NBA Pressure Draft

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily: NBA Pressure Draft

Date: August 29, 2025
Hosts: Andrew Schlecht, Alex Spears
Guest: Fred Katz (The Athletic)
Episode Theme: A draft-style breakdown of who’s under the most pressure in the NBA heading into the 2025–26 season—star players, contenders, young players, front offices, and one “wild card” each.

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Overview

This episode of Saturday Slam and Jam features a unique “Pressure Draft,” where the hosts and guest Fred Katz take turns selecting the NBA figures, teams, and groups facing the most pressure for the upcoming 2025–26 season. The conversation is energetic, funny, and loaded with inside analysis. Each round focuses on a different group: star players, title contenders, young players, front offices, and a wild card from anywhere in the NBA landscape.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction: How the Pressure Draft Works

[01:32–03:38]

• The draft categories: Star Player, Contender, Young Player, Front Office, and Wild Card.
• Pressure isn’t always negative; sometimes it’s about big opportunity.
• Each participant selects which category they feel most confident about.

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2. Round 1: Star Players Under Most Pressure

[03:43–14:28]

Fred Katz: Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks)

• Trae Young is under both basketball and “off-the-court” pressure (contract extension talks stalled).

• Hawks aggressively built a roster to cover Young’s weaknesses—adding shooting, length, playmaking (Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nikhil Alexander-Walker, plus Kristaps Porzingis off the bench).

• Katz is buying Hawks hype—sees them as a possible 4th seed in East.

• Young must prove he’s the franchise guy or position himself for a future elsewhere.

  "My answer is Trae Young because he is under pressure from a basketball standpoint and from an individual standpoint." – Fred Katz [03:52] "This team has been built to fill in for the Trae Young deficiencies and it has also been built in in a way that if they decide the Trae Young deficiencies are still too great, they can move on." – Fred Katz [06:33]

Andrew Schlecht: Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)

• Cavs need to win "at a high level" after a strong regular season but early playoff exit.

• New coach (Kenny Atkinson) adds pressure, and improvements are expected.

• Mitchell is the leader; must evolve, especially as a facilitator, and carry Cleveland deep (conference finals or bust).

  "I think there’s a ton of pressure on Donovan Mitchell not only to get them to a certain point, but to kind of evolve his game a little bit.” – Andrew Schlecht [09:18]

Alex Spears: Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies)

• Former Top 10 caliber, but since then: suspensions, injuries, system changes.

• With Desmond Bane gone, Grizzlies’ fate now squarely on Morant’s shoulders. Needs to show he still has superstar ability and can stay on the floor.

• Morant’s trajectory has gone from “rising superstar” to “big question mark.”

  "His career and status as a superstar, it’s at a crossroads. Like his career arc feels more like an aging star, but he just turned 26." – Alex Spears [10:15]

Notable Side Discussion:

• Comparing Ja Morant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s arcs; “Think about if someone asked now why is Shea better than Ja? I can give you a lot of reasons...” – Fred Katz [12:21]

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3. Round 2: Contenders Under the Most Pressure

[14:28–25:37]

Andrew Schlecht: New York Knicks

• The Knicks made their championship-or-bust intentions explicit, firing Tom Thibodeau and releasing a dramatic statement.

• Mike Brown replaces Thibs, but it’s questionable if he’s an upgrade.

• In the East, with Indiana and Boston gone and the Cavs questioned, anything less than a Finals appearance is considered a failure.

  "They’ve stated it. They did it to themselves, and so now they have to go do it.” – Andrew Schlecht [17:46]

Fred Katz: Cleveland Cavaliers

• Cavs are now the league’s most expensive team, well above the 2nd tax apron.

• Good problem—they’re expensive because they have good players, but “nut-cutting time” for results.

• If Cavs don’t at least make the Conference Finals, they may have to break up the core.

  "This is the year it’s all or nothing for them... If the Cavs lose in the second round again... the Cavs might have to look at themselves and say this isn’t working.” – Fred Katz [19:53]

Alex Spears: Denver Nuggets

• Jokic’s prime is being spent; Nuggets have had one title but two second-round exits.

• Offseason moves mean “no excuses” for depth; expectations are Conference Finals or bust.

• The window can’t shut with only one ring for a player as historic as Jokic.

  “I feel like when you have a player like Nikola Jokic, you gotta come out of this window with another ring... that excuse [for lack of depth] is out the window.” – Alex Spears [24:03]

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4. Round 3: Young Players Under Most Pressure

[25:37–34:28]

Alex Spears: Shaedon Sharpe (Portland Trail Blazers)

• Fourth season, not yet extended, but now the Blazers’ scoring opportunity is wide open (Simons gone).

• Team and league will be watching—Sharpe’s a dynamic athlete but must round out game, especially 3-point shooting.

  “You don’t really have to squint that much to see the outline of a really dynamic offensive player. But he still has to put it all together...” – Alex Spears [27:08]

Andrew Schlecht: Jaden Ivey (Detroit Pistons)

• Only played 30 games last year; expectations remain high for a now-competitive Pistons team.

• Needs defensive improvement and to finally show impact; up for an extension.

  “If he can get better defensively... not only make a lot of money, but I think he can help the Pistons take a pretty big jump.” – Andrew Schlecht [30:25]

Fred Katz: Cooper Flagg (Dallas Mavericks)

• Thrust into replacing Luka Doncic after Mavs blockbuster trade.

• Immense (and perhaps unfair) expectations: “has to be” Luka-level from public’s perspective.

• Flagg’s mental and physical gifts aside, his ability to handle the pressure as a rookie will define his start.

  “He basically needs to be as good as Luka Doncic in order for the general public to think that everything is okay again.” – Fred Katz [31:07] “That is real pressure... that is a lot to deal with.” – Fred Katz [32:30]

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5. Round 4: Front Offices Under Most Pressure

[34:28–46:54]

Andrew Schlecht: Milwaukee Bucks

• Huge asset drain, desperate moves (waiving Dame, big gamble on Turner), little room for improvement.

• Bucks’ viability hinges on low-cost new additions working, and they’re walking the financial tightrope to keep Giannis satisfied.

  "At any moment, Giannis could call and just say, hey, it’s over...” – Andrew Schlecht [35:37]

Fred Katz: Phoenix Suns

• Changes in front office, owner Matt Ishbia’s public outbursts, waiver/stretch of Bradley Beal’s contract means long-term financial pain for maybe little short-term gain.

• Ishbia’s volatile expectations pressure the front office to deliver or constantly pivot.

  "There is pressure on that front office... You are putting pressure on yourself. Like, it’s just real tough.” – Fred Katz [42:53]

Alex Spears: Utah Jazz

• Missing the playoffs for a soon-to-be franchise-record-tying fourth straight year; loaded with picks but no clear “star.”

• Pressure to identify or develop one All-Star-level young player (Ace Bailey?).

• Likens Jazz’s situation to previous tankers (Pistons, Magic, Rockets, Thunder), who by year four usually have one core guy.

  “You cannot go into year five of a rebuild and still not feel like there’s at least one young player you’d bet your money on being a star.” – Alex Spears [44:23]

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6. Round 5: Wild Card Picks

[48:50–59:59]

Fred Katz: Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets)

• Rockets’ offseason moves say “we’re ready now,” and Amen Thompson is primed to be a true, possibly elite, two-way star.

• Can he evolve from role player to cornerstone without a jumper? Katz thinks yes.

  “That guy has the potential to be an actual two-way star... I think his ceiling is so high that we can’t even see it.” – Fred Katz [51:34]

Andrew Schlecht: King Cake Baby (Pelicans Mascot)

• Pelicans are projected to struggle, so “King Cake Baby”—the bizarre mascot—faces the pressure to provide entertainment and keep fans invested.

• Call for creative mascot drama, including original vs. current Pierre the Pelican.

  “This giant baby with man arms and man legs has got to step up for the city of New Orleans and deliver the performance of a lifetime.” – Andrew Schlecht [54:58]

Alex Spears: ESPN

• Will ESPN “screw up” the highly anticipated Inside the NBA broadcast as it brings the classic crew over from TNT—especially with new competition from NBC/Peacock and Amazon?

• Questions about production, show format, and whether the casual, unstructured vibe can be replicated.

  “I just have a feeling people are not going to be happy with the way that ESPN handles inside the NBA.” – Alex Spears [56:16]

Additional:

• Highlights on Amazon’s new NBA product/network—optimism for its panel talent (Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, Brent Barry, Stan Van Gundy) and “actual basketball talk” approach.

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Notable Quotes & Funny Moments

• “Pressure doesn’t necessarily have be a negative thing... opportunity draft...sometimes those opportunities can lead to a lot of pressure, which sounds negative, but maybe it’s good.” – Alex Spears [03:12]
• “You can’t make diamonds without some pressure, Alex.” – Fred Katz [03:43]
• “He basically needs to be as good as Luka Doncic in order for the general public to think that everything is okay again.” – Fred Katz [31:07]
• “In your face, everybody. We sucked and you thought we were good.” – Andrew Schlecht (on Suns owner’s tweet) [39:21]
• “King Cake Baby is my answer.” – Andrew Schlecht [54:58]
• “Is there a halftime act under serious pressure to be the best now that Red Panda tore?” – Fred Katz [60:57]
• “Providence star Lion Goings.” (as a cat pun) – Fred Katz [79:53](trivia; running joke)
• Best Ace Bailey draft quote: “I know it’s cold and it’s hot. It gets cold and it gets hot here.” – Fred Katz repeat [47:06]

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Important Timestamps

• [01:32] – Show Starts, Draft Setup
• [03:43] – Star Player: Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, Ja Morant
• [14:28] – Contender: Knicks, Cavs, Nuggets
• [25:37] – Young Player: Sharpe, Ivey, Flagg
• [34:28] – Front Office: Bucks, Suns, Jazz
• [48:50] – Wild Card: Amen Thompson, King Cake Baby, ESPN
• [59:59+] – Studio show/TV rights talk, lighthearted chat, trivia fun

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Overall Takeaways

• The NBA is facing a season of extreme pressure points:
  Star players seeking validation/redemption, contenders with windows narrowing, young players asked to carry future hopes, front offices risking financial ruin, and even TV studios/mascots are not immune.
• The discussion mixes sharp, in-depth analysis with high-level humor and NBA insider knowledge, all in an entertaining draft format.

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For New Listeners

This episode stands out as an engaging and informative look at the NBA’s “pressure points” heading into 2025–26. It's ideal for both die-hard fans and casual listeners who want to understand the narratives and stakes that will shape the season—plus plenty of great off-court color (including the legendary King Cake Baby and a wild studio rights segment!).

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Full Round-by-Round Draft Results

Fred:

• Star Player: Trae Young
• Contender: Cavaliers
• Young Player: Cooper Flagg
• Front Office: Suns
• Wild Card: Amen Thompson

Andrew:

• Star Player: Donovan Mitchell
• Contender: Knicks
• Young Player: Jaden Ivey
• Front Office: Bucks
• Wild Card: King Cake Baby

Alex:

• Star Player: Ja Morant
• Contender: Nuggets
• Young Player: Shaedon Sharpe
• Front Office: Jazz
• Wild Card: ESPN

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For the full flavor—including mascot drama, naming trivia, and more—make sure to catch the episode or dig into the show’s archives for related content.

Transcript

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[Andrew Schlecht]

Welcome to the Saturday Slam and Jam. I'm your host, Andrew Schlecht. On today's show, we're talking about which team slash players slash front offices have the most pressure on them heading into the 2025, 2026 NBA season. With me today is my good friend, Alex Spears. Alex, what's up?

[Alex Spears]

Hey, What'?

[Fred Katz]

What's up?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Hey. Oh, hi. And with us we have the one, the only, Fred Katz of the Athletic. Fred, how's it going?

[Fred Katz]

I was not told that Speer would be here.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Why are you bringing in these off the pod conversations? Fred?

[Alex Spears]

Andrew, move it along.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Why? You got this. Okay. We are going to talk about which players, teams, front offices will have the most pressure on them. We're starting with round one. So star players, which star player? What?

[Alex Spears]

Hold on.

[Andrew Schlecht]

What?

[Alex Spears]

I want to do this a specific way.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Okay, go ahead.

[Alex Spears]

I want. Because there's some of these you probably feel more or less confident about. Yeah. So I thought it'd be nice for each of us to pick one category that we will lead off that we.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Feel most confident about. Okay.

[Alex Spears]

So guest Fred Katz. Which. Which category? And to go over the categories real quick, star player contender, young player, front office and Then wild card, where you can choose anything NBA related that wouldn't fall into one of those previous categories.

[Fred Katz]

Which one do I feel the most confident in my answer?

[Alex Spears]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Fred Katz]

I'm gonna say star player.

[Alex Spears]

Okay, so Fred is going to start with star player. Andrew, which category would you like?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Contenders.

[Alex Spears]

Contenders. Okay. And I will take. I guess I'll go young player. Okay. So Fred, start us up now. This is the pressure draft. Pressure doesn't necessarily have be a negative thing. If we, if one was spin it positively, we could say the opportunity draft. Because a lot of these players, teams and front offices have opportunities in front of them. But sometimes those opportunities can lead to a lot of pressure, which sounds negative, but maybe it's good. So Fred, who in your opinion is the star player this upcoming season under.

[Fred Katz]

The most pressure, can make diamonds without some pressure? Alex.

[Alex Spears]

That's right.

[Fred Katz]

I was trying to make it happen.

[Alex Spears]

As I was saying it, but can't make it happen.

[Fred Katz]

Well, that's why you're potting with two other people. Even though I was told I'd only be putting with one other person. And then you just kind of showed up. All right, which star is under the most pressure? My answer is Trey Young because he is under pressure from a basketball standpoint and from an individual standpoint, like off the court, he's eligible for an extension right now. We've heard no, nothing on a Trey Young extension. That is very interesting to me about what the Hawks are doing. The Hawks were super aggressive this summer. I really like what they did. I've had some people try to talk me out of my excitement about the Hawks. I feel really good about what the Hawks did. Forgetting about the picks trade that was lauded down the line. But just for this year's roster, what they've done is they've put together a ton of guys who complement Trey Young. Because if you're going to have Trae Young, a guy who is a ball incredible passer and had a great passing season last year, I thought had a really good season, but obviously he's got his defensive deficiencies and he's not always super efficient. He's not always a phenomenal shooter and his shot selection can be questionable at times. What you need is you want guys who can shoot, you want length and you want defense around him. And they have surrounded him with a secondary playmaker. And Jalen Johnson, who they started to give the ball to more last year and was looking really freaking good. Just 2010 and five. And if he can stay healthy, he's excellent. He's athletic, he's long Rece long I shot I thought showed really good defensive flashes last year. Dyson Daniels is one of the best defensive guards in the league, if not the best. Nikhil Alexander Walker, who they signed one of the best defensive guards in the league. Those guys are going to be pests all around. Trey Young, they've got a congu who's a switchable young guy and an underrated passer. They bring in Kristaps Porzingis who everybody is assuming is just a zero because he was a zero in the playoffs. I don't really get why we're just assuming that because Chris Ops Porzingis was sick that he's just always going to be sick forever. I'm not saying that he's not going to be. I'm just saying that mystery means we don't know. So during the regular season last year Christoph Sporzingis was like a 40 some odd percent 3 point shooter on 6 attempts a game and was a great rim protector and was an awesome, great post up player. Actually was an awesome player. I don't see why Christophs Porzingis coming off the bench can't be like phenomenal if he is physically okay and he's another rim protector you can put behind another defender you can put behind Trey Young. This team has been built to fill in for the Trae Young deficiencies and it has also been built in in a way that if they decide the tray Young deficiencies are still too great, they can move on from him either in a trade or by, you know, having him sign and trade with somebody else next summer or whatever else. Like they can move on from him and they can fill in the gap with somebody else and they can still have a pretty solid and competitive roster there. But there's a lot on Trae Young because he's got to figure out his future in terms of his contract. And I think he and the Hawks have to figure out if the two of them are going to continue this marriage with a team that is like he's got guys that compliment him. He's got guys who have the skill set and the talent to compliment him.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah, I, I think that's a great pick. He was on my short list. Are you, are you buying into the Hawks hype?

[Fred Katz]

Yes, I am.

[Alex Spears]

Are you? I mean thinking like fourth seed?

[Fred Katz]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schlecht]

What does that mean?

[Fred Katz]

I, I think I might, I might be thinking fourth seed. I'm. I haven't decided. I, I know, I know I'm going. I know my top three. Like I know My top three is Cleveland, New York, Orlando. I'm deciding on my four. I don't know if I want to go them or if I want to go Detroit or if I want to go Milwaukee. Just because Giannis is Giannis.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah. I haven't the mix for a home court, though, definitely.

[Fred Katz]

And I think I might choose them to be fourth.

[Alex Spears]

Do you know the last time they won more than 43 games?

[Fred Katz]

Well, the 2015. No, 2016.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah, the 2015. 16 season. So a decade ago, because. Yeah, it's so funny. Like, this team has just been in this narrow band of wins for like a half decade now, every. Every year winning like 41 games. And so now they have to make that jump from play and fodder to a real playoff team. And, yeah, I agree with you. I think it's. It's. A lot of it is falling on Trey Young because, as you mentioned, they built this entire roster around him. Finally, Andrew, who is your star player with the most pressure on them?

[Andrew Schlecht]

I've got Donovan Mitchell.

[Alex Spears]

Very good choice.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Cleveland Cavaliers. I just think that the. The Cavs are in a spot where they need to go and win and win at a high level. You know, they fired their coach, won 64 games last year. Kenny Atkinson led them, and then they didn't get any further in the playoffs. In fact, they lost in five to the Indiana Pacers, who we all respect and think are an amazing team. But when you win that many games, you only win one game in the second round. It's not great, and it's not all Donovan Mitchell's fault, but he is their best player. He is their team leader. Evan Mobley may take the best player mantle from him at some point, but he's the guy that's going to take the most shots. And I think that this guy's got to lead the Cavs, at least get to the conference finals. But I think it's a disappointment for the Cavs and the Knicks, who I think will be mentioned later, that if they don't make it to the NBA Finals, I think they're that good. You're in a weak Eastern Conference. I think there's a ton of pressure on Donovan Mitchell not only to get them to a certain point, but to kind of evolve his game a little bit. I think that they need him to be more of a facilitator. And so I think that Donovan Mitchell is under a lot of pressure. And the Cleveland Cavaliers are as well.

[Alex Spears]

Andrew, to hammer that point home, because he was my second choice among active players who have Made an All star game. Donovan Mitchell is tied with Joel embiid for most 50 win seasons without a conference finals appearance.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Wow.

[Alex Spears]

And we don't think of him in the way we think about Embiid. You know, missing, never making conference finals. But he's been on a lot of good teams too. There's Utah teams and now these Cavs teams. Okay, my pick, star player on the most pressure. This is a player who back in 2223 season. This is the preseason. ESPN had him ranked as the ninth best player in the NBA. That was only three seasons ago. And I'm talking about John Morant because since then he has been suspended twice for gun incidents. He struggled with injuries, including the season ending shoulder injury that held him to nine games in the 2324 season. Last year the Grizzlies implemented that new offensive system that was de emphasizing him in the pick and roll. He averaged under 21 per game pre all star break. As he continued to deal with injuries, he did finally show some signs of life towards the end of the season. He averaged nearly 28 in 13 games post All Star break. But now entering this third season since that top 10 ranking, his career and status as a superstar, it's at a crossroads. Like his career arc feels more like an aging star. But he just turned 26. Yeah, he should be entering his prime. And with Desmond Bain gone, I think there's a lot of pressure on Jaw to show signs that he can regain that form from seasons past. Because right now I feel like he's in this zone of NBA stars with guys like Joel Embiid and Zion where the team's ceiling clearly hinges on their talent. But it's increasingly difficult to feel confident that the team's ever going to reach that ceiling because you just can't trust the star player to be on the court. And Memphis's near future having any chance of being relevant is entirely dependent on Ja being consistently good again. So we've had the suspension injury season last year, we had the new offensive system season. I feel like it's time for Ja to be a superstar again. And so I think the pressure is on.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, it's a good one. I mean his third season he was seventh in MVP voting. He won most improved player. He was an all star and he was all NBA second team.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah.

[Andrew Schlecht]

And if you just pause right there, you think, where's this? Where is this all going? If you ask that question as a 23 year old. Yeah. You would have never guessed that this is where we end up.

[Fred Katz]

I mean Andrew, you'll appreciate that. You'll both appreciate this. I vividly remember this must have been three or four years ago. It was probably Shay's second season with the Thunder. So that's been like four years ago. I was talking to somebody with them with the Thunder, and that person said to me, like, why? Just kind of just throwing it out there just as like a thought exercise. Why is John Moran better than Shea? Why is Shea. Why is she looked at as worse than John Moran? And I was like, that's an interesting question. It was like kind of a hot take, but I was like, I like that take. That's a good take. And think about somebody asking that question with that tone four years later. Like, think about if somebody was like, why is Shea better than John Moran? Be like, well, I can give you a lot of reasons why. Yeah, it's very interesting to see how those two careers have developed. You know, similar, you know, players from similar, similar age ranges, similar generations. Like, very, very interesting. But it shows where John Morant was like, shay's the mvp. It shows how JA was thought about early in his career. And you're right between the suspensions. And not just that there have been some playoff flameouts. Like in the fact that the Grizzlies have consistently struggled to have a good half court offense. Like, the reason that they changed so many of their schemes and they changed their philosophies last year was based on the fact that they struggled in the half court so much. They were really good in transition when JA got them out running, but they struggled so much in the half court and that would hurt them when it came to the playoffs. And they needed to find a way to try to be better in the half court. We'll never know if it would have worked because they abandoned that system when they fired Taylor Jenkins. But they need to find a way to be better in the half court that hinges on ja. That hinges on other people too. But now it disproportionately hinges on JA after the Bayne trade. And you're right, that's a really good pick. I like that.

[Alex Spears]

And hey, you can buy low right now because bet MGM has her over under at 40 and a half, which is still crazy to me. That's so low. Okay, round two. That was start players, round two contenders. Andrew, starting with you, your selection. Who is the contender under the most pressure?

[Andrew Schlecht]

I'll start by reading a sentence that was written by a very important person from this organization. It says, our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for Our fans. This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we've decided to move in another direction. This team has put the expectation out there for themselves in the form of a press release. It's still up on Twitter right now. If you go to the New York Knicks Twitter @NY Nix, there's a graphic that has, like, these giant orange quotes at the top that just spell it all out there. One, poor Tom Thibodeau, who did so much for the Knicks, who just gets booted out and gets this strange press release put out there. And then they say, hey, we want to win a championship. They do the most embarrassing coaching search in the history of the NBA where it is leaked that they're trying to talk to all these different people. And it ends up just being kind of awkward. The higher Mike Brown, no shade at all to Mike Brown, I think is a very good coach. I think that he will help the Knicks in some ways this season. But is he a clear upgrade on Tom Thibodeau? I don't know the answer to that question, but I do know the Knicks are under a ton of pressure. The Pacers are gone, and now it's the Cavaliers. It's. Who else are we afraid of? The Magic, who haven't really done anything in the playoffs yet. Like, the Knicks need to go to the Finals. Plain and simple, they need to go to the NBA Finals. I thought they were going to the Finals. This past year, they weren't able to get past Indiana. Indiana is a good team. But now that team is gone. And the Knicks, who fired their coach with the purpose of winning a championship, have to go do that. Because really, anything less than a Finals appearance, I think is probably a failure to them. And it's the expectation that they put on themselves. So I think that I've really. I've only mentioned these two teams at the top of the east, but to me, those are. That's where a ton of pressure lies with both of them. And a lot of it is all these teams have been eliminated. Indiana gone, Boston's gone. Now what do you do? You gotta go win.

[Alex Spears]

And so in your opinion, Andrew, would you say the Knicks have more pressure than the Cavs? I guess so. Because you picked them.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I think so. I think the Knicks definitely have more pressure. I think they have more guys that are in their prime right now, and they made a coaching change with the purpose of winning a championship. You know, the Cavs changed coaches last year, and they didn't say, like, we're doing this so that we can go win the NBA championship? Like, no, I think it was just time for them to. To change coaches, and they found a guy who was a clear upgrade. And for the Knicks, they've. They have stated it. They did it to themselves, and so now they have to go do it.

[Alex Spears]

Okay, Fred, you're going to take the easy way out and just take the other Eastern Conference team, Or do you have anyone else you'd like to talk about?

[Fred Katz]

First of all, Andrew, that was very well said. And I have quoted that statement so many times in the last two months, it is unbelievable to hear somebody else read it. It's weird. I've said it so many times that hearing you say it, I was like, am I talking right now? Like, I. I'm confused as to what's happening here. I'm. I'm just so used to going on podcasts and reading that statement. It's, It's. It is. It is wild. After Tibbs just was so important in pulling that organization from the bottom to the top. It's one thing to make the move, but that statement was. Was wild to me. You know what, Alex? I've. I've always been a risk taker.

[Alex Spears]

Oh.

[Fred Katz]

So. So I'm going to be really conservative on this and take the Cavs, because I think it's the right answer.

[Alex Spears]

Okay.

[Fred Katz]

And. And I will say the one thing. I will say the one thing that is different between the Knicks and the Cavs is that the Knicks are singularly focused on winning a championship. However, they didn't say they're singularly focused on winning a championship in 2026. And the thing with the Knicks is the Knicks right now have a pretty clean cap sheet. They are prop right now. They're under the second apron. They're going to be able to keep this team together for a little while if they want to. So they're under the second apron. All of their main guys are 30 or under. Everybody from their top seven is coming back. They're all 30 and under or 30 or under. Everybody except for Mitchell Robinson is locked up for multiple years. Mitchell Robinson's on an expiring contract. They're under the second apron next year. They'll probably almost certainly go up into the second apron in 26, 27. And they have an opportunity, if they do their caps a certain way, which I bet they will, to fall below the second apron again. And they might only crest over it for one year, which is going to allow them to keep the score together for the long term. If it's worth keeping it together for the long term. That is the difference between the Knicks and the Cavs. And that is why I say I think the pressure might be more on the Cavs in spite of Andrew's very well articulated argument for why it should be the Knicks. Because Cleveland right now is the most expensive team in the NBA. They are well over the second apron and they're willing to spend. There's no question about that. But we have seen that if a team is not a title team, especially with the repeater tax, because this team has been a tax paying team and is eventually going to have to pay a repeater tax which is so unbelievably expensive in this new collective bargaining agreement that is going to tear apart teams. That's why we saw Boston lose. Jason Tatum say, okay, we're not contenders. Tear this thing down legitimately. Tear it down, ruin every other year moving forward because we cannot pay for this if it's not a contender. Teams cannot be that expensive if they are not good enough. And if the Cavs lose in the second round again, or maybe they play two bad teams because it's the east and they make the conference finals, but then they get their socks knocked off of them by the Knicks, which is a possibility because we saw the Knicks destroy them in a first round playoff series only a couple of years ago. If that's what happens, the Cavs might have to look at themselves and say this isn't working. And all of a sudden the core is different. Like they didn't necessarily have to be this expensive. Don't get me wrong, they've done a good job maneuvering their cap stuff. They're this expensive because they have a lot of good players and they don't really have bad contracts. They've done a good job with this. This is just kind of a reality of, of the NBA and a reality of the new CBA where it's like you reach good teams will reach this point. But you know, Evan Mobley winning defensive player of the year last year is something that is a really big deal for them because it knocked up his extension number to the, to the, to the rose rule. And so now he's making 30% of the cap instead of 25% of the cap. And that's a big difference in their tax bill. That's, that's something that's very different for them. So like they are in a. I don't want to say they're in a financial crunch because their players are tradable. They're all good Players and they're pretty much all on decent contracts. Streuss is on a fine contract. Anybody would take Evan Mobley, anybody would take Donovan Mitchell, anybody would take Darius Garland, anybody would take, you know, Jared Allen. But they're really expensive and they are going to have to make decisions and this is going to be like this year is going to be nut cutting time. Either you have a championship team or at least an Eastern Conference winning team and you want to keep it together and it's worth the money but or crap couldn't do it, tear this thing down. And I think this is the year that it's like it's all or nothing for them in terms of this year. I think that's why it's kind of on them over the Knicks.

[Alex Spears]

So that leaves me with the final choice. I'm going to head over the Western Conference and take the Denver Nuggets. Because the Nuggets have this guy on their team who for five consecutive seasons has either won MVP or came runner up in mvp. And during those five years they won a title, which is great. But the last two years they've been knocked out in the second round. I think there were reasons for that. You know, the, the lack of depth on this team the last two seasons where they have just had to push so hard at the end of the seasons probably contributed to maybe that loss to the Wolves where they blew a 20 point lead in game seven of that series. And then this year against the Thunder, again just a complete lack of depth. And then you lose. Well, you don't lose Aaron Gordon, but he, you know, pulls his hammy right before game seven. This is a team that I feel like their window has been open now for a while. And I think when you have a player like Nikola Jokic, you got to come out of this window with another ring. Like he, he is good enough.

[Fred Katz]

He.

[Alex Spears]

This team should be good enough to get another ring. And I think that the championship could or should probably come down to who wins between a series of the Nuggets and the Thunder. I really do think those are the two best teams in the NBA. And so I think for the, I don't want to say the first time since their championship, but I don't feel like the Nuggets have gotten as much hate for going out in the second round the last two years because everyone kind of understood like this, this roster just like is not good enough. It just was not deep enough to make these the kind of run they need to make now with what they've done in the off season, I feel like that excuse is out the window. Like they have the squad now, they have the roster depth now. There's no excuses. This team should be at minimum a conference finals team and should be right there with the Thunder in terms of making the finals out of the West. So I do think there is pressure on the Nuggets for what feels like me the first time in a little while.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah. And they also have like David Adelman. I think that that is, you know, helpful to not have the Michael Malone, Calvin Booth stuff going on behind the scenes. You know, like I just wonder how big of an impact that made throughout the last regular season. You know, they won 50 games which is good, but that still having Nikola Jokic, I think you can win more than 50 games no matter who's around him.

[Alex Spears]

So yeah, Jokic should be on a 60 win team at some point in his career.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, I hadn't done it yet. Yeah, yeah.

[Alex Spears]

Okay. Moving on to round three. Young player, young player with the most pressure on them. I'm leading this one off. This is the one I chose. And I'm going to talk about a player that I probably talk about too much and that is Shaden Sharp.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Alex Spears]

Entering his fourth season, his age, he's only 22. He just turned 22 now. He's clearly a talented player, but it's unclear exactly how valuable of a player he's going to be, which is a big reason why he hasn't gotten extended yet. And this season is setting up as the defining season of his young career. The seeds have parted in Portland. Anthony Simons, the team's leading scorer the last two seasons, he's gone. We're still probably a year away from the Dame reunion tour and so Shaden has this opportunity and I would say pressure to take on a much bigger scoring load alongside Denny Abdial. And it just so happens to be the season before his restricted free agency. There's so much riding on this season for Shane Sharp, both in terms of his future with the Blazers, but also his standing with the league. And you know, I really do think he's, he's a good player. He averaged just under 19 points per game last year. He had a very nice run to close the season. He's a great rim finisher. Converted 71% of his attempts at the rim last season which is in the 92nd percentile among combo guards per clean the glass. He's got a nice mid range game. He's obviously an explosive athlete. He's had numerous dunks this past season. But he's yet to find his shooting stroke from three. And I remember as a prospect, people just kind of talked about him like, oh my gosh, his shot is so smooth. Like this guy's obviously going to be a three point shooter. And it just hasn't happened yet. And if it does happen, he would have such a well rounded offensive game. And you don't really have to squint that much to see the outline of a really dynamic offensive player. But he still has to put it all together and he might not get a better opportunity than what is going to happen this year in Portland.

[Fred Katz]

I love that.

[Alex Spears]

Let's, let's go to Andrew.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Okay. I've got Jaden Ivy on my list.

[Fred Katz]

Jaden and Shaden.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Jaden and Shaden And Shaden.

[Fred Katz]

I've got Braden.

[Alex Spears]

There is a Braden.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Is there a Braden?

[Fred Katz]

I don't think there's ever been a Braden.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Oh, come on. There had to been a brain.

[Alex Spears]

Come on, there's.

[Fred Katz]

There doesn't have to be a Braden. I just thought not, not in the NBA. I don't think Braden. I don't think there's been a Braden in the NBA. Did you know Zach Randolph was the first Zach in NBA history?

[Alex Spears]

Was he really?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Really?

[Fred Katz]

Yeah. Isn't that shocking? Zach? There wasn't a Zach in the NBA until Zach Randolph. He was literally a trailblazer.

[Alex Spears]

Fred, I have great news from you. For you, there is a player from the class of 2025. So he's, he's going to Arizona. He assigned with Arizona. He's the number two at his position, which I can't find his position shooting guard. His name is Braden Buries. Braden Buries.

[Fred Katz]

Well, you know what? A lot of pressure to get up to number one.

[Alex Spears]

And he's young, 12th overall, ESPN 100. So maybe a Braden is coming.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Okay, well, I'm changing my answer. My answer for a young player is Brayden. No, I'm still sticking with Jaden Ivy, who missed a lot of last season, only played 30 games. The Pistons are good now. They have an opportunity in the Eastern Conference to make a jump. And I think if Jaden Ivy is as good as he needs to be, I think that they can get even better. I just don't know that he's made the impact that people thought that he might coming out of the draft yet. And so I think that he needs to get better. Defensively is probably like the number one thing for him. I think if he can come back as a better defensive player, as good of an offensive player as he's been like he shot the ball well. I think that he can score. I think that he's a good enough passer, he's a good enough secondary ball handler next to Cade. But if he can get better defensively, I think that he can really not only make a lot of money, but I think he can help the Pistons take a pretty big jump. So I'm going with Jaden Ivy. I think that he'll be under the microscope a little bit. He's up for a contract extension. I don't know that he's going to get it, you know, before he becomes a restricted reagent. I think that's fair. I think it's very fair based on his play so far. But he's also a guy that has not exactly gotten a fair shake in the NBA so far. And so I hope that one he gets like every opportunity that he, that he needs to be successful this year because like the whole Monty Williams experience, I can't imagine what it would have been like to be Jade Nivey during that.

[Alex Spears]

You don't think he got a fair shake?

[Andrew Schlecht]

I mean, behind Killian Hayes, right? Exactly. Yeah. I just think that now's the time. I think he's going to get a fair shot. I hope he's healthy and if he improves defensively, I think he's got a shot to be a guy that makes a lot of money and can help help the Pistons.

[Alex Spears]

All right, Fred, who is your young.

[Fred Katz]

Player who has got the iron Major? I've got. I'm going. These are great answers. I went a little bit of a different direction. I kind of, I kind of went with a young, A young already. Maybe not already star, but star from a fame perspective.

[Alex Spears]

Okay, Cooper Flag.

[Fred Katz]

He'S going to the organization that just traded away Luca and immediately he is the Luca replacement. He basically has to be from a public, from the public's eye in order to save the Mav's image. He basically needs to be as good as Luka Doncic in order for the general public to think that everything is okay again. I understand that is a ridiculous statement and I understand that is a ridiculous expectation. And I promise you, if Cooper Flag is a seven time all star and is not quite as good as Luka Doncic, I'm not going to be sitting here at the end of his career and saying anything other than Cooper Flag is a great player who had an amazing career. However, that trade was met with such incredible scrutiny and deserve scrutiny that when they luck into the number one pick after all of that and they end up with Cooper Flag. That's just the reality of how the world works. And it's not Cooper Flag's fault. And if he takes time to adjust, it's not necessarily fair. But that's pressure. Like, that is real pressure. Like, I'll say, filling in for a franchise legend and being the guy who is supposed to be the next one after the franchise legend, that is real pressure. You know, when D.D. gregorius came into shortstop the year after Derek Jeter retired to play shortstop for the Yankees, that was real pressure on Dee Dee Gregorius. Like he even talked about it openly about like, you know, the, the real pressure that it was that you had to follow Derek Jeter. And this is like if the Yankees traded Derek Jeter to the Red Sox in the middle of their World Series runs, like, it's just such a wild situation that I feel like the external pressure on Cooper Flag is going to be so large and he is clearly an incredible talent and seems to be very strong in the mind. And I anticipate he's just going to be an incredibly good player in spite of all of that pressure. But that's real pressure, I think, on a young, on a young person. Like on a really young person. That is a lot to deal with.

[Alex Spears]

Especially when your GM is, is telling everyone that your championship window is, is now. You know, like that was one of the fallouts from that trade too. Like we have this three year window, so. All right, well, Cooper Flag better be great from day one, kind of.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah. And the guards on his team currently, d' Angelo Russell, Jaden Hardy, Brandon Williams, I mean they got Rid Nemhard on a two way who looked good at times at summer league. I mean he, he's gonna have to handle the ball a lot. And for a 610 forward, that's a tough job as a, as a rookie and a really young rookie at that. You know, he reclassified like he's a very young rookie there. I think it's a, that's a really good pick.

[Alex Spears]

All right, round four, Front office under the most pressure. Andrew, I'll let you take this one to start us off.

[Andrew Schlecht]

It's, it's got to be the Milwaukee Bucks.

[Alex Spears]

The Milwaukee Bucks.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Not only do they have to find a way to make this team better with no assets and they've, they waved Dame and now they have just very small ways to get better and they're counting on guys like Ryan Rollins. Like maybe Ryan Rollins needs to go on like the young player with pressure just because like they, they need Ryan Rollins. To be good. You know, at any moment, Giannis could call and just say, hey, it's over, you know, And I just feel like the moves that they've made are not going to be good enough. Now you're in the Eastern Conference. I still think they can win a lot of games if. If Giannis is healthy, but I just think that front office is under a ton of pressure. And it was. I mean, it was proven through the moves they made this off season. I mean, they made some. I mean, the moves that they made. The move they made in particular to get Miles Turner was one of the more desperate things I've ever seen in the NBA, and rightfully so. Like, they. They needed to do something, and it was creative, but it is something that could. That they could be paying for. They will literally be paying for it, but as far as, like, team building, it's going to hurt them for a long time. And so I think there's a lot of pressure on that front office to kind of, like, figure out this, like, for Cole Anthony to work and for Gary Harris to be a guy that really helps them and for Kyle Kuzma to wake back up. I mean, I just think that there's. There's a lot of pressure on, like, the front office and the moves they've made to kind of work out, to show Giannis, like, you can trust us kind of thing.

[Alex Spears]

And their front office just got extended, right?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yes.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah. Okay, Fred, That.

[Fred Katz]

That was a really meaningful. Okay. There was a lot of.

[Alex Spears]

There.

[Fred Katz]

You said a lot in that. Okay. The front office got extended. Okay. A lot in that. Okay. Without saying anything, who is.

[Alex Spears]

Who is your front office that's under a lot of pressure going into the season.

[Fred Katz]

Milwaukee is a great pick. I am going to pick the other front office that decided to wave and stretch a player making $55 million. And I'm going to say the Phoenix Suns or who. I don't really know what. I mean. First of all, they made a change already. They have. James Jones is now out, but they didn't make a huge change. Brian Gregory, who was already there, is now the GM of the team. He hasn't been in the NBA very long. I think there's a lot of pressure on that organization. There's a lot of pressure on that front office from ownership. I think the expectations are still. They're tempered from what they were in the past. I don't think ishbia thinks that 26 other GMs would trade, wouldn't trade places with them anymore. But the expectations, as we saw from his tweet the other day when he, I mean, I'm just going to read his tweet. Please do he. He quote. So this is Matt Hpa, the owner of the Suns. I'm just going to read the tweet. Alex can say, okay, I'm just going to read the tweet. So Burn City Sports tweeted out that ESPN's NBA insiders ranked the Phoenix Suns as one of the teams most likely to tumble in the upcoming 2025, 26 NBA season. So Matt Ishbia quote, tweeted this and responded by saying, I'm not worried about what the so called experts think. They had us as a title contender the past two years and we're wrong. Then we're focused on making our fans proud by playing great as a team and building a brand of basketball that's tough and gritty. So, you know, he says, I'm not, you know what, I'm not going to analyze the tweet. Alex, would you like to.

[Alex Spears]

It's very funny that you brought it up here because I actually had that as my wild card. But I think this is a great spot for it as well because it does feel like Matt Ishbia every couple of months is just giving us something good to chew on.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Alex Spears]

And that was a really good quote. Really good quote.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I just, I can't. I, I don't understand the mindset of the first part of the tweet. I think it's so good. I'm not worried about what the so called experts think. They had us as a title contender the past two years and we're wrong. Then in your face, everybody. We sucked and you thought we were good.

[Fred Katz]

You know, you know what's, you know what's the weirdest part of it? Absolutely no one had the Suns as a title contender last year.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, who did? Like, who would have?

[Fred Katz]

No one did. Everyone was like, the sun's got swept out of the first round of the playoffs.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Alex Spears]

People that were like maybe a four seed. I felt like that was as high.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Like a dark horse.

[Fred Katz]

I actually picked, I picked the Suns to win a lot of regular season games last year. I thought they were going to win a lot of regular season games. And oh boy, was I epically wrong. I don't think anyone was like, oh man, this is, this is the team that you wouldn't trade for anything. Yeah, I don't think anyone was on that level. But there's, when your owner is thinking that way, when your owner is making those kinds of Changes. There is pressure on that front office. They made a move that is going to hamper, like waving and stretching Bradley Beal, which was partly to avoid the second apron and mostly just to save tax dollars. I. The Suns will contend that the reason that they waved and stretched Bradley Beal was, was strategic and that they're, you know, they're trying to see if they can sign and trade for Jonathan Kaminga. I don't think that's going to end up happening. I don't think they're really going to end up being contenders there at all, even though they have attempted for it to happen. They just don't have anything to trade that the warriors would want in a sign and trade. You know that waving and stretching Bradley Beal would make them eligible for that kind of stuff, but they're not going to in all likelihood be able to do any of those things. And what waving and stretching Bradley Beal is doing is, it's putting an extra 19 million and change on their books through 2030. $19 million is like the delta between the, the, the, the tax and the second apron. So that means you can rebuild the next few years and then you can get good again in like 2028 or 2029. And you might want to pay the tax because you have a team that's worth paying the tax for. But guess what? If you go into the tax with the players that are on your roster, you're like, basically going to have to go into the second apron overall, and maybe that team's not worth the second apron or maybe you're just going to be hurt too much by the restrictions of the second apron to justify it. It is so hard to build a team with that number on your books. I feel the same way about Milwaukee, which is I like the, the pick for, for Andrew picking them. Like, it is so hard to build a team for the future. And when you have a team that is not a contender and you decide we are going to take this massive contract and just spread it in a still massive, but not as massive way over a bunch of years, as opposed to taking the hit now when, like, they could have done more due diligence. I think in terms of trying to at least get under the second apron. They weren't going to get under the first with the way their roster was set up. But I fully believe there is some way, like, you dump Royce o', Neill, you dump Nick Richards. Those guys fit into teams. MLE's, they fit into cap space when they exist. You use the protected picks that you got from Utah to maybe do it not just cleans everything out and you're under the first apron and you're under the second apron. You pay some tax dollars and you're okay. But it's, it's really tough. It is really, really tough to have that large of a cap hit on your books. It is really, really, really tough. And you are putting pressure on yourself. Like, it's just real tough.

[Alex Spears]

Well, those, both of those choices make a lot of sense. I'm gonna go a little off the board here. I am still picking an NBA team, so it's not that off the board, but I'm going with the Utah Jazz.

[Andrew Schlecht]

The Jazz, I had them on my list.

[Alex Spears]

They're going to be missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season this year. That will tie the longest playoff drought since the franchise moved to Utah in the 7980 season. And this is like, this is no offense to the Kings, but this is not the Kings. Like the Jazz and their fans have been used to being in the playoffs. They made the playoffs 31 of 39 seasons leading up to the season where they traded away Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. And even though it's another year away, it feels inevitable as of right now that the Jazz are going to miss a fifth consecutive playoffs in the 2627 season. Given the youth and the talent level on this roster currently. And I'm picking the Jazz front office because they've had time at this point. We're entering year four of this front office and it still feels like this team is miles away from contending again. This front office has had seven first round draft picks in just the last three drafts. And that doesn't include trading for rookie Walker Kessler or drafting Kyle Filipowski, who was an early second rounder that is looking like one of their better prospects. I think the pressure is on this front office to identify and develop a young star. And that could happen this season with somebody already on the roster like Ace Bailey, who they just drafted. Or it could happen in next year's draft where the Jazz will inevitably be picking high. But it has to happen. You cannot go into year five of a rebuild next season and still not feel like there's at least one young player. You'd bet your money on being a star. I mean, look at the most recent cycle of tanking teams thinking about the Pistons, the Magic, the Rockets and the Thunder. By year four of their tanks, those teams knew they had at least one guy, whether it was Cade or Franz Wagner. And then Paulo was a Rookie in their fourth year of tanking, and then Alperin Shen in Houston. Like all these teams felt like by that point they at least had one guy who could feasibly make an All Star game. And I don't feel that way about the Jazz yet. And you might say, well, hey, what about Larry Markkanen? And he's great. Obviously, you know, I hadn't mentioned Larry Markkanen yet. He's going to turn 30 before Ace Bailey turns 21. As great as he is, the future of the Jazz depends on these young players and at least one of those young players popping in a big way. It has to happen soon. And this season or at next year's draft. The Jazz need to have a player that we all recognize has the ceiling that is needed to truly turn the ship around again. It might happen this year. We might, at the end of this year, might say, oh, Ace Bailey, future star. Like this. This guy's awesome. But it has to happen before year five.

[Fred Katz]

I. I have never heard somebody say someone's age that way. I've never heard somebody say he's going to be 30 before someone else turns another age. Age. I've never said that. I genuinely, based on that statement, have no idea how old Larry Markin is. He might be. He might be 14. I have no idea. I don't have a clue. That did nothing for me. I'm sitting here thinking, all right, well, how old's Ace Bailey? And going through. I don't know.

[Alex Spears]

I. I'm just saying, like, a lot of times people are talking about, like, upside of the Jazz, they'll immediately start talking about marketing.

[Fred Katz]

No, I know what you're saying.

[Alex Spears]

It's going to be the young core that is on the next good Jazz team. And those guys are probably going to need to be, like, 20, 23 or 24 before that's happening. And it just feels like we're so far away from that. Especially if you don't have a young guy that you can identify as, like, a clear future star. Larry. Larry's great. Obviously, he's great. He's gonna be great into his 30s. Okay. He's a wonderful player. Can I. Yeah.

[Fred Katz]

Can I just.

[Alex Spears]

You want to do another one?

[Fred Katz]

I just wanna. I just want to read my. Ace Bailey has my favorite quote in NBA history.

[Alex Spears]

What you're gonna say, and it is a great quote.

[Fred Katz]

It's. It's the best quote. Somebody, because he didn't want to go. I just feel like if somebody brings up Ace Bailey, I have a responsibility as a human being to inform the rest of the world about this quote. But Ace Bailey obviously didn't want to go to Utah and didn't work out for them and they drafted him anyway. And somebody on draft night asked him how, what he knew about Utah and he said, I don't know a lot about Utah, but I'm learning as we go. I know it's cold and it's hot. It gets cold and it gets hot here. Now.

[Alex Spears]

That was not the quote I thought you were going to say.

[Fred Katz]

It's such a great quote. And he went on to say that like he's been in Jersey. He went to school in Jersey, so he's been in the cold, so we could deal with that. And he's. And he's. And he's been in the south so he can deal with the heat. And I'm like, it's the best. It's the best quote ever.

[Alex Spears]

I feel like he has already displayed a lot of upside as a quote machine because I thought you were going to give the quote when he was asked about a strength and a weakness. And he said, I ain't got no weaknesses and I got more than two strengths. Big Dog, that is like such a baller quote. I love that quote.

[Fred Katz]

That is a great. That's a great quote. What a, what a phenomenal. What a phenomenal answer. He's. It's also just like totally accurate. There are no factors. That's the best part of it. It absolutely is cold and hot in Utah depending on the time of year.

[Andrew Schlecht]

It's true.

[Alex Spears]

We need him to be good. I want him to be good. Please. He seems like a very good personality. Okay, our final round wild card. Now. You can choose anything NBA related. You could choose a mascot who's under a lot of pressure this year. You could choose a coach. You could choose a role player. You could choose anything. So, Fred, I'm going to let you start us off here. What is your wild card pick?

[Fred Katz]

Yeah, so I, I had, I said, which role player is under the most pressure to no longer be a role player? And I kind of made up this category because he was the number two answer on my list for which young player is under the most pressure? And my answer is Amin Thompson, who I just love watching play basketball. He is extraordinary defensively. He does everything. He's one of the few wing defenders who actually changes other teams shot selections. Like, he'll just cut off sides of the floor. He'll take away shots that normally happen. But don't you want to watch the most insane off Ball defense of any game played during the entire season last year. Go watch when they played Golden State must have been the end of March. And Ace, and I was gonna say Ace Bailey and Amin Thompson guarded Steph Curry the whole time and just face guarded Steph Curry. And Curry took like two legitimate shots. Just took two legitimate shots with Thompson guarding him. It was extraordinary. Just didn't let him get the basketball. It was unbelievable. But the Rockets made a real statement without making a statement, right? They trade for Kevin Durant last year. Houston was a joy to watch. Play crazy hard, really physical, incredibly fundamental, great transition defense, great half court defense. They have these, these wings who are just maniacs and unbelievable size and they play these quirky lineups with double bigs and, and, and, and you know, Jabari Smith is going to play the three at points this year, I'm sure. And it's just, just these ginormous, hard playing physical teams that can go both ways. But they lose to Golden State last year, right, as a two seed and nobody cares. And that's the way it should have been because they were a young team that like that was their step, that was their first step and they shouldn't get, they shouldn't get knocked just because they lost to a team that's won four titles, that had a worse record than them when they outperformed expectations during the regular season. And they have a real chance to do this. But that statement, that organization, like I said, made a statement without making a statement by trading for Kevin Durant. You don't trade for a 37 year old superstar. If you don't think that you've got the roster to be able to compete right now. And that wasn't the only move they make. They have the Quinn Capella acquisition. They signed Dorian Finney Smith and Amin Thompson has the potential to be a real star. That guy is active everywhere. He is a good passer, he can rebound, he can score around the rim. The only thing with him is the shooting. That guy has the potential to be an actual two way star. Not a very good player, not a couple times all star. I think his ceiling is so high that we can't even see it. I love that guy's game. And if they can get an unbelievable complimentary performance from him, then all of a sudden Houston is like, oh my goodness, you've got Katie who I guess is just never going to age ever. I guess he's just, he's just going to Average a super efficient 25 until the end of time and you've got Sengun, who's already an all star and now you've got this two way abject monster. And I think Thompson can do it without adding a jumper. People concentrate on the jumper so much. I think he could just get better at the offensive skills he's already really good at, which is transition and off the dribble, finishing around the rim, his passing. Like there are, there are ways that he can get there and just be a 20 and 8 and 5 guy and get there without it. With, with, you know, as good defense as anybody else is going to play in the league, he's capable of making that jump. I'm really excited to watch him this year and I'm really excited to watch that team. I think they could be really fun. And he approaches basketball in such a tenacious way. Like, I kind of think he's going to do it. Like I kind of. I kind of think we're going to see that from him. Maybe not this year, but maybe this year, certainly by next year. But I'm very excited. I'm very excited to watch him this season. He is a joy to watch on the basketball court.

[Alex Spears]

That's a great choice. I also love Amen Thompson. I feel like everyone loves Almond Thompson.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Who doesn't like it's a requirement for NBA podcasters.

[Fred Katz]

Both. Both Thompson's.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah, they're both.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Agreed.

[Fred Katz]

They're both. They're both just. They both just play. The way they play is. I mean, how competitive is that family? Like the way both those guys, they are so competitive, it's unbelievable.

[Alex Spears]

Andrew, who's your wild card pick?

[Andrew Schlecht]

You know, the Pelicans are going to have what I think is a pretty rough season.

[Alex Spears]

Why, why do you say that?

[Andrew Schlecht]

I. I just don't think they're going to be very good in the Western Conference. I think we're going to get to around January, the beginning of January, and it's gonna feel a little hopeless.

[Alex Spears]

I would say November, but go ahead.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Listen, where's this team going? What's going to happen? And around the fourth, fifth, sixth, they're going to announce again the return of King Cake Baby. And this year, King Cake Baby's really got to deliver a big performance because I don't think the team on the court is going to do it for the city of New Orleans.

[Alex Spears]

Yes.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Okay.

[Alex Spears]

Preach.

[Andrew Schlecht]

So this giant baby with man arms and man legs has got to step up for the city of New Orleans and deliver the performance of a lifetime. He's got to creep us out on social media. He's got to make people Feel uncomfortable on the front row at the Smoothie King Arena. It's time for King Cake Baby to really take this pressure on and deliver the performance that we know he can do. So King Cake Baby is my answer.

[Alex Spears]

That's a. It's a great pick. And I would say they need to go even further because they're really going to have to entertain the fans this year. Bring back the original Pierre. The original Pierre. The pelican.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Just go all creepy.

[Alex Spears]

Yes. Give me some kind of ongoing storyline with the two Pierre's that goes throughout the season that I can follow and track. I would love that.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Fred Katz]

Just, just have, have the original Pierre just constantly creeping on. On new Pierre.

[Alex Spears]

All setting up a final battle in a March game that will be meaningless.

[Fred Katz]

No, no, no, no. In March. In March, New Pierre files an HR complaint against old Pierre. No. And that's. That's the real drama. It's the real drama.

[Alex Spears]

That's a great pick, Andrew. For my pick of the wild card, I'm going with the worldwide leader in sports, espn. Are they going to screw up inside the NBA? Let's find out. I, I just think this. Okay, so like, we know a few things. One, we know that Countdown isn't going away. Countdown still exists as a show. We also know that inside the NBA is probably not going to have like the. Where they can do anything and go for any amount of time like it felt like they could after games on tnt. As of right now, the reporting is that they're going to get a 30 minute time slot after some games that will lead into Scott Van Pelt. I just have a feeling people are not going to be happy with the way that ESPN handles inside the NBA. And meanwhile, we're still going to be watching Countdown at a time when there's going to be new competition because NBC Peacock is coming in and I think they have the potential to make ESPN's countdown show look even worse this season by comparison. And so I feel like ESPN's a lot of. Under a lot of pressure where they brought in this big property that everyone seems to like. Everyone liked the way it was and now they're going to try to shoehorn it in to the ESPN programming. I'm just not positive it's going to work. But whether it works or not, they are clearly under a ton of pressure to get this right or people are going to go insane.

[Fred Katz]

Yeah, I love that pick. What a great pick. Barkley's already out there being like, yeah, we did a trial run. It was a disaster. Like Barkley Literally, literally came out. God, he kills me.

[Alex Spears]

He kills me.

[Fred Katz]

He comes out, he just says, yeah, we did a trial one. It was the worst thing we've ever.

[Alex Spears]

I just, I like the quote about like they just signed him to a seven year deal and he was like, yeah, I'll probably retire after two before.

[Fred Katz]

He said he's going to retire so many times. Also I want to throw out. I'm going to, I'm going to make a bold prediction while we're at it. Yeah, I think, I think people are going to just throw it out there. I think people are going to love the Amazon product. Yeah, that's my.

[Alex Spears]

Even mention the Amazon product because Amazon.

[Fred Katz]

I just, I just have. I feel like Blake Griffin is going to be a meta.

[Andrew Schlecht]

He's.

[Fred Katz]

And I also think Dirk Nowitzki is going to be fantastic.

[Andrew Schlecht]

100%.

[Alex Spears]

Everyone loves.

[Fred Katz]

Those are two of the most genuinely likable and genuinely funny players the league has ever had. And, and they're smart. Like those guys are genuinely really funny people and extremely charismatic. That is going to be a good product. They got Brent Barry, who people might not remember when Brent Barry was, because he's been with, he was with the spurs for a long time and he was with the Suns this past season. But Brent Barry, when he was on tnt. I don't know if there was a better in game commentator in, in the entire league than Brent Berry. He is fantastic as an in game commentator. Stan Van Gundy is awesome. Like they got, they got real, they got real people and they got basketball people. And, and from what I've heard, their whole thing is like, they're going to be like, we're going to talk about basketball. And nobody has said to me, well, ESPN doesn't talk about basketball. But I think the implication is like, right, you know, the current product doesn't really talk about basketball. We're actually going to talk about the basketball. Like we're going to talk about this stuff. So I'm excited for the Amazon stuff and I agree. I think the, I think the, the NBC Peacock stuff be good too. I think it, I think it might be good for the league. Honestly. They might end up happy with this decision.

[Alex Spears]

The, the thing you said about likability, I think that's so important because it's true with podcasts and I think it's true with these kind of studio shows. Like if you're going to tune in and hang out with people, you want to hang out with people that you like. And like that has always been my issue with Countdown. It's like, I just don't want to hang out with Stephen A. Smith and Bob Myers before an NBA game. That is not appealing to me at all. But I'd love to hang out with Blake Griffin and Dirk. That sounds like a blast. I don't even. I don't even care what they're talking about. I just like those guys, and so I would want to hang out with them. So, yeah, I do think that will matter. Okay, so in summary, we did start player contender, young player, front office, and then wild card. So Fred has Trey Young, Cleveland, Cleveland, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Cooper, flag the Phoenix Suns and Amin Thompson. Andrew has Donovan Mitchell, the New York Knicks, Jaden Ivey, the Milwaukee Bucks, and King Cake, baby. And I have J. Morant, the Denver Nuggets, Shaden Sharp, the Utah Jazz, and espn.

[Fred Katz]

Is there. Is there a halftime act that's under serious pressure to be the best? Now that Red Banda tore.

[Alex Spears]

That's a great question.

[Fred Katz]

Who's the guy who climbs on the stairs? Amazing. Sladek.

[Alex Spears]

Is that. Is that his name?

[Fred Katz]

Yeah. I think it's the Amazing Slide Deck. The Amazing Slide deck is someone you gotta have real confidence to deem yourself the Amazing.

[Alex Spears]

I think. Now, what about Christian and Scooby?

[Andrew Schlecht]

I was gonna say Christian Scooby, I think.

[Alex Spears]

I think this is a big moment for Scooby.

[Andrew Schlecht]

There. There's a pretty Scooby.

[Alex Spears]

That's the Chihuahua, and I'm talking about him specifically. All right, Christian's got his stuff unlocked, but Scooby's got to come through this season 100%. Give me something new, Scoobs.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Come on, Scoob.

[Fred Katz]

Montel Jordan really has to kill his rendition of his 190s hit.

[Alex Spears]

Is he still doing halftime shows?

[Fred Katz]

There was. There was a year. There was a year when he was doing all the halftime shows, like, two years ago, and it was Montel Jordan. I saw Montel Jordan live probably five times throughout the NBA season.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Wow. Wow.

[Fred Katz]

Honestly, I'll be honest. I loved every single one of them. Normally, halftime, get up from my seat, maybe go see a friend who's at the game, get a coffee. Didn't get up from Montel Jordan.

[Alex Spears]

Wow.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Seriously.

[Alex Spears]

Hey, thanks for being honest.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Wow.

[Fred Katz]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I know most people would lie about where they go when Montel Jordan performs a halftime show. I know most people try to keep that private, but I'm gonna. I'm gonna open up about this and say that I. I watch them and enjoy them.

[Andrew Schlecht]

We're gonna take a quick break. When we come back, we're gonna do some trivia.

[Alex Spears]

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[Fred Katz]

Terms apply. Lounge access is subject to change.

[Alex Spears]

See capitalone.com for details.

[Fred Katz]

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[Alex Spears]

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[Andrew Schlecht]

And we're back. After that quick break, I'm going to turn it back over to Al who is going to torture us with some trivia.

[Alex Spears]

I don't think you're going to find this week too torturous. I think you're going to find it cute and furry. Okay, it's Andrew Versus the Beat Weekly Game show where Andrew goes head to head against a beat writer or a national writer, in this case, Fred Katz. And in honor of Fred Katz being here, I've come up with eight questions that are all about the the NBA and cats in some form. The animal wow. Yes. C A T S okay, so you'll. You'll get a feel. Allergic to cats. Me too. Yeah, me too. They're great. They're so cute. Especially kittens. So cute but can't get near them. They kill me. They're death Machines?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yep.

[Alex Spears]

All right, so, Fred, the large darts. The large ones especially. They're fresh. I need you to pick a number between one and eight.

[Fred Katz]

Six.

[Alex Spears]

Question number six. The NBA is the only one of the four major professional sports leagues in America to not have a team named after a cat. Across the NFL, mlb, and NHL, how many teams total are named after cats? Now, you get to choose who answers first, so you can make Andrew answer first, and then you can go higher or lower. Or you can answer first.

[Fred Katz]

Right. Are we playing Price is Right rules?

[Alex Spears]

It won't matter.

[Fred Katz]

I guess that's true.

[Alex Spears]

You just want to be closer. Either side is fine.

[Fred Katz]

I guess that's true with the higher or lower thing, but thank you for asking. Sorry. I used to intern for Bob Barker, so I get. You know, it's hard for me to deviate from format I'm so used to. I'm going to let Andrew answer first.

[Alex Spears]

All right, Andrew, So this is the total number of teams across the NFL, mlb, and NHL who are named after cats.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Okay, I'll say six.

[Alex Spears]

All right, Fred, would you like to go higher or lower?

[Fred Katz]

All right, we're including, like. Like large African cats, right? Like the Detroit Lions.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Count only house cats.

[Fred Katz]

Cats. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I love. I love the Nashville Siamese. They're great.

[Alex Spears]

The Nashville Tabbies. Yes. Big cats.

[Fred Katz]

There are certain names that I cannot. I could never name my children because of my last name. Like, I could never name my kid if I have a son. I could never name my kid Robert because they. Bobcats. Yeah. Couldn't name a kid a daughter Allison because then.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah, you can't do that.

[Fred Katz]

Doesn't work. I'm gonna say higher.

[Alex Spears]

Okay, well, thanks for all that, because Andrew got it exactly correct at 6.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yes.

[Alex Spears]

Yes. Wow. Which means he gets a bonus point. The team. Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers, and the Florida Panthers. Now, the National Predators are technically a cat, but it's not in the name, so they don't count. Okay, Andrew, board is yours.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Number one.

[Alex Spears]

Question number one. The Broadway cast of the musical Cats performed at the 1998 All Star Game halftime show. We're going to name all the players who played in the 1998 All Star game. So how this works back and forth, Andrew will give me a name, then Fred will give me a name. I'm just looking for 1998 all stars. They had to have played in the game, which everyone who went to the game played, from what I could tell. So I don't think you'll get screwed by a name.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Okay. 1998 NBA All Star Game. Michael Jordan.

[Alex Spears]

Great, great guess. Andrew. All right, Fred.

[Fred Katz]

98 was. That was Kobe's. Kobe made it that year. Kobe made it.

[Alex Spears]

He sure did.

[Fred Katz]

That was his first All Star Game. Yeah.

[Alex Spears]

Yes.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Oh, wow. Carl Malone.

[Alex Spears]

Karl Malone did make it. Fred.

[Fred Katz]

Kevin Garnett.

[Alex Spears]

Kevin Garnett. Correct. Andrew.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Shaq. Shaq.

[Alex Spears]

You guys are doing great. You're cleaning up the Western Conference. Fred.

[Fred Katz]

Tim Duncan.

[Alex Spears]

Tim Duncan. Correct. Andrew.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Penny Hardaway.

[Alex Spears]

Penny Hardaway. Correct. Fred.

[Fred Katz]

I wouldn't have gotten Penny Hardaway. Reggie Miller. That sound effect I made was probably really good for podcasting.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah. Clip that.

[Fred Katz]

Probably keep doing that.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, that's gonna be our short. It's just Fred making that sound.

[Alex Spears]

Andrew.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Jason Kidd.

[Alex Spears]

Jason Kidd. That is correct. Now, as a reminder, I'm not going to read back the names to you, so you have to remember, if you say a name that's already been said, you're donezo. Bozo.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Oh, wow.

[Alex Spears]

All right, Fred.

[Fred Katz]

Gary Payton.

[Alex Spears]

Yes. Gary Payton. The glove. All right, Andrew.

[Fred Katz]

Can I. Can I tell a quick Gary Payton story?

[Alex Spears]

Sure.

[Fred Katz]

So when I was covering the Wizards, Gary Payton II was on the Wizards, and his nickname is the Mitten, because his dad was the Glove. And I always loved that nickname. I thought it was great. And I mentioned that to Gary Payton ii, and he told me that he actually hated the nickname the Mitten. I asked him why, and he was like. He basically said, it's, like, too derivative. Like, he's like, you know, it's. It's too tied to his dad. He's like, I, I, I. I want to be my own player. He's like, I. I want to be a. I'm a good player. I want to be known as, like, my own player. I don't want to be known as, like, a product of my dad. I want to be known as my own guy. And I was like, okay, fine. What. What's the nickname you want? Tell me, and I will write Gary Payton II once. This nickname. And he thinks about it, and he looks all pensive, and he looks at me and says, the Big Mitten. I was like, that still has all the problems that you just said.

[Andrew Schlecht]

The Big Mitten.

[Alex Spears]

I have terrible news for him because the only other nickname on basketball reference other than the Mitten is Young Glove, which unfortunately is derivative as well.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah.

[Alex Spears]

Andrew. 98 all stars.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Sean Kemp.

[Alex Spears]

Sean Kemp. Yes, indeed. Fred Katz.

[Fred Katz]

Oh, David. David Robinson. David Robinson.

[Alex Spears]

David Robinson. The Adenboro. Andrew.

[Andrew Schlecht]

The odd world. What about Grant Hill?

[Alex Spears]

Yeah, Grant Hill. Great, great, great, great guess.

[Fred Katz]

Fred all right, now, now we're at the point where I'm like, it's getting dicey. It's getting dicey. I'm gonna throw a lot of good centers in 98. So we already said Shaq. We already said David Robinson. We already said Duncan. We. Dikembe Mutombo.

[Alex Spears]

Yes. Fred Kimbe Butombo. All right, Andrew.

[Fred Katz]

Oh, boy, this is tough. I, I, I.

[Andrew Schlecht]

What about, what about Tim Hardaway?

[Alex Spears]

Yeah, Tim Hardaway. Tim Hardaway. Senior Fred Katz. Back to you. There's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 names remaining.

[Fred Katz]

Man, that's a lot of All Stars who I'm struggling to think of.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah, it is.

[Fred Katz]

Mitch Richmond.

[Alex Spears]

Mitch Richmond is correct. All right, Andrew.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Alonzo Mourning.

[Alex Spears]

Alonzo Mourning. That is incorrect. Which means Fred gets the point.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Wow.

[Alex Spears]

Wow. The other names. Eddie Jones, Vin Baker, Nick Van Exel, Rick Smits, Jason Williams, Glenn Rice, Steve Smith and Antwan Walker.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Wow.

[Alex Spears]

Wow is right.

[Fred Katz]

Smith is in. Steve Smith is an underrated commentator.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah, he's good.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, he's good.

[Fred Katz]

He's good. He's good. He's underrated and underused in my opinion. I like him.

[Alex Spears]

All right, Fred, what is yours?

[Fred Katz]

Two.

[Alex Spears]

Question number two. Okay, so a listener, a Slamming Jam listener, made a Blue sky account just to reach out to me a couple months ago. Their handle is O Off woman. I don't know what that means. They only fans. No. Maybe they were searching.

[Fred Katz]

Basically, somebody DM'd you on your OnlyFans account.

[Alex Spears]

It was one of those bot accounts. And I just got. We just started talking about basketball. Okay, so this.

[Fred Katz]

So this woman named Grok messaged me.

[Alex Spears]

They reached out. They were researching one of the Sun's new additions this season, Nigel Hayes Davis. And this was the last sentence in his Wikipedia page. Quote, hayes Davis has a very well known cat in the basketball community. And the name of the cat is blank. What is Nigel Hayes Davis's cat's name? Now, to help you out, I'm going to give you three clues. You ready for this?

[Fred Katz]

Yes.

[Alex Spears]

The cat's name is the same as the first name of the main character from a PlayStation 3D platformer series. It is the same as the first word of a late 60s, early 70s band that blended funk, rock, pop and psychedelia. What? And the cat's name is the same as the nickname of an 80s and 90s movie star. So you've got three clues there.

[Fred Katz]

Oh, God. Honestly, the clues could not be less helpful.

[Alex Spears]

Just literally, when you hear what the answers are, you're going to feel like an idiot. I'm just letting you know I already.

[Fred Katz]

Feel like an idiot.

[Alex Spears]

Well, you're going to feel worse.

[Fred Katz]

Couldn't feel worse. You have no idea what goes on in my brain. Always feel the worst possible thing.

[Alex Spears]

You want me to repeat any?

[Fred Katz]

Not even wearing deodorant. That's how terrible I feel right now. Okay, I am going to say the cat's name.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Is.

[Fred Katz]

I'm gonna say Leslie, after Leslie Nielsen.

[Alex Spears]

Oh, okay. That's his nickname. I feel like that's just his first name.

[Fred Katz]

No, it's Leslie.

[Alex Spears]

Wrong. Andrew.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Tom.

[Alex Spears]

Oh, my gosh. Okay, first name of the main character from a PlayStation 3D printer.

[Fred Katz]

Imagine a 70s funk man named Leslie. Or Tom.

[Alex Spears]

You guys.

[Fred Katz]

Okay, you guys go see Tom last night.

[Alex Spears]

Now, if I had said so, I actually thought those. Those clues were too easy. I was gonna make the third one. This. You tell me if this would have helped you. The nickname of an 80s and 90s action movie star. Anything, Arnold. It would be Sly. As in Sly Stallone. Sly and the Family Stone. The Band. And Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonis. You guys. Big Sly Cooper heads.

[Andrew Schlecht]

No, that.

[Fred Katz]

That one. I don't know the others, of course.

[Alex Spears]

Okay, so most people, you know, I would agree. Ratchet clothes clank. Number one PlayStation 3D platformer. A lot of people are going to put Jack and Daxter, too, but I'm saying Sly Cooper and the devious Raccoonus. He's a raccoon who's a thief. What do you think about that, Rankin? Okay, neither of you got that, Andrew. Board of shores 3. In January 2025, Candace Buckner wrote an article about this NBA player who was, quote, recruiting new members for his secret society of NBA cat dads. Who is the player?

[Andrew Schlecht]

What year was it?

[Alex Spears]

Did you say January 2025.

[Andrew Schlecht]

The article came out January 2025. Candace Buckner. Is this Bub Carrington? I don't know.

[Alex Spears]

No, Fred.

[Fred Katz]

I should know this because I read a lot of Candace's article and it. It seems very much like a Robin Lopez thing, but I feel like I would have heard about it if it were a Robin Lopez. So I'm. I'm just gonna guess. Yeah, I'm gonna guess Robin Lopez.

[Alex Spears]

So Andrew's on the right track because Candice Buckner writes for the Washington Post. It was a Washington Wizard. An outgoing Washington Wizard. I would say Jordan Pool. Jordan.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Oh, really?

[Alex Spears]

Yes.

[Andrew Schlecht]

That's funny.

[Alex Spears]

Pretty. Pretty cool. Okay, no points. Fred, boat is yours.

[Fred Katz]

7.

[Alex Spears]

Question. Okay, I gotta get my phone out for this one.

[Andrew Schlecht]

All right.

[Alex Spears]

Are you ready? This question is going to have a timer on it. You will have 15 seconds to answer. Ready?

[Fred Katz]

Yeah.

[Alex Spears]

To get the points for this question, all you have to do is come up with a pun for an NBA player's name that involves something related to Cats. Go.

[Fred Katz]

Providence star Lion Goings. Wait, like.

[Alex Spears]

Who?

[Fred Katz]

Ryan Goings.

[Alex Spears]

Who's Ryan Goings? Are you saying Ryan Gomes?

[Fred Katz]

Ryan Gomes. What am I. Oh, my God.

[Alex Spears]

Goings.

[Fred Katz]

That's not a name. Try and go Lion Gomes. There.

[Alex Spears]

Lion Going. No, you're not getting that. Also, why did you start out with Providence Star?

[Fred Katz]

Because that was when he was at his best. He's an assistant coach now.

[Alex Spears]

You don't even know him. You don't even know his last name. Oh, thank you.

[Fred Katz]

All right, that's like a true. That's like a true like. Like senile moment right there. Like, that's. That's what. That's what my parents do with pop culture people, you know? Like, that's how I know I'm really. I'm really becoming. Becoming old. Like, that's what my. My dad does with movie star.

[Alex Spears]

Man, I thought that was for you.

[Andrew Schlecht]

I know.

[Fred Katz]

That should have been a layup.

[Alex Spears]

That should have been Andrew Board starting now.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Man, the Bulls really spit out Alonzo hairball this summer to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Hairball. You know, cats spit out hairballs.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah. Okay, now, this was a question that was asked on Reddit five years ago by user galaxy41. These are some of the names they came up with. Kevin Purant, Carmiallo, Anthony Carmiallo, Kawhi, Leopard, Lion Williamson, Chris Pa. George, Kyrie, Perving, and Dirk Now Whiskers.

[Fred Katz]

All right, Dirk Now Whiskers is a good cat name.

[Andrew Schlecht]

They didn't have. They didn't have Lion Goings.

[Alex Spears]

Providence Star. Lion Goings.

[Fred Katz]

Okay, here's. Here's. I will. Can I just say one thing?

[Alex Spears]

What?

[Fred Katz]

Okay. There is a reason why I said Ryan Goings. Because. Because Ryan Goings was a person and my wires got crossed. Why? And Goings was. Ryan Goings was the second baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays.

[Alex Spears]

Okay.

[Fred Katz]

Okay, Now I forgot the name Blue Jays. I had to. Geez, slow down and think about it.

[Alex Spears]

I'd stop while you're ahead. He's current playing for the Gwyneth.

[Fred Katz]

I'm not. Am I ahead? How am I ahead? I feel like. I feel like. Yeah, I feel like. I feel like that had to be minus. Minus four.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah.

[Fred Katz]

Yeah.

[Alex Spears]

That was a rough one. Okay, Andrew board is yours.

[Andrew Schlecht]

4.

[Alex Spears]

4. Carl Anthony Towns, aka Cat is one of the best shooting big men of all time. He took 338 three pointers last season. Among players who are listed at 6:10 or taller, there are only two other Knicks who have ever taken that many threes in a season. Who are they? And you get one point per correct answer. So we're talking total three attempts. New York Knicks, 610 or taller.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Wow. That's a good question. Goodness. Was Steve Novak that tall? Steve Novak.

[Alex Spears]

That's one point. Andrew, can you get the other name? Fred was really mad about that one.

[Fred Katz]

Yeah, I. That was the. Because. Because I can't think of a second. But Novak was the first guy who came to mind. Tallest. Tallest player in. In NBA history who never dunked.

[Alex Spears]

Really?

[Andrew Schlecht]

He never dunked.

[Alex Spears]

It's a good.

[Fred Katz]

Never dunked in a game. He's the tallest player in NBA history not to dunk in a game.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Wow.

[Fred Katz]

Or at least like since they started tracking dunks, whatever year that was.

[Andrew Schlecht]

What about Barnyani? No.

[Alex Spears]

Fred, can you throw out another name? Any guesses?

[Fred Katz]

I. I really should know if Julius Randall is 610 or 6 9. Couple years ago he averaged 8 threes a game. Three years ago he averaged 8 three is a game. And I'm just trying to remember. I'm gonna say Julius Randall, but I think he's 6 9.

[Alex Spears]

He is 6 9. Unfortunately, I thought the one that would trip you guys up is Kristaps because he did get very close, but he only. He only shot 314. The other name is a guy who you don't think of as being 610, but he is. And it is Danilo Gallinari Gallo. All right, Fred, you still have time to tie this up.

[Fred Katz]

8.

[Alex Spears]

8. There are 28 players in the NBA who formerly played for the Kentucky Wildcats. Among those players, Anthony Davis is, unsurprisingly, number one in career points. So these are active players in the NBA who is number two? So these are active players in the NBA who played for Kentucky. Who is number two in career points behind Anthony Davis. There's obviously a lot of names my.

[Fred Katz]

Mind is going to.

[Alex Spears]

Julius Randall.

[Fred Katz]

Once again, career points. Kentucky could be Randall. I don't think Shea has played for long enough. I don't know why I'm thinking out loud and potentially giving answers to Andrew when.

[Alex Spears]

Good strategy.

[Fred Katz]

It's a really. It's a really, really poor strategy. But I'm not really about strategies on this. I'm just about, you know, just about integrity.

[Alex Spears]

Vibes. Sounds like vibes, the way you answered.

[Fred Katz]

I'm all about. I'm all about vibes. Yeah, I think, I think it might be. I think it might be Ryan. But Ryan. Ryan Goings went to. Went to Providence, so it couldn't be him. So I. I'm gonna. Julius Randle's been around for a minute now. He's averaged 20 a lot. Plays in a lot of games. Doesn't really get hurt that often.

[Alex Spears]

You talking yourself into it?

[Andrew Schlecht]

He's talking himself into it. It's exactly what's happening.

[Fred Katz]

I think I am. John Wall just retired. I think. I think. I think I'm gonna go. Julius Randall.

[Alex Spears]

Fred did all that just so you wouldn't think he was dumb when I told him no. That's the wrong answer. Let you know how smart of an answer it was. I mean, he's done all this. He's been in the league a long time. Andrew. Any guesses?

[Andrew Schlecht]

That's funny. What about Jamal Murray?

[Alex Spears]

Also wrong. It is Devin Booker.

[Andrew Schlecht]

That would make sense.

[Alex Spears]

Yeah, that does make sense. But he still feels really young, you know?

[Andrew Schlecht]

Yeah, he does.

[Alex Spears]

But he's. He's been. He's got a baby face. That's part of it. Andrew, you get first stab at the final question at the 1998 Nickelodeon's Kid Choice Awards. The basketball playing dog Airbud lost the award for favorite animal star to the cat from Sabrina the Teenage Witch. What was that cat's name?

[Andrew Schlecht]

I have no idea what the name of this cat is.

[Alex Spears]

You can guess, but Fred is raising his hand. I think he knows the answer.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Tom.

[Alex Spears]

Guess Tom again.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Fred, come back to the Tom.

[Fred Katz]

Well, where were this were the witch trials?

[Alex Spears]

There you go, Andrew Salem. And that brings Fred to two points. Final score four to two. Congrats, Andrew.

[Andrew Schlecht]

Oh, go read Fred at the Athletic. Go subscribe to the Cats and Shoot podcast. It's a very fun podcast that you can listen to. It's about the Knicks, but you also learn a lot about the league in general. Worth the subscription. Go check it out today. Fred, thanks so much for coming on. Be sure to tune in. We are back after. If you haven't listened to the Basketball 100 podcast series, please go do that. It's a very fun series. It's evergreen. You can always go back to it. I thought it was really, really, really good. Next week we're doing team previews on the Athletic NBA Daily feed. So we start with team previews on Tuesday. We will do start starting next week we'll have two shows that will be team previews. But then after that it'll be three days a week until the season starts before we do like our real season preview. So we'll have a beat writer for every single team in the league on this feed talking about their team. So please be sure to tune in, check it out. Looking forward to hearing from everybody. It's going to be great to get everybody back. Hope you guys have a great weekend and we'll be back in two weeks.

[Fred Katz]

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[Alex Spears]

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[Fred Katz]

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[Alex Spears]

It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way.

[Fred Katz]

He'd also tell you that this podcast.

[Alex Spears]

Is his favorite podcast too.

[Fred Katz]

Ah, really? Thanks Capital One Bank Guy.

[Alex Spears]

What's in your wallet?

[Fred Katz]

Term supply See CapitalOne.com Bank Capital One.

[Alex Spears]

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