Takes

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.

Nikola Jokic will force a trade from Denver to the Chicago Bulls because of the large Serbian population in Chicago

I think Nikola Jokic is gonna force a trade out of Denver at the end of the season to the Chicago Bulls. Whoa. Number one Serbia population in America. Wow. That's just a wild one.

Joel Embiid will win the NBA MVP award next season

I will be saying that Joel Embiid will be winning the MVP. I'm going back to my original idea. It's like when you're in school and you're taking a test, you only gotta go with your gut. And my gut said that Joel Embiid is gonna win MVP this year. And I'm sticking with Joel Embiid will win the MVP.

LeBron James desperately wants to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron's getting a little desperate. Did you guys see the latest? Kobe Altman, the president of the Cleveland Cavaliers, got a contract extension and LeBron James quote tweeted it... He wants to be a Cav so bad.

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.

Nobody cares about the NBA All-Star Game

NBA All Star Game. Do not care. Do not care at all. Fun to complain about, but it's just, it's the do not care at all. No one cares.

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 Oklahoma City Thunder will keep drafting role players and only pay their three stars

I think what [the Thunder's] plan is, and it might work, is that they have so many draft picks. They'll just keep drafting and not paying those guys and then pay their three guys. And hope the role players like, hey, you're gonna, you're gonna play well if you get drafted, get paid very little money. But you get to play with three really good players.

Klay Thompson playing with Luka Doncic will be like Lob City

I will say this about Klay Thompson. It does feel like if it doesn't work with Luca, he's gonna be in a i, I don't know what, where it would work, because that's just Lob City form.

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.

NBA free agency is officially a dud this year

NBA free agency has started and it's a dud. I'm gonna say it right now. It's a dud.

The NBA should rename the 'Second Apron' to 'Prison' to make it easier to understand

They gotta get rid of the apron word. I'm so sick of it. If they just called it jail and prison, I think it would make a lot more sense because that's really what it is. The second apron is prison. They basically, for people who don't understand what they've done with the salary cap... they restrict you. They put you in prison.

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?

The Houston Rockets are going to be awesome this season

The rockets are gonna be really good. I know that you don't win championships July 1st. The rockets are gonna be awesome. I'm a big, I think the Rockets are gonna be awesome. They basically have three centers now and they added Kevin Durant and I'm a Rockets believer.

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.

WNBA players being petty toward Caitlin Clark is actually good for sports

Of course they don't like her. She's better than them and she's more popular. Like of course they're petty about it. I think that's good for sports... Kaylyn Clark will have a longer career, better career, make more money. She's gonna win in the long run. It doesn't have to be like a World War II every single time there's a slight on Kaitlyn Clark.

Cooper Flagg could make close to a billion dollars in the NBA by age 32

If everything goes well for [Cooper Flagg] and he signs all of his extensions and everything... he could make close to a billion dollars in the NBA by age 32. He has a $62 million rookie deal... then he'd get the 30% supermax, which would be $359 million. And then he would get the 35% supermax, which would be $509 million.

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.

The Wizards must change their name back to the Bullets to fix their culture

They need to change their name so bad. They gotta go back to the bullets. I think you go back to the bullets day one, culture change, different mentality. Your shooters again.

Ben Simmons hitting threes in a wide-open gym is the official sign of summer

We have the first sign of summer and it's Ben Simmons in a wide open gym hitting threes. He looked good. He looked so good... That's, that literally means summer's here.

Chet Holmgren is a two-can drunk

How many beers do you think it takes Chet [Holmgren] to get drunk? I think it's like, I think he's a two can. I think two beers and a cigarette. Yeah. And he was puking.

The Celtics are rebuilt but no longer the same core

The real NBA news though, is Hank your Celtics, the championship team that you were on a duck boat with... is no more. Kristaps [Porzingis] gone. Jrue Holiday gone. Are they done?

The Wizards should draft Caitlin Clark to sell tickets

Why don't the [Wizards] draft Caitlin Clark? I think she'd sell tickets. I think she'd sell tickets. Now is, is she at the ability level to be an NBA player? No. Obviously not. But sell tickets. She can go out there, there ball and hoop. She can hit a couple threes.

Houston is a great fit for Kevin Durant

I think it's a great fit for him. [Kevin Durant]... Stone is on an absolute heater now. I mean every single move this guy makes, it seems like usually you're just gonna get run wrong because of the way sports work... they desperately what they needed on offense. Like go get us those closing playoff moment buckets.

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].

The Duke trio of Flagg, Knueppel, and Maluach are all special NBA prospects

I like all three guys a lot. [Cooper] Flagg... anticipation, the defense, I mean it just, his passing all this stuff is that he's a, he's a real competitor... [Kon] Knueppel iss like he's, he's gonna be very good pro... [Khaman] Maluach... he stays in front of [guards] by moving his feet... Those three guys are really special prospects.

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.

Whoever won the Thunder-Nuggets series was going to be the NBA champion no matter what

I think whoever won that Thunder-Nuggets series, that was going to be the champion no matter what. That was going to be the champion no matter what.

Sam Presti is one of the best GMs in any sport

This guy [Sam Presti] is one of the best GMs in any sport. And it's cool that he finally like 18 years, I think it's, he's been there and he just won with the second youngest team his way and a pocket full of picks going forward.

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.

The NBA season is too long and the speed of the game is causing the recent spike in Achilles injuries

There's gonna be a big conversation about the length of the NBA season and are these guys too big, strong, fast? Because we had how many? We had Dame, Tatum, Haliburton all wear the number zero, all tore their Achilles in these playoffs. Season maybe goes too long.

Kevin Durant to the Rockets is a great fit because they finally have a go-to scorer

Great fit. Rockets are gonna be very good. They needed a go-to scorer. Kevin Durant is still a go-to scorer. ... I think that's the team he can go to... it's a young enough team that he can be like, yeah, they needed Kevin Durant.

It is worse for Kevin Durant's legacy if he actually wins a championship with the Rockets

I think it's worse for his legacy if he wins [with the Rockets].

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.

The Pacers lost Game 5 because Rick Carlisle didn't play TJ McConnell enough down the stretch

I feel like that Rick Carlisle, I don't know, maybe this is just one of those situations where he obviously knows his players better than anyone else. But TJ McConnell was a problem. I think he could not, the thunder did not know what to do with him. And he should have kept with him... they took him out for the last, like six or whatever, the crucial six minutes when they lost the game.

The Pacers will win Game 6 at home to force a Game 7

I think the Pacers are gonna figure out how to win one at home. I don't know how, I think maybe we get a TJ McConnell game. I think we just send him out there and we're like, we're gonna empty TJ's personal tank on this one... I have no reason to believe that they're gonna win game six, but I somehow do.

SGA has officially proven he is the best player in the NBA Finals

[SGA] basically was like, I have to win this series myself. And he did it in that fourth quarter... This is why he won the MVP. This is why he's the best player in this series.

The Pacers-Thunder series is officially over for Indiana

I'm pretty sure... that was their game to lose. And they did. And now I feel like the series is over. Like, yeah, the Pacers have been winning the series and it's tied and... the Thunder know they're the better team and they can just step on their throat.

Kevin Durant's legacy will be dinged if he doesn't win a title with his next team

I'm gonna say it. He needs to win a championship with whatever team he goes to in this trade... because he's cherry-picking the teams. If he doesn't do it, then his legacy in my eyes takes a ding.

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.

I officially believe the Pacers are going to win the NBA Finals

I believe in the Pacers throughout the Eastern conference playoffs and then the finals came and I was like, I think the thunder are gonna win. And I know that it's obviously now that they're up, but I they just, there's something about 'em, like they just have more guys... something about this team is special.

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.

The Knicks are going to hire Rick Brunson as their head coach

There's a theory that they're crossing all these names off. They're gonna ask everybody get denied and then they're gonna go back with a Rick Brunson being the coach. That's a theory I saw out there.

Pat Bev has a more Hall of Fame-worthy career than I do

I actually do not disagree with that at all. I you look at the scope of work... just the way he took players under his wing... I respect his opinion. I actually, I think I agree with him. I think he probably gets the nod over myself.