The Drop | Bold NBA Predictions For 2026

Summary

No Dunks – The Drop | Bold NBA Predictions For 2026 (Jan 2, 2026)

Episode Overview

Main Theme:
In this New Year "Drop" episode, the No Dunks crew (Skeets, Tas, Trey “TK” Kirby, and JD) serves up their boldest NBA predictions for 2026, with a lively draft format. They speculate on the NBA’s near future—playoff outcomes, dramatic trades, league expansion, awards races, and All-Star Weekend—and mix in trademark banter, stats, and inside jokes. The guys also revisit their favorite moments from 2025 and share personal resolutions for the year ahead.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Chatter & Wedgie Watch (03:54–05:01)

• JD returns from a beach vacation in Mexico, admitting to being "well-rested" but sunburnt.
• Wedgie update: The crew celebrates a New Year's Day wedgie (Andrew Wiggins in Detroit), tallying 27 on the season and on pace for "an all-time best" (potentially 59 or more wedgies).

  “I don’t want to jinx anything, but this is looking good.” – J. Skeets (04:16)

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2. Drafting Bold NBA Predictions for 2026 (05:01–29:04)

Round 1

• Tas Melas:

  • Prediction: Denver Nuggets will win the 2026 NBA Championship, despite Nikola Jokic's injury.
    • Argues Jokic’s absence will strengthen the supporting cast (Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon returning soon, Jerome Holmes getting real minutes).
    • Predicts a trade for Ayo Dosunmu from the Bulls:

      “They need a guy who can handle the ball a little bit off the bench.” (06:21)

    • Silver lining: Jokic gets to rest and will come back "tough as hell" for the playoffs.
    • Nuggets’ improved road record suggests resiliency.
  • (05:25-08:05)

• TK (Trey Kirby):

  • Prediction: OG Anunoby will win the Larry Bird Trophy (Eastern Conference Finals MVP), powering the Knicks to the Finals.
    • Highlights Knicks’ record with OG in the lineup: “17-6 when OG plays. To me, he’s the guy that takes them to the next level.” (08:40)
    • OG’s defensive assignments (“a big defensive responsibility for OG Anunoby…”)
  • (08:07-09:30)

• J. Skeets:

  • Prediction: Houston Rockets will face the Knicks in a 1994 NBA Finals rematch.
    • Lauds the Rockets’ identity—top-3 offense, top-10 defense, dominance on the offensive glass.
    • Questions about VanVleet’s return from injury.
    • Notes Houston’s tough early schedule with many road games and potential for more wins in the season’s second half.
    • Bold addendum: If KD leads the Rockets to a title, “That would be Kevin Durant’s most respected championship. By far.” – TK (12:12)
    • Skeets wagers Houston has “the right makeup of vet guys… combined with young, hungry guys.”
  • (09:33-13:31)

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Round 2

• Tas Melas:

  • Prediction: Golden State Warriors will trade for Trey Murphy (Pelicans) at the deadline, sending out Jonathan Kuminga plus a pick.
    • “They’re looking for someone bigger off the wing, like a Lowry Markkanen… this is all they can do, really.” (19:29)
    • Notes Pelicans’ risk-taking history.
  • (18:25-20:03)

• TK:

  • Prediction: The Clippers will make the playoffs, spearheaded by a red-hot Kawhi Leonard.
    • Details Kawhi’s explosive recent scoring and team win streak.
    • “The NBA needs [the Clippers] to at least approach the play-in tournament, so they’re not giving away the number one pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder.” (22:05)
    • Predicts Ty Lue will find the right lineups as usual, and that LA can “win a play-in game” and be a dangerous out.
  • (21:45-23:51)

• J. Skeets:

  • Prediction: NBA announces expansion to 32 teams—Seattle and Las Vegas—with Minnesota moving to the Eastern Conference.
    • “I think Silver finally comes out and says, okay, we’re now doing it… has to move a team East—I think it’s going to be Minnesota.” (24:38)
    • Discusses division issues, travel, and logistics; jokes about potential Vegas and Seattle franchise names.
    • Speculates on the NBA Cup eventually mirroring March Madness with a "win-and-advance" bracket after expansion.
    • “There’s so much talent in the league that two more franchises won’t crush the talent pool.” (28:09)
  • (24:38-29:08)

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Round 3

• Tas Melas:

  • Prediction: Con Knipple will win Rookie of the Year over Cooper Flagg.
    • Highlights superior efficiency and advanced stats for Knipple.

      “If you present the numbers of Knipple—the guy is outperforming Cooper Flagg… [with] 64.4% true shooting versus 55.9.” (31:53)

    • Skeets and TK disagree, predicting voters will back Flagg, likening it to LeBron vs. Melo.
  • (30:13-34:10)

• TK:

  • Prediction: Jayson Tatum (returning from Achilles injury) will hit a playoff game-winner this season.
    • Envisions Tatum returning in late March as a secondary option for Boston, who remain contenders even while he's out.

      “Let him be the number three, number four option out there. Jayson Tatum as your fourth option? That sounds pretty good…” (35:33)

  • (34:19-35:36)

• J. Skeets:

  • Prediction: Shaden Sharpe and VJ Edgecombe will revive the NBA Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend.
    • Craves a contest with fewer gimmicks, just elite leapers and simple, spectacular dunks:

      “I don’t even—we don’t need props. We don’t need anything. Just go and do cool dunks and float in the air.” (36:41)

    • Pipe dream: Anthony Edwards or Ja Morant should join, but "we got these other guys."
  • (35:45-37:49)

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3. Other Segments

Worst of the Week (39:19–47:06)

• Nominees:
  1. Jalen Green fined $25K for cursing during a teammate’s post-game interview. “He’s showing love for his fellow player. It’s weird.” – Tas (40:32)
  2. Reporter’s odd question to Con Knipple, comparing him to Steph Curry for his whole career. “Fantastic response: ‘I don’t know about that.’”
  3. Festus Ezeli’s wild outfit as a Warriors broadcaster: jacket, sweater, tie, and track pants. Joke: “Festus Ezeli replies, all of them.” – Mike Bove’s viral tweet

Woboy of the Night

• Winner: Tyrese Maxey (Sixers): 34 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks in a win over Dallas.
• Runner-up: Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) for his scoring stretch.

---

4. Rapid Fire & Lighthearted Moments (54:25–70:17)

• Favorite things from 2025:
  • Skeets & JD: NBA Paris Games trip
  • Tas: Making homemade dolmades/dolmas for the first time
  • JD: Vacation in Mexico
• Old-school habits to bring back in 2026:
  • Skeets: Carrying cash
  • Tas: Playing records on a record player
  • JD: Being unreachable ("leaving phone at home sometimes")
• Resolutions for 2026:
  • Skeets: “More fun. More concerts. More adventures. Spend that cash.”
  • Tas: Play a role-playing game on Switch, open to suggestions
  • JD: Put himself on a “minutes restriction,” work less, be more present
  • TK: Level up, read more books, eat more protein (“dial in and level up”)

Notable quote:

“I want to do less. I want to clock out. Just do 40 hours a week, you know?”
— JD (67:44)

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Standout Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Boldness Acknowledged:

  “This is bold prediction time. Will it happen? Who knows. But I think Jokic can come back strong.” – Tas (08:05)

• On OG Anunoby’s Impact:

  "When OG's out there, takes the Knicks from a good team to a great team…” – TK (09:17)

• KD’s Potential Legacy:

  “That would be Kevin Durant's most respected championship. By far.” – TK (12:15)

• Expansion Excitement:

  “Seattle’s a no brainer. They’re getting a franchise back. That’s gonna be cool.” – Skeets (27:05)

• Rookie Race Hot Take:

  “If you present the numbers of Knipple, the guy is outperforming Cooper Flagg… way more efficient.” – Tas (31:53)

• Bringing Back Cash:

  “Carrying cash—it's back in my life.” – Skeets (58:59)

• Dunk Contest Dream:

  “We don’t need props… Just go and do cool dunks and float in the air.” – Skeets (36:41)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Start | End | Notes | |-----------------------------------|----------|----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------| | Intro & Wedgie chat | 03:54 | 05:01 | | | Bold Predictions – Round 1 | 05:01 | 13:31 | Nuggets title, OG Anunoby ECF MVP, Rockets vs. Knicks Finals | | Bold Predictions – Round 2 | 18:25 | 29:08 | Warriors trade, Clippers playoffs, NBA expansion plans | | Bold Predictions – Round 3 | 30:13 | 37:49 | Rookie of the Year debate, Tatum game-winner, dunk contest hopes | | Worst of the Week | 39:19 | 47:06 | NBA fines, awkward reporting, Festus Ezeli’s outfit | | Rapid Fire / Resolutions | 54:25 | 70:17 | Paris trip, old-school habits, 2026 goals |

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Final Thoughts & Flow

No Dunks delivers a fast-paced, opinionated, and fun episode blending legitimate hoops analysis, absurd hypotheticals, and the pod’s unique inside humor. The draft structure keeps the bold predictions flowing, with plenty of friendly one-upsmanship (“You go Nuggets, I’ll one-up you: Rockets!”), while off-topic digressions (dunks, expansion cities, Festus Ezeli’s wardrobe) maintain the laid-back tone. Listeners are encouraged to share their own bold predictions for 2026 in the YouTube comments or on social media.

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For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

• Expectations: Concrete hot takes about the NBA’s 2026 landscape—from championship picks and trade dreams to rule changes, rookie races, and expansion.
• Highs: Strong chemistry, smart hoops talk, amusing sidebars (especially the “worst of the week” and fashion roasts).
• Quotes & Timestamps: Direct quotes are integrated in context with segment markers for easy navigation.
• Originality: The conversation maintains the signature “No Dunks” style—fun, irreverent, but always deeply informed by genuine NBA obsession.

Transcript

[Jenna Kim Jones]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Julian Edelman]

This is Julian Edelman from Games With Names. This message is brought to you by Pizza Hut because if you're yelling Hut on Sundays, why not yell pizza first?

[TK (Tas Melas)]

So Pizza Hut just put out one of the coolest, like funniest challenges maybe ever.

[Julian Edelman]

Pizza Hut. What is it?

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Basically, if a quarterback says pizza before they say hut, Pizza Hut will give that quarterback city a pizza party.

[Julian Edelman]

Is this real? Yeah.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Isn't that crazy?

[Julian Edelman]

You think coaches are bringing this up in team meetings?

[TK (Tas Melas)]

You think a pizza party is worth a false start?

[Julian Edelman]

Or what if they got the other team to jump off sides with a Pizza Hut?

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Hey, whatever it takes this time of year.

[Julian Edelman]

100% this weekend. Let us know if you hear Pizza Hut. I know I'll be listening.

[J. Skeets]

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[Tas Melas]

Who wouldn't?

[J. Skeets]

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[TK (Tas Melas)]

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[J. Skeets]

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[TK (Tas Melas)]

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[J. Skeets]

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[TK (Tas Melas)]

Want to drive Carmax pickup not available everywhere.

[J. Skeets]

Restrictions and fee may apply. See carmax.com for details. Good morning, sweet world and welcome to the no Dunks podcast presented by FanDuel It's Friday, January 2, 2026. Happy New Year. I'm J. Skeets here in the Classic factory and alongside me, as always, Tas Melas.

[Tas Melas]

Podcast listeners, this is still for you.

[J. Skeets]

Next to him, it's my top shot, hot boy Trey.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Kirby Ayo.

[J. Skeets]

Hey, yo.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

I had to adjust my mark a little bit.

[J. Skeets]

And over yonder, making the magic happen, back from Mexico, it's super producer JD.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Hello.

[J. Skeets]

There he is. Are you well rested, JD?

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Yes. Okay, well, rest a little bit of 10. Nothing healthy about a 10, but still it looks nice to get a little bit of sun on my face. Yes. You know, shout out to Esch for taking over.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah, he held it down.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

He held it down big time.

[J. Skeets]

What did you do the whole time you were there for a while?

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

10 days.

[Tas Melas]

10 days.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

It's the perfect amount of time.

[J. Skeets]

Perfect amount. I guess you were not at a resort.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Nah, I was with my family over Christmas. You know, you need three days to sort of settle in. I do. To de plug.

[J. Skeets]

Were you swimming a ton. Were you playing pickleball?

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Swam every. Played pickleball about four times. Beach every day. So you know the routine of beach pool, pickleball, beach pool, basically.

[J. Skeets]

Pbp. Good stuff.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Exactly.

[J. Skeets]

Great to have you back. Great to have a full team here again. Happy New Year to everybody. If you're joining us on YouTube, hit the like button. Subscribe podcast listeners, five star ratings and reviews on today's show worst of the week nominees.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, we got some good ones.

[J. Skeets]

Yep, we got. Whoa boy. We have a pick em loser in me for the month of December and we'll start it all over again in January. We got rapid fire. We got all the good stuff here on the drop. But first we had a New Year's Day wedgie. Good stuff. Andrew Wiggins last night in Detroit with the put back rebound attempt there and it got stuck and then falls out a little longer than I remember. So yeah, up to 27 wedgies as we cross over into the new year on pace for 59 tasks. That would be an all time best. So I don't want to jinx anything, but this is looking good.

[Tas Melas]

It's an all time best. We had a 60 year.

[J. Skeets]

Oh, we did have a 60 year. Well, does this pay still count the postseason like the projected pace?

[Tas Melas]

Oh, yeah, I think it does.

[J. Skeets]

It does. Okay.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, we had a 60.

[Julian Edelman]

How do you do that?

[Tas Melas]

Two years ago.

[J. Skeets]

Okay.

[Tas Melas]

But this was our first New Year's Day wedgie since we started tracking. It was great to hear. The Pistons broadcaster Greg Kelser say New Year's Day wedgie.

[J. Skeets]

He did. Eventually he got to it. It took a while.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

I thought.

[J. Skeets]

I was like, say wedgie. Say wedgie. Why aren't you saying wedgie? And then he said, New Year's Day wedgie. Good stuff. Okay, here's what we're doing on today's drop. This is going to be a lot of fun. We are drafting bold NBA predictions. Okay? We're going to take turns. You're going to come with your boldest prediction, and we'll do a couple rounds of this. Taz, why don't you get us started? What's your big bold prediction for 2026?

[Tas Melas]

Let's go bold. The Denver Nuggets will win the 26 NBA championship. I know, but I know people are saying, well, then Nikola Jokic is hurt. How can they do it? I think this is going to help them. It's going to help their support crew come together. It's like Brandon Ingram of the Raptors just played the Nuggets after the game. He said, I was expecting Peyton Watson to play as well as he did. And I know a lot of people are not expecting the Nugget support players to carry this while Jokic is down. But it's Jerome Holmes time and especially guys like the guys who will come back. Christian Brown, Aaron Gordon should be back very soon. Those guys got to do a lot now. They might be playing on the road in the playoffs for every series if they're going to win the championship, but that's fine. They're a better road team than they are a home team. I'm surprised to see that. Now they're 13 and 5 on the road, 10 and 5 at home. So they're damn good. Jokic gets a month off. He's the most important part. He's going to lead the way back. He's never done this in his NBA career before where he's been off this long. So I like it. And I do think they're going to make a little trade. Here's another prediction. I think they're going to get IO Dsumu from the Bulls just to get. Just to get a little diet. Just to be. They need a guy who can handle the ball a little bit off the bench.

[J. Skeets]

Trade, trade, play.

[Tas Melas]

Oh, for what? Sorry, I thought you're asking for what? I know you like to ask. What is he going to do? Yeah, it's a good question. It's a seven and a half million dollars salary. I don't know. I didn't do that work. I didn't do it.

[J. Skeets]

But it's not a lot.

[Tas Melas]

It's not a lot. I think they can do it. May have to be a pick. Like not a first round. Better be a pick. Yeah. Well, how, how, how many, how much restriction on that first round pick? We'll see. So I didn't do that work. But I think they can get him.

[J. Skeets]

But you think at the end of the day here this like the silver lining is Yokich. Okay, that sucks. He's out. But he gets to rest for call it four to six weeks.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Yeah.

[Tas Melas]

And the other guys a little bit.

[J. Skeets]

More left in the tank. Other guys get more wrapped. I mean Belichunas is now out. That sucks for four weeks.

[Tas Melas]

That's why it's Jerome Holmes time. Yeah. Which is, you know, not happened for the Denver Nuggets since he was drafted. They haven't played him a lot. He's going to play at center, but I just think Cam Johnson will be sprung into a role when he gets back. Christian Brown, Aaron Gordon will have to do a lot more. They're gonna have to do a lot more. Yeah, yeah. Those guys will be back soonish. Those two. So dbd. I mean it's really on Jokic. I just, I just. Part of it is Jokic leading them to a championship like he can do and it's been a few years and you know, this is bold prediction time. Will it happen? What are you looking for here? Dbd okay. But I think Jokic can come back strong considering he's a very tough dude.

[J. Skeets]

What do you got for your first bold prediction?

[TK (Tas Melas)]

I didn't have the Nuggets winning the championship, but I did have a Nuggets related one. I think they'll play the most entertaining first round series in the playoffs. But we already talked about the Nuggets a little bit. Either they stay where they're at and it's Minnesota. Awesome series. They have a terrible stretch without Jokic. Dropped to six. They're playing either the Rockets or the Spurs. That's an awesome series. Or they split the difference. Four, five against the Lakers.

[J. Skeets]

Cool, right?

[TK (Tas Melas)]

All very cool. But for me, my bold prediction, first round draft pick OJ Anunoby is going to win the Larry Bird trophy.

[J. Skeets]

Oh wow. The Eastern Conference finals MVP if I remember correctly. Okay, who could forget? Yes.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Eastern Conference finals mvp. The Knicks are looking good. They're a game and a half back of first place, but they do have the best point differential in the Eastern Conference. 23 and 10 on the season, but 17 and 6 when OG plays. To me he's the guy that takes them to the next level. I think any sort of team that they have to face in a conference finals, you're going to have a big defensive responsibility for OG Anunoby. Like if they end up playing against the Detroit Pistons, OG is probably the guy who's going to be tasked with guarding Cade Cunningham. He's got a lot to cover for on the Carl Anthony Towns side of things, being the second best rim protector, sometimes the best rim protector for the Knicks. I think OG when he's out there takes the Knicks from good team to great team. And that to me is why he will take home that Larry Bird trophy.

[J. Skeets]

Now.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Victor Solomon designed Larry Bird trophy.

[J. Skeets]

Okay, I like this one. I'll piggyback off of yours then because you got OG leading the Knicks to the finals. And my bold prediction is we get a rematch of the 1994 NBA Finals. I got the Rockets meeting the Knicks in the NBA Finals. So you go Nuggets. I'll try and one up you. I'll say the Rockets are the team representing the Western Conference. You went through sort of like obviously the Denver side of things. You're going to have Jokic back. You're going to still have playoff, Jamal Murray, all these other guys. The rest of the Western Conference is awesome. You got to figure out how to beat OKC four to seven times. They're a juggernaut still. They're the odds on favorite to repeat. You got the Wolves. They've been to two straight conference finals in the West. No matter what you think of the actual teams, you still don't really want to see Luka and LeBron's Lakers or even Steph Curry and his warriors in a seven game series. And then the spurs might be the team of now instead of like the team of the future. Like they're damn good. But I like the Rockets, man. The more I watch them, the more I'm starting to convince myself they'd be going to be a very, very difficult out in the postseason. They're plus 1400 on FanDuel to win the title. It's like OKC as the odds on favorite. Then it's like the spurs and your Knicks and who else am I forgetting? There's another team. And the nuggets of course at plus 1000, but Houston at plus 1400. Here's why. After they started the season with two like really tough losses, like really close losses, that double overtime loss to okc, then they lost like a two possession game, I guess it was to Detroit. They won 10 of their next 11. And after they beat the Nets last night, they're 21 and 10. And I just love they have an established identity. They are top three on offense. They shoot the three ball well. They take care of the ball. They play at their own tempo, which is slow. And they just do historic work on the offensive glass right now. That's like their identity. And then they're pairing it with a top 10 defense, which I actually still think has rooms for improvement as the season goes on. My favorite part about their defense is they play hard without fouling a ton. And I think these are like the recipes you want in a postseason. So I'm going to go with them. Now. They've struggled in the clutch. Is it just one of these weird things? A little bit of a fluke? Are they still figuring out the sengun and Katie of it all? When you get into the clutch, maybe they're one in four in overtime games. Like, flip that. And they have one of the best records in the league. We'd be talking about them maybe a bit more. So I just like, I'm going to go Houston and I'm going to say, like, it'd be weird if Katie gets there, maybe even wins another title. What that does for like Kevin Durant's incredible legacy, but obviously would amp it up even more. Oh, yeah, somewhat Houston, you know, okc, the obvious pick. All these other great teams. Give me the Rockets.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

That would be Kevin Durant's most respected championship.

[J. Skeets]

Oh, my God.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

By far.

[J. Skeets]

Without a doubt.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Yeah, I think. I don't really. I think they would struggle against the Thunder. The thing I like that the Rockets do is offensive rebound. That kills the Thunder. The thing they don't have is good guards. That also kills the Thunder.

[J. Skeets]

Yes. But will Van Vliet come back as a part of this equation? I don't know from injury, like he sort of like was alluding to it. I think it's a possibility. I just like the makeup of like vet guys, obviously led by your OG and KD and some other older guys. And then Shen Gun, your star, and then all these young, hungry guys that they fill in the blanks with that are like just getting more and more reps. They're well coached. You say they would struggle against the Thunder. Who's to say spurs don't knock off the Thunder? Like maybe some other team takes care of OKC for them when we get into the postseason, it's a big. Who knows. But I also love that they have played the most road heavy schedule through December this is from our Guy Schumann. So in two weeks after they play even more road games here, because they just played in Brooklyn last night, they're going to have played just 13 of 36 games at home. So second half of this year, they're going to have a lot of home games and maybe that helps them win even more here.

[Odoo Advertiser]

So I'll go.

[J. Skeets]

KD winning. Well, I don't. Like I said, they're getting there. Knicks Rockets would be obviously super fun, but yeah, I got them winning the West.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, I definitely do worry about their ball handling, number one. Just who they are right now. They turn over the ball a lot. They're second worst in the NBA. And then Freddy has never been out for a very long time. And when he does come back after a long time, like last year, you know, he was out for about a month. I worry if he's going to click. I mean, that's. It's a long time for him to click. I don't know if they're actually going to make a trade to try and help them out in the backcourt. There's that possibility. But yeah, the war, the Thunder able to double team guys and just work, you know, sideline to sideline for everybody on the perimeter is going to hurt them. And yeah, that's why the Rockets are already the second worst team turning it over. So, yeah, I definitely worried about that.

[J. Skeets]

Need Freddie back. Get steady Freddie back in there.

[Odoo Advertiser]

Okay.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

What does he start in September? That'd be a quick comeback. Come back for the playoffs as well.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah, yeah, it would.

[Tas Melas]

Because of the type of injury he had. Yeah. As he said it on his podcast.

[J. Skeets]

I mean, he, like when he was talking to our guys at. Hello and welcome. Will and Alex.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah.

[J. Skeets]

You know, they asked him about it. Rehabilitation and like he, you know, there's. They're always going to say, of course I'm aiming for it and they're going to try and modern medicine and all that. Like, I don't think it's out of realm of possibility, maybe unlikely. Do. Do they even need them? I guess you could get into to actually go far and win some of these series. Like, they match up really well against a lot of these teams because again, the identity of it all, they're big as hell. You do have two guys in Katie and Elpern Shengun that are stars still playing at an all NBA level and then all the other guys filling in. You have a huge Amen Thompson game, Jabari Smith Jr. Game. You have all these things. So I just like the pieces and they got a badass coach that's obviously taken a team to the finals already. Now you gotta try and do it in the west, so we'll see.

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[J. Skeets]

This is Lavar Arrington from Two Pros and a Cup of Joe. Pizza Hut threw down a challenge and it's genius. Quarterbacks say Hut constantly.

[Odoo Advertiser]

It's like they're asking for Pizza Hut by name.

[J. Skeets]

Pizza Hut is challenging any quarterback. Put pizza before they say Hut. During the televised game, Pizza Hut will throw an actual pizza party in the city. For the first QB that does it during a televised game, fans get the win. Literally. Listen closely. On game day when you hear Pizza Hut, you know something big is about to happen. Visit pizza hut.com for details.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

Breaking news everybody. Not everything is terrible. I repeat, not everything is terrible. The ripple effect with Jenna Kim Jones is proof that the Internet it hasn't ruined humanity entirely.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Clean the world. We have almost 10,000 hotels that operate our soap and plastic recycling program. And we have created and distributed 90 million free bars of soap to children, families, mothers in 127 countries across the globe.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

It's like magic, you guys. So put down your doom scroller and pick up your faith in humanity and join me, Jenna, for the ripple effect. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. You really can.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Best stat of all is that the death rate to children under the age of five dying to hygiene related illnesses has decreased by more than 60% since the day we started.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

Listen to the ripple effect with Jenna Kim Jones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[J. Skeets]

Let's do another round. We got. What do you got?

[Tas Melas]

I got the warriors acquiring Trey Murphy at the trade deadline. I think they can do it. I think they're looking for someone bigger off the wing, you know, like a Lowry Markkanen or a slightly not as good Larry Markkanen And Michael Porter Jr. Maybe those type of guys, but I think they could acquire a Trey Murphy. It essentially would be Jonathan Kaminga for Trey Murphy. Now they probably have to shove a pick in there along with Jonathan Kaminga, but the Pelicans like taking chances on guys who have not excelled elsewhere or shown flashes elsewhere. You're Jordan Pool and those type of guys that they've tried. So I think they'd be willing to give that a try. It is odd, an odd trade from the Golden State warriors perspective because Trey Murphy has signed long term. He signed through 29. And they're all trying to line everything up with Steph and Draymond and Jimmy, but they don't have because those guys are, you know, coming off their contracts next season essentially. But they don't have enough money wise to go get a big wing and like a Michael Porter Jr. Or Larry Markkanen. So this is all they can do, really.

[J. Skeets]

This is best thing.

[Tas Melas]

This is a very good thing. It's Trey Murphy. So would the. Would the Pelicans be willing to give up on Trey Murphy? It's a big question, but it's a pick that they had already given up on essentially that they're be able to get back. Not necessarily their pick, but I just mean they messed up trading picks and here they are in a very, very, very terrible position here at the bottom of the Western Conference. They don't have their pick. They'd be happy to get one back. So I could see Trey Murphy going to the Golden State Wars. I think it's a match for both parties.

[J. Skeets]

Okay, what do you think of that.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

One, TK I don't think the Pelicans should do it unless they're getting a far future first round pick from the Warriors. The warriors have traded their 2031st round pick, so maybe a 2032 would be coming back to New Orleans and that could be juicy. Because the warriors, they ain't gonna have Steph Curry by 2032. They ain't gonna have Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler. These guys will be in their 40s at that point, so the team will probably stink. Which means a good draft pick for the Pelicans. But I would rather have Trey Murphy around. Derek Queen and Jeremiah Fears for the interim. I think he's just a perfect guy to fit alongside a guard and a big man. A wing who can shoot it from outside can get inside as well. But that's why he would also fit great on the Warriors. I'm sure they would love you get him.

[Tas Melas]

Oh, yeah.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

But I mean, Kuminga, come on. Why would you want Kaminga on that team when you've got a little bit of positive momentum with your one guy? You're young guys.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

You're bringing a guy hit here to shoot the ball every single time. That'd be a terrible fit to mingle on the Pelicans.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah, I love this weird stretch they're on right now. The Pelicans, too. Like, they lost a ton of games and then they had like, it got up to like, they won one and then they lost seven straight and then they won five straight. We're like, oh, here they come. And then they've lost now straight again.

[Tas Melas]

Put Zion back into the starting lineup and it ain't working anymore. Nothing working. It would be taking a risk, trading away for trading away Trey Murphy and getting, getting a guy like Jonathan Kaminga. But they take risks. They've got just such an odd roster and then they would be doing it again.

[J. Skeets]

What do you have TK for your next one?

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Clippers are going to make the playoffs.

[J. Skeets]

Okay.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Six straight wins for LA. Kawhi Leonard is on fire. Had 45 last night during the six game win streak. Kawhi's gone 32, 41, 28, 55, 33. And then like I said, 45 last night. Shooting 55 from the field, 44 from three. What do you take? 16 threes last night against the Jazz.

[J. Skeets]

How high a guy?

[TK (Tas Melas)]

That's crazy. Kawhi Leonard.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Excuse me. They're only a game and a half back of 10th place right now in the Western Conference. Three games back of the ninth seed. And you look at the couple of teams ahead of them. Portland, they're incentivized to end up in the lottery they have a lottery protected pick going to the Bulls, so they probably. I don't know. I'm hard. It's hard to figure out what's going on with Portland. They want to make the play in tournament because they haven't done anything in the postseason for what, four years or something like that. But Scoot Henderson's still not playing. Nobody is playing for this team right now. Jrue Holiday's out, Jeremy Grant is out. Scoot obviously above them is the Grizzlies unsure what they're going to look like the second half of the season. So I think the Clippers have started playing a little bit better, mainly because Kawhi is hooping right now. James Harden never misses the playoffs, but there's no reason for the Clippers to be bad. But the NBA needs them to at least approach the play in tournaments. So they're not giving away the number one pick theoretically to the Oklahoma City Thunder. And then you factor in the January Clippers. I don't know if it's a real thing, but it feels real to me. 9 and 6 last year. Okay, that's fine.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

12 and 3 though the year before there is always a stretch where Ty Lue figures out the rotations, the defense starts playing. There's a combination of great health from Kawhi and from James Harden and they just start clicking, start clicking, start clicking. And I think that's right now for la. So I think they're going to make a run into the playoffs. I, I say playoffs only because it's a bold, a bold sort of thing. They would need to get up to seventh, which I think is almost impossible, but they could get to 10th and then win a. Win a play in game, get to eighth and then I play the Thunder.

[Odoo Advertiser]

I don't know.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

But the 8th counts as a playoffs, you know. Yeah, they'll at least be in the top 10. I think they can get to nine and I think they can win their play in game.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Okay.

[J. Skeets]

Okay. That's right.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Which makes the playoffs.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, that's a playoff performance and it would be wonderful for them to start playing or keep playing better right before they host the All Star game. So it's great for all parties right now.

[J. Skeets]

Kawhi turning it on here for an All Star selection. He's timing it perfectly because yeah, he's averaging 40.4 points per season with insane shooting splits over the last whatever five or six now. Yeah, they got the six game win streaks and they did beat the Jazz, who they now have the same record as after beating Them last night at 12 and 21, which is still not a great record but they were 6 and 21. They were 1 of the worst teams.

[Tas Melas]

Exactly.

[J. Skeets]

Bottom and yeah, now they've got a stronger couple together here. All right, Clips, Clips making the play in and making their way into the playoffs.

[Tas Melas]

They're hot.

[J. Skeets]

Like they'd be battling like probably the Suns will be one of those teams in a play in game so they could see them. And then like you said me, you know, where are the Blazers in the mix and then where like are the Nuggets falling or the warriors falling back there or one of those like better teams, let's call them that are maybe in the play on. So they'd be a dangerous out if quite like if you have a healthy Kwai, this guy is a two time Finals MVP and you just got to win one or two games. Like just win and get in like Jesus. Yeah, you're going to. You'll bet on him. All right, my second prediction here, a little different. I think the NBA finally, finally announces plans to expand to 32 teams. I think Silver finally comes out and said, okay, we're now doing it and I think it's going to be Seattle and I do think it's still going to be Las Vegas and we're going to have 32 total teams, which then means a team has to move to the Eastern Conference. I mean in theory it does. And I think it's going to be Minnesota. I think it makes the most sense. They share a division with a Chicago team in each of the other three major sports. So it's like it is a little weird that they're not even in the same division, let alone the same conference here in the NBA. I think they just get shafted the most sort of by travel of where they are with their conference. People say, well, what about Memphis and New Orleans? Well, they are a little closer to some of these other Western Conference teams, like Texas teams and stuff like that. So I will go Minnesota moves over.

[Tas Melas]

Okay.

[J. Skeets]

To the Eastern Conference and yeah, we have Vegas and Seattle. I think it finally gets announced after we've had these. There's tens of billions of dollars in sales of these franchises and these marquee franchises at that. Lakers obviously, Celtics recently you've set now these insane valuations even for expansion teams. And yeah, people push back and they say, well these owners don't want expansion teams because then it's already they got a split with 29 other franchises. Now they got a split with 31 in theory. But when it gets to that high. These billions and billions. I think they'll be okay with it. So I think that's what's going to happen.

[Tas Melas]

It sure looks like it's happening. Yes. Silver has been implying that. And you can just show these owners who. Yes, you have to share with two more teams but just show the owners. Okay. Three years ago this is what you were getting and now you're getting more just because of how much these TV deals are. 32 teams is happening. A league in Europe is happening as well. So yeah, this just getting wider and wider. It's expanding.

[J. Skeets]

Do you think they will be Seattle and Vegas or any other wild card location like Seattle is a no brainer. They're getting a franchise back. That's going to be cool. Let's be honest. Like the Sonics being back in our life. I think that will be fun. Vegas, I. I think it will go there. I don't know what they'll be called. The Rattlers. Scorpions.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Mostly.

[J. Skeets]

Creature things. Creature things.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Hard to name a team after anything gambling related right now I would say.

[J. Skeets]

Well yeah.

[Tas Melas]

I mean Chip gambling free.

[J. Skeets]

I think it would be fun if they were the kings in a weird way because you got the aces.

[Julian Edelman]

Yeah.

[J. Skeets]

Wnba. But I'm with you the whole gambling.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

The jokers.

[J. Skeets]

The jokers.

[Tas Melas]

Jokers.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah. I just don't think there's another. I guess maybe Mexico City. But I think it's more like that.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Was there a big buzz for NBA expansion in Mexico while you were there.

[J. Skeets]

For the people talking down on the beach.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

When are we getting a team?

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

No one said a thing I basketball at all.

[J. Skeets]

Oh yeah.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

You must have been bombed.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Very weird. Soccer on every single channel.

[J. Skeets]

Oh yeah.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

At all times.

[J. Skeets]

Yes.

[Tas Melas]

So.

[J. Skeets]

And I think a spin off of this is not only Minnesota moving to the Eastern Conference. If I had to pick one of the franchises that will but and we got into this recently, I think we will make our way to the NBA cup. Replicating an NCAA tournament like sort of bracket when we eventually have the 32 franchises and the 32 teams and. And 16 on each side and however we seed them, whether it's from group play or not, previous season's records, whatever. It's win in advance baby. And we just do the whole thing to get to an NBA cup winner. I think we make our way there. But look, the talent pool feels like it's there in the league to me that we're not going to be crushed by having two more franchises. You obviously got to do the expansion draft and all that. And it's tough for these franchises to start, but there are so many, so many talented players in this league that can get a chance to be a star guy. Wait till Kaminga's on the Las Vegas Vipers, baby.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Hey, you can score 25 a game. Anybody can do it these days.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah, that's right.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Do you think if they expand and it's Seattle and Vegas, teams will be fighting to get into the Eastern Conference? Because you're like Minnesota, you're close to Eastern Conference teams.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Memphis is further east. Right?

[J. Skeets]

Right.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

You want to be in the Eastern Conference. It's been easier for 30 years.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

So I would be like, if I'm the Timberwolves, I'm like, no, we need to be there. Look how close we are to Milwaukee. Look how close we are to Chicago. Anthony Edwards is the next Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan played his entire career in the East. Get us over there.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah. Hey, look, free idea for Peacock or Amazon, whatever. Make it like an hour special where, let's say three or four franchises. Probably three. Minnesota, New Orleans and Memphis.

[Tas Melas]

Yes.

[J. Skeets]

You get Silver and his board there, and you just come in and you pitch your case. You put on a presentation of why we should be in the Eastern Conference. Watch the hell out of that.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

That would be awesome.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah. Break it down.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

The Detroit tourism video is what that would be like, but.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Good.

[J. Skeets]

Okay, one more round. One more round, Taps.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

One more round.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah. What do you got?

[Tas Melas]

I think there's a chance Conka Nipple wins Rookie of the Year over Cooper Flag.

[J. Skeets]

Ooh, I disagree. But let's hear it.

[Tas Melas]

Why? Conka Nipple is absolute, absolutely rolling. If you want to get geeky about it, just like the teams are going to be presenting. Look how far east we are. If you present the numbers of Cock and Nipple, the guy is outperforming Cooper Flag and he's just getting Lamello Ball and Brandon Miller back to take a little freaking attention for those guys. Play some regular minutes. This guy has been rolling his percentages. 48, 43 from 3, and 90% from the free throw line. You know, you can look at some of those and say, oh, Cooper Flag's not that far off his regular free will percentage. He's way far lower on 3 point percentage. But when you do the true shooting numbers, 64.4% true shooting versus 55.9 for Cooper flag. Cooper Flag has hit a bit of a wall here, maybe because it's more games than he played last year in college and he's hitting that wall. While Conka Nipple, I think, is just absolutely rolling at this point now it's all about the voters and what they think of Cooper Flag in general. But the, the Dallas Mavericks are in this odd scenario here where they're not playing their point guards again like Ryan Nemhard. You know, just play three minutes in the second half because Brandon Williams can't play it. If they get Kyrie Irving back, maybe that helps Cooper flag, but they have an odd scenario where Anthony Davis is back and they don't know what's going on. Well, I think the Hornets are getting back some strong players to perform in the second half. I don't know if Lamelo Ball's real history is a good second half player. I don't know.

[J. Skeets]

Ankle injuries coming up.

[Tas Melas]

He's always like that. But you know, we just showed, you know, Kawhi and James Harden come together. Maybe Lamelo can come together for one year because he, him and Brandon Miller have been hurt. So this just takes some pressure off of Conquer Nipple who has been fantastic not just shooting the three but putting on the floor when there's other guys have some sort of gravity on them. He's so good at putting on the floor, pulling up in the mid range. So numbers are, you know, similar if you just look at the raw numbers. But this guy's way more efficient and we'll keep it up while I'm not sure Coop will be able to.

[J. Skeets]

It's a good point about the voters though. There's like somewhere in the pit of your stomach I feel like for a lot of these voters with Cooper Flag as the number one pick and a guy that is projecting, I mean he does look like a future all star, all NBA player that you almost like you don't. It's weird. Like you're supposed to be looking at it just for the rookie year but you know, somewhere deep down in some of them they're like, yeah, but he could be something special. Special. It's like, well let's get. If it's so tight, let's give it to him instead of Con Knipple. Not that Con couldn't be that either. And a future multi time all star like yeah, I get it. I don't know, I think it's going to be tough for Cooper to get this because the numbers are good too and they. Yeah, he hit a wall these last two games but he had his best stretch there like before that, right? For a week or two.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah. Yeah. I think it's a two game wall. Who knows if the wall will hold up. But also maybe voters don't want to give Dallas another thing, you know, maybe they just don't want it. Okay. You got the first pick. After making that crazy trade, we're not giving you Rookie of the Year.

[J. Skeets]

Who knows on Fanduel Cooper flag minus $600 to win rookie of the year. Con Knippel plus $500 nerd. So if your prediction comes true. Yeah, yeah. Very heavy favorite. Yeah. Any thoughts on ROI right now?

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Cooper's gonna win it.

[J. Skeets]

Okay.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

I mean, no. No offense. I do appreciate the take. It's going to be very similar to LeBron versus Carmelo Anthony. Back in the day, a Cooper is putting up LeBron stats. Stats not seen since an 18 year old LeBron James as well. He's cooled off in a couple of games here, but he was like 22 a game in his class. 18 or something like that. He's playing really, really great. Carmelo had a more successful team his rookie year. He was. He outscored LeBron. He out rebounded LeBron. Obviously LeBron's got him on the assist. Percentages were better for Carmelo and it went to LeBron.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Pretty heavily.

[J. Skeets]

Good comparison here.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

They're both hall of Famers.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah, exactly. If punk knipples turning out. Yeah, you're happy about that. What about you, tk? Final one.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Jayson Tatum will hit a playoff game winner.

[J. Skeets]

Okay.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

This season.

[J. Skeets]

Okay.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

That's it.

[J. Skeets]

He's coming back.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

He's gonna come back. When? I don't know. I was hoping the Celtics had a game on March 17. The luck of the Irish. They don't.

[J. Skeets]

Oh, that'd be nice.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Yeah, they got one on the 16th and the 18th and I don't think he wants to come back for either of those. It's the Suns and the Warriors. So how about Sunday, March 29th against potential rookie of the year con caniple in Charlotte? Very close to where Jason Tatum played his college basketball at Duke University. He comes back after what like 10 months basically of rehabbing his Achilles, of posting these videos, of being very cute with his son. And he plays the assisting guy like he's not the main driver of the offense because the Celtics have been really, really good this season. They're fourth in offense right now with Jalen Brown leading the way. But adding Tatum is very, very helpful. He's a three point shooter, he's a playmaker, he's a rebounder. The Celtics are going to be a playoff team and you know Tatum has the wherewithal to take these big shots. So bring him back right at the end of the season. Get his legs underneath him. Let him be the number three, number four option out there. Jason Tatum as your fourth option.

[J. Skeets]

That sounds pretty good to me. Oh, my God.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Playoff game winner on deck.

[J. Skeets]

Okay. I love it. Playoff game winner. Tatum back. Do it for Deuce, baby. I'll wrap this up for Deuce. Deuce is getting old, eh?

[Tas Melas]

Yeah.

[J. Skeets]

Holy crap. You start to see these kids now I don't, like, literally grown up with because we've seen them since they were babies. What the hell? Time, man. Time. My final bold prediction. I'm taking us to the All Star weekend. Tas Shayden Sharp and Vijay Edgecombe are going to save the dunk contest. I'm back, baby. We don't even know if they're in it. If they are in it, we might actually have a good dunk contest. Maybe even the Thompson Twins. Would they do it? Come on. Battle against each other. Try and dunk over each other. But we have obviously some incredible leapers in this league. If we just get a couple of them in and. And you know what? With these guys, the guys I'm listing, I don't even. We don't need props. We don't need anything. Just go and do cool dunks and float in the air and just like, you don't have to go wild with, like, recreating these new dunks or anything like that. I think we get back to basics. That might actually work. But maybe I like. I don't think Jalen Johnson would go in it, but that'd be fun because he can leap. I think Brandon Miller has crazy sort of not sneaky hops, but he's always throwing down posters in game action. So I got a couple of those guys I just listed, mainly Sharp and Vijay Edgecombe. I think we just need two. We need two awesome dunkers put on a good dunk contest. So I'm praying that Sharpe finally goes in this thing and Vijay Edcombe. I feel I have confidence that he might go in it. So, you know the pipe dream is always Anthony Edwards or Ja Morant.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, right.

[J. Skeets]

It's not. Yeah, exactly. If it hasn't happened at this point, it's not going to happen. So we got these other guys.

[Tas Melas]

Shaden Sharp, in his fourth year, almost seems too old. Like, he'll be like, he's almost a pipe.

[J. Skeets]

He has to do it now. Yes, he has to do it now.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

It'll be Matt McClung again. He actually played in the NBA this year, so invite him.

[J. Skeets]

I thought he said he wasn't. Or am I crazy? He's like, oh, it's 50,000.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

I'll jump over something.

[J. Skeets]

All right, we need, I think the Thompson Twins. Interesting. And. And Vijay Edgecombe. It would be really fun.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

VJ would be good.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

I'd like to see him.

[J. Skeets]

We need sharp. He's just like the guy soars, man.

[Tas Melas]

I guess Castle can go back and bring him back.

[J. Skeets]

Castle? Yeah, yeah.

[Tas Melas]

He had a good, good contest last year. Okay.

[J. Skeets]

All right. Can't wait to get excited. We're terribly disappointed for the dunk. All right, that's our bold predictions. Nine in total. Let's hear yours in the comments right now on the stream team or you leave them in the YouTube comment section. Tweet at us as you as well. Lots more still to come. Let's take a quick break.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

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[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Oh, yeah.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Oh, man. Tokens, they're like coins, but not really coins. Here. They're not even made of metal. It's just a token on your app. Check the FanDuel app for a little basketball, a little action, a whole lot of Friday energy. That's the NBA happy hour. Every Friday from 6 to 7:30pm Eastern, only on FanDuel. Official sportsbook partner of the NBA.

[J. Skeets]

Okay, let's get to Tassa's nominees for worst of the week.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Ladies and gentlemen, the worst of the week.

[Tas Melas]

Three nominees. First nominee for worst of the week, the Suns. Jalen Green being fined for $25,000 for cursing. What is this all about? We'll play you the clip. And just to set it up, this is what it is. Colin Gillespie doing his post game interview. Jalen Green jumps in, he's yelling. You'll hear him yelling and then you'll hear Colin Gillespie talk back to him. And then Jelly and Green respond to that. Here it is.

[J. Skeets]

Oh, my God.

[Tas Melas]

On live tv.

[J. Skeets]

Oh, my God. Straight up.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

I don't care.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, he doesn't care. Jalen Green curses behind him, basically showing support for his teammate. He jumps in that post game interview. And you get fined for swearing. Now, I don't think he gets fined if Colin Gillespie doesn't say on live tv. He doesn't call it out. But I thought swearing in sports was acceptable these days because sometimes it is.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Post game interviews, sometimes it does sometimes draw the line.

[Tas Melas]

They drew the line. I. I assume because the interviewee said, you can't do that. Basically. So that was the strange thing, Colin Gillespie calling it out. I just find it weird. Why is he getting fined for that? Strange. He's showing love for his fellow player. It's weird. It's just weird. It's not like he's cursing at anybody. It's in support of someone. Yeah, I find it strange. I find it strange that James Jones came down with this fine from the NBA league office. Hey, you can't do that. You.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

He wants to stick it to the Suns.

[Tas Melas]

Ah, right. Yeah, that's why. Exactly, exactly. His old team.

[J. Skeets]

I was like, there's other players that have been fined obviously for swearing here. I guess maybe Anthony Edwards, last year in the postseason got a hundred thousand dollar or $50,000 fine for swearing during a media interview. So that wasn't even on the floor there. And then J Dub got fined. He had fined something for wearing a shirt that had an expletive on so. Fuck yeah, the NBA doesn't like it. Stop using profanity. It's going to cost him money. But think Jalen Green cares. You don't care. He makes a lot care.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

I don't care.

[Tas Melas]

It was pretty funny. That is funny. All right, nominee number two here. It's this reporter's question for Con Knippel. It's a weird question. Here it is, sharing the floor with Steph Curry. Sign that guy who kind of like pioneered the three point shot in the NBA. What was it like to share the floor with him with a guy that.

[J. Skeets]

That you're probably going to be compared.

[Tas Melas]

To for the rest of your career? I don't know about that. Great response from Cock and fantastic response. Why the reporter thinks that he'll always be compared to Steph Curry is odd. It's in Charlotte.

[J. Skeets]

Three point shooting percentage as a rookie too, right?

[Tas Melas]

Oh, it wasn't specifically about that, but he said, for your whole career.

[J. Skeets]

Well, I know.

[Tas Melas]

And yeah, this is Steph playing in Charlotte, his hometown. Something something. You know, listen, I'm on camera. I talk a lot. Sometimes my sentences go awry. And I think that's what happened to this reporter. He was just basically saying, talk about Steph a little bit. And he kind of Just.

[J. Skeets]

And he's like complimenting Knipple, but maybe just went too far.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, it went too far. It just went to this.

[J. Skeets]

So we've already compared Knipple to Camillo Anthony on this podcast.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

That's right.

[J. Skeets]

I think it's more likely than.

[Tas Melas]

No, but the reporter wouldn't even do that. Conquer Nipple's percentages after looking him up. Destroyed Carmelo Anthony.

[J. Skeets]

Oh, wow.

[Tas Melas]

Destroyed him. But yeah, maybe he would. Anyway, kudos to Conquer Nipple.

[J. Skeets]

He caught it right there in the movie.

[Tas Melas]

Right there. And even you could see his facial recognition. You could see his face doing a. What? It was a quick. What?

[TK (Tas Melas)]

You know what? He should have said, I'm actually having a better rookie year than Steph Curry did. That would have been baller. He's gonna pass him for three pointers. Steph Curry made 166 his rookie Knipples at 117. Right now, 43.7% for Curry, 43.2 for Knipple. So, yeah, I mean, Curry wishes he could get on Knipples level.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah. Knipple is going to by far and away set the most three pointers for a rookie. Going to destroy Keegan Murray's record from a couple of years ago. He's going to pass that by far. Sticking with a little warriors twist here on number three. This nominee is just old Golden State warriors player Festus Azili's outfit. You know, he does broadcasting for the Golden State Warriors. If you're on YouTube here, you'll see him in a sweater underneath a jacket. And on top of that sweater is a tie. So it looks strange. It's just yellow.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Tas Melas]

It's a gold tie. A gold sweater on top of the sweater. And then we'll see the pants here in the second photo, which are these. I don't know if they're just a casual pant. They almost look like a K way track pant kind of thing, which I guess is.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah, I don't know what's going on there. Yeah, he's doing it all, isn't he?

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, he is.

[J. Skeets]

Business wear.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah. So the whole thing is odd. And that encouraged this great tweet describing it all from Mike Bove, who said, festusili, I'm looking for an outfit for work. The sales associate says, which profession? Festus Azili replies, all of them. He's got a lot going on. Again, jacket over a sweater with a tie on that with kway pants that look like he's just going to the mailbox. What's up? What's up? With that.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah. When I first saw it going around Twitter or Blue sky is like, I like people like making a big deal out of his outfit. But like, if you don't really look and see the tie, I was like, what's the big deal? Like, I mean, we've seen people wear hoodies under jackets. Like it's not that crazy. But then you see the tie and it's like, wow, okay. Yeah. You had to really stop and look because it just blends in at first glance to his hoodie.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah. Somebody here on the Stream team said if the tie was tucked it would be fine.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

No one.

[J. Skeets]

It wouldn't be good.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Or hoodie underneath the blazer. Not a good look.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah. But it wouldn't have gone viral.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Agree 100%.

[J. Skeets]

That's my point.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Yeah. That's almost like Back to the future Marty McFly wearing two ties in 2025 or whatever year they end up going to. Well, they go to 2016.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

I think it's 2025.

[J. Skeets]

It's when the Cub.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Wow.

[J. Skeets]

I thought it was when the Cubs like actually won 2015. Maybe they get.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Because they go from 85 to 2015. 30 years in the future.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Yeah, maybe.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

I think that's what it's got.

[J. Skeets]

I think so too.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Nonetheless, Marty McFly was wearing two flies in the alternate future.

[J. Skeets]

Two ties.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Two ties at the same time.

[J. Skeets]

Yes.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

And that's what this is like. He's wearing two outfits at the same time. One is a casual sportswear out, one is a man's suit. And he said, I'll just do it all.

[J. Skeets]

Cuz he. Cuz he has the dress shirt on too, right?

[Tas Melas]

He does, Yeah. I didn't mention that.

[J. Skeets]

He was super cold in the studio. Like he came normal dressed as a businessman for live tones. And then like, it's cold here. I gotta put on this hoodie.

[Tas Melas]

So he literally put on a sweater and then put his jacket on.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah. He's that cold.

[Tas Melas]

He's got a jacket.

[J. Skeets]

Just saying.

[Tas Melas]

I. I don't think that's a problem.

[J. Skeets]

Try to help him out.

[Julian Edelman]

Yeah.

[Tas Melas]

Give him a reason.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Yeah.

[Tas Melas]

But you know, this comment of Festivus for the rest of us, you know, pretty funny there from Joseph.

[J. Skeets]

Was that on Festivus? That'd be amazing.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah. I don't think so.

[J. Skeets]

No.

[Tas Melas]

But I think it was after. But Festus is really cool look. Seems like a cool guy. Yeah, he's handsome. Very handsome.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

You look good.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, just a strange look. Too many. Too many things.

[J. Skeets]

Nominees. Let's hear who you think is the worst of the Week from tass's three nominees. Whoa, boy. Whoa, boy. Of the night. Unsullied by sponsorship since 2025, Tyrese Maxey is getting. Whoa, boy. It was between him and Kawhi. This was actually very difficult. They had, you know, Kawhi had more points. Maxi filled up the rest of the box score and did shoot a little bit better. So I wanted to show maxi some love. 34 points, 10 assists, 8 boards, and a win over the Mavericks. Tricks 14 to 24 from the floor, 410 from deep. And you are right, TK 163 point attempts for Kawhi. He went 6 to 16. And then Maxi added 2 steals, 2 blocks, plus 18 as well in the victory. And dropped Caleb Martin. I think it was. You see that highlight? Oh, yeah.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Yes.

[J. Skeets]

It blew by him and he dropped him hard.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Yeah.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Yeah.

[J. Skeets]

He was stumbling.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

A lot of cool highlights in that one. VJ Edge come. Had a double block.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Tas Melas]

That's amazing.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Left hand and then right hand looks cool. I think the 76ers, they should be trying to go west so they can play more games in Dallas because they got Tyrese Maxey. He's a Texas guy, had an awesome game. Vjashkum. Played his college basketball in Texas as well. Had an awesome game. Even Quentin Grimes is a Texas guy, and he's got some Dallas spite against him after the trade last year. He had a good game. So maybe they'll say, no, we want to be in the Western Conference, raise our rent. I want to grind harder.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah. And drop in Caleb Martin, who was traded for Quentin Grimes. That's great. That's a. That's a fit for Dallas in 2025. Yikes.

[J. Skeets]

All right. Pick them. Results from December. It came down to the final game. Like, I could have maybe forced a tiebreaker a couple nights ago, but, man, the spurs came back, got the victory over the Knicks. Did you see the ending. Ending of the game?

[TK (Tas Melas)]

TK Brunson hitting the three.

[J. Skeets]

So what's crazy is the line was one and a half for us. Spurs favorite. They had to win by two, which they ended up doing after Brunson hit a corner three. But that line had moved like that line was like two and a half, three and a half. Like. So if I had caught that line instead, that would have been one of the most insane losses for you to give us a tiebreaker because Brunson stole the ball and then hit a corner three. Like, pointless, obviously, but covered in the two and a half or three and a half scenario. Anyway, I lost. Brutal record 8 and 13. Trey 10 and 11 and Tassa really solid 16 and 5. So I will have to pay off December's pick and loss here and probably next week we'll figure out what I'm doing.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Cool.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah. But let's do it all over again. We're all zero and zero tasks as we start the new year. Where are we going?

[Tas Melas]

The prime double header today is. Is solid. Nuggets Cavs opens it up. I didn't want to go with that one just because there's no jokers. So I went with the Thunder warriors matchup late at night.

[J. Skeets]

Okay.

[Tas Melas]

Golden State warriors nine and a half point dogs. Thunder gotta win by 10 or more. So that's automatically. You think, okay, I want to take okc. And that's why the two of you guys took okc. I assume not a lot of guys.

[J. Skeets]

Playing for the warriors, right?

[Tas Melas]

Oh, that stinks.

[J. Skeets]

I think I'm pretty sure they're short on potentially Steph Curry or Draymond Green.

[Tas Melas]

Well, Steph's not playing.

[J. Skeets]

I thought I said.

[Tas Melas]

Well, that'd be weird then the line would should be 100. It should be way bigger. If he wasn't playing, I'd assume I.

[J. Skeets]

Saw something, but maybe it's just Draymond.

[Tas Melas]

I think they'd be fine handling some of the. Their size is a problem, but against okc, it should be. They should be able to overcome that. I'd assume you just need them to lose by nine or less.

[J. Skeets]

Nine or less. Yes, that's right. Trey and I need a double digit victory for the Thunder here on January 2nd. Good luck to us.

[Odoo Advertiser]

Good luck to us.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

They've been smoking teams. Lost a couple of games to the spurs, but since then, bounce back mode.

[Tas Melas]

Okay? Not too far off.

[J. Skeets]

We'll find out.

[Odoo Advertiser]

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[Jenna Kim Jones]

Feel more you than ever without compromise. Because we never make you choose the quality you want, the styles you crave and the prices you love. It's all at TJ Maxx so you can focus on just being you. With so many finds arriving daily, that means so many ways to show your unique style. Shop in store and [e-mail] and Max, what makes you you?

[Julian Edelman]

This is Julian Edelman from Games with Names. This message is brought to you by Pizza Hut. Because if you're yelling hut on Sundays, why not Yo, Pizza first.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

So Pizza Hut just put out one of the coolest, like funniest challenges maybe ever.

[Julian Edelman]

Pizza Hut. What is it?

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Basically, if a quarterback says pizza before they say hut, Pizza Hut will give that quarterback city a pizza party.

[Julian Edelman]

Is this real?

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Yeah, isn't that crazy?

[Julian Edelman]

You think coaches are bringing this up in team meetings?

[TK (Tas Melas)]

You think a pizza party is worth a false start?

[Julian Edelman]

Or what if they got the other team to jump off sides with a pizza?

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Hey, whatever it takes this time of year.

[Julian Edelman]

100% this weekend. Let us know if you hear Pizza Hut. I know I'll be listening.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

Breaking news everybody. Not everything is terrible. I repeat, not everything is terrible. The Ripple Effect with Jenna Kim Jones is proof that the Internet it hasn't ruined humanity entirely.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Clean the world. We have almost 10,000 hotels that operate our soap and plastic recycling program. And we have created and distributed 90 million free bars of soap to children, families, mothers in 127 countries across the globe.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

It's like magic, you guys. So put down your doom scroller and pick up your faith in humanity and join me, Jenna, for the Ripple Effect. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. You really can.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Best stat of all is that the death rate to children under the age of five dying to hygiene related illnesses has decreased by more than 60% since the day we started.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

Listen to the Ripple Effect with Jenna Kim Jones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[J. Skeets]

It is Friday. It's the drop. So let's do some rapid fire questions. Trey, you got them. We got the answers.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

See you later.

[J. Skeets]

2025. You were a brutal year. Yep.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

But. But fellas, I want you to tell me Your favorite thing from 2025, Skeets, J.D.

[J. Skeets]

I think you'll like this. And hopefully you feel the same. Going to the NBA Paris games with my guy JD was one of my favorite things from 2025, which overall was a shit year for me. But that was fun. It was a good way to start the year. We had a blast. We were five nights. I think we were in Paris.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah.

[J. Skeets]

A couple games, obviously, between the Pacers and Spurs.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Yeah.

[J. Skeets]

Did a good amount of work.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Work.

[J. Skeets]

But we balanced some fun as well.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

100.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah.

[Odoo Advertiser]

It was great.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

That was one of my. Gotta be in the top, top two work trips of all time.

[Tas Melas]

Wow.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

How does it compare to Salt Lake City?

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

It does not. Although I did enjoy quite a lot. But, you know, Paris is. They say Salt Lake is the Paris of Utah, you know, so. But yeah, so true. Paris was actually. Actually 100% on my list. Yeah, that was great.

[J. Skeets]

Great.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Wanted to go to Berlin, but doesn't look likely. That look like it's happening.

[J. Skeets]

Happening in like, two weeks. So probably I'm like, why not?

[Tas Melas]

You can get sent there. Come on, then. For me, I don't think this is recency bias, but on Christmas, I made some Dolmadis or Dolmas or dolma for the first time in my life.

[J. Skeets]

You did it.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah.

[J. Skeets]

You said you were gonna do it. You're on the show and.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, I did.

[J. Skeets]

You followed through.

[Tas Melas]

Now I got some help. Danielle, help me. There's no doubt. There's no doubt. But I made it happen. She didn't like eating grape leaves. In all honesty. She was kind of like, if. If I relied on her, that would be our last time making domadas in my kitchen. But that's not gonna happen. I'm gonna make them again. The egg lemon sun sauce is. Is so important. It's just so important. So for all those people out there who just eat it, you know, cold and it's fun. It is fun.

[J. Skeets]

Did the kids try it or like it or not even touching it.

[Odoo Advertiser]

Leaf.

[J. Skeets]

I know that should not be said about me.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[J. Skeets]

You say grape leaf and people. No, thanks.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

I don't want to eat leaves.

[J. Skeets]

Maybe avoid saying that part. They're good. They're delicious.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah. Okay. That's a great. Very much.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

J.D. favorite thing from 2k25.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Oh, okay. Well, we already said Paris. I'm gonna say Mexico is ended the year with a trip started the year with a trip ended with Mexico. It's great country. I don't know why. Turned into Trump all of a sudden.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Great Country. We love Mexico.

[J. Skeets]

Love Mexico. We love the beach. The best beach in the world.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Yeah. Puerto Vallarta. Go there there. It's fun.

[J. Skeets]

You saw our longtime friend Derek.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

He's killing it down there.

[J. Skeets]

He's real estate.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

He's in the real estate game down there. Yeah, he's. He's having fun. I can't blame him for wanting to live there because it's awesome.

[J. Skeets]

It's just. What? Chill.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

It's chill. The weather is amazing and the people are fantastic. And great food, you know?

[J. Skeets]

Yeah, it's great. What else do you need?

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Not an ad.

[J. Skeets]

NBA team.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

What's the difference between putting an NBA team in Puerto Vallarta versus Las Vegas?

[J. Skeets]

Honestly, you're right.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

More people go to Puerto Vallarta.

[Tas Melas]

Exactly.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Better attendance. Joel Embiid recently played a game in no show socks. Something we haven't seen since the early 2000s. Guys, what's something old school that you're bringing back this year?

[J. Skeets]

Carrying cash.

[Tas Melas]

Hey, cool.

[J. Skeets]

Yep. I went years without carrying cash.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Never seen a dollar bill.

[J. Skeets]

But it's back, baby.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

What are you going to carry it in?

[J. Skeets]

Well, there's.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Not that it's going to sound like that.

[J. Skeets]

No, you just slip it right in my new ridge wallet there. How's your RFIDs? You ain't getting to my cards, but, yeah, I'm gonna start carrying cash. And I will say, like, 2025. Garbage sucked. Hated it. Worst year of my life. 2026 did start with a bang on New Year's Day. Nora and I found money walking the dog on January 1st. I was like, there's gotta be a sign. Let's go.

[Odoo Advertiser]

Yeah.

[J. Skeets]

Found a dollar each. It's like they were placed there by somebody.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Mama Somalian and Papa Somalian. You should hang them on the wall. That'd be pretty cool. See if it brings luck to your household.

[Tas Melas]

Maybe.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah. It's worth a try. So carrying cash, it's back in my life.

[Tas Melas]

I like that. Slipped it right in your ridge. It is good. It's doesn't feel like it's slipping out of there, right?

[J. Skeets]

No, it does.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

It's super locked in, like a ledger wallet as well, you know?

[J. Skeets]

Let's merge all of our ad reads when I'm on the peloton and my Ridge wallet is in my back pocket. That ain't ever coming. Coming out.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Good stuff. Taz, what's something old school?

[Tas Melas]

You're bringing back my record player, which I just started using. It's nice. It's nice to physically put on music. Actually. Actually use your hands to Put on music. Will I be reluctant at some point because records are expensive? Maybe. Maybe. Got to give up a lot of cash to get one of those records.

[J. Skeets]

Hey, I got some cash. You want some?

[Tas Melas]

But it's fine. But it's just fun.

[J. Skeets]

Part of the fun is like you gotta really, really pick your spots with what you wanna put your money into for an album.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, yeah.

[J. Skeets]

It's not like with obviously Spotify or Apple. It's like, yeah, I'll take it all.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, that's part of the. The whole venture. It's a hobby. So I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go find this. I'm gonna go look through here. Gonna go ask the. The sales associate. Are you getting any of these? Oh, what happened to this? There's no record in this album. Oh, somebody must have stole it because they're so expensive. Wow. Yeah, it is part of it.

[J. Skeets]

So we know you have the Jack Armstrong holiday album. What do you. Do you have a John?

[Tas Melas]

Okay, I got a John triple album. Okay. Wow.

[J. Skeets]

Geez, that's a lot of John.

[Tas Melas]

That's it, though. Only I only got two for Jack and John.

[J. Skeets]

That's all you need, man.

[Tas Melas]

And Jack, you only play one. One month a year.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah, that's right. John Le is the other 11 months. Jack Armstrong.

[Tas Melas]

I need something. Anybody's got a suggestion? Suggestion out there.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

Okay.

[Tas Melas]

I mean, I'll find some.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Nice, man. Criminal Records. See you there.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Yeah.

[J. Skeets]

J.D.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

What'S something old school you're bringing back?

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Well, as I said, I went to Mexico. I was too reachable. Too reachable.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Slack Channel going crazy. I'm sitting on the beach. I tried not to look at it, but it was hard not to. So I want. I'm bringing back being unreachable.

[Tas Melas]

Okay.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

I'm just gonna leave my phone at home sometimes, you know.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Nice.

[J. Skeets]

I left it at home when I went for that walk and found the dollars. There you go.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

So that's how you find stuff.

[J. Skeets]

That's how you find stuff.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, because you're using.

[J. Skeets]

You're not. Your head's not buried in your phone. Yeah, I'm looking for dollars everywhere. Exactly how many dollars you pass in your life, but you're not looking at for them. You could be rich.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

That's right.

[Tas Melas]

Get your head out of your phone.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

And into your dollars.

[Tas Melas]

That's right.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

And then my. That's my. Gonna be my reputation. It's like I can't reach A.D. you know, sometimes he's unreachable. Like he's just. Yeah, he's out and about. You can't find him and that's it. Yeah.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

What's that? That product that I keep getting advertised. Brick.

[J. Skeets]

Brick.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

People say it's good.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah, I'm intrigued, too.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

We have one.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Yeah.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah.

[J. Skeets]

So explain it for those that don't know.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

It's like, you touch your phone to it and then dis. What's the word? It. You can't use certain apps, like social media. You can set it up to whatever apps you want.

[J. Skeets]

So you could still, in theory, get emergency phone calls 100%.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

You can get texts, but you just. You can't, like, just start flipping through Instagram or any social media. So we do it for the kids. Like, they'll. We'll just brick their phones, really.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Gotcha.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah.

[Odoo Advertiser]

Yeah.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Then they can still. Their friends can still reach them, but. But they're not just mindlessly scrolling because I pay for the phones. You know what I mean? So I brick those phones whenever I want. Exactly.

[J. Skeets]

I love your phone whenever I want.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

I've also saw people have started grayscaling their phones.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Yeah.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

So it's not as attractive and, like, inviting. Look at this boring old phone. Looks like a stupid newspaper.

[Tas Melas]

I'm not gonna touch on that thing.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

I read that in the New York Times. Did you read that article? It was hilarious. Because the woman who wrote it is like, oh, my. I. This. My screen time went down to six hours a day, and I was like, God damn. It went down. That's a. That's a lot for me. Mine's usually, I don't know, two hours.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, I think that's what Zach Harper did recently.

[J. Skeets]

He.

[Tas Melas]

He posts something where he's, like, at five hours, and I think he was saying it went down because he was proud of it.

[J. Skeets]

I mean, okay.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

I mean, you know, it's not surprising. If you're a journalist, you're on your phone a lot, but.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, that's. That's true. Brick.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Huh?

[Odoo Advertiser]

Not.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Not an app.

[Tas Melas]

I. I pretended. I. I pretended I was going to use the app. Freedom. I think it was called Freedom.

[J. Skeets]

Like, same.

[Tas Melas]

By forever ago. Forever ago. It was literally, like, 12 hours or 12 years ago. I think when we did that panel, it was like, 12 years.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

It was forever.

[Tas Melas]

When we did a panel with Zach Lowe, I pretended like the. For. My first answer was, I'm gonna start using Freedom. And Zach looked at me like, what? You're literally gonna stop watching basketball and just, like, lock yourself out of everything? I said, yeah, when I want to and I want to write something or I want to do something. I'm going to lock everything up else. But I never used it. So hopefully I get back to it. It is, it's very, very appealing. A freedom, a brick, whatever you use.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

That's right.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

2026 has arrived. Give me a goal or resolution for big two K26 skates.

[J. Skeets]

I mean this is not exciting or groundbreaking, but just more fun. Yeah, seriously awesome travel for sure. Because that's fun. Concerts, concerts. 100%. Every time I go to a concert I'm like, why don't I go to.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

More of these concerts are the best return on investment that there is. You're never upset that you went?

[J. Skeets]

Generally not generally not. Same with live comedy. Every time. Almost every time I'm like, why don't I do this all the time? So any adventures of any sort? So more fun things. More 2026 resolution. I have some much cash now too. Cash to spend.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Take out all your money in cash for the whole year. Never go back to the bank.

[Tas Melas]

Wow. See how much fun you could really have.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Tess.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, mine's connected. I need to play a role player game on switch. Like I call it a role player game. I want something where I, you know, try and figure something out. Then. Then fail. Then keep fighting.

[J. Skeets]

Work your way through again.

[Tas Melas]

You know, I. I brought this up recently and some people threw some games out, but I already forget what they were. Unfortunately. Like I looked them up. Metroid Prime 4 Beyond, whatever that is. Hates 2. Hollow Knight. I think you can get back into the Zelda world.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

The Zeldas are awesome.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, they're very good.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

They're awesome.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah. That was a fun time. I think I will end up. It will end up being Zelda because I look at all these other ones. I don't want them too advanced. They're like super advanced. The graphics are too much. I played Donkey Kong Bonanza. Fun role playing type of game. But it's like. It's too cool. It's too cool. It's. It's too cool.

[J. Skeets]

You need a brick for your switch.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, basically. Well, a little bit. Just a little bit like Don Kong Bonanza is just. You start every level. You just punch the crap out of everything. That's all you do.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

You.

[Tas Melas]

You just punch everything. But the graphics are awesome.

[J. Skeets]

Right?

[Tas Melas]

They look super cool and it is role playing type of thing. But I need more of a goal every time. I sure. I don't want to be a Donkey Kong. Just punching everything. So anyway, if everybody's got a great suggestion, let me know.

[J. Skeets]

Together too.

[Tas Melas]

I look that up too.

[J. Skeets]

Come on back in the kitchen. Let's make it work this time. All right. That was so much fun together. Okay, so suggestions for tasks.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, yeah, throw them in there.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

It's got to be on switch, though.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, yeah. I don't have the. The PlayStation 5. I hear you. I hear you. I don't have a comp. I don't sit at my desk. I don't have a gamer chair. I don't think I'm ever gonna do that.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

I don't think you'll ever have a gamer chair. I thought about it 20, 27, maybe when you're somebody.

[J. Skeets]

Are you playing it on your television or.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah, yeah. Okay. Yeah.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Not a handheld.

[Tas Melas]

I think the handles are cool, too.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Yeah, it is, but I think the angle that you have to hold it, it makes my hands fall asleep.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Yeah.

[J. Skeets]

Okay.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

What a softy.

[Tas Melas]

Hurting my wrists.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

JD this is never going to happen. But this is what I want to do is put myself on a minutes restriction so I can do this.

[J. Skeets]

Your whole thing is like, do less. You can't find me.

[Tas Melas]

That's right.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

That's exactly right.

[J. Skeets]

Restriction.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Because, well, I've worked too much.

[Tas Melas]

That's it.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

You know, I just do too much. So I want to, like, just do 40 hours a week, you know?

[J. Skeets]

Oh, okay. I see.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

That's all I want to do. That's not going to happen. But.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

But you want to.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

That's what I want. I want to do less. I want to, like, clock out. Like, we work in a factory. Just want to punch card.

[J. Skeets]

True. It's a very ironic name about the factory, isn't it? We almost never clock out.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

That's right.

[J. Skeets]

I used to work in a factory. And that was the best part.

[Tas Melas]

It was the best part of the day.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Yeah, exactly.

[J. Skeets]

And not thinking about working at a factory.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Yeah.

[J. Skeets]

Okay.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

Yeah, that's all.

[J. Skeets]

All right. Well, you got. You got this show, you got some war. No buffs. No buffs coming back before you know it.

[JD (Super Producer JD)]

And there'll be something else, I'm sure.

[J. Skeets]

All right. Good resolution. That's a rapid fire. How about you, TK you got a goal or a resolution 26.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Dial in and level up. I'm doing more.

[Tas Melas]

Okay.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

I read. I read 11 books in 2024.

[J. Skeets]

24, okay.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

2024. So my. My goal for 2025 was 12 books.

[J. Skeets]

Okay. Yeah, I read 15. Hey.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

So my goal for this year is 16.

[J. Skeets]

And you'll get to 20. I'm just.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

I'm just slowly but surely leveling up. Just get a little bit better at everything thing.

[J. Skeets]

Okay. I love it.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

You know, eat more protein. You don't have to have so many cheese flaps at night. I might order protein powder.

[J. Skeets]

Yet, but I might do it.

[Tas Melas]

I got some old protein powder. I don't eat. You want it?

[J. Skeets]

Does protein powder Go back. I got some old.

[Tas Melas]

That's a good question. I checked the best before on it. No.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah.

[Tas Melas]

Yes. But it's like long term. It's like years away.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Yeah. I would take it because, look, I'm in a. I got in a weird zone here. My muscles got bigger during 2025. That was a goal. I wanted. I want to put some muscles on. I want to lift some more weights. Great. But then that, like, got me thinking, yeah, you can just eat whatever you want now.

[Tas Melas]

You're working out all the time. That's what gets you. That's what gets you.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

So I was in a bulky and now I got to get into a leaning phase, I guess, you know, and that's why I gotta dial in.

[J. Skeets]

Okay.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

You gotta figure out the right things.

[J. Skeets]

Good luck.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

I'm trying.

[J. Skeets]

We believe in you. Yeah. Thank you. We'll hold you accountable here on the show because we see each other every day. Too much.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Okay.

[J. Skeets]

The next 10 founding members that we must salute for being founding members on Substack. We are making our way through everybody. That is one. And thanks, of course, to paid subscribers. To free subscribers. We appreciated it. That was a new thing for us in 2025. Yes. Start in the sub stack and we're gonna try and level up there as well. But these next 10, by name or by moniker, I guess. LP. There you go. Tas. We got Kane. Shout out to Budway.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Big shout out to Budway.

[J. Skeets]

Let's give it up for Grant, which feels like our eighth Grant that we've.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Flagged at this point.

[J. Skeets]

Oh, roll Donk. Where be your nutcracker? The king of the tuk tuk sound. Colin Frederickson. Thank you, Jimmy. Jimmy.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

See you at the bone temple.

[J. Skeets]

Justin Lee. I like the spelling of that. Justin with the E on the end. Greg.

[Tas Melas]

A.

[J. Skeets]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And finally, Beltabar. Beautiful. So those are our next batch of 10 founding members as we are making our way up to current day here as we're getting closer and closer, but never too late to become one. Or obviously just a paid subscriber. $5 a month for the no dunks Substack. We've done some fun things where we've done rewatch a lot of posts. Like what we like that always drops on Friday. That's coming later. Today, recommended links, stuff like that. So yeah, check it out. $5 a month. Link in the show notes. That's it for us. First show at 2026 in the bag. Let's hear your bold NBA predictions for 2026. That'll be a lot of fun. Let us know. You never know. We maybe could do something with your answers either here on no Dunks, maybe on Substack. So let's hear your best bold predictions in the comments below. We're back on Monday. What a weird couple weeks here. You know, it's like we're here, then we're gone. And we're here, then we're gone and JD's gone and he's back. But we're back on Monday. NBA Weekend winners and losers. So we'll hope to see you then at 10am Eastern. Until then, Clifford Rose, you heard it here first. Have a great time. Turn up. Love you guys. Awesome.

[Tas Melas]

Thanks for joining us. And remember, Thiago Splitter is a New Year's Day baby. He just turned 41. What? I think he'd be way older.

[J. Skeets]

Yeah, I know that. I saw that too.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

It's like, whoa, that's surprising to me.

[Tas Melas]

It is surprising.

[J. Skeets]

But he's a New Year's Day baby. Yeah.

[Tas Melas]

Yeah. The players sang Happy Birthday to him. Young Hansen sung it in Chinese.

[J. Skeets]

That's nice.

[Tas Melas]

That's very nice. What a team.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Very nice of him.

[Tas Melas]

They're making the playing embrace the weekend people.

[J. Skeets]

This time of year, most of us are checking off our holiday gift lists. But identity thieves have lists too, and your personal information might be on them. Protect your identity with Lifelock. Lifelock monitors millions of data points every second and alerts you to threats you could miss if your identity is stolen. Lifelock will fix it, guaranteed or your money back. Make this season about joy, not identity theft. With Lifelock, save up to 40% your first [e-mail] iheart terms apply.

[Julian Edelman]

This is Julian Edelman from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jewels. Sunday mornings I've got my game day ritual, coffee, lucky socks and now new morning Uncrustable sandwiches.

[J. Skeets]

It's all about that 12 gram protein.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Boost with the new uncrustables Bright eyed berry or up and apple flavors.

[Julian Edelman]

Bright Eye Berries got a feisty receiver.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Energy up an apple. Your classic do it all tight end.

[Julian Edelman]

Soft, pillowy, packed with protein and easy enough for Gronk to grab from the freezer.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

Whether you're on the couch, driving to the tailgate or heading to the locker room. New morning Uncrustable sandwiches are the MVP of snacks.

[Julian Edelman]

Your new Sunday kickoff ritual starts here with new morning uncrustable sandwiches packed with 12 grams of protein.

[Odoo Advertiser]

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[Tas Melas]

Janice Torres here, and I'm Austin Hankwitz.

[J. Skeets]

We host the podcast Mind the Small Business Success Stories, produced by Ruby Studio.

[Tas Melas]

In partnership with Intuit QuickBooks.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

We're back for season four to talk to some incredible small business owners.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

The big thing about working at tech is that it's ever evolving, ever changing.

[J. Skeets]

Everyone's a rookie.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

That's how fast the industry is changing.

[J. Skeets]

So what I'm really excited about is.

[TK (Tas Melas)]

To be part of that change. So listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple.

[J. Skeets]

Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jenna Kim Jones]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.