Chris and Paul begin by previewing Tuesday’s Warriors/Pacers game, the Jerry Colangelo hire in Philadelphia, and then a bit on the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, and the surprising Charlotte Hornets. As usual, they end on pop culture talk, as Chris continues catching up on The Leftovers and Paul describes his latest Netflix binge series.
The Give and Go is a quick back and forth between Paul Mitchell and Chris St. Jean about a relevant subject in the NBA at that moment.
Chris: For those who don’t know what Bill Simmons’ Entertaining as Hell Tournament is you can read a fairly detailed description here.
The quick version: every team that isn’t going to make the playoffs, plus the current 8-seeds in each conference, are thrown into a post-season tournament. Winner gets the 8-seed in either the East or West.
Mitchell, if this tournament existed this season, who wins it? Who is the MVP? What’s the biggest upset? And what are the top-5 hypothetical moments that will come to define this tournament’s inaugural season?
Chris and Paul preview the NCAA Tournament by discussing some draft prospects worth watching, and then talk about some trending NBA teams in Memphis, Utah, Boston, and Washington. They end on all the recent pop culture releases, and briefly get into the return of ‘Community’, ‘The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’, ‘Sin City Saints’, ‘Better Call Saul’, ‘The Last Man on Earth’, and Kendrick Lamar’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’.
Chris and Paul celebrate their 50th episode with a three-part podcast that features some NBA news, a crowd-sourcing project where they check in with fans of a few different franchises, and a couple of classic clips from old episodes.
This is why there are people out there saying that the Utah Jazz are shooting up the League Pass Rankings. When they've played well this season, Quin Snyder has had them moving the ball to perfection, much like this play:
Utah is now 3-4, and they’ve improved their league-wide rank in assists from 26th last season to 11th after their win in Detroit Sunday night.
It took one game for Dante Exum to vault from relative anonymity to being listed as a top 5 prospect onDraftExpress. That game was the Nike Hoops Summit in April of 2013. As Jeff Goodman reported in June:
“The soft-spoken Aussie, then 17, let his game do the talking at the prestigious Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon. Following a 16-point performance in a game that featured projected lottery picks such as Andrew Wiggins,Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid, Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon, and Noah Vonleh, someone sidled up to Exum and informed him that the NBA draft site DraftExpress had slotted him fifth overall in its 2014 mock.”
6’9” (7’3” wingspan), 230 lbs, 9/20/1993 (20 years old)
The more I learn about Kyle Anderson the more I love him. He has one of my favorite draft combine interview videos. He seems like a down to earth kid and he mentions his passing as his biggest asset and that if had to pick a position to label himself, he'd pick PG (he's 6'9"). He led the Pac-12 in assists last season and has a 7’3” wingspan. That’s about all you need to know about him to know why I’m so impressed. At 7.8 assists per 40 he leads the draft class (that includes all PGs). He reminds me of a smaller version of Lamar Odom in the way he’ll be able to rebound (9.0 defensive rebounds per 40) and initiate the break.
The biggest question marks are with his mobility. It’s glaring on the defensive end where he will have no chance to stay with NBA 3’s on the perimeter (despite his length allowing him to post 2.1 steals per 40). It also limits him on the offensive end. Some teams aren’t convinced he can get to his spots against and NBA defense. Draft Express compared him to Evan Turner as a guy who could do everything in college, but against NBA competition struggled to create the same way. I could see that.
The counter to that is another question mark. Something Turner could never develop was an outside shot to create more space for himself. Anderson shot 48% from 3 last year (only 58 attempts) and posted an extremely efficient 1.42 Points per possession in catch and shoot situations. I don’t think any teams are sold on him as a knockdown shooter yet though. The potential is there, but if he struggles to shoot and to defend he’s going to get lost in the shuffle in the NBA.
I think he probably gets selected higher than this (OKC at 21 would be another great situation for him) but if Utah has the opportunity they should not pass him up. Utah could certainly use another playmaker and they might even be able to give Anderson the freedom to play a little point forward. If he is shooting from the outside that’s even better for them. I had Utah taking Aaron Gordon at pick 4. Gordon and Anderson would add an incredible amount of flexibility to that lineup. You could play either of them at almost 4 positions and Gordon could help cover for Anderson’s weak defense. Anderson to Gordon alley-oops would certainly be the most unconventional in the game today.
Also, keep the hair Kyle.
What I Think They’ll Do:
So much has to do with what they do at pick 4. If they don’t go with Gordon and end up with a big (Randle, Vonleh, Embiid) than they almost have to go with a SF here. Anderson fits well. Warren too if he falls. Cleanthony Early could be an option as well (Goodman has Early). They also could be looking for a point guard with size if they’ve come to the realization Trey Burke isn’t the future franchise PG. There’s an outside shot Exum falls to them at 4, but if not, Chad Ford has them taking Jordan Clarkson who has similar size and has been great in pre-draft workouts. What makes them so difficult to peg is one of their biggest assets coming into a draft with two picks… they have incredible roster flexibility. Of course, that could be rephrased as, ‘They could use help at almost every position.’ Sorry, Jazz fans.
Crazy Draft Day Trade:
I had a lot of trouble with this one. They seem to be floating Favors a lot out there, but the Favors and pick 5 for Cleveland’s 1 seems to be the best deal for Utah. I don’t think they move Favors to the C’s or Lakers to add the 6 or 7 pick, although, I wouldn’t mind that for them. As far as pick 23, I think the most likely deal is selling it to a team that doesn’t have a pick in the first round here. Detroit, New Orleans, or New York might be so desperate to get into the first round that they pay up for it.
Ultimately, I think they keep the pick and they don't have a lot of assets. The most likely deal is some kind of sign and trade with Gordon Haywood, but sign and trades rarely involve anything valuable and Utah has no leverage. There will be too many teams with money this off-season and someone is going to price Utah out of extending Haywood. They'll be lucky to get anything valuable back.
As much as it pains me as a Celtics fan to see this, the Jazz have a HUGE hole at SF. Aaron Gordon is the type of player that will fit well on any team and the Jazz might be a great fit for Aaron as well. They're obviously patient with their young players which bodes well for one of the youngest prospects in the draft and there won’t be the national pressure on him to develop quickly in Utah compared to LA or Boston.
Gordon is a supreme defender that will be able to impact the game in many ways without having to play with the ball. That's an invaluable skill. He may never reach the ceiling that some of these prospects do, but he has as good a chance as any player in this draft to someday be an impactful player on a championship team.
Gordon can rebound and defend, that much we know. His free throw percentage was atrocious and is a red flag He may be able to play some power forward, especially if he ended up in the east, but he is undersized for that position the way Derrick Williams was. The Kirilenko comparison definitely works, although more of a 2/3/4 hybrid than 3/4/5. Hmmm, 2/3/4 hybrid that can rebound and defend out of college? That sounds eerily similar to a certain recent NBA Finals MVP. That’s why his ability to develop a decent outside shot is paramount. He did shoot 35% in limited attempts from three, and remember, Kawhi capped out at 28% from 3 in college. There’s a solid base there and plenty of room for development. Here’s a hint Utah: Hire a good shooting coach.
Gordon may not have put up the offensive numbers some expected at Arizona, but he came onto a veteran squad that spent much of the season as college basketball’s best. Gordon’s 1.09 Points per Possession puts him right in line with two fellow prospects believed to have offensively polished games: Jabari (1.14) and Randle (1.07). Gordon was utilized way less on offense than those players because the rest of his team was better. Instead of questioning why he didn’t dominate more, maybe we should commend him for finding a way to contribute to his teams wins.
What IThink They'll Do:
Hope and pray that somehow Jabari falls to them. I don’t think they have the pieces or aggressive mindset to trade up for him. They just had Julius Randle in and are apparently impressed and unconcerned about his foot. Chad Ford has them taking Vonleh (or Exum if he falls to them). Many outsiders seem to think Marcus Smart would be a 'Quin Snyder type'. So basically, who knows?
I actually think Utah is as good a candidate as any to trade down and if one of the top 3 or Exum slips for some reason, they would definitely have suitors. If they are concerned about getting outbid for Gordon Hayward or about paying him $50 million, they might consider Marcus Smart here, but even then, a more economical option would be to trade down 5-8 spots and choose Gary Harris.
Crazy Draft Day Trade:
Utah gets desperate and offers Milwaukee Alec Burks, the # 5 and # 23 for the # 2 and even then the Bucks might hang up the phone. The Jazz might have to eat some salary and take back Zaza’s $15 million over 3 years or Ilyasova’s $31 million over 4. In either case, that might not be so bad for the Jazz. Zaza, though a bit overpaid, would be a solid back up center for any team. Ersan could flourish in a new situation. How about Trey Burke, Gordon Hayward, Jabari Parker, Ersan, and Favors with Kanter off the bench. Not so bad, right?
Every year it seems that today comes longer to hoop heads,
that the wait is unusually more agonizing and the offseason more arduous than
the one preceding it. A quick mathematical investigation on my part has shown
that this NBA summer has been, in fact, as consistently long as in previous
years. If anything, that amazing Spurs/Heat Finals going seven games actually
afforded us a few extra days of sweet, sweet basketball, compared to the five
game LeBron/Durant Showdown of 2012. The offseason has not lacked for
entertainment or drama either, as fans in Houston/Los Angeles and
Brooklyn/Boston would, respectively, probably characterize it. And while some
franchises might enter hibernation earlier this winter, there are glimmers of
hope and change in other corners of the NBA map.
This season is going to be spectacular, by all accounts. As
is true in every other of the NBA’s near-70 year existence, not every team has
a realistic shot at a championship. 2013-14 might even feature a record run of
rebuilding and futility from franchises, even as the first (honest, if not
anonymous) general manager details why this might already be a lost season and it’s not even Halloween yet. But,
for the first time in my 15+ years as an NBA fan, you can make a case that
every one of the 30 organizations at least has a plan in place.
Think about that for a second, and think of how rare that
premise has been in recent seasons. Even Donald Sterling can’t screw his own organization up anymore! We’re going to see plenty of bad teams this year and many blowout losses,
but even the stingiest of rosters is assembled with a clear goal in mind that
makes sense: this upcoming draft is going to be really good and rookie
contracts are better values than free agent contracts.
For the most part we’re not seeing traditionally bad
organizations target mediocrity or drift aimlessly through another NBA season.
With the settled situation in Sacramento, another lottery season might be
realistic, but stability and new ownership has sparked optimism, and a big
trade wouldn’t surprise anyone. Phoenix and Philadelphia might be openly bereft
of talent (and are probably the odds-on favorites to have supplied that
previous passage to Mr. Goodman) but with draft picks and playing time for
young prospects, you can’t say they’re quote-unquote “tanking” (UGH) or being
cheap or disingenuous to their fanbases.
Boston is in the nascent stages of their long-term rebuild,
and a franchise-altering lottery pick in 2014 would be a nice block to build
upon. Charlotte has been bad while trying to be good, and an Al Jefferson
signing, plus Kemba/Gerald/MKG, helps make them watchable while still staying
semi-flexible in their search for a franchise guy. While they’re not the
laughing stock of the league this season after two historically inept
campaigns, they should still be in lottery contention in the #RigginforWiggins
or #TankSafariforJabari efforts. Orlando is firmly in year two of their
post-Dwight existence, with a solid collection of assets and a coach that has
already installed a culture. Utah’s situation is slightly different, in that
they’ve developed their young core alongside positive veterans in Jeff, Milsap
and (gulp) Jamaal Tinsley, and while an overachieve to a playoff spot wouldn’t
be the worst thing in the world, an impact lottery pick (from the wing/guard
spot?) would bolster a more realistic 2015 playoff push.
It’s probably a good thing that the NBA mediocrity, the 7-10
seeds in each conference, are mostly inhabited by younger teams who hope that
an entrance into the playoffs portends bigger things to their futures.
Minnesota, Denver, Portland, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Toronto, Washington and the
Pelicans (!) all feature a young core with legitimate playoff aspirations,
where even a short series pounding against a Miami, Chicago, Indiana, San
Antonio, or Oklahoma City would go well towards seasoning that core or
persuading bitter franchise guys to stick around.
It’s the older teams settling in at that .500 level that are
the most frustrating franchises this season. While Mark Cuban asserts that
three year deals are the new market inefficiency,
it’s still an older team with questionable personnel fits that will struggle to
defend. The Lakers might be better served to sit the season out, settle their
chemistry issues and develop a long-term plan, especially with so many upcoming
marquee free agents with LA ties. Instead they’re pulling a 2012 Cuban and spending
money on one-year deals, hoping that fitting players into a coaching scheme
will get them to the playoffs. But then what?
The legitimate playoff teams stay scheming to claim the
throne. We’ll see if the Atlanta’s and Knicks’s of the league can compete while
transitioning their teams to what could be a different look next season.
Brooklyn and Golden State found that they enjoyed their playoff debuts last
year and made commitments to hopefully surpass their successes of a season ago.
Organizations like the Heat, Spurs, Bulls, Pacers, Grizzlies and Thunder
preferred to rely on internal improvements to augment their rosters. They might
enter the season slept on but are all veteran teams with confidence and an
identity.
The most interesting teams might be the ones on the title
periphery, who were mere bounces or breaks away from taking Miami or San
Antonio’s spots in 2013. An offseason of confidence could do wonders to the
next teams up, who made mostly minor alterations: a beefed up bench or an extra
shooter to space the floor or someone to defend the LeBrons or Tony Parkers
that they will have to vanquish on their journey to NBA immortality.
And the kings stay the kings. Once they sublimated their
egos enough to embrace their revolution on the game, the only thing that can
beat the Heat might truly be free agency. Injuries to Dwyane and Bosh weren’t
enough to knock them off. Boxing matches with the Pacers and Bulls, and burying
their Boston rivals once and for all, couldn’t do it either, it only weakened
them enough to enable their Western foes to get close. But when backed against
the wall, a spot they’ve been in more times than any other recent dynasty since
the Rockets of the mid-90’s,
they’ve regrouped, summoned their resolve and unleashed historical performances on the macro and micro levels (see video below ). As a dynasty, they’ve raised the games of everyone around them, bringing out
the best in their adversaries and creating history, while ushering in perhaps
an evolution to a style of play that for 40 years had been derided as a
gimmick.
Oh yeah, and we’ve seen one of the handful of most talented
athletes ever realize his potential, develop his game and basically mature
while acting as the league’s most popular player and outright villain. We
knocked LeBron James for not being clutch (whatever that means). Then we picked
apart his lack of a post game. Finally we wondered if he could stand up,
mentally, to the rigors of being the target and to dominate every night while
elevating his game in the playoffs. Now we’re honestly just wondering where
he’ll play next and how many potential championships that could swing.
