Sometimes It’s More Than Basketball: Wildfire Reflections, Zion’s Crossroads, and Southeast Division Buzz

[00:00:22] It's Monday and we're gonna skip the regular Oakland. So Rhea and I would want to take a moment to acknowledge the devastating events unfolding in our city of Los Angeles. Due to the wildfires that are raging across Southern California, we made a decision not to record on Friday. Frankly, we weren't in any right headspace due to friends and colleagues.

[00:00:52] That are being displaced, not knowing whether they have a home to go back to or not. And then finding out that they didn't have a home to go back to. Sometimes things are bigger than basketball and we wanted to make sure that we gave this situation its proper pedestal. The world could see the devastation that was going on. It's hard to put it into words.

[00:01:21] There are entire areas of Los Angeles that have been completely wiped out. Pacific Palisades and surrounding neighborhoods are in ruins. The numbers are staggering right now. 10,000 buildings have been destroyed. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced. And the worst of it all, over 30 lives as of this morning, have been taken.

[00:01:47] These are families, friends, neighbors, and communities grappling with the unimaginable grief and uncertainty. Uncertainty whether you believe that these people are privileged or not. Memories don't cost anything.

[00:02:10] Sentimentality or the place where you might have told your soon-to-be wife, I would like to marry you. Gone.

[00:02:25] The first time that you got your big promotion and you went out to dinner, gone. Yes. Did it happen to a community that as far as financially they can handle it? Some. Some. But in Altadena, it's a little bit different story. And the devastation.

[00:03:22] The devastation. The devastation. Wildfire. The devastation. And the devastation. And we'll go ahead and put that in both links to the podcast today. Now, one more thing before we transition into basketball. We're safe.

[00:03:52] We're safe. We are fine. We have been blessed. We have been touched by this. There are several people that we know. That have been affected by this situation. That have been affected by this situation. And it's hard. It's been a hard few days. And the worst part about it is that tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tuesday. We're expecting. We're expecting. Just horrific high winds again.

[00:04:22] So, we're not out of the woods as of yet. There could be more peril to come. And like I said, we are situated in an area where we're so far removed from this, even though we're still in Los Angeles County. I think a lot of people do not realize how big, how vast Los Angeles is.

[00:04:48] But to the grace of God, we are fine. We can continue the podcast now. We think that we've allowed this situation to breathe. We've allowed people to get acclimated with what is going on in the world and what's going on in our community. But now we want to turn the page and hopefully provide a little respite.

[00:05:15] Hopefully provide a little, hey, you know what? There's some stuff going on with Zion and we really need to talk about it. And we hope that we can give you the baseline buzz about Victor Wimbayama. And we will go around the arc in the Southeastern Division where the magic are just doing incredible things. They're living up to their name.

[00:05:41] So, what we're going to do now is we are going to get into it. So, I thank you for allowing me to do that. We will probably do some sort of open similar in the second. Just because we want to make sure that if some people did not get the message in the first episode, they got it in the second one.

[00:06:08] So, I thank everybody for hanging in there with me before we got to the basketball. So, thank you. So, we're going to turn our attention to New Orleans. And Zion Williamson over the last four or five days has been in the news again.

[00:06:28] What was supposed to be a Pelican savior, a generational talent with explosive athleticism, electrifying personality, and the ability to single-handedly change the fortune of a franchise. Remember, AD walked out the door. That was the trade that sent all the baby Lakers to the Pelicans.

[00:06:52] And then it took pretty much a half a decade of draft picks out the door with them. And they were also getting Zion. So, everything was looking very good for the New Orleans Pelicans when we go back and revisit this situation.

[00:07:13] But, as the Pelicans navigate yet another turbulent season with Zion, the promise and the talent may no longer be enough to keep him insulated from accountability. In this latest chapter, a one-game suspension for violating team policies announced just days after he returned from his 27-game absence due to entry.

[00:07:44] So, what happened is Zion said that he was late to a practice. He gave the excuse that there was snow and what have you. Now, okay.

[00:08:09] But, so when people see this and they see, oh, he got suspended for something really like minor. Or, they could have protected him with the whole load management thing. Here's the problem. If this is getting out, there's a reason why it's getting out. The team no longer is insulating Zion from anything.

[00:08:34] Anything he does is now going to be reported because they're sick of it. There are five or six incidents that did not make the news that he did that were not reported on. So, the countless meetings showing up late. The countless holding up planes. All of these things just become tiresome.

[00:09:05] Then you add on top of it. Whether due to injury or conditioning. It's become a cloud hanging over the Pelicans. The suspension of Zion himself. His attributes of being late for team activities seems to highlight a growing frustration within the organization. Executive VP David Griffin emphasizes the importance of team standards.

[00:09:31] While Coach Willie Green noted that there were several occasions that led to this decision. Here's the thing. Here's the kicker. Here's the kicker. Zion isn't just a young player finding his way anymore. He's real paid. He is a $200 million plus contract extension athlete. That changes the calculus.

[00:10:00] To the franchise. And also, more importantly. Let's not forget what Zion was to the league. What he was to the NBA. Because when he came into the league. There was a lot of TV for him. And it was a disappointment because then he got hurt. And we were like, okay. We've seen some reclamation projects in the past.

[00:10:30] Hell, Blake Griffin missed his first year with the Clippers. Joel Embiid, he missed two years. Look how great he turned out. As a NBA community, we gave him a pass the first year. The second year. Like, damn. Things keep happening to him. When he gets to the third and fourth year. Then we've checked out.

[00:10:59] With great paychecks come great expectations. And now those expectations aren't being met. His absence, whether through injury, core conditioning, or disciplinary actions, has thrown the Pelicans into a state of perpetual instability. He's impacting everything. Team chemistry, coaching strategies, and even how the franchise is perceived across the league. And now, here's what's really striking about Zion.

[00:11:28] This is the craziest thing about him. When he's on the court, he's putting up great numbers. 22.7 points a game. 8 rebounds a game. 5.3 assists a game. On paper, in a vacuum, if I gave you those numbers and took the name away, you say that's an all-star caliber player. We all know that numbers alone don't tell the full story.

[00:12:00] His inconsistency in being available and engaged has had the Pelicans in a position where they can't rely on him as being a franchise cornerstone. You can't foundationally think that this guy is part of your organization throughout the rest of the 2020s. You have to start making Plan B, Plan Cs, and Plan Ds at this point.

[00:12:30] You gotta start taking stock of what you have that you think you can put together as a core. And then start picking off pieces that are not part of what the new iteration of the Pelicans is gonna be. Which is really heartbreaking. Because if Zion was healthy, they're really, they're probably like, it's problematic because of how the cap is,

[00:12:59] but they're probably like a couple moves away from being legitimately a contender. If they had a real, like a real big, next to, aside, a healthy Zion, theoretically, if you were able to somehow figure out the issue with Brandon Ingram,

[00:13:24] or rid yourself of CJ McCollum somehow, and replace that person with another wing type of player, you could look at that team and say, okay, there's enough scoring punch, there's enough spacing, we can do something with this. But you can't even think that way.

[00:13:47] Because every time you think this dude is about to launch into the stratosphere of NBA stardom, there's an injury, there's a hamstring. Then the hamstring holds him back to the point of he gets out of shape.

[00:14:09] So then he misses another two or three weeks to get in conditioning, to get himself back on the court. And then we rinse and repeat. Where are we now? We look at Brandon Ingram. He's been forced to shoulder more responsibility. Players like CJ McCollum have to play a dual role of leader and scorer.

[00:14:38] And the team's ability to compete in a loaded Western Conference is compromised. Zion's talent is undeniable. But the promise we could be is no longer enough to excuse what he isn't doing. Which is actually showing up. Go to work. Like, go to work.

[00:15:06] Like, there's no situation in the world where you could miss 65% of the days at your job and still continue to get paid. Unless you got pictures on somebody that we don't know about. I don't think Gail Benson is that, personally.

[00:15:34] The timing of the suspension adds fuel to the fire. It comes as the Pelicans face a critical game. And Zion's statement where he apologized to Mrs. Benson and his teammates and the fans show accountability. That is a... That's Zion's team. I don't know how much accountability that shows. But here's the thing. You can have words all the time. Does the audio match the video, my guy?

[00:16:04] Are you now in the gym really rededicating yourself to a healthier lifestyle? Maybe a little less drinking? A little less cafe du ma? Are we doing this now? Do we have the private chef? Do we have our own conditioning team outside the organization?

[00:16:27] Are we putting 1.5 to 2 million dollars into our body to make sure that we are conducive to play in upwards of 70 plus games? Because other than that, Zion, these are just words coming out your mouth again. And at this point, Zion, you're at a crossroads.

[00:16:52] Your talent to be one of the greats is absolutely right there. You pop off the screen like no one else. But the talent alone doesn't sustain a career. And it definitely doesn't sustain a billion dollar franchise. The Pelicans need him to be more than just a highlight reel. He needs to be a leader.

[00:17:21] He needs to start looking at himself, doing some self-reflection. And if Zion doesn't step up, this could mark the beginning of a larger unraveling of his career. And what really sucks about this is that the NBA in particular, especially with those two draft picks, because remember, who was right after him?

[00:17:50] John Morant. Those two guys now, and both of them have injury issues and off-the-court issues. Discipline is one of those things that you just, you gotta have. And you gotta understand that it's more than you. It's funny. It's funny.

[00:18:19] Behind the curtain a little bit. We do this podcast for you guys, usually three times a week. Obviously, last week was a problem. But we do it for you. We enjoy it. We enjoy getting this information for you and everything like that. My wife came to me Sunday after I saw everything that was going on.

[00:18:46] And at the point, I didn't even know how much I was affected by what was going on, because I was getting updates. And friends were calling, or I would call them, and asking, is everything okay? And she came to me Sunday, and she said, you didn't do the pod. You didn't do the pod. You said you were going to do the pod, but you didn't do it.

[00:19:14] And I couldn't give her, like, the, I gave her a solution that we were going to do two pods today. But at that point in time, I couldn't articulate what was going on with me. And I just think that, one, I was just stupefied by just the devastation that was going on. And I was just frozen. Two, we needed to let it breathe. We had to.

[00:19:44] Now, I didn't know that at the time. You just, you think you're, you think you're getting, you're processing all this information. But there's no way you can process all of what you're, what you're seeing. It, just, there's too much emotion tied to it. There's, you got personal relationships, maybe some ancillary relationships.

[00:20:10] Either way, you got innocent lives just being absolutely just devastated. And it's a lot to take in. For those communities like Houston and Louisiana, when they go through the hurricanes and things of that nature, we understand. When we, when we see that devastation, we understand it. And it's a call to arms to go ahead and do something about it. But it was funny.

[00:20:42] She wanted an answer. And I gave her the best answer I had at that point in time. She was okay with it. And it was, it was okay. But the thing about it is she wanted an answer. And it's the same thing with the NBA and Zion. Now, the NBA wanted Zion to take over for LeBron. LeBron is 40.

[00:21:14] Steph Curry is 36. Kevin Durant is like 36, 37. We needed American superstars to step up. He was going to get the golden platform to do. But your availability has been absolute crap. So now the NBA cannot depend on you. Not only did you let yourself down.

[00:21:44] Not only did you let the franchise down. You probably let Nike down too. Because they put a lot of money into you. But you probably let the NBA down. And I don't know who is around Zion. We've heard Whiskers and whatever.

[00:22:10] But I don't know what made you sour on your situation. And I don't know why you couldn't articulate it. But Gail Benson, the owner of the franchise of the New Orleans Pelicans, deserves an answer.

[00:22:36] So how you choose to move forward at this point in time is your answer to the NBA community as a whole. To the people who support you. Like my wife, she loves you. She loved you since the day you stepped into the NBA. She thought you were the greatest thing on the face of the planet when you gave a million dollars to the pandemic and to the workers. The Smoothie King Center.

[00:23:05] She thought it was great. You got a lot of mileage off being an incredible athlete who can captivate the imagination of NBA fans everywhere with your insane, God-given athleticism.

[00:23:33] And the funny part of what it is, you're a dime a dozen, my guy. There's a lot of you. Super talented. Never, never reached their full potential. We can go down the list of them.

[00:23:57] But you specifically are a case study because of the fact that you were the guy that was just handpicked as the next big true American superstar in the NBA. Maybe it was too much for you to handle. Coming from a small community in South Carolina.

[00:24:28] Maybe you could have voiced that to. Your employers. And maybe they could have back channeled some situations for you. And maybe you could just hoop. But at this point, you're making over. You're, listen. This is, you're making like 50 million a year. You need to play to earn this money.

[00:24:55] And if you don't, your next contract is going to be a far cry from this, my man. Westbrook didn't think he was a minimal guy either. And look at where he is now. So if, as a friendly reminder to people who, we can do the scouting. We can evaluate players.

[00:25:22] But you have no idea what's going on inside and whether they have that, that undeniable drive to be great. We see it in Victor Wimbayama, who we'll talk about a little bit later. But it's going to be up to Zion at this point. That is what we have for on Zion. Pelican fans, we want to hear from you. We want to hear your takes on the Zion saga. Are you just done with him?

[00:25:52] Do you just want this to be over? Or do you think there's a redeeming quality that you can go ahead and rebuild with the Trey Murphys and the other young guys that you have, the Jordan Hawkins of the world? So hit me up on Twitter at FrontRunnerPC. Let us know your thoughts. And let's go ahead and transition into a little baseline bus.

[00:26:19] Now, we've been on this Jimmy Butler thing like full throttle. The crazy thing is that he continues to dominate the headlines with rumors and swirlings that he's open to a trade. Reports suggest that he is Phoenix bound. That's his preferred destination. But as we mentioned before, the new CBA makes trades for stars complicated.

[00:26:47] And you got to be within a certain dollar amount. Miami can't take any money. They can't take any more money on. So they might have to be a third team involved. It's a mess. And here's the other thing. What do you give the third team? Because the third team is not just going to do it. They're not just going to sit there and go, okay, cool. We'll help facilitate this.

[00:27:16] It's not like a helpful neighbor. Stay far. We'll add placement. We got you. Miami. Miami. They also have to remain under the hard cap. And this juggling act is not going to be easy to pull off. Speaking of Miami, Butler recently went viral on a social media post showing that he encourages his staff at his coffee spot.

[00:27:44] Jimmy declared, you're doing a good job to an employee. And then he emphasized, this is the way you motivate people rather than tearing them down. Jimmy, can you? I don't know. I don't know what you're getting at there, Jimmy. God, is it? What is that there? Is that? Are you taking a shot at Pat Riley? Is that what you're doing?

[00:28:14] Jimmy, people bigger than you have taken shots at Pat Riley. He's still there. Remember, the heatels were a thing. And yeah, the players put it together. But with that management group and that staff, and that was under Pat Riley's regime as well. So tread lightly is what I would say, personally. I think this is going to be rectified.

[00:28:43] I think Pat's sick of it. Obviously, by Jimmy's reactions, he's sick of it. And I'm sure the rest of the team and Skolstra are sick of it, too. It's just a messy divorce. That is exactly what it is. And unfortunately, when you have somebody like Jimmy, and I say this with a lot of affinity for Jimmy.

[00:29:10] Jimmy, because Jimmy is a self-built superstar. This dude came into the league 30th overall. He was not a lottery pick. He was like this dude that came out of Marquette. We thought he might be able to play defense. He became one of the best clutch performers. And not only one of the best clutch performers, the best clutch performance in the moments where you had to happen. In the playoffs.

[00:29:41] The crucible of the playoffs has shown many a men to be less than, but not Jimmy Butler. No. That man rose to the occasion. That man carried teams. That man is a winner. Yes. It's not going well. Because he hates to lose. And yes, he doesn't go about it the way that maybe we would want him to.

[00:30:11] As far as this is concerned. And I didn't think I would be sitting here defending Jimmy. But past performance predicts future expectations. This was Jimmy in Philadelphia. This was Jimmy in Minnesota. This was Jimmy in Chicago. So this is Jimmy in Miami. You got the good.

[00:30:40] Where he took you and carried you to an Eastern Conference Finals that you had no business being in. He took you to a finals. Two finals appearances. And you had no business being in either one of those. Because of Jimmy Butler. So yeah. He's ticked off because he doesn't have a new contract. But calling him a quitter.

[00:31:12] I think that might be a step too far. I've seen that on Twitter. By some sour Miami Heat fans. And I understand your frustration with the whole drama. And the soap opera that is Jimmy Butler versus Pat Riley. I get that. Let's not have this very short attention span. About what this man has done for your franchise.

[00:31:38] He kept you legitimate when you had no business being legitimate. So let's not just kick his ass right out the door. And say and take that with you on the way out. Let's show him a little bit of grace. For all the good that he's done for you. We move on to Brandon Ingram. Who also is a guy. Has some things going on.

[00:32:10] He remains most likely. Trade candidate for the New Orleans Pelicans. With the Pelicans sitting at a dismal 7-30. A reset seems inevitable. And keep in mind. Gail Benson has never been. In the luxury tax. And I don't think. This 7-30 Pelicans team. She's going to go ahead. And invest. Them going into the luxury tax either.

[00:32:40] Ingram expiring contract. Only adds urgency for the team. Looking to secure. His services. Now right now. Teams might be. See Ingram as a missing piece. For a deep playoff run. But Sam Quinn. Points out this. They'll need to gamble on. Resigning him this summer. Now that's the thing about. What the compensation. Is going to be. And then. There is Zion. What do you do?

[00:33:11] Is he a trade candidate? I think he's most likely. A trade candidate. Not. For the trade deadline. Per se. I think he's more. Of off season. Acquisition. And we can see. If we can get. Some. Just a couple good months. Of Zion. Before they can. Peddle. Him away. That is. What. It looks like. In New Orleans. As far as. Trades are concerned. Now.

[00:33:40] Let's switch to Chicago. Chicago. Zach Levine. Is quietly having. One of his. Best offensive seasons. Of his entire career. He's shooting. A career high. 42%. From three. And ranking him. Among. Top ten. In points. Per. Shots attempt. Levine. Is a perfect fit. For teams. Needing. Scoring punch. But. With Chicago. Stuck in mediocrity. The Bulls face. A tough decision. Move him now.

[00:34:09] Or hold tight. And risk stagnation. They're already in stagnation. We don't have to worry about that. This is the Ryan Dorfs. The Ryan Dorf. Love. Stagnation. They just love it. Play in game. Where they might host it. How many more dollars. Is that in their coffers? Chicago Bulls basketball. Since Jordan Love. Embrace it.

[00:34:41] Here's the thing about Levine. The advanced stats. Love him. We talked about the 42% from three. The shot attempt. The thing that. Is the problem with Levine. Is not just the contract. It's the contract. Plus. Is he going to be able to. Accommodate the team. To say hey. I'll be your number three. Or I'll be your number two.

[00:35:10] I think number two. Will be okay. Number three. Might be the problem. But. The teams that he's been associated with. He would be the number three. Now. Golden State might. Be the one team. That he would not be. But if you look. If he was going to Denver. He wouldn't be the number two. That's still Jamal Murray's role. And also.

[00:35:38] How does he play off ball. With Jamal Murray. Here's the thing. His catch and shoot numbers. Have him in the 93rd. Percentile. So. He's one of the. In the top ten. When it comes to catch and shoot. Right now. So that's not an issue. But. He's a guy that. Usually gets. 22. 24. Opportunities. To score the basketball game. Now.

[00:36:08] How does that work in Denver? When Jokic. Is the. Sun. The moon. The earth. Earth. He might be Mars. He also might be Venus. Let's go ahead and throw. Saturn. Into that mix. He might be a couple of. Orion's belts. There's a lot going on with Jokic. He's awesome. If that's the case. What do you do with Levine? So. It's a tricky fit. And now you're also doing it. On the run.

[00:36:39] You're doing it. In a situation. When you're mid season. And you got to. Fit this puzzle piece in. And you're talking about. A situation. Where. You don't get a lot of practice time. Or whatever the case may be. That's going to be the hardest part. For the Levine trade. Is exactly getting. Not just the compensation. Not just the money. Which. The CBA makes this. Almost impossible to do. But. Once you get there.

[00:37:08] What's the fit? And can he. Supplicate. His role. To being. A third guy. Now we're going to move on. To Washington. And Washington. Wizard fans. I love you. And I know y'all going through a hard time. Just like we're going through a hard time. In Southern California.

[00:37:38] You guys are going through a hard time. Yours is less than ours right now. Listen. Wildfire is bigger than basketball. But. It's a. It's a trying season. In Washington. It's a trying season. And. Kyle Kuzma. Another name. In the trade room. Mill. While. Kuzma is. Averaging. 17.2 points a game. And. 7.6 rebounds a game.

[00:38:07] His shooting. Is. Terrible. This year. It is. Awful. He's shooting. 27 percent. From three. It raises questions. About his consistency. That said. His versatility. Still makes him. An intriguing. Option. For playoff teams. Here's the other thing. Kuzma played. For the Lakers. In their championship run. Kuzma's playing. On a.

[00:38:37] Unserious. Basketball team. Right now. Now. I understand. All the player development. That's going on. But for a player. Like Kyle Kuzma. Who has been through. Some of these wars. Yeah. I'm gonna get my numbers. I'm gonna try to make my stats look good. But. I'm not doing all the little things. Things. That I was asked to do in Los Angeles. When LeBron. Demanded. That I was a. Basically. A. Additive.

[00:39:07] Defensive piece. We. I don't think. Kuzma's played defense. Since he's left Los Angeles. Personally. No shade. Because. We know that points. Get you paid. It gets you the back. And he had to do. What he had to do. To get that paper. No. Worries there. But. Does a change. In. Venue. And a change.

[00:39:37] In. Your. Situation. Does that change. Who Kuzma. Is. Is. It's a good question. And it's a gamble. That I think. Teams should. Look into. But you got to have the right. Type of operation. To allow this. To allow this to go. I don't know. Exactly. What that is. I'm trying to think of a team. That would.

[00:40:07] Fit him. And. Now. Milwaukee. I don't know. I don't know what they have to give. I said. I know they have a 2031. First round pick. That's literally it. As far as picks are concerned. But. If Washington. Wanted to stockpile. A future. Of Milwaukee. First. Kuzma. In Milwaukee. Would make a lot of sense. He would help that team. He. I think. With.

[00:40:37] Giannis. And Doc Rivers. And. Damian Lillard. I think. That's the type of. Surrounding. Cast. He would need. To understand. Hey. We got to start. Locking in. And being serious about. Our craft. Depending on the team. I did give you a. Analogy of a team. That I think he would fit. Perfectly on. Which will be the Milwaukee Bucks. But. Again. I don't have any indication.

[00:41:06] That he's been on their radar. I'm not saying he's going there. All I'm saying is that. If there was a. Marriage. There. I could see it. Working on the court. I'm not necessarily. Thinking that the. Compensation that. Milwaukee would necessarily. Give. In this situation. Would work. So. There is that. One other guy. That I want to talk about. While we're here.

[00:41:36] Is I want to touch on. I want to touch on him. Real quickly. Jerry Butler. Now. A lot of people go. Who is that? Who the hell. Is Jerry Butler. Couple years ago. There was a magical. There was a magical. March of Madness run. And. The Baylor Bears. Were the team. That were making this run. Now. Davion Mitchell. Has gone on to.

[00:42:05] Play for the Sacramento Kings. And now he's with the Toronto Raptors. But his backcourt mate. And the actual point guard. Of that team. Was Jerry Butler. And. Jerry Butler. Was hitting clutch shot. After clutch shot. And then he had a situation. With his health. And. He actually became. A undrafted free agent. Couple years go by. He kind of fall. He falls out of the.

[00:42:35] Go my zeitgeist. He's putting together. A pretty solid. NBA season. For the Wizards. And. It's just. It's just cool. To see somebody. Put in the work. Go through the obstacles. That he's gone through. And this is what his coach. Brian Keefe. Had to say. Say about him. Jerry's basketball IQ. And his poise. Under pressure. Are what. Stand out. He is one of the guys. Who gives us hope.

[00:43:05] For the future. And let me tell you something man. If he can be. Just a. Just like a Tyus Jones type. This is a huge win. For him. Again. Undrafted. Free agent. Had the health scare. And. Fought his way back. Into the league. Got himself together. And. Is. Being an additive piece. Albeit on a team. That's really not going anywhere. But that's the whole purpose. Of this year. For the Wizards.

[00:43:35] Because. Listen. It is capture. The flag time. Okay. The calendar. Has turned. It is 2025. Now. We need to start getting serious. Utah. You hear me? Brooklyn. Stop playing around. With Cam Johnson. It's time to tank. Okay. Who's the other teams. That are out there. That's on the border. Or whatever. I'll tell you. One team. And I know. I've said this. So many times.

[00:44:05] And Philadelphia. 76ers fans. Hate this. With this dude. Low. Managing. And getting hurt. Every other day. Paul George. Looks like he's 65 years of age. And he looks like he should be on the cover of AARP. And everything like that. Philadelphia. 76ers fans. The city of brotherly love. And possibly.

[00:44:35] The city. Of the. NFC. Favorites. To come out of the west. You know what I'm saying. With the Eagles. But. 76ers fans. Hit me up. On X. At Frontrunner PC. Do you. Like. In the. Maybe. Maybe. In a quiet space. Somewhere. Maybe. Somewhere. Maybe. You're in the bathroom. And you got.

[00:45:05] All the lights turned out. You're just sitting there. With your thoughts. Do you. Is there a tingle inside. That makes you think. That you should just go ahead. And let this season go. Just let the rope go. And get Cooper flag. I don't know. I don't know if I. I don't. I don't know. I'll tell you this. It'll be a huge talent.

[00:45:35] Boost to your team. And he does all the things. That you need. All the things. That Philadelphia. Is looking for. Can be wrapped up. In that one guy. I'm putting it out there. Philadelphia 76 fans. I'm letting you know. Right now. I think you should tank. I think you should. Go ahead. And tell. Hey Joel. Continued success. On your future endeavors. Peace. See you later. Let him go down. To Miami. Get you some picks.

[00:46:05] Whatever the case. That. Pat Riley got down there. And. Keep it moving. With Cooper flag. That's my opinion. Somebody. Somebody's going to re-aggregate this. And say that I just think that. Philadelphia is a flaming pile of shit. And that's not the case. I just think that. That particular guy. That particular prospect. Cougar flag. Fits. All the needs.

[00:46:34] What the 70s. Philadelphia 76ers. Are sorely lacking right now. That's what I'm trying to say. We're going to move on to. Probably the bell of the ball. When it comes to the trade deadline. And. It's so funny that Cam Johnson. Is the sexiest. He's the sexiest girl. At the ball. At this point. Cam Johnson. At 6 foot 8. Who shoots. 40 percent from 3. He's not the defender.

[00:47:03] That people make him out to be. He's a marginal defender. He won't hurt you. But he's not this. Locked down. Let me get after it. Type dude. He's good. Good team defender. Basketball IQ. Very good. He has a descending contract. Which even makes him. Even prettier. At this trade deadline. Debutant ball. That we're all. Going to. February 6th.

[00:47:33] If you were. If you didn't know. February 6th. Also. As we start doing. Accounting on that. I wanted to give you. Our plans for that. This year. We plan to go ahead. And allow. The trade deadline. To happen. Gather our thoughts. Go through all the transactions. And then grade it out. We're hulking next year.

[00:48:04] If we get big enough. We do it live. Instant reaction. Couple guests. Talk about what's going on. In the league. Wait for trades. Discuss trades. When trades happen. Who maybe have gotten. Better of it. Maybe what this team. Was thinking. Maybe some front office. Focus. Type of deal. But. We are hulking. Our. Goal.

[00:48:33] Is to try. To do this. Live. Not this year. Next year. Now. Cam Johnson. His. Price tag. Is also. As pretty. As he is. Because. Is asking for. Two firsts. Not one. Two. This is what. Sam Quinn. Had to say. Cam Johnson. He says. The combination. Of shooting. And defense.

[00:49:02] I'll go ahead. And give you the defense. But. The versatility. I understand that. He can guard. Two guards. He can guard. Two through four. Pretty easily. I wouldn't put him. On like. The jet quick. Point guards. Or whatever the case may be. But. He could guard. Two through four. Pretty easily. And he would understand. His assignments. And his role. But. What. Sam Quinn. Was talking about. That his shooting. And his defensive. Versatility.

[00:49:33] Makes him the most. Sought after role player. On the market. This is. 100% true. Now. We're going to. Transition into. A little. Around the arc. We're going to. Kind of hit. The southeastern conference. A little bit. And. Go from there. Now. The first thing. That we need to talk about. Is the. Orlando magic. And the reason. Why we need to talk about. The Orlando magic. Is this. Paulo.

[00:50:02] Is back. And not only. Is he back. On a. Minutes. Restriction. My guy. Put up. 34 points. He didn't even. Want you to. Under. He wanted you. To understand. Is that. Don't call it. A comeback. I've been here. For years. Okay. He really. Wanted you. To understand. That. You weren't going to. Soft. Launch him. In. Or anything. Like that. No.

[00:50:33] I am. Paulo. Bancaro. When I left. When I was injured. I was. On my way. To being. An all. NBA player. I will now. Have to. Put that off. Until next year. Because I missed. Too many games. This year. Paulo. Bancaro. Is letting you know. After that. Playoff performance. That he put on. Last year. That this man. Is legitimate. And he is. Raring to go. The magic. Still have a bunch. Of issues. Franz is out.

[00:51:02] Mo Wagner. Is out for the year. With an ACL tear. Jalen Suggs. Is being held together. By I think. Rubber cement. And maybe a couple. Paper clips. That guy needs. The all-star break. More than anything. On this planet. I think that dude. Got taken off. On a. In a wheelchair. The other day. But. With all that going on. The Orlando magic. Are still six. Seven games.

[00:51:32] Over 500. Which speaks. Volumes. To. The level. Of. Intentionality. They play on the defensive. Side of the ball. And they. Did not. Let go of the rope. As a team. They didn't look. And say. Okay. Franz is not here. Paulo's not here. You know what. This is going to be a gap year. We'll go. Dip our toes. Into the high end. End of the. 2025. NBA draft.

[00:52:02] And see what we come up with. And maybe the guard. That we're looking for. Will come up there. No. These guys were like. No. We're going to hold it down. Into our two stars. Get back. And then. We're going to position ourselves. To be one of the toughest outs. For one of those top teams. Who'll probably have like. Home playoff position. Or what have you. So the magic. My salute. Again. To Jamal Mosley. I have.

[00:52:32] Sung. Jamal Mosley's praises. The head coach. Of the Orlando Magic. I've sung his praises. Uh. All last year. I beat the drum. For him. As a. Possible. Coach of the year. Last year. I understood. The Mark Dagnall thing. Let me tell you. This year. With all the injuries. And all the things. That go on. If this dude. Somehow. Gets them. To the top four. It is not out of the question.

[00:53:01] But if he's top four. In the east. Jamal Mosley. Deserves. Coach of the year. For sure. 100%. I'm on that. And this is. This is. Paulo Gankero's quote. Seeing our guys step up. And uphold. The standard. We set. Is really encouraging. And I'm just looking. To be additive. To that process.

[00:53:32] Man. When you hear stuff like that. And you do like. Talent evaluation. These are the type of things that. You love. In a guy. I know I was out. Looking at my dude. Stepping up. Giving him praise. Giving him confidence. Giving them like. Hey man. I'm going to need you. Because there's going to be a time. Where I'm going to get. Blitz. I'm going to have a double team. That comes hard. It's going to be late. In the fourth quarter. I'm going to need you.

[00:54:02] To knock down this shot. By Paulo. Showing confidence. In his. Teammates. The way he did. And just giving him. Giving them so much praise. It's just going to. Elevate. Those role players. Even more. So. Way to go. Paulo. On being a. A complete. Leader. Leader. We move on to Miami. And now. You say. Oh more Jimmy Butler talk. No. We don't do that to you. Why? Because.

[00:54:32] Jaime. Jaquez. Junior. Recorded his first triple double. In the league. Now. However. The heat struggles. Have led. To all this. Madness. With Pat Riley. And Jimmy Butler. But my guy. Jaime. Jaquez. Junior. Out of. UCLA. And we're not going to talk about the struggles. That are going on. At UCLA. Right now. With.

[00:55:02] Mick Cronin. That is. There might have to be an IG. Live. For that one. We might have to get off the rails. On that one. But. Jaime. Jaquez. Is. Is showing what he could be. In this league. He's showing how. He's just a Swiss army knife. He's a. Bigger version of Bruce Brown. He's never going to hurt you. He's always going to be in defensive position.

[00:55:30] He's always going to have those games. Where he just surprises you. Surprises you out of nowhere. With his contributions. There's not going to be a lot of games. Where he's going to be. Like a negative. Where he's going to be a drain. On you. And you're going to have to make up for him. Even if he doesn't have a good shooting night. He's going to collect a couple charges. He's definitely going to rebound. And he's good for. A still. And a couple deflections. To get you later into the shot clock.

[00:56:00] These are all things. That lead. To winning habits. And. We wanted to. Highlight. Jaime Jaquez Jr. UCLA boy. A clap. You know how we do it. But. We wanted to give our guys some love. Now. Staying. In that region. We need to talk about the Hawks. And we don't need to talk about the Hawks. In a bad way.

[00:56:30] Because. You hear that. Okay. What is it? Yeah. Cut that all out. Alright. We need to talk about the Hawks. And we need to talk about the Hawks. In a way. That's different. Than we have talked about the Hawks. Previously. One of the things that I have. Been known to just. Pretty much. Vomit on. Almost every time. Is Trey Young.

[00:57:00] And how he needs to get off the ball. And all these things. Trey Young. Has. Played. Completely different this year. Has bought into. The Quinn Snyder system. He's. Allowed. Growth. And development. For Jalen Johnson. You've seen. DeAndre Hunter. Be more emboldened. And the. Just the absolute rocket. That Dyson Daniels.

[00:57:29] Has turned out to be for them. Has been incredible. It has been amazing. This dude is still in the wall. At a crazy level. Giving him. One of the greatest nicknames. I have ever heard. Because he's from. Australia. The Great Barrier Thief. Come on now. You can't be mad at that. That dude is going to be all NBA for sure. And then. Let's not forget.

[00:57:59] Trey's heroics. Hit the 49 foot. Game winner. Against Utah. To send them home. Crying again. But they weren't crying. Because Danny Ainge is like. One more step. Closer to Cooper flag. Danny Ainge. Has his eye. On the wall. Sean Marks. You are Australian. Australian. Dyson Daniels. Is Australian. He was sending you a message.

[00:58:29] Through Trey Young. In this 49 footer. Start tanking my guy. Get Cam Johnson off the team. Here's the advanced stat. That you need to take with you. About the Atlanta Hawks. 2. 2. 2. Steals. Per game. That is what Dyson Daniels. Is averaging right now. 2.1. Steals a game. We are not going to even count. Deflections. This dude gets.

[00:58:58] And how many times. There's a turnover. Because of the fact. That there's a shot. Clot. Excuse me. And how many times. That he gets deflections. Where. It's later on. In the 24 second clock. Where then. In a sense. Causes a shot clock. Violation. So this guy. Is a defensive menace. This is. The exact guy. That you put. Next to Trey Young. Kudos. To.

[00:59:28] Landry Fields. And the work. That he's doing. Down here. Now I'm going to give a quick. Shout out to. Alex Sar. We talked a little bit. About. Jared Butler. Earlier on. About. In the Washington situation. But. Alex has shown. A little. Promise. He was. He shot. 45.5%. From three. In the month of December. And he also averaged. 1.8 blocks a game. As well. So. My guy. Is doing okay. I.

[00:59:58] I still wonder. If he's the impactful piece. That you need. Or is he just. An ancillary piece. A tertiary piece. That is just. Woven. Into the fabric. Of whatever you're doing. And he's not. The. One of the main guys. That stirs the drink. Obviously. He's so young. There's a room. For development. And growth. I just wonder. About the motor. Still wonder. About that. But. Time will tell. He's still growing. Into his body. But. That month.

[01:00:28] In December. Is. Eye-opening. So. I want to give. Our guy. Alexar. A little bit. Love. The second. Overall pick. In the 2023. Draft. Now. Last. But not least. We're going to get. To Charlotte. Now. Lomelo Ball. Remains one of the most popular players. In the league. Ranking. Second. Among guards. In all-star voting. But let's be real. Lomelo played.

[01:00:57] If Lomelo played defense. With the same intensity. As his brother. And his latest hit. Tweaker. And how hard it goes. If he played with the same level of intensity. As how hard that song goes. By his brother. The Hornets would be a very different team. Lomelo allows. Opponents to shoot 57%. At the rip.

[01:01:28] Ranking. In the bottom tier. Of starting guards. Now. There's the bright side. Charlotte. Because here's the thing. Lomelo's a star. My guy needs to play some defense. I say these things. Because I love him. I say these things. Because I care. I want you just to be the best. You can be Lomelo. I think you have. Super. Super. Super. Star. Written all over you. You just need to lock in. My guy. But.

[01:01:58] To John Salon. The. Hornets 2024. First overall pick. Continues to show some promise. He is modest. But. Nine and a half points. 5.1 rebounds. Per game. Shooting at 48% from the field. Not bad. In limited time. As he continues to understand. The NBA game. The one thing that I know about. John is this.

[01:02:27] Is that he has. No problem. With physicality. And. There's a place for that. In the league. So. If the shot. If the shot. Continues to progress. And his intensity. On defense. Stays at that same level. I think that next year. This dude. Will be cracking the rotation. For sure. For. So. What this is going to do. This is going to wrap. The first. Part. Of this episode. I want to thank Soraya. For all her help today. I want to.

[01:02:57] Send out. A shout out. All the first responders. I want to shout out. Everybody. Who has. Donated. Or. Called somebody. To check in on somebody. Because it all matters. We are a community. I've been telling you this. For. Quite some time. I want to continue. To build this community. And. Today. We are a little more somber. Because. Unfortunately.

[01:03:27] Sometimes. It just means more than basketball. So with that being said. The best part of you. Is you. Surround yourself. With people. Who are brightening your light. And providing positive support. Then go out. And do some good. In this world. And. Stick around for part two. Because there is a part two coming. Northwest division. Hmm. That's a guy. Who's there. Who's in that division. Oh. Nikola Jokic. Only the best player.

[01:03:57] In the NBA. So stick around for part two. And we'll see you. Deuce. corroborative. You could risk toALL. Because there is a whole organization. Thank you.