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- [00:00]
Sarah Spain
This is an iHeart podcast. Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days? Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide and every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the now it pays to Discover. Learn more@discover.com credit card based on the February 2024 Nilsson report okay, have you heard about this?
- [00:35]
Memphis Bleak
Last year, Degree changed the formula for their Cool Rush deodorant. Their fans rebelled and wanted the old scent back and Degree listened. That doesn't happen often. They admitted that they effed up and are bringing the original Cool Rush scent back. And it's exactly how you remember it. Cool, crisp and fresh. There's a reason it's it's the number one men's antiperspirant and is back in Walmart, Target and other stores for under $4. So try it and see what the fuss is about. Head to your local stores to try the OG Cool Rush for yourself.
- [01:07]
Dan Flores
Why is a soap opera Western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6, where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.
- [01:29]
Brandon Anderson
Listen to the American west with Dan.
- [01:31]
Brian Fonseca
Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:36]
Memphis Bleak
What up y' all? This your main man, Memphis Bleak right here. Host the Rock Solid Podcast. June is Black Music Month, so what better way to celebrate than listening to my exclusive conversation with my bro Ja Rule. The one thing they can't stop you or take away from you is knowledge. So whatever I went through while I was down in prison for two years through that process, learn, Learn from Check out this exclusive episode with Ja Rule on Rock Solid. Open your free iHeartRadio app search Rock Solid and listen now.
- [02:15]
Chad Millman
Welcome to the Favorites the Podcast, part of the Volume Podcast Network. I am Chad Millman of the Action Network. This week, my co host, my companion, my compadre, my bff professional Better Simon Hunter is still on vacation, yucking it up with his relatives in Northern England, getting his accent permanently on. But NBA season just wrapped up and it was thrilling and it was exciting and it was awesome and it was heartbreaking. And we're wondering if we've crowned a dynasty. We're wondering how Long before Tyrese Halliburton comes back. But because the NBA season has mastered the month of June and into July, we got so much good NBA stuff to talk about, including NBA draft. Wednesday night, I'm joined by two of Action Network's finest to discuss the NBA draft. The event serves as the official kickoff of the NBA off season, the prelude to the NBA free agency madness to come from Action Network. NBA betting podcast Buckets. Welcome to the show. Brandon Anderson and Brian Fonseca. Brian, I feel like you're making your maiden voyage on the favorites.
- [03:35]
Brandon Anderson
I definitely am. This is the first time that I'm here. Happy to be here, obviously. Just wish it was after a better game seven.
- [03:45]
Chad Millman
I mean, it was a bummer. The Pacers made it as much of a game as they could that. Everything about that Tyrese Halliburton image is heartbreaking. And I think it's going to stick with everybody in the finals. Brandon, like watching that game, I mean, we should do a quick two minute recap just because it was. I never thought the Pacers had a chance, but they've been so dynamic and so such fighters all offseason. Right up until they were blown out, I thought they had a chance. And I thought Oklahoma City was starting to. To sort of spit the bit a little bit.
- [04:25]
Brian Fonseca
It felt like we were literally like two, three minutes away from like, you know, you know, it's. It's the middle of the third quarter and the Pacers are still right in this thing and like right about as we were going to get, like it was going to flip totally to like. You cannot blow this, Oklahoma City. You're the favorite. You're at home in game seven. Halliburton's out. You can't blow this. And then they didn't blow it, but we were like three minutes away. It felt like from, you know, I think Oklahoma City had like a 90 run and kind of ripped it open. If that round goes the other way, if the Pacer just hit a couple of threes and get a stop or two, I don't know, we'll. We'll never know what would have happened. It sucks that Tyrese Halliburton. The lasting image we'll have is of him on the floor in that way. There's so many images of Haler in these playoffs. We got the choke image. We got the. The game winner in game one image. So many awesome moments and it just, it's a terrible outcome both ways because we don't get to see the payoff for the Cinderella Pacers. Thing and it kind of takes away from what it feels like. The Thunder accomplished as like just an obvious, not for me, but an obvious asterisky sort of situation. Like oh well, you know, the star got hurt. So I got. You can just smell the storyline coming where we kind of have to talk down both sides of the equation now.
- [05:46]
Chad Millman
Disagree.
- [05:47]
Brian Fonseca
Bummer to finish.
- [05:48]
Chad Millman
Disagree. Brian. I completely disagree with just the latter part of what Brandon said. I don't take anything away from the Thunder. The Thunder very well might have won that game. They were in that game. Tyrese Halliburton had not been that effective in the game. When he came back from the right calf strain he was starting to play well. But I don't believe that there is any asterisk on this team at all. I thought, and I want your take on that but I actually thought Brandon was going to say now in an east that to me was entirely up for grabs going into next year. And the Pacers looking like they could be really confident Eastern Conference defending champions and possibly the the favorites to win that conference. Now that's up in the air. We don't get to see the follow up of this team that grew and figured out who they were and came together and was competitive and started to develop like a real reputation and a fan base. That's what I'm bummed. I don't get to see the next year. But Brian, agree or disagree?
- [06:52]
Brandon Anderson
Yeah.
- [06:52]
Chad Millman
I don't think Brandon Adderson is wrong and Chad Millman is right.
- [06:55]
Brandon Anderson
I don't think this is an asterisk. No, look, it's a bummer, right? Because for me it's like Oklahoma City was the best team from start to finish. So them winning the title, it's something that everyone should be okay with. Like they were the best team. But we were still robbed of what looked like it was going to be a fantastic Game seven. I don't know if Indiana would have won but like I entertained the possibility when I saw tyrese Halliburton make two threes from like 30 plus feet out and score nine points within seven minutes and have the Pacers go on an early run. And it was like, oh, we had been saying on buckets leading up to this, like this is the one team on the road in a Game seven where they're the most defiant team in the NBA. And you have to look at them and be like, yeah, they have a real shot here because they just don't care about how they're perceived or they're underdogs or they shouldn't be here and all these different things, like, that's how they got here to begin with. So to see it end like that was just disheartening. I just wish it ended differently because I think, you know, for the sake of, like, just basketball in the NBA Finals, like, we were about to see something special, like a special finish. Oklahoma City still might have won. That could have been the case. But Tyrese Halliburton was, like, on a tear early on, and then he got hurt, like, just on that play. Three ruptured Achilles in the playoffs, too, to star players, which is another thing that we can potentially get to, because I have some thoughts, probably not a little bit of them, on whether or not this should affect how we look at NBA seasons and whether or not they should be shortened. But ultimately, I thought we were robbed of what would have been a great finish. And Indiana, to Brandon's point, did have. There was a window there in the third quarter, but, you know, they just didn't have enough. Ultimately, TJ McConnell could only take you.
- [08:40]
Chad Millman
But so far, meanwhile, within the span of 12 hours, we all of a sudden have so much to talk about regarding any early leans for potential title matchups, potential Western Conference finals or Western Conference champions, Eastern Conference champions. Let's talk about the east for a minute. Halliburton, probably not going to play next year. Dame, probably not going to play next year. Giannis, who knows where he's going to be. But the Bucks are clearly diminished. Tatum, probably not going to play next year. The Celtics, they were already going to change their roster last week. The Magic make the trade with the Memphis Grizzlies for. For Bane. And now all of a sudden, people are legitimately talking about the Magic as being one of those teams that could be the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. Obviously, Darius Garland coming back from his toe surgery will be better. And that team was diminished in the playoffs. What. What do we do here? How do we handicap the Eastern Conference right now when the teams that could have had the best chance to win are now playing without their best players?
- [09:55]
Brian Fonseca
Yeah, the. The favorites going into yesterday, we had basically co favorites. Three co favorites. I've never quite seen that in the NBA. That's not how the NBA rules with three co favorites. It was Cavs, it was Pacers, it was Knicks. And Jim Turvey and I on Buckets did a podcast on already kind of a look ahead to next year's conference finals. We disagreed that the Knicks were in the triumvert of favorites. We feel like the Knicks they're in a coach right now. Like, let's see what the Knicks put together first. We were put them in the mix. I do think the Cavs are the correct favorites. I know that they came up short this year. I know that they fell. But shouldn't we think about them losing the Pacers a little differently now a month later after how good the Pacers have been, maybe not so embarrassing for a 1 seed Cavs to lose to that Pacers team. To me, you know, we're going to naturally look down the list and say, okay, well the Magic, they got their new star, they had their trade, they're the next young team to make the leap. How about the Pistons? You know, they were right there with the Knicks in the first round. Maybe they're the team to make the leap. For me, I don't necessarily want an incremental growth from one of the young teams. Maybe it will just be that I'd almost rather take a shot. If I'm going to, you know, play a future this far out, I'd rather take a shot at Raptors or, or a blank canvas Nets roster of just like somebody that's like, hey, you know what? Those guys are the favorites. Talked about the, the blank canvas in the East. We see that too. How about we just go make a big move? Let's make a splash. We weren't really trying to win right now, but this conference is eminently winnable. Let's, let's put our chips in and go make a move. And maybe that's Devin Booker now that the Suns are in a rebuilding mode. Maybe it is Giannis on a new team. Maybe he stays in the East. Giannis on whatever team in the east with not Dame Lillard's Achilles. I'm interested, like give me anybody, literally any teammate to Giannis then that's not Kyle Kuzma, to be clear, a real teammate to Giannis. I'm interested, like I am less interested in those middle tier teams kind of edging up into the gap. I'm more interested in a longer shot team that just like finds the star, makes the big move, smells the blood in the water we're seeing and is like, let's, let's take a shot here.
- [12:03]
Chad Millman
I love that idea. Who do you think then is like, you just named Raptors, Nets. Who of the, you know, middle, the, the teams that could take the big leap is going to put themselves in the best position?
- [12:21]
Brian Fonseca
So I was intrigued by the Nets. We talked about this briefly after the game last night. Matt Moore at buckets Thinks it's not the Nets. You think the Nets are a year away. They're saving up for a year from now, free agency. That can change. Maybe you kind of just shift your odds when there's this big gap year. I'm gonna give him credit on that. So I'm gonna go with the Raptors as a team that quietly from, like, February forward was like a top three to five defense in the NBA, even though they were just kind of off the radar. Totally. They just. They have this weird mix of players that don't make a lot of sense. I don't really feel like we know what Messiah Jerry is doing building the team. But the weird mix of players make for interesting trade targets. Is it Brandon Ingram? Is it Emmanuel Quickley? Is it RJ Barrett? Teams like these dudes. I don't really love these dudes, but teams do. And that means, okay, maybe that was the Kevin Durant package. It wasn't. Maybe that's the Giannis package. Giannis and Toronto International player. I'm intrigued. I think that's a real possibility there. A jury's pulled off big moves before. We saw the Kawai trade, and then, boom, they win a championship right after that. So I do think there's some intrigue, some. Some roster intrigue of, okay, subtract two or three of the guys for a star. There's still a few other guys on the roster there, and I don't really know what becomes of the team, but I can imagine a bigger leap rather than incremental one. So I'll say Raptors as just like a shot in the dark team right now.
- [13:50]
Chad Millman
All right, Brian. Yesterday, Kevin Durant traded to the Rockets and finding out while being interviewed on stage at Fanatics Fest, which to me was just choice content. You never get. You just never get. This is the day and age we're in, though. Everything is filmed, Everything. In his event, you got Kevin Durant on stage, and in the middle of a question, the interviewer is starting to hear fans yell, durant was just traded to the Rockets, and. And that's how the news is being broken. That's the world we're living in right now. That catapults the Rockets up the Eastern, the Western Conference behind the Thunder now, and shortest odds, overreaction.
- [14:42]
Brandon Anderson
I mean, the Rockets already had an elite defense, and now they're getting. The one thing that they really needed was a shot. Creator. I have my concerns. I have my concerns about Kevin Durant turning 37 in September and potentially leading this team to the Western Conference championship. Against what we just saw in Oklahoma City. But it's very hard to repeat, especially now, because the long, grueling seasons are even longer and more grueling because the game is just faster and Oklahoma City is very young. But you're one injury away from things just changing like that. As we've seen from other teams, I don't think it's an overreaction to have Houston second. They were the second seed, although many of us didn't believe they would win in the first round because Golden State, on the other side, had Steph Curry, added Jimmy Butler, still have Draymond Green, Steve Kerr, who's been an institution there for many years. But now with Houston, it's like, okay, you're getting Kevin Durant to take on the Jalen Green role. I think that Brandon's going to be with me on this. I think that's a huge upgrade. The concern, I think, is, though, health. Is Kevin Durant going to play 62 games, 70 games, 48 games, and can they get by in the regular season if he's limited? That leads us to Amin Thompson, who some of us believe is a potential star, a potential All Star and somebody who's going to get a lot of buzz for different types of awards and honors moving forward. Is this an opportunity for him to assume that role in the event that Kevin Durant can't for 82 games, which he probably won't be able to? That's an unrealistic request. And also for Amen Thompson, can he just develop more? Because he's only still in his early to mid-20s, he's only a few years in the league, he's had some injury stuff that he's had to overcome. So the progress hasn't always been linear, but he's somebody to look to. And then this is the thing that I like about Houston. And you know, with some of the Eastern Conference teams that Brandon was talking about, you have to look at when it pertains to futures, you have to look at teams and how they're built from a salary component. Because Houston has tradable contracts. They just cast in two of them for this deal with Jaylen Green and with Dylan Brooks to able to be able to reach that salary number that Kevin Durant has. So the same thing could be said for Fred Van Vliet, and they still have all their young pieces. They didn't move any one of them. So there's room for Houston to make another move. And if they're going to be aggressive and ambitious like this, there's reason to think that it's not going to stop here at Kevin Durant.
- [17:10]
Chad Millman
So what do you think that starting lineup for Houston looks like? Is Fred Van Vliet on the team? Is it Reed shepherd who is starting in place of Fred Van Vliet? Who's. Who's starting in place of Jalen Green? Is it Jabari Smith? Is it somebody else? They've got, like you said, so much young talent. Name me the starting five for Houston, Brandon.
- [17:37]
Brian Fonseca
So I was hoping going to Brian for that one.
- [17:39]
Chad Millman
So I'll give you Brian, naming the starting five for Houston.
- [17:42]
Brian Fonseca
Who's the two?
- [17:44]
Brandon Anderson
Yeah, I don't. I think maybe that maybe the two is not currently on the roster.
- [17:47]
Brian Fonseca
Yeah, I think so.
- [17:48]
Brandon Anderson
And, and as much as we like read Shepherd's potential, I don't know if I thrust him into that role yet. I would look at Fred Van Vliet. Maybe Amen Thompson just slides to the two for now and then you have Jabari Smith, Kevin Durant and Alperin Shangoon. But based on this question, Chad, like, I don't think the roster is done yet. I think Houston goes out and does something else and adds somebody who's different to fill that Jalen Green spot in terms of like somebody who's more of a defender, a catch and shoot guy, not Kentavius, Caldwell, Pope, but conceptually, somebody like that, hell, if I were them, I would be calling and I would be calling Boston and being like, hey, what do you want for Derrick White? Could we come. Could we actually do like a Derrick White sort of deal? Because that would make a lot of sense conceptually. That's the kind of two guard that I would want. Somebody who can shoot threes, somebody who could defend, and somebody who doesn't need the ball a ton to be effective.
- [18:41]
Chad Millman
So would you even Bet Houston at 2 in the Eastern Conference or do you think Golden State is a better bet given how they played against them and what this team could have done is Steph hadn't been injured?
- [19:01]
Brian Fonseca
Yeah, I think it's a tough spot with, with the Rockets because I think that the. I think two things can be true. I think they are right to be the second favorite in the west, but I don't think that necessari makes them bettable at that spot either. Like they again, they were the two seat already this year, but if you took Houston and put them into the east, considering the east picture we just talked about, they're the big favorite. Like everybody wants a piece of Houston then. But that would be true if you Put the Lakers in the east as well and you got Luca and LeBron. That maybe would be true. If you put the warriors in the east, you could make that case for a bunch of east teams. It's. It's not the east though. And in particular, you're going to have to beat the Thunder, probably. We do know that since 2019 forward, the defending NBA champions have not made the following conference finals. So maybe we should be betting Houston, because if it's not the Thunder, maybe it's open. But for right now, the Thunder, to me, are the team that we might have actually just seen. The worst version of this team to come over the next few years. This is such a young Thunder squad. Caruso and Hartenstein are the veterans on this team and they're like around 30. Like they're still fine and not necessarily going anywhere. Jdub still young, getting better. Chat still young. Not a great Finals. Should be getting better. We saw both of those guys get better in series and throughout the playoffs. Shay is still just kind of in the entering his prime stage. Probably will still get a little better. He still can clean up the handle a little bit, clean up the passing. To me, I can't invest in Houston futures right now because I do think that the floor will keep them there in the regular season, except that Durant will miss some time, so they'll move a little bit. But to me, it might almost be that they're kind of buying down the price in Oklahoma City a little bit. The gap from OKC to Houston in the regular season may not be so huge, but in a playoff series, it still was a pretty wide gap. And to me, there was a lot of comparison about these Thunder that just won the title to the 2015 Warriors. We saw what the warriors became after that. 739 after that, and they did not win the title. The injuries happened, LeBron happened. I understand. But this might have been the bad version of the Thunder compared to what's still to come. So I think that the Thunder might just be the team to beat in the in the west still, even though the Rockets are the team that's going to catch all the attention with Durant on the roster now.
- [21:29]
Chad Millman
So the team's chasing who want to be like the Thunder. They want to be like the Pacers. They want to develop through the draft. They want to get young players on good deals. Obviously the Mavericks, one of those teams, they blew everything up with Luka. They get lucky. They've now got the opportunity to draft Cooper Flag. He will be the number one overall Pick. If you had a scatter report for Cooper Flag, Brian or Brandon, whoever would like to go first. I don't want to, you know, I want to share the ball between you two. Do you have a comp. Do you have a assessment based on past number one picks? Brandon, we'll start with you.
- [22:12]
Brian Fonseca
I think that Cooper Flag is the clear number one pick and also simultaneously, maybe not quite the generational guy that he's being hyped as as this incredible next American MVP surefire superstar. I would love a world where Cooper Flag could be my second guy on the team. And that might sound slanderous. He's awesome. He does so many things well. The floor is incredibly high. He's an awesome defender. He can score so many ways. He's. He can use both hands to finish. I don't know if I'm quite there yet on the shot. I think he needs to work on that a little bit. I don't know that will ever be a knockdown skill for him. I don't know that I quite think he is like an. Certainly not an a NBA athlete. I think he's more of like a, A B minus NBA athlete. I don't think it will hold him back. But I don't know if I see superstar MVP athleticism which in the NBA size and athleticism are going to rule the day and you can't develop those things. You either are or you are not. To me I look at him and I see a guy that I like to compare is Andre Kirilenko from the Jazz a couple decades ago who sounds like a mean comp. I thought our Kirlenko was awesome. Like I had him top three in MVP ballot one year as just a jackknife, do everything I can, initiate the offense. To me that's Cooper's biggest talent for his size is to be able to have the ball and create for others with his size, with the scoring threat, with his defense, it's the all around game. It's. It's maybe Franz Wagner, maybe Franz plus, it's maybe Gordon Hayward plus. And I know I'm doing all the white comps. Here's my other comp. What if you took Lebron James and all the stuff that he's good at, all the rounded game and all the ways of seeing the game and then you stuck him in a lanky white teenager from Maine. What if you did that? That's the comp. That's what Cooper Flag is. And I mean all the good parts of that but the limiting part also. And I think it's gonna be a very good player, but not necessarily an MVP player to me.
- [24:15]
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- [25:42]
Dan Flores
The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. Hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores and brought to you by Velvet Buck, this podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best selling author and Meat Eater founder Stephen Rinella.
- [26:12]
Brandon Anderson
I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say it seems like the Ice Age people that were here have a real affinity for caves.
- [26:22]
Dan Flores
So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.
- [26:33]
Brandon Anderson
Listen to the American west with Dan.
- [26:35]
Brian Fonseca
Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [26:42]
Chad Millman
All right, so Brian the Spurs are number two super exciting team between Castle, de' Aaron, Fox, Wemby. When he's back they can draft. They're going to be able to draft Dylan Harper, who a lot of people peg to be an all star flag and Harper are probably the two prospects people are most excited about in this draft. Can they turn themselves into an OKC team in the next 12 to 24 months?
- [27:11]
Brandon Anderson
Well, if Victor Wembanyama's healthy, I think anything is possible, kind of for that team. Speaking of a team like Houston, who has all their young guys, the spurs have their young guys. Like they, they just drafted the rookie of the year. After drafting the rookie of the year, they have Stefan Castle, who we project is going to be really good, who people want to compare to a Jrue Holiday type, for example. And if he's that, that's an enormous steal. That's an enormous win. That's someone who, you know, could be a number three on a championship team. We clearly all expect if healthy win, which is the key. Victor Wembanyama to be that number one. So it's about filling out the rest of the roster and going shopping with maybe a Keldon Johnson or a Devin Vassell and trying to see what you can get for some of those guys if you want to like trade up. Oh, and by the way, they have de' Aaron Fox, who presumably would be your number two because they landed him last year. Dylan Harper's interesting. I wonder how he'd fit. It does feel like it's is trending that way. I have my questions about the entire Ruckards experience last year just because. Not just not making the NCAA tournament with, you know, two of the top guys, but also like, I just feel like if you're that good, you should probably win a little bit more now. Stats don't always translate. Like we have a lot of examples of guys who aren't that productive in college and end up being more productive in the pros like a Stefan Castle, like Russell Westbrook, like Zach Levine. But there are examples the other way where guys put up big numbers in college like a Ben Simmons, like Markel Fultz, and it doesn't really mean anything. And those are two of the guys that people are are probably, you know, scared of as it pertains to these Rutgers GU ace Bailey being the other one. And I think he scares more people for obvious reasons. I think Harper feels like a safe number two pick. I don't think I'm as high on him as some of the others. Like I really like Vijay Edgecomb, for example. He's somebody who's going to be picked maybe right after Harper. He's favored to go three. He might go fourth. I think he's definitely a top five pick. He's a guy that I'm really excited about. I like Trey Johnson a lot. Like, there are other guys in this draft that excite me more long term than Harper, But I still think Harper is going to be really good. But it feels like a safe number two overall pick. And for the Spurs, I don't think they need to sort of reinvent the wheel here. I just think they need to hit on somebody to continue to add to what they have.
- [29:27]
Chad Millman
So you don't, you don't think trading out of that spot if they're not convinced on Dylan Harper and trying to get someone who is a veteran that has a contract that plays to what fits within their construct is now and getting future picks because they will be giving up a number two overall pick is a better play.
- [29:54]
Brandon Anderson
Oh, I would absolutely entertain moving number two if I'm the Spurs. If I'm the Spurs and I want to get ambitious and really look at the Western Conference. Like, okay, we have Victor Wembanyama. We can go to war with him and de' Aaron Fox and Stefan Castle and everything else we have. Like, yeah, I would entertain moving off of number two. Frankly, I thought that if Giannis was on the table, that's something that they can dangle in front of hockey and be like, hey, Giannis Wemby, Derek Fox, Stefan Castle, if he survives that trade. Like, the spurs still have draft picks to play with. So, yeah, I would definitely entertain moving off number two if, if there's a package worthy, especially because, like, there are things that they can do now that Victor Wembanyama is still on his rookie contract and is not going to hit an extension until that kicks in a couple of years from now. So they have time to take in some salary, some big salary before Wemby ends up getting his inevitable max extension.
- [30:49]
Chad Millman
Well, look, you mentioned the magic player who's sort of the. The fulcrum on which all this is going to turn, and that's Ace Bailey, who has been weird and enigmatic and making demands of teams when he has been the guy of those three players at the top of the board who people had the most questions about has not visited anybody yet. Most people expected him to be the consensus number three. Now people thinking that it may be Vijay Edgecombe and that Con Knippel is the guy who could go four. Trey Johnson, you mentioned him, could go five. And a lot of people now starting to mock Ace Bailey going sixth to Washington and because is it this guy's game? Is it this guy's attitude? Is it the way he's managing the process. I know his father is intimately involved. You know how dads always fuck things up. So like, Brandon, if you're making a bet on who the number three pick is going to be, do we look at all this as a smokescreen? Are we off Ace Bailey going to the Sixers?
- [31:58]
Brian Fonseca
I. I don't think it's a smoke screen. I think Ace Bailey thinks it's all very real. I think Ace Bailey seems to want to fall out of the top five and get to a spot where he can get a few more shots up. This is. This is the guy that just wants to shoot some jumpers, right? He just wants to just go be a Hooper. This is a Hooper at heart. And he wants to hoop with the Wizards who need a Hooper. He wants a hoop with the Nets, who we just talked about as a blank slate. That. That sounds more appealing to me if I just want to. Can I be Cam Thomas?
- [32:27]
Chad Millman
Great.
- [32:28]
Brian Fonseca
I'll get 20 points a game. Like, he might become a pretty interesting Rookie of the Year sort of pick if he falls to one of those teams. Rookie of. Your odds are up right now, by the way. At one book already, Cooper Flag opened at minus 400 to be the Rookie of the Year. That is. Yeah, Brian's face does it all. That's an absurd number of overconfidence in Cooper Flag. I'll give you a Rutgers hot take here. I watch a lot of Rutgers ball this year. Obviously you need to because both Harper and Bailey and I was like, man, I'm out on Bailey. Bailey's not good. This is not my style of guy. Here's my Rutgers hot take. I think Dylan Harper, if you could give me odds right now on to win an MVP someday I will fade Cooper Flag's odds and I would bet Dylan Harper's odds. I think Dylan Harper has a higher ceiling of MVP level of a James Harden type player of the way we choose MVPs these days of what he would do. What's weird is that after all my watching of Rutgers and all my hating of Ace Bailey and, and the style of player he is like a. A Wiggins type player, an mpj, a Harrison Barnes. Who are these guys? They're all like top three recruits that sucked for an entire NBA career. And then eventually like, well, you kind of became a pretty solid fourth role player on a winning team after we paid you $300 million to develop into that. And you're like, well, I guess I'm not the number one player. Maybe I should rebound and defend a little bit. You eventually Became that. But was it on your initial team that drafted you? Was it in our initial investment of $100 million? Not really. All that said, those are good players. Those are players on champions. Wiggins won a championship. MBJ won a championship. Different sort of player. Aaron Gordon was a number one in Orlando, then went to Denver and became a different version and became a champion. And this guy that we love. I think to me, I really like VJ Edgecomb. I really like Khan. Canipple shooting guards are only so valuable. Ace Bailey's upside of what he could be if that jumper is as wet as it looks, if I I think there's some defensive upside and potential there. We saw him make some nice blocks and steal some playmaking. I personally, after all that still have Bailey top four on my draft board even though I don't even like the idea of what he is. I think he's a perfect fit. In Philadelphia they need a shooter with size. Vijay and Khan are shooting guards. This is a Cooper flag size player in Ace Bailey and I'll come back all around. I will be looking to invest in the Sixers at three. Still drafting Ace Bailey. I'm not going to do it yet because this is effectively number one pick. We know one and two and we've seen the odds swing wildly in like 24 hours before the draft. Daryl Morey don't care what you think about it. Daryl Morey doesn't care if you canceled your workouts. Daryl Morey is going to do whatever he feels like it. And if he feels like you're the guy his team wants to have, he's going to draft you and let you figure it out later. So I think Daryl Morey might after all that still think Ace is the guy. And if we can get like he's a 400 a plus 400 odds now if I get like past five, 600 a ten to one on. Okay, we've all decided it's VJ. Let me swerve the way I bet the draft is swerving. I'll bet on uncertainty. I still think aces and play at three.
- [35:55]
Chad Millman
All right, well, you also just gave me a hot take here about what's going to happen with Ace Bailey and where he best belongs and also who has the higher upsides as candidates in the future. Brian, I know you have a hot take and I'm actually incredibly interested in it because the player you're talking about not only represents the college where my younger son is about to go. So we paid a lot of attention to this kid, but also he is mocked to be going to the team that I love the most, the Chicago Bulls. Give me your hot take.
- [36:34]
Brandon Anderson
Okay. Who is. Are we talking about Derrick Queen specifically? Is that what we're talking about?
- [36:39]
Chad Millman
Yes.
- [36:40]
Brandon Anderson
Just to make sure. Yeah. Derek Queen, who right now is in New York City, obviously getting ready for the draft. I'm very intrigued by his game. I think he's going to be either one of the best players in this draft or somebody who's out of the league and like five, six years. So the problem is with centers who can score, which he can. He is one of the better offensive games for a big man in this draft. Teams can't always figure out what to do with these guys. We saw, I remember Vividly, this was 10 years ago, but Jaleel Okafor happened, right? This is somebody who came into the league. He was a bucket down low. He can score on anybody.
- [37:22]
G
And.
- [37:23]
Brandon Anderson
And then three years later, after being a rookie of the year contender, was getting traded with Nick Stauskis for a second round pick and Trevor Booker to the Nets, where he just sat and did nothing for the duration of a few months before just flatlining the rest of his career. And we've barely seen him since. I think he made a cameo with like the Fort Wayne team in G League this year and he's been in the G League. He played, I think, for the Nigerian national team. Like, not a lot's really happened there. I think with Derrick Queen, though, I don't know if he's Alprens Shangun 2.0. I don't know if he's a better version of that, but he can be something. He needs to go to the right team. This is something we don't talk about enough with draft picks. These guys have to go to the right environments. Often I worry about anyone who's going to Washington, for example. No disrespect to anyone who roots for the Wizards. And I do think they have some players. I like Bilal Koulibaly, I like Alex Sar, but the right guy has to go there. And I think with Derrick Queen, if he goes to like the Chicago Bulls, for example, I would like to see them move, move Nikola Vucevic. That's going to be the case because it's like, all right, what are we doing? If, if, if you have both of them there and Derrick Queens backing up Nicole Avuchovic, like, that doesn't make a lot of sense. And also, do I trust the Chicago Bulls in terms of development? No offense. I mean, they haven't had A great track record as of late. They look like they're about to pay Josh Giddy a lot of money too. So we'll see what that happens there. But with Derrick Queen I think he needs to be in an environment where he his offensive game is embraced. Don't try to make him just a pick and roll guy. He's somebody who can do things with the ball. I think there's some playmaking potential in there even at the next level. But he's somebody who can create and I for a big man and I do wonder is he going to be pigeonholed as somebody who plays 18 minutes a game and is like a fantasy student, gets like 12 and 6 and then go sit down or is he somebody that is going to be nurtured and developed probably like an Alperine sengun and see his offensive game like actually get to the next level. So I don't know if Chicago is the right environment unless you're telling me, hey, Nikola Vucevic can go somewhere else or can he go to a different type Brandon Nozz's head vigorously or can he go to another team? Like I know Charlotte is a weird landing spot. I do think Charlotte might have the right coach finally, but they still have to get the right mix of players. Like I have questions about Lamelo Ball, I have questions about Brandon Miller and I bring them up because Charlotte could sneakily be a trade back candidate. So do they go back in the top 10 and maybe get a Derrick Queen if they're because the Mark Williams thing happened and it's like are they going to try to move off Mark Williams again because he was almost a Laker that one time that we seemingly all forgot. So I think Derrick Queen could either be really good or just somebody who's just shoved out the league because teams can't figure out what to do with an offensive minded center anymore unless they could shoot threes at a great rate or can just get like 7, 8 assists per game or something along those lines. They almost have to be special And I think there's room for somebody who can create their own offense on the interior, scoring the post so to speak, but could also like be a little bit of a hub even if it's just for stretches of a game.
- [40:37]
Chad Millman
All right, Brian, you mentioned Charlotte potentially trading back which would be sort of a bold prediction for draft night. Brandon, I'm going to give you the last word. Give me your bold predictions for NBA draft night.
- [40:51]
Brian Fonseca
I'm going to give you a bold bet that you can make right now for NBA draft night, we led at the top with the Kevin Durant trademark in that trade. The Phoenix Suns traded away Kevin Durant. They got back some guys I don't really like very much, but they also got back a draft pick. They got the number 10 pick and the Suns have not had a number 10 pick. Have the Suns been paying attention to the guys being drafted in the top 10? Have the scouts even been like ready for who might be that guy in the top 10? You know who's guy that the Suns do know a lot about? Matt Ishbia, the owner that likes to be involved. Played a little basketball in college with Jason Richardson. He won a championship with Jason Richardson. Jason Richardson is the father of Jace Richardson. Perhaps we know that about him. Jace Richardson to be the number 10 pick at bed it in the action app last night. 40 to 1 odds. Do I think he should be the number of 10 pick? Probably not, but I think it's in range. I have Jace Lottery and my board that's in range well enough. Maybe the scouts aren't totally ready yet or maybe Mattish Bia is ready and he's like, you know what, we're starting over. But we're starting over with my guy, my guy from MSU, the Michigan State Heritage pick. Maybe he took number 10 with full intention to put the stamp on and bring in Jace. That's my bold prediction. 40 to 1 or best number you can find.
- [42:13]
Chad Millman
I love that. Brian. I lied. I'll give you the last word. Do you have, do you have as bold a prediction as Brandon does?
- [42:23]
Brandon Anderson
Unfortunately not 40 to 1. But I think I do think like I'm intrigued at a potential shakeup in the top five where I looked at Jeremiah Fears at plus 300 and Common Malawatch at plus 350 to go into the top five because if Ace Bailey is going to legitimately fall because there are still some books who think he's going to go in the top five and I know that Bill Simmons and Ryan Rosillo keep talking about Utah potentially liking Ace Bailey. I think there's a reason for that. But if Ace Bailey does fall out of the top five, you're going to need guys to rise on the board. Jeremiah Fears is somebody who reportedly has been killing his draft workouts, who is somebody who is a very athletic guard. I have questions about the jump shot, but those type of dudes tend to rise up in the draft. Malawach also is 7 foot 2 and looks like he's going to be able to knock down threes at some point consistently, along with being a rim protector. That's modern day NBA basketball from the center position. We just saw Chet Holmgren in the NBA Finals being a version of that. Those are the two guys that I would look at in terms of potentially crashing the party in the top five. Maluach from Duke is was one guy that I especially like. He scared the hell out of me as somebody who's Puerto Rican in the World cup and in the Olympics because he was on South Sudan and I was like, man, I hope they don't play him a lot. They did not. And he's going to be the face of that program for a long, long time. But those two guys, I think either one of them have the potential to rise into the top five if something just sort of freaky happens early on in the draft.
- [44:01]
Chad Millman
All right, Brandon Anderson, Brian Fonseca. Listen to Buckets, everyone, because this stuff was great. You'll get more of it on Buckets. The favorites will be back with our next episode Thursday on the Action Network YouTube page. Download us Spotify, Apple Pods, wherever you get your pods Rate Review Subscribe.
- [44:17]
G
Leave us five stars.
- [44:18]
Chad Millman
Say whatever you want. Feedback is a gift. Until next time. Love you.
- [44:30]
Brandon Anderson
Action Network reminds you, please gamble responsibly.
- [44:34]
Chad Millman
If you or someone you care about.
- [44:36]
Brandon Anderson
Has a gambling problem, help is available 247 at 1-800-GAMBLER.
- [44:42]
Dan Flores
Why is a soap opera Western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6, where we'll delve into stories of the the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.
- [45:04]
Brandon Anderson
Listen to the American west with Dan.
- [45:06]
Brian Fonseca
Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [45:11]
Memphis Bleak
What up y' all? This your main man, Memphis Bleak right here. Host the Rock Solid Podcast. June is Black Music Month, so what better way to celebrate than listening to my exclusive conversation with my bro, Ja Rule. The one thing they can't stop you or take away from you is knowledge. So whatever I went through while I was down in prison for two years through that process, learn, learn from it. Check out this exclusive episode with Ja Rule on Rock Solid. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Rock Solid and listen now.
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Sarah Spain
Hi, I'm Sarah Spain, host of Good Game with Sarah Spain and the co author of the new book Runs in the An Incredible True Story of Football, Fatherhood and Belonging to, written with and about Las Vegas Raiders running backs coach Dylan McCullough it's the story of a football coach and father of four who sees his life forever changed by the unsealing of his adoption records. And it's got a twist you won't believe. Based on the viral ESPN story I did a few years ago, this book will blow your mind and bring you to tears. By Runs in the Family. Wherever books are sold, this is an I Heart podcast.