Two opposite sides of the NBA as of today. Harden struggles to find footing with the Clippers and Anthony Edwards has been scintillating and there is an interesting stat on Ant in the podcast.
There is a NBA Fantasy pickup segment.
The Lakers are feeling their age.
[00:00:00] Good evening, who's here? Who's here? This is Vince FRPC Hoops, is on the air. And I'm happy to be with you today and make sure situation still but getting better. I got a lot of things done up a little bit differently and it's working out.
[00:00:29] So we are on the air which is great without a lot of basketball to get to. And we're going to start off with a couple things that need repeating but also probably need a little more examination. Obviously it's going to take more time.
[00:00:49] The Clippers are off to a terrible start with Harden, Owen Ford. Some of my thoughts about it right now is that there's three things going on. We talked about it before. There's too many guys who need the ball in the hands who often initiate.
[00:01:07] So when you have a real problem there, who's going to be the Dominic Ballhender, handle it? Well, it looks like James Harden who said that he is the system. He's proving out. There are many a time that I saw Collider Leonard and Paul George standing in the corner.
[00:01:26] So you have your most athletic wings, best slasher just standing in the corner. This does not seem like a recipe for success in any sort of way. I know it will take time, but I think honestly if they want to go ahead and do the
[00:01:47] harden thing, I wonder if you go ahead and trade like Paul George and get some pieces back that can help you defensively make you bigger to fend off Anthony Davis's of the world, the LeBron James of the World, the Yoke Ages of the World.
[00:02:08] All the height that you have in the NBA now. We haven't even talked about it. But these are the things that are going on and it's really kind of what I had expected,
[00:02:24] which is terrible in one way and it's laughable at another but we are in any situation now that the next move is going to be interesting because they don't have a lot to give. So it will probably have to be one of the stars to go.
[00:02:47] I don't think you can add like, okay let's trade Norman Powell and something else and get something back and being able to do with that way. I think you're in a position where one of the stars have to go to kind of re structure
[00:03:05] the construct of this roster. So with that being said, let's move on to another tower note. Zion Williamson is unhappy in New Orleans. Now there are trade rumors out there around the draft. A lot of people say they were un-sustantiated, I will tell you that there were talks.
[00:03:35] You take it to leave it. I mean, I try to do the best I can with sources I have but that's what I came up with. Now the thing that I thought was going to be the problem anyway is that Zion is not like
[00:03:51] in a world that he's in. He's in a situation where he's not quite Zion where he was able to kind of freelance and do the things that he was doing before. And he seems to have an issue with his role within the offense and this might become
[00:04:07] a situation where a trade is possible. Now we're not speculating anything here while we're trying to do is try to get to the bottom of it. Here's the thing and I'm just going to say this really plain and simple.
[00:04:24] People have been saying, well, Vince B. you know, be sensitive about certain things or whatever. So I will try to do that but here's some of the things I will not hold my tongue on. Your effort is not great Zion.
[00:04:39] It's not great on the defensive end at all. You don't rebound for somebody as big as you are. You don't rebound, which is really weird with all this crazy athletic ability and all this size. You don't rebound.
[00:04:56] When you don't have the ball in your hand, you're not doing anything. You'll set a screen here or there but that means it'd be part of your game, my man. You are 67 or 66 and like you say you're 280.
[00:05:14] I think you're more like 315 pounds and we'll get to that in a second. Here's the other things, Zion. You haven't played enough to make any kind of demands of what the offense should look like.
[00:05:26] Why should we run the offense through you when you cannot play more than 40 games? It seems kind of irrational to set up an offense that runs through you and know that we're not going to have you for it like half the games.
[00:05:43] You can tell me hey I really dedicated myself. Okay, you can tell me that it's a new day with Zion. Will you send? Okay, here's the thing. You sound out of breath at the press conferences, my man.
[00:05:59] So if you're out of breath at the press conferences, which is usually about 45 minutes to hour after, yeah, I've been in locker rooms before so I kind of know. Let me ask this question on you. Why are you out of breath?
[00:06:17] You should be able to casually stroll to where you're going to greet the media and you're out of breath. So that tells me you're out of shape, so again, you're having to pour, you don't defensive
[00:06:30] rebound, you're outstanding athlete, you're great score, you could be a dominant force in this league if you applied yourself and you just don't. So that to me says you don't have any say in what goes on inside that offense at this point in time.
[00:06:52] You have to give the pelicans like 60, 70 games on for them to trust you and say hey, he's going to be here, we can go ahead and really build this thing around him. Right now, they are a, they're a rudderless ship.
[00:07:12] You know, it's all going bad and it's terrible because we were high on them last year and also a myth is who is struggling. Shout out for them getting a victory over the Clippers just kind of, you know, put in the period on that point as well.
[00:07:32] The other kind of couple things that I want to get to, let's talk about the walls for a second. The walls are 72. There's a person that I'm in contact with and he's a wall span and he kind of had him
[00:07:49] pick K for third in the West going into the year. So shout out to my guy, Momo for that. And, and it was just taken another, another leap. Now here's the scary part about Anthony Edwards. I actually think there is more in the tank. He's 13 for 38 in isolation.
[00:08:16] So when he kind of gets whatever package he wants to put together and kind of break down the defense in a way where it's going to be more productive, it's another leap for him. So there's more growth there. Everything looks good for the timber rolls. We are happy.
[00:08:38] I mean, this is more that I can get, I can get expected. Here's the thing that I will say. I know when B is awesome and I know that we are just astonished by all the things that he does.
[00:08:55] Actually, I can't wait to get off the bat to watch when B. But here's the other thing. Anthony Edwards is such a force. And I'm going to pay him as one of the true difference makers in the league in three years.
[00:09:13] Like when we talked, when we talked top 10 and we talked like, oh, if this guy changed teams and went somewhere else would they get instant contender? I think that's the trajectory that Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timmerwolves is looking at.
[00:09:34] You know what, let's go ahead and do it. We're going to get to the rock. It's a shout out to our guy Nico who is coming back soon. He's gone through some stuff right now and we are efforting to get him back.
[00:09:51] But our prayers and our will wishes go out to our guy Nico and we're all pulling for you. So with that being said, the rock is now a 6 and 3. And in Manadoka who is a guy that we have to start looking at is one of the real good
[00:10:13] young and up and coming coaches. He had the year in Boston and everything went south with the allegations and would not and personal situations that went on in Boston. But the one thing that was never endowed was he had a stranglehold on that team and that
[00:10:32] team looked completely different in the second half. Now we move to the Houston Rockets and then we move to the prior offseason when there was reports, you know, it was pretty much we talked about it on this podcast last year.
[00:10:49] Harden wanted to go to Philharmonie and go to Houston. This was around Christmas time last year and with Ema Adelka getting there and having a vision of what he wanted for the team and what he wanted for the youngsters that were
[00:11:03] on that team, you could tell that he wanted clear vets. You want to clear vets that were steady. Uh, Jeff Green, tremendous locker room guy, Fred Van Vleet, another tremendous locker room guy, Dylan Brooks gives you that swag and he might be the guy between uh, Jeff
[00:11:29] Green and Van Vleet to the kids. So, Dylan Green is playing under control for the first time. It's it's great to see. And we're really just excited to see a just a level of competency in Houston.
[00:11:48] So shout outs to Houston and the way they're playing right now man, I'm really impressed they absolutely demolished the lakers and trust me, I have some on the lakers. Don't worry. Um, okay, see is uh, chat is great. I love him.
[00:12:08] I think he has some um, he has some grit, some nasty tone. He has a little kind of like F U to him. And he's going to need it through the duration of the season.
[00:12:21] But the one thing that you're seeing is that he doesn't back down and he gets his stuff off, man. This dude wants the ball is able to put it on the court and go buy people in an
[00:12:36] initiated offense and he's actually making giddy a little, I want to say obsolete but little less important. So it's one of those things that we want to keep my eye on here at F R P C. Um, the kings are struggling. We talked about them last time.
[00:12:56] What I also want to get to is this, let's get to the Eastern Conference real quick. We talked about Philadelphia and what they're doing, what the other thing that I want to talk about. The magic of five and four, they're looking good.
[00:13:17] Hello, Gankaro and Fram's Wagner are stepping their games up. Substance is given them a defensive intensity just an intensity on that team that they're lacking. And by the way, John and then Isaac is back. You know, this is crazy.
[00:13:34] Dude is getting off and injured and now he's back and he's playing a viable role for them. Everything black is great. I love him. What I should say he's good. But say he's good. We're going to stop using great and let's absolutely necessary to use.
[00:13:53] So we're going to start utilizing better terms for our players so then we can kind of grade them at the level. What I'm going to impress with Anthony Black, I'm going to impress with his chaos. He causes on the court with his defensive ability.
[00:14:08] The one thing that you're all seeing with him is you're seeing just a level play that is quite it's all the things that you saw in college. So it's good to see it transparently into the NBA and it's good to see him being able
[00:14:24] to play a role in Orlando. The Hawks are looking good. The one thing that I'm still trying to figure out is this team, the way it's currently constructed, is it going to look like that in February.
[00:14:39] I'm not going to sit here until you, that there are trees on the horizon or whatever. But I think they're going to free up some more time and more space for some of the younger
[00:14:48] guys but we'll see how it all plays out and you never know what shakes out in the NBA. A couple other teams that I want to get to that are, I don't know what you want to call it. I want to talk about the Cavaliers for a second.
[00:15:12] And the reason why I want to talk about them is that I was high and I'm still high on Evan Mowgli. And I noticed when Donovan Mitchell was out in the guards were out, Evan Mowgli got to do more things.
[00:15:29] And now that he's back, he's kind of being put in this tertiary role, what I do understand Donovan Mitchell is a explosive, explosive guard. And Derri's Garland is a creative playmaker who also can create his own offense for himself.
[00:15:48] But I wonder to fully realize what Evan Mowgli is, it's somebody he's going to have to move out of there for them to be able to see this kid fully flersed into what he could actually be. And they are struggling at this point.
[00:16:04] Now, they've been terrorized by injuries and things that nature so I'm not really worried about them at this present time. The team that I am worried about in the team that we're going to get to and kind of move this along is the Chicago Bulls.
[00:16:23] Let's get to it now. Bulls are in a situation where it looks terrible that having like team meetings here and there, Levine is putting up 50 workers and having zero assists. Demar is in the last year his deal. Clearly this is not work. Now obviously we have said it.
[00:16:45] Nazium, you know, this team looks a lot different with longitudinal ball not there. You'll want to represent right. But the problem is that he isn't going to be there. They're not going anywhere. They weren't going anywhere with him because he was in and out of line up.
[00:17:07] Now we just hope that he gets healthy and come back at some on himself. And now we're at a point where it's time to blow it up. You know, there's rumors of Levine coming to Los Angeles and joining the Lakers and all
[00:17:22] kinds of other stuff, you know, next other teams involved in this deal. Now Kudos for Chicago if this is what they're actually doing because we have been banging Toronto to do the same exact thing for a couple years now and they haven't.
[00:17:41] But Chicago is taking this seriously and going to go ahead and reimagine their roster and start to replenish the coffers of graphics. I can go ahead and get behind that because a product that they're putting that not on the floor is not inspiring at all.
[00:18:00] It's not inspiring to the front office to add more pieces in his damn sure not inspiring to the fan base who just wants competency. I wonder if they would be a good Zion team. I wonder if Chicago could be a good Zion team.
[00:18:28] You give New Orleans, Caruso and some stuff picks whatever case. No, they need picks actually. So you'd be after the other two trades but I wonder if he would be to get a low at this point.
[00:18:52] Probably won't have to give up a myriad of picks to get him at this point. Might be the way to go. Oh, I do want to give a shout out to Tyre's Maxis for throwing up that 50 ball the other night man.
[00:19:08] Listen, wait to take advantage of your opportunity when it presents itself. James Harden, um, pounding in Philadelphia and allowing this kid to basically take up with the offense and be the point guard has opened his game up.
[00:19:29] We see different situations from Joe on B, he's like above six assists at this point in this juncture in the season. So I mean, what a great situation for him. And I'm so happy that now he can go ahead and flourish in Philadelphia.
[00:19:49] And now they might not be looking for the second start. They might actually be looking for like a third start or maybe reimagined the bench in the, uh, in the rest of the starting roster.
[00:20:04] So man, Philadelphia playing so well and one thing I talked about it before the season started how I felt bad for the fan base and Philadelphia, I meant that I meant every word of that because you guys deserve better.
[00:20:20] And I still mean this also for New Orleans, you guys deserve better. You guys deserve to see Zion on like at least 32, 33 times a year way way way more than what you're seeing them but getting back to Philadelphia.
[00:20:36] Yeah, I thought it might with nurse coming in new coach, not saying he's not a good coach, but trying to put it in a system was in be going to be bought in. You know, what was twice harris and all these other people going to look like?
[00:20:53] And we try to put on, you know, a bright face for the whole deal. And let me tell you something it was hard to do. And I just said I just feel that bad for the fan base and guess what? Guys, I don't feel bad for you anymore.
[00:21:10] You guys are great. Everything's going well. You're eight and one. I mean God bless it. This is just a great thing. So keep doing what you're all doing and buying into the nurse situation and man can't be more excited for what we're seeing out of Philadelphia.
[00:21:30] Oh, there's a couple of things that I want to get to. The one thing that I want to kind of tell everybody about is this, is that we're changing our format a little bit.
[00:21:39] And what you're going to start seeing in the upcoming episodes is we're going to get to the top stories. So whatever's going on that week, you know, obviously trade rumors, things like that, bad calls, you know, great performances. We're going to get to it, right?
[00:21:56] We still want to get be holistic when it comes to like the front offices and stuff like that. That might be something that we do during the summer, you know, as we get into the off season.
[00:22:08] What we don't want to do is we want to give everybody kind of a little taste. So we're going to do like the big stories. We're going to do some fantasy. We're also going to do some betting now bear with me on the betting.
[00:22:24] The betting might take a little while to kind of, you know, get up to speed and kind of do that. But I'm going to also have some help. I would like to announce that we have a new member of the family. His name is Dane Blackburn. He's awesome.
[00:22:45] Your level. He's off-stallion. So keeping with the international thing that we got going, we got Canada and we got Australia. Dane will be joining us fairly shortly. And I can't wait to have him on and get his perspective on being VA.
[00:23:02] He watches it religiously and we have great conversation. So I'm actually glad to have him board. And obviously, we're going to have Nico. So we're going to have fantasy and betting. And then we're going to have draft situation.
[00:23:19] So the prospects and where everybody is and you know, kind of give you some low downs on some guys that we kind of looked at this week or whatever the case may be. Now those are on the upcoming episodes, but to let your whistle with the fantasy.
[00:23:34] Nico, since this is it. So shots off to our guy Nico. He says that guys to pick up. So if you're a fantasy basketball owner, these are five guys to pick up. Jaylin Johnson. He's looking like a breakout. So if he's rostered, go trade for him.
[00:23:51] See what you can give up to get them. Especially if you're in a rebuilding thing, he's a young guy to go get. I'm looking to go get him right now. Biz not be on well. He'll get stud in wherever whenever he plays.
[00:24:04] So that's the thing with him is that Phoenix needs the help. So there it is. With no, biz not, because Mike is not there. Is he easier, right? No, somewhere else. To the, all right. But Kobe White, making impact as a starter for Chicago.
[00:24:27] And he's actually probably going to have a bigger role in all this, all this Manusha. And all this turmoil is real in Chicago and they're starting to blow out people. And his role might change.
[00:24:38] So keep that in mind if you have him right now, make sure he's not part of one of these deals because it can change his whole thing. So look out for that as well. A scholar maze. So Nico talks about Skyler maze. He says he's a staff accumulator.
[00:24:57] He just earned a permanent, he just earned a permanent location spot. So Skyler maze. He just got picked up very shortly. So he might be unroastering a lot of leagues. So look out for that. And the guy who will never die. Shots out to KOC at the Wanger.
[00:25:21] Kevin O'Connor. Killian Hayes makes our list at number five. Monty does level that is true. He's going to continue to get minutes and that is also true. I'm hearing things that right now that Jaden Ivy is not a Monty guy.
[00:25:44] What I'm gathering is that the habits aren't looked upon as as good as they should be. A little more attention to detail would be welcomed by Monty in Detroit. And so Jaden has been surpassed by killing Hayes and Marcus Sasser as well.
[00:26:15] Marcus is getting a lot of run. So what I would tell you is that those are all good little situations to keep an eye out on. Now, I'm going to get to my Laker rant. As you know, I've said it many, many, many times on this podcast.
[00:26:33] I am a Laker fan. This is kind of why there's a little Bill Simmons simminish kind of vibe when you listen to the podcast. I'm just not as rich nor as famous as our guy Bill Simmons shots out to him.
[00:26:51] But as a Laker fan, here I know there are a lot of people really excited to start season. We had a lot of depth and we got the run. He's going to be healthy and AD and blah, blah, blah.
[00:27:06] And I kept on doing podcasts and videos on YouTube so check us out and check out the video that I talked about. The Lakers and it says, magic number 135. And what I mean by this and I say this with no shade whatsoever.
[00:27:25] The Lakers unfortunately, the two guys that they depend on are one is old and one is off the nether. It is not something that I am reveling in saying. I love the Lakers. See, I like the Jersey. It's not LePron. LePron is like,
[00:27:48] he's my guy. Don't give me wrong. But I'm not a guy fan. I'm a Laker fan, right? But here's what I'll say about LePron. It's amazing what he's doing. It's been amazing the last three or four years. What he's been doing?
[00:28:04] Nobody's done it. Nobody's been this good for this long. We have said it over and over and over again. What we can also say is that my man's best ability is availability and guess what you have not been over the last
[00:28:26] in your tenure in Los Angeles. You haven't been available. And as I look down at the standings right now and if I believe, if you go back and look at the archive pods, I had the Lakers I want to say seventh or eighth in my preseason predictions.
[00:28:51] Now, their eighth right now. Now could they be better? Yes, had they had a ton of injuries? Yes. But that's my point. They've had a ton of injuries and you can say yes, it hasn't been LePron and it hasn't been
[00:29:05] AD and they play well and what have you? But if you're playing those guys, those type of minutes to win games because you don't want to get off to the two and ten start that you had last year because you want
[00:29:19] to have your team kind of fully realized by the trade deadline and then go make a run and be probably in the upper echelon of the playoffs. I understand that. But there's a danger there. And the danger is, is that what you're going to see
[00:29:41] and what is going to happen is LeBron James is going to get injured and AD as well is going to get injured. And the other thing, the other little interesting little tidbit that I want
[00:29:54] to give you about the Lakers and I don't know if anybody's kind of seen this is the Angelol Russell like auditioning for the trade because it just seems like he is really taking a lot of
[00:30:08] shots and taking full command of the offense and some of the passes are horrendous. Some are very good. Here's the thing, I actually like the Angelol Russell. I know that it comes
[00:30:23] across as just being very critical. I think that if you could get him to just be like a kind of spot-up shooter and like second sign initiator and just oh, it's a hate. We're going to, we need
[00:30:38] you to dribble less. I think he'd be great. Some people think he would be a good six-minute. I could see that as well. There's a lot of good things that he does. I think that when he's engaged
[00:30:54] on defense, he can get in the pass-in-lain. He's still not a good defensive player because he just does have a physicality which is crazy. I like 65 but I will tell you that the way this team is
[00:31:11] currently constructed and with the injury history of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, AC, it is probably where they're going to be. Especially if Houston, the temperal world's Dallas, if they're not going anywhere,
[00:31:30] where's the move-up? Because the warriors I think are going to be where they're going to win games. Kings are going to win games. Now gets I don't worry about winning games. The suns, I don't worry
[00:31:41] about winning games. So where's the real upward mobility in the West if you're going to have your two stars be out, probably significant amount of time. Like I said, that magic number on the previous
[00:31:59] pie was the games play combined between LeBron James and AD. And I think that's what it's going to take for them to be in the upper echelon of the Western Conference and guess what? I don't think they're
[00:32:10] going to get anywhere close to 135 games. That would mean combined both of them missing 29 games of for the season. And I just don't see it happening. I'm actually worried if they're going to get to 120 games combined. So think about that. Most likely they're going to be around 110, 115.
[00:32:44] So that's almost 50 games lost between your two stars. And again, I understand what the Lakers did. I understand why they did it. It did get them to championship. It did bring a championship
[00:32:57] and bring back winning to Los Angeles. So I will never look at this as a bad deal. But you knew what you were buying when you bought it. Because now LeBron has 38 about to be 39
[00:33:12] at the end of December. And this is what it is at this point. And AD for as many gifts that he has offensively, defensively, agility, his bounce, all of it incredible. He can't do it every single night.
[00:33:36] He just can't. Which brings me full circle back to Zach Levine because the the stories that are out there and let me give credit to the people who were writing this and let me go to it right now.
[00:33:51] It looks like Levine. There are tray packages. Andy Bailey, a literature report has something on it. Chance report, the chamontia of the athletic says there's developing news in the 18s are probing on the availability of both two time off to our Zach Levine and there is increase
[00:34:17] openness from both sides about exploring a trade sources say. And this is what the legors. So now with the legors looking at an older LeBron and older and often injured AD, I won't say old
[00:34:37] for AD. What often injured? Now they tried to split Westbrook and he killed all their depth. Did they interlate themselves enough where they could trade a couple of their pieces away and still be good?
[00:34:54] That's a question. Do you want Zach Levine in Los Angeles, Lake or France? Think about it before you start hitting the button yes and because you've seen the YouTube clips. Think about what you're talking about. Here's another guy who has knee injuries.
[00:35:11] Here's another guy who misses games. Here's another guy who yes, very talented, tantalizing Lee talented but misses games as well and I understand if they're hey, if we got one of them, they all can't be injured at the same time. Well hold on,
[00:35:35] there's a good. And the other thing is that we have not really seen Levine in a playoff series, really do anything. So my question is what are we really sure this is a guy that we want to
[00:35:52] go ahead and give the final remaining real access that we have? These are questions for Lake or France that I just I throw this out there because people tell me that I trip,
[00:36:08] that this is I'm sort of some sort of crazy light anti-laker guy. I'm not. I want to see the Lake or's prosper. I want us to win another championship especially before Boston does.
[00:36:24] But as Lake or France, we have to know that Boston is the head of us right now. You all know that. So be real, be real which I'll self right now. So again, these are the questions and these are
[00:36:41] the issues that are that the lakeers are faced with. And as Lake or France, the thing that I talked about in the Aussies and about Klinga rebuilding the team right underneath
[00:36:56] Levine's nose by not making some of the trades that would have gave up all the picks and stuff like that and wait for the right trade and get the the depth that that they have now currently and they added to
[00:37:10] in the Aussies and there's less Aussies. So we're at a point where are we about to give up probably a lot of that depth to go back to the three star system and we're going to depend on often injured almost 39 year old look on often injured but very,
[00:37:37] talented Anthony Davis and Supernova hot scoring Zach Levine who is also an injury concern. I don't know y'all tell me hit me up on X at Fort Werner PC that's at Fort Werner all together
[00:38:04] P is in Paul C is in Charles you can hit Nico up at at Nico F R PC and we'll get getting hooked up on a Twitter very soon and again guys we're back we're going to start getting these
[00:38:21] recordings out more and more thank you I've just had a ton of technical difficulties again we are I want to say probably about two or three months away from Shangri-La which is exciting
[00:38:37] I'm really excited for what the new place is going to look like and everything like that so thank you for bearing with me with these temporary digs and we will see you soon y'all be good peace