The Daily Zeitgeist - MJGMB #133: Central Division Breakdown and Media Day with Josiah Johnson

Episode Date: October 2, 2024

The guys were honored to be joined by the absolute king of social media reactions and EP/host of Gil's Arena Josiah Johnson for today's episode. The trio reacted to Media Days from around the league before breaking down the Central Division and providing over/under win total predictions!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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You disappointed Jimmy. We were really, really counting on some kind of dynamic hairdo this year, but no, he came extra regular. And camps have officially opened and we're still getting ready for the 23-24 season as we break down our central division expectations and more with Ryder EP host Josiah Johnson on today's episode. I'm Myles Gray. And I'm Jack O'Brien. And this is Myles and Jack got mad boosties! draw. Oh! Night, night! Yannis with the take.

Uh-oh, look out. No show time. What you got, Yannis? Okay, we have the king of NBA Twitter reactions. I mean, just generally Twitter reactions. Return of the King. EBA and host of Gills Arena. Shout out, Ground High School.

Josiah Johnson, welcome back to the pod, man. It's been too long, but it's great to have you back. It has been a minute since we've gotten up in it, but happy to be back on here with you guys and hope everything's been well with y'all. Yeah. So I guess- So well. Just get- So well. As a Sixer fan, so well, man.

We'll see. You know? Things are good. I was in Philly recently, talked to a lot of Uber drivers. That's where I get a lot of my perspective from general fans. Yeah. We're not as excited as I was expecting Philly recently talked to a lot of uber drivers. That's where I get a lot of my perspective from from general fans Yeah, we're not as excited as I was expecting them to be about the six or squad, but hopefully that changes That seems like a Philly sports fan thing generally, right? It's like they were they were down a little bit

I'm like damn you got all these people right and bees always hurt PGK finish. I'm like, alright, well, okay Well, it could be it could be worse could be the other side.'re already on the PG can't finish. We haven't even watched them play Stronger around the rim Taking like three photos in his new uniform and already it's like I let him let him shoot odd jumper, but okay, right, right? Yeah exactly But I guess before we get into the central division stuff, a lot of, so much movement just from the last time we recorded, we were like, oh yeah, the next year is doing pretty good. Then they acquired Carl Anthony towns, uh, in exchange for Julius Randall, Dante DiVincenzo

and a first round pick. So cat is now in the garden. I was a fan just with, you know, uh, McCall bridges, but now cat seems like something to get even more excited about, but Josiah, did the Timberwolves make a mistake here? What are they getting back exactly? The interesting thing to me is we had heard this trade rumor for a while, right?

This wasn't really news. Anybody heard that the Knicks and the Timberwolves were in discussions and working on a potential deal? You got two CAA clients. So for me to hear that Cat didn't know, was kind of blindsided by this whole situation, little surprising to me, but Woj retired, who knows where the information is coming from nowadays.

I didn't believe this, or I needed it sourced by more, I personally called Woj to be like, this can't be true, right? Can you check? Did he voicemail or did he respond? It seems like he's retired his thumbs for the foreseeable future. Your text went green.

You're like, oh, he changed phones, huh? I think, look, the thing that we had talked about with this Knicks squad, all the players they got, OG was signing, you know, Randall was kind of that wild card. Obviously they didn't have to sign him until the summer, I believe, with the extension, but, you know, run the risk of making him unhappy. So they needed a big Hardenstein going to the Thunder

They needed to kind of fill that void Mitch Robinson You know no telling kind of injury situation where he's at right so bringing in a guy like cat You know guys are stretch five who can shoot the three not a traditional center But can guard bigs and kind of fill that void fill that role I think it was a good move on their part You know you start to hear the rumblings and the stories that maybe not all the Nova Knicks were as happy as they should be or could be.

Right. Reuniting and playing on the squad. There's only a finite amount of minutes to go around. As we know, Tibbs is a notorious for running guys into the ground. So, you know, somebody was going to be the odd man out and you got a guy like Dante DiVincenzo who set the three point record for the team last season

who was playing close to 30 minutes a game, think missed out on potential off-season awards. So you know, had the potential to kind of be one of the odd man's out there in addition to Josh Hart not getting the type of minutes that they were expecting, especially with that run last season, getting all the way to second round, coming in within a game of being in the Eastern Conference finals. So you had to feel that, you know, Bridges' minutes were accounted for, obviously, Jalen Brunton's minutes were accounted for, obviously, Jalen Brunt's minutes were accounted for. You got OG, Randall at that point,

who would have been the four, and then Mitchell Robinson who had been the five. Some of those guys weren't gonna get the minutes they were supposed to, so now you hear these stories, these rumblings that Devin Chinzo wasn't necessarily as happy as the rest of those Nova Knicks with that move. So he gets an opportunity. I don't think it's gonna be necessarily much

of an improvement for him going to this Timber Wolf squad, where he'll likely be the sixth man coming off the bench. But I think both teams, obviously, and you hear the reports that no way the Timbers Wolves would have been able to keep paying Kat his salary, just with the new salary cap rules and all that stuff. So both those guys move, Kat gets to come to New York, they get the five that they've been looking for coveting. So I'm curious to see. A little more confused from the Timber Wolf side, just in terms of all the success that they had last season.

You know, getting as far as they got. Being on the precipice of going to the NBA finals, Ant kind of coming to his own. But even as we all saw, you know, it was Ant's team now. Cat was taking a back seat, whether he wanted to or not. So it's gonna be interesting to see how this all plays out. Very curious to see how Julius Randall worked with that lineup.

Obviously, Gobert, the summer that he had, not being utilized by France as much as I'm sure he would have liked in the Olympics. Curious to see how he comes back. Obviously, winning that fourth defensive player of the year award. And with all just the talk nowadays about his defense being extremely suspect in him Not being as reliable defender as we all like to pretend to defend the player of the year should be

But it'd be interesting to see how both these teams react I'm sure the Nuggets are extremely happy with this move in addition to other teams in the Western Conference But look at the end of day We'll see how it plays out these guys have a little bit of time now in training camp to kind of figure all these things out before they roll the ball down the regular season. I personally love this trend of teams just serving up all star players to Atlantic division teams that address a huge need. Like the Celtics got it last off season. Now the Knicks just like kind of mind boggling trades

that make Atlantic division teams way, way better. I would take one as a Sixers fan. I think. I think. You guys got enough, man. You guys, you guys creeped up on a come up this off season. But it's crazy to me to see that go bear trade and everything that was given up in that go bear trade. And now you see the cat trade and it's like, like all they got was Randall,

Devin Chinzo and obviously that Pistons pick, which will more than likely prove to be extremely valuable in this, this heavily loaded draft coming up in 2025. But it's confusing to me. It's like, I never have understood NFL trades. And this is one of those trades where like, I just, I can't wrap my head around it, but you know, NFL, they'll trade a future hall of famer for like a fourth round pick. And I'm just always like, how does that, how does that make sense at all? But what do I know?

It's like the kind of stuff, if this was finance, you'd be like, are they doing money laundering? This doesn't make up, but I don't know how, but it's something, something else must be going on. Cat and Tibbs are also a fun subplot, like how Cat fits in on a Tibbs team. To quote the name of my favorite movie, something's gotta give here.

Because they're not a perfect fit. So it'll be interesting to see. See you're a fan of quality cinema, so I respect you. Oh yeah, oh yeah. We also got to see Spurs media day. It was nice to see Wemby, I guess put on 25 pounds. He was 210, but I guess on media day listed at 235. We saw the shoulders.

We saw the shoulders. A lot of bigots. A lot of bigots in big ass. Yeah. And also standing side by side with Chris Paul. And you're like, oh yeah, okay. That makes sense when someone is like, what, nearly like 14 inches taller than you.

That's what it's going to look like. Yeah. It truly looks like a child. Yeah. Yeah, I know i know right it looks like someone's like oh who won the sweepstake to be able to meet wemby uh and it's like oh that's chris paul um lakers media day also happened uh which i'm just gotta keep an eye on all my lakers just to know what to expect i mean rui hachimura was saying look jj wants him you know maybe throwing it up throwing up some more threes this time around I mean, yeah when he's when he's on his game he that that is something that can be useful

LeBron, you know was talking about I think the thing that he said was the the Olympics made him realize just how much more He has in the tank and I'm like, oh, okay. Very scary. Yeah that that that's potential music to my ears We had D'Angelo Russell also saying like, you know, I'm a little more mature now I'm dabbling in something called accountability this season which I think could be something new for me and I always Welcome that and then obviously like yeah point is also talking up Christy Austin Reeves what these guys can bring now I mean if true that would be what the Lakers do need to really kind of begin to go a little bit further this year.

But yeah, Jack, you tired of talking about the Lakers? Does anything change for you after seeing what JJ Reddick's starting five is? Because it looks so different from anything I've ever seen. All of these stories from media day, huge if true. Um, this is, this is going to be massive. If LeBron suddenly just by, uh, playing really well in the Olympics is suddenly able to play really well across 82 games in the playoffs, but I don't know. I'm getting the way I'm getting because the Lakers are my favorite team on the, you know, I'm a LeBron stand. Um, the thing that's getting me excited is just the further we get away from that Warriors championship in 2022, the more like kind of weird and miraculous it appears.

Like they were just like, let's be good again for a year. Let's just like take it up a notch and with like kind of the same ingredients and like Jordan pool is better. And you know, our three like is just suddenly better and never again, you know, and Wiggins, like Wiggins is suddenly just like takes it up and on. So that was like some weird alchemy that happened with a team that had some great players on it that nobody was really expecting that from.

And they were able to put it together with just kind of smoke and mirrors and, uh, an amazing season from some of their best players. So maybe that's what's given me Lakers hope. Yeah. And ESPN, if you want to buy that storyline off of me to justify, like covering the Lakers in every show for the next 10 years, you can come get me. So I'm a Ruth, you're super supportive of this Laker squad. Obviously what's concerning is LeBron entering year 22,

coming off a full Olympic summer slate, you know, some tough games in those Olympic competition just to see where his body's at, where his mind's at. AD as well, guys that have traditionally during their time in the purple and gold dealt with injury issues. So how their bodies hold up, how they maintain throughout the season. Good to see JJ Reddick is already coming in

with the right mentality, right game plan in terms of a starting five, that crew that went 23 and 10. Last season took Darwin Ham, I think, what, close to 50 games to finally realize that this might be the crew I want to roll out and run with, you know, a little concerned with Jerry Vanderbilt and kind of where he's at.

It seems like this has gone on far too long. And, you know, now you've had a whole summer and off season to get back right. And still, you know, having foot issues and things like that, but excited for this team. I think, you know, the Western Conference is obviously extremely tough, hard to get wins on that side. A lot of teams on that side got significantly better. Some of those teams did not. And, you know, we'd love to see this Lakers team put it together. LeBron and AD coming off that gold medal. Obviously Bronny James providing just inspiration to LeBron. He doesn't want to play bad in front of his son, in front of his namesake to help motivate him to lead this team to success. And JJ Reddick, student of the game, extremely

intelligent. First coaching foray though, so he's gonna have a lot of bumps along that road. Just as he gets more experience learns with that position entails and as you gentlemen know Lakers nation very unforgiving so you know there'll be not a ton of room that honeymoon will be over rather quickly I remember when Westbrook came and he had like something like 15 turnovers in those first two preseason games mood quickly shifted so you know JJ Riddick is on the hot seat already. As you guys know, Laker fandom requires anybody can get it at any moment at any time, but give them a little grace,

a little time to figure these things out. But you'd like to see them out the gate, you know, start hot, start strong. That's kind of been different than previous years where we're playing catch up in the last, you know, 15, 20 games of the season, trying to struggle even to be a playing team. You want this team to really be locked in motivated and give us optimism and hope hopefully closer to that

2020 season as opposed to some of the seasons after that. Yeah, it's so so, you know The right now the odds have the Lakers out around forty three and a half wins this season Joe Si you taking the over or the under on that? I'm always taking the over never dial the brown raymond j taking the over. Never dialed LeBron Raymond James senior. Like I said, he's got his son in namesake with him. He's going to make sure that Bronnie's Ricky season, the NBA is fruitful, productive. Think the squad is going to rally behind each other.

Obviously fans were extremely critical of Darwin Ham. Some of that justifiable, but I think JJ is going to come in locked in and really have a different unique approach, really instill some more life. And you know, you hear the reports after Coach Ham got fired, that you know, some rift, some tension amongst the other guys.

We saw it throughout the season last year. Guys not wanting to dap them up during games. Some questionable things written on the clipboard as he's trying to motivate it. Like what's really going on here? But I think this squad is gonna be locked in, motivated for success. And you know, as long as LeBron thinks he wants to play,

we're getting close to that point where his career is gonna eventually end at some point in the near future. So I think he wants to go out swinging and hopefully the rest of the squad will follow his lead. One note, JJ needs to either start developing male pattern baldness or just go full slick back like Pat Riley because his hair remains too good. Yeah.

Remains too good to be a successful NBA coach. Project Packs to the back. I hope that Brawny is what inspires LeBron to do his best. May he be AC Green's beanie baby of good luck that got us a chip. That's what Brawny can be for LeBron this season. I need him to both dunk on Go Bear, give me that Ken Griffey senior junior back to back dingers.

Yeah. I'll dingers. Yeah. And I will be right. Exactly. All right, let's take a quick break and we'll come back to take a look at the central division right after this. We're turning up the heat on the newest episode of All the Smoke. Vice president and democratic presidential nominee

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Pacers calves bulls Pistons. I think we'll, let's just kick it off up top with the Bucks. They won 49 games last year. They're projected with 50 and a half wins according to FanDuel. You know, big changes that obviously lost the NASIS. I think that's a huge thing that people aren't talking about enough. Terrible injury that he had. Malik Beasley, Pat Bev, Jay Crowder, but added Gary Trent Jr, Torian Prince and others, but you know also Chris Middleton had double

ankle surgery, both ankles surgerized. That sounds like that sounds like something hard to come back from, especially someone that's as key as Chris Middleton. And then the Damon Yonis of it all is really interesting too because apparently they did not work out together at all over the offseason. And you know, most times when players come in late before the season, a lot of it is like, well, you know, they didn't have much time to gel before the season started and this, that and the other. And maybe that's why we're not seeing the most out of it. But do either of you read heavily into that little detail of not playing together at all? Or is that is that maybe not the most important thing going into this next season for them? For me I think

it's really where Damon's headspace is at coming in this year. I think for him making that transition from Portland to Milwaukee last year was a lot tougher off the court you know and he alluded to a lot of that interviews and things that he did. It's a hard transition to make. My father Marcus Johnson was was drafted by the Bucs out of UCLA, speaks candidly about some of those cold Milwaukee winners when he first got there and kind of just a shell shock and not being able to handle those situations off the floor.

But a little concerning to know that Yannis and Dame, now if we would've came in immediate day and Yannis like, yeah man, we were inseparable, we were working our butts off just to develop chemistry in the gym, did not happen. Obviously those guys are both high level elite players, been in the league a long time. I think what, year 12 for Giannis, maybe year 14 or 15 for Dame.

I forget where he's at right now, but they're NBA vets, their pros are all stars. Obviously, they're all NBA level players. So that adjustment should be a little bit quicker. Obviously the Doc Rivers situation, Jack, as you know, just from your Sixers fandom is a little concerning just depending on, you know, how he approaches this season and kind of his reputation

and track record in clutching key moments aside from that Celtics championship. But I like the crew. I like their off season moves. And for me, it's just so crazy to see with this new CBA and just kind of the salary cap issues, the guys who would have traditionally made a lot, a lot of money potentially in other lower,

smaller market teams or other places, or not small market teams, obviously the bucks are one, but you know, lower level teams in the league, taking these one year kind of prove it deals at this point in their career. Like you mentioned, they got Torian Prince, Gary Trent Jr., two guys and I'm, you know, Torian was kind of hit or miss

with the Lakers last season, but I think, you know, it's funny, Malik Beasley kind of similar situation goes to Milwaukee and ends up being one of the best three point shooters in the league. So without the pressure, without kind of the hype of playing in Hollywood, I think it'll ease off of him and he'll be allowed to, to do a lot more things.

But also a guy like Dillon Wright, another LA guy who, you know, just a solid pickup for this crew. The Chris Middleton thing for me is, is concerning. We haven't really seen a healthy Middleton in a while. Like, you know, you a solid pickup for this crew. The Chris Middleton thing for me is concerning. We haven't really seen a healthy Middleton in a while. Like, you know, you talk about big threes, you got the big three, Giannis, Day, Middleton. All of them have dealt with injury issues

throughout the past year. So if those guys can come in somewhat healthy, they can pick up slack till Middleton is good to go. But just one of those situations, right? Like, you know, the Bucs for the longest time, you know, when Giannis is playing at a high high level MVP level was in the discussion last season obviously what he was doing But Dame making that adjustment now being a lot relied on a lot more on the defensive side Just just how they'll be able to handle that you know you got juggernauts now in the sixers Celtics

Knicks that have all gotten better. I don't think the Bucs comparatively You know there should be quite as much optimism as those other teams heading to the season, but you do have, Janice, you do have free time. You got a strong crew that's played with each other now for a number of years. So I'm excited about the Bucs season. Obviously my dad works for the team still,

so can't be too inflammatory because I need those free tickets in the plug when I do pull up to the 414. You know, I got a lot of love for this crew. And I think if they can figure it out, stay reasonably healthy, all things considered, they would be competing for a top two spot in the East. Potentially could dethrone the Celtics, you know,

just depending. Those guys have played a lot of basketball, but you know, Jaylen Brown and Tatum are coming in with chips on their shoulder. So it may be curtains for the rest of the Eastern Conference. Chips on their hands and their shoulders. Yeah, chips in more ways than one. Yeah.

Has it ever happened before where like two players, the chemistry is not quite there and then they spend the off season together and like have like a, a friendship montage and then yeah, like it happens in movies and I feel like that's the only place that that narrative actually, it's just a thing that like sports writers want to be able to talk about. But right. Like Dirk Nowitzki with his like skills coach. It's like we were in the off season. We learned how to canoe and play saxophone. Yeah. That's actually, that was foundational to this turnaround we've had. Yeah. Super producer Jabari mentioned Rocky three.

I think that's where the only place we've seen it happen in athletics. With that wonderful, as you pointed out, wonderful sprinting form. It's lingered in our minds, so we expect it from everybody. Yeah. Right, right, right. Yeah, between Yanis and Dame,

who's the one running like Rocky on the beach? I hope neither of them. I mean, maybe Chris Middleton with the double ankle surgery, but hopefully not Fifty and a half wins who's taking the over who's taking under? How are we feeling here? Fifteen a half? 49 last year so a game and a half better I think I'll take the over but I wouldn't be super excited about it But yeah, I think yeah take the over just barely just if the really obviously like, you know There's this season goes on health is gonna be a factor

But for sure like yeah, honest is coming in looking for revenge. You got, you know, two first round exits, uh, both, you know, largely due to his injury concerns. Him also making question comments. I think last summer about, you know, you know, whether or not he would want to stay in Milwaukee. You hear the rumblings about Golden state. He's their dream player and all those things, but I think Janis is going to lock in. And you mentioned the NAS is being out and look, I know, you know, if the NASAs kind of, but a lot of jokes, uh, in the NBA Twitter world, but this is a guy who always brings it. A guy who you can tell he is excited, loves to play basketball,

loves to watch his little brother shine and do those things. And, and, and important guy in the locker room for a team, you know, when you're talking about high level athletes, making a lot of money, uh, when things aren't going well, there's a tension for dissension and fracture amongst the unit. Where there's a guy that's bringing everybody there, a guy that's just so excited, so motivated, so happy to be there, that I think his loss,

people are kind of making jokes about it. But I think it's gonna be interesting to see just how that team, you need those strong, reliable bench guys at the end of the bench that are really happy to be there. Because sometimes you get those teams of guys at the end of the bench who are pissed off, on more yeah yeah and they

lower the energy of the entire squad worth the NASA's he knows damn well he don't belong in this league and obviously he's he's he's getting the club on little bro back here he's more of a Johnny Johnny drama type obviously letting Vince do do his thing but it's gonna be interesting to see just how the team now responds yeah I take the over to I think I just I for just my love of dame and like yan is I I really want to see this work Uh in the best way possible, but yeah, and doc's a great regular season coach Yeah, I'd take the over two. Yeah. All right. Uh, let's take a look over at the pacers 47 wins last year They are predicted to reach 47 and a half

wins last year, they are predicted to reach 47 and a half wins. So a half game better lost Doug McDermott and Jalen Smith, but added James Weisman, Cole Swider. I mean, this is pretty much the same team. They really kept that team that went that went pretty far last season, pretty much intact, seemingly an advantage going into the season because you don't really hopefully you can just kind of carry that right into the beginning of the season. But is it sustainable? And the other I think a lot of the people who's thinking that the improvements going to come is because you have a lot of guys who are yet hopefully yet to hit their prime and that maybe that's where the the boost

comes from. Jack you you're looking at the Pacers. What do you think over under here what the forty seven and a half games I mean is all is all about health but if they they stay healthy, I think over. I'd like them to continue to progress. Right, right. Josiah, what about you? I think with this crew, Halliburton obviously not getting the love on the Olympic squad.

Again, another guy's going to come in with a chip on his shoulder, looking to elevate and improve off of a tremendous season last year. But keeping that crew together, Siak I come got like Myles Turner, guys like Obie Toppin, you know, Neesmith, TJ McConnell, guys who showed up big in the postseason and then you got a guy like Benedict Mathern, who's coming in, who was hurt last year. But I think a guy who's ready to come in and take that next step, next leap in his game.

And for me, you know, Draymond made this point last year that they are a an 82 game team and not necessarily a 16 game team, but this is a team in the regular season that I feel like will, will bring it, uh, you know, night in and night out, playing now in the shadow of Caitlin Clark. Uh, they know that they need to do something to distinguish themselves and really kind of, you know, get some of that attention back on their team and away from the fever. But yeah, this is a team, I think it'll be a great regular season team.

Don't think they'll have the same postseason success that they had last season, but this is definitely a 51 ball club. So I would, I would take the over on that. Okay. All right. Uh, well then the calves. Yeah, I feel like very similar here. Cavs are basically projected to do the exact set.

They're plus 0.5 wins over where they were last season. Uh, a lot of similarities to last year's team. I'll probably take the under just because I don't have a reason to take the over. But what do you guys think? I mean, it seems like, you know, the like locking down Mitchell and Mobley and Jared Allen stuff seems like that. That's that's precisely what you need. I think, you know know based on what I've

heard my you know I have like a friend who's a diehard Cavs fan he's like it's the forward depth I'm worried about it's like I don't care about anything else what don't the forward depth but I think at the same time maintaining that core it is I think the biggest advantage they got so I feel you know there sure there are concerns but I think that's this is just you know I think they're right about where they're gonna be so I would just take I'll take the over but just barely or maybe I'll take The under cuz every I don't know everything is getting so so tight now, but no I yeah Oh, I'm too positive of an individual. So yeah, I believe in guys unwaveringly, especially a professional athlete So I'm all I'm gonna probably go with the over with this squad

But for you know, you got a healthy Jared Allen hopefully coming back you know you got guys like Evan Mobley you got guys like Strews who stepped up big time in their role where traditionally he guys when they go onward don't necessarily show that same level of production in their next destination or maybe that's just a Lakers thing but you know I like this crew like the squad bringing in a guy like Kenny Atkinson I was a a fan of JB Bickerstaff, was sad to see him let go, but then you see the reports and stories about some, some dissension amongst the ranks, especially at the star player level and some of his coaching strategies.

But I think a guy like Kenny Atkinson, you know, a guy who comes from a championship lineage as an assistant coach really will help revitalize the squad, get them where they need to be. And look, I know for all the talk, we talk about the Western Conference being as tough as it is, the East has made a lot of noise. This off season, you got a lot of young teams that are ready to think about like the Orlando Magic teams like that that are primed to make some big moves

on this side. But a team like the Cavs is kind of always consistently in that fourth or fifth spot, kind of not necessarily under the radar, but not a team you really care about in terms of you talk about championship contenders. But again, another good regular season team. And if they can stay healthy, you know, I feel like Cleveland's the destination when you go play there, you're not going to put your best foot forward just because you really don't have a reason to. So they're going to be able to get a lot of wins at home.

And I think that this team could mess around and make some noise. All right, well, I guess let's just we'll keep moving on before we take a break. But yeah, the Bulls are the next squad we're talking about. 39 wins last year. They are taking a tumble. They are expected to win 27 and a half games. Makes sense. They lost Caruso via trade, obviously, Demar and Andre Drumminder out, but they picked up Josh Giddy Chris Dwarty Town Horton Tucker. I have I felt like I forgot about you sir. Jalen Smith and Kenny Lofton jr You know this via the draft also. Yeah names my top Names to say but yeah, I mean they're they're saying we're not taking this season and they're they're looking to be competitive with their new additions I'm also where I'm like

What's the Alonzo of it all too? I have a lot of questions about this Bulls team So, I mean this 39 going down to 27 and a half feel about right That hurts man. I think I think I would probably Knox I know Bulls fans listen to this, I'm gonna be optimistic for them. And Chicago is a dangerous place as it is. So if I do have to step foot in the Windy City, I wanna be respectful.

I would go higher, but I think getting a guy like Josh Giddy, who had a reduced role in OKC, it was kinda getting pushed out. Last season getting a fresh start in Chicago. I think Buzellas is a guy, I worked with Norris Cole on Gills Arena, and Buzellas was a guy that Norris was extremely high on Norris extremely smart intelligent player

But had opportunity to work with him in G League at night and just the dog in them, you know Even coming into this draft. I'm not ducking any phase These guys don't want to play me one-on-one because they know I'm gonna embarrass them I think he had a solid summer league and he's a guy he's like a year or two away But if he can you, lock in and be surprising in this rookie season, I think there's a potential there. And Lonzo for me, you know, being an LA guy, shout out to Chino Hills, a stone's throw away.

Just for everything that he's been through, you know how much he loves the game and where that team was at. And obviously this is a different New Look Bulls team than that squad, but you know, before he got hurt a few years ago, he was one of the top teams in the East and was trending in the right direction

No telling how long those games gonna look how much time he's gonna need to get back or if he can't even return To the level player that he was before he got hurt But the the real thing for me is Zach Levine just depending on how that situation goes obviously men mentioned in tons of trade rumors This past season Really? Yeah, you know, media day, just listen to him talk, obviously that three minute clip of him just talking about how he's coming in, inspired, and you know, you listen to the other reports

that he had to convince the team that he's not gonna be a detriment to the development of some of these young guys. Well, that's one of those things, you know, you really don't wanna say, because if you have to say it, then that means that it's on their mind already. That's, you know, it's like, you know, if I, you know, it's just so for me with Zach though, he's

a UCLA guy, looks different, man. Looks like he's motivated. Looks like he wants to prove some of the haters wrong. And just to be real, like, you know, he's up for an extension in the near future. So this is the guy that's playing for another contract. So I think he's going to want to pick up the slack of losing a guy of the magnitude of a Demar DeRozan. But I don't necessarily, I'm not like down on this team per se.

Like I know, you know, obviously people in Vegas are, but I think this squad, if they can lock in and get it together, they got a nice mix of young guys who were kind of creeping on the come up in addition to some old vets. So really for me, it's going to be Lonzo, Zach Levine, but I look at a guy like Kobe White and what he was able to do last season, they've got some guys here that can play again, like not a playoff caliber team I expect to make a run but in the regular season I can see them sneaking in to that play especially in the Eastern Conference where it's a little bit more wide open than the west

Yeah, like it's 27 and a half feels a little harsh, but I get with some of the out means spirit I went for you someone's gonna need to take all these L's You know with the with the teams of the outcomes that way. But yeah. Someone's going to need to take all these L's, you know, with the, with the teams of the top getting better. Like someone's going to need to lose some of the games that the other teams are winning. So this is the central division. You do have a team you have not mentioned yet. So yeah.

But here's the thing. So the Detroit Pistons, right? 14 wins last season. Now Fandl has them up 11 and a half games here. One of the biggest risers. That's a huge 11 and a half win gain. Yeah. Your favorite Tobias Harris. Toby. Hey, man. I'm happy. I feel like he's going to look great in a Pistons jersey personally. I just like I like that look for him. I don't know

if it equates to wins. Sure. Sure. Sure. But yeah, this is definitely a hard reset. So I'm not sure if it equates to wins. Sure. Sure. Sure. But yeah, this is definitely a hard reset So I'm not sure how much there is to say here, but 25 and a half That's I think it's an under for me dog as well. Yeah, Randy Jackson would say When he talks about overs and unders, okay, let's take a quick break We're gonna come back with the fourth quarter rapid-fire round of questioning with Josiah Johnson right after this back with the fourth quarter rapid fire round of questioning with Josiah Johnson right after this. We're turning up the heat on the newest episode of All the Smoke.

Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris pulls up to the show to discuss her historic presidential run. Most people have ambition, they have aspirations, they have dreams, and they are willing to work hard. And if we give people the opportunity to actually meet those goals, they jump for it every time. Matt and Stack will be diving deep into the journey that brought her here, her vision for the future, and the real stories behind the headlines. Make sure you check out all the smoke with Vice President Kamala Harris out now. Listen

today on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Carrie champion in this is season 4 of naked sports where we live at the intersection of sports and culture up first I explore the making of a rivalry Caitlin Clark versus Angel Reese. I know I put out a history people are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game every great

player needs a foil. I ain't really in here that much. I just come here to play basketball every single day, and that's what I focus on. From college to the pros, Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's sports. Angel Reese is a joy to watch. She is unapologetically black.

I love her. What exactly ignited this fire? Why has it been so good for the game? And can the fanfare surrounding these two supernovas be sustained? This game is only going to get better because the talent is getting better. This new season will cover all things sports and culture.

Listen to Naked Sports on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. The Black Effect Podcast Network is sponsored by Diet Coke. It was December 2019 when the story blew up. In Green Bay, Wisconsin, former Packer star Kabir Vajabiamila caught up in a bizarre situation. Hey, GB, explaining what he believes led to the arrest of his friends at a children's Christmas play.

A family man, former NFL player, devout Christian, now cut off from his family and connected to a strange arrest. I am going to share my journey of how I went from Christianity to now a Hebrew Israelite. I got swept up in Kabir's journey, but this was only the beginning in a story about faith and football, the search for meaning away from the gridiron, and the consequences for everyone involved.

You mix homesteading with guns and church and a little bit of the spice of conspiracy theories that we liked, voila! You got straight away. I felt like I was living in North Korea, but worse, if that's possible. Listen to Spiral on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. In a galaxy far, far away. No, babe, that's taken. We're in our own world, remember?

Right. In our own world, we're two space cadets. And totally normal humans. Sure, totally normal humans. Embark on a journey across the stars, discovering the wonders of the universe one episode at a time. We'll talk about life, love, laughter, and why you should never argue with your co-pilot. Especially when she's always right.

Right, and if we hit turbulence, just blame it on Mercury retrograde. Or Emily's questionable space piloting skills. Hey! Join us on In Our Own World for cosmic conversations, stellar laughs, and super corny dad jokes. Listen to In Our Own World as a part of the MyCultura Podcast Network available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

And don't worry, we promise to avoid any black holes. Most of the time. Do you ever wonder where your favorite foods come from? Like what's the history behind bacon wrapped hot dogs? Hi, I'm Eva Longoria. Hi, I'm Maite Gomez-Rejon. Our podcast Hungry for History is back. Season two, season two.

Are we recording, are we good? Oh, we push record, right? And this season we're taking a bigger bite out of the most delicious food and its history. Saying that the most popular cocktail is the Margarita, followed by the Mojito from Cuba and the Pinyo Calada from Puerto Rico. So all of these things.

We thank Latin culture. There's a mention of blood sausage in Homer's Odyssey that dates back to the 9th century BC. BC? I didn't realize how old the hot dog was. Listen to Hungry for History as part of the My Kultura podcast network, available on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And we're back. It's so great to have you here as a fellow Bruin Angelino.

I love having you on, but unfortunately this is the rapid fire round of questions. So you are in the hot seat and you've already played this game before. We're going to ask you a question. Just respond quickly. Your fastest response because we've got to keep the questions moving and that's just that's how this segment is known all across the land so i hope you are ready for that are you i'm long-winded so and i don't like following rules or directions but in this particular case i will abandon i will abandon all those things and and thank you thank you

thank you uh you look you always understand assignment. That's what we always appreciate about you. So Brian start the clock. Oh man, this is going to be quick. Jack, you want to go first? Should I go first? I can go first. Miles, thanks for asking. Let's do it. Does I, you can sit courtside

at either of the opening night games. Are you heading to Boston, having some legal seafood in a bread bowl to see them take on the New Look Knicks? Or are you heading to Los Angeles to see the Los Angeles Lakers face the New Look Wolves while presumably munching on an In-N-Out Burger? Well, I'm a bigger gentleman,

so I hate cross-country travel, do like lobster rolls, was down on Boston till I got to hang hang out there got to go to a wedding in Cape Cod last year So oh fan fan of the area again Like I said fan of the lobster rolls in the price point comparatively to LA But I'm keeping my black behind in Los Angeles and I'm going to the Lakers game against the Timberwolves Obviously Minnesota Lakers now the LA Lakers, but looking at this new look Timberwolves squad, this squad with LeBron and Bronny, I would not miss the opportunity to see LeBron and Bronny opening night.

Bronny throwing a lob to LeBron D Wade style, I think would set that whole building on fire. And we own that crypto.com arena now. E-Clippers have now since moved on to the Intuit Dome. So I would show my love and support to LeBron and the Lakers. Exactly. Exactly. That was the Intuit Dome. So I would show my love and support to LeBron and the Lakers. Exactly, exactly. That was the right answer. Correct. Josiah, next question.

You get to pick the next three locations for the All-Star game and they could be anywhere. Like truly, literally anywhere. So where are you going? So if I'm traveling to these games, I would say Hawaii, Ibiza. Common. Yo!

And then I'll like, dude, hey, All-Star weekend in Ibiza. And it's at a nice enough price point where you can price out some of the riff-raff With poor weather, but I would go Hawaii Abiza, then I would go obviously LA which I think we have it here next year Little concerning though traffic is already an issue and in a bad stance and they're getting ready for the Olympics, too But I think you know having the all-star game back to back in California will be good news for all of us who had to go to Chicago for all of us who had to go to Utah. But yeah, those would be my three picks. All right. And finally, we're playing pickup basketball with presidents.

These presidents are at the peak of their physical abilities. Unfortunately for you, we had the first pick and just took Obama. Who are you taking with the second pick? Who at their peak of their physical powers and abilities? Yeah. I'd probably go George Washington, just because, you know,

crossing Delaware, doing all the things he did. He was about to use a tough guy, you know, ready to get in it. Abraham Lincoln looked like, you know, he could be a rim protector, you know, really, really help on the post side. And how many presidents do I need to name or you just had to pick one. So yeah, between those two, but if you took Obama and then I would maybe Trump too, just

because I know he's trash. So it would really help my game flourish and shine. But yeah, like I'm passing. You actually get better when someone's game is terrible. He's wider. You can set a nice screen. There you go Oh, man. Well Josiah Johnson. Thank you so much. You have completed the rapid-fire round three for sure and all exactly correct Those are all the right answers that we had written down I think he's looking at the doc or something but no more

He's just one of our more intelligent guests, which I think that's the case Where can people find you follow you support you and all that good stuff? Honestly, I'm gonna point in my life my, why I don't want to be found or supported. So feel free to hate on me all you want. There it is. You can find me at my local target here, Willin Hills, usually trying to find some deep discounts at Costco, looking at the different price points to see what kind of deals I can secure. But now, in all sincerity, you can check out Gil's Arena on YouTube. You know, it's been a tremendous opportunity for me

to be able to work with Gilbert Arenas, build that show. We started back in February of 2023, last 18 months. We've gained somewhere in the neighborhood of like six, 700,000 subscribers. So just to see the support of the basketball community. And yes, it's a wild reckless show, but there's a lot of thought put into a lot of the answers that sometimes you have to take a step back and really analyze exactly

what's being said. Look at the detail and wording behind how Gilbert works. He's extremely intelligent, a master troll, but a lot of times he'll say something people get all pissed off. And then he'll say, well, prove me wrong. And then they think about it and like, damn, actually, he was right. Damn. So shout out to the gills arena our entire crew We're on a little bit of a break right now, but we'll be back October 14th with the launch of season 3 So make sure y'all pull up support us, you know, love it or hate it. Just watch it Yeah, look and I always support a fellow San Fernando Valley creature like him Although I know he's born in Florida, but look we'll still have no he's he's he's San Fernando Valley creature like him. Although I know he's born in Florida, but look, we'll still claim him in the Valley.

He's San Fernando Valley to his core. I mean, look, I went to Grant High School to go see him play when he was at Grant High School, because everybody was talking about him at the time. Before we go, we do have to mention, rest in peace to Dikembe Mutombo, passed away at 58 following a battle with brain cancer. Yes, just wild, wild losses for the NBA between, you know, Jerry West, Bill Walton, Chet Walker, to name a few. So we are just thinking about you, Dikembe, and your family. Make sure you give us a follow on Twitter. I'm at milesofgray. I'm at jack underscore O'Brien. And follow the

hashtag madboosties, B-double-O-S-T-I-E-S, for show links and updates. And be sure to join the conversation on our Discord. And you can also find that link for that when you search hashtag madboosties. Alright, that's gonna do it for us, and we're getting so close to the actual tip-off of the season, and we'll talk to you next week. Bye! Bye! I'm going to be a little bit of a little bit of a And he was handsome. The story behind the Rumble in the Jungle is like a Hollywood movie. But that is only half the story. There's also James Brown, Bill Withers, BB King, Miriam Makeba. All the biggest slack artists on the planet. Together in Africa. It was a big deal.

Listen to Rumble, Ali, Foreman, and the Soul of 74 starting October 9th on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you ever wonder where your favorite foods come from? And like what's the history behind bacon wrapped hot dogs? Hi, I'm Eva Longoria. Hi, I'm Maite Gomez-Rejón. Our podcast Hungry for History is back. And this season we're taking a bigger bite

out of the most delicious food and its history. Seeing that the most popular cocktail is the Margarita, followed by the Mojito from Cuba and the Piñuco Nada from Puerto Rico. Listen to Hungry for History on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. There's so much beauty in Mexican culture, like mariachis, delicious cuisine, and even lucha libre.

Join us for the new podcast, Lucha Libre, Behind the Mask, a 12-episode podcast in Captain's Log, Star Date 2024. Listen to Lucha Libre Behind the Mask on the iHeartRatio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you stream podcasts. Captain's Log, Star Date 2024. We're floating somewhere in the cosmos, but we've lost our map. Yeah, because you refused to ask for directions. It's space gem, there are no roads. Good point. So where are we headed?

Into the unknown, of course. Join us on In Our Own World as we uncover hidden truths, navigate the depths of culture, identity, and the human spirit. With a hint of mischief, one episode at a time. Buckle up and listen to In Our Own World on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Trust us. It's out of this world.

What's up, y'all? It's Cam Jordan from the New Orleans Saints here to tell you it's going down. On season two of my podcast, Off the Edge with me, Cam Jordan. Catch new episodes every Wednesday and I'll have the biggest NFL stars join me to give a player's perspective of the biggest storylines, trends, and did that really just happen moment from around the league. So tap in to Off the Edge with Cam Jordan's podcast, your ultimate playbook for all things football and not football.

Listen on the iHeart, radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.