The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Wemby Debut Overreaction, Bad Dame Optics, Scoot Upside, Knicks Needs w/ J. Timpf

Episode Date: July 10, 2023

First Colin reacts to the comical media overreaction to Victor Wembanyama’s lackluster Summer League debut, and why the well oiled UFC machine continues to dance on boxing’s grave. Then, he joins Hoops Tonight host Jason Timpf at the Summer League in Vegas to discuss the media panic over Wemby’s debut, if Gregg Popovich should load manage him to acclimate him to the NBA, why the optics of Dame Lillard trade demand are so bad, the biggest surprise Summer League standout, if the new NBA midseason Euro-style tournament will resonate with American fans, and which players could take the Knicks to the next level. Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates! #Herd #Volume #HoopsTonightSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The volume. Hi, everybody. Welcome in. I sent Jason Timph from the volume hoops tonight to the Summer League, along with some other people. Liv Moods was there. Nerd Sesh was there. I believe was Jenkinson Jones there, some of the guys were. We sent him to the summer.

League, they'll be reporting back podcast tonight and tomorrow on the Summer League. So I'm going to let Jason and I discuss it for about 25 minutes. My takeaway on Wembe, he was very nervous in the opener, totally expected. We've seen pros. Greg Norman at the Masters. We've seen Alex Rodriguez deal with anxiety in a big baseball series. You know, we've seen we've seen quarterbacks. You know, Tom Brady didn't have a first quarter touchdown in the Super Bowls he was in.

until maybe his last one or second to last one or did he ever? Like there's a feeling out process to sports and especially in the biggest games. And for Wembe, who'd already played well against men in Europe, he's a big time talent. But I thought he was nervous. I thought come to this country, the summer league, the expectations. And when you get nervous, you get drained and you get tired. So, I mean, the kid's 19 year old, 20 year old kid. And so we've, you know, as I watch.

some of the reactions. When I watched him play, I'm like, he looked a little tired. He looked a little drained. He looked a little apprehensive. He's not a great shooter yet. But then what did he look like in game two? Yeah, formidable. The nerves are gone. They put him in better situations to score. And he's going to be just fine. There'll be a weight issue. All these bigs come in, the young ones. They need weight. They need strength. He'll be fine. So I'll have more about that in five minutes with Jason Timp. So I went to the UFC card in Las Vegas on Saturday night. I go to, I try to go to at least one, usually two. I think I'm going to another one in Salt Lake City here in a couple weeks. And then I buy six or seven UFC cards. Daniel Cormier is part of the

volume. So when I got out of college, I got a job in Las Vegas and boxing was very big and UFC did not exist. In fact, the first time I'd seen UFC was in San Francisco over the weekend with friends. And it was very raw. You know, they were eye gouging and kneeing and it was, it was just, it was ugly. And then Dana White comes in and the fatitas and they clean it up because you want to get major advertisers. There has to be a regulated level of violence, right, like the NFL has. But to get advertisers, which Dana and the fortitas did, they had to kind of clean up some of the stuff. And they've done it. It's still two very aggressive men or women fighting. There's going to be blood sometimes.

Sometimes there's very quick knockouts. I've always argued UFC is much safer than boxing because the knockouts are cleaner and earlier. If you hit a guy, you hit a person, knock him out, it's fast. Two of the fights Saturday night, over within 40 seconds. But one of the really brilliant things, every time I go to a UFC event, I'm always struck by the win for the consumers. I loved boxing. I covered Hagler and Hearns and Young Tyson and Sugar Ray Leonard. Best fight I ever went to was Iran Barclay and Nigel Ben.

I think it was Bally's. It was a slug fest. But I always felt as a consumer, it always left me wanting more. Promoters got rich and the occasional heavyweight fighter did. But so many fights I wanted to see were never scheduled, never made. The amount of content, the amount of quality and action you get on Saturday nights with the UFC, it is astounding. I went with friends. The fight started at three.

We got into the arena by 515. We sat in the lounge early, had a couple cocktails, went out there. From 515 to like 10, it was 10, 10, 15. It was nonstop. Little breaks in between. You see some celebrities. But just the quality of the depth of quality fights. It was just remarkable.

And it's so hard to keep sports fans engaged. Baseball, by the way, has done a good job this year. They've sped the game. game up. Why? Shorter game, more action. Right? That's why in Hollywood, three-hour movies become two hours and nine minutes. A higher percentage of the movie has action. You don't want long lulls in the action. And it's like I'm sitting there watching UFC and I took friends who'd never been to a UFC fight, three friends from Los Angeles. And as we're walking out, they're like, that's one of the greatest nights I've ever had involved with sports. And these were jockey people. The staff is

amazing with UFC, the security. It's really seamless, really just a well-oiled machine. But I'm like, this is why boxing died. And we were talking about that, driving back to the hotel. I'm like, this is exactly why boxing died. Boxing could give you an occasional great performance, but it was just, it was sporadic, it was inconsistent. And I'll always be a fan of the UFC because I like fights. But it's a bit of a marvel how well-constructed it is. And the winner, not just the fighters. The fans pay the their money and just get four. If you want to get there at three till 10, you get seven hours of unbelievable content.

And I'm as a sportscaster, I'm blown away by it. I mean, you look at all the new sports we've had in 30, 40 years. Like, what's the one? NFL, NBA, baseball, MLS, UFC. It is no coincidence. It's not surprising if you go to the events. It is a machine. and it is wildly, wildly entertaining.

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We sent him to the Summer League and as usual he crushed it. Jason Timph hoops tonight. I thought Wemby's first performance was a lot of jitters. I mean, the idea at 19 of going into a foreign country and be the star attraction against, you know, guys who are literally trying to make the league and are fighting for their survival and roster spot. you know, he knows he's already going to make the team. So I thought it was kind of predictable that he would struggle. It was choppy. I got to tell you, though, when I watched them today, you know, his size is just so impactful.

There's just no way around it. He's going to have 25 point nights. So let's start with the difference you saw, Jason. Game one, game two. What jumped out to you? This is so funny to be that news. cycle was objectively hilarious. It's like, okay, here's this guy who already has been good against pros in France,

who already was great against the G League Ignite team, like destroyed them in two games in America a few months back. And like one game in Summer League and everyone was rewriting whether or not this prospect was worth all of the hype. And then Big Shock, he comes out with 27 and 12 with three blocks today. The big thing that stood out to me was just process. Like, honestly, I would, I looked over at. Carson and Logan are nerdsash guys right before the game.

And I'm like, I wonder if they're going to play basketball or just throw him the bat or just throw him the ball and let him play ISO pickup ball. And that's what they did in that first game for several possessions. He's just standing on the wing, dribbling like he's Kevin Durant against Kai Jones. And that's literally the hardest way to play basketball. And, you know, I kind of did a little thing in my show today. Every young player has a floor and a ceiling. And their floor is mainly based on what they're already great at. and then their ceiling is based on whether or not they can address their weaknesses.

He has things that he's great at. He's the greatest combination of height and length and coordination of any center that we've ever seen. He's already got great defensive instincts and a good amount of offensive polish. So if you play easy basketball with him, he will excel. There was a sequence at the end of this game where he set a ball screen. There was a switch. He flashed to the middle of the floor. They threw him the ball and he just quick shot a little turnaround fade away over his right shoulder to make it.

to get it back to four. Very next possession. Guy drives along the left side. The rim protector gets occupied. He just relocates to the left wing and takes a wide open catch and shoot three and he makes it to get it back to one. I'm like, this is what it's going to look like in San Antonio.

Real basketball, where he has an opportunity to demonstrate what he's great at. And I'm not surprised at all that he popped in that setting. I thought all of the reaction to game one was really misplaced, disrespectful to what he's already accomplished as a pro. and just it was predictable that he would bounce back the way he did today. Yeah, in the game one and game two,

there was a moment where somebody ripped the ball out of his hands. And I do think, like if somebody said to me, like what's the one glaring weakness? I would say weakness. He's 19. Like, you know, guys are, you know, he put the ball up a couple times. And guys just grabbed it and pulled it out of his hands.

And it's like, yeah, you can tell he need, you know, when you start looking at these veteran NBA guys, they look like they've been in a professional weight room for seven years. Like, It's just a different definition. So if you told me, like, I could see them building a schedule and saying, and I thought, I said this with OKC, they should do it for Jet Hongrim. 58 games.

Just take some road trips off. Stay home. Lift weights for four days instead of that two team road trip to say, you know, Houston, Orlando, stay home. Eat, workout, try to make as many home games as you can, right? And have a limited road schedule. Not that you don't need to go on the road, but there'll be time. I just want him to stay home, sleep, eat, lift, and play 58 games.

And I feel that way with Wembe. It's like, obviously he has his motors running. I mean, you know, when you were 19, you could polish off two turkey sandwiches, glass of milk, two cookies. Hour later, you're starving, right? Like, that's who he is. He's 19. He's going to burn 7,000 calories.

And it's like the only thing I look at, I think he just needs to get stronger. He just needs, he needs just nights off. Because, you know, I've talked to NBA guys about this. You start burning calories when you're 19, 20, 21, 22. It's hard to keep weight on. If you're playing 40 a night and this, because these guys, a lot of these guys, Jason, especially college guys. They didn't play any defense in college.

You know, matchup zones and you kind of guard a space. First time you've had to guard a guy. So, like, it is a whole different ballgame. So I just think he's just going to get a little bit stronger. But there were a couple when he did. those back-to-back dunks, there are these moments of, like, he's just going to get some. Like, you can, you know what a player's great when you perfectly defend them and they score.

Like, length is undefeated. Like, it just wins all the time. If Durant's 6-8, he's not the same player. He's just really, really good. So, and I thought, I will tell you this, he's a really gracious kid. Like, I think he's really grateful for it. And I think it matters. Like I don't see any, he's just really, you know, very grateful for it.

I don't know. I think he's got the perfect, you know, I'm going to throw a theory really quickly. So Popovich got lucky. Robinson, Duncan, like the nicest guys in the world, right? Yeah. Then he gets Kauai, who's difficult, right? And he leaves. And he says to himself, I'm not doing that.

Wemby has got an old school grateful personality a little bit, old school, right? And the foreign players, as we've discussed, come into the country and they're very appreciative. It's new. All visitors are more polite, right? You go overseas, I do. We're more polite.

I think he's been waiting for the next, you know, just happening to be an international player. I think they're going to do really well. I think this is going to be Popovich's third run. Do you? Absolutely. I mean, the beauty of having a personality like that at a position like that, if you think about Duncan, is it makes it really easy to bring different types of volatile ball handlers around him. Because not only is he unassuming, he's your foundational piece.

He's the guy that you build your entire defense around on offense. He's the guy that's going to pick and pop to the top of the, to the key or to beat switches with smaller guys, he'll bury him in the post. But he actually needs a primary ball handler. So when you have a guy like that who also has a great attitude, it's going to make it really easy to find players that want to play with him. I really like the point you made about putting on weight because I've never thought about it that way in terms of cutting back his playing time as a vehicle with which to put on muscle because it is so difficult to maintain weight, let alone gain weight during a basketball season. Every year I'd play, I'd go into the season at like 227, 229, and I'd come out of the season like 217, 219. 219 because like you just you're all you're doing is playing and playing and sweating and playing and working out and going to class and you just don't ever have an opportunity to do

what it takes to keep the weight on until you get to the offseason. So I like that idea of kind of like minimizing his workload as an opportunity to put on weight and to help avoid injuries. But you know, it's funny because the ceiling with him is completely ridiculous, right? the crazy high-level shot making, the one-legged three-point shot that he takes from the top of the key that he actually made quite a bit when he was in Europe, all the stuff that he can do defensively. But overnight, he's going to be really good in ways that impact winning in terms of rim protection. He closed out a ton of possessions at the end of that game, just snatching defensive rebounds over the top of everybody. getting to the foul on. He shot 12 free throws tonight just because when he reaches to shoot over the top of people, they go for the ball and they get forearm because they're just not close to where he is. Right. But here's the thing. He's not going to win rookie of the year, most likely. Because it's going to be someone like Scoot Henderson, someone that's going to put up a ton of numbers that's going to pop earlier in their career with the way that their skill set goes. He's going to be the kind of guy that all year long people are going to be looking for opportunities to minimize what he's doing. This is a

the dude that five to ten years from now has the potential to be both the best offensive player in the league and the best defensive player in the league. That is the ultimate ceiling there, but that will take time. He's not someone that's necessarily going to pop statistically early on. And so I hope people treat him with that level of fairness. But as far as Popovich goes, and I don't know if you saw, there's kind of a caveat there where he may not actually stay on and coach that whole time because he's also the president of basketball operation.

So they might work something out where they phase him out. but then maybe he can pick the successor at that point. But because of his specific personality and his skill set, they're going to be able to find pieces to surround him with. People are going to want to play with this guy. I think the Spurs are going to be relevant for the next decade. Well, they did a study years ago. I think it was the University of Copenhagen.

And they had people work out 90 minutes a day and 30 minutes a day. And what they found is the people that worked out only 30 minutes a day lost more weight. How? Because they weren't as tired. they would take the steps. They wouldn't nap later. They wouldn't eat as much. So what happens is, think about, so moderate exercise is actually can be very, very healthy, especially as you age.

Think about two and a half hours of an NBA game. You burn 9,000 calories. Wembe gets off the court. Power shake sleeps on the plane. So you think to yourself, just think about what that physical beating does to you. it really eliminates the chance to put weight on because you're resting constantly. You're exhausted. And instead of, you know, like I always say this about college guys, they play 36 games,

regional travel, 82 national. They're sleeping all day. And it's just like, well, they can't put weight on. Well, they play, they do smoothies, and they fall asleep. Like, they're not eating full meals. And so I think it's a real thing. And also, Janus, Embed early. when you're 7-2, you're thin.

It's Ralph Sampson. Some guys have never been able to put weight on. Ben Simmons is still, you know, just like you wish he put, you know, at times. So I think with Wembe, it's just like, I think you put him on a game limit, keep him home sometimes, double down on stuff, give him more rest, give him an opportunity. You know, there's nothing wrong with just sitting home, card loading, watching the game, breaking down film. Okay, so I want to go to this.

So the, it's, it's. really been something, and I like Damien Lillard a lot, but he's not a villain and he'll play hard anywhere he goes. I do bristle, and I just don't think it's good for the NBA. I bristle at I'm only going to play at Miami because wherever Dame goes, he's going to be the first or second best player. And, you know, if he went to Philadelphia and he was great, it's not like he wouldn't play hard. And I do think it's good for the league when franchises get the the most they can when they lose a star. It creates some sort of competitive balance.

You don't want people like stars leaving and they go into the tank. You want stars leaving and the other team to get somewhat fortified. So they remain viable. So where do you fall on? I mean, again, I'm an NBA guy. I have always understood the NBA and international soccer are star leagues. They're not driven by coach. You think, I mean, people say the NBA just runs through coaches.

Go watch international soccer. Look at our United States men's national team. We're just running through coaches. it's star-driven. One player can tip the scale. I mean, if Mahomes had a bad old line or a bad coach, he'd be a 500 quarterback. Like, you need even a great quarterback.

Basketball, Rob was going to get to the playoffs, regardless of who the teammates were. I just don't love the optics of it for Dame in the league. What say you? The optics are awful. And I really blame the agents for this because it's like, everyone knows Dame wants to go to Miami. And so do the other 20,

teams. So, like, making a phone call and being like, by the way, he's not going to show up to training camp, all these guys know Dame. They know he's a professional. They know he'd show up to camp. It's like the Kauai Leonard thing in 2019. Exact same situation. I'm going to L.A., reports coming out that he might not report to training camp. And then Toronto bravely steps in and takes a risk. And they end up getting him and winning a championship. Kauai played some of his best basketball for Toronto. Actually, I did a whole thing today. I really want the Oklahoma City Thunder. to put their name in the dame hat i'm not sure if you saw it but wode reported yesterday they have 35 draft picks in the next seven years 15 first round draft picks i worked it out they'd have to wait a

couple months because of some cb a rule but they can basically take a bunch of their salary filler that they picked up in random deals this summer not have to send out a single young player put you know four or five of those draft picks on the table and go get dame and run out damian lillard shegildes Alexander, Lou Dort with Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, it'd instantly be one of the most talented teams in the league. I'd love to see something like that. But the point is, all these teams already know. Like, OKC knows. Dame wants to be in Miami. So it's a risk. We would have to bring Dame in and effectively be like, hey, man, we're a good organization. Let us show you how we do things around here. Give us an opportunity to show you how we do things.

We can help you reach your basketball ceiling. That's what Toronto did with Kauai. That's always been the game. The problem I have with it is the agents have got involved and they've made it nasty. Now you're throwing out these empty threats that no one believes that makes Dame look like he's a jerk when he's not. And as far as the whole asking for a trade thing, even Portland knew when Dame signed that extension that he was likely going to ask for a trade. These players have to take the financial security.

You're a free agent. You're committed to that team at least for the next year or two, but you're not going to pass on five years. You're not going to. Because you take a two-year deal. you land awkwardly and tear your ACL, that can cost you $100 million. So, like, these guys have to take the money. As long as they're requesting the trade in the off season and not in the middle of the season,

the way Kyrie did, I don't really have a problem with it, but it looks really bad with the agents. And honestly, Colin, I don't know what the answer is because the agents are doing their jobs, so to speak, by mucking things up and making it nasty. And they're obligated to their clients to try to get them where they need to go. The NBA doesn't have any leverage over those guys. I don't know how they can stop it, but it definitely is a bad load. I'm okay with players requesting trades. I'm okay with them saying they want to go to one place.

There's a risk. Another team might jump in and trade for you anyway. But there's no doubt that this looks bad. It's going to start turning off regional fan bases. It's going to start hurting that regional television audience. And I don't think it's good for the long-term health of the league, even if it's morally correct, if that makes sense. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraging.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you'll say it. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes

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Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down,

and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because, of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

Podcasts. Pivot back to the summer league. Scoot Henderson got hurt in game one. He's going to be really good. You know, we, I've always tried to defend NBA GMs and scouts. You have sometimes, it's almost so the international players now are easier to scout than college players because at least they play against men. So it's like, it's easier. It feels like the international guys in the last four or five years, there's been like no major. whiffs like you're yeah if they can score against men they can score in the college game you watch a big 10 player and you're like only scoring against a non-nbba player uh mean jaden ivy to me you could see he was dynamic you're like yeah that's going to work in the NBA he's going to be a good player

so in the brief time you saw scoot henderson your interpretation of what you saw spitting image of russell westbrook he's built like a truck he's way stronger even than russ was at that phase of his career. The rim pressure is insane. When he just gets going in transition, you can see the entire defense kind of collapse around the basket. He's especially good at hitting guys out of the dunker spot. That's a rust thing. You got to put him with a big man that can catch and finish around the basket. He actually did hit some nice pull-up jump shots early in the game, but there is a little bit of that lack of the change-up. And that's always going to be the thing that could derail him. Again, scoot has a chance to be the guy that breaks the mold,

but he has to pay attention to the roadmap where some of his contemporaries went off the tracks. It's you've got to have a change up. You can't play the same style all the time. You have to commit to the defensive end of the floor. He is capable of being an outstanding defensive player with his strength and his physical build. And then last but not least, you've got to get in the gym. Don't be that guy who when your athleticism starts to tail off, you start to tail off because you don't have the skill set to make up for it.

You know, like I really was, his competitiveness popped when I was watching him. You can see the way he interacts with his teammates, the way he interacts with the people he's competing against. He's jawing at the other team. He's got the fire. He's got the competitiveness. But he has to follow that roadmap. Because as we've said, that's a specific archetype of player that has had really hot

starts and then flared out, flamed out pretty consistently. And I don't want that to happen for him. That's something you pointed out. It's really smart. And it even matters in my business. I have said this before. If you're a talk radio host, you can't just be a flamethrower.

You've got to be it sometimes funny. Sometimes you've got to be inquisitive, curious. Sometimes you can throw a fastball. Sometimes you have to be self-deprecating. And I think John Wall, to me, had one speed. Like it was just out of control. And Westbrook at times, kind of one speed. And I think, I really do think with Scoot, I see a little bit of the same thing.

Now, some of it is he can develop that. But I think it's really hard when you're very successful at something. And you blow past everybody for people to say, hey, slow down. We want you to play with more pacing. It's like Tyson. Like, why do I need a jab? I'm knocking everybody out in the second round. Like, what's a jab for?

So I think what happens to dining, and we've seen this. pattern that they dominate people. And it's like the running quarterback, high school, college. He runs around. First two years in the NFL, Josh Allen runs around. And then all of a sudden he gets hit. And it's like, oh, I got to stay in the pocket. And so I think what Scoot is so dynamic, you know, sometimes your gift is your curse,

that he's so dynamic that it's hopefully super coachable. And I think Westbrook, I'm not saying he's not coachable, but nobody could stay in front of us for 10 years. Like you see why God, I mean, it's not a shock that many of the great shooters are not super twitchy and fast. Because at some point, pulling up was what they, that's how they scored, right? Like for you, you're obviously very athletic guy. But if I would have told you, if I'd have added eight inches to your vertical, your jumper wouldn't be as good. You'd be like, guys, I'm going to the basket again. And also, there's an alpha to scoring at the rim that it's just like adrenaline.

So I hope he develops it, but I think it's a really good point by you that it is hard when you succeed at something and these dynamic guards with no hand check. Can't stand in front of him at all. Michael Jordan could not have stayed in front of any of these guys. None of them. So was there anybody else in Summer League that you looked at and went, oh, that's interesting? So a couple of things. Brady Miller had some moments. The polish is there.

That Charlotte Summer League roster played. some of the ugliest basketball I've ever seen. So I want to see him play in a different type of environment. Both the Thompson twins really popped with their playmaking. They were both in roles where they were playing with a lot of other ball handlers so they didn't get much opportunity to show what they can do. I thought the most impressive guy I saw this weekend was Jabari Smith Jr. Now, I don't know if you noticed this, but last year, there was some hype over whether

or not Jabari Smith was going to go first. Now, Paolo went number one, and he's been great, obviously. Chet went number two. Chet looked awesome on Saturday, by the way. But Jabari Smith Jr. went number three. And a big reason why is he could not dribble to save his life. And he couldn't make a shot anywhere outside of a catch and shoot situation. He destroyed the Pistons today and hit that game winner in the game on Friday.

He had 38 points, hit a bunch of pull-up jump shots. He was talking shit to James Wiseman and just putting on a show in front of the crowd. It's been the most remarkable improvement in scoring polish from a player I've seen in one year in my entire time covering basketball. I can't believe it. He was literally the most uncomfortable guy last year that I saw in Vegas. He's been the most comfortable guy on the floor this season. He's 6 foot 10 with the 7-1 wingspan, projects to be an excellent defensive player. He's put on a ton of muscle. He was bullying Jade and Ivy today. He's got all the pull-up jump shot stuff going. Houston is going to be a really interesting team this year because they brought in some veteran presences with Fred Van Vleet.

You're going to have Jalen Green there, Dylan Brooks there. Between Dylan Brooks and Jabari Smith and their ability to guard. Houston, like, overnight's going to become a really entertaining team to watch. But Jabari Smith Jr. was by far the most impressive guy that I saw this weekend. So the NBA has this in-season tournament. And basically what they're doing is designating Tuesday and, like, Friday games. They want them to be more urgent and more important.

So fewer players will sit out. And they'll have, like, it won't affect the standings. They'll be, like, a separate standings from. as far as I can tell. And if you do well in those games, you will eventually get into this December, early mid-December tournament. It's,

I think the simpler you make things, the easier it is for sports fans, right? Do you think it matters? I mean, it'd be great if you didn't have to ask players to play, but that's the reality. You know,

the analytics and basketball are telling you to give guys, veteran players, more time off. Do you think it's instructive? do you think it benefits? Do you think it pops? Your takeaway on it? I'm trying really hard to keep an open mind, to be clear. But I was here, I heard your podcast with Nick Wright the other day. I listened to it on the plane. And you said something I thought was really interesting. You're like, you need two things to be successful as a professional sports league. You need stars and you need urgency. And the NFL crushes everybody because they have both. And the NBA has stars. And that allows them to overcome their lack of urgency. But the only problem, I'd say there's a mild problem with a fish. they got to work out.

There's a mild problem we were talking about with the Star Trade Request and some of the behavior of these agents. But the main problem is urgency. And this looks like a move in the direction away from that. And, you know, I was watching Ted Lasso this summer with my wife. And they, you know, I've been learning about the English Premier League as a result. They have this thing called the F.A. Cup. And it's like this tournament that they play in the middle of their season.

But there's a prestige that has been built around that tournament over many. many, many years. And so I don't see how that prestige exists right away over something called the FA Cup. Now, there is a, or the NBA Cup. Now, there is a undisclosed benefit to the players, but when stars determine the outcomes of games and stars are making 50 million, I'm not sure there's a monetary value there that's going to really get people interested in competing, but I'm trying really hard to keep an open mind. At the end of the day, though, if someone asked me what needed to happen with the NBA, an overhaul with the officiating, and then shorten the season to 66 games so that you can stretch the games out so that players aren't resting on back to backs.

There would be an increase in viewership due to urgency and star participation. And then from there, that would make up for the drop in games. That's the direction the league needs to go. And they're just never going to do it. And this, to me, just feels like a strange measure in that direction. Yeah, I always appreciate Adam Silver's willingness to be progressive and, you know, move the ball ahead. You know, David Stern did it on occasion, had a couple of whiffs. the dress code was sort of insulting.

The new ball was just a complete miss. You may want to tell the players you're coming out with that. But I've always thought, you know, there's the old saying, the NBA thinks of it first, the NFL gets it right, and baseball makes the most money on it. The NBA always comes up with new ideas, and I totally appreciate it. And I do think we live in a distracted society. NBA fans are young. They're on their phones. it's a highlight culture always has been a bit in the NBA.

So I'm not against it. I want to see it. People bang on the playing tournament, but I've kind of liked it. Miami was a playing team that was trailing in their second playing game. So, you know, people like to complain about new stuff. Like, I think the plan works. I like the play in turn. I agree.

Yeah, I like it. It's more good. It's more urgent games that I have to. I mean, those are Tuesday night games. And I'm like, Warriors can be out or the heat could be out of the playoffs. So I am willing to give the mid-sense. season tournament. And it's not really mid-season.

That's kind of the name, but I'm willing to give it a shot. It's early season. Early season. So I said this, that there was a story this week. The Knicks had talked to the Clippers about Paul George and they bailed on it. And I said five years ago, they would have done it 10 years ago. They would have panicked on Carmelo. They could have traded him after the season.

They did in-season. And Denver got a boatload, right? because in-season trades, Melo's like, I want to play for the Knicks. Stodemeyer from Phoenix had bad knees. Everybody in the league knew it. They needed a star.

That never worked out. Paul George is a really good two-way player, but Steve Balmer, I've been told by a source in that building, is not going to extend him, does not want to. There's no reason for you to give him a four or five-year deal. I do think he would be a two or a one on that team.

And my takeaway was, it's really an encouraging sign. The Knicks are a good team. they're not very good, but they're good. One smart move, they can get to very good. Two, they could be special. So let's not demand they make two and one off season. Let's go from good to very good.

Brunson's still young. A lot of their players are young. Even Julius Randall's not old. So if I, there's Zion rumors, Carl Anthony Towns. If I said, and they're very lucky, they have 11 first round picks in seven years. They have a lot of guys I like Josh Hart, RJ Barrett. I don't love. I like.

They're movable. They have length. Randall's contract and Brunson's contract, Jalen shrinks year to year. Like it's one of the better contracts in the league now. So if I said to you, Zion, Carl Anthony Towns, if there was a move to be made, Jason, what would you do? Again, it can't just be a star.

It has to be the right star. I mean, this is the problem that Dallas could find themselves running into. We need to get a star. We need to get a star. We got Kyrie. Well, everything hinges on that now. if Kyrie has a change of heart and demands out, you're screwed because you have nothing left. And now Luke is going to want out, right? And that's the key. It's like you pull the trigger on a Paul George trade and he gets hurt.

Everything is messed up. So you got to wait for the right guy. I'd be keeping an eye out for like a Brandon Ingram over the course of the next couple of years if New Orleans decides that they want to stick with Zion, but they want to flip their timeline a little bit. Oh, they think Trey Murphy's going to play some of those minutes alongside Erb Jones or whatever. I keep an eye out for a guy like, let's say, OKC wants to pay all these guys and they pay Shea and they pay Chet and they pay Josh Giddy. And they're like, Jaylon Williams is the guy we're going to let go. Maybe New York jumps on a guy like that. It's got to be the right guy. I like Paul George, but the best indicator of future performance is past performance and the dude is hurt all the time. And so there's a huge risk there.

And so if you put all your chips in that basket, it could backfire on you. Actually, my sneaky favorite Paul George team right now is the Cavs, because I have, hate their whole two-guard build. I would look to flip Darius Garland for Paul George, because then you're bringing in a player that kind of fits alongside that Donovan Mitchell timeline. It kind of addresses a specific need on the roster. Max Struce kind of slots in at the two.

I really love that fit. And then Darius Garland is a foundational piece for the Clippers who have desperately needed a point guard ever since Chris Paul left. But for a team like New York, if you look at Jalen Brunson, where he's at in his career, Julius Randall clearly is the guy that. inevitably move. You've got some solid role players. You've got a good center in Mitchell Robinson that you can build around. It just has to be the right guy. And to your point, that's a sign of competency that they're not just jumping on the next thing that comes around. They're being patient,

and I do like to hear that. Jason Timp, hoops tonight. We send him to the Summer League. Listen to his podcast. As always, my man, good seeing you. It's good to see you, Colin. from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day

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