Well, well, well you thought you could get rid of me, but I'm back and.
I'm stronger than ever. Oh my goodness. This is episode just so you know.
But look, sometimes you gotta pop out and show the league. And the Lakers are in the midst of doing just that to my pleasure and delight. And we've got the rest of the trade deadline to recap NBA All Star weekend to get into and discuss the state.
Of your Toronto Raptors. Okay, my good youth.
To them with NBA analysts Espandi Arbert Haini on today's episode.
I'm Miles Gray and I'm Jabari Davis Infrajet.
And this is my wo sometimes yeah, I got Madory got it.
Look kitch, Okay, there you go driving spinning fat number eighteen.
That's goods the Suffolk or NBA champions.
O the TA.
Be honest.
Look at.
Bara Haney straight from the Great White North. Thank you for joining us NBA Daily at the athletic video host for Raptors. Republic and bach its in areno work for Raptors nine oh five you living breath.
Toronto to talk about it, you know what I mean.
So it's great to have you it's good to see you man.
Good to see you too. Bro. I kind of like I want to lean into the Toronto bit since we were talking about it off ericas now just gotta like every five seconds just throw something at.
You A good I'm telling you you're not one of these waste youths, you know.
Yeh.
Yeah.
It's funny though too, because like I'm I'm familiar enough with like London like roadman talk, so it's just like it's wild how it's mostly the same, just with a little bit of flavor, you know what I mean?
You know what it is?
Both both London roadman Talk and Toronto Man Talks are influenced by Caribbean culture.
Yeah it's West Indies. Yeah that's all we know. We sees you. You know what you're doing. You know where do you think Mondem came from? Okay?
Anyway, this is an a linguistics podcast. It is, however, an NBA podcast. So first of all, we got All Star Weekend on the Horizon. I this is this is my favorite time. I love the I love All Star Weekend. I love I love looking at different jerseys.
I like all the competition.
I like to see you know, the Dunk Contest.
We'll get into that, but first our schedule looks like this Friday, for those of you who rightly should be celebrating the holiday, that is All Star Weekend, the Ruffles NBA All Star celeb Game and the Castro Rising Stars Games.
Okay, that's Friday. Then Saturday, NBA HBCU.
Classic okay, yes, presented by a dent between Morehouse and Tuskegee College.
Love to see that.
State Farm Saturday Night, which includes okay, the key Ist Skills Challenge, the Starry Three Point Contest, and the AD and T Dunk Contest. Then Sunday the G League Next Up Game. We've got the All Star Game, et cetera, et cetera. But Saturday the Dunk Contest. Who do we have in the dunk Contest? And I'm not throwing shade,
but I'm just saying, what do we have? So for listeners who don't realize, I was gone for about a month due to some unforeseen circumstances that occurred in the city of Los Angeles having to do.
With a wildfire.
I am back now and on my feet and U and thank you to everybody who were wishing well and sending your thoughts and all of that because it was a very difficult month. But I am on solid ground now and I am back podcasting. But in that I missed, I'm like, okay, so who do I got in the dunk contest?
Jabari? Who do we have in the dunk contest? Just so we can go through this.
I got some great news. It's job No, I'm sorry, No, it's no disrespect, of course, no disrespect. It's mazeless. Okay, we got we got Stefancastle from the Spurs. We got Andre Jackson Junior from the Bucks. Yeah, okay, mister Jackson, if you ask him. And then Matt McClung is making his back third. He's back, baby, he's from the G League. Yeah, you're just gonna like let like like suspend him from the rafters, right and just and that's how that's gonna
be his first dunk. But no, ya, as we were talking about this before the show, what do we have to do to get like the big dogs in this eventually? Is this? Is it ever gonna happen? Or are we just don't going to be the case?
Just like stop doing the dunk contest, like, don't do it for a year. You know, make it like punishment, you know what I mean, Because I remember someone brought this up before. I can't remember who it was, but I saw that like in the late nineties, and this was right before the Vince Carter Dunk Contest. They didn't do the Dunk Contest for like a year or two, right, it might have been a reset. Yeah, like we said,
just reset, don't do it. Do something else. Try a one on one competition if you want, whatever you want to do, I would love I know, we probably all agree that like a one on one competition is great. We see unrival does right now with the women's game and the one on one stuff that they have going on. That would be dope in the NBA. But just don't do it, like take it away from them, and also maybe try to incentivize it so that stars actually want
to do it. Like there's no reason that we had Vince Carter come out of Dunk Contest, Kobe come out of Dunk Contest. You know, Trace McGrady, who name there's talking on the Jordan obviously, Dominique right and nowadays it's like like no offense to any of these names, obviously,
but let's be real. You know what I mean, Yeah, right, I feel like we should be able to get Edwards, John Morant, Zion Williamson, the even even to a lesser degree like shade On Sharp from the Portland Trailblazers or the Thompson Twins the Rockets guys to just compete because they would be sick and their names. Now, so I don't know, Yeah, I think it's Jabari you were saying this earlier. It definitely is a combination of social media
commentary that makes it a little bit less appealing. And I think also a lot of these guys grew up watching like the Vince Carter, like the bar is sort of like at this level, Okay, I have to bring like I have to basically change the paradigm with the dunks that I do in the contest, And I get that pressure, but I think, yeah, it is something to just sort of like give it a break for a second.
Let's create a new culture around a.
New excitement around it, because yeah, at the end of the day, like these are these are the best dunkers in the league, and we want nothing more than to see them.
Which I think is Possible's just got to give it some time, give it some time.
I've thrown this crazy idea out there before. Usually people roll their eyes. I'm gonna throw it at you as I want to. I want to dunk on contest whoever. The reigning Defensive Player League love that. Put in the middle of the key, you get the ball to three point at the you know what, in just inside the half court line, let's go. Yeah, I agree that you get three attempts.
And you know what, people love to dunk and go at Rudy Gobert, so they would sign out on the list. Yes, no problem, I'm down. So yeah, I'd love that. And like, can you imagine, because I think Wemby's gonna win DEFENSI Player of the Year, can you imagine next year everybody man stepping up to try to dunk on that one.
Yeah, I would love that.
That's unbelievable.
Also, I used to do that as a kid. We used to do that, like, yeah, run from.
Behind, yes, yes, put to drop the rim to eight feet. I'd be like, yo, okay, start up at the driveway.
Let's see you.
Get to see exactly exactly.
And it was usually called light injury City.
Always happened if someone went way too hard and then you would get your hand like jammed up on the rivers anyway.
Yeah, look, I'm forty and I don't do that anymore, or do I? Three point contests? Who do you have in the three point contest?
This is a more noteworthy feel You got Jalen Brinson, you got Ca cun and him, you got Darius Garland, Tyler, Hero Buddy Heal, Splash Buddy, Okay, Cam Johnson, Damian Lillard and Norman Powell. I think that's gonna be a great I actually a great.
Yeah, that's a great fields which one of those guys jumps least on their jumper mmm mmmm like because I feel like that that's the type that ends up winning.
With the most most energy at the end.
Yeah, because you don't get tired, if you know, like.
D like when he's when he's in the contest, it's kind of just like a flick.
Flick, Yeah, a little bit. I could see Dame. Yeah, that makes sense. Jalen Brunson, maybe Brounson doesn't get too much lyft on his jumper, one of those guys. I think that makes sense.
But yeah, we'll put it. That's a bet laid down.
We'll come back to it.
And see.
Yeah, so this is this is all going to be very very exciting, like s for you, what's what events event are you looking the most forward to and do you like the sort of like four team competition format.
I was actually just gonna bring that up. I think this will be a cool way to do it. I think the Rising Stars getting a chance to play in the All Star Game will be added attention for the Rising Stars game, so now there's more stakes to that. There's more stakes to the All Star Game because nobody wants to lose to the right in Stars team, and so that it adds a little bit more to what you would expect from from this whole like All Star
competition wise. Also, I like the fact that it's four separate teams and like eight man rotation, so you get to see most of the guys more often. That part of it is cool to me. I think actually that this this will be a good All Star game. They just they gotta try, man, at the end of the day, that's the main thing they gotta try.
Yeah, and this definitely what I mean, that's what you want to see is like the younger guys with something to prove, and then people who've been in.
They're like, Bro, we're not gonna we can't.
Let We're not losing to TOUMANI Kamara man exactly.
My guy Desmond Palell shout out to him. He actually said it best. You can't manufacture competition, but what you can do is stack the deck. And I actually love this idea. I'm right there with you as i'm and I agree with you. Miles. Uh. Nobody wants to go. No one is going to want to lose them. The best, the best possible outcome is them winning their first game. We doesn't know whomever they're match up against, and then we get the championship game between them and you know,
any other team. Please let that happen. Yeah, yeah, that would be dope.
That would be I mean that team they beat will get clowned on all the time.
Yeah yeah, but I get yeah, Like, like you said, you can't manufacture competition, but you can activate the human ego. What a powerful force that could be, especially in a competitive sport. Yes, yes, yes, yes, so I wasn't here when y'all picked the game of the week, But what what was it? What was the game of week that you and Jack said, Hey, keep your eye out for this coming week.
I mean, you know, if I was in the mix up, it was going to be Patients and Lakers. So we went was going to play, and I did. I was hopeful.
I a friend I had who got a ticket and was like, hey.
You walked Dustin Reeves dropped forty five.
Yeah, that was that was great.
That was not bad. Yeah, forty seven and seven. Look, okay, so this is gonna sound weird. But even though they are you know, on paper, have been on sized s in miles. Now that you're back, what do you guys think? This is starting to feel more and more like the twenty twenty team in terms of they've got all types of scrappy guys. They've got a third guy in Austin Reeves.
Now that you're gonna put up forty five to seven to seven with those guys in the mix noe, But he's a guy that has that type of game and that type of potential. I'm not in all, I'm not at all, you know, guaranteeing a finals run, but I feel look, going into three weeks ago, there's I didn't feel any of this. All of a sudden, I'm like, no, we are back in title contention. Moving forward.
Yeah, anytime you get it, like in a playoff series, you don't want to face Lebron James and look at Don James, like that's just the simple nature of the fact. And like they go out, they start mismatch hunting. Those are two guys that can get an advantage basically against anybody.
And yeah, sure in the West they're gonna have to deal with like Yokic and Hart and Stein and Chat and maybe zoobots, and if Anthony Davis stays healthy for the Mavericks, then Anthony Davis and but ultimately, like when you have those two, you just have a chance. And then you add Austin Reeves. I like what you say about them being able to play a little bit smaller like with Van Doh and Dodo, like Dorian Finnish Smith.
They just can play smaller but more versatile defensively, so they can lock up a little bit and switch one through five and do the whole thing that they want to do to win on the defensive end. So I kind of agree, although I feel like this is sort of the preamble to what will be a great season next year, where you can load up during the summer and just figure out what you want to do around Luca and move from there. But it should be a good team.
I would love nothing more for this to be twenty twenty just for me. I've had a rough year.
So I would love's great. And I might put all my eggs in that basket. And some might say, including my therapist, that might be dangerous, but you know what it's all about, hope. But yeah, I mean, I think just even seeing it was funny because at the beginning of the.
Year I was watching.
Then there's like a three week break where I was just like dribs and drabs looking and then when I really sat back down and said, what did we what is going on?
Everybody is starting to play at their potential. We have people coming back.
I remember first I was like Jabari Dorian Phinney Smith and I'm like, oh no, no, no, no, okay, no, no, I need to apologize my good man. But it feels definitely like there is certainly an evolution happening.
Can we go?
You know, where do we think this tops out at? I feel like I don't. I don't think I mean the best. I think we could hope for us to get.
To the conference finals.
That I think that's the absolute best. I don't think.
I think we're going to probably be a second round exit at best dish. I don't know, but that's me trying to be trying to hold my horses. But the run we're on, I mean, like by the time we come to play the Nuggets soon, we could be in third place and that's a and that's going to be a huge test too that I'm very much looking forward to.
But yeah, I don't know.
I mean, what's your feeling, Jabari, Like, what's your ceiling right now?
I'm not gonna I'm not gonna, you know, go board with it. I do not anticipate a title. I would not be shocked by a deep run. But from your guys is you know, from your guys response, I think
I think I'm in agreement. It feels more like two thousand and eight when they got pal on February first, two thousand and eight, much like they got Luca on February first, twenty twenty five, where they made a deep run but ultimately you know, fell short, but like to us' point, came back ready to go, and then you know, we obviously saw you know, second and third trip to the
finals in which they were successful. Yeah, it's exciting, and at the very least as a Lakers fan, we can say it's it's actually exciting the future.
You guys.
This is something I'd love to ask you guys. You guys think like Lebron is looking at himself like, man, I'm gonna have to play four more years now, because he probably was like next year, I'm done right right right? That was gonna be my farewell tour. Do you think this has changed the equation for him, like he's gonna he's gonna play longer now.
Yeah, I hope so.
I mean, I don't know.
I don't know.
This is so is It's a tough one, right.
Yeah, Like part of me is like, yes, maybe, but also part of me is like we really need to be thinking about the future.
Yeah, And as.
Much as I want him to do what he needs to do to be happy, I'm also thinking about like, well, no, this is like we're looking squarely at the future right now, and how does that play? But I totally understand the excitement like that one, Like, you know, Luca just had his first game, that one full court pass he hit Lebron with.
I was like, this is usually Lebron throwing those to somebody.
Else and now he gets to be the recipient of that. So for that, from that perspective, I'm like, of course he'd want to keep playing, for sure.
I think Lebron plays as long as his body I'll physically allows him to straight up. And to your point, yes, the answer is yes. I think he looks at that and says, oh, yeah.
He has another chance right to win that fifth one. I feel like that's so so important to him and the like legacy and all that stuff finish off with a bang, right, I don't know.
For sure for sure, Well, I guess we should just look at a couple.
Of trades that took place the deadline.
I mean, look just to we keep talking about the Lakers, but look I am back, so this is part of my recovery. We traded Dalton connect. I was like, oh and Mark Williams. I was like, oh, okay, maybe only for that trade to be after Williams failed Their physical was like, where are we at now with this? Because I know there's some pushback on this.
Yeah, apparently the Hornets are launching an investigation to like fight back to see if they could get the trade re rescinded, re un whatever, Yeah, reinated, that's the word. But no, look, I don't I don't think that's going to happen. I would be very surprised if that's the case. Also, like if the Lakers desperately need a center. I mean, they just signed Alex lenn So the fact that they balked at this and they're like nah, man, like you got to go back to Charlotte that, Yeah, that shows
you just how bad the situation was. And I feel for Mark because that's now out in the public and he's gonna have to do with that when it comes to contract extensions and all that type of stuff. But it is what it is, man. Yeahs Lakers Dodgs a bullet though in that's.
No for sure, for sure, That's exactly how it felt in and and obviously I, you know, like you, I feel for Mark as well. I don't wish anything negative upon on my hope. He sure, he hope. We want to get you know, paid, be on paid, and you know, play creditly well, but if you're the Lakers, you have to be like yeah, nobody, yeah, you know, like if they're not any question whatsoever you Like, While I was completely fine with the overpay, especially given the Saturday night
special that we got, you know, the week before. If there's any question whatsoever that you know that overpay is is you know you just can't afford it.
So yeah, yeah, yeah, Well let's go to your backyard and you know, a bit of a crossover, because this is a player we love too, is Laker fans and basketball fans brandon Ingram?
Uh he has landed in Toronto U three year, one hundred and twenty million dollar extent.
Okay, brand yes, yes, lord, please please, I guess overall, I like, I'm not joking like I think yesterday I was.
Like, wait, brandon Ingrams.
Truly, I came out of a literal cave of darkness. Okay, so please apologize for me being like fully being in the dark. But as tell me, walk me through your experience. Now what what how are you feeling? And does this animate you? Is this animating the city?
So first of all, I'll just say, do you guys know the nickname raptors fans have come up with for b I. He's he's where he's wearing number three? Okay, the Raptors. So they're calling the notorious b I three.
It's not good Canadians.
They're clever, clever has Canadian.
You know, it doesn't have the Toronto essence to it yet they haven't. Yeah, you know, but whatever. I like the nickname either way. Look, I was kind of skeptical initially when they traded for Bi because this team is not very good. They're sixteen and thirty seven, like their bottom of the barrel in the Eastern Conference, and trading for a guy who is trying to get a contract extension just got that contract extension, is trying to be
in a competitive environment. You also are like super expensive now for a team that isn't necessarily that competitive right now. So there's questions of like what is the direction this team is trying to go through. But I walked myself back from that ledge just by reminding myself how good Brandon Ingram can be at his full potential. He's double with some injuries here and there, ankle injuries and whatnot that have kind of limited his potential In New Orleans.
I think the fit with him and Zion was kind of wonky too, and there's there's, you know, potential for that to be the case in Toronto as well. With Scotty Barnes. We'll see, but ultimately I like the fit. I like it a lot because the Raptors really need a shot creator, a guy who can just go out and get a bucket. And maybe this means they end up trying to move guys later on, whether it be r. J. Barrett or Manuel quickly, and we'll see how that goes.
But if they are locked into this core over the next couple of years, I think it makes a lot of sense to like ease the pressure off of Scotty, to give him that space to figure out stuff himself, while Bi can go out and kind of help the team get to that next stage of their developmental cycle whatever you want to call it, right right right.
Yeah, you know, I think this could be like yeah, I mean, I'm just looking.
Also, how's the I mean, Ryan Hollins was in the news talking about Grady Dick recently, But how has year two Grady Dick been?
Hey, He's he's been good. He started out this season really well, like he was. He showed off like a crazy creation off the bounce, he was making highlight plays. He's finally knocking down his threes more consistently, kind of slowed down. I think he hit that like set sophomore wall. I don't know, I don't even know if you call it a sophomore wall, to be honest with you, But like he he hit a wall because he had played more minutes than he had played in his rookie season,
I believe, like forty games into this year. So it was an adjustment, and he had bulked up throughout the summer and so like all that weight was gone just because he had played so much, right, and so I think he's dealing with some of the physical limitations again, but he's still a really good player, and I think he's going to end up being like a very very important part of this piece for the Raptors. Most strong, strong.
Neck on that guy, strong suppress.
You know, it's funny the Pelicans broadcast refuses to call him Grady Dick. They call him Grady.
Richard's that's his proper name. Yeah's proper name. So so, you know, kind of wrapping it up with your Raptors before before we get this break beyond you know obviously you know, continued grouped individually and as a young unit. What do these Raptors need most in this.
Offseason to pray to the lottery gods to just and I say that because I think like it could really change the trajectory of this team. Like if they end up with the number one overall pick, you're now looking at this team is really interesting because they get Cooper Flag, they got Scottie, they got these guys who can kind
of help facilitate around them. That becomes interesting overall, even if they get the second or third overall pick and you're looking at like Dylan Harper or Ace Bailey or someone else that you might be interested in, like that changes the tone of what people believe this team could
be moving forward. So praying for lottery odds, to be honest with you, I think that's that's the goal for this Raptors team is whatever happens in the lottery will probably dictate what they do for the rest of the like two three years of this group.
So it sounds like the Raptors are in the gas station parking lot and they are praying to the lot.
If you're about that, okay, let's take a quick break and we'll.
Beat right back.
And we're back. And so one side of.
The trade of this Luca deal is obviously Luca comes to the lake, there's the other side, which really hurts my heart, I must say. And I'm sure you know, Jabbari, I know you feel the exact same way as our Anthony.
Davis local goes to Dallas and.
That first game I caught, it seemed it gosh, it was so tragic to watch the the like highs that like you were like he was writing Dallas, was writing and he's like it felt like he's like, come here, you know this, you know, nothing changed about me, just a jersey and I was like, here.
Goes my baby is so cool. That's my yeah.
And then he injured his abductor muscle yet again and went down and as he wrote in the doc, Jabari, they got the full Anthony Davis experience in Dallas. That was really really really really difficult to watch. But I mean, look, we're watching being like, oh our baby from over here. But for MAVs fans, I am very I feel very, very bad. I don't even know why I'm apologizing. I feel like already just because I can't believe the nature of the trade.
I will continue to apologie.
I'm like, oh, I don't know how, but thank you for us.
You know that you know that meme of Drake when he has that gift and he's like, oh man, you know, he's like, I don't know what it exactly was. He was reacting to Kevin Durant getting hurt right in the finals, and and he's like he's face mad, you know what I mean. It's O no, man, probably how Lakers fans feel right now, that fake.
Man I feel, I know.
But it's Look, it sucks because like this is probably the worst week to ever be a MAVs fan. You you have, you have the trade that goes down. That's probably one of the biggest trades in sports history. Yeah, definitely the biggest trade in NBA history. Most shock talking, for sure. And you're on the bad end of that. Like everybody in the world, in the barbershops, in the whatever, everybody agrees that y'all lost this trade.
Okay.
On top of that, your GM comes up and says, hey, man, like, I'm not gonna be here a couple of years. I'm not gonna be here in a couple of years. So that's all right, it's all good. And then there's protests, there's caskets at the arena, there's booing, there's fans getting kicked out. Mark Cuban is telling people to shut up. It's just it's a lot, okay. And then on top of that, Ad gets hurt, Daniel Gafford gets hurt. Eric Lively's hurt that you can't even see this team. Kyrie
has a bulging disc. You know, there's just so much going on and there's not a lot of hope. There's not a lot of light at the end of the tunnel. And you feel for them because this a lot of it wasn't self inflicted, like they didn't the MAVs didn't cause this other than the front office doing this. MAVs fans didn't do this themselves. It wasn't Luca getting hurt. It wasn't you know, Luca requesting a trade or whatnot. It was the MAVs engaging in this to just get
themselves in this situation. It's such a bizarre, bizarre way to take an l.
Yeah, and Daniel Gafford go down injured too, Yes, he got hurt. That's what I'm just I'm like, yo, I my heart goes out to you. It really does it on a fan level, like, yeah, you know what it's like to kind of be.
Like it makes you become a conspiracy theorist because it doesn't make sense right, you know what I mean?
Well, that's the conspiracy theories that when we are in a state of powerlessness and confused over it like.
We have, you got to get cocked. It can't just be this.
And I do feel bad because I've treated every MAVs fan like they were Nico Harrison when I when I talked to him.
I'm like, what were y'all doing? What I'm thinking?
And explain the way you see even like, please don't ask me I have I don't know.
I don't know.
I had to lay my jersey at Dirk Nowitzky's statue.
But yeah, I mean, but hey, it looks bit things do look right.
In Hollywood Land.
I will say that.
And then also, what's going on? I like, we're calling Sacramento, Chicago West Now.
I don't know what they're doing, but I'm happy to see it.
I guess they got a friendship working on. I don't know.
Yeah, yeah, well, hey, I mean there was so much evidence that this is clearly the way to go. This is a this is an interesting time for front office decisions. But Zach Lavine and DeMar de Rosen together again, together again, and then also this is another huge one that I just remember seeing Poppy my phone said Jimmy Butler to the Golden State war Wow.
Wow wow wow because what because they first came to KD and he was like.
No, I'm good, I'm the merry ground was activated. But I mean, what's what are the expectations around this? I'm like, this is I know, Steph has been up and down, up and down? Is this is this stabilizing? Do we feel good about this? Or do we have conspiracy? How explained to me? How should I feel about this as somebody who just saw it on a phone update and went, oh yeah, I like the car. I like the combination of those names.
Yeah, no, the combination is good. You know, they've been good over the first couple of games that Jimmy has played there. It's kind of wait and see because they've played easy competition, and so you want to see it develop over the next month or so. How how legitimate they are To start the year, they were really good,
like the Warriors were first in the Western Conference. They had a great defense, and then it kind of all just fell apart once the Anthony Melton got hurt, they traded for Schroeder, and then Kaminga and Draymond got hurt too, and so they just kind of it all spiral. But adding Jimmy makes a lot of sense to what Steph needs, just a release valve, another guy who can go out
and get a bucket and take the pressure off. Even steps at it, he was like, man, I just needed someone else to do something else, except you know what I mean, Like he just needed that help when he was off the floor to keep the game at a distance, to try to be competitive when Steph was off the floor. I think they're like minus seven when he's off the floor. So adding Jimmy clearly helps in that category. They're able to be more competitive, and who knows, who knows if they'll make a run.
I'm not sure that's exactly where I was going to follow up, like what is a you know, like, if for recent expectations, what's a realistic good run for them this year?
I would say getting into the playoffs is a good
scenario for them right now. They're like right out of the play in If they end up getting into the playoffs and then facing up against Memphis or Houston and you're looking at a team that doesn't have as much experience as they do, so they might have the advantage in that category, and maybe they steal the first round, you know, playoff series, and then you're looking at the second round and they're competitive and they kind of fight things off and they're like, Okay, we got a we
got an idea of what we can be next season. That kind of makes sense for me for Golden State. But that's also like the ceiling. I would imagine what this team could be. I don't think they can make a deep playoff or finals round.
You know, I can't wait to see that game where someone pokes both of these bears because the combination made my eyes bleed. I feel like, is what that would look like with an activated Jimmy.
Butler and stuff and Ramon?
Yeah, yeah, exactly. Also, Dennis, my guy, this is what his eleventh team now?
Yeah, Shack Rainbow.
Yes, it's official, done it, He's done it. I was like, who's played for the most teams? It's team their team?
Yeah, because Party was like, is he getting I'm like, well, this is me, Luke Gridden, how or record?
I think I think so? I think you're right.
Yeah, yeah, he was, he was number one, and then a Smith took his spot.
Yeah, took his spot.
And then also another former Laker, Kyle Kuzma, to the Bucks.
Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. I mean, look, he's how's he looked, Jabari?
I mean, he's getting going that. The the unfortunate thing is that, you know, Giannis is missed the last four games, so it's kind of difficult to really gauge. But you know, you know, he basically scored twelve thirteen to twenty one respectively over the over his first three games with the team. I think, look, people will clown them. I get it. The pink, fuzzy sweater, the hair, all of that, you know, all the social media commentaries.
I think I have nothing to do with his ability to play basketball.
Yeah, it is right there. We have the two of us personally. Nobody else saw this, but two of us personally witnessed him as a strong contributor to a title team. I'm not saying I'm not saying he makes him a title team, but I'm saying we there is evidence, just recent evidence. Yeah, he can do it. So I like the move, you know, in terms of what he could be. But I mean none of it matters if Jiannis is not gonna be there.
So yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What do you think?
What do you think the Bucks can expect to go twenty nine games left?
Yeah?
I mean they're kind of on the outside looking in. I still think it's Cleveland and Boston in the East. And then if Giannis just has like an incredible playoff run, they can try to make some noise. But they're just really flawed and they're old, you know, like Brooklyn. That's why the Kuzma trade kind of makes sense because it made them younger. Middleton was a little bit older. It kind of makes them a little bit younger than what
they are right now. But it's it's a lot of relying on old guys to do things, and outside of their like five or six, they don't have that many pieces. So it's a question of how that looks in a playoff series against a team that's probably more versatile, like if they play the Knicks, or they play the Celtics, or they play the Caves, it probably is not going
to be a good series for them. Again, unless Giannis plays and plays at an MVP level, because when he does, he's the second or third best player in the world.
Could they get the Pacers?
Yeah, I think they could get it. Yeah, because Giannis always cooks the Pacers. Like if you go and look at his numbers against Indiana, I think he dropped fifty last year on them one time.
I think, so, yeah, wow, what's going on?
Yeah, he just he has his way against Indiana.
If DoD someone make a joke to you what happened?
I mean, I think it was.
The Was it the basketball game, the one where they took his ball? Was that the that was that? The Pacers? Yeah, it was the Pacers. It was the Pacers where they where they took the basketball because because some rookie scored first once, yes exactly.
Yeah, man was yes, and he's like and I took that personally, look, and that's usually the fuel of dreams.
But anyway, we will wait and see.
All right, let's take another break, and then when we come back, it's time to grill a miski and you, you know, in the form of Vesper Haney in the fourth quarter, rapid fire round of questions, bomb right back.
And we're back two tools down, you know, uh, we're back.
As my goodness, man, Look, we love having you on We love keeping it friendly, we love keeping it you know, light and stuff.
But it is the fourth quarter rapid fire.
Round questioning, and I have been out of action for about a.
Month, so guess what it's adult to get a hostile you know, it's the fourth quarter fire right question? We gonna ask you a question you just fired to answer right back, like a chest pass in a three man weave exercise.
You get me, okay, don't put the ball down, keep it.
Moving, keep it moving okay? If not, we run in lines after now.
You answer, We're going to hit you with a few questions. And I think you know how this goes. If you take you long, we will be so rude to you.
We will be Americans to you.
Don't get me to you.
You get me, You get me.
I got like gerbird Ryan, throw a tariff on me. All right?
Anyway, Brian half started the clock here?
Wait are you ready?
Yeah?
Start right now? Time to play this or that? Time to play this or that?
Which player or duo would you choose for the next three years?
It's this or that. In the this column we have Luca with.
Prime Lebron's athleticism, and in the that column or Joker with prime Hakeem's defensive presence.
Wow, that's a good one. But I'm definitely going to Luca Lebron for sure.
That is the right answer. That is the right answer, That is the right answer. That's that's what I don't want to see. I don't want to see it.
I don'tant to.
Yeah, the one would be crazy, but yeah, I don't want to see that.
Yeah, first as a Lakers fan, I don't want to see that effort. As a prime joker with prime No, no, all.
Right, keep it going. Prime Vince would step jumper or prime Kobe in Giannis's.
Body, Prime Kobe in Giannis's body.
That would be crazy.
That's it's good nuts.
Yeah. Can you imagine if if Jana or if Kobe could do the step through euro and like what and then also hit you with the fatal what are we talking about? That'd be crazy.
Yeah, this is these are like creative players. Now I got to get two k maybe you know, put these sort of things together.
Okay, last one, Luca Lebron Combo or.
Stephan Jimmy for the next three years, the next three years, three.
Next three years, give me give me Lebron, Luca, give me Lebron.
That's the right answer.
That is the right answers.
You guys are Lakers guys. I'm gonna sit here in defense.
That's actually wrong. That's actually wrong.
Actually no step and Jimmy a whole sense of security, and you messed it up all right.
You could make any finals matchup utilizing finals teams from throughout history. What is the matchup that you would like to see more than any other?
Cool?
You know what. I only say this because I've again covered the Toronto Raptors, so I would like to see it. I would like to see the twenty twenty Toronto Raptors versus the twenty twenty Los Angeles Lakers. Whoa, oh, let I thought that was going to be the Bubble Finals. I really thought that was going to end up being the NBA Finals. Obviously ended up being heat Lakers. Celtics beat the Raptors in the Semis of the East.
Right.
If the Bubble.
Didn't happen, my bet is that the Raptors would have made it back to the NBA Finals and it would have been Raptors Lakers, and I would have enjoyed watching that series because it would have been Lebron facing up against the Lakers or sorry, facing up against the Raptors, the whole Lebronto of it all, and yeah, that would have been very cool to see.
I never would have thought about that matchup, but I absolutely love it and we would have dog walked y'all like Hendreck.
Yeah, I knew that's what I would have never thought about it because we won that and we didn't even see y'all at the final.
But interesting, the.
Raptors beat y'all three out of four times in that season. You're saying you're right, You're right, Pascal over, you know what I mean?
Sorry, didn't the Sorry did the light get messed up in my studio because the banners.
Kind of just came down in the wave.
No, no, no, what happened was the lights just got really bright and Toronto just went to sleep. Oh okay, time.
Time man, as Barry Haney. Always a pleasure having.
You, man.
Thank you so much for joining us on my Jabari Got Mad Boosti's uh, where do the people find you? Follow you, support you and see all of your fantastic work.
Yeah, man. Listen to The Athletic NBA Daily. We're a daily NBA podcast with David Before and Zen Akeda and myself. Yeah, basically covering the NBA every single day, which is a lot of fun to do. And uh yeah elsewhere just on X or Twitter. I'm still calling the Twitter Mama call yeah. Yeah, that's it man. I appreciate you guys as always. Oh, it's always good having you.
Make sure you.
Follow us on Twitter at Miles of Gray. I'm also at Miles of Gray on Blue Sky as well.
I'm at A Davis on Twitter and at Jebory Davis NBA on Blues Guy, and Jack of course is at Jack on the Score of Brian on Twitter and at Jack ob one one.
Guy the number one the number what I mean exactly, and follow the hashtag mad Boosties.
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Show links, updates, and be sure to join the conversations on our discord, which you can also find the link for when you search the hashtag at Boosty's.
Well, that's going to do it for us. That's one hundred and fifty two episodes. Yes, one hundred and fifty two episodes in the bag. We will come back with.
Guess what episode one fifty three.
That's right, you math genius. We'll see you then. Bye.
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