NBA Mailbag: Team USA in trouble? Lakers & Warriors top targets, Nuggets better? | Hoops Tonight
Jason Timpf answers listener questions during an NBA Mailbag segment. Are LeBron James and Team USA in trouble at the Paris Olympics after a bumpy set of exhibition games? What are the next steps for LeBron, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers to return to NBA Finals contention after a disappointing end to their 2023 season. Who can Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors target to bolster their chances of a playoff run? Jason answers all these questions and more!
Timeline:
00:00 – Introduction
02:03 – Is Team USA not that good?
09:00 – What’s going on with Joel Embiid?
10:58 – Is LeBron James best player on Team USA?
12:30 – Why Olympics are great for players
13:28 – Is Max Christie Lakers solution at SG?
17:27 – Hypothetical Lakers trades
21:30 – Are Lakers good enough for WCF?
23:17 – Why JJ Redick will be different
25:35 – Who can Warriors target this offseason?
27:45 – Have Nuggets improved this offseason?
31:37 – Is Reggie Jackson better than Russell Westbrook?
36:03 – What repeat does for Tatum & Brown’s legacy?
37:51 – Will Thunder make a big move this season?
39:57 – Listener Argument: Why 2024 Celtics would beat 2020 Lakers
44:17 – Will D’Angelo Russell’s defense improve?
45:00 – Are Pistons poised for a leap?
48:40 – Top 5 hopes for Acolyte Season 2
50:24 – Expectations for Grizzlies
50:52 – How good are Magic?
51:19 – What’s next move for Pelicans?
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43 Comments
Jason, you are just wrong that there's no one on USA that's on Giannis, Jokic or Luka's level. I think we have to be honest, Jason. I think Luka is overrated. Luka is not good at defense and he's not the most efficient player. Jokic too struggles so much when it comes to defense. How about Anthony Davis or Joel Embiid? You think those players cannot be better than Jokic or Luka? To me, the best player in the world is Giannis, Jokic, Embiid, Anthony Davis, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka. The only thing that has held Giannis back is injuries other than that Giannis has been amazing even since he won a title. AD is way better than Jokic in defense too. He's also better than Luka in defense. But to me Giannis is the best player in the world bc he'll give you the offense AND defense.
LeBronze ego about to "carry" team USA to a narrow win in the bronze medal game.
Player rankings are stupid. Here is my suggestion. Don't do them. Bring actual intelligent analysis. Clearly have a lot to learn since you had Suns in 5
Lebron is the third best player on Team USA, Embiid Tatum and arguably AD
On the Nuggets section: Why not mention Saric and Valtko over Zeke? Russ below Reggie is a quinticential Lakers ass take. Christian below KCP is obviously true and concerns about what Strawther will be like is also perfectly valid. Imperfect analysis to say the least.
Under the table deals for Joel to start we can’t be serious right now lol
Just do a top ten most valuable. No one seems to have a different view on what valuable means….right? Lol
You are not considering Embiid feelings
Please less Booker!
Get a co host…
Hold up – did anyone really think Scottie Pippen was the second best player in the world in 1992?
jason you responded to the weakest counter to your '20 lakers take
i feel its only right to, at the v least look at:
1. both sides of the ball
2. how the jays faired against the '20 lakers back then n how bron n ad fair v the cs now
lakers had big guards but they arent big enough to stop the jays or kp on a switch. mayb. caruso makes life tough on jb but thats it. celtics would create mismatches at will n their entire team spaces the floor so who ever is in help is leaving a a great shooter and closeout decision maker
on the other end lakers dont have enough shooting to create space for bron n ad. also the jays would just switch the bron/ad 2-man action – something they had success doing in 2020 and they're both improved bigger n stronger guys now. i rly believe that lakers team would struggle to score on the '24 celtics
i need a wemby analysis from you bc he's on a goat trajectory based on what i saw this past season
Bro you gotta go in detail about that "20-shots-a game" JUCO promise. Sounds like a Netflix doc waiting to happen
Well, Russ just sign a 2 years contract with a player option, can't cut him now I guess…
Just so much russ hate, he's not what he was a few years ago, but saying he's not better than Reggie Jackson is actually idiotic
As a Jokic fan, and a believer that his current prime is better than Magic, Bird and other greats etc…Really hope he can get another MVP and another title, so he can be firmly put in top 10 players in NBA history (because Wilt has exactly 4 MVP and 2 Championship). I can't accept that if he retires now, Giannis is in the same conversation with him and we have to discuss Jokic as a fringe top 15 guy, Jokic should be the only true No.1 guy in 2020s like Lebron in 2010s in my opinion.
Love the show as always, thank you Jason and hopefully some of my thoughts against you doesn't bother you. I don't have any bad mood or hates on you at all
Jason, are you saying that if healthy, Lebron is the best American player at the moment? If no, then consider the players around him that’s helping him be aggressive during the final minutes of the game. And like you said, roles matter. You can’t deny that the sheer level of talent on the team has allowed Lebron to be effective in specific areas of the game. I’m making this point to the effect of you suggesting that Lebron becomes the GOAT if he plays well in this Olympics.
There were few international players in the NBA back in 1992 because it wasn't normal in the NBA to sign players from overseas. It's not like international players learned to play basketball after 1992. By the way, team USA couldn't win gold in 2002, 2004, and 2006 despite sending star players.
Besides about 80% of international players who play in the NBA are bench players.
come on drop the conspiracy theories Embiid is a better player than AD, maybe AD fits better with this team and maybe he should start from here on out but the best players usually start games calling it political is a lil corny, with all due respect
I think Jokic and save Russel
I think ultimately they are setting up the story of how young palpatine kills plaguis in his sleep
This guy once again showing he knows nothing about basketball😂
How on earth did Denver get better. Not only that you’re picking them to win the West when OKC,Memphis,Dallas, & their biggest fear Minnesota all have better deeper teams? They got exposed for their lack of depth and respond by losing KCP😂 Also adding current Russell Westbrook is subtraction by addition itself
Some people shouldn’t have such popular platforms smh
Another cringe Lakers episode that’s not worth watching 🗑
Eloquently put on Russ' playstyle
I respect you Jason but this is insanity to think the dream team would hold a candle to this team.
At least 7 of the 12 guys on the dream team wouldn't even have to be guarded beyond the 3 point line. It would be a massacre.
So how could you say that this team isn’t at least top 2 when international competition has WAY surpassed what it used to be back in the day?
In 92, nobody talked that scottie is second best player in the world. Magic, Ewing, Bird was best player few years before that year, Stockton, Barkley and Robinson was better players at the time.
Curry is the 🐐☄️🔥
One can’t be serious if he thinks Russ makes a team better. I think the best way to utilize Russ is to exclusively sign him for locker room presence and energy in team huddles.
Julian Strawther will probably surprise you. Higher upside than C. Braun.
Mailbag – hey jason love the mailbag shows. Just your thoughts on the warriors trading for vucevic as a margin move if they dont get lauri. Seems like a good fit as a big that can space the floor with dray to make up for his defensive weaknesses
As you stated a couple weeks ago, Jason, the Dream Team had 8 out the top 10 All-NBA players that year.
Coach Kerr won't employ any of the defensive tactics you mentioned and USA will lose games because of it. On defense, USA looks confused out there!
Love your analysis man. Keep up the great work. Enjoy your vacation time 🫡
THANK YOU FOR SAYING KOBE WAS THE BEST PLAYER IN WORLD IN 2008. Meaning he was the best player in the league LeQueen fanboys 😂💯
And this man is so quick to blame a coach before blaming players like the coach is on the court 😂😂. I feel justified in unsubbing truly a weeks ago smh
Here we go another dumb young LeBron fan talking subtle shit about something he has no clue what he’s talking about. No Scottie Pippen was not considered the second best player in all of basketball in 1992. Not even close. In fact, there was many people on the dream team team considered better than him and were better. MJ was undisputed the best player in basketball. Then Barkley, then D-Rob, then Ewing and/or Drexler who just took his team to the Finals. Then Karl Malone. Then you could argue Pippen or Mullin on that team smh … if we’re just talking Olympics, 1992 is still the best, even though they faced the weakest competition out of all of these teams. And then actually the 1996 was the second best I’ve ever seen and if only they would’ve had 33 year-old Michael Jordan on the squad they would have easily been the best. 2008 Redeem Team which had tail end of his prime, best player in the league Kobe Bryant, beginning prime second best player in the league LeBron James, who was tied with second best player in the league. Dwyane Wade coming off the bench. The Olympic team ranking after is 2012, undisputed best LeBron with second best KD and past prime Kobe coming off the bench. Then it’s 2016. But I definitely think this squad has an opportunity to easily surpass the 2016 team
USA should have been coached by Spo. But Steve Kerr has more accolades but he’s not the same level of coach as Spo
The Dennis and Gabe swap is a great idea. Regardless of his shooting inconsistency, Dennis can contribute more in other areas unlike Gabe. He can penetrate and attack, play-make and he's a dawg in defense and hustle plays plus he's durable. I also think if the Lakers tried to get Dennis back they should have signed Daniel Theis. He can be the Christian Wood replacement, he may not be a big free agent target but he plays within his role. He plays defense, he can space the floor as a big and he is a great system player. Adding him and Dennis would go a lot especially that they have a great chemistry as teammates in the Olympic team and they have been playing great in the German team.
Did "I don't think Westbrook is as good as reggie jackson" really just come out of your mouth??
Also, great point on the law of diminishing returns. Which is exactly why a guy like Booker isn’t even needed on a squad like this, or even really Tatum. Tatum is an inferior version of KD. And book is an inferior version of Ant-man. Ant-man is just as good of a score shooter and a much better defender. Jaylen Brown would give us a higher ceiling over him, because of what he brings defensively. Book is terrible defensively. I rather have Leonard if healthy over Tatum because of what he provides defensively. Defense has always been what allow us to dominate international play. Creating easy baskets through turnovers to circumvent that we don’t have rapport and structured offenses like these other squads that have been together for so long. In certain guys who are superstars in the NBA, need massive amount of touches and shot attempts for them to get in their basketball ego and rule them in order to be the players they usually are. So you can really see who can adapt and port themselves over to talented teams and still be really effective. It’s a better barometer for how great a basketball player is and what they can provide. Book is super one dimensional. And if I want a guy on a basketball team to have one dimension only? It’s defense and moving without the ball.
This team is better than the dream team…looks like you go with wherever the wind blows.You lost credibility in real ballers eyes bragging about Austin Reaves… typical YT dude behavior