Health Issues For Knicks, Wemby’s Historic Numbers & OKC Looking Mature | The Hoop Collective

Health Issues For Knicks, Wemby’s Historic Numbers & OKC Looking Mature | The Hoop Collective

Hello welcome to the hoop Collective podcast we talk about the NBA which we are doing on late Sunday evening joining us from New York City where’s just back from Madison Square Garden where there was a thrilling game with the Thunder and nicks is Tim bonts hello everybody and joining us from Los

Angeles our resident Los Angeles Specialist of all things TV radio whatever else we need him to do George Sedano what’s up guys so I’m here in the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio I had a weekend with the Spurs uh Knicks and warriors but Spurs couple of Spurs games um two

Very highly entertaining games which we’ll talk about um first but Bon Temps I have two I didn’t say we talk about first we’ll talk about later Bon Temps I have two absolutely jaw-dropping stats from this thunder at Nicks game um that you I have a feeling I know one of them

But I don’t know the second one okay I’m not even gonna make go through the uh the guessing um so this was a high-intensity game Shay gildas Alexander made a gamewinner Jaylen Brunson had 30 points people said stuff after the game um but what I want to

Talk about is Josh giddy having his third consecutive triple double at Madison Square Garden the first time um is his first three games in Madison Square guard he set a triple double in all three and this kicked off a crazy statistical Trove from our guys uh at Sports and information at ESPN including

Stats Williams ready for this one Josh giddy is the second visiting player with three straight triple doubles at Madison Square Garden since actually ever the other one Larry Bird no way back back in 1985 well I would have guessed I mean that why you saying no way I mean that’s

Not like it’s a surprise no I I no way because I thought it would have been more recent than that wow three he’s played three games here and at three triple doubles that’s a pretty good all right um here we go other St considering listen I know the Knicks have been

Goodish the last couple years but considering how bad they were for 20 years I felt like there would have been someone more recent than 1987 so got the guyy in the background Shing the Knicks finding every way he can to get it in on the Knicks they’ve been bad they were

Bad for so long they were I mean it is the truth all right Josh Giddy and Oscar Robertson are the only players in NBA history with their triple double in their first three games ever at a venue Oscar Robertson did that twice he had triple doubles in his first four games

At the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum wow and three straight at the Cincinnati Gardens oh okay okay that’s what Josh giddy did um with these three triple doubles I just wanted to hit that off the top Bon Temps but this was a big time game in which the Thunder clinched the playoffs

After three years out of them in uh as part of their rebuild what was it like at the Garden on Sunday night well I was thought you were going to bring up a different stat uh which I’m going to bring up which is that sh Alexander has

Made six go-ahead shots in the final 10 seconds of the fourth quarter in overtime over the last two years and no other player has made more than three uh which is both a sign of how good he is in those situations it’s also a reminder that despite the fact that the Thunder

Or basically in NBA terms a team in diapers when you look at how young they are across the board they are a team that when we get into L late and cold situations and games they feel very confident they’re going to be able to execute and get stuff done and I don’t

Know if George saw this game I knew you were at a game Brian final five minutes of this game was a circus Jaylen Brunson missed three free throws himself the Knicks missed five Josh giddy had a truly horrible turnover the Knicks had multiple Josh Hart did several crazy

Things it was really kind of a car crash ending but when he got down to it Jaylen Brunson hits a circus layup of four seconds AG go put the Knicks up by one the Thunder inbound the ball run a perfect play nearly get Jaylen Williams

Wide open for a dunk on a lob the other part of the action was Shay gills Alexander curls the corner gets the ball and just cool as a cucumber Rises up and buries a jumper and ultimately Jaylen Brunson kind of fumbled the inbounds pass from Dante D vinchenzo with the

Other end and the Knicks lose a second straight Heartbreaker after losing to the Spurs on Friday night but to me this was yet another example with Jaylen Williams going over 30 points having a fantastic game Josh giddy who we’ve talked about a lot on this podcast

Plenty issues still with him but he’s in the best stretch of his career playing really well the past few weeks hit several big shots especially at the start of the fourth quarter with a thunder immediately erased to 10 deficit as for a second straight game with

Jaylen Brunson on the bench for a few minutes to start the fourth quarter game goes sideways for the Knicks winds up costing them dearly um might end up costing him the three seed ultimately down the road and for a Thunder team that’s now in first place in the Western

Conference half game ahead of the Nuggets full game ahead of the Wolves after the Wolves blew one to the to the Chicago Bulls Sunday night this Thunder team I’m so excited to see them in the playoffs because they are a super young team we know they have some issues with

Interior size we have to see how they handle being in the playoffs for the first time they officially clitch the playoff burst Sunday night but I really can’t wait to see how this group handles those situations and how they do in this first playoff run because this looks

Like a group I think we’d all agree based off their age at the talent level of their three guys with Shay Jaylen Williams and Chad hren that should we should be about the top of the western conference for the rest of this decade and I’m really excited to see what this

First run through the postseason for them looks like I I would say this though just to backtrack before I give the Thunder all their flowers um I actually think a car crash at the end of the game makes it a little more interesting if people are just hitting

Shots yeah that’s great too but when you have the car crash it kind of raises the anxiety level like oh what’s really going to happen here because everything is going you know sideways basically so I actually don’t mind a good car crash which is why I didn’t mind the end of

This game oh it was super fun it was a great atmosphere at the Garden it just it was just not you know with when you see when you have a Jaylen Brunson and CH Gill Alexander going back and forth you kind of expect it to be one great

Play after another and really it was just both sides kind of frenetically flying around just trying to see who could survive to the finish and Oklahoma City made one more play at the end and then ultimately with them I’ve only had them unfortunately once uh live and it

Was in Phoenix earlier this year and it was kind of a strange game where they jumped out early and then Phoenix kind of made a run late in the game like late third quarter early fourth but then to your point they did what I’ve seen them

Do a million times on TV but to see it in person I think is a little different uh as you saw tonight just the way they act whether it’s in the Huddle whether it’s on the floor the way they interact with each other it really feels like a

Veteran Squad and I know everyone’s seen the post on ESPN’s Instagram where the North Carolina Tarheels who just got eliminated uh in the sweet 16 have a higher average age than this particular group but it it’s wild to see how good they are in person at the end of games

And they did it to a phoenix team that night um who had all their guys uh all their Stars basically at that point so it it it is something to behold if you haven’t watched them live if you get a chance here at the end of the season or

If you’re if they’re going to play your team go watch them um because they’re much better than you think they are I was with the Knicks on Friday night here in San Antonio it was a very frustrating weekend for them uh Jaylen Brunson puts up 61 points only the third 60-point

Game in the history of the Nicks franchise and he was dejected about the overtime loss where Victor wanyama had 40 points and 20 rebounds um they had that one and just weren’t able to close it um um and the locker room was really down after that game and so they knew

They were coming back for a tough one on Sunday obviously had an opportunity at home couldn’t close either and they will wake up on Monday in fourth place um Cleveland got beat by 30 in Denver and are at the beginning of a five-game western trip because they’re using the

Cleveland arena for the women’s final four um and I would be stunned if the Cavs were able to stay ahead of them but the Knicks feel like and I know that they were frustrated with some fouls tibs danced around getting fined um Friday night there was a 20 um 20 free

Throw dis disparity in the favor of the Spurs uh Victor took his many free throws himself as the uh as the Nicks gu as a team uh Brunson took 47 shots and got six free throws 47 shots it was the most since Kobe in the in the final game

When he took 50 uh in 16 to interject really quick because Jaylen there were several times in the fourth quarter where Jaylen got hit and frankly could have gotten technicals one time he literally jumped up in the air twice screamed at the refs threw his hands up

In the air and sprinted down the court after him I think most other guys in the league would have got teed up in that spot I I don’t think the refs saw him but he was very demonstrative about calls down the stretch and after the game after he didn’t get this call on

This drive when it looked like CH hren or I think it was Chad hren somebody bumped him on the way to the rim top Tibido said I think five different times write what you see when he was asked about it over multiple questions and before the game said we’ve sent a lot of

Tape to the league on this and it hasn’t seemed to do anything so this has been a long-standing source of frustration for the Knicks yeah so they’re just frustrated at this point um and I think after the game bontemps uh Josh Hart said something about their injury that was interesting

Yeah I mean this was sort of the the the subplot of the whole thing obviously it’s this great game the Knicks are a half game as you said behind the Cavs they blow these two lose heartbreaking game in overtime to San Antonio a game like you said for a team that’s trying

To get into the top three you really don’t want to kick that game away then they’re up 10 at the start of the fourth quarter they let this game get away very frustrating weekend for them then Josh Hart gets asked about playing like this without three starters because oan and

Obi and Julius Randle been out for an extended period of time and Mitchell Robinson missed today’s game as he’s recovering from the ankle surgery he had in December he just came back last week and Josh Hart said basically this is the group we expect to have and if we get

Back ogan and Obi and Julius Randall that will be a pleasant surprise but I’m preparing and I think we should prepare like this is who our team is going to be and certainly for the Knicks who I believe are 15- two when oan and plays um you know the the thought was

When they made that trade and they had that incredible January it’s like hey maybe the Knicks can be you know I don’t think anybody even then thought they were going to be able to go toe-to-toe really with Boston but maybe they could be the second best team in the East this

Year and now if you don’t have let’s even say they can get OG back if they can’t get both of those guys back and particularly they can’t get back Julius Randall who as we’ve talked about before is De with his separated shoulder which is a really tricky injury really no

Update we were expecting to have an update there has been no update so make of that what you will he’s been in the same basically his rehab has progressed it’s basically been two months since he got hurt and he’s gone along in the same place for about a month now where he’s

Been in controlled contact practice and workouts where it’s like a coach with a pad or something and they like know exactly what the the rhythm is going to be and it’s not hey go scrimmage with somebody or play three on three or play five on five so it’s all been very

Deliberate stuff that he’s been doing he’s working out before every game and you guys have been around Julius he he’s a maniacal worker but he hasn’t progressed and you if you watch the end of this game it’s sort of shows What’s going to be I think a real problem for

The Knicks in the playoffs which is yes Dante D venzo has had a great year and Jaylen brunson’s had a phenomenal year and they’ve got du McBride out there and they could get a lot of Threes up but when they get down the stretch of the

Game it’s just very hard for them to get clean looks in the paint and to really attack the rim and it’s just all on Jaylen Brunson to do it if you have a for his great as Jaylen has been he’s had an unbelievable season if you have a

Six-foot guard that you’re relying on to do all of that for you on offense we’ve seen that recipe in the playoffs time and again it’s just really a struggle George the other thing with Brunson you know he doesn’t have the reputation of like a Harden or a Trey young but he’s a

Foul Hunter oh yeah you know he uses the dark arts and I’m not taking a side I mean there were obviously times this year I mean the game in Houston being the grade a example where Brunson got an unfair whistle but this is what the League referees are cracking down on um the

Fouls that he gets sometimes are not what they’re going to give him and I think the Knicks is impressive as they have been they frankly they’re in a spot these games are all so tight down at the end of the game they need these calls so

It feels it feels a little bit more painful because they’re they’re in so much need of them right now well a couple things uh to your point it has been a point of emphasis in regards to the dark arts as you mentioned and the foul hunting it’s been that way for the

Last couple of years um this last season in particular uh I remember when we do our ESPN NBA meetings broadcast meetings you know Monty McCutchen who runs basically the runs the officiating uh for the league uh he he has video evidence for us like hey this is the

Point of emphasis of what we’re looking for and you know I didn’t see Jay I don’t remember seeing Jaylen on any of those videos but I will say this there were plenty of Harden uh plenty of Harden Clips on that video there were some Trey young um but so if he is one

Of those guys right he doesn’t have the reputation but he does seek that and I think the officials understand that that also has coincided with let’s face it less calls in general yeah as we’ve turned post All-Star break so that doesn’t help his cause either so you have those combination of things working

Against him plus the injury issues uh yeah look they’re just they’re a barely above 500 Team without anobi right like that’s basically what they’ve been for the most part and in regards to anobi and I’m not trying to be like oh you know Monday Morning Quarterback here but

There has been a history where he hasn’t played a lot um that’s not a new thing when it comes which the Knicks were well aware of when they made the trade and will be well aware of when they sign him to a new contract I’m sure right because I’m sure

You talk to people in Toronto they will tell you that there were some times you talk to people in New York and they know that right and they but they in Toronto they would have told you that they they would have thought that he could have

Been able to play at times and then he did not play at times so um and again that’s not and that that may be kind of the under tone of what Josh Hart is saying right Josh Hart who you know would play 48 every game if he could well look all

You got to say is ogan Andi across his career has played more than 70 games once as a rookie and over the past six five years he has played under 50 games four times so he’s a guy who misses time to your point George and as far as

Brunson goes I would not say he’s in the J uh James Harden Trey young sort of fou drawing school I would say he’s more in the Demar de R roen foul drawing school where he’s using his fundamentals and footwork to get guys in the air and get

To the line that way and to your point I think with the overall increase in physicality dear has also voiced some frustration over lack of foul calls recently talked to Dear about it the other night after they beat Brooklyn and I for guys like that who sort of used

Their use their ability to take contact to get to the line if you’re not calling us much contact or you’re not call as much fouls on contact it might not be as overt as some of the Harden stuff but the result is still the same so Harden

Is like the dark side in Star Wars like Darth Vader and that group right we’ve seen the Le and Jamar are like the Jedi I would say that the league has gone out of its way to take away some of the tricks that those guys have created yes

And I think these guys are a little more yeah it’s more a little more standard in how guys have always done it as opposed to finding new ways to change the rules which I I don’t I mean I say that as a compliment to James Harden the fact that

They changed the rules five or six times over the course of several years and he just kept finding a new thing to exploit was a pretty incredible run that’s a fair point I will just say he Jaylen does do the Trey young stop move where

He gets in front of a guy and stops he does y um before he on I just want to say something about Victor wiama we’ve done plenty of Valentine on here I’m not going to spend time doing that I watched him go go for 40 and 20 on Friday night

Tonight Sunday night he had 32 points uh nine rebounds five assists four Steals and three blocks pretty good in the first six possessions of this game uh Victor had two blocks of Steel and he broke up a a lob um six possessions the Warriors scored on

Two the other two times Victor got his hands on the ball um we have talked about how the Spurs are going to have the big challenge of building this team around him I really honestly only see one or two of these guys lasting for more than two or two seasons really around

Him but having been in the Knicks locker room Friday night and been in the Warriors locker room tonight the way these players are talking about about Victor playing against him um Draymond tonight was like um and Draymond was brilliant in this game arguably one of

His best games of the Season he had 21 points and 11 ass six six rebounds six steals blocked out Victor on basically the game clinching play where he just just got M Michigan State style position and he although Victor was not thrilled about that he thought that he he was not

And regardless of that Draymond earned that rebound he just boxed him out he’s given up 10 or 11 inches boed him out Draymond used four varies very very very very good these teams not only are they Blown Away by what they’re watching from Victor um on when they’re playing against him but

Where they saw him early in the season the Knicks for example saw Victor in November nov I wasn’t at the game but it was November 8th he was not good he had 14 points or whatever he he just he didn’t impress anybody that game yeah it was a

Big buildup for his first game at the Garden and he was very blah he goes for 40 and 20 the next time they see him the Knicks are like whoa I mean they obviously know what he’s doing but they experienced it and so all I’m going to

Say is this yes the Spurs have a responsibility and a challenge to build this roster around him but having spent this weekend here I am going to say that there is going to be a player or two who is going to be Forward Thinking and want to get

Himself to San Antonio somebody is going to see this opportunity and they are this is my prediction I am making a prediction somebody oh man wow stop presses hold on let me get ready stop somebody is going to see this opportunity and say I can get myself to

San Antonio I can be this guy’s running mate I got to do it and there’s wide open space to do it well I I would say as an just as a brief ad denim to that because of what we talked about before this to me is the challenge for the

Spurs that we have laid out which is let’s say you are correct right let’s say there are guys who say I want to go play with this 74 Phenom from France 75 whatever 75 sure maybe it’ll be 79 soon uh let’s say that happens right you could say whatever you want about

Wanting to go play there there has to be a pathway to you actually getting there right right and that is the challenge and this is what we’ve talked about with the Spurs before there’s going to be an expectation from the average person that the Spurs are in top six next year

Because of the way this season has ended because of how great Victor has been there’s just going to be a general assumption that they’re going to be awesome next year and it’s going to be very difficult to they are not I agree with you I’m saying the general

Perception is going to be the Spurs should be in the playoffs and there’s going to be a pressure to speed this up because of that and what the Spurs have to be careful about is not costing themselves the opportunity to get the kind of player that wants to come there

Later we understand that we don’t have to go over that again but I will say it doesn’t necessarily have to be this summer or even next season but at some point somebody’s going to see this in it my guess is and this is just a total

Guess my guess is it’s not going to be a guy who’s in his early 20s on his first on the fun Max contract my guess is it’s going to be a guy on his second contract um or maybe at the end of his first you know big contract who realizes

I’m not going to be able to because you know you know I can sit here and say wow wouldn’t it be amazing If Anne Edwards played with Victor wanyama yeah it would be amazing guess what an Edwards ain’t going anywhere all right I’m talking about somebody who’s maybe Wind Horse

Colon aunt and Victor to team up see the headline already and see the headline already I’m well listen there’s already plenty of there’s already plenty of turmoil in Minnesota as speak so just add to it sure I’m just there’s gonna somebody is going to recognize they already are

Recognizing what they see here and well how about this can I just throw out a name I that’s you’re very dangerous but go ahead AG if I’m if I’m thinking of a guy on his second or third contract something like that why not a Donovan Mitchell type well now you’re now you’re

Going to be never allowed back on the pod because you’re taking a shot at Northeast Ohio Donovan is not playing well at all right now his his knee doesn’t look right that’s a different conversation um yes that type of player right uh I’m not sure that Donovan

Isn’t is not is has decided he’s not a one well and I think no go ahead go Ahad I think it’s got to be a player who’s like this is I hate saying this word because I lived this for years in Cleveland it’s got to be a guy saying

I’m okay being Scotty Pippen which Scotty Pippen wasn’t necessar okay with being Scotty Pippen but like and that that makes a Jordan comparison but like that’s the they got to be a guy who says I’m okay with that is at a point in his career where he wants that that’s what I

Think they need but if Donovan Mitchell um I mean there was a time that he allegedly wanted to play with bam and Jimmy he wasn’t going to be the number one there I mean maybe not in a playoff in the regular season he would have been sure okay I mean I I I think if if if that let’s just let’s not say that that it would happen in Miami let’s just say that there was a new team was created

And Bam Jimmy and uh Donovan were together I think Donovan would be regarded as the one maybe not in playoff Jimmy land but right that’s fair yeah so look i i w back away from the Donovan thing I just that that’s my big by the way that that was me that don’t

Aggregate Brian don’t aggregate I’m sure you’ll get speculating and I’ll say something else yeah make fun of me all you want I’ve lived in Miami I’ve lived in New York City I spend 50 days a year in Los Angeles you can say whatever you want about what I’m about to say okay San

Antonio is a growing city lots and lots of people have moved to San Antonio in the last four or five years I drove from Austin to San Antonio the other day there is no difference between the cities now are grown together I35 it is one giant megalopolis from Austin to San

Antonio they’re playing games in Austin now they have the number one practice facility in the NBA this if you want to think of it as a Cow Town like it was the turn of the century fine and is and is it New York Ora of course not but

There’s a whole bunch of people moving to Texas and they’re moving to Texas for a lot of reasons and there’s a lot of people moving to San Antonio so it ain’t Cleveland and I say that as somebody from Cleveland okay so say whatever you want about nobody ever wanting to be in

San Antonio go ahead and say it I’m telling you that’s not necessarily true it may be true for a lot of guys somebody’s going to be like you know what that’s not a bad place they have a great practice facility there’s no state income tax and I can play Victor wanyama

For the rest of my career make a ton of money organization right good organization course that goes without saying yeah that’s what I’m walking away I’m leaving San Antonio now but that’s what I’m walking away saying well and that’s the Challen that’s the challenge that the Spurs have is to give they have

To have the ability to get that kind of player when they become available and not box themselves out of it by rushing into other stuff I agree and they have all the assets to do that right now and the other thing I want to say really quick just to your point about

Victor the the comparison with the first game against the Knicks and the second one is an apt one because we have had a lot of discussions especially ear in the year about Victor Victor was not the Rookie of the Year for the first half of

The Season he was not he was not good for much of the first half of the Season he’s going to win Rookie of the Year in a runaway because he has taken massive steps forward over the second half of the season and I think he deserves a lot

Of credit not only for shifting over to play center but for the ways he has improved and the ways he has gotten better over the course of these 82 games and he’s made sizable improvements in a lot of different areas of his game which is why he’s doing insane stuff now and

He was having a lot of games like that game against the Knicks in November and December and I I just think it’s easy to forget because of how ridiculous some of these box scores are but the guy has had some remarkable improvement over the course of these few months and it’s

Pretty exciting to think about what that could mean going forward to to your point real quick Brian to your point Tim the the growth he’s made in a span of six seven months whatever it’s been is the stuff that some guys don’t do over five years okay orever ever right but

I’m talking about Star level players do in three to five years necessarily yes uh so by the way while the Knicks were very complimentary of Victor they were pretty much demanding that he get fined because at the at the end of the game in celebration of that big win for

The Spurs he threw the ball into the STS which was a the Jaylen Brunson 61 Point ball which I don’t think he really wanted um I think he’ll want it later because it was you know mellow jayen to wins and losses guy he is he is not

Happy about that I mean if it was Giannis we know that he would have wanted the ball but Al that’s right but also um Dante dant Cheno set the Knicks record for threes in a season with it not that that’s going into the Springfield but like you know the ball

Had some some real value and um there’s a ball boy working the Nick’s bench he’s a Spurs ballboy working the Nick bench he like sprinted up into the stands and somehow got the ball back I have no idea how he did but he got it back and the Nicks better got taken care

Of the Knicks were very pleased about that and were in possession of the ball but they were like look uh you’re getting 25k buddy and Victor did not like that as George mentioned he was like no I’ve seen people throw the ball into the stands in Anger many times

Times but I was throwing it out of happiness I was trying to make a guy’s day he would made the guy’s pocketbook um he’s like I shouldn’t have gotten you know 5 25 grand for that so welcome to the NBA Victor yeah that’s how it works those are black and white fines Victor

They you do that you get fined period as Pop said the rule is the rule okay so George we haven’t talked about the Miami Heat much in the last few weeks we know that’s one of the teams you pay a lot of attention to Miami guy when you you

Although you’ve been in La a lot of years now but you’re still certain Jersey sitting right behind uh I mean listen Pat Riley sends you one what are you gonna do you gotta hang it up you know um anyway was that Wang X didn’t he wear number 77 for the uh actually great

Question but I don’t anyone has worn 77 I believe it’s my number unless Luca goes there in free agency one day I’m gonna look that up right now I’m sorry LCA we can’t give this to you we’ve already given this to you to Sedano yeah

Uh yeah anyway um they got a win over Washington an unremarkable win on Sunday they’re a half game back out of the six seed he wore 15 with the heat just to be clear I mean I I assume the George Miran style 70ish number with with Wang XII by

The way Wang XII um a very very cult-like following when he was in Miami all the the entire crowd in a blowout loss would or blowout win would just chant we want Wong we want Wong yeah anyway um so they are even by Eric spoler standards stitching together

Teams um they did get Duncan Robinson back on Sunday uh Terry roier George how would you describe how Terry roier he he played arguably his best game as a heat on Sunday how would you regard how Terry roier is done since he was acquired in

Try I mean it feels like every time he handles the ball it’s on the precipice of a turnover right like every time I watch him I feel like he’s going to turn the ball over um and it’s funny because I know his favorite player is Dwayne Wade and he’s said as much multiple

Times and there are times if I like squint I’m like maybe I see it a little bit in the movement um but just there it feels like we’re on a we’re kind of towing a very thin line with him from uh really good to not so good in a given

Night even um so there are moments where I see plays from him where I’m like wow that’s insane and then there are moments I’m like what is he thinking uh so I I feel like if I’m thinking that they have to be thinking some of that as well but

Considering how hurt they’ve been I would imagine that they um they they’ll just take whatever they can get at this point by the way Jackson is on this uh turkey A’s uh Omare y7 War 77 the Utah Jazz yes that’s true all right um yeah Bon Temps the heat are

Scrapping together even Eric spoler laugh tonight what what did he say George did you see the quote he’s like um he even he even went off the script for espo ISM with like uh right now our rotation is what our rot whatever it takes there something like like he he

Even was laughing way he’s I mean he seemed like they’re they’re spanked up every year but like um I guess none of their guys are technically out for a long period of time right like hero put out that tweet last week George what do you make of

That but like he hasn’t been ruled out like they could still get these guys back right yeah I I don’t know I feel like the longer Tyler hero is out that something’s up because when I saw the original injury it was a hyperextension I watched the game and it was towards

The end of a game and then you know they’re saying it’s a foot injury now it may be both it might have been both um but it just feels like that he I’ll just say this I’ve had them a few times and I had them most recently

In early earlier in March and when I talk to people the sense was he was eventually going to be back probably you know some somewhere sooner rather than later and here we are three weeks it’s April buddy yeah right here we are three weeks in change later

And he’s still not back I mean we’ve now seen Duncan Robinson it looks like love is is pretty much ready to roll um or at least close to it but I have not gotten any sense on Tyler herro coming back anytime soon well and this is the story

Of the entire Eastern Conference all of these teams are hurt up and down the the whole conference we talked about the Knicks before the Chris midon has been in and out for the bucks uh Donovan Mitchell is all messed has been messed up basically since the All-Star break

For the Cavs they had uh Evan Mo and Darius Garland out for big chunks of the year before that they just got Max Shu back they’ve been all banged up um you know Indiana Tyrese Alberton has not been the same player since he heard his hamstring at the beginning of January I

Think he’s probably make all NBA still but it should be a lot more of a debate than it probably will be because through no fault of his own he hasn’t been good for at least to the level he was before for the past two months and then Miami

Is a shell of itself from an Health standpoint and the Sixers you know they’re gonna have joelan be back it seems like fairly soon he just went on this road trip this weekend he practiced on Saturday certainly is trending in a direction where he could be back soon

But we all know how poorly they have played without him this season so that’s been the story for the last really since the allar break at least across the East it’s just been who can manage to pick up games and that’s why the Orlando Magic sitting there with a super easy schedule

Down the stretch with a healthy team they’re probably my pick as of today to finish third because the Cavs are scuffling and the Knicks have one of the hardest schedules left in the league and sort of conversely at the bottom of the end of this thing whoever finishes in

Seventh or eighth between Miami and Philly might just come down to whether and be can actually get back on the court and whether like you said Kevin Love and uh Tyler hero and any of these guys can get out there for the heat because it it’s probably going to come

Down to one or two games here late well with Miami they do kind of control their Destiny in a pretty big way they also have a fairly easy schedule and they play Indiana um still so and they play Philly Thursday they play Philly they can they can I don’t want to say bury

Philly but they could basically put Philly in a real tough bind here Thursday uh if they beat them if they win them they to to become you’re saying that in part because they’ll win the tiebreaker if they and they’ll be I believe you know two and a half three

Games potentially in that scenario ahead of them so with the tiebreaker so yeah they can put themselves in a position to be the six and that though it’s funny because you know I I see all these things people are like oh well if the heat get the six and to your point they

Play the magic or the Cavs or someone like that I feel like with them that’s actually worse because they would just like I don’t know maybe you guys get the same sense they would just kind of lolly gag through a series like that and could potentially lose because they’re not

Taking their opponent seriously whereas if they had the Knicks right like in in the first round there’s no question yeah or definitely the Bucks and the Celtics but I’m saying even just even this version of the Knicks yeah they would absolutely take them very seriously um

So I I don’t know what to make they got to get they got to get the six because you don’t want no they don’t want Milwaukee or Boston the first yeah I I I know that they’ve had great success against them they beat them last year happen this year for the they’re going

To need the first they’re going to need the they’re gonna need that first round to get going like um I mean not to say that I would pick them to win the series but like I just don’t think they can be ready at their top level that I I’m

Never ruling anything out with the team never well that’s the thing right you’re really only saying that because of what the Heat have done in the past like I’m as big of a Jimmy Butler supporter as there is right he has not been at the same level this year when he’s played as

He has in the past and he’s missed a bunch of time and the team as a whole just hasn’t really shown that it’s it should be regarded in the way they’re going to be regarded when they get to the playoffs because of what they did last year because of what they’ve done

Over the past few years right they’re going to be grandfathered into being a legitimate Contender when over the course of 82 games they have not really done a lot to make you feel like they should be but we all know that if they even if they’re playing Milwaukee in a

27 in the first round or if they’re playing Boston in a 1 eight in the first round if Jimmy goes for 40 in game one and they win you’re G to immediately have everybody say here we go again with the heat here they’re gonna find a way

To do this again and until they actually fall short in a series like that in the first round or in the second round you’re going to have that everyone’s going to have that in the back of their head just because of how the past few years have gone almost no matter how the

Rest of this finishes up as long as Jimmy Butler and Bam matab are healthy wi the playoff St yeah I mean the only outlier there is the 21 season after the bubble where them and the Lakers both got uh beat up pretty quickly and pretty early in that first round but yeah I

Mean that that’s just it so but I’m with you Brian I don’t think they can be the seven or the eight this time around and get past those two teams like I well I’ll say this I don’t think they can get past Boston I know we’re all protecting

Ourselves because we’ve seen it let let me ask you one thing George before we move on Jimmy Butler is extension eligible this postseason this this summer now the reason I’m bringing this up I don’t honestly think that the heat are going to add a 50 he’s got two years and

Hundred million left they could add 56 million he’s gonna turn 35 before next season I do not think they are going to be giving him 56 million um when he’s 38 years old but he has a player option of the 25 26 Season so one more guaranteed

Year than a player option he could in theory decline that player option and build a new extension off of that which lowers that number it’s 52 million player option and then he could lower that number we know that Jimmy likes to extend he’s already extended with the

Heat couple I think twice right I think twice um what do you think he signed signed and then extended correct yes what what are they going to do there what do you think I think that’s kind of one of the uh low-key interesting stories that nobody’s talking about because I do

Think we’re talking about it right I think that there’s something there there is if you know what I’m saying like I I think that that is something they’re thinking about upstairs and certainly something he and his agent are thinking about um and what that could potentially look like and don’t we think Jimmy

Butler would be a uh Warren legary client and when I say A Warren client what I mean by that is as I think we all know Warren legary was the guy who really created the universe where when a coach is going into the final year of

His deal he really has no contract left and you really need to give him an extension or you really need to fire because you can’t have him going in the final year of his contract and if Jimmy Butler is going in the final year of a guaranteed contract with a player option

Afterward that feels to me like something that’s going to become become a thing this summer I don’t think Jimmy is opting out of like I I think it’s hard to Bluff that he’s gonna opt out a 52 million in in you know just to become

A free agent but you can you can posture that I suppose um yeah and and I think that that is a real possibility that he postures that now whether it actually gets there or not we’ll see but I I do think that um it is something bontemps

We talk about in the summer but I think Brian bringing it up now um is a pretty astute point because again I don’t think anyone other than us is really talking about it perhaps outside of 601 bis game Boulevard well by the way right this is

One of those things that will look very different if we’re talking about heat Celtics round a million in the Conference Finals sure or we talk we’re talking about the heat losing in the first round at six games to Cleveland correct right and like if this goes if

They are out or they losing the playin right let’s say they play Joel in the Sixers and they lose to 78 and last year I mean remember I mean we all remember I mean a lot of people have forgotten Chicago was right there at the end of

The game in the 89 game like let’s say the Doomsday scenario happens I don’t think this is happening to be clear but if like Jimmy turns an ankle or whatever they go four for 50 from three and they lose and they’re out in the playin then the conversation about do we

Want to give a guy who’s turning 35 in September a lucrative extension into his late 30s it’s a heck of a lot different than if he’s scoring four 45 in game five of the Conference Finals 100% agree and look I I think that clearly we’ve seen guys in all sports play way better

Longer um but man like he has not played in enough games in my opinion this year um what is that going to look like moving forward and I think that that’s kind of the scary proposition here okay so the Kings uh got a victory over the

Utah Jazz on Sunday night that was um you know not unexpected uh by the way a couple of uh good stats from this one uh Deon sabonis got his 70th triple double 70 57th consecutive game only two players in NBA history have reached 1,000 rebounds and 600 assists in a season wil Chamberlain

Twice and de modus sabonis this season and we still have eight nine games left for dbonis Wilt and sabonis that says a lot right there okay that’s cool I feel like that’s our obligatory uh sabonis update however really rough week for the Kings rough 10 days Uh Kevin herder I think

Out indefinitely but I maybe have they declared the season pretty sure he had surgery yeah I mean he he’s definitely done I wasn’t sure if they put a timeline on but he’s yeah you know it’s usually a three to four month recovery when that’s yeah that was really brutal

Fall the other day um and then uh over the weekend Malik monk who’s having spectacular season six Man of the Year candidate um gets fallen in gets fallen into was a friendly fire thing wasn’t it another king who fell into him I feel like some of these I feel like that’s

What these MCL injuries are they’re almost all a lot of times they friendly fire things but well Kevin Durant has had that a couple different times you get hit on the side of the knee and it bends in an awkward way and then you then you have an injury so w says four

To six weeks um you know not ending his season but putting them in a tough spot uh they’re not a terribly deep team to start with now these are two bench players um George and I know you’ve seen them recently um but with the tightness of the West and the the the difference

Between making the playe and not and the intensity there and how well the Mavericks are playing the Mavericks by the way snapped the Rockets 11 game win streak um on Sunday the warriors were very happy to come into the locker room and finally get uh a little bit of

Breathing room on the Rockets the Warriors and by the way the Mavs had just swept the the kings in the baseball Series in Sacramento last week which is a real a huge thing for Dallas to stay out of the playin exactly I think Dallas has got the inside track to to stay out

Of that play in for sure um George the Kings um it’s a rough hand you know their season’s not over they got a lot of talent still going but a rough turn of events for sack yeah no question Malik monk could have been six Man of

The Year this year the way he’s he might still win right he might still win right um and the game with him and sabonis the Twan game that those two guys have um I’m not comparing it to Aaron Gordon and Nica yic but like they have a really nice

Game those two when they’re on the floor together a lot of the assists sabonis gets are to Malik monk um and vice versa to be honest with you so that part of their offense is not going to be there anymore at least unless they make some

Sort of run that we don’t foresee um and then you know herder you know you can’t have enough shooting in this league and he’s become more than a shooter in my opinion um but you know you lose those two guys uh your two best spacers in my

Opinion and now you’re asking a lot of a team to your point that isn’t very deep you’re asking more of guys like Harrison Barnes and Keegan Murray to carry a load that maybe they’re not going they’re not used to carrying number one and maybe they’re not capable of carrying either

At this stage of their career in Harrison’s case uh or vice versa or the same for for Keegan Murray because he’s so young um they had good games today if they can get that kind of production granted they’re not going to play the Jazz every night um but if they can get

That kind of production then maybe they have a shot still um but there there are a lot of things even when this team was rolling and healthy that I still questioned about them their defense is weird they’re really good defensively on the road they’re terrible at home I want

To say they’re 29th at home and like 12th or 13th on the road it’s just really strange kind of the way they’ve been playing defensively um and they’re no longer you know a team that’s going to surprise anybody like everyone knows hey they’re good so what happened last

Year where they were incredibly healthy um and and kind of came out of nowhere to some extent I think is certainly not the case this year so I think a combination of all those things uh was going to put them behind the eightball to begin with but now right with these two

Injuries I know their schedule is easy but no no no I was I was about to I was about to say because you said well they’re not going to play the Jazz of your night they certainly are not this is their closing eight game stretch of the schedule Tuesday home for the

Clippers Thursday at Mass Square Garden against the Knicks Friday backto back in Boston Sunday they play the Nets obviously fourth toughest schedule yeah fourth toughest schedule so see here Clippers Nicks Celtics Nets and then they end with at Oklahoma City home for the Pelicans home for the Suns two

Massive games with teams right ahead of them right now or with them in the standings and then they get the Blazers on the final day of the season so certainly they should win the Brooklyn game they should win the Portland game those other six games are really tough

Yeah and they’ve got a two- game cushion right now in the L column on the Lakers who I believe they have the tiebreaker with well that’s games back now with the Mavs and Pelicans yeah that that’s basically my point is that I could see the Lakers flipping them um because the

Lakers definitely have an easy schedule down the stretch I want to say they have the you know bottom third uh as far as pull this up for you pull this up for you right now I’m seeing it here hold on Minnesota Cleveland Golden State the Pelicans then the Wizards the Raptors

And the Grizzlies Lakers had the 10th easiest schedule remaining coming into today the Kings had the seventh hardest there you go so bottom third versus right top seven so yeah I I could see the Lakers flipping them especially the way they’re playing right now um so that

That could be a real blow to Sacramento for sure um you know amongst many as we’ve talked by the way Sun’s most difficult remaining schedule in the NBA right although I did see them win in Denver strangely enough no Jamal Murray but yeah but then they backed it up

Right no I know yeah they’re the weirdest team in the NBA it’s it’s insane yeah um well we feel for a youth Sacramento we’ll see how it finishes I wouldn’t count the Kings out but um it’s just the margins are so tight and you know the Lakers and Warriors are

Actually putting together wins The Warriors I would say having been with them tonight a couple of days off of that Draymond situation in uh in Orlando the Warriors feel okay about their situation but then again they have to go home so they’re under 500 at home and they’re 22

And 15 on the road I got to tell you guys I’m about ready to get out of this Arena when I uh when I got into the arena tonight the uh Usher here in San Antonio or was like he was very kind he was just like just so you know uh the

Bats are back and there was a bat there was a bat flying around in pregame warm-ups now look oh great where’s Mano when you need him you know it’s happened before there’s been plenty of times where it’s okay but I’m just telling you now it’s late at

Night there’s nobody to help me out here there’s bats flying around that’s all I’m going to say George you have a nice little appetizer for the postseason on your schedule coming up I think I do uh April 19th I will be calling on ESPN Radio doing play by play for the the

Game for the e seed so the winner of the 910 versus the loser of the 78 who will it be in the Western Conference um yes yeah it could I mean listen I mean selfishly I’m rooting for Lakers Warriors right like I want the best game possible with most the most

Ears listening potentially well the the the Clippers have stabilized they were in trouble at the beginning of this road trip they’ve put some distance but they were they left on the road trip just two games clear of seven they uh they they escaped with a couple wins escaped from

Orlando and they no they did but they escaped from Philly and they escaped from Orlando they lose those two games they’d be in a three-way tie so they they’re lucky they got away with that yeah well because for for a glimmer there George I thought maybe the that

Game could be Clippers vers Lakers where the Lakers basically get home game well honestly as someone you know listen that’d be great and that’d be great too if that did happen I wouldn’t have to look if I have to drive and not get on a

Plane I’m more than happy to do that for sure uh by the way um this Wednesday coming espn.com final straw poll the bontemps poll the BS poll as McMahon calls it that’s true who call it that mcmah oh I listen I love a good I love the straw

Pole I love getting that text I got one today I love the text true go be so does everybody but MCB MCB mcb’s not a fan I even answered I was I even I usually like one the last two times Brian has answered quickly much to my delight made

My life a lot simpler so although my top two hasn’t changed very much all season no don’t don’t no we we will talk about it on wedon that’s right all right we’ll look forward to that all right thank you for listening and watching The Hoop Collective thank you to Jackson and

Andrea our producers thank you to bontemps thank you to Sedano and thank you for staying with us and we will be talking to you soon

Brian Windhorst is joined by Tim Bontemps and Jorge Sedano to talk health issues for the Knicks, Jalen Brunson’s impressive level of play, the Thunder’s surprising maturity considering the youth on the team, how quickly Victor Wembanyama is progressing, more key injuries to the Heat and Kings and the current playoff picture.
0:00 Introductions
1:05 Chaotic End To Thunder-Knicks
18:28 Wemby Is Developing Quickly
30:15 Heat Struggling With Injuries
43:20 Bad Luck Season For Kings Continues
50:21 Thanks For Watching! 
 
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