NBA's Top 25, 25 and Under: Ranking #17 and #16 + Cleveland Cavaliers Pre-Camp Preview

[00:00:12] [SPEAKER_00]: It is Friday, you know what time it is. Front Runner Podcast Collective is back on the air.

[00:00:20] [SPEAKER_00]: I am your confused but humble host Vince. Thank you for joining us this Friday and welcome

[00:00:29] [SPEAKER_00]: to the podcast. We're going to bring you an in-depth analysis on all things the NBA

[00:00:35] [SPEAKER_00]: today. It's a jam-packed show. We are going to continue our series with the Top 25 players

[00:00:44] [SPEAKER_00]: that are 25 and under. We're going to give you two profiles on that and then we're also

[00:00:50] [SPEAKER_00]: going to continue our Pre-Camp Preview and give you some burning questions about a team

[00:00:58] [SPEAKER_00]: that does have some questions to answer and I can't wait to get to that. And then

[00:01:03] [SPEAKER_00]: there is a trade scenario that Eric Pink has put together that I am going to submit to

[00:01:12] [SPEAKER_00]: my audience for thoughts, maybe a little laughter, maybe a little hmmm. Never quite thought of

[00:01:23] [SPEAKER_00]: that but we're going to do that as well and then we're going to end the show.

[00:01:31] [SPEAKER_00]: But before we do all of this, you know we got to hit the socials right? Let's go here

[00:01:39] [SPEAKER_00]: with X at Front Runner PC and then also at Raya underscore Funch FRPC. Get on with

[00:01:51] [SPEAKER_00]: our Twitter to be able to converse with us, be able to have a conversation, give

[00:01:57] [SPEAKER_00]: well wishes to our guy who's back after his treacherous bout. The other thing is that

[00:02:03] [SPEAKER_00]: you never know what's coming. We have something coming up and we're going to talk about

[00:02:08] [SPEAKER_00]: it at the end of the podcast today that some people will be like huh I am really

[00:02:15] [SPEAKER_00]: pumped, ready to go about that so please get with us on X that's at Front Runner

[00:02:21] [SPEAKER_00]: PC and also our producers are at Raya underscore Funch FRPC. Now for the YouTube

[00:02:30] [SPEAKER_00]: channel, I want to apologize because this week I will tell you I have succumbed

[00:02:37] [SPEAKER_00]: to the fantasy football bug and I've had to do prep and I've had to do

[00:02:44] [SPEAKER_00]: like listen to podcasts and I've had to do a lot of stuff to get myself

[00:02:48] [SPEAKER_00]: ready to go ahead and try to dominate the fantasy leagues that I'm going to be in.

[00:02:55] [SPEAKER_00]: So we do have clips basically about to be ready to go. We will be putting them

[00:03:00] [SPEAKER_00]: up over the weekend as soon as I get through this fantasy draft.

[00:03:06] [SPEAKER_00]: But they will go up this weekend. We have I think at least two to three,

[00:03:11] [SPEAKER_00]: no three at least and they'll be up this weekend and there'll probably

[00:03:16] [SPEAKER_00]: be something from this podcast as well. So yeah, on YouTube Front Runner

[00:03:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Podcast Collective or you can just look up I think my handle which is FRPCVince

[00:03:31] [SPEAKER_00]: and you will get our humble YouTube channel. And then the last thing but

[00:03:39] [SPEAKER_00]: not least, this is the last time we will join you before the end of the

[00:03:44] [SPEAKER_00]: And I want to tell everybody a hearty thank you. Yes, we talked about it early.

[00:03:50] [SPEAKER_00]: We haven't talked about it lately but we are humbled by our fourth month in a

[00:03:56] [SPEAKER_00]: row breaking our records for downloads. I don't know what the total

[00:04:00] [SPEAKER_00]: will end up being but I am excited and thank you again and doing it

[00:04:06] [SPEAKER_00]: before my birthday was so clutch. I can't even tell you how

[00:04:10] [SPEAKER_00]: great that was. So with all that being said, the Be A Friend, Tell A Friend

[00:04:16] [SPEAKER_00]: movement is still in full effect. You got to tell everybody. You got to tell

[00:04:20] [SPEAKER_00]: the family members. You got to tell the friends. You got to keep hitting

[00:04:23] [SPEAKER_00]: them. Also tell them. Tell them that we're not going away. Tell that the

[00:04:30] [SPEAKER_00]: real hoop heads out there that everybody is going to switch. All your

[00:04:34] [SPEAKER_00]: favorite podcasts are gonna switch over to football and that's what

[00:04:39] [SPEAKER_00]: they're gonna be talking about and they're gonna leave basketball alone.

[00:04:44] [SPEAKER_00]: They're gonna leave the NBA alone. They're gonna leave the draft alone and

[00:04:48] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not going to do that for you. We will be here Monday, Wednesday, and

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Friday to bring you nothing but the best content in all of Long Beach and

[00:05:00] [SPEAKER_00]: also we will be bringing you the best content that we possibly can give

[00:05:05] [SPEAKER_00]: on the NBA. Tell everybody. Now let's get on with this podcast. A segment

[00:05:10] [SPEAKER_00]: that so far I've gotten some DMs from some people that were like looking

[00:05:16] [SPEAKER_00]: at our list and going what's this and what have you. I was like hey make

[00:05:20] [SPEAKER_00]: your own list first where you start trashing mine and then secondly we

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER_00]: had some people like oh bold choice and things of that nature and

[00:05:29] [SPEAKER_00]: wanted to get picked brain on why I chose that person but the thing about

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_00]: it is it's a collective. We've been telling you that we talked to some

[00:05:39] [SPEAKER_00]: people. We took notes. There were certain things that kept popping up

[00:05:43] [SPEAKER_00]: with certain people and whatever the case may be and we also used our eyes,

[00:05:48] [SPEAKER_00]: watched games, and what have you, and put this all together for you so

[00:05:53] [SPEAKER_00]: therefore this is where we are and being the top 25 that are 25 and under

[00:06:00] [SPEAKER_00]: I am really intrigued by not just it's the origin stories too and then does

[00:06:10] [SPEAKER_00]: the pre-draft scouting match what we see now or have we seen little nuances

[00:06:16] [SPEAKER_00]: to the game that have either popped up in favor of the player or or as a

[00:06:21] [SPEAKER_00]: measurement. So we're gonna get into our number 17 and number 16 now

[00:06:27] [SPEAKER_00]: meanwhile if you're looking for other guys we it's a top 25 list so

[00:06:35] [SPEAKER_00]: therefore there were guys beforehand we did honorable mentions I think in the

[00:06:40] [SPEAKER_00]: last one I pounded the table for Devin Vassel to be in this deal and he

[00:06:48] [SPEAKER_00]: was not but we gave him some props as far as that's concerned again it's

[00:06:54] [SPEAKER_00]: collective. We can go to our number 17 person on our list and that person is

[00:07:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic. Franz Wagner is a 6'9 Ford he was

[00:07:08] [SPEAKER_00]: born in Berlin Germany he played college basketball at the University of

[00:07:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Michigan he was drafted eighth overall by the Orlando Magic in 2021 Wagner has

[00:07:21] [SPEAKER_00]: established himself quickly as one of the most versatile young players in the

[00:07:26] [SPEAKER_00]: league. One of the pre-draft scouting reports on our guy Wagner was lauded

[00:07:33] [SPEAKER_00]: for his defensive versatility his basketball IQ his ability to impact the

[00:07:39] [SPEAKER_00]: game in multiple areas scouts were impressed with his size his length and

[00:07:44] [SPEAKER_00]: his feel for the game protecting him as a projecting him not protecting but

[00:07:52] [SPEAKER_00]: projecting him as a high-level role player who could guard multiple

[00:07:57] [SPEAKER_00]: positions and contribute on the offense without needing to dominate the

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_00]: ball. Weaknesses concerns center around his offensive ceiling

[00:08:08] [SPEAKER_00]: particularly his ability to create hit shot off the dribble and his consistency

[00:08:14] [SPEAKER_00]: as a shooter. Some scouts questioned whether he had the aggressiveness

[00:08:19] [SPEAKER_00]: needed to be a primary scorer scoring option at the next level. So let's

[00:08:28] [SPEAKER_00]: let's stop there. Franz Wagner when he came out I remember vividly my

[00:08:34] [SPEAKER_00]: thoughts on him on how I thought that work people were sleeping on him I

[00:08:40] [SPEAKER_00]: thought he was a very complete guy now yeah was he high level in a in a lot

[00:08:47] [SPEAKER_00]: of areas no but he could do things consistently and I thought the things

[00:08:53] [SPEAKER_00]: that he could do well were actually translatable to the league which would

[00:08:58] [SPEAKER_00]: put you in a position where you should be able to start down the

[00:09:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Now I thought it's funny that it said in this actual piece when they're talking

[00:09:08] [SPEAKER_00]: about the pre-draft situation is that they said that I'm trying to get to it

[00:09:13] [SPEAKER_00]: where was it it was talking about him being a high level role player. That's

[00:09:18] [SPEAKER_00]: the situation you know when you think about Franz and say he does a

[00:09:22] [SPEAKER_00]: lot of things well. He's Jack of all trades. He doesn't do everything at a

[00:09:27] [SPEAKER_00]: super high level but here's the thing that we've seen when he has

[00:09:31] [SPEAKER_00]: come into the league but I want to give it to you from a level of what like a

[00:09:36] [SPEAKER_00]: scout has seen. Since entering the NBA Wagner has exceeded expectations

[00:09:40] [SPEAKER_00]: particularly on the offensive end he's become a reliable scorer for

[00:09:46] [SPEAKER_00]: the Magic showing improvement in his shooting and his shot creation. His

[00:09:51] [SPEAKER_00]: defensive versatility remains a standout trait making him a key piece in

[00:09:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Orlando's lineup. Now the one thing that I will say is that the shot he has

[00:10:04] [SPEAKER_00]: taken a step back with his shooting it was something that we talked about in

[00:10:10] [SPEAKER_00]: when we talked about after free agency and we did a profile or Orlando

[00:10:16] [SPEAKER_00]: so this is not our first go-around with the Orlando Magic in their

[00:10:21] [SPEAKER_00]: offseason so if you're looking for more Orlando Magic content or whatever we

[00:10:28] [SPEAKER_00]: have done a pre-camp on them no have we done a pre-camp on them well I know

[00:10:33] [SPEAKER_00]: we did a post free agency deal on them and did a whole deal on Cantavia

[00:10:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Caldwell quote but with this whole thing with Franz is that he didn't

[00:10:43] [SPEAKER_00]: shoot well in the Olympics as well. He also has regressed as a shooter

[00:10:49] [SPEAKER_00]: last year and it really hindered them in the playoffs his kind of debilitating

[00:10:55] [SPEAKER_00]: deer-in-the-headlights look about shooting the basketball so this

[00:11:00] [SPEAKER_00]: situation is going to have to remedy itself. Now here's the thing you have

[00:11:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Jalen Suggs who did take a leap up as far as shooting you also have

[00:11:12] [SPEAKER_00]: continued development with Paulo Banquero bringing Cantavia's Caldwell

[00:11:17] [SPEAKER_00]: who is like a career 38% shooter from three is also excellent and then you

[00:11:24] [SPEAKER_00]: have the what is Franz going to do now there are other options that are on

[00:11:34] [SPEAKER_00]: the team. Jet Howard still on this team so they have other things Anthony Black

[00:11:40] [SPEAKER_00]: is on this team can he take a step but Franz Wagner is a critical piece he

[00:11:45] [SPEAKER_00]: got paid is one of those situations where the mechanics are good so did we

[00:11:55] [SPEAKER_00]: just lose confidence was there an injury that we weren't aware of it's

[00:12:00] [SPEAKER_00]: just really hard to tell with Franz and we'll see how some of this stuff

[00:12:05] [SPEAKER_00]: manifests itself on where he goes on this list because I don't know if we've

[00:12:13] [SPEAKER_00]: said this but I must say this one more time if we have not if we I think we

[00:12:17] [SPEAKER_00]: have said this but we do have plans on restarting the website we want to do it

[00:12:25] [SPEAKER_00]: correctly we would just want to have stuff on it that's ours and what's

[00:12:29] [SPEAKER_00]: going to end up happening is we're going to see what we can do with that

[00:12:35] [SPEAKER_00]: and how the website is going to start and when we give you all the

[00:12:40] [SPEAKER_00]: information it's going to look way different than it looked before and the

[00:12:46] [SPEAKER_00]: other things is that specifically there will be stuff on here on that

[00:12:50] [SPEAKER_00]: website and the top 25 will be on there we're going to start the actual

[00:12:56] [SPEAKER_00]: website again with the NBA's top 25 and it's going to be a living

[00:13:02] [SPEAKER_00]: document we're going to revisit this document it won't be as elongated as

[00:13:09] [SPEAKER_00]: this series I think with the summertime and with the lack of news it was easy

[00:13:15] [SPEAKER_00]: for us to elongate this and give you a real good profile a good robust profile

[00:13:21] [SPEAKER_00]: on these guys and then what's going to end up happening is as we get to

[00:13:27] [SPEAKER_00]: the month of December we're going to reevaluate the top 25 we might do

[00:13:32] [SPEAKER_00]: like a one-shot podcast tell you the movers and shakers in the list and

[00:13:38] [SPEAKER_00]: go from there and I think we're going to do this like a couple times during the

[00:13:43] [SPEAKER_00]: year and then do the long one in the summertime like we're doing right now

[00:13:48] [SPEAKER_00]: buckle up we're still not done with Franz but I want to give you that

[00:13:51] [SPEAKER_00]: other piece of information now right now according to NBA Scouts his ideal

[00:13:59] [SPEAKER_00]: role Wagner's ideal role this year is as a secondary scorer and the

[00:14:03] [SPEAKER_00]: primary wing defender with Orlando's young core still developing Wagner's is

[00:14:10] [SPEAKER_00]: expected to take on more offensive responsibility while continually to

[00:14:16] [SPEAKER_00]: anchor the team's perimeter defense now here's a quote for an anonymous

[00:14:23] [SPEAKER_00]: NBA executive Wagner is already ahead of schedule in his development his

[00:14:49] [SPEAKER_00]: I still have a lot of faith in Franz now he would have been higher on this list is obviously if the J would have been working you know saying like I think when you

[00:15:00] [SPEAKER_00]: start getting down into at the top 15 and what have you you starting to see a

[00:15:05] [SPEAKER_00]: little more in the player oh you're starting to for a little more in the

[00:15:09] [SPEAKER_00]: player the thing with Franz is this is that it's gonna come down to

[00:15:14] [SPEAKER_00]: development and we're it's gonna come down to how much work you're gonna

[00:15:19] [SPEAKER_00]: put in the gym with this shot now will he be helped by more development

[00:15:25] [SPEAKER_00]: with Paulo Bencaro and others yeah 100% but for them to really realize what

[00:15:32] [SPEAKER_00]: they could possibly be in the East Franz needs to be that guy that takes

[00:15:37] [SPEAKER_00]: that step it really unlocking their offense is his shot and it's crazy

[00:15:42] [SPEAKER_00]: just think that a guy that you know yeah it wasn't great the first year

[00:15:49] [SPEAKER_00]: but it was showing a lot of promise and then to have it fall completely

[00:15:54] [SPEAKER_00]: apart last year and then continue in the Olympics was terrible it was not a

[00:15:59] [SPEAKER_00]: good look it wasn't something that we were we were expecting but we know

[00:16:05] [SPEAKER_00]: that Franz is a really diligent worker we know that there are great

[00:16:11] [SPEAKER_00]: player development people in Orlando we love Jamal Mosley here on this

[00:16:16] [SPEAKER_00]: podcast I know that and we look forward to seeing what Franz does in the early

[00:16:21] [SPEAKER_00]: of the 24 25 NBA season that leads us to our next guy which is number 16 on this

[00:16:31] [SPEAKER_00]: list so Nasri checks in at 16 he was undrafted in 2019 but has since made a

[00:16:40] [SPEAKER_00]: name for himself with the Minnesota Timberwolves standing 6 foot 9 and

[00:16:46] [SPEAKER_00]: 264 pounds has become a key player off the bench and providing the Timberwolves

[00:16:53] [SPEAKER_00]: with scoring rebounding and toughness in the paint this is for short

[00:16:58] [SPEAKER_00]: statement let's get into some of the pre-draft scouting report on our guy

[00:17:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Nasri Nasri was recognized for his combination of size skill and

[00:17:08] [SPEAKER_00]: potential as a stretch big his ability to handle the ball shoot from the

[00:17:14] [SPEAKER_00]: perimeter and finish around the rim made him an intriguing cross-bench scouts

[00:17:21] [SPEAKER_00]: also noted his rebounding in his shot block his biggest weakness or his

[00:17:26] [SPEAKER_00]: biggest concerns were his conditioning defensive consistency and decision

[00:17:31] [SPEAKER_00]: making though there were questions about whether he could maintain his

[00:17:36] [SPEAKER_00]: energy level throughout games and how effectively he could defend at the

[00:17:42] [SPEAKER_00]: NBA level now the one thing that I will say Nasri is that this is a

[00:17:49] [SPEAKER_00]: complete development story this is a complete development win shouts out to

[00:17:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Rojas Rose's Gershon who is now with the Knicks I think he was part of this

[00:18:00] [SPEAKER_00]: process with Nasri continuing with Chris Finch who who looked at Nasri

[00:18:08] [SPEAKER_00]: and saw more gave him opportunities gave him more minutes and wow did we

[00:18:15] [SPEAKER_00]: show do we see it absolutely pay off in the playoff we saw a guy who really

[00:18:21] [SPEAKER_00]: put in the work he was a absolute a constant the whole year and right

[00:18:28] [SPEAKER_00]: there I went at six man's of the year getting close six man's of the

[00:18:31] [SPEAKER_00]: year and stuff like that he's gonna be right back there this year again so

[00:18:36] [SPEAKER_00]: this is a credit to just development and keeping and here's the other thing the

[00:18:42] [SPEAKER_00]: weaknesses the biggest concerns for him with his conditioning we don't talk

[00:18:47] [SPEAKER_00]: about that anymore with Nasri defensive consistency we saw that level

[00:18:53] [SPEAKER_00]: up as well he's I wouldn't say he's like completely stout but on health

[00:18:58] [SPEAKER_00]: defense he is he's good he is a good help defender and his energy level

[00:19:06] [SPEAKER_00]: obviously because of the conditioning and being properly conditioned he's

[00:19:10] [SPEAKER_00]: being able to flourish in the role that he's been given with Minnesota

[00:19:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Timberwolves now development current role where he stands right now Reid has

[00:19:19] [SPEAKER_00]: developed into a reliable rotational player Minnesota particularly known for

[00:19:24] [SPEAKER_00]: scoring and his versatility his shooting has become more consistent and

[00:19:29] [SPEAKER_00]: he is proven he can play on play both power forward and center positions

[00:19:35] [SPEAKER_00]: making him a valuable piece off the bench now his ideal role this season

[00:19:42] [SPEAKER_00]: NBA scouts and media believe Reid's role this season with the Timberwolves

[00:19:47] [SPEAKER_00]: primarily will be as a backup big man capable of providing instant offense

[00:19:52] [SPEAKER_00]: off the bench and stretching the floor his defensive improvement will be crucial

[00:19:58] [SPEAKER_00]: in determining how much he can contribute in key moments if we figure

[00:20:03] [SPEAKER_00]: something out in the playoffs other than what they did with Luca and and

[00:20:09] [SPEAKER_00]: the bigs with Dallas I had no idea no idea what happened there but before

[00:20:15] [SPEAKER_00]: that when he was playing Yelkish and now he seemed to be able to stand

[00:20:19] [SPEAKER_00]: pretty expertly so for me I'm looking for more just like okay this is the

[00:20:27] [SPEAKER_00]: world this work this is successful can we improve this could I improve in

[00:20:34] [SPEAKER_00]: this box I don't need to expand outside the box I just need to see if I is

[00:20:39] [SPEAKER_00]: there my switching on to smaller wings am I close enough to them so I

[00:20:46] [SPEAKER_00]: bother their their outside shot little nuances of the game will be now where

[00:20:53] [SPEAKER_00]: we will start to see big dividends pay off for Nasri now Chris Finch that

[00:21:00] [SPEAKER_00]: organization the stability that's in place there shows a real promising

[00:21:06] [SPEAKER_00]: situation where he's going to have a great season this year and be in

[00:21:11] [SPEAKER_00]: real pivotal games for the Minnesota Timberwolves here's a quote from Kevin

[00:21:19] [SPEAKER_00]: O'Connor from the ringer read his card out a nice role for himself but the

[00:21:25] [SPEAKER_00]: next step is becoming a more reliable on the defensive side of the

[00:21:30] [SPEAKER_00]: ball if he can do that he might even push for a starting role

[00:21:36] [SPEAKER_00]: depending on the matchups now we did see that there were points in the

[00:21:42] [SPEAKER_00]: playoffs especially I think it showed itself in the Denver Denver series a

[00:21:46] [SPEAKER_00]: little bit what it definitely showed itself in the Dallas series where you

[00:21:50] [SPEAKER_00]: would take cat out with maybe six to go if the game was close against

[00:21:55] [SPEAKER_00]: the playoff teams and things of that nature and they rather had Nas

[00:22:00] [SPEAKER_00]: read on the court so that shows a level of patience it shows a level of

[00:22:05] [SPEAKER_00]: trust that we're gonna give you these very valuable crunch time minutes so

[00:22:12] [SPEAKER_00]: kudos to Nas read for stepping up his game and understanding where he could

[00:22:17] [SPEAKER_00]: actually thrive within a defensive setting and not being like the

[00:22:22] [SPEAKER_00]: greatest defensive player on the face of the planet boys and girls it's all

[00:22:27] [SPEAKER_00]: about effort defense not hard if you try just saying the first ten of the top

[00:22:39] [SPEAKER_00]: 25 so we'll be getting into the top 15 from this point on Franz Wagner was

[00:22:45] [SPEAKER_00]: at 17 so congratulations to the Orlando Magic congratulations to Franz Wagner

[00:22:50] [SPEAKER_00]: for being on this list congratulations to our guy Nas Reid for really holding

[00:22:56] [SPEAKER_00]: it down and really showing what listening to the scouts understanding

[00:23:03] [SPEAKER_00]: that these are my deficiencies and how I can get myself better so I can

[00:23:09] [SPEAKER_00]: provide provide some actual value to myself and put myself in a position

[00:23:15] [SPEAKER_00]: to be able to play now we're gonna move on we haven't done a reckless

[00:23:25] [SPEAKER_00]: trade speculation in a while okay and actually because there's nothing to

[00:23:31] [SPEAKER_00]: really be talking about our guy Lori marketing said amen there's nothing to

[00:23:36] [SPEAKER_00]: see here I'm gonna go ahead and sign with Utah on August 7th to make sure I

[00:23:41] [SPEAKER_00]: can't get traded so there will be no fireworks in Utah nothing to see

[00:23:46] [SPEAKER_00]: here we've been talking about Brandon Ingram for a long period of

[00:23:50] [SPEAKER_00]: and he's still on that I'm a max player and other teams are not really

[00:23:57] [SPEAKER_00]: necessarily seeing that in if there's no wiggle room with Brandon at all I

[00:24:03] [SPEAKER_00]: don't see him moving until after the season starts and once we can see

[00:24:08] [SPEAKER_00]: where if he comes off this situation with his value or not Eric Pincus

[00:24:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Long time NBA guy go look him up on Twitter he used to follow he used to do

[00:24:22] [SPEAKER_00]: the Lakers here in LA but now he's national he came up with a really wild

[00:24:28] [SPEAKER_00]: trade scenario now it does involve the Lakers but actually to me the more

[00:24:34] [SPEAKER_00]: intriguing piece is who was actually coming so I know everybody who

[00:24:40] [SPEAKER_00]: follows our podcast probably scours and scours the internet for news and just

[00:24:48] [SPEAKER_00]: like interesting things to kind of ruminate on right and Eric Pincus came

[00:24:56] [SPEAKER_00]: up with this blockbuster trade scenario where it brings Steph Curry to the

[00:25:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Los Angeles Lakers so I'm gonna go ahead and talk about this a little bit

[00:25:08] [SPEAKER_00]: this is so crazy to me so I'm just thinking about this Steph Curry teaming

[00:25:14] [SPEAKER_00]: up with LeBron James in Los Angeles I mean how crazy would this be but my

[00:25:21] [SPEAKER_00]: guy Pincus he fleshes it out he doesn't think is as far-fetched as it

[00:25:28] [SPEAKER_00]: seems but let's go ahead and dive into this potential crazy-ass trade

[00:25:33] [SPEAKER_00]: all right so the teams that are involved the Los Angeles Lakers of course the

[00:25:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Golden State Warriors the Brooklyn Nets the Detroit Pistons as well now how

[00:25:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Eric Pincus breaks down this trade the Lakers receives Steph Curry from

[00:25:54] [SPEAKER_00]: the Warriors De'Shawn Sharp from the Nets okay okay a big I like it and

[00:26:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Wendell Moore Jr. for the Pistons Wendell Moore Jr. is the guard that was out of

[00:26:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Duke a couple years back and pretty solid no guard not nothing too crazy or

[00:26:14] [SPEAKER_00]: whatever but the big obviously the big prize is getting Steph Curry and then

[00:26:19] [SPEAKER_00]: obviously it solves the need in the sense of a De'Shawn Sharp is the back

[00:26:23] [SPEAKER_00]: of big that the Lakers have been on a vision quest for quite some time

[00:26:28] [SPEAKER_00]: anyway now let's see how this breaks down for everybody else okay the Warriors

[00:26:35] [SPEAKER_00]: the Warriors receive Austin Reeves okay Ben Simmons 2029 unprotected first from

[00:26:44] [SPEAKER_00]: the Los Angeles Lakers a 2031 unprotected first from the Los Angeles

[00:26:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Lakers so they're getting Ben Simmons and Austin Reeves I guess if you want

[00:26:56] [SPEAKER_00]: to say Ben Simmons is gonna give them cat relief because his salary comes off

[00:27:00] [SPEAKER_00]: the books you can do that now let's see what the Nets get the Nets get the

[00:27:07] [SPEAKER_00]: they get the reunite with D'Angelo Russell okay and they also get Rui

[00:27:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Hachimora, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood Shafino from the Lakers so they're getting

[00:27:20] [SPEAKER_00]: a bunch of Lakers the Pistons receive Dennis Schroeder from the Nets Christian

[00:27:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Wood from the Lakers and two second round picks okay so that's the deal

[00:27:34] [SPEAKER_00]: and this is a wild trade scenario I'm trying to wrap my head around this a

[00:27:39] [SPEAKER_00]: little bit let's look at this from the Lakers point of view

[00:27:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Adden Curry would be a game changer especially teaming him up with

[00:27:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Brian James and Anthony Davis you know you hate to lose Austin Reeves in this

[00:27:50] [SPEAKER_00]: transaction but Steph Curry Steph what are we talking about right now if

[00:27:56] [SPEAKER_00]: you want to think about it if you're talking about the Olympic situation and

[00:28:00] [SPEAKER_00]: these guys getting to play around one another and and seeing how it feels

[00:28:04] [SPEAKER_00]: and what that experience would be again remember this is Steph Curry's

[00:28:09] [SPEAKER_00]: first and only Olympic run so he hasn't had the opportunities of going to the

[00:28:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Olympic Village and going through these training camps with all these

[00:28:21] [SPEAKER_00]: superstars before you know saying this is the first time he got to

[00:28:27] [SPEAKER_00]: experience the Olympic situation the Warriors on the other hand might only

[00:28:30] [SPEAKER_00]: entertain this idea if Curry himself pushes it that's how I see it

[00:28:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Curry who has been throughout his career a genuine good guy if you look

[00:28:43] [SPEAKER_00]: at his Q rating or whatever you want to call it

[00:28:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Steph Curry is just a good guy there's not a lot of hate on Steph Curry

[00:28:53] [SPEAKER_00]: even when the Draymond stuff was going on even when the clay stuff was

[00:28:58] [SPEAKER_00]: going on now he kept quiet through it and stay and Steph has some

[00:29:03] [SPEAKER_00]: polititie to him I think a little bit but a lot of people just love Steph so he

[00:29:11] [SPEAKER_00]: would have to ask for this Golden State which is highly unlike as that

[00:29:16] [SPEAKER_00]: glow puts it the only way that trade happens is if curry Curry forces it

[00:29:22] [SPEAKER_00]: the Warriors have been fiercely loyal to Steph but they also are realistic

[00:29:28] [SPEAKER_00]: the nets and Pistons would help facilitate this deal moving around

[00:29:33] [SPEAKER_00]: contracts picks to make the numbers work but the real question is is why

[00:29:39] [SPEAKER_00]: would the Warriors do this Kevin O'Connor argues that it would be a way

[00:29:44] [SPEAKER_00]: for the Golden State Warriors to prepare for future removing protections

[00:29:49] [SPEAKER_00]: on future picks and gaining cap flexibility by moving on from Curry's

[00:29:57] [SPEAKER_00]: massive contract numbers which he just got that contract extension for 62.6

[00:30:03] [SPEAKER_00]: million so you add that on and we're talking three more years Curry who

[00:30:09] [SPEAKER_00]: was entering his 30s his age 36 year that's a lot of money now Steph is

[00:30:15] [SPEAKER_00]: the greatest shooter of all time you don't see that really fading think of

[00:30:20] [SPEAKER_00]: some of the old guys who stay around in the league Lee Lebron out

[00:30:25] [SPEAKER_00]: but some of the old guys who stayed around in the league for a long time

[00:30:29] [SPEAKER_00]: West Matthews kicked around this league forever

[00:30:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Joe Johnson kicked around this league forever there are just dudes that know

[00:30:40] [SPEAKER_00]: how to shoot the basketball did just stick around our guy Jeff Green has

[00:30:45] [SPEAKER_00]: been around forever you know so I don't look at Steph's situation as like

[00:30:54] [SPEAKER_00]: he's gonna hit this cliff and it's just gonna all fall apart so

[00:30:59] [SPEAKER_00]: there's some intrigue that's intriguing there if this trade was to ever happen

[00:31:06] [SPEAKER_00]: it would reshape the league obviously pairing Lebron and Curry is just

[00:31:10] [SPEAKER_00]: creating a nightmare for everybody in the league the only thing that you

[00:31:15] [SPEAKER_00]: have to worry about obviously is the injury and the miles that have been

[00:31:19] [SPEAKER_00]: put on by these three legitimate superstars to maybe a little bit brighter

[00:31:26] [SPEAKER_00]: than the third which is AD but it is a situation where if the Lakers have been

[00:31:32] [SPEAKER_00]: who have been telling us we have been we will only trade Austin Reeves

[00:31:38] [SPEAKER_00]: if it's a all-star well Steph Curry is that realistically is Goldstein

[00:31:46] [SPEAKER_00]: gonna do this one first of all hell no again Curry would have to ask for it

[00:31:55] [SPEAKER_00]: then also Curry would have to think about this he would be absolutely not

[00:32:02] [SPEAKER_00]: for a while the vitriol will be tough if he went to the Lakers the vitriol

[00:32:09] [SPEAKER_00]: will be real tough and I wonder if Steph so there's a lot with this it's

[00:32:15] [SPEAKER_00]: not like oh great no great for the Lakers and did it no no no no I'm not

[00:32:21] [SPEAKER_00]: that guy yes great for the Lakers as far as talent upgrade all that but you

[00:32:28] [SPEAKER_00]: gotta look at it from the human side this dude is going to take a lot of

[00:32:32] [SPEAKER_00]: shit if he did this that's what it was obviously in the Golden State era

[00:32:41] [SPEAKER_00]: while fun and while fun to speculate as Chris Vernon pointed out this deal is

[00:32:48] [SPEAKER_00]: the kind of thing that makes the NBA offseason one of the most exciting in

[00:32:52] [SPEAKER_00]: sports but don't hold your breath I'm with him me and Vernal on the same

[00:32:58] [SPEAKER_00]: page with this because again the breakdown is this yes I can understand

[00:33:02] [SPEAKER_00]: the Lakers star-tracing and this is as bulletproof as you can get but

[00:33:07] [SPEAKER_00]: again it's asking a lot of stuff who has seen retirements before or retirement

[00:33:17] [SPEAKER_00]: tours before and his curiosity has been piqued by that so I don't see

[00:33:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Steph asking out now if there's some more BS with Draymond and he decides

[00:33:33] [SPEAKER_00]: like at least with LeBron he's a more like controllable bully or more of a

[00:33:41] [SPEAKER_00]: cerebral bully then he would be like just out of control I don't know if

[00:33:46] [SPEAKER_00]: frustrations get to Steph if he's not really in the playoff mix because

[00:33:51] [SPEAKER_00]: unless we see some huge developments from Jonathan Kamenga and a

[00:34:01] [SPEAKER_00]: leaps from Brandon Krasinski and Trace Jackson Davis I don't see the Golden

[00:34:10] [SPEAKER_00]: State Warriors cracking that top six if frustrations get worse maybe maybe but I

[00:34:19] [SPEAKER_00]: still again he's gonna take into consideration his legacy in Golden

[00:34:24] [SPEAKER_00]: State first and foremost that's very important to him his wife and his kids

[00:34:29] [SPEAKER_00]: love it up there he's so established he's so like foundationally set there

[00:34:36] [SPEAKER_00]: and you can say yeah well Damian Lillard was the same thing in Portland but

[00:34:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Damian Lillard has not won four championships so no disrespect to

[00:34:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Damian Lillard it's a little bit different when we talk about

[00:34:49] [SPEAKER_00]: championships and then the other thing is that Golden State really leans on

[00:34:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Steph Curry whatever has gone on with the play situation now he has always

[00:35:05] [SPEAKER_00]: allowed the decisions to be made by the other people in the room but he has

[00:35:11] [SPEAKER_00]: been let known what has been going on throughout this whole process so

[00:35:16] [SPEAKER_00]: With all that being said I don't know about this trade personally I am skeptical of it but it was good to

[00:35:25] [SPEAKER_00]: talk about. You guys tell me hit me up on X at FrontrunnerPC let me know if

[00:35:31] [SPEAKER_00]: you thought this trade was wack if you thought this trade was intriguing

[00:35:35] [SPEAKER_00]: did you like the Golden State is moving on from their championship

[00:35:39] [SPEAKER_00]: situation or do you want to see over the next couple years we're not

[00:35:46] [SPEAKER_00]: going to see that again. I think that if we can get a little bit more of a

[00:35:46] [SPEAKER_00]: look at the history of the team and Steph and Draymond can saddle up one

[00:35:51] [SPEAKER_00]: more time I can see a lot of things on both sides of the aisle our last

[00:35:59] [SPEAKER_00]: thing that we're gonna get to today is we're going to revisit our Cree Camp

[00:36:04] [SPEAKER_00]: previews and the team that we're gonna talk about today is the

[00:36:09] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm very excited to talk about the Cleveland Cavaliers there's a lot going

[00:36:14] [SPEAKER_00]: on with them we got contract extensions we got superstar stand we got two bigs

[00:36:21] [SPEAKER_00]: we got two point guards we got new wings we got dudes that's not signed yet

[00:36:27] [SPEAKER_00]: it's a great time to be alive in Cleveland as we get and we turn our

[00:36:32] [SPEAKER_00]: attention to the Cleveland Cavaliers as they head into training camp the

[00:36:36] [SPEAKER_00]: guys have a mix of young talent experienced veterans some big questions

[00:36:41] [SPEAKER_00]: heading into the season and we're here to break it all down the key players

[00:36:45] [SPEAKER_00]: the leadership what to watch for as they prepare for another campaign in

[00:36:51] [SPEAKER_00]: the Eastern Conference so let's get into it the key players on this team

[00:36:56] [SPEAKER_00]: obviously let's start with Donovan Mitchell Donovan Mitchell is a

[00:37:06] [SPEAKER_00]: seven years in the league last year our guy was 26.1 points a game he averaged

[00:37:14] [SPEAKER_00]: 4.4 assists a game he averaged 4.2 rebounds a game he shot a 45.8%

[00:37:23] [SPEAKER_00]: field goal percentage he shot a 38.6% from three-point land so great his

[00:37:33] [SPEAKER_00]: true shooting percentage was 58.2 and he had wind shares of positive 9.2

[00:37:41] [SPEAKER_00]: basically Mitchell is the engine that drives Cleveland's offense but for them

[00:37:46] [SPEAKER_00]: to take the next step you'll need to commit more consistency on the

[00:37:51] [SPEAKER_00]: defensive side Zach Lowe says about this about Mitchell Mitchell scoring is

[00:37:56] [SPEAKER_00]: elite but the Cavaliers need more from him on the defensive side of the

[00:38:00] [SPEAKER_00]: if they're going to be a true contender I believe in this and actually Tim

[00:38:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Bontemps of ESPN says something on the hoop collective I believe it was today

[00:38:12] [SPEAKER_00]: or yesterday and he was basically talking about now I don't know if I

[00:38:19] [SPEAKER_00]: believe this but he said it he said that for Cleveland to get to where

[00:38:24] [SPEAKER_00]: they want to go he doesn't know if Donovan Mitchell is the number one

[00:38:29] [SPEAKER_00]: option on a championship contending team he said for the Cleveland Cavaliers

[00:38:37] [SPEAKER_00]: and we'll talk about this gentleman in a little while he said there was

[00:38:41] [SPEAKER_00]: another person that needed to be the number one option and we'll get there

[00:38:47] [SPEAKER_00]: but I thought that was interesting that he didn't consider Donovan Mitchell

[00:38:53] [SPEAKER_00]: good enough to lead a team if the talent around him presented itself now you can

[00:39:01] [SPEAKER_00]: say hey that 18 game stretch in the middle of the year where Darius Garland

[00:39:07] [SPEAKER_00]: is out and also I think Evan Mobley was out as well this is one of those

[00:39:13] [SPEAKER_00]: situations where you you sit there and you go what about that what about

[00:39:17] [SPEAKER_00]: that 18 game stretch where he kept us this is what a superstar does dudes

[00:39:23] [SPEAKER_00]: go down no sweat I'm gonna go ahead and keep us afloat all of that is true we

[00:39:31] [SPEAKER_00]: all know there's a far cry between regular season basketball and playoff

[00:39:38] [SPEAKER_00]: basketball and our concern here at front runner podcast collective with

[00:39:45] [SPEAKER_00]: the Cleveland Cavaliers and we talked about it when they went into the

[00:39:50] [SPEAKER_00]: last year the guards are small who is going to guard who's gonna step up as

[00:40:01] [SPEAKER_00]: far as that's concerned with that and then your bigs clog up the lane where

[00:40:06] [SPEAKER_00]: is the spacing so here's the other thing they ran it all back because

[00:40:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Darius Garland is back as well Darius Garland point guard 6 foot 1 192 he's

[00:40:22] [SPEAKER_00]: 24 years of age god he's still young five years of experience he averaged

[00:40:28] [SPEAKER_00]: 21.6 points a game last year 7.8 assists with 2.7

[00:40:34] [SPEAKER_00]: rebounds he shot it at 46 percent last year from the field and 41.2

[00:40:41] [SPEAKER_00]: from 3 the true shooting was 57.9 percent and his win shares were at 7.5

[00:40:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Garland is a fantastic point guard with a bright future but will need to

[00:40:55] [SPEAKER_00]: step up his defense be able to help the Cavaliers I don't know if he's

[00:41:00] [SPEAKER_00]: gonna be able to do that to get over the hump as Chris Voining printed out

[00:41:04] [SPEAKER_00]: his offensive skills are undeniable but the Cavs need more balance from him

[00:41:11] [SPEAKER_00]: well is it from him or is it that it's kind of the same situation that was in

[00:41:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Atlanta it's a better situation because these guys care a little bit more no

[00:41:25] [SPEAKER_00]: shade on Trey I'm just saying like Garland does give effort on the

[00:41:31] [SPEAKER_00]: inside of the ball it's just he's small and I don't care how long Donovan

[00:41:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Mitchell's arms are he's still 6 foot 3 and when you have a guy who's 6 foot

[00:41:47] [SPEAKER_00]: 7 yep the arms will make a difference he's 6'10 6'11 wingspan or

[00:41:53] [SPEAKER_00]: whatever but it's not it's not big enough where he's gonna just just

[00:41:59] [SPEAKER_00]: challenge every shot and he's gonna get overpowered by bigger wings and things

[00:42:04] [SPEAKER_00]: of that nature so for me they still got to answer the question is how can

[00:42:10] [SPEAKER_00]: you be successful with the itty-bitty guards and you say well Vince look at

[00:42:17] [SPEAKER_00]: the big situation and I go okay I like what you talking about because

[00:42:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Jared Allen is awesome and this next guy that we're gonna talk about Evan

[00:42:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Mobley who is a power forward center 6'11 2'15 23 years of age been in the league

[00:42:35] [SPEAKER_00]: for three years and we are still waiting last year 15.7 points a

[00:42:41] [SPEAKER_00]: game 9.4 rebounds a game and 2.1 blocks a game he shot it at 58% from

[00:42:48] [SPEAKER_00]: field his advanced stats his defensive box plus minus was a positive 3.2 and

[00:43:00] [SPEAKER_00]: his true shooting percentage was 59.4% and he had a win shares of 8.1

[00:43:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Mobley is the key to this whole thing Mobley has the potential to be

[00:43:10] [SPEAKER_00]: defensive player of the year I doubt that right now because Wimby's in the

[00:43:15] [SPEAKER_00]: league but he's a defensive year candidate you know he's an off NBA

[00:43:21] [SPEAKER_00]: defensive type of player but to be able to justify the contract that he got

[00:43:28] [SPEAKER_00]: is that he's going to have to develop on the offensive side of the ball also

[00:43:34] [SPEAKER_00]: it's going to be really interesting to see how it all works

[00:43:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Kobe Altman has really done a good job in building a team that can get to the

[00:43:46] [SPEAKER_00]: playoff consistently as far as that's concerned because remember without

[00:43:52] [SPEAKER_00]: LeBron Cleveland was not getting to the playoffs now they're getting to

[00:43:56] [SPEAKER_00]: the playoffs and they're starting to make some noise but how can they

[00:44:00] [SPEAKER_00]: take that next step with the big boys in the East and that's gonna be up

[00:44:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Kobe Altman and new head coach Kenny Atkinson now Kenny Atkinson we'll talk

[00:44:13] [SPEAKER_00]: about in one second Kobe Altman brought him there

[00:44:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Altman has led the Cavaliers front office since 2017 overseeing the

[00:44:21] [SPEAKER_00]: transition from LeBron James era to building a young promising core while

[00:44:27] [SPEAKER_00]: his decisions face scrutiny particularly in regarding to the timing

[00:44:32] [SPEAKER_00]: of the teams rebuild his recent moves have positioned the Cavaliers as a

[00:44:38] [SPEAKER_00]: competitive team in the Eastern Conference a quote from our guy Zach

[00:44:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Harper Altman has done a solid job assembling young talent but now comes

[00:44:48] [SPEAKER_00]: the hard part turning potential into sustained success true true this but

[00:44:56] [SPEAKER_00]: The moves have been great I'm getting Jared Allen for absolutely nothing and

[00:45:04] [SPEAKER_00]: come on he is he's a great defensive center I like a lot of things that

[00:45:08] [SPEAKER_00]: they've done even in Donovan Mitchell thing I mean I'm still skeptical how

[00:45:12] [SPEAKER_00]: it works but you know Mitchell signing the contract and staying in Cleveland

[00:45:19] [SPEAKER_00]: shows us a lot you know Altman knew something about this particular

[00:45:26] [SPEAKER_00]: situation and anytime that you can acquire talent now yes we get real itchy

[00:45:32] [SPEAKER_00]: we get a little nervous when you're talking for first round picks and and

[00:45:38] [SPEAKER_00]: this player and that player but at the end of the day if you can get the

[00:45:42] [SPEAKER_00]: production then you can get out of spider Mitchell which this is what

[00:45:46] [SPEAKER_00]: you're getting and now he's resigned with you there's nothing more you can

[00:45:53] [SPEAKER_00]: ask for when you get that type of player that type of production and then

[00:45:59] [SPEAKER_00]: he resides with a team that is an unusual team to resign with in the

[00:46:08] [SPEAKER_00]: historical landscape of the NBA let's just put it that way Cleveland is not

[00:46:14] [SPEAKER_00]: a place where usually your dude who is free agent to be is like you know

[00:46:20] [SPEAKER_00]: where I want to spend my winners I want to spend my winners in Cleveland you

[00:46:25] [SPEAKER_00]: know saying this is where I like to hang out this is where I like to get

[00:46:29] [SPEAKER_00]: my big boy status going on usually they want to go to parts a little more

[00:46:36] [SPEAKER_00]: tropical a little more have a little more going on with it no offense to

[00:46:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Cleveland I saw what y'all did with summer slam y'all held it down with

[00:46:46] [SPEAKER_00]: summer slam rock and roll Hall of Fame great y'all saying we'll see what the

[00:46:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Cleveland Browns do this year Ken Deshaun Watson who that's a lot of money

[00:47:00] [SPEAKER_00]: y'all gave him we'll see what you would you do with that but at the end

[00:47:05] [SPEAKER_00]: of the day when you got places like Miami you have places like New York

[00:47:11] [SPEAKER_00]: you have places like Los Angeles you have places like Dallas Texas Houston

[00:47:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Texas Atlanta places like that usually a Cleveland is gonna is gonna lose out

[00:47:22] [SPEAKER_00]: as far as destination wise all right but credit to Kobe Altman building a

[00:47:31] [SPEAKER_00]: fantastic foundation building a in building a team where it was like

[00:47:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Donovan could see himself being the number one option on a team that

[00:47:45] [SPEAKER_00]: matters in the playoffs and that's what they sold to him and they did a great

[00:47:51] [SPEAKER_00]: job with that so kudos to our guy Kobe Altman now next up is Kenny Atkinson

[00:47:58] [SPEAKER_00]: now Kenny Atkinson was the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets when they were

[00:48:02] [SPEAKER_00]: like the young Brooklyn Nets so this is the pre Kevin Durant Kyrie

[00:48:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Irving deal this was the D'Angelo Russell Spencer Dinwiddie deal

[00:48:13] [SPEAKER_00]: right now Atkinson went on to be an assistant coach with the Golden State

[00:48:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Warriors where he got to be underneath Steve Kerr and be able to watch

[00:48:29] [SPEAKER_00]: brilliance in Steph Curry, Trayvon Green and others alike Kenny Atkinson

[00:48:36] [SPEAKER_00]: comes with a reputation for player development and implementing a

[00:48:41] [SPEAKER_00]: discipline system known for his work with young players during his time in

[00:48:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Brooklyn Atkinson is been tasked with maximizing the potential of the

[00:48:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Clevelands Young Corps while balancing the contributions of established

[00:48:59] [SPEAKER_00]: established veterans like Donovan Mitchell and Jared Allen here's what

[00:49:05] [SPEAKER_00]: one executive said to me Atkinson's hiring signals a commitment to

[00:49:11] [SPEAKER_00]: developing this roster's potential his track record suggests that he'll instill

[00:49:17] [SPEAKER_00]: a system that could help elevate the Cavaliers defense and consistency and

[00:49:24] [SPEAKER_00]: this is what he does up until last year the best of D'Angelo Russell

[00:49:30] [SPEAKER_00]: was in Brooklyn and that was under the care of Kenny Atkinson you can say

[00:49:38] [SPEAKER_00]: that he got Spencer Dinwiddie paid okay so I think Jake Crowder was on that team

[00:49:46] [SPEAKER_00]: there was a lot of like dudes that have gotten paid that was on that squad

[00:49:51] [SPEAKER_00]: he goes to Golden State he's gonna learn more offensive principles and

[00:49:56] [SPEAKER_00]: things of that nature and also he gets to see Draymond Green work every

[00:50:03] [SPEAKER_00]: day now Draymond Green is a completely different player we're

[00:50:07] [SPEAKER_00]: talking about apples to oranges and I'm not saying that this is what he's

[00:50:11] [SPEAKER_00]: trying to bring to Cleveland but what I'm saying is that being around somebody

[00:50:17] [SPEAKER_00]: who's a defensive mind like that is it's helpful and you can learn from

[00:50:22] [SPEAKER_00]: anyone I truly wholeheartedly believe that so I think Kenny Atkinson was a

[00:50:29] [SPEAKER_00]: really good hire for the Cleveland Cavaliers to take that next step

[00:50:32] [SPEAKER_00]: personally I think that you're looking at somebody who will be able to

[00:50:37] [SPEAKER_00]: hold Donovan Mitchell accountable on the defensive side of the wall and we'll

[00:50:42] [SPEAKER_00]: see how that all works now a couple things I want to bring up from last

[00:50:46] [SPEAKER_00]: year we did talk about a little bit of the lineup and the continuity of

[00:50:51] [SPEAKER_00]: lineup because some of the injuries now a lot of people were talking about

[00:50:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Darius Garland last year I want to say this that man had a broken jaw he

[00:51:03] [SPEAKER_00]: lost like 20 some mock pounds so we didn't get to see the real Darius

[00:51:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Garland in the playoffs because he was 20 pounds lighter and that's a guy who

[00:51:17] [SPEAKER_00]: could not afford to lose 20 pounds so I don't think we saw who Darius

[00:51:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Garland really is in the playoffs so I want to see how he looks this year

[00:51:31] [SPEAKER_00]: also we lost some time with Evan Mobley now I want to bring up this one thing

[00:51:37] [SPEAKER_00]: about because we're gonna get into the X factor here and the X factor is Evan

[00:51:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Mobley I'm gonna bring up this one point Kenny Atkinson also coached the

[00:51:52] [SPEAKER_00]: French national team I don't know if you checked out the Olympics what I do

[00:51:58] [SPEAKER_00]: know this is that Wimbayama and Goguerre couldn't coexist on the court Kenny

[00:52:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Atkinson separated them had one big on the court so this was in a Olympic

[00:52:14] [SPEAKER_00]: setting there were a lot national pride on the line high stakes Olympics the

[00:52:20] [SPEAKER_00]: pinnacle so I just wonder how long how long will it be until the two

[00:52:28] [SPEAKER_00]: centers are still together just saying here's the X factor of the whole deal

[00:52:34] [SPEAKER_00]: is Evan Mobley if Evan Mobley shoots the three and he can shoot it at a at

[00:52:41] [SPEAKER_00]: a pretty good clip let's say 35% and let's say he's averaging four and a

[00:52:49] [SPEAKER_00]: half again you're gonna have to start you're gonna have to start going out

[00:52:52] [SPEAKER_00]: to him if he can shoot it at 35 36% and let's say he can get up four or five

[00:52:59] [SPEAKER_00]: attempts a game eventually you're gonna have to go out to him to that three

[00:53:04] [SPEAKER_00]: point line and guard them now another thing you could do is maybe you don't

[00:53:09] [SPEAKER_00]: stretch them out all the way to the three-point land but you can stretch

[00:53:12] [SPEAKER_00]: them out to 20 feet but if he can really get to that corner three and

[00:53:23] [SPEAKER_00]: opens up a whole new world to the offense and allows Donovan Mitchell and

[00:53:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Darius Garland who are two really offensively in the middle of the paint

[00:53:34] [SPEAKER_00]: both of those guys in different ways can get into the middle of the paint

[00:53:39] [SPEAKER_00]: and be able to do damage in the middle of paint whether it is scoring

[00:53:44] [SPEAKER_00]: the basketball or shooting out to shooters who are ready to knock down

[00:53:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Evan Mobley is going to make that leap it is this year we are looking for it

[00:53:56] [SPEAKER_00]: but we'll see how it all goes a quote from Zach Lowe about this basically

[00:54:01] [SPEAKER_00]: injuries have plagued him a consistent shot consistently has plagued him and

[00:54:09] [SPEAKER_00]: he relegated himself to a player that can only make all defensive teams

[00:54:13] [SPEAKER_00]: for him to get to a all NBA level status his offensive game will have to take a

[00:54:23] [SPEAKER_00]: couple leaps that's from our guy Zach Lowe now let's give you the rookie

[00:54:29] [SPEAKER_00]: profile and this is for Jalen Tyson Jalen Tyson was their draft pick this

[00:54:33] [SPEAKER_00]: year he was the 6 foot 6 210 a wing out of Texas Tech in the second

[00:54:39] [SPEAKER_00]: round here's some of the pre-draft scuttlebutt on our guy Tyson Tyson was

[00:54:46] [SPEAKER_00]: crazed for his versatility on both ends of the floor

[00:54:49] [SPEAKER_00]: scouts noted his strong defensive instincts ability to guard multiple

[00:54:54] [SPEAKER_00]: positions and his potential as a 3&D player however consistency was a

[00:55:01] [SPEAKER_00]: concern his strengths are defensive versatility strong basketball IQ and

[00:55:07] [SPEAKER_00]: shooting potential weaknesses needs consistency and physical development to

[00:55:15] [SPEAKER_00]: compete at the NBA level and now here's the post-summer assessment from

[00:55:21] [SPEAKER_00]: an anonymous NBA scout we're impressed with Tyson's defensive capabilities

[00:55:26] [SPEAKER_00]: but noted that his offensive game still needs work Tyson has all the

[00:55:37] [SPEAKER_00]: defense will get him on the court but his offensive development will determine

[00:55:41] [SPEAKER_00]: how impactful he can be and this is the reason why Isaac Okoro still not

[00:55:47] [SPEAKER_00]: signed here's another guy who has who's like six five six six who has

[00:55:53] [SPEAKER_00]: long arms great defensive chops can guard people but if you can't shoot

[00:56:00] [SPEAKER_00]: we had a real heated debate on X about Markelle Foltz I think about a week ago

[00:56:08] [SPEAKER_00]: and I made that I have made that point like he shot 22% last year

[00:56:12] [SPEAKER_00]: that's why he's not in the lead and Isaac Okoro is a really excellent

[00:56:20] [SPEAKER_00]: defender but if the shot never materializes he's not gonna be able

[00:56:27] [SPEAKER_00]: impactful on the defensive end because he's gonna be on the bench and Tyson

[00:56:32] [SPEAKER_00]: is gonna fall into the same role so he's gonna have to learn that

[00:56:37] [SPEAKER_00]: corner three get comfortable with it and get to an expert level so he can

[00:56:43] [SPEAKER_00]: get himself on the court. Low times in with the Cavaliers have a

[00:56:50] [SPEAKER_00]: strong foundation whether they can take the next step depends on their

[00:56:55] [SPEAKER_00]: strong starts developing into more consistent and versatile threats

[00:57:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Atkinson's system could be what pushes them into serious playoff

[00:57:05] [SPEAKER_00]: contention. Chris Vernon steps in with this and says Cleveland has all the

[00:57:10] [SPEAKER_00]: pieces but their ceiling is uncertain the East is tough and while the Cavs

[00:57:17] [SPEAKER_00]: will be in the mix they will be figure out how close games

[00:57:24] [SPEAKER_00]: better and get more out of their bench. This is true. Cleveland is in a situation

[00:57:30] [SPEAKER_00]: where they're still looking up at Boston they're still looking up at

[00:57:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Milwaukee they're still looking up at New York did Indiana close the gap

[00:57:40] [SPEAKER_00]: who else was out there Orlando as well and there's probably a team that

[00:57:46] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm forgetting oh Philadelphia they got hurt there's no question to me oh

[00:57:54] [SPEAKER_00]: breaking news breaking news okay this is coming from Adrian Wojnarowski I think

[00:58:00] [SPEAKER_00]: the embargo has been lifted I think the NBA is back in full

[00:58:05] [SPEAKER_00]: vigor. The Los Angeles Clippers has signed center Evita Zubats they have

[00:58:12] [SPEAKER_00]: agreed to a three-year 58.6 million dollar contract extension. Mike

[00:58:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Zubats will tell ESPN Zubat gets max available for his three years his three

[00:58:29] [SPEAKER_00]: seasons and now is guaranteed four years 70 million. Evita Zubats just got

[00:58:36] [SPEAKER_00]: paid so that's all good we like that and the Clippers needed that because

[00:58:41] [SPEAKER_00]: oh you gotta have him happy this year he is going to be cleaning up a

[00:58:45] [SPEAKER_00]: lot of messes especially if Kawhi still continues this song and dance of

[00:58:50] [SPEAKER_00]: I will play I will not play I will play I will take a scheduled vacation and you

[00:58:59] [SPEAKER_00]: will not know where I'm going I will play and then my knee hurts we don't

[00:59:04] [SPEAKER_00]: know if that's gonna happen is very important to James Harden he's in he's

[00:59:10] [SPEAKER_00]: important to that picking role he's important to their defense and he's

[00:59:16] [SPEAKER_00]: important because he is seven feet and he can rebound good deal for him okay

[00:59:25] [SPEAKER_00]: this is what one executive said about the Cavaliers the Cavs are in good spot

[00:59:30] [SPEAKER_00]: with their young core but they need Mitchell to become a leader on both

[00:59:36] [SPEAKER_00]: ends Atkinson can help but it's all it's all about now and how quickly

[00:59:43] [SPEAKER_00]: the team can adapt to his system this is what one NBA scout said Mowgli's

[00:59:49] [SPEAKER_00]: growth is key this is what we've been telling you if he can expand his

[00:59:54] [SPEAKER_00]: offensive game and become a true two-way star Cleveland could surprise

[00:59:58] [SPEAKER_00]: some people but they need more from their role players to make a deep

[01:00:04] [SPEAKER_00]: run so yeah it's either growth from their most talented guys or it's

[01:00:12] [SPEAKER_00]: gonna be collective growth like can we get little gains from Darius Garland

[01:00:19] [SPEAKER_00]: like if Darius Garland stays on the court this is great and then Mowgli

[01:00:24] [SPEAKER_00]: stays on the court this is great now Evan Mowgli shoots to three even

[01:00:30] [SPEAKER_00]: better can you get the same type of contributions from Sam Merrill and

[01:00:41] [SPEAKER_00]: all intracool parts to that team last year can they repeat their performances all things

[01:00:47] [SPEAKER_00]: to think about let's get to the burning questions for the Cleveland

[01:00:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Cavaliers before they head into camp so these are the things that we're

[01:00:58] [SPEAKER_00]: gonna be looking for we're probably not necessarily gonna get answers to

[01:01:02] [SPEAKER_00]: these until probably 15 games into the season so these are the

[01:01:07] [SPEAKER_00]: questions that I want you as Cleveland fans or as Donovan Mitchell fans or

[01:01:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Darius Garland fans or Evan Mowgli fans to think about all right can

[01:01:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland coexist efficiently we're gonna find

[01:01:26] [SPEAKER_00]: out this duo showed promise last season but questions still remain about

[01:01:32] [SPEAKER_00]: their defensive compatibility and how they can optimize their offensive

[01:01:39] [SPEAKER_00]: synergy remember it was a lot of like okay it's your turn then it's my turn

[01:01:45] [SPEAKER_00]: and then when he got to the playoffs it was more Donovan Mitchell's turn

[01:01:50] [SPEAKER_00]: and less Darius Garland now that this could be contributed to the broken jaw

[01:01:57] [SPEAKER_00]: that Darius Garland had and he lost the 20 some-long pounds I say all

[01:02:02] [SPEAKER_00]: this to be said that if Garland's healthy we're gonna see a more

[01:02:08] [SPEAKER_00]: aggressive renewed vigor invigorated Garland and I'll I think we can we'll be

[01:02:14] [SPEAKER_00]: able to put these questions as bad as far as offensively can they work

[01:02:19] [SPEAKER_00]: because I believe offensively they definitely can work now the second

[01:02:25] [SPEAKER_00]: question that I have will Evan Mowgli take the next step offensively and

[01:02:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Evan Mowgli is already an elite defender I'm gonna put that out there but the

[01:02:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Cavaliers but for the Cavaliers to reach their full potential he will

[01:02:45] [SPEAKER_00]: need to become a more dominant force on the offensive end particularly by

[01:02:49] [SPEAKER_00]: expanding his shooting range we went talking about it at nausea he is the

[01:02:55] [SPEAKER_00]: most logical choice to start stepping out he did it very faintly

[01:03:03] [SPEAKER_00]: last year but the results were good now he's going to have to span and just

[01:03:11] [SPEAKER_00]: increase the volume other three-point shot and here's the other thing with

[01:03:17] [SPEAKER_00]: that Kenny Atkinson is going to demand him to shoot it now if he

[01:03:24] [SPEAKER_00]: shows it oh that was just a mirage last year the high percentage on the

[01:03:30] [SPEAKER_00]: very very very low volume oh you're gonna have to work out some things you

[01:03:35] [SPEAKER_00]: have to change some things up the lineups gonna have to change might have

[01:03:39] [SPEAKER_00]: to make a trade who knows but the first step is let's see Evan Mowgli

[01:03:47] [SPEAKER_00]: take four or five threes again and let's see how that looks he has to do

[01:03:53] [SPEAKER_00]: it he has to try for them to really unlock what they could be third

[01:03:59] [SPEAKER_00]: question how will Kenny Atkinson shape the team's identity now I want to give

[01:04:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Kenny Atkinson some credit because he got really I wouldn't even say

[01:04:13] [SPEAKER_00]: blacklist it was more of a situation where KD and Kyrie got there and was

[01:04:18] [SPEAKER_00]: like yeah we don't like the vibe and then they brought in Steve Nash

[01:04:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Kenny Atkinson goes to gold state he gets to see superstars and how they

[01:04:26] [SPEAKER_00]: act and what have you now he gets a perfect superstar right in Steph Curry

[01:04:32] [SPEAKER_00]: but at the end of the day this is what I will say is that Kenny Atkinson

[01:04:40] [SPEAKER_00]: it can help Donovan Mitchell if Donovan Mitchell allows him to he can

[01:04:45] [SPEAKER_00]: help Darius Garland if Darious Garland buys into the system it is a

[01:04:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Russell had his greatest year with Kenny Atkinson I can see this happening

[01:05:03] [SPEAKER_00]: for Darious Garland so I have no questions there the key is can he be

[01:05:12] [SPEAKER_00]: the Evan Mowgli whisperer because that's the thing that unlocks the

[01:05:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Cavaliers to a level where we start looking at them and going hey they

[01:05:24] [SPEAKER_00]: can deal with bossy that in the show I want to thank everybody I'm glad that we were able to do this list the top 25 players that are 25 and under

[01:05:35] [SPEAKER_00]: I want to thank the producers for grabbing quotes from me and helping out

[01:05:40] [SPEAKER_00]: I want to thank Funch for coming back to the show good looks my guy I'm

[01:05:46] [SPEAKER_00]: glad you're healthy we had a little scare there he had some crazy stuff

[01:05:50] [SPEAKER_00]: happen but he's alright and then this be here's the thing the best part of you

[01:05:57] [SPEAKER_00]: is you make sure that the people that surround you are just basically illuminate

[01:06:04] [SPEAKER_00]: in your life any people that are taken away from your life we need to have a

[01:06:08] [SPEAKER_00]: real interesting talk with those folks go out and do some good in this

[01:06:14] [SPEAKER_00]: world on this beautiful weekend also enjoy yourself stay mage and enjoy

[01:06:21] [SPEAKER_00]: yourself but do some good and we'll see you back on this podcast and on

[01:06:27] [SPEAKER_00]: this feed on Monday deuce