Takes

The Knicks' usage of Karl-Anthony Towns is becoming a real issue

The Knicks, as much fun as they are... the imperfections with them. The cat [KAT] stuff here... He's now sixth in minutes in the fourth quarter for the Knicks... since January 1st. So you're seeing his minutes decline... Mitchell Robinson's so good... I wonder if [Thibodeau] like bails on Kat in specific matchups? 'Cause he's already starting to do it in the regular season.

The Wizards fleeced the Mavericks in the Anthony Davis trade

I think that this is a great trade for the Wizards. I do. I think this was an absolute fleecing of the Dallas Mavericks... The two first round picks aren't really two first round picks. We didn't give up two first round picks. We gave out one that's protected that we're gonna keep. And then there's another one that could end up being like the 30th pick.

Matthew Dellavedova stinks and has zero athleticism

I have a ton of respect for Deli. 'cause he's so, so hard-nosed, but like both things can be true. Like I can have a ton of respect for him and he stink... The man was like guarding the hell outta Steph Curry... He has zero athleticism.

I have a top-five basketball IQ in the NBA

I definitely 1000% have a top five basketball IQ in the NBA for sure... Myself, [LeBron], Joker... Chris Paul... and Luca.

Giannis Antetokounmpo might be traded to the Chicago Bulls this week

Second [favorite to land Giannis] is Chicago Bulls at plus three ten... the rumors of him to the Bulls have always kind of been there being like, he loves Milwaukee so much that he's not gonna leave living in Milwaukee and commute. Which he could do, but it would be the most ridiculous thing ever.

LeBron James will announce his retirement at the All-Star Game

He's gonna announce he's retiring at the All-Star game. They're gonna rig it so that he can win the all-star MVP. It's in LA. And then he's gonna say, I'm retiring.

The Anthony Davis to the Lakers trade will be seen as a win-win in ten years

Rob Pelinka texted Nico Harrison and said something like, man, I I I would do it again because I I really think we both won... It was a good trade. In 10 years, they will be singing your praises.

The New Orleans Pelicans are 'soft quitting' the season to relocate

The Pelicans are just like soft quitting and gonna probably be in like relocate... they have no promotional calendar for the season... no bobbleheads... they're just soft quitting the Pelicans.

V.J. Edgecombe's NBA debut was the best since Wilt Chamberlain

VJ Edgecombe. Absolute beast. That's how, that's how you rebuild right there... Best NBA debut since Wilt Chamberlain. Wow. It's crazy. It's a crazy stat. Most points in his NBA debut since Wilt Chamberlain... 34 [points] in a win over the Celtics.

Ben Simmons' career is over now that his agent has dropped him

My Hot Seat is Ben Simmons... He got dropped by his agent... if you're getting dropped, you're, you're, you must be bad, bad. You just not care. Yeah. At all. He just literally doesn't care even enough to like take a contract, bad sign. So he's just not, he's he's not represented currently.

LeBron James is only playing another season to avoid retiring in the same year as Chris Paul

I think the only reason he is not gonna play, or he is gonna play another year is 'cause Chris Paul's gonna retire. He doesn't wanna retire the same year as Chris Paul because Chris Paul would overshadow his retirement.

Paige Bueckers will be better than Caitlin Clark in the WNBA

I said when she was a senior or her last year at UConn. She's gonna be better than Caitlin Clark... I think she's a better team player than Caitlin Clark. I think that she's a better winner than Caitlin Clark.

Obama calls 'bullshit fouls' in pickup basketball

I heard from someone that's hooped with him [Obama]... I heard that He calls bullshit fouls... In pickup. It is Mark against his person. No, absolutely... Weak ass fouls and pick up basketball.

The Philadelphia 76ers will make it to the Eastern Conference Finals

I have a new preemptive take. This is a hot take. All right. The Philadelphia 76ers will make it to the Eastern Conference finals. Whoa. Now that is that not crazy? That's, I mean we just, here it is. That Joel and the opposite of chalk.

Paul George will be the biggest bust in Philadelphia sports history

Paul George, Playoff P, Pre-season P has injured himself again... he's probably gonna go down as the biggest bust in Philly history. Him and Andrew Bynum... Ben Simmons... Markelle Fultz. Playoff P is in the running right now for biggest bust.

If LeBron James wins a title in Cleveland this year, it doesn't count

If he does go to the Cavs and the Cavs win in an East that is beyond depleted this year, we need to just already say this. That doesn't count. The Pacers are out of it, the Bucks are probably out of it. Coward move if he wins a title with the Cavs.

LeBron James will not be playing for the Lakers next season

I don't think LeBron's playing for the Lakers next year... It also makes sense because they have [Anthony Davis], they have to start building the team around [him]. LeBron deserves any way that he wants to go out because of what he's done... but if you're the Lakers, you can't just let him like hold you hostage for the last couple years of his career.

The Philadelphia 76ers will win the 2026 NBA Finals

I'm gonna match and double. I'm gonna say they're gonna win the finals. They're gonna win a chip. Love it.

LeBron James is actively trying to work his way back to the Cleveland Cavaliers

I don't know, is LeBron, is he trying to work his way back to Cleveland? I think that would be good. Yeah. I would like to see it... he's doing this on purpose to get everyone talking about it and then he's gonna do it. I think he's gonna do it.

The NBA should have a random one-hour window where the salary cap is turned off completely

It's essentially video game rules. And Adam Silver just says for the next hour salary caps off. You turn off salary caps, you could do any trade ever. And you have to get your players signed in that window... And then he is like, boom, salary cap's back on.

LeBron James no longer runs the NBA league

I think LeBron thinks he still runs the league and he doesn't run the league anymore. I think he was expecting every team to be like, oh shit, LeBron, we could trade for LeBron. And everyone's like, why would we wanna trade for a one year retirement tour at $53 million for a guy who is gonna basically hijack our entire franchise?

Kevin Durant will win the title and secure a legacy year with the Rockets

I think KD's got a little fuck you going tour coming. I think he's got one more of those in him. And I think this might be the year... I think this might be a KD legacy year. I think he might win it all and then be like, now this one counts.

The evidence of Malik Beasley gambling on his own games is absurdly obvious

The videos that came out after the investigation came out were very bad to say the least. I don't know if it's one of those things where if you could do this for any player... but the videos that came out were absurdly obvious that he was probably gambling on games.

The Pelicans' trade from pick 23 to 13 was the worst trade ever

Pelicans. Oh boy. Yep. That was the worst trade ever. They traded from 23 up to 13 and they gave away their unprotected first round pick next year. Actually worse than that... they gave whichever one is better, is higher. And if the Bucks trade Giannis, that could literally just be two shots at getting the one pick.

Bradley Beal has the least competitive pride relative to talent in the NBA

I mean 'cause [Bradley Beal] is just so checked out. He's totally, I think the scary thing about him is that, you know, I think anybody you think like if you're this good then there has to be some competitive pride in you. And he may have the least, there may be the biggest gap between just talent and how much he doesn't care. Yeah. Of any [player].

This 2025 Thunder team is the worst version we will see during their upcoming dynasty

This is the worst Oklahoma City Thunder team that will win a championship during this dynasty run. They had to go to seven against the Nuggets. They had to go to seven against the Pacers. I don't expect that to happen ever again for them.

The Sixers are now in their championship window because the Eastern Conference is wide open

Next year is the Sixers' year. I feel like this is their year now. The East being wide open as it is. Celtics don't have Tatum. Pacers don't have Haliburton. Knicks don't have a head coach. You guys are good.

Chet Holmgren is not the guy

[Chet Holmgren] is not the guy... not a guy.

A team of former Yugoslavia countries could beat the United States in basketball

I believe in that. We'll be really good. We'll be amazing. I know we can beat United States... I think we have big chance. It's not be like easy for [United] States to beat the team.

The Indiana Fever need to hire a Charles Oakley-style enforcer to protect Caitlin Clark

This is actually a great opportunity for somebody that's like into the bench player on the Fever, become the Caitlin Clark defender. Just start learning boxing, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, whatever. And then just be an enforcer. Be the Charles Oakley... that just goes out there and beats the shit out of girls that try to go out at Caitlin.

Winning a title with the Lakers would actually hurt Kevin Durant's legacy

If he went to the Lakers and they won... with Luca and LeBron, it actually would take his legacy down more.

Losing this Finals series would be a 'sliding doors' moment that ruins the Thunder's future

This is it, it's kind of like the Knicks. It's like you're never gonna have a better shot than this year. If they lose this, it's a sliding doors moment. Your entire future will be miserable. And if you win this series, then you're gonna win four.

Victor Wembanyama will kill everyone next season after training as a monk

I do feel like this is gonna be [Wembanyama] fucks everybody up next season because he's Yeah. He's figured out like secret ancient martial arts.

If an NBA game were only 45 minutes long, the Indiana Pacers would be a lottery team

Surely they can't do this again, right? They didn't need until 0.3 seconds left in the entire game. If NBA playoff, if NBA games were 45 minutes long, the Pacers would be a lottery team.

Kevin Durant might be traded by the Suns this offseason.

I don't know, I feel like the seeds have been planted... I thought last year he was, there was a lot of stuff right. A lot of stuff around the draft. There was like rumors about Houston... I feel like the seeds have been planted.

The 2025 Thunder will eventually be seen as the worst version of their championship dynasty.

This is gonna be the worst thunder team to win an championship because you're gonna get so much better over the course of the next couple seasons with their draft picks. This is actually a down year for the Thunder.

Karl-Anthony Towns is the greatest scapegoat in NBA history

I think Kat [Karl-Anthony Towns] is the greatest scapegoat in NBA history in terms of like, this happened with him with the Timberwolves too. And I'm not saying the Kat is a perfect player... But Kat is not like your only problem. He's still a big guy. And you'd rather, if you have a problem on defense, you'd rather he be a large man than a small man.

The 2025 Thunder are the worst version of a team that will win multiple titles

There's a chance if the Thunder win the title this year, this is the worst Thunder team to win a title. 'Cause they're gonna probably win like four or five. This is the worst Thunder team we'll ever see to win a title.

Minnesota will win the championship because Anthony Edwards has the 'sauce'

If I had to pick right now, I would say Minnesota Timberwolves win it all. Why right now? It is the aura of [Anthony Edwards]. It's the way that the aura of that young man, the way that it filters into everyone that he's playing with.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will win the NBA title

Today is Wednesday, May 21st and the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to win the NBA title. ... Oklahoma City's defense is very fucking good. They're elite. Yes. They pack the paint so well. They make you take threes. ... I think they're the best team.

Angel Reese definitely hates Caitlin Clark

I'm just gonna go outright and say it. [Angel Reese] hates Caitlin Clark. I think she does. And that's fine. 'cause rivalries are good. ... The issue with this rivalry is Caitlin Clark is just a lot better and more entertaining of a basketball player.

Aaron Gordon is a beast for playing through a grade two hamstring injury

Aaron Gordon played in game seven with a grade two hammy. And if the Lakers were in this game, LeBron would still be two weeks away from coming back because LeBron, remember when he got hurt in the last game of the Laker season, they some, for some reason put out a timetable for his return, which no one needed or asked for.

Nikola Jokic failed the 'best player in the world' standard in the series against the Thunder

I think it's fair to hold him to the standard of best player in the world. And if he was the best player in the world, game four and seven, he could have played better and they could have won this series. The conversation of Jokic is best player in the world... can sometimes be like, I'm gonna take over this series and win this series. He didn't do that and that didn't happen.

The Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese rivalry is awkward because Clark is much better at basketball

Caitlyn Clark is so much better than Angel Reese at basketball that it's not, it doesn't feel fair. I actually feel bad for Angel Reese at this point. She wants a rivalry and she has history with Kaitlyn Clark, but it's nowhere near equal footing in terms of play... Kaitlyn Clark needs a different rival because this one is just not fair.

Jalen Brunson is already a top-five New York Nick of all time

I think Jalen Brunson is already a top five Nick. I think it's the list now is Patrick Ewing, Willis Reed and Walt Frazier and then it's like, yeah, Earl Pearl and then like Mellow is somewhere in there. I think he's a top five nick of all time in the three years that he's been there.

I'm leaning towards the Boston Celtics needing a rebuild

I trust Brad Stevens with my life, but I'm leaning towards rebuild ish. Probably. Someone needs to figure out how we can keep Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum and still have good enough players around them to compete. It doesn't, not a tax guy at all. It doesn't look, I can't wrap my head around it yet.

Anthony Edwards will score 50 points in a game during the Western Conference Finals

I'm gonna say it right now. 50 Burger coming for Anthony Edwards in this series [WCF]. Feels I'm excited.

The NBA Draft Lottery is rigged despite the league's attempts to prove otherwise

I think the media is now welcome at the draft lottery because he used to see it behind the scenes... he was laying it on thick. He was doing a lot of unrigable talk... if it was rigged, this is exactly how they would've rigged it. Exactly how they'd rig it. Exactly... you can pick and choose Max... that shit's fucking rigged and I fucking hate it and there should be an investigation.

LeBron James will opt out of his contract and finish his career in Cleveland

I'll say this PFT, LeBron, he's gonna opt out. He's gonna opt out. Could he, could he end his career in Cleveland? Could he fix everything? Well, no, he, he might opt out to take less money, but that would be fun if he did the opt out And we had like a day or two of being like, calves coming home one last time.

The Mavericks will trade the #1 pick for Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Giannis thing is interesting because Giannis did say that he wants to play in a state with no income tax reportedly. And would that, I I think they, the Bucks would absolutely do that trade right? Yeah, in a heartbeat... if you're the Bucks and you're like, Hey, we're not gonna win with Giannis, but we can get Cooper Flagg and reset everything. And the Mavs would be an immediate with Giannis.