 Little earthquake out in LA this morning. Luckily for us, Chandler has no furniture. Run it back. Starts now. Well, well, well. Good happy Wednesday morning. I'm checking in with Chandler first out on the West Coast. All good after the shakes? Very good. It was 2 a.m. The other thing was rocking last night. That's when they like to get you. They like to wake you up as if you were not awake. But any who we're going to introduce everybody else. Sean Shrani, our stadium insider, always with the good news. And I know you've got some stuff for us later on and Eddie on the end looking glorious as always on this fine Wednesday morning, sir. Well done. Well done. Are you ready? Are you ready for the battle of LA? It's not so much a battle, is it really? But it is what it is. Kawhi and PG 52 combined points, 18 rebounds. They beat the Lakers. I mean, this is the 10th straight win for the Clippers over the Lakers. So Chandler, what did you learn about the Clippers last night? Well, it's not really a battle anymore, and it hasn't been for a long time. You know what, you learn that I think the Clippers are one of the deeper teams in the West and probably the NBA. And their actual contenders when they have these two guys Kawhi Leonard and Paul George playing at this level. And this is why they had the high expectations coming in. They have such a deep team. They have such a versatile team with so many interchangeable pieces. They have youth. They have experience. They have shooting. They have playmaking. This is one of the teams where when they do hit their stride and they have Kawhi and PG playing at the level they are, you know, going 11 for 16 and 11 for 20. And these guys kind of dominating, taking turns. This is one of the better teams in the league. And definitely in the Western Conference is so wide open this year that these guys can fully get healthy, get John Wall, get Luke Canard, get all their pieces back together and get some reps and chemistry development going into the stretch, you know, the last stretch into the playoffs. This team is dangerous. And they showed you why last night and obviously they played the Lakers who aren't great. But this just shows you how they can defend and they're tough and they're switching pick and rolls. And it's an impressive team to watch when they're clicking like this and when they're healthy. Nice stat. Nice stat. Yeah, I, you know, I'll never forgive the Clippers for not handling their end of the bargain and meeting the Lakers and the playoffs and the bubble and finally getting that matchup we're waiting for. But it's been a, it's been a wash ever since then. It's been a wipeout. And what did we learn about the Clippers yesterday? Not much. We pretty much saw the team. We assumed they would be at the beginning of the season if we could get Kauai on the court, if we get PG on the court, if they could remain healthy, if they could, you know, get some rhythm going. And that's what they look like. You know, they're a defensive force. The Lakers are a really great matchup for them as well without a guard who can really attack off the dribble and shoot. And so they end up taking care of business. They look like exactly what they're supposed to look like. But believe you me, the Clippers will never own Los Angeles. There's a reason why they're getting their own arena out the way. And they're doing all that because it's still a Lakers town. And it's not just because they had the Lakers stuff on the floor yesterday. It's still their town. And the Lakers are the reason why this is the A-Block story one and not the Clippers because, of course, it's the Lakers like Beatle loves it. I do love it. I do love it. This is ten in a row, guys. Come on. Shops. Yeah. I think what's interesting right now is just how this Clippers roster is developing, right? Like they finally have Kawhi Leonard, Paul Jordan back in the lineup, but John Wall is out. Reggie Jackson is playing some somewhat, you know, not as big of a role as he has in the past, somewhat limited minutes than his role even last year. What we're seeing now is Terence Mann that he's been the guy that's been starting at Point Guard. This is not something that this team or anyone around the league expected going into the season, but he's really grabbed that role by the horns. And I think he's played at a good level. Him and Paul Jordan kind of take turns bringing the ball up and game managing and getting guys and setting the table. So just seeing how this roster has developed, guys have had to fill different roles that we're not expected to go into the year. We'll see how active they are in the trade market to go and get an actual point guard. But I think they're kind of confident in Terence Mann leading that position. So I'm curious about how this roster has developed and will develop over the next couple of weeks. It is crazy how much of a tease this team is night in, night out when you don't know which version you're getting. And then you see it all together and you're like, Oh, this, this would actually be fun to watch every night on the other side of things. However, LeBron James, LeBron James did a lot. He did about as much as he could. He had 46. Of course it was in a loss, but he comes the first player in NBA history to score 40 points against every single team. He was also pretty frustrated there at the end of this one. You know, energy wise, he's got to mustered up every single night and it ends up in a loss. So Chandler, how frustrating is this? It's very frustrating, but at this point of the season, he's got to understand and know what this team is. You know, they're just trying to scrap and battle and get into that play. And he is gunning for that record. And you can just tell this dude is healthy. He is motivated. He is on a mission. I wouldn't be surprised if I, you know, after he gets the record, he takes a few games off or he takes a dip in all these crazy stats after 35 last couple of like five or 10 games. He's 46, eight and seven. He was nine for 14 from three last night was zero turnovers. Like I would be looking like that too after a loss like this. And then just feel like in the fourth, when they made that push and he had the two dunks and the momentum was shifting every time they did, you know, the clippers kind of came up with a big play or a big stop or a big shot. And, you know, Russ had a bad turnover during that stretch or LeBron would hoist a 30 foot three just kind of playing hero ball. Like it just, they didn't have enough and they don't have enough. And, you know, hopefully Rui kind of comes in and takes in that burst. But this is extremely frustrating for LeBron, but it's, it's nothing new. This is, this is who their team is. He's been having, if they were winning more, he's might have been with what he's doing with, with his age, like his stats, he is, he is unbelievable. And I know there's a lot of other guys, but you let them get in the top five, top four of the West. He's my MVP. We'll have people nailed it. They need more. If you got your bingo card, if you got your drinking game going, I'm going to just say it. He has no help. He has no help with the takers team. He needs Anthony Davis back there talking about possibly coming back today, if not Friday. And, and he's right there on the cusp, but 46 points and he hits nine threes and you're not even close in the game. Your coach pulls everybody with like five minutes to go. That's embarrassing. I'm actually shocked he didn't stick around to get the 50 ball because why not at that point. But there was a few turnovers late in that game and you could just see it. LeBron always wears the emotions on his sleeve. It's, it's no surprise to see him, I guess, like pouting over there on the sideline, but I don't blame him. He's got to be pissed. He's got to hate this right now. But going back to what we've been saying for some time, I know Laker fans love to blame Rob Polinka. They love to blame Genie Puss, but it's pretty widely understood that when they pushed to get Russell Westbrook, he was right there pushing with them. And, you know, yes, pal and be upset. And yes, he has no help, but take a little bit of accountability as well. It's, it's, it's kind of his fault. He has no help. It's like Eddie's reminder. I love it. We should put it at the bottom reminder. By the way, he's, he's 187 points away. So the odds on which game that's going to happen. Moving on up. He's going for it. Maybe that's it. Maybe JJ Redick was right. Let's just watch for the record break. And that's it. It's a moral victory. Kyle Kuzma, not just a fashion icon, but also doing things on the court, 30 piece, leading his team over the Mavs by one Chandler, Bradley Beale had 22. All right. So Shoms Washington cleared the decks, right? Give him that extension. He gives them 30. What would the market be or what will the market be for Kuzma this summer? When we, when we spoke about Kyle Kuzma a few weeks ago, several weeks ago, really early in the year, we were saying, I reported around 25 years, what a lot of team executives believed, but it's like with each passing game, it's like his value continues to go up. And I know Kyle Kuzma is a very, very confident guy. So he's probably looking at close to 30, like as a goal per year in a new deal. So when you're thinking, where's that money going to come from teams with, with cap space? We'll see. But Atlanta and Phoenix have had interest, but I don't really see a realistic route for the Wizards to move Kyle Kuzma. I think they'd be open if someone really blew their doors open. If someone offered like two or three first round picks for a pending free agent, you have to think about that, but they just moved Rui Hachimura. And I think the dual impact of that is that it took the Lakers out of the ballgame for Kuzma because then they're going to want to resign their own guy, Rui Hachimura, that eats into their cap space. And for the Wizards, one less competitor and an easier pathway to retaining Kyle Kuzma. But yeah, I mean, this is a guy that with every passing game, I think he's only increasing his value, you know, as every, every single game goes on. I mean, that's all you can do Chandler. If you're in charge, what are you doing with Kuz? I think they did it yesterday with trading Rui. I think they had a chance there to kind of pay Rui not as much as kind of a younger player with, you know, not as good of a resume and a good of a season that Kuz is having or they trade Rui and they overpay Kyle Kuzma this summer, which looks like what's going to happen. And Kuz deserves it. Look, he's averaging 22 points, eight rebounds for assists. He can do it all. He can bring the ball up the floor. He can facilitate. He could knock down shots. He still takes some pretty bad shots and is inefficient. And I'd like to see his field goal percentage and three point percentage kind of get better, which I think that naturally will as he takes better shots and kind of gets more comfortable with his spots on the floor. But he's played very, very well, you know, this season and he deserves to get a big contract and he's going to get over a hundred million dollars and it looks like it's going to be in D.C. Yeah, I think in a vacuum Kuzma is great. He's developed way beyond, I think, even the greatest expectations of him when he was drafted by the Lakers. And yes, he absolutely deserves the bag. He played great last night, 30 points. He hit the game winning free throw. He missed one, but he did hit the game winning free throw. And the Wizards were clearly relying on him. My concern with them is, yo, you have this big three, you're locked in the Brad Bill. You're going to lock in the Kyle Kuzma, apparently. You're figuring out what you're going to do with Chris Dazz Porzingis right now, but you're still not even a playoff team. You're still not even a play in team. Even with all their injuries and all that, Brad looked fine yesterday. He had some great shots. Put a hell of a move on Luca with a behind the back snatch and a jump or he hit on him. But like, do you really want to lock in long term with that trio and you're already not getting results now and those contracts, how are they going to age? How is that going to age for you as a franchise? It's a tough decision, but it seems like they're making it at least with Kuzma. So that makes me wonder, hey, what are we doing with Chris Dazz Porzingis now? He's had a great season as well. Modern stretch five type big and he's continuing to develop. He's been better than he was in Dallas. What do you do with him? Is he available or is somebody going to come in and swoop him and overpay him this summer? A lot of interesting stuff with them going forward, but I get buying in on Kuzma. I mean, he seems to be the best of the three this season. I just don't know. I'm buying in on that nucleus going forward as a whole. Yeah, that's that's the pickle that they're in, right? Like they have these assets and these guys can all play individually. These are all really good players. They're not a championship contending team. I don't care what you add to that team, unless you add another star. It doesn't matter what the role players, the vets, the draft picks like that core three going forward. I just don't know if it's a championship contending three and how could I? Like I just said, they're not even a play in team right now in the Eastern Conference. So it is. That's a tough situation for Leonsis in the Wizards. Like they're going to put all this money into guys that are not winning right now. You kind of know what these three guys are too. It's not like they have a crazy ceiling either to get much better. So this is who they are and to give them all this money. You got to pay somebody and they deserve it because individually they're playing well, but I just I don't see the future with this team. They're not they're not better than a lot of teams in the Eastern Conference. What's the updated status check is Kyle Kuzma, all star potential player Chandler. We need the status check right now. No, you're not going to get into an all star game as an 11 seed. You have the season that you're having now on a top six, top seven team. For sure. If you're averaging 22, 23, you're somewhat efficient. You deserve to be an all star game, but I think a lot of it goes into rewarding winning and the Wizards aren't winning. It's crazy because these three guys are constantly part of all trade speculation talks. And now here we are sitting going, are they going to keep them all? It doesn't. None of it makes sense to me, but it was a very frustrating loss on the other side of things for the Mabs. Spencer Genwitty, basically not happy about it at all, put it into words. Well, I mean, we just got to be better in that respect. You know what I mean? Like they're they're not playing for nothing for real. You know what I mean? Like they just coming out here firing. Like they got people come off the bench just firing, right? Because at the end of the day for them, it's a showcase. They over there trying to get paid and not trying to play winning basketball. I mean, and Kuz heard it and responded and I love it. Clown emoji is the best. Eddie, was any of that necessary? I mean, look, Kyle Kuz was saying that as a former teammate of Spencer Denwitty, he played with him last year and it did not go well for Mr. Denwitty in Washington. It didn't end well for Spencer Denwitty in Brooklyn. So, you know, I don't I get him trying to be a leader, I think with this quote and calling out the other team, but you lost to those that team not playing winning basketball. You lost to that team trying to showcase themselves. And like Kyle Kuz was saying, your style of basketball isn't exactly winning basketball either. I mean, that was interesting. I like Kuz with the clapback. I always enjoy a good Twitter clapback and he deserved it for that one. But the way they ended this game and, you know, they have these clips now of teams knowing exactly what the Mavericks are going to do on this play and even Lucas like yelling at the bench in one of the clips telling them, yo, they know the play. They have no timeouts to fix it. Their late game execution has been awful. And part of it is because of actually what Spencer Denwitty is complaining about. It's not necessarily a winning player. We get the ball at Luca Kauffin corner and then he goes left and just turns it over. Like this is happening multiple times. We've had the debate on here, like should he pass, he shoot. He's tried both and they failed both ways. Yeah. I don't know. Spencer Denwitty needs to look inward, I think, with the way that game ended. Like that's the thing. I feel like these endings to these Mavs game, you sometimes are just like, is this deja vu? It feels like an ugly ending again. Luca had 41, 15 and six. So that's not the point, but you saw the final possession. It was a hot, hot mess. Didn't work either time. Luca misses a clutch free throw there in the final minute. This is the problem, right? Luca is great. We get it. But what is this team doing, Chandler? How frustrated do you think Luca is right now? Yeah, it's frustrating. And as good of a season he is, you know, he's got to take some ownership here. He's got to be able to get guys more involved. He's got to get these guys going. And but yeah, like watching this side out of bounds play, clearly the Wizards knew what was coming and they just run the same play again. They're into the game just horrible. They kind of go to this ISO and there's just a, there's a recipe here where in the game just double team Luca and kind of scramble around and fly around and make one of these other guys beat you. But this is tough. And last night they even got help. Dwight Powell had 22 points. Spencer had 20. Josh Green had 16. So he actually did get help last night. It's just they don't defend. They don't rebound and they don't kind of have that go to second guy, especially with Christian Woodout. So it's tough and it's frustrating. We talk about it all season long. Let's get this guy another, another star. Let's get him help. And it's clearly not that easy because it's or else they would do it. Like Mark knows, Nico knows, they know, well, you know, they're watching the same game. So listen, I think Luca's talent and this roster is going to get you to play off and it's going to maybe even get you a series. But, you know, for them to take that big step, they need someone else. They need help. They need size. And like I said all along, they missed Jalen Brunson more than any team misses anybody else this season. Oh, yeah, that's they could absolutely use a secondary ball handler who can break down defense is late in games. A guy who can hit big shots, a guy who could average 22 points a game, six assists and shoot 40% from three. And just like Chandler just said, that guy is actually Jalen Brunson. He's doing exactly that in New York. And they won last night, by the way, and have a better record than the Mavericks. So yeah, they do need some help. They had some help. They made their decision and now they're living with it. Spencer didn't witty. If he could match Jalen Brunson's production, they would look much better right now. He is not matching Jalen Brunson production. So they got a lot of stuff going on and they're just as flawed as Chandler says. And yeah, maybe they get a series, but maybe they're the seven seed and they have to play the mat. They have to play the nuggets or the Grizzlies and they don't get a came like there. That's their potential right now. They could be either or yeah, they're absolutely unpredictable as far as what can happen with them. The first game of the night, the seesaw game of the night was Heat Celtics down in Miami. Bam with a night 30 points. Miami wins 98, 95 afterwards. Bam made his case to play in Salt Lake. Why not? Right? If you don't love yourself, who will Chandler? Is he an all star? Yeah, I think he's a lock. I think the value he has there, the games he's having, the seasons he's having, the way he defends and protects the paint and they are the hottest team right now in the NBA and they lock up. They defend. They're tough. They force a lot of turnovers and Bam is a huge catalyst on the defensive end, the way he protects the paint, the way he rebounds, the way he flies around and scrambles. And he's scoring the ball. He's scoring the ball efficiently. And again, they've kind of had their ups and downs this year where, you know, we were questioning them earlier, but it's kind of like the Warriors like we're questioning them, but we don't worry about them because they have that DNA. They have the culture. And last night to beat this Boston team without Jimmy Butler, and I know they were banged up as well. This is a huge win and they've been extremely hot, hot, hot team right now. And this is a team that's tough and they're gritty and they're deep. And I don't want to see this team in the playoffs. I'll tell you that. Yeah, 21 in 10, six seed. He's the best player on the team. He's absolutely an all star. He's one of the best bigs in the league. And, you know, I think of somebody like Bam, when I read that Rudy Gobert quote about, Oh, the GMs understand me, even if the fans don't. Bam is that guy. Like he, he's an absolute defensive anchor. He's, they've rode that into the finals before. They rode that late into the playoffs last year as well. He had a rough October to start the season and has been great ever since. He's been the best player on that team by far and helped them stay afloat as they've dealt with all their injuries. Like the Miami Heat seemed to every year, but he's been great. He's continuing to develop his offensive game. I talked to a couple people from the heat this summer and it was like, we just need him to be more aggressive on offense. We just need him to grab the ball and feel like he's that guy. We get him wanting to be a team player, but sometimes we need him to be an individual. Looks like he's got the message this year and he looks great. He, he, he better be in Utah. He deserves it. Yeah, for this, for this heat team to be a bona fide playoff team with all the injuries is Jimmy Butler to Tyler hero on and on. It's bam out of buy a 22 10 and three averages this season career year for him. He should definitely be an all star. And to me, you're, you're seeing kind of the turning of the guard in Miami. You're seeing bam out of buy a Tyler hero get more of an increased pressure burden on a night to night basis. Jimmy Butler has missed extended time at different points. Kyle Lowry has also missed time this year. So this is definitely changing in the garden on the Celtic side. No Marcus smart again. You know, I kind of hinted at it yesterday that he's probably going to take his time and he said he's going to be out at least one to two weeks. I think this is going to be a week to week thing right up until the all star break. So kind of a tough loss for the Celtics, but Marcus more has to pay attention to his body as well. Well, I mean, look, it was a tough loss, but it was only a three point loss. Not here for moral victories, of course, but the Celtics, as you mentioned, no smart, no brown, no Brogdon. I mean, you know, it doesn't seem like end of days as far as losses go, right, Chandler Celtics, still where they need to be. No, they're, this is, this is a tough loss. It's a game that they should have won. Jason Tatum's got to take care of the ball better. He had seven turnovers last night and a huge one down the stretch there on the cross court pass. Listen, this isn't a team that's going to worry. This is a team that has a great body of work. It's a team that's deep and they were extremely banged up last night. They were missing four of their top eight guys. And this is a tough one just because they feel like they had this game and they should have won. But this is one you flush it and you watch film, you get better. But this is a team that they could see in the playoffs. This one's going to, you know, they're not going to forget this one, but this is definitely one that they're going to wish they had back and that they know they could have won, even as shorthanded as they were. But yeah, I'd like to see Tatum, you know, just take care of the ball a little bit better, especially in crunch time. Look, this game also gave us, like right, like it was kind of a, it was a weird ending. Also, the people watching in Miami, chef's kiss, there was cleavage everywhere, male and female, Stan Van Gundy dropped a bus and in a Senate. So yeah, it was, it was a fun game to watch on a random Tuesday night, moving on Pacers. I love, there's a quote coming and I love it so much. But first that you raced that 21 point halftime deficit. They beat Chicago, Benedict Mather, Miles Turner with 26 apiece. But this quote from Rick Carlisle, a lot of rookies are hitting a wall and losing steam at this point. He being Mather and actually gaining momentum. And that's the most impressive thing about him. Eddie, does he or should he be getting a little more rookie of the year love right now? He's second favorite on the Fandals Sportsbook. Yeah, I think he should and he's coming on strong. Just, just like his coach said, and you know, he's been great. He's been great from the outset and it's tough for him because he's got Paulo Benchero over there, looking like the rookie of the year and just being great all season long as well. But, you know, we, we questioned Rick Carlisle, bringing him off the bench and what he's doing there, but it's a role he's thrived in. And, and he's continued to bring him off the bench, even with Tyrese Halliburton out. And as this team starts to win more games, whenever they get reached back and then they continue to climb up the standings, they're clumped up right now in that playing group. I think the noise will get a little bit louder. He looks great. He's an absolute athlete. He's shooting the ball better than I thought he would. He's fearless. He's driving on any and every defender you put in front of him. And he's fun to watch. And that team is good. That team is better than their record. They dealt with some injuries as of late, but they're continuing to charge along. And I think they'll be in the playoffs when, when, when that comes around. Yeah. If, if Palo didn't exist, the, the, the trophy is his and as big of a leap as it is from him to Palo, you know, Jayden Ivy, Walker Kester, these guys have no chance. It's a two man show and it's really a one man show. And they've both had great, great years. Obviously the Orlando Magic have not won a lot of games unless they play the Celtics. He's had a great year. But Benedict Mather, they got to be stoked. They got an absolute stud with this kid. And again, if it's not that he doesn't deserve it, it's just there happens to be one other guy that's having an unbelievable rookie season that's doing a little bit more on a worse team than him. So you got to take that with a grain of salt as well. But yeah, I like this kid. I like what, what Carlisle was doing with him off the bench, kind of him being the guy early on his career, getting all the reps, you know, facilitating the offense, being that score. But this kid's not coming off the bench for long. He's a bona fide star and a starter. Yeah. It's kind of hard to complain about the start to his NBA career. We're going to take a quick break here. But next up, Shams with the latest on Kevin Durant's return. All of that when run it back comes back. Welcome back to run it back. And there it is. Great news for the Pelicans with the return of one Brandon Ingram. This is a triple scoop from Shams on this fine morning. So yeah, talk to us. What, what determined this? What can we look forward to Shams? BI set to return. And this is like very, very perfect timing. They've lost 10 of 13 games. They've lost five in a row. So this is a Pelicans team that's been without branding him for the last two months. They've been without Zion Williamson for the last several weeks. He's going to miss two more weeks. Zion Williamson is and so we'll see if he's even going to be healthy enough for, for, you know, closer to all star break. But right now Brandon Ingram, unless there's a setback, he will make his return tonight. He was listed doubtful yesterday, but he set to return tonight against Minnesota. I mean, I was starting to think that Toe just fell off Chandler. It had been so long. What does this team look like now with the return of BI? Oh, it means everything. This is their best player. This is their go to score. And as exciting and as electric Zion is and what he does for that team, this is their guy and he's going to have the ball in his hands and crunch time. He's their best scorer. He can score in so many different ways. So this is huge. And this is a team that, you know, we were high on early on. They're so exciting. There's so much talent with him and Zion and CJ and all these young guys that defend. And this was the up and coming team. And they've done solid, I guess, except as of late losing the 10 of 13, but they're still right there in the four seed, but they're in danger zone here. They could easily drop just as quick as they can stay there. And this is, this is like, Sean just said, this is perfect time to get their best player back. Now they need to get Zion back. They need to get fully healthy. And I fully expect this team to be that same exciting team and make noise if they can continue to get and stay healthy. Yeah, this is big. I felt like this was taking forever. Kevin Durant, I know the team's kind of figuring their stuff out now, but when can we expect him back? Shoms. So, so Durant said yesterday he wants to play in the All-Star game. So he would have to come back before the All-Star break at some point and then be able to play in the game. So there's been optimism that he's going to be healthy enough to return before the All-Star break playing the All-Star game. But this is a net organization that's historically been cautious. So we'll see how this process unfolds. But this is, this is a guy that has yet to play an All-Star game as a Brooklyn net. He has not played an All-Star game since 2019 because of injuries. That game he won MVP in. So he's yet to be an All-Star game as a net. That's the craziest that to think about. And this is a net team that's below 500 without him in the lineup. Their point differential is 114 with him in the lineup, 107 without him. And it's just going to be a bigger burden for Kyrie Irving at least here for the next two weeks or so. I love the idea of him being back to play in the All-Star game. Eddie, does that mean you get to go to Salt Lake? How's this work? Hey man, I don't know. Maybe we'll do running back from Salt Lake. I'm thinking about it. I'm considering. And yeah, like, like Sam said, Kevin wants to play in that game. He's been optimistic through the entire process. I mean, I think the main thing for him and for the team is it wasn't as serious as the similar injury last year. And so that gave him an air of confidence. But they're going to make sure he's 100%. Kevin's going to make sure he's 100%. And he's treading along. I know he got spotted at the Drake show. He was walking around kind of bristly. He's just now starting to get back on the court for his work with that. And it'll be interesting to see. I hope he can go. I hope he can play. And I hope he's the captain because they took our thing about picking the team. But it's going to be interesting to see. He hasn't played in three years, which is kind of crazy to say he hasn't played in that game in three years. And I don't want to play in it. So we'll see how it goes. It is crazy that he hasn't played Chandler. First of all, I saw your face when I said we're going to Salt Lake, but gone. I've never heard someone say you're getting to go to Salt Lake. I'm going because I don't want to control it. But yeah, listen, obviously it's the season for the Nets is much more important than all start weekend in the events. And as much as he wants to be a part of that, he's got to make sure his body and everything is intact. And listen, they have a chance to contend here and win a championship. So if his knee is fine, he can get a few games in before. Yeah, I don't know if someone's ever just played in the All-Star game with first without playing a game board. That would be awesome. If he just that way to use the All-Star game is kind of like his warm up coming back. But yeah, listen, it's fun. And he's missed it, you know, often now. And this is, you know, we want Kevin Durant in the All-Star game is exciting. He's fun to watch. So obviously I think his health and their season comes first. But yeah, that'd be cool to see him play. Speaking of All-Star, this, this was a bit of news. The NBA All-Star draft will take place live right before the game. So it's basically like, like playground rules. Like I, I love this. And then I wondered, man, does this provide any sort of logistical problems or issue shams? Like are people excited about this format? Because as a fan, I am. Well, I mean, we know, we know, we know Eddie and KD are excited. So, you know, they, the NBA kind of took their idea one year later. Listen, I think, I think it's unique. I think it's cool. The fact that the NBA signed off on this, it wasn't just a league thing. This is something that the NBA had to agree to. So clearly there was enough unification within the players and the executive board of the NBA. I think it's a dope idea. I think it's cool. Like it would be interesting to see what would happen. If it's like two captains with Ernie Johnson, then you have all the players lined up together. It would be kind of awkward for like the last guy picked. True. But, you know, I think, I think it'll be, it'll be, it'll be fun. I'll let the Rudy Gobert jokes up to Eddie though. Yeah. I've never wanted Rudy Gobert to be an All-Star more. Like I hope he makes the team and he's sitting there and they're, you know, Kevin and LeBron are groveling over who has to pick him. I love it. And like you guys mentioned, Kevin just spitballed this idea on the Etc. last year. Similar situation. He was out with an injury. He was talking about the All-Star game and he was like, yeah, we should just pick him right there on the court. Run the bag, please. Like let's, let's get our points on the package there. But I love it. I hope that somebody is rightfully pissed off about getting picked late and just to shoot the ball all game. It's perfect. This is what it should have been from the beginning. And I can't wait. This is like my favorite part of the game now. I'm excited. Right? Like, can I ask a dumb question? Do they then print two uniforms for every single person that's there and then just give them to them? It's reversible. See, that would have been difficult to get out. I didn't even think about that, Michelle. These are the things I think about. This keeps me up at night. Now, I do love the idea, at least in the last way. The guy that was picked last had a few minutes to sort of process these. This guy just goes like, it's like, you got picked last and now your self esteems hit. Let's get out there. I love it so much. This is, this is definitely going to be one of my favorite parts of the weekend. We saved the bad news for last shams. I know there's an update for the Grizzlies, which is what? Yeah, right at the end of the sun's game the other night, Stephen Adams went down by the scores table and it looked bad. And whenever Stephen Adams clutches his knee, it's a sight that's rarely seen. So it's a PCL sprain in that knee. He's going to be sideline at least three to five weeks. And so the hope is, shortly after also break, he's able to make a return. But this is the leading offensive rebounder in the NBA. Just a tough loss for Grizzlies team that for the most part has avoided significant injury. Yes, doesn't mean he's missed time during Jackson Jr. Missed time to start the year. Not Stephen Adams is going to miss some time. Hopefully they just avoid any of those like major season ending type injuries and they can get through this. Yeah, I hate that. Plus we assume it's so tough. He'll be fine. He's going to be fine. Shoms. I know it's Wednesday, which means you won't see us for a few days. So try to get through that. Okay? We appreciate you. I will. I might be back here soon though. You never know. I know. We never know. We never know what's going to happen. And you guys stick it around because we got a little, you buy in that and didn't know if we would get here this season. But we're here on the Joel and Bede possibility of stealing an MVP from his arch nemesis and awards, Jokic. He's got about 35 points a game. He's averaging nine rebounds, 11. Wait, hold on. Do we think that's even possible, Chandler, that he could, it could come back down to the fact that Joel and Bede and Jokic would be the two battling this out? I mean, that would be awesome. I feel like centers these days are kind of extinct and everything's going small. Everything's going shooting. So to see these two big guys dominate and obviously Joel, he's more of an old school. He's he dominates. He dunks on people. But he's so talented. He's so skilled. He's has unbelievable touch for a big guy. And he hasn't really been talked about that much in the kind of the race. You hear the Tatum, you hear the KD, Luke, Giannis and Jokic seems to be running away with it. But I don't think there's any chance that Joel does this unless again, you know, barring an injury or, you know, an absolute skin from the Nuggets. I think it's Jokic's award to lose. But man, those numbers right there, 35, 10. I mean, those are unbelievable numbers. And he's having a great year with all the injuries they've dealt with with losing Tyrese Maxi. It's it's been him all year long for this team. And he's a huge reason why they sit at the number two right now in the East. Yeah, I think it is these two guys. Jokic was sensational last night as expected. Hopefully Joel is not great or actually sits out tonight against the Nets. But I think it is these two guys. And we've had a great run of wings this year as well. Like you like like Chandler mentioned, but they've been sensational. And I like that they seem to kind of not be best friends. I like that they get at it after each other when they play. And, you know, look, you really can't go wrong here. But, you know, I personally would like to see Joel make a run. I think he's had a great season. I think he should have been MVP last year. And, you know, just the three in a row, it just gnaws at me. I'm sorry. I know it's not supposed to. I know it's fair. I know it's a regular season award. I know it's, you know, the whole thing. It just gnaws at me. I want to see Joel get coordinated in that way. It's funny. The Joel thing, we don't mention him with the great scores in the league. He's I think he's second in the league right now and scoring. We don't mention him as this incredible three way three three level score either. He's shooting 35% from three on three threes a game, which doesn't sound like a lot in today's league. But the type of threes he takes and at that size and against the guys who are defending him, it's pretty ridiculous. So I hope it's him. I think he's played well enough to be that. But, you know, time will tell. Yolkets continues to dominate in his own way as well. He really does. I know he's averaging 35 a game this month. That is kind of crazy. Moving on to Josh Giddy in Oklahoma City because, don't look now, seven and three in their last 10. And Timothy Chalamet is a big part of that. He's averaging 18, eight rebounds, seven assists. So I ask you, let's just fast forward, right? Looking to the future five years from now, Eddie, will the Thunder have a top three back court? Yeah, I mean, they might have Shea Gilders Alexander and the Scoot Henderson. So there's a good chance. I bet on them being a top three team in five years from now, just because of what they built and how they've slowly treached along. And Josh Giddy will be a huge part of that future. Couple eye rolls when they picked him, I think he was seventh overall in the draft a few years back and a lot of concern about whether or not he could shoot or would learn how to shoot. He's fine. He's figuring it out. He's figuring out his own way to play. I love that he plays at his own pace. I love that he's an offensive hub for them. He's helped Shea Gilders Alexander as much as anybody on that team. And it continues to develop and he's only going to get better. He's young, you know? And so, yeah, I buy that because their back court could be so many different people. The way basketball is right now, their back court in three years could be Shea and Chet. So, yeah, I buy it, but I do buy him as a part of the future and a key cog in that machine going forward. Yeah, I'm with Eddie. I love Josh Giddy. We all know SGA is a star. He's going to be in the All-Star Game this year. But Josh Giddy is this kind of vintage, old school, tall, great passing, high IQ point guard. And he can kind of do it all. And I think his size and his length at that position really helps him. And who knows in three, five years with trades if, you know, someone decides to go pair up with John Morant? No, I don't think they're going to be better than them. And I don't think they're better than Garland and Donovan Mitchell right now. But the future that they have and the talent and the IQ and the way they play and the way, you know, Coach Mark, I'm going to try and say his last name has them playing. Yeah, I'm buying in. I'm with Eddie. I'm buying them them as a contender in the next three to five years, not only having the best back court. Coach Mark, that's going to be his name. It's like we're children, okay? We can't say Mark D. Coach D. Jared Jackson Jr. has had a nice little run here in his last 10 games, averaging just under 17, seven and a half rebounds, three and a half blocks a game. Defensive play of the year. That's where he is in the discussion right now. Are you buying him as a lock, Chandler? Yeah, I mean, there's talk with OG maybe kind of, you know, the numbers of guys trying to score with him, defending him. There's other guys, but yeah, I like Jared Jackson, the link. He kind of does it all. He gets steals, he gets blocks, kind of protects the paint. And this would be a big kind of, you know, stretch for him with Steven Adams out. They're going to have to go small and they're going to have Jared Jackson a lot of times playing at the five and guarding bigger guys. We'll see if the physicality if he can hold up. But I was with him when they drafted him in Memphis and he always has had great instincts. He always kind of pursues the ball. He's extremely long and just a very, very smart player defensively and it's showing this year and he's put himself as definitely the favorite to win this award. Yeah, I buy him as the favorite. I want to give some love to Nick Claxton, not being a homer. He leads the league in blocks. He leads the league in a bunch of advanced statistics on defense as well. He's guarding one through five. He's helped steady that defense to I think a top 10 defensive rating. But I get the Jared Jackson conversation as well. They have the best defensive rating in the league. When he qualifies, he will be the league leader in blocks. He obviously started the season injured. He's been incredible and he's on that Routigo Bear team as well or like the GMs understand the difference he makes in the paint and the difference he makes as he shows on pick and rolls and mucks up other teams offense is off ball. But I think Nick Claxton is in the lead at the moment. I think they'll both make all defensive in the all defensive team, but it's going to be a great race going down the stretch. And if Jaren stays healthy, he's going to be right there with the leaders. This next question is tough, Eddie. And it's going to you first. LeBron leads the league right now in fast break points at about 6.3. So are you buying that LeBron would beat Chandler in a 40 yard dash right now? Yeah, how'd I miss that one on the Chandler? When's the last time you ran? Like we're talking like two years, three years, like, you know, LeBron, the LeBron League is in the status of layers because I smell a little bit of cherry picking going on. But I'm going to get my god Chandler shot. I'm going to give him a shot. I think he's got it. I could see him, you know, putting the jets on. Wait, you think Chandler wins? Yes, you are wrong. Yeah, what are you talking about? He golfs all day. I'm 34 years old and I need double knee replacement. LeBron will beat half the NBA currently in a 40 yard dash. I have zero percent chance, Eddie, but I love you for getting my back. That's a good friend, Chandler. That is like really, that's nice, Eddie, but you really knew. I'm riding with the gang. I'm riding with the gang. All right, I remember that. We're taking a quick break here. When we come back, feed my soul some of the best fits from the week behind us when Run It Back returns. People don't realize, bro, I went through so much there. Like I was there six years. You feel what I'm saying? Like it don't seem like he was there that long either. First year go by, you know, throwing in the fire and the playoffs versus the Rockies. Then my second year, they see I come back, obviously getting stronger, getting better. And then that was the year I took the job from Tony, popping about us in the office. You know what I mean? He told Tony, Tony ain't like it. I know he ain't like it. You know he ain't like it. You know what I'm saying? Like for me, I love real. Like keep it a buck with me. Keep it a hundred, bro. I'm gonna love you for that. You know what I mean? And I know he didn't like it. You feel me? Because if he liked it, he would have mentored me the way he should have. He wouldn't have went to Charlotte. He would have stayed right there. Well, first of all, who likes being replaced by the younger version themselves? Like that's an asinine statement to make. Obviously he didn't like it. I don't know that his motivation for going to Charlotte was so he didn't have to mentor Dejante Murray. This interview was just irritating on a lot of levels because I think Dejante Murray was in the best situation for Dejante Murray at the beginning of his career. He wasn't all star after all, and a team did take him where a lot of other teams were like, thanks, but no thanks. So you're welcome for that. And I just want to shout out Steven Jackson on the All San Antonio Women Are Fat. I've actually been losing weight. Thank you very much for noticing. And I'm very insulted that you haven't paid more attention to that. But all of that being said, like, I know that they want to kind of pile on Tony Parker. I'm not going to pretend to be in that locker room. I, you know, professional athletes have egos. They don't want to be replaced. So as far as Dejante Murray and the Tony Parker situation, Chandler, like, what did you make of that interview and the way he kind of spoke on it? Yeah, there's just, I take that there's clearly was some sort of beef there. There's clearly some sort of, you know, distant, you know, relationship there. And, you know, whether Tony Parker, who's a bona fide stud Hall of Famer left because this young guy took his job. I don't know if I'm buying that. But, you know, who knows? Like we said, we're not in that locker room. I'm not sure. I've played with older guys that were definitely salty that, you know, I was playing over them or I was getting the ball at the end of the game where I was making more money than them. And some of these older guys didn't know how to let go. I don't know Tony Parker that well, I can't imagine with the career, you know, he's had. I can't picture him being like that. But clearly Dejante has his own, you know, relationship and beef with him. And there was something there. But yeah, this was interesting because I've never heard that and I've never heard anything like that. But yeah, I mean, Dejante Murray had a great thing going in San Antonio. And I feel like the expectations were super high for him in Atlanta. And he's having a good year. But I just don't think the team is winning at the clip. And I didn't think they were going to kind of take that jump by adding him. They're just kind of just there and not a real contender in the East. But this was interesting just because I guess we don't personally know the extent and the details of this. But I can't imagine Tony Parker left to Charlotte because Dejante Murray know that just doesn't seem like good, good enough reason. By the way, we have breaking news right now. Shoms got you teased us. You said you might be back and here you are. What is going on? Listen, Michelle, that's what I do. So this just in Milwaukee Bucks forward center Bobby Portis has suffered an MCL sprain in his right knee. The injury happened the other night. He's going to miss some time. I'm told. And so it's a tough loss for the Milwaukee Bucks. Chandler, you know, I'm sure you've seen dealt with MCL sprains. What's what's your guys immediate reaction to Bobby Portis suffering MCL sprain in this juncture of the season? Yeah, that's tough. And especially the year he's having, you know, he's a double, double machine. He's their heart and soul. He's the tough guy on the team. He's knocking down shots. This is a huge hit for the Bucks and these sprains again, they kind of can linger if you don't take the proper, you know, rehab, the proper time off. This is something that could transpire into something worse. So this is a tough break for them. They've already gone through a bunch of this, you know, in and out with Chris. And now to have Bobby Portis go is just horrible timing for them. That is that is just a bugging. That's not good at all. Eddie, your reaction. Yeah, I mean, it's that stuff for them. You know, thankfully, they just got Chris Middleton and Yannis back. He had a big game against the Pistons off the bench for them. And he's a key for them. He allows them to play as spread out as possible in those second units that Yannis thrives in where Brooke Lopez isn't there to protect the paint or sit in the corner and draw defenses out. So he's huge for them. I mean, they're going to get him back in time for the playoffs when they really need him. They gave him the big deal. He's obviously a key cog for them. So yeah, it's tough. It's tough to lose him. But thankfully for them, it's right when Yannis and Chris Middleton come back. And I think they'll be able to survive while they wait out this injury. Yeah, they're they are not lucky in the injury department. Shams, thank you so much. See, you're good. All I do is tease Michelle. We'll take a quick break here and we come back. Try to make you even more money because guess what? Well, maybe not. We'll try. Get a piece of $10 million in bonus bets with Fanjul's kick of destiny. All you have to do is bet five bucks on Super Bowl 57. And if Gronk kicks a field goal live during the game, you'll get a piece of $10 million in bonus bets. That photograph is amazing. It doesn't matter if you're new to Fanjul or already have an account. Gronk kick, you win. It's as simple as that. Make every moment more with Fanjul. Official sportsbook partner of the NFL. What is going? It's like Lara Croft with the Gronk version. I have no idea what's happening there. All right, guys, yesterday was kind of a tricky one. I will start by saying Chandler lost his leg. That's most important. Mine was a push, so it's almost like I don't exist, which is kind of cool. And Eddie, we bow down. You were right. Look at that. The superior gambler, once again, I'm excited that I won. Thanks, guys. By the way, we lost the whole thing by like two points, so it's about as close as you can get. So I'm not even going to be too mad about it. But we have another chance today to go into the weekend. The Pelicans lost by one. And I was like, does that mean we won? But I have the, I cannot believe the magic are favored against anybody, let alone by this many points. So I'm just taking the Pacers and the points because they're just so much better than the magic. But yeah, which probably means they, you know, the magic went by seven. So at least it means that Chandler. Come on now. The maps couldn't even get a shot off last day to help me out there. And I will say when I saw this at those Lakers, I think minus five, but I still, the Spurs, sorry, Michelle, are a bad team. Lakers, I think AD is back and LeBron, hopefully he's playing after it back to back. I like the Lakers here to bounce back after a beatdown last night. Here's what I'd like to bet on that the Spurs will make it a game for three and a half quarters, but I haven't seen that on the board yet. And when it gets there, let me know. I've taken rockets plus three against the wizards, wizards on a back to back. And like I say every single time, I don't have to have science. I have feels. And this is what I feel for tonight's parlay. So let's see what you get for 20 bucks. All right. All right. Win 120, go into the weekend, buy a couple drinks, whatever. I don't know where you live. Maybe that buys you two drinks. Maybe that buys you 10. Nobody knows. Guys, this is it. We're not going to see each other for two days. Any parting words? Go Nets. Go Nets. Chandler, get those bookshelves, my friend. Cincinnati market. It's going to do it for us. We'll be back on Monday. Enjoy the weekend. Be safe.