NBA Midseason Grades: Western Conference - podcast episode cover

NBA Midseason Grades: Western Conference

Jan 20, 202339 min
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Episode description

On this episode of The Heat Check, Trysta hands out her midseason grades to every team in the Western Conference!

During the opening segment, she dives into the Northwest Division (0:45) to discuss the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, and Minnesota Timberwolves

Later in the episode, she dives into the Pacific Division (11:05) to discuss the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Phoenix Suns.

In the final segment, she dives into the Southwest Division (27:45) to discuss the Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, and Houston Rockets. Tune In!

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Transcript

Speaker 1

You're tuned into Heat Check with Triste Quick. On this episode of the Heat Check, it's mid season grade time, baby, Part two. Time to go over the Western Conference. A lot of teams are gonna get grades that'll make their parents proud. Other ones may want to pretend like doll gated lots to cover Nick. So drop that generic ass fucking beat. So we've reached the halfway point of the season.

It's time to give out these mid semester grades. Last episode, which was on Monday night Tuesday for you, we covered the Eastern Conference, So now we do the West. So let's break it down division by division. My Portland Trailblazers in the Northwest Division have to go first. They were the first to come to mind. And you know what, after careful can consideration, the Portland Trailblazers, they get a C.

It's better than I wanted to give him. Honestly, uh, because of the moves right, the moves that they've made in the offseason. You can't really ask for much better than that. But they are underperforming in a big, big way. I love Jeremy Grant's fit on the team. I think he's probably a great third or fourth scoring option, best defender on the team most likely in terms of you know, point of attack, can guard you know, probably one through four,

two through five, kind of a thing. Gary Payton, the second has been injured, but now that he's back, he's been amazing defensively, very good on ball defender, kind of guy that's disruptive, kind of guy that just is exactly who Portland needs. Scrappy, hardworking, annoying, amazing fit for Damian Lillard, the Nirkdee boy. He's shooting a lot of threes. Shooting a lot of threes. Is three point percentage is way up. His three point volume is way up. Everything else has

been a little erratic, a little touch and go. Portland started out super hot, looked like they were number one in the West for maybe a week or so. They're in the plan right now, not even and I'm not even sure what they're gonna do to make a move. I don't know if they will make a move, but I think everyone expected that this is sort of a resetting year. You're getting Shade and Sharp back into the

mix as a rookie. He hasn't played games before this since you know, high school, was chilling in Kentucky just doing homework and watching and you know, there's a lot to be encouraged in. But you're not necessarily saying that this is a successful year either. Denver Nuggets, oh man, I'm not just saying this. They get Nay, I'm not just saying this because of the number one team in the West. But holy shit, are they just fun and

good Defensively? They're playing elite defense right now, especially in the games that they continue to keep focus. Aaron Gordon playing the best basketball of his entire career in his life. Guys like KCP Bruce Brown really good fits. Drafting Christian Brown aka Christian Brawn has been amazing. He's added to the versatility of this team. I like the development of Bones Highland. Add that to a healthy Jamal Murray. You add that to a healthy Michael Porter ju and your

healthy Ish is pretty much all You're gonna get. Andy Jokic, who's playing better basketball than he's played in years and gonna win the MVP for a third straight time. Nobody's done that since Larry Bird. Insane. Boy, are they a dangerous team. They could win it all if they could play some defense when Yokic is not on the floor. Utah, Utah is uh is something special. Boy, God damn does Danny Ainge know how to take a mess and turn

it into a bask yacht? Right? I mean he's like Jackson Pollock, just random spray pieces all over and you look up and you're like, oh my god, that's a vision. I think I love this Utah team. They are fun. I thought they were gonna stink. I thought that they were gonna just be right in the dumpster for Victor Wambin Yama. But man, they have a bunch of fun players.

They have a boatload of unprotected picks. They have thirteen lightly protected or unprotected draft picks that are first rounders just from the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell trade combined alone, just alone, just from that. They also got Lori Marknen that I mentioned him, He's probably gonna win Most Improved Player of the Year. He is now the leader in the clubhouse for that. They have Walker Kestler, who, let's be honest, is probably gonna be better than Rudy Gobert.

He can do more things. Oh, you've got shared Vanderbilt nice piece versatil wise and you know that everybody that they're not gonna resign. All the old guys, all the guys that don't want to stay, they're gone. They're probably gonna end up flipping them for more pieces too. This team is good, This team in the future is bright. They're still in the play in picture. And they didn't even want to win. We didn't expect a goddamn thing from them. They get name minus. Minnesota gets an f

really because of the trade with Utah. Danny Ainge fleeces them, like you know, that's saying if you can't spot the mark in the room that is you, you are said mark. That's the Minnesota Timberwolves. They're the mark. They gave away so much for a one dimensional center, like so many picks, so many players. The fit with Cat is not good. Will it ever be good? I don't know. Probably not. They could go down as making one one of the worst trade decisions in not just NBA history, but sports history.

Minnesota they've got a bad record for bad trades, herschel Walker being one, remember that one like this is up there with the herschel Walker trade. But what's sadder than the actual trade itself is it's like a what could have been story? You know. They were fun, They were exciting. They had one of the best offenses in the league, up and down, talking trash, taking Memphis to the break.

Pat Bev was creating culture there. He loved Minnesota. Kat was terrible defensively but flourishing in terms of his scoring. It was just a team you could get behind. You could say, oh yeah, the future's bright for the squad. They add a couple more pieces. They have a bunch of.

Speaker 2

Guys fun and all they got now is Rudy Gobah and a dry ass empty cupboard with just brown rice bagged up and maybe some cans of cannaloney beans.

Speaker 1

That's it. No shade to Aunt Edwards. He's he's everything to them. But now you got this guy that you've replaced all these young players for a lumbering oath who all he does is clog up space for your superstar, make his life harder, not easier. This is a puzzling decision that Tim Connelly made so early in his tenure that it's going to be analyzed for years and years and years to come. This team had the possibility of locking up a top four, top six spot, and now

it looks like they're a playing team at best. Chris Finch probably gonna get fired, despite the fact that it is a success that they've gone six and four in their last ten. Just barely being five hundred is like taking him from the hot seat and putting him on the medium heat seat. Not good. By the way, someone commented on TikTok that if the Wolves had traded for Mitchell Robinson instead of Rudy Gobert, they'd probably be no

worse than the fourth in the West. Like that team, with all its pieces and all of its picks, probably would be better than the MAVs right now. Let's be honest, think about that. What a fucked up situation for the Minnesota Timberwolves. I feel bad from Minnesota fans. Man. They can't catch a break. Okay, see they're in the ninth spot right now, they get an a Oh my god.

Can you just tell when you watch basketball and watch these teams do their jobs, you know, not just the actual basketball, but the work that goes on behind the scenes. They're just some teams with smarter decision makers than others. And that is Sam Presty, that's him. He's a monster. He is just miles ahead of other teams. Not just when it comes to deal making, when it comes to

treating players well. Like you're hearing stories come out from guys who rehabilitated their careers there, like Al Horford saying that this is a first class organization. They treated me better than any place, and they didn't even intend to keep him right. Talent evaluation, incredible talent development, bringing on Chip England to help Josh Giddy shoot threes. He's playing at a level we have not seen from him before. He has a team everyone thought would be tanking in

the ninth spot. The Thunder have well exceeded expectations. They're one win away right now from hitting their win total, which was twenty three wins. They have twenty two wins at the halfway part mark of the NBA season. Anybody think that was gonna happen? Did you think Sam Presty was gonna shut it down? Shay has been insane. At one point, he was the leader to win Most Improved Player. He's going to be an All Star this year. He's

averaging thirty one, five and five. Josh Giddy is a bona fide star with court vision you could only hope to have in a player, not to mention. He can score and rebound and do all kinds of these things too. I love the fits of the two Jalen Williams that they got for nothing. They traded some random to move up in the draft, and now they get both Jalen Williams, one j dub one Jay Well, both good in their

own right. Chet holmerun mind you hasn't played one game this year, not one, been out with the list frank injury. This team is good. They are more importantly than good, super fun. The future's bright. Everything they've done in the offseason was good, excellent, elite, and they're a fun ass team where you can't really knock anything that's going on right now. Moving on to the Pacific Division, let's start with our Kanks. Sacramento buttoned up, put the suit and

tie on, Sacramento Kings. Now, what can I say about the Kings that hasn't already been said. Well, we know that they've been in a playoff drought longer than the city of Los Angeles has been in a drought for water. And just like over LA, just like Sacramento, the watermark is high right now. They are overflowing with playoff hopes. It's been bleak for this fan base. We know that for so damn long, and now it feels like it's sort of over. You know, it feels done. Many McNair

has done wonders. He needs to be extended. His decision making quality very high. What he's done in terms of drafting players that make sense. The Sabonis trade, Oh my god, the Sabonis trade was good. That's probably the Sabonus trades. Probably the definition if you look into a dictionary of what the NBA was hoping trades would look like. Mutually beneficial for both sides, makes both players better, makes both teams better as a result of said trade, right, my god,

both teams, both players flourished because of this trade. They just beat the Lakers last night in Staples. You had people chanting like the beam in Staples louder than you could even imagine. I think they turned Staples purple for the Kings last night. And that win over the Lakers turns the Kings into the three seed in the West. The three seed. Let me say that again. The Sacramento Kings are currently the three seed halfway through the season.

That's cute. Ten games in, we're more than forty one games in right now, folks, and they are the three seed. They were sixty six to one at one point just to win the Pacific Division. They are now plus one twenty five to win said division. Wow, they're basically they are the leader in the clubhouse to win that division. Honestly incredible. Keithya Murray will talk about him. He's been okay. He's not somebody that has outperformed expectations. I think he's

gonna be a good piece for them. He's been up and down. He had ten rebounds against the Lakers, which is very important for his development. He looks like he's gonna be a fan favorite as well. He already is. Malik Monk has been adding a lot in terms of bench scoring, like a little microwave. Obviously, his connection with the Aaron Fox down the stretch with them going to Kentucky together being best friends, that's worked out like a charm.

Harrison Barnes has turned back the clock, turning into war we ares Harrison Barnes. Kevin Herder has still been cave on, even though he's a little out of shape on back to backs. And Fox, of course, as we know, Fox is an all star. Sabonis is an All Star. This team's really good. They can get a backup big at the deadline, someone who can help them in non Sabonis minutes, someone who can pass, someone who can rim protect man.

What they have done though, at twenty five and eighteen, there's seven games over five hundred seven games insanely good. I just can't believe it. Moving on to our Dubs, they get a C minus. About two weeks ago they probably would have gotten a D plus. They're gonna be okay. We know that the Dubs are fine, the Dubs are always fine, but at the halfway mark, we just cannot consider this a success in any real way. Let's be honest. Steph is missed time. Jordan Poole has been up and down.

The role players they add, Gary Payton, he's gone out of Porter, He's gone Niamna Nia Biolica. However you're saying it, you know what I'm saying. He's gone playing in Europe. Klay Thompson O bright Spot. He's getting better, much more balanced scoring, much more balanced shooting in terms of his actual weight distribution. He's taking more set shots, moving off the ball, getting easy buckets. So he's been really good. He's been Actually sort of a surprise in terms of

this team Steph Cree's injury. I thought maybe they'd go to and eight while he was out. They actually played pretty well. They weathered that storm in a way that I think was very surprising. But we are worrying about this team in a way where you say, okay, knowing that I think they're gonna be fine. Can I also

simultaneously say that there's some fundamental issues here? And I think the answer yes, But we have to continue to have blind trust, in blind faith in our dubs, because what we know is when the lights get bright, as long as Steph is healthy, as long as Clay is healthy, as long as Draymond's healthy, as long as Kevon Looney is healthy, They're gonna be able to turn up the volume, turn up the heat when the lights get bright. That's just the way it is. You saw it multiple games

in a row. They go down twenty five, they go down thirty, and then in the fourth quarter they turn up the heat. They play the stifling defense, They turn you over, they make you nervous, they get you flustered, they get into transition. Then Steph hits You know some of those thirty foot daggers that he hits, he does the little poo poo motion, he does the little night Night's sleep mask, and all of a sudden, a thirty point lead has disappeared and now you are down for

That's the Warriors, That's what they do. They always make it dramatic. They always want to do that, but we know that they're still capable of that. So with that being said, they get a C minus. However, I'm not worried Clippers eight seed right now, they get a C plus. Don't know what to make of them. I don't know what to make of them. On one hand, their rosters very deep, bucke getters everywhere. On the other hand, they've

all been injured. They've all been out significant minute, significant time. Kawhi, it's like a celebration when he plays five games in a row. It's only happened one time this season. He plays three games, takes one or two off, plays another three, takes one or two off. That's his cycle and that's like a good thing. That's like about as good as it's gonna get for Kuhi right now. Paul George hasn't been healthy. John Wall has had signs of brilliance and

then he's on the bench. They are old as fuck right now? Like that, that's what you get when you have guys who are in the latter stages of their career.

Speaker 3

We're like, ooh my nees, ooh my back, ooh, I gotta take some time put this icy hot on me, and you're like, oh god, dude, Like, are you guys gonna be able to turn it on during the playoffs or nah?

Speaker 1

A guy can't tell. Are we gonna get Kawhi the version of him when he made that shot against Philly? Are we gonna get Kawhi the version when he wouldn't drive with his fucking team to go play the Phoenix Suns when he had an ACL tear, didn't even want to support them. Are we gonna get the PG version of him when he played in Indiana? Are we gonna get the version of PG when he turtled in the bubble and everybody started calling him pandemic p Are we

getting PG thirteen? Are we getting Pandemic P? Are we getting Norm Powell when he won a chip? Are we getting Norm Powell from Portland Trailblazers when he's doing absolutely dog shit? See what I just did there. Are we gonna get Roco from his time in the Philadelphia seventy six ers when he was locking guy? Are we getting Roco getting fucking rim checked in a playoff game losing the Portland Trailblazers series to the Denver Nuggets throwing the

ball at a bounce? What are we getting? Are we getting Luke Canard when he takes this team out of the door drums when they're down twenty six, helps them win a game just based on bucket after bucket after bucket. Or are we getting Detroit Pistons Luke Canard where he's just getting waved? What version of speaking of guys getting waved? What version of Reggie Jackson will we get in the playoffs?

Are we getting mister October or whatever they call it, mister September, or are we getting mister sends your ass home? They could use something. They're gonna probably make a move. Steve Bomber's got unlimited money, so I imagine something's gonna happen. Probably a trade with one of the bottom feeders and they just get automatically better. Boy On Bogdanovich would help them quite a bit. Detroit Pistons are doing absolutely nothing, as you guys already know. Let's move on to the

Phoenix Suns. They get it dus, they get somewhere between a D minus and then like sort of a be because they've all been fucking hurt. Things could not be going worse. When the Sacramento Kings are curb stomping you to win your division. Curb stomping they are. They are just not a good team right now they're twenty one and twenty four, but culturally they're even worse than that, right like they are. It started when, let's be honest, Robert sarvar was just spitting out racial slurs faster than

his name was Twista. You know, he just just giving it to you fast, like like he was on a Kanye West track, Like that was what Robert Sarva was doing. It all blew up when DeAndre Eton wanted to get paid and they were like, no, you're from the Caribbean, you're too soft. Try to get another deal and we'll see if we have to match it. And then he goes out and get a deal and they begrudgingly match it. Right,

it becomes toxic. Then when Jay Crowder's like, hey, i'd also like to get paid, and they're like, still, no, we don't want to pay anyone. He goes on strike. Then Cam Johnson goes out for an indefinite period of time. He's gonna be back, but how's he gonna look. Then you get CP three on his vegan nast diet, breaking down, busting down like it's the playoffs when it's still week four. You got Cam Johnson or campaign. Excuse me, he's been hurt. Devin Booker, where's he been on a milk carton? He's

been out six sixteen games since December eleventh. Probably won't see him for a while. But the most troubling thing to me about the Suns is since December first, they've lost since just December first, This is very critical. They've lost ten games by ten or more points, which is more than they had all of last year. And this is just since December first. Three of those games are at home, which is the same amount of ten point losses at the Crib then they had all last year too.

So I mean they're getting taken to poundtown, you know what I'm saying, and not a great way, in a bad way, sad way, and the Sun's they gotta do something. They gotta move Drake Jake Crowder gotta do that. I don't even know if anyone's gonna do that because they know that the Suns are so down bad. He's probably gonna have to wave him or get him for nothing, like just lose him for nothing. They're blowing leads in the second half. Can you tell, I'm not optimistic? Can

you tell? And for the love of the valley, they gotta get Devin Booker back healthy. Can we get Kendall to go on the road with d book Can we give her some sort of magic potion in her watermelon to feed to d b book This season's toast if we don't figure that shit out fast. Lakers. Lakers are interesting team too, set I would say D plus D plus for the Lakers, maybe maybe a C minus. It's actually like kind of a positive grade because it should be an F. Wait based on what they did and

what they've done and what they continue to do. We know they're not gonna move anybody. We know they're not trading those two draft picks. Genie Bus has already gone on record. There's already whispers about, well, we're not trading those twenty five and twenty seven first round picks just to make the play in. Ask Braun if he wants to make the play or not at all. Hey, we can move these two pieces and these two draft picks and then we'll give you a shot in the plan,

or you guys can be the fifteenth seed. How you feel. I think Braun would say, yeah, let's try, let's try. But she's not doing that. They've been in a bunch of games. Compared, they have not been able to close many out. They have eight games where they lost by six or less. But the thing that makes us all quite troubling is how good Lebron's been throughout it all. He's been insane. I have never seen anything quite like Lebron James in year thirty eight of his natural life.

He is about to break what we thought was an unbreakable record. He is three hundred points short of Kareem Abduljabar's all time scoring number, which, let's be honest, is the only reason Lebron James is still a Laker because he wants to break it. In purple and gold. Let's be real, He's averaging more points per game right now and last year than in any two year stretch in

his twenty year career. Think about that, he's averaging more right now and last year than in any two year stretch ever in his entire career, in his peak of the best goaded Miami heat years, those peak Cleveland years where he's putting the team on his back. No, no, what he's doing now better than that. He's averaged twenty nine point four per game from two thousand and five to two thousand and seven, and he's averaging thirty point one between twenty and twenty one and twenty and twenty three.

You know those like commercials we've seen where it's like Bron versus Father Time. People are making fun of him because they're corny, but they are true. Lebron James is undefeated right now against Father Time. He's getting better, which is not what's supposed to happen. We've only seen this from Tom Brady and that was like a Swan song.

And maybe Roger Clemens. But let's be honest. Do I really need to say anything more about Roger Clemens that maybe discredits the Fountain of the ad was playing an MVP level ball before he got hurt. I have to mention because I think it's very important for you to know in case you forgot. He did twist his ankle mid air. In the air, he sprained his ankle, not on the ground. I've never heard of that before. So the things that happened to ad continue to literally break

the rules of physics. So we'll say that if you want to call that a mystery, if you want to call that a coincidence, if you want to call that just him being brittle, whatever you want to say, it's all true. And of course Russell Westbrook has been really good off the bench. As a sixth Man of the Year, Kennedy's probably gonna win it. There's no more consistent prop bets to take than Russell Westbrook over fourteen and a half points. He just does it. He's a triple double

machine off the fucking bench. Austin reeves he's getting small star votes even though he doesn't deserve him. And even Dennis Shrewder has had some good games on a veteran minimum contract. They're doing with they can't. It's sad over there. They're poor, They're poor. Genie Bus doesn't have anybody else She's getting her decision making advice from Linda Rambis it's bad.

It's bad right now, and they have Lebron James. They'll only be okay and be able to salvage if that they make the play in tournament and maybe make a little run do with the like their upside is what the Pelicans did last year. Then think about how bad that is. So they're three games under five hundred. But yet so are the Suns, So not all bad grades are bad grades. We move on to the Southwest Division,

Memphis Grizzlies. They're in the two spot. They get a B. They get a B solid B. I can't give them an A because they've had so many damn injuries. Desmond Baine's been injured, Jaron Jackson's been injured, Jahn Morant's been injured, and even though they've had a decent season, they've been patching it together. I just they haven't been as much of a wagon. The West stinks. Let's be honest. The West is not as good as it has been in previous years. So your two seed run is really not

as impressive as it was last year. And they were the Cinderella and now they are the hunted. Everyone wants to take them down. They were the league past team, and now they're in national darling, and I can't give you an a when everybody wants me to. You know, they broke through, they were a results. Everybody thinks that they're anointed. Jahn Morant, and I love his shit talking. I love that he says, hey, if you want to jump with me, then you're gonna go viral. I'm not

worried about anybody in the West. Let's be honest, there's really nobody who should be worrying about in the West because the West stinks. But if they can be healthy, they're gonna be dangerous. They're gonna be the solver gorilla, as they say, and it won't matter if teams bring their a game because if you've seen Steven Adams when he wants to do whatever he wants to do, it's impossible jaws like Joe Burrow, impossible to shake confidence wise, and as long as he's healthy, this team can go

as far as he wants them to go. That's how I feel. I don't see how the Grizzlies are going to be a title contender for as long. Like Joe Burrow says, the window is John Moran's career. New Orleans Pelicans. They're the four seed. How is it possible they are the four seed with all of the shit that's gone on with the New Orleans Pelicans A minus they get they are having an incredible season with all of the

things that have been going on with them. So Zion came out of the blocks, like his name was, Michael Johnson, with the golden shoes, with the like Usain Bolt, making us the centerpiece. We have to talk about him in the MVP conversation because everybody loves them. Zion, he's gotten skinnier. I think I haven't seen him in a while. We'll see, but he's now missed sixteen games out of the forty

something they've played. Brandon Ingram, he's been electric. Have not seen him for two thirds of the season this year and it's a toe bruise. Okay, he's only played in fifteen of the over forty games they've played. Herb Jones, my guy, has missed sixteen games so far this year. They should not be anywhere in the top four. Their

top three players outside of CJ. McCollum, three other five starting five guys have missed anywhere from one third to two thirds of the season and yet they continue to succeed. They are bawling out. CJ has been incredible grand theft. Alvarado has stepped in and done wonders for this squad. Valentiunis love the piece for him. He is just a steady, steady rock in the middle. The team's got depth. Naji Marshall is averaging ten and a half, Larry Nance junior,

Davonte Graham, who they'll probably move, Dyson Daniels. I am so high on he is like this secret love affair that I have. He doesn't know that I love him. But he's all playing significant minutes as well. Due to the injuries, and then the few times that this year that they've been healthy, they've been pretty much unbeatable. If they get healthy right before the playoffs, look out, the Pelicans could legitimately win the West MAVs five spot right now,

and you should be grateful to be there. Honestly, it is gross. See for the MAVs. They haven't fallen out into the playing spot, but again, the West stinks and they have benefited from the stinky West. I give him a cee because all they do is rely on Luca. If Luca continues to play at an MVP caliber, they win games. If he doesn't, they lose games. Pretty simple, simple as that. If Yogic didn't exist, he would be

a shoein. He does everything. He shoots, he passes, he defends, he complains to the refs, He shit talks to the teams, He drinks on the job. Everything that you want from a European superstar probably brings hose to the game. But the problem is starting to wear a tear a little. That's what happens when you're not in shape. You can't put up those minutes without you starting to decline. You're playing like Ahana Civic right now on the freeway. You're

a V four and you're wearing out. He's missed two of the last six games. In those games that he has played, he's only averaged twenty three point six points, which is well below what his average is for the season. And this is not a team that can survive, can do much of anything with Luca scoring twenty four a game, no chance. They have no depth, which is why they

have lost six of their last eight games. One of those games, mind you, was to the Atlanta Hawks, which, as you know if you listen to this podcast, is an absolute disaster. The one saving grace has got to be the trade deadline. Tim Hardaway is rumored to be on the move christian Wood, maybe Maps. If they can't sign them and they can't get a deal done, they

said that they would prefer to trade them. They can improve, they can get to an A, or they can fall to an F, depending on what they do moving forward. It's all in your hands, Dallas. We'll see what you do at the deadline. San Antonio, you getta be plus. I know seems weird to give a high grade to a team that is woefully terrible, but they understood the assignment. Sometimes it's like you go to a virtual online oceanography course.

You figure out someone who can get you a little scrapbook made with a bunch of us see an enemies in it, and then you turn it in and that's all that you're responsible for doing in order to get an A in this class. Okay, san Antonio, spurs only assignment is this one thing. Do everything that you can put to put yourself in a situation where you're not only competitive, but you're losing. Do you know how hard

that is to be competitive and lose? It's almost impossible in fact, and yet the assignment is to do that, to put yourself in a position, the best position to get Victor wan Binyama. That's it. And to that end, they started off a little rocky, winning a lot of games, but since then they started to figure it out. Be competitive, help Kelvin Johnson get to the next level, get Jeremy Sohan some meaningful reps, lose games, and it's going beautifully now.

Victor seems to be at least a perfect fit in the Tim Duncan model, but a new, re vitalized version in the modern NBA. Keldon Johnson has been really good and very fun, someone I actually want to watch, which is very rare for San Antonio Spurs. Devin Vassel has been hurt, but he's shown promise. Yaka Purtle probably gonna get moved because he's too good for this team right now. And listen, they don't need a big they're about to

get one. Josh Richardson, he's maybe the worst NBA player I've ever seen, so to that end, maybe he helps them towards their assignment. But so far, so good. I think there's gonna be some organizational changes and Popovich's final gift is probably the opportunity to build with a new franchise cornerstone that will be one of the best in the NBA for years to come. Houston C Minus. I think they are franchise that I I'm gonna be honest. I don't like very much. I don't like the owner,

I don't like the philosophy. I really don't like the city. I think it's maybe the only city worse than it and it's close. It's probably Philadelphia. They have five lane freeways on either side. If you've ever been on that, it's terrifying. They draft poorly. Uh, the organization is cheap. They have a coach that probably has not ever led strong willed men in his life. He speaks at a decibel level that only a mouse could hear. They can't play team NBA basketball. They've got a bunch of peer

hoopers and that's it. Let's be honest, Like they've got maybe three guys who can play organized basketball like well and want to. Let's be real, they're like athleticism through the roof, but like, who really wants to do all the fundamental things? Do you see him? Who are they? Eric Gordon? He hates it There he wants out so badly. He tells him. It's literally he's quiet quitting. Have you

heard that term? He's quiet quitting. He just keeps saying mean things about the team, hoping to be traded, and they will not trade him for god knows why, who knows. He's like, this team stinks. They're not getting better. They're like, hey, how have you improved? We haven't. We hate each other knowing plays for one another. And it's true they're one in seventeen in their last eighteen games. And I don't think they're trying to tank. I don't think that's their assignment.

Guys like Jalen Green, Josh Christopher, Kevin Porter Junior, he's a bucket. He's a bucket. He's a bucket, all talented, all can fill it up, stat pad as they say, and they cannot get back on defense for their fucking life. Is there a coaching problem? Like I said, Steven Silas, he's not the one. He knows he's not the one. I am sure he's being tuned out religiously. James Harden has hinted he wants to go back. Please Lord, don't

make it happen. I can't. He just wants to go back to his restaurant with all the food and the and the steak bacon crab at tu Fey that he's made with the strippers. He wants that he doesn't want to go back to Houston. That place is a fucking mess. They are gonna get an f at the end of this season. They just I don't even know why I gave him the C minus to begin with. They are so screwed. That's it. That's all the teams said. That's all the episode time that we have for the heat Check.

We will be back Monday. Let me know what you think about these grades. Hit me on the DMS, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, I'm around. Check out the feed as well for past episodes. Many episodes which drop not almost every day, but kind of. We got Keith Smith coming on Monday. He gave us some some serious tea. Do not forget to download. Please subscribe, Please tell your friends and follow us. Please follow us at this heat check and at tris to criek on TikTok,

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