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Welcome to a bonus episode of the Heat Check.
Today, We've got a special interview with NBA insider Bill Ryder. We conducted this interview last night with my co host Ryan Wrbot and PJ. Glasser on bet MGM tonight to my other show. Bill hosts a show called Writer Than You on CBS Radio weekdays from ten to noon and is an award winning journalist who has covered the Association for many years. He's really good, and shockingly, he agrees with me a ton So do me a favor, Nick
and drop that fucking beat. In this first clip, Bill decides to give his opinions on who he likes to come out of the East. I knew we were on the same wavelength as soon as he started saying mean things about the Brooklyn Nets.
I do not believe in the Brooklyn Nets. I will fade them at every chance and take the risk they do come to and figure it out. I like the Milwaukee Bucks. I know that's kind of chalk once they get healthy. I just think it's so easy to look
past because they're in the Midwest. I think we take Giannis really just for granted how well run that organization is, how dominant Giannis is, but I saw a lot of Cavaliers this year, just bopping around talking to various folks and various teams that just happen to beat a lot of their games. And I'm starting to talk myself into at least Cleveland overachieving. I know I'm not the only
person in the country doing that. But if you think the drama's going to pull down the Celtics and the Nets and there might be some injuries elsewhere, If like me, you love the Sixers but think Doc Rivers is a walking postseason disaster, I think Cleveland's interesting.
We also asked Bill about his thoughts on my dark horse pick to come out of the East the Toronto Raptors listen in.
I'm with you guys on Toronto. I don't have a bet on it, but I was talking to a couple buddies that we pool our resources and bet a little larger than we should every year. We're nibbling on the edges there. I think the Nets are like, look that the Brooklyn Nets could win the whole thing. They're talented enough. I think the likely outcome is they're going to be really underwhelming. We've seen this story before. What a Bill Parcells say. People tell you who they are, Kyrie Irving, unreliable.
I mean, you guys know all the drama that leads the Sixers. I think they can be great. I love the moves they made Addison three and d guys was around that organization for several days last week. They're actually legitimately confident. But if you think things can go wrong, if you think MB can get hurt again, if you think Doc Rivers is the wrong guy, I do, and that manifests itself maybe in the regular season instead of
the postseason. I think Toronto's really interesting. Nick Nurse is one of the three or four best coaches in the game. They've got a pretty good core. If things go right for them and have to go badly for those other teams, there's certainly value there.
One of the teams that had a very rough offseason was the Phoenix Suns tons of drama. I asked Bill his thoughts on what we might expect from them this season and if they can overcome some of those issues.
I'm personally fading those Suns. I'm in that and group think makes me nervous and when everybody thinks something, that's where you find some value, right if you're actually putting money down. Here's my thing. I think the eight and thing is a real issue with my Williams because Mani's strength. They're one of his strength. He's a great x as and O's coach. But his ability to connect with the
locker room is really important. And the fact there is an openly discussed cold war between a guy that didn't want to be there anyway and they gave him a contract after he thought he was gonna get a chance to go somewhere else in the head coach, that's a problem. And I think for me the big thing is, you know, I'll just be candid. I know Chris Paul gets celebrated
as a leader. I understand that's the narrative. It's just it's just not true or it's more a lot more complicated than the idea that he's this incredible leader he does. I mean, guys, I've done reporting on this. A lot of guys can't stand Chris Paul, who play with him, her He grinds him down, He gets on guys, he talks smack. He can be really hard on dudes. And when he was had to play to back it up. That would not only sometimes be the glue that would make it work. I've talked to a couple of gms
this year from a distance. Right, these guys aren't with the Suns who think Chris Paul amazing player, blah blah blah, might be washed. Right, Just he's almost forty, he's getting an eighty. He's five years past when a point guard of his stature in physical, his build should play the
level that he has. He's a great player, whatever, I think that's over, and if it is, I think his approach to leadership, the DeAndre Ayton thing, even Sarvard being forced out, there's just too many question marks for me to put money on the Suns. If the number got good enough, if they got out to like a really bad start, and the number dropped, how might I put some money on him like I did a few years ago, to go all the way and then probably start fading
them in a conference finals if they got there. But I just I'm in that group of people that think that there's too many question marks on and off the floor to really believe in Phoenix.
My co host Ryan is a huge Chicago Bulls fan like massive, So of course we had to ask Bill his thoughts on Chicago this season and whether they can actually compete for another playoff spot.
Turns out he's a Chicago fan.
Too, So I'm from the Chicago area. Like back and forth between Chicago and Iowa, and I was I'm a Chicago sports fan, hard to be a Bulls fan because I covered the sport right, so it sort of changes things. I really wanted to believe in him, and you know that as the fan. Ball is so important to what they do. And if you look at their record last year when he played last year, it was small sample size,
but big enough that it matters. I mean, their winning percentage was good enough to be the second best team in the East. They were in first when he got injured last year. I think in January he just praised the defensive energy and effort that I think actually raises the defense of the rest of the team. And you're right, I mean DeRozan was a statistical anomaly last year. It's like betting the tails was gonna come up forty out of fifty times. Awesome that it happened, probably not gonna
happen again. So I think Chicago's going to struggle to be in the top six. I think the East is that crowded, but they fooled me last year, and if ball can somehow get healthy and get back earlier than we expect, maybe there's some optimism. But I think the combination of a regression for tomorrow and the fact that they don't have the defense that they need, and then East that I think is markedly better. I don't think it Bowes well.
Another team that had a share of drama this year is the Golden State Warriors. Really, in the last couple of weeks with Draymond Green and Jordan Poole, Bill gives his opinion on what we might expec from them this year.
Give it a listen.
Yeah, it's a great question. It's amazing. The six betting favorites to winning the NBA Championship this year, four of them are dealing with seriously self inflicted drama on an extreme level. The Sun's, the Celtics, the Nets because they're the Nets, and the Warriors with the punch of Jordan Poole. I think those four storylines are going to greatly impact what happens. I think I don't know is the answer
to your question. But my guess is the most likely organization where it's gonna be okay of those four teams as the Warriors, because Steph Curry really is a beloved leader in that locker room. Because the guy that was wrong, Jordan Poole, not just got paid, which helps, but has handled this with such class, right sort of quiet class, put the team first. And because I think Draymond Green, for all of these shortcomings that were on display, is going to be like Kobe Bryant when he had his
own personal stuff. I know, different situation, but Draymond's the kind of guy that goes on the floor and that's a recipite, that's a place he can escape. So I think, like I'm on the Warriors big. It's not I mean, it's not an amazing bet, right because the odds aren't great. But I think that they're the favorite in a big way in the Western Conference because I do think the sons of regrets and will be impacted.
I could go the Clips huh yeah.
The thing I love the Clippers and I've got the Clippers in the conference finals. I think that's two things, like do you really believe that Kawhi Leonard is going to be healthy for I don't know, sixty regular season games in the playoffs. To me, that's a coin flip. I want it to be true, but it wasn't when he was younger, and he's no longer younger. And do you think Paul George can play at an exceptionally high level of the playoffs if that happens, which, again to me
is a coin flip. So Clippers have a ton of ceiling. I just worry about their ability, well in pg's case, to play at a high level, and really in the case of Kawhi Leonard, just to be on the floor consistently enough.
We gave Bill a choice of who among the Knicks and MAVs might actually have a better season.
Turns out Bill doesn't like either of them.
So I am not high on the Knicks. I was not a fan of that Galen Bruns in contract. I I'd love to be wrong. So I think it's the MAVs, Like I don't love their roster construction, and I think out sid of Luka Doncics, there's a lot to be desired. But assuming the guy really comes in, like in great shape and great focus and he looks good, I mean he is a top what guys three player in the NBA.
He's the betting favorite to be the MVP. He can't be the MVP if you're not a top four team, especially after the terrible vote for Westbrook several years ago when he had that triple double silliness that shouldn't have gotten him that hardware. So I think the odds are the MAVs, at least in the regular season, have a much better season the next time. We've seen what Luca can do when he goes full sort of solo hero mode in the playoffs.
Finally, since we are a gambling show, we couldn't let Bill go without asking for some of his thoughts on NBA future bets, So I've got a few.
I can't bet on some of these because I'm actually an NBA voter and so I don't really know what the rules are, but I think Mbat's gonna win the MVP. For you bought that I got you, guys. I think there's a few things to play here. I think the Sixers is going to be really good in the regular season. I know Mbat's angry as hell about the fact he didn't win last year, but I think the main thing is psychology. And I'm not insulting my fellow NBA voters.
It's just the truth in that world. In the NBA in particular, guys are the men and women who vote are so worried about NBA Twitter and how they're going to be viewed and whether people are gonna think that they're idiots when they go out to dinner on the Beat, and I think they're very impacted by what they're supposed to do and this idea of getting things wrong. I've heard people already that vote talk a lot socially about,
you know, M Beats. They don't have a great year, which is code for I should have voted for him last year, and I can hear him still complaining from last year's vote. So I think there's a lot of value on M Beat. I love Kobe Alman to be executive the year in Cleveland, like if you believe in Cleveland, but you're not really sure like how that plays itself out because you don't think Cleveland's gonna make it that deep in the playoffs because it's a regular season vote.
I think Kobe Altman as executive years are really, really, really good bet And I'm trying to I'm trying to talk myself into the under on the Lakers total because Lakers numbers are always enhanced because people in La go to Vegas all the time. They just get a lot of help. Now, if you think Andy Davis is gonna willingly play the five and or stay healthy, I don't think either of those will happen. That's why we call him humpy Dumpty on.
Our radio day to Davis.
Yeah, I mean Anthony Humpy Dumpy Davids. I like the under on the Lakers because it's always too much. I'm a little worried Lebron's gonna go beast mode at the end of his career. Those are the ones that I have money on, or that I would if I weren't an actual voter.
That's all the time that we have for this bonus episode of The Heat Check bet MGM. Tonight airs Monday through Friday, seven pm to eleven pm Eastern Time.
Yeah, it's a shitload hours every single night.
It's also available on demand on the Honesty app and is in podcast form wherever you find your podcasts. A million thanks to my co hosts PJ. Glasser and Ryan Horvot and super producer Cameron Gray. Check back tomorrow for an all new episode. We're gonna have many episodes all the time, So keep checking the feed every damn day. Something is popping, folks, and follow us follow the heat Check as we cover the twenty twenty two twenty twenty three NBA season, which I am so excited for.
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