Back From Buffalo With A Dose Of NBA History And More!

You're tuned into Heat Check with Triste Quick.

On this episode of the Heat Check, we're digging in to why Adam Silver and how Adam Silver loves France just so damn much.

We break down Jeremy Sohan's new free throw shooting style to break down his free throw blue. We have some Karl Anthony Towns drama shocker, he's never in the news, and we also get into some other.

Tea from around the league.

So much popping as a trade deadline approaches, So do me a favor, Nick and drop that generic each before we get into everything popping around the league. I wanted to give a special shout out to all the good, fine, fine folks in buff New York for hosting me as America's guest in Buffalo for the Bengals Bill's game.

I I'm not sure.

I haven't gone through a table yet, but I believe just shy of that I'm a part of Bill's mafia, which means, of course I take some sort of blame in going there and declaring my AFC fandom just so they can get their ass at home. I'm sorry, Buffalo, we know it's a huge sports town. We talk about that not only in some of these radio hits that I do in Buffalo, but also in Rochester, so I

Did you know that? If you're not a historian, you did not.

And I was told an incredible story about the Buffalo Braves, which was the original NBA team, well one of the original NBA teams in Buffalo.

So I had to fact check.

It turns out this crazy story that they told me while I was tailgating near double propane burners trying to warm myself up at their tailgate was true. It's actually maybe the craziest reason that an NBA player has been traded in league history.

It's absurd.

It's it's got a little ism to it, you know what I mean, Like, there's a little there's more to this story than just that anyway. So the Buffalo Braves NBA franchise from nineteen seventy to nineteen seventy eight. They have a fascinating history in the sense that they have three Rookies of the Year in four seasons.

Think about that.

Three out of four of their years, they had the Rookie of the Year, and they were a team on the rise, and then all of a sudden, ownership decided, fuck it, we're just gonna take We're just gonna try to sell this team. Pretty bad luck if you're trying to sell the team with multiple Rookie of the Years in nineteen seventy six. So they're shedding guys, right, They shed Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo, the league MVP and a four time All Star at this point for cash.

The Braves then turned.

Around and got Moses Malone, who was just absolutely a monster in the pain as we know later World champ with the Sixers.

His career lasted.

Exactly two games in Buffalo, two games before he was traded to Houston.

Why why did he get traded? What did he do that was so wrong?

What was so egregious in his behavior that would cause them to move someone who's this level of a player in two games. Well, coach Tates Locke immediately got it in his mind that Moses Malone, Moses Molan was lazy because Check's notes he slumped on the bench during timeouts.

No, that's the reason.

That's the reason it is Moses Malone got traded from Buffalo because of bad posture. Or maybe a more reasonable idea is that Tates locks as an asshole. Edie didn't like Moses Malone like that's probably more accurate. According to the recent history of the Buffalo Braves, Locke talked the owner into trading Moses Malone immediately because I just don't like the way he sits on the bench, just rubs me the wrong way. He gives me vibes of just man. It feels like a very complacent player.

Moses Malone. We're not talking about some janitor. We're talking about Moses Malone.

A year later, the Braves are in San Diego, so their efforts to get themselves shipped out of Buffalo worked. They then later as we know, moved to Los Angeles because of all of the things that were happening with the Clippers, and that's where they are now. But what a story. I gotta make my way back to Buffalo. What an incredible story.

That was big.

Thanks to all the folks in Buffalo who came by, said hello, did not throw me through a table, gave me the original Buffalo Wings, showed me a great time.

Went to Auto's amazing subs.

I think there's like a sausage patty and some sort of meat thing in there and cheese awesome. Also Chop Gene Battaglia bulldog who did not come out, but we'll see him next time. And now I know what Bill's mafia is truly like. So onto the league current league news. I just had to share that before we got into more ridiculousness from our current commissioner.

Adam Silver.

So we've talked about how much Adam Silver just fawns over Europe, just loves it, just loves everything about the culture. Clearly wants to be a part of the culture, wants this culture to be a part of the.

NBA in some way.

And now I feel like there's even more evidence of that. A new country has struck Adam Silver's fancy and it is France.

Currently in love, currently a Franco file real quick.

As an aside, if you look at Adam Silver, does he kind of just look like the guy who just picture him in your mind? Doesn't he look like someone who would correct you for saying croissant wrong? I guess quissant it's and I was like, okay, guy, you're American.

Doesn't he seem kind of like the guy who has.

A couple maybe five, maybe seven berets in his closet in different colors that he wears with a turtleneck when he goes out to a French restaurant and orders Flakral, Like, doesn't that seem.

Like Adam Silver?

Like you just know when he goes to dinner parties, he regales you with that time that he discovered one of the best cheeses on the planet when he took his trip with his lovely wife to Roquefort. You know, like that's him, That's Adam Silver, and he's gonna shove French culture down our throats whether we like it or not.

That's just what's going down.

So last week they decided to have a game in Paris. NBA did first ever game in the city of Lights. Who played in that game? Was it? Was it Lakers Bucks? Was it somebody star studded? Do we get to see I don't know, do we get to see Steph Curry and the Warriors play against I don't know, even the Boston Celtics.

Oh, it was much better than that.

Something really to just warm your palette up a little bit, get you get the juices going. It was they decided to send the dead last Detroit Pistons with a total of twelve wins, to face the Chicago Bulls on the verge of a rebuild. Did the French have they not been tuning into the NBA since Michael Jordan era, because that that game in nineteen ninety one would have been amazing.

But hey, zach Lavine's name does sound.

A little French, Leval zach Levan, so that counts, I think for something. So I'm watching the game at three PM, which is in itself weird, but nothing is weirder than when you're watching Adam Silver chare karoons with Emmanuel Macron of French Presidents, right, like that's how he wanted me to say it.

I wouldn't say it like that. That's how he wanted me to say it.

So, according to the AP over a Cafe, Adam Silver and Macron struck a deal to work together with the hopes of continuing to grow the game of basketball internationally in France. So the question is now, why now, why are we doing this now? Well, if you know anything about what's popping around the league, you know why. Adam Silver has been commissioner for a very long time. We know he's been loving things France, all things French since I don't know, like he went to the Louver on

I mean, it's very simple. It's two words. It's stick your Wambiyama like it's him.

Yeah, the guy Magic Johnson just came out and called the best player of the world. He is coming to America, presumably going to blow basketball up in France along the way, because the French are gonna be so excited. They have only had Tony Parker and Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier, like they finally get a real guy in the NBA, right, they finally get someone they can be proud of, not some chucklehead that they all get made fun of about. And then you add in the twenty twenty four Olympics,

Full blown partnership going on. So what is in this international coord that they just struck?

First and foremost, They're going to have a collab between the NBA and the LNB, the French Professional Basketball League. So we already saw that to a degree so far this year. More exhibitions like we saw with the Metropolitan ninety two and Victor Wambiyama against the G League Knight and Scoot Henderson Rights. That was a game that we all liked to see. Was in Vegas.

It was lit. And beyond that, there were two things that came from this trip. The league. You're gonna hype up the Olympics, probably.

Meaning that Adam Silver is going to put pressure on all the big stars to show up and play. Steph Curry, You're fucking playing in these Olympics now, like you're not ducking this anymore. You're on the tail end. You've been saying,

But no, no, no, you're playing in Paris, Steph. That's what's happening. Demarto Rosen's already committed.

Not sure if that moves the needle from an international perspective, but the second thing that they decided.

On is fascinating.

NBA and French officials are going to work together to grow the game in Africa. Why well, we've heard this multiple times from folks like Jerry West. Other gms around the league are talking about Okay hoopers from Victor Wambayama, Rudy Gobert and Bape and Soccer all having roots in Africa.

Controlled most of the area. So it's a win win, right Like, so who knows what that means? What is the end goal of all this?

Well, there's a closer relationship, most likely between the NBA and the EuroLeague, and surprise, surprise, the same day of the accords of the EuroLeague announced they were having talks to fix the kind of fractured relationship between the two entities.

Everybody wants the.

Olympic Games to go well, right, but ultimately, for Adam Silver, a franchise in Paris has to be the end game. Pick me, pick me, I'm coming, I'm going. Whatever the name of the franchise is, I am in. I'm changing my entire life. I'm sure that they would love an NBA betting analyst to show up and eat some.

Macaroons with macron.

I don't think it's gonna happen like tomorrow, but maybe like ten years, ten, fifteen years from now. The NBA is going to be international folks in our lifetime. And Paris, of course is at the top of Adam silver first list, the return of one of the wildest free throw shooting motions, and I don't mean underhanded. So Ricky Jeremy Sohan of the Spurs is known.

For three things. One he wears his hair like Rodman.

Two he's pretty much playing oncannily like Rodman, and three, just like Rodman, he can't shoot free throws at all. The kid has a horrible, horrible free throw shooting percentage.

Yeah. Yeah, so Hann explained it like this.

During shoot around, before I even touched the ball, Coach Pop and Brett Brown came up to me and they said, you're shooting with one hand for this game, and I just this is tremendous and I just did it. It's about my development versus how it looks and whatever.

I'm just gonna listen to that. I'm gonna do my best.

Why one handed, you might ask, well, because it keeps his elbow tucked, which is a major flaw.

In his forum to date. Actually, that's one of the flaws of Yannis too.

Jannis puts his elbows out and that's one of the great flaws that has him getting absolutely trolled from fans across the country.

And it's actually working.

So ever, since he started shooting one handed, he went from shooting forty six percent to seventy six percent, so and it's pretty good. It speaks a lot to how so hand is though as a player. Right the notes on him before the draft were that he's very coachable, very hard working. Everything that we've seen from him right now, including the one handed free throws, tells us that's pretty

He's only seen these guys on TV, and we have him go guard them all the time.

This is Greg Popovich, the guy who is we'll call it a little gun shy about giving compliments That is pretty much the closest thing to a compliment Popovich has ever given out since he last dealt with the great late Craig Seger.

So if so Han turns.

Out to be half the player that Rodman does, he's going to be probably the steal in the twenty twenty two draft. I wanted Portland to draft him, not what wasn't gonna happen because he was just so low down the level of needs.

That the Blazers had. And he's still raw.

Some Knights will have zero points, some Knights so have fifteen. But he has a talent, has a grit, and a place like San Antonio needs him and if they know, and they do, I think, know how to nurture that talent.

Sky is the limit.

So you're probably tired of hearing about Carl Anthony Towns because even writing.

This, I was kind of like, you know, I'm just done. I'm just done with him. He's not even playing right now. Why are we even discussing him?

And yet during his recovery, he's managed to do the impossible. He he's making himself even more unlikable than ever before.

And listen, my New Year's resolution.

I said this before is to be kinder and gentler to Karl Anthony Towns. And so this is me trying to even though he's annoying. His latest hullabaloo, well, Towns has gone after the Wolves very publicly for giving an overly optimistic timeline for his injury recovery.

Ah, he has a calf tair stinks.

The severity of it has been debated. It happened about a month ago. The Wolves released info that Karl Anthony Towns's calf strain was a Grade two and the recovery for a grade too cash strain is between four to six weeks. But that time has come and that time has gone, and now Karl Anthony Towns is mad. He is big mad. This is what he said. It was never a grade two strain. It was never going to be a Grade two strain. Unfortunately, I prayed to God Almighty that it was a Grade two, but I knew

Makes him look like people already consider him soft.

Carl Anthony Towns is being shaped and the narrative continues to persist as him being overly soft grade three strain. NAT's a no, no, you're not coming back from that anytime soon. Kat then continued, NBA team was trying to say four to six weeks. There was no way with the injury. I sustained it's a very significant injury. I don't know if they were trying to give false hope to the fans or what the.

Case may be.

Listen, I think Carl Anthony Towns is very unlikable. I think a lot of times he's he's his own worst enemy. But at this point, I am on team Karl Anthony Towns. I am a thousand percent in his corner. They should know better, Minnesota, how dare you right? How dare you You're already knowing that your star player is battling a reputation for being soft, and now he's gonna be called that over something that you did, over.

News that you incorrectly gave out.

That is just dumb. That is just doodoo, dumb, dumb, dumb dumb. I think the Wolves are a mess. We've said that before, but this type of stuff is bush league, and this is an incident, even as small as it is, that has done nothing to change my mind about what's going on there with Tim Connolly, who's supposed to be absolutely goaded, is doing what he can to change his reputation day by day. And listen, there's social We talked

Minnesot is probably.

Not gonna make the play in tournament and we got Austin Rivers as the team pr spokesman. You just can't get much worse than that. As of now, we have no idea when Towns is going to return, maybe.

The playoffs, if they're even in the playoffs.

No guarantee that they're even gonna make it there. And if that's the case, I think things get very dicey. In the offseason, we got some trades, our very first deal of the NBA twenty twenty three trade deadline is complete. And if you add Ruy Hachi Mura on your Bengo card, I mean you're a liar. Congratulations, you're a liar.

I don't think anyone.

Besides maybe Wizards fans thought that he might be the first person moved. And it wasn't like people didn't see it coming, because they did. They've been asking Ruie questions, Hey, do you want to be traded? And he's like, I don't know, and they're like, have you asked formally for a trade? Uh, that's no comment. So that was like twenty four hours before he was traded. So things started bubbling up a little bit in terms of Ruie getting moved.

He did ask to be traded.

Otherwise he would have just said no, right, he would have just said plainly, nah, I haven't done that. So the Kings and the MAVs have been kicking his tires for a week or more.

But boyle boy, did I not see the LA Lakers coming?

Oh?

Yes, the team that everybody including Jeanie Buss said, was going to be standing packed they trade Kendrick Nunn.

Sad said, you cannot assess.

This Lakers team without a fully healthy Kendrick Nunn. I've been saying this for forty eight months. It feels like you don't know what you have in this Lakers team without Kendrick Nunn. And now that he's gone, how can I truly know what they are? Three second rounders on top of Kendrick Nunn for Ruey hachimurro So. I saw Polinka sitting alone at the PKI though nine Invitational, and I said to myself, what is he scouting? Well? Who

Folks. Ruey Ruey a long term laker. Ruey.

They have Rui's bird rights and his eighteen point eight million dollar cap hold, and they've already said that they intend to sign Austin Reeves. So now, if you sign Austin Reeves, you sign Ruey to a long term deal, You've already got Lebron in an extension. You've got Anthony Davis on the books. The question I think everybody who knows math is asking is, so, are you not going to be able to get a big free.

Agent this offseason when Russ comes off the books?

Or nah?

And it feels like nah.

So if it's impossible to sign said star in the off season that we've been hearing that they're going after, what are they going to do? Strange strange decision by Rob Polinka to give up that much draft capital only to be forced to renounce Ruy's bird rights if they actually want to bring in a heavy hitter.

I'm starting to think.

I'm starting to think that Rob Polinka might not be very good at his job. I'm starting to think that, I know, shocking, I've never thought that before. But this is what has This is the straw that's broke the camel's back.

I think for me, Rui, I actually like him.

Very perplexing player heard as someone lives in the DMV area district of Columbia, Maryland. In Virginia, I've heard a lot of things about Rui's work ethic. We know that he missed a lot of time last season for personal issues. I've heard he's by all accounts, a very good dude, but also someone who has struggled to not be the star the guy. If you go to Japan, Ruey is on every bag of chips that you can find, and Ruey is a bag of chips in the NBA. You

So it's strange and things, as we know.

Ask Kyle Kuzma, his former teammate who also came from the Lakers, things are magnified in Laker Land. Fans are not caring about what your status is in another country. They want to know if you can get them wins right now, bright lights and Ruey hats. Humor are shrinking under them in the DMV. Oh boy, what's it gonna be like here. I'm not gonna get overly pessimistic because

And Russell Westbrook.

A quarter of the roster played with Russell Westbrook on the Washington Wizards.

There's two groups.

There's the clutch Sports group and then there's the ex Wizards group. There's literally zero overlap, none, zero, there's not And I try to see if there was any connection, there's not.

Russ and Ruey.

This is where things get real strange because we imagine in our heads that Russell Westbrook is not gonna be on the.

Lakers next year when his contract is up.

But then you start to put the pieces together and you wonder, huh, maybe that's wrong.

Russ and Ruey very close relationship.

Ruey calls Russ Sempi, which is a term of great respect in Japan. It's closely closest words leader. For his part, Russ loves Ruey. He says he's a great scorer, he's got great hands, he can guard any position on the floor.

Pause.

Ruey is not known for his defense, I will say that. So he says, he's seen him do great things, and I'm excited to see him do it here. I think this means that Russell Westbrooks stays on the LA Lakers. Folks, You've got all these guys that he played with. You see clips on Twitter of him mentoring Rui, showing him how to avoid turning the ball over in the post, him going out and drawing a foul on the very next play. Russ has been amazing off the bench, incredible sixth man of the year.

He's getting triple doubles even not starting.

And for their part, the Wizards just continue to be worse than the Lakers in every way if it's possible, Like Wizards fans are pissed because Rui was when did he get picked?

Was he tenth? Rui?

Yeah, Rui was the t the tenth pick overall. You trade ninth, ninth pick overall, and you trade him for Kendrick Nunn and three seconds, not one useful player.

No disrespect to Kendrick Nunn. We know you haven't been healthy. We don't know who you are right now. Uh. I think Kendrick Nunn probably gets moved, and those three second rounders are great in a league where you can get Io Desumo and Herb Jones. But listen, if I can't trust the Wizards to draft someone competent with the tenth overall pick and you get Johnny Davis, do you think I can trust if I'm a fan of the Wizards for them to draft anyone of value in the second

Thing they need is inconsistency. So I am very curious. What an interesting way to start trade season.

Lastly, as we were about to record, major news dropped.

Wanted to keep you updated.

We'll have something more on the Memphis Grizzlies tomorrow.

When we record.

But Steven Adams of the Memphis Grizzlies, the strongest man in the NBA, the guy that is in a movable force, has a PCL sprain and we'll miss the next three to five weeks. Oh my god, I don't know that I can overestimate how big of a deal this is for the Memphis Grizzlies. He's not only important to the Grizzlies in general, he is very important to chaw Ja

More than that, he is a hard rock.

And someone who enforces and keeps John Morant from losing his life every time he gets airborne, right, You're not gonna mess around with him.

When you know the Ja Morant has Steven Adams right there.

John Drives does not get hit and struck out of the air like a bird right by a hunter. You could probably make an argument that Steven Adams is the second most important Memphis Grizzly player right now, and that's saying a lot considering that Jared Jackson is probably gonna win Defensive Player of the Year. Memphis currently in second place. They're gonna face ten to fifteen games with doubt them.

Next to him.

And then when he said, oh, John didn't want smoke, Team morand didn't want smoke, Dylan Brooks didn't want smoke. Remember, Shannon Sharp somehow mysteriously forgot to mention that Steven Adams did not want any smoke.

So just be aware of that.

Injuries they always impact the NBA season, as we know, and Memphis has actually faced their fair share of it. The fact that they're in second place right now, considering that Jaron Jackson has been out for the beginning of the season, he was out, Desmond Bane missed time with his toe. Now you've got Steven Adams missing considerable time.

Even Jaw has missed eight games.

So we're gonna see how the Grizzlies do and how they handle their business over the next month, because if they can hang out and just stay steady, that would be a huge win. I tell you what, though, there are a lot of teams that have the Grizzlies in their crosshairs, and without Steven Adams, our Sacramento Kings put a beat down on them, and they don't have their incredible hulk to protect them when they talk all that

Is everything.

Okay, my guy? You okay? I think you're under a little too much stress out there in Boston because, according to Celtics beat writer Adam Himmel's bock, Joe Missoula just just walked past Marcus Smart in the locker room, did a fool did a full summersault in front of him, turned instead, turned and said you can't do that, then walked out. That's a real story that sets how crazy it is. What what's happening?

What is going on? I am worried. I am worried about Joe Missoula. What is he doing? What? What? What kind of Ninja summer saw mental health? Cry for help? Nick? Is this?

Are you a six year old girl in tumbling class or are you the head coach of the Boston Celtics. Random somersaults, you know those girls that.

Just randomly do just out of nowhere.

They just start they do, what's the other Thing's the one you do this side? The handstand? Handstanding? The somersault and they just land it. They're like, see, bet you can't do that, Like that's a girl. The people who do that are girls named Tanya, not not Joe.

Missoula, the head coach, himmel's.

Bach probably saw this up close, because otherwise how would he even know about it.

No one's gonna tell him this story. He viewed this.

Like all of us and me who is currently in tears. Bewildered by this, he went to Marcus Smart and said, hey, dude, was that some kind of inside joke between you guys? And Marcus Smart literally shook his head no, and he said, I have zero idea where that somersault came from. Then he rolled his eyes and said, we need to stop giving him sugar?

Did Are we sure that's not a story about Deuce Tatum?

I have so many questions about this. Why for what reason would a thirty four year old man just pop out in a gymnastics move in the locker room and say, bet you can't do that.

Second question that I have is this a is this gonna be a pattern. Has this happened before?

Are we going to see more progressions of gymnastics in the locker room?

Are we gonna see him.

Do a forward role into a tuck, jump, a hop to safe landing into a log roll?

I need to know.

Third question, even though Marcus Smart said he had no clue that this was coming, why was it he more shocked or shook by this? I am reading this, and I, personally, who was not there.

Am shooketh.

I would if I had anyone that I worked, would jump into a somersault right in front of me.

And say, bet you can't do that. Yeah, no, I can't do that. And I don't think you should be doing that either.

Jesus Christ, we have an insurance policy out for you. We got one coach who's already been suspended for his fucking own gymnastics in the bedroom.

You know what I'm saying.

We got another guy, bible thumper, doing gymnastics in the locker room, and we don't even get one side eye from Marcus Smart. And you know what that means. Marcus Smart has seen some shit. You know. If that doesn't phase you, you've seen things. And if you had to pick one guy in the NBA who's not getting a lot of adult gymnastics in his life. It's Marcus Smart. He's way up at the top of my list. I hope, I hope that there's more of this story.

To be told.

And this, I think is just a sign that Joe Mizula is just a strange cat. If this is a sign of him crying out for help, like blink twice, Shoe, if you need something, things are only gonna get weirder in Boston. That is all the time that we have for the Heat Check. My God, Joe Mizula, come back Friday for an all new episode. As we have trade deadline coming in less than three weeks, We're gonna be

I did not make it up. It seems like I did and I did not.

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