 The good news is I know exactly when Kevin Durant's coming back, but the bad news is I can't tell you guys Running back is up next Run it back. I'm your host today. Eddie Gonzalez. I'm filling in for Michelle beatle Michelle. Please come back Please come to your job. It's really hard. I'm joined of course by Stadium of Insider Shamsha Rania my guy Chandler Parsons and bold for wearing the book eyes tea today Evan Turner It's usually better times for you in March, but I guess it's a little different this year. This is for the women's team This is for the women's team. They're in a sweet 16. So I'm rooting for them right now There you go, look, we're gonna talk some marksman is later So let's let's let's go back to that but last night we had a full slate in the NBA The biggest game of the night the best game of the night clippers thunder Don't look now. We got a powerhouse in Oklahoma City 500 the seven seed and Lou Dort clamping up Kawhi at to finish the game didn't even get a side up. What's going on? Kawhi, what's going on with that? so SGA he had 31.7 rebounds for assist Kawhi only finished with 21 Chandler how impressive is that with Lou Dort did at the end of the game You're locking up Kawhi who is back who's looking incredible for the game a game. They absolutely need to Yeah, this is such a big moment for them for their season the fact that they're even in this situation is unbelievable I counted these dudes out. I was all over the clippers last night young Team big game in LA celebrities in the club crowd and these dudes don't care They play hard they play the right way and this is textbook defense Lou Dort was physical. He didn't reach He moves his feet everyone else is shrinking the floor So Kawhi learned really didn't have many options other than to kind of be able to rise up and shoot over door Which he couldn't even do to the clock struck zero there So this was unbelievable defense and and the Oklahoma City are so impressive if Mike Brown wasn't doing what he was doing with the Kings I think they got the coach of the year here They have the highest ceiling with the team. They have an absolute stud and SGA all these talks about trading SGA Could we get for him? They shouldn't do that because this guy's a star this kid can grow with this core that they have They have all the talent in the world They have all the youth in the world and they're gonna be so dangerous in the next next year to the next five to ten years If they keep this core together because they are super impressive Chandler, I definitely agree with you, you know with the core you have Josh Gidey's averaging like 1776 shooting 48% from the field Jalen Williams arguably the rookie of the year and then when you look over at SGA and I you know their main core is super tough I think now only in the next year they're gonna do well I think they're gonna make a lot of noise come playoff time not saying on that's a barely one is serious But it's gonna mow well for the future and I think the experience is going to Continue to take him to the top Exciting times at Oklahoma City They've been rolling out chat home room for the KD workouts before the games. He looks healthy. We're not gonna see him this year Unfortunately, but you got to be looking forward to that next year The brutal story of the game last night though PG had a great game going at 360 dunk in the half court He looked amazing suffers a terrible knee injury like this is tough to watch when you see a hyperextension to that point You know something's going on there shams. What's the latest on PG? What have you heard? What's going on out there? So they had tests last night on Paul George's knee They had they're gonna probably have more tests today and he left the arena on crutches in a cart There's real concern within the clippers that this is a serious injury and like you said Eddie He literally had a 360 dunk in the half court a few plays before that and he's been playing at such a high level this year They're only all-star this campaign Just a tremendous year So of course this hurts if he really is out for the remainder of the season or the playoffs If he misses significant time this hurts the clippers chances to make the playoffs make the play-in This affects their chances as far as they can win a championship so a lot rides on on You know essentially whatever the MRI result is for Paul George and you know just a devastating injury Yeah, only one game Only one game ahead of the Lakers the grizzly the the pelicans in the loss column They could just as easily fall out Chandler is this is this gonna end their season like what are we looking at here? Well, I hate to see this injury especially to Paul George We all know everything that he's went through with his previous leg injury We're nothing basically snapped in half for Team USA and he's been back and it was a long journey for him And he's back. They're all-star. He's argued with the best player than Kawhi right now The 360 dunk and a half court offense you rarely see that right so this is tough And and the clippers about their ups and downs fully healthy you take Paul George out of the lineup I do think they are no longer a contender with him out of the lineup and the more I just watched this video right here That's a gross-looking landing. I don't like what I saw there. I got a hyper-extended it I'm sure he's getting multiple tests and first and second and third opinions on it But this isn't good. So I'm thinking about him here And I hope it's not serious because he's been playing at a high high level And he is a huge part of the clipper success this year and without him. I don't really see it Yeah, I mean either I think Any every piece especially of Paul George the full throttle to be able to be a you know contender even have a chance at it Look at the West guys are getting healthy hitting the strike and even look last night You didn't think went up against the team like okay See a young team because you really say that team would be able to beat him without a Paul George and The fact that they haven't really been having an opportunity to mold and blend too well was already tough enough and weighing on him So hopefully Paul's okay. They can you know, hopefully it's a Paul Pierce state miracle, but that looked tough Lot going on in crypto arena last night Look the convergence of that was the big trade when they got Kawai you have shaved throwing up 31 and Even this situation right here Kawai gets a tech the rarely seen tech He was clearly found and then terrorist man gets ejected for protesting the tech as well Chandler, what do you think of three techs in five seconds against two guys and we're talking about Kawai here, too He very rarely does this right here. What happened right there Chandler? I mean well watching that replay. He definitely got found he got bodied on the way up the dude reached and and Evan I don't know about you. I don't I don't recognize half of these new reps Maybe we've just been out the game for a while, but I don't know this right. I have no clue either I've never seen this cat in my life But listen Kawai learned you know something went majorly wrong if he's barking like that and clearly Terence man said something Personal or something very very foul because usually you don't get the the heave-ho that quick and Three techs in four and a half seconds is wild and you know at least Kawai didn't get kicked out But Terence man's been playing great for them and this obviously was a blessing there to the game last night They end up smoking the game at the end of it there. They could have used Terence man, but these these reps Hopefully he said to deserve it because this you can't just toss a guy from that from an outsider looking in with no audio It didn't look that bad. Yeah, that's what I'm saying three techs in five seconds Maybe one maybe two after the third you're kind of feeling yourself. You know I'm saying it's time Come on home, you know It doesn't make any sense and obviously I wish I bet the Clippers wish they had it back because they lost by one You know, it's just one of those tough. It's a tough five seconds to say the least You get a purse you get a purse You always hate when the guys get the text when the ref was actually wrong wait You're wrong and I said you're wrong and now I'm in trouble. What do we do it here? What's this to eject the guy on that to like come on now, but Yeah, a lot of game left to like he had to say a couple of magic words, but I don't know about that one But yeah, look a lot happening in LA from SoCal to NorCal the Kings the Celtics Celtics with a big win last night Jason Tatum 36 points eight rebounds Jalen Brown 27 points five rebounds for sis Chandler How big is the confidence boost of this? How big of a confidence boost is this for the Celtics? It's a long road trip. They just finished up. They needed a big win going home. How big is this for them? Yeah, it's always good to end it on a win like this Especially a team that everyone's all chattering about everyone's talking about how such a good year They've had and this is considered to be one of the better teams in the Western Conference And this definitely gives a boost of everything all the struggles of the Celtics have been going through Everyone's talking about how good Milwaukee's playing and you know Phillies on the rise and this up until a couple weeks ago Has been the most consistent team in the league. They've been healthy for the most part They have arguably the best duo with Jalen and Jason So this is a huge win because maybe the Kings are a team that they eventually have to go through But I think this just shows you the power of the East When you look Milwaukee Boston Phillies in my eyes, they're a lot better than Denver Memphis Sacramento So there's definitely I think whoever gets out of the East is gonna have a good shot at this But this is definitely later in the season a big confidence boost to go in and knock off a team That's considered to be the one of the other teams in the other conference Yeah, for sure. I definitely agree with Chandler. I think Boston is showing they've been the best team and the most deepest team the whole season I think they've been great offensively and defensively And I think like they're two best players is greater than you know, some of the other you know duos and tandem to best players You got two young players that can play on the wings both sides of the ball And at the same time one of those players is a full superstar and the other one turns into baby MJ when he doesn't play well And you do that with the length and you know so much versatility in a roster I think Boston is just a team to be racking wet and they'll be playing till June You know the huge story yesterday from Logan Murdock at the ringer shout out to my guy Logan Jalen Brown a little revealing that has had felt a little bit of a way about KD possibly being traded for Jalen over the summer and apparently reached out to Jason Tatum and Brad Stevens together Shoms, you're tapped in. You're the guy, you know, what's the dynamic between these two guys? Doesn't seem like they're the best of friends, but what is this here? Also, I love that you guys are in this because that quote makes this clip look crazier in retrospect because Logan mentioned he talked them in January his games in February. Who knows but Shoms, what's the energy like between these two guys? Well, I think there's like this mutual level of respect I mean ET can definitely speak to it at a higher level as well. He was there He worked on the staff, but I think when you think about those two guys There was definitely questions concerns Conversation was strong a couple years ago. Can Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum coexist? Can they play together at a high level and that's when the Celtics at one point even reached out to the Sixers when the whole Ben Simmons situation was going on they had conversations they showed interest in Ben Simmons But the question was are we gonna trade Jalen Brown for Ben Simmons? No, we're not and they wanted to see those two guys through and I think those two guys had serious conversations looked at each other and They they want to both win. I think that is the biggest thing is both guys want to compete want to win at a high level Yes, it's about you know, sometimes personal accolades as well But they want to win at a high level and I think that more than anything wins out when it comes to those two guys I'm curious ET's take. I'm curious his opinion No, I think it's always so overblown because I've been I've been around those guys a lot So, you know when it comes down to it, they have the utmost respect for each other like big fans of each other I think one thing that goes without saying I think some of these talks and everything of Jalen Guinness's respect Motivates them to the umpteenth degree. I think he talks about it takes notice of it I think it motivates him because he still comes out. He still competes. He still plays at a high level and If you look at some of the clippings, he's a bit Jason Tatum fan And there's another thing that occurs that we keep again as well. There's a video that surfaced from when Tatum was like 10 years old 11 years old and he said he modeled his game after Kevin Durant So, I mean, I think we might just be digging too deep into, you know, any type of You know, buddy ball or back door and much more than you know Two guys working out and the kid living out a childhood dream probably I'm so happy you said that because look Jason works out with a ton of guys his trainer Yeah, it drew Hamlin is in high demand and you end up in the gyms with a lot of guys He works out with Jillian Beat. He works out with everybody. That's the summer. That's LA in the summer for NBA guys So I get where we're Jalen's coming from but for Jason like he's just getting his reps up But going back a lot of the stems from your report Psalms that the Celtics did offer Jalen Brown for Kevin Durant. What was the package? What were the conversations? What happened last summer when all this came about? Yeah, I mean obviously we saw Jalen Brown's comments in that story saying that I guess Brad Stevens told him He wasn't gonna be traded and listen at the end of the day that was true I mean the Nets at that point did not want to trade Kevin Durant in their mind. They wanted to keep him They want to exhaust every option even after Kevin Durant went and had a meeting with the owner and told the owner You either got to fire the GM and the coach or trade me like they went through a lot last summer and they ended up running it back So yeah, trade was never in the cars But like I reported last summer an offer was made Jalen Brown Derek White a first-time pick from what I'm told now Could they have negotiated beyond that and passed that potentially for sure? but that was the the offer made and so Jalen Brown stays and when you talk about a player like Kevin Durant You're not gonna get him without giving up a guy like Jalen Brown So I don't think you look at that as a slight if you're Jalen Brown like you are a package Yeah, you know if there's ever gonna be a star trade you're gonna be a part of it But you are the start now like he's a guy that's buying for all NBA He should be happy that like he's not getting a package for like five other people like that's the most embarrassing trade Like you know I'm saying at least it's start for start They call it a blockbuster not like you show up on a different team. They're like wait, you're here that type of thing, you know Chandler tell me a little bit about this dynamic Is this something that's typical you call your teammate you get him on the phone with your coach with your GM Which are president of basketball ops or is this crazy abnormal because I have no clue what to make of this I mean I what I see is a guy who's a little emotional but also confronting everybody, but is this typical of that workplace? I mean once you realize that the NBA is a business and the team is gonna do its best for the team That can give you peace right because just in free agency as Evan Turner or Chandler Parsons You're gonna sign with the team that financially gives you the most money That's your best fit basketball wise and that makes the most sense for you and on the flip side of the team They're gonna do that as well So there were definitely situations with me where like when I was in Houston there was trade rumors that I was gonna get traded actually to Boston for rondo and I was hurt because I thought we had something special there And I thought I was it but that also I was flattered in a way that Boston thought so highly of me that they were Like I was basically the centerpiece of Houston to go to this trade along with you know Whoever else it was or picks or whatever But once you realize that it's nothing personal Which it always kind of your feelings will get a little bit involved You will get salty a little bit because you create a family Relationship here and you spend all your time there and your kids start going to school there And it's it's a weird thing getting traded And it's definitely even we're knowing that you were in the trade rumors and then going back to that team Once you don't get traded But it's nothing personal and you could look at it two ways you could be offended or you can be flattered in this case Jalen Brown He knows his game. He knows his worth. He's an absolute star. I would look at it like wow I almost got traded for arguably one of the best players of all time because I'm that good So it could go either way it didn't happen. He's in a great situation. He's on a great team this year with a chance to win a championship Let it go and he's not gonna be in the trade rumors. Let's force someone like Kevin Ran Evan you've been in the organization as a player before both of those guys are drafted Then there's a coach in the locker room with both of those guys What you know of that dynamic is this abnormal? Is this kind of like part of the course and knowing Brad knowing Jason knowing Jalen Do you think this was positive for them all? I think what Chandler said in general? I mean If you had to ask the brass Stevens, it's like he's not trading a Jalen Brown for anybody and when it comes to one of best players in the game You really have to take that into consideration I think one thing that occurs in that organization is Brad is an open guy He always has a door open policy and he says come talk to me if we have any problems and I think They all handle it like an adults. They didn't run to the media They didn't run anything the first apparently the first call to Jalen made was to Jason and Brad to talk to his counterparts Like bosses, he's one of you know franchise players and he's gonna go talk to his president about what's going on Because at the end of the day if he's not okay, this mojo is not fine that energy in the locker room could go 10 times different You know what I mean? Yeah, and by the way most most teams when you do have that dialogue They're open with you like when I was in Houston. I was a player, but I was cool with Mikhail I was cool with Daryl Moore. Yeah, I was cool Had brown so they were letting me know and they were kind of talking me through like yeah There is a situation here where you could be moved But like you're not gonna find out on Twitter and you kind of have that open dialogue throughout the whole thing To where they're letting you know first but that all depends on your relationship with the front office with the staff But usually if they have an agency which most of them do they're talking to you man to man You're gonna hear it first but like Mikhail Bridges saying he found out on Twitter that he like that is where you that's when you get Pissed off that's when you leave with some you know bad feelings Well, look the with the wind the Celtics climb back into the 2c yesterday It's sixers lose they fall back into the 3c Evan you've played for both teams. We asked this question yesterday So I got to ask you which of these teams is better right now Who would you take in the series if they lock up because they very well could in the second round of playoffs? Man, I'm taking Celtics every single day and twice on Sundays. I think Whatever reason with with this history. I think Boston Celtics just has their number I think they just have their number the size of fact that I like, you know The Celtics top eight better than you know, the sixers top eight But the wave and B's been playing this year you have to take into consideration of something occurring But you know Jason Tatum. He's been through this a lot that team is The teams in playing hella defense and you know at the same time Marcus smart if he has to shut down and be maybe you do It he's done it before Well, we finally got you to disagree with Chandler Chandler definitely picked sixers yesterday. I picked something Well, I just like the matchup better I just like the amount of wings they have in Boston and I think they have just enough bigs to bother Joel But I mean, we'll see hopefully we see I need this series like I need oxygen Yeah, but the Philadelphia like sports base They're literally like poison when it comes down to like any close series or anything like that So I feel like every season ends in like negativity based around, you know the mojo That's an interesting layer. Nobody would know better than you so that's an interesting layer on the other side of the On the other side of the dockets the Kings they lose a tough game They seem to be pretty firmly planted in the three-seat now with job moran coming back Tough tough schedule for the Kings fifth game in seven nights. They played it all four time zones Kings are three seed the Warriors right there the six seed Chandler who would win that series if they lock up? I'm taking the Warriors and I hate to you know kind of poop on the Kings They've had a great year that they they're doing everything right. It's great for the city It's great for the league the longest drought. Good news is it's gonna be broken, right? They're going to the playoffs and it's gonna be an interesting series And when you look at the Western Conference standings most teams are circling the Sacramento Kings is who they want to play in the first round Just because of their inexperience because of their team And they've never been there before really any of these guys. So I love the Warriors experience here. I love their shooting I love their depth. I just think they're a better team that have kind of been enabled with injuries and guys in and out of the line Up all year long. I don't think it'll be a blowout. I don't think it'll be a sweep or anything like that I think it'll be competitive And I think it'll be a really good series But I just I got to give the edge to the champs here They've been in multiple times and and Steph Curry's the best player on that floor every single night And and I can't see the Kings beating them four times. I really can't I Agree with Chandler, I mean the Warriors in the playoffs. I mean you got the Golden Child Steph Curry I mean, you don't quarrel with him I think he's gonna figure out a way to win and you know elevate it to the next round The Warriors are just always great at that. They have so much experience And you know, they can they can take it to the next level when they need to and a four game series Something they can focus on a done it millions of times. I Love the Kings. I love the the season. I love the beam. I love Mike Brown But yeah, give me the Warriors in five like I Wiggins or not. Give me the Warriors in five. I just trust the experience. I trust those guys over there I'm sorry, you know, you got all summer to get better Kings and I think you will but from California We're going all the way out here with me to Brooklyn Cavs in the Nets locked up yesterday. Cavs with a big win a bigger win than the score says it tied up a little bit late Down of a Mitchell 31 points hit five threes Jared Allen 12 points 14 rebounds on this former team Evan how far can down of a Mitchell lead the Cavs in the postseason? They have the best defense already in the league right now How deep can this team go? I? Give him a second round luck. You know I'm saying I think I Think the Cavs really talented. I think like you said their defense is very good. They have great, you know Backcourt play. I just think they're going to run into you know some tough matchups in the second round And I'm not too sure how you know if the game falls on down a Mitchell's back I just think Their other star might have more experience and you know, you know more depth to be able to you know beat the cast and send them home early Yeah, listen, I think they're gonna the series is They're gonna get the next in the first round I do think they'll they'll survive that but then we're talking about a whole nother monster where they got to go Play Milwaukee second round, and I don't think they have enough and that's nothing to take away from them or their season I think they are young enough where they're gonna continue to build I think JB big step is one of my favorite people let alone coaches on the planet And he's done such a good job with them and every time I talk to him He's talking about how this group is so unselfish that genuinely like each other It's got that a you team vibe where they just like to go out there. They hope they're young They play video games. You never hear anything about anything bad about like Mowgli or Jared Allen These kids are they're they're just they're dorks that hoop and that they love it I mean like that helps that's half the battle these kids care. They just love playing basketball They don't they don't dress up for the tunnel walking in the arena They are just hoopers and they like each other and they have two absolute stud guards and Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell It's just they're gonna kind of run into that second round series Assuming they get past the Knicks where they're playing against another monster of Milwaukee or Cleo or Boston or Philly So it's been a great year for them. I think the experience they'll get getting to that second round will do them You know wonders for next season The camaraderie is a great point because when they got down of a Mitchell over summer I wondered what the dynamic of the team would be they were such a different energy last year And then you got this obvious this dynamic athlete and offensive personality and he had a banger last night We're gonna have we got a special addition to that man as a family because down of a Mitchell He might be the best in-game dunker in the league and he caught my guy you don't want to not be on the break and my goodness like this is This is You know, I love you to want a toby shout out to Japan for beating USA last night, but this was this was filthy This was a body No shot of blocking this yikes Yeah, I know He doesn't care about like posters, but it's like There's some eventually where it's like it's a limit like this is nice At least he didn't fall like the last time but that was down in a Mitchell, right? This isn't as bad as the Anthony Edwards one up when he was in Toronto the baseline one, but this was this was up there Yeah, right Yeah, I've never jumped high enough to get I've never jumped high enough to get dunked on like this But the fact that he has two of these on his on his resume That's a little tough. You got you got you got a feel for the guy that would but you know Donovan also broke out the sham god last night. Evan. Yeah, nice handle. I seen you drop LeBron before You ever broke out the sham god in the game. No, not since I was like 12 years old But that was that was crazy that whole movement. I mean he really put on a show last night I saw that my damn he turned up. Oh my god to a pull three I love we've seen that to like that type of three that deep of a three like that was like three feet behind the three point That's pretty impressive. Yeah, I mean you could do anything you want after that dunk All with the right to that's disgusting You're up 20 you're up 20 points. You're in New York City, you know, he's got something in the crowd watching him These are two nasty moves Yeah, that's that's tough. I just hope for the sake of him I just hope they stayed overnight in the city I hope they didn't leave too early to go back to Cleveland. I hope he was able to stop by say last You know, I mean that's in his glory I heard Mitch I heard Mitch enjoyed the city. I heard he was I heard rumors rumors going around You know, hey, it's it's springtime in New York. It's feeling great out here But on the other end of the docket Michael bridges at a tough game, you know This is just what they are at this point They run shark led them in scoring 20 points 11 rebounds in 19 minutes Evan How dangerous are they for as a first-round matchup? They'll let the six seed right now and could fall even further. I Mean, I think they're dangerous if you you know, don't take them serious I think this is a team is still trying to you know figure out their way They've had success, but it's been up and down some nights You see them win big games and you see them take a couple 20 point losses So I think it's one of those things where you don't let this group get confidence too soon Especially a young star like a McKell bridges who is you know, really turn the corner and find in his own, but Right now, I think they'll they'll get a lot of experience in the first round and continue to Continue to learn how to play together and you know build towards the future But you know, I think it's just a participation thing It's been a long season for the Nets They got a bright future either way seem to be a locker for the playoffs. We'll see how it goes But up next the tempers flair in the Hawks Pistons game. Yep in the Hawks Pistons game We'll talk more after the break Guys we got hey we got I guess tempers flair We've got some weird stuff going on Pistons Hawks Jayden Ivy with the shot late in the game. Apparently the Hawks didn't like this. They were up 20 I don't know why they care and Tempers flair is what they say in quotes here. What do you guys think of the rookie doing is Chandler? What happened on this court? This is very confusing to me Well, this just shows that this game was god-awful. This is the highlight that we're showing here The pissed off feelings usually happen of the team that's up that goes and scores You know, this is kind of irrelevant the shot clocks already out so they didn't even count They're up 20 points the kids are rookies trying to just get his game off I don't see the big deal here if I was down 20 and a guy and like a kid on the winning team did this then That's where I would get pissed off and then there would be an issue, but to me. This is nothing This is two teams that the game is already over the teams down 20 Who cares like I don't see an issue with this unless the roles were reversed It's not a big deal to me. Yeah I don't think it's a big deal either if it's the other way around sure near up 20 first like sure, but this is just you know Just smoke that wasn't needed. I mean just go home everybody else in the building went home. Let's just call it a night The piston said they were upset about the lack of defensive effort from the Hawks late in the game You're down 20. It's I'm upset about your lack of offensive ever I'm so confused about this entire thing. Look the Hawks have made a coaching change a couple weeks back They're five and six under Quinn Snyder. They're the eight seed as of right now Evan What's changed in Atlanta since Quinn Snyder took over are they better? Are they worse? What's going on out there? I mean, I think the voice has changed because when you break it down, you know, they're old coach Nate mid-mellon He was under, you know, Lloyd Pierce's staff. So I think you know the identity is something new for him Even though you get a new coaching staff You know switch up the coach. It doesn't mean the energy is different So I think Quinn Snyder coming in with his group has been huge. I think, you know, what could change the offense You know, Quinn Snyder has always been known for being an offensive guru and you remember his days in Utah He has some of the best, you know, offense in the league for several several seasons So I think they'll be able to kick it up into that into that gear eventually, but that's pretty much it Yeah, offensively With what he did with Donovan Mitchell in Utah He could kind of do something similar with the John T Murray and with Trey Young in Atlanta But it's it's usually just a breath of fresh air with everything the Hawks went through with with the Lloyd Pierce era And then the Nate McMillan It's just to get in a fresh face sometimes just changes your attitude your positivity and Look, they're they're a 500 team before Quinn Snyder and they're basically a little bit under 500 with them So I can't sit here and say they're drastically better I think Quinn Snyder is the right guy for the future of this team. And look, they're the eighth seed They're gonna have to they're gonna have a tough first round match up Maybe they can make it interesting. We know they survived an advanced couple rounds a couple years ago, but This is gonna probably be a short season for the Hawks, but I think it's more About the potential and they kind of under Under exceeded expectations for this season, right? I thought Atlanta was gonna make that jump. They added to John T Murray. I love Deandre Hunter. He's a year older Clint Capella's a solid they had the pieces I thought this year to kind of make that leap and it'd be a a factor and they just didn't So they're gonna kind of regroup this summer They got their coach moving forward and we'll see what else they do But they're kind of just sitting there in this 500 area and they're gonna draw the box probably first round And it's not gonna be pretty I feel like at this point we know what the Hawks are They're the eighth seed in a 15 seed conference. They've been at or one game above or below 500 for the last 26 games It's really ridiculous. They've been the definition of mid I don't know if you should be impressed or depressed or what but they are mid. They're exactly that Who knows who knows what quince sider does in the future and what he can change with that team But really strange season for the Hawks on the other side of this Speech Yeah, are we wasting our time or are we not wasting our time like Give me a little follow. Get to watch some some nice trey young shots all year long I guess shams on the other side the pistons have lost 15 of the last 16 games They're tanking too perfection right now Is there light at the end of the tunnel with the potential high pick coming their way or what like what is the What's the energy out there in Detroit right now? I think the energy is let's see what happens on draft lottery night and let's see what pick we get Hopefully we get the number one pick and we get victor of women yama And if we don't get the number one pick you could get the tomsen twins brain and miller There's a few other guys. I think on the board. I don't know if you go scoot hennerson if you're there I'm curious what chandler and evan think but Obviously kade cunningham being out this year set them back a lot His development and now he's gonna be shelved for the rest of the season obviously and hopefully he'll be back for the start of next year But I think once you get him back you see what what draft pick you get And I think this summer is is going to be an important one in detroit because I think starting next year You're going to see the team they kept boy on bug donovitch That was a big sign that this team is actually going to try to be Competitive next season to a high level. So we'll see exactly what they do in the summer Yeah, that's a good point there shams is by donovitch you a lot of teams wanted him this trade deadline Right and then he's been very very good for them. So that shows me that they want to add pieces this summer Keep begonovitch and kind of have put themselves in a situation to try and make a playoff push next year And you look at the roster they have young talent kade cunningham's a budding star jail and ivy's had a great year I think they got an absolute deal with james wiseman I still think the warriors gave up on him a little bit too early And now you're going to have a chance to hopefully be in that top three and if they get if they get victor Great now they actually have a promising, you know franchise changing piece I also love brandon miller from alabama. I think he's the best player in college basketball You watch him. He's kind of a mix of paul george beats kd. He's long. He's athletic. He plays defense So there are different players in this draft that can help them right away I don't think even if they get the first pick and they get victor I don't think they're still a playoff team next year. I think it's going to take time But the only light at this tunnel is that you know, they were so bad Obviously, they get a great pick and this is a top heavy draft where you can get a franchise changing piece if you're in that top three or four picks And I and I agree with chandler as well, you know when it comes down to it This is this is uh, you know draft heavy draft. So even if they get, you know, one through three picks I'm a big scoot hinderson fan a big fan of brandon miller It's a couple guys coming out where even if you don't get the big fella You still I feel it so even just looking at scoot hinderson's body and everything like that You can get a generational talent to at least, you know, get some trade value on and, you know Build your team the right type of way and they have a lot of young guys You just hope they don't do what the Lakers did, you know with brandon ingram and de angelo rest on all that Where they're, you know, just um asset building But you know, I think the future could be bright if the chips fall the right way I do wonder the fit of scoop next to jade and ivy And kade cunningham as he comes back, but I'm with you. I love scoop. I love brandon miller. You really can't miss in this top three so That was their plan coming in and that's what they got going forward But from two listless teams in the east We go to two listless teams in the west the pelicans blew out the spurs in a game that nobody is going to remember In a week, but brandon ingram. He had 32 points. Jonas valentine was at 19 and 15 chandler They say that zions coming back is looming. We may see him What is your confidence level of the pelicans getting into the play in if they get the big fellow back? I mean, they need him obviously we know how explosive we know how dynamic he is when he's on the floor and again We talked about this yesterday. This team was so impressive early on this year Where we were talking about willy green being the coach of the year like 20 games into the season because they have been We were peeking a bunch of young talent. They have these young guys that defend They have brandon ingram like its buckets cj does a little bit of everything and zion who when he's on the floor He's one of the most dominant players in the mba So There's no reason for him to keep sitting if he's healthy and he can play and it's not going to kind of ruin His off season and linger in the next season Let's get him out there Let's shake it up because we are a dangerous team when we're fully loaded and they think they can play with anybody So it doesn't matter their seed they just they should try and get into this plan It's right there get the big fellow back in the lineup and see what happens He has all his five six months to rest and to heal and to lose weight or to do whatever else They want him to do this summer if he can play right now It's huge for them because they were a very very good team I would look at them kind of like a grizzlies early on they're athletic they're young they talk trash They like they have a star and zion they have a star and john maran. They're very similar teams They just haven't been healthy and when they are they're very very good. So get them back as soon as you can and see what happens. Who knows Soms, what is the word with zion? We we we heard of setbacks. We heard it. Yo, they're gonna they're gonna run them out there either way What are you hearing out of new Orleans? Are we gonna see the big fella this season? Yeah, the pelicans have been optimistic that he's gonna return at some point before the end of the regular season I'm told he did some on court running and shooting this week But I haven't been told that he's progressed at all to significant contact work And obviously that would have to be the last step or one of the last final stage steps before you get back out on the floor I haven't heard that he's done that yet. So that gives you a little bit of pause as far as When exactly he'll be back I think the pelicans will reevaluate him this week and see Exactly where he's at and how much more time he needs to get to that point But like shander said, I mean you you need zion williamson You're gonna be competitive and this is a team that has also blown leads Over the last month or so, uh, you know big leads the team. So they need their guide They need the guy in zion williamson because not only was he dominating and playing his position But he was really playing point guard at different points for the pelicans bringing the ball up the floor Um, and really initiating the offense for the pelicans. They they've missed that so far Evan we just saw your boy dame lilich say basically Yo when the games don't matter i'm out of here But dame is a vet dame has been doing this for years. He's over 30 years old You got a guy like zion. He's yet to show he can play a whole season It's really he's yet to show he can really get back from injury like this Would you play if you were zion? Do you think he should get back on the court if he's healthy? No, I definitely I definitely will play and it's for the sake of um, you know I think dame's situation is a little bit different with the roster roster They have if he does play they are very dangerous team You've seen what they did last year with the energy from you know the playing game and emotions on the crowd and everything I think it's energy and um His presence could really you know help them on a run. You have to go up against the cj macallum Yeah, I go up against a brand of engram. Um, you got to go up against zion williamson tray merc like tons of talent where It's going to be a problem to match up against and and those guys They're great and pro in that plan just open court basketball So it doesn't have to doesn't mean that they have to do anything to match right away They could just come back and play and be be a problem Yeah, I love that we meet these guys when they're 14 because then they start getting these wild tats Zion with the mount zion across his bag. I mean if it's big guy, but shams Thank you for being here. It's our friday. I know you never have friday. You're always working But thank you for being here when we come back. We're talking march madness with collage hoops insider john rostin I can't wait to hear what he thinks of our awful brackets But we'll be back in a second This march protect yourself against upsets with bracket parley insurance on fandals sportsbook Right now all customers can get bonus bets back Each day if your parlay of three legs or more falls just one leg short with the parlay You can turn a small bet until a big score and with cash out you're calling the shots You can settle your bet before the game is even over So don't miss your chance to tip off the turni with bonus bets back each day make every moment more with fandal Guys we're here with our guest today's fandal family member He's the co-host of the college hoops today podcast and an insider for cbs sports john rostin John how you living? Where are you at? It's sunny. Where are you at? You're not rain getting rained on in la like everybody else No, man. We're in new york. It's beautiful But as you guys know you don't really see much of the outside until after the nc double a tournament is over There was a line in the movie the firm which was a tom cruise movie from the early 90s And you know tom cruise is visiting his brother in prison and you know, he says to tom cruise You know, you got to get me out of here and tom cruise will goes Well, where do you want to go and he goes any place I can see a whole lot of sky That's kind of how you feel when you're covering the nc double a tournament I'm old enough to remember the firm Let's get to my bracket. Let's get it out the way. It looks terrible I'm no college basketball expert which you can see right here. That's a lot of x's But chandler on the other hand He's doing amazing if we look at his bracket. I don't know what he did. I don't know his secret What do you what do you think of my bracket, man? What do you think of chandlers? How bad have we done so far? Well, chandler is pristine with his bracket right now I got to give him a major major tip of the cap because other than per due going down And what was the biggest upset in the history of the nc double a tournament? Chandler is really really showing, you know, his range just like he did when he was at florida So when we look at the turn of mayor Go ahead. Sorry. Go ahead Yeah, listen, I honestly the Florida was so bad this year. I didn't have a bias pick having florida going all the way the final four So it didn't ruin my bracket. So I think that actually helped me when I was picking teams Uh and honestly per due. I don't think anybody had them losing to fairly dickens. I believe that's who it was But uh, yeah, listen a lot a lot of luck here a little bit of watching and uh, and here we are Elite eight is looking pretty good Elite is eight is definitely looking good for you. But anything can change in college basketball very very quickly That's true. John. I'm the John i'm the consummate like i'm watching to see who the pros are guy I do the same with college football if i'm watching the tournament right now I'm watching who's left in the field. Which one of these teams has the most NBA talent Which one of these teams has the guys i'm going to see next year or in the next few years under the big lights Well, I think you have to start obviously with Alabama because Alabama has the best prospect in the NCAA tournament In brandon miller, but there's also other prospects on Alabama that are really really intriguing Noah clowny jayden bradley all guys that people are going to gravitate towards I think the interesting thing about the NCAA tournament is you've got guys who are really really good college players But as we've seen college success may not directly correlate to the NBA and you know I would say if you're looking at the three best players remaining in the 2023 NCAA tournament Brandon Miller would be one and then I'd go with UCLA's hami hakes and also Gonzaga's root timmy is two and three Hmm. Yeah, john talking about alabama and brandon miller Obviously is length to size. What what separates him? What's what makes brandon miller the best prospect in college basketball? I mean, he's an effortless offensive talent. He can go over the top of defenses and get a really really good mid-range game He can handle the basketball is also a really effective rebounder You know, I think you know the gms and the scouts and guys like you will dissect his game a little bit more As we get closer to the mba draft, but there is a lot of paul george and brandon miller right now Yeah, john, I was wondering what's in the rubber team as the best shot at pulling off another upset you think You know good question evan, I think you know, you look at the dynamic Of this nc double a tournament And you think about the fact that you know seeds in a lot of ways have been meaningless this year and rankings have been meaningless Because there's so much parody in college basketball I think if you're looking for a lower seeded team to have an advantage in the sweet 16 It's michigan state over marquette, but that's not really an upset because tom is always still coaching michigan state I think, you know, florida, atlantic led by dusty may is being completely overlooked This is not just a clear path to the elite eight for tennessee Tennessee obviously lost its point guards the chi zeigler a couple of weeks ago to an acl injury It was good enough to rally and beat duke last week But if you're telling me, you know a real true traditional nc double a tournament upset from a lower seeded team I would say f a u over tennessee. I'm not going to count michigan state as an upset for obvious reasons All right. Look, let's just ask the million dollar question and please pick the same answer as I picked So I look like I'm smart But what team do you have tearing down the nets and winning the tournament after what we've seen at the first weekend? I picked alabama at the start of the season So I'm started the final four or started an ac double a tournament. So i'm not going to waver from that I've had alabama duke texas in genzaga alabama over genzaga winning the national championship So i'm not going to waver from those predictions Obviously though if I had to recalibrate things in that east region I would pick michigan state to come out of that region and represent the big 10 in the final four I like it. That was my pick. I look smart. Thanks to you. You're making me look smart john Thanks for being here. Enjoy the rest of the tournament. I cannot wait to see some more of these games And look when we come back, we lost another parlay So we're gonna laugh about it and I think evan is gonna get us right. I think I looked at his pick I love it. I think we're gonna win this time and be back in a second. I'm running back Fandall casinos march weekly sunday sweeps is here and you can want to share $300,000 each week from march 14th through april second every tuesday through saturday Opting on any bed of $200 or more and it gets you an entry into sunday's sweepstakes drawing See fandall casino for more details on how you can enter the march weekly sunday sweeps Guys the less we say about yesterday's parlay the better, but i'll give michelle her credit She was the one who won so we'll tip the hat to michelle I don't even know what happened in the wizards game the nets over the cat I don't know what chandler was thinking but the thunder they look great today. We redeem ourselves I like my picks today. I'm not so sure about yours, but we'll see um Chandler what happened man you picked the nets I mean, I didn't pick them to win. I just thought maybe they would lose three or three or less give me a bris All right, well look tonight. I got demar de rosen over 22 points These guys just I love when teams play like back to back against each other It looks terrible every time, but demar was scoring at will the other night He's gonna score at will again this tonight. I can't wait. It was gonna be exciting game chandler who you got? I got the heat at home by two against the nicks. I think the heat are very dangerous team I think they have a tough culture and I think they're honestly a better team than the nicks So give me them winning by two at home Evan homer pick and it tell us about it Yeah, no, I got uh, I got demi and lilith scoring, you know at least 37 points over out of jazz tonight I think the matchup and everything fair as well for him And you know, dem she's scoring survive. This is what he does end of the year I see at least 40s at least especially if he's gonna shut it down. He's gonna go out with a bang It's crazy how these over unders have gotten with points like 37 points that that's like a career high And now this is this guy Dang Yo, I said the same thing I went to bet I went to ben and beat and his is like 36 too And I'm like, whoa, this is just what the game is now But evan Thank you for being here once again Heard a rumor we might be seeing you in person soon big fella. I can't wait for that Shout out to the lady buck eyes as well. I'm rooting for them for you That's our friday on run it back. It's been fun everybody. We'll be back next week. Can't wait Run it back run it up