Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - NBA West Squad: Lakers at a Crossroads - LeBron at 40 and Defensive Woes

Episode Date: January 22, 2025

In this episode of the Locked On NBA Squad Show West, hosts from various Western Conference teams discuss the biggest threats to the Oklahoma City Thunder's dominance. The panel debates the potential of teams like the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, and Memphis Grizzlies to challenge the Thunder in the playoffs. They also explore the struggles of established teams like the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers, questioning their ability to contend. The conversation touches on surprising performances from teams like the Houston Rockets and the challenges facing the Phoenix Suns. Throughout the discussion, the hosts offer insights into team dynamics, player performances, and potential trade scenarios that could shake up the Western Conference landscape. 0:00 Intro5:19 Thunder's biggest threat: Mavericks or Nuggets?10:52 Which team is most troubled?16:29 Warriors' reluctance to make changes21:28 Potential playoff upsets in West32:18 Pelicans and Blazers situations Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!PrizepicksNow’s the perfect time to join.Download the app today and use code LOCKEDONNBA to get $50 instantly when you play your first $5 lineup! That’s right—no need to win to get the bonus, it’s guaranteed. PrizePicks—Run Your Game! TALKSPACETherapy is a game-changer. To match with a licensed therapist today, go to Talkspace.com/LOCKEDONNBA and enter promo code SPACE80 to get $80 off your first month and show your support for the show.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelFrom the first whistle to the final drive, FanDuel makes the NFL Playoffs even more exciting! Right now, new customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get THREE HUNDRED BUCKS in BONUS BETS – if you win your first bet! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started. Make this playoff season unforgettable with FanDuel, an official sportsbook partner of the NFL.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On today's show, the squad show, we've got a bunch of hosts from the Western Conference here to talk about who's actually a threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder or are they just going to walk through it? We'll talk about that and more. Today's Locked on NBA Squad West. You are talking ball with the NBA West Squad Show, sponsored by game time. From the Warriors to the Lakers, the Mavericks to the Nuggets, and everyone else in the West. The local experts of the Locked On podcast network bring you all the scoops, breakdowns, and the most comprehensive look at the Western. conference. Trash talk and big takes included. No holding back. We're giving the green light. It's time to talk NBA West. And welcome in to the Lockdown NBA Squad Show West. My name is

Nick Engstead host, Lockdown Mavericks podcast and NBA Game Night, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Thanks for being in every day or making one of our shows your first listen. Hopefully it could be locked on Mavs, could be locked on Thunder with Ryland Stiles, could be locked on Jazz, David Locke, Locked on Warriors with Chuck Walter, locked on Lakers with Andy Kamenetzky, all in attendance here. Today's, is sponsored by prize picks. Now is the perfect time to join download the app today. Use the code Lockdown NBA to get $50 instantly when you play your first $5 lineup. That's right. No need to win to get the bonus. It's guaranteed prize picks run your game. All those hosts join

me right now. I'm going to start off for the first big question. Look at a big picture look of the Western Conference. I guess I'll start with Ryan Seiles. Who's the biggest threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder in your opinion as the host of Lockdown Thunder? Not just the biggest threat, the only threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder is the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks have proven time and time again. Suck up. Suck up to the host. The Mavericks have proven time and time again that they have this mentality and confidence

against the Oklahoma City Thunder. And that's key. I mean, whenever you look at what it will take to beat the Thunder, you're going to have to have Star Power. The Mavericks have that with Luca and Kyrie. You're going to have to have role players step up and have Outlier Series. The Mavericks have proven that more than any of the Thunder. other team that their role players are the most confident that they've ever been against Oklahoma

City. So PJ Washington. What happens when you play Denver and Shay's not the best player on the floor? Arguably, Shane. She's not the Mav series either. Okay. Now that's ridiculous, Nick. You lost me there. We were on such a great track with Thundermass. But you know, with Denver, Washington. With Denver, that's really their only selling point. Russ is going to lose you a couple of games in the playoffs like he does every year and they don't really have depth. I mean, it's just, I don't really see how Denver in the course of a seven-game series would beat the Thunder, and you have to really squint to find teams that will beat the Thunder. But with the Mavericks, you don't have to do a lot of squinting.

I think that the series does change from a year ago with the Thunder now having two centers to handle lively and Gapford when these two teams are fully healthy. And there's an element of like the Thunder and Mavericks, while they're familiar with one another, they haven't been healthy one time this whole season going up against each other. They won't have any data points to look back on and to try to pick apart heading into a possible series. So with the way that we see Luca played in the playoffs this whole career,

with the fact that they have the built-in confidence from winning in that building and winning over this team a year ago, I just think that they're the most talented team top to bottom left standing besides Oklahoma City, and they're the team that can give them the most run. Speaking of the Denver Nuggets, Matt Moore, Locked on Nuggets, are the nuggets the biggest threat to the Thunder in the West, or is there someone else? No, I think it's anybody that actually can grow facial hair.

So I think the problem largely is that, well, Dallas is obviously a problem. I think that's like, you can't really deny it. Like, it's just a problem. I think the biggest thing,

though, is like, okay, seeing, like I wrote about this over the weekend on my substack that like, there are these teams. The Bucks were like this where it's like,

what an, like their formula, how do you stop them led by this incredible superstar MVP? And then they got to the playoffs and it was just like, I'm like, that's simplistic, but it's a real thing. Like some shooters just choke up.

And like that's going to be a thing until they show that it's not a thing. So like Lou has these phenomenal games versus the Cavaliers and the Celtics. Like played really well in those instances, right? But then you look back and it's like, okay, but versus the bucks in that game, which everyone kind of, I think over indexes, but it's still like a winner go home environment. It's a real problem. Last year they had six guys that were shooting better than league average from three. it's down to three this year.

And so I just think that there's a real concern that they're going to wind up in a series where if they can't get a math advantage, like if they're up against Denver, and it's like, we'll just go two for two with you. They'll make it a long series, but like Yoke is just going to beat your brains in eventually.

And that I think is going to be the problem. So I think it's Dallas and Denver. I still think OKC's got a great shot at reaching the finals and winning a title, which is incredible for how young they are. but the experience combined with there is kind of beginning to be this question of we talk about are there 82 gamers or 16 gamers i think that also can apply independently to shooters there are 82 game shooters and there are 16 game shooters and i worry that okayc not really by any fault of their own doesn't have enough 16 game shooters which is a reason for them to go poking around various wings around the league yeah the thunder of sure to correct that problem and they and they've done that by taking taking a step backwards in efficiency, trading off efficiency for volume. Because last year, they were the best three-point shooting team in the league with a caveat.

They just didn't take a lot of them. And so they ended up making the ones that they had. And last year, you look at how they got those threes. It was all based upon the gravity from Shay and drive-and-kick for Shea. And in the regular season, teams just aren't closing out hard enough to make up for how much attention they're giving to Shea. Whereas in the playoffs, Dallas was. And Dallas did a great job of doing both, focusing on Shea and then getting back out the shooters. and the stage was too big for Kason Wallace, for Isaiah Joe, for Aaron Wiggins.

I will say Lou Dort does play good in big games, including in the playoffs. But the other guys do not and have not to this point. But you look at how they're doing it this year. Yes, it's lower efficiency. There's two noticeable things here in this conversation. We have a Laker guy with LeBron and Steph guy sitting here with the Warriors. And we're not even thinking about them as contenders. And the other one that's noticeable is that the Rockets and the Grizzlies are two and three in the West.

And we're seven minutes into this, and we haven't even bit that we think the Grizzlies or the rockets are legit. Is there like any other ones? I know the Rockets or Grizzlies are legit. You said to me, they got to get someone that can make some shots, right? I mean, at a certain point, your toughness, your rebound and your defense, it can only take you so far. They need to put the ball in the bucket. Memphis, they could score, no doubt about it. But when it comes down to it, how healthier are they going to become playoff time?

To me, it's like Golden State, Los Angeles. They need to make some sort of a trade. Golden State does if they want to be in the mix for this thing. I do think they could sneak out a playoff series win if they can, you know, get into that sixth seed. That would be ideal. But I look at the biggest contender to Oklahoma City is going to be the team that makes a move, whether it's Houston, whether it's Memphis, whether it's Denver.

Someone's got to make a move. Otherwise, I think Oklahoma City's cruising. I was going to ask if we take the Lakers and the Warriors and we just put their rosters together if they could get out of the playing tournament. we think that that's the thing that they know joe lake have tried to do that last year we was talking around to see like lebron might try not too late andy not you can get comminga we want a d not lebron we need a d i mean that would be the i think the warriors should do it again i don't see why not yeah i don't know what golden state's doing man it seems like they're just

kind of in purgatory right now and he probably feels the same way about the lakers um but with golden state it's like that they have assets to move if they want to move them but they talk the entire offseason about how that may be the play how they're looking for their big fish how they're always going to stay competitive with this current core but it doesn't seem like they want to move anyone so they are just kind of who they are at this point until they show me otherwise they did go after shrewd though get really yeah i mean they send some second to it until until someone makes a move in the west which is what happened to the thunder a year ago in some ways of like the mavericks went and loaded up with pj and they were

able to go get gafford and that changed this those two guys changed the series because in the non-chat minutes, Gafford was incredible, and the Mavericks just had the simple benefit of having two centers of the Thunder only had one. And then PJ, we know what he did to the Thunder. He single-handedly, nearly beat the Thunder by himself. And without those two moves, perhaps the Mavericks don't get past the Thunder, and it changes the entire playoff.

So whoever goes and gets Cam Johnson, whoever goes and gets Jimmy Butler could change how we're talking about this kind of stuff. I do think that of the two, rockets and Grizzlies, the Grizzlies are the much bigger threat to Oklahoma City into everybody out west. And for the Thunder specifically, Houston's a couple years away. I watched the Grizzlies the other night.

So the Grizzlies are super interesting. They're only running 35 pick and rolls a game. Like Phoenix runs 90. They run 35. They're doing totally different things than everyone else. They spread it five wide. They just drive it. They're not running.

And then they get into the final five minutes against Houston. And you know what they ran every play? High pick and roll with Brandon Clark and John Morant. Like I'm not sure that I buy that what the Grizzlies are doing right now actually parlayes. at all in the playoffs. They're in transition at an outrageous rate. That doesn't partly into the playoffs.

I think they're the ones who actually better have good seating and good matchups in the first round or they end quickly. That's why I think that they're really interesting because I think the Grizzlies may have the most options of any team in the West. Like OKC has variations on a theme, but the Grizzlies are like, all right, we're going to run double big with Edie and Jackson. All right, we're going to run four guards. with Jah and Bain and Wells and just go on down the line.

They have all this optionality, but you're kind of right that their bread and butter isn't a sound. My thing is, like, I like to hear from Jackson, like, what are the rockets? Is there a case that they're a year away, Jackson? That's what they are. They're a year away, right? I think they're who everybody, the skeptics think the thunder are in terms of being a year away. I think the thunder are ready.

I think Houston is what the. thunder were last year. And that's fine. Like they're not supposed to be a legit contender right now. They're ahead of schedule in the way I think Oklahoma City accelerated ahead of what some people projected. But when you talk about the thunder, whether or not they're ready, whether they've been through enough, I think that's actually Houston, not OKC. I think Houston is a direct comparison to Memphis in 21, 22, that team that lost the Warriors, but they were the two seed. I thought that Memphis team, Houston,

somewhat of a correlation there, but I digress. Let's do debate rules where Jackson gets to respond now that his team has been mentioned. Look, I mean, this Rockets team, they're still searching for their guy is the problem. They don't know who their true number one option is.

Look, they've had this quote that's been circulating earlier this season from Dylan Brooks. Sometimes you, sometimes me, always us. They have this team first approach for on any given night, right? You know, Jalen might be the best player. Shingoon might be the best player. Fred, Dylan, Amin, Tari, Javari back before the injury. But that's kind of- Bad, bad, bad. It's beneficial, but it's also problematic because on any given night, they really don't know what their offensive hierarchy is.

It's a problem. And when you don't know who your go-to guy is, when you don't know who's going to get the most shots on a given night, and when you've had the inconsistency from both of their best players in Alper and Shingun and Jailen Green this season, with Shingun regressing around the painted area and, you know, from three to ten, 10 feet. His efficiency has completely dropped off in those areas. And Jalen's just been really up and down this season. A strong start, slump for all of November, and then really picked up his play in December. And then January, he's been one of the best players in the NBA. They just don't know who their guy is. They've got an incredibly high floor because of their defense and being one of the best defenses in the entire NBA this season. But they've got serious question marks about whether or not they're actually going to be able to come out on top in a playoff series without a legitimate go-to guy down the stretch of close games.

Coming up, could they get that guy from one of these teams we're going to talk about? Which team is the most in trouble in the Western Conference? Is it the Sons? Is it the Lakers? This is the Warriors? Talk about all that and more coming up. Today's episode of Locked-on NBA Squad Show West

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Thanks for hanging out with us on a lockdown NBA squad show West. We've got a bunch of great hosts from all kinds of shows around the NBA. We have a daily show that covers your favorite team. Think about your favorite NBA team. We've got a show that covers your team. Check the link in the description to find a show. And we've got a bunch of teams right now in the West that are kind of in this limbo, not sure where they are area.

Which team is the most in trouble in the West right now? Phoenix, Sacramento, the Lakers, the Warriors, all open the floor because we have many of those hosts here right now. It's got to be a consensus pick, right? It's got to be the Phoenix Suns. And if, I mean, if we're talking about this season alone, because nobody from Phoenix is here to defend themselves. Yeah, they're playing right now.

I mean, no, it's the consensus pick because I'm looking at their incoming draft picks and they got, you know, a second in 2026 and they don't have a draft pick again until 2031. So they're screwed. Am I crazy in the short term? Oh, it's the Houston Rockets. There we go. Got their picks.

Am I crazy? Because in the short term for like a playoff series this year. I like Phoenix more than I like the Lakers and the Warriors in a playoff series. Well, the difference is that at least the Warriors, they can make some moves if need be. I granted, they only have a few weeks to do it, but they can make some moves.

They can add to the team. They've talked about potentially getting Vucavich, who just put up 40 points for Chicago. He's a 20 and 10 guy. How much is he losing me. He doesn't hurt. He doesn't hurt. He doesn't be a job.

I'm sure. You could trade for Lowry. Oh, wait. No. Oh, how the Warriors hypothetical. trades during the season have fallen. Like we've gone from Jimmy Butler to Larry marketing. Jimmy Butler, that was all media narrative. Jimmy Butler was never on the table. I'll say this, though. You're right. I mean, Phoenix does have, I guess, the most potential for

everyone to kind of figure it out, especially with Nick Richards now down low. Shout out Kentucky Wildcats. You know, he's nice. He gives you some shot blocking. He could step out, hit a jumper, and gives you definitely an ability to grab rebounds, block shots, and protect the rim. But if we're talking like who's in the best spot moving forward, it's definitely not the Phoenix Suns. I think it's the Warriors. They're stuck, man. They're stuck. First off, we have fallen from light years from we are light years ahead to maybe Nick Voochievich can save us.

Goodbye. That's behind the curve of that. You know what I've prepared this to? You know what I've compared this to, Matt, is in the end, I'm not going to spoil it for you if you've seen it, but it's the show Penguin that's out there with Colin Farrell. There's a scene at the end and he says, before he does something drastic, he says, family makes you weak. And if you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. But it's kind of this case with the Warriors. Like they're afraid to make the move. They're afraid to pull the plug. And that's what they got to do. In order to move forward, McConaughey said it best. Sometimes you got to go back, although in this case, they don't want to. go back. They want to cut ties. And the issue is, is they're, they're keeping all these pieces in check from championship teams, the Patens, the Loonies. Let's forget Steph here. But Andrew Wiggins, who's not the problem, Draymond Green. And at some point, they got to do something, change something up. And it just doesn't seem like they're willing to do that. Chuck's had a lot of time to watch some TV

and movies with the Warriors not going deep in the playoffs anymore. Two references and one answer. When Draymond was like, was like, no, we're all in on this. Like, we don't think we should sacrifice the franchise's future to win right now. And I'm like, who do you think we is going to be here, Dre? Yeah, Clay Thompson would like to know that too. How do you think this ends for you? Because if Janus goes on the table this summer, you should probably get used to Bratworth. You're ready to learn Bratworth, buddy. Go to the, go see the brewers in action. Is there a case for anybody else? We've mentioned the sun's a bunch. The Warriors, Andy, are Lakers in there at all. LeBron is 40.

Really? No one has covered that. I don't know why no one in the NBA is covering that. Did you know he has a child? Many children, congrats. Who plays in the NBA? Stop. Wait, next thing you're going to tell me is he's played, I don't know, I'll throw out a number 22 years in the league.

Yeah. His son has played 22 seconds with him. Because I'm clearly behind. How close is LeBron? to becoming the all-time scoring leader in the NBA. Like, is he in the ballpark? I'll ask Kennerch Williams. This is so embarrassing.

My boss is part of this chat, and I didn't know any of it. This is terrible. Just getting exposed, like the Lakers lately. Yeah, I mean, they've- Andy, what's the defensive issue, though? Seriously, like, I keep looking at the numbers and the defense is- The show is limited to another 12 minutes,

David. Fair, fair, fair. They're not, I mean, if you look at them on paper, they're not suited to be a great defensive team. team, the only way that they, I think, can really be as good as they've been for a while, beyond a few schematic things, like they need to stop any impulse they ever have to switch one through five automatically, just stop it because they neither have the personnel in terms of skill sets, but also like collectively the motor and the mentality to pull off that type. I think switching plays

into this team's sort of mental weakness isn't exactly what I'm looking for, but they don't have a real go mentality, and a lot of ways to me, them switching feels like you're feeding into the exercise of quite literally trading off

your work to somebody else, like you're giving somebody else your work to do, but they have to play hard at all times, and it requires everybody to do that. And they have to execute on both sides at all times.

Like it was interesting yesterday after the Clippers loss, both JJ and LeBron conceded that, yeah, this is not a roster where they have much margin for error. They do it on a podcast? A year ago. They had a podcast too, Andy, in case you missed that. My God. JJ, you know, like on Earth 2,

J.J. Reddick is doing the old man and the three. talking about, you know, what kind of idiot would have signed up for this job coaching the Lakers? Particularly if, you know. Charles Barkley's actually doing that for him. Particularly if said, particularly if said idiot had already managed to rise to the top of the media landscape in shockingly little time. And by the way, really good at it. But they don't have a real margin for error.

They don't have a super high ceiling or a super high floor. I don't think they're a bad team. Like they're not. but they have to play at the top of their game at all times that's difficult to do, particularly when, as it turns out, one of their players is 40. Are we underselling the Timberwolves here at all with the Julius Randall trade, how that turned out. I know we got Anthony Edwards, but they've got cap situation coming up, new ownership.

They're selling off this. It's felt like the cat trade was all money. Anybody hate their future? It still got outs. I think they trade Randall. I think they tried Jaden McDaniel, then they can reshape the team. I think they'll be fine. What about the Clippers?

I mean, come on, Norman Pal and Company. They've been hot, man. The four-game winning streak, best streak in the West right now. Is there a chance that Lawrence Frank was right to not resign Paul George? Norman Pals been better than him this year. Yeah, way better. If Clippers Rockets is a playoff series, who wins and can anyone tell because no one would watch it? NBA TV, direct to NBC TV, Jason.

Jackson, are you even watching that? you're like, I don't know if you're watching the Rockets right now. If the new age Houston Rockets were able to eliminate James Harden in the first round, the narrative around that's crazy incredible. People are absolutely tuning in for that series. How dare you, Matt? All right. If Phoenix, Golden State, and the

Warriors make the playoffs, which is actually probably not possible, which one do you think is most likely to pull a first round upset over Memphis or Houston? Phoenix, the Warriors are the Lakers or the Timberwolves? I left the Timberwolves out. So the Warriors twice. Warriors,

Lakers, Lakers, Sons. Lakers can absolutely upset Memphis. Absolutely. They still don't have an answer for him. Darren can't do anything.

AD gets absolutely beasted by everyone who's bigger than him and that's like the one guy he gets. He gets that one guy. And then everyone else. Memphis doesn't have a big, Memphis does not have a big Euro center, which is the kryptonite for.

Where's E. Is John Moran healthy for that game? Because Warriors are 2 and O without Jada. this season. So I like your chances. He's not. I would love to pick the Sons in this, but I don't know what's been going on with Devin Booker this year. At one point, we were comparing him to Shea. Like him and Shea were in the same category. And now it's just like not even close.

Locked on Sons, it was drastic. Like, I listened one week and it was like, this is a real title contender. Second week. There are maybe some problems. Third week. Welcome back to Locked on Sons. I'm going to start drinking now. Like, I mean, it was crap. How about that way down there?

The set the slow descent into a daily show madness. I think we've all gone through where you slowly realize your team is not as good as you thought they were going to be. I mean, Chuck, at the beginning of season, I was like, oh, man, I may be really wrong about the Warriors. And now I wasn't wrong about them at all. Yeah, it's kind of what we come to expect. It's an interesting team, though, man. They either get, you know, 20 points from Buddy Heel and they're 10 and O when they get the 20 points or they shoot it 32% from the floor. It doesn't make it. When you're relying on Buddy Heal to shoot like 75% from behind the arc, probably not a sustainable form.

I was like, maybe it's a new system. You know, new system? He's figured it out. The former lottery pick. He's playing like he did at Oklahoma. Yeah, no, it did. Which team has surprised us the most in the West? Coming up, we'll talk about that and get into it on all the other West teams. On today's Lockdown NBA Squad Show West. Today's episode of Locked on NBA Squat Show West brought to you by Prize Picks.

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No need to win to get the bonus. It's guaranteed. to prize picks, run your game. We're here in Lockdown NBA Squad Show West, and I want to talk about the team that surprised us the most. So this is kind of, this is open to anybody. Who is the team that has surprised you that they are a lot worse, like the Pelicans, a lot better,

like the Rockets. I think the Rockets are a team that surprised me a lot. I thought they would be in the, I had them in like the 7 to 9 range. I thought they'd be better than they were last year, but to see them number two comfortably right now, Jackson, like that is a team that surprised me a lot. They surprised me.

What they've been in? every level of expectations that they set for themselves this season. I had them pegged going in as like top end of the playing tournament and maybe if things broke really, really well for them, they'd be fighting for like a fifth or sixth seed in the West. And they've been comfortably the two seed for most of the season, right? Again, it's that high floor with the defense. And then on the nights where they are able to try and, you know, figure, you know, a couple things out offensively, Falper and Shingoon shows up. If you get a big night from one of the guards via Jalen Green or Fred Van Fleet, then that's what you're going to.

That's what the recipe for success is. When you get Shingoon, who's been their most consistent piece all season, and then one of the guards steps up and actually plays like a dynamic downhill threat and is able to kind of be the robin to his Batman, things look good offensively. But there have been a lot of games where things don't look good offensively because of the inconsistency. So yeah, they have a- A lot of a positive surprise this season. Can I have a minute with my fellow stat geek Matt Moore over here for a second?

Matt, how have they put 12 in a few? efficient offensive players all on the same roster and somehow been okay offensively? I mean, I think it's, I love that just kind of has to do with like, they don't look as good under the hood when you kind of get into it. You start running into a lot of like, huh, that's weird. I think that there's probably a little bit. Like, if you look at their shot profile, that's been a lot of it. E-May's always had really good shot profiles.

It was that way in, it was that way in Boston. It's been that way. they actually don't take as many threes as they probably need to. But I mean, like, look, when you have to have look at their offense, they've had a pretty weak offensive schedule, I think, as part of it, to be quite honest with you. And I think the other thing is they get run and they really press you. And they're really good in mid-transition.

That's the other area where I think they really excel is they're able, because they get stopped and because they get turnovers, they're hitting you in not only transition, but mid-transition before the defense gets set. I think when they get into a playoff environment, if they get into a playoff environment and it's like your turn, my turn, your turn, my turn. They're going to really struggle trying to get separation. That plus the usual Jalen Green blip on the radar, I think, is how they've managed to do it.

David, I know you cover the 10 and 30 Utah Jazz and are the voices. We're not surprising. There's nothing surprising about how bad that is. No, no, no. Did you watch Duke versus Syracuse? Did you see Rutgers last night? There's nothing surprising about what's going on in Utah. can I give one little note that I think surprising and I need to throw out there because it's bothering me. Do you know the worst defensive team in the NBA is the last 10 games? The San Antonio Spurs.

How is that possible when you have Victor Webb and Yama on your roster to be the worst defensive team in the entire NBA and then we're going to vote in defensive player of the year? Maybe we shouldn't have cast our ballots for Victor yet. I mean, when the Thunder have a historically great defense, I might add. I'm going to go with Ryland on this one, by the way. Ronald, by the way, we had to squint to find somebody close to as good as the Thunder in the opening segment is probably the most truthful statement that's been made in this show. Thank you.

Who's the candidate, though, Ron? Like, who's the- Well, that's the thing. They're going to split the votes. I would say that, like, She deserves a ton of credit for what he does on both ends. But then J-Dub has been magnificent this season. And I think that J-Dub should be the defensive player of the year because you just do not see guys who can legitimately defend one through five. And he's had to play center for two different stints now this season.

and as someone who came into the league playing point guard in college and has now had to play the four, now play the five, he plays all over the court, and his defense has legitimately been there, you know, making a leap on that end of the four. I don't care at all about the All-Star game. Like, I, like, nothing bores me more than conversations about what's wrong with the All-Star game. How do we think, like when the answer is just scrap it, it's an obsolete concept. They don't serve the same purpose as they used to when it used to be something that players needed for marketing in like 1997. It's a different world now. Like all leagues, their version of the All-Star game sucks. But I've been angered at the idea that Jay Will,

might not make the All-Star team this year. Like it honestly strikes me as a travesty. He has been that good this year. As the play-by-played out to this group, I'd like to just point out that the Thunder stupid thing about Jay Will and J. Dub doesn't work because one of you just referred to him as J-dub and the other is J-Will. But the other one doesn't play anymore. So just get on.

He's just starting to take our phone. He's right now. He took like five charges the other day against the mouse. Well, he leads the league in that two years ago. Did I just lobby really hard for the wrong guy to make him? Yeah, you lobby for the Arkansas job J-will, which I don't blame you, man. Listen, if there's one thing the officer against missing, it's damn charges, all right? Someone after you're saying it.

His mom calls in J-dub, and that's the only reason I'm okay with it. Like, that's it. If your mom calls you that. What does your mom call you, Matt? She calls me Matthew, which I do not like. Mine is rarely. What? is anybody surprised by sacramento they had this like they've had this like up and down season where

they went way down i mean it was it was the depths were deep then they fire mike brown and now now they're back and they're like above 500 and then play in and that's kind of where a lot of people expected them matt george aleck i killed him for firing mac brown thought it was reprehensible horrible horrible firing matt george went on and was like welcome back literally matt george said welcome back to basketball hell and then like it it it just worked It just, it just, I don't understand it. There's one guy in this room that knows the story here that might be able to give us some insight. Andy Kaminitsky, how long did Mike Brown hold his team in Los Angeles?

One season in five games and one Kobe death stare. That glare that he gave Mike Brown, I believe after either game four or game five, the final one of that season. I mean, to be fair to Mike, he was not the right guy for that. job at that particular time for that particular team. Like it was anybody who's ever, I mean, I think Chuck would know this or anybody who's been around Mike Brown. He is incredibly meticulous. Like he's one of the few guys that I think could actually at times be over prepared and

overstudied in ways that hurts him. And I remember when they hired Mike Brown, like the first season, it was during that lockout offseason. So teams did not have access to any of their players. but they did have access to their coach. So they did the Lakers did this thing with Mike Brown where he had like a bunch of local guys, including me, had lunch with Mike Brown. And then he sat with us and wanted to go over his vision for the team, take questions.

And I remember he took out these three three ring binders. It was thick, big. One of them was labeled offense. The next one was labeled defense. And the third one was labeled practice. And I was like, this ain't going to work. This ain't. I mean, this was a group with like Kobe.

and Pau and Derek Fisher and like all of these super experienced guys that your biggest concern was how are you going to get them through a whole season, not like make sure they practice three hours five days a week. And I think sometimes maybe Mike can be a little too meticulous for his own good. I mean, I don't know if maybe that just and I truly have no idea, but I'm just since David brought up the idea of my experience with Mike who for what it's worth on a personal level, love the guy. I wonder if maybe that war on guys at some point, but I really don't know. Two teams we haven't really mentioned yet, as far as a surprise. I'm kind of surprised where the pelicans are,

but it's only just because of how injured they have been. We didn't talk about them as like a team with a bad future. No, we were doing that dark horse segment on the squad show or whatever, the preview show. And I said Memphis was the dark horse, but deep down wanted to say New Orleans. Thank God I didn't.

They've been awful. Yeah, I think that the reason they're not surprising is because it's kind of just so explainable. They've just been hurt. And I don't think that they have a bad future because they have a lot of outs to get out of whatever you think is going to hold them back. They kind of get out of Joe free cards littered throughout their arsenal. So I'm fine with New Orleans. You know, in some ways, they remind me a bit of when we were talking about the Lakers and the Warriors and I guess the Suns on some level. Like when things aren't working, do you have the Cajones to do blank?

And with, you know, like the Lakers, for example, it would be, do you have the Cajonis to say to LeBron? This isn't working. It could be in everyone's best interest to perhaps move on. Same thing with like the warriors. Or do they have, not that they'd move Steph. That's a different thing. But the idea of do you have the Cajones to not be good in the twilight of Steph's career, even if that is what's best for the organization?

With the Pelicans is, do you have the Cajonis to admit that Zion? this seemingly can't miss prospect the face of your franchise post AD, it's not working. And for whatever reason, it's not likely going to work in this setting. Do you have the colonies to move on? It's two in a row, though, AD and Zion to have the number one pick not work. So the Pelicans, if you look at that. But it's not working. And it doesn't look like it's ever going to work, whether it's the Pelicans fault, Zion's fault, both whatever.

the wise on some level don't even matter as much as what we know to be the truth the last team that we have not mentioned at all is the blazers i'm just going to open the floor any any thoughts on the blazers in any way how did the blazers and pelicans talked about a zion for the number three pick swap on draft night like medicals were exchanged and somehow both teams lost by not doing that trade I don't know how they did that But somehow both teams lost not doing that trade If you could trade for Zion, would you? Anyone in this room?

No. As a spectator of the Warriors every single night, absolutely. I'd love to see him and stuff. I would trade for Zion. Absolutely. Absolutely. As the Utah Jazz,

I would trade for Zion. If you can buy low on Zion, sure. But how much are you willing to actually pay for a guy that hasn't been able to be healthy at all consistently in his career. He played like 65 games. One time. 70 last year.

I'd move on from Draymond Green and throw him in that power forward position tomorrow if that's what it took. New Orleans wants some culture? Chuck's going to be featured on the Dremont show tomorrow. I feel like he's destined to wind up in Charlotte. It's going to be Lamello and Zion playing seven really exciting games with these.

Sorry, Doug Branson. I just saw Lamello. I don't even know what I watched. I have no idea what I think of that. You haven't seen Lamello in person last year to this year if you're not making a reaction. It's an experience on of itself that I've never seen. I've never. Doug keeps trying to defend him to me on the NBA on Locked on NBA Daily.

He's trying to be like, no, you don't understand. It's just that there's no talent. And I'm just like, Doug, I don't care who you're, I don't care if you're on a YMCA squad. I don't care how bad it is. I don't care if you're on the Lakers. Like, you cannot play like that. Like, that is wretched. Is it possible that given his new Def Jam contract,

Jello could be the one that has, like, in his own right, the career with the highest trajectory or like the most accomplice? I mean, he just one hit. It took one hit. At least Lemell's made one All-Star. He's probably going to make another one. Or that the Warriors are actually still glad they drafted James Wiseman? I mean, look, Lonzo was the prototype of what they needed.

It sucks that Lonzo's gotten so hurt because he's a legitimately talented, I think, really fun player. But the health is an issue. Like Lamello has had injury concerns. And clearly there's some level of, you know, discipline that is not there with Lamello. And the meantime, Jello's got a big hit. Is it just me or did Lavaar just disappear off the face of this earth? He went from being on every single segment in a. America.

His work here is done. The real question is, if you can roll all the ball brothers together into one brother, get the health from Lamello, the talent, whatever, and then also Jello's rap career, would that be the greatest NBA player of all time? That's like a 2K, my career where you, don't they have like a whole thing where you can create a music? It's the new Dame Liller. All right.

Great stuff from everybody on the squad show. We'll be doing these weekly. There's also an Eastern Conference one. Matt Moore, one more thing. No, I just needed to add. I just really want to thank Jackson for stopping by before six period. French. It was really great of him. He stopped flying his way out.

Off-campus lunch spent here on the Lockton NBA. Thanks for hanging out with us. That's it.