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--> 00:03:47.419 careful with that because we put a lot of expectations 70 00:03:47.479 --> 00:03:50.139 on Matas Buzelis because he was a higher draft pick 71 00:03:50.199 --> 00:03:52.409 and You know, one of the more recent ones that 72 00:03:52.490 --> 00:03:55.789 the Chicago Bulls had. But I don't think Matas Muzelas 73 00:03:55.830 --> 00:03:59.590 was ever meant to be a 20-point-per-game go-to guy, at 74 00:03:59.629 --> 00:04:01.930 least not yet. I don't think that was the case. 75 00:04:02.060 --> 00:04:04.919 Even in the past, I know last season, I was 76 00:04:04.939 --> 00:04:07.960 giving him his flowers, and I said, like, I see 77 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:10.500 him closer to, like, a Jalen Johnson or, like, an 78 00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:15.259 Andre Kirilenko with a better scoring knack, right, a better 79 00:04:15.310 --> 00:04:18.970 shooting consistency. I didn't really see him as, like, this 80 00:04:19.069 --> 00:04:21.829 go-to guy. And now when you look at the fact 81 00:04:21.870 --> 00:04:24.629 that Caleb Wilson has entered the picture, somebody who is 82 00:04:24.689 --> 00:04:28.589 a natural go-to guy, with big picture in mind here 83 00:04:28.629 --> 00:04:32.029 when I say this, I think that dynamic becomes a 84 00:04:32.129 --> 00:04:36.149 lot less Paolo Bancaro, Franz Wagner, and closer to a 85 00:04:36.230 --> 00:04:39.649 Trey Murphy, Zion Williamson type of dynamic, right? And I'm 86 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:41.850 not saying like Caleb is just going to be a 87 00:04:41.879 --> 00:04:43.480 bust or anything like that. I know people like to 88 00:04:43.519 --> 00:04:45.500 say that about Zion, which it isn't true, by the way. 89 00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:48.519 But just if you know what I mean, like just... 90 00:04:49.170 --> 00:04:51.870 I don't think it's some star-studded duo here. I think 91 00:04:51.910 --> 00:04:54.410 it's a duo that just plays the right way, does 92 00:04:54.449 --> 00:04:56.529 the right things, and when they're rolling, it looks great. 93 00:04:56.870 --> 00:04:59.589 But at the very least, one of those guys is 94 00:04:59.629 --> 00:05:03.959 going to consistently be that go-to guy. And it's going 95 00:05:03.980 --> 00:05:07.279 to be the guy with more upside. And when you're 96 00:05:07.300 --> 00:05:10.720 playing with high-volume scorers like Caleb Wilson, like Norman Powell, 97 00:05:11.379 --> 00:05:14.040 your buckets have to be in the flow. And you're 98 00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:17.680 not going to suddenly... take priority over those guys. You're 99 00:05:17.720 --> 00:05:20.620 not going to take, you know, especially you're not going 100 00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:23.480 to take seniority over Norman Powell, who has proven to 101 00:05:23.519 --> 00:05:25.420 be a 20 point per game score in this league. 102 00:05:25.720 --> 00:05:28.290 So I think Matis has to keep his head down. 103 00:05:28.579 --> 00:05:30.819 He has to stick to what he does best. Again, 104 00:05:30.870 --> 00:05:35.329 the cutting, the transition, the last line of defense, the rotations, 105 00:05:35.370 --> 00:05:38.029 the closeouts, those things that he was already doing well, 106 00:05:38.089 --> 00:05:41.129 just keep honing in on those things. And then in 107 00:05:41.170 --> 00:05:44.829 the flow of the offense, find that rhythm, right? Spot up. 108 00:05:45.470 --> 00:05:47.910 find your rhythm in transition. And then even in those 109 00:05:47.970 --> 00:05:50.920 random offense opportunities, when the ball finds him, then you 110 00:05:50.939 --> 00:05:52.839 can go into your bag a little bit more, which 111 00:05:52.879 --> 00:05:55.000 we saw in the Sixers game where he mixed up 112 00:05:55.040 --> 00:05:57.220 LeBron a little bit, knocked down the shot, and it 113 00:05:57.279 --> 00:05:59.250 gave him confidence. He ended up hitting the next three 114 00:05:59.459 --> 00:06:01.709 that he had in the corner. Matas was in a 115 00:06:01.810 --> 00:06:04.529 good rhythm. He had that look in his eye. like 116 00:06:04.589 --> 00:06:07.110 he deserved to be out there. Like he didn't, he 117 00:06:07.149 --> 00:06:10.389 wasn't thinking about anything. He wasn't thinking about the narratives 118 00:06:10.430 --> 00:06:12.550 around him. He wasn't thinking about the pressure. He was 119 00:06:12.589 --> 00:06:14.990 just focused on playing good basketball and letting the game 120 00:06:15.069 --> 00:06:18.009 come to him. That's when Matus Buzelis is at his best. Oh, 121 00:06:18.670 --> 00:06:21.610 as time goes on, I think there will be a 122 00:06:21.670 --> 00:06:24.209 lane for him to really develop the way that a 123 00:06:24.250 --> 00:06:26.990 lot of fans would like to see him develop. But 124 00:06:27.029 --> 00:06:28.949 I think we just got to be patient. We have 125 00:06:29.000 --> 00:06:31.680 to be patient because this team, at least right now, 126 00:06:32.100 --> 00:06:34.579 is different, right? His confidence seemed to take a hit 127 00:06:34.660 --> 00:06:37.860 early on in the season. But now, like I said, 128 00:06:37.899 --> 00:06:41.579 when you watch that Sixers game from Sunday night, it 129 00:06:41.620 --> 00:06:44.310 just looked like him and Josh Giddey. They played the 130 00:06:44.709 --> 00:06:47.009 best basketball we've seen them play in this young season. 131 00:06:47.250 --> 00:06:49.790 They looked more like themselves. And I think it's going 132 00:06:49.810 --> 00:06:52.290 to be those baby steps with Matas. I know a 133 00:06:52.329 --> 00:06:54.529 lot of people don't have a lot of patience because 134 00:06:54.550 --> 00:06:57.790 they're It's something that we've been through before as Bulls fans, right? 135 00:06:57.829 --> 00:07:00.410 That's why this is such a major storyline, because the 136 00:07:00.449 --> 00:07:03.170 track record is that the Chicago Bulls do not know 137 00:07:03.209 --> 00:07:06.589 how to develop young talent. We've seen this movie before. 138 00:07:07.050 -->

00:07:11.670 Wendell Carter Jr., Daniel Gafford, Lowry Markkinen, all players who 139 00:07:12.009 --> 00:07:15.949 were drafted to play a significant role, and then they 140 00:07:16.060 --> 00:07:19.680 end up getting traded and playing even better on other teams, right? 141 00:07:19.699 --> 00:07:22.319 But we have had success stories. You think of Jimmy 142 00:07:22.360 --> 00:07:26.480 Butler being... Drafted towards the end of the first round. He, 143 00:07:27.180 --> 00:07:29.459 you know, he learns on the bench for a couple years. 144 00:07:29.500 --> 00:07:31.610 And then when it's his time to shine, he emerges 145 00:07:31.670 --> 00:07:34.310 as a defender. And then as he keeps evolving, he 146 00:07:34.350 --> 00:07:37.430 evolves into a three-level scorer, an all-star player. And then 147 00:07:37.970 --> 00:07:40.410 he eventually gets traded to the Timberwolves. And very similarly, 148 00:07:41.009 --> 00:07:44.149 Io DeSumo, right? He was in and out the starting lineup, 149 00:07:44.430 --> 00:07:46.990 in and out the rotation a few times early on 150 00:07:47.029 --> 00:07:49.350 in his career. But then again, he showed through defense 151 00:07:49.769 --> 00:07:53.069 that he could play defense, knock a three-point shot down. 152 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:56.459 Do all the right things. Be a glue guy. And 153 00:07:56.699 --> 00:07:59.079 he just honed in on that and got better and 154 00:07:59.139 --> 00:08:01.230 better and better and better. And now we see him 155 00:08:01.670 --> 00:08:06.129 getting 20-point games, five rebounds forces with the Minnesota Timberwolves. So, again, 156 00:08:06.149 --> 00:08:09.250 there are some success stories with that as well, but 157 00:08:09.990 --> 00:08:14.069 that's been the narrative with the Bulls. Are they the 158 00:08:14.209 --> 00:08:18.189 NBA's version of college? Do they just draft players to 159 00:08:18.810 --> 00:08:22.060 get them playing time and then, oh, another team can 160 00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:25.769 have them and you can just– reap the fruits of 161 00:08:25.810 --> 00:08:28.689 their stardom, right? So I think people are scared of 162 00:08:28.730 --> 00:08:30.889 that with Matis Bouzelis, but I just think at the 163 00:08:30.930 --> 00:08:33.169 end of the day, we have to be patient, especially 164 00:08:33.210 --> 00:08:35.649 because Caleb Wilson is now in the mix and because 165 00:08:35.669 --> 00:08:39.350 of his sheer talent, which is higher than Matis Bouzelis 166 00:08:39.529 --> 00:08:42.549 and his skillset a little bit higher than Matis Bouzelis, 167 00:08:42.970 --> 00:08:46.730 he's going to take priority. So the Bulls roster is 168 00:08:46.769 --> 00:08:49.309 going to change. I think we all know that at 169 00:08:49.350 --> 00:08:51.570 some point it's going to change. And if there's a 170 00:08:51.629 --> 00:08:55.590 window for Matis Bouzelis, To get an opportunity, a real opportunity, 171 00:08:56.370 --> 00:08:59.669 to score and make decisions

off the dribble, I think 172 00:08:59.750 --> 00:09:01.250 that's when he's going to show what he can do. 173 00:09:01.289 --> 00:09:03.480 But right now, it's a little bit harder to do that. 174 00:09:03.519 --> 00:09:06.559 And again, hence why when Norman Powell's out of the lineup, 175 00:09:06.899 --> 00:09:08.840 Montes plays a little bit better. So I think it's 176 00:09:08.899 --> 00:09:11.299 more of that that we have yet to see. Now, again, 177 00:09:11.340 --> 00:09:13.580 when it comes to the Chicago Bulls, though, I don't 178 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:16.039 want to be negative because there has been a few 179 00:09:16.110 --> 00:09:19.649 positives this season, even at a 1-8 record. First off, 180 00:09:19.690 --> 00:09:22.490 Jalen Smith. Jalen Smith has been the most consistent player 181 00:09:22.549 --> 00:09:24.809 on the team. Reliable big man who would be a 182 00:09:24.850 --> 00:09:27.600 strong backup on pretty much every team in the league. 183 00:09:27.649 --> 00:09:29.409 But this is a guy who's come in in the 184 00:09:29.429 --> 00:09:32.720 midst of injuries to guys and different lineups. He can 185 00:09:32.740 --> 00:09:35.100 stretch the floor. He can rebound a little bit. He 186 00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:38.519 can finish inside, hold his own defensively. He's been that 187 00:09:39.059 --> 00:09:42.139 steady player for the Chicago Bulls in this young season. 188 00:09:42.159 --> 00:09:45.019 And that's been cool to see. Noah Asenge, man. How 189 00:09:45.039 --> 00:09:49.759 about him? The young wing player. drafted, man, last year, man, 190 00:09:50.080 --> 00:09:53.480 this dude is an incredible defender already. I mean, he's 191 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:57.590 very active, very smart backdoor cutter on the offensive end. 192 00:09:58.250 --> 00:10:00.929 I love watching him hoop because he displays those active 193 00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:03.289 hands on defense and he uses his length to his 194 00:10:03.340 --> 00:10:07.259 advantage defensively. And that's the kind of energy that fits 195 00:10:07.320 --> 00:10:09.679 well with the kind of roster Bryson Graham and Tiago 196 00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:12.379 Splitter want to build. These guys that are long, lanky, 197 00:10:12.419 --> 00:10:15.710 and active defensively and are willing to do the smart 198 00:10:15.750 --> 00:10:19.370 things on offense. He and Isaac Okoro, those guys are really, 199 00:10:19.669 --> 00:10:22.450 they've been some really strong perimeter defenders on a team 200 00:10:22.490 --> 00:10:25.340 that doesn't have much of those players. You look at 201 00:10:25.360 --> 00:10:27.399 the bench unit, right? That's been another bright spot for 202 00:10:27.419 --> 00:10:29.980 the Chicago Bulls. They've put together some really good minutes 203 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:33.000 this season. We've seen a lot of variations of it, right? 204 00:10:33.100 --> 00:10:34.779 Due to injuries and things of that nature. But most 205 00:10:34.799 --> 00:10:37.539 of the time, the Bulls get a lot from their 206 00:10:37.659 --> 00:10:39.990 bench in these games. I mean, this is a team 207 00:10:40.029 --> 00:10:43.090 that last I checked, tied for 10th in best bench points. 208 00:10:44.159 --> 00:10:46.500 So they're getting the most out of their bench. I 209 00:10:46.539 --> 00:10:48.799 think the thing about it is that there's a lack 210 00:10:48.820 --> 00:10:52.120 of shot creation from that second unit. But at the 211 00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:55.470 same time, there's a blessing in that because it has 212 00:10:55.570 --> 00:10:58.789 empowered the bench to play selfless and create scoring opportunities 213 00:10:59.129 --> 00:11:01.929 for each other and move and cut and swing the rock. 214 00:11:02.769 --> 00:11:05.809 And that's been good to see, especially because it's been 215 00:11:05.909 --> 00:11:08.669 led by the driving kick game of Trey Jones. So 216 00:11:08.970 --> 00:11:11.509 we got some bright spots coming off the bench. And 217 00:11:11.529 --> 00:11:13.750 then obviously Caleb Wilson. I know I've said his name before, 218 00:11:13.789 --> 00:11:16.389 but I got to end with that too. Caleb Wilson 219 00:11:16.549 --> 00:11:19.750 is a winner. A lot of talk about Darius Acuff 220 00:11:19.789 --> 00:11:23.139 right now and rightfully so. But Caleb Wilson has a 221 00:11:23.220 --> 00:11:25.980 similar role on the Bulls. He's the one that often 222 00:11:26.019 --> 00:11:28.779 takes the most shots and just has a never say 223 00:11:28.820 --> 00:11:32.159 die attitude. He does not care. He will get those 224 00:11:32.179 --> 00:11:34.639 shots up. He will get the threes up. He already 225 00:11:34.700 --> 00:11:38.100 has that green light that you don't always see from rookies, 226 00:11:38.120 --> 00:11:41.570 especially these days. And I said it before. You'd much 227 00:11:41.629 --> 00:11:44.769 rather tell a guy to calm down than fight to 228 00:11:44.809 --> 00:11:47.590 get him inspired. Caleb Wilson is that kind of rookie. 229 00:11:47.610 --> 00:11:49.250 You don't got to worry about him because his motor 230 00:11:49.309 --> 00:11:52.850 is always on. I love him in transition. I love 231 00:11:52.870 --> 00:11:54.929 when he's able to score closer to the basket and 232 00:11:54.980 --> 00:11:56.840 then work in his outside looks. I think that's a 233 00:11:56.879 --> 00:11:59.820 great rhythm for him. And I love his defensive potential 234 00:11:59.860 --> 00:12:03.899 with Montez Buzelas as these two guys are like 6'9, 6'10, 235 00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:08.039 dudes at the 3-4 spot. They can rotate well. They 236 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:10.399 can help protect the rim. We've seen that already. Like, 237 00:12:11.230 --> 00:12:13.769 The Bulls have a decent frontcourt defense, and especially if 238 00:12:13.809 --> 00:12:16.210 Nick Claxton can get into the fold with those two guys, 239 00:12:16.330 --> 00:12:19.389 I love that frontcourt defense. I don't think it's

perfect. 240 00:12:19.490 --> 00:12:22.509 I don't think it's great. I don't think it's historic, 241 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:25.899 but it's something you can lean on. It's something that's good, 242 00:12:25.919 --> 00:12:28.460 and especially when you have that point-of-attack defense on the 243 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:31.720 perimeter coming from a guy like Isaac Okoro, that's a 244 00:12:31.820 --> 00:12:35.919 really strong defensive dynamic right there. Really underrated, I would say. 245 00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:39.419 I think Caleb Wilson is still developing that trust in 246 00:12:39.940 --> 00:12:43.470 isolation situations, there have been some mid-range looks that I 247 00:12:43.490 --> 00:12:46.269 don't like. And again, if I'm saying that, that means 248 00:12:46.309 --> 00:12:50.350 something because I am somebody who loves endorsing the mid-range shot, right? 249 00:12:50.470 --> 00:12:53.649 That's the era of basketball I grew up watching. But 250 00:12:54.769 --> 00:12:57.429 I know that these days coaches, they're not going to 251 00:12:57.470 --> 00:12:59.960 hesitate to take that away from a player's game and 252 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:02.840 discourage that shot if they don't prove that they can 253 00:13:02.879 --> 00:13:05.759 hit them at a consistent rate. And as a young guy, 254 00:13:05.899 --> 00:13:09.620 he does settle for the first look sometimes. But it 255 00:13:10.240 --> 00:13:12.659 is going to get scary when Caleb Wilson figures out 256 00:13:12.679 --> 00:13:15.659 the NBA game. He figures out the pacing. He figures 257 00:13:15.750 --> 00:13:17.750 out his body. He figures out what he can do 258 00:13:17.789 --> 00:13:20.429 with the basketball, how he can get to those spots 259 00:13:20.450 --> 00:13:24.129 at a more efficient rate and get in the weight 260 00:13:24.190 --> 00:13:26.230 room and get stronger so he can really get to 261 00:13:26.269 --> 00:13:28.409 his spots that he wants to get to. It's going 262 00:13:28.429 --> 00:13:30.409 to get scary when he pairs that high motor with 263 00:13:30.470 --> 00:13:33.450 patience and just skill work. It's going to get scary. 264 00:13:33.669 --> 00:13:36.169 I would love to see him pursue that free throw 265 00:13:36.210 --> 00:13:39.370 line and dotted line areas a little bit more. and 266 00:13:39.470 --> 00:13:42.350 use his athleticism to his benefit rather than vice versa. 267 00:13:42.389 --> 00:13:45.049 I think a lot of times he gets caught with 268 00:13:45.409 --> 00:13:48.129 the longer twos, and teams are going to live with that, 269 00:13:48.549 --> 00:13:51.450 especially from a rookie. You can't bail them out by 270 00:13:51.490 --> 00:13:54.809 shooting tougher shots with no prior rhythm. I think Caleb Wilson, again, 271 00:13:54.870 --> 00:13:57.769 he's just that fearless. He takes those shots, but he's 272 00:13:57.809 --> 00:14:00.990 got to understand his order of operations and understand where 273 00:14:01.049 --> 00:14:02.950 he likes to shoot it the best and not just 274 00:14:02.990 --> 00:14:06.909 get a shot because it's there. He hasn't yet. developed 275 00:14:06.929 --> 00:14:08.820 the strength to bully his way into the paint. Like 276 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:11.879 I said, more so, I think he uses his explosiveness 277 00:14:11.960 --> 00:14:14.519 and his strides as a big wing. He doesn't really 278 00:14:14.600 --> 00:14:17.440 move players in the post yet, which surprised me a 279 00:14:17.460 --> 00:14:19.379 little bit because Caleb Wilson, I felt like had a 280 00:14:19.419 --> 00:14:22.580 decent NBA body coming into the league. But I think 281 00:14:22.700 --> 00:14:24.480 obviously he does have a little bit of that rookie 282 00:14:24.600 --> 00:14:27.259 wiredness to him. And again, these college kids, they're coming 283 00:14:27.299 --> 00:14:30.440 off that Sodexo diet. So they got to get used 284 00:14:30.470 --> 00:14:32.870 to playing against guys who have been there for this 285 00:14:33.090 --> 00:14:35.889 NBA game for a few years or at least one year. 286 00:14:35.970 --> 00:14:38.909 And I think that's the next step for Caleb, right? 287 00:14:38.929 --> 00:14:41.009 When he gets these post-up opportunities, he's got to move 288 00:14:41.049 --> 00:14:43.960 these guys. He had trouble moving Vijay Edgecombe, who is 289 00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:48.559 noticeably shorter than him, but that's a strong dude. Again, 290 00:14:48.620 --> 00:14:50.720 another guy that came in with an NBA body, and 291 00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:54.200 I thought that was really interesting. So Caleb Wilson, again, 292 00:14:54.990 --> 00:14:56.769 with time, he's going to get stronger. He's going to 293 00:14:56.809 --> 00:14:58.970 do all those things. But these are some things that 294 00:14:58.990 --> 00:15:01.789 I've noticed with his game. His athleticism is good enough 295 00:15:01.830 --> 00:15:04.620 to let him hang, but He needs to get NBA 296 00:15:04.639 --> 00:15:06.460 strong if he wants to thrive in the post the 297 00:15:06.500 --> 00:15:09.039 way that a lot of us know he can. He's 298 00:15:09.059 --> 00:15:11.320 shown flashes of being successful there, but he just has 299 00:15:11.340 --> 00:15:15.179 to pair it with that added strength. Now, the next 300 00:15:15.210 --> 00:15:17.669 steps for the Chicago Bulls, I know it's not really 301 00:15:17.730 --> 00:15:20.629 what most Bulls fans want to hear, but we got 302 00:15:20.649 --> 00:15:22.389 to keep one foot in front of the other. We 303 00:15:22.409 --> 00:15:24.809 got to empower the young guys with playing time, let 304 00:15:24.850 --> 00:15:28.610 them play through their mistakes. Consider moving Norman Powell and 305 00:15:28.649 --> 00:15:31.740 Buddy Heald by the deadline. I thought of maybe a 306 00:15:32.379 --> 00:15:35.360 Isaiah Joe, Ron Holland swap for Norman Powell. I wonder 307 00:15:35.379 --> 00:15:37.120 if the Pistons would be interested in that or maybe 308 00:15:37.139 -->

00:15:39.450 you throw in a third team to take on Powell 309 00:15:39.490 --> 00:15:41.789 if the Pistons want a different player. I know for 310 00:15:41.809 --> 00:15:43.230 the Pistons, it would be hard to give up a 311 00:15:43.269 --> 00:15:46.009 shooter like Isaiah Joe and a high energy defender like 312 00:15:46.049 --> 00:15:48.190 Ron Holland. But those are guys that would also fit 313 00:15:48.210 --> 00:15:50.990 very well with the Chicago Bulls. Anytime we can get 314 00:15:51.049 --> 00:15:53.509 more shooting, that would that would be great around guys 315 00:15:53.549 --> 00:15:56.580 like Josh Giddey. You get Isaiah Joe in, who is 316 00:15:56.659 --> 00:15:59.779 great in that regard. Ron Holland would really help with 317 00:15:59.799 --> 00:16:02.519 the defensive energy on the perimeter. I think that would 318 00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:05.120 be great for both sides. Detroit would get a scorer 319 00:16:05.179 --> 00:16:07.159 like Norman Powell, even though, again, I don't know if 320 00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:09.659 he would be the ideal scorer that they want, but 321 00:16:09.799 --> 00:16:11.879 he is a scorer that can help take pressure off 322 00:16:11.919 --> 00:16:14.539 of Kay Cunningham. So that's a trade that came to mind. Again, 323 00:16:14.600 --> 00:16:17.470 I'm not Mr. GM, even though I flirt with it sometimes. 324 00:16:17.830 --> 00:16:21.470 So that's just something I threw out there. Going back 325 00:16:21.509 --> 00:16:25.139 to that Sixers game from Sunday night, Without Norm, it 326 00:16:25.179 --> 00:16:27.570 reminded me that the Bulls just flow a little bit 327 00:16:27.610 --> 00:16:31.789 better when there is one dedicated scorer, Caleb Wilson, and 328 00:16:31.809 --> 00:16:34.970 just a gang of players with various skill sets. It's 329 00:16:34.990 --> 00:16:36.909 a lot like what the Atlanta Hawks have right now. 330 00:16:36.970 --> 00:16:39.330 It's a lot like what the Pacers are doing. You 331 00:16:39.370 --> 00:16:42.000 have pretty much one half-court guy that you can rely on, 332 00:16:42.029 --> 00:16:44.950 but everybody else is going to shoot threes, maybe get 333 00:16:44.970 --> 00:16:49.409 to the paint. set screens and slip and flare and 334 00:16:49.730 --> 00:16:53.049 cut to the basket, all of those things. And again, 335 00:16:53.269 --> 00:16:56.789 it's also why Josh Giddey has to be some kind 336 00:16:56.809 --> 00:16:59.309 of scoring threat because these defenses are going to collapse 337 00:16:59.370 --> 00:17:01.269 on the bulls even more if he's not a scoring 338 00:17:01.289 --> 00:17:03.539 threat and only a passing threat, it's not going to 339 00:17:03.559 --> 00:17:06.220 look good. So if we're going to emulate those teams 340 00:17:06.259 --> 00:17:09.599 success with fast pace, driving kick oriented hoops, we need 341 00:17:09.640 --> 00:17:12.059 play finishers and we need guys that are willing to, 342 00:17:12.259 --> 00:17:13.980 when they get in the paint, they're willing to take 343 00:17:14.019 --> 00:17:17.720 a shot. Uh, Buddy Hilton, Norman Powell, when it comes 344 00:17:17.740 --> 00:17:21.170 to those guys, they're the only rhythm players on the roster. 345 00:17:21.190 --> 00:17:23.450 And that's why I don't want to move them. Because 346 00:17:23.509 --> 00:17:26.910 when the Bulls offense gets stuck and we absolutely need 347 00:17:26.970 --> 00:17:29.740 buckets or we need free throws, those are two guys 348 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:32.559 that don't mind just shooting heat checks and trying to 349 00:17:32.599 --> 00:17:35.480 get a rhythm and trying to generate offense. Right. Again, 350 00:17:35.500 --> 00:17:38.039 you don't want that pressure on Caleb Wilson because he's 351 00:17:38.079 --> 00:17:41.609 a rookie and he's still learning that that the offensive game. Right. 352 00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:44.660 You don't want that on Matus Buzelis because he had 353 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:46.539 a slow start to the season and he hasn't yet 354 00:17:46.599 --> 00:17:48.640 shown he can deal with that pressure. So we need 355 00:17:48.660 --> 00:17:51.930 these veterans that are willing to take these shots and 356 00:17:52.109 --> 00:17:55.250 just find some kind of offense, right? Players like them 357 00:17:55.410 --> 00:17:57.589 are needed, but it would help if there was just 358 00:17:57.690 --> 00:18:01.079 less ball-dominant guys on the team and more guys who 359 00:18:01.119 --> 00:18:03.700 are more willing to move the rock and drive effectively, 360 00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:08.460 like I said. That may mean finding guys in the 361 00:18:08.500 --> 00:18:11.039 draft and just, again, being patient with that process. But 362 00:18:11.059 --> 00:18:14.259 speaking of that, too, I want to see the Chicago 363 00:18:14.279 --> 00:18:19.079 Bulls also get a strong interior presence defensively. Someone that's 364 00:18:19.119 --> 00:18:21.819 going to ignite the home crowd, just light up the 365 00:18:21.900 --> 00:18:25.559 United Center with energetic blue-collar hoops. We've seen that before 366 00:18:25.599 --> 00:18:29.500 with Joaquin Noah, Todd Gibson, Dennis Rodman, guys like that 367 00:18:29.759 --> 00:18:32.559 in the interior who are going to do the dirty work. 368 00:18:32.640 --> 00:18:35.450 And at first, I put in my notes that I 369 00:18:35.509 --> 00:18:39.109 wondered if the Celtics would entertain a Patrick Williams and 370 00:18:39.150 --> 00:18:41.859 Jalen Smith trade for Mitchell Robinson, because at the time 371 00:18:42.190 --> 00:18:45.200 Mitchell Robinson was still kind of struggling in his early 372 00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:48.440 minutes with the Celtics. But now the last couple of games, 373 00:18:48.460 --> 00:18:50.579 he's come off the bench and he's looking more like himself. 374 00:18:50.920 --> 00:18:52.980 So now I'm like, well, there's no way the Celtics 375 00:18:53.019 --> 00:18:54.769 are going to give that up unless he just goes 376 00:18:55.049

--> 00:18:58.589 absolutely downhill. But at first I thought that was something, 377 00:18:58.609 --> 00:19:01.289 you know, where obviously we throw in Pat Williams for 378 00:19:01.490 --> 00:19:04.480 financial reasons, but Jalen Smith is a guy that can 379 00:19:04.700 --> 00:19:06.779 stretch the floor. And we know the Boston Celtics love 380 00:19:06.819 --> 00:19:10.660 having bigs that can do that. So, you know, it's interesting. 381 00:19:10.700 --> 00:19:12.799 But I think they value Mitchell Robertson and they're going 382 00:19:12.819 --> 00:19:14.980 to be patient with him and they value him. So 383 00:19:15.619 --> 00:19:18.400 I don't see that happening. But I want somebody like 384 00:19:18.440 --> 00:19:21.460 that in Chicago. Right. These guys don't grow on trees. 385 00:19:21.500 --> 00:19:23.099 So it's harder to get. A lot of these guys 386 00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:25.049 want to shoot threes. A lot of these guys want 387 00:19:25.069 --> 00:19:26.650 to do Euro steps and all this stuff. Not a 388 00:19:26.670 --> 00:19:28.950 lot of guys want to attack the glass and just 389 00:19:29.170 --> 00:19:32.460 own the paint in an old school way. And that's 390 00:19:32.519 --> 00:19:34.759 the kind of player the Bulls need. Somebody that's going 391 00:19:34.779 --> 00:19:36.640 to fight on the glass, somebody that's going to take 392 00:19:36.680 --> 00:19:39.740 pride in the dirty work. They may not be able 393 00:19:39.759 --> 00:19:41.480 to keep up with the speed the Bulls want to 394 00:19:41.519 --> 00:19:43.609 play with, but that role is needed as they are 395 00:19:43.890 --> 00:19:46.930 25th in defensive rebounds. It would only make their front 396 00:19:46.970 --> 00:19:50.210 court stronger getting a guy like that. Now, again, I 397 00:19:50.259 --> 00:19:53.000 mentioned him earlier, Nick Claxton. He actually made his season 398 00:19:53.019 --> 00:19:57.420 debut against the 76ers on Sunday. He had a solid 4-4-4. 399 00:19:57.680 --> 00:19:59.500 Shout out to the Sixers. Funny enough, he did that 400 00:19:59.539 --> 00:20:02.539 against the Sixers. Shout out Mosley Malone, Dr. J, and 401 00:20:02.579 --> 00:20:05.319 those guys. But man, He had four points, four rebounds, 402 00:20:05.359 --> 00:20:08.420 four assists with two blocks in just about 17, 18 minutes. 403 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:11.329 And he displayed all the skills that I mentioned before 404 00:20:11.349 --> 00:20:13.769 the season, right? He's a modern day big man. He 405 00:20:13.809 --> 00:20:16.829 has the shot blocking instincts. He can help turn defense 406 00:20:16.869 --> 00:20:19.230 to offense with those blocks, right? It doesn't put pressure 407 00:20:19.250 --> 00:20:21.650 on the Bulls to get steals and force turnovers. But 408 00:20:21.690 --> 00:20:23.740 if you can block it off the backboard, keep the 409 00:20:23.779 --> 00:20:26.039 ball in play and let those guys run, that's great 410 00:20:26.059 --> 00:20:29.309 for the Bulls who thrive in transition. being a mobile 411 00:20:29.329 --> 00:20:30.869 big who could put the ball on the floor at 412 00:20:30.930 --> 00:20:34.019 times and pass, right? He's been a really good connective 413 00:20:34.059 --> 00:20:36.440 passer the last couple of seasons now with the Nets. 414 00:20:36.480 --> 00:20:38.220 And now he's already shown that with the Bulls. There 415 00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:40.519 was even a play, you know, he brought the ball 416 00:20:40.619 --> 00:20:43.160 up and then he just went straight into a DHO 417 00:20:43.420 --> 00:20:45.839 with Jordan Hawkins, set the screen and Jordan had a 418 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:48.500 wide open layup. Like that's the kind of stuff you 419 00:20:48.539 --> 00:20:51.279 love on a Bulls team like this. And why I 420 00:20:51.299 --> 00:20:54.799 was so had such positive feelings about the Nick Claxton 421 00:20:54.839 --> 00:20:57.619 trade because we don't need him to do anything spectacular 422 00:20:57.640 --> 00:21:00.119 we just need him to do those things that fit 423 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:02.640 with the way they want to play basketball so I 424 00:21:02.660 --> 00:21:05.279 thought that was great that he showed that already I 425 00:21:05.299 --> 00:21:07.500 thought he wasn't as great as a rebounder he didn't 426 00:21:07.539 --> 00:21:09.720 look as strong as a post defender maybe he just 427 00:21:09.769 --> 00:21:11.849 didn't want to get in foul trouble I thought he 428 00:21:11.869 --> 00:21:14.390 was a little bit tentative there he had moments where 429 00:21:14.410 --> 00:21:16.009 he still looked a little bit slower when he was 430 00:21:16.069 --> 00:21:19.450 caught on the perimeter especially there were moments where those 431 00:21:19.490 --> 00:21:23.250 guys were flying by him and But other than those weaknesses, 432 00:21:23.289 --> 00:21:25.059 I thought he fit pretty well with the team. And, 433 00:21:25.319 --> 00:21:26.839 you know, he's probably going to stay coming off the 434 00:21:26.880 --> 00:21:30.180 bench at least for now, especially because, again, Jalen Smith 435 00:21:30.200 --> 00:21:33.119 has been so reliable as a starter. But I mean, 436 00:21:33.240 --> 00:21:36.220 I'm anxious to see how he continues to impact the 437 00:21:36.259 --> 00:21:40.150 team defensively and offensively with his passing. So the Bulls 438 00:21:40.190 --> 00:21:42.410 are off to a little shaky start, but the flashes 439 00:21:42.450 --> 00:21:44.849 of what the future could look like are gradually building. 440 00:21:45.329 --> 00:21:47.289 Fans just need a lot of patience, which I know 441 00:21:47.329 --> 00:21:50.140 is hard for us. But like most rebuilds, it has 442 00:21:50.180 --> 00:21:52.559 to get bad before it gets good again. Got to 443 00:21:52.579 --> 00:21:54.599 stay focused on the fact that the team at least 444 00:21:54.920 --> 00:21:57.390 has a future star to build around in Caleb Wilson, 445 00:21:58.309 --> 00:22:00.470 which is

something Bulls fans have been asking for for 446 00:22:00.910 --> 00:22:04.549 what feels like decades now. You know, we haven't been 447 00:22:04.569 --> 00:22:06.009 able to say that in a long time. So we 448 00:22:06.029 --> 00:22:09.859 got it. We got to trust the process, unfortunately. Not 449 00:22:09.900 --> 00:22:12.420 everybody gets an exciting start to the season. Some teams 450 00:22:12.460 --> 00:22:14.900 got to go through development, and that's exactly where the 451 00:22:14.940 --> 00:22:18.500 Chicago Bulls are. As a homer, though, I've shared my thoughts. 452 00:22:18.940 --> 00:22:21.279 What do you think on the Chicago Bulls' situation? What 453 00:22:21.299 --> 00:22:23.319 do you think of their development? What do you think 454 00:22:23.359 --> 00:22:24.920 of some of the flashes we've seen from some of 455 00:22:24.940 --> 00:22:27.660 the core pieces? Be sure to join the conversation and 456 00:22:27.700 --> 00:22:29.279 let me know in the comments what you think if 457 00:22:29.299 --> 00:22:32.200 you're watching on YouTube, or feel free to tweet the 458 00:22:32.220 --> 00:22:35.900 show at MidPostPod on Twitter to share your thoughts with 459 00:22:35.960 --> 00:22:43.849 me if you're listening to the show. The Western Conference 460 00:22:43.930 --> 00:22:46.750 is so wild, I keep saving their discussions for the 461 00:22:46.869 --> 00:22:50.029 lethal move that is our jab step. And I want 462 00:22:50.049 --> 00:22:52.299 to start with the team that I was not at 463 00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:56.720 all high on going into this season, the Golden State Warriors. 464 00:22:57.140 --> 00:22:59.920 The Golden State Warriors have hit quite the stride at 465 00:22:59.960 --> 00:23:02.200 the time of me recording this. They are on a 466 00:23:02.359 --> 00:23:05.319 seven game winning streak, and it might be eight by 467 00:23:05.339 --> 00:23:08.480 the time this episode drops after losing the first three 468 00:23:08.500 --> 00:23:11.180 games of the year. They've beaten the Denver Nuggets by 469 00:23:11.180 --> 00:23:14.210 20 on the road. They beat the Wolves by five 470 00:23:14.390 --> 00:23:17.670 on the road. They beat the Lakers by 17 after 471 00:23:17.710 --> 00:23:20.890 being down at one point 23 points in that NBA 472 00:23:20.930 --> 00:23:24.109 Cup group game. They beat the Clippers by 12. They 473 00:23:24.130 --> 00:23:26.240 beat the Suns by three. They beat the Heat by 474 00:23:26.240 --> 00:23:29.660 20 and the Magic by seven. So a solid mix 475 00:23:29.700 --> 00:23:32.880 of competitive games and convincing wins. I know there isn't 476 00:23:32.940 --> 00:23:35.970 a ton of crazy competition here. But there is some 477 00:23:36.029 --> 00:23:38.750 respectable competition here, right? A lot of respectable guys, a 478 00:23:38.769 --> 00:23:41.049 lot of star players in a lot of these teams 479 00:23:41.069 --> 00:23:44.579 that they face, and they're getting the job done. And 480 00:23:44.779 -->

00:23:48.599 in this stretch, Stephen Curry, in that seven-game winning streak, 481 00:23:48.619 --> 00:23:51.359 Stephen Curry has played in six of those games. And 482 00:23:51.420 --> 00:23:53.500 this brother is averaging 34-5-5 on 52-48-98 shooting splits. 38 483 00:23:53.500 --> 00:23:56.970 years old, and Stephen Curry continues to show that he 484 00:23:56.990 --> 00:24:08.799 is not slowing down. And he also mentioned in after 485 00:24:08.880 --> 00:24:11.720 one of these games that the Warriors are taking pride 486 00:24:11.839 --> 00:24:16.339 in true actions and less random basketball. And I thought 487 00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:20.799 this was huge because what the Warriors built this beautiful 488 00:24:20.880 --> 00:24:24.440 foundation that they've held since Mark Jackson was there coaching 489 00:24:24.480 --> 00:24:27.900 them and was then adapted by Steve Kerr is a 490 00:24:28.079 --> 00:24:30.559 big reason why the NBA plays the way it does 491 00:24:30.619 --> 00:24:33.680 to this very day. So for them to say, yeah, 492 00:24:34.299 --> 00:24:37.559 we found it more successful to play more purposeful basketball 493 00:24:37.880 --> 00:24:40.039 than the read and react stuff we've been more known 494 00:24:40.119 --> 00:24:43.259 for that might raise eyebrows around the league. And at 495 00:24:43.299 --> 00:24:46.359 least I hope it does because the term random basketball 496 00:24:46.380 --> 00:24:49.400 has been kind of seen as an insult in, in 497 00:24:49.460 --> 00:24:52.180 recent years or like a casual term, you know, for, 498 00:24:52.240 --> 00:24:54.960 for the average fan that just doesn't really watch every day, 499 00:24:55.029 --> 00:24:57.829 but they just don't like the product. Right. And at 500 00:24:57.869 --> 00:25:01.750 the same time, Random basketball is a thing, right? There 501 00:25:01.869 --> 00:25:04.130 is such thing as playing through the flow of the 502 00:25:04.210 --> 00:25:07.990 offense and just getting into freelance actions that just are 503 00:25:08.029 --> 00:25:10.960 in the natural flow of the game. And for the 504 00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:14.140 Warriors to say, we're not really finding success with that, 505 00:25:14.660 --> 00:25:18.900 let's take pride in generating good shots. Let's take pride 506 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:21.380 in playing with purpose. Not to say we play slow. 507 00:25:21.660 --> 00:25:23.960 You can still play fast and play with purpose, but 508 00:25:23.980 --> 00:25:27.430 we're going to actually generate good outcomes and good looks 509 00:25:27.470 --> 00:25:30.109 for our guys. And it's been working. And I think 510 00:25:30.150 --> 00:25:34.109 the league has to follow that. I'm interested to see 511 00:25:34.150 --> 00:25:37.410 if they do because I've been missing that myself. I 512 00:25:37.470 --> 00:25:40.930 love watching teams that play with purpose as opposed to 513 00:25:40.990 --> 00:25:44.319 some of the freelance actions just to get quick shots 514

00:25:44.420 --> 00:25:47.900 up and get more opportunities and more possessions. Now, last 515 00:25:47.940 --> 00:25:50.900 year I said the Warriors will always find a way 516 00:25:51.299 --> 00:25:54.920 into Western Conference conversations because of their system. And the 517 00:25:54.980 --> 00:25:58.150 fact that they just don't get enough credit for staying 518 00:25:58.190 --> 00:26:01.490 in Western Conference conversations because of the tried and true 519 00:26:01.549 --> 00:26:04.349 system that they have. And the average response to that 520 00:26:04.490 --> 00:26:07.589 that I got was, well, duh, they have Stephen Curry. 521 00:26:08.250 --> 00:26:12.910 And yes, a 38-year-old still capable of dropping 40 points 522 00:26:13.430 --> 00:26:16.880 and having these crazy three-point outbursts is an extremely key 523 00:26:16.910 --> 00:26:19.839 part of that success. That's obvious. But at the same time, 524 00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:24.470 let's not be shallow-minded. One player never beats five. The 525 00:26:24.519 --> 00:26:27.740 Warriors have shown us time and time again how connected 526 00:26:27.779 --> 00:26:30.039 they are as a group and how that works, not 527 00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:32.740 just because they have Stephen Curry, but because the other 528 00:26:32.779 --> 00:26:34.819 guys know their roles and are bought in and they 529 00:26:34.859 --> 00:26:36.579 know what they bring to the game and they know 530 00:26:36.900 --> 00:26:39.259 how to impact the game in a positive way. And 531 00:26:39.279 --> 00:26:41.930 when you look at other guys, even LeBron James needed 532 00:26:41.990 --> 00:26:44.769 a shooter like Boobie Gibson and a proven big man 533 00:26:44.809 --> 00:26:49.109 like Zydrunas Ilgeskis. Even Kobe Bryant needed Lamar Odom on 534 00:26:49.150 --> 00:26:54.289 those teams. And yes, Smush Parker's 11 points and his 535 00:26:54.329 --> 00:26:58.329 ability to get steals. Don't let the numbers and the 536 00:26:58.390 --> 00:27:01.589 narratives fool you. None of these guys did it by themselves. 537 00:27:02.450 --> 00:27:06.750 And the Golden State Warriors are a tremendous buy-in organization. 538 00:27:07.109 --> 00:27:10.309 Their various assistant coaches have understood that. Many of the 539 00:27:10.349 --> 00:27:13.410 players have understood that as well. And the ones who 540 00:27:13.450 --> 00:27:16.400 were successful were the ones that bought in. And the 541 00:27:16.519 --> 00:27:20.539 ones who weren't, didn't. The Warriors have never been an 542 00:27:20.640 --> 00:27:24.089 organization that merely acquires talent just for the sake of 543 00:27:24.150 --> 00:27:29.369 doing so. They search for A-plus scheme fits. Every nine 544 00:27:29.390 --> 00:27:31.509 times out of ten when they acquire somebody, it's because 545 00:27:31.529 --> 00:27:34.809 they believe in the scheme fit. If the talent comes 546 00:27:34.890 --> 00:27:37.890 with it, it becomes a blessing. They know that they 547

00:27:37.950 --> 00:27:40.730 need stretch bigs. They know that they need lob threats, 548 00:27:40.839 --> 00:27:43.819 whether that's bigs or even guards. They know that they 549 00:27:43.859 --> 00:27:46.119 need shooting, obviously, because this is a team that loves 550 00:27:46.140 --> 00:27:48.930 to get shooters open. They know that they need shot 551 00:27:48.990 --> 00:27:51.579 creation at the small forward spot because they value shooting 552 00:27:51.640 --> 00:27:54.740 so much from their stretch bigs and from their guards. 553 00:27:55.039 --> 00:27:56.759 They need somebody that's willing to put the ball on 554 00:27:56.779 --> 00:27:59.400 the floor and drive to the basket, put pressure on 555 00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:02.490 the defense and get to the rim and draw fouls, 556 00:28:02.529 --> 00:28:05.390 get to the free throw line. And let's be honest, 557 00:28:06.049 --> 00:28:09.450 with guys like Yaxel Lindenborg having a much bigger impact 558 00:28:09.470 --> 00:28:12.670 than expected, George Niang fitting this team like a glove 559 00:28:12.710 --> 00:28:14.519 after being out the league for a little bit for 560 00:28:14.539 --> 00:28:18.230 like a year or so. He's been a selfless, connective 561 00:28:18.289 --> 00:28:20.980 passer and a proven shooter for this team. And Brandon 562 00:28:21.000 --> 00:28:23.980 Williams providing that scoring spark and rim pressure off the bench, 563 00:28:24.019 --> 00:28:27.759 like I said, especially without Jimmy Butler healthy to do 564 00:28:27.900 --> 00:28:31.740 everything that he does offensively. It's no wonder they once 565 00:28:31.829 --> 00:28:34.470 again found a way to ensure that the league doesn't 566 00:28:34.509 --> 00:28:38.490 forget about them. They just continue to like poke and 567 00:28:38.549 --> 00:28:42.170 prod and figure out these schemes and find these different 568 00:28:42.460 --> 00:28:45.460 Scheme fits for their team. And even when we look like, oh, 569 00:28:45.480 --> 00:28:48.349 they didn't do much in the offseason, they just find 570 00:28:48.380 --> 00:28:50.230 a way to make it work. That's who the Golden 571 00:28:50.250 --> 00:28:54.309 State Warriors have always been. So naturally, I look like 572 00:28:54.349 --> 00:28:56.509 a fool for saying that the Warriors were going to 573 00:28:56.549 --> 00:28:59.490 be 12th in the West this season. First three games 574 00:28:59.529 --> 00:29:02.049 of the year, I look like I was on to something. 575 00:29:02.730 --> 00:29:05.250 But now I should have went with the deepest part 576 00:29:05.269 --> 00:29:08.069 of my heart. You can't count out Steph Curry. You 577 00:29:08.130 --> 00:29:10.950 can't count out Steve Kerr. And you can't count out 578 00:29:11.009 --> 00:29:14.390 the Golden State Warriors. this team always finds a way 579 00:29:14.690 --> 00:29:18.309 to butt into the Western Conference conversations. Now, I caught 580 00:29:18.349 --> 00:29:22.359 the matchup versus the Miami Heat, and the Warriors absolutely 581 00:29:22.420 --> 00:29:25.359 dissected those guys. I mean, every play, it looked like 582 00:29:25.400 --> 00:29:28.420 they got something that they wanted. They went through consecutive 583 00:29:28.500 --> 00:29:32.279 trips hitting backdoor cutters, and some of those were with 584 00:29:32.359 --> 00:29:37.049 Davion Mitchell as the off-ball defender. And that just baffled me. 585 00:29:37.089 --> 00:29:39.849 I'm like, as good of a defender as Davion Mitchell is, 586 00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:43.539 it did not matter the Warriors were just zipping that 587 00:29:43.599 --> 00:29:46.559 ball back and forth they found their teammates under the 588 00:29:46.619 --> 00:29:49.049 basket even when he was right there and they scored 589 00:29:49.529 --> 00:29:53.309 it's like you just can't beat purposeful hoops it's almost 590 00:29:53.369 --> 00:29:57.230 like wow that game that James Naismith created can be 591 00:29:57.309 --> 00:29:59.390 really beautiful when we kind of take our time and 592 00:29:59.960 --> 00:30:01.579 and use our brains a little bit more and not 593 00:30:01.619 --> 00:30:04.710 just hurry, hurry, hurry, like a lot of teams do 594 00:30:04.750 --> 00:30:06.930 around the league. Not every team, but a lot of teams. 595 00:30:09.289 --> 00:30:11.849 It did not matter what the Heat did and what 596 00:30:11.869 --> 00:30:14.250 they thought they were ready for. The Warriors were doing 597 00:30:14.289 --> 00:30:17.599 what they do best, creating open looks all over the floor, 598 00:30:18.019 --> 00:30:20.599 and the entire team has benefited from that, not just 599 00:30:20.660 --> 00:30:24.710 number 30. Additionally, their defense has been strong in this 600 00:30:24.769 --> 00:30:27.650 winning streak as they are tied for fourth in defensive 601 00:30:27.710 --> 00:30:31.490 rating in this seven-game winning streak. Draymond Green still shows 602 00:30:31.559 --> 00:30:33.859 flashes of his former defensive player of the year self. 603 00:30:34.220 --> 00:30:36.579 Yaxel Lindenborg has emerged as a guy that can take 604 00:30:36.700 --> 00:30:39.039 on the opposing team's best players and not shy away 605 00:30:39.079 --> 00:30:41.799 from that, much like Jimmy Butler was acquired to do. 606 00:30:41.859 --> 00:30:45.319 So again, I know I said that before. If Yaxel 607 00:30:45.339 --> 00:30:47.240 Lindenborg can just do a lot of the things that 608 00:30:47.279 --> 00:30:50.099 Jimmy Butler did, by the time Jimmy Butler comes back, 609 00:30:50.509 --> 00:30:52.819 That's going to be a great dynamic on the wing 610 00:30:53.279 --> 00:30:55.859 to have for the Golden State Warriors. And then you 611 00:30:55.880 --> 00:30:58.880 look at D'Anthony Melton, who's always shined on the defensive 612 00:30:58.920 --> 00:31:00.619 end of the floor for much of his career. So 613 00:31:00.980 --> 00:31:03.500 it's not just an offensive showcase either. These guys are 614 00:31:03.779 --> 00:31:07.400

locking up. They're playing good defense. And sure, competition matters. 615 00:31:07.440 --> 00:31:09.259 Like I said, a lot of those teams they faced 616 00:31:09.599 --> 00:31:11.920 were dealing with injuries or maybe they were just dealing 617 00:31:11.960 --> 00:31:15.019 with struggling points of the season. But at the end 618 00:31:15.039 --> 00:31:17.180 of the day, the Warriors are playing good basketball on 619 00:31:17.220 --> 00:31:19.910 both ends, and it's resulting in wins. They're going to 620 00:31:19.950 --> 00:31:22.430 see some bad teams and some really good teams here 621 00:31:22.490 --> 00:31:25.410 the next few games, like the Rockets, the Spurs. They 622 00:31:25.430 --> 00:31:27.849 got a couple games versus the Pelicans mixed in there. 623 00:31:27.930 --> 00:31:30.630 They got the Mavericks, the Grizzlies, the Celtics, the Kings. 624 00:31:30.970 --> 00:31:34.130 So I don't expect the win streak to continue long term, 625 00:31:34.490 --> 00:31:38.000 but they also shouldn't fall hard after this stretch either. 626 00:31:38.460 --> 00:31:40.599 It's still very early, but as of right now, the 627 00:31:40.640 --> 00:31:44.019 Warriors' tried and true system continues to stand the test 628 00:31:44.079 --> 00:31:47.710 of time. And it's beautiful to see. Now, next up, 629 00:31:47.809 --> 00:31:50.849 I want to talk about the Minnesota Timberwolves. All right. 630 00:31:50.910 --> 00:31:54.190 Because this is a team that is continuing to hang 631 00:31:54.210 --> 00:31:56.490 their hat on the defensive end of the floor to 632 00:31:56.569 --> 00:31:59.720 hang without Anthony Edwards. They are five and two since 633 00:31:59.819 --> 00:32:02.039 Anthony Edwards has been out of the lineup after having 634 00:32:02.079 --> 00:32:04.660 that right knee surgery. Again, he's going to still be 635 00:32:04.700 --> 00:32:06.900 out a couple of months. So they got plenty of 636 00:32:06.940 --> 00:32:10.170 time without him early on in the season. To start 637 00:32:10.210 --> 00:32:12.329 the season, they were first in defensive rating and they 638 00:32:12.349 --> 00:32:14.950 were eighth in offensive rating. So again, a really strong 639 00:32:14.970 --> 00:32:18.309 team on both ends of the floor. But since in 640 00:32:18.710 --> 00:32:21.690 this seventh game stretch without Anthony Edwards, that offensive rating 641 00:32:21.710 --> 00:32:25.069 has slid to 13th in these seven games. But the 642 00:32:25.109 --> 00:32:28.190 defense has stayed solid as they are fourth in this stretch. 643 00:32:28.430 --> 00:32:30.049 And the eye test backs it up. I think we 644 00:32:30.089 --> 00:32:32.170 see it on a night in, night out basis. They 645 00:32:32.190 --> 00:32:34.690 have this knack to turn defense to offense immediately. I 646 00:32:34.750 --> 00:32:36.950 caught the Jazz game Sunday night, and even when the 647 00:32:36.990 --> 00:32:39.599 Jazz got close, it was often the ways that they 648 00:32:39.619 --> 00:32:42.380 were able to get out in transition that helped them 649 00:32:42.460 --> 00:32:44.880 pad that lead back up to double digits. They were 650 00:32:44.900 --> 00:32:48.769 going on scoring runs. Everybody was getting involved, again, especially 651 00:32:48.809 --> 00:32:52.769 LaMelo Ball, Io DeSumo, Jaden McDaniels. They're doing their thing, man, 652 00:32:53.049 --> 00:32:56.490 and most of their wins, yes, have been against non-contenders. 653 00:32:56.849 --> 00:32:59.460 but they did cool off the Houston Rockets hot start 654 00:32:59.480 --> 00:33:01.859 with a 10 point win last week. And they stayed 655 00:33:01.920 --> 00:33:05.369 competitive against the Spurs losing by 10 and then losing 656 00:33:05.390 --> 00:33:07.799 to the Warriors by just five. So, The great thing 657 00:33:07.920 --> 00:33:10.869 is they haven't let off the gas because and is out. 658 00:33:11.240 --> 00:33:14.230 If anything, it definitely looks like they're trying to hold 659 00:33:14.309 --> 00:33:17.289 up their play. So when he returns, they'll still have 660 00:33:17.349 --> 00:33:19.309 great momentum for the rest of the season. I think 661 00:33:19.369 --> 00:33:22.250 the Minnesota Timberwolves are doing a great job playing the 662 00:33:22.289 --> 00:33:25.109 long game here and staying locked in on their principles, 663 00:33:25.430 --> 00:33:28.349 staying locked in on their team chemistry and playing for 664 00:33:28.390 --> 00:33:32.819 each other, even without their brightest star out of the lineup. Now, 665 00:33:33.130 --> 00:33:36.079 their length and tenacity on defense just continues to be overwhelming. 666 00:33:36.140 --> 00:33:38.099 I mean, when I watch this team and they start 667 00:33:38.140 --> 00:33:40.579 out games and their defense is set, like you got 668 00:33:40.619 --> 00:33:43.460 Jonathan Kaminga guarding the opposing team's best player a lot 669 00:33:43.500 --> 00:33:46.779 of times. Sometimes it's Jaden McDaniels and he's just hugging 670 00:33:47.180 --> 00:33:51.109 the guy off ball. You got Io DeSumo who's competing 671 00:33:51.289 --> 00:33:54.769 off ball and snaking through screens and navigating and everything 672 00:33:54.809 --> 00:33:57.690 like that. And speaking of Io DeSumo, this is a 673 00:33:57.710 --> 00:33:59.710 guy who's now been in the starting lineup because of 674 00:33:59.789 --> 00:34:03.920 Ant-Man's injury and He was already averaging 17.5 and 4 675 00:34:03.920 --> 00:34:06.599 on the year, but now he's over the 20-point plateau 676 00:34:06.720 --> 00:34:11.920 in this winning streak as a starter now. He's still 677 00:34:11.960 --> 00:34:13.920 showing how much value he brings to the game with 678 00:34:13.960 --> 00:34:17.849 his energy, his speed, his defense, and his efficient shooting ability. 679 00:34:17.909 --> 00:34:20.690 I mean, this dude is a knockdown shooter. I think 680 00:34:20.710 --> 00:34:23.630 a lot of people didn't expect that when he was drafted, 681

00:34:23.690 --> 00:34:26.670 but he's shown that the last few seasons now, and 682 00:34:26.710 --> 00:34:29.809 it's been really cool to see And I think Ant's 683 00:34:30.030 --> 00:34:32.670 absence has also brought out growth from Jaden McDaniels. You know, 684 00:34:32.690 --> 00:34:35.269 a lot of people questioned, is he going to be 685 00:34:35.329 --> 00:34:36.769 ready to take a leap or is he just going 686 00:34:36.789 --> 00:34:39.849 to be who he's always been? An occasional 20 point night, 687 00:34:39.889 --> 00:34:41.590 but for the most part, not going to give you 688 00:34:41.630 --> 00:34:46.380 much unless he has the hot hand. But he's averaging 17, 689 00:34:46.380 --> 00:34:49.320 7 and 4 on the season. You got Jonathan Kaminga, 690 00:34:49.360 --> 00:34:51.090 who's been the two way threat that they wanted him 691 00:34:51.139 --> 00:34:54.679 to be. He's playing intense defense. He's locking in on 692 00:34:54.719 --> 00:34:57.800 that side of the ball. He's filling the lanes in transition. 693 00:34:58.219 --> 00:35:01.239 And when his outside shot is falling, that's when his 694 00:35:01.300 --> 00:35:03.489 impact really shows in the scoring column. But for the 695 00:35:03.530 --> 00:35:06.789 most part, it's his defensive tenacity and his athleticism on 696 00:35:06.809 --> 00:35:09.409 the glass and in transition that has shined the most. 697 00:35:09.710 --> 00:35:12.250 But I will say one of the more impressive aspects 698 00:35:12.309 --> 00:35:16.179 of Jonathan Kaminga's game has been his passing. Playing with 699 00:35:16.219 --> 00:35:19.119 this group now has turned him into an underrated passer 700 00:35:19.159 --> 00:35:21.889 as well. He's making pretty good decisions on that end. 701 00:35:21.929 --> 00:35:24.409 And again, the transition points help. He just seems to 702 00:35:24.449 --> 00:35:27.929 be putting everything together slowly but surely in Minnesota. And 703 00:35:27.969 --> 00:35:30.039 like I said, even with room for improvement. So he's 704 00:35:30.059 --> 00:35:32.980 been a great sign for them. And of course, LaMelo Ball, 705 00:35:33.099 --> 00:35:35.059 he just continues to play the best defense of his 706 00:35:35.099 --> 00:35:37.980 career so far. more willing to extend energy on that 707 00:35:38.039 --> 00:35:40.219 end of the floor and use his length to get steals, 708 00:35:40.280 --> 00:35:43.170 pick pockets, and run the opposite direction. He's had to 709 00:35:43.210 --> 00:35:46.409 tap more into his scoring prowess with Edwards out, and 710 00:35:46.550 --> 00:35:49.670 it's actually been pretty efficient. His 45% from the field 711 00:35:49.750 --> 00:35:51.690 is a career high for him thus far, and he's 712 00:35:51.710 --> 00:35:55.230 shooting about 39% from deep, which would also be a 713 00:35:55.269 --> 00:35:57.650 career high if he keeps that up. And he's shown 714 00:35:57.670 --> 00:36:00.320 to take smarter shots and use hesitations in the lane 715 00:36:00.360 --> 00:36:02.739 and these head fakes so he can slither to the cup. 716 00:36:03.099 --> 00:36:05.820 find Lance in a basket. I love seeing that. It 717 00:36:05.860 --> 00:36:08.449 hasn't been perfect as you would still like to see 718 00:36:08.489 --> 00:36:11.869 his almost four turnovers per game decrease, but LaMelo ball 719 00:36:11.909 --> 00:36:14.809 has led the charge fairly well without Ant-Man and he's 720 00:36:14.869 --> 00:36:17.989 empowering his teammates and spreading that same infectious joy and 721 00:36:18.070 --> 00:36:21.989 energy that Ant-Man does. And, you know, it's really looking 722 00:36:22.010 --> 00:36:24.670 like a match made in heaven in more ways than one, 723 00:36:24.730 --> 00:36:26.969 you know, that trade for him. So that's been pretty cool. 724 00:36:27.389 --> 00:36:30.289 And then if anything, the wolves are missing the mid 725 00:36:30.329 --> 00:36:32.539 range game that Ant-Man brings and Like I said, it's 726 00:36:32.579 --> 00:36:34.960 a lot of transition. It's a lot of defense first, 727 00:36:35.539 --> 00:36:38.619 a lot of threes. But they've gotten some added scoring 728 00:36:38.900 --> 00:36:41.139 sparks in the half court from Terrence Shannon, who's always 729 00:36:41.159 --> 00:36:44.659 been a great slasher. Bones Highland, who's always been streaky 730 00:36:44.679 --> 00:36:47.780 with his scoring. You know, these are the kind of 731 00:36:47.820 --> 00:36:50.480 spark plugs off the bench that most teams wish they had. 732 00:36:50.840 --> 00:36:53.380 And they've been showing up for the Timberwolves. But the 733 00:36:53.440 --> 00:36:55.280 fact that they've just not been able to lose a 734 00:36:55.340 --> 00:36:57.920 step and get some pretty convincing wins in this stretch 735 00:36:57.980 --> 00:37:00.400 is really good to see. They're taking care of business 736 00:37:00.440 --> 00:37:03.179 when they could have easily folded, not having their guy 737 00:37:03.239 --> 00:37:07.559 out there. And that's what mature contending teams do. So 738 00:37:07.579 --> 00:37:09.820 they've got the Mavs coming up, the Chicago Bulls. They 739 00:37:09.860 --> 00:37:12.289 got two straight games versus the Blazers. And then the 740 00:37:12.329 --> 00:37:14.630 New York Knicks up next. So they could very well 741 00:37:14.670 --> 00:37:17.349 continue the success that we've been seeing, but they're also 742 00:37:17.389 --> 00:37:20.289 probably going to experience some tests against some teams who 743 00:37:20.309 --> 00:37:24.059 will be looking to overcome them as well. We're still 744 00:37:24.119 --> 00:37:26.639 ways away from Anthony Edwards' return, so hopefully they can 745 00:37:26.679 --> 00:37:30.340 keep taking care of business as the season progresses, especially 746 00:37:30.440 --> 00:37:32.780 against these fellow West contenders. That's going to be the 747 00:37:32.800 --> 00:37:36.679 big separator for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Can they still get 748

00:37:36.719 --> 00:37:39.440 some of these wins against these upper echelon West teams 749 00:37:39.719 --> 00:37:44.219 to really stay afloat while Anthony Edwards is down? But 750 00:37:44.239 --> 00:37:47.869 speaking of a team that's not quite staying afloat, it's 751 00:37:47.889 --> 00:37:50.929 the Miami Heat. Not quite living up to their name. 752 00:37:50.969 --> 00:37:53.630 They've had a pretty cold start to the season recently. 753 00:37:53.940 --> 00:37:57.500 this far, and it's just one of the most disappointing 754 00:37:57.780 --> 00:38:00.739 starts to a season from a team that I can remember. 755 00:38:01.530 --> 00:38:03.730 All week, I've been trying to make sense of this team, 756 00:38:03.849 --> 00:38:06.949 and I just haven't really been able to. I watched 757 00:38:06.989 --> 00:38:11.389 them face the Mavs on October 26th, and I left thinking, okay, well, 758 00:38:11.409 --> 00:38:13.949 this team isn't bad. They just kind of fumbled the 759 00:38:13.989 --> 00:38:16.510 fourth quarter. There were some mistakes that they made down 760 00:38:16.530 --> 00:38:19.230 the stretch, but they didn't necessarily play a bad game. 761 00:38:19.869 --> 00:38:22.250 And then I watched the Heat versus Clippers on November 4th, 762 00:38:22.289 --> 00:38:24.670 and then the Heat versus Warriors on the 5th, and 763 00:38:24.730 --> 00:38:28.449 I left those games like, okay, this team is in trouble. 764 00:38:29.199 --> 00:38:31.219 And then when I peeked at the Heat versus Kings 765 00:38:31.260 --> 00:38:34.139 game Sunday night, I'm like, how in the world is 766 00:38:34.179 --> 00:38:37.980 this team struggling against the Kings? No disrespect to the 767 00:38:38.000 --> 00:38:40.699 Sacramento Kings, but I mean, come on, we look at 768 00:38:40.739 --> 00:38:42.920 the rosters on paper, and you would obviously think that 769 00:38:42.960 --> 00:38:46.760 the Miami Heat would... Played very well against these guys. 770 00:38:46.889 --> 00:38:49.059 And they were like within a point or a possession 771 00:38:49.079 --> 00:38:50.619 or two for most of the game. And it was like, 772 00:38:51.360 --> 00:38:54.659 what is going on? I still don't want to overreact 773 00:38:54.699 --> 00:38:56.860 too soon as there is plenty of season left. But 774 00:38:56.900 --> 00:39:00.840 this team is looking every bit of a 39 and 775 00:39:00.840 --> 00:39:03.570 43 team that I've ever seen. And that's coming from 776 00:39:03.630 --> 00:39:07.230 a guy who saw multiple Bulls play in invitational teams 777 00:39:07.809 --> 00:39:11.610 that had a similar record. I mean, I just... After 778 00:39:11.650 --> 00:39:15.309 being outplayed by Pella Larson, Andrew Wiggins lost his starting spot. 779 00:39:15.710 --> 00:39:19.190 Andrew Wiggins lost his starting spot. Tim Hardaway Jr. is 780 00:39:19.269 --> 00:39:22.230 barely playing. This brother's playing like six minutes a game 781 00:39:22.829 --> 00:39:25.639 because he just hasn't been there shooting the ball well, 782 00:39:25.940 --> 00:39:29.380 and he's never been a crazy defender, so he's not 783 00:39:29.420 --> 00:39:32.360 helping out. on defense like these are two guys that 784 00:39:32.380 --> 00:39:35.400 were supposed to be extremely important parts of the team 785 00:39:35.440 --> 00:39:39.590 this season and they're getting demoted Bobby Portis just hasn't 786 00:39:39.619 --> 00:39:42.969 shot the ball well this season his slow start has 787 00:39:43.010 --> 00:39:46.969 people already missing 38 year old Brook Lopez alongside Giannis 788 00:39:47.190 --> 00:39:50.809 who's shooting 43% from deep in this young season I 789 00:39:51.349 --> 00:39:53.889 will say with all those things, there are a few 790 00:39:53.949 --> 00:39:57.679 positives for the Miami Heat. Giannis is still Giannis. He's 791 00:39:57.699 --> 00:40:01.039 doing what he does. The defense hasn't necessarily been elite, 792 00:40:01.559 --> 00:40:04.409 but he's still stuffing the stat sheet. Bam Adebayo has 793 00:40:04.469 --> 00:40:06.760 played well after a slower start the first few games, 794 00:40:06.860 --> 00:40:10.079 playing much more aggressive offensively and looking more like himself. 795 00:40:10.460 --> 00:40:14.239 Davion Mitchell remains the most consistent player outside of Giannis, 796 00:40:14.639 --> 00:40:17.019 putting together a career year of 16 points and eight 797 00:40:17.059 --> 00:40:20.300 assists so far while shooting 40% from deep. He's looked good. 798 00:40:20.719 --> 00:40:23.889 I rarely have any complaints about Davion Mitchell anytime I've 799 00:40:23.929 --> 00:40:26.630 watched the Heat this season. And then Klay Thompson, man, 800 00:40:26.670 --> 00:40:30.610 how about Killa Klay? Finding his shot the last few games, 801 00:40:30.730 --> 00:40:34.159 showing flashes of his former self, hitting game winners. I mean, 802 00:40:34.219 --> 00:40:37.940 those four guys, I'm not too upset with. But everything else, 803 00:40:38.539 --> 00:40:41.659 this team is out of control. And to me, the 804 00:40:41.699 --> 00:40:43.929 bottom line is that they struggled to defend for 48 minutes. 805 00:40:45.360 --> 00:40:49.670 They're 26th in defensive rating and an average defensive rebounding team. 806 00:40:50.090 --> 00:40:52.889 So they're not getting much from that end of the floor. Now, 807 00:40:52.909 --> 00:40:55.289 I will say, during the Clippers game in particular, the 808 00:40:55.349 --> 00:40:58.599 Heat were pretty casual until the second half. The Clippers 809 00:40:58.619 --> 00:41:00.900 were up by as many as 20 points until Miami 810 00:41:00.920 --> 00:41:04.570 started chipping away, chipping away, chipping away. thanks to Giannis 811 00:41:05.070 --> 00:41:07.230 getting a lot of free throws, especially in the fourth quarter. 812 00:41:07.769 --> 00:41:09.789 And then once the game got tighter and tighter and 813 00:41:09.809 --> 00:41:13.030 they found their way back, the Heat actually played

really 814 00:41:13.070 --> 00:41:16.869 well defensively, especially in clutch moments. That game went into overtime. 815 00:41:16.909 --> 00:41:19.289 So again, they did a good job in overtime as well. 816 00:41:19.889 --> 00:41:22.710 And that told me that this team can absolutely lock 817 00:41:22.769 --> 00:41:25.070 in when they want to defensively. But I think it's 818 00:41:25.110 --> 00:41:28.239 the lack of offensive rhythm that they're able to experience 819 00:41:28.760 --> 00:41:31.679 that is preventing them from settling in on that end 820 00:41:31.719 --> 00:41:35.329 for extended time. When the Clippers were rolling, they looked 821 00:41:35.429 --> 00:41:38.659 disinterested in playing defense. But when the game looked winnable, 822 00:41:38.960 --> 00:41:41.880 they all of a sudden locked in. The effort is there, 823 00:41:42.199 --> 00:41:45.719 but the lack of consistency is concerning for a franchise 824 00:41:45.760 --> 00:41:50.989 that preaches championship standards. In a perfect segue, they also 825 00:41:51.030 --> 00:41:54.630 struggled to create in those half-court situations on offense because 826 00:41:55.010 --> 00:41:57.949 The offense gets clunky when the game slows down. The 827 00:41:57.989 --> 00:42:01.150 Heat are forced to play fast because they are that 828 00:42:01.269 --> 00:42:03.949 bad in the half court. I don't like seeing Giannis 829 00:42:04.269 --> 00:42:07.110 fly down the court and do a shuffle pass to 830 00:42:07.150 --> 00:42:10.199 Bobby Portis just for him to shoot a three early 831 00:42:10.280 --> 00:42:11.889 on in the shot clock when they probably could have 832 00:42:11.929 --> 00:42:15.300 got something better. And yet that still seems like, you 833 00:42:15.340 --> 00:42:17.440 know what, that was probably the better option. Maybe they 834 00:42:17.480 --> 00:42:21.059 can't get anything better than that because their offense is 835 00:42:21.079 --> 00:42:24.840 so clunky. Their spacing is so clunky. Don't get me wrong. 836 00:42:25.320 --> 00:42:28.110 The post-ups between Giannis and Bam, they tend to work. 837 00:42:28.610 --> 00:42:30.630 Davion Mitchell can operate out of pick and roll, and 838 00:42:30.650 --> 00:42:33.369 they've shown to get Klay Thompson a lot of good 839 00:42:33.409 --> 00:42:36.409 looks from deep, especially in after timeout plays. I think 840 00:42:36.469 --> 00:42:38.949 Coach Spoh continues to be one of the best in 841 00:42:38.969 --> 00:42:42.360 the league at generating those positive outcomes from ATOs. But 842 00:42:42.380 --> 00:42:45.000 at the same time, we know defenses love to wall 843 00:42:45.059 --> 00:42:47.599 up Giannis, and they love to force those jump balls 844 00:42:47.639 --> 00:42:50.300 when he puts his head down. They're sending multiple defenders 845 00:42:50.340 --> 00:42:52.619 to grab the ball or even jar it loose and 846 00:42:52.659 --> 00:42:56.320 force turnovers. And when these double teams happen, there isn't 847 00:42:56.360 --> 00:42:58.579 a go-to guy on the perimeter to be the emergency 848 00:42:58.619 --> 00:43:01.260 contact to get a bucket when the play breaks down. 849 00:43:01.980 --> 00:43:04.650 That guy was supposed to be Andrew Wiggins, but more 850 00:43:04.710 --> 00:43:07.929 often than not, it's Davion Mitchell and sometimes Bam, if 851 00:43:07.969 --> 00:43:11.230 he can even get the ball. And additionally, when I 852 00:43:11.250 --> 00:43:13.909 talk about that, I think the fit between Bam and 853 00:43:13.929 --> 00:43:17.179 Giannis has been clunky because although Bam is more than 854 00:43:17.219 --> 00:43:20.679 capable of converting from deep, He's a player that finds 855 00:43:20.719 --> 00:43:23.780 his rhythm around the dotted line with those close range shots. 856 00:43:24.159 --> 00:43:27.460 And unfortunately for him, Giannis thrives best in a five 857 00:43:27.559 --> 00:43:31.199 out offense. The Heat have the personnel to execute a 858 00:43:31.239 --> 00:43:33.900 five out offense, but at the same time, you risk 859 00:43:33.960 --> 00:43:39.349 Bam Adebayo not getting his rhythm because he's going to 860 00:43:39.369 --> 00:43:41.969 be forced to find it through three point shooting. And 861 00:43:42.010 --> 00:43:43.849 that's just not the best way to get their second 862 00:43:43.869 --> 00:43:46.329 best player in rhythm. He loves those close range jumpers 863 00:43:46.690 --> 00:43:48.909 and that's hard to do when you don't want Giannis 864 00:43:48.929 --> 00:43:51.670 sitting behind the three-point line either. I think that's been 865 00:43:51.690 --> 00:43:54.719 the huge difference despite the talent that's on this team. 866 00:43:55.219 --> 00:43:59.699 So clearly, the Heat are missing the offensive dexterity that 867 00:43:59.719 --> 00:44:01.940 they had last year with all those guards and wings. 868 00:44:02.380 --> 00:44:04.780 There aren't as many scorers and playmakers on this team 869 00:44:04.820 --> 00:44:08.030 as last season, and they're paying for it. The defense 870 00:44:08.070 --> 00:44:10.199 has to give a lot more than just sample sizes. 871 00:44:10.219 --> 00:44:12.699 They have to play for 48 minutes, but they seem 872 00:44:12.739 --> 00:44:14.619 to be stuck in between a rock and a hard 873 00:44:14.659 --> 00:44:17.559 place right now. Do they take pride on defense and 874 00:44:17.579 --> 00:44:21.039 then embrace a slow game like the Pistons, but struggle offensively? 875 00:44:21.500 --> 00:44:24.510 Or do they try to preserve their offense with fast play, 876 00:44:24.989 --> 00:44:27.809 even if they have to sacrifice the defensive effort until 877 00:44:27.849 --> 00:44:30.070 the fourth quarter and hope that the game is close 878 00:44:30.110 --> 00:44:33.690 enough for that to be formidable and sustainable moving forward? 879 00:44:33.769 --> 00:44:36.289 I think that's such a tough place to be in. 880 00:44:37.110 --> 00:44:39.530 When the Giannis trade went down, I had my

doubts 881 00:44:39.610 --> 00:44:42.989 at first. But then as the summer progressed, I felt 882 00:44:43.030 --> 00:44:45.829 more confident in a Giannis-led group. But even with my 883 00:44:45.889 --> 00:44:48.869 initial doubts, I would have never pictured it being this bad. 884 00:44:49.389 --> 00:44:51.250 Hopefully they can be one of those teams that turn 885 00:44:51.289 --> 00:44:54.190 it around as the season progresses. Kind of like what 886 00:44:54.329 --> 00:44:56.369 Kobe Bryant did with the 2012-2013 Lakers. I think if 887 00:44:56.409 --> 00:45:01.989 the heat can... Find a rhythm. I think that's kind 888 00:45:02.010 --> 00:45:04.530 of the trajectory that they're on. But even then, that's 889 00:45:04.650 --> 00:45:07.190 taxing on the body and still short of what the 890 00:45:07.230 --> 00:45:09.739 Heat want to accomplish. They've got some work to do 891 00:45:09.800 --> 00:45:13.320 for sure because they're struggling against bad teams. And that's 892 00:45:13.380 --> 00:45:15.980 not a good sign. And likely, I think there are 893 00:45:16.019 --> 00:45:17.719 going to be some moves to make if they really 894 00:45:17.739 --> 00:45:20.659 want to turn this thing around before what's bad becomes 895 00:45:20.800 --> 00:45:24.039 even worse. So, you know, I'm not saying I'm panicking, 896 00:45:24.380 --> 00:45:26.880 but I'm not saying I'm not sweating on behalf of 897 00:45:26.900 --> 00:45:31.840 this team either. The West is filled with hot streaks 898 00:45:32.039 --> 00:45:34.579 and many of the teams find themselves on each side 899 00:45:34.599 --> 00:45:36.840 of the spectrum. It'll be fun to see how it 900 00:45:36.880 --> 00:45:39.159 shakes up as the season continues. But as for the 901 00:45:39.219 --> 00:45:43.239 Miami Heat, here's to hoping that the culture that they 902 00:45:43.300 --> 00:45:47.210 market so much shows itself with yet another iteration of 903 00:45:47.250 --> 00:45:55.510 the team. We faced up the defense, created space, and 904 00:45:55.550 --> 00:45:57.670 now it's fit and we shoot. It's time for Make 905 00:45:57.690 --> 00:46:01.050 or Miss. First up, make or miss, will Luka Doncic 906 00:46:01.210 --> 00:46:06.130 average 40 points per game? Luka Doncic is averaging 40.1 907 00:46:06.130 --> 00:46:10.059 points per game on a career high, almost 50% from 908 00:46:10.079 --> 00:46:13.539 the field, 42% from deep for a guy that shoots 909 00:46:13.579 --> 00:46:17.119 a lot of step backs. and 87% from the line. 910 00:46:17.349 --> 00:46:20.929 That is insane to average 40 with those numbers. Luka 911 00:46:20.969 --> 00:46:23.630 Doncic is up there with Stephen Curry as far as 912 00:46:23.710 --> 00:46:27.369 mixing skill with natural talent and feel for the game 913 00:46:27.449 --> 00:46:30.139 in a way that helps them supersede what is possible 914 00:46:30.199 --> 00:46:32.739 to do on a basketball court. And that is the 915 00:46:32.800 --> 00:46:38.500 very polite, let's say eloquent, educated way for me to say, 916 00:46:39.219 --> 00:46:42.500 once again, that there are hoopers and there are basketball players. 917 00:46:43.619 --> 00:46:46.489 And then there are guys that just BS and that's 918 00:46:46.550 --> 00:46:49.739 Luka Doncic he gets whatever he wants I tweeted it 919 00:46:50.039 --> 00:46:53.559 he has a relationship with the rim where it does 920 00:46:53.619 --> 00:46:55.980 not matter what you do he is going to find 921 00:46:56.000 --> 00:46:58.019 a way to put that ball in the basket and 922 00:46:58.059 --> 00:47:00.659 that's what we've been seeing he is dissecting the defenses 923 00:47:00.739 --> 00:47:04.059 like he always does but even better and everything is 924 00:47:04.119 --> 00:47:07.670 falling it's like a video game out there and now 925 00:47:07.690 --> 00:47:10.559 I will say when I think about the possibility of 926 00:47:10.679 --> 00:47:12.889 averaging 40 points per game, I always think back to 927 00:47:12.969 --> 00:47:14.849 one of Michael Jordan's books. I don't remember which one 928 00:47:14.869 --> 00:47:17.070 it was. It's that big one. I think it was 929 00:47:17.090 --> 00:47:19.789 that big one, like the more like square shape one, 930 00:47:20.130 --> 00:47:24.929 like the picture book. And he admitted in there that 931 00:47:24.949 --> 00:47:28.570 he detailed how incredibly hard it is to average 40 932 00:47:28.570 --> 00:47:33.150 points per game for a season. Mike's career high was 37.1, 933 00:47:33.150 --> 00:47:36.110 if that number is correct. And for him to say that, 934 00:47:36.170 --> 00:47:40.119 I'm like, dang, you know, it's hard. And then my 935 00:47:40.139 --> 00:47:43.170 brain also says, well, if Mike couldn't do it, Kobe 936 00:47:43.210 --> 00:47:45.710 couldn't do it, and James Harden couldn't even do it 937 00:47:45.789 --> 00:47:49.550 with more higher volume of threes, what's the difference with 938 00:47:49.570 --> 00:47:52.670 Luka Doncic? Because again, Luka Doncic is very similar to 939 00:47:52.710 --> 00:47:56.099 James Harden in the sense where they can absolutely drop 940 00:47:56.179 --> 00:47:58.800 dimes and lead a team offensively, but they can also 941 00:47:58.860 --> 00:48:03.780 fill it up and score 50, 60, 70 points. So 942 00:48:04.260 --> 00:48:07.750 I find it hard to believe that Luka can keep 943 00:48:07.809 --> 00:48:10.849 up this pace for the next 70 plus games. But 944 00:48:11.030 --> 00:48:14.489 I think he can get very close. And honestly, if 945 00:48:14.530 --> 00:48:16.590 he doesn't, I would love to see it. I would 946 00:48:16.670 --> 00:48:18.550 love for it to be something like Russ with the 947 00:48:18.590 --> 00:48:21.110 triple doubles where it's like, dang, we thought we wouldn't 948 00:48:21.150 --> 00:48:24.070 see a guy like this ever again. Especially now when 949 00:48:24.090 --> 00:48:26.869 you look at the depth in the NBA, right? But 950 00:48:26.909 --> 00:48:28.769 the Lakers still have a

little bit of a roster 951 00:48:28.789 --> 00:48:32.940 where he could do that. But man, 24 shots, 14 threes, 952 00:48:32.940 --> 00:48:35.719 11 free throws a game for an 82 game season. 953 00:48:35.960 --> 00:48:38.719 I don't know, man, especially as much of a willing 954 00:48:38.760 --> 00:48:41.340 passer that Luka is. There will be games he may 955 00:48:41.380 --> 00:48:43.659 dial back a little bit. At least I would like 956 00:48:43.679 --> 00:48:45.659 to think so. And more blowout games and things of 957 00:48:45.679 --> 00:48:48.800 that nature. But at the same time, if he really 958 00:48:48.840 --> 00:48:51.139 keeps it up, this dude is also going to be 959 00:48:51.159 --> 00:48:53.420 getting triple teamed. He's going to be held off ball 960 00:48:53.460 --> 00:48:56.320 probably like Steph Curry. I think the numbers are just 961 00:48:56.340 --> 00:48:59.679 going to be bound to dip over time. But for 962 00:48:59.719 --> 00:49:02.059 the moment, this is a great run. This is going 963 00:49:02.079 --> 00:49:04.659 to be a historic run. He'll definitely end the year 964 00:49:04.980 --> 00:49:07.659 around 35 to 37 points per game, I believe. That's 965 00:49:07.699 --> 00:49:10.469 for sure. But I don't know about 40. I can't 966 00:49:10.489 --> 00:49:13.210 bring myself to say 40. So I got to classify 967 00:49:13.309 --> 00:49:15.289 that as a miss as even as much as I 968 00:49:15.329 --> 00:49:18.710 want it to be a make. Next make or miss 969 00:49:19.090 --> 00:49:22.599 the Sacramento Kings. trade Neek Clifford to the OKC Thunder. 970 00:49:23.139 --> 00:49:25.260 And I see this as a make. I mean, clearly 971 00:49:25.300 --> 00:49:27.920 this is a sneaky move by Sam Presti once again 972 00:49:28.239 --> 00:49:31.170 that allows the Thunder to get another young, solid scorer 973 00:49:31.210 --> 00:49:33.789 a chance to develop under their system and reap the 974 00:49:33.869 --> 00:49:38.190 fruits if his growth pays off. Somehow Nick Clifford fell 975 00:49:38.230 --> 00:49:40.429 out of the Kings rotation. I didn't even realize that. 976 00:49:41.130 --> 00:49:43.030 But now he's got a chance to bring a scoring 977 00:49:43.050 --> 00:49:45.090 spark for a team that has a bad injury bug 978 00:49:45.150 --> 00:49:48.039 right now, as we detailed last week. And when I 979 00:49:48.079 --> 00:49:49.880 looked at this trade, the first thing I thought of 980 00:49:49.920 --> 00:49:52.619 was that the Thunder take pride in AJ Mitchell variants. 981 00:49:53.199 --> 00:49:56.500 If you can shoot, attack closeouts, play out a pick 982 00:49:56.539 --> 00:49:59.239 and roll and handoffs, and find the middle of the floor, 983 00:49:59.610 --> 00:50:03.449 you're a perfect fit alongside Shea Gildress Alexander and Isaiah Hartenstein. 984 00:50:03.989 --> 00:50:06.909 Neek Clifford fills that skill set and should find minutes 985 00:50:07.750 --> 00:50:10.670 as a low-risk move, but if it goes well, once again, 986 00:50:10.730 --> 00:50:13.130 the rich get richer. Again, it's another player that the 987 00:50:13.230 --> 00:50:16.190 Oklahoma City Thunder can trust to make decisions with the basketball, 988 00:50:16.510 --> 00:50:20.840 score in the mid-range, Just do the basics because so 989 00:50:20.880 --> 00:50:22.880 much of it is going to be around Shea Gildress Alexander. 990 00:50:22.940 --> 00:50:25.059 If you can hold your own when the ball finds you, 991 00:50:25.380 --> 00:50:27.659 you're going to thrive in OKC. And that's exactly what 992 00:50:27.699 --> 00:50:29.639 I think is going to happen with this trade for 993 00:50:29.679 --> 00:50:32.679 Neek Clifford. So I see this as a make for sure. 994 00:50:33.659 --> 00:50:36.079 Next make or miss, Chris asked Porzingis to step away 995 00:50:36.139 --> 00:50:39.789 from basketball to prioritize his health. Now, selfishly, I wanted 996 00:50:39.829 --> 00:50:43.309 to qualify this as a miss, but obviously I have 997 00:50:43.349 --> 00:50:45.809 it as a make because it's just smart for him 998 00:50:45.849 --> 00:50:49.019 to do. It sucks that Chris Asporzingas' career has come 999 00:50:49.039 --> 00:50:51.840 to this point as the constant on and off was 1000 00:50:51.880 --> 00:50:54.559 just not ideal for him, not ideal for his teams. 1001 00:50:55.400 --> 00:50:58.300 And he still managed to have a lot of success 1002 00:50:58.409 --> 00:51:00.590 in this league. One of the better rookies of his 1003 00:51:00.630 --> 00:51:04.389 draft class. He was a consistent 20.7 rebound, two blocks 1004 00:51:04.429 --> 00:51:06.969 guy who could pull from the logo and play above 1005 00:51:06.989 --> 00:51:10.070 the rim. Chris Asporzingas was a very fun watch and 1006 00:51:10.110 --> 00:51:11.969 a very key player on a lot of the teams 1007 00:51:11.989 --> 00:51:14.630 he played for. I know he had some sour endings 1008 00:51:14.650 --> 00:51:17.849 with some of them, but he was a quality player. 1009 00:51:18.510 --> 00:51:20.150 And I know there was a tweet that went viral 1010 00:51:20.190 --> 00:51:24.840 that said watching Chris Asporzingas is like watching a prehistoric Wimby. 1011 00:51:25.360 --> 00:51:27.380 And I thought that was so accurate because he does 1012 00:51:27.420 --> 00:51:29.219 a lot of the same things. People got to remember 1013 00:51:29.579 --> 00:51:32.519 Chris Asporzingas was coming off pin downs in Dallas and 1014 00:51:32.559 --> 00:51:34.579 he showed the handle a little bit in New York. 1015 00:51:34.619 --> 00:51:37.360 He was pulling from the logo. He was dunking and 1016 00:51:37.400 --> 00:51:40.340 having these put back dunks. Like he was always a 1017 00:51:40.400 --> 00:51:42.500 streaky guy when the shot was falling. He was a 1018 00:51:42.639 --> 00:51:46.639 total package inside and out. And that's why he gradually 1019 00:51:46.679 --> 00:51:50.300 became a great trade target as his career progressed, right? 1020 00:51:50.619 --> 00:51:52.820 You want

somebody that can do all those things. Those 1021 00:51:52.860 --> 00:51:55.550 guys don't grow on trees, man. And Chris Stapps was 1022 00:51:55.630 --> 00:51:58.030 one of those guys. And I think that's why I 1023 00:51:58.199 --> 00:52:01.840 just hate the way that this, you know, this could 1024 00:52:01.880 --> 00:52:04.630 very well be his retirement, his goodbye to the game. 1025 00:52:05.079 --> 00:52:07.099 But I'm happy that he was able to get a 1026 00:52:07.179 --> 00:52:09.760 ring with the Boston Celtics. Like, that's special. You know, 1027 00:52:09.800 --> 00:52:12.679 not a lot of guys get that, man. So if 1028 00:52:12.719 --> 00:52:15.909 this is truly it, heck of a career for Chris Asporzingas. 1029 00:52:16.250 --> 00:52:18.369 He still managed to accomplish a lot of feats that 1030 00:52:18.429 --> 00:52:20.670 a lot of guys don't get to do. And he 1031 00:52:20.710 --> 00:52:23.389 should be proud of his career. I'm praying for his 1032 00:52:23.489 --> 00:52:26.159 physical and mental health as he steps into this next chapter. 1033 00:52:26.780 --> 00:52:29.599 which isn't always easy for athletes to find, especially when 1034 00:52:29.619 --> 00:52:32.639 they go through kind of adversity like this. So definitely 1035 00:52:32.679 --> 00:52:35.650 praying for Chris Asporzingas. But man, if this is it, indeed, 1036 00:52:36.510 --> 00:52:40.269 shout out to him, man. Excellent career, excellent player. Hate 1037 00:52:40.289 --> 00:52:42.829 that he didn't get to truly reach the top of 1038 00:52:42.849 --> 00:52:45.050 the top again. But man, he had a lot of flashes. 1039 00:52:45.190 --> 00:52:49.980 All-star caliber player. Absolutely fun to watch. Great talent. And 1040 00:52:50.000 --> 00:52:53.159 then last make or miss, Nike is allegedly going to 1041 00:52:53.239 --> 00:52:55.500 move on from the City Edition jerseys and do a 1042 00:52:55.639 --> 00:52:59.340 crafted edition starting next year. And I see this as 1043 00:52:59.380 --> 00:53:04.780 an absolute miss. Heck no. This is a brick. Word 1044 00:53:04.860 --> 00:53:08.110 on the street is that these crafted jerseys next year 1045 00:53:08.150 --> 00:53:10.650 are going to follow what we've seen in the Spectre 1046 00:53:10.690 --> 00:53:13.409 jerseys this season. If you look at the uniforms that 1047 00:53:13.429 --> 00:53:16.690 will be worn in select games by the NBA's original franchises, 1048 00:53:17.150 --> 00:53:20.630 those jerseys. And, you know, when I think about Nike 1049 00:53:20.670 --> 00:53:23.469 and all these jerseys, the city jersey was a really 1050 00:53:23.530 --> 00:53:27.019 cool concept until you realize that they were changing every year. 1051 00:53:28.099 --> 00:53:29.599 And I think it just would have been way better 1052 00:53:29.619 --> 00:53:33.099 to keep the fan favorites. But instead, they ran through 1053 00:53:33.159 --> 00:53:36.719 so many jerseys, they rarely became memorable anymore. There's a 1054 00:53:36.760 --> 00:53:38.809 few that stick out. You think of the the Phoenix 1055 00:53:38.829 --> 00:53:42.110 Suns Valley jerseys. You know, the Chicago Bulls have had 1056 00:53:42.150 --> 00:53:45.110 a nice rotation. You know, some teams have done well and, 1057 00:53:45.349 --> 00:53:47.030 you know, we're going to remember some jerseys, but for 1058 00:53:47.050 --> 00:53:49.409 the most part, I've seen jerseys where I've been like, 1059 00:53:49.570 --> 00:53:52.329 I forgot that this team even wore those. That's how 1060 00:53:52.369 --> 00:53:55.489 many jerseys they've ran through. And I also think that 1061 00:53:55.710 --> 00:53:57.880 the way that they're printed, right? The jerseys just don't 1062 00:53:57.909 --> 00:54:02.260 have the same character and stitching process that Adidas used 1063 00:54:02.320 --> 00:54:05.760 and that Reebok used. So it's just weird altogether. They 1064 00:54:05.780 --> 00:54:07.739 lost a lot of flavor with the jerseys. I'm just 1065 00:54:07.780 --> 00:54:10.429 not a fan of this Because I think what's about 1066 00:54:10.449 --> 00:54:12.840 to happen, especially if they're going to go into this 1067 00:54:12.889 --> 00:54:16.500 weird crafted era, this is only going to endorse, I think, 1068 00:54:16.599 --> 00:54:19.599 minimalistic garbage that might as well go straight to the 1069 00:54:19.639 --> 00:54:23.760 JCPenney back-to-school catalog by the summer. That's exactly what I 1070 00:54:23.800 --> 00:54:25.489 believe Nike is about to do. And I say that 1071 00:54:25.550 --> 00:54:27.409 as a Nike guy. But when it comes to these 1072 00:54:27.530 --> 00:54:30.329 NBA jerseys, they just haven't done the best job. And 1073 00:54:30.369 --> 00:54:33.769 that's exactly where I think they're headed with these jerseys. 1074 00:54:33.829 --> 00:54:38.059 So this is a miss to me. As much as 1075 00:54:38.119 --> 00:54:41.000 I hate to end this show with such an ugly miss, 1076 00:54:41.460 --> 00:54:43.760 we still shot 50% from the field. So I guess 1077 00:54:44.099 --> 00:54:47.380 there's a silver lining. Although we can't be content, plenty 1078 00:54:47.400 --> 00:54:50.340 of season left to shoot better, especially after that miss. 1079 00:54:51.719 --> 00:54:53.820 But with that, we have made it to the end 1080 00:54:53.860 --> 00:54:56.679 of another episode. If you liked this episode, please don't 1081 00:54:56.719 --> 00:54:59.329 be shy and let me know. Honest reviews and ratings 1082 00:54:59.389 --> 00:55:02.670 on all podcast platforms are greatly appreciated as it helps 1083 00:55:02.710 --> 00:55:05.239 that algorithm grow. know that they need to get into 1084 00:55:05.260 --> 00:55:07.070 the mid post and more people need to learn how 1085 00:55:07.090 --> 00:55:10.289 to score in the mid post and enjoy this NBA 1086 00:55:10.349 --> 00:55:12.929 content from your boy. Please be sure to follow the 1087 00:55:12.969 --> 00:55:15.889 socials at mid post pod on Twitter and Instagram at 1088 00:55:15.929 --> 00:55:18.380 Desmond Powell underscore on Tik TOK, as well as the 1089 00:55:18.480 --> 00:55:21.659 aforementioned platforms. So you stay connected with the show, but 1090 00:55:21.699 --> 00:55:24.000 in the meantime, I'll catch you in the post next week. 1091 00:55:24.480 --> 00:55:38.739 Peace out and God bless. Thank you.