Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - NBA West Squad: The CONFUSING case of Western Conference Teams

Episode Date: March 19, 2025

On today’s show, the Locked On panel analyze the Dallas Mavericks' decision to bring back Anthony Davis, questioning the strategy behind this move. The conversation shifts to the Los Angeles Clippers, exploring their current form and playoff prospects. The hosts debate the Phoenix Suns' struggles and their chances of making the playoffs. The discussion then turns to broader NBA topics, including the grueling March schedule and its impact on teams. The hosts also evaluate the effectiveness of the play-in tournament and propose potential changes to the NBA season structure. Throughout the podcast, the hosts offer insightful analysis and engaging banter on the state of the Western Conference. 0:00 Intro: What are teams in the West doing?5:56 Analyzing the Mavericks' recent moves10:41 Clippers' current status and playoff prospects15:58 Suns struggling to take 10th seed from Mavs20:37 Are the Suns really dead in the water?24:31 Is the NBA season too long in March?29:46 Debating the merits of the play-in tournament  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.

They just sent him to the G League and they recalled him today. Like they're ramping him up. Here we go. Ready? Three, two. On today's show, what are they doing? We're going to go through a bunch of teams in the West and talk about what are they doing, including the Mavericks, the Clippers, talking about the Suns and more. Today's like going to be a squad show West.

You are talking ball with the NBA West Squad Show. From the Warriors to the Lakers, the Mavericks to the Nuggets and everyone else in the West. The local experts of the Lockdown 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. You're Lockdown NBA Squad Show West. My name is Nick Engstead, host of the Lockdown Maverick Show. Still. This is the squad show. We take over the feed of your favorite show. It's an open invite for any host to join and talk about anything they want in the NBA's Western Conference.

This episode is brought to you by prize picks. the app. Use the code Lockdown NBA to get $50 instantly when you play your first $5 lineup prize picks run your game. Joining me today from Lockdown Thunder, Rylan Stiles, Lockdown Lakers, Andy Kamenetski, we're still friends. Lockdown Clippers, Darien Fisierry, locked on Nuggets. He loves your team so much, Matt Moore. Gentlemen, we may go somewhere completely different today, but let's start with what are they doing? We're playing a game where we go, what are they doing? And we go to different teams and try and figure out what they're doing. And we're going to start, I got

outvoted today. We're going to start with the Dallas Mavericks. because they have assigned Anthony Davis to the G-League team, and they recalled him today, and Mark Stein reports that he is ramping up to return to the Dallas Mavericks this season. What are they doing? The Mabs are trying to save face in any way that they can with this one. And they're going to try to bring him back.

They're going to try to keep their 10th spot that the Sons don't want to take from them. And they're going to try to play the thunder in the first round, Rylan. They are going to try to play the thunder in the first round, and I don't really know why. I mean, I think that they should really focus on the ability to get their draft pick higher, of course, and kind of just reset from what's been an awful year from morale standpoint, from the on-court product standpoint.

But, you know, if they want to try to get the eight seed, more power to them, they don't have Kyrie to help them out, but they still have BJ Washington. So I don't get it. I would not do this if I was Dallas. I would just embrace the tank. It doesn't seem like they're doing that, though. And I can't think of a reason why they shouldn't. What I think is really interesting about this is the idea, forget the idea of embracing the tank, lottery odds, all that stuff.

if you're trying to spin this forward and trying to get fans more excited by, say, bringing back Anthony Davis and having him back on the court, the centerpiece of that Luca deal, AD with this squad that is still available now, like this, you know, as Bill Simmons would often say, the zombie mavericks, you're not going to win games anyway. And I think you actually run a bigger risk of pissing off. Mavericks fans even more and making the return look even worse because you're putting AD now in this position of having to carry a team that damn near nobody in the league would be able to do anything with much less Anthony Davis coming back from injury having barely played with these guys. So from an optics standpoint, if that's the goal, I mean, look, I have more of a belief in AD than say Matt Moore. But even with that being acknowledged, like that's just a big lift on AD.

And I don't know if it's going to have the desired effect. I mean, the worst part about this is the Mavericks fans are going to be able to look at last year when they beat the thunder, when they had Luca. And then even if they get out, which by the way, but just for we're clear, no 10 seed in the four years of the playing tournament has ever made it out of the 10 seed. Did any of them, like Anthony Davis? Like, or Max Christy. That's right. Uh-huh. And so, and so, you know, they're unlikely to make it out of the play in, but even if they do,

because they're going to be in the 10 or the 9, they would have to play OKC. That's it. And so Mavericks fans will have to go to the games and see the same team that beat the same team last year. Luke gets stomped by the same team this year. That. Mavs are. three and oh against the thunder this year without luka i mean i'll say i don't love i don't love the anthony davis match up for the thunder i just think it's a tough one for them because like ad's just

i mean he's a tough cover for a lot of teams and so especially if you're not like the thunder have bigs like i say has a really good big and chet's a really good big but they're not like big hulking dudes you need like big physical guys to but to bother him and then ad is just kind of like oh no my shoes their euros yeah And so that's kind of the, I don't know how this. I mean, I don't know. Daryan, like, do you think, is there any good, is there any good? What's like the, what's the best case scenario for the Mavericks here?

Best case scenario would be to get the 10th seat, I think, make it be that one first team to make it to the play, to the playoffs from the plane as the 10 seed. And then maybe win one game against OKC to the point where some Mavs fans are like, if we had Kyrie, you know, next year, run it back. we'll have you know we'll be this team will be really good but i was going to ask you guys what's the difference you guys think between the the ninth pick or like the 14th pick because right now there's 13 teams are the worst record than the mabs so if the season would end right now they probably have the odds for like what the 12th or 13th pick in the draft so how much do you guys think there's a big difference in pick nine versus pick 13 or 14 i mean they moved up from where were they at when they tanked out nick

they never they've never moved up but they no but they move they try to it up to get lively, right? Yeah, I trade a one pick with a funder or two picks. Yeah, so that's, that's like the objective here. I think it's like the numbers say that like top 10, you're likely to get an all star, 10 to 15, you're likely to get a starter 15 to 20. You're likely to either rotation player and anything after that is kind of like, who knows? Or you guys, I'm sorry, let me, let me restate that. Anything after 20, you're a rotation player for the Denver Nuggets. That's, that's true. For better or worse, sickness and health. I think in some ways the answer to Dariens's question. I mean, specific to Dallas, but also broadly across the league, like, you know,

or Matt's question, what's the difference between 9 and 14, Darian or Matt, whoever asked it now, that was so two minutes ago. I think in a lot of ways, the answer is how good is Dallas's scouting department? How good is whoever scouting department from 9 through 14? Because like, that's when you really start either splitting hairs between certain players or really, you know, how good are you at identifying your own needs and who, fits those needs well. You need to have a front office that can identify their own needs and decide what is best for their team going forward as well as.

Well, I mean, to be fair to Dallas, the scouting report guys, you know, the scouts probably had very little to do with this decision involving Luca and AD. The front office of the Mavericks has only made like three draft picks. One of them was Derek lively. Great. One of them was OMAX Prosper. Not so good. Traded for that one.

And the other one was Jaden Hardy in the second round. It's all right. Fine. And then another one is a draft and stash guy. That's a good set in the second round. So it's been hit or miss right there. But to me, this is just so desperate. It's just so desperate from the Mavericks.

And Darien's right. Maybe if they win one game against the Thunder, that's been my one question. If they can win one game against the Thunder in the first round, does it make all the end of the season worth it? And I've been asking a bunch of Mavericks fans, and they're like, maybe.

Like maybe. But I think what a lot of people want is it for it to just end. Can it just end? Can we just like let this season play out and just be done with it and move on and then move forward when the guys, some of the guys are going to be healthy next season. And even Kyrie probably won't be back until like January or February or something like that. And so when we're playing though, what are they doing? The Mavericks, it's a play of desperation right now. It is. And they have to, I feel like they have to make a push to save face in a way because if they don't even make the play in, it's going to look like a complete disaster. Which just because they had to. a good team. I'm sorry. Hey,

now it's going to look like a complete disaster. It's going to be confirmation or even more evidence. But if, because it's not just the one game against O KC, you'd have to have won two playing,

playing games. They're going to be playoff kind of atmospheres and, you know, intensity. And that would make the front office of the Mavis be like, look,

there's a vision here and try to sell what they've already done. I just feel like that's what they're going to try to do. To take up for the Mavericks a little bit. Now, no, far be it for me to take up for the Mavericks the last month and a half or so. Doesn't an Anthony Davis,

like an Anthony Davis, Derek lively, he's ramping up to come back to. Doesn't that front court plus PJ Washington, plus some of the wings that they have, Clay Thompson, you know, Caleb Martin,

if he ever plays games, you know, and so on. Isn't that a better team than like the Kings, what the Clippers are right now? Like the team's in the play in right now. Like wouldn't they be better suited

to actually make the playoffs then? Because Matt said that the 10th seat has never made it. But who's going to get them the ball? Who's going to help them? you're not better than us without kairie i just want to know what happens when dallas gets this eight seed and doesn't have enough players to suit up like does o kc i mean do they have to play these games like do they just go to the second round wins the title with one round being a forfeit oh yeah i mean these are the things right

what a fraud title that would be oh you still haven't played the mavericks at full strength I need to ask Darien. Darren, are you guys good? Are you guys not good? Like, I, I, we're good. Coming up, what are they doing? The Los Angeles Clippers, we'll tell you, Darien will explain it all. Today's Lockdown NBA Squad Show West.

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Thanks for hanging out on Locked on Bs Squad Show West. We have a show that covers your favorite team in the Western Conference. We're taking over the feed and we're letting everybody sound off. Today we're playing, what are they doing? Matt Moore asked the question. Clippers, what are they doing? Dari and Viziri, answer the question. I think the best version of the Clippers, we still don't even know what that is

because Kauai Leonard has been in that ramp up stage of the season right now, which typically has not been the case. Some people had the theory that in the beginning of the season, the clippers were always going to rest Kauai and wait to the second half of the season to play him. So then when he hits stride, it's playoff time. I'm like, that's ridiculous. You don't have that kind of margin for error in the NBA

to rest your best player half the season. I don't believe they rested him half the season. I genuinely believe he couldn't really play. But it actually has worked out in that way that it seems like he's trying to look better by the game. But to answer Matt's question about how are we good? I think we're definitely decent. we're pretty good.

How good? I still don't know because it all depends on if we're going to get that version of Kauai, which we started to see him slowly get a little bit better. I don't know if we're going to get the same all-NBA player we got last year to tell you the truth, but we still have about 14 games to figure it out. And the clippers are trending in the right direction. We won six out of our last seven games, and Kauai's looked better defensively.

As far as what we're doing, it's clear what we're doing, stalling to what we can actually do something in the offseason of 2020. 26 because they understand that we have given up all our draft capital for Paul George and James Hardin. So we're kind of stuck. The best the Clippers can do is, you know, make it to the playoffs in the first season at Intuit Dome. I think that would be a real treat for us as fans to host playoff games at Intuit Dome.

If you're asking me, do I like the direction of the franchise? I'm pretty public about that I've been very disenchanted with my team for the last three years to the point where it's felt a lot more like work than it's my true fandom. I'll be very honest about that. Welcome to the club. But what else can I do? I mean, this is the best. The best case scenario is that the clippers make it to the playoffs,

whether six seed or some other. I would prefer six seed. Obviously, you don't have to go on through the play and grind, but to secure a series, I think seventh seed or six seed against a Houston or a Memphis. Who do you want? If you get your first round.

You know what, Nick? Since I was a young man, I've been wanting that third. Since yesterday, today. Since I was a teenager, I've been wanting that Yesterday today. No, that third, over 10 years ago, that third matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies that both fan bases deserve. In 2012 and 13, we exchanged blows.

And I still have not, I saw Tony Allen getting his number retired the other day and my blood started boiling. I mean, I want that rematch with a totally different set of players with both teams. I want that rematch and I want to knock them out. I like how Darren's like, what else can we do? and Andy's like, why didn't you just trade for Luke Kodontas? Why didn't you just do that? And Rylan Thiles is like, why didn't you just draft like 17 wings? Why is it so hard for you?

Why don't just keep SGA? I don't know. That's what you could have done. Let's build around XGA. Kauai, man, ask him. I see, and this is, I was annoyed with them last year. And like, they're better than I thought they would be. And I think I'm always on this roller coaster with Ty Lou where half the time, I'm like, man,

he's doing such a phenomenal job. Like this year, I think he's done. a tremendous job. And then there are years where I'm like, what are you, what, I'm like, what are you doing? Like last year's playoff run, I was like, what are you doing? They like give Zubach the ball. Daniel Gafford is guarding him. Give him the ball.

Yeah. And they were just like, no, we're going to take some jumpers. Nah. I'd never know what to do with Tylo. Yeah, that's all reasonable. There's, there's been criticisms of him. There was the Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris, you know, being way too high on them while they were not playing well enough anymore in that 20, 23 season.

And the zoo criticism has been. constant over the last couple of years. And I just want to give him a shout out because I can't give him enough shoutouts. He's been amazing this season, Zubots. But Ty's been great. I think the thing about Ty, we all have to realize, too, is how many NBA coaches get judged the way he has where he doesn't even have his best player half the time that he's taking the job? Like, it's what other coach has to deal with that?

I think Tylo is incredible at maximizing what he has on a consistent basis. Like you can argue or debate the wisdom of individual decisions in a vacuum. But you'd be hard pressed to find a coach who has consistently done a better job over like the last five years making the most out of what he has than Tailu. And he hasn't had, since he took the job, he hasn't had one postseason with all his star players healthy, not once. It's like, I do think that he's not. not beyond criticism when when things go wrong and when he makes certain decisions, but

can we give the guy a fair shot? That's a lot of Clipper fans and people that are so quick to blame coaches, I just don't think they give him the grace for that. He's fine. I want to hear Ryan... Point, counterpoint. He's fine. I want to hear Rileyland perspective, I mean, how does it feel

seeing, you know, the trade finally flip hands? I mean, in the beginning, when we first made the trade, Clippers had the better team, Thunder were lottery. and now it's historically great regular season for the Thunder and Clippers are wallowing in mediocrity. Yeah, I mean, I think that the trade, like, it benefited both teams at the time,

and it's parlayed its way to the Thunder's advantage because SGAs became an MVP of this league and all these draft picks, one of them turned to the J-Dub, we'll see what the rest of them turned into in terms of net value for the Thunder. But at the time, like the Thunder needed to start a new era. That was not working. with Paul George and Russell Westbrook.

At the time, the clippers needed to land Kauai Leonard, and apparently the only way to do that was trading for Paul George. I would have called Kauai's bluff on that a little bit if I was the Clippers, but they didn't. And it's just, again, playing the results to an extent of had the Clippers want a title in that stretch, then they would have been viewed as winning the trade, even though long term it set the thunder up very good. But now that they didn't, and now that it came kind of crashing down, so to say,

it's all about the Thunder High. But I do think that it benefited both teams and what their goal was that specific moment in time. The Clippers goal was to make their team better, land a couple stars because Paul George was third an MVP voting that season coming off of it. And so the Thunder needed to rebuild. So it set them both up. But the Thunder with the patient approach, I think have done the right strategy of team building and of setting themselves up for future success that hopefully comes their way. So I do think, though, that the Thunder took the right approach and got the better into that deal, obviously. You said Paul George was third an MVP and like in my brain initially.

I was like, that can't be, that can't be right. I don't know. It's right. I did a whole profile on him. Andy, you might be confused here. Sometimes in the, not yours, but like sometimes the league teams trade and both teams get something good out of it instead of just the Lakers. I know, it's confusing. And like, maybe you think that the other five is so silly for that.

Matt, I am old enough to remember the. Russell Westbrook deal. Like, I mean, let's not get crazy like the idea. And the Vita Zubat deal. Right. Yes, exactly. Like Muscala. Sure, you, I was going to say, sure,

you can debate for eons who won the Mike Muscala Vita Zubat's deal. But I mean, the Lakers have had some instances where they weren't just gifted the best player, no questions asked. I mean, even getting AB, they gave up a lot a talent and draft collateral in the process. It's not like they just were given AD. But yeah, this one. They were kind of given AD, but it's fine. Clippers. No, no, no. They were,

I think the AD deal was going to happen in the sense of one way or another, the organization was forced to make this happen, but they gave up a lot in the process. And real quick, that's why I think that the Clippers messed up on in their deal. Like, why didn't you, forced Paul George to make a mess of things and ruin the thunder's leverage. But instead, the thunder leveraged the raptors against the clippers and they got the better end of it by keeping everything in the shadows. So it's very fascinating that Paul George, if it really was all about getting Kauai and they had to get Paul George, that he didn't move publicly and create some of that disadvantage in the trade market.

We probably got to talk about Sons if we're doing the what are you doing. Yes. What are they doing? The Phoenix Sons talk about that and more coming up. Lockdown to VA squad show West. Today's episode of Lockdown on TV Squad Show West is brought to you by Prize Picks. Price Pics's Daily Fantasy made easy and if you're still watching games, like maybe if you're a Suns fan,

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All right, it's the Locked NBA Squad Show West. We've got some of the greatest Western Conference hosts here. And the sons are not here. Neither Brendan Clean nor Clown Garcia are here on the squad show today. Shout out to Ben and shout out to Kevin Durant calling out Ben. Ben Garcia. But what are the suns doing? Matt, like, where do we start with this sun's team?

Because they just, they just will not take this 10th seed from the Mavericks. And the Mavs have been wallowing for a while now, like over a month. Okay. So I don't think they're dead in the water. This year or ever? For making the playoffs this year and maybe figuring some stuff out.

I understand how bad it looks. So I look at the schedule, right? They have that comeback win versus the clippers. They're down 25 and everybody is like, you're dead. Like, this team is ruined. And then they come back and they win that game. Okay, they go on and they lose an overtime in Denver. All right.

They get beat by the Rockets on the road. Houston's a really good team. I think they got another one in there. And then the Lakers game on Sunday, like, yeah, the Lakers game on Sunday was like, I'm just telling you, if Luca Dodgers has Jackson Hayes and one of Dorian Finney Smith or Rui Hachamura and they're at home, you're probably going to lose. Like, if you're not one of the big three, if you're not O KC, Cleveland, Boston, I think you're losing that game. That's how good I think the Lakers are right now.

So I'm actually like kind of going the other way and swerving a little bit and being like, they're running out of time. They're going to do the thing at some point. But I do think that there's like a short term kind of thing there. Now long term, there's just there's nothing good. I don't know what happens here. I don't think book wants to leave. There's no reason to think that book.

Booker, Booker seems to really enjoy being the son's guy. Like he seems to really enjoy that. You sure getting buddy buddy with JJ Reddick and Rob Polinka the other day, walking into the game. Wow. I mean, they can probably, let's see. Let's see. They could trade,

trade Jameson the third probably for. Devin's the market standards. But like, Reeves in the package to get Mark Williams and I don't know. You know, and I wish Jackson was actually on because I would like to know if the Rockets have any sort of confidence that they, can actually do the blackmail thing, not blackmail with extortion.

Sorry, that's a much more accurate description. They can actually. A legal thing. Yeah, different. If they can extort Devin Booker from them in exchange for their draft future, because otherwise I don't know what they're going to do. This year, though, I think that they're not completely dead in the water. They just look dead in the water.

Like, I saw them play in a person. They look like they just don't. They even beat the Mavs and it was still just like. And what did Lucas say? He's never been so open in his life playing the Suns? During that game Sunday, the Lakers versus the Suns, I tweeted, something to this effect at Cam Brothers. Like the sons have, I think, too many guys on that team where they are either

too collectively competitive or too collectively professional or both to just completely quiet quit this season. But you can just feel how badly they want to quiet quit. Like all of them want to. I don't think they have it in them to do it. But you can tell they are just miserable. and in a weird way, playing harder and being more professional makes the experience actually worse. Have you seen their schedule to end the season, though?

Matt? No, what is it? Okay, they play Toronto, Chicago next two games. Okay. Cleveland, Milwaukee, Boston, Minnesota, Houston, Milwaukee, Boston, New York, Golden State, Oklahoma City. Yeah, so they did this last year where their closing schedule was a nightmare, and then they wound up winning the sixth seed. And that actually brings me my next, what are you doing?

I have a what are you doing? What are you doing NBA by having the month of March? I'm serious. We did this in the East Squacho, too. Do any of you need your team to play in the month of March to figure something out? Do any of your teams need to play to try and discover something about it to work on something to improve on something? I mean, it's a luxury about the double big lineups, but other than that, no. Was this like shortening the season we're talking?

Are you talking, are you talking, eliminating the? the month of March for the NBA or just from the calendar in general? Are you proposing an 11 month year for the world, the U.S.? The Mayans have something to say about that? How big does this get, Matt? I don't know how to do it because, like, I want to keep March madness because everybody loves the tournament, but that's about the only thing in March I like. Everything else sucks. March, Patrick, St. Patrick's saying? It's not. The aides, Matt. Beware, Matt. But post-allster break, too. I do like the odds. But, like, there's no point in any of this. All we're doing is the Good teams that have worked all year for five months to be great are getting injured and tired.

We did this in the East. How many teams in, let's do this, because we did this in the East squad. How many teams are actually playing for something in March? Because like Thunder, no. Rockets, Denver, Grizzlies, Lakers. They're all playing for like, so that there's four, four kind of, yeah. Warriors kind of, Timberwolves, Clippers, Kings, not really like to stay alive in the plane, but not really.

The Mavs, they shouldn't be, they shouldn't be, but. They are. The sun's like, are you suggesting a six-week all-star break, man? What is something? How long does this go? Like you say, playing for something.

Does that mean playing for a title? Because every single game. Just like anything in March will matter for your team. Like, everything matters for us. For the Clippers, everything matters for us because every single game that Kauai Leonard is on the court is a luxury and we needed to get back to being anything to justify this

entire season, in my opinion. I mean, there's no other way they could have gone. But I don't know. I have to see these trades around the league. Who know. you could get. Is there a big difference for you getting six and getting seven or eight?

Huge. You don't have to play the plan. Yes. Oh, it's massive. I've been, my team has been eliminated by the plan in 2012, so I don't want to be in there. Thank you, Jayda. I will just say the seven seed, just like the 10 C's never won, that seven Cs never lost. And so that's why like the eight and the seven, I have matter a lot from that regard. But if you are going to get the seven, which the wolves are going to get at least the seven, you're fine. Like, you're going to get in. I don't know. I just. on the risk of injury though. Yeah.

That's the thing is just like, you know, it's not just because the nuggets are absolutely just sucking wind right now as well as just sucking on the court. Like they just, they're at zero. They're just gassed. They're out. And I see all these teams that have done so. And we're just waiting for this. There's always going to be some teams that make this post all-star run.

Like Lakers and Warriors are going to make the post-trade deadline run. And I think we like that narratively as fans a little bit. But I'm just of the opinion of like, if you've done all the, work to get here and we all know that this is such a miserable like the guys are just toast i can't i can no longer get my brain around the need for this many games to keep these last 12 are really if you make no moves at the deadline you have the option of not playing those games great yeah the ability to investigate you win instead of the NBA cup no hornets instead of the NBA Cup, we do the NBA trade showcase where all the teams that make trades have to play in this

tournament after the All-Star break. And Adam does love a tournament. It is actually similar to my theory, because you know, it's become abundantly clear for a bunch of reasons that the All-Star game concept doesn't work anymore in the year of our Lord 2025 for a bunch of different reasons. But I think one of them is honestly, the best players in the league are typically the ones that carry the biggest load across the season. They're the ones that could use the break of the most. And they're the only ones who don't get a break. Like if you the, those are the players who shouldn't have to play at all.

Everyone else in the league should have to do something over the All Star Break. They're the ones who should have to play. Like there's other guys, I feel like they earn the right to get that vacation. There are all these like there are all these breaks in November. Did you guys have this where like your team like just didn't play for like two weeks in in November, December? Who had like the nine day break? Didn't the heat have like an eight or nine day?

And I like doing it to be like, hey, we want to make sure that you're fresh for the tournament. Like that's good. But God, all these teams need it now. All of these teams just could use, hey, you got, you've got a 40-day break. You've had to make up those days on the back end of the schedule. Yeah, man. And that's like every other day from like the trade deadline to the end of the season. Denver just had a five and seven coming off of a road trip into an like constantly.

and they're just toast. And a lot of that's because the roster isn't good enough to have depth. Like the Thunder are fine because the Thunder are like, we don't have to play anybody more than 30 minutes. The Thunder league investigation for a game that they won because they rested their top guys and still won with their depth. But yeah, it's ridiculous.

It's so silly. Can the Thunder sit everybody the rest of the season? Like forfeit all the games and still be number one, right? There's just, I mean, they could. But, uh, magic number is one. Yeah. I mean, just get another win. And they play the, they play the 76ers and Hornets this week.

so, you know, I mean, that should be wrapped up pretty soon. Matt, does that change their magic number that they're playing the 76ers in the Hornets this week? Yeah, I just updated that. They're now 0.25 is their magic number. Negative, they're negative one magic number. They have to play a quarter. Do you think that the play in has ran its course? Now that we're back to like, it's an 82 game season, the season's no longer shrunken,

then like weird things can happen. Like, I just look at Andy's point of, and Matt's points of the, the seven and eights win it all the time. I love the playing. No, no, no, but your point about injury. Like last year, the Pelicans still got the eighth seed, but they lost Zion in a play-in game where he was looking incredible in a postseason game. They lost him in that game, and then they got swept in the first round by the Thunder.

And I'm not going to say that the Thunder would have lost that series if Zion had played, but they certainly, I don't think would have swept the Pelicans if Zion was able to play. My point on the play in, because my co-host on Locked on Lockdown Mavs hates the play-in. But the Mavs and Kings and Bulls and Heat and, like, they would have already packed it in. right? Like, because they just have no shot to get where they are. Like at least, there's at least usually like four or five teams that are still at least trying to play for something. And like, Matt said, March basketball is ridiculous anyway. But at least they're like, like Anthony Davis wouldn't come back if the Mabbs weren't in the 10th seed, right? Like, well, I don't know. I don't know

what to think about the Mavs. In a realistic world where the team is normal, makes more normal decisions about their team. They wouldn't bring your injured star player back if you were, what, the Mavs are, what, five and a half games out of, like, eight. like it just wouldn't happen anymore i say expand it making it make it make it so five i don't think we need more games honestly i like it five through ten make it make them all go in it you want more you want more playing games no i don't i don't i think it's just you know one through eight make it or you don't yeah i mean i think that if we're looking at and again this is a small sample but if we do go through another two years where the 10c doesn't make it i'm just kind of like there's no real point here

like just have it be nine plays eight or seven plays eight loser plays nine. How many years have we done it? This is four or five? Well, remember, it started in the bubble because they'd want to give some shot and they made it a permanent thing after. So this is year five. I just, the, the, this Jimmy Butler and Zion getting hurt last year in the playing game. Like, it really hurt those series massively. I'm not saying they would have a heat order. They could have in game one, though. But I would have loved to see Zion in the playoffs and

playoff Jimmy Butler always add some excitement. So, I mean, I'd like to see. I'd like to see Zion Williamson in the playoffs, but that's not because of the plan. Come on. True. But it's just, you're adding more, we're already talking about, we should shorten the schedule and,

and we have more games. It's just, that's the part where I'm like, that's kind of my thing is, let's shorten the number of useless games and increase the number of stakes games. Because those are the games that we all like. Yeah, it's just going to be hard to get the players to agree to playing less than 82.

Hey, I hear, look, Darren, I totally hear you as a Clippers fan who supports Kauai Leonard. There's, you, no,

no game has any stakes ever for him. So. I just kind of played never feel like it. No, what about extending the calendar of the NBA? Because like a large reason why all these teams... 13 months now. Well,

a large reason why all these teams are having to... It would only be 12 because there's no March. Yes. What they're having to play this shrunkated schedule here in the back half is because they got all the rest in November to make up for this NBA Cup tournament. And you just extend it to where you get the rest all throughout this, the regular season.

And then your championship is ending at the last week of June, first week of July where there's no football. people don't care about baseball anymore you just continue to use that those kind of months as leverage where it's just all you players and executives would riot because that's the only time that they get off to actually be off and actually have like a life that's the only time and their and their wives would kill them and i'm not saying this just because my wife would be like yep that's it i'm out that's that would be so divorced so divorced let's keep all the marriage is intact the NBA is going to be where it is. The 12 calendar months will keep March. I know it is what it is, but follow all these

great locked on shows. Link in the description to find all of them. So check it out. All these great shows everywhere. Guys, thanks so much to listen to us on LockdowninB8 Squad Show West.