The NBA Today full show breaks down all the latest offseason headlines:
✅ Marcus Smart officially joins the Los Angeles Lakers, teaming up with Luka Dončić — can they become the league's most dangerous backcourt duo?
✅ How should the Clippers use Bradley Beal after the Suns buyout? Does he fit better as a 6th man or starter?
✅ Who can challenge the rising duo of SGA and Jalen Williams in the West? We debate the biggest threats from the Pelicans, Timberwolves, and more.
Stay locked in for expert analysis, hot takes, and player projections as the 2025 NBA season takes shape.
#NBAToday #MarcusSmart #LukaDoncic #BradleyBeal #Clippers #Lakers #SGA #JalenWilliams #NBADebate #NBADuo #NBASummerLeague2025
✅ Marcus Smart officially joins the Los Angeles Lakers, teaming up with Luka Dončić — can they become the league's most dangerous backcourt duo?
✅ How should the Clippers use Bradley Beal after the Suns buyout? Does he fit better as a 6th man or starter?
✅ Who can challenge the rising duo of SGA and Jalen Williams in the West? We debate the biggest threats from the Pelicans, Timberwolves, and more.
Stay locked in for expert analysis, hot takes, and player projections as the 2025 NBA season takes shape.
#NBAToday #MarcusSmart #LukaDoncic #BradleyBeal #Clippers #Lakers #SGA #JalenWilliams #NBADebate #NBADuo #NBASummerLeague2025
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SportTranscription
00:00All right, Celtics fans, look away.
00:02Sorry, Marcus Smart donning the purple and gold for the first time yesterday.
00:07Here he is addressing the media for the first time.
00:10When you get a guy like Luke calling, referencing, checking on you,
00:14trying to see where you're at to see and that if you want to come,
00:18you know, join something special that he's trying to cook up over here.
00:22And for him to say that, you know, to see that he can really use my help,
00:27that meant a lot, you know.
00:28So I played against Luke a lot.
00:31I've been on a lot of opposing ends of, you know, Luke of magic.
00:35And to be able to come out and be on this side at this time means a lot.
00:41At first came, my agent, you know, I'm working out and I get a call from my agent saying,
00:46you know, hey, Luke has reached out.
00:47And I'm like, yeah, whatever, you know, like, all right.
00:50And then another day, same thing, Luke reached out again.
00:54And now it's real, you know, it's no longer what ifs.
00:58It's real and it's something we need to talk about.
01:00And that was a great feeling, like I said.
01:02And that's kind of what kind of got the things going for me to be here.
01:05And I'm excited to be here.
01:06So there he is, Marcus Smart.
01:08George Sedato in for Malika Andrews today alongside Dave McMiniman, David Dennis Jr.
01:13And NBA champ, our guy, Kendrick Perkins.
01:16So, Dave, you shot that video that we just saw.
01:20Luka playing a pretty big role as a recruiter in the Marcus Smart situation.
01:24New look for him.
01:25So what does that tell you?
01:26Well, first of all, let's talk about the guy he's talking about, Luka Doncic.
01:30There was ownership by Luka of this offseason to stamp down that he wants to be part of the Lakers moving forward.
01:37And he wants others to join him.
01:39So he makes calls to DeAndre Ayton, the guy who came into the draft with him as the number one pick.
01:44Now he's the center for the Lakers.
01:46Makes calls to Marcus Smart.
01:48Needs to fill the point of attack defender spot.
01:50The Dorian Finney, Smith occupied last year.
01:52He now plays for the Houston Rockets.
01:54Gets Marcus Smart to come.
01:55And I think as we look forward, we look at that August 2nd date when the Lakers can offer an extension to Luka Doncic worth four years, $222 million up to that figure.
02:07And I would say if you're a Laker fan, you shouldn't have any worry about Luka coming to some sort of an extension or agreement with the Lakers,
02:15which means he won't just be a Laker for next season, won't just be a Laker for the season after that.
02:20I think at a minimum, we're talking about a three-year extension.
02:23Perk?
02:25Perk, Perk, Perk.
02:27Look, this has accountability and disrespect all over it.
02:32And Luka took it right into the offseason.
02:34And I know it's early, y'all.
02:35I know it's early, and I know it's early for hot takes.
02:38But damn it, I'm going out on a limb early in this summertime.
02:42And I'm going to say, I'm betting on Luka Doncic to win the MVP next season.
02:47This is the type of commitment that I want to see from a great player like Luka.
02:52I want to see the videos of him working out.
02:55I want to see that he's taking accountability for his losing weight and getting in shape.
03:00I want to see him being committed to the organization and to his franchise and to his head coach by reaching out and getting players around him.
03:08You talk about getting DeAndre Ayton.
03:10They got him right, the center that he needed.
03:13They also went and got a guy, Marcus Smart, who they haven't had a primary defender like that on the wing since Alex Caruso.
03:20And now all of a sudden, Luka is saying, I'm ready for this season.
03:23Listen, I took the disrespect from last season with the Mavs trading me.
03:27I'm holding myself accountable.
03:29And all the greats in the history of greats have went through some type of adversity or went through some type of thing throughout their career where they had to have an accountability point.
03:40And we're seeing that through Luka right now.
03:42I'm sorry.
03:45I just let me rewind a little bit.
03:47I just do not totally like the way we've been talking about Luka Doncic in this offseason.
03:52You're coming off of one of your worst seasons, not just, you know, performance, but like in terms of the expectation, in terms of the injury, the Mavericks moved you out to Los Angeles.
04:02And then you got embarrassed in the first round of the playoffs.
04:05And we're supposed to be talking about this guy who needs to be an MVP type of dude.
04:11And we're celebrating the fact that he looks like he's in shape.
04:14Like that should be a bar, should be way higher than that for somebody of Luka Doncic's caliber of performance right now.
04:20You have to be one of the top three best players in the league for the Lakers to have a shot not to be bouncing the first round.
04:26And I want to hear more than you look like you're in shape on Instagram.
04:30By the way, a lot of people who are in shape are still bad at defense.
04:34Being in shape doesn't stop you from falling asleep on back screens or being left on the island come playoff time.
04:39You have to clear way more hurdles than looking good in a shirt on Instagram.
04:44I need to see the Luka Doncic that is in that conversation with Jokic, with Giannis, with those guys like he was before last year.
04:51Because all this workout video is not moving the needle for me in the way that makes me believe that you're creating an actual contender with that Los Angeles Lakers.
05:00Well, David, did you keep the same energy with Nikola Jokic?
05:06Because Nikola Jokic had to go through a stage of his career where he had to get in shape before he had to lose weight and get in shape before he hit a stage to go win a championship.
05:17Giannis Antetokounmpo had to put on 50 pounds and work on his body before he went and got to the mountaintop.
05:23Steph Curry had to go bust his ass and put on weight and size before he got to the mountaintop.
05:30All the greats that have accomplished a goal had to reach some type of adversity.
05:35Hell, LeBron James had to leave Cleveland and go to Miami to learn the recipe and to learn how to reach the mountaintop.
05:43Michael Jordan, he took his bumps and bruises against the bad boy Pistons and the Celtics and had to get in the weight room before he reached the mountaintop.
05:52This is nothing new.
05:54Like, guys hit this as young players that hit the ground running when they come into the league, they hit their head on the wall every now and then, and then all of a sudden they have to bounce back.
06:03Go ahead, let Dave jump in.
06:06Yeah, it's one thing to hit your head against the Pistons, to hit your head on trying to bulk up.
06:15It's another thing about hitting your head against, you know, looking like you are in shape.
06:19We're talking about Jokic.
06:20I watched Jokic play a three-overtime game in the playoffs.
06:23I watched Jokic go full 48 and not worried about if he's going to tie a rod.
06:27He's gone seven games and pushed teams that limit.
06:30These are not things that I worry about.
06:32We're talking about LeBron's, Curry's, Giannis's, people like that.
06:35I do not worry about if they're in shape at the beginning of the season.
06:39I don't need to be worried about somebody like Luka Doncic.
06:42David, I agree with you.
06:43Defensively, he needs to show the commitment.
06:45But think about being in shape.
06:46He's been a pro basketball player since he's 15 years old.
06:49Last year, he missed seven weeks with the calf injury.
06:52It's the longest he hadn't played basketball in 10-plus years as a pro.
06:55So his body fell out of shape.
06:57The important thing is he's responded to it, worked on his diet, worked on his off-season conditioning.
07:01And you should get a better version of him.
07:04You have to allow for him dealing with an injury that no other guy, that he's ever dealt with before.
07:10You know what, David?
07:11You're also missing this.
07:12And it's been a couple years since we had this with Perk.
07:14His favorite mocktail is that skinny Luka.
07:17And we're getting it this summer.
07:18He's going to be drinking a lot of skinny Luka mocktails.
07:21Big Perk is going to have those ready.
07:22All right.
07:23With Marcus Smart now in the lineup, the Lakers get some much-needed depth.
07:27So, Perk, I hear something caught your eye.
07:29I'm Kendrick Perkis, better known as Big Perk.
07:34And nothing gets past me.
07:36Freeze!
07:36Just when you thought it did get past me, there I am.
07:40I spy a problem.
07:42I spy it all.
07:44Tear the hell off.
07:45And I do.
07:54And I do.
07:55And, you know, we have this term in my neighborhood.
07:58We have this term in my neighborhood that game recognized game.
08:02And Luka recognized game because he's played against Marcus Smart.
08:06Marcus Smart and him has battled a lot through his young career.
08:10And he knows, he knows what it feels like to battle a former defensive player of the year.
08:15This is Luka's spot.
08:16Against anybody else in the NBA, I want you to look.
08:20This low post area right here.
08:22Look at Marcus Smart being able to take the contact.
08:25Being able to hold his ground without fouling.
08:28And make Luka take a tough contested side.
08:31Here it go again.
08:32Marcus Smart being the pest that he is.
08:34Making Luka uncomfortable.
08:36Forcing him to a tough contested two-point shot.
08:39Luka saying, I know what this guy is going to bring.
08:42I know the tenacity that he has.
08:44In Marcus Smart, in Luka's career, against Marcus Smart, he has shot 29.7% when Marcus Smart is the closest defender.
08:54Again, game recognized game.
08:56It's the reason Luka hopped his ass on that telephone to call Marcus Smart because he knows what he's going to bring to the table.
09:03Yeah, I don't think there's any question about that.
09:04I think Marcus Smart is excited.
09:06But, Dave, you kind of alluded to it earlier.
09:08How much of an impact can Smart have?
09:09Considering, look, he hasn't played 60-plus games in three seasons.
09:14Which is a great point to point out, George.
09:16But, obviously, he wasn't in the best situations in Memphis because of the injuries they suffered as a total team.
09:22And in Washington.
09:25I don't even want to call them Washington.
09:26He was with the Washington Izzards.
09:28You can't use the letter W.
09:30They weren't trying to win.
09:31He was so excited to be in the Lakers facility yesterday.
09:35It was like he got a new lease on life.
09:37He's back in a winning situation.
09:39Yeah, he's on the other side of the Celtics-Lakers robbery, of course.
09:42But he recognizes that both those franchises play to win perennially.
09:47And I think just that kind of effervescent attitude will do a lot for this group.
09:53He looks at it like we got a chance.
09:55I asked him.
09:56The West is stacked.
09:57Yeah.
09:57And he said, well, I would stack us up against anybody else in the West.
10:00We have no ceiling.
10:01That, to me, that energy, that confidence will do a lot.
10:05Getting this ball rolling in the right direction from day one of training.
10:09Yeah, listen.
10:10I had Marcus Smart on the radio show on 710 ESPN here in L.A.
10:13And I asked him about that Wizards situation specifically.
10:16He looked.
10:17Izards.
10:17Izards, sorry.
10:18He talked about the finger being a real issue, obviously.
10:21But I asked him, look, sometimes these teams, in their situation, they want to play the young
10:27guys and make sure that those guys get some running.
10:29And he kind of laughed a little and says, yeah, you know, it's a different circumstance
10:32when you're playing on a team like that.
10:34So, anyway, all right, Marcus Smart isn't the only guy to play for both the Celtics and
10:40the Lakers.
10:41Shaq is an all-time Lakers great, winning three titles, three finals MVPs, and a regular season
10:46MVP in L.A.
10:46He also played his final 37 games of his career for Boston and going for 9-5 in that stretch.
10:54Then Rajon Rondo, one of two players to win titles with both the Celtics and the Lakers,
10:58joining Clyde Lovelette.
11:00A young Rondo won a title with Perk back in 08 on the Celtics and then again in the bubble
11:05with the Lakers.
11:07And then lastly, Isaiah Thomas finished fifth in the MVP voting for the 16-17 Celtics by
11:12scoring nearly 29 points per game and trailing only MVP Russell Westbrook in clutch time
11:17scoring.
11:17He also averaged 14 a game in 21 games for the Lakers later in his career.
11:22All right, Perk, let me ask you a question.
11:26And this is a tough one because you know people are watching because they're always watching.
11:30Would you have suited up one more season if the Lakers would have come calling?
11:38You're damn right I would have.
11:40You're damn right.
11:41Especially for the vet minimum, suit me up.
11:45And I would have did my role to the tee.
11:47And that's sitting on the bench and being the extension of whatever coach they had at
11:51the time.
11:52You're damn right I would have suited up for the Lakers.
11:54All right, fair enough, Perk.
11:55I love it.
11:56You keep it 100 all the time.
11:57All right, the second half of the W season kicked off last night.
12:00That calls for a little WNBA today.
12:03Let's start with the dream.
12:05Visiting the Las Vegas Aces.
12:08Asia Wilson and company.
12:10Get ready.
12:11So Dana Evans with the dish here to Asia.
12:14Pull up from the elbow.
12:17The Aces are going to 16-2 run.
12:19Four minutes into the third quarter.
12:21Aces leading.
12:22Wilson gets the rebound here.
12:24The kick out to Jewel Lloyd.
12:26And the finish there.
12:27Aces go on to win 87-72.
12:29Wilson 24-12-5.
12:33Next, we've got the sky visiting the links.
12:35Angel Reese trying to back down Nafisa Collier.
12:37Nope.
12:37Not happening there.
12:39Not again.
12:40No.
12:40And then in this case, Cardoza's going to get some from Nafisa Collier.
12:46Here we go.
12:47Courtney Williams on the drive.
12:48The dish to Collier here with the finish on the layup.
12:50Ladies loving it as the links lead by nine at the half.
12:53Halfway through the third.
12:54Links up 18.
12:55McBride to Collier.
12:57Left-hand layup.
12:58What a finish by Collier.
13:00Links went on to win 91-68.
13:03Collier with 19.
13:04Wings and Storm.
13:07All right.
13:07So check this out.
13:08Watch Neka Gumake.
13:10As she gets into it here.
13:11Gets pushed down by Luisa Giesel Soder.
13:15And she takes her down then on the other side and gets in her face.
13:18Like, no, I'm not taking that.
13:21So the teams have a little extracurricular activity after that.
13:25Both got technicals.
13:29Neka got hit with a flag or one foul.
13:31Paige Beckers hits the turnaround jumper here.
13:33Beckers finishes with 14-6.
13:35Wings get the victory 87-63.
13:37And the game of the night.
13:40Fever and Liberty.
13:41Jonquil Jones back in the lineup after missing significant time with an ankle injury.
13:44No Kaitlin Clark in this one.
13:46Brianna Stewart misses the jumper.
13:48But Jones there for the putback.
13:49And one.
13:50Jones finishes with 18-9 in a return.
13:52And then in the fourth, it was all Sabrina.
13:54Yonescu, the pull-up jumper from the elbow.
13:57Next, the Liberty here.
13:59Cuts back door.
14:00Yonescu.
14:01Next Liberty possession.
14:02Yonescu.
14:03Another three.
14:04This one contested.
14:07Yonescu, again, less than a minute later, gets it on the wing.
14:10Hits another three.
14:12Sabrina.
14:13Finished with 13 in this one.
14:15Here's more after the game.
14:18Yonescu intenta triple.
14:19Triple.
14:20So, Sabrina Yonescu.
14:22Sabrina enloqueció.
14:24Sabrina Zaduega de Nueva York.
14:26Sabrina Yonescu.
14:29So, there was this Spanish call.
14:31Muy bien.
14:32As New York wins 98-84.
14:35The Liberty have now won four straight.
14:37And with Emma Niesermann signed with the defending champs, they're a plus-155 favorite to repeat.
14:42They are followed by the Lynx at plus-200.
14:44Then the Mercury at plus-550.
14:46Here's Malika Andrews and the countdown crew with more on the New York Liberty.
14:51Well, this is different.
14:52Today, we're here as friends of NBA today.
14:54And as the WNBA countdown crew, alongside Carolyn Peck, Shanae Ogumike, let's dive into this New York Liberty team.
15:00Because for the first half of their game against the Indiana Fever, we thought, okay, maybe they're getting their sea legs under them a little bit.
15:06And then in the second half here, Coach, they really started to look like the championship team we all have come to expect.
15:11Do you expect – are looking for them at this point to be the repeat champion?
15:14Is that what you're seeing?
15:15I think they have everything that they need.
15:17Look, the New York Liberty, they've got length.
15:20They can dominate in the paint.
15:21They did so tonight with 42 points.
15:23They also have length that can shoot the basketball.
15:25They were 50% from the three-point line, and they've got closers, whether that be a J.J. with a big bucket, a Leona Feebush, and they've got Sabrina Ionescu.
15:34And so when you've got that total experience to go along with the length that they have, I think that makes New York very dangerous.
15:41And the rich get richer.
15:42There's a new kid on the block, Emma Mieseman.
15:45How is this fair, y'all?
15:46She's a two-time All-Star.
15:48She is a Finals MVP.
15:49And now they can unlock a potential death lineup.
15:52I want you guys to look at this starting lineup because this right here is the reigning champs.
15:56You can add Emma Mieseman into this lineup and now in for Leona Feebush.
16:00And take a look at this.
16:02Now at the power forward position, you can play Stewie at the three, J.J. at the center, and then you have Mieseman, whose resume is elite.
16:102019 WBA Finals MVP, three-time EuroLeague MVP.
16:14And she averaged the most points in the 2024 Olympics at over 23 a game.
16:20But her name is Emma Mieseman, and the M stands for mid-range monster for plays like this.
16:25If you're unfamiliar with her game, you're going to learn real quick.
16:27She's excellent posting up.
16:29And again, she's patient.
16:30She's a coach's dream because she does not waste dribbles, a.k.a. she does not use dribbles.
16:34You see the little cute little dream shake or Candice Parker strike?
16:37As well, it knocks down the mid-range shot.
16:39But then again, if you leave her alone, you're trying to find help, you're going to Candice Parker.
16:42Instead, you leave Mieseman open, she will make you pay.
16:45She dials it up from three.
16:47And then again, she is a very versatile player.
16:49Her last season was Chicago 12, 6, and 4, four assists.
16:53She's able to see the cutter.
16:54Extremely versatile.
16:55She is an engine for Belgium nationally.
16:57But now, coming back to the W, the rich once again get richer.
17:01Life is not fair.
17:02It is not fair for the rest of the 12 WNBA teams.
17:04But the other thing that I like about Emma's game is she's that blue-collar worker.
17:08She will go get you a rebound when you need it.
17:11You saw her when she was in the league diving on the floor after loose basketballs or finding
17:16herself in the right place for that putback.
17:18And I think rebounding is a key area that New York's going to have to be very good with
17:24in order to go after repeating as champions.
17:26But Alexa Philippou reported on NBA Today this week that maybe it could still take a couple
17:31of weeks here for the visa process to go through.
17:34But we were chatting before recording this here, Coach, and you said that with or without
17:38Meesemann, you're still looking at the New York Liberty.
17:40I think that when J.J. gets her legs back under, I think that that's key.
17:44I think a key part for New York is rim protection or paint protection.
17:49And I think that's what you get from having J.J.
17:52And especially when she's playing bully J.J., I think that New York is hard to deal with.
17:57It's unfair.
17:58We saw the first possession of the game with J.J. back after missing nine straight.
18:01She goes in, she gets triple-tiered, she pops out for three and then knocks down a three.
18:05And then, obviously, in the first half, one for seven.
18:07But then she turns it on in the second.
18:09You said once she gets her legs under, she had 18 points, nine rebounds.
18:13Like, this team understands the assignment.
18:15Each one of their critical players are getting better.
18:17Or even Sabrina Unescu coming on strong late with a three-point shot.
18:21There was a lot of emotion.
18:22And that's what you need when you're trying to repeat.
18:24You want to make each season feel fresh.
18:25And now adding these new players adds to that energy.
18:28It's that care.
18:29It's that finding that need to dig deep and finding that dog, right, for lack of a better term.
18:33Well, that's in Tasha Clive.
18:34Yeah, I was going to say, that's the dog.
18:36Digging in and finding a little bit of that dog, right?
18:39And making sure you've got that.
18:43You know what?
18:44Last night with Jimmy Fallon and CP, Chris Paul and Bradley Beal are officially Los Angeles Clippers.
18:50Both players have worn the number three their entire careers.
18:53But Beal has already said CP3 will take it for his 21st season.
18:57So, Perk, how do you see the Clippers utilizing Bradley Beal?
19:04I mean, I think he's going to be doing – I think he's going to do fine offensively.
19:09To be honest, he has no choice.
19:11I think this right here, this stint right here with the Clippers is going to determine the future of Bradley Beal.
19:17And he's on the clock right now.
19:19And he has no excuses not to flourish in this offense, especially when having a coach like Ty Lue who maxed out guys.
19:28We saw it last year.
19:29He maxed out Big Zubac.
19:31You saw Norman Powell have a career year under Ty Lue, and we're seeing James Harden be one of the best facilitators last season.
19:40But over the last three seasons, this is on Bradley Beal how he's going to be utilized.
19:45Bradley Beal has to come in and do his part.
19:48The team is going to put him in position to be successful.
19:51But, again, he's on the clock.
19:52I think this stint right here is going to determine the future of his career.
19:55Dave, let me ask you this here.
19:58How can they not fall into the same traps that maybe Phoenix did in that situation?
20:04Or how can he play differently and the Clippers can handle this situation differently than Phoenix might have?
20:08Well, first of all, Phoenix didn't really have a point guard.
20:11That was the problem.
20:12They brought in Tyus last year, but the first year it was switching.
20:14Now it's your turn, KD.
20:16Now it's your turn, Bradley Beal.
20:18Now it's your turn, Devin Booker.
20:19I think the team construction makes more sense for Bradley Beal here, but to me it just comes down to, like, this guy, 13 years in the NBA, three-time All-Star, more than $318 million in career earnings, and three playoff series that he's won in that time.
20:37So he's finally in a situation, theoretically, where he can go on a deep playoff run.
20:42And let me tell you, I've had the good fortune of covering championship teams with the Lakers and the Cavaliers in my time, many finals teams as well.
20:52There's nothing like being part of a team and playing round after round after round.
20:57It really makes you closer with your teammates, and it's the pinnacle NBA experience.
21:01I think if he can experience that with the Clippers here, he may have found his final home in the NBA.
21:08David Dennis Jr.
21:08The best thing that the Clippers got with Bradley Beal, and a lot of their moves that they did this offseason, was they have a lot of wild cards now.
21:18Now, Bradley Beal was not a guy who would be for a big three.
21:22We saw that with Phoenix, where you can have three guys with the offensive skill set that can carry a team with a lot of deficiencies.
21:28He's not being asked to do that.
21:31He's going to score well with this team, and a lot of other players will too.
21:34But what you get from Bradley Beal is a guy who, on a given playoff night, game five, game six, he can swing that series.
21:41He can give you 35 on one of those nights.
21:44Chris Paul can have a perfect Chris Paul game on one of those nights.
21:47What you have with the Clippers is a lot of versatility, and a lot of guys who come playoff time can swing the tenor of an entire series.
21:55Don't tell me the Clippers could not have used a guy like Bradley Beal in game seven when everything was falling apart.
22:00If he gets hot in a close playoff series, he could be the difference between the Clippers falling apart and having a miracle win, because you have, again, one of those guys as a wild card.
22:11Well, you know, I think the interesting part, and you mentioned it, Dave, was certainly the roster construction, I think, is much more beneficial for Bradley Beal.
22:17But the one thing none of you guys mentioned, and you started to allude to it in regards to career earnings, he can get paid again, okay?
22:23My man's only 32, 33 years old.
22:26He's got one more contract in him.
22:27There's a lot of motivation there for sure.
22:30All right, the Clippers over-under win total as a team has been set at 47.5 at ESPN Bet Sportsbook, six highest in the West behind the Thunder, Rockets, Nuggets, Wolves, and Lakers.
22:42So, David Dennis Jr., where do you put the Clippers in the West?
22:47I'm putting the Clippers in the second half of the playoff picture in the West.
22:52I'm not doing this thing with the Clippers again.
22:54I put all my chips in the middle on the Clippers last year, and I went bankrupt, banking on Kawhi Leonard, banking on James Harden, thinking that these guys were going to come through in the playoffs.
23:04I have a lot of questions about this team this year.
23:07Yes, they have a lot of talent.
23:09The age is one thing, but I'm not going to assume that we're going to get a healthy Kawhi Leonard for a lot of years.
23:13I'm not going to assume that James Harden is suddenly going to show up in the playoffs in a way that we have not seen before.
23:19I was wrong about the Clippers at the beginning of the year when the over-under was 35 games.
23:24Then I went all in on the Clippers.
23:26It was wrong.
23:26This one, I'm going to temper my expectations on them.
23:29I know a lot of people are excited.
23:30I'm looking at this Clippers team to be anywhere from five to play in in the West because I don't expect a healthy total season with the age of all the guys they have on that roster.
23:39Yeah, I mean, David, first of all, I agree with that.
23:42Oh, go ahead, Dave.
23:43I'm sorry.
23:44Well, you got it, Perk.
23:45No, go ahead, Dave.
23:46Go ahead.
23:46I want to hear what you got to say.
23:47Go ahead.
23:48I'm just going to say, first of all, David, perfect metaphor, putting your chips in the middle of the table, talking about the Clippers,
23:52because we know Ty Lue is spending his whole offseason in Vegas enjoying his time at the R.A.
23:58But really, when it comes down to the Clippers, I think six best, I think, was their odds.
24:03That makes sense.
24:03I think they'll be in the five to eight range.
24:05And they have depth, I think you could say, one through ten, that you could put that roster up with any other team in the Western Conference.
24:13The problem is some of that depth is older guys like Batum, like Chris Paul, like Brooke Lopez, and even Bradley Beal, who's younger,
24:22was not very available these last few years in Phoenix.
24:25And so can – and the guy we see on screen, too, Kawhi Leonard.
24:29I mean, the biggest question since 2018 is Kawhi Leonard and can he stay on the floor for the Clippers.
24:34So, to me, if they can get maximum health out of those guys, they have a shot maybe to creep up from the five to eight range
24:41to the, you know, maybe two through four.
24:44He's not going to be the number one.
24:46But I would say there is a legitimate question mark about the age of some of their role players.
24:51Perk?
24:53I'm with both guys.
24:55I'm with David and Dave.
24:56I see them at the bottom part of the West, meaning five through eight.
25:00And here's why.
25:01While other teams were out there going and getting younger at the most important position in the NBA, the wing position,
25:08the Clippers got older.
25:10Like, you have to be able to slide those puppies on the perimeter and defend at a high level.
25:15I can't put all my chips in the middle of the table banking that CP3, James Harden, Bradley Beal,
25:21and an uncertain Kawhi is going to get stops.
25:24Obviously, OKC is there.
25:26You have to respect them.
25:27They have set the bar.
25:29But when you look at a team like the Houston Rockets, they're loaded with what?
25:33Wings, athleticism, youth.
25:35It's a reason that A.M. Thompson wasn't available when they were trying to get Kevin Durant.
25:41It's a reason why the Rockets held on to a guy like Tari Eason, who's another elite wing defender.
25:48Hell, they just picked up another wing yesterday off of Wavers and a Kogi.
25:52So that's what you need to load up for.
25:55That's what the directions.
25:56No rebounds, no rings, but no wings, no wings, no rings when it comes down to defending.
26:02So you've got to be able to defend at a high level.
26:06Perk, you're a poet and didn't even know it, man.
26:08That's how this works today here, apparently, on this show.
26:10All right.
26:11Well, in order for the Clippers to make noise out in the West, they will have to mesh together.
26:16And, fellas, there are a few things in this world that work together better than this.
26:21But today is National Peanut Butter and Chocolate Day.
26:25And I know Peanut Butter and Jelly gets all the love for the best duo out there.
26:29The pairing of Peanut Butter and Chocolate, I think they give PB&J a little run, okay?
26:33That's just me.
26:34But let's take a look at this little metaphor here.
26:37We know that SGA and J-Dub deserve the top spot and the respect as the best duo as the reigning champs.
26:43But what duo is kind of nipping at their heels here, a la Peanut Butter and Chocolate, Perk?
26:50You know what?
26:51I'm going to go to the East, and I'm going to go with some other young dogs.
26:55I'm going to go with Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley.
26:58I feel like this is going to be their year.
27:00I know last year, right, things didn't end how they wanted it to end.
27:05But I think those two guys are going to help lead the Cavs to where they're trying to go this season.
27:11And they learned from having a disappointing season last year in the postseason.
27:16I'm looking at Donovan Mitchell, still one of the most elite perimeter players in the game.
27:21We saw the strides that Evan Mobley took last year, winning defensive player of the year,
27:26making his first-time All-Star appearance.
27:28He's going to continue to grow under Kenny Atkinson.
27:31I'm looking at those two to be on SGA and J-Dub heels and duplicate somewhat,
27:36just from a small and big standpoint, what they've done, what SGA and J-Dub done this year
27:42in helping OKC capture their first championship.
27:45That's a pretty good one, Perk.
27:46David Dennis Jr., what do you got?
27:49Well, first of all, when we're talking about the Clippers,
27:52we were talking about them being in the 5 or 8.
27:53I think Peanut Butter and Chocolate should be more close to the 5 to 8 than number 2 right now.
27:58Behind Peanut Butter and Jelly.
27:59First of all, you ain't salt and caramel.
28:01You ain't caramel, apple.
28:02You ain't popcorn.
28:03Reese's Peanut Butter Cut.
28:05That's a classic candy.
28:06A little bit too much on peanut butter and chocolate right now.
28:10That's my first objection with the whole thing.
28:12Second of all, I don't even, back to what Perk was saying,
28:15I don't think that where he was talking about the best duo in the East,
28:18I think the best duo in the East and the second best in the league
28:21is actually Brunson and Carl Anthony Towns for what they've done.
28:25We saw last season, offensively, they were unstoppable for large portions in that season,
28:30especially when they got that pick and roll going.
28:32They didn't utilize it enough.
28:33Now you bring Mike Brown into that organization,
28:36a guy who is going to move the ball around,
28:38who's going to go a little bit more of the pick and roll,
28:40a little bit more of those handoffs.
28:41We already saw at their height,
28:43those guys had those five 20-point games each in one series.
28:47We haven't seen that since Shaq and Kobe.
28:49I think they're going to level up offensively this year
28:52and be the best, second best duo in the league
28:54and the best duo in the Eastern Conference.
28:56I'll talk about a duo we haven't seen yet.
28:58Houston Rockets with Alperin Shingun and Kevin Durant.
29:02Maybe Jokic and one of the greatest scorers we've ever seen.
29:05Big boy Jokic, he benefits by having that spacer,
29:09that gunner in Jamal Murray.
29:10Well, how about Jamal Murray, who's 6'11",
29:13and Kevin Durant with something to prove
29:16after the debacle that was Phoenix.
29:18I think they're tough as heck,
29:20and you add up their averages last year,
29:22you're talking about 45 points, 16 rebounds, 9 assists.
29:26They can get it done in a variety of ways offensively.
29:29One guy can be the screener,
29:30the other can be the guy with the ball or vice versa.
29:33And I want to see what Emeo Doka does with those two.
29:35Listen, I'm going to go with a little bit of an older mix here.
29:39Luka Doncic, not old, right?
29:41LeBron James.
29:42All right, LeBron James, what we saw last year
29:44from Christmas on regarding his defense.
29:47Night in, night out.
29:48He was the best defender with the Lakers.
29:50And then I think, I'm with you, Perk,
29:52I think this is a Luka MVP type year.
29:54So I'm going to go nipping at the heels of SGA,
29:56and J-Dub, I'm going to go LeBron and Luka.
29:59All right, coming up,
30:00hitting interview with Vijay Edgecombe.
30:04Sixers rookie.
30:04What's your favorite cereal?
30:10Ah, my favorite cereal?
30:11Ah, Lucky Charms.
30:12What's your favorite cartoon while you were growing up?
30:14Spongebob.
30:15Who's your goat?
30:16My goat, LeBron.
30:19David Dennis Jr., did he go three for three?
30:21Vijay?
30:24You know, I'm not a Lucky Charms person,
30:26but I understand the kids like it.
30:28You know, I think he's pretty good here.
30:30Three for three, Spongebob.
30:31LeBron can't go wrong.
30:32But, you know, I'm more of a Frosted Flakes,
30:35Fruit Loop guy myself,
30:36but Lucky Charms is not so bad.
30:37That's the first sign.
30:38There's no peanut butter and chocolate in it.
30:40That's the first sign of you getting old,
30:42saying the kids like it.
30:43Welcome to the club, David Dennis Jr.
30:45That's all I'll say.
30:47All right, next up, Lance Stevenson
30:49dropped in on Carmelo Anthony's podcast
30:52to revisit one fan's unforgettable reaction
30:55to blowing in LeBron James' ear.
30:57Let's take a listen.
30:58I ain't gonna lie, y'all.
30:59I regret it.
31:01You regret it?
31:02Because, no, I was at a club, right?
31:05Okay.
31:06So, I came in the club late.
31:09I didn't want to get no section or nothing.
31:10I ain't wasting no money.
31:11So, I go to the bar.
31:12I'm standing in the bar.
31:13Some drunk dude coming.
31:15Ah!
31:17What the?
31:19All right, yo, what the?
31:20Yo.
31:22Yo, yo, you crazy, bro.
31:23Hey, yo.
31:25That's how LeBron felt.
31:26How do you like that?
31:27Yo, Perk, I'm not mad at the fan there.
31:31How about you?
31:31How do you feel about it?
31:34I'm not mad either.
31:35This is, look, when we think of Lance Stevenson,
31:37we think of him as being the instigator.
31:39This is one of the most, like, legendary moments
31:43in playoff history right there.
31:44They were at war.
31:46Now, I wouldn't have done it,
31:47but damn it, that's just who Lance is.
31:49Yeah, I remember that moment perfectly, man.
31:52That was one of the, to your point, Perk.
31:54When that happened, I remember everybody just laughing out.
31:56Even LeBron couldn't help but laugh on that one.
31:58All right, next up, Tyrese Halliburton
32:00joined the Pat McAfee Show
32:02and shared what he was thinking
32:03going into playing Game 7 of the NBA Finals
32:06despite his injuries leading into it.
32:09I meet with the whole front office,
32:12our whole organization,
32:13a lot of doctors who are much smarter than me
32:16who tell me that I have a calf strain,
32:18I got some more swelling in the area,
32:20and if it was the regular season,
32:22that I would have to sit a couple weeks.
32:24And so I'm sitting there and I'm like,
32:26well, as long as you guys don't tell me
32:27you guys are absolutely, you can't play,
32:30we're going to keep you in your house.
32:31I'm going to play.
32:32It's the NBA Finals.
32:33What are we talking about?
32:33So I go to Game 7.
32:35I feel nothing.
32:36I feel great going into the game.
32:38I think that's why I had such a great start to the game.
32:40My body felt great.
32:42And then obviously, you know, that happens.
32:44There's like a notion when guys get injured
32:46or when this has happened so many times
32:47that everybody thinks that they have the answer
32:49as to why this is happening.
32:50Everybody thinks we play too many games,
32:53play too many minutes.
32:55All those things could be true,
32:56but I don't think that that is what is causing these injuries.
33:00So, David, what's your reaction to Hallie's approach
33:03to playing in Game 7?
33:06Yeah, I mean, most people would do that.
33:08Ten times out of ten, you ask anybody,
33:10do you have a chance to win a championship?
33:12Nobody says that, you know,
33:13this is an impending injury guarantee
33:15that you're going to tear this thing.
33:16Even if you do, a lot of guys will go out there
33:18and try to play that game.
33:19It's still one of the most heartbreaking injuries
33:22I could think of watching live.
33:25And Halliburton, shout out to him,
33:26was handling it like a champ,
33:27and he's going to come back better than ever, I think.
33:29Yeah, the whole building was in shock.
33:31It felt like in both teams after it happened,
33:33at least initially.
33:34All right, finally, let's take a listen
33:36to Nikola Jokic's reaction
33:38to Trailblazers' Young Hanson,
33:41his request for an autograph from the Joker.
33:46Nikola Jokic is my idol,
33:48so if you meet him in the regular season,
33:50what question would you ask him?
33:51He's good.
34:02He's good.
34:03I think I'm happy when he gets in the prime
34:06that I'm going to be out of the league,
34:08probably in two, no, I'm not, actually.
34:13Interesting.
34:14All right, DDJ,
34:15how many years do you think we'll see
34:18the lightning strike in Denver?
34:22Well, first of all, Young,
34:23you better watch what he asked for.
34:25I met Perk, asked him for autographs.
34:26The man charged me $50,
34:27so you got to watch out
34:28when you ask for autographs out there.
34:30You never know what's going to happen.
34:31But, you know, I think Jokic,
34:33Jokic's going to be there for a while.
34:35I mean, Jokic is still in the prime.
34:37He's got championships to win.
34:38We don't have to worry about Jokic
34:39going anywhere for a while
34:41because this dude is not slowing down.
34:45I would give Jokic
34:47probably another four, max, five years.
34:50Jokic seemed like a guy that,
34:53you know, hey, he's going to try to compete.
34:55He's going to get another contract.
34:56And after that,
34:57he's going to go back to his hometown
34:59and go back to dealing with his horses.
35:02That seemed like that would bring him,
35:04that's what would bring him the most joy.
35:08But again, we appreciate Jokic
35:10while he's here.
35:11One of the greatest centers
35:12to ever play the game of basketball.
35:14Most skilled center
35:15to ever touch the damn basketball.
35:17I mean, he's having fun this summer
35:18as you see Perk at the pool,
35:20playing some soccer with his brothers.
35:21His brother, by the way,
35:22was at Summer League through the end,
35:24through the championship game,
35:25watching some hoop.
35:26So, but I'm with you, Perk.
35:28I think it's going to be
35:29one more contract,
35:30four or five years,
35:31whatever it is.
35:32And then he can buy
35:32all the horses he wants in Serbia,
35:34to be honest with you.
35:35He'll be able to own all the horses
35:36if he wants.
35:37All right.
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