Come home, Come Home, Come Home, Come Home.
On this episode of the Heat Check, we discussed well, I mean, I throw a little dirt on the coffin that is the twenty twenty two LA Lakers. It feels like I already had this take because I predicted it a mere twenty four hours before it happened.
But who gives a fuck.
I'm going to officially say good night and good luck to my least favorite team in the NBA.
We also break down why the Knicks not only.
Are approaching roster building in an entirely wrong way, but also perhaps the NBA at large, with their approach of super teams, might be as well. And finally, just a little cleanup around the league. I fill you in on the one team ready to surprise the most in the playoffs, the Toronto Raptors final week of the regular season.
As upon us. So go ahead, Brock and drop that motherfucker.
Be perfect Ray.
The big news, as everyone already knows, is it the Lakers.
The loss Angeles.
Lakers with Anthony Davis, top five center in the league, they say, Lebron James.
Lebron James one.
Of the best players, if not the best players of a generation.
Still playing in the prime of his.
Career, and former MVP Russell Westbrook. All three of them together as a duo, as a trio, as a team have missed the playoffs, and that is now the second time in lebron four years as a Los Angeles Lakers.
Laker h just things you hate to see.
Honestly, just fifty percent missing the playoffs is not great, I would say. And for me, you could think of me as Elmo engulfed in flames.
Just give me the chaos. I can't wait. I've already predicted what's gonna happen, what I think is gonna happen.
Now we're getting news that Rob Plank is gonna stay on one more year, which I think is totally bullshit. And I know you're tired of hearing about the Lakers. Truthfully, I'm tired of explaining how right I was. Truthfully, I'm tired about just completely saying this. I just feel like I've been saying the same thing all year. But as we go on and the facts continue to come to the surface, and I have another way of just running up the score and taking another lap, I'm gonna do that.
You can't not discuss them Before we get started, let's do a little trivia. Since preseason title favorites first became a thing in nineteen eighty four, how many of the two top teams failed to make the playoffs.
The answer is just.
One, the two than and twenty one twenty twenty two LA Lakers.
And that is.
Including the fact that they could have gotten in as a ten seed, which is absolutely absurd as it is. Remember, Lebron James said he hated the play in tournament and then decided on the night that he could have kept the play in hopes alive, that he wouldn't even play. He would be Lebron Street closed James, he would leave the game.
We'll get to that.
Yes, historically bad year in LA, and the season isn't even quite over. The fingers already being pointed. The fingers were pointed since week one.
But we got we got.
Some new stuff, some new juju happening here. Frank Vogel reportedly going to be fired. He won't discuss that really. He says that, you know, kind of like Russell Westbrook, you can't ever predict the future kind of stuff like that, like whether he deserves to be fired or not. Considering this roster construction is another question, since it was Frank Vogel who desperately wanted to move Russ at the deadline but was veto by.
Polinka and of course the Rambuses.
It's certain he hasn't coached well, it's certain, it's certain that he's not really that good. But ask yourself this, and we've had this conversation before. Who could have made this shit show work?
Who? The next news?
But and now you got Frank Vogel going out talking to the athletic saying, I knew that this would be bad and not work before a regular season game even got folks, we went zero in six in the preseason. We were getting waxed. I know that the preseason is meaningless, but that means something.
We were getting waxed.
The next news reportedly Rob Plinka has another year to figure out and right the ship. Considering that this is his completely his mess and his mess alone, why why would you give him another shot around the sun, like.
Kick his ass to the moon.
It's not possible to fix this. To me, this is just like another year of borrowed time. And if we're being honest with ourselves, which I think, this is a place to be honest, the only reason he has this much slack is because Genie Buss finds Kobe Bryant to
be like another sibling. And Rob Polinka was hired simply because Kobe told her to hire him so it would be like, I don't know, what's that call when it's like just sacrilegious to the dead, like something bad, like bad juju to someone who is like a living legend, and now you know a dead legend. You know he is the only last connection to Kobe is Rob Polinka's agent, slick ass, making stupid move after stupid move.
Ad and Lebron James.
Make too much damn money and don't play nearly enough and don't play nearly well enough when they do play enough for this thing to work. I mean, that's just the case. Even if it was just them, that bubble title we know, we know now it was on shaky ground.
We know that.
The big question now is what to do with Russ and his forty seven million dollars. The options are limited, folks. A lot of chatter from Ad and Russ together about running it back next year, but that, folks, should not happen, and I do not believe it will happen. There are two options, trade him to who or waive him.
On one hand, there are a limited amount.
Of teams that would even consider taking on Russ's contract. One of them apparently is Charlotte, who's stuck with their own albatrosh contract in Gordon Hayward, who has owed sixty million over two years, played forty nine games this year. That is around the same amount as Street close Anthony Davis. There's also John Wall, who has opted into his own forty seven million dollar contract next year with the Rockets. Seems incomprehensible that they would trade one for the other.
So maybe though, we'll be willing to drop their demand for a first rounder for John Wall. And of course the Thunder the place where broken players go to heel, the place where you just send players because they've got a plethora of cap space to just take on your gross oversized inflated players.
They have thirty one million.
In cast space right now and would only need to send back Derek Favors and a salary filler to take him on.
So there are some possible abilities.
But the other option, but also about Charlotte really quickly, a little note I saw on Twitter someone says, what is Russ going to play center for the Hornets?
How is that gonna work? You got Oubray and LaMelo.
I mean, you can't have another person with the ball then needs to have the ball in his hand.
Terry Rosier, scary, Terry.
It's scary hours if Russell Westbrook is there, And I don't mean a good way. The other option, which mark Stein says is also being considered, is for the Lakers to stretch wave Russ. Waving forty seven million seems like an incomprehensible decision, but the stretch provision allows them to pay them. That's some pay him that some over several years, which would lighten the cap.
Hit a bit.
Only having fifteen million dollars each year hit the cap. To me, I don't think Russ goes a goddamn place. I think they wave Russ, and Russ waves off into the sunset, like I think he goes home to his family in La and he has an amazing life. He works on his brand, he works on his philanthropy. Because I think that this is not the business for him.
I don't think that this business of basketball. I don't think he's ready for all that.
I definitely don't think he's willing to hang out without his family in Charlotte.
No fucking chance. Russell Westbrook all year long.
Is getting degraded and like criticized and disparaged, and you ask him about it over and over and he goes, listen, I'm just blessed. I get to go home and see my wife. I get to go home and see my kids on the weekend, and we don't have games, I see my friends. You think he's going to Charlotte, No chance.
I think retirement, That's my guess. And with all of this, Poppin the architect of it all, Lebron ditched the team, ditched them left the building in the third quarter against Phoenix, the same team, the Anthony David.
Which is just sweet justice.
The Anthony Davis said that they would have been able to beat in the first round if it wasn't for injuries.
What's that saying.
I always say, you can't really judge this Lakers roster quite yet until my man Kendrick Nunn gets healthy. And of course Braun's getting murdered in the press. He hasn't said a goddamn thing. Lebron James hasn't said a goddamn thing to the media about the fact that they're not even eligible to go to the postseason any longer.
He told us to keep that same narrative energy and I have, I have.
And now Eric Pinkus is reporting that internally, fingers are pointing at Lebron as well for pressuring the front office to trade Russ all of that to say, things are in disarray.
So how did Lebron.
Respond to all of this chatter by dropping his the shop and saying how much he liked to play with Steph Curry and Luka Doncic. Yep, he's not thinking about making Imagine if you had problems with your wife for a second and like, we want to know what's up with you and her, and then the way you respond to that, the little you know issues and cooperation.
And what's happening with this marriage?
You say, you know, halle Berry is fine as hell, Like I love some halle Berry, Like Jada Pinkett, God did you see her at the Oscars? Holy shit, I'd like to date her. I'd like to be her. August Alcina like.
What excuse me? You have a team Anthony Davis is your teammate.
How are you gonna play with Steph. Why are you even saying this right now? Goodness gracious. The funniest thing this was Steph's response. Steph said, well, he got his wish, he was the captain, and he's picked me for the last two All Star Games. So I don't know if that suffices, but I'm good right now. Whenever you get the interest or curiosity of what it would like to play with arguably the MVP kind of caliber dude, that he is one of the greatest of all time.
Cool, that's amazing. We can all live in that fantasy world.
I mean, just so shady. And on top of that, they've had a rivalry for so long. So the fact that Lebron's come around to the dark side and been like, you know what, I'd actually love to play with Steph, and I love it.
Steph's like he got his wish dot dot dot. I'm good. We can all live in that fantasy world.
Safe to say, Steph has watched all of the teams that have been surrounding Lebron and been like, yeah, I'm fucking out of that mess. And on the top it off, starting on August fourth, Lebron James will be eligible for a two year, ninety seven million dollar extension that would keep him a Laker through twenty twenty four to twenty twenty five. Is there a chance that either the Lakers do not out offer him that contract.
Doubtful or lebron chooses not to sign doubtful.
He can signed during the season next year, so I'm not sure how that roster shakes out before deciding what Thanks for sure, never ever past put it past him to bolt if a better opportunity comes his way. He's happened multiple times before, especially with the statements about the door not being closed on Cleveland and Lebronny James. Like I said, I'm sick and tired about talking about the Lakers, but damn they sure have so much drama that it makes a tough time.
Fitty, best honey, best fucking man.
Let's just not even discussing. Man. OMG, I ain't tripping. I'm gonna let him sleep, I ain't tripping. Let him bless some peace. I can tell you how it happened. I could say you safe house night. It all started back.
To this, this philosophy that all you need is money and acquiring stars are the way to win.
That's that's the issue here, folks. There's now news.
There's now news that has come out with the Knicks that if Tom Thibodeau, the head coach of the Knicks, goes, that Leon Rose, the president of the Knicks, I believe that's his job. There's a bunch of guys upstairs in charge, like you can't really tell what their title is versus what the fuck they do. But Leon Rose, we know uh has been with CIA, He's a former agent and
hand selected TIBs. So that if now the news comes out on s n Y, the number one, you know, Nick's alert place to find things is that if Tibbs goes, then the guillotine is on Leon Rose's neck as well. And then the second piece was, well, okay, if that's the case, do the Knicks have this is where I got it, kind of got this thought. Do the Knicks have the proper people in place to land a star?
Think about that? Think about that?
Do the Knicks have the right people in place to land a star? I question the premise in general. I think the real question is whether the Knicks have the right people and the proper people in place to find potential stars.
In the draft and develop.
Potential stars into stars before you have to pay them like stars. There's definitely smoking here. It's definitely something hazy in here. Because my thought is this acquiring superstar players through free agency or through trade, it rarely works like that is I don't think that that's something that we can do any longer. I don't think that that's as a whole a strategy that is proven to be successful. It usually costs you a quite a bit in terms of cat space and a ton in draft capital to
make it all work. You can't just say, all right, we'll give you some scrubs and we'll get back Kevin Durant.
No way.
Like if I have Kevin Durant, you're gonna need to sweeten things up for me. Of course the money needs to match, But what like, what do I.
Get out of it?
I need your entire future mortgaged? Right, So the whole plan is you have to win now, the win now mode, fuck them picks less sneed mode. But you can't do it unless you're one piece away. And even then, mortgaging the future is a bit dicey. You could end up with the player making forty million dollars a year had
to mortgage your future for him with your picks. No telling if he's even interested in staying with your team long term, no telling if he's healthy and interested for the duration of his contract, No telling if he's even a right fit. Right, I think about the example, we would call him the Golden Goose for the Knicks, Damian Lillard. I would if I was running the Knicks. This is
gonna sound like a hot take. If I was running the Knicks and I am a huge Dame fan, there is no chance I trade for Dame under any circumstance.
At this point.
He's probably about to sign another extension this offseason that would put him and he just signed one like two years ago, so that was a five year deal, and then I'll sign another five year deal so that I'll lock him.
Up until he's in his late thirties.
No one knows at this point whether he's actually truly healthy. He's been dealing with an abdominal issue for years, where just simple sitting and standing and laying down all hurt. Right, that ab issue is real. He's undersized, he doesn't play defense, he's not a particularly great playmaker on like.
An elite level.
Where does that leave you if you were to do that and you had dame time, that would be electric. But where does that leave you? In cap hell for the next seven years? No ability to fix it if it goes wrong with younger, cheaper players because you gave four first rounds up to get him. Because that's what it's gonna cost for that player. He's now no longer viable. You've gotta bench him. He's taking up the cap room and what the fuck are you going to do? See
how that strategy for a long ass time. Now you gotta figure out a way to move him, and then you gotta pay also to move him because everybody knows he's broken.
Do you sound like that? You see what I'm saying?
How this might not be the best thoughts, but this is what teams do. This is fucking crazy. I don't know why I had this revelation, but this is maybe the most insane strategy to build a roster.
And this is what agents do.
This is what agents do, fucking idiots because they don't know how to develop stars.
They only see stars when they are already are them?
Teams consistently focused on just entrenched and entranced on this idea of.
Landing a big star.
Why because it wins headlines. Agents love to win the headlines, asked Rob Polenka. It sells tickets to the fan base. You get to put Dame on your tickets, get to put Dame on your billboards. Dame time coming to MSG this October. You get to tell a fan base you're in and win now mode. Everybody thinks that they're coming to watch winning basketball. Outside a few players in the NBA, and I mean a few, like literally maybe three or five.
One player on a shitty roster added will never put you in win now mode.
It can put you in lose forever mode. Like look at the Calves. Look at the Calves with Kyrie Irving.
And Kyrie Irving is one of the best players in the league, especially his prime when it was just him on the Calves.
That team fucking sucked. That team was trash. It was gonna stay trash.
They needed to add healthy pieces to actually compete. And of course they got Braun and they got a ring. But what do they needed to do? Every time Lebron asked him to sell those picks away and then they couldn't get their own first rounders until they told Lebron know and he bounced.
But it looks good. Buying stars looks good. It's sexy.
It's sexier than the way that the Suns decided to do it. It's sexier than the way that the Grizzlies decided to do it.
And unfortunately for the Knicks, that's a hit for them. Unfortunately, that's it. Unfortunately, this is what they do time and time.
It's like they just keep making the same decisions over and over, Like, can I get an amen? Carmelo, Amari Stefon, Phil Jackson, jo Keem Noah, that shit didn't work. Robin Lopez twenty million a year in the nineties, Latrelle, Alan Houston one of the first players they ever ever gave one hundred million dollars too.
That shit did not work.
And now they're talking Zion, they're talking Donovan Mitchell, they're talking Dame.
Get the fuck out of here, folks. That's not how this shit works. So save me from this headline.
Sn wy, do the Knicks have the right pieces and people in place to land the next star?
The blueprint? The blueprint should have been as follows.
As soon as you knew you were not contending, which was when Trey Young gave you the burth and shook you off at Madison Square Garden and still until then. Right then, you know, okay, folks, we gotta go into damage control mode and tell the world pr wise, we are not going to Can ten like they think we are. We went to the four seed, but that was a fluke. Let's play the youngsters. We know we have youngsters that can develop. Look what happened when they started giving those
youngsters minutes. Obi is now getting a no stop man. Obi Topping is getting twenty a game now. The front office also has not been smart about their free agent moves. Yes, you need them get free agents, but they can't be Evan Fournier.
They can't be Kemba Walker.
Also, yes, you've made good moves in the draft, but sometimes you didn't find the ones that you actually needed. Of course, Deuce Grimes, Jericho Sims all good, but like that, Obie Topping pick bro is something you're gonna regret when you could have gotten Tyrese Halliburton. Tyrese Halliburton was the player you needed and you didn't even evaluate him.
You didn't even look his fucking way.
Obie Topping is good, but you already have juw Randall, how are they going to co exist together? That's a head scratcher, folks. I get the whole like, yeah, it's like Spider Man pointing to each other. That's them, like best case scenario, and you got Mitchell Robinson. How do they all get minutes? You need a point guard, folks, And like, all right, I get the whole best available thing, but you can't even know what you have when you
can't play him on the court. At the same time, and on top of that, RG Barrett, who's a bona fide star, was basically like one from another regime that wasn't you.
And two who the fuck else were you gonna draft?
That was the only pick that made any goddamn sense. It was Zion jaw RJ And then it fell off a cliff. There was no other players in that draft that made any sense. And then of course you traded it first to get Cam Reddish, who was in that same draft that didn't make any sense, only for TIBs not to play him. Then you gave multi year contracts in the offseason to Alec Burks, to Rose, to Nol to Taj get did not Yeah to Taj Gibson did not that was like a consolation prize because he didn't.
You didn't keep Reggie Bullock until you kept the TIBs guide. It's like, oh, we'll just throw you this one. We'll throw you this bone. Didn't go after Demarto Rosen could have had him, didn't go after Lonzo despite everyone knowing that you needed Lonzo. Someone desperately to shoot threes, someone desperately to get a bucket in like clutch time, someone desperately they can play some fucking defense, get a bucket.
And yet here you are. You didn't play any of those players.
You don't see who they are until basically the season was done. You had fifteen games to go and you've got still your asses in the lottery. You did nothing to bring you up another level. None of those guys got any experience under their belts so that next year they come in with a greater skill ability to transcend you to the next level. All of that to say talk about firing TIBs. You can talk about firing Leon Rose. You can talk about do the Knicks have the right
pla pieces in play to land the next star. It's not Randall, it's that philosophy that is going to fuck the Knicks indefinitely until they sort that ship out in their mind.
Time is a flat circle.
Basically, how deep I got it dead for you to pipe down? All the things I've done up until right now, I need a thousand pages just to write it down. Writing down these feelings has been overdue. Don't know how many pants it's gonna take to get over you. How much I got a pin for you to pipe down? How deep I got a dead for you to pipe down?
I will never pipe down.
Likes to be right.
No one likes to pipe up more. Here's the thing, though, They'll tell you when you're wrong. They'll take laps on you when you're wrong.
They'll let you know, get back through the kitchen. This take was wrong, blah blah blah.
So if I'm never gonna be allowed to forget my takes, I'm never going to let you forget my right ones.
And that's where we're at.
So before we dig into who the Toronto Raptors are, let's take a look, folks at my prediction on this podcast October tenth, twenty twenty one, on what I said about the Toronto Rappers. Toronto Raptors, Toronto Raptors. They could be a three seed or they could be a ten seed.
They're back in Toronto.
This team was number two in the Eastern Conference before the league shut down number two in the Eastern Conference in March twenty twenty.
I love what Massaiuzieri does.
They got rid of Kyle Lowry, who is coming up on the contract extension.
He's way too old. They got Scottie Barnes.
Now you've got Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam Bouchet, Gary Trent Junior, precious to Chuia. Every guy is somewhere between sixty five and sixty nine. I love that they're gonna be able to get matchups if they like. They're gonna be able to switch everything. They're gonna be able to play defense, They're gonna be able to shoot. Don't sleep on them, but they can get their chemistry back and Pascal Siaka's not cussing out Nick Nurse on.
The sidelines, then.
They could actually like sneak their way in. I don't sleep on Nick Nurse. Probably one of the best coach teams in the league. And now that they're home, they are going to be a surprised people think they're gonna be a twelve.
I think they're closer to a sixth.
And that's exactly what they fucking are right now. Five six seed, folks, five sixth seed. Yes, I said the Raptors would be a sleeper team. I kept that same energy when they stumbled out the blocks. They were in twelfth place on December twelfth, twenty twenty one. But I did not waver. I would not waiver, And loyalty is rewarded, and in this case, the Raptors are maybe the most
dangerous team in the East. Fifth seed right now, staring down a matchup with Philly where Thible is, Uh, he's on the injury report, but I can't really seem to figure out what ineligible the play means. I think it means he's on vac and he can't take his ass to Canada pretty much until he does. And you need two weeks after you get the shot in order to be fully vaccinated. So it appears that if they see each other.
In the first round or in the second round, it's going to be trouble. Trouble.
And James Harden, by the way, averaging just eighteen a game over his last ten and has looked pretty much awful. And add in the fact that Toronto's two to one against the Sixers this year, including beating a fully healthy Sixers team in Philadelphia just three weeks ago ninety three to eighty eight. This matchup is not something that the Raptors are gonna fear. They held hardened at sixteen. They held Embiid to twenty one on just six of twenty shooting.
You might think to yourself, because I did, how are they gonna stop Embiid while they triple teamed them gott in his head? Remember Nick Nurse held em bead out gotten his head in that playoffs with Kawhi when they ended up going to Game seven and Kawhi hit that insane shot. They're gonna make everyone else beat them. They're gonna basically blitz Joel, make James be a catch and shooter, make Danny Green catch and shoot, and guess what, Tobias
and George Nang not up to the task, Folks. The Raptors are dangerous, not because they just run a set of the same guys out six seven to six' nine at you all, day all. Night they've got six guys that are basically all the. Same not just because they might be the best coach.
Team in The.
East they're dangerous because they've got an, identity and after the bubble and a year in, exile Masaiyu zieri said that threatened to set the team back five. Years this is a team that knows who they are and that makes them. Potent, remember The raptors were projected to win an absurd number of games at thirty.
Five and a. Half thirty five and.
A half was fucking, disrespectful and when they sucked that out of the, gate everybody wrote them.
Off that was a.
Mistake it turns out around The All star break they've turned things, around in part because the five Star Siakam Van, Fleet Trent anenobi and super Rookie Scottie barnes who averaged more minutes actually per game than any other starting five in THE. Nba but this team actually really really started cooking when their bench started making. Moves Fad young that they got in the trade at the, Deadline Chris bouchet
precious To. Chuwia they all started contributing off the, bench and now they've got an eight man rotation instead of a five to six man. Rotation add in the fact that there are teams that are going to be majorly hamstrung crossing the. Border boston currently has two players front court that are, Unvaccinated brooklyn famously Has, kyrie and now it turns out The thighble the unsung, hero and The
sixers defense not been vaccinated as. Well so all of these teams face matchups against The raptors with a serious. Disadvantage the way that things are setting, up it looks Like philly Versus toronto in the first, round with The raptors when they win the, six winning six facing The Brooklyn. Nets, YEAH i, know it might be The Miami, heat which granted is not an ideal match For, toronto but if The nets get it, together they'll end up playing, three
maybe four games In toronto Without. KYRIE i like The raptors in that, spot which Means toronto could easily be in The Eastern conference, finals possibly facing the presumptive favorites in The, east The Boston, celtics who LIKE i, said have two unnamed for now starting players that are. Unvaccinated see how this all shakes, Out canada best home court advantage in THE.
Nba do not sleep on These.
Raptors they might be the biggest surprise of the. Playoffs that's all the time that we have for the Heat. Check we will be Back monday with a new episode preparing you for the. Playoffs do not forget to subscribe and tell all of your. Friends follow us on social ad at this heat check and At Trista, creek On TikTok
Samama and The Cato apartment