The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Straight Fire w/ Jason McIntyre – Celtics Push All-In, Grizzlies Get a Grown Up & the Wizards Keep Tanking

Episode Date: June 22, 2023

Jason and Rob G debate the winners and losers of the late-night blockbuster trade that saw the Boston Celtics land Kristaps Porzingis, the Memphis Grizzlies get Marcus Smart and the Washington Wizards acquire Tyus Jones. Plus, the guys tell us if we should expect All-Stars like Damian Lillard, Zion Williamson or Khris Middleton to be traded ahead of Thursday’s NBA Draft. Follow Jason on Twitter and Instagram. Click here to subscribe, rate and review all of the latest Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre podcasts! #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. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The volume. This is Straight Fire with Jason McIntyre.

What is up, Straight Fire, fam? It's me, Jason McIntyre straightfire for Thursday, June 22nd. Ladies and gentlemen, I thought I'd be going to bed early on Wednesday night. I got to rest up the night before the draft, and then all of a sudden, as the clock strikes midnight on the East Coast, 9 o'clock Pacific, boom, woge dropping bombs. Holy cow, monster NBA trade right before the draft that is going to suck up all the oxygen this morning,

because it is a rare, very rare. Win, win, win, trade. Honestly, I don't see a loser. Let me break it down for you. the Washington Wizards, we knew they were going to tear it all down to the studs. Just bottom out, be very, very aggressively bad.

And to do that, you give up Bradley Beal, you don't get a lot of return, that hurt. Now you move on from Chris Staps Porzingis. And I'll say this. I see the name Christax Porzingis, and I instantly think, oh, he's probably getting old, and he's always hurt. He is always hurt.

But he's coming off a year where he averaged 23 and 8. And oh, by the way, he's only 27 years old. Stunning. I didn't even realize that. So Porzingis goes to Boston. And Boston then kicks Marcus Smart. Yes, the heart and soul of that Celtics locker room since he was pretty much drafted in 2014. He goes to Memphis.

I know, heads exploding. Massive. Marcus Smart leaving the Celtics after so many great playoff fronts. He goes to the Grizzlies. Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies then kicked Tyos Jones, arguably the best backup point guard in the league. And he is of huge value. I'll tell you why here shortly.

He goes to Washington. There's a couple draft picks involved. oddly, oddly, the Celtics get great draft picks. They get Memphis's first round pick tonight, which is pick 23, and they get a 2024 pick that originates from the Warriors, but it has

protections top four. But this is a massive trade. And I know, like, in the grand scheme of things, you're not talking about any all-NBA players here. Although Marcus Smart's been an all-defensive player. Porzingis, obviously, was an all-star once with the Knicks many, many moons ago. And Tyos Jones, like, this is a good trade for Washington. I know

Rob G's going to poo-poo it because we were talking about things beforehand. All right. So a couple of items. We'll start with Porzingis. This is a big win for Boston. And I had this take earlier as I was waiting for other shoes to fall. I think this makes Boston the number one team in the East. I don't think that's some incendiary take.

Later in the night, Chris Middleton announced that he was opting out of his $40 million option. That was kind of sort of expected. I don't think Milwaukee was caught off guard here, but you have to wonder, is somebody waiting in the wings to offer Middleton some big, big, huge money. We'll see. Maybe Milwaukee keeps him. Either way, they keep him, they lose him.

I don't think it matters. I think Boston's now the team to beat in the East. You've got Jason Tatum, you got Jalen Brown, and your third best player is Porzingis, who's coming off a 23 and 8 season when he shot 38% from deep. Porzingis is a great get, guys. I saw this stat three players last year, just three.

Average 20 points and 1.5 blocks per game. game. Embed, who won the MVP, Anthony Davis, who was integral in the Lakers playoff run, and oh yeah, Chris Taps, Porzingis. I know people are going to say Porzengis will get hurt. Fine, maybe he gets hurt. But he's now your third best player. That is such a win. Derek White and Malcolm Brogden kind of toggling between point card duties. I know the Brogden injury is something to watch. He ended up getting hurt in the Miami Heat series. I guess there'll be in off-season surgery. Ultimately, like, you know, Brogden is a nice piece. He was going to get shipped to the clippers earlier, but I guess the clippers had cold feet, whether it was the

injury or Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook, whatever it was. But this is, this move for Boston, adding Porzengis is huge. They can now go with, hey, do we play Porzegas at the five? Do we play Porzigas at the four with Robert Williams at the five? Do we go Horford at the five? We could go five out now. We know Boston shoots three at, I think one of the highest clips in the league. that's their offense now. It is threes or layups. And they missed a lot of threes early against Miami. And that's kind of sort of the reason

that they fell in that three-nothing hole. But again, they have options. Tatum and Brown clearly not going anywhere. Porzingis Horford, Porzengis Williams. Like, I like this. Rob, I really like the Celtics move. But hold on. I don't know if I like it.

And obviously getting the draft picks is key. I don't know if I like it more than the Grizzlies getting a grown-up, a grown-ass man, Marcus Smart, a 29. year old veteran who has been with the Celtics since 2014. His stats are modest. 11, 6, and 3 last year before that 12, 5, and 3. And for three straight years, he's only been a 33% shooter from deep. Okay, I get that. Playing with Tatum and Brown, he should be better. He's getting a lot of open looks. If you remember that Sixers series, they specifically were

gearing the defense toward, if anybody's going to shoot it, we won't mark a smart shooting it. And he hit a big one, he missed a big one. Like, again, that's an idea. option if you're facing the Celtics and Marcus Smart is the guy taking the game winning shot. You want that. So Smart now goes to the Grizzlies where he becomes the, I think, the de facto leader of that locker room. Okay. I know Stephen Adams has a leadership role, but remember, there were reports that after the Denver

gun incident with John Moran, or maybe it was right before it, Stephen Adams was like, hey, guys, let's lock in. Like they knew they were losing Jha. He was kind of starting to go awry. And Stephen Adams, like, called a team meeting. It was like, all right, guys, let's keep it together. Let's nobody go out. let's lock it down, blah, blah, blah.

And then, like, instantly, John Morant went out and was like, the gun thing happened within, like, 48 hours. So I get the Stephen Adams leadership. He's a big hulking presence. But I think this instantly become Marcus Smart's locker room. Okay? He will be your point guard.

He will be your leader. And you guys know this. Marcus Smart, tough kid. I know John Morant is the alpha. Everybody wants to follow Jha. He's so cool. He's got his crew that he runs with. I don't think Marcus Smart's going to back down from John Morant

or shy away from call him. him out when it needs to be done. I think this Marcus Smart edition is massive for the glissies. They do lose their first round pick. But this is a win. He's locked in for three more years. He did have some issues at times with Celtics teammates, but they were young guys.

Jason Tatum and Jalen Brown, just like he's going to a young guy in John Moran. So I think this is huge for Boston. I'm sorry, huge for Memphis. And I'll finish it up, Rob. Tyos Jones is widely regarded as one of the best backup point cards. the league, if not number one. The numbers when John Morant was out and he was running the show were great for Memphis.

We're a winning team. Now he goes to Washington and you're like, well, what are we doing? Why are they getting? Here's the real reason. He's not their future point guard, I don't think. Tyos Jones has one year left at $14 million on his contract. The Wizards are going to be bad. Probably a 15, 17, 18, 18, 11.

What's going to happen come February when they're languishing in the basement, A point guard somewhere else goes down. Pick up the phone. You're calling Washington. You're saying, hey, what can I get for Tyos Jones? Probably, I don't know if you definitely get a first, but I'm telling you, desperate times, desperate measures. Chris Paul, wherever he goes, he goes down.

Some injury happens, Tyos Jones is going to be the point card you're going to call. I think he's going to have immense value in February. The phone's going to be ringing off the hook. Folks, I know Wizards fans are desperate. Why aren't we getting picks? We're not getting picks. I think.

My guess is you're probably going to get a first from a contender for Tyos Jones come the trade deadline. When there's an injury around the league or somebody's play has gone south, I think Tyos Jones will have massive value around the league. We've seen how integral backup point guards can be. You need someone to run the show. I mean, hell, if Phoenix is struggling, if Phoenix are struggling, you give up a future first, I don't know. I mean, I'm assuming they have a first left somewhere.

you know, Lakers, Lakers don't have a point card. Let's say they need one. Like there's just a lot of options. Washington fans, that's the silver lining. But Rob, in my opinion, at first blush, now maybe more comes out tomorrow. This is a win for Washington. Not the biggest win, but it's a win.

It's a huge win from Memphis. I absolutely love the Markets Smart edition. I'm sure John Moran's thrilled, but on some level he's probably, like you can't get away with the crap you were getting away with before. That's just not going to fly. Not with Marcus Smart there.

He's a leader. And then I love it for Porzingis. Boston number one team in the East. 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 what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand-new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes 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 Podcast, or we're 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 Tontons and Wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of too. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so... Thank you for finishing that sentence.

Yes, I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years. for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I will respectfully disagree with everything that you've said now

for the last, whatever, nine minutes that we've done this. I don't think there's a winner in this deal at all amongst any of the three teams. If we look, we go team by team so that you can keep up with where I'm going, the Boston Celtics, if this was the trade that was, what was it, two hour, or five hours before, where they're only giving up Malcolm Brogden to get Chris Daswurzingis, absolutely home run, no doubt about it.

Instead, they're giving up Marcus Smart, who by all accounts is the heartbeat of their team. Yeah. He may not be the best player. Obviously, he's not the most talented. He's not the best shooter. He's, you know, his defense has kind of been overstated going back from where he was two years. years ago to what he is now. But he was the emotional leader of that team, which they don't have right now.

Like Jason Tatum, for all of his gifts, is not the most vocal guy. Jalen Brown for all of it. That's fine. LeBron James was the leader of his team at 21. What's the difference? Come on. He's not LeBron. I'm just saying.

So you let go of him, and I understand you had a glut of point guards, but now you're stuck with Malcolm Brogden who may or may not need elbow surgery, which is the whole reason that first trade fell apart to begin with. And Derek White, who was very good, but I don't know if I would want him to be, you know, my primary option at point guard for 30 plus minutes a night. I don't know if that if him playing that level of a role throughout an entire season might wear on him because we haven't seen him do it. So maybe that's, you know, TBD. So that's number one. number two the Memphis Grizzlies giving up the best backup point guard in the NBA and two first round picks to get another point guard. They already have one in John Moran.

And for all the people say, well, Marcus Smart can be point guard when John's out and they'll move off the ball when he gets there. Let me take you back after last season's NBA finals where Boston lost, mind you. They're talking about Marcus Smart and he's talking to the media. about, you know, you being a non-traditional point guard is what the questions were about. And he responds by saying, quote, this so-called non-point guard is the only one that's led them to the finals, talking about himself. Marcus Smart fancies himself a point guard. Marcus Smart is, in my opinion, is not going to be totally jazzed about moving off ball all the

time when John Morant comes back. He's going to want to be running the show. That's fair. That's one of the issues that they had in Boston, is he had all these guys and none of them was a real set up guy, but they all like to think that they could handle the rock and it wasn't really working for what they needed. So you give up two first round picks and the best backup point guard in the NBA for a guy who is only going to part-time be maximized in his abilities.

And it's not like he's a shooter where you can play him off ball with John Morant to make you feel really good about it. He's not Dylan Brooks level bad as a shooter, but he's not good either. So that's number two. And last but not at least, the biggest loser in this whole thing is obviously the Washington Wizards. I don't know how you end up with this complex of a trade and a second three-team deal in less than 12 hours. And you don't end up with a single first round pick. It's like I understand bottoming out because you want to get draft picks and you want to, or excuse me, you want to bottom out, you want to play the lottery game and all that stuff. That only, works when you have draft picks. The reason why teams are able to have accelerated rebuilds is because

they hoard the picks, they can flip them for other players, or they get more bites at the apple so that eventually some of these guys pop. The 2024 draft, which the one that they're tanking incredibly, does not have a Victor Wenbanjama, does not have a Scoot Henderson, doesn't even have a Brandon Miller. So you're putting all your eggs into this one basket, which there's no guarantee you're going to come out looking rose in the other side. All three of these teams, I think, I'm not going to say that they are losers of the trade, but I don't see a clear winner in this at all.

That's odd. I don't know. I thought, like, who's the best player in this trade? And I guess based on value, it would be Marcus Smart. you know, Memphis had to give up two future ones to get smart. Obviously, it was a three-team deal. Usually the line is if there's a three-team deal, there's a no-team deal. It's tough to get those done because they're so complex.

But I think you're selling Washington a little short here. Let's remember they had that trade with Brogden earlier and Porzingis, and then it falls apart. And for them to rebound on the fly that quickly and end up with Tyos Jones, whereas before they were getting a Morris twin and some random picks. I just, I think you're selling them a little short. And again, Washington, yes, ideally you'd love to be getting picks.

I'm very curious how much Porzingis gets paid by Boston. But yeah, I mean, I guess if Marcus Smart is considered the best player in the trade, because Porzingis has hurt too often, Memphis has a huge win. And I do have to ask this whole point guard thing, this Jomaranth, versus Marcus Smart, which may or may not happen. And like, Tyos Jones is the best backup point card. Who's Miami Heat point card in the NBA finals? Was it Strucer Martin?

Or was it? No, Martin's more of a wing. Was it Struiser Vincent? Like, did it really matter? Like, neither of them was like stacking assists. Jamal Murray came in the league as a combo guard. And the offense is initiated through Yokic. Like, the idea of a traditional point guard, like DeAngelo Russell was a point guard in name only for the Lakers.

He was really a three-point shooter. And then who was the other conference finalist? The Celtics, who, you know, smart is listed, I guess, as a point guard. But I don't know. I just feel like the idea of a point guard is kind of antiquated. And in the modern NBA, it's guys who can handle wings and bigs. I think Brad Stevens had kind of coined that a couple of years back. and, you know, a pure point guard like Scoot Henderson,

kind of a pure point card, but he's also like Derek Rose, scoring machine. Like, is a pure point guard John Stockton, Isaiah Thomas? I don't know. Do those even exist anymore? Those type of point cards, Rob. Well, I guess to answer your question, there's probably only like a handful of them.

And Tyos Jones for his, you know, is one of those guys. Because he's small, right? Specific, yeah. Yeah, well, I mean, just his style of play, he plays like a traditional point card. Chris Paul plays the same way. It's funny that they're on the same team right now. For now.

We know that. Quarterback and quarterback. We know that's not going to happen. Right. But specifically as it relates to Memphis. Memphis is one of those teams that needs a point guard to get them going. We saw in the playoffs against the Lakers, and it was kind of this way throughout the regular season, but because they played at such a frenetic pace, especially defensively,

they got out and ran a lot so it didn't really bear it as much in the regular season. But in the playoffs, but in the playoffs, If John Morant, when he was kind of banged up and Tyos Jones, those were the only two guys that they had who could generate offense. Desmond Bain is a great shooter. He's probably one of the best top three shooters in the league. Creating his own shot is not like his forte. Triple J, same thing. He can do it a little bit in the post here and there, the pinch post, the elbow, but as far as creating offense in the way that like a Yokic does or an MB does, that's not really his game.

Stephen Adams doesn't do it at all. So that team specifically needs a playmaker. And I don't think Marcus Smart is that level of a playmaker, number one. And he does. And I think that could end up being a problem for them moving forward because the ball is going to be in John Moran's hands as it should be. And we don't know whether or not Marcus Smart is number one going to be happy about it. And number two, going to be able to thrive as an off-ball player as a shooter specifically for them to get to where they want to go.

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.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're 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 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, untrower.

filtered 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 Clivert 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 Tontons and Wampas on the Ice Planet Hot. or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Bole Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so... Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. By the way, Memphis lost Dylan Brooks. They basically said we're out of the Dylan Brooks business. We want nothing to do with this guy anymore. He's just too hot-headed, unhinged.

Really, I don't want to say he lost the series against the Lakers. But he really tried to go at LeBron. He tried too hard and that backfired badly. You regain that toughness, that mental edge with Marcus Smart. So another reason that's a great deal. I do kind of wonder, before the draft is even here, we've now seen the Celtics who came up short of the finals make a big swing, giving up smart, adding Porzingis.

We've now seen the sons who came up short in the playoffs make a big swing for Bradley Beale. Rob, I do wonder, are these trades the appetizer for possibly a seismic Zion Williams? Williamson trade on draft day or a Damien Lillard trade on draft day. It sounds like from everything I read, there is really no traction on that number three pick. The idea of who, Anthony Simons and the three or some package for Bamatabio apparently was laughed at and scoffed. Like there's no way that's happening.

We called that yesterday. There's no shot of that happening. Maybe the Scoot Henderson chatter will entice New Orleans. Hey, you know, if Brandon Miller goes to, which I think would be kind of a foolish mistake by the Hornets. And again, I like Brandon Miller, man. I like him a lot. Good player. Had one off-the-court incident, obviously really, really bad, but he never got charged with anything.

And, you know, all signs point to Brandon Miller not being involved at the level that he appeared to be when you looked on social media and read the stories. I think an Alabama player is end up suing the New York Times because he wasn't mentioned as well. Messy story, obviously, unfortunate. Someone lost their life. But Brandon Miller, by all accounts, is like clear from that. And so now you're looking at a guy who didn't get in trouble. And, oh, by the way, he was really freaking good in the SEC. He did lay a massive egg in the NCAA tournament against San Diego State.

There's this perception that maybe he's a little soft for a wing, doesn't possess the killer instinct. Well, I'll tell you now, if Charlotte goes, Brandon Miller, too, And by the way, La Mello ball, Rob, combo guard, point guard, what are we doing with the Mello ball? That's a good question. I don't know what he is.

He's a point guard, but similar to his brother Lanzo, he doesn't need to dominate the ball for him to be effective. I would say he can keep the ball moving. Lonso's better at it. Yeah. Well, Lanzo actually doesn't dominate the ball either. Yeah, it's a Lamello can actually shoot,

and I think he's better attacking the rim because he's bigger. Well, Lanzo can shoot too. He just has a funny looking jump shot. I mean, he shot in the 40s from deep. Small sample size. I mean, La Mello, clearly, I think, is we know it's a better player. I just don't know what he is. Like, if he's a combo, you should draft Scoot Henderson.

That's why I've had Scoot 2 in my mock. That being said, if they go Brandon Miller, all of a sudden, if you're Portland, you're sitting on Scoot Henderson, who I think Winhorse is the one who said that if you look at the 2012-24 draft, Scoot Henderson would be the number one pick. and like, I mean, if he's that good and he's falling to three, Scoot Henderson, Simons, and I don't know what for Zion, I think you've got to really entertain that if you're New Orleans. Damian Lillard, you know, if he's unhappy with the third pick,

does he instantly say, trade me on draft night and they wouldn't ruin draft night to make it great for content people. I don't know. Damien Lillard or Zion William Williamson, I would say, either is in play to get traded Thursday, either or none. Kind of feel bad for Victor Weniam. He's the big story, but there's no juice in talking about him. They're trying to stir interest, Rob.

I don't know if you saw the video on Instagram. He rode the subway in New York, and he's got to, like, duck to get on the subway. And, like, I got to say, I like Victor Wehmaniamma. He gets to the podium. He sounds really well-spoken for a teenager. But from my point of view, like, I'm just, there's not that much interest around the spurs. We know they're getting him. We know he's generational.

Maybe he could be a unicorn and people are saying he instantly is a top 10 player in the league. He's going to be awesome. But I think the juice is surrounding this Damia Lillard stuff. And then Zion, I'll ask you, do you think we hear Middleton chatter immediately? Or do you think they wait for the draft to clear up and then say, hey, Middleton's got looks from, I don't know, maybe Portland can move money around and offer him a lot. Does a Dame Middleton Zion combo

Does that appeal to you at all in any way, shape, or form? I mean, I can't imagine that Milwaukee. All of them on the same team? Yeah. That aren't think that's even possible for that to happen. Well, I guess Milwaukee would say, listen, if you're going to go, let's do a sign and trade so we get something back.

Milwaukee would want something back. The only other thing I heard, Rob, all quick is, so this McHale Bridges idea. I kind of laughed at it. Oh, McKell Bridges. Like, what are you going to get for him? He's going to change the fortunes of Portland. But someone made the case to me that there was chatter that the asking price for Bridges is two first-round picks.

And I'm like, wow. And then we're like, well, what if Portland has the third pick, Scoot is sitting there? Does Brooklyn say, well, we don't have any future picks? It's going to be tough to build our team. McKell Bridges ain't a one. What if we trade for Scoot? readjust our timeline. We get whatever the hell we can from Portland in addition to the third pick.

And we just build around Scoot Henderson. Do they then ship Bridges out to Portland? And then Dame gets his guy Bridges. Now, I don't think Damon Bridges does much for you. You still need another piece. I don't know if Simons are sharp are good enough. But I guess if I was looking for three big guys, it would be Damien Lillard, Zion, and McHale Bridges. I don't think McHale Bridge is going to get traded.

in any way, shape, or form. I think that Brooklyn thinks that they have something with him, whether that's true or not, we don't know, because so far the numbers look good, but they weren't winning, you know, that last stretch. They really backed their way into the postseason. But he's on a really good contract given, you know, it's, I think it's like $25 million a year.

It's really low relative to what you guys are getting. So I don't think he's going anywhere. The smart move, and we've talked about this before, is for Portland to trade Damien Lillard, and just bottom out, take Scoot Henderson, and go from there. Having said that, if Brandon Miller goes to,

which a lot of people are reporting, Woj specifically, and now the odds makers in Vegas kind of feel that way as well, this opens up so many doors for them with number three, because Scoot Henderson seems to be the guy that other teams are interested in even more so than Brandon Miller. So I could definitely see a scenario where later on,

on draft night, Thursday night, Victor Wemone, Yamma goes one, Brandon Miller goes two, and suddenly Twitter's exploding with, insert your favorite all-star player has been traded to the Portland Trailblazers for the number three overall pick. Would not surprise me.

You know, I'm looking for it, Rob. I think it was the year after the LeBron draft is the one Chris Paul came out in. Do you remember what year he came out? It was it 2004? Oh, that sounds right. I will always, that was the, yeah, It was 2004.

That was the draft where never pick need, always go with the best player. And it number two, Atlanta went with Marvin Williams in 2004. They passed on Duran Williams from Illinois. They passed on Chris Paul from Wake. Both of those two guys ended up being massive superstars. Marvin Williams, not so much, Rob. I think you've got to take the best player available. Would you draft Miller or Scoot if you were Michael Jordan and Charlotte?

I would take Scoot Henderson. I think his floor is much higher. I think just his, everything you hear about his mental makeup tells you that he's going to maximize his potential more than probably anybody in this draft, including Wenban. I'm not saying he's going to be as good as him, but I don't think there's anybody in this draft is going to get more of his full potential than Scoot Henderson. Tough to disagree, Rob. Boy, I'm excited for the draft. And the trade obviously makes things a little more juicy. We'll be back tomorrow recapping the draft.

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