Just the Stats

NBA Trades Unraveled: Analyzing Player Impact, Roster Changes, and Draft Prospects

Reggie Johnson and Eugene Morton Season 6 Episode 23

-NBA Trade convo: Bradley Beal to the Suns, Kristap Porzingis to Boston, Jordan Poole to Washington and Chris Paul to Golden State

-2023 NBA draft 

Speaker 1:

Just a stat ready, johnson, you do more and come into you for the lovely CD of Atlanta, georgia and Eugene. I'm so Excited to be on the day We got some NBA trades. We have to talk the trades man, and you know we love this time of the year, man, we get it's sad because NBA ends, but you get so much insight on the future of the league, right, right, the future of the association with the trades and the draft and all that stuff. And we'll talk to raf later in our podcast show. Welcome to our youtube channel. Here We're gonna discuss the NBA trades and who got better? here We got some trades to discuss that are very interesting. Yeah, very interesting. I guess we'll. We'll discuss them. I want to say in order, but I guess kind of in order of importance Because of the type of players.

Speaker 2:

So of course you know you don't want to talk about the Indiana Lakers.

Speaker 1:

Goodness gracious. No, absolutely, absolutely not. I'm not. We're not talking any of these Trading late picks, any of these picks that were traded for like 2030. You have some teams trading 2030 picks, 2029 picks. We're not gonna talk that stuff. We're gonna talk the actual players got you, because we know kind of what, what's going on here with them and and, and I think we got to start with the Bradley Bills situation, which happened right after we did our last show, so I had to edit out of our last show here, just a little behind the scenes there.

Speaker 1:

But you know, this is interesting to me For a variety of reasons, because it wasn't just the bill to the sun situation, it was also cp3. That way, i don't even think he flew out to Washington, i don't know. I figure he wasn't going to make that trip, but he's now in golden state pools now going to the wizard, so it's a lot going on there With that Washington team, right, yeah, now bill to the suns. This is a situation to me where two things can be true. One of them is, if you're the suns, if I was a son, i do make this trade. Landry, sham it. Cp3 some picks. Yes, yep, i'm making this trade. At the same time. I don't know if they're better than Denver with this trade. Um, they went in or came out of this season, i should say being a little top heavy. Um, you could argue that if bill was on the suns During this last playoff run, they have a better run. Maybe so, but I think bills had some lingering injury issues. I think that's also that's concerning, because now you, your three guys, have all had injury issues And it's not like cp3 did it. So I still make this trade 100%.

Speaker 1:

But I think there's another trade that needs to be made, yep, and that is the andre eight. It's another trading. You got to fill your team. You need guys, man, you need guys Eugene, like you need. You need bodies out there, like, um, i think they got exposed, their depth got exposed during this last playoff run And I don't know if bill just going to the suns addresses that. So I feel like they're going to have to trade the andre eight and get a few guys Back. You know some bodies you can run out there.

Speaker 1:

Right, it's a competent minutes too, and I'm not really aware of all of their finance, all the financial implications here, like I'm not sure how much cap space they got, or I don't think they have. I don't know if they have a whole team signed at this point in time, but I do think that You know and I used. You know it's funny, as I was on another sports show and I used your league pass team And they got a kick out of that. I was like you know this, this is the suns are nice. League pass team. Now Tell you that you're going to want to watch those games. Man, yes, running around out there, yes, yes, we want to watch those put butts in the seats.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely Gonna put butts in the seats there. Better than Denver? Uh, I don't think so right now. I don't think so right now.

Speaker 1:

You can need some more guys again Can have them running the airing gordon to the world's microporting juniors or the world's out there Right, you're gonna need somebody, you're gonna need some people to deal with that. So I do like this trade because I feel like it's a good trade for both teams. Washington widgets have embraced Their ticket to rebuild land Hopefully it's not a one-way ticket, right. So I think that's a good idea. The ticket to rebuild land Hopefully it's not a one-way ticket, right. Hopefully they'll be back to prosperity here at some point. but They're on the plane to rebuild land is what they're all aboard type situation, right, i think they're, they're embracing it.

Speaker 1:

I think one of the things that I love about teams that embrace this, this perspective, is they actually believe it. like you know, those teams that go in and have two guys, maybe an all-star and a half on their team and think that they're going to compete With teams that have two or three all-stars on their team. Yeah, right, and Jeff, it's kind of like you're delusional. like you, you're gonna need the bodies You don't have the bodies to compete, right as well. just embrace the rebuild. You know what I mean. Say, hey, this is gonna be a process, we're gonna tear this thing down to the studs, build it back up and we'll be a better team. Yep, what are your thoughts there on That trade?

Speaker 2:

no, I just I love it, I love. I mean I know we we talked about portland not going all in when they have a chance.

Speaker 1:

It's, it's just like okay, discuss them.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, i mean Portland and a little bit later here, right, but I just I just think it's amazing and it's it's good for your fan base too. Right, your fans know, okay, um word, this is it. We're going all in to rebuild.

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

And they that's. You know it could be fun, you know, and and I know we're gonna talk about players that got back but They don't have. It's not like they. They're putting a bunch of just scrub guys out there. They've got a pretty good, they're gonna feel a pretty good team like it's not gonna be. I think it's gonna be like bad like San Antonio. This I. They could possibly be like The jazz last year. Right, just surprised you in the beginning but you know, fade away towards the end. Just, you know They got. They got some good, good, good guys back there. But yeah, your point is spot on. They Beal. I like it for him because He's never proven to me that he's a number one guy, a number two guy, so he can go in there to that he was to win wall was there right, and they were We're.

Speaker 1:

We're gonna a decent little run there. Yeah, yeah, i was there.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, i've just never thought of him was like he's always been more of kind of that, that Bottom tier the two, but closer to the year three.

Speaker 2:

So I think, if it's, nice and already Yeah, he does already he can, but this he hasn't looked that way in the last couple years. But again it could be like I said you, washington, change the scenery. You're being Phoenix. You know fans are gonna love them, but yeah, they've. They've got to fill out the roster because the scary part is is Denver won the championship with. You could look, you could poke some holes in there in their roster right And make they're going to improve the roster and you know they're gonna be above because most guys, who's gonna want to go play now? We're you gonna want to go play in Phoenix If you're like that kind of mid-tier Rotational guy, or are you gonna play? we're playing Denver. Hey, if I got, all I gotta do is cut, cut to the basket and someone's gonna throw me the ball right So that they yeah, but I think and then I haven't heard it But I think eightons gonna they're gonna have to trade them.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, i don't know if they are, but I should they should, they should, because you know you need, at least when Rather season. It's gonna be fine, they're gonna, they're gonna the what. They're just those three guys, and they've, let's just say they don't trade. Hey, do you know a tree? They're a 50 plus, They're a 50 game.

Speaker 1:

That's a man. Still fun to watch, right?

Speaker 2:

fun to watch, yes, but when you get the playoffs, we know you get any at least six or seven guys.

Speaker 1:

You need seven guys that you can count on you get, that is every night penciled in right nightly, right nightly.

Speaker 2:

Because you know when, when poor junior was off, what did? what him alone do? Oh Well, i'm gonna throw one of my, one of my other guys in there on the case if you are brown or whoever you know. So they don't have that luxury It's. It's those three guys and you know, maybe in the under is not, you know That scrub out there, but you know it's.

Speaker 1:

No belief in campaign huh.

Speaker 2:

No, I would not reside that guy.

Speaker 1:

If I'm not a pain. Man gave me some competent minutes on on my fantasy team.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Yeah but yeah, that's well, that that's what they need to do. So they've they've got to fill the roster and there's the good thing is, there's a ton of free agents. I heard this. It's not a deep creation class, but there's a ton of guys out there They could fill out their roster spouse with.

Speaker 1:

So they have the money to actually do it. What do you think about the CB3 to Golden State is kind of a man move for me, because I just don't know, i don't know, i, i Want, with no matter what team. See me, three goes to. That's the team I want to win the chip. Yes where's my Hawks? who?

Speaker 1:

were not going to be right now, but of course I want CB3 to win a chip. I like seeing that style of play be rewarded. He's been, he's been good to the game. I want to see the game be good to him. Yeah, that's said. You have to play the games like you have to play Play. He's been snakebitten postseason. He can't it's, it's, it sucks. Do you bubble wrap him until the Second half of the season? What do you? what do you do with CB3 there in?

Speaker 2:

Golden State come off the bench. He's really. It's a time, is it that time? I think so, because you don't want him Doing, because he kind of does the same thing, because you know, i know, dreymond, he declined the option, but I all find his point right. He's gonna come back, so he's gonna be back. Yeah, i think he's gonna be back too. So all and that's the thing. I think he comes out with that second unit.

Speaker 1:

I'm 20 minutes a game to be the first time right, because he didn't come off the bench with Phoenix right.

Speaker 2:

But Because, again, that's where I would want him and, like you said, why? why play him 30 plus minutes? that he's not. You need to keep him healthy. I just would rather and Here's a guy who's figured out right, he's played all different kinds of style. I think he's just such a smart guy, i think he's gonna figure it out and, like I said, when I saw it I was like, hmm, i don't know how it's gonna fit, but let's you know, cp3's played with more of a ball dominant guy when he's with. You know, in Houston, when you play with what hardened, so he's, and that's. I saw stat. He's met every team that he's been on. He's made them better, like he's improved.

Speaker 1:

When he was in okay, oklahoma City, they're better He was in Houston, i he's. He's a great Basketball IQ guy. Yeah, you can affect your team in more ways than one and just with the stats show. So I think that he is a great player and and welcome addition to Golden State. The pool situation, you can Argue, has been doomed ever since the situation that he had with Ray Mon and you know, some people say that never got better.

Speaker 1:

I don't know if it did or not right, but they definitely didn't have it this past year. It's hard for me To believe that CP3 goes to Golden State. Everybody on Golden State is a year older and And they're now like better than Denver or something like that, you know it's still similar to the Sun situation, where I could still kind of See them where they're at, unless Wiggins takes another stand now.

Speaker 1:

Wiggins did miss significant times right past year, so maybe he's back. I've always liked Wiggins and Then we can see, you know, because see if you come out the bench, of course, but I just got to get to the. I've seen this movie so many times. I got to see them get to the end of the season And see where he is at. What do you think about The Marcus smart to Memphis situation? poor thing is to Boston. Who who came out better there? I kind of like You know The smart to Memphis. Let me. Let me speak on this for a second, because Marcus smart is very similar to Draymond Green, to me, in To to Boston. So, yeah, sometimes and we talked about this before show There's a band called limp biscuit.

Speaker 1:

I think maybe there's still touring, i don't know, but let biscuit. Fred Durst, west Portland, all them those guys. At one point West Portland was not a part of the band. I'm not sure if he is now or not, but at one point he wasn't. And you still had your front guy there, though, right, you said Fred Durst. Fred Durst still a guy, still still there. You feel like, hey, nothing's really gonna change. You still got our guy here, but the band was not the same when West left. He wasn't the front guy, but it wasn't the same group, right. I feel the same about players like Marcus smart and Draymond Green. They they're not the front guys on their teams, but they are part of the team. Like they. They bring in tangibles that don't always show up in the stats to those teams.

Speaker 1:

So I Think what poor zing is? you do get. You get sighs right. You get him coming off the best year of his career Playing, i think, over 60 games is great for him. But What did you lose? I don't think this is a situation that I don't know what. If you know what you lost until you start playing the games, i can tell. You start playing the games. I don't know what that trade-off is right. You know you got a scorer right. You definitely got that. Size is seven three. You got sighs. But Marcus smart, i think is an egg, is a great basketball player, and I don't know what they lost there. So it's hard to know. I could see why poor zing is going to. Boston has made them like prohibitive favorites, but they probably came in close to favorites anyway right.

Speaker 1:

Especially if they get get things done with Jalen and he doesn't move, you would have came in to being close to favorites anyway. But with poor zing is now No. The average in 23, 23 and 8. I want to say 23, 8 and roughly 3 on the assist. I Don't know when poor zing is. If poor zing is, regresses to the mean. So when you look at his years before he played 17 games, play 43 games, seems to have trouble Getting over that 60.

Speaker 1:

I think this is like the second or third time in his career, right, and he's got over that 60. And I think two of those were with New York when he very first came into the league, right? I Think that those 23 point to help Boston sometimes when things went still out there with Brown and Tatum. It's good to have another guy, right. Yeah, it's good to have a guy who we know can put the ball in the hoop. It's not easy to do, so it's good to know that you have that guy out there. But do you lose something with the spirit? that's something that's intangible market smart? I don't know. I think that's a great pick up there for Memphis And maybe this is a situation that works out for both teams. What are your thoughts on that?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, i mean, i think the issue is you ran this back some of what the seven years now, and you know, yes, you've had some playoff, you've had some good playoff success. You've gone to the finals twice, but you know, you, some, what you got to break it up All right, so you got to put, you got to bring in something new. At least try to get over that line.

Speaker 1:

You mean right Getting to the line, but getting too long Or get you that trophy.

Speaker 2:

Now and the good thing with Pratina is that I think that Marcus couldn't do is when he's on the floor you can have more and more spacing, right? You're not going to be able to. You know, double team a lot. You're going to have another good shooter on that team. So, man, now they're going to lose. They're going to lose a little defense, but I mean for sure it's a player right, but they've got.

Speaker 2:

They still got good, good defensive in their point, you know. And Derek White is more than capable of stepping in and being their starting point card. He still plays good defense. It's not. He's not like you know, they're, you know, not always hunting for him. So he's not going to be obviously the Marcus smart defensive player of the year, but you know, i think he'll be fine And um, but yeah it, but it just remains to be seen.

Speaker 2:

You know what I mean. They were already, you know they're always. They're going to be in that top conversation again next year You can them in Milwaukee. So but yeah, i, and I like it for Marcus, i like Marcus, maybe a change of scenery, i mean that's, i think it's great to defensive players of the year on the same team together him and triple J, that's phenomenal. And and then, and that's the one thing they were, the one thing Boston was not missing was that team plays like their grownups. Right, they're not. I mean, they've been through some wars together. They, you know, they, they know how to play with each other. Memphis was missing, kind of you know, once Adams, when it's out, it went out with the injury. He was on the floor. They kind of missed that. That grown up in the room. I think that's that's the thing from for Marcus I. I like him going there. I think again they're going to be fine with you know they're.

Speaker 1:

They were going to be fine with with job missing those games because they had been in the past, had been in the past, so I just think this helps, you know, and they're going to love, they're going to love him.

Speaker 2:

You know, Boston love Marcus. I think it's going to translate well for Memphis. They're going to love them there. So I think it's one of the ones. I think it worked out great for everybody. You know, i like, i like all the moves And I like, i think Jones going to Washington actually being able to play, you know, a lot of times he's going to be loved in Washington as well. So, as far as like just the, you know all the the guards got moved. Yeah, i, i love it. I think everyone kind of got what he needed out of this deal.

Speaker 1:

Okay, now what about? are we going to give a couple minutes to Jordan pool? to the wizards? Is that is that? is that a man move also, or what are your? what are your thoughts on that? I mean, they got to say they'd be able to get off the contract.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, they already got the contract. Maybe a good fresh air.

Speaker 1:

Same kind of James Weisman situation, or maybe some times you need fresh air Right.

Speaker 2:

Different start, you know Different start going to be able to. You know he's going to be able to take as many shots as he wants, because he's the only kind of thing that's shooter on that team right At the moment. But I like it for him And you know I think goal stays going. Look, we wasted a prime Steph Curry year. We're not doing it again. You know they tried to. You know let's bring in something.

Speaker 2:

Young guys, you know, trying trying to bridge the gap. And they did. It was just they. They're like look, we're not wasting another year, we're going to go all in again, cause, let's just face it, i mean that Lakers year was great, but you know it could have gone. It could have gone a different way, right, if you know, maybe if Wiggins play a little better, maybe they win that series, maybe maybe it's a different commerce, maybe it's a different series against Denver, right. But but you know, with CP3 on that team now and the pull out of there, you know and and you know they they've been saying, and now now it's coming out that that punch did have a lingering effect for the whole season.

Speaker 1:

I mean, how do you see that?

Speaker 2:

Right, so I like it. I really I'm going to. I think everyone won And in that I'm sorry, i'd like, i'm sorry, pull going there. I think that's a good for win for him. You know, bad team, go there and just, you know, just just play. He'll be able to play and want to worry about anybody behind him, because he's, he's going to be the guy.

Speaker 1:

Well, let's go a couple of minutes here to Dame Lillard and Portland. It's interesting what Portland did, because Lillard isn't, hasn't been traded, and I'm hoping this doesn't happen again, where we do our show and there's a trade that comes through same day here. Right, we just started, luck, but Lillard as as the time of recording has not been, but it seems like what they did on draft night would take a Scoot Henderson. Yep, that has been like you know what I mean, like the writing is on the wall a little bit.

Speaker 1:

Here. You got Shaden Sharp, anthony Simons, now the kid Henderson is their room for Lillard, and if you're Lillard, do you want that? You got to be the adult in the room here. Now Got all these kids that you're playing with. Do you want to go and try to contend somewhere?

Speaker 1:

I am a big fan of loyalty, and if we all I can't say we all, but if some people had their way, then you'd have 1.5 All-Stars on a team, you know, and then everybody would just build through the draft and through coming up grinding it out, kind of doing it the Denver way, right, yeah, denver grinded it out and they, they got across the line, and that's kind of like what you want to see, and I like the same thing to kind of do there in Miami as well. But the reality is there are going to be teams of multiple All-Stars standing in your way of the promised land And it's going to be so hard And even whatever doing it the right way. That's not. Jamal Murray is an All-Stars, he's not a scrub. So you still had two guys there, right, right.

Speaker 1:

You still had two guys there that are at the top. I think he's going to need to go to a team like that. He can be one of the guys, but he is going to need to go to a team. In my opinion, if he wants to win a chip. It's going to be hard to do in Portland, especially in Portland getting younger now, looking like they are kind of looking towards their future.

Speaker 1:

I like what Portland is doing. I like what they're building there, because I think that Portland themselves are building or looking for at a future that Lillard made. You know they're preparing for Lillard. Yes, so, to walk this certain degree, right, yeah, whether it's this year, whether it's two years online, whether it's three years online, whatever, right, right, right. But it seems that they're mentally making a preparation for him to step away. So here's the hope, and I hope that something gets done here, because I want to see Lillard really compete at the next level. Let's get a chance to see, to give the guy a chance. He hasn't really had a chance, in my opinion, since McCulloch left. I do like Jeremy Grant Now. I do like some of the pieces they had on their team.

Speaker 1:

I like the Kitchy Sharp and Anthony Simons as well. I like those kids, but it's kind of like, you know, i don't know, i don't know, they don't seem their next year to me. No, you know what I mean. It seems like they're building up, you know. So I would love to see Lillard go to a contender man And let's see, let's see him go to like a Miami or something like that. Man, right, you?

Speaker 2:

get a.

Speaker 1:

Lillard ban and Jamie situation going. You know, let's, let's, let's, let's. I want to see him mix it up, man, yeah, so now let's do a little bit of draft talk here. You know, when we go into these drafts Eugene and this is where it's being an old guy who's watched a lot of basketball drafts Right, i don't want to be get off my lawn is about this but you never know who these guys are going to be.

Speaker 1:

Eugene, there's always a fool me guy in there, right, a guy five top five, top 10 with. This is the best they're ever going to. I remember I got fooled on Don AXM back in the day, like there's always a guy That's talked about ad nauseum And then this is the most you're ever going to talk about. The guy is a draft, and NFL draft can be similar to that where you're the most you're ever going to talk about this guys during the draft, and then it's going to be back to the usual suspects when you get into the season. So drafts I kind of have a love hate relationship with to a certain degree, because when you look at where players like Yokech win right, Great Kobe Bryant, kobe Bryant with 13th I want to say You don't ever know who these guys are going to be, right, you don't ever know, right. And when you look at the number one guy, there's hope. And we're going to do a separate video on Winby Alma, so we're not going to spend a ton of time talking about him.

Speaker 1:

Ok, but definitely number one. I mean, come on, yeah, and that's oh yeah, that was just easy. No brainer, no brainer, no brainer there. So we'll discuss more of the other guys here in the draft. I like the Brandon Miller pick. I don't know if some people don't like it to Charlotte. I've heard mixed reactions on that, but six, nine can shoot. Yes, sir, yeah, right, yes, sir, nba signed him right up. Right, Yeah, i'm right up. It'll be interesting to see, kind of, how his career projects. He's a forward. So that means you're not really taking anything away from a mellow there, from a look to stay on the court.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's a big gift too. That's a big issue there with Charlotte, But still, i mean Brandon Miller, i don't. Who else are they going to take? They weren't going to take Henderson, no, no, maybe they trade out the spot, like for people that are arguing that Brandon Miller should not have been a pick or they don't like the fit there And in Charlotte, who else did they take instead of him? He would have been the number one pick this year for one for Winby, like. So who are you going to? just leave him on the board? Are you going to get cute, select somebody else and hope that you've outthought everybody? I mean, i think the best thing you do is, if you don't love that, if you're sitting in the two spot and this is no matter your NBA or NFL and you don't love your choice there, just get more picks and move back.

Speaker 2:

Right.

Speaker 1:

Get more picks and move back, swap that pick with somebody else, get you some more assets if you feel like that's the way you should go. But I personally, just because of Brandon Miller now. Now this is all the other stuff, of course. You have all the other stuff off the court and that's got to be settled, you know, and you got to meet with the kid and hope that the ownership feels comfortable paying the guy. So that's all, of course, right. But that aside, six time can shoot the basketball. What are we really talking about here? Like, who else are you going to take? What are your thoughts on that?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, especially in this league. Right, you need the more wings, the better. Right, you need wing players. That is the name of the game in the NBA for the last few years now. So, yeah, i like it. I mean they were hinting trying to take Scoot. I think it was more like a smokescreen to see if they can They worked them both out very late in the process?

Speaker 2:

They did. I think it was more a smokescreen to see if they could get you know Portland to trade up and maybe fool them a little bit. But Scoot never made sense to me for that team And I know there's like that, you're so funny. I saw it on Instagram, i guess a viewing NBA viewing party in Charlotte and there was people that booed when he got drawn. They when they drafted Brandon. Miller, brandon Miller right through the freedom. Yeah, but I wonder who they wanted.

Speaker 2:

I think they want. They wanted Scoot like that. That was they help. Yeah, i, because you know he's, he's just got that that in him.

Speaker 1:

He's a bugger, a rim guy man. I think he's a bugger rim guy. His style of play, that's a sexist style of play to watch. Right It is, it is. But, six, nine and can shoot bro.

Speaker 2:

Right, that's the thing you like and you want to come, and I think he's going to fit better with with the Lamello there, right? So unless they were ever thinking about training, then maybe bringing in Scoot, but I like, i like to pick, i like Brandon Miller at two. Here's the thing. It's not a reach, right, it's not like it's not a reach.

Speaker 2:

There was definitely some. None of them were going to talk about some other picks. There were some that reachers and some other teams, but they got better, they got, they took the best, they took the best player further for the team that they need right now. They need to shoot, they need a shooter to go, you know, on the team Right So, and he's going to get a lot of shots because Lamello is going to, you know, he's going to command some, you know, some double teams And he's going to have some wide open shots.

Speaker 1:

So I think it may pass that rock bro.

Speaker 2:

Right.

Speaker 1:

That's the rock man.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and let's just say, and now we all believe, now I believe in there's everyone in kind of running be able to ease that. So who's going to get a shot? and he's going to develop it. But just just what, if you know he just ends up not doing it and has kind of that Westbrook career, it's not going to be bad.

Speaker 1:

But you can't have to All the fame career. That's pretty good, that's pretty good, but you can't have him.

Speaker 2:

You can't have because I know Lamello is still kind of working on his shot, so you kind of have to guys working on the shot on the team at the same time. You know you got to have at least one guy, you got to have some shooters around around a guy.

Speaker 1:

Well, i pass up on the guy who's already got the shot. Like, why Right? And a person that may develop it Like, like was like 38% from from three.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, he's very close Yeah 38.3.

Speaker 1:

Yeah 38.4 right there, almost close to that number, that four zero, that we all covet. Yes From three you know, he's almost there now, so I'm right there with you.

Speaker 2:

I think it's a great pick. I like it. I mean, you know he was great in the SEC. Hopefully this I mean this off the court was. You know, it was kind of like a friend of a friend of a friend type of deal. So hopefully, for what I'm hearing, I'm not, I'm not attorney, So I'm not going to, you know, speculate what happens. But hopefully, whatever it is, it's a one time thing. He goes to Charlotte and I said I think it's going to be between San Antonio, Charlotte and Portland. We're going to have some fun, We're going to be able to watch some guys, some fun guys, Some fun guys this year.

Speaker 1:

Well, let's talk about Portland, because I we had talked about in the beginning of the show. We kind of alluded to this point here. Where would this meant for for Lillard, with them taking Scoot Henderson? and it's not great. It's not great.

Speaker 1:

I like Scoot Henderson from an entertainment standpoint, like watching them play. Yeah, i need to see that. That jump shot. And at six two, he's not, he's not an oversized guy, he's not like six feet No, so he's not all the way undersized, but and he got his build, he's got a stout build to him. So it's not like he's not running around 175 pounds out there. So it's it's. He has that and he's played. You know, grown man, he's played when we got him before and it was a great game. It's a great game to watch. Find out on YouTube. It was good game to watch. I'm fine with this. Like I'm fine with how these picks fell. Like I I don't see any issue with Scoot going three to Golden, to Portland, but what they already got there, yeah, i think it's great. They're going to be a fun team to watch. Man, remember we used to talk about Sacramento Kings when they were coming up and we were like yes, that's just such a fun team to watch, man.

Speaker 1:

You know they were coming up, coming up through the ranks and they finally realized their success here, or Mike Brown, kind of leading them somewhat to the Promised Land and getting them, uh, separating the Kings from what they've been known for all these years Lathable. I can see the same thing for for Portland here, with their young core, they have going. It's a fun little team to watch, so it'll be interesting to see how they develop. I think they got to deal with the Lillard stuff because that's we all know, the aging superstars is one of the hardest things to deal with in any league. So it's they got to figure that out, like, and he has to figure it out Also, right? I?

Speaker 1:

think he's earned the right to figure it out for himself, to be honest with you. So whether does he want to stay with the kids or does he want to go to a contender I'm not saying they won't contend, but I think they're some years off from contention because they're so young. Yeah, but they're a fun team to watch. So I'm fine with Henderson going to to Portland here. I don't I like that fit better than Charlotte. I really do. But I do also look at Brandon Miller. Six nine can shoot man. There's 30 teams that can use that, so it doesn't matter where he went. Like you know, what team does not want a six nine guy who can shoot almost 40% from three? What team doesn't want?

Speaker 2:

that. Yeah, that's what we use, that's what we tease are going to pass on that.

Speaker 1:

The Thompson kids I'm not really too aware of I didn't really pay a lot of attention and there's a lot of these players the same thing And it's for the same reason.

Speaker 1:

I said at the beginning of the show You just don't know, right, you just don't know with these guys, like you don't know, there's somebody who got picked way later than these guys. This can be better than some of these guys. I just don't know who that person is. Right, because no matter what you see people do in college, where this over or over time to lead, or the G league or internationally which I love that too, by the way all the different ways you can come to the league is not like the one college beater system. Yeah, all the different ways you can come to the league. It's so amazing To watch that. The biggest issue, and maybe the international play, is something that translate, because you see so many international players now that are coming in becoming MVPs in our league here in America that Maybe that's the way, maybe that's a good way that you can look and see how are they playing in these pro leagues overseas.

Speaker 1:

And maybe that's a good way to see how they're translate. But just in my lifetime, whether it's NFL, where there's NBA, mlb, there's just nothing like the pros. Nothing like the pros. Like I, i have to see you play right the pros to see really what you're gonna be. And in a lot of times Eugene, we don't even know in the first year with these guys are gonna be. We don't know. It takes time a couple years. Maybe these players are way different. Look at Giannis coming in versus Giannis, what he is now like correct.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, remarkably different.

Speaker 1:

Yep. So I I don't really know Thompson twins. I mean I hope they're great, i Don't know. Would you have any more information on Somebody's players? and then I would come being absolutely useless to the audience. I mean that comes a lot of these guys.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, i mean from. I like you, i just listen to, i Read just who's the top ones right?

Speaker 1:

I've read through some, you know some draft analysis those guys, by the way, i watch Miller.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, when, being a mom, i've watched all those I haven't watched the other guys though.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, the Thomas wins. I think you're just they. I mean, you've got One's. A better shooter was a better pastor, um, so I think that was. That was One of the one things I was reading about them. But They're they're supposed to be both pretty good guys, supposed to be pretty good good players, but you nailed it. It's it's so hard. It's it's so hard to see, because you may see like 10 through Whatever, 10 through 30. They might be all rotational guys from the draft and everybody from the second round becomes a superstar or vice versa.

Speaker 1:

Right, you know right, i'm not. The guy gets, gets a max contract, right, and they can hundred million dollars.

Speaker 2:

Right, because now because that was that was hitting afterwards, after the draft, they're assuming guys getting the undraft players being being picked up. So But yeah, then I think that's a good thing too is like now The things has just changed, i think from our perspective you know, used to be like you said, just if, if you go into the top college like Duke or cans or Kentucky, you're gonna get drafted and that still happens, right, but it's not. They're not the top guys anymore. So now you've got international and the G League. The G League is that is come on in the last few years.

Speaker 2:

I absolutely love that too right and those guys could go into the G League and play there for years. Look at, was it Tim Hardaway Jr? Right, there's a perfect example. Um, he went to the, he went there and now We, now I bring you know, we people want to play and Pick them up, put them on our team because he's a good defensive guy, he's a good rotational guy. So, again, it's you never know, you never know until Until they're on your screen and oh, look, he's getting minutes for us or he's getting minutes for this other team. We're, he's impactful. Um, yeah, that's. And like, look at, and I know, miami white had all those undrafted players in the finals. Like you, just never, he never know.

Speaker 2:

And, like I said, and let's just like the top three, top, you know, top five, top ten. It's just, it's so hard, it's so hard to predict and I think you just got a draft for for your needs. Like the Hawks drafted for their knees, right, we needed, we need more shooters, so you know, so we drafted a shooter Um the first and second round. So I think that's where we, you know, you just at some point you just got to go Yeah, we need a rim protector. We're gonna draft this guy here. I mean we're gonna like we need a shooter. You're, i just think until unless you have like, this can't miss guys. You're just drafting for what's what's my need, what's my? I need to fill out my roll sheets and I need this guy in this role.

Speaker 1:

Is there anybody that you're surprised about now? of course the kid can't win more fail.

Speaker 2:

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 1:

That's always. Anytime you see a guy fall, always got to watch that. Yeah, always got to watch that because he was a guy that was projected in the top 10 for a long time.

Speaker 2:

Yeah right, right I. That was one I'd like when he kept. When he asked that who it kept falling. I was hoping the Hawks pick up because I hate. we had an opportunity right, right there.

Speaker 2:

Again, it was all medical is and you know there's some Miss, there's different information on his medicals and you know from this to that. But it's like man, if there's there's a time, just take a flyer. Once you get past, I'm what's? Could we? we think those three guys are can't miss us, right? We? we honestly think now, could they one of those guys not make it or All three be bust? Yeah, but Highly improbable, right? this guy is gonna make it. I think after that point, just take a flyer and somebody, especially for us, the Hawks We don't, we have a pretty good roster. Let's just take a flyer in this guy, you know, and he's a, he's a top, he projected, it's the top 10 talent and he's gonna fall you to 15. I just, i just hope doesn't come back and buy us because, like Houston could have taken it, taking him at five And they get up taking about 20 And they get up taking about 20.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I've seen they had such a great draft, draft right to lottery players in In the top 20. Yeah, you know. So the right right to be a mid around, a mid lottery guy. Yes, and we're more.

Speaker 2:

Was projected to be yeah, i'll the 20 and you know it's like okay, so Just, we just hear it all the time. All the medics scared them off. Well, you know, we've heard so many guys that that happens to. They fall and they fall into good teams. Like Mike poor junior, like his medicals were the same and, yes, he's had some health, health issues. But you know what? Yeah for sure, what's he have right now?

Speaker 2:

Championship ring right, right and that's any, and he played big minutes and he and he'd be. You know he's a starter and he again He kind of fell. You know some of the finals games, but man, when his score was rebounding, was Right right. Yeah, there's rebounds and the assists, like you know. And hey, he and he wasn't the thing too, he wasn't scared to put it up. So I just hope that pick out the cam, that the Whitmore pick does not come back behind us.

Speaker 1:

Speaking of of haunting us here, like. So I looked at our pick here and I don't know a ton about the kid buffing. We took Kobe buffing at 15 and I Wasn't In his no, knock on the kid specifically is a knock on the position. When I look at our team, the last thing I didn't really think going into this draft like man, we got to get another guard man. I'm sure we got a shore guard position up here, right, i Think that this doesn't bode well for the John Tage future here. I mean, we, we all know that Trey Tends to be up and down, you know, i mean, but I don't think they're ready to move off Trey this year. So maybe this is a Dajonte situation. This doesn't look good for that situation. What are your thoughts here? because I Didn't think we needed another guard, especially not addressed at 15. Um, because I get addressing a need, right. Yeah, can we address that second round? Can we? can we take our flyer in the first? I think we. Can we take our flyer at 15?

Speaker 1:

Right, right, that's our need second round versus right taking a rotation guy 15.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, your thoughts on that. I'm right there with you. I would have like, like you said, that once Cam started following I was like, ooh, can we get a? that's just a perfect, like, that's just a smart pick. And I'm right there with you. I like I mean I sound like I don't like the pick, but it's like, man, i wish.

Speaker 1:

Yeah me neither. I'm not like, i'm not like, i'm not like whatever.

Speaker 2:

But I'm like I might really reduce, like, if there's nothing, if there's just nothing, that's going to just again I don't watch and watch a ton of these guys. I watched a lot of it, you know, youtube on the on the fly, just to kind of, you know, get act made with some of these guys. But but I'm right, i'm right there with you. It's like it's why why not just take a flyer, especially when, when this draft is was pretty weak after, you know, after three, after the five, whatever I mean you can. I've heard there's nothing after three, not heard there's nothing after five. And it's like, okay, if there's nothing after five, if that's what you guys are saying, is that's really neat. There's a lot of just kind of you're going to be reaching for guys. Why not take a flyer on this guy sitting right there? But I'm right there with you, yeah, and maybe it is insurance for John Jay, which I think would be a travesty if they let him go because we gave up so much draft capital to get him.

Speaker 1:

I don't like the, so there's a few things going against the Hawks here. So for one, the luxury being in a luxury tax without even paying to John Jay is depressing to me.

Speaker 1:

Being in luxury tax and being in a playing game is depressing to me, right, and I hear from from from news reports that I've heard is that there's a mandate to get below the luxury tax Like they're they they want. I don't think they want to be in a luxury tax And from what their ROI you're getting, i understand that. Yeah, the kid Buffkin, i will say stats wise looks and pretty impressive.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

And the final. Well, over the final 12 games here. I got to look and see how he did before that, but let's just get over his final 12 games here with Michigan 17, 17.4.6 rebounds, three assists, 1.9 steals plus blocks We like to call those stocks while shooting 52% from the field and 45% from beyond the arc. And that's only 12 games. But that's another wonderful 12 games, right, right. So that's that stuff.

Speaker 1:

And right there, man, you give me some of that. I'm back in, i'm, i'm all in, i'm. Put me back on the Buffkin train. I'm bound, i'm bound, i'm all in. Right, you give me anything like that.

Speaker 1:

Um, but I think that you're right with the picks. That, and you know, there's going to be guys, like everybody missed on Yelkich, even when Denver took your, because he wasn't there first picking when they, when they came around, after they got him again, Yeah, um, so it's, there's, there's players, and we don't know who those players are going to be, right, i mean, that's just, that's just the position that we're going to be in, for, you know, that is where I think the, the, the, the position, the position that we're going to be in for, is going to be great. Um, for me, position standpoint. That's my biggest knock on this, on this. Not necessarily the kid or the player, it was.

Speaker 1:

I don't know if we needed another guard, yeah, unless the John Tage is not going to be there. You know, and maybe would trade I'm not sure You know trade on shooting nearly that good from three, but you can tell their way they're moving. They don't know how long he's gonna be there. Is that the same situation we have here going on in Atlanta with Kobe Buffkin, like Trey's, here, but we don't know how long he's gonna be here? So we start stockpiling some backups, right right Could be the case.

Speaker 2:

I mean because I hear like the same thing with him, it's we're not trading him. then you kind of hear buzzes he might be traded. or you kind of hear buzzes that everyone's on the table, everyone on the hox is on the table. would you be traded? So I don't.

Speaker 1:

Everyone right? We see here all these names all the time And we're in a luxury tax with everybody on the table to be traded. Like how these things don't go along with luxury tax. To me, like they don't. That does not compute with the things that I just said And the word luxury tax. You're paying extra money for this type of mediocrity, right, unbelievable, right, unbelievable.

Speaker 2:

If they're not gonna be there long, that's the thing. If they're not gonna be in the luxury tax for long, if they keep playing this way, because they're gonna have to tear it out at some point. There's no way you can keep running this out here, that every year and going expecting. You know, because I've been, they've got to. There's gotta be some moves, they've gotta make some moves. That's gonna be the goal to get under the tax. So I'll be interested to see what they do there. But by Keith Perringi Murray's name, i've heard his name echoed more lately than being traded, so maybe that's yeah.

Speaker 1:

One more year Interesting to see. Well, we will be back with that. If anything, it drops on that here soon. I'm not sure how long that all that'll take to work out, but we'll definitely be back with more here. There's just a stats. Check us out, check us out on our YouTube channel or check us out on. Well, wherever you find your podcast, i should say Stitcher, i Heart Radio, google Podcast, apple Podcast, spotify, and we will see you next time. All right, my friend, i'll see you next time.