Loading summary
Transcript98 lines
- [00:00]
A
You got the buzz, I got the rockets.
- [00:03]
B
You got the nuts.
- [00:04]
A
I got the chocolates. We got that shot down pat, blah, blah, blah. You got that certain special genesis. Let's go to the beach, baby. Hey. Oh, and welcome to no Dunks. I'm your host for today, Trey Kirby. Joining me here in the yard, it's Tas Mellis.
- [00:23]
B
Hey, Trey.
- [00:26]
A
Oh. Summer is over, but we're stepping on the beach nonetheless, People are saying. Is the new song coming back? Not yet. Maybe someday. But right now, we're rocking hard. Got some good questions from people from a variety of sources. Taz, we got Instagram, we got YouTube. We got email. There's a lot of ways to get in touch with us. You ready to hop in and answer some of these delicious questions?
- [00:48]
B
Absolutely. Once you hear that intro music, even though it isn't the original, I mean, I'm ready to go. Yeah.
- [00:56]
A
It gets you fired up in the morning once you get your nuts and your chocolate in the mouth. All right, let's start with our first question comes to us from Instagram. This is from Big Dash 05. Simply asks, who are some role players to watch in 25, 26 this upcoming season? What you got?
- [01:14]
B
Shall we alternate? I do one, you do one. I don't want to talk forever about role players because there's like a thousand in the NBA, right?
- [01:23]
A
Yeah, there's. There's more role players than starters, it turns out.
- [01:26]
B
Yeah. Yeah. And there's such a. A wide breadth of how you look at role players. I started looking at these, and I started looking at some number two options, even this first one that I'm going to pick. People may say role player. This guy, deandre Ayton, he's a role player.
- [01:42]
A
Yep.
- [01:43]
B
Now he is. I mean, technically, he just kind of is. He ain't your number one, number two, or number three on the Los Angeles Lakers. But I'm just intrigued by deandre Ayton because this feels like this is it. If he is going to become what he kind of was earlier in his career, anywhere close to it, it feels like the year is now mainly because of the team that he's around. Also because he's gone from this roller coaster of a career where he was with the Suns and goes to the Finals, then he goes to the Blazers and takes on this very different role, and now he's with the Lakers after he was waived by the Portland Trail Blazers. It feels weird to say that because he's 27, so it feels odd to say that this is it, but it is A make or break year. And it really comes down to extremely simple stuff with the Lakers when they're running their offense, you know, Luka LeBron, Austin Reaves will get lots of attention. So DeAndre Ayton's got to do his job, roll to that bucket. And then at the other end where he's never excelled as a defensive player, that's what they're going to ask him to do. A team that lacks bit of size. So he's going to be asked to do that. Can JJ Redick get it out of him? Can this entire roster from those guys I mentioned, obviously LeBron are going to be trying to pull that out of him. But even guys like Marcus Smart trying to pull it out of him, they're going to be asking him to do two simple things. Roll, try and dunk. We don't need you shooting from the mid range and block shots. So this is it. It feels, feels like deandre Ayton's been in the league forever and so it kind of makes sense as I say it. Yeah, this is kind of it. This is when we'll see him get to his capability. But at the same time he's going to be playing for years. There's no doubt about that. Like people teams will want him and he's only signed to a a two year deal with the Lakers. A year plus a player option. So this is kind of it. And this is also his ability to get another contract. So that's my first guy.
- [03:43]
A
Yeah. What a great choice. Not only an R O L E role player, but an R O L L role player because he's got to do some pick and rolling, you know, not just pick and popping or picking. Short rolling. A lob threat who can put pressure on the rim is important for a Luca Doncic team. It's been important for a LeBron James team historically. And what the Lakers need from Ayton, like you're saying is R o L E role player kind of stuff. Play defense, rebound, set, screenshot. Do the things that maybe you haven't always been incentivized to do during your NBA career. But the time is now and it's as good a situation as any that Ayton has ever been in since the Chris Paul Devin Booker days with Phoenix when he played really well, got a really nice contract and then the team and I think the front office soured on him, shipped him up to Portland. We'll see. I am a little bit optimistic for Ayton this coming season. He doesn't have to be Great. But if he's like 15 points, 10 rebounds, a block and a half a game, that's really good for a Lakers team who needs their role players to show up. I picked a guy similar to you in that he is going from a team that wasn't in the mix to a team that is in the mix. Lonzo Ball going to the Cleveland Cavaliers is super interesting to me. It will only be 28 to start this season, which seems crazy. Not a great year for Lonzo. Last year shot 36% from the field, 34% from three playing with the Bulls, but he also hadn't played in almost three whole calendar years. So I'll give him the benefit of the doubt because he was great before that. I'm just interesting to see what Lonzo is going to look like playing for his first real competitive team. He's not at his athletic peak. He was never a big driver. He's going to be just a ball mover similar to like Jason kidd on the 2011 Mavs. And then defensively I think they need him. The Cavs need him to be sort of a Danny Green type player. He's bigger than Donovan Mitchell, he's bigger than Darius Garland. So I think there's a spot for him in the guard rotation. On the Cavs. It's just a matter of can he stay healthy and can he shoot the ball well from outside because he does everything else at a pretty high level and it was cool to see him back on the court last season. So I'm. I'm optimistic for Alonzo on the Cavs as well. I don't know if he's necessarily the missing piece, but I think he's a guy who's going to be in their rotation basically replacing Ty Jerome.
- [06:11]
B
Super fun fit for him considering they got everything around him essentially. So he just kind of has to be out there and obviously he can handle the ball, there's no doubt. But he can be an off the ball shooter. I mean the percentage was fine and especially when you're playing with a great offense like that, he should be able to run the floor. It's super intriguing as well because there's some chances you shove him in as a starter in there at times. There's. And with Ty Drone gone, as you mentioned, there's. There's lots of minutes to be had. That's why I'm jumping to a similar guy. I think Gershon Yabu Selle of the New York. Yeah, that guy can start. I think he can help Carl Anthony Towns big time. Now, he's not the fleetest of foot, fleetest of Frenchman feet, but he can play defense. And Carl Anthony Towns can go over to the four, and he plays a lot. This guy played 70 games last year for the Philadelphia 76ers, 27 minutes per game. And I think that's a big reason why Mike Brown was hired over Tom Thibodeau, because he will be comfortable playing all sorts of guys. So Gershon Yabasell, I think they can throw him out there to play beside Karl Anthony Towns. Again, Towns go to the four. And yeah, Abicelli literally will guard anybody. He is so physical and so strong and so I can see him starting at times. I can see him coming off the bench obviously, as, as a guy who eats up a ton of minutes, because when you think about 27 minutes per game, it sounds kind of like a lot for, for Gershon Yabuzeli, but at the same time he's capable. I mean, he hit six threes in a game this summer against Poland. There's going to be open shots for him when you're playing with Brunson and OG and Mikhail Bridges and Carl Anthony Towns. So I think he's just going to. He's going to be a plug and play type of guy. He'll. He'll do anything he needs. I don't even know what the over under for minutes played per game will for Gershon Yabu Selli will be. I don't know if they, they go that far with the players. Props, how many minutes is this guy playing? But the over under to me is something like he had last year on a team that had nobody at all on the roster, period.
- [08:37]
A
A lot of injuries for the Sixers.
- [08:38]
B
Yeah. Yeah. So the over under, I'm going a little lower considering he's playing with Carl Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson. 26 minutes per game sounds kind of high, but yeah, that's where they got him. I, I think he will fit. And we talked about last week when they signed Malcolm Braun. They've got all these guys off the bench. Maybe they lack a little bit of wing size a little bit. You know, OG and Mikel are gonna play a ton, but this is. This kind of shows that they size down a little bit. Put towns at the 4. That I think they'll make up for the lack of wings with Josh Hart and all that. So there's minutes to be had. And Mike Brown's gonna. He's got a lot of. A lot of things he has to do top. That wasn't fired just because he didn't bring guys off the bench. But you know, besides getting Jalen Brunson off the ball and trying to get their defense to play better, this is a big part of who they are. So, yeah, he's going to play a ton. I think he'll play it pretty well.
- [09:36]
A
Yeah, I think the Knicks front court rotation is a lot better this year. And yeah, maybe Tom Thibodeau wasn't fired because he didn't bring a ton of guys off the bench, but that was part of it. And there's definitely a lot more depth going around in New York right now because I feel like you're saying Towns and Yabu Sali can play together, Yabuzeli and Mitch Robinson can play together. And then as we've seen, Towns and Mitchell Robinson can play together. So that's a pretty solid three man four, five rotation for the Knicks. And then like we've talked about several times, they've got so many guards going on right now. Speaking of guards, my last role player to watch this season, another guy that switched teams. I think those are the most intriguing for sure. D' Angelo Russell with the Dallas Mavericks. D' Angelo Russell, only 29 years old, pretty bad year last year for the Lakers and the next. 13 points a game, three rebounds, five assists, that's okay, but shot just 39% from the field, 31% from three. He's basically the number one guard for the Dallas Mavericks and he's the only guy that's even like borderline starter, quality. Everybody else, Max Christie, Brandon Williams, Ryan Nemhard on a two way. Dante Exum had a taste of the starting lineup last year. Jaden Hardy doesn't seem to be the guy for them outside of d' Angelo Russell. Cooper Flagg is their best ball handler, which that's cool, but he's still a rookie this season. And then Najee Marshall I think is maybe their only other playmaker. So this is an in between year for Dallas. With Kyrie Irving's injury taking place, we don't actually know when he'll come back. He's kind of hinted that he won't be back, period until he's 100%. That's probably best for the long term prognosticating for the Dallas Mavericks. But Russell has been on some good teams. He's been even on good defensive teams and they don't need him to be their number one guy, even if he is their number one ball handler. So when I'm looking at guys who have a lot of pressure on them going into this season. I think d' Angelo Russell, if he plays well, that raises the ceiling for this Mavs team for sure.
- [11:37]
B
Maybe right off last year a little bit because of the situation. I will say I am intrigued big time that he will have a lot of responsibility on this team. Definitely with Kyrie not around to start this season. And yes, he's got to get people involved. I don't think Cooper Flagg, who the Stream team is excited to hear his name, will have a ton of ball handling responsibility. He has that ability, that's for sure. And you mentioned Max Christie. Yeah, they're lacking in terms of ball handlers. So yes, I totally agree. That is a really, really intriguing team and I'm sure we'll get to them later on in this show. I will say as my last guy, I'm going super deep in terms of role players. Amir Coffey for the Milwaukee Bucks. That guy is there in Milwaukee on a non guaranteed deal. Will he even be on this roster? I am intrigued because this team is lacking big time. Who is handling the ball on this team? Who's being that athletic wing on this team? They're taking a flyer, but they need somebody who can drive. He showed he is a pretty, pretty solid catch and shoot guy. He had a good percentage last year on the most threes he's taken in his career. But besides some of these guys, you know, with, with Dame gone, obviously it's. They're paying everybody, they're paying Giannis and Miles Turner a ton to lead their front line. Beyond that, who are they counting on? They're trying Kevin Porter, they're trying Ryan Rollins as ball handlers. They're trying Gary Trent as a wing. Cole Anth, Anthony. We'll see what he can do. But they need, they need some sort of wing. I know Kuzma's there, but I think Amir Coffee literally may be a guy that they have to rely on and he might be good. But they're so desperate for players. Amir Coffee is there. And if the Nazis said that Compo came and stole Amir's Coffee's money just because he's Giannis's bro and he's, he's obviously good for vibes. I mean, that's kind of weird. I find that strange. Amir Coffee may be better than Torian Prince at times. There's, there's. So they're just lacking so that. I think he literally could be a decent part. I didn't mention AJ Green, but I think Coffee could be a decent part of that wing rotation.
- [14:04]
A
Yeah, I think A.J. green is probably their best rotation piece on the wing. But when you're listing off the players that are still there for Milwaukee, they need a mere coffee to be decent. And he was pretty good with the Clippers. It kind of felt like he was in and out of the rotation, but always stayed ready. Could make his open shots when necessary and when called upon. So yeah, I like what Boda vine saying here in the stream team. It's time to put some cream in that coffee. A cream city, a mere coffee jersey. I would love that. I gotta say, I thought you were gonna be hyping up Kobe Buffkin. Just recently traded to the Nets for cash considerations. Only going to be 22 at the start of the season going into his third year. I know you love this guy, Tasso. Should we be keeping our peepers peeled for Kobe Buffkin in Brooklyn?
- [14:55]
B
Thanks for squeezing it in, Trey. Yes, we happen to be calling a G League game where that guy went off for 37. I think it was 25 in the first half. Yeah, he's super talented. He just can't stay on the floor. He gets after it. Defensively, he's a little. A little slim, but who cares when you can put it in the bucket. The Brooklyn Nets literally gave up cash to have a guy who is picked that high two years ago. Yeah, totally worth it. So yes, I'll be watching. I didn't want to go that hard on my role players. We got enough role players out there. But I did think about it. The thing with the Brooklyn Nets is he could have a lot of playing time. So this could be. This could be good for him.
- [15:36]
A
Yeah, this is definitely a good gamble for the Brooklyn Nets. Who knows if Kobe Buff again will be able to stay on the court, if he'll turn into anything. But like you're saying, there's a very unsettled rotation going on in Brooklyn. They're going to need somebody to handle the ball. Maybe he pops. I think he had 43 though that game.
- [15:54]
B
Oh, my bad.
- [15:55]
A
Yeah, he was completely cooking. Basically he is too good for the G League and hasn't really been able to make an impact for the Hawks. And I was a little disappointed to see him shipped out for straight up just cash. I know it's a cap move, but still, the guy was a first round pick just a couple of summers ago and the Hawks do still need ball handling. So I thought that was a little bit curious and at least tells us what Atlanta thinks of Kobe Buffkin. But we'll see if he's able to do anything in Brooklyn to ask me the second question.
- [16:27]
B
I'll hit you with the same question. I will say, though, just on what you mentioned what Saleh, Auntie Saleh and the Hawks could be thinking about Kobe in general. He's. He does make a decent amount of money for a guy who doesn't play. And, and they just got Nikhil Alexander Walker. So I don't know if they're just writing him off and saying, hey, we're done. I think, yeah, it's totally a financial thing. And they just have. I think they're, they're paying a lot of players. So, yes, they are taking a chance in Brooklyn. That interview that we had during that G League game, I said, I think that's why I'm thinking That he had 37 is because he, his high was 35 going to that game. We asked him at half when he had 25, I said, Whoa, 35 in a game. You only need 10 in the second half. You can do that. That man was humble. He just played it off. He's like, yeah, I'm here. I'm, I'm. I've gotten to this point because I play so hard defensively. I mean, I think that was just a, just a line for the media. Like, he just knows how to talk to the media.
- [17:30]
A
Coach vibes.
- [17:31]
B
Yeah, yeah. But he's, he's humble enough. Interesting that we talk about the Atlanta Hawks because this next question, we could be talking about this Atlanta Hawks. Here it is. Sup, gentlemen? It seems a tale as old as time that there's always at least one team that completely overachieves and exceeds expectations in an NBA season. Expected to miss the plan and end up at 4th, or expected to be 14th, 15th in their conference and end up 8th. If you had to pick one team ahead of next year, that will be the next big overachievers. Who are they and why? Lots of love from a longtime listener. Psy in Stratford upon Avon in the uk. So next season's biggest overachieving team, Trey.
- [18:13]
A
I think it's actually going to be a three peat for this team as the biggest overachievers three straight years. I got the Indiana Pacers. Feels pretty weird to say it. They went to Game 7 of the NBA Finals last year, had a lead, obviously. Tyrese Halliburton went down with injury. He won't be playing this year. Miles Turner, another starter for the pacers the past 10 seasons, including their last two great playoff runs. He's now in Milwaukee. People are writing off the Pacers but they're not writing back. And I think a huge part of the reason I'm confident in this team is that they still got a lot of good players left. They did lose two starters, but we've seen Pascal Siakam can be an all NBA third team type player, can elevate his game and that elevate the team around him. I think Andrew Nemhard is capable of more as a starting point guard. He always raises his game in the playoffs. Now the Pacers are going to need it for from him throughout the regular season. I don't know what Jay Huff is going to look like as a starter. I think he'll be more successful next season when Halliburton is back and setting him up. But it's at least worth seeing what he can give them this year. The reason though I'm most confident is because Rick Carlisle is a great coach. He's coached 23 years in the NBA. Only six of those seasons has he finished under.500. That could be the case this year. I think a Siakam injury really throws them into flux. But heading into the season with the team they do have, the players they have on the court, I think they're still in the mix for a guaranteed playoff spot. If I'm looking at the Eastern Conference, I would say Cleveland, New York, Orlando, Detroit, and I got the Hawks all ahead of Indiana just heading into the season. But I do think the Pacers are in the mix with Boston and Milwaukee who are both kind of question mark teams due to their own injuries and turnover and then maybe the Raptors and the Heat a little further down. I think the infrastructure for the Pacers, the coaching and the fact that they were a pretty deep team last year before the Halliburton injury, before Miles Turner left. I'm still confident that they can be a team that's, you know, in the 40 to 44 win range depending on how well the rest of the Eastern Conference plays.
- [20:29]
B
I'm sure that 40 to 44 would be an overhit in terms of their over underlined, whatever it's going to be. But when we're talking big overachievement teams, you definitely have to look east, that is for sure considering what the heck is going on in the West. There's so many options here and you mentioned a bunch of them. We talked about the Hawks. They definitely could be that team because they are hyped up so much with the moves that they're making in June and July and so the vibes are very good. I think they Got a ton of question marks to match every one of their great moves to get here. So I'll leave that one aside. I think the Raptors are definitely one more time. They could do it, but I don't need to be a homer here in September. It's early. I'll be a homer in a few weeks. I, I, I, I like you. I'm with the Pacers totally there. There's a team again that can go into the locker room, go in to their training camp and say, everybody wants to bet against us and let's be dogs and let's go get this thing. They have so many guys, too, as you mentioned. Like, McConnell is going to be their leader on the floor a lot of time or leader in the locker room and he is not going to shy away from any other opposing team or, you know, playing with his guys and getting the most out of him, as you said. Siakam, I think Ben Matheran is playing essentially for his next contract as. And you know, we haven't, we haven't seen, I think the unleashed Ben Matheran quite yet. And I think he could just put points on the board, a ton of them. The camaraderie is there, you know, your niecemith and your nemhar, your toppins. The front line. As you were talking about with Huff, I will see what Isaiah Jackson can do. I think Juris Walker will be unleashed a little bit. Two years in the league, hasn't really had his chance to go. So, yes, they're my team as far as, you know, big overachievement. Raptors and Hawks are fun to talk about. The Magic can definitely be way over that line, whatever they end up being. But the Pacers, it feels like if you want to just be kind of, kind of even keel about it, it feels like the Pacers, they can't, they can't disappoint. They're just too good.
- [22:38]
A
Yeah, I'm totally with you on the Pacers, and I guess I'm with me on the Pacers as well. The Hawks is an interesting one for. Will they be an overachiever? Because there's a lot of expectations for Atlanta. This is the best team they've ever built around Trey Young. It makes the most sense. And the players that they've acquired really fill in the gaps for where Trae Young lacks. They've done a good job of building the team, which is why you see their win totals are so high. That makes it easier for them to underachieve, unfortunately. Right. If we're expecting them to win 47 games. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Hawks take a couple of injuries here and there and suddenly they're in the 40 to 44 win range. But, you know, this is the time to be optimistic. So I'm optimistic on the Hawks at least meeting expectations next year. And for me, expectations for the Hawks are similar to those for the Pacers. They need to have a guaranteed playoff spot. A top six in the Eastern Conference.
- [23:34]
B
Yeah, so you're right. The Hawks number. I, I didn't know that these over under numbers existed. I guess I should because people are doing podcasts on them already. But yeah, the 46 and a half for the Atlanta Hawks. Wow. Wow, wow, wow. Yeah, it jumped up.
- [23:49]
A
A high number. That's a high number, unfortunately. I mean, we'll, we'll do some math of it as we get closer to the season here, but I would lean towards the under on that one because like 45 wins would still be an awesome season and a jump ahead for the Hawks. The main thing for them is making sure that they get Jalen Johnson and Kristaps Porzingis healthy through the season so that they can play come playoff time. Because I do think the Hawks will be a playoff team at the very least.
- [24:15]
B
That is definitely the question. Yeah, you can get excited about Kristaps Porzingis and making a move for a draft pick and obviously Nikhil Alexander Walker. But I think there's a question for each of those moves that's, that's equal to or more important. Jalen Johnson has been hurt the last couple years. They were rocking with him in the lineup. He looked like he was going to be an all star. Boom, he goes out and he is so important to that team. He is the second ball handler. He was what, a fifth in the league in passes per game behind Trey Young and three other players? Because he's so important, because he's that good. Christophs Brazing is another guy. Could easily be injured. As we all know, he looked freaking good for Latvia. When he's missing threes and then going to get the put back and dunking it, he looks really good. How many games will he play? I don't know if he's just a totally different player, but I guess that's a possibility. But we're talking about 47 and a half wins and those two guys go out. Then you're relying again on what you did last year. Dyson Daniels, sort of as your number two scorer type of guy. Zachary hasn't been enough quite yet. Even though in France he Looked okay at moments, but he's not a number two guy. Nikhil Alexander Walker also not really a great number two score. He's a complimentary score, but where will the scoring come from if those guys are injured? So 47 and a half. Yeah, I think I'm taking the under. It feels weird to say considering we're here and considering the hype. But yeah, I think it's. It's what the betters are doing. The betters are going over. Right. So that's, that's.
- [25:50]
A
You think they should start Porzingis or a conglo.
- [25:53]
B
Oh, great question.
- [25:55]
A
Porzingis is definitely a better offensive player and maybe like at his peak he's a better defensive player, but a conglomerate. Was really solid the second half of the season. I think maybe a little disappointing that it took him this long into his career to finally take the starting job off Clint Capella, but he finally did it. Looked good doing it. So they're both really got a good case and I think they can both play alongside Jalen Johnson.
- [26:17]
B
Yeah, I think you start Kristaps just because the space he creates because he's out there, it can shoot the three. But yeah, I guess it all depends on the matchups. And we know Kristaps gotta max out it 60ish games. There'll be, you know, 20 games for a Kongwu to start.
- [26:37]
A
That's a good point. There's gonna be minutes still to go around and starts to go around for a congloo, so. Should be exciting to see. Moving on to our next question comes from Mike J. Watt on Instagram who says can we get some dino slash NBA comparisons after the Jurassic park movies Rewatch number seven coming out this later this week. Jurassic World Rebirth, the reboot to the reboot starring Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali. So Tas, you got any Dino NBA comparisons?
- [27:09]
B
Oh, yeah. I had a lot of fun doing this. I'm taking the Timberwolves Jaden McDaniels as an Indoraptor. Okay. Yeah. Because I think if you look at Jaden McDaniels sometimes he just looks like there's not a lot of emotion coming out of him. Those eyes are big. He's looks like he could be tired and he's kind of just roaming around like an indoraptor that's genetically created. Kind of looks like, are they real? Is there other eyes in there? Sometimes James McDonald's just kind of looks chilled out and then bam, he'll eat you. Or he'll do something that your team absolutely needs. He'll do anything out there, and then, you know, he'll revert back to that chill guy. But he can do it all like an indoraptor can. So. So that's. That's my. My Indoraptor. I'm taking Jalen Suggs as my dilophosaurus. Okay. You know that, that the dino that has those frills, I guess they're called that they fly out and then he spits the venom.
- [28:11]
A
Spitty.
- [28:13]
B
Yeah. Jalen Suggs can be that. He can be mean. He's a great defender. He kind of looks calm, I guess. The dilophosaurus, to me, they look a little chilled out until they frill, and then they're really. And then they're really mad. So you don't mess with them. You don't mess with Suggs. And Al Horford is my T Rex. Just that old, capable. He's just roaming around. He's. He can be unsigned as he is right now, and then, oh, he's needed. That T Rex will freaking eat you. Al Horford will win a quarter for you in the playoffs now, even though he's 39. Like a T. Rex is ancient in these Jurassic park movies. So there's my. My threesome.
- [28:59]
A
I like Al Horford as the T Rex because, you know, early in his career, just like Grexy, he was one of the big stars on his team when he was here in Atlanta. If you want to go even further back to Florida, winning a championship and getting drafted the highest out of any of those Florida guys who all went in the first round, if I'm not mistaken, then, you know, weird stuff happened for Al Horford in his career. He went to Boston. It was okay. Went to Philadelphia. It was bad. Went to Oklahoma City, and they just said, you don't even need to play. That's basically Rexy in two and three, you know, and three. Finally loses to the spinosaurus. Can't believe they did it to our girl. But just like Al Horford.
- [29:38]
B
Yeah.
- [29:39]
A
Rexy became important later down the line as well, becoming a huge piece of the championship team for the Boston Celtics. And now the warriors eventually are hoping to sign Al Horford and hoping to get some T Rex like, performance from an old guy as well. That's great.
- [29:56]
B
The Stream team comment here. I've never seen a dino with pretty eyes. This is true. You never have. Al Horford definitely has those pretty eyes. Paul here with the pretty sure Desmond Bain is a T Rex. The short arms, of course.
- [30:11]
A
Yeah, I had him as the D Rex, which we will Meet in Jurassic World. Rebirth. Just an absolute freak show because there's that one picture of Desmond Bane, like, at the free throw line that goes around every once in a while. And you can't believe that a guy with his arms that short and that muscular would be a good shooter. But he is. I think those are great comparisons. The only one I'm going to add. I thought Luca was going to be the dilophosaurus. He's a guy that screams a lot and spits a lot as well. But you're right, Jalen Suggs does go from, like, innocent looking to ferocious pretty easily. That's the same thing that happened to Nedry when he ran into the dilophosaurus out in the rainstorm. Oh, you stupid little thing. I'm not scared of you. Next thing you know, they're in his cars, eating his face. Last guy I'm going to add, I couldn't decide who's going to be the Friar Tuck dinosaur, the Pachycephalosaurus, the one that's ramming its head into everybody. So I picked Giannis as the guy since he's kind of like the most battering ram of an NBA player that's out there. But you could also say Zion Williamson. But, you know, it seems to me the Pac is finishing most of these movies, so I had to ultimately go with Giannis.
- [31:21]
B
Nice one. Yes. He is willing to do that. He's willing to batter his. Literally, his head into some. Yeah, that's right. Good stuff right there. All right, next question here. Which NBA team in history would you have most wanted to be your groomsman? J. Josiah 97 with a great question. You're a team that you would make your NBA groomsman. I don't know how deep you went on a roster, Trey. If you wanted just to start five, where'd you go?
- [31:53]
A
I was mostly looking at starting fives, I would say, just because, you know, that's the easiest way to do it. And I. At least when I'm thinking about my wedding 18 million years ago, I think I had five groomsmen in my wedding as well. The most important responsibility to do to me for a groomsman as a wedding, at a wedding is to get the party started, particularly at the reception. You know, they should be the ones out on the dance floor early. And when the dance floor is lagging, you got to get back out there to bring up the energy. That's something I specialize in at weddings. It's really fun. So there are some teams I considered definitely the 90s. Bulls were early in my consideration, but, I mean, I don't see Michael Jordan cutting a rug out there. I don't know if there's a good chemistry between him and Scottie Pippen anymore. I would love to have Dennis Rodman at my wedding, but I had to bypass them. I also considered the 80s Celtics with Bird, Parish, McHale. They've got Bill Walton eventually for a Grateful Dead tie in, but ultimately. I can't believe I picked these guys. Give me The Heatles. The LeBron. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh. Triumvirate in particularly drew me to this team. LeBron is always dancing at events. The guy loves music, so he's going to cut a rugby anytime music comes on. Dwyane Wade, charismatic dude. And I think Chris Bosh will bring the weirdo energy that you really appreciate at a wedding. We've seen a man turn his leg around backwards once upon a time. Anytime something unusual happens at a wedding, I think it's fun. They also could throw in Mario Chalmers, who is like, the friend that you're always ragging on, I think, in that era. So, yeah, give me the Heatles as my groomsman.
- [33:36]
B
That's a great one. You remember when they did the Miami Heat, The Harlem shake?
- [33:40]
A
Of course.
- [33:41]
B
Yeah. Like, yeah, they can fun it up. No doubt. Chris Bosh would be the. The ultimate weirdo out there. Yeah, they got it, man.
- [33:50]
A
Chris Bosch would be great, too, at the bachelor party, because, you know, he would bring a bunch of different costumes and disguises for people to wear.
- [33:57]
B
Right, right, right. Yeah. He would encourage that, like, what are we doing? What. What's. What. What are we all dressing like? That's a great one. You're totally right. It's about the dancing. It's about bringing that energy. So I went with a strange one, too. I started looking around, I started thinking, you know, I kind of want Steph out there. I feel like the wars would be deep enough. They'd have enough different types of dancers. But I went. I. I went with. Maybe I was encouraged or influenced by John Wall, retiring recently. And we know he pulls the Dougie out. So I went with the. The 1011 Washington Wizards. I thought, there's a good amount of characters on this team. John Wall, obviously, he can do the dancing. Nick Young, I think, will be the goofy guy. Okay. To pull it out there. And then different types of dancing. I found. I got into it. Nene, he can do the Brazilian samba. If we're getting the old people on the dance floor, maybe Andre Blatch, he's Filipino. They do that tinicling dance with the. Those sticks, those long pieces of wood that you can dance over. Like you jump sort of back and forth over. Yeah, man, Pull that out. We have a couple of Frenchies, Turiaf, Kevin Seraphine on the bench, so those guys could come out if we have to do some French dancing. I'm not really familiar with a lot of French dancing, but they can pull it out depending on where we're going to have to go. They've got so many different types of players. I'm not going to go. I'm not.
- [35:37]
A
This is an insane roster. Looking at this roster is crazy. Gilbert Arenas still on the roster. You got Eason Leon. So maybe that would be good for when. When the bride sits on the chair, he can bring his chair out, do the garter toss. That's really exciting. Like you said, John Wall, Nick Young, Kirk Heinrich was somehow on this team. What a weird collection of D. Mike Bibby as well. So I don't know if Skeets would be actually attending the wedding, so that could be a little drama at the seating charts. But, man, I haven't thought about the 2010 Wizards for a long time. So thank you.
- [36:14]
B
Yeah, yeah. They are an etc bunch. Jan Vesely, I think, was on that team. He'd be sitting there in the wedding. He would definitely kiss his girlfriend over and over and over. It would be a fun, fun scene, I think.
- [36:30]
A
Javale McGee and Nick Young eating cinnamon at your wedding. Exciting. That'd be fun. All right, next question comes from Portnoy and team on YouTube, who writes in and says, what up, dunk fam? In light of the recent Kawhi Leonard news, how far would you go to recruit a superstar to your team if you were an owner? We all know if you're not cheating a little bit, you're not trying hard enough. Right, Right. So, Tas, how are you recruiting a free agent?
- [36:56]
B
Absolutely right. There seems to be no rules amongst front offices. I am getting a Greek island for my player. Literally. It's your island. I mean, there are thousands of islands out there, so many uninhabited. I'm not sure how we're gonna get one under your name. I'm Greek. I have connections. Not really. I don't have any government connections, but there's just so many uninhabited. Okay. If that doesn't work out, because, I mean, that's a lot of responsibility to not not only own the land, but, you know, do everything you got to do to live it, to live on it, to work the land. Yeah, but let's say I can get somebody an inhabited part of. Of an island, whether it's just naming a street after them or something and then a house on that street in Greece, because there are so many of them. You know, like the, the great Canadian Leonard Cohen. He lived on Hydra for a while and made things happen on that Greek island. And there was a street named after him. Boom. Like Anthony Edwards, you want to come to Greece, we'll name a street after you on this particular island. Everybody wants to go to Greek islands. Everybody. When they see me and they see my name and they, no, I'm Greek. They say, oh, we've got to go to Greece together. It's like the common question. We got to go to a Greek island. Of course, now, if I can't make that happen, if I can't get you a Greek island, I'll get you a lake in Minnesota. There's so many lakes there. I think I can, I can flip you on some. Some way shape or form. Like Clay Thompson. He'd love. And he'd love a lake. So I think, I think I'd go far enough to do either one of those things.
- [38:47]
A
Yeah, something involving a body of water, either the land in it or the water surrounding it. Sounds like you're recruiting specifically for the Timberwolves, though.
- [38:55]
B
Yeah, I got into. Why I got into the Minnesota Timberwolves is a weird one. Maybe because they like to break rules, too. They did the Joe Smith thing. That's.
- [39:05]
A
That's a good point. It's time for them to circumvent the cap once again.
- [39:08]
B
Yeah. Gotta do it.
- [39:10]
A
You thought bigger than me. I'm just going from the heart. I'm gonna cook my free agent a beautiful home cooked meal. Because what is more loving than using your hands to create food and nourish somebody's body? I will make a gigantic thing of spaghetti and meatballs, which has been my favorite large meal to cook lately. Come on. You walk into somebody's house, you see a gigantic pot of sauce with some balls just braising in there. How are you saying no to that? How you saying no to that? Giannis Antetokounmpo, come join the Chicago Bulls and have this pot of meatballs to eat.
- [39:49]
B
I think you. You'd hit Giannis's heart. You'd get right to it. Yeah, there's some, some good videos of Giannis from this summer where he just was hammering down some gyro. Some gyros. Just. It was like a speed eating contest. I think he likes meat. I guess he likes meat. So the meatballs would work. Man, you got it.
- [40:11]
A
Yep.
- [40:12]
B
Straight to the heart.
- [40:13]
A
Straight to the heart. Straight to the gut.
- [40:17]
B
Okay, next question here. Hey, Dunka Doos, who would be your current starting five for Team usa? But not just Team usa. I'm going to impose a restriction. None of the players can be over 30 years old. That's from Schaff1:519 on YouTube. Oh, the 519 was. What is this? Jamal Murray. That's a Southwestern Ontario area. I don't see that too often, but that is interesting. The players have to be under 30 because there's obviously a lot of oldies in the 2024 Olympics. So under 30, Team USA. Starting five, Trey.
- [40:59]
A
Under 30, Team USA. I think Simmons did this with Zach Lowe on Zach's podcast recently as well, and they were kind of saying, let's go get rid of the LeBron Steph KD generation and focus on the younger guys. So I'm down with that. I'm looking at under 30 as of 2027, which is the next FIBA World Cup. Unfortunately, I ruffled some feathers with regards to my. Who is the world champion? It's only the world championship if you win the World Cup. If you win the Olympics, another world basketball tournament, you're only considered the Olympic champion. So I'm looking at the World Championship 2027. Who will be under 30. I think the backcourt is pretty easy. Tyrese Halliburton, assuming he resumes basketball the way he was before his Achilles injury. He's the point guard somewhere between Jason Kidd and just a great shooter as well. And then Anthony Edwards, I would have at the two slash scoring guard, the fourth leading scorer for Team USA at the 2024 Olympics. And the number four after LeBron, KD and Steph. He's kind of the next guy up for starting. So I thought backcourt pretty easily. Hi. Halliburton and Ant.
- [42:16]
B
Okay. All right.
- [42:17]
A
It gets a little tougher, I think, once we get to the front court. Yeah, I think right now I would choose Jalen Williams as my three from Oklahoma City. All defense, all NBA. Right in the prime of his career. Can guard up bigger guys, maybe some international fives. He guarded some fives in the NBA as well. Can guard down. Just a great guy to fit around. Everybody else would be a glue guy sort. So I have him. But I wouldn't be surprised if Cooper Flag was able to take that three spot from him over the course of the next couple of seasons. He's got high hope. Everybody's got high hopes for Cooper Flag as a do it all wing type, as a defender and as a guy who can slot in perfectly next to stars as well. So for right now I think it's Jalen Williams job but it could easily be Cooper Flag.
- [43:08]
B
I hear you. I had Jalen Williams as a lock for me too. Consider I was thinking now maybe I don't have the foresight to look two years from now, but it could definitely be different with Cooper Flag then. But yeah, right here, right now it's Jalen Williams. I know there's people here in the stream team like David Walsh who said this as the con as the question went up Cooper Flag mention incoming. I, I didn't have him actually at my as my as on my team. But who, who would be your front line then?
- [43:39]
A
My big guys for sure. Paolo Banchero is making the team. He was pretty good in the 2025 Olympics. You know, he will be in the prime of his career as he gets a little bit older. He seems like a really good international player since he has ball handling skills but also still incredible size. He doesn't play the same way that Alpern Chengun does, but similar skills in that they can handle the ball and playmate for themselves, playmate for others. So Paolo making the team for sure. I think he should be a starter and I think he's got the rep and the, you know, he's been a part of the team already, so I think he gets the nod. And then for me, the last starter. I would want Evan Mobley out there and I don't know if that's kind of a slight to Jayson Tatum. You know, Tatum is injured right now, but I think he could easily be the four for this team, assuming full health once he gets back. Though his last Team USA experience didn't go well. But I love what Mobley brings to the table as a versatile defender. I think he would be, you know, the defense first guy in the front court alongside Bonchero and I just think that their skill sets really complement each other well. With the leap we saw from Mobley last season, I think he ended up shooting 37% from 3. Took a lot more of them, looked a lot more comfortable on the perimeter. He could be a Chris Bosch type. I think for Team USA in the future.
- [45:00]
B
Some Mobley love. God, it feels good. I, I, I started thinking is it Mobley starting at center? I, I definitely had that. Or is it, is it Homegren to shut down guys and what he showed in the NBA finals, that's, that was my Debate. That was, that was a tough one for me, I think, I think right here, right now, because we have so many scores out there, I may take Homegren, that would be my initial thought. Right. Right now. But yeah, Mobley could obviously be that guy. And I think it will be different at some point for Mobley when things friggin start to come together on that Cleveland Cavaliers roster. If Jared Allen isn't there and Mobley can just be the five at all times, which seems like that could happen very well, that's for sure.
- [45:53]
A
On the team though, like you're saying, I think, and I think, you know, if we see his offensive game progress a little bit and maybe he puts on a little bit of strength, he could easily be the starter the next time. Team USA is going into some serious competitions. He's got great games against Wemby going back forever internationally and he's a really competitive guy and they're going to need guys like that basically to go against the joke. It's the Wembys of the world, the sengons that are going to be out there the next time these guys face off against each other. Let's just hope Team USA actually sends a lot of their best guys to the World cup the next time they do. Because the general US way of doing things is when the Olympics think everything is all good and nobody can touch the usa, then we get to the World cup, don't send the best guys, Team USA loses, and then they're like, wait a second, we got to send our best guys, send them back to the Olympics and the cycle continues. So I think the fact that the previous generation, the LeBron, Steph, KD generation is starting to age out maybe means that the World cup will be a little bit more important for Team USA in 2027. We'll see.
- [47:01]
B
Yeah, that's a very good point. It's seemingly like that's how the NBA and American basketball is trending. They're. They're seeing some importance in just putting USA on the chest. And it could be a lot of guys in that World cup where Ant was, you know, he was, he was very solid. Couldn't get it done. Brunson was there and he couldn't, they couldn't get it done there. But there's, there's so many names that hopefully will be there. There's. That's a, It's a stacked lineup period.
- [47:37]
A
Yeah. And even though people are saying that it should be time for LeBron, Steph and KD to move on, first and foremost, I think If Steph or KD wants to play, they're probably on the team. Similar to like a Jason Kidd sort of role. Both of those guys are great international players with the shooting they bring, but I really think those three should go into the three on three tournament together and play at for team USA in 2028 at the Olympics in LA. Come on. How awesome would that be to see them finally leave the NBA behind and focus their craft on 3x3 and the different way that the game is played. That would be scary to see LeBron, Steph and KD lining up. Maybe bring Melo out of retirement to be the fourth guy off the bench as well.
- [48:24]
B
Fits too well to see those guys on a three on three team after what they just did at the Olympics. Yeah, it seems perfect. I don't think anyone but LeBron won't be available. Like, Katie will still be going as far as like the. Just the Olympics. I know it's going to be. I know Durant will be getting a little older, but Steph will be fine if he wants to play anyway. But yeah, those are stacked. That's just a stacked roster. Hopefully the World cup team is. Those guys are willing and ready to go. Because the names I was just batting around Halliburton and Ant. Yeah, as you said, I think Tatum has to start. I think he's, he's just so freaking good. And he's. He's older. But as we saw in that 2024 team, it's not just LeBron, Steph and KD as the old guys. They have so many old guys and I think they would want, you know, as we bat these names around, a guy like Tatum who's been there and done that, and I guess he would also be looked at as Grant by Grant Hill, as a guy who had to sit on the bench in 2024, didn't really get to play. So yeah, you're in, man. And he's probably gonna start if he's there, I imagine.
- [49:41]
A
Yeah, like rep wise, being in your prime wise and the skill set that Tatum brings. You think he would be the starting forward and one of the leading scorers for Team USA, but we saw 2024, the guy couldn't get off the bench. So I don't know if that leaves a sour taste in his mouth, but if he wants to put the mantle on his back, put the USA on his chest, I think he would still be there and I think he would have a good case to be in the starting lineup. But we had an awesome cycle of World cup and Olympics in 23 and 24. I think it's going to be even better in 27 and 28, just with, you know, I assume Jokic will still be playing for Serbia. Germany will still be a force to be reckoned with as Franz gets older, even more so, into his prime. And then the French team should be pretty tough to take on starting in 2027 once Wemby is reaching his full potential. So. Should be cool. Should be a cool time.
- [50:38]
B
Yeah. I love, I love people saying, well, they're going to be old in 2028. They're just going to be dated. They're done. But obviously they have enough guys. But it will be tough matchups, as you mentioned, all those teams. So, you know, we didn't even mention a guy like Donovan Mitchell or like, there's enough guys that you just throw out a really, really, really good roster. And it's so fun because they are single elimination games. So it's. Anything can happen and it's a blast. Yeah. So I, I will say it's changing. It is changing. I think as we get here to the next World cup, that Americans do want to feel some pride. And I'm not just saying that because I want the All Star Game to work. USA versus World. I just. I just. It feels that way. It feels like the game is. It's. Yeah, it's becoming a little bit more of a prideful thing.
- [51:25]
A
Yeah, hopefully so. And with a less accomplished Team usa, you know, considering the entireties of their basketball career, maybe this, you know, maybe the World cup is just more important for them. I would say the hardest position, though, I think for the USA to fill is point guard because, like, I'm penciling in Halliburton. He is coming off an Achilles injury. If Halliburton isn't able to go in 2027 or 2028 for whatever reason, I guess Cade would be the other guard or the other point guard. Ball handler. I mean, maybe Devin Booker does it in a pinch. He was so good as a glue guy for Team USA at the Paris Olympics. He has served as a point guard for the Phoenix Suns. I don't necessarily know if that's his most natural position. He's definitely on the team, but starting. I think point guard is kind of the weakest position for Team usa. It comes down a lot to Halliburton and how he looks coming back, but he's an awesome FIBA player. The way he moves the ball gets Team USA out in transition, which they're always trying to do. So we'll see.
- [52:29]
B
Yeah, Halliburton's injury is important because in their last World cup run they tried the Ant and Jalen Brunson type of thing and it just, it didn't work as them together. They didn't necessarily have. Yeah. The Halliburton type of true point guard, which is nice to have. But.
- [52:48]
A
Yeah, yeah, Brunson's awesome, but he. His style of play I don't think is necessarily a FIBA style of play. You know, just wants to handle the ball at a pick and roll and play long possessions and try and draw fouls. It's not always as effective internationally as it is in the NBA. So we will see our final question tasks. You guys breaking out your Blue Jays gear on the beach? If not, why not? Go Jays. That's from Frank on Instagram. Talk to me about the Toronto Blue Jays.
- [53:20]
B
This could be the best team in baseball. I saw literally ESPN crew making predictions for the MLB playoffs and the Toronto Blue Jays where their pick for the American League. And literally to get to the World Series. Yeah, to. To do it. To do it. They have, they have so many freaking pitchers. You almost forget how many they have. Oh, once you start going through them.
- [53:50]
A
Halliday, Clemens, David Wells.
- [53:55]
B
Yes. They got some oldies. They got Max Scherzer, who's basically our age. You got a Chris Bassett. You got gas, man. Kevin Gossman throwing that gas. They got a Bieber. They somehow traded for Shane Bieber, no relation to Canadian Justin Bieber. We got Eric Lauer. I just found out that guy's name this season. They have so many actually important position, the pitching. They have so much of that. And then, yeah, I, this is my time of year to get locked into baseball where I see, whoa, Vladimir Guerrero is doing the splits when a throw comes over to first base. Yeah, baby. Alejandro Kirk, a guy who's 5ft 8, 245 pounds, stole a base. Yeah, baby. That's pretty cool. Ernie Clement, what a name. Didn't think that guy would be a really capable major leaguer last couple years as I saw him come up, but he's freaking playing great. Yeah, they got everybody now. This is like being a Chicago Bears fan or being an Atlanta Hawks fan. There will be some disappointment. It sure feels like at the same time. But this is the time to get hype. They're, they're stacked. It's. It's weird because it was an era here that we were entering with JD's favorite guy, Bo Bichette, because there's the, the Boba Star Wars References with Boba Shet and the Vladimir Guerrero era look like those two guys combined. Bichette and Guerrero's coming to an end like this could be it this year. And then all of a sudden, bam. They're literally the best team in the American League. Although the Phillies are the easier pick for a lot of players or a lot of experts, I should say they were the number one team to win it all as far as ESPN goes, because they are. I can't believe how good they are. I didn't see that coming.
- [55:50]
A
Phillies, yeah. They're unfortunately very good. I didn't do much baseball this season because by the time the NBA ended and I was ready to vote myself to some sports, the Braves were basically out of it. It's been a disaster season for Atlanta, but, you know, I've got a blue and white Jays hat around here somewhere, so I'll root for a fake home team for sure. I am surprised to hear you say though that, like, pitching is the strength for this team. I thought it was just going to be Vladdy and the boys bopping.
- [56:19]
B
Yeah, the pitchers are really good. I mean, I could be wrong that they may not be all that great. I could definitely be wrong. But they have guys that eat innings and. Yeah. Healthy. And I didn't even mention Barrios. That guy, he's. He's there every five days. They don't get hurt. So they're good.
- [56:42]
A
All right.
- [56:42]
B
How it happened.
- [56:44]
A
Excellent. Hopefully we get some J's playoff watching in here. As for Atlanta, the Dream have a chance to eliminate the Indiana Fever tonight. Alicia Gray, Naz Hillman looking great. So that's my summer sports watch for right now. And now that Euro basket is over, we'll see. Cool stuff. Go Jays. Jay's the official team of no dunks for this baseball season. And. And you think we'll. Think we'll ever hear from Joel McMillan again on the J?
- [57:16]
B
Yeah, yeah, I think we will. I think this. He's. He's high. Obviously he's. But I, I think he's. He's a pretty grounded guy. He knows that this could be. Yeah, you're. You're about to be optimistic and you're going to end up crying yourself to sleep after. After some Jay's losses.
- [57:36]
A
You compared them to the Bears and the Hawks. The Jays have still won the World Series twice more recently than the Hawks and the Bears have won their respective championships. So sitting pretty even if it was 30 something years ago.
- [57:51]
B
It was a while ago.
- [57:53]
A
Not a lot of glory for our teams recently. Tas but we got a lot of other stuff coming up on no Dung. Skeets and I brought back the Top Shot hot boys yesterday to World Premiere 16 hall of Fame moments from Top Shot. Like I said, later this week, Jurassic World Rebirth, the final podcast of our Jurassic Pals series, will be releasing. So tune in for that one. I got nothing else. Tas, what about you?
- [58:21]
B
Nope. I think I am docked. I'm all good.
- [58:26]
A
All right, Sounds good, Clipper Bros. You.
- [58:29]
B
Heard it here first.
- [58:29]
A
Have a great time. Turn up. Love you guys. Awesome.
- [58:34]
B
Thanks for joining us. And remember, RIP Robert Redford. RIP Robert Redford. There we go.