The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Sharp or Square - NBA Betting Update with Jason Timpf

Episode Date: February 18, 2026

NBA All-Star Weekend is over as the second half of the season tips off this week. Here to discuss the best bets across the NBA is hoops fanatic Jason Timpf. He joins betting expert Chad Millman and pro gambler Simon Hunter in an episode sponsored by ZBiotics. Go to https://zbiotics.com/SHARPORSQUARE and use code SHARPORSQUARE at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. Jason Timpf is a beloved Volume colleague and the host of the popular NBA show ‘Hoops Tonight.’ He tells Chad and Simon about his NBA Contender Tiers, including a ton of love for the Minnesota Timberwolves and star Anthony Edwards. He also answers questions about the Boston Celtics’ performance with guard Jaylen Brown, the purgatory the Los Angeles Lakers are mired in with LeBron James and Luka Doncic, and the reasons he feel confident about the Cleveland Cavaliers with new addition James Harden. They also discuss the drama around a potential Kevin Durant burner account identified last week, the surging Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference, Utah Jazz tanking, and so much more. #Volume 0:00:00 - START 0:09:19 - Guest Jason Timpf 0:14:45 - Detroit Piston 0:17:45 - James Harden & Cleveland Cavaliers 0:22:28 - Kevin Durant Burner situation 0:26:30 - Boston Celtics 0:28:30 - Utah Jazz 0:38:20 - Minnesota Timberwolves 0:49:12 - LA Lakers 0:55:35 - NBA MVP Best Bet -- All lines provided by Hard Rock Bet Subscribe to Sharp or Square for gambling advice, best bets, and predictions from sports betting experts Chad Millman and Simon Hunter. Follow on all platforms: https://www.instagram.com/sharporsquare/ https://x.com/SharporSquare_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. 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 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 Acapella 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. Your 20s can be so exciting, but they can also be really overwhelming, confusing, and honestly,

just kind of lonely. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and the psychology of your 20s is breaking down the science behind the biggest roadblocks we face. I was six years into my career, the 80-hour weeks, and just the first one in, the last one out, and I ended up burning out. There was a large chunk of my 20s that I, like, was just so wanting to, like, be out of that phase out of my skin and I just like really regret not living in the present more.

You don't need to have everything figured out right now. You just need to understand yourself a little bit better. Listen to the psychology of your 20s on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Turn someday into right now with Buddy by Jake Radio. Nonstop workout music and expert tips 24-7. Hey, head over to IHeart.com. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free right now.

Awesome health and wellness. Tips 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Remember, stick to the fight. When your hardest hit, it's when things seem worst that you must not quit. Don't quit. Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day.

I heart radio. Welcome to Sharper Square, presented by Hard Rock Bat. We are part of the volume podcast network. This is the show that makes the square sharper. It makes the wise guys pay attention. I am Chad Milman. I am joined, as always, by my co-host, my companion, my compadre, my BFF professional better. Simon Hunter.

Hello, Simon. Chad, are you enjoying your no football Sundays, just the Olympics, I'm assuming, with you, and the NBA? Well, look, I was in Los Angeles for all-star festivities. Actually, on Sunday, I skipped the game because I wanted to see my mom. and my sister and my family in the Bay Area. I was. Listen. It was a good game, actually.

It was actually a really good game. It was a really good game. It was competitive and they might have saved the All-Star game, the NBA. I do have some commentary. It's great that we have like a guest on today who is NBA specific and we're going to talk about all this. I will say, LA and like super, And like Super Bowl is in LA next year. I love L.A.

I'm not against L.A. Here we go. It is just a bitch to get around. And the way they set it up, you know, the game was at the Intuit Dome, which is 45 minutes from anything. And so if you're going to go to an event there, you are locked in.

Like, 45 minutes there, getting out is not easy. Getting an Uber took about 35 minutes. and then you got 45 minutes to get anywhere. So it's like, I'm not looking forward to that for Super Bowl. But L.A. is always fun to go to crazy, crazy nights. One of the nights I went to Kenny Smith's Friday night dinner, and it was held on the property of this guy named Jimmy Goldstein.

You would recognize Jimmy Goldstein, anyone who watches the Lakers. Jimmy Goldstein is the other recognizable dude with floor seats other than Jack Nicholson. Our guest today knows exactly who I'm talking about. I'll bring him on in a second. He's always wearing, he's got to be 100 years old. He's got bright gray hair, always has someone very attractive sitting with him. He's always got on like a wacky hat and really colorful coats. And his house is the one that's been in a bunch of movies.

It's kind of like a spaceship house in the Hollywood Hills that was, famous for Charlie's Angels. They shot a lot of Charlie's Angels in there. Oh, okay. Yeah. So that was really fun. Chris Rock was there. Sasha Baron Cohn was there. Dr. Jay was there. Louis Tyson, Simon, as a Philly guy. And you know

like before the Bulls, the Sixers were my team and Dr. Jay was my guy and he stood up, he's a close motherfucker in history. Like he's got the full gray hair. He's got on the tinted glasses. he doesn't even walk.

He just sort of glides everywhere. The guy, he is so fucking cool. And people went crazy. For all the celebrities that were there, people went crazy for Dr. Jay. Swag doesn't age, Chad. It does not. It does not.

It does not at all. So that was really fun. Also, fans of the podcast will be happy to know. I had lunch on Saturday afternoon with one of our favorite guests from years ago, screenwriter Alan Loeb, who wrote

Wall Street 2, he wrote the movie 21 about the book Bringing Down the House. You know, he's been on, he's great to talk to also Michael Asker, who will be our guest

for the Oscars betting podcast as well. And that was great. I was great. We were having lunch. Major, not just celebrity siting, interaction. Are you ready? Demi Moore.

Well, how did that even happen? Demi Moore and Alan Loeb are friends. So we were sitting at lunch, and Demi Moore comes over. Like, we spent 10 minutes talking to Demi Moore. And it was fantastic. She couldn't have been nicer. It was super friendly. Her and Al are great friends and they're chatting.

I was just hanging. I was hobnavin. I wasn't even hanging. I was hobnobbing. No, that's definitely one of my early crushes, especially in the early 90s, man. Her Marine. Was that what the name of the movie? G.I.J.

G.I.J. There we go. G.I.J., which is the joke that ultimately led to Chris Rock getting slapped by Will Smith. Yeah. We got a lot of All-Star to talk about. We got a lot of NBA to talk about. It's appropriate that we're talking about it now. because our guest is another one of our volume brothers, Jason Timp, host of the Hoops Tonight, YouTube channel and podcast.

I feel like Jason is the epitome of the new democratic creator universe. He was a serious NBA obsessive Hoops fan. Lakers fan has turned that into the preeminent NBA. podcast show on all the time, anchoring the volumes NBA coverage. We're going to set up the second half the season, get into the nitty-gritty gossip. I'd love his take on tanking on Janus on Kalshi. Dame Lillard was giving Yonis a hard time about being on Kalshi at the All-Star Game. Don't forget, get the shows at Sharper Square on YouTube.

Subscribe like this video. While you're out of, you can also subscribe to Sharput, Square, Napopod, Spotify, etc. Let's welcome in. Jason Tamp. What's up, buddy? What's up, Chad? What's up, Simon? It's good to see you guys.

Chad, I have to know. When I was watching the broadcast at the Intuit Dome, I couldn't even see the fans because of these lights that are by the seats. What was that like being in the arena? Let me tell you something. They have made such a big deal about this. sort of a seamless experience, right? And because what you do is you download the app and then they take a picture of your face in the app.

And so you don't even have to stop. It's all facial recognition when you're going in. If you're getting food, you can just pick it up and you don't have to stop because if you've connected your credit card to the app and your face, they're capturing all that information. It's all very sort of, you know, what was that movie with Tom Cruise, right?

And so it's a little bit freaky. I was just not that impressed, to be honest. And I'll tell you why. It took, I think, four times to download the app. It kept timing out. And then when I did download the app, the first time it couldn't read my face, another time it timed out while trying to get me to log in. Even opening the app, when you open an app these days and we've all become spoiled,

you open an app and it immediately is on the page of the home screen. this like it's loading it's got a guy dribbling a basketball it says you know into a dome powered by Microsoft and it was taking four to five seconds just to get to the homepage that would have my tickets that would have sort of the activities all that kind of stuff so a little bit of my experience was just soured because I was unimpressed I was unimpressed with the tech to be honest and then once we were in yeah the lights were flashing everywhere it was fine it didn't like blind me. I would say the coolest, coolest part was that wall. I forgot what they called it the wave or the swell, the swell. That is brilliant. And every NBA team should be creating

something like this because it was awesome. And like they are making players miss free throws. And it was really, it was it was definitely cool. I wish more teams in the NBA would sort of adopt that primarily like experience. It's great. Yeah, you know, I, I remember McKale Center growing up, they had the big wall of fans right behind the basket. It just provided like a different energy. I think, I think it's difficult to replicate because so many teams are, or so many like games have more of like a grown up vibe than college basketball. And so like it's hard to get people to commit to it. But I got to say, overall, they're at least trying stuff.

They're at least trying to make the experience different and unique, which I appreciate overall to. as far as the lighting goes, like on the screen, it is kind of cool from the television perspective. It just looked like it might have been interfering with the actual fan experience. But I haven't been there yet, so I can't really comment on it. I would also say, you know, they did this in Vegas. I went out to Vegas for the NBA Cup and I was there for the finals for the Knicks and the Spurs. And I don't know if the NBA sort of organized it this way, but there was a, very specific San Antonio Spurs cheering section that that replicated some of the very engaged and

loud and spirited cheering that I think Spurs fans do that is I think pulled from some of Mexican soccer right and there was also a very engaged very loud Knicks fans section it may became so much more exciting and so much better because like an NBA Cup I've been to a bunch it can be a pretty corporate event because it's a neutral core and fans aren't going to travel, but they had this. If they could figure out way to replicate any of that, it would be truly amazing because it's great in an arena like that. It's really, really fun.

And when you don't have the, to the app thing you're pointing out, like until these cell phone towers can manage the bandwidth necessary to actually service 20,000 people in a single building, none of it really matters. It's kind of like smart home tech. Like, smart home tech is really cool in theory, but if it only works, works two-thirds of the time when you're at your house and half the time you want to launch your phone into the drywall it doesn't really serve its purpose so like yeah i i could totally feel you there uh all right brother you know i love the NBA uh and there's a lot to talk about there is tanking that is rampant that became an issue at all-star more importantly the second half of the season

And what's interesting to me, and you've talked about this on your show, you look at the odds to win the title. You've got the thunder at the shortest odds. Then you got the Nuggets. I think after that you got the Knicks. And I think mixed in there a little bit behind the NICs are the Celtics and the Pistons. And you've said, like, I forgot Cleveland and San Antonio. The Pistons are one of the most. interesting teams, I couldn't agree more for people who haven't been paying attention,

who are, you know, NBA committed after the All-Star game, I don't understand why the Pistons aren't getting more love from betters to improve their futures odds because they've got a five-game lead in the conference for the number one seed, and they've consistently been the most interesting all-around team in the NBA in the Eastern Conference. explain to what I'm missing. They've been by any measure the most impressive team in the NBA in this regular season. It goes deeper than the team record. They've also been the best performing team against the best teams.

So cleaning the glass gives you the ability to filter through by what their metrics look like against teams that are in the top 10 in point differential. So what do you look like when you're playing the other top teams in the league? And for some perspective, the Thunder are six and eight in those matchups and have a plus 0.1 point differential. The pistons are 10 and 3 and are almost six points. They're winning by an average of almost six points in those games. And so Detroit, by any measure, has had the most impressive regular season. But it really comes down to them physically mashing everybody. Like, they're just huge at every position group. And so in the 82 game regular season,

when they're playing super hard every single night, and we've seen this before, there's always like this phase with young teams where they have the year where it all comes together and they play their best basketball every night in the regular season and they put up insane, you know, an insane record, insane metrics. And then in the subsequent seasons, they start to relax a little bit in the regular season. We're literally seeing that with the thunder a little bit this year. We saw it with like Minnesota. They had that dominant ear and then they've been a little bit sketchy as a regular season team in the season since. Memphis had that big dominant year in 2022. Then they kind of like chilled out the years after. So Detroit.

is kind of in that mix right now where they're physically mashing everybody, playing harder than everybody every single night. They're dominating margins. So they're like second chance points up every single night, fast break points up every single night, points off of turnovers up every single night. The big thing that's kind of like a red flag for them is their half court offense. So like if you can slow the pistons down and actually control the margins in the half court, it's cade, not a lot of shooting, not a lot of secondary ball handling. And so what ends up happening with teams like this is they typically end up running into a veteran team that's able to control the margins enough that it turns into a half-court game. And there are just several substantially better half-court offenses in the Eastern

Conference than Detroit. And so for the record, I think they're going to do well in the post-season. I think they're probably going to make it to the conference finals. I just think, you know, one of these teams like Cleveland or New York or Boston, one of those teams, I think is going to end up beating Detroit. in a series where it just turns into too much cade in the half court and not enough ability to really execute with these more polished veteran teams. Simon, I know you want to jump in because there's a team that he hasn't mentioned, but I have one follow-up on the Eastern Conference. The Cavs jumped everybody with the James Hardin trade. I'm so out on Hardin. I feel like he is a non-factor when it comes to the playoffs.

every time he goes to a team, they end up not getting where they're going. This guy has had nine lives at this point in the NBA as a guy who can help a team turn the corner. Why the teams keep buying in when he has consistently been a guy who cannot deliver in the playoffs? I think Cleveland is going to win the East. I don't feel like super, super passionate about it.

I think this is all really close up at the top. But they, in my most recent contender rankings, they were the one Eastern Conference. team that I put in the top tier. And I think I want to take the James Harden part and address it kind of separately from the team. So specifically when you're looking at the James Harden addition, it's not in a vacuum that you're considering him. Because if you're considering him in a vacuum, yeah, you're right. You're going to be disappointed every single time. But it's the matchups or the partnership specifically with Donovan in the comparison with Darius Garland. Darius Garland

consistently every single year has broken down. physically when he gets to the postseason, specifically with foot injuries. And when Darius Garland is 100% healthy, he is so fast that he is one of the best offensive players in the entire NBA, because he can just cut you to pieces at the point of attack, hard drives that just break a defense and he's such a good passer, and they have so much shooting and Jared Allen is so good on the role. Like they were really good. That's what we saw last year. That was the Cavs team that won 60 plus games. It was healthy Darius Garland. But once again, in previous seasons, he'd struggle to stay healthy in the regular.

season and then still be broken down in the postseason. Last year was like, oh, it's finally coming together. He's healthy. And then he still broke down. He still fell apart. The Cavs offense fell apart. So James Hardin, by any measure, is a better player than Darius Garland because he's just able to stay healthier and reach his individual ceiling more often. When you, the second piece of it is the partnership with Donovan Mitchell. Again, he is the second best player on this team. When you look around the league, most of the number two options are somewhat inconsistent in some way, shape, or form. and they have bad nights. And that's kind of been what James Hardin's experience has been like in recent years. Like last time in Philly, he has two giant playoff games. It's a couple of game

winners. And then he's bad in the other games. That's like kind of what you expect from a secondary star. The main issue is, is Joel Embed also really struggled for large chunks of that series. And Kauai Leonard in the Denver series last year, unable to reach the level of the top tier superstars. Or in a previous year, Paul George is this guy that he's number two. for, right? So, like, the main thing here is Donovan Mitchell is actually a more reliable playoff performer than any of these other dudes he's played with. He, James Harden, is clearly better than Darius Garland. And then that brings me to the rest of the roster. So, like, I actually think a sneaky big part of why Cleveland vaulted up in the odds and why guys like me are so high

on him has to do with the additions of Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroeder. And this is where you have to look at the way the Eastern Conference is put together. It is very much a Guard Conference. It's Jalen Brunson and, you know, Deuce McBride, if you can get healthy before the end of the season. It's Tyrese Maxie and Vijay Edgecombe, right? It's Payton Pritchard and Derek White. Like, as you go down the Eastern Conference, it's just a bunch of really good guards. Cade's kind of the one odd guy out there in terms of like the big type of ball handler. It's a lot of small guards.

And Dennis Schroeder and Keon Ellis are both undersized. They're not guys that you like to guard bigger forwards. but they are two of the very best small guard defenders in the league. And so you have a Cleveland Cavaliers team that when you really start to go position group by position group, it's like they have two awesome shot creators in Donovan Mitchell and James Hardin. Donovan Mitchell's been a walking 30 points on 60% true shooting in the playoffs like every year as of late.

You have James Hardin is your number two. You've got awesome pick and roll partners for them, Evan Mobley and Jared Allen. You've got tons of shooting. This Cavs team is loaded up with jump shooting talent. and you've got a deep group of guys. You can add Jalen Tyson into this group as well, a deep group of perimeter defenders that can guard all of these quick guards that you have in the Eastern Conference.

So like if I really look at all the teams in the East, I think they're the most complete team. They have the best combination of shot creation, pick and roll partners, off ball shooting, perimeter defense, and interior defense with Jared Allen and Evan Mobley. I think they've got the best combination of all those things in the East. Again, they're not a runaway favorite,

but I would pick them by a small margin over the rest of those teams. Finally, let's get through a real question that matters. Just yes or no, you're locked in, Jason. You know all things NBA. Is that KD's burner? Oh, man. I've been trying to avoid this one as much as I can because I just, here's the problem.

There's a lot of strong evidence. The main one is the dudes who are in the GC with him are like known friends of KD. So like that, that's a, like, if there, if I know, I know a couple of those guys personally. So like, set up what you're talking about. Set up what you're talking about because I've seen like some of this on Twitter, but I didn't really. You don't know this whole story chat? I feel like everyone does. Just huge. So Katie's got these burner accounts and he's in these group chats and he's just burning down his teammates in these in these groups. So like like I'm chat. Like like like it looks like it's KD. Like someone. It's really bad too. it's really bad and like again the specific thing is he's got these buddies of his that are in the gc so like any in this person his burner is clearly like not he's openly pretending to be kd at the very least so like at a certain point these other dudes who know him would have been gone to kevin and been like is this you you know what i mean so like it's the evidence is compelling the hard part for me is it's just really hard for me to believe that kd would do this recklessly like i'm the other way so you're a married man i'm the guy in my late 30s now.

You will see guys get into weird niches and hobbies. Twitter is clearly a hobby for him. Like I am not on Twitter. I'm not. That has never been huge for me. He loves Twitter. So I'll get us back on track.

I do want to bring up one. I think it's interesting. But what did he say about the teammates? Because I haven't read those. I can't remember all of it off the top of my head. But like he basically said Shane Gune. He said, calling dudes Bums being like. Yeah.

Teetts. No one likes this guy. Like Kyrie Irving. He said no one likes it. Like he really. He said Shangoon can't shoot or defend. He'd like said Jabari's, he can't trust Jabari to get a stopper to make a shot. He like talked trash about like Devin Booker.

He like he went, he went all over the place, dude. Like it was like, and that's the thing is it's all so intense and aggressive that like it just adds that little bit of doubt for me. Just that little bit that like is stopping me from like fully buying it on it. But he does have a history of going on Twitter. Oh yeah. And defending himself. Very aggressively. Simon, you know, and Jason, you guys, you probably know Matt Moore from

the Action Network. And like, he has gotten into huge debates with Kevin Durant about Kevin Durant's status in the league and the advanced analytics and what they're saying. Rehine Palmer, who was at action, is now at the ringer. Same thing. Like, KD is in his DMs and he's complaining about the coverage he gets and how he's like ranked amongst players. You even see it with KD when there are fans in the stands and they're like KD is my number one. I don't care what anyone says and he'll look up in the stands and wink at that kid with the sign. Like it's clearly a thing for him. So it would not surprise me at all if any of this was true. I would say it's more likely than not that it was KD. Let's just let's just put it that way.

By the way, one more thing. At All Star on Saturday night, I was at an event like a hundred people were there, including KD. I walked by him. It's just out of context, it's really a remarkable physical presence. Oh, he's so tall. So tall, so impressive. And like, you know, on the court,

he looks so much thinner than everybody else. But in real life, he's such a massive human being. It's truly remarkable. I just want to tell everybody I was in a deal with KD. One last point with the East. No one's talking about it, but I know pros have been hammering this team all summer, hammer them all fall,

and it's been paying out for him, Boston. Boston is still 14 to 1. And we see it every time the NBA. You have a leader, which, you know, you can get Brown as much crap as you want. He is a leader of that team. You have the coach. They've been there before.

Dad is talking about all the issues with the captain. half stroke. You talk about Detroit's issues, they can be schemed up by the right type of coach. 14 to 1 in the possibility of Jason Tatum coming back for the playoffs. I'm shocked, Jason. That wasn't a team you fired away on because, again, I talk to like pros every weekend about NBA stuff because I'm trying to get back into it. Again, I'm a sixers fan. I've been hoping here sixers. Unfortunately, it's all Boston lover. You think they're off place or do you think that's a nice sleepy contender here in the east? I've been super impressed by Boston this year. I think them winning to the extent that they have is a testament to Joe Missoula in particular,

as well as the continuity that Brad Stevens has really bred into this group. I just kind of sticking with fundamentally the same core over the like Derek White, Peyton Pritchard, Sam Houser, Jalen Brown, these are guys that have been around for a long time in Boston. And Joe Missoula's system, this driving kick system has come with lumps for Boston. The main one is like they can get stagnant and settle and take bad threes versus taking good threes. There's a huge difference between those two ideas. Like sometimes like teams will pump up three point volume for math's sake. And in the process, you take a lot of bad shots and it doesn't actually work out for you.

And what's actually fascinating is they've lost through Holiday. They've lost Christopps Porzengis. They've lost Al Horford. They lost Jason Tatum. So four of their core six players from the rotation, they're basically four of their top six players from, from the championship team. It must be a rebuild year, right? They're going to be an eight seed, seven seed, yeah.

Everyone thought they would be more like the Pacers, right? And like, you know, I was kind of more in the middle. I thought they'd be kind of like right around 500. And like the main goal you're looking for there is like, oh, maybe we'll find a rotation piece for the future. By the way, they did. Jordan Walsh is going to be that guy. I think Nemeh Kada also has kind of proven to be a rock solid starting center

for that particular team. But I would argue that like Boston's success is very much a product of their system. and I mean that as a compliment, but they are a team that I think is out kicking their coverage in terms of talent right now. And the main thing that I would look at there is like, okay, do we think their perimeter defense core is as good as some of these other teams in the East?

I actually don't. Their front court, like their center rotation, even with Vucevich, Vucevich and Kada is better than what they had to start the season, but I don't think they have as good as center rotation as some of these other teams. They're like Jared Allen and Evan Mowgli can have a huge advantage there. Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart,

it are going to have a huge advantage there. Even Carl Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson, that's a huge advantage there. And then when it comes down to shock creation, like, you know, Jalen Brown's had a very impressive season. He has tailed off pretty substantially in the last month or so in terms of his efficiency. His efficiency is kind of cratered a little bit.

And it just, there's a lot of pressure on Jason Tate of, not just to come back, but to be really, really good. And so, again, a testament to the Celtics organizationally that they've had this season, again, like them and Indiana, are the two teams you're looking at. Like both teams basically lost their starting center. Both teams lost their best player. One team went into the tank and the other team is like legitimately a championship contender.

So shout out to Boston for the success of this season. But like again, I haven't been that same tier. Like I don't want to sit here and pretend like they're not in the mix. But I just like a couple of these other teams better almost in like each of their individual position groups. I have so many questions for you. Let's do a quick break from our friends at Hard Rock. and we'll come back on their side because I got to dig in on something.

Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock Bet, Florida's sportsbook. I know it's tough with no football, but like the song says, I bet I will survive. With Hard Rock Bet, there's always something to bet on every night. Hoops, hockey, and so much more.

Plus all the great same game, parlay live betting and player prop options you're used to. And did you know? Hard Rock Bet is the official sports betting partner. of the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic. Incredible. So if you haven't signed up with Hard Rock Bet yet,

there's never been a better time. New sign-ups can double their winnings on their first 10 bets, max 50 bucks. That's right. If you would have won 100 bucks on your bet, make that $200, the Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook app is the only legal sportsbook

for whenever you're in Florida, and it's also live in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Colorado, and Michigan. Coming soon to more states, too. Plus, hard rock bet offers new promos daily. So whenever you're listening, just open the app and check out what you've got any day of the week. Download the hard rock bet and make your first deposit.

Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, Nick? 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 podcast.

First people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do 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. Well, 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. we 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, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, 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. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay.

Jenchen, I mean, she went down at three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface. Because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardweight with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fantine, Ryan Clark.

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on Earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro.

Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app.

Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. We're going to talk about this one team in the West that you are high on that has great odds. But this is like a quirky NBA thing, and you're an NBA insider, so I want to get your take. A couple years ago, email Adoka, gets run out of Boston because of improper relationships,

and Joe Missoula takes over. Right before that, Udoca's top assistant was Will Hardy. Will Hardy went and took the jazz job. I always wonder, the Celtics are now perennial contenders, great coach, great roster. Brad Stevens has almost gotten them out of Capel. Will Hardy is now in what? You're four of coaching a craptastic jazz team

that is the epitome of tanking right now. Is there any scuttle butt? Do you ever hear anything like where Will Hardy is like, what the fuck, man? How did I miss the timing on this? I think Will Hardy is set up really well to coach a very fun jazz team. So the jazz have been,

so I'm not sure if either of you guys are familiar with Keante George, but he's a young guard. for the first couple of years in Utah that was just too inefficient. There was some flashes, some high scoring games, but it just didn't really come together. And he's actually a third in most improved player odds this year in a distant third. I think at like plus 800 on Hard Rock Bad right now, which is surprising to me because I'd actually put him closer into that same

group with Denny Obdia and Jalen Johnson. He has been in that kind of like that like dead serious mix of guys who are in the mid-20s points per game and over 60% true shooting, a legitimate pull-up jump shooting threat from all three from, he's a legit three-level score. He's become a very good passer and pick and roll. And between him and Lori Markinen and then you've got Jaron Jackson entering into this situation. Now he just got, he's going to sit out the rest of the season, but he'll be back next year. Walker Kessler had a torn LeBron, but he's actually one of the better young center prospects in the league. So like, I think with Utah, it was an investment. And Utah is very much like in the next group of that like kind

a okayc San Antonio type of situations that's about to take a turn towards being a legitimate contender in this league. I think they're going to be like a legit middle of the Western Conference type of threat next season. And so with Hardy, it was just an investment, you know, and I think I think he's going to be coaching some dead serious basketball now. To me, the fascinating part is like, IMEU doca was very much the toughness coach. He was the guy who came in and was just super hard on Tatum and Brown to turn them into tougher basketball players. he goes off to Houston. Joe Missoula and Will Hardy are both, like, brilliant offensive tacticians. Will Hardy is excellent with his offball action. That's what he's been killing teams with this year

with Lori Markinen, like the amount of times that he'll just have one of his centers at top with the ball. And then there's Lori going through some sort of off ball screening action and slipping to the basket for layups and dunks and getting all sorts of easy threes. And then Joe Missoula is kind of like the pioneer of modern NBA spacing, like the four out one. one in spacing for matchup attacking, guards in the dunker spot is a big one. If you situate a guard underneath the basket, that means a guards in help. The guards in help, then when Tatum's driving or Jalen Brown's driving, he's finishing over a smaller player at the rim.

He was the one who kept situating Porzingis and Horford above the break so that the rim protectors are far away from the basket. So like, it's kind of cool that you have like a toughness mentality-based coach who kind of cultivated these two offensive geniuses. It's kind of a random thing there. All right. Simon, I will finally let you jump in with the most important question. Well, we already had the most important question.

But yeah, we obviously, we want to talk about the Timberwolves, right? They're a team that is top tier. You have them ranked pretty high. And, you know, you can get them pretty good odds, right? Chad, is it, what, 30 to 1? Something like that, yeah. Minnesota, to me, is like the Philadelphia Eagles of the NBA. Oh, no.

and this last year is probably not the best example, but the year before the year they won the Super Bowl, I'd point to there were a couple times that season where if you turned on the Eagles, you're like, these guys are terrible. You know what I mean? Because there was just like the offense lacked that like down the field element and it just things would look super stagnant.

But then what happened, they'd get into the postseason and their offensive line would mall you and their defensive line would mall you and they just were too difficult to beat because of how physical they were on the front. that's kind of like what Minnesota is at this point. Minnesota, to me, they have been one of the worst effort teams in the regular season of the last couple of years. And it talked to anybody who covers the Timberwolves, talked to anybody who's a fan of the Timberwolves, they'll tell you. These dudes, like, straight up, don't try a lot of the time. They are very, very bored in the regular season. Yet despite that, they have awesome metrics. They are top 10 in offensive rating, top 10 in defensive rating, top 10 in rebounding. They are a team that has in the large, sample actually performed really well, considering how poor their effort has been. What that tells you is that their fastball is every bit as fast as the best teams in the league. The specific dynamic is they can physically overwhelm you. They have Rudy Gobert, who's this brilliant defensive anchor

that can run a variety of different coverages. They've got Jaden McDaniels, who's one of the best three and D wings in the entire NBA. You've got this depth of perimeter defense talent as well, guys like Dante DiVincenzo, Anthony Edwards can guard on the ball really well. Jalen Clark can guard on the ball really well. And what they have is this really impressive collection of on-ball, bully ball players, like Nas Reid can bully people, Julius Randall can bully people. Anthony Edwards, in his own way, has a bully ball element. And they're surrounded with jump shooting.

Jaden McDaniels has taken a massive leap as a three-point shooter this year. That is huge. So what they have is this brilliant combination of athletics. and shooting so that when they ratchet things up, when they really throw their fastball, they physically overwhelm you on defense. And then their main offensive players just draw so much attention and everyone's a good kickout three point shooter. They just have a really, really high ceiling on both ends of the floor. The other last part, the main reason why I have them in that top tier is their specific matchup with OKC. They have the combination of things that

you need to make OKC struggle on offense, which is athletic on the perimeter and having real rim protection. In the matchups against Oklahoma City this year, they've actually kind of overwhelmed OKC and made their offense look really limited. The main difference between the two teams in their playoff matchup last year was Shea kicked Ant's ass, like kicked his ass bad. And Ant is just a better player by a wide margin than he was last year. The specific difference is his at the rim finishing. He used to be a guy that was very much like a bull in a china shop going downhill. He's much better now at patiently waiting for the play to develop and finding the right seams to attack. And so his rim finishing has skyrocketed year over year. Like, I mean,

legitimately skyrocketed. And so because of that, he's far more efficient. He's a little bit less, he was a little too heavy on the three point volume last year. He's toned that back a little bit. He's turned those into rim attempts. Ant's better. Jaden's better. even the best version of Rudy we've seen in years. They're deeper. I love the I-O-Dissue edition as like a legitimate guy that can go for 25, 30 points on any given night. He was playing awesome with Chicago this year was one of the better shot creators. I just think they're a team that's way better than they look in the standings because they don't play hard all the time. Typically, teams that flip the switch

scare you off, this team can really flip the switch. Like, they will flip it and they're damn near impossible to beat when they do. We got to do another quick word from our sponsor Z-biotics. Matt, soon spring will arrive and it'll be time for warmer weather, longer days, and cocktails on the patio. But after a few stiff drinks, we don't bounce back like we used to. Sometimes we've had to choose between a great night or a great next day. But that was before we tried pre-alcohol.

Z-biotics, pre-alcohol probiotic drink, is. the world's first genetically engineered probiotic, invented by PhD scientists to tackle rough mornings after drinking. Here's how it works. When you drink, alcohol gets converted into a toxic byproduct in the gut. It's a buildup of this byproduct, not dehydration. That's to blame for rough days after drinking. Pre-alcohol produces an enzyme to break down this byproduct.

Just remember to make pre-alcohol your first drink of the night, drink responsibly, and you'll feel your best tomorrow. Matt, did you see zbiotics out in the wild this week? Yes, I was at the liquor store fulfilling my annual birthday tradition of buying 12 beers from 12 different countries for my own birthday party to share, kind of like a little, UN council meeting in our guts. And there at checkout, there's little Z-biotics vials ready to go. And I said, I don't need those. I've got plenty. They've become a part of my routine for incredible mornings ahead. So can't recommend it enough. And now you're a year older. And I know that you recovered with ease because of Zibiotics. Enjoy the biggest nights of the upcoming spring without sacrificing an incredible next day. Start your night with Zbiotics pre-alcohol and wake up clear-headed,

focused, and better than ever. Go to Zbiotics.com slash sharper square. Now you'll get 15% off your first order. When you use Sharper Square at checkout plus, it's backed by a 100% money back guarantee. So there's no risk. Subscriptions are also available for maximum. consistency. That's zbiotics.com slash sharp or square and use the code sharp or square at checkout for 15% off. All right, Jason, we've talked about the T-wolves, we've talked about the Celtics, we've talked about the calves. I don't feel like we need to spend a lot of time the thunder and the nuggets at the top of the futures tables right now. As I mentioned at the top of the show. You got your start as a Lakers obsessive. You know that franchise. Your show

used to be called Lakers tonight. They of course take up so much oxygen. Luka is, I think, second in MVP odds right now after Shea. What is your take on this franchise and how it manages itself in the coming years? It's not a championship contending team right now, but what do they do to become a championship contending team. So you know how we were talking about with Minnesota? There's this combination of athleticism and jump shooting. Those are like I would argue if you asked me just to list the most important traits that an NBA roster needs to have, athleticism and jump shooting would be the two big ones. Athleticism has just come to the forefront as the league has become so much so much more of a transition league. The simple way I can describe it is

a transition possession is worth roughly 20% more than a half court possession. So every team is hunting as many transition opportunities as possible. This is why Indiana, for example, went on a run last year, just because Tyrese Halliburton breeds such a transition-heavy attack that they can win on the margins, and it doesn't matter if they struggle in the half court a little bit. You've got to have athleticism. You've got to have jump shooting. The Lakers are devoid of both.

Their strength right now is the fact that they have these three stars. And ironically, none of them have been available at the same time because when LeBron and Austin and Luca were all available, it was one. when LeBron skipped training camp, and it was like his first week at games, and he was bad. Then Austin goes down, LeBron finds his groove,

Austin comes back, Luca goes down with a hamstring injury. So they've always just had two of these guys available this year. And those guys have been so good, they've carried them to their strong record. But down the roster, they are so devoid of athleticism and jump shooting. And LeBron,

I think, has a good chance to leave after this season. If LeBron leaves, let's say he goes to Cleveland, I mean, even if he comes back, we're talking about a 42-year-old, old next year, right? So like all of a sudden, it's just Luca and Austin. So this roster needs to be

completely rebuilt from the ground up. They do not have a starting small forward. They won't have a starting power forward when LeBron leaves. They are not going to re-up with DeAndre 8, and he might pick up his option, but I promise you they're looking at a different starting center next year. And when it comes to the bench, you're looking for guys who can knock down threes and defend. They don't have a single guy on the team who is a good catch and shoot player and a good defender. They have two good catch and shoot players, Rui and Luke Kinnard, who they just traded for. Both of them are significantly below average defensive players. So this is a complete upheaval that they need over the next few years. And where you're really seeing the suffering is from the mistakes

that Rob is made on the margins over the years, like blowing first round picks on Jalen Hochefino and Dalton Connect, like getting nothing out of them. You look over at the Clippers and like Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders are second round picks for them that are playing huge roles because their hits in the draft. The Lakers have missed on almost every major draft pick they've made in the last five years. You add to that the Kendrick Nunn signing and the Gabe Vincent signing. So you've botched your mid-level exceptions. Even the good players that have come up to your system, you've let walk, letting Alex

Crusoe walk. Last year, Jordan Goodwin was one of the most valuable role players on that team. They needed to clear a roster spot. All they had to do was attach. a second round pick to one of these lesser contracts to do it. They refuse to. They let Jordan Goodwin walk. Goodwin's having an awesome season in Phoenix right now, like literally one of their most

important role players. And guess what? He can catch and shoot and play defense, the one thing that the Lakers are lacking. And so there have just been so many misses on the margins over the last few years. What they need is to hit on all that stuff. They need to hit on their 2026 first round pick. They need to hit on their mid-level exception signing. They need to hit on a trade or two this summer for a starting caliber player.

they need to hit on the margins with vet minimum signings and two-way guys. And like they just need to go like 10 for 10 on their next few trade cycles and free agent cycles. And we're dealing with Rob Polenko who's just been perennially really bad at this. So I'm not super optimistic about it, to be frank. It's so interesting because you look at that Anthony Davis, Luca trade. A year later, obviously Davis is no longer even on the Mavericks. and Lucas anchoring a mediocre team in the Lakers, it kind of hasn't worked out for anybody,

especially not the Lakers in the way they thought that it would. And they got to sort of figure out how are they going to build around this guy because that's going to be their superstar. And it's fascinating that it hasn't, that trade did not catapult either team into the stratosphere that they were expecting it to do. Another one, I think it worked out perfect.

for both teams. You got Luca, if you're the Lakers, I mean, holy shit. And you got Cooper Flagg. Like I, as someone as a Duke fan, I really did not think this kid would be what he is already. He's so good. Again, he's 18, 19 years old. He's already got multiple ways to be guys off. It's just the whole thing. I can't believe that they got that lucky because I'm with you. Dallas, they should be sent back 10 years because of that trade. And the ping pong balls bounced their way and they got just what looks like an absolute stud in Cooper flag. Well, you know, to round it off, like to close out the show, Cooper Flagg, con canipal's only competition for rookie of the year, but it's going to be Cooper Flag.

MVP, probably going to be Shea, even though you could argue Yokic deserves it for the perennial triple doubles. He just had that stretch where he missed games and Shea hasn't really. and OKC will probably end up with the best record in the NBA. The really interesting matchups could be the long shots. It could be the long shots for Minnesota or some team like Boston or Cleveland to come out of the east. That might be where the most value could be from a betting point of view right now. Can I actually pitch you a long shot MVP candidate that I like? You are the NBA maven.

for the volume podcast network, you can do whatever you want. And you should exercise that authority, gravitas, and a number one status. There's very little shot that Yokic gets it, because if he misses two more games, he's disqualified. Luca, the team's not good enough, and he just hasn't been as good as Shay. Cade's the one guy that I'm like, man, plus 1,400 right now in Hard Rock Bet. And like, hear me out. This is the case.

Detroit's got the best record in the league. They've been the best against the lower level teams. They seem to care more about this regular season. Oklahoma City is very much like, let's just get to the finish line healthy. They're not trying to pursue 70 wins or anything like that. What if Detroit finishes three or four games ahead of OKC in the standings? And then you go to Cade and you're like,

okay, this guy's averaging 25, 6 and 10 or whatever it is, he's averaging 26, I think it's 26, 6 and 10. What if he goes up a level to tail end of the season? Because the big knock on him, his scoring volume's a little low, and his efficiency's a little low. He's like 57% true shooting, and he's in the mid-20s. If for the next 30 games, he averages 29 on 61% true shooting, and the Pistons finish three games ahead of OKC,

I think he's the MVP. And at that point, plus 1,400 for an outcome that I think is relatively achievable, And, you know, we also have this soft tissue injury for Shea. Like he's got this abdominal injury. He's allegedly coming back after All-Star, but you never know with that kind of stuff. We've seen, especially with the Orlando Magic Stars, that abdominal issues can be a little recurring. So I just like that as a value play. I love it.

Jason Tymth, hoops tonight, bringing value to the show and to the volume podcast network. You deserve all your success, brother. Thanks for coming on the show. This has been Sharper Square, part of the Volume podcast. network watch or listen on YouTube at Sharp or Square like this video subscribe to the channel download us from Spotify Apple Pods wherever you get your pods rate review subscribe leave us five stars say whatever you whatever you want feedback is a gift until next time love you hey guys it's us and 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 us 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. 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 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or

wherever you get your podcasts. Turn someday into right now with Buddy by Jake Radio, nonstop workout music and expert tips 24-7. Hey, head over to iHeart.com. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free right now. Awesome health and wellness tips 24 hours. Where's a day, seven days a week. Remember, stick to the fight. When your heart is hit, it's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Don't quit. Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day. Your 20s can be so exciting, but they can also be really overwhelming, confusing, and honestly, just kind of lonely. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and the psychology of your 20s is breaking. down the science behind the biggest roadblocks we face. I was six years into my career, the 80-hour weeks, and just the first one in, the last one out,

and I ended up burning out. There was a large chunk of my 20s that I, like, was just so wanting to, like, be out of that phase out of my skin, and I just, like, really regret not living in the present more. You don't need to have everything figured out right now. You just need to understand yourself a little bit better. Listen to the psychology of your 20s on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human.