10/20/23 - 10/27/23, Hour 2, NBA Preview

Prepare for a wild ride as we plunge headfirst into the exhilarating world of NBA. Our spirited debate centers around powerhouses like the Suns, Nuggets, Lakers, Kings, Mavericks and Warriors. How will the Timberwolves, OKC, Rockets, and Pelicans fare this season? We ponder these questions and more, all while dissecting the impact of big names like Russell Westbrook and Dillon Brooks. 

In the final leg of our journey, we teleport to the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Celtics, Bucks, Cavs, 76ers, and Miami Heat feature heavily in our predictions, but who will take the top spot? From Dame's potential impact on the Bucks to Quinn Snyder's influence on the Hawks, we explore every angle. We sign off on a high, predicting the MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. Trust us, this episode is a slam dunk!

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the ColourShop podcast, your weekly sports recap podcast, where we break down the hottest headlines, dissect the latest injuries and serve up our own hard hitting analysis of the past weekend sports.

Speaker 2: 0:11

But that's not all.

Speaker 1: 0:13

We're not just here to talk about the past. We're here to predict the future as well. On the ColourShop podcast, we boldly predict the outcomes of the upcoming weeks games.

Speaker 3: 0:22

So, going straight into the NBA, the season started on Tuesday. Most teams have already played two games and for the few that haven't, they play tonight. So we're going to get started with our top six playoff teams, each first. Drew, if you want to go first and name your six teams, talk about a little bit and then I can give you my six.

Speaker 2: 0:39

Are we going to go east and west, or are we going to just go straight down the middle?

Speaker 3: 0:44

Let's just go west first. West first all right West first.

Speaker 2: 0:48

So for the west, I'm just going to say who they are, and then I'll give you a little breakdown after Fair enough. We've got the Suns. We've got the Nuggets. We've got the Lakers Clippers. I got the Kings Mavericks Warriors. I went to seven but Warriors got seven.

Speaker 3: 1:04

So Okay, what is your reasoning for having the Suns number one overall?

Speaker 2: 1:12

I kind of talked about this on the previous podcast. It was the last one, two podcasts ago, where the addition of the additions that they made in the off season to to get get some backcourt depth with Grayson Allen as well as getting some frontcourt depth Well, man, just an actual comparable frontcourt piece that fits well with the team, as opposed to trying to have another offensive threat and Aitn when they have Nerkich out on the court. I think it's really beneficial for them to to have out there because of his ability to grab rebounds but also to not be a ball hog. Um, when when you have Deandre Aitn out there, he's going to want to get his touches and everything too. Um, nerk is not worried about getting his touches. Only thing he's worried about is putting bodies on the ground from his brick wall screens and stuff and getting his teammates open. He's also one of the best pick and roll uh players in the league and you saw how, how, how he was.

Speaker 2: 2:17

Exactly, uh, he saw how versatile he was and and, pivotally, was for Dame, um, uh, when he was out there in Portland too. So that's my main thing with him. Um, and then also you add in Bradley Beal too, uh, an elite scorer who apparently is, is hurt and is going to forever be hurt, um, and then same thing with uh, with Booker and everybody else, because nobody is actually hurt within. People are actually hurt.

Speaker 3: 2:43

I don't know, it's weird thing going on in the NBA now, but yeah, that's my main prop and okay, so I'll just give you my six real quick. So my six would be Denver, phoenix, lakers, memphis, golden State and Sacramento. My only thing with the sons is like they are the dolphins of the NBA. So they have super high powered offense but defensively I don't see where they're going to get stops from, which doesn't sound like a problem, but it kind of just reminds me of the Brooklyn Nets when they had Kyrie Harden and Katie. They were just outscoring teams. But they're terrible on defense and I feel like they're worse on defense this year and you know with just going against the Lakers. So obviously they were without Booker and Beal when they went against the Lakers, but use of Nirkage, while is a good offensive player and a great pick and roll defensively as a cone. So towards the end of the game they just start playing high picking role on the bronze, literally just driving directly at him.

Speaker 2: 3:37

He, statistically speaking, he's better on defense than Deandre Aden is.

Speaker 3: 3:43

Yeah, I'm not saying Deandre Aden is a great defender either.

Speaker 1: 3:47

And Deandre.

Speaker 3: 3:47

Aden was just very disengaged.

Speaker 1: 3:49

Oh yeah.

Speaker 3: 3:50

Okay, okay. And so those were my concerns. And, like it just showed, so obviously LeBron still a great player, but like, literally, they were just hunting him towards the end of the game and they did three straight high picking roles and they were just driving straight at you to Nirkage and he couldn't stop them at all. So that would be my only concern, just defensively, overall. How are they going to get stops? And then, lastly, the same thing that we could be said about many teams is just the injury bug and just being scared about injury. So we already have Booker out, already have Beal out, we've already know that KD has been very injury prone over the past few years, and that would just be my main concern. And it seems like they don't really care about the requirement for the 65 games. They're just going to start benching all their players ahead of time. They're already doing game management, loan management, things like that. So you know they're already sitting Booker after one game.

Speaker 3: 4:40

So those would be my concerns, but I still have them in number two. So, yeah, that would be my top six Denver, phoenix, lakers, memphis, golden State and Sacramento. So I can't move. Yeah, memphis up there. Huh, yeah, I got Memphis up there. It's just because I understand Jaws going to be out for the next 25 games but I still feel that with Marcus Smart they'll still be able to be formidable and keep their head above water and when Jaws is healthy, with the core of Desmond Bain, jaren Jackson Jr and Jaws, they've been elite and they've been like top three teams the past three seasons. So I feel like you know around four or five, six area, just right above the play in line, is pretty much where I would have them out. I'd say do you have them below the play in line? I couldn't remember who your who's. Your three, four, five and six again.

Speaker 2: 5:23

You have Lakers three, yeah, yeah, the Lakers three. And then I have the Clippers number four, kings five, maverick six, warriors seven, deruvo's eight.

Speaker 3: 5:36

Okay, yeah, the Mavs thing surprised me. I barely have the Mavs weakened into the play, and it didn't look great last year. Obviously, they're starting off to an O this season, even though they haven't played the greatest of teams. But what is your reasoning for that? You think that Kyrie and Luca are going to start clicking, or because, other than that, I don't really know where they're going to get the offense from which I mean yeah, I mean.

Speaker 2: 5:56

So my main thing is like, if Kyrie, everything's healthy, like and same thing with Luca, like they're going to, they're often going to be fine.

Speaker 2: 6:04

I'm not really concerned about them scoring. Got Max Cleave out there too. Stand in the corner, just shoot some threes when we need them to. But the problem is going to be on defense, because they're like, I want to talk about cone drills, you know, you just, you just have Luca out there, you got Kyrie out there. I see Max Cleave as going to be your, your, your big post presence down there. I'm going to lock people down. No, you're writing Grant Williams. That's great. He's a good defender Guard. Yeah, you can guard like pretty much one through five, maybe two through five, but at the same time, like as one guy, you know. Yeah, so, and then also main thing too, like we said before, can be said about anybody injuries. That's my main concern with them too. But I do think that now they're going to be a, if they can stay healthy, and then they are going to be better than the Warriors, better than Grizzlies, better than, you know, all the other teams that are below them there. But major limiting factor is defense and getting some stops.

Speaker 3: 7:08

So, yeah, for sure, I had Golden State in the Clippers, kind of just right around that play in line for five, six or like five, six, seven, eight. Because I feel like Golden State the end they've talked about in the past they don't play for the play out or they don't play for the regular season, they play for the playoffs. So usually they do what they need to do to get into the playoffs. So that's why I feel like they're going to do, I think they're going to keep their head above water. They're probably going to rest a lot of players like Steph and Chris Paul throughout the season and just try to stay above that play in line, so when they can get to the playoffs they can just turn it up into the gear they already been, or Draymond's already herp, so they're not playing with him and things of that nature.

Speaker 3: 7:42

So and then the Clippers. This is the same. Clippers just concern me because they Kyrie or Kawhi and PG get hurt every single game and they are the king of load management. I understand you got Russell Westbrook and some other additions, but what were your thoughts on the Clippers? Cause I have them as seven, so I have them as my first play in team.

Speaker 2: 8:02

Yeah, I have them at four. So I'm pretty high on the Clippers this year, but that's mainly because, okay, I pulled this from from Vecen and they have this guide that they do every year for MBC NBA previews and about previous and stuff like that. This is what they said. So last season, the Clippers were plus 700 to win the NBA finals before the season began and their win total was 52 and a half. This is just last season, right? So this pretty much same team, other than a couple of additions, is plus 1800 to win the finals and also has a win total of 46 and a half.

Speaker 3: 8:43

What's that?

Speaker 1: 8:45

Yeah but at the same time.

Speaker 2: 8:48

did it get that much better? Like, I don't think that their their win total should have dropped as much as it did, and also their odds shouldn't have pretty much doubled to Russ Factor.

Speaker 1: 9:00

We saw it last night.

Speaker 3: 9:01

You had a chance to win the game, and then Russ shoots an air ball off of an offensive rebound.

Speaker 2: 9:04

Okay, but also Russ was playing at one of his better yeah, one of his better, better clips that he was last last year, when Kawhi and PG were out, and then they also were able to add you know, kj Martin is going to come off the bench, who's a comfortable player. And then also when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were on the court at the same time last year, the Clippers outscored opponents by 8.3 points per 100 possessions. So, like this, when they are on the court together, they are one of the best teams in the league, and they were arguably, I don't know, like if Kawhi Leonard doesn't get hurt, he's, they're winning that series.

Speaker 2: 9:52

I think that a lot of people are down and have seen enough of the Clippers, or like we've seen this movie before.

Speaker 1: 10:01

But I am stubborn.

Speaker 3: 10:05

I feel like the Clippers are kind of like the Warriors. They struggle in the regular season with injuries and things like that, but they're like, they're built for the playoffs. I feel like having all of those versatile wings and those two-way forwards and Robert Covington, paul George, kawhi Leonard even Baton could play even though he's getting up in their age. But then, as you mentioned, you have players that they added, like Martin Jr and Bones Highland coming off the bench and Norman Powell, who is usually top for six million of the year, every single season in the top three. So I agree with you, if they can stay healthy, they'll probably be a very good team, but I do not expect them to play like we talked. What is the 65 game minimum to be like within, like awards and things like that.

Speaker 3: 10:48

I would, probably I would take the under on both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard playing under 65 games with confidence. That's fair so, but that's fair enough. I still I have them in play on, but I still think they're going to be a play in team. So, off of that, who are your four play in teams?

Speaker 2: 11:05

I expanded mine down a little bit because I had some stuff on the Pelicans as well, who I have as number 11. But I have the Timberwolves, okc, rockets and Pelicans here. So I mean I don't know where to like place these teams. Because I'm playing team for me, yeah, because like I want to see the Rockets do well, like why they? Because they've been, they've been trashed for a while. And then also you got Udoka who is, I think, wrongfully outed in Boston. I agree with that. And then you know you got the one thing I don't like about the Rockets is Dylan Brooks. Yeah, but he is going to be a major piece on the team, giving that veteran leadership. I don't know if you can call it leadership, you can. I want to call it a leadership direction. He'll be one of their better defenders.

Speaker 2: 12:03

Yeah, so, and that's the main problem with this team that I have, which is why I had Timberwolves and OKC above them, but their, their defense 29th in non-garbage time defensive efficiency last year and then 30th the season before. So, like the past two seasons, hasn't been great, and the I mean with the coaching changes that will help as well. Email Udoka this is calling hard, exactly, but also the other problem is the hasn't looked good, so far, yeah, give it up 116 to the magics and 126 to the.

Speaker 3: 12:39

Spurs last night. Yeah, Exactly I was. I was also on the Rockets. Last year I was on the Rockets. Last year I was on the Rockets. Last year I was on the Rockets. Last year I was on the.

Speaker 2: 12:46

Rockets last year Exactly I was. I was also on the Rockets last night too, and that that hurt.

Speaker 3: 12:53

Go Wendy.

Speaker 2: 12:54

Yeah, apparently, I still think people are way too high on on the Spurs and and Wendy, but anyways, but yeah, and then the problem also too on the offensive end, is going to be that they finished 27th in the league and non-garbage time, offensive efficiency, which isn't great, and you'd think that they would have been better with with Jalen Green there, but no, because it was basically just him and then him just chucking up shots and then passing on.

Speaker 3: 13:23

He's a good score, but he's very inefficient.

Speaker 2: 13:25

Yeah, yeah. And so now I think with with Fred Van Fiet, fred Vlan.

Speaker 1: 13:32

Fred.

Speaker 2: 13:32

Van Blyte. There we go. I think with him directing the offense, that's going to be a lot more controlled and hopefully the efficiency ends up going up. Because, yeah, when they were out there it was. It literally just looked like you know me and you going out there and playing pickup basketball or just you know, passing it around the arc, shoots at threes, everyone's in the lounge, stuff. But yeah, I, I, I do also like the addition of Ken Whitmore, the summer league MVP and future rookie of the year. No, it's fine.

Speaker 3: 14:06

That was the reason he's DNPs right now, so yeah.

Speaker 2: 14:10

But yeah no, during the summer league you average 20 points, five rebounds and three. Three steals too, so that's a great addition. Amen Thompson he's a great rookie as well but he's already hurt.

Speaker 2: 14:24

Um, uh, jack Lendell, lando from, uh, from Phoenix. Great addition to, but you know he's also not that great, he's just a depth, we'll call him Um. And then, uh, tyree, uh, ethan as well. I ranked 84th percentile at his position. Uh, an efficiency differential, so, um. But again, all these players are young, so we don't really know what the outcome is going to be for them. But I'm really high on them, want to see them do great, so so high on the meaning that where you think that they are going to make the playoffs.

Speaker 2: 15:03

I think that they'll make the playoffs Okay.

Speaker 3: 15:05

Fair enough I.

Speaker 2: 15:06

I do.

Speaker 1: 15:07

I think I have them as I think they have them.

Speaker 3: 15:11

I have them 11th or 12th on the outside. Looking into the plan, I just think that you know we do have some good additions with Dylan Brooks, with Fred Van Fleet, who I really like, and you know Emi Adoku's calling caught has been defense. But other than Dylan Brooks, I mean I think that, um, the Jabari Smith Jr has the potential to be a good defender. It just they haven't shown it yet. They're still very young.

Speaker 3: 15:33

Overall, I like the, I like the offensive pieces, I like Jalen Green, I like Shin Goon Um as a center, kind of like a baby Yolkage Um, and then Jabari Smith and Fred Van Fleet and Dylan Brooks, but I just think that I don't, I don't, I think that they're, I still think they're like a year or two away, which I have that same mindset for a couple of these teams, like the thunder, who I basically have right above them as being the 10, 11 seed, kind of like right on the cusp of making the play in. So I have to wait and see. For the rockets, I feel like just the first year with Emi Adoka, I don't oh.

Speaker 2: 16:09

Jess is trying to call me.

Speaker 3: 16:10

Oh, you're good, you good.

Speaker 2: 16:14

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 16:15

Okay.

Speaker 3: 16:15

Yeah, so I'll have to wait and see when it comes to the rockets, um, but yeah, so my plan teams would be the Clippers as number seven, the Pelicans, minnesota and I'm going back and forth on whether I want to choose Dallas or the thunder. I think they're all going to be very close with the record and stuff like that. It's going to come down to the last few games, but for right now I'll give the nod to Dallas. Um, the Clippers, as we both mentioned, when they're healthy I feel like they're an elite team and are probably the only teams that could give the Phoenix Lakers and Nuggets to run for their money in the playoffs. Um, I really like the Pelicans. So I really like the Pelicans if Zion can say healthy, which obviously is a big if, which is why I don't have them as a top six team, I have them as a play in team.

Speaker 3: 16:56

But when we've seen it, when Zion has been healthy and the team has played well, with Brandon Ingram, with Cedric McCollum, they were at one point in time the number one scene in the West or conference, um, kind of midway through the season last year. So I feel that they have the ability to do it and I feel like they have a lot of offensive weapons, and then you also have um players like Valentinus and Herb Jones um as well, just for depth pieces. So I feel like they have the potential to be a very good team. It's just going to all boil down to Zion. So even without Zion, if Zion were to get her, I still think that they can win enough games to be a play in team. Uh, minnesota. I'm still upset with him for making that trade for Rudy Gobert, because that's disgusting. Um, for those of you that don't know, I'm a Lakers fan. Oh go ahead.

Speaker 2: 17:39

I was just going to say they, they have an elite defense, um, and they're able to. Uh, there's your rules. Yeah, their, their defense is very elite, but their main problem is who's going to shoot the ball.

Speaker 3: 17:54

Other than that's what I'm saying yeah, anthony.

Speaker 3: 17:57

Edwards could take a step forward and, you know, be a all in VA type player. I feel like he has all the potential in the world to do that. But you know, other than that, katz been very stagnant. When he came into the league after his first four years people were talking about him being like one of the best players in the league and the person that you want to build your team around. But he's kind of just been stagnant right at the all start level. He hasn't really made it a step forward.

Speaker 3: 18:18

To be an all in VA player Are, you believe, one of the best centers in the league? You know he's always kind of in the top five and he's always very solid, but he hasn't really made that step forward. But I feel like Ant-Man would be the go-to guy and then you have the pieces around him, like um, like our Anthony Towns, like Rudy Gobert. You have slow mo um, Kyle Anderson in there, mike Conley still a very formidable Um, why he gets the job done and he was given the Lakers trouble, it's just the slowest thing in the world, but um yeah, as.

Speaker 3: 18:47

I mentioned. For those of you that don't know, I'm a Lakers fan. Drew is a Trailblazers fan, but he's a LeBron fan, which you know. I'm mad that he's wearing a Lakers jersey right now because it's disgusting. Yeah, okay Fair enough, it's a Scullby. But yeah, those are our teams.

Speaker 2: 19:02

I don't know if I would call myself a Trailblazers fan. I'm not really like a. I don't really follow any teams really anymore.

Speaker 3: 19:08

I'm more I just players at this point when Stave left, you just really cut off all ties, huh, well, no, I mean, it's like players getting shipped off all over the place and everything too.

Speaker 2: 19:16

So, like cause, I used to be like a heat fan when LeBron was there with the house of Kaz fan, so it's just like you know. So.

Speaker 1: 19:23

I just follow.

Speaker 2: 19:25

Yeah, I'm a LeBron fan and everything. I also like Kyrie too, but, like you know, I just follow players more so than I do teams. But I support the Blazers because you know the hometown and everything like that and tickets are going to be real cheap this year, so that's going to be nice looking forward.

Speaker 3: 19:41

Yeah, I'll probably see a couple of players again. Maybe if I could get one of those tickets when they come or when they play the Lakers I'm a diehard Lakers fan. I've always been obviously Kobe fan, but yeah, so that would be my top or that would be my play-in teams. I really want to put Thunder in there, but I still feel that they're a year away, so you know, they're a play-in team last year.

Speaker 3: 20:02

Now you have the addition of Chet Holmgren, who looks very solid already and is going to be a great I don't want to say great defender, but he's been a great shop locker and could give them a step forward, because you have solid defenders already with Williams and with Lou Dors, so you have a lot of wing defenders already. So if you have Chet Holmgren in the paint, that can stop that, and then if he can keep hitting threes, I feel like it's going to be a big thing because you have Josh Giddy and you have SGA, who's going to be the main point guards, and I feel like that would be a very good team. It's going to be a very fun, entertaining, young team to watch. So they're probably one of my favorite teams, along with the Pelicans.

Speaker 2: 20:39

Okay, I got two things, One for the Pelicans, one for the Thunder sort of the Thunder first here. So, other than Shay, I'm not sure if Giddy can be that guy that they can go to if Shay is not a main point guard.

Speaker 3: 20:57

He's a playmaker.

Speaker 2: 21:00

Yeah, I guess, but like playmaker to who?

Speaker 3: 21:04

I guess Chet, they made the play-in team last year.

Speaker 2: 21:08

Yeah, I'm saying like don't even run. I haven't met my 9C, so I'm fine. But what I'm just saying these are my concerns is that, outside of Shay, who average 31.4 points, last year.

Speaker 1: 21:26

Yeah, he's always the same time. Yeah but at the same time.

Speaker 2: 21:31

just one of the four starters had double digits in scoring last year, so like I don't know.

Speaker 3: 21:41

I feel that that's why I feel like they're kind of a year away. I feel like they still need one more offensive weapon. I mean Chet could be the number two guy. I don't know, We'll have to wait and see, but I mean I'm not exactly sure.

Speaker 2: 21:54

Ludoor is great in everything, but he's got a lot of let's see like run our tests in them. He's there toning out offensively.

Speaker 3: 22:01

He's a great defender every single night, but yeah, offensively he's very up and down. He scored like 25 or something like that, which surprised me. I was like okay.

Speaker 2: 22:10

Yeah, you can put him in the corner and you can knock it down. I think he was like 38, 39% or whatever from the corner, but outside of that Look away. So so what would be your? Oh, go ahead. Yeah, with the pelicans. I have them as my 11 seed and that's mainly because I don't hey, man, don't get me wrong Like they're an elite offense when healthy, key word, key phrase, I should say Even without Zion they're still very good offense, like Brandon Ingram.

Speaker 3: 22:44

they got Cedric McCall and they got Jonas Valenciunas, and then what's the I think the second year player. I can't remember his name.

Speaker 1: 22:53

Tray.

Speaker 3: 22:53

Murphy. Yeah, Tray Murphy took a step forward last year as well for them. He's hurt, okay, but so is everybody else Elvrato hurt. Okay, elvrato is just like a hustle guy off the bench.

Speaker 2: 23:02

I'm not really, but also he gives them a good spark off the bench.

Speaker 3: 23:06

He has a great spark off the bench and everything too.

Speaker 2: 23:09

But yeah and then. So there's this interesting stat when Zion and Brandon Ingram were on the field, or on the field on the floor together last year, they outscored their opponents by 19.5 points per possession, which is the highest in the league. But that was only over 10 games.

Speaker 3: 23:26

Knock on wood, knock on wood. I think this will be the most games as Ion has played in a season.

Speaker 2: 23:32

So but also also their defense isn't nearly as elite as as a lot of people think, because last year they allowed opponents to shoot three pointers at the sixth highest percentage, however allowed one of the lowest percentages in terms of accuracy. So there's going to be some regression in that you're giving up.

Speaker 2: 23:58

You're giving up wide open threes, but your opponents aren't really knocking them down leading to your team being able to capitalize on that and transition offense and everything. And they were pretty. They were one of the better teams when it came to transition offenses as well too. So I think there's a lot of regression. Looking directly at this pelicans team and then you throw in some injuries and man, why you hate the pelicans, bro, like damn. I don't, I just I'm just like.

Speaker 1: 24:24

I just like. I guess the West is here. It's tough yeah.

Speaker 3: 24:28

Who would? What would your Western Conference finals matchup be?

Speaker 2: 24:31

It's tough, I mean.

Speaker 3: 24:33

I got re-matched as for Lakers.

Speaker 2: 24:36

I think it's if the Lakers can stay healthy. I think it would it, it'd have to be that, but I know it's tough because I I do like the additions that the Suns have made and I already I have a bet on the Suns to to win the West.

Speaker 3: 24:55

Um hasn't the Suns, like hasn't Devin Booker got hurt, like, literally, the past two or three playoffs. Those hamstring injuries.

Speaker 1: 25:02

Like I don't know what's going on, like I think.

Speaker 2: 25:06

But okay, before he got hurt though dude was lighting it up Like out of his mind- yeah. So like.

Speaker 3: 25:16

and then you throw in the addition of Bradley Beal on offense as well Again a lot of this office, not a lot of difference, but they're the West Brooklyn Nets.

Speaker 2: 25:25

I'm sorry, yeah, like um, but yeah, I mean I will go. I will firmly say I was dead with my bet. Okay, I will. You know what? Oh, I'll mix it up a little bit, yeah.

Speaker 3: 25:38

Suns, lakers, god damn it. Fair enough, hey, I'll take that, I'll take that. I do not. I want I, oh my gosh, I want to give it to the Lakers to go to the finals, but don't I. Just, I just think I would have to choose Denver. I was like I'll give the Lakers seven games, but I would still choose Denver to come out of the West.

Speaker 3: 26:00

I just think that they are the most versatile team and they have the best combo of offense and defense and they just play great team basketball and they just have perfect pieces around Yolkich.

Speaker 3: 26:12

And then Jamal Murray can wake up any day in the playoffs and be like oh, okay, I'm Alan Iverson today and just go off, yeah, so. And then I think that Aaron Gordon has really stepped up over the past couple of years. You know, he was kind of stuck in Orlando for a very long time, but it didn't really get a chance to shine. So I feel like once he was put in an opportunity to flourish, I feel like that's a really big plus for them. And then, you know, obviously got Michael, poor junior, who's a bucket, and I think that the loss of Bruce Brown is going to hurt them a lot. So they're going to have to lean on their rookie a lot, I think Bron out of Kansas, the second year guy as well, as they did get Reggie Jackson, who I think is a nice, good offensive piece, off the bench as well. But they do lose a little bit of versatility and defense, but I still think that they're going to be okay.

Speaker 1: 26:55

Yeah, so yeah.

Speaker 2: 26:58

So you have the suns coming out of the West overall. Yeah, I mean I have to like. I don't like when it comes to like picking futures and everything like that. I don't like picking teams to win back to back, unless it's the chiefs, because it's too easy. But yeah, I got it. I have a hard time picking teams to win back to back. So, yeah, I kind of mix it up and also makes watching a little bit more entertaining too.

Speaker 3: 27:27

Just to root for root for the underdog, you know. I just don't know how you stop Yelkich. I don't know how you stop that, with that pick and roll, because it hit the Jamal Murray and Yelkich at the best pick and roll game in the league. And then you surround them with shooters and basically the dunker spot with Aaron Gordon like I don't know how you beat them, and then KCP and Michael Porter Jr on the wings, like it's just it's very tough to beat them, so yeah.

Speaker 2: 27:54

Yeah, the, if I do call, I try to remember, like, because I think I think Nirk typically plays pretty well against Yelkich.

Speaker 3: 28:08

Yeah, he had a big body in front of him. So Nirk has just played well. What's his name? Valenchunis has played okay against, just like when he kind of has to get you know, body up players and get more tired. And then you know, when Yelkich is on defense they just try to pound him in the post pause. But it's trying to get him tired. They try to use him as much as possible. The Lakers tried to do that too with a high pick and roll with LeBron and AD trying to get Yelkich involved more on defense so he gets tired on offense. But it may not look like it, but he actually has very good endurance, exactly.

Speaker 2: 28:38

Yeah, but yeah, I mean, like I said, I got to go with the, the Suns. Even though they can stay healthy and stop messing around with all these my pinky toe hurts and you know all these things and you know actually stay healthy. I think that they can make a push for the Western Conference Finals. Now, that being said, I do still believe in the, the nuggets there, like you said, they're the most complete team all around.

Speaker 2: 29:09

They're pretty much the same team as last year, minus Bruce Brown, which I think will be a pretty substantial loss. He has big game fed. Yeah, people don't really realize like how much of either energy guy he was for the team or how much he he was able to like turn around some of the down spells during the middle of the season, when they weren't scoring as well.

Speaker 2: 29:34

Then Bruce Brown will come out, drop 30 and then, okay, now we're back and everything like that, right the ship a little bit. So I think that, yeah, going forward, it's got to be the Suns for me.

Speaker 3: 29:46

Yeah, shout out to Bruce Brown too. Was a gadget guy kind of was around the league but was a gadget guy for the Nets and he played very well. But then when he went into free agency didn't get much looks. The nuggets ended up giving them a I think a like a mid level or I think it was like a nearly a minimum. It was like two years like $13 million contract and he shined for them last year and was a very big piece in the playoffs and honestly played point guard. He literally just a very versatile Swiss Army knife player and played great defense and got the bag.

Speaker 3: 30:15

I think. Four years, 30 plus million to the Pacers. So shout out, bruce Brown. So moving on, so you have Suns versus Lakers in the Western Conference finals, with Suns going to the NBA finals and I have nuggets like nuggets going into the NBA finals. I'm more confident. I'm sad to not see the Lakers go. I'm going to feel very bad if the Lakers make it to the Western Conference finals back to back years and they don't make it back to the NBA finals.

Speaker 3: 30:37

I'll be very sad and for your little broad guy legacy that will be bowed too well Drew.

Speaker 2: 30:42

You know, actually based on my, on my, my standings, that I don't think it would be possible because I'd have. I think it would have to be the Lakers and the Suns going, they would mean to like the second round. Which means that either one of them or the other one is going to make it. Or my rating or my rankings are just absolutely perfect and it's not going to be possible. So that's what we'll find out.

Speaker 3: 31:07

Fair enough. Moving on to the Eastern Conference, I'll get started here. My top six teams in the Eastern Conference are going to be the Celtics, the Bucks, the Cavs, 76ers, nix in Miami. Thoughts on that, drew, and what are your top six?

Speaker 2: 31:23

Um, I don't have Miami up there on mine.

Speaker 3: 31:28

Yeah, I was borderline. I had them six on right above that, so they lost a lot of players.

Speaker 2: 31:33

And I have the down at eight. For me personally, fair enough, but yeah, I mean, the only real difference I have is other than the heat. I also have the, the Bucks, as my number one instead of the Celtics. I got Cavs at three, I have the 76ers at four, nix five, hawks six. Yeah, so very similar.

Speaker 3: 31:55

I had Bucks originally number one, I just think you know first year with Dame. I think that they are going to have a dip defensively with the loss of Drew Holiday, chris Middleton's injury prone and things like that, but some of the Celtics. So we'll have to wait One, two, I think it's you know, interchangeable.

Speaker 2: 32:11

Yeah, that was my thing too is like that. That's why I gave the Bucks the edge was mainly because of not only the familiarity that Dame's going to have with Terry Stotz out there, with his former coach, but then also they don't have that much of an injury problem as opposed to the Celtics, who everybody on their team, is glass and pretty injury prone and Chris Middleton, but not really though Like yeah, Chris Middleton, yeah, injury prone the past couple of years.

Speaker 2: 32:43

But Dame really hasn't been injury prone like for the majority of his career. Over the last last year yeah, he got banged up, put him out for most of the season, but over the grand scheme of things of his career he hasn't really been riddled with injuries like a Jaylen Brown has, or even Zingas kind of yeah, especially like for Zingas I was. So one of the things with for Zingas is kind of kind of interesting is yeah at a career year in terms of points per game last year and I don't think that that was that's going to be able to be repeated this year, especially because he's going to be on offense with you know a lot of different people that want their touches in terms of the option offensively, yeah, so usually just going to go way down.

Speaker 2: 33:35

It's a lot different playing on a team that's actually playing for something. Instead of playing on a team you can just say eff it and just chuck up whatever shot you want. You know I mean so, and you saw that a lot with Koosman out there too. But anyways, drop 30. So it's debut. Yeah, I mean, I don't, I don't think that that's going to be the reality for him going forward. His usage is is down a little bit this year. Well, two games in, but you know, it's down to, I think, like 22% as opposed to 27% or whatever it was last year. So I mean, if you just do like a 5% drop in all of his stats from last year, you'll average around like 22 points, like seven rebounds and two blocks or something like that.

Speaker 3: 34:27

That's what I haven't seen. Enough for 28 and two yeah.

Speaker 2: 34:30

Yeah. So I mean that sounds about right for him and it'll be a great addition, sure, but at the same time, you know they're going to be very efficient on offense, which is good, but they're not going to be as high scoring as a lot of people might think they will be, because they're going to be posting up a lot more, with Borzingus who posts up at one of the highest rates in the league comparable to the likes of Nicole Yoke should post up on pretty much every play, yeah, and so that'll slow down the game for sure. And then they also have like pretty much no 3-1 shooting other than Jason Tatum. Borzingus can stress the court a little bit, but outside of those two like if Borzingus is backing down defenders trying to open up the the rest of the offense, like it's not going to work. Like who are you going to kick out to at that point?

Speaker 3: 35:20

Yeah, tatum, brown, holiday and White are all very streaky when it comes to the three. And even though, they did have the addition of Drew Holiday. You do lose Robert Williams. The third you do lose Marcus Smart, you do lose Grant Williams. So I think that they also lost a lot of versatility on defense and depth as well. So, fair enough, what?

Speaker 1: 35:42

would you do to the rest?

Speaker 3: 35:43

of your tops. Oh, go ahead.

Speaker 2: 35:45

Well, I was going to say with the. When it comes to the, the Hawks, who I'm kind of high on this year, I was high on them a couple years ago too. I had Tre Young for MVP. That was. I might as well just burn that. Did you really what? A couple years ago.

Speaker 1: 36:03

Yeah it was like 50 to one.

Speaker 2: 36:05

I was interesting, it was young and naive.

Speaker 3: 36:09

So I was down bad. I needed a miracle.

Speaker 2: 36:13

Yeah, it was a little bit of pizza money. It wasn't anything crazy, but I see. But yeah. So when it comes to the Hawks, so before Quinn Snyder got there, they had offensive rating of 114. And then, after Quinn Snyder got there, the offensive rating went from 14th all the way up to, I believe, sixth. So like are actually fourth highest. My bad. So I mean Just that small turnaround from starting in February To the end of the season a few months there. Good sample size to see what the offense is going to look like going forward.

Speaker 2: 36:52

And then you also take out John Collins, who was a great player for them. However, he also kind of clogged up the lane a little bit too, and his 3.4% it just dipped quite substantially over the past Year where he was typically thought to be seen as like a big man that could stress the court and he ended up actually hindering their offense because he was taking so many threes and Pretty much hitting the side of the backboard on a lot of them. So I think that having Clint Capella down there instead of instead of John Collins is gonna be a Better option for them in terms of you don't really need to pass the ball to To the Clint Capella. You can just run your offense through the other four guys and then Clint Capella is gonna be down there to clean up the Memphis miss. It's also a lot better in the pick and roll than John Collins is. You see the game the other day.

Speaker 3: 37:45

So you see the game the other day. I think it was like against the, the Knicks. They lost to the Knicks and I think it was like two straight possessions late in the fourth quarter and Clint Capella forgot he had hands.

Speaker 2: 37:57

I know so I mean, I'm not saying it's gonna look pretty All right, I'm just saying that they're gonna get the job done and I have them up on six seed. But yeah, I mean, clint Capella is what he is Like. I said you don't have to pass the ball to him, he just needs to get the rebound. But yeah, that's, that's my take on them. But then also, the one of the bad things is the defense because again, talking about these cone drills out here, nobody worse in the league than Trey young and I mean just like the rest of their friend court too is also just like you can just do whatever you want.

Speaker 3: 38:35

I guess I'm like you and I go out there and at least get 25, but that's my main concern because you know, trey young is a cone on defense and is a very is a great offensive player and a great playmaker and you can light it up once he gets hot. And they brought in Dijonti Murray last season to try to spell that so they could be a nice one-two Guard combo and Trey could play a little bit off ball every once in a while. And then Dijonti Murray is a good point guard defender or good guard defender, so feel like that would help. But I Don't know. I just don't think they're gonna be able to stop people. That's the main problem.

Speaker 1: 39:12

And as you mentioned John.

Speaker 3: 39:14

The loss of John Collins, I think, is a it is a big loss for them. I think that having that versatile fourth, even though he wasn't really that great of a three-point shooter, he was a solid rebounder and every once in a while he could be a great scorer. So we'll have to see. I do like Sadiq Bay, I do like Trey young, I do like Dijonti Murray. I just feel that, even though the East kind of has gotten Regressed I would say probably a little bit compared to last season, especially if, depending on what happens with James Harden in the 76ers which is the only reason that I have them below the Cleveland Cavaliers, I don't know if they're gonna be able to be a top 60.

Speaker 3: 39:46

I do have them in the playing, I have them as my eighth seed, but I could potentially see them, if they can, you know, get something working on defense, being a Top 16. But we'll have to wait and see. So those were your top six. Then you said you had bucks, celtics, cleveland Sixers, knicks and Hawks. Yes, sir, what would be your four playing teams?

Speaker 2: 40:09

What plant teams. And then I have the Nets. The heat got the magic and the Pacers. So okay, no, no, no why, not Dude.

Speaker 2: 40:25

I think that the writing is on the wall for this team. They've already seen that. You know they're they're not gonna be contenders. They know they're not gonna be contenders. They've they tried out the the Lonzo experiment a couple times and it's not working out. Or to you play and then exactly that's that and and so like. I think that when it gets closer to the trade deadline, we're gonna see a lot of their players Move and then I think it's just gonna be pretty much tank for Brani at that point.

Speaker 3: 40:57

So fair enough, my Four playing teams would be Pacers, hawks, magic, and then it's a toss up between the bulls and the Nets. I agree with you. I think that I think that the bulls are able to play well and early on in the season that they would kind of Not maybe trade players like Zach Levine, things of that nature. So I think that still offensively, they have the capability to be a good team. Sometimes they have, you know, demarda Rosen, zach Levine, and then you still have who's who's bitch man in the paint. So they have the ability that may they play in last year and they honestly should have probably made the playoffs. I think that they Was it the heat or the Raptors that they gave up like a 20-point second half lead to, and they could have potentially been the eight seed. So, yeah, I could see the bulls or the Nets.

Speaker 3: 41:44

I, I don't know. The Nets probably just gonna be kind of an entertaining team to watch. You know Ben Simmons is hopefully healthy, you have Den Whitty, you have McKellop Ridges, so I'm a real big fan of as well as some nice depth pieces. So that could be a team. I don't know what they're doing. They got Cam Johnson, just you know, locked up. In a way they refused to let him. I Don't know.

Speaker 2: 42:07

I don't know what they're doing with that, but I'm surprised to see you so high on the, on the Pacers this year.

Speaker 3: 42:15

Yeah, I mean I like the pieces, I love howlburton, I like I Still like Miles Turner and now they have, you know, bruce Brown who I feel like is gonna be very versatile for them. So I feel like they're probably gonna be around like eight, nine, ten and I think they they can squeak into the playoffs. They were a very good team last season to start the regular season and then they kind of got hit with the plateau and then it kind of regressed back to the mean. But I feel that, as I mentioned, with the I think third or fourth year of Halliburton got Miles Turner I'll be topping who I like a lot as well and Matherin, who is a, is a bucket you can go get a bucket whenever. So I like him, I like the team.

Speaker 2: 42:55

Don't think they're gonna make much noise but yeah, yeah, I mean, I had them as my 10 C, like I like the pieces that they have around them, I think that they'll definitely make the play in for sure and Offensively, or I should say in transition, they've actually been pretty well done, pretty well too for themselves. In fact, indiana led the NBA. Points added per 100 possessions in transition at 4.2 points. Overall offense of efficiency in transition off of a live rebound at 1 hour 131 point 8 and at fast breaks per Halliburton. Yeah, the problem with the problem with all this is that While they were very efficient, they are terrible on defense and they are terrible at getting turnovers. So while they're efficient, they didn't have very many opportunities to do it. But when they did do it, they did well, but they weren't able to do that often enough to have a functioning offense and.

Speaker 2: 43:58

When it came to half court offense, they they were ended up being 21st in the league in terms of overall offense of efficiency. So like, if they're not running in transition, then they're one of the lower tier teams in the league, but if they are able to get a steal or Get a rebound off of a miss shot, then you know, by golly gosh they're gonna go on the best teams in the league.

Speaker 3: 44:21

Yeah great fast break team. Hopefully Halliburton can step up and, you know, maybe not be a lot, I don't think he's a liability, but he's not a great defender. The addition of Bruce Brown hopefully will you know help that a lot, but I think they they bring 25th last year in defensive rating, so not great. Exactly, who would your Eastern Conference finals matchup be? Also actually hold on real quick. What are your thoughts? So we both have the Cavs ranked number three and we have the Knicks ranked. Knicks ranked, I believe, number five. How do you feel about that matchup? Because the Knicks were able to defeat the Cavs fully healthy last season in the playoffs. But I just I don't know. I would still fit. I still choose the cast. I feel like in everyone else games I wanted the cast to win, but the Knicks just aren't ready and somehow they just pull out these nasty ugly wins you know yeah.

Speaker 3: 45:11

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 45:13

Yeah, I mean they were the Cavs. The Cavs should have, should have gone further in the playoffs last year. We've seen, we've seen Donovan Mitchell Take over in a lot of these, in a lot of these positions, but for some reason he decided actually not. Now, I'm good, this this year, I'm just gonna hang him up and just try to get next year, I suppose, to what we saw for him, at least in the bubble when he was averaging with like 37 or something crazy Like that. Then I also. You have the additions this year of Nying, who's gonna give them some some nice depth off the bench Street. You also have it exactly.

Speaker 2: 45:51

You also have streus which is another reason why I'm down on On Miami this year as well, because they lost one of their primary scorers too. But yeah, so, like you, you have a couple additions to the team here. You lose Robin Lopez.

Speaker 1: 46:06

Oh no you lose.

Speaker 2: 46:08

I see Osman, oh no. Damian Jones, oh no, like the players that they lost. It's addition by subtraction, okay. And then you, you draft Amani Bates to, who I kind of like as well too, to that was a lot of twos in there who I like as well to progress in his game and be a dominant force in the NBA coming up here. But Overall, I do think that I have them over the Knicks for this exact reason is that they're better overall. I do think that at times, the the Knicks struggle to score, and that's one of their biggest problems is if, if you're not getting like like 50 points combined from from your two guards there, and then you're not really gonna be Doing all that much, because Julius Randall isn't consistent, regardless of that one great year, the only be a year.

Speaker 3: 47:07

Got his bag, and then he's just been mediocre.

Speaker 2: 47:10

Exactly so. That's my take on it, but I agree with you.

Speaker 3: 47:15

I feel that the Knicks can get very stagnant on offense. They're a great defensive team. I like the addition of Jalen Brunson from last season and that combo guard combo is nice. I like a man who quickly out the bench. Julius Randall when he is, you know, fully engaged, is a great offensive player. Mitchell Robinson, manning down the paint, just getting off into rebounds and are getting rebounds overall and getting block shots. But I just feel like the Cleveland Cavaliers are just the better team overall.

Speaker 3: 47:40

I really love Darius Garland. I feel like it's the biggest problem with the Cavs, though. They went all in to get down to the Mitchell. They got him and then it turned a lot into like I so Star ball, and instead of using Darius Garland and other versatile players that they have, like you know, keras, laver, and now you know they have other players like strues and stuff like that I think the Mobily will be able to make a step forward.

Speaker 3: 48:04

Jerry Allen, when he gets back healthy and comes back, will be a good Paint defender for them and his good lob threat, but sometimes I feel like they just get to yeah, star centric with Donovan Mitchell and he can go for 45 or 50 on every get, any given night. But then when you get into playoffs and he goes like six for 22, nobody else is foreign because everybody else is cold. And then the Knicks end up, you know, you know, squeaking out these, these tough, gritty run wins. So I think the Cleveland Cavaliers are gonna be a very good regular season team and we'll have to wait and see when it comes to playoffs. So what are your? You?

Speaker 2: 48:36

said what? Yeah, real quick. Also, when Evan Mowley and Jared Allen runs on the court at the same time together. Last season the Cavaliers outscored the opponents yeah, literally the outscored opponents by 8.6 points per 100 possessions, which was One point higher than when Kawai Leonard and Paula George were on the court together. So I mean that duo is just as dominant. As you know, having two borderline Hall of Famers there for Kawai is definitely Hall of Famer, paul George borderline Hall of Famer as having both of those players. I get just as productive and they're healthier more often than those players as well too. But so I mean, you know, having that, having that ability to have those two guys down there just as an option, is Pretty, pretty elite to be, to be honest, in terms of defense.

Speaker 3: 49:33

So and lastly, before we get into our playoff matchups, what are your thoughts on the 76ers and the James Harden situation? I mean.

Speaker 2: 49:43

So I talked to you about this before I restarted this podcast and stuff. I I'd love, love, love Tyrese Maxie most improved player of the year, but yeah, when it comes to the overall outlook, I have them as my fourth rated team. Yeah, I have them four as well and I mean as long as the they don't just give up on the season. They're gonna be up there at four or higher, maybe not higher, maybe spot higher.

Speaker 3: 50:14

Yeah, I like the addition of Patrick Beverly and Kelly Ubrea Jr. Honestly, they got him on like a minimum.

Speaker 2: 50:20

Yeah, and so yeah, like we saw what Kelly Ubrea can do last night too, so giving them a nice, they're giving him a nice option for offense as well, other than Tyrese, maxie or outside of James Harden and Embiid as well too, yeah, so I mean, I Think they were pretty solid offense and you got rid of the stench that is Doc Rivers too, so I feel bad for Doc Rivers low key man After he left Celtics it went all downhill.

Speaker 3: 50:54

I mean like he couldn't get it going with. Lopsidie and the Clippers, and then he kind of just moved around and then Blow on all these 3-1 leads, 3-2 leads, it's kind of, it's kind of sad.

Speaker 2: 51:05

Yeah. So I mean, I think that it's Like under a new regime they're gonna be. Yeah, I Don't want to say this. When it comes to Nick Nurse, he he's great at getting the most out of his players, but then, when it comes to like big moments, I sometimes question his decision-making in terms of, like Different matchups, like if you see that something's working, go to that and change it, as opposed to like this is this is what we've always done, this is what works, this is what got us here, and then just keep on doing that until it just ultimately ends up failing and never deviating from that. So I I that's my only thing with that, but, other than other than the fact that he's he's one of the better coaches in the league, I Think that they're gonna be in for a nice season this year.

Speaker 3: 52:02

So the NBA has already kind of looked into the James Harden Philadelphia situation. James Harden has publicly come out and said that they're not gonna be able to mend relationships within upper management and the GM, darryl Morey, and that situation. So he's reported to practice when he needs to but now has not played this game, or he didn't play against the Bucks and he's not projected to play tonight. So do you feel?

Speaker 3: 52:24

that they're gonna that he is gonna play and kind of eventually make things somewhat right, or Corgi with the 76ers, and you think that he's ultimately gonna get traded because he wants to go to the Clippers but yeah, and you know if he goes to the Clippers then the Clippers are, you know? The number four is kind of nice.

Speaker 2: 52:47

You know, I would probably have them at four If he goes to the Clippers, but yeah, so I mean they could be one of those things to where, like we saw with Jonathan, Taylor where you know the player is asking out, asking out, and then it gets down to it.

Speaker 2: 53:01

And then they have, like, through the season, you're like, well, you know what, whatever, I just want to, I just want to put back out there. I don't care, we can, you know, figure things out in the off season, but, like for now, we can, you know, just forget about what was in the past and move forward on this situation Again. Tyrese Maxey, most improved player, looking mighty fine as well too. So, either way, I think that it sets up perfectly for all of my predictions.

Speaker 3: 53:34

Yeah, if James Harden does play the majority games for the 76ers, I'd probably have them third above Cleveland. If he doesn't, then I'd keep them at four. But I'll have to wait and see Eastern Conference finals matchup. What you got, I got Buck Celtics.

Speaker 2: 53:46

Eastern. Yeah, I mean low hanging fruit, I'm sorry.

Speaker 3: 53:51

It's got to be, I mean I agree Like.

Speaker 2: 53:54

I don't think I could pick anything else like in and believe it truthfully. But, who have come in out of the East. I have the Bucks for the same reasons that I'd mentioned before. Just depth, it's a problem, but it's a problem for both teams, but it's less of a problem for the Bucks because of the Bucks have solid depth Well yeah. So I mean like there are definitely players behind each team, there are but.

Speaker 3: 54:25

I think the Bucks have good.

Speaker 2: 54:27

The quality of players is in question, but also the also to the the lack of injuries or the amount of injuries, I should say for the Celtics that tend to mount up over the course of the season and then now you're not, you're not supposed to be doing load management or anything.

Speaker 2: 54:46

So we can see, potentially even more injuries, but even though teams are going to get around that, which is like the Thomas rule to, because the way that it works is they, they, they send out like a note to an unaffiliated doctor or an infinite doctor, I should say and they do an investigation. They're like OK, based on all these things that this patient has going on, do they actually? Have an injury that would be for their back or for their ankle or whatever, or are they just saying that they do that way they can rest Exactly, even with that?

Speaker 1: 55:20

like as a lot quite linear.

Speaker 2: 55:23

Yeah, like while I'm working right now in some of these clinics, like you take on some of these other patients, like you don't really know what that patient has until you see them in person, so like you're not going to have. Ok, you know, Devin Booker flat here real quick. I need to do a quick eval on you to make sure you're you're actually saying what you're what you're reporting out there, Like no you're not going to do that. So I think it's kind of ridiculous to have that criteria, so but I digress, I agree.

Speaker 3: 55:51

Yeah, I think that the Bucks have a solid depth. You always got J Crowder, you got Bobby Portis, cameron Payne, who they got, for I think his proven is a very good backup point guard, as well as my John Bochamp, fellow Yakima native actually my cousin born and raised.

Speaker 3: 56:08

So he has a major opportunity on the Bucks with the situation that they're in. You know, if he ends up playing well, he could get potentially some start. A medicine actually could be a big factor for them in the playoffs, but I have to wait and see. With that as well, I wish him the best of luck and yeah, I think that's much better, much better depth than the Celtics. But I would still have that game going six or that series going six or seven games in the Eastern Conference finals, just because I think that the Celtics have proven that they can be honest. I think they've beaten them two out of the last four playoff series, so I would.

Speaker 2: 56:43

That would be a very good game, but but with that, though, what was the main thing that they did to stop them? They literally just packed the paint. They built a wall. They built a wall Exactly. You can't do that when you have Damian Lillard out there, who's in range as soon as he crosses half court. I agree. I mean, we saw that too with and also with if Milton is or Milton.

Speaker 1: 57:10

Middleton is healthy yeah.

Speaker 2: 57:11

Chris Milton is healthy, like he's also an all star player as well, all star caliber, borderline superstar player. I don't think so. I don't know, I'm not healthy.

Speaker 3: 57:20

What? When healthy, when healthy, like. I think we've gotten to the point where, like he's like one of the players. Yeah, no, he's a clutch player and now, now they have two closers in him and Damian Damian's going to be the number one closer. But I think that Chris Milton is he's a third option. Now he's a. I think he's a third or fourth option on a championship team. I don't think that he is the borderline all star, even when healthy, anymore at this point.

Speaker 2: 57:44

Robert Ori.

Speaker 3: 57:46

OK, so big shot.

Speaker 2: 57:47

I know no, no, but yeah. So I mean like now that you have reliable pieces to to kick it out to, and now that you can have Yannis either posting up or you can just do the pick and roll with Damian and Yannis, which is literally impossible to guard. And I guess the the Bucks had coached was like we're going to run this play and every time that you see the defender drop or go underneath the screen, take it, take a shot, I don't care, I don't care if you shoot 53s, take it, I don't care. And then obviously like, if they go up and like double, then just dish it off to Yannis or something or an open defender, wherever they bring the double from. But yeah, so I mean Damian could be in for like a pretty high scoring, high scoring year.

Speaker 3: 58:40

So yeah, I like the Bucks and I like the Bucks for the foreseeable future when it comes to the NBA, especially now that they got Dame, who's still under, I think, two or three years of his contract, and they re-signed Yannis Once they got Dame to his player extension. They have the new coach and, as you mentioned, with Adrian Griffin, as Bulldoin Hoser was out and got the big guy he got the.

Speaker 3: 59:01

He got upset in the first round against the heat. So you know, I think that it could have been a long time coming and obviously they kind of do it the 2021 or 2020, once they come off the play the championship. They had a tough first season, the following season and then they lost to the Celtics and then they had the season this most recent pass when they lost to the heat. So new that's my only concern for the Bucks. I feel like I feel like Dame is enough of a veteran that you know him being a new player won't be that big of a problem and he'll be able to mesh very well, as we've already seen that. They beat the 76ers even though they gave blew up, gave up a major comeback to the 76ers, who ended up coming back. But that's basketball to game runs. But we'll have to, we'll have to wait and see when it comes to that. I I don't think that Dame will be a liability defensively and I think that Yanis is enough of a help side defender. I don't think it'll be that bad. There's enough of a help side defender and they have Brooke Lopez in the paint, so you have two defensive player a year candidates to man the paint and Yanis is arguably the best help side defender in the NBA. So I think that I think that they'll be able to hide Dame enough defensively and offensively he's just going to go off. I think he had 39 points against 76ers in his debut, so it's going to be. It's going to be very fun to watch with the Bucks.

Speaker 3: 1:00:18

So you would have the Bucks coming out of the East. I have the Bucks too. So my finals matchup would be Bucks sons or Bucks Nuggets. I think that the Bucks are probably the only team in the NBA that would have confidence against with the Nuggets because they have bodies to throw at Yolkic. They could either throw Brooke Lopez at him or they could try to throw Yanis at him and be more of a versatile defender. So I would choose the Bucks in that game. In a seven game series to go to game seven. So I got Bucks and Yanis is my finals MVP in a Bucks Nuggets matchup. You would have sons and the Bucks and you said they would be taking the sons. No, I don't know, I'm not crazy.

Speaker 2: 1:00:57

I say like it, I don't want to. I don't want to speak basic, you know what I mean. Like I want to just pick the Bucks, but like is it's so insopbable, like yeah, like I want Dame to win a ring Like he deserves it. Blazers fans aren't even like really all that mad for about the situation Like they understand like we suck.

Speaker 2: 1:01:21

You know you get it. Yeah, exactly, and and he deserves a ring. Like he's one of the one of the best point guards in the league and like up there with with some of the grades, especially when it comes to back literally backpacking that franchise. For how long he was in Portland? Way too long, but 12 years, you know. Yeah, so I, I got to take the Bucks. I want to see Dame win it for sure, for sure MVP.

Speaker 3: 1:01:49

We got the MVP this year.

Speaker 2: 1:01:52

MVP's got to be from my Western Conference. My Western Conference champions the Suns, so I'm going to go with Devin Booker. I think this is going to be one of those years where yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:02:04

I think, this is going to be one of those years where we have like, yeah, he has a lot of offense around him, but you need somebody steering the ship Right. So they're going to be looking to Devin Booker to be doing that. And also, he's still hot from last season, when he ended the season I think it was average in like 35 points or something ridiculous like that, and he, I mean it's going to be easy to get assist as well too. I'm going to take his over just about every game until the market catches up to that. I think his over was at like six and a half or something pretty low a couple of nights ago and I think he had like eight or nine assists. So, like, if he's able to dish out, score efficiently and and play a little bit of defense too, like, and also if he's on a team that gets the one seed in the in the, on the in the West, like you know, I think it's his award to lose. It's going to be a lot easier to score when you have players worrying about.

Speaker 2: 1:03:10

Oh man, I got Bradley Beal over here. You could drop 30. Oh man, I got. You know, I got Kevin Durant over here, who could also drop 30, 35, 40. But then he also got Devin Booker, who can just explode for 50 at any point in time. So that's my pick. It's got to be him, nobody else. I don't mind that.

Speaker 3: 1:03:30

As you mentioned. That would be my only concern, like just the amount of talent on that team. So the dispersal of votes for a very good team, because we know that Kevin Durant's probably going to average 27 points a game. Bradley Beal is going to be the third option, probably averaging somewhere around 20 points. And then you have Devin Booker who, from what I would assume I think we I've seen reports on both but like I would assume that Devin Booker would be the quote unquote point guard of that team he's shown that when Chris Paul has been out he has the ability to be a good playmaker, as you mentioned. So I don't mind that pick at all. It just that would be my only concern. Just the amounts of votes and the disparity. Kind of like you know, when the Warriors had Steph and Katie and things like that, they just kind of end up splitting votes so neither of them ends up on top. But I don't mind that pick and I'd be all for it. I love Devin Booker. So my pick it's kind of gross. It's not gross, it's just chalky.

Speaker 3: 1:04:24

I feel like I have to go with Yoke Chumps off, like we're going to be a year removed from the voters' fatigue. So I ended up coming down to the wire last season with Embiid and Yokech and Embiid ended up winning a lot of those winning the battle when they actually played against each other and closed out the season very strong, averaging about 33 points. I just think that they think they're going to be the number one seed. I think that they're the best team. I think that, while I do think Jamal Murray is a great, very good player in a borderline All-Star and like once the playoff starts, he's an All-Star, a borderline superstar. Yokech does so much for that offense.

Speaker 3: 1:05:00

Offensively, defensively, he's actually been better Like people's. I think that was like one of his calling cards earlier that he was a bad defender coming into the league and things like that. He was slow and things like that. He's honestly a very solid defender for being a center and being as big and slow, I guess you could say, as he is. So he would just be my pick. I think he's going to probably get closer triple-double. He may have a little bit more rebounds and a little less points this season, but I feel like I would have to choose them. I wanted to choose Luca. I'm not going to lie, I just don't think that they're not going to win enough games.

Speaker 1: 1:05:34

They're not going to win enough games, him and Luca.

Speaker 3: 1:05:36

I think Yokech is the favorite and Luca is second, but I don't think I don't see the maps winning enough. You're the one that you're higher on the maps than I am, so if you think that the maps are going to be as good as you think they are and they're going to be a top four seed, that would have to be done, with Luca being great. That wouldn't just be Kyrie, luca would be the main guy.

Speaker 2: 1:05:51

No, okay, yes it would be no, it wouldn't be with Luca being MVP caliber player.

Speaker 1: 1:05:56

It'd be with him, it would be.

Speaker 2: 1:05:58

I mean he's always going to be in the discussion for sure, but I don't think he's going to be up there like passing, the likes of Yokech or you can finish top three in MVP.

Speaker 3: 1:06:12

So where do you have the math ranked? Do you have rabbi ranked four or five? Let me see, I think I'm like because we talked about it like where's the offense coming from? So I'm from Kyrie and it's coming from Luca, who's the number one. So if he, I don't think the math are going to be that great.

Speaker 2: 1:06:27

I don't think that the media likes Luca, because he's kind of a baby and just bitches and gripes all the time about just dumb things.

Speaker 1: 1:06:37

Fawzi complains in lines.

Speaker 2: 1:06:40

Yeah, I have the math at six. Oh, I thought you had them a little higher, not that. No, I got the clippers at four, but yeah, I know I haven't down at six, but I don't get it wrong. Like Luca's great and everything, but he's also liability on defense. You were making the case for Yokech being good on defense as well as offense, even though he can't be a cone drill at times, especially in the pick and roll, but there's I don't really see any scenario where Luca is a good defender at all.

Speaker 2: 1:07:14

I don't think he's a good defender either. So yeah, exactly, so I. The award typically doesn't go to like a one way player. Typically goes to like a player that has been dominant on both ends of the of the spectrum, as opposed to just only offense or only defense.

Speaker 3: 1:07:32

So yeah, Yokech would be my number one. Did you say you did or did not have a defense player the year?

Speaker 2: 1:07:38

I don't. But if I did, I mean I'd go with Anthony Davis If he could stay healthy the whole year. He's my right. Because, yeah, like, if he, if he can stay healthy, like he's the most complete defensive big man in the league, he can guard point guards, he can guard one through five comparably, and definitely shut down any other big that that there is out there. My only concern again is health, and it's always health, and Charles Barkley jokes around calls me street clothes, but you know so, anthony.

Speaker 3: 1:08:17

Davis always down.

Speaker 2: 1:08:20

Exactly so if not him, then manual mobility.

Speaker 3: 1:08:26

So, yeah, mobility would be my defensive play the year. Evan mobility would be my defensive player, finish runner up to Jaren Jackson Jr Last year and, as we, as you mentioned, if AD is fully healthy, he's the best defender in the league. I feel like you know you could. I would say I would take him over. Yeah, I'm honest, but defensively. But yeah, I think Evan Moby doesn't really get the credit.

Speaker 3: 1:08:49

I feel like he fully deserves playing in Cleveland not as big of a market, especially now that Kyrie and LeBron are gone, so a lot of people don't watch him or see him play that much but he's a very versatile defender, very long-winged, span, is able to be a great shot blocker and is actually able to play on some wings as well. So I feel that he's going to have to man the paint a lot. For them. Jared Allen has been kind of injury prone over the past couple of years and is already starting the game early this season out with ankle injury. So I feel like he's going to have to do even more defensively and on the boards and I think that he has the ability to win defensive play of the year and he would be my pick. I like Jaren Jackson, I think Jaren Jackson is obviously going to be a finalist every single season. I just don't. I don't see it this season especially. You know you have Marcus Smart as well. I think that he could possibly potentially take Wavell to him and things like that.

Speaker 2: 1:09:34

There's also a problem of him and his fouls, like he's always in foul trouble. And so without job yeah, but without job being there for players or for teams to just kind of pick off, like they're just going to go straight at him and then just get him in foul trouble and then take him out of out of out of the play.

Speaker 3: 1:09:57

So yeah, and with John out this for the next 25 games, I feel like they're going to have to ask more of Jaren Jackson offensively, so he may not have all the energy that he normally would have to put it towards the defensive side of the ball. So I feel like that could also be a factor. Next rookie of the year.

Speaker 2: 1:10:19

This one was kind of tough for me because no, it wasn't, I'm taking my boy. I'm taking my boy, scoot Henderson, you heard it here first. It's got to be him. The hype for Victor, like I get it dude's huge, but I do think that's going to happen.

Speaker 3: 1:10:35

You're dealing with Brooks now, what? So what do you think about Victor Wimby? I mean, he's tall, that's about it, and pretty much I mean okay like he can shoot as well.

Speaker 2: 1:10:47

Like, which is he's seven five. You shouldn't be out there. You know, shooting threes, like, get your ass underneath the hoop. Got some rebounds bro Down by six, like.

Speaker 2: 1:10:58

But no, like, I think that pop's going to take it slow with him. I don't think he's going to be playing like huge amounts of minutes. He wants to make sure he's healthy, want to make sure he's running the right place, learning the offense, doing it the right way and building them up slowly, as opposed to just putting them out there, burning them out and risking an injury for their, their potential Hall of Fame caliber player. That being said, blazers going nowhere fast. So they, they got Scoot Henderson out here. He's just going to be hooping. All right, he's going to be playing pick up ball with him and his homies out there in Portland. Dame's gone, so it's just him and I don't know. I love Scoot. He's basically like Russell Westbrook when he was in O K C. So if you can, you can fix that jump shot looking a little sus, but yeah, he can hit it every once in a while. But yeah, I like Scoot to take this award home.

Speaker 3: 1:11:56

I have scoot number three. I don't mind that.

Speaker 3: 1:11:58

I think that he would get, they'll basically giving him the keys to the city. You know, damian Lewis out, anthony Simons is out for the next 46 weeks with his injury, so it's basically scooting nothing. Malcolm, malcolm Brogdon is still there, so they're probably going to end up starting him if they don't want to keep having him come off the bench for, you know, being a potential security candidate. But I don't know. Well, I have to see it before I believe it. I think that I think it's going to be when Vinyama.

Speaker 3: 1:12:24

But not only not, not only not only because I think he's going to have a better season, but because I think the media is going to be in love with him, so they're going to be showing highlights every single time. You know, you have Portland, who talked about small markets with Cleveland, but like, yeah, portland, they don't get the love and respect that they deserve over there.

Speaker 2: 1:12:46

But when you have Scoot Henderson dropping 30 a night, I mean he started off the first game 07.

Speaker 3: 1:12:50

For the welcome to the NBA.

Speaker 1: 1:12:51

It was very inefficient, so that's the problem.

Speaker 3: 1:12:54

I feel like he's going to have to do. I think he's going to be inefficient. So that's the. That's the main problem in that shot does not look good right now.

Speaker 2: 1:13:00

I guess it Russell Westbrook. Okay, he's just going to get to the hoop.

Speaker 3: 1:13:05

So, yeah, I think it'll be. I've picked a number two. I've picked a number one. I have checked number two because I feel like Chet is, like in, going to be put in a situation, put in an offense where he's going to thrive because you have SGA to be the number one and then, as long as Chet is going to be able to knock down the threes and be a versatile, potentially defensive player of the year candidate you know, top five on that side of the ball too, I think that he'll be a very good piece for the Thunder. So I think I would have him number two and then I would have your boy, scoot McGrew, number three. So, moving on, I guess, six man of the year.

Speaker 2: 1:13:41

I got nothing too hard for me to pick.

Speaker 3: 1:13:45

I would take. I would take a. Originally I had. No, I'm going to take Norm Powell. I'm taking Norm Powell. Screw it, I was gross, so I had.

Speaker 2: 1:13:53

I had Norm Powell was last year, two years ago.

Speaker 3: 1:13:57

I remember he's been a candidate.

Speaker 1: 1:13:58

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:14:00

And he ended up getting second and I was pissed so I said never again.

Speaker 3: 1:14:05

Do you have any other major awards that you wanted to get into. There's a whole bunch of. You get most improve. Go to the year.

Speaker 2: 1:14:13

Yeah, so most improved player of the year. Tyrese Maxi kind of already made the case for it a little bit earlier, but I'll just give you the Cliffs Nodes version now. Basically, if James Harden's still there doesn't matter Tyrese Maxi was dominant towards the back half of the year and when he really started getting getting his his shot going, knocking down threes, playing with more confidence, playing downhill as well, getting to the hoop.

Speaker 2: 1:14:41

And without James Harden there. That just makes him even better, because he can get some more touches and more usage and he doesn't have to rely on getting the ball past him from James Harden, who can dribble the ball or dribble the air out of the ball at times and then Along with that too they're. I guess they are going to be shipping off James Harden.

Speaker 3: 1:15:07

He's going to be exactly so.

Speaker 2: 1:15:10

He's going to be the primary scorer on an offense that wants to get up and go and play quickly, and that's what Tyrese Maxi is best at. He's at his best when he's in transition, playing downhill, but he can also spot up and knock down a few threes as well if you need them to. That's my pick for that one, and the other one I had was a clutch player of the year, damian Lillard. I mean you kind of already I've seen it like with their game the other day.

Speaker 2: 1:15:43

Dame's going to be their go-to guy when it comes to like close games and everything which makes sense, like you know, dame Dalla, just by, you know what.

Speaker 3: 1:15:53

I mean no time Exactly.

Speaker 2: 1:15:57

So, yeah, the I think clutch player of the year can go to him. But yeah, other than that I don't really have any other awards. Coach of the year market is a little tough to gauge.

Speaker 3: 1:16:10

But yeah For sure, for most improved player, I do like Tyrese Maxi. Especially if James Harden is gone. I would choose McKell Bridges. We got a sample of it last season when he was on the nets and basically got to fully shine. He was in Phoenix for a long time and was behind third or fourth option, behind Devin Booker and Chris Paul and DeAndre Aitin. So now that he's in Brooklyn, he is the guy and we saw what he did in the playoffs averaging like nearly 26, 27 points a game. So I feel like for a full season he'll probably likely be able to average around 25 points a game. They're going to need it out of him and that would be my pick for most improved player.

Speaker 3: 1:16:45

A clutch player. I didn't have one, but I would probably still choose Dame as well. I feel like they're going to be in a lot of prime time games, obviously being with the Bucks, so I feel like you'll have an opportunity to shine even more than he was in Portland as well, so that would probably be my pick as well. I don't currently have the coach of the year. Like I said, I really like the Pelicans. Zion is able to stay healthy and the Pelicans are able to be like a top 16. Then it would probably be Willie Green would be my favorite, and I've liked him as a coach for the Pelicans for a while now, so that would be my thing. So any notes, more notes on the NBA, nfl, anything else you want to get into?

Speaker 2: 1:17:20

Yeah, I mean if I had a big one for like coach of the year. I can't pronounce his last name for the life of me, but OKC's head coach Mark.

Speaker 3: 1:17:31

Dagonal, I think his name is yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:17:34

How do you want to say that He'd be my pick? Mainly because you know we've been hearing for years and years OKC's under a comment.

Speaker 3: 1:17:43

Here they come. Yeah, I got 27 first round picks over the next 10 years.

Speaker 2: 1:17:47

Literally. So. Like now that you've robbed the cradle and have, like, probably one of the youngest teams in the NBA, probably second to probably the Rockets, like now you, it's time. It's time to show up, it's time to actually put your, your pieces, into play and put your money where your mouth is, but your picks where your mouth is, but everything where your mouth is, pause. This is the year that you need to show up and show out and you need to be able to show that those picks that you, that you got over the past few years, weren't just because or weren't just nothing. Like, show us what check can do, show us what we see. We see what she can do and you know we got to and we see what we get he can do as well. So, like, make use of it, do something good.

Speaker 3: 1:18:39

Fair enough. Yeah, that's pretty much all I had. Do you have anything else you wanted to get into?

Speaker 2: 1:18:46

No, I think that's. That's everything. This is a beast of an episode. I'll top this up into up into two, two separate parts one part NBA, one part NFL. And yeah, I mean the Phillies in and I'm coming through, which is kind of sad for for me at least. And then, other than that, dusty Baker retired NBA season. Yeah, dusty Baker retired. So now the Astros are going to be trash, hopefully. And yeah, that's all I really got. There's the sports. Equinox is coming up here soon when all four sports are in action, all four major sports are in action.

Speaker 2: 1:19:34

So you, can't basketball game up here, and soon as well, so absolutely kind of kind of be hitting on those, those D3 schools out there.

Speaker 3: 1:19:43

North, West and West and West and.

Speaker 2: 1:19:44

Texas. Also, I will be expecting dinner as well, because we had our color.

Speaker 3: 1:19:54

Oh, that is true, the Bears destroyed the Raiders, having had badger or whatever that backup quarterback was looking like.

Speaker 2: 1:20:01

I'm like man. Man, I need to be to colleges around the nation.

Speaker 3: 1:20:06

No, you're just like. I think it makes you like what? One in six on bets this year.

Speaker 2: 1:20:09

So it's fine.

Speaker 3: 1:20:12

Yeah, we're one in one.

Speaker 2: 1:20:13

Yeah, but one right now.

Speaker 3: 1:20:14

But the Eagles are going to win and everything else and all this kind of stuff. But fair enough, fair enough, fair enough. So you are dinner.

Speaker 1: 1:20:21

You're on your two time Huh.

Speaker 2: 1:20:22

I'm a lobster.

Speaker 3: 1:20:24

Okay. Well, I want to go to the PGA course. Okay.

Speaker 2: 1:20:28

Except we're going to Augusta.

Speaker 3: 1:20:32

I'm saying there's no games that you wanted to put any bets on this week NBA or NFL. Recall your shot, did you?

Speaker 2: 1:20:40

Um, I mean I already had a couple for the NFL. As far as the NBA goes Ah wait. So what? Oh, you want to make any bets?

Speaker 3: 1:20:48

this year Also, I destroyed Drew and fantasy again in the other league.

Speaker 2: 1:20:53

So you've got to stay consistent.

Speaker 1: 1:20:55

It's so, you know, bijon had 0.3 points.

Speaker 3: 1:20:59

But Gibbs had. You know, your boy Gibbs, he had a big day, even though y'all got my watch by the Ravens. He had like nine receptions and a touchdown garbage time. It's always good for garbage.

Speaker 2: 1:21:10

Um, okay, um, did you want to? Did you want to do anything season long? Does your? You think the Mavericks are going to be this juggernaut of a team? No, I think.

Speaker 3: 1:21:19

I don't think that I think that the Mavericks are barely going to make the playoffs a play in, if anything. I'm just saying that like no I was talking about I wanted Luca to win MVP.

Speaker 3: 1:21:29

I like Luca as a player. Obviously he's a crybaby, but I like his game. That it's like a it's slow but it works and he goes at his own pace. But, yeah, and I don't think they're going to be a good team, you have them for more wins than I do, so, um, yeah, we can get into something, probably next month but, your Pelicans, your beloved Pelicans.

Speaker 2: 1:21:49

I don't even think that they're going to be.

Speaker 3: 1:21:51

I have my 11 seed, so I'll bet you that the Pelicans make the playoffs season long, so they would have to. If they make the play in, they'd have to win the play in, so I bet you that the Pelicans might have to make it.

Speaker 2: 1:22:03

What if you say, what if? What if you say that, um, you know you're going to be a player, um, that they won't make the play, or that they'll make the playoffs, but they won't have to do it through the play in?

Speaker 3: 1:22:16

So I have them as the eight seed.

Speaker 2: 1:22:18

Well, I don't want to. I don't want them just to make the playoffs Like if they make them.

Speaker 3: 1:22:23

So you have them as the 11th seed. If you even expect them to be a playing team as a late team that they'd have to win two playoff play. Play in games to make the playoffs.

Speaker 2: 1:22:32

Well, and they ended up doing that the other year. Yeah, I don't like that.

Speaker 3: 1:22:37

Okay, we're not doing, okay, no, we're doing it. We'll figure out something for next week. Well, thank you for listening everybody. This has been the Colour Shot podcast with your host, alex Alex and Drew Moore. You can find our podcast wherever you can find your podcast, whether it be Spotify, whether it be podcasts, um and other sources as well. We are also on YouTube. So if you are watching us on YouTube, make sure to check out our links at the bottom of the description to get our social media links on Instagram. Uh, if you like this video, like this podcast, make sure to give it a like. If you don't like it, make sure to give it a like If you want to give it a comment. Uh, any more notes, drew.

Speaker 2: 1:23:08

No, that's all I really got for today. Um, you know it's always a hoot and a holler out here. Uh, doing this podcast every day, every day, every week. Um, gotta bring it to you on a weekly basis, uh, around the same time, but life gets in the way of occasionally, so there's someone's coming out on Thursday, or, my God, I'm having a stroke again.

Speaker 3: 1:23:27

Saturday, Sunday.

Speaker 2: 1:23:28

Okay.

Speaker 3: 1:23:28

Yeah, saturday Okay.

Speaker 2: 1:23:32

I know, I think that that means you can talk for too long, so we're out, yeah.

Speaker 3: 1:23:36

See you next week.