You're tuned into Heat Check with just a quick.
On this episode of the Heat Check, we are three days into the NBA season, and there's already a lot that we can tell. For example, the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs after.
Their first two games, mathematically eliminated. Sorry to say that it is true.
The Jazz dropped a nasty surprise for the Nuggets. The Pels blew the doors off of the Bluff Barclay Center. Jaw did a ton of jaw things. We'll get into all of that, of course, with along with some news from around the league, because guess what, the NBA is back.
So do me a favor, Nick and drop that beat man.
So much happened in the first three days of the season, it's gonna be impossible to recap it all. So I'm gonna just pop around league a little bit. I'm gonna highlight some of the things that really interested me. First and foremost. Twenty seven nine five and two blocks, twenty seven points, nine rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and thirty five minutes of action. Do you have any idea who that stat line belongs to? If you said Embiid or Jokic,
hell even Zion coming back. No one would probably blink a nine. But that, folks, is what Paolo Banko put up in his first game as an NBA player. Shsh I tried to tell y'all he was much better than everybody else. Two things happened in their opener against Detroit. One was surprising, the other was not unsurprising. Thing is that Detroit was down big thew Orlando Magic blew a huge lead, ended up losing the game outright by four, the exact line that Vegas said, not shocking in the least.
They're gonna probably do that a lot.
They look good, they fade late, they don't have a lot of talent. It's going to help them through. That's the way it goes. The surprising thing, despite the heightened expectations, Paalo somehow exceeded him I don't know, at times the most dominant player on the floor, and that included on a team with Kay Cunningham and Jaden Ivy and Jalen Duran and all the other random lottery picks that the Orlando Magic have. He was eleven for eighteen from the floor.
Eleven for eighteen.
He was ten for fifteen in the paint, where he pretty much did whatever the fuck he wanted. Shockingly good debut, shocking even for me who loves some Paalo ban Carrol with twenty seven points, nine rebounds, five assists. Ben Carroll became just the third number one overall pick since nineteen sixty nine, Nice to record twenty five, five and five in his debut, the others.
Lebron James and Kareem Abdorge.
Bar He finished eleven of eighteen shooting, like I said, which is the most made field goals by a rookie in his debut since again Lebron James in two thousand and three.
Interestingly, the day of the game, The.
New York Post dropped an article about Polo's experiences as a student athlete at Duke, and it was illuminating.
This is what he said.
Sometimes I'd feel like, you know, you were a zoo animal or something.
Bro. They would be like, oh God.
In class, you'd see him over there whispering about you, like just straight up staring at you.
First and foremost, that sucks.
Secondly, though, how many times have I tried to tell you how big Palo bn Caaro is, like unnaturally perfect proportioned and six ten, two hundred and something pounds. He is the biggest human I've ever seen, like in terms of pound for pound, proportionally size wise. I look at centers sometimes and I'm like, Nope, that guy's not as big as Pala Bin Carrol.
Nope, that guy's not the biggest pala Goo bing Carol. So if I had Powell Ben Carrol in my class, I'd.
Be a little bit shocked too. I'd be like, Wow, how much do you think he can bench press? How much do you think he can deadlift? Also, you would think that at a certain point though, things would get a little bit more normal, you'd get a little bit more chill. He's sitting two rows down from you, you know, five five days a.
Week or whatever.
What class do you go to school three days a week when you're in college two days a week.
I don't know. It's been a while, but it's kind of like.
What Zion hinted at about his experience at Duke, where you're hyped and you're famous, and you're, let's be honest, very different than the the student body.
How shall I say, at Duke?
You know, a lot of Yet's at Duke, not a lot of Zions, not a lot of powellos just gonna be honest, so like, truthfully kind of hard to not feel isolated and alone, because, honestly, what do you have in common with some prep school kid from Connecticut who when you're a six six six eight two hundred and eighty five pound athletic freak who's on the cover of every magazine or in Palo's case, six' ten and two eighty. Five, yeah this is Why Adam silver's, Like, yep you guys can.
Go one and. Done you don't Need, Duke you don't Need.
Kentucky you don't need to be meeting some random fraternity or sorority girl that has you make in tiktoks and shall at your pointing at the sky with random like words next to it in order for you to get an nil.
Deal, no you can just go right to the league right. Now let's be let's be very very.
Clear palo's putting up twenty five a, night regardless of going To, duke regardless of COACH.
K no hate on COACH. K that's a. TRUTH a lot of college coaches don't really want us to. Know palot don't Need.
Duke duke Needs. Palo moving on To, Brooklyn Brooklyn. Nets, ooh, YIKES i was hoping for. More i'll just say THAT i was hoping for a competitive. Match what a rough opening. Night New Orleans, pelicans a team that started what one in, thirteen two and twenty?
One last?
Year they went Into barclays and they went To. Poundtown they just put the beatdown ON. Kd kyrie and the rest of them, boys one thirty to one oh. Eight let me say that, again The New Orleans pelicans that scraped their way into the plan to be.
Fair The Brooklyn nets did. Too, uh one thirty to one oh.
Eight this beatdown included being out rebounded sixty one to thirty, nine outscored thirty six to four in second chance.
Points, yeah that'll Get jazz. Beat.
Yeah, question wasn't that why they brought In Ben? Simmons, defense, rebounding playmaking turns out not exactly going as smooth sailing as. Possible it's almost like he hasn't played any basketball in a. While Steve nash finally decided to tell us the truth in a random press, conference Because lord knows we need a little truth From Steve.
Nash here and there he Said ben was, Rusty.
No, Shit steve he hasn't played a game Since july twenty twenty. One, yes it is currently checks Notes october twenty, first twenty twenty. Two ben's line four, points five, rebounds five. Assists this is like half of What Draymond green average is in his, career but also What Draymond green averaged in his first game back, too so that's something interesting to think. About he was negative twenty six for the game in a game that they lost by twenty, two
so he was actually worse than everyone. ELSE i don't think he's gonna be that, bad let's be. HONEST i think he will figure things. Out i'm more optimistic About ben on this team THAN i am with him With Joel, embiid and we'll talk about why a little bit, later not just because of the, spacing but because it turns out they really don't care.
About one another.
Whatsoever but the loss against The pelicans probably had more to do with the fact that the shooters are nowhere to be Seen Seth curry, Out Joe harris, out both coming back from. Injuries ben's gonna have to figure the shit, out, though if they want to go. Anywhere there's a little bit More ben t though a little bit More ben, news So i'll add that into here first and.
Foremost he, TOLD i Think Nick.
Fridell i'm not good at remembering which reporters people talk, to BUT i think it Was Nick. Fordell he said he cannot wait to play a game In. PHILLY i don't believe that. Whatsoever didn't he skip out on just being on the sidelines for the game when he went back To, philly you would Know, nick you're From. Philly Ish, no, No, Pittsburgh my, bad my.
Bad scrap.
That in a sit down interview With Ben, Ferdell ben also asked was asked whether he thought his relationship With embiid would ever be good, again and he, said who.
KNOWS i can't predict the.
Future don't want to make my mind up and say it's not possible for anything to. Change BUT i don't talk To. Joe we never really. SPOKE i don't think there was really a relationship.
There like in.
Terms of our, friendship you can try as hard as you want to be close to, somebody be their, friend but everybody are different as, People so for, me it's never. PERSONAL i don't have any anger or hate towards. Him he is who he, IS i am WHO i. Am we've got our personal lives and work as. Basketball so in that, moment my goal was to, win And i've got to win With. Joe he's a great. Player we just didn't get it.
Done paul's what we it ever really, SPOKE i don't talk To. Joe to, me it's.
Very normal for you to not be best friends with your. Coworkers, yeah maybe they don't come over for a TWO k night or call of, duty you, know maximum point whatever they call. It Kyler murray's always staying up to Do but, okay maybe you don't get grab beers after. Practice, Fine maybe you don't speak with each other when you change jobs and you go to a new, organization totally.
Fine but to be cornerstones of a franchise.
Where you may be there for the rest of your careers if the ownership group gets what they want and you not to be on speaking. TERMS i am not shocked that this thing didn't work, out because boy oh, boy is that. Telling but maybe the most surprising thing actually this week that happened To ben Was Kyrie irving passing down words of wisdom To ben's words THAT i
feel are sort of like the pot calling the kettle. Black, kyrie when asked about his thoughts On ben fouling out in just twenty three, minutes is what he, said as we told him in the locker. Room he's a valuable piece for us and we need him out there and fouling out is not an. Option playing aggressive is something we want him to, do but we also wanted to play.
Smart let's be. Honest that's an interesting take from a guy, who lets face, it it's not very reliable or very available for very long stretches at a time for his entire career From boston to Now. Brooklyn someone also just recently said that The nets have a must win game tonight In game two against The Toronto. Raptors that, that, folks tells Your brooklyn's off to a hot.
Start oh, boy.
Let's go over To Los angeles where things are going swimming.
League they have two games under their. Belt let's be. Honest i'm reveling and being, RIGHT i.
Am reveling in the feeling of soul rightness THAT i don't even know what to. Say this is a complete and total, meltdown a complete teardown following an opening beatdown which we knew was going to happen against The warriors On ring. Night the team followed it up with another nationally televised game against The. Clippers Kawhi leonard's return and let me tell you depending on who you, asked because to me it went, great it did not go. Well
how bad did things go? WELL i tweeted out the following after the game, ended a game where they were down by, fifteen came back looked like they had won THE Nba finals because they went up by one. Point THEY i Think Patrick beverley stood on the scorer's table and then they proceeded to lose by.
SIX i.
Tweeted if there was a book Called Lebron teams For, Dummies page one would, say surround him with. Shooters, Somehow genie And rob haven't gotten the. Memo went to, bed woke up in the, morning five hundred quote tweets and retweets and thousands of, likes And Rob polinka started to trend On twitter the world wants him gone, because let's face, it After game, One lebron, Said, hey we.
Don't have any.
Lasers we don't have anybody out here to shoot. Threes we don't have any guys that are forty percent career three point. Shooters Their laker guards shot one for twenty five from. Three that's pretty, bad including an incredible for eleven From Russell. Westbrook and All lebron had to say and All Russell westbrook had to say is we're not a.
Team that's constructed of great. Shooting no.
SHIT i must have forgotten that Watching beverly And westbrook miss one, open, wide open look after. Another people are Blaming legm for, this saying this is the team That lebron, wanted that, hey don't Blame Rob, polinka Blame.
Legm and SO i thought about.
This have you ever seen those LIKE svu episodes or Like law And order where there's a murder and it's just too, Perfect the crime is just too, Perfect like the body's there dead with, blood the murder weapons there WITH dna and fingerprints on the coffee table is the
matching fingerprint test result of the. Perpetrator in the corner of the bedroom is the perpetrator sitting on the table or sitting on the bed with his hands tied up and like a, handcuffs sitting there with the note that SAYS i did, it and you're like.
Open, case close. Case that's.
Right so that's kind of what This lebron thing. Is Lebron james having a team full of non, shooters not just good shooters versus elite, shooters like very bad, shooters all of them led.
Me to, believe is this something that's too clean of a? Case is there a conspiracy a?
Brewing why Would Lebron, james one of the most powerful athletes in the, world sign off on a team of full of non shooters that not just don't aren't great. Shooters they love to chuck and they look bad doing. It he's a smart, guy one of the better IQs in the, league so why would he do? That and then a conspiracy rolled over my, body like if the creator herself was speaking in my ear, directly like the beam of energy people talk about when they get abducted by. Aliens,
FOLKS i now know what's going. On first and, foremost we've talked about this. Before Lebron james is a guy that we know loves, attention he likes the, spotlight a guy we know is never going to win the Undisputed Goat debate, title never based on rings. Alone so he has to just basically break every individual record.
Set on Planet.
Earth in THE, nba he's nipping on the heels of the all time scoring record by Who kareem Abdul, jabbar Another, Laker So Lebron james in The laker, uniform he's trying to beat and break the record Of kareem Abdul jabbar in his twentieth. Year who knows how long it's gonna be Until Father time takes over start breaking his body. Down there's an entire national advertising campaign about. This right, Now Lebron james literally Battling Father time as played By Jason.
Momoa it's on his.
Mind what's the one thing that slows that possibility down and allows maybe an injury catastrophe from stopping. This sharing the ball with a bunch of, lasers a bunch of, scoreres a bunch of bucket, getters with a team full of non, Shooters lebron can blissfully shoot and score thirty five forty five points per night and nobody will call him a ball. Hog they'll say that he is dastardly under. Manned he is trying desperately to get this team to be.
Competitive no one will even say a word about him holding onto the ball like his life has depended on. It plus we know he won't have to go deep into the. Playoffs his season ends In. April what does that, Mean, well we know playoff scoring doesn't matter for the, title but more, so LIKE i, said his, Body his body now Gets april Through october to, rest rejuvenate and take what ever jin blood That Tom brady is taking to
regenerate himself for the rest of. Time good players increase the probability of playoff, appearances which only hurt his goat argument because he has a bunch of playoff appearances and no.
Titles just take the playoff appearances. Out just take that.
Out he's gonna put more tread on his. Tires what are the point of the Playoffs If.
Lebron james isn't gonna win at? All we've cracked the. Code that's gotta be.
It why else Would Lebron james have the worst shooting team IN nba. History what If Rob plinka isn't doing his job? Poorly what If Rob plinka is doing his job to? Perfection bet you haven't thought about. That think about? That, well we talk about.
The Golden State. Warriors good news and bad news out Of Golden.
State the good news The warriors back to back championship off to a hot. Start the team looked absolutely, unstoppable and that is with Clay On minute's. Restriction the bad, News Draymond greenstille in the. Doghouse he's probably making things worse right. Now he's probably got a television crew recording part two of his documentary right at this very. Second
it's not about the punch, ANYMORE i don't think. EITHER i think it's just the tone deaf reaction to it, all the backlash to the punch and just lay, down lay down and take take your punishment a, tone don't clap, back don't make, excuses no, content no new.
Media just be. Quiet sh be quiet for a.
WHILE i talked about this on the last, part So i'm not gonna go through the. Details it was, Terrible But Zach lowe has now reported that things are.
Frosty is fuck in the dubbed. Nation this is what he.
Said if, ANYTHING i think we may be underplaying the level of iciness and tension that they are navigating right. Now and that's not to say are they gonna Trade. Draymond Everything i've heard is that they're not Trading. Draymond they're just not going To they're trying to win The chanceampionship and we'll try to write it out unless something drastic.
Happens But draymond is going to be on the team all.
Season Locked On warriors Host Cyrus Satsats he also talked about. This he said there is zero healing right now going on Between draymond And. Pool he, Said i've had sources tell me behind the, Scenes Jordan poole has not Forgiven. Draymond they haven't. Spoken, wow he's not. HAPPY i don't know how you could. Be it's a horrible. Look the image of it is us. Awful it's borderline. Emasculating, Yes Jordan poole got knocked, out he got knocked, down whatever you would.
Say i'm not sure if he was.
Unconscious that's only you know Between Jordan poole and his medical. Team BUT i am absolutely shocked That Jordan poole hasn't Forgiven draymond for just sunning him and punching him in the. Face as for The draymond, documentary by the, way it was entirely, filmed, conceived finished in the seven days that he was away from the.
Team Steve, Kerr Steve kerr hasn't seen.
It they didn't even know that it happened UNTIL i don't. Know the media asked him about it afterwards they were, like. Huh Steph curry said he hadn't seen. It he also said, this which was kind of a. Warning he's been in production with the new media stuff And i'm sure that's not gonna, end but hopefully everything is in light of trying to protect the team and make it about what we're trying to do on the floor as the. Priority let me just let you in and on a little secret.
Stuff it wasn't about that at. All it Wasn't there was no protection for the. Team it was protection For. Draymond draymond was about. Himself. Man there's a ton of thin pieces out about, this like.
Why would he do? It what was the? Purpose but that's really not the question to.
Ask the question that we have to ask is should we actually Believe draymond that he cares about this interaction in any, way that he was appalled by his own? Actions was he really? Sorry was he spending his time away? Reflecting because if the first thing you do when you get pushed.
Away from a team. Whatever it was, mutual but it wasn't.
Right so the first thing you do is you call your agent and you set up a meeting With Omaha, productions and then you CALL tnt to, Say, Hey i've got a seven minute documentary to put on top of the documentary you guys are already making about.
Me can you have a film.
Crew come over to my house for the next seven days While i'm away UNTIL i come back.
For a ring.
Night that doesn't tell me you're like thinking about being very, zen you, know it doesn't feel like you're looking. Inward it feels like you're kind of trying to push your own agenda and using your relationship WITH tnt to push said agenda to make you look, better probably to increase the value of your contract or increase your, brand or who the hell knows.
What but, listen when you don't tell The.
Warriors ahead of time you're gonna do, This oh my, god that is NIGHT i, Sleep. Matt that's a bad, look even to. Me the sole fan On Draymond, island we gotta watch this.
ONE i don't know how it.
Ends quick update On Jay crowder for those who don't, know J crowder is sitting out until he gets traded because The sons aren't paying him what he's. Worth they won't give him a starting, role and this has created yet another locker room issue for The.
Suns and with the eight and drama, bubbling they do not need. This, no, no.
No even If aton said, oh, yeah, yeah everything's good, now we're back to normal, NOW i do not believe that normal is not a word that we can use to describe anything that's going on In. Phoenix when you have a point guard that grinds his teammates down to, dust you've got an owner who's currently selling the team because of all the, isms when you've got a big man who is the number one pick who you couldn't even muster up enough enthusiasm to offer him a.
Contract until he was offered by another.
Team and now another player who's holding, out actually not even holding. Out you've told him just to stay away from the, team which is fucking.
Weird it's fucking.
WEIRD a new article dropped yesterday from my, Guy Jake, fisher exploring how weird the whole situation has gotten Since phoenix decided to Replace jay in the starting line up With Cam. Johnson we knew he was gonna want a, trade not gonna offer him ten million dollars a, year which is what he's getting paid now to sit on the. Bench so If phoenix doesn't Want crowder And crowder doesn't want to be there was the.
Problem, Well jake, says The suns.
Rather famously may spend less on resources than any rival draft, scouting and. Evaluation phoenix is curiously the only team in THE nba that does not owe any outgoing picks from previous trades or have any incoming picks on the. Horizon This sun's throne office appears to operate on one year's, schedules where each campaign is its own trip around the monopoly board with its own set of resources to reach
go once again in. Prosperity that, way you're never assets strapped with only distant first round draft picks to upgrade your.
Roster what does that?
Mean it means they do not care That Jay crowder's sitting there at home on the, bench and they do not care about trading. Him and what's very bizarre is why The sons have Banned crowder from being around the team.
PERIOD i don't know what that's. About he'd be very helpful at a.
Time When Cam johnson just goes down with a thumb injury all of a, sudden Maybe Jay crowder can increase his.
Value BUT i don't.
Know starting some, games where is he gonna end. Up, well looks like he's gonna land In miami AS. Pj tucker's. Replacement actually it's not really P. J tucker's, replacement is. It it's IT'S Pj tucker replaced, him and so he is replacing.
Himself, yes, yeah he.
Is. So Jay crowder was there when they went to the, finals then he left to go To phoenix Because miami wouldn't pay.
Him and then NOW.
Pj tucker moved on for greener. Pastures so he is he is his own. Replacement, yeah that's really. It, yeah very strange things though happening In. Phoenix we got a little bit of, time very very quick time to.
Just go through.
This BUT i didn't want to talk about a couple of players who were very. IMPRESSIVE i have to Mention john Wall.
Man he was so out of the. League he was.
Nowhere houston was keeping him like away from the, team Like Jay crowder as.
Well people were wondering when he was gonna play basketball.
Again he now has openly talked about how that affected his mental. Health it had deteriorated to the point where he had thought about. Suicide so the fact that we add Some John wall hoopin Vintage John, wall my, lord he played so. Well Charles barkley openly speculated why one of about a dozen teams didn't find a way to make a deal for just him last. Year he looked like the Old John, wall except for this. Time he plays defense fifteen four and three with the, steal he was.
Steady he was getting such easy, buckets so, calm so under, control coming around, screens getting easy mid, ranges getting very fast out into, transition came back into the game after The lakers made their huge. Run Reggie jackson was just getting cooked that he was with THE b. Team he made clutch jumper after clutch, Jumper kawhi gave him the.
Ball when does that? Happen he played awesome.
Defense laker, guards LIKE i told you guys, before shot four percent from the field for a. Game that wasn't just because they're bad, shooters But Wall KAWHI pg looked like a.
Real dominant big three up.
There if they can all increase their minutes to like the high twenties.
Thirties this team is gonna be.
Dangerous, lastly another player that was super impressed with Was Herb. Jones Love Herb jones so. GOOD a lot of people are still learning about. Him if you're a casual fan and you need a, reminder six, seven four were who can guard one through, five steadily.
Improving his offense as.
Well he was drafted number thirty five, overall not this last, draft but two drafts, ago and he is becoming maybe one of the best defensive.
Players in the.
League like he could easily Win Defensive player of The year this. Year that's how good he. Is his first game In, brooklyn his stat, line you might not think is very good six four to three with one steal in twenty eight. Minutes but let's look at how The pelicans did when he was on the floor Against Brooklyn's big. Three he was a plus thirty four for the. Game The pelicans outscored The nets by thirty four points in his twenty eight, minutes by, far the highest plus minus
in the. Game because he was locking down every single person that he. Defended he helped contribute To Ben simmons fouling out in the twenty five, minutes and when he was on the, court The pels net rating was one point eight to. Two when he was on the, bench it was minus one point nine to. Eight The pelicans don't need Herb jones to. Score they've Got bi And zion And Jose alvarado AND. Cj McCollum and just Player Trey.
Murphy so many, traits but he can be. Everywhere on, defense he can get into the, paint stop a man from rolling into the.
Basket he rotates over.
Quickly to block the best scorer in the world in the, corner three in two seconds.
Flat he's.
Special and when he was asked who he models his game, after who do you think maybe Khy? No he says his defense and how he sees the. Game he is trying to emulate safeties in THE. Nfl he, said his two guys that he emulates Are Ed reid And Cam.
Chancellor that was how he covers so much.
GROUND i look at, them they're, long they cover a bunch of. Ground so that's WHAT i do on the basketball. COURT i needed to figure out how they were able to read react to, plays AND i felt like IF i could take pieces from their, mentality THEN i could roam around on the basketball court Fairly. EASi holy, Shit, Yes Herb, jones he's.
Not he's Not Paul George.
Stopper he's not you, know a longer defender of that we've seen in THE. Nba he is The Ed reid of THE. Nba he is a ballhawking, monster not afraid of, contact who can anticipate your next move before you. Do he might be my new favorite. Player i've got more to, cover BUT i have no. Time so that's all the time that we have for The Heat.
Check we'll be Back.
Monday i'll give you some of my early impressions from the PLAYERS i already wrote. About make sure you check out the feed for past episodes from the offseason and follow The Heat check as we get you ready for this new.
Season do not forget.
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TikTok hit that beat for me, Again, nick