The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hoops Tonight - Would Damian Lillard win a title on the Heat? Can Lebron & Lakers beat the Nuggets?

Episode Date: June 29, 2023

Jason Timpf answers questions in a mailbag episode about all things NBA. Should we believe the Damian Lillard to Miami rumors? Do LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers have a real shot at beating Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets next season? Who are the players who can truly turn a franchise into a championship contender? #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing.

How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. The Volume. All right, welcome to Hoops Tonight here at The Volume. Happy Wednesday, everybody. I hope all of you guys are having a great week so far.

We are officially getting to our NBA Mailbag. I have 22 questions that we're going to hit in two parts, the first part today, and then the second part coming out tomorrow. We have a couple of non-MBA questions as well that we'll get into. Really excited to just kind of bounce around and hit a bunch of interesting topics and rapid fire style here on the show.

You guys know the drill before we get started. Subscribe to the volumes 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 any show announcements. And if for whatever reason you guys miss one of these videos and you can't get back over to YouTube to finish, don't forget you can find them wherever you get your podcasts

under hoops tonight. Last but not least, before we get started, you guys have heard me talk about game time, the fastest growing ticketing app in the United States. If you're looking to get out to an NBA game next season, if you're looking to get out to a major league baseball game this summer, which obviously is getting much harder to find on television or even a concert or a comedy show, I highly recommend you guys get out to see a dead-in company show before they stop playing here in San Francisco here in just a couple of weeks.

Might be the last time I was thinking about this the other day. I don't know that there are any more jam bands out there, the Grateful Dead. are one of those classic jam bands, you know, 15-minute songs, lots of guitar solos and piano solos and all that stuff. I'm not sure anybody else is doing that. And so when I was growing up, I had a lot of the Allman Brothers band was another one of those bands that kind of had a similar type of style that my dad used to listen to a lot growing up. And they, obviously, since Greg Allman passed away, they're not touring anymore. Dead & Company, this is their final tour. So it kind of feels like the end of an era. But if you want to get out to see Debt & Company before they stop playing, GameTime has an amazing last minute deal on a ticket there as well.

They've taken great care of me in the past. The user experience is super, super simple. You're going to find a great deal. You're going to find a great deal. You're going to know exactly what you're getting yourself into. I highly recommend it. So no matter where you live, get out and have some fun this week. Download the GameTime app.

Enter email and redeem code Hoops for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, enter your email and the code Hoops. That's H-O-O-P-S for $20. off. Download game time today. Last minute tickets, lowest price. Guaranteed. All right, let's talk some basketball. So number one, our first question from Alberto, by the way, thank you all for taking the time to submit mailbag questions. I will probably do one more of these later on in the summer. I think these are a lot of fun and nice opportunities to hit a bunch of the topics we don't hit during

the show. So from Alberto, how do you feel about Dame continuing to drop these Miami hints and not just coming out and saying that he wants to be traded? So first of all, I find this. whole thing annoying on a bunch of different levels. It feels there's a lot of posturing from Dame, simply from the standpoint of he kind of put his foot in his mouth because he talked a bunch of shit when Paul George went to the Clippers and he's kind of been a person who's criticized the super team mold, so to speak, over the years, and now he's stuck in this position where his roster can't content. And I don't think people realize just how far Portland was away, according to cleaning the glass,

which filters out garbage time, When Damian Lillard, Anthony Simons, and Jeremy Grant were all on the floor together last year. They had a negative net rating. So they're not even close to contending for an NBA championship. And, you know, as far as the super team thing goes, the league is so damn talented now. You're not winning unless you have multiple stars. It's just the reality. Like Denver, obviously, Nicole Yokic was great, but Jamal Murray played like a top 15 player in the league,

and we'll probably get some consideration there when we do our player rankings in the future. You need multiple good players to win a title. It's just simply a fact. And so, you know, I understand there's a loyalty element. And I'm sure Dame has a certain, I'm sure Dame has a certain, like, sense of obligation to return that loyalty. But I don't really understand that because, you know, I get it. They took a chance on you by drafting you. But they also have not been able to meet you at your level.

You at your craft as a basketball player, they at their craft running a basketball team, have not been able to do as well. as they've needed to do. They haven't held up their end of the bargain. You've been consistently out of talent disadvantage in most of these situations. And so, like, I understand your loyalty to the fans, and that doesn't mean you can't be a, you know, a really active citizen in the Portland community moving forward or anything along those lines or return the favor to the organization down the line.

But for the time being, you're an aging small guard that needs to have an opportunity to play at the highest levels of the NBA playoffs. and you're just not getting there in Portland. And so I understand your fear of getting painted as being a guy who tries to run out to a super team, but really all you're doing is just being a competitor that wants a chance to compete, and Portland's not giving you that chance. And so I wish that all of the theatrics and all of the politics involved would kind of go off to the wayside, and Dane would just come forward and express his desire to go elsewhere.

And if you're Portland, it's the same thing. You don't really have the ability to surround Dane with the requisite amount of talent before he starts to decline. And so you're better off building around Scoot and Anthony Simons and Shaden Sharp at this point. So I think it makes the most sense for both sides to move on. My three favorite Dame trade destinations. Miami, obviously, then you're not at some massive talent advantage, but you're also top to your competitor when you combine that with like what Jimmy and Bam do as a duo on both ends of the floor.

Obviously, your Expulsure being the best coach in the league. I also really, really like the idea of Damien Lillard playing within that heat system. where he's going to be in the best physical shape of his life and be asked to do more defensively than he ever has in his life. I want to see what peak Dame looks like, and I think Miami gives us our best chance to see that. And it's a perfect basketball fit. They desperately need another high-end shot creator, basically an upgraded version of Gabe Vincent would go a long way. And that's what Dame can bring to the table for them. Number two, the Boston Celtics.

It addresses their biggest weakness, which is that half-court surgery. It allows them to capitalize on this timeline. Like, that's the issues. Boston has this ridiculously talented Ross. right? But they lack the top end shot creation. Like Jason Tatum at his age just isn't capable of going blow for blow with Steph Curry yet. He's not capable of going blow for blow with Jimmy Butler yet, at least not when their defense isn't as good as it was last year, right? And so in this particular predicament, it's like you're waiting for Jason and Jalen to develop into veteran superstars that

are more dependable in the late rounds of the playoffs. But by the time they get there, you might have to pay all these role players and end up with a much less talented roster, and that can be counterproductive. You happen to have the most talented roster in the league right now. So you have a real chance to win a championship right now. And so that's why I would look to flip someone like Jalen Brown for Damien Lillard, because it gives you an opportunity to capitalize on this timeline. It addresses your biggest weakness, which is that half-court surgery, and it buys Jason Tatum the chance to grow, because Jason Tatum still can develop into that bona fide two-way superstar that can be the best player on a championship team when he gets to his late 20s.

And at that point, maybe you get off a dame and you rebuild around Jason Tatum at that point. But I really like Boston. A lot of the other teams don't really make a ton of sense to me. As a fan, just for fun, I put the Lakers on here. It's completely unrealistic. They don't have the assets. It would require Portland basically accommodating dame than basically being like, hey, you were so good to us over the years.

We'll send you where we want. Okay, we'll take a couple pick swaps and a first from. the Lakers with salary filler and go that way. But I'd love to see Dane play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis just as a basketball fan, even if that's completely unrealistic. All right, next question, Samuel. If every NBA player is magically healthy for the playoffs next year, how many teams are actually stopping Kauai Leonard, Paul George, and the Clippers? We saw how Kauai played in game one and two versus Phoenix. Can anyone stop PG or can anybody stop that if PG is there too for the entire playoffs.

I'm just completely shooting this question down on arrival. We've been down this road with the clippers for years and years and years now. Every single season, it's like watch out for the clippers, and then one of two things happens. They either get hurt or, like they did in 2020 in the bubble, it turns out that having two small forwards that defend really well and shoot a lot of pull-up jump shots isn't necessarily the best way to win in the playoffs anyways. They lack rim protection.

They lack a shot variety guys that can score from different spots on the floor. They, Kauai and Paul George both struggle to manage games on a possession by possession basis. I'm a huge fan of Kauai. I think he can be the best player on a championship team. But this particular iteration of the Clippers, I'm completely off them. I will believe it when I see it. It's just they never can stay healthy. Paul George missed this playoff run entirely.

Kauai Leonard missed last year entirely. Last time they were both healthy was in 2021 and then Kauai Leonard got hurt again. It just doesn't work with this particular group. And so I'm kind of off the clippers entirely at this point. From Marv, prediction-wise, who do you think has the best chance next year to challenge the Nuggets? East or West? I ask because I truly think, I can't truly think of anyone who can contend with Denver's current roster. I think it's the Lakers.

I've been saying this for a while. I know they got swept, but if you look at the games individually, it's game one. Well, Braun James had a shot to tie it at the end, and he missed it. Game two, the Lakers had a double-digit second-half lead, and game three and game four both came down to clutch situations. Game four was literally won by a Nicole Yokic game winner driving on Anthony Davis on the baseline. It was a sweep, but every game was close. They beat the shit out of the suns, they beat the shit out of the wolves,

and they pretty much manhandled Miami. If you look at the net ratings, the Lakers had by far the best net rating against the Denver Nuggets. They have the best combination of size and diversity of shot creation to attack Denver. they were by far the most successful offense against Denver because their ability to attack the rim. I think there are a couple of prerequisites. The Lakers have to play better. So for instance, Anthony Davis got his lunch taken by Nicole Yokic.

He has to at least compete with him a little bit better. LeBron James has to get back to where he was as a jump shooter. I pulled up the numbers this morning. It was pretty crazy. Last season, LeBron James was in the 61st percentile as a jump shooter, averaged well over a point per possession. This year he dropped down to 0.9 points per possession. on jump shots, which was in the 24th percentile.

So LeBron has to get back to where he was as a jump shooter. If LeBron and AD are not where they need to be as jump shooters, by the deadline, they need to be more aggressive in the trade market to bring in a legitimate shot creator. But I do think the Lakers are going to run it back, and I think we're going to see a Lakers Nuggets conference finals again next year. And I think the Lakers do have the best chance to beat the Nuggets, although at this point I would still pick the nuggets.

They are the best team in the league. they are the safest bet to win the title next year. I can't think of anything that I'd see this summer that would cause me to change my mind. I already saw Bradley Beale go to the Suns. Don't think that matters. I think the Nuggets beat them maybe even easier than they did last year because, again, Devin Booker made like 75% of his pull-up jump shots for two games, which is incredibly unrealistic.

So I don't think it's the Suns. There is no team out there right now that could do anything that would make me favor them over the Nuggets at this point. The only one that I'd consider potentially would be a J. Brown for Damian Lillard trade that put the Celtics with Damian Lillard, Jason Tatum, and all that talent. But even then, gun to my head, I'm probably still picking the nuggets. Next question, this is from G. Do you think the Lakers should find a way to effectively swap DeAngelo Russell for a solid defensive big? I think Max Christie can provide 13 to 16 a night and do so

with good decision-making process. By the way, I'm moving back to Tucson in two weeks after a decade plus away. Shout out to G. You're coming back at a rough time. This is the time when the weather is particularly shitty, but it does get pretty great outside of that, as you know, because you used to live here. Also, shout out to Ben. I ran into a really good young player named Ben playing at an LA Fitness up on the northwest side of town. I ventured to a different gym than I usually go to recently. And I was watching this kid who was playing really well, really good footwork, really good at leveraging his body, was dominating pickup games. out of the post and Ben came up and told me that he's a listener to the show. And it was really,

really great to meet you, Ben. I appreciate you coming up and saying hi. And I hope we get to play together a lot in the future. That was a lot of fun. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. 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 which I'm saying. 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. 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 of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever

supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart 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. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're

celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of ton-tons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to bowl your mind on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the note with the Lakers for DeAngelo Russell, I would run things back to start.

It's funny because it's the exact opposite of the way I felt last season. I thought it was completely insane that the Lakers brought back that entire core with Russell Westport going into next season, especially with how rough their initial schedule was, and they got kicked in the ass as a result. They started 2 and 10, and it caused a problem that they were trying to dig out of the entire season. They did eventually make a trade, but it was too little too late. This particular season, I have the exact opposite point of view. I do think the Lakers will probably eventually need to make a trade unless LeBron James and Anthony Davis get their shot creation back. but I don't think they need a trade for the regular season. I think this team, as currently constructed,

with DeAngela Russell, Austin Reeves, Rue Acha Muriel, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, that core is going to win a shit ton of regular season games. I really believe that. And so, especially with Jared Vanderbilt and his motor and having a decent backup center with Mo Bamba to use for regular season games, do I think Mo Bamba can be the guy in a playoff series? Absolutely not.

They're going to have to do something before the deadline at the backup center position, but that's a Yolkich problem. Like, the Yokic problem doesn't need to be solved until February. You're going to have leeway in the standings by bringing everybody back. I was talking to Anthony Irwin from Lakers Lounge earlier today. We did a full episode together for like 40 minutes. You can find that on his Twitter feed. But we were talking about the Lakers,

and it's interesting because the only trade that I would approve this summer would be for Damien Lillard. other than that, I would wait until the deadline. If it was a Kyrie trade, I'd wait to the deadline. I wouldn't sign and trade for him. I'd flip him in February when his contract becomes tradable, and I'd just piece together assets to make that happen. Miles Turner's a guy, keep an eye,

and I really, really want the Lakers to go after Miles Turner because he makes a ton of sense as another body to throw at Yokic, gives you a legitimate big look so you can play Anthony Davis and Miles Turner at the same time because Miles Turner is such a good shooter. And then lastly, it buys you leeway, when Anthony Davis has to miss game with injuries. You can actually load manage Anthony Davis, never make him play back to backs because Miles Turner can be an anchor for your defense. So that's another guy, but I think you can make that trade at the deadline because of the fact that

at that point, I think you can get him at a better discount, like potentially with just Mo Bamba and Malik Beasley and maybe like a second round pick or something like that. So I would like to see them target him as well. But no matter what, I'd wait to the deadline. Run it back. Bring back all the salaries, re-signed DeAngel Russell, pick up the option on Jared Vanderbilt, which they just did, pick up the option on Mobamba, pick up the option on Malik Beasley, have all of that tradable salary, go into the season, just rack up regular season wins, knowing you need to address a postseason weakness and address that weakness at the deadline. All right, this next question is from Matt.

Who in the NBA would you compare your game to the most or who you model some of your game after. So first of all, obligatory, I'm not an NBA player. I have no delusions thinking I'm an NBA player. That said, I am a good basketball player and I've worked really, really hard, especially over the course of my late 20s to develop all the things that I didn't develop when I was a kid. I was a late bloomer, and this is kind of one of my most complicated parts of my relationship with the game of basketball, is I absolutely love this game so much, but I didn't get exposed to it until I was like 15 years old. And so as a result of that, I didn't develop as a kid. I developed as a player in my 20s. And so when I started playing in college, basically what

happened was I was the worst player on my high school team. And it's so bad that on senior night, I sat out. Like the senior night, all the seniors play, right? We had six seniors on the team. My coach started all five seniors and I didn't play a single minute. That's how, And it wasn't his fault. I was that bad when I was a senior in high school. And then I started playing like every single day. I grew a lot, obviously, and became a, I have like a 611 wingspan in about six foot six and a half with basketball shoes on like six, five and a half without basketball

shoes on. So I had good tools. I could run and jump really, really well, but not in high school. I didn't really, I was just kind of a lanky. I looked like Bambi. Like I could barely move super, super skinny. And I just wasn't very good. the first two years in college, I just played a ton of pickup basketball.

I grew into my body, put on a little bit of muscle, became kind of a freaky athlete. I could get my elbow above the rim when I was in junior college. But that third season in college, I walked on at the local junior college, and I was just a freaky athlete. I could do. I could knock down threes, and I was a freaky athlete. And so I played center, and I banged with the bigger athletes, and I rebounded really well. I averaged like 16 points and 10 rebounds a game my first season,

but our team was terrible. And then I ended up transferring to another juco. And over the course of my college career, like I made slight improvements. Like by the time I got to Arizona Christian in my third season, I was like a little bit better at putting the ball on the floor and making plays. But for the most part, I was just an athlete that could knock down an open shot. And so I always was a defender who guard the other team's best player

and a guy who would grab a lot of rebounds. I did some scoring in juco. but once I ran into real players at the NAA level, which, again, a lot of people don't realize this, but Division I basketball obviously has the best players in the country. But NAA and Division II basketball has a ton of super skilled players that usually aren't great athletes. And so I was an asset at that level as a defender, and I would always guard the other team's best player. But people always are, I think, a little bit surprised to know that there's a ton of talent in the country and a lot of really, really good players that play at those levels.

We actually beat a Division I team when I was at NAAA. They scheduled us for a tune-up game and we went to their arena and we beat them. Like, NAA teams had a lot of talent. But I didn't really start to develop into the player I am now until after college. That was when I, because I was obsessed with the game, right?

Like, I loved basketball so much and I wanted to get better, but like my clock was run out, right? Because I'd already finished playing in college. I immediately went to work and I immediately met my wife and just kind of like settled down into a regular life, but I still loved the game and I wanted to get better. And so I like obsessively work on my game even to this day as though I'm trying to go pro, even though I'm not trying to go pro, just because I love the game and I want to see what I'm

capable of. And so when you see videos like the video that I have on my Twitter feed and the pinned tweet, that's kind of a more accurate representation of the player I am now. I wasn't doing any of that shit in college. most of the college clips you see on there are dunks because I was just an athlete back then. But the actual like, if someone asked me what type of player I am, I'm a scoring forward. That's what I am. When I break down the archetypes of players, you've heard me say scoring forward, playmaking forward, hyperathletic guard, star center, and unicorn, right?

Well, like, if I had to put myself into one of those groups, I'm a scoring forward. I'm a guy that can score from the perimeter, score from the post, score from the basket. As far as specific players, like Matt's question, who in the NBA would you compare your game to the most? There's not really one player because, and I'm sure most of you young basketball players can kind of understand this, but you pick and choose little bits and pieces from everybody's games. Like, I became obsessed with post-fadeaways randomly during the pandemic.

Could not do anything out of the post pre-pandemic. And then I just worked on it because all, before the pandemic, teams would constantly put small guards on me and ball pressure me because I was always shooting a ton of threes, right? Well, I needed something to counter that, and so I wanted to build out a back-to-the-basket game. Got it all from Kobe. Just watched a ton of footage of Kobe, and the way his footwork worked, the way he would square up in mid-air when he would shoot fadeaways over his left shoulder by swinging his right foot around, I became obsessed with that particular footwork. So, like, most of my post-up fadeaways, I took from Kobe. A little bit from Kauai Leonard in there as well. well. I always liked how Kauai Leonard was initiating contact before the fadeaways. It wasn't an athleticism fade away. It was a strength fade away. And I've got a big strength advantage. I weigh like

225 pounds. And so that's one of the best ways that I can bump people off spots and get to where I need to go. My pull-up shooting is almost entirely from Paul George. I'm like a big, lanky wing. So for me, pull-up jump shooting is less about, you know, elevating over the top of people like a lot of small guards need to do. and it's more about fluidity, energy transfer, going from different dribble combinations into a pull-up jump shot without losing control of the basketball. One of the biggest ways that pull-up jump shooters got messed up, get messed up, is the energy transfer. The ball from the handle into the gather up to the top of the shot, if there's a hitch anywhere in there, you lose energy and you don't get the ball to the rim the way that you need to. But I stole a lot of that stuff from Paul George. I have a huge arsenal of stepback threes, all footwork that I stole from James Hardin.

mostly that extra side step going either way. And then my face-up game, I wore number 15 in college because I copied most of my face-up game from Carmelo Anthony and just the combination of jab steps and like a rip-through fake crossovers and things like that, pull-up jump shots out of those face-up situations, got all of that from Carmelo-Anthony. And so I always think that a basketball player should not try to emulate one player, but identify what your strengths are and then look around and see, different players in the NBA that are doing things that you think you can do.

And then copy that. Just find footage of the move that you want to add to your arsenal. And then there's three steps to adding a move to your arsenal. Do it in the gym by yourself. Do it against a defender one-on-one. And then do it in a game five-on-five. That's kind of the progression that you go with. So if you're in high school and you really want to take, pull-up threes and pick-and-roll,

what you need to do is you need to get in the gym by yourself and just work on shooting pull-up threes off the dribble, just every single day, until you think you can knock them down consistently. And I'm talking like 60, 70% of the time. Once you're there, then you start working on it against the defender, whether that's having a guy in the gym with you practicing or running two-on-two where you've got a screener or whatever it is,

one-on-one defender is more like post-up work, isolation work, right? And pick and roll, you need extra bodies. And then once you feel comfortable hitting it in a lot, situation against a defender, then you can start trying to implement it in a game. You can demonstrate to your coach. Your coach watches you work. Demonstrate to your coach that you've been practicing every single day on that particular move. Then when you try it in a practice in an actual live setting with defenders, your coach isn't going to be upset because he's seen you work on it. Like, that's the progression that you've got to go with. But again, I'm not trying to tell you guys I'm

some NBA player or anything like that. I just, I love the game. I'm obsessed with becoming the best basketball player that I can be for my own reasons. And I think that every single player has a different reason, a different thing that makes them tick. But for me, it's just I want to, I want to see what the best basketball player version of Jason is. And I still plan on seeing that. I'm only 31 years old. I'd like to push for another five years or so. And so I'm going to keep going and try to challenge myself in new ways, like try to find ways to find new competition. That's the hard part is I live in Tucson now. And there's just not a lot of good, the basketball talent here in the city is not the same as it is in some other places that I've lived.

But you just, you find ways to stay in love with the game of basketball. And I'm starting to experience some physical breakdown. Like I'm feeling a lot of lower back pain lately, like pretty bad lower back pain. So guess what? Like there might be a point where I have to pull the plug on playing and devote my competitive energy towards coaching and just find a different way to love the game of basketball. Your love of the game is always evolving as you get older. All right.

Next question from Logan. and hey, Jason, love your content. My question is for you. My question for you is how many players currently in the NBA do you think can realistically be the best player on a championship team next season and who are those players? I put just seven. I put Nicole Yokic, obviously.

Steph Curry, obviously. Yonis, obviously. Those three just did it. I still put LeBron James. And I know people are going to think I'm crazy. But when LeBron James was the best player on the 2020 Lakers, they won the title. when Anthony Davis was the best player on the 2023 Lakers, they weren't good enough.

I do think LeBron, we talked about it earlier in the show, but his jump shooting is down. I think it's going to get back to where it was going into next season. And I think more or less the LeBron James we saw in the playoffs with a reliable jump shot is still good enough to be the best player on a championship team as long as he's got everything else. LeBron last year was not good enough, but I think it was an outlier shooting season. I think he's going to be good enough this season to do it. Luke at Donchich, I think it requires the right type of roster, but he's that big, versatile playmaking forward that I always think can win a championship.

Kevin Durant, and then last but not least, Jimmy Butler, although obviously he requires a more talented roster than he's been rocking with as of late. Next question, Moheed. What is your favorite individual matchup in the league? Mine has been KD versus Kauai for years, followed by Kyrie versus Steph. So I thought really long and hard about this, And the game that I had the most fun watching this year, over the last two years, actually, was two games in Philly, a game where Nicole Yokic went in and beat the Sixers in Philly last year.

And then in the most recent season, Joel Embed, out playing Yokic at home. What makes the matchup so interesting to me is their styles are so different. Like when Yokic beat Philly last year in Philly, he did it with all these little things. He didn't do it, you know, dominating out of the post and doing all the stuff. it was like controlling transition, beating Philly by getting defensive rebounds and throwing kick-ahead passes, and they're making all the big, important plays at the end of the game. And then when Joel Embed beat beat Nicole Yokich this year, it was like sheer force of isolation scoring over the top of Nicole Yokic, just giving him buckets right in his face, right?

So there are very different players. They play the same position. It's the subject of a great deal of debate. A lot of M.B.B. fans still think he's better than Nicole Yokich, so that to me is my favorite individual matchup in the league. next one's really fun. So this was from Liam. Shout out to Liam. This is a great question. If you could create the most perfect fitting starting five in the league from scratch, who you got. So this was a tough one because it's all about complimentary players. These are not

players that I think are the five best players in the league. These are just the five players that I think would make the best basketball team. So I have Steph Curry at point guard. He's definitely the best point guard in the league. It can play on and off the ball and not a defensive liability. This is a surprise. I put Drew Holiday as the two. I don't think really makes sense in a five-man group to have another Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, James Hardin, you know, some sort of two-guards score, Shea Gildes-Alexander. It doesn't make sense to have that type of guy there because so much scoring talent is in this lineup, that needs to be a guy who can play a role. And when I thought about the best combination, because Steph Curry can't

take point-of-attack assignments, it's not a strength of his. So you need an outstanding point-of-attack defender that can succeed off the ball offensively. I put Drew Holliday. He averaged 1.05, points per possession and spot-up situations last year, which is awesome. He shot 45% on catch-and-shoot jump shots, which is awesome, and he can take point-of-attack assignment. So I thought in a star-studded lineup, it made the most sense to have Drew Holiday in at that two. At the three, I was torn between LeBron James and Kevin Durant. I actually think LeBron James is a better player than KD right now, and it has been basically a better player than KD throughout his entire career. But I think on a roster that already has Steph Curry, on a roster that already is going to have some other

players that will mention here in a second, you want a guy who can really thrive off the ball in help and help defense situations contest your rebound. So I thought Kevin Durant made the most sense at the small forward. Yonis Antenacompo at the four. A guy that can run a lot of action offensively as a ball screener, a guy that can be a transition weapon, and a guy that can take rim protection assignments for our five in this lineup, who would be Nicole Yokic, the best player in the league, the most unstoppable offensive player in the league. And by having KD. and Yonis to help and help situations behind Yokic as you bring them up high and pick and roll. I think that combination of on-ball scoring, off-ball scoring and threat, and defensive talent,

Steph Curry, Drew Holiday, Kevin Durant, Janice, Antenacumpo, Nicole Yokich. That would be my perfect fitting starting five in the NBA, which is not the same as the best five players in the NBA. All right, a couple more in this episode. Frankie, please give your guitar collection a run through. And what is your grail guitar? So these have been on display back here, but they get used almost every single day. As a matter of fact, this one I just broke a string on the other day.

But I'll give you guys a quick rundown. So this one, this is my grail guitar for Frankie. This is, I'll get this over here around the mic. So this is a Paul Reed Smith hollow body to Piazo, is what they call it. This is my pride and joy. It was a present for myself when I got my new contract, something that I worked really hard for, and something that I use every single day. Paul Reed Smith makes their guitars by hand in Maryland,

and I think they make the best guitars in the country. The two brands that everyone thinks are Fender and Gibson, and I love Fenders and Gipsons, and I have a Fender Stratocaster that I won't be able to show you guys today because my brother has it. My brother is a diehard Stevie Ray Van Fawn. Stevie Ray Vaughn fan,

and I've been letting him borrow my, my Stratocaster because I've been using this one almost every single day. So I have like a kind of like a mint colored Stratocaster. Some of you guys that have been following the show for a while, I've seen that one on the wall before. So I do love Fender and Gibson, but PRS I think makes the best guitars. They have the best attention to detail. This one has got this like gorgeous curly maple on the top.

It's mahogany around the back. It's fully hollow. It's got a big panel of the curly maple on the back. It's got the PRS vintage pickups. And the big thing with the Piazo, that's such a feature, see this little switch right here? When it's in the down position, when that switch is in the down position, it works the pickups. But when it's in the up position, it works this bridge pickup. And this bridge is actually a proprietary technology that PRS has.

It picks up the vibrations and the strings and translates them into a sound that is identical to that of an acoustic guitar. So, and if you don't, I obviously don't have it plugged in, but go on YouTube and just Google Piazo. and then watch a video and you'll kind of hear what I'm talking about. So what I love about this guitar is it's got like that BB King, vintage, warm sound that I get from the pickups, but then it's got this bridge pickup that I can quickly switch into playing acoustic guitar. So this is also my nicest acoustic guitar. This is my pride and joy. I love this thing.

I've been playing it almost every single day for a while. The reason why I don't share videos of me playing guitar on Twitter is I'm not good. I don't think I'm very good. I would like to be someday I'm practicing at it, but I'm not. I share basketball videos because at least I can. can say confidently that I'm at least an okay basketball player. This is my second PRS guitar. This is the one with the broken string that I broke recently.

This is the CE 24 semi-hollow, also made in America. This to me is the best guitar for the money that you can buy anywhere. So if you're looking to upgrade to a top-of-the-line guitar, but you don't want to spend a ton of money, this is the route to go. This guitar has, it's one of their discounted models, but it has their top-of-the-line pickup. So these are the PRS top of the line modern pickups. They're the 8515s, I think is what they call them. And it's got a bolt on maple neck, mahogany back, curly maple top, just a really versatile

guitar. Also, you could pop the tone knob and it turns them into single coils, which sounds a little bit more like a stratocaster. So that one's fun. This was, I had a, my grandmother bought me an SG when I was a kid, and that was my first guitar. But I put the guitar down for about 10 years when I was playing. in college because I just didn't have time to play.

And a couple years ago, I think it was during COVID, I finally got back into it. I wanted to start playing again. This was the guitar I bought to get started. This is just an Epiphone, Les Paul Studio, a pretty affordable guitar that does a lot of things that you need from a guitar. It's a one that I'd recommend if you're on more of a budget. And then last but not least, I have an acoustic guitar over there, just a cheap fender acoustic.

But I almost never use it because I use the hollow body Piazo. This is just a really cool epiphone SG that I found at a guitar center that was on sale for like $200. I love it because the dude who used it before me clearly got some mileage out of it. You could see how oily the neck is. That means this dude was playing this thing constantly. You could see it in the fretboard as well. But this is just an instrument that someone really loved and SGs are just a favorite guitar of mine. My next guitar will probably be a Gibson SG.

That's the one I'd like to get at some point. But yeah, playing guitar is probably my third favorite thing to do in the world, but the second thing I do most frequently because I love to ski. Skiing is my second favorite thing in the world, but obviously that seasonal requires travel and is super expensive, so we don't do it all that much. But I play a lot of guitar. I play almost every single day.

It's a passion of mine. I primarily play blues, but I'm kind of open to trying new things. I've been trying to play a little bit more acoustic. It's just what I was raised on. My dad raised me on the Allman Brothers Band and Dead & Company. that's why you guys see the Dead and Company posters and stuff back here. John Mayer is my favorite guitarist. I think he's the best player to ever pick up a guitar,

and I highly recommend you guys check him out with Dead & Company. But I appreciate that, Frankie. I am a big guitar fan, and it's exciting that I got to talk about it on the show for a minute. Alrighty, what will do one more question in this episode? Thoughts on the Zion situation, both on and off the court. Is he worth the risk of keeping him, even though he is almost never available? And should the situation happening off the court be enough reason for Norland, to trade him. I'm completely off the Zion bandwagon. It's clear that he's not motivated to take care

of his body at all whatsoever. The problem is, is he's, excuse me, he's already signed his deal. So you're not going to be able to get him to suddenly find some new spark of motivation. He's got the money already coming. Like, Zion Williamson is going to be generationally wealthy no matter what happens. And I don't know if he'll mature later on. He's already done a lot of damage to his body as is to his joints. Obviously, we've heard from J.J. Reddick and many others reporting on the situation that he's not a very good teammate. He's not, he doesn't spend time in the locker room. He kind of keeps to himself and keeps to his own support system. I do not think it's David Griffin's fault. He was such an obvious number one overall pick. But at the end of the day, like, he's the guy

you got to trade. Brandon Ingram's just a better basketball player than him. He's a foundational piece for any franchise. I would be looking to move Zion. I, again, I think it's really unlikely because Dane probably wouldn't want it and he'd probably push back. But like that's another team that I'd be calling Portland and being like, hey, we'll take Damian Lillard, here's Zion Williamson. You know what I mean? But I'm kind of, I'm off the Zion Williamson train. I'm really disappointed. Haven't even seen him look remotely like the player he was at Duke since he came into the league. And look, if you can't take care of your body, you're not going to succeed in this league. It's just that it's too much of a grind. 82 games is too much. The players are too good. The style he plays. that requires him to be in the peak physical condition,

and he's just not that guy, it seems like. So I'm off that train. All right, guys, that's all I have for this episode of our mailbag. We'll be hitting the rest of the questions that you guys will see tomorrow. The volume. 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a license, professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the

world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.