Heat Start 0-4 For The First Time Since 2007, Thunder's INJURY NIGHTMARE & Rockets Are For Real! Part 1

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1:00 get $ 25 in bonus funds when you deposit just $ 10 on Polymarket. Welcome back to Gil's Arena presented by Polymarket and powered by Playmaker.

1:09 Whoa, whoa.

1:13 Some enthusiastic clapping today. It's going to be a good day today. What's today, Tuesday?

1:17 Tuesday.

1:18 Okay. Tuesday. Club going up. This is Gil's Arena. I'm your host, Josiah Johnson.

1:23 I'm here with NBA legend 2K Unk with badges, Theater King, and the goated Gilbert Arenas.

1:31 I got to update it. I got the script here. I can update it right now. That goated. It sounds good.

1:37 It sounds real like I did some shit in life.

1:42 2K Unk with badges. We got one of the greatest hoopers to come out of L.A. Third overall pick out of the UCLA. Went on to be a two-time All-Star. You can see him starring in the new film, Last Shot. Bear Davis. Back in the arena.

1:57 Four's up, baby. UCLA undefeated. You already know. Four's up. Let's go. Shout-out Earl Watson. Shout-out Earl. Hall of Fame. You say it like athletics. Hall of Fame. Shout-out Tim Harris. New CEO and AD. Tim, I need some tickets. Tim Harris, we need you. Hook it up, baby. Hook it up, Tim. Hook it up, Tim.

2:13 And we got four-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection, DeMarcus Cousins.

2:20 Back in the building. Welcome back to Gil's Arena, Boogie. You're out here working, bro. We see you doing big things. I'm trying, man. I'm trying to get like y'all. You're doing big things. I'm trying to get like this guy, man. I'm just trying to stay busy, man. You feel me?

2:35 Keeping us all busy every day of the week. But we appreciate you. We got a lot of things to discuss today. Here's what's cracking in the arena today. The Thunder lost all NBA wing Jalen Williams and all defensive guard Cason Wallace to major injuries. Where does OKC go from here? The Miami Heat are 0-4 for the first time since 2007. Is it time for Giannis and Miami to hit that panic button, though? The Greek freak doesn't think so, but we may not agree here on this couch.

3:08 And the Rockets are off to their best start. In over a decade, will Houston be a problem for the West this season? Looking really good out there. Shane Goon almost messed around, had a triple-double. Been improving, Gil, this season. Shout out to Shane Goon. Ladies and gentlemen, if you were here yesterday, you saw that we have a new and improved Mostly fans. We're going virtual, allowing fans to pull up to the arena to ask their questions. Go to the No Chill Guild Discord for a chance to get picked to be in our virtual crowd. And if you do get picked, make sure you hold your phone or your computer screen at the appropriate angle so that we can see your full face. We're not just trying to see close-ups of eyeballs and other things like that,

3:49 but we had a very good time with most of the fans yesterday, hoping to keep it rolling today. Gills Arena, everywhere you want to be. So shout-out to everybody watching the show on Twitch. All our Twitches out there, we appreciate y'all. If you're watching on Twitch, make sure you follow our channel, at Gills Arena Show. Appreciate y'all for all the subs and all the love. So we talked about the Heat yesterday. We got to talk about them again today for unfortunate reasons. Heat are off to their worst start since 2007 after dropping the first three games of the season with their offense and defense both ranking near the bottom of the league as they struggle to figure.

4:21 Out their identity.

4:22 So Giannis and company were looking for their first win of the season Monday at home against Dallas, but Cooper Flagg and the Mavs had other plans. with the former rookie of the year putting the team on his back to deliver one of the best performances of his young career as the Heat's nightmare start to the Giannis era just got even worse. Paolo, let's take a look at the highlights if we can, please. So Flagg was coming off a shoulder injury that kept him out of the Mavs' last game, but returned to stuff the stat sheet. Early on, it looked like Giannis the Heat might finally get their first win.

4:52 It looked like that.

4:53 Miami trailed 19-11 in the first quarter before going on a huge run and building a 12-point Second quarter league, as you can see Giannis out there, diming up his former Bucs teammate Bobby Portis. Nice little two-man game there, Bobby. Doing his best to help Giannis with his new squad. So Giannis doing everything, scoring in the paint, dominating the glass, and finding open shooters. But the Mavs responded, took a one-point lead in the break. So Giannis turned up the heat in the second half, scoring 13 points in the third quarter to help Miami Filled another double-digit lead. Greek Freak messed around and dropped his first triple-double in a Heat uniform. Giannis had 29 points, 15 rebounds, and 11

5:38 assists while going 12 for 23 from the field. Heat held a slim one-point lead heading into that fourth quarter. You see Giannis right there.

5:47 Yeah.

5:49 Give me the fucking ball. There it is.

5:55 Yammed all over Gafford's life with Kyrie watching on. Do you know who they said he looked like during training camp?

6:11 EJ Jordan. You know who they said he looked like?

6:15 This kid right here, yo. Flag doing his thing, too. Diamond up Kyrie right there. Looking like a solid connection early in the season.

6:23 Cooper flying.

6:25 He had a one-point lead in the fourth quarter. Then the main event. Took over the game. 19-year-old scored 12 of his 29 points in that fourth quarter, attacking the basket and knocking down huge shots and making winning plays on both ends of the floor.

6:41 Like this one right here. And one. Come on. I said what I said. And people didn't want to hear you. What'd you say, bud? That's the best white since Pablo Esco. Uh-oh, you ain't lying. You ain't lying.

6:56 The best white since Pablo Esco. So Flagg put the team on his back, like we said, with Dallas leading by two. Just 30 seconds remaining. He blocked Andrew Wiggins' potential go-ahead three. And when 10 seconds left to go in the game, Flagg blew past Wiggins for the game-stealing layup. Cooper Flagg, 29 points, 11 dimes, six rebounds, five steals, and two blocks.

7:21 P.J.

7:22 Washington added 20 points and nine boards. Kyrie had 18 and six assists. Bam Adebayo continued to struggle. With the Heat, Bam had just eight points on three for ten shooting. He was 0 for five from three. Davion Mitchell added 21. But Miami was just 14 for 25 from the free throw line. And the Mavs got their second win in the past three games. So let's start with you, Boogie, back in the arena. Spoken very highly of Cooper Flagg in his career. So what are your biggest takeaways from Cooper Flagg and the Mavs' clutch win over the Heat in Miami?

7:54 Man, I think Cooper's slowly, you know, becoming... one of the better players in this league. I think he has a well-rounded game, can do a lot of different things on the floor. Obviously, he's getting better at it, you know, each season, each game, however you want to label it. But I think he's the future. I think he's one of the future faces of this league. I believe he's, what, 19, 20?

8:17 19 years old. So this is still a kid.

8:21 This guy, in most cases, is just entering college in some situations. So just goes to show the talent that's on his side, but he also has a lot of time on his side because of his youth. So, but all those things, you say all those things to say, like I said, I think this is going to be one of the greatest players in the league.

8:42 Eventually at some point, you know, it's only a matter of time.

8:45 And I, and I, and I said before, you know, I think he's a combination of three really incredible players. And when I said it, I didn't mean it as far as he's better than those guys. I just think he has the intangibles of these three players. And I said Kevin Durant, Giannis, and I'm sorry, Kevin Durant, Giannis, and LeBron.

9:03 Yep.

9:04 The way he's able to pass the ball, playmaker, his size. It's LeBron. It's being able to pull up on different spots over defenders. It's Kevin Durant-ish. Being able to get downhill and finish. He had a game-winning finish just using his size and athleticism. It reminds you of Giannis.

9:20 So.

9:21 I'm not saying he's better than any of these guys, but he has flashes of each of those guys' games, and I think he's a combination of each.

9:28 So I'm a fan.

9:30 I think he's going to only continue to get better. But he's scary, bro. He's scary. It's easy to kind of look him off because he's white or whatever, but this dude's the real deal, man. He's the real fucking deal, and I'm waiting on the rest of y'all to catch up. The best white is Pablo Escobar. And I'm going to keep it a buck. Him coming out of high school, going into college, going into Duke, I was wondering.

9:56 I'm like, I don't know.

9:57 He might just be an athletic freak. You know, you see those guys. They're bigger than everybody, can jump over everybody. And so, you know, they had that advantage early on. But his athleticism is continuing to grow. His skill set is continuing to grow. And, I mean, his skills have damn near surpassed the athleticism because at one point that's all you could really talk about. Damn, this dude can fly.

10:19 I mean, you see what he's doing now. So, like I said, I stand on what I say. I think he's one of the future faces of this league.

10:27 Coach K said Cooper Flagg, I think, was the best freshman he has seen in Duke history.

10:31 Come on, man.

10:32 KD, during Flagg's rookie season, said he will be generational. But, BD, let's shift over to you. What are your biggest takeaways from Cooper Flagg helping lift the Mavs up to that clutch win over the Heat in South Beach?

10:42 I caught a lot of Flagg for saying Dallas is going to win more than, what, 35 games?

10:47 Mm-hmm. I believe in this kid, man.

10:50 It's everything that Boogie said. And he got all the ism. He got all the sauce and the flavor. So you're not watching somebody struggle to get a shot. You're watching somebody, that shit looks smooth. Every move, the left hand layup, all the reverse, the English, all that, all the skill and the basketball knowledge with that ism. is going to make him, you know, he could be one of those first-team All-NBA dudes, right? I look at him as like a first-team All-NBA, potential MVP candidate. You look at his playmaking ability, like, you know, you're not supposed to jump in the air and pass, but he knows how to do that. And he's lobbing the ball to a guard in Kyrie underneath the basket. So, like, his vision and

11:43 his basketball IQ is at a whole other level And it just match all the little intangible things that you see. And so he ain't really unpacked it all and put it all into his right compartments. Like to get to where it's like, you know, like to get to where, you know, that, that superstar all-star, no, like, all right, I know where I'm getting my dove from. Now this is going to dictate whether I get 40 and 13 and all that.

12:09 He got all those intangibles.

12:11 Once he start compartmentalizing how to like manipulate the game warps, He's going to be unstoppable. I don't really see– it's hard to cop anybody right now to him that's young, like young talent, because it's like, damn, he already there.

12:31 Yeah, he already there. For sure.

12:34 Got thrown into the fire his rookie season. Jason Kidd took a lot of heat early on for having him run the point.

12:39 Yeah, that's what I was about to say. Are they going to apologize? Who is that guy? The media.

12:46 Everyone who said it was a dumbass idea to put your most gifted guy as a point guard to develop.

12:54 Oh, you was one of those? I was one of the guys. J-Kid, I apologize. I know what you do.

12:58 I've seen it before. I don't know why I doubted you in the beginning. We've seen what you've done for other things. Yes, I apologize. I didn't see the vision, but I'm here now. It was one of those things where it's like.

13:13 I want to give.

13:14 my best players as many tools as possible because he's going to need them all.

13:20 Right?

13:22 So him bringing the ball up the court, being pressured, doing this, at some point three years from now, he's going to have the ball every single, you know what I mean? So he needs to understand how to do it. We're not going to win this year.

13:34 Give him the ball. Right?

13:35 So when you look at some of Jason's kids, some of the people he coached and the stars he had under him.

13:42 He had young Brunson. Yep.

13:44 When Brunson got paid, it was under Jason. He's the one who put the ball in Giannis' hand. He did have Luca, teaching Luca what to do. So he spots him. So it made me think that they don't like the style, but they don't understand it because they never played the game.

14:03 Exactly.

14:04 So it makes me run down that rabbit hole of, wait, all the great coaches who wins multiple championships. Were they basketball players? And for the most part, yeah. I think outside of pop.

14:21 Damn. Yep.

14:22 Yeah.

14:22 So the guys who are in that level. They played.

14:27 They played the game. So they're looking at something different. When Phil Jackson had the no point after Magic, after Isaiah, he said, you know, no, no, no. My guards are just going to shoot play defense. Other than that, the ball is going into my best player. It's going to go to the shooting guard.

14:46 Right? And I want the 6'4, 6'5 point guards. I don't want the little ones. Yep.

14:51 Right? So he had that small, but nobody recognized it yet. He had the small ball, 6'5, 6'7, 6'7. You know, that was his lineups. So when you just go down history, you're like, yo, you guys don't like the act. You don't like the basketball player coach, but the basketball player coach is what's winning multiple championships.

15:10 And what's getting the best out of the player?

15:12 Like you look at Jake here, you say when Giannis first came into the league, like nobody knew what Giannis could be by him putting Giannis at the point.

15:21 Yeah.

15:22 Even knew who he was putting them at the point. You like, well, I can see the potential. I don't, even if you understood or didn't understand it, it was like, wait, dude, this kid, if he can figure out how to be a point, like he not a point guard, but if he can figure out how to think as the main person, it unlocks so many different things by being the main person.

15:45 So now, you know, going back to like, remember we were having the.

15:48 Alpha conversation, like who's the alpha, who's the X factor, who's the best player. Now you putting Giannis, you putting Cooper flag in that X factor, uh, alpha mentality right now he knows alright when we do get a good point guard or we do get some good guards around us I can still operate from their same capacity so now you got two alphas but I have this mentality that I know that I'm going to make everybody around me better you know what I mean that's.

16:18 That's just like the way I look at it is he has that you gotta groom that shit and if you don't groom it then you wind up becoming potential, right?

16:32 Or limited.

16:33 So having that point guard identification, shout out to Jay Kidd, and having that vision, it's like you put more on somebody. Like imagine if as a rookie your coach would have just... loaded you up with everything that you needed to do to think like everybody else. Your responsibility, you know what I mean? Like, you would be, your frustration would be different.

16:55 Oh, yeah. You know what I mean?

16:57 Like, your frustration would be different, but your frustration would see results, right? You'd be frustrated, but you're like, damn, dude, I am getting, like, I'm getting better passing the ball. I'm getting better making decisions. Like, and so your game starts, the game starts to become easier and easier and easier, you know, doing it that way.

17:16 So sticking the flag for a little bit, what does a performance like this show you about Cooper Flagg's ascension in year two? It's all starting to come together. Like we talked about that rookie season got put in a lot of uncomfortable situations that were going to help him in the long term. Mavs had that ability. Weren't really playing for much last season. Looking to build on that this season with Kyrie, but.

17:36 I think he's getting to that peak.

17:41 And obviously he has a ways away before he's in his prime years, but Being able to tap into that early as a young player in this league, I mean, that's a gift. A lot of guys don't get that privilege.

17:53 So you.

17:56 Can't ignore the fact that this dude is 19 doing the things that he's doing in the L.

18:02 That's crazy.

18:03 It's honestly scary. It's scary to think about. As polished as he is, I mean, he got postgame. He can playmate. He can finish at the rim either hand. He can jump over whoever he wants. Guard five positions. I mean, what's stopping us from saying he's already low-key entering those peak years now? Because I can't think of a year one, year two. And if it is, it's a small list.

18:30 I can't think of a year one, year two guys that are this polished.

18:35 Outside of the greats.

18:36 The ones you call the greats? The greatest of the greats. I mean, year two, I can't think of many guys. that's at this point already in their career. And like I said, that's a gift for him.

18:46 I don't want to be blasphemous, but almost on that LeBron trajectory, I think was the second youngest rookie of the year.

18:52 And you know what's crazy? Most people hear that. Yes, he is great. Magic, LeBron, A.D.s, people like that.

19:00 But he's literally on that same pace, and that's why I put him in those conversations of those type of players because he's showing all the flashes of.

19:10 That type of greatness already. Already?

19:14 Yeah, to say he's on the trajectory of a LeBron, I think that's 100% facts.

19:19 Like, you could pick the 20-something All-Stars last year, and you compare them to his talent and what you get out of him, and I'm sure, like, you will pick Cooper Flagg over a lot of.

19:33 Our even current superstars. I agree.

19:36 Just because he's 19, not just because he's 19, but, like, Imagine when he turned 24.

19:45 That's his peak.

19:46 So when you look at Dallas, like, they got it. Now you see, like, uh-oh, I got somebody. What do you start doing now, right? Because nobody thinks that Dallas is going to be a contending team.

20:01 You know, I think they're going to get in the playing. This year? Yeah.

20:04 Yeah.

20:07 Nobody but me, though. I'm the only one that got believed. The Elfers got the last year, though. The Elfers got there. I believe they at least make it into playing, but, like, what do you start doing? I'm fucking with Cooper Flynn. I'm fucking with Cooper Flynn, dog. Playoffs? In the West? I think he can get into playing. I say they get into playing. Top ten. Top ten. Top ten. They get into playing. You're right.

20:26 If they get into playing, then I'd be like, all right, depending on who they play. But I definitely think that they're top ten. 10-team right like what do you start doing now that you know you got somebody like this?

20:38 Like you do you start?

20:39 Are we building for the future like let's go like you got somebody that you can go now. Yeah, let's go now Let's go start putting it together.

20:47 Now and that wasn't Where do you go?

20:49 I've seen this shit like the same shit. I said, I wouldn't have got rid of Anthony Davis and Because I wanted this because if I had Anthony Davis right now, with Cooper Flagg as he is right now, we would be competing for a championship. And I was like, because you're so close right now, I have to see it.

21:14 I have to go for it. I can get rid of the two later. But right now, we got both. Cooper Flagg just had two.

21:22 I don't know. I wouldn't have pulled it. I would have been like, you know what?

21:26 Let me get at least halfway through the season.

21:28 Let me see what it look like with all of them. Come on, man.

21:33 Now I got my three, four, and then Gavin five.

21:36 That's a big ass lineup. That's a competitive team. Kyrie, AD, and Cooper Fleck. Those are nice pieces.

21:45 One thing I.

21:45 Remember when I was in Arizona watching Duke come out and Offensively, I didn't notice Cooper Flagg, right?

21:58 I didn't.

21:59 I was there just for him, right? The concomitant, he was the most aggressive. Then I just see Cooper just making just the ball finds him. You know what I mean? The one thing I could say is he played hard as fuck. like he was like he like he trying to get the offense rebound defense rebound he's playing D he's diving on the floor and I'm like that's what you can't teach you can't teach the engine right he got I can.

22:31 See he got the motor of a can of three I can.

22:33 See he has something I can see he has something but because it's it's congested I can't see everything he possess right so like later on in the years like he had the little two turnovers yeah and I'm sitting here.

22:47 Like well he won't have those in the league, right? They won't be there.

22:51 Those little zone hands won't be there, so I don't look at those, and I'm like, okay, he can get to his spots, he can shoot, he's an ISO.

22:59 Guy, and I'm like, that motherfucker might be the real deal. Oh, yeah. The main event. Oh, yeah. Blue magic. That blue? Blue magic. The best white since Pablo. The finest white since Pablo. The finest white since Pablo. Blue magic.

23:18 So, Babidi, to your point before we move on, you think this Mavs are enough to be a playing team? Do you think that they can reach that top eight and get into the playoffs? And what would that mean?

23:27 I do.

23:27 I think, you know, I always say any time the season starts, whoever gets off to the best start is going to be the team that, you know, surprises everybody.

23:36 And right now, you know, you're looking at, you know, Miami's struggle. You're looking at New York's struggle.

23:43 With a team like Dallas, what they have on their side, they have you. And youth at the beginning of the season, they don't know what the future holds or how tired they're going to get or when they're going to hit a wall. Like, so you kind of, if they can get positive out of this month and positive into the next month, you know, going into December is where, you know, young people usually start, your younger guys usually start getting tired and you can't rely on them. But if you got a winning record, it changes their mentality, changes their responsibility to, And they haven't figured out how to lose yet.

24:22 So even Memphis, Memphis winning these games, as they continue to win, they're not going to be losing to top teams either. Because now they have the confidence that their brand of basketball can beat anybody. So I think Dallas... Getting that, you know, like two and one, right? Two and two. They got to, you know, get to five, you know, get past 500 for the month, get past 500 the next month, be like three or four games over 500. And then I think they're going to be they're going to realize like, hey, we we have enough talent.

24:56 to beat anybody and figure out what is their way. You know, everybody, no team really has an identity. You know, we're just figuring that out in the first, you know, 10 games of the season since the season started so fast. But, like, young teams got a better opportunity than older teams that know, like, we're playing for, you know, 82 games, not the first 40, you know, not the first 40-game sprint.

25:24 And Kyrie hasn't really even started to look like him.

25:27 We're going to stop this right now. Listen, listen. We didn't say he's better than LeBron. We said he's on that line. Nobody said? Talking about which flag, right? On the trajectory. Yeah, he's on the LeBron trajectory.

25:40 But what happens when people do that, when they say he's not there, they look at that as a negative.

25:48 Right. Look at it like this. he's on the same path. Exactly.

25:54 Even if he's 10 steps behind LeBron.

25:57 Yeah.

25:58 He's a top 10 great of all time. I want to be on the path of a great. I don't want to be on the path of something else. We're saying, okay, LeBron averaged 27-77. If he averaged 25-5-5 as a second-year player, as long as I'm following him, God damn it, I got to be somewhere.

26:15 I got to be 3-4-5-6. You know what I mean? I don't have to look nowhere else. Kobe did it.

26:20 I'm looking at Jordan. LeBron was in a different league, but numbers comparable. Through rookie season. But what I'm saying is, as.

26:29 Long as I'm following that.

26:31 I love that.

26:32 Yeah, as long as you follow somebody who carved out a whole palace road for you to look and say, I can choose this, but I don't get none of these.

26:41 I got to lay my own bricks.

26:42 What's so funny is everybody who followed each other are all the top three, what people.

26:46 Call Kobe, Jordan, LeBron, Jordan, and Magic. That's the best form.

26:54 The three people you like, that's who you want because it keeps you focused.

26:58 You ain't got to.

26:59 Look right now in real time. I'm following LeBron year by year by year. Even if I don't catch him and fall short.

27:07 I'm fourth finish.

27:08 Yeah.

27:09 I'm cool with that. I'm good with that. I'm good with that. All right.

27:14 Well, let's shift over to the Miami side of things. While Giannis got more teammates involved with his triple-double, looking something like the Greco-Nigerian Magic Johns in the heat and vision in training camp, Bam Adebayo continues to struggle. Bam only had eight points on three of ten shooting and eight rebounds in 30 minutes. So after their fourth straight loss, Giannis, Spoh, and Bam had this reaction.

27:35 That we all have to take, like, A deep breath. And eventually we're going to figure it out. You cannot press the panic button and panic because it's only going to get worse if you start panicking, man. I've been in this position before. I've lost five in a row. I've lost seven in a row. I've won 10 in a row. I've won 18 in a row. You just got to keep on playing basketball. You're going to figure it out. But once you figure it out, you cannot let it go. Like, feel what you feel now. I feel what I feel now. I don't like this feeling.

28:10 And the moment we turn this around, I'm always going to remember this feeling, and I'm going to try not to get.

28:15 Back to this feeling. Can't overthink basketball, man. That's what we're telling you. For me, it's why y'all not going in. I'm not going to overthink that.

28:28 You know, it's funny how, you know, the outside noise wants to make me the scapegoat. But, you know, when the tables turn, just all that energy, when the energy shifts, just be prepared for that.

28:45 He just needs to see the ball go in. He had some good, clean looks. Just wasn't able to capitalize on them. But I know his makeup, man. his resiliency. We'll work together to find a way to get him aggressive in his spots where he's comfortable.

29:13 Giannis says, not time to hit the panic button yet, but despite concerns about the roster construction heading into the season, nobody expected the Heat to be winless after four games. So Gil, do you agree with Giannis saying it's not time for the Heat to hit the panic button yet? Because you did think that this Miami Heat squad with Giannis was going to be the number one team in Adam Silver's Eastern Conference.

29:35 Yeah, yeah.

29:35 See, so what I had is them coming out of training camp, playing hard, playing defense.

29:40 And... With all that defensive talent you actually have.

29:44 Like, they're playing like it's me, Luka, James Harden, Steph Curry.

29:50 Like, I'm still like, each one of y'all are actually considered defensive players.

30:00 Yeah.

30:01 And you guys are letting people moonwalk through the.

30:03 Lane on y'all.

30:05 So, I thought they would stand on that, just that alone.

30:09 During the regular season. I'm with you on that. I thought the same. Yeah, like you can stand.

30:12 On defense, the offense, but the fact that you will be picking up full court, y'all going to be locking people down. But the fact that y'all look worse on defense, I don't know.

30:22 How you recover from that. Right? I don't want to push the button.

30:33 Already i don't want to push the button but i can tell you i'm squeezing the shit out of it like i'm squeezing like i'm i'm squeezing it you know what i mean because it's like for real i what are y'all not seeing like like when bam said what was what was the.

30:50 First thing he said he said um Can't overthink it. Can't overthink it's basketball. That's what we're telling you. Don't overthink it. Shoot that shit. Exactly. Like, what do y'all, like... You gotta wear an L.A. hat. Three for ten. The right side up first.

31:04 Anybody who wear them upside down L.A. hats, that is not gonna help you. That's bad luck.

31:10 That's bad. Wear it. Yeah, why you wearing an upside-down L.A. hat? It's a good look. It's a good look, man.

31:15 You jinxing yourself, dog. We're not upside-down, bro. You know, we're out to sit the right way.

31:21 Get along. You know, it's the hat. It's the hat, Bam. I guarantee you. Watch. Wear L.A. right side up. He'd be good. I did notice that, too, B.J. I was looking for you. Like, you're just shooting, man. Like, why are you taking only ten shots? He's wearing the L.A. hat. Like, it just doesn't make sense to me.

31:40 Like... Like, if you're capable of scoring 83 points, you're a fucking score.

31:47 So that's not a mistake. Like, those are not mistakes.

31:52 All I'm seeing is a dude who has this super, super talented bag that's handicapping himself.

32:00 So it's not like we're criticizing you.

32:02 We're saying, yo, unleash it because there's no one else on the team that's capable. There's no one on that team that's capable of doing nothing.

32:09 I don't think it's that simple, though. And the reason I say that is it's like this. It's like you know the mentality that it takes to be a scorer. And people, when they think of scoring, they just think about, oh, I can go out there. I can go score 15. I can go score 30. Maybe you can, but can you do it every single night? So when I speak about the mentality of being a scorer, it's almost like you go to a team, you've been a scorer your whole life, right? You go to this team, and now they want you to be the best defender every night.

32:38 So how do you prepare yourself mentally every day?

32:41 I'm going to go out here. I'm going to lock down. You don't have that mentality. You don't even have that. You've never had it.

32:46 So I think Bam is highly, highly talented. You put the 83-point game aside. It hasn't been many of those nights.

32:56 A big score. We don't see that. And that's no knock to him.

33:00 For me, it's just I think we put him in a category because of that game that he doesn't necessarily belong in as a scorer.

33:07 Can he score? Yes.

33:08 Is he a scorer?

33:10 I don't think he is.

33:12 And to my next point, I just feel like when it comes to figuring out that dynamic with Giannis, it's a tough dynamic, especially as a big, because Giannis can do so many different things the floor he that damn near takes up the whole court himself so you never really know what position to be in but a guy that has flourished next to him for years won championships with him is on your team bobby portis yeah bam go lock in with bp watch film whatever bp's doing in his workouts the spots that he's working on the shots that he's working on those are the same shots you need to be taking the same spots you need to be working on We got to get rid of the dunker situation.

33:53 It's just not.

33:54 If Bam's going to be in the dunker, it's not going to be good for Giannis. If Giannis is in the middle of the floor, it's not going to be good for Bam. So, Bam, we all know who the star of this team is.

34:03 It's Giannis. Cool.

34:04 Bam, you now have to start working on your game and evolve as an individual. It's now 15 feet and out. We're going to start off first catching shoes. As soon as you catch, you need to be pulling. I've seen a couple of possessions where Bam did get the ball on the block. We all know every team's going to just load up the paint because we know what y'all two best players are going to do. They're going to the rim. We're just going to load up. Bam gets the ball. He's backing in. As a big, if you're going to back in, how can you see anything behind you?

34:33 All you got is this and this. Bam.

34:35 As soon as you catch it, face up. Now you see the whole floor. You see where the help is coming from. You see the help is coming from the baseline. You see the help is coming from the middle. If they're already in an overcrowded overload, make the hockey assist.

34:48 Make the simple play. Throw it out. Repost.

34:51 Something to where that defense has to react. It's just, for me, it's so many different ways of him being effective in the game besides playing the way he's used to playing. You got to throw that shit out the window. You got to add a super dynamic guy to this team. So now you have to evolve as an individual.

35:10 Catch and shoot. I think that would be great for him. 15 to feed now.

35:13 I've also mentioned, I'm expecting him, if he's taking two to three before Giannis is going there, and I mean threes, if he's taking two to three a game, I need five to seven now. Everything with Bam has to be 15 feet out. 15 feet and out now in order to be a complimentary piece to Giannis. That's just my opinion.

35:33 But from everything that's worked in Giannis' past, when it comes to Brooke Lopez, Bobby Portis, and whatever other big they decided to put next to him, they all play the same exact way. They have a perimeter-oriented game, and they're mostly catch-and-shoot type of guys.

35:50 Everything else will just be a compliment.

35:51 But until he gets to that part, I think the struggles are going to continue offensively. And with that being said, it's easy to talk about the offensive Miami. I think that's the top of the conversation for everybody right now. But at the end of the day, we look at their starting five. Why aren't they the best defensive team in the league? The entire starting five is all defenders.

36:16 And y'all are one of the worst defensive– so– Put the offense aside, I think their real struggle is on the defensive side of the ball, and it's stemming from the frustrations of offense. Y'all got to fall back on your foundation. Y'all are a defensive-oriented group. Everybody knows the Miami Heat stand on defense. I'm not seeing any of that.

36:34 I think if they fix that part, I think the offense will eventually come along. But the defense is the real issue for the Miami Heat right now.

36:44 I agree with a lot of it. I think the problem is Giannis.

36:54 I know you're going to fire up. I know you're ready to fire up. I know where you're going right now.

36:57 Giannis needs to adjust to the team. Giannis had a triple-double. You can get triple-doubles, and they're ugly. Meaning you're getting triple-doubles because you got the ball all the time. So you're going to get the assist. You're holding the ball. I actually think the offense needs to run through Bam.

37:20 It keeps Bam aggressive. You don't have an offense. So if you're going to have an offense, you've got to run your offense through Bam because Giannis is a wild card. It's almost like you think about like Miami with LeBron and D-Wade. LeBron can go anywhere, and now we know when LeBron got the ball, we adjust him, we got shooters, everybody in their right frame of mind. When LeBron is not, you got to have somebody else. And if you don't have something that is stable and consistent and foundationally oriented, it puts Bam at one. It solves your problem. It puts him at the high post, catch 15 foot, right?

38:03 You put Giannis in the dunker, you put Giannis on the baseline, Giannis is.

38:07 One dribble away from the basket, right?

38:10 Giannis having the ball in his hands is causing all.

38:14 Of the problems.

38:15 He had a magic shit and he creating plays. They need to be creating plays for Giannis. Bam need to be creating plays for Giannis. Bam is a better passer. Bam got all the skills and tools.

38:27 Better passer, you think?

38:29 As far as high post decision making, Giannis is a better playmaking passer.

38:35 Bam is more like, you're going.

38:38 To get the catch, the high post, fine. He can make a play, fine. People out the double team.

38:44 Just put him in a faster action to speed his brain up to be more aggressive.

38:49 Giannis is going to get his.

38:51 If it's a steal, Giannis is going to wind up with the ball, and it's going to be a three-on-one.

38:56 And if I'm a shooter, why the fuck am I running down the floor?

38:59 On three. It could be one-on-three. You know what I mean?

39:03 So that's where Miami is losing because they're like, well, shit, where are the opportunities?

39:10 So as a shooter, you ain't getting that many opportunities.

39:13 And you know if shooters ain't getting no opportunities, then they damn sure don't know how to play on defense.

39:19 Right.

39:21 I think the other... Even if you are... Like, think about it. Like, Klay ain't getting no looks.

39:25 No. Right? Tim Hardaway Jr. ain't getting no looks. Wiggins. Wiggins ain't getting no looks. Lawrence... ain't getting no looks. Like, whoever else they got coming. Ain't nobody. Bam ain't getting no looks. Right.

39:36 So, that means we need to change the focus and focus on what is our foundational structure as an offense. So, when Giannis do catch the ball, we know what to do. So if he passed, we're in the right position. If he don't pass, 80% of the time, he going to the hole, he going down the line. Now we know how to play. Bobby Portis is a great example of that.

39:58 And I always say Miami got two teams. You got the Giannis Bobby Portis element, and then you got Bam and everybody else.

40:06 Because you can play a good game.

40:09 You can compete just like a Denver and everybody else with Bam, 15 feet, playing the Joker role. and having shooters and cutters around. You can't do that when Giannis is in the game, mostly. I think they're also missing just in general, like a guard.

40:27 A point guard.

40:28 Not even a point guard, just a guard that can create. I think Davion Mitchell is honestly perfect. And like I said, you've got to continue to look at the history of players that succeeded with Giannis. You think about a Drew Holiday. He's not necessarily a point guard. He's a guard that can do a lot of everything. So when I think about Davion Mitchell, I think he can fit that mold as far as being that guard that can guard the best player on the other team. He can make some shots from the outside. He's just that solid, solid guard.

40:59 But I still think that either at the two or three spot, they're missing just that dynamic wing that can score, play, make, create for others, create for themselves, and I mean, I think about a guy like a Russell Westbrook sitting at home.

41:15 I think about a Chris Paul sitting at home. Shit. Kevin Porter Jr. sitting at home. We're going to trade for Jew Holiday.

41:22 It's a plethora of guards in Portland that you can find. Zach Levine rotting away in damn Sacramento.

41:32 Yeah, for sure. Jalen Green in Phoenix doing nuts.

41:36 So I think there's options out there as far as what they're missing for that group. It's just about them going out and actually making something happen. But out of everything we said, I think that's also something that's missing for them as well.

41:52 Just that dynamic guard.

41:55 I think it's guys out there.

41:58 Shit. D'Lo. He could have helped. You know what I mean? Not really.

42:08 Because Giannis is the point. And if the guard isn't just a shooter, like, treat him more like, treat him more like LeBron.

42:18 Yeah.

42:19 You gotta have a scoring guard. You gotta have a scoring guard. That's just, if you get two, three assists, cool. I need you to put the ball in the basket. In a half-court situation, The ball needs to play through Bam because he can make those.

42:32 I don't think so. That's the problem.

42:34 When it gets to half court, I don't want it in either one of them guys' hands. I want it in that guard's hand. I'm going to just let the guard shoot.

42:44 Huh? I'm just going to let the guard shoot. For sure. I'm going to do the same thing. Davion comes on the pick and roll, I'm going to go under. But if your guard is dynamic. The guard that they're missing. The guard that they're missing, yeah. I'm talking about the guard they're missing. I'm talking about who they have right now. Yeah, they don't have a complimentary.

43:00 What you're saying is they don't have that complimentary dynamic score.

43:05 Yeah, like they don't have somebody that's like, yo. But I'm talking about who they have right now. Yeah. I'm giving the ball to Bam. Because Bam sees. Everything. Yes. Yannis sees the rim.

43:17 But even with Bam, I say I don't want Bam doing that because I feel like it still puts you kind of in the same situation. I feel like Bam's whole game is like system team oriented. And that's part of the problem. with the new current team they have now. Back in the past, that style of play for Bam was perfect. Now we need you to be more aggressive.

43:40 So if you're the guy with the ball in hand and all you're doing is looking to run the system, get everybody.

43:44 Else involved, we got the same situation.

43:46 But if you do that, then you got another Giannis and everybody is disappointed.

43:52 Everybody mad. No, no, but he's not selfish. No, but if you're telling him to be more selfish. No, I just said put the ball in your hand. Yeah, I'd rather.

44:01 You be Jokic and make plays because once it gets to Giannis, he's shooting it.

44:08 So if it starts with Giannis, he's shooting it. If they give it.

44:12 To you last, now you sit here in playmaker mode and you're not even.

44:15 Yeah, it's almost like you got to. Giannis has to. His game has to evolve.

44:22 He can't. No, I'm serious. I'm serious, dog.

44:25 Giannis' game has to evolve into I make plays for my teammates, but the team has to make plays for Giannis so Giannis understands how to better do that.

44:35 You don't need the ball in your hands.

44:37 80% of the time, Giannis.

44:40 You're still going to get the 30. You're still going to be as dominant. We're not your Milwaukee team. This big dude right here, if we give it to him, he's going to operate, and then the floor is going to be wide open because Giannis gets the rebound, and he's going to push to the wing.

44:56 Ain't no offense. You know what I mean?

44:59 Davion Mitchell come up, and if Giannis wants to set a pick, it ain't no offense no more.

45:04 I don't think there will ever be an offense regardless. It's hard to have an offense around when Giannis is your main guy. It's hard when all the teams are going.

45:14 If you got two ball-handling, non-shooting bigs, We just going to pack the paint.

45:20 It don't matter who the fuck. Yeah, but I've never seen Giannis on the baseline.

45:24 I throw the ball to the baseline on Giannis. Ain't no double team coming. He one dribble away from dunking on somebody.

45:30 Fast break.

45:31 Well, I'm saying give it a ball and fast break to Giannis in the half court.

45:36 Give it to Bam. We're going to give it to Bam. And Giannis get down and play to the baseline.

45:40 Right now, it's Giannis team suffers.

45:45 Yeah.

45:45 Right?

45:45 Everything is Giannis. So it's give Bam the ball. He's going to be looking.

45:50 Worst case scenario, when we don't have none, the clay ain't open, I'm driving, I give it to Giannis.

45:53 Giannis is playing by himself. So Bam, Bam. Start the offense. I said start the offense. Don't give Giannis the ball on the baseline of block. Either way. They're just acting the fucking pain. But that's where you want him shooting them 15-footers. You're going to get better shots that way. You put Giannis as a Kyrie style.

46:12 And then you have Bama's LeBron. So LeBron is sitting here. He's playing for the team.

46:19 Give it to Kyrie.

46:20 This shit ain't going to work unless somebody can shoot. If I'm the defense, I'm just sagging back.

46:26 I'm just crawling. I don't give a fuck. If you can't shoot, I'm just sagging back. What we're saying is it's a different catch. As a shooter, it's a different catch from Giannis than it is from Bam.

46:43 Are you saying this half-court offense is for the shooters or for Giannis and Bam?

46:46 For the users. Okay, I got you. I'm all. It's for the overall. Like, we got to unlock Wiggins.

46:52 We got to unlock Clay.

46:53 I agree on that.

46:53 We got to unlock Tim Hardaway Jr.

46:55 For what he worth. We got to unlock.

46:57 Davion Mitchell and whomever else we put into these mobile positions around where Giannis at, around where Bam at.

47:05 So now, bam, you got control of all this.

47:07 And at the end of the day, the offense is going to swing through you first, and then it's going to end up with Giannis. That's the way I like it. Instead of starting with Giannis, then it's like it ends with Giannis. Or it ends with whoever Giannis passed to. Now you got shooters catching the ball, and it's like, man, these ain't the best passes coming from just standing there watching.

47:28 Oh, yeah. He's swinging. He's swinging.

47:31 Yamamoto fastballs. Because they're packing the paint, right? And now I'm catching the ball. I may have to jump up, catch and shoot. Nothing is in rhythm because I'm standing. If Bam got it, we got some constant motion. And then if anybody slip up and they forget Giannis.

47:47 Over there, boom. Duh. Film.

47:51 If I'm Bam and only certain people used to do this.

47:56 I just don't think they're going to take the ball out of me. You can't. It's too much of a problem. No, no, no. That's what I'm saying. You can't. You can't. So you have to figure out an alternative, right? If I'm Bam.

48:08 And it's Bam becoming better perimeter as a perimeter player.

48:12 But you got to involve him. I'm going to just watch film on how you got to. See, this is what. That's why he needs to go watch. You have to study your teammates first. Bobby Portis. Bobby, Bobby don't have the ball. I'm studying, bam. Bobby knows how to play off Giannis.

48:28 Yeah, but I ain't Bobby Portis.

48:32 You need to be.

48:33 No, what I'm saying is, I need to see it. When he goes left, what is his go-to move? When he goes right, what is his go-to move?

48:41 When he starts showing up, I need to study my teammate first.

48:45 I know everybody else. I don't know him. You said it. Right?

48:48 So me, I'm just sitting here. I don't know what he's going to do. That's where film comes in at.

48:53 I agree on the film.

48:54 When he gets frustrated, when he gets mad, like you can see his game.

48:58 So when you see his flaws, you know how to clean it up.

49:01 But it's hard to play with a player. who doesn't have go-to moves.

49:08 I agree. Because you don't know where the fuck they're going. He just said that. He knows where he's going. No, no, no. You know he's going to the rim. You know he's going to the rim.

49:16 If he goes to the rim and it's in his left hand, if he's in his left hand... hand, he might do this step. If it's in his right hand... I'm not talking about his moves. I'm talking about the moves. He will do that anywhere.

49:29 That motherfucker a year old from the three-point line.

49:33 Deal. When you want to go operate and it's down the stretch, where are you going?

49:38 What side of the court?

49:40 Me?

49:40 I'm in the middle. Okay. So you can't double me. Okay. This guy.

49:46 He has, there is no, okay, when Giannis is ready to operate, he operates, he's on attack from every, all seven spots on the floor.

49:55 Making the same move or drive to the pass. So all of those are his go-to move. If he in the corner, he's driving. He's driving.

50:04 There's a way he, it's like when I said LeBron has the same move and nobody noticed it. When he's on the left side of the floor and it's a countdown, he's shooting three. He's shooting three no matter what.

50:19 100%.

50:19 100% of the time, if he's on the right side, he's going to drive.

50:23 Right?

50:23 So we all have things we do. Majority of the time, we don't notice it. But if you sit there and you just watch his tendencies, you can watch his behavior.

50:35 So if you know he goes right and he spins. I think he's watching in real time.

50:39 If he spins, if he spins, he usually passes it. But you can see those moves in real time.

50:44 Yeah, but that motherfucker watching Giannis in real time. That ain't the problem. That's all he's doing. I'm just watching as a fan. If he go down the right side. Mm-hmm.

50:55 Then the next time, he go down the left side. Then he go down the middle. Then he go down the left. Then he go down the right. When he goes to right, what is he doing? He don't have a move, dog. He is going.

51:06 Straight to the basket. If you cut him off, is he going left, right, in a row, or white?

51:12 He has a move.

51:12 Yes, by that time, he knows how to play in the crowd. He knows how to play with contact. And so what throws everybody else off is. We have to be available when he's not going to shoot the ball, when he doesn't have a shot, which for everybody else on the offense is kind of tricky because it's like, where am I getting my shots from tonight?

51:35 Where are you getting your shots from, Bam? Where are you getting your shots from, Clay?

51:38 So now I make it so when I do get the ball, watch how they play, dog. When they get the ball, they just be firing that shit. They take bad shots, and that's why their defense is bad because they keep trying to figure out, how do we play with this dude? If we were saying, okay, Giannis is one of the best baseline one-on-one players since James Worthy.

52:02 You know what I mean? We know where he at. Now we can operate from there.

52:07 But we got to put him somewhere because as soon as he gets the ball, he's going to be everywhere.

52:12 Just like Boog was saying, he's.

52:14 Not you, bro.

52:15 He's not like some little guard where everybody can see him. He's the biggest dude on the floor. So he comes to the middle of the floor, like, it ain't no spacing.

52:26 Yeah. It ain't no spacing.

52:32 He can touch you on the wing, smack you in the back of the head, man, cut through and dribble to your side and smack the dude in the corner in the back of the head and tell him to leave.

52:44 I'm going to find his tics and I'm going to just send him to Bam. Just like Cooper Flagg. Cooper Flagg wants to go left.

52:53 He wants to go left.

52:53 Every single time when he goes left, he is spitting back.

52:57 That's Wiggins and Hardaway and those dudes.

53:00 More importantly, they need to watch that film to realize, okay, if I am going to get these shots, I need to figure out his tendencies. Spoelstra needs to run the offense through Bam because you're.

53:10 Going to have Giannis. Let's say Giannis is going to have a.

53:14 Ball in his hand 60% of the time. The other 40%, you're off.

53:23 You're off.

53:24 So where do you go with it? What are you going to do? What do you have?

53:28 Because when Giannis is playing, you don't have an offense. There's no plays. Here's a guy who needs no plays. So now, what the fuck are you doing? So now you need a play or three or two or four.

53:46 What play would you run for Giannis? Man, baseline screen, dog.

53:51 Get him on the baseline, screen with a guard, have him come to the middle.

53:55 His strings are getting downhill and being full court. So once we're in the half court.

54:00 What set are we running for him?

54:03 High post.

54:04 We can't run a set to get him a jump shot. All the sets going to be to get them on the left block or the right block. And guess who's still going to be in the way?

54:12 They should be running four high.

54:15 Four high. Have Bam and Giannis. Four high. Or play Giannis. That's what I've been saying. Bam game has to become perimeter oriented. What is it? You got to do the.

54:26 The high-low, what they used to do, the Paul period.

54:28 The high-low shit? All day. I wouldn't be mad at that. Hop into the corner.

54:32 I wouldn't be mad at that. Get a guard to set a pick right there. Have Bam come loop around. If they don't loop around, pass.

54:38 It to him. Man, Giannis can catch the ball and dunk from the hashes. You know what I mean?

54:43 So, yes, his game is coming down the court and all the spinning and all the shit he got.

54:49 But if I can get him on that– I remember Nelly did that to me.

54:51 He was like, yo, if I can get you below the free throw line– It's going to be hard for somebody to guard you because you one dribble away from the basket.

55:01 You see everything early, right?

55:03 The double team will come to you quicker to get to the basket than for a double team. So if you get Giannis below the free throw line, I mean, he is the most dangerous dude in the league. But at that point, he's the most dominant, unstoppable person in the league. That doesn't mean... You don't get the ball and push the ball. That don't mean you put pressure on the defense. It just mean when it's time for us to run a play, when we up 10-15.

55:29 On Dallas and it look like, oh shit, they done hit a couple of threes.

55:32 What are we doing? Then Giannis is like, give me the damn ball. I'm just going to run everybody over. I can do it. That's what he used to. Get him in something. I still don't believe you can run the offense through Bam. You cannot run it through Giannis. You can't run it through Bam.

55:48 Because if I'm the defense, I already know this guy isn't aggressive with the ball in his hands.

55:55 I'm just going to.

55:56 Sag back on Giannis and then we'll live forever. Well, whatever happens with Bam.

56:00 Well, that's where Bam got it. That's where Bam has to prove his superstar. I said Bam has to average 25 this year, to your point.

56:08 That's not going to happen.

56:09 But to your point, I'm saying he has to come out thinking, I got to score 25.

56:13 That means you're more aggressive.

56:15 Where did 25 come from? from. It ain't going to be in the post and it damn sure ain't going to be from the mid-range.

56:20 It's going to be the 15-footers. It's going to be the threes.

56:22 And it's going to be somebody faking on Giannis and getting to the basket.

56:27 And when Giannis is out, when Giannis is.

56:29 Out, who are we going to? You got Giannis and Bam. When Giannis is out, that's easy for you to go low Bam up. and make Bam go to work. And you take Bam out, you put Giannis in, let him go do all the stuff.

56:41 If Giannis is out and Bam is in, I don't think it's the same situation because you got Bobby Portis out there now who can stretch the shit out the floor.

56:48 That's the difference.

56:49 That's why I keep saying, Bam has to go lock in with Bobby Portis and figure out how to be more of a Bobby Portis.

56:56 Hell no. Why not? Fuck that. Then I might as well retire, dog. I'm not trying to....

57:04 I'm trying to go be a superstar, all-star, all-NBA team. You ain't a superstar shooting 10 shots. Man, you ain't about to beg me. I'm not trying to be no six-man.

57:12 I'm not saying you got to be a six-man.

57:16 I'm saying the playing style. Yeah, but that. Learning how to play off of young. But that's also fucking up my. Go watch film on Brooke Lopez because it works. But that's fucking up my game, bro. I'm not doing that I'm saying bet Figure out where to get your shots. Figure out where to get your shots.

57:54 I think Bam has, I think he has the intentions to become a good shooter.

57:58 Like, it's more about doing it consistently. If you're not, if you're not doing it consistently, it's hard to ever get. Man, from what I hear, he one of the best one-on-one players. And I still haven't seen it. I ain't seen it. But I see flashes of it. I see flashes of it.

58:15 So that's why I'm thinking if he comes out, I need to average 25.

58:18 That takes a lot of pressure. But to have that as a threshold, to have that as a threshold, to have that as a goal, you got to shoot more jumpers.

58:31 You got to shoot. You got to work on more perimeter stuff. You got to work on when I catch the ball down here. You got to work on fast decisions, aggressive decisions.

58:40 If you're telling him, like, you know, you're not going to average 25, then he's going to forever play like he's playing now.

58:47 He's going to be passive aggressive. He wants to be 20 and up. The reason I'm saying this shit is because I literally lived it. I'm not saying this shit just because I think it. I lived this situation. When I teamed up with AD, we played from a lot of the same spots. Our skill sets are way different, but when it comes to the spacing, it's the same issue.

59:07 My game, in order for men his dynamic to work, my game became where I was more on the outside. AD, the pain is yours. I had to become a better shooter. I had to learn how to shoot off the dribble. I had to learn to play off pick and roll. I had to learn how to pass off the dribble, not just a stationary pass. I had to learn all, I had to change my game In order for A.D.

59:28 to be successful and for myself to be successful.

59:31 And who had to change the most?

59:33 You or A.D.? Me! Okay, when you changed, did that help A.D.? Yes. That's what the fuck I'm talking about.

59:40 Bam got to change.

59:42 A.D.

59:42 Was the star. It's A.D. 's team. This is Giannis' team. Yes. Bam has to be the one to change.

59:47 But they were running more actions because you're on the perimeter through you and you start learning how to go get your money, correct?

59:54 Yeah. That's what I'm saying. Somewhat. Somewhat.

59:58 It's still AD's team, but we can't load him up because he's not going to do what you're going to do for him is what I'm saying. What you're going to do for him is probably going to be less appreciative and less acknowledged because you got to do the most internal work to figure out how do I work.

1:00:18 With this dude.

1:00:20 But once the coach see that, he recognizes if I run.

1:00:23 It through him, It's his team, but he's the X factor.

1:00:29 And so as you are unlocking all of this shit that you're figuring out for yourself to figure out for AD, now you made AD's game so much easier. Now it's like you figured out how to make his shit easy to make your shit easy, right? And that's what I'm saying with Bam. If Miami don't try to put him in a position where he's included in the offense, then he will never figure out how to unlock Giannis because then he's going to wind up playing in a role that he don't want to be in. Like, you're going to have to be Bobby Portis. You're going to have to be Brook Lopez. If you figure out, hey, man, this is a lot like, go watch you and AD and how y'all play. I got to be more like Boogie.

1:01:14 I got to shoot the three. I got to be able to drive from the top. I got to be aggressive when I know the ball is swung to me. I got to go look for mine because it's going to free me. is he's going to appreciate the fact that I'm over here getting 22 and 13. And not 9, not 13 and 7.

1:01:32 And, you know, playing good defense.

1:01:34 Nah, I got to be over 22. I got to be over 25. I got to go get it. I can't be relying on– he going to get his. That's what I'm saying. Everybody on Miami's team got to recognize– Whether you show up to play, whether you make shots or not, Giannis is going to be Giannis, and Giannis is going to go get his. Now, how are you going to be the best basketball player that you can be for this team to help this dude? take some pressure off him so at least 20% of the time that he has the ball, he starts to realize I can have the ball 20% less and still get the same results and life is a little easier because now I'm not frustrated with my teammates.

1:02:18 And that's what I'm watching.

1:02:19 I think also, and I agree with you, I think the other point that we're missing and that I'm also missing is I keep talking about the dynamic of me and AD. And, you know, we both definitely had to do certain things for each other to benefit. But the other factor in that was we had those playmaking guards.

1:02:38 Yeah, guards. Yeah, yeah, guards. And we had Drew Hoffman. Yeah, yeah, I had guards.

1:02:42 And that goes back to my point earlier. They have to go get a playmaking wing guard. The other thing, when we look back at Giannis' history, you had Chris Middleton. That wing guard that can create.

1:02:54 For himself and for others.

1:02:56 They're still missing that. They don't have that in Miami.

1:02:58 I think if they ever find that piece as well, it'll help solve that equation.

1:03:03 I agree. That I agree with. I agree with it.

1:03:06 It's time to try and finesse some bread on Polymarket. We're going to keep it Heat related. This is put that on some. We're going to give you a trade on the Polymarket app. You got to pick a side, put that on some. So Heat yet to win a game this season, which we all know. Squad still has faith they will figure things out, get to where they need to be. So let's take a look at the Heat's projected win total for this season. Heat are projected to win 47 games this season. So back in mid- 12? What, 47 games? Oh, 47.

1:03:34 But that was their projection.

1:03:36 So back in mid-September, 74% of traders projected the Heat would exceed this projection. But in the wake of Miami's 0-4 start, that number has dropped to 66%, while 35% of traders think that they will not get there. But let's take it to the couch quickly if we can. Will you still have faith in this Heat squad to win at least 47 games this season?

1:03:58 Um. How many games? 47.

1:04:11 I do think they'll get better. I think they're in the process of figuring all this out. I'm not down on the heat quite yet. I'm going to go right around 45.

1:04:27 So they will not hit that expectation. 45-46. BD, how about yourself? Will the Heat win 47? Unless they make it. It's just 47 games. 47-35 for the Giannis era Heat? Yeah, I think so. The Miami Bucks is their call? I just think that, you know, there's so much parity in the league that they will figure it out.

1:04:45 And I think, like Giannis was saying, they're going to get nine in a row, 10, 12 in a row. That's Heat culture.

1:04:52 That's how they do. I like Spock.

1:04:54 I think they'll get there at 47. I definitely think they'll hit the 47.

1:04:58 Gilbert J. Arenas, you thought the Heat were going to be the number one team in the Eastern Conference. UV Vol.

1:05:04 I definitely thought they were going to be a top team.

1:05:08 Well, the Heat went 47 games. The defense alone. Yeah, I mean, we all did. Going on back in the lottery, man. I'm going to chop it up. Going back in the log. Damn. Go, go, go, man. Damn, after four games? Don't get your picks, man. You've got to have faith. No, no, no. They own four, but it looks worse. It looks worse. It doesn't. It's like the life is sucked out of them early. It's four games in. They look like they're halfway through the season. No, it's hard to play.

1:05:43 The only way this turns around is if you change your energy.

1:05:48 So the fact that he doesn't see that he needs it.

1:05:52 You're the second best player taking the fourth most shots. Once Giannis don't have the ball, you better give that shit to me. So the fact that that's not even a thing and we're just still playing team basketball.

1:06:06 We're still playing team basketball. Don't add up.

1:06:09 You're not recognizing that they need you. We don't need Clark Kent no more. Right?

1:06:14 You know what I mean? Clark Kent, nah, nah, nah, fam.

1:06:16 You got to turn into Superman. Once you turn into Superman, then the attention is only on you two.

1:06:22 Then they can score. Then everybody else can score. They can't score just trying to do the shit themselves. They not them guys that's going to sit there and... They need a guy. Why the fuck... They need a guy. No, he needs to be the guy. They should have... No, no, no. Pat, hey, I'm not going to get a guy. You the guy. No, no, but...

1:06:37 There ain't nobody on that roster. No, but... But.

1:06:39 Why the fuck they get rid of Norman Powell?

1:06:44 Yeah, you you you don't have a guy. I need you on the wing.

1:06:49 You need a wing the league is guards and wings The league is guards and wings.

1:06:56 BAM you doing now I like Jason kid did I'm doing that the bad BAM you two three Jason kid BAM you two three do the five then you don't be in a lot. I'm gonna be that any goddamn At least when I come out of the lottery BAM know how to play the.

1:07:11 Three So the Heat do get to keep their top 14 protected. If not, it'll convey to the Charlotte Hornets. So just keep that in mind. But that was put that on some presented by Polymarket. Download the Polymarket app. Use code ARENA to get $ 25 of bonus funds when you deposit just $ 10. Make your next move your best move and join the revolution. Polymarket, the most accurate sports odds and forecast in the world. All right, let's shift this over. Got some unfortunate things we need to discuss.

1:07:39 So Thunder got the win over the Clippers Sunday, but suffered two devastating losses that will have serious ramifications moving forward. All-NBA wing Jalen Williams and all-defensive guard Cason Wallace will both miss extended time, if not the entire season, due to injury. J-Dub only played in 33 games last season while dealing with wrist and hamstring injuries in just five postseason games for the Thunder. Williams appeared in all three games to start this season and looked to be headed back in the right direction before suffering his likely season-ending ankle injury Sunday night.

1:08:09 We're going to show one of the highlights.

1:08:10 Don't really want to focus on that too much, but late in the fourth quarter, Williams was fouled by Chris Dunn as he drove the basket. We're just showing the high angle, Gil. Yeah, we don't need to see all the other angles. Throw to that basket, landed awkwardly, suffering a gruesome injury.

1:08:30 To his left leg.

1:08:31 Williams would leave the court on a stretcher while the foul to Dunn was upgraded to a flagrant one. Obviously, Thunder players and coaches visibly shaken by Williams' injury with many covering their faces to conceal their tears. You can see SGA incredibly emotional losing his running mate in that situation.

1:08:50 Ooh.

1:08:51 Did not look good at all. J-Dub gave the Thunder crowd thumbs up, but even his reaction when he saw what his ankle looked like that was very telling. So an emotional SGA after the game. He offered these thoughts about the injury. J, you guys.

1:09:08 Close out the game, but obviously such a tough circumstance there late with Jalen.

1:09:12 What's going through you right now? Yeah, I don't even know. I don't know. just feel bad for him. Nothing more than that.

1:09:26 You guys closed out the game. You do everything as a team here early in the season. How do you guys rally together and continue to push through here in the early going of the season as a group?

1:09:38 We don't have no choice. This is what we signed up for. It's obviously going to be tough without a player like that. He's not gone forever. He'll be back better than ever and we know it. We just got to Hold the fort down until he comes back.

1:09:52 Hold the fort down until he comes back. So, J-Dub's injury looks similar to the one that Gordon Hayward suffered back in October 2017 when he was with the Celtics. Hayward missed the entire season but was able to return the following season. But it took him a while, even beyond that season, to get back to the level he was playing at previously. So, Cason Wallace. also left the game in the first quarter, did not return. Monday, Thunder GM Sam Presley announced Williams will undergo surgery for a dislocated left ankle and fractured fibula, while Wallace will undergo surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Wallace just signed a five-year, $ 139 million contract extension before the season began.

1:10:28 But Boogie, we'll start with you.

1:10:29 What's your reaction to the Thunder losing Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace?

1:10:33 It's unfortunate, man. I know it. I know it.

1:10:37 You know, going through injuries is like, so I know how dark it can get. I know how low it can get. I wish him nothing but the best. Jalen Wynn and Cason Wallace, my U.K.

1:10:47 Brother. I wish y'all nothing but the best in y'all recovery.

1:10:50 Speedy recovery. You know, positive mindset. But as far as OKC, I mean, they're still a very highly talented team. I don't think it's.

1:11:03 Too much of a drop-off.

1:11:05 Because of the talent behind those two individuals, obviously, you know, those two guys are big pieces to this team. But I think Sam Presley has done an incredible job always having, you know, that next guy up type situation. And, you know, with Case and Wallace, I'd automatically think of Jerry McCain kind of sliding into that spot, doing a lot of the same similar things.

1:11:30 I think of a guy like A.J. Mitchell now.

1:11:34 Moving into that starting role, uh, bringing a lot of the same things that J Doug could bring. Um, but I also think it's now a situation to where, uh, you know, Sam has to look at those, those draft picks and, and kind of, you know, see, see, see what the layer of the land is like, uh, the layer of the land is like right now, see what's out there, see, see what's available, see, you know, see if there's any upgrades that are possible. Um, I can't think of anything off the top and, uh, it's, it's a unique situation because with this group of guys, you kind of, I'm big into meshing personalities. You just can't go grab anybody and make them a part of a team.

1:12:12 You got to have somebody that can mesh those specific type of personalities. So, you know, I'm a huge fan of Presti. I believe in his work. I believe in, you know, his thought process of, you know, getting things done. So I believe he, He'll figure something out. It's the reason he's in that position and I'm not. So for me to sit here and be like, yeah, I think they should just do this. I don't have that off the top right now. I would have to look into it a little more. But I believe Sam Presti will make something shape for the betterment of this OKC group.

1:12:48 And they'll still, you know, figure out a way to be one of those teams at the end of the year.

1:12:57 We'll be able to shift over to you. What's your reaction to the Thunder? losing Jalen Williams and Kaysen Wallace. Extended time, possibly both could miss. I think Kaysen Wallace's injury, five- to six-month recovery time, so they may get him back in time for the playoffs. Jalen Williams, I don't think you could look at that injury and think that he'll be returned to the court this season, but anything is possible.

1:13:16 Dislocated, huh? Yeah. Dislocated ankle. Fractured feet. How long did it take? How long did it take? Hey, Gordon. It's going to be about a year for him. One is weight-bearing bone, one's not. So Jalen Williams is a non-weight-bearing bone. No, the ankle and the T fractured his fibula, too. Yeah, he broke this. The fibula's the worst one. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

1:13:40 That's Haywood's one. Yeah. So, yeah, he out.

1:13:43 Man, you know, I had a career injury with my dislocated kneecap, so I know what it feel like being carted off on the stretch.

1:13:50 A good thing about Jalen is he young, right? Kaysen ain't young.

1:13:56 I just hate seeing dudes get injured like that, especially dudes who are really good that.

1:14:01 You enjoy watching play.

1:14:03 So I want to wish him well, send prayers up to him, to both of them, actually, but Jalen, more importantly, because that shit look nasty and scary.

1:14:15 Same thing. You got picks. You got picks.

1:14:19 And so, OK, see, you can go rent you a star, the right star. You can go rent a superstar. You can go acquire a superstar. You'll probably get some type of exemption from medical from two of your big-time players who make a lot of money. So you're going to get some type of financial benefit.

1:14:42 So we'll get into that. You know what I mean?

1:14:44 And then you got these pigs, and you got a bunch of unwanted superstars or unwanted... Stars like the league got a lot of stars and ballers. So I was you know, I was just kind of like thinking like you got Javante Murray out there You can use some pigs bring over like people that could my quarter June Michael Porter, Jr You can bring him in that's a guy.

1:15:08 That's I think that's a perfect That's.

1:15:10 A really good one or you can go in, you know, you can go crazy and go getting honest.

1:15:15 I You got pigs. You got pieces. You know, I think Giannis, if it don't start cracking. But you got Zion Williamson.

1:15:26 You know, you got enough options. Zach Levine, you got enough options. Trey Murphy's out of the way. Yeah, there's enough players out here that actually could slide in. And I also want to say one thing about OKC. that I always underestimate, but I give them a lot of credit, the development of their younger talent.

1:15:48 Who knew A.J.

1:15:49 Mitchell was going to be that? Who knew Dork? Just the way that the Wiggins kid, Casey Wallace, all these dudes just kind of level up being in their organization. So who knows what they got sitting on that bench that can come in and supplement or you know, have.

1:16:08 A breakout year, but you still got SGA.

1:16:10 So holding down the fort for them should be, they'll still finish top, top four, top five, I.

1:16:17 Think in the West.

1:16:18 Um, but if you can go and bargain these draft picks and go get somebody that you feel could.

1:16:25 Be there just in case, right.

1:16:27 Just in case J Dubb, don't come back, or Case and Wallace don't come back this year, but somebody that can also compliment them for next year, you got to go do it. So you may have to get off of a valuable, young, talented piece in a draft pick. You may get off of Caruso in.

1:16:45 A draft pick. They can't do that.

1:16:47 But in this case, in order to go get You know, like a superstar, you rent a superstar, you buy a superstar.

1:16:55 You know, we know Sam Presti.

1:16:57 He traded for Paul George, and he traded Paul George.

1:17:01 He traded for Chris Paul, he traded Chris Paul.

1:17:03 So, you know, OKC got a history of bringing in names, having them fill a spot, and then trading them right out so they can have more picks. So, you know, one person I do trust is for them to figure it out because they've been you know, at an elite, elite level.

1:17:23 So, Gil, when you look at the situation with the Thunder, losing Jalen Williams, losing Cason Wallace, likely for the season, two of their better defensive players, obviously Jalen Williams, great two-way player. Cason Wallace starting to figure it out on that side of the ball as well. But two guys that are former all-defensive players as well.

1:17:40 It's, you know, because I was a young guy who got hurt multiple times, three injuries in 14 months.

1:17:49 I know the feeling.

1:17:52 Why, you know, Shea is holding back his tears because those conversations y'all are having about, you know, like it's burning you inside to get out there and, you know, you start the season off and we doing it.

1:18:06 You know, we running it back from last year. We back, yeah.

1:18:09 You understand the importance of, you know, being healthy. So to see him go down in that fashion.

1:18:15 It really do hurt.

1:18:17 Because, you know, he probably did everything in his power to try to get back last year. Like, this is the time of the workouts in the summer.

1:18:26 You know, so... You know, this is reflection time. But, you know, you are still young. And, you know, take your rehab serious. Right?

1:18:37 This is where you study the game more. Because you physically can't do it. Study it more.

1:18:41 Right?

1:18:41 Get better through the mind. When it comes to the team itself....

1:18:51 They were still good last year. They still held it down. They still have pieces.

1:18:59 With Wallace.

1:19:01 You have pieces that can replace him right now.

1:19:04 You have AJ. You have Caruso. You have Jeremy Kane. You got people that can. Caruso might be the one. Yeah, you can.

1:19:12 He going to play the defense. You got the guys who are going to put in the scoring. Now, when it comes to J-Dub, I'm.

1:19:19 Sorry, you just can't replace that. Yeah.

1:19:21 Right?

1:19:21 So you have to figure out how to alter your offense a little bit.

1:19:26 Right? You might have to change and play a little different style.

1:19:30 Now, this is where, Chet, you get a chance to redeem yourself last year and show everyone who you are. So this is when you have to step up and be more dominant, be more driven, be more focused, be more fierce because they're going to need it. If you're doing the same thing you're doing as the third option, and now you're the second option and you do the same thing, take about 17 shots, you're making it really hard for Shea. And it just puts him in a mode where the frustration happens is going to look like how Giannis is, where it's just like, man, you know what, fuck it.

1:20:14 You know what I mean?

1:20:15 That's not the way he's best used when everybody's playing as a unit. So you have to be more dominant. You're going to have to take the 15, 18 shots a game. You have to play for J-Dub.

1:20:25 Right?

1:20:26 You're going to have to figure out how to assert who you are in this game.

1:20:32 Now, this is your time. This is what you're making money for.

1:20:35 Right? It's cool playing the third option.

1:20:36 Now you're number two. But is he like Bam, though? It's check.

1:20:41 To me, Chet is no different than Bam. I don't look at Chet and be like, oh, that's a 25-pointer game person.

1:20:52 He's going to have to be.

1:20:55 I didn't see it in college.

1:20:57 Like I've never seen a bug, but he's he he's always been 13, 15, like work in the system.

1:21:03 I've never seen I've never seen.

1:21:06 And I and I maybe like he's talented, but I've never seen from a mentality standpoint.

1:21:12 I don't see I'm going out to get 25 every night. from chat like.

1:21:18 How how how does he that's called coaching but how does he do it like where where where easy where where is he getting those where is he gonna get those looks outside of like last year which he had a phenomenal year but he he played a very very good complimentary role right shooting threes getting offensive rebounds you know but they what they didn't run any place for him last.

1:21:41 Year But that's the but that's that's why I says coaching you gotta switch it up So when you're a coach you understand who don't need motivation, right?

1:21:49 You understand who floats? Meaning that they're just fine with cardio. They get a look here and there they do like you.

1:21:58 You can miss them 15.

1:22:00 Minutes you realize Right You have guys like that. They are super talented. They can shoot. They can score. But they're floaters. They just play the game. If you call, they play. They're running. If not, they're just, hey, I'm on my spot. Run down, play.

1:22:15 So with him, you got to understand who he is. Realize that if you, I'm just watching him.

1:22:20 All right, three plays, nothing. Hey, run the play. Run the play. Right?

1:22:27 I'm, as the coach, I'm going to get him involved because the way the game is being played, he could be like Cat. Sitting there just going up and down, and then when he do touch the ball at half court, he tucks that shit.

1:22:39 Hell no. Yes. He ain't no cat. No, I want him like cat does it too, though.

1:22:46 He can be in a game where every fourth quarter he took five shots. There's no way in this world that these guys, you guys, like, I'm sorry.

1:22:56 But Cat got offense. When you see Cat, like, Cat got offense.

1:23:01 He got a three.

1:23:02 He can drive. But when you call a play for him, but when you don't call a play for him.

1:23:07 But he's not offensive.

1:23:09 He's not offensive. It don't matter. That's what I'm saying. But I don't need, listen. If he plays with Acuff.

1:23:15 You'll bake that into the script.

1:23:18 Like a guard like Acuff, right?

1:23:20 I don't have to worry about him shooting the ball.

1:23:23 He goes two shots.

1:23:24 But people who are on the team, if I know there's passive guys on the team, I need to call to play for them.

1:23:34 Absolutely. That's real.

1:23:36 So if Shea is the guy who goes and he's going.

1:23:39 But then you think about that too, Gil. It's like you running plays for a dude that don't... They never really have.

1:23:49 Plays around for him like that. You know what I'm saying? Because he's fine. He's content. Yeah.

1:23:54 And he don't really have the offensive mentality like that. And then he don't really have the offensive game to match the mentality.

1:24:04 So you're putting somebody.

1:24:06 You're trying to take him out of his comfort zone, but you may be putting more pressure on the kid because he's definitely not Carl Anthony Towns. Carl Anthony Towns is one of the best shooting big men in the league. Carl Anthony Towns is one of the best pump fake drive big men finishing in the league. Cech, to me, is a team defense. He's an enigma. You know what I mean? Like, he can shoot the three. He can be up at the rim for the dunk. But more importantly, you thinking of Cech is like.

1:24:36 Defense. Anchor your defense, right?

1:24:40 Help defense, weak side defense, or a wide open corner three.

1:24:46 I haven't seen Chet break nobody down and get to a move where.

1:24:50 I'm like, man, we need to be running more plays. Because they never had to. They're so cool with doing what they've been doing. Got it. I'm cool with this. Like, there should be. I think that was more so the situation. Like, right now, high-low. Like, you got Harkinstein. Do the pick and roll with Harkinstein. Duck in. You right there. Right?

1:25:06 Vice versa.

1:25:07 Right? You make them. If not, they're just going to sit in the corner. Shay going to do what Shay going to do.

1:25:14 Get busy with it. But that doesn't even have bamboo.

1:25:17 McCain going to just shoot his threes all the time. Cheddar go the whole game, no shots.

1:25:22 That's what I'm saying.

1:25:23 I can't afford that. That's what I'm saying. You know why?

1:25:25 So now you're running plays for a dude who, oh, shit. Oh, Gil called a play for me. Now what do I do? I know what to do when I get it. But sometimes you ain't going to get it. Like if you didn't call a play, if you didn't call a play.

1:25:37 When I played, you ain't getting the ball. You know that.

1:25:42 If I could call one four flat every time, I'm calling.

1:25:46 One four flat.

1:25:47 I felt I had an advantage every play.

1:25:50 So if Coach Jim's like, yo, fire down. And I'm still looking at him like, all right, man, fire down. And then me, I'm going to, I know you're supposed to run behind him. I'm running right in front of.

1:26:05 Him so my guy can snap the fuck back so I can just run back and give me the ball.

1:26:08 That's the shit I'm doing. I know Brittany want to go middle. I'm going to cut middle slow as fuck. You and, what's his name?

1:26:16 You and Cam Thomas got the same brain. Y'all just natural scores. He's not that. He's not going to chase a shot. He's not going to chase a shot. He's not going to create a shot.

1:26:27 You got to call it for him.

1:26:28 And if you do call it for him, now he has to start to, learn and develop.

1:26:34 I think he's a scorer. He's a scorer.

1:26:37 I think he was limited in the situation he's in. Him coming out of high school, him going to Gonzaga, and now with the Thunders, three different players.

1:26:47 High school, he was very aggressive. He was considered a scorer.

1:26:51 Going into college, same situation, but we all know how limited college becomes when you get to that level. Then you come to a situation like OKC where the stars, Shea, The shot's going to be limited anyway. Yeah, but I don't see him doing.

1:27:08 But you had two all-stars in front of him. You're happy. And he was an all-star last year. Yeah, because J-Dub was gone. Yeah. But I need you to turn up.

1:27:18 He was an all-star because of that. Like, he didn't get out of pocket.

1:27:25 You know what I mean?

1:27:27 If anything you can trust is like, man, he going to be in pocket.

1:27:32 He going to play at a high clip in pocket.

1:27:34 If I take him out of pocket. I think he going to always be that type of guy.

1:27:37 Yeah, but if I add, if I say, yo, I want to add scoring to this, I think it throws off. I think it counterbalance, right, what you're getting.

1:27:48 Because now you're asking him to do something that's out of his comfort zone. It's not, though. It just wasn't something he did with OKC.

1:27:56 Your comfort zone is, I don't give a fuck about your comfort zone. I don't pay you to be comfortable. Like, Ray, listen, I let you, listen, I paid you, superstar buddy, to be a third off. Now I need to tap into that. I need beast mode. I'm not accepting nothing else. Because what I'm not going to do is have you be the third option and you playing.

1:28:20 Team basketball, which is cool.

1:28:22 And my NDP is sitting here having to average 30 fucking seven points a game for us to be competitive.

1:28:28 That's not what we're going to do. He's going to have to do that again. He's going to have to do that again. That was the problem last year with them in the conference finals. You didn't have another guy.

1:28:38 Yeah. Mitchell, no Jalen Williams for the back end of that.

1:28:42 But he was in the position. Treat his ass like Wimby. And still could have won.

1:28:57 Spurs having the same problem, too. Spurs got... Wimby got his own problems.

1:29:03 And the Spurs got problems with Wimby.

1:29:06 Because the Spurs don't know where to put Wimby to make the game easy for Wimby. Wimby makes the game... The frustrating part about women, he makes the game harder. He's just out there playing the shit like it's fucking 2K, bro.

1:29:22 It's like, you know what I mean? He's playing like it's 2K.

1:29:25 Instead of saying, okay, I'm going to play dominant basketball.

1:29:28 Put me in the paint where I can get a shot. Where do you do that with Shaq? Same. You're both seven fucking four. I think you can. Seven four. He has to step up.

1:29:39 I thought the pressure was on Chet before any of this happened anyway. When they drafted big fella from Michigan and we got this second apron and all this bullshit hovering over this thing, that's where the pressure started cooking for Chet right there.

1:29:54 I'm playing all three of them now. Huh? I'm playing all three. There's going to be time. Fuck that small ball shit. My small ball niggas get fucked up. They get hurt. They get fucked.

1:30:04 Like, right now, I'm sitting here like, you know what?

1:30:07 You know, I don't got... Chet, play the three. I do have... Put Chet at the three. I do have three seven-footers. I wouldn't be mad if... You know what? Let me try. Put Chet at the three and then run some plays for him. Let me try that. Hey, we're going to do... Hey, pick it... Hey, listen. We're going to pick and roll the shit out of them. One, three, pick and roll. Shake, pick, boom. They don't switch it.

1:30:25 Come back, more. I'm just... They just going to hit everybody. I agree.

1:30:28 I ain't mad at that. So, Thunder, we're back in action. Monday, home against the Suns with A.J. Mitchell, Jerry McCain filling in for J.W.

1:30:35 And Wallace.

1:30:35 Chet Holmgren also didn't play the game. But Mitchell made the most of his first start of the season. Career-high 30 points. Shit, that boy can score. I mean, he does that thing. McCain had 18 in the Thunder win. But let's move this forward, Boogie. So you were talking about them.

1:30:48 I got a question.

1:30:50 Before we move, what was the kid's name from OKC that I think he went through the little cancer situation?

1:30:57 Was it Tovik or Topic, one of those? Topic or something?

1:31:00 Yeah.

1:31:00 That motherfucker a bad motherfucker, too? Yeah. 6'9, can kind of do it all, so... You were mentioning it earlier. Yeah, they got the OKC rosters. That motherfucker sitting in the cut right now. Nicola Topic. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's sitting in the cut. I forgot about him. That's one of the Topping brothers? Yeah. No, Topic. Topic. Topic.

1:31:21 He ended up, I think he went through like cancer or something last year.

1:31:24 Oh, word. Oh, that's the guy they tried.

1:31:26 Uh.

1:31:27 He nice. Cold. That's nice. I forgot about it. That's Castle's draft, right? He was a lottery. I believe so. No, he wasn't a lottery? That motherfucker good. That was Buddy's draft, right? Let me see. He's buddies with Jokic. Yeah, dang.

1:31:45 Yeah, 12th overall pick, 2024. Yeah, he nice. He can handle, shoot. He can do it all.

1:31:53 What you want Chet to do, he does that.

1:31:55 I'm not even talking about Chet. We talking about somebody replacing Jacob.

1:31:59 No, but I'm saying, what are you saying? That kid....

1:32:03 He already wired for that.

1:32:05 He wired to score, pass, do all that.

1:32:08 I don't think he's had a lot of experience in the league yet, but just talent-wise, that motherfucker got him.

1:32:13 I had picked him up on my fantasy for a couple weeks.

1:32:17 Hey, man, who we play next?

1:32:20 Who's OKC play next?

1:32:23 Wee. I thought you was a Laker. Wee, yeah. There's a lot of Wee. He in the locker room. I'm in the locker room. I'm coaching right now. I'm coaching right now.

1:32:30 Wee.

1:32:30 The Mavs and the Rockets. Mavs tomorrow, then the Rockets Saturday.

1:32:33 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

1:32:33 What are we going to do? Mavs and the Rockets? Yeah. What's our record? They're 4-0, 3-0, 4-0. Undefeated. Still have not lost 4-0. I was going to tell Shea. Hey, sit it. Nah. Why? Huh?

1:32:48 Because if you ain't on the court, I got to see who's who. As long as you out there, because we go to superstars. If nobody's playing, just give me that shit. Get the fuck out there. We do know how we get. Y'all done said that shit. When he dunk dunk, dude, just give me the fucking ball.

1:33:10 Like, I need it.

1:33:12 When shit go on to what's-her-name. The ball is just going to go to one person, and he's just going to say, get on my back.

1:33:18 Hey, Shea, hold on.

1:33:20 We need to go buy a team. Shea, hold on. It ain't going to work. That's what I'm saying. Shea, hold on.

1:33:24 That's why the heat always falls right now.

1:33:27 Let me just see what these guys got, man. You, J-Dub, is out. I want to see who steps the fuck up. I got to see it.

1:33:35 If not, it's just gonna be you doing all.

1:33:38 That heavy lifting. Nah, you know why? You know why? You know why?

1:33:42 Because you can't really afford to not have as many home court advantages.

1:33:47 I know, I know.

1:33:48 That's why I had to think about the score like.

1:33:52 I know you want to experiment, but now is not the right time.

1:33:56 We get this next win in Houston. You know what, Chet? All seven-footers going on out there. All seven-footers? Throw your ass in the ocean. I do that for swim. I'm not mad. I would try and experiment like that against a Rockets team. I would do that. Yeah, I throw something funny in the mix, but I need Shea out there, dude.

1:34:13 But let's talk about what you guys were touching on earlier. Thunder have a ton of assets. and the ability to make some moves. So OKC will likely receive a $ 15 million disabled player exception, which would allow them to sign or trade for a player in the last year of his contract. But using more than $ 6. 9 million would cause the Thunder to exceed the second apron, but they are not hard capped and go past that threshold if they see fit. They also have three big trade exceptions for $ 18 million, $ 11 million, and $ 9 million. So the Thunder are allowed to use the trade exceptions and still exceed the second apron, but they cannot be.

1:34:46 How the fuck are they this good? They are so good, dude. How are they this good? They can't be combined together, so they got to use one. Okay, you got to use one each year, right? You can split it.

1:34:55 So, no, you got to use it, I think, by the end of this season or it goes away, but you can split one of those. So, that's $ 17 million when they can split... If they wanted to bring some players in.

1:35:03 Hey, however they got. So you got. Whatever they got.

1:35:06 6.9 plus another 17.

1:35:07 No, so they got $ 15 million disabled. But you can only spend six of them. No, 6.9 will put them over the second apron, but they're not hard cap. So they can go over that second apron.

1:35:16 Oh. And they don't even count against them?

1:35:19 I think they might have to pay some bread this season, but beyond that, they should be.

1:35:22 Oh, it's just one year exempt, right?

1:35:23 So, but they also have seven tradable first round picks, including three in the 2027 draft. And 21. Second round picks available to move.

1:35:33 Brooklyn. Man, Brooklyn. I got two firsts for you.

1:35:38 Man, you can go get somebody. You can go get somebody raw.

1:35:42 Michael Porter. To feel that raw. You can go get a superstar. You can go get a superstar. They don't need a superstar. They got a superstar.

1:35:48 Well, not a superstar, but superstar talent. Michael Porter Jr. And he's already won a championship. He knows what it's like. And he a gun.

1:35:57 And he a gun. But I don't know. I know where I'm fucking going. Where you going? Taking my ass down to Salt Lake City. Oh, yeah. They got talent. Laurie Markner? No. No, no, no. One of them young dudes. H.

1:36:09 Bailey or the other kid. H.

1:36:10 Bailey. Yeah. I want a 6'11 shooting guard. Hey, they got to get up.

1:36:15 They got to get off one of them.

1:36:17 He needs to expand.

1:36:18 Yeah, they got to get off.

1:36:19 He plays like J-Dub. Offensive rebound. He plays hard. They not getting up. You're talking about that.

1:36:25 First round and to second round you go here go for that for sure Sam Preston's not doing that and you got.

1:36:32 A rather go give me a veteran a That's one already. I'm going to get a second-year guy that ain't cracking the lineup. He ain't one either. Trey Murphy.

1:37:01 You got 21 second-round picks. What I'm saying is I can give you five second-round picks. Like I said earlier, you can get five second-round picks. Give me five second-round picks one first round.

1:37:11 Think about you play small ball, but I got a guy that is literally 6'10, 6'11, has a shooting guard, small forward.

1:37:17 Yeah, Michael Porter Jr. No, no, no. That's one already. No, he's a jump shooter. Who? Michael Porter's in. That's fine. 98% of his shot is going to be a jump shooter. Yeah, it's going to be all right. He's shooting at a 40 slip. What's wrong with that? I know. I want an all-around guard that can just. He needs another playmaker.

1:37:34 You don't need an all-around guard.

1:37:36 You got an all-around guard. I need another playmaker. If I can go get Ace Bailey, I'm loading up. I can go get Ace Bailey, I'm loading up. Ace Bailey's not that. Should I get both of them? all the extra shit I got. You got three. Listen, you got... I love Ace Bader. Man! He's not the... For OKC and where they stand right now, we talking about... I can afford... I can afford.

1:37:58 Why the fuck would I go get a second year nigga that's barely in the fucking lineup as it is?

1:38:03 Because you don't need him anyway. Yes, you do. You don't really need him anyway. Yes, you do.

1:38:07 But I'm taking a chance on Ace Bailey because of the trajectory.

1:38:10 That's what they do. They're not looking for potential. They got a team full of fucking potential. They don't need more potential. They need a guy right now.

1:38:18 They need a guy filling J-Dub's shoes, not a guy with potential down the line.

1:38:22 No, he can do more.

1:38:23 But you're talking about filling his shoes. He can do more. I have to think about how he plays. I'm not filling his shoes. You can't fill J-Dub's shoes. But I got to figure out how he plays. We're talking about a J-Dub. This is how Jalen Brown plays. And we don't get Ace Bailey. Yes. Last year, it was Wiggins and Dort. So you didn't need 20 points. Both of those guys are gone. Yeah, but what.

1:38:46 I'm saying is you didn't need them to do what Jalen Williams did.

1:38:48 You had Cason Wallace stepping up too. You had Cason Wallace, he stepped up. What I'm saying is you don't really need... That much.

1:38:56 If you go get Ace Bailey the potential and the upside, giving this young dude who's super talented an opportunity to slide in with what you got with Shea and everybody else, and you giving up some draft picks for him, I like that.

1:39:09 We're talking about a second-year guy.

1:39:11 He just finished his rookie season, which means he's still learning how to play.

1:39:15 Yes.

1:39:15 He don't know how to play so much that he can't crack Utah's starting lineup. Why would I trade for him, put him in a starting lineup for a team competing for a championship?

1:39:26 He may come off the bench.

1:39:28 Coming off the bench last year, he averaged 14-4.

1:39:32 All I'm saying is, even if he don't start, even if he don't start. Year two, next year, the year after that, this kid is going to be incredible.

1:39:42 He's starting. He's averaging 13. He starts now? Yes, he's averaging 13. Oh, who?

1:39:44 Utah.

1:39:45 I'm saying, who is he starting? I thought it was. He's up. No. I thought it was Keontae George.

1:39:50 No.

1:39:50 Jaren Peterson, Lauren Marketing. No. Jaren Jackson and. Whoever they're about to be, he's not starting.

1:39:56 Okay.

1:39:57 Yeah, they start small. They start big small. They definitely not. They play the center.

1:40:01 They got Derrick Peterson, Bailey, Lowry Markin, and Jaron Jackson.

1:40:04 But Jaron Jackson and Markin are both hurting.

1:40:05 So he's averaging 13, almost two blocks a game, and eight rebounds. Now go look up the other numbers. Go look up Michael Porter Jr. As the number one option. But he's a fourth option. Michael Porter Jr. is not going to be a number one option. The only problem with Michael Porter Jr. I like Michael Porter Jr. My issue with him is he ain't going to play no defense. How?

1:40:29 He just won a chip.

1:40:31 Yeah, but he wasn't playing defense. He wasn't there to play defense. He wasn't playing no defense.

1:40:38 He going to play enough? No, no, no. Bro, you ain't winning the chip without playing some type of defense. He wasn't playing no defense. Man, y'all, wow. Hey, no. Y'all, wow. Michael Porter Jr. wasn't playing no defense.

1:40:52 He shoot, and he going to knock down some shots. He going to hit big shots for you.

1:40:56 Yeah, that motherfucker 6'11.

1:40:57 Yeah, he going to knock down some shots, but he ain't going to really rebound.

1:41:01 He ain't going to pass the ball. He block shots. He rebound. He do all that. Hell no. I watched it. I was his teammate. I watched it. Okay. I'm 50-50 with Michael. One thing that you're going to miss is getting to the basket and getting free throws. He's a jump shooter. He's going to shoot jump shots. He has this.

1:41:26 I know it's because of the back.

1:41:29 Because of the back early, he changed his game.

1:41:32 He's either going to be high above the rim or below the rim.

1:41:36 He doesn't have that middle... So he's.

1:41:39 Not going to come in and get hit and do all that.

1:41:43 He don't do nothing but shoot jumpers, dog. Catch and shoot, one bounce shoot, he's 6'11. He just shoot over everybody. I get both of them. He don't go to the hole.

1:41:54 You stand press and get whoever you want.

1:41:56 No, but what I'm saying is, dog, you got how many first-round picks?

1:41:59 Eight?

1:42:00 Seven tradable first-round picks. Okay, and how many second-round picks? Come on, dude.

1:42:03 21? Come on. 21 second-round picks. Come on.

1:42:05 Come on, dude. You can go snatch a young talent and you can snatch somebody.

1:42:13 He can do whatever the fuck he want, honestly. And the exemption. And you got three exemptions or four? Three exemptions and a potential disabled player exemption. I'm going to go get Calvin Cambridge if you want me. All right, but let's keep this thing moving. We will monitor Thunder. See how they react in the short and long term.

1:42:30 We'll bring back Thunderstruck.

1:42:35 He can steal teams that have young talent. He can steal one of those bigs from Orlando. He can steal one of them. You don't need a big. They play like a 3-4.

1:42:49 Who? Paulo and Wagner? He can take one of them. They don't have to pick one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He can steal one of them. He can look at his Wagner. I like Wagner. I like Wagner. They got so many. I like Wagner. I like that. Jesus, you can take one of them. That's what I'm saying. I like Wagner. That's what I'm saying, dog. Walk in your trap.

1:43:05 That's what I'm saying. You can go and fuck the league up right now.

1:43:11 But how we know the league ain't on some shit? Like, man, we ain't giving these motherfuckers nothing.

1:43:14 Man, you don't want a number one pick in this year's draft. You don't want a number one pick, first round pick in next year's. You don't want two first rounds. Man, you getting up off of that.

1:43:23 That is the wave. Everybody like. Seven tradable first round picks. They got three picks in this draft. You can trade with the Clifton. You can trade with. Who on Tyron Stokes next year? We got to figure that part out. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. We got to see who's losing. Who's losing. Somebody go tank still. Because he's still like what he's. That kid from Arkansas is nice, too. He's like a three. Jordan Smith. He's a small forward. Like, so is a small forward. Like, I'm not going to put him at four. You can probably go get some Memphis.

1:43:54 Memphis may got some talent over there.

1:43:57 Yeah.

1:43:57 Yeah, he's sitting high. Yeah, he's sitting over there. He hiding. G. Jackson. Damn.

1:44:02 We'll see how it pans out for the Thunder in the short term, but they do have until Black History Month to make some major moves to bolster this roster if they.

1:44:08 Want to get that championship. You can go snatch DJ Edgecom from Philly. I'm not giving him up. Yeah, they're not going to do it, but that would be great. And for a first-round pick, Doug, everybody is up. I got a first-round pick. I got him. All right, first and a second. With a 46-inch vertical. A first and a second. A first and a second.

1:44:26 Hey, listen, 46-inch vertical, inch and shoot, that's hard.

1:44:29 To come by. You might need two. Two first rounds. You got seven of them. Two first rounds. That'd be the problem. Two first-round. That shit sound good. Two first-round.

1:44:38 It sound good. It sound good. But I got a 46-inch vertical.

1:44:42 That can shoot. That can do this. You'd be the first person to say it.

1:44:45 I don't give a fuck what two first-round picks I get.

1:44:48 They still might not pay it up to this talent. There you go. You'd be the first person. I done looked at the draft. I went down like, you know what?

1:44:55 If someone for Wimby gave me the next 10 number one picks, would I do it? Then I looked at the last 10 number one picks.

1:45:04 It's like, oh, this shit ain't as you would think. Right. It's not as sweet as it looks. Yeah, it ain't as sweet as you would think. Depending on what happens with New York this year. I mean, look at a guy like Mikael Bridges. Who? Nah. He got too much money. He got too much money on his book stuff. What'd he make, like 20, 25? Yeah, you're going to be over there. No, he make it more than that. I'll just say, anybody take him. Because he's just a piece.

1:45:30 He's a glue piece.

1:45:31 Yeah, he's a glue piece that'll fit in and be good right now.

1:45:35 Yeah, Bridges make it 33 this year, 36.

1:45:37 33?

1:45:37 God dang it.

1:45:38 He's doing quite well for himself.

1:45:41 You got to go to New Orleans. You got to go. You can go dig in Orlando. In their crates, you can go.

1:45:49 They got Herb Jones, who ain't really getting no clock right now.

1:45:52 Toronto. Toronto ain't... They got young talent, though. I don't want none of that shit over there. You don't want none of that shit over there? We'll see. Yeah. What's the... R.J. Bears? Nah, what's the young kid?

1:46:06 They got a young athletic dude.

1:46:09 Scotty Barnes?

1:46:10 Nope.

1:46:12 Who?

1:46:12 The big man blocking all the side?

1:46:16 Yeah.

1:46:16 What is it, like Boyles? Yeah. Boyles? Yeah, Colin Murray Boyles. We will monitor the Thunder. I mean, he don't help them either. He active, though. Monitor the Thunder, see what's going on on that side.

1:46:28 But before we move on, everybody shout out. We got nearly 21,000 people in the chat on this glorious Tuesday here in the arena. The chat's going up on a Tuesday. If you have not done so already, make sure you like, This show, we're trying to get our numbers up. Make sure you subscribe to our At Gills Arena Show channel.

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