Michael C. Wright on MVP Ladder, AD and Lakers down, KD and Nets up

face off tonight. Plus we'll talk Kevin Durant in the Brooklyn Nets says he makes his first appearance in the top five of the m v P Ladder. Michael, thanks for joining us. Not a problems. Good to see you again. Good to see you. It's been a minute. It's been a minute. And speaking of being a minute, I think we last saw each other back in that first round series between the Boston Celtics and the Brooklyn Nets. So real quickly, take a look at your m v P

Ladder for today. Jason Tatum stays at number one, Janice at number two. As I meant, Nicola Yoki's jumping up to that number three spot. John Murant at number four and Kevin Durant at number five. But I want to start with I mentioned Anthony Davis, who falls to the ten spot. Is it's been a little rough go for the Lakers, and in particular Anthony Davis at the line opportunities with their last two losses in overtime. Um, tell me a little bit more about what you've seen on

a D and in the reason for his fall. Well, first though, the I mean he hasn't been high on the ladder anyway, just because of the fact that the Lakers are not really in contention. I mean, you know, I mean you would like if you look at m VP voting, like if you're in the mixed War, play against but typically you're not gonna win, and you know you gotta be up there in the top four or five.

And so with a D, I mean, look, I was just looking at like sort of his last three or four games, thirty seven points, thirty four points, thirty one. You have these monster performances and then you lose games because you missed a free throw. That's a tough part, it is, it is, and you know that it's like really eating it him because he knows what he's doing.

And he knows what the Lakers are capable of when they play like they can play, and you know, for you to miss free throws, and we're talking about them playing against a couple of the league's best teams Boston, you know, the seventy sixers. Those are good teams, and you're blowing opportunities there, and I think that that sort of knocks you down a little bit on the ladder because his peers on this list, they're all also putting

up Barker stats. Yeah, you mentioned those stats. I mean, and it's been wild to see and and this has been for him, you know, a stretch where you look at the numbers and it's so impressive with how he's played, how he's scored. I think just the ownership and authority that he's taken. Um. But Lakers haven't dropped four of the last five, just got the overtime loss and Joyce and coming from behind him. Where where's your youll on them? Um?

We'll get to this game against stan for in just a minute, but where's your your feel on the trajectory of this team? And look like they were starting to put the pieces together, maybe just a little bit um, but it's been back to a slide. It has been, but I don't know why. I mean, maybe it's just a good feel, but I think that they're sort of figuring it out. You know, they're figuring out, you know,

what their capabilities are. I mean, you look at Russell Westbrook, like the way he's been playing off the bench for the Lakers. Okay, we we finally figured that that part of it out. And you know, they've got a bunch of veterans that you know, in my opinion, they're sort of their fighters, and so they're not gonna just sort of sit back on their laurels and and just let the season go to waste. And anytime you have Lebron James on your team, you have to be in the

business of trying to get a championship. And they are not gonna blow that opportunity. Yeah, So they lay Denver tonight. Denver visits Los Angeles, and we had mentioned Nicolaioki jumps up to number three. Denver has been interesting too because they hit won four straight, they lost three. Now they're on a three game winning streak. UH sitting third in the West, despite though that the West is so tight,

especially there in the middle. UH, what about Yoki? What's impressed to you about how Yoki has played and how he's helped Denver to play lately. He's a sinner. He's a sinner, and he's one two straight m vps and to me, he's I mean, he's averaging almost a triple double, and like it is not fair at all. It's not fair. I hate this. But it's almost like here's this voter fatigue thing going on with him and he's like gonna have to put together like his like a career year.

Does it remind you of Janice? I mean, is this is this the same with the whether it's voter fatigue, whatever, you look at the expectations of Okay, you you did this last season, how are you going to elevate it? Do you think there's a similar with the MVP voting? Definitely,

And you can throw Kevin Durant in that too. I mean, like, these guys do do this amazing stuff, and then there's almost like this expectation that that it always has to happen for them to even have a shot at winning the m v P. But in Yoka, just in his specific case again averaging almost a triple double, Clipton the barrier, a new season high for joking. The last couple of years, the narrative had always been, well, you know, he doesn't have you know, all of his guys, you know Michael

Ford Jr. He's heard, you know, Jamal Murray. That was the narrative. Well he's got all those guys back now, and he's still putting up those numbers. I mean the scoring isn't it high, but just across the board, I mean, it's just amazing. And he's averaging a career high right now in assist so to me, like, it's not fair at all. And who's gonna want to vote him as the as the first m v P first three times in a row m VP since Larry Bird. Who's gonna have the guts to do it? I don't know. It's

gonna be interesting the conversation. Who I think I'll also kind of parlays into defense. What happens to the defensive side of the floor. That's an aspect we're gonna see tonight. Anthony Davis. Of course, you know the presence he brings there. Give me, give me your pick, tell me what happens. What happens tonight between Lakers Nuggets A D. And oh man, I don't know. I don't know. I think Anthony Davis

because they've had a two day rest. Today will be a two day rest of them and A D is gonna come out motivated to to, you know, just sort of make up for those those last two losses. And also, if I'm not mistaken, Anthony Davis actually has a leinning record and head to head matchups with NICOLEA. Yoki, so that will be interesting to see. But yeah, it'll be a fun match up for sure. Putting all the tough

questions on you. We've got some more coming up. We're gonna take a quick break and then talk about someone I get to see thankfully on a nightly basis, Kevin Durant, who moved into your top five. Don't go anywhere, all right, We're back on the NBA Pulse with Michael c Right talking about Yorkia m v P Ladder and Michael. Kevin Durant moves into the top five for the first time the season. He has been putting up just some crazy numbers. Uh. What's impressed me most has been the efficiency of which

he's doing it with. But it's got the nuts playing well. Uh, tell me more about Durant and and what made this be the day the week that he made the jump. Well, you know what, Sarah, I was late to the party. Let's be real here. I was late to the party because you know, Um, like you mentioned earlier, the last time that we saw one another was like in Boston, and I think and and it was just it was

an ugly vibe with that team at that point. You know, they got swept and then you know, you go through the summer and everything has happened with this team and to see them bounce back and get near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Um, it's it's been amazing. And we always talked about with this award narrative, Well that's a part of the narrative. You know, you switched coaches.

You've gone through everything with Kyrie Irving, with Ben Simmons, there's been a lot, and Kevin Durant has been like the stadium influence. And what I like about Brooklyn right now with Kevin Durant because he's showing exceptional leadership. But what I really like is we have not seen the best Brooklyn Nets team just yet. I don't think they peaked yet. It's I I agree with that. I also think just collectively you mentioned that they they're getting some

guys back healthy that had been injured. UM, more of just continuity within the rotation. Jack Van has done an extraordinary job just pushing all the right buttons. Not only his attitude, but I think in game adjustments is something. Um. Do you think Kevin Durant the points are there. Um, what he's been doing on the defensive end has been a big reason for how this team has thrived. His ability to assist and facilitate is something that I think has really moved to a different level. Do you think

he can win M v P this season? I think if Brooklyn stays where they are, or at least just maintains that for this next couple of months, and he keeps playing the way he's playing, he definitely has to be in the conversation. And again, just like what we talked about with you know who who was at Yokis with the voter fatigued, I think you get that with with Katie with Janice, and it's not fair at all because what they're doing is just amazing. And so with

Kevin Durant and the way Kyrie Irving. You know, he's kind of he's really come along too. The way those guys are playing, they're gonna have a shot at being real contenders in the Eastern Conference. Durant has played forty one minutes tonight from the floor for three going at can he get fifty yet? One for Kevin Durant killing for you to deny Kevin Durant just based off his pass and I'm talking about you know, his previous MVP.

Come on, come on, let's let this man, Let let this man eat, let him let him live, because he's been playing so well and it's been fun to watch. Really does so entertaining with I mentioned it talking about your kitchen. We've heard this, Joel Janice, Listen, how much do you think both sides we've seen extraordinary offensive numbers, historic numbers in many cases four teams, and what guys

are scoring, how many guys are putting up big numbers? Uh, how do you think that potentially factors in this season just given the explosion of offense and or if there is more weight put onto what these guys are doing

at the other end of the floor. Well, I'm gonna go back to an interview that Stephen Curry did a couple of weeks ago and he was asked about, you know, just being a part of the m v P conversation and and I loved his his he had a really practical view of it, and it was, Look, when you start talking about m vps, you're talking about the best layers on the best teams. Those are the ones that

you talked about first. And then beyond that, now you start going to people that haven't like really impressive individual numbers. So I like this take on it because I think that's the way it should go. I think it should be about winning. I think you you know you you're you're an m v P on a ninth place scene. No,

it should not be the case. Winning has to matter in this and that's part of why, like Kevin Durant, why he is he jumped all the way in there at number five because they won with eight of their their last ten games, and then six of those games he's had like thirty one plus points. He deserves to be there, and like I said, it's the winning that matters. All right, Well, we know it is only December, so we got a long way to go. But I love

to talk appreciate your time. Michael C. Wright. We'll be checking out your m v P Ladder and all the other good stuff throughout the course of this year, and we'll see you in a couple of weeks as well. Thanks for being here with us, no problem alright. On Monday, Mark mcdea with the biggest news from the weekend. He will join me and be a pulse with Syracuse. Dock is a production of the NBA and I Heart Radio.

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