Well, well, well who you we.
Would be back, and we promised and look, promises kept promises. May I think that's what the that's how the phrase goes in that order, exactly promises and then promises made, but we kept them. But today we've got career highs and a record nights of scoring. The Sixers are streaking in the good way. The Cats and Sons are also on there, and head coaches are being replaced, and plenty more to discuss with our guy NBA analyst Raj Chapalu
on today's podcast. I'm Miles Gray and I'm Jack O'Brien, and this is Miles Jack.
Dodge s J three got it, Let's look at dogic.
Hitch t okay there, Indeed, driving spinning from.
Root with five is gonna try another three?
Mister, Look on, James, honest, look out, someone.
Is feeling good.
Well we got Rajchpolu, welcome back to this show. You cover the Lakers, but you know, as people know, this is obviously an informal Lakers podcast. We won't be talking about them because there's much healthier things to discuss in the league today.
Man, I remember when scoring seventy used to mean something.
I just saw some one a tweet.
Get truly get out of here, Get out of here with that, watching basketball, Get out of here with that. They never did it. MJ never put up seventy. Yeah, that's true.
What you like what sixty nine? Sixty eight?
Yeah you go to sixty nine. Yeah, but still.
It's one one point off.
But yeah, I mean that's definitely I think the biggest news as as of today, as of this recording, Embiid Joel Embiid putting Joel Embiid.
Yes, Joel Embiid. We will get to my plans for Joel.
Embiid when we welcome him to the Lakers.
Weeks for him. Last week late Miles and Jabbari decided that he was worthy of wearing the purple and gold.
Uh.
He responds by honoring Kobe Bryant getting up seventy on the anniversary of Kobe's eighty one. He in the post game was like, you know, Kobe was my favorite player, Like you, you're you must have known that. That was a clear message to you and other Lakers fans that get me. Yeah, come pick me up. I've been here forever. I'm so bored. I want you to be Lakers.
And also Jabari points out something very true also that Joel and Be clearly listener of this podcast just based on all that he knows.
He knows, he's seen, he's heard.
But yeah, very popular podcast with the players even say oh yeah.
I mean I can't stop players saying, hey, please keep my name out your mouth. But yeah, with that, seventy points breaks Wilt Chamberlain's franchise record versus wen beg Yama the Spurs, I do before we talk about Embiid. Wen beIN Yalma also had a really good game despite the loss. Yeah yeah, yeah, offensively so sly.
I think I think this game officially puts his uh my prediction that he was going to be defensive player of the Year away. I don't think that's happening after he gave up seventy. But yeah, he I mean he looked good. I love the clip of Embiid walking out seeing how tall he is and uh.
Everybody, yeah like Embiid.
I think it was that was before the tip, right when Embiid was walking behind him and he did this face like what is this okay?
He was sort of like being like all right, dude.
That was like his dispositions are of looking at him like, we get it, You're gigantic, we get it. And then Kelly oubre June, you're doing the let me just bring let me see how I stack up to you. And then I like how his face it was like a full comedic performance. He's like, okay, a lot taller than.
Okay, all right, I see that. I see that.
And Beid is now averaging more points per minute than Wilt Chamberlain did in his fifty points per game season.
So wow, yeah, yeah, yeah, he's durable.
That's what I'm saying. Play the guy.
What'd you make of that seventy pointer?
Well, I was just gonna tell you know, Jack, welcome to the club of having your favorite player score seventy plus. You know, that's like a very exclusive club to be a part of, and we are a part of that club. No, seventy, Yeah is seventy Mitchell guy, right, Yeah, yeah, I forgot he did. He did it as well. Seventy is seventy.
Man.
I've seen people try to downplay it with the free throws or the flailing, which Embads definitely is a part of. But I mean, seventies is tough. That's it's a legit point total, no matter you know, how you get to that, get to that range, and Bead's one of the best scorers in the league. Has that thirty and ten streat going crazy? Yeah, I thought that was I thought that was nuts. What it tells me, though, I still don't think anyone's touching the eighty one, Like I just I
just don't. I don't see it. I just don't think anyone's getting to that number.
I know. He part of me felt a little bit like, eh, I mean, you think he had time to get close to eighty, but you know, Jack wanting out like he was definitely the tank was emptying rapidly.
He was yah at the end.
Yeah, I mean that's a lot of there's a lot of body to be moving around. I think somebody's gonna get to eighty one because of three point shooting. The thing that was wild about this is how much of the damage he did from the mid range like shooting what are in today's NBA seen as.
Like low like low value shots.
But he's just completely unstoppable from that like those places on the court. And so yeah, yeah, he just ate and ate and ate.
Lethal, lethal, and then then towards the end of the game, just taking kids lunch money in the second half, just like just bullying these I was really like, okay, you're really Oh, we get it, Joel.
You're doing it all the jab step is lethal.
You're giving people their COVID jabs, and now you're taking the kids lunch money, doing a little bit of old fashioned uncle ball. We'd like to see that. We like to see that. But yeah, it's true though, seventy is seventy points. So as much as like you have weird Like I really don't understand people who are trying to like be like, yeah, well, it's the thing about that is I'm like, really, it's just there's more hate.
There's more haterism than there is like fandom. I feel like it's louder and gets shared more.
As a Laker fan, I one hundred percent I've seen this. I think it's really disturbing. I know, you know, I think it's really weird when people do that. It's really really strange. But like I mean, speaking of which, seventy is difficult. Sixty two like obviously getting there, Karl Anthony Towns.
Got to sixty two. Yeah, but seventy seventy and he can't lose a game.
He can't lose lose. He got sixty two and lost, Like, yeah, what can I mean?
He is the twenty first player to ever score sixty plus points in a game in a loss. Sixty two put him at the fourteenth highest.
And I don't like. I guess the Timberwolves again. They started the year.
Defending and now they're like, eh, just maybe not so much right now, just because I heard there was a rumor or report that they were also kind of clocking what Embiid was doing and trying to be like, all right, let's help Cat, Like, let's see if we can help Cat out. And that's what it looked like towards the game, because I thought to bring back a Wu Tang interlude.
It looked like they just couldn't stop.
Feeding him and feeding him and feeding him, even to the point where it's like, I, yeah, he might. I think we've wrung every little drip out of this thing.
I don't think they consulted their coach on that, because he was not happy how the needs No looked after that one.
What did he say?
It was like the saddest defending I've ever seen, or something like that. Yeah, he yes, that's a hard one. I mean, like what I don't understand was it just basically them being too focused on like trying to get Cat to like, you know, as many points as possible, or they forgot like they also have to win the game and not allow Charlotte to put up like shoot fifty six percent or something.
It was the tough you know, I'm gonna say, Jordan put up sixty three in the playoffs against the like one of the best Boston Celtics teams of all time, and he lost, but like that was still a moral victory and like him announcing himself and like.
This is similar, you know, Charlotte is something.
Nah, they shouldn't have lost to Charlotte. They're supposed to be one of the best teams in the league. Uh, this is just me being mean. It's still impressive. He's still a great shooter as a center, you know, right.
Yeah, it's a tough time. It's a tough time. Uh, Roger, how do these Timberwolves end up?
Yeah, it's interesting. I think they're more of a regular season peak team. To me, I just I don't believe in the Gobert Towns pairing and I just don't believe
in Gobert as a defensive matchup in the playoffs. I just think you're gonna eventually get to a team that's gonna be able to take advantage of like what he struggles with, which is switching on the pick and roll, and their whole defense is kind of based upon him and Jada McDaniels and Anthony Edwards, and I think they're just a year early, but they're the one seed there, but they're tied with the thunder and losses and the Clippers are starting to roll and starting to catch them.
So we'll see. But I think they're having a great regular season. I just see them as like a second round probably exit to like I don't like, I don't think that would beat Denver. I still probably would have Oklahoma City above them, But Anthony I were just having a great season. I just like, I don't believe in Gobert. I didn't like the trade when it happened, like it's working out this regular season. I just think like his deficiencies in the playoffs I've shown out way too many times.
You saw it with the Utah Jazz consistently every single series that series they lost to the Clippers with Kawhi out, I believe, and with Paul George and Terrence Mann dropping forty in like a game six to eliminate them. I just that's where I think they'll struggle. But they're having a good regular season for sure. I'm just not highed them in like a playoff type atmosphere.
Right.
Do you feel the same way about okay See or you think okay See is legit like playoff contender.
Yeah, they're probably also a year early, but I like I just like their style better than the Minnesota I just have liked how they played, and I like their picking popability with ch at home grin and Shade to me is like played like a top five player this season. He's averaging thirty on the year. So I'm higher on them just against Minnesota. I just still think Denver is better than the crowd. Like, I don't think anyone's beating Denver in four out of seven. But I like Oklahoma
City a little bit better than Minnesota for sure. Both of those teams are like have a young superstar rising where this year still feels like well, I mean, Oklahoma City, forget about house money. They just bought the whole casino. I mean, like this whole year is just for them, that they're way ahead of schedule. But I'm hih on Oklahoma City than the Minnesota for sure, say.
Feels like different to like just his ability to get buckets down the stretch, feels like I could see that making a deep run. Obviously, I still think Dever's the favorite, but like his ability to just score whenever, and like the fact that nobody has come up with anything to stop him at any point that I've been able to see, Like there's just no scheme to really slow him down. I think they could could be pretty scary.
But yeah, Raja, how are you feeling about the crosstown team, the Clippers. Yeah they are, they're putting it together. Russ I was.
I said this.
I think like earlier on when they were starting to like Russ was kind of coming back. I had to say, like, I'm I do I do appreciate like seeing Russell kind of re emerge, just because it was such dark days at the Lakers that I was like, oh no, like I don't know if this, I don't know if he's right anymore, but he is fully like come online for them. And then plus just the rest of that team just looks so good. They're eight and two over the last ten games. What do you are you look? Jabbari's like,
we'll see, we'll see what happens. Part of me, deep down is like a Laker.
Fano, like it's not gonna happen.
But like I'm like saying that with like tears running down my face too.
But how are you looking at them?
Because it just seems like they're really figuring it out and they're staying help.
Yeah. Yeah, it's sad because I was kind of off of the hardened move as well. Honestly didn't think they needed James Harden. I was wrong, and I think a lot of people were on the rush point that you just brought up. I don't like seeing it like it annoys me. I watched two years of It's a great NBA story. Yeah, yeah, you know, and people have starting to rewrite what the Lakers stint was because of what's
happening now. As a person who had eyeballs and every single one of those games, yeah, and you would agree with me as well, this is not the Russell Westbrook we got at all, Like, no, not a not a bit like this is Russell Westbrook fully engaged on the
defensive end. He's there like like he's there Tasmanium Devil just coming off the bench and kay Havoc and like he's like people are singing an All Defense team for him, which I don't think he'll make because he's playing like fifteen to twenty minutes a game and guys who get on the All Defense don't make that. But like you just come in and be like super energy doesn't take bad shots. I don't know what voodoo Tylo has done, but like Russell Westbrook comes in the game and it's
full on. I'm gonna be a playmaker. I'm gonna un pick and roll, and I'm gonna be an assists man. Doesn't take a lot of mid range pull ups. His threes are corner threes only, like how many Caasty take on the Lakers, which you're terrible. But the Clippers have really found something where it's almost unfair. They have Paul George in this Michael Porter junior role, which just is very unfair. Like, well, George is their off ball shooter and it's their whole offense. Is funny as James Harden Zubac,
which again another knife to the heart. Like these super trades still still hurts me. I met Zoo in Vegas. By the way, he was the first Summer League I remember looked like he just got to America and he's like in the middle of eating crab legs and reading it.
But like so I'm like super sad about Zoo, one of the guys that, like I heard Salse, but like their whole offense is hard and Zoo pick and roll and then however you react to that, whatever you defend that, that's where their offense plays out of So if you help off the strong side corner, it's Paul George, it's the weak side it's Kawhi Leonard. Yeah, and you know they just and Norm Powell has turned into the best shooter in the league. Somehow, He's shooting forty eight percent.
I'll catch and shoot threes. Please go look up that Norm Powell Robert Coverington trade that the Clippers did, like I would. It's it's absolute highway robbery. I still don't understand that from the Blazer's perspective, but yeah, the Clippers are legit. I think the only thing that's holding back the Clippers is the Jabbari's point is there the Clippers, Like something goes wrong with the Clippers every single year,
just something like breaks for them. But they look like just the most connected team and like the best team in the league the last month and a half since their six game losing streak ended. So they have like three centers that are good and we're playing jackson A and Christian Wood. It's just it's it's it's upsetting to me, Like they got me, they got they got Daniel Tyes for free from Indiana, right, and I'm over here, like, please let me see calin Castleton, Like I'd like to
see him. Who's our two way guy?
Let's see less cam reddish please?
Yeah?
Twenty four and six over there, last thirty I think.
Yeah, I'm surd, playing absurd.
I say, obscene, that's what I have. Yes, the signs seven and three. Uh, they've won the last six. I mean they're also.
They're in fit now, they're making they're making some noise, they're doing their thing.
Will that will that?
What do you think is that sustainable or would we we think it'll get wobbly there?
I think it's as sustainable as they as their health and yeah, yeah, yeah they can remain healthy. I feel like this is who we expected them to be.
Yeah, the Suns are interesting too, because I think the whole story sorry for them was do they need a point guard?
Right?
And kind of Devin Booker got promoted to their main point guard, and I think that's not who he really is. I just think, like Booker, Beal and KD is so much offensively, it probably doesn't matter. You're gonna have to You're gonna have to send two to all those dudes. Bradley Beal just didn't look healthy to me to start the season, and like people haven't, like like Adrian Griffin just got fired today, right with with Milwaukee, Phoenix kind
of had has had a similar type. Well, Milwaukee's thirty and thirteen, which again is just insane to think about. A coach got fired for that. But Phoenix is like twenty five and eighteen. They've won a lot of games they probably shouldn't, a lot of close games against bad teams, just caring because one of their three stars has been out pretty much the whole time. But they're just trying to click.
Now.
Frank Vogel, I feel like inherited the most non Frank Vogel team to ever exist, just of a team with that's fully offensive focused. But they're playing well. Twenty five and eighteen, we're seven game backs of the Suns. Guy, but yeah, they really started to click. I swear like two days ago we were tied with them. Understandings, doesn't it feel that way? I swear I thought like we were right now the.
Seven games behind the Suns. You're three and a half behind the Suns, right.
I mean seven, Well, yeah, there's seven games above five hundred. We're at five hundred. That's but yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. Yeah, it still feels like there's so far.
Hey, you guys are in the playing I would be come on, guys, this is great.
Ch up.
Now you guys are in the plane. That's exciting. I'm just happy that the Suns and the Lakers are in the plan because I think a week ago they were both like on the outside, they were under the ten spot, and like, that's kind of a bummer. You want those guys around like in the postseason.
I mean yeah, in the Western Conference sort of playoff playing race, Like you know, RAJ, who do you think is more likely to have a second half surge?
Is it?
The Jazz is it the Lakers, Rockets, Warriors.
What are you thinking?
Yeah, I think it depends on what move the Lakers make. The Lakers are playing at this uh. I guess they're gonna have enough of a floor to me because Lebron and ad are just gonna care about enough games to where they're going to win. But I think whatever trade they make is gonna kind of determine that the vibes just look strange. I think a lot of West teams are starting to kind of normalize. I think the Kings are starting to fall off a little bit of Dallas.
I think Luca's back as well. Utah, I just don't think that's real. Also, like, I'm not sure you don't want to see Consexton the plane that you know you don' want to see Consexton killed in the plan. But yeah, Like I think I think the Lakers should have like at least some type of bounce back because I just don't think they're gonna stand still. I think the top four is locked though, Like I'd be surprised if Minnesota, Okay, see Denver and the Clippers fall out of that top four.
I'd be pretty sure they're there. The Pelicans will see like you'll never you never know a Zion's health. But I think the top nine are also locked. Like I think the Warriors are done in my opinion, Like I just don't think anything's going there Memphis, and then all those other teams are kind of tanking. But man's what the Lakers do. They had a big trade last season that turned their season around, and they're gonna have to
rely trade another Rustle most likely. I guess they're like another Russell this season to turn their team around.
Yeah, let's let's see if it's the right combination of things to just keep keep kicking the can down the road and seeing how far this thing goes, because it ain't gonna be too far, I don't think.
All right, let's take a quick break. We'll come back.
Talk a little bit about the top five most improved players, because there's some some interesting ones there.
Right back, and we're back most Improved race.
There are some moments from in the and the just talking about the we're playing Jackson Hayes, the pain in your voice when you said that, the just looking at the Lakers being seven back. Uh, These Lakers fans suffer for it. Yes, they can be difficult to uh, you know, we.
Feel it all.
Yeah, but that's why it's an illness, you know what I mean, It's not a superpower. It makes me either insufferable as a fan or my life becomes just pure suffering.
It's hard.
Six in a row, by the way, I don't know, that's uh the second best point differential in the league and have won six in a row.
I know, Jack, I love that.
That's what I was saying off Mike Jabari and I are like, yeah, man, let's go give me my sixers merch.
Because I would. I would, I could stand by that. It's that's a that's a tough thing.
You wouldn't feel as bad once mbad leaves them comes to the Lakers.
Yeah, yeah, obviously.
I mean like everybody's got to come home eventually, you know what I mean.
But Maxie, like the I feel like everyone's saying it's his to lose at this point.
Yeah, yeah, I don't know. How did I just not think that he was going to keep getting better. I don't think I picked this. Maxi is most improved, But yeah, he feels like a shoeing at this point. Not a shoeing. I mean, there's a lot of a lot of other options here that look great. Haliburton makes a lot of sense to me because he's just had such a great season, and sometimes they do go with like person who has gone from All Star to like All NBA First Team candidate,
like they did with Jaw a couple years back. So that would be the other option that would make sense to me is Haliburton. But you know, Maxi is kind of in that same ballpark. Maybe not quite as high as Haliburton, but he's you know, single handedly like obviously Embid's been incredible this season. He is also he was the MVP last season. I think he's playing better this
season by kind of a lot. Yeah, but Maxi being taking it up to like a whole another level is really the thing that makes what the Sixers are doing so far this season possible that I don't think a lot of people were expecting. Well I was clearly, but of course you know.
And your children who are big fans, sex yep, it is even though it isn't but a football player, but.
But yeah, I mean it's like one of those things that like every you know, fan of every team is like, oh man, if this guy can make the leap next year, like this is we got something and like the way he's doing it is like to your point, I think it's only just because embiide is doing just putting up obscene numbers that people completely are kind of like, oh right, right, right, Max.
I think it's also that he seems like kind of a jerk. You know, every Maxie just seems like he's no fun and.
A real chair.
Now he seems he's like the most impossible person not to love, Like he seems like the best dude, like he'd be he'd be a lot of fun to just like go out with, you know, yeah, oh, like for anything, like I feel like you go bowling, bowling and yeah, yeah, because he's probably.
Doing some fun trick shots. He's like watch how much English I put on this one?
Like oh, he's got.
Like little brother energy, you know, like yeah yeah, even though how tall is I don't mean little brother like, you know, but I just I like, like just his stature, you know, despite.
That, even though what he's like six foot three at four right six two apparently Okay, that's a little bro. Yeah we can if I wear tims on with lifts, like you know, I might be able.
To tower over it's his award for sure. I think Tyres Maxie gets shut. I'm jealous of like the Maxie experience just as a as a Laker fan, Like how
I fan? I like, I really like players that are like drafted and like develop in your system, and the Lakers kind of are just hired gun after hired, gun hired gun let that just continue to flip their rosters, which is why I think Austin Reeves has such an attachment to like Laker fans where it's like, hey, like we saw this dude undrafted and you know, playing summer
league games and and like now is up. But yeah, I think that's what makes I don't know if Jack you agree with this, but I think watching Maxie that's probably a little bit more special about it too.
Right.
You saw Tyres Maxy kind of have to give James Harden the ball a bunch at first, and now Max He's like feels like a free kind of bird out there. He's like, oh, like there's no hard in round. Oh, it's just me. I get to create everything. I can take as many shots as I want. I think he's really benefited from that. But yeah, I think Max is the clear cut winner of this he's become like he. I had doubts, honestly, I know you both you didn't you both didn't, But like I had doubts of him
becoming just this type of offensive option. I thought he was more in the Emmanuel quickly, no disrespect, but I thought like that's I thought like he was in that kind of vein of a score. But he's obviously way past that. And uh, he's like a movement shooter. He's an elite movement Shooter's an elite pitch off the dribble shooter. And that pairing with embiid is so tough. But Maxi as the winner, Yeah, yeah, not fun to play against. It's not fun to play against. He torched us.
There's a humidity.
Yeah, Vitorian prints on him, which you know which.
Look look, look, look, I've been doing a lot of work about not crying on Mike Man. Let's just stay focused on other teams that might also be struggling, like the Bucks. Huh, what is your talk real quick about the Calves, Because I've felt just on the subject of like addition by subtraction, right, Harden, getting out of there,
letting Maxi fly free like a bird. The Calves needed to lose two of their three best players, Uh to injury to go Suddenly they are the best hottest team in the league thirteen and three since losing Mobile and Garland to injuries.
How sustainable do we think this is?
I mean, it sounded like from when jab the way Jabari was speaking like it, it seems like this might be working out in their favor. Yeah, I don't Again, I don't know how much of that is. Like, obviously you get that bounce from being like, Okay, it's on us to do something. But the redundancy of sort of like their play styles may be the thing that's helping.
But I don't know.
I don't watch enough of the Calves to have a fully informed, toxic opinion like.
I normally would.
Yeah, and I don't watch a lot of them either, But I'm like, your if your guards are that small, the amount of offensive production you would need to kind of make up for that is a ton. So I think just having a more system approach to their offense has helped.
Yeah.
I mean they've won eight in a row, so I mean they're just like killing it right now. I think their defense is starting to settle down as well. And Mitchell has gone just absolutely nuts. That's another future Laker shoutout, like it's another in every single Jersey swap that that exists. Like you said, the embiid got the future Laker treatment just recently, so he's kind of entered that club. But yeah, Donovd Mitchell another guy that I'm a big fan of.
So I don't think it's that sustainable. I think they're gonna need those guys back to make any type of real run. But they've kind of separated themselves at least from the like bottom pack because they struggle. I think they were struggling to come out the gates. There was a little bit of a drop off from last season. Yeah yeah, but they really they've really picked it up.
So maybe they just give you Mitchell now, you know, if they're like this isn't this isn't sustainable, Like why not just flip them over?
You know, we have a nice Gabe Vincent waiting for them.
Just yeah, yeah, the future rights to James and uh, if you're interested.
If you're interested, interest, we got we got a lot on offer. Tommy Berger. The chili there.
It will destroy your insights, but if you survive, you will have superhuman powers, just like me and Rock. But yeah, I guess you mentioned earlier Raj. The Bucks they fired their head coach, Adrian Griffin, despite having the they were thirty and thirteen. There're seventeen games above five hundred, and you just get the sack like that. Yeah, I from what I was reading, like Giannis was big on him. It sounds like he was big on him because he
was really not wanting to play for Nick Nurse. So that's why apparently maybe his support for Adrian Griffin sort of had manifested.
But what I mean, what what? Yeah?
I mean to fire a coach halfway through their first season, Like I think the last time I remember that happening was Jerry Tarkanium with the Spurs. Do you remember that experiment? But like that that is a quick trigger, like usually things have to be going disastrously for that what happened,
So thirty and thirteen is wild. A lot of people are speculating the like Doc Rivers was like advising him at the Buck's request, like behind the scenes, and then like that's somehow involved here and it's going to be a Doc Rivers higher, which as a Sixers fan man, that hurts. Oh, oh you got Doc, dang it, and we're gonna have to face you in the second round of the playoffs.
Come on, man, that is not what I wanted for one.
Dang it. Oh well, uh well, we'll we'll have to just figure out a.
Way to a game plan against Doc.
You're gonna look, I think you stamp your ticket to the Eastern Conference finals.
You know what I mean, this is not gonna I say, that's done done.
But the reason that Sixers fans were like kind of maybe excited to see another look, see another coach on the bench was the playoffs.
Right, And the irony too is like we don't want to play for Nick Nurse and then you're like, oh, well, what's going on over there?
Whatever? We got maybe Doc Rivers now. But yeah, like Roger, I know, what did you think of Doc?
Because it felt like he was auditioning for gigs left and right recent oh with his desert thirst approach to his commentary, what what do you think of like of the whole situation and where the bucks go from here?
Yeah, so it's interesting I was looking this up. I think David Blatt was fired pretty much in the exact same day twenty sixteen, yeah. Yeah, And he was fired in twenty sixteen January twenty third, which is which is today. So I think like it was very similar kind of approaches. And I think the way I look at this is there's things that are right and there's things that are fair. Is it fair that he got fired at this time?
No?
But I think was it right? Probably? Like what he was doing was some We had Malik Beasley on their team last year, and he was having Leak Beasley as their defensive ace, the guy that they throw on other team's best, you know, best players. They were not running Damian his pick and roll. The offense looked really clunky. I think he just kind of lost the locker room.
No matter what the record is. I think that's I think like if you could talk to Bucks, if you talk to Bucks fans, they'll kind of tell you there are a lot of issues. And it was the first time I head coach, so you know, they're kind of admitting a mistake there. It is wild, Doc Rivers. If you listen to a Laker game, you'll hear him pretty much asked for the Laker job. It's wild, not not directly, but as direct as you could if I.
Were to be there. Easy, easy, you get it. You're calling Darkenham out constantly, exactly.
Yeah, he's like one of the best people to hear talk about basketball, Like I get, I get exactly why he keeps getting higher. Man, He's so fun, so interesting to hear talk about basketball. Yeah, were there not a competitive advantage in it, I would be wishing that he stayed doing podcast appearances and doing the games. But you know, be being a Sixers fan, I do have to hope that he is the new Bucks head coach.
Yeah, I think I'm I think it could it could be a thing, but yeah, just it's it is wild to just when you hear about like the informal like consultant role that he had at the Bucks behest and.
Is that legal? Is that even allowed? Like is that like is a loud yeah, be a consultant?
Well it was dirty man. That It's like just the feeling of feeling like, hey, so look, you're new, it's your first time head coaching. We just want to bring this guy in here to talk to you. He's not after your job that Like can you imagine then, like how many assurances they had to give him to be like, yeah, Doc's just here to out man, that's cool.
Yeah, and then oh yeah, it's like being a relationship.
And then like the person you're with is like, you know, I feel like my ex could really help our relationship go to the next.
Level if you just just let's just bring them into the picture real quick.
It's not don't be.
Threatened by it. Oh my gosh, tripping cut to.
Terry Scotts, like, you know, wishes he stayed on, Like Terry Stotts, I think, right, like.
Yeah, oh yeah, right, yeah, and the.
Season he just he just left, they just parted ways. He might be the head coach right now if if if he stayed on. So it's just a weird situation. And this was this was touted as Janice's guy to right, it was an Adrian Griffin kind of Janice's first head coaches.
They looked very unhappy this year. I feel like, just yeah, yeah, so that's why.
Yeah again, I think we gotta we're seeing Look, the player is GM thing not not the best. Let's we're not seeing a great track record here. But hey, look, we gotta gotta stick to what we know. Like from what the reporting I'm hearing is just because it wasn't so much that like Jannis wanted Adrian Griffin is that he didn't want Nick Nurse. So it's like, let me put my weight behind Adrian Griffin. So okay, huh, it's a chin rubber, for sure, it's a chin rubber.
We'll see what happened, Well, we shall see. And me talking all this trash is of course going to mean that the Sixers get knocked out in the second round by uh.
The Duck Rivers and the Box.
Yeah, but while I was doing it in a.
Black hole, is going to like just appear in like the fabric of space time because it's to be so anomalous.
It's like, well, what happens? Is it? Is it? Is it doc or is it the Sixers who was supposed to go out?
Yeah? Probably rather that than the Celtics losing to the Celtics again.
But yeah, well.
Anyways, Uh, these are the things that I think about it night when I'm trying to go to sleep.
Well, one thing I think about is wembin Yama. Some recent images of Victor webbin Yama. Yeah, I'm still processing these images against the Wizards.
Yeah, there's this image of him dunking over Marvin Bagley. I don't think he actually ends up making the dunk, but it is straight up space jam. Yeah, it's the space Jam dunk. It's very true.
He's Marvin Badley's six ten.
Yeah, Marvin Bagley is six ten, and he looks like a child.
It looks like.
When Bin Yama got like the mushroom in Mario to Go, like he somehow was also growing on top of.
Being like seven five or whatever we're officially saying he is.
Uh yeah, It's just just like one of those pictures you're not sure how to process mentally.
I feel like, have you.
Guys seen him yet in person? Have you seen Yama in person?
We were we went to one of his greatest performances I think of his career, which was his first game in the Summer League, Okay, and we just.
Like bought tickets off vivid seats, so we weren't that close close enough to like really see him.
Plus a bunch of people standing in front of us during the game, and we had to be like, hey man.
Sit down, man, we're all trying to see It's like, well.
We did lie to ourselves and say that we got the high up seats so that we could just see him eye to eye.
Right, that's why. Yeah, now he's he's in crow. I saw him, yeah, in Summer League as well. Then I saw him, I think play the Clippers here in Los Angeles. He just he makes no sense. I haven't seen anything like that ever. Guy with that type of handle, step back threes, just dunks while on his tippy toes. Super super insane, insane prospect.
There was even a moment against the Sixers where like Embid was just was defending and then he just kind of was like, well, I use my long arm, just kind of put it around your body, just like laying in. It was like it was like the and even Embiid was like what he's like, I was up straight up and he just was just like, no, sir, my arm is actually four feet longer than you expected to be. So yeah, there's he's confounding. He is confederating. Should we take another break?
And one other thing I just wanted. The Lakers tweeted out that Lebron has played against thirty five percent of all players in NBA history, which is why I saw somebody replied crazy that he's duck in the sixty five percent other players.
What's he afraid of?
Exactly, But I wonder what numbers, like how what that would percentage be for like Vince Carter, you know, like harder, Yeah, yeah, because he played, he played many decades. But yeah, yeah, I'm curious just to see, like how that stat stacks up to.
Other players like long careers too.
But yeah, when you look at him, look, father time, you're doing your thing.
Shout out all the thirty nine year olds out there. We're doing us.
I mean, he's still one of the best players in the league. I don't know, he looks awesome. I think maybe I haven't been watching as much Lakers basketball as you guys.
But he looks ok, he looks he's good.
Yeah, I'll say that Lebron James is good.
He's pretty good.
Pretty good. Yeah, it's time.
It is time for rabid Fire to close it out. So let's take a quick break. We'll be right back.
And we're back.
Super producer Jabbari with the facts. The stats comes through ol Vince Carter. He's played against thirty.
Seven percent of all the players in the league.
Yeah, it's a nice try, Lebron. Maybe try a little bit harder.
Yeah about down to the real goat VC Bro.
That's true.
I mean that that dunk contest. We talk about it all the time. Vince Carter, please come on the show. We love you, yeah, Page love.
Pand of the All Star Weekend. Speaking of Uh and Rod, you have stepped in it. It is the rapid fire round of question. Man, we're gonna do a little bit All Star Weekend theme to some of these questions. That's more prep than most of our guests get. So you're welcome. This is We're in the final minutes. The heat is on. You just gotta react. You can't, you can't think about it.
Don't embarrass us, man, Just immediately respond. Do not humiliate us. Right now.
Okay, we're trying to get Vince Carter on the show, and hopefully he will hear this and recognize that he would be a great fit.
But are you ready for this?
Let's do it all right, do some brain stretches because it's time, Bryan, start the clock.
It's gonna be fast. It's gonna be so fast, bro, I don't even know how to warn you.
Man.
It's gonna be ugly.
Man, It's gonna be ugly.
Man.
You'd be slipping and sliding like Luca when he got crossed up that one.
Did his head band fall off or did it just fall off?
In my mind, I think his headband came on, like you know, like in a cartoon thing. Yeah, or like you know, like a cartoon thing, like suddenly a guy like walks in and like you hear a bunch of casts and comes out. They have like their arm in a cast and they got like one crutch and their heads wrapped up like I feel like Luca just like suddenly had his head wrapped after that. But anyway, the speed RAJ, you got to keep us on point, man, and I already Bryan start the clock man, this is on you bro.
Yeah wow, my job yeah, all.
Right, yeah, my job exactly. Roger, who should go first? Jack or me?
Uh yeah, slow Jack?
Who should go first? Wow?
You know I think he said. I think Roger told us who who he wants to go first? Sounds like a few miles.
Okay, well guess what roch Topaulu question number one? Wow? Like this, Yeah, what's your favorite All Star Weekend moment or game?
Bro All Star Weekend moment or game?
Uh?
Yeah, that's that's cool. And I think I like the last the Kobee. Yeah, that's true.
It along your answers with this.
I love the Kobe Lebron one. I thought that that's my favorite one where I think Lebron didn't shoot it at the end and Kobe was kind of pissed at him because they were having this one on one kind of monoymno fourth quarter match, and Kobe was kind of going at him and like he wanted the one on one against Lebron. I think Lebron kicked out. We got to keep it out to Carmelo whoever it was, and Kobe kind of gave a look at him like, hey, we're like having this one on one moment here, you're
supposed to take the shot. So that's my favorite All Star Game moment for sure. I really like cherished that one. That's that was a really cool moment.
Yeah, and that was the right answer just for people listening at home.
So yeah, you've regained their trust. And now I can ask you another All Star weekend, throw them off, throw them off. So Pro Bowl, the NFL Football's All Star weekend, kind of does like I think I saw that like in their commercial, like a game of dodgeball.
The players are playing in what schoolyard game Raj.
Do you want to see added to the NBA All Star Weekends cool yard game?
Well, I'll give two answers. Number one, I'd like to see like pick a ball. I think that's it's really competitive at least when I play, Like that's a fun matchup, but like I'm just gonna cheat and just go quickly. I'd love like a one on one or a two on two, like that schoolyard basketball, Like one on one is like that that's like the most popular, or like two on two. I would like to see some sort of that like incorporated into All Star Weekend, like it's fun,
doesn't have to be super serious. But yeah, I think you'll get guys being competitive and not this bowl that we're seeing. Sometimes we're like, guys just don't play hard. Shaye was asked after an All Star game. He said, uh, like, what will make you guys play harder? He said, more money. It was like, Shay, this is your first.
All Star game. I love that. What do you mean more money?
I'm so yeah.
Look so this is kind of my answer too, is we're letting everybody gamble now, like the you know gambling, various gambling outlets are the like key sponsors. These guys will like fight each other to the death to win a shooting contest after practice for like a ten dollars, Like with ten dollars on the line, right, Like, so we know, we know they like to play cards. We know they like to play a two K against each other. I'm not saying there's definitely money on the line. I'm
just saying I could theoretically conceive of that. So, like I would love to see a televised.
Two K tournament.
Yeah, two K tournament, you know them streaming on Twitter. You know the story they're competitive about behind the scenes, Like that's the stuff I want to see, like that them turn into somehow and and do like a heads up poker, you know, Like that would be fun. I would love to see who's the best card player in the NBA.
They could play heads up seven up? Yeah for money, you know what I mean. Just bring it back to rainy day school games, you know what I mean. I just think that would work. Anything I think would just I think the weirder the game the better, Like bottle flipping.
Bottle flipping would be fun.
Yeah, yeah, but you put like a hundred racks on it, it would be exactly. It would be monumental and it has their money. Yeah, it's a ten G buy in. Yeah, that would be something else. You got to keep this segment moving. Man. Man, that was really poor form on your part. But guess what we will forgive you, which brings you to my next question. If you could have any player's skills set for a day, who's and what?
Oh?
I think like if I had Kyrie's handles, I don't think I'd ever leave the gym, Like, I don't think i'd ever I'd take a basketball with me wherever I went. I would not, I'd bring it every single place. If I can dribble, I do that sometimes now, and I don't dribble as well as Kyrie. But like, if I could dribble like Kyrie or even Steph who has just I think really underrated handles, I'd dribble basketball. So that that's what I would do. Because I feel like you
can bring a ball anywhere pretty much. I would like to have their handles for a day. That'd be That'd be something I'd like for sure.
Wait, you shout out to the people who really are the Ball is Life type people, like the way you said, like you can pretty much bring a ball anywhere, like like I've seen where like a teenage dude has a basketball in the movie theater. Yeah yeah, and it's like bro really like, I mean, they were respectful. Once the trailer started, they stopped dribbling, like there's a dude drib I remember seeing the due dribbling in by the concession stand.
I'm like, oh, you're really You're on that life. You got the bopsack too on you like I used to have in ninety eight, But that's.
A different wearing strength shoes into those jump shoes.
Yeah I got, I got jump soles and I have a full lak or uniform on with a headband, Like what is wrong with this sixteen year old boy?
Like I'm trying to get on JV?
Yeah all right, you could recommend one southern California restaurant someone visiting.
What is that place? And what is your order when you.
Go on California restaurant? Well, I think the main one would be in and out that you tell them. And when I go to in and Out, I get people haven't tried this, and they call me crazy. But sometimes I'll get the grilled cheese just no meat on it and it's it's really good. Actually, the grilled cheese in and out it is awesome, especially if you don't want something to filling. Uh, you just get that and and
they make that really well. So and then that would be the one I would tell people to go to the lines a little bit long, but yeah, the main one.
I like how you I would I would recommend in and out. And the thing I would recommend is not the burger, but it's just a grilled cheese.
And make sure the fries are well done. You got to tell them that, yeah, white friese fries.
Yeah, I will eat the I ask for them, like, I.
Like rare, give me those fries, rare mashed potato sticks? Oh yeah yeah, like what soggy? Then like like yeah really yeah you like mash potato, yeah, massotato sticks. And also I like to get chopped chili's on my burger.
That's the other one because then you can actually make it spicy because I love a bit of spice.
Are you animal style person or now you guys getting.
The fries animal because I want to Max. I just want to freak out my doctor by eating like that all the time. But other than that, night, like the if the for the for the burger, no, I don't. I mean, I like the grilled onions and stuff, but it's not it's not. It's not an always kind of thing. I always get animal fries, though light fries. He massed potato sticks. Sorry, y'all, I just I think we just lost some listeners with that. But hey, you gotta live
your truth. Well, Raj Chappalu, thank you so much man for joining us on Miles and jackot mad Boosti's where do the people find you? Follow you, see you, experience you, because there's a myriad of ways they can enter the Chappalu verse.
Yeah we do. We know. We do live shows and have cool you know, guests on playback at All Exes Lakers. Then you just follow all my content at Raj Chapalu on Twitter. Uh, you know, I post videos and stuff for there. I've been going to the South Bay Games, which has been really fun. Our Lakers have a rookie jailed Hood Chapino, which if people in La I would, you know, tell them to go watch a game. It's it's fun. South Bay Games are really nice. You can
go watch a first round pick playing those game. So yeah, just follow me on Twitter at Roschapalu And yeah, this was fun. It's a lot of fun.
It's always fun having you man, Thanks for doing Please.
Come back and make sure for you the listener, give us a follow on Twitter. You can find the show at hashtag mad Boosty's Bbow sd I e s.
For show links and updates, you can follow me at Miles of Gray. I'm at Jack Underscore O'Brien on Twitter.
Yeah, and guess what, We've reached the end, my friends, that's what.
We did it again. I know you did.
You didn't think we could. I know you said seventy points doesn't matter anymore.
Well, guess what we'll guess what? News flash, tough guy, news flash. That's right.
Well, news flash. Also, we will be back next week. Despite what you may think, it will be said.
We couldn't do it. And here we are on episode ninety seven, a mere three episodes away from the one hundred.
Wow.
Think about that, and if I know us, we will do absolutely nothing to commemorate that.
Yep, really bad at show adversaries for people that follow our other shows, we just we're.
Just we're out here, just like oh man, did you know yesterday was our thousandth episodes.
Wow, that would mean we're getting old already.
Points is nothing, one hundred episodes and nothing, but we will be back.
Thanks everybody for listening. We'll see you next time or hear you next time, bye, or smell you next time.
All right, all right, okay, we have right, but I got the implication there