13 Rules: NBA Random Thoughts - March 23, 2024

[00:00:00] Alright, it's time to talk basketball. I'm Jose Salviotti, editor at thepeakbasket.net. He's Steve Prasiello, a longtime educator, vice principal and athletic director.

[00:00:09] And this is 13 Rules NBA Random Thoughts Podcast, the best 15 minutes of NBA Random Thoughts online.

[00:00:16] This is your first time listening. As always, thank you. Welcome. We're glad you found us. This podcast was born out of the content and

[00:00:23] Steve's Random NBA Thoughts articles which he publishes weekly. Steve and I have exactly 15 minutes to discuss what's on his mind around the NBA.

[00:00:32] Today, we'll discuss his latest 13 Rules Random NBA Thoughts article. Steve, you ready? Ready.

[00:00:39] Alright, let's do this. I'm starting the timer. Now. Alright, this week's Random NBA Thoughts article focused on hopes for the future.

[00:00:50] You broke it down by conference and then you had some random thoughts at the end. We're going to start with the New York Knicks.

[00:00:57] You said this about the team. The New York Knicks hopes for the future are real good, which I imagine hurt a little the right.

[00:01:06] I'm curious about that. But you did caution that the franchise might be spending too much money on one player, one particular player or what player and why?

[00:01:17] OG, OG and an OB. When you really break it down, as I said, one of the smarts getting a little shy at 20 million.

[00:01:27] Coruso's getting not a little over 9 million. These are two of the best defensive players on the league. OG's got one thing on those two.

[00:01:35] I don't know if he's a better defender, but he can guard anybody. That's valuable. However, he can't score.

[00:01:42] He's a corner player, which means he's the fourth or fifth man in offense. He shoots when he's open and he doesn't shoot real well.

[00:01:52] He really doesn't have a lot going to the basket. So if you're going to go out and pay 30 million to this guy, you're going to be above the cap.

[00:02:02] And you really didn't accomplish what you needed to accomplish. They need more size, obviously. But they also need and Randall should help there.

[00:02:12] But they also need another score, a third legitimate score that would go it. I don't know if OG's that guy.

[00:02:19] And I've read all about their record with him and all that wonderful stuff. It's all nice. It's all great.

[00:02:26] You notice you're winning now without him. So I think that sounds good and they want to sell it.

[00:02:33] But if somebody can tell me how he's worth more than 20 million, I'll listen, but I don't see it.

[00:02:41] You and I've talked before about the tough job GM's have, right? And there's a lot of things that are tough about that particular job. But I'm thinking a player like OG, right?

[00:02:53] A player who is really strong defensively defense wins championships. That's a key cog, right? You need a player like him to win.

[00:03:00] The question then becomes how much do you pay, which is what you're alluding to, right? Players like Alex Caruso. You need players like that.

[00:03:07] The first thing that comes in mind is KCP, Contavia's Cobbwell Pope, where he's a solid defender, great guy. These fringe players, they're not stars.

[00:03:18] But you see them in every championship team. The question then becomes though, how much do you pay him? Because if the next thing that I pay him somebody's going to...

[00:03:27] When you put a team together, you have to sit, of course with the salary cap. You have to consider... Yeah, yeah, you can keep OG.

[00:03:36] If you give him 30 million, where does that leave you? Where does that leave you? In other words, you've got to almost find the...

[00:03:42] You know, thread the needle and pay these people. Don't forget, Brunson's going to be up next year for a big extension.

[00:03:51] He's going to be getting Jaylen Brown money, because he's going to be all MBA. So, you know, all of a sudden he's going from 25 to 50 billion or so.

[00:04:01] So, you know, things are going to change with that. And now you're going to give this guy 30, well, they have enough offense to win it.

[00:04:11] It's going to be very important that they make the right moves with the right people, and possibly even sign OG for not the money he's hoping to get.

[00:04:20] Yeah. Tough, tough, tough job, GM. For sure. All right. Well, we're going to stay in New York, but we're going to contrast high hopes with the Brooklyn Nets.

[00:04:33] You, you didn't mince words, man. You said they are a dumpster fire. So I got to ask you and we're going to kind of keep this GM vibe going. If you're the GM of that team, and you've got three years,

[00:04:46] like to fix what's going on in Brooklyn, what do you do? Can you fix a dumpster fire?

[00:04:52] First of all, it's a good player. He's not physical enough. The MBA now with the way the referees ref the games now and they're letting a lot of stuff go, you need a physical team.

[00:05:04] That helps the next doesn't help the next. They're not a physical team. They're more of a finesse team right now. The other thing is they're overloaded with wings.

[00:05:14] So, so you got to think about getting rid of one of them. Maybe Finney Smith who's worth a lot around the MBA, because they're real good defender and a good person and so on and on a great contract.

[00:05:26] So maybe you have to think about that. Don't forget they don't have many. They traded.

[00:05:32] Whoa, a lot of those draft picks in that mess with Harden and all the other stuff. So they don't have Phoenix's pick and that's not going to be a great pick.

[00:05:41] But they don't have a lot in the next two years in draft picks. So they it's a very limited way they can go. Clxton will be a free agent. They need to sign him, but they also need a big physical person.

[00:05:53] Andre Drummond. I'm just thinking about what somebody that would be a physical big that can make a problem. They also have a lot of wings.

[00:06:03] Jaylen Wilson's a nice player to get from Kansas. He could help them as a wing so you can begin to trade some of those people like I said, Finney Smith or even Cam Johnson who's got pretty good value on the market.

[00:06:16] Yeah, for sure. With that because look you got bridges who's a wing. Cam Thomas, they've got to figure out what to do here. He can score with anybody.

[00:06:25] But they've been joking around because he doesn't defend well. They've got to figure it out and they need to get way more physical.

[00:06:32] And the other piece too if you really think about this.

[00:06:36] I think Kevin Olley is like six and eleven. You took over the team. Now when he took it over, they had a chance to get into the playoffs.

[00:06:45] They're four and a half games behind. In other words, if they want eleven and six, they'd be right there.

[00:06:50] The player is kind of packed it in. Now you've got to start with now who doesn't and who doesn't want to play because that's a big thing.

[00:06:58] And the last thing and this is the craziest thing but I would put my hopes on it. Ben Simmons.

[00:07:04] I would hope he comes and plays well for 20 games, 30 games. And dump him as quick as possible for anything you can get your hands on because that's probably outside of Finney Smith and Cam Johnson.

[00:07:19] That's the depth of their assets and it claxed and doesn't resign. Wow, they got problems to do small and they're not strong.

[00:07:30] They're really a bunch of guys that are just all the same type player. I really wish if I had a job like that, I wish that I had the security that Sean Marx has because boy, they've had some problems and they haven't, nothing's happened with him.

[00:07:50] Yeah, I have an affinity for a little bit of love for the for the nets primarily because I see them as the clippers of the East right.

[00:08:02] The similarities are right there. So I have a lot of hope that things work out well for them but yeah, I think it's a hard road ahead for sure.

[00:08:13] But yeah, I mean again, GM's a tough job. I think what you laid out is a good plan as any but we don't have to see how things work out for the dumpster fire that are the new ones.

[00:08:26] They're heading down there just heading down.

[00:08:30] Let's shift focus here and talk about another team on the rise. This is a team we've talked about before.

[00:08:37] We go to the West for this. These are the Houston Rockets.

[00:08:42] You mentioned that they've got some hope for the future and they certainly look good have been looking good of late. They're making a run for that play in spot right now in the West. So I got to ask you this.

[00:08:55] Do you think they need to add someone big like do they need a big free agent again? We're not having this season but you know moving ahead or do you think this is just a team that needs to gel together kind of like you know the local homicid thunder who just stayed together.

[00:09:09] They haven't really didn't make any big signings. They just grew together. Do you see them kind of following that mold or do you think they need a few big pieces before they're going to be really, really good in Houston.

[00:09:19] I think they need one more player. But I think what they did and you don't because behind it was brilliant in the way he bought van flea and he bought green and so on in as the old timers that can get those guys three because if you watched them last year, they just came down and whoever had the ball threw it up.

[00:09:39] And the last thing they wanted to do is defend that was not even in their you know in their realm. They've changed 100%. They've got shengoon is out and they're still winning without shengoon and jaylen green is becoming he's taking the next step. He's becoming a star as we watch.

[00:09:55] So they've got two guys. I don't believe what they have if they just stay as is is good enough to be an upper echelon team in the west.

[00:10:05] I do believe they need that one more good player to push them over this over the top. Jabari smits a nice plan. That's another good one and they've got the role players like Jason Tate and people like that who can play but they do need one more van flea.

[00:10:21] I think is on a he's next year he's got his guaranteed but if that I think this option and he's starting he's not as good as he was and he's missing a lot of games.

[00:10:30] So they might have money to work with they're going to have to fork over money for for both shengoon and green to keep them around.

[00:10:39] But and Jabari smith in two years will you know need the money but with the point being they're close. They're close but they need more talent to become an upper echelon team.

[00:10:50] Yeah. Yeah big fan of what they've done in Houston so is exciting to see a team that was kind of foundering you know pick things up do you think it is because of the former Celtics coach I mean does he get all the watch part don't forget when he was with Boston I think Boston was 20 and 21 and they finished a year and they made the finals.

[00:11:14] Yeah so they get better his teams obviously get better now that's true.

[00:11:19] Yeah and so they are getting better what's fascinating to me is how he gets through to his players.

[00:11:26] I mean he with at the time when Jalen Brown and Tate and people were talking about trading one they can write and he got through to them and with these two he's got Jalen green all of a sudden it's productive and good everybody thought he might be a bust and shengoon has just continued to get better year after.

[00:11:43] Yeah so I think he does a great job and you know it just you know they will get better and the future is bright.

[00:11:53] Yeah into the dates it's all about scoreboard wherever he goes his teams play well and that's what you want from an NBA coach alright we got to end on a note that is not incredibly positive how you brought it up in your article we talked about it last week Rudy go bear right made the sign got fined

[00:12:11] but now there's repercussions man there's dominoes that are falling and so I got asked do you think he opened up a pen door his box gave you bigger stuff and now Eric's bolstrap come out this is what you wrote about it was always there they're getting threats from gamblers though man I mean that's hard core once you once you sell your soul for the money you got that problem don't forget politicians sold their souls as well because that would get them more money in their budgets so that they you know they could sell it.

[00:12:40] They you know they could spend more so it goes rounding round on that but I kind of and I'm fascinated I don't know if you guys out now you're probably watching the show with honey thing there's something underneath there on that because he just his center just gotten hit for four he had a he was able a credit line of 4.5 million his assistant something's not right there

[00:13:09] and if that goes through to all tiny then it's really going to be a real warning shot for sports but going back to basketball all this stuff is there you know I watch a game and in the second quarter they're posting up the line that was 12.5 points you know and so on when the over is this well if you're going to advertise it somebody in somewhere it's going to take hold I think it'll happen more in the college in the college game because it's easy to get some kid on a small

[00:13:39] school to you know throw him some money and he'll take the cash where these guys make so much money.

[00:13:46] It's depressing Steve I mean it's depressing I mean the thought that that's a conversation that you're here now having about the sport that we love it's depressing that

[00:13:55] it's depressing me. Well you watch a game and all they're talking about par ways and everything else which we have kings and the rest of my

[00:14:02] understand again the money involved but people also need to understand nobody's a winner when you gamble that's why these

[00:14:10] companies are still there because nobody really you might hit a few but you know you're going to go down so it's really a precarious spot the only way

[00:14:20] you can win is by fixing it how do you fix it you pay off yeah well I'm wondering how Adam silver fixes this now because I

[00:14:29] mean the Pandora's box is open right you got coaches coming out saying I've been threatened by gamblers I just I this could

[00:14:37] spiral out of control quickly and I'm concerned I mean I do I don't ask it I have no idea because again and don't forget the players like

[00:14:50] it because it adds into their money and and raises the salary cap and ultimately gives them more money because it's more money going to the NBA so the

[00:15:00] players you know are going to like it by large because they make more but so you know you can't you can't once you you

[00:15:07] can't close it off you just can't be close off so there's a problem and there's really no answer the only answer might be

[00:15:14] the first person who does actually get caught was somebody that gets caught threatening bicker staff or any of the other

[00:15:21] people you really kind of have to come down hard on yeah maybe that will deter some people but you know it's

[00:15:29] there yeah it's sad yeah I'm remembering now that you know Tyrie's halibut and just came out didn't interview saying you

[00:15:36] know he I don't know if he was heckled or if he was threatened by somebody because he didn't take a three

[00:15:41] or something late in the game and messed up his parlour something listen if you watch a game if you watch a game

[00:15:49] and if you know what the betting line is and let's say team is a nine point favorite it's an eight point game yeah

[00:15:58] yeah the other team comes down misses a shot you get the rebound you're getting angry that they're just going to hold

[00:16:03] the ball yeah you want them to get out yeah and so I mean in every game if you check the line you all

[00:16:11] the sudden realize if you listen to the crowd you're getting there alive because they see they want to cover

[00:16:18] or they want to hold it under you know and so all of a sudden an eight point game with no time left 10 seconds

[00:16:23] last people were screaming you know something's going on that's usually the betting line yeah

[00:16:30] you know what I this needs to be addressed I think I'm silver hasn't used something the one thing I don't want to see

[00:16:35] is one person and I'm talking an NBA player an NBA graph one person take the fall right because we saw that

[00:16:41] before right donnie we talked about this donniegy issue was not just donniegy I mean this is this is case in point

[00:16:49] if it was just him we wouldn't I don't think we'd be having this conversation right now maybe he was the fall guy

[00:16:55] I really do believe that there were other people involved in you and I have name names we talked about this before

[00:17:00] we don't necessarily need to go down that rabbit hole but I don't want that to happen again I don't want the NBA to say

[00:17:07] we have a gambling problem we fixed it because this person has been kicked out if you got to pull this up by the

[00:17:14] by the roots right and I think there's a lot of people that potentially could be involved

[00:17:19] and need to be the whole thing needs to be addressed the whole thing is great I think there's going to be a bigger problem on the college level

[00:17:25] yeah yeah the point they do have the NIL but we're talking about a small D1 school I didn't just use that name

[00:17:34] where most guys aren't going to make the NBA from there somebody comes along and offers them some money

[00:17:41] to throw a game on a cold Tuesday night in January right you know you might have problems

[00:17:48] I believe by the way the NCAA this year or not the NCAA but Vegas I think it was temple one of the schools

[00:17:56] they took them off the board because the line a lot of money came in heavy one way or the other

[00:18:02] and the realization was something's funny here and so you know it's there it's there yeah what a depressing way to end this

[00:18:11] I shouldn't have ended on this topic I'm on depressed now it's reality yeah it is it is the reality

[00:18:20] all right well that's it you heard the buzzer go off and you know we just kept talking because it's I think

[00:18:25] it's an important topic and hopefully something that does get resolved we'll see how it plays out

[00:18:30] please make sure to read Steve's entire article we didn't have time to talk about everything he touched on other

[00:18:35] topics we'll make sure to link that below but our time is up you heard the buzzer go off thank you

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