 Run it up, then run it back. Run it up, then run it back, run it back, run it back. Welcome to Run It Back. I am Eddie Gonzalez. I am running point today for Michelle Biddle, whose power went out in Texas. Best wishes to everybody dealing with the weather out there. As always, I'm joined by Stadium Insider, Shamsaranya, and friend of Shannon Sharp, Chandler Parsons. Fellas, how are you doing on this great morning? What's up, what's up? I'm all good. I know Chandler's dog is happy somewhere. So that's all that matters for Run It Back. I'm dying after Michelle out with load management today. That kills me. Yo, Beyonce tickets go on sale. Michelle's out. Like, I'm not putting two and two together. I'm just mentioning random things. Just the way Michelle would like it, we have to start with the Lakers today. Beat the Nixon over a time last night. LeBron had a triple double in the garden. He said the game was decided by the players, not the refs today. I don't know, kind of debatable with that charge late, but we'll talk about it. LeBron, Russell Westbrook also chipped in 17 points, six rebounds, eight assists. Anthony Davis, 27 points. Rui Hattamura started his first game as a Laker, 19 points. Chandler, the Lakers are 13th in the West, but there are just four games back from the four seed. What is the Lakers silly in this season? I mean, at this point, it's when it all costs. It's maybe make another move. I love the Rui trade. When you go to roster like the Lakers and you have LeBron having the season, he's having. Anthony Davis, when he's been in, he's been great. Russ has found this role as possibly the sixth man of the year. You got to add someone like Rui. And Rui is such a good block because he can defend, he can score, he's young. He gives them something to kind of be, you know, excited about about the future. And again, the West is so jumbled up here. Are they going to win a series? I don't know if they, but let's say they can somehow get to that seven, six range and they play a Sacramento if they stay in the third. Yeah, who knows what can happen with Anthony Davis healthy and LeBron playing the way he's playing and the additions that they could make. But it's, this game was fun last night. Anytime Lakers makes at the garden goes to overtime. It's fun. But yeah, who knows, it's so jumbled up. Anything can happen. Really, there's a lot of basketball to be played. Yeah, I mean, the fact that LeBron James has his first triple double of the season losses. Yeah, I mean, the fact that the fact that LeBron had his first triple double of the season, like it took this long into the year for him to have his first triple double, you know, just shows that he's trying to rev up here. And I think he's only 89 points away from breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record. That's definitely a lot closer, a lot sooner than a lot of people even around him expected. So the way he's scoring, the way he's facilitating right now, he's making the game better. And so we'll see if the Lakers actually have another move left in them. They have two first round picks to play with. You know, when you look at whether it's the Toronto guys, when you look at different players like Buddy Hill, there's still guys that you can ask around, call about Boyan Bogdanovich is still another name that I think to keep an eye on with the Lakers. But right now, the way LeBron's playing, they have a lot to be optimistic about. Yeah, they have to love the rule we fit right now. Gave up almost nothing for him. They weren't playing Kendrick Nunn anyway. His athleticism on the break, he's able to hit a couple shots. And he's getting wide open shots next to LeBron and AD. Got to like what they see. Obviously, maybe not getting 19 points every game for him, but you've got to figure he's a starter going forward. Let's talk about LeBron a little bit more, though. Let's make Michelle happy. I'm sure she's watching online. He passed Mark Jackson for fourth all-time in assists yesterday. He's now obviously second in points all-time fourth in assists. Chandler, what's more impressive? LeBron breaking Kareem's record or LeBron creeping all the way up the assist record as he gets this deep into his career? I mean, they're both insane. And I got to give LeBron his flowers. Once he passes Kareem, I think it's the points first of all. I think that's more impressive. I think to be able to say you have the most points in the history of the NBA as well. And I truly think once he gets this record, we got to officially crown him as the GOAT. The things he's done, it just speaks volumes on the longevity of his career. The coaches, the teammates he's had, the amount of time and effort he's put into his body just to kind of sustain this level of play. And honestly, one of the most impressive things of his whole career, which is it's insane career, is what he's doing this year. At 38 years old, 20th year, this guy, if the Lakers were winning more games, would be my MVP. I've said that before, but it's just incredible what he's doing. And like I said, I think once he passes Kareem, I love Michael Jordan, he's my childhood, but I got to give LeBron the official goat here once he does this. CP, man. You're coming at the Utah fans. You're coming at the dog lovers. And now you're coming at the MJ stands. I don't know, man. Your mentions are gonna be filled today. I think when you look at LeBron, the other thing that I didn't even know, he's the first player in NBA history to have a triple double in your 20 or later. So it's like every day at age of 38, he's making history. So yeah, I mean, there's no question. What he's doing, breaking the points record to me is the most impressive because I always assumed he would be someone in the top five, top three in assists because he came into league as a passer. He came into league as a guy that passed the ball. You know, got criticized early in his career when he gave that pass to Daniel Marshall. Everyone wanted him to shoot. He passed it. And so, you know, the fact that he's creeping up on both is super impressive. Yeah, 32nd all-time in rebounds too, in just case you're wondering. LeBron said last night, he's gonna play a few more seasons anyway. He doesn't even care. He obviously wants to play with his son. Who knows where he pushes this record? It's probably never gonna be caught. We're talking about shortened seasons maybe in the future. You got a guy like Lucas saying there's no chance in hell he's playing at many games. This is a record that's never gonna be touched again. I think it's one of the most impressive things he's done in his incredibly impressive career. I got it above the assist, but the assist is not to be slept on. That's a pretty high up list and it's just straight point guards from there on out. So congrats to LeBron on that. Let's go to the other side. Let's talk about the Knicks. Little bit of interesting play at the end of that game. Julius Randall took a ton of shots. Jalen Brunson looked like he was hot and he just dribbled into a double team for what ended up being a terrible attempt at a game winner. Chandler, who should have got the last shot at the end of that game when you watched the way it unfolded? I mean, the way it unfolded, obviously, that wasn't what they wanted to draw up there. That wasn't the best look they could have got, but the game Jalen Brunson had, I mean, the ball's gotta be in his hands. He's gotta be the one making the plays and I know we talk about a lot. I just can't help but think about how good Jalen Brunson would be on the Dallas Mavericks right now and how much pressure he would relieve on Luka. We talked about Luka's usage rate just yesterday. It wouldn't be that high if they were to re-sign Jalen Brunson, but this is the Knicks. They're up and down, they have talent, they have the roster, they've kind of built this three that they're running with and things like this are gonna happen last night and they found a way to still be here right in that six, seven range of the playoffs, but to me, Jalen Brunson's their guy. He's the head of the stick, he's their point guard, he initiates all the offense, he can score in so many different ways. The ball has gotta be in his hands at the end of the game, in my opinion. No question. I mean, anytime you have Jalen Brunson on the floor, it's gotta be a pick and roll or it's gotta be something where Jalen Brunson is touching the ball. Not only because I feel like he gives the best decision-making chance, but I think down the stretch, he was actually making clutch shots. Julius Randall has had an amazing season for the Knicks, but you see at the end of games he tends to fade away on jumpers, take a lot of shots from the outside and I think if that's the right you're gonna go down, probably wanna go down the route with Jalen Brunson, having the ball in his hands, making a decision whether it's him or a teammate. Yeah, I mean, Julius Randall had a tough night period, he just looked a little out of sync. Jalen Brunson had 37 points, he standing there with his hands up, waiting for the pass he thought was coming as Julius dribbled baseline into a double team. So yeah, you gotta have Jalen Brunson touch that ball and he did it in that play and they ended up losing in overtime. So moving on to the other national TV game of the night, we had the Pelicans, Nuggets, Yochits, massive triple double, 26 points, 18 rebounds, 15 assists, his 90 second triple double, it was halfway through the quarter when he locked his in. Jamal Murray also chipped in 32 points, he had seven threes. Where does the Yochits and Murray duo rank on your list of top NBA duos right now, Chandler? They're up there and especially the way Murray is playing, we all know how great Yochits is, we all know the season he's having and the games he, the stat line he has are so gaudy and the way he plays, we've never seen it before from the five position, but I think they're top three. I think, you know, between Tatum and Brown and Beaton James, they're right there, these two guys are right there, Kawhi, MPG, KD and Kyrie, I mean, there's some pretty good duos there. You got to put some bonus in Fox up there, Garland and Donovan Mitchell, there's so many good duos now, but this team, the way they played last night, the way they moved the ball offensively, and Jamal Murray is a key here, obviously we know again what Yochits does, but he's going to have the bonus hands a lot of time, he's going to be initiating the offense, he's going to be looked to to go get a bucket. And I think they've done a great job filling around these guys, Aaron Gordon's had a great year, Michael Porter's healthy, they put these shooters in place, it all comes down basically to the offensive side on them, though, they can score the ball, they can score with anybody, if they can lock in defensively and these duos are playing like they did last night, they're to me the best team in the West. Yeah, I'm always going to be biased because what I saw in the bubble from Jamal Murray, you know, when I left the bubble, I'm like, this guy is going to be an all-star, him and Yochit are going to run the Western Conference for years to come, and then he has a tourney CO, but I think what we're seeing right now is Jamal Murray is really starting to find his footing, well, you have seven three-pointers last night, season high, and this really speaks to the Nuggets. They're 10-and-one this season when Jamal Murray scores 25 points or more. They need him to be aggressive, they need him to be the Robin to Yochit's Batman, whatever it is, co-star to Yochit's, you know, megastar, like they need him to be that guy as well, and I think he's starting to find his stride for that team because they need him to be an all-star, otherwise this team isn't going to really get its potential in the Western Conference. This is an impressive win for the Nuggets, and I mean, they all are at this point. They're the second-best record in league, they're the best record in the Western Conference, but the Pelicans are trying to find their stride. They've lost now nine straight games, but they're just about healthy, just waiting on Zion. They went with Larry Nass down the stretch, tried to switch everything on the Nuggets, and Yochit's continued to find open looks. We played a play of an OP hit to Aaron Gordon, and it was just like the entire defense realized they were two steps behind and it was over, and that was pretty much the dagger for the game. Impressive win for them. Tough team to beat out there in Denver, obviously, not only just being incredible, but with the elevation and Chandler knows he's been there. That's a real thing. That's a real thing teams are dealing with when they come into that building, when they come into that city, and this game was closer than I think that score says until late, until the Nuggets took off late. Yoga's just hitting some big shots. There's the alley-oop to Aaron Gordon, and it's just, there was nothing the Pelicans could do. They went with every option they had, and there was nothing they could do. They do have the second-best record in the league right now. Chandler, do you think this is the second-best team in the league? Man, well, yeah, I mean, I do. I think the best team in the West. I think the East is loaded right now. I think Milwaukee's a very good team. I think Philly's a very good team. I think Brooklyn with KD is a very good team, and all of them are capable, I think, of beating the Nuggets in a series. If you combine the West, though, I like the Nuggets out of the West. Again, I think they gotta lock in defensively. They have the roster. They have the personnel to be a good defensive team. It's all about them just locking in. They can score with anybody. Top teams in the West, on the NBA, it's tough. I love three or four teams in the East, but they're definitely my pick to come out of the West and to play one of those dogs in the East. Yeah, look, even with the best record in the Western Conference, the Nuggets still may be looking to improve at the trade deadline. Shoms, you reported a few days ago that bones highly may be available. What's the latest for them on that, and what do you think is likely that they get in return for a young shooter and gunner like him? This guy that's still on his rookie contract, so it's kind of scary. He's in year two of a four-year rookie deal, and so I think the Nuggets are gonna be patient before the February 9th NBA trade deadline, but from what I'm told, the Nuggets want a guy that they can plug into their rotation at the wing, right? You think about getting a three-four back. I think that's really the position that they're looking at. Do they settle for a first-time pick or picks potentially? But they want a guy that can come help them win now. They're discussing Bones Highland and deals across the league. I think they've been open about it with teams, and I think Bones Highland at this juncture in his career, last night he played four minutes, so he's clearly not in Mike Malone's everyday rotation and getting those heavy minutes that I think he deserves and probably wants, and so I would look at him very strongly as a trade candidate between now and next Thursday. It's crazy to me because when we were talking about the Nuggets earlier in the year, we were obviously talking about Yolkets, we were talking about Murray coming back from an injury, but Bones Highland was a key piece moving forward for them, and he's one of those guys that's an absolute bucket. He's a Jamal Crawford type. He's a Lou Will type that you know his game, you know what he's gonna give you, we know he's gonna provide for you, and he's still so young, and like Shyam said, he's on his rookie deal, so this is actually kind of shocking to me that they would consider moving him. I thought he'd be a foundational piece moving forward. He relieves a lot of pressure on that second unit to be able to kind of go out and get buckets in multiple ways. So this one shocks me that they're kind of shopping him already at this point in his career. Yeah, look, ninth straight loss for the Pelicans as we've mentioned. Obviously they've dealt with some injuries. Brandon Ingram's just coming back. CJ McCullum missed a few games. Zion Williamson's still out now. It wasn't too long ago, just a month ago, they were the number two seed in the conference. It's the same record as Denver Nuggets. Now they're in the 10 seed and danger of falling out the play-in. Can Zion's return, which doesn't seem eminent, is that going to fix the Pelicans' problem or does their issues run deeper than that right now? I mean, when it's he coming back, obviously I want to know and how long can he stay on the floor? And yeah, we all know how great he is when he plays. He's one of the best players in the NBA. He is must-see TV. He is so athletic, so explosive. And this New Orleans team, again in the beginning of the year, like a Phoenix, this has just been a fall from grace due to injuries, due to, you know, guys not playing well, you know, no matter what it's been, obviously, Zion, he has a huge impact on this team. Brandon Ingram seems like he's struggling a bit, getting his legs back, but this Pelican team is, we were talking about Willie Green being coach of the year and these guys being real contenders. They're clearly not that with Zion. And I don't know if he could just kind of plug them back in and then all of a sudden be this best team in the West. But I think obviously they are a much better team and in much better shape with the healthy Zion. I just don't know how that, how to sustain that if I'm the Pelicans. Shoms, it wasn't long ago we were on this show talking about Willie Green as the coach of the year and obviously things have taken a turn. What do you see as the reason for the Pelican slide over the last month? I mean, when you watch the last night's game, yeah, you can look at defensive effort and defensive plays, missed shots, Brandon Ingram shot and CJ McCallum shot 12 of 36 from the field. That's not going to get it done in a road game against the best team in the Western Conference. But you know, when I talk to Scouts around the league, when I talk to people that have watched the Pelicans play, have faced the Pelicans in the last couple of weeks, they really look at Zion Williamson's absence. He was playing point guard at times for this team early in the year. When he was going on those dominant stretches, there were times he was bringing the ball up the court. He was setting this team up in their offense. Yes, B.I. was out, but he was really the one that was making everything go as the de facto point guard of this team. And so his value has just gone beyond even the gaudy numbers that he's able to put up. He's able to have a real impact on the game with his intellect of the game. And I'm told he's doing more and more on the court every day. He's beginning to run. And I think his next step from my senses is trying to get contact work in, do some one on one, do some one on one. That's really the next step in Zion Williamson's return process. And then from there, between now and the All-Star break in mid-February, can he rev up in time to get back on the court? That's the question for the Pelicans. The credit to Aaron Gordon and Kintavius Caldwell-Pope for making life difficult for CJ and B.I. last night. And Mike Malone, for all we talk about, the defense of Jamal Murray and Jokic, he has a couple of guys. He has a couple of dogs on that side of the court. And he definitely put them out on B.I. and CJ last night. And just made their offense, just mucked it up. And you're relying a lot on Jose Alvarado to set things up. Now you're relying on Jonas Valentino. This is who you take out late in the game. And it just made it difficult for them to score. They tried to keep up, but it's hard to keep up with Nikolai Jokic when he's playing like how he's playing. So speaking of treading water through injuries, we're going to talk about everybody's favorite load managed team in Los Angeles. The Clippers, big win last night against the Bulls. Kawhi had 33 points and five steals. He's averaging 30 points, six rebounds, and 4.8 assists in his last six games. The Clippers have won all six, of course. Chandler is Kawhi all the way back now. It seems like it. And obviously, this is the Kawhi that they wanted and that they need. And with him and Paul George healthy, these guys are so good defensively. And to their core, this is who they are. They are known as kind of these 3&D guys that have kind of expanded their game offensively. And this is what Kawhi Leonard does. This is why he's a champion. This is why he's at MVP. This is why he's a multi-all star. This is why he is who he is. He's looking healthy. He looks strong. He's getting to his spots. He, the big things with him has just been health. And this is the first time in a really long time we've seen him at this level. And you can just tell the team like the Clippers, their defense fuels their offense. And they have such good personnel where they have these six, seven to six, nine long wings that are interchangeable. They can switch pick and rolls. They can switch even pin downs. And they have the capability of being the best defensive team in the league. So when you've got guys like Kawhi playing like this and Paul George playing and Norman Powell throwing in 27, this team is very, very hard to beat. And I do not want to see them playoffs. Yeah, it's hard not to say Kawhi Leonard is fully back. 11 straight games of 24 points or more. And that's the highest stretch of his career, the longest stretch of his career. So he's never done it before. So the efficiency that he's doing it with, night after night, he's playing in games. He's playing heavy minutes. So yes, I think Kawhi Leonard is back and it's no coincidence that Clippers have not gone six and one in their last seven games. So this is a team turning it around, we're getting closer to the trade deadline. We know they're involved with point guards around the league. Guys like Mike Conley, we'll see if they'll get a deal done. John Wall is still out. Reggie Jackson has at least become a part-time player. They're going fully with Terence Mann, Paul George at the point guard positions. So there's some question marks in terms of moves that this team will make. But the biggest thing, the biggest positive factor is Kawhi Leonard is back. Yeah, I mean, I think this is the new norm for Kawhi. He just missed the Cleveland game, just the game before this. And he's just going to play four, five, six games in rest, four, five, six games in rest. This is how they're going to load manage him. He is Mr. Load Management, but he looks incredible. He looks like the same old him. He helped force DeMar DeRozan into eight turnovers last night. So this is what they're going to need. And you've got to remember, in the playoffs, especially with the expanded playoff schedule now, you're getting a day off between every game. Every travel game, you're going to extra day off. He's going to have time to rest while he's playing in the playoffs. And he's going to be able to be himself. So it's going to be huge for them going down the stretch. But yes, I think Kawhi is back. And I think this is the Kawhi we can expect going forward. And there's probably going to be one more gear when it comes to the playoffs. Now, looking on the other side of the court, we thought the Bulls were back. We don't know if they're struggling. They had a little bit of off game. They just cannot seem to beat these top tier teams. Shoms, what is their outlook going into the trade deadline? And everybody is having them, wants them to blow up. Everybody's looking at the Raptors. Everybody's looking at the Bulls. What is the outlook for this team and all their tradeable contracts and all their stars they have sitting there, seemingly a little disgruntled, maybe? Yeah, when you look at Toronto and you talk to teams around the league, they're viewed as a team that has made their guys not available. But they're at least going to listen to calls, take calls. And I think that's the sentiment around the league. We'll see what happens with the Raptors. The Bulls, I reported on this a few weeks ago, and I think teams continue to get the sense that they want to win. And they don't just want to toil in the lottery. They don't want to be a lottery team, especially this year. They don't have control of their pick that's in Orlando. It's top, I think, I believe, top four protected. So the last thing you want to do is go into a full tank and then give up your first to Orlando anyway. This is a team that wants to win, trying to compete. And they're going to be firmly in that play-in race. They're still firmly in that play-in race, despite all the ups and downs this year has brung. And I think, listen, if someone blows them away for DeMar DeRozan or Zach Levine, sure, I think they'll do it. But right now, that offer just does not seem to be coming. And we'll see Lonzo Ball still no end in sight for him as far as his rehab process. But right now, we'll see if the Bulls could even get in the point guard market out there on the trade front. Could they go get a guy that helps them at point guard? Yeah, this is tough because the Bulls are kind of stuck in that no man's land where they don't have an incentive to lose, but they also don't have a roster to compete for a championship this year. And I'm seeing stuff on Lonzo Ball, his knee hurts, but they don't know why his knee is hurting. The doctor doesn't know why his knee is hurting. So that is never good. Someone whose knees have been hurting every day of my life the last 12 years. That's never good. If they can't even identify the problem. And when you have a guy like Lonzo Ball as the head of the snake and the point guard on this team, they're missing him mightily. And I love Caruso. I love AO. And they have the scores on the wing with Zach and DeMar. But for whatever reason, this just hasn't worked and it doesn't match. And again, I would look to make a move. You don't want to go in full tank mode. You don't want to just give your pick to the magic, but you got to make a move here to at least give yourself some encouragement and some hope to at least get into that plan and possibly advance. Yeah, look, from Chicago right down the street to Milwaukee, the Bucks, they look like they're back, man. They look like they're back. One of them have won five straight, beat the Hornets yesterday, 124-115. Giannis, just another routine, 34 points, 18 rebounds. Drew Holiday chipped in 15 points and 13 rebounds as well. Chandler, are we sleeping on the Bucks as a title contender? How good are they right now? I mean, they're very good. And again, this is a team that, they have one of the best players in the world. And when you have Giannis doing what he does, it's hard to stop. And they've added so many good pieces around him. And obviously it's taking Chris Middleton a little bit longer than we expected, but he's going to be fine. And this is a team that I haven't worried about all year long. It's just kind of my warriors of the East Coast that no matter what happens, no matter who's in, no matter who's out, they're going to be fine and they're going to be there and they're going to be one of the final teams left in the Eastern Conference. And I do feel like Giannis gets slept on a little bit. And Eddie, you said it yesterday that with those odds of him being the MVP, sign me up because this guy's going to continue to dominate. We've never really seen a physical specimen play the way he plays like this outside of really LeBron. But that doesn't shoot the three well, but still finds a way to put up 30, 40, 50 point games. The Bucks are dangerous. The Bucks are sneaky. They've been there before. Bobby Portas being out is a little bit of a stretch there. And that's going to make them struggle a little bit, but they have such a good roster. They have such a good culture, such a championship DNA and they have Giannis and they're going to be there at the end. Yeah, when I'm watching that game last night, I'm thinking about what is Charlotte going to do, right? When you think about Terry Rozier, he's playing well. He's had a good little stretch here. You know, could he be a guy that's on the move? But I know for sure the Hornets have been openly discussing Mason Plumley, Kelly Ubre Jr. in trades. I mean, Chandler, do you think either of those players has real value in the marketplace? Can they really impact a contending team? I think so. I don't think any team that is in the situation that a Milwaukee is in, that a Memphis is in, even a Sacramento, one of these teams that need a player like a Kelly Ubre, that can come off the bench, that could provide a spark, that can go get a bucket for you. I think that's huge. And if you don't have to give up a lot and you can contain kind of your rotation and your roster and you already think you have a chance to win a championship and by adding someone like that, yeah, I think it's a great move. But I think these contending teams should definitely take a look at guys on the Hornets, guys on the Bulls, guys on the Raptors that are kind of struggling and kind of underperforming. Yeah, look, when you look at guys like that, they're pros. They've had playoff experience and you're talking about moving on to another team in an even smaller role where they can maximize their talent. Kelly Ubre, somebody that intrigues me. Long, he's tall, he can defend, he's averaging 20 points a game this season. But obviously he has dealing with the injury, but you'll get him back before the playoffs. And if you can slot him in, if you use him off your bench as somebody who can make your defense a little ranger who can hit a three, who can drive to the cup, that's gotta be interesting. He does come at a hefty price tag. He is an expiring free agent. But if you're trying to make a run this year and you're not trying to splurge eight picks for O.G. Ananovi, it's a little interesting looking over there. Same thing for Mason Plumlee, same thing for Gordon Hayward and on and on throughout their roster. I look at that Hornets, they had just had two big wins against the Bulls and the Heat and they were talking about, hey, we're finally healthy, we're playing better basketball. Let's see what we can do. Then they lose this game, even with the Lamello triple-double, lot going on over there in Charlotte and it probably is time to blow it up, truth be told. Our last game on the docket last night, I think it was the best game of the night. The Heat, eke out a win against the Cavaliers, Jimmy Butler, 23 points, five assists, huge dagger late in the game and it just looked like two playoff teams playing a really competitive game and one happened to get the best of it. We'd love to see a series maybe. The Heat are six in the East. If the Heat don't come into the playoffs, if the Heat don't have home court in the playoffs, Chandler, can they win a series and do you trust them for the rest of the season? They're definitely hitting their stride now and Jimmy was doing Jimmy things last night and that was a huge shot and this was a fun game but to me, the Celtics, the Bucks, the Sixers and the Nets, those are the best teams obviously in the Eastern Conference but the Heat and the Cavs are right there and I don't know what it is but I can't see them beating any of those top four teams in a series but they're having great years and in Miami's a team that they've built this culture and this DNA of toughness and I love BAM, they have shooting, I love Max Shrews, Tyler Hero has been having a heck of a season so it's weird because these two teams are good and they have made leaps and bounds and they are kind of playing very, very good right now. I just don't think they have enough because the East is loaded this year and those top four teams are elite. Yeah, I mean, I think the biggest thing with the Heat is just health, right? Like when Jimmy Butler plays, this is a totally different team. They're better when Jimmy Butler's playing than even when Jimmy's out and Tyler Hero's playing so they need Jimmy on the floor to be competitive in the Eastern Conference, no question about it. The problem is there's been times where he's been absent but listen, BAM out of bio the year, he's in that thing, we gotta give him his flowers. To me, he's an all-star. He's been the guy that's kept his team afloat and really being in a position where they're not competing for playing, they're competing for trying to get home court so that's a kudos to BAM out of bio and that kind of heat culture, like Chandler said. I think this game was a real nice measuring stick and kind of perimeter of these two teams going forward. They played it tough, they're both pretty evenly matched. The Cavaliers had four starters in double digits but they just did not seem to have enough going down the stretch. The Heat were able to make it tough for Donovan Mitchell and for Darius Garland and I think going forward, you have to trust that playoff experience. The Heat were just in the conference finals and played as close to the Celtics as possibly could be. Literally, we're a shot away from the finals. They just played in the finals two seasons ago. You gotta trust that playoff experience going forward and their coach as well, Eric Spostra. Love JV Bigger staff. Still think Eric Spostra's the best coach in the league. So I mean, great matchup. One of those random little January games you get to see and then you get to see a lot of what's going on in the league so far. Chandler, what do you think between the two? I know the Heat won last night but do you think the Cavs, the younger fresher team going forward or the team that you have more trust in? For the future, yeah, I like the Cavs better. I like their core. I love those two guards and JV Bigger staff. That's my guy. I think he's the best coach in the NBA and the things he's done has been special. That being said, to trust more this year, like you guys, I gotta go with the Heat. They have the experience, Spostra's been there before. They have Jimmy, they have Bam. They have guys that have been in that situation that the Cavaliers just don't. But yeah, it would be a great series and a series who knows what could happen with these two teams, but I gotta trust the Heat more in this situation just because the fact that they've been there done that. Love it. Well, look, coming up, we got rookies, sophomores, the rising stores roster has been announced. Who got snubbed? Who should have made it? We'll be back after the break. Running back. It's a little surprising to me that it's gonna be, I mean, this trip's got a long way to go yet. Like this trip's ending around the corner, right? So it's a little surprising to me, but I guess we know what we have now for this trip. Well, that's an interesting quote from our fellow trade machine enthusiasts. Shoms, what's the latest on OG's injury and the likelihood he's dealt before the trade deadline? So he heard his wrists in the Warriors game on Friday and it looked like a serious injury. And so he's been ruled out for the remainder of this road trip that they're on through February 5th. I'm told it's not considered to be a super serious injury. There's a chance he could even play when the team returns from that trip in Toronto, but definitely a curious response there from Nick Nurse. I'm told the sons, the nicks, they're still teams to look at, but I would also pay attention to the Pelicans, the Pacers. They've also registered some interest in OG on a newbie from what I'm told. So there's a group of teams, four or five teams that I think will get involved, continue to be involved as we get closer to the February night trade deadline. That was a scary looking fall. You never want to see someone fall like that, but OG to me is the ideal 3 and D player. He's got size, he's got length. He can handle the ball, he can score, he's physical. He's shooting 36%, 37% from three this year, which is great. He could make a lot of teams better and for whatever reason, it's not working this year in Toronto, but yeah, I would look, he'd be an ideal piece for one of these championship contending teams that he could definitely put them over the edge and kind of help them a lot. Well, look, the Rising Stars roster were announced again yesterday and despite Kevin Durant's annoyance, there's seven G league players as well. Shoms, who are we gonna see on this roster and in these games? Yeah, I mean, we have the best of the best as far as when you think about the rookies and sophomores on the list. I was more looking at the guys that did not make it so we have the list right up there. I mean, it's a long list, lengthy list of rookies and sophomores and then you got the G league players. They have even more G league players this year in this contest than they did last year. It's interesting, Kenny Lofton Jr, he's in, he has an NBA contract so for them to list them as a G league player, yes, he spent the whole year in the G league but probably could have used him as a rookie sophomore. But to me, the interesting part was the guys that didn't make it. Shaden Sharp committed to the dunk contest several weeks ago. You would think that that would parlay him into a Rising Stars appearance. He's not there. Austin Reeves isn't there. Jonathan Kominga's not there. Both of those guys have had great seasons, I think, for their second years. Ayo Dussumo, another guy that was on Rising Stars last year, didn't make it this year as well. Herb Jones, a guy for the Pelicans. He was on the roster last year. I think thought of to be a foundational piece for New Orleans. He's not on it this year. So definitely some snubs, an interesting year with a lot of G league players in this contest. Chandler, Shaden, that's your guy. You've been talking about him since the beginning of the season. He's doing the dunk contest. He doesn't make it here. He's been a contributor for the Blazers. What do you think about that? Seems a little fishy. Seems a little odd. I'd want to do both of us him. I think it's weird. If I'm him, honestly, I might, because they're not even doing the dunk contest anymore. Because you put a G league in your back foot clung. Who's, no one's even really watched him play unless you're dialed into the G league season. But Shaden Sharp has been a critical piece on the Portland Trailblazers this year. And he's going to win the dunk contest. He's already going to be there this weekend. So this one was weird to me. And I definitely would be frustrated. He definitely deserves to be there. Austin Reeves, he's obviously been hurt for a little bit. But I also feel like he's been playing for five or six years. It's crazy to me that this is only his second year. There's definitely a lot of snubs here. But yeah, I can't see that list and see Mack McClellan, a G-leaguer, who was doing the dunk contest and not see Shaden Sharp, who's been a valuable piece on an actual NBA team. Doesn't seem right. Doesn't seem fair to me. Yeah, very curious. I've watched Kenny Lawton, Jr. play in blowouts for the Grizzlies. So I'm like, huh? And we can't get Shaden Sharp. But hey, it is what it is. But look, moving on, we're going to head to break. And when we come back, are you, should Anthony Edwards be an all star? Let's see what the guys think after the break on Running Back. And we're back, fellas. This is one of my favorite segments. And shout out to Shams for sticking around. I love when we get some Shams takes. Thank you for that, my guy. We're doing, we're doing your buying that. And this is, we're going to be talking about this until we're playing the game. But Anthony Edwards has been scorching over his last six games, 34 points a game, 50%, 53% from the field, 50% from three. He's also attacking in 5.8, 6.7 rebounds, five assists. Fellas, does he deserve an all star spot? I think he does. And it's funny, I'm looking at the standings right now. And when I look at the Minnesota Timberwolves in the eight seed, I wouldn't think he deserves to be an all star. But a day from now, they could be the fifth seed. So I do. I think he's had a great year. I think he's fun to watch. He's entertaining. He's exciting. He's putting up great numbers. I think he deserves to be in the game. And again, these standings in the West are so jumbled up. By the time the All-Star Weekend comes around, they could be sitting in the fourth fifth seed. And they have to have someone represent them in the All-Star game. And there's absolutely no one else on that team that would be an All-Star other than Anthony Edwards. I'm buying Anthony Edwards being an All-Star. And I'm buying it because he's really transformed Minnesota's season. This is a team that lost Carl Anthony Townsend a very serious cap injury. There's still no word on when Kat's going to be back. It could be right after the All-Star break. It could be very much after the All-Star break. I think the Timberwolves are going to be very, very cautious with him. But in the absence, Anthony Edwards is really taking a stranglehold of this franchise, the numbers he's put up, and it's crazy. Just the other day, I think they were like fourth or fifth seed in the West. Like they're going to be right there trying to compete for home court and maybe even lower than that, given despite everything that's happened this year. And honestly, guys, the most impressive thing to me, he's doing this while eating three bags of hot chips a day. That's so very impressive to me. I don't know, Chandler, could you do that when you were a player? Three bags of hot chips a day. No, between the Popeye or the KFC and now the hot prize, there's no way I would not even make it to the arena. Yeah, I want Anthony Edwards in this game for entertainment's sake alone. I know we could look at the roster and we could run through the guys and, you know, Anthony Davis probably deserves it, but they're like the 12 seed. And there's all these other players. And I know we're putting Laurie marketing in as well. And you go on through the roster and you're talking about Aaron Gordon's, the Jeremy Grants, the Damian Lillards of the world. But who is going to be more entertaining in this game than one of the best dunkers in the league? Somebody with a really tight handle. I can't wait to see him and John Morant, ideally on the same team, just throwing game breakers off the backboard or something. Please put Anthony Edwards in the All-Star game. He deserves it, stats alone and all that good stuff. And like you guys said, he's kept the Timberwolves treading water, but he's just going to be way more entertaining than just about every other player they could possibly put in this game. So let's get Ant out there to Utah. After that, what I want to talk about too, we keep talking about the jumbled standings. And there are only two teams currently on pace to win 55 games. It used to be like 65 was the golden standard. 67, 68, you're having a really great season. Are you guys buying that no teams will win more than 55 games this season? Chandler? Yeah, I'm buying it just because it just speaks volumes on how competitive the league is this year, especially in the Eastern Conference I hit on earlier. But those four Celtics, Bucks, 76ers, Nets, I can honestly say that all of those teams can win the championship this year and compete. And when you look down, you look at the Cavs, the Heat, the Knicks, the Hawks, all these teams that we thought weren't going to be that good are playing very well. And there's still some of the tanking teams, but then there's teams that we thought were going to tank that aren't tanking, that are kind of exceeding expectations. So yeah, I think it's a good thing too. I think there's not really nights off. You see teams that, you know, Oklahoma City this year, I would think that would be an easy win. These kids are playing extremely hard and these guys are playing for their livelihood. They're playing for their next contract. So the idea of a team tanking before going into a season, it's not that easy because the Rockets right now, Jaylen Green's not just trying to lose. He's going to try and go get 40 like he does and he's auditioning for himself. So I think it's a good thing, but I am buying it that there's not going to be a 60-65 win team this year. Yeah, I mean, I think you got to look at Boston, Denver, they have the capability to do it. I thought Brooklyn was on that run before Kevin Durant got hurt. I think Philadelphia, they've been surging. So maybe do they continue to get on a roll, get up to, you know, that 54, 55, 56 range. So they have some potential to do it as well. I think Milwaukee, clearly they're trying to identify periods of rest points for their top guys at different points. So maybe they're on the outside looking in for that. But yeah, I mean, a couple of teams have a shot, but the amount of parity in the league right now, it's definitely not going to be easy. Yeah, continuing with the theme of widespread greatness, seven players in the league are currently averaging 30 or more points. That would be the record, the record is six, which happened in the sixties in an eight game, in an 18 league. Are you guys buying that more than six players will average more than 30 points a game this season? So you go first on that. Yeah, I mean, listen, there might even be more. I mean, what we're seeing right now is guys are just scoring astronomical numbers. And let's be honest on some of these just isn't defense being played. So I think guys are just scoring at high, high levels right now. I think the offensive talent is crazy deep in the league. So definitely at least that amount, it could even be seven, eight, nine for sure. Yeah, I agree. And I just think the pace of the game now, the way guys are shooting three pointers, the amount of the times guys are getting to the free throw line, it's set up for guys to score. And I think it's great. I think people when they tune into an NBA game, they don't want to watch these old school defensive 85 to 89 games. They want to see 130, 140, 150 points put up. I think it's great. I think it's good for the game. And like Sean just said, I think defense is not really a priority for a lot of these teams right now. And these guys, the way they can score is so innovative. It's so impressive. And guys are going to continue to put up all these gaudy numbers. And I definitely am buying that at least seven guys. Yeah, I'm with you guys. I think we're going to get even more. Kevin Durant is right there, 29.7. Steph, he doesn't get qualified for the games. He's missed. He's also averaging 29 points a game. And obviously he could explode at any moment. And we'd have nine guys averaged 30 points a game. I think it's just a testament to the greatness all around the league. And obviously the pace and style of the league going forward. Last thing that I want to know, because I do not buy this. I'll say it. I'll spoil it right before we get into it. But they've done some Twitter analytics and they say the heat fans are the most negative on Twitter. Look at that list. Do you buy that? You guys are on Twitter, Chandler. You're widely hated on Twitter. Do you buy that the Miami Heat are the most hated team on Twitter? No, this is weird too, because remember the little ratings in the beginning of the year, like the most hated guys and the most negative tweets and BAM was on there. That also didn't make sense to me. When I think of Lakers, I think of Warriors, I think of a lot of other teams before I think of the Miami Heat. I actually think they're very positive. And I think they're very supportive. Maybe just because I'm a homer and I'm from Florida. But no, this was confusing to me as was that preseason list of hated NBA players. I never heard one bad thing about BAM. So I don't know where they're getting these votes or these ratings from, but no, I'm not buying that. The heat fans are the most negative. Yeah, this is a head scratcher and also BAM being on like most hated BAM. Seems like a lovable guy. Like he's done nothing to harm anyone. Just plays the right way, plays hard. I don't really get that one. For them to be number one on this list, I think of what I think of most stressed out or whatever that word was. The Knicks, Lakers, Philly, like those are markets to me that always stand out when you think of fan angst and grife on a daily, weekly basis. So listen, Miami, I don't know what they did. I don't know if they rigged the votes, shot out voting, but I don't know what's up with that. I have no idea. Yeah, like I read the list. Yeah, I read the list. I squinted. I read it like four times. I didn't see the Lakers. I didn't see the Nets. I don't know. I don't know. Maybe the criteria is ultra specific here, but the Lakers not being number one. She's absolutely shocked me. Well, look, Psalms, that is your time. Thank you so much. She's such a great sport. Go continue to ruin the trade deadline for everybody and break all the news. And after the break, Chandler, we won our Parley, big fella. Right, that's right. Bet on the Lakers and we won. We'll talk about it when we come back and run it back. Welcome back to Run It Back, Chandler. It's just me and you, the inmates are running the asylum. We won our Parley yesterday. We're on a hot streak. Before we get to our bets, though, I wanna play a game with you. Psalms is gone. We can tamper all we want. We can trade everybody we want where we're gonna play a new game. We got called it's a dealer, no deal. It's pretty simple. I'm gonna throw a scenario at you and you tell me if these teams need to be making a move or not. The Lakers, they can trade one or both of their future first round picks to get more help right now as they stand. Chandler, are you making that deal? Are you helping out LeBron and AD right now in saying screw the future? Right now, trade them both. Listen, you have to maximize these LeBron James years and we don't know how long he's gonna play and this is an absolute treat that they've had this year. With AD in and out of the lineup, with all the issues they've went through this year, they're still right there. They can still make a move. I love the Rui move, but they are still right there to add a couple more pieces to really make this team kind of well-rounded and they need to add shooting. I would try and add Beganovich. I would try and add Buddy Hewitt. I would try and add anybody that can kind of stretch the stretch to the floor. Give LeBron more space to operate. Give Russ more space to drive and kick and find these shooters. So yes, I'm trading both picks and I am trying to win now from the Lakers while LeBron is still playing at an MVP level. Look, I always say draft picks, they're the mystery box. We don't even know with the 20-27 pick. That's an eighth grader right now. Give me the actual player who can play basketball. I love the Boyan fit. When I watched all those wide open shots Rui Hatsumora had last night, I said, man, Boyan, he'd be wide open in these corners. He'd give these guys six threes a night. I think you've got to go for the now. You have LeBron Zanzin, I think he's Davis in his prime. You absolutely have to go for the now. The next team I want to ask about, we're just in LA, same thing. They're the Clippers currently in the fifth seed. They have multiple assets to trade around to get better. I think they want a point guard. I think they want another big. They want a couple other things. Obviously question marks with the injuries to their main guys. Chandler, are you trading multiple assets right now for Fred Van Vliet to make a run at the title for the Clippers? Oh, that might change my answer a little bit. Yeah, I think I would. I think Fred Van Vliet is a championship level point guard and you pair him with guys like Paul George, with guys like Kawhi Leonard. Yes, if they can get rid of someone that they don't use, kind of like the Lakers just did, I'm doing it. They're right there. They're in the fourth seed. They're looking to get a home court advantage. The way they defend, they're gonna be in a lot of games. It's been health with these guys all year long, but if they, so if they can do that and they can add a piece like Fred Van Vliet, yeah, I'm all in on this. Yeah, yeah, look, I think these guys are right on the cusp. If there's a booze available for them, I don't know if Fred Van Vliet is the absolute right move, but if there's something else there that they can make happen, definitely load up on this team. They look as good as anybody when they're on. They look like they can beat any team in the league, add in as many pieces as you can. Guys are actually gonna pay and then make a run at this title. But look, that was fun, Chandler. You know what was more fun? Winning money yesterday. We did great. We killed it. Yo, we, I was so excited when I seen this last night. Heat one outright, Clippers one covered, Lakers one outright. Look like we know what we're doing, man. Look like Fandall knew what they were doing, picking us to make these picks. Let's do it again. Let's do it again tonight, Chandler. I'm gonna start with mine. I got James Harden over on assist tonight. They just lost to the magic. The Sixers are not losing to the magic again. There is no way, no how. So I got James overnight and half since that. So he feels low. I feel like I'm still in money here. Yeah. Chandler, what do you got for the second leg? I love yours last night too. The heat getting five and a half was just nuts. So it doesn't surprise me that they won. I like the net plus eight and a half. That's a lot of points. I don't care that Kevin Durant's out. That is a lot of points. I understand how good Boston is, but give me all those points for the Brooklyn Nets. Michelle is here in spirit. She bets on the Warriors at the road covering against our future All-Star Anthony Edwards. I don't know if he on that one, but look, we won't know until Monday. So it's great. It's fine. Chandler, enjoy the slopes. Thank you for being here. For me, Charles, Michelle and Chandler, we'll be back next week with Run It Back. You guys have a good one.