Welcome to Bullyball. I am Rachel Nichols, joined by DeMarcus Cousins, and each Monday we're going to be talking about everything going on in the NBA, and you know you're gonna get the straight talk with my friend over there. Welcome mister Cousins.
Hey, what's up, Richard? How you doing?
I am ready all right. There's so much going on already in this young season, and you know, first up, we got to talk about James Harden, set to make his Clippers debut tonight at Madison Square, Garden of all places. So, boogie, how do you think Harden is going to fit in with Russ, with PG, with Kawhi Man.
You can look at it from you know, two perspectives. Obviously, it's one basketball. There's four guys that all enjoy shooting the basketball. But you gotta also look at the intangibles that each player. Knowing that this team is built around Kawhi and PG, those are going to be your man and two guys scoring the ball.
So adding two playmakers.
Obviously with Russ last year now James this year, I think it could be a recipe that could work, and it also could be one it could be a complete disaster. I do have confidence in t Lou and you know, making this thing work. I think he's the perfect guy to put this mix together and make these guys you know, exist for this season. So it's a lot of things
in the air for the Clippers this season. I think three of the guys contracts are up at the end of this season, so this is almost like a you know, do or die type situation.
It can also determine the future.
Of the Clippers, So I think adding those two playmakers to those two scores, it could work. How bad in all these guys with you know, championship aspirations. Obviously, James has been dealing with you know, off the court issues for I would say the past four years. It's rumors that he's dealing with you know, personal issues with his family this season, and that's part of the reason he
wants to be closer to home being in LA. So you know, I'm thankful that he is able to get closer to home so he can handle those at home situations. Hopefully it puts them in a better mental space to you know, come out and complete and be focused on just basketball this year. So it depends on if we have a bought in James Harden, or we're going to see what we saw in the past with you know, being out of shape, you know, the pouting, you know, all of the above.
When it comes to the negative things he can bring to the court.
So if he is bought in, this is going to be a very, very tough team to beat. But we also know how he can be when he's not bought in. So I think this all falls on James Harden and how he approaches this season.
I think we probably agree, right, he's going to be bought in at the beginning at least, right. He wanted this trade. He worked for it all summer, talked about it a lot. They've all said the right things to each other. Tyler had a long talk with him before he even landed in LA and you know, PG and him, we're talking, you know, all the way through really the off season, the beginning of the season. He and Russ have a much better relationship than I think people think
that they do. You know, as James said, they go back to the Boys and Girls Club in LA. This goes a lot deeper with them between what happened in a year on the Houston Rockets. So all of that to me tells me they're going to start out in good, good order. And by the way, James looks like he's in great shape right now, and they're all saying and
thinking the right things. We will see, as you point out, if we get three months in, four months in and James does not like the role he has on this team, if we see some of the other James Harden come out. But tonight, at least, I think it's going to look good. I would start all four of them tonight just to sort of give Russ that mental space that he likes.
He doesn't like coming off the bench. He talked about in the past that you know, that's part of what caused his hamstring injury last year, and it just resks his whole routine. And we know that Russ is such a creature of routine, right, So I'd start all four of them and then I platune them around. And I'm not sure i'd finish with all four of them. What would you do?
I would start off four, but obviously it doesn't really matter who you start with is who you finish the game with. And yep, I could see a situation where James is on the floor and Russ is off the floor.
Yeah, at the end, right.
At the end of the games.
Obviously, james play making ability and his ability to make shots from the outside, that that kind of compliments PG and Kawhi closing out the games, and you would finished with two other defenders besides beside those guys. So I could see that being the case. But I can also see it being the case we're all four finishing the game.
I can see Russ being in a position that he's coming off the bench towards the ends or being on the bench, and it may be in a signon where Russ has to be a main defender on the point guard and you have to take James out. So it just it's it's almost a gift and a curse for this Clippers team because there's so many different options they
could go with to finish and start games. But like I said, it's all going to go back to how Baldy and these guys are to just winning games and with being he's gonna take each guy's sacrifice in a little bit that they're not used to doing. So let's see how baught in these guys are this season.
I mean, look, they've got thirty two All Star appearances between them. I mean, that is sick, and obviously they're going to have to each sacrifice, each change their role. Russ's usage, by the way, it is already way down this season. He's been playing great, but his usage usage has been way down. It's in the teens and that is not what he's used to. He's going to then have it cut further by James, But this season tells
me he's kind of bought into that. I mean, but you know, when guys get sort of toward the end of their career, they can see the light that they're not going to be in the game for that much longer. You start to be okay. I mean, look at Chris Paul upright at Golden State. You start to be okay with things you might not have been okay with even
a year or two ago. I don't think Chris Paul would have consented to come off the bench a couple of years ago, but he knows that's the right role for him right now, and I think Russ has that same feel right now. I think Russ knows that if he cuts bait from this Clippers team, I'm not sure there's anywhere else for him to go. I'm not sure there's anywhere else for James to go if this goes poorly,
if he shows up the way you do it. You were talking about the other flip side in three months or something, So I think that's going to help guys kind of do what they're supposed to do. What do you think is that mentality part of it?
I think with the way Russ has handled the past three years of his career, he's been nothing but a professional. He's been dragged through the mud, he's been his name has been, his character has been assassinated.
All of the above.
When it comes to just the negativity that's been spoken on this guy's name and for what, I'm not really sure. Russ is an incredible teammate. Russ is going to show up to play every single night. He's going to give one hundred and ten percent every single night, and you know he'll jump through the wall of any teammate. Yeah on that floor. So with that mindset, I think Ruskin
ended up anywhere. I think more so, Russ's situation ended up becoming about the money that he was making in the past, and that's kind of what put him in a position but as far as him joining other teams, I think any NBA team would be welcoming and had that type of energy effort on any of their team. He's a winning player, he has a winning attitude and he makes everybody around him better. He's shown that throughout
his entire career. Now when it comes to James on the other hand, yeah, I think James is a winner. He's proven that throughout his career. He's He's always in the playoffs every single year with that which with every team he's gone to. But we also know how James get when things don't go his way. So I believe at this point moving forward with the Clippers, their success falls on James Harden's mindset. I think everybody else is
balled in. I think everybody else knows their role. This is about James Harden and who he wants to be as a teammate and what his legacy is going to be pertaining to being a champion moving forward. If his mindset is in the right place, they have a great chance at, you know, winning the championship. If not, we're just gonna see another disaster and another team that he's unhappy.
Do you feel that this ceiling for this team. If everyone does what they're supposed to do, that they can compete with or some of the other top teams in the West or Boston even in the East.
Absolutely, I think you look at them on paper, they basically have two starting fives, and I don't think it's many teams in the NBA built the way this Clippers team is built. Obviously, Bomber has invested in this team fully. He doesn't care about the money he spends, and that's always a great thing because if you want to win in this league, you have to spend money.
That's just how it goes.
So obviously his mind is on winning the championship, so that's taken care of. But like I said, it just falls back to what is this mind what's the mindset of this team going to be this season? I see the championship or bus or you could see this Clippers team being blown up. I think I think that's the case.
Well, look, you mentioned Tyler, I totally agree with you. I don't think there's many coaches in the NBA that have the particular mix of skill set of the ex and no genius that he has, plus the player relationships he has that could make this work as well as
he has the potential to make this work. And he was asked the other day about sort of if he's coached a team or been on a team that had this kind of offense before where it was distributed among these four guys, and he brought up the Celtics teams he was an assistant coach on where they had KG, Paul Pierce, Ray, Allen, Rajon Rondo. I think with Rondo and Westbrook kind of being the comp there position wise, and I don't know, do you see similarities there.
I see similarities as far as talent and offensive firepower, but the mindset of that Celtics team and how they embraced sacrifices for one another that I think that that kind of goes unnoticed. With how great that team was and how much they put into making that a winning situation, they could have all easily been you know, egotistical and said this is my team or I wanted to go
my way. Paul Pierce had every right to feel a certain type of way with him being the longest tenured Celtic on that team and just things of that nature. But it still goes back to what I said earlier. It's all about the mindset. Those has had the mindset, we want to sacrifice for one another. We want to win championships. And it doesn't matter who's who's scoring the most points, who's getting the media attention, who's in the MVP run, and who's an All Star who's not an All Star.
None of that mattered.
It was about winning the championship and that's what helped that team get there. So it's going to fall into the same place for this Clipper team. The All Stars, the MVPs, the points per game, none of that matters right now because all of you done it at a certain point in career. All that you have accolades, individual team accolades. Now it's about winning a championship. So what's the mindset going to be.
Yeah, I mean you're saying note for note what Harden kind of said at one point during his press conference. Obviously, there are some other things that people took issue with, but he did say over and over he said, we've all done the individual stuff to your point book, he said, you know, we've done this before. What we want is a title. So if that really does be the mind if that that maintains and that is the mantra. I think that they could have a lot of potential there.
And the spacing I think is something that people are underrating a little bit that he's going to provide for PG and Kawhi. Here's a great stat Last season, Harden was double teamed on nearly nineteen possessions a game, which is second only to Luka Doncic in the entire NBA. So that tells you how much gravity he still has and the way that's going to let PG and Kawhi move around like they really haven't been able to before.
And they haven't had a point guard that has this kind of creativity since Chris Paul left, and I'm very interested to see what happens with this team. And a good good detail from Omyang Niska ESPN reporting that PG and Harden play video games on the plane the entire way from LA to New York, so they're already they're already getting their off court on. Exactly there you go. I got to move on to the other side of
that trade with Joel Embiid and the Sixers. They are four and one as we sit here today, despite all the craziness having to adapt to a new coach new offensive style. What do you think of the team they have right now, and now that they have all those draft picks that they kind of scooped up in these trades and everything, what do you think they need to add to make them like a true contender for an NBA title.
I think the Sixers are in a good place.
Obviously, they picked up some draft conversation in the trade, Tobias Harris being at the end having I believe one year left on his deal, so he has an expiring deal. Obviously that will open up some money for the team this summer. I think they're in the perfect position. MB is still playing the best basketball of his career right now.
You have another solid foundation in Tyrese Maxi. So now it's about finding that that that three or four, possibly even a two man that can help get them over the hump and put them back in the conversation to contending, you have guys like the Martin Rosen out there. You have guys like u Zach Lavine that could come in and be a big impact for that team.
So are you saying the Chicago Bulls might not make it through the season, Boogie, I'm just shot, shot, shot.
I don't think they make it to December, to be honest.
Uh, if you haven't all players meeting one game into.
The season, yeah, that speaks us.
That speaks volumes the fact that it's frustration, anger, hostility, anything one game into the system.
That's sick.
So, like I said that, you play on some contentious Sacramento teams, did you ever have a team players.
I've been on some.
Times of teams, but never all players meeting by game, and I've never seen that, and I don't think I never will. Yeah, but uh, but uh, I think I think Philly's in a good position they can add to that team. Obviously, they have a good team coricder going with James now being removed from the picture. Like I said, the Zach Lavin or Demarta Rosen, maybe even a Donovan Mitchell if they can pull off a trade or something for that. So I think, like I said, they're in
a good position to move forward. They have two good foundational pieces in MAXI and MB so it's just about adding that third piece, and I think they're in.
A good position to be successful moving forward.
You don't think the Donovan Mitchell experiment in Cleveland.
Is going to quite take I just don't think Donovan Mitchell wants to be there. I think Donovan Mitchell is looking for a bigger market and that's just not something Cleveland can provide.
We'll be interesting to see who shakes loose because you've also got up in Toronto. You've got Ojan Nanobi and Pascal Siakam, who could both become free agents this summer. And Philly has been very smart. Daryl Morey has cleared out a ton of cap space for this coming off season. They could absolutely get a big, huge star if one
becomes available. Also, now he's got all these draft capital that he scooped up with some of his recent trades, and then of course the big one with James Harden, where he will now with his own pick, have three first round picks he could offer someone. So they're kind of in position either before the trade deadline or the summer, or a combination of both to do something pretty big. They could go the other way and just make sort
of smaller adjustments. But I don't know, in the modern NBA boogie, do you think embiid needs someone like, really really significant to come in and be next to him in order to contend.
I need I think I think with every championship team there has to be a very very solid third option, I think, and be obviously being your first MAXI stepping up into that second option. Who's going to be you know, your Chris Middleton to you know, kind of fill out that team. You mentioned some good names and Siakam could be that person. I can go back to Zach Lavine, Demarto Rows and I think all those guys kind of fit that that narrative of what they're trying to do
moving forward. But I think the Sixers are in the perfect situation to improve this team. You know, just got to kind of close through, still be successful with what they got, still winning games, and I think, you know, after All Star Breaker, before All Star Break, we could we could see a really big splash and they add something to the mix and put them at the top of the East.
Possibly well, you.
Know, other gams around the league are eyeing what happens with Embiid and the idea that maybe, possibly, perhaps maybe maybe he'd want to switch teams and ask out of there. You know, you've got Miami where he's got such a great relationship with Jimmy Butler. New York wants him and could definitely make the moves to make that happen Toronto. By the way, I know they've got free agency coming up for those guys, but there is a close relationship
between Masai U, Jerry and Joel Embiid. And on the other side, I mean, look, we've been talking about James Harden and PG and Kawhi and Russ are all from southern California and that they've all talked about that that that makes a difference to them, that that unites them
a little bit. And you know, Pascal siakam Ojinaobi, Joel Embiid, they're not all from the same city or even the same country, I need to add, but there is a unity among African basketball players right now, and so to have that relationship possibly and you know, have one or two of those guys come into Philadelphia could be something that makes him beat happy in the way. It might not appeal to some of the other guys, but he feels like a closeness with those guys that might get
them good chemistry right off the bat. So I'll have to see. I don't know, but I'm watching that one because they still have moves to make for sure, all right, well, but you We're gonna have a segment every week here where, yes, we will be lifting up the overreaction meter. This is where we look at some of the stories fans have been overreacting to the most right now, because come on, that is what Twitter is for, right sports radio is for.
We're gonna get your personal overreaction meter where that is sitting. And first up, I want to talk to you guys about the Grizzlies one in six so far this year. And look, Steven Adams is out all year. But given that and the jaw is only seven games into his twenty five game suspension, where are you on the overreaction meter? I'm gonna give you the choices here right, you got chilling monitoring the situation, queuing up the trade machine or deaf con one? What do you got? Butug, where are you?
Uh? I'm queuing up the trade machine? Right about that?
And the reason I say that your big your former defensive player of the year in Jaron Jackson is averaging seven point six a game. You lost your your starting big man seven point six rebounds per game, you lost your starting center and Steven Adams, so you're depending on Jaron Jackson to fill a role even bigger than what he's accustomed to. When it comes to rebounding and being a big man, that only the only thing that goes
into that is effort. So if you can't get effort from your starting big to average a double double per game, it's it's not it's not looking good. So Jared Jackson has the ability to dominate the pain. We kind of saw him struggle in USA against the foreign bigs, another watching him struggle this season against you know, the NBA bigs. It has to be more effort when it comes to
rebounding the ball, simple as simple as that. Also with also with John Morant being out fifteen plus games or whatever, Yeah, with him being out for that long, it could it could get ugly for the Grizzlies. They don't really have a scorn punch that they're used to, they don't have a playmaking that they're used to, And to be quite honest, the games just aren't as exciting as they are when
Ji's on the floor, So the energy is dead. It's just not the same enthusiastic Grizzlies group that we've seen at the past. So I think it's definitely, I definitely think they should be overreacting at this point, and they got some things they have to figure out moving forward. So the Grizzies got a rough year coming up in my opinion, So let's see how this plays out.
Well, Look, this definitely shows, to your point, Jazz impact on this team way beyond what he does in a basketball sense. On the statuet, he is such the energy heartbeat of this team, pushing guys to play harder than they do usually, having the crowds all whipped up so guys get worked up along with it, and missing that element has been just as important to me as what
they've been missing on the floor without him there. I also think it's interesting because when that suspension came down, there are a lot of people who thought it needed to be higher. Right, this was his sort of second big strike and the idea that he had some other incidents going on. People were like, it's only twenty five games, how much is that really going to impact him? How
much is it really going to impact the Grizzlies. But it is almost a third of the season, and if they're struggling this much for a third of the season, I don't know if they make the playoffs. I mean, I don't know that suspension is looking like it is impactful. Whether it has an impact on him personally or not, it's certainly impacting the team. So all right, next we got to talk Lakers. But Lebron has had to do a lot of work to push the Lakers to wins.
He's busting through his minutes limits. He played thirty five minutes over the weekend and a loss by nineteen to Orlando AD. He's playing terrific. He's averaging twenty six and thirteen, leading the league in blocks. But he's playing thirty nine minutes a game too. So for now, the overreaction is centered around the role players. Where are you on the overreaction meter? When we look at what these guys are doing and what needs to be done next.
I think it be an overreaction. And the reason I say that.
You're monitoring the situation, You're you cuing up the trade machine? Where are you?
Man?
This is tough to say. I want to go death con one? What and the reason I say death con one? I believe this is Lebron james last year to actually compete for a championship.
He'll be thirty nine in December.
The fact that you're depending on a thirty nine year old, regardless of how great he is, regardless of his legacy, regardless of his legend, thirty nine years old and you're depending on him to play forty minutes a night and also be the main guy and the main factor if you win the games. That's just not a good sign for this team. I do think they have the talent to step up to take less of a load off of Lebron James, but that's on the supporting cast to
do so. I think Christian Woods has to be put into a better position to add to a better position to add to the offensive firepower that that team could have, and that's something that the coaching staff will have to figure out. But I think it's too much on Lebron's shoulders that this later his career and at this big age for him to be the basically the factor of if you win or lose games.
Yeah, I mean, he definitely is right now, You're completely.
Right, D'angela Russell.
He's been playing, you know, he's been playing pretty good, but I think he still has to take his game to another level. Austin Reeves has been struggling as of lately. I think he's more so just out of rhythm going from USA. I'm sure he took a break in between before training camp, so he's probably still finding his rhythm. But he has to step his game up. It has to at least be sixteen to eighteen a game from Austin Reeves for this team to really really be successful.
So they got to figure it out. But at the end of the day, if you're living in dying by if Lebron James is winning games for you, just laying his career, it's not gonna look good for this team.
Yeah, I'm gonna have faith Austin Reeves is going to even out and go back to the player they expected him to be. You're right right now, he's only averaging twelve a game. Can't be doing that thirty nine percent on field goal shooting. Can't have that either from a guy who's supposed to provide that shooting. But yeah, he had a pretty busy season last year, not just you know, physically, but emotionally changing his role so much and stepping into
the spotlight. Then he went to write to Team USA basketball. He was asked to carry a lot there. He did really well, which kind of raised his notoriety. He has a shoe deal, He's a shoe with his name on it. There's a lot going on, and teams have a more of a defensive book on him this year. So I think all of that is going to be an adjustment for him. He's shown me to be the kind of player who can handle that and who eventually is going to be able to sort of even himself out. But
get he's got to get there. And these minutes they're not nothing. I mean, they said going into the season, Lebron should be averaging twenty eight to thirty minutes. And I was with the Lakers the other night and I asked him, and I asked Darvin Ham, what are you doing here with this? And Darvin was like, we're so competitive, me and him that I have a plan through three quarters and then the fourth quarter and I'll get through out the window because we know we need to win
this game. And the medical staff and the training staff is unhappy with both of us. The next day and Lebron kind of said the same thing. I don't know how important is it for a guy turning thirty nine, who is, by the way, one of the most physically gifted humans we have ever seen in professional sports. But even with him, how important is it? Do you think, Boogie, that his sort of mileage doesn't get up as high as it's been getting per game, so he's got it
at the end of the season. Is that a huge factor for you?
I think it is a huge factor.
And I'm gonna go off and say the whole plan of playing twenty eight that's just that's complete bullshit. That's I don't even think it's possible with the way this team is constructed. I just don't see that happening. It's been seven games into the season. They've already scrapped that plan.
So can you imagine what happens thirty games in? Forty games in We also have to keep into account that Lebron has been injured every season since he's been a Laker, maybe outside of the championship, so obviously that the mileageist is starting to have an effect on his body, regardless of how physically gifted he is or how physically gifted he's been in the past. Father Tom is undefeated and
it happens to everybody. So with that being said, they have to put it a real plan, actually realistic plan in place to help this guy make it to the end of the season, so he can't be fresh for the playoffs and for a championship run. If not, you might as well scrapped his team because it's not gonna It's not gonna happen. It's just not gonna happen.
Well, look, I have to think some of the other role players getting healthy will help. I have to think Austin Reeves is going to be able to find his level. But that being said, if that's not enough to push his limit minutest limit back down, if those guys can't get into the game and step up the way they need them to, I agree with you. I'm not a deaf con one yet.
But deaf gone one. Deaf gone one.
You got a lot of Lakers fans who after that Orlando loss, we're at def Con one. The Magic are a good team by the way, or they're they're improving or whatever. It's not the Magic of Ole. But still like I get it, I get where people's concern is. I want to move you on to the Phoenix Suns though, because their health definitely prime and right for the overreaction meter. We are seven games into this season, Bradley Beal still hasn't played a single game. Devin Booker has only played
two games. Definitely the other night you saw when he came back in against the Spurs, had to get his rhythm back and all that stuff, even though he shot really well. Bradley Beale, by the way, Big Picture, has only played in more than sixty games for four seasons of his career. So he is a guy who you know, misses games. And obviously we've seen KD miss some games over the last couple of years. Devin Booker generally has been healthy, although he's had those stretches where he's had
injuries where he's missed games. So should we be overreacting to the Sun's health? Where are you? Are you just chilling you monitoring you cune up the trade machine or are you going all the way to deaf kond Won like the Lakers.
No, I'm chilling on this situation.
Okay.
Obviously it's early in the season for this Phoenix Science team. I think they did a great job of putting his team together. It's so much fire on this team. If you have two out of three of those guys and Bradley Beal, Devin book and Kevin Durin. I think you're going to always be in a situation to win. I think they did a great job putting bigs in place to complement these guys. The Nirkish move was incredible, I do.
I think that's a great move for them of playmaking big they can finish at the rim, play some defense, A big body can make the correct reads out of the pick and roll. And I think Drew you Banks coming off the bench with the high energy, I think that's the perfect combination for them. Obviously, health is the only thing that I see that I can see stopping this team. Is still early in the season, which gives them plenty of time to get one hundred percent healthy.
But like I said, with two.
Out of three of those guys on the floor, they have a great chance in winning games, all right.
So just chilling, I agree with you. I think that, Look, they got to find their rhythm, they got to find their way. All these teams that just sort of came together over the summer. That's the point. That's why Denver is playing so well. That they have all that chemistry and all that time together, that doesn't just happen. You got to build it so I'm interested to see what they build in Phoenix. I like the DeAndre Ayton Nurkic trade. Also, I'm a little worried about him defensively and what that's
going to mean is they progress through the playoffs. He has played great team defense before up in Portland. It doesn't shock me that the last season or two, when things were the way they were, he wasn't buying in in that same way. So I think he's going to try to get back up to that level again, but they need him to. I will say though his attitude, he's such a positive guy. He's one of the more
like sort of positive, cheerful players I've been around. Teammates really love him, and that's not a knock on DeAndre Ayton. I actually really like DeAndre and he can be very sunny too. But the situation had gotten so negative there between him and the team and management and everything else and other players that it just was uncomfortable. And so I think removing that from the locker room, having a guy come in who's just sort of all smiles is definitely going to help them too. So I'm with you,
I'm just chilling. We'll see what happens. Just chilling. All right, I want to get to our new segment, set a reminder. This is for you to set a reminder to the biggest game in the NBA this week, and I want to look at the week ahead. So bug, what game are you setting a reminder for? Celtics Sixers that's Wednesday, Warriors Nuggets, that's Wednesday. I'm actually gonna be up in Denver this week. Spurs Nicks. That's Wenby's debut at Madison Square Garden. And you know that guy likes to see
that you We've already seen that kid. He loves him a big moment. He's there Friday, You've got Lakers Suns. These are some of the n season tournament games and Clippers maps, which is going to be great too because they've had some great playoff matchups recently as well. So that's a lot of good games. What are you looking forward to?
Man, it's hard, it's hard to pick just one. Obviously, I'm excited to see the young kid Wenby play.
Uh.
He's going to play on the big stage Wednesday, so I think that's gonna be a big test for him. Obviously, going to add to the legend that he's already creating for himself super talent. The kid, he's already exceeded expectations. I spoke on this before. I think the Spurs could sneak into the playoffs just off his talent alone, the impact, And you know most rookies are judged by for some reason, only judge by what they can do on the offensive
side of the ball. This kid is shown he can be a two way player and impact the entire game without having to score thirty at night. I think he's Tim Duncan on steroids, which is crazy to say, yes, crazy to say. His talent is through the roof. So I'm excited to see that game. And Friday, that Clippers MAVs game. I'm excited to see that one as well. You know the past history between those two teams, it always goes down to the wire. Luca always shows up,
PG Kawhi always show up. So I think it's gonna be a lot of firepower in that game. Obviously, the new addition in James Harden to be playing that night, so we'll get to see that team against another good team in the MAVs, and we'll see what they're made up.
So I'm excited for that game. As well.
Look, I love the idea of Wenby at MSG. I am one thousand percent all in on this kid right now. If you look at the skill set, it is literally something we have never seen before. So when you look at some of the names that his first five games, his first six games, the records that he's setting for his start, you're talking about names like Shaq, You're talking about names like David Robinson, talking about names like Lebron James. And he has a skill set frankly that is more
complete than any of those guys. And that doesn't mean he is going to become Lebron. But I don't know. I think this ceiling, the ceiling for him is as high as any player who has ever played in the NBA. And we don't know what's going to happen with health. That is, of course the biggest factor. We've seen Grant Hill, who is supposed to be the next Michael Jordan, completely derailed by what happened to him. So that could happen
to Wemby and then we'll never get there. But I have to say, this kid has already shown he's got a killer instinct. Again, I don't know as we sit here in this particular second, and it'll change as people listen to this all week, but I know that as of over the weekend, he had the best fourth quarter numbers not for rookie in the entire league, in the entire league. This kid knows the big moment. He's been
a pro frankly since he's for years. Right as a young teenager, he was already playing on professional teams, already playing in the euro Cup. So he knows about big moments. He's won a championship, he knows what all that requires at the end of the game when all the pressure and everything is on him, and he has been not just running into the fire, he's been leaping into it. With that giant wingspan and the defense book, he is
a future defensive player of the Year. To me again, you know barrn Helson, all of that this year, it's crazy, right, Yes, yes, guys are talking about that wing. It's an eight foot wingspan, and so what players I've talked to have played him so far have said, they're like, there's nowhere to physically go, like that takes up a lot of court, and that's before you get to the shop blocking. He's block Kd's
shot He's blocked Claye Thompson's shot. These are guys who are snipe bers, and he has been able to just get in front of them. And with Klay Thompson, I don't know if you saw that clip, he batted his shot out of the air, grabbed it and then went to the other end inducted because of course he can. He can do any of that stuff and straight up around the basket. I mean, is a big. You've got to like the way he's defending around the basket.
Too, right, I mean, you can't even label this kid a big.
I can see him at a chance that win the Defensive Player of the Year as well this season.
He's that impactful in the game.
He's on both sides of the ball, his offense and the scary part, I don't even think he's really found this offensive game yet. These are just intangibles that he's He's a raw player right now in my eyes. Once he finds his offensive game, he knows where his go to spots are, he has his go to moves, He has a first, second, and third option on every move he made. This kid, this is something we've never seen before.
We'll probably never see anything like it. Again and being able to guard Steph Curry on the wing at seven seven like somptant.
You guys see, you've never seen those more. That's the thing. I mean, Look again, I'm taking big leaps here, but I'm talking about ceiling, right, I'm not talking about what's gonna happen. I'm just talking about the ceiling for him. This ceiling for him is that this whole MJ. Lebron debate we've been having for the last ten years, the ceiling for him is that by the time Wemby's done, or even fifteen years into his career, is that he
could be rendering that either or discussion. He could be rendering it.
Mood.
I mean, we just don't know. He has the potential for so much and now we're gonna have to see if he pays it off. But I'm so excited. That's my game of the week because him in Madison Square Garden, I think is going to be the Jews. I don't know, all right. I want to get to some odds here, all the Radar presented by DraftKings, the only sportsbook you
need for this basketball season. I want to take a look at the odds to win the Western Conference, So we want to look at the dark horse team out west that could have throne defending champs because Denver is still the favorite, right plus two sixty, The Suns are right there, the Warriors are there, the Lakers are there, the Clippers making a push here, and the MAVs. Then you got the Kings too on the outside, your old
club there. So what do you think? I mean? I know Sons and Warriors has been kind of what people have been leaning toward. Do you still go with one of them is the best chance to knock off Denver? Or do you see what all the sleepers there?
I think the Sons have a great chance at being a team that can defeat the Denver Nuggets. The Denver Nuggets are just so well constructed. There's like a Will Oil machine. They know how to play every single night, they know what they're looking for every single night. They're so unselfish, yolkish. Right now, I believe it's the best player in the entire NBA, So you know what you're getting thirty, ten and ten from him every single night.
Their Will Oil machine.
But if there's any team I could see knocking them off, it would probably be the Suns. The three head of monster they have in Devin Booker, Bradley Beilt and Kevin Durant is a nightmare for any team. I just don't really see any team being able to match up defensively to stop that. Having down low, him being a somewhat, him being able to somewhat, you know, bother Yokic a little bit. With his size and his physicality. I can see the Suns being a team that can that can
do that. Obviously, health is a factor, but if this team can get healthy, I think they have a chance at being Denver.
For sure.
They're gonna have to shoot a lot. I mean, that offense is going to have to be an over over, overdrive because you know Denver is going to score, and you know that that Yokic can just bullyball his way in there. Speaking about pod here, So I don't know. I think I think it's me interesting. I'm so impressed with Denver. I came into the season picking them just because I don't like to pick against the defending champs unless they've given me a reason, and they have given
me no reason. They look there's no hangover. Yokic looks as good as ever, Jamal looks as good as ever that supporting cast. I know theyre you know, Bruce Brown was a great addition to that team and a great ingredient last year. But they don't seem like they've missed a beat. Aaron Gordon is playing lights out. I mean, they look so good. I cannot wait to see what havepen this season in a stack west by the way, because Steph Curry, by the way, it's also scoring a
million points a game. So we don't like going on. We got to get to doom scroll our social media element. No need, you don't need to fall into the endless scroll of our social apps. We've got you. We're gonna give you the good stuff. So tons of conversation on social boogie about the new City edition courts. And I want to show you the Miami Heat court. And this is a pat Riley quote we think and it says, hardest working, best conditioned, most professional, unselfish, toughest, meanest, nastiest
team in the NBA. I think there are times when that has been true about the Heat. Do you feel that it's true about the Heat right now?
I love Jimmy Butler, and I believe everything that's said in that quote fits Jimmy Butler. I feel the same way about BAM. I don't see that with everybody on that team, or that being the identity of this team. That's just not the identity of any team in the NBA these days.
Toughness, meanness, that.
Like, that's that's the old school style of basketball. Playing with that grid every night, that's old school. So I don't really see that fitting any team in the NBA. But it is characteristics of certain guys on that team, and basically the hard and souls of the team, which is Jimmy Butler and Bam.
So in a way yes, and in another way hell no.
I mean, it's been so hard with them because they haven't gotten off to a great start. But they didn't get off to a great start last year, they didn't get off to a great middle, they didn't get off to a great finish. They won their second playing game and went all the way to the NBA Finals. So they're just a team where it's hard to gauge this earlier in the season, But I think court may be a goal. Maybe that court is a goal more than
a description. Also a big topic going on as you scroll is, of course, the Ncason tournament's featuring a cash prize for players and staff. I think that's really important to note. Why should fans can though, because even some of the players have come out and said Bones Higland came out the other day and he was like, I don't even know what's going on here. I couldn't even
explain this tournament to you. Jimmy Butler saying, I don't really get I'm supposed to win more now when I step on the court on this particular Friday night, I want to win every game. I don't want to win now. I want I'm supposed to want to win. So you've had some guys not really seeming to buy in. You've got Steph Curry who's been buying in. He said after that great game they played against Oklahoma City, he was like, these tournament games hit different. So you got guys buying
into a different degree. Where are you on it?
I think that season tournament is just complete bullshit.
I'm gonna just feel if you want to get back to you know, competitive basketball, let's bring defense back to like real defense, Like let's bring the touchdown. Let's bring the physicality of the nineties early two thousands back into the game, I think. I think that's when basketball was at his peak. I think that's when you really got to see both sides of the ball being played on a nightly basis. I think guys care more back then. We want to see the superstars of the league go
through at first. We want to see a defensive player actually put the clamps.
On a superstar. We want those things to happen.
I think now the game it's becoming where it's two stage, like they want to stage the superstar scoring thirty instead of letting them go out and get thirty, you know what I mean. So if you want real competitive basketball, let's put real defense back into the game. And I think those things, those issues that we're dealing with through this eighty eighty plus game season, I think those issues slowly creep out and we'll get back to the product that we're accustomed to seeing.
No.
I love that perspective because I think the n season tournament could be fun. I'm all for like more fun things. I think the NBA has been really creative over the last twenty years, and that's something that other leagues haven't been willing to change in the same way. I think the NFL could use some more of that change, Baseball, could you some more of that change? So I like
thinking about these things. Obviously, these nd season tournaments are hugely popular with soccer over in Europe, so there's a model there. But I think you're right, it's not going to really make the regular season feel that much more important, which is the goal here, because they feel like that's slipped away over the past few years. And they're trying to negotiate these television contracts where they're trying to get networks to pay total of seventy five billion. That is
the aimed goal here. Seventy five with a b billion dollars, right like that? That is so much money. And these narraks are looking at them and they're seeing regular season ratings go down and down and down every year, so they need to juice this up. And the thought has been book like, let these guys score more. Our fans love it. They're watching Steph Curry score forty, they're watching whatever. But you're right, it's gotten to the point where a
bunch of guys are scoring forty. That's not even as big a thing anymore.
Thirty guys averaging twenty five plus, Right, it's just not realistic. Like, it's not good for the game. It's not enjoyable to watch. Like I want to see guys go out and compete. I want to see guys getting into it. I want to see guys frustrated with one another. I want to see guys actually go out and compete on a nightly basis. It was good when it was drama in the game. It was good when players didn't like each other. You knew when they met up it was going to be
a great matchup. Now everybody's friends, everybody gets along, it's coom by guys. It's like a big summer camp or something like. This isn't This isn't what The competitive nature of this game is completely going away from what we're accustomed to, and we need to get back to that foundation. And like I said, I feel like with that foundation, everything else to clean itself up.
Yeah. Look, and it starts with on the court. You're right, because I don't care that these guys work out together over the offseason or their friends. They're allowed to be friends. They're professionals who work in the same business, right, But the idea of that nastiness coming in, that pat rally
nastiness he was just talking about on that court. That comes from defense, that comes from on court battles, that comes from that grit of the playoffs that you're talking about, where guys just do not like each other, and that is You're right, that is what would get people into the regular season a little more because those matchups happen four six times a year if they're done right, and then boom, you've got people paying attention to every single
one of those games. So all right, Commissioner Cousins, we're gonna work on that for you.
All right.
Before we go, we've got a question from our producers to close out the show, which team has the best duo or trio twenty three or younger? So we're looking for really the best young collection of talent in the NBA. We're going to rotate this question every week. It's gonna be different question every week. But this week we got the magic right, we got Paolo and from Wagner. I'm
very proud of my pronunciation. They are Thunder, Jalen Williams, not that Jalen Williams, the other Jalen Williams, Yes, that Jalen Williams, chet Holmgrin and Josh Gitty, they're all under twenty three. On the Pistons, you've got Kate Cunningham, Jalen Duran, on the Spurs Wenby of course, you've got Vassel, You've got Sohan, You've got on the Hornets, Lamela Ball, Brandon Miller, Rockets Singlin, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith and on the Pelicans of course, I am still only twenty three people. Trey
Murphy as well. Brendan Ingram doesn't quite fit into the twenty three and under, but he's still young. So where are you on the best young young core in the NBA.
Outside of me being a huge fan of Wemby, obviously, I love the Spurs organization and everything they do as far as developing players, But I'm gonna have to go with the Thunder, Jalen Williams, Chet and and Giddy. That's that's a great found out, a great foundation to have with those young guys.
Obviously, you adding shade to that picture.
Chet might be the closest thing we have to winby and well.
That's a Rookie of the Year. That's the Rookie of the Year race clearly is.
Obviously, I think Chet is a very, very talented player. I was a big fan of him coming out of Gonzaga as well. Like I said, I think he's the closest thing to winby we we're ever gonna see. And I think their games are still kind of different, but just as far as the size and athleticism and intangibles, it's somewhat of a similarity. But I think Chud is also one of those special type players, something we'll never
see again. Jayleen Williams, being young and talented as he is, I think he's a dynamic player that fits the mold of that team. And then Josh Getty being the playmaker that he is, putting that combination of players together and adding shade to the mix. I think you got a bright future with that Thunder team. And obviously Sam Presty leading the way. He's been great throughout his career with
just building teams, developing teams. We saw him put the young core group of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden together. We see what those guys turned into. So I think this Thunder group can be special and I'm excited to see what happens as this team of folks.
Sam Presty knows his way around the draft, and they have so many picks coming up. They've been so smart and making all these deals for draft picks. This young core is all going to be on the same timeline. They're going to add another couple of players this year and over the next year. They've got picks from all over the league, so they don't challenge right, well, they don't have to bet a thousand.
I mean, it's.
Actually it's actually the concept of the process in Philadelphia, but without sucking to get draft picks. It's about making smart moves to get draft picks. But the whole point of the process was drafting is inexact science. No matter the best people, the best people in draft history, the best GMS in front office people. You don't bet a thousand. You don't even bat five hundred, like you can't predict at seventeen and eighteen what these kids are going to be.
So the more picks you have, the more bites at the apple, the better team you can end up with. And Philly got there by having historically bad seasons. Sam Presty is getting there by basically being super savvy about players he's traded away, starting of course, with Russ MPG trades, and I think that Josh Giddy is somehow underrated. So I love this group too, and I'm excited to see what they do. I think there's like a tick and
time bomb where everyone knows it's ticking. Everyone in the NBA knows what this team is going to be in five years, and we're just watching it happen like that.
Wait for boom.
All right, friend, I love doing this with you. I love talking to you. This is going to be so much fun every week. We got a lot to come. I'll see you next Monday and I'll see how you out there too.
All Right. I appreciate your regard. This is great, and.
Remember you can get Bullyball wherever you get your podcasts, in the air, on the ground, on YouTube as well. We'll be there. Thank you for being in this first edition of Bullyball. There'll be more