 Run it up. Run it back. Run it up. Run it back. Run it up. Run it back. Good Tuesday morning. Welcome to Run it Back. This is FanDuelTV. We are coming to you from all of our different homes representing the United States of America. Sean Charania in Chicago, Chandler P out in L.A. Lou, are you in Atlanta? I'm in the part of Atlanta, yes. I'm in the part of Atlanta. I don't even want to ask. And I'm coming to you from New York City. We got some basketball to talk about. A lot of basketball to talk about. Remember the times when we talked about the Clippers and would this work and what's it going to look like? Well, it's working. They defeat the Pacers 151-127. Eight straight for them. James Harden season high 35 points. 21 of those coming in the fourth. It seems like he's doing all right. Benedict Mather with a career high 34. Look, Harden is averaging 20 on 11 shots and almost 10 assists during this eight game winning streak. I know there was so much speculation. We were part of that. But are you surprised at all how quickly he's been able to sort of just fit in and make this thing go? I'm not at all. And this is a team that we said, listen, once they started getting on these win streaks, once they even won two or three in a row, how quickly we forget their struggles in the beginning. And when they got three guys like this and a fourth guy at Russell Westbrook, who by the way, his minutes have gone down and he's still the happiest guy on the bench, which is a huge sign for this team. But when you got James Harden putting up these type of numbers and he's going, you know, 12-15 from the field, eight of 11 from the, from the three and turning the ball over one time. This is a dangerous, dangerous team. They have a little bit of everything. They still have the two or the better defending wings and PG and Kawhi. They got one of the deeper teams. They got a solid big that crashes the glass. I mean, this team literally has it all. So when they're all clicking on all cylinders, it's a nightmare of a matchup, especially for a team like Indiana that just tries to outscore you and outplay you. This was a tough matchup for them, but the Clippers got it going. And this is what makes them so dangerous because when you have this amount of talent and the post season, it's going to be tough to beat this team four times when they're all clicking like this. Yeah. And we got, we got to change course Chandler. This team has armed and dangerous. They figured it out. And I think, I think one of the key opponents is Tarris Mann is back. He's a glue guy. He's one of those guys that give them balance. He's going out there. He doesn't care who scores the basketball. He's going to play defense. He's going to make open shots. He's going to slash. He's going to give them a lot of different opportunities to score the basketball in ways that the big four usually wouldn't. And so that's made them a deep basketball team since he's been back from injury. And, and listen, like you said, give James, James Harden credit. He's playing well, but I feel like the best player on that team is still Paul George. Paul is the most comfortable in his skin for that group. And they figured it out. We talk about the snow angels for one quick second. Like I just want to figure out what I'm looking at or how this works. Or what? Oh, yeah. We know this, you know, when I see, when I see things, yeah, when I see things like this, this is more important to me than the statue. This is more important. They're having fun and they look comfortable and they're enjoying themselves again. And I'll give them credit. James, he never snapped at the media when they were poo pooing on him for this fight, losing his first five games. He stuck with them. Hold on. Hold on. They were poo pooing on him. We were poo pooing on everybody. It's not going to work. We also, you can pull the clips. We definitely also were saying, listen, give it a time. The minute they went one, two, three in a row, it's all just going to be a memory of their struggles. And this is what I'm talking about this, the Russell Westbrook celebrating, praising, getting up off the bench. This is huge for them. To me, that is the biggest sign that they are happy. It's working and winning solves everything. And they're currently on an eight game win streak. And it's okay for us. It's okay for us to change our opinions, right? So this team is healthy, all four of their star players are playing the game. I got this team winning the West now. Hold up. I was going to, I was going to ask you, are they contenders, but we're going all the way. Okay. Really? Absolutely. If they remain healthy, you got, this is the deepest team in basketball. And so they figured it out. They've turned the corner. They got four guys that they can literally give the basketball to and say, go win us a basketball game. Russell Westbrook has accepted the fact that he's going to come off the bench. James Harden is looking like James Harden. Kawhi Leonard, he's not tripping. He hadn't said anything. He's playing this position. Paul George hadn't said anything. I feel like Paul George out of the four guys, he's benefited the most from having that depth and he's playing the best out of the four guys consistently. This is a deep basketball team and they're figuring it out. Yeah. I mean, 1000% again, we talked about this yesterday. You look at the Western conference in a series. I can't take Dallas. I can't take okay. See, I can't take Minnesota over this team. No chance. Just the experience, the guys that they have on their team, they are going to be so comfortable come post season that it's hard to overlook these guys. And again, I'll take a step further. I like the Sun still. I think that eventually they're going to get to where the Clippers are now. They're not healthy. That's the problem though. That's the best Molly problem with the Suns. One day, this is all going to be a memory too that Bradley Beal has been out there and unhealthy and their big three is better than the Clippers big three. So when they get to this level, the Clippers got a big four. They got a four. They got a deeper, they got a four. They got a deeper bench. I will say the depth, the depth is unbelievable. Can you imagine if Boston or teams like that had this bench and this luxury of being able to go 9, 10, 11 deep like the Clippers can, they got guys like PJ Tucker, like are so valuable that are just begging to piss off. They can't play. So this team, the depth is unbelievable. But like we said yesterday too, the rotation is shortened and the playoffs, but injuries happen, right? They're part of the game. It sucks. This team has guys to just fill in or got, you know, assuming that someone goes down, someone's banged up, someone gets suspended something. The Clippers are in the best shape come post season to kind of use that depth to their advantage. And you know, one other thing that we said Chandler at the beginning of the season that we can run back to take. There are six or seven teams in the West. There are six or seven teams in the East that at any moment they can give you a really, really big problem. And so we're toning up for some really good basketball. The Clippers are figured it out. They're must see TV as much credit as we gave to Indiana. They made them look crazy last night and they just went to Indiana and beat the hell out of them guys and they made them look regular again. And so I'm excited to see what the future holds for just some good basketball. Yeah, we'll get to the Pacers too in a second because they've got some things they're dealing with as well, Shoms. But as far as adjustments go, Tyloo, I mean, he's had his share of sort of dramatic situations handed to him. What has he done here? He's had to have a lot of tough conversations, tough decisions on the rotation, especially in Chandler, Lou touched on it a lot. But you talk about Russell Westbrook, his minutes, this eight game winning streak, he's having 17 minutes a game, nine points a game. He's had great splits, 52% from the field, 36% from three. He's drawn four charges in this eight game winning streak. He's kind of playing this spark plug role that we haven't seen from him really in the past, like fully embrace and his minutes for the rest of the season, it's going to be in that 15 to 20 minute range. And that's something that he's embraced for now as long as they're winning. But you think about it, Tyloo has replaced PJ Tucker almost entirely from the rotation. He's not even playing last night bull out win in Indiana. And he doesn't even get off the bench. Kobe Brown playing a lot. I'm your coffee now back in the rotation. So to me, it's the fact that Tyloo, this is what he called the toughest coaching job of his career. And he's embraced it. And he's had to have a lot of managing conversations, managing egos, guys like Russell Westbrook, PJ Tucker, veteran players that feel like they can play anywhere and shout out to Russell Westbrook. He's fully embraced that role. And I've been to a couple of Clippers games over the last couple of weeks, he can change a tenor of a game, especially in the fourth quarter. If he comes in, plays the right way and has that spark plug mentality, he's been a force for them off the bench. Hey, tough, tough as coaching job. Why don't you head over to Detroit and take that job? See how tough that is. I'm not roll, I'm not roll with that. He's got the deepest, one of the better teams in the league. I understand he's got to manage egos and substitutions and hurt some feelings, but give me that job any day of the week. I feel like that would be the good one to have. Can we talk Tyrese Halliburton for a second? Because the world is now very aware of who Tyrese Halliburton is. Everybody is very aware. He's got double teams left and right. He's going to have to figure this out, right, Chandler? Like what adjustments can he make moving forward? Well, I think it's collectively on their team. It's on the coaching staff. It's on Rick Carlaw. He even said last night that they have a target on their back from what they did in the end season tournament. And there's something that they're going to have to get used to. And the scouting report is to make anybody besides Tyrese Halliburton beat you. So they're blitzing him and picking roles. They're trying to speed him up. I think he can do a better job of hoisting these long Steph Curry, Trey Young type 3s that are low percentage. Sometimes he rushes and he tries to beat the double team, but this is an adjustment that they're going to have to make, right? They go into these games and they just try and outscore every single team. And when you run into a juggernaut like the Clippers last night where they're all efficient and they're clicking, it's going to end badly for them because they can't defend and they don't defend. But listen, Tyrese, he's now a household name. He is going to get guarded and prepared for like a superstar in this league because he is becoming one. So they just got to alter their offense a little bit. He's got to get off the ball quicker. He's got to try and beat these blitzes and pick and rolls, split pick and rolls and continue to do what he's doing. He's going to have off nights. He's going to feel pressure to do more because he is the main guy on this team and for them to win, he does have to have these huge games, but he's got to just continue to take care of the ball and just be used to these doubles and triple teams because it's going to happen for the rest of the season. And we talked about the end season tournament and the rest of the guys in the league, the fear of missing out. Everybody, the Indiana Pacers, they put the entire league on notice. And so guys are sitting at home and they're watching it and they want to be the guys to rain on the Indiana Pacers parade. And so one thing that we should notice, this is the first time they've played at home since the end season tournament. They've been on the road this entire time and that's tough coming out of something so emotional. You feel like you're doing the right things, but on the flip side of that coin, Tyrese, he said, this is my time. And so with that comes responsibility and he's going to get the best shot from every single team in the league. Guards that want to guard, they're going to try to shut him down. Teams that want to beat them, they're going to try to put them in their place and they're dealing with some of that. So those are growing pains for a young basketball team who's trying to get over the hump and be respected. It's a good problem to have. It's good to be respected. Nick's going to Los Angeles, beat the Lakers. Oh, on this night of all nights, how dare you? Jalen Brunson, 29 points. Julius Randle with 27-14. A.D. and LeBron as well, 32 and 25 respectively. The Nick's right now, Chandler fifth in the East. Brunson Randle doing their thing. Do you think maybe we trade for someone? We make a move here to go all in. What are we thinking for the next? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Trade everybody, trade everybody, not named Jalen Brunson. By the way, I don't know if you guys saw that video of his pops training him outside was one of the biggest videos. I love that. I love that video. Oh my God. Makes me can't wait till my son gets older. But listen, it's tough when you're the next, right? Because they play hard. They defend. They have this three that's not really elite. And someone said it the other day, they said they never have the best player on the floor on any night, which is true. As good as Jalen Brown is, as good as Julius Randle. I disagree. They don't have that guy. They don't have that go to guy. They don't have that household name. So yeah, I do think if you could package an RJ Barrett, you can go and get a disgruntled Donovan Mitchell or one of these other guys that can kind of push them over the edge. Because right now they're just fighting for a playoff seed. We all know they're going to get to the playoffs and they're going to lose to either Boston, Milwaukee or Philly. I think they're peaked right now, but they do have assets. They do have pieces on that bench that are valuable that they can kind of collectively go and get a star player to then make that jump. But right now, I just think they're kind of stuck in the middle somewhere. Chandler, there's no better player on Orlando Magic than Jalen Brunson. There's no better player on. There's no better player on the Memphis Grizzlies until John Marin comes back than Jalen Brunson. Oh, he's back tonight. He's back. Yeah. He's back tonight. There's no better player on the Detroit Pistons. That's better than Jalen Brunson. So look at the team's name and look at the bottom of the barrel besides bottom of the barrel. Bottom of the barrel at bottom of the barrel. And Kenny Sniff said that on any given night, they never had the best player. That was a little that was a little different. But what I will say is they have a consistency problem. You know that very talented players, very young talented players, but consistently, I don't know if I can trust this basketball team and that's their issue. But they do have talent and they do have guys that can go out and win you a basketball game in our considered All-Star caliber guys. Julius Randall has been named to our All-Star team. Jalen Brunson is on a bubble to be a perennial All-Star. So they have talented players. The problem is they don't do it consistently. And that's the issue with the New York Knicks for me. And these other teams, they have big threes, right? This team, this is not a big three. It's three solid players, right? But I wouldn't look at them and compare them with these other like big threes across the league. So again, I love Jalen Brunson. He's one of my favorite players in the league. They need more. And if I'm the GM or if I'm running that team and I can go make a splash and get one of those perennial All-Star type players, that can go in. You do it. Believe it. Everybody's touchable besides Jalen. I don't trust them. I don't trust the Knicks because they're up and down, up and down, up and down. There's no consistency in how they play. And so I get where you're coming from. But just on the standpoint of they never have the best play on the court, they do. But we don't know which version of them that we're going to get on night in and night out on a basis. All right, Shoms, you heard them. We had a lot of GM input going on right here. What are you focused on with this next team? Well, I think in the regular season, Jalen Brunson, Jules Randall, they are good enough to carry this team, at least, you know, right where they are now, which is a bubble home court advantage team, you know, literally little outside home court advantage. Last year, they didn't have home court advantage in the four or five matchup and they beat Cleveland a couple of years prior to that. They had home court advantage and then they lose. So their team that's right on the cuff of home court advantage to me, which is, which is a good place to be in a lot of ways. It's better than where they've been the last decade plus before Tibbs got there. But I think for them, it's Julius Randall and Jalen Brunson. How do their games translate into playoffs? Last year, Julius Randall deals with an ankle injury. He has surgery in the off season. And then he starts this year off slow. He shoots only 29% that first month of the season. But listen, the last month and a half, he's up to 50% shooting. He's playing better. And they do have young players, Quintin Grimes, Emmanuel Quickly, if they do want to be active in the trademark, they're a Quintin Grimes away in a trade package to the Utah Jazz from getting down to Mitchell and they end up keeping Quintin Grimes, keeping an extra first strong pick. So I could see them being active for sure in the trade marketplace. They're definitely monitoring every star that could be available. Could that be down to Mitchell? Are we really here again? We are here again. Okay. It's just everything old is new. Lakers, by the way, shooting from three, about 32%. Chandler, is that a concern? Is that enough shooting? Where are we on their Western Conference finals chances with that shooting? Yeah, I think last night was a little exaggerated. Tori and Prince had really good looks. It went three of 13 last night from three. Usually he's knocking down a way higher clip than that. But this is a team last year. That dumpster fire they threw out there in the beginning of last season was not a contender. They had zero shooting. It didn't make sense. And then they made moves and we saw how well that ended up for them when they added some shooting last year. They have that shooting this year. They have the Gabe Vincent. They have the D'Angelo Russell. They have Austin Rees. They have guys, Tori and Prince, they have guys that can make threes. But this team is comfortable clearly making moves that we always were. They're always going to be in talks. Are they going to go get a Zach Lepin? Are they going to go get a DeMar DeRozum? I'd love to see a Jordan Clarkson come back to LA and kind of give them that spark and that's shooting and scoring. But I think with the success that they had last year making that huge change in the middle of the season, I look for them to do that again just to continue to add more pieces to build around this LeBron and AD. You got to take advantage of how good they're playing right now. You don't know how long this is going to last. We keep saying that every single year. But yeah, I think Polink is going to be on the move to continue to add more shooting, spacing the four for these guys to continue what they do. And there's a lot of guys out there that are available. All right, Lou, we got there. We knew the banner was coming. We didn't know what it would look like. And last night was the night. The big unveiling. Get it out of your system. How are we feeling about this? I like it. It's a mini. It's smaller than usual. It's a mini. It's smaller than usual. They're laughing. They're taking it in jest. Give them credit. Listen, we accomplished something. This is the first of all time. We don't know how much this banner is going to be respected. We don't know how much this end season tournament is going to be respected. So until then, celebrate your wins. At the end of the day, you guys got pay handsomely for it. You accomplished it. You put it together. Celebrate your wins. And so I like the fact that they didn't overdo it. But it's also important to put it on notice that we did do this. So I'm okay with I'm okay with the energy that was surrounded by it. I'm okay with the guys kind of taking it lightly. But at the same time, still honoring yourselves because we did accomplish something for the first time ever. Yeah, I agree. I love that it was small. I love that it was a mini. Like Lou said, I love that it was a different color. And look, this is just, this is just a stepping stone. And is it accomplishment? Sure. They came together and they won something early in the season. Is it the big picture where they want to be? No, but this is something that I think is going to continue to trend upward. I don't think this tournament is going anywhere anytime soon. I think it's going to continue to get bigger and bigger. But yeah, I like how the celebration was quicker. I like how it's smaller banner. And again, there's a big picture here of contending for, you know, a lot a bigger trophy and NBA championship. So I don't think you can belittle it and not do anything. But I think what they did last night was appropriate. That's per and by the way, if that thing gets filled up with dates, that's that's kind of cool. It's like, all right, that's that's something. And it was it was nice. All right, I can't believe I'm doing that. I must be sick. Mavs nuggets. That was a game that happened last night. Nuggets blew them out. 130 104 Jamal Murray with 22 Aaron Gordon with 21 Luca, obviously 38 11 and eight Kyrie. No Kyrie fifth straight game with the heel injury. I'm going to make you pick your favorite kid here, Chandler. Who is more important to his team? Jamal Murray or Aaron Gordon? That's a silly question, Michelle. Well, it's Jamal Murray. And I can argue Jamal Murray or Yoke. It's honestly on any given night. Jamal Murray is so long. You see what he does in the postseason when he's healthy. He is another asset that can go and take over a game. Aaron Gordon as good as he is. He's a role player. He can defend. He can score inside out. Aaron Gordon's not taking over games. Aaron Gordon's not going and getting 40 in the postseason controlling and offense playing two man game with Yoke. Jamal Murray is very, very important to this team. And you can see the success when he gets out there and he's efficient and he's healthy and he's got that extra pep in his step. This team goes as far as him. Obviously, Yoke, is there everything? He's their MVP? Probably the best player in the NBA right now. And it goes back to that Bucks team that I always talk about how good the honest is. They don't win that year without Chris Middleton as good as Yoke is. They don't win without Jamal Murray being the best person of himself. So Aaron Gordon's great. KCP's great. You know, Porter's great. They're going as far as this guy goes. Did you say an any given day Yoke-itch or Murray? He's that good. Absolutely. It's not any given day Yoke-itch or Gordon. Fair, but good lord. Okay, I know. What are we trying to cause problems? No, we're not trying to do that. Fine. Okay. I'm a little bit shocked. Yeah, all the time. No, I don't want to. There's a great, there's a great piece of video of Yoke-itch and Luca walking in together, just telling jokes, being great. But Luca is averaging under 37 points, nine rebounds, almost 12 assists in 40 minutes over his last eight games. It's a tale as old as time. Is it too much Luca all the time? Jason Kate even said he's a little bit concerned about his minutes. At some point, Lou, are we going to stop having this conversation? It seems to be if they don't have Luca out there, there's no shock. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. And with that being said, Luca is a MVP candidate. He's somebody we have high expectations for with Kyrie being out. He's going to have to carry 90% of the load for this basketball team in the way that they're built. And so I guarantee you, Luca, he's not practicing. He's not doing anything extra. He's preparing for basketball games and he's going out and he's trying to help them win basketball games. And so they're going to have to do that and to help us on the way. And so at this point, nothing is too much for Luca. He has to do what's necessary. And this is how he plays. He's a rebounding guard. He's a pass. He's a pass first, shoot, second guard, even though he averages upwards of 30 points a game. This is the way that he plays. And so this is just how this team is built. I don't know another way that they can win without him doing the things that he's been doing. Chandler, better MVP argument, Jokic or Luca? You can't go wrong either way. I'd probably say Jokic just because they're going to win more games. I think they're going to finish a higher seed and they're going to be more of a contender. But I got to say watching last night and Luca in that first half, it's unbelievable. He just, he toys with defenses, the shots he takes, let alone makes or it's really just baffling. He can do everything on the floor, step back. He's got the high release where his jump shot takes bad shots. He never gets his shot blocked. He's unbelievable. And they're both, they're both such fascinating players, right? Cause they're not the strongest, they're not the most athletic, but they are brilliant basketball minds. You can't speed either of them up. They both have size and unbelievable IQ, the way they see the floor, the way they understand the game. Just little no lookers they do. It really is impressive. It's beautiful to watch. These two, these two are going to be great for a really long time. I just got to give the advantage to Jokic right now just because his team is better. We don't know when Kairi is coming back and Luca is just trying to tread water right now while he's out because he can't continue to do this night and night out. We will go back to last year. Remember how bad we felt for him half the time where he's putting up numbers and just not much help around him. This is a team that's got to be fully loaded. They have to have all hands on deck to have any sort of chance, but man, Luca, Luca's special. Special. That's a good word. T Wolves. T Wolves were down huge. They were down 17 to Miami, came back to win this one. One 12, a 20 and five right now is where they sit. Best start in franchise history through 25 games. Anthony Edwards, 32 and eight Tyler heroes back. He had 25. He missed 18 games with that sprained right ankle and then he returns with 25 points. How badly was he miss Lou? Much needed. They needed a guy that they can go out and score the basketball and be a wild card for them. You know, even though Jimmy Butler is there, even though bam is there, Tyler hero is a natural score. He's one of those guys that's going to go out there. He knows his job. He knows what's important for that basketball team. He's going out there and getting a bucket. And so this is very much needed for a Miami heat team that was right there in the mix of things, but still trying to turn the corner going into the second half of the season and Tyler heroes right on time for that. And also bam miss nine of his last 12 with the hip contusion. Look, this is a heat team that I it's impossible to predict. Chandler, but I'm going to ask you to do it anyways. If everybody's healthy, what can we expect from them in the East? A scary team, especially for one of these top three teams to play in the first round. You y'all know about Jimmy Butler in the post season. Now they got Tyler hero back who literally has missed so many games to throw them in the starting lineup here. Go get 25 real quick. They've had a surprising, uh, you know, rise from the rookie Jaime, Hawkeyes from UCLA, who's been, you know, great on both ends of the floor. So this is a dangerous team. When you look at them in the, this is a team that is deep, is tough, is well coached that you don't want to play in the playoffs. And so I look for them to kind of float somewhere around that four, five, six, um, seed and it's going to be a tough out because we used to, we know how tough they play. We know the defend. They got banned back is one of the best defending bigs. They got Jimmy back is one of the best defending wings. They got shooting. They can space the floor. So this is a dangerous team. And this is a team that I trust. I trust them more than New York. I trust them more than Indiana. I trust them more than Orlando outside that big three. This is a team with experience that are tough, tough team to beat four times. Joms, the go bare trade was and probably continues to be one of the most criticized trades. And then we have Rudy go bear with a very strong start. Is that a coincidence? Well, Rudy go bear told me before the season he was aiming for his fourth defensive player of the year award. So I think he came into this season with with a strong mind. He came into the season motivated. And after the year last year, I think he took that hard and he worked on his body obsessively over the summer. I talked to people around the Timberwolves. They say he's obsessive about his body. The intricacies he takes in his day to day approach and like little things, whether it be diet, whether it be approaches. He's very, he's very maniacal about it. And he spreads that with the rest of his teammates, helps the younger players out. He went on a on a darkness retreat after the season. He spent a few days literally without his phone in a cave. He got his body in the best shape ever. And I think that has clearly shown itself. He's averaging again over 12 rebounds a game over two blocks a game. Those are really what his career norms were. Last year he was under two blocks per game. We're not used to seeing that for Rudy go bear. And now the Timberwolves are one of the best defenses in the league. That's on par for what this team traded for when they, when they got Rudy go bear. And so, you know, for Rudy go bear, it was a lot of motivation after last season. Are we missing something with these darkness retreats? Should we be doing this? For them to beat 20 and five and 25 games, lock me up in a cave. That's, that's going to be the outcome. We're missing something. Quiet with your own thoughts. Sounds like hell. All right, we're taking a quick break. When we come back, Sean scoops and Anthony Edwards on Michael Jordan, not the other stuff. Oh, it's scoops time. Shams. All right. Uh, Mack MacLung, it's almost like it manifested itself. Is he in or not? Well, you come on, run it back and you see good things happen for you. So last week, Mack MacLung joined us and yesterday sources told me that the NBA formally invited Mack MacLung to the dunk contest 2024 All-Star weekend in Indy. The expectation is he's going to take it. He has not officially taken it yet, but that's the expectation. He's a reigning G-League player of the month averaging 25 points a game, six assists a game for Orlando's G-League affiliate. And we saw what he did last year. Perfect scores. Didn't miss a dunk throughout his dunk contest experience. So we don't know the rest of the field quite yet. But Mack MacLung, the first name to be invited, the first name that you can, you can safely assume will be a part of the mix there. Yeah, I can't. I mean, good Lord. Why would you say no? Is who else to, I know we did this last year and it didn't happen, but who would we like to see guys? Chandler, you first. Anyone? The guy I was supposed to last year that pulled out Shaden Sharp. I think he's, he's the bounciest. He's the bounciest dude. I think he's the one that would give, you know, Mack the most trouble. I think it would be awesome if part of his suspension of the NBA made jog to the dunk contest. Get your, get your, get your image back, get the kids back on your side, get more fans. That would be so cool if guys like Jarr or Zion or Anthony Edwards did it. But I feel like that's not going to happen. That's all pipe dream. So let me, let me get Shaden Sharp. All right. I'd like to see two different scenarios. I will, I would like to see Aaron Gordon and Zach Lavigne back since Mac McClellan, since Vince Carter, since Jason Richardson, they by far had the most entertaining dunk contest that we've seen to date. So I would like to see those two guys give Mack a run for his money. And you know what? What the hell? LeBron, one and done. Go ahead and give us one. You're already 40 years old. We don't expect you to win. Just entertain us like you did for the N season tournament. Sign up for the dunk contest. So we could just have the archive footage for years to come. Like we do with Michael Jordan and everybody else. Just do it. Him winning the dunk contest at 39 years old might be the craziest thing on his resume. That would be insane. That would end the argument. Maybe, maybe not. Shams, appreciate you. We'll see you tomorrow bright and early. Thank you, sir. And it's time now for say what? Stop comparing me to Michael Jordan. He's Michael Jordan. I'm my own basketball player. So whatever I do, I do, but I'm nowhere near Michael Jordan. No more comparisons. Yeah. But if that error was today, do you feel like MJ could guard you? Hell no. No. Right now, Lou. He said the right things, but even he didn't mean that. He's got a lot going on, right? He's got a lot going on. I'm going to stay away from it, but what I will say is we are in a competitive business. This is a competitive sport. He didn't say anything wrong. He should feel like nobody can guard him, but it was a lot of bravado in it. He knows what he said. Yeah, you have to say that, right? If I'm going up against KD or Kobe LeBron, I'm not just going to say they're going to bust my ass, right? I'm going to think I'm going in there and I'm having a great game. So like Lou said, though, you could hear just a little bit of joke, a little bit of doubt when he said it, but you have to say that. What are you going to say? No, he would clamp me. No competitive human being in the NBA is going to ever say that, or else you are a whack. Fair enough. All right, fair enough. How about he had more? Like he's been saying a lot. There's more. There's more going on with that. The man's very busy. Here he is on LeBron. He's been the best player in the world for a long time. So I think that's the main person I want to cook. Him or KD? Oh, no, these guys are both playing. See, that's the difference. MJ's done and been done for a long time, but LeBron and KD are still out there. Is this a wise move? Yeah, I like it. I like it. This is his edge. This is his humor. I feel like he's always saying funny stuff like this. But yeah, to be the best, you got to beat the best. And those two guys have been the top of the league for a really, really long time. And Anthony Edwards is this name that's kind of on the rise, who's becoming one of the, I think he's the best two-way player, honestly, in the NBA right now. So yeah, I love his confidence. And to be this good and to get this far as he has, you have to be confident. So I love him. I love everything, mostly everything about him. Fair enough. Luke, Kevin Garnett, Andre Monk. I actually think the organization is afraid to go talk to him and be real. They're afraid of this man. Do you agree with that? No, I disagree. KD is from the old school where every once in a while private conversations are going to get leaked to the media or it's going to be a big deal on sports center. We are now living in a place where the Golden State Warriors have always kept their business tight and in-house. Even when he punched Jordan Poole, it was a big to do when that footage got leaked because they've always done such a great job of dealing with their issues in the house. And so I think there has been a conversation with Draymond. I think there's been several conversations with Draymond. We just haven't been privy to them. And so I disagree with KD. For sure, Draymond has been addressed. It's been talked about as a team. It's been talked about as a unit. And we should just move forward. It is an interesting read, though, because sometimes it does feel like maybe they're not talking to him, not harshly enough, but seriously enough because he keeps doing it. But I guess this is the time we're going to find out. Chandler Kevin Durant said that Jalen Brunson would be a quote, hall of fame player by the end of his career the way he's playing. Do you agree? I mean, yeah, he's got to do it for about eight to 10 more years at this level, but he's on the right path. And this is a guy who, man, looking back with Cuban and Dallas, I don't know how you don't re-sign this guy for $55 million or whatever you could have got him for is outrageous. He is a perennial all-star. He is a go-to guy. He is number one, number two option on a very, very good team. And what's crazy is he's not one of those guys with this crazy potential, right? Not one of these big names. Villanova, he was great, but he's always just been solid. He is who he is. He's not going to blow you away with athleticism or speed, but he's so solid he can knock down shots. He plays pick and roll. He does everything you want your point guard to do. So I think he's on the right trajectory. I think he's unbelievable. And I think he's the only bright spot moving forward on this next roster that's going to be there for a really, really long time. I love that this is happening. All right, Lou. This one's a good one. Trey Yong said, if he didn't get hurt during the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, quote, I ain't going to lie. We definitely would have won our first chip. You were on that team. Do you believe that? Cappuccino. Listen, I'm with Trey. Listen, the reason being is because we really felt like we couldn't lose at that point. We were shooting the ball well. And all these things is about time. We felt like we were peeking at the right moment. We were rolling at the right moment. And we had a really good groove and we couldn't miss shots. And so Trey having that sense of feeling like we could have won a championship, I was right there with him. I mean, why not? We were in the final four. We were right there in the mix as well as anybody else. One thing that he left out that's important for context, Giannis also missed two games in that series as well as Trey missing some games. And so I felt like that was a series that anybody could have won and could have went on to the championship. So him having that feeling, it's not as far. It's not as outlandish as it sounded. But I don't know if we went that far, but we had an opportunity just like everybody else dealing with the circumstances. So I'm on offense. Chandler, did any of that convince you those words? I mean, sure. Every team, I guess, when you make it that far, every team, you think you think you have a chance, right? Like if you're in the semifinals or the finals of your conference, yeah, you think you have a chance. But to say with that confidence that you ran in, you didn't. No, I'm not rolling. Okay, fair enough. Shane Sharp, here we go. He was asked about the Blazers once they all get healthy. Quote, I think we have something special here. They're six and 19, but it is a trick question, right? What are you supposed to say? What? I mean, it could be worse. It could be Detroit. It could be. Oh, here we go. That's three. That's three strikes. No, so hold on. Wait, wait, wait, wait. So you're rolling with this? No. Can I finish, Louis? I don't think it's this bright, crazy future like San Antonio. I don't think it's okay. Okay. See in a couple of years, but when you look at the pieces, the Scoot Henderson's, Deandre Aitens, the Anthony Simons, they have talent. But as far as that translating to a good team anytime soon, then no, no, not at all. I feel better about their talent than San Antonio's talent. Oh, what the hell is wrong? You're nuts. As an entirety, you didn't even mention Anthony Simons. Like, four guys are going to be better than any four that the San Antonio Spurs got right now. I just, I think Wimbanyama, Vacelle, and Cal Johnson are better than anybody on the Trailblazers. No, we don't have that. This is another time. This is another segment. Oh, no, no, this is a great time. Well, we have 18 minutes left. Let's hear it. This is out of the four people on the Portland Trailblazers that we mentioned, and out of the three guys that we've mentioned on the San Antonio Spurs, Anthony Simons is a proven hooper at this point. Everybody else is trying to figure it out. So with that alone, he gives me the edge. Yeah, but with that, Victor Wimbanyama, Victor Wimbanyama is pouring everything else right now. Taking him over anybody in the NBA for the future, let alone any of these guys on the Trailblazers. Hey, hey, Chandler, I'm going with six and 19 before I go with four and 21 points. We're screwed either way and we want wins, but talking potential. I love the kid, Vacelle, Kelton Johnson, he was on Team USA. He's proven like, yeah. Yeah. But we just talked about Shane Sharp. At some point, School Henderson is going to wake up. Anthony Simons is still the best player on that basketball team. They still got Scoot, they still got Scoot as the rookie of the year. You flip flopped. I'm out of there. Nah, nah, nah, nah, I'm out of there. At some point, he's going to wake up. You can't say that. It's a feeling. It's a vibe. So you don't have a feeling about the Spurs that at some point that's all going to get better and turn around, but you have it about, no. I just, I just think there's more pieces in Portland. We didn't even mention Sohan. We didn't even mention Sohan either. Who's also going to be really well. They don't even know what position he is. So why should we not point guard? We know that. I'll tell you this, no barring a huge trade or anything else. The San Antonio Spurs will make the playoffs before the Portland Trailblazers in the near boom. I take that bet. I take a hundred dollar bet for it. Hey, Mark, this is where I want some too, because there's no way that Chandler, you're the only one winning this bet. Lou is going to obviously, obviously you're with the Spurs. So I take a hundred dollar bet with you as well. Yes. You know, that's the only way she'll ever agree with me is if I ride the Spurs. The only time this whole thing works. Man, that was a lot said on that. I feel like we're going to dissect everything you guys just said on this tomorrow. Well done, guys. Oh, we still have more show. My bad. We're going to take a break. Coming back, our first edition of Who You Got. Oh, yep, yep, yep, yep. New segment called Who You Got. Very, very simple. I'm going to give you two choices, and then you tell us who you got. Could not get easier. All right, Pacers or he, Lou? Pacers. That's it. You want me to elaborate? Yeah, I'm going to be good for TV. Yeah. They're a better team. Well, not according to this thing that you have down here below your head. Yeah, I just like the Pacers. I like the energy surrounding this team. I like that they're turning the page on what they've been historically through over the past 10 years. And, you know, they have a guy that's clear cut the best player on both teams. And so I like the Pacers. Hmm, Chandler. I disagree. I think the heat, I think they have the experience. I think they're one of the better defensive teams, but comparing to literally the worst defensive team in Indiana. I think Tyrese Halbert is special, but I think when you look at the makeup of this team with the scoring, the defense, the versatility that he has, I think they're a harder out in the playoffs. I think they're a deeper team. I think they're better. All right, fair enough. Chandler, you're up next. I just feel like Chandler and I, we're just going to debate every single thing today. Feels like it. What's the only thing that beats good defense, Chandler? Better offense? Better offense. And right now, Indiana's a better offensive team. Defense wins championships, Lou. So they say. I'm yet to see it. So they say. We're going to be seeing the Pacers play zone defense in the finals. I don't see it. Okay. Maybe you might be pressing 94 feet. They're going to be pressing 94 or they go, they go have to put 140 on the board and I like the chances of doing that. Yeah. I think that would be fun. I would enjoy that actually as a consumer. And you might agree on the next one, maybe, I don't know, Chandler, Tyrese, Maxi or Jalen Brown. This one's tough. I think I initially sent in Tyrese Maxi, but then I went with Jalen Brown. I think he's more versatile. I think he can do more on the floor. I think he gives you a better defensive option. His size. It's weird because they're different positions, right? So, but I got to go with Jalen Brown. Tyrese Maxi is, he's just now becoming this, this kind of go-to guy. Jalen Brown's been it for longer. They're both heck of, you know, hell of, hell of talents, but I like Jalen Brown here. We agree on this one. We agree on this one. Jalen Brown has been, has been one B for a number of years now. And he's proven that he's a go-to guy. Tyrese Maxi is having a coming out party at this point in his career. Big things to come in the future, but at this present day, it's still going to be Jalen Brown. All right. This one's tricky because I know what Chandler's going to say, Lou, but Luca Doncic or Kevin Durant. Lou, you're first. It's going to be Luca for me. It's going to be Luca, you know. Yeah. Kevin Durant has a lot of help. And on the offensive end, he's not as much as a rebounder as Luca is. He's not as much as a passer as Luca is. That team, if you could take Kevin Durant off the court, that team is still going to have an opportunity to win with the depth that they have in Devin Booker. And whenever Bradley Bill gets back healthy, you take Luca off the floor, this team probably won't want a basketball game. So it's going to be Luca for me. Yeah. Can you imagine Luca on that, on that son's team and with that depth and with that help and with that, with, you know, that team, I think, listen, I think they're both special. I think Kevin Durant a couple of years ago. Now it might be a different argument right now. Luca is younger. He's, he's in his prime. Kevin Durant is kind of going out of his prime. They're both, you know, first bell Hall of Fame, but I'm going Luca. Okay. Luca twice. All George or Kawhi Leonard Chandler. See, I think we're going to disagree on this one because Lou said Paul George is the best player on the Clippers earlier and I full heartedly disagree. I think Kawhi Leonard is their best player. I think he's the most proven player. I think I saw, did he, as he played every single game this year. So the fact that he's in that shape, he's healthy. We haven't seen this version of him since Toronto championship. Like he is, he is back. He is healthy. He is strong. He's getting to his spots. We all know how good defensively he is. And I said earlier too, this, these are probably the best versatile, you know, offensive and defensive wings in the league. But if I had to pick one, I'm going with Kawhi, especially because he showed me he can stay healthy this year. Kawhi is not a bad pick. The only reason I feel like Paul George is the best player on that team because he's the most comfortable, you know, no matter who's on the floor, he's going to get 15 to 20 shots a night, no matter what's going on. And a lot of that offense is run, is ran through Paul because he's more of the, he's between him and, and damn, I forgot his name, but between him and James Hart, they're, they're the, the two natural scorers on that basketball team. And so I think Paul George is the best player on that team because he looks the most comfortable. Kawhi is still trying to figure out, he's still trying to find his spots. And even when we have breakdowns, you just see Kawhi go to the block, put his hand up and he wants a post up. Paul George is still playing through the offense, still coming off a downstream, still doing this thing. And so I'm still going PG. We're going to take a quick break, wrap things up when we come back. John Morant is back tonight after the 25 games suspension, the over under for him, 24 and a half points. What do we expect Chandler? I mean, normally I'd go over here, but just being the first game back, the jitters, the cardio, the conditioning, I probably will go under assuming there's some sort of restriction of some sort. Do under what out of doubt? Fair enough. We'll see you guys tomorrow.