Are the Pistons a Contender? + East Play In Mania | Slam N Jam

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily: Are the Pistons a Contender? + East Play-In Mania | Slam N Jam

Date: March 28, 2026
Hosts: Andrew Schlecht and Alex Spears
Featured Guest: Bryce Simon (Game Theory, Pistons Pulse podcast)

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Overview

This episode of Saturday Slam n’ Jam on The Athletic NBA Daily dives into two primary topics:

1. What’s driving the Detroit Pistons’ stunning season and their chances at legitimate contention, featuring deep analysis with Pistons expert Bryce Simon.
2. The wild, high-quality Eastern Conference play-in race and evolving league-wide stories, including MVP discourse, tanking reforms, and this year’s impactful rookie class.

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NBA Week-in-Review & Headlines

Starts: [02:30]

Expansion & League Policy Updates

• League Expansion: Board of Governors approved exploration of expansion bids for Las Vegas and Seattle. Move toward a 32-team league.
• Tanking Crackdown: Adam Silver: “We’re going to fix it, full stop.” ([03:05])
  • Upcoming changes to anti-tanking rules expected before the draft/free agency.
• 65-Game Rule Debate:
  • Players Association wants to abolish 65-game minimum for awards (especially All-NBA). Adam Silver stands firm: “I think it’s working.” ([03:30])
  • Cade Cunningham and Tyrese Maxey’s eligibility at stake.

Injuries & Returns

• Sixers Boost: Joel Embiid (oblique) and Paul George (suspension) return vs. Bulls and look dominant.
  • Embiid: 35 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast / 28 min.
  • Paul George: 28 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl / 26 min. ([04:19])
• Seeding Impacts: Sixers up to 7th; Hawks up to 5th but face tough closing schedule; Magic and Heat slumping.
• Hornets Surge: “23-6 in their last 33 – second best record in the league behind only (unintelligible).” ([05:20])

West Coast Drama

• Minnesota vs. Houston: Wildest finish of the year—multiple huge runs, Scott Foster controversy/ejection of Nas Reed (upheld, then confirmed incorrect).
• Nuggets Rolling: Jamal Murray (53 pts), Jokic (23-21-19)—team moving up, Peyton Watson returns, playoff positioning tightening.
• Victor Wembanyama Watch: Spurs within 2 games of OKC for top seed.

Shoutouts

• Rookie Ace Bailey (Jazz): 25-6-3, 41% 3P on 12 3PA – 37 pt game vs. Toronto ([07:00]).
• Lottery Movement: Nets jump Wizards (reverse standings).

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“Good, Bad, and What?” Segment

[Good]

1. Hook Shot Kings of 2025-26 (Andrew at 08:58)

   • Top hook-shot shooters (60+ attempts):
     • Keldon Johnson: 67.8% (“Captain Hook for 25-26”)
     • Jokic: 63%
     • Ayton: 61%
     • Valanciunas: 60%
     • Landale: 59%
   • Notable quote:
     • “Zion Williamson shoots 30% on hook shots. Which… not great.” — Andrew ([10:41])

2. Pears Are Good (brief fruit tangent: 11:01)

   • “Underrated fruit.” — Andrew

3. East Play-In Race Is Best Ever (Alex at 12:05)

   • All play-in teams above .500; rare competitiveness; Hornets, Sixers, others as legitimate threats.
   • “Charlotte is currently at a plus 4.13 SRS—seventh best in the league. Last time a team with an SRS over four missed the playoffs was 1971-72.” ([13:23])
   • Counterpoint: Picks situation adds drama—ATL(SA), PHI(OKC), ORL(MEM) could all lose lottery picks.

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[Bad]

1. Clutch Scoring Doesn’t Always Carry Over (Andrew at 16:12)

   • Cautionary stats: regular season clutch shooting doesn’t always translate in playoffs.
     • Ex: Lakers went from 48% (RS) to 31% (Playoffs), Celtics 48% to 21.9% ([17:29])
   • “Just a warning to fanbases.” — Andrew

2. MVP Discourse & Propaganda (Alex at 18:39)

   • Social media using old clips for current MVP propaganda.
   • Argues this is one of the best-ever MVP fields: Luka, SGA, Jokic, Wemby.
     • “This is one of the strongest MVP fields… in the history of the league.” ([20:47])
   • Historic comparisons (1990-91, 2015-16, 2013, 1989-90, now).

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[What]

1. Tanking Reforms: Will They Work? (Andrew at 25:04)

   • Adam Silver wants harsher tanking penalties. Will they actually succeed?
     • “I just don’t feel confident that he’s going to do it… As long as the draft exists…, teams are going to try this…” — Andrew ([26:09])
   • Flattened odds backfired: now more teams have incentive to lose further down the standings.
   • Possible fixes: revert to old odds, penalize only worst ownership, or accept that bad records sometimes signify incompetence, not intent.

2. Rookie Class Stats (Alex at 32:57)

   • One stat for each top-5 rookie:
     • Cooper Flag: Eight 30-point games—3rd all-time among rookie teens (trailing only Carmelo, LeBron).
     • Dylan Harper: 10th in NBA in rim attempts per 100, despite being a guard.
     • VJ Edgecombe: Only rookie (past decade, besides Cade, Luka, Flag) to average 16/5/4.
     • Con Knippel: Fastest player ever to 250 3PM (in 72 games), threatens rookie and Hornets records.

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Wheel of Fandom: Detroit Pistons Deep-Dive

Begins: [40:28], with interview at [41:33]

Pistons Weekly Summary

• Recent games:
  • Beat surging Warriors, snapped Lakers’ nine-game streak (Danis Jenkins: 30 pts, clutch go-ahead shot), OT loss to Atlanta, win over Pelicans (Jalen Duren: 30-10-7).
  • Currently: 53 wins, league-best defense (2nd in D per Cleaning the Glass), 29th in offense.

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Interview with Pistons Expert Bryce Simon

Begins: [41:33]

Jalen Duren’s Leap

• Post-ASB Surge: Scoring up to 23.3 ppg since All-Star break (was 17.7 ppg).
  • “This offensive leap from Jalen Duren is truly, truly special for a team that needed a second scorer.” — Bryce ([42:58])
• Improved Touch & FTs: Free throw rate/efficiency improved (now 74%).
• Passing Vision: “Jalen Duren can pass. He is able to make the necessary short roll reads…” ([45:01])

National Skepticism: Is Detroit a Real Contender?

• “It does rub me the wrong way sometimes… the Pistons still end up being the fifth team brought up [in East contender talks].” ([47:00])
• Acknowledges concerns about three-point shooting and depth, especially with Cade Cunningham’s health (collapsed lung).
• Prediction: Can win a round, but would bet on “capping out in the second round, depending on matchup.”

Kevin Huerter’s Role

• “He went through a stretch where he just didn’t want to shoot threes… he’s coming off his best floor-spacing night.” ([48:34])
• Addition didn’t fix all shooting needs, but front office wants to see team as is in playoffs first.

Playoff Matchups That Worry Detroit ([52:34])

• Every East play-in team dangerous; Philly less so if not healthy, but “Hornets most fun,” Miami most worrying due to Spoelstra/experience.

Team’s Transformation: From Rebuild to Contender

• “We can’t even talk NBA draft right now… because these games and awards matter.” ([54:35])
• Quick pitch: JB Bickerstaff should be Coach of the Year for culture change.
  • “The way he shifted the culture… it’s just so impressive.”

Second Round Matchup Preferences ([56:53])

• Rank of toughest opponents: Celtics (worst), then Cavs, then Knicks.
• Boston “makes me most nervous” – they don’t turn the ball over, hit the glass, and have plenty to attack Pistons’ weakest defenders.

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Notable Quotes / Memorable Moments

• “Captain Hook of this year is Keldon Johnson.” — Andrew ([10:45])
• “This is one of the strongest MVP fields, not just in recent memory, but in league history.” — Alex ([20:47])
• “Cade Cunningham is the most talked about player right now because of the NBPA and the 65-game rule.” — Bryce ([54:58])
• “The whole third of the league tanking thing is a direct result of the flattened odds.” — Alex ([30:56])
• “As long as you have a draft, losing is just part of it. You have to accept it.” — Andrew ([32:48])
• “Once he starts hitting these tip-ins, [Asar Thompson’s] efficiency is going to go up so much. But he’s now 9 of 28 on tip-ins.” — Bryce ([80:07])

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Fun / Trivia Section

• Lightning-round Pistons trivia with Bryce Simon (from [59:29] onward):
  • Questions about 30-pt games, three-point marks, All-Stars, franchise history, and dunk leaders.
  • Notable moment: Homage to Duncan Robinson’s name during trivia about his (scarce) dunks.
  • Humorous guest/host banter, plus callback to embarrassing predictions (e.g. Oklahoma City's Gordon Hayward trade: “Maybe I still know nothing.” — Bryce, [51:40])

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Closing & Next Week’s Wheel of Fandom

Warriors selected as next week’s team
Hosts react to Moses Moody’s injury, Steph’s murky status, and preview the gauntlet of upcoming games.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:30] — NBA Weekly Overview & Headlines
• [08:58] — Good/Bad/What Segment Begins
• [12:05] — East Play-In Analysis
• [16:12] — Clutch Shooting Warning
• [18:39] — MVP Discourse Deep Dive
• [25:04] — Tanking Rule Discussion
• [32:57] — Rookie Top 5 Stats
• [40:28] — Pistons Week Recap & Interview Intro
• [41:33] — Bryce Simon Interview: Pistons Analysis
• [59:29] — Pistons Trivia: Andrew vs. The Beat
• [82:26] — Next Wheel of Fandom: Golden State Warriors

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Tone & Language

The show remains witty, irreverent, and basketball-nerd friendly—hosts share stats, advanced analytics, and pop culture banter. They’re self-deprecating, fair-minded, and welcome both deep-dive analytic and big-picture cultural/NBA discourse. The interview with Bryce is respectful but honest, mixing fandom with critical team questions.

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Summary: Should You Listen?

Absolutely. This is a rich, up-to-date, high-energy recap of the NBA’s biggest storylines—balancing stats-geek insights with locker-room banter and team-specific deep-dives. Pistons fans will especially appreciate the nuanced segment with Bryce Simon, but anyone tracking playoff races, tanking reforms, or the rookie class will find plenty here.

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For Quick Reference

• Top storyline: Pistons are a real defensive powerhouse, but offensive questions remain—second-round ceiling most likely.
• East play-in race: Historic quality; multiple teams with above-average metrics and big lottery-pick trade ramifications.
• League policy: Expect tanking reforms before the next draft; 65-game rule not likely to change soon.
• Rookie race: Generational class—Cooper Flag, Dylan Harper, VJ Edgecombe, and Knippel all setting records.
• Next week: Dive into the Warriors amid injuries and play-in drama.

Transcript

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[Bryce Simon]

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[Andrew]

Welcome to the Saturday Slam and Jam here on the Athletic NBA Daily, brought to you by Amazon Prime. On today's show, we're doing our good, bad and what we're going to talk about the Detroit Pistons with our guy Bryce Simon. And then we'll do some driving trivia. But before any of that, Alex, what happened in the NBA this week?

[Alex]

Well, Andrew, the top story this week was the Board of Governors meeting where a vote was approved to explore bids for expansion teams exclusively in Vegas and Seattle, moving the league one step closer to a 32 team. League commissioner Adam Silver, speaking after the meeting, spoke on a broad range of topics including tanking. Silver said that the owners quote, seemed unanimous that a change was needed and that that change needed to take place prior to this year's draft and free agency. No specifics were given, but Silver did say, quote, we're going to fix it full stop now. Whatever changes the league makes are likely to have unintended consequences similar to what we are seeing now with the 65 game rule for postseason awards. The Players association called for the 65 game rule to be abolished this week, though Adam Silver did not sound like a change was coming, saying, quote, I think it's working. The focus of the Players Association's ire was Cade Cunningham, who played 61 games almost 2100 minutes, but will likely miss the 65 game cutoff if he does not return soon. Many have pointed out how taking into account minutes played could potentially help these borderline cases. Take for example Tyrese Maxey, who has only played 61 games but has played over 2,300 minutes. That's more than 600 minutes than Victor Wembanyama as an example. But Maxey will not be eligible for all NBA if he does not play four more games. Speaking of the Sixers, they finally got some good news this week. Both Joel Embiid, out for the last month with an oblique strain, and Paul George, out for the last 25 games due to suspension, came back in a dominant win over the Bulls. Both players look great. Embiid put up 35, 6 and 7 in 28 minutes, while Paul George put up 28, 6 and 4 with four steals in only 26 minutes. They should, they should rest these guys all the time, Andrew, they're so good. When they come back, the last piece of the puzzle will be Maxi, who is scheduled to be reevaluated at the end of March, which is this upcoming weekend. Now, the win against the Bulls has temporarily brought the Sixers up to the seventh seed, only a game back of the five seed Hawks, who have now won 14 of their last 15. Five of the last games of the season for the Hawks, however, are against the top four seeds in the east, which may make it difficult to hang on to that five seed. One of the reasons Philly has moved up is because the Magic and Heat decided to fall apart this week. It was just a few weeks ago we were talking about these two teams. They were both on five game winning streak before a win over the Kings on Thursday. The Magic dropped six in a row including a devastating loss to the now 16 win Pacers at home who ended their franchise worst 16 game losing streak. The Heat did get a nice win over the Cavs on Thursday, but they had dropped their previous five games which moved them down to the 10 seat. Meanwhile, the Hornets continue to win. They won all three of their games this week, including an impressive 114 to 103 win over the Knicks on Thursday. The hornets are now 236 in their last 33 games. That is the second best record in the league over that span behind only the now in the west we had one of the more entertaining and dumb games of the year between Minnesota and Houston. In the span of five minutes, the final five minutes of regulation overtime, Houston went on a 177 run to force overtime. They started overtime on a 130 run. So now we're on a 30 to seven run since the five minute mark in the fourth. But then the Wolves went on a 150 run to finish the game, winning 110 to 108 and completing the biggest comeback in overtime since those stats have been recorded. Now that would be wild enough, but this game also features featured a bizarre ejection of Nas Reed, courtesy of course of Scott Foster. Nas Reed was called for a charge against Alper and Shingoon, a play that clearly looked like a block on review. Luckily the Wolves had a challenge to review it, but after review Scott Foster quickly mumbled through an explanation of why it was the correct call and then when Nas Reed protested, he received a technical and then was immediately ejected. Now, to the surprise of no. 1, the last two minute report confirmed that the play was a block along with several other errors Scott Foster's crew made down the stretch of that game. The win was important for the Wolves who have now gone a game and a half up on the Rockets for the five seed. Now the Wolves current first round matchup if they stay in the five seed would be the Denver Nuggets. What a matchup that would be. What a crazy first round matchup. The Nuggets have won four in a row. They've moved back up to the four seed in the process. They got a big boost this week as Peyton Watson returned to the lineup after his extended absence. He was immediately impactful in a win over Dallas. Jamal Murray scored 53 points while Jokic put up a 232119 line. Now this Nuggets improvement has coincided with the schedule getting easier, which won't necessarily Change soon as their next three are Utah, Golden State, Utah. But next Saturday, you gotta mark this on your calendars. The Nuggets play the spurs at home, which will be the first time the Nuggets have faced Victor Wembanyama all season because he missed their first two matchups. The spurs, meanwhile, have moved within two games of OKC for the number one seed, helped this week by the Boston Celtics, who beat the Thunder in in Boston 119 to 109. And finally this week, let's give a shout out to rookie Ace Bailey. Now, the Jazz probably aren't on anyone's radar at this point in the season, but that doesn't mean they aren't still playing games, okay? And in those games, Ace Bailey has really started to shine over his last five. He's averaging 25, 6 and 3 while shooting 41% on almost 12 three pointers per game. His best performance came in a game against Toronto where Ace scored a career high 37, which included going 7 of 10 from three. The Jazz remain in the fifth spot in the reverse standings. The only big movement this week was the Nets jumped the Wizards after the Wizards beat Ace Bailey and the Jazz. And those were the top stories this week. Andrew.

[Andrew]

What a week, Al. What a week. There's always something happening. Every single week. It's been.

[Alex]

It'd be, It'd be weird if nothing did happen. If we came on here and we just had to say, hey, there were a few games, they weren't that great.

[Andrew]

We can skip all. We'll skip the top stories this week.

[Alex]

It's now, by the way, if you're. If you're watching live, I'm re. I'm reporting live for the first time. This is our first international podcast with me and Andrew. I'm reporting live from Vancouver, British Columbia.

[Bryce Simon]

Beautiful.

[Alex]

Although if you see in the background, it's. It's actually very cloudy right now and might be raining, but still very beautiful. To celebrate. Andrew, we're going to do what we do every week, which is good, bad, or what, where we talk about something we liked, something we didn't like, and something that left us a little confused. So, Andrew, what is your good this week?

[Andrew]

So I was. I was looking at a shot type that not many people are looking at, and I was just wondering who the best person is at this particular shot. And it's hook shots. Al.

[Alex]

They still do those.

[Andrew]

Who is the captain hook of the 20, 25, 26 season?

[Alex]

Al this is Savior Simpson.

[Andrew]

It's not Xavier Simpson, who is nicknamed Captain Hook, because he's this little guy who just exclusively took hook shots and he was very fun. Perfect tanking character, by the way.

[Alex]

Yeah, yeah, you need someone perfect.

[Andrew]

You need characters. And Xavier Simpson. Captain Hook was great. But who's the Captain Hook today? Counting down, the top five guys and percentage on their hook shots this year, they got to be high of a higher volume guys. Okay, we're there. There's several guys that have hit a hundred percent of their hook shots, but they've hit like three. Okay, these are guys that are taking them. Number five, Jacques Landale, 59% on his hook shots. Pretty good.

[Alex]

Congrats.

[Andrew]

Four, Jonas Valentunas. Not. Not a shocker there. Seems like a. A guy with a nice hook shot. 60% on his hook shots. Number three, Deandre Ayton. He is dominating on his hook shots this year. 61% of his hook shots are going in.

[Alex]

Nice.

[Andrew]

Number two, not a surprise. And also the Nuggets are hoarding these guys. Nikola Jokic, 63% on his hook shots this season. And the number one player in hook shots this year, the Captain hook of the 2526 season is. Keldon Johnson. 67.8% of his hook shots are going in. And the Captain Hook of this year is Kelton Johnson. Also, I found out Zion Williamson shoots 30% on hook shots, which not great. Not great. Wow.

[Alex]

Kelton Johnson. That's a fun little factoid. Share with your friends.

[Andrew]

Yeah, I thought, like, if it ends up being like Jonas Valanchunas or if it's even Jokic or Aiden, like, that's not interesting at all.

[Alex]

Yeah, if it was Jokic, it's like, who cares?

[Andrew]

There's like nothing to bring to the table. But Keldon Johnson, who's been awesome this year, by the way, is master of hookjust. Also something else. That's good, Al. I've been really into pears lately. If you get a good pear, the fruit. Yeah, it's hard to beat. It's hard to beat.

[Alex]

I would say they're one of those fruits that I have to cut. I don't like just biting into a pear, really.

[Andrew]

But if it's okay, if it's. It has to be the correct condition. That's the problem with pears. But whenever they're. Whenever a pear is good, it's. It's tip top hard to be.

[Alex]

I don't know if I can agree with that. If I did my top 10 fruit ranking right now, I don't think it would come anywhere close.

[Andrew]

I'm just.

[Alex]

I don't think I would even consider it.

[Andrew]

I'm just in a pair kind of mood right now, I guess. I don't know.

[Alex]

Huh. Interesting.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Alex]

I haven't thought about pears in a minute.

[Andrew]

Dude. Underrated. Underrated fruit. Underrated, I would say.

[Alex]

I would say properly rated and not thought of by most people.

[Andrew]

That's the problem. That's the problem.

[Alex]

My good this week is that I believe that we are headed for the best Eastern Conference play in we've ever seen.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Alex]

Now, for too long, the east play in, it's just not stirred up the level excitement that its west counterpart has. There's been some close games, no doubt, but when you've seen every combination of Chicago, Atlanta and Miami play each other year after year, it's hard to get that excited. But this year, everything changes. First, just going by team records, this will likely end up being the strongest group of teams we've ever had. Every team currently in the east plan is 39 and 34 or better, and they each have at least two remaining games against tanking teams. Okay, so if you look back at the last two decades of east standings, this level of competence is very unique. In the previous two decades, the eighth seed, forget about nine and 10, the eighth seed, the team that was making the playoffs every year during so many of those years, under 500. In 11 of those 20 seasons, they were exactly.500. In another four seasons. The only real comparison is the 2122 season when all four east playing teams were above.500. I think that was the second year of the plan. We had the dysfunctional Nets who had just traded away James Harden. We had another Trey Young Hawks team, the cavs in Evan Mobley's rookie season. And then the Hornets in LaMelo's second season, his best season to honestly till this year, that was his All Star season. All those solid teams, all at least four games above.500. But I think the crop of teams is even stronger this year, led by those Hornets, who are the best team we've ever had in this position. Basketball Reference has this metric called Simple Rating System or srs. It takes into account point differential and strength of schedule. Charlotte is currently at a plus 4.13, which puts them at the seventh best team in the entire league. Now, the last time a team with an SRS above four didn't make the playoffs was the 7172 season when each conference only sent four teams to the playoffs. Okay, so it would. It would be very strange if Charlotte did not end up in the playoffs. And after and all these other teams, depending on the week, look like real threats to the very least annoy their first round opponent. Like if we end up getting the Sixers with a healthy Embiid and Maxi and the hornets as our 7 8, those are the two best 78 seeds I can remember in the East.

[Andrew]

That's incredible.

[Alex]

Those are like two legit teams.

[Andrew]

That's incredible.

[Alex]

And adding on to the intrigue, three of the teams involved in this play in mix do not control their own pick. So Atlanta's currently safe. They're in fifth, but they're only one game out of the play in. And if they lost in the play in, San Antonio would be getting a lottery pick. We all know that if Philly loses in the play in, OKC would be getting a top four protected lottery pick. But the most interesting one, which I don't feel like is being talked about enough, and it seems the most likely is Orlando. If Orlando loses in the plan, Memphis will be getting an additional lottery pick. That would mean within a calendar year of trading Desmond Bain. Just from that trade, the Grizzlies would have already gotten Cedric Coward a 2026 lottery pick. And then they still have control of the Magic's pick in 29 and 30. Now, it is actually more complicated than that because the Phoenix picks could come into play too. There's a very complicated string of things that happen with Phoenix and Orlando's pick. But in either of those scenarios, Memphis would get a lottery pick if Orlando falls out. So for the sake of simplicity, there's a decent chance the Grizz are getting a second lottery pick. All of that together, in my opinion, makes this east play and easily the greatest playing we've ever had, which is a really good thing. So that's really good this week.

[Andrew]

Yeah. And the Grizzlies, with how good that they've drafted, I know that could, you know, I know my guy Keith Parrish has been bummed out. But, dude, if they end up like getting a top five pick and like the 12th pick, that could completely shape your team.

[Alex]

It could. And it's a great year for it to happen.

[Andrew]

It is.

[Alex]

Maybe it's going to work out.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Alex]

Okay, Andrew, what is your bad this week?

[Andrew]

My bad this week is I just want to warn some fan bases about their good clutch shooting in the regular season and how it may not pay off in the playoffs. So last year, teams that were shooting the best in the clutch. Top five, five last year, kings, kings, 47% in the clutch. The Pacers, which actually is a good case 47%. Boston Celtics were 48% in the clutch last year. In the regular season, The Lakers were second and the Nuggets were first in clutch shooting in the regular season, 53%. Bottom five clutch shooting teams in the playoffs last year in the playoffs. So just. Just comparing regular season to playoffs, these are the worst. The Rockets 33%. Not a surprise. The warriors were 33% as well. The third worst was the Los Angeles Lakers. They went from 48% in the regular season to 31% in the playoffs. Bad, bad, bad. Second, Orlando Magic not shocking 25%. And the worst clutch shooting team in the NBA in the playoffs last season, the Boston Celtics 21.9%. You just can't carry over the clutch shooting from the regular season to the playoffs. It's just. It comes down to a lot of luck and a lot of make or miss stuff and it can be a little topsy turvy. We even saw that. We saw that with the Thunder, who were an amazing clutch team that Chris Paul year and then they were not in that first round series.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

So just a warning to everybody who's leaning on. We're so good in the clutch. Everything is amazing in the clutch. That can go away in a heartbeat in the playoffs. So just a. Just a little warning for my bad this week to the fan bases that are pumping up, pumping themselves up, talking about how good they are in the clutch may not happen in the playoffs.

[Alex]

And what I would say to those same fan bases. Don't listen to Andrew, okay? Wouldn't you rather be a good clutch team now than a bad clutch team? It's not a bad thing to be good in the clutch. And who knows, maybe you'll still be good in the playoffs. We don't know. Don't listen to Andrew. Don't let him get you down.

[Andrew]

I'm not telling you to be down. I'm just warning you. It's just a warning. Just a warning.

[Alex]

Don't accept his warning for my bad this week. I'm going to start with a bad and then I'm going to spin it to a good. Now, the bad is the yearly MVP discourse, which takes on new levels of absurdity and toxicity every season. And this season is no different. I'm seeing a variety of posts where the central message is, you know, if you don't rank my favorite player at at least this spot, you are a parasite. You should not be able to work. Your assets should be repossessed. Your name should be forgotten for all time. But we're Also seeing novel ideas in the world of propaganda. This week I was alerted to a widely shared post among Lakers fans with a video clip from the Very Good All NBA podcast with Adam Mares and Tim Legler. In the clip, Legs is making the case for why he has Luka at number one on his MVP board. You click on it and you see all the Lakers fans in the comments. They're saying, you know, finally someone who knows Ball. You know, I guess some people in the media do watch the games. Legs is the best, which he is, to be clear. But the clip was from February 2024 over two years ago. Just an amazing innovation in MVP propaganda. Amazing. Now, I'm not here to tell you how to feel about mvp, but I do want to make the case that this is one of the strongest MVP fields, not just in recent memory, but in the history of the league. The top four candidates, in my opinion, Luka Doncic, Shay Gilchrist, Alexander Nikola Jokic, Victor Weminyama, which I have listed alphabetically, is an unassailable top four. Now, if you want to compare MVP classes across years, admittedly there's not a great way to do it. I chose win shares per 48 as a metric of comparison, but it's a flawed stat. The upside is that you can calculate win shares per 48 going all the way back to the beginning of the league. The downside is that it's a box score stat which has its own limitations, but also before a certain point in the league's history, they weren't collecting all the normal box score stats that we're used to. And so as you go back, the calculation becomes more questionable. But it's a quick and dirty method and most importantly, it's very fun. So I went back through every MVP season history of the league and looked at the win shares per 48 of the top four MVP vote getters. I compared them to every other class and so without further ado, here are the top five MVP classes in MBA history according to my flawed but fun method. Number five. 89 90. Okay, so 89 90. Magic Johnson wins the award, followed by Barkley, MJ and Karl Malone. The top three boat getters each got at least 20 first place votes. There were only 92 first place votes available at that time. This was the closest MVP race in history. Charles Barkley actually got 38 first place votes to Magic's 27.

[Andrew]

Wow.

[Alex]

But several voters left Barkley completely off their ballot, which allowed Magic to win by a very slim margin. I would say Great start for my method number four, 15 16. Steph Curry won as the first unanimous MVP winner. He was leading the 73 win warriors. But despite the unanimous win, this was still a great field overall. You had Kawhi leading the 67 win, Spurs Braun leading the 57 win, and eventual champion Cavs. And Russell Westbrook getting the nod over kd who finished behind him. That's one of those ones I kind of forgot. I forgot that Russ finished ahead of KD.

[Andrew]

Yeah, I did too that season.

[Alex]

Okay, number three, 2013. Now I just mentioned that Steph was the first unanimous MVP in NBA history. It should have happened. Arguably. Actually not arguably, it should have happened in 2013. LeBron James won the MVP award. So this was his second season in Miami. He received 120 of the 121 first place votes. If you remember at that time, Carmelo Anthony, who finished third in voting, got one first place vote. How could we forget Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.

[Andrew]

Shout out to Gary who, Who thought

[Alex]

that, you know, he, he actually came out, he admitted it was him because I don't even know if we had the voting at that time, like who voted for who. But he wrote an article about why he picked Carmelo and his basic argument was that Carmelo was more important than LeBron was to this super team in Miami. You know, that, that was, that was the talk at the time, but a very good class because you had LeBron, then you had KD in OKC. This was one year before he would win the MVP in New York, that awesome season they had. And then Chris Paul, one of his better seasons with the Clippers. And of course Chris Paul's an advanced stats demon, so he's going to show up well in all these.

[Andrew]

Yes.

[Alex]

Number two is this year's class with sga, Okic, Wemby and Luka, number two overall. So I would say pretty good. Pretty good. And then number one MVP class by this method is the 1990, 91 season. So this was Michael Jordan's second MVP. He would go on to win his first championship this season. Magic Johnson, number two, David Robinson, number three. And then Charles Barkley, fourth. It was a, it was a crazy season for David Robinson. That was, I mean all of his stats are crazy, but that season he put up 26 and 13 with two and a half steals and four blocks. You know, Barkley was at 28, 10 and 4. This was just a loaded class. Listen, you don't have to believe my method, but I just think it's worth thinking about when you're Talking about, like, oh, this guy deaf. This guy shouldn't be anywhere, anywhere near this guy. Just acknowledge that this is like one of the best MVP classes we have ever had. And I have to admit that to myself sometimes because obviously we're Thunder fans, we are going to be biased towards sga. But I have to at least be willing to hear the cases for some of these other guys because this truly is an amazing class. And in a lot of years, any one of these four guys would be like the obvious mvp.

[Andrew]

No question. No question. Yeah, it is very fun.

[Alex]

That brings us to our what, Andrew, what is your what this week?

[Andrew]

I am just really curious to see how all this tanking stuff plays out and like some of these things that are being proposed where if a team is caught twice, like doing something drastic with their tanking, that they could have their pick just like taken from them or pushed to the end of the first round. How did they decide that? Because they arbitrarily decided to find two teams this season while other teams were doing similar tanking stuff. And so I am like, how do they decide what that looks like? What are the thresholds that these teams have to cross? I don't know. I am just so curious to see how all this works because teams are going to find ways as long as the NBA draft exists and the best way for these teams to get these picks and there's like some sort of lottery method, the teams are going to try to do this. Also, I've been saying this next season, everybody, no matter what happens, if they kept the lottery system the exact same for next year, it's not going to look like this. The class isn't very good. Teams aren't going to go to the same, you know, methods that they are this year because the class isn't good enough to do it. I think it would look like it's fixed no matter what next year. I think no matter what they do, it's going to have some, like, big ramifications for the league that, that kind of stuff and how they arbitrarily choose which teams have violated these, these things and which teams have not will be very interesting. Also, we could see some teams put together some of the worst rosters in the history of the league too. So I'm just like, really curious because, like, we're not tanking, we're just terrible. Like, I don't know. I don't know how teams are going to do it, but like, if you think you're just going to get rid of teams that are losing or you're just like almost rewarding like the Kings for just like being completely incompetent because they're not tanking, they're just incompetent. And so like, that's okay. I really think that it really should come down to like penalizing ownership because most of these, like, really, really bad teams are the teams that have bad owners. You look at Sacramento like, I think you should find more ways to penalize ownership than you should these guys that are actually trying to form good teams. So I'm just. My what is, man? I don't know that Adam Silver is going to do a good job of fixing tanking. Like, I just don't know that. I just, I just don't feel confident that he's going to do it. I feel like he's going to do something. I feel like he's being pushed to do something. But do I feel confident in any of these things that have been proposed? I don't feel confident in any of it.

[Alex]

Yeah, I mean we, we see it with the 65 game rule where eventually there's going to be unintended consequences. I think for tanking. The thing I'm most interested is how they target multi year tanking because like you said, if you tear a team down to the studs, like that's still going to be allowed. You can't prevent a team from doing that. Yeah, but if the trade off is that okay, fine, you get this one year to tear this team down to the studs, but then the next year you're going to be penalized somehow. Like maybe you aren't able to get up into the top four again or into the top five. That's going to change how teams operate. But if there's a generational draft, I could still imagine teams deciding, okay, we're going to tear it down to the studs just for this upcoming season. Going to go all in on this one draft and then we'll get back to it next year like we. And, and maybe that will be fine for everyone. But you're still going to have teams tanking. As long as draft success is tied or draft standings odds is tied to wins, losses, which it is. They're not. I don't think they're going to suddenly do the wheel. It's going to be tied to wins and losses in some way. You're, you're going to have these outcomes. But you know, if, if they can do something to cut down on multi year tanking, I suppose that is a good thing. I just worry about and we kind of seen it with some of the, like the revised odds where teams can just get stuck where they keep falling in the draft. The one, you know, the Wizards are an example. Like, they move up that one year, it's the worst draft. They get Alex Sar, who's a good player, but then they keep falling back. We saw this with the Pistons, you know, they get Cade, but then they kept falling back to five. Could you see an even more like a worse version of that?

[Andrew]

Yes.

[Alex]

Where teams maybe get one pick, but then they're falling back to, you know, 6, 7, 8 every other year because they're not allowed to jump up in the top five. And do they just get stuck in this cycle? I think that would be my concern with any of these changes.

[Andrew]

Yeah. And to me, like, the flattening of the odds is not discouraging teams. What it is, it's. It encouraged teams like, oh, Even if we're 10th, we're 9th, we still have a chance, so we should just lose.

[Alex]

It also encourages multi year tanking because if, if you're not jumping, if you're not getting a consistently high pick every year, you have to run it back.

[Andrew]

Yeah. To, to me, you keep the play in, you keep the old odds where it's like so stacked toward like the, the worst four or five teams and then you make it minuscule to the rest where it's like, it's probably not worth it for us. We should just probably compete and try to get in the play in. Yeah, no, to me, that makes more sense. Where it's like, you tank, you feel a little bit. These like worst four teams can like feel like secure and it doesn't encourage 10 teams to tank, which is what

[Alex]

we're seeing this year, which is what

[Andrew]

we're seeing right now. Because of the whole third of the league team.

[Alex]

Yeah, the whole third of the league tanking thing is a direct result of the flattened odds.

[Andrew]

Yes, yes. And like we said, this, this happened, this is already, this cycle has already happened in the NBA where they had the flattened odds, the Orlando Magic won back to back lotteries and then they shifted it over and now I feel like we're, we've like come clear all the way back around to this. And it's like, man, I wish they would just have kept it the way that it was. You have just like a few teams that get like pretty good odds to stay in those spots. And like you just. That's just the system that we have to work with. As long as you have a draft it's just is like it is what it is. And like, I wish that not so many conversations and so many. I almost think they're overthinking all of this right now.

[Alex]

Well, it'll become apparent in a few years and then we'll switch back.

[Andrew]

Yeah, they'll bring forth all these horrific ideas that will eventually backfire in some way and it's like, golly, will you stop shooting yourself in the foot with all this stuff.

[Alex]

People will yearn for the day of the 26 Utah Jazz. They will yearn for it.

[Andrew]

They will year. They will be yearning. Yeah. It's just all of this just drives me crazy because the, the fact of the matter is teams need a mechanism to get high level players, period. Especially small market teams need a mechanism to get high level players. And the draft is that now none of it's guaranteed. You could be like the Sacramento Kings for 16 years and pick in the top five over and over again and never get there. But like you have, you still have to have a competent front office to like make it all happen or have a lot of luck to make it happen. But you have to have a mechanism for these teams to get good players. You just have to. And if it is losing, I think you have to just accept it.

[Alex]

That brings me to my what which is going to be very positive because it's about this amazing rookie class. Now I talked about Ace Bailey's rise earlier, but I'm going to continue celebrating this class by giving you one stat to make you say, what about the other picks in the top five? So we're going to do the other four picks in the top five, starting with first overall pick Cooper Flag with nine games remaining. Flag already has eight 30 point games in his rookie season, which among rookie teenagers ranks third all time behind only rookie Carmelo and rookie LeBron.

[Andrew]

Wow.

[Alex]

Mello had 10 and LeBron had 13. So flag still has room to move up in these final couple of weeks.

[Andrew]

Wow.

[Alex]

But he already has more 30 point games than rookie KD who was in like a similar position on a bad team. Rookie Luka Booker, Ant or Zion. What?

[Andrew]

That's pretty.

[Alex]

Second overall pick Dylan Harper. He is attempting 9.4 rim attempts per 100 possessions.

[Andrew]

Wow.

[Alex]

Now, among players who have played at least a thousand minutes this season, that ranks 10th in the NBA. I'm going to read you the players who are ahead of him. Victor Weminyama, Daniel Gafford, Dahron Sharp, Karl Anthony, Towns, Marvin Bagley, Mark Williams, Jalen Duran, Zion, Anthony and Giannis. Now you'll notice that all those guys have something in common, which is that they are all big men. Dylan Harper, a rookie, is 10th in rim attempts per 100 possessions. And what's even, what's even crazier is if you go down the list to the next guard, do you know who it is? It's Jeremiah Fears, another rookie. Now that's, that's got to make you say what? What Isn't that crazy Fears, we got some rim demons.

[Andrew]

That blows my mind. The fierce thing really blows my mind.

[Alex]

Third overall pick, VJ Edgecomb. He's been on fire as of late, averaging 29 per game over his last four including 38 point game against the Kings. Played really well against the Thunder. Edgecomb is currently averaging for the season 16, 5 and 4. Now that might just sound like a basic stat line that's not exciting, but if you look over the past decade, the only rookies to match that 16, 5 and 4. Cooper Flag, Cade Cunningham, Luka Doncic. That's it. Now did I only go back a decade because the next name on the list is Micro Carter Williams? Yeah, I did. But the point remains that this sort of production from a rookie is rare. And what really sticks out historically is his rebounding at his size. 5.7 per game for a 64 guard, just so impressive. Pajemski was an outlier like that in his rookie season. But before those two guys you have to go back to guys like CP3, Steve Francis and Jason Kidd to find shorter guards that rebounded like that. The fourth overall pick, Con Knippel as of this week. Now the fastest player in NBA history to make 250 three pointers and he did it in 72 games. He's now only seven threes away from setting the Hornets franchise record for maids threes in a season previously set by Kemba Walker. And if Khan just has like another season like this next season, he will likely move into the top eight in Hornets franchise history for total made threes league wide. The next record to fall will most likely be most threes in a player's first 100 career games which is currently held by Duncan Robinson. He has 326. Khan will need to average 2.6 threes per game to beat that record. He is currently averaging three and a half per game. So it's just looking like assuming you know he stays healthy every single like first two, whatever threes record is going to fall because of Khan canippel which is pretty amazing.

[Andrew]

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[Alex]

All right, Andrew, it's time once again for the Wheel of Fandom, the weekly segment where we spin a wheel, it lands on a team and we become fans of that team for the next week. Last week, the wheel landed on the Detroit Pistons. Andrew and I weren't that excited initially

[Andrew]

because we were not.

[Alex]

Cade Cunningham had just been diagnosed with a collapsed lung. You know, we were wondering how exciting would watching the Cadless Pistons really be? Turns out pretty exciting. After beating the fading warriors, the Pistons had one of their best wins of the season, beating the Lakers and ending their nine game winning streak in the process. Danish Jenkins put up A career high 30 points in the win, including the go ahead shot with 24 seconds left after the Lakers. The Pistons did suffer their loan loss of the week, a 130 to 129 overtime loss to Atlanta before beating the Pelicans Thursday night, a game in which Jalen Dernstone put up 30, 10 and 7. The Pistons are now 53 and 29th ranked offense, second ranked defense per clean the glass. Andrew, if the Pistons are a favorite team, who is our guest?

[Andrew]

It's our guy, Bryce Simon, who is from Game Theory, the game Theory podcast with our friend Sam Vesini. But more importantly for tonight, the Pistons Pulse podcast. Bryce, thanks for joining.

[Bryce Simon]

What's up guys? Obviously an avid listener to the Saturday Slammin Jam. Every Saturday as I'm working out, I'm listening to you guys and I'm always interested. I'm always waiting for the Pistons to get the will of fandom and it was just, we knew it had to be this week. This is what you guys have done all year. Every guest comes on and says the same thing. You guys either injure the star player or force a four game losing streak or something. So I will make sure and go back to the Pistons Pulse and let everybody know that this was Andrew and Alex's fault.

[Andrew]

Let him know, let him know it

[Bryce Simon]

might end up being a good thing. Right? Dennis Jenkins is destroying the NBA right now and Kevin Herder just had his best game as a Piston and so maybe, maybe, maybe it's all for the best.

[Andrew]

Yeah. Something else that's great is Jalen Duran who's been awesome this week. He obviously has had a breakout season making the all star game, but he's been even better post All Star Game. His scoring has jumped from 17.7 points per game to 23.3. What have you seen from, from Duran this last month and a half offensively?

[Bryce Simon]

Yeah, I mean his jump on the offensive end is, is pretty incredible. I don't know that everybody fully understands the jump he's made. You know, just the raw numbers to 19 points per game where last year he was at 11.8. And it's not like he's playing a whole bunch more minutes, you know, like, yeah, he's taken a higher usage, he's taking more attempts, obviously. I think the biggest jump though is at the free throw line. I was just typing this in my notes after the Pelicans game. He low, he's really good at the low rip. I'm going to use a name here. I'm not comparing them obviously, but think about James Harden, right? He goes through there and he low rips the defender and you can't get your arm out over in front of the ball. Friend does that to Biggs and a lot of times Bigs just have no idea what to do with it. Or a secondary defender tries to come in there and dig at it. And so he gets to the free throw line. But his biggest growth has been his finishing kind of in the paint without dunks. Early in his career I was like, yeah, this is a great lob finisher. Offensive rebound, dunk, whatever his touch, his little hook shots, he's kind of trying to develop a little mid range jumper which would make him even more effective. This offensive leap from Jalen Duran this season is truly, truly, I mean, special for a team that needed a second score. We'll see what it looks like in the playoffs, but for the regular season, it's been incredible.

[Alex]

Yeah, what he's doing at the line, it kind of blew me away this week. I mean, it's not just that he's getting there, but he's making all of his free throws too. I mean, tonight we're recording on Thursday night the Pelicans game. He was 10 to 12, but going back 8, 9, 10, 10, 7 to 9, 6, 8, 10 of 11. Has it, has this always been there in his game? And this is just a. Yeah, go ahead.

[Bryce Simon]

It has his second year in the NBA, guys, funny enough, he shot 79% from the free throw line. So last year, whenever he was back at 67, yeah, it was a little disappointing for the fan base because I think a lot of people, you know, two years ago there wasn't a whole lot to be excited about, so we had to talk about a 79% free throw shooting percentage for Jalen Duran. And then last year even though they were winning games, it's like oh man, like even his scoring took a step back last season, but this year back up to 74%. I think that's probably where he's at. I don't think he's probably an 80% free throw shooter, but if you told me he shoots 74, 75, 76, mid-70s I think I believe it. And again, that's doubling his free throw attempts per game, which means his makes are up almost two and a half per game. His rebounding has stayed solid. I think probably the stat that doesn't do his skill enough justice is assists. He actually has just an even assist to turnover ratio and less than two assists per game. But Jalen Duran can pass like he he is able to make the necessary short roll reads and those type of things. I don't think the 1.7 assists per game really do that justice.

[Alex]

So semi related to Jalen Dern, what have you thought about the national conversation surrounding the Pistons playoff chances and the focus on the perceived lack of a second score? Like do you share those concerns or do you think they're a little overblown?

[Bryce Simon]

You mean like our guy Dave DeFore always saying that the Hornets are going to upset them in the first round.

[Alex]

Is that what you're always yeah, something like every episode.

[Bryce Simon]

Listen, I love the NBA Daily. I love Dave, I love As I love Zena. Like I love all of them. I truly love what you guys do here. So Dave, if you're listening to this, I'm just joking. I swear I've got to Dave once he was so nice and I want him to bring me on to talk about NBA draft. So please, I'm just joking Dave. No listen, I think it does rub me the wrong way sometimes because I feel like it's like well the Raptors were hot for this stretch and then the Knicks were hot for this stretch and then the Cavs traded for Harden and then the Celtics got Tatum and the Hornets are and all of those things are right and it's like you talk about the Eastern Conference and the Pistons still end up being the fifth team that gets brought up with that said, I do share the concerns. I do worry about the three point shooting in the playoffs. I do worry about how that's going to hold whenever you have this many non floor spacers in the lineup. Is the defense going to hold? Is Jalen Duran your number two scoring option going to hold? Is Tobias going to be able to do the necessary things is Dennis Jenkins, who's been an incredible story as your third guard. Is that going to work? Is that going to be good enough when you get into the playoffs? And so I think all of those things are fair. And then now you have to put Cade Cunningham coming off a collapsed lung and just having no idea what his stamina and legs are going to be. I do have concerns, guys. I, I don't know that I've said this publicly, so we'll see how much Pistons fans like I think they get out of the first round, but if you made me bet a significant amount of money, I would say they probably cap out and in the second round, depending on who that matchup ends up being. I'll also quickly mention Isaiah Stewart hasn't played over the last couple weeks and he's a huge part of this as well.

[Andrew]

Yeah, the only real addition they had at the deadline was Kevin Herder, who they acquired via the Jaden Ivey trade. He's getting a consistent 20 plus minutes per game as of late and has had his best game as a Piston on Thursday night, scoring 22 points as you mentioned earlier. What have you thought about his minutes so far?

[Bryce Simon]

Okay, so I, I was kind of excited about this when it happened and that's no Jaden Ivy Shade. I, I hope Jaden Ivey figures it out, is able to bounce back from the injury. Obviously he's got it shut down in Chicago. So like that, that, that, that is just kind of what it is. I was hoping maybe we'd see Herder revitalize the three point shooting that we've seen from him, him in his career but haven't seen from him recently. That didn't look like the case. I feel like we went through a stretch where he just didn't want to shoot threes at all whenever he got here. Now it's gotten a little bit better. He's coming off his best floor spacing night on Thursday against the Pelicans. Ultimately, I think it's a fine addition, guys, but I don't think it's the floor spacing addition that maybe you would have want. Here's what I think Trajan Langdon decided. He decided he wants to see what this group can do in the playoffs and I'm okay with that decision. Right. Like cool. I think they've earned the right to do that with how they've won games. JB and his staff has done a great, incredible job with them, but I think because of that you're relying on all of the things I just talked about. Right. You're relying on Dennis Jenkins to be a huge part of this. You're relying on Jalen Duran to be the number two option. And I'm okay with all of that. I just think it comes with some risk if you're talking about them making a run to the Eastern Conference finals or the NBA finals, which this team doesn't need to do. They don't need to do that. It's okay if they lose in the semifinals, even as the one seed because they're still ahead of schedule of what everybody thought they are going to. That's a step forward from what we saw last season.

[Alex]

Yeah. Yeah. The parallels to the 24 okc team. Yes, I, I think are, are very interesting. Just like the defensive minded team with, with this lead creator who's very, very good and the team kind of surprising everyone winning 60 games or around that. But then some of those and, and wanting to see what that looks like in the playoffs, like not wanting to make the big move. Yeah. Obviously for okc, it was the Josh Giddy question. Like we felt pretty confident like he wasn't going to be here long term, but they still wanted to see how it looked in the playoffs and they,

[Bryce Simon]

they traded for Gordon Hayward at that deadline. Right. And who ended up. You know what? I was so.

[Andrew]

Kevin Herder corollary right there. That's.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Bryce Simon]

Honestly, there's some truth because trading away Jaden Ivy did change the salary cap situation for the Pistons because you don't have his cap hold and you don't have to deal now. It was com. It was different. Oklahoma City opened up enough salary cap space to sign Isaiah Hartenstein, which the Detroit Pistons aren't going to do. I mean, there's avenues, but not Hart and Stein in general just opening up that amount of cap space. I was so proud of myself, guys. I had just started doing general NBA because of game theory and I kept saying, yeah, I think Gordon Hayward to the Thunder. I think he makes so much sense for the Thunder. Gordon Hayward, like that would be a great addition for the Thunder. And then Sam Presti, the best GM in the NBA, trades for Gordon Hayward. And it's probably the worst movies made as a gm. So I guess I still know nothing.

[Alex]

Hey, we felt the same way. We have some very embarrassing podcasts.

[Andrew]

There's, there's a lot of embarrassing stuff out there surrounding Gordon Hayward, which. You know what? I don't think that's any of our fault. I'm blaming Gordo for that.

[Alex]

Yeah, that's true. He's got to take some of that blame.

[Andrew]

Come on.

[Alex]

Okay, so with this run that they've had without Cade, they've now kind of solidified their position at the top of the East. I think they're up four or four and a half games on the Celtics. The east play in is filled with a bunch of teams who, like, depending on the week, are the. Are the scariest teams of the East. I mean, you had, like, the Hawks winning all those games. Two weeks ago, we were talking about the Heat and the Magic winning all these games, and then they just fall off the map. Now you got Embiid back. And then, of course, the Hornets. Assuming Cade is healthy, are there any teams in that group that are particularly worrisome for the Pistons in round one or who you would just, like, not want to see?

[Bryce Simon]

If you have any of them.

[Andrew]

Any.

[Bryce Simon]

I mean.

[Alex]

Oh, you want to get a buy? You're asking for a buy.

[Bryce Simon]

Yeah, I think if you win the east by more than four games, you get a Automat. No, I mean, I think all of these are going to be challenges for Detroit. You know, I think Charlotte would be the most fun, just in general. Like, you know, obviously there's some history there with those two teams, and that adds a little bit of something to it. But I think it'd be fun to see that offense against this Pistons defense. I think it'd be a great challenge, and I would really enjoy watching that. I mean, Philly not healthy, obviously, I think is the team that's like. Like, yeah, we would take that matchup, but it looks like they're getting healthy potentially at the right time. I don't know if you can ever fully trust that team. Orlando's starting to get healthy. I think one thing we've learned about the Eastern Conference this year is they're not as good at the top as the West. Right. Nobody's Oklahoma City. I don't know that anybody would say that anybody in the east has had a good as good of a regular season as the San Antonio Spurs. But the Eastern Conference can match the Western Conference in terms of its depth. And that's not something we've been able to say recently. And because of that, whether it's the Pistons or the Celtics, I think they're going to get challenged, at least competitive games. I'm not saying it's going to go seven, but they're going to get competitive games in the first round of the playoffs, and that's obviously great for the NBA. I think Miami is always a team That I just trust Spoelstra and they've done it from this path before. So I think they're the team that maybe people don't talk enough about. That still makes me a little bit nervous because I. But we've also seen firsthand what Tyler Hero can do at the end of games in terms of getting hot and just stealing one from, from you whenever. It doesn't seem like they should have, man.

[Andrew]

Bryce, it hadn't been that long since like I came on your show when we were talking about like the direction of the Pistons. Remember that? Like that felt like it was like just like months ago and now like we're, we're talking about. Is there a first round opponent you think that they would like favor here? Like it's just, it's, it's funny how quickly it flips.

[Bryce Simon]

You know guys, I got in whenever the, they called it the restoration when Troy Weaver was running the Pistons and that's whenever I started this in 2020 and all I ever watched was this team lose and rebuild and draft players that didn't end up being all that great. And you know, you get all this hope in second round picks and then, and then you go through a 28 game losing streak and then it's, it is crazy. We can't even talk NBA draft right now. I, I, I cover the NBA draft for my, you know, for game theory in the sub stack and we're not even allowed to talk about it right now because the regular, you know, these games on the regular season and the playoffs and awards, you know, Cade Cunningham is the most talked about player right now because the MBPA and the 65 game rule and all of that, it just, it's such, it happens so fast. And I'll do my quick soapbox and my quick pitch here. This is why I think JB should be coach of the year. I think the way he shifted the culture of that organization, I just don't know that it always gets appreciated enough. And that's why I know it's not a two year award, I understand that. But to take what he took, that organization was at rock bottom. You guys know this from the front office to listen. Monty Williams I'm sure is a great guy and doing great things right now and did great things before Detroit. That was awful. What, whatever that was, it should have never happened on either side. And credit to the players, but man, credit to jb and you can just tell by the quotes that those guys love playing for him. They embody him. I know that's Kind of coach speak or whatever cliche. But you can see it when you watch this team play. So I kind of throw out like is he the X's and O stuff. Is he as good as Joe Missoula? Probably not. Is he as good as Dagnall? Probably not. And those guys build culture in their own right. But having watched firsthand what JB did with this organization, it's just so impressive. And that's why I do hope that he ultimately wins it. I think he deserves it.

[Andrew]

Yeah. Let's talk about who they could potentially play in the second round. Let's assume they get past the first round. How would you rank Celtics, Knicks and Cavs in terms of how confident you are? The Pistons could beat them and move on.

[Bryce Simon]

You guys like just make me come on here and piss off a bunch of fan bases. Forget Dave. Dave's gonna be pissed at me. But now then I got, I got the. I'd rather Dave be mad at me than the entire Knicks fan base. Goodness. Okay. I, I guess I'll go. Knicks, Cavs, Celtics is my least favorite matchup. I will just, I will say that they, they made me nervous before Tatum. Guys. And it's because they're really good at the things offensively that Detroit really thrives on. Defensively. Right. They, they. Detroit wants to turn you over and then that gets him in transition offense which helps with the fact that they're not the best half court offense and things can slog down and they don't have the floor spacers and all the things we've already talked about. Boston just doesn't turn the ball over and then Boston gets to the offensive boards and Boston really spaces you out and Boston really attacks your weakest def. Defenders. And as good as Duncan Robinson has been for this team and guys, Duncan Robinson has been vital for this team. I think the stat the other night was he's had. He has 71 more three point makes than the second most on this roster. And this is for a team that doesn't make a lot of threes to begin with. He has to be on the court. This can't be a Miami situation where he gets benched in the playoffs because then you have no floor spacing. Boston's going to attack him. I think Boston's lineup attacks Tobias Harris on the perimeter. So ultimately they're the team that makes me the most nervous. Especially with Jayson Tatum. Doesn't look like they'd have to play them in the second round between Cleveland and New York. I think it's just a thing where we've seen this with the Knicks and I do think that if they match up, quote, unquote, better, I think we've seen them match up with the Knicks well in a playoff series, and I think they have a lot of confidence in that. I think the argument for the Cavs is just what Harden do you get how could Detroit go in and out physical. The Cavs, which we've seen happen to that front line in playoff series before. But I'll tell you what makes me nervous about the Cavs is who guards Harden and Donovan Mitchell in that series? Asar Thompson guards one of those. Who takes the other one? Cade Cunningham. So now I have to start Cade Cunningham on James Harden with the possibility of him drawing fouls and all of that. Now our best players in foul trouble. So just that matchup and the way Cleveland can really space the floor and shoot, and I know New York can as well, I think I would put Cleveland just a little bit above the Knicks.

[Alex]

All right, Bryce. Well, thank you for answering all of our Pistons questions. Is now time to play Andrew versus the Beat, our weekly trivia show where Andrew goes head to head. Then maybe a B writer this week. Bryce Simon. Bryce, you've played this so many times.

[Andrew]

You're a.

[Alex]

You're a veteran at this point. So this, this is, this is no, this is no big deal to you. And I'm, I would say I just made up these questions. I think it's going to be a high scoring affair. Okay. It's gonna be a high scoring.

[Bryce Simon]

Don't you.

[Alex]

No, I'm serious. I'm serious. I really do.

[Bryce Simon]

No, no, no.

[Alex]

That's not patronizing, is it?

[Bryce Simon]

I don't know if I use that word correctly. Did you?

[Andrew]

You did.

[Bryce Simon]

Is this the first time I've been on since you guys came to the Pistons Pulse and I tried to sabotage you in our trivia game.

[Alex]

I think it's the second time.

[Bryce Simon]

Okay, so you're not like, still trying to get your get back at me. Okay, perfect. No, no, no, no, no.

[Alex]

Actually, my get back on you is that you're, you know, one of our favorite draft people and I'm taking you away from this Arkansas Arizona game that is on my screen right here.

[Andrew]

That's true.

[Alex]

To play this stupid trivia game.

[Andrew]

It's a sneaky kind of sabotage.

[Alex]

Yeah, let's.

[Bryce Simon]

I just want everybody to know. I'll tell them what I told you guys. This should let everybody know how much I like you guys and how much I love being on this podcast is literally what? 3, 7, 9. There's about 15 NBA draft prospects playing all simultaneously.

[Andrew]

I was gonna say.

[Alex]

Yeah, this time.

[Bryce Simon]

And we're not watching any of them.

[Alex]

All right. And with that, Bryce, would you like to choose a number between 1 and 8? 3. How many players have had a 30 point game for the Pistons this season? You don't have to tell me who. Just give me the number. The number of players who have had a 30 point game for the Pistons this season.

[Bryce Simon]

See, this is what, like, I. I'm pretty confident on three. And then it's like, is there. Is there a fourth? I'm gonna go three.

[Alex]

That is incorrect. Andrew, you have a chance to steal for one point.

[Andrew]

How about four?

[Alex]

Yep, it's four.

[Bryce Simon]

Who's the fourth player?

[Alex]

Beef Stew. Oh, Beef Stew did it.

[Bryce Simon]

So I knew K. Jalen and Danis, obviously.

[Alex]

Yeah, yeah, two of those. I mean, I think Jalen Duran had scored 30 before, but two of those happened this week. Andrew Ford, is yours special to Stew.

[Andrew]

I'm sorry, number one.

[Alex]

Question. Number one. Duncan Robinson has made. I put xx because I meant to look this up after the game. Let's just say he's made a lot of threes.

[Bryce Simon]

He didn't play tonight. He was out.

[Alex]

Oh, okay. Well, then he's made 199 threes. Okay, who are the only other. Who are the only two other players in Pistons franchise history to make 200 plus threes in a season? And you have to name both to get points?

[Andrew]

My gosh. Yeah, I have to name both.

[Alex]

Yeah, that's right.

[Andrew]

I don't like that because I think.

[Alex]

Because I think one is really easy.

[Andrew]

One is really easy. Oh, it's got to be Malik Beasley, right?

[Bryce Simon]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Alex]

I don't know. You have to name both names.

[Andrew]

Oh, I have to name both? You won't tell me?

[Alex]

I'm not going to tell you.

[Bryce Simon]

Beasley hit 300. So I think you're clear there.

[Andrew]

Yeah, that's crazy.

[Alex]

That may be true, but it also may not be. I can't tell you until you give me the other name.

[Bryce Simon]

The second one is kind of funny.

[Alex]

Don't. What are you doing, Bryce?

[Andrew]

Why are you helping him? That does help me a little bit, because I was thinking somebody that wouldn't be that funny.

[Bryce Simon]

I have a weird sense of humor. So who knows who it is?

[Andrew]

Is it Sadiq Bay?

[Alex]

My gosh. Bryce. Come on.

[Andrew]

I was gonna say Chauncey because I was like. But I don't feel like he's took enough threes.

[Alex]

Well, that is correct. I'm blaming that one on Bryce. Bryce, board is yours.

[Bryce Simon]

Andrew's like one of my favorite people in the world, so I can't even be mad about it.

[Andrew]

8.

[Alex]

Question number 8.

[Bryce Simon]

You are as well, Alex, so make this an easy.

[Alex]

Oh, thanks. I think this one's pretty good. The Pistons got two All Stars this season for the first time since the 0607 season. Between the 0607 season and this season, only three other Pistons made an All Star game. Can you name all three? So between 2007 and this season, only three Pistons made an All Star game. What are their names? And you have to get all three.

[Bryce Simon]

I have to get all three. I can't. Like it's not.

[Alex]

It's not one of those.

[Bryce Simon]

If. Will you just tell me I'm wrong as I.

[Alex]

Sure, yeah. If you say wrong.

[Bryce Simon]

So one's Blake Griffin. That's the season everybody talks about all the time.

[Andrew]

They do talk about that season a lot.

[Alex]

Who, me?

[Andrew]

No, everyone.

[Alex]

Everyone?

[Bryce Simon]

Yeah, anyone.

[Alex]

Like literally anyone I run into.

[Bryce Simon]

Okay. You guys have experienced it as well. Okay. Andre Drummond is the. Is another one okay? Yes.

[Alex]

And what you not. It's not wrong.

[Bryce Simon]

I thought we were playing the game where if I said a wrong one, that's not wrong.

[Alex]

Well, I just don't want to help out Andrew if you get this third one incorrect. But if you want me to tell you, yes, those first two are correct.

[Bryce Simon]

I see what you're saying. Okay.

[Alex]

Can you get the third name? Third.

[Bryce Simon]

What season again?

[Alex]

Third piston. Sometime between 0708 season starting at 0708 and then to this season or I guess last season. 708-708.

[Bryce Simon]

I mean the one. The only other name is you go all the way back there and go to Chauncey.

[Alex]

Is that your final answer?

[Bryce Simon]

That is my final answer.

[Alex]

That is incorrect. Andrew.

[Andrew]

I think this is the only NBA All Star that has been really mean to me. And Allen Iverson.

[Bryce Simon]

Wow.

[Alex]

I wish you didn't have to add that onto it. When was he mean to you?

[Andrew]

I saw him at the All Star Game in Salt Lake City and I asked him if I could take a picture and he looked at me with just disgust.

[Alex]

Well, yeah, because you're a 40 year old man. Were you by yourself?

[Andrew]

40 then? I'm not 40 now either, brother.

[Alex]

You're getting there.

[Andrew]

Yeah, I'm getting there. I'm real close.

[Alex]

You're real close. So you didn't even have your kids with you?

[Andrew]

I didn't, but it's Allen Iverson.

[Alex]

I understand, but that's Fair. Why would he want to take a picture with you?

[Andrew]

He didn't want to.

[Alex]

Not surprised. Okay, Andrew, board is yours.

[Andrew]

Number two.

[Alex]

That was with Denver games.

[Bryce Simon]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Alex]

Number two, Jalen Dern is averaging a double double for the third time. There are seven Pistons in franchise history who averaged a double double more than three times in their career. Name two. Did you get one point per correct answer?

[Andrew]

Three times.

[Alex]

At least three times.

[Andrew]

At least three times for the Pistons.

[Alex]

Averaged a double dibble.

[Andrew]

Dibble. Dibble. I mean, Andre Drummond.

[Alex]

Yeah, he was one. Is correct.

[Andrew]

I don't know if this guy. I feel like I'm gonna. I feel like any way I go, this will be dumb. I don't.

[Alex]

Okay.

[Andrew]

Ben Wallace.

[Alex]

Ben Wallace did not do it. Okay, here we go. Bryce on the board.

[Andrew]

Read the question, though. He probably didn't score enough points.

[Alex]

So you're naming one of the seven other Pistons in franchise history who averaged a double double more than three times.

[Bryce Simon]

Okay. Yeah.

[Alex]

In their career.

[Bryce Simon]

Bob Lanier. Yeah, Bob Lanier. I just wanted to make sure the criteria was right.

[Alex]

That's correct. The other names. Bill Lambert, Dave DeBusher, Bailey Howell, Larry Faust and Walter Dukes.

[Andrew]

Oh, man. The Duke.

[Alex]

Yeah. Some of those were harder than other ones. Okay, Bryce, comeback starts now. Down 4.

[Andrew]

Larry Faust.

[Bryce Simon]

4.

[Alex]

Question number 4. The persons the Pistons currently have a.726 winning percentage. The last Pistons team to win more than 70% of their games was the 0708 Pistons. That team made it all the way to the conference finals before losing to the eventual champion Celtics. 14 players from that Pistons team played in the 2008 playoffs. And we're going to name them all. So, Bryce, you're going to give me a name. Then Andrew will give me a name and we'll go back and forth until one of you stumbles. So playoff players from the 08 Pistons team.

[Bryce Simon]

Chauncey Billups.

[Alex]

Yes, Andrew.

[Andrew]

Jason Maxiel.

[Alex]

Why are you going there already? Yes. Back to Bryce.

[Bryce Simon]

Rip Hamilton.

[Alex]

Correct. Andrew Rasheed. Yes.

[Bryce Simon]

Bryce Tayshawn.

[Alex]

Yes, Andrew.

[Andrew]

Rodney Stuckey.

[Alex]

Yes, Bryce.

[Bryce Simon]

Antonio McDyess.

[Alex]

Yes. And now it gets interesting. Andrew

[Andrew]

Lindsey. Hunter.

[Alex]

Hunter. Good. Bryce.

[Bryce Simon]

I'm running out. Theo Ratliff.

[Alex]

Theo Ratliff. Yes, Andrew.

[Andrew]

I think that Aaron Aflala was on this team.

[Alex]

Aaron Aflalo was on this team. Played approximately. I think he played 80 minutes or something in the playoffs.

[Bryce Simon]

Yeah.

[Alex]

Okay, Bryce, there's only four names left, And they are the last four names in terms of minutes played in the playoffs. So good luck.

[Andrew]

Good luck.

[Alex]

Good luck.

[Bryce Simon]

Okay.

[Alex]

One of the players I pulled their rookie card and I was very excited and thought I was going to be a millionaire. If that helps you at all.

[Bryce Simon]

That could be a lot. A lot of different players. This is truly the last one I have and I don't even know if it's right. Amir Johnson.

[Alex]

Amir Johnson. That is correct. Bryce. Andrew. Oh, Andrew.

[Andrew]

This is.

[Alex]

This is tough. Gonna let you know right now is

[Andrew]

Carlos Delfino on the Pistons.

[Alex]

Carlos Delfino is not on the Pistons. The other names, Jarvis Hayes, Walter Herman, and the player whose rookie card I pulled. Herman Dixon.

[Andrew]

Juan Dixon.

[Alex]

Dixon.

[Andrew]

I do not ask for Juan Dixon on the Maryland Pistons.

[Alex]

Neither do I. Yeah, I do not

[Bryce Simon]

remember on the Pistons either.

[Andrew]

Unreal.

[Alex]

Okay, Bryce has cut the lead to two. Andrew, you have control of the board.

[Andrew]

Five.

[Alex]

Question number five. Jalen Duran, unsurprisingly, has led the Pistons in total dunks since he came into the league. Who led the Pistons in total dunks for the 2122 season the year before Jalen Duran was drafted.

[Andrew]

Okay, let's lock in. Think about who would have been dunking.

[Alex]

Yeah, let's think about who would have been dunking.

[Andrew]

Who would have been dunking.

[Alex]

That was a squad on the 2122 pistons.

[Andrew]

Well, you know who it might have been and who I hope it is. Guy that was traded to the Pistons that won the dunk contest. Hamadu Diallo.

[Alex]

Andrew. That is correct.

[Andrew]

Yes.

[Alex]

Wow.

[Andrew]

Yes.

[Alex]

Very impressive.

[Bryce Simon]

So it was between him and then Bagley, who I don't think had enough minutes. And then Jeremy Grant actually was like obviously a high usage player on the Pistons whenever he was here. But yeah, Hamadu played plenty of minutes. I liked Hamadu.

[Alex]

Yeah, we did too.

[Andrew]

Yeah, I thought Homie would make it.

[Alex]

Um, okay, Bryce, two questions left. Six or seven?

[Bryce Simon]

Seven.

[Alex]

The Pistons had the second ranked defense on cleaning the glass. The last time Detroit had a top two defense in the cleaning the glass database was the 04 team the year they won the championship. Which player on the 04 Pistons finished seventh in MVP voting that season? The only Pistons to receive MVP votes that season. Only one. I mean, that's kind of interesting. Only one piston from that 04 team received any MVP votes.

[Andrew]

Feels like a trick question.

[Bryce Simon]

The answer should be Chauncey.

[Alex]

Is that your final answer?

[Bryce Simon]

It's no because

[Andrew]

Gotta be Mehmet O. Kerr. Right?

[Bryce Simon]

Okay, so since you asked the question.

[Alex]

Huh?

[Bryce Simon]

And I don't think that you would just ask a question where Chauncey Bilbs was the answer. I'll go to the defensive Guy since you said defensive rating. And I will go. Ben Wallace.

[Alex]

I didn't even think about that. But very smart on your part, because that is correct.

[Andrew]

Wow.

[Alex]

Maybe I was giving a little hint subconsciously. Didn't even realize it. Okay, now that brings us.

[Andrew]

I wonder if there's been an mvp, like, a guy that's been in, like, the top seven MVP voting that's averaged, like. I mean, because he never, like, really even averaged double digits in points.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

Like, I wonder if there's been a guy that has, like, been that high in the voting that, like, just never scored.

[Alex]

So, yeah, he was 9.5 points per game that year. Yeah.

[Bryce Simon]

So the. The. The year before is crazier. He only averaged 7. I just pulled up his B ball reference. He was 8th in MVP voting the year before.

[Andrew]

Wow.

[Bryce Simon]

But he did average 15 rebounds and 4.6 stocks per game.

[Andrew]

He was such a weird player.

[Alex]

Now, do you know who he lost defensive player of the year to that season? 04.

[Bryce Simon]

Don't.

[Alex]

Because he came in. He came in second. It was middle World peace.

[Andrew]

Wow. Oh, wow.

[Bryce Simon]

Do you know what? His career field goal percentage is probably

[Alex]

not as high as I would think.

[Andrew]

Or in the 40s.

[Bryce Simon]

It is 47%.

[Andrew]

Wow. So unbelievable. MVP, baby.

[Bryce Simon]

Seventh in MVP voting. Second team, all NBA. He shot 42% from the field.

[Alex]

That's tight.

[Bryce Simon]

49% from the free throw line. I'm getting in trouble with Pistons fans

[Andrew]

now because Twitter would never allow this to happen.

[Bryce Simon]

Oh, no. Could you imagine? This would be Rudy, right? This would be Rudy. Second team, all NBA this year.

[Alex]

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, man. That. That would have been a. That would have been a good question to ask for this next question. This is our final question because it's. It's a. Choose who answers first. Andrew, you'll get to decide.

[Andrew]

Okay.

[Alex]

How many career dunks does Duncan Robinson have? And you get to choose who answers first. You can either make.

[Andrew]

Gosh.

[Alex]

Bryce answer first and you go higher, lower, or you answer first and Bryce

[Andrew]

will go higher, lower.

[Alex]

And the only way you could lose. This is similar to last week. Is if you let Bryce answer and he gets it exactly correct, it would tie the game.

[Andrew]

Okay, I'll. I'll. I'll allow it just to.

[Alex]

So, Bryce, if you nail this exactly, you will send the game into overtime. Career dunks for Duncan Robinson.

[Bryce Simon]

What did you guys do last week? The Dylan Brooks dunks and Mallow watch threes. I was gonna be. I. I know exactly where I was at on my walk. I was actually. It must have been listening to it later in the day. I know the exact place because I felt like such a fool, because this is. I. I stress over this game whenever I'm listening to the episodes, thinking about my experiences. I was gonna say, like, 25, and then whenever you said seven and we're one off, I was like, oh, my God. I would have looked like such a.

[Alex]

A fool.

[Bryce Simon]

And then I brought it up for no reason today, to look like a fool. 20. I'm gonna say 20 dunks for Duncan Robinson.

[Alex]

All right, Andrew. Would I go higher or lower?

[Andrew]

Oh, man.

[Alex]

20 dunks.

[Bryce Simon]

He's sneaky. Good off the bounce. It's been impressive this year.

[Andrew]

And he's. He's tall. Ish.

[Alex]

He's tall.

[Bryce Simon]

He's probably like.

[Andrew]

And his name is Duncan.

[Alex]

I know. I mean, he. He does have, like, the greatest name that we don't talk about enough. Duncan Robinson.

[Andrew]

It's a great name. It sounds like a nickname. It sounds like it could just be a nickname. But no, that's his name.

[Bryce Simon]

I'm a little disappointed we didn't get the B ball reference. Official nicknames. I study those ahead of time. So

[Alex]

if you played for the spurs, you get his full name on the back of a jersey.

[Bryce Simon]

Yes.

[Andrew]

That would be cool. I'll say that he's Duncan more than 20 times.

[Alex]

Okay. Career Dunks. First of all, he's at three this season. Career dunk. Would that change your. Would that have changed your guess? Knowing he had three career dunks. 22. Which means Andrew wins the week.

[Andrew]

Wow. Wow. Shout out to Duncan. Duncan Robinson. Go listen to the Pistons Pulse podcast. It's a. It's a really fun show. They're talking. They. I. I love the stat that you brought up in your latest episode. That, like, it's. It shocked me because we. We actually didn't really talk about.

[Bryce Simon]

Yeah, I know. We're gonna go here.

[Andrew]

The putback stat.

[Bryce Simon]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

From ASAR. Do you remember it offhand?

[Bryce Simon]

9 of 27.

[Andrew]

9 of 27 on putbacks.

[Bryce Simon]

Tippins.

[Andrew]

Yeah, tippins. I'm sorry. Tippins. That blew my mind. And then, like, the put. Like the put back overall.

[Bryce Simon]

Look at Alex's face right now.

[Andrew]

Yeah, Yeah, I remember where. Exactly where I was when I was listening to that. I was. I was in my son's room. We're. We're remodeling some of it. And I was sitting there painting, and I heard that about dropped my paintbrush.

[Bryce Simon]

It's gotten worse since we recorded. He is now 9 of 28 on tip end this season.

[Andrew]

That is so Crazy to me.

[Bryce Simon]

It is. It's. It's. I think it was. I gave that. And then just the overall play types as an offensive rebounder via Synergy. He is poor. He is 25 of 58 on offensive rebound opportunities this season.

[Alex]

Man, it was.

[Bryce Simon]

Yeah, it was. It was. It was funny. Just for somebody that's that athletic.

[Andrew]

Yeah, in.

[Bryce Simon]

It was. It was a crazy. I didn't even mean to look it up. We had a commenter like that brought it up. Once he starts hitting these tip ins, his, you know, percentages, whatever, is going to go up so much. And so I just pulled up Synergy real fast and was like, oh, this is one where the stats literally match the eye test.

[Andrew]

Yeah, it, like, blew Amari's mind, too. It was so funny. Okay, go listen to the show. Obviously, go listen to the Game Theory podcast as well. If you're just a general NBA fan or if you love the NBA draft. It's a great podcast, so go listen to them. Bryce, anything else you want to promote before we go, by the way?

[Bryce Simon]

No. The Game Theory substack. Yeah, yeah, Go check out the Game Theory substack.

[Alex]

Who are you working on right now? Probably these games that are on.

[Bryce Simon]

Yeah, these games I'm not watching right now. So I. I have. I have no idea, Alex, because I have no idea who's actually playing well or not. But I know Sam's gonna have a Dalen Swain video breakdown tomorrow, and I'll take one of these players from tonight and. And do a video breakdown. So. Video break the NBA draft show every week over on the. On the Game Theory subset.

[Alex]

Yes.

[Andrew]

Go check it out. Thank you, Bryce, for coming on.

[Bryce Simon]

Thanks, guys.

[Alex]

All right, Andrew, that was Pistons week three and one. Pretty good. Seems like people want us to spin their team.

[Andrew]

Shocking. A jarring Pistons week that. I mean, I. I did not think they would win a game, but it was actually pretty fun.

[Alex]

It was fun. Now, that does not mean that we should land on the Pacers or the Kings, because we wouldn't want them to be good. I'm sure their fans would be mad at us if they had a week like that.

[Andrew]

Yeah, they would.

[Alex]

So we'd rather not get them.

[Andrew]

Yeah, they would.

[Alex]

Any of these. There's a ton of good teams left.

[Andrew]

There's good teams.

[Alex]

Let's spin the wheel and see who we get. This week's Wheel of fandom team will be. Golden State Warriors.

[Andrew]

Oh, my gosh.

[Alex]

Golden State Warriors.

[Andrew]

Seriously?

[Alex]

Are you the play in?

[Andrew]

Okay, I've gotten. I've gotten one text about the warriors this week. And it was. The warriors are done. That was the only text I've gotten about the warriors this week.

[Alex]

Hey, let's see if we can revive him.

[Andrew]

Listen, you know, it's time for the Wheel to revive another team.

[Alex]

That now is Steph coming back.

[Andrew]

I feel like Slater just reported that he's out, like, another stint.

[Alex]

Oh, I don't like when I Google it. And it. The first thing is Warrior Steve Kerr gives cryptic Stephen Curry update after practice. I don't like that.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Alex]

Oh, man. He remains coy.

[Andrew]

He remains coy is the report.

[Alex]

Yeah. All right. Well, do they got any big games? Let's see who they're playing. The Wizards. The Wizards playing the Wizards. Okay. Okay. Sunday at Denver.

[Andrew]

Okay.

[Alex]

Wednesday, spurs on espn.

[Andrew]

Okay.

[Alex]

And then Thursday, Cleveland. That's a, that's a tough stretch.

[Andrew]

This should go very poorly, but maybe we get another Danis Jenkins, like, week.

[Alex]

Yeah. Oh, by the way, it's pronounced Danis.

[Andrew]

Excuse me.

[Alex]

I'm dead serious. I, I, I've been saying it wrong this entire time.

[Andrew]

Well, then everybody is.

[Alex]

I, I, I looked it up because the Pistons have a pronunciation. Pronunciation guide.

[Andrew]

Yeah.

[Alex]

And it says to pronounce it D a Y instead of D a N, like Danis versus Danis.

[Andrew]

Danis.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

Wow.

[Alex]

I feel terrible because I've been acting like he's my guy, and I haven't even been.

[Andrew]

Apparently not the first and only Danish in the history of the NBA.

[Alex]

Danish Jenkins. Has to be.

[Bryce Simon]

Yeah.

[Alex]

But no Danish Jenkins this week. Maybe it'll be a Pods week.

[Andrew]

Yeah, we got. We could have ourselves a Pods pod.

[Alex]

God, at least it wasn't last week, that Moses Moody injury. That was one of the most brutal injuries I've ever seen.

[Andrew]

Yeah. Somebody who's had a traumatic knee injury. It was, it was. It was not good to, to take a look at that one.

[Alex]

Yeah.

[Andrew]

Do not recommend.

[Alex]

I would. I would hate the Wheel to have been blamed for that.

[Andrew]

True.

[Alex]

Since we got them the week after.

[Andrew]

Yeah, that's true. God, I hate that for Moses Moody. That's all. That's a long.

[Alex]

Well, that's what Roberson had.

[Andrew]

He never, he basically never came back.

[Alex]

I know it's a bad one, but you know what?

[Andrew]

Technology and science, we used to say

[Alex]

that about Achilles injuries.

[Andrew]

Yep.

[Alex]

Now it feels like guys get Achilles all the time and they come back and they're good again.

[Bryce Simon]

Yeah.

[Alex]

So maybe Patella 10 and we'll be Patellar 10 and will be the next one.

[Andrew]

Yeah. Hopefully so. Hopefully so. Leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts or on the show. Thanks so much for listening. Hope you guys enjoy the basketball and we'll talk to you guys again next Saturday.

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