Welcome in into NBA Pulster production of iHeartRadio in the NBA. I'm Saracustack, NBA analyst for the Yes Network, and today is Friday Marsh firsts from our extraordinary core group of NBA journalists. We're joined now by NBA dot Com senior writer Michael c Right out with a fresh MVP ladder, although Michael has been pretty consistent here for quite some time. At the number one spot is Nicola Jokic. Number two Shay Gildas Alexander the Oklahoma City Thunder. Number three is
Giannis Atta Kumpo. Jason Tatum pops up to number four, and Luka Doncic rounds out the top five. We're gonna dig a little bit more into your MVP ladder. But Michael, you've been You've been on Wemby Watched since the beginning.
That is in your neck of the woods.
We had an extraordinary game last night between the San Antonio Spurs the Oklahoma City Thunder, the third time that these teams have met.
It was a one thirty two, one eighteen victory.
The Fires please guy.
By the Spurs snapping the Thunder six game winning streak. But the fun part of this Victor Webbenyama, Chet Holmgren. Watching those two come together, I'm not sure we're talking MVP Ladder. I'm not sure where your Rookie of the Year thoughts were at, but I think with the performance last night, Wenby just continues to to seal things in such a impressive significant way. Twenty eight points, thirteen rebounds,
seven assists, five blocks, two steals. It was a back and forth game, but he had a couple of clutch, clutch plays and impactful ones in handful of sequences down the stretch that helped sealed win.
Well back of the tree, get out of here. O, My goodness, I wish some Paris.
Michael having watched him, and I know we all have caught glimpses called highlights watch games, but I'm not sure everyone has been as locked in with the Spurs as you have and with Victor at this point of the season, given all the hype coming into what he was going
to be and become. What has stood out to you most about his evolution throughout the course of this season and how despite not necessarily winning and being very very honest and vocal about kind of where he feels, what he wants, how he wants the team organization himself to continue to improve. What stood out to you most about his progression and getting to the point he's at right now.
Well, Sarah, I think I would say that, you know, you talk to anybody in the Spurs organization in that building, everybody thought that you would see Knights where he would just look like an absolute superstar, and then other nights he looked like a rookie. And he's looked like a superstar much all season long, and so I think in that respect, he has surpassed expectations for pretty much everybody
involved with the Spurs. So it's almost like, Okay, well, we thought that this year would be this development, developmental year for Winby and the whole team, but now it's sort of like they're having organizationally, they're having to say, Okay, we might need to press fast forward on this rebuild. We might need to accelerate it a little bit, because Victor winbin Yama is a much better player than we thought he was number one and number.
Two, he's just rapidly developing.
You know, I've really enjoyed watching the guy's progression. Last night, it was just I wish you would have been there, Sarah.
It was nuts.
I'm serious. So, you know, he goes down the court hits a couple of three pointers. It was like the last three minutes of the game. And then after that last three they come back down the cord on the other end and Chet you know, tries to hit Winby with the step back and Winby blocks it and sort of sends check Homegren flying back and where he just lands right on his butt. I mean, the crowd goes crazy.
We're talking about a crowd, sellout crowd, by the way, and there's been pretty much all sellouts ever since when Ben Yama came to town. Uh, sellout crowd. They're going crazy. And then after the game, I love the spontaneous reaction from Victor Wimbyama. You know, they give him the microphone, they ask him. I don't even know what the question was, and all he said was I missed this bleep. And the crowd just goes crazy because you know, they haven't
been in San Antonio in over a month. They've been on that rodeo road trip. They come back when this big game and that's what he says, and the crowd goes crazy. And then he said let's get a Godspurs go chant going, and so they do, the Gospurs go chant, and the whole crowd.
Just ate it up.
And I think that the fans really sort of embraced that honesty, that spontaneity, that youth that you know, just that feeling of like it's a big deal when we win and I want everybody to celebrate with me. That sort of thing is really, I guess, uh, what what the fans wanted here in San Antonio. I mean, there's whole generations of Spurs fans that don't know what it's like to be in this situation that they're in right now,
not going to the playoffs, not contending for championships. So by and large, he's brought hope back to the organization and I think that's only a positive for not only the Spurs, but the entire NBA.
Yeah, incredible to hear, to watch, the witness all of those things. And I think to your point about the buying about the crowd in the Spurs fan base, I think the interesting thing to watch and you mentioned a playoff experience, you got two contrasting individuals and chet Hoolmgren the piece he's going to play for Oklahoma City, a championship, a championship aspiring team, a playoff ready team, and then on the flip side of things, the Spurs third worst
record in the NBA. Obviously that that's a big aspect of where you want to see the direction of this organization headed. But with that being said, I think so much when you talk about MVP conversations, it comes down to, Okay, what is the team doing, how how is a player impacting winning? When do you think Victor wenbin Yama will actually be able to put himself in a true MVP discussion?
I would say as soon as the Spurs put themselves at least that in that territory where they're fighting for at least a play in spot where they're around seven eight nine in the West. And that's another interesting aspect of all this because you know, I mentioned that, you know you have to or they're going to have to sort of hit fast forward on this schedule of rebuilding.
But like you look at that.
Roster right now, and I was talking to somebody in the organization last night about it. I could see half those players on that Spurs roster not here next year because again, they have to sort of speed up the development, and now they don't have time to wait on these
young guys. So I think that you know San Antonio that like, if you look at what they have in terms of assets, draft picks, things like that, cap space, they have a chance if they want to to sort of go make a run in some real players, you know, real players that can help them sooner rather than later. And so maybe they can go and get a star to play alongside women Yama. You've heard all the rumors
about Trey Young possibly come to San Antonio. All those things are our situations that I think the organization is pondering. And if you get a couple of events in here and you pair them with wimben Yama and some of the other young guys that they feel like they can move forward with, now you're in a situation where Victor wimbin Yama can win MVPs because the San Antonio Spurs would be in contentment at that point at least for a playoff.
Spot without a doubt.
And with that being said, on the other side of the court was Oklahoma City Thunder who their rise and they're build with the core that they have. The young pieces obviously hit on a bunch of draft picks. We're talking about Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams has been tremendous. You can go on about how they all fit together, but shake Gildas Alexander is ahead of that snake, and he's someone who has had a steady rise throughout the course of his young career now in the sixth year in
the league. Had always impressed. But because of Oklahoma City Thunder, they they have been dangling around the top of the Western Conference for the entirety of the season. Currentlys at the game back of Minnesota right now in that second place spot in the West.
But he's been extraordinary.
I mean you look at not only the numbers that he's put up each and every night, the consistency of it, and again the driving force behind what this Thunder team has been able to do. Right behind Jokic obviously Denver, Denver is coming Denver's half game behind Oklahoma City, and Jokic has been doing Yokich things the entire season. But how realistic do you think it is for Shaef if Oklahoma City continues to play this way for Shay to win the MVP this season?
Well, Sarah, you tell me because when you know, when you look at this, this, this the MVP race sort of coincides with the race in the West right now, because right now, yeah, yeah, the Oklahoma City Thunder I think, are game up on the Denver Nuggets, or they're actually.
Just a half game up, just a half game, yeah.
And so what the Nuggets are coming?
They are you know, they kind of chilled for a little while, like, oh yeah, yeah, you know, we're the defending champs. We have what it takes to do what we need to do when it's time to do it. And then you look at what they're doing right now. I'm talking about the Nuggets. They're five and ohs and it's all Star break. So it's not like the Nuggets don't have a real shot. It's sort of taking over, you know, the lead in the West. And I think if that happens, that sort of solidifies the MVP for
Nicola Yokics. But let's say that Oklahoma City finds a way to end up winning that West or just just coming in the top two, maybe even ahead of Denver, then to me, the balance maybe tilts towards Shake gildg just Alexander, I mean, because the kids got like forty four thirty point games.
He's got more more than it's unbelievable. Yes, he's averaging just over thirty one, enough to say that's not.
A lot, but it's it is the consistency of how he's putting up those numbers.
Thirty nine from three.
Yeah, have you ever just like spent time just sort of looking at his game by game stat lines. It's like he gives you the same thing every night.
Every look at last night, thirty one, six and three, Like that's what's it's it's always you're right, you know. And I think for a player of not to say, but I mentioned it's six year in the league, twenty five years old. The consistency you get out of someone relatively speaking that young, Yeah, to perform, you know. And
it's how he operates and commands the entire offense. There are so many things about his game that I think the intelligence he brings to the table and the sophistication of his understanding on both ends of them, both ends of the floor. Say that again, I think, yeah, but I don't.
I don't know.
Oh, Like, if it is that simple as who has a better record, who wins, who wins.
The West, who's at the top of the West.
If it becomes that, if that becomes a deciding factor between a player like him Jokic right right.
And then same thing with you.
You look at Jason Tatum like he gets really no love in the whole MVP conversation, and then I just keep looking and saying, well, the Boston Celtics are rolling, They've got a huge lead on the rest of the East, and we don't even give him credit for what he's doing. I mean, he's shooting a three pointer better than he has in quite a while. I think his assists numbers right now, he's sitting at a career high it assists
per game. But because he doesn't have the gaudy numbers that the other guys ahead of him do, it's like they just everybody just sort of ignores him. But I can't ignore the fact that Boston has played as well as well as they have. It's twenty seventy three at home, a big game against the Dallas Mavericks tonight, and I think if he can come out on top, the Celtics
can come out on top of that game. I think that sort of, you know, reinforces the notion that maybe he deserves to be a little higher than Luka doncs. Does you know at this point on the MVP ladder, it's all there's a lot of stuff going on right now and just it's all fun to watch there you know how it goes.
I mean, it is fun to watch.
It is fun to watch, and I think for all of us who you kind of look at this. We got the Olympics coming up in Paris, a lot of discussion between international players, US players, lass American born player James Harden to win an MVP. So I think Jason Tatum when you kind of look at where things shake out,
maybe the next person. The only thing I'll say about that before we get to a break is that with Jason Tatum, obviously you look at this Boston Celtics team and they are running away with things, but you also have a bunch of former All Stars, current All Stars those he's playing around, and the on off numbers are that different when Tatum is not playing, And so I think sometimes you look at look at Tim Jokic being a guy an example last year where that it just
entirely falls off when it's not on the fall and with exactly exactly and Tatum, And it's not to say that he's not having but that's why I think you you appropriately you appropriately have. He absolutely should be in the discussion, but I think there's there's an appropriate place for that of the contribution speaking of a former MVP and man one that is still playing like it. Father time cannot catch him, Lebron James. We're gonna get to him right.
After the break.
Welcome back to me, Pulsara Kusak joined by the great Michael c Right, Michael new MVP ladder out.
Lebron James is not currently on the ladder, but man.
He keeps doing things that that never cease to amaze us. With his age, his tenure in the league, the minutes, the miles, it does not matter. He is nine points away being the first player to ever reach the forty thousand point mark. Incredible to think about already the all time score in league history, but I think even more impressive fun for all of us to watch Los Angeles Clippers LA Lakers. Everyone can kind of have a discussion about what that rivalry is or what that really means
between those two teams. But the Lakers are coming into the fourth quarter the other night down twenty one points. They were down twenty one points early on in that fourth quarter, and Lebron James just goes off nineteen, has five threes in that quarter, finishes with thirty four points.
When you look at Lebron James, what he's doing at this point, I think we've all described it in different ways, continued to be odd and oppressed, but in terms of where he's at with his play, all the talk we have about this Lakers team, how do you see this season continuing to play out, not only for him in what he wants to accomplish, but where things sit the Lakers now currently sitting in that nice spot in the
Western Conference. How do you see his progression and kind of trajectory as this season finishes off in comparison with the expectations of this Lakers team.
Well, I will say Sarah that first off, let's appreciate greatness when we see it. Let's just appreciate it because it's not going to be around here forever. You know, Like Lebron James still has the he has the determination, the basketball like you, the physical skill set, He's got all those attributes that on any given night he can sort of conjure up that that want to and say, Okay, I'm going to be the best player on the planet tonight.
He can do that.
But the problem I think Sarah with that is that he can no longer do it every night the way.
He used to be able to.
And so when you look at that with how it plays with the team and its expectations and goals for this season, I am just not sure. I don't know if he's gonna have it every night because it's gonna be tough to come back from that nice spot and this is the last place they want to be, by the way, because you you're right there and play in territory. So then you're going to have to really battle just to get into the postseason if you have to play
in the playing tournament. And to me, that's extra games, that's extra mileage, minutes. You know, there's just to wear and tear on your body. And then you know, you just look at some of the weird stats, like I was sort of looking at what the Lakers have been doing, and you know, last night, for instance, it was a third time this season that both Lebron and Ady put up thirty points in the same game. Do you realize the Lakers have a one to two record.
When that happens, that's wild, right, that is wild.
Yes, what I.
Means the supporting cast needs to step up. Lebron is doing his part, Ad is doing his part, but they need some of these other guys to step up, and you know, just just make appropriate contributions because those guys just can't can't, you know, just give you everything every night. So that's sort of the way I look at it. I mean, you look at that Clippers game from the other night. It was classic Lebron. He was hunting matchups, he was And the funny thing about it, he was
hunting matchups. And you know, there's always that threat with Lebron James that he's gonna get to the Cup. But against the Clippers, let's be real here, he settled a lot of times for three pointers, but he was hitting him. So, you know, like I said, I just want everybody to appreciate this greatness that we're seeing right now. It's not gonna be around forever, and I think, you know, I think he's gonna call it quits here in the next
you know, maybe three years or so. I don't I don't think we're far all through Lebron deciding to hang it up. So yeah, let's appreciate it.
I feel you, I feel you.
It feels like it's never gonna end, but all things do, and to your point, it's it's an absolute blessing again to watch him for all of us basketball fans, Michael, As always, we appreciate your time. We'll continue to read, watch all your good stuff on NBA dot com and NBA TV, and until next time, we'll see you.
Then, all right, Sarah, I have a good one.
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