Well, well, t USA is locked in and ready for the FOEBA Men's World cub in the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia altogether. Meanwhile, NBA teams, what we're about the month away, a little bit more than a month away from training camps, and we're continuing our preseason team by team prediction series today with the Central Division with writer and podcaster Justin Rowan.
On today's episode.
I am Miles Gray and I am Jack O'Brien, and this is Miles Davis.
D driving spinning Curry, a three quarter stop cry from go tell the.
Game, to be honest, to tell shut time, you got.
What's up? Hit us?
We're here, Yeahue we here, We made it, and we're here with Justin Rowan, you know, host of the Chase Down pot part of the Calves media family.
You know we were.
Gonna be talking about the Calves, which you can help illuminate many things for me because I'm I have a bit of a one track mind today and we'll get to that as we get we break down all the teams.
But how are you justin? What's new? What's good? I'm doing great? Thank you guys so much for having me back A lot of fun. I'm looking forward to doing a little more preview content. I mean there's so little news, Like there's the potential for news, right like you got the Bamian Lillard James Harden thing kind of hovering in the ether, but there's.
Nothing well potentially yeah.
Hey there's a great point. Maybe maybe he gets traded to a Central Division team. Who knows. Yeah, yeah, yeah, There's just not a whole lot going on, but that I do think that the Central Division is really interesting to talk about.
So I'm excited to be on with you guys. Yes, this night's one of us. Man, this division looks like ace newsfest.
Not for me.
My mouth is watering as a Lakes fan where I see some future Lakers out there that I will.
I will say the conversation that we had before before justin joined before we started rolling, was one of the most toxic things I've ever heard from.
A Lakers fan. And that's saying all that.
It is locker Laker fandom toxicity on a on a whole new level.
Listening to this man talk about.
Some some other players, some players from other teams, well they're.
They're they're really our players that are just sort of we're catching them on the timeline where they're not currently on it.
They just don't know it yet. That's what it really is. They're wearing the wrong jersey in the picture. That's it, and we'll sort that out over time.
But yeah, I think I just met my future ex wife. That's what's the Lakers energy for real?
Right? Oh yeah, what are we starting with? When?
When did you start out out as a Cavs fan?
Oh? God? That Yeah, that would have been like two thousand and two maybe two, like right around just before Lebron and then it just kind of got more intense over the years. But yeah, it's it's been a long time coming, and it looks like they have one of the best teams that they've had in the time that I've been a fan. So I'm pretty excited for what the season might bring.
Not according to Vegas Vegas, they're going to be worse than last year. Yeah, which seems to be. That seems to be like a lot a lot of their takes on teams that did well last year not this year. They're gonna stink, just bored with all that success that they had, you know, the one playoff win they got fat off of that.
And you're just not going to get that same effort anymore.
Before you joined Super producer Jabari was saying that one of the first or maybe the first game you ever attended in Cleveland was two thousand and nine Lebron Shack, the Lebron Shack season. I had totally memory hold that I did not remember that Shack ever played with Lebron.
Yeah, my first calv game that I attended live was two thousand and nine. It was that season. It was actually in Minnesota, Delonte Weston playing that game because he had the shotgun and the guitar case incident Desperado we call that. Yeah. I got to see Shaq, got to see Big Z and all those guys. And then the first game that I saw in Cleveland was actually Lebron's last game in Cleveland as a member of the Heat.
So that was kind of cool to check out. But uh yeah, me been traveling to see them for a long time from up here in Canada. Right. What was the energy like in that game? That game was wild? Like the unfortunate thing every time I fly down to Cleveland someone gets hurt, like then the night before and unfortunately for me that stretch it was Kyrie. He tore his shoulder, so we still was a close game. Dion Waier's going off a lot of fun there, Lakers legendary
Dion Waiers. Then you know, the next year when I flew down, Kevin Love got his arm torn out of its socket by Kelly Olynnok the Iron Form flight. I've gone down for the opening weekend the last two years in Cleveland and Garland has gone hurt both times. So you know, I'm I'm I'm really a bad luck charm. The one year that I didn't fly down was twenty sixteen and they won a championship. So maybe have the Cavs just got to keep me at arm's length at all time?
Yeah, because this is this seems like a very lucrative opportunity. Either the Cavaliers as a franchise will actively pay you to keep you from visiting the city, or rival teams will wind you and dine you, fly you across the globe because you have this to get you.
Do you think it would work if you were just in the same city or do you think you need to be in the game at least planning, because.
I think I need to have the game tickets just negotiating to get as much as possible here. I'm not going to I'm not going to try to short change myself on this off Every time it happens, I'm sitting court side every single time, every single it's the weirdest thing. And it's first five obviously, my first class five stars only for the hotel. But anyway, that's me, that's me.
All right.
Should we get into uh are you are you guys watching any of.
The Foba Foba b ball have Yeah?
Yeah, I think the highlights, Yeah, that's been about it.
Yeah, I think I'm pretty sure that's the only way the international basketball is allowed to be consumed, whether with Webbingyama or international game. Yeah, I think that's all the only only way it's available.
But even Team Canada highlights here, you know, the sports stations are too busy showing like high school hockey instead of you know, actually broadcasting those games. So that's always a little bit discouraging.
Yeah, are they really prioritizing They're not prioritizing high school hockey, not hockey, but they're they will.
Put highlight shows on instead of those games.
Wow, They're like Winnipeg Jets greatest bloopers.
Like exactly why something you got to ask them. I've only been complaining about it basically my whole life, right right, right, hey.
I will say from the highlights i've seen Anthony Edwards we've been talking about that, there was like something towards the end of last season that it seems like he figured out on defense.
He already was just like getting what seemed to be like on.
A steady uptick continuum of like just getting better and better on offense, but like on defense, he was like doing these like weird like steals and like pass interceptions that like I'd never seen somebody do before, and like using his athleticism on defense in a weird way.
That was very exciting to me.
So we had our eye on him, and he's been looking he's been looking really good for Team USA.
Mm hm, he's looked great. And Halliburn's look good too, our Central Division star Tyre Aburn.
Yeah. I like that for now, we'll see, we'll just because.
The toxicity that I missed out. He looks good. He looks good to me.
His miles mouth is watering and they're just on roll out of his mouth.
A team value not valuing him enough, you missed the chance to get him from the King's as. I think Justin will see we'll see about that. But I guess hey what let's let's let's dive in to our central division over under predictions, shall we.
Yeah, yeah, I will say the other thing, like FOBA, I'm now interested because I noticed like a lot of the talking heads aren't picking the USA, like they're like, the USA I don't think would even be the favorite, and then in the international ranking they aren't even They're the second ranked team in the world. So you know, the the USA is underdogs. You can't say that a lot in basketball.
So it'll be interesting to watch.
Yeah, well, I mean like I'm being a toxic Lakers fan of No.
Jack, No, you're you're two.
You're you haven't suffered like I have all the psychic damage that brings you here.
So you're fine.
You're fine psychic damage as a Lakers fan. It's Jack, I'm telling you, what have you struggled through?
Oh, when we signed Lebron, I was like, we don't need this guy. We're storied enough without him. What is this?
You don't need to just be some you know hole you punch on your car to say you played for the.
Storied Los Angeles Lake.
Oh yeah, that must work difficult.
I'm sure the Calves fan justin the you can you can identify that must have Oh yeah, yeah, you must feel for him. All right, all right, So we're gonna go through Central Division. We're gonna do some overs, We're gonna do some unders. The Calves they have so last year the Calves went fifty one to thirty one in the regular season. I had a bad postseason. I would say that's the the wrap for this division.
Had a bad postseason.
The Central Division did not did not acquit itself that well in the postseason. But the Calves for this year, they're over under is right at where they are, but a half game under where they were last year. Fifty point five wins with players who are only on the upside of their career. They also got my man, gorgeous Kneang.
You were just.
From the sixers who I love like he's and he was a bucket, like he would come in, he would not make mistakes, and he like he got better and better and was a really strong shooter by the end. I see no problems. I see no reason that the Calves shouldn't just keep getting better.
Yeah, me either. I think last year the Calves were among the league leaders for injured games missed, and Donovan Mitchell and Darius Arland were playing through a lot of injuries last year and one of the biggest issues they had was depth. They just didn't have enough guys to go to and I think that was a contributing factor in the Knick series. You look through the first five games of that series, and the starting lineup did have a positive net rating in that series. They just didn't
have guys to go to it. And that was with them playing poorly, Like Darius Garland had that game where he was like over thirty. Donovan Mitchell, outside the first game, was probably their third best guard after that point, behind Garland and Lavert. Evan Mobley played terribly. Jared Allen had a strong first two games and then after that just was kind of out of the mix. But they didn't have depth and they didn't have shooting.
What was going on with Mitchell in the postseason, because he has been good in the post Like his rookie year, he was really good in the postseason. He's had really good postseason games the last two years. He's been bad in the postseason. Has he been injured? What's going on with that man?
You know?
I think sometimes we were spoiled as Kaz fans of having Lebron, you know, where it's just every single playoff series you can expect them to show up. When you're dealing with a guard, it's just a little bit different, right, Like the things defenses can do to you are different, and I think really you need to have that frontcore playmaker that makes things easier. Otherwise defenses are always going to be able to take away someone that's under you know,
six or five. And for Donald Mitchell, you know, he's had good series, he's had bad series. Is the last who haven't been good? I know he was playing with a splint on his left hand, but he was playing great towards the end of the regular season even with that dislocated finger. So I don't think it's necessarily that.
I just think with seventy last season, I can't remember, Like, I don't think I did that very often in my career playing basketball. Put up seventy in a single game? Did Yeah, that's pretty rare.
You did remember maybe a couple times, you know, in mind rare but yeah, I think he just missed some shots that he normally would make, and Evan Mobley struggling to the extent he did, really didn't help things. And they were just congested. And I thought a lot of times too, it wasn't like the Donovan Mitchell show where he was taking over and everyone else was kind of standing around. He was trying to keep guys involved in. It seemed like there was a decision there. I think
things are going to be a lot easier. They went out and they added two of the best shooters on the free agent market, and both Max Strus and George Nang. They added Ty Jerome, you know, a six or five guard that they can play alongside either of those guards. He can shoot. Damian Jones is a nice depth piece at center, although I don't think he's really going to
be part of the rotation. So when you look at how injured they were last year, the amount of depth that they added, the fact that you know, Evan Mobley's twenty two, Isaaca Corrols twenty two, Jared Allen just turned twenty five, Garland's twenty three, right, like, these are all guys that probably should get a bit better. So I'm pretty comfortable saying the over here. I don't think it's just me being a Homer, although there's a lot of homework sprinkling in a lot of my tics.
H Hey, well, look that take came straight out of Springfield. Think you're gonna best fifty one?
Like you do? You see it going far beyond?
Like when you look at fifty and a half, you like, I think we can add a couple of games.
Do you think you're just right? Like it's right around there? Yeah, I think honestly, I have them around fifty five to fifty six wins this year. I think that they're better positioned. I don't think it's necessarily going to be a massive regular season leap. I think they easily could have got there last year. They had a few games that were blown and, like I said, a lot of injuries. But I don't think they're going to jump up to like
a sixty win team or anything like that. I think they might approach the regular season a little differently, try some things out, But I just think there's so much deeper now, and I'm just such a believer in the talent that they do have. I think Garland can make that leap from you know, an All Star snub to being in even the All NBA conversation. So I'm pretty high with where he can go and where this team can go. If I'm correct about how good this core is.
Struce is a nice edition.
It's gonna be interesting like seeing how these Miami Heat players who kind of came out of nowhere and we're suddenly like really reliable, Like how they actually look this year for you know, you guys are you know, Gabe Vincent on the on the I forget where.
He ended up this It's fine. It's a storybook team called the Los Angeles Lakers. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I was gonna say, some small market franchise that doesn't get any shine. Yeah, exactly, exactly, And I just I just one day we'll get their respect we deserve.
Yeah, alright, the bulls are giving under moving on, They're giving you under, They're.
Giving me under. I don't know. The Bulls are just kind of a bummer. We tried.
We were talking about it before the show, and there wasn't a whole lot to not be bummed out about just.
I mean hearing Lonzo Ball you know, talk about just like then they I feel bad for the GMS, you know, they.
They tried to build something, yeah, like.
Build something around me, and now my knee is just ceased to exists. It's a cartilage transplant, right, I'm like, that's sounds very complex, and I'm not sure what that means for him long term. And that's why that's why it feels like just doubly sort of heartbreaking, because I really like Lonzo.
It's serving heartbreaky.
Yeah, it's giving heartbreak. It's yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm in it exactly.
Yeah.
I'm bummed with the Bulls. And I also think that they got potential to kind of blow things up to right, Like you joke about future Lakers, I think you look at someone like the Martyr growth and I could see something like that happening. I could see the next going after zach Lvine. There's been rumored interests there, right. If things aren't going well for the Chicago Bulls, like, I just don't think that they can kind of toil in
the middle. I believe they finally own their own pick this year after giving up you know, the last two lottery picks for Vusvic. They're just in a position to actually kind of hit the reset button. And that would be beyond the fact that I just don't think this roster is good to begin with. I think the potential to blow this up is the reason why i'd go under with them.
Okay, let's take a quick break and we'll come back, because I've got a real puzzler. We got two hot takes, well, one is coming from the Bucks and the other the Pacers, which we're just of different opinions of who their best player actually plays for.
We'll be right back, and we're back.
And last year, the Milwaukee Bucks, who have a guy who have a guy by a name Janni Sante Kupo on their team. They went fifty eight and twenty four in the regular season. You may remember they lost to the Heat in the first round. Everybody was like, these guys stank, and you know, a lot of the focus
was on how Bucks completely melted down. So the over under for them, they have them three or five games worse than last season, which I get that, like they didn't look good in the postseason, but they like they've shown what they can do in the postseason.
I feel like this is.
I don't know why they're this much worse. I don't understand the argument here other than if you think that just the fact that two of their stronger pieces are at that point in their career where they're getting slightly worse instead of slightly better season to season with like Chris Middleton and you know, Brook Lopez. But it it feels like too much of a drop off to me.
I don't get it because Middleton missed like the majority of last year and wasn't good like Milwaukee. When you look at the top of the Eastern Conference or like the top six, I think Milwaukee and Cleveland are basically the only knicks as well. They're the only teams that didn't get worse, right, like the Bucks basically to push they kept all their guys, But I don't think that they got worse in any way. If you have a full season Middleton being healthy, I think that that's helpful
in the league. Beasley, I thought was a nice little addition. You know, they've got some guys that can improve from inside, and like they took it easy last year and Middleton missed time. I just don't see why you would have them this low. I don't think. I don't think the rest of the East has improved enough to really justify this because I think the only way you get here is if there's just such parody in the Eastern Conference that all of a sudden, you know, there's no standout team,
there's no one that wins fifty five games. I think I think the Bucks have a clear path to be the one seed in these.
Yeah, this would be my lock.
And I know, like this is a podcast that gambling sharps come to, oh for our shrewd take some millionaire.
But this this feels pretty like a.
Really like a really safe not safe. But I mean, I don't know, it just feels very way way low to me.
We'll see.
I feel like Yanna's gonna be pissed off. I feel like Middleton will probably be better. We'll see, unless he's just like falling off a cliff and like it's over for him. But I don't I don't know why that would be.
Even if he's like fallen off like twenty percent from what he was at his best, that's better than you know, fifty games of Grayson Allen starting instead of Chris Middleton. Right, Yeah, I feel like bootleg version of himself is still an improvement from what they dealt with most of last year.
Yeah, all right, and then we have the two teams that Vegas actually thinks could improve this year. We got the Pacers going from thirty five wins up to thirty seven and a half wins. I assumed this was based on, you know, Halliburton continuing to improve. But Miles, you were saying that Halliburton doesn't even play for them.
No, no, Halliburton, Tyres. Halliburton is a laker. That's We've seen this already. I was watching Team USA in very brief clips on Twitter, and I see the chemistry between him and Austin Reeves and it is nailed on. So uh, I just want to you know, warn the Pacers front office, prepare yourself. We're gonna figure out what what what kind of you know deal we can make here. But I figure some late first rounders and assigned DJ and Bega Jersey and we can get this thing moving.
We're gonna wind you, we're gonna dine out.
We're gonna thirty nine yea as in offer you the thirty pig and then they stick.
I mean, you know, you know it's a big TV market too, you know, something to think about.
Uh, And I just think there's just there's just a lot of good stuff on. It's a lot offer for him and I.
Might get a shoe deal. You want a shoot deal, son.
You want to shoot deal? You want to billboard because we can hook you up. Okay, And here's the thing. We've got it all baby. And I don't know what this Indiana Pwkers whatever, this club he's with now, but you got something.
You got a lot of admirers in Los Angeles.
This is actually happening like online, as as people have watched Austin Reeves and Haliburton like play off, play well off of each other in the FOBA like warm up games.
Everyone's like, I mean, do I have to even say it?
Oh?
Yeah, he's gonna be on the Lakers, right, I mean that's what he's gonna He's already lacer right.
Like, I don't love that. The implication of you know, when Lebron, Wade and Bosh were playing for Team USA and Dwayne Wade, Lebron, they're all kind of plotting there the star power that joined star power that ended up convincing them all to kind of team up and form what they did in Miami. We're assuming the same things happening with Austin Reeves right with Aliburn's just just looking into his eyes, being like, man, this guy Ron James of the modern NB Star.
It's come on now, this guy Austin Reeves is the ball handler that's so good that he put Lebron off ball right, Like he wouldn't do that for you, right, Like he wouldn't do that for anybody this sea.
He wouldn't do that for Kyrie. Austin Reeves is the one that you know, changed everything. It's it's shifted the higher NBA landscape. And I guess the question is, like, can you even have the three ball handlers right Like, I think you'd have to go Austin Reeves, Tyri's Haliburn and find a way to move off of Lebron to let those two shine.
I'm absolutely thank you for saying that, justin because I think that's precisely what I've been saying for a long time. I watched the postseason and I said, this guy take him out.
Yeah, Turkey's done. You know what I mean?
You know, because and the rest of the league is you or a farm? Is your?
I said no, I said, they're all feeder teams.
Yeah, the NBA is a feeder system to the Lakers dynasty.
The Lakers, I've always been willing to take on money for some assts. They'll probably take Lebron off your hands. They'll maybe you know, a second round pick to swing considerations. Y'all are losing them anyway.
So just sit down.
What I mean, truly sickening, Jack, This is what happens when you are truly sick man, when you are paying everybody else's bills for these poverty franchises.
You know what I mean.
You got to make demands.
By paying their bills.
You mean like allowing your team to play there so that they can sell tickets exactly.
And I didn't want to say it like that, but here's the deal, the deal, Jack, here's the deal.
Jack.
You look, I'm yeah, sure, you got them locked up for maybe six years or something like that.
But we're going to figure something out. You know what I mean, We're going to figure something out. So just come sit down. But until the until you do, I'm taking you over. Because the Pacers had a winning record last year with Haliburn adding Bruce Brown, that they've got that Matherin's going to take a step forward to you know, I got a shout out.
Was there one signing that everybody was like, man, it would be great to get Bruce Brown. I think I think he'd love it to be on the seventy six ers because everybody seems to love being on the seventy six ers.
Vibes are immaculate.
Yeah, yeah, Lakers.
Lakers really thought they were gonna get him, and they got just it was like a It's like in a like fantasy draft when everybody like has the same sleeper, you know, I feel like Bruce Brown was that guy and the Pacers at him.
Yeah yeah, but you know, like I mean, Tyree's think about it, you know what I mean. We love you. We love you, man, we love him.
We love him, don't we. Yeah, we love him, don't we. Folks, we love him already. They're already children out here with your jersey.
Okay, so just come on home.
Jabari said that the Pacers are actually has picked to win the title this year. So yeah, that's I mean, you can take that to the bank. He said, Yeah, he nailed on, nailed on.
Yeah.
I don't know what that means.
But the other team that has like where all these wins are coming from, you know, with all the other more noteworthy teams increasing in losses. The teams that are picking up wins. According to Vegas, the Pacers going up two and a half wins and the Pistons going up eleven and a half wins. I did not realize they were seventeen and sixty five last year.
That is not good.
But they you know, Cad looks great, Thompson looks like he's going to be a good addition, and I don't know, we'll see, Jade and Ivy will see if he kind of progresses. A Wiseman was thirteen and eight through the twenty four games that he played in Detroit, So I don't know, don't eleven and a half seems like a lot, But when Caid is out there, they do look pretty pretty interesting.
Yeah, this is a hard one for me. Like I I'm such a big fan of kid. I really think that he's a special talent. And the Pistons have guys up and down the roster that I like, and I'm like, oh, yeah, this all kind of I'd like to have that guy on my team. I like to have that guy on my team. But all together, it's just kind of weird. I don't know who's going to get minutes, and especially when you look at the big man rotation, like if Durren's out there getting you know, the starters minutes that
he should be getting. I think that's awesome. I think you play him with Kate Cunningham, you get kind of that one five pick and roll going. But is he going to lose minutes to Bagley? Is he going to lose minutes to Wiseman because they just want to try things out. It just gave Isaiah Stewart basically a max Strus contractor a little bit more, right, so they have to justify playing him. I just don't know who's going
to be playing for this team. I don't know what their motivations are going to be, and I'm worried that they're going to pull kind of the ripcord and you know, try to get one more high pick. Usually when you have this many young guys, you just don't win games, and especially if they move off Bogdanovich, I kind of lean under, but I can see a path to over just because of how good kid is. But it scares me. I'd stay away, would too?
I see, yeah, yeah, eleven could be a lot, but I just for me in my heart.
I just always want to see the Pistons do well. I just like, I like, I think that's just me being nostalgic for like late eighties, early nineties NBA stuff. I'm like, they gotta be a team, so please.
Yeah, they were a classic franchise. You ready to make some bold predictions justin for the upcoming NBA season.
Not some dud ones like I just made, like really really swing for this.
We want you going hard, yeah.
Okay, yeah, I want you to get to that. I usually go nuanced, but I can come out swinging a little bit.
Okay, yeah, get I know you are from Canada, but try and be out of your mind American for a moment.
Okay, Yeah, let me just put on some fake championship rings over here. Let me just go ahead and do that. Well, they're at the desk, they're always really I'm sorry, but like when I I really need like seventeen rings to put on my hand when I started talking like that, just and so you can hear them fall off my hands as I gesture.
I think that would complete the bit of the unhinged Laker fan.
The p CFL and Calves rings. Let's go baby, all right?
Uh?
First one, what is your absolute boldest prediction for the upcoming NBA season. Like, it doesn't have to be specific, not specific to play or whatever, but just give us something so outlandish that when it happens to you, we're gonna say. You know what, Justin said that on Miles and Jack got mad Boosti's and be it gets traded.
What cool that was?
Actually that was actually Jabbari, Like, so Jabari has been consistent. Yeah, producer Jabbari for this show has been consistent since the end of like the season before anybody was talking about He was like, you know what, Jack, I got it. I got a pretty crazy idea. I think MB's gonna get traded. I think he's gone. And I did not like it when.
He said that.
Still don't like your computer, but he keeps bringing it up like I've forgotten.
Like, but today before we recorded, he was like, you know, I.
Was thinking about Yeah he said it like that.
He was like, you know what, I was just thinking, yeahmember, how I said that before. I thought he was going to be like, so now I don't think that because of this piece of news. He was like, I've come back to it. I was like, yeah, man, you can assume that I think you think that.
He's moving forward. That's just an understanding between you two.
He's at which the seventy six ers are falling apart. Like I don't I don't know how bold this prediction. It is like that that plane crash video where like being like, I bet the other wing falls off after the first one fell off, right, It's like, yeah, man, things are things are things are falling apart a rabbit pace here. This is this is not good. So anyways, I but I appreciate the sentiment. I do think people are gonna go wild.
I don't know.
Do the Knicks have a lot of picks to trade back? Like they there?
Yeah, They've got like just a ridiculous amount of first round picks.
Okay, that's good. Yeah the sixers.
Okay, I'm warm.
We'll just go back to you know, and you.
Know, at the end of the day, like Darryl Morey thinks that, you know, centers should just be like Clint Capella, you know, like scene but not heard from, like the children in the twenties. So I think, you know, find a rim running five. Maybe it's Mitchell Robinson along with R. J. Barrett and some picks that that might make him happy as well.
Yeah, and me as a Sixers Frand by the way, I am fully out on the Sixers the second they trade em Be. I was only in it for the Embiid that I liked them so long as they had Embiid.
I am. So would you just return to just being like a Lebron fan or do you fan another?
It would be like seasonal, you know, I would get into a certain team each season.
This is where you do the inevitable transition to I've I've ascended the fandom and have died inside. I no longer need fandom, but I merely love the game, Like you think you'll get to that point.
Yeah, I might still root for Embiid if he like goes to the Knicks.
I mean in the next jersey. I kind of like that.
Look yeah, I mean my dad was was an assistant for the Knicks when they had eing Like something about like a Knicks team with like a powerful center, like a really good point guard. There's something exciting about that.
Yeah. I just love the idea that your backup plan. Okay, I know how I'm going to kind of salvage my fandom. Here are my my backup plan is to go root for a guy that's going to retire New York two.
Oh Lebron. Yeah, I know, exactly.
Yeah.
I like rooting for the Lakers. It's fun. The fans are like that, some of.
The some of the best people, right.
Sickest humans that I've ever met, like.
That, say, we were so sick, bro, We're sick. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, go on, go on, go on, yeah.
Man.
But I'm not, by no means im I diehard Sexers fan, so I will. I am a die easy Sixers fan, and I will die so easily. I will die like one of those children in the twenties, so easily.
If you trade M D so.
During your ship why during your ship triangle shirt waist fact exactly.
But I'm one of the ones who goes before the fire just from from a cough. Yeah man, all right, what team do you think has the biggest increase in wins over last year?
I actually think it's going to come from the Eastern Conference. I think it's either going to be Indiana, you know, fully healthy season at Bruce Brown. I could see them jumping all the way up or Orlando. I like, you know, another team that started winning towards the back half of the year. I think that they can make a big leap.
Okay, okay, next one, where are Jack? Do you want to finish the pronunciation of this one? Where our Pascal Pascal, James Harden, and Dame Lillard playing on opening night? And do they finish the season in those respective locations?
I'm going to say Miami for name, real bold, real crazy? Now where'd you come up with that? Yeah? I don't know. Is chet gp to figure that one out? You know what? It's one of those things where like we can get creative and and be like, oh, well, what if Toronto, you know, makes a makes a move like Minnesota. Yeah, predictable stuff happens. Man, It's the NBA, Like this is always how it plays out. Hardener, I think is actually
going to start the season in Philly. I don't think it's going to end there, but I would assume Philadelphia.
But it does say playing on opening night, and he will not be playing.
He will not be playing. Yeah, maybe maybe he will, Maybe he will. Maybe maybe he'll be wearing a underneath.
Like he'll be doing it sarcastically.
You know what he's going to do to not get fined is he'll go through kind of the pregame warm ups and then just like fake fall in the layup line, like slip on, you know my ankle is a little bit sore. Yeah, and just go from there.
Or did you see like or he does a thing like just he's trolling out there on the court. If you remember the Office with the basketball episode when like Michael's all pumped up because Stanley is black and he's like, oh, he's gonna be balling, and then he starts dribbling and he's.
Like, oh no, ye had a hand out. Hard is like, okay, you want me out there? Well this is what you get. Well, I don't know what to do this dang thing.
I haven't really been paying attention to the sac rumors?
Is it?
Where where is he expected to go?
That's the weirdest thing that it seems like he's having a hold in basically like that he wants to like demand a trade to the Raptors and Toronto doesn't want to give him. Then extension, I don't know. I I saw Atlanta come up. I assume he starts the season in Toronto just because miss I just likes to, you know, keep too much value. Yeah, Okay, miss I turned down a trade for Tyrese Maxi for Kyle Lowry, Like this is this is what he does. He's not moving anyone.
Yeah, all right, and you're do you have a wild card title title prediction?
You think it's gonna anybody?
You know? Titles tough. You know, let's go Bucks, Bucks get back and win the championship. I think people are writing them off a little too soon. I think Gianni is going to come back motivated. Uh the back and forth conversation of who the best player is between him and Yoka. I think Milwaukee's going to get this year.
The title returns to the cinch.
Who's the wait, so who's in that finals? Do you think you think it'd be Milwaukee, Denver, Milwaukee? Okay? I think Denver gets bat again.
Like to see if somebody beat that.
But you know what, I think two one seeds in both conferences are going to make the NBA finals.
Variable I did a spit take over on this son I did.
See that, but for audio listeners they might have missed it.
Yeah, alright, should we take a quick break and then come back and do the fastest yeah podcast basketball history?
Do it.
Let's go.
And we're bad.
And just as youful you are in for it, you've really stepped in at this time. Friend, it's a rapid fire to close it out. Segment of Basketball Show Miles Jack ib Mat Boosties.
Thank you.
This is the third podcast we recorded today. My brain no longer working.
So fast, Miles, so furious, just as you are.
Just you've done it.
Once you've done it, I could care less about my co host struggling.
I just want to colese you right now. I just want to quiz you away. So justin this is the fastest segment in sports podcasting history.
We can ask you about the team's struggle.
We're gonna ask you a question. You just send it right back. No bloviating, no expanding, none of that. Just get it, just efficient. And if we start rambling on, you gotta cut us off because we have to keep the title of fastest sports questioning segment in all of all sports podcasting history. Okay, okay, I'll keep you good as a character. All right, thank you so much. Justin here we go, start the fuck.
Let's go.
You're going first, orm I going first.
Come on, you can come on, all right, you can go. I don't know, it's over for me?
All right?
For me?
Hose justin.
ESPN recently decided to rework the NBA crew obviously jeff Mark Jackson.
Being let go with my brothers covering alongside Mike Breen. Let's just get to it.
Who is your dream in game commentary team? You can assemble whoever I'm talking about. Anybody doesn't even have to be from the NBA cinematic universe. It could be just three minds or whatever. Mind Yes, Joe Namath, Susie Colbert, and who else.
I want. I'm gonna have Mike Breen. I'm I'm I'm gonna keep him there. We need someone to keep on track. Rashid Wallace I want, and Richard Jefferson. I'm sticking in the NBA universe. I can't think too fast. I want to keep them is fast. But that's that's my three Wow.
Okay, okay, any any non NBA people you don't bring in, like any like a Fields someone.
I've had a long day to my my brain isn't working. I don't even know anyone that's not in the NBA. He so hyper specialized. Just got with the medieval times.
Look, I got a lot of tables, man, answer cable guys.
Oh wait, he's telling me to He's giving me the wrap it up finger. All right, BESTBA city in terms of food choices, and what's your go to dish?
Well, I'm going to get love with We're going.
Cleveland, hoping you would say that, what's the dish.
We're We're going Mabel's just outside of the stadium, and I'm getting the brisket. I love my barbecue. Yeah, is it like? Is it? Is it pretty fatty? Is it lean? The brisket? You can you can get either the fatty or you can get the lean. I always get the fatty day dust in my man. That's what I know that about you. You like the flavor, although you're cardiology
may not appreciate it. Oh no, it is what it despises me that probably kind of like amazed with How like when I eat a fatty brisk and I'm like, that's a lot of you know what, I'm just gonna think of it as flavor flavor modules. All right, Sorry, texting my wife, good brisket broker, texting my brisket broker? Were you letting her know how fast this segment has been happening quickly? It's going by. You're just like this justin guy's a speed demon.
You could have any player's skill set for a day. Who are you going with? What skill set are you stealing from them?
Like, ooh, mon stars style, I'm thinking steps shooting just because I don't want to like break any of my joints or limbs. I'm just going to take a shooting because me walking around, you know, just a little bit of shape firing away and hitting absolutely everything would just be obnoxious as hell.
Yeah, it's the right answer. It's definitely the right answer. You also raise a good point about like have you ever see that video where it's like a it's a video game conference, and like one of the kids in line starts like dancing to like win a contest, and his leg just breaks because because he's just like not never jumped before, Like yeah, you know, he's a gameer, so he hasn't like jumped in like, it's not like
a dramatic break. It's just like he's like jumping and then all of a sudden he like falls down and he's like I don't know, and then they're like.
Your leg is broken.
Sure, So like that I feel like my answer, which is like I would just like to suddenly have Anthony Edwards athleticism. All of the bones in my body would break.
Like all those bones, all those ligaments, Like that's still the same, like the land, right.
I think we can adjust it that at that point. Your body is built to handle It's like you're saying, let's put a jet engine on like a like a Ford pinto.
Anthony Edwards's body.
Well, your body could hear the current.
Look if I'm if I.
Get the body of a pro athlete for one day, basketball is not what I'm doing, which okay, which one pizzas? Oh I'm I'm I'm going out of the town. I'm seeing what I can do is a little bit more handsome than myself. Even as a marror man. My wife would understand.
He's like, oh well, I mean yeah, not everybody's going to be this beautiful and cut like that. You're a Calves fan, so I like to ask this of any fan, give me your favorite.
Deep cut Calves player, like throw out a random for the band. Oh god, dolanthy West was right up there. Man. I loved him. I loved him so much. I think he was the perfect combo guard. Obviously, the mental health stuff all sucked in and I wish him well, but I think he was so to appreciate from those teams.
Great answer. Do you remember here's a deep cup for you.
Do you remember any of the games from the early two thousands when they would play I think I asked you this last time, actually, but I'm gonna ask it again. Yeah. That they didn't have actual clips from movies like on the audio, like the drops you know that they would play, but they had like soundalikes.
So they had one.
I went, I went to a Calvs game, one Calves game, and I will never forget that they whenever like a call happened that they didn't like it.
It was really liberally applied.
They would play this sound clip that was an Austin Power soundlike guy going hey, hey, hey, what is this? And my friend, my good friend Sean who lives in Cleveland, was at the game with me and we've never stopped talking about that, and like it's not from anything, you know, it's like it's like get up, yes, son of a bitch, because Mickey loves you, or you know, like these like
famous quotes, but they just like made one up. And uh, I don't know if you ever remember that, But I remember it was when they had so drunas Ilgauskas.
See, here's the thing. My first time watching a game in Cleveland was twenty fourteen, so I missed out on the movie clip era unfortunately.
So you see Chris Mim tearing it up with Trajan Langdon, Those those were the days.
No, those those are days where just daydreamed of watching that instead of actually being able to attend right right right.
All right?
You can place any former CALVS great on next year's roster, do we?
This is the movie.
Yeah, and it can't be Ron James, Yeah.
You know with uh, you know, guards, Mitchell Garland, Mobile Allen like some someone fill in a small form. Man.
I just don't know.
Yeah, it's a tough one, you know what you usually if you say rapid fire.
But we'll let you think on this one.
Yeah, give it a thing, you know, like if he wants to, you know, win two rings match, Mike, he can come on a mid level exception after next year and we can get things going. Man, the small forward position, because that that's really what this comes down to. And like that's that's the amazing thing is when Lebron's not on this team, it's like Alonzo g Jeddi Osman right, like, uh, Tomato, Samuel's like the small Ford rotation has been a little bit rough, so God, you can also pick Jamaine Jones
like Larry Nance Senior. I don't know, like you run into the you run into the shooting issue. I wish Anthony Parker was younger when he was on the couch. He would be a perfect role player. Jamorrio Moon, let's bring him back. I don't know that.
Ja Mario Moon. Wow.
I mean we got the we got the deep cut and and this question answered in the same one.
It was a bit of an impossible question.
So apologies for that because they're like, yeah, yeah, take your time, actually.
Ruin our reputation as the fast for the movie.
Second uh, and finally the most important question, justin Jack or Miles.
Oh, I think last time I went, Miles, what you're you're coveting a little too few, too many players and come in thy neighbors roster and Jack's going for enough right now? You know the whole embad thing. And like, dude, we lost in the Western Conference finals terribly. You don't think I'm going through something right now?
You got to the You know how much I would give to get to a conference finals.
I don't know. Aren't you supposed to be there every year? At least.
The second round? Is there?
Do they keep playing after the second round? I thought that's just where it ended as.
The after the first I have no idea.
What sure? That what everybody's talking about.
Oh man, we always a pleasure having you on justin Where do people find you and check you out and support you and all that stuff?
Yeah, find the Chase Down Podcast wherever you're listening to this podcast. You can also find us on Twitter or twitter x or YouTube us on YouTube onder the Cavs YouTube channel. We post the pot on twitter x whatever that is. I'm not used to any of that. It's all stupid, but yeah, wherever you find your podcast, find us there. We have a good time. We're currently going through some team previews teams that I think are good enough to be in the conversation for missing the playing
in the Eastern Conference. So we're gonna have Jackson frank On tonight to do a six ers previews, so hopefully we get to have a little more fun at and beats expense. Jackie tuning in for that.
Yeah, I'll be I'll be there with bells on you.
Also make sure you follow us on Twitter. You can follow me at Miles of Gray Jack where they find you.
I'm at Jack Underscore O'Brien on Twitter.
Yesh, Twitter, we use we use the biblical names here.
Uh.
And follow hashtag Mad Boosties for show links and updates.
Uh.
And yeah, please make sure you rate and review the show because we'd love to see your glowing phrase.
Uh.
And letting the other people know that this is a fantastic podcast. Uh.
So we'll see you next week. Out the Jack out Mad Boosties, Take care.
Bye bye,