Answering the biggest questions in the NBA at the All Star Break
All right we’re at the NBA Allstar break and most teams have about 30 Games give or take left to play in the regular season so I think it’s a good time to do some All-Star break evaluation and answer some of the biggest questions before the final stretch of the Season
Joining me to answer the big questions is my guy Gerard Hector of true hoop who joins me now gerro how you doing I’m doing great it’s All-Star break so I’m feeling lovely nice few days off from basketball I love it but it’s nice to have a little break always good to have
A little break so J let’s tip this thing off we’re going to start with the Knicks the team they lost four straight games heading into the break and they’ve been without six of their top eight players for a couple of games and specifically in their last game against the magic you
Recently have been high on the Knicks you’ve praised their play since started the new year so I got to ask you this how concerned are you about their health right now I mean I’m very concerned look Julius Randall out oan noi out these are key pieces to their organization um and
You said to mention they lost four straight coming to the break and Dexter their game’s coming out of the break and their next 10 they’ve got the 76ers three times Boston the Pelicans the Warriors the Cavs the Hawks and the magic those are all above 500 teams now
The good news is eight of those 10 are at home but I’m concerned because they go on a little losing streak right here five or six games in a row or they lose four out of seven or something like that and now we’re deep down heading towards
That seven eight range and we have some problems so I’m I’m concerned about the team right now in terms of their injury injury health and hopefully some of those guys get back soon yeah Mick fans are hoping for that that they can get healthy fast and get those guys back
Soon now keeping it in the East we also got to talk about the Milwaukee Bucks who made an inseason coaching change parting ways with Adrien Griffin bringing in Doc Rivers the Bucks they are third in the conference right now but they’re three and seven since hiring Rivers they also traded for Patrick
Beverly at the deadline in hopes of fixing their perimeter defense which has not been good as you know gerro so I got to ask you this what are the bucks right now are they a serious team or or not the Bucks are down bad right now is what
They are um listen they fired Agent Griffin and I I mean I don’t understand why I mean I was a Giannis thing I know first he wanted them then he didn’t the whole Dame thing getting rid of Terry STS understand all that but this team
Was very good 30 and 17 30 and 15 somewhere around that range when they when they got rid of Agent Griffin three and seven as you mentioned since uh Doc’s taking over look they can’t guard anybody that’s number one number two Damen Lillard something is off with this
Guy he’s shooting 34% from three he’s just not been himself still looking metrically like an Allstar level player which he is but last year you could have argued Dex he was the best offensive player in the league he’s nowhere near that and if he’s going to play the
Poorest defense he normally does and he’s not the best offensive player in the league this is a problem on a defense in general that is overall cratering not to mention Brook Lopez on the decline their bench Bobby porish Jay Crowder is not good right and so this
Team is down bad right now yeah down bad I wonder how much it gets dicier if that record gets worse with Doc Rivers a head coach so we’ll see how that plays out now out west the first place team the Timberwolves they lead the fourth place nuggets by four games the second and
Third place teams they are Thunder and the Clippers and they are two and three games respectively out of that top spot it’s a tight race there out in the Western Conference so who wins the conference dado you know right now I say the Denver Nuggets you know Dexter
They’re like a car on the highway that’s driving 60 miles an hour they know exactly where they’re going they’re not going too they’re not going the speed limit they’re going slightly above they’re not going too fast they’re just in cruise control right now in that Middle Lane waiting to get to that off
Ramp and it’s really time to go that’s exactly where they are right now so I love the Denver Nuggets but I will say this do not count out the LA Clippers if that team is healthy come April May June that will be one hell of a Conference
Finals the nuggets and the Clippers if it ends up working out that way yeah I’d love to see that one but I think you can just not discount the Nuggets they are the Champs they still have the best player in the league and joic so we’ll
Get more to best player in the league who’s playing at an MVP level in a second but I also got to talk to you about these two teams the Lakers first up they entered the break winning six out of their last seven games the Warriors the other team I want to talk
About they’ve won eight out of their last 10 Los Angeles is ninth spot Warriors in the 10th spot do you believe either of these teams can have a surge post All-Star break and get out of the playing tournament seats in a word no um look any team with LeBron James and
Anthony Davis you got to give them credit but they have a daring ham problem still to me and in games that are tight and closed it matters can he make the right adjustments do what is necessary because again this is like the playoffs for right if they’re going to
They want to make that run these last 30 games or so are going to be really they got to make that movement I don’t quite see it for them the Warriors look they’ve been well playing well since Draymond got back they haven’t really beaten anyone of consequence except for
The the Suns at home and that was on a last second shot by Curry uh basically at the buzzer I’m still not sold on them Clay is not great and Draymond is still to me always teetering on that edge he is one more move away from doing and
Listen it almost happened against the Clippers earlier this week so I just I don’t trust them not trusting either of these teams two Mary teams in the league right now two Mary Stars we’ll see how they do and finish out the rest of the season I want to talk to you about the
MVP race because with joeel and beat out with injury the race might have opened up a bit so I got to ask you this who’s the League’s most valuable player right now I think betting odds say Nicole yic but if you watch it’s been Shay guilders Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder
This man is playing at another level Dexter you know a player has really truly gotten it when he’s playing at his own pace and you can’t speed up or do anything to him much like joic Shay gets to his spot every single time Rises up in that mid-range and he is Elite
Averaging 315 six and two steals a game leading the league in steals on 54 37 88 shooting splits he’s second in the league in estimated plus minus a full two points almost two points ahead of the third place player in janisan tupo look I just think sja is playing on
Another level right now to me he is the MVP and if he does win it this will be the sixth consecutive year International player wins the NBA MVP which I think is a great thing yeah yeah it is a great thing that people who are fan to the
American players are not going to be so happy about that I do think the race is going to be interesting will joic win a third in fourth years or people going to have a little bit of voter fatigue but you’re right Shay has been balling and what he’s done with the Thunder this
Year has been very impressive especially if they have a chance to finish with the top seed in the west we’ll see how all that shakes out so much more basketball left to go so much more to break down jod enjoy the all-star weekend that is gerro Hector of true hoop check out his
Work there and gerro we’ll talk to you after the break all right man
NBA writer for TrueHoop Jarod Hector joins Dexter Henry to give his take on the latest in the NBA at the All-Star break.
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