NBA Opening Week | Morning Shootaround

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily — Morning Shootaround: NBA Opening Week (October 22, 2025)

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode kicks off NBA Opening Week with a lively and insightful "Morning Shootaround." Hosts Andrew Schlecht, Dave DuFour (referred to as Dave [Analyst] throughout), Zena Keita, and Esfandiar "S" Baraheni recap major games and stories, debate the tradition of jersey retirements, dig into the evolving OKC Thunder and Houston Rockets, discuss NBA media presentation, and preview matchups and roster intrigue for the nights ahead. The tone is energetic and slightly irreverent, combining deep basketball analysis with banter and a dose of nostalgia.

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Episode Highlights & Key Discussion Points

1. Jersey Retirements: Standards and Sentimentality

Timestamp: 03:39–09:03

• Lowering the Bar?

  • The group jokes about which former Thunder players might deserve jersey retirement. Jeff Green and Nick Collison are case studies — Collison “helped build the arena” and is beloved in OKC, but Jeff Green was considered a journeyman.
    • "Guys, the lowering of the bar for retiring jerseys, for who gets a statue. The statues are just—we’re overdoing it. I gotta find out what the scam is on the statues. Who’s making money on statues?" (Dave [Analyst], 04:47)
  • The crew debates if there's too much nostalgia in honoring players who didn’t spend long years or have transformative impact with their teams.

• Kevin Durant's Complicated Legacy

  • Where should Durant's jersey be retired? Golden State? Oklahoma City? The group is split, referencing his successes but also his roles as a 'mercenary.'
    • “If KD’s jersey was retired in Golden State, if the bar is you win two titles somewhere, that’s not a bad bar...But definitely it takes that kind of special circumstance.” (Dave [Analyst], 07:53)
  • Discussion of how fans' attitudes (boos vs. cheers) can evolve over time, drawing parallels to Vince Carter in Toronto.

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2. Durant, OKC Fallout & Thunder’s Resilience

Timestamp: 08:36–13:18

• Fan Dynamics and Organizational Resilience
  • Andrew Schlecht reflects on OKC fans' sense of betrayal when Durant left, but notes how the organization rebuilt successfully.
    • "In large part with the way that Kevin played, they lost. And then he went and joined the team that they lost to and decimated the franchise. And ... a lot of people thought, okay, well, now the Thunder are gonna die...and they were able to get Paul George and Carmelo." (Andrew Schlecht, 10:31)
  • The crew highlights the city’s ongoing appreciation for its past players, and tracks the evolution of fan sentiment after star departures.

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3. Houston Rockets Assessment: Clunky Offense, Defensive Foundation

Timestamp: 14:51–19:03

• Roster Construction & Ball Handling Issues

  • The hosts discuss Houston’s quirky roster—plenty of size and defensive talent but a gaping need for ball-handling guards.
    • "There’s not an easy bucket to be found… there is no flow to their offense...they just need a guard. They absolutely need a guard." (Dave [Analyst] and Zena, 15:20, 17:13)
  • Amen Thompson’s lack of shooting and organization at PG was spotlighted as a weakness, along with the Rockets' inability to initiate sets or consistently get to their half-court offense.

• Durant's Offensive Burden

  • The group marvels at Durant’s shot-making, wondering how sustainable his herculean load will be across a full season:
    • "Maybe Kevin Durant throws himself into like clutch player of the year conversations...their defense is so good, that’ll provide them a baseline. How do they survive offensively? TBD." (Esper, 18:25)

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4. NBA Broadcast & Pomp: Nostalgia vs. Modern Presentation

Timestamp: 20:44–32:41

• Return of Classic Finals Floor Logos

  • Noted as breaking news: The NBA will again paint the Larry O'Brien trophy and Finals logos at center court.
    • "The NBA will return to painting the Larry O'Brien trophy at center court...starting this season." (Zena, 20:56)

• NBC Presentation Praise

  • Hosts rave about NBC’s production, noting it “felt like I was watching sports” again, with better color and atmosphere compared to recent ESPN coverage.
    • “NBC’s football coverage is awesome…They know how to do sports. They do the Olympics.” (Dave [Analyst], 21:54)

• Michael Jordan Features: A Double-edged Sword

  • The panel debates the NBA’s persistent nostalgia, especially using Jordan as a halftime feature.
    • “The NBA is obsessed with its past in a way that is actually just not good...like, that's for me, right? Michael Jordan being on TV at halftime is, for 45 to 60, all sports obsessed with your past." (Dave [Analyst], 24:52)
  • Some see value in introducing MJ to younger fans, others wish for more focus on current stars.

• Quote Comparison: Michael Jordan to Jay-Z

  • Zena draws a parallel between MJ dropping rare interviews and Jay-Z releasing new music, both creating a must-watch aura due to their legend status.
    • “When [Jay-Z] never drops songs anymore, but what if he were to drop a song today? Everybody would be like, I gotta lock in. …It’s the same thing as Michael Jordan.” (Xena, 31:39)

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5. Opening Week Matchups & Storylines to Watch

Timestamp: 38:09–54:56

Host Picks & Games They’re Excited To See

• Zena: Portland Trail Blazers — Defensive upside, intriguing young core, possible playoff upside, faces the Wolves opening night. (38:13)
• Esper (“S”):
  • Dallas Mavericks’ new “Monstars”-style approach against San Antonio — curious to see how their size and lack of ball handling holds up. (41:07)
  • Ace Bailey against the Clippers’ defense — can a young scorer pop against an elite D? (42:36)
• Dave [Analyst]: Orlando Magic vs. Atlanta Hawks (“question mark teams” in the East)— contrasting offense/defense identities, Desmond Bane as X-factor for Orlando. (44:07)
• Andrew: Sixers vs. Celtics — Concerns about the Sixers’ injury issues and rotation of “third bigs” in their frontcourt, curiosity about Joel Embiid’s fitness. (49:20)
• General Take: Several teams — like the Pistons or Hawks — could be in position to upgrade through trade if the East remains wide open.

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6. Deep Dive: Thunder’s Offensive Evolution & Experimentation

Timestamp: 55:35–64:34

• OKC’s Response to Poor Shooting Nights

  • Andrew explains OKC’s margin for error — strong defense keeps them in games even when three-point shots aren’t falling.
    • "They have a pretty wide margin for error...I mean they had it in the playoffs. They shot terribly from three...and they were still able to win.” (Andrew, 56:47)
  • Discussion on how to diversify offensive sets—using Chet Holmgren as a hub, leveraging Isaiah Hartenstein’s passing, featuring AJ Mitchell, and more experimentation.
    • “If they can find ways to diversify.…all of those aspects of the game kind of feed into what OKC needs from their halfcourt offense.” (Zena, 58:19)

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Patience

  • Andrew explains SGA’s tendency to start games passively, reading defenses and letting others eat before taking over late.
    • “He said that he didn’t want to be stubborn to start the game...in most cases, that’s going to pay off… Lou Dort’s not going to miss all eight threes in most games.” (Andrew, 62:14)

• The "Reed Shepherd Experiment"

  • Light-hearted concern regarding Houston's rookie being hunted defensively by OKC:
    • "Everybody was taking turns hunting Reed Shepherd...it was just like gifts being given...for the Thunder.” (Andrew, 62:14)

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7. Eastern Conference: Who Makes the Leap?

Timestamp: 52:00–55:35

• Speculation on which East teams could cash in picks (e.g., Atlanta, Detroit) to grab a star like Lauri Markkanen.
  • "One of these East teams probably should trade for Lauri Markkanen." (Zena, 52:59)
  • Pistons seen as the most logical fit, given their desperate need for spacing next to Cade Cunningham.

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8. Quick-Fire Fun: Jersey Retirements (Redux)

Timestamp: 67:12–68:49

• Return to the jersey retirement debate in a joking fashion — does Ibaka, Jeff Green, or even Michael Jordan (like Miami did) deserve a jersey in the rafters?
  • "I'm all for over-retiring. Like sure." (Zena, 68:40)
  • "Oh, so like you're cool with the Miami Heat retiring Michael Jordan?" (Dave [Analyst], 68:45)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We keep lowering this bar, and it feels like…I just, I don’t know. It bugs me that it’s not even that mediocre players…it’s like, used to be if you played a decade somewhere, you played 12, 15 years, then you got your jersey retired.” — Dave [Analyst], 05:06

• “The NBA is obsessed with its past in a way that is actually just not good...Michael Jordan hadn’t played a basketball game that mattered since I was in college. … He’s an old guy selling tequila on TV.” — Dave [Analyst], 24:52

• "When Shay wants to get to a spot, he gets to a spot. ... This evolution of his scoring throughout the course of a game is something we've seen." — Esper, 61:03

• “The NBA will return to painting the Larry O'Brien trophy at center court…starting this season.” — Zena, 20:56

• "There was something in the air last night with a lot...with the shooting from OKC." — Andrew, 60:57

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Segment Timestamps Cheat Sheet

| Segment | Description | Time (MM:SS) | |---------|-------------|--------------| | Jersey retirements debate | Lowering the bar, Collison, Jeff Green, KD's legacy | 03:39–09:03 | | Durant’s OKC exit & franchise resilience | Rebuilding after stars depart | 08:36–13:18 | | Rockets clunky offense | Ball handlers needed, KD's shotmaking, what can work? | 14:51–19:03 | | NBA broadcast nostalgia | NBC’s presentation, MJ halftime spotlight, 90s trend | 20:44–32:41 | | Games/players to watch | What hosts are excited for this week | 38:09–54:56 | | East trade speculation | Who will go after Markkanen, Pistons & Hawks | 52:00–55:35 | | OKC experiment & offense | Diversification needed, SGA’s early passivity | 55:35–64:34 | | Reed Shepherd Rookie Watch | Defensive struggles, optimism vs. concern | 64:34–66:55 | | Jersey retirements redux | Does Ibaka deserve it? How far is too far? | 67:12–68:49 |

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Final Thoughts

This edition of Morning Shootaround strikes an exuberant and deeply knowledgeable tone, hitting topical analysis (Houston’s and OKC’s trajectories, early takeaways on teams and stars) and wider NBA themes (broadcasting, nostalgia, traditions like jersey retirements). The mix of speculation, humor, and clear expertise makes it a must-listen for anyone hungry for insight (and friendly debate) as the NBA season tips off.

Transcript

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[Xena Keda]

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[Andrew Schleicht]

Welcome to the morning shoot around on the athletic NBA daily YouTube fee. We're live on YouTube. If you are listening on the podcast feed, we're live on YouTube. This is brought to you by ebay. Everybody okay with me. I'm Andrew Schleicht. With me, Dave DeForest sitting in an analyst chair. Pretty sweet. Yes. We got Xena Keda Peace sign. We also have Esper Henny.

[Dave (Analyst)]

This is also a podcast.

[Andrew Schleicht]

We should talk.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Like, we should.

[Esper Henny]

Hello, everybody. Hey, guys. Yeah, I don't know why we're, like, assuming this.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yes, I know.

[Esper Henny]

And we forgot how to do our jobs.

[Dave (Analyst)]

We were also just fired up right before.

[Xena Keda]

I know.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah, we got.

[Xena Keda]

It's like when the teacher is doing, you know, announcements. Guys, Jeff Green should be retired by the.

[Dave DeForest]

All right.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yes, please. Thank you for repeating that. That's why we were fired up. Yes. Guys. Okay. And you're. You made the point that Nick Collison's up there, and so we should lower the bar.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Okay.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Is really what. The point you're making. Played there for 45 years, man.

[Xena Keda]

He still with the organization.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Basically helped build the arena.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Like, he was sitting there with Ste. It was really cool. There was a moment where on courtside before the game, and it's Nick Collison, Stephen Adams, and Isaiah Hartenstein all sitting there together, like, chatting. It's like. Like three arrows of, like, thunder. Big right.

[Xena Keda]

Of white. Big men.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yes.

[Dave DeForest]

Nick. Nick Collins.

[Andrew Schleicht]

But Nick. The whole Nick Collison thing.

[Esper Henny]

Two technically mixed.

[Xena Keda]

Yeah, right. You're right.

[Dave (Analyst)]

You're right.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah, that's true.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schleicht]

But the Nick Collison thing is kind of funny, but.

[Dave DeForest]

Yeah. Jeff Green.

[Andrew Schleicht]

No, no chance. Jeff. Jeff Green won't have his jersey retired for anybody. He's bouncing around so much.

[Xena Keda]

That would be shame.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Systemic issue. This is a systemic issue. Guys, look, the. The lowering of the bar for retiring jerseys, for who gets a statue. The statues are just. We're overdoing it. I got to find out what the scam is on the statues. Who's making money on statues?

[Andrew Schleicht]

Who are you talking about when he's.

[Esper Henny]

It.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I just mean we keep lowering this bar, and it feels like. I mean, there's. Can I just say something about hall of Fame? I understand that, like, the. Like, the NBA has. Keeps lowering that bar, too, but look, we don't need to retire every jersey just because someone was there. Like James Harden. Why would you retire James Harden's jersey in Oklahoma City?

[Andrew Schleicht]

You won't.

[Xena Keda]

No, it'll be.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Exactly.

[Xena Keda]

It'll be.

[Dave (Analyst)]

No, but. Right. But what I mean is, like, that's the type of situation that we see all the time. Like, I, I just. I don't know. I. It, it bugs me that it's not even that mediocre players. Right. It's not about being mediocre or great. It's like, used to be if you played a decade somewhere, you played 12, 15 years, then you got your jersey retired. Like, it used to be difficult and it was more than just being famous. Right. This is why Nick, Like Nick Collins said, that's a throwback jersey. Retirement. A guy who's like a role player.

[Xena Keda]

And I remember when we did the, we did the questions for Oklahoma City during the finals. Everybody. All time, Nick Collison. So they love him. They love him out there.

[Esper Henny]

Yeah, I think there's. I think there's. It's tough, right? Like the Jeff Green thing. I feel bad because your jersey's not already retired when back in the day. That is all OKC could celebrate.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Right.

[Esper Henny]

Like, Nick Collison was the original member of the new Thunder team. He, like, built the culture. He.

[Xena Keda]

You're explaining Jeff Green, right?

[Esper Henny]

He was a one life. I'm. I get that. But what has happened since that jersey has retired? They have won a championship. Right. And so I feel like the. Now it sucks. Like, Jeff, you should have been slid in before the championship because that would have been the standard. But the standard's been raised now. If you want your jersey retired, you need a little bit more there. And I, I just feel like Nick Collison, I don't want to say he got lucky by getting his jersey retired at the time that he did.

[Xena Keda]

He's just beloved.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah, he's just.

[Esper Henny]

Yeah, he's beloved. He's a he. You know, let me find a player that stays with 14.

[Xena Keda]

I. I heard the. The broadcast yesterday, and I saw you guys talk about NBC. I thought they did great, but they were talking about where Kevin Durant's going to get his jersey retired. Slash a statue. To your point, Dave.

[Gab Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Dave DeForest]

Where.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Where you guys.

[Xena Keda]

Anywhere a Golden State, I feel like, is the likely.

[Dave (Analyst)]

No.

[Esper Henny]

Yeah. I was gonna say out of all.

[Xena Keda]

Of them, Golden State makes the most sense, but I don't know.

[Dave (Analyst)]

The closest would be Oklahoma City.

[Xena Keda]

No.

[Dave DeForest]

The closest.

[Andrew Schleicht]

No.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yes. I don't play anywhere else long enough, period.

[Esper Henny]

That's true.

[Dave (Analyst)]

He's been a mercenary. Essentially.

[Xena Keda]

He has been a mercenary. It's true.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Right.

[Dave (Analyst)]

And I'm not. And I'm not even saying that as a no.

[Xena Keda]

But is. Is LeBron getting his jersey retired in Miami or. Or something along the lines.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I now, I wouldn't be shocked if they did it. I personally don't think that he should because he was there for four years. But I expect the Lakers are going to probably retire most. Absolutely. Right. And he's been. He's been fantastic, too. I will say this, like the. Think about the bar. If KD's jersey was retired in. In Golden State, if the bar is. You win two titles somewhere, that's. That's not a bad bar. If that's what you tell me. You didn't play there very long, but you won a couple titles. You were a part of iconic teams. Yeah. Okay. Maybe you could twist my arm there. But definitely it takes that kind of special circumstance, like. Well, Andrew think that the bar is too low. The reason it's an amazing opening day conversation. Yeah.

[Xena Keda]

Why not? Fired up. Yeah. The reason I ask is because post game, Katie was like, oh, the booing is just like a fun thing they do. They actually show tons of love when I'm out in the street. And it's always love in between us. So is that because I. This reminds me of Vince Carter with the Raptors a lot, where 10 years had passed and they did this thing where he got booed to oblivion every single time they caught. He caught the ball. But then eventually the booze started to turn into. Yeah, okay, we're kind of tired of this. And eventually turned into cheers. I don't know if that'll ever happen for KD just because of the way that he left.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah.

[Xena Keda]

Vince Carter is similar in the way that he left and he got traded and whatnot. But it was just such a wild situation in 2016. The way that he left from OKC to Golden State go to their rivals. Go to a team that you lost to just now.

[Dave DeForest]

Yeah.

[Esper Henny]

How do you feel as that officially counts as our Raptors minute. We can keep it moving.

[Xena Keda]

I got you.

[Dave DeForest]

Yeah.

[Xena Keda]

We could keep pushing.

[Andrew Schleicht]

There it is. Shout out to the Raptors.

[Esper Henny]

Officially, the quota has.

[Dave (Analyst)]

We need the stopwatch. Maybe like, they definitely had like a Jurassic park like watch or something back in the day.

[Xena Keda]

Right.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Like a stopwatch. We could get one of those.

[Andrew Schleicht]

That'd be sick.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Maybe we can find it on ebay.

[Xena Keda]

Yeah. Hey. There you go.

[Esper Henny]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Probably.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I don't know.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah, I. It's. It's difficult because it's been nine seasons, you know.

[Esper Henny]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Since KD left. It's been a long time.

[Xena Keda]

You guys won a championship.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Katie keeps.

[Esper Henny]

He.

[Andrew Schleicht]

He's asking for this. So, like, that's his biggest problem is that he's consistently asking for this to happen. And I do. I do agree with what he's saying. Like, if Katie is out and about around Oklahoma City, he's walking into a restaurant or something. I don't think people are going to walk up to him and be like, I hate you. Like, you're the worst.

[Esper Henny]

No. People will be signing hugging babies the other day.

[Xena Keda]

People are way too scared to do that to anybody.

[Andrew Schleicht]

But as a collective, absolutely. We will boo him. You know, like, that will always. I think that will always happen. I think that how close they were because you're like, there were several days in the city where it felt like it's finally going to happen. They're finally going to win a championship. You know, they're up 3:1 on the Warriors. This is going to be amazing. And in large part with the way that Kevin played, they lost. And then he went and joined the team that they lost to and decimated the franchise. And to, like, Sam Presti and the. The Thunders credit, a lot of people thought, okay, well, now the Thunder are going to die, you know, now that this Thunder organization is going to die.

[Xena Keda]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Because they just lost Kevin Durant and they were able to get Paul George and Carmelo, who was in town last night, who also got cheered, by the way, like, Steven.

[Dave DeForest]

Wow.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Stephen Adams standing ovation. Sergio Baka standing ovation.

[Xena Keda]

Hell, yeah.

[Esper Henny]

Was.

[Andrew Schleicht]

It was very cool. It was very cool.

[Dave (Analyst)]

You block Serge's hat, standing ovation.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah, The. The hat was great.

[Dave (Analyst)]

How annoying would it be, by the way, if there was a 6, 8 guy sitting in front of you with that hat? I was very close to him all game at an NBA game. You know how expensive those seats are.

[Xena Keda]

Oh, another guy should get jersey retired, by the way.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Nicest guy, right?

[Esper Henny]

Like, I like that.

[Dave (Analyst)]

It would be the worst. It'd be like, oh, my God, is that Sergio Baca?

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I can't say anything.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Sitting by Shay's brother last night courtside.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Just not asked for a refund.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Not too far from where I was sitting. But yeah. And then Kevin Durant just. Absolutely, just ripped to shreds, you know, but he. He asked for it and he's getting it. And my assumption is that Kevin will get his jersey retired in Oklahoma City at some point. I think that will happen.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Oh, by the way in the. In the chat on YouTube, which, by the way, if you're listening to this on the pod, come and hang out. We're gonna be doing these every week. Golden State apparently has already said they were gonna retire Katie's jersey. So if. I mean, again, if that's the bar. You win two titles somewhere and you're.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Like one of the finals mvp.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah. Come on.

[Esper Henny]

I'll say this. I'll say this. What? I. I don't know. If not Jeff Green, because I haven't been up there in a very long time, but I do know that KD had his mural in Chase center on the third floor. Like, a massive mural now. I think Clay also had one, and I don't know if it's there anymore. So. They already was, like, even after he left, like, there was already love there. I'd be very curious if there's warriors fans that have. Like, I haven't been up there in so long. On the main concourse level, there was a massive KD mural. So that'd be interesting to see if it's still there.

[Xena Keda]

He's definitely not getting one in Brooklyn, I'll tell you that. Or Phoenix.

[Esper Henny]

Maybe they could do a mural of his big toe.

[Xena Keda]

I mean, the shoe on the.

[Dave (Analyst)]

He, like, he goes into the hall of Fame, right, In a. It's a Thunder jersey, right? Or is it a Warriors jersey?

[Andrew Schleicht]

It's one of those problems he's. He's made it to where he doesn't have a home and that's his own fault. And he. He's got a. He's got it.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Like, did.

[Xena Keda]

Did Barkley go into the hall of Fame as what, a Sixer? Rocket?

[Dave (Analyst)]

I would assume a Sixer, but I. I actually.

[Esper Henny]

Oh, I would assume the Sun.

[Dave (Analyst)]

His.

[Esper Henny]

His story.

[Xena Keda]

Other than obviously, kd. One titles and one finals MVP and MVP and. Etc, but like the hopping around to different teams, that was very Barkley esque to me, you know, and it's very reminiscent. And so when you think of Barkley, we just named four different teams.

[Dave (Analyst)]

You know, it's funny that you. Barkley as like the guy hopping around at the end of his career, because, like, I actually just don't even. You know what I mean? Like. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Esper Henny]

You know, I would have assumed the Suns, like.

[Xena Keda]

Well, that's like Jordan year, right?

[Dave DeForest]

Yeah, but like four years, they have.

[Esper Henny]

The best record with like. I don't know it. Interesting. Okay.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Esper Henny]

Cool.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Funny.

[Esper Henny]

Wasn't he an MVP with the Suns?

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah.

[Xena Keda]

93. I think 93.

[Esper Henny]

Yeah.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Esper Henny]

Okay. Interesting. Cool.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Anything. Anything left over from last night that you guys want to chat about? I just. I. I can't stop thinking about this Houston team and, like, what they're going to do. I think they're in a really interesting spot, and Alex and I are going to touch more on Saturday, but I just think, like, it's such a weirdo team that I think is going to go through a lot of. Of es and flows throughout the season. And I. I'm really curious to kind of see what's going to happen there.

[Dave (Analyst)]

There's not an easy bucket to be found. Right. There's, like, the flow, right? The. The. There is no flow to their offense, and this is a problem that they've had. Right. We talked a lot last season about Eme Odoka's offense and how they just. You got to go beat your man 90% of the time, and it seems to kind of be that, but, you know, you don't have Jalen Green on the ball. Amend doesn't have the same handle. He doesn't have that. He's an amazing athlete, but he's not as effective at getting by his guys.

[Xena Keda]

Yeah.

[Dave (Analyst)]

In a position to score at this point in his career. And. And he's not great at organizing. I mean, there were a lot of times where if you watch, like, his lack of a shot really hurt them last night. They're able to sag into the paint.

[Xena Keda]

That shot was so flat, too. It was like a dart every time hitting front rim.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Right. Everything is really short. You can see, like, he. I mean, you know, I don't want to get too technical in. Into the mechanics of shooting, but you can see where he's kind of thinking and trying to see the ball into the hole. Like, almost like he's trying to put it into the hole with his hands. And that's not how you actually shoot a basketball. But you can see he's just overthinking the shot a little bit. I mean, he's at his best when he's on the move.

[Xena Keda]

Right.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Like, they got to get a point guard. They got to get him off the ball.

[Xena Keda]

They need a guard, man.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Having him, you know, work, working the. The dunker spot is obviously, it's an option, but, like, he need. He could also attack from the wing up there. And I would like to see maybe, you know, offensively, like, while they don't have anyone, just get more DHO with Shangoon and with KD and. And, you know, get him moving that way. But the biggest Problem that they had, they couldn't get the ball up the court. Yeah, right. It was beyond just the half court stuff. Getting the ball up the court against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which, by the way, you know, that defense was amazing last night. But getting the ball up the court was such a struggle for them. Like they were exhausted.

[Xena Keda]

It's a tough competition. Like, it's a tough game to not have a ball handler to okc. To be the first try at this of you being like, we do not have anybody to bring up the ball. Reed shepherd is the only guy who's technically a point guard here. They need a guard. They absolutely need a guard. And they are.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I think they need two.

[Xena Keda]

They probably need two. Yeah, they need like a backup guard and they need a lead guard.

[Dave DeForest]

Why stop there?

[Andrew Schleicht]

Why not three? I mean, a lot of teams have three guards on their team.

[Xena Keda]

That's true. Yeah.

[Esper Henny]

They need.

[Xena Keda]

It's just.

[Gab Advertiser]

I.

[Xena Keda]

Can I just one more thing on this?

[Esper Henny]

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

[Xena Keda]

I thought for the most part they found ways to survive on offense. Just because Kevin Durant's shot making was crazy. Xena, you mentioned it on the pod last night was unreal. He's not. I mean, maybe he shoots like that, but he probably isn't shooting like that throughout the rest of the season. The other side of that is they were so big and there are a few teams in the NBA. OKC is like this too, where their defense just provides them a window to stay alive in games. So I was watching the game, I'm like, how is this a five point game? It feels like it should be 10:15, you know, but wait, which way? I thought it should be. Okay, see, OKC should be up.

[Esper Henny]

Okay. Yeah, we're on the same page.

[Xena Keda]

Yeah, we were absolutely on the same page. But I. But then you look at it and Houston was just chipping away. They were. I think they led at the end of the first quarter. Part of that was just like the slow shooting from okc. But I honestly, that's the type of games you'll see Houston play this year where they are going to grind teams out and it will be a lot of close games. Maybe Kevin Grant throws himself into like clutch player of the year conversations just because he'll have to lead them in those clutch situations so much. But yeah, I don't know, it's just their defense is so good. That'll provide them a baseline. How do they survive offensively? Tbd? No idea.

[Esper Henny]

What's so weird for me is that I really don't think much has changed. I literally feel like this is the Houston team from last year and they now have a bucket getter in kd. Like the. The clunkiness of the offense felt very familiar. Not in the same way. Right. You could call out the fact that they couldn't get the ball up the court. I mean, within the first half, you saw the ball get poked out three times. They were able to recover it two out of those three times, but it was still like this looks like a one on one drill up and down the court. And I, I was already getting triggered thinking of college, having to go up against a guard trying to, you know, guard me one on one up the court. It's incredibly difficult. And you saw Jabari Smith Jr have to do that. You saw him in Thompson have to do that. You saw KD have to do that. But once they got into the half court, this was a very particular team to have to try and play this style against this big style against. Because you saw one of their. The number one things that they were doing in the first half especially, they love that, that whoever's got the ball gets a screen on the wing. And then that person goes immediately into a Steven Adams ball screen that then Stephen Adams sets a flare screen for Alper and Shangu. You do that hunting mismatches. The problem with OKC is they gonna switch on you and keep a body in front of you or they're gonna do so well of fighting under that screen or over that screen and being able to stick their body to you. So all I kept seeing was just like, there's no way for them to take advantage of the fact that they are five feet taller than the person.

[Dave (Analyst)]

When Kayson Wallace can just body up on Alper and Shingoon.

[Xena Keda]

Right, guys, we have breaking news.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Oh, no.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah, I saw this.

[Dave (Analyst)]

S always somehow knows the breaking news as it's big.

[Xena Keda]

This is big. This is honestly. Okay, no, no, no, no, no.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Okay.

[Xena Keda]

This is trivial as hell, but it's. The NBA will return to painting the Larry o' Brien trophy at center court and final script logos on the home team's floor of the finals starting this season.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah, of course we knew as soon as they digitally imposed it once they were shamed into actually like adding some pomp and circumstances to the finals last year. You knew all this. I was coming. And by the way, the NBC presentation where it was presented to me, the NBA was presented to me like a sport. Yeah, it was awesome. Ruled.

[Xena Keda]

It was incredible.

[Dave (Analyst)]

And NBC's football coverage is awesome. And so I had Some high expectations for what the games would look like. Yep. Excellent. Yeah, excellent.

[Xena Keda]

That there was a moment where the.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Michael Jordan thing oversold.

[Xena Keda]

Oh, God, I don't. I.

[Dave (Analyst)]

It's amazing that anybody was.

[Xena Keda]

He sat there in between golf, insane and useless.

[Dave (Analyst)]

But the game looked great. I love the. The desk with Maria Taylor. I thought her and those guys, they were having fun. Obviously, the booth was good, but the presentation of the game, great. And I mean, it. It really felt like I was watching sports, which is great. We haven't had that the last few years. And I think with the NBA saying this kind of stuff, like, this is what happens when you give that. That live feedback. Xena, like, we were talking about it last night, like, everybody's gonna have to be better about it because NBC, like, they know how to do sports. They do the Olympics.

[Esper Henny]

Oh, yeah. You were put on notice from just the constant stream of feedback that was on social media. Like, I honestly, I'm not gonna lie to you. I was reading all of that, and I was, like, feeling it in my soul for the ESPN crowd. Like, they haven't even put on, you know, anything. Of course, Amazon, their seal, they have a floor, right? They. They can go blow this out of the water and we'll see what happens with them. But I'm looking at ESPN that clearly did this last year, and you're seeing all of this feedback, like, your feelings got to be hurt. They're talking about the. I mean, people were saying the color on the broadcast was bad.

[Xena Keda]

It honestly was. It honestly was.

[Esper Henny]

No, I gotta look. I gotta look back. I gotta look back. But you're.

[Xena Keda]

They got better cameras.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I will say this score bug. Let's decrease the score bug by about 75. That's a scoreboard. I need it to be 75 of the size. Take it down 25. Excuse me. Just take it down just a little.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Okay, okay.

[Dave (Analyst)]

A little bit.

[Xena Keda]

I think.

[Esper Henny]

I think this is ableism, Dave.

[Xena Keda]

I know with NBC, it was, like, there. First of all, Everybody loves the 1990s right now, so it was a perfect time for this to happen because the nostalgia is just, like, in everybody's bones. You know, everybody really misses the 90s. The. Just the neon lights.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Just do Legends of the Hidden Temple at halftime and we'll be.

[Dave (Analyst)]

We're gonna get nafta, too. Is that what you're telling me right now?

[Xena Keda]

Yeah, it's just the. I. I want them to lean into it more. And also the excitement. The excitement is there. So if you see, I don't know, Jalen Williams Was talking about how he was working on his left hand. And everybody, like Carmelo Anthony, all those guys were like, oh, yeah, we saw that. You know, that's a level of excitement that just did not exist.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I thought that again, I thought that was great. Like, all this. It was very much about the basketball, which was good, except I think there was, like, a fashion segment which I made fun of. But, you know, it was very much about basketball, which was great. Yeah. The one thing I want to just push back on the nostalgia stuff. Listen, it's here, Dave. The NBA is obsessed with its past in a way that is actually just not good. I mean, Michael Jordan hadn't played a basketball game that mattered since I was in college. And, and honestly, like, like, that's for me, right? Like, Michael Jordan being on TV at halftime is, for 45 to 60, all sports obsessed with your past.

[Esper Henny]

Not.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Not in the same way.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Are those people obsessed with their past?

[Dave (Analyst)]

Not in the same way, but there's this constant attachment at the hip to Michael Jordan. And like, even the interview is like, okay, yeah, if I could take a pill and play in the NBA, I think everyone would do that, Mike. Great. This is, this is awesome. I just don't get it. And I think that there's so, like, there's so many stars in the league right now that I could learn more about instead of, you know, yeah, an old guy. And respectfully, the goat, but an old guy I actually kind of liked when I didn't know anything about Michael Jordan. I thought that was cool when I was a kid. Guy was a mystery. He was like Batman, but the best at basketball. And, and now, like, again, like, he's, he's an old guy selling tequila on tv. So I, I do just think, like, I would love to take the emphasis. Maybe it's Michael Jordan and, like, he's interviewing Anthony Edwards. Ok, that's cool. I like that.

[Xena Keda]

I thought it was going to be something like that. I thought he was gonna go inside the NBA or whatever.

[Dave (Analyst)]

But this, which I think he is.

[Esper Henny]

Though, I think there is going to be. We'll see a level of insight from him.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I think it's gonna be him and Tico with those really, really white shoes on.

[Andrew Schleicht]

I think that they've already, they've already banked all of them for the.

[Xena Keda]

Yeah, he recorded this in one hour, and they're gonna use it for 82.

[Dave (Analyst)]

They played, they played a round of golf. They sat down. They knocked it out.

[Xena Keda]

Yes.

[Dave (Analyst)]

But I, I, if there's gonna be this constant nostalgic like, just showing me people's faces.

[Xena Keda]

Like, I don't.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I sport and celebrity. I understand the NBA. That's what they like to do. But like, showing me Patrick Ewing. How about Patrick Ewing with, like, I don't know, Carl Anthony Towns or something in an interview. Like, that's fun. Nostalgia. Give me that. If you need to bridge the gap to the old guys like me from the young guys that are playing now. But I would just rather. I don't know, man. I'd rather learn about the guys that are playing now. Yeah, Sorry.

[Andrew Schleicht]

I don't know. The culture craves this 90s nostalgia, right?

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Everybody's wearing baggy pants, for crying out loud.

[Xena Keda]

Baggy pants are back.

[Esper Henny]

I think there's a business case for this. Like, I get what you're saying, and I actually really do love.

[Dave (Analyst)]

We're told we're craving the nostalgia, for sure.

[Esper Henny]

Well, we don't get to hear Michael Jordan in general. The people that, like, saw him play. Dave, you're talking about. This is who you grew up with. Etc. But think about what the NBA is trying to do internationally, globally right now. They're not only trying to expand their international footprint, they're also trying to extend. To extend out to the Genz that have been hearing about this goat for so long, Right? And they've established who their goat is of their generation. A lot of these gen zers are like, Yeah, I love LeBron. Some of them are like, lamelo is my goat. But they don't. They only know what people have said about mj. And so it feels like you are talking to this ghost of the past. And because we don't have enough foot footage of what Michael Jordan says, we have tons of footage of what Shaq says, tons of footage of what Charles Barkley said. We don't know what.

[Dave (Analyst)]

And see, that's the thing.

[Esper Henny]

But we don't know what MJ thinks about the game today. We don't know what. How he evaluates it. I was actually.

[Xena Keda]

Don't know.

[Dave (Analyst)]

He didn't say it was good.

[Esper Henny]

No, no, you're right. You're absolutely right. But there was also a point in that story that I resonated with. There is a kid that has only heard from his parents or her parents about mj, and he's about to step up to the line to shoot a free throw. And you're like, is he gonna make it? My dad told you, told me you're on Mount Rushmore. You are the goat. Are you gonna make this silly little free throw? And so I think that, that, that story in itself tells me the story as to why they're doing this. Like, let's talk to the guy that we've been talking about forever and see what he says about today's game. And by the way, Gen Z right.

[Xena Keda]

Now, I can't believe I'm gon. I'm this older dude. But anyways, Gen Z right now is so into 90s. You talked about the baggy pants. It's the like metallic.

[Esper Henny]

Yeah, Gen Z loves it.

[Xena Keda]

The clothing. It's all there. It's in the 90s.

[Dave (Analyst)]

We were back in the 90s. Now when I was a kid in the 90s, bunch of people got into the 70s because that's what their parents were.

[Esper Henny]

It's cyclical.

[Xena Keda]

Ab, very cyclical.

[Dave (Analyst)]

But it's also, it's also, it's also like you said, Xena, it's about business. Right? Like they've made 50 Transformer movies because people my age grew up watching Transformers cartoons and buying those and they want us.

[Esper Henny]

Every song is sampling old songs.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah, exactly, exactly. It's all. Yes.

[Esper Henny]

So we're sampling MJ right now.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Just my MJ samples, baby.

[Dave (Analyst)]

And I will tell you, the sample sucked. It sucked.

[Xena Keda]

There was.

[Dave (Analyst)]

It was like worthless. Please give me T Mac with this then. It sucked. Right? Give me mellow talking about the game.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Like I would. And honestly. And I'll give those guys more credit, I. Because I think that they were super fun.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah.

[Esper Henny]

Anything that was a spectacle about this whole presentation. It was that portion. But I'm okay with that. Like I am okay with that. For me, I actually it was funny.

[Dave (Analyst)]

That it was sold something. Right. That's why I'm making fun of it. If it was, if it was just. Hey, we're doing a series of sit downs with Michael Jordan.

[Xena Keda]

Great.

[Dave (Analyst)]

But calling it insight into excellence.

[Xena Keda]

Yeah, I agree.

[Dave (Analyst)]

And next week it's going to be load management. What do you guys think Michael Jordan thinks about load management?

[Andrew Schleicht]

I think we know.

[Esper Henny]

I bet you they said that.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah, yeah. They teased it for next week and it's like, come on man. Like I just don't get it. Right.

[Xena Keda]

Back when I played we, we played who's it for?

[Andrew Schleicht]

Right?

[Dave (Analyst)]

No, no, he, he said that yesterday. Right. Well, you know, we were in the spirit of the game or something like that. And it's like I would rather get some woo woo basketball mysticism in there than like Michael Jordan, you know, part two. Right. Like which is what it's going to wind up being like. And Michael Jordan was the greatest. Like Disputes it. But he's still like, you know, we're still going to get it hammered home here. I just don't know who it's for. I don't know who it's for.

[Xena Keda]

He sees LeBron doing mind the Game and he wants insight to excellence.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I mean, listen, NBC probably rolled out a fat stack of cash and was like, hey, mj, give us an hour.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah, of course.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Let us put your name on all this stuff.

[Xena Keda]

You will be our title sponsor for all tequila events.

[Andrew Schleicht]

But how many. But, but how many people through the years have done that exact thing and he's actually said yes to it? You know what I mean? Like, they actually got him to say yes, which I'll give him credit for it.

[Esper Henny]

That's a spectacle in itself.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Esper Henny]

I don't want to call it a car crash. You don't want to turn your eyes from. Because it's not a car crash. But it's just like something that regardless of how you feel about it, you're still like, what could he say?

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah, I was kind of like when I watched it this.

[Esper Henny]

I was locked in. I like the story.

[Xena Keda]

I'll give you this comp. Okay, so Jay Z, for example, a well known rapper, obviously very, very popular.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Oh, are you about to ask me Lunch with Jay Z or Half a million dollars?

[Xena Keda]

It's kind of like the Lunch with Jason. So everybody is like, you know, obviously some people consider Jay Z the goat. Etc. Etc. So when he, like, he never drops songs anymore, but what if he were to drop a song today? Everybody would be like, I gotta lock in.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah.

[Dave (Analyst)]

What would you write a song about?

[Xena Keda]

Running back. Yeah, he's 55 years old. He's gonna talk about tax returns. But also at the same time, it's important people want to hear talk about tax returns. It's the same thing as Michael Jordan. It's the same.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Too rich to pay tax.

[Esper Henny]

Very good equivalent.

[Andrew Schleicht]

I like that. S pretty good. Set up that segment by not segment, just set up the. The point by saying that Jay Z is a very famous rapper. As if like we didn't know who he was talking.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Well, listen, you know what?

[Esper Henny]

I like the inclusivity. Thank you for ensuring that.

[Xena Keda]

No, by the way, Mike Wiseberg said he just dropped 444.

[Dave (Analyst)]

That was 10 years ago. I was like a long time ago.

[Xena Keda]

That was 2017.

[Esper Henny]

He said few years ago. Right?

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah, it's not bad.

[Xena Keda]

Whatever.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah, few years.

[Dave (Analyst)]

He was all right. He was super rich.

[Xena Keda]

We survived a pandemic.

[Esper Henny]

He had to respond to lemonade. But That's a whole nother podcast, y'.

[Andrew Schleicht]

All.

[Dave (Analyst)]

There should be a one yacht limit on whether or not you can drop like an album, right? Like once you get that second yacht. What are you complaining about? What. What is. What do you have that I can relate to?

[Xena Keda]

Unless you're making yacht rock. You know, that's.

[Andrew Schleicht]

That's now.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Okay, A Jay Z pivot to yacht rock would be. I'd listen to that.

[Andrew Schleicht]

I'd be locked in.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Does he have enough money to get Paul and Oats to reunite? You know they hate each other.

[Xena Keda]

No, I didn't know they hate each other. They make great music, though.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I know.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Okay.

[Dave DeForest]

Hey, we're gonna take a quick break.

[Andrew Schleicht]

When we come back, we're gonna talk about what we're excited to watch for the rest of the week.

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[Andrew Schleicht]

And we're back after that quick break. Hope you guys, you know, have have something new to think about. Jay Z singing Yacht Rock. That's something I would have never thought of.

[Esper Henny]

And also I could make that happen.

[Xena Keda]

Like no. Oh come on.

[Esper Henny]

Look, I do hate that for us.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I'll tell you. I. I believe that Allen Iverson is very talented, but I don't think he could do that. I don't think he could pull it.

[Andrew Schleicht]

All right, dad.

[Dave (Analyst)]

The only AI that we recognize.

[Xena Keda]

Nice dad joke there.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Okay. All right. So a lot of basketball to be played. We only saw four teams yesterday, and now we get to see a ton of basketball tonight. S. We'll start with you.

[Xena Keda]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schleicht]

What are you most looking forward to tonight or later in the week?

[Xena Keda]

Man, there's. I could. I could pick any team right now. Most looking forward to. I would probably. It's kind of weird. You guys are going to hate it. I'm. I'm excited to watch the Portland Trailblazers.

[Esper Henny]

Okay.

[Xena Keda]

I know you're gonna put on your.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Beanie to watch that. Yeah, yeah, I do.

[Andrew Schleicht]

I do.

[Xena Keda]

Look, they are. They're leaning in because they do also have some injuries, but Scoot Henderson isn't playing. It's. It's Drew Holiday. It's Tamani Kamara. It's Jaden Sharp. They did their extensions for those guys. It seems like they're, like, leaning in on this being at least the next few years for them. So I'm excited to see how they look together. That team could be really good defensively, which I'm really excited for. I just. I think they have a lot of intriguing bigs, too, between Hanson, Yang or Young Hansen, Donovan, Klingon. They also have the option of, like, Robert Williams will eventually be back for them. I think he's injured right now, so there's just a lot of functionality to what they can do. I don't know how they're going to score a lot of points. That's more of a shade and sharp question. I think that's more that.

[eBay Announcer]

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[Xena Keda]

Question. But I. I think it's a really intriguing team. I think it's one of those teams that, you know, you. We kind of talked about this a couple months ago, but I feel like they have a little surprise to them. You know, they could upset in the Western Conference, maybe make it to the eight seed if things really go well. So, yeah, I'm excited to see how Portland looks out the gate.

[Esper Henny]

Yeah, I like it.

[Xena Keda]

Not a fun pick. I know. Boring.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah, it's fun.

[Esper Henny]

I'm not bored by that.

[Dave (Analyst)]

It's basketball. First week.

[Esper Henny]

Yeah.

[Dave DeForest]

Yeah.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I don't know anything.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Anything is possible here.

[Dave (Analyst)]

We don't know anything.

[Esper Henny]

And it's worth saying that they're going up against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

[Xena Keda]

They are. Yeah.

[Esper Henny]

You'll get A great look at what that team looks like without Mike in the chat.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Mike in the chat. I think he's injured right now. Is the. The title of the Robert Williams story.

[Xena Keda]

Sure.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Guy time Ward man with a.

[Esper Henny]

With a break chapter for Boston. You know, that was great. Championship.

[Xena Keda]

There's a couple of injuries throughout the league that's kind of taken. Taken the life away from this first week a little bit. No. Darius Garland cats out.

[Andrew Schleicht]

You know.

[Esper Henny]

Yeah. That was gonna be the pick that I had.

[Dave (Analyst)]

And Mitchell Robinson are out. Yeah.

[Xena Keda]

And Josh Hart. And Josh Hart might be out for a while, according to Mike Brown.

[Andrew Schleicht]

So, yeah, that's about it.

[Esper Henny]

I don't love that.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Jalen Brunson MVP odds going up.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah. Unless they don't win. Xena.

[Esper Henny]

Yeah. I had chosen over the weekend that I really, really wanted to see the Cavs and the Knicks because that is the Eastern Conference finals potential matchup. But, yeah, with all those injuries, it kind of sucks.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah.

[Esper Henny]

So I'm actually going to be on their same boat. There's two games I want to see. I am particularly interested to see what happens with Dallas after what I just saw happen with Houston.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah.

[Esper Henny]

Like, we all thought maybe the Monstars approach, which, by the way, I had completely forgotten that the Monsters were actually truly the Nerd Lux. Like, I just remembered that. Did you guys know that their. Their team name was actually the Nerd Lux?

[Dave (Analyst)]

No.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Wait, what?

[Esper Henny]

Like, yeah, I just.

[Xena Keda]

Aren't they the monsters? They were.

[Esper Henny]

They are the. They are. I literally looked this up recently because someone, like, tweeted about it and they were like, yeah, the Monsters are the Nerdlocks. And I was like, what the hell are the Nerdlocks? And like, I looked it up, and that is. That apparently is the name of that team, but they were like, is this.

[Xena Keda]

The second Space Jam?

[Esper Henny]

I, I.

[Andrew Schleicht]

No.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Well, wait, wait. But this is kind of like. This is like a. A little bit of like maybe a Voltron situation or, you know, like a. They went from the Nerd Lux. They became.

[Esper Henny]

Yes.

[Xena Keda]

Oh, yeah.

[Dave (Analyst)]

They took the powers. Yes.

[Esper Henny]

Right. Exactly. Yeah, I never. I completely.

[Dave (Analyst)]

This was predicting portion tech oligarchs, actually.

[Esper Henny]

Oh, interesting. Damn it. That was too good. That was too good. Okay, anyways, back to what I was saying. Yeah. So the Mavericks being the Monstars and seeing what just happened to the Monstars, but Houston still being able to, like, leave for a majority of that game, finding a very clunky way to do it. I am curious how they're going to do that against San Antonio. So I'm very. I mean, obviously the Cooper flag Wemby thing is like box office, but Wemby.

[Xena Keda]

Was the other thing.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I wonder if we see a bunch of zone, honestly.

[Esper Henny]

Right. And that's exactly right. I'm. I'm very curious as to what, like, Dallas is going to do to adjust for the fact that they do not have ball handling and not a ton of outside shooting. And then the other game I'm interested in, and this is basically just because I'm very curious as to what's going to happen with Ace Bailey. Ace Bailey's going to go up against one of the best defenses in the Western Conference in the LA Clippers. And I want to see, like, does it hold up.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Car crashes earlier?

[Esper Henny]

I'm curious. I'm. I'm very intrigued by. Because if he does have a pop of a game. Yeah. Now everyone's gonna be like, whoa, yeah, turn your head. You know, so those are my two.

[Xena Keda]

Were we supposed to give you two?

[Esper Henny]

No, I just had.

[Xena Keda]

You had to. Oh, you're just well prepared. Okay, how about.

[Dave (Analyst)]

How about Brooklyn and Charlotte on opening night? Just feels like you're sick. Let's run it out. What are we doing?

[Esper Henny]

That's.

[Dave (Analyst)]

This is one of the first games of the season. NBA. Brooklyn.

[Xena Keda]

No, they're basically. You know what they're doing. It's a busy night.

[Andrew Schleicht]

It's the same time. It's the same time as Cavs. Nicks, though.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah, yeah, they're hiding.

[Xena Keda]

They're hiding.

[Andrew Schleicht]

They're like, hey, these two teams, we're. We want to like, sweep them under the NBA rug for the week.

[Xena Keda]

Yes.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Let's get them out of here.

[Xena Keda]

Jagor, pretend they did not play.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Amazing.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Look, for me, for me, it's. It's. Again, I said this on the pod the other day. Hawks, Hawks magic. I. I think that this is with the changes the Hawks have made. I believe in them. You know, obviously we need to see them. And I like what Orlando has done. I think Desmond Bain just makes them make a lot more sense. And I think Goga is. Is prime for another great year.

[Xena Keda]

Can he play? I would love for him to be the thing.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I think he will unlock a lot for them if he can. If he can show up. But I just think that they're kind of fighting for that next spot, which could actually put them in position to make the Finals.

[Esper Henny]

This.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Cleveland and. And the Knicks are not guaranteed. Like, you know, we were already talking about Carl Anthony Town's missing time. Like, injuries affect every single season and, you know, I do think that Orlando and, and Atlanta, they offer these like, differing styles. Also. Orlando is going to be a, a powerhouse defensive team. I think if they're really successful this year, their offense is a mystery. Whereas Atlanta, if they're great, it's going to be because that offense is just untouchable. So I think it's gonna be a fun matchup. I, I don't. I don't know. I'm probably lower on Orlando than you guys are, and I know I'm higher on the Hawks than just about everybody, but I'm not sure. Have you guys thought much about, about them?

[Xena Keda]

I think it'll be a work in progress for the Magic. I, I don't think it'll be like right out the gate and it'll be funny if it will be right out the gate and there's 10, 10, 12 in a row.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Xena Keda]

But I think it will be a work in progress for them. I think Paulo and Franz are definitely not used to having a guy who can create like Desmond Bain does. It'll take a little bit for them to realize, like, hey, there's that guy there that's shooting 42 for his career. We got to pass him the ball. So I don't know. I think, I think they'll be good out the gate, but will they be dominant? We can be contenders. I think it'll be a work in progress. I think we might be talking about them in like January versus right now type of thing for Orlando. You know, I didn't.

[Esper Henny]

I. That's a really good pick. I was, I was thinking we were just talking about like tonight, opening night specifically. But I absolutely think that both the Hawks and the Magic are probably the most question mark teams in the Eastern Conference, that the question mark could become an exclamation mark really quickly. You know what I mean? And so I think that's a great pick. If I could ask this, add one more. Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors. Yeah, one. Because we just want to see what the Denver Nuggets are about in general. But the Golden State warriors, they get that win on opening night against the Lakers and you're already seeing things that excite you. The continuation of the Jimmy Butler phenomenon where Batman, Robin. Batman can rest while Robin goes out for 31 points. 16 of 16 from the free throw line. Awesome. But you're also seeing other things that are really great, too. Jonathan, six assists, goes 4 of 6 from the three point line. If he can like shoot that shot consistently, that changes the entire geometry of their small ball lineup. And what they can do, what they're capable of. And then the fact like Draymond Green played 28 minutes last night.

[Dave DeForest]

Why?

[Esper Henny]

Because now Horford can come in and give you 20 minutes. Right. And so I'm just trying to see, like, what is the reality of this Golden State warriors team. And Denver will be a perfect opponent to be able to test the legitimacy of that. Because let's be real, the Lakers did not look like the Lakers we've been kind of imagining all off season.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Esper Henny]

And so it's a good win. But it. I just don't know if it really tells you something or tells you enough.

[Xena Keda]

The Lakers were basically perfect versions of like, what this warriors team can attack and exploit. You know, like, no, no athleticism. Even the bigs that they have aren't like these ultra aggressive, incredible room protectors. You know what I mean, DeAndre? And not like an incredible rebounder. Had six rebounds in 30 minutes yesterday. Like, I think that was the exact type of team they could expose. But to your point about Kaminga, that was actually going to be one of my picks too. For this is just. I'm so excited to see this version of Jonathan Kaminga again. It was a really ideal matchup for him, but I thought he was moving off the ball. Well, the number that popped out to me was the six assists. So, like, he's not just holding on to the ball now and pounding the air out of it. And like, I'm going to get to the post and try to score. It's okay. I got to the post. I've drawn two defenders. I can kick it out to Brandon Pajinski for the three, or I can kick it out to Steph or like these split actions that they run. He can be a part of it now. I think the broadcast said they want him, you know, the warriors want him to play like Sean Marion. That is the perfect version of Jonathan commender.

[Esper Henny]

Yeah.

[Xena Keda]

Be even 60 of John, of Sean Marion, which is a lot. Sean Marion's a great basketball player. But yeah, that's. That's the exciting thing about JK for.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Me, I gotta say. Telling to me that I started having camera difficulties right after I talked about how bad that Michael Jordan segment was. But I won't back down. I will not be silenced.

[Andrew Schleicht]

That will happen.

[Xena Keda]

Don't worry.

[Andrew Schleicht]

That'll happen to you, Dave. That'll happen. I. I'm. This matchup last year would have been like a premier matchup, but now it's a lower tier matchup. But Sixer Celtics is gonna be well, it's gonna be weird, I would say, is where I would start. I. Embiid is going to play, which is exciting. No PG in this one. We don't know when PG is going to come back, but this is going to be a really weird Celtics team. And I've been saying this, like, if. If a team wants to lose games, the easiest way to lose games in the NBA is have a bunch of third bigs on your team or third or fourth bigs on your team to play the first and second spot. And that's what the Celtics are doing. And so I'd love to see what we'll get to see tonight. Like, what is Joel Embiid really made of? Because he gets to play against Luca Garza tonight. We get to see him. Like, he could put up monster numbers. And if he does, I think that's great. If he doesn't, I'd be a little concerned.

[Dave (Analyst)]

He'll probably be on a minutes limit, I'm assuming. But he should have 40 in 25 minutes.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yes.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I mean it. If he's not cooked, he should have 40.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah.

[Dave (Analyst)]

In 25 minutes.

[Andrew Schleicht]

It's a good test. It's a good test. And it's like a good way to ease into the season for him just to kind of see, like, what kind of condition is Embiid.

[Xena Keda]

I. If you were to tell me that Joel Embiid is gonna play on opening night for the Sixers, two months ago, I would have told you to shut up. I would have said, no way. Not possible.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Disrespectful. Shut up. Shut up is crazy as the basketball player is gonna play.

[Xena Keda]

No, I just would be very surprised.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I would say, if you were telling me he's gonna play on April 1st.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah, that's. That's a shut up right there.

[Xena Keda]

That's fair.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Now. That's a shut up.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah, I mean, you know, look, he looks a little lighter. I think that's a good sign. But I just. I don't know. I need to see it. I mean, it's. Paul George is another like this. I mean, the Sixers, man, I just. I don't. I'm not. I don't know. Celtics, at least their weirdness kind of makes some sense. Like they had to, you know, once Tatum blues Achilles, and we kind of knew that the tear down was going to come anyway because of their tax situation. And they still got to move a guy, right? Yeah.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yes.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Xena Keda]

Sam Hauser or Simons, it's going to.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Be a weird year in the east, especially the west. Is going to be a bloodbath. But the east is going to be.

[Andrew Schleicht]

There's a lot of mid. In the East.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah, a lot of.

[Dave DeForest]

But.

[Dave (Analyst)]

But is that an op? Is that a room for opportunity?

[Xena Keda]

Right.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Like, is this a year where like an east team could make a. Could, could swing a trade.

[Xena Keda]

That's right.

[Dave (Analyst)]

And, and swing their chances?

[Dave DeForest]

Maybe.

[Xena Keda]

You guys know who I'm thinking about right now?

[Dave (Analyst)]

Who?

[Andrew Schleicht]

Your Toronto Raptors.

[Xena Keda]

No, I'm not thinking about that.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Who are they trading for?

[Esper Henny]

I know we already did our minute.

[Xena Keda]

Yeah, we already did the minute. The, the real, the real team for that is probably the Hawks because I think they have tons of picks. They have like the, the Pelicans Bucks pick that they got gifted this summer. They also have young talent.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Who would they get? Who would they go out and get? That's.

[Xena Keda]

See this is where I think Lowry Marketing would be perfect for them. But that's not. That's. I don't know if that's necessarily the guy they're going for. Also Lowry market would be great for the Pistons, who are another team in that like middle.

[Gab Advertiser]

That one.

[Andrew Schleicht]

I'm very into that one.

[Xena Keda]

Yeah, I like that a lot. Especially because he would work well next to Cade and like the three point shooting, the spacing, the cutting, all that would be awesome.

[Esper Henny]

Awesome.

[Xena Keda]

One of these east teams probably should trade for Lowry market.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah, I like that. I think, I think it should absolutely be the Pistons because when you start to really break down what's going on in Detroit, I'm a little worried because they have. They have some extensions to hand.

[Esper Henny]

Yeah.

[Xena Keda]

They have to pay their guys that.

[Andrew Schleicht]

They are going to slow pedal these because are they worth paying? We just don't really know yet.

[Esper Henny]

Yeah.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Dodged the bullet a little bit with Malik Beasley. Don't know. Like, I mean he, he was out of his mind last season.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah.

[Dave (Analyst)]

And he was about to get a huge extension.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah. Yeah, he was. Yeah. I just. I don't know. I mean outside of Cade and Asar, who are you Mo. Who are we most confident that they're going to be a part of this Pistons corps in the next three years?

[Xena Keda]

I think Jalen Duran.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah, I would say Then who. So that's their. That's kind of their three.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Xena Keda]

I'm not committing to Ron hall like Ron Holland yet. Although I kind of like what Ron Holland provides. But I need to see more Ivy. I don't.

[Esper Henny]

Yeah. What about Ivy? That's.

[Xena Keda]

I think Ivy this season is the make or break season for Jaden Ivy because he Needs to prove that he is either additive to what the Pistons do or does not match and does not work with what they want to do on both ends the floor. So if things don't work, then yes, I could see a trade situation where. All right, Utah gets Jaden Ivy and picks and, you know, contracts and whatnot. And then Larry marketing comes in on the other side. Something like that would make a lot of sense to me. I don't know. I like the Pistons to be a team to make a trade because they were. I liked how they played against the Knicks. I think their defensive identity is good. I think Kate is a guy who's just. Can go toe to toe in a playoff series. Yeah. Against a lot of players in the Eastern Conference. You have an opportunity here to make some noise in the East. Especially with. We just talked about it. It's wide open, you know.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah. I like, I just.

[Esper Henny]

To me, I don't want to talk any trades until I see these teams.

[Xena Keda]

Of course.

[Dave DeForest]

Of course.

[Esper Henny]

Like, I just. I feel. It's hard for me to even like, think about what could Atlanta do. They could be amazing. Yeah, they could be amazing without, you know, any additions already. Maybe Nikhil Alexander becomes their Lori market. You never know. I mean, I. I might be a little too optimistic, but that's why I just. I. I'm always like, I don't know, let's get.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Oh, yeah.

[Esper Henny]

At least a few games out.

[Xena Keda]

Yeah.

[Dave (Analyst)]

And the Hawks have a huge traded player exception, 25 million. So they've got some financial flexibility to go out and make some moves.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yep.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah. I don't know. I want to go back just briefly to last night. I want to talk about okc.

[Xena Keda]

Okay.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Andrew.

[Esper Henny]

Which I never finished my point on Houston, by the way.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Which one?

[Esper Henny]

Because we had to talk about the Painted Courts. I just.

[Xena Keda]

I'm so sorry.

[Esper Henny]

Either way. No, you're good. You're. We've just.

[Xena Keda]

It was big.

[Esper Henny]

I completely forgot.

[Dave (Analyst)]

We've been all over the place.

[Esper Henny]

We have.

[Dave (Analyst)]

You already forgot about hauling oats.

[Andrew Schleicht]

We're excited.

[Esper Henny]

I was never on hollow notes. I think you were on hollow. But please hit okc.

[Dave (Analyst)]

No, no, with okc.

[Gab Advertiser]

See.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Okay, so the shooting last night. All right, this is a. We saw this last year. Right. That you can slip into the zone against them and wait for them to try to shoot their way out. And they're gonna shoot. They don't make shots.

[Xena Keda]

How are they.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Like, how long is it going to be before Jalen Williams is back?

[Andrew Schleicht]

I mean, I. I would anticipate he's not out for more than a couple more weeks.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Okay, that's good.

[Xena Keda]

They'll be fine though.

[Dave (Analyst)]

How can, how can they mitigate when the shots aren't falling? The need to get a bucket. Like how? Like they just cannot just expect to shoot their way out of it. Which they didn't really do last night.

[Andrew Schleicht]

No, that. I mean they have a pretty wide margin for error. Yeah, but they, I mean they had it in the playoffs. They shot terribly from three in the playoffs and they were still able to win. So they, they have that. You know, they. The games that they shot the worst in last year, they won't. You know, there was a game where they shot below 20% from three. They still won it. And it's really just because like they are such a great defensive team and they can just turn you over. We saw that last night. Case of Wallace especially in the third quarter was amazing. And then Shea shot making down the stretch, there's really not much you could do. And so I do think that they have that margin. But they're also like Chet being a guy that can score 28 is huge for them. I want to see more AJ Mitchell because he played, he played 15 minutes last or 16 minutes last night, scored 15 points and he was spectacular. He scored in multiple ways. He hit threes. He took a ton of threes.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Did he even play in the second half?

[Andrew Schleicht]

Not much.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah. Yeah, okay.

[Xena Keda]

A little bit in the third quarter.

[Dave (Analyst)]

But he was, he was. It was an eye opening performance.

[Xena Keda]

I'll just say this on the OKC front, like I don't think they should be afraid to exper. And by the way, Mark Dagno is never afraid to experiment. But I don't, I don't think they should be afraid to experiment at all this year and just try things to find more offensive versatility for themselves because if there was one thing from the playoffs that you could glean and take from their run was all right. Sometimes you can get a little one track minded where it was.

[Dave (Analyst)]

All right.

[Xena Keda]

J Dub, drive attack, attack and close out. Let's get a shot. Shay ISO, let's find a shot. Like that was really the source of their half court offense. If they can find ways to diversify. And that's why I love chat with the variety of shots that he got last night made so much sense because cool coming off of cuts, working as a dribble handoff hub like that, all of those aspects of the game kind of feed into what OKC needs from their half court offense. I like that they're trying to throw more lobs. That's something I saw Mark Dagno say too. I. I need them to diversify their offense more and I feel like they're just experiment this year. Just try things. AJ Mitchell, to your point, Chat being a hub for bench units, have J Dub come out and run stuff Hartenstein more as a dribble handoff up. Like just try different things to get more options for yourself offensively because sometimes like you're. You're the defending champs. They got the scout on you guys. When it comes to. Everybody knows Shay wants to go a different direction or a certain direction. It. He still gets to a spot though, but because he's the MVP of the league and he's gonna do that. But it's just. It comes a point in time where you need some sort of variety and they need that.

[Esper Henny]

You know, when it came to the zone yesterday, like I thought it was strange that they did go away from Chet flashing into the middle because he had so many successful buckets. Yeah, exactly. It felt weird that, that they just started shooting outside. Jay Will was putting up shots and I get it. They were wide open and those are shots that they typically hit.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah.

[Esper Henny]

But I definitely thought that was the thing that was one thing that was missing. And to your point about the diversification, I really liked Isaiah Hartenstein being more of a passer. I mean he. He was the one that was able to get from the short block. The lob to Chet. There was like a in transition pass that was almost there, but I don't think Alex Caruso was ready for it. But Isaiah Hartenstein is a much better passer than we give him credit for and being able to like showcase that as well. Especially with the high low working of Chet moving around on the back line. I think that that could be a really cool thing for them to explore more too.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah. I think that outside of probably Nikola topic, he's probably the best passer on the team. I think Hartenstein is.

[Xena Keda]

Yeah, probably. Yeah.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah. He's super talented. And he's another guy that's. He's still developing his game. I know that there's a desire from him to expand his game. He took 13 last night. He air balled it.

[Xena Keda]

It.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Couldn't believe he missed those back to back floaters like last night.

[Andrew Schleicht]

I know.

[Dave (Analyst)]

That was shocking to me that that was.

[Esper Henny]

He was kind of push shotting it. It was.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah. It was weird.

[Esper Henny]

Yeah, that's.

[Andrew Schleicht]

There was something in the air last night with a lot. With the shooting from okc.

[Esper Henny]

Wait, Andrew can I ask you a question about Shay. So my thought was that Shay was being more passive than I would particularly love for him to be, particularly in the first half. And as. As you just mentioned, he gets to a spot. I literally wrote in my. I was, like, taking notes throughout the game, and I think it was Jamal Crawford that was like, patience, like, works out, whatever. Patience. Basically, when Shay wants to get to a spot, he gets to a spot. And I know. I just saw a comment like, of if Amen was there down the stretch, he stutter, stepped, stood up, Amen and went in and got a bucket. Right? So I don't. I don't even know if Amen was out there. Sure, it might have been a little bit slower, but I still think he would have gotten to his spots and figured out a way. This evolution of his scoring throughout the course of a game is something we've seen where he can be quiet in the first half and then take off. Has he ever spoken to that? Like. Like, why he kind of waits to take over versus sometimes we've seen the games where he just takes over from the jump. Like, has. Has he ever said anything about that? Or is this something that you've also noticed as well?

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah, we ask him about it a lot because he'll. He'll go through spells like this where he'll kind of let his teammates. And a lot of it really was. And he. He talked about just the way that they were defending him at the beginning of the game, just showing two to the ball. And he's. He's a guy that is not going to force things necessarily to begin the game. He's. He said that he didn't want to be stubborn to start the game. And so in. In most cases, that's going to pay off. Lou Dort's not going to miss all eight threes in most games. Like, J. Will's not going to miss four. Like, between those guys, they were, oh, 12, you know, between Jwell and Dort, those guys aren't going to shoot like that, you know, for the most part. So they'll be rewarded for that play in some spots. And then that just kind of opens everything else up. But when they miss those shots, like, everything seems, like, close in around you. And so I. He did have to force the issue later, I thought. And with the Amen piece, like, I get that thought. Like, yes, there were moments where Amen did a really good job on Shea, but also the temptation of Reed shepherd being out there down the stretch, like, the temptation to hunt him because like, everybody was taking turns hunting Reed Shepherd. It was like Aaron Wiggins had a monster dunk case and was Lou Dort with the spin move. It was just like gifts being given just by Reed shepherd all over the place for the Thunder. But then down the stretch, you know, they're playing zone and they're get it. And they would get Shay to the side where Reed is, and it was just like, let's hunt him. And then it became like these, like, long jumpers and he missed a few of them. Yeah. And a lot of it was, you know, like, you kind of stop playing the game and then you go like, pure ISO. Because, like, you know, you can cook this guy and you can't do that.

[Xena Keda]

In the zone either. I mean, it's really tough to do that.

[Andrew Schleicht]

It's really tough. But I think that having Amen out there put would have lent more to them. Like, playing their game is. Is really what I mean, rather than just like, hey, there he is. Yeah, kill him. You know, like, that's kind of the way that it. That it played out down the stretch and it ended up working out for the Thunder. But by the way, that's going to be a problem for the Rockets is the whole Reed shepherd experience.

[Dave DeForest]

But.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Oh, yeah, yeah. You know, I. He's so small, you know?

[Xena Keda]

And look, guys, the other thing is, it was okay versus okc.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yes.

[Xena Keda]

Came off against the Hornets. He will do it again.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Who doesn't?

[Xena Keda]

You know what I mean?

[Esper Henny]

I'm not giving up on Reed. I'm not giving up.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I'm not either. But I'm also not. Not saying that in three years he won't be crushing at like, Partizan or Red Star or Fetterbach or Bayern Munich or one of these already there. The problem, though, is that he will have a hard time because they also don't like small guards who can't guard. Right. It's hard being a small guard, Mike James, who can't play defense.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Do you.

[Xena Keda]

You feel like he don't know? I don't know.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I mean, listen, Mike J. You gotta go be Mike James. Yeah, right.

[Andrew Schleicht]

James.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Mike James is really, really good over there, you know? Can. Can he go be Shane Larkin?

[Xena Keda]

I. I don't know.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I mean, look, I've seen the tape on him and he looked great, but he is so small in the NBA and he can't stay in front. Like, he can't stay in front. Like, that's. It's not even just that he gets moved out of the way. He legitimately can't stay in front and. And Shea is like, not. He's not the quickest guy.

[Xena Keda]

He.

[Dave (Analyst)]

And I know he's got a great first step, but he's so smooth. But you're smaller than Shay. Like, the one thing you have to be able to do is just stay in front. And he was getting cooked, you know, and it wasn't like he wasn't trying. Like, I. I'll give him, like, this is not a situation where it's a small guard who's not competing. He just. He doesn't have it. He doesn't have that in his game offensively, whatever.

[Andrew Schleicht]

It's not even that. Shay is not the problem. It's the fact that Lou Dort and Case and Wallace, who are like mostly spot up guys, you know, they both have a little bit more to their game than that meets the eye. But for the most part, these are not guys. They're going to beat you off the bounce. Whenever those guys see him and they're like, let's go.

[Xena Keda]

That's the other experimentation angle for okc. More Case and Wallace.

[Esper Henny]

More.

[Xena Keda]

More opportunities for Queso to kind of create some shots for himself. I like, obviously he's. He's baseline, very good 3D player, but just experiment. Try stuff.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, they will.

[Dave (Analyst)]

He was great.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah, he was very good. Okay. Thank you so much for listening to this edition of the Morning Shoot around. We're gonna do this every week, so come hang out with us every Wednesday. We'll continue to break things down.

[Dave DeForest]

We'll.

[Andrew Schleicht]

We'll have some more gimmicky things on this show than.

[Xena Keda]

We retired Jeff Green's jersey.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Who S. Who?

[Xena Keda]

The Sonics, when they come back. Retired.

[Andrew Schleicht]

One year. They put.

[Dave DeForest]

He played one year.

[Andrew Schleicht]

You can. You can give this one up. If you bring this up, I'm.

[Xena Keda]

I'm.

[Andrew Schleicht]

I'm kicking you off the pot.

[Dave DeForest]

Okay.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schleicht]

You can't do this anymore. We can't do this anymore.

[Esper Henny]

All right.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Like, I like Jeff.

[Dave (Analyst)]

It was a good icebreaker for the show, though.

[Esper Henny]

Yeah.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I will say, you did get me. I. I was. I was a little down. You got me warmed up.

[Xena Keda]

Sergio Baka, let's include.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah, okay. Like, you can talk.

[Dave DeForest]

We can.

[Xena Keda]

We can have a conversation talking to Baka.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Okay. We can have a conversation about.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Are the Raptors going to retire Ibaka now? If I was s. If I love.

[Xena Keda]

Nick Collisony for us.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Oh, I would have to.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Oh, I would have to.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I would have to say who were the rappers? Not gonna retire. Like, is Emmanuel Quickley already a legendary raptor Come on.

[Xena Keda]

No way, man.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Scotty Barnes.

[Xena Keda]

By the way all these coming out that Emmanuel quickly contract looks wild.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah, it was wild the day they signed.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Does get worse every day though.

[Xena Keda]

No, but it gets. It's, it's exasperated rated by the. By the good contracts being handed.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah.

[Xena Keda]

So.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Yeah, but it was man. It was really bad day one.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah.

[Xena Keda]

Yeah. Ibaka. Come on, Thunder legend. All time block.

[Esper Henny]

That feels like an easy one. That feels like an easy one.

[Xena Keda]

I'd walk it in.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Maybe.

[Andrew Schleicht]

We'll see.

[Dave (Analyst)]

I'm a hard seller.

[Xena Keda]

I'm all for over. Over retiring. Like sure.

[Dave (Analyst)]

Oh, so like you're cool with the Miami Heat retiring Michael Jordan?

[Xena Keda]

Sure.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Yeah.

[Dave (Analyst)]

That's so lame. Yeah.

[Andrew Schleicht]

We're gonna return your jersey right now. S All right. Thanks so much for listening to the show. Hope you guys enjoy it. Join us live.

[Dave DeForest]

You can comment.

[Andrew Schleicht]

Would love to hear from you guys and we'll talk to you guys again next week.

[Esper Henny]

Bye.

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