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00:00A lot can happen in a short span in the NBA offseason.
00:04Maybe this summer hasn't been all that dramatic around the NBA, but some big news over the
00:10weekend.
00:11In a sign in trade, DeMar DeRozan is now a member of the Sacramento Kings.
00:17He was introduced inside the Golden 1 Center during the California Classic, some early
00:22NBA Summer League action, if you will.
00:25Over the weekend, DeMar DeRozan now joins that team in Sacramento with the Kings.
00:31The Aaron Fox, DeMontis Sabonis, Devin Carter, who they drafted early, Keegan Murray as well.
00:38A Kings team, DRS, that has been a playoff contender the last few years.
00:43The addition of DeMar DeRozan should only be a positive.
00:46No, it is.
00:47And also, all you're looking for is, if you have as an organization, right, your only
00:51goal is to what, Ben?
00:53Give your fan base something to believe in for the next season.
00:56Did you get better over this offseason?
00:58And it doesn't always have to equate to, well, we didn't do enough to win a championship.
01:01Why should we even fight at this point?
01:02I like this move for DeMar DeRozan.
01:04And you didn't get him at one of those max deals like, hey, man, four years, $200 million.
01:08You got him relatively cheap.
01:09And also, when you take a look at that team, he's not coming there to play defense.
01:13He's coming there for that mid-range game.
01:15You got three-point shooters.
01:16You got guys that can get up and down the court.
01:18It's a nice fit into that starting lineup that gives you a formidable starting five.
01:22So as a Kings fan, you should love this move.
01:25Is it going to equate to a championship?
01:27Probably not.
01:28But that's not the goal.
01:29Make your team better every offseason.
01:30The Kings definitely got better with that move here, Ben.
01:33Yeah, they absolutely did.
01:35The odds reflected 25-1 for the three-time All-NBA performer that is DeMar DeRozan.
01:42Still long odds, relatively, in the Western Conference, but a shorter price now.
01:48And DeMar DeRozan is a benefit.
01:50A veteran who spent the last few years, of course, in Chicago, the last three, three
01:56prior to that in San Antonio, and a long career with the Toronto Raptors in the meantime.
02:02But still last year, even at the age of 34, in his 15th NBA campaign, he averaged nearly
02:0938 minutes per game.
02:11That was the most in all of the association a season ago.
02:16So a veteran, 34 years old, but will make an impact for Sacramento.
02:21In the side of trade, I believe Harrison Barnes makes his way to San Antonio.
02:25Our producer Joe Frizzo can correct me if my knowledge was off there.
02:30The Orlando Magic extend Franz Wagner.
02:33He remains in Orlando.
02:35Not sure why Miles Bridges keeps getting deals, but the Hornets do re-sign him.
02:39The 76ers sign Caleb Martin, DRS.
02:43They're adding some pieces as well.
02:44Of course, Caleb Martin, an all-time playoff performer, two post-seasons ago for the Miami
02:50Heat and on his podcast, Philly P, Paul George, debuting the number eight Philadelphia jersey
02:56for the first time.
02:57Yeah.
02:58How about that too?
02:59Like Caleb Martin comes over and usually it's like, hey, go to the highest bidder here.
03:03But that wasn't the case.
03:04I believe like 50 to $60 million on the table for the Heat.
03:07Much, much less from the Sixers, but maybe just felt it was a better fit here.
03:10And one less year, he can hit free agency still and maybe grab that final last contract
03:15for him.
03:16But that was a great move for the Sixers.
03:17But you take a look there at that Harrison Barnes move.
03:18You can't ever have enough shooting here.
03:20And if you take a look at the young Spurs team, you get a guy that's filled it up with
03:23about 38% from three-point range from his career.
03:27Just the past four years, 39%, 39%, 37%, 39%.
03:31So you know what you're getting here out of Harrison Barnes, but you're right about Miles
03:35Bridges.
03:36It was almost like he gets in trouble.
03:37They're like, boy, he's really talented.
03:39Let's slide him in with one of those qualifying offers.
03:41And then maybe when that new cycle hits and it's a year or two later, let's give him that
03:45big deal back.
03:46So the NBA is, and I can't just say it's the NBA.
03:49If you're in sports and you are ultra talented, you will get way more chances than just the
03:54average show in whatever job that you do out here.
03:57It's just the way of life in the NBA and certainly throughout professional sports.
04:02It is the sad reality.
04:03What happens outside of the playing surface always matters more or does not matter as
04:09much in professional sports.
04:11It sucks and it's almost enabling.
04:13I wish it would change.
04:14The Charlotte Hornets decided it was not worth changing in this moment.
04:19Donnie, as we look around the NBA at this time, the Celtics still remain a very short
04:24favorite to go back to back, maybe hang championship banner 19 after number 18 this past year.
04:32Again, Boston is in front and rightfully so in our estimation, everybody in the Eastern
04:38Conference and the entirety of the association.
04:41But now that the big moves in this free agent summer have really kind of come to a halt,
04:47the reshuffling of the odds has stalled.
04:49The Thunder plus seven 50, the Nuggets plus eight 50 alongside the Sixers tied for the
04:55third best price.
04:56Philly vaulted in front of New York after the acquisition of Paul George late yester
05:01or last week, I should say last Sunday evening, anything stand out into where the market has
05:07settled now?
05:08As you look at the odds around the NBA.
05:11As we take a look at Major League Baseball, we just reviewed their odds to win the World
05:14Series.
05:15And quite frankly, it's been the same way the entire year, Ben.
05:17We're looking like that top four.
05:18Any one of those four teams can probably win it.
05:20But in the NBA, I understand we're still not all the way through free agency.
05:24Trades will happen.
05:25Teams will assemble a little bit differently than they appear right now.
05:28By the time we start the season.
05:29But legitimately for me, there are eight teams that can win an NBA championship, and that
05:33goes from plus three hundred as a price to the Celtics to plus fifteen hundred to the
05:37Milwaukee Bucs.
05:38I don't think the Lakers are thirty five to one.
05:40You see that shelf of a big difference between the Bucs and the Lakers.
05:44But if you tell me right now, Bucs, Timberwolves, Mavericks, Knicks, Sixers, Nuggets, Thunder
05:48and Celtics, they're all legitimate teams.
05:51Now, granted, the Celtics, yes, of course, should be a three to one price at the top
05:54of the heap.
05:55They are the best team and returning champions.
05:57But I think we have an unbelievably fun eastern and western conference all the way through
06:02next season.
06:03So just to start it out, I love what I see with eight legitimate teams to win an NBA
06:07championship next year.
06:08I like that.
06:10In my mind, the odd storyline for most of this NBA season was the big four, the co-favorites
06:16out east, Boston, Milwaukee, of course, the Celtics separated themselves from everybody
06:21else in a banged up eastern conference throughout the postseason, including Giannis and the
06:27Bucs.
06:28And it was the co-favorites out west, the Nuggets, the reigning champs at that time
06:32and the Phoenix Suns.
06:33The Suns never living up to expectation.
06:36But as we got closer to the playoffs, the questions was who would be those newcomers?
06:41The Oklahoma City Thunder, the top seed, the Timberwolves, the three seed.
06:45When would the odds start to reflect the playoff positioning?
06:48They did deeper into the postseason and, of course, the Mavericks, the five seed in the
06:52western conference, making it all the way to the NBA finals.
06:56The odds perspective for me, the storylines, everybody out east, the Sixers, the Knicks,
07:01the Bucs, so on and so forth, playing for that second spot behind Boston.
07:06And it is a new era in the western conference.
07:09Some new teams out front with the Thunder, Nuggets, T-Wolves and Mavs pretty tightly
07:15compact at the top of the odds list.
07:18Summer league action, Bronny James talks next.
07:21The debut for Bronny James in a Lakers uniform, albeit a summer league jersey, over the weekend.
07:28The California Classic got underway this weekend.
07:31Some summer league rosters already underway.
07:34The official summer league does start later this week.
07:38But Bronny James in his debut, 22 minutes, two of nine from the field, four points.
07:44However, if you look at some other media networks, maybe not here on the Spiz Grizz, but some
07:49other media networks, you would have thought he went off for 44 points in only 12 minutes
07:54the way that it was covered.
07:56There is going to be a lot of eyeballs and notoriety, all the attention paid to Bronny
08:01James.
08:02He's understanding of that, the Lakers are understanding of that, heck LeBron James understands
08:07that as well.
08:08So always take everything with a grain of salt for a rookie just trying to learn the
08:13next level.
08:14But Donnie, what did you make of the first game of Bronny James's NBA career, albeit
08:19in summer league?
08:20Exactly what I made out of his USC career.
08:22This is what he is.
08:23He's just an average basketball player out there trying to get some hoop in.
08:27He ends up scoring four points.
08:29Not all that efficient.
08:30It wasn't a true NBA game where he's going against NBA talent that's going to be on a
08:33lot of rosters next year.
08:35But there is sort of nerves and you want to find your way.
08:37I understand that.
08:38But you know what else I took away from this?
08:40I don't know if this was a live interview or taped interview, but I saw LeBron James
08:44going like, yeah, Bronny just doesn't care.
08:46Like he goes to the gym and he goes home and play video games.
08:49That means to say, I got to get out in front of this and tell everybody just to leave my
08:53son alone because he doesn't listen to it.
08:55Meanwhile, he does listen to it because everybody listened to it.
08:58His dad listened to it.
08:59He says it his entire career.
09:01Just let the kids settle into his role, which is going to be playing 25 seconds at the end
09:05of every NBA basketball team, like a college kid whose father is the coach of a college
09:10team where you get some run at the end of the game and the crowd stands up, shoot, shoot
09:15in a 40 point game.
09:16And when he makes it, the crowd goes nuts and they go home and away you go at this point.
09:20Let's just let him settle into that type of NBA career.
09:22Hey, Andrew Hurley is a two time national champion at Connecticut.
09:27Worst things have happened, but you are correct in terms of the interview that LeBron James
09:33did with ESPN's David Bedeman over the weekend, a long sit down conversation where he was
09:39asked about a variety of things in Las Vegas at Team USA Olympic training camp.
09:45He was asked about J.J. Redick, his own playing career at the age of 40, and of course, his
09:51son, Bronny James, saying he does not listen to any of the noise.
09:55He doesn't really care.
09:56He understands all of the attention that is already paid to him and just blocks it out.
10:02I did think LeBron had a very noteworthy quote about Bronny James still having the hunger
10:07to live up to the name that with everything given to him, especially with all the attention
10:12that would come to pursuing a professional basketball career, Bronny James is still very
10:17invested in being the best basketball player he can be.
10:20That's cool.
10:21I root for the kid.
10:22I hope he does well.
10:23Is he of the caliber of an NBA player?
10:26That remains to be seen.
10:28He will get his chances.
10:29He's on a guaranteed four year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
10:33Yes, a guaranteed four year deal, not a two way deal for pick number 55, but for Bronny
10:40James to be a factor of this Lakers organization.
10:44And that is frankly how he should be judged and evaluated.
10:48He is a member of the Lakers NBA roster.
10:50Is he contributing at that clip?
10:53That remains to be seen.
10:55His fellow Laker rookie, Dalton Connect, was drafted 17th overall, a pretty strong start
11:02this weekend.
11:03By the way, Bronny James did not play yesterday on Sunday due to some swelling in his knee.
11:08Dalton Connect, fourth best price for Connect Four, now officially at plus $8.50 to win
11:13the NBA Rookie of the Year award.
11:16Crazy movement in this market.
11:18For what apparent reason, I'm not sure, outside of bets.
11:21Alex Saar was the favorite, still is the favorite, although the number is longer at 6-1.
11:27Zachary Rezache, the number one overall pick for Atlanta.
11:30Now the third best price, Zach Eady, storming up the board, plus $9.50 on draft night, now
11:37plus $6.50, Eady's second best number to win the Rookie of the Year award in the association.
11:43We're going to get a lot of movement here in the summer leagues.
11:45This is going to get, oh, this guy can play, can't play.
11:48If you remember last year when the summer league started, man, we've been young, but
11:52this guy's the worst player I've ever seen in my life.
11:54I can't believe he went number one.
11:55That's the last time we're ever going to pick a guy.
11:56I mean, come on, settle down, these guys get, and you have to understand there are nerves
12:00as well.
12:01Just getting back to Bronny as well, wasn't Bronny in that MVP race or Rookie of the Year
12:05race at this point?
12:07No, he's not going to play all that many minutes, but you made a good point here.
12:10He does seem like a very good kid and if there's one teacher that you want on your side, it's
12:14your father being LeBron James.
12:16He's going to be schooled the correct way to play in team basketball, but it all begs
12:20the difference.
12:21The NBA is not so much sometimes about team basketball, it's what you can do individually
12:24for said team.
12:25We'll find out sooner than later.
12:28Bronny James has the longest available price listed for the NBA Rookie of the Year award
12:32at $300 to $100, but $300 to $100.
12:36But is there value if he's already on the roster?
12:38Maybe.
12:39Make it, Kevin!
12:40Hour 2 next.
12:41A lot of basketball talk coming your way here in our second hour live on this Monday morning
12:48on the Early Line on SportsGrid.
12:50I'm Ben Donney.
12:51On the right side of the man in the middle is James Young, our coach, J.Y., to look at
12:55what happened this weekend in the NBA offseason and the summer.
12:59The debut of Bronny James, and not all that far away, just about three weeks until we
13:05get to Olympic basketball in Paris.
13:08Team USA at training camp this weekend in Las Vegas.
13:12It looks like an absolute dream team.
13:15Who would J.Y. start, and what is the prospect over in Paris later on with our coach?
13:21J.Y., I hope the long holiday weekend was great.
13:24Glad to have you here on this Monday morning.
13:26Isn't it amazing it's like the first week of July, and there's still so much hoops to
13:32talk about, especially LeBron James Jr. or Bronny.
13:35Oh, that jump shot.
13:36Needs a little bit of work.
13:37Needs a little bit of work.
13:40One of these days we'll get to football, but for now it's still basketball here with our
13:44coach James Young.
13:46So J.Y., as we look at the weekend that was, since we've all been here live on the Early
13:51Line on the SportsGrid network, not many moves in the NBA, but the most notable in a sign
13:58in trade to Sacramento, DeMar DeRozan.
14:01Now a member of the Kings, has been in the NBA for a decade and a half, 34 years old,
14:09for the first time in California's capital.
14:12What does DeMar DeRozan add to this Kings roster?
14:16Another proven scorer, a guy that can put the ball in the basket scoring 24 points per
14:21game, a guy that can create his own shot if you kind of look at DeMar DeRozan and how
14:26he scores, he scores really well as a pick-and-roll ball handler.
14:30In Chicago, 37% of the time, Ben, he was in a pick-and-roll, which means he can kind of
14:36create his own shot.
14:38He also, about 20% of the time, he's going to be a spot-up shooter, so that means he
14:41can play alongside of D'Aaron Fox, where D'Aaron Fox can come off the pick-and-roll, you can
14:45put him and set him up for him to shoot.
14:47Also, good isolation score, 86 percentile as an iso-bucket guy.
14:53So, this is a guy that can create on the pick-and-roll, that can knock down shots, and can play isolation
14:59game, which means, Ben, late clock, he can help him.
15:03What the concern, I'm going to be very honest with you, is he can score.
15:08The problem is that he doesn't shoot the ball really well from three.
15:13Like, if you look at it, he's only in a 45th percentile in three-point shots and points
15:18per possession, and his jump shots are only at 34 percent rate.
15:23So, while he does play really well and score, I'm going to worry a little bit about the
15:28fit completely, unless he's going to do a bulk of the scoring, Ben, when Fox is off
15:34the floor and he can create himself.
15:36A lot of moving parts here, Coach, in the NBA throughout, and we're still going to see
15:40a lot of these moves being made in free agency, but let's take a look at Caleb Martin.
15:44The interesting part about this, he comes over to the Philadelphia 76ers and fills the
15:47need right away.
15:48But that's not really what I want to talk about with you.
15:50He turns down a five-year, $65 million offer from the Heat to accept a Sixers offer at
15:57four years and $32 million.
16:00Why didn't he sign with the Heat?
16:01And then also, what does he do for the Philadelphia 76ers?
16:04Here's the crazy thing, okay?
16:08And forget just the numbers of the contract.
16:11Here's the thing I don't understand.
16:13Ready?
16:14Florida, just like Texas, you guys know, no state income tax.
16:18So it's even more money if you think about it, right, Donnie, with the fact that he wouldn't
16:22have to pay state income tax in Florida that he has to pay in Miami.
16:27Now listen, it could be about playing time, it could be about fit, it certainly isn't
16:31about money because money doesn't add up to me.
16:34Listen, Caleb Martin's going to help Philadelphia, and if they stay healthy, right, and if they
16:40could rebound, they are so dynamic offensively.
16:45My problem with them is, defensively as a team, and now can Caleb Martin, in long stretches,
16:53guard fours?
16:54Can he guard Giannis?
16:56Can he guard Julius Randle?
16:58Can he guard Pascal Siakam?
17:00Like can he guard these taller, bruising, not so much Siakam, but bruising bigs that
17:07can really just go over top of them?
17:10He can help them a lot.
17:12I'm worried about the defensive side and the rebounding.
17:14That's going to leave a lot of it on Embiid and Andre Drummond to take care of for Philadelphia.
17:19J.Y., as Donnie just alluded to, there will be more transactions, there will be more acquisitions,
17:25and it sounds crazy that only a week-old NBA free agency has really dried up with those
17:31notable players that will move markets.
17:34But just because there's not many robust free agents still available on the market does
17:39not mean we are not going to see some trades or some blockbuster deals at certain points
17:44in this offseason or over these summer months.
17:48Who is on your radar for some potential trades that could shake up the NBA entering next
17:53season?
17:54Well, in regards to really quick free agencies, there are a couple.
17:58Paul Reed, backup big, can he go somewhere and help a team out?
18:01Kyle Lowry, experienced point guard, vet minimum.
18:03Gary Drink Jr. can score.
18:05So when you look at necessarily trades, I'm going to focus more on teams.
18:12Milwaukee, what are we doing here with Milwaukee, right?
18:15There's talk that Brooke Lopez is available.
18:17Can Brooke Lopez help another team, Ben, as a stretch five?
18:21Absolutely.
18:22Rim protector.
18:23So you look at someone like him, you've got to go to Chicago when you look at now that
18:28DeRozan has left, is the full rebuild on?
18:32They're trying to give away Zach Levine.
18:34Like think about this.
18:35They're attaching a first-round pick, Ben, and they still can't get rid of the guy.
18:40At some point, does some team look at him and say, maybe the Lakers say, we can't go
18:44get anybody else.
18:46Let's go and maybe see if we get a fit like that.
18:48So you have to look at those guys at the big contracts and see if there's attachment to
18:52him.
18:53But to me, like, you know, the Paul Reed's, Lowry's, Gary Drink Jr.'s, Ty's Jones, that's
18:58a really good guard that started in Washington.
19:01He was the premier back guard of my position, of my, you know, thoughts when he was with
19:06Memphis.
19:07Where does he end up?
19:08So to me, there's still some free agent movement that has to happen.
19:11But some of those names like Lopez, Levine, would be the guys that are looking at them
19:14maybe being moved if teams can't fill out their roster through free, via free agency.
19:20Coach, we're taking a look here with the NBA.
19:23Maybe that, you know, free agent frenzy is starting to die down, which means the summer
19:27leagues are starting to heat up.
19:29All eyes on the prize with the Lakers and Bronny James.
19:33What did we get out of his first career NBA quote-unquote star in summer league here?
19:38Brother got to hit some shots.
19:42I mean, let's call it like it is.
19:45The kick of the fed, we've talked about it and we talked about it, you know, you know,
19:50before the draft, even during our draft show, even afterwards, Bronny James could defend
19:55at an NBA level.
19:56There's no questions about it, Donnie.
19:59Can he make shots?
20:01So this is a guy that if you just pull up his box score, two of nine, right, missed
20:06all of his free throws, both free throws, all three of his three-pointers, went one
20:11of three inside the lane so he couldn't even finish around the basket, but then you start
20:15peeling back, right?
20:16You start looking at Bronny James last year at USC, right?
20:20Jump shot, 27th percentile, catch and shoot guarded, 7th percentile, right?
20:27Three-pointers, 21st percentile.
20:30Simply put, Bronny James, if he's going to be a player in this league, forget a player,
20:37a contributing member of an NBA team, he's got to hit perimeter shots.
20:44The defense is not going to carry him.
20:46If you're going to hang on his defense and that's it, call him Frank Milikina.
20:51Oh wait, he's not in the league.
20:53Call him Davion Mitchell.
20:54He just got traded.
20:55He's got to knock down shots because one-trick ponies don't work in the NBA.
21:02And Bronny James is going to be in the league late last week, signing a multi-year, four-year,
21:09fully guaranteed deal that will start his NBA career as a member of the Los Angeles
21:15Lakers, not just their summer league team or transition two-way between the G League
21:19affiliate in the South Bay and Los Angeles.
21:22He is a member of this Lakers organization from the very jump.
21:27J-Y, give me another name that we should be paying attention to throughout summer league
21:31year to start.
21:32Oh, Kahlil Ware.
21:33You see what that brother did last night?
21:36I mean, everything, it makes me sick as a Nick fan.
21:40You know why?
21:41Everything Pat Riley does in a draft works out.
21:44Homie Hawkins, work out.
21:46Kahlil Ware, work out.
21:48Here comes Paul Larson.
21:49He's going to work out.
21:50I'm sick to my stomach over these darn Miami Heat.
21:55Kahlil Ware in the California Classic yesterday, 26 points, 11 boards.
22:00Now we go Team USA up next.
22:03Training camp for the guys this weekend in Las Vegas.
22:06The Team USA Olympic men's basketball roster, and boy, it looks good.
22:11LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, everybody walking through the halls in Las Vegas to
22:17get reacquainted and get ready for Paris and the Olympics, starting in just a few weeks.
22:23J-Y, let's look at the odds, and it should be no surprise with the roster of the names
22:27that I just listed, and it continues to go from there.
22:30Steph Curry, Anthony Edwards, Kawhi Leonard, the list goes on and on, that the Americans
22:35are nearly a minus 400, a $4 odds-on favorite at minus 390.
22:42Is the price fair?
22:44Should Team USA run away to an Olympic gold medal?
22:47Ben, yes, they should, but here's the caveat that people need to understand more than anything.
22:54Once you get to the medal round, all it takes is 48 or 40 bad minutes of basketball, and
23:00you go home.
23:01As well, they are an overwhelming favorite, and I got to be honest with you.
23:06I still have two concerns with this team, three concerns.
23:10One, they're a little bit older.
23:12If a team wants to get up and down with them, let's say Canada, can they keep pace with
23:16a team that could be younger and more athletic?
23:19Two, rebounding.
23:21We're going to talk about eventually if they play France.
23:23I mean, I watch over the weekend what Wemby's doing is like, it's extremely scary to watch
23:28as an American because he could carry the team to the gold medal, but you're going 7-4,
23:327-1, high-low?
23:34Like, how do you defend that?
23:35That's not even possible.
23:37So there's that, and then there's perimeter shooting.
23:40You've lined up, yes, we have one of the greatest shooters of all time in Steph Curry.
23:46Where are the other guys that are marksmen?
23:50Not down three-point shooters.
23:52Devin Booker, pull-up guy, Durant, pull-up guy, Ant, pull-up guy, right?
23:59LeBron, not really, quiet, pull-up guy.
24:02They could shoot it, but that's not what they're known for.
24:05If they struggle from three and the team gets hot, then they can get picked off.
24:10Should they win it?
24:11Yes.
24:12Should they be the favorite?
24:13Yes.
24:14Can they get picked off?
24:15Still, absolutely.
24:16Team USA right now assembling in Las Vegas, why?
24:21Because they probably wouldn't go to Omaha and have a training camp.
24:23They probably wouldn't go to Indianapolis.
24:25They wouldn't show up.
24:26So smart move by Team USA in Las Vegas, where the players want to be and are training strong.
24:31Now let's forget about that point for a second and let's get to Team Canada here.
24:3510-1 price here, Coach.
24:36Why don't we take a look at Canada in that second pole position right now at the Fan
24:40Blue Sportsbook?
24:41What does Canada bring to the table with their team?
24:43Well, they bring, they bring what?
24:46They bring height.
24:47As far as I know, my man, Big Zach, he's going to be in the presence.
24:49So let's see if Big Zach, we're off the bat, it's 7'4".
24:52Let's see who can go ahead and stop them.
24:55But when you look at a team like Canada, they do have some guys that can create off the
25:00bounce.
25:01And it's a star-studded team.
25:02I mean, just look at SGA and what he could bring and how much he could score.
25:06Dylan Brooks, someone that's tough defensively, but could do some other things off the bounce.
25:11RJ Barrett.
25:12They got a guy like Lou Dort, he's one of the best defenders in the world.
25:16Oh, by the way, forgot about Andrew Nembhard, what he did in the playoffs.
25:20Jamal Murray, what does he do in big spots?
25:23Kyle Olenek, seasoned pro.
25:24Dwight Powell, okay, maybe.
25:26But they got guys there on this team that can make a run.
25:30So to me, now it's interesting what happened with, I'm still missing Andrew Wiggins, so
25:35I guess the Warriors won the battle of him not playing.
25:39But still, Canada, solid second team, along with France, in this pool for the Olympics.
25:45The Americans nearly a $4 odds-on favorite, and then everybody else a four-digit price.
25:51Canada 10-1, France and Serbia at 14-1.
25:55What Victor Wiminyama did in the Olympics, qualifying for the French, oh boy.
25:59And of course, the Serbians have the best basketball player on planet Earth, in my estimation.
26:04That would be Nikola Jokic.
26:06JY, let's look at the roster now for Team USA.
26:10You mentioned some of the weaknesses.
26:13Here's a projected depth chart of sorts.
26:15Steph Curry would be the starter at the point guard spot.
26:19Anthony Edwards told everybody in Las Vegas this weekend, I'm still option number one.
26:24They gotta fit in around me.
26:26They can't knock the confidence of that young man, the Ant-Man.
26:29LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and then Joel Embiid at the center spot.
26:34When you look at the roster, and the 12 guys that will make up the Dream Team in 2024,
26:40who would you start at each spot, one through five?
26:44Well, I would go with Steph at the point.
26:47Obviously, too, that's one of the big toss-ups.
26:49Is it Booker or Ant-Man?
26:51I kind of like Ant-Man's confidence, to be honest with you, so I'd probably go with Ant.
26:55Small four, we would go with LeBron.
26:57Power forward, another tough one to go with.
27:00I think they're going to do the loyalty factor at first, and that would be Durant.
27:04Now, the center position is where it gets interesting to me.
27:08Because it's almost like three different kind of guys, right?
27:14Like, low-pulse threat, Embiid.
27:16A guy that is a freaksy athletic, Anthony Davis.
27:20Who is probably the best defender?
27:22Bam out of Bayou.
27:23I think the center position, and even the whole combination, Ben, can be predicated on
27:29who we play.
27:31If we play a team like France, there's no way you can't go with two bigs off the jump.
27:39So that could probably be, to me, probably Bam or AD along with Joel at center.
27:45Then you move LeBron to the small four position, and then you play from there.
27:49So to me, while you have a set starting lineup, I do think if you're Steve Kerr,
27:55you have to look at matchups, look at what other teams do well, and counteract that.
28:00Because that is the key also, getting off to good starts.
28:03Because when you're an American team, you want to punish teams early.
28:07You don't want to give teams hope that they can hang around, hang around.
28:11So you've got to be flexible in your starting lineup, Ben, and who you put out there
28:16based off who you play to give yourself the best start, and also the best chance to win.
28:23I'll take it from here as we approach that one-minute mark.
28:26J.Y., any of those long shots around the Olympic odds outside of Team USA?
28:32You mentioned who might be able to pick them off on a good day.
28:35How about Team Japan? Keisei Tominaga makes the Japanese Olympic team.
28:40The Puerto Ricans into the Olympic field, that 12-team field set this week.
28:45Jose Alvarado, Carlos Arroyo, the skipper for the Puerto Ricans.
28:49Any long shots that might make some upsets happen in Paris?
28:54Australia seems to always play pretty well, so they're intriguing.
28:57But all I've got to know is this.
28:59If we see Carlos Arroyo show up with Puerto Rico, folks, duck.
29:04Just look back to 2004 and what happened when that guy ran circles around Marbury
29:08and a bunch of guys, and they beat us.
29:10If he shows up and plays, there may be a little bit of a trouble.
29:14But that led to the redeemed team, so all good things stem from Carlos Arroyo.