one to two weeks. Dude. What? What is that team?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Uh... Speaking of panicking, we panicked about them last week, I believe. Who's been your favorite team to panic about this week? I'm realizing, by the way, with this category, like we're doing two a week. Just figuring out the math in my head, we're eventually going to have to panic about every single team. Will we be able to panic about like the Celtics for a week? Will we have to go back?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Will we have to start panicking about specific players, Andrew? I don't know. I still feel good about it. There's still plenty of panic in my tank. I'm starting to think ahead.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
And while maybe you could quibble with the quality of their opponents through the early part of the season, wasn't the case this week as the Warriors went into Boston and beat the defending champs 118 to 112. Now, Steve Kerr was showered with booze throughout the game as a result of his despicable behavior at this summer's Olympics when he only played the Celtics who are good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
And then you mentioned Suggs. So third. Who's third? Third. I don't know. I'm assuming it's someone weird. So I'm going to say Goga.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Yeah, the Cole Anthony thing is really interesting. I mean, his last five games, two DNPs, he played three minutes, 14 minutes and eight minutes in the other three games. Yeah, just really strange. And I don't totally know what what the story is there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
I mean, I did read an article and he was just like Cole Anthony said, you know, I just haven't been playing well, but it still just seems strange because they definitely could use him. The other guy they could use, I don't know if it's going to happen, is Jet Howard. He is getting some minutes. I mean, that is a theoretical score, but it just hasn't really happened yet.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
But this would seem to be the opportunity where you'd want to try him out and see what you got. And I know they are trying a little bit, but yeah, it's going to be rough until they get Apollo back. My favorite team to panic about now may seem obvious. It's the Philadelphia 76ers. but I'll have, you know, I picked them before I even knew about the maxi injury. All right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
I was already panicking before that even happened. There was enough reason to panic before the maxi injury. Yeah. As I mentioned at the top, Sixers are one and six last in the East since the merger, 103 teams, 103 teams have started the season one and six. How many of those teams have made the playoffs? Andrew, take a guess. 103 teams. 30? Six. Six have made it. Now, that sounds bad.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Yeah, it's about 5%. Now, that sounds bad. And listen, it's certainly not good. But the Sixers do have several things going for them. One, as you mentioned, with the Magic, they're in the East. Even at one and six... They're two wins away from being in the plan. Two, yes, he just got suspended, but Joel Embiid should be back soon. And we all saw how dominant Philly can be with Embiid.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Jason Tatum got back at Kerr and continued a strong start to the season by scoring a game high 32 points. But in the end, it was Steph Curry's 27-7-9 that got the win. Now, from a two-time MVP to a three-time MVP, Nikola Jokic continues to dominate the league. And this week, he helped the Nuggets get an improbable and much-needed win over the previously undefeated Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
And three, they have ammo to go and make a trade this season. They actually have valuable picks. They could trade if the right deal becomes available. When I read that stat, like when I read that stat again next year about teams that start one and six, I fully believe that Philly and Milwaukee will both probably have proven that stat wrong. We'll have two more success stories.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
All that said, this team is bad. And why I'm still panicking, despite all those encouraging things I just said, is that I'm not sure the MB-less version of this team is going to be able to hold up their end of the bargain. Like we all knew going into the season, MB is going to miss a decent chunk of the season. Philly's going to try to preserve him for the playoffs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
But part of that deal was believing that the Maxie PG Sixers could be a solid team night after night when he sat. And I know it's only been two games with PG and now Maxie's out. But this team is not good. I thought Philly had a good offseason around the margins. They added a lot of guys who in a role player vacuum made a lot of sense to me. But man, I was watching that Sixers Clippers game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Some of these lineups are things that I don't want to look at in 2024, Andrew. The idea of a lot of these guys made sense in the summer. They make sense with Joe Embiid. But now I'm having to actually watch them play basketball. And I don't like what I see. OK, even if Embiid comes back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
I think this team needs a trade because I just don't feel great about the plan anymore because either Embiid's going to have to play more than they hope for or they've got to do something to inject some life into this roster. I need some youth. I need some athleticism. I need some playmaking. I need something without Embiid.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
And without just PG and Maxie, because looking at the rest of this roster and seeing how they've played in these most recent games, like I'm not I'm not totally buying into the idea that when Embiid sits, this team is going to be able to, you know, be a 500 team or something. And so that's why I'm panicking this week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
All right, Andrew, it's time for our favorite moment this week. And this week we're going to do something a little different. The Warriors win in Boston felt like one of those important statement games in the early going. And so to help us do a deep dive on the implications of that win, we're going to bring in Zena Keita. who you can hear throughout the week on the NBA Daily.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
And I say improbable because Jamal Murray was out with a concussion. Aaron Gordon, out for weeks. with a calf injury, which meant that Jokic was playing with the Calvin Booth All-Stars.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So the last time we saw a Warriors team playing this well in Boston was the finals in 2022. When this team is clicking, they look like a terrible matchup for the Celtics. What do you think it is about this specific matchup that seems to favor the Warriors?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And for at least one night, all those late first and second round picks came through for Booth because each played a key role in the win, including Peyton Watson, blocking the potential game-tying shot from Shea Gilgis-Alexander in the final seconds. The Nuggets are 5-3 and have won three in a row.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Now, that win opened up the top spot in the West, which was quickly filled by the Phoenix Suns, who are now seven and one. And it won six games in a row. Last week, we talked about how maybe this was the kind of weird year where a player like Phoenix's Ryan Dunn might be able to win rookie of the year, but not so fast, because this week the rookies came to play.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So, Zena, it's time for the big question, because prior to the Celtics game, it seemed like everyone was impressed with Golden State, but they hadn't totally bought into them as a contender. After this win in Boston, are you ready to say that we need to be talking about this team as a legitimate contender?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, I can't wait to see that offense go against OKC's defense to see who wins that matchup. That'll be so much fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
First, we had Keyshawn George, the other Wizards rookie, put up 26-4 with six threes against the Warriors. He took 17 threes in a game as a rookie. Do you know how many times that has happened where a rookie takes 17 threes in a game? It's happened twice. One was George. Do you know who the other rookie to do it was? No, you have no idea.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Yeah. Don't kill the depth. Yeah. Their depth is amazing. I mean, you look at the last, the Warriors teams from like the last two seasons and some of the guys that they were giving decent minutes to that just aren't in the league anymore. And now they have, yeah, they have so much more depth than they had the past two seasons. Yeah. Yep.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
All right, Andrew, it's time for the Wheel of Fandom, the weekly segment where we spin a wheel, it lands on a team, and we become fans of that team for the next week. And last week, we got the Los Angeles Lakers. Now, the Lakers start off the season with three consecutive wins over good West teams, the Suns, Wolves, and Kings, but they've dropped four of their last five.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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They are back to .500 at 4-4. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Lakers have the 12th-ranked offense and 24th-ranked defense. Andrew, if our favorite team is the Lakers, who is our guest?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So there was a lot of talk during that 3-0 start about new head coach J.J. Redick, how much better the Lakers looked. After that Memphis loss, Redick had some very pointed comments about D'Lo's benching, and he also abruptly ended his press conference. So we've already seen some highs and lows already with J.J.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I could give you a thousand guesses and you will never utter the words Armani Brooks because that is the answer. He somehow took 18 threes in a game once upon a time as a rookie. Now, we also had Zach Eadie. having his first big breakout game this week, 25-12 with four blocks against Brooklyn.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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What has been the biggest differences you've noticed with Redick as head coach compared to the last couple of Lakers head coaches? And that could be on the court or just as a reporter covering this team. So I actually asked the question that J.J.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Do you feel like Lakers fans appreciate how blunt he is? Because, you know, his response last night about D'Lo was very direct. And even more broadly, when he was saying, you know, if we only have, you know, one or two guys giving the effort, yeah, we're not going to be, even if we have five guys giving the effort, like we need effort from every single person.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Do you think Lakers fans appreciate that kind of bluntness?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
And then, in what is likely the most impressive game by a rookie so far this season, number one overall pick, Zachary Richasset, Richasset, put up 33-7-3 with three steals, two blocks, and six three-pointers. And he did it all in a very impressive win over the Knicks. With that game, Rishashay. God, man, I have trouble with this name. Rishashay. How do you say it, Andrew? Rishashay. Rishashay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
So I'm sure Lakers fans are already creating fake trades. You know, the offseason was pretty quiet. Connect was really the only significant addition. You've seen eight games now. You mentioned the bench as being a weakness of this team, but more specifically, like what types of players, like what skills do you think this Lakers team needs?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
OK, because I know like in the offseason, you know, there are rumors like Jeremy Grant. And I feel like traditionally with the Lakers, the rumors are always for a relatively big name. You know, people bring up like Zach Levine. It sounds like you would prefer them to maybe use their assets to go get a couple guys as opposing to putting all those assets into one player.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Again? Rishashay. Rishashay. Rishashay. There it is. Lordy, lordy. Reese Hachet now leads all rookies in points per game with 12 per game. And those are the top stories this week, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Well, Trevor, thank you so much for answering all of our Lakers questions, but it is now time to play Andrew versus the Beatles. our weekly trivia show where Andrew goes head to head with NBA beat writer. This week, Trevor Lane from the Lakers Nation podcast and the front office show. So Trevor, you've played this before. I've come up with eight questions about the Lakers. Some are easy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Two are nearly impossible. You're going to pick a number between one and eight and no correspondent question. If you get it right, you'll get at least two points. If you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal for one and we'll go back and forth until all the questions have been asked and answered. So to start us off, I just need a number between one and eight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Question number eight. Okay. This is one of the hard ones. Is that the hard one? It's one of them. Sounds like it's the impossible one. We'll see. The two hard ones, I do feel like they are gettable. They're just, they will sound very hard. Okay. Which teammate has D'Angelo Russell played the most amount of games with during his career with 173 games played together?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
It's just any teammate throughout his career. So he could have played with them on the Lakers, but he also could have played with them on another team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
A great guess. You're on the right track. It was someone who played with them both on the Wolves and one season with the Lakers. It's Tarring Prince. Oh. Tarring Prince.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
It makes sense when you hear it, but it's very harsh. Okay, Andrew. Number one. Question number two. Dalton connect his career high so far as 18 points in a game. Andrew, who were the last two Lakers rookies to score at least 18 in a game? And you get one point per correct answer. And I will tell you one of the answers just straightforward. It's one guy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
The other answer, actually two rookies did it on the same night. So if you give me either one of those names, it would count. Two Lakers rookies did it on the same night. Yeah, they scored at least 18. So there's actually three names here, but you only have to give me two. OK. What about Taylor Horton Tucker? Andrew, that is incorrect. Trevor, you have a chance to steal. So the last two Lakers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Oh, yeah. Austin Reeves has got to be one of them. He's got to be. He is. That is one point. Trevor. Can you name? One of the other two rookies. They did it on the same night.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
So the correct answer, Mo Wagner and Jonathan Williams. Oh, I forgot about Mo. On the same night. All right. So Trevor, you're on the board. One up and you have control of the board. All right.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Number seven. Okay. You picked the other hard one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
According to Cleaning Glass, the Lakers shot 33% at the rim on Wednesday night against the Grizzlies. That is the Lakers' lowest rim percentage in a game since a February 2015 game against the Blazers. Who scored the most points for the Lakers in that game against the Blazers in February 2015? Alex.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That is incorrect. Andrew, you have a chance to steal most points by a Laker in a random February 2015 game against Portland.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I told you you could get there. It's not a crazy answer. It wasn't like someone random, you know? Yeah. OK, Andrew, the board is yours. Tie game. OK, number two. Question number two. All right. D'Angelo Russell's D'Angelo Russell is sixth all time in three pointers made for the Lakers franchise and will likely enter the top five this season. Isn't that exciting?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Let's name the other nine players in the top 10 for most three-pointers made in Lakers franchise history. So how this works, Andrew, you'll give me a name. Then Trevor will give me a name. We'll go back and forth till one of you stumbles. So I already gave you one name, D'Angelo Russell. He's currently sixth on the list. What's another name, Andrew? Kobe Bryant. A great guess. He's number one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
All right, Trevor. Uh, we'll go D fish, Derek Fisher. Another great guest. Number two, back to Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
So I'll go with LeBron. Great guess, Andrew. He's number three. You guys have gotten one, two, three in a row. Okay, Trevor, you're next.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Well, Andrew, the top story this week was what went down in the 76ers locker room. After a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, Joel Embiid confronted Marcus Hayes, columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Hayes had written a recent article about Embiid missing games. And to really hammer the point home, Hayes thought it'd be a good idea to mention Embiid's son and his deceased brother.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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What about KCP? KCP, Andrew. He is number seven on the list. Oh, dang. You got it. All right. So back to Trevor. There are four names to go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Guess who was number four? Nick Van Exel. That is correct. Number four. That's higher than a pole. Oh, man. All right, Andrew, three names left and they are eight, nine and ten on the list. Oh, boy. Um.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Rick Fox is number 10, Andrew. Wow. Okay, there are two names left. Hmm. Number eight and number nine. Could you guys sweep these names? That would be so impressive.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Big Shot Bob, Robert Ori, a great guess. He is not on the list, which means Andrew gets the two points. The other names. A recent one, Kyle Kuzma, number eight. And number nine, Eddie Jones. Eddie Jones. He was around long enough. Wow. Okay, Trevor, the board is yours.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Number six. There is one player on the Lakers whose career high in points came during a playoff game. Who is it? So it's a player currently on the Lakers and their career high for their entire career came during a playoff game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
These people know he was an all-star, right? They know he was an all-star once upon a time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
It is not. It was a player who had a really great run with a team that came out of nowhere. We're talking about Gabe Vincent with the Miami Heat. Oh, duh.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Oh, that was my mistake there. Okay, Andrew, you have the lead. You have the board. Three questions to go. Number three. Question number three. What is... Cam Reddish's career high in points. Now, before you answer, you get to choose who answers first. You can make Trevor answer first and you can go higher or lower or you can answer first.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
And if either one of you gets it exactly correct with the first guess, you do get a bonus point. Twenty seven. OK, so Andrew set the bar at twenty seven. Trevor, would you like to go higher or lower? Cam Reddish's career high.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Yeah. Now you have a big decision to make. Cam Reddish, career high. So would you like to go higher or lower? Now, based on your potential guess, you might go lower. Although, do you want to go higher now?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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On December 22nd, 2021, Cam Reddish scored a career-high 36 points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, he has been. He has been. Okay, Trevor, two questions left. You still have a shot. Question four or five are what are remaining. Let's go four. OK. Anthony Davis has won five by five in his career when he played for the Pelicans. Well, he hasn't had a five by five as a Laker. He's been getting pretty close with some of these crazy lines he's had.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Who is the only Laker to ever get a five by five?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I don't know if they were recording that stat at that point. They might have not been recording all of the steals and blocks at that point. So he is not the name that is in stat head that has been officially recorded. Andrew, do you have any guesses?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Because there's some random names on there. Yusuf Nurkic and Jamal Tinsley are like the classic examples. Yeah, the Jamal Tinsley one is wild. Never makes sense. Okay, Andrew, last question. And this is a fun one. D'Angelo Russell is one of seven active NBA players who have played for the Lakers, made an All-Star game, but never made an All-Star game as a Laker. Who are the other six?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
And you get half a point per correct answer. So these are players who played for the Lakers, made an All-Star game, but didn't make the All-Star game as a Laker.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
And not necessarily on the Lakers, obviously. They just played Julius Randle. Julius Randle, that's a good guess because it's right, Andrew. Any other guesses?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Obviously, I still like Jalen Johnson, although I will say, at least for me, that was a little expected. What we've seen from Grady Dick, which I'm going to talk about him in a bit, compared to what I was thinking about him at the end of last season, that's kind of how I feel the most improved player should be. With the caveat that, yes, he's a second year player.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Shoot, I can't think of anybody else. I don't know. All right, Trevor, you want to take a stab at this one? Well, I know one is Brandon Ingram. That is correct.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
I love this question because, of course, when you hear the answers, you'll just... I know. It's going to be obvious. Oh, of course. Yeah. Right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Any other names off the top of your head? There's still three names. Three names to go.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Oh, you almost said one of their names right there when you said the rest of them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Like Dwight Howard, right? Well, he's not active, but I did have to look up to make sure he's not active. Andre Drummond. For the Sixers. Andre Drummond. Played for the Lakers once upon a time. I forgot he made one. This one is really tough because he got the All-Star when he was very young. On the nets is Brooke Lopez.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
That's a tough one to get. Yeah. So, Andrew, congrats. You won Andrew versus the beat this week. Well done. Great job.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
I appreciate it. All right, Andrew, that was Lakers week, and what a spicy week it ended up being. Very spicy. It was very good. Very spicy. Okay, so that brings us to the Wheel of Fandom. We're back here. There's now 28 teams remaining. Could be so many different teams. There's so many other teams that we could potentially curse by landing on them. So many possibilities for cursing. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
You expect second year players to get better. But the jump he's made from first year to second year feels even beyond that, like what you would expect. So I'm kind of looking at him. I think RJ Barrett's a really interesting name. It is this this Raptors team like they're not good. But I have watched too many Raptors games at this point. They are so competitive.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
so let's spin the wheel see who we get this week's wheel of fandom team will be
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Friday night, Phoenix at home, ESPN. Nice. Sunday at Denver, who just beat Oklahoma City. Yeah. Tuesday at Golden State on TNT. Ooh.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
I had two Spurs fans come at me now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
I was trying to explain to them that I was just going by basketball reference. I wasn't counting the first five games of this season. I'm aware, okay? It wasn't a great question, all right? They're not all winners.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
They've been competitive in every single game I've watched of them this season. Really entertaining team. And so that would be really interesting if R.J. Barrett kind of establishes this narrative as the most improved player, because I feel like people have just been so down on him throughout his career. So that would be really that would be an interesting story.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
It's possible. Yeah, it would be it would be nice if they could win a few more games. Yeah, I mentioned that they are they are very competitive, but they're also two and seven. So, yeah, a very competitive two and seven.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
favorites let's talk about our favorites of the week that's what you were about to do i'm gonna just throw us into it let's let's do our favorite quotes of the week al what was your favorite quote of the week favorite quote of the week listen we're gonna talk to trevor lane later about a very entertaining jj reddick post-game press conference yeah uh and we're gonna talk about a lot of things but we're not gonna talk about this quote which was another quote that happened in that same press conference quote oh boy and he was referring to gabe vincent
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
It would be nice if a guy could play 18 minutes and not shoot zero times. Followed up by, he mentioned that's not a knock on him. It's like, how is that not a knock on him? But I appreciate, I love how blunt JJ Redick has been through this early part of the season. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
And I think any NBA fan who's been, especially a part of like a rebuilding team, like there's always a guy on your team who goes out there and you feel like he's just getting cardio. It's like, how did you play 20 minutes and not shoot the basketball once? Yeah. And so it was just kind of nice to hear a coach voice that displeasure as well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Now, you're probably thinking that actually sounds like a terrible idea. Alex, and you'd be right. It absolutely was a terrible idea. And Joel let him know that in the locker room, a conversation that eventually got physical with Embiid shoving Hayes, all leading to a three-game suspension for Embiid. Nobody does it quite like the Sixers, do they?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Cause I have watched players like that too, where I'm just like, what were you doing out there? What are we doing? How did you shoot the ball? Zero times. What happened?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Yeah. And I've mentioned this before, but one of my favorite things about the NBA is when you get these types of situations where players with a team for his entire career, where he has these long term relationships with people in the organization. I just think it's cool. OK, that brings us to our favorite stat this week. Andrew, what was your favorite stat?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Just a never-ending supply of things you've never seen or heard before. And unfortunately, the NBA suspension isn't even the worst news for the Sixers this week because not only did they lose Tyrese Maxey for weeks with a hamstring injury, they are one in six dead last in the Eastern Conference.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Well, and also because, you know, when that trade went down with Randall, a lot of things you heard from people who are concerned about the trade is like, the shooting is going to take a step back. Like yes, Steven Chenzo is going to break something, but that starting lineup with Julius Randall, not really thought of as like a great three point shooter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
One thing I didn't hear anyone say is what if aunt just took the same amount of threes as he and cat took last year combined, because that's almost what he's doing. They took 12 threes combined last season. He's taking 11.1 now. Like that is wild. He's basically made up that volume that they lost from cat. Um, Don't worry. It is so bizarre. My favorite stat this week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
They're already seven games back of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are officially the last undefeated team in the NBA. This week, the Cavs beat the Bucs in back-to-back games by three total points. In the second game, Darius Garland scored 39 to best Damian Lillard's 36. As
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Well, first, an honorable mention. I want to mention Damanis a bonus because he put up a triple double, but he did it while having zero turnovers, zero missed field goals and zero missed free throws. He also had zero fouls. It was just one of those hyper-efficient triple-doubles. Actually, not one of those. It's never happened before. No one's ever done what I just described.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
And the Kings have gotten into a nice little groove, and they are shooting up the West. So they're a very fun team. But my stat, my favorite stat this week... Because I just saw it. Jackson Frank posted this on Twitter. The NBA's top five offenses this season are first, 16th, 20th, 23rd, and 3rd in three-point attempt rate.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
And I just thought that was very interesting because we have definitely heard a lot of people talking in the early going. Oh, everyone plays the exact same. You got to shoot a ton of threes. You have to be one of the teams that shoots the most. Everyone's trying to be like Boston. And meanwhile...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Lakers Chaos Zone + Refurbished Warriors
Yes, all these teams are shooting more threes than teams were shooting back in, you know, 2010 or whatever. But you can still have a very good offense and not be a top five team in three point attempt rate. And so I think that's encouraging for a lot of teams. And by the way, I think the team that's third is Minnesota, which we were just discussing. Okay. Favorite player this week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
I'm going to go with the Orlando Magic. They've won 13 of their last 15 games without Powell and Carrow. That's a lot of games. Now, you dig a little bit deeper, not that much deeper, and you just look at who they played. And here's the list of teams that they played. Pelicans, Wizards, Hornets, Pacers, Sixers, Suns without KD, Lakers, Pistons, Hornets, Bulls, Nets twice, and the Sixers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So... Hmm, okay. It's not great, but... They won all these games. They won every single one of them, which is not a given whenever you lose your best player. They have, I think, a floor that only teams like Boston and Cleveland have in the Eastern Conference. And it all starts on the defensive end for them. They make you work for everything.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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They are outrageously physical from the perimeter all the way to the hoop. I talked about them being a team that could completely fall off when they lost Palo, and it looked like that was going to happen. But they stabilized, and they've been really good. I did not think that we'd be sitting here talking about the 16-8 third seed in the East Orlando Magic. And here we are. which it's incredible.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
They've been great and alive for the cup too. So shout out to the Orlando magic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
welcome to the saturday slam and jam here on the athletic nba daily on today's show we're talking top stories of the week our quarterly slamy awards and john hollinger stops by to talk about his new book the basketball 100 by everybody here at the athletic it's a great great book suggest that you go pick it up now but to start with al tell me what the top stories in the nba were this week
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Andrew, what was your biggest disappointment? That's brutal. So when I thought about this, I was thinking about the spirit of that Lakers team. Oh, yeah. I think that it feels a little bit like maybe with the situation that the Timberwolves are in, you know, I think.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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But by the time that we got around to the NBA season, a lot of people had talked themselves into this Minnesota roster as being better than what they had.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
Well, even people who liked it or whatever the case, people would talk themselves into it. People would really talk themselves into like this team being good. And this is going to be fun. Lakers about 20 games in. We're about 500. And that's where the Timberwolves sit. Not fun at all. Like, it just does not feel fun. You have stuff going on.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
on the court, you have Anthony Edwards talking off the court. They've had a couple, you know, nice. They had a really nice win against the Clippers where they completely blew them out. They, they beat the hapless Lakers by a ton as well, but still, it just doesn't quite feel like the season that we thought they'd have.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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They, you know, they're coming off a conference finals appearance and it feels like they have fallen back in the pack, you know, and I don't know that's, this is the thing that I just don't know about this Timberwolves team is they, what did they hang their hat on? Like last year, they were the best defensive team by a large margin this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
They're sixth and they're not far from being outside the top 10. And so like, what, what do they hang their hat on? What are they? They're not a great offensive team and really weren't last season either. And so I, I just don't really know if you are the Minnesota Timberwolves, what is your identity? And I, a lot of this was planning for the future of Anthony Edwards.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Well, I just don't know that the players that they got, you know, specifically Julius Randall is the exact kind of player that kind of clogs the lane. You know, Anthony Edwards has not taken many shots at the rim this season in comparison to last year, years before he's taken way more threes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And I think some of that is good, certainly because he shot it so well, but also I think that it's, it's really just gumming up their offense and, Because there's nowhere to go. You're playing with two bigs that need to kind of be in the middle. I think it's a problem. And so I just wonder if they're able to get that identity back in some way.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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But being 16th in offense is way harder whenever you're just a pretty good defense, which is what they are today. And it's just not fun at all. Like the Timberwolves have not been fun. And they have one of the most fun players in the NBA on their squad. And they have somehow kind of messed this up and taken two steps back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
Yeah, I think some of that is like they've held the Lakers and the Clippers to 80 points. And like both teams are not good. And like that's how you do that in that stretch. I mean, you look at the rest of the games during that stretch. It's nothing crazy impressive. I think it's like two like big outlier games that will help their defensive rating overall.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
But whenever you shorten that, yeah, they're going to be the best defense of the league when you hold teams to 80 points. But, you know, the Clippers are also holding themselves to 80 points on a lot of nights.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I think I was most wrong about the Clippers. That's mine, too. Yeah, they're 14 and 10. They're fifth in defense. They're 24th in offense, 11th in net rating. And a lot of this, I just when you don't really know exactly what to point to with regards to like roster, you just kind of like point to the coach and just say like, hey, Tyloo has done an amazing job.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I think he's he's been helpful for a guy like Chris Dunn, who is somehow a plus twelve point nine for them when he's on the court. Evita Zubats has had a great season at a plus nine. Norman Powell is just shooting the lights out so far, shooting 50 percent from three. And I have a little bit more on that later. And James Harden. He's the conductor of all things for the 24th ranked offense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
And without him, it would probably be historically bad. So 24th doesn't sound good, but imagine them without James Harden. They would be hapless. They would just have no chance. So I guess I was a little unfamiliar with how good the Clippers would be this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
I know. Yeah. And there's this quote from Norman Powell about like, what's different about this, this Clippers team this year. He says, I think this year we have guys who are really team oriented and team focused on both sides of the ball who are willing to learn, grow, and have the mentality of doing whatever it takes to win. Everybody's coachable and focus on the task at hand. There are no egos.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I think the atmosphere has been a lot of fun. We're playing pure basketball, which wow. Shot across the bow to a current Sixer, I would say.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Like, what have they done that is so impressive? I actually have something later for you that I'll save it. And I do have a rebuttal to this. And I'll save it. A Grizz rebuttal.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
I just talked so glowingly about the Clippers, but it's Norman Powell. He's 50.7% from three, 23, two and two. He's currently 22nd in points per game in the NBA. Tell me this. How many players in the top 100 in scoring this season are shooting 50% or better from three?
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
It's actually more than that. Okay, well. It's three. It's Nikola Jokic, who's shooting 50%. Wow. It's Aaron Gordon, who doesn't really count because he's only played 10 games, and it's Norm Powell. It's basically Jokic and Norman Powell. That's the list of players in the top 100 of scoring. So it's not even like, hey, the top 10 players or the top 25 players or whatever. No, it's like 100 players
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
100 players. There's only two guys that are shooting that well. It's going to cool off. It will. I just know it. He's never shot this well. Nobody that scores this much shoots this well. Nobody does it. Nobody does it. Jokic won't do it, and certainly Norman Powell won't do it. That number will be zero by the time we get to the end of the season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
No, I said the number of players. Oh, okay, okay. The number of players that are shooting 50% or better.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
Listen, somehow they're going to take away all the shots that he made. It's going to be zero, okay?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I'm just saying, like, that's a normal good percentage.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
Yeah, I know. I'm just saying, like, it's just, it is like a total outlier. And it's part of, like, why they've stayed afloat, honestly. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I think I'm going to go with the Golden State Warriors. They're in a weird spot right now where the talk around the team is that they just don't have a secondary score. Marcus Thompson came on the NBA Daily earlier this week. You should go listen to it if you haven't listened to it yet. And he just talked about how they don't have anybody that you can turn to outside of Steph.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
And it makes it really easy and predictable down the stretch to play against the Warriors. And they haven't played that well recently. And so I think they're going to be aggressive. I think that you have to be whenever you are still on this Draymond Curry timeline and you don't have anybody that you can turn to.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And so I just wonder what they're going to do before the trade deadline, because I do think like the window is still clearly open for them and they have a lot of different like good young players. But I think that you need to consolidate them and go find somebody that can help this team right now, because what are you saving any assets for at this point? Like Steph is not going to be this player.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He's already gone. you know, declining and he's having injuries that he's never had before. Like it's now or never for the Warriors. And I'm just curious to see what they do in the trade market moving forward.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
Yeah. That was without Steph. I just don't believe that he's going to be the guy. Even NBA.com doesn't believe he's that guy because the headline this morning on NBA.com was, Kaminga flashes brilliance. And it's like flashes. Okay, there you go. That's what you're getting. And even the NBA organization itself says, hey, this is just a flash.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
It is. It is. You know, there's like there's probably some people like, oh, that sounds so nice.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
It's honestly the meanest thing that you could say to Bulls fans right now. Trey Kirby, if you're listening, I'm so, so sorry. So, so sorry that you had to hear that. OK, my prediction that I don't necessarily feel good about and I feel even worse about it now after hearing you talk about this team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
But I'm going to say the Memphis Grizzlies by season's end are going to be thought of as like the clear number two team in the West.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah. Over all these teams. And I think I look at. So, yes, they haven't beaten anybody. They haven't been that impressive, but they also have missed some of their key guys a ton of minutes. Here's their top five guys in total minutes played this season. Santi Aldama is the number one player in total minutes played at 635. Jaron Jackson Jr.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Jalen Wells, their second round rookie, is third in total minutes played. Scottie Pippen Jr. is fourth. And then Jake LaRavia, a guy that they said, you know what? Not picking up your option. And they kind of have messed up a little bit here just because LaRavia has actually been really good. A shot at well and has played well. Like that's our top five guys in minutes played.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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You know, that's not their best players. And so if this team can get healthy. I just think there is a ceiling here for this team that we've seen in the past with a John Morant, Jaron Jackson Jr. team. And I think we haven't really seen what this team looks full strength with Marcus Smart in the lineup.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
They found somebody in Jay Huff as well, this older veteran that seems new to everybody, but he's already 26 years old, but is playing really well for them. I just feel like they found enough guys and they have the stars in in John Morant and Jaron Jackson that I think that they could very well be that team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
I mean, it wasn't that long ago that we thought of this team as like one of the best teams in the West. And I think that they will cement themselves as that by season's end.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
Beautiful. Yeah, we're not we're not talking Nuggets, but we are going to talk to our buddy John Hollinger from the Athletic right after this break. All right, Al, it's time for our guests. We're bringing on the co-author of the Basketball 100 with David Aldridge. It's our guy, John Hollinger from The Athletic. John, what's up? How are you guys doing? Doing great.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
So, John, we're doing our first quarter awards on the pod this week, which we call the Slammys. So we'd like to throw a couple of awards at you to see who you would pick. First up is the League Pass Team Award. It's for the first quarter, which team that you have watched the most this season. So who would you give that award to?
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
Give us your actual league pass team award. It's got to be Houston. They're new.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
It's so brutal. Not so much, right? Yeah. Fighting with the wizards, right? Yeah. Yeah, it's tough. OK, the next one is I wasn't familiar with your game award, which goes to the team or player that you were most wrong about heading into this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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What would be like the thing specifically about Jalen that that like makes you like change the way you think about him?
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
Mm hmm. John, let's talk about the new book that you wrote with David Aldridge, amongst many other people at The Athletic, titled The Basketball 100, where you guys ranked the 100 greatest NBA players of all time. So before we get into some of our questions about the list itself, could you briefly explain the methodology behind the list and who was involved in that process?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And what things did you give extra weight to during that process? Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. So who who's ranking on this list is most different from where they would be if you were making a personal ranking with no input from anybody else?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah. D.A. mentioned yesterday on No Dunks that you fought pretty hard for Jimmy Butler. What was your Jimmy Butler argument?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Last question. If you could put money on three players to crack the top 100 in 10 years and you can't choose Wimby, who would be your first three picks?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I did want to ask you about Cleveland. You mentioned them. Where's your belief in this Cleveland team as far as title contention? Where are they in your pecking order?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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What about that? What about the Nuggets? What about some Nuggets bench players?
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
I've named the team or the player, the team player, the player, Andrew, that is incorrect.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
Wow. Always something with the NBA. Always something with the NBA. Always something. Hey, Al. We are going to do our quarterly Slammys. Al, will you walk us through these awards as we tell people what we've been watching and what we've been thinking about what we've been watching?
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
Ben Simmons more than Anthony Davis. I'm like, I don't even know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Top five in total points scored, but outside.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
Top 10 in points per game. Yeah. This is a weird one. Is this, is this Franz? Oh, Andrew, that is correct for two points. Good job.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
I feel like there's like two like low hanging fruit answers that I feel like would be because it's too obvious. I think that it is probably wrong. Interesting. But I'll I'll just go with it anyways. I'll say Steph and Dame.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
Five to three. Congratulations. congratulations john hey go read john hollinger at the athletic john anything specific you want people to go read today yeah my all disappointment team is out so uh lots of lots of sixers talk in there lots of sixers talk in there uh please go read john at the athletic and check out the uh the basketball 100 it's a great book i have it my honestly john
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
The person who has read this book the most, and I told you this in your Oklahoma City, is my 12-year-old son. He saw it come in. He opened it before I could even get my hands on it. And he has kept it in his room this whole time, which I am like, please. That's amazing. And so he's like, who is that guy?
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
And then we'll have these conversations at the dinner table about some random player that played in the 80s that he'd never heard of. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
John, thanks so much for coming on. Thanks for having me, guys. All right. Thanks again to John Hollinger for joining the show. If you leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, we will read it right here on the show, which you can watch on YouTube, by the way. If you're not watching on YouTube, just search The Athletic NBA Daily and please hit that subscribe button.
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Like and subscribe, people. Our first review comes from... It actually comes from France. It comes from Paris. What's this say? Parisian Jokic fan. There we go. Five stars. Hope the wheel of fandoms power of destruction will not apply this time on the Jokic dependent nuggets. Great show. Keep going from Paris, France. Thank you so much for that review.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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This one comes from Patty McSherry in the USA. Five stars slamming slam and jam the goat. All the athletic NBA shows are great, but Slam & Jam is the very best podcast out there. I look forward to it every week. But I need to call attention to a grave injustice done during 76ers trivia last week. Oh, no. Andrew was up two points and selected question two.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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which was a multi-tier part answer about rookies. Andrew got one point, Allen Iverson, and Trill got one point, Joel Embiid. And after the question, Alex said, Andrew only led by one now, but he should have still been leading by two. Normally it's whatever, but Trill won trivia by one point, meaning this should have gone to sudden death. Still though, love the podcast so much.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Best NBA podcast out there. So thank you, Patty.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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yes thank you patty for i mean helping me out here i needed some help someone was even accusing me of not trying during there but uh the fix is in right now you need to call it he'll uh he'll hook you up you know you clip the audio and video send it to adam silver yeah thanks help me daryl help me daryl uh next one comes from joseph underscore ltu in lithuania Slam and jam five stars.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Keep that curse wheel away from my Knicks. Go to my go to NBA podcast. The right mix of stats and vibes and the trivia contest is a great way for a relatively novice fan like me to get obscure basketball knowledge. Thanks for making my early morning trips to work more cheerful. Thank you so much for that review. And please leave us a review. And again, we'll read it on the show.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I hope you guys have a great weekend. Enjoy the basketball and we'll talk to you guys. Again, next Saturday.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
Honestly, how it's been the Houston Rockets. And a lot of it is that I don't, well, I know what I'm getting from night to night and that's defense. Like this is a insane defense that kind of starts with, uh, Dylan Brooks as the starter, but then off the bench, you have Amin Thompson and Tari Eason coming in, just creating havoc. Those two are so much fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
And you don't really know what you're getting night to night. They'll close sometimes with Alperen Shengun as the main guy, and then some nights he's not. Jalen Green has been hot and cold throughout the season. A lot of it is just like, okay, what are they going to do this time? And I give I give Emo Yudoka so much credit for this like turnaround that's happened in Houston. He is really tight.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
They have really taken on like his identity. And you can kind of see him shaping this roster and shaping the success of this roster as they go on. And a lot of it is like he's pushing the right buttons. You know, they're 15 and eight. They're second in the Western Conference currently. And a lot of it, I think, is coaching. They have a lot of pieces.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
I think that if you surveyed 20 NBA experts asking them who's the best player on the Rockets, I don't know that there would be a true consensus there. I think a lot of people would say Alper and Shengun, but I think you could find people that say different things. And so I do think that this team, they're on the rise for sure.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
And I just like tuning into them night to night just because I don't know exactly what's going to happen. And also, I'm just waiting for a Reed Shepard explosion. We haven't gotten that yet. And so I'm just waiting on League Pass. I promise you there's going to be one night this season where people tune in and Reed Shepard's got like 35.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
His season high is 12 currently, and he just hasn't played great so far. And some of it's just opportunity. But I promise you we're getting to Reed Shepard at some point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
Yeah, the fix is in right now. Calvin Booth, you know what? Everybody's like, what's Calvin Booth doing? How can he do this? You know what? He made the bench so bad to make Jokic look so good that he's going to win his fourth MVP. The fix is in. Way to go, Calvin. So, Andrew, what is your say what stat of the first quarter? Okay, this stat made me say what?
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
And it's about the thunder and how disruptive they are on defense. And now, like, everybody knows, like, this is a team that thrives off transition. They get a lot of steals. They're second in charges. They're first in defensive loose balls recovered. There are a couple stats that made me say what? I said, what?
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
They're at 21.4 deflections per game, which is the highest number since they started tracking this stat. The highest last season. Remember, they're 21.4. The highest last season for deflections was 16.3 per game. The current record, which is held by the 1617 Warriors, is 18.7. The Thunder are currently at 21.4. They are just demolishing that record.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
And then, like, if you just go to steals, just not an advanced stat, just how many steals they're getting per game. Per game. 12 steals per game for the Thunder right now, which seems super sustainable. Whenever you watch them play with the players that they've got, you add Alex Caruso to this mix who hasn't even played that much. Like, absolutely.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
They can keep that up out since the ninety nine two thousand season. How many teams have had double digit steals per game? One. It's not one. Five. It is four. Four teams since ninety nine two thousand have had average double digit steals. It's the 1920 Bulls that average 10 per game. It's the 1516 Rockets that averaged 10 per game. It's the 0506 Bobcats who averaged 10 per game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
And it's the 02036ers who averaged 10 per game. Al, none of those got none of those teams even cracked 11 steals per game. And the Thunder are currently at 12. The Thunder are doing something defensively that no team has done really ever. And so I just it made me say what? Because, like, you know, like inherently like watching this team night in night out, though. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
John Hollinger + Slammie Awards
They're disruptive, all these things like, wow, that's great. They are a historically disruptive team and maybe the most disruptive team on the defensive end in the history of the NBA.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
This is not, in my opinion, a good stats, bad team situation. He's been a major factor with them turning their season around because in their first 41 games, they were 13-28. And since then, they are 21-15. They have the 10th best net rating in the league. they've become like a legitimately good defensive team. And that combo of Denny and Tumani Kamara is a big part of that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Now they're not going to make the play in most likely unless a couple of these teams really collapse. So this season may end up feeling a little disappointing for some Blazers fans since they're not going to make the play in. They're also not going to get an amazing pick, but I do think it's important that they clearly have an identity now, which a lot of teams at this stage don't have.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
And they have a player in Denny Avdia who as the Blazers continue to improve is going to get a lot more attention.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
And he's huge. He's one of those guys that's bigger in person than you realize. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Four players I mentioned plus Marcus Sasser were suspended a game, though Beef Stew got an extra one for his history of on-court beef. And in their very next game, the Wolves were involved in one of the more memorable games of the year, a double overtime win over the Nuggets in Denver, their sixth straight win over Denver going back to last year's playoffs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Yeah, and that four out of six stat, I really think the number of guys who are triple-double threats on a night-to-night basis really just shows how much more skilled the league is now. There are so many more of those guys who can just do it night-to-night. Andrew, that brings us to our favorite moment.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
And my favorite moment this week was the Ja Morant game winner against the Heat on Thursday night. Huge step back shot in the paint against Clillware. Bounced around the rim for a few seconds before falling. Coming off last week, things were feeling pretty bleak for the Grizz. They fired their coach. They lost a bunch of games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
A lot of the attention was focused on Ja, who has had a disappointing season. And it wasn't looking like things were getting any better this week. They built a four-game losing streak, which in their defense was about as tough as a four-game stretch can be. Thunder, Lakers, Celtics, Warriors. During the Warriors game, there was the finger guns controversy when Ja pointed at the Warriors bench.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
I think he was fined 75K for that. So with all that drama of the past few weeks, I was just happy for Grizzlies fans seeing Ja get that game winner. And while we didn't get to see any Ja during our Wheel of Fandom week, he was back in full force this week. He was great. He averaged right around 29-6-6 on good efficiency during that brutal stretch of opponents.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
For the Wolves, it was Anthony Edwards who scored 24 of his 34 in the fourth quarter in overtime, and Akeel Alexander-Walker scored 26, including five three-pointers and the game-winning free throws after Russell Westbrook fouled his three-point attempt as time expired in the second overtime.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
The only bad news for the Grizz is the schedule doesn't totally lighten up. They've still got games against Detroit, Minnesota, and Denver in their Final Five. And that Minnesota game is going to be huge, as I mentioned, because those two teams are currently tied in the standings, and the Wolves are in a four-game winning streak.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
So it doesn't get easier for the Grizz, but at least for one night, Grizzlies fans got some relief.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Yeah. You know, the thing, and this is why I brought up Westbrook last week as an X factor, because, you know, as we know, having watched him for so long, like nothing he does is quiet. Everything is loud. The good stuff is super loud. The bad stuff is super loud. And yeah, Like watching that game and seeing how it played out, like it couldn't have been any other player than Westbrook.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Like that's just how things happen. And it had to be that loud. It had to be at the end of the game. Yeah, that was just brutal for Jokic to have that game and for it to end like that end to end on free throws. I was watching that game with my uncle. We were having a great time. And for it to end just like on these two free throws, he misses the last one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Now for the Nuggets, it was already a tough loss, but it was made even tougher because Nikola Jokic had one of his best games ever, putting up 61 points, which is a career high for Jokic and the most points scored by any player this season. He also had his customary 10 rebounds, 10 assists, making it the first ever 60 point triple double.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
It was kind of a bummer of an ending, but it was an amazing game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
All right, Andrew, it is time for the Wheel of Fandom, the weekly segment where we spin a wheel, it lands on a team, and we become fans of that team for the next week. Now, last week, the wheel landed on the Brooklyn Nets. And if you've been following the Wheel of Fandom this season, you know that the vast majority of teams have had a very bad week when the wheel lands on them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
So what would happen when the wheel landed on a team that needed to lose to maintain their draft position? Well, they'd go on a two game winning streak. Of course, the Nets went two and two this week, losing to the Clippers and Wolves, but beating the Mavs and Wizards. They are now 25 and 52 and appear likely headed for the sixth best odds in the upcoming draft lottery.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Per cleaning glass, the Nets have the 28th ranked offense and 24th ranked defense. Andrew, if the Nets are a favorite team, who is our guest?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
And to add insult to injury, the Wolves game was the first night of a back-to-back for Denver. They had to play the Spurs the next night, and because Jokic had played 53 minutes, head coach Michael Malone opted to rest him, leading to a second straight loss.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
The Nuggets remain third in the West, however, but just a half game up on the Lakers, while the Timberwolves have the same record as the Grizzlies, who are currently in sixth. Those two teams will meet next Thursday in a game that could decide the final guaranteed playoff spot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Yeah, I was on the Nets subreddit, and it's fun reading Nets fans' comments as they try to cope with this. I saw one argument that was like, yes, the Suns pick might be around 12 this year. Ours is 6. If you wanted to trade up from 12 to 6, that would cost you an extra first. So that kind of accounts for one of the firsts that we traded away. So I don't know if that helps you at all.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
That was one I saw.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
So in a rebuilding year like this, the hope is that you find some diamond in the rough, a player that you weren't thinking about at the start of the season who you now see as a future rotation player. Oh, he's going to be a part of the next good Nets team. Are there any players like that for you or like an encouraging developmental story? Nope.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Elsewhere in the West, the Golden State Warriors continued their charge up the standings, also winning all four of their games this week, including two crucial ones over the Grizzlies and the Lakers. In the win against the Grizzlies, Steph had 52-10-8, including 12 three-pointers. It was Steph's fourth career game with 12-plus three-pointers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
He and Klay are the only players in NBA history who have done that more than once. Jimmy Butler scored 27 in the game, which was his highest as a Warrior, and Draymond had a 13-10-12 triple-double. Now in the win against the Lakers, Steph was good again, 37, but it was Brandon Pajemski who was the X-Factor, scoring 28, including a career-high 8 three-pointers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Agreed. You know who could be a free agent, Mike? Kyrie Irving.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Now, Mike, you had a little trouble coming up with a diamond in the rough. Yeah. Or anything to get excited about, it sounded like. A turd in the grass. That's what we got. We have turds in the grass. Yes. People seem very hyped on Nets head coach Jordy Fernandez. Hell yeah. Very popular. Hell yeah. Now, six years ago, Chris Mannix tweeted, you are the GM of an expansion team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
You have your choice of any NBA player or Brad Stevens. Who do you choose? Yeah. And at that time, 34.2% of voters picked Brad Stevens over any NBA player. So now the Nets are the ones with the exciting young coach and Jordy Fernandez. I'm going to give you names from some NBA of some NBA players. You're going to tell me whether you choose that player or you take Jordy Fernandez.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
In the 20 games Brandon Pajemski has played since the Jimmy Butler trade, Pods is averaging 14-6-3 while shooting 41% from three-point land. The Warriors have moved all the way up to the fifth spot, only a game back of the Lakers and a game and a half back of Denver. And by the time you hear this, Golden State will have had a huge matchup versus Denver on Friday night.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
You can only have one. Okay. And in the case of you choosing a player, you don't know who the coach is going to be. It could be anyone. It could be, was there a movie, was Air Bud ever a coach in any of his spinoff movies?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Would he tour his ACL? Had to be. Yeah, that would be a really boring Air Bud movie.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
We're talking Jordy or this player. You don't know who the coach would be if you take the player. Okay, so here we go. Herb Jones or Jordy Fernandez?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
But I would say, I mean, Thunder fans had the same thing where Mark Dagnall was like, so obviously good in that early tank year where it was like, Hey, we're winning too many games. Like what was this guy doing? But at the same time, you got to feel good because you know, down the road, like you've got a good guy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Yeah. Yes. I feel like their goal over the last three years is like, what do we have to do to make it not look like Will Hardy's a good coach? Because it's so hard. We have to keep taking away players. Yeah. We have to arrest random guys on random nights. What can we do to really screw up Will Hardy? They finally figured it out. I mean, they have the best odds right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Yes. Okay. More. More players. Okay, so just saying, it sounds like you would have taken Herb Jones over Will Hardy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Now at the top of the West, OKC's winning streak continued, stretching to 11 straight wins after winning all four of their games by an average margin of 21 and a half this week. The Thunder are now 64 and 12, 14 and a half games up on the second seed Rockets, who the Thunder play on Friday night. This week, we'll also see the Thunder play the Lakers twice in three days.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
So, wow. Mike, you're coming across as very smart and sane with your answer to this question. I was hoping I didn't even get to get to my final one, which was going to be way too quickly.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Yeah. Just so the listeners know, I had like eight more of those to do.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Well, I actually was doing all players from 2022 drafts. So Jalen Suggs, Alperin Shingun, Trey Murphy, Franz Wagner, Evan Mobley. And then I was going to finish on Cade Cunningham. I thought we might get all the way there. You're ridiculous.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
OK, bad. Just so you know, I'm coming from a point where 34 percent of people six years ago would have taken Brad Stevens over like Giannis dummies. A bunch of dummies out there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Two juicy matchups that could preview a future playoff matchup, but are also critically important for the Lakers' final seating. In the East, the Cavs cross the 60-win mark with back-to-back impressive wins over the Clippers and Knicks. This is the first time in franchise history the Cavs have won 60 games without LeBron James on the team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
And at 61-15, the Cavs have a chance to set the franchise record for wins at 67 if they win their final six games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
now the bucks who had their first full week without damian lillard they got two needed wins after a four game losing streak combined with the pistons losses to minnesota and okc the bucks have jumped back ahead of the pistons as of friday morning in the standings for the time being but something to look ahead to is the final two games of the season when the bucks and pistons play twice in three days
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Mike, thank you for answering all of our Nets questions. But it's now time to play Andrew versus the Beats Nets edition. Now, Mike, I think you've played this before. I'm sure you have. I've come up with eight questions about the Nets. You're going to give me a number between one and eight. It will correspond to a question. If you get it right, you'll get at least two points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
If you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal. for one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
All right, so Mike, I just need a number between one and eight to get us started. And that's draft position at the moment. As of today, how many Brooklyn Nets would qualify for regular season awards having reached the 65 game minimum? Now you get to choose who answers first. You can make Andrew answer first and then you go higher or lower or you can answer first and Andrew goes higher or lower.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
If either of you get it exactly right, you do get a bonus point. So how many Brooklyn Nets as of today would qualify for regular season awards?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
I think it's really low. I think it's like four. All right. Andrew's going to set the bar at four.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Going under. Well, Andrew, you did get within one. Now, was it five or was it three, Andrew? Correct answer was three, which means Mike gets the points.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Um, yes, yes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Oh, no, sorry, it's Nick Claxton instead of Zaire.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Now, at the bottom of the standings, the Sixers announced this week that Tyrese Maxey would be out for the rest of the season. Not too concerning. But more importantly, it was announced that Joel Embiid will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee that's been bothering him all season, and he'll be reevaluated in six weeks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
He might get there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Okay. Andrew, the board is yours. Number one. Question number one. Andrew, who leads the Brooklyn Nets in total assists?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Total assists for the Brooklyn Mets.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
That is correct. Yes. It is Ben Centro.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
And enough games to still lead the team in assists. Okay, Mike, board is yours. Two. Question number two, Cam Johnson has attempted 408 three-pointers this season. Well, that was as of Wednesday night. In Nets franchise history, there have only been 12 other players to attempt at least 400 threes in a season, and we're going to name them all.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
So how this works, Mike's going to give me a name, then Andrew will give me a name, and we'll go back and forth until one of you stumbles. So you just have to give me a Brooklyn net throughout franchise history that had a season where they took at least 400 threes. And to give you context, that's what Cam Johnson has done this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Let's see how many he had. Let's see if you were even in the realm.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
So he's about 100 short.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Andrew, you're done. You're done. Mike, you said Kevin Durant. All right, Andrew, you just have to name one person to get the point. D'Lo? Oh, that's Andrew Russell. That is correct.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Finally, Andrew, it was announced this week that Carmelo Anthony will be elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Carmelo won a NCAA championship as a freshman at Syracuse. He won three consecutive gold medals as a member of the Olympics team and had a decorated NBA career, making 10 All-Star Games, six All-NBA teams and making the NBA's 75th anniversary team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
The other name. Okay. You said Joe Harris. That's correct. I want to throw out some other names, please. Just for fun. Bridges. Bridges. Yes. Mikhail Bridges. Okay. Alan Crabb. Yes. Alan Crabb. Great pull. Did Vince do it? What are you doing right now? Are you writing down these names?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Yeah. Vince. Do you have any contributions? No. I don't think Vince. Vince Carter did. Andrew, congratulations.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
I'll name the other guys. D. Will, Kerry Kittles, Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Johnson, Royce O'Neal, Patty Mills, and Torian Prince. Wow. Those are your names. Patty Mills. I don't think I could have pulled that. Wow. So, Andrew, board is yours. You're up by one. Three. Three. The Nets currently have the 28th ranked offense per cleaning the glass.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
The last time they had an offense ranked that low was the 2016-17 season. Who were the top two leading scorers for the Nets that season? Total points, you get one point per correct answer. Total points. Leading scores for the 2016-17 Nets. Top two leading scores.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
That is correct for one point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
What about like Karis Levert? I think he was on the team then. I don't know. That's a name. That's a name. But unfortunately, that is wrong. Karis Levert was on the team, though. Congratulations on that. Mike. Any chance you know this? Second leading scorer. The 2016-17 Nets. I have a funny answer. It might be right. Sean Kilpatrick. It is Sean Kilpatrick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
You could bomb the rest of this trivia and that alone proves that you are a huge Nets fan. The fact for real could get Sean Kilpatrick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Okay. Eight. Okay. Question number eight. Question number eight. Oh, this is a fun one. Darren Williams' number. There are five major regular season awards in the NBA MVP, six man of the year, defensive player of the year, rookie of the year and most improved player. The last time a Brooklyn net won one of those awards, which award was it?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
In his best individual season, the 2012-13 season with the Knicks, Melo averaged 29-7 for a 54-win Knicks team, finishing third in MVP voting. He also led a 54-win Nuggets team to the Western Conference Finals in 08-09. He'll be remembered as a lethal scorer, averaging over 20 points per game for the first 15 seasons of his career.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
That is incorrect. Andrew, you have a chance to steal one point.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Well, you can just pick an award. You have a one in four shot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
It's not right. You have to go, Mike, do you know it? Or were you, or you, I was wrong already.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Again, uh, you have to go all the way back to the 1990, 91 season. The last time a Brooklyn net won one of these awards and it was rookie of the year and it was Derek Coleman. It's how far back you have to go for some really good question. Wow. Yeah, that's it. That was a crazy one. I started going through them. Couldn't find any nets. Um, In fact, Nets haven't won a lot of these awards at all.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Like, never been a Net. Yeah, it's been a good franchise. Andrew, you have control of the board. Three questions to go. Number four. Question number four. Jalen Wilson leads the Brooklyn Nets in total minutes played while averaging fewer than 13 points per game. There are six players in the NBA who also lead their team in total minutes played while averaging fewer than 13 points per game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Can you name two of them? And you get one point per correct answer. Oh my gosh. So they have to lead their team in total minutes played, but they have to score fewer than 13 points per game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
So, Andrew, that part is correct. Unfortunately, he is averaging 15 points per game, so it is not the correct answer. Mike, you could steal two points here. You could steal two of them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
He is Meesee. Wow, nice. Nice pull. Can you get another one?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
He holds the franchise record for most points in a game by a Knick and finishes his career with over 28,000 points, 12th on the all-time list. Congrats to Mello. And those were the top stories this week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
gafford uh no you had the right idea though the mavs spencer dinwiddie is one of the answers the other answers bub carrington contavious caldwell pope that one makes sense when you think about it yeah tamani kamara for the blazers uh and the one i thought andrew might get chris paul cp3 oh yeah OK, so we have two questions left and we have a tie game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Now, Mike, you get to choose question number five or question number seven. Seven. Question number seven. This former All-Star was drafted by the Nets, but was immediately sold to the Sixers so that the Nets could pay for Summer League and buy a copy machine.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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It's pretty easy. Ben Simmons. Andrew, this brings us to the final question. Okay. And you have to get the question right to send it into overtime. Okay. Okay. There are three players that have had a 30 point game as a Brooklyn net this season. Can you name all three?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Oh, and actually, I'm just realizing, this is one point per correct answer. So if you theoretically did get all three, you could win the game. Oh, shoot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Dennis Schroeder did do it. Now, the game is currently tied. If Andrew gets the final name, he will win the week. However, if he doesn't get it right, Mike will have a chance to steal and win the week. I know the answer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
It didn't even go well in OKC. It didn't even go well. It was still great.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Andrew, that is correct. You have won the week with a Tyrese Martin poll. Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Yeah. Wait a second. Wait a second.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
If he, if he did, you're looking, he did do it a hundred percent. I mean, he's had to have done it multiple times, right?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
How did he not pop up when I searched on staff? Yeah. I think he's had a 40-point game, right? Yeah. Wait a second. That means that Mike has tied it up, sending us into overtime.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
It's a party! Overtime! Unless you guys find another name, and then that person would win for that reason.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Um, okay. So we're going to do, uh, well, we can't do career three pointers since we already basically did that question. Um, I'm just looking for a good question for you guys where we can go back and forth, back and forth. How about in honor of, uh, Jalen, uh, Wilson, uh, leading the team in minutes, let's do the top 10 franchise history for minutes played. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
So since Mike is our guest, Mike, you can go first and Andrew will go, we'll go back and forth. So total minutes played, franchise history. Brooke Lopez. Brooke Lopez is number three. Over to Andrew. Jason Kidd. Jason Kidd is number two. Back to Mike. Walt Williams. Walt Williams. No. Walt Williams. Andrew, can you give me one more name? Walt Williams. What about Kerry Kittles? Yes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Kerry Kittle's number five. Why did you say Walt Williams? Why did you say Walt Williams?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
I'm looking at a guy named Walt Williams, a.k.a. The Wizard, who played from... Are you thinking of Buck Williams? Yeah, you were thinking of Buck Williams, who is number one. Yeah. Unfortunately, you said a guy who has never played for the Nets.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Now, hold on a second. I was going to go check because Buck sounds like a nickname. Yeah. But it looks like Buck Williams' first name is Charles. Charles Linwood. So I couldn't give it to you for that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
No, that's a pretty good excuse.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
That's a pretty good excuse.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
That's correct.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
If you had just said Williams, I might have had to give it to you. I'm such a dummy. The other names, Richard Jefferson, Chris Morris, Bill Melchione, Vince Carter, Billy Paltz, and Mike Gaminski.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
All right, Andrew, that was Nets week and what a week it was. Congrats to the Nets two and two. Let's see who our wheel fandom team for next week is going to be. And I know I say this every week, but there are so many good teams that are in the midst of of playoff seeding battles right now. We got Milwaukee on their Minnesota Golden State Sacramento trying to hold on to the last spot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Yeah, let's see who the wheel is going to give us this week. This week's wheel of phantom team will be oh hey the portland trailblazers okay talked about denny obdia earlier yeah uh that's not the worst you know maybe something crazy will happen and they'll still have a shot at the plan uh they did win last night so who knows
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Oh, I think JJ should be happy. I mean, Jason Daniels, Christian Brown as two of the top three. I mean, those are the types of guys he's talking about. Zubats. Yeah. But also, like, I think he was being asked this in reference to Austin Reeves, who does not appear on this list, but probably, you know, that's perfectly good candidate as well. I get what he's saying.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
I do think it's been like that traditionally, like when Ja won.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Yeah, I think those, well, Markkinen now, technically, he was a high draft pick and is on a max contract now. But at that time. Yeah, at the time he wasn't. But yeah, I think if like Dyson Daniels win, who's the favorite right now, I think that's a great story. Like that is the perfect representation of a most improved player in my mind. Yeah. Yeah, I get that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Now it's time to move on to our favorites, starting with our favorite quote this week. And my favorite quote this week. It came from Hawks in-game host Shamia Morton. During a timeout break, two Hawks fans were playing tic-tac-toe, the game where for each layup you make, you get to put down an X or an O in the middle of the court.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
The game started, and before one of our participants, James, could even attempt his first layup, he slipped on the court and appeared to suffer a major knee injury. While this was happening, James's opponent continued playing the game while the Hawks in-game host, Shamia Morton, became increasingly concerned for James. James, oh no, let's make sure my guy is good.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
And then when the other participant officially won, she said, can you just be kind and come over here with me and check on James? Now, some people out there, they were questioning the sportsmanship of the other participant who continued playing the game. But if you watch the replay, Andrew, to his credit, he did briefly pause before laying down the final winning marker.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
It did look like he might not have continued the game if not for one Harry the Hawk. Yes, that's right. The Hawks mascot, if you watch it back, he was standing at midcourt. He's the one that motioned the fan to go ahead and win the thing. So if you have beef with the winning fan for not being appropriately concerned about James, direct that toward Harry the Hawk.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
The good news out of all this is the Hawks did provide an update to TMZ saying that James, the injured season ticket holder, is in good spirits. He expects a full recovery. That's about as bad a night as you can have attending an NBA game. And I hope the Hawks get them something nice. Maybe like a signed team basketball or jersey or something.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
But we're all thinking about you, James, especially Andrew, who has a recent experience messing up his knee while playing a child's game. Hopefully, when he's fully recovered, James will be able to enjoy that video with his family because there admittedly are some funny parts. None more so than Shamina Morton's commentary as she tried to figure out how to handle that situation.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Oh, no.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Well, Andrew, the top story this week was the race to the finish line in the Western Conference with the fourth seed through eighth seed only separated by two games. First, it was a big week for the Wolves. The Wolves won all four of their games this week and did so loudly. In a win over the Pistons, we got a big old dust-up in only the second quarter.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Those are good ones, Andrew. That brings us to our favorite stat. And my favorite stat this week is actually about our Wheel of Fandom team, the Brooklyn Nets, because I was spending some time on the Nets Daily blog.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Yeah, you're getting your fill for the year this week. I saw a stat that I just thought perfectly summed up this weird season for the Nets where they trade for their own picks back and then they're unable to lose as many games as some fans might have hoped for.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
So while the two wins this week push the Nets firmly into that sixth spot in the reverse standings, it's really hard to blame those wins when they come against the Mavs and the Wizards. You know, one team's really struggling. One team's just really bad.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
But if you're a Nets fan feeling disappointed in their current lottery position and want to get mad at something, look no further than this stat from Colin Helwig on Nets Daily. The Brooklyn Nets are currently 8-7 on the road against Western Conference teams this season. Above 500 on the road against the Western Conference.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
The only other teams in the East who can say that are Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, and Indiana.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
It's incredible. And I know some of that came at the beginning of the season, you know, when they were a little bit more of a complete team. When they had Ben Simmons, you guys, when they had Ben Simmons. They did have Ben Simmons. But still above 500 on the road against the West for a team that's going to finish with the sixth worst record is pretty impressive.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
That's a great one because I did not know that as a Thunder fan, and I'm also now very excited for it. Tom Garrick, I'm looking at his basketball reference. Rookie year, 0-13. Then he has four for 21 on fire. Wow, what a year. And then he had his 0-22 season. And never really went well after that. So, yeah, maybe Hartenstein could get on that list. That'd be pretty cool. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
This started between Nas Reed and rookie Ron Holland. Confrontation between Reed and Holland quickly grew as Dante DiVincenzo, Beef Stew got into the mix, and the mass of players and coaches went into the first row under the basket. In the end, five players and two coaches were ejected from the game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Next up, favorite player. My favorite player this week, Denny Avdia. I've always been a fan of Denny when he was with the Wizards. When Portland traded two first round picks for him last summer, I was expecting big things, Andrew. Because the Blazers needed another playmaker. Denny brought that while also just being a really good all-around player. But then his season just did not start off great.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
Through his first month, Denny's shooting splits were 37-26-79. And he was barely averaging 10 points per game. But things started to gradually improve. He's talked about it. He just got more comfortable. He was worried about fitting in when he first got to Portland, being on a new team with some established players. But he's eventually gotten more comfortable.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
And over the past couple of months, I would say he has clearly been the Blazers' best player. In 19 games post-All-Star break, he's averaging 22.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 9.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists while shooting 51, 43, 78. Those are massive numbers. And Denny had his best week of the season this week. In three games, he put up 30 and 12 with almost seven assists per game.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Ja Morant and Westbrook Blunders + Nets Need Lottery Luck | Slam N Jam
He had 32, 15, and 10 against the Hawks. And his contract... which is going to pay him under $12 million in the 27-28 season, was always going to look good. But with his recent play, it's looking like one of the best contracts in the league. And I think it's important to point out that as Danny has improved over the season, so have the Blazers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
So like the, the, the heat or the, well, I just said it wasn't the heat. Well, the one of the, well, oh yeah. I mean, I don't know. That's, that's like the, when I think of like teams that it could be, I think you named all the teams that I thought that it could be like.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
And a lot of those teams are the heat or whoever.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Yeah, Donovan Mitchell's going to need rest or something.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I was going to say the good news is that even if that one doesn't work out, they play again the following Thursday. That's true. We'll get two in a row. One of them's got to be good. One of them's got to be good. I mean, come on. My stat of the week is there's one team in the NBA, Alex, that is top five in both offensive and defensive rating. Do you know who it is? Is it the Grizzlies?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
It's the Memphis Grizzlies. Yeah, I get that. You know, tons of talk about the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics and the Thunder and even the Knicks, who are having a really nice season. But the Grizzlies...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
have somehow and it is like cobbled together a team that is just really successful and they're finding it on both ends you know they currently rank fourth in defensive efficiency at a 108.3 and then offensive efficiency their fifth at a 116.6 i mean that they have the the Fifth best net rating. They're just right behind New York at 8.2.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
And there's a clear drop-off that happens with this top five. The top five is the Thunder at a plus 12.2, well ahead of everybody. Cleveland, 11.6. Boston, 10. New York, 8.4. And then the Grizzlies, 8.2. I just think that they're... being underrated and not really thought of as a quote-unquote top five team in the NBA. But by these efficiency stats, they have been.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
And so I just think that that is interesting to note. Even though they have had a ton of injuries, they've had to play with a ton of different lineups. Jha's been in and out. Bane has been in and out. But they're still finding consistency, too. And with players that... a lot of people didn't think we're going to be contributing on a night-to-night basis for them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
So just a tip of the cap to the Memphis Grizzlies, who have had a really, really nice season so far.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I think it also, though, is about the opposite of what we were talking about with... The Kings is like, there is a connectedness that exists within this front office. You know, Taylor Jenkins has been with the team since the 1920 season and they've had success and they've had failure throughout that, but they continue to stick with him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
And you look at it this year and like, what are the things that keep teams like this winning? A lot of times it's the coaching staff, like having a connectedness with the team and getting them to work hard and getting them to all play on a string. And they're doing that. And so to me, it's a really good thing for Grizzlies fans, obviously, but just for the health of the team in the front office.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
The opposite is happening in New Orleans, where they've had similar issues with guys being in and out, but they've won five games. They've won five games. And their roster is not a five-win roster. And it hasn't been all season. Like they should win more than that. And it shows that there's a disconnect somewhere that is clearly not happening in Memphis.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Who hasn't had a nine point stinker against Orlando?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Yeah, that's the thing is that you just hold out and you're like, all right, you just wait till the trade deadline because somebody is going to give you three picks somewhere. You know, yeah, it'll it'll happen and it'll probably be an overpay for him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I also think there's something going on in Brooklyn where it's a little bit reminiscent of the Thunder years ago where guys were just outperforming who they were. And I think that that a lot of guys in Brooklyn are just being set up really well to be successful. And the vibes are very good there. And so I think Cam Johnson is a very good player.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I think that I'd be careful if you're expecting this kind of production from him on any other team. That's all I would have to say. I think Cam is a very good player. I think that whoever gets him is going to be happy with him. But like this is this is a lot to expect.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Al, my player of the week is Shea Gildas Alexander, who is now, according to our betting partners, BetMGM, the favorite to win the regular season MVP at a minus 110. Jokic is at a plus 110. And then you have Giannis at a plus 1000. And a lot of that has been this win streak that you mentioned earlier. The Thunder have won 13 games in a row. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Don't worry about that. That loss that's in there. Shea has been unbelievable recently. In this 13-game win streak, he's led the league in scoring. You look at his box scores from these last several games. I mean, he had 40 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He had 29 in 30 minutes against the Clippers. He had 35 against Memphis.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
He didn't have to play much against Charlotte on the score 22, but had 45 in a very impressive game against Indiana. Indiana had it going that night and Shea absolutely just shut off their water defensively. And then on offense, he was amazing scoring 45 points. And it's just funny to look back at like the journey that Shea has gone through to become the player that he is.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I mean, you think about the trade that happened, right? where the Thunder traded Paul George to the Clippers. The first tweet that Woj sent out was, Oklahoma City is trading all-star Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers for a record-setting collection of draft choices. League sources tell ESPN. That was the first tweet. Tweet about that trade.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
No mention of SGA, like not even a mention of the guy. And he was a he was a late lottery pick. He's obviously a good player. He went to Kentucky. It's not like he's like some like low level guy. But remember, he didn't even start for Kentucky, though. And he was a lottery pick, but he wasn't even mentioned as the star return. It was these picks and the number of picks that they were getting back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
But Shea has developed into just a ridiculous player. I remember covering him and thinking when he was scoring 25 points per game in the 21-22 season, like, wow, this is a very good player. This is a starting level two guard. And the fact that he took it up a level from there, he has gotten better every single year that he's been in the NBA. And there's stats to prove it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
You can look on the court and see that he has new and different moves, the stop and start stuff from him. And in one move that he showed against Nas Reed specifically, where I think he stopped and started like five times when Nas was like playing perfect defense on him. And there was literally nothing that Nas could have done better, except SGA is just a better player.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I think that at this point, he's deserving of the MVP. I think that you look ahead at the schedule the Thunder have over the course of really the entire month of January. If the Thunder can maintain not the winning streak, but if they can be, I don't know, above 500 or better over the course of these games, I think that SGA will win the MVP. I think this is his chance.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
He's going to be on national television a couple times. They even flexed. that Cavs Thunder game, international TV, which obviously they should do that. But getting to play on that stage, I think will be very important for Shea in particular. And he's just been great over the last week. So my player of the week, SGA.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Al, you want to go to our moments of the week this week?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
yeah i i have three destinations that i like for him that i'll give to you now that he's expanded yeah he's expanded i still think the grizzlies are a fun option for him and i know that like any place you trade him the biggest problem is the extension and like what do you do but i just feel like if the grizzlies had jimmy butler I just would fear them so much more in the West.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I think that people would take them much more seriously. And I know, like I just mentioned, they have a top five offense, top five defense. But if they were throwing out Ja, Jimmy, Bane, and Triple J... Like that's that's a serious four guys that I think that you would really fear in the playoffs. So you could cobble enough salary together.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Marcus Smart, Brandon Clark, Luke Kennard and a first for Jimmy. I don't know what you think about that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Yeah, but it's not like you're taking off that much. You're not taking that much shooting off the table. It's really just Luke Kennard.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Yeah, I get that. I get it. I just love the fit. I just think it would be outrageously fun. And the... the fan base would immediately take to this guy. He's a grizzly at heart. Okay, my second destination. I just think this team needs some kind of attitude shake-up. And either Jimmy is going to be the worst or the best thing for you. And I just think the Indiana Pacers need a shake-up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I really don't have a good trade to Indiana. But I just think they need some toughness. I think they need some mental toughness. And you could cobble enough salary together. You'd have to probably include Miles Turner in this, Obi Toppin, Aaron Neesmith. I don't know what the trade is. I just like the idea of one, Jimmy staying in the East. I like that a lot better. And then Jimmy...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Going to a team like the Pacers, who I don't... Yes, they made the conference finals last year. I don't think anybody thinks of them as a serious conference finalist this year. And they need just another piece. And they have already committed to this roster with what they have given to Siakam and to Halliburton. And so I just think that they need to kind of...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
They need some kind of all-in move to get them to the next level, in my opinion. And I don't know if they have the goods to get him, but I just like the idea of Jimmy in Indiana. I just like that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Is it too much of an all-in move for the Nuggets to try to get in on Jimmy?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I don't think you can do that. You don't like Jimmy and Westbrook on the court together?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I know. Since he's taken 30, really. Yeah, I get it. The Nuggets, I think, are just in a weird place. And this would probably, I mean, this is a, either this works or if it doesn't, then this could be a spectacular failure if something like that happened. But I just feel like they are in, and we talked to Adam Morris about it, like they need to shake up.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I don't know that Jimmy is the right guy, but I think that he would bring like the kind of attitude that they would need. And I think Jokic would probably love playing with Jimmy. If this was their playoff team, I think I would much more fear a Jimmy Butler, Jokic, Jamal Murray team than I would one with MPJ. That's all. That's all I'm saying. I just don't fear MPJ in the playoffs.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
And I think Jimmy has proven himself as a playoff performer throughout the years.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I don't know. I don't know. I don't know what choices they're going to have, but I would probably choose flexibility. If I have a team in Miami, give me flexibility.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Yeah, which I don't think you can get for Jimmy at this point. I don't think you're getting that. I just don't think that's happening. I think that his contract and the the idea that you're going to have to resign him on a number that you're probably not going to like is it makes it unattractive enough for teams. And so I don't think he's going to get a primo asset back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
A hundred percent, a hundred percent. The only other thing I wanted to touch on here was just like the fall off of from Tyrese Halliburton and like how it showed in the, uh, all-star voting, you know, the first returns for all-star voting last year that Tyrese Halliburton had 1.3 million votes in the first return. And he's not even in the top 10 this year for, for guards, uh,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I mean, if he got that 1.3, he would lead all guards in all-star voting this year. It's crazy how it's obviously shown on the court, and he's been better lately. I'll give him that credit. But it has been a strange fall-off for Tyrese Halliburton, and the fans have noticed.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
And to go from 1.3 million votes all the way down to out of the top 10, which would be under probably 100,000, is pretty wild. Yeah. So I just thought that that was an interesting, interesting note from the all-star just from the all-star voting. Another interesting note. We're talking about the Hornets right after this quick break.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
It's Brian Geisinger, host of the BuzzBeat podcast. Brian, thank you so much for joining us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
They are in the NBA. They made it. So, Brian, the main complaint with this franchise in the past is that they were always gunning for the eighth seed with no real ambition. Now Charlotte has a new owner, new GM, new coach. What is your read on the mood of the fan base right now? They're 7-25, which isn't great, but...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
There does seem to be an approach that feels different enough that fans are they like buying into this? Do they think this long term plan is something that will actually work?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Welcome to the Saturday Slammin' Jam here on the Athletic NBA Daily. Today, we're talking about Jimmy Butler, we're talking about the dominance of the Cavaliers, and we talk to Brian Geisinger, who joins us to talk about the Charlotte Hornets. You're about to get an education on the Charlotte Hornets. But first, Al, tell me about the top stories this week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Well, I would love to keep this Grant Williams love fest going. Let's talk about LaMelo Ball. LaMelo is actually leading all East guards in all-star votes, which was, I think, a surprise when people saw that graphic made by the NBA. He's averaging 30 points per game this season with a 39.1% usage rate.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
His usage has been steadily increasing every season, but this is the highest usage rate since like peak Harden and Westbrook, which just like seems unfathomable to me. We're getting more lamella than we've ever gotten. Do you think that this is a function of the roster? Is this like the future of what lamella ball will look like with this team?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
OK, Salon. OK, who is one of the he was one of the youngest prospects in the draft. He's been getting pretty consistent minutes in the rotation, averaging about 20 minutes per game. The numbers have not been great, which isn't a huge surprise. But what have you seen that gets you excited about his future?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
My wife tells me I have OB top and hips too.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Yeah, it's like that Grizz team last year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Andrew. Shout out to Byron. Don't call me BJ Mullins.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I believe that former Thunder player DJ White was on that team. I think that another DJ, DJ Augustine, was on that team. That is true. Kemba and Bismack were both on those teams.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I just can't even imagine him shooting a three.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Oh, my gosh. I don't even know what is reasonable or not, to be honest. I'll say 60.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Happy New Year, and let's go to our BetMGM line of the week, brought to you by BetMGM. Now, the Pacific Division winner right now is just a very interesting topic. You look at it right now, odds of BetMGM, the Clippers. which would have probably been at the bottom of this list at the beginning of the season, are now the favorites to win the Pacific Division at a plus 210.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Taj Gibson. Did you say Minnesota?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I know, but based on that, do you know who hasn't started for them? I don't think Trey Mann started.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
You have the Lakers not too far behind at a plus 250. Warriors at a plus 275. Suns at plus 425. And then you have the Sacramento Kings. Plus twenty five hundred. This is a very interesting division. Tons, tons of big names. But boy, I have no clue how to pick this. I still would probably pick the Lakers or Warriors at this point. But I don't know how you're feeling now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Yeah, I don't know. Detroit? I don't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Seven to five. High scoring game. Ouch. That was a high scoring game. Go check out the Buzz Beat podcast. I promise you this. You now know more about the Charlotte Hornets than any of your friends. I promise you that. It's true. I promise you that you know more than any of them. Brian, thanks so much for coming on.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Somehow have only won five games. We'll have to get Will Guillory on. I guess that's the true bright spot of this is that we get to talk to Will again. He's been just an outstanding Slammin' Jam guest over the years. And he's even co-hosted the show with me before. And so it'll be great to have Will.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I actually think about him often as I'm looking at League Pass, you know, night to night thinking, I feel so bad for Will. Yeah. that they have to watch this team just fart away their season. Okay. Andrew, hold on real quick.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Listen, I guess the only real, the only good thing about this is that we could possibly be talking about trades. Because I do think that there is a realistic possibility of there being some trades. They are at least, at the very least, and I'm sure we'll talk about this in a couple weeks, going to make a trade today. to shed salary.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
That's a big tank battle. Maybe we should just get Josh Robbins on too at the same time to just discuss these games. Maybe we should just live stream those games. Just... Let's hop on. Okay, leave us a five-star review and we'll read it on the podcast. Just like this one at Pandiora. It says, with the demise of the low post RIP, this has become hands down my favorite NBA pod.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
The weekday team somehow keeps the combo light but serious. Shout out to Xena and S. The weekend slam and jam crew do great deep dives on specific teams. Shout out Alex and Andrew. Entertaining without being stupid hot takey. Uh, for serious hoop heads, only five stars. Thank you so much for that. Uh, from OMG. It, it, uh, five stars. The, the best basketball podcast ever.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Cannot believe no episode this week. Sorry about that. Uh, I'm going through a very rough, rough withdrawal. Uh, And going through all the episodes dating back to 2022 Golden State Warriors title run. Obviously, I'm a diehard Warriors fan. Please come back soon and rescue me. By the way, I cannot believe how good looking both Andrew and Alex are.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Thank you so much. Thank you so much for that. Tune into YouTube. That's right. Check out our YouTube page. And then we have this last one from Jake underscore Ford 97. Slam and jam rocks. Look forward to the slam and jam every week. Andrew and Alex are so great together and have the best trivia game with Andrew versus the beat.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I also want to thank Andrew and Alex personally for the great halftime performance in the Thunder Wolves game and New Year's Eve. Absolutely fantastic. Congratulations. Thank you so much for that review.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Hey, if you want more content from Alex and I, you can tune into, we have a Thunder show called down to dunk that we post Monday, Wednesday, Friday that you can find here on the athletic podcast network. You can listen to it on the athletic app. You can also listen to it on Apple, Spotify, and also YouTube. So go check out down to dunk for more content from us.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Hope you guys enjoy the weekend and the basketball. And we'll talk to you guys again next week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
Yes. Hang the divisional banner. Al, let's go to our favorites of the week. Let's start with quotes. Mine came from Anthony Edwards Thursday night. Got... What a dream it must be to cover Anthony Edwards where you can just pull up to his locker, turn your phone on video pointed at him and just let it talk because he was willing to talk last night after a loss.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
He was super frustrated with just the simple action of a double team. And he said this, and this comes from a friend of the show, Dane Moore. Listen to the Dane Moore podcast, by the way. Great show. And he said, it's not how I want to play, of course. I'm only 23. I don't want to just be passing the ball all night. But the way they're guarding me, I think I have to.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
And then one of the reporters, I don't know who it said, they said something like, you're not Mike Conley. And he's like, yeah, I'm not Mike Conley. It's so goofy. Then he was asked how hard it was to stay engaged. And he said, super hard, super hard, super hard, super hard. Four times he said this. Because I'm wired to score the ball. And I just think that...
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I mean, the way that we were talking about Ant and the Timberwolves not that long ago, what, like eight months ago? I was like, oh, man. You know, people were making comps from Ant to like MJ. People were saying that like this team could go win a championship. And now it just seems like they are so far from that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
I mean, I think it's hard to even predict that there'll be a conference finalist again, which is how the season has gone. And so it's just these quotes are just indicative of just more growth. I think that needs to happen for Ant and for this team. And just that trade just did not work out. It has not worked out so far.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
And a lot of times we place a ton of value, and it's not that it's not valuable, but we place a ton of value on flexibility. But when it comes to disrupting the roster this much, a roster that had great chemistry, that had played really well together, that had just beaten the Nuggets and had almost gone to the NBA Finals,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
to be that disruptive to your roster, I think is something that you just have to be so careful with. And so these quotes to me are just indicative of just like more growing pains that are to come for the Wolves.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
And it's an indictment on leadership, honestly, because it shows like no connectedness between ownership, front office, coaching staff. I don't think there's a connectedness there. I think that there is poor leadership and poor leadership at the top always trickles down and somebody is going to pay for it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Jimmy Butler Trades + Cavs and Thunder Dominance
At all times, whether it be the roster, the team, the coaching staff, whoever it is, someone when things don't go well, someone is going to pay for poor leadership. And that's what's happened in Sacramento for a long time. And it's just rearing its ugly head again.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
But but also they are they're a storied franchise and a city that has experienced success. And while it's been a long time, I think it's good that if they didn't give us any ovation, it's probably good because like under fans at the time, it was like, we're just glad to be here. Everybody stand up for the NBA. Everyone, can you believe this? You know, like that's how it felt.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
It was really fun. I like having the two games. I really enjoy having the two games, which is very fun. We are recording this late, late Thursday. So when you're listening to this on Saturday, you're confused about the two games that I'm talking about. So it's just one game on Friday. Not talking about that, but we are going to talk about the Eastern Conference to start with.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Okay, so finally we have the Milwaukee Bucks, who not only lost Damian Lillard to an Achilles tear, but we're now focused on the 24-7 Giannis trade speculation. The Athletics' John Hollinger wrote about how trading Giannis was Milwaukee's best option. But a lot of Bucs fans make the argument that you usually only get a player of this caliber once in a lifetime.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
And so why would you voluntarily go into the post Giannis era? Assuming Giannis wants to stay, what would you do as the Bucs?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
They have several what just feels like unmovable contracts. Not only Dame, but Kyle Kuzma. We're locked in, baby. Who's taking that contract now? You don't have the assets to even get off of the contracts that you have. It is a very tricky situation. It is very, very tricky. I'm with Hollinger. I don't see another way out unless you just want to ride this out and Giannis is content.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
But Giannis has already said that he wants another title. Yeah. And so how can you even...
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
get close to accomplishing that when you look across and even you're in the eastern conference man like you can't even do it in the eastern conference um i yeah i don't i don't see i don't see a path either whenever you're whenever you're relying on the players that they have on their roster right now i just i can't imagine it getting better and i can't imagine like a way out of this
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Yeah, that is definitely playing energy. If Kevin Porter Jr. is a part of your plan, your plan is toast.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
And so the second round of the Eastern Conference is set. Most people are already looking ahead to a Cavs-Celtics conference finals. But I want to ask you the same question about both series. An upset feels unlikely, but what would need to happen for the Pacers and Knicks to make these long series?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
I mean, that's a great example, though. Just because you can restart your franchise on stuff like that. If you make the right trade. But also, if you're a Bucks fan, you know the history of the Bucks and the Luau-Sender trade. And they weren't able to get a player of that caliber until Giannis. And it is difficult. Building in a small market is really difficult.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
That's not a fun game. That sounds like a horrific trivia game that you would make me play.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
I'll take the Thunder. Number one, the thunder for not dealing. They're not dealing with any injuries right now. Yeah, that's true. Like super rested. Like Boston is. They have slept in their own beds so many times in the last three weeks. It's been absurd. Yeah, they're feeling good. they need to absolutely destroy whoever it is in game one.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Like, absolutely dismantle them and send a message with all this rest that they have. So, yeah, I feel very confident with the Thunder as the number one pick here.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
The team that has no path. I know. How could you beat a team that has no path?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
That Knicks team is so weird. I do not trust them at all.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Yeah. Is that who you'd pick? Yeah, they got Jokic. They got Altitude. What about Nicholas Batum? I just wonder if old man Batum can do that ever again. Is the thing I thought after that game was over. He was incredible. He was so good. But I don't know. You got... When you have James Harden on one side and then Jokic on the other, I don't know. I just lean Jokic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
So I don't know. Yeah, I actually I actually would double down. Maybe I would take them number one, honestly, if I knew they were going to wear them again. For my second pick, it would be logical to take the Clippers here, but I won't use logic. I'm going to take the Golden State Warriors. Okay.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
I don't feel good about it, but they just feel... A lot of times, it has felt at times like they were dead, but then they continue to just... They continue to just like become this like zombie version of themselves and they just win basketball games. So I don't know. I'm just not betting against that whole infrastructure that they have in Golden State.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
They're good. That's a good basketball team. Yeah. Got a good five guys. Got a good five guys. That's right. So recording before Friday night's game between the Warriors and Rockets, the winner of that series will meet the Minnesota Timberwolves, who beat the Lakers in five.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
How much of the Wolves' domination in round one was the specific matchup with the Lakers versus the Wolves maybe being a lot better than people thought coming into the playoffs?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Yeah, that's a very normal playoff rotation, which a lot of these teams don't have. It's just funny to watch some of these teams that just don't. They have nobody that they can go to. And the Lakers were that way. And they had one fastball. And the Wolves showed pretty quickly that they knew how to hit the fastball. And it was over. Like, that's over. Like, what do you do?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Like, we'll just try it again. You know, let's try it more is what JJ tried to do, you know, in the last couple games. Like, there was nothing that they could do just because they could not match up with them. And so I do wonder... what it looks like in round two with a team that could perhaps match up with them a little bit better and has more than really four or five guys that they trust.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
So, yeah, I do wonder. I do think a lot of it was matchup specific for them. I do think the Wolves are very good and they showed, I think they had like the fourth best net rating in the league this season, but I don't know. They also have inconsistencies. And they also had just moments down the stretch of games in the regular season where they would just completely let go of the rope.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
And so I'm curious to see them play a team that's a little bit more prepared and has a little bit more going in their favor. Like a center? Like plays a team with a center? Plays a team that plays a guy that plays the position of center. Yeah. It would be nice to see them play a team like that. What would you be more interested in watching?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Amon Thompson trying to guard Anthony Edwards or the Wolves trying to figure out Steph Curry?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Yeah, the muscle watch for Luca is going to be unbelievable this summer. Like when August rolls around and we start seeing photos of Luca, people are going to freak out one way or the other.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
I mean, JJ set it up, set this up to be the ultimate muscle watch. Like he really has.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Yeah. No, I'm very much looking forward to it now because he was clearly, I mean, he didn't ever mention Luca by name, but he was clearly talking about Luca. Like who else is going to talk? Who is he talking about? He's not talking about Jared Vanderbilt.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Gabe Benson's like, man, I really got to get in shape. No, it's clear who this was about. And yeah, cannot wait for Muscle Watch already.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
I mean, they cannot go back to that well, can they? Like, honestly. They need some kind of lob threat. If that happened, I would lose it. If they're like, you know what, Derek Lively for Gabe Vincent and Jared Vanderbilt defense wins championships.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
So many games. Under 20% from three. That's a lot of games. The last decade, that's where it's... Yeah, it goes back to 2015-16.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Wow. Okay. Drummond's in there with the, gotta be the numbers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Okay. I first need to grapple with what is a reasonable percentage.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
a lot of games in Oklahoma city where he did come off the bench. Um, I guess it was only one year. Nevermind. Um, no, no, no, that's not true. No, that was, that was several years. Um, that was three years.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
No, no, no, no. I was thinking I was thinking more like Mike to start with, that it would be like 15 ish percent. But no. I don't know why I went with the seven, though. That was my mistake. Is it my pick? Yes, Mike.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Yeah, it feels like we're heading back into the Dion Waiters era of the Miami Heat again.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Hornets always an answer. It's always a good crutch there for teams that lose.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
That's right. Personally love it. I mean, there's a coffee mug. There's a coffee mug above my shoulder right now of Dion waiters and a Miami heat Jersey. So it's actually, I'm very, very excited for the future of the heat. Another team that said farewell this week was the Orlando Magic. The Magic's needs are maybe the most obvious in the league.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
The president of basketball ops, Jeff Weltman, was interviewed this week and said what everyone else thinks, which is what we need is a proven shot making, proven offensive player, someone that is going to come in and help augment our weaknesses. As Weltman pointed out, future moves will likely need to involve trades. Do you have any favorite targets for the Orlando Magic?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
You got to think about the long playoff runs, but the five is tough because there's a couple of guys I'm thinking of that like they didn't even make the playoffs some year. So this is. I don't know. I think about Jimmy, Jimmy Butler. How about Jimmy Butler? Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Does he even have double digit points in those games?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Tillman Senior. The way that we all say his name. That's how it's listed here. Mike, thanks so much for coming on the show. Go check out NBA Bit on YouTube. Anything else that you want to plug before we go?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Thanks for coming on, Mike. Hey, and you can leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and we will read it on the show, just like this one from SF Slim. Your show is still the best with your weekly deep dive with various teams, beat writers, and great trivia. Oh, I read this one last week. I'm not doing this one. I'm cutting this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
This is the guy telling us that the Clippers are the surprise team. But this is... Wait, this is a... Is this the same one, though? Maybe I won't cut this. This should be the whole read. Keep all this. This is the whole thing. Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. I think this is another person telling you that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
That's a huge... Nope. I was wrong. Still the same one. You know what? Thanks for leaving that five-star review still. Really appreciate it. Leave us a five-star review. We'll read it on the podcast. We might even read it two weeks in a row. Hope you guys have a great weekend. We'll talk to you guys again next week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Is that enough? Is Anthony Simon's enough? I mean, you've watched, you've watched him up close a lot. Yeah. But is that, is that, is that enough for Orlando? You think he's clearly better than like most, most guards on this magic team, which is a pretty low bar. Yeah. But is that enough?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
What do you, are you wanting to take the next step enough to take the next step for the magic?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Yeah, just competent playmaking and like the point at like elite point of attack defense in this NBA is so important. And like the Thunder have like tripled down on that. And like that's how they become like what they are defensively. And so I do think he matters so much to what they're doing. You could see Simons fitting next to him. The thing with Simons... He could fit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Yeah. What about Kobe White? Would you rather have Kobe White or would you rather, I mean, what, I think I would like Kobe White a little bit better than Anthony Simons, but you could, you could talk me into either side of it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Welcome to the Saturday Slammin' Jam here on the Athletic NBA Daily. On today's show, we're talking to Mike Zakarian about the NBA playoffs. We'll do another championship draft. And we'll be doing some NBA playoff trivia with me, as always, is my good friend Alex Spears. And joining us from NBA Bit on YouTube is my friend, Mike Zakarian.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Yeah. You also have to, you just have to leave room for growth too, for these guys. Like Asar only played 23 minutes tonight, but had a really big impact. And if he could just get some semblance of an offensive game, you know, I mean, he, he's clearly an impact player that needs to play more. Um, We didn't even see Beef Stew out there this whole series, which was kind of a bummer.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Especially against the Knicks and in a contentious series. The cameras always found him, but he didn't get to play. I'm kind of with you. I don't think that they need to do much. I think that Cade, who's still a young player himself, is still evolving. Now they know what it takes. Now they know what it takes in a playoff series and I think they'll be fine. I think that's a team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
We talk about Orlando. Who are you taking for the next three seasons? Are you taking Detroit or are you taking Orlando?
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
Really? There's very, very fixable things. I think the turnovers were a huge problem for the Pistons. Everything just screamed. We're a young team that's just not quite ready yet. You watch the end of that game, and they... just fumbled everything away at the end of that game. And it was just like, we're young and we're not ready to do this yet. It's just what it screamed the entire time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
And Brunson was clearly ready to just snatch it away from them. But I think Cade is just like the exact kind of guard that you need. And I just think Orlando on offense is just way too clunky. I just think you add one, you add Anthony Simons to that mix. And I just don't know that that is making the difference. I think like having a guy like Cade that can handle and pass and do everything for you.
The Athletic NBA Daily
NBA Contender Draft | Slam N Jam
I'd rather have that guy than almost any other young player in the Eastern Conference, to be honest.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
Does that not blow your mind? I wonder how different it was before the Cavs game, because, you know, obviously they got blown out by the Cavs. I'm sure Jared Allen, Evan Mobley, you know, did well in that game. But even the effects of one game to be at 77% is still pretty amazing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
Yeah. So I'm looking at the game by game on cleaning the glass and Phoenix, in their two games against the Lakers at the rim, shot 80% and 92.9%. The Kings shot 86.4%. The Cavs game, which I thought maybe that was the reason, 74.3%. Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
OK, Andrew, next category, our next favorite thing is our favorite player this week. Andrew, who is your favorite player to watch this week?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
Kevin O'Connor pointed out that Ant is taking 58.9% of his shots from three, a rate that is higher than any James Harden season. And that includes Ant taking nearly nine pull-up threes per game. The Bulls, the freaking Bulls, who used to be allergic to threes during the DeRozan era, tied a franchise record this week for made three-pointers in a game with 25. When will this madness stop, Andrew?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
Wouldn't the lottery protected first be in like 31?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
And the reason is because for a team in the second apron to get off of the Zeke nausea contract. Yeah. You should have to give up a pick just for that. He has played two minutes this year. And if you don't, if you aren't familiar with the Zeke nausea contract, um, Next year, he makes 8.1. The year after, he makes 7.5. In three seasons, the 27-28 season, he has a player option for 7.5 million.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
Like, for a low-value contract, that is the worst contract in the NBA.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
I can remember watching Monte Ellis go out there and shoot 36% on eight mid-range attempts per game, and I liked it, Andrew. I liked that. I thought that was good. I liked it, Andrew. I would yell at my TV. I say, give it to the Mississippi bullet and let him try some stuff. Now I'm watching these losers step back a couple of feet and shoot the same percentage as Monte.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
So my favorite player this week. came as a result of me watching two full Wizards games this week. Two full, not just Wizards games, Wizards Hawks games. When was the last time I could say that, much less be willing to admit it? But the times are changing, Andrew, and the Wizards are infinitely more watchable this season than they've been in years past.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And one of the major reasons why is my favorite player this week, Bilal Kulbali. He is. Listen, I remember during his draft cycle, you and I talked about him a lot because there were some rumors at the time that OKC was interested in him. And back then, my feeling was, OK, I get the defensive upside. Makes sense. You could see him coming in day one, being able to play on that end.
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But I didn't totally get the pitch on offense and I didn't know if he'd get the time and freedom he'd need. to develop those skills. Well, he is getting that freedom right now in Washington and is taking full advantage and he absolutely pops off the screen.
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Fans of any team know that feeling when you draft someone and you're like trying to talk yourself into them the whole time, you'll focus on like tiny moments during a game to make you feel better. Like, Oh, did you see that cut he made at the beginning of the third? Did you see his cutting?
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Like you don't have to squint to see what's awesome about below because it's all right there in front of your face. Like his athleticism pops. I think he had two or three put back dunks just in that last Hawks game. He's taking threes confidently with no hesitation. He's terrifying in transition. Sometimes there will be guys who have great measurements, but you don't really feel it in the game.
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You absolutely notice Bilal's 7'2 wingspan. He's jumping into passing lanes. He's coming from behind plays to block Trae Young's shot. The jump we've already seen from last season to this season is incredible, and he's still so young. For comparison, he's about a month younger than Reed Shepard. Isn't that crazy?
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It's hard not to watch him in these games and not think that he has star upside, which would obviously be massive for Washington being a year or two of the rebuild and big picture. Just think of the questions that we were asking Josh Robbins a couple of years ago, like two years ago, we were, we were saying things like, so Josh, they really want to build around Bradley bill.
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That's really what they want to do. And now they've got four young guys to get excited about. And speaking of Josh Robbins, he published an article on blog. asking scouts their opinions. So go check that one out. But yeah, I'm all in on Bilal Koulibaly and going out of my way during that early game window, which out here is like 4 p.m.
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on the West Coast, just to watch Wizards games so I can see him. So shout out to Bilal. And Andrew, that brings us... to our favorite team to panic about this week. I mentioned them earlier. I'm in full-blown panic about the Milwaukee Bucks. Bro. As I said, one and four, four straight losses.
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offense is bad the defense is bad Dame continues to underwhelm as a buck Middleton is still out you know if you want some positives Giannis is great look Brooke Lopez blocking a lot of shots for an old man doing good you know hopefully Middleton comes back and he's healthy but this team feels so stale and so far away from contender status and I can't help but compare them to Phoenix I
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who, you know, in this offseason, another older, top-heavy team who really needed to nail every single move around the margins to make it work because of the cap situation. And in the case of Phoenix, they seem to have pulled it off so far. They're at 4-1, getting contributions from Tyus Jones and Mason Plumlee, their free agent signings.
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But it really feels like the move that is swinging the Sun season is drafting Ryan Dunn, which sounds crazy. But during the Lakers-Suns games, the co-hosts of the Suns podcast, The Timeline, which is a great pod, Sam Cooper and Mike Vigil, they tweeted within seconds of each other that Ryan Dunn had saved the Suns franchise.
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And that might sound hyperbolic, but I honestly think I agree because it feels like if you're one of these... Andrew, if you're one of these capped out teams, whether it's like Milwaukee, Denver, even Minnesota... You either have to make a big trade to open up a ton of flexibility, like the Julius Randle deal, or you have to nail a late first round pick.
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And I'm barfing my guts out, Andrew. And speaking of barf. The Nuggets had one of the more bad good weeks I've ever seen. They ended up going 2-1 on the week. Solid result. But two wins. Both required overtime and were against two teams, the Raptors and the Nets, who are expected to be in the lottery this season. And of note in the Raptors game, Scotty Barnes sustained an orbital fracture.
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Just adding a couple of random free agents that are probably better in your head than they actually are in real life isn't enough anymore. And the Bucs have absolutely failed on that front. Just this week, they declined the fourth-year option on Marjon Beauchamp.
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They used the 22nd pick in this past draft on a guy who Sam Vecini said, quote, I'd take a flyer on him in the top 40 at some point if I had a strong developmentally conscious organization that I believe would be able to get his frame up to speed within the next two years.
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Is there any franchise you would describe as less developmentally conscious than the bucks based on their recent draft history? And that's why I'm so down on them right now. Like there's no hope in the pipeline for this version of the bucks.
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This management has proven they are unable to draft and develop talent, even while acknowledging how hard it is to pull it off when you only get late first and seconds. And so the only option is, is to play this thing out with who they've got. And it's just becoming increasingly clear that that might just not be enough.
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In the same way, it might not have been enough for the Suns if they had drafted someone else. I mean, I know that sounds crazy because through the first couple games, Ryan Dunn was only playing about 15 minutes a game. He ends up playing a lot in the most recent game. But if you take him off of that team, I'm just not so sure that we aren't having a similar conversation about the Suns.
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Now, maybe they're not one and four, But he has been super important. I mean, the game he played against the Lakers was super important. And this is obviously he's having just the craziest developmental story ever with his three point shooting. But everything that draft pundits talked about his defense being ready from day one, that's all been there. And we knew that at the draft.
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And so credit the Suns for taking him and getting, whether it's luck or something they've done developmentally to help him suddenly become a good shooter and hit more threes through these couple games than he ever hit at Virginia. That's just been awesome. But on the flip side with the Bucs, it's just you look at the end of their roster, like, where could we find a spark?
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Where could we find someone? And there's just nothing there. It's either guys like Marjan Bochamp, who they kind of just given up on or guys like who they took in the draft this year, who just feel like they're a couple of years away from you, even having hope that they could start to contribute. So yeah, I'm freaking out about the bucks.
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It could still work out because, and listen, in the off season, you and I were both into the bucks. I think we both took their over. And part of it for me was looking at their lineup data from last year. All of their most played lineups were incredible, like legitimately good. Their starting lineup last year was like a plus 13 or something on cleaning the glass, a really good lineup.
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And so I just felt like, OK, last year was just a weird year, but they've got enough pieces to make this work. The Middleton thing is huge. And if he comes back and can play, that's great. And maybe they'll start looking normal. I'm not expecting this team to be a lottery team. I'm assuming they will figure it out. A team with Giannis has to figure it out.
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But man, in terms of their like upside and ceiling, I'm so much lower than I might have been in the preseason.
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He's going to be sidelined for at least three weeks. Now, for the Nuggets, they continue to be carried by Nikola Jokic. He's averaging 31-12-9 on 57-55-78 shooting. Now, it's only four games. This will change. But as of right now, per Cleaning the Glass, Jokic's on-off number is plus 38.9. Now, for reference, his previous high for a season was plus 24.8.
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In their defense, maybe that Andre Jackson pick scared them off of potentially taking Ryan Dunn this past summer. Yeah, yeah. So, Andrew, who's your favorite team to panic about this week?
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Oh, it's terrible. And the swing from preseason where we're talking about like, Oh, maybe Brandon Ingram will take a, on a lesser role, you know, so that, so that you could potentially get a bigger payday down the line. And now it's like, they need him so bad because definitely, I don't know if I've ever seen a team have this many injuries to major parts of their rotation. Um, Yeah.
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Jokic may be as good as ever, but Denver's bench may be as bad as ever. Dario Saric, one of Calvin Booth's top targets this summer. He said it was one of his top targets. We got to get this guy. We have to land Dario Saric. He played 39 minutes this season so far. The Nuggets have been outscored in those minutes by 30 points.
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With like DeJounte and Herb and CJ, all these guys and Trey Murphy.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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All being out for weeks. It's not just like a day to day thing. So, yeah, you definitely feel for Pelicans fans who probably just feel like they're living the same horrible season over and over again. Yeah, totally. So to end the week on a happy note, Andrew. Let's talk finally about our favorite moment this week. Could be anything. What was your favorite moment this week, Andrew?
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And my favorite moment was a clip from the Spurs-Houston game, which I think there were two of them. But in one of the games, there was a great clip of Wemby trying to box out Steven Adams. And it was just funny because, you know, Wemby's an incredible player. He's so amazing. He's doing things we've never, ever seen. He's 7'6".
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But even with all of that, at some point in your career, there's gonna be someone like Steven Adams who just has something that you have no answer for. And Steven Adams' thing is just girth and strength. And he can just stand in a spot and not be moved on that spot no matter what.
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And just seeing Wemby trying to push him, it reminded me of like being a little kid, like being eight and trying to like push your dad and just feeling like you're going into a brick wall every time. You just like cannot move them. And it was just a really funny moment seeing him like that. Again, great to have Steven Adams back. Great to have Steve-O back.
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Well, at least the good news for Nuggets fans is, you know, Calvin Booth didn't give Dario Sarge a player option for next season. What's that now? Yeah. Breaking news. Yeah, that's a rough one. It does distract me a little bit from the Zeke Nagy contract, so maybe that was part of the idea. You know what this is?
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Are you feeling better about the rotations? Because I know that was a big sticking point last season.
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So if that is the glass half full take, what is the glass half empty take? Because they are one and four. What do you see as this team's major weaknesses right now?
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I was reading some Pistons fan comments and it seems like a lot of fans see a need for a backup point guard. Do you do you share that feeling?
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Is there a name? Not like, yeah, we should go get this guy, but just like the idea of a guy that would make sense in that role.
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We call this the Samaj Christian tactic. It was used very successfully in 2017 when Russ won the MVP. Well, another former champ who isn't looking too hot is the Milwaukee Bucks, who have now lost four in a row. They sit at one and four, tied with our Detroit Pistons. Now, some of those losses, understandable, a competitive loss at Boston.
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So I want to ask you about a player whose role has significantly changed, Isaiah Stewart. Last season, according to Basketball Reference, he played 76% of his minutes at the four, whereas through the first five games this season, beef stew 100% of his minutes at backup center. He has also only taken one three this season, whereas last year he attempted 3.8 per game. He shot 38%.
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What do you think about him being deployed exclusively as a backup center and the apparent de-emphasis on his three-point shot?
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But the Bucs have also dropped games against Chicago and Brooklyn, two teams you would expect them to beat. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Bucs currently have the 23rd-ranked offense and 26th-ranked defense.
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Chris Middleton remains out, and the upcoming schedule doesn't do them any favors, as their next two games are against the 5-0 Cavaliers, one of two remaining undefeated teams in the league, along with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Cavs' last two wins included an impressive win at MSG over the Knicks and a complete blowout of the Lakers in Cleveland.
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Hey, we had to watch Poku for a few seasons, okay?
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It is kind of crazy, though. I'm on Cleaning the Glass, and they are 17th in defense, which is kind of impressive when you think about the guys they added, like Tim Hardaway Jr., Tobias Harris, Malik Beasley. None of these guys are thought of as really good defensive players. And last year, they were 25th in defense, according to Cleaning the Glass.
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So that is pretty impressive, that even just making that jump through this early part of the season against a really tough schedule.
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The Thunder continued their winning streak with a home win over the Spurs, a marquee matchup for the brewing Chet-Wemby rivalry that got an extra boost this week when ESPN analyst Michael C. Wright said that Wemby, quote, will not even say the man's name. referring to Chet. That sounds more than a rivalry.
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Bryce, do you remember how long it took you last year to give up hope? Because that 2-1 start, I even came on slam and jam, and I was like, oh, I think the Pistons might have found a defensive identity. You did. That's true. I said that. So how long into that losing streak did it take for you to be like, oh my gosh, this is really...
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Well, Bryce, we appreciate you answering all of our questions about the Detroit Pistons. We are very hopeful for their season. It is now time to play, though. Andrew versus the beat.
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Interesting, interesting. Okay, so Andrew versus the beat. Andrew goes head-to-head against the beat writer. In this case, we are talking to Bryce Simon. You can find him on Pistons Pulse. You can find him Game Theory at Motor City Hoops on Twitter. Okay, Bryce, how this works. Eight questions, all related to the Pistons.
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Some are easy, some are hard, and I'm going to be, I say this every week, but this week I really mean it. There are some easy ones this week, I feel like. Yeah, it was hard for me to come up with super hard ones. So you're going to give me a number between one and eight. It'll correspond to a question. If you get it right, you'll get at least two points.
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If you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal for one, and we'll go back and forth until all the questions have been asked and answered. So what number would you like to start with, Bryce?
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Lucky number three. The Pistons only have three players with more than five years of NBA experience. There are only two other teams in the league who have fewer players with more than five years of experience. Name them both, and you get one point per correct answer. You said two other teams? Yeah, two other teams. The Wizards. That is incorrect, Bryce. You came out really hot, though.
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Now, maybe he should try saying his name because whatever he did do to prepare for the Thunder game did not work as Wendy was held to a career low six points in the loss. But don't feel too bad for him because in the very next game against the Utah Jazz, when be recorded the second five by five of his career, putting up twenty five, nine and seven with five steals, five blocks.
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They did. So, I mean, they have Valanchunas.
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They have Rashawn Holmes, Malcolm Brock. See, you got screwed by people who aren't even playing. Guys that aren't playing.
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I mean, if we were talking about guys who are actually playing, probably would have been correct. Andrew. Andrew. What's the stat again? So they have to have fewer than three players who have had more than five years of NBA experience.
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What about Charlotte? Charlotte, Andrew? That is correct. They have two. Can you name the other one?
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Welcome to Take a Guess, Andrew. Just throw out any team. I know. I would say don't go with the Bucs. Don't choose the Bucs. Don't choose the Bucs.
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When I went to the Sixers roster and sorted, there were so many double digits.
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You got it right. Congratulations. So they have... I mean, they do have, sorry, they just have to have three or fewer. Sorry, I might have not said that correctly. But it's Zach Collins, Harrison Barnes, and Chris Paul. Harrison Barnes and Chris Paul. Yeah, just saw him last night. The Sixers have five guys with double-digit years of experience coming into this year. That's really impressive.
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Okay, Andrew, you have two points, and you have control of the board. Uh-huh. Number one. Question number one. The worst start to a season in Pistons history was 2012 when the Pistons lost their first eight games in a row. Similar to recent Pistons teams, spacing was an issue for that team as they took the sixth fewest threes per game.
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Who were the top two on the 2012-2013 Pistons team in total three-pointers made? You get one point per correct answer. So 2012, 2013 Pistons. Pistons. Most three-pointers made. Total three-pointers. Oh my gosh. What about Kyle Singler? Andrew's so close. He was number three, but that's not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for the top two. So Bryce, you have a chance to steal.
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And just for fun, four threes, the most three-pointers ever recorded in a 5x5 game. He was one three away from a 5x6, Andrew. We've never even seen that. He became only the third player in NBA history, along with Hakeem and Andre Kirilenko, to have multiple 5x5 games in his career, and he did it by year two.
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He was number two. Can you name who had the most threes for the 2012-2013 Pistons? Dang. Charlie V. What a free agent class that was.
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Ben Gordon. Was Josh Smith in a different free agent class? I think he was.
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Brandon Jennings. Oh, my gosh. You had the first name right. It is Brandon Knight. Wow.
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Oh, Brandon Knight. Remember when Zach Lowe, he wrote an article, he almost picked Brandon Knight to be an all-star? Wasn't that cool? I mean, like, Brandon Knight was good. Sometimes you forget. He was good. He was good. Okay, Bryce, you're on the board. It's two to one, and you have control of the board.
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Okay, this is a good one. Hooper is the name of the Pistons mascot. He is a horse, which is a reference to the horsepower in a car. What bodily function can a horse not do? So I'm going to name you five bodily functions. One of them a horse is not able to do. Okay, so here we go. Sweat. Vomit, sneeze, cry, or cough. Once again, that is sweat, vomit. Bryce, I have terrible news. Horses can sweat.
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They do it to cool themselves down. Similar to humans. Andrew, so you get to guess the other possible answers. Vomit, sneeze, cry, or cough.
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That's really cool. When you change the answer, I was like, oh, my gosh, he's going to get the right one. But you got both of them wrong. You picked two wrong ones. Horses cannot vomit. Really? They can't do it. Yeah. Yeah. I remember we had a question a while back about rodents, because no rodent can vomit either. And I learned in researching Hooper that horses can't vomit as well.
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Oh, really? Would you have known the Pistons' former mascot before Hooper? No. No. OK, because I didn't know that you started following in 2020 because I really wanted to use that as a question. But I was like, oh, he's a Pistons fan. He's going to know it for sure.
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Another crazy stat from that game is that the Spurs were a plus 43 in Wemby's minutes and a minus 26 when he was off the court. Finally, this week, we say farewell to a Hooper. Rudy Gay announced his retirement from the NBA. This week, Rudy played 17 seasons in the NBA, accumulating over 17,000 points in his career.
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OK, yeah. Hooper, because it was Sir Slamalot. And I just really wanted to hear that name on the podcast. Sir Slamalot. Sir Slamalot. OK, Andrew, what is yours? Number two. Question number two. Spacing was obviously a big point of emphasis in the Pistons offseason plans. Which active NBA player has hit the most three pointers as a member of the Pistons? So this is a player.
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He can be on the current Pistons roster. He could be a player on another team who once played for the Pistons. But when they were on the Pistons, they hit the most amount of threes of anyone who currently has ever played on the Pistons in their career.
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Correct. Threes made while a Piston. Currently active on a roster somewhere. Oh. I don't know. Luke Kennard. Luke Kennard. That's a great guess, Andrew. It's not right, but it was a great guess. Bryce, you have a chance to steal. What about KCP? A really good guess because he missed out by two three-pointers. Shut up.
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The correct answer, which this was going to be really hard, but it's Sadiq Bey, who is on a roster technically. He is not currently playing because he is injured, but he's on the Wizards, so it does count. All right, Bryce, it is still 2-1. He had a lot of threes. Isn't that kind of impressive?
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Yep. Yep. Sadiq. Okay. Bryce, the board is yours. You're only down by one. Four. Question number four. Tobias Harris was brought to Detroit in part for his shooting. And while he's currently shooting three of 20 from three better days are surely ahead. What is the most amount of three pointers Tobias has ever made as a piston? Now you get to choose who answers first. Okay.
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So you can make Andrew answer first and then you can go higher, lower, or you can answer first and then Andrew would go higher, lower. However, If you make Andrew answer and he gets it exactly correct, he would get a bonus point. So this is the most amount of threes Tobias has ever made as a piston in a game. I will let Andrew guess. All right, Andrew.
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If you get it exactly correct, you'd get a nice little bonus point. Six. All right, so Andrew has set the bar at six. Bryce, would you like to go higher or lower than six? That's a really good bar, Andrew.
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I'm going to go over still. Over. Andrew, you were within one of the correct answer.
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You got it wrong last week, but this week you also got it wrong because it is seven. So Bryce gets the points. Look at that. And Bryce pulls ahead. He's now up three to two. Three questions left, Andrew. Five. Question number five. In honor of the Pistons theoretically getting more shooters, let's name the top 10 in franchise history for total made threes.
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I'll remember Rudy mostly from his early Memphis days, where he was averaging 20 points per game by his second season. And early on in his career, he felt like one of those guys who was always just about to fully break out and make the leap to All-Star status.
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So how this works, Andrew will give me a name, then Bryce will give me a name. We'll go back and forth till one of you stumbles. So franchise history, total made threes as a Piston. Okay. Chauncey Billups. Chauncey Billups, number two. Over to Bryce. Joe Dumars. Joe Dumars, number one. Back to Andrew.
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Would you have known that, Andrew, if we hadn't had that question first?
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He's number eight, right behind Sadiq Bae. Back to Andrew.
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Andrew coming in at number 10. Rip Hamilton. That is correct. Over to Bryce. Sheed. Sheed Wallace, number four on the list. Back to Andrew. Oh, Andrew, it's getting it's getting dicey for you.
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What about Tayshaun Prince? That's one of them. Tayshaun Prince, Andrew. Number five. Tayshaun.
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It never really happened, but he still had a great career as a high-flying wing scorer, and he retires as the fifth leading scorer in Grizzlies franchise history. So from all of us at Slammin' Jam, all of us, me and Andrew, we wish the great Rudini a wonderful retirement. And those are the top stories this week, Andrew.
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Jerry Stackhouse, he was not on the list, which means Andrew gets the points. The other names, number three, Lindsey Hunter. Third all-time. Lindsay Hunter.
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Number six all-time. Terry Mills. You guys big Terry Mills fans? Not a huge Mills guy over here. First time hearing that name in my life. Is Reggie Jackson on this list? Reggie Jackson was number nine, Andrew.
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Okay, two questions left. Bryce, you're now down by one. Six or seven? Seven. Seven. Seven. Through his first 133 games, Jalen Dern has already had 65 double doubles. Actually, that's not true. Well, yes, it is true, but that's not the question I meant to ask. I'm realizing I'm looked up the wrong stat.
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I actually meant to say the amount of games he had with double digit rebounds, which is actually like 74 or something. Okay, so we're talking about double-digit rebounds. There are only three active NBA players who had more double-digit rebound games through their first 133 games. How many can you name? You get one point per correct answer.
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So these are currently active players who through their first 133 games had more double-digit rebound games than Jalen Dern. And there's only three of them. So we're thinking like 75 or more of these games. So Andre Drummond? Andre Drummond is incorrect. Andrew, you have a chance to steal.
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Yeah, that sounds very right. How is that wrong? Let's look it up, Alex. Maybe I messed up.
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So Drummond actually had the exact same amount of double-digit rebound games as Jalen Duren. No way. So that was a very good guess. And Andrew Vucevic, he was number seven. He had 64. The top three names. So, like, is Sabonis one? No, because he played in Oklahoma City and he didn't do anything.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
Wow, he's actually really far down. Any other guesses, though, for fun? For fun? Just for fun? One player had 95 of his first 133 games, double-digit rebounds. Whoa. And that player was Carl Anthony Towns. Oh. And the other two guys were DeAndre Ayton. And Joel Embiid. Joel Embiid.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
I thought you might go back to the DeAndre Jordan well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
Even Rudy. Rudy had 44. Okay, Andrew, this is the final question. You get it right, you win the week. You get it wrong, Bryce will have a chance to steal and tie the game, sending it into overtime. Oh, boy. Cade Cunningham has scored 2,886 points through 143 career games. Which active former number one overall pick scored the most points through their first 143 games with 3,583?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
So this is an active player, former number one overall pick, most points scored total through their first 143 games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
It is dumb. I mean, it sounds obvious. It sounds like it should be right, but it's not right. Bryce, you have a chance to steal. That's wild.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
Kyrie Irving. That is also incorrect, which means Andrew wins the week. The correct answer. Any other guesses? Anthony Davis. No. Derrick Rose. No. Not active.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
It's Zion. Oh, really? Most points through 142 games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
They don't count, yeah. We got you. That was a good game. 4-3. Congrats, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
All right, folks, that was Pistons Week. Detroit Pistons, the first team on Wheel of Fandom of this season of Slammin' Jam. Wheel of Fandom, where each week we spin a digital wheel, lands on a team. We become fans of that team for the next week. And this week, who is the Wheel of Fandom team going to be? Well, let's spin the wheel and see who it's going to be.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
This week's Wheel of Fandom team will be... The Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers. The Lakers. Let's see what the Lakers are playing. Let's see what the Lakers are playing next week. Lakers. Wow. They've been looking pretty good. Mixed bag the Lakers.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
I mean, yeah, they got blown out by Cleveland, but Cleveland's undefeated. Yeah. That game against Phoenix at Phoenix, that was a great game. It was a great game. Oh, my gosh. Listen to their plane at Toronto. Scotty is out. Yeah, great. It's Friday at Detroit on Monday. Oh, no. Pistons are pistons at Memphis on Wednesday. OK, that's that's a somewhat.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
That's a good one. Memphis was Memphis played great this week. Yeah. So there we go. Three road games, Toronto, Detroit, Memphis. They're on a five-game road trip right now. So we'll see how the Lakers do.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
Sounds like that last person listens to some podcasts they hate, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
That was really specific. Imagine if you're an NBA podcaster out there with some back pain. You're like, oh, my gosh, is he talking about me?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
Well, Andrew, the top story this week was our first 50-point game of the season. In a game against Indiana, Paulo Banqueiro bullied the Pacers, getting to the line 22 times en route to a 50-13-9 line. Paulo's 37 points in the first half tied a franchise record for most points and a half previously set by Tracy McGrady. Through five games, Bancaro is averaging 29 points per game for the 3-2 Magic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
It feels even more different from like the Malcolm Brogdon year, because at least that year you did have Embiid, who I think he only played like 31 games. But, you know. super productive in those games. I saw Tom Haberstroh had a tweet earlier this week that no rookies had scored 15 points yet. And then the very next night we did get three on the same night.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
So Dalton connect, Bob Carrington and recess, Shay have all scored over 15 points, but it's only those three. And the high score so far has been Dalton connect with 18 points in a game. Um, so yeah, it's, it's a really interesting year. I think I would still favor recess Shay, but, um,
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
You know, this is such a weird year that even looking at someone like Ryan Dunn, a player who traditionally would never that like that type of player would never be considered for rookie of the year. The impact he's already having on a team that, you know, is four and one playing really well. Who knows?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
Like I went on last night just to see if his odds changed and they had jumped from plus 2000 to plus 1500 already. Yeah. So, yeah, it's going to be a really fascinating rookie of the year race. I think I would still stick with Reese Ashe, who is number one now. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
But you could see any of these guys having like a hot month and a half and just shooting to the top and just just being able to win the award based on that alone, because it doesn't feel like there's just going to be someone who's going to be dominant the entire year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
All right, Andrew, it's time for our favorites of the week segment where we look back and we talk about all the favorite things that happened this week that we just loved and we just want to tell you about them. And let's start with our favorite quote this week. Andrew, what was your favorite quote this week?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
Yeah, I agree with you. I think this is true for a lot of guys in the NBA. Like as long as you're not like John Morant or, you know, like Russell Westbrook coming into the league. I think most guys probably experience this. You just never hear guys say it like just a regular dude, especially a number one overall pick. Exactly. Yeah, we appreciate the humility.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
My favorite quote was actually a response to another Joe Mazzulla quote. Joe Mazzulla giving us something every week. He said, quote, the biggest thing we rob people of from an entertainment standpoint is you can't fight anymore. You know, people talking about the NBA ratings. Joe's got some ideas. What? I wish you could bring back fighting. What's more entertaining than a little scuffle?
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
Unfortunately, later in the week, we would find out that Paulo had a torn right oblique that will keep him out for the next four to six weeks, a significant blow for the young Magic team. Paulo, who averaged 4.4 three-point attempts per game last season, took nine three-pointers in that 50-point game, another data point in what has been an historical start to the NBA season from three.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
You know what? Honestly, I agree. How come in baseball they're allowed to clear benches? Now, in response to this on Instagram, Stephen Adams said, Thank God Stephen Adams is back in our lives. Totally. Commented, $20, I punch Rudy Gobert's square in the nose. So we're just happy to have Stephen Adams back. All he's looking for is $20.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
That's all he needs in this scenario to punch Rudy in the nose.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
Now we move on to our favorite stat this week, and mine is the CP3 effect, which the guy's 40 years old, but it's still happening. If you don't know what the CP3 effect is, it is that when CP3 comes to your team, he dramatically changes the pace at which they play. Yeah.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
I'm just going to go through his entire career, okay, talking about the teams that he went to, what their pace was the year before he came, and then what their pace was in their first year. So, for instance, when he went to the Clippers from New Orleans, they went from the 13th fastest-paced team to 27th. The Rockets, when he went there, went from the third fastest to 13th.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
The Thunder went from the sixth fastest to the 21st. The Suns went from the ninth to the 24th. The Warriors went from the first, the fastest team in the league, to the 11th. And now, through five games, the Spurs... Third fastest team last year, currently 23rd.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
And I just think this is a really interesting thing to track going forward, because if you look at something like the percentage of their plays that are in transition last year, very common for like a young team with a bunch of young guys, athletic guys running up and down the court. They were second in the percentage of their plays that were in transition and currently they're 21st.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
So I'm just really interested to see how that affects someone like when Benyama, who obviously had an amazing game against Utah, but before that kind of felt like he was getting off to a little bit of a slow start. at least for a lot of people who drafted him number one overall in fantasy basketball. But they were rewarded last night.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
So I'm just interested to watch this CP3 effect and how it affects a young team. Because usually when we're thinking about CP3 going to a team, it's usually a veteran team. I mean, all of these other cases were CP3 going to a veteran team. So now he's going to this young rebuilding team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
And for a lot of other teams, getting out in transition is always like a big thing for them because it's easy buckets for a lot of these young guys. And so now we have CP three at the helm. They have not been great in the half court so far, but of course it's only through five games, but just something I thought was interesting and, and want to pay attention to going forward.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Rookie Rankings + Pistons Powered?
Currently, NBA teams are taking more than 40% of their shots from three, the highest attempt rate ever. Owen Phillips noted in his blog, The F5, the rise in three-point attempts is largely coming from an increase in pull-up attempts from behind the arc. Take Anthony Edwards, for example.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Durant Trade Destinations + West Risers | Slam N Jam
But the numbers are so bad that I'm almost optimistic because they feel unsustainably bad. And knowing what his contract is, I feel like all you really can do is hope that it's unsustainably bad because I think he's going to be in Portland for a while.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Durant Trade Destinations + West Risers | Slam N Jam
Well, Andrew, the top story this week was the first matchup between Luka and the Mavericks since the worst trade in NBA history was made. Nico Harrison was in attendance and was showered with love from Lakers fans who chanted thank you, Nico, several times during the game. Luka started off the game hot and ended with a triple-double.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Durant Trade Destinations + West Risers | Slam N Jam
Maybe Dayron Sharp? Killian Hayes, who I just added to my fantasy team in 2025.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Und wenn sie den Wettbewerb nicht gemacht hätten, dann würde man sich gut fühlen. Weil es ist so, wow, die Sons werden die Playoffs verlieren. Ja. Seine Wahl könnte besser sein als die Nets. Und du würdest das bekommen und du hättest immer noch all diese Zukunftspieler.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Ja, die Blazers, die ich denke, ist mehr verständlich und aufregend für ihre langfristige Gesundheit, weil es Leute wie Tumani Kamara sind. Es sind Leute wie Donovan Cleans. They've got some young guys, yes. Donovan Kling, his advanced stats are looking really good. He's an incredible rebounder. He's good around the rim. So I think that one you can feel good about. You know, like
The Athletic NBA Daily
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was sie tun werden. An diesem Punkt ist es das, was es ist. Sie haben drei Spiele gewonnen. Ich denke, man kann es einfach ausrechnen. Hoffentlich werden sie ihre jüngeren Spieler mehr und mehr spielen, in der Länge der Saison. Aber ja, es ist ziemlich unglaublich, weil wir sprechen über eine 15-Game-Sammlung.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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An diesem Punkt, dass diese zwei Teams die zweit- und drittbeste Defense in der Liga sind. Also ziemlich wild. Okay, das bringt uns zu unserem Lieblingsspieler dieses Wochenende und meinem Lieblingsspieler. was Cade Cunningham. It was a statement week for Cade and the Pistons, who, as I mentioned, have a five-game lead now over the Magic for the last guaranteed playoff spot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And Cade was a huge part of the Pistons' success this week, as he always is. In the four games, Cade put up 29 points, 5 rebounds, 10.5 assists per game on 51-50-86 shooting. He scored 38 against Atlanta, including a career-high 7 three-pointers. It's just awesome to see How much things have changed for Cade in a year's time.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I mean, it wasn't much more than a year ago when there was that game during the losing streak where Cade just looked completely broken at the end of the game. And Mirren Fader wrote an article for The Ringer this week about Cade and that journey from his rookie season until now. But there was a lot of focus on last season. And Cade opened up about his mental health struggles.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He talked about how during that 28-game losing streak, Er bleibt manchmal die ganze Nacht auf, bis um 6 Uhr, nur durch Social-Media-Kommentare zu scrollen. Ich denke, viele von uns können damit empathisieren und wissen, wie schmerzhaft das gewesen sein muss. Es ist unglaublich, dass Cade all das bemerkt hat, diese Saison zurückzukommen und so gut wie möglich zu spielen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Ich liebe es, dass er und die Pistons noch nicht verbessert sind. Sie haben den mittleren Schritt komplett verpasst, den ich denke, viele von uns, auch du und ich, erwarteten von ihnen diese Saison. Wir dachten, sie wären besser, sie würden mehr als 14 Spiele gewinnen. But we thought it would just kind of be like that middle step and then maybe something would happen the next season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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But Cleaning Glass has them on pace for 44 wins, which would represent a 30-game improvement. They're currently on pace for somewhere around the fifth largest year-to-year improvement in NBA history by win percentage. And a lot of that is because of Cade, who is a deserving favorite player of the week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I should have picked him.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Durant Trade Destinations + West Risers | Slam N Jam
Es war nicht eine gute Woche für die Nuggets, die auch zu den Bucks verloren haben am Donnerstag. Die Bucks haben angefangen, ihre Fußgänger zu finden, nachdem sie den Mittelland-Vertrag für Kyle Kuzma gemacht haben. Seit Kuzma 30 plus Minuten pro Nacht abgesehen hat, haben die Bucks 5 von 6 gewonnen, mit der einzige Verletzung zu den Rockets in Houston.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Du hast seine Stat-Line erwähnt, nach dem All-Star-Break. Aber die Box-Szene, die sind verrückt. 27, 16 und 4. 24, 8 und 10. 25, 16 und 6. 21, 8 und 12. Das war wild. Ich hätte ihn gewonnen. Letztens, mein Lieblingsmoment dieser Woche. Für mich war es eine tiefe Runde. Er hat das super-flotte Baby in New Orleans, das alle anderen Babys in der Pelicans-Baby-Runde zerstört hat.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Now, I'm not going to give you any context for that score and how it relates to other scores. I'm just going to complain. You got to get it together, NBA.com. You know that dunk wasn't a 113.9. If you think that was a 113.9, you're a fool. You gotta fix it. I'm the only one who cares about this. But I think the dunk score is a cool idea.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And there's no reason why that should not be the best dunk of all the dunk scores. It's barely better than that John Collins dunk I mentioned a while back. But it's obviously better. In fact, the number one dunk, do you know who it is, Andrew? Bist du auf deinem Dunk-Score? Nein, ich bin weit hinter meinem Dunk-Score. Es ist ein Quinton Grimes Dunk, okay? Und es ist ein guter Dunk.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Aber es ist ein 118er, Andrew. Und der einzige Grund dafür ist, dass sie die Defense überwerten oder nicht korrekt identifizieren. Sie wollen, dass der Kerl auf dich steht. Was mit Shaden passiert ist, dass der Kerl aufhört und Shaden ihn aufhört. Und es war nicht wirklich eine Kollision am Rimm.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Aber komm schon, wir können ästhetisch sehen, dass der Schaden-Sharp-Dunk der beste Dunk, den wir dieses Jahr gesehen haben. Also, ich denke, sie müssen... Sie sollen tweeten, Andrew!
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Das ist eine tolle Idee, Andrew, weil ich dir versichere, dass diese mehr geteilt wurde als der Quentin Grimes-Dunk. Und hier ist noch eine andere Idee. Jeder klagt, dass die NBA-Spieler, die du sehen willst, nicht in den Dunk-Kontesten sind. If you're going to give out random scores, why not fudge the scores for the guys that you want to be in the dunk contest? Make a big deal about it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Vor diesem 6-Game-Stretch für die Bucks hat Milwaukee 6 von 8 verloren.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Artificially inflate their dunk scores to get them excited. Look at these dunk scores you're doing. Check out your dunk scores.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Durant Trade Destinations + West Risers | Slam N Jam
But also, there's got to be someone in that role, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Someone's got to be the Rasheed Wallace. I was thinking, I knew Luca and Draymond were big tech guys. I kind of forgot that Trey Young... Ja. Ja. Ja.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I saw two of those in Portland when he got ejected in like nine seconds. Yeah, that was pretty fun.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Durant Trade Destinations + West Risers | Slam N Jam
Andrew, it's time once again for the Wheel of Fandom, the weekly segment where we spin a wheel, it lands on a team and we become fans of that team for the next week. Last week, the wheel landed on the Phoenix Suns, a team fighting for the playoffs. This week, Suns started the week off right, four point win over the Bulls.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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They followed that up with three straight losses, including losses to Toronto and New Orleans, and a particularly tough 151-148 overtime loss to the Grizzlies. The Suns have lost nine of their last 11, with the only wins being over Chicago and an overtime win against Utah. Phoenix has the hardest remaining schedule with only three of their final 23 games against teams currently below .500.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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These Suns are 27-32, 11th in the West, 12th ranked offense, 27th ranked defense per cleaning the glass. Andrew, if our favorite team is the Suns, who is our guest?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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die Kavs für den jüngsten gewinnenden Streak in der Liga. Sie sind aktuell zehn Spiele vor dem Zeitpunkt, um ein Überraschungs-Team zu sein, was bedeutet, dass sie ihre Über- und Unterspieler in 20 Spielen gewinnen könnten. Diese Woche haben die Pistons ein paar schöne Spiele gewonnen über die Clippers und Celtics. Der 8-Spiele-Winnerstreak ist die Pistons längste seit 2008.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So, KD was on Draymond's podcast this week. He discussed the trade deadline, how he didn't want to be traded mid-season. He would rather wait for the off-season, if that's what the Suns want to do. So, knowing that a KD trade is likely coming this summer, do you think most Suns fans want to try and retool around Booker, or are more fans in the camp of just blowing everything up and starting over?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Wenn du über einen KD-Trad denkst, hast du irgendwelche Erwartungen, wie ein Rückfall dieses Sommer aussehen könnte?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Sie sind jetzt 21-9 in ihren letzten 30 Spielen und haben einen 5-Spiel-Lead über den Magic für den 6-Sieg geöffnet. Aber weißt du was? Setz deine Sätze nicht zu niedrig, denn die Pistons sind nur ein Halbspiel zurück in Milwaukee für den 5. und ein Spiel zurück in Indiana für den 4.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Ich werde ein bisschen später über Kate sprechen, aber wie ist es mit Malik Beasley, der auf einem absoluten Heater von 3 ist? Nach diesem 8-Spiegel-Winnerstreak hat er 5,5 3s pro Spiel auf 52% gespielt. Sobald ihr das hört, werden die Pistons den Winnerstreak wieder testen, mit einem Spiel gegen die Nuggets am Freitagabend. Mit den Pistons aus dem Spiel, schauen wir mal, was da los ist.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Du hast meine nächste Frage beantwortet. Ich wollte fragen, ob es irgendwelche Positiven gibt, die man von dieser Saison nehmen kann. Gibt es eine Story für die Entwicklung des Spielers oder etwas, das man von dieser Saison nehmen kann?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Wir haben drei Teams, Orlando, Miami und Atlanta, alle in einem Spiel zwischen den 7, 8 und 9 Spots. Und dann haben wir diesen 10-Spot, den niemand will, aber den man legal besitzen muss. In dem 10-Spot sind die Chicago Bulls. Sie haben sieben von den letzten acht verloren, mit ihrem einzigen Sieg über die Sixers. Die Sixers sind nicht mehr im 11. Platz.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Ja, ja. So to start us off, Sam, I just need a number between one and eight. Let's go with four. Question number four. Phoenix is allowing a league-worst shooting percentage in what area of the court? So this is opponent shooting percentage. Which area of the court? At the rim, mid-range, above the break, threes or corner threes? Where are they allowing a league-worst percentage?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Sam? That is correct for two points on the board. Alright, Andrew? Number one. Ryan Dunn has already played over 900 minutes in his rookie season. Who was the last Suns rookie to play at least 900 minutes?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Sie sind zu zwölf gestiegen, sie haben neun Spiele in der Liga verloren. Die guten Nachrichten für die Sixers-Fans sind, dass Paul George diese Woche veröffentlicht hat, dass er eine Pause vom Podcasten hatte, um sich auf den Kampf für ein Wettbewerb zu konzentrieren.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Es ist Cam Johnson für zwei Punkte. Gut gemacht, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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2-2. Sam, you have control of the board. Let's do number 7. Question number 7. How many players on the current Suns roster have scored 30 points in a game during their career.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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George didn't specify which championship he was referring to, leaving listeners guessing as to what other competitions PG might be involved in. Moving ahead of the Sixers this week was the Brooklyn Nets, the team that traded the 25, 27 and 29 Phoenix first rounders along with the, I forgot this, Mavericks 2029 first to get two of their own picks back.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That is... Unglaublich. Andrew, du hast die Chance zu stehlen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Andrew, das ist auch falsch. Die richtige Antwort ist fünf. Fünf. Ich möchte nur darauf achten, ob dieser Typ noch auf dem Team ist. Damian Lee ist noch auf dem Team, oder?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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1819. Total Blocks. Total Blocks.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Es ist falsch, Andrew. Er war zwölf short von diesem Spieler. Sam, weißt du, wer es war?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Das ist richtig. Es war Rashawn Holmes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Er hat wieder Spielzeit. Ich habe ihn für Fantasy geschaut, weil er die Stats für die Wiener hat. Ich habe ihn geschaut. Ich habe ihn geschaut. Okay. Whose turn is it? Sam.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Frage Nummer drei. Es gibt 20 Mann-Lineups, die mindestens 500 Minuten zusammen gespielt haben für die Sons dieses Jahr. Welcher Sons-Spieler erscheint in allen von den sechs schlechtesten von diesen Lineups? Lass uns mit Tyus Jones gehen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Andrew, du hast die Chance, zu stehlen. Oh boy. So 20 of these lineups, this player is in the 6th worst of them. By net rating. I have another idea. I won't get to say it. Is it Bradley Beal?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah. Yeah, and I forget the Linus, but I wonder if it has something to do with him coming off the bench and so he gets put in a lot more bench lineups. I think there is a little bit of that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So that they could do whatever it is they're doing right now. They have gone 6-4 in their last 10. They sit only a game and a half back of the Bulls. The Nets won three more games in February than Philly and Chicago combined. Is this team really going to make the play-in? Does anyone want this to happen? Jetzt, von der oberen Pläne bis zur westlichen Pläne, haben wir ein bisschen Bewegung.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Fun question, Andrew. How many coaches in NBA history have coached more playoff games than Mike Budenholzer? Now you get to choose who answers first, and it's not really a hint, it's more just a detail. There have been 354 coaches in the Basketball Reference Database. So you have to choose a number between 1 and 354. Now you can make Sam answer first and then you can go higher or lower.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Or you can answer first and make Sam go higher or lower. So number of coaches, more playoff games than Mike Budenholzer. Wow, I'll say 13. Alright, now would you like to say Sam higher than that number or lower than that number?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So just to be clear, we're saying fewer coaches have coached more playoff games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay, okay, okay. I wanted to make sure. Sorry, sorry. Yeah. So the correct answer is in NBA history, 21 coaches coached Sam gets the point. How old is Bud? How old is Bud? Do we know? He could get up there.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Not with this team, but he could.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Let's do 8. Frage Nummer 8. Welches der folgenden ist nicht ein offizieller Basketball-Referenz-Nickname für einen aktuellen Sons-Spieler? Also ich werde dir fünf Nicknames geben. Vier von ihnen erscheinen auf Basketball-Referenz. Einer von ihnen ist gemacht. Hier sind die Nicknames. Blank Check, Big Panda, Green Room, Big Meal und Blue Magic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Once again, that is Blank Check, Big Panda, Green Room, Big Meal, and Blue Magic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Green Room is a nickname of Kevin Durant that I have never heard before. Green Room? What is that from? No idea. It is the most recently added word. I'll look it up. Andrew, so I'll give you the four remaining ones. Blank Check, Big Panda, Big Meal and Blue Magic. Oh, weißt du was? Das Name für KD kam von seinem Vater. Er hat das in der Hochschule genannt. Wie wusste ich das noch nie?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Warum hast du das nur eingeführt?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Vielleicht habe ich es noch nie bemerkt. Aber es ist ein Begriff für die Wartezeit für die Lotterie. Green Room. Okay. Du hast gesagt, Big Meal, Andrew? Nein. Okay, erzähl mir die Namen wieder. Well, you did say it. Blank check. I did. Big Panda, Big Meal, Blue Magic.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Die Warriors haben seit der Jimmy-Butler-Trade weiterhin gut gespielt. Sie haben alle Spiele dieses Wochenende gewonnen, insbesondere eine 121-115-Rodewinn über die Magik am Dienstagabend, die Steff mit 56 Punkten gedroht hat, mit 12 Dreipunkten. Tom Ziller hat gesagt, dass es das effizientste 55-Punkte-Spiel jemals war, mit Steff mit einem 92,5% echten Schuss. Die Warriors haben sich bewegt.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So you've heard of Blank Check and Blue Magic? Is that what you're saying?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That is correct, Andrew. That is a made up nickname. Big Panda is Bradley Beal. Big Meal is Royce O'Neal. And Blue Magic is another Bradley Beal nickname that I've never heard of.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay, this is great. We have a tie game, 4-4, going into the final question. And it's a great question to end on. So Andrew, you'll get first dibs at this, but it's one of the ones that goes back and forth. So Devin Booker has played 651 regular season games for the Suns. The only NBA team he's ever played for.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Among active players, there are only 12 other players who have played 500 plus games, regular season games, for only one team. And we're going to name them all. So these have to be active players. They have to have been with one team and played at least 500 games. So Andrew. And we'll go back and forth until one of you stumbles. So Andrew, give me a name. Steph Curry. That is correct.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Korrekt. Zurück zu Andrew. Jason Tatum. Das ist korrekt. Jalen Brown. Das ist korrekt.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Giannis ist korrekt. Andrew. Das ist ein guter. Zurück zu Sam.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Jokic. Jokic, das ist korrekt. Ja. I feel like I know the guy that you both are dancing around, talking about injuries. Yeah, there's a guy. There's actually several that I'm like, has this guy played enough games? Because 500 is a lot.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Durant Trade Destinations + West Risers | Slam N Jam
Dwight Powell, that is correct, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So, you guys were mentioning Joel Embiid, and he's on my list. Yeah. But then you kept saying, like, I don't know if he's done it. I don't know how he ended up on my list, because he's actually only played 452 regular season games for the Sixers, which means, Andrew, you win. Now, the other names you could have gotten, Miles Turner, which is a great one. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Kevon Looney.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Die Warriors sind in der siebten Position, nur eine Halbzeit zurück von den Clippers für die sechste. Während die Wolves letztendlich die Position im Spiel verloren haben, sind sie in der achten Position gefallen. Sie hatten einen der größten Unmöglichkeiten in letzter Erinnerung, in einem Rennspiel gegen die Thunder in der OKC. Die Wolves fanden sich bei 22 auf dem Anfang der vierten Position.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Which doesn't sound right. He's played 575. Jamal Murray, another teammate. Yeah. And then the last one, Bam Adebayo.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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All right, Andrew, that was son's week, which means it's time to spin the wheel of fandom again to see what team we're going to become fans of this week. There are 18 teams remaining on our wheel. Will we get a team like the Knicks? That would be nice. Golden State. That would be a fun one right now. Will we get a team like the Wizards? Actually, the Wizards would be fun because Josh Robbins.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I was going to say, we get Josh back on.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Durant Trade Destinations + West Risers | Slam N Jam
He's dying to get back on the Slammin' Jam. And see who we get. This week's Wheel of Fandom Team will be... Ja, das ist großartig. Ich denke, das ist großartig.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Jetzt, wenn die Gegner auf der Straße sind, ist das wahrscheinlich ein Verlust, aber vielleicht gibt es eine Chance. Wie geht es denn, wenn man unter 4 Minuten im Spiel ist? In diesem Moment hatte OKC eine 99,8%-Chance, zu gewinnen, aber es war nicht 100%. Die Wolves haben einen Weg gefunden, diese 0,2%-Chance zu öffnen, um die Thunder zu übernehmen, bevor sie endlich 131-128 gewinnen.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Sie haben fünf von ihren letzten sieben verloren, aber sie sitzen nur ein Spiel zurück von den Clippers für den sechsten, die sechs von zehn gespielt haben, um gegen die streaking Lakers ein Friday-Night-Match zu gehen. Finally, it was an exciting week for collectors of wiped iPhones.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Adrian Wojnarowski announced this week that he'd be auctioning off the iPhones he used to break some of the biggest trades in the NBA. For the current low price of $2,000, you can bid on the phone Woj used to break the news the NBA was suspending the season because of a virus that would kill millions of people. Ask yourself, can you really pass up that opportunity?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Now, if you don't have the funds right now, Don't worry, I have a little life hack for you. You can just tell people your phone was once owned by Woj. No one's going to check because no one cares. And those were the top stories this week.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, it makes sense in terms of sentiment, current sentiment right now about these teams. But it's just amazing, you know, for how much of the season it was Memphis and Houston in that two and three spot. And how much we were talking about those teams and we were debating whether they're contenders or not.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And now, like, it feels like, at least looking at these odds, they've almost become afterthoughts to some extent. I mean, the Grizzlies are still there at plus 1300, but the Rockets drop them below the Mavs, who are currently in the nine spot. They have worse odds than the Mavs, and they have worse odds than the Clippers as well, who are at plus 3,000.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I do think it's interesting to look at the Timberwolves, who are plus 4,000, just because, yes, they've been on this losing streak, but as we've seen in now two games, and really three games against OKC, they can play with the best teams in the league, Julius Randle ist seit einiger Zeit rausgekommen, was vielleicht nicht gut oder schlecht ist.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Und dann hat Rudy Gobert die letzten vier Spiele verpasst. Also, wenn sie Gobert zurückhaben können und einen Rhythmus finden können, denke ich, dass diese Chancen in ein paar Wochen anders aussehen werden. Also, ja, das ist es. Ich denke, es macht Sinn, wie es jetzt aussieht, aber es ist einfach unglaublich, wie viel Bewegung wir in den letzten paar Wochen gesehen haben.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Durant Trade Destinations + West Risers | Slam N Jam
Yeah, especially for the Warriors.
The Athletic NBA Daily
Durant Trade Destinations + West Risers | Slam N Jam
Definitely, definitely. So, Andrew, that brings us to our favorites of the week. And we're going to start off with our favorite quote this week. And my favorite quote, it's not really a quote. It's a line from a Sam Amick article this week, writing after the Mavs-Lakers game, referring to things people around the Mavs have said about Luka. Amick wrote, quote, they predict his basketball demise.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Highlighting a health history that, as some see it, will likely lead to catastrophe in the next five years or so. I just love how dramatic this is. Demise. Catastrophe. It feels like the Mavs keep upping the ante. All the reporting started with, you know, like, oh, the Mavs were unhappy with the conditioning. Now we're talking about basketball demise, pending catastrophe.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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The Mavs messaging since this trade has basically been, oh, you'll see. You'll see. Just wait. No, just wait. You'll see. Meanwhile, the Lakers have the third best odds to win the West. The Mavs might need to win two play-in games just to make the playoffs. But you'll see, Andrew. Give it five years or so and when AD turns 37, you'll see, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, I think this is how you fight back like that. The players need to talk about this more. And I would say more explicitly, like naming names, like because I do think sometimes it just gets lumped into like, oh, they're talking about like, you know, the worst of the worst, you know, the guys like Skip Bayless or Stephen A. Smith, like the way they cover the game more for entertainment purposes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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But you know, it's coming from a lot of other places as well. And so I think if players keep bringing this up, the fans are ultimately going to side on the players. They will. They will side with the players. The players are infinitely more cooler than anyone in the media talking about the players. So if they just keep bringing it up, I do think it would change.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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My favorite stat this week, I found a stat over the weekend, made me laugh so much, I just wanted to share it. Jeremy Grant, not having a great season, averaging under 15 points per game and three and a half rebounds per game, while playing 32 minutes a night. But the stat that sticks out is the two-point percentage. On six two-point attempts per game, Jeremy Grant is currently shooting 38.1%.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That is lower than what he shot on twos for the Process Sixers his rookie season. It feels impossible. He's almost shooting better on threes, where he's shooting 37%, than he is on twos. And as a reminder, Jeremy Grant is 6'7". He plays the four. So I went to Stathead and I looked up who was the last player to shoot that poorly on that volume of two-point shots while also being 6'7 or taller.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And the answer, you have to go back to the 2018-19 season when none other than 19-year-old rookie Kevin Knox played 75 games for the Knicks. That is where we're at. That is the last time this happened. And if you're thinking, you know, he just needs to cut out the mid-range shots. I have terrible news for you. He's also shooting 46.2% in the restricted area.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, and if they're going to keep doing these reviews, I feel like all the refs need to be funny. They all need to be engaging. There's one ref that is willing to be funny.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, the most convincing anti argument or the argument against this I saw was that teams wouldn't start playing their stars less. They would continue playing them 30 plus minutes a game. And so it would just like shrink the number of role players that are actually consistently getting minutes in the league, which I do think is what would be true.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I don't think teams would suddenly start playing like EuroLeague teams where, you know, like the best player might be getting like 26 minutes a game or something like that. That's not happening. No, no, no. There's no way. My favorite quote comes from the Coos, Kyle Kuzma. At the end of last week, he had a great game. They played the Suns.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He scored a season-high 30 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists. Josh Robbins, friend of the show. They were asking Coos about his game, and he was saying that he made a conscious effort to be more assertive. One of the things he said was, I think today I just decided to be myself and not really just try to fit into everything that we're doing. And they were like, well, hold on a second.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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What are you talking about not fitting in? And his quote was, I mean, just not trying to fit into what we're trying to do here. Just being more assertive, demanding the ball, not just going out there and trying to let people develop. Just playing my game. I just thought that was a very funny quote. Anytime you engage in the practice of tanking, there's going to be some weird stuff that happens.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Even for a team like OKC, who mastered the art of the tank, only took them two years, they still lost a game by 73 points. There's always going to be some anomaly within there, some baggage from it. And I would say this is some baggage for the Wizards, the fact that one of their players is just saying, I'm just trying not to do what we're trying to do out here. I don't want to let people develop.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I'm just playing my game. I wonder if he regrets not accepting that deal last year to go to the Mavs because it feels like his trade value is as low as it's been. I mean, he has not had a good season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Now, Fox has been with the Kings since he was drafted in 2017, made an all-star game in 2023, helped the Kings break their 16-year playoff drought. Fox has made it known that he wants to go to San Antonio to play with Victor Weminyama. But our own Sam Amick reported that the Kings have heard from over half the teams in the league about Fox's availability.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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In some respects, this was a showcase game for Kuzma, I guess, because it did remind you, okay, this guy still is able to do this, but it just doesn't feel like other teams are as interested in him as they might have been last trade deadline a year ago.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, you need guys definitely past their prime who know they're past their prime. Like Jonas Valanciunas. Yeah, that works. Okay, our favorite stat this week, Andrew, mine is about the Wizards. Let's just continue some Wizards talk. They've lost 16 in a row. I'm a big fan of streaks, losing or winning. So I'm very excited to see where this one goes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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This means that they've now had two separate 15-game losing streaks in one season. And I wanted to find out how rare that was. So I went over to StatHead, did some clicking, and here's what I found. By my count, in NBA history, the Wizards are only the seventh team to have two 15-game losing streaks in a season. They've actually had three 15-game losing streaks in the last calendar year.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That's pretty impressive.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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but not as impressive as the 92-93 and 93-94 Dallas Mavericks, who over the course of two consecutive seasons had four separate 15-game losing streaks. That's great. Very impressive. Now, I was going to go through some of these other teams, but I got completely sidetracked. as you will now hear.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So the first team to do this, lose 15 games twice in a season, the pioneers of being ass, were the 1968 San Diego Rockets, who despite their 15-win season that year, had an all-star that season. And his name was Don Kogis, Donald R. Kogis. I hope I'm saying his last name correctly. Now, I found out several things about Mr. Kogis that I found entertaining.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So first, Wilt Chamberlain once described Don as, quote, the most jumping white boy ever. That's a great quote. Wouldn't you love it if Wilt Chamberlain called you the most jumping white boy he's ever seen? I'd have that on my tombstone. In the 1966-67 season, Don is playing for the Bulls. Now, San Diego would be an expansion team the following season, the year that they would actually do this.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And so there was going to be an expansion draft. Kojic's name was accidentally added to the list of unprotected Bulls players because the team's owner mistakenly added him to the list while he was drunk on a flight to New York for the draft. So that's how he ends up in San Diego during their inaugural season. Makes the All-Star game, though.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He actually made two All-Star games in a row with San Diego. And then lastly, depending on which source you believe... Kojic is sometimes credited with introducing the alley-oop to basketball, a play that was originally called the Kangaroo Cram. That's what it used to be called, the Kangaroo Cram.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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How did we get away from the Kangaroo Cram? How did we? And the Cram, by the way, spelled with a K to go along with Kangaroo. So, yeah, that's my favorite stat this week. Also... Another favorite wizard stat for me is that if you go and look at the standings, you can do expanded standings, and you can look at the team's record in 10-point games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So games where the difference was at least 10 points. So for a team like Cleveland, they've had 32 of these games. They're 28-4. OKC's had 30 of these games. They're 29-1. Even the bad teams, like Utah Jazz, they've had 25 of these games. They're 5-20 in those games. The Pelicans have had 26 of those games. The Washington Wizards have had 38 of those games, and they are 2-36 in those games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Now, another popular all-star snub was Trey Young, who was averaging close to 23 points per game, to go along with a league-leading 11.4 assists per game. Now, the Hawks were having a nice season, Andrew. They peaked at around 22-19. They were the sixth seed just a couple weeks ago. Similar to the Kings, however, there's more drama in Atlanta than just a snub.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I mean, they've only played 47 games. 38 of the games have finished with a difference in double digits, and most of them are not favoring the Wizards. I mean, in comparison, the Hornets, who are terrible, 12-32, they've only played 19 of those games. They've doubled them. The Wizards have doubled them.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Since hitting that 22-19 mark, the Hawks have lost seven in a row, tumbling down to the ninth spot in the East. And to make matters worse, it was announced this week that Hawks forward Jalen Johnson has a torn labrum in his shoulder. He's going to miss the rest of the season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, I was on the Wizards subreddit, and they had the stat of Bilal's stats with and without Kuzma, and it really is a big difference. They've got to get rid of Kuzma.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Hey, Andrew, I just got a stat texted to me live, Andrew. Seriously? Okay, let's hear it. Who would you guess in the month of January, minimum 30 attempts, who has the top pull-up three-point field goal percentage?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Obviously, it's going to be someone crazy. Yeah, it's got to be somebody strange. It's got to be somebody strange. I don't know. Kyrie Irving? Shout out to Blake who sent this to me. It is none other than Scoot Henderson, 51.5% in the month of January.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay. Favorite player. Now, my favorite player this week. Another all-star snub, perhaps, depending on your opinion. Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers. Now, it's been a rough year for the Sixers and Maxey somewhat, who has struggled at times to carry the load for the Sixers team.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He is averaging a career-high 27.1 points per game, but his three-point shooting, which has kind of been his calling card, down under 34% on the season. Yeah. But... He's steadily been getting better this season and is currently on an absolute heater. This week, in four games, Maxie averaged 33 points per game, shooting 53% from the field.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Johnson was having an awesome season, averaging close to 19-10-5, and was one of only six players in the league to average at least one three, one steal, and one block per game. Can you name the other five, listener? I will give you until the end of this sentence. Again, that is one steal, one block, and one three per game. The other five are...
The Athletic NBA Daily
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This was all part of a four-game winning streak for the Sixers. They saw them pick up some legitimately big wins. including their biggest win of the season, three-point win over the Cavs. In a game against the Lakers, Maxie had 43 points, two off his season high. Now, he's been asked to do a ton this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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If you just look at his usage over the last four seasons, it's jumped from 20 to 23 to 27 to now 30%. And if you take out garbage time, that usage goes up even higher to 32%. And it felt like that was a little too much for him early in the season, but it's starting to feel like he's getting more comfortable in that role. He's been great in January.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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You know, it's been a mostly miserable season for anyone associated with this team, but there finally does seem to be like something for Sixers fans to cheer about. They still haven't passed the bulls. However, they are like tied with them in the standing. So I expect that the Sixers will move into that 10th spot sooner rather than later. Um,
The Athletic NBA Daily
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But yeah, Tyrese Maxey, I'm just glad to see him finally getting back to the Maxey that we know and love.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, I was looking at Harden's stats. You've got to give him credit for leading this Clippers team to a very respectable start without Kawhi Leonard. Very surprising start. I mean, they've basically been in the sixth spot for a while now. But at the same time, Andrew, shooting 39.9% for the field.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Shooting 45% on two-pointers. Turning the ball over on almost 20% of his possessions. It's brutal. I just think either Sabonis or Kyrie deserve that. Sabonis, if you look at Sabonis' on-off numbers, they're crazy. They're a plus 14.5 with Sabonis on the court. And it's not just their offense getting better. Their defense actually gets significantly better, too, when Sabonis is on the court.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So yeah, I probably would have taken either of those guys over Harden, even acknowledging that what Harden has had to do this season is pretty tough. All right, favorite moment of the week. Mine came, it was a play, single play in Clippers-Bucks. You probably saw it if you saw any highlights. Kawhi had it out the three-point line. Derek Jones Jr. screened Giannis. Dame came up to guard Kawhi.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And Kawhi just went behind his back so casually. Just left Dame completely behind. Then he drives. You're already like, oh, my gosh, what a move. He drives. Brooke Lopez is right there. He finishes an up and under, avoiding Brooke Lopez at the rim. Watching it live, I was blown away. It felt like it just came out of nowhere.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Victor Wiminyama, Shea Gilgis-Alexander, Jaron Jackson Jr., Draymond Green, and PJ Washington Jr. Wow. Wow. Wow. Another all-star snub was Grady Dick. I'm kidding, of course, but I needed an excuse to talk about the Red Hot Toronto Raptors. Now, we admittedly haven't talked much Raptors this season, and I'd argue for good reason. But this team decided it was time to start winning.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I know that he's been getting better and better as he continues his comeback, but that was a genuine wow moment for me, just a realization that, man, Kawhi is still really good. He looked so good on that play, so smooth, so confident. It's just really exciting because if we can get a healthy Kawhi in the playoffs, what if we got a first-round series, probably an ugly series, but Clippers Rockets?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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wouldn't that be fun like harden going back against his old team the rockets first playoff having to face off against that clippers team just you know like a really nasty team i think that would be a disgusting series but maybe a really fun series and if we got a healthy kawaii that would be great
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay, Andrew, it is time for the Wheel of Fandom, the weekly segment where we spin a wheel. It lands on a team, and we become fans of that team for the next week or the next three weeks in this case because three weeks ago, the wheel landed on the Boston Celtics. And over that period, the Celtics have gone 6-5.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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They are now 33-15, still second in the East, but only a game up on the New York Knicks. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Celtics still have the third-ranked offense, sixth-ranked defense. Andrew, if our favorite team is the Celtics, who is our guest?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And they've won their last five. They've won seven of their last eight, including a win over the Boston Celtics. This run has brought their record all the way up to... 15 and 32, so still pretty bad. But, you know, if you're worried about their draft pick, they'll probably be fine.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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If you forget about the slump for a second, when you think about when this team has been at their best this season, are there any areas where you think they could be better than last year's team come playoff time?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Now, unless Masai Ujiri decides to be a buyer at the deadline, and according to Mark Stein this week, the Raptors have emerged as a team to watch for Brandon Ingram.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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The Raptors aren't the only team on a five-game winning streak. Joining them are the New York Knicks, who got two big home wins this week. The first, a 143-106 blowout win over the Memphis Grizzlies, which they followed up with a 10-point win over the Denver Nuggets. After the Celtics' recent swoon, the Knicks are now only a game back of the Celtics for second in the East.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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thank you for the plug yes the native plug um okay looking ahead to the playoffs knowing that Boston probably won't enter these playoffs as quite the overwhelming favorite that they were last season are there any potential first round matchups that you think might worry Celtics fans I mean I'm looking at like Pacers Heat and Magic like how would you rank those potential matchups uh
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Well, Jay, thank you for answering all our questions about the Celtics, but it is now time to play Andrew vs. the Bait, our weekly trivia show where Andrew goes head-to-head against an NBA beat writer. This week it's Jay King for the Celtics. So I've come up with eight... Celtics questions. Jay, you're going to give me a number between 1 and 8. It will correspond to a question.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Another team on a five-game winning streak is the mercurial Minnesota Timberwolves. It seems like every time we start rehashing the Julius Randall trade, how bad it was, how the Wolves blew it. They win some games and shut us up for a while. In that five-game streak, the Wolves dominated the Nuggets, 133-104.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Some are easy, some are hard. If you get it right, you'll get at least two points. If you get it wrong, Andrew will have a chance to steal for one. And we'll go back and forth until all the questions have been asked and answered. So to start us off, Jay, I just need a number between 1 and 8.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Question number four. Sam Houser takes 85.5% of his shots from three. Among players who have played at least 25 games, only three players in the NBA have taken a larger percentage of their shots from three. How many can you name? You get one point per correct answer. You could get three points here. Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And during the game, Anthony Edwards, who is 23, set the franchise record for most made threes.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Wow. Jay, one more. You're doing great. You're making this long answer worth it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I need to go three for three. He's like whittling this down. This is amazing. I will say, I do not think you will go three for three.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I mean, Cat hit a lot. I mean, that's shooting big in the history of the game. I know. It's just bizarre. The Wolves are now only a half game back of the Clippers for the sixth spot. And finally this week, things may be getting scarier for Scary Terry. Just a year after the Heat traded a first round pick for him, he's averaging only 12 points per game, shooting 29% from three.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Phoenix bum. That is incorrect. The Phoenix bums. Shout out to Ryan Dunn, the Phoenix bum. Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I can tell you right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He's only at 52%. Andrew, do you have any guesses for the final name? You've had a lot of time to think.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I don't know. Okay, that is also incorrect. The random guy plays for the Orlando Magic. It's Caleb Houston.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Andrew, the top story this week is I'm sick, so if my voice sounds weird, I apologize. The top story in the NBA this week was the announcement of the All-Star Reserves. In the East, we got Jalen Brown, Pascal Siakam, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Kate Cunningham, Damian Lillard, and Tyler Hero.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I could look it up right now.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Well, you know what's funny? If you go on Basketball Reference, they have your number of dunks, but they also have the percentage of your field goal attempts that are dunks. And in his rookie season, it was .005, which means that he missed a dunk as a rookie, and maybe that scared him off. And it's been zero ever since. Wow. Andrew, the board is yours. You're already down by two in this scam.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Number one. Okay, this is a very special question because this is the first ever Slam & Jam listener-submitted question. This question comes from listener Nicholas Boonstra, who emailed me this question. Jason Tatum, averaging a career-high nine rebounds per game. Who was the last Celtic to average double-digit rebounds in a season?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And as a bonus, you can get a bonus point if you can name the season that they did it. Oh, my gosh.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Because maybe you don't know Nicholas's game. Maybe he's, he's fooling you. Maybe it was very recent.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Andrew, that is incorrect, which means Jay, you can steal.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Things are bad on the court, but they look worse off the court because this week we found out that federal prosecutors have opened an investigation into whether Rozier manipulated his performance during a 2023 game as part of an illegal sports betting scheme.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Maybe we'll change the name of the game to that.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Kevin Garnett? That is... Also incorrect. It was Al Jefferson.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That's what I was about to say. It was Al Jefferson. Al Jefferson. 06-07 season. Wow. Now, of course, I didn't double check this. I probably should have. How close did KG get? Let's see. Let's see. Kevin Garnett.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, you would think in that first season. Yeah, he averaged 9.2 in the first season in Boston.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay, Jay, the board is yours.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Question number five. Jason Tatum is averaging nearly 27 points, nine rebounds, and five and a half assists per game among active players who has had the most 27, nine, and five seasons in their career where they averaged at least those marks. 27, nine, and five. Active player.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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The gambling ring that is being investigated for abnormal betting is the same group that was involved in the Jonte Porter scandal that led to his permanent dismissal from the NBA. Ooh, boy. And those were the top stories this week, Andrew.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That is incorrect. Andrew, you have a chance to steal.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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That seems like the most logical answer. It's not Andrew. That's also wrong.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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He didn't even get the top two. Jokic was two. And number one, Giannis.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Of course it's Giannis. Of course it's Giannis.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Why would you say that?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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It's a lot, actually.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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It was like seven or eight. It was like a lot. For Giannis? For Giannis, yeah. How many times has Jokic done it?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Jokic has done it twice. He's doing it currently. Oh, okay. And then he did it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I think you guys are actually cheating select right now. Russ did it once. He did it his MVP season, and that's it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah. That kind of blows my mind. He either didn't have the points or he didn't have the rebounds.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Number two. I wish you hadn't chosen this one, Andrew. Is that okay? Thank you. Because the answer changed. That was dumb. Okay, I know it. I'm going to change this question a little bit. Okay, this year's Celtics team isn't as good as last year's team, but they do rank higher than last year's team in a couple categories. Which category are they significantly better than last year's team in?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Okay, so it's either half-court offense, transition offense, half-court defense, or transition defense. Which of those categories are they better than last year's team to the greatest extent? Because they're actually better than two things.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Probably half court defense. I think that's the only one you haven't said. Yeah, the defensive side.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So they are slightly better in half-court defense, but it's actually transition defense.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Where they're giving up almost four fewer points per 100 possessions compared to... Wow.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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No, that's back to Jay. Jay, back to you. We're going seven here. Question number seven. Oh, this is a great one. How many career dunks, we were talking about dunks earlier, does Sam Houser have? And you get to choose who answers first. So you can make Andrew answer first, and then you go higher or lower. Or you can answer first. Go higher or lower. Okay, so I go first.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I don't know. Okay, Andrew has set the over-under at 15. Jay, would you like to go higher or lower than that? That's a pretty good guess, but I'm going under. Andrew, you are within two dunks. You got to be kidding me. And the correct answer is 13, which means Jay gets the points. He's now up four to zero on Andrew. This is embarrassing. This is embarrassing. Andrew, you have control of the board.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Three questions left. Three. Three. Among Celtics players that have played at least 500 minutes, which is 10 players on the roster, so a decent number, guys. Okay. The Celtics hold opponents to 5.1 fewer points per 100 possessions when he is on the court, the best mark of the team. Who is that player? Derek White? No, Andrew. Jay, do you got a guess?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Jay, that is correct. Wow. Jay is now up five to zero. Putting it on Andrew. This is embarrassing. There's still two questions to go. Jay, you could make it even worse. Let's go eight. This will be a fun one. Thank God Jason Tatum got a triple-double this season because otherwise the Celtics would be one of 12 loser teams that haven't recorded a single triple-double this season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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We're going to name all 12 of those loser teams. So how this works is Jay, you'll give an answer. Then Andrew will give an answer. We'll go back and forth. Am I allowed to bring up the standings again? Sure. So these are teams that have not recorded a single triple-double This season. Hopefully there wasn't one last night because I actually didn't check. But... Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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There's just no way. Wizards. We're going Wizards. That's a great guess. That is correct. No Wizard has done it. New Orleans? The New Orleans Pelicans. Andrew, they are not on the list, which means somebody did it. Sorry. Sorry, Andrew. I'm having a bad day. So, Jay, you get the points. You guys want to throw out some other teams? Could you have rattled off more, Jay?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Golden State's correct. Atlanta? Atlanta? No, Andrew. I'm sure Jalen Johnson did it. Oh, Jalen Johnson. That's right. Raptors? Raptors? No. Scotty Barnes, maybe? Scotty. I'm really bad at this one. I need to stop talking. They don't have one? They do. I don't know who it was. I don't know who it was. It could have been anyone. Maybe it was Duncan Robinson. The other teams. Help us. Charlotte.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Charlotte's actually surprising because... Charlotte? That's one that... That is really surprising. Cleveland, Indiana, Minnesota, OKC, Orlando, Phoenix, and Portland. Yeah, I didn't think that Shea had done it, but I questioned myself. But you didn't know.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, what in the world? Andrew, you're down 7-0. But you do have a chance to score two points, so you could end this game 7-2 if you can get this last question correct. Okay. This is Al Horford's 18th season in the NBA. The last time a player with 18 years of NBA experience played for the Celtics, he only played a couple minutes. Who was it?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I'll just say P.J. Brown, but whatever. Andrew, that is incorrect. Jay, what is the answer? Joe Johnson. Joe Johnson played two minutes in his 18th season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I love these details. Wow. Wow. I can't believe you don't remember that, Andrew. Listen to how special that was.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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All right, Andrew, that was Celtics week. Three weeks of the Celtics. This next team, they're only going to be getting one week, Andrew, okay? We're not just giving out three weeks to everyone. Okay, here we go. Next week's Wheel of Phantom team. We're going to spin a wheel. It'll land on team. And we'll become fans of this team next week. And that team will be the...
The Athletic NBA Daily
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It almost landed on the Pelicans, which we've already done, and I just forgot to take off. So that would have been so embarrassing.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And we would have had to do it.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Real quick, real quick. The schedule this week for the Rockets. Yes, two games against the Nets. Okay. But the other two games at the Knicks and at the Wolves. Great games.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, I was surprised, Andrew, that you didn't bring up that Bradley Beal is on this list at a plus 10,000. Why did you not mention that? Do you want that? You want those odds for Bradley Beal? No, I mean, I think the only other interesting one is Amin Thompson, just because you can feel a momentum building with just people talking about him in general.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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And I think there will be a desire to reward that in some way. Yeah. You know...
The Athletic NBA Daily
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i don't we both don't really like most improved player for a second year yeah um so this might be the one although he's starting but he's not he's gonna start though he has to start the rest of the season you know that's the thing like he's played he's played 44 games he started 17 so he's already close to like tipping those scales towards starter minutes so
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Now, that is three All-Stars for the Cleveland Cavaliers, which is the fourth time in franchise history that they've had three All-Stars in the same season. Now, in the West, we've got Anthony Edwards, Anthony Davis, James Harden, Jaron Jackson Jr., Alperin Shingun, and Jalen Williams, a.k.a. J-Dub.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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So, uh, we do have a few updates before we get to our favorites of the week. The first is our first time all-stars update. Now, if you remember, uh, we do this every off season. We try to predict, uh, Who are going to be the first-time All-Stars? Because even though this stat sounds crazy, on average, there are 6.11 first-time All-Stars each season. And this year was no different.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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There were eight. I almost said 18. There were six. There were six. I don't know why I almost just said 18. Oh, I know why. Because Victor Wemenyama, he's the 18th second-year player to do it. Okay. That's why I almost said 18. Okay. Victor Wemenyama, Evan Mobley, Kate Cunningham, Alperin Shingun, J-Dub, and Tyler Hero. So let's take a look back, Andrew, at who we selected.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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We each drafted five guys in the offseason. You went with J-Dub. Great job, Andrew. McHale Bridges, nope. Chet probably would have been right if he hadn't gotten injured. Jamal Murray, nope. And Brandon Miller, nope. Although he was having a really good season until he left. He left us with an injury. And same with me, my first pick, Jalen Johnson, having a pretty good season.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I don't think he would have made it. I mean, he didn't make it because he just got injured. He didn't make it, but he was having a really good season. I did take, though, Alperin Shingun and Kate Cunningham. So I got both of those. And then Derek White, Kobe White. Nope. No on those.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I think looking back, the fact that neither of us took Franz Wagner, who he didn't make the All-Star game, but if he had been healthy, obviously would have made the All-Star game. Yeah, no question. That was bad on us. I don't think I would have ever guessed Tyler Hero. I mean, that final spot where I took Kobe White, that would have been a great place to take Tyler Hero.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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I wasn't even thinking of Tyler Hero, to be honest with you. And then Evan Mobley, that would have made sense. I think we were a little let down by Evan Mobley last year. It scared us off, but that would have been a good pick as well.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Yeah, for sure. Another update, a surprise team update. Now, Andrew, a few weeks ago, I got a DM from a listener named Zach McCartney. Now, Zach has created a surprise team tracker. Shout out.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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This is James Harden's first All-Star appearance since 2022, his 11th overall, which ties him with Steph Curry for fourth most among active players. Wow. of the All-Star Reserves always brings with it cries of snubbery. And this year was no different.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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surprise team tracker website now if you're watching on youtube i'm going to bring this up on the screen so you can check it out so if you're a new listener before every season we try to predict who the surprise team will be and what that means is that it's a team with an over under below 36 who wins at least 10 more games than their over under and zach has built a beautiful website where at any moment during the season cool
The Athletic NBA Daily
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you can go and see what each team's status is. So, for instance, right now, the only team that is currently on pace to be a surprise team is the Detroit Pistons, who are five games ahead of the pace needed. They're plus five, meaning they're currently on pace to win 15 more games than they're over under. Now, Andrew, your selection, the Atlanta Hawks, they are currently nine wins off the pace.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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It did. And my Raptors, even with this recent run, they are 15 wins off the pace. So bad job by us. But who knows? Maybe the Raptors will never lose another game. And look at this. Portland. Portland right now is only one game off. Isn't that weird? They would need to be a surprise team. I don't think we really took them that serious in the beginning. I feel like we talked about Detroit.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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We thought about it, but we probably should have thought a little bit harder. And the other cool thing is you can click on a team. And it will show you where they've been relative to being a surprise team over the course of the season. It also tells you, for instance, that the Raptors might pick only need to go 26-9 to be a surprise team. Isn't that nice?
The Athletic NBA Daily
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They could do that, Andrew, if they keep this up. It's a really awesome site, and I'm honored that Zach would make this for us. So if you'd like to check it out, I've made a tiny URL so that you can access it very easily. Just type in tinyurl.com backslash surprise team. That's it, tinyurl.com backslash surprise team, and you can go check it out too. It's very cool. Thank you, Zach.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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One of the biggest snubs was King center Damanis Sabonis, who is averaging 21 points per game with 14 and a half rebounds and six and a half assists. He's been a big part of Sacramento's turnaround this season, bringing them back from the depths of despair and firmly into the play and race.
The Athletic NBA Daily
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Unfortunately, anytime something good happens to the Kings, anytime there's a whiff of good vibes, the universe must unleash all hell on Kings fans. And this week that came in the form of a report from multiple reporters saying that the Kings were listening to trade offers for guard De'Aaron Fox.