There’s more news and less comprehension today than any historical period that didn’t involve literal witch trials, and trying to stay on top of it all can feel like playing a game of telephone with 30 people, except everyone’s speaking at the same time and like a third of them are openly racist for some reason. From Cracked co-founder Jack O’Brien, THE DAILY ZEITGEIST is stepping into that fray with some of the funniest and smartest comedic and journalistic minds around. Jack and co-host Miles Gray spend up to an hour every weekday sorting through the events and stories driving the headlines, to help you find the signal in the noise, with a few laughs thrown in for free.
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-the-daily-zeitgeist-28516718/
episode 37: All-Things-Clippers and AD’s Dominance with Law Murray
Jack and Miles were pleased to be joined by The Athletic’s Law Murray on today’s episode. They dove into that resilient roster and whether the Clippers need to consider any moves in the future. The trio also discussed AD’s resurgence and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s ascension!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
00:00
Speaker 1
We're back, and the big men around the league are dominant.
00:04
The Pels and Lakers are in the group. Finally, I
00:08
could say that about the Lakers. And we tapped in
00:10
with the state of the Los Angeles Clippers with the
00:13
Athletics beat writer Law Murray on today's episode. I'm Miles
00:17
Gray and I'm Jack O'Brien, and this is Miles and
00:22
Jack got really taking it to the next level, just
00:29
trying to things, just trying to things, you know. I
00:32
like that voice for you. I also noticed that we
00:34
don't get the big men are dominating intro bump when
00:39
and Beat is having a big week. But when a
00:42
g has a big weak suddenly big men around the
00:45
league are dominating. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. That's what
00:48
we in the industry call a bias. Um. Yeah, but
00:52
we knew I'm out numbered. Let's welcome our guests who
00:57
might actually have your back. As a Philadelphi, your native
01:00
Please welcome Law Murray from the Athletic what's going on
01:03
in Law, Thank you for joining us, Thank you guys
01:05
for having me. It's it's good to be able to
01:07
talk about basketball in a chill December environment, you know,
01:13
with a couple of idiots. Yeah, Like we tell everybody,
01:16
this may be the dumbest NBA podcast out there, but
01:19
it has heart, and I think that's what people cling to,
01:22
you know, dumb and heart, like Rocky speaking. You know
01:27
you're not gonna play smart, at least play hard, right right,
01:30
So law you cover the Clippers, but you're from Philly.
01:33
The first thing I like to always ask, we have
01:35
our journalists on are you so professional that you've transcended fandom?
01:38
And you're like, yeah, of course I have my team,
01:40
but like, let's be real, I look at too much
01:42
basketball to really get too caught up in that. Or
01:44
do you still have got a little bit of fan
01:45
in you? I don't have any fan in me. May uh.
01:49
It was even before the professional light. I was watching.
01:53
Look when when I first got in the basketball NBA
01:57
Jam has Shawn Bradley and Clearance Leatherspoon, and it like
02:00
you expect you to do with that, I was looking
02:03
at everybody else. So like I learned from an early
02:08
age to appreciate everybody, right, Okay, I appreciate that. I can.
02:14
I forgot that Sean Bradley and Clarence Witherspoon, what a
02:18
what a duo and that's you didn't even get a
02:21
third player. Yeah, that's crazy because like the proportions were off,
02:26
like unless you were a muggy bows short, like, you
02:28
couldn't tell the difference, right, especially once you got that
02:31
thing at home, like the Arcade in the nineties at
02:35
least there was a little bit of definition. But you get,
02:38
you get, you get the game on Super an S
02:41
or something, and everybody did all the same damn things. Anyway,
02:44
So Sean Bradley could even be seven six, which I
02:48
think that would have limited his game if in real
02:50
life he wasn't seven ft six, Uh, he wouldn't have
02:53
been nearly as effective I'd say would have been in
02:57
Space Jam. So right, I mean, what the was that
03:01
with the tournament edition like that, it was that you
03:06
had Bradley because it was the original duo from like
03:10
was Hornets second Hersey Hawkins wasn't. Yeah yeah, like in
03:14
the cabinet, I remember that was the team because I
03:18
was always confused because I was, like I thought Jeff Hornets,
03:20
like I remember being kill like I thought he was
03:22
with the Jabs or whatever. But yeah, I mean, and
03:24
look that team wasn't good either, right, Come on, now
03:30
about that. I think when Bradley came into the league,
03:33
they were like, we need to refresh here, because we
03:35
need to get this guy in the action. We he
03:39
the game, NBA jam cries out for Sean Bradley type
03:43
talent because what Barkley wasn't gonna be in the game, right,
03:46
Oh no, this is the year he went to Phoenix.
03:48
That year that's where right right right, right right right.
03:51
That's why that's how Hornet second got in there. And
03:54
I mean, yeah, like those were the only two guys. Like,
03:58
those guys were both lottery picks. I mean, Bradley was
04:01
the numbers two pick in his draft, which again we
04:04
can appreciate what a Sean Bradley would do now, but
04:06
in the nineties, jokes were at their highest. The taller
04:11
you were forgetting yam doing obviously not Yeah, like that
04:15
was not going to make you a Philadelphia Seving Sixers
04:18
fan exclusively. So now you're covering the Clippers. The Clippers
04:24
are an exciting team. I mean, they're over five hundred
04:26
despite all the injuries in Kauai and Paul George just
04:29
returned as we're recording this last night, and Kauai Kauai
04:36
looked like physically not fully comfortable out there, Like he
04:41
looked like he had his old man game working, but
04:44
it was it was working. He came up huge down
04:47
he took it over. Yeah, well he needed to. I've
04:51
been telling people that my whole synopsis of the Clippers
04:55
to this point in a year, uh, couldn't be explained
04:59
in that game last the fact that Kawhi Leonard comes
05:02
back from a multi week absence to hit a game
05:04
winner in a game where they were trailing in Charlotte, Like,
05:08
that's pretty much the Clippers season. Like they make the
05:11
hard easy, and they make the easy hard, and it's
05:15
great that they wanted. But like Kauai said last night,
05:18
Kauai is the first guy who's gonna call out the
05:21
fact that they shouldn't have come to that point, um,
05:24
you know, And a lot of it was because of
05:27
Kauai's minutes. Um, the starters were terrible in Charlotte, which
05:32
that hadn't in the case in the few games that
05:34
Quiet played. So it was. It was a very weird,
05:39
interesting game and exciting result in a season that hasn't
05:43
been exciting so much as when the heck are these
05:47
guys are going to consistently string some games together. How
05:50
are you feeling seeing off that performance, you know, like
05:54
especially like you know, Jack saying down the home stretch.
05:57
He you know, he's got he's got a little bit
05:58
of that claw. And I'm still I know if fans
06:00
are obviously like very reserved measured. I've seen Clippers fans
06:04
be like, oh, I don't want to get too excited,
06:06
but they felt very excited about what they saw. How
06:09
we're like, where are you kind of how much time
06:12
are you giving it before you start making an assessment
06:14
on what's happening? Sorry, just before you answer. During your
06:17
last answer, I do, I do. Just want to let
06:19
listeners know Miles was doing the Jack Nicholson gift, the
06:21
big smile with the big evil smile, nodding slowly his head.
06:27
Miles is a Lakers fan that is like, you know,
06:31
really really good guys, every respect, really really a nice person,
06:36
except when he talks about the Clippers. This this disrespect
06:41
comes through that It's yeah, well look it's upsetting to
06:46
me to hear him talk about I said, it's upsetting
06:49
that the Clippers are out here. You know, I don't
06:52
think they should exist as a team. It's It's it's
06:56
because at the end of the day, I mean, like
06:57
I'm I'm objective enough. I can obviously say, yeah, I
07:00
wish the situations were different. But again that's where I'm like,
07:04
I would like to ask journalists. I'm like, do you
07:06
have that irrational part of your brain that refuses to, like,
07:10
you know, reckon reality with what you feel? Like me,
07:13
So I'm the first admit that, Yeah, but yeah, absolutely.
07:17
Am I going to therapy for it? No, but I should.
07:20
I'm open about the fact that I'm dead inside. So
07:24
I'm like other other journalists. They act like, you know,
07:28
they're on this high all the damn time. It's like,
07:31
I'm human enough to tell you that, like covering, covering
07:35
certain teams in certain games is just an exercise of
07:40
I refuse to be hurt by any of this. Okay,
07:44
I don't have a like, I don't have a story.
07:47
Like you know how journalists they'll be rooting for the
07:49
great story to come through, just like, oh man, I really,
07:54
you know, want to tell everybody about how he has
07:57
some special cookies before the game. And I can only
08:00
tell that story if the player has a great game
08:03
so people can care. You know, I need a way
08:05
in a hook. I don't give a damn about that.
08:13
But Jack, before he decided to throw me under the
08:15
bus or accurately described my character out loud on a podcast, Bush,
08:23
it was, you know, just to get to my question,
08:26
I mean, how like what what do you look at it? Like?
08:28
What are you still wanting to see developed before you
08:29
can like you know, you you give an assessment on
08:31
what's going on with the team. Well, look, this is
08:34
the thing that stuck with me and has guided me
08:37
for the past six weeks or so. Uh. They had
08:40
their home opener against the Phoenix Suns on a Sunday night,
08:43
and because it's the Clippers, it was the second night
08:45
of a back to back. That's just how it is,
08:47
um and they got smacked, but they got they were
08:51
blown out before Kauai could even get in the game
08:53
because they were doing this experiment to start the year,
08:56
which was kauais suggestion, bring him off the bench to
08:59
maximize his men um. Yeah, that didn't work against the Suns.
09:03
By time Coui got in the game, they're already down
09:05
down there twenty So I talked to Nicholas Tune, the
09:09
oldest guy on the oldest team in the league, and
09:12
you know, we're just having a conversation before we're going
09:14
to talk to Kauai and such, and he just kind
09:17
of says, matter of factly, we're not going to do
09:21
anything crazy until Christmas. And I'm like, Nico, wait, what
09:25
what do you mean by that? Just needed to make
09:29
sure I didn't miss hear him, you know, So I
09:32
was like, so, so what that what what that mean?
09:35
Nico's like, Oh, you know, we'll be okay, but this
09:39
is gonna take a while. I mean, we're not going
09:41
to do you know, Christmas. They that's when, in Nico's mine,
09:47
they were going to take off. They were going to
09:49
look like the team that everyone was talking about them
09:52
looking like for the better part of the off season, right,
09:56
Because it's not like this team has a bunch of
09:58
new faces. They just have new bodies in the form
10:01
of guys who didn't play a bunch of last year. Right.
10:05
But the only guy who's new is John Wall, who
10:08
happens to be another one of those guys who didn't
10:10
play at all last year. But Ko's point was that
10:13
because all these guys are coming back, and it's not
10:16
just guys you know who are just you know they're
10:19
coming back. They're coming back. No, it's your ball handlers
10:23
and playmakers. You know, they're your cooks in the kitchen.
10:27
The guys who you're building the entire schemes around those
10:30
are the guys coming back from long layoffs. And so
10:34
when you hear that and it's like, oh, yeah, I
10:37
get it now. Um, the basketball might be messy for
10:40
two months and then they're going to figure it out
10:43
and they're gonna like string together, you know, contendership basketball.
10:47
Except that literally Kawai's felt stiffness two days later and
10:52
knocked him out for twenty five days. So that sets
10:56
your clock back. So how much time do I give
10:58
the Clippers Grammy Trip in the januaries when it starts
11:03
and it wraps up right before the trade deadline. The
11:06
Clippers need to get the intel to understand what they
11:09
need to do, if anything. And let's be real, the
11:12
Clippers they make a move with a veteran every year. Right,
11:16
I'll tell you which veteran it might be, but they
11:18
make a move every year. I would say the Clippers
11:22
need to figure out what team they're going to be
11:25
come uh that Grammy Trip mid January late January. So
11:29
that gives. I mean, that's just the reality. Acquise missed
11:32
so much time. They got to string some consistency together
11:35
and they have no reason to think they're and blow
11:37
it up territory. Everyone gets along. Everyone understands the situation.
11:41
They haven't been together given a month or about a
11:44
month and a half, and that's where they need to be.
11:47
It's called the Grammy Trip because they have to basically
11:50
leave l A because the Grammys takeover like Staples that yeah,
11:55
that's right, that's right. Uh, the the arena formally known
11:58
as Staples and maybe be future, it'll be back. I
12:02
was calling that already. I remember when it's switched over
12:05
to that name. I was like, trust me, and about
12:07
a year, we'll be going. We'll be gone to Stables again.
12:11
In two years, the Clippers will be playing all of
12:14
their road games there instead of you know, being just
12:18
a thing that people say because the Sacramento Kings fans
12:21
infiltrated the building at the end of a blowout. Oh
12:24
oh yeah. Um. What's your biggest surprises? Man? What would
12:33
your biggest surprise or highlights of the season be so
12:37
far Clippers or otherwise? Well for for the Clippers, Uh,
12:42
I would just say, And it's not as much a
12:45
surprise if you pay attention to the Clippers, but that's
12:48
a team that they're resourceful as hell. Um, we talked
12:51
about who's not playing all the time and the focus
12:54
should be on who is. And it was mentioned earlier,
12:58
like in terms of the big men, the Zoobots had
13:02
a thirty one rebound game. You know, Kawai and Paul
13:06
out you know, uh, Norman Palell like he had a
13:09
really rough start to the year, like so rough that
13:11
they wanted him to start, and then they were like
13:14
this ain't working. Um, and Norma's hit his stride, like
13:18
he's hurt right now because Clippers, you know, of course,
13:20
but before it had like he had scored thirty points
13:24
off the bench in a span of like a week
13:28
and a half or something like that. So, um, this
13:31
team just finds different players. And when we say different players,
13:35
I mean like take the stars out guys like three
13:38
through twelve. They find different guys to contribute to winning basketball.
13:43
And again it shouldn't be a surprise, but the fact
13:45
that they they keep doing it, I think it's notable. Um.
13:50
Across the league. We started this year talking about the
13:54
tank for Victor Women, Yama and the teams that were
13:58
supposed to be taking are the ones that are playing
14:01
competent basketball, and maybe that's leveling off a little bit.
14:06
But then you look up and the Jazz they get
14:09
some big wins, scoring a hundred twenty plus points. Um,
14:13
the Indiana Pacers. If it's a Monday night in California
14:17
and you nem hard is breaking your heart. So that's
14:21
been surprising to me. We're in December, so um, it's
14:26
been a quarter of the season now and and I
14:29
mean the Rockets just beat the Sixers, like I don't
14:33
think you need to worry tank. And that's been a
14:36
pleasant surprise because I don't think people want to talk
14:38
about tanking. Like players don't want to talk about it,
14:40
coaches don't want to talk about it. That's their jobs
14:42
on the line front offices. They don't talk at all
14:45
at this time of the year, so they they're not
14:47
even being accountable right now. But I like the fact
14:51
that these teams, uh, they've they've acted like they're trying
14:54
to compete to start the year. Yeah, and the Kings,
14:59
you know, I mean don't think anyone was saying they
15:01
were going to tank, but they look like they're legit.
15:03
The Pacers like look legit, legit, Like babe, they might
15:08
do something. They're fun group. That's the other thing you
15:11
think about the Pacers. You think they're just a throwaway team.
15:15
Like I was working at ESPN, I was always getting
15:19
made fun of for bringing up the Pacers as part
15:20
of our coverage plan. It's like, that's the bottom five
15:24
coverage team. But like that team is not just winning,
15:28
but they're playing an exciting brand of basketball with some
15:31
guys that you don't that that we're getting to know,
15:33
like Ben Dick Mathin. We're getting to know him. He's
15:36
a rookie, he's the first round pick. He's a lottery pick.
15:38
But he might mess around, and you know he's he's
15:41
a contender for two awards rookie here and six man
15:44
a year. That's exciting because we're gonna talk about that
15:47
every year. All right? Should we do our underrated Performers
15:51
of the Week and come back and talk some A
15:53
D and some other kind of dominant performances we've been appreciated.
15:57
Who's been underrated? I mean, let's go Austin Reeves underwent
16:04
two five to go with Lebrons eight seven, and eight
16:09
and a blowout over the Blazers. But his best performance
16:12
was his miked up. I love a good mike du
16:17
look like I said, uh, Austin Reeves, go back to
16:22
the prediction episode. You know what kind of what kind
16:25
of visions I have for that young man. But this
16:28
miked up it was I think very endearing, especially for
16:31
people who have only seen Austin Reeves just play and
16:34
they're like, what's he like? And his personality is I
16:38
don't know, He's just like that, like like labrador on
16:41
the team who's just always wagging his tail and very
16:44
happy to be there. Let's check out him. Yeah, he's
16:47
got that dog in him and it's a Golden Retriever Retriever,
16:51
very friendly, lovable. They told me you were like though,
17:03
So he's talking to the ref of hers make a
17:06
lay off. He's talking to a heavy living creak a
17:13
talk addition to Lebron. He's like getting Lebron a patronizing truth,
17:29
come on off to throw it down, throw up down
17:32
with a little force. That's my favorite. What do Scott
17:38
Andrewsons like? I didn't know you had that. He's like,
17:40
oh yeah, a little down. You didn't hear about that. Yeah,
17:44
that's good. That's an underrated performance. Ty Jones get and
17:47
I'm playing well. Put up assists five rebounds, lad the
17:51
Grizzlies to a win over the Heat. With jaw and
17:54
triple Ja sitting um Brogden continued to fill it up.
17:58
Jordan's pool came back with the thirty points off the
18:02
bench nas Reid and bowl Ball continues to be one
18:07
of my favorite people to watch this season. A little
18:11
wem Bang Yama preview. Uh he he had a coast
18:15
to coast that was pretty sick. He can just like
18:18
weave through traffic despite the fact that he's seven ft
18:22
two seven ft three and then just flushes it makes
18:26
it look easy. Uh th Orlando is in the Wemby
18:29
Yama sweep steaks, but they're super fun to work. Both
18:33
of them got bowl Ball because we all know the
18:37
magic need you got another one of these tall, lanky
18:40
big men, right if they get the number of pick,
18:42
obviously they would take him. They need to take him,
18:44
um and they would need to just find someone to trade.
18:48
But like, let's just say this, like, uh, I hope
18:51
Orlando is not the team that wins that lottery. Yeah,
18:56
I mean they picked up Bow Bowl is like off
18:58
the scrap heap. Like he his career high was like
19:01
eleven points prior to this season, so I mean they
19:04
could they could obviously move him if they if they
19:07
needed to, but yeah, that that would also be fun.
19:10
They're they're gonna be I like the teams that are
19:13
kind of consolidating around the bottom, like as possibilities for
19:17
that have really young, exciting corps, which that would be
19:21
fun if if they just all got to grow up together.
19:24
Just watch these group of kids grow up together out
19:26
in Detroit. Huh. Yeah, it's a good kid. Twenty kid,
19:30
good kid, good kids. All right, let's take a break
19:32
and we'll come back and we'll talk about Anthony Dave.
19:37
Know it's fun, it's excited. All right, let's take and
19:54
we're back. And as we were saying in the preseason predictions, uh,
20:00
Anthony Davis, actually don't, Miles said listen to the preseason predictions.
20:03
We're going to revisit them, so you actually don't have
20:05
to go back and listen to them here. Um, we're
20:08
going to revisit them. We're not going to change our
20:10
predictions and make us make ourselves sound like we got
20:14
everything right, Like that that would be beneath us, and
20:20
we pride ourselves on journalism more than okay, in sincerity obviously,
20:25
But anyway, that's that's for a future episode. I mean,
20:28
something we have been sending on the show is that
20:30
like they should be treating a D more like Janice
20:33
is just like, get him the ball every time down
20:35
the court, and his last ten games have been thirty.
20:40
He's putting up thirty five a game field goal percentage,
20:45
fifteen boards, three blocks, one point two steals. This has
20:49
to be exactly what you were looking for coming into
20:52
this season if you're a Lakers fan, right, yeah, Well,
20:55
I think the biggest thing was like, when are we
20:57
going to get the a D that looks a little
21:00
Who's like basically when we're gonna get a D back?
21:02
And you know, he looks like he's definitely gained some
21:05
wisdom and confidence, you know, coming out of the street
21:07
closed era. And I mean, just like one thing, just
21:10
seeing how mindful he is of his landings. Now I'm like, okay, yes, good.
21:16
He feels like he's like, in his own mind, feels
21:19
like he's fragile, so he's playing a little more aggressive,
21:21
Like everything is adding up in a way that helps
21:23
me feel good about the Lakers despite what I see
21:26
in the standings. But I think at the five games
21:29
from number one, I mean granted the West as a jumble,
21:31
but I mean five games from first and playing extremely well,
21:36
like on the point differential, you're only like point three
21:39
points below. And now I'm becoming a reasonable Laker fan.
21:42
And I'm like, well, Jack, let's let's wait. You know,
21:45
normally be like, yeah, exactly, just hang up number eighteen already. No,
21:48
I can't go there. I've had my heart broken so
21:51
many times. But I mean, yeah, it's just uh, it's
21:55
it's heartening. And that's again I think I've adjusted my
21:58
expectations from you know, in the Ham era of just
22:01
being like, let's just see some different let's just see
22:04
something build, and yeah, our offense looks you know, he
22:07
only I think in that fifty five point game, only
22:09
like four of his points came from like isolation place.
22:11
So it's a lot more, a lot more, a lot
22:13
more motion in the ocean. M hm. Yeah, forty four
22:17
and fifty five points in consecutive games, like yeahs keeps
22:25
it out data school stakes. The three goes like it's exciting.
22:32
I I do. I do enjoy the NBA more when
22:36
the Lakers are good, when a Lebron team is good,
22:38
and yeah, you know, and I think that's the biggest
22:43
thing too, is I think it's like being able to
22:46
embrace that role and that must be what's going on.
22:49
You know, it's him really feeling like, nah, you know what,
22:52
I can, I can do a lot for this team
22:54
and maybe it's uh, the onus really is on him now. Yeah,
22:59
but the two things need to happen for Anthony Davis. Uh. One,
23:03
I think his back needed to get better. It was
23:07
clear that that was an issue um in the preseason.
23:10
He winded missing a game in the regular season and
23:13
the second halfs like he just wasn't himself. Like when
23:16
you're a big man with a back issue, that thing
23:20
tends to wear on you as the game goes on.
23:22
So that couple of playing with center, like, I think
23:25
he needed to adjust to that. I think physically he's healthier.
23:29
But then two, that buzzer beater that were them hard
23:33
beats them when they were up what seventeen. I actually
23:37
think that that that took a d to another level
23:40
because that was the last draw. I feel like for Lebron,
23:45
especially to stop dominating the ball late in games, because yeah,
23:50
you can put it on eighties back. But the Lakers,
23:52
they start this year doing a terrible job of keeping
23:57
their best player involved in the office. And for Darvin Ham,
24:01
I mean, I'm sure he was flabbergast, but like, at
24:04
the end of the day, if he's your best player,
24:06
doesn't matter if he's not pick and roll ball him,
24:08
like get him the ball. When they lost that game, well,
24:12
I don't think they've lost since, and I think a
24:14
big focus has just been four quarters. Don't forget about
24:18
him and he's Uh, Anthony's rewarded them with that level consistency.
24:22
For me, it's never about Anthony Davis is always about
24:25
the other factors around him, including himself. And he's right
24:28
now um peaking, but there's trying to lead it perfectly
24:34
on the back to the run Son on the upper floor.
24:36
Tell yourself, he got that part tonight, He got that
24:41
part tonight, Yeah, because he wasn't. They didn't really get
24:44
him the ball that much at the end of that game.
24:46
Like that was I think everybody's frustration. It felt, yeah,
24:49
and it's felt It's felt that way for a lot
24:51
of his tenure with the Lakers. So yeah, I think
24:54
you're right. Maybe that crystallized things for for everyone a
24:57
little bit. Um Lebron just stay back and make dead jokes.
25:03
Uh yeah exactly. Zion is kind of running the offense again.
25:07
He's looking so good. He's zioning it up. I mean,
25:11
when he's going downhill, it's just like, get out the way.
25:14
Just please clear the children from the building because we
25:17
don't have three points four steels. Two blocks. The other night,
25:20
which is just fun, one of my favorite shop blockers
25:24
to watch get hard guarded by Curry five to shoot.
25:27
He was thinking about he will shoot it the best
25:33
player in the building with thirty one and oh, I
25:38
do want to say the bench and the Pelicans is
25:40
also looking really good, and I'm like, no more, I
25:43
see that. I'm like, man, this it's saying with like
25:46
the like the King's too. I'm like, man, i gotta
25:48
got a bench over there. It's really looking nice, and
25:52
I gotta say it like I'm not the biggest was
25:54
not the biggest Jose Alvarado fan, but he's beginning to
26:00
work on me a little bit. I'm starting to I'm
26:02
starting to appreciate him more. And more because I part
26:05
of me was just a little being a little too
26:07
much of a Jose hater in the beginning. That Pelicans
26:09
team is to this year with the Grizzlies words of
26:11
last year, a team that came out of the playing tournament,
26:15
got those two playing wins and got some playoff experience,
26:18
and they're building off of that by getting healthier and
26:22
exercising the depth that you guys talked about. I mean, um,
26:26
it's crazy. Who's not playing for them? Like Jackson Hayes
26:29
was a recent lottery pick, He's not playing for him.
26:30
Car Lewis, I know he towards the c O, a
26:32
lottery pick on a rookie contract. He's not playing. Billy
26:35
right on going has dominated euro Beast kids with everybody
26:38
playing a euro basket, He's not playing that team. Is
26:42
that to the guys who are in warm ups from
26:45
tip off the garbage time? Right? Yeah? And it's like
26:49
I was saying in our preseason predictions, I figured that
26:52
Jose Alvarado was probably gonna put up a thirty eight
26:54
point game at some point this season, and oh yeah, yeah,
26:58
I said, Trey Murphy the third he might be better
27:00
than Herb Jones I remember saying, I said, watch out,
27:03
he might give herb Jones a run for his money.
27:05
Check the episode. Check it, don't don't go back and
27:09
listen to the one that we're going to release in
27:11
a little bit. That one I don't know who knows
27:13
where they uploaded in that old episode. Listened to the
27:15
first one where we're absolutely correct on everything. And then
27:19
Andrew Nemhard with thirteen eight rebounds as laws you kind
27:25
of mentioned, just putting it together. And this is somebody
27:30
who was drafted I think thirty feet this this season,
27:35
rookie first pick of the second round. Yeah, yeah, I mean,
27:42
this is one of my favorite things to talk about,
27:44
is nobody knows anything in the n b A and yeah,
27:49
just immediately showing people that they don't know anything and
27:53
also immediately showing people like we we talked about this
27:56
when we started started seeing the summer league games with
28:00
what's the number two picks name the Big seven two? Yeah,
28:04
Chad Home when chat was like balling out in the
28:07
Summer League, I was like, what were they were they
28:10
telling him not to play good in like for Gonzaga
28:14
and n C Double A tournament because like this is
28:17
this is not the same player and them hard too.
28:20
I mean he was good, but they had a lot
28:24
of talent turns out on that team last season. Right. Oh,
28:27
you want to hear lyric Rick Carlisle on it. I've
28:30
been saying. I've been saying that, you know, down the line,
28:35
you know when who's like does their redraft of them
28:39
as the twenty two red draft, he'd be a Toxics
28:41
team pick come elevating that, you know, top ten. I
28:46
mean he's he really is a special player. And uh,
28:52
you know are our basketball people Kevin Pritchard and Jeffy
28:58
Cannon and Kelly and Ted. I mean they just hit
29:02
it out of the park with him. I mean, guys
29:06
got amazing poise. He's strong, he's old school but new school.
29:11
You know, he's special. Yeah, you heard it from I Like,
29:16
he's looking for that hoops type redraft too. He knows that.
29:20
He's like, you know when that's coming. I think it
29:22
usually comes around uh December to January. You know, they
29:27
do a couple but like the redraft three point oh
29:30
is really when they lock it in and I think
29:32
they're you're going to see him in the top eight
29:34
maybe even um. I like when a coach reveals he's
29:38
a fan. He's just like out there googling just like us. Yeah. Yeah, Hey.
29:43
This is the same coach that told everybody before the
29:48
news even broke that Tristan Thompson was going to the
29:50
Chicago Bulls all right, just for like a week or two.
29:55
And he's like, so, just so you guys know, we're
29:59
letting Tristan go to Chicago, like specifically Chicago. Yeah, Woad
30:05
just like man Carlisle won't stop hitting me up. Man.
30:09
He said he wants to do car bombs. I was like,
30:13
I don't know, that doesn't sound good, but yeah, I
30:16
mean we've talked before Anthony Simons, even though they're struggling
30:19
a little bit, but uh yeah, Shay Gil just Alexander
30:25
is taking it to the next level. I mean super
30:27
producer Jabari was asking if he's like in the most
30:30
Improved Player conversation. That conversation is kind of loaded, yes,
30:35
season with Haliburton market in Simons and a Nobi Bowl
30:40
bull but it also Austome reeves of court Um and
30:46
it's also sort of a like it's a narrative driven award,
30:51
you know, because it's just like whoever gets the narrative
30:53
momentum behind them, but he's probably the leader just because
30:56
it does usually go to like the best player who
30:59
is part of the conversation for like jobs was last season, right,
31:05
so maybe it'll be him? Are we is he? Is
31:08
it safe to say he is, like fully just one
31:10
of the top guards right now? Absolutely we can just
31:13
lockout ourselves on the back, okay. And then with that,
31:17
my question is after we I didn't realize how close
31:20
him and Chris Paul were like over them one season
31:23
they overlapped, and part of me, like, we always talked
31:25
about building your game on other players games, and I'm like,
31:28
I'm wondering how much of that, like, you know, what
31:30
we're seeing in his form right now is also informed
31:33
by like, you know, having enough like as people described
31:36
an apprenticeship with one of the top guards in the NBA,
31:39
like in history. Is there something there to that or
31:42
just kind of like he's it just took some time
31:44
and the situation became what it is now for him
31:47
to excel that. Dude is fresh though, like Shay hasn't
31:51
gotten to complete the previous two seasons um and he's
31:56
he was already so young. He was a one in
32:00
on in Kentucky like the year with the with the Clippers,
32:03
Like he got to be around a bunch of guys
32:06
a different who had a lot of different skill sets.
32:09
I mean, on one hand, you got your Patrick Beverley
32:12
that you're playing with growing up on a playoff team.
32:15
But on the other hand, you got Lou Williams, who
32:18
when you look at Shad's game, he's one of the
32:20
most complete scores in the league. People talk about three
32:24
level scores and not talking about she is a four
32:26
level score because the free throw line is a big
32:28
part of Shay's output. Like this, dude s gils just
32:31
Alexander outscores entire teams by himself from the free throw
32:34
line and Lou Williams has a small guard. You know,
32:38
how do Lou Williams get to be a three times
32:40
six man a year? Like he was getting to the
32:42
line right, And so you had that, you had Chris Paul,
32:46
you had everybody else that's been with the Thunder for
32:50
those half years or whatever. Before Sam Presci tells him
32:53
we got some draft business to do, right, Curious to
32:56
see if that happens this year. But that's another conversation
32:59
with Ja. They wouldn't do with him, would that Hey, look,
33:05
I've seen some things and Sam Presty has been aggressive. Man,
33:12
So like they're playing well now, but if it's all
33:16
Star break, they're gonna be like shave you've done? You think, man,
33:20
I promise you just the last year this. But yeah,
33:23
sha is four level score at the rim Ramp game.
33:28
When he wants to shoot at three, he'll shoot three.
33:30
But he gets in the line better than anyone. And
33:32
no one talks about free throws because free throws can
33:35
be annoying and not great for TV or the highlights
33:37
of a show like this. But he's killing teams from
33:40
the free throw line. Actually, we are planning to do
33:43
an all free throw episode where we just kind of
33:45
narrate some of our favorite free throw shooters in the league.
33:48
And just like and from the end of taking a
33:50
warm up dribble, another warm up dribble, take a deep breath.
33:54
I'm also talk you talking about college programs that are
33:58
good at hiding talent. But um Also, Shakil's Alexander's voice
34:03
is not what I was expecting. I don't know if
34:05
I just hadn't like, yeah, man, he has the voice of, like,
34:10
you know, someone who's a seven footer, which is which
34:13
is cool. I like it. He has the voice of
34:15
somebody who looks like designer. Right, Um, all right, let's
34:23
take a quick break and we'll we'll come back. We
34:26
obviously have to do the fastest segment, so we'll be
34:30
right back and we're back, be back. We kept the
34:45
designer thing. Sorry, we had to. We had to just
34:47
go in through you know when. This show is also
34:49
obviously acknowledges the importance of hip hop, so we're not
34:52
going to waste our time there. But that double XL
34:56
freshman class nothing to play with. But it's time now
34:59
to get into the real meat of the show. It's
35:02
the fourth quarter and it's time for the rapid fire
35:04
round of questioning. Now, Oh law, I hope you're ready
35:09
because this is the fastest segment in sports podcasting. We're
35:14
going to ask you some questions. What are we going
35:18
to do with truly testing the rule of law today?
35:21
We're gonna hit you with a question. Just respond, don't think,
35:24
don't you know, have an overly long answer, because it's
35:27
all about keeping the pace up. And if Jack or
35:30
I begin to trail off, it is really on you
35:32
to keep this segment moving and we will get a
35:35
ready to slow it down? Okay, good good, Law, I know,
35:37
I know you're quick with it. I will get furious,
35:42
so uh a little bit. Here we go. Time for
35:47
the rapid fire the questions Victor, when Victor, Okay, we're ready?
36:00
Should I go first? You go first? I'd like to
36:03
take this one Miles if you don't mind. Would you
36:06
rather have your favorite team or the team you're covering
36:09
win a championship this year or have Victor weimbang Yama
36:14
for the next ten years championship because I ain't going.
36:18
I'm not sure I'll be running ten years championship, all right,
36:23
I'm trying to win now. Yeah, and I guess we
36:26
can just watch wembang Yama wherever he is and yeah
36:33
right exactly, Like do you have your Mets jersey from
36:36
the French League? Get I would rather keep running it
36:38
back and half the Sixers just bottom out and then
36:41
get wembang Yama. Personally, you want Sixers tank for Wemby,
36:45
tank for Wemby. Let's do it, blow it up, blow
36:48
it up. Hey, you know me, baby, Let's blow it
36:50
up to blow it up to electric. Okay, next question, Law,
36:57
you have the chance to win ten thousand dollars to
37:00
make a layup with each hand, or you could win
37:02
twenty five dollars to make five of five free throws,
37:06
or a hundred thousand to make at least four of
37:10
five from deep. Now. I know you said famously in
37:13
your Twitter bio you've gone undrafted for I think now
37:15
fourteen years. But which challenge are you taking? I'm man,
37:19
I'm getting the money, getting the money. I'm not worrying
37:22
about the basketball spinning off my hand. Wrong. You know,
37:26
I'll make these left handed layouts. Okay. And is the
37:32
answer the same if you're doing it in an empty
37:34
gym or in a packed Staples Center or crypto whatever,
37:42
it's the same. The people don't affect that game. Wow, wow,
37:47
ice water in his veins. It has been confirmed here.
37:52
But lah, man, I gotta tell you, mane, we really
37:54
gotta keep this going. So you know that's kind of
37:57
keep it up there. Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, up, all right, now,
38:00
that's that's right, that's true. Miles. Did you answer that question?
38:04
Did you say which one you would do? No? I
38:06
haven't answered that one. In an arena. The layoups, man,
38:12
the layups for me are nerve racking in an arena,
38:16
you know, then the oh yeah, because then they're gonna
38:19
be like, you know, if you miss a layoup, at
38:25
least you miss one and you're you're out. You know,
38:28
would you rather air ball the free throw an arena? Up? Yeah?
38:34
I guess I did laps. I'm baby, Um, what is
38:38
a new rule law that you'd like to see implemented
38:41
or altered effective immediately? When you joined us here in studio,
38:45
you did declare I am the law. Let's judge Dredd.
38:49
So this is your chance to write a new rule
38:53
you'd like to see implemented or altered effective immediately. It
38:56
can be dumb, it can be fun. We've had people
39:00
say the bucket from Rock and Jack um, and then
39:04
we've also had people do something about defensive three seconds. Yeah.
39:08
Lastly was no goaltending like FIBA. Oh yeah, which is fun.
39:11
So I'm not a huge hand of this. But if
39:14
we're gonna go with a new role the big three
39:18
four point spot from what or whatever it is, I
39:23
put that down. Oh. I don't think the court needs
39:27
to be Jim geometrically changed or anything like that. Some
39:31
some cool writers have suggested that I'm not really cool
39:34
with that, but like, put that four point spot down
39:37
and I think you gets some more interest. That being said,
39:41
I'm cool with no rule changes sports. Fine. Wow, Like
39:45
you're like, don't So you're saying, like the spot where
39:49
it's like a four point bucket. Yes, So if you
39:52
like a four point spot in three different spots, so
39:58
like top and and then each part like a four
40:02
point spot basically a logo shot. Yes, but I think
40:05
that home team gets to determine where the spots are,
40:09
so that that that's that's that's your rule change, not mine. Okay,
40:14
all right, I was just trying to would be fun too.
40:16
It randomly appears at times. Oh okay, the four point
40:21
spot just showed up. Okay, now if they could probably
40:23
get back in the game, you know what I mean? Like,
40:24
I just like I want to see more frantic chaos.
40:26
But Miles, that was not laws answer though, So that's true.
40:29
I don't know why you're trying to pull words in
40:30
his mouth. Wow, man, we gotta get to the next question,
40:33
you know. So that's That's what I'm gonna say up
40:35
top man. So let me ask you this next one.
40:38
You can create your ultimate Big three, Okay, using players
40:42
from any era. Okay, who do you pick for your
40:46
ultimate all time big three? Uh? Definitely Andre three thousand,
40:51
Big Boy and somebody from the Goody Mob. You know
40:54
what I'm saying, players ball, But it's only royal family
40:59
I've ever Yeah, the Dungeon family family. Okay, I'll take that.
41:04
That is the correct answer. Uh. As we do every week,
41:10
we have to ask you. Jacker Miles, uh, Jack of Miles,
41:16
I don't really drink at all. So um okay, Yeah,
41:23
so that's a that's a neutral. That's that's that's that's
41:28
that's a neutral. You'll take the ore. Okay, Okay, good
41:33
to know. Man like y'all gotta come as a as
41:38
a as as a package. I'll take that too. Wow,
41:41
Jack can gotta judges ruling on that. Does that count
41:44
for a win? I see that I haven't won win yet.
41:47
That's a win for men, that's a win for you.
41:48
That's a win for you. Okay. Yeah, maybe that's all
41:51
Jabari is demanding. You gotta pick. We need says, we
41:55
need toxicity in this. Uh so you gotta pick. No,
41:59
don't force him. Law knows, Law makes his decisions. Remember,
42:01
we couldn't even bully him into doing nonsensical rule chains.
42:04
We were telling you, guys, what I will pick the
42:06
next time I do I do this show. Okay, hey,
42:10
guess what you're it's the next time you've done the show.
42:12
Welcome back, Law. Great to happen the next episode call
42:16
me dr drink. This is the next episode episode. Hold up, wait, okay,
42:22
never mind, Law, Thank you so much for joining us. Yeah,
42:26
awesome to have you. Fantastic having you. Where can people
42:30
find you and read you and and and all that
42:33
and keep up with you? Yeah, I mean I say
42:36
this U. Shout out to the Athletic Uh. They put
42:38
me on and and they've supported me and everybody else,
42:41
so um at right there. Uh, shout out to everybody
42:46
who subs I'm on the social media's law Murray the
42:49
new that's l A W MU R R A y
42:52
h E. And you bring these networks united. So that's
42:56
what we try and do over here. And that's about it.
42:59
That's yeah. And also don't forget to follow us on
43:03
Twitter at mad boost these b double O S T
43:05
I E s uh. And also shout out to the listeners.
43:09
This week we definitely asked for you know, people's early
43:12
m v P favorites. Uh And this week at Samurai
43:15
the Seventh said, all caps Anthony Davis. Okay, I feel that.
43:19
At Jake b Ball, Elevin said Luca uh and then
43:22
Low Underscore Jeff said, never been an Anthony Davis believer,
43:25
but if he continues playing like this and the Lakers
43:27
keep winning, there would be an m VPR, which I
43:30
think answers the superducer Jabari pick, We're Anthony Davis. Its crazy.
43:36
Just sounds like just sounds like that's what the people
43:38
are feeling. Man. You know, I don't get in the
43:39
way that people are spoken. Thank you, thank you. You
43:43
can find me on Twitter at Jack Underscore, O'Brian, oh wow,
43:46
you can find me at Miles of Gray if you
43:48
feel so inclined. Well that is going to do it
43:51
for us. On this week's edition of Miles and Jack
43:54
Gott mad Man, We'll see you next week and we'll
43:59
be talking even more basketball. Se then bye bye, m
44:09
MHM