Next on the drive, Tim McMahon dropping dimes for your NBA daily assists.
Van McMahon, Van McMahon that is duding old Land, Texas flood as tickets, Mud He's and man Van McMahon, Van McMahon the man.
We got the voice of you. It's Bill Riley joining us, coming up in a bit. Dave Fox rolls By started things off with Zach Harper. But it is a Tuesday, even in June. That means it's time for our weekly hit with the great Tim McMahon, Timmy, I know you're a jam PAXI. Let's get right to it. Since you and I last spoke, we have a deserving NBA champ. How do you add color and context and not just the finals run, but the entire season that we just saw from Oklahoma City.
Yeah, I mean listen for Shake gild this, Alexander. I mean we just witnessed one of the great individual all around seasons in NBA history. I mean, you punch up his numbers scoring champ uh, you know, regular season, MVP, Finals, MVP, complete brilliance for a guy just entering his prime. And then like the question of Oklahoma City, now that they've gotten one is how many they've got a chance. You know, you've got to put a couple together before you start
throwing dynasty around too much. But they've got that kind of potential when you look at they've got one guy and they're in their regular rotation who you could say is deep into his prime. The rest of them are either just starting it or not even approaching it. This is going to be a force to be reckoned with for a long long time to come. Certainly the team that everybody in the NBA is going to be chasing the next few years.
So who out this way out west exists now? With them? The Vegas Odds basically says, well, it says Oklahoma City is the massive favorite, but if there are two teams that can actually make be making them uncomfortable, according to Vegas, it's Houston with Durance and Minnesota. Do you think those are the two teams that Oklahoma City needs to worry about or they're just going to kind of do their thing.
Well, you know, I don't think Oklahoma City is giving necessary worry about anybody. I would say Denver is the team in the Western Conference that pushed them to the brink, that pushed them to seven games. Denver is the one that as a player that you can make a real serious argument that is even a more dominant force than Shake Gilvers Alexander. So I think you've got to include the Nuggets in that conversation. Also, you know, Denver's the last team other than Okay seeing the West to win
a championship. And you know, the Rockets I think are going to be I don't know, we can play with the semantics of contender, but man, the Rockets were a number two seed that, in my opinion, were a go to guy away from being a real threat, and they just were not traded for Kevin Durant without giving up anything that I would consider to be the central part of their long term future.
So the Pacers net net of this tim sounds like, what an incredible run to the Game seven of the NBA Finals, A horrible, horrible ending with Haliburton coming out knocking down three threes and then doing the Achilles. So, as somebody who witnessed this run, what's the takeaway from Indiana.
Side, I mean, maybe the most impressive playoff run, not the end of the championship ever, certainly in recent memory. When you talk about all the upsets, they pulled off all the miraculous comebacks, the unbelievable clutch run that Tyry Haliburton, and it didn't look man like, don't I don't believe
in basketball? God? After that, because for him to have that kind of clutch run, to be getting it out in a game seven, to get off to that kind of a start in a game seven, and then to get hurt in that fashion, like, man, what a tragic ending, What a terrible way for that run to end, And unfortunately,
like he probably doesn't play next year. You know, it's probably now a gap year for the Pacers, and what a what a tough playoffs for Eastern Conference stars, you know, Damian Lillard, Jason Tatum, Tyre's Halbert all out most if
not all. Next year we're covering from Achilles, and you know, the East is wide open, and I know, like there's there's guys, there are stars in the Western Conference and maybe aren't feeling like they're in a long term fit right now that are looking east and saying maybe we should be trying to get there, because it's a lot easier out east than it is west.
Right now, Vegas likes Cleveland and New York and then Orlando is trailing a little bit behind. Would you agree with that assertion based off the lidney of injuries you just referenced.
Yeah, And I really like the Deskin Bain trade for Orlando. You know, he's never been an All Star. I would say the odds of him being an All Star now are a heck of a lot better now that he's in the Eastern Conference. That's another reason maybe find some stars that are that are looking that way and wondering if that's a place that they want to be. But I think that they really needed obviously shooting and another guy who can create some offensively. I think he's going
to be a really, really good fit. And you know that was also a sign for Memphis that hey, they they're not close to contending in the Western Conference and there's a step back type of trade to kind of reload, certainly get some some draft and O, and you know, see what they can try to do around John Morant and Jaron Jackson Jr.
Let me go back to the Durant deal. Tim, since I've been able to talk to you, do you think Phoenix got enough? Do you like it from both sides? Do you think there's one winner in this situation.
No, there's one winner. You know, Phoenix wasn't going to get enough though, because of the circumstances. Sure, Kevin Durant had a year left on his contract and he was going to have control, and he was not going to you know, he was like, they could have gotten more from Minnesota if kat would have been willing to go there. He wasn't. He didn't want to go there. So the Jim wives weren't going to trade for guy who didn't
want to be there. And you know, like the Sons took the deal that they had to take if they're going to get a deal done for the draft. But the Rockets weren't going to boost that offers. They weren't going to give up a tarrees or certainly they don't even ask about him in Compton. They weren't willing to get up to Barison the Juni and reach Shepherd. They were only willing to do a pick, not multiple picks,
and certainly not multiple of the Sun's own picks. And the Spurs weren't even bat agressive and neither were they heat So they took the offer they had to take. But man, they're a long way from paying off the trade that they made to get KT and by the way, the team that has the most fascet s leftover from that it was the freaking Houston Rockets, you know what
I mean? The Rio. It's funny Tillman Fatita learn some tough lessons early on the Chris Paul Trey was a disaster, right, but he learned his lessons and they went through a painful rebuild and they've been very, very patient since then. It's a poll Opster approach what matt Ishbube has done, and the Rockets are benefiting from their approach, and they're also benefiting from the Sun's approach.
We've seen well, I guess with a Bain transaction, we've now seen four pretty sizable deals coupled today. CJ. McCollum is a wizard. Interesting situation there. Jordan Poole will take his talents and some other pieces involved too. Reference Baine, reference Durant. Also, Drew Holliday is a Blazer. The Jazz not involved him. I know we only have a few minutes left, so let's hone in on the local stuff.
Are you hearing anything since you I last spoke about what this offseason could look like for the Utah Jazz.
Well, I mean, listen, the Jazz aren't going to tank according to Austin Age, but that doesn't mean they're going to make when that trade. How foolish would it be for them to be making big splies? Actually, oh, let's win right now. You're not going to win now. They're going to have another tough view next years. They understand that. So, you know, I firmly believe if the Jazz are going to be making trades around the draft or you know, into the already stages of the off season, they will
be operating as sellers. Will it be John Collins, Colin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson? I don't think it'll be Walker Kess, so that that that would surprise me. But again, you know, I don't think they're in a position where anything but patience makes sense for them.
All Right, final thing, uh, tomorrow night NBA Drafts. According to what you're hearing, do you think we'll see a lot of movement? Do you think it's going to be a fun, dramatic night or do you think it's going to kind of be status quo?
No, I think there's gonna be a lot of movement and like it's already started. Right. You mentioned the Drew holiday deal, Uh, sitting into Portland, which you know that's an interesting one. Uh. You know you mentioned the McCallum pool trade today. Obviously the KD deal is already done. But the draft is a trade. The Atlanta sorts because if you're going to trade, the draft thinks you want
to be able to make your own pick. And so I anticipate that it's going to be a very busy eating tomorrow and in the second round.
All right, buddy, appreciate the time we'll set you loosen well.
Chat soon, Okay, appreciate your brother.
All right. Tim McMahon covers the NBA for ESPN covers the Utah Jazz more intensely. When the Jazz are interesting. NBA draft coming up tomorrow, we will have coverage for you right after we say good night at six o'clock on the program. The Jazz are at five. They're also at twenty one, and you know all the interesting thing about the Jazz is all of these mocks are different. Now, I like Vassini from the Athletic, Cavoni from ESPN. There are a couple of other writers that do a really
good job. Cavoni's latest is Jeremiah Fears to the Jazz at five. Now, we had Zach Harper on earlier. He very much likes Jeremiah Fears, and this is probably not a fair thing to do, but whenever something works at a high level, the way this stuff goes down, like, teams will try to copy what Sam Presty has done, and teams will try to replicate what the Boston Celtics have built. Obviously didn't work this year, but they won an NBA championship. They went to like five conference finals
and two championship series and one to one. And I can't help but look at the size and the lank and the athleticism of the teams that are top shelf from pro basketball right now. Jeremiah Fears is six to two. Keyante's like six', Three isaiah six to. Two LIKE i just don't know if building a roster full of guards that are small is a formula for winning basketball in
the modern day and age of THE. Nba when you look at The Oklahoma City, thunder the team that just won THE Nba, championship and AGAIN i want to acknowledge how unfair this is Because Oklahoma city is, historic and we probably should have been more adamant about understanding that early. On and Even indiana fits the bill like this a little. Bit boston fully, held he certainly. Does and then there are unicorns like A Steph curry who's six, three but
he's Just. Steph it's just different because he's so elite what he. Does but you look At Alex crusoe sixty, Five Lou dort six,' five shay is, sixty, Six Obviously hart andshein And shed er. Seven footers you keep going down. The List cason wallace is, sixty three plays like he's, Sixty Six aaron wiggins is, Sixty Five jalen williams the, Sixty Six kenrick williams of, six,' eight like you just simply have, to have big lengthy wings that can guard
multiple positions and also not. Be liabilities offensively you know the era of like a one sided Player Like a bruce Bowen. For the spurs back, in the day there was mostly A defensive star wars who can knock down some corner, three he's. Like that's done and so if you're marching out against a team who's average height in their starting lineup is like six, five sixty six and you have two players that are under six three and
your first guard off the bench is. Six to two unless all three of those players, are ultra special just think you're. Up against it so we'll See what the jazz. Do tomorrow night there are a bunch of different mocks that indicate different. Directions Are Possible kan ka nipple is a name that has risen. Up draft boards cavoni has him at Four To. The charlotte hornets it feels like the intrigue does. Start at four the, first three picks according,
to most, people you know feel like they're kind. Of dialed, In of course dallas Will land On Cooper flag sham scharane reported Today that san antonio has just decided that They're Going, with dylan harper and actually He Mentioned the oklahoma city Model because san antonio of course has the rating and rookie of The Year, in stefan castle and Then of Course victor woman yama is the cornerstone. Everything
they do they Also Traded. FOR diaron fox I Don't think chris paul is going to be, On the roster, so you know the redundancy TERM in the nba might be something that we need to do away with because is There redundancy Between? Shay, and jada like is there redundancy between? Those two players are they just two players that are built similarly and are both awesome and you
just want as many. Players as, possible you know one of THE silliest things i can remember when people Were Discussing the boston celtics prior to them actually, winning a Championship Is Can Jalen can Jalen Brown and jason? Tatum play together is there too much redundancy between those two because, they're built similarly they both have. Similar skill sets you just want, as, many big long rangy athletic players that you can possibly get, that of course has complete skill
sets that can develop. In your System so San Antonio adds dylan harper to a roster that is already young and exciting and talented and will be good for a. Long long time so it feels like that's kind. Of the deal and then all the intel as a result of the weird Situation, with as bailey who just won't work, out for anybody whether or not he. HAS a promise i think that's something we're just gonna have to wait to find out tomorrow Night is that philly HAS LANDED on.
Vj edgecoma three so it feels, like tomorrow night, and again reminder We Will have draft knight coverage for you both round one, and round two as have two. Second, round picks Now if the jazz trade both second round, picks tomorrow night maybe we'll recalibrate about our. Night To coverage, but, Tomorrow night Myself Gordy, Chaser richard smith i'll be anchoring our coverage and then, For round two gordy is gonna take. The night off it'll just Be, me and smitty so
we'll kind of see how. This goes down so a reminder after We see good night tomorrow at six they tuned for our live COVERAGE Of, The nba draft but after three is where it's getting where it. Gets, interesting Now Charlotte as zach, harper said earlier doesn't feel like they've gone all in on the same sort Of rebuild That utah. And washington have basically those two teams who are very front facing and obvious about their motivations a year ago to lose games on purpose for the name.
Of draft capital it's, a, painful process man it is a painful process because Whether, you are utah Whether, you are washington Whether you're the pelicans who kind of, shut It Down, the brooklyn nets like all of those teams were very obvious about their motivation to be, unseerious about competing only To Watch, the Dallas Map The san antonio Spurs and the philadelphia seventy six ers get the. Top, three picks, dallas of Course Already, Has Anthony. Davis kyrie
irving They Wrapped up daniel gafford with. A contract extension they've got. Really talented pieces it's not, a bad roster even though they Moved off of doncic as, we've talked about but they already have legitimately one of the top five players in the league when he's right and. When he's HEALTHY that's Who i. Think. Ad is now you could talk about he's, up in age. His health issues.
All that's fair, the point is with the way this stuff is hopefully supposed to play out for the teams, that are Struggling Like, the utah jazz it's just Hard to Stomach Dallas with Anthony Davis and kyrie irving. Grabbing Number one san antonio with the two straight Winners of the Rookie Of, The year Award victor Wemen Yam. And stefan castle They just grab, harper at two And then
ultimately Philly Still has Joel Embiat and paul george. On their roster now tremendous amount Of Questions about, joel embiat's health tremendous amount Of Questions about paul george's interest in, playing basketball anymore, but those two when, healthy and right are still very elite in the top upper half of superstar players. In pro basketball there are plenty of smart basketball People That believe joel embiid is as unique as anyone we've ever SEEN. In the nba the problem is he,
just breaks down but they still have them. ON the roster i Didn't Even. Mention tyrese maxa YOU. Just add vj edgecomb. To that group so then the Intrigue starts in. Charlotte at Four, according to Cavoni con k nimple would be. The play there So if con canipple is the, play At four the jazz will have Their Pick, Of Jeremiah fears Ace Bailey. And trey johnson and if you want To throw the Mallawatch kid from, duke in there somebody
likes him. An awful lot that's certainly a name you, could look at but that's not a horrible group of prospects to have. Your pick of If, You're the jazz cavoni Has Them. Taking jeremiah fears i've already outlined my. Concern with that if those, PLAYERS are Available i think i'll probably just Side With what zach harper just, said Earlier Today and tony jones echoed and feels like he needs to be the pick Because if The Jazz go
jeremiah fears, At five again i'll go lean back on. The, term redundancy no it's not a. Super excellent parallel there's probably a little bit of a FALSE equivalency, If I say jeremiah fears is The same As. Kante or, isaiah but again it's another smallish guard that you'll have on your roster under contract for at least three, or four years depending on how the rookie. Contract Plays out the jazz need length and. They need Athletes They need the
jazz have been historically pathetic defensively for. Two straight years that another smallish guard who doesn't feel like he has the length and the athleticism to EXIST in the nba just feels like. The WRONG move and i cannot coroborate or speak to what is Going On. With ace, bailey and no he didn't measure at six' ten like. We thought he would he ended up about six. OR eight without shoes i hate. The without shoes thing it's the. Dumbest thing we do you wear shoes, when you play.
BASKETBALL measure in shoes i don't care how. Tall you are barefoot we're not Playing pickup ball in africa. Like
we wear. Shoes THE dumbest thing so i Wouldn't mind if the Jazz landed on as bailey at five based off the intel all year long that had him as one of, the top, three prospects because no he's, not six to ten but at least he's six 's, eight with long arms a, seven to two wingspan, seven to one wingspan and he was the number three prospect pretty much all year long before this chaos kind of fell
on him as a result of him not. Working Out for teams trey johnson, about six' five okay one, to ninety six' ten wingspan standing, reach eight five and to me he at least has, the upside of, Being a great great, offensive player it. Can, really shoot it can initiate. Yes all these players are young we don't. Know what they're, going to be and that's why WHETHER it's college, football recruits or nba draft picks you have to proceed with
a tremendous amount of. Caution before you anoint or dismiss it's. Simply going to, take some time gavoni's latest mock there's not a ton of local. Interest in the draft This. Year that one name is YEGOR at one point he was i saw him. As high as ten Or eleven his latest Mock has jegar going Thirteen To, atlanta to play for quinn snyder which, would still be a lottery pick. BUT late lottery, pick At that i do wonder and i've, heard some people talk about this and certainly some People
Rite About this the whole like ryan SMITH is. A massive donor to byu basketball he's one OF the alums THAT cares about. Byu basketball and byu athlectic department so he clearly, is part of not THE entirety but part of bankrolling byu basketball to give them the funds they need to Bring In. Talent to play for kevin young he. IS donating a lot of. MONEY i don't know how much i. Don't have access to that information but one of the things that people have talked about is is
there Anything about that. They can benefit ryan's pro team and, while my initial REACTION is no the only angle i could come up With is. The, challenge That the jazz have well the jazz have. A lot of challenges right now or one of the two OR, three worst rosters
in the nba it's going to be another. Really really rough year next year but when you kind of pan back from the from the vacuum mindset and talk about it for more of, a macro thirty thousand foot view if you go All the Way back to after john, and carl either retired or left the challenge that this team has had is, In this city isn't. Drafting well it isn't developing well it's retaining. The players you've DRAFTED
and developed because in the. Nba it's a three tier, system you have to, draft well you have to develop. And then you have to retain the retention piece is the one piece of this puzzle this team has. Not been able to figure out so is, there anything There where for instance like jegor demon Spoke. GLOWINGLY about his time. IN provo i think he met, i don't know if they're engaged but he's DATING. A girl who met at byu will that change when he sees other. BIG cities and.
Experiences other places i don't know but is there anything that we could draw from a Great experience from a player that ryan helped higher. That's the way TO, put It to play for byu that RYAN helps buy to pay for byu and THEY have a good experience, at byu and in our state and then therefore would be more Likely to stay, here if, the jazz draft them developed them and then able to retain which is the one piece of the. Puzzle this organization can't figure out
it still would Be A reach to. Take jeg or deman at five. But here's A question, to ponder if you're jazz fans If You have a guarantee that yegor demon Will Play His entire Career In salt lake city and trey johnson will, leave in six or seven years who would you rather Have Six or seven years of
trey johnson Or Twelve. Or, fourteen, YEARS of diego demon now again, I want to be Very clear i'm not Saying the jazz, are DRAFT diegoor demin at five but byu bought and essentially paid FOR Five months of basketball for aj debontsa to. The tune of seven million dollars ryan was one of the people that wrote a. Check TO help make that happen and i am telling you if you, have not watched this kid play he is
everything he's. CRACKED up to be and more i don't think he would have been the Number One, pick this year over cooper flag but he will be talked about during the Draft Process next year the way cooper. Flag is BEING, talked about now so if aj who appears to really being enjoying His, time on the ground in provo if there's an opportunity to grab a kid like
that who has experienced, our state and actually. Likes It maybe, there's something there maybe i'm reaching because of course It's not as easy if the jazz have to get THE Number, One pick to draft aj demonson But MAYBE there's something there where ryan's i don't. Think it's a conflict of interest i've heard a lot of people talk. About that and write. About It that's. Not my thing it's ryan's money he can. Do whatever he WANTS. With it he
graduated FROM. Byu he very much Loves, byu he also wants the jazz but in the spirit of trying to figure out, if there's actually any synergies here maybe that's the. Angle that we could reach for it, Actually, makes Something out Of. It okay Aj Debonca jegor demon THEY know. Ryan smith as the BYU booster. He sits court side byu games he jumps on the. Backs of coaches after, they win it's a little weird. But that's kind of.
His deal So They, know him they like Utah, okay they're drafted by the jazz and they actually stay here for longer than A few years because until the jazz can get that third. Piece of the puzzle dialed in and. Some Of, These Decisions, Were Trades, Darren Williams, Gordon Hayward.
DONOVAN mitchell rudy gobert. Carlos boozer i could keep going the best Players that we've had here since john carl retired have stayed here, for a truncated amount of time and then they've either been traded because they got sideways with a coach or, they've Left On, their own accord like gordon hayward or they just decided they wanted to live in a different city and forced their way out And basically. Ended A Generation of, Jazz basketball like donovan
mitchell did jazz, have been able to draft well. They've been able to develop well the final piece of the puzzle is how do they retain long term, To maybe finally do something special because, the fact of the matter is we have not Had A Championship contending team in salt. Lake, city since nineteen ninety, seven okay that's twenty eight years and. That's just The reality of it we have we've had some good teams another one we're kicking the. Tires on potentially winning a championship