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#thisleague UNCUT: Kyrie Irving dazzles ... and a text from Isaiah Thomas

Published Mar 18, 2024, 8:22 PM

On the latest edition of #thisleague UNCUT, Chris Haynes and Marc Stein use Kyrie Irving's ridiculous lefty game-winner at the buzzer on St. Patrick's Day as the jumping-off point for a detailed look at the jockeying for playoff seeds in both the Western and Eastern Conference with one month to go in the NBA regular season. As a bonus: Chris shares a fun story about Isaiah Thomas texting him with a pitch that foreshadowed Thomas' actually landing a roster spot with the Phoenix Suns. 

#fsr #benmallershow

Welcome to this League Uncut in you rule.

A twenty four hour NBA news.

This is you, Chris Haynes.

It's time, Mark's time.

It's some time.

This league Uncut is underway and on fire.

This should be a good one.

Hey, everyone, welcome in to another edition of this League Uncut. Mark Stein here with Chris Haynes. Hope everybody had a great Saint Patrick's Day. I have to say it is not a holiday that this probably won't surprise you, not a holiday that I typically participate in in any meaningful way. I'm way too old to get wild and crazy on a Saint Patrick's Day. Did not wear any green, Chris Haynes, did you wear any green yesterday?

I didn't.

I didn't even know it was Saint Patrick's Day till I went downtown, went to church.

And then when I got outside of church, I saw.

A bunch of people wearing green and they were stumbling to walk, so they were already drunk around noon, one o'clock PM.

That was your conclusive medical diagnosis.

Oh yeah, it didn't take much. You know, you don't need a degree to be able to tell if somebody's drunk. You know, the church, I go to. It's, like you said, right downtown, so there's a bunch of bars and everything, so you could you can see people bar hopping and wearing green.

I know that was such a big deal.

So but no, I don't, you know, I've never I don't know if he knows stein, but you know, I don't drink, never drink, never smoked.

I don't you know.

I took a sip of some wine of some people that made me, made me consume it because I was around them, but I don't so from that, I don't.

I don't drink, so I wouldn't know.

Yeah, neither one of us does. He never asked, no, Okay.

On my twenty first birthday, I was forced to consume some rum and coke.

Did not go well. I couldn't do it. I didn't taste it. Awful. Yeah, that's it.

I'm crazy as it is, starn so I felt like, you know, I.

Don't need liquor anything else to make me even crazier.

So you know, I've been you know, so far, so good.

I don't think and hopefully there's nothing that causes me to drink. There's timestinying, times in your life where you feel like you need a drink.

I don't you know what I mean. I don't know what that feeling is after you have one, but you know it'd be sometimes from like, hey, maybe this.

Is a good time for a drink, this good time for smoke. But I've never I've never done done.

Them so well, we probably should have worn something green one of us, just to say we like. Even your guy Tim McMahon showed up for the Mavericks Nuggets game Sunday afternoon, an incredible Mattene game in Dallas. Even your guy McMahon had on a pair of green Adidas gazelles that I had to say, looked pretty They looked pretty good.

If there was anybody that you can tell me who will probably be the most excited about yesterday in the media corps, Tim will probably be a the top of my list.

I don't know how excited he. I don't know if he gets to you know, he's so grumpy. I don't know if he ever gets excited. But all of this was my preamble to say that I did nothing wild and crazy, but I certainly saw something absolutely wild and still hard to believe. Almost twenty four hours later that Kyrie Irving game winner, leave up looking.

In curving, curving for the wind, just ups.

Going to his left running floater hook shot. I'm still not sure what to call it, but with his left hand a buzzer beater.

And for Dallas, huge redemption.

Because it was just a few weeks ago that they lost an absolute heartbreaker in Cleveland when Max Struce drained a sixty footer at the buzzer. I thought that was crazy this because it was left handed, just as wild and stunning as what Struce did on February twenty seventh, and crazily. Kyrie Irving has not been a Maverick for a long time. It's only been about thirteen months. But if you're a calendar nerd like me, you know that on March seventeenth, twenty twenty three, Maxi Klieba beat the Lakers at the buzzer off a cross court Kyrie Irving pass, and then March seventeenth, twenty twenty four, Saint Patrick's Day twenty twenty four, Kyrie Irving only the second career buzzer beater for Kyrie Irving. But man, what a shot I mean, and he is I mean he is known as a shot maker. Your guy Damian Lillard took right to Twitter to call him the most skilled player ever. I talk about the Mavericks all the time, so I want to hear your thoughts not just on the game, but what do you think of this Mavericks team? What do you think people in the West think of this Mavericks team. I'll weigh in after you. But how good are these guys? How dangerous are the Mavericks of Dallas.

They're definitely a dangerous opponent for anybody, particularly in that first round. You cannot sleep on any time you got a guy like Luka Dakich, who's going to be in the MVP conversation year after year as long as he's healthy. And Kyrie Irvin, who we know the heroics, you know, the skill said that he brings to a team. Anytime you got those two guys in the fold and they're healthy, you got a shot.

Just like you know, it's a similar situation with the Phoenix Signs.

Anytime you got healthy KD Devin Booker, Bradley beal, you're going to give yourself a shot and you're going to be dangerous.

Now are they going to be the favorites?

That's a different question and most of the times I would probably say probably not probably won't be be the favorites. But you know, you look at a team like the Mavericks, if they can get that seventh seed, like if they can lock into that seventh seed, you know obviously.

They need six not seven, but go ahead.

They need six. Now, Okay, I get you there.

Well, you're assuming the Nuggets are going to Nuggets or Thunder is going to stay at one or two.

Yeah, I mean to me, you know, I think Minnesota, because they don't have Karl Anthony Towns, is gonna end up third and as great as season as the Wolves have had, as good defensively as the Wolves are, And look, when the Timberwolves woke up on this Monday morning, they were still number one in the NBA in defensive rating, allowing only one hundred and eight point two points per one hundred possessions, still ahead of the Boston Celtics, who have truly been the team of the regular season. So look, I'm not saying that you want to see the Minnesota Timberwolves, but if my choices are the Denver Nuggets, the defending champions, the very frisky Oklahoma City Thunder, and Minnesota which is probably gonna have to play without Karl Anthony Towns for the rest of the regular season, and then if they're fortunate enough to get Cat back, work him in on the fly for the playoffs. And if they don't get Cat back from his recent mniscus surgery, that puts a huge, huge burden offensively on Anthony Edwards. Karl Anthony Towns was having a great season offensively, so to me, Dallas and the team closest to where you reside, Sacramento, these two teams are locked in this battle for number six and both desperately want it because I think both would rather see a less than full strength Minnesota in Round one than either Denver or Oklahoma City.

Yeah, I would agree with you on that.

I'm just not sure Minnesota is gonna slide like that without cap. That would be my only concern if I'm Dallas or any other team that's trying to lock into that sixth seed. But even with that being said, I still think Dallas would like their chances against Minnesota and Oka.

See.

You know, I think that you're in pretty good shape if you could get that six or seven seed. And I do think Denver. I'm not a betting Man. But I would think denver By seasons in will we'll get that number one seed.

That's what they're going after, and you know.

They had the championship pedigree, they experience to to do what it takes to get to that spot.

So that's the way I see things going. Do I know for sure? Hell no, I don't.

I'd really like to hear more of your take on this because I'm always talking about the MAVs. As you know, I have a Saturday radio show in Dallas which is super MAVs heavy.

So I'm going to follow up after you.

But I got to ask you now, thirteen months into this, when the Mavericks first traded for Kyrie Irving, what did you think?

Did you think he and Luca would be a good pairing.

I didn't know. I honestly didn't know.

You know, this is you know, Kyrie coming from his other two stops in Boston.

And Brooklyn, and you know it didn't go too well there.

But what I did did it feel like is that Dallas did the best that they could and it was a good pickup considering they lost Jalen Brunson. So from that standpoint, I looked at it as it was definitely a great pickup.

How would he and Luca fair and messed together?

I didn't know, but they were definitely talented enough to get it done.

And you know, it's always something starting.

You know, it's like when two stars, even three stars team up together. You know, people will automatically look at, you know, their connection on the court. Can they play well when a lot of times these coaches they staggered their minutes anyways, And so even if they're not that good chemistry wise between the two, you can, you know, you can give one of the stars time to shine on the floor together singularly and let them go at it.

And that way both both stars.

Can be in the rhythm, be in the groove, because that's why they really do it, son each being the rhythm, in the groove.

Knowing that they're they're at least going to have.

To play together the last six seven minutes of the game, and then you're hoping like them being in the groove is going to help them play better together. And so you know, I thought, look, you know, they this is Kyrie. You know, we know what he brings to a team, and you know, I felt like it was definitely worthwhile pick up considering they lost Jalen Brusson, and so I still, you know today it was definitely worth it. Kyrie has been a model citizen over there. He I mean, like he's doing a good shot. Now. I'm not with that team all day, like I mean all day every day, like you How has Kyrie been with the team, the locker room and everything since he's been over there.

He's beloved in this locker room.

I mean, you could see it the way this team celebrated, how happy it was after he made this ridiculous shot. And look when he first Scott here. The Mavericks tried to throw this thing together on the fly. Luca and Kyrie were five and eleven last season in games when both were in uniform. It didn't click on the fly. But also, you look at the state of the team last year.

You look at the.

State of the roster, it was so much weaker than compared to now. But honestly, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have been functioning fantastically well as a duo all season long. And what's crazy about it is the thought was, Okay, they're going to get a training camp this time. That's gonna make the big difference. They didn't get a training camp. They played seven ish minutes together in the exhibition season. They took the really long trip two games in Abu Dhabi and then a game in Spain so Luca could go back to Real Madrid, the club that really helped launch him to prominence and where he became a EuroLeague MVP, and where he began his pro career at sixteen with the senior national team. After that long trip, both Luca and Kyrie came back with injuries, so basically they had no training camp. The only issue for them as a duo this season has been getting them on a court.

Enough.

Kyrie has had two pretty long injury absences, but in both cases they were freakish injuries. Dwight Powell, his teammate, landed on his leg and knocked him out early in the season, and then he had a thumb injury when he got hit on a swipe down. I mean, those are both not normal situations. When Kyrie Irving has been on the floor with Luka Dancic, they have been an absolute handful. I don't think anybody wants to see these two in the playoffs. But what is so notable about this win over Denver. Denver is a very physical team, much more physical than the Mavericks, and what has been the challenge. You know, people want to make the comparison Luca and Kyrie have echoes of Lebron's partnership with Kyrie, but when Lebron was playing with Kyrie, Lebron was at the height of his powers in terms of being a two way defensive force. If you've got Luca and Kyrie, they are both going to be offensive dynamos. The challenges can you build a workable sustainable defense around the two of them when both of them are going to be on the court for.

So many minutes per game.

Sunday afternoon on Saint Patrick's Day afternoon, the Mavericks played physical. They pounded Denver on the boards. I think it was sixty to thirty nine on the boards. The Mavericks are not known for out rebounding teams to that degree, but it's they have much more size now since the trade deadline, bringing in Anuel Gafford to play with Derek Lively, and you got PJ. Washington, Lively, Gafford, Maxi Kleiba as a foursome. You know, they did as good a job on Jokic as you can do. And now some of it Jokicic just didn't look into it yesterday.

He was very sleepy in the first.

Half, and you know, sometimes afternoon games are weird because of the different start time. But you know that game was in primetime in both Slovenia and Serbia. So I'm sure Jokic did not want to deliver a sluggish performance because you know that game's in primetime back home in Serbia for him. But I you know, I thought that you could actually say the Mavericks defenders were a factor in a pretty so so game for Jokic. So I think that's what has to encourage Dallas the most because their defense has been bottom ten all season. I always say this with the Mavericks and the Kings, and you could probably throw this into the same discussion. The challenge for these teams, can you have a league average defense. If the defense is just league you know, middle of the pack, the offense is gonna be so good that you have a chance. And all credit to the Phoenix Suns, even after a horrendous showing in Milwaukee on Sunday, even after giving up one hundred and forty points to the Bucks. With no Giannis Antetokumpo in the lineup, the Suns are thirteenth in defense as of this Monday. That's pretty impressive considering they don't have a team full of defenders. I think Frank Vogel to get that team to thirteenth in the defensive rating charts, he's probably taking that. But Sacramento was twentieth and the MAVs are twenty first. So the MAVs are in the bottom ten. And the goal is for the Kings and the MAVs, can you get to fifteen ish defensively, then you know you're gonna have a chance in the playoffs. And so for Dallas to play such good defense and play with such physicality against the defending champions and a team that has bullied them many many times in the past, I think that was as encouraging for Dallas as the ending was exhilarating.

And that's why they're a serious threat.

You know, I look at this team, aside from you know, the defensive woes, offensively, they have it all. Playmakers, they have shooters, they have size, they have guys that can guard up multiple defenders out on the perimeter. You know you got the lob threats. You know they got they have everything you know that you would need. It's not the best team, but again that's why I say that they are a threat. And for one thing about these teams you want to be you know, we're gonna talk about the Bucks let their own. But it's one thing to catch a stride, but it's better when you catch your stride at the right time. And when you're catching your stride on the cusp of entering po season play, that's probably the best feeling you can have because now you're going into the playoffs feeling good. You're going into the playoffs knowing what you're going to get from everybody. You know, there's certain teams that peak in December and then they collapse after that. They still make it to the playoffs, but they're still searching for an identity or trying to find that identity that they had months ago. It's a good time to be trying to click. So if Dallas, if they can use this as motivation is fueled to inspire them to go to go on the streak here heading in the right direction.

Ending the postseason, I promise we are going to talk some East we are going to talk for sure about the Bucks a little bit here, but I can't take my eyes off the West because no, again, there are really three different races going on. You've got the race for number one OKC Awoke Monday with a half game lead on the Nuggets and Minnesota only a game behind. So even without Cat, the Wolves have hung in there and they're still very firmly in the race for the number one seed in the West. After you know again that I referenced in a recent podcast that ridiculous stat from Alan Horton, the Wolves radio guy who keeps this stat that in franchise history, the Wolves had only led the West for ten days in the first thirty four years of the franchise, and this season it's right around one hundred days. So Minnesota is still there. So that's race number one. Race number two. New Orleans the surging Pelicans, who've been probably the best team in the West since February first, with Zion Williamson looking absolutely rejuvenated and Trey Murphy also stretching the floor, and the Pelicans have just been on an absolute tear the last six weeks. The Pelicans are within a game now of bumping the Clippers down to number five. So there's the race for four or five with the Clippers and the Pelicans, and honestly, the Clippers without Russell Westbrook, they have not had the same zip. Kawhi Leonard came back from this worrisome back injury that he suffered, and you know he was there. They had Kawhi Leonard and losing Sunday to Atlanta, a team with really not much to play for at this point. Atlanta is stuck in a playing spot in the East, and I think the Hawks will hold on to number ten at worse, but it's not like they're gonna climb much higher in the standings and they're going to be a playing team and really that that's all the Hawks are working on right now. So that was you know, the Clippers have lost four of five. That was pretty brutal. So you got that race, and then there's the you know, six through ten in the West. Sacramento on Monday morning leading that race by percentage points. And you know, we've talked about why number six is so valuable if Denver ends up winning the top seed in the West, which again is not assured, but not only does number six put you potentially in line to play Minnesota in the first round, and it might keep you away from the Denver Nuggets until the conference finals.

That's all TBD.

But this race six through ten, the Kings leaded by percentage points as we're recording this, Dallas at seven, Phoenix at eight. Those teams are tied, but the Mavericks hold the tiebreaker. Golden State at nine, the Lakers at ten. And so again, if the play in tournament where to start today, the names that would be in the play in tournament, it is ridiculous to think about Luka, Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Lebron James, and Anthony Davis as of Monday, all are play in tournament bound.

And you know, we could.

Talk about the Lakers as well, because I mean, it's just horrible luck for Anthony Davis to get a corneal abrasion, which is obviously another freakish injury. And you know, he has been so ever present for the Lakers, and he's done what people have asked. He stayed on the floor and he's led this team defensively. All right, I've rambled on way too long. Let me ask you. Let's start with the Sons, because I think you mentioned recently that they should be the ones to sign Isaiah Thomas, and now it looks like they are going to sign Isaiah Thomas to attend Day. But how worried should the Sons be to go to Milwaukee and get blasted like they did when the Bucks didn't have Giannis.

Let me tell you something about that Stein. So when when was that? Was it last week I did the Phoenix game? Might have been a week and a half ago. When I did that Phoenix game, it was Phoenix Denver, and I reported during the game the Sons are looking to They're looking to add a player for the latter part of the season that could potentially go into the playoffs with you know, looking for a veteran, somebody who has some experience, not necessarily somebody that's going to play a lot, but just a good locker room, postseason experience god type of guy. And immediately when I said that on air, Isaiah Thomas gave me a text, Hey tell the Suns to come get me. So it me So he was watching the Gay Edie said that, and so he was the first one that put that on my radar. I'm like, man, I might you know, we all we've been talking about sons. He the point guard anyways, and I'm like, that might make sense. And so that's when I said. Then I did our podcast and then I mentioned Isaiah's name. It's Isaiah might be.

But Isaiah was the one who gave me that suggestion of Isaiah. So and now it's good.

He's about to get a ten day with the Suns, and so I'm glad it all worked out for him.

So based on what you were hearing, do you think, I mean, are they looking for someone who's gonna go with it?

You know not.

I'm sure Isaiah Thomas wants more than a ten day. He's trying to convince them to sign him for the rest of the season and bring him along for the playoff ride. What kind of chances do you think he has of latching on and staying there for the rest of the season.

Yeah, I think it ultimately depends on what he does in this ten day. I don't know that it's going to I don't know if that he has to go out there and just ball out but locker room guy. Obviously, they want to see if he can steal play. I mean, he tore up the G League in a handful of that they play this season, so he can still play, but the Sons want to get a glimpse up close and personal.

You know.

I don't know how much playing time he's going to get during it during his stint, but I think most importantly it's going to be about what type of locker room presence is he going to provide. Can he help out since Phoenix Suns are not really playing the traditional point guard, is there anything he can instill in Bradley Beal, Devin Booker to kind of help them see certain things that maybe a conventional point guard would see. You know, I think that's where he's going to probably help more so now if he could go out there and if he gets a couple of play playing stints and he goes out there and balls out, that's that's just extra for him. But he has he has an opportunity to get signed for the rest of the season and going to the playoffs. That's definitely what he wants. But the Sons are still giving themselves an out just in case if they see that this is probably not the best fit.

They can try to go in another direction.

Yeah, you know, I feel like I say it on every single podcast. I have no doubts that Isaiah Thomas will fit in locker room wise. I mean, he's always been a popular teammate pretty much everywhere he's played, and I think a lot of people are rooting for him on this comeback now, So I mean, I can't see any issues there.

But it's just the Suns this.

You know, It's not like there's anything they could do about it. The injuries are what they are. But you know, that game in Milwaukee was just the twenty seventh time that Durant, Beal, and Booker have all played together, and it's just not enough.

They just have not played.

Together enough, and so they don't have continuity. Defense is an issue with this team. Yes, Nurkic is going to rack up rebounds, but as a defensive center, I mean there are question marks there, and so I think the sixth spot is going to Sacramento or Dallas. The Sons also have a brutal schedule the rest of the way. According to Tankathon on this Monday, Phoenix's fourteen games left the opponent winning percentage is five sixty three, so the second hardest remaining schedule in the league in terms of opponent winning percentage, whereas Dallas, for example, Dallas is looking at the second easiest remaining schedule opponent winning percentage of four point fifty five. Sacramento's top ten in terms of remaining schedule. The Kings, their sixteen remaining opponents, have a composite winning percentage of five oh seven on this Monday. But the point is the Suns don't have a lot of continuity. They've got a really tough schedule the rest of the way, and even if they're fortunate enough to get up to number six, that would get them out of the plane. But they're going to have to play on the road every round in the playoff. And so that's why the Sun seem to be a popular choice of they're the scariest of the lower seeds in the West. But I just don't feel that way, and it's for me just because I haven't seen enough of them.

Yeah, mam b I think you know there's teams that fit in that boat where the continuity isn't there, and you know, they don't win games at a consistent clip but the players scare you. You know, you got a KD who if the game is close, KD can get you a bucket when you need it. Except similar to the Los Angeles Lakers. Nobody wants to see the Lakers. Really, I'm not saying anybody's scared of them, but you got Lebron there and then you know ad depending on how with this eye injury, how effect that he's going to be once he returns, I would assume he'll have to wear some type of eye protection. I don't know, I haven't heard anything, you haven't checked in on it to be exact, but you know they did Lakers Warriors. These are scary team Stephen Curry, you know, like these teams that have been there. So but stein that play in Man, I maybe going out on a limb, but I think the player is going to feature Golden State and the Lakers, and that's big. That's huge now for for even more drama, more star power. Phoenixes. They're acting like they want to be a part of it. They're they're acting like they want it. They want to get in that mix. And you know, so you know there's still time, but you know that playing is going to have a lot of star power, and I think it's going to start with the Lakers and the Warriors, and I think you can't ask for a better scenario. Since this playing has been implemented over the last few years, it has been some entertaining matchups and this could has the potential to be the best set of games in that play in format.

Well I mentioned it.

I genuinely feel sorry for Anthony Davis because a corneal abrasion is just a brutal, freakish injury. To take a scratch to the eye, and again he's had to endure a ton of criticism, all the street closed nonsense from previous seasons. But the man has he has played. He has been a rock for this team. He's going to qualify for all NBA and MVP consideration based on games played. But it's look the most worrisome thing for the Lakers. Lebron James has defied Father Time and had the best season we've ever seen from a player his age, and Anthony Davis has been there far more often than not. And the Lakers are even with lots of Lebron and lots of ad. On this Monday, they woke up number ten in the West number eighteenth in the league in defense, I mean that is stunning when you have a defensive anchor of Anthony Davis's caliber. And yeah, I mean there are a bazillion question marks. Again, there are three races in the West for me, but six through ten is my favorite race anywhere in the NBA standings.

To see who's.

Gonna sneak out with that number six spot in the West, and then how the play in round shapes up, because the playing round is going to be an absolute steel cage match. Let's switch now to the East because the team that blasted the Suns, a certain Damian Lillard had a field day without yannas Ante Decompo.

What was it thirty one and sixteen Dame had in Milwaukee.

Franchise best thirty plus fifteen plus assist.

And look by all counts.

Doc Rivers has tried to make it clear since he has taken over that team that the offense needs to start with Damian Lillard. That's obviously going to be the case when janis on Titokumpo is not on the floor. But the Bucks also welcome back Chris Middleton. In Sunday's game, they went ten to six, without Middleton sixteen games lost.

To an ankle injury, serious ankle injury. But Chris Middleton came back a.

Very sharp twenty two points in his return, And once they get Giannis Antetokounmpo back, the Bucks will be trending towards full strength.

They're not going to catch the Boston Celtics. The East is gone. The Celtics are going to get the top seed in the East. Man the Celtics lead.

The Celtics, the first fifty win team in this season's NBA, and the Celtics on this Monday nine and a half game lead in the East over the Bucks entering Monday Nights game. So the number one seed is gone. But give me your pulse check on the Bucks, who you.

Know as well as anyone.

Well, so let me correct you a little bit. You said.

Doc has made sure the offense runs through Dame. I don't know if it should be phrased that way. I would say that he's empowered Dame to be the point guard to bring the ball up more. Before Doc came aboard, it was like a point guard by committee. Giannis would bring the ball up a lot initiate the offense. Chris Middleton would do the same, and so Doc has changed that where he's allowing Dame to be the point guard of the team and you know, primarily handled the ball. The office is still going through Giannis. That's always going to be the case. The Bucks beat they beat the Sons, took care of them without Giannis, and then the Bucks took care of him a week ago, took care of the Clippers without Giannis.

As well, and Dame had a big game. And you know, I see people kind of overreacting to you know, Damians can't play together Dame.

You well, yeah, Dame is, you know, comfortable being the league guy, and he is comfortable running the team and getting guys going that that is true. But if you look over the last couple of weeks between Dame and Giannis, Dame has thrown more love passes that have connected with Giannis than he has in all this season prior to these past couple of weeks. So the chemistry is getting there, the continuity is getting there. There's more pick and rolls now they're playing together. There's more two man action, there's more dribble handoffs now. They've had a couple of hiccups in between, but for the most part, they're playing probably the best basketball team wise that they played in all year over the stretch. So Doc River is doing a good job of holding guys accountable and establishing roles, redefining roles, I should say, and clarifying what what it is that he needs from the players and the coaching staff. So when Giannis gets back, Chris Milton, they're they're they're they're going to be a threat. You know, we want to see you want to see more dominance for sure with Dame and Giannis together. But you know, it's it's been you know, it's been a struggle. It's been uh, you know, Dame is still adapting, and but that I think I think they're starting to slowly turn that corner.

All right, then I stand corrected. The better way to phrase it, what I should have said, is Damian Lillard orchestrating the offense more instead of the offense running through him.

Yeah for sure. All right.

Well, look, and you know, we talk so much about the West, and I think part of it is because both you and I live in West Stern conference cities. I don't want to completely sleep on what's happening in the East standings either, because there is plenty of intrigue there as well the fact that Orlando is flirting with the number four spot. Nobody saw that coming, and that's why Jamal Moseley is firmly entrenched in the Coach of the Year race and again starting a new week basically four weeks to go.

A month ago.

In the regular season, Orlando and Indiana in the five and six slots, Miami and Philly in the play in zone. Nick Nurse said over the weekend that he does think, or he does have a level of optimism that Joel Embiid is going to make it back into the Sixers lineup before the end of the regular season.

They desperately need that badly. The Sixers need that.

I think they're eleven and twenty two without Joel Embiid. So the Sixers love, of course to haul themselves out of the playing zone so they can at least ensure that they're in the playoffs when Joel Embiid gets back. But as it stands, I mean Miami and Philly very unexpectedly in the playing seven to ten range, along with Chicago and Atlanta. I got to hang on Stein Cry So that means I need to pitch the ball back to Fresno's finest.

I cannot let you go without getting your thoughts, your reaction to the jersey swap that caught everybody by surprise over the weekend.

Are you familiar with what I'm talking about?

Stein, is that the Grady Dick Anthony Black scenario? Yes, yes, I might have heard about it.

You might have heard about it.

I might have seen a few I might have seen a few clips. Why are you bringing that up?

I'll bring it. I wouldn't know what you thought about what you think this was. Obviously it was organized, and.

I'm gonna I'm gonna go out in a very very sturdy limit say that it might have been premeditated.

You know what I mean, because they could have They could have, you know, switched the order of which which they were standing. It could have been Dick then Black, but it was the other way.

Yes, it was.

Premeditated, so that their positioning and everything was premeditated.

It all, okay, I just want to get your thoughts started.

I mean, you don't agree, you think it was just you think it was just a coincidence.

So you're telling me these rookies when they knew they were about to play, so they called each other up.

Well, nah, I mean no, I didn't say all that, But I mean I think I don't know, baby, who knows? I guess it's a story we need to dig into and get some answers.

So my question to you is, start, can the league do anything? Because this is why?

Who has What's another name that can go with Dick that that can cause some problems?

What's another name out there?

I mean, I have some ideas, but I'm not I don't think I'm gonna throw it out there.

You can't, you know what I mean.

You can't see a scenario where everybody start wanting to swamp jerseys with mister Grady here, and they may have some crazy name and it just becomes a phenomenon.

I you don't think the league will be like a hold old all right? All right?

Now?

You got me thinking I need to lob a call into the league office to see if they're monitoring this situation.

Is there any is there anybody out there with the last name, oh, Kobe White?

What if Kobe White and Grady Dick swamp jerseys.

Like I said, I've got other ideas. I was not going to nominate Kobe white, but I'm not. I'm going to keep them to myself.

Oh, anybody last name Long out.

There, Grant Long can make a comeback.

I'll stop starting thoughts. I'll stop.

Yeah, I think we I think.

I think, with an abundance of caution, we're going to stop and put a bow on this edition.

Although on this.

There are supposed to be no topics off limits, but I think again, I'm going to be extra cautions. Let's wrap this. Let's wrap this show up before we get in any more trouble.

I'm fine with that, all right.

That will do it for this edition of this League uncut Mark Stein with Chris Haynes.

We will be back with you again soon.

The next time we do this, I think it's time to start getting into the final few weeks of the MVP race. My sources say that Chris Haynes will be casting an official NBA Season ending Awards ballot. I do not, but Chris Haynes does, so we will get into that the next time. As always, friends, please follow us, rate, review, Spotify, podcast, Apple podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. And again, we will do this again very very soon. Thanks for listening, and that'll do it. For us see you next time. This League Uncuttage and iHeartRadio production

Chris Haynes, den Marktime