All Things Basketball with GD - 2023 NBA Postseason and WNBA News

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Greetings my peeps and welcome to the All Things Basketball Podcast with your boy GD.

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In this episode I'll be giving you all the postseason news, all that's happened in the

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NBA as well as some WNBA news as well so just sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

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Okay guys so it's your boy GD back with all things basketball podcast.

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Yeah so I took a little hiatus there was short because of everything that's going on in the

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NBA including the draft I'll give you that in a separate episode but there's a lot of news to

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cover here more than I thought would take place but nonetheless I got all the news items here so

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we'll talk about it so we'll call this NBA postseason news thus far something like that so

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hey how so let us get into it so we know the finals ended then of course the decision to be made as far as the

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Jarmaran suspension and as promised Adam Silver waited until the finals was over and he made his

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announcement. I thought it would be after the draft but it didn't seem to matter because it didn't take too much from the draft so pretty much immediately after the

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finals he announced that Jarmaran would get a 25 game suspension without pay of course

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so this is what Adam Silver had to say in that regard.

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Jarmaran's decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting

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given the similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games.

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The potential for other young people to emulate Jar's conduct is particularly concerning.

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Under the circumstances we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated so that is Adam Silver's statement in this regard concerning the suspension.

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Then there's an interview with Memphis Grizzlies GM Zach Climbins and this is what he said.

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Basically Zach Climbins is saying it was an appropriate punishment and that he doesn't care about the words that come out in terms of Jarmaran and what he'll say.

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He wants to see action.

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He says there's no more room for steps back.

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Jar has the opportunity to come back from this and everyone wants him to be successful so basically the GM he wants to see action behind the words that Jar says.

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And speaking of those words his Jar statement.

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I've had time to reflect and realize how much hurt I've caused.

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I want to apologize to the NBA, the Grizzlies, my teammates in the city of Memphis.

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To Adam Silver, Zach Climbins who I just spoke about and Robert Pira who gave me the opportunity to be a professional athlete and have supported me.

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I'm sorry for the harm I've done.

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To the kids who look up to me.

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I'm sorry for failing you as a role model.

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I promise I'm going to be better.

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To all my sponsors.

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I'm going to be a better representation of our brands.

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And to all my fans I'm going to make it up to you.

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I promise.

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I'm spending the off season in my suspension continuing to work on my own mental health and decision making.

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I'm also going to be training so that I'm ready to go when I can be back on the court.

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I know my teammates are going to hold it down and I'm so sorry I won't be out there with you at the beginning of the season.

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I hope you'll give me the chance to prove to you over time.

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I'm a better man than what I've been showing you.

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So that is Jaws statement and we know with the previous suspension he issued a similar type statement.

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I'm with Zach Climbins on this.

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Words don't mean a thing.

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It's what you do.

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It's your action behind the words.

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Jaws you have an opportunity now.

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Get yourself right.

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I'm not even going to go to his circle and all that.

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That's up to him to decide who to cut off or who to keep around so forth.

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Basically he knows what he has to do.

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He knows what's on the line right now.

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This is his second blown opportunity so to speak.

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So he has the opportunity now to rectify and correct previous behavior.

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So will he do it?

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I think he has to guys.

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I think he has to because everything is on the line right now.

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I think a three strikes would definitely be absolutely crushing if that were to happen.

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Do I think it'll happen?

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I think at this point it has to sink in that he is this close to losing it all.

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So again I'm rooting for the kid.

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I really am.

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You don't want to see a kid like this with immense talent throw it all away just recklessly.

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So I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

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I'm going to hope for the best and we'll see what he does guys.

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But it's going to cost him money guys.

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It's terms of salary.

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They're saying somewhere in the neighborhood of 7.6 7.7 million that he'll lose in salary.

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It then not to mention the bonuses that he would have got if he was named all NBA or named to the all star team.

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This now puts him out of contention.

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The most games he can do guys for this season is 57.

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And now with the new criteria he would fall short of that.

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So he would be unable to be named to postseason awards and all those other things.

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So definitely this costs him big time money.

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Did lose sponsorships.

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I believe Nike is still hanging on by a thread in terms of being in partnership with him.

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So we'll see what happens guys.

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This is a lesson to all the young athletes out there across the sports platform that behavior like this comes with consequences.

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So let us see what the young man does from here.

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So again I hope for the best.

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We'll see what happens.

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So with that bit of news let's move on and let's talk about trades guys.

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One of the trades involved his team.

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Christophe Porzing is going to Boston in a multi team deal.

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Washington gets former Memphis Grizzlies backup.

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Tyus Jones.

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They also get Boston's Danilo Galanari as well as Mike Muscala.

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And they also get a second round pick that goes to the Washington Wizards.

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And going to Memphis is Marcus Smart.

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Marcus Smart who was not part of the original deal.

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The original deal actually involved the Los Angeles Clippers.

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They were to get Malcolm Brogdon.

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He was going there and then I believe the Wizards were to get Marcus Morris, Amir Coffee and some draft picks.

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But the Clippers got scared off because of Malcolm Brogdon and his injury history.

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His latest one being his elbow.

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So that scared them off.

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And you know something?

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It's probably best for the Clippers that they didn't get involved in that because

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I tell you what guys.

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It was a miracle for Malcolm Brogdon to make it through the season with his injury history.

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It's usually a hamstring that keeps him out for a while and a whole bunch of ailments.

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The fact that he played 67 games last season really says something.

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Well they were able to load manage him so to speak but you know how that goes in the NBA.

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So they pulled out of the deal.

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Boston nervous about losing out on getting a chance at Porzinas.

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They now include fan favorite and team leader Marcus Smart going to Memphis.

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Which I think is a coup for Memphis because you have John Morant who I just spoke about being out 25 games.

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You're going to need that point guard help and Marcus Smart gives you that.

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And most importantly he's a guy who leads.

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Which you definitely need over there with Memphis that's for sure.

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So I thought it was a brilliant pick up.

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They do lose a valuable backup point guard and Tyus Jones who I think Washington been searching for a point guard for a while now.

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I think Tyus Jones will be their man going forward.

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So I love the move for the Wizards in that regard.

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So now in Boston you have a big three of Porzinas, Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown for the moment.

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So right now your point guard will probably have to be Derek White which he's able to play.

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He's done it in San Antonio and then once they got to John Tate Murray he moved off the ball to the off guard position.

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But he can play on the ball as well.

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So how will he do full time as the point guard?

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We'll see.

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But he's able to play it.

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But you're going to lose that leadership in the locker room.

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That's for sure.

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And then it access the question who's the leader in the locker room.

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Maybe it's Al Horford.

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That's the caveat to making such a deal.

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But hey listen you don't get a chance at a Porzinas every day.

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He had a bounce back season last season he was able to pretty much get through the season unscathed.

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You bring him in, you give him the extension so now you have a big three over there.

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Will they stay with that big three?

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I imagine so unless something happens where Jaylen Brown would be the guy on the move.

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But right now I don't see that coming to fruition.

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Boston got better.

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There's no two ways about it so we'll see what happens for them for the season.

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Do I think they're done?

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Probably not.

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Still decisions to be made on Grant Williams in that regard.

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So you have a solid big man rotation of Porzinas now,

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Horford and Robert Williams the third which that's a strong, strong set of bigs there.

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So Boston did improve.

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Make no mistake about it.

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So Wizards again gets point guard they've been looking for.

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We'll see if Galanari's healthy.

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If he is he can help that team that's for sure.

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And we know Washington wasn't done in that regard.

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I'll talk about them more in a minute.

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But again Memphis gets leadership to get toughness and Marcus Smart.

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And I think that could bode well for a job of a rant when he comes back.

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You know having a guy like Marcus Smart in there who you could actually play them both together if you wanted to.

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Memphis, you know, I think they didn't hurt themselves with this.

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That's for sure.

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So we'll see how things look down the road.

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So that's one deal.

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Then you have Bradley Beale who had the no trade clause with Washington so he could pick wherever he wanted to go.

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And he's on the move to Phoenix.

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So Phoenix, Phoenix gets Bradley Beale.

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They give up Chris Paul, future Hall of Fame point guard.

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They also get shooting guard Landry Chimet, numerous second round picks and pick swaps.

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You think about the price.

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It was a very cheap price guys to get a Bradley Beale.

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You didn't even have to give up a first rounder to get him.

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So which you know, if we were to next day, we'll have to give out 21st rounders, but that's a story for another day.

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But hey, listen, Kevin Durant now he's part of yet another big three with him, Bradley Beale and Devin Booker.

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So this is experiment number, number four actually, well five even if you think about it for Kevin Durant.

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He's had success with I say one and a half of those in Golden State.

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He had the success there.

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He had a modicum of success in OKC with him, Russell Westbrook and Harton.

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But Harton wasn't the player that he was to become later.

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But you know, that team got to a finals.

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Hey, all eyes are on Kevin Durant right now.

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It seems he can play without having a superstar next to him or at least one or two.

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So I think a lot of eyes will be on Kevin Durant come this next season.

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And then it begs the question now, you have Devin Booker and Bradley Beale both shooting guards,

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but they're saying now that Devin Booker is going to move to the point guard position,

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which he did in the playoffs for the four games that Chris Paul went down.

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In those games, nine assists, 12 assists, four assists, eight assists.

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But the only question with that is, can he be able to man the point guard position full time?

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And I talked about this with my boy D, of course, and I heart back to Michael Jordan.

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At one time with the Bulls, it was late in the season where their point guard went down.

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I want to say BJ Armstrong went down and where Jordan had to man the point guard.

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He did well. He averaged pretty close to a triple double, to be honest with you.

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He had a few of them during that stretch.

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But Phil Jackson realized having Michael Jordan play the point guard position is taxing.

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So let me not have him do that.

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So I say all that to say Devin Booker, for him to play the point guard position full time,

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may take a lot. He's going to have to sacrifice shots.

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I don't know. This is the role of the dice, guys.

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And then once again, you have no debt right now.

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You're going to have to pick up players on the cheap because you're going to be top heavy.

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Right now they're saying they're not thinking of dealing Deontre Aitin.

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So, you know, you got four guys making a huge chunk of the money over there.

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So I understand I get it. Got a strong three to four guys.

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But as we saw in these playoffs, you need depth.

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You need depth to get in the brass ring, so to speak.

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So we'll see what happens there.

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On its face, Washington didn't get a lot in return until this happened, which is my next story.

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Chris Paul going to Golden State.

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Washington getting Jordan pool a 2027 second round pick and a 2031st round pick.

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That's top 20 protected. All that going to Washington for Chris Paul,

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who is a 38 year old point guard who had injury issues last season,

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and including the postseason as well.

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With this move here, you can clearly tell Jim Barmeyes is no longer in the building.

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Right now you have new GM Mike Dunleavy, Jr.

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And with him at the helm, this is his first significant deal.

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Doesn't look all that good guys.

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Now you have a Chris Paul, you have a Steph Curry, you have Clay Thompson in your back court.

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It's obvious Chris Paul is going to have to be with the second unit.

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I don't see them starting all three guys together. I don't see it.

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I don't know. The thing with Chris Paul, you know, with those other guys, Steph and Clay,

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you know, you haven't run on ball screens and so forth.

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Chris Paul doesn't fit that mold.

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So your second unit is going to have to look very different than your first unit.

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So I'll be interested to see what Steve Kerr, the coach over there does in terms of fitting Paul into that culture over there.

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And you know Chris Paul is a vocal leader there.

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They're thinking of bringing back a Draymond Green and I'll talk about him in a minute.

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You're still going to have Draymond leading the way if he's still there.

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So and then you have Chris Paul, who's a bit of a vocal leader himself.

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So I'll be interested to see how that works.

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But on the Washington end, they now form what could be a back court of the future with Titus Jones,

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who they got from Memphis and with Jordan pool.

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Now, Jordan pool, you know, I heard Chris Broussard say you had to get rid of the stench of what happened between him and Draymond Green.

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And I definitely do agree with that.

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But in the same breath, the kid is 24 years old.

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He gave him the big contract.

223
00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:40,160
I understand a lot of people saying the money changed him.

224
00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:44,160
So now he gets a bit of a fresh start in Washington.

225
00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:52,160
I expect the kid if his head's on right to bounce back and you got a solid back court over there with him and Jones.

226
00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:59,160
So I just think Golden State really they could have held out for a better deal.

227
00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:03,160
This is the best you can do a 38 year old point guard.

228
00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:05,160
That's tough.

229
00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:07,160
That's not equal value.

230
00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:08,160
That's for sure.

231
00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:10,160
We'll see where it goes from there.

232
00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:15,160
But again, it's obvious Bob Myers would have never done this deal.

233
00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:17,160
He would have never done it.

234
00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:19,160
No way. No way.

235
00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:21,160
The man is too smart for that.

236
00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:29,160
He knows the value of a Jordan pool and he would have been able to maximize and get the best return back for the Golden State Warriors.

237
00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:31,160
So I'll leave it there.

238
00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:33,160
So that's your trade news guys.

239
00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:37,160
Let's talk about players declining their player option.

240
00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:42,160
Drey Mon Green, who I just spoke about, he declined his.

241
00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:44,160
So he is now a free agent.

242
00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:48,160
They're saying for all intents purposes, Golden State wants to bring him back.

243
00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:50,160
That's a priority.

244
00:18:50,160 --> 00:18:55,160
And then I heard Rob Parker say, you know, that maybe they should cut ties.

245
00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:58,160
They're romanticizing about the past and so forth.

246
00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:01,160
But that man was a leader in the locker room.

247
00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:03,160
It's hard to let a guy like that walk.

248
00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:09,160
You let him walk and then what Chris Paul, who's the sixth man will become the leader now?

249
00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:11,160
How does that work?

250
00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:17,160
So I think it's incumbent upon Mike Dunleavy, Jr. to bring back a Drey Mon Green.

251
00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:19,160
Work out a new deal.

252
00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:21,160
You got a bit of money freed up now.

253
00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:23,160
So bring him back.

254
00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:29,160
Even if you got to go over the cap, bring back a Drey Mon Green and then run it back and see what happens.

255
00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:33,160
But you need size. You definitely need size over there. That's for sure.

256
00:19:33,160 --> 00:19:36,160
So we'll see what happens with Golden State.

257
00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:40,160
Chris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks, he opts out.

258
00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:42,160
So he's a free agent now.

259
00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:49,160
He's a guy who he had the injuries early, but as the season progressed, you saw him get back to being his old self.

260
00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:54,160
So I imagine he's going to command a lot on the market where he goes.

261
00:19:54,160 --> 00:20:00,160
I couldn't say off the top of my head guys, but he's going to command attention. That's for sure.

262
00:20:00,160 --> 00:20:05,160
Bruce Brown. I mentioned him for the Denver Nuggets, the swing man there.

263
00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:09,160
I mentioned that he was opt out of his $6 million deal. He did so.

264
00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:14,160
He's going to definitely double maybe triple that on the open market.

265
00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:20,160
Bruce Brown doing the prudent thing and opting out and he'll get his money. That's for sure.

266
00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:25,160
The question is, does he go somewhere else and get the big payday?

267
00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:34,160
Or does he stay in that culture in Denver where he was a vital part of that and continue to build upon that excellence over there?

268
00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:38,160
So that's a big question. We'll see what happens there.

269
00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:43,160
There's a lot of teams out there, bad teams that can throw money at him. Will he go that route?

270
00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:46,160
Or does he stay with a winner? We'll see.

271
00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:51,160
And then Kyle Kuzma. He opted out as well. He's an unrestricted free agent.

272
00:20:51,160 --> 00:21:00,160
He's a guy who has the championship under his belt, so to speak, when he played with that bubble team, the LA Lakers.

273
00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:05,160
So he's a guy who he looks like a different player than, you know, his Laker days.

274
00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:10,160
That's for sure. He's gotten more opportunity over there with the Wizards and he's looked great.

275
00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:16,160
So where he goes, that's a big question as well. So we'll see what happens with him.

276
00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:21,160
Players that you're still waiting to see if they'll opt out or not, change heart.

277
00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:26,160
Things have gone kind of quiet in his camp as far as the opt out is concerned.

278
00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:31,160
So we'll see what happens there. I imagine he will. So we'll see.

279
00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:35,160
And with the Knicks, Josh Hart. They just extended his deadline.

280
00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:42,160
So now the drop dead date is June 29th. So he has up until there.

281
00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:49,160
So I imagine that Leon Rose and his people are working behind the scenes, trying to keep Josh Hart in New York.

282
00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:54,160
So we'll see what happens there. So that's your opt out news, guys.

283
00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:57,160
Let us move on. Retirement.

284
00:21:57,160 --> 00:22:01,160
Lou Williams, the Lemon Pepper King.

285
00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:06,160
He decided to retire, guys. He announced it via YouTube.

286
00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:15,160
He played 17 years in the league, 7 years with Philly, about 3.5 with the Clippers, 3.5 with Atlanta.

287
00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:18,160
Twice, by the way, he played with Atlanta.

288
00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:27,160
Couple of seasons in LA, one with Toronto, and then about 23 games he played with the Houston Rockets.

289
00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:34,160
He was a second round pick, 45th overall for the Philadelphia 76ers.

290
00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:37,160
He was a guy who came straight out of high school, guys.

291
00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:41,160
Came out of high school in Georgia and was drafted.

292
00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:46,160
He's a three time six man of the year award winner.

293
00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:56,160
He played in over 1100 games, averaged nearly 14 points a game, 3.4 assists, low over two rebounds.

294
00:22:56,160 --> 00:23:06,160
Shot it from the field, nearly 42%, over 35% from three, and over 84% from the free throw line.

295
00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:12,160
So Lou Williams, a solid career, never made an all star appearance.

296
00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:19,160
Had years where he was right on the cusp, especially those Clipper years, but not quite there.

297
00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:26,160
But Lou Williams, definitely a guy who maximized his potential, that's for sure.

298
00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:28,160
And he retires.

299
00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:32,160
So all the best to you, Lou Williams, as you retire.

300
00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:35,160
So moving on to more news.

301
00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:41,160
Michael Jordan to sell his majority stake with the Charlotte Hornets.

302
00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:51,160
And he's going to sell it to a group led by minority owner, Gabe Plotkin and former Atlanta minority owner, Rick Schnall.

303
00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:57,160
So this is going to end a 13 year run, guys, as the majority owner.

304
00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:01,160
This is his record in the 13 years, guys.

305
00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:06,160
423 wins, 600 losses, guys.

306
00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:15,160
No playoff series wins, and they haven't been to the playoff since the 2015-16 season.

307
00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:19,160
So not a lot of success there, guys, that's for sure.

308
00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:25,160
He's going to have a minority share in the team, but he's just selling his majority share.

309
00:24:25,160 --> 00:24:30,160
So he'll still be with the team, but not as the major owner there.

310
00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:36,160
It still needs the approval of the Board of Governors in order for the sale to go through.

311
00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:42,160
But this deal, guys, could possibly net Jordan about $3 billion.

312
00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:48,160
When he bought his majority share, he bought it at over 200 million.

313
00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:51,160
So he's talking about getting a return on your investment.

314
00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:52,160
He's doing that.

315
00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:59,160
A lot of people speculate, oh, he's doing this because he's got a gambling debt, so forth.

316
00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:03,160
I don't know, that's rumor and innuendo, so I'm not even going to go there.

317
00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:07,160
But it does seem interesting that he would sell at this time.

318
00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:14,160
And then remember, too, in the NBA draft, his team fell short of getting the number one pick.

319
00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:18,160
And so they end up with the number two pick.

320
00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:22,160
If they got the number one pick, would he have sold the team?

321
00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:26,160
I doubt it, because your value would have went through the roof.

322
00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:29,160
So we'll see what happens in this regard.

323
00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:32,160
But Michael Jordan, he's selling his majority share.

324
00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:37,160
And then the last bit of news, all of it is WNBA related.

325
00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:41,160
WNBA starters, the All-Star starters were named.

326
00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:48,160
In the front court, you have Aja Wilson, who will be a captain once again from the Las Vegas Aces.

327
00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:53,160
Breonna Stewart, she too, once again a captain.

328
00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:56,160
Of course, she's with the New York Liberty now.

329
00:25:56,160 --> 00:26:01,160
Nekka Awumake, from the Los Angeles Sparks.

330
00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:06,160
Then you have Sato Sabali from the Dallas Wings, who's having a fantastic year.

331
00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:12,160
And I think she's the odds-on favorite to be the most improved player in the WNBA.

332
00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:14,160
She's playing that good, guys.

333
00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:23,160
Aliyah Boston of the Indiana Fever, who's looking like the rookie of the year. She's been fantastic this year, guys.

334
00:26:23,160 --> 00:26:27,160
And then Brittany Griner, Brittany Griner of the Phoenix Mercury.

335
00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:31,160
She has been voted in, so you're gonna have her at the festivities.

336
00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:37,160
So of course, it'll be a love fest once again when it comes to Brittany Griner.

337
00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:44,160
I'm sure, you know, in her mind, she's thinking, you know, I'm a long way from where I was about a year ago.

338
00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:49,160
So it'll be a love fest, guys. So brace yourself for that.

339
00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:56,160
And then the back court, you're gonna have Chelsea Gray of the Las Vegas Aces.

340
00:26:56,160 --> 00:27:03,160
I was kind of on pins and needles as far as I hope she makes it in as a starter, and she does.

341
00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:09,160
Jackie Young, who's having a fantastic year, guys. Also from the Aces.

342
00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:15,160
Areka Angumbawale of the Dallas Wings, of course, she's in there.

343
00:27:15,160 --> 00:27:20,160
And Jewel Lloyd of the Seattle Storm, who's having a great year as well.

344
00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:23,160
So that's your 10 starters, guys.

345
00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:30,160
Of course, the big questions are where's Alyssa Thomas and then Nefisha Kogir.

346
00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:37,160
Of course, you imagine they will get in through the coaches as far as your bench players are concerned.

347
00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:40,160
So no worries there.

348
00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:49,160
So that's your All-Star starters for the All-Star game, which will be in a few weeks, in fact, in July.

349
00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:51,160
Then we have injury news.

350
00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:58,160
Breonna Jones of the Connecticut Sun out for the season, a rupture of the Killies, unfortunately.

351
00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:05,160
She had that late in the game versus the Seattle Storm on Tuesday, June 20th.

352
00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:07,160
So she's going to be out.

353
00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:09,160
Unfortunate, guys.

354
00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:15,160
She's a player who I thought was making the All-Star game as the coaches voted her in.

355
00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:18,160
This is a tough blow for the Connecticut Sun.

356
00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:19,160
That's for sure.

357
00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:24,160
It's extremely hard to replace a Breonna Jones as well as she was playing.

358
00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:26,160
So bad news there.

359
00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:28,160
And Shakira Austin.

360
00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:31,160
She suffers a hip injury versus the New York Liberty.

361
00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:34,160
And this was on Sunday, June 25th.

362
00:28:34,160 --> 00:28:38,160
So we'll see what happens with her, whether it's a long-term injury or not.

363
00:28:38,160 --> 00:28:41,160
So we'll see what the diagnosis is.

364
00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:48,160
Guys, if I'm either team, and let's say Austin's out for a prolonged period of time.

365
00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:57,160
Here's a name I would consider, Emma Miesemann, who just recently was the MVP of the FIBA Euro Basketball Cup.

366
00:28:57,160 --> 00:28:59,160
She won it for the Belgian team.

367
00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:05,160
So she is someone who was, in fact, a free agent after her time with the Chicago Sky.

368
00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:08,160
So she's a player that's out there.

369
00:29:08,160 --> 00:29:11,160
Well familiar with the Washington Mystics.

370
00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:14,160
So she would be a natural fit there.

371
00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:17,160
Also, Connecticut Sun could use somebody like that.

372
00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:24,160
Just for sure, she would play a little different than Breonna Jones, but she'll be a solid, solid choice there.

373
00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:26,160
And then another name.

374
00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:28,160
Charlie Collier.

375
00:29:28,160 --> 00:29:31,160
This is the former first round pick a few years back.

376
00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:37,160
Right now she was cut by the Dallas Wings, so she's a player without a team, guys.

377
00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:43,160
She's a big, you know, things didn't work out for her in Dallas, but maybe she needs to change the scenery.

378
00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:45,160
Who knows?

379
00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:48,160
This is a big that's out there if you need somebody.

380
00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:52,160
Hey, you can roll the dice and see maybe you'll catch lightning in the bottle.

381
00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:55,160
So those are two names out there to consider.

382
00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:58,160
Of course, you can throw out a Tina Charles.

383
00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:00,160
She's out there as well.

384
00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:03,160
So you need to fill in as far as Connecticut.

385
00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:07,160
Will they revisit having a Tina Charles there?

386
00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:09,160
I don't see why not.

387
00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:11,160
Former Yukon Husky.

388
00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:14,160
So it'll be a natural fit in that regard.

389
00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:17,160
It's a new coaching staff.

390
00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:20,160
So yeah, hey, why not?

391
00:30:20,160 --> 00:30:24,160
So you're going to need someone there and the team was doing so well.

392
00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:28,160
So she will be somebody who can pretty much fit in seamlessly.

393
00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:31,160
So we'll see what Connecticut Sun does from here.

394
00:30:31,160 --> 00:30:34,160
So those are your injury news for the WMEA.

395
00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:43,160
And then lastly, Vanessa Nygaard out as the head coach of the Phoenix Mercury after going two and ten this season.

396
00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:50,160
Now this year with BG back for the Mercury, you would figure the team would look a lot better.

397
00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:57,160
But Vanessa Nygaard, somebody who had the public view with Skyler Digginsmith.

398
00:30:57,160 --> 00:31:00,160
They don't look really good this year.

399
00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:02,160
I thought they would be better.

400
00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:07,160
I thought they would be at least sniffing playoff contention, but that's not even the case guys.

401
00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:09,160
So Vanessa Nygaard out.

402
00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:13,160
Assistant coach Nikki Blue filling in for her.

403
00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:17,160
So we'll see if that kind of turns the Mercury around.

404
00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:18,160
That's your news guys.

405
00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:19,160
That is it.

406
00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:24,160
So the next time you hear from me, NBA Draft will talk NBA Draft.

407
00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:27,160
We'll talk about it from head to toe.

408
00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:30,160
We'll see who went where, who did what and so forth.

409
00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:35,160
All right guys, as always, you know how to find me all things basketball with GD.com.

410
00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:37,160
Of course, YouTube.

411
00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:38,160
I'm there.

412
00:31:38,160 --> 00:31:42,160
All your platforms, social media, you'll see me.

413
00:31:42,160 --> 00:31:50,160
All right, so thanks for listening once again guys and we'll be talking soon.

414
00:31:50,160 --> 00:32:01,160
So my peeps, if you like what you're listening to, you can go to my website www.allthingsbasketballwithgd.com.

415
00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:08,160
You can also email me at that sportsduegd.com.

416
00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:19,160
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417
00:32:19,160 --> 00:32:28,160
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418
00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:38,160
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419
00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:45,160
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420
00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:56,160
And also you can find me on social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Clubhouse and fanbase.

421
00:32:56,160 --> 00:33:04,160
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