On a Friday.
It's Friday afternoon, and this is excuse me, this is what we're gonna do on a Friday.
Listen.
You can't you can't put.
This on me.
Nice.
It would be one thing if it was like Tuesday, but it's Friday. We only have ninety minutes left in the show, and you're playing pit Bull.
I know, just getting the getting the energy for the weekend, you know, up to park. All right, let's put the weekend song.
Let's bring in our resident pit Bull fan on a Friday, Zach, what do you what are you doing?
We're trying to get the weekend started out the right way.
One. I didn't request that this time, okay. Two, I don't know if you saw, but Tom Haberstrow was pit Bull for Halloween and crushed it nice. Three. I know, I know you are fighting an urge to tap your foot while that's going.
The head was bobbing a little bit.
Yeah, of course it is. It's pit Bull, mister, of course. And then number four, I mean that's just a good song, Like, how could you not want that right before the weekend? That gets me ready?
You gonna go ahead and disagree on number four, but nonetheless, thanks for the time. Well, okay, hey, what was your Halloween? The zach Arper Halloween experienced? There has to be something, yes, oh.
Man, it was. It was crazy. Man. I watched some bad basketball and then I watched some better basketball, wrote a newsletter. You know, PopEd a gummy asleep by eleven.
You didn't go out?
Huh No, man, I'm Halloween. No.
No, what about like last weekend? You strike me as a guy that likes to dress up?
Am I wrong?
I like it if it is convenient, Okay, I like it if it is easy, it's presented for me and easy. I will I will dress I'll really dress up almost as anything like. I don't mind that. It's nothing about that. It's I don't want to have to go through a lot of efforts. So no, the previous weekend, you know, went out and everything, but not not a Halloween. Not a Halloween flow for me. Yeah.
You know that you're getting old when you just use what you already have in the house. I think I was Iceman from Top Gun seven straight years.
I didn't care. Yeah, it's easy, easy costume.
Yeah, easy costume. And it's really like, you just want to have fun. You want it to be as pameless as possible and then you just you know, you move on. You're ready for thanks to me.
Indeed, so you said you watched some good basketball and some bad basketball.
I know you watched the Jazz and the Spurs.
What what what category does that fall under?
It was not good? You know, Wendy was was historically interesting. But I don't even what's crazy about him last night is I don't want to say, like, oh, yeah, he had a bad game that had those numbers. He didn't, but he didn't seem like he had a great game, right, Like That's the one little concern I have for him going into this or I guess after you know, a week and a half of the season, is he looks just a little slow. He looks just a little I don't know if out of shape is the right let
worn down. I don't know what it is. But he doesn't seem to be moving all that quickly as he was last season. So that's like, really my only poor note about him. But yeah, that game last night was that was rough. I mean, all these Jazz games have been rough so far.
Well, and it appears I don't know if you have made contact with the front office.
But it appears they.
Finally read the memo we sent them two years ago when we made them aware of Victor women Yama's existence. But they decided to go be fine and win thirty thirty five games, and then last year's same thing. But I am ordering my Cooper flag Jersey, Zach. And it appears that the best time to do this would have been two years ago. The second best time is now. It appears they're finally doing the thing that we all thought they should have done a couple of years ago.
Absolutely, and this is whether it's by accident or by you know, on purpose, Like, I don't think it really matters. What matters is that you get the you know, you get the franchise guy right like that. Again, That's that's really all that matters here. I get it. You gotta sell tickets. You got to make the fans happy. What
will make the fans happy if they're upset now? And I'm you know, I haven't really interacted that much, but I've seen Tony Jones' timeline and Jazz fans seem to be like, what like this stinks, like this isn't fun? And I agree, it's not fun. You know what could be fun. Fifteen years of Cooper Flag, that could be fun.
Yeah, And you know, to your point about wimbinyon the last night, I mean, it's hard to nap through a stat line like that. But Jazz fans with a front row seat of what the prize could have been two years ago. And I know there's no guarantees. Every time I bring this up, I get the whole you know, DM or tweet. Look, they're flat and thanks. I'm glad you read a Hollinger article and now you're smarter. Like I know, Detroit went all in and they didn't get it.
Atlanta had the ten best odds and they got one. So there's no guaranteed path, but front row seat of what the prize could have been if they did it two years ago, but they didn't.
And here we are. Tell me, Zach, and tell the listeners here.
What are you hearing about Cooper Flag and watching Duke basketball this year? As I'm encouraging Jazz fans to do, Like, what are some of this Because I don't do this gouting thing like I used to do on the level that I did once upon a time. What are the experts really saying about Cooper Flag?
Right now.
I mean, I think the biggest thing with him is one like, you've either really good athlete, right like, really really good athlete, very active and in a defensive way like he's. I think defensively is where he is going to make his biggest impact. He has a pretty incredible instinct for where to be. He makes up for it when he misses out on those instincts. If he makes a mistake, he's still quick enough and long enough and athletic enough to make up for it offensively. I have
plenty of questions about him offensively. I've kind of been comparing him. I know we're not supposed to do this, but it's been a cross across racial comparison to like, he reminds me of Sean Marion. And you may look at that and be like, that's not a franchise guy. Yeah, maybe not, but he also could develop in a very different way. I don't love his handle, I don't love his jump shot, but I do love the way he
attacks on offense. He's very good off the ball. Defensively, he's just a monster, Like I mean, he's maybe he's not the franchise guy. Maybe he's not Wemby. Maybe he's not you know, a Zion or whatever. He's gonna be like, he's gonna be really good. And the great thing if you miss out on him. There's an Ace Bailey, There's Harper,
there's the big guy from from Duke through the Sudanese kid. Like, there's like five or six guys who could be this And then look, I know we don't want to stretch it out too much, and I know this could be frustrating, but twenty twenty six is loaded too, Like that's an incredible draft class too. Like being bad in the next two years will set you up for success down the road.
There there is some jazz news.
I want to get your thoughts on for real, because since you and I last spoke, just a horrific scene in Dallas with Taylor Hendrick's leg snapping in half. Poor kid, And what I will say is both speaking to people over there then just watching with my own two eyes. Bigger, Stronger came back in great shape, apparently had a great summer and stayed here a lot, and he and Keyante worked out together a lot.
So we've seen it. And I'm not gonna the dudes on the.
Radio that walk people through the difference of the fibula and the tibula drive me crazy, So I'm not going to do that. What I will say is, I know there's some variable between a guy like Taylor and a guy like Hayward or Paul Georgie or Marquis or Wes Matthews or what have you. We've seen injuries like this. He's twenty years old. That's great news. My guess is
he'll heal and be fine. But what's does Zach Harper take on what this injury means for the potential future development of Taylor Hendrix.
I don't think it. I mean, yeah, he loses a year, right, and maybe a little bit more. I mean, I'm not quite sure what the timeline is gonna end up being for him. But so that that stinks. But for the most part, I like, I mean, I liked him as a prospect coming out. I liked even like the little we saw last year. I thought when he was on the court, he made an impact. And then this year he looked good to start out the season right like like he looked, he looked very active, he looked very comfortable.
It just sucks, like I think he'll be fine long term. I'm not going to get into I'm with you, like I'm not going to get into like which bone was broken and what that means. It's modern medicine. It's like it's gonna be I think he's gonna be fine, I really do, but but it just sucks. Like he's such a talented young guy, and he's such a hard worker by all accounts, and I think he's I think he's going to be a really good role player for a very long time. He just needs to be helping it.
And it's another blow to that.
So Sam Amic, former member of the NBA Daily Assist, and we still get him whenever we can, wrote a piece recently about some young players to watch out.
For as far as you know, potentially being traded.
I know it's only November first, we've only got five games, but we're all just doing the thing where we talk about things that we hope you're interested in our thing, and Walker Kessler is one of the names that he brought up. I guess there was an athletic report that the Lakers have interest in Walker, and you know, he has been one of the very few bright spots so far for the Jazz. He's actually looked pretty good. He's
rebounding with physicality. He's bigger, he's stronger. I don't like he's I don't think he's ever going to be like an eighteen point a night guy.
That's fine.
He's back to really affecting rim percentage. He's blocking about three shots per game, and he does look bigger and stronger. He's young, and if the Jazz are willing, I'm certainly calling.
What do you make about what Sam wrote?
Yeah, I mean I think there are a lot of teams who are just looking for, you know, confident size with you know, and on player control contracts that aren't outrageous yet. And Walker fits that perfectly. He's such a good rim protector. He's good around the rim offensively, you know, he can do a little bit with the basketball. He could run some dribble handoff stuff with him. He's just a really good rebounder. I think a lot of teams will be interested. Now. I'm interested to see what the
Jazz front office would expect back in return. I think we know Danny and Justin are are pretty aggressive and what they want back just in general. So I don't know that there's any kind of imminent deal. But yeah, there's I mean, there were teams calling on him in the summer, as we heard, right, Like, there have been teams that are very interested in him as soon as it looks like anybody on the roster could be available that you know, the Jazz have been fielding calls. People
have been putting that out there. I don't expect anything this year. I think it would be kind of crazy unless they were just blown away by an offer. But he's I mean, he's really good. Teams are going to want really good players last Jazz.
Then we'll move on.
And I know you and I have talked about this before, and I actually give you the credit for it, because before they drafted Keyante, you reference like, hey, the dude just doesn't really know how to make shots very well.
And he still doesn't.
It's been almost three years, and if you average out the splits between college rookie in the first five years, I mean, it's really like thirty four percent from the floor in like twenty nine percent from three.
Like, I know he's young.
I know he's a kid, but he has shown now for almost three straight years of playing basketball, he is a basketball player that's not good at shooting the ball into the basket, which could be an issue.
At one point.
At what point should Jazz fans be legitimately concerned about this?
I mean, I think I don't know, Like I think, by the end of this season, if if it still looks the same way, yeah, then I would be concerned. You know, first two years for a guy especially, I think there's so many pluses with him, Like I know, I had a bunch of turnovers yesterday, but you know, he's He's got a really good feel for the game, and and I like the shots that he takes for the most part. It's not like he's just chucking up bad shots all the time. I think I think he
understands how to play. I don't know what that that difference is. I don't know if he needs to be stronger as he goes to the basket. I don't know if he needs to be you know, quicker in terms of how he gathers into his jump shot. I don't know what that balance is. But everything looks good to me except it clangs off the rim right, And and so I think by the end of year two, I mean I kind of approached the whole Scoot Henderson thing the same way I get it. He doesn't make shots.
You know, he's been okay the last couple of games, But I just look for the process of how they get to those shots at a certain point. Yeah, two years. In end of two years, you should be making at least a decent number. And it's troubling that he has gotten out to such a poor start now because I would imagine that gets into his head a little bit.
I still like the way he plays. I don't know if that's just me being stubborn about him, but I you know, if he's still shooting this way in December, yeah, then I maybe figure out what you need to do. If he's still shooting this way, definitely in March or April. Okay, now that's now that seems to be a big problem.
Most teams have only played four or five games.
I mean, we don't know anything about anything as of now. But of all the teams that you thought would be decent, they're off to a bad star which team stands out the most?
And why is it? Milwaukee?
It's me just you know what I've got this there. This is zero reporting. This is just me being chaotic. Well, I would say this. We heard things towards the end of last season that maybe Monty Williams wasn't dying to keep that job in Detroit, right it was massive, massive contract. He was a horrible coach last year. It went beyond the talent, like his decisions were atrocious, and a lot of people wondered if he was, you know, maybe taking his own job because of the money coming in. I
don't know if that's true or not. That's just the conversation that was that was being had. There's part of me that thinks stock Rivers looked at that and said, I could do that, you know, like I could I could get that done. Like Chris Middleton's fantastic. He shouldn't be the difference between them getting blown out by thirty in Memphis and being a title contending team or even just a good team, like they have the talent, they have the players, This is good enough. I don't know
what isn't clicking. It's not like Dame and Yannis have just been bad to start the season, but there is just something where it doesn't work.
And it's too.
Early to say they've got to blow it up. It's too early to say any of that. But the fact that you're already getting those Yiannis comments and those Giannis like well, maybe he does want to get traded after end this year, and whether it's true or not, those things seep in and I just like, I really thought Milwaukee was going to come in this season and establish them, like, Hey, we were supposed to be this team last year, we
are this team. We're gonna do this now, Like five games in, I'm ready to just write them off and that's crazy. You shouldn't do that.
Five games then, well, look, I will admit to potentially being blinded here because Doc was a nick in the nineties and that that was my team. Yeah, but you from my seat, you've kind of always been like either lukewarm or entirely out on him.
Is that fair?
You know? I mean, I think he's a I don't think he's a bad coach. I just don't think he's a great coach. Like I think he's I think he can help a good team remain good. I think he caught the perfect storm with Kevin Garnett being super underrated when he got moved from Minnesota there, and I think Kevin Garnett did a lot for Doc Rivers and did a lot for Paul Pierce, Like I just do I think that he was the reason that team was great.
I know Paul Pierce got the finals, MVP, don't care like KG ran that team and sacrifice in the way you want and ever since then. I mean, look, JJ Reddick can be salty about things and have a bad perspective or a biased perspective. I think a lot of the things that he brought up when he was an analyst on ESPN throwing Doc under the bus, I think there's some validity to a lot of that. I think it was maybe a little harsh and unfair at the same time, but there's a lot there. Like, he's a
smart basketball guy, he knows the game. I don't doubt any of that stuff. At the same time, I have a real problem. This has really like come to form the last couple of years, and it mostly has to do with Darryl Mory. But I do think Doc Rivers is in that same vein of when you were doing nothing but making excuses for why something isn't your fault. We weren't healthy, the rest did this, so all this stuff, right, I think you set up a culture of excuse making
that is not conducive to competing for a championship. We saw that with the Clippers. We've seen that, you know in Milwaukee early on, like there's just always a reason why it's not his fault or it's not their fault. And I don't think that is the proper way to build a winning basketball culture.
Speaking of Reddick, have you.
Know, they lost a couple straight, but they got off to that three and zero start. So every time I've turned on ESPN, there was a big Laker thing, because that's the deal. Is there anything real about what Reddick has done that makes them look different and better in your mind?
I mean, they they just look like they want to play for him. And I know that sounds very cliche and very vague, but you know, he talked a big game about, you know, upping their three point volume all of stuff that it doesn't really happen, Like they're shooting the same amount of threes as they did under Darbnham, But there is a different energy. Maybe that's just the start of the season. They seem more organized. They're running
some cool stuff out of timeouts. You know, they've got some good sets they're using guys, They've unlocked a d a little bit more it looks good. I still want to see what does it look like if they lose four to five in a row, right, and maybe we're about to see that. I don't know, but I do think he's an upgrade. I don't know if he's the six, but so far I think the results are really good.
It's not Milwaukee.
But look, you know, I always draw the parallel because NFL people would talk about, like the Colts just wasting Andrew lock and after like seven years, Andrew Luck was like, I don't want to do this anymore. And Jokic has a ring. It's not like they haven't done anything with him. But are they in danger? Because whenever I lock in on Denver and watch him, I'm just like, he's still the best in the world.
And I don't know that it's close right now.
To be honest, is Denver in trouble at this point and potentially wasting the final five? I don't know, four or five six years of this type of play from Jokic.
Absolutely, they got cheap. They got cheap, and look what it looks like, right. I don't think it's as doom and gloom as it sees, But you know the reason they're in the win column is because they had to work hard to go to overtime against Toronto and Brooklyn. Yeah, and Yokic took over. And Yokich was great because Jokic is great. He is the best player in the world. It's not close, but they you know, there is a
concern of burning him out. I don't know what to think about the whole Like he may walk away stuff right, Like we keep making this joke. We know he loves horse racing. People seem to think he doesn't love basketball. I think he loves basketball. I don't think he loves the NBA, but I think he enjoys his job and how he plays. I think he's a crazy competitor in that way. But I mean, is Michael Porter, Junior Good?
Is Jamal Murray Good? Is Air Gordon? You know, a guy who should be third most important player on team? All that seemed very easy to justify and very easy to say yes to all those things when they won the championship. But what we see they lose a little bit of depth, and this is how it looks. I mean, it's too early to write them off, but would it shock you if they were just a playing tournament team? This year.
No, I mean, are you saying in three years Jokich is going to be with the Basketball League of Serbia averaging like seventy forty and twenty five.
Wouldn't that be so fun?
It would be awesome, That would be so fun.
I mean, I want him to be in the NBA as long as as long as he can be, because he's just a historic talent. But I do kind of want to just see him go to some random Serbian league and just average eighty.
Yeah.
Now that it would be entertaining and it would hopefully send a message to the rest of the league, like you can't waste a guy like that. Last thing, Kenny Atkinson, it's kind of interesting looking at the splits between the Cavs.
And the Warriors.
They're both playing like thirteen players fifteen minutes a game.
Maybe it's like the new thing.
But the Cavs, I was a little skeptical, but they smoked the Lakers, they beat the Knicks.
Are you buying this five and oh start?
I'm buying them in the regular season, But I've always bought them in the regular season, right, Like I I don't think it. I don't think coaching was the problem. Last year. I just I don't like they had a bunch of injuries. I think JB. Bickerstaff did a great job of managing those injuries getting them through the regular season. I think they have a roster construction problem. When you get down to seven game series and you know, just
playing playoff basketball. Now, they're still really good. I think the encouraging thing and what you love and maybe this was always gonna happen. I don't know that's fair to put on on JB. But Evan Mobley looks like a monster, right yeah, and the mobilely looks looks unbelievable. It's early, but he looks so good. And so it's good that their offense has been so good. I think, I actually think they have the best offense in the NBA through
a week and a half whatever whatever that means. They did opened against you know, Toronto and Washington and Detroit, so two good wins against the Lakers in the Knicks. I'm not trying to downgrade that, but we got to see a little bit more before. I'm just like, yeah, they figured it out.
Yeah for sure. All right, man, thanks for the time. I've agree. Good weekend with chat too.
Dolly appreciate it.
There he is all right. He had to he had to go there.