REMODEL vs. DEMOLITION 🔨 Austin Rivers compares the Knicks & Lakers’ offseasons | First Take

REMODEL vs. DEMOLITION 🔨 Austin Rivers compares the Knicks & Lakers’ offseasons | First Take

which team has more at stake this off season is it the Knicks or the Lakers more at stake I think that I I think the Knicks are the easy the easier fix is the Knicks I mean they went to the second round they had a ton of injuries uh they have their coaching place if they get some of these guys healed up they’re going to be okay the the the Lakers man damn they tried the third Superstar I they thought they had that with Russ I don’t believe they need a third Superstar I think they need better role players because the difference in the series in which the Nuggets lost is that their role players did not play as well as the t-wolves role players because they made it a three Onre uh uh situation because if you look at the Lakers and the nuggets the big two from each team canceled each other out but Michael Porter Jr Aaron Gordon and kcp outplayed on average ruie Austin Reeves and DLo and that was a differ in the ball game man I just and I get what perk say says look ad is the younger of the guys he’s going to be there the longer find a a coach that’s better suited for ad uh I think I I honestly I think the Nuggets excuse me the Knicks are the easier fix but the Lakers have more at stake this off season because it’s not like they got LeBron James for the next five years they don’t I know he thinks he can play that long but I don’t believe he CL can Wendy okay you you corrected yourself there too because sounded like you were saying that the ni the Knicks had the harder lift in the offseason fix it at the end otherwise you’re going to need that spray [Laughter] bottle uh the Lakers have no coach right now no coach their star players are in their 30s they have a fraction of the assets that the Knicks have um yeah the Knicks are you know the second seed and there’s a big golf between them and the Celtics and there other Eastern Conference teams that are going to be fighting to get in there because they got a you know they were fortunate this year there were some injuries that knocked some teams behind them but the Lakers are they got a they got a real tough road to Ho here I mean I honestly don’t know they don’t have a great option for head coach right now whatever coach that they end up hiring is going to be a risk on one side either the high side or the low the downside or the upside and they’re fishing around you know for these star players I I know what you know people are saying well this the Lakers are going to trade for a star player well the Lakers don’t have a great selection of things to trade they have some stuff they’ve got some draft picks but if there’s a bidding war for a star player I don’t think the Lakers can win it unless that star player says send me the Lakers and that’s it and forces his way there which is not simple um I think the Lakers you know and also the Western Conference I mean the Lakers are in seventh place this year all right who are they passing who are they passing and who behind them is going to be in position to pass them it’s rough and it’s not even I mean I would I would take almost any Eastern team as a better Outlook than almost any Western team that’s trying to do a come up because just it’s just so much tougher I mean in all honesty if you look at the Lakers job one of the reasons why it’s such a brutally hard coaching job is that even if you come in and do great and and totally maximize what you have you could still be back in the play so the Lakers situation by their own making and by circumstances that are outside of their control is much much harder than the Knicks right Wendy which is exactly why the Knicks have more at stake this off season when I’m thinking of this question who has more at stake the Knicks we were just talking about whether or not they need to add a piece to the group that they have so the Knicks are deciding do we want to keep what we have or do we want to add a piece and the reason they’re deciding that is because they have a legitimate chance to be in the fin fin next season we’ve all already said that we’ve already said this Knicks group as currently constructed can make a finals push next year and if they add a piece they have an even better chance so what they decide to do this off season there’s a lot at stake there because they can go far it doesn’t matter what the Lakers do this offseason yes you want to get this next decision right but even if they hire the best coach and even if they add a couple of pieces I don’t think it’s going to be enough to get to the finals like I don’t think it matters what the Lakers do this off I need Clarity on this I know I’m the one that asked the question so basically is what we’re saying that the Knicks have more at stake cuz the Knicks have a better shot so the Lakers are so far out in the west regardless that that’s why there’s less at stake or but you could sort of flip it and say they have more at stake because they’re so I don’t think it matters what they do this offseason that’s kind of what I felt like Wendy was alluding to unless I heard him incorrect I don’t think it like we’re looking at a what moves they make this offseason but then what we’re looking at a remodel Versa demolition here we we got like one house that that needs to redo a sink or a kitchen and then the other house you got to tear down some walls and like figure out what you know what we got going on so the expectations are different now from the Outlook of who has more pressure you would say the Knicks because they’re in more of a situation where next year they could capitalize and compete in the finals but on that same cloth we talked about earlier they could be careful to add their piece they are in a position to be careful because they’re already really good they have a whole bunch of assets they can move or don’t move they have cash to to spend um and they had most of their star players not playing so you you get them healthy next year this team is already really good so when we talk about going into the summer who needs to make major changes and who is under pressure I the only reason I say the Lakers is because my God you have the best the most famous player to ever play our sport other than than Michael in his last Primal years wasting away right now you have ad you have ad also uh who’s 31 32 years old he’s no like spring chicken anymore he’s played 12 years in the NBA wasting his years in the league they don’t have a head coach uh they don’t know what assets work they they don’t even know what coach wants the job to be honest Bud could have had the job he don’t want it because the seats too hot yes so like it’s like what the hell in terms of like pressure this summer like they got a lot to figure they got a lot to figure out now when it comes to Dynamic Duos left in these playoffs we got Luca donic and Kyrie Irving maybe the most potent Duo of any remaining scoring a combined 48.4 points per game but then there’s Anthony Edwards and Carl Anthony towns and of course Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown so Dre I want to come to you first which Duo and those are some serious ones yes right left in these playoffs do you feel is the most dangerous they’re all great so we’ll just start with that because before fans just light all of us up for picking one if I’m picking one yeah I’m picking the duo that beat the reigning Champions after being down 20 on in in an away game I’m going with Anthony e and Carl Anthony towns those two players with ant the way he can impact the game when he is not shooting the ball well when he’s not scoring his defensive presence his energy his leadership he is the alpha male on that team so I’m giving him a nod over everybody we just talked about him being the best player left in the playoffs Carl Anthony Town’s commitment to a being that number one guy two defending two rebounding he put up 23 points in game seven again when they were down 20 when I look at those two as a duo their understanding of who’s the alpha and who’s The Supporting Cast their commitment to the defensive end and their ability to impact the game when they’re not scoring those two they are the most dynamic duo and the biggest threat as a pair left in the playoffs Jay give me give me Luca and Kyrie because I trust L nobody has taken and made more bigger shots on the big stage than Kyrie I watch them average 25 26 27 points a game in an NBA Finals I watch him take one of the biggest shots in NBA history in the finals against the defending champs a 73 win team I watched them do that I I understand that they’re guards and hard is you know you say you’re taking two guards over two you know uh uh two uh uh threes uh a guard and a and a big yes yes absolutely Kyrie Irving and his ability to get off any shot to finish at the rim with either hand he’s a below the rim player three levels the three ball mid-range can shoot you follow you’re going to go to the free throw line and what do I say about slow motion man Luca man Luca ain’t got but one gear but I tell you what he might it might take him like n seconds to get from the top of the keys to the paint but guess what he gonna finish it off give me Luca and Kyrie uh I’m going with the guys that have gone to the Conference Finals multiple multiple multiple multiple times going back back to the finals for the second time I hear Minnesota I hear these teams these guys won two playoff series all right L Luke is the guy who went to the Conference Finals him and him and Irving are just now jelling together and they’re playing really well Brown and Tatum are a known success now they haven’t won rings but we know together they have played highlevel basketball and when we talk about the best team in basketball they they are the two best players uh what we need to see with them the question with them has always been growth who are who is the only Duo out of this list who if they don’t win a championship the whole world’s going to come on down with them it’s those two right there there’s a reason behind that is because they have the best team and because they’ve had the most success as a Duo being able to play one another and it’s been even more impressive due to the fact that they’re both ISO players the fact that they’ve been able to co-manage and be next to one another is has been you know uh a Marvel to see by the way there always uh when we talk about these two um when it comes to Luca and Kai this is a story that I think people were shaky about for a long time up until recently this year when we saw that working so I I I give Shannon you know a point for them you know listen we know how exciting they are playing I can’t argue about that we talking about who’s the most exciting to watch ain’t nobody better than basketball to watch than Kyrie Irving he’s put on a show yeah yeah he’s goingon to put on a show every time he steps on the court but I think the best duo for now until a and Carl take that real I think it has to be brown and Tatum I I I I hear you on that my my thing with the Mavs like you said them them just now playing together Kyrie had two games in the last series we only scored nine points yeah like I’m I’m going off of what I’ve seen in the playoffs and what I’ve seen this season and my issue with both of those pairs is that they’re the most dangerous when they’re playing well and when they’re scoring yeah but Carl Anthony towns and Anthony Edwards are the most dangerous no matter what no no that’s not true by that no no no by that logic but if if you’re going to use that logic then then impact the game no I’m not impacting I they can impact the game The Wolves did better when when Carl got in foul trouble they got Nas Reed coming in still with 23 points 23 points and 12 rebound series before Carl wasn’t even the second best player in the series it was Jen McDaniels who was guarding well and and averaging 20 putting 20 on Katie’s head every night but I think what Anthony Edwards has done lifts Carl Anthony to I’m just taking that duo like I’m not saying Carl Anthony towns is the best out of the list of players but those together but I’m looking at K I’m looking at Kyrie he’s also dealing with Jaylen Williams running off screen he’s also taking the Challenge from time to time to guard Shay but we saw we saw Kyrie play alongside LeBron James now remember he got hurt in the first time they played or that might have been a different Series in 2015 he comes back in games he comes back the following year and guess what y’all remember that game that game five that that game five that he had y’all remember that when he dropped 41 and only missed like five shots and then he came back the following year although they almost got swept by the uh uh uh Golden State when they got KD he averaged like 27 and big shots you’re not going to take anybody that’s playing on either side cat ant uh JT or JB to take a bigger shot than Kyrie who you want the ball in their hands last 10 seconds of the ball game who you want Andrea who you want Austin I want igy DOA I’m just kidding but now I hear you I want to go back to the Celtics though Austin because we were just talking about who the alpha is on that team so when you’re looking at that duo in a close game yeah in a close game when the game’s on the line and you’re looking at that duo what what do you expect them to do who uh Brown and Tatum yes close it which one and how what does it look like Tatum could close games why you act like Tatum can’t close gam you feel like he’s going to consistently close games I believe he I believe he’s showing growth already I think him being able to pass the ball a little bit more I hear what you’re saying though [Music] [Applause] [Music] f

REMODEL vs. DEMOLITION 🔨 Austin Rivers compares the Knicks & Lakers’ offseasons | First Take

On First Take, Shannon Sharpe, Brian Windhorst, Austin Rivers and Andraya Carter join Molly Qerim to debate whether the New York Knicks or Los Angeles Lakers have more at stake during the offseason, then discuss top duos left in the playoffs.

0:00 Do the Knicks or Lakers have more at stake this offseason?
4:30 Major changes coming?
6:37 Which duo still in the playoffs is most dangerous?

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