- 23 hours ago
Chase Hughes joins the show to preview the NBA Finals matchup between the Spurs and Knicks and the upcoming Draft headlined by the Wizards.
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00:00And if it ain't right, if it ain't rude, Brian, if it ain't rude, it ain't right, baby.
00:04That's right.
00:05Yeah, you kind of, you butchered that one, though.
00:09You had a good weekend?
00:10Yeah.
00:11Jumping on the rude guest hotline now to welcome in our friend, Mr. Chase Hughes.
00:15Chase, what's up, buddy?
00:16What's up, brother?
00:18Not much, guys.
00:19I hope it was a good weekend.
00:20Thanks for having me on.
00:21Oh, yeah.
00:22Dude, let's start with what we saw, the Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.
00:28What did you make of that game?
00:30What did you make of that series?
00:32Well, first of all, just the emotion that Wemby showed after winning was incredible to watch.
00:38You know, don't see that very often where a guy breaks down like that and is just so appreciative of
00:44the moment to make the finals.
00:47Certainly, we see that when guys win it all.
00:49But it's just incredible.
00:50This is the guy's first playoff run, and he's leading a team into the finals.
00:54You know, obviously, they beat a Thunder team that was banged up, was missing their second-best player.
00:59And Jalen Williams and their best bench scorer.
01:03But this Spurs team has arrived much earlier than anyone expected, and I think the result is going to be
01:08about as good of a finals matchup as you could come up with this year with the young, future, potential,
01:14greatest player of all time.
01:16I don't think it's lofty to say that.
01:18Going against New York and playing in the Garden against a Knicks team that hasn't been on this stage since
01:241999.
01:25It's going to be incredible TV.
01:27Do you think, like, a lot of people are looking at this game, and I guess going into the playoffs,
01:33I looked at it where whoever came from the West was going to win the title.
01:36New York has destroyed people, road-graded them, and they've been resting a long time.
01:42Do you think they have a chance?
01:44I definitely think they have a chance.
01:46I mean, I think it's a good point people have made that, you know, LeBron and Shaq just got –
01:52they flamed out very quickly the first time they got to the finals.
01:54So even if you're going to be a, you know, future top-five player all time, it doesn't mean you're
01:58ready to win right now.
02:00But what San Antonio did to Oklahoma City on the defensive end was incredible, especially with SGA.
02:07I mean, I don't think people fully understand how special his, like, scoring and shooting numbers are, like, comparative to
02:14other guards, like, really throughout the history of the game.
02:16I mean, he's, like, 6'6", but he shoots over 50% from the field.
02:20Yes.
02:20Everyone talks about the free throws, but, like, look at what he does from three-point range.
02:24And the Spurs, like, basically completely shut him down.
02:27He shot under 40% from the field.
02:30You know, what they can do on the perimeter with their physical guards just to provide resistance before you meet
02:36Wemby at the rim is amazing.
02:38And that was SGA, who's 6'6".
02:40Now Jalen Brunson is going to have to deal with that defense, and he's 6'2".
02:45But, you know, I would say New York has a chance.
02:48Not only did they run through teams, as you said, they have the best defense in the playoffs so far
02:54based on defensive rating.
02:55But also Jalen Brunson is just someone you don't want to bet against.
02:58This guy has won at every level.
03:00He won in high school.
03:01He went to college at Villanova.
03:03He won two titles.
03:04He was the best player on the second team that won a title, yet he was still a second-round
03:08pick.
03:08The Mavs picked him the same year they picked Luka, by the way, first and second round.
03:12Incredible.
03:13And so this guy's been bet against, you know, every step of the way, especially in the NBA.
03:17He just keeps winning.
03:18So he's definitely not someone I would bet against at any level of basketball.
03:23It's very interesting because a lot of the conversation, particularly in the Spurs-Thunder series, came about flopping.
03:30And I feel like Brunson has some of that in his game, too.
03:35I think maybe the biggest two problems in the NBA right now are flopping and tanking.
03:39The league has taken a pretty active position to try to stop tanking going forward.
03:45What do you think the league could do about flopping?
03:50Yeah, you know, it's a great question because Adam Silver has taken a very different tune with those two things,
03:57right?
03:57He's made it very clear he does not like tanking.
04:00And we just saw the new rules that got voted in, and they're very punitive to try to get rid
04:05of tanking.
04:06But he was also asked recently about flopping, and he downplayed it pretty significantly.
04:10So if he doesn't see it as a problem, I doubt much will change anytime soon.
04:15It's a fascinating subject, really.
04:17There's so many more possessions in the game today.
04:19But if you look at free throw attempts per game, there's really not that many.
04:23Like, there's been many eras of the NBA where there were significantly more free throws per game on fewer possessions.
04:30And it's kind of, like, crazy when you do the math in your head.
04:33You're like, how are there 10 more free throws a game, you know, 40 years ago and fewer possessions at
04:38the same time?
04:38Like, it doesn't even compute.
04:40And then, you know, you look at a team like the Thunder, and yes, some of it I think we
04:45would all agree is egregious, right?
04:46The one play in Game 7 where SGA, you know, does a pump fake.
04:50I think it was Devin Fassell who went past him, and then he sort of, like, lunges to his left
04:54when he would have had an open three.
04:55It's like, come on.
04:56Like, no one wants to see that unless you live in Oklahoma City.
04:59But the numbers don't really bear it out that it's, like, a huge problem, that it's, like, swinging games.
05:04So, I would imagine that's in the back of Adam Silver's mind.
05:07So, I don't think mathematically it's, like, a problem.
05:10It's just aesthetically people keep complaining about it.
05:12And if they continue to complain, maybe something will change.
05:15I think when you look at it sometimes, the guy, the defensive player that jumps into the air, you're out
05:20of control.
05:21And I think the offensive player can take advantage of you.
05:24The flopping thing, every time a guy falls, he gets touched.
05:28So, they can call a foul on the play.
05:30You know, sometimes it can be an excessive.
05:32But I just think the play where you saw the guy, what's the guy with the little cornrow that look
05:37like he got nappy hair?
05:39Tall, light-skinned dude, he's a rookie for the Spurs.
05:43He ran straight to SGA, caught a bryant, and just threw a form.
05:48That should have been a, what's called it?
05:51Flagrant two.
05:51Flagrant two.
05:52And they said, oh, no, it's just a regular foul.
05:55B.S.
05:56And I have never seen a play.
05:58Like, the Spurs was doing this the whole game.
06:01Like, people got to say, it ain't the players.
06:03It's the referees that don't hold up to them.
06:06They were using two hands, pushing people in the back to do a pick.
06:10That's not how you pick.
06:11Pick you, stand up, let them run into you.
06:13They were shoving, and they never called one foul on it.
06:16So, if the league is not going to call true fouls, you're going to have players in situating stuff.
06:21Point blank.
06:23Yeah, and look, it works, right?
06:26You know, getting to the free-throw line, it helps.
06:28I mean, SGA has said it before.
06:29It's the most efficient way to score if you can get to the free-throw line.
06:34But I think it really comes down to if it's a basketball player or not.
06:37If a guy is, like, jumping in the wrong direction just to draw contact, no one wants to see that.
06:43Obviously, if you get a guy up in the air and you can get a foul out of that, then
06:47that works.
06:47But I think some of it needs to be, they need to take a closer look at how they can
06:52get rid of just some of the non-basketball plays.
06:54Yeah, because I tell you, I look at it's a highlight reel on the line right now of LeBron James.
06:59He doesn't even get touched.
07:02And he'll fall opposite the way, but the guy wouldn't even, didn't touch him, and they wouldn't call a foul
07:07on that.
07:08That's the type of stuff I think you got to get rid of.
07:09If I'm shooting and you hit me down low, oh, I'm going to fall and see if the ref is
07:14going to call a call.
07:15I think what SGA does may look a little messed up, but they foul him on the play.
07:20And they may not foul him as hard as many people think you have to do the foul, but LeBron
07:24didn't even get touched.
07:25He's been doing that for 20 damn years.
07:27He's the king.
07:27He's at the mountaintop of flopping.
07:29We're talking with our friend Chase Hughes here on the Rude Guest Hotline.
07:32You can give Chase a follow at ChaseDCSports.
07:36Do you have a prediction for this thing?
07:38Do you think the Spurs win it?
07:39Do you think the Knicks could actually pull it off?
07:44Man, I keep going back and forth on it.
07:47I'll go with the Knicks.
07:50I'll go back to the Jalen Brunson thing.
07:52Yeah, I don't know how he's going to shoot floaters over Victor Wimbignam.
07:57Score to score some of the ways he likes to score.
07:59But they are just a freight train right now.
08:04They've been defending really well.
08:06They've got a lot of depth.
08:09I'm going to go with them.
08:10I think their home court advantage will be a big deal.
08:12I think as long as they get one of the first two games, of course, the series is starting in
08:16San Antonio.
08:18MSG is going to be electric.
08:20I'm going to go with the Knicks.
08:22Again, it really comes down to Jalen Brunson.
08:24He just makes plays when they need to be made.
08:27And this guy's been doing it for a long time.
08:29So I'll side slightly with them.
08:31All right.
08:31I can't wait for it.
08:33I want to switch things now.
08:34It's June 1st.
08:35The NBA draft, I believe, is June 23rd.
08:38So we're about three weeks out.
08:40Where are we at, dude?
08:42Wiz hold the number one pick.
08:44Beamich and I were talking the other day about what is realistic in a trade.
08:49And I like DeBansa a lot.
08:52I like Peterson a lot.
08:54I also like Caleb Wilson a lot.
08:56If you could move back, a lot of it depends on what kind of you see the delta between DeBansa
09:03and Peterson and Wilson and Boozer, too, if that's your cup of tea.
09:07Like, how realistic do you think three weeks out a trade is?
09:13I think it would be surprising just because it's pretty rare that it happens.
09:18But they have to, you know, figure out what they can get.
09:20They got to do their due diligence.
09:23But it could be pretty risky.
09:25You know, I think that's one of the reasons why it doesn't happen often.
09:28It could work out great.
09:29You know, the Celtics, they had the number one pick.
09:32The last time it got traded, they moved back to three and got an extra first-round pick.
09:36The Celtics traded with the Sixers, who took Markel Fultz, and the Celtics got Jason Tatum.
09:41So they got Tatum and a first-round pick instead of Fultz.
09:44That worked out really well.
09:45But whenever you're drafting this high and you make a trade, you can run the risk of, you know, things
09:50going in the other direction.
09:51Like, the Hawks had the third pick, and Luka Doncic ended up being the guy.
09:57But they traded back to fifth and got Trae Young in a first-round pick.
10:00But, you know, the Mavs, you know, until they traded Luka, probably were pretty happy with their side of that
10:06deal.
10:06So it sometimes seems like there's not a whole lot separating the players at the top.
10:10But they all have such high ceilings that, you know, you don't want to move back and get a really
10:15good player
10:16but pass up the chance to draft a transcendent superstar who changes your franchise, you know, for the next decade.
10:22So it's not an easy call, but I think it's probably going to take a few more weeks, I would
10:29imagine,
10:29for a consensus to form or at least be reported on.
10:32I think this draft is just a really good draft with very little separating the guys at the top.
10:38And obviously you want to pick first, but it's not going to be an easy call.
10:42It's not one of those years where the lottery happens and you're like, okay, we're taking Wimby
10:46or we're taking Cooper Flagg.
10:48It's a tough decision.
10:50That's where my mind is.
10:51I understand DeBonza may be considered, but he looks like he's 1A and Peterson is 1B.
10:56Okay, they seem like those guys are as close as they can come.
11:00I don't think anybody look at DeBonza like they looked at Wimby, at Flagg, at, you know,
11:06other people coming out at that level.
11:08So if you're not looking at him like those guys, then I think a trade wouldn't be that much of
11:13a shock to me.
11:15Yeah, that's fair.
11:16I do think he's certainly a level below Wimby.
11:19And then the difference between Cooper Flagg is he was just as good as all these guys, but way better
11:25defensively.
11:26And he was a year younger because he reclassified.
11:29He should have been a high school senior, right?
11:31So that's the difference.
11:32But these guys are big-time prospects.
11:35And, yeah, I mean, DeBonza, as good as he is, I think a lot of years, he would have been
11:39the consensus number one on lottery night.
11:41But a lot of years don't also have a prospect like Darren Peterson.
11:45And for that matter, a prospect like Cameron Boozer or, you know, Caleb Wilson who could go third or fourth.
11:50So, yeah, you've got to think in those terms.
11:52But, again, you know, I kind of think of it like I'm sure you guys have seen the Hurt Locker
11:56where Jeremy Renner has to pick, like, which wire to cut.
11:59You know, he's diffusing bombs.
12:01It's like that's kind of what the situation's like.
12:03It's like you better clip the right wire.
12:07So where do you think this is going?
12:09I just saw – it's funny that Boozer's not really part of the conversation, but certainly from a hardware standpoint
12:17had the best year of any of these guys.
12:19Where do you think this is going when we get to Brooklyn on the 23rd?
12:23What's your gut tell you now?
12:26I still think it'll be DeBonza or Peterson, but, yeah, I mean, Boozer's got a case.
12:30I just don't know what the percentage likelihood would be.
12:34He – yeah, I mean, you're right.
12:35He was the most productive player last year, certainly on the offensive end.
12:41He's the best shooter, best passer, best rebounder of all the guys at the top, right?
12:45And he's, I think, probably a better defensive player than most people give him credit for.
12:49He's really good at generating steals, obviously great at defensive rebounding.
12:53And one thing that's interesting, he got a lot of steals beyond the three-point line, like more than the
12:58other top prospects.
12:59Just shows that he can cover a lot of ground and disrupt the offense.
13:04So, yeah, I think there are other years where he would have been the number one pick, possibly.
13:07But I think the difference is, as high as his floor is and how versatile he is, usually teams go
13:13in a direction where they swing for the fences.
13:16And with DeBonza and Peterson, they just have the high-level superstar qualities in terms of athleticism that usually separate
13:23guys at the top.
13:24And so I think that's why they're considered 1A and 1B.
13:27Talking with our buddy Chase Hughes here from Monumental Sports.
13:30Give him a follow, at ChaseDCSports.
13:34Plug your pod real quick, dude.
13:36I saw you guys just had Brennan Haywood on there.
13:38Yeah, we did.
13:39But, yeah, so it's called Off the Bench at Monumental Sports Network.
13:43You can find it on YouTube and also the Monumental Plus app.
13:46And we are doing heavy draft coverage.
13:48Every week, episodes come out on Wednesday.
13:51And we're interviewing people like Drew Gooden and Brennan Haywood and draft experts.
13:55And also, we just went to the Combine.
13:56It's the only place you can get all these prospects.
13:59And we've got a lot of interviews, and we've been rolling those out.
14:01So if you want to hear, like, in-depth discussion about the NBA draft with the Wizards, check out Off
14:06the Bench.
14:06It's Chris Miller, the play-by-play voice of the Wizards and myself.
14:09Appreciate that guy.
14:10You mean the injured guy, Chris Miller?
14:13Yeah.
14:13Didn't he just have shoulder surgery or something?
14:16Rotate a cup?
14:16Yeah, yeah, yeah.
14:17He did.
14:17You know, so is Brennan Haywood.
14:18We interviewed Brennan Haywood last week.
14:20His shoulder was in a sling.
14:21And I think when we record on Wednesday, Chris Miller.
14:23What kind of damn broadcasting y'all doing with everybody hurting their damn shoulders over there?
14:28Now, since you brought up Chris Miller, Chase, and then B-Mitch brought up his shoulder surgery,
14:33I did mean to relay this text message I got.
14:37C-Mill texted me yesterday at 5.57 p.m.
14:40He said, hey, brother, make sure you tell B-Mitch tomorrow it's Wemby's World, and we're just living in it.
14:46Hey, I hear you, Chris.
14:49Get over that damn shoulder before I come make you have a gift for more months.
14:54Chasse, what I want to happen, and I'm curious where you land on this.
14:59So, it sure seems like they're going to take Tabansa.
15:02If not, maybe it's Peterson.
15:03And I'm cool with that.
15:04Both those guys have otherworldly potential.
15:07And the NBA draft, more so than any draft, is about potential, right?
15:12They have assumed they've got now two legit veteran stars in Davis and Young.
15:18They have a host of Young talent.
15:21I want them to trade back in to this top ten and get another one of the studs that's in
15:28this draft.
15:28I look at the two big boys from Michigan that you can get maybe around ten, whether it's Mara or
15:34Yaks.
15:35Like, what do you think that possibility is?
15:39That maybe Anthony Davis and something gets you back to, like, number nine?
15:44Well, if you don't want to be here.
15:46Because it kind of seems like you don't want to be here.
15:48Well, I definitely think they'll try to add another first-round pick.
15:51Michael Winger said that on the record the night of the lottery.
15:55And it's obviously not surprising because they have done that just about every year.
16:00You know, getting guys like Keyshawn George, Will Riley, Bub Carrington came through that way.
16:06So, I think they'll try.
16:07Getting into the top ten is really difficult.
16:09I think if they did, one of those guys would make a lot of sense, a defensive big man.
16:13There's also just going to be a run on guards, really, after Boozer and Wilson.
16:18The rest of the lottery is going to be mostly guards.
16:21There's, like, a ton of guys in this draft who are, like, between 6'3 and 6'6 who can
16:25score, who can pass and shoot.
16:27And it won't be easy deciding between them, but there's a ton of talent.
16:31And, you know, if they get DeBonsa, Peterson, Boozer, unless they think that Peterson in particular can develop into a
16:38point guard,
16:39there is going to be a long-term need of point guard.
16:41So, if you were trading back into the back end of the lottery, I could see them targeting one of
16:45those guys
16:46and, you know, just basically completing their set of future prospects and having someone at every position.
16:53Like the kid from Bama that averaged, like, 27 a game.
17:00Fillon?
17:00Fillon?
17:01Like, where's he going to get drafted?
17:03Like, 15th?
17:04Yeah, he's, like, late lottery.
17:06But Mara, by the way, Mara is 7'3 without shoes.
17:11Every time I go to the combine or the lottery, there's someone who walks by and you're like,
17:14oh, my God, like Donovan Klingon was, like, he's 7'2 without shoes.
17:18This guy's 7'3 without shoes.
17:19His standing reach is 9'9.
17:21It's, like, taller than any big man you could think of.
17:24Like, Gobert, Kalt Brenner, Saar, Holmgren, all those guys.
17:29I don't know about Wimby.
17:30He never tested the combine.
17:31But 9'9 is crazy.
17:32We could stop including Holmgren in a big man discussion.
17:35Klingon, Saar.
17:36When you hear Klingon, you think about the Klingons.
17:38Yeah.
17:38From Star Trek, Star Wars, one of them.
17:41Yeah, Star Trek.
17:43So, he's an alien.
17:44So, my dream of trading back for one of these giants is not going to happen.
17:49No, I can't rule it out.
17:50They've done it before, but it's just, that's going to cost a lot.
17:54And I think especially in a draft where people understand that, you know, the 12th pick might
17:57be worth, like, the 9th pick in the average draft because there's so much depth in the
18:01lottery.
18:01What do you think happens with Davis, then?
18:04Because there was a report over the weekend that he's dropping subtle hints that he doesn't
18:09want to stick around.
18:10We haven't heard that from him.
18:12You haven't heard it from him, but you haven't heard nothing to say he wants to be here either.
18:15Yeah, exactly.
18:18Yeah, I mean, all we've heard is that he was sort of on the fence, and then he needed to
18:22talk to the Wizards front office.
18:23But, you know, he wanted to hear more about their future and how they can build a contender.
18:28And the last time we heard him say all that was before they got the number one pick.
18:31So they helped their cause, I would imagine.
18:35And also, you know, who would know better about the impact of a number one overall pick
18:39than Anthony Davis, who was one himself, and then last year played with Cooper Flagg in
18:44Dallas.
18:45So he's got a lot of experience.
18:47He understands what a guy like that can do to a franchise.
18:49But, you know, I think ultimately just whatever Will Dawkins says, I think you have to go off
18:54at this point.
18:55And he said multiple times they expect Anthony Davis to play for the Wizards.
18:59The only thing that's changed is they got the number one pick.
19:01So I think until we hear otherwise, I would assume he's going to play for the team.
19:05If something were to change, it'd probably be, you know, the morning of the draft.
19:08That's often when news comes out, or certainly when free agency opens June 30th is when they
19:14can start negotiating things.
19:15But I, at this point, expect him to play.
19:20Just theoretically, Anthony Davis as a trade ship's got to be worth a top 10 pick in this
19:26draft, though, right?
19:28I don't know.
19:29With the injuries now, I don't know.
19:31Yeah.
19:32All the injuries he's had, I don't know if he's still there.
19:34That's crazy.
19:35It's always more complicated than that, too.
19:37You know, you've got to match the money.
19:38He makes a ton of money.
19:39Yeah.
19:40But, you know, certainly I think a player like him could become more valuable.
19:44You know, the lottery rules, everyone's focused on what does it mean for certain teams.
19:48Well, it could mean a lot for just teams having to compete at a higher level now.
19:53And, you know, I think that could increase the value of veterans who could help teams
19:57even just compete for the play-in when previously they might not be interested in guys like that.
20:01So, if you did have a veteran player and you wanted to shop them, I think there could be
20:05more suitors than there were previously.
20:06So, that could factor in.
20:08Chase, thank you for the time, bro.
20:10All right, Chase.
20:10Appreciate you.
20:12Absolutely, guys.
20:13Thanks for having me on.
20:13All right, man.
20:14That's our guy, Chase Hughes.
20:15You can give him a follow at ChaseDCSports.
20:17Check out their podcast, Chase and Chris Miller.
20:20They've had some great guests.
20:21Brandon Haywood's funny as hell.
20:22I was watching the clips on Instagram, so I recommend it.
20:25You just figured it out?
20:26Brandon was funny when he played.
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