Well, well, well, they said they couldn't be done. I said they couldn't be done. It's hard, it couldn't be done. It's fine. It's fine because guess what, it's episode one oh two and the Celtics just keep on winning. The Thunder are the second hottest team in the league. And don't even ask about our Lakers right now. Just don't
about that. Not my Lakers couldn't be me. I don't know what more and Princes is doing, but anyway, we'll take a trip around the league and discuss the state of the New York k Mickrobockers with Bleacher Reports damn BA Valley on today's episode. I'm Miles Gray and I'm Jack O'Brien and this is my mile check comn.
Sorry guy, looks, okay, there you.
Go, driving Spinny the five is gonna try another three, mister. Look God damp a Valley riter for Bleat Tripport, host of Hardwood Knocks podcast, Welcome back for your fourth or fifth appearance.
I feel like on the show one of our one of our favorite guests. Man, yeah, get the jacket, get the jacket out. Yah, yeah, yeah, we got to get up a jacket for sure.
We got to get a jacket. How you doing.
I'm excited that you guys keep making terrible decisions and bringing me back on. So it's always a pleasure to be invited back. And I'm currently admiring in the background. I never why have I never seen the Woo York Next jersey behind you before?
Oh yeah, that's a little little mashup of my favorite things obviously as a as a big Wu Tang fan and the Knicks general colorway. I had to I had to cop that. I got that at a during NBA Con actually when we were there in the summer, because they had they had those like wrap mashup jerseys, and I was like, yep, yep, that's all me, that's all me.
That's an increase in the back on the back, thirty six shoul In. It's a it's like, it's got the whole thing.
It's got the whole thing, from about thirty six Chambers to Mitchell and nets joint, you know. So that's it's a fish. It's a fish. You know, wouldn't be rocking some some fake gear over here. But yeah, and I had to put it.
I put it front and center because obviously it's time to talk to.
Knicks Nick thirty six wins by the time people are listening to this, Yeah, well the ten plan is thirty six Chambers my Knicks current three on the year over the last ten.
Yeah, what what? Damn?
What?
Why is Jalen Brunson not in like the real MVP conversation in any like meaningful way? You know?
I really think it's because that Jokic and Shay and Luca have just been otherworldly on a different level.
Hard to get in there.
Huh.
Yeah, it's just I mean, he might.
I think he has a chance to finish fifth on some ballots, right and depending on where the Nicks finished with their seating, especially like now you have the anecdotal bump which everyone does care about of oh Julius Randall miss all this time, they didn't have Mitchell Robinson and OG's out.
But as you kind of you guys.
Mentioned the top of this four and six in their last ten, they are very banged up, including Jon Brunton isn't playing against the Pelicans on Tuesday night.
So yeah, what was that?
Is like a clavigal sensitivity modulation.
I had not seen that kind of assessment before.
Yeah, I have no idea I didn't even know that he was necessarily dealing with it or when it happened. So yeah, I mean, and they're just now they're missing four starters like a're just dealing with injuries that because people forget that Mitchell Robinson exists.
And there's a chance that I don't.
Know if you guys saw, but Tim's was talking about like Julius Randall might actually still need surgery and like his season, they're trying to bring him back, but the season could be over and even if he does come back because of the shoulder injury.
And like how like shoulders are just fickle, what.
Does he look like like when he's trying to play through a shoulder injury that may eventually need to be surgically repaired over the offseason. That's gonna be The Knicks looks so good on paper now because the moves they've made. I'm just curious whether we're ever gonna see the full product before this out.
Yeah, because yeah, he, like Julius Randall has said, like I want to play through the pain. I don't want to get surgery. I feel what's our feeling on that kind of mindset when it comes to those kinds of injuries, Like what's what's the over under on, like successfully playing through the injury without exacerbating it to the point where you're like, man, I should have just got the surgery. I should have just waited.
P I can tell you is what I'd do. I'd play through it because I'm tough. There you go, Okay, yeah, because I mean you see how much these guys are paid.
Come on, Here's here's the thing, Jack, those those checks are clear in either way. Yeah, I'm prioritizing my long term health here right. Yeah, he's got a new contract that's gonna have to come up soon. So if it needs surgery, I just and and if you're hurt, isn't there more of a chance of you just damaging your value by playing poorly? And yet another postseason where I had built in excuses where it's, oh, you were injured, oh r J. Barrett was our second offensive option or whatever.
And now you're on an actual good team with pretty lofty expectations at this point, if I'm Julius and like, I understand the mindset, and I'm not in the locker room he wants to beat up for his teammates and this and that, But if it needs surgery, Like, I'm not trying to I'm not trying to play through it. I'm going under the knife and I'm trying to heal up as soon as possible.
Right.
Do you want to be able to high five your kids?
You know?
Right?
Right?
You don't want things like.
I want to be able to shigne my next contract without.
Any pain, right right, exactly, without like in a cast and using all my like rib rotator like hip rotation to do a signature.
Yeah, I mean the I mean with Julius randall out, I mean.
Josh hart Man, He's what'd you think of that? What'd you think of that? The Detroit Pistons game, because that, you know, that ended on a bit of a controversial note with Josh hart winning it at the end and some fouls.
I don't know how they missed that call, but I'm sure you guys throw The entire twenty seconds that led up to that point was just so.
Yeah, they didn't cohe it.
I don't know, but just.
When you go back and watch the replay, you've literally Dante DiVincenzo taking out like two knees.
Not even just one. It's like you even dual.
Towarn A cls on that play, and I always wonder, I mean, the Pistons, they probably won't be the worst team in NBA history, Like if they just want another epic losing streak at the game that they probably should have won it.
Yeah, road that, I feel like there were some questionable calls at the end because that Paolo move was I've heard people make the argument that it wasn't a travel. That argument has not made sense to me as of, Yeah, but wasn't that wasn't that against Detroit the Polo game winner?
Or about the travel?
Yeah?
Oh yeah, I think so.
Their explanation was really funny on that too.
It was just like they just basically recited what happened, and just like it didn't provide any clarity on why.
He was gathering first, so they kind of gathered and then took a step and then that one he moved that foot, but the other foot. But just a couple of tough breaks for the Pistons who are trying to avoid ignanimity. Yeah, on the other side of things, Oh.
Wait, quick question, I've heard I have a friend who's a Knicks fan and he's like Jalen Brunson Man like he's in the goat conversation for the Knicks. I'm telling you, I love this guy.
I love this guy.
I'm pretty sure I thought Clyde Frazier.
Uh, I've seen as as y'all's goat. But where where do you?
Where do you?
Where is Jalen Brunson. Where's he in the mix in terms of storied Nick or Bocker players?
Man, I mean he's even played two full seasons there. Yeah, Like, I just I don't even know where.
Like, I think you could have a discussion where it's when we look back, is there a chance that Jalen Brunson was a better nick than Carmelo Anthony?
Right, Myles's friend is five years old. So that's important for you, uh, for context, for all purposes. If he's able to take them to a title, uh, take them to a couple of titles over the next you know, during his career retire, become the most entertaining broadcaster in the history of New York Knicks basketball. So making up write a book about how to be Cool where he explains how to catch flies with your hand and then
shake them up and then release them. Then I think we can start having the conversation about him, the Clyde Fraser. There was a there was a report on like the various phrases, the Clyde Fraser is averaging this season, and I was really disappointed that spinning and winning was not on there. Like spinning and winning, I guess has fallen out of the rotation. That's my favorite, I think.
I mean, that's actually shocking.
But I will say him calling fewer games probably hurts.
Average usage per game. And we've got a dishing and swishing at one point two per game. Yeah, see the ball ser man. I mean that's just something that people say I needed to rhyme to be an official client frasierism, moving and grooving, posting and toasting. Is he wheeling and dealing? That's not his slicing and dicing? I remember hacking and whacking was No, he's we're down at point five to seven a game, stumbling and bumbling. That's not necessarily his.
But the at the very bottom of the list, this one couldn't be more Walt Fraser bounding and astounding. Oh that's okay, Clyde. Yeah, bounding and spinning and winning was oh man, such a such a genius. And then when he would throw it. Is he on the end?
Right?
Is this the iambic pentameter? But what a man? True classic shout out to my roommate in New York at the time, Sean and I would just sit there and watch every next game and just be like, is he it's anybody else seeing this guy's.
Coming from outer space with these these lines?
Yeah, more of the story's he's better than Jalen Brunson.
There you go, easy well, And I think this is also coming from a place as someone who just anytime the Knicks start doing well, like his circuits get fried and he's like, dude, this is it and it's like glensanity man, And I was like, easy, easy, easy, easy.
Let's take it one. Let's take it a year at a time.
Can you even imagine the inflammatory things that will be said when whoever the best player is on the Knicks when they end their like five decade championship drought, Like, the stuff that's going to be said about the best guy on that team is.
Just to be wild, astounding and bounding.
All right, let's take a quick break and we'll come back, and we are going to talk about the Celtics. Honest, Historically, great Celtics team. I think we have to, we have to acknowledge it.
We'll be right back, and we're back.
We're back.
I entered the season thinking it was Denver versus the field, starting to feel like it is more and more taking nothing away from Denver. I think they're still, you know, the most likely to come out of the West. The Celtics are the tenth best. They have the tenth best net rating in NBA history. All of those teams except for two, won the NBA Championship, and one of them was the twenty fifteen sixteen Warriors. And those were teams that, like Lebron beat in the finals, like at his at
the peak of his powers. They're like historically great right in the net rating.
And the teams that didn't do it were Lebron. James defeated them.
Yes, Lebron. The teams that were in the top ten and didn't win the title, everybody else in that top ten boll won the championship for the Laker.
This is I'm actually liking what I'm hearing.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, this is great.
This is great.
But I'm currently at a position, you know, as a you know, fan of the league, fan of the Sixers, but you know, we're kind of on a break, and then fan of like whoever the Celtics are playing, I'm currently rooting for Denver to win so that they can get home court, like on the off chance that they can win enough games to catch up to the Celtics. But the Celtics are. They're on pace for a sixty five win season. They like they're nine and one over the last ten. I think they're eight in front of
like the second place team. They're just running away with it. Third in defensive efficiency, highest point differential twenty six and three at home, ten games over five hundred on the road so far, just destroying everybody. I don't know that anyone in the East matches up well with them.
No, I mean when you look at their their record against Eastern Conference teams, if they win against the Sixers as of this recording, they will have gone a calendar a full calendar year without a home conference loss.
Yeah, oh wow, I did not know that.
That's I guess.
That's cool for them.
But I mean, like, the one thing I'm curious about too is just talking about like MVP stuff. What Tatum is like fifth like on the ladder and yeah, like but everyone's just sort of like what what Like a lot of people like what's it kind of take? And I think I get there's always like, well what about the best player on the best team, But I don't think.
It's that simple anymore.
Yeah, their team is absolutely stacked. Like I feel like Brad Stevens deserves, you know, consideration for Executive of the Year, like for sure, but I didn't. I feel like they're just really They've added two pieces that were like apparently like I didn't realize this, but were exactly what they needed, right, I mean, Holliday add a sense. Yeah, I wasn't catching all his games before.
I was not high on the South this coming into this season. I think they might have been the team I was most wrong about this year. I thought the offense was gonna be at a playmaking deficit, and you just have Derek White and Drew Holliday, the stuff that you're able to do without Horford Porzing has been way
healthier than I thought he's going to be. He's been able to adjust this kind of his role where you're plug and play but we'll let you punish some mismatches really well, and what they've done defensively is just absolutely ruined lives and Derek White, he's not gonna win because Rudy Gobert exists, but like he probably should be second or third on the defensive Player of the Year ballot when you look at just the defensive workload he shoulders
and you guys mentioned and how just terrifying they are. There's not I have the Nuggets still winning the title, but like there's no argument that the Celtics have the
best top six in basketball. Like you just look at their starting five and then Al Horford, who's still just doing things at his age coming off the bench, and there's like some questions about some of the other guys, but you can piece meal like a seventh, eighth, ninth man rotation together pretty easily when you look at all the options that are on the dead, like even getting Xavier Tilmut at the trade, and like that's just absolutely
massive for them. And so I was so wrong, And there's no good argument I think right now for to say why they wouldn't win the title or at least come out of the East.
Uh.
But I do really just wonder what their offense will look like come playoff time. They've cleaned up a lot of their crunch time issues this year, but they're still just like they don't have a ton of like above average floor generalship on this team, Like Drew Holliday's not
that guy? Why it's not that guy? I think the thing that is keeping Tatum out of the tippy top of the MVP discussion is one, he's not going to shoulder the same level of defensive workload as a Yiannis just because you have a Derek White, you have a Drew Holliday on your team, but also just you're not going to be the same level of playmaker as Shay Jokic Luca of course. And is that a function of the roster or the limitations of his game. I think it's more so it's about the roster, but we've seen
it in the playoffs. It can be a limitation of his game as well. And that's still my biggest question for them. But it's just as I voice it, just given what they've done this season, I don't know that I really believe it.
Right, Yeah, Yeah, that's what that was kind of. I was like, there's still something off, you know, maybe like Tatum just doesn't have that instinct that's going to like put people in the ground and like he still settles for too many threes. But like the more just looking at like how like where they stack up historically, Like they're on the list with teams that won the title
and were memorable. They're like the teams you remember from the decade that they've played in, you know, like that, Or they are on there with like two teams that were historically great and then lost to like amazing Lebron James team performances in the finals, like two of those. But it's it's starting to get to a place where it's like, oh man, they're like whatever we're hoping doesn't
doesn't work out for them in the playoffs. That is starting to feel like hopium a little bit, Yeah, good for them.
Well they're the team.
Is there a scenario in which they don't win the like what is right? What is the the level of like how disappointing is if they don't win the title this year?
Is it?
Can they come out of the East in this season still be considered a success or if they lose in the conference finals or in the NBA Finals, They're going.
To be wholesale questions that need to be answered.
I think starting last year, people like we're like, this is when we need this team to win the title, like they've been close enough times that like is and so anything short of that for Celtics fans, and I think for like how NBA Press like views them like it is like they it's championship or bust at this point, and especially with this historically strong a you know, most of the season, at this point, I feel like people are going to be starting to be like, maybe there
is something like maybe there is something to those ideas floating around that like Tatum can't be the best player on a championship team. So well, we'll see. But it's it's definitely I don't know, it's it's a smart out there for people who aren't Celtics fans.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's gonna be real quiet for some of us.
Okay, see second hottest team in the league behind the Celtics, keeping pace with the Wolves still holding the Nuggets and Clippers off. Second best point differential in the league behind the Celtics and Shay Is as you mentioned already, like you know, second to Kitch in the m v P voting or m VP odds for the last three weeks. CHET is second on the Rookie of the Year ladder
for the past six weeks. I don't know, you know, I did predict that they were going to win the title in the off season after just seeing one CHET Summer League game. And I don't recommend betting a championship team based on a single Summer League game.
But but hey, you could be a success story for the people out there.
You're actually bet on them more the odds you got on that.
They were pretty good. I have to pull out the ticket, give you a second, here, can.
Keep it in my wall. Inks gone. You can't prove it's actually a betting slip anymore, Like sir, there's there's nothing.
It's a physical betting slip.
Apparently went to the book. Uh and did the business while you're looking for that.
I mean, that's ethical gambling right there.
Yeah, yeah, exactly exactly. Wait you have it.
He looks like you lost it is pretending that it is.
It is fading.
Uh, be careful with those, Be careful with those.
So I bet one hundred dollars to win ten thousand dollars. So I clicked dollars. Yeah, yeah, that was They were like you know in the middle of the pack in terms of overall odds to win it this year.
Yeah, well, I mean, look, they satisfied the Phil Jackson rule, you know, winning forty before losing twenty. They're forty and seventeen now, so there's one little, one little nudge of confidence for you there. Yeah. I mean, man, when you think that they only won forty games the whole last they were forty and forty two last season, Like, wow, what evolution they're having. That's pretty it's pretty crazy.
The other so, I don't know, still keep an eye on them. I still feel like I'd be really surprised if it wasn't Nuggets and Celtics in the finals. Yeah, but yeah, I don't know. Check Check like throws a wrench into the mix with you know, Yokic, like having to go up against different looks and stuff. Like I'm not saying Chet's gonna like stop him, but it's definitely gets his hand on balls that only Wemby gets his hand on, you know. Otherwise. So speaking of which.
Wait, did you see that that the Dylan Brooks is new technique the Hunter high five? In just right after the shots released, He's like, well, the ball ain't in there.
I'm high five in and he.
Got there was one where I think check throwing up and he was almost like, what, what's that? It's kind of interesting, but I love seeing new the new techniques.
People are deploying just to to you know, for for defensive purposes.
Yeah. Uh.
And then my other off season prediction that this is just the podcast now I just check in with my good off season predictions. Uh huh. But Wemby winning Defensive Player of the Year that took a big step forward when he had a triple double with blocks first of the Raptors a couple of weeks back. He's averaged five point six blocks per contest over the last five games, leads the league overall at three point three per contest. Uh. Leads all rookies and points made, field goals, free throw
attempt steals, rebounds, Uh, he's fourth and assists. Yeah.
What is you think Wemby's the closest to getting the quadruple double or Jokic or who do you think, because you know what hasn't happened.
At point four for sure, I guess, but.
He would have to do it with so he'll have the points, the rebounds and then he has to do it with blocks and steals, because he probably won't do it with assists, and that feels harder than having to do it right with like Jokic can do it, he'll get the triple double, and then it's, well, can he get it in blocks and steals?
I guess he's not much of a shop blocker.
I mean, Draymond had a triple double without points, right, so you.
Know what I mean? No, I mean we had a triple double with assists this season, Like he's he can do it with assists.
Yeah, I don't know.
I mean probably the answer.
I mean, he might have the quintuple double at some point then, yeah, people, Yeah, that's why I think.
And it's also interesting you think, like, of the four players to achieve the quadruple double, two of them have been Spurs players. Yeah, so he's got a lot of because Alvin Robertson did it as a guard in nineteen eighty six.
Oh wow, wow, it's unbelievable.
Yeah, that's because then, yeah, everyone else was six eleven.
It was like Hakeem Uh the Admiral, and then Nate Thurman, I.
Think, damn.
So yeah, it's it's an interesting one. It's an interesting one.
That's wow that it's taken.
It's been that long since ninety four.
Yeah, it's pretty it's pretty like the triple double thing. I feel like, you know, your mileage maybury on how much you buy into that and like whether that should be something that we ultimately reward MVP over. But yeah, uh, it's like quadruple quadruple doubles. Pretty yeah, well.
Because that was like Russ's claim for a long time, like does amount.
Of triple doubles this guy gets, Yeah, he's gotta be and he won the VP off that yeah, yeah, that.
For yeah, that MVP award was like fueled by his averaging and triple double. Yeah, only at the time it was like, oh, no, one's done it since Oscar Robinson, right, and now Russ has done it like too often where it's like people are always just a status.
Whatever, it's just a triple double. It's like, now you're gonna be like, all right, he had three quadruple doubles in this season. Okay.
The way we become numb to that stuff is kind of sad. Like think about Giannis where it's just like you watch Giannis now and it's like Wemby's the new thing, but at some point we're just gonna become numb. And it's already start. Someone asked, I saw this on social media.
Became a huge thing. Can Wemby or when will Wemby be the best player in the NBA, And there was a groundswell of responses that says he'll never be the best player in the NBA because of his like offensive skill set, And I'm like, if anything, Giannie has been the best player in the NBA for multiple seasons, and like he has never everyone came back like he's not a primary initiator. We've seen people who aren't primary initiators
be the best player. And if you're gonna put up you know, five by fives and maybe get a quintuple double or a quadruple double at some point. I find it incredibly odd that there are people that are still skeptical of him just because he's big and skinny.
I just I find bizarre.
Yeah, I think it's going to be sooner rather than later, like not not like next season, but I think he could be prettier, like shockingly early in his career.
Could before or after twenty twenty seven?
Would you take which way would you go?
Well, that's years and years into the future. I don't even know if the world's going to still be around. Oh I'm sorry that three years from.
Now Carrington event could knock out all of our electric.
Probably around twenty twenty seven is like the early prediction, but I don't think it's impossible.
Yeah, when was the last time we had someone in their fourth season or fifth season be the best player in the Like?
Was Lebron the best player in the NBA when he was in his fifth season seven or eight?
Yeah, I think that was around when he was becoming the best player was getting he was definitely like a little bit ahead of schedule.
Oh yeah, yeah, I guess. You know, we were talking about some of the KEYA Ladder races earlier, but you know, dances we have. Let's let's get some refined expert opinion on some of these these races.
Yeah, who else we bring it on?
Yeah? Damn, look at this guy, he's always got this stuff.
But yeah, I mean.
This character, who is this guy? Okay, let's start with MVP.
What do you think?
Let's get let me get your thoughts on that.
I think it's Jokic right now.
I mean, he has just been so dominant, and he's actually improved defensively this year. I think I wouldn't be shocked though Shay ends up winning, because it feels like there's a scenario where Jokic kind of hits cruise control over the last like a few weeks of the season, and that the margins are so close that if Shay's really going for the award, or even if Luca, that they could end up usurping him. But if it was the award was being chosen today, I'd pick Jokic fairly comfortably.
But like Shay is, he's right there, and.
It's it feels like, I know we kind of went through this with Jokic and Bed last year, but have it be this post this season with Shay and Jokic so late and where it still feels so undecided is.
Not something I would have expected. It comes back to the entire Thunder.
I was a huge fan of Shay, but Thunder being in contention for the best record in the West, Shay being one of the top two MVP candidates just not stuff I had on my twenty twenty three to twenty twenty four BINGO card.
Right, what about Rookie of the Year.
That's the dob deal, right, isn't it.
I think most people had as done deal as its just being chet Holmgren. And I think that Wenby, ever since they moved him, is like this Purson decided, Oh okay, he's like he's a big he's gonna be our five. I think Wenby has closed the gap, and there's a case I don't know if he's.
Gonna you mentioned Defensive Player of the Year. He's definitely not gonna win that.
But like I think Tim Duncan was the last rookie to make an All Defense team, and if I was going through it now, I think Wemby probably deserves to make one. And so like, if he's going to be a rookie who makes an All Defense team, I kind of feel like he needs to win Rookie of the Year. But I think it's gonna be I think it's gonna be close. I probably would lean Wemby at this point though, because he is he's transformative on it. It's not even just the blocks. It's just like you ever watched the
ground that he covers. It's just like it doesn't make any sense. So I lean Wemby but it's close between him and.
Chet Yeah, just producer Joe Barry got only five NBA rookies have made an All Defense team Kareem, Akeem Minut, David Robinson, and Tim Duncan.
So yeah, I think category is doing these things.
My god, I know, I know, Storied, storage Club, story franchise.
What about most improved?
This one's tough.
I still go with Scottie Barnes, but there's like really strong cases for I mean with Scotty Barnes, he's improved defensively, and I think as a passer this year and as a shooter in the scale at which he's done it, where this is already who was a very good player and then made the jump to All Star.
I do think that matters.
But you have guys like Alprin, Shang Gun, there's Cam Thomas probably deserves to be there for what he's done in Brooklyn.
Like this feels like.
It's going to be like a pretty deep ballot when you're looking at potential candidates. I still it's Scottie Barnes for me at the moment, though.
I got Maxie. Maxie's leading the odds right now, So.
That's actually surprising to me.
Yeah, I'm not seeing Scottie Barnes anywhere near the top. I'm wondering, what do people just think that because he's so good. Yeah, he's like way down there, Scottie Barnes. You should you got you should go get some action on that man. You can get really good value.
Wow.
Yeah, I'm looking at them. Why is like people like Keg Cunningham's ahead of him? That's that's weird. I mean, Kobe White is another good one. And I will say, I don't know where you guys land on this. I'd be curious to see. I'm not a fan of second players winning the award just because I feel like you're expected a second year players, because I feel like you're
expected to make this huge leap. Yeah, to go back to the Thunder, Jalen Williams was already really good and may have just made the leap to like basically or close to an All Star.
So that's like kind of a name that I could see creeping up.
I feel like he deserves it, but he's not gonna like get it necessarily. But yeah, Jalen Williams has been incredible. Haliburton makes sense like I would have thought like if you told me what his season was gonna be, Like I would have thought maybe he was an option in the same way that Joah got it a few years back, right, and you know it was like went from borderline all start to one of the best players in the league. But it doesn't seem like the odds are very good
on that one. So I'm happy with Maxie. We need we need the wins in Philadelphia.
Yeah uh. And finally, what about Doc River's final post game excuse in May?
What are those guys, Hey, I wouldn't withher all my worst enemy coach coaching Yanna talk to the coupo.
What a wild take ill this guy?
I told him, don't bring me in now, all.
By the way, all like unsolicited basically where it's like you're kind of just on the subject of coaching the Bucks and he feels the need to say, oh, I didn't I didn't want to coach the Bucks, or you never want to do this. This is so hard, like what was me? I've been gainfully employed for the past two and a half decades. There's probably a point where it's we're making him too much of a meme because
he has been a good coach. But at every stop he's gone to, he's developed his reputation as like a very good manager of superstar egos. Let's go back to the Clippers problems in the locker room both iterations, the Sixers problems in the locker room, both iterations, the Ben Simmons era of the James Harden era. And now you're in Milwaukee and just kind of like throwing the team or the organization under the.
Butt, like why would you fire Adrian Griffin? That doesn't make any sense and hire me?
I just yeah, why did you hire me? All right, let's take a break, we'll come back. We'll do the fastest segment in podcast over here.
And we're back, Dan fa Valley.
Look, man, I think it's Friday the thirteenth, because it's about to be a nightmare on pod Street. Am I right? Jacket?
Way you're mixing different horror franchises.
Yeah, look, that's how you do it.
It's how you do it. We kind of have vague ideas of what those movies are about. But anyway, it's time for the rapid fire around the question. Davin Value, you already know what time it is. We're gonna ask you a question. You just chest passed the ball right back to us. Give us your quick answer. Don't think too hard, just give us the answer, please, so we.
Can Michael Myers just giving those instructions because this must be a nightmare on my street on Friday the thirteenth.
Is it? Did? I just saw Michael Myers right there, because you know that Mic is a chatterbox. If I ever heard one man? Do you want to play a game?
Dan Fall, We'll guess what you're about to Uh you ready.
I'm ready start the clock?
Ryan?
Oh okay, Jack, you want to go first?
No, I want you to go first, Miles. I desperately want you to go first.
Go go all right, Dann fa Valley. Check out this list.
You can pick now only three of these throwbacks from the nineties. Which three are you picking?
You got Reggie Miller era Indiana Jazz from Malone Stock then Son, Oh, sorry.
Okay, give me that Vince Carter er Raptors Jersey yep, the Vancouver Grizzlies Jersey goes incredibly hard.
Yeah, we're rocking that one.
Yeah, and that Houston Rockets Jersey. Why is that Drexler who's in that picture? I can't Oh yeah, that is bring those back why and that should be their logo right now.
I freaking love that Rocket's logo.
Yeah, fantastic one. It's weird. I mean, we haven't even gotten to talk about the Clippers logo, but uh, just just briefly. Fans you fan of the Clippers rebrand.
I thought it was fine.
I do not like I was a fan of the powder blue stuff they were doing, so they kind of see that take a back seat was a little bit sad, I will say. When I saw their previous font, I always thought of, do you guys remember the Windows paper clip guy?
Yeah, clip pop up.
Getting rid of that font is either a W or an L. I kind of like thinking about the Windows paper clip guys that font a little bit. But the logo goes pretty hard. It looks a little bit like the Seattle Mariners. But I like the actual like compass and ship stuff that's in there.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's not bad, not bad, not bad.
All right?
Damn more likely to happen? And why Nick's Eastern Conference Final Warriors, Western Conference Final.
Warriors, Western Conference Final just they have they have the pedigree with with steph.
Okay, how about this more likely to happen? And why Calves Eastern Conference Final or Lakers Western Conference Final.
That's easy.
It's the Calves Eastern Conference Final because the Lakers are Torrian Prince's team.
And that's the problem.
My god, I can't believe.
I can't believe what I saw against the.
Sun more likely to happen Buck's Eastern Conference Final, Sun's Western Conference Final.
Ooh, it's bus Buck's Eastern Conference Final. I just I don't know how you can trust Phoenix and crunch time and to be healthy at this point.
Mm hmm.
Okay, give us your most underappreciated of the truly all time greats. You know someone that deserves to be mentioned but isn't. He doesn't doesn't really get the respect or at least the recognition they should when talking about all timers.
I'm gonna go with t ma Ac.
Do we I know he was injured, but like, do
you remember what Pete t Mac was like? Just like as a okay, the scoring, but the passing, the shot flocking as a guard like this is someone who I think that he had the longevity, could have been like the scoring chainampion, the assist champion, and maybe just been making all defensive teams and him and I would also just nominate Grant Hill, who I think might have been gone down as like one of the ten best players of all time that he never got gotten injured and
would be probably be the player I'd most want to see among legends in like today's era, where I like his game would just PLoP right in and he could dominate.
All right.
And finally, what is the one moment or game from NBA history you wish Twitter had been around for?
Twitter had been around for I can't even think, Ah, I have this is too hard.
I feel like it can't be too hard, Dan or else the whole show falls apart, all right.
So I feel like, what if Twitter was around for like the the Michael Jordan like the shot against the Jazz, or even can I go off the court like the food poisoning with Michael like that game and having.
That whole pizza story behind it?
Yeah, oh my god, because the conspiracy theories would have already been flaring up by the time the first vomit hit the toilet, you know, like people would be like, hey.
Poisoned them right right now, right right, My cousin knows a guy look, and you're.
Like, oh, yep, or there absolutely.
Would have been like the Counter Reports where it's well we actually start Jordan's charter a jet to Vegas right game.
Yeah, it was like what really hasppened there?
Well, Dan Favale, you have made it through the shooting gallery that is the rabbit Fire round of questions Miles and jackott Man Boostie, thank you so much for joining us once again. Where can people find you? Follow you all that good stuff?
They can find me on Twitter. It's just my name at Dan Favalley fav A L E. And if they're looking for more general NBA talk. I co host the Hardwoodknox podcast. It is spelled exactly as it sounds.
It's the Hardwood Knock.
It needs to be our intro music until we remembered like seven or eight years ago that copyright issues worth thing.
Yeah yeah, it happens to the best of us on here. Yeah yeah turn things.
Uh well, you can follow us on Twitter. First of all, you can follow the hashtag for show LinkedIn updates hashtag mad boostis b W O S T I E S.
You can follow me on Twitter at Miles of Gray.
I'm at Jack Underscore O'Brien. And that was it one of two we did two in the books, one O three Coming at You, Benny.
And two George is in the bag. Maybe guess what. We're gonna be back for another one, one O three, straight up banger and mash. We'll see you next time. I was Jack on Mad Boosties.
Bye.