 The NBA has another trovee we it's Luca and Yokech and final minute and Joey Chesna in Cleveland run it back starts now Welcome and happy Wednesday morning. This is run it back. Ah shams. I see did not get the Wednesday all-black message That's okay. We'll get back on that. How are you doing? You didn't send me the email Michelle. I know I am slacking so hard you guys by the way that that is stadium insider Shamsherani, of course Chandler Parsons Eddie G on the end Eddie and I are almost very alike today But guys no good news on the parlay, but we'll get to that at the end of the show Just save the worst for last but we do want to start with things in Cleveland last night Of course the Los Angeles Lakers and the return again of LeBron James, but he got a nice welcome. Here it is Such an emotional roller coaster over the last decade, isn't it? But the Cavs did beat this Lakers squad 1 16 1 2 Donovan Mitchell. My goodness 43.6 assists 5 boards Chandler Let's start with him. He is a top what player in this league Yeah, we he's a top 15 player in this league. I know we discussed this DeMar DeRozan who's great, but this guy here He's an all NBA player right now if the season were to end he can do it all he's become even more of a star From leaving Utah and with him and Garland these young bigs They have such a great balance team. They have shooting. They have guards. They have bigs. They have wings And he is just the heart of this team and watching him last night the guys. He's like a acrobat out there He gets to his spot. He's flying around. He's Duncan. His finishing is so creative the way he uses his body and hangs To me, he's you know second team third team all NBA no question right now, which you know puts him borderline top 10 But easily top 15 in my opinion Okay. Yeah, and what you got to remember about Mitch is he averaged 28 points a game in the playoffs over his career He started his career with a what a deep run in the playoffs. He's used to that He wants that that's kind of why he immediately wanted to get out of Utah even though he didn't formally ask As soon as they were breaking it down. He was ready to go top 15. I mean, it sounds about right He's playing incredible this year. He's completely transformed that team from a happy go lucky They made the play-in. They were technically the seven seed. This is fun team, too Yo, could they win a couple playoff rounds if things break, right? Could we see them in June a lot of that lies on his back? I'd like to see them add a little size on the wing before it's all said and done But don't have a Mitchell's good enough to carry a playoff offense and there's only a handful of players You can say that about in the league Yeah, I mean to me the thing that really stands out is just the way that him and Darius Garland are already playing off each Other when I spent time around the cows early this year and I spoke to people on their organization It was these guys are both really unselfish. They both want to win and that's sometimes it can be lip service But the way that they play Darius Garland can space the floor down a Mitchell can play off the ball You I definitely had some questions about the fit initially But you could already tell now that these two guys can't play with each other and we'll just see how far they go I mean, that's the big question, right Chandler. Do you consider them to be the best back court in the NBA? I Do and I think it helped I think it helped both of them having the other one out to where they can get comfortable They can kind of run the offense. They both can play point guard. They both can play off the ball Like I said, they both can distribute. They both play pick and roll. There's not much that these two guys can't do I'd like them and they got to get a little bit better defensively, but yeah, I think they're the best back court I think they're explosive. They're fun to watch. I mean outside the box and the Celtics The calves are right there and I don't think they can beat those guys in a series yet But man, it would be fun and it's gonna go deep in a series with these guys because they're young They're explosive. They're long and and they got these two guards that are unbelievable Yeah, I struggled to put any back court above a Stephen Curry back court I struggled a little bit wondering about what the Bucks back court is at full health with Drew and Chris Middleton, but they're right there, you know They're when you look at the totality of each of those and whoever else you may throw in the bunch They're right there. You worry a little bit about their size on defense but the calves are also built to compensate for that with their big back line and The way they swarm on defense in that way as well they understood that one putting this team together and I want to see it in a playoff setting, but I think Donovan Mitchell is also a little underrated on that in He's got really long arms. He's strong guy. I think he can Under the right settings. So yeah, I mean, I'm fine with them being the best back court I might pick the Bucks ahead of them, but they look amazing right now I mean, look, it's fun that we're even here talking about this It just makes the league that much better and the big story going into last night Of course was the Lakers not just LeBron returning to Cleveland But the AD that we've all been watching and that basketball fans have been waiting for and Unfortunately, we only got about eight minutes of that. I left the game flu lights in some shams You tweeted it out and of course the world went nuts because this is the scene. We're very familiar with AD leaving the court going to the back. So And we saw what happened Chandler Without AD this Lakers team is what? Not very good. I mean, I don't think they're very good still with AD. He's been really playing well, obviously I think they're dangerous in a playoff series if they happen to get there with AD without them They have zero percent chance and I even Thomas Bryant played solid off the bench of them And I just saw a tweet from Skip Bayless said like tags LeBron and AD it says, do you realize that Michael Jordan was played nine 82 games and it's just like the national TV game and then he goes out with flu symptoms I'm assuming he didn't feel good before the game or I don't know what the deal was but this is just kind of Yeah, this is stuff that you got just kind of learned to live with with having Anthony Davis on your team Even when he's dominating right now and playing great he's gonna miss time and You know, they had the lead still in the fourth quarter here So like like the game wasn't out of hand But yeah, this team is nowhere near the same without this guy and I still don't think they're very good with him I mean for AD Yeah, on a back-to-back. I don't I don't know if he plays tonight I mean when you're dealing with a one-on-one fever, you only play eight minutes in one game on a back-to-back on the road in, Toronto Obviously definitely puts his his status in question But it definitely was interesting just seeing the reaction that came out when he only played eight minutes and then you know Twitter just goes crazy about the fact that you know People some people have them on on on their fantasy team or whatever the case may be but I think for for the Lakers a lot of their surge Going eight and twos of course been about AD. So if you don't have him That's basically your best player one of the best players in the league being out of your lineup. They're not the same team It's not not by a long shot No, not even close. Look, I guess the silver lining is he had a fever during the day the 101 He tried maybe that is the silver lining is that he tried an old eight He wouldn't have it was unfortunate. It was a TNT game and Charles Barkley, of course having given him the street clothes Nickname it's a bad night for him to have to leave the court But you guys like you were making me laugh because when he laughed it was it was very clear what this Lakers team was Eddie And I feel like you should really defend yourself. Go ahead Well, look Chalmers made a great point. They were right there with them in the fourth quarter Tabs obviously pulled off pulled off late with the with the big run But they didn't lose this game because Anthony Davis had the flu and couldn't Michael Jordan it They lost his game because he shot six of 36 from three. This is like awful awful shooting basketball team LeBron Was two of six yesterday in the most threes on the team and he's creating open shots all game They lost because they cannot shoot the ball Chandler if you can give them ten minutes I'm pretty sure they have a jersey for you like you You have the opportunity if you want if I can give them ten minutes and hit two threes They might have a jersey for me But it was an awful display and then watching the jazz pulled away with that while they just bricked over and over and over Was pretty bad. They need Anthony Davis to be that paint presence They also need somebody to make a jumper every once in a while Well, they just they just cut the only real shooter on their team who wasn't a great player But that didn't really make sense to me But here's my thing too like if you have a 101 fever before the game, right? There's no way the team is letting you come to the game if you're contagious and you can get everyone else I don't know the situation with that. That's one thing you can't really think you can say you have back spasms You can say your knee is sore. You can say a lot of things But 101 fever almost is irresponsible to even let him come to the arena and play if that were true So Respect I guess for trying to play but playing with that hive of fever and being sick is kind of silly When you can just get your whole team sick on the night before back to back I know given the last few years. I feel like a fever is the it's a big glaring neon sign that we have to Chill out for a second. There was a there was a highlight for people like me who are obsessed with overeating uh, joey chestnut sighting in the house with pierogi's no less How about this 47 pierogi's he ate more than everyone else combined who only put down 33 only by the way Chandler, I mean look pierogi's are great. They're dumplings if people don't know How many are we thinking we can do here Chandler? Honestly, this makes me queasy. I hate watching this guy I don't I didn't know what a pro I didn't know what a pierogi was delicious I mean I can eat a lot, but I'm this guy's in a whole another level with I don't think the food matters with this cat No, well, I will say this he had been at saint omos in indianapolis Previous competition restaurant a great restaurant. Obviously known for their shrimp cocktail. He'd won eight years in a row Only placed fourth. Uh, so he's definitely on a slump. So I didn't know if he performed at halftime though I didn't either he's ever performed at like halftime of like a game Like I remember seeing him was it new year's day or like thanksgiving or something like he's eating He's on tv eating like I've never seen him at halftime of an nba game Imagine that being your talent to get paid to eat on national tv I love it It's my dream job. You guys don't even know next time we're all to hanging out get me some powdered donuts I will make you think joey chestnut's an amateur, right? I got this Done that's my thing so moving on It's it's done. It's it's my it's just my favorite. All right, so this was a big part of last night Of course was the Mavs nuggets a lot of expectations for the Mavs Doublehead or back-to-back on that one, but they win in denver luka game-winning assist this time jamal Murray's half court game-winning attempt fell short This was a big deal Chandler Especially you had talked about having been at the game the night before then they had to fly the denver And how difficult that is how impressed were you by the fact that dallas pulled out a w here? Yeah, I I have a lot to say about this game this game This was an awesome game and this is a very very very impressive win for dallas and talking with mark the night before He's swearing that if they make their free throws, they'd be you know 17 and 6 right now And they did last night and i'm watching the game just I couldn't help but think they were gonna blow this lead luka started settling for jumpers You know bruce brown has that big three, but you know, they came up big they made their free throws down the stretch luka made a great pass to dory and fennie smith that had the big three there at the end but it's interesting too because tim hardaway jr. Traveled before he got fouled at the end of the game so If I don't know if he had the clip but these refs They've now created this thing where and they called up they called a travel on jamal murray right before that too and This was a huge play in the game obviously a game never comes down to to one call but Before they fouled him there at the end of the game He traveled and I couldn't help but just think That's a big big miss call especially how much they've been kind of Zeroing in on that call, but this was huge for them tim hardaway was massive the stat about him hitting five threes and five second Of games is is unbelievable and look if someone on the maps has 29 points besides luka They're gonna win a lot of games and He's one of the guys that can step up denwood. He's got to step up woods got to step up I love the kid josh green. He's getting better You know every single time he plays but this Especially on a back-to-back to knock off the suns and the nuggets. This is huge progress for the maves It's to get them kind of go in the right direction Yeah, 50 percent from the floor for the mavericks. They look like a whole They look like a contender the last two nights They they took care of business two tough games a homing road away back-to-back What I like most is what chandler mentioned that that other guys are making shots tim hardaway jr Looks resurgent after working through some injuries the last few years and even a little bit this season Uh chandler text us mid games to yo, they're doubling luka at every second every move He's we're definitely gonna get the hit the under on that. That was our one parlay leg So thanks damper for that. But I think the other end of the court is the issue here You know, nicola yokic are running in vp. They ran him into every action They could if he was on the floor, they were running pick and roll pick and pop They were running him off ball trying to see, you know, if he was gonna switch He's gonna fight through screens and they ate they ate the nuggets with that all night It was it was it was tough to watch and it to me This is when you know, we talk about yokic and where he fits amongst the best in the league and all these guys This is always the achilles ill to me and this is always why I look at the nuggets and say in a playoff series They can be exploited and not only can they be exploited their best player cannon. That's a fatal flaw for them And this honestly this is this didn't work out last night for the nuggies But this is the recipe to beat the maps you double team luka donkat She had 20 held him with 22 points 11 points under his average And it just so happened that tim hardaway stepped up dorian finney smith stepped up these guys hit threes That's what's going to take for the maps to take that next step because come playoff series They're not going to allow luka to get off. They're not going to allow luka to have these 40 point games 50 point games They're going to trap him in every situation pick and rolls post ups as soon as he crosses half court So these other guys are going to have to do what they did last night And kudos to them for doing it on the road on a back to back kind of getting it done for the maps And I do want to focus on luka a little more in a second But on the nugget situation shams, they've lost their last three This is obviously a team with expectations the last several seasons. What is the issue right now? Yeah, I think you said the word right expectations and this is a talented roster you have jamal mary coming back You already have nicole oake two time in me people. You've got michael port jr. Bones highland Um, uh, michael port, you know, mpj like we're waiting on him to get back on the floor He's missed some time with the heel injury But bones highland it was very curious. He said post came that there's been frustration in the locker room I think a lot of that stems from when you have those expectations where a couple years ago when they got Aaron gordon via trade like I thought this team was destined to make a run in the finals They had just been in the conference finals the year before and they just They got jamal mary back this year They just have not gotten even close to that level yet And I think it really does fall on the organization To get the most out of this group because the talent level is there So now I know chandler's played for a few teams that have had expectations in houston and dallas and might not You know reach that level so i'm just curious like when you're in that locker room and you're seeing that happen You're not playing at that level like how how tough is it how frustrating is it? Yeah, it weighs on you and you have the two time mvp You have expectations and and jamal married. He's had some good games this year But last night was really the first time I watched him for an entire game and He's hesitant. He's overthinking. He's turning down shots He catches the ball and he's shot faking and trying to make like playing too unselfish in a way He's two for 11 last night, but it all falls a lot on him. He's their second best player. He's their point guard He's got to be better and I know coming off injury is tough, but He's got to find a way to be more consistent. Yoko just didn't really show up in the second half Um, I love bones. Highland the guy is explosive. He can he can score from all angles Aaron gordon's been great with porter out, but Yeah, this I think jamal mary's got to be better and uh, you know Obviously they need porter back healthy as soon as they can but this is a team that We expect to be a contender and they're struggling right now. I think a lot is to do with jamal mary And back to luka for a second because that it's luka and usage rate Those are all the words that always seem to go together when we're talking about him and his his coach j kid For 82 games, it's no way that he could play at this level. The usage rate is way too high He had 37 minutes 22 points 10 rebounds 12 assists last night Second in the mba and usage rate channeler. Look, obviously jason kids the man who makes the calls But how can he lighten luka's workload and keep this team in the running? Yeah, it's it's funny coming from the head coach because it's right It's kind of in his control there But uh, you almost got to not play luka. You got to load management You got to do the pop or you just don't play him at all because when he plays he's gonna play a lot of minutes He's gonna have the ball in his hands. He's gonna, you know, he's gonna do his thing I'd almost consider sitting him some games and just have him not play at all and give these other guys Give josh green the chance to step up and be a be a big player give hardaway and Spencer dimwitty and christian wood. There's number one option some night because I agree luka is unbelievable he's having a crazy year but This is the james harden from a couple years ago the westbrook this this can't he can't sustain this and This is a lot to be doing in november and december and they're gonna need him come playoff time and It would be nice to get these other guys reps as to go to guys So luka doesn't have to do everything for this team But I would consider just shutting him down once every two weeks, which I hate but like it seems like the only option for them Right. Yeah, it is it is kind of funny coming from the head coach. They should play a little different I I think about this the same. I think about what brawn. I think about james harden I think about other guys I don't think luka wants to play another style It would be very easy for him to go hide in the corner or run some off ball Action and you know, they could run flex. They could run pin downs. They could do all kind of stuff. He could do high post I think these guys like playing this way. I think they They they prefer this way and in some ways they can only play this way You know, there's all these famous james harden memes of him without the ball at half court holding his shorts luka's pretty similar You'll see luka standing at the coach's line just watching spencer did what he'd do whatever spencer did what he's going to do I think these guys like this kind of play um In some ways standing in one spot dribbling isn't as tiring as it probably sounds like it is and they can do that all night But I don't think they're going to play any different. It's up to jason kids So for jason kid to be saying this, he knows he can't go in the court and move move luka around So this is the team. This is what they're going to do Maybe you play in less minutes, but as they're as we all know they're on off numbers say, you know, he basically can never come off The court so this is the situation they're in with him and then They I think they all love it should be told and get him a second star Like you we keep talking about this get him someone else get re-signed jaylon brunson Do you you know, he was going to be in this situation? You know, spencer denway let it go chandler let it go Like If you knew he was going to leave you got to trade him before not lose that guy for nothing, but get this guy help It's just he's going to start getting frustrated Well, I saw the end of the game right there were I think four possessions in a row at the end where luka dachi It was literally it was him isolation I think he missed a couple shots and then he turned it over twice like four straight plays denver got the lead back and then dowse came back and won the game But that was a stretch where they could have easily lost the game It was like, you know, they kind of gave the game to denver and then stole it back And that's where the fifth possession. I believe it was luka finally passed out of the double team doran finney smith hit the three Um, I think a lot of the owners does have to fall on just how they play systematically because if the ball moves We know that they have some level of success right doran finney smith can shoot tim harley jr Has been turning it on lately as a starter. Spencer dimwit. He can't provide kind of that secondary type of Offense. So a lot of that also I want to see the trust level improve as well among the team It sounds like luka is the kind of guy you have to protect him from himself And I would have to say the coach is probably the only one they can do that at this point guys Don't look now But we got ourselves a comeback squad the detroit pistons ladies and gentlemen They're making things happen in ferrissing. I would say the miami heat 1 16 96 bug donovich with 31 he had 28 of those After halftime hero 34 in the loss and butler sits chandler Um, let's just do both. What does it say about the pistons? And what does it say about the heat? Uh, it says that bug donovich's trade value isn't going to be higher So they need to move him before they keep winning more games Uh, this he went off last night. This is a horrific loss For for miami. I I can't figure them out because I like their team tyler hero has been really good starting but He almost is better for their team to go get those 20 points off the bench. Obviously they're missing jimmy butler, but Kyle lowery has really really struggled. Um, you know Jimmy being out hurts. He's kind of the glue glue guy do it all but This this can't happen a team that's tanking a team that's missing their best player Uh to do this at home This is this is a tough loss and like I said, I don't I can't understand the heat. I like the roster I like streus I like Robinson the only positive thing they really have is in victor aladipo He played last night if he can come back and he can be that spark plug off the bench because now with hero starting They're kind of thin there and they're going to need someone to come out and get buckets off the bench but this this is a head scratcher because The pistons again, they don't want to win but obviously they're going to go out there and play. This is tough That's a big one. Yeah, the the heat you have to really wonder what what they're going to do with this season going forward They've dangled dunk and robinson and trade talks for since he signed his deal. Basically They've kind of done it a little bit with tyler hero as well They've tried to trade Kyle lowery almost the moment they overpaid him to make it 28 million dollars this year Make 29 million next year. Jimmy butler's contract is obviously a massive max deal as well for a guy who misses a ton of games every year I know like, you know their monster is the basically to get to the playoffs and figure it out from there I know they were a shot away from another trip to the finals last year Literally one shot, but this team is not a good team right now And they can't keep everybody on the floor. They can't find a deal that makes sense They they they dabbled around in the katey talks this summer and and that went wherever it went Obviously, he's a Brooklyn that still I'm not sure what they do because they've been trying to trade these guys for some time I mean soms could shed some light on it. Let me not be the insider guy But it seems like they've been trying to trade some of these guys for some time and have not been able to So if they're not going to trade bam There this is their team. This is their roster. They'll make some changes on the fringes and hope air exposure Remains air exposure and and build something out of this, but there's a big gap between the top teams in the east and this team right here We've worked dunk in robinson But like this is a team like like pat riley He preaches consistency and this is a team that just like you said Eddie one shot away from another I think would have been second finals appearance in three years So I think they bank on that consistency level, but there's no question this team without jimmy butler, especially they're not As dynamic you they started the year they gave tyler here all that money Kind of built the offense around him and then jimmy took on more of an onus than he got hurt So it's been definitely a difficult start. I guess they could put it on injury a little bit But they need to get jimmy butler on the court as much as possible But also every team every team in the east did make a move and got better and the heat roster just kind of stayed the same They kind of did the math thing where like they had a great year and they just kind of stayed the same Which everyone else didn't so they naturally just took a step back, which it's You can't it's not really a good recipe No, I know they beat the Celtics a few days ago But they also got blown out by them just before that and really just pissed Celtics off for the next three weeks so it's Yeah, they got to do something Yeah, it feels like um They were expecting things to be sort of the same and they're not and that's a really hard wake up call for everybody coming up We're taking a quick break is kyle kuzma about to get paid and could we possibly be talking coaching changes with the nicks already? When run it back returns It is time to get the scoop with shams I know you recently had kyle kuzma and spoke with him for the athletic Give us your biggest takeaways from that conversation His brush confidence like this guy is very very confident in his ability. He does not shy away He feels like he's a star in this league and he feels like he was a shelve himself in LA He goes to washington and now he's The third 20 points per game score on this wizard team has been kind of a co-star with bradley bill christos prozingis And so for me our conversation was really about his opportunity to grow But I also looked at the bigger picture like what does this mean for his future? Does he become a guide that the wizards explore because he does does have a player option for 13 million in the summer? Do they explore what's out there for him or do they just hold on to him? Porzingis also has a player option and two teams I would look at that could have a level of interest in him Have expressed interest in him at lana and phoenix the wizards also have talked to to atlanta at times about john collins So could there be some synergy there? We'll see right right now the wizards Want kuzma to be a cornerstone a part of their future moving forward But i'm told when I when I talk to teams around the league The number that keeps coming up is somewhere in that 20 25 million dollar per year range for him on a new deal potentially this off season I mean going to phoenix would be amazing for him and also shout out john collins constantly a part of every Trade talk forever. What do you think though? Do you feel like this could happen or is it just more talk? Well, I think this is something the wizards are going to have to figure out like is this Is this a guy that you want to continue to build around because you know that there's a price threshold You're going to have to get to to retain him. It's going to be You know 20 or more So they're going to have to make a decision getting closer to the trade deadline Is that a route you want to go with or do you go with a guy like john collins? Who's already under contract for multiple years after this year? I believe three years after this year at 25 a year But right now they they want kuzma to work. They want this big three that they formed To be formidable in the east All right, I want to hear I want to hear what you think chaneler 2025. Do you keep him? Do you trade him? What do you do with kuzma? I think they keep him just because it's not really a destination. No one really wants to go there. I don't see them getting much better, but Ignorance is bliss with him. He's he's got confidence. He thinks he's a star I don't know that he'll ever be an all star. Is he going to get a bag for sure. He's played great He's got size. He can handle. He can shoot the ball um I like him on a team like phoenix where he's got other players around him and he's you know I liked him on the lakers and now I don't like him so much. It's kind of like one of the guys On the wizard. It's just kind of how it goes. But yeah, you put devin booker next to him He's a lot better. You put him on the hox with that much talent. He's very good But I don't think he's ever a one or two option on a championship team I don't ever think he's an all star, but He's gonna get paid. He's gonna get a hundred million dollars and he deserves it. He's playing well He's versatile. He can do a little bit of everything um, and yeah, the dude is confidence and he's confident and he plays hard and It's funny. He played a little bit of the right way more and LA he still takes some crazy shots, but now and DC he's kind of he's getting even more confidence. He knows that I mean, listen, he's ever been 20 points of the tendency Like it's it's not act like he's he's absolutely killing but he's he's playing better and he's he's going to get paid I Agree with Chandler and the bless the best place for coups is is somewhere averaging like 14 points on a contender He's grown as a defensive player. He's 27 years old. He's This is the best deal. He's probably gonna get in his career I think one thing to keep in mind is with the new tv deal coming and his deal will age well The new tv deal will change the bri smack dab in the middle of its contract And it'll look a lot better What I do wonder and what I do think is great team building is you let a guy play up to this contract on your team If you're not a contender you let him walk you don't want him to be the centerpiece of your team But if you are a contender and you have the space to add somebody Maybe somebody like the pelicans can add him and he becomes a piece for you. I think that's a great add So it's it's all about situation Somebody's gonna pay him. I think he's worthy of the contract Um, you know, I wouldn't make him the centerpiece of my team But a complimentary piece at a nice price. Yeah, that can push you over the top Look at what andrew wiggins did last year and we've had a host of those guys over the history of the nba So I think channelers dead on But that's the that's the problem right teams pay guys of what they've done or what they're doing Not what they're going to do and they did it with me. I had great years in my freezing years They paid me it didn't it didn't really pan out for them I can see that being similar I can see them that being similar for kuzma the guy. He's he'll put up big numbers. He'll have big games, but I just I don't see it as a you know on a contending team Like eddie said, he needs to just kind of be that everything guy average 15 five and five He doesn't need to be the guy that's going to get 30 or averaging 20 on a bad team I think the more talent and the better team he's on the better. Kyle kuzma is going to be I love when we get chandler confessions just randomly thrown into the show somewhere in there Shoms, I know this is our friday here being wednesday. We will uh, we will see you monday have a great rest of your weekend weekend Thank you as always Um chandler chandler chandler, you know what? I like this segue by the way because we're going to talk washington wizards It's panic button time This is perfect timing. They're three and seven they're last ten if we're going to talk about whether they're contenders or Not this doesn't look great feel out with a hammy Um, if you're going to hit the panic button on this wizards team eddie Yeah, a little bit and for what a lot of what we just mentioned They have two incredibly tradable players and christmas for zingas and kyle kuzma and people are calling soms reported it Phoenix is interested. Atlanta is interested I'd imagine there's other teams as well and the same thing for poor zingas as both these guys are on expiring deals And they're said to get hefty raises. This isn't a contender by any means So do you triple down with these three guys and say yo, we'll be the sixth seed forever No, that that's not the best way to build a team Maybe not panic today december december 7th, but you have to you have to assume Coming up on the deadline those guys that be looking to get rid of get something for those players before they walk for nothing Yeah, I love leon sis. He's a smart guy, but this just this can't be my team going forward They're never going to win with these three guys It almost feels like brad just kind of got the bag and now he's just kind of hoping to get moved to To a team that he actually wants to be at And but purzingus is playing very very good and and like we just talked about kuzma. He's balling So I think if i'm them i'm making a move because again, they're they're not going to contend But then on the flip side, I don't know who else they can get so i'm panicking just because They kind of put their eggs and all these bad and this this trio's basket and I don't see it Uh zack levine. All right. So all the numbers that you could possibly care about they're all his lowest in five years Chandler, is it time to hit the panic button on zack levine? Yeah, I I do because coming I coming off the knee injuries. It's tough He's always kind of relied on his athleticism. He can shoot the ball. He can score I just don't like him here. I don't like him with de rosen I don't lucid this is one of the teams where you know, if they didn't get off to a hot start I could see them kind of blowing it up and and They're not happy there But somehow billy d got the extension but the players aren't really messing with them I I don't know about the situation But yeah The veen is coming off a knee injury and he's averaging career lows. So that's that's enough for me to hit the panic button Yeah, I mean I talked to somebody about zack before the season started as we're kind of wondering when he's going to come back And they were worried about his knee and they were worried about what he would player He was going to be going forward not that he wasn't going to recover And be at an all-star level just that he might he might be a little different His game is is built on his athleticism. He's one of the greatest jumpers we've ever seen And so to lose even three percent of that is going to hurt him You you wonder what the bulls are doing going forward. They they owe a pick to orlando It's top four protected this year But do you want to risk that and bottom out right now and then it ends up being the five pick? I don't know. I think You know, they just gave their coach an extension. Maybe they're waiting for lanzo ball to come back and saying hey We'll we'll see what we are after that but Yeah, there definitely needs to be some panic with zack levine that many leg injuries knee injuries for a guy who's built on an athleticism It has to be concerning Bit of a bit of a red flag We're going to move over to scotty barns his field goal percentage down about five points from His rookie season as are his points per game and rebounds uh panic button on scotty barns eddy No, because he's so young. He just won the rookie of the year. I'm not the biggest fan of his game I you know the few times I've seen him play in person. He His size jumps out, you know, his ability to handle at that size jumps out and I guess You know, they see him as a honest type going forward So you don't want to panic on a guy that young they Reportedly held on to him and all kate. He talks this summer and and balked at whatever that could have been So they're clearly invested in what he is. So I wouldn't Panic just yet, but I do Say, you know, maybe temper expectations For the next few years because his game is a little rugged And it's not as if you don't watch him every night, you probably think he's something completely different than what he is Because he won rookie of the year last year Yeah, the rookie of the year like you kind of put him in this category, but that's not who he is He's he's averaging 15 7 and 5. So I'm not panicking at all I would wish he'd be a little bit more efficient which his percentages would be up But he's kind of that do it all yannis Siakam type player. He's not the best shooter, but he can play point guard. He can switch pick and rolls defensively He can guard bigs. He can guard smalls. I love scotty barns. I never thought he'd win rookie of the year But now after winning that it's like he's got these expectations And I think people want to see him become this 20 25 point score And that's not really his game. His value is kind of all over the place and doing it all for teams and You don't want to see his percentage drop that much, but he's still so young and he's still producing a lot for this team And and they're also very very good. It's easy. It's easy to put him on the wizards And I guarantee you he'll have some kuzma type numbers But he's actually on a better team with a lot of other guys around him that do a lot of the scoring Uh, Toronto has been notoriously patient with their guys. Sorry, I don't mean to cut you off But they've waited with Pascal Siakam. They waited with ojana newbie. They waited with frevin bleak They're waiting with all their guys. They've been notoriously patient. They're not worried about this at all The nice thing to have an employer, isn't it? Just chill let him marinate see what happens Uh, how about the portland tramp lasers their bench specifically fewest points in the league by a bit channeler This is a depth problem. Are you pushing the panic button on that? I mean, no, it's a problem But again, this team had really low expectations coming into the season They kind of, you know, blew those out of the water early. They're gonna. I think they're gonna start falling off, but Um, yeah, I mean listen their bench is a little thin, but What what did we expect? I know we liked shade and sharp that kid as a rookie We didn't really see play in college. He's so athletic. He's fun to watch But this is a starting five heavy team. They rely on simons. They rely on dame lilor jeremy grant these guys um, it's That's kind of who they are So i'm not worried because I didn't have any expectations of them in the first place But yeah for them to for them to you know make any sort of noise in the in the playoffs if they get there They're gonna need some production from their bench Yeah, look, they're waiting on dame lilor to come back They're waiting on gary patin to make his debut whenever that is and he's not a big scoring punch But he'll make their bench better dame being in the starting lineup pushing guys into the bench as well We'll make that team better They just got to get healthy and and and I agree that you know shading sharp He should grow throughout the season and be a key piece for them off the bench in that second unit That's our first official hot seat topic. It's the nicks 11 and 13. They're under 500 at the garden And now we begin his tips on the hot seat. Should he be eddie panic button on tips Yeah, I I think so. I mean they're heavily invested in winning now. They've paid so much money from these guys This was their big splash, you know jaylon brunson uh, we were keeping randall Giving rj barrett his deal They they didn't go after donovan mitchell. They kept his guy grimes Yeah, this team wanted to win. He was a little bit on the hot seat last year They had to come forward and say hey, we're not fired on the summer I think he's one of those that you you do you do got to wonder Everybody's wondering what's going on his rotation. Derek roses in plane. He's basically never like cam reddish There seems to be a disconnect somewhere The problem for them is I don't know who steps in it and takes that job right behind him It might not be somebody on the advance. Maybe it's a frank vogel. Who knows what they do But yeah, he's I I'm thinking you you got a panic and put him on the hot seat right now for sure Yeah, I think his seat is piping hot. I think this I think this is a shitty job I think this team is not very good. I hate you know I don't think randall and bear are those guys moving forward. I do like jaylon brunson But again, this is a young team that's kind of growing in a you know, the biggest market basically in the league And this is an old school coach who I can just tell you like the cam reddish thing They are just they couldn't be further apart in the personalities and styles and so when you get that there is kind of Headbutting there is there's it's just a different generation and tibbs is one of the last kind of og coaches and Taping guys for shoot around and that's just I don't think that style is going to have A lot of success with the personnel that this team has but Yeah, I think I don't I wouldn't want this job if I was out there and tibbs got fired The dolin curse Lives on Until that changes ain't nothing changing at the garden y'all. That's just bottom line Uh, how about up next base and plumb lays his left-handed shots got the whole world talking and Another regular season trophy plus players calling their own fouls. That's next Oh, yay Another trophy this time to the team with the best regular season record That's right the morris puddle off trophy named after the first nba commissioner. Um What are we doing guys is this a great idea or the worst idea chandler does anybody care? No, I mean, I hate it. It's it's useless right people play for an nba championship This I mean, I guess it's kind of cool to for like free agent pitches to say look we have the best record, you know, but Yeah, it reminds me of the Dodgers the Dodgers win the regular season Care is if you don't win the world series Um, I don't like it It's just like like we touched on last show or the couple shows ago where it's like western conference finals mvp or finals mvp It's like all these awards Everyone's playing for the nba championship. So I don't know. I don't know why I don't know I don't get it and I don't think anybody's really gonna care I think you're still gonna see teams resting for the playoffs to compete for a championship Um, but sure is it cool to you know, give teams more accolades fine, but I think it's pretty useless Yeah, like do the standings exist still do they can we still see them? Are they readily available as they I think so I don't Shout out to the first commissioner of the league and and all of that good stuff But what are we doing right now? Why do if you put this trophy in your trophy case as an organization You should be ashamed of yourself because there's only one trophy that matters and there's only one trophy you should want So this is going to look really weird back there with your banner about winning the division That doesn't matter anymore. Anyway, so like I don't I don't like sick division Why don't we have that many trophies? I don't know It's setting them up for failure too once they lose to once they lose first or second round But like sick trophy that you gave me for a great regular season Right ask the feeding sons how they feel like Oh, that's not a big fan a season ticket holder or something. Don't put that in your office, mr. Owner No, this is a straight-up attendance record trophy. So or participant. It's just stupid Anyways, I'm not a big fan of empty empty awards But that's that's just neither here nor there because we really need to get down to mason plumbly What in the world is going on with this left-handed shot and also the reactions Of players on the bench specifically george ill. Um, they seem perplex chandler. Is this is just not normal I mean, yeah, this is a guy that's been right-handed his entire career And he's he's taking elbow jumpers with his left hand Honestly respect to him. This is this is a ballsy move and this is not easy to do Like if I went and shot free throws even with the not the flow of the game I would not make more than 50 percent of them. This guy's taking jumpers in game You know, he's been in the league forever. I respect him making the change I always wonder guys like Ben Simmons the andre geord Why they don't do something like this or that why they're not calling rick barry and learning how to shoot under hand This is I mean It's kind of psychotic to have to keep doing the same thing over and over again So respect to him you can see the players I love it. It's pretty fascinating that this guy straight up was right-handed and now he's left-handed and is, you know Panther whatever near it is in the league I mean, hill looks like somebody literally just took a dump right next to him Like that's the face you make when someone smells awful eddy. Um, we should respect it, right? I mean, he's he's trying. He's doing something Yeah, west bad. He's also very blown away But no, like can he make a doc is the did he film the training to do this? I'd watch the tick talk about this if it exists, but no, I'm all credit doodle. It went in the other one went in the next night as well Oh, you know, I remember Tristan Thompson changed hands on his free throw shooting I think in like a second or third year. It didn't really help but he changed. He changes a lot of things But that sorry That's all I'm going to say with that like, you know But no, it's a couple guys in this league who probably should change hands And try to make their job for work If this band started shooting threes left-handed Put them put them in the all-star game because that it was hard to do Do a clinic do some it is fascinating to watch but the reactions to me are By the way, this is funny because Austin Rivers should consider doing the same thing I was gonna say the same thing about McTee's thighball These guys that can't shoot should not be laughing This is so maybe there are a lot of guys that should be doing this. I love it so much I could I'll watch reaction shots of this pretty much for about three hours Yeah, the reactions are way better than the jumper. This is great. Tell him It's smart too because expectations are low now that he's shooting opposite-handed So it's like if he's shooting 50 left-handed he's shooting 60 righty Who cares people are expecting him to miss and understand what he's going through I'm talking Ben Simmons Ben Simmons needs to do this Yeah, I think this is made for Ben. This is a Simmons moment. I hope he's paying attention We're taking a quick break. Uh, when we come back pop the balloons and throw away the celebration Our one parlay streak Is over. We'll try again Well, there it is we were feeling hot feeling good feeling pretty And got three of the four wrongs, but I will say this Chandler luka donchich I I can't say at a bad game He just didn't have all the points that he was maybe gonna have so this only can mean one thing guys We can only go up from here Let's try again. Eddie, what do you have for today's or like parlay your two? I I think it can get worse. I think it can still get worse. Chandler's at home. He's not partying with anybody We don't have a hard point. I'm going to hoax I'm going to hoax with the points versus the nicks. Uh, f tray young and pool effect I think they pulled out the wind. Why are the nicks getting points? Like what are we doing here? I I don't know I don't get so After that, I'm going with Where's my thing at pacers? Oh, yeah Over the timber walls Again, same thing. Why are the timber walls favored against anybody? I got the pacers running them out the gym Uh, we're we're gonna keep betting against rego bear until he makes us pay for it Which I don't see everywhere Wow had to add the extra shade. All right. Chandler I hate to say it, but I love both of eddie's picks The rule is my 30 Yeah, tonight I like I like the under here. I doubt ad plays back to back um Yeah, I I just don't see a lot of points here, uh, which I think is going to help the lakers I mean nine and a half points is a lot of points Um, I like if ad's not out. I like if he's in but if he's out it gives opportunity for other guys to step up Um, I feel really confident about these stuff. You don't know you don't We know that means we're probably gonna go over four, but I love them I like eddie's more than mine to be honest with you Well, that's uh, that's not well if you bet 20 you win 233 So that's something christmas is around the corner. That's you know, obviously gotta spend a lot of money for that Um, I will say this Shout out to the timber wolves for giving matt ryan a gig. I think he signed on a two-way I just just see breaking news that ben simmonds hoping to play on friday Eddie cancel all your plans. Am I right? Against Atlanta his his nemesis in the paint tray um, he's gonna he's gonna see him In his face for the first time since then I I can't wait I like this part relates to but i'm gonna say now because we won't be back for a while Chandler betting big on the lakers is terrifying me the lakers to stay close and the lakers defense to keep me close I also I don't know how the nicks are getting points to is someone out for atlanta like I this this spread confuses me It's too good to be true My god, I the fact that I have to sit here and listen to you two Every time that you try to do this and pretend like it's the day that we should do six We should do six leg parlays and you hop in and see how see how easy it is That's our friday. Happy wednesday. Enjoy your week and your weekend. See you monday