MJGMB #78: Southeast Division Breakdown with Dan Favale

Well we're back a team USA.

Winds up with a whole lot of nothing in the tournament. Yeah, and uh, you know, we may have an Avenger style team up of the league's top stars at the Olympics.

Sounds like Tron.

Well now, I except prefer Paul Tron.

We'll get into that and conclude our team by team prediction series with the Southeastern Division with writer and podcaster Dampa Valley.

On today's episode, I'm Miles.

Ray and I'm Jack O'Brien, and this is.

Uh David. There you go, driving spinning Curry, a three steph curry from downtown Again.

Guys, damp valume, you're right for bleacher for it. You are the host of the fantastic Hardwood Knox podcasts.

Mostly known for having been on this podcast before as a wonderful guest. Yes, thank you for returning.

Yes, thank you so much for blessing us, allowering yourself to come onto our show.

But yeah, how you been man?

I have been great. Thank you guys so much for having me back. It's always nice to be For you to make the mistake twice of inviting me back to this hey, yeah.

You know what they say, shame on you. Wait, fool me twice.

Never mind, take it fooled again. You don't pool me again? Dan, Okay, what's good man?

You got you got a life sized group looming in the background that I'm expecting to attack you at some point during the course of this recording.

It is yet to attack me and any recordings that I've done, but that is obviously its sole purpose, and that was clearly I must have when I was putting together my office was I feel like that's very on brand for for our podcast. Is just make sure that there's a life size alien.

Yeah. Right, did you have this set up last time when when we chatted?

Not right, I made the super smart decision of buying a house at the peak of the interest rates in the peak of house just super smart financial people.

Know this is not a financial advice show, obvious.

Yeah, to quote Cola Skulla, my finances are none of my business.

Yeah.

And then you got Penny Hardaway and you get green next Jersey back there.

Yeah, so it's actually a t MA act magic jersey, t Mac magic jersey. And then of course I was one of the only people that ever liked the Knicks having a Saint Patti's Day, Green and orange jersey with Danilo Gallinari New York Knicks.

Wow, okay, back.

I had a sign, but wow, you got man. I gotta step my game up. I just have loose jerseys on wire hangers.

But hey, inspiration camera that someone bought it a garage sale like ten years ago.

That my wife was like, we should put this somewhere. Yeah, that's that's a nice that's a nice set dressing. Anyway, Should we just talk?

Should we touch on Team USA before we get into our preview here?

Why not?

Someone's gonna have to do it. Yeah, so what's our excuse here? The excuse I keep here in those international teams are playing together constantly, but like where are they? Are they playing in like underground basketball tournaments? Is there like a Mortal Kombat for basketball that's constantly happening and we're they is just not not admitted to or yeah.

Dan, where are you? Where are you? Landing?

On the hot takes about the Team USA coming up with nothing at the Feeble World Cup.

I hear, we don't take it seriously.

We got to send our best or they need more time to build some kind of consistency. What's your feeling after that disappointing tournament.

Yeah I can't. I don't want to say I can't bring myself to care. But I'm not a fan of like the making excuses of it all when it's if you want to claim that we have the best basketball talent in the world, then we should be winning these tournaments.

And the other thing to me is.

I it's hypocritical because I sit here and will critique NBA players all the time and I'm not doing it. But if we're gonna have stars come out and like subtweet this or like have problems with how at fair like, well then participate when it's not just like the actual Olympics. I do probably think there's something to the team chemistry aspect where when we're having these World Cup tournaments, like, yeah,

Yeah, a lot of people were like, what is this the man in the high castle the US lost to Germany.

I don't think a lot of people were saying that. Yeah, every people like everybody said that, Yeah, a lot of men in the high Castle references. I it's confounding, Like as much as people want to say these are, this is like not the best of the US has to offer.

I think that roster.

Would win the NBA title this year, like or they'd be favored to at least it's the the USA basketball team like that. That roster is absolutely stacked. The Germany basketball roster would be favored to be like how many wins would they win in the NBA this year eighteen.

I'll give them. I'll give them twenty eight, twenty five. Like, I don't more.

Think the Wizards, I think is just the that's the number.

I think that's about right, Like I think they might be even lower than that, because otherwise, like more of these guys would be on NBA basketball teams. So like I don't, I don't totally understand it, but it does seem. Yeah, it's it's the having the experience of like everybody.

So we lost to Germany.

We also lost to Canada, who has three solid NBA players, one great NBA player, two very good NBA players, the great being Dylan Brooks obviously, yes, yes, yes, our new King, the new Kobe. I think we can all agree on that.

I I'm just I'm just looking also at Team Canada, I'm like that Jamal Murray wasn't playing, Like what what what is that Olympic team going to look like? Because there's a lot of people who I think assume that it's like, yeah, man, just get just get this Vultron team together, and it's like it's a rap. But I feel like there's such a there's an arrogance to it all that like doesn't humble itself to be like we

Yeah, Jamal Murray and Wiggins were not playing, right Canada and they beat the USA. I yeah, it's interesting. I don't I don't know necessarily, Like God, it does seem to be of a larger piece with like it's hard a harder thing to write about, a harder thing to quantify, and so it gets underrated.

But we are seeing.

It now in international play and we're also seeing it in the NBA that having the you know, experience of playing together like seems to help the teams that have stuck together for a little while, you know, like Denver, like Milwaukee, like you know that as opposed to these teams that are just trying to assemble like the greatest net weight of talent per roster that it seems to matter, like when you have some cohesion, when you have some experience,

So Dan, what do you think of? But what do you think of this dream team that Lebron is saying he's putting together? What KD, Steph he said he's already got uh Draymond to buy in?

Jason Tatum ad is is there?

Like this is probably sack religious to say, but like, is the best team gonna be?

All right?

Well, let's roll out like a super ancient Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Lebron Like, are we that after they're going through an entire NBA season where some of those guys might have played like a hundred games or whatever it ends up being. So I like, yeah, on paper, that looks fun, But I think Jack.

Sort of alluded to this.

What if they tried to like build and you could still use stack talent, but what if you actually tried to build a roster where the skill sets they don't overlap and they kind of compliment one another and they fill in for the gaps that you would have elsewhere.

Like why why do we not approach building a roster?

And you even said it was just like the net sum of talent, Like why not approach this as an actual roster building process to see like how we can get Yeah, it'll still be stars, but how about stars that compliment one another and fill all the gaps within an entire game?

Because Steve Kerr is dumb and bad, and I think we can all agree it was Steve Cerr's fault. Let's move along that that does seem He's getting a lot of escape escapegoatage, yeah, which does not seem fair to me.

But did some of it fall on Grant Hill?

Then he come out and say like, we're not gonna hold tryouts for this, like we're just gonna We're just gonna trust that these guys are going. Like way back when, I think I saw an excerpt going around that that's what he had said about it.

We're just gonna have a like a kind of off site, a team off site and some trust falls and just like kind of vibe it.

Out the roster. Yeah, yeah, we love it all guards just what ended up. Yeah, we love it, but the vibes were great.

But yeah, that.

Dylan Brooks quote is really something he said, Kobe Bryant had to figure out how to create the Black Mamba.

I guess that's my persona, the villain.

Uh huh uh h yeah, Okay, I think those players are equivalent.

Miles your thoughts.

I have.

I honestly, I don't know if I can truly express my heart at the moment. I'm so lost for words. The most I can do is maybe Russell Westbrook reaction me.

And be like, bro, what trip? Because where I'm at with that he did put in work, though.

He put on those boxing story is very interesting, you know, him being like scapegoated in a way that I don't think I've ever seen a player, like a major contributing player to a team be scapegoaded and then leaves that team, goes to another team in the offseason, like puts up thirty nine on you. Yeah, against the US does one of the just clowning ist just the the silliest thing I've ever seen where he got kicked out of the game and then went to the locker room and put on boxing gloves.

Do we know where those came from? The boxing glove? Is that their training new Maybe he was gonna get kicked.

I don't know.

He was like travels with those Yeah, right, travel That's so.

Like that's not a that's not a cool thing to be like, I'm going to box you with these padded boxing gloves. So it really is like prop comedy, like is his whole thing, just like he's trying to be silly, he's doing bits.

I mean, Canadians are famously more hilarious than America.

Yes, so good at prop comedy.

This could be like some Nathan Fielder esque like four d Irony like meta work that we're not quite catching on.

Yeah, it is that like coming out immediately after him being like yeah, I guess you're right. I am kind of like Kobe Bryant is pretty funny.

I do.

I do respect that.

My character is the villain. Uh yeah, well good, we all need a brand stuff.

Yeah.

Anyways, excited For for whatever reason, the Houston Rockets over the course of the offseason have entered like the conversation for me of like, I'm ritten, I really want to see what they're going to be, like like there's a big pickup and wins, like from what what Vegas is predicting for them. Dylan Brooks is now very intriguing to me. You know, I think they're gonna like gonna be one of the best coached teams in the league this year.

It's going to be interesting. Anyways.

Shout out to Dylan Brooks. Shout out to Germany, Canada, whoever came in second. Serbia.

Yeah, Serbia, you did it. You did it. We got nothing.

Do you guys still think I still think that US team would be favored to win the end or the NBA Championship this year.

I mean, if everyone plays at their absolute best ever that we've seen them, I could see that. I Mean, I don't I like that idea, but I guess they're I don't know, it's hard. It's hard to know. Playing like I saw them play together, I'm like, I don't know about that. But on paper again, on paper, that looks pretty good.

I'd be curious if they'd be favored. I think i'm too.

There's like the stain of how they just played his tattoos in my mind where I'm like, no, there's no way they'd be favored.

But right like that collection.

Of talent top to bottom is probably the best top to bottom talent that a team would have, right right right, all.

Right, So shall we move into the Southeast Division and look at someone what the over unders are here?

And do some predictions?

I think we should after we take a little break, you know, I need, you know, Daddy needs his break, his little enough time, has a little shoe, hunk shoe.

There you go.

You're exactly ninety seconds. Yeah, yeah, all right, tell me when to go because I got hunk shoe this.

Okay, forty go.

Shoot and we're back.

We're back, Oh Southeast, baby, Yeah, first one up the Atlanta Hawks last year?

Oh yeah, you want a forty one division team? Over under predictions won the division year that everyone the division everyone's been waiting for.

Yeah, and I'm glad Dan is here to help us understand this is just a little bit better because half of them like, what who is it?

Okay? Is this good? Is this reasonable?

But the Hawks last year forty one and forty one obviously lost to the Celtics in the first round.

They're saying this year they're gonna do a game and a half better forty two and a half.

Baby, I will say this division has my maybe the most baffling under the like the furthest drop that I've seen Vegas predict for reasons that aren't clear to me, right, and that that's called a teaser. Yeah, because I'm not telling you which team it is until we get to this one. All right, it's the Hawks, now it's not the Hawks. So yeah, Hawks predicted to go up a game and a half from forty one forty one last year to forty two and a half. They showed me

I could see a scenario where this team ends up smashing this over just because do we think that Quinn Snyder could be worth more than two wins? I absolutely do him getting a training camp to go through with this entire roster. The offense should be more balanced without John Collins at least, but they also didn't do anything to get a lot better this year. It was just we're gonna get rid of John Collins and we're gonna

So could you be better? Sure?

But I think that also leaves open the possibility because of the lack of change in addition that you're actually worse. And so it feels like they might have a lower floor than many people would expect. But if you told me they won forty seven games forty nine games, that actually wouldn't shock.

I think people have expected them to win that many games the last two seasons. Like that kind of heading in. People were like, all right, they might be really good this year, and then, you know, after they made that.

Deep playoff run, and then it.

Never really came together for reasons that weren't clear really, like, it's not like they lost anyone from the playoff run to when they've been kind of mediocre for the past two years. And yeah, so it's interesting they they've gone with similar similar to the Celtics, where it's like this mainstay of the team, we've gotten rid of them, and we think that should really open things up. And it's like, yeah, I guess it. I guess it could, but we'll see, you know.

Shall we switch it over to Florida? Sure, let's switch it over to North or South? You want to go to North or South Florida?

Are they? I actually don't know which one. Orlando's Central? Yeah, yeah, I go right, Orlando Central.

Let's go South Floridaay, the one that's higher or lower than Miami. Let's go to the one that's Miami bouncing into the city where the heat is on.

Yeah, let's do that one.

Welcome to Miami.

They went forty four and thirty eight, lost of the Nuggets in the finals. We saw that are there particularly go four and a half games better forty eight and a half. H Now, I think it's like when you see like gay Vincent leave.

Or like Max Struce.

I think, on paper, I'm like, okay, so how do they do four and a half games better? But I know they weren't necessarily big factors in the regular season, or Jimmy wasn't either, but as is Dame. The big thing that we're kind of waiting for, like just to see what happens there to begin to really make predictions.

What do you think, Dan, if that forty eight and a half, My guess would be that it's pricing in that Damian Lillard is gonna end up with the heat, because I don't see how this team will be deep enough or healthy enough to win forty nine games if they don't get Damian. I like, I jud like Kyle

You didn't get it.

You didn't get anything for them, Like they're just gone, So you don't even have those innings leaders. I think, look, Josh Richardson really good pick up, but there's still some just holes in the front court and they desperately need shot creating and functional shooting around Bam and Jimmy, and they just not only did they not edit, they actively lost it.

So far, Right, what do you what kind of season do you think to duncan Robinson's gonna have?

I mean, he really had a renaissance during the playoff, right, so could I see him replacing a lot of what Max Shrews did. Probably Robinson's the worst defender, but like, is he Like is that Robinson renaissance worth five wins compared to last year?

Like?

Absolutely not? So right now, I would think they're more like.

Like, first all, I'm surprised.

There's even a number for this at the moment. I'd probably have like forty two or forty three for them.

Yeah, just without Dame, Like if you again, if you get Dame, let's have the conversation, Like, without Dame, could do either of you two see them winning close to fifty games?

Is currently concocted?

No, I Mean that's why I was like saying as it is without Dame. I'm like, how are you doing four and a half better? I'm like, at best you kind of net out where you were.

Yeah, but when you said the phrase Josh Richardson was a really good pick up for them that made me have a physical reaction. I feel like I've heard that every every place that he's been for the past six years.

He's on a minimum now at least, though, so it's kind of hard to with on expectations.

Yeah, right, yeah, this feels high to me if the Dame thing isn't happening. It really feels like a lot of the people who know things around the league are just like, yeah, but Damn's gonna be there.

Come on, like like this is a done deal. It's just it's just we just.

Need to wait for Portland to do the thing that they've chosen not to do up to this point. It's like, I don't I don't understand why it would happen if it hasn't already. But people seem confident. They almost had him on Miami in two k I feel like, so, oh.

Yeah, there was that screen cap that Jabari was saying was out there dameless already on the heap okay, but so do they know.

Something at two K sports already? Yeah, Apacea Vegas is usually pretty smart about this stuff.

So right, Look, Nikolaiovitch had a good World Cup, so just like he's clearly going to be the difference in the state. That's what people I got a kick out of them for me, like, oh, look at how good of a piece Nikolaiovich would be for Portland.

Look at what he's doing in And so we've.

Reached that point of the the negotiations where it's like every little thing has to have this big impact on how have.

Any more picks? Like are they pretty light on picks for the.

Next there's if they do, they have to renegotiate something with the Thunder, but they can give up three first round picks plus swaps, Like the offer isn't nothing. I just don't know if Portland's trying to like I don't know if YouTube. I'm assuming YouTube given some thought. This's like, what is the team that's going to come and give you more than let's just say the equivalent. I know they don't want Tyler Hero, but Tyler Hero and three

Do we know how close or far we are still with this whole deal? Like I think the last thing I saw was like Sham's tweet and it's like, I mean, he'll go to another team, but the second he's there, Dame will want to be going to Miami.

That sounds like a good deal for that team.

I'm like, WHOA, Okay, that's pretty aggressive pr right there, but doesn't like or is or is it an inevitability? And is Portland going to be petty and be like we're gonna hold you before so you can't go to camp and then he.

Doesn't help them?

Right? I mean maybe it does, but it seems like that hurts up.

Do you guys buy that Dame wouldn't show up to I think the report was he'd only show up to camp in Portland or Miami and nowhere else, Like do you buy that he's that type of like could he do the Harden.

I just can't buy it.

If you'll like, he's not built like that, but yeah, yeah, I feel like he would show up, but it's a lot to risk for an NBA team, right because I think I think the follow up was, I mean, he'll go to another camp, but just no.

He's not gonna like it.

He'll be there, but his his whole mind will be on getting to Miami the second he's there. So I think that is a way of saying, like, look, he's gonna do what he's obligated to do, but you don't want him unless you know it's Miami.

But hey, we shall see.

Miami is also not the shocking under from this division.

People.

People are just on the edge of their See, I can't about the nive that Miami and Atlanta were not the surprising under for me.

Okay, what about this next one? What about this next one?

Is next the Orlando Magic. They are being predicted to go up two and a half games from thirty four and forty eight to thirty six and a half wins. It's a little more light to me if we're if we think Paolo is really gonna be that dude. This is usually from rookie to second year is usually a pretty big step up, and they have a lot of fun young pieces around him. They signed Joe Ingles, they drafted a couple of sixth and eleven pick like, those are not insignificant talents to add.

I don't.

I don't know, but sure two and a half sounds about right like that that feels that feels reasonable to me that they would go up two and a half wins. What's everybody feeling?

I don't know.

I feel like thirty five years anniversary maybe that I always like an anniversary for a team, you know that anniversary?

Yeah, yeah, wow. So I'm like, I think of like how old I am, Like.

Wow, I was, I were but a boy when they entered the league. But yeah, like I mean, Paolo and like Franz, they're all they seem like they keep evolving in the proper direction. So I don't know, I mean, like, pardon me. I get excited when I hear Magic fans talk about the Magic and when I hear their enthusiasm, like they could do more than two and a half games. But I don't know, Dan, am I fully off on this?

No? This one to me right now? Anyway?

Feels like I don't know, if you guys remember last year the Kings over under you looked at it and you were like, that's way too low. They were at like thirty five or something, and this kind of feels like that. Where they played their defense was elite for most of last year. I don't know if they have enough like offensive juice in them yet, but as you already mentioned Polo and Franz, they showed great growth throughout the course of the season. I think Jalen Suggs actually

So yeah, character and your boy Markel too, Jack.

Yeah, Markel is like the they they we we're all rooting for Markel Man, We're all rooting for yeah.

Yeah.

So yeah, I could see that they're going to be interesting to watch. Yeah, all right, they are not mine surprising under. Up next, we have the Washington Wizards, who last year won thirty five games five and forty seven, didn't qualify for the postseason. This year, they are expected to win twenty five and a half games. They're expected to drop ten and a half and a half or nine and a half, nine and a half. Man, it was ten and a half before and then and then it just went up one.

Did it just change?

This is my This is my shocking under. I don't know why what has changed, other than everyone being like.

Yeah, I don't know.

These guys stake. It just feels like their fans just kind of quit on them. They got Jordan Pool, they lost Porzingis I guess Porzenis was pretty good last year, Pool was not great last year, So maybe people are just like his this is bad, bad, bad vibes here, but ten wins. I'm not saying I would take the over here necessarily, but it's a it's a big shift.

Dan?

I mean, I think the two things are just like you lose what were your two best players last year, and then the other thing is and I would fall into this camp. This feels like it's pricing in that their new president of basketball Ops, Michael Winger, is not going to let them hit the over on this. And it's like Kyle Kuzma's deal feels like it was signed just to be traded. Tias Jones, will he finish the season?

There?

Are you going to see them start to maybe if they keep these guys shut them down in March or something. And I think you also get into like, well, what team in the East could they feasibly be better then, and I think you kind of start to run out of runway after Detroit and maybe Charlotte, who we've yet to talk about in this vision. And I think that's a big part of it, is that they're clearly starting over.

Five last year or whatever it was.

Yeah, but like this feels like a team that's gonna do their darnedest to win fewer than twenty five games.

Yeah, I guess that's true if they're tanking for whoever flag?

Yeah, for flag, Like yo, man, just just get rid of them, trade pool, give me the flag.

Get get rid of them all, lose them all, all right? Yeah, I can see that. It's Bill was Beal did play a lot last season and they Yeah, all right, all right, I'm I'm on board. Forget what I said about this being a surprise and under.

I think they're gonna stink harder.

I think I'm under on the watch Charlotte Hornets. Yeah, have you seen these guys? You heard about these guys. I heard they're expecting to pick up four and a half wins basically from the return of Lonzo. I mean LaMelo the return of Lamello. But this is a thing we were talking about, how we want them together.

We're like they're always hurt. Yeah, I don't even know if he's coming back, Like, oh right, LaMelo is.

Melo is a different human being. He's very good. He's a lot of fun. Actually, we'll say drafted Brandon Miller passed on a chance to draft Scoot Henderson. This is I think they will be haunted by that throughout this season. But yeah, four and a half, Like going up to thirty one and a half wins doesn't seem crazy to me.

I could see it.

Yeah, especially because you mentioned LaMelo missed a ton of time last year, where he's played like thirty games or something. Yeah, so if you get relatively good health from him, and you get even like Cody Martin missed a bunch of time last year, Mark Williams should be better. Brandon Miller I think was the wrong pick, but like there's also a chance that Brandon Miller is good.

Yeah, just not right.

And I think their defense improved a lot last year under Steve Clifford. So like that feels just like better health from LaMelo and you know, having maybe better health like surrounding him, like that should be worth In the East, I would think like four or five wins, especially when you're working off such a little baseline. It's not like we're saying they're going from thirty seven to thirty one.

Yere right right, yeah, yeah, I mean, I like, I love the confidence of like yeah, wait till wait till b Miller got that Rookie of the Year.

Though, are they feeling? Are they are? People?

I mean I have I have, I know some some well I know one Rabbit Charlotte fan in my circle and they're like, trust me, we did we made the right decision.

People are always wrong, Like in the immediate aftermath, like everyone was like Mathurin like what were they thinking. It's just the people who the obvious mistakes in the draft are don't always turn out to be the case. So we'll see, Yeah, Keegan Murray was supposed to be like, well, they're going to be looking back on that one and oh wait, Keegan Murray is really good. Never mind, all right, So there you have it. We have completed our team by team run down. Oh, Who's who's going to be

You can take the take all of our picks to the bank. Well not look like you said. This isn't a financial advice podcast. B don't take it to the bank literally, but you know, use it to.

Take it to Las Vegas, and then you take your winnings to the bank. Thank you, thank you, exactly.

I still have Phoenix and Okay, see if either of them wins.

The title this year. You really went big on that one.

I went big on Okay. See if Okay See wins the championship this year? Am I in the money?

What were their odds that you don't like?

Twenty seven?

I get it, I get it.

Yeah, I think I know it was.

I had just seen a chet in another Summer League game for the first time in a year.

I was like, man, he's tall and very smooth, but this is going the right way.

Yeah, we'll see he's going on the right way. I don't think it's going that way that fast. But yeah, it's a it'll be a fun one. It's a team that I'm excited to watch, and I'll be even more excited to watch them because I got.

A little ticket in my wallet broken dream. Can't she Let's take a break, should.

We Yeah, let's do it. We'll be right back. We'll be back by.

And we're back, and we're back, and we're back.

I'm sundowning, all right. Is it time? It's time, It's time, Jali, Yeah, it's time.

Now for the fourth quarter rapid fire round of Questions, Dan Favel, you are not a stranger to this segment. You answered correctly most of the questions last time, if I recall, but here it is is the fastest question answer segment in podcasting history. We're gonna ask you a question. Don't think too hard, just react respond, give us an answer right back. Don't let Jack or I drag this segment on. This up to you to say, hey, get it together, keep this thing moving. Is the fourth quarter

I'm probably not ready, but let's do it.

Okay, I love the confidence.

Are ready Ryan start the law?

Here we go. Do you want to go first or go first? I'll go first.

That's great, Thank you so much for offering. You can take two players from all the history to create your Mad Boosey's Edition. NBA jam team. Which two players are you taking?

I'm taking Glenn Rice and Glenn Rice.

Glenn Rice.

I love that Glenn Rice. Yeah, favorite Steph.

Glenn Rice, justies.

I used to go on fire with Glenn Rice a lot, one of my favorite players.

NBA Jam player. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah exactly, and jam player I don't actually don't remember. You can probably don't from half more than that. Yeah, put the cheeks on, you know obviously.

Yeah, like Ja Bryce Sa shout out to the two thousand Lakers with the dual ankle braces.

You know what I mean.

I was always rid of like, Glenn are you okay? But look he's just doing doing what he has to do to stay out there. Dan, what is your absolute boldest predictions, oldest for the upcoming NBA season. I'm talking about like, put your whole put your integrity on the line right now with a while. Wow, that reckless take go good.

Pelicans are gonna make the Western Conference line. Wow, you're consistent. That was your pick last year? Bro? Was it?

Yeah?

You were going hard for the Pelas.

I remember, and afterwards you kind of I was like, well, damn kind of convinced me with his pells confidence.

But I put a lot of money up on that man lost a lot of money.

Hey send me that group behind you.

Didn't we premise it that this wasn't financial advice?

Yeah, I guess that you should have known. You should have known.

No, I don't leave anything that Miles says.

But like, yeah, I mean so again this year, what we're seeing, we're seeing Zion healthy, We're seeing Bingie healthy.

Right, I mean Trey Murphy's already injured.

That doesn't I know? Well that's big? So can I ask? This is Trey Murphy the third a little bit redundant.

Like as a player on this team or no.

Name, his name being Tray is trade like people get Trey as like as a nickname if you are the third?

Right, Yeah, there's also I don't know if you guys been in Collis like New Orleans. Fans don't like when you call him Trey Murphy the third.

I know I've never because I never see it. It's always Trey Murphy. But then when you look at other reports like Trey Murphy. Ai, is that what they would have us call him?

Trey Murphy? AYII? Yeah? Is that what it is? Yeah? Fans say, yai yai Yai yai. I don't know anyway, Mama call him the third. I'm gonna call him the third. Thank you, Jabari. But yeah, I mean like, so this is this is it this, it's this year. It wasn't last year. It's this year.

It could have I mean if Zion was healthy. I mean that's that's a big if. At this point, I'm saying, what if Ben Simmons had a jumper, what if Zion was healthy? But like they were near the top, they were second in the West, like leading into the new year.

Yeah, it's legit.

I still think.

That's like the only team that I'm prepared to say, Oh, they're definitely better than New Orleans.

Okay, I like that. I like that. I like that.

Props though, remembering what I saidlast year, because I clearly didn't remember what I said last year.

No, it's god, that was Jabari because we were talking because we're trying to remember the last time you're on and they were like, oh right, Dan was going hard for the Pels. And that's when I remember too, because I think that was that was the beginning of me getting on that boom bus cycle again.

We're like, this is this year, this year, Yep.

The beginning of me writing your name on a list of people who have wronged me.

Yeah, then he prank calls you it puts lipstick on after you resolved.

Your is the who's the best player you've ever witnessed in person?

And what did you see them do?

Uh? It was Kevin rant was in person. And it was when he was on the thunder.

Uh.

He was playing the Knicks and they went into overtime and he hit some Truly, I was sitting behind the basket. He hit some of the most ridiculous jumpers I've ever seen in my entire life. Like the nixt weren't good then, so it's not like they were defending him with peak level, but his ability and control just when he's spinning and turning with the ball and the rain that he had on it. And I was like, not an old man like I am now at the time, I'm marveled at

But Okay, I got to ask you this one and please, Dan, we got to keep this moving. Like I appreciate that answer is very thorough, but sometimes we're about speed and not quality.

Yeah, okay, we're about quantity.

So that's too poetic, too good an answer.

Yeah, when he said revelatory, I was like, this guy's a poet and don't he know it?

But that's not the best play I ever saw was the Neil Gallinari.

And because he was wearing his blue or his green, Saint Patty's Dan Jersey, Dampa Valley.

If you could have any player's skill set for a day, Who's whose is it and what skill set is it? And we do add the caveat that it's in your body, whatever condition to your body is. So if you think you're gonna get you know, just Matt boost these and be taking change off the top of the backboard.

Can your body handle coming around in earth? Yeah? So they take that into mind, or if you're willing to risk it all, take it into mind. As the saying take it into mind.

I want Steph Curry's handles. Then Steph Curry's handles. We've heard Shooter's handles. Wow, okay, you said no elaboration. I want Steph Curry's handles.

Okay, well this time I do want you to elaborate why, because.

The way my body is built like it would do more for me if I could actually be elusive and rather than just chucking up threes where I would probably easily get blocked. Even if I had Steph Curry's touch and range, my shot would easily get blocked.

Right, And Dan, like I said, we have to keep this second, you know, and I appreciate that answer, But that was a setup.

All right, Dan, you can place any former New York great on next year's roster. Which former grade are you adding to the mix?

Oh?

Man, I uh just throw Prime Patrick Ewing?

Prime Ewing? Thanks years, Nick, Yeah, yeah, I would love that, man. And what is it about Prime Patrick Ewing?

We got to keep this moving, so I don't care.

I like that, Which brings us to our next question and the most important question of all, Dan fora Valley, Jack or Miles.

Both right, Okay, we'll take that. We'll take that. We'll take that, we'll split them. That's okay, we'll do that. We'll do that. Oh well, Dan for Valley, thank you so much for joining us on.

Miles and Jack got Matt boost teas man, where can people find.

You and follow you and read you and all that and support you? How do they do that?

They can follow me on any social media app at dan FA Valley fav A l E. And they should consider checking out the Hardwood Knox podcast spelled like it sounds. It's an NBA pod and if you like sub mediocre basketball takes and bad jokes, it's the podcast for you.

All right, amazing. You can find us on Twitter. I'm at Jack Underscore. O'Brien Miles is currently indisposed. He's at Miles of Gray and you can hit us hashtag mad Boosties for show links and updates. Also shout out to our listeners of the week at dan be tweeting and at side show James.

Shout out to y'all. Thanks thanks for listening. Give us a rating review.

If the rating is five stars, of course, if it's less than that, keep listening and then listen to your heart. That is going to do it for this week's episode. We are back next week with more NBA action and we love it. It's fantastic.

Yeah,