Zone Coverage: Central Division Over/Under (2026-27)

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Podcast Collective is back.
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And uh we're gonna talk about a specific division.
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We call this our zone coverage, and basically we will be going through the outcomes of each an individual team in the central division, and we will continue this process until we get all of the divisions done.
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I am your host Vince, and uh we're gonna get to this and also gonna get to some things that also happened.
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Like we waited all day, October 1st, waiting for the inevitable situation with Jalen Dorn, and it finally came to pass.
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He did sign his contract.
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We'll get into it, and also where this actually puts Detroit in the process of winning a very competitive Eastern Conference.
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We'll also talk about other teams in that division, obviously Milwaukee, Cleveland, Indiana.
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Uh, and um we will hope to sort out where these teams are going to be at at the end of the year.
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So, with all that being said, let me take you a little bit behind the scenes of October 1st when we were looking for this information, shall we?
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So obviously we get up, have a coffee, October 1st.
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We know that at some point in the day we're gonna get the qualifying offer, or we're gonna get the some sort of long-term deal with Jalen Dorn and the Detroit Pistons.
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Boy, did they not disappoint on the drama?
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You know, people had to miss dinners, people, you know, I'm sure people were in mid-cocktail when their phones started blowing up, and then our guy was signed, sealed, delivered, and uh he is signed for $200 million over five years, and we'll get like I said, we'll get into all of that when we talk about the pistons.
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So, buckle up.
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We got a good podcast for you, and let's hit it, shall we?
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What's good everybody, and welcome to Front Cup Front of the Podcast Collective.
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This is where we talk like friends, we argue like cousins, and we still walk out a little bit smarter than we came in.
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I am Vince, I am your host, your occasional hoop therapist, your absolute favorite bad influence when it comes to completely reckless NBA overreactions that low-key make perfect sense, and we are here to set the table.
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You know how we dive into the film, you know we have our own observations, and it just contributes to the grown conversations that we have about the NBA, about the players, about the coaches, about the front office, and how how everybody's actually moving.
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We're gonna talk about blank checks, the contracts, the rumors in the locker room, and the PR span that goes behind it.
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We're actually gonna have verified receipts.
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Now we will bring jokes, we will bring advanced math and exact barbershop ammo that you will need to take back to your group chats and completely nuke the argument.
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If you're an NBA sicko like myself who wants more than the highlight talk, well, you've come to the right place because we're not we're gonna give you things in context, we're gonna give you the numbers and a point of view that makes sense.
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So you're in the right spot.
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So let's go.
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Like I said, we're gonna be talking about the central division today, and we're gonna go through each individual team, we're gonna tell you their uh win-loss projection, and would they go over that and why they will or will not, and kind of give you an overall view of what this team looks like and what they're trying to achieve in this situation.
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And what we're gonna end up doing is we're gonna go through every team, but we're gonna go obviously in descending order.
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So we're gonna go from the team that probably has the lowest projections to the highest projections, right?
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Build the drama, all of that sort of thing.
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So we will be doing that.
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So we will start with the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Milwaukee Bucks are coming into this season, obviously, without Giannis and Tacumpo for the first time in a over a decade.
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He's led that team, he's been a part of great victories, great seasons, and he's the all-time leading scorer.
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He's probably the best Milwaukee Buck of all time.
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Some people will still probably say Kareem out do Jabbar, but he played a lot longer than Kareem, so therefore, our guy, Giannis, will be missed in Milwaukee.
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So, what is the aftermath of Giannis Anthony Kumpo leaving?
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Well, they damn sure made sure they damn sure made it where they got a lot of conversation back as in players.
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I don't know about draft picks, but in players, they got a lot back, so we're gonna get to that.
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I will tell you right now that their win-loss record is at uh bet MGM is at twenty-six and a half.
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So I will have to say that if I was looking at this team, knowing that last year they went 32 and 50 with a negative 6.3 net rating on offense, um, and they were 27th on defense.
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The 26 and 56 records seems hard to believe when you th when you know that Giannis missed a lot of games.
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He only played in 36 games last year.
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That's for their bad record that they had, but they went 32 and 50.
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So if you're losing 63% of the minutes of your best player, and then you transfuse this uh team with players like Tyler Hero and Jaime Hawkes Jr.
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and Khalel Ware and our guy uh Caspis Yakachunis.
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You know saying so how good is it gonna be?
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I don't know, but we're gonna work through it, we're gonna talk about it, and we're gonna go from there.
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First thing that we need to kind of establish is this team is a pokery of players.
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I honestly do not know, and I you know, I can't wait to di delve into this team early in the season and see who's playing where and how much of their playing.
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Because you have the old guard from the team, which would be your um Miles Turner's of the world, your AG Greens of the world, and you know, you got those holdovers, the Ryan Rollins of the world, Gary Trent Jr., and then you have this influx of Miami heat, heat culture with Jaime Hawkes Jr.
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and the rest.
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So, what is this team gonna look like?
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Well, the two things that we need to establish here is that they did get a piece back that I'm very interested in, and that's Calair Ware.
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Caler Ware will provide some rim protection that they will absolutely need.
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He was a plus 0.8 in the LeBron metrics, which is in the 82nd percentile, and a plus 1.8 in multi-year defense on the LeBron metric, which is in the 92nd percentile.
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He's on a rookie deal, obviously, and he and Miles Turner should provide the rim protection for the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Now, I don't know if they'll stagger those two, play them together.
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Khalil Ware is cultivating a three-point shot.
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We know Miles Turner can shoot the three-point shot a little bit.
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He's not prolific.
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Both of the guys are not prolific, but if you were hoping basic uh betting on upside when it came to one of those two, it would be Khalil Ware.
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Can he shoot it a little bit better?
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Can those numbers increase over his time in Milwaukee?
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Maybe so.
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Right now, we're looking at both of them being basically a 32 to 33% shooting uh big.
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So you can't sit there and absolutely bank on it that it's gonna hit, but the proof of them shooting it and the proof of them hitting it at a halfway decent rate for big is there now, so you have something to go off of there.
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Now their steady influence on this team uh is probably Ryan Rollins.
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Ryan Rollins grades out at like the 95th percentile uh using the metrics, and Tyler Hero also is at the 92nd percentile on the three-point shooting uh prowess.
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Now, hopefully Tyler Hero doesn't get into any uh fisticuffs when it comes to his teammates.
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We all know what happened in summer league with BAM out of bio.
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We hope that that issue never returns onto itself again.
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But Tyler Hero is a sharp shooter, and if he can stay healthy, and with the amount of bigs, and also the uh the the steady influence of Ryan Rollins, which is a he's a good little heady player.
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I like Ryan Rollins a lot, and I hope that with now new head coach Taylor Jenkins, who comes over from the Memphis Grizzlies, who sported a 200 a 250 and 214 record while in Memphis and three playoff trips.
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So this is a good coach that's coming over who's steadying that ship.
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Obviously, Doc Rivers lost that team last year and they just went into the toilet.
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But the covers aren't there, like we talked about.
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They got Hero now.
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Hero's defense is not great, right?
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It's not.
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But with the two bigs, whether they they um put them out together or they stagger them, you're gonna have pretty good rim protection at all times when you come to the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Now, also you have a guy like Jaime Hawkins Jr.
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who can definitely play some isolation defense.
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Ryan Rollins can play some defense as well, so they do have some guys that you sit there and you go, okay.
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Alright.
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Now the guys that I'm very, very interested in, and we'll talk about their their draft situation momentarily, but they did pick up Braden Burries and also Nate Amit in this last draft.
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Now, you would sit there and ask me, hey Vince, why is that important?
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The reason why that is important is because these are two young guys who have a lot of upside.
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Braden Burries really showed out at Arizona.
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He was 16.1 points a game, he was uh 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists.
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He shot 49% from the field, he shot 39% from three, and he shot 80% from the free throw line.
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So he had a true shooting percentage of 62.3%.
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He also had an assist to turnover ratio that was a positive 1.67.
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And this is as a two-guard.
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Okay, he's not really a point, he's more of a combo guard.
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I think he can get you buckets.
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He's also stout, he's like 6'4, about 200, 205 pounds.
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This guy is ready to play NBA basketball right now.
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My whole thing is that with the guys in front of him, what is his developmental pathway?
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You'll hear me say that a lot when it comes to uh guys who are obviously in the lottery, especially somebody like Braden Burris.
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We would like to see his development grow because to tell you the truth, as we start to talk about the Milwaukee Bucks further and further, you're gonna start to see where it might be in their best interest to kind of trade away trade away what they built up in players.
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And I think that's one of the reasons why they got the players in the first place, is because once we start talking about their draft capital and how those coverts are pretty barren at this point in time, you're gonna see the importance of what Braden Burries is gonna mean to this team, and also if you can swing big, and they did swing big with their second first round pick, which is Nathan Mitt.
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Now, Nathan Mitt comes out of Tennessee, he had a real up and down year.
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He started off terrible.
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This guy was supposed to be like a top five uh draft pick when we started the draft process last year.
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Um, once one thing that we're gonna let you know here at Frontrunner Podcast Collective, we'll be doing a lot of draft.
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Uh, shout out to our guys at No Ceilings who really do the heavy lifting, but we do our own work here as well, and we kind of put them together and then come up with a consensus of what we think these prospects are gonna be.
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Now, I'm gonna tell you right now, when it comes to Nathan Mint, I was not big on this kid at all.
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Um, I thought he was skinny, which he still is.
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I thought he was not terribly physical.
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He kind of floated around the perimeter.
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I don't like that when you are 6'10, 6'11 dude.
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I it drives me crazy that you don't take the ball into the trees.
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Now he is 6'10, he's 211 pounds, so he's quite thin.
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Now, as the season went on, he shot the ball better.
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Now, his overall numbers, not great.
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He did put up 16.7 points a game, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists.
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Now he shot the ball terribly, but he shot the ball terribly early as it went on later in the year, he started to shoot the ball a lot better.
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So the overall numbers are he shot 40% from the field total.
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He did shoot the three-point shot at a 33% clip, and he shot uh 79% of his free throws.
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That's all, listen, not great, but when you start to look at the numbers in the second half, that's when you start to see the 48% of his uh field goal percentage, that's when you start to see the 37% of the three-point shot, and that's when you also start to see the 84% of the free throw shooting.
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Now, again, he's still slight.
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He's walking into a league where you know Giannis lives in this league, right?
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And I hate to bring that up from Milwaukee Bucks fans because I'm sure it's still tender at this point, and you're gonna have some lean years, but those are the two kids that you kind of need to lean on.
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It's like he those two kids, Ryan Rollins and Khalil Ware, if you're gonna hold on to where.
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We might talk about that a little bit later though.
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So hold on.
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Now, when it comes to their asset leisure, uh they hold as far as their picks are concerned.
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You got Tyler Hero and the money, but this is where their picks are.
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Next year, this this upcoming year, 2027, that pick is owed to New Orleans or Atlanta, depending on who has where it all where it ends up.
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2028 ends up in Portland or Washington, and they hold the swap rights.
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Now, there's a pick that also in 2029 that conveys to Portland as well.
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Uh now the 2030, you got Portland, Miami swap rights, and then 2031, they own their pick plus Miami's unprotected.
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So for the next four years, the Milwaukee Bucks do not have picks, they're not in control of any other draft compensation whatsoever.
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So that brings me back to Tyler Hero.
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That also brings me back to Miles Turner.
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So what I am saying is that yes, Tyler Hero is there, he's a hometown hero.
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Oh, the pun was not is it is a terrible pun.
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But if you can get Tyler Hero to showcase his skills and hide his defensive kind of negative outcomes, he can put the ball in the basket at a pretty effective level.
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And if he can show that he can do it for a team that is lottery bound, no doubt, you could probably trade him at the trade deadline to a team who is desperate, and then you can go ahead and get a draft pick back, or maybe two, depending on how over barrel you have this team.
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With that being said, the the reclamation project that is Miles Turner, who had probably his worst career season last year.
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Now, I don't blame him totally.
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You know, Doc Rivers was there, and there was just a lot of upheaval going on, and it just wasn't working.
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Now they gave him a big contract, and this is where people will go, I don't know, dog.
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I don't know about that one.
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Because he owed $26.6 million for the next three seasons.
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That's a lot of money when it comes to the center position.
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And Miles Turner is no screen chicken.
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This dude is now over 30, so we're not paying for uh upside, we're paying for production.
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And last year, he had his least productive season since his rookie year.
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He is a good defender, he can get out on the wings on the perimeter, he can also hold it down as far as blocking shots when it comes to um at the rim.
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But the problem is that he's never being like a super duper scorer or anything like that, and paying somebody like Miles Turner $26.6 million a year is uh I would consider that a bad asset right now.
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So can you curate can you curate his reclamation project to make him um more viable when it comes to trades?
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Because right now you'd have to give up stuff to trade Miles Turner.
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Let's just be honest about what we're looking at.
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So if he is not a piece that you can kind of discard and get something for, that brings me back to Killel Ware.
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And it brings me back to Hi Jaime Highcast Jr.
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Now here's some kids who are still young, like I uh Khalel Ware is not even twenty twenty-four yet, and also Jaime Hotcast Jr.
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is not I don't even think he's twenty five, twenty-six.
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So here's some guys who on winning teams can play a role.
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Now, Khalel Ware has the huge upside, so that's the guy who you think that might can be able to get you a bunch of picks back when it comes to that.
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Um so if he you can get him to play well and you can showcase him, this is where you can start making inroads on Reclaiming picks back to fill your coffers so you're not absolutely barren when it comes to the next three years because it looks bleak in Milwaukee right now.
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Now, here's some things that you need to know.
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The Milwaukee Bucks do not have any incentive to tank because that pick goes somewhere else.
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If that pick is gone, so you gotta really play hard.
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The great thing is they have a ton of depth and they have a ton of options when it comes to every basic position when it comes to their team.
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Now, is it any great piece?
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No.
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This is why I think that the development of Braden Berry's and Nate Amit and Khalil Ware are critical to what they're trying to achieve.
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Because if you can get Khalil Ware to be something that people are very interested in, and who isn't interested in a rim-protecting big that can shoot threes who's hella athletic?
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Okay?
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Let's not, you know, I see a lot of lobs to Khalil Ware this year in his future, and then if he can bang out the threes at a decent level, which he was on his way to doing in Miami, I think you might have something, and then you might be able to recoup some of the things that you've lost in your last couple prior trades.
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Now, you want to ask me where they're gonna end up this year?
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If Vegas is saying that they're gonna end up with 26, you know, they're over-under 26.5, I'm gonna take the over simply because of two things.
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One, Taylor Jenkins can manufacture an offense, and he has a lot of different type of pieces to be able to do that.
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You also have the steadying hand of Ryan Rollins and Tyler Hero with a bunch of depth behind them.
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So if Braden Burries is getting minutes behind Tyler Hero and um maybe taking over the reins for Ryan Rollins and kind of, you know, it's like a rotation of three guards there, I think you will be able to really do something when it comes to that.
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Now, do I think that the Milwaukee Bucks have a chance of being like 500 or anything like that?
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No, I do not.
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If they win 30 games this year, it is an absolute moment in time for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Milwaukee Bucks organization.
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So don't get too hyped, but they'll play their ass off because, again, they don't have anything to tank for.
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And I know we're not supposed to use that word anymore.
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Let's call it strategic uh letting go of the rope at the end of the year and what have you.
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Let's do it that way, right?
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So I would think that right now you're gonna get the best version of the Milwaukee Bucks.
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That's not really a lot of fair shakes, but it is something to look forward to.
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And really, if you're a Milwaukee Bucks fan, what you're looking for is three things.
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Again, it's Kaleware and his growth and his development, and is it a piece that is so tantalizing that you gotta keep?
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Because remember, Khalil Ware is a legit seven-footer.
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He's also, again, pretty damn athletic.
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He's gonna block your shots, uh, he's very hyperactive when it comes to defense.
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He can go out and uh shoe three-point shooters from the corners and things of that nature, and then he can also chase down blocks, which is great.
00:25:55.519 --> 00:26:07.119
The tantalizing thing when it comes to him is this are you sure that he's part of your future?
00:26:07.119 --> 00:26:52.000
And what I mean by that, it might be a situation where you have to rip off the band-aid and trade him because he might be able to get you two first-round picks and like two second-round picks, and you might say, Well, that's not a huge haul, it's not the Desmond Bain haul that Memphis got from Orlando, but it is a step in the right direction when your coffers are as empty as the Milwaukee Bucks, but I have them going over 26 and a half, so we are going to move down to Chicago, and Chicago has a lot of interesting things going on.
00:26:52.000 --> 00:27:06.319
One, their overunder is 27.5 games, so not a lot to see here, supposedly, but there is a lot going on in Chicago that we need to kind of catch ourselves up with.
00:27:06.319 --> 00:27:09.039
Do they have talent?
00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:11.519
They do, and we'll get to it.
00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:17.359
Uh, last year they went 31 and 51, they had a negative net rating of 5.1.
00:27:17.359 --> 00:27:26.240
Uh they were through the analytics, they were supposed to be 29 and 53.
00:27:26.240 --> 00:27:33.759
That's their per their Pythagorean record, but they ended up two games above that, which is great.
00:27:33.759 --> 00:27:37.920
Uh, they played at the second fastest pace in the league.
00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:42.480
They were outshot by 3.6 attempts a game.
00:27:42.480 --> 00:27:49.279
Uh courtesy of NBA.com, and they ranked 19th in three-point efficiency.
00:27:49.279 --> 00:27:53.359
Now, why is this all important?
00:27:53.359 --> 00:27:55.119
Two things.
00:27:55.119 --> 00:28:14.319
They have Norman Powell, who is, I can tell you right now, before he even played a regular season game, Norman Powell is a trade asset, and look for him to be on the move come early February or what have you.
00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:16.079
So keep that in mind.
00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:20.559
But Norman Powell's on this team, he's gonna get you bucky while he's here.
00:28:20.559 --> 00:28:48.319
You got Josh Giddy, you got also uh Nick Clask uh Claxton who comes over from Brooklyn, who's gonna show up your be the your big man as far as that's concerned, and then what makes this team kind of interesting is Caleb Williams, and we'll get to him, but let's talk about what they have on the squad right now.
00:28:48.319 --> 00:28:50.799
What have we seen from Giddy?
00:28:50.799 --> 00:29:04.960
Well, he's an elite creator, he grades out at the 99th uh percentile on playmaking uh talent, and he's 99 on the assists uh assist points per 75.
00:29:04.960 --> 00:29:12.000
Now his offensive LeBron is a plus 1.28, which is at the 90s percentile.
00:29:12.000 --> 00:29:18.079
So this dude gets buckets, he gets but he gets buckets for other players, he puts Peeko in good positions.
00:29:18.079 --> 00:29:24.079
Now, a guy that um I have a lot of interest in as a Lakers fan is Jalen Smith.
00:29:24.079 --> 00:29:32.160
Jalen Smith has had a pretty good kind of renaissance in Chicago, so I like him a lot.
00:29:32.160 --> 00:29:37.759
I think that's gonna be real uh awesome when it comes to that.
00:29:37.759 --> 00:29:44.880
I also like that they got Buddy Healed in the Rob Dillingham trade a couple days ago.
00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:50.000
He shoots 35%, he is a volume three-point shooter.
00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:56.559
He is his uh career average is 39.5% from three.
00:29:56.559 --> 00:30:00.640
Can't really be angry at that at all.
00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:16.000
Now, Tiago Splinter uh Splitter takes over for uh Gilly Donovan who left, Splitter, who went 42 and 40 as the interim coach in Portland last year.
00:30:16.000 --> 00:30:21.519
I think you got a guy who really understands the game, he can teach it to the young kids.
00:30:21.519 --> 00:30:34.720
That's what you got here, and that's what you're looking for when it comes to rebuilding what Chicago has been in the past, and you know, it's been a long time since Chicago's been really relevant.
00:30:34.720 --> 00:30:46.880
Now, you know, you had that that blip when Derek Rose was healthy, and it just disappeared, you know, due to his knee injuries and things of that nature.
00:30:46.880 --> 00:30:49.039
It was you know, it was a heartbreak.
00:30:49.039 --> 00:30:56.720
But you can see in Chicago that they're really coming around.
00:30:56.720 --> 00:31:11.200
Giddy and Buzelis are nice little fun foundational pieces that you have, and I can't wait to continue to see their growth and development with one another and how it all works out with those two.
00:31:11.200 --> 00:31:29.519
Now, when you talk about those two, they're gonna be a really big team because if you got Nick Claxton at the five, you got Boozelis, and you got Giddy, we haven't even talked about Caleb Wilson.
00:31:29.519 --> 00:31:36.319
Now, Caleb Wilson was the number one, it was the number four overall draft pick in the 2026 draft.
00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:39.440
Now, he only played 24 games at North Carolina.
00:31:39.440 --> 00:31:45.440
He put up almost 20 points a game, damn near 9.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:49.519
He shot the ball at a 57.8% clip.
00:31:49.519 --> 00:31:54.880
He did not shoot the three well at North Carolina, but you know where he shot it well at?
00:31:54.880 --> 00:31:56.240
Summer League.
00:31:56.240 --> 00:31:59.359
This dude had a real coming out party.
00:31:59.359 --> 00:32:03.920
This dude looked like a superstar in Summer League.
00:32:03.920 --> 00:32:12.720
Now, his interior defense and his rebounding are what got him to the top four situation.
00:32:12.720 --> 00:32:26.319
But his three-point shooting was a revelation at Summer League, and if that's going to hit, and that's what it's going to be, man, did Chicago end up with an absolute stud.
00:32:26.319 --> 00:32:43.200
This could really jump start uh just good vibes in Chicago and a upward trajectory that I'm sure the Chicago Bulls fans that uh have been holding on.
00:32:43.200 --> 00:32:49.920
Just hold on to anything that looks like potential hope.
00:32:49.920 --> 00:32:55.119
I know it's getting some lean gears for you guys in Chicago.
00:32:55.119 --> 00:32:56.079
I know.
00:32:56.079 --> 00:32:59.759
But this guy right here is legit.
00:32:59.759 --> 00:33:03.519
I think that he is going to be a stud in the NBA.
00:33:03.519 --> 00:33:07.519
Now, his development is really on him.
00:33:07.519 --> 00:33:10.720
It's gonna be that three-point shot.
00:33:10.720 --> 00:33:14.079
Which position is he best suited for?
00:33:14.079 --> 00:33:15.680
The three of the four.
00:33:15.680 --> 00:33:35.200
He's very athletic, he's a big kid, but uh right now all we're looking for is him to get out there and play, catch some lobs from Giddy, get real hype with uh Boozelis, you know, and talk a lot of trash and show some swag.
00:33:35.200 --> 00:33:48.000
We're not expecting him to light the world on fire this year, but I think this kid has a definite shot uh at rookie of the year, the way he played in summer league.
00:33:48.000 --> 00:33:56.640
Now I know the other kids, and we'll, you know, get to them when their time comes or whatever, because you know, we're gonna break down each division.
00:33:56.640 --> 00:34:08.800
So we'll get to the AJ DeBancers of the world, we'll get to Derek Peterson and things of that nature, but I think this kid has a legit shot at doing something really special.
00:34:08.800 --> 00:34:10.800
So we'll see how it all goes.
00:34:10.800 --> 00:34:19.519
But Caleb Williams is definitely a guy that I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time on NBA League pass watching.
00:34:19.519 --> 00:34:25.519
And that brings us to the second rookie, which is Dalen Swain out of Texas.
00:34:25.519 --> 00:34:32.960
He put up 17.3 points a game, 7.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists.
00:34:32.960 --> 00:34:52.400
He shot the ball very uh fairly well, 54% from the field, 34.4% from three, but what gives you pause and what also gives you hope is that he shot at 81.5% from the free throw line.
00:34:52.400 --> 00:34:59.760
And I'm gonna tell you right now, that's one of the biggest indicators that this dude has touched and that that three-point shot could go up.
00:34:59.760 --> 00:35:05.199
Now he's going from the college three-point line to the pro three-point line.
00:35:05.199 --> 00:35:13.519
He did not show very well in summer league, but also keep in mind, he's a lower first-round draft pick.
00:35:13.519 --> 00:35:19.360
We're not expecting him to blow up, but he does a he's like a Swiss Army knife.
00:35:19.360 --> 00:35:20.320
Alright.
00:35:20.320 --> 00:35:27.519
He can rebound, he can pass a little bit, play some defense, he's long, he's athletic.
00:35:27.519 --> 00:35:29.920
I like Dalen Swain a lot.
00:35:29.920 --> 00:35:36.639
Now, it will be up to him on his where he's gonna fit in.
00:35:36.639 --> 00:36:02.800
But I think that Tiago Splitter has a has a situation where we saw him resurrect Denny Abdia of the Trailblazers, and I think if you think about the way that Denny Abdia plays the game, I think we have a chance of seeing Dalen Swain be sort of like a Denny Obdia light.
00:36:02.800 --> 00:36:08.480
So a little bit more athletic, but that's who I'm thinking of.
00:36:08.480 --> 00:36:18.000
Now, what holds him back from being like pure Denny Abdia is the 2.7 turnovers a game.
00:36:18.000 --> 00:36:20.400
That is a red flag.
00:36:20.400 --> 00:36:24.000
So I'll say this about Cleveland.
00:36:24.000 --> 00:36:46.880
You got Buzelis, you got Nick Claxton, you know, you got uh a strong foundation of guys to build on with now you adding Caleb Williams to the mix, or Caleb Wilson to the mix, Caleb Williams talking about the Chicago Bears quarterback, man.
00:36:46.880 --> 00:36:48.079
This is crazy.
00:36:48.079 --> 00:36:57.039
Anyways, you have some talent, you have some young talent that you can go ahead and really mold, and again, you got the right coach for it.
00:36:57.039 --> 00:37:12.480
It's all gonna be you're in a really hard-hitting division, you're in a division that's gonna be hyper competitive because it's gonna be you really are gonna be the anchor with Milwaukee of that division.
00:37:12.480 --> 00:37:20.719
The other three teams that are Indiana, Cleveland, and Detroit are gonna be the hammer to your nail.
00:37:20.719 --> 00:37:33.840
So you're gonna have to get victories off like Brooklyn, you're gonna have to get victories off of the you know, near the well of the other people in the Eastern Conference as well.
00:37:33.840 --> 00:37:38.800
Because there is the talent at the top is just ridiculous right now.
00:37:38.800 --> 00:37:42.719
And as we go through division by division, you'll start to see that.
00:37:42.719 --> 00:37:48.800
Because we're about to get into the high-rent destroy in this division after we talk about the Chicago Bulls.
00:37:48.800 --> 00:37:53.599
So, what to watch for in Chicago is this development, development, development.
00:37:53.599 --> 00:37:59.840
See whether Splitter starts Smith over Claxton or Claxton starts.
00:37:59.840 --> 00:38:02.400
Does Jalen Smith start at all?
00:38:02.400 --> 00:38:05.360
Is Caleb Wilson earmarked for a position?
00:38:05.360 --> 00:38:06.559
I would think so.
00:38:06.559 --> 00:38:20.480
I think if you have that high of a draft pick, you let that kid go, you let him learn through his mistakes, and you allow that developmental pathway, his developmental pathway to be as wide berth as possible.
00:38:20.480 --> 00:38:26.000
I think also we are looking for another jump up for uh Matos Guzelis.
00:38:26.000 --> 00:38:33.599
And they are going to be playing Washington in the opener first month of the season.
00:38:33.599 --> 00:38:36.559
They that means AJ Devanster comes to town.
00:38:36.559 --> 00:38:41.280
That means that Caleb Wilson will be hyped and it will be awesome.
00:38:41.280 --> 00:38:44.000
Now, we did talk about Norman Powell.
00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:53.519
Norman Powell will get you buckets through fake through like the early through January and maybe like the very early part of February.
00:38:53.519 --> 00:39:17.199
But do not go out and buy a Norman Powell jersey because I'm gonna tell you right now, unless you bought it on an MX card, you need to have that jersey insurance replacement, because he will be a trade uh candidate for sure come February.
00:39:17.199 --> 00:39:21.280
Now, where do we think that Chicago will be at?
00:39:21.280 --> 00:39:24.800
27 and a half games is not a lot of games.
00:39:24.800 --> 00:39:30.880
They I think that Tiago Splitter can get them to play a little bit better than that.
00:39:30.880 --> 00:39:36.719
Personally, I think 30 games aren't out of the question when it comes to the Chicago Bulls.
00:39:36.719 --> 00:39:39.039
I think they're a team that's gonna play hard.
00:39:39.039 --> 00:39:54.719
And I think if you come in to Chicago and you've had like a long road trip or whatever the case may be, you can get got in Chicago, especially with the talent they have that they have put together so far.
00:39:54.719 --> 00:39:59.599
It's just young and it needs to be nurtured and it needs to be kind of manicured.
00:39:59.599 --> 00:40:03.440
But I like what Chicago's doing.
00:40:03.440 --> 00:40:12.559
It took them a while to go ahead and rip the band-aid off and go ahead and get to this point, but I like the little foundation that they have.
00:40:12.559 --> 00:40:18.639
Um, obviously, Giddy has to shoot the three at a at a decent level.
00:40:18.639 --> 00:40:30.079
Buzelis still has to work on his three ball, and if again, if Caleb Will Wilson's three is legitimate, look out.
00:40:30.079 --> 00:40:45.039
Maybe not this year, but put a couple more drafts together like this, and we're gonna be talking about something pretty damn special in Chicago.
00:40:45.039 --> 00:40:55.920
Now I'm not gonna say championship, but I'm gonna say, hey, you know, you wanna get back to that playoffs playing in you know in the spring, playing legitimate, meaningful games.
00:40:55.920 --> 00:41:01.360
You got a really nice foundation to do that off of.
00:41:01.360 --> 00:41:06.239
Speaking of nice foundation, let's get to the Indiana Pacers.
00:41:06.239 --> 00:41:26.159
The Pacers To me, remember this team was uh one game away in the twenty twenty five NBA finals, and then Tyrese Halliburton absolutely ripped up his Achilles.
00:41:26.159 --> 00:41:34.719
Now, when we were le when we last saw them, it was not great.
00:41:34.719 --> 00:41:41.039
And of course, if you take Tyrese Halliburton off your squad, it's probably not gonna be great.
00:41:41.039 --> 00:42:03.199
So they went 19-63 and did do not have any draft conversation to speak of because they made a trade and we'll talk about who they picked up in a second, which is uh uh Evita Zubots from the Clippers, and that number five overall pick, Keaton Waggler, went to the Los Angeles Clippers.
00:42:03.199 --> 00:42:06.639
So, what you say, what do they have?
00:42:06.639 --> 00:42:11.760
Well, they got Tyrese Halliburton, and the band is back together, damn it.
00:42:11.760 --> 00:42:13.440
That's what they have.
00:42:13.440 --> 00:42:19.920
Okay, they have a lot of good stuff that we don't need to worry about.
00:42:19.920 --> 00:42:25.679
Tyrese Halliburton is back, that means that Nimhar goes to his regular position.
00:42:25.679 --> 00:42:34.159
That means that we don't need to see an overabundance of shooting from um our guy Aaron Neismith.
00:42:34.159 --> 00:42:41.280
He can go back to his role, and now you have a legit seven-footer who's a really good rebounder.
00:42:41.280 --> 00:42:49.360
You're gonna have to make some augmentations to the offense, which listen, Rick Carlisle is a genius when it comes to this.
00:42:49.360 --> 00:42:56.480
You also got Pascal Siakum, so, and you got uh OB Toppin off the bench and then a couple other guys.
00:42:56.480 --> 00:42:58.960
So, Indiana's back.
00:42:58.960 --> 00:43:05.840
Now, they're in the they're in the central and they're in the east, which is one of the most competitive.
00:43:05.840 --> 00:43:15.199
Um this is gonna be one of the most competitive Eastern conferences that we uh uh battles that we've ever seen.
00:43:15.199 --> 00:43:18.079
Because there's a lot of good teams out there.
00:43:18.079 --> 00:43:24.559
Yes, the bad is really bad, but the good is really freaking good.
00:43:24.559 --> 00:43:27.760
Remember, the Knicks are the defending champions.
00:43:27.760 --> 00:43:31.280
Boston, yes, might have lost Jalen Brown, but that's a good team.
00:43:31.280 --> 00:43:32.960
It's still a good team over there.
00:43:32.960 --> 00:43:35.920
Philadelphia is locked and loaded.
00:43:35.920 --> 00:43:38.719
And then we talk about the teams in.
00:43:38.719 --> 00:43:42.159
We talked about we're gonna be talking about the teams in Central.
00:43:42.159 --> 00:43:47.599
Remember, in the in the South, we got Orlando, they got a lot to prove.
00:43:47.599 --> 00:43:49.360
Miami has Giannis.
00:43:49.360 --> 00:43:51.039
Charlotte's on the rise.
00:43:51.039 --> 00:43:54.079
I think they'll dip back a little bit when it comes to that.
00:43:54.079 --> 00:43:58.559
Atlanta is looking to do big things this year as well.
00:43:58.559 --> 00:44:07.679
So Indiana is in a real dog fight for Eastern Conference supremacy.
00:44:07.679 --> 00:44:13.519
But if there's any team that I would go ahead and put some faith in, it would be the Pacers.
00:44:13.519 --> 00:44:24.239
Because one thing, I think that Tyrese Halliburton was on the on the verge of being such an elite player.
00:44:24.239 --> 00:44:31.679
Remember, this kid was basically he controlled their offense.
00:44:31.679 --> 00:44:43.280
You know, you had guys like and you still have guys like Siakam who are, you know, creating 25.6 points a game per seventy-five.
00:44:43.280 --> 00:44:52.719
You got Obi Toppin who shoots 63.7% of true shooting, which is at the eighty 85th percentile.
00:44:52.719 --> 00:44:59.199
So you got a lot to kind of go off of when it comes to the Indiana Pacers.
00:44:59.199 --> 00:45:01.519
Their starting five is legit.
00:45:01.519 --> 00:45:04.000
And now you got a visa zubots.
00:45:04.000 --> 00:45:11.920
And here's a guy who is gonna set rugged screens, and he is going to roll to the basket.
00:45:11.920 --> 00:45:15.039
He's also a really good passer in the short roll.
00:45:15.039 --> 00:45:21.360
I think that that's a new wrinkle to the offense that you did not have with uh Miles Turner.
00:45:21.360 --> 00:45:26.800
Actually, I thought Miles Turner Turner was a shaky uh passer to begin with.
00:45:26.800 --> 00:45:28.880
I think you upgrade there.
00:45:28.880 --> 00:45:52.079
Um the rebounding is definitely gonna upgrade with uh Evisa Zubots for sure, and I think it gives Halliburton another guy to play off of, but the one thing that Halliburton will absolutely appreciate with Zubots is that he sits bone crushing picks.
00:45:52.079 --> 00:46:06.000
Okay, that pick and roll game is about to get real dangerous because when Zubot steps out to the perimeter, yeah, he's not gonna shoot it, but you gotta get around him, and that's a big boy.
00:46:06.000 --> 00:46:14.639
That's a seven-footer who's like 265-270 pounds, and he leans into all of it.
00:46:14.639 --> 00:46:16.719
Does he like physicality?
00:46:16.719 --> 00:46:18.159
Very much so.
00:46:18.159 --> 00:46:28.880
Does he want to allow his guards and his slashing wings to be set free from the uh defender who is guarding him?
00:46:28.880 --> 00:46:35.519
100%, and he will do everything in his power to do so, and you are going to feel it.
00:46:35.519 --> 00:46:43.840
You're gonna need a bunch of ice packs after the game when it comes to a visa zoobots in a pacers uniform.
00:46:43.840 --> 00:46:46.960
I think Indiana Pacers fans are gonna love him.
00:46:46.960 --> 00:46:48.079
I really do.
00:46:48.079 --> 00:46:58.079
So, yeah, does Zubot's transition um to the Pacers mean a lot?
00:46:58.079 --> 00:46:59.840
Yes, one hundred percent.
00:46:59.840 --> 00:47:11.840
And I think that you will see him really, in a sense, be that protector for Tyrese Halliburton.
00:47:11.840 --> 00:47:23.840
Tyrese is going to be a ball-dominant dude, he's gonna have the ball in his hand a lot, his uh usage was like at 35% when he was healthy.
00:47:23.840 --> 00:47:25.679
I don't see that changing.
00:47:25.679 --> 00:47:30.239
So some of the schematics with him I don't see changing.
00:47:30.239 --> 00:47:37.440
I look at this team and go, you know, they're gonna make this run.
00:47:37.440 --> 00:47:49.760
Cause see Siakam is starting to get up their age, and his price tag is now at 48.9 million, which hey, if you're winning or you get into the NBA finals, this is great.
00:47:49.760 --> 00:48:02.559
But when you're 32 years of age, you start to think about what that cliff is gonna look like, and you start making business decisions, and especially if you're the Indiana Pacers, this is something that you do.
00:48:02.559 --> 00:48:06.960
You gotta you gotta divest at the right time.
00:48:06.960 --> 00:48:11.199
You gotta go in at the right time, and you gotta divest at the right time.
00:48:11.199 --> 00:48:30.880
And I think that if for some reason the Pacers don't reach the mountaintop this year, I think that there'll be real hard discussions, sober discussions about Pascal Siakum when it comes to whether they're gonna trade him or not and kind of retool the team on the fly.
00:48:30.880 --> 00:48:35.039
So if the Pacers are gonna do something, they're gonna do it this year.
00:48:35.039 --> 00:48:46.320
If for some reason they get off to some kind of slow start or whatever the case may be, they might not be able to get the absolute return they want for Pascal Siakam at the trade deadline.
00:48:46.320 --> 00:48:57.199
They might have to wait till the end of the year in the offseason and you know have uh Pascal Siakam on the trade block, but I think this is a really good team.
00:48:57.199 --> 00:49:01.199
I think that Zoo, I think that Obi Topkin off the bench is dynamic.
00:49:01.199 --> 00:49:05.360
He can get you anywhere between 13 to 17 points off the bench.
00:49:05.360 --> 00:49:18.559
Um, you know, TJ McConnell is gonna be very TJ McConnell when it comes to just being a complete pest on the court and getting good shots for your players.
00:49:18.559 --> 00:49:23.360
Now it will be the shepherds of the world, they're gonna have to step up.
00:49:23.360 --> 00:49:30.239
Um that bench has not really produced anything other than Obi Talkman.
00:49:30.239 --> 00:49:39.039
So I will we'll be very interested to see what happens with the the shepherds of the world and what have you.
00:49:39.039 --> 00:49:41.599
So um stay tuned for that.
00:49:41.599 --> 00:49:54.159
We will see if they are able to do anything when it comes to that, but make no bones about it.
00:49:54.159 --> 00:49:56.320
This is a playoff team.
00:49:56.320 --> 00:50:16.000
I don't think this is a play-in team, this is a playoff team, and I think we have a lot of uh time and and and I think we can confidently say that this team is definitely going to uh win more than 44 and a half games.
00:50:16.000 --> 00:50:17.519
You know what I'm saying?
00:50:17.519 --> 00:50:24.719
I mean, if that's the if that's the watermark that we're looking at, 44 and a half is easy.
00:50:24.719 --> 00:50:26.559
That's easy money.
00:50:26.559 --> 00:50:29.519
Go ahead and take the over on that.
00:50:29.519 --> 00:50:35.440
Now, is Halliburth is Halligurton gonna be rusty?
00:50:35.440 --> 00:50:36.800
I don't think so.
00:50:36.800 --> 00:50:38.480
I do not think so.
00:50:38.480 --> 00:50:48.239
I think they he I think they're because how competitive the East is, I'm not gonna sit here sit here and say they're gonna win 55 games or anything.
00:50:48.239 --> 00:50:50.320
But could they win 50?
00:50:50.320 --> 00:50:52.320
Could they win 51?
00:50:52.320 --> 00:50:53.280
Yeah.
00:50:53.280 --> 00:50:58.639
I think the Pacers can go 51 and 31 in a competitive East.
00:50:58.639 --> 00:51:02.880
I think that's where you're gonna end up being, somewhere like that.
00:51:02.880 --> 00:51:10.400
But the you don't have to worry about the 19-63 that you were last year unless something catastrophic happens.
00:51:10.400 --> 00:51:14.719
So that's my thoughts on the Indiana Pacers.
00:51:14.719 --> 00:51:23.360
Now that we talked about the Pacers and their 44 and a half wins, let's talk about a team.
00:51:23.360 --> 00:51:31.840
Now that we've talked about the Pacers, let's talk about some of their teams that they have to worry about.
00:51:31.840 --> 00:51:41.519
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in a assessment kind of standby situation.
00:51:41.519 --> 00:51:45.920
What I mean by that is that they're all in this year again.
00:51:45.920 --> 00:51:51.039
They picked up James Harden, they went 21 and 9 over that time.
00:51:51.039 --> 00:51:57.199
They had an offensive rating of 126.7.
00:51:57.199 --> 00:52:07.599
Harden and Mitchell during the regular season is a absolute dynamo of a backcourt.
00:52:07.599 --> 00:52:13.679
Harden's talents are undeniable undeniable.
00:52:13.679 --> 00:52:25.039
He is one of the best um step back uh three shooting guys in the league.
00:52:25.039 --> 00:52:30.079
He can get to the basket when he wants.
00:52:30.079 --> 00:52:36.079
He can manipulate a defense at any point in time.
00:52:36.079 --> 00:52:39.679
I'll get to the other stuff in a second, but let's give him his flowers.
00:52:39.679 --> 00:52:45.519
James Harden is is a is a real dude, and he's been a real dude for a very, very long time in this league.
00:52:45.519 --> 00:52:47.679
That's why he continues to get paid.
00:52:47.679 --> 00:52:51.360
Is he the best defense defensive player in the world?
00:52:51.360 --> 00:52:53.599
No, he's not.
00:52:53.599 --> 00:52:56.400
But can he play adequate defense?
00:52:56.400 --> 00:52:57.920
Yeah, he sure can.
00:52:57.920 --> 00:53:02.400
Donovan Mitchell is an absolute dynamo, offensive dynamo.
00:53:02.400 --> 00:53:09.760
He is explosive, he can he can explode for 55 points any given night.
00:53:09.760 --> 00:53:17.599
He's and the funny part about Donovan Mitchell is that I know they lift him at like what six foot four or whatever the case may be.
00:53:17.599 --> 00:53:35.360
Donovan Mitchell's like 6'2, he just got long ass arms, and he's just super duper fucking athletic, and he is an absolute killer when it comes to regular season getting buckets.
00:53:35.360 --> 00:53:38.880
Now, this team is stacked.
00:53:38.880 --> 00:53:44.079
The Cavaliers, Kenny Atkinson has a stacked team.
00:53:44.079 --> 00:53:52.320
Evan Mowgli is a former defensive player of the year, he provides the ramp protection that you would want.
00:53:52.320 --> 00:54:00.000
Uh, you also got Jared Allen, who is also one of the best defensive players in the league.
00:54:00.000 --> 00:54:05.360
And now you have Peyton Watson, who you got in a signing trade.
00:54:05.360 --> 00:54:06.960
And let me tell you something.
00:54:06.960 --> 00:54:12.320
Peyton Watson, I wanted him to be a Lakers so bag, but I will say this.
00:54:12.320 --> 00:54:23.039
It's it is a it's not a big sample size, but you're not asking Peyton Watson to carry the team.
00:54:23.039 --> 00:54:40.239
What you're asking him to do is the thing that he should be able to wake up, fall out of bed doing, being an absolute menace on the defensive end, providing pressure on ball, and being a menace in the passing lanes.
00:54:40.239 --> 00:54:51.840
Get out and run, get your points that way, and when we finally go ahead and get into that half court offense, we need you to stand in the corner and shoot some threes.
00:54:51.840 --> 00:55:11.519
And if he can do that with the amount of talent they have on this team, I think that Peyton Watson's ability and what he showed in that month where Jokic wasn't there, and he put up career numbers.
00:55:11.519 --> 00:55:15.920
I think that Cleveland really has something.
00:55:15.920 --> 00:55:28.079
Honestly.
00:55:28.079 --> 00:55:37.119
Now again, his defensive his defensive uh prowess is unmatched.
00:55:37.119 --> 00:55:43.280
This dude is a 97 97th percentile isolate isolation defender.
00:55:43.280 --> 00:55:58.719
His catch and shoot efficiency is 95th percentile, and then you have dudes like off the bench, you have dudes like uh Dean Wade, Max Struce, uh Schroeder, you know what I'm saying?
00:55:58.719 --> 00:56:00.800
You got enough dudes.
00:56:00.800 --> 00:56:03.920
Oh, we haven't even talked about Jalen uh Tyson.
00:56:03.920 --> 00:56:09.440
So the covers aren't bare in Cleveland.
00:56:09.440 --> 00:56:47.199
Yes, you will have to stagger the bigs to make sure you got enough shooting on the court, but I think with now Peyton Watson there, you got another kind of athletic person who is a legitimate six foot eight, who can provide that where he can slide down to that four position very easily, and then you could bring in another high-level defender who can shoot the three and help out with the corner threes, and you still got Donovan Mitchell and you got James Harden to do the real offensive heavy lifting that they're able to do.
00:56:47.199 --> 00:56:54.320
My whole thing with the Cleveland Cavaliers is the same exact thing that it's been the last two or three years.
00:56:54.320 --> 00:57:07.760
Either you're gonna get more aggression from Evan Mowgli or some more nasty from Jared Allen, or you're gonna go home again, and you're never getting to the finals.
00:57:07.760 --> 00:57:10.559
And that's all there is to it.
00:57:10.559 --> 00:57:17.920
Because here's the thing as much as I love James Harden as far as what he's able to do, it doesn't work in the playoffs.
00:57:17.920 --> 00:57:33.679
We've we've asked and we've tried, but it doesn't work, and James Harden uh ghosting you like after a date or whatever the case may be, is definitely gonna happen in the playoffs.
00:57:33.679 --> 00:57:37.840
You're gonna sit there and look around and go, where is James Harden at?
00:57:37.840 --> 00:57:40.400
And he is gonna be nowhere to be found.
00:57:40.400 --> 00:57:47.599
All that production you saw in the regular season is gonna dry up, and it's just gonna be gone.
00:57:47.599 --> 00:57:50.880
Now, Donovan Mitchell still puts up points in the playoffs.
00:57:50.880 --> 00:58:00.480
The only thing with Donovan Mitchell is that he's been in Utah and he's been in Cleveland, and we still have not seen an NBA finals appearance for this guy.
00:58:00.480 --> 00:58:14.320
And the one thing that we said when he was with Darius Garland is that backcourt too small, and now we say to you again, not that it's too small, James Harden is not a really good defensive player.
00:58:14.320 --> 00:58:43.039
Donovan Mitchell is athletic enough to be a good defensive player, but if you put him in pick and roll action, and now you gotta guard LeBron, or you gotta guard OG Anobi, or you gotta guard Jason Tatum, or you gotta guard Jalen Brown, it's a difficult ask of somebody who is 6'2, who is also carrying such an offensive burden for you.
00:58:43.039 --> 00:58:53.199
This is why we've been asking for Evan Mowgli to step up and just be the guy who we thought you were going to be.
00:58:53.199 --> 00:58:59.440
I thought this was the second coming of Chris Bosch, honestly, and we have not gotten there.
00:58:59.440 --> 00:59:04.639
We've seen glimpses of it, we've seen it, it's not like it's oh, it's not there at all.
00:59:04.639 --> 00:59:06.880
No, no, no, no, it's there.
00:59:06.880 --> 00:59:11.440
We just never seen it completely realized yet.
00:59:11.440 --> 00:59:27.760
And this is the year because if for some reason, with all this talent that has been put together by Kobe Altman, and Kobe Altman has done a fantastic job with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
00:59:27.760 --> 00:59:30.000
Make no mistake about that.
00:59:30.000 --> 00:59:34.320
But this is the year where they have to put it all together.
00:59:34.320 --> 00:59:38.639
You can't cry about all this, that, the other.
00:59:38.639 --> 00:59:53.440
Kenny Atkinson can't come out here talking about well, our our uh evaluated field goal percentage will lead us to believe that we would have won that series nine out of ten times.
00:59:53.440 --> 00:59:55.760
Bro, nobody wants to hear that.
00:59:55.760 --> 00:59:58.559
Not one person wants to hear that.
00:59:58.559 --> 01:00:01.199
You need to go out and win.
01:00:01.199 --> 01:00:07.760
You need to grab this season by the throat and win.
01:00:07.760 --> 01:00:22.559
You have the talent, you have now a guy who can definitely defend the wing at a high level, so you should be able to counteract the Jalen Browns and the Jason Tatums of the world with Peyton Watson.
01:00:22.559 --> 01:00:24.239
Because here's the other thing.
01:00:24.239 --> 01:00:28.400
2027, 2029 first are gone.
01:00:28.400 --> 01:00:34.159
2028 first round pick is in a swap triangle.
01:00:34.159 --> 01:00:38.719
The 2031 pick went to Denver in the Peyton Watson deal.
01:00:38.719 --> 01:00:43.119
The 2033 pick is frozen because of your cap situation.
01:00:43.119 --> 01:00:46.800
Y'all see what I'm getting at, right?
01:00:46.800 --> 01:00:48.719
In Cleveland.
01:00:48.719 --> 01:00:50.800
I know y'all don't want to hear it.
01:00:50.800 --> 01:00:52.480
I know y'all don't want to hear it.
01:00:52.480 --> 01:01:00.639
But I'm gonna tell you right now, if for some reason Cleveland does not get it done, expect change.
01:01:00.639 --> 01:01:02.960
Now, will it be Donovan Mitchell?
01:01:03.199 --> 01:01:03.519
No.
01:01:04.480 --> 01:01:05.760
Not saying that.
01:01:05.760 --> 01:01:08.480
But Evan Mowgli gonna have to go.
01:01:08.480 --> 01:01:10.800
Or Jared Allen gonna have to go.
01:01:10.800 --> 01:01:17.440
You can't pay Jared Allen $30 million and be like, oh, he's not that type of big.
01:01:17.440 --> 01:01:24.000
He's not a big where you sit there and I he can get me offense on his own.
01:01:24.000 --> 01:01:26.800
He is not that dude.
01:01:26.800 --> 01:01:52.639
He is reliant on James Harden feeding him blocks and getting put back, you know, off the rebounds, and running, you know, being athletic and running the court and beating his the his uh his center matchup up the court and then hitting him with a lead ahead pass and him scoring.
01:01:52.639 --> 01:02:08.480
But if you're asking him to like end like half court offense, go on the block and then get me like a turnaround little baby hook or whatever the case may be, or turnaround 12-footer, that is not Jared Allen's game.
01:02:08.480 --> 01:02:11.599
So, this is the year.
01:02:11.599 --> 01:02:18.960
Evan Mowgli finds the aggression that he's so been searching for.
01:02:18.960 --> 01:02:37.280
Jared Allen needs to step up and be a little more aggressive on these screens, and also make sure when you we get to the postseason, you out here putting up a wall, and it's not just a throw.
01:02:37.280 --> 01:02:46.719
Peyton Watson needs to go ahead and hold it down and and be able to neutralize some of these wings that he's gonna be asked to defend.
01:02:46.719 --> 01:03:02.320
And you know, Donovan Mitchell is gonna have to carry this team a little bit and hope that when James Harden does go MIA, it's on the it's on a night where Donovan Mitchell is on a heater.
01:03:02.320 --> 01:03:05.599
Do I think Cleveland is going to contend in the East?
01:03:05.599 --> 01:03:06.800
Yes, I do.
01:03:06.800 --> 01:03:14.079
Do I think that Cleveland has a chance to win more than 47 and a half games?
01:03:14.079 --> 01:03:16.400
They should.
01:03:16.400 --> 01:03:21.440
Could the pressure finally have caught up to him though?
01:03:21.440 --> 01:03:28.719
Because we know that this is the year where you you know this is the proven year.
01:03:28.719 --> 01:03:43.119
Lot of weird things happen when you know that the ultimatum is like, hey, if you don't get it together this year, we're gonna have to make a lot of changes.
01:03:43.119 --> 01:03:45.760
Cause then people start playing for themselves.
01:03:45.760 --> 01:03:48.639
You start to see independent contractors out there.
01:03:48.639 --> 01:03:52.400
Now, I think Kenny Atkinson can hold it together.
01:03:52.400 --> 01:03:56.000
I think he's the type of dude that can handle that situation.
01:03:56.000 --> 01:04:05.360
I think that uh the kid they got from um was it Arkansas, whatever the case may be, Malik Anderson, I think he's going to be very good.
01:04:05.360 --> 01:04:10.800
I think he might be a you know kind of energizer bunny off the bench.
01:04:10.800 --> 01:04:13.920
Do I think that Cleveland should win about 50 games?
01:04:13.920 --> 01:04:25.360
Yeah, I think this the whole Eastern Conference at the top, that 50 to whoever ends up winning 55 games, probably gonna win the East.
01:04:25.360 --> 01:04:28.800
Because there's too many good teams at the top.
01:04:28.800 --> 01:04:32.639
Now, this is provided no injuries or whatever.
01:04:32.639 --> 01:04:41.199
We have some sort of long-gated injury by one of these top teams, then I can see them definitely falling by the wayside and whatever.
01:04:41.199 --> 01:04:55.440
But if we are turning off the injury situation on 2K, and we're saying that Cleveland is going to be with their dudes mostly, their over, under is 47 and a half, they should go over.
01:04:55.440 --> 01:05:02.559
The problem is that again, this is a season where it's a make or break.
01:05:02.559 --> 01:05:07.199
You start to see people going into business for themselves.
01:05:07.199 --> 01:05:13.920
And hey, James Harden isn't it is not above it.
01:05:13.920 --> 01:05:16.320
He's not above it at all.
01:05:16.320 --> 01:05:24.400
So with that being said, this is a big crew of year for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
01:05:24.400 --> 01:05:31.360
I think they're immensely talented, but it all falls on not Donovan Mitchell, not James Harden.
01:05:31.360 --> 01:05:35.440
I am going to tell you exactly who is going to fall on.
01:05:35.440 --> 01:05:39.760
Evan Mobley needs to be the guy who we thought he was going to be.
01:05:39.760 --> 01:05:44.159
He needs to go ahead and average like 19 to 21 points a game.
01:05:44.159 --> 01:05:48.960
He needs to go ahead and get his get his shit together with his rebounds.
01:05:48.960 --> 01:05:59.440
He needs to be more assertive on the offensive end and be that third guy that the Cleveland Cavaliers have been looking for, and not just this mismatch, pokery.
01:05:59.440 --> 01:06:03.440
Situation that they've been going through for like the last three years.
01:06:03.440 --> 01:06:05.920
Evan Mobley needs to be the dude.
01:06:05.920 --> 01:06:11.760
Really, to tell you the truth, he really needs to be the number two, and James Harden moves to the number three.
01:06:11.760 --> 01:06:14.719
But shit, I know I'm probably asking a lot.
01:06:14.719 --> 01:06:18.400
Evan Mobley needs to step up.
01:06:18.400 --> 01:06:21.840
We need to see the guy that they drafted.
01:06:21.840 --> 01:06:24.800
Um early lottery.
01:06:24.800 --> 01:06:28.400
What six years ago, six, seven years ago?
01:06:28.400 --> 01:06:33.199
We've been waiting, and it needs to happen.
01:06:33.199 --> 01:06:41.519
And that leads us to a guy and to another big that had a lot of questions to answer.
01:06:41.519 --> 01:06:45.599
And his situation just got real interesting.
01:06:45.599 --> 01:06:48.079
And that leads us to the Detroit Pistons.
01:06:48.079 --> 01:06:51.840
The Detroit Pistons won 60 games last year.
01:06:51.840 --> 01:06:54.079
They were the number one seed.
01:06:54.079 --> 01:06:57.280
Um the number two seed.
01:06:57.280 --> 01:07:04.559
They took and lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
01:07:04.559 --> 01:07:12.400
The market wants you to think that they will have a 10 and a half win drop in wins.
01:07:12.400 --> 01:07:18.239
Now, Kay Cunningham is paid.
01:07:18.239 --> 01:07:33.519
And then under the wire, they paid their 22-year-old center $200 million for five years.
01:07:33.519 --> 01:07:36.400
And you say, Vince, this is a good thing.
01:07:36.400 --> 01:07:46.719
And I agree with you.
01:07:46.719 --> 01:07:49.760
Here's my question.
01:07:49.760 --> 01:08:02.159
I'm about to go through it here in Los Angeles.
01:08:02.159 --> 01:08:10.880
Because if you don't think Austin Reeves is under the microscope with his contract that he just got, you got another thing coming.
01:08:10.880 --> 01:08:15.039
The reality is, is with that money comes great responsibility.
01:08:15.039 --> 01:08:23.520
And Jalen Duran can tell me all the things, and he can be salty about how negotiations went and whatever.
01:08:23.520 --> 01:08:43.600
The reason why Trajan Langdon had a pause when it came to giving Jalen Duran $200 million, which is an AAV of $40 million a year, is because does he get his own offense?
01:08:43.600 --> 01:08:49.119
Is he a absolute shutdown defender?
01:08:49.119 --> 01:08:52.239
They were 60 and 22 last year.
01:08:52.239 --> 01:08:56.800
Cade Cunningham missed 18 games and they still won 60.
01:08:56.800 --> 01:09:03.039
Cade's shot quality is all all be it because he is the guy.
01:09:03.039 --> 01:09:06.479
He has to take some questionable shots.
01:09:06.479 --> 01:09:15.199
Because if you look behind him, if you look behind Kate, who is it?
01:09:15.199 --> 01:09:25.039
One of the best athletes I've seen on the court.
01:09:25.039 --> 01:09:29.520
He's like a 99%ile athlete.
01:09:29.520 --> 01:09:31.119
Can't shoot a lick.
01:09:31.119 --> 01:09:36.640
Jalen Doran is a 20 and 10 type of dude.
01:09:36.640 --> 01:09:40.960
Is he the best defensive player in the whole world?
01:09:40.960 --> 01:09:41.600
No.
01:09:41.600 --> 01:09:44.960
And how is he getting those 20 points a game?
01:09:44.960 --> 01:09:49.199
Who's spoon feeding him, you know, most of those points?
01:09:49.199 --> 01:09:51.199
Oh, that'll be Cade Cunningham.
01:09:51.199 --> 01:09:56.960
Kate Cunningham is a straw that stirs the drink, no doubt.
01:09:56.960 --> 01:10:03.920
But also, he's the he is the offensive engine for a lot of people on that team.
01:10:03.920 --> 01:10:07.600
And then you got John Collins, right?
01:10:07.600 --> 01:10:10.319
Okay, here's the thing.
01:10:10.319 --> 01:10:16.239
Duncan Robinson is there to give you space.
01:10:16.239 --> 01:10:19.680
Okay, there's your th your movement three-point shooter.
01:10:19.680 --> 01:10:25.840
You also picked up Isaiah Joe, another terrific movement shooter.
01:10:25.840 --> 01:10:30.479
I don't know what he's gonna do on the defensive end for you, but I do know this.
01:10:30.479 --> 01:10:32.560
He's gonna get you some buckets.
01:10:32.560 --> 01:10:34.319
They got John Collins.
01:10:34.319 --> 01:10:44.800
Now, John Collins has shot the ball uh a lot better when it comes to three-point shooting and whatever the case may be lately.
01:10:44.800 --> 01:10:53.119
That thumb that finger still looks ugly as hell, but he finally started to shoot the three a little bit better.
01:10:53.119 --> 01:10:58.319
But he's not you can't depend on John Collins.
01:10:58.319 --> 01:11:06.880
You can't depend on remember they were depending on Tobias Harris last year, and they still won 60 games.
01:11:06.880 --> 01:11:09.520
That is the greatness of Kay Cunningham.
01:11:09.520 --> 01:11:23.680
That is the greatness of also their coach JB Bakerstaff saying, hey, we are gonna play all out, tough ass deep tough ass minded defense, and we're gonna get this done.
01:11:23.680 --> 01:11:25.840
Now, here's the thing.
01:11:25.840 --> 01:11:28.479
And we're gonna say the quiet part out loud.
01:11:28.479 --> 01:11:32.319
Everybody plays hard in the playoffs.
01:11:32.319 --> 01:11:44.960
Yeah, you can win a lot of games in a regular season because you're out efforting people, but when it comes to the crucible of the playoffs, you're not gonna be able to do that.
01:11:44.960 --> 01:11:49.439
A Sar Thompson's defensive LeBron is 2.93.
01:11:49.439 --> 01:11:51.359
That's a hundred percentile.
01:11:51.359 --> 01:11:57.439
His steals are 2.56 in 70 in 75 possessions.
01:11:57.439 --> 01:12:00.079
One of the toughest assignments in the league.
01:12:00.079 --> 01:12:01.279
That's all great.
01:12:01.279 --> 01:12:04.319
You still can't hit a jump shot, my brother.
01:12:04.319 --> 01:12:10.960
Are we expecting John Collins to become some kind of like volume three-point shooter?
01:12:10.960 --> 01:12:16.640
Or is it does it all fall on Duncan Robertson and also Isaiah Joe?
01:12:16.640 --> 01:12:24.319
Now those guys are up to the task, no doubt, when it comes to shooting threes and getting those numbers out there.
01:12:24.319 --> 01:12:41.680
And maybe they will be the the the guys you need to go ahead and provide the the space the space that Cuttingham needs to operate in in a driving situation and to unlock what Jalen Durant is.
01:12:41.680 --> 01:12:44.640
But I still think you need more.
01:12:44.640 --> 01:12:47.840
I still think you need more.
01:12:47.840 --> 01:12:54.479
Isaiah Stewart gone, Tobias Harris gone.
01:12:54.479 --> 01:12:57.600
You know what I'm saying?
01:12:57.600 --> 01:13:11.439
So again, when you got Giannis in Miami, you got Jalen Brown and LeBron in Philly, you got Kawhi Leonard in Toronto, and Tyrese Halliburton is back.
01:13:11.439 --> 01:13:16.000
Oh, by the way, Cleveland is still here.
01:13:16.000 --> 01:13:29.359
Again, JB Bakerstaff has a lot of um he has a lot to work to do because they need to find a second scorer for Cake Cunningham.
01:13:29.359 --> 01:13:32.319
And they need to find them pretty quickly.
01:13:32.319 --> 01:13:39.920
They either need to be able to manifest one within the house, or they need to go out and get one.
01:13:39.920 --> 01:13:56.560
Cause again, paying Jalen Doran that kind of money signifies that you are like a dude that should should be the second leading score of the team or the backbone of the defense.
01:13:56.560 --> 01:14:04.159
You are second behind Cade's fifty-three point eight million, my guy.
01:14:04.159 --> 01:14:16.319
So it's either first team all defensive team at the very least second.
01:14:16.319 --> 01:14:45.359
You're starting to rebound the ball at such a prolific level, like you're averaging 13.5 rebounds a game, or you're gonna have to figure out some sort of like offensive post move and counters to that post move to unlock K Cunningham so he's not getting double teamed and glitched every single time in the playoffs.
01:14:45.359 --> 01:14:51.520
Now, do I think that Detroit will be good this year?
01:14:51.520 --> 01:14:52.880
Yeah, I do.
01:14:52.880 --> 01:14:55.600
I do.
01:14:55.600 --> 01:15:05.920
I am just really not sold on their ceiling.
01:15:05.920 --> 01:15:17.760
And I know that's real hard for Detroit Piston fans to hear when you're sitting there and saying, hey, we won 60 games last year.
01:15:17.760 --> 01:15:26.079
Who the hell are you to tell us that we are going to because when you say something like this, what pissing fans hear is that they suck.
01:15:26.079 --> 01:15:27.520
They don't suck.
01:15:27.520 --> 01:15:32.640
And again, if you play hard, you can win a lot of games.
01:15:32.640 --> 01:15:36.479
But when it comes to that playoffs, that's a different story.
01:15:36.479 --> 01:15:40.000
Because everybody's playing hard in the playoffs.
01:15:40.000 --> 01:15:43.520
Everybody is doing that.
01:15:43.520 --> 01:15:53.039
So if you're cool with getting there and like you're a first round, second round exit every single year, then good on you.
01:15:53.039 --> 01:15:57.680
I don't think Cade is is built that way.
01:15:57.680 --> 01:16:02.880
Now, what is cool about the Detroit Pistons?
01:16:02.880 --> 01:16:10.000
They own their first from 2027 to 2033.
01:16:10.000 --> 01:16:14.640
So if they want to go out and make a trade, they can.
01:16:14.640 --> 01:16:24.880
Duncan Robinson is 16 million, and Isaiah Joe is 11.3 million.
01:16:24.880 --> 01:16:36.000
So if you wanted to combine some salaries depending on what you were looking for, you have enough to go out and get what you need to get.
01:16:36.000 --> 01:16:46.720
But don't sit here and try to swoon fade me this this line about oh Jalen Duran is now the second best player on the team.
01:16:46.720 --> 01:17:07.760
Okay, yeah, he's second best player, but y'all know the space between him and Cake Cunningham and the offensive weaponry and wizardry that is Cake Cunningham is a vast difference to what Jalen Duran provides to this team.
01:17:07.760 --> 01:17:21.279
And yes, it was cool when you were on your rookie deal and you were averaging 19.1 points a game and like 10.8 rebounds and blocking a couple shots and whatever the case may be.
01:17:21.279 --> 01:17:22.640
That was all well and good.
01:17:22.640 --> 01:17:25.359
Now you make 40 million dollars a year.
01:17:25.359 --> 01:17:33.039
So Vegas has them as like a 49-win team.
01:17:33.039 --> 01:17:38.159
This might be the one team that I say under.
01:17:38.159 --> 01:17:40.720
Not significantly under.
01:17:40.720 --> 01:17:46.880
I think, like I said, a lot of teams are gonna be in that, like, it's gonna be a cluster of teams.
01:17:46.880 --> 01:17:51.199
It's gonna be like the West last year and the two previous years.
01:17:51.199 --> 01:18:05.600
Where we're probably gonna have one team that kind of gets out there, but the rest of y'all from like two to seven, fifty-two, fifty-one, fifty, forty-nine, forty-eight.
01:18:05.600 --> 01:18:11.039
Just saying.
01:18:11.039 --> 01:18:23.119
Now, again, people are gonna kill me and think to say, hey, you have no idea what you're talking about, and I'm like, cool, I get it.
01:18:23.119 --> 01:18:30.079
But I know you guys asked you you asked yourself some tough questions.
01:18:30.079 --> 01:19:24.239
Is Detroit really made to go a long way in the Eastern Conference in the playoffs, the way they're currently constituted right now, or are they another team that's gonna try hard in a regular season, and then when they are playing a team for six, seven games in a row, when they can sit there and just scheme for Cake Cunningham, and when's the right time to blitz him, and where's the right time to put you know a bigger defender on him, and whatever the case may be, and you're looking around and you're trying to find and you're trying to manufacture a second option between the likes of Duncan Robinson, Isaiah Joe, and John Collins.
01:19:24.239 --> 01:19:26.800
Oh, let's throw Jalen Duran in that mix.
01:19:26.800 --> 01:19:28.239
You make 40 million, dude.
01:19:28.239 --> 01:19:29.920
You're in that mix.
01:19:29.920 --> 01:19:34.000
I just don't see it.
01:19:34.000 --> 01:19:35.920
I just don't see it.
01:19:35.920 --> 01:19:38.800
Can you win a ton of games?
01:19:38.800 --> 01:19:40.880
Yeah, one hundred percent you could.
01:19:40.880 --> 01:19:46.720
Should you be a team that wins like fifty-five games a year?
01:19:46.720 --> 01:19:48.399
Yeah, one hundred percent.
01:19:48.399 --> 01:19:50.479
And I'm not saying you can't.
01:19:50.479 --> 01:20:03.760
But I wonder if like with Toronto getting quiet, Tyrese being back from Indiana, does your gap fall a little bit?
01:20:03.760 --> 01:20:08.239
Oh, again, New York just won a title, by the way.
01:20:08.239 --> 01:20:15.840
So as far as what their confidence level is going to be, they're gonna have that championship glean to them a little bit.
01:20:15.840 --> 01:20:21.199
Boston is on a rampage to get back to where they think they belong.
01:20:21.199 --> 01:20:23.920
Philadelphia loaded up.
01:20:23.920 --> 01:20:33.600
So are you sure you're like this close to 60 win team again with what you currently have?
01:20:33.600 --> 01:20:55.920
Or more are you are you more of a team that's gonna kind of fall back to the pack, win like 52 games, be a third seed to a fifth seed, because depending on win-loss records against these other teams, they're gonna have basically the same record as you will depend on your playoff seeding.
01:20:55.920 --> 01:21:00.479
So that's what I think about Detroit.
01:21:00.479 --> 01:21:02.720
That's what I think about the Durant contract.
01:21:02.720 --> 01:21:07.039
Listen, I know that they I know they trade Jan Lane had to pull the trigger.
01:21:07.039 --> 01:21:10.159
I'm not saying that Jalen Duran is not a good player.
01:21:10.159 --> 01:21:18.880
I just never my I never thought for one second was he worth the 40 million.
01:21:18.880 --> 01:21:23.840
Call me the bad guy, call me whatever you want.
01:21:23.840 --> 01:21:30.000
I don't see the defensive prowess to to to sanctify this deal.
01:21:30.000 --> 01:21:39.439
I don't see the offensive game that says, okay, okay, yeah, this dude is this dude is worthy of this money.
01:21:39.439 --> 01:21:51.439
So that's my that's the team that I usually root for.
01:21:51.439 --> 01:21:58.319
But I don't have blinders on going, yeah, Walker Kessler, 30 something million for show.
01:21:58.319 --> 01:21:59.680
Nope.
01:21:59.680 --> 01:22:00.319
No.
01:22:00.319 --> 01:22:15.760
So if I feel this if I feel that way about Walker Kessler and I put on purple and gold sunglasses from time to time, as an analyst, I'm looking at your team and going, okay, Jalen Dorn, 40 million dollars, that's great.
01:22:15.760 --> 01:22:21.039
You should win 50 plus games for sure.
01:22:21.039 --> 01:22:24.319
But I have no expectations for you in the playoffs.
01:22:24.319 --> 01:22:25.039
Zero.
01:22:25.039 --> 01:22:32.000
As you're currently constituted, no expectations whatsoever.
01:22:32.000 --> 01:22:46.800
You'll be in the dog fight you're for your own division, and you'll be in the dog fight for anywhere between second to sixth place in the East.
01:22:46.800 --> 01:22:51.520
One team is gonna be the rabbit and jump out.
01:22:51.520 --> 01:22:54.079
One team will.
01:22:54.079 --> 01:22:59.680
I think they currently reside in New York City, honestly.
01:22:59.680 --> 01:23:02.479
But that's for another podcast.
01:23:02.479 --> 01:23:07.600
So, with that being said, I want to thank everybody on being patient with us.
01:23:07.600 --> 01:23:11.520
And uh, we got this podcast out late, so you guys are gonna get it Sunday.
01:23:11.520 --> 01:23:14.479
We will hit you with another pod on Tuesday.
01:23:14.479 --> 01:23:17.680
So, with that being said, we've talked our talk.
01:23:17.680 --> 01:23:23.279
It's time for us to go ahead and get up out of here, but I want to tell you right now one thing.
01:23:23.279 --> 01:23:33.359
FRPC is your spot because we talk hoops, and we try to talk intelligent hoops, and we don't try to sugarcut it, code it for you.
01:23:33.359 --> 01:23:42.239
We try to give you the real real and we try to make sure that you are armed with good information when you go back to your group chats.
01:23:42.239 --> 01:23:48.640
So do me a favor, share this episode with the one person in your group chat that needs to hear it the most.
01:23:48.640 --> 01:23:59.199
Pull up on us on X, that's at frontrunner PC, or at socially underscore FRPC.
01:23:59.199 --> 01:24:04.399
We got an Instagram account as well, that's frontrunnerpc.
01:24:04.399 --> 01:24:09.359
And the YouTube account is at FRPC Vents.
01:24:09.359 --> 01:24:16.960
Make sure you are hitting up all of those situations for us.
01:24:16.960 --> 01:24:19.039
It is greatly appreciated.
01:24:19.039 --> 01:24:35.840
This is how we get out there, this is how we grow the FRPC army, and we get more and more acolytes for our our our charge for like domination of this space.
01:24:35.840 --> 01:24:39.680
Because make no mistake about it, we're trying to do that.
01:24:39.680 --> 01:24:46.800
Now, before we get out of here, and I mean this when I say it, the best part of you is you.
01:24:46.800 --> 01:24:55.199
And it's still you, not your win-loss record, not your timeline, not your algorithm, just you.
01:24:55.199 --> 01:25:08.000
Surround yourself with people who actually give you light, the ones who bring you insight and joy and real accountability to speaks into your life.
01:25:08.000 --> 01:25:10.239
That's your max deal.
01:25:10.239 --> 01:25:18.479
Appreciate those people out loud and don't wait on a later that nobody's ever promised.
01:25:18.479 --> 01:25:24.000
Now, here at FRPC, we want to be your hoop family.
01:25:24.000 --> 01:25:29.439
We're gonna be loud sometimes, and we're gonna make mistakes and be wrong.
01:25:29.439 --> 01:25:37.039
But we're gonna come back and own those mistakes, and we will always respect your brain.
01:25:37.039 --> 01:25:42.640
Because anybody can yell at, but very few can actually defend a thought.
01:25:42.640 --> 01:25:57.199
Until next episode, keep your mind sharp, your heart open, your circle tight, and protect your peace like Cap Space, and never waste it on bad basketball or bad energy.
01:25:57.199 --> 01:25:59.359
I'm Vince, and we out.