Ranking NBA Rookies & What's To Blame For All These Calf Injuries?

Summary

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No Dunks – November 18, 2025

Episode: "Ranking NBA Rookies & What's To Blame For All These Calf Injuries?"
Hosts: Jay Skeets, Tas Melis, Trey Kirby, JD
Theme: The pod dives into detailed rookie rankings one month into the NBA season and examines the league’s recent plague of calf injuries—including what might be behind the trend.

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Episode Overview

The No Dunks crew ranks the top NBA rookies through the first month of the season, discusses breakout performances, struggles, and projections—including the odds for Rookie of the Year. They also tackle the disturbing frequency of calf injuries among NBA stars, relate them to season awards, and recap notable games and moments from the previous night in the league with their signature blend of stats, humor, and nostalgia.

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Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. The Top 10 NBA Rookies – One Month In

[03:07–37:00] Trey’s Rookie Rankings

• Intro: Trey Kirby runs through his rookie rankings (1–10), with Skeets and Tas adding context, stats, and player comps.
• Key themes: Immediate impact of this draft class; surprises, volatility of roles, and comparisons to previous rookie classes.

The Rankings in Detail

1. Con Knipple (Charlotte Hornets)

• Stats: 17 PPG, 6 RPG, 3 APG, 45/40/88 shooting splits.
• Role: “Front runner for Rookie of the Year,” especially after Brandon Miller’s injury opens up touches.
• Quote: “He’s exactly as advertised, knocks down his open threes…he looks like a veteran.” – Trey ([04:19])
• Memorable moment: Hornets team went to his childhood home for fajitas. Panel debates dream ‘childhood home meals’ (fun tangent at [06:51]).
• Discussion: Setting records for rookie three-point shooting; likened to Paul Pierce (“the way he’s just a thick boy who handles the ball and gets to his spots” – Trey [06:32]).

2. Cedric Coward (Memphis Grizzlies)

• Stats: 14/6/3, efficient splits, advanced stats darling (leads rookies in WS, BPM, VORP).
• Background: D3 to D1 journey, now a starter in Memphis.
• Quote: “Young face, old body.” – Trey ([10:09]); “If you saw him in a suit, you’d think he’s a Fortune 500 CEO.” – Pete Pranica, relayed by Trey ([11:43])
• Panel laughs: At the idea (and visual) of Coward as the ‘John Legend of rookies’—“young face but older than you think.”

3. Cooper Flagg (Dallas Mavericks)

• Stats: 15/6/3; numbers rising since playing with a real point guard.
• Odds: Still the favorite for Rookie of the Year.
• Quote: “Turns out playing with a point guard can help.” – Skeets ([13:16])
• Conspiracy: Did Jason Kidd sabotage Flagg early to get the GM fired? (Supporters: “I made it up. I 100% buy it.” – Trey [15:19])
• Outlook: All agree Flagg will likely win ROY by end of year.

4. VJ Edgecombe (Philadelphia 76ers)

• Stats: 15/6/4, strong shooting, big clutch performer.
• Quote: “He seems to make a clutch three pointer in every single game.” – Trey ([18:20])
• Role: May lose some shine as team gets healthy/PG returns—but has forced coach’s hand to keep him on floor.

5. Derek Queen (New Orleans Pelicans)

• Stats: 10/6/3, notable passing big (4+ assist games).
• Quote: “He just looks like a jolly fellow out there.” – Trey ([20:23])
• Panel: Enjoys his personality; wonders about defense/future with Zion.
• Noted: Highs and lows as rookie, but flashes of fun passes and vision.

6–10 (Rapid Fire)

6. Ryan Kalkbrenner (Hornets):

• 81% FG, second in blocks/game; “poor man’s Jarrett Allen” comp. “Giant man, does one thing really well.” ([23:27])

7. Will Richard (Warriors):

• Rotation glue guy; “Don’t mess up—that’s basically what he does.” ([25:17])

8. Collin Murray-Boyles (Raptors):

• High energy, got starts as undersized center; brings hustle and defense. ([26:14])

9. Jeremiah Fears (Pelicans):

• Comped to Monta Ellis, erratic but fast and scoring (41% from three in November). “A highlight package waiting to happen.” ([27:37])

10. Trey Johnson (Wizards):

• 11 PPG, but no real highlights; steady, but “can anybody tell me one Trey Johnson highlight from this year?” – Skeets ([31:14])

Notable snubs/mentions: Dylan Harper, Jaeger Joman, Drake Powell, Ace Bailey, Tyrese Proctor, Musa Sise, and others get some shine as guys to watch.

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2. NBA Rookie Award Race & Big Class Takeaways

• Class is “way better than last year’s.”
• Multiple rookies scoring 15–18 points with efficiency; depth across the late lottery.
• Consensus: Cooper Flagg is ROY favorite, but Knipple et al. are making it a real race.

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3. NBA Injury News & Calf Injury Discussion

[38:02–66:45]

Giannis Groin Strain & Injury Fallout

• Bucks lose to Cavs after Giannis goes down; scheduled MRI pending ([38:02]).
• Team outlook: “Few teams, honestly, if any, look shockingly different when you take a superstar out… than the Bucks without Giannis.” – Skeets ([42:17])
• Panel debates who steps up—“Bobby Portis time” joked (43:28), but “they have to do it by committee.”

Calf Strain Epidemic, Wembanyama & Ja Morant Out

• Both out at least 2–3 weeks, jeopardizing awards and playoff hopes ([62:26]).
• Is it shoes? Pace? Bad luck?
• Trey: “More flexibility, more explosion, more injuries…these are two of our best highlight guys.” ([63:34])
• Skeets: Wemby’s absence could reignite debate on 65-game awards eligibility.

Notable quote:

“Castrains are ruining everything right now. …More flexibility, more explosion, more injuries.” – Trey ([63:04])

“Calf tightness is not something you want to take lightly… it could lead to an absolute debilitating injury.” – Mitch Johnson via Skeets ([65:58])

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4. Game Recaps & Notable Moments

[48:49–61:56]

• Cavs vs. Bucks: Donovan Mitchell “monster game” as Cleveland pulls away after Giannis injury.
• Raps vs. Hornets: Walk-off block from Scottie Barnes; “a game they probably wouldn’t have won last year” ([54:13]).
• 76ers vs. Clippers: Philly’s league-best fourth-quarter team wins another comeback, highlighted by Tyrese Maxey’s 39 points.
• Heat vs. Knicks: Confusing, dramatic finish with block/goaltend review, and tons of last-second chaos ([57:09]).

Fun Fact:

• Scottie Barnes now averaging 1.8 blocks/game, tied with Rudy Gobert (53:19).
• Dennis Jenkins, Detroit Pistons: 26/8 night while “everyone injured.” Panel jokes about the “nasty boy” Pistons.

Highlight Quote:

“We’re all nasty dogs. Nasty boys.” – Dennis Jenkins, quoted by Skeets ([67:24])

Trivia (60:11):

• Only four players since the ABA-NBA merger with higher FG% in a 30/15 game than Jalen Duren: Dwight Howard, Brad Daugherty, Alonzo Mourning.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Exchanges

• “If you saw [Cedric Coward] in a suit, you’d think he’s a Fortune 500 CEO.” – Pete Pranica quote via Trey ([11:43])
• “Turns out playing with a point guard can help.” – Skeets on Cooper Flagg ([13:16])
• “I made it up. I 100% buy it.” – Trey on Jason Kidd point-guard conspiracy theory ([15:19])
• “He just looks like a jolly fellow out there.” – Trey on Derek Queen ([20:23])
• “Castrains are ruining everything right now… More flexibility, more explosion, more injuries.” – Trey ([63:04])
• “We’re all nasty dogs. Nasty boys.” – Dennis Jenkins, via Skeets ([67:24])

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Rookie Rankings Start: [03:07]
• Meals w/ NBA Teams (Light Banter): [06:51]
• Cooper Flagg, Dallas Drama: [13:16]
• End of Top 10, Snubs Discussion: [29:34]
• Giannis Injury/Calf Injury Section Begins: [38:02]
• Wemby/Ja Calf Strain News: [62:26]
• Notable Game Recaps – Bulls/Nuggets, Raps, Sixers/Clippers: [48:49]–[61:56]
• ‘Nasty Dawgs’ Pistons Quote: [67:24]

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Episode Tone & Style

True to No Dunks form, the tone is irreverent, stat-savvy, but always conversational and peppered with off-beat humor (long tangents on home-cooked meals, player name puns, etc.). Analysis is rigorous but playful—panelists bring strong evidence but undercut each other with jokes and pop culture references.

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Closing Notes

• All hosts agree: 2025 rookie class is dramatically outpacing last year’s crop.
• Extensive injury discussion, with a warning for the league about calf/Achilles risks.
• The Cooper Flagg vs. Con Knipple chase for Rookie of the Year will be a season-long story.
• Panel calls out award eligibility rules as potentially needing adjustment if injuries linger.
• The show ends with a rundown of NBA games and “embrace the day” sign-off.

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For NBA and basketball fans who missed the show, this episode delivers a stats-rich but highly entertaining guide to the league’s hottest rookies, the impact of mounting injuries, and the always-comic chemistry of the No Dunks crew.

Transcript

[Jay Skeets]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Tas Millis]

And Doug.

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[Jay Skeets]

Good morning, sweet world, and welcome to the no Dunks podcast presented by FanDuel. It's Tuesday, November 18th, 2025. I'm Jay Skeets here in the classic factory and alongside me, as always, Tas Millis.

[Tas Millis]

NBA podcast listeners, this is for you.

[Jay Skeets]

Next to him, it's my top shot, hot boy, Trey Kirby. And over yonder, making the magic happen. Still on the mend. Super producer jd.

[Tas Millis]

Hello.

[Jay Skeets]

Oh yeah, that voice is even more gravelly today. Talk again.

[Trey Kirby]

JD A lot of cigarettes were smoked last night.

[Jay Skeets]

Damn, that sounds good. Hello to everybody on YouTube. Hit the like button. Subscribe podcast listeners. Five star ratings and reviews on today's show, Tass's winless pick em streak is over. Long live Tass's winless pick em.

[Tas Millis]

I couldn't do it. I just couldn't lose every single game in one season in one month. I thought I could.

[Jay Skeets]

That's impossible, man.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, we thought we had it. It was just too obvious. Oh, this Team is going on the road for a back to back and two very difficult spots to play. It was too, too easy.

[Jay Skeets]

So you will be paying off the loss here for the month of November. I don't think you can technically even get back into it, especially with Thanksgiving next week.

[Tas Millis]

I think there's a chance you have.

[Jay Skeets]

To run the gauntlet. Okay, my bad. Anyway, you need to start growing in your goats.

[Tas Millis]

You gotta grow the goat.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah. Yep. Gotta grow the goat. We'll also on today's show recap the latest injury news and highlight a few of last night's games, including that entertaining Bulls Nuggets game. But first, TK we're one month in to the NBA season. Let's rank some rookies.

[Trey Kirby]

Let's R some Rs, rank some rookies. I will run through my top five rookies and then, you know, throw six through 10 together. Sure.

[Jay Skeets]

All right, so top 10 here.

[Trey Kirby]

Top 10. Number one on my NBA rookie rankings. We're a month in here. It's gotta be Con Knipple of the Charlotte hornets. He's averaging 17 points per game, six rebounds, three assists. That's first in points, fifth in rebounds, ninth in assists per game. Shooting 45 from the field, 40 from three, and 88% at the line. Currently, he's second in FanDuel Odds behind only Cooper flag. Right now, I think Khan is the runner, the front runner for rookie of the year. He's been exactly as advertised, knocks down his open threes. He can have a little volatility, I feel like, from game to game, because he does take so many threes. He's taken like eight per game, which is a ton for a young guy.

[Jay Skeets]

But they.

[Trey Kirby]

Brandon Miller going down with an injury has been great for Con canipple, not great for the Hornets, I would say, overall, but great for him to seize the opportunity and look like a future star. Quite honestly, the way he scores with the ball in his hands, playing off the ball, I think is really, really impressive. He doesn't look like he has any athletic tools out there, but he's got tree trunk legs, strong young boy, corn fed, eating cheese, growing up in Milwaukee. So he knows how to play. He looks like a veteran.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah. And like you said, with no Brandon Miller, even LaMelo Ball missing time, I think Knipple was sort of thrown into this primary offensive role and he's flourished as a rookie. You know, we watched him last night, obviously, taking on the Raptors. He's just smart, too.

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[Jay Skeets]

Like, the basketball IQ is off the charts. He doesn't Make a lot of boneheaded play, especially again, for a rook. You went through the numbers and yeah, the three point shooting. He's only one of eight players who've shot better than 40% on at least seven three point attempts per game.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, not rookies, just players.

[Jay Skeets]

Players like your, you know, Grayson Allens and Zach Levines and guys like that. Tyrese Maxey on that list and then a rookie in Kanipple. So yeah, he, he'd be number one on most people's list right now. I don't actually, I don't think he'll still win this thing, but a month in.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, I don't watch a lot of college. Then I watched him at summer league and I thought, whoa, this guy can score. He was really good. And then it's nice to see it transition into the NBA, especially for people who don't really watch a lot of college. You say, whoa, this guy is really good at summer league. Then bang, he can really, really score. I wonder if it'll be a little like Vijay Edgecombe who came out fantastic and now with more players coming back for Philly, Edgecombe's chances go down a little bit. But I do think this team that shoots so much, so many threes, they shoot nearly half their shots as threes, he'll continue to get them up considering he's. He's around the Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Austin Reeves mark for threes per game, he's going to hit the most threes for a rookie in NBA history. I think that's clear. He's hit 45 already. The record's only 206. But Brandon Miller's going to be out. We know Lamello's going to be out, so I don't know, his, his shot opportunities may just be there.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, I think they will be out there. I think he's established himself as a guy that needs to stay in the lineup and get touches. Some Paul Pierce in his game. The way he's just a thick boy who handles the ball and can get to his spots. Really, really good player. I just had the Hornets over to his childhood home for some fajitas.

[Tas Millis]

Yes.

[Trey Kirby]

If you had an NBA team over to your childhood home, what would you want to be served?

[Jay Skeets]

Oh, wow.

[Trey Kirby]

Like a classic mom meal.

[Jay Skeets]

I mean, grilled cheese sandwiches would be fun.

[Trey Kirby]

A whole bunch of grilled cheeses just flipping and flopping.

[Jay Skeets]

I mean, that's what I've said this before, like in high school. I live pretty close to high school, so we would just go back to my House. And I had, like. I basically ran a restaurant in my house at lunch for all. For all my friends. Just like we had the grilled cheese.

[Trey Kirby]

Flipping cheese.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[Trey Kirby]

Nice.

[Jay Skeets]

So I would go with that.

[Trey Kirby]

Excellent.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah.

[Jay Skeets]

But in a basement for sure.

[Trey Kirby]

No, you got to be in a basement. Yeah, you got to be brushing your hair against the drop ceilings down there. Biscuits and gravy for me.

[Jay Skeets]

Oh, good. What about you?

[Trey Kirby]

Breakfast.

[Tas Millis]

You're having breakfast. So your question was to your house?

[Trey Kirby]

Well, I mean, you know, to your childhood home. Your mom is back in the kitchen.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

Cooking it up.

[Jay Skeets]

Right.

[Trey Kirby]

You know, when we go home for Christmas, my mom always makes biscuits and gravy, so.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah.

[Tas Millis]

That's wild. Didn't know that happened in the Midwest as.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, we like gravy in the Midwest.

[Tas Millis]

Believe it or not. Why don't they have poutine in the Midwest? If you like gravy so much?

[Trey Kirby]

That's one of the biggest mystery. How come it never came down?

[Tas Millis]

Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

From Canada. Why was it embargoed?

[Jay Skeets]

Very weird.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah. For me, I guess I please people. I guess it would be a souvlaki thing. You know, everybody likes the chicken every. Everybody likes the meat. But if they came over for a second time, I'm making them dolmas. Mainly because dolmadas need to be made. At some point. I need to make them. I don't make them. So I'm basically talking it into existence. I gotta do it. I gotta do it.

[Jay Skeets]

Make them for Thanksgiving.

[Tas Millis]

Nobody's gonna eat them. No.

[Jay Skeets]

People will eat them.

[Tas Millis]

No, Come on. Nobody's gonna eat them. What do you want? Here's a leaf for you.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, well, you know they're good. I know you know they're good.

[Tas Millis]

We'll see what happens.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, we got some good responses here in the Stream team. Spaghetti and meatballs. I mean, come on. Classic.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

My dad's baby back ribs and Gerg just wants hot dogs, Mac and cheese and baked beans. Gerg wants farts in his basement.

[Jay Skeets]

I told you, I went to a high school party once where Tolu was his name. Okay? His mom was upstairs. It was a basement party, no joke. I don't know why he had a party. It was the only time we ever went to his house for a party. Huge party rager in this basement. His mom was upstairs, bless her heart, just boiling hot dogs. And at one point during the night, there was just a bunch of boiled hot dogs served. Hit the spot.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, I did.

[Jay Skeets]

That's really weird, though.

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[Trey Kirby]

Upstairs, hot dogs smelling.

[Jay Skeets]

Oof. That's right.

[Tas Millis]

Stinky boiled hot dogs. Underrated, though. Yeah, I like a boiled one.

[Jay Skeets]

Perfectly rated.

[Trey Kirby]

Better than a microwaved hot dog. Worse than a grilled dog, but not.

[Jay Skeets]

Even close to a grilled dog.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, you never know.

[Trey Kirby]

All much better than a cold dog.

[Jay Skeets]

Let me tell you. Oh, yeah. You speak from experience.

[Trey Kirby]

Number two on my rookie rankings, Cedric Coward from the Memphis Grizzlies. I would say probably the bright spot for the Grizzlies. So far, he's averaging 14, 6 and 3. That's fifth in points per game amongst rookies, fourth and rebounding, sixth in assists, shooting 48 from the field, 37 from 3:90 at the free throw line. And this guy is like an advanced stats killer. He's leading in wind shares. BPM warp.

[Jay Skeets]

Oh, Vorp.

[Trey Kirby]

He's big in the warp world.

[Jay Skeets]

Wow. 0.5 warp from this guy.

[Trey Kirby]

0.54. When you consider the Grizzlies have been warp under replacement players.

[Tas Millis]

Nice.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, they're turf. They're a team under replacement level Turtle. But they moved him into the starting lineup and he looks awesome. Just looks like a savvy player. Played Division 3, eventually worked his way up to a D1 guy. I think he was going to go to Duke for this year of college basketball, but then figured out he was going to be a top 10 draft pick. He's like, yeah, maybe I'll go to the NBA. Like I've said before, young face, old body.

[Jay Skeets]

Oh, my God. Yeah, he's like 66 and has a 72 wingspan. And he has a pretty high release, I'd say, on his shot. So, like, he's sort of like he ain't getting blocked is my point. Despite only being 66 with those long arms and the way he shoots it pretty high, he's been great. Like you said, in a absolutely abysmal season for the Grizzlies, it's like a thank God they got this guy. At least there's some hope.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, and he looks old. He plays old. He knows his game. At 22 years old, he's a tank. He would eat everything at whatever dinner he went to. I mean, he is monstrous. He looks difficult to play against. That's how big he is. And that's obviously what they wanted. They wanted a wing to be that three and D guy that they've been looking for forever. And it looks like they got him. It truly does. It would. He would fit perfectly on a really good team.

[Jay Skeets]

Yes.

[Trey Kirby]

Yes, he would.

[Jay Skeets]

Which they were supposed to be.

[Trey Kirby]

Maybe he could have been the missing piece if the other pieces were still good. I think I heard Pete Pranica say on a broadcast that if you saw him wearing a suit, you would think he's a CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Just, just a knowledge.

[Jay Skeets]

That's a fun visual.

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[Jay Skeets]

We got a picture of playing in a suit.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, it'd be cool if he played in a suit.

[Tas Millis]

The CEO walks in with really wide shoulders, I guess is.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, I don't know.

[Tas Millis]

I don't know.

[Trey Kirby]

I think he's a nice guy.

[Tas Millis]

He does look like he has a million dollar smile. He looks older, like, you know, experienced experience in the business world. So I can see a Pete.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah. Started in the mail room, got all the way to the top. Leo Goemon, one of our favorites in the stream team asked pre show who is the John Legend of rookies? It might be Cedric Coward. Young face but older than you think.

[Jay Skeets]

Oh, wow.

[Tas Millis]

Older than you think.

[Jay Skeets]

Nearly 50.

[Trey Kirby]

Getting closer to 50.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah. And he's gonna play for a long time. Just like Johnny Howard's gonna. Johnny's gonna be singing forever.

[Jay Skeets]

Let us know.

[Trey Kirby]

On the stream team, who is the John Legend of NBA rookies in 2025, number three on my rookie rankings, that's Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks. He's starting to put things together here. Averaging 15, 6 and 3. That's second points, second rebounding, fourth in assists, 45 from the field, 29 from 3, 78 at the line. He is still the fanduel favorite in rookie of the year odds. I think he's minus 110 as of this morning, which I think are the shortest odds I've seen. I think so since I've been looking.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

I also think the next time we do this, he'll be number one in rookie.

[Jay Skeets]

He's going to win rookie of the year. As great as Canipple's been, as great as some of these other guys have been, hey, like looking at this whole thing, this class is a lot more exciting than last year's class. Like that's pretty obvious. But yeah, Cooper is starting to get it going. Turns out playing with a point guard can help. And obviously there is, you know, now the Nico Harrison and all that is sort of like gone. That cloud is no longer hanging over the franchise. The guy's awesome. He's awesome. He's still got crazy acne because he's a kid. It's wild to see he's going to win because I think these numbers are going to tick up, up, up as he gains more confidence in the league. Yeah.

[Tas Millis]

And they have ticked up since they started playing a point guard. The last two weeks he's been shooting 50%, 17 points per game. And overall, yeah, he's at 45%. So the number has been going up. It helps that he doesn't have to dribble the ball up the floor and start every single possession, something he never did. So I don't know if it's a Jason Kidd thing that just came into this season and said, whoa, we gotta get this guy right into it. It's really puzzling now at a time where Mark Spears reporting that Kyrie Irving could be back extremely soon and if it was a playoff game, he could play right now. Um, it's just all strange when you think about how he was thrown into the fire. But he is just looks like a different player when he's super comfortable out there.

[Trey Kirby]

Yep. Eight games with the point guard starting next to him, seven without. So I think the point guard storyline will be dead.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

Thankfully, conspiracy theory Jason Kidd did it to get Nico Harrison fired.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, that's what people say.

[Trey Kirby]

You didn't give me a point guard. Fine. I'm not going to play a real point guard.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, watch this, watch this.

[Trey Kirby]

We're going to make the number one one pick that you got lucky to even get. We're gonna make him look like a fool for two weeks and then we're gonna turn it around.

[Jay Skeets]

And he still looked okay is the funny part. I mean, but it was obvious to a lot of us, like, yeah, you're holding him back here. He could be doing more. You're asking too much from an 18 year old to play point guard when he never played point guard right away. But yeah, maybe, I don't know. You buy the conspiracy at all.

[Trey Kirby]

I just made it up. I 100% buy it. But he looks better playing on the second side and like getting dribble handoffs from guys make it easy on him and he can do stuff. Yeah, he's got a nice spin move right now that's going to get scouted very soon and then he's going to have to come up with a second move. But guess what? He can do it.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah.

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[Tas Millis]

And.

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[Tas Millis]

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[Trey Kirby]

Excludes Massachusetts at number four on my rookie rankings, VJ Edgecomb from the Philadelphia 76ers. He's averaging 15 a game, six rebounds, four assists. That's third in points, second sixth in boards, first in assists, shooting 41 from the field, 38 from three, 73 at the line. Like Task said, he has tailed off a bit after a very hot start to the season. In the month of November he's 35% from the field, 33% from three. However, in the month of November, six of six on clutch field goals, three assists, zero turnovers. Did miss two huge free throws last night, but the guy seems to make a clutch three pointer in every single game that the 76ers play.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, the Cardiac Sixers, there's always in these close games are always coming back, but You're. That's a great point that jumped out to me. It's like he is always making big plays in these games. Late, big shots, whatever big hustle plays down the stretch. He's awesome. He's going to be an unbelievable pro. I think. I think you've named the top four guys here in terms of minutes played, too. Will be fascinating to see now that Paul George is back and as they start to ramp up his minutes, if it has any impact on Edgecomb. But yeah, I mean, this is. This is the right spot, I think, for him on your list.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah. And he's going to play fourth quarters. I don't know how you take him off the floor. He's super good. He could be playing beside Maxi, beside Quinn Grimes and Paul George. Paul George can size up play up to the four. He played every single minute of the fourth quarter yesterday and he came through. Will he have the same shot opportunities that he had at the beginning of the season? Probably not. I think Joel Embiid also was going to start playing more, but he's got to play and that's a great sign. And you know, you slipped it in there, Skeets, about this draft class looking way better than last year's draft class. It's ridiculous. I mean, how many guys can put up 15, 18 points, no problem. Last year, weren't we at a point where there was just one guy scoring in double digits? It felt like for most of the.

[Trey Kirby]

Was it Jared McCain who played like 16 games?

[Jay Skeets]

It was bad. Yeah.

[Tas Millis]

And there was a guy on this team, he plays for the same football. Philadelphia 76 team that has been playing just spot minutes since he's coming back because there's too many guys in front of him.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah.

[Tas Millis]

Which is a strange thing.

[Trey Kirby]

Yep. Andy looks a little rusty, I would say.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

He's. He's gonna be a blue coat, I do believe, for a little bit of time, get his legs underneath him. Because there's still spots in Philadelphia at number five on my rookie rankings. Derek Queen of the New Orleans Pelicans. Only 10, 6 and 3 for Derrick Queen, but he does have four games already this season with four or more assists. And I don't think it's a coincidence the first thing James Borrego did when taking over for Willie Green. Derek Queen, you're starting. Duh.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

Traded for this guy.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

And he can produce, so go ahead and start him. He has a ton of turnovers because he loves to throw a backdoor pass when it goes through. It looks so, so sweet. He Just looks like a jolly fellow out there, I would say as well. So it's. If I were a Pelicans fan, I would be happy he's starting and very happy anytime he does something cool.

[Jay Skeets]

Yep. He's got an incredible touch with the ball in terms like how he sees the floor and how he'll make passes. For a guy his size, too. He is. It's fun to watch. There's going to be super highs and super lows. Usually is with rookies, but especially him. Even his other teammate, who I know will probably make this top 10 list in fierce. They look really great at times. And then, oh, wow. Yeah, they're rooks, you know, either getting put in action and exposed on the defensive end or just making boneheaded plays because the game is fast and these are talented, talented players they're going against. But yeah, Queen, he's in there now.

[Trey Kirby]

He's playing now.

[Jay Skeets]

He's playing now. And that's what you got to do. And especially don't even have your own draft pick.

[Tas Millis]

They traded a ton for him. As you said, he's better than Eve Mece, so he should play more than him. It is a little scary in terms of how hard they're going to play defensively in this new James Borrego era with Derek Queen out there. Because I thought first game against Golden State, they look like they did want to be out there and play hard. And then the second game against okc, it is okc, but they got, they got smashed, smashed, smashed. Smash smashed real hard. And they need to have a different attitude on that side of the ball. And Derek Queen with that smiley smile, I don't know if he's going to bring that to the defensive end. He's. He is super talented, as we said. Tim Duncan texted Antonio Daniels, who was sitting courtside and he said, whoa, I like this Derek Queen guy because he's so freaking good. They're running plays through him. It's just they suck overall at this point. That's the scary part.

[Trey Kirby]

They are starting two rookies.

[Jay Skeets]

They've started three at one point, haven't they?

[Trey Kirby]

Who's their third? Are you thinking of the Hornets who start three rookies?

[Jay Skeets]

Oh, maybe. Yeah, maybe I am. With. Who's the other. Yeah, yeah, maybe I am thinking of them because they don't have another one, do they? Anyway, I was gonna say, did you see the Queen clip of Joel Myers and Antonio Daniels last night, like, pre game? You know, they're sitting in the chairs doing their like, hip before the game, talking up the game queen just came over and he just stood there. He just stood there smiling. He almost wanted to hear what Antonio Daniels, like keys to the game were.

[Trey Kirby]

Trying to take it to heart.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, we got to do that anyway. He seems like a likable guy for sure.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, he does.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

I wonder what the future beholds for the New Orleans Pelicans because he hasn't played very much alongside Zion Williamson. With Zion going down with an injury, if they ever wanted to get draft stuff back, there was a certain guy who could be traded.

[Tas Millis]

There's a few guys who could be traded.

[Trey Kirby]

Trey Murphy brings back draft picks. Zion would still, I think get some sort of draft compensation and that kind of makes up for what's been traded in the future already. Only time will tell.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

Okay, my six through 10, I will give you these guys pretty quickly with a nice little tidbit here.

[Jay Skeets]

Okay.

[Trey Kirby]

Ryan Kalkbrenner, number six for me. Charlotte Hornets shooting 81% from the field right now. Time for second in the lead in blocks per game. Trying to think of a comp for him. I just kept thinking of white centers. So let me tell you, this poor man's Jarrett Allen.

[Jay Skeets]

Oh, wow. Curveball. Okay, curveball, not white.

[Tas Millis]

Well done.

[Trey Kirby]

Or how about, I don't know, Donovan Clingan Purdle.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, yeah. But a giant man, big old man. And we. And when they drafted him in the second round, I thought, okay, maybe they're changing the locker room around. And they do look better defensively. There's no doubt. And he's a part of that. But he is a one trick pony offensively. That's why he's shooting 80%. So clinging like. Sure.

[Jay Skeets]

But he sets a big ass screen and is obviously an offensive minded guy and he's just big and like things move slower. I think for him. You see his brain working like even last night. I know we're getting the Raptors finish manner.

[Trey Kirby]

He's gonna throw down this game winning dunk right here. He's moving up into the top five in the rookie rankings and he's just, just stood like a statue.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, but he's been good.

[Trey Kirby]

He's been good. Yeah, he's been as advertised. We got a huge tall guy and he's gonna block shots and he's gonna dunk it if he's close. Real Walker Kessler type.

[Tas Millis]

There you go.

[Trey Kirby]

Real Will Purdue type. Speaking of guys named Will, Will Richard.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

Number seven on my rankings for the Golden State Warriors. He started the last three games for them. He's nine points per game, two rebounds and an assist shooting 41% from three. Went to Woodward Academy here in Georgia.

[Jay Skeets]

He did, did he?

[Trey Kirby]

Teammate a Walker Kessler. Oh, I wonder if he sees some Walker Kessler in Ryan Golf record playing with a guy just like you.

[Jay Skeets]

We'll have to ask him. I have to ask him. He's solid. He's been. Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

Don't mess up. That's basically what he does.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah.

[Jay Skeets]

And there's a role when you play with the warriors and you can just do that.

[Trey Kirby]

Yep.

[Jay Skeets]

Pick your spots. Don't mess up. Bring energy. Realize where you land in the. In the pecking order of basically hall of Famers on the floor. Yeah, that's a great point. And you then can very easily earn the trust of Steve Kerr. And he has. And they love him, so great addition.

[Tas Millis]

He's loved in the locker room, too, for sure. He's the guy that, I think Draymond Green has looked at him and said, whoa, you're good. You're going to be around here for a long time. He'll be the John Legend of the Golden State warriors of the NBA, period. I mean, he's going to be around for a long time. We've entered this. This section of your. Your top 10 here where there's guys that. Well, I shouldn't say that. I shouldn't say that. I. I'll take it back. I was going to say that don't have a real. A real peak. A real offensive peak, but I take it back. I take it back. We're getting into some better ones here, even at the end of the year.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah.

[Tas Millis]

Top 10.

[Trey Kirby]

Kalk, runner and Richard are like just good rotation guys. Look like they're going to stick around and play for teams at number eight, Toronto Raptors, Colin Murray Boyles, or as he was called here by ML Doomsday in the stream team Colin Murray. Boiled hot dogs.

[Jay Skeets]

Shout out to Toluse Mom.

[Trey Kirby]

8, 3 and 1. 50% from the field. 50 from 3. Makes some cool passes. Got to start while Jakob Pearl. That's right there for a little bit.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah. Obviously as a smaller center, but brings the energy. Yeah. Got that opportunity. Raptors are better with a healthy purdl in the mix, so we're seeing that. But he looks like he's going to be a player that's around for a long time, too, with what he can do and his energy and his hustle. And he is out there for defensive purposes. But, yeah, has shown some flashes, I think more than I expected, even on the offensive end. So this is around the right spot here for him.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, I like how he puts them on the floor. And he's super physical, so he'll get space. He'll create space for his own playmaking inside. And he's had some threes, too. So a guy who didn't start the season with his team, that's a good sign that he just comes in and clicks immediately.

[Trey Kirby]

Colin Murray, boiled hot dogs. Oh, Hannah, I have to remember that.

[Jay Skeets]

That's pretty funny.

[Trey Kirby]

Whoever gets traded down here. Colin Murray, boiled peanuts. Or if he starts. If he starts playing really bad, that's what we'll call it.

[Tas Millis]

Gross.

[Trey Kirby]

Boiled.

[Tas Millis]

Hot.

[Trey Kirby]

Boiled peanuts. All right. At number nine, could have been higher. Jeremiah Fears, also of the Pelicans. 15, three and three. He's gonna put up some massive numbers. 45 from the field, 35 from 383 at the line. Reminds me so much of Montiellis when I watch this guy very, very quick. I don't know if he necessarily has much of a jumper, but it's going to be a highlight package waiting to happen.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, I think I would have him a little higher here, you know. You know, between 6 and 10 where you have him as ninth, but he had a really good game last night. Obviously scored the ball well. He's just been very consistent in terms of scoring. He scored in double digits 13 out of the 14 games he's played. He's shooting 41% from three in November. He started really bad in terms of efficiency, but those shooting numbers are ticking up. And again, I already said this, but classic erratic point guard play from the rook. When I watch him, I'm like, holy crap, man. He's fast as hell. Obviously can get by anybody, but then we'll make some sort of boneheaded place. He's sort of. I was thinking this. I was super high on Kira Lewis Jr. And I think Jeremiah Fears is who I hoped Kira Lewis Jr. Would be. No one else was, but I was. But Fears is obviously he's already better than him. Who's out of the league, I think.

[Tas Millis]

I hope so. Yeah.

[Jay Skeets]

Maybe he's in the G League, but.

[Tas Millis]

No, that was quick. Kyra Lewis came and went pretty freaking fast. Yeah. Yeah. Here's a point of the. The top 10 where it would help if Dylan Harper was healthy. I mean, he would be up there. There's no doubt. He looked great for the spurs before getting hurt. But fears to look good. There's. He does. He's erratic, but he's look good.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, it's amazing. We have a guy named Fears and a guy named Coward.

[Trey Kirby]

Same draft?

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah. One more would be really nice. You know, power in threes.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah. Got hit.

[Trey Kirby]

Thesaurus.com.

[Jay Skeets]

I mean, maybe I'll go deep in the draft, see if I can find a third name for us.

[Trey Kirby]

Scaredy.

[Tas Millis]

Can you throw Young in there?

[Jay Skeets]

How so?

[Trey Kirby]

I don't know if that necessarily works.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, well, it's, you know, Danny Wolf is sort of scary.

[Trey Kirby]

You think that's what they're afraid of? Maybe. There's also a guy named Brooks Barnheiser. Well, it's just a good name. All right, here's some guys that didn't make my top 10 before we get to number 10. Dylan Harper. Like you said, just not enough games. Jaeger Joman. He's okay.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

I think Drake Powell has been the best Nets draft pick so far this season. Cyan James, we mentioned him. He's solid. Starting a lot for the Hornets. Ace Bailey had back to back 20 point games. ASA Newell looks decent off the bench for the Hawks. And my guy, Noah Senge played his first 13 seconds last.

[Jay Skeets]

Oh, he got in. Wow.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, he played so little against the Nuggets last night that it didn't even show up in the box score. So it says he's still.

[Jay Skeets]

That's weird.

[Trey Kirby]

He just checked in for the last 13 minutes of the first or 13 seconds of the first half.

[Jay Skeets]

But does it count as his debut? Like, guess.

[Trey Kirby]

I mean, I guess it technically does, but.

[Jay Skeets]

Oh, that's a bummer.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, it's like a. It's like a play in Champ or a. An NBA cup championship game. I saw it. Yeah, but number 10 on my rookie ranking so far, it's my boy Trey Johnson from the Washington Wizards. He's at 11 points per game. He scored in double digits in nine of the 13 games he's played for the Wizards. Not a great percentage, 42 from the field, but 37 from three. He'll like that. I went to NBA.com stats and looked up dribble time. I thought he was going to be leading the league in shots taken after seven plus dribbles, but he wasn't, so I thought that was a pleasant surprise. Oh yeah.

[Jay Skeets]

I was going to ask you. I mean, I know this is going to sound like I'm being an asshole, but I ask it sincerely. Can anybody tell me one Trey Johnson highlight from this year?

[Trey Kirby]

I saw him score a great bucket. I think it was maybe against the Detroit Pistons. Okay. And this is the one I'm thinking of where he dribbles it. He must dribble it 15 times.

[Jay Skeets]

Okay.

[Trey Kirby]

Lefty finish.

[Jay Skeets]

I haven't seen one yet. I just. I know a part of this is the Wizards stink, so you're not seeing a lot of Wizards highlights as it is. But I was like, in looking at your list, I'm like, I can't remember a single Trey Johnson play that I've seen, like, shared or gone viral or a top 10. I mean, again, you're like, you went through the numbers. They're okay. He's going to be a decent player, but nothing jumped out to me.

[Tas Millis]

But that's why you'd think he'd have more because he plays on a stinky team. So here he comes. That's why he's scoring points. Yes.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, but have you seen him? Yeah, tell me, have you seen him send us Trey Johnson highlights, please?

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, yeah, please tag me. The only other guy I would throw in here is, like, he. Ni. Clifford had, like, a stretch there where he played. Douglas Christie decided to play him, but now he's. I think he doesn't even play again. So he was okay. I mean, it wasn't amazing. He was like 7, 3, 3. He was one of these guys. Sort of fills up the box score a little bit in limited minutes. But he's not cracking this list. I just, you know, if we're naming.

[Tas Millis]

Guys, we can name guys. Name some guys.

[Jay Skeets]

Name the name the Red Dog. You do. That's fun. You seen those guys that show up dressed as Clifford? The Big Red Dogs for Nic Clifford. I saw it on Deuce and Mo Deuce and were talking about it. Of course, I saw the photos. So they're diehards. Nice.

[Odoo Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

Good. I'm glad they are.

[Tas Millis]

I thought Hugo Gonzalez would be better with the Celtics.

[Trey Kirby]

He's playing.

[Tas Millis]

He's doing stuff. I thought Ben Sarof, because he's playing for the Brooklyn Nets and would be getting minutes. He'd be better. Game seems to be a little too fast for him. The air is flowing through that little goatee that he's got going on, and it's not working out there. And honestly, Musa Sise for the Dallas Mavericks. Great one. Helps out, man. They need him. But that's a guy who's. He actually. He helps, but he's an undrafted older guy that shouldn't be doing a lot and wouldn't be doing a lot if Anthony Davis and the other. And Derek Lively and the other guy. There's so many injured guys there, but he's getting minutes and he's playing.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, he's in the Jason Max Seal, Adam Bona random energy dude off the bench who's going to get offensive rebounds and dunk the ball.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

Very, very hard. So he shows up in every highlight package.

[Jay Skeets]

I've seen his highlights.

[Trey Kirby]

We probably shouldn't be seeing this much of him, but he's been pretty solid.

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I agree.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah.

[Jay Skeets]

One more.

[Trey Kirby]

Yes.

[Jay Skeets]

Because he shocked me because he was playing a decent amount because of injuries, too. Tyrese Proctor.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah.

[Jay Skeets]

With the Cavaliers. He played at Duke, right? Yes. Yeah, he's Duke. He was pretty good, but every time I see him. Yeah, he's fine. So I didn't. Wasn't really familiar with his game at all.

[Tas Millis]

He plays hard.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

Called the doctor. It's Tyrese Proctor. He's. He was on Australian, I believe, Right? He's a potential. Oh, he is 2032 Olympic guy getting his second mention on no dunks this year.

[Jay Skeets]

Too bad Kevin Gamble still wasn't in the league, eh?

[Tas Millis]

Yeah.

[Jay Skeets]

Procter and Gamble.

[Tas Millis]

Okay. I didn't know.

[Trey Kirby]

Did you find.

[Jay Skeets]

Did you guys just think I wished Kevin Gamble where you were going?

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, with Proctor again.

[Jay Skeets]

I thought it was so obvious.

[Trey Kirby]

Interesting.

[Tas Millis]

I forgot about him.

[Trey Kirby]

Did you find another scary rookie name?

[Jay Skeets]

No, not really, but. Well, yes. Yes.

[Trey Kirby]

Go on, Taylor. Peter.

[Jay Skeets]

No, I was going to say, you know what is scary? This is only for people in the South. Really? For only people in Atlanta area. There is a guy named Chaz Lanier.

[Trey Kirby]

Oh, that's scary.

[Jay Skeets]

Lake Lanier. Very scary down here. A lot of dead bodies. So maybe he's the third name. Scary name.

[Trey Kirby]

I'll also throw in Javon Small four.

[Jay Skeets]

Oh, okay.

[Trey Kirby]

Too bad it's not Meek Clifford.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, these are. These are forced. They're for.

[Jay Skeets]

These are so good.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, Like, I shoved in the young. I'd shove in the genite broom. I mean, brooms can be scary.

[Jay Skeets]

Oh, come on now. Now who's forcing it?

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Trey Kirby]

All right.

[Jay Skeets]

Those are Trey's top 10 rookies. One month in. Does sound like everybody still thinks Cooper Flag will ultimately win Roi. But could have a nice battle here with especially Knipple.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, I would say that's exactly right.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah. Yep. All right, we're going to take a break and when we come back, we'll get into some injury news and some of last night's best games. Life is busy right now with the holidays right around the corner. You're planning and you're shopping and you're maybe traveling. The days right now can get away from you in a hurry. That's where peloton comes to in helping you break through the Busiest time of the year with the brand new Peloton Cross Training Tread Plus. Powered by Peloton iq, this is Peloton's most elevated piece of equipment yet. We're talking real time guidance and endless ways to train. Whether you're running, lifting, stretching or working on those abs. Peloton IQ is like having a coach that knows you personally. I know you ate hot dogs in Tolus House. That's what the instructor says to me while I'm working out. It plans your workouts, tracks your progress, corrects your form and gives you the kind of feedback that helps you get better faster. And with the swivel screen, it's never just one thing. You can hop from a 45 minute ride on the bike plus to a 5 minute yoga stretch on the mat with one smooth spin. That's the beauty of peloton. There's always variety and always a coach ready to bring the energy. So let yourself run, lift, flex, push and go explore the new Peloton Cross training [e-mail] It's NBA tip off month.

[Tas Millis]

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[Jay Skeets]

All right, if you're just joining us, hit the like button. Subscribe to no dunks on YouTube. We would really appreciate that. Podcast listeners, five star ratings and reviews all right, let's get into some NBA games from last night. Some of the news we're jamming two together for this first one because Giannis left in the second quarter of last night's 118106 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers because of a left groin strain. Didn't look good. He didn't return of course, and he's scheduled to undergo an MRI today. And after he left it was very difficult for the Bucks. Cavs sort of took care of business. Great Donovan Mitchell game, but we start with the Giannis part of it all. Just an absolute bummer. This guy was playing in an unbelievable elite level MVP numbers for like 5th or 6th year in a row here, but he's out. And we'll find out maybe today how extreme this is. Yeah.

[Tas Millis]

And watching him and when he sat games earlier this season, I thought, oh, it's going to work out perfectly here. He's. He's taking care of his body and then this hits and it seems like it's going to be longer than a couple games. It's. It's going to be a little bit. Now the question is, who steps up for this team? That's 8 and 7. They started 5 and 2, now 8 and 7. I said before the season, we're going to see a little bit more Miles Turner because he's kind of their number two option. That's not going to happen. Ryan Rollins has really stepped into that number two role. He's been good. I think it's Kyle Kuzma time. I know it's a little bit. It is a little bit scary thinking.

[Trey Kirby]

About that, but it's been better this year.

[Tas Millis]

He has been.

[Trey Kirby]

He has been.

[Tas Millis]

Then that's why you kind of. I mentioned it because there's some good games. He had a 29 and a 26er the last eight days. So he has to step up more. The rule is going to be on him. It's kind of have to. We have to flashback to his Wizards days where he's got to get the shots up. Somebody does. Somebody does. And maybe the percentages won't go up, his efficiency won't go up, but I don't think it's going to be Miles Turner. Rollins has been a pleasant surprise this year. Yannis called it before the season. He has been. He has been really good, but they need somebody to step up.

[Jay Skeets]

It was impossible to not think of you, Trey, though when I saw Giannis go down and leave the game because something we talked about, it felt like endless times in the preseason when we were making predictions for over unders on the Bucks. I think you and I were going over and you kept bringing up like, yeah, they might be good, but what happens when Giannis inevitably maybe misses time because of an injury because he carries so much of a workload? He plays like a madman. And so we're going to find out here.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah.

[Jay Skeets]

Because, you know, again, we got to wait to see how extreme it is. But he's going to miss some time. We know that.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah. Doc was saying post game it doesn't look good. Which agree. You know, he got wrecked by Jared Allen. The dude plays through so much contact and gets very few foul calls. If I was a Bucs fan, I'd be feeling some type of of way. Even though Doc said this wasn't this specific play, that it happened. It happened a couple of times earlier during the game. But the Jared Allen, you know, bumping into him and the weird angle of contact really did it to Giannis's groin. But the Bucks have been struggling even with Giannis playing. They haven't been able to win back to back games the entirety of the month. They were alternating wins and losses until just losing two straight. Kevin Porter Jr. Is already out with meniscus surgery or something like that. And the Bucks are a negative net rating team. They're 17th in offense. So despite Giannis playing incredible basketball, it really hasn't been able to lift Milwaukee any higher than just being a middle of the pack team in the Eastern Conference. The starting lineup kind of makes sense to me as putting as much shooting around Giannis as possible, but the starting lineup's been pretty bad for Milwaukee. So yeah, this could be a tough stretch depending on how long Giannis is going to be out here. A couple of weeks, I guess.

[Jay Skeets]

We'll see. And few teams, honestly, if any, look like shockingly different when you take a superstar out of the lineup than the Bucks without Giannis. Right. Like when Giannis is in there is like his presence is felt on every single play offensively and defensively, and then, you know, he's out and they're just completely different team, you know, like Jokic, you could say maybe with the Nuggets, you know, the way Luca plays with the Lakers. But then they're getting LeBron back, so maybe that changes it. And Austin Reaves has been a revelation, so I don't know. There's few teams where you take a superstar off and they just look completely different and how they go about it. So we'll see.

[Tas Millis]

They have to do it by committee. There's no one who's going to take over. What Miles Turner can be for this team is that guy he was with the Pacers in terms of just leadership. Let's let everybody touch the ball because there's no one who's going to replace Giannis. We all have to do it by committee. We'll see if Miles can be that guy for that team. I will say I did see him on Finalis.

[Jay Skeets]

Oh, my God.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah.

[Jay Skeets]

Yes.

[Tas Millis]

And Thanos. I did compose head. When you get the ball, you gotta shoot it, man. It's not gonna happen, though. I don't think Miles Turner is gonna come out and shoot 20 shots.

[Jay Skeets]

No.

[Tas Millis]

A game it's just not gonna happen. It's never gonna happen.

[Jay Skeets]

Miles Turner looks older is the best way I can say it. He just. I mean, I know he's never been, like, quick footed, but he is a slow guy right now to me, buddy, he hit a bunch of threes last night. He has to let it go, and he'll let it go. I just find he moves. Maybe it's because he's watching him against alongside Giannis now is probably a part of it. It's like these are both giant dudes and one is like a gazelle and the other is a guy that usually moves. For a guy that size, yeah, he's.

[Tas Millis]

Never gonna score a lot, but yeah, the percentage is up. He's only averaging 12 points per game. He's gonna have the opportunity to let it rip.

[Jay Skeets]

Bobby Portis time, baby. Could be that, too.

[Trey Kirby]

You guys are saying a lot of players, you don't want it to be there.

[Tas Millis]

Of course not.

[Jay Skeets]

Of course not. But it has to. Almost has to be one of those guys at least. Stepping into that vacuum left by Giannis.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah. Who do they got coming up? 76ers, Pistons, Trailblazers. That's three tough games. Heaton, Knicks on the road. That's two tough games. Nets and Wizards, you love to see that right at the end of the month, so come back soon. Not great for their cup chances, though.

[Jay Skeets]

No.

[Trey Kirby]

Again, Darvin and Torian might be taking their first losses here.

[Jay Skeets]

Wow, that's a great point. We did have a. We did have a hilarious spat between Gary Trent Jr. And Thomas Bryant. I don't know if you guys saw this in last night's game there on Peacock, Thomas Bryant, like, he ended up chucking Gary Trent Jr. Like, into the baseline, like second row. He really chucked him. And Gary was pissed. So what the hell? Now Gary, like, was holding on to him and Thomas Bryant, because Austin Rivers was on the call, by the way. That's growing on me. The guys on the bench, I don't know, they make it work. Robbie and Austin and I guess Michael Grady, it's fine. But Bryant, they were saying, is like the nicest guy. And he was going up to Gary Trent Jr. And he was pleading his case. He's like, I didn't mean to throw you that far, man. I'm so sorry. Gary wasn't having it.

[Trey Kirby]

Gary wasn't having it.

[Jay Skeets]

I was team Thomas on this. I was like, you were the one holding him, man. He's just trying to get you off. And he's like twice your size. Yeah, it's pretty funny.

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[Trey Kirby]

Does seem like a nice guy.

[Jay Skeets]

He does. Seems like a very nice guy.

[Trey Kirby]

He's so mad when they said he didn't wash his feet. Yes, I do. I'm a good boy, Thomas. Good boy, Brian. I thought that was pretty interesting, having Austin Rivers interviewing Doc Rivers.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

One question about basketball, two questions about Austin.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, yeah, for sure. He wanted where's my deal, basically, and following you around. Yeah, that's right.

[Trey Kirby]

Been hovering around me my whole life. That was great. Also, the Cavs whole city edition package looks awesome.

[Jay Skeets]

Oh, you like it?

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, yeah. Like the gradient lane with a very bright court and sort of tangerine uniforms that looked extreme. Oh, gosh.

[Tas Millis]

I don't know how you can lose with that setup. It's so nice. It's spectacular.

[Jay Skeets]

Do you like it more than the baby blues because you were team baby blues?

[Tas Millis]

This color of jersey that they got on, it's. It's undescribable. Is it creamsicle? I think it's kind of Creamsicle.

[Jay Skeets]

It's Creamsicle, like.

[Tas Millis]

And then you drop it on that. I think it looks like a sunrise in the key and then that. It just.

[Jay Skeets]

It's.

[Tas Millis]

It's so well paired with, like, the hardwood that it's just a nice pairing. It's just. That all looks good.

[Jay Skeets]

I was watching this game, obviously, and Nora looks up and goes, why. Why are they called the land? Who the hell calls them the land? I was like, fair question. Yeah. I was like, yeah, I don't know. They leaned into that. I had never heard anybody called Cleveland really the land. But of course, it's a thing now that they go, sure, yeah, yeah, the lake.

[Tas Millis]

I think you could do that. You know, I'm a stick by the lake.

[Trey Kirby]

They should put that on the court.

[Tas Millis]

The land.

[Jay Skeets]

You should buy those jerseys, though. We should actually buy all those jerseys up, you know, why buy land they stopped making?

[Trey Kirby]

All right, that's good.

[Jay Skeets]

Actually, that one hit a lot better than Proctor and Kevin Gamble.

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[Jay Skeets]

Massachusetts all right, let's show you the rest of Monday night's results. I'm just going to chuck them up on a graphic here for you. JD I think has figured out our light situation so we'll get to the graphic now. Oh, you have it? Okay, well lights are on now, so good enough. So here they are. We throw them up here because we already talked about the Cavs and Buck Donovan Mitchell. We glossed over. Just a monster game. Guy was on fire last night. Great game from him. He's on fire in November. But then we had some close ones. Raps beating the Hornets. We had the Sixers beating the Clippers coming back in that one heat. A wild ending to that one. Beating The Knicks bulls 130, 127 over Denver. Big game in the pick em that we'll get to later. And then some blowouts. Pistons winning their 10th straight. Wolves taking care of business over the Mavs. And the Thunder absolutely demolishing the Pelicans. Any of those games that were notable to you that you wanted to highlight?

[Trey Kirby]

TK Well, I mean the Bulls win is pretty funny. They lost to the Jazz on three days rest and then beat the Nuggets on the second night of a backdoor to back after playing double overtime. Thanks to the Nuggets for taking it easy. The Chicago Bulls, they're like, oh, we can come back from 20 down, no problem. And they did Y with an 18 point lead in the second quarter and was gone in five minutes. But then they had to do it a second time and couldn't do it because Vuch put the clamps on Nicola Jokic, held him under 50% from the field and made one big shot shout out to you. V the most notable game for me though last night was the 76ers winning yet another clutch game. Absolutely. Got some help from the refs because Quentin Grimes fouled James Harden twice on his three point attempt, once on the elbow and then landed underneath him. Either one of those could have been a foul. Harden missed that one. Gets tipped out to the perimeter. Had another decent look in the corner. The corner as well and shot it pretty far.

[Jay Skeets]

Too far.

[Trey Kirby]

But the 76ers are the best fourth quarter team in the league so far this year. They are plus 25 points per 100 possessions in the fourth quarter. They've had four comebacks in the fourth quarter from down double digits already.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah. This season there's only been 14 fourth quarter comebacks of 10 plus points the entire NBA and they've got four of them after coming back again last night.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, Maxi was awesome again. 39 points, 6 assists. He had 27 in the second half. Looked like a different player after halftime. Andre Drummond, one for two from three. Had a big one in the fourth quarter from the left corner. He's shooting 44% from three.

[Tas Millis]

This.

[Trey Kirby]

He's made seven threes this year. That's the most he's ever made in a season in his career.

[Jay Skeets]

What's going on? 50% from 3.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah.

[Trey Kirby]

What's that all about?

[Tas Millis]

The hair is back on the shoulders.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah.

[Tas Millis]

Feels better.

[Odoo Ad Voice]

Feels right.

[Trey Kirby]

He's got crazy look. I think Quentin Grimes probably gets a game ball. Basically. The Sixers played boxing one on James Harden after Harden lit it up in the first place half and then they put Grimes in to start the second half and just said guard him up and down the court. He played really well defensively. Made some shots as well. And Paul George is back. He was pretty rusty. Yeah, but he was moving well.

[Jay Skeets]

I thought yeah. 9.7 boards in 21 minutes for Paul George. I guess he hit his first shot, didn't he? Hit a three and then he hit like maybe another little floater later. But otherwise 2 of 9 and didn't play in the final basically 9 minutes of the game. When the 76ers overcame that 13 point deficit, he was getting like these little 5 minute stints right at the start of the quarters. For the most part.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah. Just to get him out there.

[Jay Skeets]

I'm fine with you. He moved okay. Obviously. Just looked rusty with the shot.

[Tas Millis]

Very rusty. Yeah. Quinn Grimes was spectacular in that fourth quarter. He had four shots. He's just ready to cut whenever needed. But he created his own shot, something you didn't see from him in the past. Hitting a big three over John Collins. He had 19 points in this game. He's averaging 17. 4 and 4 this season. Spectacular numbers going into a contract summer for Quentin Grimes. Daryl More. He's got to make tough decision there. Just mentioned Paul George and Joel Embiid getting paid so much. Maxi obviously is getting paid a ton. What's Quentin Grimes gonna get? Paid? A lot. And I understand why Nico Harrison sent him away for Caleb Martin. Shouldn't have obviously, because he's fricking good. But yeah, you got to put him on. James Harden, he's just. He looks so good. He looks the peak Quentin Grimes so far in his career.

[Jay Skeets]

Any other notable games to you from Monday night?

[Tas Millis]

Well, you gotta get a little raptor love in there. The way they finished off the game with a monstrous block. Brandon Ingram come back on Cal Brenner, huge block. And then Scotty Barnes sealed it.

[Jay Skeets]

Walk off block.

[Tas Millis]

A walk off block. Yeah.

[Jay Skeets]

Cool.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, they checked the time. Was there enough time here as the ball went out of bounds? No. Game over. Yeah. The arena goes nuts. It was pretty funny. Scotty Barnes just can't stop blocking shots. He is blocking so many shots. He's averaging 1.8 most of his career. He's tied for fifth in the NBA right now. He's tied with Rudy Gobert. But I think what's helped him is other guys like Brandon Ingram taking the load off him offensively and he can do a little bit more defensively. Although I will say Brandon Ingram had a nice pass to RJ Barrett for that key bucket.

[Jay Skeets]

That was nice.

[Tas Millis]

It was.

[Jay Skeets]

I mean, he. I thought he was going to force it.

[Tas Millis]

Exactly. Because he had been all based on Jordan. Yeah. In clutch time. It's a little too much ISO for Brandon Ingrid. But that being said, great. They're moving it. They just did enough. They were a little like the Denver Nuggets, I think with the Chicago Bulls. We'll, we'll get it done. With the Charlottes, I think they were chilling out a little bit. But they won. They won.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah. A game they probably wouldn't have won last year for sure. Scotty Barnes is going to make all defensive team too. He should because he's been incredible. And it helps when you have like a few highlight defensive plays. Like a walk off block basically, you know, saving at least the idea of overtime. Guess I guess Sexton even could have hit the. Hit the layup and got fouled if he, you know, mistimes it or hits him in the wrong spot. Could have won the game that way. But that was awesome. And the Raptors have now won eight of their last nine after a weird start to the season where I was panicking and now they're nine and five here and we hadn't talked about this all season long, Trey, but I looked it up because Brandon Ingram had a huge dunk late in the game. Registered as the fourth highest dunk score of the year.

[Tas Millis]

Wow. Really?

[Jay Skeets]

Dunk score we haven't talked about once.

[Trey Kirby]

Who's number one right now? Cam Whitmore.

[Jay Skeets]

No, no. Shaden Sharp. Number one. Well done before.

[Tas Millis]

I saw that.

[Jay Skeets]

That's right.

[Tas Millis]

I saw it. He did. Sweet. Good one.

[Jay Skeets]

That was a big one. I'll tell you who else have the. The other ones. Oh, Atlanta Guide. Do you remember the big Atlanta dunk? Not who you think I was going to say. Not him.

[Trey Kirby]

Trying to remember.

[Jay Skeets]

No, it was against the Thunder. Yep. Down the lane. And then it was a weird one to have. In third spot on the dunk score, Zion Williamson had like a putback dunk. Okay. I mean it was fine. It was powerful. Yeah.

[Tas Millis]

It wasn't the one near Wemby.

[Jay Skeets]

It was against the spurs. So maybe it was that one.

[Trey Kirby]

It's a good contest. Score.

[Odoo Ad Voice]

Yeah.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, Wemby was there.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, Wemby was. Yeah, Wemby was there.

[Tas Millis]

He wasn't.

[Jay Skeets]

Wasn't really?

[Tas Millis]

No, because he had to chase.

[Jay Skeets]

Well, it's a Zion. It's a put back dunk. Yeah, we doesn't even jump. That's ridiculous. That's ridiculous. Anyway, big dunk there from Brandon Ingram. Raptors are one of five teams that ranked top 10 in offense and defense. So it's defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Then it's the Nuggets, it's the Rockets, it's the spurs though I would imagine that's going to change if Wemby's going to miss time here, which we'll get to. And the Raps, who are like sneaking in there, at least top 10, I think eight on one end of the floor and 10 on the other.

[Tas Millis]

And they got a good game coming up against the 76ers. But after that. Shouldn't say this, but it's easy. Wizards, Nets, Cavs, tough, but Pacers, Hornets again. So this team's not going back to. 500. No way. No way. They're nine and five.

[Trey Kirby]

They're.

[Tas Millis]

They're, yeah, looking obviously very good, but we, we slipped in the Clippers there and James Harden looking good. But there's got to be some scary times coming for the Clippers. I mean, they are.

[Jay Skeets]

They stay coming.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, coming.

[Jay Skeets]

They're here, man.

[Tas Millis]

They're here. And. Yeah, and their pick goes to okc.

[Jay Skeets]

And they're going to win the number one pick.

[Trey Kirby]

That shouldn't be a lot. They should not be able to do that.

[Jay Skeets]

Did you guys see the crazy ending to the Heat game versus the Knicks? Frantic rally at the end. Looked like the Heat were going to run away with it. Then the Knicks go on this big sort of 11 to 3 run. Deuce McBride, he misses a jumper. Cat gets the offensive rebound, fires it up. Khalil Ware goes way up. He blocks it. It's a block. The play continues. And then that chicken shit ref. Man, I hate this. Goes. Oh, goal 10. He's only calling it so he can just make sure it was a clean block. Yeah, the guy knew it was a clean block, but he's like, ooh, it's late. This is a close game. I better call a goaltender. I can't stand this. For some reason, they went and looked at it. It wasn't. It wasn't. That thing was still going up. Ware just got so far up there. So it's overturned, but it's a jump ball at half court. I think Kat wins that tip. So here we go again. McBride misses again. Then Towns gets two offensive rebounds. Like, there was a lot of, you know, a lot of Jocelyn under there, but Cat gets sort of like a fade away look right at the end. But he missed it and no foul called or anything like that. And the Heat survived in a weird ending.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, live by the deuce, die by the deuce, if you're Elvis. But like, McBride played pretty well. I bought. Hit some massive shots in the fourth quarter to get Knicks back in the game, but then missed, like, the two biggest shots that he had a chance to take. I thought Towns was kind of pressing down the stretch in the fourth quarter. You could tell they were missing Jordan. Jordan. Jordan Brunson. Jalen Brunson out there. Yeah, he's their clutch guy. He gets good shots basically every time he has possession of the ball. They didn't have him. They didn't look like they knew that they were trying to do down the stretch, but they were hitting some massive threes and they got it back into it. And I thought the Heat looked like they were like, all right, we got this. And then suddenly New York was on fire for 90 minutes or 90 seconds straight.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah. And I don't think the Knicks have won a road game yet. They've barely played. They've barely played on the road. I think that was only their fourth road game. They played a lot of games at Madison Square Garden where they have a great record, but I think they're going for it.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, yeah, the deuce went for it. He had. He had a big dunk earlier in the game, and then that lefty scoop that he tried.

[Jay Skeets]

Sorry, I just wanted to drop a deuce because I was on screen here. D and D and D. Cut off your point there with a audible deuce. Actually, you'll have to come check out YouTube, see if that was a real deuce. Jalen Duran also had 31 points, 15 boards. Pistons beat the Pacers127.112. That's our 10th straight victory here. This guy was incredibly efficient last night. 12, 13. He's a lock for the All Star Game at this point. He's making it. Unless he gets injured. Hopefully I haven't jinxed him here, but the guy's been great. And how. We have a fun trivia question for you guys off of that from Statitudes. Since the ABA NBA merger, only three players have recorded a higher field goal percentage in a 30 point, 15 rebound game. Can you give me the three guys here? One in 2010, one in 2000, one in 1992. It's one pretty obvious one. We Shaq. No, not Shaq, actually, but we talk when we talk. Jalen Durin. This guy's name comes Dwight Howard. Dwight Howard.

[Trey Kirby]

Nice.

[Jay Skeets]

Dwight Howard in February of 2010, went 100% from the floor in a3015 game.

[Trey Kirby]

Okay.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah. Now, these other ones are a little more difficult. You want to go 92. Okay. This guy is a, I believe, a broadcaster. He is. He is.

[Trey Kirby]

Believe a broadcast?

[Jay Skeets]

No, no, he is.

[Trey Kirby]

I was gonna lead with Charles Barkley, but, you know, he's a broadcast.

[Jay Skeets]

No, these are both Centers.

[Trey Kirby]

Okay, okay.

[Jay Skeets]

This guy was an all Star. He was one of, like, probably the more underrated centers in the 90s.

[Tas Millis]

Doherty.

[Jay Skeets]

There you go.

[Trey Kirby]

Good one.

[Jay Skeets]

Well done.

[Tas Millis]

Thanks to Amazon. Amazon broadcast.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, like something. He's on something.

[Tas Millis]

He's on something.

[Trey Kirby]

He used to be on NASCAR shows. Yeah.

[Jay Skeets]

Anyway, he shot 92.9% in a game where he had a 30 and 15. And then this final guy, hall of Fame center, but you don't think of him as an offensive player.

[Trey Kirby]

What year is this?

[Jay Skeets]

2000.

[Tas Millis]

Okay, so Taz Millis, let's go. He's a defensive warrior. Should have been a Toronto Raptor.

[Jay Skeets]

Dwight Howard, Alonzo Mourning, Brad Dougherty, and now Jalen Duran shooting. You know, that high a field goal percentage, basically missing one shot, really is what we're getting at here. Or less in a 3015 rebound game.

[Tas Millis]

When you said the trivia question for Jalen Dern, I thought, he's growing into this new player. I thought, you may ask who his girlfriend is, because I thought maybe the relationship there has helped him grow. So, trivia question? I don't know. I don't know. But I'm pretty sure it became public recently. Oh, do I have to Google it? I guess.

[Jay Skeets]

I mean, not if it's public.

[Trey Kirby]

It should be easy.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, it's not gonna be hard. Oh, maybe not. Angel Reese. Is that. They're officially dating? That's. That's a year ago.

[Trey Kirby]

That's from last year. Apparently, Angel Reese is with Wendell Carter Jr. Yeah.

[Tas Millis]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That was an Amazon thing, right? Yeah. Yeah.

[Jay Skeets]

And just because he's got one of the greatest names to yell, Dennis Jenkins. Oh, my God, this guy's good.

[Trey Kirby]

One man, 26, eight.

[Jay Skeets]

Last night, he is hooping with Cade Cunningham out his name.

[Tas Millis]

So many guys out for that team, it's incredible. They've won 10 in a row. Massaro's out, Tobias Harris out. Jay Navy's out.

[Jay Skeets]

And they're winning, winning, winning. But does it end tonight in Atlanta? That's a little tease for you. Some injury news. Victor Wembanyama and John Moran are out at least a few weeks with calf strains, so the spurs are erring on the side of caution in bringing Wemby back. He underwent an MRI on Sunday. Sources are telling ESPN that he's going to be reevaluated in two to three weeks. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies announced on Monday that Ja Morant suffered a grade one right calf strain in the first quarter of a weekend loss to Cleveland. He's going to miss at Least two weeks. TK cast strains coming for these guys.

[Trey Kirby]

Castranes are ruining everything right now. One of these coaches. It must maybe it was Isolo said or no, it was Mitch Johnson said that they're going around in the NBA and they definitely are. Like Luka missed so much time last year. I know Kobe White missed time to start the year this year. Now we got Wemby, Ja Morant, guys who you know are athletic type players. People blame it on low top shoes that there are more calf strains because there's more flexibility in the back of your leg. Oh, I don't know.

[Jay Skeets]

His fault maybe.

[Trey Kirby]

He did suffer a notable Achilles injury. But more flexibility, more explosion, more injuries. But these are two of our best highlight guys. Or at least in Jaws case was. But Wemby definitely. Depending on how long Wemby's out, it'll take him out of the running for awards once again.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, this puts Wemby's okay whether he was in the MVP conversation or not yet. Sure. But is all NBA and his defensive player of the year chances puts him on ice a little bit here. And I saw TK on substack in its power rankings today that just dropped. Go get yourself a subscription. Basically theorizing that maybe this could eventually lead to the getting rid of the 65 game mark in terms of trying to win awards or getting awards. If Wemby unfortunately comes up short again.

[Trey Kirby]

They'Re not going to want the guy to go through his whole career and have no awards.

[Jay Skeets]

No, no, you're not wrong. Yeah.

[Tas Millis]

I mean there was put in place so people could all get rid of the conversation about oh, they're tanking and all that. It was. That's what accompanied the 65 game threshold. Now that seems to be gone by the wayside. So I do think it will just be eliminated at some point. Wow.

[Jay Skeets]

Eliminated entirely. Yeah, maybe tweaked. I don't know about that.

[Tas Millis]

I think voters will factor it in if somebody plays fewer than 65 games like they always have.

[Jay Skeets]

Right, Right.

[Tas Millis]

But it was just a. Hey, we're getting into our negotiations with new TV partners. We can't have this. Oh, everyone's tanking part of the conversation happening. And so they got rid of it. Although cav injuries are a problem. J.D. i don't know if you've had one recently. I know Trey had one. Was it last year? Was it the calf that cramped or was it the thigh that cramped?

[Jay Skeets]

He cramps everywhere.

[Trey Kirby]

I'm mostly cramping the hamstrings, but I'm not Explosive enough to have calf injuries.

[Tas Millis]

You don't have to be explosive to have calf injuries.

[Jay Skeets]

I think.

[Tas Millis]

Well, I guess I'm just speaking more to cramping. Literally. It's happening. It's happening to everyone.

[Trey Kirby]

And people are going to be more and more cautious with it because we saw Kevin Durant In 2019, calf injury turned into a Achilles injury. Flash forward to 2025 finals. Tyrese Halliburton, calf injury turns into achilles injury. Missing two to four weeks is a lot preferable to missing 12 months.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, that's exactly. Mitch Johnson basically said that, too. He said calf tightness is not something you want to take lightly. That's what he's alluding to. Like these guys pushing it to get out there. Could you play through it? Probably. But it could lead to an absolute debilitating injury.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, that's happening a lot.

[Jay Skeets]

I mean, you brought up the shoes. Like, what about the pace of today's game?

[Tas Millis]

Sure.

[Trey Kirby]

Maybe.

[Jay Skeets]

You know, I don't think some sort of impact. Let's hear your theories. Or is it just bad luck? Guys injured right now. It does suck. Pick them. As we said off the top of the show, streak's over. Task one. Bulls got it done. Bulls bench outscored the Nuggets bench 66 to 9. What? Who is that? Javon Carter and Jalen Smith. And. And who else came off the pine to contribute? IO IO Yeah, he had good kick.

[Tas Millis]

Five threes.

[Jay Skeets]

It's tough to lose a game when you your bench outscores the other team's bench 66. 9. And it's impossible. I told you you couldn't do it. But you're 1 in 10 now, and I guess you gotta run, run the gauntlet here to even get back into the mix.

[Tas Millis]

But tonight's game test, another streak is happening. The Detroit pistons have won 10 straight games coming into Atlanta. Will it continue? According to our guy, Janice Dinkins, Dennis Jenkins, he said, quote, we're all nasty dogs. Nasty boys. What a quote. We're all nasty dogs. Nasty boys.

[Trey Kirby]

Nasty dog. Nasty boys.

[Jay Skeets]

That's a good T shirt.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, that guy's scoring a ton. They have so many injuries on that team. I still went with them.

[Jay Skeets]

Just, oh, hey, man, they've won 10 straight. Yeah, not a bad look at the line, too. It's nothing.

[Tas Millis]

It's nothing. You're basically picking a winner here. Although the Pistons do have to win by two. But you guys think the Hawks will take care of business after coming back from a road trip? Always a bit of a tender game. Back to back Here for the Pistons. No doubt, no doubt. That's a big part of it.

[Jay Skeets]

I like how the Hawks look defensively too, without Trey Young. So there's that part of the game equation as well. But I'm excited for this game.

[Trey Kirby]

Let's do it. 10 straight for the Pistons, five straight for the Hawks. This game got flexed off of national TV for Spurs, Grizzlies.

[Jay Skeets]

Flex it back.

[Trey Kirby]

Flex it back. We have the technology, right?

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, I, I saw, I saw worldwide WOB tweeting about this. Oh, that sucks.

[Trey Kirby]

Yeah, but I mean, Luke Cornett running wild. Cornette versus Landale.

[Jay Skeets]

So that's a coast to coast game, is it?

[Trey Kirby]

That's a C to C. Okay.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah.

[Jay Skeets]

Hawks is just on FanDuel down here for us.

[Tas Millis]

I guess they booked the broadcast truck. They booked all the hotels. They could just do it from an NBA NBC studio. They don't have to be there. You know.

[Jay Skeets]

Is that game in Memphis?

[Tas Millis]

But anyway.

[Jay Skeets]

Or in San Antonio.

[Trey Kirby]

Is in San Antonio.

[Jay Skeets]

I was going to say if it was in Memphis. I mean, it's like you can do that driving, like if you go the right way. Five hours, six hours, depending on which way you go. Yeah. Depends whether you get pulled over by a trooper.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah, but they don't want to. They just don't want to move everything. They don't want to move the trucks and all that. But Atlanta should be very, very capable of beating the Pistons. Should be a good game.

[Jay Skeets]

We'll see. Also, LeBron maybe coming back tonight for the Lakers versus the Utah Jazz. So if he does or whether he does or doesn't, we'll probably be talking about that. Talking about Pistons, Hawks, talking about Grizzly spurs and all the action and NBA news that come out in the next 24 hours. Hope we'll join you. Hope you join us at 10am Eastern here in the Classic factory. Till then, Clipper, bro. You heard it here first.

[Trey Kirby]

Have a great time. Turn up. Love you guys. Awesome.

[Tas Millis]

Thanks for joining us. And remember, if LeBron can go down to the G League, anybody can go down to the G League. G League's getting cooler.

[Jay Skeets]

We should go down to a G League.

[Tas Millis]

Yeah. Hey, listen, NBA players will go practice there.

[Trey Kirby]

Hey, man, Don Barlow was playing for the Skyhawks last year as a starter.

[Jay Skeets]

Look at Brandon Williams on the maps right now. Look at these guys. Years ago, guy was hooping Dennis Jenkins.

[Trey Kirby]

We knew about Dennis Jenkins months before everyone else.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah. Where's Kobe? Buffkin again. Who got him?

[Trey Kirby]

He's a South Bay Laker.

[Jay Skeets]

Yeah, that's right.

[Tas Millis]

Good call.

[Trey Kirby]

The Clippers had him on Monopoly on guys named Kobe. So the Lakers are like, give us one. We need one of those.

[Jay Skeets]

It's only right. It's only right. All right. Embrace the day people.

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[Jay Skeets]

When you say Lego Star wars, the first thing you think of is imagination or action.

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[Jay Skeets]

Definitely both. Like with Jango Fett's Starship. I mean, with the Stud Blasters, Seismic charges and three minifigures, your kid is gonna be creating stories until the Banthas come home. And for yourself, there's the Jango Fett's.

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[Jay Skeets]

Enjoy some Jedi Master level mindfulness during your building time. Shop now for Star wars lego sets on lego.com or in lego retail stores.

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All.

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This is that classic HBCU vibe. Non stop action. The band is rocking and the crowd lit. Chance, echo drum beat everybody showing that school pride game like this. Yeah, it calls for an ice cold Coca Cola. Ah, crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer right there. Yeah, that taste always hits the right note. Just like the band at halftime. And just like that, we're back at it. Passionate fans, school colors, everybody rare. And an ice cold Coca Cola. That's a winning combo no matter the sport, no matter the yard. Everybody knows fan work is thirsty work. So grab a Coca Cola and keep that HBCU pride going.

[Jay Skeets]

This is an iHeart podcast.