WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.740 Welcome to Basketball Home. We are diving headfirst 00:00:02.740 --> 00:00:05.799 into, well, what's already a wild November in 00:00:05.799 --> 00:00:08.080 the basketball world. It really is. We're seeing 00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:10.960 some huge stories rattling the NBA and the college 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:13.140 ranks, and there's a theme here. The minutes 00:00:13.140 --> 00:00:15.859 are getting dangerously high for some guys. The 00:00:15.859 --> 00:00:18.280 league is handing out fines. And the injury reports, 00:00:18.620 --> 00:00:21.000 I mean, they're already dominating the headlines 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:23.559 for some of the biggest names in the sport. It 00:00:23.559 --> 00:00:26.620 genuinely feels like late March intensity right 00:00:26.620 --> 00:00:30.460 now, which is... A little unsettling. It is. 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:33.799 So today, our mission is to unpack all of it 00:00:33.799 --> 00:00:36.039 for you. We're going to talk about Tyrese Maxey's 00:00:36.039 --> 00:00:39.359 incredible, but maybe worrisome, workload in 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:42.000 Philly. And those load management fines. The 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:43.719 league is trying to crack down, but teams are 00:00:43.719 --> 00:00:46.579 just paying them. Exactly. We've got crucial 00:00:46.579 --> 00:00:48.960 injury updates on Giannis and Lombanyama, and 00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:50.579 then we're going to get into the chaos at the 00:00:50.579 --> 00:00:52.219 top of the college rankings. Yeah, let's start 00:00:52.219 --> 00:00:54.280 with what you called the minutes monster, because... 00:00:54.600 --> 00:00:56.820 What Nick Nurse is asking Tyrese Maxey to do 00:00:56.820 --> 00:00:59.299 is, well, it's not just leading the league. It's 00:00:59.299 --> 00:01:01.520 on another level. OK, let's unpack this, because 00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:04.859 Maxey is making a legitimate early MVP case. 00:01:05.260 --> 00:01:08.500 But the numbers behind his court time are, frankly, 00:01:08.780 --> 00:01:11.859 a little terrifying. They really are. They define 00:01:11.859 --> 00:01:14.599 why the Sixers are having success. But they're 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:17.640 also probably their biggest long -term risk. 00:01:18.459 --> 00:01:21.290 Maxey's playing at an elite. undeniable star 00:01:21.290 --> 00:01:24.689 level. It's a huge leap from last year. A massive 00:01:24.689 --> 00:01:27.709 leap. His stat line is just astronomical. He's 00:01:27.709 --> 00:01:29.670 averaging, what, 32 and a half points and almost 00:01:29.670 --> 00:01:31.890 eight assists a game. And the efficiency is the 00:01:31.890 --> 00:01:34.530 key part. That's it. Shooting nearly 46 % to 00:01:34.530 --> 00:01:37.390 the field and over 41 % from three. He is, on 00:01:37.390 --> 00:01:40.329 many nights, the best and most impactful player 00:01:40.329 --> 00:01:42.409 on the floor, period. That's the kind of efficiency 00:01:42.409 --> 00:01:45.109 you expect from, you know, a Steph Curry or a 00:01:45.109 --> 00:01:47.069 Kevin Durant. But then you look at the actual 00:01:47.069 --> 00:01:48.890 minutes he's playing, how much rubber he's putting 00:01:48.890 --> 00:01:50.950 on the road, and the conversation shifts from 00:01:50.950 --> 00:01:55.269 celebration to concern. Exactly right. Maxie 00:01:55.269 --> 00:01:58.129 is clocking in at 40 .4 minutes per game. He's 00:01:58.129 --> 00:02:00.530 leading the entire NBA. And it's not close. It's 00:02:00.530 --> 00:02:02.890 not. And that's what makes it so concerning. 00:02:03.090 --> 00:02:07.269 It's the margin. He is playing a full three minutes 00:02:07.269 --> 00:02:09.990 more per game. then the next guy on the list. 00:02:10.110 --> 00:02:12.469 And the next guy is his own teammate, his own 00:02:12.469 --> 00:02:15.110 teammate, the rookie VJ Edgecombe. So that tells 00:02:15.110 --> 00:02:17.129 you it's a systemic thing in Philly right now. 00:02:17.189 --> 00:02:20.189 They are relying on two guys to play almost the 00:02:20.189 --> 00:02:22.789 entire game. When we talk about coaches pushing 00:02:22.789 --> 00:02:25.129 minutes this high, there's one name that always 00:02:25.129 --> 00:02:27.930 comes up, the Thibodeauian approach. Can you 00:02:27.930 --> 00:02:29.849 explain why that's being applied to Nick Nurse 00:02:29.849 --> 00:02:33.180 now? Yeah, absolutely. So Thibodeauian. refers 00:02:33.180 --> 00:02:36.219 to Coach Tom Thibodeau, right? His history, especially 00:02:36.219 --> 00:02:38.860 with the Bulls and the early Knicks, was defined 00:02:38.860 --> 00:02:41.580 by just running his starters into the ground. 00:02:41.740 --> 00:02:44.819 40, 45 minutes a night. Even in blowouts. And 00:02:44.819 --> 00:02:46.639 yeah, you usually got him strong regular season 00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:48.900 records, but the history shows it led to burnout, 00:02:49.099 --> 00:02:51.340 soft tissue injuries, and it hampered his teams 00:02:51.340 --> 00:02:53.979 in the playoffs. Nurse is basically mirroring 00:02:53.979 --> 00:02:55.840 that intensity, maybe even turning it up a notch. 00:02:55.939 --> 00:02:58.039 So why is he doing it? I mean, the Sixers roster, 00:02:58.319 --> 00:03:00.840 on paper at least, it looks like it has decent 00:03:00.840 --> 00:03:03.199 depth. The main reason. and it's not a great 00:03:03.199 --> 00:03:06.139 one, is the inconsistent availability of Joel 00:03:06.139 --> 00:03:09.099 Embiid. Embiid's been dealing with little minor 00:03:09.099 --> 00:03:12.180 setbacks again, and whenever he's not 100%, the 00:03:12.180 --> 00:03:14.599 entire burden, offense and defense, just shifts 00:03:14.599 --> 00:03:16.819 right onto Maxie's shoulders. So Nurse is in 00:03:16.819 --> 00:03:19.659 a tough spot. A really tough spot. He wants to 00:03:19.659 --> 00:03:23.099 win games now, build that chemistry, but every 00:03:23.099 --> 00:03:26.400 extra minute he plays, Maxie's just, it's loading 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:28.400 risk into the back half of the season. It's that 00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:30.979 classic short -term gain for long -term pain 00:03:30.979 --> 00:03:33.919 dilemma. We know that playing 40 plus minutes 00:03:33.919 --> 00:03:36.659 a night, especially this early, it just rarely 00:03:36.659 --> 00:03:39.599 works out well. It's a domino effect. High minutes 00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:42.419 lead to fatigue, both physical and mental. And 00:03:42.419 --> 00:03:44.699 when you're tired, your defensive rotations get 00:03:44.699 --> 00:03:47.060 sloppy or you don't land correctly on a jump 00:03:47.060 --> 00:03:49.099 shot. And that's when you see those soft tissue 00:03:49.099 --> 00:03:51.879 injuries. Exactly. The hamstring strains, the 00:03:51.879 --> 00:03:54.639 calf issues, the groin pulls. Yeah. They always 00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:56.979 seem to spike around February, March, right when 00:03:56.979 --> 00:03:59.199 you need your stars the most. The Sixers have 00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:01.830 other guys who could play. But Nurse just hasn't 00:04:01.830 --> 00:04:03.949 shown he trusts those lineups yet. Yeah. They 00:04:03.949 --> 00:04:05.889 have to find a way to shave four or five minutes 00:04:05.889 --> 00:04:08.509 off his time or Maxie's going to hit a wall just 00:04:08.509 --> 00:04:10.349 as the playoffs are starting. And that's the 00:04:10.349 --> 00:04:12.849 perfect transition to the league's official stance 00:04:12.849 --> 00:04:16.519 here. The NBA clearly sees the risk of burnout 00:04:16.519 --> 00:04:19.399 or maybe they just see the risk of fans not getting 00:04:19.399 --> 00:04:21.620 to see the stars they paid for. Well, yeah. Because 00:04:21.620 --> 00:04:23.939 they are cracking down on teams resting healthy 00:04:23.939 --> 00:04:25.920 players. And the Cleveland Cavaliers just became 00:04:25.920 --> 00:04:29.139 a very expensive example. They did. And it shows 00:04:29.139 --> 00:04:32.680 the league is, at least on paper, taking this 00:04:32.680 --> 00:04:35.620 new player participation policy seriously. The 00:04:35.620 --> 00:04:39.319 Cavs were fined $100 ,000 for a violation back 00:04:39.319 --> 00:04:41.379 on November 12th. And what was the specific violation? 00:04:41.949 --> 00:04:44.389 They rested both Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, 00:04:44.389 --> 00:04:46.810 two perfectly healthy players, just for rest 00:04:46.810 --> 00:04:49.410 purposes, during the first game of a back -to 00:04:49.410 --> 00:04:52.430 -back in Miami. And the policy is very specific 00:04:52.430 --> 00:04:55.610 about who qualifies as a star player. You can't 00:04:55.610 --> 00:04:57.810 rest, right? It's not just any player. That's 00:04:57.810 --> 00:05:02.250 the key. The league defines a star as anyone 00:05:02.250 --> 00:05:05.149 who's made an all -star or all -NBA team in the 00:05:05.149 --> 00:05:07.990 last three seasons. Both Mitchell and Mobley 00:05:07.990 --> 00:05:10.860 checked that box. The policy triggers an automatic 00:05:10.860 --> 00:05:13.379 investigation if you rest more than one healthy 00:05:13.379 --> 00:05:15.459 star in the same game. Especially on the road. 00:05:15.699 --> 00:05:18.120 Especially on the road. If Cleveland had just 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:20.399 been a little more strategic, you know, rest 00:05:20.399 --> 00:05:23.060 Mitchell in Miami and then Mobley the next night 00:05:23.060 --> 00:05:25.120 in Orlando, they probably would have been fine. 00:05:25.240 --> 00:05:27.639 No pun intended. So the Cavs basically made a 00:05:27.639 --> 00:05:29.639 calculated business decision. They looked at 00:05:29.639 --> 00:05:31.680 the policy, looked at the $100 ,000 fine and 00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:34.399 said, yep, worth it. That is the only logical 00:05:34.399 --> 00:05:36.740 conclusion you can draw. For an NBA franchise, 00:05:37.019 --> 00:05:39.120 especially one like Cleveland, that's... all 00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:42.540 in on a deep playoff run this year, $100 ,000 00:05:42.540 --> 00:05:44.939 is nothing. It's a rounding error. It's less 00:05:44.939 --> 00:05:47.860 than a rounding error. They're prioritizing having 00:05:47.860 --> 00:05:51.620 their guys healthy in April over avoiding a minor 00:05:51.620 --> 00:05:53.759 fine in November. They got hit hard by injuries 00:05:53.759 --> 00:05:56.660 last year right around the playoffs. This is 00:05:56.660 --> 00:05:58.560 them sending message that health is the number 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:01.399 one priority and the fine is just the cost of 00:06:01.399 --> 00:06:03.379 doing business. It brings up a huge question 00:06:03.379 --> 00:06:06.800 for the league, doesn't it? If $100 ,000 doesn't 00:06:06.800 --> 00:06:09.300 stop a team from doing this, what number would? 00:06:09.720 --> 00:06:12.459 That's the tension right there. The league is 00:06:12.459 --> 00:06:15.579 trying to enforce a standard for the fans who 00:06:15.579 --> 00:06:18.420 buy tickets. But the teams are focused on the 00:06:18.420 --> 00:06:21.459 massive payoff of winning a championship. $100 00:06:21.459 --> 00:06:23.879 ,000 is less than a third of a veteran's minimum 00:06:23.879 --> 00:06:26.120 salary. So to really stop it, the fine would 00:06:26.120 --> 00:06:29.250 have to be, what, in the millions? I think it 00:06:29.250 --> 00:06:30.550 would have to be in the seven -figure range, 00:06:30.709 --> 00:06:32.389 or you'd have to start talking about taking away 00:06:32.389 --> 00:06:34.189 draft picks, something that actually impacts 00:06:34.189 --> 00:06:37.550 their ability to compete long term. As it is 00:06:37.550 --> 00:06:40.230 now, this policy is just a minor revenue stream 00:06:40.230 --> 00:06:42.589 for the league, not a real deterrent. And as 00:06:42.589 --> 00:06:44.569 we're talking about all this tension between 00:06:44.569 --> 00:06:47.870 playing time and policy, we get two massive injury 00:06:47.870 --> 00:06:50.449 updates this week that really underscore why 00:06:50.449 --> 00:06:53.470 teams are so paranoid about this stuff. Starting 00:06:53.470 --> 00:06:56.800 with... Giannis Antetokounmpo. Yeah, this is 00:06:56.800 --> 00:06:59.579 potentially devastating news for Milwaukee, especially 00:06:59.579 --> 00:07:01.779 given how they've kind of stumbled out of the 00:07:01.779 --> 00:07:05.759 gate. Giannis had to leave the Bucs lost to the 00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:08.019 Cavaliers, the same team we were just talking 00:07:08.019 --> 00:07:10.720 about, with a left groin injury. He's scheduled 00:07:10.720 --> 00:07:13.160 for an MRI immediately. And the most troubling 00:07:13.160 --> 00:07:15.740 part of this was the timeline that Doc Rivers 00:07:15.740 --> 00:07:18.779 laid out after the game. Correct. Coach Rivers 00:07:18.779 --> 00:07:21.279 said that Giannis was visibly grabbing at his 00:07:21.279 --> 00:07:23.839 groin as early as the first quarter. He didn't 00:07:23.839 --> 00:07:25.399 actually go to the locker room until late in 00:07:25.399 --> 00:07:27.980 the second, but that suggests it's an issue that 00:07:27.980 --> 00:07:30.660 started small and got worse fast under game intensity. 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:33.240 And groin injuries are notoriously tricky for 00:07:33.240 --> 00:07:35.639 explosive athletes like him. They impact everything, 00:07:35.800 --> 00:07:37.699 your lateral movement, your ability to drive 00:07:37.699 --> 00:07:40.480 to the basket. The Bucs are already struggling. 00:07:40.620 --> 00:07:43.139 They're, what, 8 -7 now? What does this mean 00:07:43.139 --> 00:07:45.939 if Giannis misses significant time? It's really 00:07:45.939 --> 00:07:47.980 concerning. They've dropped three of their last 00:07:47.980 --> 00:07:50.160 four. They're still trying to figure things out 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:52.860 with a new coach. And Giannis is the foundation 00:07:52.860 --> 00:07:56.120 of everything they do. I mean, over 32 points, 00:07:56.199 --> 00:07:58.879 11 boards, 7 assists. If he's out for even a 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:01.259 couple of weeks, that puts enormous stress on 00:08:01.259 --> 00:08:03.300 Damian Lillard and that new -look frontcourt. 00:08:03.639 --> 00:08:05.939 The other huge injury involves the player that 00:08:05.939 --> 00:08:08.199 everyone expects to define the next decade of 00:08:08.199 --> 00:08:11.459 the league, Victor Wembanyama. Yeah, Wemby suffered 00:08:11.459 --> 00:08:14.339 a left calf strain against the Warriors. The 00:08:14.339 --> 00:08:17.220 timeline is two to three weeks, but the key phrase 00:08:17.220 --> 00:08:19.680 you're hearing from the Spurs and from analysts 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:23.019 is extra care. And there's a very specific reason 00:08:23.019 --> 00:08:25.720 for that caution, right? A calf strain for him 00:08:25.720 --> 00:08:27.740 is not like a calf strain for a normal -sized 00:08:27.740 --> 00:08:30.620 human. It's basic physics, really. Leverage and 00:08:30.620 --> 00:08:34.220 force. When Benyame is 7 '4", maybe taller, and 00:08:34.220 --> 00:08:36.759 still has a relatively slight frame. For a player 00:08:36.759 --> 00:08:38.799 that tall, those calf muscles have to absorb 00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:41.320 and transfer an incredible amount of force every 00:08:41.320 --> 00:08:44.179 time he runs or jumps. The longer the limb, the 00:08:44.179 --> 00:08:46.740 greater the stress. So a minor strain can easily 00:08:46.740 --> 00:08:50.320 become something much, much worse. Exactly. And 00:08:50.320 --> 00:08:53.570 analysts are making a very specific... And kind 00:08:53.570 --> 00:08:56.549 of chilling comparison to another young star's 00:08:56.549 --> 00:08:59.350 injury. Tyrese Halliburton. The Tyrese Halliburton 00:08:59.350 --> 00:09:03.470 situation. His catastrophic torn ACL, which cost 00:09:03.470 --> 00:09:06.490 him half of last season, reportedly started as 00:09:06.490 --> 00:09:08.889 what he thought was just a minor calf issue that 00:09:08.889 --> 00:09:11.059 he tried to play through. That's the nightmare 00:09:11.059 --> 00:09:13.620 scenario the Spurs are desperate to avoid with 00:09:13.620 --> 00:09:16.080 their generational cornerstone. So sidelining 00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:19.139 him now for what might be a minor injury, it's 00:09:19.139 --> 00:09:21.059 not about this week's standings. It's about asset 00:09:21.059 --> 00:09:23.460 management for the next 15 years. Absolutely. 00:09:23.779 --> 00:09:26.620 100%. They are prioritizing his entire career 00:09:26.620 --> 00:09:29.179 over a few games in November. He'll miss the 00:09:29.179 --> 00:09:31.360 Blazers game and probably a handful more after 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:33.399 that. When you have a player with legitimate 00:09:33.399 --> 00:09:36.059 GI key potential, you treat every little tweak 00:09:36.059 --> 00:09:53.720 with the utmost caution. The tension is just. 00:09:54.709 --> 00:09:57.169 It's palpable. The league has effectively put 00:09:57.169 --> 00:10:00.049 a price tag on star health, but that price is 00:10:00.049 --> 00:10:01.789 just way too low to make a difference. Okay, 00:10:01.830 --> 00:10:04.470 let's pivot now from teams that are struggling 00:10:04.470 --> 00:10:07.529 with this to some teams that are not just surviving, 00:10:07.629 --> 00:10:10.129 but are absolutely thriving. Starting with a 00:10:10.129 --> 00:10:11.429 team I don't think we've said that about in a 00:10:11.429 --> 00:10:14.590 very long time, the Detroit Pistons. You can 00:10:14.590 --> 00:10:17.889 check your calendar. It is indeed 2025. The Detroit 00:10:17.889 --> 00:10:19.929 Pistons are rolling. They've stormed out to an 00:10:19.929 --> 00:10:22.929 11 -2 record, and they're riding a 10 -game win 00:10:22.929 --> 00:10:25.750 streak right now. Wow. And the engine behind 00:10:25.750 --> 00:10:28.970 all of this, without a doubt, is Kate Cunningham. 00:10:29.149 --> 00:10:31.250 Last year was his breakout, but the big question 00:10:31.250 --> 00:10:33.409 was, could he sustain it? Was it a one -hit wonder? 00:10:33.789 --> 00:10:35.769 Well, he hasn't just sustained it. He's actually 00:10:35.769 --> 00:10:38.990 elevated his game. He's averaging 27 .5 points, 00:10:39.090 --> 00:10:41.970 almost 10 assists, and over five rebounds. He 00:10:41.970 --> 00:10:44.190 has completely silenced any of that one -hit 00:10:44.190 --> 00:10:46.210 wonder talk. And his performance is now being 00:10:46.210 --> 00:10:48.429 reflected in his off -court value, which is really 00:10:48.429 --> 00:10:51.330 the confirmation of superstar status. That's 00:10:51.330 --> 00:10:54.769 right. He just signed a six -year signature shoe 00:10:54.769 --> 00:10:57.590 deal with Nike. And this is the part that's truly 00:10:57.590 --> 00:11:01.090 fascinating. This deal makes him only the sixth 00:11:01.090 --> 00:11:04.149 active player in the entire league. They have 00:11:04.149 --> 00:11:07.070 a Nike signature shoe. That is rarefied air. 00:11:07.269 --> 00:11:09.509 Who else is in that club? It's Kevin Durant, 00:11:09.590 --> 00:11:14.370 Giannis, Devin Booker, LeBron James, and John 00:11:14.370 --> 00:11:17.110 Moran. So basically a collection of future Hall 00:11:17.110 --> 00:11:19.590 of Famers. That's the list. For Cade to get that 00:11:19.590 --> 00:11:21.809 level of commitment from Nike this early in his 00:11:21.809 --> 00:11:24.509 career, it just shows what the brand thinks his 00:11:24.509 --> 00:11:26.529 long -term potential is. It's a huge deal that 00:11:26.529 --> 00:11:29.539 goes way beyond their current win streak. Staying 00:11:29.539 --> 00:11:31.759 in the East, the Atlanta Hawks are also playing 00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:33.879 incredibly well. And what's surprising is not 00:11:33.879 --> 00:11:35.700 that they have the talent, but that they're doing 00:11:35.700 --> 00:11:37.799 it without their centerpiece. Yeah, the Hawks 00:11:37.799 --> 00:11:40.179 are 9 -5, tied for the third -best record in 00:11:40.179 --> 00:11:42.059 the East. They've won eight of their last ten, 00:11:42.200 --> 00:11:44.759 five straight wins. And like you said, the most 00:11:44.759 --> 00:11:46.500 stunning part is that most of this has happened 00:11:46.500 --> 00:11:48.639 without Trae Young. So does this winning run 00:11:48.639 --> 00:11:51.159 without him suggest that the depth everyone thought 00:11:51.159 --> 00:11:53.620 they had is finally showing up? It suggests a 00:11:53.620 --> 00:11:55.919 couple of things. One, yes, their role players 00:11:55.919 --> 00:11:59.259 are stepping up. And two, maybe the offense just 00:11:59.259 --> 00:12:01.639 runs better when the ball isn't so. Trey dominant, 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:04.340 the ball movement looks cleaner, and guys like 00:12:04.340 --> 00:12:06.519 DeJounte Murray are thriving as the main guy. 00:12:06.679 --> 00:12:08.899 It does raise some interesting long -term questions 00:12:08.899 --> 00:12:11.519 about Trey's fit, for sure. It really does. Okay, 00:12:11.580 --> 00:12:16.519 let's go from unexpected success to... potential 00:12:16.519 --> 00:12:19.759 chaos in the West. The Dallas Mavericks are really 00:12:19.759 --> 00:12:22.559 struggling at 4 -11, and the trade rumors around 00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:25.240 their front court are a massive red flag. Dallas 00:12:25.240 --> 00:12:27.759 is just facing a perfect storm of bad right now. 00:12:27.860 --> 00:12:30.139 They're losing. They've got front office turmoil, 00:12:30.279 --> 00:12:32.559 and their front court is just perpetually injured. 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:35.419 And the rumor that just won't go away is that 00:12:35.419 --> 00:12:37.179 Daniel Gafford is the center they're most likely 00:12:37.179 --> 00:12:40.299 to trade. Which is confusing, to say the least. 00:12:40.460 --> 00:12:42.919 Why is treating Gafford right now such a potential 00:12:42.919 --> 00:12:47.360 disaster for them? Ironically, he's the most 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:49.700 stable and reliable piece in their completely 00:12:49.700 --> 00:12:53.279 broken center rotation. Their three main bigs, 00:12:53.299 --> 00:12:56.139 Gafford, Anthony Davis, and Derek Lively II, 00:12:56.320 --> 00:12:59.240 have barely played together. Lively just got 00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:01.440 back from a knee sprain. Now AD is out with a 00:13:01.440 --> 00:13:04.220 calf strain. Gafford has the best injury history 00:13:04.220 --> 00:13:06.860 of the three. So if they trade their most reliable 00:13:06.860 --> 00:13:09.740 big, they are forcing themselves to depend entirely 00:13:09.740 --> 00:13:11.940 on the health of Anthony Davis and a sophomore 00:13:11.940 --> 00:13:14.539 who already has knee concerns. Precisely. It's 00:13:14.539 --> 00:13:16.960 an incredibly risky bet. It means you're immediately 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:20.240 one injury away from giving major minutes to 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:22.639 two -way guys like Moussa Sissi or Dwight Powell. 00:13:22.799 --> 00:13:25.139 And you just you can't climb out of a 4 -11 hole 00:13:25.139 --> 00:13:27.759 with that kind of instability down low. Meanwhile, 00:13:27.879 --> 00:13:29.840 the opposite problem is brewing in Sacramento. 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:32.740 A terrible 3 -11 start for the Kings has other 00:13:32.740 --> 00:13:34.919 teams circling one of their star bigs, DeMantis 00:13:34.919 --> 00:13:37.419 Sabonis. Yeah, the Kings are getting close to 00:13:37.419 --> 00:13:40.259 a breaking point. That trio of Sabonis, DeMar 00:13:40.259 --> 00:13:43.370 DeRozan and Zach Levine just isn't working. on 00:13:43.370 --> 00:13:45.169 either end of the floor. And insiders believe 00:13:45.169 --> 00:13:47.009 a major shakeup is coming. Sabonis is getting 00:13:47.009 --> 00:13:49.009 a lot of attention. And the two teams you hear 00:13:49.009 --> 00:13:51.269 the most are the Cavaliers and the Hawks. Let's 00:13:51.269 --> 00:13:53.289 break down the Cavs scenario. We know they're 00:13:53.289 --> 00:13:56.909 contenders, but how does Sabonis, who isn't exactly 00:13:56.909 --> 00:14:00.070 a defensive stopper, fit with that small backcourt? 00:14:00.269 --> 00:14:02.269 It's a complicated fit. That's the big question 00:14:02.269 --> 00:14:04.970 mark. Cleveland already has a small backcourt 00:14:04.970 --> 00:14:07.470 with Mitchell and Garland. Sabonis' defensive 00:14:07.470 --> 00:14:10.370 liability, especially protecting the rim, would 00:14:10.370 --> 00:14:12.549 put a ton of strain on them. But there has to 00:14:12.549 --> 00:14:14.990 be an upside for them to even consider it. Oh, 00:14:15.009 --> 00:14:17.789 the upside is massive, offensively. The thinking 00:14:17.789 --> 00:14:20.289 is that Evan Mobley's elite defensive versatility 00:14:20.289 --> 00:14:23.690 could cover for Sabonis' weaknesses. Mobley could 00:14:23.690 --> 00:14:25.710 be the rim protector and switch on the perimeter, 00:14:25.889 --> 00:14:28.190 letting Sabonis focus on rebounding and scoring. 00:14:29.409 --> 00:14:32.049 Offensively, a Mobley -Sabonis frontcourt would 00:14:32.049 --> 00:14:34.629 be maybe the best passing big man duo in the 00:14:34.629 --> 00:14:36.889 entire league. Okay, and what about Atlanta? 00:14:37.070 --> 00:14:39.009 How would they make it work? Atlanta's an interesting 00:14:39.009 --> 00:14:41.399 dark horse here. But it all depends on if they're 00:14:41.399 --> 00:14:43.539 finally willing to make a decision on Trae Young's 00:14:43.539 --> 00:14:46.399 future. The appeal for them is pairing Sabonis 00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:50.100 with Kristaps Portizais. Portizais as that stretch 00:14:50.100 --> 00:14:53.100 five who can also protect the rim. Exactly. He's 00:14:53.100 --> 00:14:55.120 the kind of player who could insulate Sabonis 00:14:55.120 --> 00:14:57.820 from some of his defensive issues. But then it 00:14:57.820 --> 00:14:59.580 creates another problem. What do you do with 00:14:59.580 --> 00:15:01.659 Jalen Johnson when he gets healthy? He's been 00:15:01.659 --> 00:15:04.639 fantastic. So, yeah, no deals are close. But 00:15:04.639 --> 00:15:06.700 the second Sacramento decides to pull the trigger, 00:15:06.840 --> 00:15:09.509 those two teams will be first in line. We also 00:15:09.509 --> 00:15:11.350 have to talk about the Knicks, who are 8 -4, 00:15:11.549 --> 00:15:14.350 sitting second in the East. But now injuries 00:15:14.350 --> 00:15:16.970 are starting to expose some real issues with 00:15:16.970 --> 00:15:20.250 their bench depth. The injuries to Jalen Brunson 00:15:20.250 --> 00:15:23.110 and O .G. Anunabe are really putting a spotlight 00:15:23.110 --> 00:15:25.610 on their reserves. And what you see is a little 00:15:25.610 --> 00:15:28.730 concerning. Right now, Miles McBride is the only 00:15:28.730 --> 00:15:31.009 regular bench player with a positive net differential. 00:15:31.289 --> 00:15:33.289 And for the listener, what does that mean? When 00:15:33.289 --> 00:15:35.409 he's on the court, they're winning. It means 00:15:35.409 --> 00:15:37.700 when McBride is on the court. the Knicks are 00:15:37.700 --> 00:15:40.600 outscoring their opponents. For every other regular 00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:42.879 guy coming off the bench, the opposite is true. 00:15:43.019 --> 00:15:45.799 When you lose your main creator in Brunson, you 00:15:45.799 --> 00:15:47.519 suddenly need guys who can just hold down the 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:49.779 fort, and right now it looks like only one guy 00:15:49.779 --> 00:15:52.200 can do that. Which naturally leads them to look 00:15:52.200 --> 00:15:55.039 at the trade market. Absolutely. They're probably 00:15:55.039 --> 00:15:57.379 going to be actively looking for a reliable backup 00:15:57.379 --> 00:15:59.899 guard, someone like Jerome, who becomes trade 00:15:59.899 --> 00:16:02.120 eligible in a few weeks. They just need a steady 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:04.320 hand to run that second unit while their stars 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:06.879 get healthy. Okay, let's move west. Where the 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:08.899 schedule makers are really testing one young 00:16:08.899 --> 00:16:11.620 team, while the defending champs just had a stunning 00:16:11.620 --> 00:16:14.299 loss that exposed some old weaknesses. Let's 00:16:14.299 --> 00:16:15.960 start with the Portland Trailblazers. They're 00:16:15.960 --> 00:16:18.980 6 -7, just got back from a really brutal 1 -4 00:16:18.980 --> 00:16:21.240 road trip, and they've got the Suns tonight. 00:16:21.460 --> 00:16:23.799 And analysts are saying this game is mission 00:16:23.799 --> 00:16:26.120 critical for them. Why is one game in November 00:16:26.120 --> 00:16:28.620 so important for Portland? Because of what comes 00:16:28.620 --> 00:16:31.899 next. Their schedule is about to become, well, 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:34.509 treacherous. After tonight, they've got the Bulls, 00:16:34.529 --> 00:16:36.629 Warriors, and then a really grueling stretch. 00:16:37.450 --> 00:16:40.750 OKC, the Bucks, though maybe without Giannis 00:16:40.750 --> 00:16:42.909 the Spurs, also without Wemby, then OKC again, 00:16:43.029 --> 00:16:47.590 Raptors, Cavs, Pistons. Wow. Yeah. They absolutely 00:16:47.590 --> 00:16:49.649 have to get a win tonight to build some positive 00:16:49.649 --> 00:16:52.049 momentum, or they risk getting buried before 00:16:52.049 --> 00:16:53.970 January even hits. And for their opponent, the 00:16:53.970 --> 00:16:56.830 Suns, their path to getting better seems to come 00:16:56.830 --> 00:16:59.710 down to one very specific thing on offense. It's 00:16:59.710 --> 00:17:02.190 all about getting to the free throw line. The 00:17:02.190 --> 00:17:04.650 Suns are an elite free throw shooting team. They're 00:17:04.650 --> 00:17:07.490 hitting almost 82%, which is top 10 in the league. 00:17:07.930 --> 00:17:10.950 The problem is they almost never get there. That's 00:17:10.950 --> 00:17:13.170 a huge disconnect. It's a massive opportunity 00:17:13.170 --> 00:17:15.930 cost. They only take about 22 free throws a game, 00:17:16.029 --> 00:17:18.670 which is near the bottom of the league. If they 00:17:18.670 --> 00:17:20.670 can just find a way to get a couple more attempts 00:17:20.670 --> 00:17:23.369 each night, that's easy points they're leaving 00:17:23.369 --> 00:17:26.109 on the table. Devin Booker is doing his part. 00:17:26.250 --> 00:17:28.190 He's getting to the line a career -high number 00:17:28.190 --> 00:17:30.329 of times, but the rest of the team has to be 00:17:30.329 --> 00:17:32.970 more aggressive. Phoenix also showed off a pretty 00:17:32.970 --> 00:17:35.250 cool strategic advantage they have for developing 00:17:35.250 --> 00:17:37.250 their young guys. Yeah, this is a fascinating 00:17:37.250 --> 00:17:39.910 little logistical thing. They're trying to develop 00:17:39.910 --> 00:17:43.930 raw prospects like Kamon Moloag and Rashir Fleming. 00:17:44.269 --> 00:17:46.769 What they did was they brought back their G League 00:17:46.769 --> 00:17:50.049 affiliate and set them up in an arena in Tempe, 00:17:50.089 --> 00:17:52.349 which is less than a half hour drive from the 00:17:52.349 --> 00:17:54.549 main NBA arena. So the close proximity is the 00:17:54.549 --> 00:17:57.450 key. Exactly. It lets these prospects play in 00:17:57.450 --> 00:18:00.170 G League games, get real experience without missing 00:18:00.170 --> 00:18:03.430 a single NBA practice or team meeting. It's a 00:18:03.430 --> 00:18:06.210 really smart way to build their future core by 00:18:06.210 --> 00:18:08.609 giving them consistent coaching and game reps 00:18:08.609 --> 00:18:10.849 at the same time. All right, shifting to the 00:18:10.849 --> 00:18:12.829 reigning champs, the Denver Nuggets, who had 00:18:12.829 --> 00:18:15.430 a seven -game win streak, snapped in a pretty 00:18:15.430 --> 00:18:19.329 stunning home loss. They did. They lost 131 -27 00:18:19.329 --> 00:18:22.470 to the Chicago Bulls at home. And it really exposed 00:18:22.470 --> 00:18:25.250 two old... vulnerabilities that have kind of 00:18:25.250 --> 00:18:27.589 haunted them in the past. Inconsistent defense 00:18:27.589 --> 00:18:30.589 and a disastrous bench unit. The bench numbers 00:18:30.589 --> 00:18:32.950 were just shocking. Shocking is an understatement. 00:18:33.589 --> 00:18:35.829 Chicago's bench outscored Denver's second unit 00:18:35.829 --> 00:18:39.690 66 -9. 66 -9. You can't win a game with that 00:18:39.690 --> 00:18:41.289 kind of collapse. And part of that is because 00:18:41.289 --> 00:18:42.769 they're missing Christian Braun, who's out with 00:18:42.769 --> 00:18:44.910 an ankle injury. How significant is his absence? 00:18:45.049 --> 00:18:46.670 He's their starting shooting guard, but he's 00:18:46.670 --> 00:18:49.769 not a huge scorer. His absence is enormous because 00:18:49.769 --> 00:18:51.650 his value is almost entirely on the defensive 00:18:51.650 --> 00:18:54.660 end. Braun is arguably their best perimeter defender. 00:18:54.980 --> 00:18:56.859 He's the guy they put on the other team's best 00:18:56.859 --> 00:18:59.599 wing. While you can replace his scoring, you 00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:01.619 can't really replace that defense. So his injury 00:19:01.619 --> 00:19:03.759 just magnified a need they already knew they 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:06.740 had? It confirmed it. The front office was already 00:19:06.740 --> 00:19:09.799 known to be actively looking for a backup two 00:19:09.799 --> 00:19:12.380 guard who could hit threes and create a little. 00:19:13.220 --> 00:19:15.339 The Bulls game just showed them that without 00:19:15.339 --> 00:19:17.880 Braun's defense to anchor it, their second unit 00:19:17.880 --> 00:19:20.430 is in serious trouble. And before we leave the 00:19:20.430 --> 00:19:22.950 NBA, a final update on two legends and their 00:19:22.950 --> 00:19:26.029 future with Team USA, LeBron James and Stephen 00:19:26.029 --> 00:19:28.309 Curry. Yeah, the final word seems to be that 00:19:28.309 --> 00:19:30.730 both LeBron and Steph are highly unlikely to 00:19:30.730 --> 00:19:34.069 play in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. LeBron 00:19:34.069 --> 00:19:36.710 basically summed it up by saying that their run 00:19:36.710 --> 00:19:39.309 in Paris in 2024 where they won gold just can't 00:19:39.309 --> 00:19:41.130 be topped. He said, how are we going to top those 00:19:41.130 --> 00:19:43.390 last two games? They want that to be the storybook 00:19:43.390 --> 00:19:46.900 ending. Exactly. And speaking of LeBron. He's 00:19:46.900 --> 00:19:49.259 still dealing with a return to health this season. 00:19:49.740 --> 00:19:51.740 He hasn't played yet for the Lakers because of 00:19:51.740 --> 00:19:54.740 a recurring sciatica issue. Missed opening night 00:19:54.740 --> 00:19:56.660 for the first time in his career. But even at 00:19:56.660 --> 00:19:58.759 40 years old, he's still expected to give the 00:19:58.759 --> 00:20:00.980 Lakers a massive boost when he does come back. 00:20:01.200 --> 00:20:03.160 Oh, absolutely. He's hoping to make his debut 00:20:03.160 --> 00:20:05.819 soon, maybe even tonight, against the Jazz. He'll 00:20:05.819 --> 00:20:08.500 give them a huge offensive lift. He's still confident. 00:20:08.599 --> 00:20:10.619 Recently said, I can do everything on the floor. 00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:13.539 The team will ease him back in. But they're hoping 00:20:13.539 --> 00:20:15.680 he can stay healthy for a title run with Luka 00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:18.859 and Austin Reeves. OK, let's pivot hard to the 00:20:18.859 --> 00:20:21.539 college game now, where the early season rankings 00:20:21.539 --> 00:20:25.079 are just complete and total chaos. It is pure, 00:20:25.240 --> 00:20:28.180 glorious chaos. And it really speaks to the parity 00:20:28.180 --> 00:20:30.039 and strength of college basketball right now. 00:20:30.160 --> 00:20:33.059 You look at the top 25 and the Big 10, the Big 00:20:33.059 --> 00:20:36.019 12 and the SEC each have six teams in the rankings. 00:20:36.220 --> 00:20:38.700 That's incredible depth. It is. And what's really 00:20:38.700 --> 00:20:40.880 eye opening is that the Big 10 and the Big 12 00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:43.599 each have three teams in the top 10. That concentration 00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:46.140 of elite talent tells you. Those conferences 00:20:46.140 --> 00:20:49.200 are setting the pace early on. And a very familiar 00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:52.319 program is back at number one after a huge road 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:55.279 win. Purdue is back on top. They beat number 00:20:55.279 --> 00:21:00.140 eight, Alabama on the road, 87 -80, in a really 00:21:00.140 --> 00:21:02.380 tough environment. It was a classic Matt Painter 00:21:02.380 --> 00:21:06.119 performance. Physical, poised, great half -court 00:21:06.119 --> 00:21:08.339 execution. Who was the difference maker for them 00:21:08.339 --> 00:21:10.500 in that game? The return of Trey Kaufman -Wren 00:21:10.500 --> 00:21:12.180 was just huge. He'd been out with an injury. 00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:15.519 But he came back and dropped 19 points and 15 00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:18.599 rebounds. That interior muscle was exactly what 00:21:18.599 --> 00:21:20.579 they needed to get that win. Another Big Ten 00:21:20.579 --> 00:21:23.339 team making a big move is Illinois. Yeah, the 00:21:23.339 --> 00:21:26.240 fighting Eleni jumped up six spots to No. 8 after 00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:29.380 a massive win over No. 11 Texas Tech. They just 00:21:29.380 --> 00:21:31.619 look sharper and tougher this year. A big part 00:21:31.619 --> 00:21:33.519 of that has been the play of Andres Dojkovic 00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:35.799 off the bench. He gave him a huge lift. A huge 00:21:35.799 --> 00:21:38.019 lift is an understatement. He scored 23 points 00:21:38.019 --> 00:21:40.099 as a sixth man against the Red Raiders. That's 00:21:40.099 --> 00:21:42.569 a major luxury. But their schedule is about to 00:21:42.569 --> 00:21:45.390 get brutal. They've got Alabama, UConn, and Tennessee 00:21:45.390 --> 00:21:47.529 coming up. We'll find out pretty quickly if they're 00:21:47.529 --> 00:21:49.970 a real top 10 team. Switching to the women's 00:21:49.970 --> 00:21:52.930 game, UCLA is looking like a legitimate title 00:21:52.930 --> 00:21:55.349 contender. They look incredibly impressive. They 00:21:55.349 --> 00:21:57.569 just went through two top 15 opponents like it 00:21:57.569 --> 00:22:00.670 was nothing. Beat up number six, Oklahoma, and 00:22:00.670 --> 00:22:03.390 number 11, North Carolina by double digits. They 00:22:03.390 --> 00:22:05.710 have experience. They have depth. They look phenomenal. 00:22:05.990 --> 00:22:08.829 Who stood out for them? Gianna Nipkins. A fifth 00:22:08.829 --> 00:22:11.769 year transfer was huge in the Oklahoma win. She 00:22:11.769 --> 00:22:14.569 dropped 20 points. And for her to integrate that 00:22:14.569 --> 00:22:17.369 seamlessly into their offense already just shows 00:22:17.369 --> 00:22:19.670 how deep their talent pool is. And Louisville 00:22:19.670 --> 00:22:22.150 made a huge jump up the rankings, too. A massive 00:22:22.150 --> 00:22:25.549 jump from 12 all the way up to six. They had 00:22:25.549 --> 00:22:28.049 a ton of national respect for beating their in 00:22:28.049 --> 00:22:30.250 -state rival, Kentucky. That was a big confidence 00:22:30.250 --> 00:22:31.910 booster for them. Tonight, we have one of the 00:22:31.910 --> 00:22:34.650 biggest early season matchups. The Champions 00:22:34.650 --> 00:22:38.089 Classic with No. 12 Kentucky against No. 17 Michigan 00:22:38.089 --> 00:22:41.109 State at Madison Square Garden. This is a fantastic 00:22:41.109 --> 00:22:45.190 game, 6 .30 p .m. Eastern, and it's a huge moment 00:22:45.190 --> 00:22:47.470 for a couple of the Kentucky players. It's a 00:22:47.470 --> 00:22:50.509 real homecoming for Mama Diobet, who grew up 00:22:50.509 --> 00:22:52.829 in Queens. What's it like for a college kid, 00:22:52.930 --> 00:22:55.869 even one from New York, to play at MSG? It's 00:22:55.869 --> 00:22:58.750 the mecca. Dato Bates said he's never actually 00:22:58.750 --> 00:23:01.410 played there as a college player. Called it every 00:23:01.410 --> 00:23:04.869 kid's dream. The history of that building, it's 00:23:04.869 --> 00:23:06.609 just a different kind of energy. It's a proving 00:23:06.609 --> 00:23:08.970 ground. He's an interesting case, though. Grew 00:23:08.970 --> 00:23:10.950 up in Queens, but isn't a Knicks fan. That's 00:23:10.950 --> 00:23:13.069 right. He's a diehard Lakers fan because he grew 00:23:13.069 --> 00:23:16.789 up idolizing Kobe Bryant. Now, for Michigan State, 00:23:17.069 --> 00:23:19.369 they're led by a really powerful front court 00:23:19.369 --> 00:23:21.470 that could give Kentucky trouble. Absolutely. 00:23:21.750 --> 00:23:24.109 The Spartans are 3 -0 and their strength is down 00:23:24.109 --> 00:23:27.039 low. Jackson Kohler is averaging a ridiculous 00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:30.539 14 points and 13 rebounds. He's one of the best 00:23:30.539 --> 00:23:32.759 glass cleaners in the country. They're going 00:23:32.759 --> 00:23:35.039 to be a tough physical challenge for Kentucky. 00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:37.700 And in the other Champions Classic game, Kansas 00:23:37.700 --> 00:23:40.039 faces Duke, but the Jayhawks are going to be 00:23:40.039 --> 00:23:42.400 shorthanded. Yeah, Kansas will be without their 00:23:42.400 --> 00:23:45.839 highly touted freshman Darren Peterson. He's 00:23:45.839 --> 00:23:48.579 got a hamstring injury. He's a key playmaker 00:23:48.579 --> 00:23:50.859 for them, so his absence is a big deal against 00:23:50.859 --> 00:23:53.529 a talented Duke team. Let's zoom in on a few 00:23:53.529 --> 00:23:55.849 regional teams now, starting with Minnesota, 00:23:55.990 --> 00:23:58.470 who's got Chicago State tonight. The Gophers 00:23:58.470 --> 00:24:01.230 are 3 -1, but they've had some really ugly stretches. 00:24:01.529 --> 00:24:03.670 Their big issue, their key to winning tonight, 00:24:03.869 --> 00:24:06.869 is one thing. Free throw shooting. They have 00:24:06.869 --> 00:24:08.829 this weird problem where they get to the line 00:24:08.829 --> 00:24:10.849 all the time, but they just can't make them. 00:24:11.009 --> 00:24:14.029 It's an analytical paradox. They are top 15 in 00:24:14.029 --> 00:24:15.750 the country in getting to the free throw line. 00:24:15.910 --> 00:24:18.750 They're aggressive. They draw contact. but they're 00:24:18.750 --> 00:24:21.990 ranked 294th nationally in free throw percentage. 00:24:22.369 --> 00:24:25.069 It's just dismal. That's got to be a mental thing 00:24:25.069 --> 00:24:27.630 more than anything. You'd think so. It's probably 00:24:27.630 --> 00:24:30.750 a lack of focus or fatigue. But if they could 00:24:30.750 --> 00:24:33.109 just fix that, their entire offensive profile 00:24:33.109 --> 00:24:36.049 changes overnight. The other key for them is 00:24:36.049 --> 00:24:38.789 to just keep dominating the glass. Rebounding 00:24:38.789 --> 00:24:40.890 has to be their identity. And for Wisconsin, 00:24:41.069 --> 00:24:43.410 they're 4 -0, and they seem to have a habit of 00:24:43.410 --> 00:24:45.049 just shutting teams down in the second half. 00:24:45.289 --> 00:24:47.509 The Badgers win games with these devastating 00:24:47.509 --> 00:24:50.450 second -half runs. In their last win, they went 00:24:50.450 --> 00:24:53.349 on a 16 -0 run that just ended the game. It shows 00:24:53.349 --> 00:24:55.250 they have superior conditioning and coaching. 00:24:55.470 --> 00:24:57.990 And who's leading that charge offensively? Their 00:24:57.990 --> 00:25:01.049 guards, John Blackwell and Nick Boyd. have been 00:25:01.049 --> 00:25:03.809 lights out from three. They hit a combined nine 00:25:03.809 --> 00:25:07.029 threes in that last game. When their guards are 00:25:07.029 --> 00:25:09.259 shooting like that, They're almost impossible 00:25:09.259 --> 00:25:11.480 to beat. How about Ohio State? It seems like 00:25:11.480 --> 00:25:13.640 Coach Dabler has already found the guy he trusts 00:25:13.640 --> 00:25:16.380 in the clutch. Yeah, he has unwavering faith 00:25:16.380 --> 00:25:20.039 in John Mobley Jr. to be his late game guy. And 00:25:20.039 --> 00:25:22.079 what's fascinating is that it comes even though 00:25:22.079 --> 00:25:25.099 Mobley is shooting just 32 percent from the field 00:25:25.099 --> 00:25:27.019 so far. So it's not about his shooting. It's 00:25:27.019 --> 00:25:29.759 about his decision making. Exactly. Dabler trusts 00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:32.099 him to make the right read when to attack, when 00:25:32.099 --> 00:25:34.640 to pass, when to manage the clock. He showed 00:25:34.640 --> 00:25:37.160 it in their tight win against Notre Dame. He 00:25:37.160 --> 00:25:39.200 just controlled the final possessions, even though 00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:41.660 his shot wasn't falling. Finally, a weird win 00:25:41.660 --> 00:25:43.960 for Mizzou that got really sloppy. They beat 00:25:43.960 --> 00:25:47.000 Prairie View A &M easily. But after they built 00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:49.559 a 35 -point lead, they just fell apart for about 00:25:49.559 --> 00:25:51.819 10 minutes. They had eight turnovers in that 00:25:51.819 --> 00:25:53.859 stretch, which is an insane turnover rate. That's 00:25:53.859 --> 00:25:56.619 pure complacency. Total psychological lapse. 00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:59.559 They just took their foot off the gas. The good 00:25:59.559 --> 00:26:02.160 news for them is that they expect a key player. 00:26:02.359 --> 00:26:05.480 Enter Boateng. back soon, which should help stabilize 00:26:05.480 --> 00:26:07.900 things. We have to wrap up with a few really 00:26:07.900 --> 00:26:10.599 important off -court stories, starting with some 00:26:10.599 --> 00:26:13.940 very serious legal allegations against a former 00:26:13.940 --> 00:26:17.400 NBA player. Yeah, this is significant and very 00:26:17.400 --> 00:26:20.819 troubling news involving Patrick Beverly. He's 00:26:20.819 --> 00:26:22.839 been charged with assault on a family member 00:26:22.839 --> 00:26:26.519 by impeding breath or circulation in Texas. The 00:26:26.519 --> 00:26:29.059 allegations are that he choked and hit his minor 00:26:29.059 --> 00:26:31.180 teenage sister. What are the details from the 00:26:31.180 --> 00:26:33.180 police report? According to the documents, the 00:26:33.180 --> 00:26:35.180 incident happened after his sister, a minor, 00:26:35.339 --> 00:26:38.140 left the house without permission. When she came 00:26:38.140 --> 00:26:40.640 back, he confronted her and allegedly grabbed 00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:42.539 her by the neck, lifting her off the ground. 00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:45.099 The victim claimed she was losing oxygen for 00:26:45.099 --> 00:26:47.539 about 20 or 30 seconds. And the police found 00:26:47.539 --> 00:26:49.680 evidence of this. They reported finding marks 00:26:49.680 --> 00:26:52.140 on her neck and blood spots under the skin around 00:26:52.140 --> 00:26:55.279 her eye, which led to his arrest. He posted a 00:26:55.279 --> 00:26:57.980 $40 ,000 bond. Has his legal team responded? 00:26:58.319 --> 00:27:01.740 Yes. Beverly posted a statement from his attorney 00:27:01.740 --> 00:27:04.779 that disputes the description of events. It says 00:27:04.779 --> 00:27:07.680 he was understandably concerned to find his minor 00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:10.059 sister with an 18 -year -old male late at night, 00:27:10.099 --> 00:27:12.259 but that the events that followed didn't happen 00:27:12.259 --> 00:27:14.680 the way the police report describes. And it's 00:27:14.680 --> 00:27:17.519 also worth noting he still has an unserved NBA 00:27:17.519 --> 00:27:20.000 suspension looming. That's correct. He has a 00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:22.000 four -game suspension left from throwing a ball 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:24.670 at a fan last season. So that complicates any 00:27:24.670 --> 00:27:26.849 potential return to the league on top of these 00:27:26.849 --> 00:27:28.930 very serious charges. Switching to media news, 00:27:29.089 --> 00:27:31.970 a big shakeup over at ESPN on their main NBA 00:27:31.970 --> 00:27:34.690 show. Stephen A. Smith is stepping back from 00:27:34.690 --> 00:27:37.170 his regular mandatory appearances on NBA Countdown. 00:27:37.650 --> 00:27:40.089 This is part of his new $100 million contract, 00:27:40.369 --> 00:27:42.690 which gives him more flexibility to scale back 00:27:42.690 --> 00:27:44.869 on some duties. So who's filling those states? 00:27:44.950 --> 00:27:47.089 What's the new lineup look like? Malika Andrews 00:27:47.089 --> 00:27:49.460 is still hosting. The new crew will have Kendrick 00:27:49.460 --> 00:27:52.599 Perkins, former coach Michael Malone, Brian Winhorst, 00:27:52.599 --> 00:27:55.039 and the insider Shams Charania. It's a fresh 00:27:55.039 --> 00:27:57.140 look, a lot more focused on coaching and expert 00:27:57.140 --> 00:27:59.599 reporting now. We also had a kind of interesting 00:27:59.599 --> 00:28:02.680 fan interaction story involving Draymond Green. 00:28:02.940 --> 00:28:04.579 Yeah, this was during the Warriors' win over 00:28:04.579 --> 00:28:08.019 the Pelicans. Draymond confronted a fan courtside 00:28:08.019 --> 00:28:10.980 who was taunting him by chanting Angel Reese. 00:28:11.359 --> 00:28:13.900 Why that specific name? It was a very specific 00:28:13.900 --> 00:28:17.190 taunt. The fan was referencing the Chicago Sky 00:28:17.190 --> 00:28:20.130 forward Angel Reese, who is known for getting 00:28:20.130 --> 00:28:23.329 her own rebounds. Draymond had missed a few shots 00:28:23.329 --> 00:28:25.589 and rebounded his own miss, so the fan started 00:28:25.589 --> 00:28:28.170 chanting her name. Implying he was playing like 00:28:28.170 --> 00:28:29.950 a woman. That's how Draymond took it. He said 00:28:29.950 --> 00:28:32.630 the fan just kept calling me a woman, which crossed 00:28:32.630 --> 00:28:34.150 a line for him, so he walked right up to the 00:28:34.150 --> 00:28:37.190 fan during a stoppage. The NBA reviewed it and 00:28:37.190 --> 00:28:40.089 just gave him a warning, no fine. And finally, 00:28:40.170 --> 00:28:43.069 just a fun, weird historical fact about one of 00:28:43.069 --> 00:28:45.589 college basketball's greatest programs. It is 00:28:45.589 --> 00:28:48.650 a genuine jaw -dropper. Even though the UNC basketball 00:28:48.650 --> 00:28:51.630 program is one of the top three winningest programs 00:28:51.630 --> 00:28:54.369 of all time, the U .S. Navy holds the largest 00:28:54.369 --> 00:28:57.069 margin of victory ever recorded over them. Wow. 00:28:57.130 --> 00:28:59.869 You would never guess that. Never. Great piece 00:28:59.869 --> 00:29:02.289 of trivia. What a week. When you really put all 00:29:02.289 --> 00:29:04.250 these stories together, from the NBA policing 00:29:04.250 --> 00:29:07.390 health to the chaos in the college ranks, this 00:29:07.390 --> 00:29:09.250 feels like the season is already being defined 00:29:09.250 --> 00:29:11.809 by relentless pressure. Relentless is the perfect 00:29:11.809 --> 00:29:13.990 word. I mean, we started this talking about Tyrese 00:29:13.990 --> 00:29:16.569 Maxey's workload and the Cavs getting a slap 00:29:16.569 --> 00:29:18.369 on the wrist fine for trying to protect their 00:29:18.369 --> 00:29:21.750 guys. Then we see generational talents like Giannis 00:29:21.750 --> 00:29:24.329 and Wemby facing these serious injury scares. 00:29:24.769 --> 00:29:27.490 So as we wrap up, what's the one big question 00:29:27.490 --> 00:29:29.569 that all of this points to for the NBA right 00:29:29.569 --> 00:29:31.980 now? The challenge facing the league is this. 00:29:32.319 --> 00:29:35.839 As they keep fining teams for what is, really, 00:29:36.000 --> 00:29:38.720 essential load management, and as superstars 00:29:38.720 --> 00:29:42.559 keep facing burnout or serious injury, how long 00:29:42.559 --> 00:29:45.119 can the league afford to prioritize regular season 00:29:45.119 --> 00:29:48.119 viewership over the actual health and longevity 00:29:48.119 --> 00:29:50.720 of its generational talents? That tension isn't 00:29:50.720 --> 00:29:52.960 going away. It's not. And the current fine structure 00:29:52.960 --> 00:29:55.220 clearly isn't enough to change how teams behave. 00:29:55.710 --> 00:29:58.109 That high stakes conversation about sustainability 00:29:58.109 --> 00:30:01.309 is going to define the rest of this season and 00:30:01.309 --> 00:30:03.789 probably the next big labor negotiation. That 00:30:03.789 --> 00:30:06.910 is a critical question for everyone involved 00:30:06.910 --> 00:30:09.109 in the sport to be thinking about. Thanks for 00:30:09.109 --> 00:30:10.869 joining us here on Basketball Home. It was a 00:30:10.869 --> 00:30:13.230 pleasure. We'll catch you next time for more 00:30:13.230 --> 00:30:16.210 of the biggest stories shaking the world of basketball.