The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hoops tonight - Sneaky 2025 NBA Teams: Why Warriors, Spurs, Mavericks & Wizards will be better than you think

Episode Date: July 15, 2025

Jason answers mailbag questions on topics including whether Victor Wembanyama will lead the San Antonio Spurs to a spot in the NBA playoffs, why the Washington Wizards might surprise some people after drafting Tre Johnson, how the Dallas Mavericks can be contenders with Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis, and Kyrie Irving, why Jimmy Butler, Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors are going to be towards the top of the West, what the Los Angeles Lakers outlook is after LeBron James eventually retires, and more. #Volume See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you.

you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast 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, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the ice. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying. You just understood.

That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis'clock, he's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is, getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is, getting a new one put up in its place. I'm Akila Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 is about both of those things. As I was watching these statues come down, I was thinking about what it meant that I grew up in a majority black city in which there were more homages to enslavers than there were to enslave people. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Hoops Tonight here at the volume. Happy Monday, everybody.

Hope all of you guys are having a great start to your week. Got a really fun mailback today. Lots of really interesting questions from you guys. We're going to have an opportunity to hit several teams that we haven't hit yet this summer. We've got nine questions. Lots of really interesting stuff. Lots of fun stuff to get to. Let's get started.

You guys know the drill before we get started. Subscribe to Hoops Tonight YouTube channel. So you don't miss any more of our videos. Follow me on Twitter at underscore Jason LT. so you guys don't miss show announcements. Don't forget about our podcast fee, wherever you get your podcast under hoops tonight. It's also super helpful if you leave a rating and a review on that front.

Jackson's doing great work on our social media feeds, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Make sure you guys follow us over there for more content throughout the year. And then last but not least, if you want to get mailbag questions into the mailbag. Occasionally I'll tweet out asking for mailbag questions, but I also grab them from the YouTube comments. Remember underneath our full episodes,

write mailbag with a colon and then write your question. We'll get to them in our weekly mailbags throughout the rest of the year. All right, let's talk some basketball. First question. Every year, a young team has a major win totals jump. The Rockets last season, OKC in 2024, Sacramento in 2023, Memphis in 2022, the Suns in 2021, the Mavs in 2020, the Nuggets in 2019, et cetera. So why is nobody super high on the Spurs?

This feels like the most obvious prediction ever to me, a roster that goes 12 deep with awesome talent and awesome defense. I struggle to see on paper the argument for either LA team or the Warriors having a better record than them this season. So let's dig into this a little bit deeper. I still think, even though those teams have their flaws, the LA teams, Golden State, some of these teams have their flaws in the playoff context, the top of the West is still ridiculously awesome. Oklahoma City won the title last year and is the prohibited favorite to win the title again next year. Houston was the two seed last year and added Kevin Durant.

Denver, I would argue, has the most talented roster they've had in the Yokic era. So a definitive top three. And then after that, these are good. These are flawed teams. They have their issues. It may prevent them from winning the title. But these are really good teams that are going to be tough to beat on any given night in the regular season. The Lakers.

Luca Donchich in a revenge campaign. A pissed off LeBron. Austin Reeves. They added D'Andre Aiton to the Lakers. their weakest position group. The Clippers, if they sign Bradley Beal, they'll be better than they were last year because they bolstered their front court depth with Brooke Lopez and John Collins. The Timberwolves. They've literally made the conference finals twice in a row, and Anthony Edwards is improving dramatically every single year. The Warriors looked amazing post-Jimmy Butler trade until

Steph got hurt. They add Al Horford, they're an improved team. They haven't done anything else yet, but they are still very good. Dallas, Anthony Davis, Cooper Flag, a ton of talent, albeit a little imbalanced. If Kyrie Irving returns at any point next season, they'll be super tough to beat. And I saw a video of him on the court shooting basketball the other day.

He's making progress. If he returns around, you know, March or April, that's a tough team to beat. That is eight really dangerous teams that will all go into the season thinking they can win the title. Now, the Spurs will be really, really good too. Obviously, Victor Wimbunyama could be a top five player this year potentially, right? Deer & Fox made my top 25 players last summer when we did our player rankings. They added a

legit backup center in Luke Cornette. And there's a ton of young talent on this roster. Obviously, Dylan Harper has all-star potential. We've seen Carter Bryant look like they're kind of like most versatile perimeter defender at the three spot, something they didn't have on the roster before this. They have a young core already in place with guys like Jeremy Sohan, Devin Vassell, and Stefan Castle, that's a lot of talent. But all of those guys are super young. And there's a lot of variance in the potential outcomes there. Not just for how each individual player plays because they're young, but how well they all fit together as a basketball team. And I'd argue there's even variance with Wemby. He could be the fifth best player in the league next year, but he could also be somewhere

around the 10th or 11th best to be, you know, if his skill development doesn't take a leave or he struggles with health throughout the year. The point is, with a lot of these teams in the West, we know what they're going to look like because there's some continuity there. But we don't really know what the spurs are going to look like. I actually think, and by the way, this is the Western Conference.

There are a lot of good teams that end up in the playing tournament. I actually think it's more likely than not that San Antonio ends up in the play in tournament than them being a top four seat, for example. That doesn't mean I don't believe in San Antonio's core or that I don't believe in Victor Wenbignon. it just means that the top of the West is a bloodbath. And it's just really hard.

In terms of racking up wind totals, it's going to be hard for any team to rack up wind totals, let alone a young team with a bunch of young players that have a wide variety of potential outcomes this year. As far as like Houston, because obviously we're looking at Houston last year as an example. Well, Jason, they're young too, right? Well, first of all, they had several vets in their rotation.

Fred Van Vliet is a vet who's won a championship. Dylan Brooks is a veteran who's become a really, stable, solid starting three in this league. Stephen Adams is a vet. And they had an elite unit. Their depth of perimeter defense talent was so off the charts that it caused nightly problems for every team on their schedule. I think Victor Wemianama is certainly capable of anchoring an elite defense,

but I don't think the roster, as currently constructed, is an elite defensive roster just yet. It's a lot of young players, a lot of theoretical guys that could fill certain roles, but I don't think they're quite yet the top five type of defensive roster that Houston was. And I think they're a middle of the pack offense at best, right? These things take time. And a playing appearance in the West, again, is nothing to make light of. The Warriors were a playing team last year.

I viewed them as a legitimate championship contender until Steph got hurt, right? The West playing bracket has pretty good teams in it every single year. That's the nature of the conference. So yeah, does that mean I think they're going to finish, you know, 10, 12 games below all those guys? No, but I could see them finishing three, four games below the top four seeds and end up in the playing bracket because that's just the nature of the Western Conference. It has nothing to do with what San Antonio is capable of or the value that I see in their core.

It's just the West is a bloodbath man. And it's just difficult to just step in there and start kicking everyone's ass. Next question. What are the chances percentage-wise that the Wizards can be a playoff team this upcoming? season. I personally love what they've done this offseason. This is continuation of the question. I personally love what they've done this off season. They have a nice mixture of intriguing young prospects and established veterans like Middleton, McCollum, and smart. Are they a sneaky eight seat? I think there's a pretty solid chance that the Wizards make the play in bracket this

year. And just by being there, that gives them a solid chance of getting one of the eight playoff spots, right? I said before the draft that Trey Johnson was my favorite. favorite prospect. Not that he was the best prospect. I don't think he's the type of prospect that Cooper Flagg is, just that he was my favorite to watch. Because his skill set of being able to shoot off the move going in every direction, but also off the dribble scoring, I think that's tailor made for an NBA offense. And he has, by the way, completely demonstrated that in his first couple of summer league games. Through two games in Vegas, 39 points, 14 for 24 from the field and five for 11 from three. All of it on display too, like shooting coming off of screens,

shooting out of spot up situations, some high level off the dribble scoring. I was really impressed by his ability to dribble into contact and like kind of get his shoulder into players and bump them off and rise up for that little floater. He's shown some really soft touch. He's shooting a very high and soft ball in Summer League in both his jump shots and with his floaters. I just think there's always a spot in the NBA for a guy who can score out of the actions that NBA teams run. And Tray is already good at that stuff. And it's only going to get better. Alex Sar blocked eight shots yesterday. It was given Drew Timmy Fits. He's a problem. Bubb Carrington had moments towards the end of last season as a primary creator after Jordan

Pool got traded. Bilacola Bali is like the perfect three man to put that group together defensively. They brought in Cam Whitmore for more depth at forward, which is a position group where they're a little thin. They have a well-balanced roster with like exciting young talent. but also older vets like Marcus Smart, C.J. McCollum and Chris Middleton. That can either be kept around as mentors and guys that fill smaller roles or guys that you can move at some point for additional asset return. The big thing that makes me excited about Washington is I think their young core has the potential to be great on defense too, which again is a prerequisite to consistent success in the NBA.

Like when you're looking at young cores, you want to know why Oklahoma City is so successful as young core? because Chet is an amazing defender. Jalen Williams is a very, very good defender, and Shea Gildes-Sah, Alexander is a plus defender. And so it just gives them a really strong foundation to put little role players in and smaller roles around them. I think that this wizard's core, with Balakula Bali, with Alexar protecting the rim,

they have the potential to be a great defense, too. And you ditched Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole, the two guys that could have disrupted the winning culture with their kind of general, unsurious behavior. I think the key for this team is going to be offensive organization. This is a team that if you can generate quality role man touches, quality pop touches for Alex Sar, quality opportunities coming off of action for Trey Johnson,

a sophisticated five-out offense, if they can get that established, that gives them a high floor on the offense then because Alexar has that potential, because Trey Johnson has that natural skill set, because Bub Carrington can score in those actions. They have the pieces with which, if they can be organized properly,

to be a successful offense. The team is on a fun trajectory. I'm actually really, really looking forward to watching The Wizards this year. Like I said, Trey Johnson is one of my favorite prospects that have evaluated in the last couple of years. So, like, it just looks like a fun, exciting team in a way that they have not been in previous years.

Next question. If you had to choose someone non-flag to win rookie of the year, who would you pick? By the way, saw you after Summer League waiting for an Uber, but didn't want to bother you, keep up the great word. First of all, never hesitate to come up and say hello. It's a big part of why we're out there. I live in Tucson. I don't get much opportunity to connect with our fans, so I want you guys to come up and say hello

whenever you are out there in Vegas. But secondly, if I had to pick, by the way, I do think Cooper Flag will win rookie of the year. I think he's the best player in the class, and I think he's going to have a big role on a winning team right away. But if I had to pick, it would be Trey Johnson. I think that he is going to get a lot of looks in NBA offense that he's already capable of making for a fun, exciting young team. I think there's a chance that he could put up some decent statistical production this year, which could put him in the mix for rookie of the year.

All right, folks, something special is about to happen in the Big Easy. UFC 318 is coming to New Orleans and it's absolutely stacked. Draft King Sportsbook, the official sports betting partner of the UFC, has all the action you need. We're talking Holloway v. Porreux, the trilogy, the BMF titles on. the line, but more than that, this is Dustin Porriere's last fight. That's it. The final walk, one of the all-time greats. You're taking Holloway's volume or Poriase power. If you've never bet UFC with Draft Kings, don't worry. Just pick something simple like a fighter to win and make your pick. That's it. Straightforward and easy. And check this out. New customers who bet just

five bucks get $150 in bonus bets instantly. That's a huge boost to get started. Don't miss Poriase final fight. Download the Draft King Sportsbook app right now and use code Hoops. H-O-O-P-S. That's code hoops for new customers to get $150 in bonus bets instantly when you bet just five bucks. Only on Draft Kings, the crown is yours. Gambling problem, call 1-800 gambler.

In New York, call 8778-Hope-N-Y or text Hope N-Y to 467-369. In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-78-7-777 or visit ccpg.org. Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and resort in Kansas. 21 plus age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario, bonus bets expire seven days after issuance.

For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see dkng.cng.com slash audio. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it.

We just contributed to a first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how did we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was...

This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, for people could call in and say, hey Jonas, and then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen, kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian business, man catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world. He doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets,

meeting the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levant this plant to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history.

You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Next question. With LeBron James potentially entering the final year with the Lakers next season, how do you envision the Lakers identity evolving? Not just in terms of play style, but also in terms of leadership and marketing once LeBron eventually steps away. I just imagine the season-to-season urgency shifting.

because LeBron was so old, and he's entering into his 23rd season, but like even when he was in like his 19th, 20th season, like there was this feeling that's like, this is going to end soon, right? Like he's going to slow down soon, right? Like none of us predicted that in year 22, he'd definitively still be one of the 10 best players in the NBA. That was like, I think even the most strident LeBron fans would be like,

this is kind of crazy, right? Like it's just, it was difficult to predict. But the feeling that the feeling, the perception is though there was this very tight, to work with and obviously with a player that has the pedigree that LeBron has and all the pressure and expectation that comes with that, it just felt like every year was the last chance, right? I said it on the show. Every time that they would talk about stuff, I'd be like, oh, you're going to wait. So you want to figure it out the year that LeBron turns 40 in the playoff run. Like that, that doesn't seem like a good idea. Why don't we try to be more aggressive in the short term, right?

Like, that was the cloud that was hanging over the team all the time. It just felt like, the finish line could appear at any time. Like you're driving on a foggy road and you're going to run into a wall at any time and you don't know where it is. And we haven't hit the wall yet and we're just still driving through the fog, but it just felt like that wall was coming at any minute

and it just made it difficult, right? And with Luca being 26 years old, it makes it so that it's less foggy and you're pretty sure you're not going to run into a wall anytime soon. And so as a result of that, there's much more of a long-term approach to everything. you can see now like it being a situation where there's no urgency to make everything happen in this particular season. Now all of a sudden all your asset moves need to be moved for all of the moves in which you include assets need to be geared around getting assets in return that are not diminishing assets that are not declining or depreciating assets.

If you're going to move a draft pick, you want to get a player back in their mid to late 20s that you can count on being good for at least. five years, right, that you could see playing alongside Luca for a long time. The entire, the entire identity of the team has shifted because of that. You don't make a move for Jake Laravia and let Dorian Finney Smith walk if LeBron is 40 and Anthony Davis is on the roster and you feel like this is, you feel like you're about to run into the wall at any point. You're trying to maximize that talent. By the way, they made the Dorian Finney Smith trade before they knew Luca Donchitz was coming. It's just a very, very different. situation. Now the Lakers can actually

invest in long-term basketball culture and try to invest in some continuity. I think LeBron is the best player to ever touch basketball, but he just applied a lot of pressure to the situation, and that pressure will be relieved when he's out of the picture. You mentioned rooting for LeBron James several times over the years. With his retirement likely approaching, who do you see stepping into that role for you and why?

Asking as a fellow LeBron fan. Love the show, the depth of analysis, and passion for the game. really stand out. Thank you so much for the kind of words and for supporting the show. I don't think that I'll ever have a sentimental attachment to a player the way I did with LeBron, ever again. I've told this story before, but I grew up in a family that was very baseball and football focused. Both my brothers played college football. It was just, it was much more of like at home at night. We'd have the Arizona Diamondbacks on TV. We were always watching NFL games on the weekend. It just was not a basketball household. And I actually,

just kind of organically ran into Cleveland Cavaliers games in the, you know, 2006, 2007 era. And, you know, as a 15-year-old kid, that was how I fell in love with basketball. So LeBron for me is attached to my love of the game because he was the guy that got me to fall in love with the game. And so that will lead to a certain amount of sentimental attachment for me that I'll never have for another player. I'm, you know, now I'm a grown-ass man. This is what I do for a living. And, like, I was actually scrolling through just like literally the list of all the

leading scores in the NBA. And I was like, is there another player that I could see myself liking? And it's just not. It's just nowhere even close to that because it's just not the same type of emotional experience. It was for me when I was 15 years old, right? But obviously, I watch basketball. And there are players that I really like and players that I don't like as much. The guys that I would say are my three favorite players.

players after LeBron retires are Nicole Yokic, Steph Curry, and Anthony Edwards. Nicole Yokich and Steph, I just think the way that they play offensive basketball is straight up beautiful. Even as big of a LeBron fan as I am, I find Yokic and Steph to play a more aesthetically appealing style of offensive basketball. And I just really enjoy watching them play. I just think it's really fun to watch. I was thinking about this with Tyrese Halliburton, too. You want to know why the Pacers were so much fun to watch? you want to know why the Pacers are such a rating draw, why the Warriors are such a ratings draw,

why the Nuggets have such a powerful core of fans, despite being in a small market, it's because when you turn on the TV and you watch the Denver Nuggets play basketball and you watch the Indiana Pacers play basketball and you watch the Golden State Warriors play basketball, it's very fun to watch because there's so much ball and player movement,

everyone's involved and invested. It's just a beautiful brand of basketball, right? And Anthony Edwards, to me, it just kind of ties into the old, school, you know, two guard that all of us have always loved. He brings the vertical element that a lot of the two guards in the league don't bring right now. He brings the shit-talky attitude element that a lot of guys in the league don't bring right now. Aint is just likable in that sense. But I just love basketball. So even with the players that I don't particularly

like, I can find parts of their game that I really like. Like guys like Luca Donchich and Shea Gilders-Alexander are two high-volume offensive players in the top of the league that over the years, I haven't liked watching them as much. And even with them, it's like, there are elements to ball handling with Luca that I personally apply and practice in my game because I think it's beautiful ball handling and it's beautiful footwork. And similar with Shegildes-Alexander. For both of those guys, it's like contact dribbling. There's a step-back move that, that She-Gilders-Alexander uses that, like, that I have tried to add to my game because I think it's such a useful move. It's kind of like an off-the-driple step back where you kind of get in that left-hand high hesitation

and just throw a quick like kind of jab step in and out dribble to get that separation for that pull-up three like there are things that I will find in in players games that I really like even if I don't necessarily like that player right next question the timber wolves basically have the same roster as last year minus nekeel alexander walker how much do you think one a year of chemistry with randle and dante de vincenzo and two development from young plays players like Terrence Shannon Jr., Jalen Clark, and Rob Dillingham, could improve the team from last year, or will that be negated by Mike Connolly getting older?

So, first of all, this is just the reality of how the NBA works. When the Wolves made the Western Conference Finals the first year, the year they lost to Dallas, so two years ago, Anthony Edwards was making less than $15 million. We were talking about the Wizards earlier. Alex Starr, Bilakulibali, Bob Carrington, and Trey Johnson will combine next year to make $32 million. Just Chris Middleton, Marcus Martin, C.J. McCollum, will make $85 million next year.

That's just the reality of rookie contracts and veteran contracts, right? Now, Ant is on his rookie extension. He's on year two of making a lot more money in this coming season. That comes with realities and roster construction. There will be similar issues for Oklahoma City in the future, right? Like, they just resigned both Jalen Williams and Chad Holmgren to long-term deals. She's already on a, he signed another Supermax extension. Like those guys now are going to make so much money in a couple of years

that it's going to be a lot of rookie contract role players that are surrounding them. All of a sudden, the individual development of Jalen Williams, the individual development of Chet Holmgren will determine whether or not they can keep winning. Same thing goes for Minnesota. Yeah, it's the young players. It's Terrence Shannon. It's Jalen Clark, is Rob Dillingham, but also Anthony Edwards himself. SGA looks like a consistent.

considerably better basketball player than him right now, like a tier above. Like it looks like you get to those four guys at the top, you know, Luca and Yokic and Shea and Yonis. And then it seems like there's a gap. And it might be as high as five or as low as seven or eight, but that gap between four and five is pretty substantial. Shea demonstrated himself to be a considerably better player in the Minnesota series in the conference finals. We talked about it in the gap in Shay's ability to generate consistent off. against elite defense that's packing the paint because he can get to that short to mid-range shot making that's so reliable.

And Anthony Edwards basically abandoned into that last year for high variance pull-up three-point shooting, which abandoned him when he needed it in the series. If he can't change that dynamic, if Ant can't close the gap with Shay, I'm not going to sit here and look at, oh, well, they let Nikiel Alexander Walker go. That's why they can't beat Oklahoma City. No, like, that is normal. That's like part of the process of the trajectory of NBA teams is they have to pay young players and everything just becomes more expensive. Now, do I think Anthony Edwards can improve individually enough to compensate for the loss of him to kill Alexander Walker?

Yes, I do. It's going to look different. And is entering into a phase of his development where his improvement will be less in the form of box score production. It'll be more in like situational. execution, end of games, playoff situation, stuff like that, right? Like, last year, Anthony Edwards averaged 28, 6, and 5 on 60% true shooting. You're not going to do a whole lot better than that. He's probably at his peak, like when he's 27, 28.

He's probably like a 36 and 6 on like 62% true shooting kind of guy. Like, that's better than where he's at right now, but not dramatically. It'll be his situational execution. how resilient he is in the playoffs. That'll be what determines how good Anthony Edwards becomes and how much the Timberwolves win while he's in that jersey. Next question. To fix the regular season and prevent stars from getting injured in the playoffs,

do you think changing the amount of teams that make the playoffs to four per conference would make a difference for the league? Regular season matters more and less playoff minutes with one less round. So I would go the other direction. I think the playoffs are the best product that the NBA offers. I love the NBA regular season. We have fun covering it here. But you guys know how it gets.

It's like the first two weeks in October, we're all super invested as we learn about the teams. And then we all kind of like tune out. Now, we can, us die hards, we still pay attention. Obviously, I do it for a living. So we still cover the league. But it's like, it's not like we're all as invested in November NBA basketball. Then suddenly we all circle back and it's like,

oh, in season tournament. let's watch these eight teams playing the single elimination. This is kind of fun. And then when it's done, it's like, all right, time to go into late December. Okay, let's all tune in for Christmas Day. This is, okay, let's take a break. And then it's like mid-January, we're like, well, I'll start talking trades and different things before the deadline.

And then after the deadline, there's like a two, three-week span where we all are super excited to watch the teams that made trades. And then we're in late February. And it's like, okay, we're kind of just in a holding pattern for the playoffs. and all the teams that are down in the playing bracket are like playing super hard every night, but like everyone at the top is starting to put together some confusing losses that are mostly geared around effort.

And then what happens? We get to April. And from mid-April to mid-June, it's just crazy good basketball every single night. Jackson and I were talking over dinner in Vegas. It was like every single night in the playoffs. There was a great game. It's like, oh, tonight we have Denver versus the Clippers.

Oh, tonight we have this awesome Warriors Rockets Game 7. Tonight we have this really fun game between the Knicks and the Celtics. It was like every single night there was headline matchups. That's the peak of the NBA basketball product. So I wouldn't mess with that in terms of volume. If I did anything to mess with the playoffs, I would just make the schedule less screwing. And so I think the answer is stretching the season in general

with fewer games over the same span. So still start in, you know, training camp in early October, still finish with the finals in mid-June, but drop the regular season to 66 games. Keep the in-season tournament. Keep the in-season tournament. Keep four seven-game series rounds. But if you stretch, if you shorten the regular season to 66 games and space everything out, you can have no back-to-backs in the regular season and a few more days in the postseason where there's no double days off or where there's more double days off. Like every travel day in the NBA playoffs should be an additional day off. So if you're going to have teams play, you know, on like a Monday and a Wednesday, have them be in the same city. And then if they're going to travel to the other city, give them two days off.

Like make it just so that even in the conference finals, even in the second round, the second round of conference finals are kind of where everything gets like every other night. And that's just a lot to ask. And it wears bodies down and guys start getting hurt. So like if you shorten the regular season and you make it so that there are no back-to-backs and there's more days off in the postseason, more people will be healthy, more teams will play at the best of their ability.

One of the problems the NBA has now is like radical swings and effort. Like, oh, blow out here and then a blow out the other way because everyone's so damn tired that like the team that's playing in front of their home crowd with urgency, just dog walks the other team because they're beat and their legs are shot. Like, you'll have more competitive games when everybody's just healthy and more rested. but I wouldn't shorten the playoffs.

I think that's the best product that the NBA has to offer right now. All right, two more questions. You've spoken of how since the Jimmy trade, especially in the playoffs, Steph's volume and efficiency went back up because we had talked about how you'd struggled earlier in the season. Do you think it'll carry into next season and be sustainable? And also, did you change your mind

about the other warriors being second-tier contenders based on last episode? I do think Steph will be great statistically next season, I think that Jimmy Butler does enough to lighten his workload. And I think that Steph has a belief in this roster, a belief that he didn't have in years past. So I think it's more likely that he plays closer to his typical efficiency and scoring volume that he had, you know, in the more distant past like in 2021 and 2022, right?

As for joining the top tier, signing Horford helps. I think, you know, we've talked about it. I think it just gives you this preposterously high IQ defensive front court. I think he gives you the best of both worlds, right? A Quentin Post-esque stretch five, that's probably a little bit more reliable just in terms of his overall decision-making.

But it also gives you a guy who can compete defensively in a way that Quentin Post could not, right? But if they don't add a reliable perimeter score, I don't think I could put them in that top tier with Denver, with OKC, with Houston. And so that may not have until the deadline. I don't think it's going to be Jonathan Camingas, I saw another report that it's possible that Jonathan Kaminga just returns to the Warriors next year.

Do I think J.K. will be a little bit better than he was last year? Sure. But I still think he's a super clunky fit on this roster. And so if they don't turn something in that roster into a more reliable version of Buddy Heald, a reliable perimeter score, I don't think they can enter into that top tier of contention. But again, that's not an insult. Those teams are all good in that second tier in the West. Clippers are good. The Lakers are good. the Warriors are good, the Timberwolves are good, that is a really talented group of teams.

It's just, that's the best roster Yokic has ever had, and he's the best player in the world. Houston was the two-seat, and they added Kevin Durant, and OKC just won the title. Like, we're talking about a very, very high-level group of teams there that you have to substantially improve your roster in order to enter into that list. Last question. What do you think a Kuzma plus A.J. Green plus first-round pick to get the bucks. Would the return be enough to put them into the top tier? in the east. They are obviously not there as of now. Huge fan of the show. I've been watching since the beginning.

Again, thank you for the support. So Cusman, AJ Green gets you into the low 20s in millions in order for salary matching. So that kind of keeps you out of some of like the bigger fish that you could go after. But I do think it could potentially get them a more reliable ball handler, which is what they need. So they got Cole Anthony. And Cole Anthony is fine. I think he's fine as a backup guard. He struggled in the postseason really with turnovers.

He turned the ball over more. he had more, he had like a time and a half as many turnovers as a cis, a lot of like really sloppy stuff in the Boston series. So like, I mean, Cole Anthony's fine. I just don't, I don't think he's going to answer the bell for he. He's closer to Kevin Porter Jr. as just another

kind of like high variance low floor type of guard that will on some nights, shoot the ball well and look like a guy that could make this work, but often will just be inconsistent and not be able to reach that level. Here's some guys that are like somewhat realistic.

okay Tyler Harrow if things go south in Miami C.J McCollum out of Washington DeRosen out of Sacramento Jordan Poole out of New Orleans Kobe White out of Chicago Anthony Simons out of Boston these guys that are in that like 20 to 30 million dollar range that are not what we would consider to be

super super high level guards but that are not what we would consider to be untouchable by their respective teams as well those are the kinds of guys that I'd be making calls on but like I'm going to be honest even if you got any of guys, I'm not sure that it's enough to make the Bucks a like tier one contender. I admire the hell out of the Bucks for trying. And they tried some crazy shit. But it's just such a deep hole to climb out of. And the teams at the top of the NBA are just so good. And you look at like just

think like the Knicks have their issues. They're more talented than the Bucks. The Caves have their issues. They're more talented than the Bucs. I'm not even sure if they're more talented. If the Bucks are more talented than Orlando as currently constructed. They feel like a firm second-tier team out in the Eastern Conference and maybe even a third-tier team in the NBA overall, even if they were to make that kind of move. Again, I admire the effort. I just think they have too deep of a hole to get out of it. And it's nobody's fault.

You know, like Damien Lillard aged out and got hurt right after you went after him. And he was a $50 million asset that's just really difficult to recoup return on. the wave and stretch is like the most radical way to try to make use of him. And again, like I admire the effort, but I just, I just don't think it's going to be enough to turn them into a serious contender. All right, guys, it's all I have for today. As always, I sincerely appreciate you guys for supporting me and supporting the show. We're going to take a couple days off now because I'm getting ready to move to Denver.

We're actually making our first trip tomorrow. I would imagine we'll have something coming out later this week before the weekend, either on Thursday or Friday. So just keep an eye on my Twitter feed. I'll make an announcement when the time comes. But again, as always, I appreciate you guys for supporting us and supporting the show. And I'll see you later this week. Hey, guys, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe.

I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. Nice. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it.

We get to ask other people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast 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, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio. app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of

my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was hungry. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis keep coming to you. He's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the I Heart Road. Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life?

That is not the look of an innocent man. Is everyone lying to me about who they are? I felt such desperation. I felt it was what I had to do. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.